14836/Cats, Mutant and Otherwise

Cats, Mutant and Otherwise
Date of Scene:	04 May 2023
Location:	Blake House
Synopsis:	Marie brings Sharon by to meet a fellow cat or two.
Cast of Characters:	Thomas Blake, Marie-Ange Colbert, Sharon Smith, Saeko, Gabby Kinney

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Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake is filling a truly huge bowl from a 50 lb. bag of cat food hoisted on one shoulder. Rasputin the tiger ponders the offering. H already has a full belly of antelope. "C'mon... the vet says this will keep you healthy. Try it. I added your calcium supplement already. Oh come back here!" The tiger slinks back towards the cellar as Thomas jumps over the island counter the stand before him. "C'mon... give me a break?" The tiger dead eyes the man. He is a powerfully built human but nothing to a tiger. Then Rasputin leaps onto Thomas, standing erect, his front legs on the man's shoulders. Thomas' knees buckle a little. The tiger nuzzles him mercilessly.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie had called ahead.

Marie normally does, honestly, just because 1) she doesn't want to be rude, 2) doesn't want to be interrupting anything, and 3) see reason 1 again, but this time there was a special reason. She wanted to ask Thomas if it was okay to bring a friend along to visit, who, he'd probably enjoy meeting. To Marie, it seemed like a good idea for Sharon as well given that it involves more human interaction... with someone who understands cats better than anything else she knows.

She's dressed casually, a grey 'Xavier's' sweater and a long black skirt with flats to complete the attire. When she arrives, though? She's going to knock. Of course. Because again, it's what she does and who she is.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith never calls ahead. Cats tended to neglect the world's telecommunication system. Perhaps due to lack of thumbs or lack of interest. Catseye had thumbs, but still kept the stereotype. Luckily, she has someone call ahead for her in this case.

The purple haired woman wore a similar outfit to Marie, except her gray 'Xavier's' sweater was several sizes too big for her, and the skirt was replaced with leggings... or tall socks. It was really hard to tell with how far the hem of the sweater fell down her thighs. "Haunted house?" she asked before narrowing her sky blue eyes at Marie. "Is this an April Fools? May fools! I knew it would be longer than a single month."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake opens the door before the women are quite on the porch. He emerges in his usual cargo shorts and little else. One hand holds the tiger by the ruff. Which is to say, the tiger allows it, because Thomas. 'C'mon you. Make yourself useful. Chase them feral stray dogs away if you can find them. Otherwise... go after them people keep showing up on the weekends to save my soul. Oh. Hey, you're here. Hello. Don't mind the tiger he's been fed." He head tilts and regards Sharon a moment.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"Not a haunted house... but there is a rather large cat that lives here!" Marie points out, referring to Rasputin. Or possibly Thomas himself. She doesn't specify. "Definitely not a joke, though. New friends are never a joke!" Although she does probably owe Sharon one for the Lake Incident.

Mind, Marie doesn't have a pranking bone in her body. It's why she goes hiding on April 1st. There's a certain /expectation/ she can't live up to.

Thomas gets, at first, a wave and then a quick hug assuming he allows it. "Oui, we are here! Monsieur Thomas, this is Mademoiselle Sharon Smith, a dear friend of mine. Sharon, this is Monsieur Thomas Blake. He is somewhat of an... expert in the field of felines, oui?"

She almost wishes for popcorn. This will very likely be an interesting encounter.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith didn't limit her practical jokes to April 1st. For Sharon, it seemed to be a month long event that plagued the school. Also, Sharon's idea of a prank was mostly pouncing on someone or simply knocking something over and calling out 'April Fools!' Fortunately, it was a new month. "Fine. I'll believe you, but I wear you, if you try to fools me I will have my revenge." she claimed with a still suspicious stare at Marie.

Catseye dropped her suspicious demeanor once the door was opened. Her blue eyes went wide with excitement as she lurched forward in a similar fashion as Marie, but toward the tiger. She was nearly down on her hands and knees, but paused suddenly in her tracks when Thomas was introduced. "Hello Thomas" she said almost mechanically as she maintained some sense of etiquette.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake is hugged. Not only does he permit this, Marie will be lifted off her heels, onto her toes or higher. He deposits Marie quickly and moves to intercept Sharon but then stops. Rasputin sniffs Sharon then sniffs again, then sits on his haunches wondering what the hell she is. He needs more information. He leans in and gives her a lick if she'll allow it. Nope, still not sure. Thomas for his part also sits down on the porch, fascinated by Sharon and peering intently.

Finally he says, "My girlfriend has pink hair."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie trusts Sharon's instincts when it comes to cats; big cats, small cats, human cats. All of the above are well within her purview, in the redhead's opinion. So she doesn't move t o stop the (slightly) older girl, instead making conversation.

"Mine is a brunette." Giggle. "It seems like Monsieur Rasputin is fond of Mademoiselle Sharon, oui? She makes friends quite easily."

At least, she thinks they're making friends. When it comes to Cat IQ between those present here, she's the bottom rung, with all of /her/ experiences coming within the last few years.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith sniffed back at the tiger. She astutely dodged the tongue, jumping back with wild excitement. She even lifted a hand to playfully swat at the creature, but a human hand didn't have the same effect as a paw, so she ended the gesture early. She stood back up to give Marie and Thomas a curious look. "Girlfriend?" she asked with suspicion. "You are trying to April Fool me!" she accused.

Sharon's concern didn't last long, neither did her human appearance. The purple haired woman shrank into the form of a large, black furred puma, which swatted away the mess of Xavier School themed clothes before leering back at the tiger for a proper sniff.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake snakes am arm around Marie's shoulders. "First, thank you for introducing me. Second, I will prank you back for not telling me, mon petite. It will be very impulsive on my part, when you don't have your cards." Being pranked by Catman has another meaning in some crowds that Marie would not like. But he's smiling and doesn't seem murdery or even stabby. He gives her a gentle head nuzzle.

Rasputin bats at Catseye experimentally. No claws. Claws would be a different sort of experiment, culinary in nature.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"You met her!" Marie points out to Sharon, making a bit of a face. "Not too long ago, eve--and she is no longer listening." Marie surmises, given the fact that Sharon's shifted from human mode to puma mode for better cattification. Not that she can blame the girl. Being able to fit in places was important.

As for Thomas? Marie doesn't bristle at the touch, but she does turn her head to look at the man, smiling. Although her tone's more serious than the smile indicates. "I /will not/ reveal the secrets of others. If they choose to," Motioning to Sharon, "that is entirely their choice, but never mine."

Saeko has posed:
"Oh. New cat!"

A new voice and...apparently a new presence in the room. Saeko was simply...well, here. Having announced herself with those words the kitsune herself was in her human guise but she was simply standing beside their seating like she had always been there, making her way around towards Rasputin and the transformed Sharon.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
It had been awhile since Gabby had visited. Too long, perhaps, but life was like that sometimes. Still she had to visit on occasion. She had been bunking in the pool house and needed to tell Thomas she was going to vacate soon--Plus there were steaks on sale for buy one get one half off. A family pack or two had been snagged for humans and feline alike, and it's slung over her arm as she hip-checks the door open having used her key to get in.

"Thomas, you better be decent!" She calls out from habit, only to continue, "Where's Rasputin I got dindin--"

The words die suddenly as she lets her gaze sweep around, a deep breath drawn in smelling familiar folks alike. "... Marie?" This was NOT the sort of person she expected Marie to know. As for the others? Well Sharon she didn't know, plus cat form right now lending some confusion. Saeko gets a familiar nod though it had been awhile. "... Bad timing?"

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith sat up on her haunches to begin a very cat-like boxing match. Large black paws wailed about in the air in a blunt, clawless fury as she tried to find an opening on the tiger's nose. A few low, growling noises rumbled in the back of her throat for added effect, but besides her size and low, rumbling noises, her attack seemed mostly benign and playful.

The puma was indeed not listening, or, more likely, was listening, but wasn't interested in the human conversation. She did take note of the new voice, however, and darted quickly to pounce the newcomer. It wasn't a claws out, tooth sinking pounce, it was something closer to what Rasputin had done when jumping on Thomas, throwing heavy paws over Saeko's shoulders, to let a crash of heavy weight slump against her. Sharon was unbearably heavy in that form. There was a great deal of dense muscled mass under that black fur exterior.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake throws an arm out to support Saeko. He did have the most experience with glomp. The puma was much larger than an ordinary specimen. What thell, you act like a cat he'll treat you like a cat. High praise from him. Very strong and very hard fingers gently attempt a ruff tossling if she'll have him. Saeko gets an extra squeeze of greeting. As for Gabby?

"Your sister has f... has a big mouth, it wasn't my fault. The tiger grabbed my shorts for attention. He got it. She caught me in disarray. Why people have such a problem with the human body is beyond me. Oh those steaks look choice. Get the charcoal and I'll set up the fire oit."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"You have company!" Marie exclaims at the sound of a woman-who-is-not-Pixie coming from inside the house. As far as she knew, it was only the three of them (Thomas, Megan, and Rasputin), and frankly, she sounds a little mortified. Why? Because frankly, she didn't know and didn't want to intrude on other guests. In fact, she's about to apologize and call for Sharon when...

"... Gabby?!" The littlest Logan clone is showing up in all sorts of places of late, but then again? The same could be said of the seer, admittedly. "I did not expect to see you here; you know Monsieur Thomas, too, or coming to visit Mademoiselle Megan?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney flashes her teeth in a broad grin at Marie's greeting while giving a chuckle. Thomas's as well gets a shake of her head, and she steps inside letting the door swing shut behind her. "Naw, I've known Thomas for years. He's my bad influence," she teases lightly while heading for the kitchen taking the long way around the large cats.

"All right, I'll get the coals. And yes I know Bellona has a mouth, it's part of her charm." Charm, right. Lightly she clears her throat as she glances back over to Marie with a simple explanation of, "My sister and I kind of live out of his pool house. More her than me lately, of course," she puts forth. "Since I've got the boyfriend and girlfriend."

Saeko has posed:
Saeko the tenko, immortal divine spirit and...nearly crushes by cat hugs! Eeep!

Supported as she was she was still tumbling, immediate flare of something barelt registerable and she was landing on her backside...or rather on the cushioning of her tails as she was quite literally knocked out of human disguise by glomping.

Then there was Gabby arriving and the kitsune was lifting a hand from her supine position on the floor. "The new cat is...friendly."

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith proudly stood over the fallen Saeko, giving her cheek, nose and forehead a single lick with a rough, wet tongue. She didn't keep the poor immortal pinned with her weight, heavy foot paws eventually lifting off her shoulders as she strode over the supine woman's frame to sit beside Thomas in a mirror image of the tiger on his other side. Why she had to walk *on* Saeko to get there was a mystery, other than to remind the poor woman of her dense puma weight.

Thomas Blake has posed:
there is a rumble and a black striped killer is on the job! He liked this new Not Cat-Cat. But this was Saeko who could see in a tiger's soul and calm it. A massive paw comes out. Claws half out, not likely to get past Sharon Puma's fur. This was hard for a tiger. It took a huge amount of training and Thomas had the shredded armor, broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder to prove it. Rasputin aims for the back of Sharon's head. His entire being focussed on communicating the concept, "Fox-Not Fox is mine. Behave or I will do far worse."

Thomas offers Saeko a hand up. In fact he will scoop her up if she wants it. As for the others cats -you do not get between two felines setting boundaries. "Stay out of this. She wants to be a cat... this is how cats lay down rules."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie, for the most part, is doing her best to keep an eye on Sharon while still making polite conversation with the others involved. Trying not to be too distracted by the puma's antics, just distracted /enough./

Gabby's mention of 'the boyfriend and girlfriend' does bring a bit of redness to her cheeks, though... -- and more when she pipes up to add, "How is that going for you, Gabby? Ah... any advice for someone who will be moving in with her girlfriend very soon?" That earlier confidence has been replaced by some definite nerves. The redhead doesn't want to mess things up, and isn't using her cards to make sure they go the right way.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances over to watch the Cat confrontations between the three cats in the room and the fox. She says nothing though--Not her business after all. She's busy fishing a knife out of one of the drawers to slice open the plastic on the steak packs so that they can be taken out properly. Marie's question earns a faint grin.

"Keep the bathroom door shut. No matter how close you are, it always takes time to get to that level of familarity."

Saeko has posed:
The hand up? Well, it wasn't taken because Saeko wasn't there anymore. Instead after the 'squish' of the cat walking over her she'd chuckled and 'reappeared' perched on Sharon-puma's back, a firm pat of the creature's flank in 'thanks' for the lick before she reappears sitting...well, where Thomas had been before he got up to help her.

Dang magic foxes!

Back to Gabby and she tilts her head, a smile at Marie's blushing question. "Boyfriend and girlfriend?" she questions lightly, raising an eyebrow.

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith had an odd reaction to the swiping paw. She didn't flinch or dodge away in any normal sense. Instead, she very suddenly shrank into a much smaller form, the paw whooshing freely through open air. Sharon was clearly just showing off at this point, but her shifting ability was something that might even make Ant Man jealous. The vulnerable little black cat didn't stay long, darting quickly around Marie to hide behind her leg.

Glowing yellow eyes fixated on the tiger with wild excitement. Her feral face revealing nothing. She tilted her head as she contemplated the telepathic phrase, but couldn't respond in kind. Instead, the sarcastic cat lifted a little paw to swat the back of Marie's calf in some silly mockery of the Tiger's warning. Luckily, the small cat paw didn't have enough weight to cause any significant damage or discomfort. The swat barely had enough force to move the fabric of her low hanging skirt. Why the brat of a cat was trying to rile up the protective tiger was a mystery.

Thomas Blake has posed:
A tiger gives zero fucks. He fixes the little cat with his gaze. She ran. The message came across. To drive home his point the big cat goes to Saeko, purring loud enough t set ff a car alarm. Riling a tiger was hard. But they went from zero to 60 really fast.

Thomas, seeing he lost his seat (and gladly, he'd lose way more for the Tenko) drops to all fours, extending a hand partway to the playful little cat, smiling, doing, well he isn't sure what it is he does. Felines like him, he likes them. He doesn't care why. Pheromones, voice, eyes... maybe all of the above.

"You are a real shit stirrer. I like this."

Saeko has posed:
A nod of understanding from Saeko as she stretches out beside Marie for the moment, her tails fanning out for a moment and then...vanishing, leaving her looking human as her more foxy features are hidden once more.

"I have had such relationships in the past," she offers to Gabby with a light smile. "They can be wonderful, certainly."

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
Marie can't help but giggle at Sharon's continued antics -- even responding to the little swat by crouching down to try and pet the cat. Because that's what good friends do. "I see someone's feeling playful, oui? Or perhaps hungry. It is difficult to tell at times." she tells Sharon, before blushing a bit more and looking off in Gabby's direction, "I will remember that!"

...it's a good thing her and Mary's new place has multiple bathrooms, too.

Marie-Ange Colbert has posed:
"...and this is Sharon, Gabby. She's a friend." Marie adds, speaking of the little cat as if she's a humaan. Which she is, sometimes!

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney grins in amusement as the questions start to come. At least she hadn't really pointed out poor Marie's embarassment, and instead focused on the question she'd posed. A bit of the excess fat is trimmed off one of the steaks only to be lobbed toward Rasputin knowing he'll make short work of it.

"Yeah, Tommy and Bunny. We were all friends and kind of... I don't know, orbiting around each other, none of us really wanting to make a move because we might upset one another, so I just spat it out one night suggesting we try being a trio." A slight shrug comes and she clears her throat lightly. "Been working out so far." Her head lifts to indicate the Sharon-Puma. "So who's the bratty catty?" When the introduction comes she nods and flashes a grin. "Ah, Sharon then. Hey."

Sharon Smith has posed:
Sharon Smith clearly expected more of a reaction out of Rasputin. She took her anger out on Marie's calf, swatting deliberately at her several times with the same viciousness as the light little bop she'd given earlier. The effect was mostly adorable, as it was hard for Sharon to look very menacing or intimidating while being petted.

Sharon seemed to realize the rudeness of not joining the conversation.. She eventually gave up on her tiger teasing routine and shifted back into a human form, a purple haired head pushing up Marie's hand as she sat up beside her. A naked Sharon promptly picked up the oversized gray Xavier sweater from the floor to pull it on. She didn't seem flush or flustered at the brief flash of pale skin. Covering up was mostly a formality, as was the subsequent wave she gave to Gabby "Hello" she offered along with Marie's introduction.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake is rebuffed. This happens dealing with cats. He gets up to help Gabrielle with the steaks and an impromptu dinner. Sharon doesn't get another look. Let her come when she wishes. Rasputin gives the man an eye as h withdraws and then nuzzles Saeko some more.