"I thought you said the stuff was going to wear off by now?" Cat huffed, pacing as he stalked around the prone figure on the ground, his tail lashing. He was a ball of nervous energy, unable to sit still.
They hadn't been out in the world long, and the first experience with Arca had terrified Cat. Not that he would admit that. But the sheer number of people all crammed together was alarming! But they had found what they needed, the magic user the ritual required.
Crouching down, he poked at the pink haired woman's cheek. She had used magic in the street, calling up fire. Which meant she was strong enough for what they needed. Dog had come up with the plan to follow her and slip a powder into her food. And they had smuggled her out of the city and into a nearby field.
"You know, if you had just let me hit her over the head, she would be awake by now."
"It should be wearing off any minute now," Dog said, squatting down beside the woman, tail wagging with anticipation as he stared down at her face, barely blinking.
"It'll be fine! Besides, you brute, it doesn't leave marks this way. Don't worry, there's still some time left. In fact..." He reached into his bag and pulled out a long, thin wooden case and unscrewed the ornate, carved top. From it he withdrew a rolled-up scroll, which he opened and held out for Cat to see. On it was a sort of to-do list with many different items written in black ink. Some of the words, the ones closest to the top, were fading away; those were the tasks they'd already completed.
He tapped one item, Wait for drug to wear off, that was written in bold unlike the other items. It was the task they were currently on. Next to it were a series of numbers, which were slowly counting down. "See? According to The List, we have less than one minute left." He tapped the words again and gave a firm nod.
"Everything's going according to plan."
"I don't care." Cat batted at The List, ears flattening in irritation. He hated that stupid thing, though part of him respected the magic that it possessed. Mostly though, it just irritated him that his brother always insisted they do everything according to that thing. Dog had once yelled at him because it wasn't time to use the bathroom yet and he had pissed against a tree.
"I want her awake now!" Cat made a low, growling sound and poked at the girl's face again.
One moment she was awake and the next she was having something poke her cheek. A something that wanted her awake. Adalia groaned and swiped the hand away mumbling a quiet but polite 'go away'. The ground didn't feel like her bed, the area didn't smell like her room and it took her a moment to fully wake up and stare up ahead.
Well that wasn't a familiar face. At all.
Her head hurt and her mouth felt like she'd been sucking on a shirt. Adalia sat up and looked around herself and swallowed carefully before she looked between the two and decided to ask the question that she was most interested in. "Did... Did you kidnap me?"
Cat jumped back, hissing slightly, tail and hair puffing out in alarm. He hadn't been expecting her to move, though really, he should have, as he had been poking her. When she asked that question, his gaze flicked over to Dog, frowning. How did she know that?
"Uh! What?NoMaybeWhy!?"
Dog gave a light yelp of surprise and jumped, but then a bright grin broke out on his face and he leaned in closer to her, tail wagging excitedly and ears pricked forward--well, except for the right floppy one.
The happiness drained into a look of horror at her accusation and he glanced over at Cat, then back at the girl. "What? No! Of course not. How could you say that?" he said and then, realizing he was still holding The List open, he swiftly rolled it back up and stuffed it back in its holder.
"That's ridiculous. We were, uh...we were helping you, of course!" He recapped the container and shoved it back in his bag, flashing her a bright grin. "How are you?"
"Uh, yeah! Helping!" Cat shifted, still confused at why the girl would think that. They hadn't tied her up or nothing. And it seemed like it would be easier to get her to come along with them if she thought they were friendly, rather than, well, kidnappers.
"Well, I don't usually wake up in strange places to see strange faces." She tilted her head and smiled, they didn't seem like they had bad intentions. "If you wanted help you could have asked."
Adalia bit her lip and stood up carefully. She hadn't been dressed to prance around in simple pants, long gloves and a baggy shirt that hung off her shoulders and ended nearly at her thighs. "I'm... A little tired, but I think that's because I just woke up." She looked between the two, mostly eyeing their ears before she cleared her throat and then rubbed a leg. "I'm Adalia," she supplied politely, "May I ask what you were helping me with?"
"You you just assume we kidnapped you? That's a little rude." Cat's tail lashed in agitation, watching the girl as if he expected her to explode at any moment. He glanced over at his twin again. Dog had always been much better with people than he was. He didn't like strangers much.
"Uh...we're helping you with getting to where you are supposed to be. Yeah." They would just make sure they took her in the direction of where she was really supposed to be, not where she thought she was supposed to be.
Balls! Dog shot Cat another look, wishing he would just shut up! He was a terrible liar; there was a reason that he was the brains and Cat was the brawn!
He quickly butt in. "Exactly! See, we rescued you from brigands. Can't really ask you for much of anything when you're knocked out. Honestly, thinking we'd kidnapped you when we've just saved your life." Dog shook his head sadly and let out a low whine. "That's hurtful, quite frankly."
"Yeah! Yeah! Brigands! And we saved you!" Cat shot Dog a grateful look. He had never been as good with people, disliking strangers more than Dog did, so he had never really learned how to lie. Turning his attention back to the woman, he grinned widely, showing off his fanged teeth, "We're heroes!"
As he said that, Cat turned slightly and gave Dog a high five, both of them beaming proudly at Adalia.
Oh dear.
Adalia stared, her eyebrows up and she blinked a few times. Well, so much for getting their names. Their story was laughable, she would have remembered at least one brigand before passing out, but for now she just nodded and put her hands in front of her. "Oh my heroes!"
She didn't have the heart to tell them the high five sort of gave it away. These were some first class... Whatever they were. Not any sort of stealthy beings, that was for sure. "I'd had a terrible past few years, you see, I was just assuming, of course. Waking up in a strange place to strange people and no idea how I was knocked out in the first place? Surely you understand." Adalia stretched herself out, going on her tip toes before stretching her arms far up.
"I'd grant my heroes with a kiss before I'm on my way back home...But I'm afraid I don't even know your names."
"Names? Oh. Uh, I'm Cat, this is Dog." Cat gestured to himself and his brother. They didn't really have names, but that was what the Witch had called them, so it worked. They were just tools.
Cat studied her with his mismatched eyes, tail lashing and ears flattened back in slight irritation, "Well, it's okay. Because we're the heroes so you don't have to worry." The mention of the kiss confused him. Did she want her needs seen too right there in the field? That seemed a little weird, the Witch had always wanted to be in the bed.
Well, whatever. Pointing to his lips, Cat grinned, flashing fang, "Me first then!"
"But Cat," Dog said, pulling out The List again and unfolding it so he could look it over. "We don't have time! We're on a very tight schedule and..."
He let out a sigh, looking over the two and frowning. Well, he supposed a kiss and a romp couldn't take that much time. There was a little wiggle room between her waking up and them getting a move-on, so he supposed he could make a concession. They were the heroes, right? And heroes got rewarded? It was the natural chain of events and he'd forgotten to include it on The List!
"Oh, fine. Me next, then!" he said with a grin, scooting closer to the girl.
Oh... Geeze. Adalia stared. Cat and Dog, huh? Well, she supposed they were suiting considering what they had attached to their heads. Like she said she would, Adalia placed chaste kisses on each of their cheeks before she flexed her hands and checked to make sure her gloves were in place.
"So, I'm going to go home now, alright?" She stretched again and smiled widely, "Unless you need something?"
Adalia may have meant too, but she didn't get the chance to just have a chaste kiss with Cat. As soon as she leaned close, Cat reached up, putting his hands on either side of her face and pulling her close for a deep kiss, sliding his tongue past her lips.
Wagging his tail, Dog scooted even closer and tapped Cat on the shoulder. "Hurry up, will you! Don't hog her, it's my turn!" he said with a small huff.
A muffled noise welled from her throat and she pushed at Cats shoulders, arching away from him and then wiping at her mouth once she got free. "What is wrong with you! That... That was..." She didn't even know that was.
"A cheek kiss! On your cheek! Not... Not your mouth... in .. my mouth!"
"What? You said kiss, you never said anything about a cheek." Cat frowned, puzzled. As far as he knew, that was how you kissed people. Shrugging, he moved out of the way, "Okay, your turn Dog."
"How do you cheek-kiss? Cheeks don't have lips, silly," Dog said with a tilt of his head, one ear flopping from the movement, utterly perplexed at her reaction. Clearly she was confused. Perhaps the draught they'd given her had muddled her mind. Oh well! It was his turn!
Happily, Dog reached out and grabbed the girl's chin, drawing her in close, before he leaned in, ready to plant an equally amorous, deep kiss on her lips.
"Hey, wait, hey, hey, hey, hey." Adalia moved a hand up quickly to place it over Dogs lips. "Cheek kiss." Adalia kept her hand over his mouth while she leaned and put her lips to his cheek and then backed away. "Cheek." She nodded to his cheek, and then she made the kissy lips, "Kiss."
"See? It was a cheek kiss, I didn't... I didn't... Want your tongues in my mouth. That wasn't what I meant."
Cat's ears flicked in irritation. The woman wasn't making any sense. Snorting, he shared a look with Dog before looking at the woman again, "What are you talking about? You can't kiss with a cheek. That doesn't make any sense."
He blinked, suddenly realizing what else she had said, "Hey! What's wrong with my tongue?"
Dog waited for the sparks and heat and pleasure--and was instead greeted with the dead sensation of flesh pressing against flesh. He frowned and waited a little longer; maybe it was one of those delayed reaction things. But then Adalia was backing away and--and that was it? He stared at the woman and lightly touched his cheek where she'd mashed her lips against him, still waiting for some sort of latent effect that just never came.
"...Oh. Oh, uh, that was..." He pursed his lips, looking for the right words, then shook his head. His ears drooped. "How very disappointing and bizarre. Is that how people do it here?"
Poor souls were clearly misguided.
When Adalia pressed her lips to Dog's cheek, Cat leaned forward, staring at them with his mismatched eyes. Waiting to see if anything exciting happened. But from Dog's expression and comment, it didn't look like it.
Wrinkling his nose, Cat tried to puzzle that one out. Maybe it felt better to be the one with the lips? "Hey, Dog, commere." Grabbing his twin, Cat tugged Dog's face closer and smooshed his lips to the other familiar's cheek and waited.
Nothing.
Pulling away, Cat looked at Adalia again, "That doesn't feel good like kissing at all. What's the point?"
Adalia stared. Her green eyes were large and blank and she just stared. "It's... Just a kiss." She swallowed and looked around, it felt like every other kiss she'd had. Sure it was missing the fluttery tummy and all that but they were strangers and she wasn't going to get all fluttery in her tummy over them! No way!
"It's... Not supposed to feel like that?"
"It's not? Then what's the point?" Cat frowned, still puzzled by the whole thing. "That isn't much of a reward."
Lounging against him brother, Cat decided to switch tactics. He gave the pink haired woman a lazy smile, staring up at her with his odd eyes, "Wasn't my kiss more fun? Make you feel good?"
Dog's frown deepened. He hadn't even felt anything when Cat had done it! How was that supposed to be any fun?
"Of course not! It's supposed to feel good and make you want more." He glanced over at Cat, then looked back to Adalia and smiled gently, motioning her closer with a hand. "Cat's methods may have been a little rough; we're rough with each other and I guess we forgot. Wanna give it another go? I can show you how it's really supposed to feel."
What the hell!
Adalia leaned back and tried to smile, her arms out and her hands faced out. "I.. Uh..." She laughed nervously and took a few steps back. "I don't really want to fully understand what that means." Another polite smile and she looked between the two of them.
"I...I don't need you to kiss me! I know what kissing feels like. I know what sex feels like and and..." She swallowed and smiled, "I don't want that from you! I was just giving you a friendly kiss on the cheek as thanks!" She swallowed and smiled again, she wasn't uncomfortable. Just really really confused.
"If you didn't want it, why did you ask for it?" Cat's ears flicked again, irritated at all this. They had been planning on leaving already, but then she had wanted to rut and now had changed her mind! That wasn't fair!
"And we're really good. You were the one that wanted to kiss in the first place. Do you not like Dog? He can be slobbery. I'm way better at servicing than he is."
"Hey!" Dog stiffened, a low growl in the words, an inhuman sound. "I do not! I do not slobber! You take that back! Besides, at least I don't have a scratchy tongue!"
Turning to look back at Adalia, Dog gave her a sad, doleful look, mismatched eyes large and ears pinned back. "It's not true, what he says, is it? That you don't like me? Besides, he's telling fibs. I don't slobber--which you would know if you let me kiss you proper. It's not very fair that Cat got to but I didn't and now everyone's making all sorts of judgments about me."
"What? I do not! It's only kinda scratchy and Witch liked it!" Cat's ears pinned back and he lashed his tail, glaring at his stupid brother.
But Dog did have a point and Cat turned his equally mismatched gaze onto Adalia, "It's true you know. You gave me a real kiss and Dog only got your stupid bad face smoosh."
He refused to call that thing a kiss. It was totally unworthy of the title kiss.
"I like you fine!" Adalia said, hands how and her fingers spread. Great, now she felt bad for not letting some strange man stick his tongue down her throat 'cause the other one got to!
"You kissed me!" She raised her voice at cat and her mouth was hanging open. This was unfair! This wasn't what she wanted to do today! "I didn't kiss you! I was going't ... Smoosh my face against yours but you shoved your tongue down my throat!"
"You said I could have a kiss. I didn't ask for it, you offered." Cat gave Dog a confused look. What was wrong with this woman? She was totally nuts.
"You wanted your needs seen too and we're trying too. What is the problem? Dog isn't as good as I am but we are really very good. We can get you satisfied quickly."
"Cat!" Dog barked, rising to his feet. "If you would please stop casting doubts on my abilities before this young lady, I would most appreciate it!"
That out of his system, he cast a look at Adalia. "Don't believe a word he says when it has to do with me. He's just jealous, really."
Adalia stared and frowned, looking from man to man before she threw her hands up. "I don't want to be serviced! I don't want any anything! I was making a joke and going to kiss you on the cheek!"
She straightened her back and threw back her shoulders, her chin held high. "I'm going to go back home now, no one is going to get anymore kisses. It was lovely meeting you."
"I am not jealous of you. You're jealous of me." Cat got to his feet as well, ears flattened as he glared up at Dog.
Then Adalia spoke and he swung his head to stare at her. She was leaving? Shit. Think brain!
"Right! We'll, cause we're heroes, Dog and I will take you back." They would just make sure they lead her in the direction they needed her to go in. He was so smart!
Nice save, Cat!
Dog quickly leaped into action. "Yes! Exactly! We will be your escorts!" he chimed in, moving to Adalia's side and slipping his arm through hers, ears perked and tail wagging happily. "After your brush with brigands, it would be far too dangerous for you to travel alone. It's only proper that we see you through the last leg of your journey. And before you say anything, it's no trouble at all! This is what we do. Being heroes and all."
She regretted telling them they were heroes. It was going to their head and turning them into annoying mimics. Adalia stared and had a feeling they thought she was... Less than smart.
Of course she was curious now, maybe she'd play it up. Just to see what would happen, if worst came to worst she could try and blast their faces off. "Okay. Lead the way the sooner we get going the sooner you'll be distracted from lip-locking."
Cat quickly moved to take her other arm, smiling and flashing a wicked set of canine teeth at Adalia, "Oh, I never get distracted from seeing to a ladies needs."
Heading off, Cat lead them off in the direction away from Arca and heading roughly in the direction then needed to go in. If he could, he wanted to avoid towns. He didn't like them. Dog had always been more of a people person than he was. He just needed Dog and their Witch. No one else.
"Splendid!" Dog said, marching alongside she and Cat. "Now, the first order of business, according to The List, was to find a good shelter for the night. It's going to be a long trip, you know, and it could rain. There are some clouds coming in. Oh! And Cat, you'll be so proud, I made sure to add in a couple potty breaks! More since we have a new person with us."
He beamed at Adalia, flashing fang, as though expecting praise from her, too.
A look at his teeth and she smiled pleasantly before turning away and looking straight ahead. Yup, they weren't leading her home. They were leading her somewhere else and she rose an eyebrow before shaking her head. She would have liked to grab a pack of clothing or food or something, but it wasn't looking like it.
They seemed a little stupid, a little extra dense. Maybe they needed help?
"Aaah, that should be easy." She smiled then, "Someone taught me how to start a fire without magic." She sounded proud.
"Good. You never schedule enough breaks. Or give me enough time in the morning." Cat was always extra affectionate in the morning and Dog just yelled at him there wasn't time for that. It was so annoying!
Cat cocked his head at Adalia, "Well, we can start the fire with magic. We can do that much. We're helpers."
"We're quite the skilled mages, you know," Dog agreed before shooting Cat a look. "And just for you, I scheduled extra time for tomorrow morning. See, I do listen, believe it or not."
This was going a lot more smoothly than even Dog had anticipated. The mage wasn't struggling, wasn't protesting, wasn't even questioning them or their motives. She didn't even seem to notice that she'd been drugged! Or if so, at least didn't seem worried about it. She was just going along with them. Either she was that witless--and they certainly didn't need her for her brains!--or...well, he had nothing.
Either way, it was going well. If they just followed The List, they could get through this with few hiccups.
"Good. I hate being rushed and then you whine all day that were late." Cat smirked over the girls head at Dog. This was going so perfectly. The stupid tart didn't even know what was happening to her!
Now just to get her well away from the city and things would be golden. Didn't seem like it would be a problem as she seemed more upset about her face smoothing shit than being drugged.
"Well, being prompt and punctual is very important! Can you blame me for being upset when we're falling behind?" Dog shot back.
"I'm a skilled mage, too." Adalia mumbled before following along. Maybe they were stupid? Were they trying to set some sort of trap? Should she mention her home is in the other direction? Maybe she'd supply them with an excuse.
"Sooo, we're taking the long way back, hmm?" If worse came to worse she could probably impale them with something.
"Oh, yes. We know." Cat tightened his grip on her arm when she mentioned the route. Maybe it had finally clicked in that slow brain of hers that something wasn't right, "Oh...uh...yes. Scenic route and all that."
"Besides," Dog added, "the short way is where the brigands are; they're imposing a toll on the road, which basically means they're robbing anyone who comes by."
That was how it worked in Dog's favorite book series, The Adventures of Collin Fletcher. Fletcher once had to face an entire horde of thieves who had done such a thing, cutting the poor villagers off from the traders that passed through and making life dangerous and miserable. He had, of course, valiantly liberated them and restored all the stolen goods and money to the merchants and townsfolk alike.
"We may be strong mages, but it's too risky and we have a lady with us now." He flashed Adalia his most charming grin. "No sense in taking unnecessary risks and a little extra walking never hurt anyone!"
"Uh, yeah! Brigands and shit!" Cat caught on, recalling books Dog would read to him. He could read, but not as well as Dog and he liked curling up in Dog's lap, getting stroked and scratched while listening to his brother.
"So this way is much safer. Now stop asking such stupid questions and come along."
"There should be a village up ahead," Dog said, wrinkling his brow as he tried to recall the items on The List. "We can rest there for the night and get some food in us! Any objections? No? Didn't think so! Then that's settled. Now let's pick up the pace. We'll want to get there before nightfall, just in case."
After all, for all his lies about brigands, he had heard news about some trouble out and about in the world. Their Witch had seemed bothered by it, though Dog didn't really understand the details and had never thought to ask. Nothing had really mattered but their Witch and the small village they lived in. Until now, neither of them had been outside it, and Dog had been content to spend his life that way until it all came crashing down.
They had just come to a fork in the road when there was a rustling in the thick trees growing alongside it. Dog's ears perked up and his tail stiffened, nose twitching, but they were upwind of the disturbance and so he didn't know what was coming until two horse-riders trotted out onto the road, blocking their way.
"Ya three are skilled mages, eh?" one of the riders barked, a brawny, bearded man with light hair and a smattering of freckles. One hand was on a sword at his hip and his partner, a younger red-haired man, smirked down at them and rode closer.
And as he did, Dog felt something snap around him like a vice. Not literally, but there was a strange sensation of being bound somewhere deep inside him.
He realized then that he couldn't touch his magic.
"What? A town? I hate towns." Cat grumbled as they walked along, annoyed that Dog always liked to go into those places. There was always people there, strangers. Cat hated strangers, hated how close everyone was. He missed the quiet and solitude of their home. Just him, Dog and Witch. With just the occasional visitor from the village.
But that place wasn't really home anymore. Not with her gone.
He almost missed the sounds of the horses, but even before the men appeared, Cat's ears were back and his tail and hair were puffed up in alarm and anger. When the men got closer, Cat could feel something inside him, like something was blocked off.
"Who are you? Go away!" He hissed, getting ready to spring at the larger one when he realized what it was. His magic was blocked, "Hey! What did you do!"
The younger redhead laughed, nudging his friend, "Looks like one of them is a mage at least. Gonna be a good haul."
Adalia was slightly amazed by the two males. Boys? They didn't look like boys but they did act like it. She was entertained by them. But then there was a threat, and her metaphorical hackles went up and she sneered and glared at the people. Her first instinct was to slam their faces in with a ball of air but... Nothing.
She paled, her hands shook and she stared between the two animal-men. Surely they knew how to fight. Right? They were ... not waif-y. Not tiny like her. Still, she had been a knight, it was her duty to protect the innocent and the... Slightly slow. Adalia squared her shoulders and walked out in front of them, her pose was relaxed after she'd moved and she glared at the two men.
"You'll let myself and my companions pass." Her voice was steely and she glared. Wasn't tough enough, couldn't be. But she could pretend to be. It was strange being blocked off from her magic, she felt a little sick. But a 'good haul' could never be a good thing and even if Dog and Cat seemed a little silly they were... They needed protecting.
"We will, will we?" the older man asked lightly, meeting Adalia's glare with a cool smile. He looked at his friend and shared a laugh, then urged his horse closer to the girl, unafraid. "Keep talking, darling. The feisty ones are the fun ones. Don't just lay there like a sack of meal." There was a metallic hiss as he drew his sword and motioned to his companion.
"We take 'em all. We'll find out who the mages are later."
Dog gave an inhuman snarl, ears back, tail stiff, and sharp teeth bared, and if he had hackles to raise in this form, they would have been raised, too. He grabbed Adalia by the wrist and pulled her close to him. "Back off! She's ours! We found her first!" he barked. "So leave us alone!"
...Uh, okay, so that's not how it typically worked in the stories. In fact, Dog realized, that was a rather weak line. Usually there were heroic speeches and stuff. Balls.
The swordsman advanced, and he shoved Adalia behind him. "Run, lady! We'll hold them off!"
Cat didn't wait. The second the younger one moved toward Adalia, Cat launched himself throw the air and landed hard against the redhead. While Cat didn't know a lot about human fighting, he and Dog had been trained to protect their witch, it was their job.
The redhead had been quite unprepared for a snarling, yowling tackle, rolling across the path with Cat. And Cat didn't fight like a man, he didn't throw punches or hit. His claws raked across the boy, shredding skin and clothes and sharp teeth sunk deep into his shoulder, trying to get a lock onto his throat.
(Dropping this thread)