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In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention

Started by DragonSong, December 13, 2017, 07:14:47 PM

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DragonSong

@Dauphin DaGlobster



Bored.

She was sooooo booooored.

Grumbling to herself, Kitty gathered her paws under her body and slunk her way through the halls of her master's estate, absentmindedly following his scent. It just seemed like there was nothing to do around here today, and cabin fever was itching under her skin. Sunbasking was boring, play-stalking the kaadir was boring, dancing was boring, everything was boring!

If she was being honest with herself, the werecat knew that this feeling wasn't new, wasn't just today. She'd been feeling restless for a while now, but previously she'd always been able to distract herself somehow. But today...today she just couldn't scratch the itch. A low growl rumbled in her chest, a constant sound that she had almost no control over.

She snapped halfheartedly at a songbird perched on one of the many wide open windows, making her way to her master's parlor where he often entertained guests. That was where his scent trail led.

The panther didn't realize she was stalking, body low to the ground and ears pinned back as she slunk her way around the corner and down the hall to the arched doorway that led into the parlor.

Kitty straightened up and flicked her tail haughtily as she marched into the room, head high, uncaring of who may be visiting Atiq. She thought she remembered him saying something about planning a hunt with some friends, but at the moment she didn't care to remember.

"Rrrrow!" Half glaring, she stalked toward where Atiq sat behind his desk and butted her head firmly against his leg. When that didn't get the immediate reaction she was looking for, she reared up to plant her paws on his lap and rubbed her head up under his chin- surprisingly reminiscent of any house cat demanding to be pet. Her low growl had turned to a steady purr as she essentially attempted to climb into his lap.

DaGlobster

"And what will we be using?"

When Atiq heard the question, his expression lit up.

He, a friend, and a few others who'd be going on the expedition were gathered on a collection of chairs around a large, square table in the center of Atiq's parlor. On the table was a large parchment, depicting a map of the continent of Le'Ranna. The room itself was half lounge, half display room.  Several hunting trophies such as sets of antlers, stuffed heads, and even a few taxidermized fish, dotted the walls. At the far end of the room, there was a fireplace with some cozy looking seats with plush cushions dotted around it.

"Well, for the hunt we'll be using crossbows, of course. The secret, you see, is in the bolt. The right kind of crossbow bolt can, er..."

He trailed off when he saw the dark figure of Kitty slink into the room. When she let out her roar, several of the men around the table (save for Atiq, of course) jumped or otherwise startled.

"Angels above, is that a panther?" One of the men exclaimed, and Atiq raised a hand.

"Please, gentlemen. No need for alarm," he said, even as Kitty slunk closer and started to butt at his legs, and before he knew it, her paws were on his lap.

"Kitty, come on. I've got friends here," he said, although his tone was teasing as he passed a hand down her head. His guests were seemingly at awe, and Atiq grinned up at them as they resumed their seats.

"She's quite tame, gentlemen. Usually, that is."

He looked down at Kitty and rubbed the back of her neck.

"What's gotten into you, girl?"

DragonSong

The massive cat arched back into his hand and purred loudly in appreciation of the petting, tail flicking lazily from side to side. Then her form sort of stretched and shimmered, twisted almost, and she was human.

Well, human-ish. Her ears and tail remained, still curled languidly behind her, and when she pouted at Atiq there was a flash of fang. “I’m bored,” she huffed, and let her head fall into his lap to rest on folded arms. Her eyes flicked, then perked curiously toward his guests. “Who’re they?” she asked, shifting around slightly so she could flick her gaze back up to her master’s, feline eyes bright and calculating.

The plated gold collar that remained with her through her shifts was just about the only thing covering her, but it didn’t seem to bother her. She was used to it. Besides, with the way she was curled up, half on Atiq’s lap, and the table hid most of her from view anyhow.

DaGlobster

Atiq ignored the confused stares from his guests as Kitty changed forms. When she rested her head on his lap, he sighed, and continued to lightly pet here.

"Well, you can stay here with me as long as you behave," Atiq said, and he looked back up to his guests, giving them a reassuring smile as he motioned next to himself.

"I'll be done soon, and then we'll see about that boredom."

He looked back up to his friends.

"Now, where was I?"

"I believe you were telling us about the crossbow bolts, Atiq."

He laughed gently, and put his hands on the table.

"Ah yes, the bolts. There is no wood in the construction, just metal. It helps it penetrate deeper, and is good for bigger game, like what we're hunting in a few weeks."

And so, the meeting would go on. If Kitty had the willpower to keep still for another hour and a half, she'd find the meeting to be over, provided she didn't cause any more mischief.

[So basically if you want Kitty to get up to more mid-meeting shenanigans go ahead and I'll roll with it. If not, consider this post a light timeskip of sorts. It's up to you.]

DragonSong

[Hehehehe...]



Kitty wasn't a bad person, really. She just found it incredibly difficult not to keep herself out of trouble when the opportunity presented itself. But she tried, she really did, to keep herself in check for the remainder of her master's meeting.

Atiq was a kind enough soul, and she knew she'd never really be punished for her shenanigans. But she didn't necessarily want to make his life harder, or make him look bad in front of his guests.

Still. She was bored. And in her human form it was a tad more obvious, with her constant sighing and shifting, cutting pleading glances up at Atiq every so often.

Finally, about an hour into the meeting, she just climbed into his lap, not content with the light petting he'd been bestowing on her head and neck. It was a silent but rather clear demand for more attention, and she shoved her head into the crook of his neck as she curled up onto his lap, purring loudly.

There. He could still talk to his friends like this, right? No problem.

She felt quite proud of herself.

DaGlobster

About an hour in, the conversation had gone from the weapons to be used, to the location, to finally, the target. It wasn't just spent around the table, either. Atiq and his guests had stood to examine the crossbows, so he could show them to the guests, but by the time the hour-mark had rolled around they were back at the table, drinking wine.

"And so this creature, this... "land shark" as you call it, Atiq... What exactly is it?"

Atiq smirked, took a gulp of wine and set his cup down. By this point, petting Kitty had become automatic. In a sense, he'd almost forgotten he was doing.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Imagine a shark, but instead of fins it has four, powerful legs, and it's the size of a rhino. They dig through the earth to hunt their prey, but they have their weaknesses. It all has to do wi--"

And then Kitty was up on his lap, face in his neck as she curled up onto his lap. Thouroughly interrupted, Atiq sighed, and passed a hand down her back. To his guests, who weren't quite so used to the sight of a near-naked woman acting like a cat, were simply just silenced by her presence, either through awkwardness or fluster.

Atiq indulged her a little, continuing to stroke her back. He knew that she went stir-crazy sometimes, the poor girl, but what was he to do? Let her out onto the street to wander?

The slavers would snatch her up in a heartbeat.

Eventually, one of Atiq's guests spoke up, and they resumed conversation. Atiq tried to nudge Kitty into a position where she wasn't nearly smothering him as they continued to drink and speak of the beast in question

DragonSong

With minor grumbling Kitty allowed herself to be nudged into a more comfortable position, ending up with her head on Atiq's shoulder, golden eyes flicking curiously from one guest to the next as they finished up their preparations.

An idea suddenly struck her. It seemed perfectly reasonable- in fact, she was shocked that it had never occurred to her to ask before. She suddenly perked up a bit, slipping off Atiq's lap to wonder around behind his chair and lean over his shoulder instead. Her tail flicked back and forth in excitement, and her ears had perked forward almost curiously.

But despite her many...unconventional oddities, Kitty had been with Atiq long enough to know that the easiest way to get what she wanted would be to simply wait for his guests to leave, so she could speak with him alone.

She did so, but her impatience was near palpable.

DaGlobster

Soon enough, Atiq's friends had left. Many assurances of a good hunt were shared, a lot of "I look forwards to it" and a lot of the usual platitudes. Atiq bid them goodbye, and a few servants escorted his guests out of the room. He sat there, eyes attentively watching the door.

When he heard the door open and close, he sighed, reaching down to the table to pick up his drink and take a small sip.

At some point they'd switched from wine to arak and Atiq's eyes were a bit heavy with drink. He slouched in his seat, and looked to Kitty with a smirk on his face as he stood up from his chair to stretch.

Then, he turned to her, setting his cup down on the table and then leaning on it.

"Well, I'm all yours now, Kitty. What is it?"

DragonSong

The werecat was practically vibrating with excitement at this point, but she managed to hold herself in check until the door had closed and Atoq was holding the drink far enough away from himself that it wouldn't spill all over them when she pounced in him.

Which she did, enthusiastically, throwing her arms around his neck and looking up into his face with wide, pleading eyes. "Can I go with you? On the hunt I mean. Please?"

DaGlobster

No matter how ready he was for it, she always found a way to catch him off guard. He could only widen his eyes when she threw herself on him, barely able to catch her when she did so. The drink didn't help.

At her proposition, his eyes widened slightly.

"Oh no, not this one. It will be dangerous, Kitty," he said, and looked at her sternly. He separated from her and sat on the table, although he motioned to the space on the table next to him and even patted it a little.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you, Kitty. Who'll take care of Bramble if you get hurt?"


DragonSong

She pouted. "But I'd be careful! I wouldn't get hurt, I promise. I could hang back during the actual hunt- please, Atiq." She flopped onto the table beside him and let her head rest in his lap as she looked up at him with wide eyes. "I can't stand being cooped up here. Please?"

DaGlobster

Atiq looked down at her, mouth slowly twisting into a thoughtful frown.

He was too drunk for this.

He met those striking eyes of hers and lowered his hand to pet her, brushing a bit of her hair away from her face.

"Oh, Kitty..." he sighed, and he passed his thumb against the back of her ear. If his intent was to make her stew in suspense, then he was doing a stellar job of it as he ruminated.

"I don't know. I know you're bored and I want to say yes, but... I'm worried. Let me think about it, okay?"


DragonSong

Kitty's eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head into his touch, a purr rising in her chest as he stroked her ear.

Let him think about it.

She sighed. It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. She supposed she could live with that, for now.

"Alright." She twisted around a bit to make herself more comfortable on his lap and sort of nuzzled his hip, then let her eyes close again. For all intents and purposes, it seemed she was quite ready to take a nap.

DaGlobster

Atiq awkwardly shifted a little when she nuzzled his hip. She might not have any concept of what she was toying with, but Atiq did, and drunk as he was, she somehow managed to fluster him, despite the fact that he'd gotten used to this behaviour from her ever since he was a kid.

Oh, how his parents yelled at them the first time they found them like that.

And just like that, awkwardness was replaced by a fond memory. He continued to stroke her ear as he picked his drink back up.

What am I going to do with you, Kitty...

DragonSong

Whether it was feline instinct or just how long she'd known him was hard to say, but even lightly dozing Kitty could sense as Atiq relaxed slightly. She felt him shift to pick up his drink and smiled to herself, purring loudly.

She liked it when he relaxed. "Stressed" wasn't a good look on him, though she knew she occasionally put it there herself. Her ear flicked back and forth under his touch and she shifted a little restlessly, arching her back in a stretch and yawning widely.

"When are you leaving?" she asked sleepily, eyes still closed. To be honest she hadn't really been paying attention to that portion of his meeting.

DaGlobster

"A week or two," came the immediate answer. The hand stroking her head went to her neck. At the moment, he found that he didn't quite care if he had to stay seated on this table. He finished his drink, and then set it down, sighing as the last of the arak settled in him.

There was a cat snoozing on his lap, he was pretty much trapped there until she decided to move. He looked down at her for a bit more, and chuckled.

"You're awful sleepy for someone so restless," he teased.

DragonSong

Kitty pouted. She hated it when he left- not just because it left her with little to do all day but wander the estate, but also because she missed him. It was hard not to miss someone who'd been a fixture in her life since she was barely five.

"Mmph." She frowned and rolled to hide her face in his lap, tail twitching and ears pressed back against her head. "I'm a cat. I'm allowed to be both, it's practically in the job description," she grumbled.

There was silence for several long moments, then she nuzzled into his hip again. "Atiq?" Her voice was suddenly much softer. She didn't try to be, but she knew she was changeable, moods coming and going as quickly as the wind shifted direction. For some reason, thinking of him leaving had left her...oddly contemplative. "Am I..." She trailed off, not quite sure how to finish the question.

DaGlobster

Atiq was quiet as he waited for her to finish her question, but when she trailed, he looked back down at her. She had her face in his lap, which was awkward, but Atiq ignored it.

"Are you... what?" he started.

"What's the matter?"

Her voice was soft. He'd heard her voice like this before, but it was so rare for her cattiness to give way to something like this that it caught his attention almost immediately and made him curious.

DragonSong

She frowned. With a sharp huff, she suddenly sat up and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and bringing her tail around to curve almost to her feet. Her ears drooped and she sort of pouted at the ground.

"...Am I still a slave?"

It had been bothering her for a while, if she was being honest, but never so insistently. Once they'd left Atiq's family home, her master had never purchased a slave. Not one. Which had her inclined to believe that "slave" wasn't exactly the roll she filled.

But...what was her roll then? She huffed again. "I don't work, it's not like I'm useful around here, so I'm not paid. I'm supposed to be just...yours. But you don't-" She looked away, frown deepening. "You don't need me anymore, not like you used to. What am I- am I supposed to be-"

Again she cut herself off, shaking her head with an irritated growl.

DaGlobster

He listened to her, and by the time she was done, his eyes were directed downwards, searching for an answer.

When one came, he looked back up to her. He stood up from the table, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"You were never a slave, Kitty. At least, never to me. You were my friend when I didn't have any and my best friend even when I met others."

he shook his head and stepped a bit closer to her, resting a hand on the rim of the table.

"I'm your master, yes. Master is just a word, though, Kitty. I didn't bring you with me when I left because you were mine, but because I couldn't stand to leave without you."

He looked at her for a bit before he broke eye contact for a few moments. Then, he stood even closer to her. She was sitting on the table, so he could reach ahead of him and put a hand on her knee.

"What do you want to be, Kitty?"

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