Of Wings and Things

[miss_sanguine]

Fur as soft as bird's down found its way under his offered fingers. As if this were a trigger, he automatically began to move his hand down his cat's back, smiling as her spine arched to meet it. The motion was instinctual, something he did so often that on occasion he found himself doing it without realizing.

Maneki's pleasure was contagious. As she purred in contentment in his lap, he too felt the stirrings of enjoyment, as if someone were also petting him. He smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head back on the wall he lay propped against.

After running around in a nearby field for the sheer heck of it all afternoon, chasing bugs and rolling in the grass, the two of them were bushed. It felt nice to lay back and relax.

The village they were in was unfamiliar to him; he didn't know the name of it, though he had visited it on more than one occasion. All that mattered was that it was quiet, not bustling with hundreds of people. Not to mention that the weather was perfect: clear skies with no sweltering heat, a light breeze. And the building they were currently resting by was closed for the evening, leaving the two of them alone and undisturbed, except for the occasional villagers that passed by, but they paid no attention to the shirtless man and his cat.

<Today,> he mentally sent to Maneki, <was a good day.> For a response, Maneki's purr grew louder.

[Anonymous]

She had spent too long hiding away in Iris's wagon, avoiding the world outside the safe haven on the circus. But she couldn't hide forever and she didn't want to either. There was a whole world out there and she wasn't going to cower from it.

She wasn't performing today, so her clothes were simple and plain, her hair a rather complicated braid to eat up some of its length. Her feet were mostly healed back up, but she still walked a little delicately, limping slightly.

But food was needed and so she set out to pick up something to make for dinner. Nothing too fancy, she didn't have much money, but she just miiiigh splurge on some bacon or maybe some chicken. Assuming she could get a good price on it. It was a little late, but there had been a lot to do to set up the wagons and Liadan just hopped she wasn't too late to buy anything.

Stepping through the streets, she noticed a very pretty cat, a coloration she hadn't seen much of before. It was curled around some man, though Liadan found the cat much prettier.

[miss_sanguine]

As he continued to pet Maneki, Monnayage drove all other thoughts from his mind. Her fur was soft, comforting as it smoothed beneath his touch. He always made sure to stroke it in the direction that her fur naturally grew, since she hated having it ruffled or otherwise made unkempt in any way.

<Monnayage.> Maneki's thoughts came bidden into his otherwise emptied mind.

"Hm?"

<There's a woman staring at us.>

<Is she good-looking?> he teased. But when the cat failed to answer him, he opened his eyes and looked around.

Had he less manners his jaw would have dropped. Instead he simply stared—which, when he thought about it, was just as rude, but he couldn't help it. The woman Maneki had been talking about, and it most assuredly was this woman since she was the only person staring at him and his cat, had wings.

<What are those ugly things on her back?> Maneki asked. <Are those wings?>

He didn't answer, though, instead lifting Maneki out of his lap and putting her on the ground—much to her dislike—and then walking toward the stranger. His eyes had not left her the entire time he'd done this, being too transfixed.

Wings! He'd never seen anything so beautiful. He had to get a closer look.

[Anonymous]

Liadan noticed the man staring, and while she wanted to get annoyed, she knew that wasn't fair. She had been staring at his beautiful cat, so she couldn't say anything. And when she had a huge wingspan, she got a lot of looks. But it was still annoying.

Liadan put a hand on her hip, staring back, "Enjoying the look? Yes, they are wings. No, I can't fly."

[miss_sanguine]

Wings! Just the sight of them sent his heart jumping with exhilaration. He wanted to touch them, to examine every inch of them. Were they more like a falcon's, thin and tapered, or more like an eagle's, which were broad and wide-spread? Were the feathers more similar to human hair, or made from the keratin found in other avian figures?

Even with scientific fascination aside, they were gorgeous. He couldn't understand the bitterness in her tone when she spoke of them, as if they were a burden to her. With or without flight being open to her, he would have traded almost anything to have a set of his own.

Pushing away his passionate reveling, he stopped just short of the stranger and smiled at her. Then he broke into a low and respectful bow. "While the view is quite wonderful. . ." He straightened. "I couldn't help but notice the fascination you had in my cat. You seem as engaged in her as I am in you."

Maneki brushed against his pant leg before situating herself between his feet. He could feel her pleasure in the idea of being admired by someone, and it brought a feeling of pride that was not his own to his bosom. The cat was so full of herself--a trait he secretly shared.

[Anonymous]

Liadan blushed just a little, not thrilled her staring had been noticed. But she always had a soft spot for animals, cats were the worst. Something about an animal that was so cute and would never love you just appealed to some masochistic part of her.

"Ah, yes. I hadn't meant to stare, I've just never seen one like her before. That coloring is beautiful."

[miss_sanguine]

From below, Maneki started to purr, her ego being fed at such a pace that her egotism bled into his own feelings. He found himself practically puffing up under the attention that wasn't even his.

Trying to push these feelings away, he cleared his throat--hoping he wouldn't start purring as well. He continued to smile. "She's a Siamese," he said. "And her name's Maneki."

He'd often heard that having a dog attracted women to a person, but he begged to differ. It helped that Maneki was gorgeous like him. Women seemed to like that.

"And I can say the exact same thing that you have in apology for my own staring. Your wings are . . . are beautiful."

[Anonymous]

"May I pet her?" Liadan squatted down, reaching out carefully to the cat, the tips of her wings dragging in the dirt.

"Ah yes. They are very pretty, I'll agree with that. But they are a horrible inconvenience."

[miss_sanguine]

Maneki was already submitting herself to the outstretched hand, back arched in welcome against it, before Monnayage even had a chance to say anything. Her purring increased in volume, a loud motor of ecstasy and approval that hummed through the air. He had a hard time concentrating on what the girl was saying through the sensation of her hand on his cat and the pure rapture she was feeling from it.

"I . . . ah . . . Yes," he said, not really having any idea what he'd just said yes to. He felt a broad grin on his face and couldn't remember it having become so big in the last few seconds. "Very pretty."

Damnit. Why did this always have to happen when someone was petting Maneki? He'd have thought that after two years he'd have gotten the magic under control, but no. His cat's emotions were flooding in with his far faster than he could handle.

<I like her,> Maneki said, to which he couldn't help but nod in agreement despite himself, as if he'd been the one to say it and he were now consenting with himself. <Even if she does have ugly wings.>

"Mm . . . ugly." He was nodding again. Then with a jolt of horror he realized what he'd said and quickly amended with, "Ah, an ugly assumption, to see them as an inconvenience. Their beauty alone makes them opportune." What was he saying?

[Anonymous]

"You obviously have never tried to use a privy with a set of giant wings on your back." Or done any number of tasks that made her want to scream in frustration. Places weren't made to accommodate her massive wings. They knocked things over and just generally drove her nuts.

Liadan's fingers worked under Maneki's chin, smiling down at the beautiful cat, "I would give you the damn things if I could." Everyone always did that. Gushed about how beautiful her wings were and how they would love to have them. She bet they would give them back after a few hours.

[miss_sanguine]

The girl's words were lost to him then. The moment her hands went to Maneki's chin, one of the cat's most favorite spots, he was lost. He should have stopped her, should have said no to petting Maneki, but the cat had been too fast for him.

"Oh," he said, his voice distant to his ears. He stood there motionless, staring off into space. "Oh, yes. Give . . . them."

Maneki pointed her head upward to make it easier for the stranger to pet her. Her purring seemed to become so loud that it made his own throat pulsate, until he realized vaguely that he was doing it as well. It make him blink several times in confusion. <Maneki . . .>

But the cat wasn't listening to him, caught up in her own bliss. Not that she would have cared, a familiar voice reminded him. She was as greedy as ever, and when someone gave her this sort of attention, she would not let them stop.

"You should . . ." He struggled for words between his own purring sounds. "Probably . . . not . . ." Not what? Not what? Oh, Kia, it felt so good.

[Anonymous]

Liadan stared at the man, a little creeped out by his reaction. Her fingers slowed on the cat's chin, "Um...what...are you doing?"

[miss_sanguine]

As her attention on Maneki slowed, he found himself coming out of a haze. "Doing?" he repeated, blinking some more. He gave a little shiver.

What was he doing?

And then the understanding hit him like a bag of rocks. "Oh!" Horrified, he looked down at her, gaze coming to rest on her stroking fingers. Maneki was looking at him warningly.

<No,> she said firmly. She mewed softly, paw batting at the girl's arm as she tried to get her to continue. But now that he had some control back, he couldn't let that continue.

Though she hissed at him when he bent down and though she raked her claws across his arm, leaving four deep gashes that made him wince, he still lifted her up off the ground as quickly as he could. The euphoria from before was flooding out of him, leaving outrage and horror in its wake. By now the purring had stopped completely.

"I was, ah . . . Ouch!" Maneki had caught him across the face with her paw, a horrible stinging now left where it had been. Caught off guard, he dropped her as he went to touch the new scratch, and she ran to sit at the girl's feet, glaring death at him. "Maneki!"

She'd attacked him before, but never on the face! That was off limits! It was deep, too, already bleeding onto his grasping fingers. Now he had a bleeding arm and a bleeding face. How ugly he must look, now!

<I was enjoying myself,> Maneki said with no remorse. He'd hurt her pride; he could feel it through their link. Lifting her like he had.

But his face! His beautiful face! He was speechless.

[Anonymous]

So was Liadan. She took a step back from the man, eyes wide, "Uh, well, um, you should get that looked at. And I uh...hear someone calling. So, it was lovely to meet you, you have a beautiful cat." And if you come near me, I'll kick you so hard you'll never have children again.

[miss_sanguine]

"No, wait!" he pleaded, half-inclined to go find the nearest healer, half-inclined to try and redeem himself. His arm and face ached, his pride as well--though he had a feeling part of that was Maneki, not him.

<Look what you've done,> Maneki said as the girl started to back away. <She liked me.>

"I'll strangle you later." This was not turning out as he'd first planned. Blood was not a way to a woman's heart, nor was purring like an idiot for no apparent reason. He must have come off as a lunatic to her.

He cupped his sleeve to his arm, soaking in the blood that was gathering there, then turned his attention back to the winged woman. "Let me explain myself!"

Though why she would want to talk to him now that he was ugly was beyond him, but he couldn't let her run off thinking him a crazy man. That just didn't do well with his ego.

[Anonymous]

"Strangle?!" Liadan had enough bad experiences scary men to last her a life time and now another was showing up. She took a few more quick steps back, "Don't you come anywhere near me!"

Her wings flared wide, an instinctual response to Monnayage's threat.

[miss_sanguine]

He stopped in his tracks. "Wha--strangle? No. No! I was talking to Maneki. My cat!" He pointed furiously at his familiar, who pulled her ears back and hissed at him.

Why? Why? He couldn't remember a situation ever getting this horribly out of line.

"Listen," he said, lowering his tone to sound more reasonable. "I know this all seems strange to--"

His walk forward was halted as a flare of white filled his vision. Maneki yowled loudly and scampered away, her steps so quick he couldn't catch where she'd gone.

Oh. Kia, they were beautiful. Left speechless, all he could do was stare at the girl's wings, cringing a little at the cornered look she was giving.

When he finally found his tongue, he shook his head. "Maneki's my familiar," he tried to explain. "I'm a mage. She and I . . . share things." Did this girl even know what a familiar was?

Ah, damned to hell. That would make things difficult. She already looked ready to kill him. He couldn't see any way out of this.

[Anonymous]

Liadan kept the basket between her and the crazy man, eyes wide. Panic was flooding her and she hated it. Hated the cringing fear some strange man was making her feel. Hands gripping the basket, she did her best to remain calm, to not let it beat her.

Her wings slowly folded back in, though a strength of will power, "Oh really? And that's why you are acting like a pervert?"

[miss_sanguine]

A pervert?! That was a low blow!

"I wasn't acting like a pervert!" he protested, all thoughts of scratches and pain gone. Sure, he'd been purring like an idiot, but that didn't make him pervert! It wasn't his fault that her fingers felt so . . . so nice.

Frustration wasn't going to get him anywhere. Despite the insult to his virtue--well, okay. He could be perverted at times, but he hadn't been this time--he had to stay calm.

Taking another deep breath, he tried again. "I don't normally let people pet Maneki," he explained, arms out in sign of non-hostility, blood dripping down onto the dirt below. "She was too quick for me, though. When people pet her, I can . . . I can feel it, too."

He felt a blush rising to his cheeks, then. Maybe he'd admitted too much with that last bit. "So . . . ah . . . I . . ." He didn't know how to continue, already feeling hot around the neck.

[Anonymous]

Well, that just made her feel dirty. Liadan's cheeks flushed and if looks could kill, Monnayage would be very dead, "So you just stood around while I was indirectly petting you? I feel like I should demand money for services rendered."

Liadan knew she was over reacting, she knew it. She could feel it, but that damned fear, that remembrance of the other man kept her from lowering her guard.