Roxanne Carson (lafemmenoire) wrote in darkcarnivale, @ 2011-09-08 19:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | jessa despereaux, tobias thibodeaux |
WHO: Jessa (as a big old kitty cat!) and Toby
WHAT: Training, cuddles and general awesomeness
WHERE: The animal tent
WHEN: Backdated to...yesterday?
RATING: A for awesome! C for cute! Low
STATUS: Complete
Jessa had been feeling entirely lazy that day. She wasn't really sure why. It was just one of those days, she supposed. Waking up staring at the poster of a starry sky on the ceiling of her trailer, she rubbed at her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. What did she have to do today? It was hard to remember. With a bit of a groan, she sat up and got over to the side of the bed. "What do I have to do today?" she asked herself. Of course, the echo off the wall wasn't really going to help answer. So instead she looked at the calendar hanging up on the wall. Styled so each square was a colored post-it note on a black background, she saw that she had both the animal show and the burlesque show scribbled in on the purple post-it square. So toonight she was pulling "double shifts," as it were. But the animal show came first soooooo that meant she had an excuse to just chill in the animal tent with Toby! It was one of her favorite things to do. He was adorable and so sweet. And the cuddles? Fantastic.
She also had a time written down for training in new tricks and it was at that time she was in the tent. She didn't see Toby around though, which made her pout. Still, Jessa went through the process she had since her first day around. She found a properly private spot, holding her arms up and stretching. The oversized t-shirt, plain denim shorts as well as the shoes and underwear she'd been wearing were removed and set aside in a neatly folded and put together pile and she shifted into her panther form. Alabaster skin shifted to black fur. Hands and feet with fingers and toes became paws. Caramel brown eyes turned a bright shade of gold. She mosied her way out and over toward the cages, just laying herself down and curling her tail around. Now all she had to do was wait!
Toby was running a few minutes late, but not enough that he was going to keep her waiting for long; he was practically jogging toward the animal tent in his work boots and jeans, a white t-shirt already damp with sweat from hauling the hay for the grazing animals to munch on. He knew he had a training session with Jessa and he didn't want to make her upset or impatient, so he'd cut his chores short to hurry along to be here. "Sorry!" he said as he burst into the tent, causing a startled yowl from the monkey cage, and he immediately saw the huge black panther lounging on the sawdust. "Hey, kitty," he called, his voice syrupy with that bayou lilt, a bright smile on his youthful face. "Sorry 'm late, me, had to get de food for de little'uns. De ones you wan' eat," he teased, moving over to her and extending his hand to give her ears a rub.
A few minutes wasn't going to make a difference. She didn't have anything else to do that day. And, to be honest, being able to lounge around as a big old cat was comfortable as anything. Almost as comfortable as snuggling up in bed with a fuzzy blanket. So really, Jessa wasn't complaining about a few extra minutes...well, she couldn't really talk, let alone complain. But the point was still entirely valid! One golden eye had opened at the sound of someone coming into the tent. The monkeys sounded surprised at that, but she was more focused on the Cajun accented words that belonged to the one and only Toby. He was apologizing for being late and had she been able to talk, she would have told him it wasn't a big deal. And had she been able to laugh at his teasing, she would have. What she could do, though, was purr. And purr she did as he started rubbing at her ears. She got up, walking a circle around him and making it a point to rub up against him in the most affectionate of ways.
When she rubbed against his legs it was almost enough to knock him off-balance; a normal human might've stumbled a bit due to her muscular body nudging their calves. But he just bent down to put himself at a closer level to her, stroking the black velvet of her head affectionately. "Aw, s'my girl," he said with a smile. "You ready for de show t'night? S'gon' be a good one I bet. Dey all are."
Okay, so maybe she didn't know her own strength sometimes. Yes, she'd been able to shift into a panther since puberty, but that didn't mean that it always clicked in her mind how strong her secondary form was in comparison to other people. Even still, Toby didn't stumble or fall over. No, he was bending down to her level, petting her head. That was nice. It always was. His question received a nod in response, and an enthusiastic one at that. Of course she was ready! She just loved being the center of attention! It was fun of the best kind. She purred again, nuzzling him with the side of her face. Affectionate kitty? But of course.
He grinned and bowed his head to kiss the top of her muzzle with a brush of his lips, then staightened up. "I got you somet'in' ta wear t'night too... a new collar ta go wit' Phelia's new outfit," he warned, moving toward the big black trunk where the animals' accessories were kept. Several of them wore headpieces, collars, or harnesses to enhance their own beauty; he produced a purple velvet band for the panther, dripping with rhinestones. "'ope you like it, cherie. You wan' do de hoop trick again? Dat one's always de hardest at first."
Could he get any cuter? It shouldn't have been legal to be that adorable. And yet she was glad it was so that she could hang around with Toby all the time. The mention of something to wear for the show had her looking at him with curiosity spelled out in those eyes of hers. She was a girl, of course, so pretty things to wear were always appreciated! Her tail swished from side to side as she waited to see what he had for her. And it was a pretty sight indeed. A collar in purple velvet with rhinestones all over it. It made her smile...or at least get as close to smiling as she could get. And the question about the hoop trick had her nodding again, tail swishing back and forth with a certain excitement. The hoop trick was fun!
The trick was simple enough to set up, three large hoops dangling at varying heights from thick, strong cables, and between each hoop a small sturdy box. First Ophelia would lead the cat through the hoops, and then the hoops would be set on fire. The cat would go through them again, nimbly dodging the flames; small sections of the hoop were coated in copper or other elements to turn the fire into varying colors, making it shift from red to green or blue or even black at some shows. The hoops could be raised and lowered to varying heights by adjusting the cables. "You go on to de fron' now," he advised, adjusting the hoops to about chest-height on himself. "Is this too high?"
Ah, the hoop trick. The three dangling hoops that she had to jump through. Yes, she'd kind of failed miserably at it the first few times, but she was getting better! And once you were good at it, it was way more fun. Especially when the hoops were set on fire. Because who didn't love animals jumping through flaming hoops? She went around to the front as she was told, watching as Toby adjusted the hoops. They were level with his chest. A bit higher than last time, but Jessa figured that it was a welcome challenge. So when he asked if the hoops were too high, she shook her head no. Hopping up on the first box, she did a bit of a kitty yawn before getting herself ready. Jump through the hoop. Simple enough, right? She readied herself, tail flicking from side to side in her concentration. And even if the hoop was a little higher than before, she made her way through the first one very well. Score one for cat-like grace.
"Bon!" he called, grinning. "Now again." He gestured to the second hoop, which was a bit higher still, and he tapped its edge with his baton, the same way Ophelia would do during the show. Of course, his sister was the showpiece, dazzlingly beautiful and elegant, almost dancing as she led her animals through their ballet of tricks.
The second hoop was a little bit higher, but she was confident that she could do it. Confidence paired with effort could make just about anything happen, of course. So as he tapped the second hoop with the baton, she readied herself to jump again. One, two, three...and she was jumping through the hoop and onto the second box. Score two for cat-like grace! And after a few moments, she just went right ahead and jumped through the third hoop as well, landing very nicely. The look on her face could have been taken as proud, certainly. She'd conquered the hoop trick, so of course she was proud of herself!
Toby grinned widely when she bounded through the hoops, landing safely on the last box. He clapped his hands in applause. "Very good, cherie!" he called, then tapped the baton on the floor at his feet. "Come here, den." He unzipped the pouch that rode low on his hip, removing a piece of fresh beef jerky. He and Ophelia made it themselves in the trailer as treats for the big animals. He handed her a piece, letting her eat it from his fingers, then rubbed her ears affectionately. "You gon' nail it tonight too, even wit' de fire on 'em. You wan' play wit' de ball?"
Ah, applause. How she loved the applause. At the tap of the baton she got down off the box, coming to settle at his feet. The unzipping of the pouch generally meant that a treat was in order. Now, which she wouldn't have touched beef jerky with a ten foot pole in her human form, she absolutely loved it in panther form. Weird? Sort of. But it was what it was. She took the piece with her teeth, eating it from his fingers. A rumbly purr of gratitude came from her as he rubbed her ears. The attention was always nice. And to make things even better, he was asking if she wanted to play with the ball. As if that was even a question! Jessa nodded eagerly, making it a point to nuzzle him a little bit before he went to go get the toy.
The ball was a large, durable red ball which Ophelia used to play 'catch' with some of the animals. She'd toss it and let them bat it back to her. Jinx had been fond of ricocheting it off his head and through a hoop, to wild cheers from the audience. "You gon' be a big star in de show, Jessa... all de people gon' love you. Dey all like de kitty-cats an' you more special den a reg'lar one anyhow, oui."
Of course she was more special than a regular kitty-cat. Other cats weren't humans in a feline form, now were they? She was purring contentedly, excited to play with the ball. She sat with her paws held out wide, ready to catch the ball when it was passed to her. Or, you know, to give a hug. Whichever Toby wanted to do.
Toby laughed when he saw her posed like that, almost like a boogeyman that had just popped out of a closet. Grinning, he lobbed the ball underhanded to her to see if she could catch it between her paws; she might overshoot and just bat it back by mistake, or clamp it between her paws if she was successful.
She hadn't been going for boogeyman, but it was what it was! Entirely intent on the ball, she told herself that she was going to "catch" it. Catch being a loose term because of the lack of opposable thumbs and digits that could move freely and independently. As the ball was tossed in her direction, she went for the catch! ...sadly, she overshot and just ended up batting the ball back at Toby. Rats!