Keelin Banks is looking for balance (beyondheryears) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2012-02-20 19:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | #flashback, keelin, reggie |
how did we get here?
Who: Reggie, Keelin, Sarah, Bess, Tiger & Pugsley (NPCs)
Where: Camelot Place
When: July 2009, Evening
School was starting in less than a week and Keelin was still editing her lesson plans. She wanted everything to be perfect. She wasn’t changing anything major because she doubted that the change would be approved before the semester started, but she was altering certain minor things, like activities. This would be her first time teaching and nervous just didn’t seem to cover it. That was why she was spending her evening on her sofa in her bathrobe and pajamas, writing with one pen while another was twisted in her hair. Pugsley was... somewhere, she didn’t quite know where. After explaining that she had a lot to work on, he had slipped off. She assumed he was napping under her bed, so she wasn’t too worried. What she didn’t realize was that he wasn’t even in her apartment. Pugsley would never reveal his secrets, but he generally knew how to slip off undetected. Rather than pester Keelin while she seemed stressed, he decided to explore the new apartment building. Scarlet Oak was their new home and he wanted to know more about their neighbors. With his nose pressed to the carpet, he picked up a scent that he did not like. At. All. Steeling himself, he slipped through the ajar door across the hall. There was a man busy in the kitchen, so he didn’t notice the small pug. However, something else did. Immediately. ‘Aren’t you a great ginger beast. Do you ever take a break from eating or is that how you cope with life as a furry monster?’ he teased the cat, running over and pawing at his fur. Did Pugsley realize he was being rude? Absolutely not. Did he realize that this cat could have eaten him without a second glance? Not yet. Reggie was a little tired after spending all day out on call. It was one thing to have three or four busted pipes that he had to fix, or a door that just ‘wouldn’t close right’ but it was completely different to go from one job to the next all day long. That and he was pretty sure that this was the fifth time he had been to Mrs. Windy’s house this week alone - he would have to check the records but he was really pretty sure he was going to be right here. Either she was a unknowing mastermind at knowing exactly what to do wrong or she did it on purpose. Reggie was more inclined to believe that it was an accident because he could not understand why anyone would purposefully break something. That did not keep him from muttering to himself as he worked in the kitchen putting dinner together for himself and the girls. Sarah wanted breakfast for dinner - again - and since Bess had agreed it had been decided. Waffles. Pancakes were easier but... waffles. Tiger, meanwhile, was content stretched out in the last rays of the sun that were filtering just right through the window so that they could warm his belly. He always knew exactly where to go at any time of the day to find that sunshine, but usually he would be disturbed by one of the girls. Not this time. They were off doing - what? Tiger lifted his head as a smell that was not familiar to him invaded the apartment. He had roughly a second to process it into dog before a voice was suddenly invading his personal head space. And it got a whole lot worse when said dog was suddenly pawing at his fur. Tiger had a lot of fur and he was normally okay with having it brushed or petted or admired. Being called a great ginger beast? That he was not quite so okay with and a growl started somewhere in his throat as he rolled over and reached one paw out to bap the small dog on the head. ’This isn’t your apartment and I have to eat a lot. I’d starve otherwise.’ Tiger did not think he was fat, he was just big. Every other cat was just jealous and wished they could be as big as him, and clearly that carried over to dogs too. Tiger shifted again so that he could get a better look at the small, kitten-sized thing. ’Really, you don’t belong here. What are you even?’ He could have gone and told Reggie that there was an invader, but he did not for some reason. Curiosity probably. The bap caused Pugsley to shake wildly, ears slapping the sides of his perfectly round head. ‘Hey! Hey now. Easy there tiger. I am precious goods over here and no need to crush the pup.’ His tongue was hanging out of his mouth in good humor and... something else. Just what was that delicious smell? Whatever it was, he wanted in on it. But the monster-sized-cat was talking to him again. ‘Starving isn’t good. Fine. You can eat all you want. Just don’t eat me. And I know it’s not my apartment. I don’t have one. It’s Keely’s, not mine. It’s right across the hall. She needed quiet time and I was bored and the door was open so here I am.’ ‘What do you mean ‘what am I?’ I’m a dog. And not just any dog. I’m a pug. Which is the best type of dog. Ever. My name is Pugsley. Who are you? Were you born this big or did you just gradually grow into the godzilla of kitties? And what. is. that. smell?! It’s driving me absolutely crazy.’ As if to emphasize the point, Pugsley began bouncing, which brought him even closer to the orange cat. Would he ever learn a lesson from one single bap? The answer to that was more obvious than it should have been. It was like a toy. A living, breathing, fur-covered toy that had a voice and consciousness. Tiger understood familiars since he was one, but he had not come across another one yet. Which made this slightly odd-looking thing his first. What a first. ‘That’s actually my name, Tiger, good guess.’ His name was one of those that people could just guess and Tiger knew that it was because of his size. Though, for awhile when she was younger, Tiger remembered Bess calling him ‘Tigger’ instead... ‘I don’t really eat dog so I think you’re safe. Unless you come chopped up in a can with meat gravy or all dry in a certain kind of bag. Doesn’t look like you do so you’re safe.’ That rest was sort of babbled nonsense so Tiger had no idea of how to respond to it. And he decided not to. This little thing was a ball of energy and the cat had no idea how to treat him. ‘A pug named Pugsley... that’s not very creative...’ Were all pugs like this? Bouncing little balls of energy... ‘Bess would love you.’ Instead of bapping, this time Tiger reached one massive paw out and set it on top of the pug’s head to stop the bouncing that it had suddenly decided to do. ’That’s probably the bacon or sausage that Reggie’s making for dinner. And I was a kitten once. I was little. A long time ago.’ What was with all the questions? Did this dog not know that there was valuable sunbeam time going to waste here? ‘What a relief. I’d hate to be cat chow anytime soon. Then again, I don’t think that I’d like to be any kind of chow ever, so let’s just keep it at that.’ It didn’t matter that Tiger didn’t acknowledge everything else that had passed through Pugsley’s head; needless to say, he was rather used to it. Keelin did her best to humor him, but it was impossible to keep up with him sometimes. At Tiger’s comment, Pugsley’s head tilted to the side and if he could have quirked an eyebrow upwards, he would have. ‘And an orange cat named Tiger is?’ He thought he was being clever. Then again, there wasn’t ever a time when Pugsley didn’t think he was being clever. ‘Bess? Who’s Bess? I want to meet Bess.’ Even though he couldn’t bounce anymore with the cat’s paw on his head, Pugsley’s curled tail proceeded to wag furiously. Especially at the mention of bacon. ‘Bacon!’ He had completely forgotten about Bess-who-would-love-him. ‘Who is Reggie? Where is he? Nevermind. I’ll look for myself.’ No sooner had the thought passed did Pugsley roll from underneath Tiger’s paw to free himself and padded his way into the kitchen. Once he hit the linoleum, he started to slip a bit, but he stayed in control. Inside of the kitchen, the smell of bacon was overwhelming. ‘Heaven. That’s what that is. That is what the world is supposed to smell like.’ His thoughts were no longer privy to the lounging cat. There was no way he could have known whether Reggie was used to voices popping into his head or not, but Pugsley really didn’t care either way at the moment: bacon was at stake. Tiger had decided that he was not going to respond to the things that Pugsley said unless they seemed like they needed to be. The remark about not being any kind of chow, for example, did not need to be responded to because it was ridiculous. Nothing wanted to be any kind of chow and if it did then there were some serious problems that needed to be addressed. He did fluff up a little at the remark about his name. ‘Sarah named me when I was a kitten and she was only eight. Little girls can do silly things. And Bess is her little sister, one of Reggie’s girls.’ ‘Reggie is my- where are you going?’ Tiger’s tail lashed as the small pug slipped out from under his paw and started for the kitchen. Really, had he been anything like that as a kitten? That he was definitely like that, or even worse, when he was given catnip was conveniently not thought about. Sighing, which sounded more like a disgruntled mew, Tiger lifted himself up and followed along more slowly into the kitchen. ‘I didn’t let him in, I just want you to know that. This is why you need to close the door or else we’re going to take in all these strays.’ For his part, Reggie had been oblivious to the interactions taking place behind him. He had been caught up in making waffles and starting up the bacon. He was just setting the timer on the waffle iron and moving to turn the bacon when he heard a completely new voice in his head. Now Reggie was a solid individual who was used to things staying mostly the same. When Tiger, his cat of eight years, had suddenly started talking he had been understandably weirded out. Adding a second voice and an unfamiliar little pug puppy down on the floor and Reggie was... well, confused. “Bacon does smell pretty good... whose your new friend, Tiger? Wait, not your friend since you didn’t let him in.” Reggie rubbed at the back of his neck and crouched down. “So, uh,... who are you?” Pugsley had completely forgotten about asking who Bess was and now he had a new name in his head. ‘Sarah and Bess, huh? Kiddies? I like kids. They’re fun. Lots of fun. Well. Some of them are. I’ve been around some who aren’t quite so fun. Which is obnoxious to say the very least.’ Yes. The hyperactive pug pup just used the word ‘obnoxious’ and was not describing himself. Not that he would anyways, but still. ‘I’m not a stray!’ Pugsley bristled, moving a little towards Tiger, but slipping on the linoleum. He thumped onto the ground a bit harder than he meant to, which embarrassed him only a little. His tail lowered and his ears were laid back to show his shame. When Reggie crouched down in front of him, however, his ears perked back up and he pushed himself back up so that he was sitting upright. This way, he wasn’t sliding all over the floor. ‘Pugsley. I’m Keely’s from across the hall. She was busy, so I was leaving her alone. We’re knew here. Just moved in this past week. The door was left open so I came in and met Tiger here. He bapped me on the head, but it’s okay. He’s just a misunderstood beastie. Then I smelled your bacon and I think you’re one of my favorite people ever now. Except Keely of course. But she doesn’t know how to make bacon. Can you teach her?’ Every thought that poured out of his head was like a torrent of speech. Not once did he stop or pause, flooding this new person with information. When he had finished talking, he tentatively returned to his feet, approaching Reggie and sniffing the air. Bacon was the prevalent scent, naturally, but underneath it, he could pick up Reggie’s scent. He had definitely smelled worse smelling humans, so Reggie was okay in his book so far. Especially if he gave him some bacon. |