Tanith (silverwhip) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-09-06 20:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-26, tanith, treat |
you got a kitten's pride
Who: Treat, Eztli (npc familiar), and one mightily annoyed Tanith
When: Late morning
Where: Around Scarlet Oak/a random lake
Treat hooked his right arm over the steering wheel of the rental he was driving. He loved all his cats and would go to any lengths to make sure they were perfectly okay, but Dominicus was simply being a diva. Nevertheless, Treat still found himself in his rental with Dom in the back, in his cage, on the way to the Scarlet Oak Animal Clinic because, well, Dom didn’t like the flight and was still being a spastic moron despite the full-strength kitty Prozac he’d imbibed an hour ago. Treat didn’t want to have his cat OD on anything, so despite the fact that he’d only just gotten in from D.C. a couple hours ago, here he was, again, at the wheel of his car, driving to take his cat to see a vet. He could hear Dominicus hissing in the back. He looked up in the rearview mirror to get a visual of his kitty carrier and sighed. Turning his attention back to the red light, something else caught his attention.
GIANT KITTY.
Checking behind him to see that no one else was driving down the loop, he pulled to the curb and stared at the cougar on the other side of the road, who seemed to be purposefully stalking off somewhere. He’d heard Scarlet Oak was a strange place for strange sights and Cameron had warned him against believing everything he saw but he couldn’t imagine a were really preferring to travel in wereform. The Beretta nestled against his chest under his jacket, Treat was confident in his ability to take down the animal if it came to it. He left the vehicle and called out to the cougar. “Here, kitty, kitty!”
Eztli’s elemental was taking her ridiculousness to a grand new high. He was finally starting to understand why many of the residents in her rather odd residence had taken to calling her the ice bitch. Of course, he would be bound to the ice bitch. Why, that just made perfect sense.
In the days that Tanith had stayed indoors, he had tried to stay as close to her location as possible. If she was close enough, he found the telepathic link to open, and he was not ashamed to say he had given her mind a thorough browsing. He had every right to know why he was being scorned, after all. However, understanding it did not make it stop. Since last night’s attempt had not worked, Tanith had apparently taken her bike in circles around the town attempting to lose it. If Eztli could just get close enough, he would tell her it was all in vain! He would always know where she was. And if she hopped a plane, like she thought about doing, and it meant he had to attempt to cross the ocean to get to her, somehow he would.
He was in the process of tracking her down - a tiring process, really - when he heard a man beckoning him. At first, Eztli simply paused, turned to the man, and tilted his head to the side. Is he referring to me? Kitty? Really? Well, this was a strange turn of events. Curiously, Eztli slowly crossed the street. ”Is there something you require?”
GIANT TALKING KITTY.
Treat took a step back as the cat - cougar - talked back. That was new. None of his cats had ever responded to him before. He had to ask the dumb question of, “Did you just talk to me?” before he could stop himself. Usually, he was a little more calm and collected and difficult to faze, but the cat was talking. He adjusted his jacket, the weight of the gun a comfort. He still wasn’t completely convinced that he was safe yet so keeping aware would help him to survive his first day at Scarlet Oak. He’d hate to have to shoot the creature, though. It was gorgeous, with its sleek fur and well-shaped limbs. He was a cat enthusiast, okay? Stop your internal judging.
Having established that the voice had indeed come from the cat, because they were alone and Treat wasn’t about to believe he was hearing things, he approached cautiously as the cat crossed to his side of the street. “Where are you going?” he asked, as if he were calmly speaking to another person about the weather. “Aren’t you a little out of your...well, natural habitat? I don’t know many cougars that live in a little suburban town,” he remarked. He was, perhaps, a little too sure that he wasn’t about to get his face torn off, but unsure was something that Treat had never been. And he had his gun, which added to that calmness.
Eztli wasn’t sure as to whether he was confused or amused. He wasn’t used to being amused. His life as of late had been utterly amusement-free. ”Of course I did. I’m a familiar. Not a very good one, apparently, but a familiar all the same.” This was interesting. But the man sounded about ready to have a heart attack. This in mind, Eztli seated himself on the sidewalk, still watching with curiosity. “I came from far south to meet my destined ward. I’m afraid she is not keen on the idea of having a familiar.” That was putting it... mildly. Tanith was so stubborn. Once or twice Eztli had considered the idea that he was the problem, and another animal would have been accepted, but a few peeks into Tanith’s mind had proved otherwise. The girl was simply insufferably stubborn, and refused to accept help. Terrific.
A familiar. Treat scanned his mental dictionary and remembered what that meant. “Ah, like an animal spirit or totem,” he said, not sure if that was exactly appropriate, but he knew what he meant. And...he wasn’t being accepted. That was just sad. Treat shrugged. “I would take you home in a heartbeat if you were my familiar,” he said. “Why wouldn’t anyone want you?” Treat blinked. He was flirting with a cat. This was wrong. On several levels. A male cat at that. He chalked it up to sleep deprivation and the poison that was airplane food. Even first class meals were disgusting. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and realized what he was about to offer was a little insane, but, hey, whatever. Only humans got familiars, right? Witches and elementals. They were okay.
“Why don’t you hop in? I’ll be able to get you wherever you’re going a lot faster. And maybe I can help convince your human to take you,” Treat said. Dominicus would be fine. Maybe the appearance of a much larger cat would remind him to be a little more well-behaved. Or maybe it would give him a kitty heart attack on top of the panic attack he was already having. Without waiting for a response from Eztli, he walked to the back seat of his car to check on Dom. The cat had apparently exhausted itself because he was now asleep, mouth slightly ajar like a human. Checking that he still had water in his cage, Treat straightened up and turned back to the cougar. “Well?”
Eztli was completely inexperienced in... whatever this type of thing was that he was experiencing. He was being offered aid? That was interesting. He usually had to hassle people into attempting to get Tanith’s attention.
On the other hand, this man was attempting to be generous, and Tanith may well kill him. He would not at all put it against her.
After a moment, Eztli decided it was worth a try. If she tried anything, he should be able to reign in his own damned human. “Thank you, that is very generous.” This was going to be interesting. Eztli had never ridden in an automobile before. He stood and approached the car, tipping his head as he noticed the small feline in the backseat. ”Will he be okay?” It looked... shaken.
When Eztli agreed to get into the car, Treat took Dominicus’ kitty carrier and put him in the front seat. “He’s okay,” Treat assured Eztli. “He’s simply got special needs,” Treat said dryly. “He’ll be fine; he’s well-medicated.” Dom would survive another hour or two and, knowing his cats, would be asleep for much longer than that. Dom was his biggest napper, next to the kittens. Letting the the giant cat into the backseat, he checked on him before closing the door. “You gonna be okay?” he asked, hoping the large cat wouldn’t be too cramped. It was a pretty spacious Lincoln MKS.
Shutting the back door and getting into the driver’s seat, Treat started the car and looked in his rearview mirror at the much larger cat that had replaced his own. He wondered how well he should get to know the cat. “I’m Treat,” he told the cougar. “Do you have a name? Or does your human name you?” Treat earnestly hoped this one wouldn’t be named Baron von Schnuffel. As much as he adored the Baron, his father’s choice in names had left much wanting. “Which way am I headed?” Treat asked as he pulled away from the curb.
Eztli was rather fascinated with this car business. He carefully climbed in and made himself comfortable, orienting himself to all the new smells. This could be fun! He steadied himself, wondering what it would be like when it started moving. That bike of Tanith’s went fast, and didn’t look at all steady. He did not think he would enjoy that. He did not enjoy watching Tanith on it. He was under no such idea that that helmet of hers would save her life if she lost control. And Tanith always looked on the verge of losing control, at least to him. Someone needed to take care of her!
Treat? Eztli would never be able to keep up with human naming traditions. Life was so much easier when he was simply another cougar, with cougar thoughts and cougar needs. Humans were so complicated. “I had a name at my... awakening. When I became what I am,” Eztli answered. ”It is Eztli. And it is a pleasure to meet you.” He looked back over to the small feline, the one with special needs. What on earth did that mean? Medicated? They could do that? Oh, dear. What was it the humans were always saying to him, again? Oh. Right. ”...Nice kitty?” My, didn’t he feel awkward. Much easier to focus on the human. Who, now that he was close, didn’t smell entirely human. Not that he had a lot to compare it to. Thankfully, he didn’t smell like death - the way many of the creatures at Tanith’s home did. ”North,” he answered. ”It feels like she’s stopped somewhere. I can feel her presence... I don’t think it is very far,” he added, thoughtfully. And then, ”I hope this is not an inconvenience to you.”
“Eztli,” Treat said, praticing the name, trying to copy the intonation exactly as he had heard it. He had inherited his father’s natural ability to remember names, though he was pretty sure one didn’t need that skill in order to remember that Eztli was the talking cougar he had just met. Once given a direction, Treat turned the car in the right direction and started driving down the street. Treat tried not to laugh as Eztli attempted to soothe Dominicus. If the smaller cat had been awake, he probably would have keeled over on the spot. Which wasn’t necessarily an amusing thought to Treat. As if in silent apology, he reached over and patted the top of the carrier. “He is very nice,” Treat confirmed.
“You can feel her presence?” Treat asked. That was more than a little creepy. Granted, it felt like his cats knew exactly where he was in the house at all times and tried to gang up on him - especially during meal time or bedtime - but he wasn’t entirely sure even Kaleb would be able to find him across town. That was impressive and daunting at the same time. Treat simply drove down the one street that would take them north. According to the map he had studied, this was the way out of town. He tried to remember what he had seen about the area but the sleep deprivation was catching up and he didn’t bother. He could always look it up later. “Don’t worry about it,” Treat shrugged. “I...” he paused. What was he going to say? I have a soft spot for cats? It seemed wrong. “I try to help out whenever I can. It evens out the world’s karmic balance.” Pfffft. Karma. Just another thing Treat didn’t believe in.
Treat had an interesting accent. That was another thing Eztli was still getting used to, and he didn’t entirely understand it. Everyone had talked differently in the south. Further south, it had been an entirely different language. Up here, Tanith spoke just like everybody else, but her thoughts - her inner dialogue, so to speak - had an accent Eztli had never heard before. So confusing! ”I can,” Eztli confirmed, nodding faintly. ”I had to come a long way to find her. It felt like a mental pull. It took...” Weeks? A month, maybe? Eztli hadn’t quite gotten the hang of human time right away. Or rather, he did, but he didn’t realize it was something humans kept track over until his journey was halfway over. ”A long time,” he finally settled on. ”But I knew who she was, at least in a vague sense, and that she needed me.” Boy, did she ever. She just needed to accept that.
“Everyone needs a good cat in their lives,” Treat said sagely, looking at the sleeping Dominicus. Kaleb was, of course, his first cat and, in many ways, the easy favorite. Nevertheless, he clearly enjoyed the company of his pets that he got seven more after Portia passed...and was considering a few more, depending on how the current cats got along in the house. Perhaps after the twins were a little older as well. “I’d take you home in a heartbeat if you weren’t already someone else’s,” Treat told Eztli with a grin. He really had to stop coming on to the cat. It wasn’t appropriate. “I’m not sure the Baron would take kindly to a cat larger than he, however.” The Baron was the largest of Treat’s brood and tended to make angry faces at anyone who was bigger. Including dogs.
Thankfully, Eztli was still too new to the human world to understand anything close to someone coming on to him. That would have been a whole new level of unfathomable, and his load of unfathomable was already pretty full with Tanith. ”She keeps telling me to do that!” he replied instead. ”She doesn’t understand, I don’t have that option. We’re stuck with each other. And I can and will outlast her.” The sooner she accepted this fact, the happier everyone would be. ”...baron?”
Treat slowed down as they reached a part of town he wasn’t familiar with. Well, he wasn’t really familiar with any part of town, but this was all...houses, as far as he could see. Big ones. Like his. His internal self shrugged. The statement about outlasting her made Treat scan his memory bank again. Familiars were bound to generations of the same family, right. Which made them almost somewhat immortal as long as they weren’t killed or anything. He nodded to himself before looking at Eztli again. “The Baron is one of my cats, his full name is Baron von Schnuffel,” Treat rolled his eyes. “It was my father’s idea.” Wait. No, he’s not my father anymore. I disinherited myself. “Are we getting closer to your human?”
Even with Eztli’s sudden understanding of the human language, he had no idea at all what sort of name Baron von Schnuffel was. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He wondered if it meant something, or it was an attempt at humor. Humans could be odd when it came to naming pets - not that he’d met a lot. ”Yes,” he answered, giving a little nod. “A mile north, I believe. She’s at the water. I can tell.” This was unsurprising. Tanith’s energy felt stronger when she was in the water, and Eztli knew that the inability to get to the lake without crossing paths with him had been driving her a bit mad. He wondered if he’d be able to sneak up on her, perhaps come between her and that stupid bike of hers. That would even things out a bit. ”There’s a small lake not far from here. People at her residence speak of it.”
Treat sped up in the direction Eztli mentioned before making a turn towards the lake. He had a vague idea where it was - you certainly couldn’t drive there. “Your human...what makes her special?” Treat asked, trying to be calm about it. It would be best that he find out now rather than later, as he’d already partially made up his mind to meet the human. If she was human, then it’d be nice to meet her. He did need a new food source. If she wasn’t, he had silver bullets in his gun...and if that meant having to kill Eztli, too, then that was just too bad. Treat was a nice person with a really strong dislike for anything non-human. After a mile, he pulled off to the side and drove into a little parking space which he assumed was for lake-goers. There was a lone motorbike in the parking lot.
”She is an elemental,” Eztli answered, with no hesitation. He had come to understand that not all humans were very open with preternatural information about themselves, but from what he could glimpse of Tanith, she didn’t shy away from it. Many at her residence seemed to know she was a water elemental. The witch detail, he was not so sure on. He knew she had not been born one, and she practiced a magic taboo in the eyes of some. ”And a learned witch. Does this trouble you?” He did not ask because Treat seemed uneasy with the idea. Rather, his presence alone had triggered unwelcome reactions in others. It seemed like a good thing to know. He huffed a sigh at the view of the motorbike. He was truly growing to hate that contraption.
Cutting the car’s engine, Treat sat for a second and let the question hang in the air before responding in the negative. “No, not at all. In fact, I’m not quite all I seem to be either,” he smiled at Eztli through the rearview mirror, not bothering to explain that fact. Let him think he was anything else. Very few people really knew about his species. He bent forward to make sure Dominicus was still sleeping - and his crazy little pet was indeed before he stepped out of the car and opened the door for Eztli. Contemplating shifting into his own cat form so he could observe this elemental without being seen himself, he decided against it. A witch, an elemental. He wasn’t too frightened. Besides, she was female. Reaching out to give Eztli a small pat on the head for not tearing the seats on the rental, he turned towards where he assumed the lake was. “Let’s go find this human of yours, shall we?” he offered.
If it was possible for a cougar to grin, Eztli would have been doing just that. Indeed, he knew something was different about Treat. He just didn’t know what, and knew enough that it wasn’t his place to ask. ”Thank you,” he said instead, carefully hopping out of the car. ”That was surprisingly pleasant.” If only Tanith would trade that awful contraption in for something more sensible. As it turned out, automobiles were okay! Kind of relaxing, actually. ”You have been very kind to drive me all this way. I don’t expect you to go any further if you don’t wish to, though I certainly appreciate all the aid you give me.” Had to be said. Eztli was not without his manners! Someone in this elemental-familiar pairing had to have some. And with that, he started leading the way towards the water.
Ah, the conventions of denying an offer first. It was only polite and as the cougar had been nothing sort of proper, Treat should have been expecting it. Nevertheless, Eztli had not waited for him to necessarily agree to the terms and so he assumed that he was free to tag along, which he did. “I’ll hold her down and you can sit on her chest until she agrees to have you,” he suggested easily. Now that Eztli was no longer paying attention to him, he reached into the inside of his jacket, where the holster was, and unhooked the clip over the gun. He probably wouldn’t need it, but it was better safe than sorry. He was pretty sure Eztli didn’t get his nails trimmed like his cats did. And there was still this unknown witch elemental he would have to contend with. It was all precautionary, really. He had no intention on killing anyone today. Except maybe a vampire, if he was lucky enough to come across one.
Until that very moment, Eztli hadn’t realized along with his new intelligence and abilities, he had the ability to laugh. It wasn’t physical, of course - still telepathic projection, though there was a bit of wheezing and tail-twitching involved. The idea was just... hilarious. ”I think she’d kill you,” he commented, perfectly conversational. She did seem to be feared. When they reached the clearing and the water’s edge, Eztli didn’t spot Tanith. But he did spot her clothing. Just as well! He headed over and plopped down on top of them. Nope, she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Tanith, of course, was blissfully unaware of all that was going on above the surface. She’d spent a better part of the day leading That Damn Cat on a wild goose chase, weaving through town and occasionally out of it, hoping to get it good and lost. Once she went an hour without seeing it, she headed for the water, satisfied that she’d at least done it enough to keep it busy for the day. Ignorance? Was amazing.
Once to the water she’d wasted no time with getting in, and swimming down to its deepest point. Then she just stayed there, sitting on the lake floor, waiting to feel centered. Normal. This familiar was throwing her off her stride far more than she cared to admit. After a few minutes she found she felt better. She didn’t feel that nagging at her heart, like water itself was annoyed with her. She felt accepted by the only thing that mattered.
And then she heard That Fucking Cat laughing.
Her eyes flew open and she choked. Oh no. Hell no. She was hallucinating. And if she wasn’t, she wished drowning was an option. Making a noise of frustration that sent bubbles flying to the surface, she pushed off the floor and kicked to the surface. Mouth open, ready to chew it a new asshole -- and saw that it wasn’t alone. Blink. Blink. WHAT THE FUCK.
Eztli’s tail twitched lazily, as he rolled over on top of her things. ”Oh, hello, Tanith. Lovely day for a swim.”
Sitting on top of her clothes was, Treat supposed, a little more classy than sitting on her chest and while he couldn’t really see much from where he was, he assumed it was a rather lovely chest. Hanging back a few steps behind Eztli, he stuck his left hand in his pocket, keeping the other one accessible for easy drawing. Again, just in case. He waved when her head broke the surface of the water. “Good morning,” he said far too happily for someone as sleepy as he was. “I found something of yours.”
Tanith blinked again. That’s it. She was officially speechless. Did it really just...? Was it recruiting people now? She stared openly back and forth between the two for a minute as she tried to figure out how to get her way out of this one. The guy could be disposed of easily enough, but dammit. The cat! She couldn’t actually hurt it. When That Damned Cat’s friend spoke, Tanith’s jaw dropped and she turned her attention on him. “It lies,” she replied. “It is not mine.”
Eztli sighed and pawed through her things, finding her keys. Those seemed important. To his knowledge, humans needed them for important things like starting their death contraptions and getting into their homes. ”So you keep saying. I think we’re now in the perfect position to talk about this like adults.”
Treat was amused by her indignation. He found himself in absolutely no hurry to be anywhere else. The view was nice from over here and Dominicus was having a nice catnap. He turned to smiled at Eztli as if they harbored some secret before returning his attention to the rather lovely blonde still submerged in the lake’s waters. Tanith. It was a nice name. “I think he’s the best judge of whose familiar he is,” Treat said, smile still on his face, as he gestured at Eztli. “He’s traveled very far to come see you. You shouldn’t be so cold to the lovely thing.”
He took two steps closer towards the edge of the water and squatted down, putting all his weight on his legs. “Good morning, I’m Treat Lorimer,” Treat offered, though he didn’t extend his hand. He wasn’t quite close enough for that and he wasn’t particularly sure she wouldn’t kill him on the spot. His accent was very light, considering he had been born and raised in America, but constant exposure to his parents and the frequent calls from his grandparents ensured that it was still there. He sounded nothing like Sean Connery, however, though he could do a rather neat impression when called upon. “Enjoy your swim?”
Oh, good. Just when Tanith had been sure she was at her shock-limit. Oh no he didn’t! “I told it to pick someone else! It’s been-- why in the hell am I explaining this to you? If you like it so much, you take it!”
”She is Tanith Elizabeth Beckett, and she has no manners,” Eztli commented. He was surprised to find he was rather enjoying himself. Maybe he had a mind for torture after all. That would certainly explain why they’d been paired up together. ”And I’ve told you already, young lady, it does not work that way. We are stuck with each other.”
Treat smiled. He had always found that women where at their cutest when they were flustered. Ice-cold women who had everything under control were no fun. “I’m afraid Eztli is correct,” Treat said amiably. “You can either accept him and have him help your powers grow or you can spend the rest of your life stressing about escaping him...because he’s not going anywhere,” Treat was kind of speaking out of his ass right now, but he was sure that’s what he had read somewhere. Considering familiars were a bit of a new discovery, he hadn’t exactly learned any of this in school. All of it was simply taken from bits and pieces in scholarly journals and, of course, Eztli’s testimony earlier.
“A pleasure to meet you Miss Beckett,” Treat was tempted to approach her a little more to offer his hand but whether or not that was a smart idea remained to be seen. What was it...hell hath no fury? Treat wasn’t about to risk anything. “May I call you Tanith? And as for your initial offer, I would love to add Eztli to my family but he has already refused and I think you would benefit more from his company.”
Okay. Screw magic. Tanith was dangerously close to coming out of the water just to smack him. Besides, That Damned Cat would only make her spells stronger, and she wouldn’t give it the satisfaction! “I think someone is in desperate need of learning their place,” she snarled. She didn’t work with humans anymore, but in his case, she would be most willing to make an exception. “What the hell are you with? People for the ethical treatment of nuisances?”
Eztli sighed again. Okay. Two could play this game. He pawed around through her things until he saw something important looking, and dug his claws in. ”Be nice to my friend. You’re in no position to make enemies.”
Treat shook his head. “I was simply an innocent passerby who met Eztli on my way out. His story was rather compelling and I felt the need to help him in his quest to find, well, you,” he kept smiling. Nothing the woman was saying was crushing his mellow. He was finding that he might rather take her home instead of the cat...but, hey, if he got her to accept Eztli, it might turn out to be a two for one deal. Treat was pleased with this idea. And the more she sloshed around in the water in her anger or...whatever it was she was going through, the more eyecandy Treat got to see. And he really wasn’t complaining. The water was quite clear.
“Thank you, Eztli,” Treat responded. Politeness for politeness. He really liked this cat. Too bad it wasn’t his. Pretending to look over at Tanith’s things, Treat shrugged. “I hope you don’t like your clothes, Miss Tanith,” he decided to pick the semi-casual between Miss Beckett and Tanith. “Eztli has some rather sharp claws.”
FUCK. EVERYTHING. Tanith’s eyes went wide. Her clothes, her keys, her phone, her knife, her silver, her fucking gun... not really things she wanted the cat playing with, and she wanted them destroyed or left out for anyone to find even less. She opened and closed her mouth to spew venom several times, but no words came out. For the first time ever, she was incapable of bitching. Mistress fucking Tanith was not someone used to being humbled, by any stretch of the imagination. She did not like the feeling at all.
”Oh, good! I do have your attention!” Eztli commented, chipper as could be. Yes, this was working quite well. Apparently all one had to do to get ahead in this world was fight a little dirty. Well, he could do that. ”You are going to accept me, young lady. You may not like it, it may make you feel week, it may make you a target. I know you fear these things. But it is going to happen sooner or later. And if I have to get nasty to make it happen, I will.” She ought to respond well to that. He’d seen some of the things she associated with.
Treat waited for a response from Tanith, eyebrows high in the expectant face of a true asshole. He was having way too much fun with this. A stray thought went to Dominicus in his front seat, but he knew his cats well. He had another hour or more before the little one would wake up...and he might even be feeling better after his little nap. He stood because his legs were starting to cramp from the weight he was putting on them and stuffed his left hand back into his pocket as he took a step away from the lake.
He smiled at Eztli, who seemed to be winning this round. Treat was glad he’d been a part of that. He decided not say anything at Eztli’s litany of Tanith’s fear because while he was enjoying her frustration, that part felt a little like intruding. So, instead, he channeled his inner douchebag and decided to instead try and see how much of Tanith he could get a peek at before he had to leave. As soon as Tanith accepted Eztli, he really had no more reason to stick around. Well, unless he would try using his charming Scottish wits to get her number.
If Tanith had been the sort to count her blessings (she wasn’t - holy Lord, she wasn’t), she would have been grateful to not have much in the way of modesty. Presently, she was just annoyed. And trying to figure out how in the hell this could be solved with violence. She paid attention to the news - she knew killing the familiar would hurt her in the long run. It simply wasn’t an option. But neither was accepting the damn thing. “I work better alone,” she finally said, as calmly as she could muster right now. Her jaw was still clenched, and she kept shooting looks at Treat, but she wasn’t trying to drown anyone. See? Progress.
Eztli snorted. ”Believe me, I have no desire to work alongside you. I’ve caught glimpses of what you do. I’ll pass, thank you. But I know you, Tanith. I see inside your mind, right now. And no, drowning either of us is not an option. I know what you want most in the world, and I can help you achieve that.”
Treat was about to launch into a full-out ‘your familiar won’t even feel like another entity after a while’ but Eztli took care of that for him. Again, the conversation made Treat feel a little voyeuristic and after the last time he had observed something he wasn’t supposed it, The Bad Thing happened. And he tried to never, ever think of The Bad Thing. So, he simply stood there and pretended to not be listening. He simply nodded along to what Eztli had to say and wondered what it was Tanith wanted most in the world. And...the next few words out of his mouth couldn’t be helped, really. He shouldn’t be faulted for any of it. “That wouldn’t be a dashing Scottish man, would it?” he asked Eztli.
“I would eat you alive,” Tanith fired back immediately. It was much easier to focus on something she could snark at. She didn’t like what Eztli was saying - mainly because it made her feel exposed, and that was not acceptable. “If you survived it you’d never be right again.”
Eztli chuckled. Oh yes, this was great fun. ”Now now, Tanith, be nice to my friend,” he reminded her again, testing his claws on what appeared to be her shirt. She didn’t need that so much, did she? She had underthings. ”She does need a good sorting out. And a lot of enemies she wants to see fall. Now, young lady, if you’d just stop being so stubborn, all of your problems would drift away!”
Treat smiled. “Funny, people have said I could do the same thing to an unsuspecting lady,” he smiled. “I’ve never had complaints...and some of them couldn’t walk right afterwards either,” Treat teased, let a beat pass before letting mock surprise dawn on him. “Oh, that isn’t what you meant, was it? I apologize,” he smiled at Tanith. It was kind of true. He’d hurt a couple women that thought there was more to the relationship than there was, but that could hardly be considered his fault, now could it?
A small tearing sound and Treat winced rather dramatically. “Oooh, hope you weren’t particularly fond of that,” he shrugged. “And, thank you, Eztli,” he smiled. He ignored the rest of what Eztli had to say because Tanith had pointed out it was none of his business. He took the opportunity to glance around at the lake and its surrounding area. It was really rather pretty. But so was the girl in the water. Tsk, tsk, Treat. Let’s behave ourselves, he thought to himself with a small smile. He’d only just gotten in after all.
Okay. That was officially It. That oversized furball wasn’t going to destroy any more of her stuff, and his cocky friend wasn’t going to have the safety of a lake between them anymore. Tanith dove under the water and swam to the shore, modesty be damned. Of course, the second she started to walk out of the water Eztli scooped her keys up into his mouth and bolted up into the nearest tree. Oh no, this conversation was not finished!
Tanith scowled and scooped up her things, trying to discretely hide her weapons as she swiftly slipped into what precious little remained of her clothing. “One of you is begging for a beating, and I can’t even begin to decide who has priority.”
The brief flash of Tanith’s bare skin was pleasing to the eyes. Treat didn’t quite regret helping the cougar out (not that he ever had). He took a step away from her, keeping the distance well out of swinging range, just in case she had a nasty uppercut You could never tell with women anymore these days. He coughed and pretended to divert his eyes while she dressed. The fact she was packing did not go unnoticed, however, and while he was loathe to waste silver, he wasn’t about to go easy on her if she tried anything. He had a pretty good eye and a relatively steady hand. He took another step back and observed her.
The double-entrendre in her statement was too easy to take advantage of, so Treat deferred and kept his mouth shut. Besides, you didn’t taunt a woman with a gun. When she was naked in the water, sure, you could crack a few jokes like that as long as they were relatively tasteful. Once she was armed, however, you had better keep your mouth shut. “I’d gladly take you on if you were up for it,” he teased, spreading his arms. It’d actually be kind of amusing to be tackled by a woman. He wouldn’t hurt her, of course, he simply wasn’t the kind. He was also not the kind, however, to think all women were pushovers and some of them were actually worth grappling with. Sometimes. If he didn’t really try.
Oh hell, was that ever tempting. Tanith pulled a silver chain over her neck, appropriately decorated with a silver bullet pendant, and gave him a good once over. He looked like just another suit, but you never could tell these days. She wondered if Eztli would stop her. It may just be worth it.
”Sorry, dear, I don’t think he’s the type to actually fight you,” Eztli commented from his place in the tree. ”And if you really consider taking on everyone you cross - before you even know if they’re human or not - you need me a lot more than I’d previously imagined.”
Dammit, Tanith thought. She scowled, and looked back over to the damned cat. “Give me my keys back and we’ll talk.”
”Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t born yesterday,” Eztli commented back. ”Treat, does that sound fair to you?”
Treat smiled. The cougar, for the most part, seemed to be on his side. He had better keep it that way. Deciding to tone down the rather aggressive stance he’d been giving, he softened his posture and returned to the guy that was trying to pick her up. He wasn’t really sure which version of him she preferred. He guessed whichever one she could beat up and get away with. He looked up at the tree Eztli was in and smiled rather telepathically to the cat, as he didn’t know whether or not he could see Treat. Either way.
“I do think we should talk first,” Treat said calmly, gesturing for them to all sit down. He looked at Tanith. She was wet and heated. It was kind of how he liked his women. Except, perhaps, without the weapons. Or, you know, if that was their thing, he was open to that. Maybe. “Yes, let’s all talk and then Miss Tanith can have her keys back,” Treat smiled at the lady. Someday, his mouth was going to get his ass kicked. As it hasn’t happened yet, however, he was approrpriately amused for now.
”Yes, I do believe I’ll be letting Treat negotiate the terms of my surrender,” Eztli commented. That seemed like a good idea. He’d had human intelligence for more than a month.
The idea, however, was enough to pull another growl out of Tanith. She was entirely out of her element (no pun intended). She wasn’t used to anyone getting the upper hand on her. She was about ready to walk back to Ad Gustum.
”Oh, no, Tanith. You can’t do that. Your house-mates and co-workers would see that you’d been defeated. By a cat. I don’t think you want that,” Eztli pointed out. And Tanith’s jaw dropped. Holy hell, this cat was dirty.
She whirled back around and marched over to Treat, putting herself in his space. “You will suffer for this,” she informed him, matter of fact. “And it will be slow.”
Treat had to chuckle a little bit at Eztli’s seeming new-found independence and...ability to talk back. Go kitty-cat! Internally, Treat was, of course, rooting for the cat...who seemed to be in the right. He couldn’t really imagine why anyone would turn down a familiar. It was a brilliant concept, a power amplifier of sorts and...this one was gorgeous. As any feline enthusiast would tell you. Limbs, shape, fur...Eztli was really a gorgeous animal...and so was the one all up in Treat’s business.
She was far too close and invading his personal space. He couldn’t be held accountable for the repercussions of her actions. What was it scientists said...every action has an equal and opposite reaction and that was all natural. So, clearly, Treat couldn’t be considered at fault for what was about to happen. And he’d been thinking about it since he saw her in the water, saw her get out, etc. etc. And, really, Treat wasn’t the kind of guy to ponder so long about kissing a girl anyway. Coming forward to meet her rather offensive stance, he held her back the back of her neck and stole a kiss from Miss Tanith Beckett.
And, just in case, he prepared himself for a blow.
It came. Oh, Lord, did it come. Without even thinking about it, she drew the moisture on her skin down to her hand, and back-handed him. Only after that was done did she stop to think about what the fuck he just did. Was he insane? Did he want her to kill him? Her heart sped up at the experience, waiting to see what would happen next.
”Tanith! That is no way to treat my friends. I believe if you don’t make nice I may have to disposes of these keys properly.”
Treat’s first thought: Ow.
Treat’s second thought: </i>So worth it.</i>
He was normally (usually) a very sober, rather serious sort of person. He was methodical and rarely impulsive. But, as with the logic of Rhett Butler, some women just deserved to be kissed. And often. And, well, he wasn’t quite sure if Tanith was one of those women, but he was volunteering to execute said logic anyway. He stepped back, momentarily stunned by the hand across his face...and the fact that the side of his face and a lot of his clothes were pretty soaked. Guess that came with the territory of a water elemental. Would he do it again? Hell to the yeah.
Treat had to grin up at Eztli. He chalked this up to sleep-deprivation. With his luck, she probably didn’t really remember his name, even, and it would all blow over nicely. And, hey, even if she did remember his name or Eztli reminded her, it was only a kiss. He hadn’t really been inappropriate. A young Scotsman stealing a kiss from a fair damsel was the thing romance novels were made of. Not police reports. He’d be fine.
Tanith was about two seconds away from screaming. The only reason that stopped with a single hit - which was getting off way too easy - was because of THAT DAMNED CAT. This is ridiculous! Bested by an overgrown housecat and a tool! And Tanith Beckett wasn’t used to being bested. It rather stung, and she just wanted it to be over. Gritting her teeth and keeping her eyes on Treat (oh no, she did not trust him), she called out to Eztli. “What are the terms of surrender?”
Tanith was horrified to learn she could feel the familiar’s triumph. A warm, happy feeling bubbling up inside of him. No, no, no. This was too much. ”In exchange for the return of your keys, I get to come inside the house with you, and you stop trying to avoid me like a problem that will eventually sort itself out. I won’t demand to be accepted and valued right away, but you will give me a proper chance,” Eztli answered, a beacon of happiness and serenity. ”Oh. And since Treat was so kind as to help me, I will require a proper reward given to him. A date may do it, if he’s so crazy as to want you.”
Tanith’s jaw dropped, and she spun around back towards the tree. “You’re pimping me now?!”
Hey, Treat could dig this plan. Insert big grin here. Nevertheless, he’d pushed way too far and he was smart enough to know when enough had been way too much. He let Eztli and Tanith finish their conversation while he rubbed the pain out of his cheek. She could hit and he was slightly wet. As a cat person, he didn’t like being half-wet. Showers were fine - hey, they were great - and pools and the ocean were some of Treat’s favorite things. Getting caught in the rain or being splashed by water, however, were no-no’s. All he wanted to do was go to the vet, get Dom checked out and go home to change.
At Tanith’s angry yell up the tree, he shrugged and laughed. “Thank you for the kind offer, but I must decline. I’ve never had to force a woman to date me before and I’m not about to start anytime soon,” he had his pride. Addressing Tanith, he inclined his head in his best mockery of the gentlemanly way and grinned. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better, Miss Tanith, but only on your terms,” he was trying here. Hey, give the boy some credit.
“Why on earth would you want to do that?” Tanith found herself blurting out. Oh, right. Men were pigs. That sounded about right. Occasionally handsome, could-be-dashing pigs, but pigs nonetheless. Tanith opened her mouth to say more, but she heard Eztli’s voice inside of her head. It was distinctly different this time, and she knew immediately she was the only one hearing it.
If you treat every stranger you meet this way, it’s no wonder you’re alone. How is that working out for you?
Tanith scowled and turned back towards the tree. She still couldn’t see him, but she knew he was there. Very well, thank you, she thought back. He’d hear it, and she knew it. She didn’t like it, but she now understood how this worked. He could hear her, whether she wanted him to or not, and he’d find her unless she put an ocean between them.
Precisely, Eztli agreed with her thoughts. So we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Give me a chance, and be nicer to my friend. He’s only trying to help. Plus, I could probably swallow these keys, and is that a gamble you’re willing to take?
Shit. Still scowling, Tanith turned back to Treat, and raised her right hand. It might have momentarily looked like she was going to hit him again, until the water literally lifted from his clothes and skin, drifting towards her hand. She directed it back and let it fall to the ground. Very good, Eztli commented to her. Now make nice.
I hate you, Tanith thought back.
No, you don’t. But you’re trying awfully hard.
If there was one thing Treat didn’t trust more than vampires, it was sudden changes of heart. So, he didn’t quite trust Tanith or whatever motives she had up her sleeve. He didn’t wince when she raised her hand - he was far too smug and far too sleepy for that - but his face did register the blatant surprise when she dried him off. He look down and touched her cheek. “Thank you,” he said politely, with that mild hint of don’t quite trust this snuck in there. There was now silence from Eztli and silence from Tanith so Treat figured they had discovered they could talk to each other telepathically, which was convenient for them.
Sliding his left hand back into his pocket, Treat cocked a smile at Tanith and then looked up at where he assumed Eztli was. “I suppose everything’s all settled and everyone’s happy,” he turned back to Tanith. “Well, relatively happy in terms of where we were twenty minutes ago, that is,” he allowed. “I do have an ailing cat waiting for me back in my car and as I’m assuming Eztli will be returning your keys before they have passed through his digestive system, I’m certain you’ll be safe in getting home, Miss Tanith. It was a pleasure to meet you,” he gave a small bow.
Oh, how desperately the dominant in Tanith wanted to react harshly again. People were not supposed to touch her without her permission. And that smug bastard look needed to be wiped off his face, no matter how well it suited him. Happy? Everyone was happy? Oh, no. Tanith was not happy. But Eztli came down to say goodbye, seeming to be happy with his victory.
”Thank you very much for your aid, Treat. I hope to see you again. Best wishes to Dominicus.” He dropped Tanith’s keys at her feet (Tanith wrinkled her nose in disgust, they were covered in cat spit), and pushed his head against Treat’s hand affectionately.
Terrific, Tanith thought.
One of us has to make friends. We are shortly going to have to conduct a lesson of manners.
Somehow, after today, Tanith could see him trying. She forced the smallest of, well, it wasn’t a smile, but it was somewhat closer to a pleasant expression. She tried to thank him, but holy shit, baby steps. Thanking someone was just not possible in Tanith’s world. “I guess I owe you one then.” Whether that was a good thing or not was certainly left to be determined...
Treat was having an internal explosion of happy. HE GOT TO PET THE GIANT KITTY. HIS LIFE WAS JUST THAT MUCH BETTER NOW. Officially. He curled his fingers behind Eztli’s ears and gave the giant cat the affection it deserved. “You’re welcome. If you need me, well, I’m not going to be terribly difficult to find,” he said. Especially not after Treat would start making television appearances and holding newspaper interviews on why vampires should DIAF. “I’ll be sure to tell Dominicus. He’ll appreciate it.” Maybe. One could never tell with the most erratic of Treat’s cats.
Hand still on top of Eztli’s head, Treat had to chuckle. Victory. “Dinner would be sufficient,” he said with a smile. “Or...if you would prefer something less committal, perhaps lunch would suit you better?” It would certainly suit Treat better. He wasn’t quite ready to mingle with the vampires that would be coming out at night just yet. He was ready to take them down, but to coexist? Oh, no, no, no, no. Not quite ready for that. And lunch was always better because if it didn’t work out, another appointment could always “suddenly” crop up. And, if it went well, well, dinner was always an option. Win/win.
There was no way to answer with ‘my hours depend on how many submissive vampires need a silver whipping each night’, but lunch was probably the safer bet. She was sending all sorts of unhappy mental imagery Eztli’s way (she wasn’t sure if their link worked like that, but she sure hoped it did), but Eztli just kept preening and soaking up the attention. Slut, she thought.
Women who live in glass whore houses shouldn’t throw stones, Eztli fired back. Holy shit. He caught on fast.
Tanith gave a faint nod. “I’m flexible,” she agreed, not really caring if he had a field day with the double meaning.
Treat’s eyebrow arched magnificently at that. The quip was at the tip of his tongue, though far too obvious to use. It was beneath both of them and the maturity of this conversation. He pulled out his phone and searched for his calendar. Everyday of the week was fantastically empty because he had only just arrived and Cameron hadn’t contacted him to set up a meeting yet. Nevertheless, he scrolled through before looking up at Tanith.
“How does tomorrow sound?” he offered. It was a little more sudden than his usual invitations but ‘if it felt right’ and all that jazz. The offer to pick her up was almost an immediate, knee-jerk reaction but he could tell she was a person who liked her independence. She would prefer to find her own way to...wherever they were going. She’d have to pick. Treat knew nothing about town. “Do you have a preference?” he asked. Please say you do.
Tanith’s preferences were violent, bloody, and by no means appropriate answers in polite society, and she knew if she opened her mouth to utter one of any of the half dozen sarcastic replies that had popped into her mind then That Damned Cat would start being pissy again. Not worth it. Painful, but not worth it. “Tomorrow’s fine,” she answered instead. “I hear the Owl’s Nest is good.” Not that she went out a hell of a lot, and when she did, she was going to bars. Ad Gustum had an excellent chef, and Tanith was starting to get mightily spoiled.
You need to smile more, Eztli told her.
Eat a dick, she replied. You’re both lucky you’re getting this much.
Scratching Eztli behind his ears, Treat typed the information one-handed into his Blackberry. “The Owl’s Nest,” he repeated as he scrolled over the right fields and put the words in. “I’ll meet you there at around noon, then,” he said politely. “Should I make a reservation?” He was a gentleman when he wasn’t trying to not be, though he reflected on the fact that he had better start going soon. Dominicus wasn’t likely to take waking up in a cage in an empty car too well. And the longer he waited, the longer the line at the vet’s clinic was likely to be. He looked down at Eztli.
“It was nice meeting you, Eztli,” he said affectionately, giving the another another quick pat before looking up at Tanith. “It was lovely meeting you, as well, Miss Tanith,” he added. “I fear I may need to leave very soon. My cat needs some medical attention. I’m glad you and Eztli here are going to try and work things out.” Couple therapy works wonders, I hear.
“Don’t bother,” Tanith rolled her eyes as she leaned down to snatch her catspit-covered keys. “Scarlet Oak is rarely hopping, and certainly not when the collective undead IQ dips into single digits.” She was trying not to sound huffy, but oh hell, it was not working. She was huffy. Damn near livid. Were she a fire elemental, smoke would have been coming out of her ears. She still couldn’t believe the way this day had snowballed.
”Thank you for your help, Treat,” Eztli replied, happily as could be. That only annoyed Tanith more.
“We’re leaving now,” she said, abruptly, before looking down at the cat. “If you intend on joining me, I suggest you keep up.” And with that she turned on her heels, wet hair flying behind her as she just barely managed to not storm off to her bike. Eztli made that laughing sound again, and it was impossible to miss the spring in his step as he followed after.