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[truth_is_cold]

[Spam | Deck]

[A massive, nearly 900 pound big cat sidles his way onto the deck (easier to get to than the CES and feels more open somehow. He has a very faint fluff of fur where a mane should be, and spots on his forehead, and the dimmed stripes of a tiger that only came half-way through. Gaheris can talk, to either humans or animals. He's just basically not feeling particularly inclined to.

In fact, he feels more inclined to pace around for a bit, intending to lay down, until he finds a head of lettuce that's been left out near the greenhouse. He goes over to it, sniffs it, flicks the dark tufted tip of his faintly striped tail to and fro.

That's an unusual urge that he's feeling.

A moment later there's that same massive 900 lb cat rolling around on his back, and then hopping back up to pounce at the head of lettuce. Batting it, and then going after it as if it might get away.]



OOC: Rhade is a Liger. He mostly will be friendly- he's a big social kitty. Be warned, he might clean you. And his head is this big.

Comments

[imfollowinghim]

[Bucky has honestly been having a pretty decent time as a wolf-dog-thing. It was kind of weird, to feel like you wanted to go into the CES and chase squirrels and maybe catch a few rabbits for lunch, but the pack instincts and general nature of the animal didn't feel too far off, and really, there were way worse floods they could have had.

He was headed back up on deck to see if anyone would let him back into the CES looking around and- holy shit, that is a huge cat.

He freezes and just stares for a minute at Rhade playing with the lettuce, because man.]

Holy cow.

[truth_is_cold]

[Rhade stops his bounding after the rolling ball as he hears the words, twitching his tail since he's still in a primed position. But the voice he recognizes, and he comes trotting over as if nothing is wrong in the world.]

Not tried to chew your own shoes yet, have you? [The voice is Rhade's, and just as surprisingly light for a mammoth cat as it is for a too-stocky man.]

[imfollowinghim]

[Rhade was a giant lion... thing. He'd never seen a liger in person before, so really, for all he knew this was some alien species native to Rhade's homeworld rather than Earth. Still. It's weird to see him like this, just as it's been weird to see Steve the dog and Natasha the leopard and Ben the cat, but.

He grins, and sticks to his usual sense of dry humor.]

Nah. Tempted, but I don't wanna have to ask the Admiral for a new pair and wind up with some girl's shoes or something.

[truth_is_cold]

[That big nose suddenly comes very close to Bucky's head as he's compelled to sniff. It's what's keeping him from going back and attacking the lettuce because OMG IT MIGHT RUN AWAY WHILE HIS BACK IS TURNED. Fortunately, their acquaintanceship is distant enough that he's not at risk of face rubbing, healthy wallowing, or cleaning, but he is curious about where he's been.]

I'll bet Ben needs a scratching post. [He's a cat. Rhade can pretty much bet money that Ben is a cat.

Or he would bet money, but it's irrelevant here and also he is naked and without pockets.]

[charmingex5]

[Ben isn't getting bored, necessarily; he's perfectly capable of sitting out this flood in one spot as long as he's not bothered. But it's definitely his own compulsion, not that of the cat, that is steadily driving him higher as he relocates from place to place in the ongoing pursuit of staying out of everyone else's way. The deck is going to be a problem, of course, but he wants to be high - he'll just have to be quick about coming off the staircase and into the lee of the greenhouse.

There's someone or something moving behind him that startles him into rushing, and then he makes it halfway darting across the deck before he's nearly flattened by... ...that's a vegetable.

And that is a very, very large cat chasing after it. Ben flattens himself to the deck and hunkers for impact, because there's no chance he's getting out of the way in time.]

[truth_is_cold]

[The big cat suddenly sees the smaller one just in time to slow down, skidding on the deck and paws coming to a rest cn either side of Ben. He looks down at him, and mouth drops open as he sniffs.]

Oh. Hello Ben.

[He resists the urge to resume his chase and just sits, looking down at the bitty kitty. Who perhaps is not as small as he feels to Rhade at that moment.]

[charmingex5]

[Perhaps not, though Ben is holding himself very small and tense while he braces to take a hit that never comes. Ears back and eyes barely slitted open, he doesn't move for even a few moments after nothing happens and Rhade is talking to him.

He opens his eyes, whiskers twitching forward and sniffing back in unconscious confirmation, but doesn't relax otherwise just yet.]

Rhade. ...I can't say I'm surprised.

[truth_is_cold]

[And then there's just the tiniest lick to Ben's head. And by tiny, the tongue covers it and combs it for a milisecond, before Rhade stands upright quickly, tail raised and flicking.]

There's more room up here. The hallways are cramped and confining.

Hold still. I'm going to take you somewhere.

[And then he picks up Ben and carries him to the greenhouse. He can hide better in there. He's guessing with all the dogs running around, that's what he'll want to do.]

[charmingex5]

[Ben doesn't even get a chance to protest, just enough time to clamp his eyes closed again before the rough tongue is sweeping over his head; when Rhade picks him up, the massive liger's mouth easily fits over the much smaller wildcat's neck and he can't quite stop the reflexive hiss - both his own aversion to being touched at all, and the wildcat's indignation.

Of course, there's another instinctive reaction and Ben doesn't fight or even move again, hind feet and tail curled reflexive under himself, until he's set down once more. Once released, he whips around and swats out with a front paw, but no claws to it, and no power - not that it would do much good against Rhade anyway - before he slinks just enough to one side to be closer to cover in case he needs it.]

This exercise makes no sense.

[wemaketheworld]

[A bundle of fur peeks its head out into the empty space and glances around before ambling out, taking its time. It watches the larger animal's antics for a few moments, considering, and Rorschach doesn't really even like vegetables in general much, let alone LETTUCE, but he's got the strangest urge to intervene anyway.

Which would be why it's only a beat longer before he darts out after it in an attempt to intercept. He's going to steal it from under the thing. Just because he can.

...maybe.]

[truth_is_cold]

[He chuffs at the bat, because he can't purr. He's too big for it. But it's a pleased sort of noise, and he waits for him to skulk into a more secret space before sitting in the doorway to talk to him.]

Practice resistance. We have our minds to go with these new instincts. Some are safe to indulge in. Some are more hazardous.

[truth_is_cold]

[Who is this? What is this? He's in the middle of some impulsive imaginary chase scene when there's a furry creature on the head of lettuce. One Rhade isn't familiar with.

Rather than speaking, he bounces to the left and to the right, looking for an opening to bat away the vegetable again. Who needs to explain themselves anyway?]

[wemaketheworld]

[No. It's his leafy thing now, you can't have it. He circles, keeping himself between liger and vegetable, baring his teeth and growling quietly, and never mind that Rhade is absurdly larger than he is right now. It doesn't matter, he doesn't care. He will defend his lettuce anyway.]

[charmingex5]

These aren't new instincts. [Ben is looking keenly around the greenhouse - he's never been in here though he has glimpsed it through the doorway - ears up and whiskers sweeping back and forth. Okay, that's new, as is the actual form of course, but the rest?]

Feline DNA has been used to produce four of the five series of transgenics, including X5s. Of all the things I have felt compelled to do, attacking lettuce has never been one of them. [He's looking away when he says it, but it's that same super-dry, almost hesitant, barely there sense of humor that he's exhibited so rarely before.]

[deadliestviper]

[After her hunt in the CES Beatrix saunters back onto the deck, ready to investigate the very intriguing supply of catnip Arkady's left there. But she's not alone, and the present company gives her reason to pause.

She thought she was rather superior in terms of size this time but this cat is easily three times bigger than she is. And he's batting around a vegetable as if he were a kitten. For a while she remains still, watching Rhade chase the lettuce and catch it before batting it away again. Then suddenly the urge to get involved is too much and she pounces, bounding for the lettuce and swiping a claw at it to volley it back toward Rhade.]

[truth_is_cold]

[The catnip is not a thing he's found yet, but people will likely know when he does. In any case, suddenly there's another big cat vying for the lettuce- but there's no competition really. He sees her come in and bat, and instead goes straight to trying to cut off the rolling head of lettuce.

A couple of bats between his paws and he shoves it speeding towards her, but still comes trotting after it so they can close in on it.]

[truth_is_cold]

[The liger is more amused by this, wondering who's so brazen as a person or an animal that size (or strength) doesn't matter. He gets kudos for bravery.

But now that head of lettuce is a challenge and Rhade wants it back.

This would be easier if he had a pride. For now, he tries circling the angry faced badger monster land shark.]

[truth_is_cold]

But you've not been entirely a cat and had the body to match those instincts. [And he stands up, tail and head both held high.] Nietzscheans have evolved a few different ones than humans.

[Also, due to neoteny Ben looks very much like a kitten to him right now. It's taking some self-control to not try and clean him.

[wemaketheworld]

[As Rhade circles, Rorschach follows, tracking him, minimizing the potential for being caught off-guard.]

Not yours. It's mine.

[...stupid. It probably won't even taste all that god. But it IS his right now, so he moves forward in a sudden lunge, not enough to close the space or leave his lettuce unattended but enough to make the meaning clear; he's not afraid of you, he's happy to attack if he has to, if you come any closer. He would WELCOME it.]

[hunt4commonwealth]

[Dylan comes up the stairs on stands on the deck, head held high. He sees Rhade and recognizes him by smell even a hundred yards away. Run run run run run run. Tongue hanging out happily.]

Gaheris!

[The dog in him is making him even more exuberant than usual.]

This is great!

Uh...so long as its temporary like the other floods.

[And not likely to lead to him killing Gaheris.]

[truth_is_cold]

[Dylan is going to wear him out, he can already tell.] It could be a lot worse. [That means Rhade loves this flood when it happens. Loves it. He reluctantly abandons his head of lettuce to go trotting over to Dylan, posture pleased as far as lions go.]

It's temporary. This happened to me before.

[And he tries to reach out a paw to drag Dylan closer, but he's a very happy, hyper dog.]

[hunt4commonwealth]

[Dylan bounds back and forth, playing Dodge The Giant Paw. Then lets himself be dragged closer and promptly licks Rhade's spotted face.]

Then I'll enjoy the little vacation.

[deadliestviper]

[Woe to any non-feline who stumbles upon the deck after they've broken into the catnip, but for now this other plant is much more fascinating. She leaps back as it skids across the deck towards her, then runs after it and swats with her claws bared, slicing off a few leaf shreds.

It spins off at an angle and she stalks around it, eyes fixed on the lettuce as if it'll dart away at any second.]

[truth_is_cold]

[He makes a much less human and much more big-cattish noise at the frustration from the dodging (though not real frustration), but once he has him dragged closer he gives him a lick that ends in ruffling Dylan's fur and leaves a streak of it poking in the wrong direction and his ear flapped inside out.]

Good. Now the dilemma is... I can't get into the CES. [And his rounded ears droop a little.]

[hunt4commonwealth]

[If Dylan notices that one ear is inside out, he doesn't care. He'll continue on with absurd lop-sided ears. He looks towards the door of the CES, eyes bright with interest.]

What we need here are some opposable thumbs. Or maybe some ingenuity. Maybe if I held a stick in my mouth...?

[Although if he finds a stick, focusing on pushing buttons with it and not tossing it in the air and chasing it might be hard.]