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Post by Picasso on Feb 25, 2013 13:55:20 GMT
@sorceror
"Speech"
The falls had once been Nutmeg's favourite place. The sound of cascading water tumbling over the rocks soothed her array of thoughts. As she padded along the rocks, she could feel the cool spray against her fur, slightly dampening her. She'd first left the caves a month ago, and she'd got better since then. Grizzly had been thrilled, of course. She had felt terrible for keeping her best friend inside the cave with her. One day, whilst Grizzly had been hunting, Nutmeg had left the cave all by herself. She'd been terrified, but as she continued to walk through the meadows, she'd calmed down. It was there that Nutmeg had met another feline. He was a gruff looking cat, who showed clear interest in her. Nutmeg just wanted to feel numb, and one thing led to another, and they did something Nutmeg was too embarrassed to admit. She'd felt awful when Grizzly seemed so happy that she'd left the cave, but she wouldn't dare tell him what she's truly done with another feline. Instead, she's stayed silent and plastered a fake smile on her face.
Now, at the waterfall, Nutmeg lowered herself onto her haunches. The sun was high in the sky, and the tortoiseshell cat enjoyed the rays of light beaming down onto her fur. She felt warmed by the summer sunlight. Summer was Nutmeg's favourite season. She had been sick of the constant cold of winter, and the constant rain of spring. This was perfect. She sighed, contently.
Nutmeg wasn't cured. On the contrary, she still craved male attention. Her body itched for someone, something. When she was with a male, her mind shut off. She could forget about all the terrible things Cerberus did to her, and focus on what was happening now. Her tail twitched with anticipation. The waterfalls were empty for the time being, but she expected more to gather at the base of the waterfall as the air got warmer. It was a perfect place to cool down in the midday sun. She vaguely wondered where Grizzly was at the moment. Nutmeg never told Grizzly when she was going to leave the cave, and she often sneaked out when he had gone hunting. She had yet to leave the cave with Grizzly, and was very quiet about what she got up to on her trips. Nutmeg still viewed the cave as her haven, and she always got the intense feeling of calmness as soon as she arrived back at their cave. Even now, all Nutmeg could thing about was the blasted cave.
Frustrated, Nutmeg slumped down on the rock she was perched on and watched the water tumble through the air and splashing into the lake below.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2013 22:05:23 GMT
He didn't usually travel this far out into the country. Brandon was a city cat, for all intents and purposes, and didn't care for the fresh air and breezes out here. He wanted to be able to smell rusty metal and aging asphalt when he walked around, not flowers and sunshine.
Unfortunately, he was on a case. The big brown tom was tracking an individual, some dog named Tethys that someone else wanted to find. Big, black guy. Strangely hard to find. Brandon had managed to get around to his contacts in the underbelly of (what passed for) Hexasol society and finally stumbled on someone who claimed the canine was out near the lake somewhere. So Brand headed out there. It took him days to figure out where this lake even was, and then when he found the huge body of water he'd had to start combing the area for signs of a dog.
Which was how he'd ended up here, sitting in the noon sun looking at water. Ugh.
It was too hot. Brandon needed a drink.
The striped tom stood up, green eyes checking to make sure no big, black dogs happened to be around, and padded warily over to the pool that the waterfall was dropping into. The mist, much as he disliked it, cooled the air a bit down here. He paused at the edge of the lake, drank quickly, and shot another glance around.
Somehow, he'd missed the other cat sitting nearby, on the other side of a small stream that was running back under the rocks.
He really did hate the country. In Hexasol, Brandon knew everywhere and could see immediately if something was wrong. Another animal stood out against the concrete and steel and grey skies, like a star in the night sky. Lightning in a storm. Here everything was too bright, and always moving. It was colorful.
This cat wasn't colorful, though. She was dark. That interested him enough to stop and look more closely. Dark brown, with eyes that were bright, but not too bright. She looked like she belonged somewhere else. A gutter, maybe.
Brandon stood for another second and then nodded once.
"Good afternoon."
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Post by Picasso on Feb 28, 2013 13:47:32 GMT
Nutmeg had been slowly drifting into a light snooze when she suddenly heard movement. Opening her eyes, the tortoiseshell cat peered over her rocky perch and watched as another feline approached the lake, appearing to be looking for something. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as the white and brown tabby cat began to lap up the water from the lake. He looked on edge, as though he was way out of his comfort zone. Nutmeg was immediately curious. She pinpointed the exact moment he noticed her on the rock, and Nutmeg shared a lazy smile with him. Was he interested? He appeared to be as he began to walk closer to her and greet her. Nutmeg twitched her tail interestedly as she stood from the rock and stretched her muscles. Groaning in satisfaction, she hopped from the rock and approached him.
His eyes raked over her and she let him look. He was a fairly handsome male, considerably larger than her. However, he was nowhere near as big as Grizzly. Being a Maine Coon, he was one of the biggest out there. Intrigued, Nutmeg breathed in his scent. He smelled of city. He didn't appear to look comfortable in the countryside, and Nutmeg couldn't help but let another smile play on her lips. She hadn't been to the city in a long time. It felt too closed, too claustrophobic. She buildings confined her like no other. Nutmeg had been part of the countryside for at least a year now. As a kitten, she had loved exploring the deep undergrowth. She'd hated being stuck in the Lexis Tribe territory. It had been grey and dull. This was where Nutmeg thrived.
"Hello there," She replied, taking another step towards him. Nutmeg wasn't well trained in the 'flirting' aspect. She just wanted to forget for a few minutes. She thought back to the tom cat a few weeks ago, who had basically thrown himself at her. She presumed this one wouldn't be so easy. Nutmeg felt awkward as she lowered herself to her haunches and gazed up at the stranger, "The name's Nutmeg. And you are?" She questioned curiously, lashing her tail with interest.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2013 18:07:59 GMT
She was a strange one. She looked friendly enough, but there was a look in her eyes that Brandon picked out immediately. She was dangerous. He'd be a fool if he didn't walk away.
The tabby male studied her warily. Something about her was definitely not right; a hint of something - he didn't know what - behind her eyes. She'd destroy him if he stuck around too long. But how could he avoid it?
He studied her, making no secret of what he was looking at. She was pretty, tortoiseshell fur and big yellow or maybe green eyes (he wasn't sure yet.) She'd look good against a darker background. Gray and black. His city.
"Brandon," he replied. Noncommittally. No hurry. She was his city, his Hexasol, pretty on top but with an undercurrent that was deadly and undefinable. This Nutmeg wouldn't leave him by himself, if he didn't hurry up. She was his city made flesh, a femme fatale who would kill him and smile at the same time. He couldn't avoid the attraction, no matter how smart it might be to do so.
There was nothing he could do but go along with it.
"What's a girl like you doing so far away from...anywhere?" He knew she didn't belong out here, so far from the buildings and concrete. She was out of place, somehow. His city was following him, wondering about his absence. Trying to find out why he wasn't home. "Looking for something?"
He frowned, looking at her and trying not to seem too curious. Or too disinterested. Not that it mattered. He could do anything he wanted now; she wouldn't leave him.
Or someone.
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Post by Picasso on Mar 1, 2013 18:21:52 GMT
@sorceror
Nutmeg watched an array of emotions pass over his face. He looked wary. And rightly so... Her mind supplied, but Nutmeg shook the thought away. She wanted to speak with someone who wasn't Grizzly for once. She was sick to death of being stuck with only one other person to have a conversation with. First, Cerberus. Now, Grizzly. She couldn't catch a break. He uttered his name. Brandon. Not a name she'd come across before. As Brandon's scent of the city began to overcome her, Nutmeg couldn't help but think of her past. She'd been born and bred in the heart of the city, right in the centre of a raging war. She had never shown much interest in the war, and she'd soon left to find more interesting things. The animals who dedicated their lives to fighting were idiots. There was so much more to life than that. But... Nutmeg did miss Hexasol. She missed Rib Bay, where she'd spent her kitten months playing with her siblings. She missed the bustle of people. On every street corner, you'd find another stranger to meet. The country, in contrast, was a lonely, large place.
The question make Nutmeg snicker. He was clearly opposed to the countryside. In some ways, he was right. There was nothing out here. However, Nutmeg did like the silence sometimes. She also liked the prey. Animals of all shapes and sizes lived out here, and she loved having a new meal every night. Nutmeg's appetite had long since returned, and she was nearly back to her normal, healthy weight. Her eyes raked over Brandon's body. If he despised the country so much, what kind of food did he eat. Rats, probably. And mice. Birds were rare in the city, especially juicy, tasty ones. And rabbits. Nutmeg loved a good rabbit. She was digressing. Her attention switched back to the stranger before her.
"I suppose I like it out here. Alone with my thoughts." She admitted with a shrug. The next question puzzled her. Looking for something? A mischievous glint in her eye appeared, and her reply shocked Nutmeg, "I think I've found what I'm looking for." She replied bluntly with a grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat's. "But I could ask you the same question. What're you looking for, eh?" Nutmeg began to purr quietly as the sound of the waterfall lulled her into relaxation. Brandon puzzled her. Nutmeg didn't think much about others, and so coming across a stranger was a big thing in her life. Nutmeg didn't understand much about anyone. She had once thought all male cats were dicks. But Grizzly had told her otherwise. What about Brandon? What category did he fit into? Dick or not a dick?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2013 23:57:21 GMT
Oh, that smile. The laugh. Brandon shook his head slightly, as if trying to get flies out of his ears. Just a wandering girl, alone with her thoughts in the country. Her evident dislike of the city was as fascinating as anything else about her, as if she was purposely trying to throw him off. It had to be a cover of some kind. He knew she came from Hexasol; there was no excuse for the look in her eyes if she hadn't. She must be trying to confuse him on purpose.
He couldn't say it wasn't working.
"I'm on a job," he replied bluntly, and then offered her a quick smile. "But I guess I can take a break for a while."
It was pretty obvious what she wanted from him, and he was quite willing to give it to her. She was the closest thing to perfection he'd ever seen; a far cry from the women he'd known in the past. Nothing like his shy little sisters, beaten down from a life in the city. Definitely a far cry from the one-eyed woman who'd birthed him and given him an arbitrary raising (for what that had been worth; not much.)
On the other hand, if there was one thing Brandon had learned from his mother, it was that you never gave anything away for free. He knew what she wanted, but she'd have to pay for it one way or another.
One way or another.
Maybe not today, or this week, but he'd find a way. For now he could put that off.
"I was looking for a black dog, but I imagine a girl like you isn't interested in that business." A small test. Would she pretend to be interested to gain his approval? He certainly hoped not.
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Post by Picasso on Mar 2, 2013 0:09:17 GMT
@sorceror
A job. Nutmeg cocked her head. She hadn't heard of cats getting jobs before. She couldn't understand why a cat would waste their time even having a job. She supposed if they were bored and needed to fill their time. But there were far more interesting things to do than doing work for another person. She frowned. As Brandon spoke again, he mentioned a black canine. She quickly looked around, and noticed that it was only them two by the Falls. No black dog. Nutmeg hadn't seen anyone with that description in a while. She almost considered tricking Brandon, telling him a fake story of bumping into a black dog, but she decided against it. She didn't want Brandon to see that she was a fake, and so she kept silent. Things would go wrong if she lied. And she's also feel intensely bad, no matter how amusing it would appear.
"I admit, I've never heard of a feline taking a job," Nutmeg let out a small chuckle at the absurdity of it, "But I've seen no dog around these parts." Nutmeg almost asked Brandon why he was searching for this dog, but felt that she would be prying too much. Instead, she kept her mouth shut, and instead just enjoyed the silence between them. Nutmeg couldn't believe the sound of the Waterfall was so soothing. She remembered being here many years ago, and meeting Grizzly again. It had been a beautiful day, much like this. She sighed, contently. Nutmeg vaguely wondered whether she would ever meet Brandon again. It seemed he understood what Nutmeg wanted, and he wasn't denying it from her. In fact, he was pursuing the conversation. If this led to what Nutmeg hoped for, she hoped to never meet with Brandon again, to cease any awkwardness that could ensue.
Walking closer to Brandon, she took a deep breath, and was suddenly surprised by her own actions. Her body gently grazed against Brandon's flank, her fur brushing against his. Nutmeg jolted a little at the sudden contact, but she didn't pull away. Her tail stroked below his chin as she circled him once, before finally coming back to his front. Her eyes still glittered with lust and excitement as she shared a small smile with him. Her fur prickled with anticipation. She had done this plenty of times before, but her heart still pounded with fear. A small part of her didn't like it. It reminded her of Cerberus and all the terrible things he'd done to her. Another part of her enjoyed the numbness it brought about. Nutmeg was confused, but she didn't let it show. At least, she hoped not.
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