Runaway :: 1x1

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

Charlotte noticed the look on Dan's face as she mentioned going feral again. She swallowed a bite of her food and looked up at him, making sure her eyes locked with his for a moment to reassure him he was welcome to ask questions. "Wild nekos have about as positive of an opinion of humans as the enslaved ones. They tend to be violent toward humans if they get too close."

[Kumori-dono]

"All those things he couldn't say..."

Daniel Giles

Daniel grit his teeth at the word 'enslaved'. His hands tightened around his cutlery as he resisted the urge to punch the table. "Well that's hardly surprising, given how disgustingly we treat you" he said, almost growling. The more he thought about it, the angrier it made him. How was treating nekoes this way any different from racism? They were another species capable of intelligent thought and communication, yet for some reason they were regarded as lower than humans. It made Daniel sick to his stomach.

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"...Ooooh, she's a little runaway"

"Ah, dear friend I remember the night..."

Joan Newstay

Joan could see the signs. Dan was approaching a small emotional meltdown. Her expression softened as she stood and picked up hers and his plate. When he got like this his appetite just completely evaporated. Normally she'd comfort him, work through the issue and make sure he was alright. But this time she had nothing. What could she say? He was absolutely right, after all. She started to wash the dishes quietly, biting her lip nervously while she tried to think of something. Hopefully she'd come up with something before she left, otherwise the anger would devolve into despair, and he'd likely shut himself away in the study until he'd repressed it, which wasn't healthy. She glanced over her shoulder, watching him staring into his drink.

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"...The moon and the dreams we shared"

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

Charlotte could sense it in the air, her friend was upset, beyond that even. Joan had tensed up and gone awfully quiet. The neko thought it over for a few moments. Her tail twitched as she thought, then came to a stop. She slid her chair over beside his and held his hand, putting it on her collarbone and resting her head on his shoulder. She started to purr loudly, hoping the vibrations and warmth she gave off would help calm him.

[Kumori-dono]

"Ah, dear friend I remember the night..."

Joan Newstay

Joan was about to turn around and try to say something to help Dan, when she heard a scraping sound followed by purring. Glancing over her shoulder she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and turned away. The look on Dan's face was utterly priceless. He seemed to take a minute to understand what was going on, and in that minute his cheeks had turned an interesting shade of crimson. Joan's shoulders shook slightly with suppressed laughter. She knew she couldn't let him notice her or he'd turn even redder than he already had, and get defensive. The last thing she wanted was to ruin this, it was just too adorable. She took her time drying the dishes, letting them have their moment.

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[color=#FF66BB][i]"Thought"[/i][/color]
[color=#FF6666]Narrative[/color]

"...The moon and the dreams we shared"

"All those things he couldn't say..."

Daniel Giles

Dan blinked in surprise as Charlotte took his hand, and felt the heat rise in his cheeks when she placed it against her chest and started purring. After a couple of moments he realized she was trying to comfort him. She'd sensed his temper changing. His expression softened and he gently rested his cheek on her head, despite being incredibly aware of Joan's presence. Ignoring that... Charlotte's gesture worked... he felt himself calming down as she purred against his arm. He wanted to say something... to either thank her or to apologize for everything humans had done... but his indecision caused the words to stick in his throat.

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"...Ooooh, she's a little runaway"

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

Charlotte's ears twitched, hearing Joan's reaction. In all fairness, it wasn't exactly the most normal response to someone getting upset. She could remember her parents doing that for her when she was upset, pulling her close and purring until she calmed and eventually dozed off. Dan seemed to tense at first, but eventually calmed down. She smiled and patted his hand, looking up at him. "Better?", she asked, tilting her head a little.

[Kumori-dono]

"All those things he couldn't say..."

Daniel Giles

Daniel smiled and lightly ruffled Charlotte's hair. "Y-Yeah... thanks... sorry" he said quietly, awkwardly taking his hand off her collar. He looked up at Joan and thanked her for the meal, apologizing for what happened. As usual, she took it well - she was good like that, almost frustratingly understanding and tolerant of his crap. He stood up and helped her put the dishes away.

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"...Ooooh, she's a little runaway"

"Ah, dear friend I remember the night..."

Joan Newstay

Joan stretched slightly as she walked towards the front door a short while later. Having declined Dan's offer to stay for a drink, she turned to say her goodbyes. "Just keep the duffel bag" she said waving towards the stairs. "Charlotte can use it if she leaves" she said, smiling at them both. After hugging Dan, tiptoeing up to give him a light kiss, she turned to Charlotte. "It was good meeting you" she said cheerfully before giving the neko a close hug, whispering "Thank you, for being so good for him, he needs someone like you in his life" she stepped back and winked slyly at Charlotte before continuing. "Well, I'll catch you later - Dan, give Charlotte my number; Charlotte use the house phone and call me anytime you want to chat. Goodbye cuties" and with that she turned to leave.

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"...The moon and the dreams we shared"

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

Satisfied that she had done well, she smiled and her ears stood up, tail flicking. She kept an eye on him in case he needed her again, and went about helping clean up the kitchen. She hugged Joan back and mewed happily and smiled back as the woman winked. "See you later!", she called after Joan as she left.

Charlotte turned to him, tilting her head. "What do we do now?" The house was clean, dishes and laundry were done. In terms of housework, there was nothing left to do. She wasn't really sure what people did outside of such things. Well, aside from the things her master would to to her in her free time, or even while she was attempting to work.

[Kumori-dono]

"All those things he couldn't say..."

Daniel Giles

Daniel closed the door and turned back to see Charlotte looking at him expectantly. He thought for a moment. "Well... we could watch a movie or something" he suggested, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Or if you'd rather have some alone time, I have some books kicking around, feel free to take them up to your room" he added, trying to provide some examples and options that didn't all include him. It was an odd question when posed, consciously thinking of things to do in your free time. Usually it was so automatic, didn't take much thought. Daniel supposed it made sense though, given she'd probably not had 'free time' for quite a long while. "You can do whatever you feel like" he summarized, smiling at her.

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"...Ooooh, she's a little runaway"

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

Charlotte nodded and smiled. "I'd like that allot. I've never seen a movie before.", she said. She'd only heard of them from listening in on conversations. Of course, she'd seen television and knew what it was. But, she'd never had the pleasure of sitting down to watch something. Excitedly, she bounded into the other room and settled on the couch, curling into the side and waiting for Dan to join her.

A Few Weeks Later

Charlotte had just finished setting the table, brushing her hair out of her face with a satisfied sigh. The wash was out drying, breakfast was made, and she'd gone about the house and picked up a few things out of place. It was a productive morning so far. "Daniel! Breakfast is ready!"

[Kumori-dono]

"All those things he couldn't say..."

Daniel Giles

"Down in a minute!" Daniel called, hauling a shirt over his head. One of these days he'd get up early enough to make her breakfast. Not for lack of trying, he once set an alarm a couple of hours earlier and STILL crept downstairs to a plate of toast. At first he'd suspected that she wasn't sleeping properly, waiting for signs of life and scurrying downstairs. Then he realized she was probably easily woken with her hearing. Whatever the reason, it had been nice coming downstairs to company again. Taking his usual seat he smiled over at Charlotte."Morning, sleep well?"

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"...Ooooh, she's a little runaway"

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

Charlotte smiled and set his plate down in front of him before setting her own down at her place and sitting down to eat. "I was a little restless.", she said, playing at her food. She'd been in the house for around three weeks now, and was going a bit stir crazy. Today marked three weeks, and she should be safe enough to go outside without too much notice.

[Kumori-dono]

"All those things he couldn't say..."

Daniel Giles

Daniel watched Charlotte across the table, playing with her food slightly. Her mood had drastically improved over the last few weeks, and there hadn't been any trouble from Catchers at all. He'd even been able to go to work without much worry. However it was clear she was feeling quite cooped up; the house was immaculate - she had seemingly run out of ways to fine-tune the housework. He thought for a few minutes while he ate, eventually looking up. "I'm not working tomorrow, or the day after" he informed, "Do you want to go somewhere? A walk? a hike? camping?" he asked, smiling at her. Whatever they wound up doing, they'd have to get away from the town.

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"...Ooooh, she's a little runaway"

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

She looked up at him and smiled. The idea of getting out of the house made her very happy. "Yes, I'd like that allot. We could go for a hike if you'd like." Her purring had started again, quite loudly. She was ecstatic at the idea of going out in the forest.

[Kumori-dono]

"All those things he couldn't say..."

Daniel Giles

Daniel couldn't help the grin spreading across his face. Charlotte was just so adorable when she was excited. He could almost picture her bouncing with glee, if it weren't for the doubtless fact that she was still clinging to the docility that had been instilled in her. "One step at a time" He thought to himself as he finished his breakfast. "Oh, I know just the place - used to go there with my Granddad when I was a kid" He said, suddenly remembering. He chuckled, as he recalled that not everything about the memories were good. "I used to hate the hike, it's pretty brutal, but I loved it when we got there" he continued, taking his dishes to the sink and starting to wash them.

There was a mountain on the outskirts of a massive forest, quite a long drive from the town. The peak was noteable for being broken in a weird way; like a clean wedge had been cut out of it, leaving it half a mesa, with an incredible view over the surrounding land. Drying his hands he tapped at his phone a couple of times to check the weather forecast. He smiled when he saw that tomorrow night was going to be clear and not particularly cold. " We'll make it a camping trip" he decided, kneeling down at the table beside Charlotte. "I promise, this spot - it'll take your breath away"

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"...Ooooh, she's a little runaway"

[midnight2morninglight]

ℂharlotte

She smiled and her tail coiled around Dan's arm affectionately. "I can't wait to see it.", she said, smiling brightly. The neko grabbed a pen off the table and jotted down a few notes on a pad she'd left on the table for when she thought of things she needed to remember. Usually food-related, since she didn't have anything better to do than to inventory the kitchen daily. She scribbled down a few things they'd need and looked down at him. "I'll start getting things ready.", she said, purring in delight.