Janan-‘anqā:
Gida didn't really have a porch. It was more of a little patio, complete with a nice collection of lounge furniture for her to sit with her family in the spring. It was one of the couches that Ana was on, lying on her side, her legs curled slightly, one arm curled beneath her head, and her eyes closed. A sheer purple shawl dotted with small flecks of golden stars was wrapped around her shoulders and torso.

She wasn't asleep, though normally she would at least be napping at this time. No, she was just letting her ears do the painting of the world around her, allowing all the tiny sounds that made up the night wash over her. It was soothing, pleasantly relaxing. Perhaps she should make a habit of this, whether she was meeting Hook or not.

Hook:
The dark cat slunk along the shadows. Keeping to his cat form at the moment, he was almost invisible in the evening. The only thing standing out were the gleaming blue eyes that sparkled like the day during the night.
There wasn't any fencing in this neighborhood, and he was kind of thankful for that. He didn't like jumping and climbing them to get where he was going.

He climbed the stairs of the little patio that was furnished in front of Ana's home. He was silent, and it was his experience in being unheard. It was part of surviving in the wild, and he wasn't observed if he didn't want to be. He leapt onto the couch that she was lying on, his human visage available once more, as he sat, and leaned back against the cushion.

"Hello, Beautiful." He reserved the greeting specifically for her, and he longed for when he'd get to see her, so that he might be able to use it again.

Janan-‘anqā:
She'd heard him coming, knew it was him by the scent on the breeze. Her eyes remained shut, but her lips curved in a smile. He hopped onto the couch and only then did she open her eyes, rolling slightly so that she could see him better.

"Good evening. I wanted to thank you for suggesting meeting now. I've never been outside at this time of the day and..." Ana trailed off for a moment, her gaze leaving him in favor of the wide, dark sky dotted with stars. "It's so peaceful."

Hook:
Whether she had heard him or not, she didn't say, and for that he was grateful. He liked to have the upper hand. On anything usually. Her blue eyes opened, and he smiled, a smile just for her.

"You've never been outside at night? Love you do need to get out more." Truth be told he wasn't up at night if he didn't have to be. But meeting her was worth it, and that was the safest time to sneak around her home.

"We will get you used to the evening, don't you worry." He chuckled.

Janan-‘anqā:
"No, never outside. Sometimes Gida leaves the window open, but... It's different when you're actually out here." Ana sat up then, careful of her skirt, and readjusted her shawl. For a covering it was fairly useless, anyone would be able to see right through it. But for warmth, it was actually fairly effective. So she tugged it around herself, crossing the ends at the front, and leaned back against the back of the couch.

"Do you usually stay up at night?" As much as she was beginning to like the night, she couldn't imagine not being awake during the day. Feeling the warm sun, admiring the beautiful flowers, watching the birds, the daylight hours had so many treasures.

Hook:
It was all he could do not to stare at her. She was so beautiful. Between the soft dark skin, the bright blue eyes... That silk outfit that he just wanted to touch. He was being a good boy by keeping his hand and hook to himself though.

"Not all the time no." He admitted. "The only nights I keep awake are the nights I need to sneak around." He smiled at her, bringing one knee to his chest, and letting the other lay out. Thick boots thunking against the fabric.
He wasn't going to pass time with her up. Especially when he could easily sleep through the day. He liked her company.. The last female he had been around had been Pearl, and that had been quite a long while ago.

Janan-‘anqā:
Ana nodded.
"That's reasonable." She remembered how he looked as a cat. All midnight-black fur, and even darker around his eyes. The only light part on him was the hook-marking on his chest. She smiled at the stupid thought that occurred to her, that they were like night and day. She was painted with a ray of sunlight and he was darker than coal.

"I'm not sure I'd be very good at sneaking around at night," Ana said, amusement in her voice. She flicked and curled her tail, drawing attention to the golden shade. "Too bright."

Hook:
He smiled at her when she motioned him to look at her pelt. She certainly was marked in what he considered sunshine. She was beautiful, and he thought her like sunshine on a cloudy day.

"More goes into sneaking than the color of your pelt, love. Like learning how to control how heavy your feet are. If someone isn't looking for you, they're less likely to try." He chuckled, his hand reaching out and stroking the soft fur of her tail. The gold was bright against his dark skin.

"Besides. With me to teach you, where can you go wrong?" He asked, winking as he scooted closer so that he could press his thigh against hers.

Janan-‘anqā:
Her eyes fluttered shut when he reached out and stroked her tail. Her ears were bad about that, but her tail was worse. The only place that disabled her more was under her chin. She leaned her head back against the couch and relaxed.
This really was quite wonderful. Sitting with someone, talking with them, the night as beautiful as it was. Ana opened her eyes again and glanced over at Hook. She didn't comment on his new position, the closeness. She didn't want him to read it wrong and move away.

"You'd teach me?" she asked, a smile on her face and a half-laugh in her throat. "What will I stalk, dust motes and butterflies?"
She mentally sighed. She felt awful that she kept bringing their differences in lifestyle up, but it was difficult not to. The fact that she was a pet, that she couldn't leave that life, couldn't leave her human, was a large part of who she was. No matter how much she liked Hook, no matter how drawn she was to the idea of seeing new places with him, she couldn't leave Gida.
And she really didn't think she could make it out there.

Hook:
He looked at her, eyes sparkling as he smiled. Hands still stroking her tail as he shrugged.
"Who else would I trust to teach you the ways, love? Of course I'd teach you." He'd considered that just a fact at this point. He didn't see himself going anywhere, not while this ray of sunshine was here.

When she mentioned dust motes and butterflies, a smile grew on his face slowly, but ended with a laugh. He shook his head, the chuckle still there in his voice.

"I think we will try to be a little more productive than butterflies. That I can assure you." He shook his head. She was so unsure of herself. She had her teeth, and so long as her paws were strong...Claws weren't absolutely neccessary. Though he still cursed the humans that had taken such an asset from her.

Janan-‘anqā:
Her tail flopped completely into his lap, whether it was her doing or all on its own was beyond even Ana's knowledge.
"Well, if you don't mind, I would love to learn. I know how to pounce, but I've never really had the need to try sneaking around," she replied. It was foolish. She shouldn't. She really shouldn't.
But she didn't want to care about what she should or shouldn't do.

Mind made up, she moved a little, pressing their shoulders together so that she could lean on him a little. She hoped it wouldn't backfire.
"You're right. And I like butterflies, so I wouldn't want to crush them when practicing."

Hook:
His hand absent mindedly stroked her tail when it flopped onto his lap. Her shoulder rested against his, and he was thankful she'd closed the distance between them. She was so sweet, but where she was sweet, he could see strength. That's how he knew she'd be a quick learner.
"Then consider it done, love." He said, head turning so that he was looking down into her eyes. His hand stilled, just resting in the golden fluff.

"We can start you off with beetles." He teased, nudging her gently with his shoulder that was touching her. She'd probably have to start with something like a lizard, or mouse. Something she could get her paws and mouth around, rather than need her claws to hold down.

Janan-‘anqā:
Ana opened her mouth to say something, to thank him for making the offer, but then Hook continued and her mouth snapped shut. Her mouth twisted into a put-upon smile and she gave him a rather dryly amused expression.

"Uh-huh. Are we going with beetles because I'm less likely to be sad, or because they don't fly about all the time?" As much as it could have been taken as she was insulted by it, it was clear in her tone that she was just teasing him back. Made even more so when she scrunched up her nose at him once she'd finished her question.
He was such a rogue. But, then, that was what she liked that about him.

Hook:
"What if both were appropriate so it seemed the right prey?" He asked, poking her gently in the abdomen with one finger. She was able to put up with his humor, which was a plus for him. He had a nasty habit of pissing everyone off.. It did little to help him in the way of making friends. Maybe that's why he enjoyed her company so much. He could be himself, and she still was interested in talking to him.

When she scrunched her nose, a smile grew on his features. She was such an adorable creature, and he liked it when her nose scrunched. She was so innocent..

"I think you can handle it." He finished, a soft laugh escaping. His eyes were gleaming playfully under long, dark lashes.

Janan-‘anqā:
"Mmhmm, and when did you want to start these lessons, oh grand master of hunting?" Two could play at that game. If he was allowed to tease her, it was only fair that she should be able to do the same. Her tail twitched, the tip flicking slightly. It missed the attention, she missed the attention it had been getting earlier. Hers was so fluffy, but his was even more so. She couldn't help but wonder if his was soft like hers.

Hook was such a large cat, she felt so small when they were sitting like this, finally pressed against one another without a screen between them. She could see how another cat her size might be afraid of him and yet she wasn't. As silly as it was, she trusted him not to hurt her.

Hook:
"Not tonight. I'm too comfortable where I am." He said, voice low as he stared up at the stars. He was as happy as he had ever been, just to be free. The humans would have had him in a wire cage by now if he had still been with them. No cat deserved a cage. It wasn't right.

The flick of her tail made him smile, and he continued to work his hands over her tail. Smoothing it and petting it much like a human might. It was so soft, and it was calming really.
Hook could be a formidable opponent. He knew how to fight, and despite his size he was quite nimble on his paws. He'd had a lot of practice, and it was second nature. He supposed had he been a housecat, his size would have slowed him considerably.

Janan-‘anqā:
"Good," Ana replied and covered a yawn with one hand. "I think I would need to spend more of the day napping and less of it playing with scissors if I'm going to try learning something like that."

He hadn't moved away when she'd pressed their shoulders together. Would he do so if she let her head rest on his shoulder? Hook was stroking her tail again and she decided to throw caution to the wind once more.
Ana let her head tilt until it touched his shoulder. One ear brushed against his cheek and she made sure to flick it back so that she wouldn't tickle him. The leather of his coat was cool and soft beneath her cheek; her eyes closed and a soft smile tilted her lips upwards.

Hook:
Yes she would have to learn when to rest. She wouldn't be able to stay up all day, and stay up during the evening to see him. She'd be too tired to want to do that after too long.
"Yes, make sure you get a lot of rest while the sun is up." He confirmed. He brought his hook up from under her tail, resting it next to his hand. She placed her head on his shoulder, and he let his fall to the side to rest against hers too. His own tail was still and calm next to him, curled against his leg. His own fluff brushing against hers.

"Wouldn't want you too tired to catch those dust motes." He grinned. Not that he knew what a dust mote was, but her comment had amused him.

Janan-‘anqā:
"Your confidence in me is astounding," she said, her tone dry and sarcastic, but still she smiled. She certainly had a streak to her, when she wasn't being concerned for another's safety or well being.

"Where do you sleep, when you're out here?" Ana had to wonder about that. She didn't know how it worked, being a stray. Was it difficult to find safe places? Shelter? Had he ever been left out in the cold or rain? A shiver ran down her spine. That seemed like it would be awful and she hated the idea that it might have happened to him.

Hook:
"I know you're capable of more than you probably think." He said, voice soft. It felt so natural to be sitting here, head atop hers while she rested on his shoulder. The soft brush of her ears made him give a little purr.

"Mmm..Lots of places, love." He didn't really have a home. Not here, not yet. He wasn't even sure he would. He just moved from one sleeping place to another. It made him harder to track down.
"Currently? There's an old house a few blocks down. The patio is falling apart, and I squeeze under there and sleep under the house." He didn't do that every day, but the days he was too tired to seek anywhere else it was a good stop. Though it wasn't really safe, as he knew it was a matter of time before a neighborhood dog would catch a whif of something under there.

Janan-‘anqā:
"I know. I'm not completely helpless." She just needed to be smarter than whatever she was up against. Like the screen. Or the squirrels that had thought Gida's backyard would be a good place to hang out, the bird feeder a good snack. She never would have been able to catch one, but she'd chased them off well enough.

That didn't sound terribly comfortable. Surely there must be a better place. But she couldn't really think of any off the top of her head. It seemed so difficult, his lifestyle. Her eyes opened and she glanced down at the hook where his hand should have been, the paw that wouldn't function.
"I should go inside before I fall asleep..." she said softly. Or she could fall asleep out here. It was starting to become a very appealing thought as the minutes passed.

Hook:
"I know you aren't." He mused. She'd rescued -him- for crying out loud. He'd been stuck in a home where the people thought him a novelty. Thought they could break his spirit and make him grow to tolerate them. She had given him a life again, and he knew that took a lot of guts.

He grinned, a devious smile hitting his features. Shaking his head he chuckled. "Yes. Because falling asleep out here, with me, would be a terrible thing." His voice was low as he spoke, and he rubbed his cheek into the top of her ears and hair.

Janan-‘anqā:
"Mmmm, very terrible," she hummed back and relaxed against him. She'd probably have a bit of a crick in her neck if she fell asleep like this, but at that moment she didn't really care. "Just wake me when it starts getting light."

Her words were a sleepy murmur falling softly into nothing as she drifted off, curled up next to a no-good pirate. But then, Ana didn't really know that. Even if she had, there was little likelihood that any of this encounter would have changed.

Hook:
Her sleepy voice was soft, and he knew she was moments from dozing off. He stayed incredibly still, then opted to position himself where he could let her rest on his chest. It was probably more comfortable, and he didn't want her to have a crick in the neck. He gently stroked her face with his hand, her skin soft. She was so peaceful..

Hook may have been somewhat tired, but he kept himself from sleeping. He was going to stay awake and protect her. No one would surprise her with him there. So he sat there, staring at the stars, his hand stroking her hair. He could get used to this.