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 Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:29 pm
"Oh," Kevin said, and nodded in understanding. "I don't like doing laundry either," he agreed. "Let's pack the car!" He decided, picking up his suitcase. "Hurry up, Toby! We can go sooner if we're done sooner!"
Maia took her suitcase and took it outside. "Dari, when's Cody going to get here?" She asked. She placed her suitcase in the car and returned to look for Peaches. "Peaches! We're going on a trip." She went to seek him out.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 2:12 pm
"He said he was on his way," Dari said calmly. Cody would be here.
"There's an art to this!" Toby called after Kevin. There were a lot of people packing into each car for a lot of time, and nobody owned a truck or a van at this point. It would be an intense game of Tetris to get everything packed.
"He's in the dining room," Dari said, and he pointed to the countertop where the orange cat was perched, eyes wide, staring as Dari piled out the car carriers. Lily was coming with him and Cody, so she didn't need to go away yet, but it might only be fair.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 2:50 pm
"An art to it?" Kevin asked, and blinked. An art to packing? "Come teach me, then!" He demanded.
Maia went and and scooped Peaches up. "Hi baby," she gets greeted, stroking him. "Don't worry, as soon as we get there you can get out and play. Lily will be there too!" No Seamus this year, though. She bent down and stuck him in the cat carrier.
Cody arrived moments later. He parked and headed to the door. He knocked.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 3:12 pm
She attempted to stick him in the carrier, anyway. His ears went flat back against his head and he stuck his limbs out to try and be too big for the doorway. The only time Peaches ever fought was on the way to the vet, and once there he calmed down into his purring, contented self. It made no sense, but cats rarely did.
"Need help?" Dari asked. Then there was a knock at the door and he went to answer it. "Once sec." Once he saw who it was, he smiled and gestured for Cody to enter. "Hey, love! Come on in, the cat's loose." This might be the only time Peaches was in danger of running away.
Outside, Toby met up with Kevin and opened the trunk. "We've got three people and a cat's stuff to pack, so we have to make sure everything takes up as little space as possible and all the space is used. It's not as hard as it sounds, but you can't just throw things in here. Dari can take what we can't fit."
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 3:31 pm
Maia struggled for a moment, trying to coax Peaches into the carrier. "Calm down," she said, "You're going to have loads of fun, kitty. Remember last year?" Maybe not. The poor thing, he was probably scared they were taking him to the vet.
"Yes," she admitted, and grinned at Dari. Poor Peaches!
Cody stepped inside quickly, closing the door behind him. "Is he giving you trouble?" He asked, spotting Maia.
Kevin looked skeptical. That certainly sounded difficult. "Okay," he nodded. "So where does my stuff go?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 3:52 pm
Peaches would not calm down. Instead, Dari approached Maia once Cody was inside and grabbed his legs to force in first his back half, then his top half. When the poor thing was trapped (but safely so) he turned to Cody again. "Are you all packed? We'll need to catch Lily."
"Start over that side," Toby said, gesturing to where the boy could put down his bags, "Push it over tight with the trunk wall."
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 4:22 pm
"Thank you," Maia said, looking to Dari. She stood and sighed. "Poor love," she said, shaking her head.
"I'm packed," Cody assured Dari with a smile. "Are you? Need any help?" Catching Lily sounded like an adventure. The kitten had gotten fast. "Want to go try catching her?" He asked.
Kevin shoved his bags in and to the side as instructed. "I'm excited to go with you," he said.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 4:37 pm
"He'll be fine," Dari said. "Once you're outside city limits he won't even care." Really, Dari didn't know, but it seemed like the comforting thing to say. The cat was always so calm, he refused to believe that Peaches would be a maniac all the way to New England, especially when he didn't have to sit in the cargo hold. Then, to Cody: "Yeah, come on. I can hear her in the bedroom." The one they shared when Cody was over.
"I'm excited you're coming," Toby said. "Help me get the rest." He motioned for Kevin to follow him, and when they came back they would see Maia's toiletry bag tucked away already, presumably because it was the smallest. Michael was helping. Toby smiled.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:02 pm
"I hope so," Maia said, and gave Dari a grateful smile. "I know he'll like it there." Maybe she'd give him one of his presents early to help him feel more at home.
Cody followed Dari to their bedroom. "Lily?" He called. She wasn't as smart as Seamus, but she seemed to come to her name some of the time. This wasn't one of those times. The kitten arched her back and hissed playfully before bounding under the bed.
"Michael's excited to come, too!" Kevin pointed out. He put a bag, probably the cat's with the size, and placed it in the trunk. "Where are your bags?" He asked, looking to Toby.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:23 pm
"What was that supposed to mean?" Dari asked of the kitten, splitting off from Cody so the kitten couldn't escape by running around him. Of course when he laid down on his belly and offered his arm to her she could.
Toby gestured with his chin for Kevin to follow and brought him to the hall just beside the basement stairs. "I didn't want them to be in the way."
He didn't pack as much as some, though, so he'd been done early and with bags small enough to heft just between the two of them.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:34 pm
When Dari laid down, the kitten pounced on his arm, once, twice, and then curled herself around the alien's hand. She kicked her feet and gave a tiny growl before gently reaching to paw his nose.
Kevin picked up one of the bags. "Can we go Christmas shopping while we're in New England?" He asked.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:38 pm
"Oh, you're gonna make me feel so bad about this," Dari said with a little laugh. He reached his other hand under to scruff the kitten to try and cause that rush of endorphins and submission that nature intended while the one she attacked moved to scoop up her bum and pull her out from under the bed. "Do you think we should give her something?" Benadryl, for example, to calm her down, before they were sure she needed it. He could stick it in some cheese or something.
"Yeah, of course," Toby said. "There's some snow coming but it shouldn't keep things closed for more than a day. It never does out there. There's plenty of shops, it's just a little bit into town from the house."
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:47 pm
The kitten mewed as she was scooped up and pawed at Dari. She didn't squirm, though. She mewed again. She wanted to play!
"Maybe," Cody said, looking concerned. "She might cry the entire flight, I hope the pressure doesn't bother her ears..."
"Oh, good," Kevin smiled. "I haven't finished Christmas shopping yet." Or...started.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:49 pm
Dari sighed and pulled the kitten to his chest, then gave her a little kiss on the nose. He felt terrible. Peaches was always so calm, but his own girl, she just wanted to move around.
"We're like new parents," Dari said.
"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," Toby said with a smile. "Could you go see how it's going inside?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:11 pm
Lily began to purr at being close to Dari's chest. She reached up and pawed at his face when he kissed her.
"Okay," Kevin agreed. "Are you guys ready?" He asked, wandering inside. "Maia? Michael!"
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