Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the vines overhead, dancing across the closed eyelids of sleeping cats. Dhiren roused slowly, squinting against the light and attempting to roll over. His bed was soft, welcoming, and not lumpy. ...

That wasn't right.

Cracking open bleary amber eyes, the tom blinked a few times and looked around with groggy confusion. Leafy green foliage met his vision on all sides of him; he was under some overgrown structure. He laid, staring up at the vines above him for a few moments more as his brain woke up the rest of the way.

It was late.... right? Afternoon...ish.. Where was he? Something seemed a little... heavy...

He flicked his ears against the leaves they were resting against as he realized that there was something weighing down his chest and arm. As his eyes trailed down to investigate, he suddenly recalled why he was where he was, and relaxed. The female still sleeping against him looked peaceful and more beautiful now than she had before to him. His arm was pinned beneath her, curled around her lithe frame and holding her securely. With his free hand, he carefully brushed her tousled hair from her face and grinned to himself. His jacket, which he remembered vaguely throwing across her shoulders the night before, had been discarded sometime during the night and lay just off to the side of them.

His heart thumped a little harder as he watched her, still unused to being so comfortable with another; still uncertain about the strange fluttering in his stomach. Again, carefully, the Somali tom tried to get up. Moving slowly, he pushed himself up and gently moved Alice's head from his chest, laying her down on the leafy 'bed' as he slid his arm out from around her. His fur bristled slightly as he did his best not to wake the sleeping woman, and when he had untangled himself, he sat and watched her for a few moments again. The University was becoming active as students milled about between classes, the Somali's ears swiveled towards the muffled sounds they were making. He watched them for a few moments, wondering if they really would stay away from the two cats.

What an odd situation for him to place himself in. Was this really okay?

Dhiren hadn't realized she was awake until she got up to crawl over to him. His face flushed at being caught watching her sleep, but he smiled down at her nonetheless and placed his hand on her head, patting her gently. He didn't say anything, but was nearly certain his heart beat was loud enough to hear. When suddenly, the comfortable weight of her head left his lap and she turned away from him, he began to follow with his head in question. Her words left her mouth only moments too late and Dhiren snapped his head around instantly, staring out at the university with his face flushing furiously. His ears tilted back a little in guilt, and only at her displeased grunt did he dare a glance back again.

Of course, he thought the sundress looked cute, even as she pouted in it. "We going somewhere today?" He growled softly, teasing. The Somali tom turned and reached over to retrieve his jacket before crawling out from under the bench and standing. Shaking out the wrinkled garment, he regarded it for a moment with an uncertain look before slipping it on over his brown sleeveless. Turning back to Alice, he held his hand out for her with a soft smile. He felt unusually relaxed this morning, and relieved that the decision he made last night wasn't backfiring.

Dhiren raised an eyebrow at the pouting woman and tilted his head to the side with a skeptical grin. "I find it hard to believe that your life is boring." He began in a light growl, "But, if I must humor you today, then I guess I don't have a choice." Having said this, he looked away from her and towards the city, heaving a sigh of mock exasperation and shrugging his shoulders in indifference. When she began tugging at and smoothing down his jacket, amber eyes blinked downward to peer at her curiously, his ears perking at her comment. "What's wrong with my clothes?" His expression was genuinely lost as he gazed at her; so there were a few wrinkles, that was fine, right?

With another sigh, he let one ear fall to the side before snaking his arm around the female's waist. "Regardless, let's go. We'll find something to do today." His bushy tail flickered, brushing against the back of her legs, and he began toward the edge of the university and into the city.

Dhiren still didn't see what the big deal was, but he shook his head lightly and murred softly, "If you insist.... I guess we could look at a few things..." His ears fell back a bit at the thought of shopping, but he sighed and began leading her in the direction of Kokitsu Plaza; it seemed the best candidate for clothes. The Somali male was content to walk with this woman, holding her securely near him, relishing in the feeling of being so close with her. The unsettling flutter in his body didn't cease though, and his face was slightly flushed at her close proximity. As they left the campus and began heading into the city, the color of his face deepened. As he walked, his fur brushing hers, through the throngs of human legs, the tom began getting a bit edgy, and not only because they were among humans. Slipping slightly from her side, letting his hand slip from it's comfortable position at her hip and lingering with the backs of his fingertips brushing her hand, the fluffy male coughed lightly. "Where should we check first...?" He began in a soft, uncertain growl, amber eyes dancing from shop front to shop front, then to an odd human, "..What did you have in mind for clothes as well?"

Dhiren was taken slightly aback by the way she brushed off the idea of getting clothes altogether. Not that he was complaining about getting out of a shopping trip, but as he darted glances at her, he could tell there was something more going on. As they walked, a small gap separating them now, an uncomfortable tension began to stretch between them. What exactly was happening, the tom wondered, reminding himself with a flash of guilt that he had started it.

So the two Somali cats bypassed the shops altogether, without stopping to check out even one. Soon, the fountain in the middle of the plaza came into view, and, feeling completely defeated by an unknown enemy, the tom veered away and stalked over to it, plopping down on the edge with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a frustrated, brooding expression on his face. What exactly was his problem, and while on the subject, what was hers?

Amber eyes glanced up to follow the lovely female as she moved, but as he thought about embracing her again, that fluttering started up at his pit and his face flushed. Tearing his gaze away from her and staring instead at the ground, Dhiren growled to himself and flattened his ears. One step forward, two steps back. Had nothing really changed with him? What happened to last night's progress? Dhiren was pissed at himself.

Dhiren could hear Alice getting nearer, but didn't move to look up at her again until she sat herself in his lap. His ears tilted back and he slipped his hands out of his pockets in surprise as his eyes darted to her face. He glanced away from her, growing embarrassed at her affections. His eyes happened to catch sight of another tom nearby, and his face heated up even further.

Bringing his hands to the female's hips, Dhiren gently lifted her off of him and sat her on the ledge beside himself. "It's.... nothing." He growled softly, looking at his lap. Nothing she could fix anyway. Again, his eyes flickered over to the other tom; he seemed to be preoccupied with the violinist, but Dhiren still felt awkward putting his affection on display for even this stranger to see. "S...sorry." He murred very softly, daring to look at her again. His expression was a mixture of guilt and apprehension as amber eyes met gold briefly, "Are you sure... you don't want to go any place specific? There's... a lot of people... here..." His face was still flushed and he pinned his ears back and narrowed his eyes a little. Still, he made no move to embrace her at all, and instead sat with his hands loosely fisted in his lap.

That did it, she was mad at him. His ears flicked at her dismissal and when she stood up and faced away from him, he followed her with his eyes. He spotted the male from before before Alice had, blinking in confusion as he crossed in front of him and stood between himself and Alice.

It occurred to Dhiren only moments too late, what this guy's intentions were, and amber eyes smoldered into the other's backside as he captured and laid his lips on Alice. The female turned to throw him a worried glance, but he didn't meet her eyes. The orange tom's pupils narrowed to slits, and his tail lashed behind him, but he hesitated. Who was this guy? What exactly did he think he was doing with her?

Was he to fight for her now? For a moment, Dhiren shifted his gaze to Alice; couldn't she get herself out of it? "Oi, what do you think you're doing there?" He growled finally, raising a hand to brush his bangs from his eyes momentarily. His ears remained flat as he glared at the strange male.

Dhiren's skin pricked at the response, and his face flushed with guilt, but he didn't tear his gaze away from the stranger before him even when the other again disregarded him for his woman. He completely missed the disgusted look Alice gave both of them, for his attention was completely absorbed by the churning, boiling feelings inside of himself. "We didn't exactly ask you to come over here.." He growled, the corner of his mouth raising slightly to expose the tip of a fang. In the next instant, this strange male had captured Alice, pinning her against his side and leaning her back, closing in very close to her face. In that same instant, Dhiren's eyes flashed open wide and he was on his paws. "O-oi!" He repeated, louder as his fur rose in irritation, "Get your paws off her, idiot! Can't you tell she doesn't want anything to do with you either?" His shoulders tensed and he ducked his head a little when he realized how loud his voice had become. Beneath his bangs, he glanced around them quickly. A few humans had paused to watch the three cats curiously.