[ prp ] Walks (America & Zac)

[lizbot]

If was an overcast, fairly drizzly walk to Darlene's that afternoon, enough to make her curls spring up but not nearly so much that she'd brought an umbrella. America usually strolled to work at her pace, liking to enjoy a walk and the scenery, but today she was bustling just as much as the students who scurried toward cars, hang out spots, and homework as the classes began to end.

She almost, almost didn't stop for the flyer that hit her shoe. It was kinda gross and even places like Ashdown had their share of litterers. But she wasn't gonna be one, so with a roll of her eyes she leaned down and swept the flyer up to toss it in a nearby trash can.

Only she didn't make it that far, instead tossing it up in the air with a startled yelp. Hand batting at her back, heels clicking up and down in a little oh gosh oh gosh panic dance, the girl tried to figure out just who or what had touched her.

"Gross gross! Gross!"

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Mmmrrrrr?” said the offender, dancing back on tiny paws to keep from being stepped on in the ew dance. Mogget -understood- an ew dance, he just didn’t understand why it applied to HIM, he was wonderful and loving and soft.

“MPrrrrrrp?” He added.

“Mogget!” You know better than to just rub on strangers!” Scolded another voice.
Zac had realized that his shoulder-bag had gotten lighter just a few moments ago, and juggling umbrella, and spinning around to see if he could see where the tiny terror had gotten to he’d learned exactly how he hadn’t wanted to.

“I’m so sorry! I… he’s my cat… I mean, I’m not sure what he … I mean I’m sorry he was in my bag and.”

lizbot

I'm sorry for the terrible reply!

 

[lizbot]

If anything, the girl's alarm increased. "Oh my gosh! Oh nooo! I'm so sorry! Kitty, I didn't mean it!" The flail became one of attempted consolation for terrible rudeness.

"That's my fault, wasn't paying enough attention and just got startled." America offered Zac an apologetic smile and knelt to pick up the flyer she'd let fall.

And once again, she let out a little yelp and moan, "NooooooOooo! Grosssss!"

Shuddering she dropped it and the feeling passed. Expression growing more confused than alarmed, the girl touched it again.

"Uggggh, it's like an old pervert feelin' for my bra strap. Does It Walks, stand for it's walking all over my ********' grave?" She gave both boy and cat an imploring look.

endejester

 

[endejester]

“H…here I’ll take it.” He said and offered a hand to take the nasty paper with a look that said it rather bothered him as well. He picked it up in pinched fingers with a -cringe- that said the feeling was not unique to her.

“Um… They said it was for the Fashion Week, like performance art you know but? I mean there is enough strange in this town that, yeah.” He gave something like a shrug, but not really a shrug. It was really more of an almost helpless gesture.

“Have you um… I mean at the risk of sounding -crazy- have you run into the town strangeness yet or?”



“PRrrMMRRRRP!” demanded mogget, Reaching up a small paw to tap tap tap at America’s knee. “Muuurrrrrr?”

“Mogget! She doesn’t want your…wet feet on her, come here.”
“Ah! Sorry, um… I’m Zac, that is um, that’s Mogget. If… you didn’t get that from my scolding um” He gave another small shrug. “I um… I work at the Bookstore Bibliophole, so um, if you want books! I mean, sorry I just haven’t seen you before that I remember so um, yeah!”

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

The girl gave Zac a girl guilty look, already in the process of sweeping Mogget up for a therapy cuddle. "I'm America, and thanks you two, for rescuing me from the icky litter." The last few words took on a talking to cute pets tone as America addressed the cat.

"I'm pretty new hun, just started working at Darlene's, and I'm not a big reader, but I know lots of folks who are so now I know where to shop for 'em, right?" She gives Zac a wink and then leans and whispers loudly, "By the by, do you mean the magic stuff?"

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Oh you work with Melina….a-ahhh… err…Ummmmyesssssss” He blinked in surprised
“….man… I think its getting faster.” He mused. “… are you, have you been to, the other …place? With the…rain and the…creepy and…” He waved his hands like he were trying to dodge the actual word he had for ‘that place’ but describe it at the same time.

Mogget, for HIS part was hamming it up, rolling to reveal fluffy belly, paws needing in the air, whiskers curled forward, purring and… sticking his tongue out for no apparent reason other than the fact it was just there.
He then lunged upward and…

Nibbled… her chin, purring heartily.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

America was attentive in her both her praise and hands, utterly appreciative of fluffy bellies, muffin making, and nibbly kitty kisses. Poor Zac was outshone with ease and it took America a moment to remember he was talking to her and there was some Seriously Cool s**t to talk about.

"No! Oh my gosh, there's a place?" America freakin' loved secret places. Secret magic place could only be even better. Undeterred by the word creepy, she beamed at him, "How do I get there? Is it like a moon phase dancing naked in the forest thing or like..."

She would have gestured at this point but both hands were occupied with Mogget cuddles.

"...knock three times and say the magic word?"

endejester

 

[endejester]

“nnnNNot…quite. It’s sort of more… Hey it wasn’t raining and being miserable grey and foggy two seconds ago before I walked through that door, where the hell did the rest of the people in town go…how strange, oh LOOK something that wants vital organs or other things that are fairly important to my continued existence as a human being.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck apologetic for the … rather negative tone his warning took. But it -was- a warning after all.

“Umm… plus side is I don’t think its all -bad- things its just not always easy to look at something and say “yes you want to eat my still beating heart or, you want to burn the lungs out of my friend versus… Hey I can trade you this… silly shiny…thing here and we can talk and things will be nice.”

Mogget squirmed with glee, absolutely NO attempts to get away, more as though he were trying to make sure that -all- of his ‘New found Friend’ smelled like him, and only him, and that most of her clothes would bear the tell tale signs of white fluff.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"So like...there's cannibals?" America squinted at him, pausing in the important process of rubbing her cheek against the top of Mogget's head. "Should I start carrying mace?"

The girl didn't seem worried enough at the description. She was eighteen and invincible and had been on her own in strange and sometimes unsavory places for almost a year now. Magic was real. But so was she.

endejester

 

[endejester]

“I, think being a cannibal requires them to be human” He offered cautiously. “… I sometimes cary wasp spray but, I have to be honest I haven’t tried it. I just heard the range was better.”

She seemed, impervious, untouchable, effervescent.. Kind of amazing. God she needed to meet Autumn.



Mogget, was so happy he was making tiny drool bubbles.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"Ohhhh," America brightened, "so like...not human folks. Are there mermaids? Is that where the dragons and s**t are?" This other place was sounding more and more like something out of a really excellent fairy tale.

And then she gave Zac a sly look, "You're friends with Melina?"

endejester

 

[endejester]

“Tier, well - haven’t, seen any mermaids or Dragons, I saw um… a very tall owl-thing that wore a lot of masks? Um… there is this many eyed deer thing that was sort of like…slender-man meets bambi in Nightmare on Elmstreet? Except those two were friendly isn? Um… There was the shadow…person who can make itself into a cage who…wanted my -heart- ala snow white… that kinda, great stuff.”

“Uh… Um… I… know her? Sort of?” He said hedging. Which was more or less like posting a large bulletin board over his head, with neon lights that read ‘Yes. I do have a crush, please enjoy this unspoken admission.’

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

"I'd like to see it one day." She beamed at him, grateful for the explanations and attempted warnings. "It's exciting, you know? Closed doors usually are, but now I know they're hiding something extra."

Rocking back on her feet, America gave Mogget an extra boobsy hug and cuddle, because never mind work clothes, she knew the proper use of packing tape after all. "I haven't had much time to have a good sit down and chat with her, yet. But she seems awful nice." In all sorts of ways.

endejester

 

[endejester]

“It, yes it is VERY extra.” He agreed with a half laugh. It made sense because hadn’t he been damned fascinated before he’d become tied up in all this nonsense?
“Well, if you wind up there, just be careful ok? I know some things in there seem like they would …make sure you never got to sit down and talk to nice co-workers.”

He just turned bright red at the awful nice. comment.


Mogget was busy trying to make sure that his fur would be so entwined with the fibers of her clothing that even packing tape would have its work cut out for it to remove it.
When you claimed a human, you had to do it -right- after all.

lizbot

 

[lizbot]

Next time she did laundry, the lint trap would be full enough that she'd think, Dang, could probably make a scarf outta all this! But that was for Future America to marvel over, Current America was busy being blessed. In fact she pulled out her phone and took a selfie with the kitty, including that exact hashtag.

"Were you going that way?" She asked, clearly hesitant to relinquish her new friend.

endejester