|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 6:40 pm
It could be argued that what Arthur was doing lately was incredibly risky and just as equally stupid. Going humanoid was already supposed to be reserved for emergencies and made you a target bit seeing as Arthur had only his own life to risk, it was one he chose to take. Being in the middle of the day, it was hard for any Negaverse agent to get to him, especially in a crowded city. If anything, it was the best time for him to pretend to be human and do all the things he saw on TV and wished to do. Namely, find clothes that suited him and weren't just risky online buys.
The guardian cat had worked to make himself look as normal as he could. He wore a galaxy t-shirt and black slacks that allowed him enough give to tuck his tail between his backside and down one isn't leg. With this, he wore a blue baseball cap with the logo of a college football team that had a tiger on it. Paired with that were a pair of sneakers that had taken him some time to get used to wearing. Shoes were still a learning curve for him and felt awkward on his feet.
With his phone and wallet, he set out on the street and was overjoyed that he was otherwise ignored by people passing by. He was one of them now.
Beaming, his energy lasted him until he got off the bus and found himself lost as to wear the hell the mall was. His phone's gps was not giving him much pointers and was soon dying as well. "Oh great." He kept all his notes on how to get here and back on there.
Absently, he decided to walk in hopes he'd see some signs bit soon felt even more lost than before and was away from the bus station he took to get home. Where was he???!!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 7:24 am
Nataniel had never been a huge fan of leaving his apartment unless there were absolutely no other options. He went out to jog very early every morning to avoid interaction. He went to school because he had never not gone to school. And he went to his favorite bar every Saturday night for personal reasons. Those were his planned, self-mandated outings, and anything outside of that would be put off for as long as necessary. Grocery shopping, even, was among activities of the lowest priority.
Thanks to all the delivery services like instacart and Uber, Nataniel could shop for food from his computer and have it brought to him with literally zero hassle. This was truly a marvelous day and age for someone with his social aptitude to live.
There were, unfortunately, some exceptions.
Sometimes his strict schedule did not allow for the time it would take the slower delivery companies to travel to the larger stores from which they made pick ups and then all the way back to his home. It could be hours, and he did not always need a cart full. Even Nataniel was capable of an oversight when it came to missing necessities, and as someone who slept early, he did not have hours available left in the day to wait.
He'd had to walk down to the gas station nearest his apartment to pick up a pint of milk to mix into his dinner of a protein shake, and since it was quite literally his own fault, Nataniel could hardly even be too terrible upset about it.
He shifted the paper bag he carried in one arm and kept his gaze on his phone in his other hand. Even when out, Nataniel didn't want to be mistaken for someone approachable. But as an observant human being from the corner of his eye, he kept watch. It was only because of that that Nataniel noticed a disgruntled looking man walking along the side of the road. It caught him off guard because even though the man wasn't unfamiliar, Nat hardly expected to see him regularly. "Arthur?" Nataniel hissed softly as he neared, as if expected someone unsavory might overhear the name.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 7:49 am
He didn't expect to hear his name, lost in reading a street sign and trying to guess if he should go left or right. The city wasn't as hard to navigate when he was on all fours but everything looked different when he was higher up from the ground. This was also a populated area away from his house that he didn't frequent.
How were people so good going all over this city without getting confused?
The name jolted him and as he turned, his expression radiated relief and surprise. "Nate! I can't believe it. What are you doing here? Oh, I didn't expect to see you but boy am I glad."
He moved over to lightly touch his elbow. "Do you know where I am?'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:02 am
Arthur approached him, and Nataniel's gaze flicked sharply down when the other laid just the faintest ouch to his elbow. Strange. Anytime his thoughts wandered too deeply toward this cat in particular, all he could think was how ridiculously absurd it was- basic nonsense, really- that something like this man existed. He almost wished the strangeness was enough to make him dislike Arthur or at least be wary of him. ...But no such luck.
It didn't help that he was a particularly gorgeous man.
Under all the mismatched 'normal' garb he was sporting now, at least.
"Yes," Nataniel answered mutedly, lowering his phone and giving Arthur his attention. "This is not far from my apartment, close to campus." It was around the same spot they'd met, even, so Nat may have expected the other to be familiar with the area, considering it was where he'd found him initially, but if that wasn't the case, he had to wonder, "What are you doing here?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:52 am
He adjusted his glasses a moment as he tensed a bit at that question. "Well you see - I kind of wanted to play human a bit and go shopping for some clothes that fit me instead of just ordering online. I don't get to be like this all the time and I thought if I went during the day, I won't be attacked. Too bright and too many witnesses. It's just things look different when you're taller." He admitted, hoping Nate wouldn't judge him too harshly for being so reckless.
"I also wanted to see if I could get away with it " He admitted. "It's rough looking like a cat when you wanna do more."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 8:45 am
Shopping. Nataniel's lips slid into the faintest frown of distaste. Why were so many of his recent frien- no, his recent contacts so abysmal at dressing themselves. Even this outfit Arthur had on now was a far cry from the showy, but still glamorous, garb he'd worn when he'd first transformed in front of Nat. If these were his only options, though... Nataniel could understand the need for shopping.
A quiet sigh slid from his lips, and he headed off back to his apartment, waving at Arthur to follow him.
It was only very faintly that he remembered a quick mentioning that being in this humanoid form was dangerous in that it alerted powered people to what Arthur was... And for all intents and purposes, Arthur would be the enemy of December, of wolf-boy, of Zubeneschamali... Would they really fight a cat? Nataniel could hardly say for sure. It didn't seem worth the effort when he doubted Arthur had much ability to fight back...
And Arthur apparently didn't care about consequences in this moment. Nataniel shook his head, then abruptly turned back to the other. "If you're in this form, your 'aura' will give you away, anyway, is that correct?" He reached for the blue cap on Arthur's head and tugged it off. "Get rid of this. The only people who will look twice at you are powered, and they will know what you are because of that aura, anyway. Civilians wear cat headbands all the time. No one else will notice. And this is tacky," he added, waving the cap at the other man's face. He dragged his fingers through Arthur's hair, between his ears. "It doesn't suit you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 10:58 am
He jumped and covered his head a moment when his hat was taken, but slowly eased his hands down when Nate assured him he wouldn't be noticed. "I thought only little children wore cat ears or women during Halloween. I didn't know that it wouldn't be looked at. That is reassuring then. It is harder to hear with the hat on."
He did frown at having his hat be called tacky. "I thought it would be nice. I do not know of any sports teams." So he couldn't wear a hat with one. "Would it be better with a sports team?"
What exactly made it tacky?
The hand was reassuring though and he stared back with a soft smile. "You are very kind, Nate. I am fortunate to know you. Do you know what isn't tacky? I want to look good but I don't exactly know what would suit me."
He whispered. "I want to look hot."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 1:35 pm
Now that they were more fully facing each other, and it wasn't someone Nataniel was seeing from the corner of his eye, he was able to give Arthur a better once over. Though he wasn't fond of people judging him, Nat couldn't even begin to say that he wasn't an incredibly judgemental person, himself. He had opinions, standards. When those weren't met, it made people seem... unfavorable.
Arthur was still new to this. Nataniel would try to forgive him.
"Mm. It is not particularly socially acceptable for an adult man to wear cat ears, no, but you are fortunate to live in an age where expressing your individuality and 'doing what you want' is not as frowned upon as it may have been a decade ago. As long as we avoid areas that are too high-end and cater to professionals, no one will think anything of it." He wouldn't have, himself, before he'd known anything about what was happening in this world.
Nataniel turned back in the direction of home. He had to put this milk away, then maybe they should go to the mall, if Arthur wasn't too frightened of riding his motorcycle...
"Baseball caps are tacky in themselves. They are low-effort, lazy. It's what balding men wear to cover their receding hairline and what soccer moms wear when maintaining their hair is otherwise too much of an effort." As an afterthought, he added, "And I've heard they can leave an interesting tan pattern on people with paler skin, as you have."
"If it suits you, I can take you to the mall and help you pick a few things out. Your aesthetic may be significantly different than what I would choose..." If the current ensemble was anything to go by. "But I'm sure we can both come to a consensus on what makes you 'hot.'"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:36 pm
He touched his forehead where the cap once rested. "Oh right. You tan." He didn't even think of tanning and wondered if his skin would even act the same way. Then again, would he look fetching as a nice bronze. He'd always been white but having a different color might be fun.
Arthur rubbed the back of his hand as if evaluating if his skin had the ability via texture.
"I don't think I have an aesthetic. I looked up fashion on line but there are just so many and then there were the quizzes and asking me what shape head I had. Or if I have summer or spring eyes. There are just a lot of these strange rules on what colors to pick and what patterns shouldn't touch each other. I don't know how even children know what to dress then. I had hoped the mall would have a better approach to finding what would work for me, but if you know then I greatly appreciate it. I'd like to be able to not look strange if I walk the streets again."
"What is your style, Nate? Why do you wear it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 10:06 am
"Some do," Nataniel agreed as he made to cross the street toward his apartment building. "My skin is typically a bit too dark already to change very noticeably." Arthur had made it sound as if he didn't tan, himself. Was it simply because he'd never utilized this more humanoid form long enough to notice it? Or was it because Mauvians simply didn't tan? Nat couldn't fathom a reason why they wouldn't, but.. It was all still quite new to him. It wouldn't come as a surprise if it were true.
They'd made it as far as his building's parking lot, and Nat went toward the stairs to bring him up to his second-story apartment. "Your aesthetic is just what looks good to you, so there is little need to worry about rules if it doesn't appeal to your own senses." Briefly, he considered asking if the cap and sneakers Arthur wore now was what appealed to him, but the thought was dismissed quickly.
Nat had already made it clear that it certainly didn't appeal to him.
Since he'd only wanted to leave his house for a moment, Nataniel hadn't dressed in anything too conspicuous, and nothing that he would quite consider 'his style.' Just a pair of his jogging shorts and a dark t-shirt. ...Maybe he should change before they went.
"It depends where I'm going, usually." He admitted. "I wear different things for different occasions. My work-out clothes in the morning, something neat and not-overbearing for school, something a little more... persuasive when I go out at night. And casual, when I only intend to be out for a moment." He gestured to his current attire as he stopped at the door to his home. "I need to put this away, then if you don't mind, I'll change into something else before we leave."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2019 8:50 am
"Oh. I didn't consider occasion that often. Though I suppose a lot is still limited to me."
He followed Nate inside and slowly sat down as Nate went to handle what he needed. As he sat, he looked about Nate's home in this new perspective. He wandered slowly and quietly around the room as he look at this and that.
Homes were designed for people. Never was much consideration given to their pets. Strange that even guardians were aliens where they lived.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:08 am
Nataniel left Arthur to his own devices in the living room as he moved to his bedroom to change. If it were up to him, as it usually was, Nat wouldn't choose to spend much time out and about his home, mingling among the rabble of people he only barely wanted to contend with. As such, there was often no reason to dawn some of his more casual 'going out' attire. ...Despite having so much of it, thanks to a particular fascination and compulsion with buying clothes on the internet. What a completely useless and unbeneficial hobby.
Still, he supposed it was fine in the moment. He selected a pair of form-fitting, though not quite tight dark jeans, with just the faintest dusting of glitter around the top hem, visible only in sunlight. A striped tank-top in black and purple that hung longer on one side and was decorated with a small purple starburst on the edge, and a cool grey vest to go over the top of it all. A black-fringed infinity scarf around his neck finished it off.
Nataniel didn't like to stand out. The muted colors helped with that, though he still thought there was enough pizazz to keep it interesting. He liked colors. He liked fashion. ...But he wasn't bold enough to be as big a part of it as he may have liked.
He walked out to the living room to meet Arthur, dragging his keys off the end table as he went. "Ready?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 5:54 am
Arthur was staring out blankly out the window when he turned and smiled at Nate. "You look very handsome." Despite not knowing much about fashion himself, he could tell when someone still looked good compare to someone who look d less out together and haphazard.
"I'm ready."
He moved over to Nate, a bit too close for most people. An I ask, what other clothes do you like to wear? Is there something special you wear for other people or for dates?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 7:37 am
As Arthur moved near to him, Nataniel extended an arm and looped it to settle at the small of the other man's back, gently but firmly coaxing him forward and out of the apartment. Once they'd both stepped out, he locked the door behind them and took the lead down the stairway to the parking lot and toward his bike.
"I am not one to go on 'dates,' typically," Nat admitted stiffly. It was a bit too much work. A bit too much effort to try and cater to someone else. He didn't particularly like to go out to begin with, and there were very few people he wanted to make outside plans with... Very few he would allow to judge him in that weirdly intimate 'date' setting. "I suppose I wear whatever best fits my mood when I go out to the bar on Saturdays... Sometimes leather, sometimes a colorful tank top. I try to think of what I want people to expect from me and what I want from the night and try to pick an outfit that best correlates with those needs."
It wasn't his business, and he could only barely be bothered to care, but since Arthur was being so inquisitive, Nataniel figured he might as well scope out the Mauvian's motivations. "Is there someone you're interested in going on a date with? Is that what has led you to want to shop in your 'human' form today?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2019 6:40 pm
Touching his back brought with it the expecting a hand moving over his back, but it instead rested against him and he didn't find it disappointing either. The only who was that close had been Kainige and his heart ached thinking about it.
As Nate locked up, he followed him closely down to the parking lot.
"I've been on dates. Usually I never needed to, but it would be nice to dress nice for one. I didn't have the chance last time. I..wonder if I'll have the chance again. The person I have been seeing has vanished. No emails. Haven't heard from them or seen them at our usual spot for months. I worry something terrible has happened to him." The thought was heavy in his mind for a long time.
"I cannot ask for them either else it could get them in some trouble. I've been wondering what to do for a long time now. They are not the first person I've know and cared about to vanish. In this kinda world I work in, it's not uncommon for someone to change sides or die."
He felt heavy thinking about it now and felt his energy and enthusiasm for the distraction if shopping wavering badly. He wanted to get out and now lay on the couch crying. Nico was getting worried.
"Why don't you really date? Don't humans like that?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
