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 Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:39 pm
Katrina still wasn’t sure what to make of her newfound role as guardian of the unruly cat-child who sat, fidgeting, in her lap as she waited on a bench at the entrance to the natural history museum. She had finally accepted it, though, and with acceptance came a whole new wave of responsibility.
She had gone to the Liberty Center, mostly to investigate it. Granted, she hadn’t spent much time there; the fact that she looked like something out of the seventeenth century had attracted too many stares for her personal comfort. But there, she had seen something that caught her eye—a snapshot, actualy. Apparently there was a child rather like her own Melchizedek. A few inquiries had given her names—Taki, cared for by Calder—and a phone number. She had called and arranged a bit of a play-date. The fact that they all seemed to end in disaster hadn’t yet sunk in. Besides, Melchy actually caused less destruction in company than he did alone.
She hadn’t wanted Calder to see her new apartment—just signed, but already looking like a ship’s hold and full of pirates. So she had arranged a trip to someplace quiet. The museum. Melchy had complained, but Katrina had told him there would be skeletons and swords, and the child had gone along cheerfully. He fidgeted now, obviously eager to start exploring and see the “skel’tins” and “knifes”. But their guests had not yet arrived, and so Katrina was obliged to wait.
She had not gone to any efforts to dress herself down, though, and still looked like something that should be inside the museum, not waiting to tour it. Even her tricorn hat and sword had come along, and there was a new feather in the cap. She wondered wryly what Calder would think. Melchy wondered loudly when Calder and Taki would arrive.
“Where aaaaaaaaaare they?”
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:49 pm
Calder had been quite unprepared for the invitation, and as it was from a lady, he had insisted on wearing his best. But, like Katrina, it made him look less like a regular person (not that the hair didn't do that on its own), and more like something that had walked out of a fantasy novel. The garment was long, like something the elves from Lord of the Rings (one of Taki's newest favorite stories) would wear, complete with the very delicate circlet to hold his hair in place, and a fine chain of gold links around his waist in place of a belt. Taki, meanwhile, was clad in a pair of black jeans and a button-up shirt.
"The museum is a special occasion," Calder had said as he buttoned the shirt up, all the way up, until Taki's choking noises (mostly faked) had prompted him to loose the topmost button and give up on convincing him to wear a tie.
Nevertheless, it wasn't hard to spot the two coming up the street, both sporting vivid multicolored hair, and Calder looking rather out of place walking along the sidewalk. He spotted the woman on the bench, and something told him that she was who he was looking for. Well, her, and the little boy in her lap that looked quite similar to Taki.
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:06 pm
Katrina probably wouldn’t have noticed Calder and Taki’s approach if Melchy hadn’t suddenly stilled, pointed, and loudly said, “Look!” Katrina glanced up and blinked, amazed that she, for once, was taken aback by the attire of another.
Not, that was to say, that Calder didn’t look dignified, elegant, and gravely handsome in his clothing. Katrina found herself wondering if she should have worn her violet frock coat as she raised a hand to wave Calder over. Standing, she set Melchizedek on the ground, took his hand, and led him toward the pair. Melchy was dressed as smartly as Katrina could manage, in a white blouse, the sleeve already torn, and black trousers, scuffed, that made it obvious that he was in her care. They had squabbled about shoes, but when Katrina had threatened him with a stint locked in the closet instead of at the museum, he had given in and allowed Katrina to put neat black boots on him.
“Calder?” Katrina asked, sweeping her hat off and pressing it to her chest as she gave an elegant bow. Glancing up, she couldn’t help but notice that Calder’s hair was the colour of tropical seas, and she smiled. “Katrina Chandler, at your service.”
Melchy looked up at Calder and waved before turning and looking at Taki. The boy hat the same ears and tail as Melchy did, albeit with white and orange instead of just black. “I’m Melchizedek,” he said, smiling, a little nervous. “Melchy.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:20 pm
"Yes, Calder Quiole, but just Calder is fine. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, and bowed himself, back in response, smiling and waving towards Melchizedek before he returned attention to Katrina. "I ah... Was a little nervous about the outfit I'd selected, but it seems we're two of a kind, when it comes to the not-fitting-in category. I'm afraid it's the only formal wear I have at the moment... Everything else is rather... Well, I wear it for teaching." The awkward smile said a lot. "I was thrilled to hear that there was another of Taki's sort about, and glad to finally get them together."
"I'm Taki... But I don't got a nickname." He smiled brightly, and stuck out a hand, for a handshake, like papa had taught him. "I like your shirt. It's better than mine..." he muttered, tugging at the collar that was still too tight, in his opinion, and despite his talk of shirts, his eyes were on the ears. As notoriously short an attention span as a true cat, though, Taki's gaze was soon shifting up to the museum's front. "Papa said that there'd be dinosaurs and stuff here. And stuff about the Roman Empire! I wanna be a legionnaire and swordfight for real."
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:38 pm
Katrina laughed at Calder’s words, her smile completely genuine, as she replaced her hat on her head and adjusted it until it swooped low over one eye. If she was going to be a pirate in the modern world, she was bloody well going to be a good-looking one! “And yours,” she said. A sage nod followed Calder’s comment about formal wear. “This is all I have, as well. Well,” she laughed softly, “I’ve a violet long coat as well, but it’s a bit warm for that.” Taki’s sort, eh? She smiled and nodded toward Melchizedek. “I was a bit startled that there was more than one of ‘em, to be honest. And a calico at that!” she said brightly. “Our last ship’s cat was calico; she was a lovely little thing. Harlequin-patterned.” She smiled again.
Taki. Melchy nodded, looking at Taki’s hand, a bit bewildered before he remembered what Katrina had taught him. He took the other boy’s hand tentatively, glancing from his eyes—they were almost the same colour as his!—to his ears, and craning his neck a bit to see if Taki had a tail. “Don’ like m’clothes,” he said in response, tugging at the wrist of his shirt. Following Taki’s gaze, he listened intently to what the older boy had to say.
“I wanna see skel’tins, Cap’n said there’s knifes,” he said brightly, speaking in his newly-discovered short sentences. When Taki mentioned swords, Melchy pointed to Katrina’s waist. “Cap’n gots one,” he said. “She a pie-rit.”
The word was a new one, and it was his favourite. Katrina still couldn’t get him to blend the syllables, though.
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:54 pm
"Mmm... the boy's a sweet thing, when he's not around our neighbor girl. Well, her guardian is a friend of mine, and she can be... Well, usually she's a right hellion. He was quiet, before he met her, and he is at home... He talks nonstop to others these days, though," he said, itching at his cheek absently, looking down at the two boys who seemed to be getting along rather well already. "I've never had a cat, or a child, so this is all a bit new to me, in both aspects."
"A real life pirate?!" Taki gasped, eyes going wide, tail lashing back and forth once in excitement. "Wow! That's so cool! My papa's just a teacher! He says once he was the dee-tee of a river, but I dunno what that means... Pirate's so much cooler!" His hands were clutched into fists before him, the very picture of excitement as his eyes glittered, his ears were pointed straight up in attention, and his tail was lashing from side to side now and then.
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:16 pm
Katrina looked at Melchy and Taki, and smiled fondly. He was so cute when he wasn't being a devil. Then she turned back to Calder. "Mine is...the biggest bundle of trouble the ocean ever coughed onto its shore. He's a regular demon at home, and with most children, come to think of it. Wonder what Taki's doing that has Melchy so calm?" She glanced at the children again, and saw Taki's expression. "Looks excited to tour the museum," she said.
"Yeah, she gots a sore-ed an' she say she gots a ship," Melchy said. "My uncles is all pie-rits." The little boy was obviously reveling in the attention. "Wanna see her sore-ed?" he asked, mirroring Taki's excitement as the minutes went on. "She'll show you!"
"Wait just a moment," Katrina said, finally caught up with the boys' conversation. She looked at Taki and smiled. "I daresay we'll have time for tales of adventure on the high seas once we've finished our time in the museum. Well, boys!" she clapped her hands. "Shall we go?" She offered her arm to Calder, hoping he wouldn't be offended to be escorted by a woman. She was a captain, and he was her guest. It was right.
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:28 pm
"I wanna see!" Taki gasped excitedly, then stared up at Katrina in awe and excitement when she spoke of tales of adventure, taking it as a promise, and then let out a joyful noise, that somewhat resembled a giggle, and dashed towards the doors.
"Well, that's got him positively kinetic," Calder noted, and raised an eyebrow as the boy struggled for a moment with the heavy doors to the museum, then accepted the offered arm without a second thought as to whether or not it was strange to have a woman leading a man. "You realize that now you've mentioned these tales, you're going to be expected to relate them later?" he warned with a chuckle.
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Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:21 pm
Katrina shook her head when Taki asked about the sword, and smiled as the child took off again, headed for the door. She smiled when Calder took her arm and led him more slowly to where her charge was already trying to help Taki pull the doors open. "I'm sure we'll have time for a tale or two," she replied to Calder with a laugh. "Sea battles are retold quickly. I'll gloss over anything too gruesome, if you prefer," she added, careful not to offend the man's sensibilities. She was never sure where landlubbers drew the line, but she got the feeling that filling the other cat-child's head with blood and gore would probably be considered impolite.
Melchy was nowhere near as old or as fast as Taki, but he caught up quickly enough. Helping his newfound companion struggle the doors open, he looked up at the older boy. "Where we go first?" he asked, panting a little as he struggled with solid mahogany.
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:33 am
"Oh, a bit of blood should be all right... But he is just a boy. Keep it relatively... ah... safe. He can imagine the elaborations on his own. Goddess knows he's got a healthy enough imagination for it." Calder waited until the two boys managed to crack the door, then caught hold of the handle and pulled it further open with surprising ease. "Ladies first?"
Taki, of course, had streaked through the door and skidded to a halt in the middle of the museum lobby, staring in awe up at a dinosaur skeleton that towered above them, eyes wide. "Look look Melchy! It's a tyrannosaurus! We should uhh... I dunno... Maybe they have a place for swords and knives and stuff. But we gotta see the dinosaurs too!"
"First thing we do is get a day pass," Calder said, tearing Taki's attention away from the massive skeleton, but only for a brief moment.
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:48 pm
Katrina nodded. “Of course,” she answered pleasantly, still smiling. “Self-censorship for the benefit of the child. I’m sure you’ve stories to tell as well, sir. Perhaps you can gift Melchy with one.” She smiled sweetly at Calder and wondered briefly what she was playing at. It had been almost two decades since she had properly flirted with someone, but what she was doing now felt a lot like it. Peculiar. She hoped Calder would take no notice and stepped through the doors.
Melchy had burst in immediately behind Taki, skidding to a stop and staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the enormous animal skeleton in front of him. His initial reaction was fear—it could swallow him whole and still be hungry, if it wanted to. Taki’s words were mostly lost on him, but Calder’s brought him back to earth. He looked up at Katrina. She nodded to Calder and pointed left, toward the registers. “We’ll get passes and be on our way.” She smiled a bit at Melchy’s expression. “Something wrong, Melchy?”
He pointed at the enormous skeleton. “Biiig,” he said, and then pointed at his own mouth. “With teefs.”
“Teeth,” Katrina answered absently, patting the boy on the head. “It’s not alive anymore, Melchy. It can’t hurt you.”
“Teef?” Melchy asked. Katrina shook her head seriously.
“No, not even with its teeth.” Melchy seemed satisfied and growled at the skeleton. Then he looked from Taki to Calder, and finally to Katrina. “We see more?”
Katrina nodded and took his hand, keeping her arm in the escort position. A man who looked like an elf, a woman who looked like a buccaneer, and two children with furry ears and tails. What a group they made.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:45 am
Taki was gleeful, scampering ahead of the group to the counter and attempting very valiantly to pull himself up and over the edge of the countertop. Calder gently shoved him back down once they came up behind him, and glanced over at the others. "Two adults, two children for the day."
The initial stare was rather blank and surprised, but after a moment the young woman punched in the tickets to the register, and the price came up on the screen. Calder glanced over towards Katrina as he fished for his wallet. "Shall we split the cost or would you like me to treat?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:22 pm
Still clinging to Katrina, Melchy half-dragged his guardian over to the counter behind Taki. Katrina laughed and went along, halfway to whistling her happiness. It ha been a long time since she had just spent a day engaged in simple leisure, without the hassle of swordfights or sinking ships.
As soon as Calder made the offer, she put up her hand, making an incredulous noise. “Absolutely not, I won’t have you spending money on us, not when we’ve just met. When you owe me, sir, I’ll come collecting.” She fished in the sash around her waist, eventually producing a coin purse and counting out her half of the ticket price. “But until then, I pay. Pirate etiquette.”
Melchy watched with little interest, tugging on Taki’s sleeve and scrambling toward the entrance to the main exhibit as soon as Katrina had laid money down. “C’mon!”
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 11:25 am
Calder chuckled at her comments, and set out his half of the ticket price as well, taking the little slip of paper and tucking it in a belt pouch.
Taki let Melchy drag him towards the entrance, and glanced back to make sure that Calder and Katrina were indeed following. After he was satisfied that his papa wasn't going to leave him here, he turned ahead, ears pointed forward. "I wanna see the saber tooth tigers!" he declared loudly, and gawked at the exhibits.
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 1:30 pm
Katrina tucked the ticket into her sleeve and watched as the cat-eared children ran off to look at the dinosaurs. Coming up behind them much more slowly, she glanced around at the skeletons and reconstructions. Tilting her head, she curiously approached a display of tiny birdlike skeletons.
Melchy's ears twitched furiously as he tried to decide where to orient first. The largest skeleton in the exhibit caught his eye, and he dashed toward it, ears pointed straight forward and tail lashing in his excitement. He looked up at it, growled at the empty eye sockets, and then ran up to Taki and growled ferociously. "Taki, I a dino-saur," he said, and growled again. "Like that!" and pointed.
Katrina laughed at him. "That's a plant-eater, Melchy. This one," and she pointed at a velociraptor, "is a meat-eater."
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