guys can be cat ladies too [open]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

Who: Agent Washington and YOU!
Where: Various hallways and one of the tea rooms.
When: January 12th
Rating: PG, I guess?
Summary: While things are still relatively quiet since Christmas, Wash spends time with his new kitten friend.
The Story:

[Things haven't been completely awful around Wonderland since Christmas, all things considered. In fact, Wash has found that it's been kind of quiet, at least compared to the norm. It's probably been the best couple of weeks he's had here, even, though there's been a contributing factor to it. And that contributing factor is the gift he found in his stocking on Christmas day. No, not the doll body that the Duchess left in there for him, that one was pretty unsettling. No, no, the gift he was given is far less creepy, and in fact is following him around the hallways.

On tiny little feet, a ginger kitten trots behind the soldier, who occasionally glances back over his shoulder to make sure she's still there. And she is. She's surprisingly obedient for a cat, but Wash isn't complaining. The little ball of fur is probably the best gift Wonderland could have given him; she reminds him of his cats back home. The ones he had to leave behind when he enlisted in the military. It's been nice to have the company again.

Now, the sight is a little more out of the ordinary than simply a full grown man being followed by a kitten. Hell, that image is kind of cute. But this one? Well, this is a full grown man in high tech power armour being followed around by a kitten. Just because he has the company of a cat again doesn't mean Wash is going to let Wonderland catch him off guard. This time he did leave his helmet back in his room, so that's a step in the right direction, but... he's also got a feathery wand-like cat toy grasped in his hand. Which, really, only manages to make the sight stranger yet.

Finding an open door down one hallway, Wash peeks his head in and finds that it's an empty tea room. It's not exactly what he was looking for, but he decides it works and steps inside, the kitten still following.]

Come on, Apricot. [It's not really necessary, since she's practically on his heels as it is, but he has a habit of talking to cats, okay? Then traipsing over to a chair, Wash sits himself down and then proceeds to brandish the cat toy in front of the kitten, who immediately begins batting at it and chasing it.

And this is where Wash will be for a large portion of the afternoon, alternating between waving a feather wand in front of a cat and letting said cat take a nap. Hell, he might even take a nap himself at one point. Might as well enjoy the quiet time while it's here, right?]

Comments

[seekingbrother]

[Al spends plenty of time himself wandering around the mansion with his own kitten, though Nessa isn't nearly so obedient as Apricot. He has gotten her to learn to perch on his shoulder, and between that and the harness she's leashed onto he's confident enough she won't run off on him.]

[Of course, the sound of the bell jingling sends her pouncing off of Al's shoulder to go investigate the tea room in question, forcing Al to chase after her.]

Ack! Nessa, where are you--oh! [He grins when he sees Wash playing with his kitten, and waves to the soldier.] Hi, Mister Washington!

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Hearing the sudden quiet pattering of tiny paws on the floor that aren't the skidding ones belonging to Apricot, Wash lifts his head quickly. Upon spotting the other kitten racing in, he can't help but grin himself, and it holds as his gaze darts up to Al. He thought that kitten looked familiar, and now he remembers seeing her over his comms device.

Using his free hand to return the wave, he can't help but chuckle a little because kittens. They're just so silly sometimes.]

Hi, Alphonse. [Even while he talks, he keeps shaking the toy for Apricot, and even waves it a little in Nessa's direction in encouragement for her to join in the play time if she wants.] Sorry, I didn't think there were any other cats around to be attracted to the sound.

[He's still amused by it, but he also feels bad for accidentally causing the kitten to race away.]

[seekingbrother]

[Nessa joins the play with enthusiasm, batting and mewing at the ever-enticing tuft of feathers. Al laughs and sits down nearby, keeping half an eye on his kitten to make sure she plays nice.]

Oh, it's no problem. I just wasn't expecting her to go running off was all! I assume you got this little one around Christmastime?

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Pleased when Nessa joins in, Wash laughs again himself and continues to move the wand around to keep the kittens entertained. Maybe it's a bit absurd, but in the back of his mind, he kind of hopes that they get along so they can be friends, or something. Apricot doesn't seem to mind having someone to trip over as she tries to attack the feathers, at least.]

Yeah, I actually found her in my stocking on Christmas day. [A small quirk tugs at the corner of his mouth.] I wasn't sure I wanted to look inside when I noticed it wiggling, honestly. I was expecting a nasty surprise of some kind, but this was a lot better.

gah I wasn't getting notifssssssssssss

[seekingbrother]

[Nessa is quite happy to have a playmate, even if she is a bit overenthusiastic about the whole affair. Still, she isn't trying to pick a fight so Alphonse is content to let the kittens do their thing.]

Considering what Wonderland usually hands us, I don't blame you at all! It was nice to get some good things for a change. What's her name?

it's okay! no big deal c:

[notthesecondworstfighter]

Yeah, tell me about it.

[He laughs a bit, even if it's not overly funny. It's just a relief to have some time to relax and not worry too much, and not be fighting to keep themselves alive or anything. He knows it's only a matter of time before they get hit with another horrible event, but he can enjoy this time between them now, right? It's not a terrible thing. Just making the most of the peace they have.]

Apricot. It was kind of the first name that came to mind with the orange fur. [Casting a sheepish look Al's way, he shrugs.] I've never been very creative when it comes to names.

[seekingbrother]

No, it's a great name! It's better than naming her 'Stir Fry' like someone I know back home joked about doing with the kittens I would find. [Universes away, and Havoc is still getting shit for that one.] I'm pretty sure he didn't mean it, but it was still really bad taste.

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Wow, he's officially appalled that someone would even joke about that.]

Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there. Really bad taste. [Making a face, he shakes his head.] I have someone back home who might make a joke like that too, actually. If he could get past teasing me about picking a name like Apricot, anyway.

[But he sounds almost wistful now, like he could easily suck up the teasing and the jokes if he actually got to see anyone from home.]

[seekingbrother]

[Al feels much the same way, and he nods with a small smile.] Well, I think it's a great name. She's sweet like one, too, so it really fits!

[He reaches over to give Apricot a little petting along her back, before he realizes the unfortunate connection in how he phrased that...] Um, not sweet like that, but...you know what I meant, right?

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Adam's hallucinated in the hallways before. He'd thought all of the people he'd met during his first foray into the mansion had been hallucinations, and even after deciding in favor of their tangibility, he still has his moments. Sometimes it's flames turning the hallway into a tube of heat and light. Sometimes it's a female voice screaming.

An armored guy walking around with a cat toy and a little kitten in tow should rank up there as something the crazy parts of his brain have spat out to freak him out, but on second glance...

When he crosses paths with Wash and Apricot from the opposite direction, he's definitely staring. Oh, very much staring. However, this time it's with noticeably less surprise than the last time he and the future space cadet had met. Just an astronaut and his cat out for a stroll. What's there to be surprised about?]</sub>

Yours?

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[People staring is something Wash should be accustomed to at this point, but... Well. He's not, exactly. Working on it, sure, but ultimately not. Needless to say, he notices Adam pretty quickly. But then, the rest of the hallway is empty; it's difficult to not notice the only other person around, even with half of your attention on the kitten skittering along behind you.]

Yeah, she is.

[Smiling, he glances back at Apricot, then waves the toy around beside his foot to keep her entertained now that he's stopped. She lunges, misses, but continues to bat at the feathers as he keeps them moving for her. Satisfied with having her occupied for now, his attention returns to Adam to add an explanation.]

Christmas gift from Wonderland. One I was surprised to be happy with.

[Because really. Who would expect to be happy with a present from Wonderland when it tosses such ridiculous shit at them every other day of the year?]

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Get used to it, buddy, because you and your cat make an odd couple.

Adam's gaze isn't as harsh as it could be when he encounters something that could fall under the category of acid trip delusion; he looks mildly amused as the man works to hypnotize the kitten with the toy wand. Since he'd pulled a gigantic fish out of the closet once upon a time, he assumes shopping for pets means visiting that strange vendor place or using the closet to magic one up, but... maybe not.

He wrinkles his brow in confusion.]</sub>

From Wonderland?

_{[The weird shit in his stocking... He hadn't known for sure where it'd come from, but he'd suspected some Wonderland magic to be at work.]}

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[ R u d e.

Oh, getting the toy out of the closet had taken a bit of work. A few odd things had come out on the first try or two, but he'd been determined, dammit, and eventually he got it to work. Maybe it had helped that he had a clear image of what he was looking for in his head? No idea. It's hard to understand Wonderland.

The question pulls Wash up a bit short, just for a second. He hums a thoughtful note and shrugs.]

I figured it was Wonderland, anyway. Didn't know who else would know to leave me a cat, or who would even leave me anything, honestly. [Close friends aren't exactly something he's achieved here yet, after all.] I thought that maybe Christmas was like, the one day it wanted to make us happy instead of miserable, or something. It did decorate itself for the holiday.

[Another shrug. He doesn't know exactly how Wonderland works, this is all guesswork, but it's the only answer he's been able to come up with so it's what he goes along with. Nobody's corrected him thus far, so...]

[halfwinchester]

<sub>[Well, Adam supposes he can understand the feeling of not expecting anything at the holidays. Or... holidays.

He watches the cat rather than venture his personal opinion on the matter, which is that some of them, Adam included, find a happy Christmas just as miserable as the alternative, and instead makes a sound that borders on amusement.]</sub>

Was it stuffed in the stocking, too?

[notthesecondworstfighter]

...Yeah, she was.

[Looking down at Apricot, who's still happily batting away at the toy as he waves it around for her, an almost embarrassed expression settles across Wash's face. Even if, you know. It's not his fault the cat had been in the stocking.]

I don't know for how long, but I don't think this place cares much about ethical treatment of animals.

[If the way it treats everyone it traps here is anything to go off of.]

[halfwinchester]

Shit.

<sub>[Adam had just been kidding, but... Huh. His expression is vaguely disbelieving as he stares at the little bundle of energy.

Did animals also get extra lives? Did cats get their stereotypical nine? That's a fucking weird thought. It's a cute kitten, as kittens usually are; thinking about a dead cute kitten coming back to life after being smothered in a sock is pretty damn morbid, even for him.]</sub>

Sorry I asked. I'm no vet, but she looks all right to me, though. It got a name?

_{[It's supposed to be a pet and under normal circumstances asking the pet's name is what people do in civilized society, right?]}

[notthesecondworstfighter]

Yeah, I think she's fine, I just sort of doubt it was much fun being stuck in a stocking for any length of time.

[Maybe she just napped most of the time and was totally fine and comfortable? That's what he's been going with because she seems totally fine and most of the other possibilities are not ones he'd really like to consider.

So, naturally, Wash leaps at the chance for a change of topic. Or, the sort of change of topic. The shift from less good kitty talk to better, normal kitty talk. It's a good direction to go.]

But yeah, of course she has a name. Apricot. [Because he is a manly man who picks manly names for fluffy creatures, obviously.] I figured, because she's orange... You know?

[kickassqueen]

[ It's hard to miss the guy decked out in armor like that. Especially when it seems so familiar.

Charlie's making her merry way to the library, needing a little downtime and maybe an escape from the daily routine she's starting to develop here in Wonderland. That routine includes seeing all kinds of people from shows, movies and books she's read. It gets a little overwhelming sometimes, and it'll be nice to get back to her roots of 'fantasy stories are just fantasy'. At least for five minutes or so.

She's distracted by the sight of the man and his cat, though, and she's curious enough to bother him for a minute or two. ]

She's cute. [ Polite manners, such as introducing oneself to a stranger, go out the window when there's a kitty in range. ] Did you get her from a closet? I know there was someone who asked for a cat and ended up with five or something.

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[Who needs manners when cats?

It's not entirely unexpected to be stopped by someone in the middle of a hall around here anyway, and Wash doesn't mind. He keeps telling himself he needs to get around to meeting more of the people here anyway, so them coming up to him is helpful! That cuts out like half of the work!

Smiling politely, he casts a glance over at Apricot and grabs her attention with the toy in his hand so she doesn't wander off now that they've stopped. Of course, this action is successful, because what cat could resist feathers waving just in front of their face? With her claws neatly caught on the feather wand, Wash returns his attention to the girl in front of him.]

I've heard of that happening. I also met someone who got a cat from the closet and it...bursts into flame every so often. [That had been terrifying to witness, even if the cat had been totally fine.] But no, actually. I got her for Christmas. Apparently it's the one time a year Wonderland gives us things we'll like.

[kickassqueen]

[ There's a reason why the internet goes crazy over cats, and being a citizen of the internet like Charlie is she's had her fair share of Caturdays on occasion.

She's sufficiently distracted by the fluffy cuteness when he mentions a spontaneous combusting cat. Wow. ]

It catches fire? [ She's torn between thinking that's dangerous and how freakin' cool it would be. ] Guess it's not too dangerous since the mansion's still standing. Does it like explode or just gradually catch fire? Like a walking piece of charcoal!

[ Picturing that scenario is a little funny to her. And she realizes she's accosted a fellow inmate (Wonderland is a prison and all, right?) without even saying 'hi'. ]

I'm Charlie. [ There's a little Vulcan salute to follow this. ] New kid in town, still getting my bearings and whatnot. I had no idea Wonderland did nice stuff like that, it's all 'bad things happen' from what I hear.

[ She's also dying to ask about his outfit but that's probably a little intrusion for a greeting. Maybe once she's bothered him about the cat a little more. ]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[He's never really thought about it, but a spontaneously combusting cat is actually a pretty good conversation piece, isn't it? Maybe he'll have to use it more often to prevent awkwardness in conversations... But, focusing on the conversation he has going now, Wash nods.]

Yeah, I mean, it was scorching the bed and stuff, but other than that it hasn't caused any problems as far as I know. [Then he thinks back to the time that he'd seen it, trying to remember exactly how it happened. ...It's tough to recall though, he'd been too panicked at seeing a kitten on fire to really picture how it actually caught.] It was pretty quick, if I remember right. You definitely couldn't tell it was coming, it's just...suddenly engulfed in flames.

[It is sort of funny in a way, but he can't imagine how much of a challenge it would be to look after. He's pulled from thinking more on this, however, when she introduces herself.]

I think the niceness was a one time a year deal, because everything else that happens here is...yeah. Bad. [That was putting it lightly. And he'd been completely expecting something bad when he found that stocking with his name on it, even braced himself before he looked inside once he realized it was wiggling. Honestly, he's still working off the surprise at the niceness of it all. Focusing back on Charlie though, rather than Wonderland, he offers a smile.] It's nice to meet you, though. I'm Agent Washington. Or, uh, just Wash, if you want.

[kickassqueen]

Neat. Maybe I can get myself one or maybe a tiny dragon. [ Oh my God the ideas she's getting, this is going to take some careful planning on her part. That is one perk about Wonderland she's found - all the neat stuff the closet will spit out if only you ask.

Usually - she has run into some instances where her own closet seems to be stubborn, like that time it popped out a frying pan when she asked it for a Nintendo system. ]

Nice to meetcha, Wash. [ She kneels down to wiggle her fingers in the cat's line of sight to see if she can get her to play. ] Is that your typical, everyday wear? Gonna be real here, it looks like you're ready to jump in an ATV and peel out on some adventure.

[ It was easy to see he's not really in a rush to anywhere that screams trouble, so it's probably just his typical outfit. ]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

[...Oh. She wants a dragon. That sure is a thing. An idea he thinks is probably not a good one, but has him thinking...]

You don't necessarily have to ask for one. There's already one around here. ...He's not exactly tiny, but he's definitely a dragon. [Who can paint. And understand people. It's actually pretty awesome, but it doesn't make the idea of having a ton of dragons around much more appealing. Just because one is nice doesn't mean they'd all be...]

Oh, uh. I got accustomed to wearing it most of the time where I'm from, and the habit stuck around here, too. [He shifts his feet a little awkwardly as he speaks, watching as Apricot eagerly reaches out to swat at Charlie's fingers. Explaining the outfit is something he's used to around here, but with the varied reactions he gets, he's no longer sure of the best way to do so.] I guess you could say it's part my everyday wear, and part so I'm ready for anything. With some of the events Wonderland throws at us, I've found it's been helpful to be prepared.

[Helps that his job back home is to be ready to peel out on some adventure at a moment's notice, but you know. Maybe the combination of that and Wonderland itself have made him a bit paranoid.]

[kickassqueen]

Oh...okay. There's a dragon here. [ She nods and looks slightly nervous. ] Awesome.

[ She feels equal parts excited and scared. Because dragons. They do the fire breathing people eating thing. She files that away for later exploration. For now, she's content to play with the cat. ]

What kind of job do you have? I'm thinking it's not florist or something, right? [ She offers a grin at this. ]

[notthesecondworstfighter]

It is kind of awesome, actually. [The agreement comes with a smile.] He's...pretty friendly, so. You know, if you were worried about that kind of thing... You don't have to be.

[Because reassuring people is kind of his thing, and he doesn't want her to worry that the mansion might just end up burnt down any day now. Her joke earns a laugh though, and he shakes his head.]

No, nothing like that. I, uh... Soldier, basically. In a special training program. ...In space. [The last part is added a bit hesitantly; the space part kind of goes without saying where he's from but it's been a quick realization that around here, most peoples' militaries back home don't exactly base themselves in space. And with some of the reactions he's got to that bit of explanation...he's learned to be a bit careful about saying it.]