Event Catch-all Post

[widows_kiss]

Who: Natasha Romanoff Liddell and [OPEN] to whoever wants her in human form or leopard.
Where: Around the mansion and the grounds
When: the duration of the event
Rating: Anywhere from PG to ??? (depending on if she reverts to human on any of you)
Summary: Natasha's cursed with the Spirit of Leopard.
The Story:

[Option 1: Natasha]
Natasha falls somewhere in the middle generation of Liddell cousins and siblings that inhabit the mansion. She's not one of the most social of them either, preferring to be more solitary like the animal spirit she was cursed with. That doesn't mean she doesn't still keep tabs on family members and keep an eye on the happenings around the mansion, just that she's usually fairly subtle about it. For a few years when she was younger, she traveled the world to see what she could see, but in recent years, she's been more than content to stay home, around her family, for whatever she might be needed for. Family's important to her, despite the fact that there's so many of them and she might not be the best at showing it sometimes.

Most days (or nights, as she's known to have a nocturnal streak) she can usually be found wandering, or possibly curled up somewhere comfortable with a book or a companion. If you spot her alone, feel free to come join her or lure her out into into some fun. Despite her occasional aloof manner or cool stare, she does have a mischievous playful side that shows up at unexpected moments.

[Option 2: Leopard]
In a house with so many people inside its walls, its inevitable that sooner or later collisions occur. Natasha's not usually overly worried about this - she understands the need to keep their curse a secret and faithfully endeavors to do so but accidents happen and unlike some of her relatives, she's just as comfortable in her cursed form as she is in her human one.

It's why she doesn't sweat it too much if she does accidentally bump into someone nearby - she's good at vanishing out of sight quickly if need be, and there are plenty of shadowy heights to perch in out of sight. Sometimes this plays out to her advantage, especially if she's feeling particularly bored or playful. Not everyone in the mansion is very good at staying aware of their surroundings when there are predators looking to pounce.

((OOC: This is Natasha's catch-all post for the event. Feel free to pick either option, if you want to interact with her as human or in her leopard form, or even both, if your character's inclined to trigger her transformation in some way. I'm up for anything!))

Comments

Option 2: Leopard in the woods

[sheriffwolf]

[Bigby has a knack for catching his relatives when they are in their animal form. Unfortunately, he has had his own streak of bad luck. With so many outsiders walking around sometimes it was inevitable to bump into someone you didn't expect to be around that corner. But, it wasn't the first time Bigby had gotten himself into a bit of trouble. He quickly grabbed his clothes in his mouth and before the smoke cleared he was off and running toward the trees.

He was careful to avoid any others, his sense of smell heightened in his wolfy form. He didn't stop until he was safe inside the forest. There wasn't anyone around except...

Bigby looked up and caught the scent of a large feline. He knew that smell anywhere. ]

Glad to see I'm not the only one looking for a place to hide.

[widows_kiss]

[The cat in question is sprawled lazy on a high branch, tail twitching absently in the air underneath. One green eye blinks lazily open to peer downwards at the sound of the voice. When she recognizes Bigby, Natasha stretches slowly, claws scratching against the bark.]

Who's hiding? It's naptime. What happened to you?

[sheriffwolf]

You nap in your panther form? Really?

[Huh. Something Bigby doesn't know about his cousins. He tucks that information away should he ever need it.]

Ran into someone in the hallway. She wasn't looking. I didn't even catch who it was but given that I'm now wolfy I'm going to guess it wasn't family. Just my luck.

Option 2: Leopard

[alionsheart]

Robin darts outside quickly when he's bumped, feeling perfectly natural in his fox form. He enjoys it, as though he truly comes alive when he's like this, running over the mansion grounds and seeking out food and adventure where he can find it.

Once he reaches the forest, he slows down a bit, and stops when he smells someone familiar.

"I shouldn't be surprised to see you here."

[widows_kiss]

Natasha's currently stretched out on a large flat rock, soaking up a spot of sun. She's in the woods - not too far in, but far enough that she's not likely to be stumbled across by someone who shouldn't see her, not before she hears them first. Like him, but she'd known it was no human crashing through the woods towards her. And as she's fond of doing in the day when the sun's up and she's tucked out of sight, she's in the form of a large black leopard, her tail faintly twitching atop the rock.

"Of course you shouldn't," she agrees with a playful huff of breath as she stretches warm fur and rolls her head towards him. "Where else would I be?"

Sunlight was for being lazy. She preferred to be active after dark.

[hyperkinesia]

Unpredictable is the word for this place, and Bruce has learned that pretty quick. Still, there haven't been that many instances where unexpected things just spring up on him by surprise, which, given his condition, is really a very good thing.

Apparently today the place is set on ending even that much, though. Because when he turns a corner, finding himself walking right towards a black leopard is exactly one of those things completely unexpected and entirely unwanted.

"Alright..."

[widows_kiss]

The black leopard is curled up on a windowseat at the end of the hallway, looking for all the world as if it's sound asleep. Except for the occasional twitch of a faintly-spotted tail or the flick of an ear, the big cat doesn't move, not acknowledging the sudden appearance of the man in any way.

Of course, that doesn't mean she's not paying attention.

[avoirfaim]

[ While Hannibal prefers to be nocturnal, it's hardly normal for the completely human person he pretends to be to sleep during the day, so he alternates. Tonight is a prowling night, and after Abigail hugged him goodnight and he found himself back on four paws, he took the opportunity that was presented to him.

He could see better like this in the dark, smell better like this, hear better like this, and he can hear someone else nearby. He can smell her and he recognizes her. The fact that he knows he's following Natasha makes it all the more fun: it's the challenge of hunting the hunter. Quiet he stops at the corner, ear twitching, listening to the gentle rumble of her breath. ]

[widows_kiss]

[It's late and the house is falling quiet as the occupants find their beds, which makes it her favorite time of night. When she has the place mostly to herself and can prowl along the halls and rooms without any fear of being spotted or wondered about. Not that she was normally all that concerned about such things, not here, but she did try to keep up the pretense of it, for the rest of her family's sake.

Tonight she was feeling restless, playful. It had been an aggravating day all around, what with family drama and people arguing. She was thinking of heading out to the woods to hunt, see what she could find, maybe indulge in a bit of cat-and-mouse with whatever felt like being prey.

Of course, before she could make up her mind, she felt a prickling along her skin, instincts warning her that the hall wasn't as empty as it was moments ago.

No one reveals themselves, but that sense doesn't go away. Ears pricked and alert, she pads forward, moving further down the hall, pretending to continue on in the direction she'd originally been heading, although she's paying attention now, seeing if whoever it is follows.]

Option 2, lbr here.

[sexandoutrage]

[Speaking of people not always situationally aware.

Since he and Pepper are apparently having a tiff (he's not having a tiff, she is, and he's just the victim in it, and he's standing firm with that story), he's been wandering on his lonesome, before he goes to put in some quality work time. If nothing else, he can do that while he's being not-spoken to, or whatever it is she's doing. He's not even really sure.

But he'd pulled his phone out from where it's rested in his pocket, pulling up a few files on the new armor he's been trying to get to work (vague recollections that aren't his own are hard to build from, he's discovering), because there are so many bugs in the programming it's quickly becoming the worst of nightmares.

Well, second worse. His girlfriend turning into a swan ranks pretty high, too.

But he's absorbed in a bit of the coding, idly making his way down the hallway, his weaving, rambled path actually intending to lead him to the lab, but he's in no rush to get here.]

Hey, JARVIS, pull up specs on the part that actually works? I think I found something.

oh goody >.>

[widows_kiss]

[For some reason, the mansion's occupants seem especially busy and energetic today. By which Natasha's judging the fact that she's barely been up for half an hour and she's already wearing fur. And not the expensive kind.

She's mostly annoyed that this happened before breakfast, because waffles just don't taste the same when you're a feline that typically prefers most meals a little fresher than that. She'd found a tucked-away corner on the first floor to wait for the transformation to wear off so she could continue on with her morning.

Which might have gone splendidly if she hadn't heard familiar footsteps and then a voice moving down the hall towards her. Green eyes gleamed faintly in the deep shadows of the corridor as she crouched down, tail twitching faintly as she watched him move closer, aware that he wasn't paying any attention.

Which of course started the internal debate of let him go or teach him the very valuable lesson of watching where he was walking. Especially in this house.

Of course, it's not much of a debate. He gets three or four paces past her hiding spot before there's a large black leopard leaping from the shadows. Her claws are carefully sheathed, but that's possibly a minor detail when there's a large cat pouncing on you from behind.]

[assembles]

Now that Steve's got a better idea of what's happening here, at least he has some explanation for why there seem to be even more exotic animals wandering around the mansion. He has to keep in mind that some of them could very well be people he knows, maybe even friends, and that all of them have had their memories twisted around.

It doesn't sit well with him, not for one second. This isn't quite like what they did to Bucky, but it's close enough that it gets under his skin. He realizes it's probably pointless to try and get through to anyone who's affected, but he doesn't like feeling as if his hands are tied either.

Frustrated with the situation, Steve's gone to sit out on the front steps of the mansion and get some fresh air while he polishes his shield, mainly just to give himself something to do. He's keeping to himself, but when he takes a moment to glance up, he notices a big cat, almost completely black, walking right toward him. Trying to head inside.

If it's actually a human in animal form, then there's no real reason to be concerned. But what if it isn't? There are whole hordes of animals around the mansion, having come in as part of the event, or so he assumes. Like the swans that had stormed Stark's lab.

Making eye contact probably isn't the best idea, but Steve still does it. "Here, kitty kitty," he says, tilting his head to the side. "If you really are a kitty."

[widows_kiss]

The leopard prowls closer, pausing when the man on the steps glances up and catches sight of her. Normally, she might have paid him no mind, sauntered on past like she belonged here (which she did) and that there was nothing strange about a random leopard wandering around the house (which there totally wasn't).

But he's the one who calls out to her first, rather than pretending nothing at all odd is happening here or wisely fleeing for his life, really Steve, Natasha's going to have to have a talk with you when she comes back to her senses, and then it would be just rude to ignore him. Although she's still tempted for a moment anyway, but what can it hurt?

Her tail twitches behind her, swishing in response to the kitty comment, which is insulting at best, because does she look like a housecat? Still, she wanders towards him, pausing just out of reach as she sits and gives him an unblinking stare, as if to say Yes?

If the expression in the leopard's green eyes is more human than feline, well...

action; 2

[oversight]

[ Not so surprisingly, it's in the shadows where John feels most comfortable, no matter his form. As a Liddell, he knows there's something... special to be protected, to be honored, but that doesn't keep him from hiding away when it does happen, especially when he's changed at the behest of some accidental contact.

Coming to a rest nearby, John hangs from a high branch not far from Natasha, his wings immediately folding around his form. As a bat — particularly a black flying fox, or fruit bat — he has a wingspan of three feet, but wrapped up so tightly, he appears small compared to Natasha in her black leopard form. ]

It's late; you'd think most people'd be in bed by now...

[ But not them. They're nocturnal and they're much more active at night. Too bad there are so many strangers hanging around to knock into them, otherwise they might be meeting in a different form, and likely on the ground instead of up in a tree. ]

[widows_kiss]

[She doesn't mind being up a tree. It's her frequent go-to spot while she waits for a transformation to wear off. Or maybe just because she likes the advantage the height gives her. No one thinks to look up when they're wandering around, even when they do sense a pair of inquisitive eyes on them.

Then again, she has been spending more and more time in them lately. She's not sure if that's because the mansion's getting more crowded or they're all just getting clumsier. It's rather odd. Not that she minds, exactly, but she knows some of her relatives do.

....That and wandering around naked afterwards is highly frowned upon by most civilized people.]

Just because they're not cursed doesn't mean they can't be night owls too.

[Still, she turns her head just enough that she can look up at him hanging nearby, her eyes catching and reflecting the light from the house for a moment.]

There does seem to be more of them lately though, doesn't there?

[thehobbsgirl]

Abigail might not have spotted the leopard, if it hadn't been for the twitch of its tail. The dark fur of the animal helps it to blend into the shadows, and it is otherwise sitting very still. Abigail doesn't really have time to be impressed with her own powers of observation, though, because there's a leopard in the mansion. The fear comes first, an involuntary kick of adrenaline that sets her pulse racing. She freezes, looking up at the animal where it is perched. Weren't you supposed to avoid eye contact with a predator, because it may be seen as a challenge? Abigail avoids looking the animal in the face, but she doesn't otherwise blink or look away.

Her logic comes stumbling along after her instincts, belated. She thinks of Hannibal and, the steadiness of her voice an obvious effort, says, "I really hope you're another Liddell and not a real leopard looking for lunch."

[widows_kiss]

There's another flick of a dark, faintly spotted tail as the leopard cocks its head to the side for a moment and fixes her with an intent unblinking stare. The fear had caught her attention first, because she is a predator, she can't help her natural instincts any more than she could help the fact that she inevitably turned furry whenever some clumsy oaf wasn't paying attention to where they were going.

But the fact that the girl doesn't flee, instead stands her ground and talks to her is even more interesting, although it's the words that cinch her intrigue. Normal humans weren't supposed to know about them, but she knew there were exceptions for some. Her own sister was one such case.

Which is why she answers, instead of keeping up the ruse, her voice soft and faintly husky when coming from the throat of a big cat that was not, technically, meant to be speaking.

"What would you have done if I were?"

OPTION TWO Let me know if ok.

[impalementarts]

[Clint is another one of those cousins that prefers to keep to himself. He made a point, years ago in fact to read about red tailed hawks. Hunting patterns include adaptability but they do keep territory

But the territory usually included harsh desert climates, warm sand and blowing winds, cactus. That's why the mansion is a little odd. He's a bird out of his element and he knows it...

But he's never more aware of it then when he's hit and there's a puff of clothing and he's reeling about in the air before checking himself with a sweep of his wings...blowing air right into her face.]

...Why does Alice keep people like this around?

[widows_kiss]

[The leopard had seen the entire thing from her perch, tucked out of sight after having had a similar run-in a short while earlier and currently waiting for it to wear off.

She's certainly not stifling a laugh at her cousin's misfortune and her tail is totally not giving away her amusement in the careful twitch-twitch in the shadows.]

It's not always Alice, you know. Sometimes it's our other cousins themselves. But they're not so bad, the others. Usually, anyway.

Option 2 - pouncing time :D

[sorryitasedyou]

[Darcy has been doing her best to keep to her room during this event because walking around the equivalent of a fenceless zoo seemed like a bad idea - especially after that whole polar bear thing...

Her room can only entertain her so much, though. Eventually she breaks down, deciding to venture to the library since it was safe territory again - Loki being human for now. She starts to make her way down to the library, not paying close enough to anything around her - her focus solely on her pace.]

[widows_kiss]

[Normally Natasha's pretty careful about who she lets see her when she's in her cursed form. But it's been an interesting few days and from what it seems, their secret is suddenly spilling out to most people in their social circle, so she's taken a few more liberties lately than she might otherwise.

Besides, it's late in the afternoon and she's bored and the familiar figure decidedly not paying attention to her surroundings as she sauntered down the hallway past her hiding spot was too good a temptation to pass up.

Completely a plausible explanation for settling into a crouch for a moment before dashing forward and pouncing on the girl from behind. It's careful and playful, because she has no intention of hurting Darcy, just surprising her a bit. Because that's better, right?]

{2} hello leopard my old friend

[wordvomit]

[Ned is a wary ferret.

He has to be, when the majority of his family members are over ten times his size and the rest of the regular world, with regular people, would frown upon how...irregular he is. It couldn't just be the family curse, of course, there was his own issue.

But a man's got to do what a man's got to do. Or...whatever.

Intent on following his personal code of ethics and avoidance (more so the latter than the former, with his track record), Ned makes his way down the hall like he usually does: hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched, taking up as little space as possible...

...not looking where he's going at all.]

[widows_kiss]

[She catches his scent before she actually sees him, but it's familiar enough that it draws her out of her hiding spot to follow for a moment. He's not paying attention to where he's going, but apparently it's worked out better for him than most at the moment, because he's still human. And dressed. Always a plus.

Also a tempting target for her to creep up silently behind and butt her head against the back of his knees as he walks. As a human, she might not have pulled it off, but as a leopard she has a bit of an advantage.

Besides, she has less guilt over surprising her cousins in the hallways than others. Not that she lets that stop her much either way.]

Leopard~

[anomaliiiiies]

[Jane is trying to concentrate on her notes, but well, she's also trying to navigate the woods to her chosen clearing. She has an important date with the stars and simply cannot be interrupted. Of course, that means she should be interrupted by certain felines. Does she have a sign reading: 'Bother me for fun?' Of course she does.]

[widows_kiss]

[Just Jane's luck, there happens to be someone around to bother her. Of course, Natasha might have gotten a little distracted chasing one of her tinier cousins through the woods in a rather enthusiastic game of cat and mouse. Or cat and whatever the dark furry blur happens to be that dashes past Jane's legs without stopping, vanishing in the undergrowth on the other side of her with a startled squeak.

Natasha's not nearly so small and unassuming, however, so when she bursts from the underbrush in pursuit, its only to collide with the petite scientist head-on and go rolling head over tail into a pile of leaves to cushion the unexpected interruption.]