Jade Threats & Ivory Lies [Fawn]

[Mino]

19 Frost 120

Mino had learned early on that sometimes you had to be persistent. That sometimes, you needed to be as firm as you could be. He'd been fairly bad at assessing which situations were best to be so persistent, but as a general rule of thumb he always took it to be with things that you wanted most. People you wanted to impress or get to know. It had served him well thus far, so there should have been no reason for this to go so horribly wrong.

He peered up at Fawn, hoped that his persistence would pay off. She seemed to have given up on the fish, because she tossed it out the door. Or maybe she thought that he would have run out after it. He licked his lips, teeth gleaming in the streetlight that came in through the open window. He blinked as she lifted the broom, ears pressing back against his head. He'd thought they'd moved past this. Apparently not. He ducked his head as she swatted at his rear with the soft end of the broom, perhaps hoping to startle him off again.

Her movements were clumsy. She tried wedging herself between him and the door. But, of course - she didn't know what was behind it. Was she defending her home pantry from being invaded by some feral cat? In her mind, she must be, and not the heirlooms that lay beyond the door. He hissed as she kept pushing, hoping to scare her off.

Mino wasn't sure if it was the shock or utter revulsion that had forced him from the skin of a caracal into that of a human. Warm, liquid spewed from her in an almost comical impersonation of a fountain. Almost, he would think, considering it all landed on him and the floor. He let loose a yowl as she dashed off to the bathroom to likely go for another round of retching. He hunched low, shoulders raised as he gagged, tears pricking up at the corner of his eyes as he went from cat to man - still covered in the remnants of skewers and drink. He gagged again, forcing himself up.

At the very least, he no longer had the problem of needing someone to open the door for him. His fingers found the knob quickly, tumbling into the room all while still gagging. The urge to groom himself was strong - but not strong enough as he considered the contents of what had landed on him. His stomach rolled and he fought the urge to retch himself. The sound of his efforts, though, carried under the door.

[Fawn]

19th of Frost, 120 : Nightxx

She hadn't considered anything out of the ordinary beyond what had already happened. A cat getting in was strange. A large cat getting in was even stranger. But Fawn could not even fathom the idea that a naked, puke covered man that she'd already met once was now infiltrating the boss' office and pantry. It was a modest building, after all. The Jade Dumpling's owners had settled for a quiet life, one of simplicity, after the many decades of riches and politics. And so for the past three generations the Jade's had made quite a considerable name for themselves as the craftsmen of the cities best pork dumplings. Though, their heritage had certainly helped. Inside the small room laid stacks of paperwork upon a tiny desk, which fitted a wooden chair under it.
The desk itself faced a long wall with shelves hosting countless bags of flour, rice, dried herbs, and storage containers sealed off while their contents pickled over the course of the long Frost. By Glade, they'd be ready for fresh pickled plum dumplings. A rare treat, and one they were well known for. Along the opposite side of the wall hung countless plaques, family heirlooms, and statues either hung or seemingly floating upon the wall itself. They framed the desk well, a proud representation of the centuries of hard work that the Jade family had been part of. In the back wall of the small closet-like room was a storage fridge A simply designed ice box inlaid with Ice Gems, it was the largest construct in the room by far and reached the ceiling. And inside, hundreds of pounds of meat, vegetables, and other perishables were kept at the perfect temperatures to neither freeze nor fester.

Knowing the treasure of food that laid beyond the door, and having heard the knob turn, Fawn gasped and jolted out of the bathroom to sprint towards the storage room. The last thing she needed was a cat knocking pots over and ruining the entire supply. But what she saw when she got there froze her in her tracks as three realizations began to overwhelm her. Her first shock came when she realized there was a person standing before her. Not a cat, but a person. Where was the cat anyways? The second realization was that this person was someone she knew. Mino- and not only did she know him, he was now naked. The third realization hit more like a ton of bricks smacking you in the face, or a tide ripping you under the water as you'd just come up for air. And it was that Mino was in fact that cat. His eyes, his form, the way he breathed and moved, the reason he'd been good with cats only two days ago, and most assuredly the fact that he was covered in her vomit.

"M..mino?"

[Mino]

19 Frost 120

He could recall with extreme clarity the first time reactions of others to his caracal form. Even better - the reaction of him presenting as a person once more. The quiet, tentative reach toward him as he cowered in the corner. He was still small that first shift. Tiny as any other kit. Mino remembered most Admiral scooping him up and being very much larger than he. Then declaring with certainty: "He's a cat." Her voice had been steady, calm as she scratched at the top of his head and turned to face the others. A sigh of delight from Ocean as she called for him softly and he mewled in response.

This was not the same. Partly because this wasn't a pleasant family gathering where he would have been made to shift forms for the enjoyment of his adoptive mothers. Even then, there was this unmistakable discomfort he fought hard to bury, to leave out of his comprehension. This was a job and he'd been recognized. He froze as he reached for the heirlooms on the wall, their jade edges mocking him for his struggle to get this far. He sucked in a breath, drew his hand back to cover himself. He shuddered, the cool air of the room finally hitting him now that he was no longer hyper-focused on what he was supposed to be doing. He hunched his shoulders, attempted to make himself smaller.

His smile was small, not enough to force the dimples at either side of his face. "It would seem both of us had too much to drink, but only one of us was able to hold it in." Another shudder took him, but he couldn't rightly move his hands from their spot unless he wanted to expose himself further, and he would really like not to do that.

Mino cleared his throat, blinked twice. His hair had fallen into his eyes as he tipped his head in greeting to the woman. "Do you, by chance, have something I could wipe myself off with?" Another small smile, a tip of his head in the other direction, and a final shudder.

[Fawn]

19th of Frost, 120 : Nightxx

It wasn't the first time she'd found someone sneaking into a pantry at night. Nor was it the first time she'd seen a man naked, but it was the first time both of those things had happened together. Perhaps if she'd not been so distracted by the how he came to stand there, and the shock of seeing him in such a state, she'd have noticed where his hand had been reaching. Or why. But instead as she stood there, mouth agape, all she could do was question if she even seeing things correctly.

"It's really you.."

She said, the gears turning in her head as she pieced two and two together and stepped closer to the now much larger man in front of her. She didn't mind the nudity really, at least not in the sense that most ladies may be worried about a naked man in front of them.

"You.. Yer the cat?" Fawn pushed a few curls from her face and squinted to make out his face more in the dim lighting. It really was him. The ears, the twitching, the teeth from the previous night. Her face then morphed from shock to interest as she looked him over. A rathari, right in her very own abode, one that she had already known at that. But he didn't stand tall like had the other night, nor seem as confident now as he had when he had been sitting in front of her as a cat.
"Oh! I'm sorry- yes!" Her hand slipped into his and she pulled him from the pantry, moved him into the bathroom, and turned the bath on. The porcelain tub began to fill with warm, steaming water, and outside the moonlight trickled in to set it's surface aglow. She smiled sheepishly, then turned from him and pulled a towel down from the top shelf of a small cabinet in the washroom, wobbling on the tips of her toes as she stretched her shorter body to reach them.

"Let's wash you off. It's all in yer hair- gods- I'm so sorry- I didn't ken it was you." A flush covered her face as she bent down to check the temperature of the water as the bath filled, two fingers swirling around before she shook them out and nodded. "If I had I wouldn't have swatted you like that... or offered you fish..." She turned to him then and sat on the edge of the tub as it filled, shrugging, embarrassment plastered on her rose-tinted face as she looked up at the now much taller man. Thankfully, throwing up seemed to have sobered her some, and her mind wasn't nearly as foggy or loopy as it had been before. But while she may not have been as drunk, even the slight bit of booze still coursing through her veins and tinging her tongue brought out her thick countryside accent much more distinctly than the night before.

"But why did ye come here? I don't believe I ever told ye where I lived. If ye wanted to pay a visit ye could have asked, I'd have told ye."

[Mino]

19 Frost 120

The scrutiny was familiar. The careful look over of him, the discerning of what had been missed before - the features that gave away his Rathari nature. His jaw clenched as he let her look. It was a much softer gaze than that of the Ladies, who had watched him shift that first time like they were inspecting a race horse. Like they were trying to determine his use on the spot. Maybe it was because he'd been too nervous then to notice, but there was no wonder to their stares. They had seen it all before, maybe. He wondered. He blinked.

His attention went to the heirlooms as she fussed over him for a second. So close, within his reach, and he couldn't take them. Not yet. Maybe, he would find himself an opening later on. Mino's attention went back to Fawn as she lead him away. Part of him was grateful; he could get the vomit off him and not have to worry about Ocean making comments as she usually did. But that other part of him was perturbed that he would even find himself running into Fawn so soon. Mauve would say something dreadful about fate if she knew. Then, again - Mint would know and he would certainly blab to her about it.

Mino snapped to attention as she asked the million gold coin question - why was he here? Lying would be easy. Coming up with a good lie was something else.

"I was sent here as, hm. Reconnaissance. I told you I worked with assets; my family has loaned the Jades a few things and we needed to know that they hadn't been sold off for profit. Which, admittedly would have been better done during the day, but. Liquid courage, and all that." He let a smile accentuate his words, this time large enough for dimples. "I do happen to feel more comfortable as a cat after a few drinks, and I found myself here." At least one part of that was true. He shrugged, leaned over to check if the water was any higher so he could soak in it. "I had no idea that you lived here, to be fair."

He blinked, cocked his head to the side. Their intel hadn't said anything about a young woman living in the house. His brows rose. "I don't remember seeing you the last time I was here, which wasn't very long ago. Where do they have you staying?"

[Fawn]

19th of Frost, 120 : Nightxx

While listening, Fawn pulled herself up from the edge of the tub and began rifling through the cabinet below the sink, every so often she'd mutter a 'hm' or 'ohh', but kept her ears doing most of the work. When she finally closed the cabinet, she held in her hands two bottles of a mint green goo and a bar of soap, as well as a towel and stiff body brush. She began to set the objects at the foot of the tub, towards the front, where the faucet was still pouring water out of, and then sat herself back down close to it on the lip of the tub.

"I see. Well, I understand yer busy but ye really shouldn't be breaking into anyone's home."She scolded, but still with a small smile and a single, patronizing raised brow. The girl then turned as the water began to fill near to the brim and twisted the faucet. As the water slowed she sighed contently and motioned to the water. "In ya go, let's get my mistake washed off ye."

She wouldn't wait for him to get in before beginning to unscrew the tops of the mint-green bottles, letting out the smell of lemongrass, vanilla, and lavender into the air. The girl sighed happily as she sniffed the top of the bottles. It was odd really, how at home this simple interaction was making her feel. It was the same as any time she'd bathed the kids in town who'd dirtied themselves in horseplay, or washed the horses after they'd rolled around in mud. Though, this time it was her fault, so there came a bit of guilt with it too. But thankfully this guilt could be washed away with a little soap.

"OH! I stay in the shed out back. It's wee room with a cot and a bench, but it holds the things I need and they're kind enough to include a hot meal and their washroom in the rent. It'd be nicer if it came with heating, but I'll just go to prayin' the gods speed up Glade!" She smiled wide, hands extending down to drip a coin sized dollop of shampoo into her hands before she began lathering them together.

"Now, I know ya hissed at me earlier and I cannot blame ye for that, but don't go whining while I wash ye, aye?"

[Mino]

19 Frost 120

He could have told her that he didn't always break in. Sometimes, the owners would let him in of their own accord. He thought those moments were particularly interesting, considering how they seemed to just let him walk out with something they'd deemed valuable enough that someone would pay him to take it. They'd smile at him because either they were charmed or they knew the family he was from and the benefits that came with befriending him. Usually the latter. But, in the long run, they would only ever be ruined. His brow twitched at the thought. At any rate, it would have been harder to walk into the Jade's home upon invitation. A lot harder to walk out with any one of their heirlooms. He sniffed, stepped into the water as directed and merely offered up a weak, not quite sheepish smile.

The water was nice, though.

Warm, soaking into his skin. The smell of the soaps she'd uncapped only served to further relax him. Which, he shouldn't be doing. He was working. These were work hours. But it wouldn't matter so much if he kept her distracted, right? And what better way to keep her distracted than her having to bathe a fully grown man?

Mino eyed her a moment, fought the memory of baths long passed. Berry, overly excited as she poured soap over his coat and dunked him underwater. He'd only ever indulged her because she seemed so enthusiastic about "bathing her pet cat." Admiral, rough in her usage of a brush to scrub out spots he could do himself just fine. And Lady Red. He looked down to the water, considered slipping under the surface until she couldn't reach him. The phantom of soft fingers at the nape of his neck, toying with his hair. Walking their way up his scalp before they scratched lazily at the crown of his head. He could almost hear her voice in his ear. Goosebumps rose along his skin, and he blinked the memory away.

His smile was much weaker. "Maybe you should consider finding something to keep you warm. I'm sure there's all sorts of things on the market to do just that."

Uncertainty took hold almost as well as his...remembrance. He'd rather not have her touch him to this extent, but it was for the sake of the job. He steeled himself, sitting a little straighter. "I've sensitive skin; try not to scrub too hard, please?"

[Fawn]

19th of Frost, 120 : Nightxx

"Who in their right mind would scrub someone? A good soap don't need more than a few gentle lathers to do it's job..." Fawn raised a brow and worked the shampoo through her fingers, small suds beginning to form over her dappled skin.

"Dip yer head under for me." She said, still listening while he wet his hair. After he came up she placed both hands on either side of the mans head and threaded her fingers gently through his hair. One after another, slowly lathering the shampoo into the soft, nearly black strands. She worked slowly, tenderly, as if he was a baby lamb fresh from it's mother, and smiled. It had been quite a while since she'd last bathed anyone, and there was something distinctively different about bathing an adult man. Children, as they were, hardly knew they even had armpits to clean and so washing them was more a necessity. But Mino, she did it from kindness. The odd pair in the washroom both aware of how unrequired her actions were. But perhaps that in itself made the act all the more meaningful for her, and hopefully for him.

She sighed contently as her fingers ran up from behind his ears and across the top of his head, in a way massaging his scalp with delicate strokes. "I only know of fire-based space heaters. And the Jade's don't want me to bringing fire into the shed, so. I can manage for a time, I'm hoping to move out within six months if I can find a place for the right price." Fawn then gently pulled at the edge of his jaw to wordless lean his head back down into the water. Her touch, nearly a whisper against his skin. Leading, less forcing, as the moon and city lights filtered in through the window and cast a glow upon him.

It was then she got a full look at him. While her fingers worked the shampoo out of his hair in the water, her gentle strokes continuing to comb through, her eyes traveled over his body curiously. Were there any signs he was a cat? Besides his strange teeth that hid themselves behind full lips, she couldn't see a single sign of his feline-nature. Though, it was impressive how lean yet toned his figure was, she noted. With a gentle nudge of three fingers against the base of his skull she motioned him to lean up out of the water once more.

"Here, you do your body. I don't think ya want me touchin yer gems." She handed the man a bar of lavender soap then with a gentle chuckle, blinking and shaking away a tad bit of alcohol-induced weariness from her eyes while she began to pour a small pool of conditioner into her hands. Seems the scent of the soaps were relaxing her a bit as well.

[Mino]

19 Frost 120

"Well." In the instances that he had been bathed by someone other than himself, it was merely likely that he would be in a more feline form. His skin would be beneath healthy hairs and sometimes dirt got caught in them. That, and Admiral was used to having her own skin scrubbed when in her truer bovine form to account for the thickness of her skin. He blinked at the first touch of her hands on him.

Touch wasn't something he was starved of. Meaningful contact was not far from reach if he sought, and often he was the one giving it to Berry when one affection or another fell through. He drew comfort from the thought of being wanted around. It meant they wouldn't rid the house of him yet. But Fawn was gentle. Skilled, like she knew what she was doing and he might have cracked a joke about this very thing if he didn't think she would miss the point of it. Or if he wasn't suddenly putty in her hands as she threaded her fingers through his hair. The phantom echo of Lady Red remained, but it wasn't the same. He couldn't think of the word for how it was different.

He blinked again, realized he was purring. Faint little mewls that rumbled more than his usual trills. Mino just missed the cant of his own head to the side to chase her hand. Like a cat trying to be pet. If she didn't see much of the cat in his appearance, it was probably evident in his manner. His eyes, half-lidded, threatened to close completely if not for the faintly screaming thought that he couldn't go to sleep. That he still had work to do and as relaxed as he was, he couldn't forget his purpose here. The water was warm and her fingers were gentle. His lashes fluttered once, twice as she directed his head this way and that. His vision, blurry from his body's attempt at sleep, focused in on her after a moment of searching.

"Maybe it would be easier if you married rich, like my mother. No sleeping in a shed for her." Part of him, a small part that he wasn't even sure was there, rebelled at the thought. A tiny that's not your mother that crept into his head every now and again, sometimes too loud and sometimes so soft he'd have to strain to notice it. "Although, you could always find work somewhere that took farmgirls who like eating in alleys with cats around her." His grin spread out easily as his eyes closed again.

While she looked, she might have noted the faint slivers of scars long healed. The skin raised slightly and lighter than the rest. Or, she would have seen the numerous constellations of freckles, mostly around his neck, that covered Mino's skin. As she handed him the bar of soap, that grin turned mischievous. Curved up more at the edges.

"Are you implying you would want to be touching my 'gems'?" His brows rose, though they couldn't be seen very well under the sopping mop of his bangs. He sniffed the soap a moment, inhaling the lavender. Much of this soap and shampoo smelled like it ought to be relaxing and he wondered if this wasn't her employer's that she was using freely.

[Fawn]

19th of Frost, 120 : Nightxx

As her hands slid back up the base of his neck and into his scalp, gently massaging the conditioner into his hair, she could hear the faint sounds of purring. She startled, looking around briefly before her alcohol-fogged brain caught up with the fact that was indeed Mino who was making the sounds. It was soft, happy, and echoed slightly louder as her hands went back to work on his hair. Her surprise turned to a gentle smile. Fondness, for the sudden realization that perhaps not all cats were bad.

Her fingers threaded through his hair with expert strokes, and from her own throat she began to hum softly. A tune of her people, of the breeze that flirted with the tall grass of the meadows under moonlight, of a tender blush from a fair maiden as she is kissed in a field of lavender flowers. She closed her eyes, sinking into the music with her heart and letting her hands work in gently tandem with the song. A few moments of listening to his suggestion later and she let out a soft chuckle, opening her eyes and tilting his head back to look at her.

"Well, unless yer that rich someone, I don't ken of many prospects lined up." The girl teased, then coaxed his head forward once more to focus on spreading the conditioner throughout his hair with another bubbly giggle. "Aye, I found just the place a few days ago. The cabaret- I'm hopin' it pays well considerin' I'm not much of a bonny lass, but if not I have a mind to find a day job, too." Fawn said, returning to humming softly into the night. It wasn't that she didn't think she was pretty, but the true uniqueness of her looks was something that had evaded her. Even in her own town there wasn't a single person with red hair, nor skin as fair. And while she had been teased about it as a child, the thought to be upset over her looks never occurred to her. And with a town of mostly family, none but Marina had ever called on her to be more than friendly. This had left the girl feeling particularly plain, a fact she was not upset about but simply settling with.

His jest however pulled her from her humming. With a raised brow and suddenly stiff limbs, a new feeling rushed through her veins. Something hot that warmed her chest and sent the heat of her embarrassment up through to her cheeks and deepening the freckles on her face. "I- I am implyin nothin' of the sort!" She chided, gently but swiftly pushing his forehead away from her and returning her gaze to focus on the back of his skull. Her heart fluttered, a new but somehow known feeling. Was she shy? Why did his gaze suddenly unnerve her so?

With a gentle clearing of her throat she let out the breath she'd been holding and gently pulled his head back once more into the water, her fingers this time hovering over his cheek. She slid them back, against his skin and up to his ear, then back down and then twirling her finger around the back of his ear while she softly rubbed the conditioner from his scalp. It was a motion both for him, having noticed his earlier stretch in reach of her hand, and for her. The first of a selfish, curious touch as she wondered why he had brought a stir to her chest.