Tails of the Legendary
A Matter of Discretion
by Sofaspud and MatrixDragon
"I would've loved this weather before I got furry," Alice noted darkly to her sister Sammy as the two of them sprawled on the couch in front of a
rotating fan.
For her part, Sammy merely shrugged. She couldn't remember ever not having fur, and simply viewed the late summer heatwave as yet another annoyance to be
endured. Still, she was getting slightly annoyed at Alice's grumbling about the heat. Yes, it was hot, everyone could see -- feel? -- that, why did she
have to make such a deal about it?
Ifrit entered from the kitchen, bearing two large glasses of iced tea. The girls accepted it gratefully. Sammy noted that Ifrit, unlike the two of them, was
not only fully dressed but appeared comfortable in the sweltering confines of their apartment. Her aunt smiled at them and returned to the kitchen, where
chopping sounds indicated dinner preparations.
Alice muttered something and sank lower in her seat as the fan washed over her fur.
Strident tones, easily audible to the two catgirls and the fey with her enhanced senses, echoed down the hall from Nene's office: "What do you mean
you don't know where the maintenance man is right now? He's got a cell phone, doesn't he?" A short pause. "He's not answering?
But we need our air-conditioning fixed! Hang on a minute, this is ridiculous." Nene appeared, clad only in a t-shirt as far as Sammy could tell, which
itself appeared to be sticking to her skin, and retrieved her own cellphone from the counter. The door to the office slammed shut again and Sammy cocked an
ear, listening in on the rest of the exchange more out of boredom than actual curiousity. There was a rapid series of tones from one of the computers,
interspersed with the clicking of keys and tinny beeps from what Sammy assumed was Aunt Nene's phone.
"He's at Crazy Dave's." Another pause. "Well, send someone down there or call the place already! He's got the phone on him now, I
can see it moving around! He's just not answering and -- what? Oh. Um. Look, don't ask, okay? Just trust me, he's down there. Yeah. THANK
you." The phone slammed into its cradle and a tired sigh floated along behind. Sammy turned her attention back to the living room as Alice sipped at her
tea.
"You could shave," Sammy pointed out, trying to be helpful. "Like I do, I mean, it's not much fun but look at me, I'm hardly sweating
at all, and you're all sticky and stuff."
"If the stupid air conditioning was working it wouldn't matter," Alice replied.
"Sammy, dear, is Derrick coming over for dinner tonight?" Aunt Ifrit's voice from the kitchen interrupted any potential response Sammy might
have made to that.
"No," she called back, slouching a little as she added, "I guess his sister is in town or something, he promised to show her around and she has
tickets to Cats! so he's kinda stuck."
"Awww, is poor kitty going to be all alone tonight?" Alice teased as she rose to adjust the fan to a better position, her tail flicking lightly from
side to side. "Nobody to ... stroke your fur?"
Sammy flushed. Alice could be such a brat sometimes! "Look who's talking. At least Derrick and I aren't obvious about it, like you."
"EX-CUSE me?" Alice's ears went flat and her eyes narrowed as she whirled to face her sister, and her tail stood dangerously still. "Would
you care to explain that?"
Her own temper rising, Sammy glared back. "Hey, at least Derrick and I are quiet no that's not the word what's Aunt Nene call it? oh yeah
DISCREET, not like you two keeping me up all night long and going around grinning all day long the next day and EEP!" She dived over the back of the
couch as an arrow thunked into the cushions where she'd been sitting a split second before.
"ALICE ROMANOVA!" Aunt Ifrit stood in the doorway, her eyes blazing -- literally -- as the dishtowel in her hands began to lightly smolder.
Alice's eyes widened and she gulped, letting her bow vanish as quickly as it had appeared. "Oh-oh."
Sammy peeked over the top of the couch and stuck her tongue out. "Nyyaaaah!" Her gloating was cut off suddenly. "OW! Not the ear not the ear
NOT THE EAR leggo she started it Aunt Ifrit PLLEEEAAASE..."
Keeping one finger and thumb on Sammy's ear, Ifrit turned her attention to her daughter. "Alice, just because Sammy doesn't realise how obvious
she is, is no reason to put arrows in the furniture!"
"But I-"
"RWZ, five Rikti squads."
"... yes ma'am."
Sammy shot upright as Ifrit released her hold on the catgirl's ear. "WHAAAT?!" she said in a high-pitched incredulous wail. "We're not
obvious!"
Ifrit merely looked at her calmly. "You are to me."
"... mew..." Sammy managed, her tail standing up stiff and straight and her eyes going wide.
"That, and, replacing shredded bedsheets is a good clue," Ifrit added with a small smile.
"I was having the chasing-a-mouse dream!" Sammy countered.
"While screaming Derrick's name and moaning?" Alice inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"I wasn't screaming..." Sammy replied petulantly.
"No, you were yowling." Alice paused a beat, then smirked. "I'd have figured that playing in Derrick's pants would rate higher then
'chasing the mouse'..."
"H-hey!"
"Alice..." Ifrit began in a warning tone.
"Nya!" Alice turned and fled to carry out her mum-ordered punishment.
"Okay, that's it!" Nene declared, striding into the room. She was wearing a pair of coveralls over the t-shirt from previously and was fastening
a toolbelt around her hips as she walked. "I'll fix it myself!" she said, and paused as she took in the tableau.
"... what did I miss?"
Ifrit chuckled and stroked Sammy's hair lightly. "Nothing, hon. Be back in time for dinner."
Nene snapped a mock-salute as she headed out the door. "No problem! It's an air conditioner, the maintenance guy keeps it running and he's dumb
as a sack of bricks. How hard can it be?"
"Aunt Nene, I don't keep you up at night, do I?"
"... okay, what brought this on?"
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
A Matter of Discretion
by Sofaspud and MatrixDragon
"I would've loved this weather before I got furry," Alice noted darkly to her sister Sammy as the two of them sprawled on the couch in front of a
rotating fan.
For her part, Sammy merely shrugged. She couldn't remember ever not having fur, and simply viewed the late summer heatwave as yet another annoyance to be
endured. Still, she was getting slightly annoyed at Alice's grumbling about the heat. Yes, it was hot, everyone could see -- feel? -- that, why did she
have to make such a deal about it?
Ifrit entered from the kitchen, bearing two large glasses of iced tea. The girls accepted it gratefully. Sammy noted that Ifrit, unlike the two of them, was
not only fully dressed but appeared comfortable in the sweltering confines of their apartment. Her aunt smiled at them and returned to the kitchen, where
chopping sounds indicated dinner preparations.
Alice muttered something and sank lower in her seat as the fan washed over her fur.
Strident tones, easily audible to the two catgirls and the fey with her enhanced senses, echoed down the hall from Nene's office: "What do you mean
you don't know where the maintenance man is right now? He's got a cell phone, doesn't he?" A short pause. "He's not answering?
But we need our air-conditioning fixed! Hang on a minute, this is ridiculous." Nene appeared, clad only in a t-shirt as far as Sammy could tell, which
itself appeared to be sticking to her skin, and retrieved her own cellphone from the counter. The door to the office slammed shut again and Sammy cocked an
ear, listening in on the rest of the exchange more out of boredom than actual curiousity. There was a rapid series of tones from one of the computers,
interspersed with the clicking of keys and tinny beeps from what Sammy assumed was Aunt Nene's phone.
"He's at Crazy Dave's." Another pause. "Well, send someone down there or call the place already! He's got the phone on him now, I
can see it moving around! He's just not answering and -- what? Oh. Um. Look, don't ask, okay? Just trust me, he's down there. Yeah. THANK
you." The phone slammed into its cradle and a tired sigh floated along behind. Sammy turned her attention back to the living room as Alice sipped at her
tea.
"You could shave," Sammy pointed out, trying to be helpful. "Like I do, I mean, it's not much fun but look at me, I'm hardly sweating
at all, and you're all sticky and stuff."
"If the stupid air conditioning was working it wouldn't matter," Alice replied.
"Sammy, dear, is Derrick coming over for dinner tonight?" Aunt Ifrit's voice from the kitchen interrupted any potential response Sammy might
have made to that.
"No," she called back, slouching a little as she added, "I guess his sister is in town or something, he promised to show her around and she has
tickets to Cats! so he's kinda stuck."
"Awww, is poor kitty going to be all alone tonight?" Alice teased as she rose to adjust the fan to a better position, her tail flicking lightly from
side to side. "Nobody to ... stroke your fur?"
Sammy flushed. Alice could be such a brat sometimes! "Look who's talking. At least Derrick and I aren't obvious about it, like you."
"EX-CUSE me?" Alice's ears went flat and her eyes narrowed as she whirled to face her sister, and her tail stood dangerously still. "Would
you care to explain that?"
Her own temper rising, Sammy glared back. "Hey, at least Derrick and I are quiet no that's not the word what's Aunt Nene call it? oh yeah
DISCREET, not like you two keeping me up all night long and going around grinning all day long the next day and EEP!" She dived over the back of the
couch as an arrow thunked into the cushions where she'd been sitting a split second before.
"ALICE ROMANOVA!" Aunt Ifrit stood in the doorway, her eyes blazing -- literally -- as the dishtowel in her hands began to lightly smolder.
Alice's eyes widened and she gulped, letting her bow vanish as quickly as it had appeared. "Oh-oh."
Sammy peeked over the top of the couch and stuck her tongue out. "Nyyaaaah!" Her gloating was cut off suddenly. "OW! Not the ear not the ear
NOT THE EAR leggo she started it Aunt Ifrit PLLEEEAAASE..."
Keeping one finger and thumb on Sammy's ear, Ifrit turned her attention to her daughter. "Alice, just because Sammy doesn't realise how obvious
she is, is no reason to put arrows in the furniture!"
"But I-"
"RWZ, five Rikti squads."
"... yes ma'am."
Sammy shot upright as Ifrit released her hold on the catgirl's ear. "WHAAAT?!" she said in a high-pitched incredulous wail. "We're not
obvious!"
Ifrit merely looked at her calmly. "You are to me."
"... mew..." Sammy managed, her tail standing up stiff and straight and her eyes going wide.
"That, and, replacing shredded bedsheets is a good clue," Ifrit added with a small smile.
"I was having the chasing-a-mouse dream!" Sammy countered.
"While screaming Derrick's name and moaning?" Alice inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"I wasn't screaming..." Sammy replied petulantly.
"No, you were yowling." Alice paused a beat, then smirked. "I'd have figured that playing in Derrick's pants would rate higher then
'chasing the mouse'..."
"H-hey!"
"Alice..." Ifrit began in a warning tone.
"Nya!" Alice turned and fled to carry out her mum-ordered punishment.
"Okay, that's it!" Nene declared, striding into the room. She was wearing a pair of coveralls over the t-shirt from previously and was fastening
a toolbelt around her hips as she walked. "I'll fix it myself!" she said, and paused as she took in the tableau.
"... what did I miss?"
Ifrit chuckled and stroked Sammy's hair lightly. "Nothing, hon. Be back in time for dinner."
Nene snapped a mock-salute as she headed out the door. "No problem! It's an air conditioner, the maintenance guy keeps it running and he's dumb
as a sack of bricks. How hard can it be?"
"Aunt Nene, I don't keep you up at night, do I?"
"... okay, what brought this on?"
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs