OOM: Christmas dinner with Pyrrha and Egil

[ostro_goth]

[[Ctd. from here.]]

Teja opens the door, laden as he is.

His usually comfortable, creatively untidy room is still that -- there is even Ferdinand the cat, sprawling all over Teja's bed, fast asleep. There are simply two new doors, one of them leading to a kitchen that provides all the modern comforts and appliances as well as a space to comfortably sit and eat, the other leading to Egil's room in Loki's apartment on the 12th floor.

One better should not think about how that works.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

Teja is reaching up to rub her jaw.

"Do you approve?" she asks. "It is the shape I always get when I change gender, which has happened more than once -- thanks to Milliways."

[scarred_grin]

She gets the affectionate head-bump.

Followed by Pyrrha!cat losing her balance and ending up in her lap again. Okay, she's revising her confidence levels as far as being a cat goes.

She does approve, though.

[ostro_goth]

Teja puts both hands around the cat, as if to prevent her from falling further, and rubs the fur along her spine.

[scarred_grin]

That feels good.

It would probably feel just as good in people shape, though, and in people shape she'd be able to talk.

Is this a pattern? Two gifts that involve her not being able to talk.

Eventually, she paws at her collar.

[ostro_goth]

Teja takes off Pyrrha's collar at once, and will hold on to her as she shifts her shape again.

[scarred_grin]

"That was weird," she says. "I don't know how Egil does it. Well, it might be easier for him since he hasn't had to get used to walking like people yet."

[ostro_goth]

"One gets used to it," Teja says, still stroking her spine. "I know that I did."

[scarred_grin]

"I feel like I should've gotten a mirror, so I could see myself as a cat," she says. "Cats have reflections, right? It's just vampires that don't always?"

[ostro_goth]

"Depending on which kind of vampire," Teja says. "Each kind of vampires is different, depending on the worlds they're from. It seems to be the first rule of vampirism."

[scarred_grin]

"I painted one a few weeks ago, and he sure had a reflection," she says with a grin. "Couldn't stop checking himself out. He had great hair, though. I don't blame him for liking the way he looked."

[ostro_goth]

Teja snorts. "Was that Eric Northman, or Vlad Draculea?" she asks. "Eric Northman is vain; Vlad is dreadfully vain."

[scarred_grin]

"Neither," she says. "Adrastos the pirate. Ganymede commissioned me to make some clothes for him, because they're that kind of friend, and in return he wanted a portrait done for Ganymede. So he had me paint him--put paint on him, I mean, and then paint his picture. His people did battle paint, and he really liked what I did on him."

[ostro_goth]

"I do not think I have met him," Teja says. "I know Ganymede, but not that vampire friend of his."

[scarred_grin]

"Oh, you should meet him," she says. "He's--I don't want you to feel self-conscious or anything; I can acknowledge that other people are attractive without even considering acting on it. He's nice, he's fun to draw, he's got a very striking look, and can hold a pose for a long time without getting cold or tired. I did paint him naked, but he's really gay, so there was nothing inappropriate."

[ostro_goth]

"And what is he like to speak with?" Teja asks, as somebody's looks do not matter that much to him.

[scarred_grin]

"He reminds me a lot of Toro, actually," she says. "Only more deadpan, not so much laughing at his own jokes like Toro does. He's made a study of profanity in different cultures and languages, and I taught him how to swear in Spanish and he told me about some of his pirate adventures. Pretty crazy stuff."

[ostro_goth]

"A pirate?" Teja says. "I thought you said vampire?"

[scarred_grin]

"He's both," she says. "Used to be a navy sailor, then got turned, then was a privateer I guess, and now he lives in a floating pirate city that's like a thousand ships and boats and things, all tied together with bridges between them, and it's like any other city except it's on the ocean and it moves. He's in charge of one of the districts there, and his ship glows. He said he'd take me to see it sometime, that and his art collection."

[ostro_goth]

Teja takes off his collar with one hand, still holding on to Pyrrha with the other, and shifts back to his usual form, not letting go.

"It sounds like a good place to go, adventuresome and colourful," he says. "And he is one of Ganymede's lovers?"

[scarred_grin]

"Yeah, and..."

She taps her forehead. "Apparently they're really close too, he gave him tongue lessons--really? Not a euphemism. He's got a snake-tongue, and if you can shapeshift, you can give yourself one and walk around licking things and looking cool. So weird."

She's mostly just amused.

[ostro_goth]

"As with the Nobodies," Teja says, "I should not be astonished at anything whatsoever, with him and those that are his friends and allies."

Pause.

"Is Egil supposed to be asleep in his chair, with a cat on the table," he then says, looking around her, "or is he merely drowsily fascinated by Ferdinand licking his paws?"

[scarred_grin]

"He's getting his pudding for breakfast, I guess," she says, grinning as she gets up. "Or he'll end up face-first in it. Presents tomorrow too--it's been kind of a long day for him. C'mere, puppy. Maybe the cats will sleep next to you--would you like that?"

[ostro_goth]

The cats would like it, to judge from how they instantly mill around Pyrrha's feet.

Teja gets up as well, to clear things off the table that they no longer need.

[scarred_grin]

"I'll leave the door open for them," she says, and carries Egil off to his room.

She changes him into his skeleton-patterned pajamas, and puts him in his bed. He settles in contentedly, already mostly-asleep; she tucks him in, kisses him on the forehead and then returns to the kitchen, leaving the door slightly open on her way out.

[ostro_goth]

The cats follow her straight away, and casually stay with Egil. Pudding isn't interesting for them, anyway.