Three Friends and One Small Cat

Log Info

• Title: Three Friends and One Small Cat

• Emitter: Dolan

• Characters: Andelena, Dolan, Zeke

• Place: Andelena and Dolan's apartment

• Summary: Andelena brings Zeke by to the apartment she shares with Dolan for some friendly discussion. Zeke learns about pets, and both Andelena and Dolan learn more about sith-makar. The conversation takes a turn when they learn that Zeke's mother is in Mictlan and has been sending messengers after him. Andelena and Dolan pledge to help their friend any way they can.

A bright and sunny winter day with a bitterly chill wind can stay outside today, thank you. Inside the tiny flat that Andelena and Dolan share, things are quiet, warm, and peaceful, if still cluttered. It's at least clean and organized, but it's just not big enough to be called neat. Adventuring gear for both Andie and Dolan is stored in a corner, Dolan's greatsword on the wall and both of their armor on racks nearby The rest of it is tucked in and around the racks, including the slim longsword that hangs by its belt and scabbard atop Dolan's breastplate. Their packs, however, are nowhere to be seen. Warmth floods the place from the small hearth built into the wall of the upstairs affair, but it's not really set up for cooking beyond a teakettle.

Dolan is curled up on the reupholstered sofa, wrapped in a ratty blanket, attempting to read the book that Auranar handed him the previous evening. Attempted, because sitting on the open pages is a calico catling, her hind end on the open page, her paws on his shoulders, sniffing his face, and he's trying very hard not to laugh. His artificial eye is in.

The door opens to the flat, with Andelena stepping inside. "Zeke, c'mon in--we don't have guests over at all these days, but for you, we'll make an exception any damn day of the week," the junior Sunguard explains, her breath already frosting over from the proximity to the cold. Her cloak is drawn tightly around her, and judging by the expression on her face, she's grateful for the idea of a nice, cozy flat.

"Babe, I'm back!" Andelena announces as she walks in--and then she looks at the cat affair that's going on with Dolan. She grins from ear to ear. "Awww, is the baby girl giving her daddy some kisses?" Yup, that's Andelena's cat lady voice coming out.

Zeke is just a few steps behind Andelena, his own cloak drawn tightly around himself against the chill wind. As he comes in, he lets go of it, and one might notice that the cloak is actually torn, a small bit of cloth actually ripped away from the edge of the cloak and is simply missing. "Sssaa. Thisss one isss grateful for the invitation." His green eyes slide to Dolan and the cat on him and tilt's his head quizzically at them. "Thisss one did not know that either of you had a... Familiar?"

The word is clearly unfamiliar to him, or at least one that he doesn't use very often. He looks between the pair curiously.

When Zeke walks through the door, Patches' head snaps up, and she dashes off into the back room in a blur of teeth and fur, leaving the open page crinkled and Dolan starting and staring after her. "Crazy cat," he grins, closing the book and setting it aside. "Welcome back, baby. Brightest of days, Zeke, it's good to see you. Been thinking about you." He does not, notably, remove the blanket, but he does sit up and make room for others on the sofa. There's a small table with two chairs not far from the hearth, and turned backwards, they are likely to be suitable for a sith makar. The book gets closed and tucked under the front edge of the sofa.

Andelena ducks back behind Zeke as he steps inside, closing the door so that the cold wind doesn't dare disturb the flat any longer. She grins as she sees Patches darting off for safety. "Not a magic familiar, no," she says. "We have two little cats. That one you saw was Patches; we've got a smaller one named Spot. They adore Bry." That's said in the most teasing manner, of course.

She first makes things hospitable and turns one of the chairs by the table backwards, pulling it a little closer to the heart, before she walks over to the sofa and sits down next to Dolan. "They're both a bit shy, though. We don't usually have people over, so they're only used to us being around."

Shuddering in the change of temperature, Zeke makes his slow careful way to the chairs. He shifts his tail carefully out of the way before seating himself and humming low in his throat, eyes lingering after the feline. "Ssssaa. Thisss one under-ssstandsss. You are raisssing them for food yesss? It ssseemsss a sssmall animal for sssuch, but thisss one iss sssure that it fattensss up niscely." He considers for a moment, wondering if Seldan would mind having such an animal around. "Perhapsss thisss one ssshould sssee about one."

Despite himself, Dolan quickly shakes his head, and lays a hand on Andelena's arm to forestall her. "They're not food, Zeke," he answers, grinning at Andelena for the teasing. "They're hers. She keeps them as pets -" He frowns, flesh-and-blood eye flitting as he searches for an example. "It's sort of like Dirk and Lulu, although Lulu's a bit smarter. She's a friend. On a farm, they live in the barn and keep rats away from the horses' grain, yeah?" He snuggles close to Andelena, but still keeps a hand on her arm. "We had to force a shadow demon out of Spot."

Andelena does, in fact, blink a few times in disbelief that Zeke actually said that. Clearly she's trying to figure out if this is some sort of sith-makar humor that just isn't translating well, and then Dolan explains the concept of a pet. She just nods afterward, although she smiles as Dolan snuggles up to her. "Here, they're just spoiled rotten babies who give us company and companionship. They helped me out a lot when Bry was recovering--I'd come back from the Temple and get some quality snuggle time in with the girls."

She purses her lips at the mention of the shadow demon. "Yeah, that happened. Promise there aren't demons in the kittens right now, though."

Zeke's tail curls around his feet, flick flicking. For a moment he looks after the the cat, but he lets the thought of them being 'food' go and tries to imagine instead this new concept of 'pet'. "Sssaaa. Thisss one hasss not heard of sssuch. But there are few animalsss in Am'ssshere which are... pleasssant to be in the company of. Though thisss one imaginesss that finding demonsss in them would make them lesss pleassant."

Surprised, Dolan looks over at Andelena, and squeezes her arm a little. "Can't imagine that was easy, baby." There's a touch of embarrassment? Guilt? there, and it hangs for just a moment. He turns back to Zeke, then, but his smile is wan, and barely tugs at the scars on his face. "They're -" He stops again, shrugging. "They're hers, but they've decided they like me half the time." It's all the explanation he can give. "I dunno if she'll come back out. Maybe. The demon was less pleasant, but once I forced the demon out, Spot hid and I just had to take out the demon. You remember that time I came to the temple messed up and freezing my ass off?"

"Easy doesn't play into it, babe," Andelena replies as she looks back at Dolan, smiling. "It was just part of what had to be done."

As she speaks, there's a smaller calico kitten that creeps out of the back room, like she can tell she's being discussed. Streeeeeetch, first pushing out her front paws and wiggling her butt in the air, and then she scrunches up her back--

And then the kitten seems to notice Zeke. Little feline eyes stare at the scaled sith-makar. Her back remains arched, like she's about to crab-walk away at the next sudden movement from what is, as far as Spot is concerned, the overgrown blue-scaled bipedal alligator in her domain.

"Aww, is that Spot now?" Andelena coos, angling her head around to get a better look at the kitten. "Yes it iiiiiiis. Hi baby."

Conversation that was pleasant became suddenly secondary as the arrival of one of the kittens became the focal point. Zeke's tail tip flicked-flicked. Flick-flicked. But the rest of him didn't move. Even his eyes failed to blink properly as he and the kitten stared at one another. He didn't seem to know what to make of the little tiny creature.

Dolan finally pushes down the blanket he's been curled up under, revealing a loose, low-necked shirt of the style he used to wear. It is untied at the neck, and loose enough to reveal at least a few of the new scars, but he doesn't seem to mind. "It's all right, Zeke," he offers, grinning. "Can I offer you some tea? Don't think we've got much food right now, aside from the rations, but we've got tea. I think we even have a kind I'm not tired of yet." The cheeky grin comes out, and it lights up his face. "Move too fast and she'll run, cats don't like sudden movements. If you'll come pick out a tea you like, Andie can try and get Spot to come out so you can see, yeah?"

Spot doesn't know what to think of Zeke at first either. But then the tail starts moving. Flick-flick, flick-flick, flick-flick. Suddenly the fact that the tail is huge and belongs to a giant lizard doesn't dissuade Spot, because the tail? It's evil. It's shiny. And that means it must die! She hunches down, her eyes locked onto the tip of Zeke's tail, her tiny head flicking with every tail movement. Her eyes dilate, her butt lifts up into the air and wiggles--

ATTACK! Spot darts across the floor and launches herself onto Zeke's tail, kitten needle-claws grasping at scales as Spot tries to bite onto the very tip of the tail. Key word: tries. The kitten doesn't exactly find purchase and slips off Zeke's tail. But in the feline attitude, she totally meant to do that. To get the tail to lower its guard. That's why she tactically retreats to safety.

Which is in Dolan's blanket-covered lap. She climbs and hides in the folds of the blanket! ... Which she doesn't exactly camouflage into, but nobody's ever told Spot that before. The whole thing happens so fast that Andelena only busts out into belly-shaking laughter. "It looks like I'm getting the tea, babe," Andelena says as she rises from the sofa. "At least she likes your tail, Zeke?"

"Tea?" Zeke says slowly, taking his eyes off the kitten. Which is the exact moment that she attacks! He looks down at her as she fails to 'kill' his tail and as she bounds away to safety once again. His tail flicks again, amusement coloring his features. It seems that he finds the kitten humorous. "Ssshe? Yessss ssshe sseemss to think it isss prey." The tail is flickering in good will, and likely to draw another attack from the kitten. "Ssshe isss acting like a hatchling. They enjoy playing catch-the-tail."

And SUDDENLY LAPKITTEN!

Dolan doesn't have time to do anything more than get halfway up before the whole exchange happens, so blindingly fast that he automatically catches the kitten and sits back down, laughing heartily himself as Spot turns around and hides in the folds of the blanket. "She's a kitten, Zeke. A baby cat. I guess it's not that different, is it? You know, I really don't know a lot about the sith-makar. They never seemed open to getting to know us humans. I didn't want to be rude."

Maybe this was part of Spot's devious plan all along. Either way, now that she's in Dolan's lap, the kitten is purring, her eyes slowly closing to indicate her utter joy at having a turn in the ideal blanket-human-lap combo. She doesn't move even as Andelena goes to assemble the teakettle, picking out the tea that Dolan can tolerate the most.

"I don't know much either," Andelena admits as she walks with the teakettle back over to the hearth, setting it into place. "In my experience, it's... Well, it feels like showing up to someone's house uninvited and then demanding to know the story behind every knick-knack you've got out on the walls and on the tables. The curiosity's there, but how the hell do you go about asking without coming off like an asshole?"

Zeke offers a faint bit of amusement. "Thisss one hass ssimilar curiosssity about sssoft-ssskinsss. Many quessstionsss, but it iss impolite to asssk. If you wisss to know how-ever you need only asssk thisss one. Though..." He looks down a little bit. "Thisss one doess not know the People ass well ass some." That's an odd statement for a sith-makar to make. How can one not know ones own people?

Dolan looks down at his lap as the kitten settles in on his lap, turns around, marches a couple of times, and plops down on his lap with a purrrrrrrrrrrrrr. "I don't get it, Andie. I swear I don't. They're just -" He stops halfway, knowing that his half-hearted protest is a lie, and just sighs. "Sorry, baby. I can put her down if you'd rather I got the tea."

Zeke's comment, though, he considers. "Well, I got the impression from the couple of times I dreamed with you that your sense of smell's a lot better than ours. And, I mean, if you're curious you can ask the same of us. Just keep in mind that softskins from different places are going to give you different answers, because their way of life can be completely different, yeah?"

"Are you kidding, Bry? There's almost nothing that makes me happier in this world than seeing you with one of the girls in your lap," Andelena says with the widest, shit-eating grin as she goes to sit down next to Dolan on the sofa again. She doesn't even dare pet Spot, because that's a kitten who looks to be the epitome of comfortable, and it'd be a crime to jostle her.

She looks back to Zeke and gives him a gentle nod. "I don't think either of us expect you to be an expert on makari just because you are sith-makar," she says. "But you are the expert on what that means to you, if that makes any sense. I've thought about it myself, what it means to be 'human'--and to tell you the truth? I have no fucking clue. Other than being everywhere and surviving where we shouldn't."

Zeke nods to Dolan and then to Andelena. "Yesss. Thiss one believesss that the People sssmell better than ssoft-ssskinsss do. We ssmell little thingsss, isss a way of talking with-out talking ssome-times. If thisss one isss ssscared, all othersss of the People know. Can sssmell." He touches his own snout and nods. "Thisss one hass wondered... How do you not get... injured with-out sscalesss to protect you? It ssseeemsss to thisss one that you would?"

"A form of communication you can't hide or lie about. Huh." Dolan reaches to gently pet the purring kitten, and the only response is a purrrrrrrrrrr. He leans back into the sofa, still occasionally stroking the tiny thing from head towards its tail. "Skin's tougher than you'd think," he offers after a moment of thought. "And it heals quicker than you'd think. These two scratch Andie and me up all the time. Don't think I didn't notice, baby." A cheeky grin is added to that. "It bends where scales don't."

That gets a grin from Andelena, too. "Honestly, I stopped noticing cat scratches on myself after a while," she says. "Just clean them up and off I go about my business. The girls are sweet, but they don't really know how to be careful with their claws sometimes." There's a knowing glance offered to Spot's tiny murder-mittens, which flex out and draw back in with Dolan's stroking.

"It's easier to break than your scales are," Andelena admits, "but it also heals quicker. Like Bry said, the cat scratches? Basically are gone in a day or two, like they were never there, if you clean them properly. And like Bry said--the bending. The skin's good at withstanding some types of damage due to that property. Which, I know, sounds fucking nonsense, but it's true."

Zeke nods. "Thisss one hasss noticed that it isss true. You heal very quickly. Your ssskin doesss. Not like ssscales that grow back ssso ssslowly. Leaving gaping woundsss." He shakes his head and rubs his crystal claw softly over the flesh and blood one.

"Does breaking a scale hurt?" Dolan's question is offhand, but relaxed and easy, the stroking continuing, even as Spot digs her claws in happily at the stroking. His stroking slows down a little, even as he looks down and shakes his head bemusedly at the tiny thing. "I think she's planning on going to sleep," he tells Andelena. "How do you deal with that, when a scale comes out like that and has to grow back?"

Even though Andelena has no personal frame of reference for breaking a scale and regrowing it, the whole concept of it makes her shudder, just a little. The Sunguard has seen a lot, and dealt with a lot, but clearly, she's imagining what it'd really be like to have scales--and then have one that is, as Zeke describes, not a scale, but a gaping wound. "I imagine you'd have to cover it, yeah," she says. "It's..."

She realizes something. "Could be like our fingernails and toenails? You break one, you have to wait for them to grow back in and for them to grow back in right." Despite the subject matter, she seems to realize that this could be a common point between the makari and the softskins after all.

Zeke's tail shifts in satisfaction like a teacher with an apt pupil. "Yesss. Thisss one hasss sseen thiss injury and they are very sssimilar. The scaless are harder, and they take longer to heal naturally. With prayersss, the flessh closesss, but the sscaless... they are more difficult. Sssome-timesss with more powerful prayersss they heal, but with othersss they require merely time."

"So, it's like having fingernails, but all over." It is Dolan's turn to shudder at that, trying to imagine that - and losing one. "That would be - really different. If one gets damaged, does a new one grow in and eventually the damaged one falls out, like our fingernails do?" Now that he's gotten the opportunity to ask questions, he perks up, keenly interested, his brown-eyed gaze sharp, artificial eye and all. "You know, I've never, ever, seen a sith-makari baby - I guess they'd be a hatchling like you said. "Why?"

Spot is, indeed, rapidly falling asleep, even with the menace of Zeke's tail active once more. She can save her domain and her helpless, no-good-at-hunting humans later, apparently. Dolan's lap is thoroughly occupied.

The teakettle begins to sing, and Andelena gets up from the sofa, making her way back to the hearth to pull it out. She looks thoughtful as Dolan mentions makari babies. "Huh--I don't think I have, either," Andelena says, a genuine look of almost puzzled realization crossing her face.

Zeke nods to Dolan. "Yesss. If one getssss damaged or old, it fallssss out. Very itchy. But it fallsss out and a new one growss in ssslowly." He tilts his head at the two humans as they question him about sith children and he wags his tail a little more enthusiastically. "The hatchlingsss are greatly protected. When an egg isss laid, it isss taken to be watched over by many of the People. It iss an honor to be chossen to protect the next generation. Then when they are born they are very clossely watched over. Ssso that no harm comess to them. There are few in Alexandria, sso thisss one isss not ssurprissed that you have not ssseen one."

Dolan has absolutely zero desire to disturb Spot, for all his protestations - there's something comforting about the tiny weight in his lap. "So, instead of the hatchlings being raised by the parents who gave birth to them, there's people chosen by the tribe to raise them all?" He scratches at the side of his jaw, turning that idea over in his mind.

When the teapot sings, he looks up, but not for long, letting Andelena handle the teapot. He seems relaxed today, with little nervous energy. "I guess Alexandria's not where the tribe is, so it's not where the kids are going to be."

"That makes sense if you view a tribe as an entire family, I guess," Andelena remarks as she fetches cups to pour the tea into. She sets the cups down on the table and begins to fill them. "And honestly, raising kids? It's a lot of work. Part of why I was chicken shit about the whole idea until recently."

She puts the kettle down and offers Zeke his cup first, then she gets Dolan his. Finally, she sits down on the sofa with her own cup, offering a little smile at the catling who snoozes away in Dolan's lap. "Really, just sounds like the makari practice the whole 'it takes a village' mindset. Nothing wrong about it to me."

Zeke's enthusiasm seems to dim somewhat, just a little, but he gratefully accepts the tea from Andelena. "It isss true for mossst of the People." He says gently, sniffing the tea and seeming to enjoy the result. "The People are for the mossst part, very much what that word impliessss. Not one, but many. There are few of usss who do not have many kin."

Dolan takes his own cup of tea, careful not to disturb the sleeping ball of fur in his lap. He sniffs at it, nods, lets out a small breath, but doesn't drink immediately, instead letting it warm his hands and turning a warm, softer smile on Andie. "You aren't doing all that work alone, baby." The statement is left, then, in favor of considering Zeke. "It sounds like you're one of those exceptions." Quiet sympathy lurks in the words. "Are those why?" He nods to the crystal limbs.

Andelena grins at Dolan's first sentiment, giving him a kiss on the cheek before she goes to taste her own tea, which she does with a fairly generous gulp and an appreciative nod. There's a moment where she lets Dolan's words hang in the air without adding anything to them, just turning to Zeke and giving him a sympathetic look.

Zeke holds his cup with his crystal claw, and lays his other claw on his arm. "It isss... complicated. Thisss onesss nesst-mother left the tribe when thisss one wasss but an egg. Ssshe descided to raissse thiss one alone. A thing which very, very few of the People choossse to do. When ssshe sssaw that thisss one wasss with-out limbsss... Ssshe descided to never return. To raissse thisss one alone. To offer no kin, no cassste, no othersss were permitted." He blinks and stares at his tea. "Thisss one wasss a conssstant sssource of disssappointment and sssorrow for her, and remainsss sso. The dragon-father blesssed thisss one late in life with thessse limbsss. But ssshe doesss not sssee them. Sssshe ssseess only one who iss broken."

Dolan finally sips carefully at his tea, holding it in both hands, then transferring it to his right to hold the teacup up against the joint of his left shoulder. He makes no comment about this, most of his attention on the story being told, but at its end, he frowns. "No family? That - that's awful. I mean, her mother's a selfish bitch who might be consorting with demons, but she's got a family, at least." He purses his lips, the right side pulling on the melted flesh across his cheek. "You know what, though? That's her doing, not yours. You didn't ask for any of that. It sounds like she's angry at herself and taking it out on you."

Andelena huffs a little. "Yeah, it's true, we're both members of the awful mothers meeting house, Zeke, but... damn. Yours is a real fucking piece of work. She isolated you on purpose, and then shamed you for something you weren't in control of. Fuck, that's just..."

She shakes her head. "I don't even have the words. Awful. I'm so damn sorry you lived through that, Zeke. Really, really sorry you did, because no kid deserves that from a parent."

Zeke offers a faint wag of his tail, nodding low to these two who had offered their words of kindness to him. "Sssaa. You are both very kind. Thisss one did not know that you did not have... good nessst-mother Andelena. Thisss one would not wisssh that hard-ssship on any." He looks at her fiercely. "Thisss one will defend you ssshould you have need. Thisss one isss here, for you both." He nods again, very low this time.

"Zeke, I will put it to you plainly." Dolan pulls his tea away from his shoulder to take another long, slow pull of it. "This is good baby," he adds to Andelena, before going on. "Her mother hates my guts enough to send demons after my family, because Andie wanted me instead of some old fart with a belly long enough to hide his dick in flab." He appears to be unaware of the scandalous nature of his words. "You've done so much for the both of us already. You can always come talk to us, if you need a warm fire or someone to talk to. You're a damned fine servant of the Knight - the Dragonfather - and you deserve far better than the way you've been treated. Is this crazy creature you came out of still living?"

"Zeke, like we've both said before," Andelena smiles over the rim of her cup, which she's very glad she wasn't drinking before Dolan describes the theoretical sort of man to whom her mother was looking to marry her. "We're more than grateful to you. I appreciate the aid to help with my mother, but sounds like it's our turn as friends to repay the favor, no?" That word is important--friends--and she puts more than a bit of emphasis on it.

Zeke blinks at this, and perhaps a few times trying to parse Dolan's venom. He wants to ask about Andelena's situation, but Dolan's question leaves him flabbergasted. "Sssaa. Yesss ssshe isss. Ssshe isss in Mictlan. Ssshe... hasss been sssending othersss to look for thisss one." This clearly makes him uncomfortable and he looks at Andelena. "You have no favor to repay Andelena. Thisss one isss happy to have been able to aid you both. There isss no need to act for thisss onesss ssake."

"Is that so." Dolan's tone turns dark, anger beneath it, a smoldering thing beneath the surface. He remains where he is, though, the words almost drawled. "Zeke, I know what it's like to have someone trying to find you, and not because they want to give you a kiss on the cheek. I'm not going to put an enemy through that, never mind a friend. If someone comes after you, call on me."

Andelena looks similarly displeased as Dolan does, her steel-grey eyes narrowing. "Sending people after you? Yeah, that sounds real familiar," she says. "Your mother and my mother could get along real fucking nice. I'm with Bry here, which means that I'm with you. We're not about to leave a friend behind in the lurch to deal with his own sorry excuse for a parent."

There comes a sigh from elsewhere in the room--to be exact, where Deliverance hangs on the wall. That gets Andelena's brow raised. "What, now you're voicing your disapproval, Deliverance? You been asleep, or what?" she calls over to the blade.

"My disapproval is, this time, of the mothers, not the words," Deliverance replies. "I will support Andelena in this matter."

That gets a little smirk on Andelena's face as she looks over to Zeke. "You hear that? Even she agrees, and she's usually on my ass for--"

"Language."

Zeke holds up a claw, trying to abate Dolan's anger. "It isss okay Dolan. Ssshe isss not hurting thisss one any-more. Thisss one isss not young any longer, and sssshe isss far away. Sssaa." He forgets in this moment that he's never mentioned to Dolan that his mother had hurt him at all. He forgets because to him that had been the norm for so long. Long enough that even all these years later it doesn't seem as odd to him as it should. In that moment, his words are faster than his mind. He blinks at the sword as it joins in seemingly against mothers in general and he lowers his claw with a sigh. "Thisss one doesss not sssuppose thisss one can dissssuade you?"

The revelation is not lost on Dolan, whose remaining eyebrow lifts, but he makes no comment on it, the inner inquisitor filing that bit of information away. Instead, he turns to look at the sword on the wall. "Andie, that thing is like Mama all over again, only worse." Enough of that, though, and he turns his entire face to Zeke again. "Nah. That's what friends are for, Zeke. We have your back, just like you have ours. I won't do anything right now, but if what you say ever changes, don't think I won't come to your aid."

Andelena just gives a partial eye-roll to Deliverance, but she does catch that slip of the tongue. Her steel-grey eyes go from a squinting sort of outrage to sympathetic in the span of a second. "Zeke..."

She just stares at him for a moment. Finally, she just gets up, puts her teacup on the table, and then walks to Zeke, arms open. "C'mere. I'd like to give you a hug if you want one. No skin off my back if you don't, but in my experience--people like us need them. All three of us do, to some extent."

The blue scaled sith nods to Dolan. "If thisss one hasss need, thisss one will remember." Then Andelena is standing and... He flicks his tail in amusement and his expression becomes somewhat wry. But he's worked a long time, and come a long way to be able to do this. He rises to his feet and carefully holds his tea out wide before offering a very light, very gentle embrace for the woman. "You are very kind Andelena. Thisss one iss grateful that you asssked."

"It's one of the many reasons I love her." Dolan grins affectionately up at Andelena, for the offer, and the hug, and sets aside a sleepy Spot on the sofa to stand up and, if the pair will let him, join the hug. It seems the thing to do, and although he cannot fully relate to the pain that Zeke and Andelena both know - his parents being a nice, normal pair of people - it's true. Zeke has in the last couple of months become someone he'll fight for.

Andelena, of course, motions for Dolan to join the hug. "Get over here, handsome," she says with a wide, wide grin. She embraces both Zeke and Dolan, because in here, in this moment, they are not merely Daeusites convening in an apartment that seldom ever has visitors. They are friends in the light.

But there comes a brush of fur between all sets of legs. Spot looks up at the trio with those pleading feline eyes of hers, having hopped off the sofa and snuck into the group in the way only a tiny cat can. She sits down on the floor, somewhere between pairs of feet, and offers all of the much taller people a small little meow to match her size.

"Aww, she wanted in on the hug, too," Andelena says with a little laugh.

And that's the sort of joy that's made here, between three friends and one small cat.