Summer 2012: Neena

[Love das flockige]

Summer 2012: Neena

Selene: Selene couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Therefore, she kept her eyes scanning the foliage that surrounded them. A frown played over her face when she spotted a quick movement on a nearby branch. Oh yes, I saw what you did there, Mr. Squirrel...

J: J lead the girls through the forest, and down the trails and beaten paths. He'd grown up playing in these woods, and was more than happy to be out in them once more. "We used to have a tree house down that way..." He pointed off to one side of the trail.

Selene: Selene blinked when J's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Do you think it might still be there," she asked.

Neena: "It would be cool to see it if it was," Neena stopped to pick up a leaf. "How long ago was that?"

J: "Um... About 3 to 4 years ago was the last time we played in it... It might still be there." He said with a smile, "You guys want to go see?" He asked eagerly, already ready to lead them off the path and through the brush.

Selene: "Sure, who doesn't love looking for abandoned creepy places in the dark corners of the woods," Selene remarked, slightly grinning to herself. "If it's still there, it would make the perfect lover's nest - where they'd inevitably get slaughtered by deranged forest-dwellers."

Tigra: Tigra crept behind the group, ears twitching to keep herself one step ahead. No surprises for her. She followed them as quietly as she could. Her territory. But they didn't seem dangerous... yet anyway.

J: J started to agree with Sel untill she continued, and then kept his lips zipped tight. "It is still quite sunny out... so not that dark of a corner yet." He said helpfully, "Just a bit father, and across that little creek up there..." He continued to point out interesting things they passed like an eager 5 year old showing his mom everything he'd found.

Tigra: She frowned at the mention of the creek. There was less cover there.... but she could make the jump. Maybe...

Selene: Selene balanced over a fallen tree as they walked deeper into the woods. "Don't get me wrong, I meant that in an appreciative way," she said. "Sounds as if I'd like it there."

Neena: "I was thinking more along the lines of a quaint tree cottage in the bright woods," Neena grimaced. "But now that you mention it, that does sound really creepy."

J: J led them across the small creek, and then around a small rise and then pushed back a large pine branch to reveal a sunlit clearing with fresh flowers showing and a huge old tree with a fort in the branches, a rope ladder hanging down and steps circling the trunk. "It's still here!!" He shouted happily as he held the branch back for the girls to pass through.

Tigra: Tigra waited til they crossed the creek and passed the tree line before leaping across the gap and landing with only a small rustle. She picked up their scents and continued to follow their trail. It was kinda fun to track people.

Selene: "Don't worry, you've got us to protect you from the eerie psychos," Selene told Neena, showing the other girl a wry smile. She paused, cocking her head slightly. "Unless I was supposed to be the psycho here. If those voices could be more specific only once."

Selene: "That looks as if it would make an excellent hideout," Selene commented as they headed towards the large, old tree. "I bet it would be even more intriguing at night."

J: "Um... What voices?" J asked curiously, ushering them through and then following behind. "A friend and I found this here when we were little... Almost no one knows it's out here." He agreed with Selene.

Tigra: Yeah, almost.... She stopped on the edge of the clearing, watching them from the shadows.

Neena: "Sometimes, Selene, only sometimes, you freak me out," Neena shook her head slightly.

Selene: "Hey, not all of us are so anti-social to ostracize our imaginary friends," Selene replied, smiling at J. "They don't like being ignored." She turned to give Neena the same smile. "Only sometimes? I'll take that as a challenge to try harder."

Tigra: Swish. Swish. Swish. Her tail swung from side to side as she crouched and watched them, leaning a little forward with interest. This 'Selene' seemed strange... imaginary friends? Curious.....

J: "Ha... I worry about a mutant with imaginary friends... You never know when they might not be so 'imaginary'..." He walked across the clearing and stood at the bottom of the ladder and steps. "Looks sturdy enough..."

Selene: Selene turned around, her gaze passing over the surrounding trees, before she decided to cross the clearing. She still felt as if she was being watched. On the other hand, she always did when she stood out in the open, so that was nothing out of the ordinary. "Don't even try to start with any 'Lady's first' crap here," she commented, eying the ladder.

J: He smirked, "I guess chivalry really is dead then..." Taking hold of the first few rungs he pulled, the rope stayed taunt, so he shrugged and pulled himself up quickly, vanishing into the hole in the bottom of the fort floor.

Tigra: She leaned back into the shadows as the woman's gaze passed over her location. Stripes were excellent camoflage. She slunk round the treeline and jumped up into one of the other trees. A couple of birds took off in fright. She froze.

Neena: "That...doesn't look safe," Neena gingerly took the ladder in her hand. Then again, if J could do it...She shimmied up the ladder, struggling a bit with the first few steps.

Selene: Selene already had her hand on the rope, ready to pull herself up after Neena and J, when the startled flock of birds made her freeze up. Then, her head turned around, eyes narrowing as she stared at the edge of the clearing again.

Tigra: Tigra kept perfectly still, even her tail stopped moving. However, she wasn't happy about her perch. It wasn't stable.

J: "Come on up Selene!" He called down to her, before starting to show Neena around the small fort, pointing out the railing, and where the best view was to look over the tree tops around there and such.

Tigra: Dumb birds. Not hungry right now. She watched Selene for a moment then turned her attention to the two on the fort since they were almost on the same level as her. She shifted her weight slightly. The branch creaked.

Selene: "I'm not sure we're entirely alone," Selene replied without looking up to J. "And I'm not talking about imaginary friends, either." She slowly turned her head to glance at the other two. "I think we're being watched by badgers."

J: "Badgers?" He asked incredulously and then shrugged. Selene is crazy... just have to accept that... He smiled and continued to show Neena around, "You should see the sun set over the trees.... It looks really really awesome..."

Neena: "This must have been a blast to play in as a kid," Neena marvelled. "I should have one of these built for Toni when she gets older. Every kid should have one."

Selene: "If you say so..." Selene frowned, suspicious about the creaking sound, but eventually began to pull herself up the rope. After all, badgers couldn't look up, so they'd be safer up there in case she was right.

Tigra: She moved again, trying to get closer to the trunk of the tree. And then the worst thing happened. The branch cracked. She panicked and leapt up to the next level, dislodging a few twigs and startling a few more birds. She clung to her new perch tightly.

Selene: Selene gave a startled squeak and scaled the rope faster than she had imagined possible, more or less tumbling into the treehouse and falling into Neena and J.

J: Even J heard the snap and crash as a large branch in one of the other trees broke and fell to the forest floor. "What was that?!" He said as Selene barreled into them, them collapsing in a heap with Selene on top.

Tigra: Nothing. It was nothing. Go about your business. She tried to calm herself, her tail swishing madly to maintain her balance and working out the nervous energy.

Neena: "That definitely wasn't a badger," Neena helped herself up after wiggling herself out from under J and Selene.

Selene: Selene sat up and looked around, either not registering or not minding the fact that she still sat on J. "You mean it could be something worse," she whispered at Neena. "Like, a clown?"

Tigra: She managed to calm down and moved along the limb towards the trunk. She wasn't as sheltered from their eyes here so she made herself as small as she could but with the angle of the sun, she was worried about her eyes reflecting the light. Though she wasn't going to stop watching them.

J: J's face flushed bright red as she stayed on top of him, but he went on anyway, "I don't think there would be a clown in these woods..." He made no move to unseat her, but stayed very still. "I'll do a quick scan to see if I can find anything..." Lightning flashed across his eyes as he sent out a surge of power into the nearby woods.

Tigra: Tigra tensed as she felt her fur stand on end. What the heck was that? She still didn't move.

Neena: "I mean it could be something larger than a badger," Neena whispered back.

Selene: Selene leaned over to the edge of the treehouse, cautiously peeking past the weathered old wood and out into the woods. She believed to see something sparkly reflecting the sunlight. "I know I should have paid better attention during that wildlife documentary," she said. "Does any of you know if we have cougars this side of the country?"

J: "Mostly small vertebra animals and birds... One larger animal... about... there." He pointed in the general direction of Tigra's hiding spot. "There are some preditors... But I should be able to shut them down if they come close..."

Tigra: Tigra bit her lip as she saw him point towards her. How does he know where I am...? She was a little worried about the 'shut them down' too. The black tip of her tail flicked from side to side as she watched them. They were too far away for her to sniff out their intentions.

Selene: "Larger animal?" Selene frowned, looking down at J's face. "Could you be more specific? As in... deer, bear, or raptor-big?"

J: "Not really... Animals are more difficult to read and understand... They don't think about themselves much, and do not often see their own reflection, so I normally can't tell what they look like. It's like hacking a calculator... easy to do, but you don't get much out of it..." He tried to narrow it down as he focused.

Tigra: Oh well at least they don't know I'm a mutant.... Though she was vaguely insulted at being called an animal. Her fur was still stood on end and it was a little uncomfortable now. She wanted to smooth it down but that would mean moving. Moving meant she could be spotted.

Neena: "I don't think there are cougars out here..." Neena shrugged, but looked wary. "Are there?"

Selene: "So, that pretty much leaves us with only one possible option," Selene explained, her gaze passing over the Neena and J. "One of us has to lure it away from the tree so that the others can escape. Predators can smell blood, right? So we should be fine if I jab someone on the nose and throw him out of the house."

J: "Not in these woods, though they are native to the area." Thank you boy scouts. "Want to..." He stopped as Selene came up with her plan, realizing who the 'him' was. "Um... I can climb down on my own if need be... And no need to make me bleed...." He added quickly.

Selene: Selene sighed and shrugged, looking at J. "Well, if you insist on taking all the fun out of it..."

Neena: "I think J will be fine without the blood," Neena stepped in. "No sense in ruining his nose over a racoon...or whatever it is."

Selene: She paused, frowning. "Or we could decide to go for a much insaner plan and stay up here to wait until it's getting bored and walks aways." Selene nodded slowly.

Selene: "It's better to always assume the worst," Selene told Neena. "For what we know, there might be a landshark waiting for us down there."

Tigra: Ha! Racoon! She managed not to laugh. She sure as hell wasn't moving before they did though.

J: He gave her a hurt look, and then smiled to Neena, "Thank you." He patted Selene's leg gently. "If you'll kindly get off of me, I will go check." He asked nicely and then added, "Landsharks at native to desert type areas, they are not common in temperate forests at all..."

Selene: Selene gave J a confused look, blinking a few times before she realized that she still sat on top of him. "Right, that will make things easier," she said, relocating herself to sit next to Neena.

J: J stood and brushed himself off, straitening the press mark on his slacks. "Ok... I'll climb down, and be back in just a moment." He told them confidently, and then switfly climbed down the ladder. "Wish me luck!" He called up to them as he climbed down.

Tigra: Nonono! Stay in your tree! I'll stay in mine! Go away! She couldn't help the low growl that escaped her.

Selene: "Good luck," Selene half-heatedly called after him. "And remember, if a bear attacks you, kick it in the nuts. I've seen that on youtube."

Neena: "I'm pretty sure the guy that did that got mauled," Neena said.

Selene: "But the bear wasn't hungry any more," Selene explained. "I thought that was the point."

J: At the mention of bear J got a little more aprehensive, there might very well be a bear. He hit the ground and got his bearings again, and started slowly towards the area he sensed the larger animal from. He focused and narrowed his search with each step, working out quickly it was female, and then feline. I wonder if Hepz is playing with us... He thought for a moment, but disregarded it, he knew her mental signature already.

Tigra: Tigra's tail tapped against the trunk of the tree as she watched him closing in on her. Her claws digging in to the wood. She was torn. Jump down and confront them when she was this out numbered? Or run away?

Selene: "Perhaps we should make a break for it," Selene suggested, leaning over to Neena. "Remember, whatever it is, we don't have to outrun it. We only have to outrun J."

Neena: Neena opened her mouth to say something but decided against it. She was too horrified in general at the thought of J getting mauled by a bear. Or worse, her getting mauled and Toni left at the mercy of Ben's insane family.

J: J made his way slowly to the base of the tree, the presence he could now tell wasn't hiding behind the tree, but was in the branches. He looked up and could see almost cause of the foliage. "Hello! Anyone up there?" The 'animal' definately had higher brain function, so he would have to start thinking differently. He sent to the girls in the tree house.

Selene: A frown briefly showed on Selene's face as a thought crossed her mind. "Maybe I should have gone," she said in a strange fit of heroism. "After all, I believe I'm less squishy than J."

Tigra: No. No one's here. She remained still, perched on her branch. She caught her tail so it's anxious swishing wouldn't betray her.

Neena: "I don't know whether to be relieved or more worried," Neena muttered.

J: He sent up into the branches when he heard her thoughts. He added and waited patiently with his arms crossed, peering up into the tree.

Selene: "So it really is a deranged wood-dweller," Selene mused, her voice barely audible. "Don't worry," she called down to J, completely oblivious to the fact that she could just have contacted him telepathically. "I'm well-suited for dealing with psychos."

Tigra: Her fur stood up even higher. He could hear her thoughts?! She climbed further up. Safer up there. My tree.

J: He asked very nicely, lacing his thoughts with friendly feelings.

Selene: Selene sensed that J was communicating with someone. "Or maybe it isn't a psycho-killer after all," she told Neena.

Tigra: She paused in her climb. Maybe they weren't trying to hurt her? She cautiously started back down again, stopping when she reached the level a couple of feet above his head.

Selene: Selene perched at the edge of the tree-house, her gaze focused on the tree J was seemingly talking to. Then, she definitely noticed movement.

J: He saw the form start to materialize as she came closer. "Hello! Can you speak verbally? My name is J, what is yours?" He asked with a smile and a friendly voice.

Tigra: Verbally? Oh yeah. They prefered that. She bit her lip, "T-Tigra..." She managed. It had been a while since she'd heard her own voice. Sounded funny. She perched on her branch and leaned to peer at him, blinking huge green eyes at him. Hadn't been this close to another person that wasn't trying to hit her with something for a while either.

J: "Tigra? That is a very pretty name." He saw her huge green eyes and coloration, and mentally checked himself from reacting, "Very fitting name. What are you doing up in that tree?" He asked curiously.

J: He sent to the girls still at the tree house.

Tigra: "Watching." She sniffed the air a little.

Selene: Selene's eyes widened for a moment when she heard the strange stranger speak, then continued to stare at the fuzzy person. When she registered J's mental message, she blinked a few times, then simply hopped out of the tree house, landing on the ground. She immediately looked up again.

J: "Watching us?" He looked around, using large slow motions telegraphing what he was doing. "There is not much else out here to watch, is there?"

Neena: Neena followed more cautiously, careful not to kill herself going down the rope ladder. Not that she could...but it was habit. She tried not to stare, like Selene was doing, but it was a hopeless venture.

Tigra: "Yes. You." She looked over at the other two, tensing a little while she tried to figure out if they were friendly or not.

Selene: While she watched the decidedly feline person, Selene couldn't help but wonder whether Hepz had any siblings she had never told them about. "Hello," she dryly stated, obviously not as relaxed as J.

Tigra: Tigra tilted her head, regarding Selene. She sniffed at her too.

J: "How did you end up in these woods?" He asked, finally realizing that she had a thin layer of fur, and only a bit of tattered clothing. His face went immediately bright red as he looked away suddenly.

Selene: Selene frowned when she was sniffed. "Stop it," she said.

Tigra: She blinked at Selene then turned her attention back to J. "Live here." She moved along her branch, watching them all for any sudden movements.

Neena: "I didn't know Hepzibah had relatives," Neena said, half to herself. She didn't think she wanted to be sniffed like Selene, though this new...person...looked relatively harmless.

Selene: The lack of clothing also made it obvious that the fuzzy feline person was definitely female. "For how long," Selene asked this Tigra-person.

J: "Me neither..." She wears about as much clothing too... He fought with his shy streak for a moment and looked back up at her. "You live here in the woods? When did you start living here?" He sent to Selene and Neena.

Tigra: "Um..." She paused in her patrolling of the branch trying to remember how many winters it was, "Two?" She guessed, "I think... two years... maybe..." She smoothed down her fur a bit.

Neena: "Where did you live before?" Neena asked gently.

Tigra: She frowned a little, pausing in her grooming. "From Chicago..." She licked the palm of a hand and used it to flatten the fur on her stomach.

Selene: So at least she wasn't completely feral, Selene concluded, even though she arched an eyebrow at the grooming. More or less, anyway.

Selene: "I assume she got lost on the way to Xavier's," Selene remarked. "I've read the directions they give in their acceptance letters. They're definitely confusing. I'm surprised the woods here aren't littered with stray mutants."

Tigra: "Xaviers?" She looked up from her task, "Directions?" She blinked at the girl, "Followed the road... New York..."

J: "That would certainly explain it..." His face stayed red as she ran her hand over herself. "Are you hungry?"

Selene: "That's not meant as an encouragement to eat us, by the way," Selene quickly added.

Tigra: She raised an eyebrow, "You implying I can't feed myself?" She narrowed her eyes. "Cause I can."

Neena: "Not at all," Neena cut in diplomatically. "But you have to admit that the most self sufficient people who live in woods can't replicate the results of a fully stocked kitchen. We're just offering you some refreshment."

J: "I believe you, else you would have died here roughly 2 years ago. But I'm certain we can find something you might like up at the school if you'd care to come along."

Selene: "She's so going to eat my lemon pie," Selene mumbled to herself.

Neena: "Well then make another one," Neena nudged Selene. "This poor girl's been out here without decent food for two years. The least we can do is give her some pie."

Tigra: "School?" Her tail betrayed her interest, she turned her head to look at Selene, blinking slowly. She wasn't going to dignify that with a response. Since when did cats eat lemon pie?

Selene: "The big house, around half an hour in that direction," Selene raised her arm and pointed into the woods.

Tigra: "That's a school?" Finally satisfied with her grooming, she hopped off the branch and onto the floor where she sat in a crouch.

Neena: "Yes, and if you like you can come with us and get a good meal," Neena said. "And some clothes too."

Selene: "The latter is optional, though," Selene remarked.

Tigra: "Clothes?" She looked down at herself, "Eh. These're fine..." Though they could maybe do with a proper wash with powder and hot water... Food sounded good too. Food without feathers. Steak. Mmmmmm. "Got Steak?"

J: J kept his mouth shut about the optional and her clothes being 'fine'. "I believe we do..."

Selene: "Yes, there's a lot of steak," Selene said, breathing a inaudible sigh of relief. Her lemons seemed safe. "And also others who are a lot like you."

Tigra: "I like steak..." her eyes glazed over and her mouth watered just thinking about it. She shook herself. "More like me?"

Neena: "Quite literally, actually," Neena said, thinking of Hepzibah.

Selene: "Oh yes," Selene confirmed, giving a nod. "We have cat-people, dog-people, and even parrot-people."

Tigra: She straightened up, standing at her full height. Which again felt weird. Steak... "Okay."

J: "We even have people-people" He said jokingly.

Tigra: "I'll come..." She took a hesitant step towards them, "No funny business...."

[Love das flockige]

Tigra: Tigra jumped over the balcony and landed in the entrance hall. Her stomach had started complaining about its state of emptiness so she'd decided to abandon her attempts at writing a legible letter and get something to eat. She brought her backpack with her though, with a pen and some paper inside so she could practise while she ate. Following a scent-trail on the floor she wound her way towards the kitchen via the rec room.

Neena: "Toni, please eat," Neena coaxed, the pink rubber tipped spoon hovering at Toni's mouth. "It's banana, it's yummy!" Toni wouldn't budge, and Neena sighed. "Come on sweetheart, for mommy?"

Neena: She had slaved making mashed banana from scratch, thinking maybe the jarred food was too gross and accounted for Toni's refusal to eat, but now she had a bowl of mashed banana, and a tight lipped baby in a high chair. The situation remained the same.

Tigra: Tigra straightened up when she saw there was someone else in the kitchen - generally people thought you were strange if you crawled around on all fours. "Hi..." she smiled, sniffing the air. Strong smell of something.... fruit... the name of it escaped her. But baby! She waved at the child in the chair.

Neena: Neena turned towards the greeting and smiled. "Hi! How are you doing?" In her moment of distraction, Toni batted at the spoon in Neena's hand. Banana went flying onto the floor. Neena sighed again.

Tigra: "I'm doing... okay..." She replied carefully, she wasn't really sure how to measure how she was doing. She went to get some kitchen towel to wipe up the blob of food from the floor. "That baby yours?" She put her bag down on the island and bent to wipe up the mess, tail swishing in the air.

Neena: "Thanks, and ya, this is my daughter Antonia. We call her Toni," Neena wiped at the bit of banana that fell on the chair's tray and chucked Toni's plump chin gently. "And she is being a stubborn baby, right? Who's mama's stubborn girl?" Toni giggled mischeivously.

Tigra: "She's cute..." Tigra gave Toni a smile and put the messy paper towel in the trash. "Stubborn huh? Isn't that a natural state for kids?" She grinned, "I know I was stubborn as hell... still am actually..." she frowned, then moved over to the fridge to look for some food.

Neena: "Stubborn or no she needs to start eating real food. All she wants is breastmilk and I can't pump fast enough to keep up with her apetite anymore," Neena scooped up a bit of the banana and managed to get some into her mouth, but the baby promptly spat it back out. "How are you liking the school?"

Tigra: "It's okay..." She pulled out some chicken. "Taking some getting used to but... I think I'm getting the hang of it..." she opened the pack of chicken and put it on a plate. She looked over at Toni, "Maybe she doesn't like... that... whatever it is..." she still hadn't remembered the name.

Neena: "She doesn't like anything I give her that isn't goldfish or breast milk," Neena put the spoon down. "Are you going to...cook that?"

Tigra: "You tried eating it yourself to show her it tastes good?" She put the chicken in the microwave and set the timer for thirty seconds. "Don't like it cooked... too dry." She hit the button and watched the chicken rotate on the plate until it was warmed to room temperature.

Neena: "That can't be good for your health," Neena made a face. Microwaved raw chicken...oh yeah, she forgot how strange this place could be. "Those chickens are raised in god knows what conditions. It's probably reeking with E.coli," she dabbed her finger into Toni's bowl and licked off the banana. "I could eat her whole plate and she wouldn't budge. I think it's just a phase. That's what my mother said."

Tigra: "Sure she'll eat if she's hungry enough..." She took the plate out and sat down, "I was living on pigeons for two years that I had to catch myself... this is like gourmet food as far as I'm concerned." She took a bite.

Neena: "Ok ew, ew, ew," Neena got up and snatched the plate away as soon as she had put the chicken down. "You can not eat this. Let me fix it for you."

Tigra: Tigra blinked at her, "Hey! That's my lunch!" she reached for it, "I like it this way... I haven't had cooked food in forever...." her tail swished anxiously. She wasn't sure she'd like it if it was cooked.

Neena: "Well it's time you started eating it again, right?" Neena dumped the chicken into a frying pan with some olive oil and took out some tomatoes, which she chopped and threw onto the pan.

Tigra: She watched the tomatoes go into the pan and bit her lip, "I... um... please... it's fine, really.... you don't need to...." She knew it was hopeless by now but still... "I don't... um... I haven't eaten anything but raw meat for two years...."

Neena: "Great! You can seize the oppurtunity and start afresh," Neena added onions and a few herbs for good measure. The tomato began to release their juices and their smell. "I can't imagine going for so long without a cooked meal. How did you do it?"

Tigra: "Didn't really have a choice?" The smell was nice at least... her stomach agreed with another gurgle. "I didn't have any money when I left... couldn't get near an atm without people making a fuss... Did what I had to do to survive..." She shrugged, "It wasn't as difficult as it probably should have been... guess the instincts are strong..."

Neena: "Yeah...instincts," Neena still shuddered at the thought of eating raw meat. Something about killing it, then tearing it open with one's bare hands...like something out of Castaway. "It sounds gross to me."

Tigra: "Well... when you're starving... anything looks good... and pigeons are dumb so they're easy to catch..." Her tail tapped against the side of the island as she watched Neena cook, "And I didn't have to worry much about getting sick... I have that quick healing thing a few people seem to share around here..."

Neena: "I guess in that case it couldn't hurt," Neena flipped the chicken and glanced over at Toni, who was reaching for the spoon on the table. "Do you mind handing the spoon to her? She likes to play with it."

Tigra: "Sure..." she reached for the spoon then remembered she'd been handling raw chicken and got up to wash her hands first before passing the spoon over to the child. "There you go." She gave her a smile.

Neena: Toni took the spoon and stuffed it in her mouth awkwardly. Neena watched and smiled. "I wonder if I should just give her the bowl and see what happens. She loves playing with the spoon."

Tigra: "That could work too - maybe she wants to feed herself?" She grinned, her green eyes sparkling - she loved children, except when they pulled her tail. "Want me to keep an eye on her since you're occupied... least I can do..."

Neena: "Yeah, that would be great, I'm almost done here," Neena turned back to the frying pan. "She's a little wary of strangers though, she tends to ignore people until they get to close. Watch out if you want to preserve your hearing."

Tigra: "Okay no problem..." she picked up the bowl of mashed up food and put it on the little table on the highchair within reach of Toni and the spoon. "So what do you think, Toni? Wanna feed yourself for a change?" She was vaguely concerned that her fur would suffer for the offer but well... there was always a shower....

Neena: Toni regarded the spoon for a second before tossing it aside and sticking her hand in the bowl. Neena turned off the heat and dumped the chicken onto a clean plate with the pseudo sauce. "Here," she set the plate down before noticing Toni. "Ah, so that's what you wanted, you little elf," Neena kissed the top of Toni's head. "She just wanted to make a mess."

Tigra: Tigra giggled, "Oh well it was worth a try, huh?" She patted the little girl on the head gently then went to her own plate. She sniffed at it as she reached for a knife and fork. Did smell tastey... She cut a small piece of chicken and put it on her fork with a bit of tomato. Taking a breath she put it in her mouth.

Neena: "Well some of it is making it to her mouth," Neena observed as Toni sucked on her own fingers. "Well? How is it? Sorry its not bloody enough."

Tigra: She managed to swallow it, it was nice but the texture and flavour were completely alien to her. She smiled at Neena, "It's good..." She cut another small piece, "Different... but not bad..."

Neena: "Good," she nodded before going to the counter and getting some paper towels to clean up Toni. "Let's not be eating raw chicken anymore, yeah?"

Tigra: "Well... let's not be hasty..." Tigra said carefully, "I may be liking it now... but give it a few hours then we'll see..." She curled her tail around the stool she was sat on, "Used to love fruit and stuff... but since... well.... I don't know... Kinda forgot about it... Meat's very appealing... Especially steak."

Neena: "You'll get used to it," Neena said reassuringly. "I can assure you it's much better than killing pigeons."

Tigra: "Anything's better than killing pigeons." Tigra stated, "Trust me."