mogget_cat | OOM: On the road again...

OOM: On the road again...

*It's going to be a cloudy day, the sky a drab, overcast grey. The early morning chill is still making its presence felt, to the group's discomfort. Luckily, it hasn't rained, so the going is still relatively easy.*

*Jason is walking a ways in front of Elizabeth and Khemrys. Yrael rides on Jason's shoulders to both keep the chill wind off Jason's neck and to help himself stay balanced as he rides in varying degrees of waking and sleeping.*

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Jason seems to be unable to get his pack into a comfortable position, and as such has been shifting it for most of the morning.

His discomfort is unusual, but not nearly as much as his silence. He was amiable enough to everyone that morning, but has barely made any snarky comments.

"You know," he says after awhile with a ghost of a smirk, "you make a great neck warmer. It makes carrying you almost enjoyable."

*Yrael bats a paw at Jason's hair, drowsily.* Aw, Jason. I'm flattered. You must have worked really hard to come up with that.

...if we are going to be generous, then I must say that it is clear you have been practicing walking, for you are no longer walking like a inebriated toddler.

Jason purposefully pitches one shoulder forward deeply, much like obnoxious horses do when they no longer want you on their back (and you go sailing over their shoulder from a full canter and land on your head and crack your skull...fucking horse...)

*Yrael moves with it and licks Jason's nose.*

It was a compliment.

Jason tries not to grin as he wipes his nose.

"Just didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about you up there."

Plus it's a good wakeup call. He might actually have missed getting his Yrael wakeup call this morning, since he didn't actually sleep much to begin with.

He sighs wearily. "I hope there's another inn whereever we stop for the night. I'm already tired."

You are tired already? You need to learn how to rest while on the move, Jason.

*There is a teasing purr from Jason's passenger.*

But really, why are you tired? The inn last night was comfortable enough, I thought. A couple of kitchen girls gave me a bowl of soup and talked about buying me. It was very amusing. Very good soup, as well.

Jason eyes widen a bit as he tries not to laugh out loud. It seems he was a convincing actor after all. And thinking about all that was much safer.

"Very good soup, I'm sure. So they wanted to buy you, huh? Were they talking about a decent price?"

*Yrael snorts through his whiskers.* Of course they weren't. They thought I was just a cat. They even tried to take me home with them, later, but I politely declined the offer.

Thank you for remembering to leave the window open, by the by. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get in.

Jason snorts as well.

"I'm sure you did. Pity, I'm sure you would have bought us a decent meal at the next stop."

He waves the thanks off. "I needed the air. To be honest, I didn't think you might be sneaking out."

*Yrael pokes his nose against Jason's ear.* You weren't really asleep when I came back. I could tell.

Jason shakes his head in agreement.

"No, I wasn't. I just was having trouble getting to sleep last night."

His brain was much too loud for sleep.

Why? *Yrael tilts his head, curious.* You usually snore to wake the Dead. And I would know.

Jason opens his mouth, hoping for an excuse, but instead gives protest.

"I don't snore! At least not that loud anyway. If it could wake the dead, I would have had complaints from Jean Claude years ago."

He turns his head to look at Khemrys and Elizabeth, glad they were well enough behind him. Still, he isn't sure exactly what to say, or perhaps he just doesn't want to admit to anything.

The Dead, not the undead. And yes, you do. Occasionally. *Yrael pokes Jason's ear again. Jason is not the best at hiding things, Yrael has found.*

Why weren't you sleeping?

Jason is usually good at hiding things, but then he's usually not surrounded by friends when he wants to sort through his feelings. That's what he was able to do in the hours and hours he had to himself at the Circus.

"Khemrys and I went downstairs for dinner last night. Some of the things she said stuck in my head, and I've been trying to sort it all out since."

*Yrael has found that unwavering curiosity gets through the distractions thrown out by those who are trying to hide something. It has been very useful.*

One may find that talking things over with a close friend helps put thoughts in order. What did she say that kept you up?

Jason lets out a breath and collects his thoughts, letting his pace bring him further out of earshot.

"She was on again about all that crap the nuns or whoever fed her about not being attractive enough to ever have someone. Well, the locals were giving us...mainly her, a hard time, so I gave them a story to get them off our back."

His tone suggests there is more to it than this.

*Tales about being considered not attractive enough by the world's standards... Locals giving her a hard time, connected with aforementioned tales...*

You said you and she were together.

Jason nods.

"It really upset her. I didn't think it should have upset her so much. But..."

He lets himself be distracted by a group of birds flying past quickly overhead, sounding almost as if they're chastising him for his stupidity. Stupid birds.

"Things got a little too real for both of us after that, so we turned in."

*Suggest getting rid of the birds, Jason, and Yrael may oblige.*

*But for now, his insatiable curiosity about different worlds has found some use.* In some lands, such a statement could have severe consequences. Neither of you show any outward signs of union in any world I have read about. No rings, no symbolic colors or pieces of clothing, Khemrys does not go about with her hair covered, you do not wear a silver chain about your neck. ...not that you would, anyway.

Even if this land does not go by outward signs of union, Jason, there are some lands where such a union is made by the mere speaking of it.

Jason grumbles slightly, possibly acknowledging that Yrael was right.
"Well we don't have to worry about that, the locals made sure to point out the flaws in my story."

Which he also had a story for, not that it helped with the other matter.

"I wish those nuns had minded their own business. There's nothing wrong with her at all, certainly not anything to keep her from having plenty of guys after her."

He just doesn't understand the taste of a Dale's Lord perhaps.

We know that, to our delight. They just do not know how to see but by those standards they are told to hold.

We are in their land, however, and to pass as citizens we have to be able to at least have the seeming of inhabitants of this world, along with appearing to support their established views so as not to gather more attention than we already do.

Jason's expression darkens.

"I'm not going to play along that she's beneath everyone else. If you had seen the looks she was getting in there, you'd agree with me."

Stubborn little wolf, isn't he.
Besides, he's not sure he could pull off looking at her that way.

What are you willing to do to keep her safe?

*Yrael's white tail flicks from side to side.* Say she is one of your assistants in your business, Cat Merchant. You need not even insinuate, but their minds will fill in the blank that she is a woman working because she cannot get a husband. Let their stupid assumptions work for us and our safe passage.

*One might say that Yrael has done this sort of thing a time or two.*

Jason would grin at Yrael finding out about his 'business', however...

"Ok. That should keep the locals happy."

He on the other hand looks decidedly 'not'. He considers asking Yrael's advice, since the not'cat does have good solutions. He waits, walking in silence while his head tries to sort itself out.

*There is a silence of about this...*

Made you look!

*...long.*

You pity her for what she has been through, and feel the urge to protect her. You wish to make her feel worthy, as for so long she has been told she is not. What's more, you want to make those who called her unworthy see how worthy she is.

*And still, that is not all. Yrael is not going to do all of Jason's work for him.*

Jason listens to Yrael, feeling as if the Bright Shiner knew what was in his head and was trying to help him come to terms...

Or it could just be his own overactive imagination.

"That's part of it," he agrees softly. He sighs, musing partly to himself and partly to Yrael.
"I'm trying so hard not to. But when we're alone...and last night..."

He shakes his head. "I need to stop."

*Yrael bumps his head under Jason's chin.* Need to stop talking or stop thinking? I think you have already got one covered.

Both speech and thought are needed, Jason, if you wish to eventually sort things out and get some decent sleep. Just thought does not seem to be doing you much good.

Jason huffs a small laugh.

"No, at the moment it doesn't seem to be, and action is doing even less."

He needs to stop thinking about her the way he is, just like he needs to stop checking the air for her scent so he doesn't have to look back. It was fun at first, but over the months it's been becoming more and more serious, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

"Will you help, Yrael? If you see me...anywhere alone with her, just...distract me or something." He smirks. "One of the few times I think I'll offer my head as a perch to you."

*There is now a (smug) not'cat on Jason's head.*

Advance pay.

I shall help, my friend.

Jason can't help but smirk as his eyes roll up to Yrael.

"Thanks, you're a real pal."

There is the usual trace of sarcasm, but under it all is a note of relief.
Now all he has to do his keep himself under control.

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OOM: On the road again...

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