Log [Catseye, Forge] Different roads...
Jul. 10th, 2005 12:10 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsCatseye finally comes back after trying to hide away from everything, since her talk with Forge. And though acceptance hasn't been reached by any stretch of the imagination, a few steps on a new path are perhaps taken, ever so hesitantly.
A bedraggled looking shape had nudged the back door open before skulking in, not paying attention to the sound of the locking mechanism snapping into place a few seconds later as it closed. Slowly, as though the weight of the world caused her every step to drag along, she headed for the steps, taking them wearily one at a time.
Pausing at the top, on the landing of the second floor, she curled up for a moment. Trying to think again after escaping it as she'd done wasn't easy. But it was easier, she discovered, than finding that state of unthinkingness had been, earlier. That fact, along with so many others which had all nagged at her, drifting in and out and disrupting the escape she'd been trying to find, spurred her on. Rising to her feet she padded down the hallway, until she reached a familiar door. Opening that one was easy - as it always was, always had been, and with a small sigh, the feline crept through and headed for the form sleeping on the bed. Quietly, she hopped on one end, and then made her way to the middle of it before curling up slowly once more, hiding her face against the bed sheets, with a small, desolate sound.
Forge sat up slightly, the familiar weight both a relief and a small alarm. Cautiously, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, then gingerly stroked the huddled cat's head. "Hey you," he whispered quietly, feeling her weight adjust as he shifted. "Been worried."
One of those heavy sighs, utterly uncharacteristic of a cat answered him, even as she seemingly smaller than usual cat curled up tighter about herself and tried to inch closer to him somehow at the same time. "Mrrr." The sound was almost rusty, followed by another less illegible one before Catseye finally forced herself to stop hiding her face and look up at him.
Forge wrapped his arm around the cat, hoisting her up to his chest to look into her face. "I know you're scared," he said quietly. "And if you don't want me to pursue this any further, well, then I won't. I promise." He tried to sound reassuring, but his voice quavered slightly. He knew he hadn't thought things out when breaking the news of her family to her, and now everything was like a puzzle dumped out onto the floor again. Ball was in her court, and Forge had no idea how she was going to react.
There was a long moment where the cat just stayed there, huddled against him. Finally though, she shifted - just enough to change to human shape, the collar as always providing clothes do her. The shift didn't keep her from going right back into something of a huddle against him though, even as her feet kept slipping over the edge of the bed this time. "Catseye doesn't know what to do," she murmured plaintively, the tears she'd not cried as a cat catching up to her. "Catseye doesn't know anything anymore," she added, softly, voice catching over a sob.
Not caring if it woke up Kyle, Forge sat up, pulling Catseye in close, wrapping his arms around her and just letting her get it out. "Hey, hey..." he whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world. Just a change in perspective. And I know it's scary. Having everything you're used to sort of just shot all to hell. And," he said quietly, lifting her chin gently with a finger. "Even if you don't know anything right now, I still know who you are. You're my friend, and that's all that'll ever matter to me. Understand?"
Her chin trembled at that, tears gathering in her eyes and spilling over instantly. Taking short, halted breath Catseye tried to nod once, and ended up instead collapsing against him, ragged sobs tearing through her tall frame. "Catseye is scared!" she wailed lowly through the tears, the words unsteady and halted, the crying fit clearly far from being abated. "Catseye is scared and does not know what to do…"
"Then I'm going to be right here until you figure it out," Forge promised, finding a tissue to help wipe the tears from Catseye's face, before realizing it was a lost cause. Seeing her like this hit him harder than he expected. She was always the unflappable one, with that weird detachment that kept her level-headed when everyone else was going crazy around the place.
And he'd put a crack in that. Closing his eyes, he dropped his head back against his pillow. "It doesn't change who you are," he said after a while. "Knowing where you come from, I mean. Gabrielle, Sharon, Catseye - you're still the same to me. Girl or cat. Girl and cat," he amended. "You can be both, you know."
His voice was soothing, somewhat, though she was finding it more and more difficult to focus on the words. She was still feeling ill from being so upset, the crying not helping much to steady her - off kilter and off balance, a world tilted askew. "Catseye doesn't know what she is right now." A sniffle followed those words and she closed her eyes, tiredness crashing over her in waves. "Tired. Catseye would just like to sleep now and not think a little while longer. Can Catseye do that?" she asked, unaware of exactly how pleading the undertone in her voice was.
Forge just scooted over, giving Catseye a one-armed hug before letting his head drop to the pillow once more. "Not going to run off again?" he asked through a yawn. Three days on six hours of sleep was catching up to him, mutant power or no.
"Catseye could run all she wanted, but Catseye could still never run away from herself," she answered simply, curling up closer, feet no longer hanging over the side now. And then, after taking another deep breath she shifted back to a considerably smaller form, not hesitating a moment before curling up half on his chest, half on the pillow.
Looking down at the purple cat curled up in the small beam of moonlight that illuminated the bed, Forge smiled wistfully. It looked like the days of easy answers were over, and the thought wasn't an entirely unpleasant one. But more answers could come tomorrow. Tonight he had his friend back, and that would do.
A bedraggled looking shape had nudged the back door open before skulking in, not paying attention to the sound of the locking mechanism snapping into place a few seconds later as it closed. Slowly, as though the weight of the world caused her every step to drag along, she headed for the steps, taking them wearily one at a time.
Pausing at the top, on the landing of the second floor, she curled up for a moment. Trying to think again after escaping it as she'd done wasn't easy. But it was easier, she discovered, than finding that state of unthinkingness had been, earlier. That fact, along with so many others which had all nagged at her, drifting in and out and disrupting the escape she'd been trying to find, spurred her on. Rising to her feet she padded down the hallway, until she reached a familiar door. Opening that one was easy - as it always was, always had been, and with a small sigh, the feline crept through and headed for the form sleeping on the bed. Quietly, she hopped on one end, and then made her way to the middle of it before curling up slowly once more, hiding her face against the bed sheets, with a small, desolate sound.
Forge sat up slightly, the familiar weight both a relief and a small alarm. Cautiously, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, then gingerly stroked the huddled cat's head. "Hey you," he whispered quietly, feeling her weight adjust as he shifted. "Been worried."
One of those heavy sighs, utterly uncharacteristic of a cat answered him, even as she seemingly smaller than usual cat curled up tighter about herself and tried to inch closer to him somehow at the same time. "Mrrr." The sound was almost rusty, followed by another less illegible one before Catseye finally forced herself to stop hiding her face and look up at him.
Forge wrapped his arm around the cat, hoisting her up to his chest to look into her face. "I know you're scared," he said quietly. "And if you don't want me to pursue this any further, well, then I won't. I promise." He tried to sound reassuring, but his voice quavered slightly. He knew he hadn't thought things out when breaking the news of her family to her, and now everything was like a puzzle dumped out onto the floor again. Ball was in her court, and Forge had no idea how she was going to react.
There was a long moment where the cat just stayed there, huddled against him. Finally though, she shifted - just enough to change to human shape, the collar as always providing clothes do her. The shift didn't keep her from going right back into something of a huddle against him though, even as her feet kept slipping over the edge of the bed this time. "Catseye doesn't know what to do," she murmured plaintively, the tears she'd not cried as a cat catching up to her. "Catseye doesn't know anything anymore," she added, softly, voice catching over a sob.
Not caring if it woke up Kyle, Forge sat up, pulling Catseye in close, wrapping his arms around her and just letting her get it out. "Hey, hey..." he whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world. Just a change in perspective. And I know it's scary. Having everything you're used to sort of just shot all to hell. And," he said quietly, lifting her chin gently with a finger. "Even if you don't know anything right now, I still know who you are. You're my friend, and that's all that'll ever matter to me. Understand?"
Her chin trembled at that, tears gathering in her eyes and spilling over instantly. Taking short, halted breath Catseye tried to nod once, and ended up instead collapsing against him, ragged sobs tearing through her tall frame. "Catseye is scared!" she wailed lowly through the tears, the words unsteady and halted, the crying fit clearly far from being abated. "Catseye is scared and does not know what to do…"
"Then I'm going to be right here until you figure it out," Forge promised, finding a tissue to help wipe the tears from Catseye's face, before realizing it was a lost cause. Seeing her like this hit him harder than he expected. She was always the unflappable one, with that weird detachment that kept her level-headed when everyone else was going crazy around the place.
And he'd put a crack in that. Closing his eyes, he dropped his head back against his pillow. "It doesn't change who you are," he said after a while. "Knowing where you come from, I mean. Gabrielle, Sharon, Catseye - you're still the same to me. Girl or cat. Girl and cat," he amended. "You can be both, you know."
His voice was soothing, somewhat, though she was finding it more and more difficult to focus on the words. She was still feeling ill from being so upset, the crying not helping much to steady her - off kilter and off balance, a world tilted askew. "Catseye doesn't know what she is right now." A sniffle followed those words and she closed her eyes, tiredness crashing over her in waves. "Tired. Catseye would just like to sleep now and not think a little while longer. Can Catseye do that?" she asked, unaware of exactly how pleading the undertone in her voice was.
Forge just scooted over, giving Catseye a one-armed hug before letting his head drop to the pillow once more. "Not going to run off again?" he asked through a yawn. Three days on six hours of sleep was catching up to him, mutant power or no.
"Catseye could run all she wanted, but Catseye could still never run away from herself," she answered simply, curling up closer, feet no longer hanging over the side now. And then, after taking another deep breath she shifted back to a considerably smaller form, not hesitating a moment before curling up half on his chest, half on the pillow.
Looking down at the purple cat curled up in the small beam of moonlight that illuminated the bed, Forge smiled wistfully. It looked like the days of easy answers were over, and the thought wasn't an entirely unpleasant one. But more answers could come tomorrow. Tonight he had his friend back, and that would do.
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