Alani, Sooraya, and Sharon: Enter the Cat
Aug. 8th, 2023 11:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_catseye posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsAn unexpected visitor invites themself into the District X Community Center, and Sooraya and Alani adopt another stray.
"I would like to speak with you."
The unexpected supplicant was addressing Alani and Sooraya from the middle of the floor only a few feet away. Even in this high-traffic area of the Community Center it had found a way to approach the women in complete silence.
It was something like a mountain lion, if mountain lions were purple, and it was gazing at them with huge yellow eyes and a slowly twitching tail. If one looked closely one might mark not-entirely feline traits such as lips mobile enough to form speech and shoulders a little broader than those of a big cat. Its strangely human forelegs tapered into slender hands. Any number of smaller physical differences here and there, none of which meaningfully detracted from an overwhelming impression of Apex Predator.
It watched Alani and Sooraya expectantly.
Sooraya turned, halfway froze and blinked. And blinked again. She'd recognize that combination of 'cat' and purple anywhere... Luckily the name of her old coworker didn't immediately slip out. Yet all that did come out was an empty 'uhmmm'.
Alani in turn, looked towards the voice, eyes immediately lighting up as she took in the... cat. The edges of her lips turned into a smile as she motioned for them to come forward, closer, as she sat a little straighter, setting her lunch down to show she was giving them her full attention. For a moment her brows knit together, taking in the thin form, likely too small for a feral of that size and dull coat. "Well, looks like you've already started, so what can we do for you, dear?"
"My name is Sharon. I have been homeless since my mother died." The creature's eyes had dropped to the bag that contained Alani's lunch. "I want that," said Sharon, and the longing was clear even through the lisp created by her incisors.
"Alright." Just like that it was offered to Sharon, chicken long rice container opened without a second thought. It didn't even occur to her that she should ask them if they had any allergies. Alani turned to Sooraya, lower lip caught between her teeth in thought because, well, they were homeless. But she'd never thought to offer anyone a stay at the mansion. "Sooraya? Should we... ask about a spare room back home?"
Sooraya was already moving, digging through her lunch bag too. "Would you like some lamb curry?" She offered, holding out the container. "I've got some naan too." Glancing back at Alani, she nodded: "Yeah, at least for a few days till we can figure out what the best option might be for them. A visit to Jean or Amelia might not be a bad idea either." She paused for a moment, glancing back at the person in front of them and added in a low voice: "We also want to let people know we've a literal Frankenberry Cat here."
Sharon had snatched the other bag from Sooraya and was now busily rifling through the contents of both. After a quick sniff at each container she gathered the chicken long rice, curry, and naan in front of her and began to attack the animal proteins. "Is that inter-community terminology?" she asked, catching Sooraya's words. "Never met another in person. I go by Catseye if we need mutant names. Username for years. On the internet, no one knows you're a cat." She used the naan as a scoop for the curry in an oddly human gesture and began to devour both. "Cannot supply ID," she continued around the chicken. Her voice was rough with disuse, but the speed with which Sharon raised the issue indicated that she had been thinking about this encounter for some time and wanted to get ahead of potential complications. "Couldn't leave with anything. Can provide mother's name. Her death certificate would be on file by now. She passed nine weeks ago."
The question was too big for Alani, she'd never fully taken to the terminology and having another person ask on it didn't exactly jumpstart her brain. Turning back to Sharon, Catseye, she'd have to find out which was the preferred name here, she smiled easily and opted instead to turn the subject to something a little more stable. "We have a few mutants with what's considered a feral mutation back there, and maybe they'll be able to offer you any pointers if you need them. Would you prefer we call you Sharon or Catseye? I'm Alani, and you're welcome to call me that, though some of my students call me 'Lani if you'd rather use that. I'm sorry for your loss. To, well, I don't want to overstep, but I would appreciate getting your mother's name if you have it, and if you wouldn't mind eating and waiting with my friend while I make some calls."
"Mother's name was Janet Alice Smith. Date of birth August 20th, 1976. Start with NYC Department of Health, maybe. We lived in Manhattan." Sharon, occupied by the siren song of calories before her, didn't even look up as Alani drifted away.
"I'm Sooraya. I mostly go by that, though sometimes they also call me Dust." She quickly volunteered, already reaching into her bag for her phone, conveniently ignoring Catseye's words about inter-community terminology. She definitely wasn't going to explain that. "I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. Besides a place to stay for now, is there anything else we can help with? Maybe friends or family you'd like to find... we know people who can help you with that." She pulled up a note taking app: "Any bits that might help?"
"No family. Father alive but uninterested in being one to me. Never knew him. Some friends online, but no devices to reach them right now. Mother had a little money if I can get to the account. Biggest problem: I do not pass for human. I have a GED. Some college credits. But no life skills. I've seen this place on the news." The burst of speech seemed to drain her; Sharon hunched over the curry and started to eat it directly from the container. Even under the fur her ribs were visible with every inhalation. After a few more mouthfuls she seemed to find her voice again.
"I didn't know where else to go."
She had been taking notes on her phone, but at that final sentence Sooraya put her phone down, rose and dropped down on one knee next to Catseye, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You've come to the right place. Now I am going to make a phone call, but before I go, do you need anything else? I can get some more food or something to drink. Just be careful you don't make yourself sick."
"Oh, I have an apple, if you want?" The girl ate fruit, right? "And water? Have you had water?" The gentle expression had shifted suddenly, brows furrowing with worry as she pulled out her water bottle to open it and offer it forward. “I might know others that have an opening for a place to stay, if we can’t… maybe.” Alani doubted that was a glowing endorsement and did her best not to frown at herself. “We’re going to take care of it.”
"Any help is appreciated." Sharon licked the bow-empty curry container clean and accepted the water bottle from Alani. She looked at it for an instant, then emptied it into the container so she could lap the liquid with her tongue. She drank deep before turning her large yellow eyes back to the older woman.
"I noticed the two of you sometimes come in together, leave together. Sometimes with other people here, too. You live together elsewhere, maybe. I thought I would ask first." A clawed hand now reached for the chicken long rice. Sharon spent a moment trying to pick around the green onions before giving up; the gesture was too fiddly with hands shaking from weakness. She contented herself by picking out the chicken instead. Her jaws worked against the chewy rice noodles as she pushed the chunks into her mouth. "Even here some people are afraid. Too animal, maybe."
“Hmm, well yes, we do. Maybe they just don’t know you yet, which can be a scary thing for anyone with strangers. You must have been watching us for a while, to notice that,” the comment was light, smile still present as she made a mental note. While Sharon continued to eat, Alani pulled out the apple to begin to eat it, looking back to Sooraya after she’d taken a mouthful to raise a brow pointedly. Surely they had the rooms but she was unsure about the process. Swallowing, she finally asked. “Any word, sweet pea?”
Sooraya nodded and smiled as she tucked her phone away: "I talked to a few people. You're welcome, Catseye. You'll have the chance to rest and eat. If you want, one of the docs can look you over too. And from there you can figure out what you'd like to do and if there is anything we can do to help with that. How does that sound?"
Sharon made a pleased sound in the back of her throat. The tension in her body hadn't been apparent until it left her, slackening her muscles and slowing the twitch of her tail. She would never admit it -- not even to these women, who seemed to be as kind as she'd hoped -- but there had been no backup plan. All those days of observation and carefully prepared arguments had been because she would only have enough strength for this one chance, and other people were a variable she could neither anticipate nor control. She hadn't realized how stressful gambling her future on their reactions would be.
"Sounds very good," Sharon agreed. "Would be interested in a doctor's opinion. I was only taken once. Unhelpful, apparently. He told my mother he was not a veterinarian."
Alani clicked her tongue in disapproval at the information Sharon shared, amusement leaving her face as she finally frowned. "Well that was very rude of him. But," and again her features brightened, "we do have some doctors who are a little more versed in health similar to your own. You said it's been nine weeks? Is there anything you've noticed in yourself that's different? Aside from hunger. Any aches, pain or discomfort? " She'd begun to gather the dishes, pausing to send a quick text to explain her absence, before she looked calmly to Sharon as she waited for a response.
Sharon had begun to lick her hands clean of the various sauces and oils. "Itching," she replied, without looking up. There was a brief pause before she added, "Probably fleas."
Shooting a quick look at Alani, Sooraya reached for her phone again. "I think we're gonna have to do something about that before you can come inside where we're going." She explained apologetically. "Alani, do you think you can find something to protect the car a bit, while I let them know? I am sure they've something around in the medlab that can help."
“Yuuuup, on it, babe, I’ll go see about borrowing the pre-school painting tarp, no one was planning to do any messy projects today anyway, and meet you at the car.” She’d already packed up what was left, pausing to make sure she hadn’t missed anything before flashing a smile to Sharon. “If not we can definitely swing by someplace on our way back.”
The cat dipped her head in a nod. Her gaze slipped from Alani's retreating form to where Sooraya stood off to one side and spoke quietly into her phone. After so long on her own it felt strange to watch people bustle around on her behalf. As nothing else seemed required of her, she padded beneath a table and curled up to wait.
For the first time since her mother died, Sharon Smith felt safe.
"I would like to speak with you."
The unexpected supplicant was addressing Alani and Sooraya from the middle of the floor only a few feet away. Even in this high-traffic area of the Community Center it had found a way to approach the women in complete silence.
It was something like a mountain lion, if mountain lions were purple, and it was gazing at them with huge yellow eyes and a slowly twitching tail. If one looked closely one might mark not-entirely feline traits such as lips mobile enough to form speech and shoulders a little broader than those of a big cat. Its strangely human forelegs tapered into slender hands. Any number of smaller physical differences here and there, none of which meaningfully detracted from an overwhelming impression of Apex Predator.
It watched Alani and Sooraya expectantly.
Sooraya turned, halfway froze and blinked. And blinked again. She'd recognize that combination of 'cat' and purple anywhere... Luckily the name of her old coworker didn't immediately slip out. Yet all that did come out was an empty 'uhmmm'.
Alani in turn, looked towards the voice, eyes immediately lighting up as she took in the... cat. The edges of her lips turned into a smile as she motioned for them to come forward, closer, as she sat a little straighter, setting her lunch down to show she was giving them her full attention. For a moment her brows knit together, taking in the thin form, likely too small for a feral of that size and dull coat. "Well, looks like you've already started, so what can we do for you, dear?"
"My name is Sharon. I have been homeless since my mother died." The creature's eyes had dropped to the bag that contained Alani's lunch. "I want that," said Sharon, and the longing was clear even through the lisp created by her incisors.
"Alright." Just like that it was offered to Sharon, chicken long rice container opened without a second thought. It didn't even occur to her that she should ask them if they had any allergies. Alani turned to Sooraya, lower lip caught between her teeth in thought because, well, they were homeless. But she'd never thought to offer anyone a stay at the mansion. "Sooraya? Should we... ask about a spare room back home?"
Sooraya was already moving, digging through her lunch bag too. "Would you like some lamb curry?" She offered, holding out the container. "I've got some naan too." Glancing back at Alani, she nodded: "Yeah, at least for a few days till we can figure out what the best option might be for them. A visit to Jean or Amelia might not be a bad idea either." She paused for a moment, glancing back at the person in front of them and added in a low voice: "We also want to let people know we've a literal Frankenberry Cat here."
Sharon had snatched the other bag from Sooraya and was now busily rifling through the contents of both. After a quick sniff at each container she gathered the chicken long rice, curry, and naan in front of her and began to attack the animal proteins. "Is that inter-community terminology?" she asked, catching Sooraya's words. "Never met another in person. I go by Catseye if we need mutant names. Username for years. On the internet, no one knows you're a cat." She used the naan as a scoop for the curry in an oddly human gesture and began to devour both. "Cannot supply ID," she continued around the chicken. Her voice was rough with disuse, but the speed with which Sharon raised the issue indicated that she had been thinking about this encounter for some time and wanted to get ahead of potential complications. "Couldn't leave with anything. Can provide mother's name. Her death certificate would be on file by now. She passed nine weeks ago."
The question was too big for Alani, she'd never fully taken to the terminology and having another person ask on it didn't exactly jumpstart her brain. Turning back to Sharon, Catseye, she'd have to find out which was the preferred name here, she smiled easily and opted instead to turn the subject to something a little more stable. "We have a few mutants with what's considered a feral mutation back there, and maybe they'll be able to offer you any pointers if you need them. Would you prefer we call you Sharon or Catseye? I'm Alani, and you're welcome to call me that, though some of my students call me 'Lani if you'd rather use that. I'm sorry for your loss. To, well, I don't want to overstep, but I would appreciate getting your mother's name if you have it, and if you wouldn't mind eating and waiting with my friend while I make some calls."
"Mother's name was Janet Alice Smith. Date of birth August 20th, 1976. Start with NYC Department of Health, maybe. We lived in Manhattan." Sharon, occupied by the siren song of calories before her, didn't even look up as Alani drifted away.
"I'm Sooraya. I mostly go by that, though sometimes they also call me Dust." She quickly volunteered, already reaching into her bag for her phone, conveniently ignoring Catseye's words about inter-community terminology. She definitely wasn't going to explain that. "I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. Besides a place to stay for now, is there anything else we can help with? Maybe friends or family you'd like to find... we know people who can help you with that." She pulled up a note taking app: "Any bits that might help?"
"No family. Father alive but uninterested in being one to me. Never knew him. Some friends online, but no devices to reach them right now. Mother had a little money if I can get to the account. Biggest problem: I do not pass for human. I have a GED. Some college credits. But no life skills. I've seen this place on the news." The burst of speech seemed to drain her; Sharon hunched over the curry and started to eat it directly from the container. Even under the fur her ribs were visible with every inhalation. After a few more mouthfuls she seemed to find her voice again.
"I didn't know where else to go."
She had been taking notes on her phone, but at that final sentence Sooraya put her phone down, rose and dropped down on one knee next to Catseye, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You've come to the right place. Now I am going to make a phone call, but before I go, do you need anything else? I can get some more food or something to drink. Just be careful you don't make yourself sick."
"Oh, I have an apple, if you want?" The girl ate fruit, right? "And water? Have you had water?" The gentle expression had shifted suddenly, brows furrowing with worry as she pulled out her water bottle to open it and offer it forward. “I might know others that have an opening for a place to stay, if we can’t… maybe.” Alani doubted that was a glowing endorsement and did her best not to frown at herself. “We’re going to take care of it.”
"Any help is appreciated." Sharon licked the bow-empty curry container clean and accepted the water bottle from Alani. She looked at it for an instant, then emptied it into the container so she could lap the liquid with her tongue. She drank deep before turning her large yellow eyes back to the older woman.
"I noticed the two of you sometimes come in together, leave together. Sometimes with other people here, too. You live together elsewhere, maybe. I thought I would ask first." A clawed hand now reached for the chicken long rice. Sharon spent a moment trying to pick around the green onions before giving up; the gesture was too fiddly with hands shaking from weakness. She contented herself by picking out the chicken instead. Her jaws worked against the chewy rice noodles as she pushed the chunks into her mouth. "Even here some people are afraid. Too animal, maybe."
“Hmm, well yes, we do. Maybe they just don’t know you yet, which can be a scary thing for anyone with strangers. You must have been watching us for a while, to notice that,” the comment was light, smile still present as she made a mental note. While Sharon continued to eat, Alani pulled out the apple to begin to eat it, looking back to Sooraya after she’d taken a mouthful to raise a brow pointedly. Surely they had the rooms but she was unsure about the process. Swallowing, she finally asked. “Any word, sweet pea?”
Sooraya nodded and smiled as she tucked her phone away: "I talked to a few people. You're welcome, Catseye. You'll have the chance to rest and eat. If you want, one of the docs can look you over too. And from there you can figure out what you'd like to do and if there is anything we can do to help with that. How does that sound?"
Sharon made a pleased sound in the back of her throat. The tension in her body hadn't been apparent until it left her, slackening her muscles and slowing the twitch of her tail. She would never admit it -- not even to these women, who seemed to be as kind as she'd hoped -- but there had been no backup plan. All those days of observation and carefully prepared arguments had been because she would only have enough strength for this one chance, and other people were a variable she could neither anticipate nor control. She hadn't realized how stressful gambling her future on their reactions would be.
"Sounds very good," Sharon agreed. "Would be interested in a doctor's opinion. I was only taken once. Unhelpful, apparently. He told my mother he was not a veterinarian."
Alani clicked her tongue in disapproval at the information Sharon shared, amusement leaving her face as she finally frowned. "Well that was very rude of him. But," and again her features brightened, "we do have some doctors who are a little more versed in health similar to your own. You said it's been nine weeks? Is there anything you've noticed in yourself that's different? Aside from hunger. Any aches, pain or discomfort? " She'd begun to gather the dishes, pausing to send a quick text to explain her absence, before she looked calmly to Sharon as she waited for a response.
Sharon had begun to lick her hands clean of the various sauces and oils. "Itching," she replied, without looking up. There was a brief pause before she added, "Probably fleas."
Shooting a quick look at Alani, Sooraya reached for her phone again. "I think we're gonna have to do something about that before you can come inside where we're going." She explained apologetically. "Alani, do you think you can find something to protect the car a bit, while I let them know? I am sure they've something around in the medlab that can help."
“Yuuuup, on it, babe, I’ll go see about borrowing the pre-school painting tarp, no one was planning to do any messy projects today anyway, and meet you at the car.” She’d already packed up what was left, pausing to make sure she hadn’t missed anything before flashing a smile to Sharon. “If not we can definitely swing by someplace on our way back.”
The cat dipped her head in a nod. Her gaze slipped from Alani's retreating form to where Sooraya stood off to one side and spoke quietly into her phone. After so long on her own it felt strange to watch people bustle around on her behalf. As nothing else seemed required of her, she padded beneath a table and curled up to wait.
For the first time since her mother died, Sharon Smith felt safe.
