Darcy and Sharon: Housewarming Presents

[xp_catseye]

Darcy brings Sharon a little something to fill her empty refrigerator, and the two have a little chat about life plans.




"Alani ordered for me," Sharon explained proudly as she displayed her newest acquisition to Darcy. "Sisal is very nice, not cheap hemp. And see, it may be set at angle or lay flat. Very ergonomic. Very convenient while I am at laptop."

The ailuromorph gave the other woman a few seconds to appreciate the scratching platform before snatching it back to hug it to her chest. Sharon rubbed her cheek against one corner in a distinctly feline way. "Is best housewarming present," she declared.

"Well, mine is decidedly lackluster compared to being able to have the nicest nails," Darcy agreed, running a finger along the edge of the platform. "I come bearing Allowed Meats. Perishable and non, just in case you need some food on the go and don't want to worry about it going manky." She lifted the basket in her hands with a grin. "You're still plenty welcome in our suite, but I thought you'd like to have food at your place too."

Sharon quickly set the platform aside to seize the basket. "Yes, thank you," she said, peering eagerly into the array of bags and containers. "Is nothing ready to eat here. Husband subsists on canned goods only. Is poor housekeeper." She glanced back up at Darcy, a little uncertain. "It is . . . still okay to come over? Will not be weird?"

Darcy's face was sympathetic. "Aw, honey. Of course it is. All we ask is that you cover your hygiene bits when you're human. We're not gonna toss you out just because you didn't immediately spill all your secrets." She reached out, but hesitated. "You want a hug?"

The taller girl started to step forward, then paused. "Hug is . . . not yet," she replied. "Pet hair or rub back, these are fine. But have not been only skin for months. Feel more naked than when I am naked." She scowled down at the basket. "Is better being cat. But cannot shift freely yet, so must be conservative with changes."

Darcy carefully curled her hand to pet Sharon's hair. "It's very energy intense, then? Do you know of anything specific that will help you regain the energy to do that, other than just regular meals? More protein? Other building blocks? I know I have to keep protein and meal bars on hand, but somehow I don't think a kind bar is going to cut it for you."

"Unsure. Never gone into energy debt to such a degree. Suspect high fat, high protein foodstuffs. But seems to be quantity, mostly." Sharon leaned into Darcy's touch, letting her eyelids fall closed. It was the closest she could get to a pet while in human form. Her tail twitched in lazy enjoyment. "Shapeshifting is normally very easy. When I am better I will show you. My talents are great."

"I'm sure they are," Darcy agreed warmly as she continued to thread her fingers through Sharon's hair. "High fat, high protein, large quantities... it's a good thing we've got some hunters around then, and an in with the local butcher. We'll figure out some good recipes that you can actually eat no matter your form."

"I may eat anything in any shape. Digestive system is robust, no matter what the kitten says. Simply not so aesthetically pleasing when in human form." Briefly, Sharon curled her tail around Darcy's wrist before opening her eyes again. She held up the basket. "Shall put these in proper place. Refrigerator is wholly unstocked. Match is too accustomed to the bachelor lifestyle."

"Almost a year and I still have not met or seen this Match person. I spent a few months convinced someone was punking me with the paperwork, but if you say they exist..." Darcy trailed off for a minute, eyes tracking Sharon in the small space. "Doesn't feel like your brand of trolling, making up a whole person. Saying they're your twin or something, certainly."

Sharon set the basket on the counter and began to relocate the tupperware into the fridge, piled in neat stacks for easy access. "Is elusive, but very real. Talented scavenger, does not shy from dumpsters. Many interests in common." The girl's purple hair bounced as she beheld her organization with a brisk nod. She turned back to Darcy with a smile. "Besides, we have shared a bed. We are married now."

A loud snort of laughter escaped before Darcy could cover her mouth. "Well, that's one way to claim a partner," she gasped out between snickers. "Oh sweet Mew-mew, I'm gonna have to use that on Doug." She gave Sharon a playful wag of her finger. "That is not permission to bring home an entire litter of kittens, Miss. Get used to your marriage first."

Sharon's tail twitched smugly. "Yes. Share bed at same time first, maybe. But I must not be too forward. Match is very delicate." The girl redistributed the jerky into the pantry; these shelves were a little more crowded, but they contained only cans. Sharon swiped a can as she finished and tugged at the pull-tab. "Tuna?" she asked Darcy as she peeled the lid off and tossed it lightly into the sink for later washing. She held the can up for Darcy's inspection. "Albacore, very tasty. Oh, but oil-packed. Flavor is better."

"No thank you, but the oils will help with keeping your coat shiny. Not that you have trouble with that, now that you can get proper nutrition. I didn't know you were recycling cans. Do you want me to bring mine by once a week or so?"

"Yes! Would appreciate very much. Match knows a person. Gives me finder's fee." Sharon plucked a fork from a drawer and began to tap small divots into the surface of the tuna, carving little valleys into the meat. She concluded her ritual with a final swirl to mix the contents and began to eat. The combination of a human mouth and steady nutrition made the activity considerably daintier than anyone who'd ever seen Sharon eat before had heretofore witnessed.

Darcy grinned. "So Match is helping provide that way? Good. I'll start separating cans from general recycling in my rooms and at the office then. Do you know where the Snow Valley office is?"

"Yes, when Arthur and Jessica took us to town I went to v-" Sharon recalled Artie at the reception desk and abruptly revised her personal reality. "I mean, meant to visit, but became distracted."

Darcy caught the slip but let it slide. "Good, then we can set something up there too, and one of you can come pick them up biweekly. I'm usually at reception in the afternoons if I'm in the office and don't have any pressing deadlines." She gave Sharon a grin. "If it's not me, I'll leave the bag up front for you."

"Oh, husband does not drive. Nor I. I am a New Yorker," Sharon added matter-of-factly, working under the theory that this was a preferable narrative to the truth, which was "I am intimidated by Artie Maddicks". There were no lies, merely more flattering truths.

Darcy arched an eyebrow at her. "Find someone who will," she advised mildly. "I don't mind separating them for the two of you, but I'm not hauling them on the subway or bus. At that point, I might as well do the rest of the work and keep the money for myself."

Sharon wrinkled her nose. Already she was regretting her decision to go bipedal: it was amazing how much more accommodating people had been for a cat. "Shall make arrangements," the girl said, scooping another spoonful of tuna into her mouth. "But first I shall text. Will accept cans only from you. Must be assured of their quality."

"Of course. I don't want to be Ea-Darcy, although I will accept complaints in cuneiform for Doug to translate. He'll get a kick out of it."

"Have not yet attempted Akkadian. Is possibility, but if I am to study then Sinitic languages have more practical use. Mandarin is most likely. Would allow me to familiarize with ideograms also." Sharon polished off the can of tuna and made a face as she scraped the corners with the spoon. Human tongues were woefully deficient when it came to licking food from crevices. "Is this what think tank does? Middleman for black market scrap collection? Public profile was unhelpful."

"Sometimes. Generally we do research and publish papers, occasionally we work with other groups on policy work or conferences." If Kevin wanted to recruit Sharon, then he could talk to her about it. "And we like to keep our public profile carefully neutral and somewhat bland, unlike some groups that work more directly in policy. The most well-known is probably the Pew Research Center. They do a lot of polling. Panels, random surveys, demographic information gathering, stuff like that."

Sharon made a little clicking noise with her teeth as she considered this. "Yet you all live here, with private Wormhole and X-Men?" she observed. "By comparison this seems not very ambitious."

"Everyone does their part in their own way. Not every power or person is well-suited or wormholes or going up against the heavy hitters that the X-Men tend to face, just like not every human was fit for frontline combat during the world wars. As it stands, I am probably the second or third most knowledgeable person here when it comes to the wormhole, but I enjoy the travel and networking I get to do with Snow Valley, and I actually get to use my law degree."

The younger girl thought for a moment, then nodded. "Suppose it is acceptable to wish to use your degree. Area of focus is what, human rights?"

"I majored in political science, but I'm in-house counsel for Snow Valley. My law degree focused on contracts and international relations." Darcy shrugged, then gave Sharon a smile. "Excalibur was a good team. I was on it for a few years before the wormhole, and I'm still willing to lend a hand when I've got free time and they've got a need. But I didn't want to waste my degree, and they've already got Matt on the team. Ultimately Snow Valley was a better fit."

"So many things here are interesting. Clint has shown me the Wormhole. One day I shall touch it." Sharon stared at the empty bottom of the tin, her lips thinning. "Should consider future, maybe. Do not have skills. Suppose I thought I would live always with my mother."

"Please do not randomly touch the wormhole, I prefer you here. And alive. Not lost in space and time." Darcy moved closer, reaching out to rub Sharon's back. "You have time to learn skills, and people that would be happy to teach you or help you make the connections you need to learn something. But we're not going to get upset if figuring out what you want takes a while or you float around the different groups to get a feel for the teams. I spent my first few years here effectively babysitting the science labs because I knew how to convince most of them to eat and sleep regularly from an internship I did in college. So if all you can do right now is help Match with collecting tins and educating us on how a cat hybrid works, then that's plenty."

Sharon didn't look up, but she wrapped her tail around Darcy's wrist to briefly encircle it in a cuff of warmth.

"Many options," she said, a little doubtfully. "Yes. I shall explore these. Clint has offered to teach me to monitor the Forbidden Wormhole. Is good place to start, maybe."

"It is. I would say the world is your oyster, but that's not quite true. There are lots of skills you can pick up living here, ranging from relatively frivolous to never knowing when it's going to be good to have that skill. I think at least a half dozen of us can teach you how to pick locks, for example. Doug can help you with any language you care to learn. Warren's an incredible baker, and delightful to watch in the boardroom." Darcy grinned. "He's also excellent to watch if you want to keep people completely wrong-footed in a conversation. Man's got a gift for it."

The tip of Sharon's tail gave a smug little flip. "Oh, this last one is easy. Need only speak the truth, regardless of whether or not it is forbidden. Especially if it is forbidden. It is only phrasing. Always there is a way to make someone feel whatever they would have liked to know: no, they did not."

"That does work on most people. Not always, but often enough to be a good strategy. Most people also have shame. It's less effective on those of us who don't. Or that have very little." The smug flip of the tail had Darcy biting back a laugh. Sharon was a refreshing delight.

Sharon regarded the other woman with yellow eyes full of sly amusement.

"Challenge accepted."