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xp_logsCat fight!
Liam had gotten the upper hand on Sharon once to toss her in the pool and he had no doubt that twice was unlikely. Unlike real cats, they both had human intellect and neither were toddlers still learning about object permanence. Still, when he saw her laying in the sunbeam once again, he had to try.
Since their last encounter at the pool, he'd frozen her out, refusing to speak with her or engage in any way. She wasn't playing nicely and that kind of behavior wasn't rewarded. That was clearly a lesson she was still working on learning, though he wasn't sure which came first, Match or Jono. In the end, it didn't matter, both were gross overreaches of acceptable behavior, even taking her quirks into account.
Sharon, like Liam, was a light sleeper; even at their most relaxed it was difficult to truly sneak up on either cat. Last time it had only been trust that kept Sharon from reacting to his presence. Trust that, ever since he had hurled her into the pool, had been broken.
It was for this reason that Liam suddenly went from stalking a drowsing housecat to staring down 120lbs of enraged big cat aimed straight for his chest.
Okay, so he hadn't known what to expect other than the purrito wouldn't work again. Still, he wasn't expecting this. Claws unsheathing, he caught her automatically and pushed her face away, keeping teeth away was good. Hissing, he rolled back and kept going as a backward somersault like hed learned with Mr. Gibney, so he ended up on top.
For a human opponent this would have been effective. Unfortunately against Sharon all it did was give her access to a second set of weapons.
With a snarl Sharon shoved her powerful hind legs beneath Liam's abdomen and began to kick at him with the force of a full-blown punch, her forelegs drawn under her chin and ready to ready to rake across his face the instant it got within range. The meager space created by her kick provided just enough to allow her to twist within her own skin and pull free. She leapt away and whirled back to face him, spitting like water on a hot burner.
Gasping for air, Liam barreled forward to tackle her, pushing one shoulder against her chest and forcing her neck upwards, claws still extended, though he wasn't actively using them against her. Breathing was optional, right? He winced as they knocked a table lamp over.
Instead of pulling away Sharon wrapped her paws around Liam's back and kicked off with her hind legs to throw them both onto the floor, her tail whirling like a propeller as she curved her spine to control her angle of impact. Liam landed on his back and Sharon used the jolt to roll clear and back to her feet. She began to stalk a circle around him, head lowered and ears pressed against her skull, and when she hissed it was like someone had pulled back a pair of curtains to reveal a wall full of knives.
He might've been unable to shift, but his body language mirrored hers in human shape. He couldn't roar, but he could growl and did, clearly ready to take whatever came next and do his best to return the favor.
Sam burst into the room like a man on a mission and quickly moved to stand between the two. He knew the sound of cat fights thanks to the strays that hung around the barn back home. He'd never felt the need to step in before, but to be fair, the cats at home hadn't been people he knew and cared about. Standing between them Sam used a small blast of power to push both of them back and away from each other. Years of practice made him look calm and collected even if his voice was gravelly and harsh. "What exactly is goin' on in here? I want an answer in plain English, no riddles no games. Do I make myself clear?"
Sharon, unprepared for this particular application of Sam's powers, responded to the push by jumping five feet straight into the air. While she did land on her feet the flailing it took to achieve this greatly diminished her menace. Growling deep in her throat, the cat flattened herself against the ground and glared at Liam, her tail still switching dangerously.
Liam didn't jump at the powers application, though his tail and ears poofed in surprise, mostly because he hadn't expected it. Glaring back and recognizing that Sharon wasn't in a form that could speak, he answered, breathing hard, "I walked in and she attacked me!"
Sam fixed a steely glare towards Sharon, knowing that the cat could shift into a form that could speak if she wanted to, and then turned to look at Liam. His gaze was nicer towards the boy, he at least was cooperating. "'S that so? No reason at all she mighta felt justified in doin' so?"
"I haven't spoken to her in days!" Liam defended himself, not used to someone not believing him. He was cute and innocent! He wasn't lying though, he hadn't spoken to her since he'd thrown her in the pool and she hadn't spoken to him either.
A horrible sound issued from Sharon's throat. She swiped a massive paw in Liam's direction, the gesture clearly accusatory.
Sam raised a hand in warning towards Sharon, letting just a bit of his power play at his fingertips in a visible field of energy before pulling it back in. A warning. He quickly turned back to Liam. “And what exactly happened the last time you spoke? She seems to have had a problem with it at least.”
"Tell him what you did to Match!" Liam agreed, still glaring at Sharon, "And the new guy, Jono! Hmmm? You won't talk because you know you're wrong and don't want to admit it! I'm a cute little kitty cat," he mocked, "but you're just hateful and mean! And you're mad that I'm calling you on it!" He turned to Sam and with effort, stood and straightened his shoulders, "She doesn't like consequences."
The big cat hissed again. It was surprisingly eloquent.
Sam’s eyes travelled towards Liam but he didn’t dare turn his back on Sharon. “What exactly did she do? And if you know why I’d greatly appreciate the context.
God but this felt like home, didn’t it? Sharon and Liam were remindin’ him of Jeb and Lewis- usually he liked that about them. But right now they were just remindin’ him that he never wanted to be Jeb and Lewis’ dad. He felt tired.
Standing there, Liam realized a couple things. Firstly, it didn't seem to matter what he said, Sam didn't want to see his side, he'd made up his mind that the teen was responsible. Secondly, Sam wasn't a teacher or his parents or... anyone really. "Why?" he asked plainly, "You've already decided I'm wrong, so there's no point in wasting my breath," blinking, he shot Sharon one last look of disgust, and limped towards his suite, tail practically on the floor.
Sam shot Sharon a stern look and then followed after Liam. “I have not in fact decided that yer wrong. I was tryin’ to find out what happened and given that yer the only one that would talk I hadta get both sides outta you. I was tryin’ to figure out if this was somethin’ I oughta try to address with Sharon outside of breaking up this spat.”
Sam crossed his arms and shook his head. “You were clearly defendin’ others and that’s great. I ain’t got issue with that. I just wanna know what you were defendin’ em from and why so you ain’t the only one keepin’ an eye on the situation.”
Honestly, kids these days.
"From her!" he waved at Sharon, in all her growling glory. "She keeps hurting others! And now she's attacked me! It's not that complicated!" his chest was really hurting now that the adrenaline was wearing off and frustration at everything setting in.
"Can I go now?" he was just tired.
Sam’s face visibly softened. “I promise I’m listenin to you- can you tell me what exactly she did that she needs consequences for? And then you can go get an ice pack and I’d recommend some ibuprofen and a warm bath to help with the pain. I’m gonna have a chat with Sharon here soon as she agrees to take a form that can talk."
He didn't think that would happen any time soon. "Not sure why," he finally muttered, "but she knows she's being terrible. That's why she won't shift. Instead of being mature, she's doubling down and being worse."
Sharon, persistently feline, only glared.
"Last thing Liam, I promise and then I'll let you go and I'll handle this." Sam said softly. "What exactly did she do to be terrible? I know to Match and...Jono, I think you said his name was? But what did she do?"
Handle this. Right. Sure. Liam was certain Kyle or another adult was going to try to talk to him about proper behavior and how he shouldn't hit a girl or something. That he was better than fighting. No matter that she'd still started it. "She made Match think she ate his lizard as a 'prank.' He loves that lizard. And she wanted to undress Jono and stick her hands in his chest cavity. Which is gross and violates all boundaries ever. We've already had a discussion on boundaries Sharon!" he snapped at the end.
Sam’s eyes darkened and he turned to glare in Sharon’s direction. “Did she now? Liam, go get yerself checked out. I’ll make sure you ain’t in trouble.”
He turned his head just slightly to make sure the boy left before turning his attention fully to Sharon. “You an’ I, young lady, we’re gonna have a talk. And that means yer gonna talk back. I know you can put that off but I can be good and patient. But you best listen to me now and listen to me good- you leave those boys the fuck alone. And if I hear you done ignored me, yer gonna have me to fight- and I don’t think you want that.”
The cat stared at him, unblinking. What siblings Sharon had grown up with had not included the bipedal sort. Older brothers had never before featured in her world. Yet some how, some way. Sam's threat unlocked a primal response.
Their gazes remained locked for just slightly too long. Then Sharon turned her back to Sam, raised her tail to the angle of maximum disrespect, and padded out.
Liam had gotten the upper hand on Sharon once to toss her in the pool and he had no doubt that twice was unlikely. Unlike real cats, they both had human intellect and neither were toddlers still learning about object permanence. Still, when he saw her laying in the sunbeam once again, he had to try.
Since their last encounter at the pool, he'd frozen her out, refusing to speak with her or engage in any way. She wasn't playing nicely and that kind of behavior wasn't rewarded. That was clearly a lesson she was still working on learning, though he wasn't sure which came first, Match or Jono. In the end, it didn't matter, both were gross overreaches of acceptable behavior, even taking her quirks into account.
Sharon, like Liam, was a light sleeper; even at their most relaxed it was difficult to truly sneak up on either cat. Last time it had only been trust that kept Sharon from reacting to his presence. Trust that, ever since he had hurled her into the pool, had been broken.
It was for this reason that Liam suddenly went from stalking a drowsing housecat to staring down 120lbs of enraged big cat aimed straight for his chest.
Okay, so he hadn't known what to expect other than the purrito wouldn't work again. Still, he wasn't expecting this. Claws unsheathing, he caught her automatically and pushed her face away, keeping teeth away was good. Hissing, he rolled back and kept going as a backward somersault like hed learned with Mr. Gibney, so he ended up on top.
For a human opponent this would have been effective. Unfortunately against Sharon all it did was give her access to a second set of weapons.
With a snarl Sharon shoved her powerful hind legs beneath Liam's abdomen and began to kick at him with the force of a full-blown punch, her forelegs drawn under her chin and ready to ready to rake across his face the instant it got within range. The meager space created by her kick provided just enough to allow her to twist within her own skin and pull free. She leapt away and whirled back to face him, spitting like water on a hot burner.
Gasping for air, Liam barreled forward to tackle her, pushing one shoulder against her chest and forcing her neck upwards, claws still extended, though he wasn't actively using them against her. Breathing was optional, right? He winced as they knocked a table lamp over.
Instead of pulling away Sharon wrapped her paws around Liam's back and kicked off with her hind legs to throw them both onto the floor, her tail whirling like a propeller as she curved her spine to control her angle of impact. Liam landed on his back and Sharon used the jolt to roll clear and back to her feet. She began to stalk a circle around him, head lowered and ears pressed against her skull, and when she hissed it was like someone had pulled back a pair of curtains to reveal a wall full of knives.
He might've been unable to shift, but his body language mirrored hers in human shape. He couldn't roar, but he could growl and did, clearly ready to take whatever came next and do his best to return the favor.
Sam burst into the room like a man on a mission and quickly moved to stand between the two. He knew the sound of cat fights thanks to the strays that hung around the barn back home. He'd never felt the need to step in before, but to be fair, the cats at home hadn't been people he knew and cared about. Standing between them Sam used a small blast of power to push both of them back and away from each other. Years of practice made him look calm and collected even if his voice was gravelly and harsh. "What exactly is goin' on in here? I want an answer in plain English, no riddles no games. Do I make myself clear?"
Sharon, unprepared for this particular application of Sam's powers, responded to the push by jumping five feet straight into the air. While she did land on her feet the flailing it took to achieve this greatly diminished her menace. Growling deep in her throat, the cat flattened herself against the ground and glared at Liam, her tail still switching dangerously.
Liam didn't jump at the powers application, though his tail and ears poofed in surprise, mostly because he hadn't expected it. Glaring back and recognizing that Sharon wasn't in a form that could speak, he answered, breathing hard, "I walked in and she attacked me!"
Sam fixed a steely glare towards Sharon, knowing that the cat could shift into a form that could speak if she wanted to, and then turned to look at Liam. His gaze was nicer towards the boy, he at least was cooperating. "'S that so? No reason at all she mighta felt justified in doin' so?"
"I haven't spoken to her in days!" Liam defended himself, not used to someone not believing him. He was cute and innocent! He wasn't lying though, he hadn't spoken to her since he'd thrown her in the pool and she hadn't spoken to him either.
A horrible sound issued from Sharon's throat. She swiped a massive paw in Liam's direction, the gesture clearly accusatory.
Sam raised a hand in warning towards Sharon, letting just a bit of his power play at his fingertips in a visible field of energy before pulling it back in. A warning. He quickly turned back to Liam. “And what exactly happened the last time you spoke? She seems to have had a problem with it at least.”
"Tell him what you did to Match!" Liam agreed, still glaring at Sharon, "And the new guy, Jono! Hmmm? You won't talk because you know you're wrong and don't want to admit it! I'm a cute little kitty cat," he mocked, "but you're just hateful and mean! And you're mad that I'm calling you on it!" He turned to Sam and with effort, stood and straightened his shoulders, "She doesn't like consequences."
The big cat hissed again. It was surprisingly eloquent.
Sam’s eyes travelled towards Liam but he didn’t dare turn his back on Sharon. “What exactly did she do? And if you know why I’d greatly appreciate the context.
God but this felt like home, didn’t it? Sharon and Liam were remindin’ him of Jeb and Lewis- usually he liked that about them. But right now they were just remindin’ him that he never wanted to be Jeb and Lewis’ dad. He felt tired.
Standing there, Liam realized a couple things. Firstly, it didn't seem to matter what he said, Sam didn't want to see his side, he'd made up his mind that the teen was responsible. Secondly, Sam wasn't a teacher or his parents or... anyone really. "Why?" he asked plainly, "You've already decided I'm wrong, so there's no point in wasting my breath," blinking, he shot Sharon one last look of disgust, and limped towards his suite, tail practically on the floor.
Sam shot Sharon a stern look and then followed after Liam. “I have not in fact decided that yer wrong. I was tryin’ to find out what happened and given that yer the only one that would talk I hadta get both sides outta you. I was tryin’ to figure out if this was somethin’ I oughta try to address with Sharon outside of breaking up this spat.”
Sam crossed his arms and shook his head. “You were clearly defendin’ others and that’s great. I ain’t got issue with that. I just wanna know what you were defendin’ em from and why so you ain’t the only one keepin’ an eye on the situation.”
Honestly, kids these days.
"From her!" he waved at Sharon, in all her growling glory. "She keeps hurting others! And now she's attacked me! It's not that complicated!" his chest was really hurting now that the adrenaline was wearing off and frustration at everything setting in.
"Can I go now?" he was just tired.
Sam’s face visibly softened. “I promise I’m listenin to you- can you tell me what exactly she did that she needs consequences for? And then you can go get an ice pack and I’d recommend some ibuprofen and a warm bath to help with the pain. I’m gonna have a chat with Sharon here soon as she agrees to take a form that can talk."
He didn't think that would happen any time soon. "Not sure why," he finally muttered, "but she knows she's being terrible. That's why she won't shift. Instead of being mature, she's doubling down and being worse."
Sharon, persistently feline, only glared.
"Last thing Liam, I promise and then I'll let you go and I'll handle this." Sam said softly. "What exactly did she do to be terrible? I know to Match and...Jono, I think you said his name was? But what did she do?"
Handle this. Right. Sure. Liam was certain Kyle or another adult was going to try to talk to him about proper behavior and how he shouldn't hit a girl or something. That he was better than fighting. No matter that she'd still started it. "She made Match think she ate his lizard as a 'prank.' He loves that lizard. And she wanted to undress Jono and stick her hands in his chest cavity. Which is gross and violates all boundaries ever. We've already had a discussion on boundaries Sharon!" he snapped at the end.
Sam’s eyes darkened and he turned to glare in Sharon’s direction. “Did she now? Liam, go get yerself checked out. I’ll make sure you ain’t in trouble.”
He turned his head just slightly to make sure the boy left before turning his attention fully to Sharon. “You an’ I, young lady, we’re gonna have a talk. And that means yer gonna talk back. I know you can put that off but I can be good and patient. But you best listen to me now and listen to me good- you leave those boys the fuck alone. And if I hear you done ignored me, yer gonna have me to fight- and I don’t think you want that.”
The cat stared at him, unblinking. What siblings Sharon had grown up with had not included the bipedal sort. Older brothers had never before featured in her world. Yet some how, some way. Sam's threat unlocked a primal response.
Their gazes remained locked for just slightly too long. Then Sharon turned her back to Sam, raised her tail to the angle of maximum disrespect, and padded out.
