xp_logs | Angelo, Kitty and the pets

He takes Joyita to meet Lockheed, and he and Kitty agree that a "no eating pets" rule would be a very good idea.

Angelo made his way along to Kitty's room, the puppy scampering happily along behind him. He'd decided, on Alison's suggestion, that it was best to introduce her to the dragon while he was still small enough that he couldn't eat her, and so he was doing so. Arriving at the door, he knocked and waited for it to be answered.

Kitty had just finished cleaning the dishes from Lockheed's latest meal (and she was going to have to take one of the cars to go shopping to restock all the meat he'd been eating) and had started on her homework while Lockheed snoozed over the back of the chair. Hearing the knock she called out, "Come in," setting down her pen and turning to look.

Angelo grinned and opened the door, a small brown head appearing inquisitively at the bottom of it - she'd never been to this place before. "Hey, Kit. Brought someone to meet the new arrival."

"Hey Angelo," Kitty grinned. "Hello Joyita. Come on in. Lockheed`s asleep, but it won`t take long for him to wake up."

Indeed, the combination of his name being mentioned and the smell of the puppy had the dragon raising his head to peer around. The movement of the puppy was enough for him to even consider moving off the chair, but considering how hard it was for him to get up there in the first place, he didn`t actually do it.

Angelo's eyes widened as he caught sight of Lockheed draped over the chair, and he moved into the room to get a better look. Joyita immediately ran over there to do the same, bouncing around the chair legs eagerly. "He's really cute."

"Isn't he, though?" Kitty said, grinning. "You wouldn't really think a reptile could be that adorable..."

Lockheed loved being admired. He preened slightly for Angelo, settling and resettling his wings as though showing him off. But it wasn't long before the joyfully bouncing puppy thoroughly caught his attention. Hooking his claws into the chair so as not to fall off, he leaned as far over the edge as he could, stretching his neck until he was nose to nose with Joyita. Then he wuffled.

Joyita's response to this was to bounce up at him and lick his nose. Angelo watched the resulting reaction in amusement, and also keeping a careful eye on them in case he decided puppy = food.

Lockheed recoiled back, wrapping both paws over his nose and practically radiating indignity and the idea that it was far beneath him to have his nose licked, and Kitty burst out laughing.

"Aw, Lockheed, don't be like that. Joyita licks everything, me included." Kitty reached up to scritch the dragon between his wings and he wrapped a propriatary tail around her wrist.

Angelo grinned at the pair of them, amused by the cute picture they presented. "He's pretty much yours already, then? Or are you his?"

"Well, we're pretty settled, if that's what you mean. As far as ownership goes, I think he thinks he's in charge, but he knows I'm the one who can get the fridge door open."

Shifting his paws, Lockheed gave Kitty a look which was clearly intended to get across the idea that it was only a matter of time before he defeated this 'fridge' thing in personal combat and then all the food in the world would be his. It was quite a look.

"Mr. Beaubier says Delphine can open the fridge", Angelo commented idly. "Not quite clear on how she does it without opposable thumbs, but there it is. Might wanna watch Lockheed here, in case he starts taking lessons."

"A worrying thought, I'll have to be on my guard. So what brings you up here?" Kitty asked. "Just wanted to meet the little purple guy?"

Angelo grinned as Joyita continued her best efforts to bounce at both Lockheed and Kitty, and the dragon looked down at her in disdain. "Mostly. But also - was a little bit worried when you were talkin' about how much he eats. I'm guessin' that's meat, right? Not that it could be a problem yet, he's too little, but I wanted to be sure he won't start goin' after... live meat... when he gets older."

"Ah, yeah, there's a thought. He definitely prefers meat, although he eats anything, the little glutton. Wouldn't be surprised if he wants to hunt when he's bigger and can actually fly." She tapped Lockheed on the nose, pulling his attention away from his (safely distant) observation of Joyita. "Rule number two, Lockheed: no eating anyone's pets."

The dragon turned his head until it was almost resting on his shoulder while he considered this. Finally he said, "Merfle?"

Kitty narrowed her eyes. "If you don't know if it's a pet or not, don't eat it." Her voice brooked no argument, and the dragon seemed to accept it. Turning to Angelo, Kitty added, "I have no idea if he really knows what I mean or not, but he certainly seems clever enough."

Angelo grinned, satisfied with that. "That he does." Having a sudden thought, he added lightly, "Might wanna keep him out of Angie an' Amanda's room, too, just to be on the safe side. Joyita here's a bit too big for him to eat for a while yet, but Angie's mice aren't. Not that you'd let him run around on his own, but you know what I mean."

"These days he can't really run around on his own. I mean, he can't fly and he's pretty awkward on his feet. Comes of just being hatched, I guess. But yeah, I see what you mean about the mice." Kitty smiled. "Think I'll do you one better. I'll take the little guy and introduce him to Frank and the mice and make sure he knows they're not food."

Angelo smiled back. "Just wanted t'make sure. So, he's all set to eat you out of house an' home, then?"

"Eat all of out out, actually. Have to go shopping tomorrow. I'm assuming sooner or later he'll slow down. Surely hatched birds eventually stop eating everything in sight, don't you think?" Kitty knew an awful lot about advanced quantum physics, but her grasp of serious biology was not so hot.

Angelo shrugged - neither was his. "Don't know, I'm sorry. You'd think so... but then, if he's gonna get a lot bigger, maybe not..."

Kitty shuddered slightly at that, which unhappy motion got her Lockheed's full attention again. "My current hope is that if Jamie's right about dragon lifespans, there will be a corresponding extension of things like the growing period. I don't think even the Mansion would be safe enough to hide a fully grown dragon from whoever might want such a thing."

Joyita had by now given up on getting at Lockheed and was curled up on the floor. Angelo bent down to pet her automatically, looking up at Kitty, nodding in agreement. "An' that's assumin' we'd have the space to hide him in."

"Exactly. But it's a worry for another day, I think," Kitty said, banishing the worried look on her face with the shake of her head. "Take each day as it comes, and all that..."

Angelo nodded again, smiling slightly. "Yeah. Could drive yourself mad tryin' to think of everythin' that could happen."

"Not really worth the effort, since the universe keeps throwing us curve balls, hey?" This was addressed as much to Lockheed (the latest curve) as to Angelo.

He chuckled, scritching Joyita's ears. "It does indeed."