Interlude

[Deleted]

Adriaira

The dark calico queen ducked into one of the richer looking homes, back yards. She had managed to once again stay a couple steps ahead of the Followers of Fayd. Giving those nasty Brutes the slip, she journeyed to the ritzy part of the city. She wasn't pretty enough, in human standards, to ever being adopted by any of the humans there, but it was a good respite. Monty was use to scouring the darker alleys and the shady side of the city looking for her. It'd be at least a week or two before Monty would dare send anyone to the rich part of town in his search for her.

Jackass.

Bravely, she walked up to the glass door-wall of the luxurious home and peered inside. It looked like a foreign place inside those walls, a place Adriaira could never even dream of. She didn't think she would like being a house cat, after being raised up and living her whole life, thus far, wild and free. Still, she didn't see any humans home, so she knew she wouldn't be shooed away by the two-legs anytime soon. Looking for a more defensible and sheltered place, she ventured towards the corner of the yard. Snuggling under the cover, she kept her eyes alert for a short time. After everything she had gone through, what she had lost. She'd die before letting her two families deaths be in vain.

((OPEN))

[eliaza]

Mungojerrie

The ginger-and-black tabby tom rounded the corner of the large house, silently congratulating himself on his haul. Normally he wouldn't have come alone, but he so wanted to give his sister a fun surprise... He stumbled a bit, and a silver platter clattered to the ground. Jerrie growled low in his throat, trying to decide whether to pick it up or leave it...and if he were to pick it up, how on earth he would manage to do so. He not only had an entire pillowcase-full of loot slung over his back, but he had an armload of stuff he hadn't been able to fit in the pillowcase. True, he may have gone just slightly overboard on this occasion... Suddenly, as he stared at the plate, which had rolled into a corner, he saw...or was nearly certain he saw...a paw, claw, or some sort of object or movement near the plate. He gulped. Had Macavity been tailing him again...? Finally electing to risk it, he peered into the dimness. "Er..." He gulped. "Err... 'ello, there?"

[Deleted]

Adriaira

The dark calico queen raised a single eyebrow as she watched another tom slowly creep into the yard, carrying a bag over his shoulder. A bulky bag. She was slightly amused, though her cautiousness returned when she noticed him getting closer to where she was resting. Peeking her nose out slightly, she scooped up the plate and tucked it under her arm. "You have a run away." With a coy look, though it was more guarded then she let on, she gave the tiger a small nod. He didn't seem like a spy for

...Him.

"Hello." She finally greeted back, offering him the plate that had rolled off.

[eliaza]

Mungojerrie

"Heh...heh..." Jerrie gave an awkward, embarrassed laugh. "So Oi do," he added, looking at the plate. Then he looked from the plate to his already-full arms and back to the plate again. He started to hold out a foot, thinking maybe she could set the plate on it and he could hop the whole rest of the way home... And look a complete imbecile and draw even more attention to himself than he already was going to with this ridiculously-large load. "Tell y'what," he said, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone, "yew kin keep that 'un. Eh? Every'un needs somethin' shiny now an' again. And Oi really 'ave plenty here."

[shizoo]

((do you mind if I join with Sundancer?))

[eliaza]

((I don't mind if x2 doesn't ^_^))

[Deleted]

Adriaira

The multi-colored calico queen watched him with vague amusement. He had a unique accent, one she rarely got to hear while on the streets. Her friend, Siphon had the same type of accent and it did bring her some nostalgia as well as some sad memories. She wiggled the plate that was in her paw and promptly moved it between her two paws. "I think I will keep it, for now." She did cock an eyebrow up as she observed just HOW MUCH this tom was carrying in his bag. The items were literally popping out through different holes (or had made their own holes) in the bag. She tsked him, her tone a bit dry,"Ain't that like a tom...not to ask for help, huh?" There was a small smile on her face, her dry humor shining through. Though she did give him a pointed stare, seeing if he would ask her for help. She had two able paws, well one, but she could always put some stuff on the plate and help carry some of his load. Not like she had anything better to do.

((I don't mind a bit, Shizoo.))

[shizoo]

Sundancer

The lithe Siamese slipped over the edge of the garden wall after spying on her humans . .correction, her Former humans. She couldn't afford to get too close or get caught by her parents or her brother. She wrinkled her nose. She still hadn't forgiven him for selling out her sister, Jana to Macavity. Jerk.
Then Dancer heard a soft noise then a clatter. She froze. What tha? Softly, she edged forward trying to get a better look without compromising her position.

Inadvertently, her hand came down on a garden slug with a nasty squishy scwelching. EEWWW. Yuck! She hated little slimy things! Darn nature anyway! Why did everything in it have to be slimy or smelly? She never had understood nature-lovers like her sister.

Majorly icked out, she jumped startled & lost her balance trying to get the slug residue off of her hand, tumbling down right in front of the pretty calico & . . Mungojerrie?? Oh great, she knew him vaguely from before the kidnapping & their subsequent rescue from Macavity's warehouse. His & Teazer's humans lived nearby & had been friends with Jana's former human-the old lady who'd died, leaving all her money to Jana. The question was-would he recognize her with her new bleached out look?

Controlling the fall as Timothy had taught her, she landed more or less gracefully. (OK it was probably 'less') With a classic, 'I meant to do that' look, she preened her shoulder for a moment. "Umm, Hello." She smirked a bit when she recognized some of the loot Jerrie had, her pretty blue eyes gleaming in appreciation.

(Jerrie can recognize her if he wants too, is up to you. )

[eliaza]

Mungojerrie

Mungojerrie scratched at his ear, rather embarrassed. He thought he saw what Adriaira was getting at - that he was clearly incapable of carting all this loot home himself but was too proud to ask for help. It was partly true, but also how could one turn to some poor, by-standing queen and shove a heavy pile of objects at her? How unchivalrous that would be! Before he could think how to reply, another queen approached them. "Ah...'ello," he returned her greeting. By this point he really felt troubled: he was certain he recognized the queen from somewhere, but hadn't the foggiest idea where, and certainly no idea of what her name might be. And, he reflected, he didn't know the other queen's name either. What was he to say in this situation??Finally, after a few moments of awkward shuffling, he did the only thing he could think of and rummaged in his bag. The first item he came up with was a silver fork. (He had looted lots of silver this day...). With an embarrassed cough, he held it out to the Siamese. "Er...'ave a shiny, m'lady?"

[Deleted]

Adriaira

The multi-colored calico was somewhat distant with the new queen, but still nodded her head in acknowledgement. She was still on the run from Monty's Brute's so she was trying to be safe. Even if this new queen had no ties to Monty, Adri knew eventually (especially if their group got any bigger) that they'd begin to draw attention to themselves. They probably already looked suspicious to any one who spotted them. Three cats sort of hidden in a corner of a backyard, of an empty human household, talking quietly amongst themselves. It also irked her, that this tom gave her the third degree when they first met, but decides to be all nice, polite and gentlemanly to this new queen.

She raised an eyebrow at Mungojerrie and the other queen. Probably only treated the pretty queens that way. She did have a free paw on her hip, balancing the shiny plate in her other paw. "Hello there. Snooping? Or do you happen to scale over human gates for a living?" She was not subtle, she never claimed to be, but it was a little odd that the siamese just showed up there out of the blue. She wasn't trying to accuse the Siamese of spying, or even working for Monty, she probably didn't know the tom at all. But after burying the bodies of her adopted family only a couple weeks ago, she felt it was better to exercise caution.

[shizoo]

                                                           SUNDANCER
Dancer grinned at Mungojerrie, "Why thank you sir." She took the proffered fork, not quite sure what she was going to do with it, but still it was a sweet gesture. . sort of.
The petite Siamese saw the irked look on the calico's face & couldn't help being amused. Affecting a snotty accent, she fluttered her eyelashes, "Snooping? Me? Perish the thought. I was. .  umm out for a midnight stroll?" Then she smirked & in a much more normal voice. "Of course I was snooping on the humans. There isn't any other entertainment in this part of town after all."

Dancer was torn, she knew more of Jerrie than she knew about him. He & his sister had some sort of Robin Hood complex, but she didn't know this queen at all-just that she definitely wasn't Teazer. She would have thought at first that she was interrupting something more. . 'private', but the signs were wrong. With Macavity's goons still suspicious about her & Jana's convenient 'death' they really needed to be careful about who they trusted, but she was so tired of not having friends or even just someone new to talk to. It seemed so different for the others. Jana liked quiet & Tim & Hershel were usually all about training & the 'job'. Well, Dancer knew how to work. . .ok, she was learning how to work, but she desperately needed some Fun too.  

 "You can call me Sunny, if you want." Carefully, she assessed the pair with Timothy's training in mind, Jerrie just looked embarrassed, but the new queen looked  . .wary, as if she had something to hide as well. Dancer's curiosity started to bubble.  "So, we've established what I'm doing. What Jerrie's doing is rather obvious. Care to share what you're doing here as well? It's only fair." She figured the queen may lie, but her training taught her, that sometimes a lie could be just as informative as the truth.
 

[Deleted]

Adriaira

The multi-colored calico raised an eyebrow at the Siamese and her question. She had been there first, resting, they were the ones who interrupted her; they were the suspicious ones. She snapped her fingers, giving Sundancer a tiny grin. "You've reminded me that I have an errand to run. Been in one place far too long, anyway." Adriaira fiddled with the plate still in her paws, debating whether or not to keep it, though she worried it would slow her down if she held on to it. Neither one of them had yet to introduce themselves to her and they were already asking her personal questions. How rude. At the Sunny introduction, however, she gave the queen a small look. Not judgmental, just curious. It didn't sound like her name, perhaps an alias, or a nickname? "Call me Ria." She responded in a civil tone. It was a nickname that she rarely ever used or heard others using. But it was something. She wasn't rude, after all.

[shizoo]

SUNDANCER

Dancer waited for a moment to see if he was going to speak, but Mungojerrie seemed a little tongue-tied around the two queens.

Dancer had spent the last several weeks either working & training hard, or screamingly bored. This was the first time she'd ventured out on her own.
She smirked inwardly, Timothy was likely to be annoyed with her-even though she left him a note. The new queen looked a little hmm. . Cautious maybe? It gave Dancer an excuse for her curiosity anyway.  Virtuously, she planned how she would explain this to him when he finally caught up with her. But dear, you said we needed to check out anything suspicious. .  hmm. . maybe if she batted her eyes a little too?
Then her attention snapped back to the new queen & Jerrie, she wasn't about to miss this opportunity to find out more & to make sure they weren't working for him, Macavity.
Manners had been drummed into Sundancer at a young age. Per her parents appearances were everything, of course Dancer only ascribed to this theory when it suited her.
Politely, she answered, her face lighting in a grin, "It's nice to meet you Ria." Then she gave her a beguiling smile. "I'm good with leaving the area if you'd like. There's nothing exciting going on anyway. Where would you like to go?"

[Vipurr]

Rumpus

Out of the shadows came a large figure. Muscled as if he were the statue of David himself, the toms short fur left little to the imagination. His long mane bounced slightly at his shoulders. His white muscled chest sport an odd black looking patch of fur shaped like an 'R'. What was even more unnerving were his eyes. Normal in size and appearance but the odd part was the eerie ruby red color. He was walking casually up to the group of jellicles. Mainly, Mungojerrie. He recognized the male easily with the orange and black stripes. The queens were unknown to him, but very beautiful.
Opening his mouth a deep base voice rumbled.
"Leaving the area might be a good idea" He gave them a concerned look. "Please excuse my interruption ladies, " His kind, chiseled face offered an apology. He then looked to Mungojerrie, "Mungojerrie, this area of the city is not safe right now. Henches are on the move. I have stalled a few, but more are coming" the large black male informed the tiger tom.

[Deleted]

Adriaira

The multi-colored calico's fur began to stand on end, not only at the appearance of yet another tom just mysteriously appearing there, but he had mentioned Henches on the move. She did feel like she needed to leave, Monty would never stop chasing her, she just hadn't truly comprehended that till then. And now every time she stayed too long in one place, she'd get that nagging feeling in her mind. Though the words finally caught up with her panicked mind. Giving Rumpus a confused look, she asked. "Henches? Who are they?" She had heard of Monty, Monty's "Following" and of his Brutes; having been on the run from them for so long. But Henches weren't anyone she had ever come across. Unless Monty and his gang were also known as Henches. She supposed it was possible.

[eliaza]

Mungojerrie

Mungojerrie listened to Rumpus's words with concern. His ears flicked back at Adriaira's question, and he turned back to her. "Bad sorts, them Henches are," he told her gravely. "They..." He thought a moment before continuing. Who was Adriaira, anyhow? For all anyone knew, she could be a 'bad sort,' herself. No need to give her too much information for now...besides, he didn't want to terrify her. For once thinking before speaking, a rare thing for him, Mungojerrie merely continued, "They're not the sorts of folks y'want to have run-ins with. Leavin' the area migh' be a good idear."

[dodd4]

(speaking of henches would you mind if Manfredd dropped in for a bit?)

[eliaza]

((fine by me. Make things more exciting! ))

[dodd4]

(Manfredd)
a massive shadow loomed at the alleys mouth, "Jerr's right you know, most a the fellas...they just aint nice." then he took a bite from a fish that he had scavanged from a dumpster and chewed slowly. " ya want some? the humans allways throw away the best parts," said a massive slate grey and brown tom.
"you an Miss T doin good Jerr? been missing seein you around."

[shizoo]

SUNDANCER

Dancer jumped a little as the large new tom loomed out of the darkness. Her heart started pounding a little, & it only got worse when she heard was Rumpus had to say. Henches on the move? damn. She needed to know more. This was about far more than her boredom or meeting new friends. This could be important to their very safety-especially Jana's! The little Siamese was about to talk with Rumpus when another tom-this one's bulk almost blocking out the light loomed up beside them. She almost panicked-that was a hench! She remembered seeing him briefly, when she 7 Jana had been brought in! It took all her courage not to bolt right then & there.
She uttered a soft scream & tried to cover it with a cough. "Oh you startled me!" She fluttered her lashes at Rumpus a little & smiled. "All right we seem to have a consensus then-it is time to leave this area! I think we should go as a group though-having all of us scatter would just make us look guilty of something & possibly draw unwanted attention." (besides,) she thought, (there's safety in numbers!)
She glanced meaningfully at Jerrie & his loot. Then turned the full force of her big blue eyes on Rumpus. "What do you think?"