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i-am-the-firechild:

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i-am-the-firechild:

“You work pretty hard to push people to that conclusion, Loki. Liemaster,” Summer drawled. “How’s that working out, that lying to yourself bit?” She ignored his tale of Cat’s antics. Cats did that. Generally speaking, they knew their own limits. Loki, apparently, didn’t.

“Liesmith,” Loki hissed, scooping Cat up into the crook of his arm, his hands gentle on his pet despite his visible anger.   “And who are you, mortal, to speak to me thus!”  

It wasn’t really a question.  He spun on his heel and stalked towards the door, fairly radiating rage.

“An empath, you idiot,” Summer shot back, leaning on her hands. “Did you not pay any attention the first time we met?”

Loki didn’t stop, jerking the door open without breaking stride.

“I will not hear such things from the mouth of a human.” 

“You have changed.” Summer let her voice turn cutting, mocking. “Time was, you’d not run away from a mere mortal, a human. From mere words. You want me to fear you, yet you’re the one fleeing!”

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

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Summer smacked herself in the forehead. “A little something about you not caring, I think it was. I’m just saying, if you’re this upset because you accidentally got him stoned — oh, never mind. Just never mind. Look, he’s fine. He’s very happy right now, and in a couple hours it will wear off, and you should try to give him a smaller dose next time.” She sighed. “Why in the world is the only thing that gets you wound up a /cat/?”

“I never said I didn’t care!” Loki fumed, “As I recall, that was a conclusion you drew yourself.  I didn’t GIVE him the dose, he climbed up on the cabinets and ate the whole bloody bag!”

“You work pretty hard to push people to that conclusion, Loki. Liemaster,” Summer drawled. “How’s that working out, that lying to yourself bit?” She ignored his tale of Cat’s antics. Cats did that. Generally speaking, they knew their own limits. Loki, apparently, didn’t.

“Liesmith,” Loki hissed, scooping Cat up into the crook of his arm, his hands gentle on his pet despite his visible anger.   “And who are you, mortal, to speak to me thus!”  

It wasn’t really a question.  He spun on his heel and stalked towards the door, fairly radiating rage.

“An empath, you idiot,” Summer shot back, leaning on her hands. “Did you not pay any attention the first time we met?”

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

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“As I recall, we got more than a little sidetracked last time.” Summer folded her arms and glared at him. “Interesting that you’re this upset about it, though. You do know cats have short lifespans compared to humans, right?”

“Of course I’m upset,” Loki snapped.  ”He’s Cat and I thought I had hurt him!” He stopped and gave her a very hard look.  ”Why mention that?  He is naught but a kitten.”

Summer smacked herself in the forehead. “A little something about you not caring, I think it was. I’m just saying, if you’re this upset because you accidentally got him stoned — oh, never mind. Just never mind. Look, he’s fine. He’s very happy right now, and in a couple hours it will wear off, and you should try to give him a smaller dose next time.” She sighed. “Why in the world is the only thing that gets you wound up a /cat/?”

“I never said I didn’t care!” Loki fumed, “As I recall, that was a conclusion you drew yourself.  I didn’t GIVE him the dose, he climbed up on the cabinets and ate the whole bloody bag!”

“You work pretty hard to push people to that conclusion, Loki. Liemaster,” Summer drawled. “How’s that working out, that lying to yourself bit?” She ignored his tale of Cat’s antics. Cats did that. Generally speaking, they knew their own limits. Loki, apparently, didn’t.

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

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“I just said, /ask/.” Summer arched an eyebrow at Loki, face stern, before stroking Cat’s furry belly. “Bless his wee bones, he’s fine. He’s just verrrrry happy right now. Yes, silly Cat, your papa is all wound up over nothing.” She tried to blow a raspberry on the black belly and ended up snorting fur instead, giggling.

Nestling the relaxed Cat into the pile of pillows, she said, “Catnip affects different cats differently; it’s like liquor to humans that way. Some cats get hyper on it, like Doc; other cats get very relaxed. Stormlight gets chatty.”

Hearing her name, the tiny tortoiseshell darted up, inspected Loki’s shoes, then padded over to inspect Cat. Her tail began to wave gently, and she started to wash his ears.

“You might have warned me.”  Loki said crossly.  ”I thought I’d killed him!  Do all ‘cat treats’ produce such alarming effects?”

“As I recall, we got more than a little sidetracked last time.” Summer folded her arms and glared at him. “Interesting that you’re this upset about it, though. You do know cats have short lifespans compared to humans, right?”

“Of course I’m upset,” Loki snapped.  ”He’s Cat and I thought I had hurt him!” He stopped and gave her a very hard look.  ”Why mention that?  He is naught but a kitten.”

Summer smacked herself in the forehead. “A little something about you not caring, I think it was. I’m just saying, if you’re this upset because you accidentally got him stoned — oh, never mind. Just never mind. Look, he’s fine. He’s very happy right now, and in a couple hours it will wear off, and you should try to give him a smaller dose next time.” She sighed. “Why in the world is the only thing that gets you wound up a /cat/?”

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

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She looked up from an uncomfortably sprawled position on the floor. “Ow. Why are you /punning/ at me.”

The silver tabby made a dart at the open door, and she lunged at the cat. “NO, Stormlight. Not in the city. Get inside before they all decide to leave!”

Loki pulled the door closed just in time, and scowled down at Summer.

“Why are you on the floor—get up and tell me what on earth is the matter with Macrowafter!  I bought the catnip at your suggestion, if you recall!” 

“I’m on the floor because the **** cat tripped me getting up to answer /your/ frantic knock, and there’s nothing /wrong/ with Cat if you gave him catnip!” Releasing Stormlight, Summer pushed herself up from the floor, struggling briefly against putting her hands on her own loose hair. “I’m going to cut it all off, I swear it.”

Yanking the strands into a quick lovers’ haste knot, she beckoned to Loki. “Give me Cat. He’s probably just stoned. Also, if you want my help, it really does work better to /ask/.”

Loki carefully put Cat in her hands, his fingers ever so gentle on the little animal.  ”What—I did not know that this ‘catnip’ was some sort of hallucinogen!  You must fix him.  If I have harmed him by this—” he abruptly stopped speaking, his mouth hard and his face pale.

“I just said, /ask/.” Summer arched an eyebrow at Loki, face stern, before stroking Cat’s furry belly. “Bless his wee bones, he’s fine. He’s just verrrrry happy right now. Yes, silly Cat, your papa is all wound up over nothing.” She tried to blow a raspberry on the black belly and ended up snorting fur instead, giggling.

Nestling the relaxed Cat into the pile of pillows, she said, “Catnip affects different cats differently; it’s like liquor to humans that way. Some cats get hyper on it, like Doc; other cats get very relaxed. Stormlight gets chatty.”

Hearing her name, the tiny tortoiseshell darted up, inspected Loki’s shoes, then padded over to inspect Cat. Her tail began to wave gently, and she started to wash his ears.

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

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A strangled yelp answered him, followed by what sounded like something hitting the floor hard and an outraged feline noise. “****, IT’S OPEN! Ow,” Summer yelled.

Loki banged the door open and thrust his hands, full of a Cat limp as if he had no bones, at Summer.

“FIX him.  He rolled in that foul green stuff and now he’s—he’s catatonic!” 

She looked up from an uncomfortably sprawled position on the floor. “Ow. Why are you /punning/ at me.”

The silver tabby made a dart at the open door, and she lunged at the cat. “NO, Stormlight. Not in the city. Get inside before they all decide to leave!”

Loki pulled the door closed just in time, and scowled down at Summer.

“Why are you on the floor—get up and tell me what on earth is the matter with Macrowafter!  I bought the catnip at your suggestion, if you recall!” 

“I’m on the floor because the **** cat tripped me getting up to answer /your/ frantic knock, and there’s nothing /wrong/ with Cat if you gave him catnip!” Releasing Stormlight, Summer pushed herself up from the floor, struggling briefly against putting her hands on her own loose hair. “I’m going to cut it all off, I swear it.”

Yanking the strands into a quick lovers’ haste knot, she beckoned to Loki. “Give me Cat. He’s probably just stoned. Also, if you want my help, it really does work better to /ask/.”

liesmith-loki:

i-am-the-firechild:

liesmith-loki:

Loki had settled on catnip.  It had been the first cat treat he’d seen at the pet store, and after staring at the rather staggering selection, he’d decided that it would be as good as any of the others.  Macrowafter had seemed to approve—he’d oozed down from Loki’s shoulder and onto his arm to sniff at the bag, and the busily was trying to disembowel it as Loki paid the clerk.

“No, Cat—not yet,” Loki said, putting the bag on a high shelf in the kitchen as Macrowafter hooked his claws into Loki’s ankle.  ”Eat your dinner first!”  Loki stepped out into the parlor, busying himself with closing curtains in that room and his bedroom before changing into a more comfortable pair of loose trousers and a dark green t-shirt.  

The sight that greeted him was unexpected—but only if one did not know what to anticipate when dealing with an acrobatic, resourceful, intelligent cat.   Macrowafter was stretched out on his back on the counter, paws waving at nothing, eyes wide—and he was covered in catnip.  The rest of it lay strewn everywhere on counter and floor, a green, pungent mess.  Macrowafter sort of rolled and then went still, staring at Loki out of eyes whose pupils had dilated almost beyond recognition.

Alarm consuming him, Loki scooped Cat up and was out of the flat like a shot, clattering down the stairs to bang on the door of a certain other flat.

A strangled yelp answered him, followed by what sounded like something hitting the floor hard and an outraged feline noise. “****, IT’S OPEN! Ow,” Summer yelled.

Loki banged the door open and thrust his hands, full of a Cat limp as if he had no bones, at Summer.

“FIX him.  He rolled in that foul green stuff and now he’s—he’s catatonic!” 

She looked up from an uncomfortably sprawled position on the floor. “Ow. Why are you /punning/ at me.”

The silver tabby made a dart at the open door, and she lunged at the cat. “NO, Stormlight. Not in the city. Get inside before they all decide to leave!”