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"Lifemates are the only exceptions, even then only sometimes." It was a philosophy he tried to live by, but there had been few others that had seen behind the mask, though not for a lack of trying to stay hidden on Jack's part. Still if this simple thing had made Cade so sore, how would the human react if he learned that the name Jack wasn't even the nekojin's true name? Jack decided to keep that bit of information to himself. He watched the other set about to picking up the various art supplies, an air of hurt and sadness wrapped around the human like a blanket. Jack didn't quite understand why it hurt the human so much, they'd only known each other for a few hours, it wasn't like they were the very best of friends. His ears twitched. "My friends always end up getting harmed, or killed. I can never do anything to save them, that is why I hide myself and have such an aversion for friendship." Perhaps those words would help soothe the hurt in Cade, they were true though. The assassin found it far easier to live in solitude than to face more pain of watching those close to him suffer.
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Cade's fingers curled around one of his precious drawing pencils, specially made with a charcoal core, and an outer shell of wood. The sound of something snapping echoed in his ears. The artist glanced down at the pieces in his hand with a half perplexed expression before letting them drop uselessly to the ground. "Then why let me think even for a moment that you would allow me to be your friend?" Had Jack simply wanted to play with him, like felines played with their prey sometimes, before the kill? He was an assassin after all. Maybe it amused him.
The artist shook the thoughts away. No, that wasn't true it was simply his mind which twisted things that way. He honestly didn't know why Jack's refusal had hurt so much. Aletta was right, he had grown rather fond of the nekojin already. Maybe it was time he left town. Cade glanced around. He'd already drawn most of what had interested him in the place already. |
Jack frowned deeply behind his mask, blinking slightly as his ears twitched at the sound of the snapping pencil. Then he shook his head. Those shoulder's slumped slightly. Everyone always got angry with him for refusing friendship, for refusing closeness. Once he relented, they would just get angry at him again, laying there in a puddle of their own blood, staring at him with hatred in their eyes. As if he hadn't warned them that being friends with him was dangerous, no matter how hard he would try, he could never save them. It was funny how that worked, his enemies never had a problem destroying those close to him, but always failed to destroy him.
A deep sigh left those hidden lips. "I don't even understand why you're so upset at me. I've done nothing except act the way I always do. We are just two men, you and I, sharing a camp together. Why do I have to offer more than just that? Why do I have to extend friendship to you, just so I can watch you die later as you glare at me with hatred because I failed to save you? Why must I have to wallow in months, maybe years of a deep depression because I, once again, inadvertently caused another friend to die? I'm sick and tired of such things. I'm tired of everyone I pass on the street getting angry when I don't want anything more to do with them other than casual conversation to pass an hour or two. I'm tired of them getting angry at me, when turning away their friendship is the only way I can ensure them safety. I'm tired of them getting angry at me after I explain how dangerous it is for them to even consider befriending me." The cat had stood sometime in the middle of those words. He didn't seem angry though, only agitated, and for a few moments he looked tired. A tiredness that transcended just physical weariness. A weariness of years of strife and turmoil. His tail swished and twitched around behind him, and then he was turning. He would just go wait in the woods. high up in a tree where he could watch the house for the wolf to come out, high up in a tree and far from the artist. Unless the human stopped him. |
The artist listened to Jack's tirade, head tilted over his shoulder to watch the nekojin with a careful kind of wariness. Cade was confused, not by the nekojin's words, but by his own reaction to the whole situation. He leaped up and ran from his art supplies, reaching out to try and catch hold of Jack's arm to stop him from leaving. "I don't know why it hurt so much, Jack. Believe me, if I could explain I would." Sincerity filled Cade's grey eyes as he stared up at the taller man.
"I won't ask to be friends again, I promise... Just please don't go until you have to." Unconsciously, he tightened his hands, closing his free one into a tight fist. Jack had to stay, just a little longer. Cade had to draw him again, he just had to! It was the only way he'd be able to truly remember the nekojin, personality and all. Cade was always so afraid of forgetting. |
The cat stopped, his body tensing at Cade's touch. That deep frown remained on his lips, hidden by the mask, as he looked at the artist. His body tense for as long as Cade's hand remained on his arm. "You humans, you're just too sensitive." He said the words as if he were just naming a strange quirk of a favorite pet, with his free arm, he reached over and pat the top of Cade's head. The way one might touch a small child. The artist seemed desperate for him to stay, but that made Jack want to get away even more. Already the man seemed rather attached to him, if he remained longer, such attachment might deepen. Jack relented. "Alright. I'll stay a little while longer then."
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Jack's touch startled the blond man. Cade snatched his hand away, seeming surprised and uncertain. When he heard the nekojin's words, he offered up a tentative smile. "Thank you," mumbled the artist. Already his mind was racing and planning. There was so much he needed to draw, and so little time. A twitch of the ear, a tilt of the head, the stalk of a hunter slowly sneaking upon his prey ... Cade was determined to capture every expression and quirk he could think of. He didn't know why it was so important to him, just that he felt an undeniable need to do so.
"I need to draw..." He sounded almost desperate. Cade glanced at Jack again before he ran to his drawing things and stuffed everything into the leather bag that had lain forgotten until then. In his hands he kept a pad of paper and one of his pencils. The artist was already sketching away as he walked back to Jack's side, all the while wearing an expression of determined concentration. |
Jack watched as Cade rushed off to gather up his art supplies, ears twitching a bit as he watched the human rush. For a moment Jack wondered how the man could sketch and walk at the same time, as Cade made his way back to the nekojin. That expression on Cade's face was one of such concentration, it made Jack wonder what exactly the human had been in such a hurry to draw. Was it him again? He almost hoped not, only because he didn't want Cade posing him this way and that way. He was a cat, and posing for people was not really something he enjoyed. One ear flicked as he tilted his head to the side slightly, keeping those eyes on Cade.
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He smiled slightly as he began to sketch that little tilt of the head the nekojin had just displayed. That was exactly the kind of thing he felt so compelled to capture with his charcoal. Cade didn't know what to say, though he did want to speak. This drawing of his, well that was excuse enough for silence. "I ... " Even though his voice faltered, the artist's hand was still busily making lines across the page. Unconsciously, he tilted the pad of paper just so to hide his sketches from view. Cade didn't want Jack to know what he was doing; he was afraid the nekojin might protest and snatch his precious drawings away.
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Jack just stood there, watching Cade. If the artist was indeed drawing him, he didn't want to mess the man up by moving too much. Cade had gotten grumpy at him the first time he had moved earlier when the artist had decided to draw him. He couldn't really control the twitching of his tail though, and he was curious to see what Cade was sketching. He was sure it was him though, there really wasn't anything else out here, except grass and trees, the campfire and house. That really did only leave the cat as the only option left for the artist to draw. Also the way Cade looked from paper to him and back again was pretty much a dead give away. Jack's body tensed just a little bit. It was an effort to not move when one knew they were expected to be still.
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He finished with a precise flick of the wrist, and nodded to himself. Cade glanced up, and the smile he'd been wearing faltered and fell when he found Jack still just standing there, looking at him. The nekojin knew! The artist hugged his pad close to his chest with a worried expression. "I just want something to keep, for when ..." Shaking his head at himself, Cade sighed and slowly held the drawing out. His hand shook slightly, showing his fear that Jack would snatch it away. The first drawing had been alright, so hopefully the cat man wouldn't mind this. Cade couldn't help but worry though. Jack did have such a good point when he spoke of wanting no one to know what he looked like, for fear that it might bring more danger upon him then he already knew. .
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Jack didn't move until Cade slowly held out that drawing, he could sense the other's fear but he pushed that aside. Clasping his hands gently behind his back, the nekojin leaned forward to inspect the drawing without touching it. Those ears twitching a bit as he looked over the drawing, then he shrugged. "You really shouldn't draw a lot of pictures of me." He gave a slight sigh, it was only a suggestion, one he figured the artist wouldn't really heed. "Or, maybe, just not show them around to a lot of people." He added that as an after thought. The drawing was good, at least in Jack's opinion.
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"But Jack, if I don't draw you I'm afraid I'll forget." Cade hated the way his voice sounded when he said that. He didn't want to sound so vulnerable, or weak. It had just come out that way. Gently, he placed the sketchpad into his leather bag. That was the only way Cade knew to stop himself from drawing, when he wanted to draw so much. His fingers felt empty without paper or pencil.
There had to be something they could do, or talk about that didn't involve talk of his drawings, or Jack's departure. "Are you a shapeshifter?" He had wondered about that. Jack talked of himself as so separate of humans, and he did have those ears and that tail. |
"It might be good, to forget about me." He said the words so seriously, and pretended to ignore how vulnerable the human had sounded. Humans were always vulnerable anyway. Those ears twitched a bit and he gave Cade a funny look at the question, as if it were obvious what he was. "I'm a nekojin." He spoke the words as if it were obvious and that explained everything, he looked Cade over carefully. Figuring the man didn't know what a nekojin was. He ran a hand through his hair and over one of his cat ears. "A nekojin is smiliar to a cat demon, we're probably descended from cat demons. The way humans are descended from apes, I suppose. I can change forms, though my other form is as much a part of me as your fingernails are a part of you. I am a panther and my other form reflects that completely."
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Cade shook his head in denial, but said no more upon the subject. Instead his mind was caught up in Jack's explanation. So that was what he was, basically a panther able to choose whether to stand upon two feet or four. How strange, fascinating and exciting. "You must look just as handsome in your other form as you do now." The moment the words slipped from his mouth, the artist lifted his hands to cover his lips. He had not just said that! Grey eyes wide, Cade tried taking deep breaths. He'd never really said that type of thing to anyone before. What had gotten into him?
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Jack smirked at Cade, once more running his hands through his hair and over one of his feline ears, this time to scratch lightly at the base of it. "I'm not handsome." That smirk had turned to a slight frown, of course hidden by that mask and he peered at Cade almost closely. It was obvious to Jack that the human had just embarrassed himself, it was kind of cute. He shook his head, to push away such thoughts. It would do him no good for those thoughts to surface like that.
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"Well ... I think you are," stated Cade at last with yet another blush. He glanced up at the sky, noting the darkening hues. It was getting late, but he didn't want to go inside where Aletta was. She was bound to ask him questions about the nekojin, and how he had rushed off the moment opportunity had presented itself.
Glancing at the house, Cade pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Do you have any blankets, pillows? I can go get some for you ..." In truth, the artist wanted to stay outside with Jack, but he was afraid that the panther would refuse him. Of course, he could always camp out alone, but it wouldn't be nearly as nice as being able to sit beside Jack and actually have a conversation. |
Jack found that rather amusing, Cade hadn't even seen all of him, but already thought he was handsome. Still such thoughts and ideas as that were dangerous, already Jack was flitting far to close to a line he wasn't quite ready to cross. He was determined not to put Cade in any danger by being friends with him, but it seemed, if he hadn't already crossed that line, he was toeing it very intimately. Amusement danced in his eyes when Cade asked about pillows and blankets, he waved a hand as if to dismiss such items. "I don't need those things, I sleep outside a lot." Jack moved, stepping back towards the fire and sat down.
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Nodding, Cade began to turn away but stopped midstep. Instead of simply walking away, he turned around and moved to wrap his arms around the nekojin. "Goodnight Jack, I hope you sleep well..." The artist didn't want to let go. What was this? Ink and paper had always captured his attention in a way no person ever could, but here he was focusing upon Jack rather then the tools of his trade.
Shaking his head, he let go and walked into the house. He peeked in on Aletta and sighed when he saw her asleep on the chair, near her charge. Silently, Cade placed a blanket upon her and rested her head against a pillow he'd found in the pantry. He walked into his room, upon the first floor beside the kitchen and settled down with a small sigh for a fretful sleep. |
Jack tensed a bit when Cade hugged him. It was too late, that line had been crossed. "G'night." He mumbled the word a little uncertainly just before Cade pulled away. He watched the human disappear into the house, before he yawned and stretched a bit. He stared at the fire for a few minutes before he laid down, curling up comfortably on his side, near the fire. Ears and tail twitching slightly, his eyes just watching the fire for a while before the flames danced him to sleep. Though Jack slept, he was still alert, aware of his surroundings. He was a light sleeper, any scent or sound that didn't belong would wake him. It was a useful ability for someone like him.
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Cade shifted and yawned. He rubbed his eyes, then sat up with a panicked look in his eyes as he remembered the happenings of the day before. Quickly, the artist scrambled to his leather bag and pulled out the sketches he'd already made of Jack. They brought a smile to his face, even when he hid them carefully under a loose floorboard he'd found. They were wrapped carefully to preserve them of course.
The artist slipped into form fitting pants and a loose blouse like shirt quickly. Cade slung his leather bag full of materials onto his shoulder, then walked out of his room carefully. Aletta was already standing at the stove, cooking eggs and bacon along and cutting slices of bread for everyone. She shook her head when Cade snatched up two plates and sauntered outside. He shrugged at her look, then moved quickly to sit beside the nekojin. Carefully he placed the food beside the man; before eating his own breakfast, Cade was already drawing yet another portrait of Jack. Aletta shook her head as Cade walked away, but said not a word. She had someone to take care of after all. Just as Cade had done, the healer grasped a plate in each hand and brought one to her guest. Once it was set on the table beside his chair, the healer settled down nearby to eat her own meal. |
Jack seemed to still be sleeping when Cade came out with the plate, though his ears twitched, picking up the sound of the human's approach and dismissing it as familiar and not a threat. Jack would rise in a few minutes, though normally he would have been up already, perhaps he had been more tired than he had thought. With a yawn, the nekojin sat up slowly, glancing at Cade and then the other plate that was next to him questioningly.
Krinn was awake, the scent of cooking food broke through that deep dark sleep he had fallen into. He woke with a headache though, as he often did, when he slept a deep sleep after a change. His eyes opened just as Cade exited the house, his nose twitching slightly. Krinn shifted about in the chair he'd fallen asleep in, to get comfortable and stretch some. Wordlessly, he reached for the plate that had been placed next to him and began to eat. |
Cade nudged the plate closer to the nekojin. "It's for you. Aletta made it." It was only fair really, since Jack had made supper the night before. An uneasy kind of truce seemed to be forming, or so Cade thought. As long as no one intruded on anyone else, everything went quite smoothly. When those boundaries were crossed, well the artist could only hope nothing disastrous happened.
Upon seeing her guest stir, Aletta smiled. "How did you sleep? Are you feeling any better?" She had moved when Cade did, though she had remained inside and near her guest. The healer was in the process of reading through her jars of concoctions, or at least the ones she carried with her in a bag when she traveled. There were so many that needed to be filled again. She kept shaking her head and putting near empty jars aside, and then jotting down the the ones that needed replacing with neat handwriting onto a slip of parchment. |
Jack frowned behind his mask slightly, glancing at Cade for a moment. He picked the plate up and sat it on his lap. Wondering how he could eat without Cade seeing that which Jack always kept hidden. He could turn his back to the other, though there was nothing to prevent the artist from moving around to the nekojin's front. His brow knitted slightly. "I'm not going to eat this in front of you." He was staring down at the food, not looking at Cade, and a hand hovered over his mask a bit indecisively. The scars his mask hid were scars no one should ever have to look upon, they were terrible. Hideous in the way only cruelty can be hideous. They had been seen by only a handful of people, and every time Jack was reluctant. Various reasons accounted for his reluctance, often they arose questions, sometimes looks of pity. One person had told him that he 'looked good, battle worn, but good'. Jack shook his head, that hand lowering without touching the mask. Would his words make Cade angry again?
When Aletta spoke to him, Krinn nodded. "A good sleep is always helpful." He glanced towards a window, looking at the sky through it for a moment. Had he slept the entire evening and night away? It seemed like it. Time in his human form wasted by sleeping. He finished his breakfast and shifted in the seat again before standing and stretching. He wouldn't be able to maintain this form much longer, though he was uncertain how many hours had already been wasted. "I'm sorry for causing such a scene yesterday." He shifted on his feet, seeming a little uncertain but very apologetic. |
The artist opened his mouth to ask why, but let the question go unsaid. Instead, he gathered up his things with sad eyes and walked away wordlessly. He moved to sit with his back against the rough bark of a large tree, just in the edge of the forest. Cade couldn't see Jack, which he thought was a rather good thing. Otherwise he knew that his eyes, no his face, would show his emotions far too easily.
She ate her food quietly, offering a smile to her guest as he mentioned being trouble. "Not at all. Please don't worry about it. You didn't plan it, and you certainly did your best to calm the situation down." Aletta stood, plate in hand, and grabbed Krinn's as well. "My name is Aletta," stated the woman over her shoulder as she walked away. The clanking of glass filled the air as she put the plates into the sink and began to wash them carefully. |
Jack watched Cade walk away, watching carefully. Trying to judge what kind of mood his words had put the artist in. Those ears twitched slightly and he waited a bit, still watching the other for a few moments before he pulled that mask down and quickly ate the food. He was done with it in a matter of minutes, and for a few moments he just sat there, running a finger over the scars around his lips. Slowly he stood, pulling that mask back up and he quietly moved towards the artist.
Krinn shook his head slightly. "I knew he was hunting me, I didn't think he would catch up so quickly though." Hesitantly he followed her into the kitchen, he lingered in the doorway as she carefully washed the dishes. There was a slight frown on his lips. "I'm sorry for leading the volatile cat to your home. I'm sure he's harmless to anyone that isn't his target though, still..." He shifted a bit on his feet, seeming uncertain and a little embarrassed. Then he straightened and cleared his throat, that uncertain air leaving him quickly. "I am far stronger than him, if you want him gone from your yard I can make him go." Krinn wouldn't always fight for himself, but he would definitely fight for others. "At the very least, I could lead him away. He would chase me I'm sure." |
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