Immediately instinct took control, and Locus's hands flew to catch the kitten before he could go tumbling to the floor. DC was positively dwarfed by those hands, but Locus was careful not to grip too tightly.
Alright. Maybe finger wiggling had been a bad call.
Locus is closer than Wash - his own movement to catch DC is aborted once he sees Locus move. He straightens up and breathes. "Thanks." Kittens aren't nearly as fragile as they look, but that doesn't stop him from being a bit overprotective.
From his newly safe perch in Locus' hands, DC blinks and squeaks.
"Nah, he likes you." Locus is intrigued by the kitten, and DC is paying attention to him - no reason to cut that short. "Plus, kittens are pretty resilient. He's fine."
That cues a befuddled look at the kitten before he lifts it closer to his face, brow furrowing. Is is possible to detect fondness in a kitten's eyes? He'd assumed it was simple curiosity. Kittens are like that.
"...your judgement is as poor as Taylor's, then," he informs DC solemnly.
DC likes just about everybody. It's not terribly difficult to earn a kitten's affections, as it turns out, and DC is very much the friendly sort.
He also recognizes when people are talking to him, though he's never going to be very good with content, aside from knowing that the short hiss Wash uses on occasion means no. So when Locus looks at him and speaks, DC opens his little mouth and meows, loudly and continuously, for a solid four seconds. He then reaches out and boops Locus' nose with a paw.
A few feet away, Wash is doing his level best not to laugh.
Locus's eyes narrow further. Well played, kitten. Well played.
Scrunching his booped nose, Locus tugs his head back before shifting the kitten back up to re-perch on his shoulder, if he pleases. There's certainly a broad expanse of shoulder to choose from.
DC clambers back onto Locus' shoulder and immediately sits his fuzzy rear down and sticks his nose back in Locus' ear. His exploring was Interrupted and he intends to finish!
Wash just watches with a half smile. "I never knew you were good with cats."
"'Good' might be overstating facts," he replies dryly, scowling as the kitten continues to poke that whiskery nose into his ear. Really? This is what you've chosen to do, DC?
Unfortunate.
"I do not bother them when they do not want to be bothered. That seems enough for most cats I have known."
Sniff sniff sniff. Sniff sniff. Lick. Okay, that's enough of thwould you look at that giant cat toy
Long hair is something of a novelty to DC, and he reaches out and bats enthusiastically at Locus' ponytail.
Wash can't hide a smile at that - his cat is adorable, okay - but he doesn't laugh. "Well, you're also patient with him. Most people can't keep up with a kitten for long."
"I dealt with Felix for years. Invasive, loud animals with short attention spans and no sense of personal space are not new."
Oh look, a joke. About a sore subject, even. And it comes surprisingly easy, despite how close to the surface all that still is, but it's hard to be cross with a kitten swatting at your hair like it's the most fascinating thing he's ever seen.
Wash grins, making no effort to hide his delight at that joke. Hopefully this is a sign of Locus getting better and moving on. Hopefully. "Yeah, but cats are cuter."
DC, meanwhile, is laser-focused on his objective: catch the toy. It keeps slipping through his paws.
Lips twisting faintly, he lifts a hand to stroke his fingers carefully down DC's back while he perches and tries to grab hold of the end of his ponytail, unsuccessful to the last. Perhaps once his hair's grown back out closer to its original length.
His shoulders almost tip in a mild shrug, but he seems to halt himself when realizing that doing so might throw DC off balance.
"There's no cause for jealousy. They are my friends. They also happen to be interested in one another. It is hardly the first time such a thing has occurred, and I doubt it will be the last. Surely you have also seen this occur."
Look who's not terribly impressed with that answer. "Just because there's no cause for something doesn't mean it doesn't still happen. Like I said earlier, being a third wheel sucks." A beat. "So are you actually going to answer the question this time?"
But that should be the answer. He knows, reasonably, that there's no cause to feel the way he does. So why give it power? Why acknowledge it at all? Clearly, it only proves some sort of deficiency on his part.
Locus scowls, his eyes flickering away. "...I don't know what I feel." Which is as honest a statement as he's likely to come up with here.
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Alright. Maybe finger wiggling had been a bad call.
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From his newly safe perch in Locus' hands, DC blinks and squeaks.
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He would be safer in the arms of his owner. He has no real skill with animals, and it's so tiny. Surely he might cause it harm without meaning to.
That the fact that it concerns him means anything at all escapes him. A bit like it does in the larger scheme of things.
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That cues a befuddled look at the kitten before he lifts it closer to his face, brow furrowing. Is is possible to detect fondness in a kitten's eyes? He'd assumed it was simple curiosity. Kittens are like that.
"...your judgement is as poor as Taylor's, then," he informs DC solemnly.
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He also recognizes when people are talking to him, though he's never going to be very good with content, aside from knowing that the short hiss Wash uses on occasion means no. So when Locus looks at him and speaks, DC opens his little mouth and meows, loudly and continuously, for a solid four seconds. He then reaches out and boops Locus' nose with a paw.
A few feet away, Wash is doing his level best not to laugh.
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Scrunching his booped nose, Locus tugs his head back before shifting the kitten back up to re-perch on his shoulder, if he pleases. There's certainly a broad expanse of shoulder to choose from.
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Wash just watches with a half smile. "I never knew you were good with cats."
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Unfortunate.
"I do not bother them when they do not want to be bothered. That seems enough for most cats I have known."
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Long hair is something of a novelty to DC, and he reaches out and bats enthusiastically at Locus' ponytail.
Wash can't hide a smile at that - his cat is adorable, okay - but he doesn't laugh. "Well, you're also patient with him. Most people can't keep up with a kitten for long."
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Oh look, a joke. About a sore subject, even. And it comes surprisingly easy, despite how close to the surface all that still is, but it's hard to be cross with a kitten swatting at your hair like it's the most fascinating thing he's ever seen.
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Wash grins, making no effort to hide his delight at that joke. Hopefully this is a sign of Locus getting better and moving on. Hopefully. "Yeah, but cats are cuter."
DC, meanwhile, is laser-focused on his objective: catch the toy. It keeps slipping through his paws.
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Lips twisting faintly, he lifts a hand to stroke his fingers carefully down DC's back while he perches and tries to grab hold of the end of his ponytail, unsuccessful to the last. Perhaps once his hair's grown back out closer to its original length.
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"You never answered my question. Are you jealous?"
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"There's no cause for jealousy. They are my friends. They also happen to be interested in one another. It is hardly the first time such a thing has occurred, and I doubt it will be the last. Surely you have also seen this occur."
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Locus scowls, his eyes flickering away. "...I don't know what I feel." Which is as honest a statement as he's likely to come up with here.