bakerstreet | PILLOW FORT MEME

"Not... *grunt* precisely like this..." He resorts to scooting in on his backside, while putting on a glower that dares anybody to point out how undignified that is. The bum leg makes him a little less maneuverable, and he's also the biggest one there.

"...Although I do seem to recall something about bombarding yours with shoes and knotted-up clothes until the feathers flew..." They had real goose-feather pillows in those days, too.

Horvath gives Roi a nod, and blinks a little because that's far too reminiscent of his own cats.

Edited 2013-01-22 01:36 (UTC)

"We made some outside, too. Lean-to buildings made of reeds and brambles. But they weren't nearly as comfortable." Balthazar musses Roi's hair gently, then grabs one of the non-structural cushions and pulls it over.

"Once you settle in, you'll enjoy it, Maximus. I know you. Do you want cocoa? Or tea? It's mint, with milk and honey, for Roi, but there's plenty."

Roi purrs louder at the affection, looking almost like he might doze off right then (and he'd deny the few seconds that his hands make kneading motions at the attention,) but he doesn't. He decides he'll have some tea later, maybe once it's cooled down a little more. He's plenty warm right now.

He rolls over onto his belly instead, tucking his legs up and to the side, crossing his arms in front, and curling his tail around himself. It's a half-assed human version of "making a loaf of himself."

"Oh, surely this is a cocoa sort of occasion?" He looks hopeful, because Balthazar obviously knows his weaknesses. The cane gets tucked aside where it won't poke anyone, and he arranges his legs more comfortably. They're very long. He's stocky, but he has a lanky build under the padding. "What is it we're supposed to do in here?" After a moment he can't quite resist, and reaches out to play idly with the very tip of Roi's tail. It's just too familiar and tempting. Smoke and Whisper let him play with theirs.

Roi is a lovely catloaf, and Balthazar can't help but be amused at the way he's rolling around the fort. He grins and picks up the thermos to pour cocoa for Maximus, and therefore misses the reach for Roi's tail. He could have warned him about the potential reaction otherwise, but, oblivious, he answers, "Stories? Word games? I could get a deck of cards or something..."

"Whoa!!" Roi jolts upright, his fur puffing out, surprised by the attention as his face and ears turn beet red. He immediately tucks his tail under his body. His ears tilt back, his eyes wide as he regards Horvath.

"U-um... that's..."

Horvath is a large man, but his reflexes are quick, and at Roi's jump he starts back, both hands up and subtly ready. Another sorcerer might recognize it as a defensive pose, albeit a seated one. At least it means he let go in a hurry.

The instant he realizes there might be some deeper implications, he looks deeply embarrassed, ruddy coloring turning just a shade darker. "My apologies, I certainly didn't mean... Ahgrhm." AWKWARD. "...I'm sorry."

Balthazar looks up in time to catch his two companions looking startled and defensive at each other. Blinkblink. "...what did I miss?"

Geez, guys, can't he look away for ten seconds??

"He touched my tail...." He moves a little, the limb wrapping tightly around his legs. He wriggles, awkwardly, just a liiittle bit away from Horvath, then starts to carefully groom it with his fingers. He'd lick it, but he doesn't wanna be gross about it.

"I may be a cat, but I still have the mind of a human." Pointedly, and maybe just a hair grumpily - it'll pass. "I imagine you wouldn't like it if I groped your butt without warning." As it is the closest comparison he can come up with.

Edited 2013-01-22 03:18 (UTC)

Horvath looks, if that's at all possible, even more embarrassed and slightly mortified. Of course the truth is 'soft floofy kitty tail' is exactly what he was thinking. He's a shut-in who lives alone with two cats, after all. Clearly that's the last thing he wants to admit right now, though.

"I... ah... Truly, you have my deepest apologies..." He tries to scoot away a little, too, prosthetic leg dragging a little awkwardly.

Balthazar sort of wants to laugh, but seeing his friends so uncomfortable changes his mind. "Ohhh...I've made that mistake before, too, Max. I know it's a tempting target. Here, have your cocoa."

He hands the cup of liquid to Horvath, then stretches out so his legs are between them. There. Now if anyone does any groping, they'll be groping him.

"It's not a perfect analogy, but it's the closest I could think of. That or the spine. I'm not mad - it's just... awkward." His ears flick forward, even as he wriggles so that his hip is flush with Balthazar's knee, his tail curling in a more relaxed manner. He draws his knees slightly upward, resting his hands on top of them - and making no gesture to hide the yellow topaz sorcerer ring on his finger.

"Ask first, if you attempt a "next time". It's not stupidly sensitive near the middle." He understands the burning curiosity to touch, and Balthazar is here with him. Despite his earlier surprise, he still feels very safe. "But if you consider a cat's anatomy, the bone and cartilage is pretty tiny at the end." He can keep going.

Horvath nods, slightly surprised by the wealth of explanation, but Roi seems to be resettling, so he lets out a quiet breath and does the same, cup of cocoa on his knee. "I won't." There's dignity in the response, or attempted dignity anyway. He sips his cocoa, dusts invisible lint off his vest, and generally takes a few minutes to recover from the humiliation.

His gaze does trail to the ring Roi is wearing, and he recognizes what it means, but he's not about to ask for fear of starting something else awkward.

Balthazar watches them a moment, sipping his own cocoa, and takes control of the conversation as soon as they wind down. "All right, then, that's settled. Twenty questions, and I'll go first."

He drains the last of his own cocoa, then slides down onto his back. "I'm thinking of...something red. Roi goes first, since he's youngest. Whoever guesses right comes up with the next one. Go." He points at Roi without turning his head, smiling at the roof of the fort.

"Mm. Is it in this fort?" First thing he thinks of in order to narrow down the potential answer. He wasn't overly familiar with the game, other than 'you have twenty questions to guess it right'. Right?

"Mmh, as the oldest, I sense a bias..." It's a good-natured grumble, really. He doesn't mind, he just needs to grumble about something. He's settling in with his cocoa though, now that the furor over tail-touching is done with.

"No, not in the fort." He smiles at the ceiling. "And you may be the oldest, Max, but you're too young to be such a curmudgeon. Guess!"

"Bah." Oh well. While he waits for Horvath to make a guess, he finds himself idly toying with a loose thread on one of the pillows - not pulling it or anything, just poking it. His ears swivel forward, then one tilts towards Horvath, showing the split in his attention.

"...Is it bigger than a breadbox?" Horvath has been a curmudgeon since he was about twenty years old, so he's not about to stop any time soon.

Snort! "No, it's smaller than a breadbox. Now, show Roi about how big a breadbox is, in case he's never seen one. I don't think they're in popular use these days."

Hearing 'breadbox,' Roi lifts an eyebrow in confusion and looks to Horvath, the expression relaxing. Yup, he's definitely never heard of - nor seen - one before. But, wait.

"This doesn't count as my question. Why can't you show me while you're at it?" He takes that moment to poke at Balthazar's side, his ears swiveling outward. "Or are you too comfy?"

"Oh, it's... a box, for storing bread. It used to go stale faster, before all those newfangled preservatives." Horvath waves a beringed hand idly, conjuring up an illusionary life-size breadbox, which hovers in the comfortable little tent and slowly fades.

Looks like Balthazar won't have to lift a finger.

"Well, and before it came in plastic bags, yes," Balthazar adds to Horvath's explanation, but seems reluctant to move, still. And just a little smug that his old friend is enabling his laziness.

"So, yes. It's smaller than that. Your turn again, Roi." He grins at the younger man. Yeah, he's comfy.

"I'll take that as a definite yes." He pretends to be insulted by it, but the reciprocated, fanged grin he responds with in return gives him away. His tail uncurls a bit, partly draping itself against the man's midsection, gently moving a little.

"Hm. Smaller than a breadbox, not in this tent, it's red.... Is it safe to say that it's an inanimate object?"

"You're supposed to ask animal, vegetable, or mineral..." Horvath supplies, which he thinks of as being helpful to Roi, but may simply come off as bossy.

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lol

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