Kitten in a Box - Locked to grimholdkeeper

[puresilverpaws]

It was warm, quiet and dark. He wasn't sure where he was at first, as his senses began to awaken. He felt a soft blanket underneath him. Slowly moving, he sat up, his head gently nudging up the flap of the large cardboard box.

...A fireplace? This wasn't his room. Sure, he made a lot of forts, so being in a box wasn't unusual.

"Myieeeu..." It had an interesting smell about it, and, nervously, he ducked back down into the warm box, curling up within the confines once more, and pawed at a corner of it, his claws lightly scratching it. Maybe if he stayed hidden, he could figure things out better? Were he really aware of his real self, he might have boggled at the fact that first the hotel aged him up, and now it had aged him down to ten.

At least the hotel had put him in Balthazar's room? Furthermore, the box was very large, as if made for one of those older, heavier TVs. But anything smaller would not hold him.

Comments

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

Balthazar has been out, looking for something he can cook in his room, either as a treat for Roi or just something different for himself. He was fortunate enough to find a market of sorts, and one at which he could use coins rather than favors to buy food. He's returned to put preservation spells over the perishables, since he has no refrigerator, but he's quick to notice the box by his fireplace.

He sets his bags down on the bed and approaches with caution, folding back one of the flaps. "Hello? Is there someone in..."

He breaks off as he sees the kitten, struck speechless. Oh, my.

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Ack! A human! Roi scrambles up and jumps out of the box, tipping it over in his haste. His body stumbles slightly as his fluffy fur stands on end, and he strafes slightly with a little hop, trying to make himself look much bigger. For a kitten, he's rather large, and his shoulder easily meets up to Balthazar's knee.

He watches for just a moment, his fur slowly settling down. "Miiii..." he utters almost plaintively, his nose wriggling as he tries to sniff him. His blue-violet eyes don't even blink once as he stays focused on Balthazar.

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

Oh, god. That's adorable. Balthazar rocks back carefully into a sitting position, wondering if this is a teeny Roi. Judging from the coloring and the proportions (perfectly cat-shaped, but taller than a non-humanoid cat), it's a distinct possibility. After a moment, he says softly, "Hello, there. Do you know me?"

He holds out a hand to let him sniff. He probably smells enticingly of groceries.

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

"Miiiiii~" Roi stares at his hand, and then slowly approaches, his haunches wriggling slightly as he debates whether or not to jump on it. He sniffs for a moment, and... wait, is that his smell?

Tilting his head, he then shamelessly moves around him, sniffing his clothing, and then going so far as to set his paws up on Balthazar's back in order to sniff his hair.

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

Balthazar waits patiently while the kitten inspects him. He doesn't want to scare him, whether he's a little version of his lover or not. He laughs and ducks just a bit at the feel of the paws on his back. "You're safe here, you know," he says, "with me. But you probably shouldn't leave this room alone."

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Roi sneezes slightly, and then shakes out his fur. After a moment, the sensation of paws changes, and in their place, Balthazar would feel a pair of small hands.

"H-how... can I believe you, human? This isn't my home... but you smell like me...." While younger, Roi's voice should still be recognizable.

Slowly, Roi pulls away, and circles back around to Balthazar. He's barefoot, save for more fitting clothing than his usual self would wear, and a hat over his ears, carefully hiding them. The coat tied around his waist somewhat allows him to hide his fluffy tail, but not by much.

Roi looks more cautious rather than scared, and there's a vibrant sort of fire in his gaze that his usual self doesn't have.

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

He's charmed, immediately and very thoroughly. Folding his hands in his lap to curb the urge to reach out and hug the child, Balthazar opts instead for studying him seriously. "It's your decision whether to trust me, of course. I know...an older version of you. Your name is Roi Davis, right? I'm Balthazar. Balthazar Blake. This is my room, but I promise I didn't bring you here."

There should be some cognitive dissonance, regarding a prepubescent form of a man he's slept with repeatedly, but somehow Balthazar doesn't feel any awkwardness or shame, much less any darker urges. Just affection, and possibly protective instincts lurching into overdrive.

((Girlfriend is feeling ill, so I'm off for the night.))

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

"Yes... it's Roi Davis." Although the idea of this person knowing an older version of himself is... strange. He adjusts his hat.

"If you didn't bring me here, then why's my box in here? No, wait..." His brow furrowed in thought. "I would have woken up if I was moved. I'm a light sleeper. Cat-naps and all."

He then looks around curiously, tilting his head as he takes in the room, and then he stares at Balthazar again. He sounds terribly perplexed. "It still doesn't explain why you have my scent all over you! At least, not that much, not that potently, Balthazar!"

Boggled, Roi steps closer and attempts to stare him down.

{Okay. Rest well when you do, and I hope your girlfriend feels better soon!}}

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

"Do you believe in magic?" he asks gently, then trails off as the boy steps closer. Magic is an explanation for how he got here, but the explanation as to why he smells of Roi is a little more awkward.

He meets the blue-violet gaze a moment, blushing faintly, partly because of the intimacy the leftover scents represent, partly at the thought of being marked as belonging to Roi. "We're friends," he says at last, slowly, "very good friends."

((Concentration is shot tonight, so this is my only reply, sorry.))

Starting a new thread.

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

"I think I'll start cooking, but if you want to keep working on it, by all means, go ahead." He's pleased by the boy's determination and willingness to work.

He looks embarrassed by the observation, though. "I'm...conflicted. I'm very happy to find you have magical talent, and it...gives me an excuse to spend time with you. Not that I really needed an additional excuse, but it's nice. On the other hand, if I were to teach you long term, it could be dangerous for you."

((I meant to start a new thread before but I kept forgetting. But these journal formats are kind of a pain in the tail when threads get long. XD ))

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Roi smiles sheepishly at him. "Sorry. I kinda... heard your heart going a mile a minute."

He continues to listen, ears perking and twitching. He decides to take a slight break. "Dangerous, how?"

{S'okay. And yeah. ^^;}}

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

"Your hearing's very good. I guess that's to be expected." He smiles and begins the process of cooking, putting butter and a little celery in a pan. "In a sense, I'm a soldier in a very long-running war, Roi," he says. "I have enemies, and some of them have attacked my students in the past."

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Roi pays attention, focusing on Balthazar.

"...I see. So I'd become another soldier if I learned under you."

That is a bit of a scary thought. But if the war was going on for so long, then...?

...Huh.

"As for my hearing, I am a cat, all the way down to how my body works. And I can hear some noise pitches that humans can't."

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

He stirs the melting butter over the fire, then gets out a large jar of oysters. "Yes. There are different ways to fight, of course. I've trained healers, poets, craftsmen...but you would almost certainly be attacked, and you would have to defend yourself."

It takes a moment to get the jar open, and the smell of the shellfish is pleasantly fresh.

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Roi puffs up his chest in response to the words, though he's mildly distracted by the smell of oysters.

"I could do it!" He puts on his best "I can do anything" smile. "I mean, I don't like to hurt people, but if they try to hurt me, then.... Well, earlier this year, some moron stepped on and broke my tail, then laughed about it saying that he meant to break it higher up. So I kicked him in the knee. He limped for two days!"

His ears lower. "But I got in trouble for 'picking on him.'"

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

Balthazar blinks at him distractedly, pouring the oysters into the pan slowly. "...I hadn't heard that part of that story, just that you had your tail broken. I don't normally encourage violent retaliation, but it sounds like you were justified, there. Well done."

He's struggling not to smile, truth be told. Little Roi has moxie!

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Roi smiles happily at the praise, his tail wagging. He was in too much pain to feel proud of himself for kicking the moron then, but hearing his actions openly commended makes him feel better about that choice he made.

"I don't usually hurt people even if they hurt me. But that was when I expected the teachers to get him in trouble for hurting me." Roi sulks at the thought, but it doesn't last long, and he's smiling again. Balthazar is the best human he's ever met!

new thread. :p

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

"I want more stew, please." Roi's ears tilt a bit. "And milk." He has quite the large appetite for someone so small, but he burns every bit of it off.

"Dessert in a bit."

Oh! Srry. Sounds good.

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

Grinning, he nods and gets up to refill Roi's bowl. He sets it in front of him gently, then pours the last of the milk into his glass. He can get more later. "Have all you want. I'm glad you like it. I used to make it with lots of onion, but I think I like this way better."

I posted as a reply earlier, but it was becoming very cut-off. Harder to click.

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Roi wrinkles his nose slightly at the thought. "Onion is a very strong smell." He starts to eat the new portion at a slower pace than before, eyeing the cookies in the meantime. The meal, right now, is more appealing than the sweets.

"I don't get how some humans can stand to eat so much of it at once," he adds after a bite.

Understood!

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

"Our noses aren't as strong. And we don't have the same kinds of tastebuds." Balthazar nibbles his cookies slowly, watching the child. "But it always makes my eyes water."

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

Roi seems to mull this over, and nods in the end, happily taking another bite of the lovely stew. "Maybe our senses aren't entirely different after all?" he muses with a little smile.

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

"Maybe not. It's some sort of chemical in the onion that makes people react. In any case, I know not to give you any."

He finishes off his cookies and gets up to fetch himself some water. "If you're here for a while, I'll try to find you some ice cream. But I'm not sure I should leave you alone..."

[little-roi.livejournal.com]

"...I can't go with you while you try to find it?" Roi asks curiously, sipping a bit of milk and tilting his head a bit. He doesn't hear any of the goings-on in the hotel proper, so there's that at least.

[grimholdkeeper.livejournal.com]

He hesitates, searching for words. "...this isn't a very safe place, especially not for children."

Especially not for pretty, precocious children with cat ears.

"But maybe if you were in your all-cat shape I could carry you somehow..." Roi makes a big kitten--Balthazar presumes that's a matter of mass being the same in either form--but a cute fuzzy pet is easier to explain, hide, and protect than a child.