middaeg | (catch-all)

[Fang breathes an amused huff through her nose at his dive, not that he could hear it. At least the weird space-kittens were keeping him busy. She assumed they were his, anyway; they all smelled like the Witch.]

[Fang hops lithely over the bush before the window, sauntering around to the front of the mansion. She sits patiently on the steps, not releasing the squirming troublemaker just yet.]

[Her feline form had very little range of expression. Nonetheless, possibly only because Ozymandias would know it's Fang, the jaguar certainly looked amused—and in that sort of way one only is at another's expense.]

[It's not very long at all after she has a seat on the steps that Ozymandias opens the front door. It is likely no great surprise that he is not alone in meeting her at the door. A pair of kittens ghost his steps and step out onto the porch to inspect Fang with noisy little sniffs. The kitten in her mouth expresses its displeasure vocally and with more squirming with Ozymandias being so near.]

Thank you, [Ozymandias says, bending down to collect the kitten from her mouth. It clambers up onto Ozymandias' shoulders almost immediately as he straightens back out and sasses at Fang with a 'mighty' roar. He shoots it a look, which causes it to lay a little flatter on his shoulder and back itself out of his view. Ozymandias looks back down at Fang.] I hope it didn't cause too much trouble. They may be young, but as Divine Beasts, they have the pride of their adult form and do as they please in the absence of my instruction.

[Case in point, while one of the kittens has taken to rubbing on Fang and stamping about some, but the other wiggles as it's clearly calibrating a pounce to her tail. Ozymandias swiftly grabs that one off the ground by the scruff of its neck.]

You may come inside if you wish, but I could certainly understand the preference to remain out here.

[Her tail gives an amused flick when the disgruntled kitten tries to roar at her. It's kind of charming, actually. She's never seen something pout so loudly.]

Well, don't you have your hands full? [Fang quips, her voice rougher in this form as always.] These little guys your doing?

[The jaguar lifts a paw, patting the friendly kitten on the back. It's a little awkward, given her form, but it's clear what the gesture is. After that, she takes Ozymandias' invitation, stepping inside and glancing around. She's curious. As long as she's explicitly allowed to be here, she doesn't mind the dragons.]

[Awkward though it may be, the kitten certainly doesn't appear to mind and happily leans into the pat and quickly trots after Fang when she moves away to head inside. Ozymandias closes the door behind all the felines before setting the sphinx in his hand back down on the floor. Unlike its sibling on his shoulder, it doesn't sass at him, but does take a moment to shake itself off and flap its little wings.]

Yes, though they were not my intention, [he says, scratching under the chin of the sphinx on his shoulder.] At least not this size.

[Being inside now, Fang will no doubt notice that aside from Ozymandias' scent and perfume lingering about both in the air and on his person, there are definitely two dragons that frequent this house. (...And bones in a closet somewhere in the house.) And yet visually, one would not likely be able to tell.]

[The house -- as she will be able to tell from glimpses into some of the other rooms on the way to the sitting room -- is still a bit of a work in progress. Traces of the former owners of the mansion still linger in some of the rooms, clashing noticeably with the overall aesthetic that's come to take over more and more of the house. Ozymandias has set about removing all the darker, muted tones of the previous owners with much, much brighter colors. That in combination with some of the lush greenery, it no doubt seems as though he's attempting to bring a pleasant and sunny outdoor day inside. But the changes he's made to the mansion are not all simple. As Fang might expect, Ozymandias has a fondness for the arts and there are already some pieces about that are clearly more in line with his tastes than the previous owners.]

[Were it not for each dragon's scent, it would be fairly difficult to tell that they live here visually. Unless they are into Ozymandias' exact brand of ostentatiousness.]

[(They're not. It just happens that neither one seems to particularly care enough to argue.)]

[He gestures that it's fine for her to make herself comfortable on the couch if she so wishes. He opts for an armchair, though he must clear it first. Two kittens are curled up with one another in a nap in the middle of the seat, but they barely even stir when he picks them up.]

Are you familiar with sphinxes or do they not exist in your world?

[Rather than setting the kittens on the floor, he places them in his lap. They both do their own share of stretching, but ultimately settle back in to sleep at least for a little while longer.]

[Fang pads along, looking about with that casual, but keen, watchfulness he's come to associate with her. Part of it is the habit of being in a new environment, and in part of her own curiosity. She wasn't a fan of the art, bur she appreciates the brighter colors and the greenery. It's vaguely nostalgic.]

[The feline sits in the center of the room, not yet taking up his offer of the furniture, and glances at the kitten that seems determined to follow on her heels. The tip of her tail curls in an amused flick. ]

Never heard of 'em.

People of the modern era in my world consider them to be myths, but there are some that know they exist as Divine Beasts.

[That kitten freezes at her tail's flick before lowering itself down to its belly, haunches slowly beginning to wiggle.]

They have held different relationships with different peoples around the world in the past, during the Age of Gods, but to my people, they were always guardians. They protected our tombs and temples from plunderers.

[And the kitten pounces!]

[Fang doesn't move except for her tail swishing to one side at the last moment. How fierce.]

A guardian, huh? That one I brought back seems pretty bad at keepin' to it's grounds. Found it out harassing the local wildlife in someone's pond.

[The kitten more or less stares at its paws for a moment, genuinely surprised to not finding her tail beneath them before looking for it. Ozymandias laughs a little as the sphinx on his shoulders lays down, watching the game of chasing Fang's tail from its perch.]

These ones are still quite young... [To be fair to them. While he would prefer that any chaos they might enact would be contained to the mansion, it doesn't particularly surprise him that they are eager to explore and subsequently get into trouble.] The sphinx they are cloned from, the Sphinx of Abu el-Hol, is one of my Noble Phantasms. If I were able to summon it here, it would stand much taller than this house.

[Understatement of the century here, but it gets the point across all the same. He begins petting one of the sphinxes in his lap and while it's willing to move a little for better pets, it's content with remaining more or less asleep. The kitten after Fang's tail attempts another strike at it.]

With the right diet and enough time, these kittens would grow to that size as well, but I was actually hoping for sphinxes far closer to your size.

[He trusts Fang is intelligent enough to connect the dots that he has always used sphinxes to protect whatever he claims as his own.]

[She'll have the insight to connect those dots soon down the road, but for the moment, Fang's busy digesting the additional influx of cultural concepts and terms. And also entertaining a cub, as her tail once again whips out of danger. ]

So instead of magic-ing up some grown ones, you got these little monsters. Looki like they're gonna keep you busy for a while.

[She doesn't laugh, but it's in her voice. She greatly enjoyed watching Ozymandias dive after that book, and from the sound of it, it wasn't the first incident. Not to mention, some of them seem to be escape artists. ]

[The sphinx appears to have learned and instead of being shocked that it missed, quickly attempts to scramble after it. You know, with grace. Or at least as much grace as clumsy cub can muster. Ozymandias leans a little to look behind her at all the thudding back there, which the sphinx on his shoulder seems to appreciate as it leans just a little further to keep watching the hunt. Either Ozymandias doesn't notice the tone to her voice or he's very pointedly ignoring it.]

[(He's ignoring it.)]

Keeping them in the house, as you've noticed, is a challenge in of itself, [he confirms with a sigh, but not one of particular aggravation. They're cubs and cannot help their curiosity or mischief-making. Even if it's a bit of a pain from time to time.] Keeping them all entertained all at once isn't always possible.

[Almost as if on cue, there's there the distinct sound of multiple somethings hitting the ground from a height.]

Case in point... [Scooping up the kittens in his lap, Ozymandias gets to his feet and places them back down in the seat and sets the one on his shoulder on the arm.] Excuse me.

[He leaves Fang on her own with all four kittens temporarily to go see what mess has been made in the other room, hurrying his pace a little when there's another distinct thud.]

[Children will be children, human or cat or... weird galaxy sphinxes.]

[When Ozymandias leaves the room, he left Fang entertaining one kitten, with one spectator.]

[However long it took him to resolve his free-falling object problem, he returns to Fang laying on her side, one wiggling kitten trapped under her weight, and a second upside down and pinned under a paw. One of the sleeping duo is trying it's little best to wrestle with her, reared up on its back feet and forelegs wrapped as far as they would go around her neck. The slumbering one Ozymandias had pet remains sleepily oblivious.]

[Fang's tail curls in a repeated lazy flick, the turnskin looking rather unperturbed by it all.]

Edited 2019-10-05 21:35 (UTC)

[Ozymandias stops in the doorway for a moment, clearly doing a brief headcount. He hadn't exactly anticipated to find another outbreak of chaos while he was away -- it seemed unlikely that Fang would allow things to get too out of hand -- but he hadn't quite expected Fang to have it this well-managed. He huffs, quietly amused as he returns to his seat, placing the sleeping kitten back in his lap.]

I don't suppose you're free for the rest of the afternoon.

[Anything can be well-managed with enough manhandling. It's how Fang ran a bandit gang, after all.]

[(That's how she wanted to remember it, anyway, instead of having any amount of real leadership skill.)]

[The black jaguar huffs in turn. The one trapped under her side squirms harder when its master returned, it's fierce little Rrrrs intensifying.]

You payin'? Look, beats me what's—[Fang has to shift her head around as the sphinx "grappling" her shifts to a new position around her neck and gets all up in her face,]—so fascinating about my tail. They've all got one. I'm startin' to think you don't play with this lot enough.

[The last bit is teasing. She well knew no amount of play could satisfy kids (or kittens) of the right age.]

[With the majority of the kittens entertained with Fang one way or another, Ozymandias actually manages to sink in his chair a little further and visibly relax. The sphinx in his lab snuggles in a little closer to his stomach, but otherwise remains unmoved.]

You aren't to repeat this to anyone else, but there are some things beyond even my ability.

[Fang rolls her eyes, while the sulking kitten under her paw finds freedom.]

Careful. With talk like that, you might get me thinkin' you're a person like the rest of us, [she drawls sarcastically. That speech pattern sounded particularly odd in this feline form's voice.]

[The feistiest kitten somehow gets up high enough to bite her ear; Fang shakes her head, growling half-heartedly in response.]

[He frowns a little, but not really any more offended than he usually is at her jokes. Still, it leaves it a little ambiguous whether or not he's serious when he says,]

You're too intelligent to make that mistake.

[Fang laughs softly, which... kind of comes out like several of those chuffing noise she made, when she had been unable to speak.]

Me? I'm flattered. Must have you fooled.

[That one, for all it retains her teasing tone, is as genuine as it is intended to be humorous. Fang didn't think she was a moron, but didn't believe herself to be anything more than average.]

Edited ("didn't believed" gj self) 2019-10-09 02:43 (UTC)

[Ozymandias scoffs good-naturedly.]

Nothing escapes my notice, Fang.

[Fang's chuffing appears to have drawn some attention. New challengers are beginning to appear in the doorway of the sitting room, peering in curiously.]

[One of her ears swivels as the whisper-quiet pitter-patter of paws approaches. Great. More trouble.]

[...it felt strangely like being back in Oerba, when she was young, trying to keep the younger orphans out of trouble.]

Really? [She drags out the word, her tone carrying that skeptical tilt that people got when they felt good about their odds calling a bluff. The turnskin stood, stretching, to the displeasure of the wrestling kitten and the relief of the trapped one.]

Well, go on. Impress me.

[Then she suddenly darts in a playful charge at the curious new challengers.]

[Ozymandias doesn't give his answer right away, allowing for a pause in the conversation as the sphinx kittens scatter at Fang's charge. But it doesn't seem to be a blind scatter they split into. Rather, the small group appear intent on trying to circle Fang. Resting an elbow on the arm of his chair, Ozymandias rests a cheek on a loose fist and watches the cubs. He looks down at the two left in the wake of Fang's sudden charge.]

Well, what are you two doing? Protect this household.

[This seems to be enough to motivate the cubs into joining their siblings. Ozymandias hums, quietly pleased. He resumes petting the sphinx in his lap.]

This clearly isn't your first time looking after others.

[And he doesn't mean the way she looks after her pack. That's a little different than this.]

[Well, isn't that an adorable attempt at strategy. The jaguar hops back, weaving backwards. She'd chased the kittens; she'd give them something a turn at it.]

[The third one that had been sullenly pinned on its back hops back on Ozymandias' lap, rejoining the sleepy one.]

'Course not. You'd have to be pretty selfish not to look after anybody in your life.

[That was borderline a belief. Oerba had been a communal society; the entire village had been family in a sense of the word, and homes were not individual. Tight-knit, metaphorically and very nearly literally. Fang couldn't imagine making it through life without having to care for at least one person, at some point.]

[Ozymandias allows the sulking sphinx to fully settle back into his lap before petting it once more. It is with great drama and sigh that it rests its little head on his leg.]

Not everyone would share in that view. Some view a natural order to the world where the weak are either consumed or subservient to the strong.

[He is not actually speaking of his own views here. As much as Ozymandias admires strength, determination, and a fighter's spirit in others regardless of the form it all comes in (and he quite obviously does have a hierarchy to the world in mind), weakness is just as much a necessary part of life. Not all will possess those traits. There will always be those who require guidance or protection. It is only natural as Pharaoh that he assumes responsibility over those who would require.]

[If that were not obvious by the fact he allows the kitten in a mighty sulk back into his lap and offers it comfort rather than forcing it back into trying to corner Fang like the other kittens. They make their attempts at her feet, trying to direct her very carefully (though perhaps not very effectively) where she will have very little escape.]

[(You know, besides just stepping over them.)]

[Fang dances back lightly as the cubs bat at her feet, allowing them to herd her to the corner.]

The two ain't exclusive. That's how the world works.

[She was a product of Gran Pulse, a land governed by 'the weak perish, the strong survive' to the extreme, a land at the mercy of the very nature it fostered and at the whims of the great beings that largely ignored them.]

[Once in the corner, the jaguar leaped clean over her aggressors, swatting at the kittens she'd now cornered herself.]

The strong wind up doin' what they want—even carryin' someone else.

[If the sphinx cubs could gasp at this sudden turning of the tables, they very well likely would. They all seem to hunker down for a moment and appear uncertain what to do beyond trying to make themselves as small as possible to evade those paws of hers.]

So was it something you wanted to do?

[He's fairly certain he already knows the answer to that question based on how she's playing and teaching the sphinx kittens so easily and readily, but it seems wiser to ask rather than to assume. The kittens appear to be working up the gumption to lead a group attack, all of them making a move on her at once.]

[As the play turns gradually towards play-fighting, Fang grows less lenient. Being nice when teaching someone to fight, or hunt, was a good way to teach bad habits and reflexes.]

[She continues swatting at them, just long enough to figure out which one's leading the most.]

Depends on the day, and if the other kids were being little shitheels. [And boy, were there those days she would've ditched them if she hadn't been made responsible.]

[The turnskin darts forward, snatching a bold cub by the middle in her mouth and prancing across the room with her hostage.]

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