((ooc: Sorry for the delay!))

>> "I promise not to prank you if I do dough kay? Like, I won't glue your paw to your fore'ead well your sleepin' or anythin' like dat."

There was a problem with this promise. The problem was that if Calley was giving that particular promise, it would mean that he had already planned out and set the date for the sworn-off-of forehead-paw-encounter. Not only that: the date was close. The large tiger's tail went as still as a possum on the road. Murp.

>> "Dat's easy for you to say, Mr big-an-scary-tiger."

NASAL POKED!

Calley's whiskers skirted forward to brush at her hand as his neck gave a surprised jerk back.

"My nose has been violated." He said, shock fairly radiating from his stripped self. "My nose... has been violated." He blinked, long and slow. Then he pushed his head forward, ducking it down. "Would you mind violating behind my right ear a little?" The itch was back. Back with a scratchtastic vengeance.

>> "Besides; to some leech phobic person I'm a livin' breathin' nightmare."

The crossed arms and the firm look earned her a sporfle. "You should see the look on the face of people with cat allergies when I join them on the couch. That's a nightmare." Not that he would ever do that on purpose. But really, was it his fault that every cat, large or small, seemed to instinctively come with a sixth sense? 'Cat-Avoider Radar'. Ping... ping... ping: cat hater! ping... ping... ping: severe allergy!

"So, umm," he asked, quite aware that this was probably hallow ground he was treading on: "what brings you to our fine little school? ...Which is another question you don't have to answer, if you don't want to."

((No problemo!))

"My nose has been violated. My nose... has been violated."

She had surprised him. She took a little pride in that. A little secret, well hidden pride that she would never tell anyone about. Mostly because another larger part of herself almost fainted dead away at the idea of poking Calley, of poking anyone, on the nose.

"Would you mind violating behind my right ear a little?"

That one surprised her, but she complied and uncrossed her arm to scratch behind his right ear. She had to admit she always liked to help. Even something as little as scratching someone's itch for them made her feel useful. She always enjoyed being useful.

"You should see the look on the face of people with cat allergies when I join them on the couch. That's a nightmare."

"Yes I can imagine." She raised her eyebrows and frowned. Nash couldn't help but think about how she would react if a giant bag of salt got place beside her. No matter how many times she played it over in her head her reaction always came out about the same.

"So, umm, what brings you to our fine little school? ...Which is another question you don't have to answer, if you don't want to."

She twitched and her hand stilled for a moment and then began to scratch again. She shook her head at him. "I told you already, I don't mind if you ask." She felt her lips draw into a thin line though once she had said it. "I..." She bit her lip, trying to think of how to word it without seeming to pitiful. "I got tired of my parents walkin' around me like I was made of pins and needle." Her voice dropped in pitch. "Of them actin' like the world 'ad ended 'cause dere only child was a.." She couldn't bring herself to say it. That word had been taboo for her for so long that she felt guilty even trying to say it. She looked around expecting her mother to come roaring out of nowhere and tell her how bad she was for even thinking that word.

"After I got kicked out of a boardin' sc'ool for the eighth time, I guess I realized I wasn't wanted at 'ome anymore and I didn't want to bother dem with my..." Thinking for a word. "Presence." She really hadn't, she hated to bother other people with her problems. If her parents wanted to think of her as a problem then she would fix the problem and leave. "I thought it would be easier for all of us if I just left and went to be with others like.. myself." She shrugged, feeling a bit stupid for saying all that out loud.

Oh yes... oh, that was the spot... that was the sweet, violatable spot... The large tiger's eyes closed down to happy slits as it began to helplessly rumble a purr. Miss Nash knew how to pet a tigger. His head began to lower dangerously close to plopping in her lap.

And then he just had to go and ask his question, and her fingers stopped. They started again, but they'd definitely stopped. His purr skipped a guilty beat.

>> "I told you already, I don't mind if you ask. I... I got tired of my parents walkin' around me like I was made of pins and needle. Of them actin' like the world 'ad ended 'cause dere only child was a.."

Freak.

At least, that's what everyone in Calley's middle school had called them. It wasn't meant as anymore of an insult than 'mutant' was--it was what they were called. Then he'd turned thirteen, and realized that he was a freak, too. Five years later, having met more of his kind than he'd ever wanted, and despite living at the Mansion, he still used that word in his head as easily as any other: they were all freaks. That's what his dad had called them, too. He didn't know what his mother called them--he hadn't heard her say much on the topic, and then she was kind of dead. His purr dialed down a notch in volume. His tail lay flat against the floor. He was gripped with the compulsive urge to start grooming himself--but he'd rather let her magic fingers keep up their good work. He let her keep talking without interruption. He had nothing much to interrupt with.

>> "After I got kicked out of a boardin' sc'ool for the eighth time, I guess I realized I wasn't wanted at 'ome anymore and I didn't want to bother dem with my..."

Continued existence.

>> "Presence."

That worked, too.

>> "I thought it would be easier for all of us if I just left and went to be with others like... myself."

Through the little extra jolt in her petting hand, he felt the shrug in her shoulders. His eyes were still mostly closed. He didn't really need them just now.

"I've, umm... I've heard other stories like that." He said, finally. "It's like most people here kinda... with their parents... yeah." Yeah. Not to say he was one of those people. Not to say he wasn't. Not to say really much at all about himself. Unnecessary and uninteresting, really: that's what his own personal information was. "Just remember, I guess, when other people tell their stories: it's not that yours isn't unique. It's that yours is your own, and you kind of earned it, and no one can take it away from you now." Not even if you could never talked about it again, because you were officially someone else. Caleb Yeldham... Yeldham. Seriously, where did the Boss come up with names like that?

The tiger's ears flicked. He pulled his head back out of easy petting range, and flopped himself back on the floor. Immediately, his tongue went for his paws. "Sorry. I kinda suck at talking." Something which living in cat form for two years hadn't really helped, and nearly a year being human again--most of the time--hadn't corrected. "So, umm, you're going to take classes here, right? Not just live here? What's your favorite subject?"

Subject change, ho!

He rubbed the side of his head along his freshly licked paws, by way of cleaning it, too.

She was glad he let her ramble on uninterrupted, with nothing but his purring to show he was even there. She always seemed to let others ramble on, well she listened. Having others listen to her was a joy she did not take lightly. She did feel horribly embarrassed though. If she was the type to blush she would have. She didn't though, her leeches were to easily moved to action by any distress from her. They were already a little jumpy from all of today's actions, she really didn't want to push it.

"I've, umm... I've heard other stories like that. It's like most people here kinda... with their parents... yeah."

Why did she continue to feel as though she was hitting a nerve? She frowned, maybe, he just wasn't that good at talking. Maybe, he was usually the one listening to everyone else too. Only adding when asked. Sometimes never at all. She frowned more when Calley pulled his head out of reach. She caught herself though, being upset over little details never did anyone any good. Not her and not her leeches. So, she simply shifted so that her knees were pulled together in front of her chest. Her feet spread wide for support well her knees met. She draped her arms over her touching knees so that her arms were straight and her hands dangled lifelessly in front of her.

"Just remember, I guess, when other people tell their stories: it's not that yours isn't unique. It's that yours is your own, and you kind of earned it, and no one can take it away from you now."

Those words surprised her more then anything she had heard or seen that day. She let her head sink back on her shoulders as she cast yellow eyes upon the ceiling. Then she smiled and looked back down at him. "I'm unique enough for one life time, ta. Bein' like others is good, if only a little." She didn't know why she felt comforted by those words but she did.

"Sorry. I kinda suck at talking."

Ah! An affirmative to her thoughts. "Bah, talkin' is only one form of communication." She should know. Her and her leeches could have great conversations all on there own, and leeches didn't talk! Mutated or not her leeches where no different. Though if she ever tried to convince someone of the intelligence and emotional input a leech could have she would probably be laughed at.

"So, umm, you're going to take classes here, right? Not just live here? What's your favorite subject?"

School, always a first choice when trying to change a subject. She was such a push over, never bothering to note him on his jump from subject to subject. She just didn't care all that much. "Can't imagine comin' to a sc'ool and not takin' at least some sc'oolin." The favorite subject question always stuck her though. "I don't think dere's a subject I don't like. I do like swimmin' dough so if they have dat, dey'll have to expect me to show up, signed up or not." She'd done that once for amusement. Another of the many reasons she was kicked out with a 'thank you for coming! Come again and we'll kill you!' "I like biology dough, philosophy's good too. Math ain't my best subject." She just wasn't all that good with numbers. She had to keep track of a massive number of leeches and they ask her what 8 x 7 was. Oh, the cruelness of it all.
"So do you go to sc'ool 'ere? Or are you just the welcomin' committee? Placed dere to scare dose who are weak of 'eart?" Yes, she did have to ask it that way. She just had too, it had felt a little too dark and moody and she didn't like moody. She didn't mind dark so much. She just didn't want this to turn into a too serious of a conversation. Plenty of time in life for serious conversations to happen.

(OOC: Hope you don't mind my jumping in. Let me know if so.

Neena chose that moment to wander into the kitchen in search of a snack, whistling off-key. The dark-haired woman paused, seeing the two youths in the kitchen.

"Hiya," she greeted them. "Hope I'm not interrupting."

She carefully stepped over Calley's twitching tail, giving the boy a token scratch behind the ear as she headed for the fridge. She reached for the fruit basket atop the appliance, retracting an kiwi.

Then she turned her attention to the young woman, and held out her free hand. "Don't believe I've had the pleasure yet, Miss.....?"

Rather than peel the fruit, she bit into it, like an apple, slurping a bit so she wouldn't lose any juice. "Mmm! Sorry!"

>> "I'm unique enough for one life time, ta. Bein' like others is good, if only a little."

"Yeah," he said, puffing out a breath of a laugh that rattled his whiskers. "I can agree with that." Ah, bein' part of the white noise of a crowd--he loved it so. He really should have stuck to it as a hobby, rather than upgrading it to a profession. Personally, he wouldn't mind going back to being a cat full-time again. His mutation was rather nice like that. Life as a mutant got you down? Spend all your days getting food brought to you and having small children fight over your attentions!

>> "Bah, talkin' is only one form of communication."

He flicked his ears at her, his whiskers resting at ease. She was kind of nice. He really hoped she wasn't one of those closet (or not-so-closet) idealists who'd really come to the Mansion to join the X-Men. He'd been accepted as an X-Men trainee a few months ago, before the unpleasant little Registration Law detour happened to all their lives, but so far he hadn't been ordered to do any direct backstabbing. Just generalized information collecting. The backstabbing: he wasn't looking forward to the backstabbing, not so much. Mostly because he didn't want to think about what his teammates would do to him if they caught him at the backstabbing, but also because some of them were fun to hang out with. Miss Nash here was rapidly falling into the fun-to-hang-out-with category.

>> "Can't imagine comin' to a sc'ool and not takin' at least some sc'oolin. ...I don't think dere's a subject I don't like. I do like swimmin' dough so if they have dat, dey'll have to expect me to show up, signed up or not. ...I like biology dough, philosophy's good too. Math ain't my best subject."

The tiger gave a full-body shudder at one little mention in all that: "Swimming? Really?" He tried to make a face; all he managed to do was twist his whiskers into strange and disgusted new angles. "Urk. I'm, ah, suddenly not-so-sure we can be friends. At least... not if you get all drippy on me. There's a pool out back. You can... go splash around in liquidy drowning death all you want. Except in winter. Winter makes water behave itself, and get all solid and slide-upon-able." Slide-upon-able: suddenly one of his favorite words to say. It really did just roll off the tongue: slide-upon-able.

>> "So do you go to sc'ool 'ere? Or are you just the welcomin' committee? Placed dere to scare dose who are weak of 'eart?"

A staccato purr jumped out of his chest at that. He quite regally pushed himself back to a seated position, squaring off his paws and holding his head just slightly more aloft than was comfortable. "I, Madam of the Black Crawling Legion, Lady Who Doth Boldly Brave the Depths of the Man-Made Lake, She Who Mysteriously Bears the Sixteen Earrings of Yore, I am indeed a student. Yet verily doth I judge thy heart to be true, and thy multitude of inner hearts--umm, leeches have hearts, right?--thy multitude of inner hearts to be worthy and just. You shall find welcome--"

>> "Hiya. Hope I'm not interrupting."

The tiger's ears flicked back in royal annoyance. "You are, actually, Ms Nightowl." Calley mourned. "I definitely just lost my place. Ahem: 'You shall find welcome within these hallowed halls--!' ...Nope, the feelings gone." He gave her his best ticked-off tigger look, narrowed eyes and slightly unsheathed claws and all, but then she had to go and scritch his ear in passing. He let out an involuntary purr. Foul, foul!

>> "Don't believe I've had the pleasure yet, Miss.....?"

Miss Nash was probably well able to introduce herself. Therefore, he resisted the urge to dramatically do so for her. It took a lot of self-control, though, for the record.

...Had Neena just...? With the kiwi...? Eww, the tiger tried and failed to again make a face; Fruit fur... Not quite as good for grooming as real furr.

"Urk. I'm, ah, suddenly not-so-sure we can be friends. At least... not if you get all drippy on me. There's a pool out back. You can... go splash around in liquidy drowning death all you want. Except in winter. Winter makes water behave itself, and get all solid and slide-upon-able."

She was glad to here there was a pool. She should have guessed though with Calley being a cat, tiger to be exact that he wouldn't like water. She didn't want him to suddenly not like her over something like that. "I promise on all 8,672 of my leeches that I will not get you wet!" She pulled a hand infront of her chest and placed it over her heart, making it a true promise. She relaxed again and smiled at him. "It's just easier for me this way. Why drink four milk jugs of water a day when you can go for a really good swim and only need to drink half that? It's all about the moister really." Leeches were aquatic creatures and there really was no way around it for Nash. It was water or death for her. Death wasn't an option she really liked to think about.

"I, Madam of the Black Crawling Legion, Lady Who Doth Boldly Brave the Depths of the Man-Made Lake, She Who Mysteriously Bears the Sixteen Earrings of Yore, I am indeed a student. Yet verily doth I judge thy heart to be true, and thy multitude of inner hearts--umm, leeches have hearts, right?-

She nodded her head. How did he come up with all this in a split second?

-thy multitude of inner hearts to be worthy and just. You shall find welcome--"

"Hiya. Hope I'm not interrupting."

Nash hadn't even noticed the women entering until she spoke. It made Nash jump and her jumpy leeches squirm. She shifted trying to hide the sudden movements with her own body. She sometimes wasn't all that thrilled about her every emotion being conveyed by her leeches, though they didn't know any better themselves. They really were only reacting to her with out any real understanding of the situation.

"You are, actually, Ms Nightowl. I definitely just lost my place. Ahem: 'You shall find welcome within these hallowed halls--!' ...Nope, the feelings gone."

Ah! So this was the Ms Nightowl, Calley had told her about. He had been right about her just kinda showing up. Of all the times to do so as well.

"Don't believe I've had the pleasure yet, Miss.....?"

She looked up at the older women, blinked her yellow eyes once and then reached out and took her hand, shaking it. ""Ello, I'm Nash Bryant." She said smiling as politely as she could. She held that smile for a moment and then almost lost it when the women bit into the kiwi, skin and all. She had eaten a lot of strange things but that was definitely not one of them. At her apology Nash just smiled "S'all right. Your Ms Nightowl, correct?" She really was too polite sometimes. As if it wasn't obvious who she was. It just felt strange to use a persons name unless they gave it to you themselves.

(OOC: Sorry for the shortness. )

"You are, actually, Ms Nightowl. I definitely just lost my place. Ahem: 'You shall find welcome within these hallowed halls--!' ...Nope, the feelings gone."

Annoyed tiger grimaces made for quite an entertaining expression, rather like a snarl, yet not so.... snarlish. Neena hid her amusement behind another bite of her fruit. Which seemed to elicit another not-quite-a-snarl. She also saw the more human version of the expression on the girl's face. Was there something on her face? She crossed her eyes slightly, looking down at her nose. She scrubbed at it with the back of her kiwi-holding hand, but nothing seemed out of place.

Hmm. Oh well.

""Ello, I'm Nash Bryant."

Neena smiled. The girl had a lovely accent.

"S'all right. Your Ms Nightowl, correct?"

"Eh, no 'Ms'. Makes me feel old. But I guess 'Nightowl' fits." She chuckled a bit. "Either that or Neena works. I actually answer to a lot. Nice to meecha, m'friend."

She took another bite. "I see Calley is playing the gracious host. Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

She tilted her head slightly and blinked. Had she just seen movement on the girl's skin?

>> "I promise on all 8,672 of my leeches that I will not get you wet!"

"That is a lot of leeches," the tiger blinked. Awe-blinked, to be exact. Shocked-awe-blinked, to have surgical precision. Woah. A lot of leeches. Where did she put them a--? Ah, right. Her reasoning for the swimming pool made quite a bit of sense, though, so he gave a graciously acquiescing nod to her sincere hand-over-heart: he supposed they could still be friends.

His supposition grew ever stronger as she, much like he, experienced a face fault at the sight of Miss Nightowl's display of lack-of-eating-inhibitions. Fruit fur. Seriously. Just watching her, he could actually feel it in his mouth... his jaws worked in silent horror, his tongue trying to scrape out a fuzzy prickling tasteless texture that wasn't actually there. Phantom fruit fur.

>> "I see Calley is playing the gracious host. Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

Calley tried to straighten himself up and hold his head with the same regal aloofness as earlier. He closed his eyes while he did so: all the better not to watch the continued abuse of edibles with, my dear. "Verily doth these hallowed halls echo welcome to you and yours!" He intoned; "Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters!" Echoing Neena: a worthy pass time.

"Eh, no 'Ms'. Makes me feel old. But I guess 'Nightowl' fits. Either that or Neena works. I actually answer to a lot. Nice to meecha, m'friend."

Nash smiled warmly. She could do the hole calling her Neena thing. "Nice to meet you too, mate!" One day, two new friends. She was extremely happy.

"I see Calley is playing the gracious host. Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

She smiled brightly up at Neena.

"Verily doth these hallowed halls echo welcome to you and yours!" He intoned; "Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters!"

It was just to much for her poor little leech covered heart. She glanced from Neena to Calley to Neena then back to Calley and finally she settled on a spot in between them, staring blankly at the wall. Slowly a blush crept onto her face. More welcomes in one day then in three hole years. She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. She would not get all sappy at a time like this she was making a first good impression! She chose to stand and grabbed a holed of the forgotten bottle of water beside her. She'd been avoiding their eyes but now she glanced back at them and smiled.

"Ta." Her leeches wiggled happily, silly things. She tried to ignore Neena's questioning stare, she was used to it enough that she could succeed to look only a little bothered. "So I can stay 'ere Den?"

"Ta. So I can stay 'ere Den?"

Neena popped the rest of the kiwi into her mouth as she nodded. "I don't see why not. Hang on a sec."

She stood up, ran her sticky fingers under the water faucet briefly, then disappeared back into the hallway. Moments later she returned, holding a file folder.

"Are you registered or looking to register? Or just needing a place to crash for awhile?" she asked, unaware that she was repeating their previous conversation. She handed Nash the New Resident form as she waited for an answer.

Calley raised one eyelid sneakily, and caught her reaction. Judging by the taken-aback silence and the blush, he was willing to bet those were good sniffles. The standing and the smiling confirmed it. Therefore, Calley stood up, and gave a happily rumbling purr.

As Neena ducked out for the typical registration materials, the tiger carefully padded over to the Mansion's newest official resident, and aimed a friendly bump to her side with the top of his head. "Seriously. Good to have you. And, umm, whatever happened before you got here--you don't have to worry about it. This is a good place. I like it." Speaking as someone who'd sampled the Sanctuary and Mondragon Labs and his own apartment and the streets, Calley could definitely say that with conviction: this place was good. And it only got attacked as regularly as other mutant hang-outs, so it was as safe as you could get, too. And the people were nice and never tried to stab you, which you definitely couldn't say about the baddie hangouts. Not even if the people in question were your own teammates.

>> "Are you registered or looking to register? Or just needing a place to crash for awhile?"

"Urp," Calley sat down at Nash's side, one ear twitching convulsively at Neena's phrasing-of-choice. "And by register," he felt the need to clarify, "Miss Nightowl means for classes. Not the creepy lock-you-away registration. Just to, umm, make that clear." It was a good point to clarify, he thought. He couldn't be the only mutant who got a bad taste in his mouth from that word.

She watched Neena disappear out of the kitchen and looked after her curiously. Where was she going? She felt a bump against her side and looked down at Calley.

"Seriously. Good to have you. And, umm, whatever happened before you got here--you don't have to worry about it. This is a good place. I like it."

She chuckled and rubbed his head quickly. "I'm not all dat worried. I made it 'ere didn't I? Besides I bet you like it cause you get fed and petted a lot." Neena returned with a folder in hand Nash just stared at it for a moment.

"Are you registered or looking to register? Or just needing a place to crash for awhile?"

She froze at the words. She couldn't help but stiffen a little. She couldn't help it. She may have lived a fairly sheltered life but she still stiffened at the word. It brought back some very nerve racking situations she really didn't want to remember.

"And by register, Miss Nightowl means for classes. Not the creepy lock-you-away registration. Just to, umm, make that clear."

She sighed and relaxed at Calley's quick explanation. "I guess I'd be lookin' to register seein' as I came all the way from London to be here." She stuck her tongue out a little as she took the papers. "I made some very big sacrifices to be 'ere you know, I missed bein' with the luv of my life." She paused waiting for their reactions. "I'm certainly gonna miss dat tea." Nash laughed at her own joke. She turned her attention away from them for a second and eyed the paper.

Nash wasn't surprised when two of her leeches slid down her arm and onto the paper. She knew exactly what they were trying to do, "'Ey you lot watcha think your doin'?" She shook the paper and the leeches splattered onto the floor. Nash frowned and sighed at her companions before stooping to pick up the wiggling, distressed critters. "Sorry 'bout dat. Some of dem like to eat paper and I don't really know why." She slid the leeches into her water bottle one going in followed by the other. "I'm not really sure as to why some like eatin' it and other don't." She shrugged and then looked up at Neena, she was a little worried about her reaction but being in a better mood then earlier was more confident, she still smiled at her sheepishly. "Sorry I got your paper slimmed." She began to wipe it off, "Or glued really."

"Urp! And by register, Miss Nightowl means for classes. Not the creepy lock-you-away registration. Just to, umm, make that clear."

Neena wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Mmm, good point. How about 'enroll'? Enroll is a good word." She tended to forget, most mutants were still twitchy from Registration. Idly her eyes wandered to the light scar on her wrist. It wasn't as noticeable as most others, due to her mutation's passive nature, but still there.

"I guess I'd be lookin' to register seein' as I came all the way from London to be here. I made some very big sacrifices to be 'ere you know, I missed bein' with the luv of my life."

Neena had been nodding, expecting to hear a story similar to countless others. Where friends and family, upon discovery of their loved one's abilities, feel betrayed, used, even disgusted, and turn their back on their -

"I'm certainly gonna miss dat tea."

- loved one.

Neena's lips twitched, holding in a laugh. "I'm sure the tea misses you, too, m'friend. No matter what it claims."

" 'Ey you lot watcha think your doin'?"

Her head tilted reflexively as a pair of leeches slid down Nash's arm.

"Sorry 'bout dat. Some of dem like to eat paper and I don't really know why. I'm not really sure as to why some like eatin' it and other don't. Sorry I got your paper slimmed. Or glued really."

Neena shrugged. "No worries, unless its acid glue. Then I might need to get you another folder. And I've heard of animals that eat paper. More, actually, than I've heard of gals who like leeches. Are you an insect-lover? Or creator? Or morpher?" She smiled, honestly curious. "One of the younger kids here talks to insects, but his attention span is almost as small as their bodies, unfortunately. Of course, he's only ten, so he's entitled."

Calley purred at her continued willingness to pet him. She'd officially passed the tigger-approval-test.

>> "I'm not all dat worried. I made it 'ere didn't I? Besides I bet you like it cause you get fed and petted a lot."

He bobbed her hand, making sure it found all the right places. "I deny that. Most vehemently. You're forgetting that I also get to sleep a lot, get edu-ma-cated, and fed." He nodded at his own words, quite aware he'd just listed 'fed' again. Fed: a word that deserved a double billing.

>> "I made some very big sacrifices to be 'ere you know, I missed bein' with the luv of my life."

Ah, love. Calley did not believe in love, not so much. He had a girlfriend, Isabel, but he didn't really love her--and he was pretty confident she didn't really love him. She was just fun to hang out with. What more could you ask of a person? 'Unfaltering commitment from this life into the next' just didn't seem like a valid answer.

>> "I'm certainly gonna miss dat tea."

Calley turned large blue tiger eyes up at her laughing face. "...I think I love you," he purred; his own kind of laughter.

>> "I'm sure the tea misses you, too, m'friend. No matter what it claims."

Neena: another woman he loved.

Once again, it took all the self control his considerably large body possessed to not go skitter-pouncing like a kitten at the sight of the squirming black forms. That plopped, plopped onto the floor... like they were wiping their slimy shoes on his welcoming mat... He leaned towards them, eyes, ears, and whiskers all acutely focused. All four of his paws stayed grounded. Impulsiveness: 3. Self-control: 4. Victory for self-control!

>> "...One of the younger kids here talks to insects, but his attention span is almost as small as their bodies, unfortunately. Of course, he's only ten, so he's entitled."

"Pfft," the tiger pffted. 'Pfft' being a verb now, you see. "And pfft again. Attention spans are for people too boring to play hop-scotch in their head."