“There’s a lot to tell. Clearly, you shall have to come by my apartment sometime.”

Clearly.

Ghost scrubbed at her eyes tiredly once Juka had taken Calley from her. She instinctively prickled at his words. As First Retainer, it was her job to be the best retainer. Just let him try and take the spot from her.

Baleful eyes swept over the pile of laundry. Did he have to do all this tonight? Ghost scooped up the stray shirt that had enticed her master from hiding. She was just too tired to yell at him anymore.

And far too tired to remember what she was supposed to be doing for herself right now. So instead, she stood in an achy way and set about finishing the sorting of Juka's fantastic clothes. If she couldn't remember what she was doing for her, she could at least remember what she was doing for Juka. And that was laundry.

A sudden thought stopped her as she was about to gather up a bunch of reds that were enough to make their own load. "Juka-san... do you you have quarters?" Because if he didn't... this whole trip could be a bust.

>> "I would be most honored to be called Third Retainer, Master Kitty. And I will be sure to be the best retainer ever and answer all demanding merrows to the very best of my ability."

Master Sinatra purred a kingly rumble, keeping his head high as his new Retainer bowed most properly. His tail tip curled with slow approval. “A noble aim, Third Retainer. Yet you have a long way to go, in catching up with my First Retainer. Please, learn what she has to offer, as your senior.” Not that a bit of rivalry wouldn’t be amiss, in keeping both of his Retainers at their best.

Benevolently, he allowed himself to be switched to Juka’s arms, in a very warm, very furry, very non-protesting bundle of muscle and rumbling purrs. “Mwrack,” he demanded, as his first order.

The matter of quarters was, of course, something for his Retainers to sort out. A cat need not concern himself with currency.

At the mention of needing quarters Juka dug into one of his many pockets and grabbed his wallet. Sifting through it he took out a Visa card and lifted it victoriously, beaming happily at Ghosty. "I can do one better than mere quarters. I have a Visa card!" He never did have a use for actual cash. Why would he when this magic card got him everything he could possibly need?

Juka nodded very attentively to his new Master Kitty. He would indeed take his advice and any advice Ghosty had to offer as well. She had, after all, generously taught him all about the adventures of laundry so who knew what other sage advice she might have to offer. "Ghosty is a wonderful darling," Juka offered a bit of his own sage wisdom.

The matter of money sorted out as well as the matter of Ghosty being an angel, Juka went back to his duties as Third Retainer, giving Master Kitty all the attention, pets and scratches he could possibly desire, careful to attend to all of his non-verbal urgings.

Ghost dropped the clothes. Some of them fell back onto the table. Most of them did not.

"A... visa?" Her nose crinkled.

She was so tired that she almost wanted to shout at him. Instead she wailed. "You need quarters, Juka! Quarters. Or cash to make change from the machine." She sank down into the pile of dropped clothes like a deflated balloon. She crumpled as far into a ball as she could without putting her face in dirty clothes or on the ground. That put her angelic face on her knees and her arms tangled over her head.

A muffled voice came from somewhere around her knees. "Juka, you will have to come back later with cash or hire a cleaning service for your laundry." There was nothing she could do for him now. Now was the time for wibbling at masters and sleeping. "I need to call a cab. I don't think I can ghost home... would you accompany me, Master?" She had to at least try. Kat would be so happy.

‘A visa’ didn’t seem like the correct answer, but the cat was having a hard time focusing on why. Juka’s hands were doing something there, and there, and—oh purr yes—there. His rumblings drowned out the start of Ghost’s wibbles.

Slowly, though, the sad defeat of his First Retainer penetrated the kitty’s mind. She was in need. And even if Juka was—oh purr, oh purr, what exactly was Juka doing? How did anyone have that many hands?—even if Juka was petting him, the white-haired girl was in need. A ginger and cream bundle of fur squiggled for freedom from Juka’s grip, and landed lightly on the floor. Padding over to the curled up girl ensued, and kitty whiskers tickling at her cheek.

>> "I need to call a cab. I don't think I can ghost home... would you accompany me, Master?"

“But of course,” he assured her, a warm kitty body pressing against her own. “Though I must insist, cabs are for mortals not employed by cats. Would a tiger ride suit you?”

He would simply have to, err, switch to a less recognizable form somewhere down the block from the Mansion. Granted he had Cold Steel’s approval to visit: somehow, he’d like to save that for a time he got caught visiting, however.

Juka's face fell as he came to the realization that his Visa card would not be much help in this task. He looked at his large pile of laundry forlornly, discovering that he would, indeed, not be able to do his laundry tonight after all. He sighed dramatically. "I'm sorry Ghosty, I didn't know." His voice was that of a little lost child. He had tried so hard only to discover that it wasn't enough. It never seemed to be enough.

Gently Juka placed Master Kitty back on the ground. If he wasn't good enough for Ghosty how could he possibly think himself good enough for Master Kitty? "I can at least bubble you home Ghosty, after everything you've done for me." Hopefully home wasn't too far away. "And you too of course, Master Kitty." Surely he could still be good for something?

With an unhappy, crushed expression Juka began collecting his clothes off of the floor and putting them back into his bag. Tomorrow he vowed. He would do better tomorrow and find the quarters he apparently so desperately needed.

"I think you can get a cash advance from a credit card at an ATM." In theory. She'd never done it, nor had she ever seen it done, but she croaked out the suggestion just in case Juka wanted to try it. "I can write out instructions for the clothes." Surely written instructions could get him through the process. Laundry was mostly waiting and hoping nothing red got into your whites.

Little whiskers fanned at her ear. The affection was appreciated. The tickling, not so much. Ghost jerked up and very narrowly missed bonking her head into the folding table above where she had melted.

He offered her... a tiger ride. The idea was sort of ludicrous and she couldn't help but bubble out a tired laugh that didn't want to end. "It's a long walk to the mansion. I wouldn't want to walk there one two legs let alone on four legs and with two people's weight." Ghost pat a long line from the top of Sinatra's head down to the start of his tail, a move that rarely left a cat sitting.

"And I couldn't get into your bubble before... could I really get it in now, Juka?" Not that she wasn't willing to try. She had a tiredness that only soft pillows and sheets could cure. She should never have agreed to help with his laundry this late at night. "It was a vary fortuitous thing that you aren't a bad man, Juka." She took a long moment to rub out her tired eyes before pushing to her feet once more. Her pouting moment of desperation was over now that bed was in sight... or at least the back of a cab.

The clothes had to go back in the bag. She started with the ones on the table. Once that was done she could call a cab and be instantly in bed... or something close to it. That was what she kept telling herself.

>> "And you too of course, Master Kitty."

“I may enjoy a bubble,” the cat ambiguously replied, “if it suits.” A bubble that can be rode in, eh? And with flight capabilities? Images of soap bubbles danced in Calley’s head. Soap bubbles can pop. And sting one’s delicate eyes. And if one is riding on top of them, one might have to fear mid-air rolls. Unless one was inside? But he did so like to have a fresh air supply... Suffice it to say that Sinatra was leerily curious of these ‘bubbles’ of which his Second Retainer spoke.

His First Retainer also seemed somewhat leery. She also declined his offer for a tigger back ride—really just as well, but a good Master must offer. And he must remember to offer again, for some shorter distance. So far, only Katrina and Iris had been granted that privilege: it seemed that he and Ghost might be nearing that point in their relationship, as well.

Her hand started in that particularly soft fur above his eyes; rose to crest the space between his ears, and then dove—his spine arched up in a rollercoaster, bringing the rest of him with it. Oh, le purr. Her leg earned a head butt, and a quick marack of approval. Master Sinatra was ready to be kidnapped home, now.

Hearing from Ghosty that, perhaps, he wasn't actually a complete failure made his spirits brighten instantly. There would be a way to fix this. He would find some cash and she would write instructions and the he would do his laundry tomorrow. Life was good and he grinned to show that he understood perfectly.

"Oh you don't need to worry about getting inside my bubble now," Juka addressed her concern with a giggle. "As long as you hold my hand I bubble both of us. And, if you like, you can even stay in my bed since my appartment is much closer than your Mansion." A pause to consider how that might sound and a realization that Juka saw Ghosty more as a sister than anything else. "I mean, I'll sleep on the couch and you'll sleep on my bed of course." Another pause. "Or I'll sleep in my bubble! How much fun would that be?" Another excited grin.

As Juka began gathering his laundry back into his bag he addressed Master Kitty. "You ride in the bubble. And it floats and will be completely comfortable for all your needs. And I can bubble you home as well. Or I can find you a nice soft pile of clothes at my place if that suites better." He thought perhaps a demonstration would be best and with that in mind bubbled himself and began using his secondary bubbles to lift and deposit his clothes into the bag.

Ghosty was ready to be kidnapped just about anywhere with a bed by now. She nodded slowly and continued to scrub her eyes in her own childish way. "Would you really?" There was no need for an answer. There was, however, need for action.

It was good that Sinatra would be there to guard her innocence because Ghost would possibly have asked the hobo snoring on the bench across the room to scoot over for her if there had not been an offer of bed or couch involved.

After a slight hesitation she tugged at Juka's arm. "I can sleep on the couch if you'd rather." She was invading his home (and bubbles) after all.

This bubble began to sound... less dubiou—

Bubbles. Floating. Around the room. The large tomcat quivered to a certain stalking stillness were he sat, his eyes and whiskers tracking these bubbles of which Juka spoke. His tail tip... flicked.

“Yes,” he agreed distractedly, “I agree to the terms of your bubbling. And I,” he said, head turning slowly to watch a floating sock, “shall sleep where Ghost sleeps.” As a cat, of course. It did not occur to him to do otherwise. This was not to say that he did not trust his Third Retainer around the white-haired aeromancer’s modesty: this was merely to say that his First Retainer would make rather a comfortable bed. One that smelled better than dirty clothing.

Even if the dirty clothing was... muscles twitched and tensed ...moving.

Yes, moving. He could, perhaps, a chest sunk low towards the floor, fix that.

The sock’s mate tried to follow it. Sinatra, in his infinite helpfulness and good sensibility, decided to test how well a bubble stood up to a cat’s claws.

First Juka curtsied to his wonderful Ghosty and then to his new Master Kitty. It never hurt to show respect either to Master Kitty or to First Retainer. After all they were now his most important people. Er cats. Cats and people. But they were important and he had to show his respect and appreciation.

"You will, of course my dear wonderful Ghosty, have the bed. I wouldn't have it any other way. You helped me with laundry." And to Juka that made perfect sense. He extended a hand to Ghost, intending for her to take it and, if she did so, intending to manifest a bubble around both of him and the bag of laundry. It would be a slight strain on his abilities, but he was confident that he could pull it off.

Juka then extended a tendril from his bubble towards Master Kitty. "With your permission?" he asked, intending to bubble his new master so that they could swiftly make their way back to his appartment. And, Juka realized, he was starting to feel rather tired. It had, after all, been something of a long day.