Cat Got Your Tongue? [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

His sisters were something of perfection in his family. They both had their bipedal forms.n They were both pure cats. They were both highly recognized for their abilities. He still just had his animal form, no name for himself, and was mostly canine.

So he was going to change his fortune. Even if it was one annoyingly small step at a time. The first step would be getting to know a few people so he could easily travel around the different realms. Or maybe he should try to get a "proper" job so he had funds for his travels.

He straighted up as he walked down the sidewalk. If he looked like he was sulking, he wouldn't change a thing. He just needed to put a cheerful face on. No one really knew who he was, after all, which meant they didn't know about his sister's accomplishments.

Gideon was a blank slate. A blank slate ready to take on the entire world.

[Lucca]

((hope you don't mind if I jump in here, Kari~))



Someday, Felix's parents had always said, their son would 'grow up', move out, and find a job. Someday, he'd actually be motivated to do something with his life. Someday, they're be able to be fully proud of what their son had accomplished with his life.

Felix didn't know or care about the 'somedays'. He was very much a live in the moment sort of Card. All he knew was his life was cool just where it was at now. And looking around at everyone rushing back and forth in the Capital, the Porcupine felt no desire to become one of them. His life was fine just the way it was. Except, a little more romance would be nice...

The Porcupine caught the hint of his reflection in a store window out of the corner of his eye and froze, fear shooting down his spine like ice. No, he wasn't going to let whatever had taken him, some monstrous version of his own reflection, do so again! He tried not to think about the incident, but he hadn't been able to look in a mirror, or even at the surface of the lake when it was too calm, since then without panicking. It was...a little bit difficult for the vain Porcupine to not be able to see himself.

Uneasily, he turned away, looking out towards the street...and instantly perked up as he caught the sight of an intriguing little Villa mix strolling along, head held high. Felix was just close enough to the Card to make out his script..."flirty" and "reckless". Weeeeell~ That was certainly interesting. Casually, the Porcupine waddled his way over towards the other Card, spines clacking together faintly as he walked.

[Kari Muffin]

The Villa's ears perked when he heard a clacking sound amongst the bustle of the people in the street. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of the various sounds floating around, so it was enough to make him pause and look around in mild confusion.

His surprise was clear when he saw that the clacking was coming from the porcupine that seemed to be approaching him. The end of the hybrid's tail puffed up slightly. He had had strangers randomly approach him over the years, but he had always been with one of his siblings or a friend. This was a completely new experience for him. He tried to brush aside the panic and anxiety that was bubbling up.

He lifted a paw and waved rather lamely. Then again waving with a paw was never really effective. If only he had his bipedal form like everyone else. "Hello... do you need something sir?"

[Lucca]

Felix grinned at the hybrid when he looked up, golden eyes bright. He tilted his head in such a manner that it displayed his horns nicely (or so he remembered, since it had been a while since he'd been able to practice in front of a mirror). At the question, Felix was just smart enough to avoid answering something incredibly stupid, like 'you'. Instead, he sat up on his haunches and responded to the wave. Porcupine paws were a lot more suited to such things.

"Not exactly," he said, thinking it was a bit cute that his tail was puffed up like that...though of course, that meant he was nervous, which was a little odd for someone with such bold words scrawled across them. "I've just never seen you around before, dude...and I have such a...passion for...music. And since you're a Villa I was wondering if you did too!"

Surprisingly, it was a lot more subtle than Felix usually was. Probably because he was actually sober right now. "I'm Felix."

[Kari Muffin]

Gideon eyed the Lakelander standing in front of him. He was about as smooth as a dull rusty razor blade, but he had at least made and effort. That was more than he could say for the other people who tried to engage him in conversation before. They normally just ended up talking to his friends or his sister's chest.

"You must not be around here often," The mix said as he attempted to smooth out his tail. The stupid thing like to stay puffed up for a while after it involuntary went off. He still wasn't all that sure about this fellow though, so that could have been the reason why it was fighting him. "And yes, like most Villa I enjoy the musical arts. I'm a drummer myself, though I'm open to quite a bit."

The bold words on the Villa did reflect his personality, but most of the time it was hidden away. Confidence was something the young mix breed was lacking. "My name is Gideon. Gideon Payne," He smiled. "Would you like to talk about things over lunch?"

[Lucca]

Felix shrugged, not seeming bothered by the implications. "Only about once a week," he admitted. "I live back in Selkie." So this Villa did live in the City then? Interesting...he fell back onto all fours easily. Oooh, so he was a drummer? His ears perked forward at that. "Cool!" he declared, still grinning. "Can't keep a good beat going without one, after all!" Though that must make it a bit harder to play things solo...he wondered if this guy had a band? That would be even more awesome.

"Gideon, huh? Great to meet you and I'd like that very much." Did this classify as a date or just a friendly meal together? Felix was always a little bit unclear on that. But he figured he shouldn't be too forward just yet...didn't want to scare the guy away. And if he was a little shy, maybe the Porcupine could coax him out his shell a little if he was patient. "What kind of grub were you thinking?"

[Kari Muffin]

So he lived in the lakes and actually made a trip to the City once a week? He must have had plenty of time on his hands to do something like that. He didn't seem like a working man.... but first impressions weren't always right ones.

Gideon was lacking when it came to having a band. He had tried several times to get along with several different groups and it all ended up with the lead singes falling out. Once he was fed up with that he had tried to join an orchestra, which was still a shaky process at best.

"Nice to meet you too," he commented. In Gideon's mind this was just a friendly meal. "I was just thinking about a little cafe around the corner. Though if you're not fond of sandwiches there's a pizza place a little ways up the street that's pretty good."

[Lucca]

If anyone ever asked, Felix would tell them without any shame at all that he didn't have a 'real job'. He'd even volunteer the information himself in some situations. But of course, his laid-back attitude and the fact he managed to party so many nights out of the week were both symptoms and causes of his stress-free lifestyle.

"Cafes are groovy, dude. We can totally go there for lunch," Felix said. In fact...he even thought he knew what place the Villa was referring to just now. He turned to shuffle in that direction, tail flicking about seemingly carelessly, but in actuality Felix knew how to avoid hitting anyone with the quills. "So...do you actually live in the city, then?" As they walked toward the cafe, Felix inched ever so slightly closer to pretty Card, trying to act like it was unintentional. The other's reaction would tell the Porcupine how patient he needed to be. Would Gideon move away by an equal amount? Would he move away more? Or would he just not notice?

[Kari Muffin]

Gideon had heard plenty of rumors about Lakelanders. He had met quite a few when he was younger, but none of them seemed to fit the stereotype. And now that he was meeting someone who seemed to be the stereotypical laid back he didn't particularly enjoy it. He bit the inside of his cheek as they walked along.

At least he agreed to the easy option, though at this point he shouldn't expect anything less.

Oh no, he shouldn't be so catty. It was only going to come out and make things worse. "All right then," he said with a bit of mustered cheer in his voice. As the porcupine tossed his quills he edged away. Even if he was careful Gideon didn't want to take any chances. "Yes, I've lived here all my life. My parents thought it was better to raise me in a place that was filled with different cultures rather than the isolated part of Villa that they came from."

He edged away every time the porcupine moved closer.

[Lucca]

Felix only noticed that his quills were making Gideon nervous because he was specifically looking for signs from the Villa. He otherwise would have just not even thought about it. He stilled his tail, and tried to keep his head-tosses to a minimum as well. When he still kept backing up, Felix realized that, sure enough, Gideon must not want him to get too close. He really was a shy one, then. Or maybe he...wasn't into men? Why were all the pretty Villas straight?

It was too early to worry about that, though. In fact, he just plain didn't want to worry about it. What happened would happen, and they'd both move on. So he stopped trying to move close, though his smile was still just a touch too friendly. "Oh, yeah, that's cool, man. Other cultures. Mmm, awesome." Felix bobbed his head in a nod, wishing he could see Gideon smile... "Have you at least visited the Villa? I hear it's a happening place."