Second Floor Common Room, Saturday evening

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Velcro had, in fact, been hanging out around room 209, mewing purposefully at the door. Hanna had retrieved him and gone down to the common room to get him a snack, and was now watching him drink cream from a small bowl.

A show about thieves stealing money from the rich to give to the poor was on the TV, with various people sneaking around a really, really big airplane. Hanna petted Velcro while watching from the kitchen area floor.


[ooc: Yes that's Leverage, on my TV and the Common Room TV for the moment. Open as anything.]

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[not_every_mage]

Anders' cat-senses were tingling.

Or he really wanted ice cream and the third floor was out. Possibly both.

"Awww, kitty," he said, sounding utterly delighted as he went to rummage through the freezer. "Is he yours?"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"In a way," Hanna allowed, smiling up at Anders. "He was Sparkle's first, but he couldn't take him with him to his new home. If he never asks for him back...."

Her kitten, yes.

"He was looking for Sparkle down the hall. Poor Velcro." It had only been a week, so really, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

[not_every_mage]

"Poor baby," Anders agreed, with a little grimace. "I don't know what I'd do if I had to leave Lachlan. Good thing we have two more years before I'd need to decide."

Lachlan was Rapunzel's, too, but Anders tended to forget that.

"But I'm sure he'll get used to you, yeah?"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"He doesn't hate me?" Hanna gave Anders a rueful smile. "And he's very well-behaved, aside from chewing on shoelaces. But it was all very sudden, and he's still getting used to me, I think, since Sparkle didn't realize he'd need to find a new place for him until the last minute."

The cat meowed, and stopped drinking to groom his whiskers, looking settled. Or at least resigned as a cat gets.

"How old is Lachlan? I've never had a pet before. I always thought I would have a dog, first." But cats really were better suited to dorm life.

[not_every_mage]

Anders shuddered as if Hanna said she'd always fancied catching measles. "You don't want a dog. They smell bad and they slobber and they think everyone's their best friend. A cat -- if a cat's your friend, it means something. Much better. "

Being a Fereldan who didn't care for dogs had bred Strong Opinions in Anders.

"And," he added,with a rueful little smile of his own, "Lachlan's not quite one. We got him last fall, when he was just a baby. He's a sassy little thing."

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna giggled at that description, as Velcro started exploring Anders' shoes.

"We? You share him? With whom?"

What do your shoelaces taste like, Anders? Lick, lick, lick.

[not_every_mage]

Probably they tasted like cotton and a bit like mud from the preserve, since Anders wasn't the best about cleaning his shoes. He giggled a little at Velcro's explorations before answering the question.

"Hmmm? Oh, technically he belongs to my roommate Rapunzel too, since we picked him out together."

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Ah. I've spoken to her in a few classes." It was hard to miss all that hair. "She seems very nice... I've been careful with Velcro, but maybe I should let him out more often, if he's going to go looking for Sparkle on his own."

Abandoning the shoelaces, Velcro backed up to meow hopefully at Anders.

"Don't feel you have to feed him. He's already had a whole bowl of cream... my roommate is gone until July, too, so he's getting the full run of our room."

[not_every_mage]

"Sorry, kitty," Anders said to Velcro, with real regret in his voice. "We don't want you to get so big no one can pick you up."

To Hanna, he added, "Lucky cat. Who's your roommate?"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Carmilla. She read for the Radio on Mondays, until she went home. Something to do with her family." Which was worrying, because Carmilla never talked about them, especially not her mother. "She hopes to be back in July."

Velcro felt that Anders was being unreasonable, because weren't there very strong people in this dormitory? He wound around Anders' ankles for a moment, looking hopeful, and giving Hanna glances to see what she'd do.

"Perhaps I'll get him a little cat climbing maze or something." She held out her fingers toward Velcro, and he sniffed at them, considering.

[not_every_mage]

"She was funny on the radio," Anders said. "I hope everything works out all right for them."

Velcro might have had a point about Anders' unreasonableness, and Anders looked genuinely apologetic as he let the cat wander back to his new owner.

"You could," he said. "Or -- does he have his front claws? If he does you can let him outside sometimes. I do with Lachlan. I sit and read on the patio and let him try to hunt."

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Yes, most definitely," Hanna said, as Velcro demonstrated that climbing ability by stalking up her arm and side, and pretending to hide in her hair. She giggled at the purring in her ear. "Oooo. I had not thought of that. Especially with the weather getting warmer."

[not_every_mage]

"People don't do it as much here, I don't think," Anders shrugged. "But at home growing up, all the cats were outside most of the time. Barn cats, really."

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Reaching up to scritch behind Velcro's ears, Hanna said, "No barns where I grew up, either. Just the cabin." She cocked her head. "Were you near farms?"

[not_every_mage]

"It was a farming village," Anders confirmed, snickering at Velcro's antics. "Quiet place, but I liked it. Where are you from?"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Part of the far north wilderness." That would probably make more sense than 'Finland.' "Close to our Arctic Circle, the forest up there. My father and I had a cabin there." She bit her lip, and then said, "It was... isolated."

Yes, that would cover it. Velcro purred again, and batted at some of Hanna's hair, tail lashing in amusement.

[not_every_mage]

"Isolated and cold," Anders added. "And no cats. Have to say, that doesn't sound like much fun."

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Fun was not so much the point," Hanna mused, slowly getting to her feet, balancing Velcro so he wouldn't fall off her shoulder. "To learn things, and be safe... well. I learned a great deal." And safety was over-rated anyway.