• PM To Join • We do not flee from fleas.

[Faith Augustin]

32nd Vhalar, 716
In Tristan's House

Enemy Status: Unknown

"Look out!?" she asked incredulously as she dropped to her knees with a cat clinging on to her back.Faith did her very best not to be impolite to free people ever, she had a deeply ingrained sense of duty, of manners and of her place but right in this moment things were rather unusual She fell to her knees, however, and did not argue with him further but it must be said that, when he grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck and it yowled, she felt a surge of pleasure.

He said that he had it and instructed her to make her way to the bathroom, which she was more than happy to do. On her hands and knees and the damn thing clinging to her, trying to bite her. As Padraig's hands clutched it, the cat yowled loudly and seemed to consider what it was going to do. It decided that the only thing it could do was to dig in to its current place, namely Faith's back, in a truly determined manner. She let out a yelp of pain and lifted herself up so that she was scurrying forward on her feet but remained bent forward so that Padraig could keep ahold of the beast.

And they moved towards the bathroom where the bath was full and ready. Water, oil floating on the top, the flea-killing oils in there - all ready to go. Faith saw what was happening and through the intense pain in her back, she realised that she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do, how she was going to achieve this. Until, of course, the simple truth hit her and the young slave realised what it was that she had to do.

"I'm getting into the bath. Hold it in there, but try not to kill it." she said, voice ragged with pain and she moved over to the bath, sitting on the edge of it. She moved with slow steps, making sure that Padraig could walk with her and, as she sat on the bath for just a trill she looked at him and hoped that he knew what she was going to do. Because she had used up all of her calm and endurance and so, as he held on to the cat (she hoped), she dropped into the bath.

Her hope was that Padraig would hold on to it. As soon as she dropped in, though, her and the cat were immediately completely immersed and the cat let out an almighty and almost-demonic sounding yowl which would set anyone's teeth on edge. It let go of Faith's back and tried to clamber its way out of the bath with utter feline desperation. Faith's aim was that, as soon as it let go of her, she would get free of it, out of the bath and help Padraig. But a lot of that depended on him and how he managed the yowling, scratching, biting beast.

Or, how he didn't depending on one's point of view

Enemy Status: Murder, Death, Kill

[Padraig]

The cat didn't let go of Faith when he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, but at least it hadn't got away and they were headed in the right direction. If awkwardly. They must be a sight, the two of them, her crabbing her way across the floor on and him shuffling and bent behind her, trying to hold on to that damn cat. "Hurry up," Padraig muttered, as if she wasn't already.

Once they were inside the bathroom though, he kicked the door shut behind her. He hadn't even thought about what they'd do then. He definitely hadn't expected her to get into the tub. "You're going to do what?" he asked incredulously, then added for good measure, "The cat's welfare is the least of my concerns." Her master might not be happy, was Padraig to...inadvertently kill the man's cat. On the other hand, he'd feel somewhat vindicated.

But that was when complete bedlam broke loose. He held tight, she dropped herself into the tub and ended up submerged, and Padraig, already in a precarious position was nearly pulled in with her. He hardly had time to gain better footing before the cat let out an unholy screech and let go. But Padraig's troubles weren't over yet, not even when Faith managed to get out of the tub again. The young man was left with a furious, howling beast, still caught by the scruff of the neck. And whether it was determination or traitorous impulse, he just couldn't seem to let loose of the thing.

Which meant of course that while he had it by the scruff of the neck, the rest of it was free to twist and turn on anything within claw's reach, including him. Apparently, the grip at the scruff legend, wasn't quite as reliable as he'd hoped it would be. He was already off balance, the cat twisted and sank a set of claws into his chest, and though he'd swear Faith to secrecy forever more, should they survive this at all, the scream of pain he let out sounded not so different in pitch than a little girl run afoul of a spider. And as Faith climbed out, Padraig stumbled, cat in hand, and fell into the tub himself.

Briefly submerged but he came up sputtering and climbing over the edge of the tub to get out again while keeping the furious cat in. "Wash it!" he shouted. "Wash the damn cat!"

[Faith Augustin]

32nd Vhalar, 716
In Tristan's House

Enemy Status:
Murder, Death, Kill!!
Murder, Death, Kill!!!!

"Oh, I'll get right on that and stop being so tardy!" she snapped and, later, would be amazed and horrified in equal measure that she had done that. But really? She had a cat clawing down her back and he was telling her to hurry up? It really wasn't like she was dawdling, now, was it? But still, that was not good and Faith would consider it later and consider how very soft she had become in her luxurious lifestyle that she had given in to pain in such a small amount. However, right in that moment she was rather, well, in the moment. So, she made her way to the bathroom as quickly as she could and she tried not to yelp.

She shot him a grin, though as she perched there, precariously, on the bath and she said nothing before falling into the water. She had the sense to hold her breath but really, that was where her success in planning went out the window. Because she really hadn't thought that the damn thing would turn on Padraig with quite such a ferocious determination. As she clambered, in quite an ungainly fashion, out of the bath, she heard the cat howl and then a noise eminated from Padraig which she had to admit caused her to pause, just for a trill. Was that his high pitched scream? He sounded not unlike a young girl who had fallen from a tree! Surely it could not be, she thought and turned, dripping wet, to look at him. Just as he landed in the bath with a splash. Faith let out a gasp of surprise and shock, stepping towards him. But bravely, with the kind of determination which she could only admire, he kept hold of the failed experiment and, despite it's clawing and yowling, he clambered out of the tub. And he shouted at her to wash it. Slipping on the floor, soaked through to her very skin, she moved to do just that, dousing it in the mixture of herbs and oils that he had sold her (had she paid for them, she wondered briefly, or had they just gone to save the workers trapped by the fallen wall and she not paid..... ooops) and adding her hands to his; his holding the cat down and hers rubbing and scrubbing as the cat itself yowled and screamed and clawed madly at them both. As she did, not one, not even twenty but near a hundred small black creatures floated off the cat, trapped in the water by the layer of oil and Faith let out an involuntary "Ewwwww... you... you.... mangy, flea-ridden beast!" which was about as close to swearing as she ever got.

The fleas themselves were followed by dead eggs and eventually, even the cat itself had stopped struggling and they had, in fact, washed the damn thing. Leaning back on her heels, dripping wet and with blood on her arms, Faith put a gentle hand on Padraig's arm. "I think we can let it go" she said and a smile lit her face which was entirely genuine and a complete surprise to her "That is. Oh, I am sorry but this was all your idea, you know" a hiccup of laughter escaped her and she sat back again, a chuckle turning to a giggle which transformed into a deep belly-laugh.

"I think we bathed it" she said with tears of mirth running down her face. If Padraig did let it go, it was a very miserable kitty which jumped out of the bath. Faith moved to open the door for it to escape and it did not even bother to take a swipe at her as it went past. Instead, it contented itself with a final hiss at them both and left, dripping miserably to the room where Faith slept where it would engage in a three-break session of licking its fur back into place and (or so Faith suspected) plotting its revenge on them both. Faith turned to look at Padraig and at the sight of him ~ and the memory of the high pitched scream ~ a whole fresh bout of laughter escaped her, to the point that she was doubled over, clutching her stomach and begging him not to look at her like that. She knew that she should be fussing over him, making sure that he was dry, giving him warm soft towels and tending to his wounds, but right in that moment all she could do was laugh and clutch her stomach.

► Show Spoiler

Enemy Status: I'll Be Back....

[Quio]

Name: Faith

CS: Approved. Ledger is up to date.

Knowledge:
Acrobatics: Keeping upright on a slippery surface
Animal Husbandry: Bathing an unwilling animal
Animal Husbandry: Preparing an animal's bath
Animal Husbandry: Use protection (like gloves) to prevent bites and scratches
Discipline: Following orders no matter the costs
Endurance: Enduring cat scratches
Etiquette: Dry your hands before answering the door
Etiquette: Don't be too sassy
Fauna: Felines: Don't like water
Mistral: Does not like baths
Mistral: Seemingly impervious to harm
Mistral: Dangerous AF!
Mistral: Might dislike women
Padraig: Forgiving of small mistakes
Padraig: Practical
Padraig: Doesn't like being addressed formally
Padraig: Call him Pad or Paddy
Padraig: Accommodating
Padraig: Doesn't like cats
Padraig: Screams like a girl
Tactics: Blocking exits
Tactics: Prepping for a difficult task
Tactics: Taking harm for a gain

Loot: None.
Injuries: Faith will have cat scratches on her shoulders where Mistral's claws dug into her flesh. Her hair may or may not be slightly chewed near one ear. She'll have deeper scratches along her arms. All injuries, save for the hair, should heal nicely on their own within a few days to a week. Medical treatment is not necessary.
Fame: +1 general good deed for bathing Mistral.

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: CANNOT use XP awarded for magic.

Name: Padraig

CS: Approved. Ledger is up to date.

Knowledge:
Animal Husbandry: Bathing an unwilling animal
Animal Husbandry: Dusting an animal with fossilized algae will remove fleas
Animal Husbandry: Use protection (like gloves) to prevent bites and scratches
Animal Husbandry: Don't underestimate any animal's fury
Animal Husbandry: Picking up an animal by the scruff
Faith: Possibly insane when it comes to Mistral
Faith: Provokes your conscience
Faith: Your student
Faith: Dutiful to her master
Faith: Accommodating
Faith: Apologetic
Faith: Cannot address free men/women informally
Faith: Calls Ser Aeon by another name (Fred)
Faith: Can be sassy
Fauna: Felines: Live up to (or down to) your expectations
Fauna: Felines: Don't like water
Mistral: Like every other cat?
Mistral: Bad-tempered and cantankerous
Mistral: Two-faced bugger
Mistral: Hates Faith?
Mistral: A failed necromantic experiment?
Tommy: Faith's neighbor boy
Tommy: A clever lad
Tristan Venora: Loves his evil cat

Loot: -1 packet of algae, lost under the bushes.
Injuries: Padraig will have cat scratches on his chest where Mistral dug his claws in. The scratches will heal within the next few days. Treatment is not necessary.
Fame: +1 general good deed for helping Faith.

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: CANNOT use XP rewarded for magic.

General Comments: This was an enjoyable read and quite fun, really! I laughed out loud when Faith got all sassy, and smiled throughout the thread here and there. I do so love silliness! In general, your characters seem to get along really well and have a natural charisma together. Because of this, the thread read really smoothly without any slowing of pace, and I really liked their back-and-forth dialogue. I look forward to more adventures between Padraig and Faith. Personally I hope they become BFFs.
Story: Mission complete! They bathed Mistral, with little casualties.
Structure: There were a couple small errors but nothing major. Faith, you said something in your first post about a tea tree that I didn't quite understand. There were commas missing in some places as well, like after dialogue. "I am well aware that I sound like a lunatic" she said. There should be a comma after lunatic; the missing commas showed up a couple of places throughout. But other than that it was all very good, and either way it wasn't confusing, so I awarded full points. Happy threading! ^_^

Please feel free to PM if you have any questions or concerns!