Summary:Hunter and Domino have a cat to cat moment. Some common ground is established. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Healing the enraged and agonized, poisoned and - this was repeated often - dying tigress was a challenge. Many, many hours of challenge. River had to take lots of breaks. And Lexi had to bring in what seems like half a farm full of meat. But after all of that, things finally settled down. The gigantic cat - a full twelve feet long from foreshoulder to rump, over six feet tall from pads of feet to top of shoulders - finally laid down to rest. Weak and exhausted, she did so for quite some time. Poisoned as she was by whatever those rounds were, it's a long, deep, and somewhat troubling rest.
The group retreated to the same safehouse they had used before: a huge underground level of an abandoned parking structure, somewhere in the Disaster Zone. Lots of room for others to spread out and have their own space, so no one needs to be cramped. And while the easiest way to get there is apparently by portal through the cold death of the Darkforce dimension, there are apparently ways for normal people to get in and out. They just aren't too obvious, and most are quite challenging.
Some time in the night, while others were resting, a large olive drab duffle bag made its appearance, laying beside Domino and River. Laynia is most assuredly out for the count, since she had to stop up to maintain the 'tiggerball' to contain Amur Khatun through all of this. And River is dead to the world recovering. Black Widow appears to have made herself scarce as usual and quite promptly. And it seems the purple mutant girl, Whiplash, has scarpered off for a bit. Maybe she's fetching more food and supplies? She seems to be good at that.
The next time Neena awakens, though, on the other side of her from that large duffel is the ginormous tigress. She is laying down, massive head on huge paws, watching Neena sleep. And snuffling at her. Tasting her scent. Trying to make sense of what she's picking up.
*
This is all so very new to Domino. She hasn't been in this country for very long, hasn't had much time at all to learn more about most of the people she had just fought alongside, and to be entirely honest..she barely knows herself after having come back from four years in the abyss.
Dealing with a teammate whom had at some point transformed into one massive(ly pissed off) cat had been something of an adjustment all on its own. Then understanding that the special munitions which the Razors had been utilizing were engineered specifically to combat the other's 'Darkforce' ability. There's a lot to get up to speed with, not to mention the realization that she probably should have done a lot more to prepare for their first engagement. A rifle or two would have been greatly appreciated. And electronic hearing protection. Lessons learned.
Somewhere during that unscheduled trip with Thea Dom's own sleeping habits had changed, shifting from someone who's spent a lot of time on a military cot to something that, like with the massive cat beside her, is more feline in nature. She's crashed out on her front with arms stretched forward and her face buried between them.
She could probably stay that way for a good long while if something doesn't nudge her awake with a subtle twitch, head lifting up and turning a few degrees toward the tigress. Silvery sheened eyes quickly widen as pupils expand, soaking in the limited lighting as they stare at the other cat crashed out so close beside her. Nostrils flare slightly with a quick intake of breath. Then comes the question which is possibly on both of their minds:
"What are you?"
*
The ginormous tigress just chuffs at Domino, inching closer and wuffling to pick up her scent more strongly. She clearly still doesn't know what to make of the woman's hellscent. Or her felineness which is not, but is. The tigress herself smells … like a ginormous tigress. But, to one with a talent for 'other', she is that as well: not a mutant, but something old, dark, and very magical, in that very natural, ancient, promordial sort of magic.
*
Normally such perceptions would be worlds beyond what Neena could pick up on. Now that there's an infernal soul riding shotgun with her such a perception lies solely on the level of instinct, that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that something is different, powerful, and worth keeping an eye on.
The tigress totally fits the bill. Not angelic. Not demonic. Potentially..not a threat. Not as far as banishing the Darkhunt back into the pit. But..she's of a drastically different pride and the hellcat is used to working alone.
The albino's head slowly tilts with curiosity, mouth open just enough for the slightest of fang tips to be seen. Eye contact is never broken as she rises to hands and knees to turn slightly and, likewise, inch closer. This is not the infernal's territory and it knows such. Yet that distant feeling of kinship remains…
Cinnamon and sulfur is what can be found beneath an artificial layer of vanilla scent. They're faint traces at best but enough to mark the albino as being something different in her own right. Something which most any other hellscape creature would be able to identify.
*
The tigress inches a tiny bit closer as the albino capers interestingly. Then one humungous paw reaches out, claws retracted, and pats at Domino's hand, then a knee, exploring. Her tail starts slowly undulating behind her, a lazy display of her calmly curious nature. She does not feel afraid of the hellcreature, if only because she does not fully realize what she is. Unnatural? Yes. But much here is unnatural. And Amura Khatun also remembers that this one helped. This one fought with her persons. So now she just tries to puzzle it out.
*
Following the first few bits of contact from Amura comes a reaction which Neena would have never for a second thought that she would ever do…
She leans forward to nuzzle that giant paw. Exchanging the communal scent. They exist within one another's territory, and that's okay.
The albino's going for another pass when she suddenly stops and blinks once. As before her words are softly spoken but now with a bit more of an edge. "What the fuck am I doing..?"
She leans back slightly and turns to drop onto a hip, braced by one hand while the other rubs at her face. "This can't be normal behavior, girl…" is muttered into her palm.
Reflective eyes slit open to look back at the tigress, breathing out a slow sigh. "I'm just as confused as you are" is offered by way of explanation before she stretches the neck of her thermal suit enough to pull a silver dollar sized amulet out of hiding, the matte black metal held close to her by a choker made up of interlinked panels. The pendant itself has five subtle claws shaped around the outer edge like a pentacle with a polished round object set in the center, dark but for that same mercurial glimmer which also filters her eyes.
"Blame this. A little souvenier from time spent in another place. It helped me see in the dark which Thea and I needed at the time."
Explaining the situation to a massive tigress almost seems normal with how bizarre everything around them is.
*
Amur Khatun leans forward and nuzzles Domino's hair around her ear as she nuzzles the big paw, also showing a friendly affection. When Domino backs off, though, the tigress backs up just a bit, too, clearly trying to leave Domino her own space to figure this out and feel safe doing so.
The tigress' warm amber-backed green eyes watch the pendant as it comes out, and then inches closer and wuffles at the amulet when Neena explains. Then she leans up just a hint and nuzzles Neena's cheek.
Amur Khatun knows about need. About survival. She respects that.
*
It wasn't all that long ago that these two were seconds away from hissing at each other's faces. Leave it to a shared hunt to bridge the gap. With the following nuzzle Neena sits there for a while longer then starts chuckling, slowly shaking her head.
"I had a cat once. Named him Christmas. Don't laugh," she adds with a glance back to Amur. "Long story. Never thought I'd see life from his perspective."
The story also buys her some time to build up the nerve to reach out and scritch behind the tigress' ear. She's fairly confident that it won't result in a lost limb.
"Maybe sometime when you're feeling more chatty we can talk about what the hell happened back there with you turning into a feral warkitty. And, uh..sorry about that whole..throwing live grenades at your feet. Seemed like the thing to do at the time." And luckily enough, it had been.
"So what now. Are these Razor guys toast or do we get to do this all over again tomorrow?"
*
Oh. More two-foot mouth sounds. The tigress does not laugh, but she does chuff happily and lean into the sritching, pressing her big furry head up against Neena's chest as more scritches are to be had.
Neena asks about answes, and she flicks her ears, acknowledging the mouth-sounds' meanings. Later talk? Yes, her two-foot self will talk. As much as that one ever talks, cranky laconic bitch.
Having been unaware that Domino's deploying of the foam grenades was anothing othe than exactly the plan, the tigress ponders that for a bit.
Are the Razors toast? Massive tiger shoulders shrug.
It's scary; Amur Khatun communicates better than Diya does.
*
Massive tiger also spends less time tracking strange albino ladies through the crosshairs of a high powered rifle scope. That can complicate communication ever so slightly.
Neena laughs at getting pushed into by that broad feline head and wraps her arms around Amur's neck in a hug.
It's a strange feeling for her, some of the only positive experiences of her childhood had revolved around 'Christmas.' Sitting here in this dark and demolished parking garage with a cat several times her mass… It brings back some of those lost feelings.
A glance back to the crashed out biokinetic seems to remind Dom to slip the amulet back into hiding. Thea's never been a fan of the trinket. Then she looks back to Amur for a moment of consideration. "Well. I've got nothing. We all survived. The other guys didn't. Collateral damage was shockingly minimal. I'd say we did pretty damn well," she concludes while gently bobbing her head.
*
Amur Khatun seems quite happy to be friendly and accepting. She's a lot less creepy, really, than her two-foot counterpart. She accepts herself a lot better. It helps that Diya's memories, especially the ones that have marred her with serious PTSD, are much dimmer for Amur. And she can tell Neena needs some of that positive. She's happy to give it.
As to the question of how they did? She lifts a paw and actually waggles it back and forth. Laynia did demolish two buildings. And there were high explosives and shrapnel in use. But, better than it could have been, certainly. She does nod, though. Yes, they did damn well. Hopefully it is over.
*
If two buildings being destroyed translates to 'shockingly minimal' collateral damage then Domino must have a particularly mental lifestyle. She seems content enough with how it all turned out. Grenades, automatic fire, rampant displays of superpowers, a cybernetically enhanced bear… Yeeeeeah. It was a good time. Plus she scored some free new gear! Silvery eyes shift over to the pair of large bore pistols she took off of the two Razors they dropped in the alley. More fun shall be had in her near future.
It's the waggling of a -paw- which happens to surprise her, though. Big Kitty format -does- understand what's being said. Methods of response are limited but varied and easy enough to interpret when not so stunningly normal as a hand gesture or a headnod. Part of her has to wonder what it might have been like if Christmas had responded in such ways back in the Project.
Neena turns about some and leans back against the large furry body, sharing some warmth. If there's anything more to say she's not able to find the words.
*
Amur Khatun seems to consider this change for a bit, and then lays back down, curling her rather large, rather long body a bit around Neena supportively. Communication only works when the bipeds keep going. So for now this will continue her way; non-verbal communication is queen. There are things about Domino that are definitely strange. But in may ways she is also a kindred soul. Enough, for now. More rest, and they can watch over the healer.
*