The Circle

[Riamah]

She tilted her head to the side slightly as Calder spoke and tilted her ears to show curiosity.

"What do you mean by unnatural?"

Other than her head, Ailuros had gotten all of her fur wet and started in on cleaning herself. The cat was flexable and was soon in a position most humans would find painful or at least uncomfortable. But the only way to get clean was to do it herself. However, some of her attention was on him as she waited for his answer.

 

[Viviana]

"I suppose that would be difficult to explain as it would be normal to you, but not to others." Calder watched [member="Ailuros"] for a moment as she cleaned herself, but quickly glanced away from embarrassment. He was not use to seeing how other species washed themselves and curiosity had gotten the better of him. On his own world it wasn't polite to stare while others bathed in the cold waters off their island.

He certainly wasn't as flexible as her and went about washing himself in a slow methodical way, every now and then glancing over to the cat as they spoke.

"So, I told you what I was. What are you? I think the Cathar are similar to you, yet you don't seem to be one."

 

[Riamah]

She smiled a little at his answer and nodded. It made sense to her though. As she cleaned herself, it could be thought that the positions she got into were unnatural, but they were for her. There were still a few locations she couldn't get on her own and grabbed one of the back brushes to get them.

It was a curious sight to watch a cat clean, so as Calder watched her now and again, Ailuros didn't think anything of it. She was also methodical and slow in her own way. Tugging at one of the tangles and then using that brush, she looked up again as he spoke to her.

"Many people have said I remind them of a Cathar, but I am a Trianii from Trian. One of the differences is this."

Her moved her tail and ​took a hold of the brush with it.

"Our tails are prehensile, theirs are not."

[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

"You can grab with your tail, and they can not? That is.. Actually really handy. I can think of all sorts of uses for what amounts to a third arm." Calder watched with an immensely curious gaze, following her tail's movements so long as she was willing to show him. He stood up fully to begin washing more of himself that had once been submerged. The water level would lower of course after he stood, his massive size no longer displacing the liquid. Every now and then he would glance towards his curious friend, occasionally smiling as he did.

"You are an interesting creature [member="Ailuros"] . I am glad I met you."

 

[Riamah]

"It can also have a mind of its own sometimes."

She remembered being at a​ ball and accidently hitting somebody with it as it waved back and forth. Another time it had knocked drinks around when she was dancing. Luckily Ailuros had avoided anything happening like that since.

Since she had that brush in her tail, she decided to keep it and clean the areas she couldn't reach on her own normally. The extra curiosity in his gaze did not bother her at all. Cleaning was a normal part of the day and this chance had been missed before.

When he stood up to clean other areas on himself and the water lowered, it did not bother her. Since new water was needed, the temperature started to rise as the faucet next to her filled in what had been displaced. His cold area was going to start melting soon and warming up. Ailuros wanted to point it out, but figured he would notice it.

Her ears tilted at him when he spoke again and smiled just a little. The tips of her teeth barely poked out of her lips.

"I am glad to meet you too! Did you know there is also a rabbit race that is as big as me? I met one of them once. And these huge bear like beings."

Then she shut up because he was a bear and she was talking about a wookiee not a real bear like he was. That urge returned to hack up a hairball and there was no good way to stop it this time. Since she had been cleaning herself, there was more than enough hair to be involved...
​
"Not like you though."

Gulping that out after the hairball came up, she hoped he wasn't offended by either her words or her actions.

[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

Calder, who didn't know what a hairball was, immediately assumed [member="Ailuros"] was choking and stepped right over to her to assist in the only way he knew how. Heimlich. His massive arms would wrap around her to try and force what ever was choking her out.

Until of course it did come out. "Are you alright? Do you need to see a doctor?" Concern flooded his voice as he gently lifted the cat from the water, scanning over her festures for further issues.

 

[Riamah]

As if the situation couldn't become anymore embarrassing to Ailuros, when Calder started to squeeze the breath out of her, she finished hacking up her hairball. Entirely mortified by the whole ordeal, all the cat wanted to do was curl up into a ball and hide.

Coughing and rubbing her chest after he loosened his grip on her, one of her ears flicked in his direction while the rest of her drooped. If there was a scene of any sort that could be seen as questionable, this was it. She didn't think of that though. Just her humiliation.

"I am fine. Thank you, I think. Just needed to get that hairball out. It's totally natural and the next time that happens...it's going to come up on its own. Without any additional help. Don't you get them too? I mean you have all that fur."

Now she would have to clean certain areas again and put that messed up fur back into place, but they had all the time they wanted.

"I can help if you want."
​
[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

"That's... Natural?" Immediately the Burr blushed, looking away from [member="Ailuros"] . He didn't get hairballs as he had no reason to ingest his own hair, so the concept was completely foreign to him. And yet, he completely embarrassed his companion. Calder began to sink into the water, using the deep part of the center to sink deep enough for only the area from his nose up being visible.

He was beyond embarrassed.

"Help with what?"

 

[Riamah]

"Well yes it's natural...Oh I see you don't get them."

They were close enough for her to see the bright pink hue of his skin under his fur. Not being able to blush herself, it displayed in her body language though or back hacking up a hairball. With that being so recently done though, Ailuros didn't have enough to come up with another one.
​
"I meant help with cleaning you. But you don't clean the same way...So I don't know if need it."
​
[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

Calder was a pool of bubbles as he silently screamed at his rudeness under the water, his round ears laid flat against his head as he stared anywhere but in [member="Ailuros"] 's direction. He felt terrible about making what was normal for the cat into a scene and it was clear she too was embarrassed.

Though the offer to help him clean where he could not reach was welcome. "I am not exactly flexible, so there are parts on my back I can not reach." He muttered, glancing finally in the cats direction again. "I would appreciate some assistance with that, yeah."

 

[Riamah]

She actually wasn't mortified any longer and was back to her curious self. Nodding when he answer, Ailuros look around for the soap he had been using.

"Do you want this anti-flea shampoo or the other?"

Holding up two bottles for him to look at, she waited on his answer.

"As flexable as I am as will, I still can't get all of my back either. Right along my spine really."

 

[Viviana]

The Burr let out another bubble sigh as he kept his head below the water, somewhat thankful that [member="Ailuros"] was able to spring back so fast. He stood fully, stretching his arms above his head as crouching as he had was rather uncomfortable.

"Anti-flea I suppose. Not that I have any, but I'd rather avoid it. Learned the hard way that warmer planets tend to carry a lot." He mused, rubbing at his chin. "Which would you prefer?"

 

[Riamah]

She was young and didn't think too long on many things. So while he might still feel odd about what just happened, things had been explained and she had forgotten how she felt. Not totally forgotten, but the situation had passed and that is what mattered.

Holding out the shampoos, she set the other one down when Calder answered and walked over to him. In one hand was the shampoo and she poured it into her other. Dropping the bottle into the water, it floated there as she rubbed her paws together to get the lather ready for him.

"Do you want me to use a brush or my claws?"

[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

"I've never really been one to use a brush, so I suppose claws work." Calder found himself a place to sit so he'd be closer to [member="Ailuros"] 's height, looking away from her. The waters already began to warm again, so the Beorni did as he had before, slowly cooling the water around him so he didn't melt outright.

"What is it you do for a living?" Small talk. While she washed his back. The Burr became rather aware of the situation and silently thanked his foresight in sitting back to her so she couldn't see his reddening cheeks. "I mean, if you do not mind telling me."

 

[Riamah]

"My fur is pretty short so I don't use a brush often myself."

She appreciated he sat down so she could reach his back easier, Ailuros started working the shampoo down into his fur, up against his skin and right along either side of his spine. As she did this, her claws and fingers would run through his fur to make sure as much got cleaned as she could get it.
​
The drop of temperature did not bother her at all and she kept cleaning him as he asked what did for a living.

"I travel around to learn about the governments of the galaxy and report back to my people when I can. What about you?"
​
[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

"Right, we already talked about this." Calder mumbled, idly scratching at his chin. They both were travelers, seeking sights and stories their people wouldn't know of otherwise. His mind wandered back to his home, the fridged little island it was. How much longer until his people were accepted by the Valkirai as a fellow sentient race?

[member="Ailuros"] hands felt nice.

The blush deeped on his cheeks as the thought suddenly crossed his mind. He coughed a bit, trying to clear the ides from his mind. "A.. anyway. Where were you planning to head next? We are to travel together so we might as well plot out the destination right?"

 

[Riamah]

Of course Ailuros being like she was did not think anything odd about washing the back of another person. Being naked did not bother her and she had no sense of what might be called modesty. If armor needed to worn, it was a simple light shirt. The only thing she needed was her belt most of the time.

"Why are you blushing again?"

A cough came from him, but settled down, but she wondered if he might get hairballs and just not know it.

"I have no idea where I'm going. I went from Trian, to the Silver's and then the Empire. I thought about the Confederacy, but I'm not sure how they would be. What about you?"

[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

"Wha, you can see that?" The great big polar bear was clearly flustered as he tried to hide his face further for a moment, his blush deepening and traveling to his ears. White fur couldn't hide that so easily. "It's uh, nothing. Your hands feel nice. That's all. Yup." He cleared his throat again, though not because of a hairball. The water continued to get colder around him, a side effect now of his embarrassment.

Taking the change of subject and running with it he spoke up. "I was planning to head home, see Nani again. She's my niece and does love stories. You're welcome to come with. Not many see our island so it would certainly be a story to tell your people."

 

[Riamah]

"Your fur is all wet, white and your skin is right there. Yes, I can see that. I'm glad you like the feel though, it would be sad if you didn't"

Ailuros was far too innocent to think he was telling her anything but the truth or trying to deceive her. So when he answered, she took his words at what he said and didn't think any deeper than that.

"That would be wonderful! This will make my brothers so jealous! Maybe after meeting you family, you can meet mine."

[member="Calder Icehammer"]

 

[Viviana]

"Yeah, that is true." He mumbled. [member="Ailuros"] didn't seem embarrassed what so ever, almost like she didn't even think of this as he did. Perhaps she was just of a purer mind then he. The Burr chuckled slightly, shaking his head. How shameful of him. "I don't see why not. Would certainly give me another tale to give home, and I am rather curious about your people. There aren't many I've seen with fur such as us."