In the still of the night (shoo doop, shooby do)

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

The cheeseburger was a work of beauty. The bun was toasted to a golden brown on the inside, but still light, fluffy, and warm on the top. Ketchup and mustard were drizzled over the bread. Thick slices of tomato, crisp onion rings, and fresh, still slightly damp leaves of lettuce provided crunch. Two slices of cheese melted over a grilled beef patty. A basket of french fries served as a compliment to the perfect sandwich.

The smell of the beef was making Grant's mouth water, and Dog was showing more interest in the food than was healthy for the burger. He swatted her away from the plate, and he hoped that Laura showed up at his room soon, or her was going ot eat the damn thing himself.

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[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

Laura shifted her overnight bag more comfortably on her shoulder, freed a hand from under the treecat she held in her arms, and knocked on the door. "Alan?"

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

He opened the door for her. "Hey, come on in." Dog made a kitty dash from the unattended plate to the open door, but Grant slid his foot across the opening just in time to catch her. "Not so fast," he said, picking up the squirming kitten.

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

Laura slipped quickly in the door and kissed Grant's cheek, and Galahad arched his nose forward to greet Dog. Hello again, kitten, he sent.

"Something smells good. That for me?"

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, it's yours. Eat it, please, before the cats do." Grant shut the door behind him. He set Dog down on the floor, and she began to tear around the room, suddenly freeze, then leap up onto the back of the sofa. "I think she's happy to see you," Grant said. "Or it's just another one of her moods."

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

"She's a kitten. It's what she does. Short attention span city," Laura replied. She set her bag and treecat down, and Galahad leapt onto the sofa to play with Dog.

"You're not eating?" she asked, taking a seat and breaking off a small section of burger to sneak to the cats later.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

Grant smiled. "Clearly, you've never heard my thoughts on children. All joking aside, is taking care of him like taking care of a child, or is he more independent than that? You mentioned that he has to stay near to you for your bond to grow."

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

"Oh, he's very much an adult, and he'd function perfectly well without me, only neither of us would be very comfortable. It's not so much that I need to take care of him because of the bond, as that right now we're both pretty dependent on it emotionally." She looked over at the two cats, who were watching the humans talk.

"The bond is - one of those things that's hard to explain, because there's no real good comparison for it in normal experience, you know? We're both getting used to it, both what it's like at full immersion and learning to let it kind of fade into the background while we do day-to-day stuff."

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

He winced and slumped in his chair as the first wave of nausea passed. Grant rubbed his brow with his hand, then sat back up. His mood had clearly taken a dive. "It's great that you have such a good emotional bond going for you. How are your classes going?"

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

"I'm thankful for all my emotional bonds these days," she replied with a smile.

"Well, you'd know as well as I do - my last class was COMC. It's hit or miss trying to put together a study schedule around here. Harry Dresden did teach me the reinforcing spell for clothes, though. I think he might turn into a friend, though it's early yet."

She looked at the clock. "It's starting?"

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

"I can imagine. It takes a lot of time to prepare a class, and there's been a fair amount of rotation on the faculty roster."

He nodded at her question. The conversation was good distraction. "I'm glad you two got along. He seems like a nice enough bloke."

Dog was beginning to get bored. The two humans were no longer looking at her, and Galahad's attention was split between her and the slaves people. Taking matters into her own paws, she jumped off the sofa, grabbed a catnip toy in her jaws, then went back to the 'cat's side. She batted the toy closer to Galahad, as if to say, "Look at what I've got!"

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

Dog was not pleased to find herself on the floor with the large, scary monster that had appeared out of nowhere, made loud noises, and smelled funny. She started spitting as soon as she hit the ground, then took off for the living room, hoping to find safety under the couch.

Grant watched the bristling ball of terrified feline dive for the couch. He heard a voice, and pricked up his ears in confusion. "Heard" wasn't the right word, but something was speaking to him. He twisted around, still on his back but with one paw up in the air for balance, when he locked eyes with Galahad. The treecat was talking to him. What? was the most intelligent reply he could come up with.

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

Are you well? he sent again, and nodded when the wolf's eyes met his. Just think your answer, and I will hear.

Duty done with the house-elf, Laura knelt and stroked the wolf's fur. "Wish you'd told me it hurt this much," she muttered.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

He was still staring at the 'cat, trying to figure out if this was some sort of hallucination caused by a bad potion or spoilt food. Laura had told him about the joys of communicating with Nimitz, but he found the idea of a treecat telepathically talking to him unsettling.

Is this some kind of-- was as far as he had gotten when Laura touched him. Grant was so focused on Galahad that he'd hadn't noticed her bend down beside him. He whipped around to all fours and growled, hackles raised and ears back, before he realized what he was doing and who was next to him.

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

Laura drew back and gasped sharply. The treecat broke eye contact to rub up against her knees and coo sympathetically.

My human fears she's harmed you, Shape Changer, Galahad sent with a low-pitched chirp. You should let her know she has not, and that you are sorry you frightened her.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

Torn between comforting Laura and rebuffing Galahad's scolding, Grant hesitated for a moment before getting to his feet. I'll get to you in a minute, he thought to Galahad, with a slight curl in his lip. At his full standing height he was just about as tall as Laura was on her knees. He dropped his head down to look up at her, with his ears folded against his head and his tail between his legs. He wasn't even consciously aware that he had adopted a submissive body posture.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

She's a cat. As much as I like her, I wouldn't call her an animal with intelligence. Dog seemed to prove his point by taking a flying leap from the bookshelf to the floor, then running around the room like her tail was on fire. What, knowing what somebody else is thinking? I think we're better of for not having it.

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

Galahad laughed again. Compared to an armorfish she is brilliant, he replied. Also entertaining, which goes a very long way.

At times perhaps. We all learn to respect the edges of each of the People's own ranges. But then, we also know when one of our own needs help healing, and have the means to give it. No treecat would have been allowed to suffer unaided as much or as long as that one - he glanced at Laura, - what was done to her could never have been kept hidden in a clan of telepaths as it was in her home. Something to think on, Alan Grant?

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

Entertaining, I'll give you.

Even if she was actively trying to hide it?

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

She is a dear thing. You are lucky to have each other.

The treecat's brow furrowed. Even so, there would be signs for those who cared to look. We do not like to tell our ways to outsiders, but...there are times when a clan gathers and becomes one in mind-song. I do not think a hurt so big could be kept hidden from us all at such times.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

She was supposed to be for Laura.

Does your clan have experience with things like this? He snorted. It sounds like you guys have a great life back on Sphinx. All one big, happy, interconnected family.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

Grant jumped up on the bed next to her. Your 'cat has been talking to me, he thought at her, knowing that she wouldn't be able to tell. When is he going to start pestering you?

He thought about saying something involving Dr. Freud, but let the comment slide. Dog took the opportunity to lick Galahad's bowl, eating up any chicken or juice that the bigger cat may have left behind.

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

Laura smiled and idly scratched behind his ears. "You seem to be in a much better mood. Dinner must've agreed with you. And Dog's come out to play, that's a good thing, right?"

Galahad stole a tiny bite of chicken from Dog's bowl in retaliation, and he laughed at the kitten's yowl of protest before moving over to the water bowl.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

He sighed. Grant still felt bad about snapping at Laura, and talking to Galahad hadn't done anything to improve his disposition. Instead of trying to mime a reply, he laid his head down on her lap and focused on the feeling of her hand behind his ears.

Dog wasn't going to let the theft of her food slide. She crept up to the other side of the water bowl. To her, it was the perfect camouflage, but the top of her ears and her lashing tail gave her away.

[wh0-kill3d-m3.livejournal.com]

Laura smiled, dividing her attention between the wolf beside her and the two cats. "Well, look at it this way: I don't think you need to worry about being bored on full moon nights anymore..."

Galahad watched the kitten out of the corner of his eyes as he drank, a smile curling the corner of his mouth. He waited for Dog to make her move.

[dinosaurman.livejournal.com]

Ain't that a fact, he thought before closing his eyes.

The kitten twitched her tail a few more times, then stiffened. With a feline mew of attack she sprang up and batted the water in the bowl, spraying liquid all over the herself, Galahad, and the floor.