Chapter 23

Takin' it Easy

Kit woke to the sound of birds chirping outside the hotel window, to the sound of Saturday morning cartoons, to the smell of coffee brewing on the room's stove…

The sudden sight and smell of a hotel pillow being stuffed violently into his face.

Nita's slim figure shook with laughter as she watched Kit trying to pull the pillowcase off his head.

"Nita Callahan! Ooooh, you're gonna get it… when I get my hands on you, I'm gonna…"

Nita gave him a gentle shove, sending him sprawling onto the bed.

"Oh, shut up," she grinned. "You look like a mentally incapacitated fool."

Kit suddenly gave a sharp gasp, cut it off, and fell prone to the floor. Nita laughed.

"Oh, c'mon, Kit. You can't fool me that easily."

Kit didn't move.

"Kit?"

Nita, worried, dropped to her knees and pulled the pillow off Kit's head. She groaned as Kit's head lolled limply to one side.

"Oh, God, no… Kit? You okay? Kit? C'mon, Kit..."

She shook him gently, then picked him up slowly.

"Kit?"

Instantly, both his eyes snapped open, and he threw his weight against Nita. With a surprised start and a stifled shriek, they toppled over backward. Nita found her arms frozen at her sides as Kit pinned her, tousling her hair. She squirmed under him, laughing and shrieking.

"Kiiit!!! C'mon, stoppit!"

Kit stopped. She groaned.

"Fine. Now will you please get off my stomach?"

He considered that, then sighed and moved as if to get off. Suddenly, a mischievous glint shone in his eyes, and he leaned down close.

"No."

"Aaaaggghhhh, Kit!"

Kit made no response other than to squeeze her shoulder gently. Nita instantly burst out laughing.

"KIT!!! Stopppp!"

Kit grinned.

"It tickles, huh, Nita?"

"KIT! GET OFF!"

"Do I hear a please?"

Nita, exasperated, looked at him, and her face suddenly softened.

Kit squeezed his eyes shut.

"Noooo… not the puppy dog look…"

"Pweez?"

Kit, even though he knew he was being manipulated, got off her chest. Nita got up slowly, dusted off her shirt, then smacked him upside the head.

"That was for tickling me."

Kit shook his head to clear the stars dancing before his eyes.

Smack.

"And that was for not kissing me."

Kit shook his head again.

"What? You want me to kiss you?"

Nita stood with her hands on her slim hips, looking fiercely up into her best friend's brown eyes.

"Apologize."

Kit sighed, gave her a small smile, and bent down. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and tried to draw away, but she was already deepening the kiss. He sighed, and put up with it for a while.

After about a minute of the kiss, he drew away. Nita remained, with a dreamy look in her eyes as she gently hugged her friend.

"So. You think that book helped?"

Kit looked lovingly down at her, love swelling in his chest.

"Nita?"

"Hmm?"

"I couldn't care less. I'm just happy to be with you."

Nita tucked her head under Kit's chin, sighing contentedly and nudging him affectionately.

"You don't mean that, of course."

Kit kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, I did."

Nita looked up at Kit with adoration dancing in her light gray eyes.

"Aww, Kit… that was sweet of you…"

She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

He relented for a few moments, then leaned away, giving Nita a gentle nudge. She broke the kiss, then slipped quickly out of Kit's arms and walked over to the windows. She pulled up the lock and slid the window open, scaring off a few sparrows as she did so.

She sighed, then smiled at nothing in particular.

"Wonder what it's like at home right now," she murmured to herself.

Kit joined her at the window, slipping an arm around her waist.

"Mike's probably shouting at some poor kid again," he grinned, referring to the grouchy old hot dog cart man that was known for his fierce exterior and his heart of marshmallow, a fellow wizard, and a superb hot dog man.

Nita grinned.

"Dad's probably watching football and thanking the fates that we're gone."

"Yeah…"

They were quiet for a while, gazing out the window at the tranquil woodland setting sprawling out below the windowsill, then Nita sighed.

"And another year bites the dust…"

Kit stared at her.

In his most intelligent voice, he replied with a very impressive

"Huh?"

Nita gave him a sidelong glance.

"Tomorrow."

Still blank.

Then:

"Oooooooohhhh."

Nita sighed.

"Yeah."

"Okay…"

"Well?"

"What?"

Following this extremely complex conversation, Nita sighed and shook her head.

"Never mind."

"Okay…"

Nita rolled her eyes, then changed the subject.

"So… when do you want to get out of Vermont?"

"Uhhh… I dunno. Whattabout you?"

"Depends."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence fell between them, then Nita sighed.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. 'Kay?"

Kit sighed.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go take a walk."

"Okay. When'll you be back?"

"Maybe a half hour."

"Okay. See you then…"

"Okay… Se ya."

Nita flashed a grin at him, then whirled into the bathroom and slammed and locked the door behind her. Kit sighed, tossed a transport circle to the ground, and stepped on it was a muttered syllable. He was gone with a small bang.

The wind tousled Kit's dark hair as he walked down the sidewalk past a large shopping center, head down, hands in his pockets as he racked his brain.

What the heck am I gonna get Neets for her bday?

He happened to glance to his left, across the street from the shopping center, and saw an animal shelter standing at the end of a short dirt road. He glanced left and right, then jaywalked across the street, earning a friendly reprimander from a passing cop, then walked into the shelter.

Immediately, he knew Nita would fall in love with the animals the place housed. He sighed and glanced around. Kittens and puppies alike looked through the bars of their cages at him, each begging him to take it home with him. Kit walked down the aisle, then stopped dead in front of a cage. A tiny, black-and-white kitten stared out at him, hardly more than two days old. It mewed and looked at him with hopeful eyes. Kit smiled, then waved the attendant over.

"I'll take this one."

The attendant smiled, then nodded.

"Good. You know, he was born less then four hours ago, with two brothers and four sisters. We wondered what was going to happen to them."

She looked at him, then at the cat.

"Let me guess. A present for your girl?"

Kit blushed, then nodded.

"How'd you guess?"

The assistant grinned.

"You looked like that kind of guy. What's her name?"

Kit looked at her curiously.

"Nita. Why do you ask?"

The assistant's brow furrowed.

"Nita? She wouldn't happen to be a Callahan, would she?"

"Yeah."

"You're kidding. Ole Nita Callahan? I went to elementary school with her! My name's Anne. Ann Kenward."

"Really."

"Yup. How's she doing?"

"She's okay."

Anne checked her watch.

"Tell you what. I'm getting off my shift in about an hour. Tell Neets to meet me out at Reeds Park. You and the cat can come along, too."

Kit bobbed his head.

"I will. Thanks, Anne."

"No prob. See you in bout an hour."

Kit nodded, then went out the door.

After a short talk with the hotel manager about pets in the room, Kit promised to remove any traces that a cat had ever been in the room by the time they left that day.

The manager had to agree. There weren't too many people who would offer to remove pet odors from a room. He watched Kit walking down the hall, thinking to himself, You'd need to be a wizard to do that…

Nita flicked her wet hair over one shoulder in a bored manner, then glanced up, relieved as the room's door cracked open and Kit poked his head in. She smiled charmingly at him, and he raised an eyebrow in return.

"Hey, Neets."

Nita blinked as Kit hovered in the doorway, as if undecided on whether to come in or not. She beckoned him in.

Thinking fast, Kit unzipped a small claudication, placed the kitten gently into it, rezipped it, and entered the room.

"So… what's up?"

Nita gazed at him curiously.

"Nothing much. You?"

"Same."

Nita grinned suddenly, the mischievous, loving smile that Kit knew and loved.

"So, whatcha got in the claudication?" she laughed.

Kit, embarrassed, pulled the 'zipper' on the otherspace pocket. The kitten promptly poked its head out with a small "Mew".

As Kit had predicted, Nita fell in love.

"Awww…" she breathed, lifting the tiny fluffball out of the pocket and placing it on the bed, where it immediately rubbed up against her, purring.

"Dai st'iho," Nita said.

The kitten promptly fell over in surprise.

"A wizard!" it squeaked, sounding much like a squirrel that has taken in too much helium.

Nita giggled, her cheeks a light pink, then grabbed Kit and kissed him full on the lips.

"Oh, Kit… you didn't have to…"

Kit rolled his eyes behind Nita's back, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"…that was really nice of you."

She kissed him again, then looked back at the kitten.

"So," Nita began. "What's your name, squirt?"

The kitten sat up indignantly and began washing itself with one paw.

"My name," it grumbled between licks, "is Cassandra de Sistonce de Bartonme de Horacio. Or you can just call me Cass."

Nita sighed.

"I suppose you're a bard then, too?"

Cass looked up at Nita with barely disguised disgust.

"I am not a bard. That's the one thing I don't want to be. I am a poet."

Nita smiled thinly.

"Okay. Well, Cass the Fluffy, go pack your bags. We're going somewhere."

The kitten sneezed, then sighed.

"All right. If we must."

Nita nodded, lifted the cat up, and placed it on a desk. Cass yawned, curled up, and promptly went to sleep.

Nita banged her head down on the bed and began plucking her hair out, one strand at a time.

"Five seconds, and I'm already stressed out by a cat," she groaned.

Kit patted her on the back, sending her a mental, "I'm sorry…"

Nita smiled and sent back S'all right. Nothing much in the way of physical harm… just mental.

Kit laughed, hugged her, then went to go pack his bags.

Where are Nita and Kit and Fred and Cass bound NOW? Will Fred be jealous when he finds a new cat? What will happen to Nita's sanity? What will happen to the author if he doesn't take his friend's name out of this story? I dunno. What will happen to B. Hunt if he doesn't stop posing as nokiarules1187? He is gonna get hurled out of Science class's window. THIS MEANS YOU HE WHO USES THE PENNAME OF DRAGONWIZARD AND IS TOO LAZY TO POST ANYTHING ON FANFICTION.NET.

A/N: Okay you guys. I have a few questions for you.

Where have all the reviewers gone?

My main problem: No one's reviewing this story anymore. I'm asking for anywhere from 10-20 reviews by March 31st, 2004, or I will refrain from posting. And I've got a few killer chappies next, including a couple things to round off shorter fics. I finally got my talent back into the rhythm. YAY!!!! So. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!

I'd like to thank my last reviewer, lily, for taking her time to review my work. And my most frequent, and the one who makes me laugh at her constant reviews, leipa. Or whatever you call yourself now. (lol)

Happy St. Patties Day.

And…

Check my homepage: or vyper676 is up & running. Racethetruck isn't.

Okay, I'm shutting up now.