Author's notes: I'm on a role! Here's chapter 9 already! Tugger does play an important role in future chapters but for now he's just to fill the gap. I kind of felt he'd been left out of the lime-light for too long so for all you Tugger fans, he's makign a breif entrance just for you.
A pair of huge dark eyes filled Etcetera's line of sight. "Etcetera I've found you!"
The now almost white queen sighed and crawled out of the space she'd been hiding in. Ebony jumped up and down, clamping her paws together and laughing kittishly.
"Ok, it's your turn to hide." Etcetera watched the little kitten rush way from her and dive into an old cupboard before she could close her eyes and start counting. Sighing and rolling her eyes to the sky, Etcetera pretended she hadn't seen the kitten hide and sat down on an old paint tin to start counting.
"Hey there babes, I don't think we've met before."
Etcetera turned to see a stunning main coon standing near her, leaning causally against a rusty oven.
"Let me introduce myself." The main coon grinned suggestively, walking towards her in a provocative manner. "The name's Tugger, the Rum Tum Tugger."
Etcetera blinked. Why didn't he recognise her? Surely she hadn't changed that much. "Tugger hmmm, interesting name. And to what do I owe the honour to be talking to the resident flirt?"
Tugger laughed and stepped closer. "She talks and has a sense of humour."
"What else would you expect from me?" Etcetera said praising herself internally from being able to talk calmly to the tom without screaming and flinging herself at his paws… or scraping his eyes out. She still hadn't forgotten what he'd done to her but at the moment she was willing to forgive him… if he played nice.
Tugger shrugged. "Most beautiful queens, like you, usually start screaming and I can never get a word through them."
"Well I'm not like most queens am I?"
"I guess not. Are you here to become a Jellicle or did you have something else in mind?"
Etcetera raised an eyebrow as Tugger's eyes flicked over her body suggestively. "I came here to become a Jellicle, now I can see what the benefits will be."
Tugger grinned and stepped closer, now right next to Etcetera. "There are a lot of benefits. Just say the word and it's yours."
"I'll bear that in mind. Now if you'll excuse me I've a kitten to find." Etcetera rose to her paws as gracefully as she could and glided away from a practically drooling Tugger.