Reviews :
Firesong-Writes : I AM SO GLAD that you not only picked up on that, but mentioned it. The whole Ralph-Vanellope thing, from the movie. I'm so thrilled you feel this way about these two. I think the reason might be because, Kepa, from here on out, is VERY liberal about showing physical, cat-like affection to Gideon. Although he's very sweet on her, verbally and in terms of getting her on her feet, she's super snuggly and really adheres well to physical touch. The slippery slope from platonic friends to secret lovers painfully fawning over each other is almost a ninety degree angle, for these two. The switch is literally within a single chapter or two, coming up. All to say, I think that's where I feel like I, and you and hopefully a lot of my readers, feel a heavier heart tug for these two. Circumstances become dire, so I hope I don't break your guy's hearts way too much. It's obviously a running theme, y'all know what you're getting into, at this point lmao.
Burgie : Haha yeeep, Gideon goes all out! Though it's more just platforms, not one spire up the middle like a normal little cat tree. I guess I more envision it like a tiger enclosure lol. just, super insanely tall
Song Listened To :
Mars (first half)
Jupiter (last half)
both songs by Sleeping At Last
*Chapter 81*
A gentle thud of her bigger knuckles, an easy toss of her hazel eyes across Pre-A's gorgeous, sunny quad all laden in crisp, morning air, Tessa patiently wait outside of Flint's office. Unsure if he was even in yet, she stood with her arms politely over her lap as she took a small step or two away from Flint's larger office door. Her heart thud in uncertainty; eager to just shove Gideon's request away and hopefully solve this issue within palace walls, she wondered if going against Gideon's word would somehow make him further frustrated. Wondering now just why she was doing Gideon's legwork, how he had somehow manipulated her to be doing this, whether a big chore or not, whether he subconsciously meant to, she still furrowed her brow in a pang of concern and wondered now just who was in charge in this mental tug of war. She felt her heart sink in dread, though before she could sag deeper into worry, Flint's door cracked open with a hesitant peek of his sly, golden fox eyes.
"Flint, hi, I hope I'm not bothering you," Tessa chirped kindly, she tucked her poofy, lovely, long auburn hair behind her ear and gave him a sweet smile, "My name's Tessa, I'm not sure if you remember me or not? We only briefly met, a few months ago, I'm Gideon Schweetz's eldest sister and a professor on Academy side."
"... Gideon, ah, yes," Flint gestured his two paws, opened his door a little wider, and somehow now crowned a very palpable, loving aura of whole invite, something that lured Tessa's curious soul deep into his presence. His sweet, welcoming smile broadened as he took a step back, gestured into his office and happily encouraged her to join him, "I've been wondering where he laid off to, he always told me he'd come visit... Alas, I'm sure palace life and Academy side has him busier than ever, huh."
"Yeah, well... Got some news, on that front," Tessa huffed, and though she stepped into Flint's sunny, inviting office, she suddenly felt a prickle of caution spill down her spine the second Flint sagged his heavy door closed behind her with a clack. He politely stepped back over to his office desk, his fluffy tail swayed in elegant easiness, a mass of orange that eventually was crowned with jet-black fur, all sweetly kissed with vivid gold hairs, here and there, a proper sign that said area of fur had the potential to start greying. Tessa stood proud in a stance of easy confidence, and although her gut began to tell her that this little bubble of welcome was now something to be cued and cautioned to, she wondered if maybe her argument with Gideon was throwing her off. Knowing Flint had heavy information, about her and her family, had her brain contorting in confusion. Nonetheless, she heaved an easy sigh and continued on, "Gideon decided he wasn't going to attend. I just spoke with him this morning, and, well-"
"He what?" Flint stabbed sorrowfully, he shook his head and looked about his desk in a soft swing of dread, as if somehow Gideon not attending was detriment to him. He nervously gestured to his chest and looked as if he was trying to collect himself in front of Tessa, though his ears sagged in confusion, "What happened? He was so excited to get to Academy side and finally be included with the lot'o'yah."
"...Yeah, he's... He's chosen to take up some time spent with my granddaughter and her swap mate," Tessa now moved forward with this conversation with now a very well-earned amount of sudden wariness, Flint rubbed his forehead and frowned.
"Well, dang, I guess if he finds that suits him better, y'know?" Flint sighed, he finally softened and showed a warm smile, once more, "He was such a good kid, I really hope he's been able to truly find good people to surround himself with."
"Good people? I mean, yeah, he has us, and he's made a good friend in his new journey," Tessa pressed, she felt the hair on the back of her neck begin to want to stand on end with the now haunting look of challenge in Flint's eyes. Tessa narrowed her gaze and side-eyed Flint in a full show of now hot suspicion, "I just came by to give you Gideon's phone number, per his request, but... Forgive me if I'm wrong, Flint, but I'm sensing a bit of contempt coming from you, towards me?"
"Well, I mean, with all due respect, Mrs. Kalivar, if the shoe fits," Flint suddenly rolled in a deep, husky little show of arms, he flattened his ears and was grateful said venomous words nearly stunned and paralyzed Tessa in her Queenly wake, the only thing she could afford was a small, loose little gape and a huff of a surprised scoff, "Forgive me. For four months, I had that boy in my office every other day, having to pick up the pieces and listen to his cries and pleas for friends and for a better support system at home."
"Flint, indulging in Gideon's information, like this, likely breaches your contract as a guidance counselor," Tessa firmly challenged, and knowing that Flint was aware she had a direct line to Mr. Favor, she was absolutely shocked to see Flint shake his head and lull his eyes closed in hot dismissal.
"Gideon is no longer a student here, for all you care, Gideon is now someone I just consider a friend, no longer a student within said privacy contract," Flint tightly rattled, as if he was potentially prepared for this, and with the check laid to Tessa's stance on the board, she crossed her arms and desperately hoped for the checkmate to play in her favor, "Look... I get that I only got a one-sided show of Gideon's little life, I only got his side of the story, but, from what I heard, and from what I witnessed from the way other students treated him here at Pre-A, yeah, I'd say the contempt for the royal family is something you have been successful in sniffing out."
"You don't know our home life, and you no longer know what Gideon and the rest of us have discussed and been through," Tessa tightly rattled, now feeling whole shock that this near-perfect stranger was somehow coming toe-to-toe with her on the subject of her baby brother. Although certain she had the upper hand, here, she almost began to sweat with the downswing of worry the second Flint laid his paws and clawed fingers to his loved desk, his slit, golden eyes glossed the room in a strange sweep of whole dominance.
"That boy wanted nothing but to join you guys on the other side, that boy wanted nothing but to be included and heard. To hear that he has dropped Academy entirely proves to me that he has understood his worth is not within those palace walls, and is in the process of removing himself," Flint wisely rattled, Tessa opened her mouth to argue, though Flint's sharp voice carried on, "Countless times he's sat here, wondering what the hell he has to do to get recognition from the people he loves. That boy holds a world of power, a world of artistic and coded mastery to his name, that kid is on a rocket to the moon and I can see the worry in your eyes... You're worried your little palace pals are all going to be left behind among the stardust."
"I came here to kindly give you Gideon's phone number and nothing more," Tessa hissed gently, she braved a step closer to Flint's desk and matched his energy, "I didn't come here to endure your poor attempt to read me and my palace heads to filth. Gideon is my baby brother, and I assure you, I've heard his cries and am in the process of righting wrongs. This is a family matter, and you have no right to break neutrality within your counseling instruction."
"You're either going to give me Gideon's phone number, or, you're going to withhold it, for what you think is his safety, and take this conversation straight to Mr. Favor," Flint shrugged, he looked as if he was prepared to take the hit, though Tessa could smell the bluff as his raspy voice continued on, "Either way, I'll make certain I get back in touch with Gideon. I was one of the only ones who truly believed in him, I was one of the only ones who was eager to hear about his dreams, to see his artwork, to encourage him to keep face. Every day was something different, how blind the lot of you fuckers are..."
"I'll do you one better," Tessa huffed softly with a smile as she gently reached to Flint's desk, grabbed a nearby notepad and a pen, and with an easy show of Queenly softness, the pen glide across the little piece of paper as she smoothly wrote down Gideon's phone number and handed it to Flint, "I'll make this process easy for you. Here's Gideon's phone number, and, here's my congratulations for your insanely accurate foresight. I'd pack up your office, Mr. Flint, because I certainly am taking this conversation to Mr. Favor. Even though Gideon is no longer under your guide, you still breached privacy clauses in your contract. No matter if the student has left Academy, or not, the things he has discussed with you aren't yours to flippantly throw around, whether to his big sister or a stranger."
"I don't care if I'm martyred. At least I got the Queen's attention before it's too late," Flint's voice darkly grumbled with the narrow of his eyes, and though Tessa felt the spill of venomous energy ooze from Flint's aura, she turned her nose to it and pressed to his sealed office door with purpose and grace.
"Good day, Flint," Tessa quipped, and as she left his office, she thud his door shut with a hefty seal and left Flint in the wake of his final day inside Arcadia Academy.
"Alright, awkward question," Gideon's deep voice started in a grumble, his bigger hands gripped the railing before the massive glass housing of the lighthouse's gorgeous, huge bulb, all securely incased in a thick lantern of bevelled glass. He cheekily looked out of the lighthouse's big, hazy windows and eased a handsome smirk of shyness that overcame him, "Nah, never mind, I... I don't want to weird you out."
"Don't do that to me, come on," Kepa argued.
Their voices tightly bounced about the little glass room they stood in, the tippy-top of the lighthouse, the sanctuary that would purposefully bring lost souls home, the only thing that could be heard was the dull sound of the waves far below them, as well as the very faint trickle of raindrops atop their sturdy, metal and glass housing that encompassed them. Kepa tapped her hefty claws to the glass of the lighthouse's powered down bulb and softened her facial features as Gideon shyly chuckled and pressed his forehead to the glass of one of the nearby panels. Although the glass was foggy, it was still clear enough to peer out of and see the extension of Juniper Forest. The game was gorgeous and laden in gloomy, cool fog and refreshing sprinkles of raindrops. Kepa crossed her arms and eyed Gideon as he bit his lower lip and glossed his golden eyes across the land, still heavily leaned into the glass, forehead first.
"Giddy," Kepa's tender voice ushered, causing him to stand to correction and whip his striking eyes tight to her in a slope of boyish, nervous alertness. She coughed a small giggle and gestured her hand, "C'mon, I wanna know. Please?"
"No, seriously," Gideon mumbled, he sheepishly shrugged and was now doing what he could to hide a smile.
"I'll tell you something awkward first, then," Kepa's voice gently delivered as her ears secured to her head, she looked down and began to slowly step out onto the grated flooring underneath them. A circular bend about the small room, only big enough for the both of them to stretch comfortably, Kepa began to circle the huge lightbulb in a slow trail, in which Gideon began to follow suit. Keeping the massive light bulb housing between them, Kepa continued on as they moseyed in unison, round in circles about the bulb. The only thing Gideon could see, ahead in his path on this one way little route was the end of Kepa's fluffy, adorable tail. She sweetly pressed on with a giggle that bounced about the glass and filled their space with warmth, "I guess it's not really as awkward as I'm making it out to be, but what I want placed down at the bottom of this spire is an herb garden. Maybe we can have big windows down there, too, so it's... Almost like a greenhouse?"
"Yeah, that's not awkward at all, and totally doable," Gideon mumbled in smiling annoyance, "Here, I thought you'd say something embarrassing about yourself."
"Not yet, but surely, it'll come, and I'll want to crawl into a hole and die," Kepa rattled loudly as she waggled her arm outward, Gideon choked a small laugh and continued to follow her tail, that still being the only thing he could see as they slowly walked in circles about the lighthouse's huge light bulb, the only thing between them, "It's hard constantly not being around your own kind. There's... So much I have to remind myself, things that I do that aren't normal to humans, or other gamers, y'know?"
"I know," Gideon stated through a low sigh, though not as if he could empathize. He lulled his eyes closed and felt said previous shyness return. He inhaled a tender breath and wondered if he should just be brave, "Can I be honest with you?"
"Does this have to do with the awkward question you were just about to ask me?" Kepa wondered dryly, she cutely stared deep into the light bulb as the two walked. Although Gideon's figure could be seen through the thick, warbled and bevelled glass, his facial expressions were unclear due to the distortion. And still, the two cutely continued to circle.
"Yes," Gideon's deep voice rasped in gentle defeat.
"Just come out with it, I think it's clear, by now, that neither of us are going to judge the other," Kepa whispered loudly, almost to show playful annoyance. She twitched her tail upwards in anticipation and sagged it back to the swaying, lithe rest it was in, "Y'gunna ask if I clean my butt like a normal house cat?"
"No," Gideon choked a hard laugh and was all grins, Kepa joined in said happiness, the lighthouse's dome began to fill with sun.
"What, you wanna know if we have one single baby or a litter of kittens?" Kepa rattled nonchalantly, to which Gideon remained silent for a moment.
"...Well, I wasn't previously, but NOW I'm curious," Gideon stated with cute certainty, Kepa rolled her eyes, grinned and looked out to the gorgeous, gloomy ocean below. Their slow-spinning scenery of ocean side to beachy forests beyond held the two suspended in midair, frozen in time.
"Just out with it, dude," Kepa hissed in deflating defeat, she smiled and looked up to the metal, domed housing overhead.
Gideon bit his lip in contemplation and continued to peer his aimless gaze down to Kepa's tail. It continued to ease away from his sight, to which he slowly pressed forward to keep eyes on it. They tailed each other in circular unison about the powered-off bulb and though they continued on, Gideon felt his heart thud in nervousness. Having gone home and done research about Kepa's kind, he had discovered small differences in her culture that were unlike the things normally seen about Arcade. On the fence of wanting to make her feel a sense of normality, and keeping it to himself for fear of insulting her and her people, he squeezed his eyes tight and wondered if he should just take the leap, no matter how potentially silly he felt he'd look. The two continued to walk in gentle silence, though Gideon finally heaved a soft sigh and ushered one last prayer of bravery out to the atmosphere. With care, and soft skill he had been practicing the night prior, he wrinkled his nose a little and pressed a certain, clearly-audible chuff of a noise out before him by blowing air out of his nose, a quick, repetitive pattern that almost resembled purring, though he knew he didn't have the capability.
Kepa's ears perked high atop her head, and with the familiar sound ushered out into the air, she sharply held her breath and could swear visions of her life came flashing before her eyes. She scuffed her powerful two paws to a startled halt, and though her heart jolt in a jump of forgotten memories, soft nights where the chuffing of a tender greeting was given to her by her beloved mother, firm nuzzling and gentle thuds of skulls, a mess of fur and ears tight into each other's embraces, the gentle laps of groomed shoulders and tender conversation tight in each other's ears, Kepa's chest heaved in a dip of nearly forgetting how to breath. Swiftly realizing she was only in this room with Gideon, a human gamer, she long blinked and gently whirled around to find Gideon had continued walking and was now stood directly behind her, due to her coming to a stop. As she stood on the flat of her feet, she peered hard up into Gideon's sheepish though cautiously sweet gaze and held her hand to her chest in a swing of soft disbelief. She opened her mouth to potentially ask if Gideon could maybe repeat what he had done, as if maybe he was just sniffling and didn't do what he had done on purpose, but sure enough, he shyly peered into her eyes, cutely tried not to puff his cheeks and chuffed her a few little puffs of said louder, airy greeting, through his nose and mouth, once more.
Due to being able to properly deploy this kind of a greeting, because of the anatomy of her face and the way her nose was structured, she softened the perk of her ears and ushered Gideon the same little noise, though it was much more certain and held a trail of an adorable trill of whispery, near-purring breaths. She grinned the second Gideon cautiously lowered his head, almost as if to bow to her, though Kepa was thrilled to fully follow through with said greeting that Gideon had clearly done research on. No holds barred, Kepa firmly stepped into Gideon's bubble and nearly shoved the whole side of her face into the top and side of his bowed head in a nuzzling display of pure sweetness. She chuffed a few more little breaths of air through her flat nose and grinned as she relished in the feel of Gideon's soft hair against her face, the closest thing she was going to get to feeling another one of her own kind against her own skin. Gideon grinned, blurt a chuckle, wobbled due to Kepa's sudden fervor and slowly returned to a normal stand. Eager to at least attempt to give Kepa a full embrace of her forgotten normality, Kepa took a gentle step away from Gideon, held her hands to her chest in girly elatedness and peered into Gideon's loving, giving eyes. She shook her head and tried to rein in emotion that hit her like a wall.
"Gideon, how... How did you know to do that?" Kepa whispered, Gideon raised his eyebrows, looked down to his twiddling fingers and eased a sneaky little grin.
"Well, I... Did some research on feline gargoyles and found that that was a greeting, of sorts," Gideon mumbled, he peered into Kepa's beautiful, glistening orange eyes and gently shrugged, "I was praying that wouldn't offend you, but... I also know chuffing, like that, is something tigers do. Figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try and see if it resonated with you."
"It did, thank you," Kepa eased in breathy, still-shocked wonder. She bashfully blinked her eyes a few times, looked off and shrugged in a show of now full shyness, as if the butterflies in her stomach were now due to crawling out of her in a fit of urgency, "For a human, you didn't do too bad."
"Yeah, I... Figured it wouldn't be perfect, but," Gideon shrugged and grinned, his half-moon eyes smiled alongside his fervor, something that now had Kepa's heart struck down in full, dreaded realization. She held her breath and felt as if her skin was coming unglued from her main frame, she stood still and felt the hot understanding continue to soak over her, paralyzing her as Gideon's aura seemingly beamed like neon lights into her retinas. He cutely shook his head and deflated a little, though his smile persisted, "I just... Have seen you do little cat-like things lately, and I can tell you're holding yourself back. I know we only really just met, but... I also know what it's like to not have a safe place to just be yourself. I hate that feeling, and I can tell you're suffering from it. So, please... Even if it's just in front of me, I want you to know that you're safe to be yourself. I don't care if it's strange to me, or different, or whatever."
"Thank you," Kepa cupped her hands to her chest and shyly looked down to their feet.
Though their anatomy was starkly different, she felt as if their souls spoke the same language. She felt a wiggle of sighing, gooey, romantic warmth coat her heart, and it was here did she peer up into Gideon's eyes and feel as if her last line of defense was struck down. Knowing this was all way too soon to be outwardly divulging in, she politely took Gideon up on his very kind offer and hoped, somehow, things would keep evolving to their liking. She wondered if he could feel the same itch as her, though she bit her lip and knew that eventually she'd find a proper time and place to let him know that she had been rapidly falling for him. Eager to really teach Gideon all about her people, and to learn more about his own curious human ways, she tidied her bangs a little and bashfully began to straighten her clothes, somehow as if her appearance was something she hoped he wasn't bothered by.
"Anything," Gideon huffed warmly.
"You almost had it right, by the way," Kepa's voice stated above a shy whisper, Gideon softened and peered to her in warm humility.
"Oh, I did it wrong?" Gideon worried, Kepa shrugged and shook her head.
"I mean, not necessarily, what you want to do is present your face, as weird as that may seem. Not the top of your head," Kepa cutely gestured to her cheeks, just underneath her jaw line and by the nook of her ears, "The point of the nuzzling greeting is, obviously to greet and embrace, but it also has to do with scent marking. You want to make sure your cheek rubs to theirs, and touch jaws. I guess anything past that is just either a polite departure of this greeting, or, territory for more affection. REALLY depends on the person you're doing it with."
"User, well, what if you accidentally kiss the person?" Gideon choked a chuckle and nonchalantly shrugged, "I didn't want to get all up in your face."
"Kissing is so direct, Gideon, I think you'd know," Kepa stated through a small laugh, "It's okay, that's a normal thing, it's just cheeks. The thing I do is, I look at the person's shoulder while I go in for a physical greeting. Can't confuse that for wanting a kiss, silly."
"Like this?" Gideon pressed, and though Kepa was serious in her statement of being entirely used to brushing faces with another cat of her own kind, her heart sank into an oblivion the second she could see Gideon lean down and ease his face closer to hers. Eager to remain cool, she flattened her ears, lulled her eyes closed and cutely nuzzled her soft nose and face into Gideon's cheek, all concluded with a slow nuzzle into each other's jaws. Kepa pulled away, flicked her ear with a cute, flap of a twitch, after said motion, and eagerly peered up into Gideon's warm look of realization, "Oh, I see. Almost like you're going in for a hug, but... Less arms and more face."
"More face," Kepa repeated with a giggle.
"So, what's the scent marking, then?" Gideon wondered; although he had a vague idea of what it was all about, he was eager to get information right from the source. He exposed his wrists a little and gestured down to Kepa's, "I know you have markers in your wrists, as well, right?"
"Yes! I also have them at the base of my tail, my forehead, and... I think somewhere in my feet. It's just a mark to signify you're a friend, someone I can have friendly interactions with. I'm getting my own being's scent on you, and... If you were a lion gargoyle, you'd be doing the same for me, but, unfortunately it'll be just me loading you with my own 'person-scent', if you will," Kepa gently explained, "Just a greeting. It can be friendly, formal, informal, romantic... Again, it all depends on who you're greeting."
"So, as a friend, you'd greet me like that, like what we just did?" Gideon gestured to his face, "Chuffing and all?"
"Yeah, that's the whole works, that's something you do with a very close friend or family member, or a romantic partner," Kepa instructed, "If you were greeting a boss or someone of authority, chuffing is enough... You don't want to be rubbing up on someone you don't totally know, but isn't a foe, y'know? It's all about respect. Elders of authority get chuffs. You and me? Nuzzling's appropriate, given both parties consent."
"I see, so it's similar to hugging, I guess," Gideon shrugged with a smile, Kepa nodded.
"Exactly. Can be prolonged for romance, can be shortened for simplicity and friendship," Kepa smiled, she crossed her arms and smiled up to Gideon, "Thank you, for that... That was really brave of you."
"I was practicing all night," Gideon mumbled shyly, Kepa grinned.
"You really didn't have to," Kepa shook her head, Gideon frowned and looked down.
"Yes I did... I know what it's like to feel alien in your surroundings. I don't want anyone else to feel the way I've felt," Gideon stated lowly, Kepa sagged.
"I hope you don't feel that way with me," Kepa worried, she gestured to Gideon in softness and peered up into his hurt eyes, "What can I do for you? I... I know quite a lot about humans, but, I also know that a lot of my culture has adopted a lot of what humans already do."
"I'm... Desperate to share my art with someone," Gideon stated quietly, as if he likely didn't want to be revealing this, "I'm desperate to really show what I can do."
"Your paintings?" Kepa inquired with zest, though Gideon bobbed a nod and shrugged.
"It... Goes so much further beyond painting," Gideon mumbled, he looked down to his fingers and frowned, "I... I guess we're both kind of reserving gamer powers, from one another."
Kepa perked her ears in curiosity, the tip of her tail eased in a small wag to further prove said curiosity, "You have... More gamer powers than just manifestation?"
"Yeah, I do," Gideon whispered, he carried on in mumbling nervousness, "I just... I'm scared to let people in. The last friend I had sort of burned me."
"Oh, I understand," Kepa muttered as she looked off in a nod of agreeing, though she brought her kind gaze back to Gideon's, "Well... You've created a safe space for me. It's only right I create a safe space for you. Whatever you share with me, I'll return the favor."
"Thank you, I... I just don't know when I'll be ready," Gideon said with a frown, Kepa held her breath, "I trust you... Which scares me. I don't have trust for nearly anyone. I'm suspicious of everyone... I've been holding you at arm's length."
"It's okay, Gideon, I don't blame you," Kepa assured, though Gideon long-blinked and was feeling the grip loosen, as if he was sure Kepa was going to dive all over him and beg for him to open up, thus causing him to recluse more. Thrilled that she was so well-versed in social cues, gut instincts and flawless intuition, he wondered if this one, rare, fragile little being before him was the key to all of his worries, the little bucket ready to hold his grief and help him sort through it. Not sure when he'd be brave enough to fully let her in, he bobbed a nod and was well aware the slippery slope to said invitation was now well underway. Kepa sighed and continued on, "I think the trajectory we have is good. You're aware I'm not going to turn on you, and, I'm aware that you're not going to abandon me."
"Abandon you?" Gideon huffed nervously, a thought that had never crossed his mind, he shook his head and eased a small little smile, "No, never. I love coming here."
"I love when you come here, too," Kepa chirped with a nod, " I appreciate you reading up about my people... If there were to be one person I'd bring back, it'd be my mother."
"I'm really sorry," Gideon pressed gently, "I'm sure she was a wonderful woman."
"Ohh, she was," Kepa whispered as she looked down at her paws, though Gideon firmly swung away from the topic due to the pin-prickled silence in Kepa's voice, he was entirely sure that she likely was due to getting emotional on such a charged topic.
"NOW what I want to know is the notion that you brought up, which raised even more questions in my mind," Gideon urged, Kepa's glassy eyes peered up into his with purpose, "Do your people REALLY have full-on litters of kittens?"
"Oh, that," Kepa cutely guffawed, "I mean, we call them kittens because they genuinely LOOK like kittens and cry like kittens, but the most any woman would have would be three at once, tops. It's not abnormal for someone to have just one loading bar, just one baby."
"Everything about all this has me so interested," Gideon smiled, "I'd seriously pay you for a crash course on your people. It's so fascinating to me."
"You don't need to pay me, just hang out with me enough and stuff will continue to come about," Kepa rolled her eyes and giggled, "Like just now, y'know? Thank you for letting me, well... Be. I needed all of this. And I only hope I can return the favor for you. If there's anything you need of me, please tell me."
"There is ONE thing I need of you," Gideon stated with certainty, to which Kepa perked up in readiness, "Your number."
"...I don't have a phone," Kepa cried with a giggle, Gideon grinned and nodded.
"Let's go get you one, now. We gotta go meet up with Mara anyhow. I was serious about bugging you at ungodly hours of the night, you know how many questions I had last night and couldn't ask you?" Gideon pressed firmly, Kepa grinned and began to circle back to the lighthouse dome's little stairwell exit, down into her platformed inner tower.
"Fine, fine," Kepa droned, "You know the only reason you can get away with this is because I'm not comfortable enough sleeping yet, right?"
"I know, I have to get all of this out before I never see you again," Gideon begged, the two shared in laughter.
"Alright, lead the way, oh wise manifest-er," Kepa drawled with a high flick of her heavy tail as the two vanished back into the tower's sanctity.
