Chapter Six- Cat Behavior
Tebo's personal jeweler looked over the stone with a jeweler's eyepiece and gently feeling it for any imperfections. Tebo sat in a chair opposite him, fingers pressed together once again.
The jeweler took his eyepiece off, put it away, put the stone in a cloth, and began to polish it. "Sir, I have never seen a red Hiruseki stone before today as they are rare, almost considered a myth. Obviously, they exist as we have one right here. Now, we know that a normal one is worth a good deal. A red one, in my professional opinion, could easily be worth a thousand or two thousand more."
Tebo's eyes widened. "That much?" he gasped.
"Yes, sir. If you wish, I will do my best to ensure that those sold look their best to sell for top dollar."
"Done and you'll start with that one."
"I am honored, sir. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, I am going to see how much of a cat Hiei is." He bared a grin of amusement as he went to Clarence to have him shop in Human World for cat supplies while he sat in his bedchambers and wrote a list of possible things to test on Hiei.
Hiei had been dozing in a sitting position when she heard the door opening. She opened her eyes to see Tebo and Clarence enter, each carrying a bag. She could hear bells jingling from one bag. Clarence closed and locked the door as Tebo set the bags on his desk before facing Hiei, arms folded.
"I put your stone on the market and it sold extremely well; better than I expected. You are very valuable to me now and will stay with me.
"I now want to see how much of a cat you are. I know you're capable of cat sounds like hissing, growling, and snarling. But, are there other sounds? Purring, perhaps?"
Hiei said nothing, merely glared at him.
"Very well," Tebo said. "I'm sure I will learn the answer to that in due time." He turned to a bag, dug through it, and turned back around with something in a fist. Hiei rose and scowled at her captor. Then, something caught her eye and she looked down.
A red dot was on the floor and moving about in a random fashion; up the carpet, down the carpet, moving fast and then slow before going at normal speed. The random movement of the dot entranced her as she followed it with her eyes before she crouched down and stalked the dot that was holding still now. Her tail swished back and forth. The dot began to move away and Hiei went after it. She put her hands out to trap the dot and Tebo released the button of the laser pointed so that it looked as if she had caught it. Hiei growled in satisfaction as she lifted a hand to look closer at her catch. Tebo pressed the button and moved the dot quickly away from Hiei. She raced after it and 'trapped' it again. She then came back to her senses and stood up before turning her back on the laser. "That was not funny," she snapped.
"It was interesting to you, though. So, a laser pointer will be one of your toys."
Hiei whirled around to face him. "Go ahead, but I won't fall for that anymore or for any other toy you try to use."
"Oh, I think I have a way to make you play," Tebo countered. He pulled out a zippered bag, opened it, and passed it under Hiei's nose.
A scent went up her nose, making it tickle. Tebo passed it under her nose again and she inhaled deeply as it went by. "What…is that? It smells…good," she said.
"A plant that cats like to eat called catnip."
"So, it's a type of food?"
"More of a treat. Would you like to try some?"
"Yes, I would." Hiei suspected a trap but was curious to find out how catnip tasted.
Tebo poured a little into one of Hiei's hands. "Only a little bit as too much is not good for felines, even a part cat like you."
"A little is fine as I just want a taste." She sniffed the catnip and some went up her nose before she licked a little up to taste it. She licked her lips as she processed the taste before she ate the rest.
A mix of euphoria and a feeling of relaxation rushed through her and a goofy grin came to her face. She crouched down and began to rube her face on the desk and a loud purr was heard. She felt relaxed and happy. She loved how she felt and was grateful that Tebo offered the catnip to her.
"Hiei," Tebo said in a singsong tone and she turned to see a feather waving back and forth. Her tail whipped crazily behind her as she batted at the feather. She growled playfully as she swatted at the feather and Tebo saw claws pop out of her fingertips. Retractable claws, he thought. Interesting and appropriate. Hiei batted the feather out of Tebo's hand and then attacked it, batting the feather so that it floated through the air. Her hands moved quickly to send the feather flying and her claws then shredded the feather when it landed.
Tebo laughed at Hiei's antics as he tossed some bell balls. She is amusing under the influence of catnip. Some cats aren't affected by catnip, but Hiei clearly is.
Twenty minutes later, Hiei lay on the floor panting hard from her activities. She still had a smile on her face and soft purrs were heard. Tebo went to one knee beside her and, as he scratched behind an ear, he asked, "Hiei, would you shed a tear for me? A thanks for the treat I gave you?"
"Yes," she whispered, a purr in her voice. Her eyes grew bright and soon a tear fell and changed. Tebo smiled as he collected it. He then rubbed Hiei's ear and said, "Thank you, my dear. Now, why don't you get some sleep? I'll have some food and drink ready when you awaken."
Hiei sighed as she passed out from her catnip high as the two demons left. Tebo smirked as he admired the stone and elected to keep it for himself. "Well, that was very entertaining."
"She was quite relaxed," said Clarence. "The catnip made her act more like a cat." He snorted a laugh. "She was funny."
"Yes. Did you notice that she has retractable claws? It really makes her look like a cat."
"I did notice. I also noticed that she willingly shed a tear for you when you asked."
"She did. She is an easygoing person when on catnip. Of course, we won't give it to her all the time or even a lot of it. After all, she is part cat and too much catnip is not good for cats."
"That is what the store employee said when I asked about it," Clarence said.
"Sleeping it off will return her to her suborn self but hopefully not before her food."
"What will you give her, Master?"
"Tuna fish and milk." Tebo smirked and Clarence laughed. "I won't put both in bowls and I will provide utensils for the tuna. I hope some nip is still in her system after her nap so she exhibits more cat behavior while she eats."
Tebo entered the kitchen alone to seek out the tuna and then the utensils, bowl, cup, and milk. She smiled as he gathered everything. He had made the right choice in kidnapping Hiei. She will stay with me as she belongs to me now.