bprd_agent_red | (no subject)

"Catnip is a drug," X says.

It mostly comes off as prim.

If anyone can believe X sounding prim.

"For cats."

She scritches a few more of the cats.

Then --

"That is why."

That is why Steve is an addict, at least.

Oh, the humanity.

That sound in the background is Liz strangling laughter.

Red hears the snickering from the peanut gallery, and gives a Look at Liz.

"Yeah, well, Liz gave it to him to start, and if you think he's nuts now it's a whole lot worse when he's hopped up."

X does not look sulky, not quite.

She does, however, raise her head enough to bestow a very dubious look on both Red and Liz.

Because really, now.

"I do not want to see. Now."

Beat.

"Thank you."

She lifts Steve McQueen up, shifting him to a better position.

He bears it with what looks like indulgent patience. X is so picky.

Edited 2010-03-03 05:00 (UTC)

"--I did not give it to him!" Liz protests indignantly. "It was what's his name with the ponytail, Stanton."

(She was laughing at Laura's reaction, not at the memory of Steve stumbling around like a stoned furry moron.

Though, granted, the latter was a little funny.)

Edited 2010-03-03 05:08 (UTC)

"Sure."

Red makes a show of rolling his eyes.

"The point is, I didn't do it," he tells Laura, placing a hand on his chest, then making a quick head tilting gesture towards Liz.

X looks to Liz at that, eyes narrowing faintly.

Consideringly.

"Stanton is still here?"

She is just wondering if she will need to be wary of him.

Honest.

Liz shoots Red a you think you're so funny and subtle but you're not look (pulling a mock outraged face), then glances back at Laura.

"Nah," she says. "He didn't cut it; freaked out the first time he saw a harpy. I think he went running back to whatever macho service branch he came from." She rolls her eyes.

"Oh."

X's attention returns to the cats.

"Good."

Now that Steve is resettled, she picks up the tortoiseshell.

They both seem very comfortable with the arrangement.

"She has a name?"

This question goes to Red. Obviously.

"That one totally had nothing to do with me," Red says, and a 'for once' could probably be added to the end.

Looking at the cat, he smiles and nods.

"Yeah, Farrah. You can probably already tell she likes lots of attention."

"She's a sweetheart," Liz says with a faint smile.

"I like her," X says, after a thoughtful few moments of silence.

Then she looks anxious.

Or at least as anxious as X is capable of looking.

"If that is okay?"

Red looks at the cat, glances at Liz, then looks at Laura.

This is hard, because he really does care about the cats, but it's Liz's idea, and he's convinced Laura will take good care of Farrah.

Pulling in a slow breath, he reaches out his flesh hand to stroke the tortoiseshell cat.

"Yeah, it's okay."

He ruffles the cat's fur, and smiles.

X's shoulders relax fractionally.

And then, greatly daring --

She smiles back.

(It is not a very big smile, but she tries.)

"Thank you."

They make a pretty adorable picture right now.

Not that Liz would say so to either of them.

(If only her camera wasn't across the room.)

Steve, meanwhile, is perched on Laura's shoulder. He has been watching these proceedings with a regal eye, but now, apparently feeling that he is not receiving enough attention, he balances on three paws and bats at Laura's hair with the fourth.

Liz's fond, quietly proud (of both Red and Laura) smile fades to a more reasonable level.

"You and Steve are buddies, huh?"

X looks startled again, though whether at Liz's comment or Steve McQueen's hair-batting is unclear.

She does free one hand from Farrah in order to scratch behind Steve's ears, though.

She is thorough like that.

Then --

"Yes."

It is only a little hesitant.

"He likes me."

And vice versa.

Liz got that.

She shoots Red the slightest of slight apologetic looks, and then she says, "Maybe Farrah could do with a friend. If you wanted." She folds her arms comfortably.

Wry: "Your apartment building would probably be a safer escape hatch than the Bureau." Every time Steve gets out, Liz is less and less sure that they're going to get him back before something stomps on or eats him.

(The look that she tossed to Red was only slightly apologetic because, well -- out of all of the cats, Steve is the one who is the most Liz's.

He'd probably be happier, she thinks, with Laura; definitely safer.)

Seeing Laura with the cat gives Red a warm fuzzy kind of feeling that he'd never admit to having, but likes quite a bit. He returns Laura's smile, though his is stronger, classic Red.

The smile loses something, though, when Liz offers up Steve McQueen. He turns to Liz, and the look she's giving him makes him swallow any protest. Steve is her cat, if Liz is willing to let him go, Red won't argue.

Farrah would be happier with a friend, and Steve has had more and more close calls here at the Bureau.

Nodding, Red starts to stand.

"Let me get you some things for them."

X goes wide-eyed, looking at Liz.

The movement of her hand, where it's scratching at Steve McQueen's neck, is even more gentle than it was a second ago. More careful.

Her nostrils flare very briefly as she scents the air.

But it really does not take her that long to come up with an answer.

"If you do not mind. And if it would be safer. For Steve."

Beat.

"I will be very careful."

That is a promise, a very earnest promise.

She will enlist her neighbors' help, too. It will be like a task force.

Then she shifts her gaze to Red, though she does not yet move to get up.

Give her a second.

"I have a litterbox. From before. And a food and water dispenser."

Rose got them for her for Christmas -- in case X is called out of town unexpectedly. (It has happened before.)

"But more will be useful. Thank you."

Edited 2010-03-07 01:01 (UTC)

I will be very careful, Laura says, painfully earnest, and Liz shoots her a tiny, warm smile. It says: I know you will.

"You sound very prepared," is all she says.

Red rummages around the room. He's got a box already with a few things (some food the cats like and treats), but now he's looking for personal affects.

He finds an old battered mouse that's a favorite of Steve's, a brush for Farrah, a couple little balls with bells on the inside and other assorted small stuffed toys.

"Hey, Liz, you seen the cat pole thing?" he asks as he roots around through junk. "The one with the feather?"

He moves his hand up and down, miming the action of the stick and string that is endlessly entertaining for both cats.

"It is important," X says in response to Liz.

Her gaze flicks toward Hellboy, watching his movements for a few seconds, observing what he's putting into the box -- as best she can, anyway.

And a moment after he asks that question -- hesitantly --

"The feather is blue?"

The girl's got good eyes. It's one of her superpowers.

Finding things in Red's clutter is definitely a superpower.

He's about to lift up one of the TVs, because something could maybe hide under there, when X's words stop him.

"Yeah, where's it?"

He looks around himself first, then to Laura for direction.

X's gaze flicks left, to a pile of newspapers that seem to be hiding the shape of a few candy bars.

"There."

She'd point, but one of the cats has already seen the feather and started batting at it.

Enthusiastically.

Edited 2010-03-07 20:13 (UTC)

Liz leans over and scoops up the offender. "Not yours, buddy," she tells a slightly disgruntled Bubbles.