caughtinanetwork | > Nepeta: Meet your meowrail for the first time!

[It's a large, imposing hive that Nepeta is standing in front of, her eyes wide as she stares up at it. Pounce stands next to her, a smart green ribbon tied around her neck for the occasion - Nepeta has had to straighten it more than once, though, because it's been a long journey to get here.

She's so excited! For the first time ever she'll see her moirail in person! Her own moirail, bossy as he could be, and she just can't wait for him to open the door so she can fling herself at him.

Sure enough the door slowly starts creaking open, only for a white centaur to appear behind it - oh, yes, of course! Equius' butler lusus, Aurthour! She's heard lots about him, and Pounce is already purring their business at him when Nepeta spies a shadow in the background, looming yet apparently unsure whether to step forward or not.

She knows who that is!

The kittytroll launches herself through the air, and to her surprise the second before she hits him, Equius goes completely limp, so the two of them go sliding right down the entranceway together.]

Found you!!

[...wow. She can understand his need for constant towels now.]

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Thank you.

[Equius steps aside, putting a little space between them, and only then does he relax.]

Follow me, please.

[He leads her deeper in the hive, the two lususes following, with Pounce having found a nice perch on Aurthor's hoofbeast-half back. Once in the kitchen, his lusus bustles around, getting some juice for Nepeta and milk for Pounce and Equius.]

So... was your journey here eventful?

[She follows him obediently, bright-eyed and quietly calculating how to sneak up nearer to him again. She's really glad her lusus and Equius' are getting along - that's a good sign! - and she thinks it's adorable that Aurthor is letting Pounce ride on his back.]

Not very! Pounce is sneaky and knows how to travel without being noticed much, so nothing attacked us, and we stopped for a meal on the way. I wish we didn't live so far apart! I want to come see you all the time.

[Equius, of course, is being super awkward and sweaty, although her bright chit-chat is helping to relax him.]

Good. If she likes, I'm sure Aurthor could get her some blankets and towels to make a nest, and she can take a nap.

[A quick glance at the lusus.]

Clean towels.

[A happy purr sounds from the feline lusus' direction, and Nepeta nods.]

She would like that very much! Can we take a nap too?? I brought pillows and cushions and yarn in my sylladex! [Yes, Equius, you are being propositioned for a pile.]

[Whoah, moving a little fast there, aren't we?! Equius stops dead in his tracks and turns to STARE at her. It's a good thing he's wearing his shades, or he'd look extra creepy.]

I'm sorry, are you... are you asking what I think you're asking?

[In the background, Aurthor sets their drinks on a nearby table, then sets about making a nice nest for Pounce.]

[She just beams at him, apparently not finding the staring creepy or even at all daunting.]

Uh huh! I'm sleepy, but I don't want to waste any of our time together!

You're... propositioning me... for a pile?

[Oh my, excuse him while he sweats through a clean, fresh towel.]

We are meowrails!

[Yes, Equius, someone genuinely wants to spend cuddle time with you. WHAT DO YOU DO?]

[Oh goodness, this is moving too fast! He thought they'd hold hands first, or maybe she'd lean on his shoulder. He might tell her a few secrets about making robots, and she would maybe tell him about tracking wild beasts through the woods, and they'd work up to piles!]

[Nepeta, you are a pale hussy!]

Okay.

[Quick, Equius! Grab this opportunity while you still can!]

[They will get to do all of those things soon too! But she really has fallen very hard for him, even if she won't say as much. She's been thinking about getting to curl up with him in a pile for a while now!]

Yay! [She hurriedly looks for the things in her sylladex - and they all burst out, covering the floor in yarn and cushions.] Oops...

[Equius looks at the small explosion, then back at her, then back at the explosion. He doesn't smile, but his expression relaxes a little, and when he speaks, he sounds calm and content.]

That's okay. We'll just push them all together.

[Things he can touch without breaking, yay! He bends down and starts to carefully push the cushions and yarn into a pile.]

[He's not angry at her for making a mess! She really appreciates that, giving him an enormous smile when he starts putting the pile together, and immediately hops to the other side of it to pile more things on the tops of the heap Equius is pushing together.]

[As someone who breaks things all the time, Equius can't get angry over some cushions and yarn on the floor. Besides, the only reason his hive isn't covered with random robot parts and broken bows is because Aurthor picked everything up for their guests!]

[He works in silence for awhile, until most of the cushions and things are piled up. Then he examines it; while it would fit two normal-sized trolls, and probably three or four Nepetas, it's going to be too small for him.]

May I add some towels? Clean ones, I mean?

[Nepeta is looking at their first pile with a great deal of approval, not realizing right away that it won't hold her moirail too comfortably.]

Oh, yes! Of course! It would be really good to have some of your things in it too, uh huh!

[It's okay, she'll get used to it. She has just met him, after all, and being that she's on the tiny side, probably doesn't realize what a great hulking beast he is yet.]

[He consults his sylladex, and it vomits fluffy, white towels everywhere, which he gathers up and adds to the pile. There. Now it will hold both of them.]

Shall we?

[He has no idea what the etiquette is here.]

Yessss!

[Nepeta more or less leaps right into the center of the pile and rolls back and forth to make herself comfortable, then curls up on one side of it to make room for him.]

Come on! It's really soft!

Please hold very still while I get in.

[He doesn't want to crush her by accident! Very carefully, he lowers himself into the pile beside her, unconsciously keeping a fair amount of distance between them.]

[She obediently stays put until he's settled himself down - and then climbs onto his chest to snuggle on him.]

This is so pawesome!

[Equius freezes again when she crawls on him, but once she's settled, he relaxes a fraction. She's in a good spot; there's not much damage he can do to her from where she is, and even if this is moving awfully fast, he feels pretty good about it.]

Yes. Yes, it is.

[Her head nuzzles its way to a comfy spot on his shoulder, and she curls up in a cuddly warm ball of kitty troll.]

I'm so glad I got to come here and meet you.

[Equius wants to put his arm around her, but knows that's beyond him.]

I'm glad you're here, too.

[That's okay. She makes up for it by wrapping one of her arms around his neck, bright eyes settling happily on his face. The two lusii have discretely left the room to the two newly-pale trolls, and now that they're on their own Nepeta allows herself a rumbling little purr of contentment.]

> Nepeta: Meet your meowrail for the first time!

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