7273/The End of Our Tail

The End of Our Tail
Date of Scene:	19 April 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Black Cat, Doctor Strange

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Black Cat has posed:
It's late at night, admittedly nearing midnight itself, when the odd sounds come from the front door of the Sanctum. It sounds like...really, a little like a drunkard trying to use a key. Scratching of metal on metal follows a click of success and what sounds like a heavier weight landing on the wooden flooring of the entryway after the door swings open. Then, a series of rhythmic patterns like...something on all fours?

Regardless, from the bottom of the grand staircase in the large circular foyer of the mansion, there starts a low mrrowl. It gains volume and force until it's the terrified cry of a barncat at volume 11. Honestly, it rounds out on the end to something deeper and more malevolent, a growling that would strike fear into the hearts of those safe by firelight in the wild.

It's a cat. A big cat. A white housecat at the weight range of one cat-burglar, which makes it easily the size of a puma. Around its neck, aurora-borealis stones. Its eyes? Jade-green. Its current disposition?

"COPPERRRRFIELD!"

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen is made aware of the new entrance into the Sanctum rather abruptly pulling him out of his meditation and causing his lotus position to waver and he has to drop his feet quickly below himself in order to keep from falling totally onto the floor. "What was- Oh no." Stephen says to himself with a gasp of his breath and he starts to run. Through his own house, a deep red cloak finds its way quickly onto Stephen's shoulders and he steps through the doorframe from his personal study and is instantly on the second floor and at the banister looking down at the white furred, enormous cat.

    There is no doubt in this instant, there is only action. "Felicia." He whispers and then spares no time in vaulting over the rail and the cloak lowers him the full story to the ground and he steps up without hesitation towards the apex predator in his landing.

Black Cat has posed:
Everything is too loud -- too strong to her nose -- she's seeing in hues she's never seen before and missing others -- and the movement up near the top of the second-floor railing makes her quail at first. The cloak, Felicia recognizes, and somehow, there's an aura around the Sorcerer she knows. He lands and she approaches, bellying to him and then attempting to climb up him in her panic like he was a large, living cat tree.

"Copperrrrfield, it happened when I was napping! Make it go away! I don't want to be like thisssss!" It has to be the magic working English around the pink tongue and fabulously-large canine teeth. She's all uncoordinated limbs and lithe muscle underneath the silky silvery-white fur as she tries to wrap her forearms around his neck.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen can't argue, or even put up a fight as he simply holds her up, even if she's not that light she's at least not dead weight in that she's wrapping those powerful paws around his shoulders and neck and he's trying to be mindful of her gargantuan claws. "It's okay Felicia. I got you." Stephen says, literally and figuratively speaking. "I'll get this fixed. But if you can, hold your breath." Stephen says, he's using a quick spell to get them to the room with the spell matrix he's been building since their initial meeting. The floors covered in sigils and latices are something she's seen before but this is way more extreme and detailed. The walls have been cleared and even the ceiling has carvings at the edges of the walls.

Black Cat has posed:
"I can try, but it'ssss harrrrd!" Whiskers probably tickle at the Doctor's neck and ear as she clings like a burr. Half of her brain is being mindful of those claws, but the other half mired in horrified fear? There might be some prickling here and there. "Why though? Why?!" The large housecat trembles and lets out another pitiful, chattering mewl of sound. Her cool nose buries itself against his neck as she hides away at his collar.

Stephen smells like his cologne, old paper, the detergent used on clothes and on cloak, and it would be delightful if the ambient scent of the spell-room itself didn't smell of chalk and something more astringent. This last part is nearly effervescent in her nose and she sneezes despite herself. Mmm, cat spit.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen has been covered in worse than cat spit, no doubt, he doesn't even react. "I'm sorry, that smell is likely the chalk and ancient flakes of blood required in the making of the counter spell. "Don't worry, it's just cow blood from a butcher near by that I aged." Stephen says as he carefully bends over to set the hefty cat down on the floor in the middle. "Tell me Felicia, are you hurt at all?" Stephen asks as he stays low on his feet, his face even with Felicia's feline visage. He cups his hands around her face and almost instinctually he rubs at her ears with his thumbs. "I'm going to fix you."

Black Cat has posed:
"This whole rrrroom smellssss awful," complains the large housecat, giving the Sorcerer the biggest, saddest eyes she can manage. Puss 'n Boots, eat your heart out. She relaxes a little with how his thumbpads are rolling over places at her triangular ears. The purring comes in little spurts, like a leaky hose left out over-winter and still blocked up with ice. She squints up at him, attempting to pout and finding it utterly impossible. Felines don't have lips as humans do.

"I'm not hurrrt, no, but make it stop! I want to me be again! Please!" Her tail curls around her feet where she sits, semi-crouched.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I will, but it has to be hasty." Stephey says, lowering one hand to brush against her lips and clinically tries to open her mouth in order to examine it thuroughly. "As fast and as complete as your transformation has been, I worry there's a greater than likely chance your mind will change to something more feral, in line with your new form." Stephen says, wondering what broke his spell that he placed upon the thief.

    Pulling his hand back wether or not she allowed him a look, he stands up and frowns into her green eyes, something she's rarely seen him do. This is dire his face says and his words double down on that, "This will not feel pleasant." Stephen says as he takes a step back and raises his hands, and a wind slowly begins to build up in the room, spinning counter clockwise.

Black Cat has posed:
Stephen gets a glimpse of those pearly-white teeth in their ordered rows, perfectly meant to scissor through flesh and part vertebrae to end a life, and then Felicia's pulling away and licking at her lips. Her nose happens to be pink and it wrinkles briefly. She stares at him as he backs away. Triangular ears flick flat to her skull and she crouches down more, her tail now tightly wrapped to hide away her paws.

"I've felt worrrssse," she hisses at him, trying to smile.

It's not a pretty sight. Cats don't smile. It looks far more like a grimace of threat from her in combination with her terrified shrinking to the floor.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen doesn't argue, he just gets on with it. Precious moments of sheer fear, and agony await Felicia and Stephen as well as the wind continues to spin picking up speed to a heavy twenty miles per hour continuous gust. "By the mighty Oshtur and the whole of the Vishanti revoke this woman's curse!" Stpehen says, invoking two of the most powerful entities as the chalk and blood begin to glow and Felicia's lifted off the floor by the magic around and focused on her. Stephen is just a conduit now. He's an active observer, casting various minute magics between and during the event. Small things that take pain away from Felicia, but draws it into him and even then, the pain of having your muscles, nerves and bones literally shifted and relocated molecule by molecule against the very laws of reality doesn't feel pleasant. Stephen is only able to endure half of the torture that Felicia is being forced into.

Black Cat has posed:
At first, Felicia fights the invisible force lifting her from the floorboards. The wind is already deafening to her. Claws pluck one by one from the wooden boards and finally, the last one attached to a front toe rips from its mounting. She lets out a frightened yowl that takes on a sudden and very real pitch of pain. It climbs the registers until it goes into a pitch set to make dogs howl.

Limbs stretch to their greatest limit before contorting -- bones melt into fluid beneath her skin and regain lost mass -- tendons sing and muscles extend -- the room goes too bright in her eyes as the cat-burglar curls upon herself within the cyclone -- she lets go of her tenuous grip on consciousness because it's safer and more comfortable to be unconscious. It's brief, the foray into blackness, but long enough to give her mind a rest. All the while, the aurora borealis stones reflect back the mystical glow of the runes beneath her.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    The spell finishes without a problem though Strange has to cast several other spells as well to make sure Felicia's mind is safe while unconscious which, is kind of what he was hoping for, and for the pain to be more berable for both of them.

    When Felicia awakes, Stephen is on the ground, his legs beneath him curled at the knees as he lowers his hands down with a clap and the sweat drips from his hair in buckets. The cloak is gone, but Felicia will find it keeping her modest and warm and comforted as best as the magic garmet can which is incredibly well. Stephen has to catch his breath and then he smiles weakly, "Clean bill of health." Stephen says breathily.

Black Cat has posed:
This isn't her ceiling. Where is -- it smells funny in here, like burnt metal and why isn't she wearing the yoga pants she was wearing when she laid down to nap? At least it's comfortable here on the ground and this new blanket she suddenly has is really red and --

Wait, that's a human being talking AND HE SOUNDS NORMAL, NOT TOO LOUD!

Sitting up with a jolt of a gasp, Felicia pulls the crimson cloak tighter to herself and stares at the Sorcerer kneeling outside of the ring of runes. Then, she gives herself a once-over. A human foot appears from beneath the garment's hem, complete with toes painted a vibrant shade of pink that wiggle. A hand appears and she stares at it, eyes welling up with tears. Turning in place to put her back to him, she opens the cloak to stare down at herself. Then?

Scrambling to her feet, Felicia stumbles over to him and kneels down in front of him, heedless of chalk and burnt blood on her shins. "You did it, Copperfield!" Her voice is reedy and a tear falls down her cheek. "You really did it, I'm me! I'm me again!" The watery smile is all gratitude for the Sorcerer. She dares to reach out and take up one of his hands. "You're -- " A sniffle. "You're the best in the world, Stephen."

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen looks like he just ran a marathon as he's basically collapsed onto the ground from the beating he just took. "I was just doing my job, same as you would do." Stephen says, looking down at her hand holding onto his own and he blinks slowly sorely at it. "I'm glad you're happy Felicia." Stephen says trying to look up into her eyes as he forces a smile onto his face. "A-are you okay?" He asks, ever concerned about the blonde who's been forced into the worst situations and having to deal with all of Stephen's baggage lately. Stephen lifts his free hand and slowly reaches up to touch at the tear on Felicia's cheek.

Black Cat has posed:
"Oh, geez, come on, Copperfield!" The cat-burglar's weak remonstration is followed by something between a hiccup and a sob. She grins though, even if the lift of her cheeks forced another tear to land on Stephen's fingers. "I told you I've felt worse!" And she laugh-sniffles again, wiping at the other side of her face. "Okay, I'm a liar, that hurt like hell, but look! I'm me!"

She gives his hand another squeeze. "But are you okay? You look like you got dragged behind a car in a rainstorm. Is that sweat?" Her lower lip trembles. "Gosh, //you// okay?"

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I'm fine Felicia." Stephen says with a soft frown as he moves his hand from her cheek to rest on her shoulder "I couldn't possibly miss you Felicia." Stephen says with a sad sort of smile, then his face says screw it and he pulls her into a heavy and exhausted hug. The kind of hug that is for his own benefit as much as he hopes it is for hers. "I've felt worse." The wizard responds to Felicia's words with her own in an odd sort of humor.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia moves with the hug because it is at its most simple a gesture of consolement and calming. It goes both ways to boot. She ends up seated on one of his thighs, knees tucked to herself beneath the fall of the cloak, and leans heavily against his chest. There are a few more sobs, all with the pitch of relief, before she falls into a more relaxed pattern of breathing. Another sniffle makes her shoulders shake before she blows a heavy sigh.

"You don't deserve to feel like that or worse," she says quietly, patting at one of his scrunched lapels in a manner almost like a habit than actual thought. Her eyes focus on the far edge of his shirt sleeve.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen holds her to his chest as much as she leans into it and he's not moving much of anywhere any time soon. "I never thought I deserved it, but I can, so I should." Stephen spills a bit of his heart onto Felicia as he is overflowing with emotion and pain at the moment, his hands around her though only touching the cloak to hold her close to him in a sort of possessive protective manner. "You seem to dislike the way my shirt lays, always fixing it Fel." He tries to crack a joke in the moment, unsure if it will land or even be heard.

Black Cat has posed:
"I can't help it if you don't keep track of the wrinkles on it," the cat-burglar fires back with a hint of her usual sass level. She finishes patting down the lapel until it lies retail-flat upon his chest and then leans her head against it again. "And you don't deserve it," Felicia reiterates. "Nobody deserves pain, not when they do stuff like you just did. You saved me."

She pulls her head back to look him in the face. "You're good people, Copperfield. Good people don't deserve to be hurt." Her smile is watery, but it shows even as tears glisten in her dark lashes and make her green eyes glassy. "I owe you -- and don't argue with me about it." A light poke to his chest accents her point.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen takes another deep breath as he keeps on holding Felicia to his labored body, warm with exertion and weak at the same time. "No, no arguments Felicia. I couldn't possibly deny you." Stephen says in a moment of mental lapse, allowing the truth to seep into the conversation in a rare moment. "Saving people is kind of why I'm a doctor. Even if I save people in different ways." The wizard explains with a tired gasp for air.

Black Cat has posed:
"Then it makes you good people," Felicia stubbornly keeps on. She looks between his eyes, smudged beneath with weariness. "Don't deny me this belief, at least? Come on, Copperfield...?" The watery smile shows up again. "I don't think you can convince me that you're not a good guy. Too late now." She shrugs under the wrapping of the cloak and rolls it more tightly around her body with a tug of her hands.

"Actually...I need to ask you a favor." Dropping her chin, the cat-burglar looks up at the Doctor through her lashes. "I know you just did all this, but...you know that extra set of clothes I got when I was here a while back? The gi? Do you have another set I can borrow?" Winsome blink-blink.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "O-of course." Stephen says, his own face quickly turning to a beet red. Slowly releases his hold onto the petite woman and his hands pull away as he tries to help Felicia to her feet, so he can then get on his own. His magics are at their end, he's not going to cast another spell for some time. He's so worn out and unwilling to pay any more cost at the moment.

    "I'll look that way, you can go across the hall, there should be a closet there." Stephen says, not explaining that the doors in this house tend to open up into the room you need at the moment, meaning that the door you pick is always the door you mean to open. Or at least the room inside of that door is exactly what you require. "You will find everything you need in there." He sends her because he doesn't need a closet now, likely he needs an IV drip and rest, but he won't submit to that until he knows Felicia is taken care of.

Black Cat has posed:
"Gosh, really? This house is ridiculously wonderful." On her feet now, Felicia blinks at the open doorway. Beyond it, she can see the other room's closed door. She looks back to Stephen and curls a slow grin. "Aw, Copperfield, I never figured you'd be one to blush. It's cute." She daringly reaches out to patpat his cheek gently before turning around and walking towards the room opposite in the hallway. In the doorway, the cat-burglar pauses and glances back over her shoulder. "I haven't flashed you," she notes lightly.

"...yet."

And like a queen, she turns in a flutter of the cloak to continue on towards the door. It does indeed open up into what could be construed as a changing room, mirror and all, and with a soft sigh of relief, she disappears into it.

Not too much longer later, Felicia appears again. She did indeed borrow (read as: you ain't getting it back unless you ask, Sorcerer) a gi in a ruddy hue rather than blue and she pauses in the hallway with steps muffled by slip-on shoes to match. "Copperfield?" she calls out, hands wringing at her waist in true nervousness, so soon after the ordeal. "Go find him?" This hesitant request she asks of the magical crimson cloak nearby.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen had found his feet and had moved out of the chamber with the complex spell used to save his friend and instead he's walking down the hallway slowly, his left arm held against his stomach and his right dangling against his side before he puts it out to lean against the wall. This girl is requiring much of Stephen in the way of self sacrifice.

    The cloak slips from Felicia's slim shoulders to fly to the room and with a 'glance' into the doorway the cloak turns and flutters down the hallway quickly, but it stops to motion for Felicia to follow and catch up shortly to the sore sorcerer. "I'm here." Stephen says softly, turning to look at Felicia and dropping his jaw and hands at the sight of the woman in her own mystical intended gi.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia steps out and after the fluttering of the vivacious garment and spots Stephen down the hallway. Her own motions are slowed and controlled, as if she too were experiencing soreness lingering though not at the intensity of the poor Sorcerer. When he turns and looks at her, she immediately pulls reserves of poise from within. A pirouette in place on her toes and she faces him again, her palms extended out at her sides. A little shake of them, a la jazz-hands.

"I like it. It's really comfortable," the cat-burglar admits as she pulls at the sash about her waist. It only accents her figure more. "I saw there were multiple colors and I picked one." Walking over to stand before him, she pauses and grins, more friendly than flirtatious this time around. "You know, you might catch flies with your mouth hanging open like that," the platinum-blonde teases.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen's mouth then regainst awareness and controll and he slowly closes it with a swallow of throat before he speaks again. "It suits you." Stephen smirks before he turns back to face down the hallway and starts to limp that direction once more. "Keep it. A gift. Hoggoth knows you could use one." Stephen chuckles at his own joke towards the thief.

    Suddenly at a loss for words, Strange expects Felicia to keep up with him before a thought dons on him. "What're you going to do now that you're a normal ish girl again?" Stephen inquires, his eyes looking back at the woman and spotting the aurora stones at her kneck but he doesn't linger there with his attention for long, choosing to stare into her eyes like few ever have.

Black Cat has posed:
The cat-burglar beams. "Thanks! I think I will. I do adore gifts." Felicia falls into step beside the man with her hands folded behind her back. She rolls her feet, indulging in proper human locomotion and the feel of the carpet through the thin slippers in deep burgandy. His question makes her look up from watching her own walking and the intensity of his attention swiftly pushes aside the initial snarky comment.

She pauses in her walking and glances down at the aurora borealis stones around her neck, forgotten in the kerfuffle of de-cursing and then change of clothing. Fingertips brush over the bright necklace. "Go back to being normal-ish, I guess. Being cursed was pretty distracting." She laughs once, looking up at him again. "I owe you, so I figure I'll hang around. Maybe run errands for you or help you 'borrow' things." She inscribes quotation marks in the air with a grin. "Bring tea," comes the more acceptable addition. "Tell you about my flowers." She then scuffs her foot without thinking, glancing to one side. "Dunno." Felicia finishes finally, wrinkling her nose up at him in a display of charming uncertainty.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "You do know. People don't do the Charlie Brown shy emoji without having other things on their mind." Stephen says, slashing through the emotional game with his razor tongue. "But you don't have to say if you don't want to." The wizard smirks lopsidedly, "And the counter curse is not payment for you procuring items for me. I will be giving you actual currency for services rendered Felicia." Stephen remarks flatly, as if the human element wasn't there moments before.

    Stephen looks away from Felicia and squints his eyes at the door way. "Do you remember what I told you about this house?" The wizard asks almost idoly. "Will you open that door for me?" Strange asks, his face stoic and as if the previous question was already forgotten.

Black Cat has posed:
His observant reposte in banter is parried by a simple and emotionally appropriate raspberry from the cat-burglar. "Hmph." Apparently 'hmph' to all of what Stephen says before he turns his attention to the door. She folds her arms beneath her chest. It's a sight given her current garb.

The door is given a vaguely suspicious squint before Felicia looks back to his dignified set of expression. "Yyyyyessss...?" Again, a single word in reply to both questions even as she reaches out to open it. Her hand lands on the doorknob and turns it. "I'm not going to argue if you want to pay me," she adds with more nonchalance than she feels at heart. A step in towards the door and she pushes it open.

Felicia takes one step in and freezes up as if she'd suddenly found a poisonous snake coiled at her feet -- but no. The room beyond the door is...is...

Warm. The air is soft, almost tropical, scented with a light sweetness so similar to the perfume she wears. Sunlight dapples through half of the roof given it's entirely glass. Is it a greenhouse? A bedroom? Every breath tastes of fresh oyxgen given off and not a hint of city in metal. A chaise lounge piled with pillows and thick terry-cloth blankets made for napping beneath stands beside a table spread with every junk-food she's ever loved. Strawberries dipped in chocolate lie beside PopTarts with blue frosting and still-frosty Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia. A bottle of wine is untouched beside glasses, a handful at most. Popcorn is piled in a bowl, nearly too much to eat. It's a hedonistic paradise.

"...oh," she squeaks, pinking to her ears. "Um. Copperfield, I...um..." The cat-burglar looks back at him owl-eyed.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen nods once slowly with a smile and a motion of his hand inviting Felicia into the doorway. "Go ahead Felicia. You deserve it." The wizard says, stepping closer to the door but being mindful that he doesn't step through, he doesn't want to encroach or invite himself into Felicia's space or time. He does lift a hand to the small of her back with a soft touch of his finger and the slightest push, an urge, a touch to tell her it's okay to step forward if she wishes.

Black Cat has posed:
"Oh, but -- but -- " Felicia steps to one side to press her shoulder against the door; she's still holding onto the knob as is, as if it were an anchor in all of the suddenness of a wish granted seemingly out of the blue. She looks at the table laden with goodies and the lounge sofa that begs for her to nap upon it for as long as she wishes and then back to the Sorcerer.

"Really? For me? But why?" She blinks. "This is the house? Not you?"

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "Just for you. And does that really matter?" Stephen asks with a smirk before his hand disappears from her back. Silently the wizard has begun to step away, the intent that he wont disturb her as much as he'd love to lounge with her, he knows she needs some her time and that is something he will certainly respect.

Black Cat has posed:
"Well, yeah! It kind of matters!" Surprisingly shy about the sumptuousness on display, Felicia eyes it and then turns in place back to face the Sorcerer, still holding onto the door knob. "I mean, think about it like if an inanimate object suddenly granted //you// whatever you wanted!"

A pause and she sighs, suddenly giggling to herself in embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah, never mind, I know...magical stuff. You're probably very used to inanimate stuff granting wishes. It's...it's very nice of you, Stephen, thank you." A lop-sided smile of her rosy-red lips lacks all guile towards him. "You...want some popcorn or anything? There's a lot there. I'd probably get a sick stomach eating it all."

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen shakes his head and lifts his hand in polite refusal before his words echo in the hall. "No thank you, and if there's enough there to give you a stomach ache, then you needed or wanted a stomach ache. Enjoy yourself Felicia, it's all for you." Stephen says, ignoring her question about inanimate objects tactfully as he keeps walking away slowly.

Black Cat has posed:
"...why would I want a stomach ache...?" Felicia asks herself, perplexed. Still, she watches him go and continues leaning on the door. A long sigh is accompanied by her rubbing her opposite arm. Brows knit.

"Hey...Stephen," she calls out softly. "If I fall asleep...will you wake me up after a while? I have to get back to my apartment at some point. The plants need watering." Her smile is shy by how she bites at the inside of her lip.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I will Felicia." Stephen lies through his teeth time. He will absolutely make sure all of her ducks are lined up while she enjoys herself. He has work to do and that is something that's now on his list. He does consider adding more plants and flowers to her home garden, a simple sign that she might appreciate that he will be a good friend even if he's a weird one.

Black Cat has posed:
"Thank you, Stephen." The gratitude is heartfelt. After a second, she even winks at the Sorcerer and blows him a kiss off her palm in a show of the old charm and confidence. "See you after nap time!" With that, Felicia closes the door and turns on the pads of her feet to face the interior of the room. The delighted giggling might be heard as she executes a bounding and graceful jog over to the table and the chaise lounge. A dive and she disappears into the soft blankets. A happy sigh emerges from the bundling. It is very clearly time for a nap.

Not too much longer afterwards, a soft snore emerges.