Anything But Numb

[Harlequin]

My bed!

As soon as the words left his pretty mouth, a grin began to tug the corners of hers skyward. With some effort, she managed not to let the expression mature. He was just so earnest; it made her want to just reach up and pinch his cheeks (all of them). She barely heard Alec agreeing with her – and that was something in itself, given how much Morgaine liked it when people agreed with her – as she ambled after Tau into the bedroom. As she left, however, she saw the expression on Alec\'s face, and laughed.

The living room had been clean, but she hadn\'t expected it to continue into the bedroom. The fact that he was making the bed caused more raised eyebrows. A clean bachelor pad? Kept by a clean bachelor, and not a maid? (The fact that he\'d had the option of calling a car to come fetch them from the cafe\' led her to believe he could afford such a luxury). She\'d never even heard of such a thing! True, he had a chairless desk, and seemed to use a milk crate as a clothes hamper, but she\'d still never seen a tidier bachelor\'s apartment. Hell, the place was cleaner than her room (though, this was not saying much).

She didn\'t dwell on it, however. She did – of course – consider just shutting the door behind her and letting nature take it\'s course, but she dismissed the thought firmly as soon as it entered her head. That was not why she\'d come here.

Instead, the singer undid the closure at the center of the straps holding the case to her body (four straps – making an X, like a racing harness – came to  cross at the center of her chest, where the snap rested; this closure held it more securely to her small frame when she rode. The case itself was hard plastic.) and breathed in deep as she swung it around and set it on the newly-made bed in one smooth motion. Once she was sure it was settled, she placed her hands on her lower back and arched. Stiff, her spine made several satisfying cracks, "Oh, that is the best feeling in the fucking world," she sighed. The best part  – in her opinion – was that her tits weren\'t squished against her chest in all sorts of directions they didn\'t want to go, "Thanks," she added, adjusting herself furtively, "That thing gets heavy after a while."

Reluctantly, then, with a gesture toward the living room, where Alec was most likely waiting for them. Unless she\'d run off to go bathe under the sun lamp which Morgaine was now positively sure actually existed, somehow, despite the fact that such a thing was ludicrous.  "Shall we?"

[Existentially Odd]

Tau smiled at Morgaine, having been taking advantage of the fact that they were in his room by removing his footwear.  He\'d just started on his shirt when she indicated they should leave the room, but he had something to ask her first and so, with a slight frown of consternation, he whipped his shirt off hastily and leaped for the door behind her.

Furtively, he peered out to see that Alacer was back in the lounge, so he quietly pushed the door to and grasped Morgaine\'s elbow with his other hand, wanting her to stay put for his query.  Earnestly, he peered down into her face, aware that he\'d likely unsettled her by suddenly invading her personal space - especially since he was bare-chested and had dropped his shirt in his clothes crate - but not wanting to be too loud when he spoke.

"Can I ask you something first?" he whispered, seeking eye contact with the musician pinned quite unintentionally in place by his bed.  His fingers were cupped loosely about her arm and, subconsciously, he found her deliciously warm, as opposed to the coldness of the other woman he had regular contact with.

"I was wondering what you thought about me asking Alec to shift for us as well?  Would you be interested?" he murmured, finding his gaze drawn to the exotic markings on his face every now and then, before he concentrated on her dark irises once more.  "See, I have not asked her to shift, but I am curious as to what she looks like and I thought... well... that you might be the perfect excuse to ask... what do you think?"

[Luna Moon]

Alacer was probably quite a sight as she sat there on the small couch. She had a hoodie over a tshirt and a sweater. The little warmth her body did make spreading through her clothes. She looked down at her hands and twisted them as she waited, thoughts flying through her head. Where did Tau get this woman and why did she want to see him shift? Alec felt the slight jealousy rise but she pushed it back down. The main thought that kept going through her head was There is another woman in the apartment. She wondered why it was taking them long in Tau\'s room.

Alec watched her hands as she picked at her finger nails. She couldn\'t figure why the jealousy was ripping through her ever few minutes. The only thing she could come up with was (wrongly) that it was something over territory. She dismissed the fact that she didn\'t react that way when she moved in with Tau. She really wished that she would figure the reason out soon. She glanced up at Tau\'s door as she heard it go silently to. She could hear the ghosts of whispers coming from Tau, and couldn\'t help but wonder what he was saying. She resisted the urge to get up and go to his door to see what was being said, instead stayng in her place on Tau\'s couch.

[Harlequin]

There are a great number of things that one usually tried to avoid when interacting with a person they barely knew who did not fully intend on having sex with you. One was casually disrobing. Another was shutting a door that thereby trapped them, alone, in the same room with you. A third was getting close enough to put your hands on them, and then putting your hands on them.
 
Had he done any of these things individually, Morgaine probably would have been alright with it, but since he did all of them in conjunction, her first instinct was to go rigid, eyes immediately suspicious; darting first to the closed door, then to the hand on her elbow, skimming over his shirtless torso, and finally settling on his face. No telephone, her brain reminded her, and the thought stopped her from pulling away. Maybe he just hadn\'t learned, yet.
 
Then he was talking, and those baby blue eyes had caught hers again. As he spoke, she relaxed, though her lips pursed unconsciously as she listened. "Yeah, sure," she nodded, at length, "I\'ll be your alibi. I\'m interested to see how a big ol\' person becomes such a small creature. I\'ve never seen a rattlesnake in real life." As the initial panic wore off, she became more aware of his touch on her skin, and smiled slightly. He looked damn fine with his shirt off, "But if she bites me, I\'m comin\' after you before I die." she warned, hoping to distract attention from her initial reaction with the joke.
 
After a moment, she spoke again, "Now, excuse my ignorance, but I\'m new here," she explained, looking him up and down, "But -- is it shirtless O\'clock for everybody, or is this just a you thing?"

[Existentially Odd]

He tilted his head curiously at her final question, then looked down at his bare chest before finally releasing her elbow with an easy laugh.  "Oh!  No - well it is a me thing because I hate clothes but-" he broke off and looked perfectly horrified as another thought occurred to him, staring wide-eyed at Morgaine as another conversation ran through his mind, a conversation held when Alacer had first moved in with him.
 
"Oh, no," he muttered, his lips twisting as he broke from simply staring and began gnawing at the inner side of his lower lip, frowning in consternation.  "She asked me not to go naked, but I was going to strip before I shifted because when I change back I\'ll be naked anyway but... Alacer will not want to see that.  When she moved in I told her how much I hate clothes and she asked that I just not ever be naked - I used to strip as soon as I got home from work, you see, so I had to ask what she thought - but if she stays to see me shift, she will see me naked either before or after."
 
He sighed and returned to chewing on his lip, thoughts slotting into his awareness like the teeth of a cog.  "And I\'ll see her... I suppose she will refuse me, in that case, but you are female, she might still show you," he reasoned, brightening at this notion.  For some reason, it was very important to him that Morgaine see a Shifter as up close and personal as possible... almost like revealing his biggest secret right away, so that there was only up to go from here on out but... why?
 
Because you want to see her again
and you want her to sing
Oh yes, you want her to sing for you, that is why
 
"Well, all we can do is ask," he told Morgaine with a shrug, deciding to leave further decisions up to fate - or Alec, at the very least.  "If she says no, we will just come back in here and I will show you alone," he decided, given to wonder if Morgaine would like that, considering she\'d just about jumped out of her skin when he\'d touched her just now (and she\'d begun to perspire, leaking the scent of anxiety into the air for his intelligent nostrils to detect easily).  He began to back towards his bedroom door with a questioning look, intending to stop only if Morgaine waylaid him somehow.

[Harlequin]

A chuckle resonated in her chest at his comment about clothes. As much as she loved clothes (for varied and sundry reasons – one of them being how great it felt to take them off after a hard day) she knew how he felt – mostly because Ami felt exactly the same way, which is why she often ended up nearly-topless onstage. She wrinkled her nose, and pushed that thought aside, however. There would be no thinking about the band tonight; tonight was hers.
 
Morgaine\'s eyes widened along with his as the terrified expression came over his face. Did she have something in her teeth? Oh, God, she had something in her teeth. That must be it. When he finished, Morgaine rolled her eyes, relieved beyond measure, "This is different," she said, "This...means something." At least, it meant something to her. The singer was amused by how concerned he was with making sure Alacer was comfortable, even though she was a guest in his house. It was refreshing, but she wondered if it was hard for him – the guy was wound tighter than an eight day clock, after all, though that might have something to do with the excitement. She was feeling her fair share of that, for sure, though years of practice allowed her to keep it carefully confined to the pit of her stomach. It was like the day before a big show – only now, she was in the audience.
 
That didn\'t stop her from giving advice, however, since he was in her usual place, "Just chill, okay? Take things as they come." She smiled up at him, and placed a hand on his arm briefly before he got to the door. She hurried her steps once it was open, and sidled out ahead of him into the living room, "Nice digs," she commented – very belatedly – as a way to break the silence in the living area. "You look toasty, " she said to Alacer as she laid eyes on the bundled-up snake-woman. Inwardly, she lamented the death of her heat lamp theory.

[Luna Moon]

Alec looked up at Morgaine as she came out of Tau\'s room with him following behind her with no shirt. She rolled her eyes as she saw him. He was seriously too innocent. She smiled as Morgaine came up to her and spoke. "Yes," she said holding out her hand, which was now warm,"Wanna try the handshake again? I think I\'m pretty warm now." She smiled genuinely at her, comfortable again, even with her in the apartment. Alec looked up at Tau. "So..You want to show her what you look like as a cougar? That should be interesting. I haven\'t even seen it."

Alec looked up at Tau then back to Morgaine. "I\'ve seen many people who change into different things, but never a cougar. Birds, snakes, bears, monkeys. even a white tiger but never a cougar."She shrugged, suddenly feeling like she gave away too much information.

[Existentially Odd]

"You have seen that many Shifters change?" Tau queried in surprise, easily distracted from his intended conversation.  His blue eyes were alight with curiosity but he caught sight of Morgaine and quickly recalled that that was not what he was meant to be talking about right now.  "You will have to tell me about them later," he said sheepishly, finding it necessary to clear his throat and look away for the briefest of moments.

His gaze was quickly back on Alacer, though, as he continued.  "For now... do you wish to see me shift?  I would love to show you but you will also likely see me naked," he warned her, his tone both apologetic and regretful.  "I know you do not want to see that so feel free to refuse.  Also, Morgaine and I would both like to see you change form as well... do you think you would be interested?" he asked eagerly, not giving her a chance to answer his first set of questions before he\'d piled more on for consideration.  His hands danced nervously and constantly across the flat of his muscled stomach and the hem of his pants, finally managing to wait for an aswer.

[Harlequin]

Morgaine laughed again and stepped forward to enclose the offered hand in a friendly clasp, "Much better," she agreed as she let go, turning her attention back to Tau, who was still being painstakingly careful to avoid rudeness.

Shaking her head, the Singer moved around to the other end of Alacer\'s couch and sat, stretching her small body out into a pose of relaxation, with one leg negligently slung over the arm of the couch. Small enough not to infringe on Alacer\'s personal space even spread out so, and smart enough not to interject, she stayed quiet -- though she paid avid attention, dark eyes flickering from face to face as they spoke -- and let the two of them have their conversation. She noted, with a wry twist to her mouth, that Tau had not taken her advice to chill. It seemed, however, that the nervous motions giving him away were an inseperable part of his physical syntax.

[Luna Moon]

Alec nodded. "Yes, many shifters." She smiled at Tau\'s change of subject. She knew how easily distracted he was. She almost laughed when he had to clear his throat before going back to the subject. Alec listened to the rest of his questions. When he was finished she looked down at her hands. She looked at Morgaine stretched across the couch and back at Tau. "Sure, but I have one request. I shift into a snake in my room and I turn back in my room so no one sees me nude." She looked at Tau pointedly and looked at Morgaine.

"I would like to see you shift. Like I said, I\'ve never seen a person shift into a cougar before." Alec smiled slightly. It almost seems like a secret, showing people what you shift into. No one will ever know what you look like in that form until you do. She stood up from the couch in one fluid movement. "Sure," she said to Tau smiling.

[Existentially Odd]

Tau\'s smile was beatific and he spared Morgaine a triumphant glance before looking eagerly at Alec.  "Great!  I do not mind if you shift in your room and come out afterwards, if that is what you prefer.  Now, do you wish to go first or shall I?" he asked, fingers straying to the snap of his pants but not doing anything about it.

He considered the fact that he could shift inside his clothes anyway, to spare Alacer\'s modesty, and then she\'d only see him in all his natural glory when he changed back.  Really, it wasn\'t likely to be something Morgaine wanted to see within the first couple of hours of knowing him either but... it was different with her.  She was more knowledgeable and... accepting.  Something in him wanted her to see all his secrets out in the open up front after all, didn\'t it (not that his body was a secret, exactly.  If it was, it was the worst kept one in the world)?

[Harlequin]

Morgaine smiled back at him, pleased that he was pleased. It was difficult to resist giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up to emphasize, but she managed. Barely.

Still, however, she thought it best to remain quiet as the two of them decided on a course of action; she was open to anything, at this point, and it wasn\'t her show (for once) to run.

[Luna Moon]

Alec shrugged. "You go first. I still seem to freak people out and the last thing I need is for someone to step on me as a snake." She made a face at a previous memory. "Yep, you go first." She sat back down next to Morgaine on the couch, twirling the edge of her hoodie. The jacket was black and had an ornate Chinese serpent embroidered into the back, making it look expensive even though she got it from a donation home. She fingered the weared edge as she looked at Tau.

Alec knew why she was jealous but she would never let her mind think it. she felt stupid when she came to the conclusion earlier and now that she realized it was true she would not even think it. She looked at Morgaine then back at Tau, thinking while waiting. She prommised her past would never get in the way again. She was hoping that Tau\'s interest in her seeing other shifters would allow her to have a talk just with him later. She looked to Tau, waiting for him to shift.

[Existentially Odd]

"Alright," Tau said jovially, making a space for himself before the two women by moving the coffee table out of the way first.  He then undid the snap of his pants, as well as lowering the fly so that they would restrict him as minutely as possible, then lay on the floor. He always found it easier to change when he lay on his side as a human - he decided against removing his clothes up front because he didn\'t wish to offend and he would only walk out of them once he\'d shifted, anyway.

Once laying down, he looked up at the two females with a reassuring smile and then closed his eyes to aid his concentration.  The process began with loud cracks - Tau\'s leg bones were the first to snap and appear to shrink while his face contorted and began to shift into that of a far-broader cat\'s. His arms shifted next, in accompaniment with his spine, which shrank his overall height but created a ninety centimetre long tail smoothly from his coccyx. The final part of the transformation was the appearance of his fur, claws and the \'tidying up\' of all features such as feet and hands to paws. The whole process took about a minute, though it was noisy with the sound of bones altering with a dull thud, beneath muscles that bulged and shifted wetly around inside him.  It looked painful and sounded worse but what came out of it was not a creature seeking sympathy in any form.

Tau the cougar finally sat up, his back legs lost within the pants he\'d been wearing and leaning up onto his forearms.  Immediately, the scent of another shifter struck him and he sniffed deeply in Alacer\'s direction, large mouth falling open so he might taste the air around her to better ascertain what she was.  His broad, rough tongue undulated in his head, tasting.  She also smelled of rodents, which intrigued him no end.  In fact, with one good heave, he hauled his long, muscular body to his paws and headed for his housemate, the human clothes he\'d been wearing so comfortably just a short time ago falling down in his wake (thought it took a few extra steps for his underwear to go, making him look rather comical with briefs around him).  His long, fluffy-tipped tail twitched as he approached the woman his repressed mind claimed he knew but which his animal instincts said he didn\'t.

[Harlequin]

Morgaine watched the process as if her life depended on it. As he lay down, she shifted her leg off the arm of the couch and leaned forward, elbows on knees, tattooed face cradled in one hand. So intent was she on the visual aspect of the process – which was endlessly fascinating in itself – she almost entirely missed the auditory piece.

When that registered, she almost wished it had stayed buried. The myriad of pops, snaps, and grindings of bone on bone sounded anything but pleasant. Her face, however remained locked in it\'s mask of rapt attention – if something had been wrong, she assumed he\'d put a stop to the transformation.

If he could.

That thought gave her pause. Not much of one, though, because now it was over, and he was moving – sloughing off clothes like dead skin – with all the majesty and grace this form offered (though the undies did make her have to suppress a laugh). Up close, it was easy to see why the big cats were called Kings of the Jungle.

As he moved toward them, however, she had to wonder exactly how much of his human mind he retained. And how much of a good idea it would have been to ascertain this information before this stage. She considered asking Alacer what her experience was – but it would be endlessly embarrassing to find out that he could hear and understand her asking such a personal question just fine, if that were the case.

At any rate, it was Alacer he went to first, so she supposed she\'d find out that way, and concentrated on trying not to be nervous. Which was not an easy thing, though her limited experience with shifters did help somewhat.