sunburned | (no subject)

Entry tags:

julie,
laurence

(no subject)

A fact: John Granby has never had a pet. Dragons are decidedly not pets - they are sentient creatures, intelligent and independent, and their relationships with their Captains are more comparable to that between friends or parents and their children. It has elements of spouse. It is also decidedly not anything to do with ownership (unless dragons can be said, reasonably enough, to own their Captains).

And now he has a kitten. She's cradled against his chest, burrowing into his shirt. Iskierka hadn't waited for him to name her but, like all aviators, John had had a name for his dragon in mind.

Maybe now he will finally get to use it.

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I am comfortably curled up in a chair on their front porch, scribbling away as if my life depends on it, even though this time it really doesn't. I hear John's approach, but it takes me a moment to look up. "Hello," I say, smiling though he has only part of my attention.

I do not even notice the cat at first, but after a second I look up again.

"What is that?"

Laurence had been inside, and thought little of it when Julie greeted Granby as he returned. He barely even noted her question him, busy coming out so that he might greet him as well. The bundle in the other man's arms though drew him up short. He endeavored not to stare or comment however, unless Granby should say something about it first. "Hello, John."

"Will, Julie, allow me to introduce the newest addition to our household," he says, lifting the kitten so they can both get a look at her, tiny and inquisitive sleek and silver. "I thought I might name her Sophie. I hope we might make room for her."

I do not, technically, live here, but I do spend a great deal of my time here and appreciate being included as part of the household.

The kitten does not look like our sturdy, plain mousers from home, but I think I like the look of her anyway. "She's lovely. Did you choose her, or was it the other way around?"

Laurence smiled slightly at the mention of the cat's name, though Julie might not have noticed it, or if she did it was unlikely that she would have guessed the full reason behind it. Having known Granby for a number of years at that point, he was well aware of what he might have named his dragon, had Iskierka not proven so very opinionated.

"I think it is a fine name, and a fine cat as well."

"I think she rather chose me," he says, leaning back against the porch rail with Sophie curled up in her arms. "And then Helen would not let me take no for an answer. And I figured we could find room for one more?" He does notice the look on Laurence's face, though and he shrugs. "Finally got to use the name for something, though."

He looks at Julie. "It wasn't quite the same for Laurence but most Aviators know what they'll call their dragons from boyhood, should they get a chance at a Captaincy."

"And you'd have called yours Sophie, if she hadn't turned out to be so..." I take a moment to choose an appropriate word to describe the dragon I've heard so much about. "... independent?"

I get up to take a closer look, and venture to stroke her little head. I can't help a shameful bit of relief that it isn't a puppy, but I don't want to remind anyone of my ridiculous fears so I don't say so. "She won't take up much more space than I do."

"Independent is by far one of the kinder expressions I have heard used to describe Iskierka," Laurence said as he took in the sight of the kitten from his position towards Julie's side. "I daresay she will be a welcome addition."

"Willful. Pig-headed. Vainglorious." Granby's nothing if not wholly realistic where Iskierka is concerned. He grins at Julie. "She might take up marginally less space than you do in the bed. For a tiny creature, you sprawl like nothing I've ever seen before."

"I can arrange to sleep elsewhere if you'd prefer." I might be teasing him, but I manage to keep a perfectly straight face, at least at first. "Perhaps Will and I will run off together and leave you and your new lady the whole bed in peace."

I can't quite get through the whole thing without laughing.

"You've obviously never lived with a cat, though. She'll have us all on the floor if she wants to."

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