170 Near Disasters

[cal_sitter]

Audio Post

[The door opens. Keys are discarded on a tabletop. A pause.]

Wrong apartment. No view of SoHo from the living room, and the walls weren't inspired by a bag of Werther's Original. You didn't decide without me that we needed a vacation, did you little brother?

[Mewling, a thud, and a purr.]

... a vacation with cats?

[OOC: So there

Comments

[halfed]

Cat's would be the last thing on my mind.

[and he's looking back out the very door they'd just wandered inside. The hallway wasn't the one they'd just been walking through.]

[cal_sitter]

[Staring down at the pair of felines wrapping themselves around his legs.]

I know the things you keep on your mind. Let's leave them there, shall we?

[halfed]

[Smirking. Because his thoughts could well be considered a side-effect of having spent too long around a certain Puck. He's back to seriousness again though, after a few moments]

You got any idea?

[Of what happened, obviously]

[cal_sitter]

[Responds to the smirk with a flat stare, unamused or simply pretending to be. Eventually, he picks up a cat in one hand and nudges the other inside with his boot.]

Either you've learned to travel without inducing nausea, or ...

[He takes a moment to check the closet, just to be sure. There's a note in one of the coat pockets. It's in Cal's handwriting, and warns of the Auphe.]

Welcome back to the City.

[halfed]

Did we ever leave it?

[Not counting- No, wait. Wrong city. This was the capitalized version. The door is slammed shut. Yes, that's annoyance that has him doing that.]

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

[cal_sitter]

[The cats bolt. Niko doesn't spare them a glance.]

Indeed.

[He's exercising what little control he has these days by not burying one of his knives hilt-deep in the wall.]

[halfed]

[Breathe, breathe. The door's locked and he heads over toward Niko.]

At least there's no threat of burning your eyes just for looking at the wall.

[The briefest of smiles, however forced]

We'll manage, Nik.

[cal_sitter]

[Niko has a throwing blade out and spinning in the air.]

We always do.

[He's not even looking at what he's doing, fingers unerring as they twirl and flip the blade.]

[halfed]

[So now Niko's showing off. Cal shakes his head and pulls off his jacket. It's tossed over the back of the sofa.]

What now?

[cal_sitter]

[It is, on occasion, rewarding to annoy Cal by doing tricks he hasn't mastered.]

Find out what we've missed. Make arrangements with the dojo and Lux. Ask Holly to take the cats.

[halfed]

And then?

[Not that he wasn't expecting the rest to take a while. There were just more important things that had to be taken care of, as far as he was concerned.]

[cal_sitter]

The Underground will have to suffice.

[Niko finally sheaths his knife and shrugs out of his coat. He takes Cal's and hangs both garments in the closet, indicating he plans to stay indoors for a while longer.]

[halfed]

They've managed for however long we were gone. I'm sure they can keep it up. And people are quick enough to fill in the gaps.

[Which left everything already covered, right?]

I suppose all that's left is finding a good place to start, tonight.

[cal_sitter]

Only a few days.

[He shows Kyle's response to Cal.]

As for the rest, somewhere secluded. We have at least until midnight before the City invades our privacy. Let's not help it by inviting an audience.

[halfed]

[More than he really wanted to see, but he nods]

We'll find somewhere.

[Even if they had to kick others out to do it.]

[cal_sitter]

[Steps through to the kitchen and checks the contents of the refrigerator and cabinets. He's done discussing serious matters. The City being what it is, they'll be forced to address them soon.]

Carry-out?