.: Aug 18th - Late Night :.
(Many thanks to Sergei for the scene!)

Night.

It could be cooler but it was just starting. With making sure that there were no customers most of the day she had, for the most part, been taking it easy. She sure did still look like hell though. Pale too! Who knows where the boy wonder was but she was on the main floor of the Bon Bon, broom in hand and sweeping away. She had on this cute little apron that a friend had made for her with pink frosted cupcakes scattered around the white cloth. Normally she hated pink but..you know...gift. Can't say no to something someone made!

Night!

Sergei had been effectively grounded for a week now, and while RhyDin traffic was a tricky thing to control, he knew he'd have a hell of a time getting out of the city with his growing reputation as a sky courier (and, by extension, potential disease vector right now). He kept his training flights limited, relatively low to the ground and far enough out in the countryside not to gain the ire of the Watch, RASG, or the slew of volunteer radarmen and pilots encouraging their fellow flyers to stick to RhyDin and contain the plague.

So he did the next best thing and turned to reading about flying, in the oh-so-educational format of pulp fiction. He was pacing around the Bon Bon, ambling through different rooms, up and down the stairs with his nose buried in the latest issue of "The Silver Bullet: Soldier of the Clouds!" He shuffled into the same room as Katt and paused for a moment to turn the page, apparently unaware she was there with him.

But she was aware of him.

Good grief how couldn't she be with all that tromping around he was doing! Tilting her eyes up from her task she watched him roam through the room, pausing to turn the page. It was sorta..cute. He was very dedicated to his flying even if she still didn't know much about it. One day. One day he would show her. Or so she hoped.

Using the broom she leaned into it, allowing it to support her weight. "You are going to bump into something.."

"Mm," he replied, and considered the panel. It was another moment until he started, his brain connecting the dots, realizing that was another person he had just responded to! He slapped the comic book shut, then laughed, rubbing at the back of his head. "Nah, I'm not that clumsy on the ground..."

Well if that wasn't suspicious. She couldn't help but wonder now if there was something in that book he was sheepish about. A tired grin began to creep across her lips. "What are you reading?" Going straight for it. That poor broom, it's bristles were turning outward the more she leaned into it. She didn't seem to notice she was tilting either.

And yes, ever so sweetly biting her tongue on the clumsy comment!

Let it be said that, in the air, Sergei's instincts are faster than many skilled pilots... but this was not the air. Katt went for the comic, and by golly, she got it, and if she opened it to the dog-eared page, she'd find a woman tied to a lightning rod in a thunderstorm atop a high tower surrounded by clouds in considerable distress... and her bra seemed to be similarly distressed, from the look of things. As it was a comic technically intended for kids and young adults, nothing was shown, but only through art could a top be unbuttoned so low and leave nipples unexposed.

On the facing page, the Silver Bullet (who rather resembled the Rocketeer) was punching an evil scientist in the jaw while the buxsome damsel screamed in the background.

"H-hey!" Sergei protested, swatting belatedly at the air where his comic had been until very recently.

Uh huh see she thought so! Flying and women! And she sure enough went for that comic to give it a look see. Her eyes rotated up then over to him as he swatted the air. Nope! She leaned back in case he tried for it and began to shuffle away. Granted in her condition she couldn't exactly speed off but hey..she was armed with a broom which she would use to keep him at fended off. "Hey what? Want it back? Don't hear the magic word!"

As she backed away he leaned forward on one foot, grabbing again at the air, partly in an effort to reach the comic and partly to keep himself more or less balanced while he stretched for the prize, and he paused there on tiptoe to tilt his head at her request: "...Abra-cadabra?"

The broom was tilted a little so that the bristles met his chin. Tap! "Nope!" She grunted when she bumped back into a glass counter and nearly fell over for it. Instead she shuffled along it, her new support, while leaning as far back as she could to keep the comic out of his reach. "Try again!"

"Hibbly bibbly bop!" he tried, with another futile swipe at thin air, for which he was punished by a faceful of broom bristles!

"Mm..Nope! Must not want your nakie lady picture book back that badly!" Opps it seemed to be slipping out of her hand too. She blinked when she was suddenly grasping air and she looked upside down to watch the comic slide behind the counter. Quickly her eyes shot to Sergei then the break of the bar. Off she went!

"The ladies are not naked!" Sergei made a daring dive over the bar! He could see the maneuvers in his head, just as he saw the way the Sweet Maria cut through the sky. Unfortunately, they did not play out quite as he had planned.

Instead he ended up thumping his back upside down into the wall while she scurried in his wake into the comic book's path. He recovered quickly though, apparently no worse for wear, scrambling yet again for his literature!

She laughed, losing the broom as she went behind the break. He seemed okay so she went for it. Didn't get too far in her state though. Stumbling she tilted forward and reached out. If anything she tried to reach for the comic on her way down. Thump! Waggling her fingers she pulled on the end of the comic. Come to mama!

Katt got a brief flash of illustrated cleavage from the pages within as the book flapped over her head, withdrawn by Sergei's hand. Hmph! That's the face he's making right now. After a moment, he colored and repeated himself, "They aren't naked. And besides..." Beat. "...'s about the adventure."

She grunted, either because he won or that she got flashed! She has her own thank you very much! She doesn't need to see someone elses. She winced and twisted a bit in attempt to force herself up to sit. It hurt! "Uh huh. Who are you trying to fool?"

He hmph'ed more! "Nobody! It's true! The Silver Bullet fights evildoers and keeps the skies free." And, in the spirit of his great idol, Sergei helped poor Katt to her foot, ditching the comic on the counter for now.

She winced even more and did her absolute best not to shy away from him when he touched her. "Heh. T-Thanks.." She glanced after his comic. "What is..the Silver bullet?"

"Well... he's a hero. Made-up, unfortunately, else the sky'd be a much safer place for all of us." His hand slipped away from her as soon as he was upright, due in equal part to his shyness and her visible reaction. He glanced at the window for a moment. "My friend Tomm's uncle made him up. He still writes some of the radio serials, but you can't get them here, and the Empire put a stop to the broadcasts a year ago anyway."

"...but they've managed to resume printing off-world, not far from here," far more brightly.

"Your ..hero.." It was distant. She never had one now that she thought about it. "Mrm.." Her eyes turned back to him while he talked and her head slowly tilted to the side. Sometimes she hated that some things he said she didn't understand. "So you enjoy it." Leaning over she did a stage whisper his way. "Still has nakie women in it." And she strolled off, using the counter as a guide.

"They're not naked!" he protested heatedly, stalking after her, flapping the comic in the air after her as he made his point. "You can't see their boobs!"

"...not all of them, anyway!"

The silly-anger red turned into a more embarrassed red as he paused, considering what he'd just blurted in his counterargument.

"Nhh.." Her cheeks attempted to color and did so in a faint pink. She glanced over to him. "Mhm.. I win." Chalk one up for the gal! She giggled lightly. "You are turning all red now."

"Amn't," he mumbled in reply, stalking stairs-ward. Halfway up them he pointed the rolled-up comic over his shoulder at her, "And you should be resting, not working."

"S-Sergei wait." She stammered after him and stopped to stare at the end of the rolled up comic. "Yeah..I know.." She shuffled and leaned herself against the side of the counter. "It's..not just that though."

He stopped. Craned his neck around to look back at her, lowering the comic.

Her eyes were on her toes, too shamed to tell him the other reason. Really how do you tell someone that? "Are..you busy this weekend?"

"No..." Ohgodohgodohgod.

"Well if you aren't busy Sunday there is this party thing..uh..costume party?" She waggled a finger in the air a bit. "To celebrate the artsy festival?" She wasn't sure if he had even heard about the festival. Probably would not be happy to know she already signed up a booth and such.

"Artsy festival?" he said, and then caught onto the more important point of this, actually waving off the former part as he added, "Are... you asking me to go with you?"

"Well sure." She blinked and lowered her hand. "I mean if I .." She frowned a bit. She was going to need blood..soon. The pain was horrible. There was no way she could go and have an ounce of fun. "If you don't want to that is fine. Just thought it would be fun." She shrugged a bit.

"...samurai," he decided, after a moment of staring off.

She blinked a number of times up at him. "Mrm? Samurai?" Where did that come from?

"What I mean is, yes," bowing his head, "it'd be awesome to go to the festival with you. I'd love to. ...There's a job that's supposed to happen then," looking back up at her with a bit of a wince, "but there's a decent chance it'll be cancelled over the plague."

Her brows knitted when he winced. "If it doesn't don't worry about it okay?" She tilted her head to the side and she smiled weakly. "If you don't show up I'll just have to bring you back some of the food and stuff!"

"What kinda food are they gonna have?" He made his way back down the stairs one at a time, making small talk to divert her attention as much as possible from the fact that every ounce of his brainpower was devoted to agonizing over the question of whether or not this constituted a date.

"Uh..I don't really know. I just know it's themed something called..Fairy tales? I had to find a book just to know what those were.." Scratching an ear she seemed to suddenly avoiding looking at him. The floor..the carpet..everything groundward was interesting!

Sergei himself seemed rather fascinated by the railing. "Huh. Well, I guess the stories of the great samurai Musashi became kinda like a fairytale..."

"Moo. Who?" Yes she just mooed. Yep now she was going to be looking that up if she could figure out to spell it..or even say it! She finally pushed from her spot, an arm curling across her waist. She stared her way to the stairs that he was lingering on. "Can we go sit?"

"Mm," he nodded, finally looking at her again. "Upstairs, or somewhere down here...?" Already moving to her side to help her, or at the very least be close to her in case she stumbled.

She gestured with her free hand to the stairs. "I like my chair up there." She smiled to him as she passed and headed on up there. She was taking her sweet time too it seemed. "You can sit on the couch and explain to me about this uh..Oh..Samurai." She could say that!

It was nearly haunting the way Sergei laid half against her, slumped in his slumber with the only movement being his breathing. He seemed in peace and that was good.

She, however, was not. She was feeling all shades of guilty and yet at the same time felt an almost sense of awe. There was also that lingering worry that he was afraid of her. The more she thought about it the more it all came back, over and over again, to what he had done. He had sacrificed so much.

Her lips twitched into a small frown as she watched the top of his wild ranged hair, fingers flicking a few tips of the dark strains. It really was haunting. Like a memory hazed in the mind, ever lingering. She had been in this position before but there were things that were different this time.

Sergei had knew what he was offering. He knew what was to be done and he did it willingly. Granted he was nervous and afraid but still...

He wasn't going to wake up in complete fear? Run away or scream her monster? He wasn't going to hate her for what she had done..Right?

She shifted slightly under him, struggling to reach out for the blanket that folded over the back of the cough. It took some doing but she finally managed to snag the edge and pull it down to drape over him. She would watch over him until she fell asleep, remaining the pillow for his weary head.

Until then her mind kept rolling over and over. Before sleep finally did claim her she realized...

...she was expecting to wake with him gone.

.: Aug 19th - Evening :.
(Many thanks to Sergei, Fio, Zykeal, Silphion, and Snorlax for the scene!)

It's between the twelve and one o'clock hours (according to the Eastern clock, anyway) on a Saturday when he's not out on a job, which means that Sergei is checking his mail at the Inn. He holds the door for Katt, explaining to her as they go, "It's just... convenient for some people, y'know? For lots of folks this is like the center of town... so it kinda makes sense to keep a mailbox here."

Fionna and Ali were two of those people. They had business mail delivered to the shop on the first floor of the Eye. But they had always had their personal mail left for them at the inn. It is what brought her there now, ostensibly. At least, she was standing behind the bar in front of the mail cubbies sifting through a handful of junk when the couple entered.

A finger scratched against her forehead as Katt slipped on by Sergei and into the inn. The ever popular container was in arm but with something new and surprising..sorta Sergei's fault on that one. "I guess so. I really don't get mail so I uh..you know.. No reason to check to see if I get any." Looking to the commons she side stepped and glanced over to the single person there. "You still get letters from your family though..right?" Family was important!

"Uh-huh. They're kinda slow right now though, because of the embargoes... but I'm sure that'll be over soon," Brightening his tone again. He looks where she's looking as they approach the bar, freezes for a moment, then clasps his hands together and bows politely, a few degrees further than a simple bow of the head. "Mrs. Governor, good afternoon!"

"But you still get them." Was the point! Katt blinked and followed over to the bar. Unlike the polite Sergei she waved a hand and smiled politely. "Hello Mrs. Fio!" The container was placed on the counter and she peeled it open. Fresh beignets and some banana nut muffin tops. Om nom.

"Oh, stop that," Fio chided Sergei good-humoredly. "I'm not the Queen of Hearts -or- England. Hello to both of you. How are you?"

He partly understands one reference, and the other one not at all, but it doesn't keep him from a good-natured smile. "I'm doing well! Just checking the mail. How are you?"

Katt was amused both by Sergei's politeness and Fio's scolding. She couldn't hide that grin even if she tried. "Oh you know you like it Mrs. Governor!" Chipping after Sergei innocently enough. "I am doing better. Slowly but surely getting back to my feet." She perked for Fio's answer to Sergei's question.

"I am," Fio began as she dropped a handful of flyers for things like maid service and drapery cleaning into the trash bin with a resounding metallic thunk, and smiling up at them with a flash of sunshine, "counting myself to be extremely fortunate, running into you two today."

He colors just a little, at first taking this for a compliment. "You are?"

Oh dear. Did Sergei break something on a delivery? Katt's eyes tilted over to him. She didn't give the 'what did you do' look quite yet. Curiously she looked back to Fio and settled down into a seat. "Oh?"

It was a compliment. "Mm. I've been puzzling over how to handle something and until the moment you both came in, a solution had not occurred to me. But now, I think, I might have discovered the answer has been right here all along." The smile didn't fade, but Fio gestured for them to join her, if they liked, at a table. "Shall I get us all something from the cooler?"

"...Soda, please," Sergei manages, still puzzled by what the governor could be up to. He takes a seat, and does his best to sit up straight, with a metal clank as the wrench at his belt settles against the chair.

Katt nodded to show she'd join at the table or where ever Fio felt was best for whatever she needed to talk about. "Oo! Cranberry juice for me please!" Oh. Wait. Her eyes slid over to the door just to make sure. Yep. No Mesteno. The juice would be safe!

"Cranberry juice and soda. Zeppa?" Fio asked him with a glance back as she bent to rummage in the cold box.

The boy's manner seems to be changing as he realizes this likely has something to do with business -- either Katt's, his own, or some combination thereof. He shrugs at Fio's question, offers brightly, "Zeppa works. Thanks." And he goes back to considering what she could want, and the recent accomplishments of both the Bon Bon and his own sky courier service, and their respective credentials.

And Katt? She was just waiting. Assuming things just tended to get her in trouble. "Zeppa?" She peered over to Fio then Sergei.

Two of the green glass bottles came out - one for Sergei and one for herself - and a clear glass bottle of cranberry juice. Fio popped the caps off of the sodas on the mounted opener next to the cooler, and gathered all three up. "I like Zeppa myself," as she carried them over. "And Katt, I think you would love a little in your juice sometime. Makes it fizzy."

"Oh. Zeppa is a..soda? Oh! Like Dr. Pepper!" She does learn! Fizzy in her cranberry juice. Hmm. Katt shifted slightly in her spot, eyeballing the bottle. "Does it change the flavor?"

"Huh. It's kinda like Limon+ from back home," he observes in a murmur as the drinks arrive. "Prob'ly a little,' he offers to Katt. "Tastes a little like lemon and lime, but really sweet."

Passing the bottles around, Fio pulled up a seat and got settled. "You could always just pour a little of both into a glass and try a sip or two. If you don't like it, you haven't wasted a whole bottle of juice, then."

That seemed like a good idea to her even if drinking out of a glass made her cautious. Silly people and their peanuts. A few nods and Katt motioned Sergei to join Fio while she leaned to fetch a clean glass. "Sounds like a plan to me!"

He's about to sip, but waits until Katt gets a glass so he can pour some Zeppa in first. "So, um..." He looks back at Fio, ventures, "What's, uh, puzzling you?"

Katt toddled over, thankfully not falling over. The glass was set on the table and she slipped down carefully into a seat. No flopping for her. "He's curious." Cause no, she totally wasn't. Okay so that wasn't exactly true. Waggling her fingers she pulled over the bottle of cranberry juice and went to fighting the cap. "Thank you, Mrs. Fio."

Fio wrinkled her nose at her first sip of the fizzy soda, making her freckles dance. Eyes were sharply alert about her grin at Katt's summation, she glanced around them and set the bottle down. "It's a conundrum. But I think I have a job for you, Fly-boy."

Sergei gives Katt a 'hey, knock it off!' look, and then gets called Fly-boy. But then there's the conundrum too, which has him more curious than why people are teasing him. "Well, ma'am, I'm wide open for jobs right now. Afraid no one wants to hire a RhyDin pilot with RBF still ongoing, so I've had my feet on the ground for a week or two now."

Katt stopped a moment and blinked up to Fio. A quick glanced to Sergei before looking back to Fio. "I can step away if you need me to, Mrs. Fio." Just in case it was one of those delicate info type things. There was a side kick to Sergei for his comment and she pouted a little. No one huh..pff.

A negligent wave of Fio's hand bade Katt to stay put. "Exactly, Sergei, it's a bit of a problem for me, too. The vaccine and nanomed shipments are using up a great many resources," she phrased that delicately. The truth ofhte matter was that the watch and their normal government transports were stretched to the breaking point and Kazon, Batten, the Bloods and the Scathacians had given all the additional aid they could. "Normal mail and supply shipments are running slowly." Or not at all. "And nothing much is going off-RhyDin."

He thinks he sees where this is going. "There's something you need brought in, sent out...?"

Katt settled, fighting with the cap as she listened. At some point she either gave up or settled, listening to Fio's explanation. Her lips twitched ever so faintly.

"Sent out." Fio lifted the bottle for another sip. "Quietly."

Sergei pauses. His business face has settled in fully. "You know who our third party is?" Who could make trouble for them on this job.

"The recipient, you mean? Of course. But who would trouble him over a simple mail packet?"

"In these trying times..you never know.." Katt's fingers tapped against the bottle. That sounded maybe a bit too dark she realized. Opps.

Adorned in his usual hoodie, Greek sandals, and owl wristwatch, the one difference in Zyk today was that he decided he'd wear his cargo shorts instead of his blue jeans. He was being dangerous, he thought! As such, he slid in through the back entrance, heading his way towards the back of the bar so he could rummage through the cooler that would hold his new favorite too the inn.

Sergei watches Fio for a moment, then nods. "Okay. I can deliver this mail for you... quietly," he emphasizes, and has to wonder at what's really going on here, if he needs to be quiet but no one would trouble over this mail. "Where to?"

"Qaithos." The name alone should be enough to tell him what he was dealing with. Fio rolled the bottom edge of the bottle back and forth in a small arc as she watched his reaction.

Sergei's mouths the placename, and nearly exclaims aloud, were it not for the man in the hoodie entering. He stares at Zykeal for a moment, then turns to Fio and leans in, whispering, "Those seas are crawling with pirates... and now those skies, too." Which is why she contacted you, dummy. That begins to sink in, and he leans back again. Frowning. Thinking. "...it's important?"

Katt glanced over to Zykeal. She just watched him for a moment until she heard Sergei's words. Her head snapped in his direction. Alarms went up and she looked to Fio.

Very carefully Sergei isn't looking over at Katt at all, certain she'll disapprove of this, but he's already pretty sure he's going to take this job.

Rummaging through the cooler, Zykeal extracted the yellow and blue labeled "yoo-hoo" drink that he had become fond of. From there, he stood, and turned so that he could easily hop over the bar top. As such, he would place himself upon a barstool and read the back of the bottle, curious of the ingredients of the most addicting, chocolate beverage.

Fio was quiet for longer than was strictly necessary, but there were things she heard, things she listened for that told her volumes about both of them. She continued to study them - mainly Sergei, but Katt also. "It's a mail shipment. Letters, business documents. That sort of thing. Nothing anyone needs to get excited over." A tick of a glance went barward and back.

For the moment she was listening and aside from her lips being pursed thin, there was no expression to be read. Katt had to bite her tongue and she was biting it hard.

Sergei follows Fio eyes. "Okay. I can get it there in two days... or I can do it in fifteen hours. That's your choice."

"Fifteen hours." Fio didn't even ask how much.

Sergei licks his lips lightly. "Today?"

"If you haven't other plans, why not?" The roll of her shoulder was eloquent.

The outwardly dismissive nature tells him everything about the seriousness of this job. "Well... I'm itching to get back up in that sky. I'll start after sunset."

Katt's lips parted. "(s) Mrs. Fio.." She found it hard to believe that something so rushed was just..mail. There was something. There had to be. "I'm going with you, Sergei."

Sergei shook his head. "The weight'll slow down the plane, and besides... it'll be boring." And by that, he means extremely dangerous. His eyes slip back to Fio. "...You'll get your bill before I leave, governor... if that, uh... if that suits you."

"Katt, you know it occurs to me that you've never visited my home before, aside from deliveries to the shop. If Sergei's going to be gone this weekend, why don't you come for a visit and spend the night? Raza would be tickled to have a new face to practice charming." And her home was as safe as anything in RhyDin, hands down. "Of course," in reply to Sergei. "I'll make sure it's transferred into your accounts personally, if you will just jot down the transmittal codes for me."

"Katt, wait up..." Sergei continued his hurrying, well aware she was probably mad, though maybe not quite understanding the anger was probably derived from concern.

Good grief she was irked. Even forgot her cranberry juice. Katt had strolled off of the porch and started down the street. She didn't wait..Maybe slowed a little for him to catch up but that was about it. "Stop being slow. You have to get ready and everything don't you?"

"I... I've got something to explain!" he managed in a huffed breath as he finally fell in beside her.

"Is that why you wanted to come back to the Bon Bon?" Her hands found the sides of her shorts..no hoodie..no pockets. Urg. Her hands felt suddenly useless with no place to hide.

"Yeah. This... it's important," he began. "What's going on in Qaithos... it's big. I didn't think it'd happen... but it is. It's... you know the shot? The one they gave you... for the virus?"

"Yeah." She stamped the single word simply into an answer.

"Qaithos is a big research center... It's where they designed the vaccine. In the first days of the outbreak there were a few posted courier jobs here to Qaithos, but they all got cancelled because of pirates. They got the same kinda idea as that local gang here that hijacked a vaccine shipment... They're trying to get their hands on anything coming in and out of Qaithos and hold it ransom."

"It's dangerous, and I'm sorry I'm doing it..." His face fell, looking away. "...but I have to do it. This virus is hurting people, and other people are trying to profit off it... and I can't let them stop us. And I can't... do nothing... when I know I can help stop it."

Katt's body jerked sharply and she turned to face him. "Do you actually think I am mad at you for going? For wanting to help? I am not..I am not shallow..Do you know how to fight? Will you be able to defend yourself if the need arises?" Frighteningly there was no expression on her face.

His jaw tightened. He looked at her, and turned away again. "The Sweet Maria's not a fighting ship... but I can fly. I can outfly them."

"Look, I... you could get hurt!" he sputtered, grasping onto his arguments as quickly as he could. "You're still recovering!"

"I am not talking in the air, Sergei! I.." Her brows furrowed and she leaned back on her heels. "(s) I don't care.." Her lips thinned. "I don't care if I get hurt. I do care if you do! What if you..You are going to be all alone and if you get hurt..It's dangerous.."

"I won't get hurt," he protested, which he didn't know for sure. He'd been hurt a couple of times before. Never badly, but still. "Have you flown before?"

Altian wings. Sure she has. Otherwise.. "No.." As true as an answer as she could give. She frowned and started to walk again. "I am giving you something before you leave and you can fight me all you want about it but you are taking it with you."

He hurried after her again. "What is it?"

"A knife. It's nothing big but..it will come in handy. Just in case." She figured she would have to teach him to use it. Simple jab and run techniques to get out of a tight situation.

"Mm," he nodded. "I should probably keep a knife. Wrenches are awkward for melee..."

"Katt?"

She was going through her mind where she left the darn thing. The wrist or ankle sheath..which would be best? "Yes?" She mumbled back to him.

"I'm... glad, that you care. And I care, too."

It took a few moments for his words to catch up with her or rather break that train of thought she was in. She blinked slowly and looked over to him. "Mrm?"

"That you care, what happens to me, that I don't get hurt. I only... I'm only doing this the way I am.. because I care about you, too."

Well that was disarming and she deflated. Sighing she looked away. "Of course I care silly. We are friends aren't we. And I... I know you are just trying to make sure I don't get hurt and all." The marketplace was busy as ever with the afternoon rush and she reached out to grab his elbow so he didn't get left behind. "I'm sorry.." She finally squeezed it out.

"Me too, Katt," he said, finally giving her a small smile. He was grateful for the contact, however brief, as he hurried alongside her.

Once they had cleared the crowd and were on the same street as the Bon Bon he was released but the same hand went up, a single finger directed at his face. She spoke while not directing herself at him anymore then she already was, which meant her eyes were focused down the street. "Don't..Don't you dare not come back you hear me..I'll be expecting you back." Period!

"I... what?!" He blinked at the pointing finger, and decided he would respond to this with bravado. "Of course I'm coming back! As if a bunch of stinking pirates could stop the Sergei Rodovic. Sky pirates have all the grace and maneuverability of a bag of rocks!" Hmph!

"Yeah yeah..Come on The Sergei Rodovic. You need to get ready." And off she would continue with him in tow no less. He did manage to crack her expression as there was a tiny smirk at the corner of her lips.

A button had the door going up, and up and in they went, tucking into the shop's receiving and storage. "Here we are!" She cooed for Raza as much as for Katt.

If it had cherry blossom trees they may never be rid of her! The mysterious way Fio said that..or was it the smile..gave her room for concern. The familiar building was peeked up to, realizing she was about to see it from a whole new point of view. Like that auto-door. She watched it go up. "Neat." Doors normally opened and closed with help! Not pushing a button.

Once Fio had stopped she sat there patiently for obvious reasons. One..Happy cheerful child was a cooing back at mama and two...she had no idea how to get out of the restraints! It was like the seatbelt of a car and she still had no clue how to deal with those!

Fio climbed off the bike and pressed the button that had the door coming down again behind them, taking off her helmet and hanging it on the handlebar. She stretched, then went around to the boot to retrieve the duffle before completing the circuit back around to free Raza and Katt. The boy was wriggly again, eager to get loose once it was clear there was no more riding to do. He had toys upstairs and a brand new friend to show them to.

She leaned in and pulled the clasp that released them, then unburdened Katt by taking Raza. She tugged his helmet off and waited for Katt to get up before dropping it into the side car.

"So what did you think of your first motor bike ride?"

Katt blinked down at the squirming kid. Suddenly he was all balls of energy wasn't he? Once freed she slipped out and pulled off her helmet. Once out she slipped the helmet into her still warmed seat. "It was.." She paused, trying to figure out how to sum that up. She grinned sheepishly. "Fun. Fast!" A few nods were made and she looked over to the bike with curiosity. "It's really fast.."

A hand tilted, a single finger pointing a bit to Raza. "He really seems to like it too."

"We think it's a lot of fun. And it can go faster. I didn't want to scare you, though." Fio winked at her and gestured for Katt to follow her out of the storeroom and into the hallway between it and the shop. "And oh, he loves riding on the bike. He's going to be a daredevil, just like his daddy."

"Shall we take the elevators or the stairs?"

"Faster?" Katt gave Fio an owlish look. "Really?" To date she wasn't sure if she ever met Fio's husband. Maybe she had and just didn't know it? Who knows. Hands rubbed nervously against her shorts as she followed Fio. "What is..an elevator?"

"Ohh.. if you've never been on one, we'll take those. Then we'll come down on the stairs so you know your way around. How's that?"

She bounced Raza in her arms, He was busy babbling to Katt over Fio's shoulder. It seemed to be a very serious and animated conversation, too. Not that it made one bit of sense, probably, to her. Unless she spoke Kheuar, by chance.

"Nuh uh. What is it?" She asked again because she was a tad cautious with things. Well...sorta cautious. She blinked up to Raza when he started babbling at her and she giggled. That was sooo cute how couldn't she be amused by it. And whatever he was baby talking (or so she figured) he sure did look like it was something very, very important!

She gave a somewhat serious look and nodded her head as if she were agreeing with whatever he said. Oh dear..lord knows what she was agreeing to!

"It's like a little room on cables that raises and lowers. If you handled the bike okay, this is nothing. But if you'd rather, we can take the stairs and leave the elevators for exploring later. Up to you." Fio really did not want Katt to feel uncomfortable.

"How little a room.." Katt's steps slowly began to drag and she gulped. "I'm..sort of claustrophobic." Okay 'sorta' was putting it super mildly. Lifting a hand she scratched the back of her head and offered Fio a sheepish smile. "I am sorry to cause you trouble, Mrs. Fio."

"It isn't any trouble. We don't have to take the elevators at all. Come on!" She opened the stairwell door and ushered her in. Raza didn't seem to have an opinion either way.

Katt nodded and lowered her hand, quickly entering and taking lead even though she didn't know where she was headed. "I haven't even told Sergei that yet..Heh..Sure it will come up eventually..That and.." She shuddered. "(s) Horses.."

"Don't worry," Fio grinned. "No horses here. Fourth floor for the house," she started up with her. "All that's on teh second floor here are conference rooms for the shop, a secure storeroom and Ali's office," she commented when they'd reached the second landing. On the third floor landing, a bright sign that matched the banner outside proclaimed they'd reached Fio's studio. "I'll show you around there sometime this weekend. Half the floor is Lirssa's circus nets and our punching bag, so that's fun to play around."

"And here we are," when they reached the fourth. "The stairs go up to the roof - we can eat dinner up there before we go to the opening at the condos tonight." Still wasn't saying much about what was up there though! She unlocked the door and swung it open into the living room of the Eye. The scrabble of toenails as Dante got up from his nap in Lirssa's room to greet them at a gallop gave them about five seconds' warning.

"Is there any place I am not suppose to go?" Katt asked just to make sure she didn't wander off and go some place she wasn't suppose to. Not that it would probably happen. She would probably either roam a tiny bit and find a spot to keep herself or she would stay in the room. Course..Fio might not allow that..or Raza for that matter!

Katt blinked hearing the nails tapping the floor as the canine came running. Blink. "You have a dog.." Both hands swept back to the back pockets of her shorts. No biting the hands!

Dante was as sweet as they came, sniffing and offering kisses with a fast back and forth swing of his tail.

"We have a dog, Dante, and a yellow tabby named Siva. She thinks she rules the place, so you know. Dante! Go lie down!" Seeing Katt was uncomfortable, she'd buy her some time to get used to him. "No, you can roam wherever you like here. Want me to show you your room, so you can put your bag there? Then I'll give you a tour of the place."

Well he seemed nice enough! Katt slowly relaxed and reached out to pat the dog's head before he was sent on his way. A grin twitched her lips. "Most cats think they rule their place of residence. Sumps thinks the Bon Bon is his playground."

Poor Sumps..all alone in the bon bon by himself. Probably should of brought him with her. A few nods bobbed her head and she looked at her rucksack. The bag looked as if it had seen better days but it still served it's purpose. Probably the only item she has had for a long period of time. "I'd like that! Is the young Mister," Meaning the little man of course! "Going to be joining us?"

Fio just laughed at that, and set Raza down on the floor.

Raza immediately scrambled in a crawl toward Katt and tried to pull himself up to his feet - if she let him catch her! - using her clothing for counterbalance.

Katt blinked when she was scrambled after and she remained perfectly still to allow her leg to be scaled. Poor thing would only have her bare leg to cling to and boy could those little fingers pinch! Eventually she reached down a hand to offer out and help him to his feet. There was a pause in doing so but she did do it. Bravely so! She deserved a gold star!

Raza was wobbly. Not quite a walker yet. At least by himself. But he clung to her finger like a lifeline.

"I think he likes you."

Katt blinked over to Fio and down to Raza. "Likes me.." Her head slowly tilted to the side as she peered at Raza. "Really? I..am sorta still afraid I might accidentally hurt him. I don't..I don't want to.."

"You'll be fine. I'm not worried, and neither is he." An encouraging grin. She was so nervous!

Yeah Katt had reason to be though. She stared at Raza as if he was going to say something she would totally understand soon. "Mrm..Okie.." Really she didn't want to do anything that would have her ..hated..hunted again. She had enough people hating her. Those who were once..dear and precious to her.

Fionna reached down and swept Raza up into her arms, zerbering his belly as she bounced along down the hall with him. They went past Lirssa's bedroom and the nursery on one side, and the shrine on the other, until they reached a door across from the big library. "This is the guest room, I hope you'll like it, but if there is anything you want or need that isn't in there, let me know. We should be able to rustle up almost anything."

Fio opened the door and switched on the light. "The bath is through that door there. You don't have to share with the children, and I think you have the nicest tub in the place, personally."

"I don't really need a lot. Honestly up until I got sick I didn't even have a bed in my ..uh..quarters? in the Bon Bon." Nope. If one were to look at the living space..Sergei's room was the best furnished and Katt's room..was a bed and a window. The bed was curtsy of Sergei because he seemed to think bedrest meant having a bed! She blinked and tilted her head. "The nicest tub..?" Now she was just curious and she tried to peek around Fio. "You have..more then one kid?" More then one Raza...poor Katt..

"We have a daughter, but she's quite a bit older and away on a school trip right now. You may know her. Lirssa?" Katt was free to explore as much as she wanted. In fact, Raza was teething again, and chewing on some of Fio's hair, fretfully. "I am going to give him some baby aspirin and a bottle and see if he'll take a nap for a little bit if I lay him in his crib. Then I'll give you that tour. You're welcome to follow me, or you can stay and get unpacked. It should only take me a few minutes."

Katt shook her head and smiled. "You should spend a little time with him. Family is important! I will wait in here til you come back!" Her unpacking meant that the rucksack would go in a corner. Despite her rather unusual neatness, when it came to her personal things they sorta just stayed in the bag. For someone who always was forced to live on the street..it just came naturally.

They'd adopted a child off the streets. Fionna wasn't at all unused to that. But at least Katt could explore the room and the bath. And that tub!

"Lirssa. Um..I think I know her. She sorta does acrobats?" She slipped her way into the room, tucking the bag into the corner before looking around the room. It had a bed and that was alllll that mattered but she was terribly curious about that tub.

"That's her!" Came Fio's voice from down the hall. She cut through the library to the other side of the apartment, to get what she needed from the kitchen. The prospect of food brightened Raza's demeanor tremendously.

Katt waited a bit before..you guessed it! She skipped off to the bathroom and pawed the wall to find the light. She wanted to see this tub that was the best in the place. Granted if it will be used is a good question!

It was a huge rectangular tub, easily buig enough for two people, and built a little oddly. There were two walls to it, so that the tub could be filled - intentionally - to the point of overflowing and the water captured and drained. It created the illusion when you were in it, that there were no sides to the tub at all. Also, there were the whirlpool jets. Bonus!

Katt blinked and tilted her head when she found the tub. Well..can safely say that was a first for her. Just wait till she figured out about the jets! There would be baths to be had for sure. Hours on end..their waterbill might go up! "(s) Wow..it's huge.." No wonder why Fio said it was the best one there. Wait..was it just because it was big?

She muled over that and returned to the room, diving onto the bed. Bouncy bounce! Sigh. Really if it wasn't for Sergei..she wouldn't have a bed at the Bon Bon. It was ..nice to sleep on beds again. Not that she was expecting that to last long.

Like a cat she squirmed around on the bed, waiting ever so patiently for her hostess' return. "Mrmmmmmm.."