Look What Dragged In The Cat (Solaris)

[Shade]

3rd of Winter, 511 AV

The Blinding Light Studio was all but deserted. Everyone had long gone to bed or wandered back to The Tempered Anvil. Shadekas was alone, carefully sketching out a design for the baker's daughter who was about to get married and needed a necklace and earrings set for her wedding. There were also four bridesmaid gifts pendants that would go along with the order so it was an important contract for The Blinding Light. He needed the sketch of the wedding set completely finished and the pendants cut for the bridesmaid gifts before the client came back and approved the final designs the next afternoon.

Cutting the pendants had been no problem. The girl had wanted moonstone pendants about the size of his thumb tilted sideways, wrapped in a double pendant with a black onyx stone set above them like a star. It was symbolic to the girl in some way, though he'd not bothered to ask her why. He had several options on how to make all of them identical, but he automatically eliminated lost wax castings because he'd have to make one for each pendant since they were destroyed in the casting. So he finally decided on freeforming them by hand using pendant metal molds in a rough artistic style then setting the stones on top of that. He could work the two sizes of pendant together, hanging one inside the other so that when it spun, the pendant center section was definitely two sided. That meant he'd have to flange wrap the onyx and moonstone so nothing of the gems were obscured except for the edge.

But that wasn't something he had to do tonight. Instead, he was only supposed to finish the sketch - which he was just now putting the finishing touches on - and cut the pendant stones. He had several dozen moonstones in the shop of the appropriate size, plus a block of moonstone uncut. Shade prefered to start from tumbled stones because they already gave a good idea of what was to come in their quality. He picked out four likely candidates, and then proceeded to set up the grinding wheel and start to work on them cutting them down to four fairly uniformly equal sized and shaped ovals. Once he had them cut down, he began the process of re polishing, always checking for color and clarity. The stones didn't have to be great ones, but they all had to be equally beautiful or the women would fight.

He was at it for hours. His back hurt, his neck was crammed, and he was stiff from bending over the polishing wheel. His ankles and calves ached from repeatedly pushing the crank pedal to keep the polishing wheel spinning.

It wasn't until he stopped grinding stone against stone that he heard the noise. The pendant moonstones were finished, just needing a clear coat of sealer, and then they could be shown to the client. Setting them aside to clear coat after he was done with the sketch, Shadekas had gone back to his drawing. Only, the noise outside was distracting. Even in the chill of the winter, the Blinding LIght often kept windows open to allow fumes and dust to free itself of the studio. So when he finally stopped grinding and went back to sketching, Shade could clearly hear a dice game going on outside the studio walls.

It was a loud one too. Shade frowned. Normally he had nothing against dice games, but he'd have to be working late into the night to get the project outline done for approval in the morning, and the noise was not helping his concentration.

Rising, he slipped on his monk robe over his linen shirt and cotton work pants and headed outside. He crossed the Blinding Lights' courtyard and exited through the front gate and passed around back.

Sure enough, there was a small crowd of about fifteen people. Only four were dicing, but they were some incredibly hard-eyed individuals. They were throwing dice against the alley wall and waging small fierce bets as to their outcomes. Shade joined them, unobtrusively, though he was given several hard long stares by at least one participant and one witness. Monks were as common in Nyka as fleas on a dog, so he knew no one would say anything. Shade did like his dice, but he also liked his peace. Watching the crowd, he was torn between joining and urging them to move on so he could get his proposal finished.

And while he decided, he studied the crowd wondering what spurred this particular game in this particular location. The crowd was full of strangers, mostly foreign looking. They weren't Nykan's that was certain, or else they'd be tucked safely in one of the establishments for amusements strewn about Nyka.

[Solaris]

A loud yowl pierced the rowdy din created by the men playing at dice.

"Hush, you," growled a spindly man who, from his dirty straw hat, ill-fitting robes, and sandal-ed feet, resembled an old, abandoned scarecrow. He yanked on a leash attached to his wrist, causing another fit of hisses to pierce the noise. As Shadekas neared, he could see that the other end of the leash was tied firmly to the collar of... a black cat?

But the cat was having none of it. As the scarecrow man picked up his dice, the cat attacked again, going straight for his eyes. Unfortunately, the animal had been roughly declawed upon his capture two weeks ago, and the attack was on the whole ineffectual. But highly distracting.

In the end, the simple distraction was enough. The cat twisted this way and that, breaking out of the worn out leather leash, and scrabbling out of the collar. The scarecrow man shouted, and the other players dived for the cat, but they were not quick enough, for the animal had already transformed.

In the cat's place was a slender young man, with jet black hair the same hue as the cat's fur had been, that tufted atop his head in an uncanny resemblance to a pair of ears. He had large, golden eyes and peculiarly shaped irises, and his body was mottled with bruises and scars, all plainly visible because he was as naked as the day he was born.

He growled and hissed, punching and barreling at the men swarming around him, transforming back and forth to gain leverage, to slip beneath their arms, to attack with surprising force when the least expected it, moving so quickly it was impossible to tell whether he was a cat, a human, or simply a phantom.

***

"You bastards!" Sol managed to choke out when the men finally succeeded in pinning him down and tying a noose-like rope around his neck. With satisfaction, he surveyed the harassed, angry, panting men. At least he hadn't gone down without a fight.

He glared distastefully at the lanky man who'd taken advantage of his losing a brawl in a back alley with another Kelvic cat- he'd been knocked unconscious by that tabby and when he woke up was chained to a wall in a dirty hovel, with the man- whom he simply called Crow- leering down at him.

It had been an altogether miserable two weeks. Miserable enough for Sol to wonder whether it was indeed worse than his old life with Rhyss- at least Rhyss had been intelligent. They'd had good conversations when the apothecaire wasn't beating him for stealing from the larder (could you really blame him? The man seemed bent on starving him) or simply forgetting a customer's order at the shop.

"You're more trouble than you're worth," Crow spat at him.

Someone had the mercy to throw a scanty cloak at him, which he wrapped around his body as he huddled at his master's feet. Two weeks ago he'd have done anything to escape this man; he hardly cared if he was lost like a trinket in a gamble, or sold for a profit. But after surveying the men gathered around the dice game, he was starting to realize that yes, things could easily get worse.

He caught some of their eyes and shuddered- he knew they were undressing him in their minds, imagining all the horribly perverse, disgusting things they were planning to do to him if they won. And so Sol despaired again- at least Rhyss had been attractive.

[Shade]

Shadekas leaned up against the wall, his whole image portraying controlled indifference, with his arms folded across his chest. He watched the men dice, but frowned slightly when he saw the cat. Shade didn't like to see animals abused, and certainly not small felines yanked about on leashes like they were nothing alive or important. Cats roamed Nyka freely, and most everyone treated them with indifference. They kept the rats and mice down and served their purpose. But this, this was something else entirely. In his day, Shadekas had broken up dog fighting rings, cockfights, and even once a pycon fighting ring, but never had he seen anyone leash a cat and drag it about to dice games.

No. That certainly wouldn't do. He was just pulling himself up to his full height to say something when the cat slipped its leash and ran. It didn't get far, not trained to move, awkward, and obviously abused. Shade was about to step forward and intervened... when the creature shifted.

Shadekas was stunned. He didn't know what he was seeing at first and immediately thought the creature was an Aperture spawned nightmare released and caught up by someone. Shade had heard of kelvics, but he'd never before seen one, so the knowledge that this could be normal was in the back of his head, but not solidified as a thought. He watched almost dumbfounded as the creature shifted back and forth, first human then cat, fighting desperately. As a man he was striking with his black hair and gold eyes, though his body was bruised and scarred. Shadekas watched them subdue the man, noose him and then watched the others leer at him as they settled about as if to start dicing again.

The man had to be kelvic. He was animalistic but not monstrous. The fact that he cried out and swore convinced Shade of that.

Not having been born yesterday, the Monk scanned the crowd and knew what was going to happen. The man would be sold like chattel, abused, and most likely raped if he hadn't been already. Yes. It was definitely time to step in.

Shadekas walked forward, shouldering his way into the men. He took a firm grasp on the leash the man had in his hand, followed it back to the neck it was tied too, and firmly but gently caught a hold of Solaris' head. He stared into the creatures eyes and then examined his face, and finally turned back to the owner.


"If hes more trouble than hes worth, don't risk loosing him to carelessness or drink or even something as stupid as a dice game. Sell him to me." Shade said on a whim. His tone said 'sell' or else he'd 'confiscate' which of course he had no trouble doing. "He looks to be about worth twenty gold, as beat up and man-handled as he is. What is he, Kelvic? He looks like hes your own punching bag and your none too subtle about it. Is he even still clean or filled with disease? Might as well move him on and turn a profit before you kill him one way or another. I've use for someone like him." Shadekas said, glaring first one man down then another. His eyes were fierce, a cold calculatingly deadly shade of blue. Inside he was pissed, through and through, that men would treat a fellow man like this, even if it was only a beast. He kept a tight grip on the leash, as if any moment he'd twist it out of the man's hands.

[Solaris]

Sol snarled as the stranger placed a firm hand on his head. "Get your filthy hands off me!"

"Indeed," intoned Crow, rising to his feet, and although the difference in height between himself and Shadekas was marginal, the monk was far more fit and muscled than he.

Instinctively, Sol tried to duck away from the newcomer- judging by his clothes, a good for nothing monk- but was tethered steadfastly to the rope around his neck. He was about to hiss another retort when his eyes locked with the man. He froze.

The Kelvic didn't know what it was about the monk; there was something in his eyes, something hooded, a danger subdued, that instantly stopped him in his tracks. The monk was an intimidating man, judging both by his appearance and the way he spoke, but quietly so. Although it was always the quiet ones who were the ones to look out for; they were often the unpredictable sort, the hidden sadists, the veiled masterminds...

"Sell him to me."

Sol's eyes widened in shock. He tried to scoot away again but had nowhere to go- there were those disgusting men surrounding him, with Crow and the monk flanking both sides. He had no one to turn to, no friendly soul to lend a hand, no one to hide behind or even stand beside.

"Sell him?" Crow scoffed. "I intend to." He spit into the gutter. "But he's worth at least double that. And by the way, the little runt is clean. I'm only ridding myself of him because he's a goddamn nuisance, stealing from my wallet and attacking if I dare turn my back for a second. Plus he's skin and bones. Pah!" He gave Sol a kick for good measure, drawing back and kicking again when the Kelvic hissed and spat curses.

"Maybe if you'd feed me more than once a week-" Sol began, but was cut off when the noose was cruelly jerked.

"And don't go thinkin' about shiftin'. You should know by now I wouldn't hesitate to strangle your ungrateful throat!"

[Shade]

Shadekas raised an eyebrow that made his sedate face turn slightly hawkish. He didn't let the excitement of the crowd nor the guy who was seemingly the creatures owner infuse him. Level headed, he simply glanced around at the crowd and said firmly... "So witnessed the cat is worth 40 mizas?" The group, nodding as one since they all heard the man speak, agreed.

"So witnessed!" The mingling group of gamblers chimed as a whole, knowing the man would be sorry he spoke so rashly or that a new entertainment was about to be presented. The man was trapped by his own words, words that had been 'witnessed' by the group thus making the transaction about to occur legally binding.

Shadekas reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a small separate bag of coins. He reached in, pulled out 5 gold mizas and tossed the rest of the bag at the man. "There is your forty. He's lawfully sold. And mind you next time I see you dragging a cat about by the throat, be they small and furry or tall and manly, you'll be paying a tax of far more than forty mizas." He said, shaking his head and turning to take the leash from the man. Shadekas never had money on him. He rarely needed it. But a client had paid for a forty five miza commission and he'd not yet turned the coin in. He'd replace the clients forty with his own forty placing it with the extra five mizas he'd witheld to get her total back when he got back to the Blinding Light so nothing would be missed.

Breaking his train of thought, Shadekas stepped forward, forcefully took the leash from the man whom he'd just paid, and gently, with more roughness of show than physical action, tugged the creature alongside him. He never turned his back to the men grouped around the dice. He only slowly withdrew backing away with a hand firmly clutched under the kelvics' elbow.

"I trust your throwing in this cloak as a show of good faith and business." He added, letting the man erh animal keep his clock and thus his sense of dignity. Shade tugged firmly, putting pressure on Solaris' neck only so long as he resisted. Though he kept the leash taught, there was no pain nor constriction of airway so long as Solaris was moving in direction Shadekas wanted him too.

When they were out of soft spoken earshot but still close, Shade whispered to the kelvic softly. "You know, you could put on a better show than you are. If he thinks I'm just going to half kill you, he'll be a lot more satisfied with the sale than if he thinks I'm going to go clean you up and feed you, which is exactly my intention." Shadekas raised his voice, uttered a few harsh swears then pulled the cloak's hood up and over the kelvic's head concealing his features.

He raised his voice so it pitched to carry across the alley. His gaze on the animal man was almost apologetic as he said. "Cover that mangy face. I honestly don't want to be seen with you until we see if you half clean up. I'm doubting you will though. " With that they reached the mouth of the alley and the wall in front of the Blinding Light studio. Shadekas shoved him around the corner, lightly, taking them both out of site of the thugs.

Shade lead him, struggling or not, through the front gates of The Blinding Light Studio, shutting the gate behind them, and into a courtyard which he crossed. Finally, he walked Solaris into the stable which had eight stalls, only two of which were occupied, and pushed him down on a pile of hay. Tough his actions were forceful, they weren't cruel.

"I'm Shadekas. You are kelvic, are you not? I'd like to know your name and how you came to be in the company of those men." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Now, I'm going to take this thing off you, clean you up, and get you something to eat. You can run, if you like, but without food and with only the cloak you won't last long out on Nyka's streets. Even as a cat you won't last long unless you're smart. In here, with me, you have half a chance whether you know it or not." He drew a belt knife and cut the leash off Solaris' neck and stared at him.

He waited a moment, for the man to speak, and then went to the stable well pump which was inside, and drew a bucket of water. He offered a ladle of it to Solaris and then filled a kettle on top of the pot bellied stove they used to keep the horses warm with and stoked up the fire to warm the stables and heat water. When he was done, he turned back to Solaris and moved to stand before him, hoping the creature would answer his questions.

[Solaris]

Cowed both by the monk's undeniable presence and the turn of the public- if the huffing, puffing gamblers about him were socially acceptable enough to be considered as members of the public- Crow accepted the bag of money, merely gulping and watching his former slave being tugged away.

But not with one last slap in the face. Literally.

Despite his impending fears at being taken into the arms of yet another stranger, Sol felt a wave of satisfaction as he reclaimed his old golden pocketwatch- or Rhyss', to be exact.

"I hope you rot," he hissed over his shoulder, choking momentarily when the monk began pulling him abruptly in another direction. He wound the watch's chain between his fingers, around his wrist, and drew the cloak over his body tighter. Not from embarrassment at his nudity- not many a Kelvic are- but from his fear, his need to hide himself away from a stranger in the best way he knew how. Unfortunately his only protection and barrier from the monk was that pathetic cloak that smelled of cheap whiskey and vomit.

His mood was far from lightened when the man fussed with his hood, called him out for the dirt on his face. He was just about to spit back a nasty retort when he spotted a set of gates.

Gates were doors. Doors had locks. Locks meant imprisonment, dark basements and ropes and beatings and hunger and-

"No!" Sol growled, tugging this way and that, only serving to constrict the noose even tighter around his neck. He berated himself inwardly- what a fool he was. Now that he'd succeeded in half-strangling himself, his chances of slipping away were close to nil. And the man tugged him ever closer to those gates, to a courtyard and into a stable.

And so he came to learn the name of his savior- or was it just another captor?

Shadekas.

Upon seeing the knife, he flinched away, but all the man did was cut away the rope. He rubbed at his neck, his skin already rubbed raw, his golden eyes ever-trained on Shadekas.

The ladle was just as unwelcome in his eyes as the knife. But his throat scratched and burned, and it wasn't from the rope. He was thirsty; he'd been thirsty for quite some time and most days with Crow had been either lap up warm beer or go entirely without. All kinds of alcohol were disgusting to the Kelvic, and fortunately he hadn't gone so thirsty to the point of desperation that he would-

"Damn you," Sol growled through gritted teeth, giving in and lapping at the ladle, holding himself awkwardly to maintain the largest possible distance between him and the monk.

The monk- Shadekas. Strange how it seemed to suit him- wanted to know his name.

His first impulse was to lie. But what would it gain him?

"Solaris," he said finally. "Or just Sol. And yes, I am a Kelvic." This man was clearly human.

His golden gaze wandered past Shadekas, towards the courtyard and gate beyond, then flickered back to the man, hoping it had gone unnoticed. Could he make it...?

"As to how I ended up with those bloated gutter rats," he continued, "I picked a fight with the wrong alley cat." He shifted on the hay, the sharp ends poking through the cloak and into his skin. "Didn't know he traveled in a pack, and if it weren't for his friends ganging up on me, I would have won. Things got hazy after that, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a freezing basement with the Crow standing over me, practically drooling."

He surveyed the man before with a mixture of distrust and innocent disbelief as he spoke. What did the man just say? He wanted to feed him? Clean him up? What was he doing, fattening him and polishing him up for slaughter?

What had he been doing in that alley? Shadekas wasn't a princeling, sure, but he definitely wasn't booze and dice material. Why had he gone through all that trouble? Surely he could afford a better Kelvic. A larger cat, if that was his inclination. A tiger with its silky, exotic pelt. Or a lion. But what was the point in taking on a simple alley cat?

[Shade]

Shadekas nodded, his pale gaze studying Solaris for a moment. "No one has ever taught you how to move, have they?" He asked softly. "You have the will to fight, but when you have a sleeker lighter body, you should be taught how to use it to your advantage rather than brawling with strange cats." Shadekas had no idea whether Solaris was calling the men alley cats or if he was actually meaning he was in a fight with another cat. The kelvic could have been using metaphors or simply telling Shade how things were.

The monk looked thoughtfully at the kelvic. He'd never seen one before, let alone had any idea of how to treat one or what they were like. Solaris' golden gaze was filled with intelligence, but it was the bitter kind survivors wore about themselves like cloaks. The monk's eyes glanced down at the cloak he wrapped around his naked form. It was filthy and just as distasteful to Shade as the dirt on Solaris' form was.

He moved back to the pot bellied stove and withdrew rags from the rag stack on a shelf up above the stove. He dipped one into the now-warm water and wrung it out. Picking up a sliver of soap, he walked back to the kelvic.

"So you have no home? I thought your kind paired up with humans. Where is your human? Surely that man in the alley wasn't him." The Monk said, using the questions to distract the creature as he relieved him of his cloak. He brushed the sliver of soap across the wet cloth and gently bent and began to swab the warm cloth across the dirt on Solaris' brow.

"They've used you badly." He said, his eyes roaming down across Solaris' body. "And often." He added, a thin line forming across his lips and his eyes growing hard. His face was a mask suddenly, cold, calculating, and very very hard. His hands on Solaris remained gentle though, finishing with his brow and gently swiping the cloth across one cheek.

"Is anything broken? Do you hurt anywhere besides the scratches and bruises?" Shade had no healing ability, no practical medical knowledge, but he knew abuse when he saw it. Shade ran the cloth down Solaris' neck and out across his shoulder, spending time wiping down a particularly nasty cut. His other hand, free, slowly moved up to Solaris' hair and stroked the young man's head much like one would a normal cat.

"How old are you?" He asked, curiously, moving away abruptly to rinse the cloth and get more warm water on it. Solaris could see the line of Shadekas' shoulders tense with anger, though he didn't strike the kelvic or give any emotion away. He was furious inside, angry that people could treat others with such disdain.

Shade returned, circling the pile of hay Solaris was perched on, and began working on the cuts on his back, most old, though some still showing fresh signs of abuse. "Why did he beat you?" He asked abruptly, wanting to know the truth of it. In the back of Shade's mind, he was counting Solaris' scars, bruises, and cuts. For each one the kelvic had the man who'd held his leash would have at least that many. Shadekas was positive of it.

[Solaris]

"I suppose, technically, he was," Sol replied bitterly. He flinched away from the wash cloth but the man held him in place. The once clean rag came away so grimy that even Sol, who had grown used to a level of squalor, began to realize just how unclean he was in comparison to Shadekas.

"Broken? Most he did was a sprained wrist." When Crow had tried to drag him to bed and they wound up pulling at the joint in the worst way. But Sol wasn't going to think of that anymore. Crow was gone and it was time to focus- he was in a stable. Beyond the stable was the courtyard, and after that, the gate. If he shifted- his gurgling stomach once again a reminder of how physically taxing it was to do so, especially on his rail-thin body- he could scamper away quickly enough to make it over to the other side. And then he could disappear. "But it's better n..." Sol trailed off as the man's fingers crept into his hair, his thoughts gone along with his voice. He sighed, leaned into the touch, and instinctively began to purr before he caught himself and scowled, knocking the man's hand away. He didn't seem to mind, though, and left him momentarily to rinse the cloth.

"Not sure," he answered the next question. Why did everything seem so hypersensitive now? The sticks of hay beneath him, Shadekas' gentle touch, even his voice, and then there were those eyes... "I was with my first master for about two years. I don't look too old, do I?" Indeed, the Kelvic's apparent age resembled that of most human boys just entering adulthood. "I don't... I don't really remember anything before him."

And neither could he remember exactly what had been pressing upon his mind before Shadekas wound his fingers through his hair.

...oh. Right.

Escape.

He looked wildly out towards the courtyard and distant gate again, immediately averting his gaze when he realized Shadekas was once again watching him.

"Why did he beat me? Because he could," Sol snorted, trying to scoff flippantly, but his voice came cracked and broken. "...why the hell do you care, anyway?"

[Shade]

"I care because I'm going to duplicate each bruise, cut, scrape... even the tiniest little mark he put on you on HIM." The Monk said softly, so softly that if Solaris hadn't had kelvic senses, he'd have not heard Shadekas' reply. Shade was silent for a long while after, continuing to swipe Solaris' skin with the warm soapy cloth, washing away the evidence of abuse.

Those blue eyes missed little, especially not the way the kelvic kept looking at the door, the courtyard beyond, and lingering at the gate. As if to mirror Solaris' thoughts, Shadekas said abruptly. "The stable door has no lock on it. There are no guards in the courtyard. The gate is hung so well a small child could open it easily and silently. There's no locks upon it either. You could run anytime, Solaris. I'd let you go. I know the nature of cats. But if you stay, once we get you cleaned up, we'll get you fed and then I think you should have a good long sleep. I suspect you haven't had rest in a while." The monk said, his gaze following that of Solaris' to the freedom beyond.

"Freedom is just an illusion though. If you have no place to stay, no shelter, no security, it is something that becomes empty and hollow." Shadekas lifted one of Solaris' arms and gently set his wrist on Shadekas' shoulder so he could wash the underside, the man's armpit and then down his waist. "There is a better sort of freedom. Your sleek body does not need to be weak. It can be far stronger than it looks." Shade moved, releasing Solaris' arm from his shoulder and moving around to the other side to repeat the processes... after the washcloth was rinsed and soap reapplied.

"You have a natural grace, but it is untrained. You should be so much faster than you are. I can help you learn how to use your body better, as a weapon, so you need none as you shift between your forms. Your skeleton is a perfect frame for your muscles. I can show you how to develop yours so you can move faster, hit harder, and now how to take a human down if one bothers you again." He said softly, his voice level, a rich sound in the dim light of the barn.

"You can stay here, but you can come and go as you please. I have no individual room to offer you, but can gladly share my own if you don't mind sleeping as a cat, though my bunk would hold two just fine. My door has no lock. And if you want your privacy, the stable is warm and clean. You could do worse." Shadekas rinsed the cloth and placed it in Solaris' hands, unwilling to wash lower than the man's waist because of his situation and not knowing how the cat would react. "Keep washing. I will place no inappropriate hands on you. But you will feel better clean." He instructed. Then, as if to anticipate Shadekas' next question, he continued on.

"My purse is lighter by forty coins. It might be that he'll have them on him when I go to 'discuss' you with him, but I doubt it. He's the kind to drink and gamble away his coin. You'll need to pay me back, when and where you can, and the best way to do that is to work for me. There are always errands to be ran, things to do in the studio that take nimble fingers, and we have more mice than I care to admit." The monk said.

If Solaris continued Shadekas' task of washing, the Monk would step up behind him, gently take his head in his hands, and began to stroke it soothingly, as he would stroke a cat he's trying his best to befriend. Shadekas moved so close, in fact, he crowded Solaris' space and was a solid warmth behind him. His long jewelers fingers tangled in Solaris' mussed hair, smoothing it and attempting to tame the unruly black top. It was intimate without being anything other than what it was.

"There'd be rules, of course." The monk said softly. "No stealing, especially of food. We'll see you fed though, so you should have no reason. No lying. If you don't want to work a day, you tell us that rather than feign an illness or distraction. No doing things that endanger others. No carelessness." The monks hands encircled Solaris' throat firmly, gently caressing it as he bent forward so his lips were right by Solaris' ear. His breath was warm and smelled vaguely of spiced tea, as if he were drinking it just before the trouble in the alley broke out.

"If you stay, and agree to these things and then break the rules, there will be no stopping me. If you hurt me or mine, steal anything here other than time, you best start running and never stop. Because I will find you. And you will not like the apology I will make you give. It will be very similar to the one I'm going to make to that man tonight that had your leash. He may or may not have it coming, but our job as monks here in Nyka is justice." Shadekas said softly, his grip on Solaris' neck firm, almost primal, before they resumed their caressing soothing nature. Shade was definitely a dominate personality, a leader, and he was firmly setting the ground rules and establishing his alpha status.

His hands released Solaris' throat and splayed across his shoulders, firmly yet soothingly. "If you obey them, the rules that is, you'll be able to take shelter among us and I promise you that you'll grow from being here. I'll help you be stronger, faster, and perhaps learn a trade. But its very important that you listen and learn. Do you understand?" He asked.

There was a long pause as Shadekas glanced towards the door. He took the washcloth from Solaris and returned it to the bucket which he emptied back outside and then rinsed the cloth out and hung it to dry. "I can hear your stomach growling from here. Lets go get something to eat and then some sleep." He urged., and then added, "But first I'll have your promise, to agree to my rules. If you can't, you're free to go. I'll take the forty crowns out of that miserable man's hide." He said then waited for Solaris' response.

[Solaris]

Sol stared at Shadekas with surprise at the vehemence with which he spoke. Such conviction, and all for what? A stray cat?

It was as if the man could read his mind. Sol didn't hate his body, but it irked him. Why couldn't he have been born as some jungle cat? Something useful and strong, not a pitifully weak scrounger? His animal form did nothing for his human body, and in both cases he looked to be just as brittle as a twig. Even if he wasn't starving, he was sure that his body would not put on much more muscle than the meager amount it had already...

But Shadekas. The man believed in him. He saw something there, some seed of potential, and as small as Sol believed it to be, it still existed.

Privacy was just a foreign concept to Sol as affection. And here he was, in a barn with a complete stranger who bore a deadly yet calm gaze, throwing both those things in his face.

The man was a mystery- where was the catch? The man's hands hadn't drifted lower down his body like he fully expected them to- and if they had, he would have used that as an excuse to lash out. Sure, he was now expected to "pay him back," but that cost was marginal. He had his own set of belongings, including at least one hundred gold mizar, buried somewhere beneath the rubble of the ruined apothecaire, and he was on good enough, if not passably neutral terms with the stray cats that lived in the city (real cats, not Kelvics). The last he had heard, no action was taken to clear the decimated property, so the money should still be there...

He continued to wash himself, and the man stepped behind him.

Shadekas was stroking him, sending goosebumps across his skin and shivers running down his spine. Much like earlier, he instinctively leaned into the touch, a low purr rising in the back of his throat, but he fought it down. Then the man was touching his hair again, making him sigh audibly and his eyes flutter closed. Until he felt hands around his throat.

His eyes flew open in a panic. So it was a ruse after all. Shadekas had his fun and now he was going to throttle him and-

No. The man was still talking, softly in his ear. He forced himself to relax. But watch.

Rules, rules, rules. Always rules. Don't do this, don't touch that, don't you ever dare go near my things. Sol bristled as the man talked about lying, about stealing, casting invisible walls between himself and his free will-

Wait. Stealing...? He'd mostly done so for food, to keep himself alive when his masters had decided to deem that as something of the lowest priority. Sure, there were the occasional trinkets, but on the whole it had been a purely perfunctory method to sustain himself. As for lying...

He'd see about that.

"I..." he began, his breath catching in his throat when he locked eyes with the older man.

Shadekas said he could leave anytime he pleased. Yet another foreign concept. Was he luring him into a false sense of security or...?

But for what purpose? Unless this was entirely a game to him, to toy with his emotions...

Either way, he was within the man's grasp, and there was something about him that made him shrink back and stay put upon the pile of hay. There were no collars, no ropes or chains. All it took was one look from that icy gaze to keep him frozen in his place.

"I promise," he said finally. He, after all, had absolutely nowhere to go.