![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
om_cypher posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
om_mainSimon and Jean-Paul check on River. Doug puts his foot in his mouth. A lot.
As soon as Jean-Paul was done with the fish, Simon had started texting Doug for information as to his and River's whereabouts. With thanks and a goodbye to Scott, he let Jean-Paul back up onto his shoulders to ride outside onto the sprawling acreage of the school's campus grounds.
Where outside? Simon texted at Doug, scanning the immediate lawn for evidence of a gazelle.
Doug read the message and grinned at River crookedly. "Sounds like we're about the have company," he said, just in case she hadn't been paying attention. Near the hedge maze he texted back.
River nodded her understanding, then took a few steps in the direction of the mansion, and looked back at Doug expectantly. They could meet Simon halfway.
Doug sighed and got to his feet. So much for delaying the inevitable. "You want to get me killed, don't you?" he joked as he followed River back towards the mansion.
Jean-Paul rode Simon's shoulder's comfortably until they emerged into the sunlight, then dropped to the ground and started bounding along the grass. He wasn't feeling so impish (or, if he was being so honest, so cocky) as to let Simon out of his sight, but he didn't mind getting a head start on the search. Not that it was hard to catch sight of Doug or River...his adopted sister stood out.
With a triumphant yowl, the grey cat trotted up to River and touched noses with the baby gazelle.
Simon trotted after the cat, breathing out a sigh as he watched the two of them greet one another. As he slowed nearby, he carded his fingers forcefully through his hair, trying to stay calm. While his sister was a gorgeous gazelle, it was very hard to ignore the fact that his sister was a gorgeous gazelle.
While River's new animal instincts told her to run, run away now, she was able to get enough of a lock on them to override them, in Jean-Paul's case. Being able to feel him helped; she could never have mistaken him for someone or something else. She bumped her head lightly against his, then trotted around him once before heading over to her brother. Anxiety was rolling off of him in waves, and she couldn't ignore it.
"I told you she was okay," Doug offered Simon with a lopsided shrug. "She just wanted to get away from the school." He crouched down and grinned a bit more genuinely at Jean-Paul. "Flying cat, huh? How's that working out for you?"
Jean-Paul leaped from the ground to Doug's shoulder and head-butted him lightly, purring. So far it was working out pretty well: he was being carried around, cooked for, and petted. He'd had worse days.
Simon dropped to his knees as she got close and started to reach out to her...then stopped and pulled his hands back, making a pained face. In her current form, she didn't have clothes to shield them both from the feedback of their powers interacting. "Hey," he breathed instead, relieved just to see her whole and healthy.
River walked closer and rubbed her head against his sleeve, her own version of a hello, as she let his relief wash through her.
Doug smiled a little at the Tam siblings, glad for River's sake that the reunion had taken place, then chuckled and reached up to scratch between Jean-Paul's ears. "Somehow, I kind of guessed you wouldn't be doing a lot of complaining. He grinned a little and whispered, "How badly did Simon freak out when he saw you?"
Jean-Paul's whiskers slanted upward in a feline smile. He bounded off Doug and onto the grass, where he cowered, eyes huge and round, ears plastered flat against his head. And he let out a squeak.
Pulling his hands into his sleeves, Simon slid his arms around River and hugged her neck gently. "Sorry I didn't come sooner. I see that you're outside. Was this your idea or Ramsey's?"
River bowed her head, trying to signify herself, then stomped at the ground a little. Gazelles needed to run. Gazelles needed the ground under their hooves. Or they would forget, and she wanted to know.
Jean-Paul's display earned him a genuine laugh. "Niiiice. Squeak and all?" He plopped back down on the grass and stretched his legs out, deliberately ignoring the "conversation" River was having with her brother. Not that he'd get more than 3/4 of it, but it'd be rude to listen in, anyway.
Jean-Paul chirped an affirmative, then hopped onto Doug's lap and sprawled over his legs. He wanted his own body back as quickly as possible, but there were definitely advantages to being small and furry. For one thing, he could ignore personal space -- or invoke it! -- at will.
Simon sighed softly at his sister's stubbornness and nodded. "Alright. I'm not trying to lock you up. I just didn't want you to get hurt in a new body you don't have full control over yet."
River rubbed her head against his arm again, then canted around him to show him how well she was doing by now.
Doug raised his eyebrows and grinned down at Jean-Paul. "Wow. Way to make yourself comfortable." He glanced over to where River was prancing around, and his grin softened into a smile. "She never missed a beat," he said aloud, reaching down idly to pet Jean-Paul's back. "I think I was more freaked out than she was."
Jean-Paul purred and flopped onto his side, butting Doug's hand affectionately. As a brother himself, he did empathize with Simon's protective tendencies toward River. He even shared in them sometimes. But the fact that Doug kept recognizing that River was extraordinary was the primary factor that kept him in Jean-Paul's good graces.
She was just so adorable loping around him that Simon had to laugh. "Oh yeah? You think you're light on your feet? Why don't you go get my boyfriend off of your boyfriend's lap and challenge him to a race?"
River slowed to a trot, and then to a halt, fixing Simon with a flat stare. Obviously she couldn't win against Jean-Paul. Still, it ought to be fun to simply run with him, so after a couple of seconds, she turned and trotted towards Doug, to go and nose at the kitten curled up in his lap.
"Aren't you supposed to be reassuring your brother that I haven't let you be eaten by wolves?" Doug teased, pulling his hand back and out of the way.
Jean-Paul touched noses with River again, then rose sloooowly to his feet and rubbed against her ankles. Her legs looked so thin, impossible to run on, but he didn't doubt his own eyes. He sat in front of her finally, looking expectant.
Simon strolled over to them with a small smile, arms wrapped around himself in uncertainty. "Well, you two are definitely cute like this."
River prodded Jean-Paul with her nose again when he sat, prodded until he was up on his paws again. Then she took a few running steps, stopped, and looked back at him expectantly.
Doug glanced over at Simon apprehensively, but forced a smile for River and Jean-Paul. "Have fun."
Jean-Paul ignored their respective boyfriends posturing and scampered at River's heels. He darted between her legs to take the lead, looking back and daring her to really make him work for a victory.
Meanwhile, Simon turned his gaze back on Doug; a hard, knowing look. He'd asked Ramsey not to take her outside, and yet the teen had anyway, endangering her, even he'd thought it would be good for her.
River had just begun to race after Jean-Paul, but she faltered as Simon's resentment slammed into her, and nearly tripped on her own legs. A plaintive bleat escaped her, and she shook her head, pawing at the ground.
"It's fine," Doug called out to her. He gestured for her to follow Jean-Paul, then turned towards Simon. "Can you knock that off? She had a hard enough time with a dozen or so people freaking out over suddenly turning into animals; she doesn't need you glowering at me to top it off."
Simon closed his eyes, centering himself and bringing up his shields, because as much as he wanted to just turn it off, he couldn't. He'd always care about her, and he'd always worry about her safety, because she had no one else. He could, on the other hand, keep his anger to himself - anger that was made infinitely more possible by Doug's lectures. He could lock it up, breathe it out, watch his sister play, and unleash at Jean-Paul later. He might also bribe someone to cut off Ramsey's Internet access for the next twenty-four hours, too.
River pawed at the ground again, displeased, but opted to turn her back on them and focus on Jean-Paul. It was probably better for everyone involved, and while she could not run as fast as an adult gazelle, she intended to try. She turned back towards the kitten and launched into a gallop that picked up speed as she went.
Surprised by Simon's reaction, Doug stared for a moment, then turned to watch River race away. "Thanks," he offered awkwardly. "She needed to get away, and she wanted to go outside. What was I supposed to do?"
"Tell me exactly that," Simon murmured succinctly.
Jean-Paul darted ahead, then flattened himself on the grass, springing out in a perfectly obvious "ambush" as River dashed by. He bounded after her, extended his stride so that his belly almost brushing the ground as he sprinted after her. Then a light "tag" at her heel, and suddenly he was running away.
"I just did," Doug retorted.
"Before you do it," Simon replied evenly.
Doug rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I didn't figure River needed permission to go outside."
"It is not about permission. But you wouldn't understand. You clearly have never had anyone you care about," Simon told him, then strolled away. If he stayed longer, he would lose his temper, and he couldn't bear to hurt River more. Ironically, he needed air, space, even in the wide spaces around them. River would be fine. She could find him if she needed to.
Doug opened his mouth to reply, then closed it as Simon walked off and turned back to watch his girlfriend the gazelle play with her not-quite-brother-in-law the cat, rubbing the bridge of his nose. That had gone well. Right. Someone should just kill him now.
As soon as Jean-Paul was done with the fish, Simon had started texting Doug for information as to his and River's whereabouts. With thanks and a goodbye to Scott, he let Jean-Paul back up onto his shoulders to ride outside onto the sprawling acreage of the school's campus grounds.
Where outside? Simon texted at Doug, scanning the immediate lawn for evidence of a gazelle.
Doug read the message and grinned at River crookedly. "Sounds like we're about the have company," he said, just in case she hadn't been paying attention. Near the hedge maze he texted back.
River nodded her understanding, then took a few steps in the direction of the mansion, and looked back at Doug expectantly. They could meet Simon halfway.
Doug sighed and got to his feet. So much for delaying the inevitable. "You want to get me killed, don't you?" he joked as he followed River back towards the mansion.
Jean-Paul rode Simon's shoulder's comfortably until they emerged into the sunlight, then dropped to the ground and started bounding along the grass. He wasn't feeling so impish (or, if he was being so honest, so cocky) as to let Simon out of his sight, but he didn't mind getting a head start on the search. Not that it was hard to catch sight of Doug or River...his adopted sister stood out.
With a triumphant yowl, the grey cat trotted up to River and touched noses with the baby gazelle.
Simon trotted after the cat, breathing out a sigh as he watched the two of them greet one another. As he slowed nearby, he carded his fingers forcefully through his hair, trying to stay calm. While his sister was a gorgeous gazelle, it was very hard to ignore the fact that his sister was a gorgeous gazelle.
While River's new animal instincts told her to run, run away now, she was able to get enough of a lock on them to override them, in Jean-Paul's case. Being able to feel him helped; she could never have mistaken him for someone or something else. She bumped her head lightly against his, then trotted around him once before heading over to her brother. Anxiety was rolling off of him in waves, and she couldn't ignore it.
"I told you she was okay," Doug offered Simon with a lopsided shrug. "She just wanted to get away from the school." He crouched down and grinned a bit more genuinely at Jean-Paul. "Flying cat, huh? How's that working out for you?"
Jean-Paul leaped from the ground to Doug's shoulder and head-butted him lightly, purring. So far it was working out pretty well: he was being carried around, cooked for, and petted. He'd had worse days.
Simon dropped to his knees as she got close and started to reach out to her...then stopped and pulled his hands back, making a pained face. In her current form, she didn't have clothes to shield them both from the feedback of their powers interacting. "Hey," he breathed instead, relieved just to see her whole and healthy.
River walked closer and rubbed her head against his sleeve, her own version of a hello, as she let his relief wash through her.
Doug smiled a little at the Tam siblings, glad for River's sake that the reunion had taken place, then chuckled and reached up to scratch between Jean-Paul's ears. "Somehow, I kind of guessed you wouldn't be doing a lot of complaining. He grinned a little and whispered, "How badly did Simon freak out when he saw you?"
Jean-Paul's whiskers slanted upward in a feline smile. He bounded off Doug and onto the grass, where he cowered, eyes huge and round, ears plastered flat against his head. And he let out a squeak.
Pulling his hands into his sleeves, Simon slid his arms around River and hugged her neck gently. "Sorry I didn't come sooner. I see that you're outside. Was this your idea or Ramsey's?"
River bowed her head, trying to signify herself, then stomped at the ground a little. Gazelles needed to run. Gazelles needed the ground under their hooves. Or they would forget, and she wanted to know.
Jean-Paul's display earned him a genuine laugh. "Niiiice. Squeak and all?" He plopped back down on the grass and stretched his legs out, deliberately ignoring the "conversation" River was having with her brother. Not that he'd get more than 3/4 of it, but it'd be rude to listen in, anyway.
Jean-Paul chirped an affirmative, then hopped onto Doug's lap and sprawled over his legs. He wanted his own body back as quickly as possible, but there were definitely advantages to being small and furry. For one thing, he could ignore personal space -- or invoke it! -- at will.
Simon sighed softly at his sister's stubbornness and nodded. "Alright. I'm not trying to lock you up. I just didn't want you to get hurt in a new body you don't have full control over yet."
River rubbed her head against his arm again, then canted around him to show him how well she was doing by now.
Doug raised his eyebrows and grinned down at Jean-Paul. "Wow. Way to make yourself comfortable." He glanced over to where River was prancing around, and his grin softened into a smile. "She never missed a beat," he said aloud, reaching down idly to pet Jean-Paul's back. "I think I was more freaked out than she was."
Jean-Paul purred and flopped onto his side, butting Doug's hand affectionately. As a brother himself, he did empathize with Simon's protective tendencies toward River. He even shared in them sometimes. But the fact that Doug kept recognizing that River was extraordinary was the primary factor that kept him in Jean-Paul's good graces.
She was just so adorable loping around him that Simon had to laugh. "Oh yeah? You think you're light on your feet? Why don't you go get my boyfriend off of your boyfriend's lap and challenge him to a race?"
River slowed to a trot, and then to a halt, fixing Simon with a flat stare. Obviously she couldn't win against Jean-Paul. Still, it ought to be fun to simply run with him, so after a couple of seconds, she turned and trotted towards Doug, to go and nose at the kitten curled up in his lap.
"Aren't you supposed to be reassuring your brother that I haven't let you be eaten by wolves?" Doug teased, pulling his hand back and out of the way.
Jean-Paul touched noses with River again, then rose sloooowly to his feet and rubbed against her ankles. Her legs looked so thin, impossible to run on, but he didn't doubt his own eyes. He sat in front of her finally, looking expectant.
Simon strolled over to them with a small smile, arms wrapped around himself in uncertainty. "Well, you two are definitely cute like this."
River prodded Jean-Paul with her nose again when he sat, prodded until he was up on his paws again. Then she took a few running steps, stopped, and looked back at him expectantly.
Doug glanced over at Simon apprehensively, but forced a smile for River and Jean-Paul. "Have fun."
Jean-Paul ignored their respective boyfriends posturing and scampered at River's heels. He darted between her legs to take the lead, looking back and daring her to really make him work for a victory.
Meanwhile, Simon turned his gaze back on Doug; a hard, knowing look. He'd asked Ramsey not to take her outside, and yet the teen had anyway, endangering her, even he'd thought it would be good for her.
River had just begun to race after Jean-Paul, but she faltered as Simon's resentment slammed into her, and nearly tripped on her own legs. A plaintive bleat escaped her, and she shook her head, pawing at the ground.
"It's fine," Doug called out to her. He gestured for her to follow Jean-Paul, then turned towards Simon. "Can you knock that off? She had a hard enough time with a dozen or so people freaking out over suddenly turning into animals; she doesn't need you glowering at me to top it off."
Simon closed his eyes, centering himself and bringing up his shields, because as much as he wanted to just turn it off, he couldn't. He'd always care about her, and he'd always worry about her safety, because she had no one else. He could, on the other hand, keep his anger to himself - anger that was made infinitely more possible by Doug's lectures. He could lock it up, breathe it out, watch his sister play, and unleash at Jean-Paul later. He might also bribe someone to cut off Ramsey's Internet access for the next twenty-four hours, too.
River pawed at the ground again, displeased, but opted to turn her back on them and focus on Jean-Paul. It was probably better for everyone involved, and while she could not run as fast as an adult gazelle, she intended to try. She turned back towards the kitten and launched into a gallop that picked up speed as she went.
Surprised by Simon's reaction, Doug stared for a moment, then turned to watch River race away. "Thanks," he offered awkwardly. "She needed to get away, and she wanted to go outside. What was I supposed to do?"
"Tell me exactly that," Simon murmured succinctly.
Jean-Paul darted ahead, then flattened himself on the grass, springing out in a perfectly obvious "ambush" as River dashed by. He bounded after her, extended his stride so that his belly almost brushing the ground as he sprinted after her. Then a light "tag" at her heel, and suddenly he was running away.
"I just did," Doug retorted.
"Before you do it," Simon replied evenly.
Doug rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I didn't figure River needed permission to go outside."
"It is not about permission. But you wouldn't understand. You clearly have never had anyone you care about," Simon told him, then strolled away. If he stayed longer, he would lose his temper, and he couldn't bear to hurt River more. Ironically, he needed air, space, even in the wide spaces around them. River would be fine. She could find him if she needed to.
Doug opened his mouth to reply, then closed it as Simon walked off and turned back to watch his girlfriend the gazelle play with her not-quite-brother-in-law the cat, rubbing the bridge of his nose. That had gone well. Right. Someone should just kill him now.
