New Recruits

Writer Lady quietly shuffles into the kitchen through the morning's darkness.   She finds her way to the light switch and more importantly the coffee pot.   TP appears in a puff of smoke.

“Don't talk to me.”   Writer Lady says unsurprised by the faerie's entrance.

“Rise and shine.”  TP sings, giggling.

“That's not funny.”  Writer Lady says, picking up the carafe and filling it with water.

“It's really funny from here.”  TP giggles.

As the carafe fills Writer Lady's eyes begin to feel heavy, she nods off only to be awakened by water spilling out from the top and down the sides.  She mutters an expletive.  There is a knock on the door; muttering a bigger expletive she answers it.

“I'm back!”  Tinkletoes announces.  The self-proclaimed mercenary is smiling and looks well rested.

Writer Lady glares.

“Don't you want to say anything?  Hi.  I missed you.  How was your flight?”  He asks.

She continues glaring. 

“You don't look so good.  Are you sick?” He asks.

TP flutters near Tinkletoes' shoulder having followed Writer Lady to the door. “She's had kittens.”  The faerie giggles.

Writer Lady immediately turns her glare to the faerie.  “Don't do that again. You've been warned.”   She says turning on her heel.  She returns to the kitchen to make coffee.

Tinkletoes follows.  “Kittens?  You had kittens?  How did that happen?”  He asks, sitting down at the table.

Writer Lady finishes what she started and quietly watches the coffee maker brew.   “One night Mommy Cat and Daddy Cat meet at the ice cream shoppe.  Across the crowded shoppe their eyes meet and lock.  They start talking.   After several hours of getting to know each other and downing a big glass bottle of milk, they decide that they are in love, Daddy Cat follows Mommy Cat home and in nine to ten weeks kittens are born.  Six to eight weeks later the kittens are encouraged to find new lodgings.   Two found their way here.”  Writer Lady turns away from the counter and looks at Tinkletoes.  “I didn't give birth to kittens.  They moved in.”

“And now you're cranky.”   He says.

Her eyes narrow, her jaw tightens.   “I am not cranky.”

“You sound a little bit cranky.”

“I'm Not.”

Tinkletoes grins and starts to make another comment.

“It doesn't matter if I'm cranky or not.  Do you know what the fastest way is to get from 'Are you having a bad day?' to 'That fist came out of no where' is?”

Tinkletoes quietly waits for the answer.

“Telling people how they are feeling when they are already in a bad mood.”

Tinkletoes changes the subject.   “So what's been going on?”  He asks.

“They're kittens.  What do you think has been going on?”

“I don't know.  I've never met a kitten before.”

“Mew.”  A gentle high pitched sound comes from the entry leading into the living room.

Tinkletoes rises from his seat, grabs a knife from the counter, and stands in front of Writer Lady blocking her view.  “Don't ask any questions.  I have a lightsaber stashed in the cabinet above your head.  Quickly turn around, get it out, and give it to me.”

“Why?”

Not taking his eyes off of the newcomer he says. “I said, 'Don't ask any questions.'”

Writer Lady pushes her way past Tinkletoes' blockade.  “There you are.”  She says smiling.  “I bet you're hungry, aren't you?  Thirsty too.”   She continues sweetly.

“Mew.”  The kitten replies toddling across the kitchen to her.  Writer Lady scoops the kitten up and cradles it in her arms.

“Is that one of the?”  Tinkletoes asks.

“Of course.   What did you think he was a space alien?”   Writer Lady asks smiling down at the kitten and rubbing noses with it.

“It's got really big ears and it's still kind of dark in here.   Honest mistake.”

“Neither E.T. or Paul had much going on in the way of ears.”

“That's because Yoda had all the ears.  A couple of big ones he had.  Yes...he did.”

Writer Lady and the kitten both look at Tinkletoes with blank expressions.

“What do you call him?”

“Spots.”

“That's a dog's name.”  Tinkletoes asks.

“He has a pair of spots on his back.”  Writer Lady says turning the kitten over to show Tinkletoes Spots' um...spots.   That was awkward.

“He looks odd.”  Tinkletoes says and gets a glare for his effort.  “Look at him.  He's white, striped, and spotted.  He's at least four different colors.”  Tinkletoes leans in and looks at the kitten more closely.  “His chin is dirty too.”

Writer Lady studies Spots' chin.  “That is also a patch of color.  Think of it as a goatee gone wrong.”

“Mew.”  Another gentle meow comes from the doorway.

“Look who's up.”  Writer Lady says.  She hands Spots to Tinkletoes who tries cradling the kitten the way Writer Lady did.

“Those ears are big.”  He says looking down at the kitten.  “I'll bet you can hear just about anything with those.”  Spots peers up at him.  “The biggest thing about you is those ears.”  He says looking at the kitten more closely.  “No, the feet.  Those feet are bigger.  You must be part rabbit or something.”

“This is Smudge.”   Writer Lady announces bringing the bigger kitten over.  “He is colored similarly but his markings are distinct in other ways.

“A suck up too.”  Tinkletoes says pointing to his own face.  “Brown nose.”

Smudge tenses a little and jumps out of Writer Lady's arms.  “He doesn't like cuddling when other people are around.”

“A private guy huh?” Tinkletoes asks.

Writer Lady nods.

“Why Smudge and Spots?”

“Mom named them and nothing else seemed to fit.  They have middle names too. Smudge is Smudge Mal.”

“A Browncoat name.   I like it.”

“Smudge Mal liked me first.  When it's quiet he's very sweet.   Spots is Spots Wash.”

“One helluva pilot?”  Tinkletoes asks.

“Oral fixation.   He's always licking things.  The furniture, my arm, himself.” Writer Lady looks around.   “He might be licking the windows.   I haven't caught him at it.  Not yet anyway.  Ray's dying to see what he does with a cheese puff.”