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Molly had liked being a cat, for the most part. It had been interesting to see things from that perspective, and he'd rather enjoyed that people were quite willing to lavish attention and ear-pets!

But what he hadn't been especially thrilled with? Was how difficult it was to communicate, aside from a scarce few. And the lack of opposable thumbs had meant there was plenty he couldn't do without help.

So back to normal he was happy to go back to drawing cards- while it wasn't unusual to find the tiefling taking over a corner of a bar or a cafe, or something of the sort, he'd decided to go right back to his roots this time, coat spread out like a tapestry, one he plunked down on, tail flicking back and forth behind him as he was easily shuffling his well-worn deck between slim fingers, red gaze flicking over those who passed.

If someone was familiar, or just looked like they'd be fun to talk to? He'd be piping up. "Come friend, have a seat! Keep a troublemaker company! Or maybe you'd like said troublemaker to draw a card or two for you?"

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"As if you aren't just as impressive even without the extra language under your belt." Molly replied with a warm chuckle.

"I..." Oh. Oh it was actually a little embarrassing to admit this to Caleb of all people. Caleb was so smart after all... "Well, I'm fairly close to illiterate."

He shrugged faintly, hiding his flush behind taking a drink. "I mean... I know numbers well enough, a few names, 'danger' and 'keep out' you know, that sort of thing but..."

A short, self-depreciating laugh. "I don't think I'll be impressing anyone with that."

Caleb lets the card spin in his fingers as he thinks. "I would be happy to teach you if you wished to learn," he chuckles softly, "after all I taught myself to read when I was a child. You might think I went to a village school or something like that, but I did not. I was curious about the books held by one of our village's clerics so...I drew letters in the dirt until I knew how to put them together."

He sets the card aside and sips his drink. "It was the first sign I was meant to be more than a farmer."

"Somehow that suits you even more than the good little schoolboy vibe." Molly mused with a fond smile, imagining the idea of a younger Caleb, with a halo of red hair carefully scratching out letters in the dirt of the yard of a little farmhouse. It was incredibly cute, which was also fitting.

"I... think I'd like that though," Definitely would, given it was an excuse to spend time with Caleb without seeming too desperately clingy. "I mean I can't guarantee I'll be a great student but I don't think there's any harm in trying, right?"

Caleb smiles slightly and finally puts the card aside. "Then let me know when you would like to start Molly and I will come back to teach you. And do not...be so hard on yourself...we all have our skills, but we will not always know what they are unless we try something new."

"Well I've got plenty of time to learn so whenever you've some time to be stolen away."

And he couldn't help but flush faintly at Caleb's reassurances, smile warming in response. "I couldn't have said it better myself, knew you were a smart one."

And something occurred to him, the tiefling brightening visibly. "Also! I got some new pets I think you'll be interested to see! They're so weird." Which the tiefling adored if the pleased tone was any hint.

Caleb laughs warmly. "And what sort of odd pets do you have," he asks knowing whatever they are, Caleb is going to be delighted by them. He's enjoyed the weirder aspects of his friends not to.

"Vampire pumpkins." Molly replied, entirely enthused, both by his weird little buddies and that warm laugh that had his heart doing backflips. "They're the cutest things you'll love them."

Caleb laughs again, clearly delighted. "Pumpkins...who are vampires....I did not think such a thing was possible," he muttered, "but in the Nexus who knows what might appear."

"Apparently it's a superstition- leave a pumpkin out in the full moon and it'll become a vampire? But in this case it was a whole patch worth!" Molly whisked the cards off the table and they vanished into a pocket before he was reaching to pluck at Caleb's sleeve. "Come on, back to my place and you can check them out."

Caleb finishes his drink and gets up to follow Molly delighted at how happy the tiefling was. If Molly is happy, then Caleb is happy. "Lead the way my friend."

It wasn't hard to find the tiefling in a cheery mood, but he was always even more happy when Caleb was around. He really did have it bad for the wizard, if just the sight of him had his mood boosting, didn't he?

"Can do!" He killed the last of his own drink even as he was scooting out of his seat, mug back on the table before he reached for Caleb's hand without even thinking about it, like he was going to lead the way hand-in-hand.

Caleb turns a bit pink again as Molly takes his hand given what he'd just been talking about with someone else. But he doesn't pull his hand away. content to give his friend this little thing.

If Caleb wasn't drawing attention to it, Molly wouldn't even think about it, just enjoying the hand in his as he led the wizard back to his apartment.

"Lucky and Gourdie are pretty calm, all things considered but Barbar is kinda aggro. I think they kinda wanna kick my ass in some weirdly affectionate way, but they don't have teeth so all they can do is roll really aggressively into my ankles and such."

Caleb laughs again. "Well this I have to see," he says amused, "I wonder what they will think of me." Do pumpkins even think, he wonders as they walk along.

"They'll think you're delightful, clearly." Molly decided even as he was opening up his apartment, letting the wizard in.

And sure enough he could hear something thumping around, a faint brr that almost sounded like a purr as the little cat flap leading into the room Molly had filled with plants bumped open, letting out a trio of smaller pumpins rolling one after another.

Lucky was pretty obvious with that bloodstain-looking smudge in the shape of a clover on it's lumpy surface, and the other little orange pumpkin that seemed to contentedly be rolling in a sedate manner was clearly Gourdie. Both had little capes, as well as ribbons in complementary colors tied to their stems.

Which left the little ball of- fur?

Not real fur it was clearly some manner of cover, on which Molly had stitched rows of fierce sequin-decorated teeth, the fluff a riot of green and purple as the little fluff-adorned pumpkin wasted no time in all but crashing into Molly's ankles with a loudly empatic sort of BRRRRRR to accompany. This just earned a laugh from the tiefling, grinning over at Caleb to see his reaction.

Caleb laughed so hard he was doubled over the whole display. He can't remember the last time he'd laughed this hard and when he looks up and sees the pumpkins again he starts laughing all over again completely delighted. "Jester is going to love these if she ever finds her way here....."

Now that was the best damn thing he'd heard in... well ever. Molly's entire countenance lit up at the sound of such a hard, genuine laugh from Caleb, positively beaming as he watched the approach of the calmer two seem to set him off all over again. They weren't as aggressive as Barbar was, nudging around his feet and ankles more like cats than anything, brring inquisitively while Barbar continued their one-gourd assault on Molly, who crouched down to stroke the aggressive pumpkin with a grin.

"I was worried Barbar would bruise themself if they smacked into my hoof too hard so I had to get him something to give him some cushioning and well, how could I say no to this ridiculousness?" A faint, considering hum. "Maybe I can teach them to do a little choreography. Dip them in paint and have them roll out a dick or something, she'd think that was great."

Caleb just keeps laughing at the mental images Molly is bringing up. "Oh she will adore that," he says as he leans down to pet one of the calmer pumpkins. "I should tell you the tale of Sprinkle some time...that was an interesting experience."

"Sprinkle? Oh that's definitely a Jester naming convention if I've heard one." Molly hummed, plopping down to sit once he was sure that he wouldn't squish Barbar who rolled into his lap, brring away in a way that was almost offended that the ankles were no longer available to attack, belied by the way the pumpkin just pressed into the tiefling's hands.

The other pair were happy to bump around Caleb, drawn immediately by the pets on offer, jockeying for prime petting position.

Caleb finally gives in and sits on the floor so that he can give both pumpkins equal attention. "He was a weasel at least when we first met him he was," Caleb says, "then after a while it got complicated."

This? They like this, and just like Barbar had to Molly, roll their way right into Caleb's lap just like needy cats. "I think that should be the new name of the group, honestly, because when doesn't it?"

Caleb laughs and nods agreement. "Ya that's true...but a Fey weasel was new to me...the wizard with a fey cat."

"Where did she scare up a Fey weasel? I mean absolutely on brand for Jester but I wasn't aware they were just out there." Molly was honestly fascinated with the idea, and a little amused because well, weasels were little troublemakers as it was even without the Fey influence.

"He put himself where he knew she'd find him," Caleb replies chuckling, "he was curious about our recent escapades and well just talking to her wasn't getting the answers he wanted."

"So... she knew this Sprinkle before then?" The tiefling's gaze was on Caleb, wide-eyed and fascinated by this turn of events even as he was still patting the grumpy gourd in his lap.

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born_in_flame - 2021-10-29 02:28 (UTC) - Expand

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