The Boys of HQ

Mob Boss Peggy 03/18/2019
It was 6:00AM and Andy had not gone to bed early the previous night. He'd helped clean up the mess left behind by everyone at the first-aid seminar, and stored everything in his only remaining spare room in a big, disorganized pile. It was only until then, as he stood back and looked at the mess that he realized that he might've been running out of space. 6:00AM, and he was staring up at the ceiling. The sun had barely risen so his room was still dark, lit only by a small, dim, orange salt lamp on the dresser. Andy sighed deeply. There was a pit in his stomach. You know things are bad when you start having those dreams about your roommates. He closed his eyes, bit the inside of his lip and distracted himself by thinking about ways to mitigate the clutter in his house without having to throw anything out. Ten minutes later, Andy was doing his morning stretches, glad in an oversized, ripped (and slightly burnt at the edges) sweater and sweatpants, with fluffy socks. He finally made his way to the old CD player on his dresser and thoughtfully flipped through his--- well, his aunt's--- old collection of tunes. His gaze lingered on the usual morning tune by Oliver, but decided to do something a little different today: Daydream Believer by The Monkees.

Total classic.

The volume went way, way up, Andy's door swung open, and the long day began.

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/18/2019
Six o’clock. It had to be around that time considering the sudden ear rape the tenants endured daily from the obnoxiously cheerful tunes that Andy insisted on blasting through his home. It wouldn’t have been so unpleasant had Rhett slept better than he had. The bad dreams were still present but at least he had a comforting presence in the bed beside him when he woke up. His arm, which had found its way around Valentine’s middle, squeezed him for a moment. “God, make it stop.” There was a hint of annoyance to Rhett’s words as he bent his head into Valentine’s shoulder. The sleepy eyed blonde only opening an eye to peer up at his bedmate curious to see whether or not he’d been awakened by the music too. “I’d say good morning but this is more like hell…” He grumbled into the covers before stretching out a bit. Uncurling his body from Val’s while still maintaining contact. After all the other’s warmth was far too comforting to forfeit so soon.

@birdman | Valentine

March 19, 2019

birdman | Valentine 03/19/2019
"When I go to hell, I'll be met by the face of Micky Dolenz himself," Valentine mumbled, pulling a pillow over his head. He hadn't really noticed much in the ways of his relationship with Rhett changing much, but it'd really just happened naturally, between the two of them. Rhett had been a human more often, and it just made sense to get him under the covers. They'd never done anything a human being and a cat wouldn't do anyway, but... Valentine wasn't really thinking of Rhett as his cat anymore.

"If Andy wanted to make us hate his guts, there're plenty of tasteful ways to go about doing that..." he rolled over onto his stomach, then, moaning and pulling the pillow harder over his head. Rhett was subject to being tangled in all of his hair, unfortunately, so he scooted over slightly so he wouldn't have to deal, but still shared the body heat. "Whuh fuckin' time is it?"

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/19/2019
“Who? Nevermind…” He hadn’t cared for an answer that badly but knowing Val he’d be provided with one. When the taller of them turned to lay face down, Rhett retracted his arm briefly and watched the pillow being gripped overhead. At least he wasn’t the only one displeased by this choice in music. Not that it was particularly worse than the usual ‘Good morning, Starshine’ which practically haunted Rhett’s consciousness. Carefully moving Val’s hair aside as to keep it from being pulled or potentially ingested, Rhett brushed his hand across Valentine’s back before tugging at the covers and burying himself again. It still had yet to set in how odd this sleeping arrangement may have seemed. Of course it was one thing to have slept as a feline but now… He wondered if it weirded Val out at all but figured he’d have said something if it did. His eyes opened again at the question, a lazy smile settling on his face while he glanced toward the curtained window. “Six, I’m sure. You know Andy has a routine.” Tugging lightly against the collar of his newly gifted pajamas, Rhett wondered how people wore so much to bed. It most likely wouldn’t happen again. Though the pants weren’t half bad. “By the way, I heard you’ve been training with him. Learned any super cool moves yet?”

March 20, 2019

sephet 03/20/2019
Kyle hadn’t slept that night, so the sudden blasting of music hadn’t woken him up so much as jarred him from the slight Youtube trance he’d found himself in. Looking around he realised what the time actually was and stretched himself out slowly. He pulled himself out of his pyjamas, despite not actually managing to sleep last night he’d changed, and into some clean jeans and a hoodie. The hoodie was probably not fashionable and wouldn’t have been approved of but he was not great with the cold and he enjoyed comfort. He walked out of his room finally with a bit of a stumble as the spinning of his head informed him he’d gone a good 10 hours without eating and that was not doing it for his blood sugar. He shuffled down to the kitchen to set up some things for a basic breakfast. “Andy are you vegetarian or vegan? Do you eat eggs or cheese?” He called as he started up the coffee maker. He figured he mostly knew how to make an omelette and if he screwed it up it’d just be scrambled eggs and everybody still got to eat.

Mob Boss Peggy 03/20/2019
With the cheerful oldies tune filling the once-quiet house, Andy felt really good about the day. The song lifted his spirits. It hardly occurred to him that the others wouldn't find it uplifting too. Singing aloud, Andy knocked on his roommate's doors before cheerfully bounding down the stairs, scooping up Lionel on the way. He arrived downstairs just in time to see Kyle there. " Oh, hey! Good morning!" Andy exclaimed, smoothing his long hair back to tie it up in a messy knot. "I'm vegetarian - I can still eat dairy and eggs. Just no meat, if I can help it." He held up the lion cub, who was growing every day, and nuzzled his fuzzy little face. "Even if I wanted to eat meat, I couldn't because you eat it all anyway, right, little guy?"

sephet 03/20/2019
“Good morning.” Kyle smiled faintly as Andy nuzzled his lion cub. While he’d always been a fan of how pet parents could be kind of adorably doting, the lion cub made him a bit uneasy. Exotic pets didn’t take to training like domesticated pets, and he really didn’t want to find himself on the wrong end of a grown lion. “I’m thinking I’m going to make a couple omelettes, or scrambled eggs if that goes awry.” He grabbed the eggs out of the fridge and cracked a few into a bowl to whip up with a fork. “Looks like we got some peppers and some cheese so… probably not the worst eggs if you’re down.” “What’s the plan for the day?” It felt extremely domestic in a way Kyle hadn’t experienced in a long while, talking about the day and actually putting together real food for breakfast since it’s for multiple people and there’s food in the fridge.

March 21, 2019

birdman | Valentine 03/21/2019
Valentine removed the pillow from his face with a terrible groan, his hair and entire face a complete mess. "Gnehh... yeah, I thought I oughtta learn some kinda weapons shit, just in case we fuck with some dudes who really wanna kill my ass, um... no cool moves yet, but my wrists are gettin' strong ," he chuckled, and pulled the pillow on top of his face again before finally swinging into an upright position. This was way too early to face day. "Didja get big kitty sorted out?" he asked, standing up with a much-needed stretch.

March 22, 2019

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/22/2019
“Solid logic.” Rhett yawned into his own pillow before emitting a bit of laughter at Val’s words. “You’ll be out there on the front lines defending your family’s honor and all that before long.” When Valentine proceeded to get up and out of bed, the shifter couldn’t help but huff. He had no intention of following the other’s lead but sat up at the soft knocks on the bedroom door knowing it was Andy from the equally chipper singing. “Work in progress.” He finally answered with a soft sigh before tossing his arms out and falling back onto the mattress again. “You should lay back down.” His head turned to the side so he could look up at Val in his messy morning mode. A piece of him finding it cute. @birdman | Valentine (edited)

March 24, 2019

birdman | Valentine 03/24/2019
"Not gonna lie," Valentine started, bending over to touch his toes, most of his hair flopping to one side or the other. "I'm kinda scared Andy himself'll bust in here with a sword with the two of us unawares," he laughed, sleep still prevalent in his tone. " You should lay back down," he snorted in reply, before frowning in spite of himself. "Wait, no."

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/24/2019
Rhett couldn’t hold back his laughter at Val’s thought process. He couldn’t quite picture Andy doing such a thing but on the other hand, he’d been known to be a little unpredictable at times when it came to training and such. “Does that really scare you?” Another humorous comment was made and the boy burst into a brief fit of laughter. “Come back.” He patted the empty space next to him, a smile forming on his lips until a thought crossed his mind. “Hey..is this weird?” Pushing himself upward, Rhett sat in the bed looking to Val curiously.

birdman | Valentine 03/24/2019
"Oh yeah, terrified." Valentine finally sat back down on the bed with huff, still stretching his arms- oof, he needed a shower.

"I dunno, is it weird?" he shrugged, fairly nonchalant in the face of a question regarding his own comfort. "Two adults sharing a bed certainly isn't unheard of- but I've never been very good at having typical definable relationships anyway... is that what you were asking?" he tried, really not wanting to fuck this up.

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/24/2019
He smiled more at the answer. The doubt that had been creeping in practically wiped away at what Valentine said. Rhett wasn’t familiar with this stuff. Staying in someone else’s bed as anything but a ‘pet’. He sighed while stretching his back and rotating his shoulders slowly to try relieving any building anxiety. “I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” The response was almost as nonchalant as Val’s, seeing that he was trying to match the other’s tone toward the situation. If he wasn’t weirded out then Rhett didn’t have anything to worry about. His curiosity peaked again at the words chosen and after a second, he inquired. “So, how many relationships have you been in?” There was no point in beating around the bush, he wanted to know. Whether Val would tell him more was in his hands.

birdman | Valentine 03/24/2019
Valentine raised his eyebrows, as he pulled the covers back over his legs. Rhett seemed curious, as if he was trying to get something out of Valentine, but Valentine didn't really have anything to hide.

"just one," he said, "kinda. I was with a girl, too, she was really nice. We kinda figured out we were more friends than anything, I still talk to her sometimes." he shrugged, "it was an awkward situation, but not a bad one by any means. How about you?"

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/24/2019
Twisting his body to face Valentine, Rhett was more than satisfied with the response. His hands toying with the blanket’s edge while he listened. The way Val described the relationship was sweet in a way. He held no negative feelings for the failed romance and Rhett wondered for a moment if Valentine even had a mean bone in his body. Surely not.

“That’s really cool..that you both stayed friends, not the awkward part.” Rhett’s hands slid into his lap as the question was returned though he didn’t hesitate to reciprocate. “None.” His curt reply was followed by a shrug. “Most people only want one thing, anyway. It’s fun for a little while but..I don’t know.” Another shrug. “Relationships are weird and people are weirder.”

birdman | Valentine 03/24/2019
"Really weird." he agreed, rubbing at his eyes. Most of his deep conversations took place late at night, not so early in the morning like this one. "I dunno, I think the way people think about... The concept of being together and having exes and all that doesn't make sense to me, it never has. People come in and out of your life all the time, like... Unless they're a real scumbag, it doesn't make any sense why anyone ought to feel obligated to cut them out of their life. All that aside," he flopped back down on his pillow, "regardless of what our thing is, I really dig having you around." (edited)

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/24/2019
“Damn, you’re like an ageless being with the way you talk. Like you’ve lived a thousand lives or something.” Rhett had watched Val collapse back onto his pillow and the mess of hair that fell in every direction. He wasn’t expecting the last thing that came out his mouth, though.

Rhett looked down at the blind man intently before breathing out a sigh. His face heating up just enough to make him grateful for the other’s lacking sight. “Labels are dumb.” He finally said while easing back down onto his side still facing Val. “But I appreciate you telling me all that stuff.” Scooting himself closer, Rhett put an arm out and around Valentine again. “You’re a really great guy, you know.”

March 25, 2019

birdman | Valentine 03/25/2019
"Takes a lot of hard work being a wizard, you know," he laughed, "It's true!" his face was kinda flushed too, and he was entirely unsure what to do with himself- it was almost like he was trying to hide his expression, but he wasn't sure what actions that'd entail. "I appreciate that too, man."

He sat in humble, warm silence for a moment, but was quickly roused again at the thought of Andy being upset at how late they were. "Do you... think we ought to go downstairs soon?"

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/25/2019
Rhett listened and smiled along to everything being said. His eyes studying the way Val’s face moved when he spoke before feeling a bit more conscious of doing so and stopping. Instead, he let his eyes settle on the covers, only looking up in time to see the faint blush spread across Valentine’s face. “Did I cause that?” He asked teasingly as his hand went up to poke lightly at Val’s cheek. The question of going downstairs to join the other housemates made him frown. “No, I think we should stay here! It’s warm and quiet and..” He stopped when he couldn’t come up with anything else, a groan leaving him. “Guess we should...” Retracting his arm, in addition to his hand, from around Valentine, he sat up again. The smell of eggs was slowly making its way up to the bedroom and Rhett assumed that would be the best reason to hurry down. “Ok, fine..I need to get up and shower before that coffee date thing, anyway.”

birdman | Valentine 03/25/2019
"Cause what?!" Valentine asked, with a mock-offended tone. His hand went to his cheek self-consciously, and he pulled both his shoulders in as Rhett trailed off. "I gotta shower too, I'm greasy ," he grumbled, throwing his legs over the side of his bed again, finding his toiletries bag from one of his drawers. "Race you to the shower?"

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/25/2019
Chuckling a little, Rhett’s eyes flashed to the door then back at Val while he gathered his things. “What happens if its a tie?” He found himself teasing again before sliding off the other side and moving to the end of the bed.

“You scrub my back, I’ll scrub yours?” His eyes were full of the usual mischief and even though Val couldn’t see him, there was a wide grin on the blonde’s face.

birdman | Valentine 03/25/2019
"You'd have to put up with my twelve step hair washing routine," Valentine warned him, patting around his closet until he stumbled across a clean towel. "Trust me. You do not want to have to deal with that this early in our relationship. Trust me." he laughed, but turned around with a serious face. "I've seen the future, it might kill you."

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/25/2019
Unlike Val, Rhett could not see the future so when his teasing was met with a semi-serious response, he had to take a second to process. His eyes going wide at the mention of his possible death but quickly shrugged it off. “That sounds kinda kinky but I don’t mind testing the odds.” Collecting his own clothes from the opposite corner of the room, Rhett walked toward the door before pausing and looking back at Valentine. “Hey, so. You know everything that’ll happen even before it does?”

Mob Boss Peggy 03/25/2019
Andy put the lion cub down and scratched behind his ears a little. "Where's your dad, huh? Doesn't he have to feed you?" Andy stood up and leaned against the kitchen counter. He had a sunny smile on his face as he watched Kyle scramble eggs.

"That's really cool of you, man! Have I ever told you that you make really good coffee? I could never get that old thing to brew right..." He sat on one of the stools and pulled his phone out of his pants pocket to scroll through the latest news. "Todaaaaay... I'll be listening to the police scanner to see if there's work for us to do."

sephet 03/25/2019
For a half second he thought Andy’s question was directed at him and he looked up startled, when he realised Andy was talking to the lion he went back to the eggs. “Please never let that guy go hungry.”

“Coffee’s an important part of my ability to function. It just takes getting the measurements right. If you can afford it grinding your own beans actually makes a world of a difference, but I haven’t factored that into the budget yet…” He rambled a little as he got out a few plates to dish things up. “Sounds very stimulating. Do you do something while you listen? Unless I’m dead tired I think I’d go crazy just sitting and listening to something…”

March 26, 2019

birdman | Valentine 03/26/2019
"Not everything," he explained, "its really exhausting to look like, a day in the future, and I can't see much past that unless it hits me in the face- remember that time I passed out on the deck? Yeah," he explained, "but usually... usually when I'm not entirely wiped out I can do a few seconds before pretty consistently. Don't worry, you're not gonna die." he laughed, loping down the hallway, his noise now open to the public ear of the household.

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/26/2019
Listening with a fairly intrigued expression, Rhett let out an ‘oh’ as Val explained his power. After fully processing the information, he frowned. “That’s no fun.” He sighed in regards of Valentine knowing the future possibilities seconds before they happened. He did smile again at the reassurance of him not dying, though. Trailing behind him, the bathroom wasn’t far from their starting point but before Val had made it there, Rhett darted ahead. Easily slipping past the taller individual and opening the door to step inside. “Beat ya!” He exclaimed and spun around to face Valentine. “But you probably already expected that.” Shrugging, the shifter stepped back into the bathroom and prepared to close the door. “Better luck next time.” He grinned slyly hoping to get some kind of reaction. (edited)

Mob Boss Peggy 03/26/2019
Andy let out a little laugh about Kyle's joke regarding Lionel's meal. It was funny how sometimes Andy forgot that he was a lion and would grow up to be an actual lion. He was just so cute now. Maybe to others it wasn't much of a reason to laugh, but Andy's life was already as unusual as it gets. "I really shouldn't be drinking coffee, but I actually really like the taste. I mean, if that's a hobby of yours I wouldn't mind getting a better machine... That one's probably forty years old..." He went on to address Kyle's question at the same time without missing a beat. Even without coffee, Andy was a ball of energy in the morning. "I just let the police scanner run while I go about my day. After we eat, we'll do some training, and I'll let it play during that. There's no way I'd have time to just sit and listen all day. I think I have a few meetings today, too. I haven't checked my schedule yet. I'm not even sure if Eleanor updated it." (edited)

sephet 03/26/2019
“A couple cups is supposed to actually be good for you…” Kyle suggested, despite it being painfully obvious he’d never done a healthy thing in his life. He poured himself and Andy a cup each of coffee and lightened his own with some creamer. Then he began plating up what had ultimately resulted in scrambled eggs and not an omelette. He had some set aside for Rhett and Val if they came down early enough to eat. “I wouldn’t really call it a hobby, just… I don’t sleep real well, so I drink a lot of caffeine.”

“New people or group people? Anything serious going on?” Kyle asked as he set everything on the table. He took his seat and sipped his coffee before falling into a lull of eating breakfast and listening, though looking just a little bit dazed.

March 27, 2019

birdman | Valentine 03/27/2019
"Oh, you bastard!" Valentine laughed, "Listen, I know we sleep together, but I think Andy would kill us if we showered together too. You go ahead, hey? I'll wait out here and stink up the place." he crossed his arms, sticking his tongue out, and sat down at the top of the stairs with a warm feeling in his chest. He liked Rhett a lot.

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/27/2019
Rhett was pleased with the name calling, it earned a similarly light-hearted laugh before he agreed along with what was said. “Yeah, yeah. You care too much.” He swatted the air playfully in regards to Andy losing his mind then watched Val take a seat on the stairs. “How cute! It looks like you’re pouting.” He taunted again, stepping over to wrap his arms around Valentine’s shoulders. Giving him a quick squeeze, the blonde turned and retreated back into the bathroom. “I’ll be quick!”

birdman | Valentine 03/27/2019
"I am pouting!" he called back to Rhett, right as the door closed. He could hear a few other folks in the house, shuffling around downstairs and making coffee- the Monkees were still playing, but it didn't seem quite as loud. There was a bit of peace, actually, at the top of the stairs, even though Davy Jones' voice was still scraping its way into his ears, and he gave a long sigh to block part of it out. His foreseeable future seemed... calm, all things considered.

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/27/2019
Keeping his word, Rhett took no time to strip, shower and redress. When he came out and spotted Valentine still on the stairs where he’d left him, a broad smile wrapped his features. “Your turn.” He said through the towel he was wiping his face with. No shirt but pants were on as he was certain Kyle was up and about. That was evident from the nice coffee smelling up the house. “I guess I’ll go down alone .” Faking a heavy sigh, he waited for Val to stand before moving around him to head downstairs. “Don’t take too long, I smell food.” He’d ignored Val’s comments but the overall interaction left him in a pretty good mood. This was evident as he made it downstairs, leaving the towel in the laundry room before joining the other two. “Morning, roomies.” He greeted Andy and Kyle then looked to the little lion. “Breakfast time, Lionel!” He chimed while bending down to rub the cub’s head as he ran over. He moved to the fridge after that, grabbing the meat that took up nearly all free space. (edited)

birdman | Valentine 03/27/2019
"Alone, my god!" he clutched at his proverbial pearls, before standing up with a grin. "You better save me some, I'm hungry enough to eat a cat." he stuck his tongue out, and did what he probably thought was a slightly sexy walk toward the shower: in reality, he ended up looking slightly inebriated as a result. Valentine was in and out as quick as he could, his wet hair braided and his entire self sanitized to the nines. "Hey!" he called, stomping down the stairs in a pair of newer jeans and a very, very old tee shirt- it'd been one his grandma had bought at a powwow in 1996- and leaping over the banister like some crazy sighted person before landing square on the ground in the front hallway. "You fools save me any? Morning Andy, Kyle," he waved to the two boys, who would inevitably make their presence known in a few moments.

Mob Boss Peggy 03/27/2019
Drinking caffeine because one couldn't sleep sounded a bit counterproductive, but Andy didn't want to judge. "Do you ever, um..." He stopped himself, taking the hot coffee mug into his hands. He could hear commotion upstairs and smiled, knowing the other two were awake. He took a sip of the scalding liquid without any cream or sugar and sighed. "Group people, of course. There's a lot going on. The police are searching for us. We're still all over the news, and everyone's trying to figure out who we are. It's actually kind of funny to see the nonsense they come up with." Andy was rather proper as he ate, not wanting to be gross in front of others. He happily scooped up the eggs mixture. It was really good! Better than the smoothie he had been planning to make with the kale he bought. "I'm making sure that they don't find us, you know? Just a little PR tweaking. Things to throw them off what little of a trail there is. I have contacts..." When Valentine and Rhett appeared at last, Andy looked over his shoulder and waved. "Hey guys! Training after breakfast! Rhett, use the outside fridge for that stuff! We got it for a reason!" @sephet (edited)

March 28, 2019

birdman | Valentine 03/28/2019
Valentine slid himself onto a barstool and smiled up at Andy, tipping an imaginary hat in the not-so-universal symbol of good morning.

"anything special going on for training?" he asked curiously, but backpedaled a few seconds before to when Andy mentioned the police. "hey, uh... Speaking of, what would we do if the hogs show up at the house, anyway?"

Mob Boss Peggy 03/28/2019
Andy turned his head to see Valentine, his hot cup of coffee in his hands.

"Kind ooooof...." He grinned in response to their training. "As for the police, let them come! They can't search me without a warrant. And if they get one, they won't find anything. Trust me, I've thought about this a lot."

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/28/2019
“Alright, quit your shouting.” He smiled briefly to the pyromancer before heading out the back door with Lionel following close on his heels. He opened the door and nearly fell forward as the cub rushed to exit.

When he returned from outside, the shifter washed his hands and caught the last bits of conversation between Andy and Val. “Sounds like it.” He walked to the plate of eggs and divided them into a second plate before setting one in front of Valentine. Taking his own into the dining room to sit and eat.

sephet 03/28/2019
“I mean except for the lion. There’s no way you have a licence for an exotic pet, which also was definitely stolen from the zoo?” Kyle furrowed his brow and smiled a little bit, pointing his fork across the table. “Do you need a licence to have friends living in your home? Should we sign something…”

He sipped his coffee again and frowned seriously as he tried to think. “Which reminds me I have to file a change for mailing address. Is that okay? I could probably set up a PO box until I get everything worked out…”

Mob Boss Peggy 03/28/2019
Having all the guys sitting around the kitchen made Andy feel all nice inside. He had gotten used to the noise and already liked it way more than the quiet he'd lived with before meeting the whole group in person. There wasn't a single one of them that he didn't trust. He let out a laugh before taking a long sip of his coffee. "Don't worry about any of that stuff! I've got it covered. Get a PO box. All of you. If something does happen to this place or me, I don't want you guys connected to it too. And God forbid they catch you and trace you back here." Andy was quick to change the subject, turning his gaze casually toward Rhett. He tapped his fork on his plate. "Speaking of lions... I want to see it!"

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/28/2019
Listening to the talk about PO boxes was hardly interesting to the blonde. His attention going to devouring what was on his plate instead. He was content with chowing down until Andy’s sudden, less than lighthearted subject matter. Rhett didn’t want to think about that either so he didn’t, going on quietly before being spoken to directly. Looking up at Andy, his eyes sparked a little. “That’s right! Vindaya healed me so I can show you now.” A smile spread across his face and standing, Rhett stepped away from the dining table and took a slow breath. He hadn’t transformed since Chinatown but it was easy enough once he knew the form. Transforming then and there. A full grown lion stood in his place among the others. Sharp, predatory orbs settling on Andy as he walked forward to brush against the people at the counter. Nearly being eye height with the surface. “What do you think?” He asked in a grumbly tone when he came to stand next to the leader.

March 29, 2019

Mob Boss Peggy 03/29/2019
There were so many things that the others needed to know. Andy had compiled a laundry list of safety measures. He was waiting on things - illegal things - to be finished for them, all for the sake of secrecy. Some of those things the group would be privy to. Some they would never hear about. Andy was constantly on guard. He had a plan for everything. People's lives were at stake, after all. Nothing could keep Andy from being giddy about seeing Rhett's new form. When he had first heard of Rhett transforming, he was sure that it would be to a lion cub like the animal he'd been studying. Andy was completely enthralled to hear that it was in fact a grown lion. Then he thought, Rhett is an adult, why wouldn't be become an adult lion? Rhett didn't even wait until they were outside. His body changed, grew and shrank, sprouted fur, teeth, paws, and claws, and a tail. And a magnificent mane. But no matter what he turned into, the eyes were always Rhett's. Andy stepped down from his stool and gazed straight into those eyes for a moment. This was real. This was monumental. It was groundbreaking. It had never been done before. This is what Andy wanted to see - his heroes getting better at what they did and realizing the true potential of their powers. Andy couldn't do anything but squeal with excitement and throw his arms excitedly around Rhett's big mane, toppling the both of them to the ground. "You did it!!!"

sephet 03/29/2019
“Damn you got fucking big. You gonna be Lion-O’s dad now?” Kyle leaned his chin on his hand and looked Rhett over, he’d also completely misinterpreted what the lion cub’s name actually was.

“Now you get to figure out tiger and you’ll have all three from the song. Should we get you a medal of courage?”

March 30, 2019

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/30/2019
The transformation, while still new and exciting, seemed almost uncomfortable as Rhett’s body morphed and elongated until forming a cohesive visual. He didn’t show it but a fog still lingered over him from the first time experiencing such a sudden shift. Regardless, watching the look on Andy’s face brighten like a school girl being asked to prom nearly disposed of the uneasiness. The shifter’s own eyes glowed with delight as the leader stepped off his stool and faced him. This must have been big in his mind but Rhett still felt less than accomplished with how he’d obtained it. His heart practically jumped from his chest as he heard the squeal leave the leader then two arms, rather forcefully, being wrapped around his neck. Together they fell to the side with a heavy thud and before Rhett had fully processed it all, Andy’s words hit him. Closing his eyes, a paw lifted and pressed against the leader’s side as though returning the gesture. There was nothing he could think to say so he just stayed quiet, all but a low, rumbly purr emitting from the feline’s lungs before attempting to sit up with Andy still clamped around him. His head turned up to look at Kyle, a rumble of laughter leaving him. “ Lionel .” He corrected smoothly then swung his head gently from side to side. “No way! I’m no cowardly lion.” Sticking out a barbed tongue in response, Rhett slowly rose back onto his feet before pressing his face into Andy’s chest. The purring softening though still vibrating through his body.

March 31, 2019

Mob Boss Peggy 03/31/2019
Oh man, this was so cool. The lion's fur was velvety soft. His muscles were so powerful, and paws so huge. Never in Andy's life did he ever think he would be able to even get close to a lion. He was so proud that he even got a little tear in his eye. It was so hard to let go and he never really did. Even when he sat up on his knees, he still stroked Rhett's fur and ruffled his majestic mane like he was a mere house dog. "No way! Absolutely not!" Andy laughed aloud. "If anybody brings a tiger in this house, they're out of the group! Officially! But we do have to figure out just how your powers work. Preferably not suddenly in the middle of a battle..." Andy trailed off in thought. "Definitely something we need to work on..." His voice became very small as he started thinking to himself. "...maybe with smaller animals..."

birdman | Valentine 03/31/2019
Valentine's quiet voice piped up from where he sat at the counter. "I'm gonna need a bit more context here," he said, "How fuckin' big is a lion, anyway?" It was a dumb question, but an honest one. He had little to no reference for the size of any animal, aside from... bigger than a cat, smaller than a cat. By the sounds of things, Rhett was definitely bigger than normal. Did his nose touch the ceiling? Was he smushing Kyle underneath some enormous furry foot? Was he about as big as a human man? "You better not turn into one of those in the middle of the night, I swear to god."

sephet 03/31/2019
“Here come over, I’ll put your hands on him.” Kyle got up and went over to Val to lead him to Rhett so he could get an idea of how big a full grown lion actually was. “Better cuddle option than the bear. But that’s mostly because everyone knows male lions are lazy as fuck.”

“So Andy’s told me what he’s doing today, what’re you jerks up to?”

Rose | Rhett | Marci 03/31/2019
“Yeah, that’d definitely be a plus.” Rhett breathed out a quiet chuckle before looking up as Val spoke, only half paying attention to Andy’s murmuring. He would work on a breakthrough later but for now everything was okay again and he much rathered living in the moment to stressing over the future.

“Oh, come on. What’s the worst that can happen? I make you scream again?” Rhett’s taunting eased as Kyle offered to ‘put Val’s hands on him’. It was innocent enough but still made the shifter laugh. “Thanks, Kyle.” He smiled inwardly and shook his head again. “I guess training then I’m heading out. What about you?”

April 3, 2019

Mob Boss Peggy 04/03/2019
Geez, Andy's mind was really in the gutter. He wasn't sure if it was on purpose or if it was him, but everything started sounding like an innuendo to him. For a second as he pet Rhett's big ol lion ears, Andy totally blanked out. There were just some details about a couple of those guys that he really didn't want to know about. Or maybe he did. Yikes.

Andy stood up, reluctantly removing his hands from the lion's fur and straightened his gi. "Right! Training!" He said, and clapped his hands once. "I'll go set up. See ya' in ten." With that, Andy promptly removed himself from the group to go to the backyard.