A waltz when she walks in the room
She pulls back the hair from her face
She turns to the window
To sway in the moonlight
Even her shadow has grace
Moochi sang along with Josh Groban, the cord to her headphones disappearing beneath her ponytail before peeking out again at her back and leading down to the ipod attached to her belt.
A waltz for the girl out of reach
She lifts her hands up to the sky
She moves with the music
The song is her lover
The melody’s making her cry
Twirling, she held a spray bottle of blue liquid in one hand, and a fat, crumpled bunch of papertowels in her other.
So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is from afar calling me, silently
Then, she sprayed the glass window and wiped it down carefully, pausing every now and then for a big part in the song, that caused her voice to rise and fall with Groban’s own.
A waltz for the chance I should take
But how will I know how to start
She’s spinning between constellations and dreams
Her rhythm is my beating heart
Suddenly, biting her bottom lip, she bent down to scratch at a part of the window that appeared to have a spot of something stuck on it.
So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is from afar calling me, silently
I can’t keep on watching forever
I’d give up this view just to tell her
She scrubbed, humming to the song all the while.
When I close my eyes I can see
The spotlights are bright on you and me
We’ve got the floor
And you’re in my arms
How could I ask for more?
When the spot was finally removed, she went back to singing. She even acted out parts of the song, dramatically hugging herself and closing her eyes.
So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is from afar calling me, silently
I can’t keep on watching forever
And I’m giving up this view just to tell her
Eyelashes fluttering, she put the back of the hand with the now-dirty papertowel clump in it, against her forehead, and fell back upon the sofa with a thump. Then, she sighed contentedly.
That was when the song ended, and she took off the headphones.
The sound of laughter greeted her ears.
“W-What are YOU doing here?” Moochi asked, incredulous. She stared into the wrinked face and twinkling eyes of her old trainer and friend, Rick, and shot upright on the couch. Her hands still clutched the bottle of blue liquid and the dirty papertowel clump, so she put them down on the coffeetable quickly. Rick had to finish laughing before he could answer, and Moochi looked on, glaring.
“Seth said you had kittens. I came to see 'em. 'Thought the missus might like one.” Rick finally said, his voice strained with laughter.
“Oh.” Was all Moochi had to reply. Then, she got up and tiptoed towards the stairs. Rick followed curiously. When Moochi stood on the first stair, she turned to Rick and put a finger to her lips. She turned and went up carefully, her feet creaking on each step. Geeze was this house old… She wondered if her feet might fall through the floorboards yet…
Tiptoeing into her room, she saw the box in the corner, which was now packed with several small blankets, and knelt beside it. Looking into the box, she smiled. The mother-cat was a white female with not a spot of any other color on her. She lay with her kittens, grooming them and purring. The kittens were all just old enough to walk and begin eating solid food. But they didn’t seem ready to leave their mother just yet. All four of them were cuddled up to her, sleeping soundly–including the one little grey that Seth had handed to Moochi on the first day of their arrival into Artful Acres history. The other kittens were all very different. The grey was a female, while the rest were all males. Seth had called the grey “Snip” because of the white snip on her nose. One male was russet-orange in color, and looked a bit like an otter because of it. His only marking was a white spot on his chest. Moochi had named him “Otter,” of course. Another male was black, with white on each of his paws. His forehead also had a single white star. Moochi called him “Cosmo” (though usually, Seth just called him “Blackie”, which Moochi found irritating because she said it confused the poor kitten… He still did it behind her back). The last male was a tan-beige color. He had a white-tipped tail. Moochi called this one “Latte.” The mother-cat went simply by “Snow”, per Seth’s request (“Why don’t we give at least ONE of them something I can remember…” Seth had said. Moochi just shrugged and went along with it. She was fresh out of ideas anyway).
Snow licked Otter gently on the head, then licked her own paws, still purring all the while.
As Moochi turned away from the felines to glance behind her, she found Rick was already there, leaning against the door frame of her room. Moochi looked around the room for a moment and her eyebrows shot upward as she noticed some of Seth’s laundry, and her own, piled into a corner. She grabbed it and rushed to the closet, dumping everything uncerimoniously into the laundry basket.
Turning again, she shut the closet door behind her and crossed her arms.
“They’re right over there.” She said, coughing softly.
Rick just grinned and knelt beside the box, staring into it with wide eyes.
“Wow…” He commented softly.
Moochi nodded.
“They’re tiny yet, eh?”
Moochi shrugged.
“The vet said they could go any time. They’re ready.”
Rick nodded. Then, before she could stop him, he put a hand into the box and rubbed Latte on the head. Moochi waited.
And waited…
…and waited…
But, amazingly…
“She didn’t bite you…” Moochi said in a hushed voice that appeared to knock the breath out of her.
“Hmm?” Rick answered, glancing up at her as he continued to rub Latte’s head. Latte gave a short purr, appearing to smile. Then, Rick rubbed Snow’s head, and she looked at him suspiciously for a moment, before giving a purr that almost mirrored Latte’s own.
The grin was back on Rick’s face. Moochi gave a relieved sigh.
“So, which one do you think your wife would like?” Moochi finally asked, kneeling beside him.
“Hm… Well, to tell you the truth, if I get one, it won’t just be for her…” He broke off, and continued to rub Snow’s head. Finally, Snow rubbed against his hand, purring like a motor. It was odd how friendly she was being… Moochi wondered if perhaps it was the smell of flowers and herbs that Rick often had on him from his time spent gardening, that was making her so receptive…
Moochi looked from Snow, to Rick, and smirked.
“She said you should get a pet, right? Because she’s worried about you getting lonely?”
Rick took a sharp breath inward and held it, before letting it go slowly, making Moochi chuckle.
“Ya got me…” He said, his face remaining serious. Moochi laughed outright, and shoved him in the arm with her elbow.
“Okay… So why didn’t she have you get a dog?”
Rick looked almost insulted for a moment. Then he smiled. “Because cats can take care of themselves, and if I forget to feed it–”
Moochi gasped and shoved him again, until he almost fell over.
“Oof!” He said, catching himself. “Watch it, whipper-snapper… Shoving old men around–huh! I can see Seth has his hands fool.”
Moochi frowned and Rick just grinned. “Now, now…” He sighed. “Alright… You caught me again… I just don’t want a dog… Ever since ‘Mac’ died…” He shrugged, and something sad was caught in his eyes. “I want a cat for a change.”
Moochi hated to see him like that… She tried to lighten the mood again. “I wouldn’t admit that to those old poker-playing friends of yours.”
Rick nodded, smiling softer this time. Moochi straightened the hat on Rick’s bald head and stood up, offering her hand to help him up. He took it and got up with a gruff grunt, as if the movement was hard on him, and then tipped his hat to Moochi.
“Gettin’ too old for this kind of thing, eh?” Moochi asked gently.
Rick’s eyes glittered before he looked back down at the kittens. “Watch it you, I can still call your ma’, plain as any day.”
Moochi looked at him in alarm. Rick looked at her and chuckled.
As they walked downstairs once more, Seth was back, taking his boots off by the door. The boots were covered in mud…as was more than half his body.
Moochi stifled a gasp of surprise and then laughter as she looked at her boyfriend–in all his muddy, sloppy, slimy glory.
Rick didn’t even attempt to hide his own booming laughter.
Seth narrowed his eyes, but said nothing, still struggling to remove one boot. When it finally came off, he nearly fell backward. Luckily, he was sitting on the floor, on the welcome mat, so he hadn’t far to fall…
More booming laughter from Rick, and more stifled giggles from Moochi.
Seth turned his boot upside down and watched as a slow, thick substance fell from his boot onto the floor like molasses, plopping when it hit the hard surface. Moochi nearly died.
“Oops.” Seth said, his eyes wide in surprise. Then, he blushed, looking slowly at Moochi. His eyes searched her face for an instant. Moochi was speechless. Well, at least for a moment…
“S-Seth…” The sound of her voice came out a growl. She was speaking through her teeth.
“Uh oh.” Rick said softly behind her.
Seth’s face was bright red in embarrassment, and he bit his lip.
Then, he let out a laugh.
Oh… He wasn’t embarrassed…
He was holding back LAUGHTER. Laughing–LAUGHING at HER.
Moochi watched him… and her heart melted.
Grr… Boyfriends… They knew just how to get to you…
Moochi’s mouth twitched, but she bit the inside of her bottom lip and made her mouth into a firm line. But it wouldn’t hold, and finally, it was all she could do not to laugh herself.
“OKAY, you.” She pointed at Seth. Her mouth was fighting a smile, and losing pathetically. “Get upstairs and go wash.”
“Don’t forget behind your ears.” Rick said, pointing to his own ear. Moochi couldn’t hide her smile anymore, but she settled on a narrowing of the eyes and a half-hearted glare.
Seth nodded, getting up and squeezing his hair out onto the mat. Moochi covered her face with a hand, letting out soft chuckles. Then, she felt a warmth beside her, and she didn’t have to look up to see who it was.
It was then that she felt cold, clammy, slimy hands grip her shoulders, and a kiss on her earlobe that was equally cold, clammy, and slimy.
“EW!” Moochi said, laughing and shoving him away. “Stop that!” She said between laughter. “Get upstairs and wash!” She pointed upstairs again and he bowed his head in defeat, smiling all the while.
Rick moved aside to let Seth pass him, giving the younger man a wide berth.
Seth just grinned as he passed.
As soon as Moochi heard the water running, she walked the rest of the way down the steps and Rick followed. She stood before the front door, holding it open, trying to stand in a place away from the splotches of mud and muck on the floor. Rick gave her a hair a ruffle before walking outside.
“See ya later, kid.” He said gruffly.
“Yeah.” She said, giving him a half-smile. “Oh, and the kitten!”
He nodded once. “I think I’ll take the tan one.”
“Latte?” She asked.
Rick’s face was unreadable as he stared at her. He grunted in answer and turned, walking down the walkway. It was raining, of course, and Moochi watched as he pulled his coat-collar higher up over his neck, and pushed his hat closer to his skull. Then, he seemed to disappear, swallowed up by the storm.
Moochi felt awkward leaving him. She closed the door but continued to gaze through the glass, trying to pick out his shape somewhere walking towards his car. She was worried.
Suddenly, she ran upstairs, heading towards her room and looking in on the kittens before going to the closet to grab her coat. Snow stared at her oddly before going back to grooming herself and her brood.
Moochi stopped on her to the stairs, knocking on the bathroom door.
There was a sound like a thud, and another low bumping sound. A muffled curse, then, a slow reply followed…
“…Yeah?”
Moochi bit her lip. Then…“Are you okay in there?”
A sound like a sigh. Then, “Yeah, I’m fine.” A pause. “Did you need something?”
The last part was in a voice that was low and soothing, a sound meant to seduce…
and it was working…
Moochi gulped.
“N-no. I’m going outside to follow Rick and make sure he’s okay. Be right back!” She yelled the last part, already racing down the stairs and out the door.
“…Sarah?” Came the questioning reply from the bathroom. But Moochi was already gone.
Why was it raining in winter? The question was one that leapt into her head as her boots raced along the grass and dirt, occasionally becoming sucked into the mud. She paused to take a breath and felt the rain drip across her face. She blinked, her eyelashes holding beads of crystal water that blurred her vision. It seemed to be a delayed reaction–but she suddenly noticed that… it was COLD.
Her coat was not at all heavy enough to keep her warm, but just enough to keep her from getting wet as she continued to slosh through the mud towards the end of the long dirt drive.
She remembered Seth’s boots and the mud that plopped out of them, and thought to herself how she would likely need a bath as well after all of this…
But she stopped herself at the obvious leap her mind would take. Seth would be done long before she got back, she was sure…
Cough, cough, cough…
A dark shape lying on the ground a yard or so away, halted her. She blinked away rain-tears and her mouth opened wide in an O-shape.
“…RICK?”
(Author’s note/ooc: Okay… I’m starting to dislike myself for this “chapter”… X_x It seems too rushed in places… and yeah… Gah… I think I’m going to rewrite it… eventually… But, for right now I’ll just leave this up as a basic plan for next time… heh. Just felt like giving this thread/chapter some motion…
P.S. Thank you so much for reading. I feel sooooo special and sooooooooo honored everytime any of you takes the time to give me criticism or–WOW–compliments!!! It makes me happy to know I can offer something of myself for you to enjoy 
Thank you, thank you, and thank you… )