Feliformia Ch. 11

"Syr? I can't cook!"

"You don't have a choice but to learn."

"... No! Even before meeting you, Mark always fed me. I never cooked anything."

"So? Are you saying you refuse to fulfill your duty?"

"My duty? I'm not a maid! You are!"

Syr looked at Kitty, who was wearing a little latex maid uniform, which prevented her from denying her current function. Kitty felt scrutinized and knew exactly what message her appearance conveyed.

"Oh! Well, yes, I'm dressed like a maid, but you guys forced me to."

"It suits you. But you are definitely a maid, and you must cook me a meal."

"What if I say no?"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know. Poison you?"

"Alright, I won't insist. But you put me in a challenging situation."

"... What situation? What do you mean?"

Syr returned to her backrest and stared at the blue sky, sighing heavily. Her tone changed into a disappointed one as if she were concerned about something important. She explained what was on her mind.

"First, I told you the truth. I must work really hard on something in my workshop. It is my most important contract, and I have to deliver everything on Tuesday. If I don't, my reputation will take a hit, and this will make my life more difficult in the future. Then on top of that, Master Mark and Erika asked us to spend time together to get to know each other better. We both know that it is necessary. If I have to do my house chores on top of this, I won't be able to spend any time with you. I thought you would like to help me a little bit."

Kitty didn't know on what foot to dance on that one. She was dealing with Syr, after all. It was possible that all of this was flawless acting and was an attempt to manipulate her cat's brain. The only thing she knew for sure was the part where Mark and Erika asked them to work on their relationship. However, Kitty couldn't help but think there was more to it.

"Mmm... Syr? Did you tell them about the contract you needed to finish?"

"No, I do not discuss my day job around them when I'm a maid."

"Tell me honestly, did you get yourself in trouble because of us? Because you spent too much time serving us?"

"... This... This is irrelevant."

"Oh, no! It's not."

Kitty jumped from one chair to the other and sat on top of Syr. The rubber cat was used to girl-on-girl contacts, but Syr, not so much. Not only Kitty had cornered her with a question she didn't want to answer, but on top of it, she was physically in her face, forcing her to look sideways.

"Kitty... You are very... close."

"I can't believe it. You preferred to get yourself in trouble to please us instead of taking care of your job?"

"... It was... worth it. I love Master Mark, and Erika and you are my friends."

"It doesn't mean you have to be dumb about it. You have to think about yourself first."

"Can you... get off me? This is embarrassing..."

Kitty had an innate ability to pull the truth out of people, but also had an innate ability to turn a drama into her favor. She placed her latex index finger on Syr's forehead.

"No. Wait. I have an idea. I'll be your maid, but in exchange, you have to sleep with me."

"But... Kitty... You know I'm not attracted to you that way."

"I didn't ask you to have sex with me. I just want someone to sleep with this weekend. It's the first time Mark is away for that long. I'm not sure how I'll feel if I'm all alone in the basement in that giant bed. It scares me a little. Friends can share a bed, no?"

"... Alright. I suppose... we could do this."

"Meow! NICE! But... I still don't know how to cook."

***

"How do you think they are doing? I should text them."

"Erika, we talked about this. You don't touch your phone this weekend. You are always playing on it."

"But what if they need us?"

"They won't. Why are you so anxious? They are not kids."

"I don't know. We just turned Kitty into a maid and fed her to the lions."

"Syr is not a lion. Kitty is super smart. They both need that time together. We did the right thing, so now eat your salmon before it gets cold. The food is excellent, and you shouldn't waste it."

"Mmm... Yes, it's good. So, did you look at the list of activities that they are offering here? Is there anything you want to try?"

Erika and I were facing each other inside our luxury hotel's fancy restaurant. There was a silver bucket of ice cooling some very delicious wine, which tasted even better because we didn't have to drive anywhere tonight. There were some soothing little candles here and there dancing inside small decorated glasses sitting on the white tablecloth.

With such a relaxed and intimate atmosphere, Erika's anxiousness was out of place. We were here not to be with the others for once, so she had to let it go. I hoped this was the last time I would have to bring her back to the present moment, or else she wouldn't enjoy her weekend as much as she should.

I grabbed the booklets listing the hotel amenities and reviewed them once more with her.

"Tomorrow morning, we will go to the spa, right?" I asked.

"Yes, for a massage."

"What about you going to get a pedicure and manicure? While you do that, I could wait for you at the bar."

"You go to the bar without me, and I will terminate you."

Erika was as romantic as ever. I said this on purpose because I knew she loved drinking. When I took her luggage off the car, it was curiously heavy. I would not be surprised if she brought some bottles from our home mini-bar.

"Did you see their beer menu? It's crazy. We would need a lifetime to try them all," I said.

"I guess we should get started then."

"No. Right now, you eat your expensive food, and then we said we were going straight to the bedroom. We have a jacuzzi and a giant bed to test."

"Oh? Were you expecting to have sex with me this weekend? I think I just want to rest. Sorry."

"You are funny, Erika. You can rest if you want, I'm still going to have sex with you."

"Oh! Gross! I'm not like Syr, dreaming of being abused in my sleep. I'm the one who will run the show this weekend."

"Not if you are too drunk. Your suitcase was quite heavy."

"Aaah! I brought a bottle or two, so what? ... It's going to be fun!"

***

"Syr... I have your food."

"Ah, see. I knew you could do it."

Kitty placed a bowl in front of Syr, who was sitting at her workshop bench. She looked down at the bowl and tried to identify what it was... unsuccessfully.

"Kitty? What is... this?"

"Hey, don't be mean. I tried my best."

"No, seriously? What is it?"

"... Noodles? Can't you tell?"

"... But... what is the... paste... covering them?"

Syr tried not to be mean, but she was not joking; she couldn't remotely determine what it was, and God only knows how many meals she had prepared during her life. Presenting her with a plate that she couldn't identify was quite a feat of creativity. Kitty, who was aware of her culinary limitation, was not offended, but she didn't expect Syr to ask questions that had such an obvious answer to her.

"... You mean the tuna?"

"... Tuna?"

"Yes! Tuna ... mixed with tomato paste. Try it. It's good."

"..."

Syr, unsettled, grabbed her fork and poked an overcooked fish paste covered noodle. She brought it up to her nose and smelled it before placing it on her tongue.

"..."

"Soooo? It's not so bad, right? I got that once before when I was homeless, in exchange for a food stamp. I liked it. I'm not sure why it doesn't look the same, though."

"It's... special."

"Well... I mean... I told you, I don't know how to cook. I know it's not as good as what you do."

Syr extended an arm and grabbed Kitty by the waist and pulled her into an unexpected gentle hug.

"Kitty, thank you. It's good."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm proud of you."

"Awww. Stop it... I know it's not very good."

"Now, go clean the kitchen, and bring me some fruits when you are done."

"You are not going to take a break from working?"

"I can't. I'm sorry. I have too much to do, still."

***

"What a bedroom!"

"It's not a bedroom. It's a suite!"

"Still. Having a jacuzzi so close to my bed is a first for me."

Erika and I were both naked, soaking in the wonderful bubbling tub. My open arms rested comfortably on the edge while Erika was straddling me, holding a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a shot glass in the other. She had a firm intention to damage our brains tonight.

As if the wine we got at the restaurant wasn't enough, the red devil twisted my arm, and we ended up trying the beer menu at the bar after our meal. Ah, well, spontaneity has always been a good thing. While she attempted to pour some whiskey in the small glass, I ran my hands on her warm and lovable breasts for a little squeeze.

"Hehe. Mark, if you make me drop the bottle, you're going to be in big trouble."

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

"Yes, every time you want to have sex with me, you predator."

"Ah, stop it. I'm serious. You are super cute. I like all your little freckles."

I ran my fingers on her pale skin, identifying all the little rust-colored dots that made her so unique. It was not that Erika lacked confidence in herself, she knew she was not ugly, but she never overly cared about little compliments like this. It didn't prevent me from flirting with her anyway.

"Shut it. Here, it's your turn. Drink this. It's an 18 years old... since you like tasting young adults."

"Hahaha! You are terrible! Syr is 21 years old... she is not a baby anymore."

"That's what I said... young adult. Alright, open your mouth before I drop it in the tub..."

Erika gently brought the glass to my lips and made me drink the whiskey I had never tried before. Immediately, the comforting heat traveled down my esophagus, and a surge of happiness spread inside my brain. Erika leaned forward and gave me a sensual kiss.

"Aaah, that's a good one!"

"The whiskey or the kiss?"

"Is there a bad answer?"

"Yes. If you disrespect the whiskey, I'm out of here."

"Hehe, Erika. You're nuts."

I reached her breasts with my mouth and started sucking on her nipples. Her response to this sexy action was to wrap her arms around my neck and moan a little.

"Mmm...They are not toys, you know. It's really turning me on when you do that. I don't want to have sex just now, okay? I just want to relax with you and drink."

"We can do that too. I'm good with whatever. But are you sure you are okay?"

"Yeah, I am, I'm just thinking a lot about—"

"... Kitty?"

"And Syr too. What's wrong with me? It's like if I let my children alone at home for the first time."

"They are fine. I promise. Stop thinking about them."

Erika got off me and sat in the jacuzzi seat next to mine and poured herself another glass. She sent the liquid straight down her throat, groaning in satisfaction. Something was definitely bugging her, so I decided to open a door.

"... want to tell me?"

"Mmm. Yes. You know how Syr is always roleplaying and never being normal?"

"Hehe, yes, I noticed, believe me."

"Well, did you ever think about the fact that she might have been doing this not to face her real emotions?"

"Oh, yes. I never talked to her about it, but it is pretty obvious. Something happened to her, and she is running away from it."

"Then, you are much smarter than I am.. It took me years to figure that out."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Yes. But I shouldn't... And I'm an idiot because I'm about to tell you. I'm a horrible person."

What was that about? She was so sad all of a sudden and started hating herself for something she hadn't done yet. It wasn't even the whiskey's fault as, usually, the drunker she got, the happier she got. I took the bottle and glass off her hands and put them aside. Without any resistance, I made her sit between my legs and turned off the jacuzzi to make things a bit quieter. I wrapped my arms around her warm little body and used a more soothing voice to discuss this.

"Hey, hey. You are not a horrible person at all. You obviously know something too heavy to carry alone. If you want to share it with me, I'll support you, you know that."

"But, I don't think she would like you to know... I... I don't know what to do."

"Listen. Something this heavy, I will end up knowing sooner or later. I think it would be better just to tell me and be done with it. Start slow. Tell me what happened. Why are you saying that you shouldn't know what happened to Syr?"

Erika let her head drop back on my shoulder and let a long sigh out.

"Now and then, Syr gets a letter from a certain person named Sandra. It's rather odd since people don't write letters anymore. Every single time, Syr grabs the envelope and disappears in her room for hours, which is very unlike her. I never asked questions, but I suspected it had something to do with her family. She told me in the past that she didn't have parents anymore. They passed away, but I never asked for details."

"I didn't know that. That's very sad."

"Yeah, well, one day, the doorbell rang while I was alone at home. When I answered, an older lady, probably 60-65years old, said she was in the area to give some training and wanted to say hello to Syr. Her name was Sandra, and she was wearing a paramedic uniform. That was the lady from the letters."

Erika was choking more and more because of the emotion. I stayed silent, respectfully listening to her story. Inside me was a feeling of apprehension; something ominous was slowly developing, and I didn't like it very much. The more I heard, the more my conviction that it was a good thing to have Erika share this with me grew. The red-haired girl continued her difficult tale while her fingers squeezed my forearms.

"It... It was so wrong of me to do that, but when the lady left, I decided to search both Sandra and Syr's real name on the internet. I quickly found something that turned my stomach upside down... I feel so disgusting for having done this. It was none of my business."

"Don't say that, Erika. It's not true. You just cared about her, okay? Tell me what you have found."

"... Aaah. Their names were associated with an infamous car accident... a big tragedy. A truck driver fell asleep on the highway and ended up in the opposite lane... It... It rammed through a bunch of cars... It violently decimated three entire families, and there was only one survivor... a small girl who didn't get a scratch... physically at least. Her parents died, Mark. She was only six years old! They died in front of her! THEY DIED..."

"Hey,hey! Come here, shhhhh. It's okay. It's okay."

Erika's dam broke, and she started crying like a newborn in my arms. I didn't know how long she had kept this secret to herself, but for some reason, leaving Syr and Kitty behind triggered something inside her, and this moment of intimacy with me, allowed her to let it out finally. Perhaps it had been something as simple as feeling she was abandoning them. Abandoning the girl who had lost everything.

***

"Syyyyr! It's so late! I cleaned the kitchen, brought you your fruits, and carried all those heavy laundry baskets to the laundry room. I'm getting tired. Plus, you are supposed to sleep in my bed tonight. That was the deal."

"I understand, but I need to push through this else I won't make it. This hat got damaged, and it is an essential piece of the costume they need."

"Alright... Alright... Hey, that is a cute teddy bear on your table. Can I look at it?"

"... Yes, just be careful. It is very old."

Kitty carefully grabbed the teddy bear and squeezed it gently, making him do friendly nods.

"So cute. What's the medal?"

"Just a symbol of friendship. It is important to me."

"Who gave it to you?"

"A friend."

"What friend?"

"Just ... Just a friend. Put it back now, please."

Kitty delicately placed back the bear on the workbench. One thing the small catgirl always been good at was to read people's mind. This slight hesitation from Syr on her last question triggered her sixth sense and desire to dig deeper.

"Outside us, do you have any friends?"

"Not really. I'm happy the way things are."

"You know, Syr, I don't have friends either. Everything went downhill when my father died, and my mother moved back to Japan."

"..."

"I guess I was all alone and didn't feel like living anymore. I just let myself go and ended up in the street. That was super dumb."

"Then, Mark found you, right?"

"Yep. He saved me. He gave me something I didn't expect that turned my life around, I guess."

"...What was it? Love?"

"Kind of. But not the way you mean it. I needed something to escape my reality. I was despondent about my life. But then, he told me to ditch my old normal self, Theresa, and he allowed me to be Kitty full time. I was much happier as Kitty for a long time, and I never went back to who I was before. So, basically, Mark taught me self-love by showing me it was okay to use my cat character as an escape until I got better."

"... I never really thought you were... acting."

"We are all acting, Syr. And there is nothing wrong with it."

Syr unconsciously stopped working, hypnotized by Kitty's impromptu slice of life. Her heart was racing; she really wanted to open her mouth again and tell Kitty how much she related to what she had just said, but she couldn't. The small rubber cat entered her head effortlessly and stirred all kinds of emotions and memories inside of her. While Syr swam in her own thoughts, Kitty dropped a few more words to complete her mind job.

"For what it's worth Syr, the more pain we carry, the more we act to cope with it."

"..."

"But do you know what's most important? It's to be aware of it and slowly try to return to our true self one day or another. It's the hardest part, but it is necessary. You know that! You were there when I let Mark see me out of my suit after such a long time hiding from him. You and Erika were the reason why I managed to do it. It was so hard, but you supported me."

"..."

"So, if you ever need us for something similar, one day, when you are ready, you know where to find us, right?"

"... I..."

"Alright, I'll let you finish your work. I'm going to bed now. I mean, it's up to you, but—"

"I will join you downstairs, Kitty, when I'm done."

"Yay! If I'm asleep, you must wake me up! Else it won't count."

***

It was 1 am when Syr looked at the pink hat she had just finished repairing, and it now looked brand new. Her crafting skills were limitless. She placed it on the shelf just above the matching costume and let a long yawn out. As she was putting her tools away, she looked at her teddy bear.

"Kitty is so amazing... How does she do that?"

She turned all the lights off, exited her workshop, and made a little round around the house to lock all doors and turn off all the lights. Kitty would need much more basic training to be able to take care of a house one day. That made Syr smile. The tuna noodles were so gross, and she wondered how Kitty had survived all those years before she met Mark.

The off duty maid made her way to the basement where the lights were dimmed, possibly betraying the small rubber cat's fear of the dark while alone in the creepily large basement. On the floor, in front of the bed, a latex maid uniform and some stockings and shoes were as asleep as the catgirl on the bed.

Syr's finger flipped the switch which plunged the basement into the dark, then took her clothes off and climbed on the large mattress. She slid under the soft sheet and carefully approached Kitty from behind. Kitty felt pulled into a spooning position, which she didn't quite expect tonight.

A whispering voice reached Kitty's ears.

"Kitty? Are you awake?"

"Mmm? I am now. Meow! What time is it?"

"Past 1 am..."

"Woah, you worked late. Did you manage to finish what you wanted?"