Feliformia Ch. 11

"Yes."

"Good. You should get some rest now. And keep cuddling me, I love it."

"... Okay."

"Good night, Syr."

"... Good night."

Syr had this unbearable pressure inside her chest. The same one as earlier when she wanted to say something to Kitty but couldn't. It was almost painful. Her heart was racing, and she couldn't control it. Her breathing was laborious. She needed to let something out... badly.

"K... Kitty?"

"Mmm?"

"I... I want to tell you..."

"... What is it?"

"I want to tell you about my parents. About what happened to them."

"Syr. If you keep holding me tightly like this, I'll listen to everything you want to tell me all night."

"... I... I was six years old when—"

***

"Good Morning, whiskey girl!"

"Hehe. Morning, Mr. Shoulder-I-Can-Cry-On."

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Much better. Thanks to you. You are the best."

Erika climbed on top of me, and we started kissing. Last night was intense. Erika had her meltdown, and then we talked it out while drinking. We didn't have sex or anything; we just chatted until very late at night while cuddling.

"So much praise. I feel like I know a thing or two about life now. Hey, do you still want to go to the spa this morning? It's almost 10 am," I asked.

"10 am? Ow, it's late. Can we do what we said we would do last night?"

"Sure, did you bring your tablet?"

"Yes, it's right there on the nightstand."

"Oh... Right."

I stretched my arm and grabbed Erika's tablet. Last night we discussed Syr but also life in general. We were able to find a certain inner peace while talking and agreed that it was up to Syr to open up regarding her life, and whatever she decided to do, we would be there to support her. I think Erika understood that it was pointless to torture herself with what she had learned about her friend. With or without knowing about her tragic past, Syr was still the same nice girl we all loved.

I called Kitty via videoconference, hoping that she would answer. It took a few seconds before a black latex cat appeared on the screen.

"Meowning guys!"

"Hey, Kitty, just checking how you were doing as a maid."

"I'm really good at it. It gives Syr a well-deserved break."

The screen was moving in every direction; it was nauseating. Kitty looked like she was bouncing on our bed. Erika scolded her.

"Hey Catbutt! stop moving like this! We are going to puke."

"One sec, I'm trying to sit."

Once the camera stabilized, we finally got a clear image of Kitty, wearing her black rubber suit, and... Syr... who was sitting naked next to her.

"Kitty... Why is Syr naked with you in our bed?"

"Oh... She slept with me."

"She slept... with you?"

"Yes! We spooned all night."

"Uh? Did you have... sex?"

"Master Mark! This is none of your business!"

Alright, it didn't take long. Kitty purposely told me something shocking, and Syr prevented me from getting the crunchy details. Those two were apparently best friends now and would pull my leg together. As if I didn't have enough girl troubles as it was.

Erika grabbed the tablet and looked at them through the camera.

"Syr! Kitty! I love you so much! I'm so glad you are having fun. I just wanted to check on you. Mark and I are going for a massage now, but let us know if you need anything, okay?"

"Yes, Erika. But we are fine. I'm an amazing maid and a great cook!."

"... A great cook, uh? Alright, you two. Enjoy your weekend."

"Okaaay! Byyye!"

Erika hung up the call and tossed the tablet on the bed. All her worries vanished, and fresh energy filled the empty space. In one spontaneous move, she climbed on top of me again; I felt like her prey today.

"Don't move! You are mine!" she said.

"Am I?"

"Yes! And now that all is good, we can have our weekend together."

"That's the spirit. So, are we going to the spa or not?"

"No! We go eat, and then we go back to the bar."

"The bar right after breakfast? I'm not sure beer and eggs will be a good mix."

"You do as I say! You are mine!"

"Erika, you are starting to sound like Kitty more and more. You know that?"

"NO! We must go to the bar! We must!"

Oh, boy.

***

Syr suspiciously poked her scrambled eggs using a single tooth of her fork. Once more, she was speechless. Kitty, the adorable latex maid, was tasked to cook a late breakfast. Syr kept her order as simple as possible, yet she stared at her food in amazement, not understanding how the end result had branched so far away from what she had ordered.

"What's wrong, Syr? Don't you like your eggs over easy? I thought that it was what you asked for."

"... It's fine."

"And I put butter on your toast, too, as you like."

"... Thanks."

Using the tip of her knife, she lifted the toast to look at it on both sides. That poor piece of bread was entirely black and was struggling to absorb the butter. She glanced at the toaster and saw that the setting had not changed. How in the world did Kitty manage to burn it to this extent? It was a mystery.

"... I will need to work all day again. I will provide you with a list of tasks to do," Syr said.

"More tasks? But I did so much already today!"

"... You cooked eggs and bread. That is all you did today so far."

"It's a lot more than I'm used to!"

"Have you always been this lazy? I now understand why Master Mark was on the verge of exhaustion when I first met him."

"If I were not lazy, I would not be as cute."

To Syr, it was unbelievable to see Kitty justifying her lack of motivation toward work using the cuteness card. She was indeed an adorable girl with tons of people skills, but those were no reasonable arguments to withdraw herself from all basic responsibilities.

Syr opened a drawer and pulled out a notepad and a pen. Using soft calligraphy, she created a list of simple tasks for the small cat-maid to perform. Every time she added an item on the piece of paper, Kitty thought it would be the last one... but it was not... and she started to whine about it.

"Surely, you don't expect me to do all of this!?"

"I do. If you don't, you'll sleep alone tonight."

"What? You are blackmailing me?"

"I do. I have lots of work to finish today, and I do not have time to argue. Follow me now. I have a small gift for you."

"You are blackmailing me, and now you have a gift for me?"

"I do."

Syr sounded a bit like a parrot to Kitty with her repetitive "I do." All her answers were final, leaving no room for negotiation. Syr had hit a nerve. She knew very well that Kitty would do anything to spend another night with her.

To Kitty, last night was perfect, and she couldn't have hoped for anything better. Syr joined her late in the night and woke her up with a hug from behind. Her reason to do this quickly became apparent when she told her about her tragic past.

Syr had not cried or dwelled; she just wanted to share. She used Kitty as a living Teddy Bear, to whom she could tell everything and anything without feeling judged or pitied.

Happy to receive all the hugs and squeezes, Kitty understood that Syr didn't need another lover... Above all else, what Syr needed the most was a special friend, and the latex catgirl was more than happy to play this important role in her life. As an added bonus, this little reconciliation had allowed them to tease Mark and make him wonder if they had sex together, which should bug him for quite a while.

The two girls entered the workshop, and Syr went right to a small dresser and opened the drawers. She pulled out a ribbon with several jingle bells attached to it.

"Ah! Here it is. Kitty, give me your tail."

"My tail? Wait a minute ... you are not going to..."

Syr lifted Kitty's pink skirt, grabbed the long snake-like rubber appendage, and began to tie the ringing ribbon to its tip.

"... but ... why?"

"It will make a lot of noise when you are moving."

"I know that! But ... why?"

"I'll be busy. I cannot follow you everywhere to ensure you are doing your tasks. If the bells stop ringing for too long, you are going to sleep alone tonight."

"But ... that's not fair!"

"Now, get going and follow your to-do list. If I catch you cheating, the deal is off."

"Syyyr! You are so evil!"

"I'm not. I'm just busy. Now, go. You have a lot to do."

"But... Aaaaah! You are worse than Erika and her English lessons!"

Kitty dropped her arm and curved her back, a bit defeated. What had she done to deserve this treatment from her new best friend? She turned around, and as soon as she made one step, her tail hit her calf and...

Jingle!

"Oh, God!"

"Oh, my!"

It was a bit louder than the two girls had anticipated.

***

Erika and I have been sitting at the hotel bar all afternoon, trying all the different beers we could. We kept ourselves alive with various snacks; those deep-fried cheese curds were a revelation.

"Mark... Last one, then we go back to the room."

"Hehe, you have enough already?"

"Of course not, but we can't have sex here."

"Good point. Did you bring your rubber suit?"

"No. No rubber suit this weekend."

"Aaah, too bad. I really like the latex version of you."

"Kitty trained you well. OH! This one is mine!"

Erika roughly pushed my hand away, even if I didn't try to do anything; my funny companion always spotted the biggest cheese curds from the basket and dove like an eagle to snatch them first. I could only imagine how many calories Erika put inside her body this afternoon; it was not something I was remotely interested in mentioning as it could only result in one thing. My death.

I wanted her closer to me, so I wrapped my arm around her tiny waist as she was munching on the squeaky food. After I kissed her on the head, her eyes looked up at me, and she asked me an odd question.

"What if it were only the two of us?"

"You mean, like a normal couple?"

"Yeah. What if Kitty and Syr didn't exist? Would we be together?"

"No!"

"Aww! Seriously? You say that to your girl right before we are supposed to make love?"

"Yep!"

"Aww! Why? Am I just a side dish?"

"Hehe... No. If I had not met Kitty first, you would have hated me. She turned me into who I am now. I went from stupid to decent."

"That's not true!"

I started playing in Erika's ponytail, spinning my finger around it. All the credit had to go to Kitty; she taught me that I could take care of someone well. People don't realize it, but tying someone up required self-confidence. I learned to trust myself whenever I locked Kitty inside her crate, which made me much less paranoiac over time. I don't think Erika would have tolerated the old version of me.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but really, Kitty made me a better person."

"No, that's not what I meant. I was saying that you are still stupid."

"Hey! Do you want to sleep in the hallway tonight?"

"I would get a lot of attention from random males. Would you like that?"

"No! No, I wouldn't like that."

"Well, you have three girlfriends, why can't I have three males?"

"..."

"Relaaax! I am just teasing. I'm not interested in other males. Not even another female. I love Kitty and you as a unit!"

"Good... I'm happy with what I have too. Alright, let's go to our room now."

We paid our enormous bill and left the bar, hand in hand.

After a quick elevator ride and a short walk, we arrived at our suite.

"Hey, Mark. I'll just take a quick shower first."

"Need help?"

"Nah, just try to light the fireplace or something. I won't be long."

"Sure... Good idea."

Trying to light the fireplace was not a big challenge; I just had to find the switch; it was a gas one. Not only this suite had a jacuzzi, next to the bedroom, but it also had that small but cute fireplace in a corner. In front of it, was this little loveseat and a fake white fur rug.

I heard the shower running, so I had time to relax a bit. I tossed my shirt on the bed and took a look at the bottles Erika had brought from home. The 18 years old whiskey we tried last night was definitely the best. I grabbed it along with two shot glasses and set them up near the loveseat. There was no doubt in my mind that Erika would want some.

I grabbed the room service menu from the desk and browsed it. We ate snacks all afternoon, but eventually, we would need a proper dinner; it wouldn't hurt to order a little something for later. I pressed the zero key on the phone and waited for someone to answer.

"Hey there, this is room 1066, I would like to order some food. Yeah. Maybe in an hour from now, that would be good."

"..."

"So, how good is your club sandwich? Okay... Well, that sounds good. So, two of those... and a bottle of your house red."

"..."

"Yeah, that's all... Oh, wait! No... add a basket of deep-fried cheese curds too, my life depends on it."

"..."

"Cool, thanks!"

Why not crank up our bills a bit more while we were at it. We will have to put our budget on a diet once we return home, but it was well worth it. Despite last night's drama, it was just fantastic to spend the weekend alone with Erika. I fully understood why I fell in love with her; she was so fun to have around.

I sat on the loveseat, extending my legs to rest my heel on the soft rug warmed up by the fire and started browsing my phone to kill time. The water stopped already but Erika was probably doing more girly things in there.

After a few more minutes, the bathroom door finally opened.

"Hey Mark, don't look, I put on some special lingerie for you..."

"Oh! Feeling kinky, are you?"

"Oh, yes! You'll love it... but don't look, okay?"

"Okay! Not looking!"

Arriving from behind me, Erika leaned over the couch and slid her two arms around my neck and down my torso... An intense fear shot down my spine.

"OH, GOD! Not again!"

"Rawr!"

***

Jingle!

"Here is your dinner, Mistress Syr."

"Mistress? I didn't think you would go that far."

Kitty, the cute cat-maid with jingly bells still attached to her tail, placed a plate in front of Syr on the workbench. A seemingly blank sandwich was sitting in the middle of it. Kitty bowed and stepped back. There was no mistaking it, she was frustrated. Being a maid was definitely not her dream job, so trying to mimic what Syr's was usually doing was a sarcastic gesture at best.

Jingle!

"I hope it is to your liking, Mistress Syr!"

"Kitty? Are you making fun of me?"

"A little... but I'll stop now because it hurts my jaw to talk like you. So... I cooked you dinner. It's the same thing that you made for us a few weeks back. It was super good and it looked easy to prepare... The cheese sandwich."

"The cheese sandwich?"

"Yeah, remember? Mark said it was so good that he slept with you on that night as a reward."

"You mean... the Brie and fig jam grilled cheese?"

"Aaaah! So, that's what it was!"

Kitty was not very observant when it came to food. She would eat anything and everything as long as it was not awful, no matter what the ingredients were. Syr was well aware of that fact and facing the harsh reality that Kitty attempted to replicate one of her best dishes by memory only was a source of great concern.

"W... What did you put in it?"

"Meow! Well, I didn't know you used jam... but I knew it was something breakfast..."

"...Breakfasty?"

"Yes, so I used peanut butter instead."

"... Peanut butter? ... and ... what about the cheese?"

"Well... I didn't find the fancy one you used. All I found was nachos cheese. I mean, cheese is cheese, so whatever."

Trying to hide her horrified mental state not to insult Kitty who seemed so proud of her newfound culinary skill, Syr separated a corner of the sandwich and observed the inside in silence. There was a mixture of sugary and salty peanut butter that she never cared for, covered with a layer of artificial melted cheese containing some jalapeno pieces. She closed the sandwich and opted for an evasive maneuver.

"Thank you, Kitty. I appreciate it. I will eat it in a minute. You may go rest now. I will soon be done with my work and I'll join you."

"What? No! That's mean. At least tell me if it's good. I made it just for you."

"..."

Jingle!

"Come on, Syr, it would make me happy to know I didn't totally fail at being your maid."

"... Alright."

Her trembling finger grabbed the revolting sandwich and, after a deep breath, Syr took a small bite from its corner. That was step one. Step two was to start chewing and experience the apprehended flavor. Reluctantly, and that was an understatement, she crushed the food with her perfectly white molars under Kitty's intense gaze.

"So? Is it good?" Kitty asked.

Syr developed a new trauma.

***

"Aaaaah! Stop it!"

"Why did you take off your shirt in the first place? As if I could resist."

Erika was wearing her jet black furry catsuit, the one she used to torture me during my birthday. It was the first time she put it back on since that moment and it quickly reminded her how much fun torturing me was.

She dragged her metal claws on my skin and even tried to play tic-tac-toe on my chest. It was not too bad just yet as we were sitting on the loveseat in front of the fireplace to relax. Because of her muzzle, she couldn't really use the shot glasses to consume her whiskey, so she was taking small sips directly from the bottle; such a lady-like behaviour.

Her turning into a vicious cat was not part of my plans, but since it happened and I would have a tough evening, I decided to get some pre-torture revenge.

"I ordered some food, it should be delivered in a minute. Follow me."

"Oh... not a bad idea. What did you get me."

"Just a small club sandwich. Come"

I grabbed Erika-cat by the wrist and pulled her off the couch. I guided her to the small table in the middle of the place and made her sit down. As she was executing herself, someone knocked at the door.

"Ah, talk about perfect timing. I'll put my shirt on to hide my scratches, or else, he might call the cops on us."

"Haha! It would be way worse if a giant cat were to answer the door."

"Oh, you think so? Well, we will see about that..."

"... Mark! ... If you are about to do what I think you are about to do ... Don't!"

"I can't hear you, Erika... your muzzle is muffling your voice."

"You totally heard me!"

"What?"

"Grrr... Don't!"

Too late. I opened the door, and the waiter was there with his food cart.

"Hi there, would you mind bringing this to our table?"

"No problem at all."

"Oh, don't be shocked. There is a girl who likes cosplaying."

The waiter just nodded as if he already saw everything during his time as a hotel employee. He pushed his cart inside, which made Erika freeze like a taxidermied cat. I knew she turned beet red under her mask and also knew this would be my last day on Earth.

He approached her, not showing any sign of discomfort and proceeded with the unloading of his cart. He placed the two plates on the table along with the cheese curds and opened the bottle of wine for us. He poured a little bit in Erika's glass for her to taste. She had no other option but to say something... because I wasn't going to; I was too busy savoring the moment.

"... I... I can't... you... you know... because of my... muzzle."

"Oh, it's alright, Miss Cat. Would you like a straw?"

"... N... No... I'm good."

He pulled the glass back and filled the remainder of it; he did the same with mine. Once his service was completed, he pushed his cart out of the room, I gave him a generous tip and he was on his way. I closed the door and expected to get stabbed by the small cat with a fork or something.

I walked toward the table where Erika was still not moving; she was just staring at me. Because of the mask, I couldn't really tell what she was thinking. Then she burst into laughter.

"Pfff! Bahahaha! Mark! You are such a moron! Hahaha!"