Room 409
.Marmalade snuck into the building. Gray hoodie, faded blue jeans, and worn sneakers that should be replaced soon. She didn't belong there yet had found a way in as she crept up the staircase, dodged out of the way of the others who resided here and walked past so many other apartments. Some smelled like they were occupied, others not so much. The first floor was full, the second floor almost the same... She climbed her way through the ventilation shafts when larger groups of people filed through the stairs and popped back out when she thought the place was clear. A small, muffled noise came from the inside of the hoodie as she paused and dove a hand inside to pet the elderly feline on the head. "It's ok... I'll let you down soon, promise. Ok?" Her voice was soft like velvet as she cooed gently to her elderly companion.
Eyes darted around as she heard footsteps and soon was out of sight as she traveled up the ventilation shafts until she eventually got to the fourth floor. This seemed like the only floor with vacant rooms that were plentiful, still. She could have gone higher, and briefly she had. But the sight of how unfinished the fifth floor seemed, she didn't want to risk running into someone if they decided to renovate it. The woman came to apartment number 409 and picked the lock when she didn't smell anyone that might live there. Once the lock clicked open, she took a quick look around before she dove into the place and quietly closed the door behind her. From there, she checked every room, every possible escape route and determined it really was empty. A sigh of relief was made, and she unzipped the hoodie to put her feline companion down so he could find a spot he wanted for himself. "Guess this will work for now..." She murmured to herself and grinned.
The hoodie was pushed off her head to reveal an unnaturally bright red mess of tight curls. Red lips looked like there was lipstick on them, but there wasn't. That was just the natural coloration of them. Marmalade's eyes were hazel, but they were unnaturally bright with gold undertones to them. Her skin was pale with a smatter of tiny freckles from cheek to cheek and she stood at a whopping height of five foot, five inches. The streets hadn't been kind, but she needed to hide somewhere the mob wouldn't think to look. She'd just stolen something priceless to them and pawned it already. The money had been used to buy a little food for herself and her cat, Chief. The rest? She spread it out over a series of donations to hospitals, churches, schools, the fire department and even a few charities that could help with other homeless. All done anonymously, of course.
She knew they would have a hard time tracking her now. As she went to the bedroom, there were simple bed sheets, and she went over to it to lay down for a little bit. Every muscle ached and before long, she'd fallen asleep. Chief came up to her and curled up with her after a while. By the time she woke back up, it took her a minute to remember where she'd been and where she was now. With Chief asleep next to her, she pushed her face into the feline's back and let out an animalistic purr that came from her chest. She had to remember to keep the human and feline natures balanced though. Otherwise, she'd lose one of her forms and be stuck in the other. With that as a reminder, she stretched and got back up. A quick search of the kitchen told her there was no food here. So, she'd need to steal some. Time to have a look see!
She went over toward what looked like a balcony and opened the sliding glass door to step outside. Based on what she could discern, she judged the height from each balcony and grinned. "This works, too." An amused murmur left her as she could jump from one to the other. They weren't that far apart, and the leaps weren't too difficult on her part, either. She'd certainly jumped farther and harder than this. With that in mind, she pulled out her lock picks and placed them in her mouth. From there, she took off her clothes and kicked them into a corner for the moment. She made sure to close the door so Chief wouldn't accidently get out and worse. As she stood there, the salt air blew against her bare skin which caused a few goosebumps. Then, she focused her mind and let the change pull her in.
There was a small shimmer, like ripples as the forms changed and her body shrank in on itself to be reshaped into what looked like a calico cat with long hair. The human form carried a spiced apple with woodsy scents in the mix. But it was subtle. Now? It was even more so as the scent of feline overshadowed it almost completely. With a leap, she got onto the railing of the balcony and decided to hop down. It was an easy enough thing for her to do, even in this form. She just couldn't jump up as high as her human could. With both forepaws as they slid down, the motion was smooth like silk as she dropped easily and twisted in midair to grab onto the next balcony below. She took a quick peek at what was room 309, but decided not to because of the scent. There was something about it that set her instincts on edge. Her fur bristled as her long tail poofed up. She was back on the railing and dropped down another floor instead...
.
Room 209
.Marmalade went up to the sliding glass door and sniffed. There was something strange about it. Two occupants, maybe? She looked inside as best as she could with her ears perked towards the inside. After a long several moments of silence, she focused again until her form changed back into that of a human. Albeit a naked human. Still, she lightly tugged at the handle and wasn't surprised it was locked. Her tools fixed that in a heartbeat though! The door was opened about halfway and she put her thin tools underneath something on the balcony. Then, her form changed yet again until she was a cute little feline. Most people were fooled and let a cat wander as they damn well pleased. Because who would think the cat was actually a supernatural? She snuck in and kept her ears open for the owners of this apartment.
But as she silently moved from one place to the next, she soon found there wasn't anyone home. At least, not yet. A satisfied purr was let out as she snuck her nose into the first bedroom she could. It looked like someone only slept here and not much else. But look at all these cowboy hats! Her tail twitched happily as the urge to swipe them was damn near uncontrollable. She leapt up onto the dresser and had begun to select which one she'd likely take before her eyes caught the glint of something shiny. A belt buckle! Her little purrs continued softly as her paws pushed the collection of these around until she found one that looked really valuable. The metal on it looked heavy and the design looked like it might be worth a good amount to the pawn shops. With her paw, she hooked a claw around it's hoop and brought it into her mouth. With it secured, she hopped down and quickly left to go outside. With a quick shift, she jumped her way back to her apartment and set the buckle into a hiding spot somewhere within. She pet Chief briefly before she returned to apartment 209. She'd found a nice little collection to steal. She had just gotten to the railing and was now at the half open door when she heard a doorknob and keys. Welp! At least people didn't look twice at a cat.
Maddox shoved the key into the lock backward again. He grumbled under his breath, turning it around with a sunburned sigh and finally clicking the door open. The beach still clung to him in the form of sand in his boots, salt in his hair, and a lazily content grin tugging at his mouth. The apartment smelled like sea air and coconut body wash, which was still surreal enough to make him chuckle.
He stepped inside, calling lazily, “Cass, you home?” His voice echoed back to him with too much quiet.That was the first red flag. The second was the cracked sliding glass door. Just wide enough to annoy him, just narrow enough to scream that someone who didn’t live here had messed with it. He kicked off his boots and followed the breeze to the bedroom, where a third issue practically slapped him in the face. His belt buckle drawer was wide open.
Maddox frowned, crossing the room in slow, suspicious steps. His cowboy hats had been touched. Moved. Possibly judged. A slow burn mad hit his core as he examined them. He stopped in the middle of the room, posture shifting from beach-lazy to small-town sheriff real fast, and spotted the perpetrator perched cool as you please on the balcony railing: a cat. Tail flicking. Eyes smug. Looking for all the world like it owned the lease. “…What in the nine kinds of Florida hell?” He muttered, folding his arms.
The cat blinked slowly. Maddox stared right back. “Let me guess,” He continued, the corners of his mouth twitching. “You picked the lock, rifled through my things, took somethin’ shiny, and now you’re just waitin’ for a dramatic exit. Real subtle.” There was a long pause as they started at each other He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re not even tryin’ to play innocent, huh?”
Another long pause passed between them, breeze tugging lightly at the curtains and making Maddox feel like he was in the dumbest noir film ever shot. He dropped his arms and stepped back slowly, tone turning amused.“Alright, darlin’. I don’t know whose side-hustle you are, but you walk outta here on four paws, and we’re callin’ this even. You shift into a naked woman before Cass gets home, though? I'm fixin’ to have a real awkward story to explain.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket, raising it like a badge. “Also, I’m takin’ a picture. For evidence. Or blackmail. We’ll see how the evening goes from this point on.”
He stepped inside, calling lazily, “Cass, you home?” His voice echoed back to him with too much quiet.That was the first red flag. The second was the cracked sliding glass door. Just wide enough to annoy him, just narrow enough to scream that someone who didn’t live here had messed with it. He kicked off his boots and followed the breeze to the bedroom, where a third issue practically slapped him in the face. His belt buckle drawer was wide open.
Maddox frowned, crossing the room in slow, suspicious steps. His cowboy hats had been touched. Moved. Possibly judged. A slow burn mad hit his core as he examined them. He stopped in the middle of the room, posture shifting from beach-lazy to small-town sheriff real fast, and spotted the perpetrator perched cool as you please on the balcony railing: a cat. Tail flicking. Eyes smug. Looking for all the world like it owned the lease. “…What in the nine kinds of Florida hell?” He muttered, folding his arms.
The cat blinked slowly. Maddox stared right back. “Let me guess,” He continued, the corners of his mouth twitching. “You picked the lock, rifled through my things, took somethin’ shiny, and now you’re just waitin’ for a dramatic exit. Real subtle.” There was a long pause as they started at each other He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re not even tryin’ to play innocent, huh?”
Another long pause passed between them, breeze tugging lightly at the curtains and making Maddox feel like he was in the dumbest noir film ever shot. He dropped his arms and stepped back slowly, tone turning amused.“Alright, darlin’. I don’t know whose side-hustle you are, but you walk outta here on four paws, and we’re callin’ this even. You shift into a naked woman before Cass gets home, though? I'm fixin’ to have a real awkward story to explain.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket, raising it like a badge. “Also, I’m takin’ a picture. For evidence. Or blackmail. We’ll see how the evening goes from this point on.”
As soon as that apartment door clicked the lock on it sounded, Marmalade knew she'd need to keep her cool. So, she had backtracked a little to sit on the railing of the balcony to see what the person would do and how they would react. Her ears were perked as she listened intently as the sound of a man's chuckle reached them. Then, she saw the man as he moved from one room to another. Her tail tip twitched as she settled into a more domestic cat visage. The kind that disarmed people with ease and allowed her to either saunter off in a carefree way or get closer so she could steal something else and still have the ability to escape capture. When their eyes locked, she made it a point to do the typical slow blink. It meant she didn't see him as a threat, and she wasn't one to him in turn.
Again, she did this as a way to disarm the man if he wasn't already. While he spoke, a purr started up in her chest as her ears swiveled, twitched and perked toward him. This too, was done on purpose. All the typical cat behaviors was ingrained into her from the moment she first started to shift when she was younger. Now it was first instinct and often got her out of trouble because of her cute antics. They never suspected she was a shifter before. Marmalade tilted her head sideways slightly as she looked at him with a cat-like expression that bespoke curiosity. Yet there was a faint glimmer of something more behind the bright amber hues. While there was a long pause, she casually brought up one paw and licked at her little toe beans. Another long pause, she continued still. Then his stance changed, and she heard a note of amusement in his tone of voice.
Had he believed the feline appearance she projected? His next few statements made her wonder if he knew or didn't. Either way, she wasn't aware of what he might or might not know. Still, when he pulled out that phone... No no no! Please don't! Put it away! Her voice rang in her head as she jumped down from the railing. A little 'mrrrow' left the feline as she casually sauntered over like she owned the place! Typical cat behavior, had to love it! She looked up at him cutely and meowed again. The purr from her chest was a little more subtle while her tail tip twitched to and fro as if she were in a playful mood. One paw even reached over to bat at one of his boots in a playful manner. Then she moved closer and rubbed her cheek and one side against his calf before she wandered around. If he tried to reach for her, Marmalade casually moved away and kept out of reach the way some strays acted when they were friendly enough, but not quite ready to be touched on their heads.
She knew she could jump out at any time. But something else caught her attention. During all of this, she realized something very important. This man wasn't human! She could almost smell something like a wolf, but there was something else about it she couldn't place. What was he? She circled him playfully a few times before she ended up back into his bedroom where she easily jumped up onto the blanket. Her front paws started to make biscuits as claws extended and she purred louder. If he snapped photos, she intended to swipe it later and delete them if she could. Though, if it was locked, she had a way of making it disappear. If the man followed, she jumped onto the dresser and played with one of his hats until it was nonchalantly pushed to the floor! She didn't wait for a reaction though because she jumped down. The thing had landed upside down. And in typical cat fashion, she cutely hopped into it and promptly sat in it.
As the saying went... If it fits, it sits.
Again, she did this as a way to disarm the man if he wasn't already. While he spoke, a purr started up in her chest as her ears swiveled, twitched and perked toward him. This too, was done on purpose. All the typical cat behaviors was ingrained into her from the moment she first started to shift when she was younger. Now it was first instinct and often got her out of trouble because of her cute antics. They never suspected she was a shifter before. Marmalade tilted her head sideways slightly as she looked at him with a cat-like expression that bespoke curiosity. Yet there was a faint glimmer of something more behind the bright amber hues. While there was a long pause, she casually brought up one paw and licked at her little toe beans. Another long pause, she continued still. Then his stance changed, and she heard a note of amusement in his tone of voice.
Had he believed the feline appearance she projected? His next few statements made her wonder if he knew or didn't. Either way, she wasn't aware of what he might or might not know. Still, when he pulled out that phone... No no no! Please don't! Put it away! Her voice rang in her head as she jumped down from the railing. A little 'mrrrow' left the feline as she casually sauntered over like she owned the place! Typical cat behavior, had to love it! She looked up at him cutely and meowed again. The purr from her chest was a little more subtle while her tail tip twitched to and fro as if she were in a playful mood. One paw even reached over to bat at one of his boots in a playful manner. Then she moved closer and rubbed her cheek and one side against his calf before she wandered around. If he tried to reach for her, Marmalade casually moved away and kept out of reach the way some strays acted when they were friendly enough, but not quite ready to be touched on their heads.
She knew she could jump out at any time. But something else caught her attention. During all of this, she realized something very important. This man wasn't human! She could almost smell something like a wolf, but there was something else about it she couldn't place. What was he? She circled him playfully a few times before she ended up back into his bedroom where she easily jumped up onto the blanket. Her front paws started to make biscuits as claws extended and she purred louder. If he snapped photos, she intended to swipe it later and delete them if she could. Though, if it was locked, she had a way of making it disappear. If the man followed, she jumped onto the dresser and played with one of his hats until it was nonchalantly pushed to the floor! She didn't wait for a reaction though because she jumped down. The thing had landed upside down. And in typical cat fashion, she cutely hopped into it and promptly sat in it.
As the saying went... If it fits, it sits.
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