Caretaker (PRIVATE THREAD)

Dear Nephew;

I really must thank you again for agreeing to do this for me. I hadn't intended for things to become as messy as they have lately, but with all the people coming and going from the mansion as of late, it's becoming quite hard on little Angela. The poor girl has never been around this many new faces at one time, and it's all so very overwhelming for her. I assure you, she shall be on her best behavior while staying with you. I apologize for not coming to visit myself, and more so for this being your first time meeting my dear Angie. She is quite a sweetheart most of the time, though I must warn you that she sometimes has some rather curious quirks... But I am quite certain that you will be able to handle the few odd things that she may come up with. Once this whole mess is cleared up, I shall send for her. I highly doubt it shall last for more than a week or so.

Again, nephew, my deepest of thanks.

Uncle James

-----

"Angela?"
The white haired gentleman peered into the bedroom, the pink walls a vibrant hue that matched the equally bright sheets on the bed. Settled on the floor was a young woman in a little pink dress, a white hat settled atop her head as she frowned at the various suitcases scattered around her. "Angela, my dear, what are you doing? I thought you said you were packed and ready to go..."

"I was... But then I got to thinking about it, and now I'm not sure if I want to bring so much pink. What if he doesn't like pink? What if it makes him go all squinty at me like you do when I wear blue too much?"

"That's because I'm so used to the pink, darling. To see a different color on you is unexpected. I'm sure that he won't care the color of your clothing. There are far more important things to worry about. You... You did pack your sweatshirts? And the other hats I bought for you?"

"Yes, all of them. Maybe- Maybe some purple? I like purple too. That's not as bright. Well, except maybe that little dress you got for me last summer, but that's never even gone out of the house, so-"

"Angela."
His voice was stern, but still loving. "You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing. He's family. Such trivial things are not important."

"Family? So... He's... like an uncle? Like Uncle Kyle?" Angela stared at him blankly, still resting on the floor. She was going to miss him. Ever since James adopted her, he was the center of her world. She relied on him for everything. Even with his age, she could see the young man inside that came to the surface when she made him laugh. She liked that... And he was always so kind to her. She just hoped that this new man she was meeting would be just as nice.

"In... in a sort. Uncle Kyle... Kyle is different. He's your doctor. We call him uncle so you feel comfortable with him."

"Then I will call him Uncle too," She stated firmly, getting up from the floor and taking up her bags. "And if Uncle doesn't like my pink clothes, he can simply buy me new ones." Her chin raised defiantly with that, smirking proudly.

"Now now. You are not allowed to act a spoiled princess here, you certainly will not do it at his home. Do you understand me, young lady?"

"Yes James..." Her voice dropped to a near whisper, a pout undeniably there. "I'm sorry..."

James chuckled, smiling as he spread his arms open wide. "There's my good girl. Now come here and give me a hug goodbye. It's going to be a few weeks before I can see you again." As she wrapped her arms about him, he gave a soft sigh, moving his lips to rest against her hair. "I'll get all this cleaned up, dear. I promise to call or email every day and let you know how things are coming along."

"They... want me to go away with them, don't they?"

He hesitated. She knew? "Angie, honey, this is really nothing to worry yourself on-"

"I heard you talking to Uncle Kyle a few nights ago. I.. I don't want to go with them..."

"And that's why I'm sending you off. To keep you safe. Now you need to be going, dear. There's a cab waiting outside. I love you dearly, Angela. Now remember what I've told you- Don't talk to strange people, be on your best behavior, and stay out of trouble!"

He watched as the girl started out from the room, the suitcases in her hands as she headed down the stairs. Another heavy sigh left his lips as the white sunhat left his line of sight, shaking his head and glancing back towards his study. "Perhaps I should have warned him... Angela isn't... quite normal... I'm sure he wasn't expecting my ward to be partially... feline."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/adus11/1333315.jpg

Joshua Zurio
Age: 22
Film Student / Part-time Waiter

The chime of a cell phone awoke the onyx-haired young man who had been resting atop the nearby bed with a disheartened sigh. Though as his emerald eyes cracked open and lazily reached for the small object, the sigh turned into one of relief as he viewed the identification of the caller.

"Yep..." Was all he managed in a somewhat groggy tone. It wasn't terribly early, though it was his day off so he took any chance to sleep in that he could get.

"Rise and shine, bud. You said you'd go laptop shopping with me today, remember?" The male voice on the other end chimed in. Joshua's other hand went straight to his forehead.

"Shit, Ben, I forgot. Sorry. Nah, uh, I'm gonna have to take a rain check." Josh replied after clearing his throat, sitting upon the bed and rubbing his still tired eyes.

"They call you into work again? They really don't know the meaning of part-time, huh?"

"No, but I've got uh.. a relative staying with me for about a week and I gotta be here to meet her." The student glanced at the letter on the nearby desk which had come from his Uncle James. It was so weird getting a handwritten letter, but that was the type of guy James was. With all the money, surely he had a computer, but perhaps e-mail wasn't personal enough for him. Joshua had accepted to look after his Uncle's adopted daughter for the week. He didn't really get the full details, but it seemed that James was having a lot of visitors lately and he felt she'd be better off elsewhere for a bit.

It was the least Josh could do, really. James had been pretty accommodating after his sister and her husband, Josh's parents, had died in an accident. He paid off the house basically saving Josh from having to move out away from his school and friends. Though apart from that event, Josh and his Uncle didn't see each other often. It was probably for the best, since their lifestyles were admittedly very different. It was strange, though. Without really informing anyone, James had adopted a daughter. Other than that, Josh really knew nothing about her except her name, Angela.

"My cousin, technically, I guess..." Josh added preempting what he assumed Ben's next question would be.

"You guess?" Ben replied with a bit of confusion. "Well, don't worry about it then. You shoulda just told me, I would have understood. As long as this isn't another excuse to stay home in bed and mope about Steph again."

"What do you mean 'again?' I don't mope. I broke up with her, remember?" Josh replied rather defensively. Obviously it was still a touchy subject.

"Sorry, I know. So are you still taking the week off, then?"

"Tell me what sense that would make, Ben. I'm not going to Italy by myself and staying home would be pretty fucking boring."

"Well hey I dunno. You haven't told me anything about your cousin. Maybe you planned on spending time with her."

"I haven't told you anything because, to be honest, I don't know anything. Never even seen a picture of her. I've gathered from a few letters from Uncle James that she's at least near my age, but that's it." Josh explained, idly wandering about his room to get dressed. The age was merely an educated guess, as it was hard to tell with someone like James. No matter how old the girl was, he was the type of guy to refer to someone as "little" or "my dear." She could be 12 or 30 for all he knew. Josh continued to dress as he tossed on a pair of jeans and a black button-up shirt before heading over to his computer.

"Huh..." Ben said softly. "Wonder if she's cute..."

"Well when I find out, I promise, Benjamin, that you - my dearest friend - will be the last to know."

"Ah you're mean, Josh! Well at least come help me look for a computer later! If she's our age then she'll be okay at your huge house by herself!" Ben finished with enthusiasm.

"I'm going to hang up now."

"Or she could come with! That way we both win!" Ben continued, trying to get the last word in.

"I'll call you later." Josh replied back as if he hadn't heard a word Ben said before clicking the button to end the call. After that he sighed heavily, shaking his head to himself.

"Christ. Good thing I didn't tell him she's adopted. All he'd do is ask me if I 'hit it' for weeks..." Josh muttered to himself as he checked his e-mail. "Fat chance of that happening..."

He became silent once again as he noticed an e-mail from his ex. Reluctantly he clicked it only to find more attempts at justifying her actions. The mail was swiftly deleted. He could hear her voice even in text form and it now just made him angry. It was enough to where he left his computer and went to clean his room up a bit. Not that his cousin would be going in there, but he wanted it to look at least semi-decent for when he pointed out where he slept if she needed him. As he tossed some clothes into the hamper, Josh quickly found one of Stephanie's pieces of lingerie. He sighed again as he put it aside. Just another one of her items to send back to her in a single, stuffy box that he'd conveniently forget to mark fragile.

Angela's cab would arrive pretty soon, so he didn't want to risk being in the shower when it did. Instead he headed downstairs for coffee, his hair still a bit tussled from bed. He glanced at the cigarette pack on the counter and had the urge. He had been smoking more since the breakup for reasons he couldn't really explain. Maybe it was because no one was judging him about it anymore. It was hilarious that she did, in retrospect, considering what she ended up doing to him. An occasional cigarette was hardly comparable to the severity of cheating on someone you claimed to love.

For now, he decided to resist, only because he wasn't quite sure what Angela would think of it. Chances were he'd end up doing it anyway because it was his house, but if it turned out it bothered her, he'd at least keep it contained to his room. The smell of the coffee was beginning to fill the kitchen and subsequently the nearby living room. Finally, a pleasant experience this morning. It was enough to make him a bit more optimistic. With any luck, he and his "cousin" would get along. They could then go out, have some fun, and perhaps it would help him get his mind off of Stephanie. It was about then that the landline rang. The guard gate to the housing complex announced that a visitor had arrived for him.

Josh accepted but with a bit of a grimace to himself. He hadn't had much time to clean up the rest of the house. It didn't look terrible but he had to remember that this girl was used to living in a mansion with people always cleaning up everything. Just a few things laying about might make him come off like a slob. He wasn't really someone who cared too much about what other people thought of him, but this was also someone he'd have to get along with for a week, so he was going to be as accommodating as possible. Well, within reason. His house was nice, Hell - very nice -, but it wasn't a mansion. He considered himself a good host, but he wasn't a servant.

As he glanced out the window, he watched the cab pull up. Slipping on some shoes, Josh headed out the door and approached the vehicle, ready to help Angela with any belongings she may have brought with...

"I've never been alone in a car before. James usually goes with me. I wonder what he's doing now? It's been a long time since I was ever without him..." Angela seemed oblivious to the fact the driver had turned his radio up a tad bit more to drown out the rambling girl in his back seat, though the occasional glances he sent at her via the rearview led her to believe he was still listening. "New Uncle's house seems so far away. That's probably why we haven't visited him before. I hope he's like James. James is nice... Never grumpy like Mister Adler. He's always grumpy... He doesn't like me in his flowers."

She flopped back in the seat with that, suddenly pouting over the mention of the gardener that cared for James' property. A slight sigh of relief came from the front seat, glad that young woman had finally decided to end her rant. She glanced up slightly with the noise; a recognizable tone from the gardener in her mind. "I'm annoying you...," She mumbled slightly, frowning a bit more.

No response. Angie scowled.
"Well, fine then. I won't talk to you anymore."

"Thank god...," the driver muttered, turning the radio up yet again.

Angie hissed at him, folding her arms over her chest and sulking. No wonder James hated to go out in public. Most people were rather rude and mean- especially this man! As the car slowed, she raised her eyes to see the gates before them. They reminded her of the ones around James' house- The gates she was told not to get to close to. She peered over the seat, listening as the driver spoke to the man outside his window, taking in the place before them. Lots of houses- not just one... "He lives with others?"

"I thought you weren't talking to me."

"I'm NOT!," She snapped, sticking her tongue out at him before flopping back once again. "That wasn't to YOU!"

"But that was." The driver actually smirked.

"I don't like you."

She went silent once again as the car rounded the driveway, looking at the house as it came to a stop. Hm. Nothing like James'... But it was still interesting enough. There was a man peeking through the window- Was that him? She sat in the backseat for a moment or two longer, frowning at the driver as he simply sat there as well. "Um... aren't you... going to open the door?"

"I thought we weren't talking."

Angie gave a huff with that, shoving the door open and getting out, jumping slightly as the trunk popped open. She stepped back hesitantly, peeking around the side of the car to see what had caused that to happen. Her bags! Hastily reaching in to grab them, she yanked them out, leery of the trunk deciding to close with her still in there. The driver was laughing. Angie scowled once again. "I still don't like you!," She announced angrily, leaning into the open passenger window to make a pouting face at the infuriating driver. The fact he was now laughing at her wasn't helping her anger in the least.

As Josh neared the cab, he caught sight of a young girl's backside leaning into the vehicle's window. He'd then soon hear her angry tone as she proclaimed her dislike for the driver who seemed to be finding amusement in the whole ordeal. This was an interesting first impression. It was enough to cause Josh to just stand there in confusion for a few moments, scratching his head. Eventually he cleared his throat in order to get her attention, smiling politely as she turned to finally face him.

"Uh, Angela? Glad to see you made it here safely..." He began, hesitating a bit as he looked her over. She wore a rather fancy pink dress and a white sun hat atop her flowing blonde hair. The outfit was a bit too... fairytale for his tastes. Not that he was really surprised. After all, she did live with Uncle James. What else could he expect really? A tube top and jeans? Not at James' house, that's for sure. He couldn't help but notice her brown eyes which despite her irritation a moment ago, seemed bright and innocent. She was a beauty, no doubt about that... He'd definitely be keeping Ben away this week.

It took Josh a moment to realize he was sort of just standing there looking at her without really saying anything, so he quickly averted his gaze as if to pretend he hadn't been staring to begin with. "Ah yeah, so I'm Josh. James' nephew. Nice to finally meet you. Um..." It was a slightly awkward situation. He planned on treating her like a relative, but he also had never met her before. If she were a guy it would likely be safe to assume a handshake, but was he supposed to hug her? Kiss her cheek? What fancy etiquette had she been taught and perhaps be offended if he showed the wrong sort? He finally fixed his eyes at a safe point... her suitcases. "Here, let me help you with those." There. That was a gentlemanly thing to do.

The dark-haired student moved to grab the bags, but first he peered into the passenger window of the cab. "Thanks for your help-" Josh began, obviously intending to continue speaking. The driver, however, took one look at Josh and realized he was a pretty normal looking young man, and then one more glance toward Angela in her dress now seeming quite out of place.

"Good luck." The driver shook his head.

"Um.. thanks? So, were you already paid or do you-" Josh continued, only to have the cab drive off in mid-sentence at a speed quicker than he'd assume a taxi would normally depart with. "...need compensation? Okay, guess not." Josh raised an eyebrow, wondering what all that was about. Had she irritated the cab driver? The trip wasn't that long. Cab drivers were used to all sorts of strange passengers, so if Angela had gotten on the man's nerves in an hour, what was a week going to do to him?

He wasn't going to think like that yet, though. For all Josh knew, the driver was the rude one. It was best to just let it go for now. He returned his attention to the luggage, gripping and lifting them only to nearly drop them at the same time. They looked much lighter than they were... Did the girl pack everything she possibly owned for a week's stay? That was when he remembered discussing packing for the Italy trip with Steph and her constant confusion on how much to bring. Josh didn't want to think about her right now. Packing too much must have just been a female thing.

"So yeah, welcome to Casa de Zurio. It's not a mansion but hopefully it'll suffice." Josh chuckled lightly as he headed back to the door. "C'mon. I'll show you around and get you set up in your room."

"Hrm?"

Angela peeked back over her shoulder as a voice called her name, straightening from the window and clasping the handle of the suitcase still in hand as tightly as she could. Ohhh, right! This would be him...

"Hello, Joshua!" She smiled widely, beaming happily at the new face. He was far more welcoming a sight than this grumpy driver, whose chuckles she could still hear from inside the car. Her smile dropped slightly as she shoved her foot back hard against the yellow paint, a sour glare shot over her shoulder at him. Quickly looking back to her new room mate, she raised her eyebrows at the fact he was still looking at her- with a rather strange tone in his eyes. A slightly paranoid streak ran through her back... Was something showing? Oh no.... James had always made sure everything unique was out of sight, even when she tended to forget. Had something slipped?

Her concerns faded as he suddenly announced he'd get her bags, watching rather absently as he picked up the other two. "...Thank you..." Her attention shifted to his house as he leaned in to talk to the grumpy driver, Angela no longer interested in anything that had to come from that man. Not too terrible a place. Certainly not James' home, but a change of pace was nice.

The smaller of the three cases still in hand, she idly began to start up the sidewalk, glancing back as Joshua let out a rather odd noise as he attempted to move the others. She simply blinked a few times at the slightly strained position he had with them, letting another weak smile filter from her lips. "I didn't carry those down," she explained, giggling. "Those are far too heavy!"

Her slow steps allowed him to catch up with her rather quickly, even with the awkward load he carried. "I'm glad it's not a mansion," Angie confessed. "I... I still tend to get lost in James' house. There are far too many rooms! He actually has a room just for his plants. He says even they need privacy. Plants need privacy? What do they do when they're alone? Talk about their green secrets? Then there's his smelly room... for all his cigars and drinks... I don't like that room at all. It makes his coat stink." She made a slight face with that. "Hugging him when he comes out of there makes me smell weird too. It's yucky."

He had mentioned her own room in his home, Angela's smile returning once again with that realization. "Oh, right! Yes, you probably, um, want to get rid of all that... I'm sorry it's so much. James told me it was alright... I- I sometimes feel I'm not wearing the right thing. Like I'm showing too much that people don't want to see... I would much rather be safe than sorry."

Josh chuckled slightly as Angela assured him that she hadn't carried those bags. He'd have to wonder where a girl like that got such strength. As she caught up to his pace, the young girl explained her relief that his house was no mansion, going off onto a bit of a tangent about plants and their privacy needs. He glanced back to smile at her theories of such things.

"I dunno. Some people believe that ambient noise or music affects plant growth. Maybe he just wants to uh, be sure no outside factors bother them." Josh tried to answer reasonably to what was likely a rhetorical question to begin with. Really, he was just making conversation. Angela actually seemed rather sweet so far, albeit a bit sheltered. Like the plants, she too probably wasn't allowed much outside influence. Merely her demeanor gave it away. Not to mention James was just sort of an old-fashioned guy. It truly made Josh wonder just what the circumstances were regarding sending Angela over. If he was protective of her, was something happening at home that he felt she needed protection from? Perhaps he was letting his mind wander a bit too much.

When Angela added a comment about a cigar room which she made no effort to hide her opinions of, it answered his question about the cigarettes fairly easily. Perhaps it was for the best. He'd been wanting to quit anyway, and not wishing to bother his guest was a good motivator. So far, if she was spoiled at all, she wasn't really showing it. She was quite considerate, realizing that he was still carrying heavy bags and apologizing for it. He made an expression which would tell her it wasn't a problem, but before he could vocalize such, her added words about her choice of wardrobe made the black-haired man wonder a bit.

'Showing too much that people don't want to see?' Josh repeated to himself mentally as he reached the door and set down the bags, letting Angela in before following after. As he watched her, he couldn't help but analyze what she meant by that. Her dress seemed pretty conservative. Without really thinking about it, his mind wandered to what she might look like in something more... revealing. Besides James, what people wouldn't want to see that? Josh didn't. At least... that's what he was telling himself as he tried to shake his mind free of such images. She might not actually be related to him, but she may as well be if she was so close to someone he respected as much as James.

Once again, he was probably thinking about it too much. James probably didn't want her showing anything. Even what would be considered perfectly acceptable by today's standards. "Don't worry about it. My dress code probably isn't as strict as Uncle James'." Josh chuckled again as he set the bags down for a moment. "Wear whatever makes you comfortable." Chances were it wouldn't bother him any unless she decided to walk around in her underwear. He just assumed that went without saying. He could imagine what Ben's reaction to all this would be if he could hear what Josh was thinking. He'd probably call Josh a prude then wish they could trade places for the week. Ben was a nice guy and pretty smart, but there were times when Josh was convinced the guy would take a shot at his actual cousins. Fake ones probably wouldn't even get a second thought.

"Let's see. To the right is the living room, TV and stuff. Pretty straightforward. To the left is a dining room but I've never really had a need to use it... Between that is the kitchen. Down that hall is a restroom and then my dad's old office. C'mon upstairs and I'll show you your room."

Josh picked the bags up once again and began to ascend the winding staircase which brought them to a hallway. "Last door on the left is my room. Feel free to bother me if you need anything. There's another restroom on the right which is what I use. Exercise room in the other door on the left and an empty guest room on the right. You'll get the master bedroom though. That way you have a bathroom to yourself and stuff."

He guided her to the double doors on the left which led into a surprisingly well-kept large room. Complete with king-sized bed, TV cabinet, dressers and etcetera. Josh set the bags down next to the dressers and pointed down further into the room where a smaller hallway led. "Walk in closet if you need to hang anything up, otherwise feel free to use the dressers. Then there's the bathroom with a shower and jacuzzi tub.. thing. You're welcome to use it whenever. Though to be honest I'm not totally sure how to work it... Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There's a screened in pool area out back. I clean it regularly so it's there if you ever feel like going in. Uhhh let's see.

Yeah, I said it wasn't a mansion but it almost is..." Josh chuckled lightly, scratching his head. "Maybe not like yours, but to me it's way too much. This used to be my parent's room. No one has stayed in it so at worst there might be a bit of dust on some of the higher shelves... It's yours for now though. Don't be shy about it."

Josh paused as he looked around the room, his smile fading a bit. Apart from vacuuming like once a month, he didn't go in that room much anymore. It was a bit odd to be in there with someone who planned on using it. It was kinda hard to imagine it being occupied. "Anyway," He snapped out of it. "I didn't really go shopping in advance. I guess I wasn't sure what to stock up on, or if you had any allergies or anything. Just let me know if there's anything specific you'd like and I'll try and get it in my next run. Tonight I figured maybe we'd just order something in? A lot of delivery places around. I mean.. I can cook but they can probably do it better... Chinese, Italian, Pizza, you know...

So... yeah. Make yourself at home. I admit it'll be nice having someone else around in this big empty place for a change... and... I'm talking a lot."

Another smile, though it was a slightly confused one. Joshua was trying to explain the reasons behind the plant silence... something that was slowly starting to lose Angela's interest. She was thankful when the subject meandered off elsewhere, bringing her own attention back to the conversation.

Clothes... Yes, she liked clothes. His open opinion to whatever she chose to wear made her laugh once again, shrugging slightly. "I suppose it's not all James' doing. I do it myself. It's more that he's worried on what could happen... He's so protective. It's just rubbed off on me. Maybe a little time away from his little suggestions every morning will be a good change of pace. I think I'd like to wear a pair of jeans for once... Though I do love my dresses. They're far easier to move in. Less confining."

She peeked into the various rooms as he gave the quick tour, Angie taking note that he referenced some as being rather unused or quickly passed by. Office- oh, she knew about offices. Places to keep out of if the door was closed, and that one looked like it hadn't opened in awhile. The dining room, however, lingered on her mind. It wasn't that she cooked much at home, but she had tried her hand a few times in the kitchen. Her first attempts resulted in a laughing James and a very annoyed Chef, though slowly she gained a little better understanding of the various dishes.. or at the very least, the ones she liked.

Up the stairs, down the hall. She nodded as he gave a quick explanation of where his own room was, as well as the other doors along the hallway walls. Following him to a set of doors further down, her eyes widened slightly at the room he was letting her have during her stay. It reminded her a bit of her own room, back at James', aside from the colors of the decor. Setting her own case down as he told her about the room itself and amenities, she moved over to the bed, sitting down on it and resting her hands against the comforter. It felt... stiff. She glanced down at her fingertips curiously as they moved along the fabric, toying with it a bit more only to quickly look back up to Joshua as he brought up the bath and pool. A light noise left her with those, smirking slightly and shaking her head quickly.

He explained it. Why this room felt so... off. His parents used to have this room, this bed...

She hesitated. Should she get back up? She didn't want to upset him... But what was the right thing to do? She sat still as possible with that, her fingers slipping up from the bedspread to instead rest in her lap. James asked her to stay away from the room at the end of the hall on the top floor; that it had been his wife's parlor. Her special place, and it was to stay as she left it. If this had been Joshua's parents' special place...

Thankfully he chose to bring up another subject, Angela's discomfort finally subsiding slightly. "I don't want to be a bother, Joshua. I'm perfectly happy with anything you prefer... though... if you are offering?," She started softly, biting her lip momentarily. "I... I really like fish.. but it bothers James. He doesn't like the smell of it."

He wasn't here. She figured she could take advantage of that to have at least a slight nibble of salmon or something. "I won't be a bother, Joshua. I promise. Thank you for letting me stay with you. I- I don't think you're talking too much at all. I kind of have a habit of that myself... It's nice to hear it coming from someone else." She paused, a rather lazy look coming to her eyes. "James isn't a big talker. He lets me do most of it, asking him questions and playing games with him and taking me out in his gardens or the ponds... but he doesn't do much himself, really. I get worried about him sometimes. It's like... It's like he's not there sometimes. I don't know... It's hard to explain."

Getting up from the bed, she took one of the nearest suitcases and set it where she had just been, popping it open to take out another little dress. " I suppose I should think about wearing something else besides these, huh?," she called, one hand still holding the dress as the other removed the white hat from atop her head. "Ugh, too warm for that...," She grumbled, tossing it aside before rummaging further into the suitcase. "I think I brought some jeans. I have... a pair or two of them, but it's been forever since I've actually worn them..."

Josh smiled slightly at Angela's implication that she'd take his advice and wear what she wanted to. He was actually a bit surprised to hear she even owned some jeans. He then hoped he didn't give off the wrong impression or make it seem as if he had a problem with her dresses. "Like I said, whatever you're comfortable with." He said simply. She probably hadn't been away from James much or at all, so making her feel comfortable was the top priority.

It seemed as if she was already worried, though. Repeating the same phrases about not wishing to bother him. She seemed a little hesitant to voice her desires, and was being especially polite. Not really unexpected. James surely told her to. Seeing her bite her lip nervously before finally uttering her desire for fish made him grin. She really was pretty cute. He had mentally prepared himself for a sort of spoiled princess type, but she didn't really seem like that at all. Her slight shyness was quite endearing.

His smile faded a bit as she began to describe James. A quiet, calm man to be sure. He was getting older and it was probably hard to keep up with an energetic young girl. "Nah, I understand..." Josh replied, smiling lightly. "But I wouldn't worry too much about him. That's just sort of how he's always been, I guess. On that note, don't worry about me either. You're not a bother and as I said before, I'm happy to have you here." He had noted that she was calling him Joshua, which not many people did. He considered correcting her, but he wondered if perhaps his constant assurance that she could do what she wished was almost confusing her, as strange as that sounded.

As she headed over to her bags to dig around through the clothes, she reiterated the comment about jeans, causing Josh to shrug lightly and glance away momentarily. "You don't have to change for my sake... The dress is very pretty on you, after all." He remarked casually. He mentally kicked himself for a moment on the chance that such a comment might be taken the wrong way, but he figured he was just being paranoid again. As he glanced back over to Angela, he caught her right as she tossed away her hat. She was too busy rummaging in her bags to notice, but his calm, friendly expression soon turned incredibly confused as he noticed something odd about the young girl's head.

...Cat ears? There they were. Poking out of her golden locks as if it were entirely natural for humans to have feline ears. No, they had to be fake, right? It would be a bit odd and perhaps juvenile, but merely a quirk that he would not judge her for. Certainly not as odd as if they were real. Josh leaned in a bit closer nonetheless. He almost had the sudden urge to just poke one, but he managed to restrain himself. If they were fake, they were amazingly well done...

When she glanced back over to him, Josh shot back upright, nearly falling over in the process. Afterward he attempted to look casual, which by definition never worked. His desire to stare at the ears was great but he forced his attention downward, eventually doing so a bit too much and ending up at her chest which he was now realizing was decently generous. He then decided to look away entirely as he blushed lightly, knowing he was making a complete fool of himself. Instead of trying to even begin to explain that strange moment, he tried to change the subject as quick as possible.

"Uh, so fish huh? Sounds perfectly all right to me. What's your preference? Flounder, salmon, catfish?" He uttered somewhat quickly, grimacing at the last choice he listed which had probably poked up from his subconscious. If this was any indication as to how things would go this week, it was going to be a long one...

Angela simply smiled at the comment he made on her dress, glancing over her shoulder at him momentarily before going back to taking the clothes from her suitcase, folding them carefully as each piece was removed and setting it neatly on the comforter. He reminded her of hs uncle, in a rather roundabout way, with that little comment. James did seem to have a particular taste towards the dresses on her, but was just as content to see her meander the acres in other clothing. His smile, however, grew twice as big the moment he spotted her in the dresses.

"Oh, there they are." The final piece in the bag; a pair of blue jeans that looked like they had just left the store. Unfolding them, she turned around to face him, the pants held against her hips as she looked down at them. "I hope they still fit right. I don't remember if these ever were adjusted..."

She paused, glancing up at him with a rather blank look to her face. He had a strange look on his own face; one that she didn't quite understand. He suddenly shot his head upward, as if he had gotten lost in his thoughts. She lowered the jeans slightly, cocking her head to the left a bit as he looked away from her. What was wrong with him? "...Joshua?"

He asked what she'd like. His three options all sounded wonderful, though her right ear gave a slight annoyed twitch at the face he made at the last word. "Salmon would be delicious," She replied with a smile. "I haven't had that in such a long time. James says it's just encouraging me. I think he's just being mean."

A light sigh left her with that, taking another glance around the room before letting her eyes fall back on him. "There's no one else that lives here, is there? I'm... just curious. I know you said to wear what makes me comfortable, but... but I'm just worried on... you know. Showing too much." She gave a weak smile, playing with the pants still in hand. At home, it was so much easier to understand all this stuff. James' house was her castle; she was a princess that could do as she pleased. Here, however- everything was so different. There were rules that she had been given before leaving the mansion, things that she was told she could and could not do, how only those that she knew were to see what she truly was. "It's fine for you to see. I don't mind that at all. But- James said I'm not to show anyone else. That they'd be... weird about it."

"Salmon would be delicious," Angela replied with a smile. "I haven't had that in such a long time. James says it's just encouraging me. I think he's just being mean."

Encouraging her? Josh wondered. What exactly did she mean by that? He contemplated asking her to elaborate before she asked about his living situation and once again reiterated her concern for "showing too much." That people would be weird if she did. As he glanced at the ears again, he was realizing that she probably meant that... This was confusing, and for a moment he wondered if he was dreaming or something, but that didn't seem to be the case. Josh mentally cursed his uncle for keeping Angela's uniqueness a total secret from him, but he supposed James was even too paranoid to write about it. She was lucky the cab driver didn't see anything.

It occurred to Josh that perhaps James was hiding her here. Not really a very secluded spot, but maybe that was it. The whole hiding in plain sight thing. Finally, Josh shook his head lightly. "No, it's just me... I have friends over occasionally, but they know I have a guest. They shouldn't show up unexpectedly..." Key word there was 'shouldn't.' How was he supposed to continue this conversation, exactly? He really wanted to ask her just why she had those ears, but he didn't really want to make her uncomfortable.

"Don't worry. You can trust me." He added with a calm smile. "You know... I admit I was confused a bit at first, but you're ears are pretty cute, if you don't mind my saying..." It was true.. He had never thought he'd see an actual catgirl. He'd seen some in games or animation and always had a bit of a thing for them. For some people this would be like a dream come true, but she was still James' daughter, even if she was adopted. He couldn't change his views now just because a couple of fuzzy ears. Adopted... Just where did he adopt her from anyhow? Had she always been like this...? So many questions, and he probably wouldn't get many answers.

He soon realized he was staring again, quickly glancing away. Damn it. Why did she have to be so adorable. It was like he was being taunted. Maybe someone was playing some big joke on him... but that really didn't make any sense. Neither did a girl with cat ears, technically, but he trusted her and James, and he'd continue to do his best to make her feel comfortable...

"So yeah, Salmon. Sounds good, I agree." Josh scratched his head. "Bit early for dinner still, though. Uh, what... do you like to do for fun?"

Well, that was a relief. At least there wouldn't be anyone wandering in on her at night and spotting the fact she was rather out of place in the house. Angie still didn't fully understand why she had to keep everything hidden, but James made it perfectly clear that bad things could happen because of it. She tried to ask more on that, but the answer only came as "Bad things, Dear. Bad things I would rather not talk about."

Joshua's declaration on his trustworthiness brought a smile to her face, though it slowly faded as he continued on. Confused? Why had he been confused on-

"...James..."

She scowled slightly with that, a sudden pout taking to her features and her ears falling back as she folded her arms across her chest. James hadn't told him, had he? It wasn't like she could have kept it a secret the entire time. No wonder he had been so adamant on the hat, and the hooded shirts...

No wonder he had been looking at her like that when she took her hat off. Here she had thought he was fully aware of it, and wasn't going to be too surprised. Of course, even people who were told seemed to give her that awed stare when something slipped; an ear coming out of hiding or her tail managing to sneak from beneath a dress. Was she really that different? Hadn't the hospital given her siblings? She had heard James mention it to Uncle Kyle a few times, but only when he had shooed her from the room... Whispered words on 'others like her' and not letting her know. It seemed so unfair. If she had family- REAL family- she wanted to meet them.

Joshua was talking about something.
Fish.
She liked fish.

Her attention snapped back to him, a rather surprised look to her face before giving a broad smile. Oh, yes- right, no fish at the moment. There was other things that could be done before that. "For... fun?" She frowned slightly with that, pursing her lips gently as she made a light face. "I like to walk the gardens... and to dance... Music is nice. I really like all kinds of music. Oh, and.. and sometimes I would ask James to read to me. I know its terrible. I- I do know how to read, but... but it's different to hear it someone else's voice."

Her rather shy demeanor was slowly starting to break, the tail hidden away beneath her dress slowly beginning to sway as she revealed a bit more of her favorite things to this new man. "I like to shop, too. James says I'm a typical girl with that... And I like sweets... Ohhh, candies and pastries and gooey messy things that I know I shouldn't be having...." As she ticked each thing off on her fingers, the tail pressed up further, sliding the fabric aside to gain room to sway an even bigger path. "And games... and to explore.. and- I like to do a lot of things. Almost everything is fun in a new place. Its... not often I get to see a new place."

Her gaze moved past her extended fingers, realizing now what her wandering extra 'piece' had managed to do. She slowly glanced up, a rather hesitant look coming to her eyes as they reached Joshua. "I'm going to guess that James... didn't quite tell you everything..."

Josh smiled lightly as Angela began a decent list of her favorite things such as candy, even though it wasn't technically an "activity." She seemed pretty normal in every other aspect, so the ears were still a bit confusing. It wasn't until she neared the end of her list that Josh began to notice the wagging tail that had emerged from under her dress. His head tilted a bit as he merely stared at it for a moment, not quite sure how to react. Most of his surprise had already been expended on the ears, but the tail still made him wonder. Just how much cat was she? She had mentioned how James didn't like her having fish because it just "encouraged her." Encouraged her in what way? Did she have feline instincts as well? Or was that just a coincidence?

She seemed to pause briefly as she caught notice of her own tail and turned back to him. "I'm going to guess that James... didn't quite tell you everything..."

"Well..." Josh chuckled lightly. She thought he knew. Poor girl was probably a bit embarrassed right now, exposing herself in such a way to a person who didn't expect it. Why didn't James tell him? Maybe the guy just knew better. That if he had mentioned in a letter that Angela was a catgirl, Josh wouldn't have really believed it. "Maybe he just wanted to prove that you could trust me. That even with a sudden, unexpected reveal, I'd be just as understanding. There's really nothing to worry about. You're still a beautiful girl, Angela. If not moreso because of your special traits..."

Josh felt that their connection was a bit stronger by now, but he still was unsure of what her real feelings toward him were. She could still just be in the phase of being extra polite. Nonetheless, he took a risk and reached out to brush her hair a bit with his fingers to emphasize his previous point, taking that opportunity to stroke one of her ears gently. It was indeed soft and warm like a real cat. He was quite sure they weren't fake now. He withdrew his hand eventually and smiled again. Though he was still worried. Did he have to keep her at home the whole time, now? If his friends came over, would he have to hide her from them as well, or could he trust them not to tell? This week was going to be a bit more complicated than he had expected, but he knew James had a good reason for sending her here, so he'd do his best to keep her safe and comfortable.

"Anyway... I like a lot of those things as well.. I've got my fair share of games and music. I have a pretty wide taste, myself. I've also got a guitar, so I wouldn't mind playing something for you sometime... I mean, if you'd like... Also this neighborhood is pretty nice. There's a lake nearby that I take a jog around during the week. You can see other houses and gardens. Maybe we could take a walk around there? Though I should also think about going to the store soon. I might actually cook tonight.

Don't worry, I'm pretty... uh, okay. I work in a restaurant. Though, not as a cook. It at least gives me an idea of what tastes good with certain dishes..

So.. anything in particular you'd like to do? I can also leave you alone if you maybe wanted to rest or take a shower or use the pool or whatever... Really, just let me know. Just want you to be comfortable." Josh smiled again, glancing into Angela's eyes. He couldn't help but feel rather drawn to her. Was it the catgirl thing, her looks in general, or her personality? Maybe a combination of them... She was sweet, that was for sure. It was hard to just treat her like a relative. He had to remind himself that his breakup was still recent, and that maybe he was just searching for a connection to make up for the loss of that. He'd have to be careful. As of now, finding any attraction in Angela was likely going to do more harm than good...

Her guess was right. Joshua's reaction was still rather... calm... for someone who had just realized the truth about her. It made her feel a bit more comfortable, though. He hadn't taken the reaction as some others who noticed the oddities about her: poking, tugging, horrified stares or frustratingly annoying questions. He simply... looked at her.

Angie blushed slightly as he called her beautiful, smiling and shrugging. "I'm simply what they made me...," She replied softly, her eyes falling to the floor a moment, only to raise as his hand moved to brush against her hair, fingers cautiously taking a pass against one of her fur-lined ears. Her smile grew a bit more, giggling slightly at the gingerly made gesture. "I can't take them off. It really would hurt quite badly," She reminded him, watching as he withdrew his hand. He was so cautious about it, even with being curious. She felt very comfortable with him; safe. He didn't paw at her out of fascination, try to treat her more like a pet than a person... She had always been taught that she really was more human than feline. When people treated her like she was James' kitten on a lead, she tended to get rather angry.

He brought up her interests again, agreeing with a few as being things he enjoyed as well. Oh, good. She'd hoped not to do things on her own, especially in a new place. And he had a guitar? Her interest perked even more with that, curious to hear music other than through the stereo or James' old records.

She noticed something. He seemed to be having trouble with his words. Was it because of what he just found out about her? Ohhh. That may be a bad thing. Sure, he was being nice enough about it, but if it was something that bothered him...

"I.. I can keep them hidden, if you'd like. I'm sorry I let them slip. I just thought- I thought he told you. I thought it was okay." Angie frowned slightly, reaching for her hat and plunking it back atop her head. "I can pretend to be a regular person. It just... gets hard after awhile. There's still so much I don't quite understand- things James always seemed to pass over as silly questions when I asked about them. But..." She trailed off slightly, a somewhat lost look coming to her eyes momentarily before she shook her head, offering up the smile once again.

"But anyway! Um- maybe.. maybe getting cleaned up would help. I can get changed, make us both a little more comfortable... And if it's alright with you, maybe I could help with dinner tonight? I don't shed or anything like that."

She paused. Why had she bothered to throw that in there?

Joshua could help but be endeared to Angela even more when she blushed in reaction to his words. "I'm simply what they made me..." She replied softly, which naturally made him curious again. In what capacity did she mean 'they'? As before, he suppressed his urge to barrage her with questions about her unique nature and just try to make her comfortable. They were still on their first hour of meeting each other, and he wished to at least establish more of a bond than friendly conversation before asking such personal questions.

Her giggle as he caressed her hair gently was delightful, and it made him smile in return, or at least smile wider. It was hard not to smile just looking at her. There was a bright innocence and optimism to her that he just hadn't really seen in anyone lately. Her sheltered life might have sounded like a burden to him, but maybe it really had protected her from the things in life that would turn her to cynicism as quickly as he had.

Josh had continued to just speak off the top of his head, otherwise. It didn't really occur to him that he might sound a bit strange. It wasn't even related to her feline nature anymore, at least... not directly. His desire to keep her on the level of a relative seemed to be internally fighting with his desire to find her attractive and flirt. It was hard to hold back human nature, so what came out was a series of awkward pauses in his speech while he contemplated ways to word things without bothering her. Ironically, that seemed to bother her, and Angela quickly snatched back her hat, apologizing for revealing her secret.

Josh rather suddenly responded, "No!" in a more determined tone than his soft one he had been using up until now. He added a more calm "No..." with a smile afterward as he reached for her hat, his hand meeting hers for a moment as he essentially helped her take it back off. "You don't have to pretend to be anything. Just be yourself. At least when we're home..." He continued, smiling warmly. It sounded like a cheesy teen drama line, but well.. It applied. He decided not to reiterate the fact that the ears, and now the tail, were attractive. "If we go out at all, you might have to take the hat, but I'm sure you know all that by now. And that would only be to save you hassle of curious onlookers, not because I'm bothered."

"But anyway! Um- maybe.. maybe getting cleaned up would help. I can get changed, make us both a little more comfortable... And if it's alright with you, maybe I could help with dinner tonight? I don't shed or anything like that." Angela continued, regaining her lighthearted expressions. Her last comment actually made him chuckle. She was obviously shy about her feline appearance, but she had a sense of humor about it, too. It was nice, and it felt like the signal that the whole awkwardness of the reveal was now past.

"You're just lucky I'm not allergic or this might actually be an awkward situation." He joked in return with a smirk, trying to show that he didn't feel awkward as it were now. "And I'd be glad to have your help. Anyway, while you get settled into your room, I'll head downstairs to see what else I'll have to shop for apart from the obvious. I suppose I should check on the pool, too. Haven't done that in a couple days. Just head down whenever you feel like."

With that, Josh stood back up and gave a casual wave as he headed out the door. After making his way downstairs and opening up the refrigerator, he let out a deep breath, taking in the cool air. That had been a bit more than he expected, but she was indeed a sweet girl. To be honest, he was now a bit afraid that he might be too boring for her at times. There were days when he just liked to sit back on the computer or read a book. She seemed quite energetic. Would he be able to keep up? As well as keep her safe...? He'd do his best regardless...

After jotting down a few items on the notepad magnetized to the fridge, Joshua turned toward the nearby sliding glass door into the pool area. The sun shined through the mesh screen that kept the pool area enclosed from insects or nosy neighbors. The young man then tossed aside his shirt before doing the routine pH-balance check. Seemed okay still. As he idly splashed a bit of water on his face, Josh couldn't help but wonder.

'I hope my cooking is all right... and hers for that matter.' He thought to himself, smirking a bit as the sunlight danced in the ripples of the water.

His sudden reaction to the impending return of the hat surprised her, Angie's eyes wide as he grabbed her hand, her own fingers releasing the hat as he guided her hand away from her hair. A hesitant, slightly frightened, smile came to her lips, nodding softly as he explained his actions. It didn't bother him... Only that she needed to follow the same rules as home. She understood that. With as calm as he seemed to be on the whole situation, others most likely wouldn't be as welcoming.

A giggle managed to return to her throat as he joked on possible cat allergies, her tail flicking around her as if to taunt that teasing caution. She nodded once more as he told her of his own plans while she settled in, an eyebrow raising slightly at the mention of the pool. James never let her near his. She knew it was there, but he insisted the gate stayed locked while they were out on their walks. It bothered her immensely. He would let her into whereever she wanted- but the pool was off limits? "I'll see you in a little while," She called after him as he left the room, wriggling her fingers as he waved to her.

He was nice. Good. Of course, he was family to James, and he was always nice to her (aside from when she got in trouble and yelled at her; she'd spent three days hiding in the attic after the whole destroying half his library incident). Why did she think Joshua would be any different? Because they'd never met? At least the hardest part of meeting him, without her realizing, had gone off fairly easily.

With a sigh, she returned to pulling the rest of her clothes from the suitcases, deeming the jeans a little too warm for the weather. Instead, a pair of pink shorts and a matching tank were laid out on the bed, Angie wriggling out of her dress before heading into the bathroom. Starting the shower, she made a slight face at the steam that rose from the warm water, stepping in as her ears plastered down. As human as she may have been, the feline side of her still hated the idea of purposely being wet.

The towel wrapped around her, she returned to the bedroom, changing into the clothes she left out. As the shirt pulled down over her head, she noticed the large oak tree outside her window, a giant branch angled along the side of the house. Curious, she peeked out a bit further, watching a few birds that landed along it. She smirked with that, looking around the yard a bit more. A strange room jutted off the side of the house, an even stranger smell wafting up from it as splashes could be heard coming from it.

Slipping out the window, Angela crawled up the jutted limb of the tree, peering down into the mesh covering the room. "Joshua!," She called out as she spotted him, grinning and waving to him. "Is that where the pool is?" Looking around, she frowned slightly, only to lean back out and call to him once again. "I'll be right down! Just a moment!" With that, she simply jumped down from the high branch, landing in a crouch outside the meshed room. Getting to her feet, she brushed the grass from her palms, pressing them against the netted room as she peered inside. "Oooh. It smells even stranger up close..."

Joshua idly stared into his reflection in the water as he began to drift away into his thoughts once again. A million things had ran through his head while talking with Angela, but it was hard to sort them out while he was still focusing on talking to her. Now he had a bit of time to think. What was Angela? Some sort of genetic experiment, or perhaps a strange leap in evolution? The latter didn't make a lot of sense, but what about it did, honestly? She said 'they' made her that way. That could mean any number of things. Her parents, whoever they were. James and the servants? That didn't sound like a very good usage of 'they'. Doctors...?

His mind slowly drifted back to her bright eyes and uplifting smile. Did it matter where she came from, really? Probably not, but he was still curious on an intellectual level. Josh was no scientist, but he could see what sort of controversy and potential others like Angela could cause. Still, none of this was really his concern, at least not for now. Right now he was more concerned about keeping her happy. So far, she seemed happy enough, so that was good... He just hoped he was interesting enough for her for the whole week...

Suddenly, he heard the girl's voice call out for him from the window above. As he glanced up, he noticed Angela smiling and waving at him happily. Returning the smile, he waved back, nodding in response to her question. When she said she would be right down, Josh nodded again and returned to looking at the water, shaking his hands a bit of the bit of moisture still remaining. Then an unexpected noise came from near the window again, causing the young man to quickly turn back. Angela literally jumped out the window onto the tree, and made a feline-like descent to the ground, landing outside the closed in pool area.

After the initial surprise, Josh couldn't help but laugh as she stood there looking in like a curious cat. Seemed as if her ears and tail weren't just for looks. Josh approached with a smirk, noticing her stare at the asymmetrical, curved pool and commenting about the strange scent.

"That was pretty impressive. You're quite agile. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by now, though." He chuckled, then moved over to the screen door a few feet down to allow her inside. "The smell is chlorine. It's used to keep the pool clean and disinfected. Have you never swam in a pool before? I was sure James had one. It's pretty refreshing, especially on hotter days like this one..."

Josh gave Angela's new outfit a quick look. The pink shorts and tank top were a lot more casual than the dress, and helped to show off her figure a bit more. The dress had done a better job at hiding it than he had thought... Angela really was well-formed. Actually, that would be an understatement, but he was still trying to keep his thoughts away from thinking she was 'hot'. A much harder task than he had anticipated. Even though she had furry ears and a tail, her skin was nice and smooth, and she even smelled nice. She likely had taken a shower. Maybe it was the shampoo... Nonetheless...

Josh averted his gaze once again to look back toward the pool area, not wanting to appear as if he was staring again. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea, or perhaps even the correct one.

"Like I said, you can come out here whenever you wish, even if you don't wanna use the pool, you have the chairs to lay in the sun with.. On nicer days or nights, there's a table over there in the shade where we could eat. I've got a grill, but admittedly I don't use it often. A friend of mine is a pretty good grill cook though..."

He looked back at Angela before realizing he tossed his shirt aside to sit in the sun for a bit and not get it wet. He quickly picked it up and placed it back over his head. Not that he was ashamed of anything. He was in good shape and all, but he wasn't sure how she'd feel about the whole thing. "Uh right, sorry. Anyway, I like your outfit. Much better for a hot day, right? So what's your plan? Wanna try out the pool, or something else on your mind?"

"You should see when I accidentally fall," Angie teased, her tail curling into a curiously questioning shape as he started along the inside wall of the little room, her feet moving to keep pace with his steps. "Chlorine," She repeated, wrinkling her nose a bit as she nodded. "I've smelled it around the yard, at home... It wafts up with the wind sometimes. James won't let me near his pool. He said that it was better I stayed to the fountain or the bathtub..." She trailed off, simply shrugging at the rest of the idea as she moved closer to the shimmering water.

It certainly seemed enticing with the flickering sunlight against the surface, even with the secondary side of her absolutely horrified at the idea of once again purposely getting wet. She glanced back at him as he spoke up suddenly, as if a sudden thought jolted him back into conversation. "It is nice out here," She agreed, looking back at the water once more. "And it's hidden too. That's good. I don't want to... um.. bother your neighbors."

Wait; something he had said. "Friend... of yours?," she asked hesitantly, forcing a quick smile. He wanted to have his friends over? Of course. She couldn't expect to simply have him give up his own personal life because she was there. After all, he hadn't even been warned about- everything. Angela suddenly felt a bit upset with herself for even thinking that way. He most likely had friends of other sorts as well, like in her movies... A girlfriend that he would need to spend time with.

She took another glance at him, her fingers entwined behind her back as she simply looked him over, no real emotion attempting to claim her face. He certainly didn't look much like James. Not that such a thing was bad. James was old, and dressed in suits for most of the time. His hair was always short and perfectly in place, a peppering of grey in it that reminded her of the differences in age between them. Joshua was almost exactly the opposite of him. He was about the same age as her; well, at least the age she was supposed to seem... He dressed like people in town. Normal.

And James...
James certainly didn't look like that when he took his shirt off.

The replacement of the shirt caused her to quickly look back up at his actual face, blinking in surprise a few times as he spoke up once again. "Hm? Oh, my- Um, thanks." She smirked, reaching up to scratch behind her own ear. "You... said to get more comfortable. It does make the heat a bit easier, being out of the dress...."

Glancing back to the pool hesitantly with his suggestion of trying it, she finally shook her head after a moment. "I'm... I'm not too sure about that right now. Taking two showers in one day was hard enough." She paused, turning back around to look at him fully. Something else on her mind- Yes, there kind of was. "I think I should be asking the same question to you, Joshua. I mean... If he never told you abuot me, aside from that I lived with him and needed somewhere to stay- I'm sure there's things on YOUR mind about all this. I don't mind talking about it. I don't really know too much on how I came to be, other than what Uncle Kyle and James have told me. Other than that... I really do try to be as normal as I can be. Sometimes that can be kinda hard. I'm still learning stuff from them; things I shouldn't do and where I shouldn't go... And- and about some people..."

She trailed out once again, her eyes drifting to the floor slowly as her tail slunk down behind her. She knew that was why she had been sent away. People were asking about her, wanting her to come back with them again. James had done so much to get her out of there before- she really wanted nothing to do with that place again. They treated her like a creature there, and she reacted as one. She didn't want that to happen, but she also didn't want them to hurt James.

"But- yes... Anyway... If you wanted to know anything, I don't mind. Really. Just... Just don't pull my tail. It really is attached, and it really does hurt." She smiled again, trying to avoid thinking about those other things once more.

"I've smelled it around the yard, at home... It wafts up with the wind sometimes. James won't let me near his pool. He said that it was better I stayed to the fountain or the bathtub..." Angela responded upon learning of the Chlorine. Josh wondered briefly why James didn't like her near the pool, but he also couldn't help but wonder about the fountain as well. His mind idly wandered to the concept that she might bathe in it, which of course led to mental images that he tried to shake away. It was only natural that he'd want to imagine a beautiful girl like her under the cascading water, but it still didn't feel right.

"It is nice out here," She continued. "And it's hidden too. That's good. I don't want to... um.. bother your neighbors."

Josh chuckled and shook his head. "Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about them. They're barely home as it is. I've cranked the music up pretty loud and pretty late and never gotten any complaints, and I never see them while doing any yardwork, so I think they travel a lot. I guess what I'm saying is, don't be too afraid to take a walk outside now and then. Even if someone saw you for a moment, I don't think it would be that big a deal..."

The dark-haired young man noticed his guest's discomfort when he had mentioned one of his friends. Was she afraid of meeting them? He didn't plan on having anyone over, at least not at this stage. He trusted his friends, though. He was quite sure none of them would freak out about Angela any more than he did. Still, did he want to take that risk? He had hardly known Angela for over an hour and he was already feeling exceptionally protective of her. He was beginning to understand why she was a bit naive. James was clearly very protective as well. Not even letting her near the pool? Surely she didn't get to have friends or company either... Considering all this, he was actually surprised at how friendly she was being.

"Don't worry. Unless you really want to, you don't have to meet anyone else. Besides, a lot of my friends expected me to be away on a trip this week, so they've likely made other plans without me. Besides, I think we're becoming friends already. I wouldn't mind at all if it was just us this week..." Josh tried to reassure her. He could kind of tell what she was thinking. That she didn't want to be a burden or take him away from his other social obligations. Truth be told, he could use a break from some of his more overbearing social relationships. Plus, so far Angela had kept his mind off of Stephanie a lot better than anything else had...

Angela sweetly thanked him for complimenting her outfit, which made him smile. Her following mannerisms were as cute as she was physically. She'd likely be the girl of many guys dreams. However, her curiosity and naivety might lead her to be easily taken advantage of. She deserved someone much better than that, but how would she ever meet anyone if she wasn't allowed out of the house...?

His thoughts were returned to the present when Angela declined the pool offer. It sounded as if getting wet wasn't her idea of fun, which Josh figured he should have guessed sooner. Cats usually hated water. She mentioned how two showers in a day was difficult enough. She must have disliked it in general, but she couldn't exactly wash the way an actual cat would. So she had basically showered twice... for his sake? She really was adorable...

So when he asked if something else was on her mind, it didn't really take her long to respond.

"I think I should be asking the same question to you, Joshua. I mean... If he never told you about me, aside from that I lived with him and needed somewhere to stay- I'm sure there's things on YOUR mind about all this. I don't mind talking about it. I don't really know too much on how I came to be, other than what Uncle Kyle and James have told me. Other than that... I really do try to be as normal as I can be. Sometimes that can be kinda hard. I'm still learning stuff from them; things I shouldn't do and where I shouldn't go... And- and about some people..."

"But- yes... Anyway... If you wanted to know anything, I don't mind. Really. Just... Just don't pull my tail. It really is attached, and it really does hurt."

Josh smiled again, shaking his head lightly. "I won't. I promise." He began, reaching a hand out to brush a lock of her hair out of her eyes. He wasn't quite sure what compelled him to do that, but it was something he used to do to Steph a lot when he just felt like being lightly affectionate... That wasn't really something he would do to a cousin... Still, he couldn't seem to help it. His hands just wanted to touch her, even in simple ways. Chances were it would only get harder as the week went on, so he'd have to willpower his way through it. He didn't want to disturb her...

"C'mon, let's go back inside where it's a bit cooler..." He continued, leading her back into the house through the sliding glass door which entered the living room. There was a sofa and loveseat, though he obviously chose the sofa in order not to force any more personal space invasion than he already had. He'd allow her to sit as close or as far as she wished.

"I am a bit curious about you, I admit. Not just because of the obvious, but because I like you." Josh smiled warmly. "Why wouldn't I want to know more about you? But I'll ask, since I think if you tell me now, we won't have to dance around when I'll suddenly ask you in the future. We can just get it out of the way, in other words... I'll try to just keep it simple...

What do you know about why you're different? I don't know anyone named Kyle in my family, is he a real uncle of yours, or someone else? And is there anything I should know related to your health? Like uh... is there a sort of food you can't eat or allergy you have? Cause I obviously wanna keep you healthy while you're here. Other than that, you don't gotta tell me anything you're not comfortable with." Josh took a breath, hoping he wasn't overloading her. He tried to keep a friendly demeanor while questioning her.

Neighbors were a rarity at James', and from the sound of what Joshua described, just as rare here too. Another relief. That tree was looking to be a rather fascinating spot, with a nice view of the pool and an even better vantage point to creature watch. Again, another feline quality that she managed to contain enough to turn into a slightly more 'humanistic' activity; instead of chasing said animals, she attempted to simply be content in watching them. Of course, if they dared to get close enough, it was hard to avoid the urge to try...

But for the neighbors to see the guy next door's houseguest was sitting in a tree with a chipmunk in her hands? That probably wouldn't go over too well. And then the possibility of her messing up around his friends-

Another worry that he quickly dismissed. She smiled as he mentioned that he felt they were becoming friends, a quick nod coming from her in agreement. "I've gone to a few parties with James before... All, um... older people... but..." She frowned, puffing out a breath between her lips as she rolled her eyes slightly. "I don't see people my own age very often. Well, what you'd call my own age. I... I guess I don't really know how old I am..."

His fingers against her hair made her smile, peeking at him from beneath the locks of hair. Funny. She didn't like people trying to 'pet' her without really knowing her, but in the little time she'd already spent with him, she liked feeling the warmth of his hand. Maybe it was from his scent being similar to James... almost. Again, that difference was there... But she liked it. It was a good 'different'.

When he started for the door, she followed after, settling down on the couch next to him as she curled her knees up beneath her. It seemed her statement outside had opened up a door for him, agreeing that he did indeed have some questions about her. Her eyebrows raised a bit as he stated the reasons behind his questions- not the usual 'what the heck are you?', but because he actually wanted to know her better.

She laughed at his first question, tilting her head slightly as she smirked. "I'm half cat. How much more different can I be?," She giggled, then sighed. "I guess the best way to explain it is... to just tell you all I remember. I don't remember everything, most of it James has told me about, but... I was born in a lab. He had financed the project. There- there was supposed to be a bunch of us, I guess. I was the only one who survived. When they started experiments on me, I was still young... and scared. That's whrn I don't remember. I guess I made myself forget. I remember when I met James, though. It was- a few days into the doctors trying to do tests... and they had all these needles and a cage and- I ran out of the room and saw this man in the hall. He didn't look like the doctors. He looked nice. I hid behind him and begged him to make them go away. He saw all the bloody marks and bruises on me and yelled at them. He said I'd be going home with him... and that if they wanted any more money they would leave me alone."

She went quiet for a moment, staring at her hands, only to suddenly look up with a smile. "Uncle Kyle is my doctor! A nice doctor, not one of -those- doctors. He used to be one of them, but he didn't like what was happening at the labs, so he left. He was part of the group who made me, so when James took me in, he came over to his house. At first James threatened to call the police, but when he explained himself, James let him in. He's kept me healthy ever since... because I can't see a normal doctor. Not that I have any medical problems or anything... I'm pretty healthy outside of check-ups and stuff," she added quickly, raising her hands up slightly. "He says he just wants to make sure everything is going the way they figured it would. So far, so good." She paused once again, a curious look coming to her face as she thought about something for a moment. "He.. kept asking if I had felt funny at all over the last few months. I'd ask him what kind of funny, and he said I'd know it if I had felt it. That really doesn't give me much to gauge any 'funniness' I might have..."

Another shrug. "As for things that bother me? Not much. But- there are things that tend to be bothered by me.... Cats- real cats, I mean... Some of them don't like me. And dogs. OK, that's a two way street. I don't much like them either. Oh. And rainstorms. I don't like thunder. At all. But other than those? I haven't run into much that bothers me."

Josh did his best to keep a neutral expression throughout Angela's story, but it was a bit darker than he had anticipated. A project, funded by James? Some sort of genetic testing? What the hell would he be doing dabbling in something like that? Just how was she created... and why? The continued information about needles, bruises and cages was pretty awful, to say the least. It caused Josh's fists to tighten up in anger and frustration. He was never exactly an animal enthusiast, so if animal testing or experimentation was done for legitimate scientific purposes, he figured it was worth it if it meant eventually curing certain illnesses or the like.

But this? This wasn't the same. They were basically doing tests on a child, and to keep her in a cage on top of it, treating her more like an animal than a human? He could only imagine the insane court case that might result over it. How would they classify Angela? Was she considered human? If not, were her basic human rights nullified? Nonetheless, it sounded as if James had rescued her. From Angela's explanation, it sounded as if James hadn't known what he had gotten into.

There was a moment of silence in which Josh didn't really know how to respond. James must have really helped her a lot to make her forget such a terrible childhood. Maybe her childlike nature was him hoping to give her another chance at one. It made sense she didn't know how old she was. Physically she seemed about his age, though. As Angela continued, she spoke of Kyle, or apparently Dr. Kyle. It sounded as if they were lucky he came around in order to keep Angela healthy without having to explain her to a real doctor.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear about what happened, but I'm glad to hear you're healthy and doing all right.. Sounds like they've taken good care of you. Hopefully I'm on the right track to doing the same." The dark-haired student smiled again, looking into her eyes from the other side of the sofa. She added that they had asked her if she felt funny lately, and didn't know what they meant. Josh could only shrug. He wasn't part cat nor did he really know much about them having never owned one. Who knew what odd things they felt. "Well, If you do feel anything, you should probably let me know just so I can inform James. Just to be on the safe side."

The list of things that bothered her made Josh chuckle a bit. He had sort of meant food allergies or the like, but that answer worked, too. Cats and dogs. Well, that wasn't too abnormal. A lot of people didn't like them. Though he had to wonder what her reaction to them was. Did she hiss and bare fangs? Did she have claws? These were the sorts of things he wasn't in a hurry to know. Though a fanged grin always had a feral attractiveness to it with catgirls from anime and the like...

"Don't worry. I don't have any pets. Some people around the neighborhood might, but from what I've seen they're all pretty friendly." He chuckled lightly.

Being scared of thunder was a cute one, too. He'd never met anyone with that phobia, but if it was going to be anyone, no real surprise it was the girl who was part cat. "Unfortunately my powers of weather control aren't honed yet, so I can't stop thunder and lightning. You may experience a bit of that around here. Nothing too bad, though." He smirked again, giving her a sort of playful nudge on the shoulder.

"Well, since you were kind enough to answer my questions. Any you have for me? I'm not too shy so just ask whatever." Josh added, already anticipating a barrage of inquires, since the young girl seemed to have quite a curious mindset. That was to be expected of a cat, he supposed.

Angela laughed, laying back a bit against the arm of the couch. Already she was feeling more comfortable in his home; like she was in a secondary home of her own. "I don't need much to be healthy and happy," She confessed, letting her tail lazily flop across her tummy. "As for the weird stuff Kyle was asking about... I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess anything weird might be a bad weird. I don't want to start calling him over every tummyache or stubbed toe I might get." She paused, biting her lip for a moment before shrugging. "I, um, should probably warn you that I can be a little.. clutzy."

She sat back up with the mention of local animals being rather well-behaved, bringing a light sigh of relief to her lips. "Oh good. That can get so bad..." Another laugh left her, however, as he explained the possibility of having to deal with storms. "I'm sure I'll find some way to deal with it," she replied with a shrug, smiling as she nuzzled her shoulder into his, only to settle back into her own spot and cross her legs up into her lap, resting her hands between them.

Questions for him? Hmm. "Well... Since you're letting me ask..."

Her tongue found its way to rest the tip against her lower lip, barely letting the pink flesh show between her reddened lips as she thought on that. Lots of different things began to pour into her mind, though only a fraction of them actually managed to make it out of her mouth. "What do you do for fun? You said you work at a restaurant- Can I see it? James has special rules for me... Do you have any? Are all cab men as grumpy as that one? You don't mind if I sleep nude, do you? Do you do other stuff besides work? That must get terribly boring."

She paused, looking at him blankly for a moment with her mouth slightly open, only to give another meek laugh and resting her fingers on her lower lip. She was doing it again; talking far more than she probably should be. "..Sorry...," She mumbled out softly, shaking her head. "I try not to do that so much."

Josh glanced down as Angela's tail swished around onto her lap. It was around that point that she warned him of being a bit of a klutz. He wondered in just what way she was. If she had a tail like that, she should only have better balance, right? Then again, perhaps it didn't work as well with a human body. Maybe it only made things worse. He chuckled softly before replying. "That's okay. Just remember, you break it, you buy it.

...kidding, of course." He added after a moment, just in case. It sounded as if she was becoming rather comfortable already. That was nice to see, considering how proper she was acting upon first arrival. As she shrugged off the idea of thunderstorms, her shoulder nuzzled against his for a moment. It could have easily been an accident as much as an act of affection, but it still made Josh's chest flutter a bit. Mentally he scolded himself. Why was he reacting like he had never sat with a girl before? It wasn't even remotely a romantic environment. Was it merely the case of trying so hard to not find her attractive that inevitably that was all his mind could do?

She thought upon her questions for a moment, which figured might get his mind off of that at least for a bit. Though her expression as she pondered drew him right back in. As she finally began asking in her somewhat excitable tone, all the questions seemed fairly basic, that was until she asked if he minded her sleeping in the nude. There was no stopping the sudden blush that nearly consumed his face. He was trying to keep his mind off that sort of thing, so that certainly didn't help. He almost had to wonder if she was teasing him now, but he just didn't think that was the case. She sincerely seemed to be quite innocent...

He sort of missed the questions after that one, but he returned to his senses when she mumbled an apology, likely for her barrage of questions without letting him get a word in edgewise. A few subtle deep breaths had managed to calm Josh of his blush before he just smirked and gave her a playful nudge with his shoulder. "Yeah you should be, I already forgot some of the things you asked!" He joked before thinking a moment. "Alright let's see...

What do I do for fun... Well, I really like movies. All sorts, as long as they're good. I'd like to be a director someday... Uh, listening to and playing music... Spending time with my friends, computer games. Honestly between work and class, I don't get a lot of time so, I'm actually sort of forgetting what else I might like to do...

And yeah, I work in a restaurant. An Italian one called Brio. I could certainly show you. I'm just a waiter though. Not like I own it or anything." He chuckled, trying to remember her other questions, which was getting more difficult, especially after being distracted by the particular one...

"Special rules...? Uh, not.. really. Not apart from the obvious, such as, you know, try not to make too big a mess or anything. Not that I think you would. Just an example. Otherwise, uh, no. Oh, I guess don't go on my computer without asking. If there's anything you're unsure of, you can always just ask, really.

Cab drivers? I've noticed that yes, they do seem to get grumpy if you try and talk to them, heh.

And uh, your sleeping attire is entirely up to you.. We're in different rooms and all, and I promise I won't enter without knocking first. So... whatever makes you comfortable." He chuckled a bit. "I kinda forgot what was after that... You really don't have to be sorry for talking, though. I said before it's been quiet here lately. I'm glad you're here. You're welcome to ask me whatever you like, though you should probably stick to only a couple questions at a time so I can answer better." He concluded with a smirk, finding himself looking her over once again. Damn it. Before she arrived, he had mentally prepared himself for the fact that she might be attractive, but the reveal of the ears and tail had thrown him in a loop. Without them, she was still gorgeous. With them she was that and more, with a personality so endearing that she was basically something out of a dream. But knowing a bit of her history now, and knowing how James was, she probably never met a man close to her age. It was extremely unlikely she had ever kissed or been on a date. Would she ever get such experiences if things kept up like this? If she kept having to be hidden away...

Still, that innocence was all the more reason why he had to resist. She may not be related to him, but she was naive to the point where he likely could manipulate her, perhaps even without knowing. He didn't want to take advantage of such a kind girl who had gone through a very stressful childhood and strange life being so different. He was better than that. He knew what it was like to be played with...

Besides, he wasn't even sure she had such desires. She didn't just have ears and a tail. She had feline tendencies. Who knew how that altered her perception of men. Josh was an attractive person, but he had to accept the possibility that perhaps that had never even entered her mind. Perhaps it was better that it didn't. Though his ego could always hope otherwise...

"So.. anything in particular you'd like to talk about or do right now?" He wondered, finally composing his thoughts to focus on just trying to keep Angela comfortable.

"Classes? As in... real school?" Angie paused, looking him over, then laughed. "I mean... um, adult school. College, there we go! That's the word I'm thinking of." She thought back on his ways of having fun, nodding in agreement on some of them. "So we like some of the same things. I do like movies. James has a whole collection of old films... I know they're old because they're all black and white. Our television is all colors. Unless he's got broken movies..." She trailed off with that, one ear flicking slightly. "But he certainly has money enough to get ones that work..."

"Computer games? It... can play games? I always thought it was just for James and Kyle to write-er, what is it? Type. Type up all those boring letters and papers they left all over the house. I never knew it could do FUN things too." She pouted a moment with that, folding her arms across her chest as she sat back against the couch. "I would've asked him to let ME try it if I had known that..." She looked back at him, smiling pleasantly. "I can help you try to find more things you can enjoy, if you'd like. I helped James find lots of things he never knew he liked."

The idea of going to his job, even just to visit him for a few minutes, was incredibly intriguing. 'Just a waiter'? He was out in public, with others, all the time! How could he not think that was fun? Still, he acted as though it were a very boring thing, so she simply gave a smile and nod, listening intently as he attempted to answer all her questions. Something seemed to be bothering him, however. She wasn't quite sure what that may have been. Hm. Odd.

"I try to be neat," She agreed quickly, being sure to keep the 'try' in there. Sure, she had her moments of attempted helpfulness backfiring on her. Still, she made a good effort on keeping things the way others had them. No sense getting him worked up over a few mistakes in the past. The computer thing made sense. She was used to that. Besides, she never had much interest in it before- even if that new idea of it playing games with her was so tempting now.

The sleeping inquiry was the next he answered, Angie realizing now what may have been the problem. Ohhh. "Oh, good. I'm glad it's not going to bother you! It's just- I get really warm at night, and clothes makes it so much worse, and being naked makes it sooo much easier, and-" She frowned quickly, making a face. "I'm doing it again... Sorry..."

She suddenly wondered what he wore for sleeping. Odd; the idea had never popped into her head for James. Maybe it was because she knew. The same silk pajamas he always wore, just different colors or variations in length: Shorts for summer, pants for winter. Angela would cuddle up to him in the winter to feel the silk against her skin, purring contently as he brushed her head...

Her eyes returned to Joshua. Would he do that with her? No, probably not. She was simply his houseguest, not... not his companion, as she was to James. That's what he referred to her as most of the time. Sometimes it was his ward, sometimes his charge- but most often, his companion. She wasn't even sure what that meant. He told her it meant she was loved, and a welcome part of his home. Wasn't that the same thing as a pet? He hated it when she even used that word around him, scolding her immediately when it was uttered from her lips. There was also something that bothered her. He never actually told her that he loved her. Simply... that she was loved.

Joshua's question startled her, causing her to jump slightly on the couch and her tail to frizz as she looked at him with wild wide eyes. "Ah! Um- What? Sorry. My- thoughts... Kinda.. got lost in them..." Thinking for a moment, she shrugged slightly. "You said you needed to go to the store. Maybe... I can go with you?"

Josh nodded when she acknowledged the type of school he attended. "Indeed, I go to a film school. Like I said, movies are a pretty big interest of mine, and I hope to be a director someday. Maybe you could star." He smirked.

Josh chuckled a bit at Angela's explanation of the movies she had seen, wondering if perhaps they were broken due to being in all black and white. Poor girl. She had probably never been out to the actual theater if that was her experience so far. Josh loved going to the movies. Something about just experiencing film with other people was more fun than watching alone. Especially when some of the people there are friends. He'd have to take her sometime. "Nah, just old movies can be like that. A lot of great, classic films were in Black and White. Casablanca.. Citizen Kane.. but like I said, I like all sorts. New or old. I have a pretty big library of movies. Many of which James probably would hate. I'm sure there's a few things in there you'd like."

Her confusion about computers was also pretty cute. Sounded like she never even got to use one. She probably hadn't even been online before. Perhaps it was for the best that she wasn't exposed to some of the inanity there, but it did a lot of good as well. "Computers can do a lot of things. You can use them to create and view movies, music, art... Then there's the Internet in which you can access pretty much almost anything you can think of. Gotta be careful on there, though. It can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Perhaps I'll show you a few things later on, if you'd like."

His comment that he wasn't quite sure what he liked to do anymore didn't really go unnoticed, as Angela was quick to offer her assistance in finding fun things to do. "I'm always open to suggestions."

Angela seemed especially relieved once he said it didn't matter what she did or didn't sleep in, continuing on to explain why being naked was so much better. Josh began to blush again slightly. The fates sure liked to tease him, didn't they? Not that he didn't disagree with what she said. He did it himself on really hot nights, since cranking the AC all the way up really took a toll on his electric bill. As it got colder he'd use shorts and then eventually a t-shirt, and finally the covers. It wasn't to that point yet, though. "No, I agree. It is easier... and if there's anything I can do to make your nights more comfortable, just let me know." He added, really just meaning he'd turn the AC up or something if she requested. It wasn't like she'd request anything else, right?

Now it seemed to be her turn to get lost in thought as when he asked what she felt like doing. Her sudden stuttering was rather cute, making him smile warmly before she finally offered her suggestion. She wanted to go shopping with him? That didn't seem like much of an activity, but he had to remember how restricted she had been so far. Would he be wrong in taking her? What if he saw someone he knew or someone caught a peek beneath her hat somehow? But... it was just the store. They'd only be there for half an hour. And this was what she wanted. He had to stop worrying so much.

"Okay then, let's do that. Why don't you grab whatever you need to cover up sufficiently and meet me at that door over there, which leads to the garage."

With that, Josh helped Angela off the sofa and held his hand out to allow her past him first. He then returned to the refrigerator to grab his list before gathering other things he needed such as his wallet, phone and keys. After she was ready, he led her to his car, a fairly new but nothing special grey Chevy Impala. Naturally, he opened the passenger door for her first before getting into the driver's seat. As the garage door opened, Josh slipped on his sunglasses and started the vehicle. The CD in the tray began playing again from where it left off. It was currently in the middle of Pink Floyd's The Wall.

"Whoops. If you wanna listen to something else, there should be a CD booklet in the glove compartment there." He mentioned casually before beginning to drive off. "So, can you think of any salmon dishes you like in particular?" He added, wondering if she'd have an answer. She originally said James didn't like giving her fish. That it "encouraged her" but he didn't know what that meant... She was his guest now, though, and could eat what she desired.

Angela smiled widely at his offer to help her feel more comfortable at night, nodding quickly. "Thank you. I might just take you up on that. Being in a new place is a little... hard. Even staying at a hotel the few times James let me go with him was strange. I just couldn't get comfy there! Pacing and pacing, and exploring and peeking- James ended up telling me to lay down or I'd sleep in the car." She frowned suddenly, her ears dropping back with that memory. "I don't think he was kidding, either."

When he agreed to let her come with him to the store, however, her mood changed just as quickly, letting out a light shriek of laughter. "Ohhh, thank you thank you! I'll be right back, I promise! I'll just get changed and be right back down!" Taking his offered hand, she stood up, eagerly racing past him to the staircase. Returning to the bedroom he had given her, she pawed through the pile of clothes still resting atop the bed, hunting for the long pink skirt to swap for her shorts. As comfortable as they may have been, the shorts simply wouldn't work to keep her tail from being seen. Her white hat plunked back atop her head, the skirt exchanged, she gave a quick satisfied nod after inspection in the mirror before heading back down.

"There!," She called happily as she arrived at the door. "Still comfy, and safe too." Following him into the garage, she giggled at his car, only to quickly raise her hands up slightly. "Oh, no, no, I'm not laughing at your car! It's just- it looks like the car the policeman that circles our block has. His is white, though," she explained, slipping into the passenger seat as he held the door for her. "Thank you!," She chimed out quickly, tucking her skirt up between her knees as the door closed behind her.

The sound of the car starting didn't bother her at all. She was quite used to rides with James, circling town and visiting shops on the weekends- but the stereo, however, was a totally different thing. As the music suddenly kicked in, Angie's nails clung into the sides of her seat, a surprised yelp coming from her as her tail, curled beside her, frizzed out quickly. Joshua's nonchalant response to the music got a rather sour glance from her, Angela sitting forward a bit to open the little door he indicated. Ohhh. Music discs. She knew what those were. Hers weren't exactly... that loud.

Peeking through the CD's, she glanced up at him as he spoke again. Hmm. She'd only managed to have it a few times, but the one that stuck out the most was that sweet sauce that the chef had made... "I liked when it was roasted with, um... something "Ucky" sauce? Terry's ucky sauce. I'm sure that's what chef called it... But why would he call it that? That doesn't sound good at all... but it tasted so good!" She sighed, leaning her head back against the seat. "I'm terrible at remembering things like that. It was awhile ago that I had it... Chef wasn't allowed to make it anymore."