SUE: I Have Walked A Million Miles {TAG: Ricio}

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha had woken up that morning feeling worse than his usual self. Granted he usually felt pretty awesome so any change from that was "worse". But he woke up feeling like something had crawled into his throat and died. His head was heavy, his body was heavy, and his throat hurt. But worse than all that -in his brain- was what he discovered when he looked in the mirror. A wide rash was spreading up his right shoulder, around his collarbone, and was stretching up his neck and down his ribs. It didn't really itch but it made his skin feel remarkably funny and there were small blisters along the rash.

All in all, it made Antosha feel like Typhoid Mary. So he called up Hammel and said he wasn't going in. He'd obviously caught whatever was going around in that academy up there. Thankfully he'd been blessed enough that he didn't have any finals or classes to attend. What made everything better was the fact Mayu was in town and had taken her mutt back. Though, as much as Ant whined, he was sort of missing the little mutt. Vegas had been the only truly noisy thing in his house and now that the dog was gone, Antosha was once again surrounded by silence.

Instead of leaving his house, or even getting dressed, the large Russian went back to sleep after he made the phone call. It made things feel better even if only for awhile. So by the time he truly woke up it was already dark outside and his stomach was growling in protest at having not been fed in well over twelve hours. He coughed some before sitting up and sliding on a pair of sweat pants and a thin long sleeved shirt in hopes of fighting the chill in his room. Once dressed Antosha padded out to the living room to grab his keys and wallet, barely pausing as he continued on to his hearse. Regardless of how bad he felt he would go out and grab some food, if only because he had nothing pre-prepared.

Anyone who knew the Russian -or knew sick people- would have been able to tell the man that his flushed face was a sign of bad things. But no one dared mention how bad he actually looked, and Antosha was far too lazy to look into a mirror to have it confirm what he felt. Though it would have been for the best, since he'd yet to catch onto the fact he had a slight fever. He had paid for his groceries in a hurry and was on his way home before anything happened. At first it was just a slight stiffness in his joints. But as the male drove down the road a sharp pain down his spine alerted to him what he'd failed to notice- his power was trying to activate. Which considering his weakened state shouldn't be all that surprising.

Antosha pulled into a nearby parking lot, turned off his car and stumbled out the door before the full force of the pain drew him to his knees. It took almost ten minutes before the Russian had shifted into the large panther that he claimed was within. Amber eyes were blinking away the dazing effects of the pain before he realized what it meant. He now had to walk home. As if on cue the skies opened up and began to pour sheets of water onto the sick shifter.

With a sigh, the cat picked up the bag in his teeth (the keys and wallet inside) before he began the long walk home. Twenty minutes later a well and truly soaked panther was climbing the steps on shaky legs, fur so wet is looked like someone dumped a pot of ink on him. He blinked the water from his eyes, trying to push back the fear that had been threatening him the whole way home, noticing that he hadn't actually finished his journey. In front of him stood his front door, locked just how he left it... And he had no thumbs to remedy the situation. The panther dropped the bag of microwavable food as he opened his mouth to yowl in protest, hoping the sound might draw attention so he could get inside.


((Kinda...Really...Sucks... Like there is so much I wanted to add to it
Also. I imagine he's left his lights on inside as well. So there's that.

Seriously. The song "Anything For You" by Ludo. I listened to it on repeat.))

[Ricio Miller]

Because of his ability, Ricio had the unfortunate side effect of getting sick a lot. Even though his body could handle changing temps and adapted well to keep him in comfort, his immune system did not deal with it as well. So he tended to catch things that we going around, not always, but usually. And since Ricio also hated anything to do with doctors or hospitals, he usually tried to ignore any sickness instead of dealing with it before it got worse.

That said, he didn't really avoid sick people. Usually he didn't have to worry about it. Most sick people tended to stay indoors. And the ones that did venture out usually weren't in the mood to stop and chat with the local hobo.

Ricio had been at the park for most of the day enjoying the weather. That was until the skies started to darken. He had planned on cooking out his dinner, but that didn't look like it was going to happen. So he packed up his things and started to walk around looking for shelter.

There were a few places Ricio went when it looked like rain. There were gazebos and overhanging roofs on stores and restaurants. There was even a nice area behind the mall where the workers took there smoke breaks that had benches and everything out of the elements. But as he was walking, it occurred to him that he had another option.

Ricio hadn't been to see his Russian friend in a while. Not that he was avoiding Antosha, Ricio just didn't live according to any sort of schedule and he liked to vary his routine.

The rain was really coming down as Ricio made the final turn to Antosha's house. As he did so, he heard a weird noise, like an animal in pain. Even with this sound, he was still a bit surprised to see a large black cat on his friend's porch. He actually dropped his pack at first, before his memory caught up with him.

"Antosha?" Ricio said, walking slowly toward the animal. "That you?" He was pretty sure it had to be, after all panthers weren't native to Vermont the last time he'd checked. Still he'd rather play it cautious that get his face torn off.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Alright so truth be told the Russian panther hadn't really thought about making the yowl he did. As he did, though, he tail began twitching in anticipation. It was fully possible he could get attacked rather than helped. After all he wasn't exactly a native, friendly animal that people could just laugh off and assume an owner left him out. So the panther slipped down until his body was lying flat against his porch. It really was a nice porch... He would just keep telling himself that the need to rest was because he was stressed about a hunter, and not the lethargy spreading into his bones.

The only thing keeping the panther awake at this point was the lingering pain, the fear of rain, and the gnawing hunger. Which, was actually a lot now that he thought about it. Ears flicked at a sound down the road and bright, golden eyes laced with their original amber color narrowed suspiciously. His tail stop twitching and his body tensed some. The image was ruined by a sudden -and rather loud- feline sneeze that forced him to shut his eyes so he missed the image of Ricio walking up.

However the voice did get through and the panther's eyes opened wide before he tilted his head up, ears flicking in interest. Right, Ricio asked a question. Opening his mouth to yowl in response he was cut short by another sneeze. After he shook himself free of the sneeze, he padded forward, stopping short of where the rain would hit him as fear kept him from moving forward. Antosha stood there with a lightly flicking tail before he finally let out a deep, rumbling purr at seeing his savior from the rain. Then he turned his gaze to the thoroughly soaked bag, the purr still rumbling through his chest. Not that the feline was doing any better than the bag in the way of being water logged though, if his dripping coat was anything to go by.

It didn't bother Antosha that someone saw him in his feline form. No, the Russian was proud of what he was. He even had a tattoo celebrating it. What was bothering him was the fact he couldn't get into his house and the food he bought was sort of ruined and he was hungry and cold and there was water in his face. The Russian yowled again, quite liking the fact it seemed to gather the vagrant's attention, before turning tail and nudging his nose into the bag until he could pick up his keys in his mouth. Once done he looked to Ricio expectantly, trying to hide the sudden shivering that seemed to want to shake his body. Water. Water was really bad. I want dry, кот. Hurry up... Dry NOW.

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio jumped a little at the panther's sneeze. After all, it wasn't something you came across everyday and he was still half expecting some sort of vicious attack. But then he started to realize just how pitiful the black cat looked. Like a half-drowned rat. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the soaking, sneezing creature.

"Uh...bless you?" he said when Antosha sneezed again. He was feeling more certain about the large cat being his friend. And even though the man/cat/thing (Ricio really wasn't sure how to think of the panther or what sort of pronoun it deserved) was pitiful looking, Ricio couldn't help but notice how beautiful the creature was. His fingers itched to draw the cat. Perhaps with charcoals.

Still, the shock of this whole situation was displayed clearly on his face. It wasn't often that Ricio came across a situation where someone needed his help. And he felt a little out of place. Clearly the cat needed to get inside and warmed up, but Ricio couldn't help but hesitate at that prospect.

"Uh...where are your keys?" Ricio said, reaching out cautiously to pet the purring Antosha on the head. Following the cat's gaze he leaned down to root around in the bag to locate them. Pulling them out he unlocked the door and opened it.

"After you," Ricio said, stepping aside to give Antosha room to walk inside. And then with a heavy sigh he also took one step inside the room. Just one. And he left the door open.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha wasn't sure if he wanted to lay out in front of his savior's feet... Or possibly bite his savior in the ass to make him move faster. Sure, it wasn't every day someone ran into a shivering, soaking, sneezing panther. But still he'd expected a little bit more from the alley cat. After all Antosha had even gone through the trouble (not really) of explaining his power to Ricio, the least the other could do was remember it.

Still, he maintained his purring as his head was pet even as his ears flicked. Not that it was that hard to do. Antosha was quite susceptible to people petting him in human form and becoming a cat had only made that particular weakness worse. Amber eyes watched impatiently as the vagrant rooted around the abandoned and frankly ruined bag.

A rather violent shiver ran down his spine as a sudden shift in the wind caused a sheet of rain to hit the already wet cat. Without really thinking, Antosha bolted forward into the safety of his now open door without so much as a warning growl to Ricio. In fact if the panther had made any noise it would have a rather pitiful sounding wild cat meow. Soaking wet paws hit the hardwood floor and Antosha got another jolt of fear as he lost traction. Claws dug in to the wood and left gouges he would later regret but it didn't deter his mission of getting away from the outside.

All in all, it made for a very comical sight. Especially when Antosha ended his impromptu dance across his hardwood with a heavy thud against a wall. However the panther quickly collected himself, glancing at Ricio with a look that clearly meant the prior scene would not be spoken of, and gave a brisk shake before padding down the hallway with the clear practice of someone having done this one too many times to count. If Ricio remembered his prior visit to the inside of Ant's house he would realize he was headed for the bathroom to find a towel.

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio didn't often have the chance to play nurse. And now that it was here, he was finding himself at a loss. Usually when he felt sick, he just curled up in a ball and waiting for it to pass. Not exactly the best method. And he didn't think Antosha would enjoy it much. He might look like a pitiful drowned rat at the moment, but he still was a panther so Ricio didn't want to upset him by seeming completely unsympathetic.

That said, once he'd gotten the door open for his friend, he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do next. He supposed a "normal" person would follow the panther in, dry him off with towels, and make the poor animal comfortable. But really what was normal about that in the first place. Which made him wonder why Antosha was in his panther form in the first place.

And that's when the poor cat when sprawling across the floor. Ricio couldn't not help but grin at the comical display, though he did manage to suppress his laughter for the most part. Still after all that, it finally sunk into Ricio's head that Antosha's current form was probably not a choice.

"So...uh...when you're sick...you're a panther?" Ricio called out still standing in the doorway. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, waiting for his friend to return into view.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha was far more used to navigating his house in panther form than he would care to admit. A side effect of his body forcibly shifting whenever he was ill or for some odd reason whenever he drank far past his limit. He assumed it was just his body's way of trying to cure itself but it was still a rather odd thing. Still. It made it possible for Ant to know how to open doors in his house (oh how handy was it what he made all his doorknobs ones that simply had to be pulled down) and knew how to get things without making an absolute mess.

So after his little embarrassing scene of trying to get into the house in the first place, Ant padded quickly through his hall and went to the bathroom. Upon entering he quickly put his front paws on the counter (much like a dog) and leaned some so he could grab a large black towel in between his sharp teeth. Assuring that he had a good grip on the material he went back on all fours and headed back to the living room, having to tread carefully so he wouldn't trip on the towel.

His ears flicked briefly as he heard Ricio's question and he bobbed his head, sneezing gently as another shiver ran down his spine. He continued his journey and stopped at Ricio's feet. Dropping the towel suddenly he looked at Ricio, amber eyes peering expectantly before he let out a rowl. Just in case he needed to make it clear he expected Ricio to dry him off.

After all, he didn't have hands at the moment. Nor would he for the next couple of hours. So he fully planned on relying on Ricio for warmth and food. The thought of food made the panther pause, tail flicking before his stomach growled audibly.

((rowl= wild kitty meow))

[Ricio Miller]

Ricio waited, trying to not be impatient about it, for Antosha to return. A part of his had hoped that when his friend did so, he would be in human form. In only because then Ricio would feel less bad if he decided to leave Antosha to fend for himself.

On the other hand, there was something amazing about watching a panther skate across the hardwood floor. Or just walk around the house.

When he did return, still in panther form, Ricio couldn't help but smile. It really was cool, even if it meant his friend probably needed him. He looked back and forth between the dripping black cat and the towel for a bit. He knew what Antosha wanted him to do, but still he couldn't help but laugh a bit at the ridiculous situation.

"Sorry," he said, still chuckling a bit. "Uh...come sit by the window?" With that Ricio finally shut the door and took the few steps to sit next to the window so he could feel more okay with being inside. Though he still wanted to run out the door, it was a little better as long as he could look outside and fake himself into believing that maybe he was just on the porch.

He started drying off Antosha, still smiling but now able to keep his laughter in check. "So, the kitty feeling any better now?" he asked, trying so very hard not to laugh.

[Antosha Vikenti]

When Antosha came back to Ricio he expected a smile or maybe some light chuckling. So when Ricio greeted the panther with an actual laugh, Antosha let out a warning grumble. Which, if questioned he would have said it was a completely harmless warning. But it wasn't. He didn't see what was so funny about him being stuck in his panther form. Maybe because he'd never seen himself walking through his house. But to Antosha it seemed like it would be completely normal to see a supposedly wild animal meandering around a house.

He followed Ricio over to the window, still dragging the fluffy towel in his mouth. There was no way the panther would have been able to express his gratitude to Ricio staying inside, since it had slowly come to the attention of Antosha that Ricio didn't LIKE being inside. Antosha huffed some when Ricio sat down and slowly put his weight onto his haunches so his front paws would rest on Ricio's knees.

The whole time Ricio was drying Antosha, the large panther spent his energy grumbling and growling and making general put upon noises even if Ricio was helping him. He could still be annoyed when the towel rubbed his fur the wrong way, literally too. When Ricio finished Antosha just stared at the amused man and leaned up very slowly until his face was level with Ricio's- and sneezed. Climbing back down, Antosha looked to his kitchen and then to Ricio, trying to convey his 'I'm hungry. Feed me.' message.

[Ricio Miller]

True, Ricio had grown up at Hammel. So his definition of normal was a tad different than the average non-metas. Still, it had been a while since he'd actually interacted with an animal shifter while they were in their animal form. That coupled with the fact that Ricio found it impossible to hide or contain his emotions meant that he was having a hard time acting like watching a panther pad around Antosha's place was as normal as having a cup of coffee with the man on his front porch.

Still he tried to contain his laughter after Antosha's growl. But he couldn't hide his smile no matter how hard he tried. "Sorry," he offered again sheepishly.

And yes, Ricio was feeling a little twitchy and jumping about being inside. The huge window was helping though. And of course the distraction of trying to simultaneously dry off and not laugh at a panther.

Ricio covered his mouth to hide the laugh after Antosha's sneeze. He couldn't help it. There was just something so cute and funny about a pitiful panther. Especially when he knew the panther.

"You're hungry?" Ricio asked, following the panther's gaze. He looked from the window, to the kitchen, and back. "Uh...let me see what I got in my pack..." He started to rummage through it, tossing clothes and art supplies on the floor. "Bologna sandwich?" He offered the half-eaten sandwich to the panther. It was only a few hours old. That was okay, right?