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Post by sansa on Sept 26, 2014 11:02:14 GMT -5
Arnbjorn grunted with effort, pulling himself up above the bar and lowering himself slowly, again, again, again. His abs tightened with each lift and his arms burned, but he kept a steady pace, his face a solid mask of concentration. He would have to get his raiding orders from Macavity soon, and he liked to go into the boss's office fresh off a workout. It made him feel useful, active, hard-working. Like a cat somebody would expect to be leading raids and patrols. He pulled himself up again so that his chin was just above the bar and held his position until his arms began to tremble. With a soft thud, he let himself drop to his feet.
Sweat gathered on his forehead and threatened to drip into his eyes, and he wiped at it with his equally sweaty forearm. That clearly would not do. He pulled a towel off of the pile closest to him and ran it over his face once, then deliberated before wiping down the bar he'd been using. Common courtesy, and all that. He folded the towel carefully and carried it loosely at his side. He could wash it himself and return it to the workout room later. He pulled the door open and began to stride out of the room when he bumped into another body in the hall.
"Oh, oof. Sorry 'bout that," he muttered.
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Post by Eliaza on Sept 28, 2014 7:55:35 GMT -5
Having no one to spy on and no errands to run at the moment, Oswin was making good use of this bit of empty time to get away and play something. "Perhaps we'll rummage in a dumpster and find some tasty trifles," she mumbled to herself as she walked through the halls. "That could be fun..."
All at once, she found her face slammed into a wall of fur. A stinky, sweaty wall of fur. Ugh! Then the 'wall of fur' excused itself, and it registered that she had actually just collided with another cat.
"Are you aware of how awful you smell?!" Ossie gasped, wiping at her face with her paws to get rid of any residual sweat smell that may have got on her. As yet, she hadn't even looked up to see who she'd run into.
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Post by sansa on Sept 28, 2014 12:29:17 GMT -5
Arnbjorn hesitated for a moment, nearly self-conscious, before he set his jaw.
"Are you aware that I've just come out of the work-out room?" he grumbled in response. He took a moment to look the petite cat up and down. Oswin, of course. His mind worked to recall what he knew of her. Small and quite tricky and usually the one to speak with any enemy he himself had dragged in. Very much an asset. But she had 'troublemaker' written all over it, and Arnbjorn tried to keep an eye on her as well as he could. She never seemed to have much trouble doing her job; it was what she did in her free time that nagged at him.
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Post by Eliaza on Sept 28, 2014 13:11:10 GMT -5
Oswin tilted her head in slight confusion. She never thought about exercise or fitness; she kept fit without being conscious of the fact, simply by going about her normal active life. "Working-out" was something she had very little concept of, and the work-out room was something she never bothered with.
"What's that got to do with anything?" she scoffed. "Doesn't matter what room you just came out of; that's no excuse for smelling like human socks." She wasn't sure what human socks smelled like, but it sounded like the right description.
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Post by sansa on Sept 28, 2014 13:29:46 GMT -5
"Hu- no, I'm a little sweaty from exertion, is all." Luckily his fur hid the reddening of his ears, and his stony expression did not betray him. He didn't ask for much, but he'd thought that basic respect would be given as a standard. Especially when he was only working toward bettering himself.
With a sigh that bordered on a groan, he stepped to the side to clear his way so that he could leave. "Is there anything you need, Oswin? I have to be going."
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Post by Eliaza on Sept 28, 2014 15:12:48 GMT -5
All at once, Oswin's face brightened considerably as an idea struck her. Just as she had been making her way out of the warehouse to find some fun, the fun seemed to have found her right here and now!
Giggling to herself, she stepped to the side so that she was in Arnbjorn's way again. "Going?" she asked curiously. "Where is it you have to be going?"
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Post by sansa on Sept 28, 2014 16:35:09 GMT -5
Arnbjorn stopped and looked down at the young queen, his paws clasped behind his back. His jaw set and he sighed through his nose. Going off what he knew of Oswin, the black and white cat was either disproportionately curious about his uneventful day, or she was just trying to get under his skin.
If it was the latter, it was working.
"You doing alright?" He tilted his head to stretch out his neck. "Anything you should be doing right now?"
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Post by Eliaza on Sept 28, 2014 21:49:59 GMT -5
Oswin frowned. "I do believe I asked you a question first," she pointed out with a saucy toss of the head. "Can you believe this, Pip?" she muttered. She turned back to Arnbjorn with a resigned sigh.
"If you must know, I have been out interrogating local housecats all night. I am now off to enjoy a well-earned breakfast." She glanced over her shoulder. "You, it appears, are off to speak with the boss? You may want to bathe first."
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Post by sansa on Sept 28, 2014 21:59:05 GMT -5
Arnbjorn's constantly-furrowed brow furrowed even further. Talking to herself? Odd, but hopefully under control. Cats may call Macavity crazy, he may like to let them believe that, but it was a risk to have unstable cats in his employ. He made a note to review that with him later that day.
"I, uh- w-well done." He cleared his throat. Surely he didn't smell that bad. Besides, he'd intended on cleaning himself up anyway. He let it slide for now, more concerned with her interrogation. "What did you learn?"
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Post by Eliaza on Sept 29, 2014 7:00:22 GMT -5
Oswin's eyes narrowed. My, but he was nosy! she thought (rather hypocritically, since she herself stuck her nose into everyone's business on pretty much a daily basis).
"Ah-ah-ah. That is for the boss's ears alone. If he sees fit to tell anyone else, he will." She paused, considering. If she just moved on now, there would be the end of annoying Arnbjorn and the end of her fun. Besides, the opportunity to show off just a bit was too enticing to resist. "But I will tell you this," she said, lowering her voice conspiratorily. "I met one who is very bored and discontent with his life. Might be easy to persuade to join us." She watched him expectantly, waiting for him to look impressed at her master skills.
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Post by sansa on Sept 29, 2014 16:52:33 GMT -5
Arnbjorn ground his teeth impatiently. He couldn't argue that it wasn't reasonable, but he knew she was just saying that to mess with him. He smoothed the back of his mottled grey man. "That's fine, then," he said flatly. He watched her carefully with mahogany eyes, looking for signs of falsehood. Finding none, the corners of his mouth flicked down into an expression that almost looked impressed. "A fighter? Or smaller, a spy?"
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Post by Eliaza on Sept 29, 2014 17:18:50 GMT -5
Abandoning secrecy altogether, Oswin grinned. She went on eagerly, "Fighter, I'd say. He's pretty muscly. I poked him right in the arm and it was hard as a rock." She reached up and poked Arnbjorn's arm as if to compare. "Mmm...not quite as hard as yours. He must not have a...whatdjacallit...work-out room."
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Post by sansa on Sept 29, 2014 17:24:10 GMT -5
Arnborn mildly amused eyes watched her from under knit brows, though his expression remained the same. The spot where she had poked him tingled after she had pulled back, and he breathed a scoff out of his nose. "Oswin, next to you, every cat is practically a boulder." Though his voice was as flat as it had been, any cat who knew him well enough would know that he was teasing. He hadn't stopped to consider whether Oswin would or not.
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Post by Eliaza on Sept 29, 2014 17:31:07 GMT -5
Oswin blinked, considering this for a moment. She turned aside to talk to her imaginary friend again."Was that an insult, Pip? I'd say that was an insult, Pip. He was making a mockery of my size!" She turned back round and put her finger in Arnbjorn's face. "I am insulted! How can anyone decide how large or small they are, eh?" she demanded. "I could visit that work-out room and do whatever it is you do to make your arms blow up like blimps, but then I would resemble some sort of deranged gorilla!"
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Post by sansa on Sept 29, 2014 17:37:14 GMT -5
He watched her converse with herself patiently before scanning the rest of the hallway. He would have to leave soon enough. Macavity would be... impatient if he did not check in by nightfall, and he needed time to bath and groom beforehand. And who knows how long that would take. With a sigh, he checked back in to the conversation to hear the end of her protest.
"Easy, little lady," he said with his hands up, as if to surrender. His steely expression finally broke, replaced by raised eyebrows and an amused smile that was not much different than his default 'jaw set, lips clenched' look. "It was just a joke."
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