Gemma's Apartment

[Gemma]

"Mrrrow."

From his perch at the foot of the bed, the little ginger kitten watched the sprawled figure before him. A dark-skinned arm poked out from one fold of sheet and comforter, immobile, and not likely to move anytime soon. For the tabby known as Fuzzy Wasburne Burtier -- or 'Wash' for short -- this simply would not do. It was late in the morning, and this kitty would be fed. It was his due right as true owner of the modest apartment; the female woman currently sleeping in the bed was only there for amusement and food. Wash was too tired for amusement, having just woken up, but he was more than ready for breakfast.

"Mrrr-row."

A slight twitch of that aforementioned arm, and the figure attached to that arm muttered something in her sleep and shifted. With an indignant little mrowl, Wash dodged a foot as it slid his way, scowled a little kitty scowl, and crouched. As soon as the figure on the bed stopped squirming, he wriggled his hindquarters and pounced.

"BWAH!" was Gemma Burtier's response the attack. She awoke with a start, coming to sit bolt upright, wide brown eyes scanning the room. Finally, she looked down and raised an eyebrow. "Oh," she deadpanned, trying to focus on the ginger-colored blurr in her lap. "It's you."

"Mow."

"Uh-huh -- give me a moment, eh?" Gemma reached out with a yawn to retrieve her glasses from the nightstand. Upon settling them on the bridge of her nose, the world became clear, and she could make out Wash's fuzzy little face peering expectantly up at her. Having never been able to deny her pet kitten anything, the young woman sighed and scooped him up into her arms.

"All right, all right," she cooed as she slid from bed and padded out to the den of her apartment. One finger lightly tickled little Wash under his furry chin. "I'll get you your breakfast, Fuzzy -- keep your tail on."

"Mrrrrowl," replied Wash.

[Gemma]

Once Wash had been thoroughly distracted by a small bowlful of Kitty Chow, his owner set about preparing her own breakfast. Gemma kept an eye on her little companion while she bustled through her modest kitchenette with the small countertop CD player flowing a lazy mix of jazz and blues through the apartment. The young woman set out a place setting on her small table, doing her best to be careful while she shuffled about with hot coffee and the like.

Granted, having a rambuctious kitten with a two-second attention span tended to make things difficult. "Dammit!" Gemma swore as she dodged her pet, then winced at the sound of breaking glass. Brown eyes glanced down at her fuzzy companion and glared. "I don't know why they call me clumsy," she muttered to Wash, who just watched her expectantly. "Only ever time I break stuff around here is when you decide to crawl underfoot."

The broken glass was cleaned up swiftly and the remainder of the meal preperation went on without incident. With Wash sprawled over half the morning paper, Gemma read what she could, and slowly -- she wouldn't be needed at work for another few hours, which gave the young librarian plenty of time to enjoy the morning.

[Gemma]

"Attention-whore."

The kitten's big blue eyes merely stared expectantly and Wash rolled, effectively covering most of the article that she had been trying to read. "And what if I just ignored you, hmm?" Gemma questioned 'sternly.' "What would you do then?"

In reply, Wash's massive baby blue's widened further, and the tiny cat let out an equally tiny -- and horribly pathetic -- mewl. And, as usual, Gemma melted.

"Okay, okay," she sighed, abandoning the paper and scooping Wash into the crook of her arm. At the front door, she snatched up the lanyard upon which her keys were clipped before slipping out into the corridor. "We'll go do something, hm? I'd planned on practicing this morning, anyway..."

Continued in: The Gym

[Gemma]

Continued from: L.A. Public Library

Gemma was greeted by the ginger furball that was her kitten as she stepped over the threshold to her flat. Wash launched himself at her ankles in a manner that suggested hyperactivity; Cara -- the unofficial catsitter -- had obviously been in to feed Gemma's fuzzy companion, and by the looks of things, Wash had been thoroughly entertained as well.

"Have fun without me, Wash?" Gemma teased. The little kitten mewled in response before he trekked his way jerkily up his owner's pantleg, garnering a slight wince from her. His needle-claws weren't such a bother anymore; she was used to it.

"I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled when Wash had settled upon her shoulder. "And I get to try and calm you down. Great - hey!"

And suddenly, Wash was on the ground behind her, having leapt gracefully from his perch. Seemingly without reason, the ginger kitten bounded out the door and for a moment, Gemma just blinked, bewildered. Wash was adorable, yes, but Gemma was also convinced that her little kitten was quite batty, too.

"Damn," the young librarian finally muttered. Quickly, she darted out into the hallway, closing and locking her door behind her before she gave chase. "Wash! Washburne, get back here!"

Continued in: The Hallway