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willows-adventures-in-words · 2 months ago

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I had planned to post this at the end of March but couldn't decide if I should break this up into parts (because it's pretty long) or leave it as the full chapter. I ended up leaving it as a full chapter so it's a bit of a lengthy read...

This is a fun, self-indulgent thing I started in the beginning of the year. So, a little bit before I'd posted what kind of cats the guys would be (VoicePlay cats) over on my other blog.

Title: They're Cats?! Chapter 1 word count: 6,132

~-~-~

“Guys? Why'd everything go dark?” Cesar called out.

“Did someone throw a blanket over me?” Eli asked.

“Very funny, Layne,” Geoff commented.

“I didn't do anything,” Layne responded.

All Geoff knew was that he was covered in a pile of clothing. As he managed to push the last item off of him, he looked around. Was he on the floor? And where were the others? And what was with the clothes piles. Wait... they were moving. And wasn't that the jacket Eli was wearing? He looked down at where he was sitting. His eyes widened. Those were his clothes. And...

“Ah! I'm free!” Geoff looked up at the sound of Cesar's voice.

“Cesar?”

Cesar looked over. Then blinked in confusion. “Geoff, where...?” Geoff padded his paw on the pile of his clothes. “Oh my god did you turn into a cat!?”

“What?” came Eli's voice from underneath his jacket.

“You did too.”

Cesar looked down at himself and inspected one of his paws. “Oh wow, I did.” Then he looked over as a cat crawled out from under Eli's jacket. “Eli, you're a Siamese!” he exclaimed.

Eli inspected his paws. Then looked back at his pile of clothes and tail. “But how?”

Geoff stepped over to Layne's clothes pile. There was no movement. All he could see was an orange tail sticking out and a part of a paw. “Hey, Eli, do you know what kind of cat I am?” Cesar asked.

“No idea. I'm not that knowledgeable about cat breeds.”

“Layne?” Geoff spoke. “Are you okay in there?”

“... I think I'm stuck.” Geoff reached out, paused, then flexed his paw bringing out his nails. Convenient. He caught his nails in the shirt and tugged it back. Layne squirmed and pushed at the clothing. “Ow.” Geoff carefully pulled at the shirt to see what the problem was.

“How did you get your fur caught in a button?” Layne was about to speak when Geoff continued. “It's not even that long.” Eli and Cesar wandered over to see if they could help.

“Try to pull it this way,” Eli suggested.

“Wait. It's just going to get more tangled.”

Cesar spoke up. “Let me try.” He lowered himself closer to the floor and stuck his paw under the shirt and felt for the button. “Lift it up a little.” Geoff did as suggested.

To Layne's relief he felt the button get pulled free. He crawled the rest of the way out from under the shirt. Only to be greeted by three cats. One was a Siamese, who he assumed was Eli given the conversation from earlier, and the other two were very fluffy. The bigger of the two was shaking his paw trying to get his nail free from the shirt. And... the other started laughing. “What kind of cat are you?” Cesar asked.

Layne looked down. He could tell his coloring was orange but... “Wait, am I the smallest?”

“Looks like it,” Eli stated. A hint of amusement at the irony that the tallest in the group ended up as the smallest. Though when Layne stood up he was still taller in height than he was. His long legs making up for his body's smaller size.

Geoff looked up at the mirrors on the counter-tops. Glancing back at himself, he realized that he should be able to make that jump without a problem. Padding over, he paused. Though that might be harder than it looked. Knowing how cats do it and actually doing it himself were two different things. And he's only been a cat for, what, five minutes? He sat down and stared at the distance, tail swooshing. “Geoff?” He heard Eli say his name. Okay. Geoff got up and tested his posture. Then stepped back a step and crouched down. Alright. Here goes nothing. And he jumped.

“Woo! Nice jump!” called Cesar. Geoff glanced back down and felt a little proud of himself. It would have been pretty embarrassing if he missed. Turning back around he looked in the mirror. He stared at his reflection. It was hard to believe, despite the obvious evidence, but it was really true. He was a cat. A pretty big one. His eyes skimmed over the cat in the mirror, trying to identify what kind it was. Suddenly, Cesar hopped up near him pulling his attention away from the mirror. “Look how fluffy I am,” Cesar said as he lifted a paw and touched the mirror. Eli hopped up on the chair. Resting his paws on the edge of the counter, he pushed with his hind legs so he could see himself better.

Turning to look down off the counter, Geoff spotted Layne still on the floor looking up at them. “Need help getting up here?”

“No. I'm good.”

“I can pick you up and give you a lift.” Cesar's ear twitched and he looked back.

Layne took a step back, not liking how that sounded. Since the first thought that came to mind was the videos of mother cats carrying their kittens in their mouth. “Do it!” Geoff glanced over at Cesar. He sounded a little too excited. Then Geoff looked back down at him. And he swore he saw him grin.

“Don't.”

~ - ~

“Tony, do you hear that?” Kathy asked him. They were heading back to check on the guys. Since they were taking their time checking out the props Layne had insisted on showing them before they got started.

They paused their walking for a moment to listen. “Are those cats?” Tony picked up his pace. “How did cats get in here?”

It wasn't long before they spotted them. There were four. Two were sitting up on one of the counters with the make-up mirrors. A Siamese and a pretty multi-colored fluffy one. They were watching as a- was that a Maine Coon? The Maine Coon was chasing after a smaller orange cat. Kathy stared dumbfounded at the scene before her. It took her a moment for the confusion to set in. Where was her husband and the others?

The Maine Coon managed to intercept and stop the orange cat and quickly grabbed it by the scruff and picked it up. Its hind legs dragging on the floor as the Maine Coon lifted its head as high as it could. The orange cat squirmed in its hold and let out an irritated sound. Though once the Maine Coon turned and spotted Kathy and Tony it froze. Then dropped the other cat.

Quickly, the orange cat ran towards Tony and started meowing at him. Tony crouched down and picked it up under its front legs with both hands and lifted it so they were face to face. “Where did you come from?”

“Did they sneak in behind us when we came in?” Kathy wondered.

“I feel like we would have noticed with that one,” Tony told her, clearly referring to the Maine Coon, who was now walking over to them. The orange cat in his hands gave a huff. The pretty fluffy one jumped down off of the counter and gave a meow as it landed. The Siamese hopped down onto the chair then the floor. They both started their way over.

Kathy knelt down as the Maine Coon reached her. She reached out cautiously to let the cat inspect her. It bumped its head into her hand without hesitation. Kathy couldn't help but smile as she pet it. “Aren't you just sweet and handsome?” It purred softly at her attention. The Siamese let out a meow and the Maine Coon turned away from Kathy and responded to the Siamese. The fluffy cat gently tapped her leg and she turned and gave it some pets as well. “They're really friendly.”

“I guess.” Tony spoke. He finally set the cat down, hoping it wasn't going to run off. It's one thing he knew about cats is they loved to hide. And he couldn't have that happening in the studio. But since the others were chill he hoped this one would be too. The cat meowed at him again and smacked his hand. “Someone has an attitude.” Tony glanced over to Kathy. “But more importantly, where's Layne and the guys?” The orange cat stared at him for a moment before walking off.

Standing up, Kathy told him, “I'll just call Geoff. Maybe they stepped out.” Even though that didn't make sense. He would have told her if they were going to.

Tony watched where the orange cat was going. Then frowned when he saw the clothes piles that it wandered over to. As he got to his feet, they heard Geoff's phone go off. The Maine Coon's ears perked at the sound and it ran to one of the piles of clothes and started digging. Tony walked over and managed to hold the cat back long enough to grab Geoff's phone from the jeans pocket and stand up. He was about to turn to Kathy but had to stop and hold the phone up higher when the cat went on its hind legs and tried to grab at the phone with its front paws. When it missed, it meowed insistently and tried again. “You can't have this, kitty. Calm down.” The orange cat glanced over and called out causing the Maine Coon to stop.

Kathy walked over, the other two cats trailed after her, with a look of confusion on her face. “I don't understand.” She crouched down to check the clothes. It was what Geoff had been wearing. This didn't make sense. The Maine Coon pawed at the clothes and meowed quietly as it looked at her. It rested a paw on her knee and meowed again. She glanced down at the clothes, then back at the cat. Tentatively she spoke. “Geoff?” He chirped and pushed himself up and pressed his furry cheek to hers.

“That's not…” Tony started but stopped. He looked about at the other cats. There were four total. The abandoned clothes. Also four. The Siamese had a paw on Eli's jacket and it looked like it nodded. The orange cat approached him again. It stared at him. Waiting. There's no way… He crouched down in front of the cat. “… Layne, is that you?”

~ - ~

Finally. “Yeah, it's me.” Layne knew that he wouldn't understand him, so he bumped his forehead against Tony's knee hoping he'd get the message.

Tony looked up. “Cesar?”

Cesar lifted a paw. “Here.”

He turned and looked to the Siamese. “Eli?”

“Yeah.”

“How did this happen?” Kathy asked. She had fully sat down on the floor and was running a hand down Geoff's back as he continued to lean against her.

Layne took the opportunity to tease him a bit. “You look pretty comfy there Geoff.” Geoff's only response was to whip his tail.

“I have no idea,” Tony told her. “They were looking at some props. Some of the new ones right?” he asked as he looked back down to Layne who turned is attention back to him and nodded. “So maybe it has something to do with that?” Kathy was quiet. He looked back over to her. “Kathy?”

She blinked as she was pulled out of her daze. They were turned into cats. What were they going to do? “… I have to call Cyndi and Ashley.”

As she swiped and tapped at her phone one-handed, Layne stepped a little closer. “Wait, shouldn't we try to figure this out first?”

“They need to know, Layne,” Eli spoke. Layne glanced over. He understood that. But, if they could figure out how this happened, then fix it before it was time to head home… There was no chance to argue his case on the matter when he heard Cyndi's voice. He looked up at the phone as an overwhelming sense of panic hit him. She couldn't see him like this. He shrunk back, eyes searching for an escape. “Layne? Are you-” Then he darted off, feet stumbling for a second before running at full speed out of the room.

Tony got up and turned as his friend ran off. “Layne!” he called after him. As he went to follow, Cesar rushed past him nearly tripping him.

Geoff moved out of Kathy's hold and was about to go after him but stopped when he saw Cesar give chase. Though he was still on the verge of going out of concern, he refrained himself and turned to Eli. “What happened?”

“I don't know. He suddenly looked freaked out about something and ran.” Geoff looked back in the direction his friend took off in. But then the conversation between Kathy, Cyndi, and Ashley grabbed his attention as Eli stepped over to Kathy so his wife could see him in the video call. He needed to stay here. At least Cesar was with him. He can find them later if Tony doesn't.

~ - ~

“Layne?!” Cesar called out. He'd seen him go this way, but where is he? Then he spotted him. Or at least his tail just before it disappeared behind one of the bigger standing props. He made his way over. “Layne?” he asked as he peeked behind the prop. Cesar saw him look back before ducking behind the leg of the prop. Cesar looked back in the direction they came from when he heard footsteps. Quickly, he crawled behind the prop.

The footsteps paused for a second, then, as they continued, he heard Tony's voice, “Where did they go…” He then called out to them to which neither of them responded.

After a moment, Cesar made his way slowly towards Layne. “Layne?” He spoke softly. When he saw him, Cesar lowered himself down to the floor and waited. Why did he panic and run? It didn't make sense… This was so far outside of Layne's typical behavior. When it looked like he was starting to calm down, Cesar reached out with a paw and rested it a few inches in front of him. Then waited. Finally, Layne reached out and touched the waiting paw. “… What happened?” Cesar asked him. “Why did you run?”

Layne was quiet for a moment, then said, “I panicked.” He paused. “The thought of Cyndi seeing me like this… I just…”

“… Does she not like cats?” Cesar asked.

“No, it's nothing like that. And she's not allergic.” Now that he was thinking more clearly, Layne felt a bit embarrassed at running off. There wasn't a reason why he should have panicked. Unless it really was simply because he somehow changed into a cat. Or, what if, changing into a cat was actually going to-

Cesar spoke, interrupting his train of thought. “Hey, Layne?” Layne lifted his head slightly to look at him. What am I gonna do? But he couldn't get the question out. He didn't want to add anything else on his plate when he had enough going through his head already.

“What is it?”

Instead he asked, “How do you think your pups will react when you go home?”

Well, that was something he hadn't considered. “I don't know. They haven't really been exposed to cats before.” He was quiet for a moment. “Melo is chill with most things. She probably won't mind.” He pulled his paws in and rested his head down on them. “I guess I'll find out when I get home.”

They laid there in silence. “Are you feeling okay to head back out?” Cesar asked.

Was he? He was finally starting to calm down. But his nerves were pretty shot. “I think I'm gonna stay here for a little longer.”

“I can stay and keep you company. If you don't mind.”

“I don't mind.” Then, after a brief pause, he told him, “Thank you.”

~ - ~

Geoff walked with Kathy to the door. She was going to head out to pick up Ashley and Cyndi so they could drive their husbands cars back home. “Geoff, could you let Cesar know that he can stay with us until this gets resolved?”

“I'll make sure he knows,” he said as he sat down next to the door.

Kathy crouched down in front of him. She reached out to rub his cheek. “I really wish I could understand you.” He let out a soft purr, hoping to comfort her. She smiled. “I understand that.” Leaning forward, she kissed the top of his head. “I'll try to hurry back, but you know how traffic is at this time of day,” she told him as she got up. Pushing open the door, she stepped out. Though she paused and looked back at him before she left.

He sat there for a moment longer. Then got up and went to check back in with Eli and Tony. The first thing he noticed was their clothes were picked up and moved. Looking around he spotted them up on one of the counter-tops. Though Eli and Tony were no where to be found. Geoff called out for his friend. Just in case. “Eli?” Up on one of the chairs, he spotted the head of a Siamese looking down to him. “Hey. Did Tony go to look for Layne again?”

“No, I think he gave up. He said he had some work to do.”

“I'm going to see if I can find them.”

Eli turned and laid his head back down. “Good luck. I bet there's a lot of places to hide around here.”

Geoff walked over and pushed himself up to rest his front paws on the edge of the chair to look at him. His friend looked awfully comfortable. “You're going to stay here?”

“Honestly, yeah. I think I'm going to take a nap to de-stress while I wait for Ashley.” Geoff couldn't fault him for that. A lot has happened in a short period of time.

Dropping back down to the floor, Geoff told him, “Alright. Enjoy your nap.”

“I hope to.”

As he walked the studio, Geoff looked around. The change in perspective made things seem a bit different. But it also helped as he searched for Layne and Cesar, since he had experience when dealing with cats. So finding possible hiding places should be easier. It was on his second loop around when he paused. Then walked closer to one of the bigger standing props. “Layne? Cesar?”

“We're back here!” He heard Cesar call out.

Crawling behind the prop, Geoff spotted Cesar laying down by the leg of the prop. Layne, however, was no where to be seen. “Are you guys okay?”

Cesar looked back to Geoff before turning back to him. Layne let out a breath. “I'm alright.” He watched as Cesar got up and moved to make space for Geoff to come over.

“Are you sure? You took off like you were terrified.”

Was that how it looked? “Yeah. I'm fine. I just…” He paused for a second. “I guess I panicked. The thought of Cyndi seeing me like this…”

“I get the feeling. I was nervous too when Kathy saw me.”

Layne let out a snort. “No you weren't. You felt bad for being caught trying to drag me back to the make-up counters.”

Geoff laughed. “Yeah. That too.” Layne smiled, then moved to sit up a bit; his tail curling slightly around him.

“Where's Eli?”

Turning to Cesar, Geoff told him, “He said he wanted to de-stress. So he's taking a nap in a chair.”

“And Tony?” This time it was Layne.

“He was working on the computer when I passed by the office. And Kathy left to pick up Cyndi and Ashley.” Geoff then turned his attention back to Cesar. “Oh, and Cesar. Kathy wanted me to let you know that you could stay at our place until this all gets sorted out.”

“Thank you. I was actually just wondering what I was going to do since I couldn't go home.” Then he added, “I'll have to find a way to thank Kathy too.”

It was quiet for just a moment between them. Layne flexed and padded his paw on the floor as he thought. “What do you think caused this?”

Geoff shook his head, and Cesar was the one who spoke up. “Should we play the stereotype card and assume it the cat statue?”

Layne gave a chuckle at that. “I guess we can.”

“I think the question should be how did it cause this. But I think that will be harder to figure out,” Geoff added.

“Do you think if we mess with it again it'll change us back?” Cesar wondered.

“How about before we mess with the delicate items, we make sure that's actually what caused it. Besides,” Geoff said lifting a paw, “we don't have opposable thumbs. We could accidentally break something and be stuck.” Stuck as a cat? That was not something Layne wanted to deal with. “Let's be safe and leave it to Tony for now.”

There was no way he would be able to keep up with all his responsibilities as a cat. Not at home and definitely not at PattyCake. Layne stood up fully. “Well, I'm going to try to figure this out.” He wouldn't be able to pass by Geoff since he was taking up nearly the entire path out. So instead he went to move past Cesar, who moved closer to the wall to make space, and head out the other side. Though Layne didn't get far when he felt his tail get pulled down and stepped on. Inadvertently forcing his rear down practically making him sit. “Ow!” Turning his head, he spotted Geoff with one paw placed firmly on his tail. “Stop trying to manhandle me. Get off!” Cesar shrunk as far back against the wall as possible. His eyes darting between the two of them as Geoff spoke.

“Sorry. But I think you probably need to de-stress too.” Layne glared back at him, his fur puffing out. When Geoff spoke up again, his voice softer as he released his tail. Layne whipped his tail out of his reach. “Layne. I do understand. But right now isn't the time to rush into this. We should let the stress of the situation pass and try to think logically about how-”

“There's no logic about turning into cats,” Layne snapped.

“We're not going to solve it like this either,” Geoff told him.

“… I think Geoff is right, Layne.” Layne turned his attention to Cesar. “This is stressful for everyone. Not just us.”

He says that but… But, he's right, isn't he? Tony's going to be stuck taking care of everything at PattyCake. And Cyndi will be taking care of everything around the house. He wouldn't be able to help with any of that. And it's not just that; what are they going to tell the girls? Then he realized something. The agitated twitching of his tail stopped as he looked to Geoff. His fluffed fur started to settle. Geoff was in the same situation. Work. Home. His son. He just acted like he was more adjusted to the situation. “… I'm sorry.” He got up and turned fully around to face him.

“It's alright. This isn't exactly something we've had to deal with before, but I'm sure we'll get it figured out.” He stepped forward and bumped against him slightly as he brushed the side of his face against Layne's.

Layne, convinced that he was going to grab him again, tensed for a second before realizing that wasn't his intent. He paused, unsure, then returned the gesture. Quietly, they heard Cesar whisper, “They're cats.”

“Pfft.” Layne tried yet promptly failed to hold back his laugh. Geoff stepped back with a chuckle and sat down.

“So, what's our plan then?” Cesar asked.

Geoff glanced between them. “I plan on checking in with Tony, then heading back to Eli and waiting for Kathy to come back.” He paused. “Maybe I'll settle down for a nap too.”

“Maybe… I will settle down and try to de-stress.”

“Are you staying back here?” Geoff asked.

Layne thought for a second. “Yeah. I think I will. It's weirdly cozy back here.”

“For you two maybe. I find it a little cramped,” Geoff stated.

Cesar laughed as Layne asked his friend, “Seriously though, what kind of cat are you?”

He couldn't quite figure out the breed earlier with everything going on, but now that Geoff thought about it again, he was pretty sure he knew. “I think I'm a Maine Coon.”

“Wait, isn't that the one that can get as big as a bigger dog?”

“Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm bigger than your dogs.”

Layne rolled his eyes. “So am I.”

Geoff smiled. “I wouldn't be too sure.”

“Hey, come on. At least let me hope.” Once Geoff started laughing, Cesar couldn't hold back his. Layne shook his head but his amusement was clear from the look in his eyes and his smile.

~ - ~

As Cyndi held the door to PattyCake open for Ashley, who was carrying young Asher in a car seat, and Kathy, she looked around wondering if she could catch sight of the cats. Their husbands. She hadn't seen Layne during the video call but she knew what Geoff and Eli looked like. Hopefully he was alright.

“Geoff!” Kathy called out after the door closed. “We're back!” She turned to Ashley and Cyndi. “I'll get you their keys and clothes.”

As they entered the area with the make-up counters, they saw the Maine Coon standing by one of the chairs look over at them. Then the Siamese hopped down off of the chair. Ashley had to remind herself that that was Geoff and Eli. Once the Siamese, Eli, spotted her he hurried over with a trilling meow. He looped between her feet. Though once he noticed the car seat, he pushed himself up, resting his front paws on her knees, and peered inside. She set down the car seat and he immediately dropped back to the floor to look at Asher. Eli softly rested a paw on his sons forehead.

Ashley crouched down next to her husband. It was still hard to believe. Even after Kathy had explained everything she could to them on the way here. This was really Eli. She softly rested a hand on his back and he looked up at her before turning back to their son as a soft purr, one she almost didn't notice, emitted from him. “Ashley.” She looked up for a second before getting to her feet. “Here,” Kathy said as she handed her the pile of Eli's clothes with his keys and phone resting on top.

“Thank you.” She looked back down. “Eli?” The Saimese looked up with a quiet meow. “Let's go home.” He gave a nod.

“I'll help you get Asher settled in the car,” Kathy offered, to which Ashley was grateful. Kathy turned to Geoff. “Geoff, do you know where Layne is?” The Maine Coon nodded and stepped over to Cyndi and meowed to her before starting off. Though he paused to make sure she was following him before continuing onward.

Eli followed alongside his wife, who once again carried the car seat, as they headed out to his car. His original intent had been to ride up front with her in the passenger seat, but then he'd noticed that she had brought their son. So instead he'd hopped into the back seat and waited, while trying not to help, as they strapped the car seat in. He sat, front paws on the edge of the seat, and kept watch over him as Ashley drove them home.

Cyndi followed Geoff as he led her past PattyCake's office. Though they stopped when Tony noticed her and came over. She sent a glance over to the Maine Coon. He stopped and sat down, waiting patiently for them to finish their conversation. There was a meow that got her attention and her and Tony looked over. A pretty, fluffy, multicolored cat was walking over. “That's Cesar,” Tony told her. They watched for a moment as Geoff and Cesar spoke to each other. “So,” Cyndi turned back to Tony. “I'll call you later. After I've gone through the appointments and the invoices for the props.”

“Alright. We'll talk to you later.” With that Tony went back in the office. Cyndi stepped over to the two cats. “Hi Cesar.” Cesar gave a meow, then pushed himself up on his hindlegs with his front paws tucked against his chest. Though he couldn't hold the position and ended up quickly dropping back down on all fours. Cyndi couldn't help but smile as she crouched down and ran a hand down his back. Cesar looked to Geoff and meowed at him. He responded before turning to continue onwards. Cesar trotted on ahead of him. Cyndi couldn't help it. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of them as she followed.

There was nothing special about the area they were at when Geoff stopped. Though it was Cesar that Cyndi watched as he made his way over to a standing prop and looked behind it and called out. She heard a quiet meow from behind the prop. The fluffy cat that was Cesar stepped away and a moment later a little orange head peeked around the corner. Cyndi knelt down. “Layne?” He gave a quiet meow before stepping fully out from behind the prop. Tail low, he started over to her. But before long his entire demeanor seemed to shift and he picked up his pace and hurried towards her. He trilled as he quite literally climbed onto her lap, then lifted his paws up to her shoulders trying his best to hug her. “Hey, honey.” She ran her hand down his soft, short, curly fur. He bumped his head against the side of her neck as he started to purr.

How did this happen? She wondered again. Hopefully Tony can figure this out soon. Though, she had to admit, Layne was very cute as a cat. She had no idea what kind he was unfortunately. Or, now that she thought about it, if he could even eat regular food or not. That was one problem she'll have to figure out later. Cyndi wondered if she could use the app on her phone to find out what type he was. “Layne? Will you let me take your picture so I can find out what kind of cat you are?” His purring stopped and he moved his head back and looked at her for a moment. Cyndi turned her head slightly so she could look at him. When she did he rubbed his furry cheek against her face before climbing down off her lap and sitting down in front of her, tail looped around his feet.

With a smile, Cyndi pulled out her phone and snapped his picture. Layne got up and stepped over. Resting his front paws on her legs, he leaned around to look at the phone. She turned the phone a little so he could see his picture. He stared at it for a second before he let out a meow and tilted his head ever so slightly. She was tempted to tell him she thought he was cute as a cat. Very tempted… But she turned her attention back to her phone and clicked on the app to see if it would find a match. “The top result is called a Devon Rex.” Glancing at the next possible options she concluded that he looked most like the top result.

There was light tap on her arm and she looked to see Cesar who then glanced at her phone. “Want me to check yours?” He sat back with a meow accompanied by a nod. So she took his picture and checked the app. “It looks like you're a Ragdoll. See?” She turned the phone to show him. He barely had a chance to look at it when they heard Kathy call his name. Cesar turned his head to look, then ran off with a meow. Cyndi turned her attention back to her husband. She had intended to suggest they head home but he had just settled his head down on her leg, while one leg was stretched out across both of hers. Alright, just a few more minutes, she thought as she rubbed her fingers over the top of his head. Layne let out a soft sigh.

When Kathy came back in she collected Geoff and Cesar's clothes piles and double checked to make sure that she had their phones and Cesar's keys. Once she was sure she had everything she turned to get ready to drop it off in their car when she spotted Geoff. “Are you ready to go home?” He stepped over and rubbed against her leg then looked up at her. She took the gesture as a yes and headed to the door.

Kathy pushed and held open the door to let her Maine Coon husband head outside make his way towards their car. She paused and looked back in the studio. “Cesar?” she called. There was a meow and before long Cesar came running over and out the door. He ran and tagged Geoff with a paw before jumping over him and continued towards the car. Geoff paused for a second before bounding after him. Kathy watched them as they ran around the car playing tag. Cesar ducked under the car but Geoff didn't follow. Instead he looked underneath to see which way he was going and ran to intercept him.

The door had just closed behind her when her phone dinged. It was a text from Cyndi. There were two pictures. The first was a picture of Cesar. And the second was a screenshot from her phone with the text, He's a Ragdoll, underneath. Then another picture came in. Kathy smiled. It was of Geoff and Cesar walking in front of her. She responded with a thank you, then put her phone away and headed to the car.

Once Geoff noticed Kathy had almost reached the car he stopped playing around with Cesar and trotted over to the passenger side and pushed himself up to grab at the door handle. He tugged at it but couldn't get it to open. Looking over, he called out to her as she walked over. Dropping back down on all fours, he bumped against her leg as she reached over and opened the door for them. He hopped up into the seat and Cesar was quick to follow him. Kathy closed the door behind them before walking around to the drivers side. She opened the back door and set their folded clothes in the seat behind the driver seat before closing the door and getting in the car herself.

“Well, let's go home.” She started the car but didn't leave right away. Geoff reached over and rested a paw on her arm and chirped, causing her to look over. With a soft smile, she reached over and ran her hand over his head and to his cheek. He leaned against her hand and purred softly. She knew he was trying to comfort her. “I'm okay. We'll get this figured out.” Kathy pulled her hand back and, as she was about to start driving, she glanced back over to her husband who rested his paws and head on the arm rest between the seats. She looked to Cesar who put his paws on the door and looked out the window back to the studio. Following his gaze she saw Cyndi carrying Layne outside. Kathy shifted the car out of park and started on the way home.

#VoicePlay #Cesar de la Rosa #Eli Jacobson #Geoff Castellucci #Layne Stein #Kathy Castellucci #Tony Wakim #VP writing #my writing #cats #who knows when the next chapter will be done. I don't know dogs very well... as well as quite a few story questions I gotta work out.

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