-- Pajamas. -- -- Around 2:30AM, way past curfew. --

A large sigh could be heard in the darkness of the dorm room. All girls were fast asleep, dreaming gentle dreams (hopefully) and cuddling up in their warm beds, away from the cold. But Beatrix Dark's eyes flickered opened. She sighed, she stretched in her cozy bed. She didn't usually wake up in the middle of the night. She used to have trouble sleeping, but that all seemed to pass. She was happier now. She wasn't unnerved by her life. She felt calm.

However, this wasn't a matter of feelings of guilt or depression. Beatrix Dark had to use the loo. This was uncommon for the girl in the middle of the night, but it happened on occasion. Naturally. She was human after all. The girl pulled herself out from under her covers, immediately shivering as soon as her skin touched the icy air. She glanced over and noticed someone had left the window open. How smart. Beatrix was so proud of her Ravenclaw comrades. The girl shivered and shuffled over towards the window, shutting it completely and sighing again. She was too tired to actually be upset. Plus, she really had to use the loo.

Being a Prefect, one would expect Beatrix to use the Prefect Bathroom two floors down and be done... But what could one expect from Beatrix? The girl threw on a ragged sweater (That she was rather fond of but didn't wear because it didn't match a lot of her clothes) and headed off to the second floor. Five floors down. Why? Because she liked to annoy the crap out of Myrtle. It wasn't the ghost that haunted Beatrix, it was Beatrix who haunted the ghost. She exited the common room and basically sprung into a light jog.

The girl moved quickly to the second floor, knowing the drill by now (Plus, she didn't like being out of her bed and in the cold, causing her to step quicker). She reached the bathroom with ease and purposely used Myrtle's toilet. She knew for a fact the bathroom was considered "out of order" but it still worked, did it not? Except for that one faucet... That didn't matter, anyways.

After washing her hands and smiling smugly at Myrtle's wails, Beatrix headed back out and towards her common room. That was quick and simple! And cold... Oh-so very cold... But Beatrix didn't mind if other people (Ghosts?) suffered with her. The pink-haired girl continued on her merry way, expecting to go straight back to bed like the usual routine.

However, as Beatrix jogged along, the uncoordinated girl slipped and fell right on her face. Of course! Of course that would happen! Why didn't she wear shoes? Or pants for that matter? The girl groaned and looked up from the ground... Only to see a gray kitten sitting right in front of her. It meowed at her and she immediately whispered "Awh! Kitty! What are you doing out here?" The Dark girl gently scooped the cat up and pulled herself off the ground.

What a great night! She bothered Myrtle and got a kitten! Karma didn't bite people back after all!

"In the morning I shall find your owner, okay?" She told the cat as if it could understand her, "You so cute! I could just eat you up!" Beatrix then glanced down at her knees and noticed how scrapped they had gotten and she nearly frowned... But she couldn't! The little thing was now nibbling at her pinky! SO CUTE! It reminded her of her own cat, I-Eat-Small-Children. Eat was always biting people (Even Beatrix, but she's gotten used to it, and it's usually playful with her. Perhaps because she had raised it as a kitten, and it was now about five years old). But that was because he was violent and pissy. Eat wouldn't mind a little kitten, would he? He wouldn't... Eat it...

"I want you to snuggle with me... But I don't know if my cat would eat you... You see, he snuggles with me every night, like a good lil' boy," Beatrix began telling the kitten all about her very own cat. She was slowly walking towards the staircase. She was definitely coming off as a crazy lady talking to nothing. "Plus, I doubt you'll be biting at my nose when I'm sleeping. That lil' rascal really likes to bite," She whispered. Her rambling was unofficially done, but she felt like she was boring the poor thing.

Beatrix didn't like cats to be bored. Even if cats are technically always bored. "I'll tell you a bedtime story," Beatrix told the kitten, "And I promise my cat won't eat you".

Erin's hall-wandering attire

Even for a Saturday night, it was pretty late. Most people - most SANE people - were in bed. And that's where Erin would have been too, if not for his damned cat.

What had compelled his parents to give him one, Erin had no idea. Rather, what compelled his mum, and she was undoubtedly the one behind it. Something to do with the fact that he didn't have an owl, or a toad, or any other kind of pet; therefore, he got a kitten. A pain-in-the-arse, highly curious, highly fast little bugger it was, too. His sister had been madly jealous, whining that she wanted a kitten, why didn't she get a kitten and Erin did? He'd reminded her that their parents had promised her an owl for Christmas, but he'd still ended up spending four hours yesterday in an abandoned classroom while she cooed and coddled the thing. He also didn't know why they hadn't waited 'til Christmas to give it to him. Then again, if Hannah was getting an owl... Erin thought of the kitten's soft little throat, her tiny paws and fragile head, against an owl's beak and sharp talons. Maybe his parents had the right idea, at that. All the more reason to find her.

Maybe if things were a little different, if Cat knew her way around the castle, Erin would have said "to hell with it" when she'd darted through the common room passageway (opened by a bunch of seventh years coming back late, the twats). But he'd only had her for two days, and she was so tiny; Erin hadn't even thought twice about running after her.

Granted, he was thinking twice now. Normally very hot-natured, he'd even thrown on a shirt before going to the common room, but now the late-night chill of the stone floor under his bare feet was getting to Erin. He'd already chased her to the second floor, just happening to see her tail flick up the stairs by sheer luck, but the thing about chasing a gray kitten through a gray-stone castle at night in the dark? Yeah, it was bloody impossible. He didn't even have his wand for light, and it was way after curfew, which put him even more on edge...

Next Hogsmeade weekend or Diagon alley trip, Erin was definitely getting one of those collars charmed with a tracking spell.

Padding through the dark corridors, Erin heard someone talking up ahead. He froze, and peered around the corner, hoping it wouldn't be a professor - no, thank Merlin, it was just a girl. No professor would show that much leg. And ... no professor had pink hair... blasted bloody hell.  It was Beatrix Dark! Just who he didn't want to be alone with in a deserted corridor at night - or ever.

She had her back to him, her head bent like she was looking at something in her arms, and she was walking very slowly towards the stairs.  Her voice was soft and very low, but the occasional word drifted back to Erin. "Snuggle... biting.... bedtime story... cat." At the last word, Erin nearly groaned. Oh, no. It couldn't be. Of all the people - ! But even as he despaired, he heard a faint, squeaky meow. Beatrix Dark definitely had his kitten.

Erin stepped slowly out from beyond the corner, dreading what was to come, but determined to get his cat back. "Dark," he hissed, keeping his voice down in case anyone else was wandering the halls. "Hey, Dark!"

The cat meowed at her again and she squealed with delight once more. She was such a sucker for kittens. Or anything cute for that matter. She cupped the cat close to her chest, trying her best to keep herself warm along with the small fur-ball. Mainly just herself since she knew the cat probably didn't need her body heat (Though Eat was known for stealing it from her in her sleep during very cold nights). She really wished she had put on some socks or pajama pants (Even if Beatrix didn't own any). But she could quickly get up to her common room, couldn't she?

"Hey, Dark!"

Beatrix halted in her tracks as she heard someone call her name. The voice was familiar... Perhaps it was the cat's owner? Large smile still in place, the pink-haired girl quickly turned around to find the source of the voice, hopping it was someone nice like Tawse or Sasha... Why would Sasha be out of his dorm, on the second floor? He wasn't like Beatrix at all. But as the girl's eyes landed on the source, dread fell on the girl.

It wasn't someone nice. It was Erin Harper.

"What is it, Mister Harper?" Beatrix asked in her most prefect-y voice, her smile fading. As if the two of them didn't know each other that well. In reality, Beatrix's heart was fluttering and her mental functions were threatening to shut down again. She didn't like how the kept feeling so silly over the boy... He didn't like her. He was probably only there to send her nasty insults and make her cry again. And then steal her kitten. NO! HE'D KILL IT! Beatrix's left foot instinctively took a step back. She wasn't about to let the bully hurt the poor kitty!

But Erin Harper wouldn't stalk her down and attack her, would he? That was silly. He wasn't that crazy. Beatrix bit her lip and pulled the kitten up over her cleavage (What little of it that was showing, that is). Beatrix didn't want Erin to think she was still a harlot. Even if her pajamas were short and showed off a lot of leg. She didn't expect to run into a guy! How ridiculous! Happiness ruined!

Beatrix swallowed, hard, before speaking up again, more poetically and out of the blue, "If you're here to hurt me, save your breath. You've hurt me enough already," She spoke softly, her voice no longer stern but completely normal. As if she wasn't really saying anything depressing at all.

Another step back. He was going to murder her and the kitten. Beatrix just knew it. He was crazy!

But even still, something stopped Beatrix from backing away again. "Even though I really shouldn't be the one complaining, but what do you care?" It was almost as if she was starting a conversation that she had been rehearsing in her head for days. Truth be told, she was surprised she was even speaking at all.

She hadn't spoken to the Harper boy in so long... To start speaking again, under those circumstances... Well, that was simply unlucky. She would have rather met him while she was dolled up and cute rather than makeup-less and wearing skimpy pajamas. She had to look a sight... And she was speaking madness.

Perhaps that madness would distract Erin from killing the kitten.

Beatrix turned around, and Erin snapped his gaze hurriedly up from her legs, despite the strong, strooooong temptation to stare. Thank Merlin it was way too dark to tell if he- wait, no, Erin was NOT going to get all red and flustered. He hated doing that, and it'd been happening way too much recently. Between Eli Parks' ....attack, and Beatrix in what looked like just a sweater... NO. BLOODY HORMONES. What kind of person traipsed around the castle half-naked, anyway?

She spoke, and distracted him from her legs - oh, Mister Harper. As if they weren't intimately acquainted. Erin only barely refrained from sneering; he wanted his cat back before he insulted her, after all. He didn't think she'd do anything to it, but then, this WAS Beatrix Dark. Who took a step back even as he watched, as if she was going to run away. Oh, let her try - Erin might not be able to catch a kitten, but humans were less speedy. And Beatrix's pink hair would be a lot easier to follow than a small dark blob.

"That's my cat."

He lifted his chin as he said it, a little sullen to have to admit that he had a kitten - it was the reason he'd only been taking it out of his dorm late at night when no one was around. Knight'd already given him hell for it; he wasn't looking forward to what Beatrix had to say.

The kitten itself wasn't helping the situation. It looked far more interested in snuggling in Beatrix's bosom and chewing on her multi-colored hair than in its scowling master. Erin would have found this perfectly understandable if he hadn't been so annoyed at it.

"If you're here to hurt me, save your breath. You've hurt me enough already."

"I - what? I hurt you?" Erin's eyes widened. Now he sneered, his temper rising. Of all the ridiculous, scornful lies - "Look, Dark, you're the one with the boyfriend and the happy relationship. I - " He cut himself off, and let out a sharp breath. Easy, Erin. Don't go into this with her. "Just give me my damn cat and I'll leave."

He didn't even bother trying to comprehend the rest of her babble. Instead, he clicked his tongue for the kitten. She stopped chewing on Beatrix's hair and looked alertly back at him, curious, but made no move to jump out of the girl's arms and come to him.

"That's my cat."

Beatrix's eyebrows shot up. He seemed more like the deadly barn owl type. A kitten? Really? Bea's lips threatened to smile. That was so cute! The mysterious Erin Harper had a kitten. It was strange how all of a sudden she didn't feel so bad to see him. The crazy boy had a soft side. Beatrix glanced down at the small kitten, almost as if asking it if this were true. But why else would Erin be out this late at night? Besides being insane?

"Your cat?" She asked, puzzled, "Why would you... Have a cat? No offense, but..." Beatrix paused and shrugged, "You don't seem the type," of course Beatrix had no clue that Erin did indeed have a soft side. Even if he did stop her from crying that one day. Sometimes Beatrix forgot about the good things that happened that day. Wasn't everyone like that, though?

And then it seemed like she said something wrong. Bea's brows furrowed as the boy snapped at her. How dare he! Plus, Beatrix wasn't even technically dating Vincent yet. Even if she was, he had no reason to snap at her like that. After all that happened, he clearly didn't care about her. Boys were such strange beings. How she could even semi-understand them was beyond her. But her face fell blank again. Why did she care so much about what he thought, anyways?

"Just give me my damn cat and I'll leave."

"Yes, you hurt me, I really li-" she couldn't tell Erin she liked him! The whole purpose of rejecting him was so she could date Vincent without feeling like a harlot. And why was he always so angry? The boy was a total nutter. He clicked his tongue and the cat's head sprung up. Maybe it was his cat... It reacted to him well enough. But it didn't seem to want to leave Bea's chest. Or perhaps it didn't want to jump down about four feet to the hard, cold ground.

"Why are you always so rude towards me? And what makes you think when you act like this, I'm not bothered?" Beatrix asked, feeling about ready to cry again. She didn't like his tone of voice, and she didn't like how he wanted to leave so badly. Plus, all those nights of restless sleep were still haunting her... It was awful. Bea wasn't a bad person. She didn't like hurting people! But she liked Erin and couldn't believe he would actually be so rude without a purpose. The cat yawned and wiggled a bit in her hands. If he wanted to leave, fine. But he was breaking Bea's heart in the process.

Beatrix sighed and slowly began stepping towards Erin, "You know what? Forget it. Don't answer me. Take your cat," she pulled it away from her chest and held it out towards him, keeping it secure in her hands so it wouldn't fall. "I was going to find the owner in the morning but I probably would have grown attached to it..." She let out a low laugh, "Erin Harper owning a kitten... That's cute," Beatrix bit her lip and the smile she was holding back finally emerged. It was indeed adorable. And it gave her that fuzzy feeling she hated whenever she was around him.

"I mean it, though... It's nice to know that you're not completely bitter..." Her left eyebrow then rose, "Well, assuming you actually take care of this lil' rascal," Beatrix's eyes pulled themselves from the cute kitten's face and up to Erin's. Which was equally as cute, but Beatrix didn't want to admit it.

"What's its name, anyways?" She asked, a strand of hair falling into her face. Beatrix didn't want to argue tonight. But it was all up to Erin if he wanted to accept her kindness. Plus, she didn't want to startle the kitten. If he lost it once, it was possible he could again. Boys were so silly.

"Why would you... Have a cat?"

"Don't have an owl," Erin said defensively, squaring his shoulders as though he was prepared to defend against the world his right to have such an uncharacteristic small fuzzy animal. He wasn't about to tell her his mum had sent it to him. That would be bloody embarrassing, even more embarrassing than having a kitten in the first place.

"Yes, you hurt me, I really li-"

Beatrix cut herself off, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what she'd stopped herself from saying. It was a dangerous thing to do, giving such bait to Erin; he had a Slytherin's typically cruel tongue, and hurt of his own to further barb it. And she'd made it so easy for him. He saw her, for a moment, not as a girl he would have given anything to have, but as just a girl, young and easy to wound. There were all sorts of things he wanted to say to her, things like, don't make me laugh, you hypocrite and not enough, apparently. He wanted to make her cry, and deliberately not comfort her; he wanted to rip her apart with only words. He wanted to make her hate him.

The desire to do so was nearly choking him with its insistency, white-hot anger flaring in his veins to couple his injured pride. There were minute physical changes which, in the darkness, Beatrix would not be able to see; the tightening of little muscles in his face, the whitening of his knuckles in their clenched fists, the all-over body strain like all he wanted was permission to go off, and until then had to struggle to remain perfectly still. Love was a losing game, and so was alienation, but of the two, Erin had always preferred the latter.

But Beatrix still had his kitten.

The moment passed. And after a long silence, Erin let the tension bleed out of his slumping shoulders, fists unclenching to dangle  uselessly at his side. He closed his eyes, opened them again, and sighed.

"Shut up," he said, and the half-defeated tone in his voice made his words a great deal less offensive than they would ordinarily have been. "It doesn't matter now, does it? You can't have both of us, so be happy with Pennyapple and enjoy your no-strings-attached free snog."

She'd never really liked him, he knew that. Erin had never been mad for anyone except her, but he knew that if he did like someone, he'd have been content once he got them, and only them. It was all-or-nothing, in Erin's mind, and the victor was the one you truly loved. He hadn't considered that Beatrix might be selfish enough to want both Vincent AND him, and so he'd assumed that it must be Vincent whom she really liked, and he nothing in comparison.

It didn't bother him so much anymore. There was something bittersweet and hurtful about facing her familiar form in the dim light, and even more hurtful about her hypocritical protests, but Erin had resigned himself finally to never having her. There were other girls, and maybe - maybe - even other boys, and he was getting tired of thinking of conniving ways to make her jealous, and of having his eyes go automatically to her whenever she was in the room.

"Why are you always so rude towards me? And what makes you think when you act like this, I'm not bothered?"

Ah, now it was HER turn to get angry. But it was too late for a confrontation - Erin was tired now, and the energy flowing through him moments before when he'd wanted nothing less than to hurt her had all dissipated. It was too late for him to keep up that kind of fight-level intensity.

"I'm rude towards everyone," he pointed out, his tone conversational, although still a little dull. "And you're rude to me. I've only been returning your own sentiments, and reacting to you the way you've been reacting to me. What makes you think I'm not bothered by that?"

She FINALLY approached to give him back his cat, which Erin gathered from her with great care. He then ruined any of that tenderness by plopping the kitten onto his shoulder, where it stood on wobbly legs as if quite unfazed by this treatment and then pressed its side against Erin's head for balance. It looked around from this new height with that same smacked-in-the-face-with-a-fish expression of terminal surprise and interest that all kittens possessed, and promptly began to purr. Erin would never admit it, but he felt better now that he had his cat back. He liked his kitten's thready little purr, which started out deceptively quiet and then turned into a full-body rumble. He was less fond of the claws pricking his shoulder, the strap of his wifebeater too thin to prevent the tiny needles, but he knew that if he ever wanted to train his cat to sit on his shoulder as he walked, he'd have to get used to those claws digging in for balance.

"Erin Harper owning a kitten... That's cute."

Erin ducked his head, both out of embarrassment and to try to wrestle under control the corners of his mouth, which were twitching up in an attempt to return the smile that had bloomed across Beatrix's lips. Any answering smile faded into an expression of confusion shortly after, though. Bitter? Him? What about? But he forgot both his confusion and his tiredness at Beatrix's next comment.... "Well, assuming you actually take care of this lil' rascal."

"I take care of her!" he yelped indignantly. He tried to glare, but it was less effective when the kitten's cold nose was pushing into his ear, purring fit to make him go deaf. "And her name's, er..." Suddenly, Erin didn't think that Beatrix would approve of his name. Or lack of one, as it were. "Cat," he mumbled.

Beatrix simply nodded a tad at Erin. "Understandable," she answered. Owls were nasty things, anyways. Of course Beatrix still loved them to death, she just wouldn't want to wake up in the middle of the night, turn her head to the other side of the pillow, and have a creepy ass Barn Owl staring into her eyes. Possibly chewing on her hair, doing that scary defensive head-bobble they did, and eating someone's pet rat. Then again, that was exactly what Eater did to Beatrix all the time. The only difference was that Eater was not a bird and it was de-clawed (Since it was an inside cat, it didn't exactly need those things... Besides tearing up everything Bea held dearest). Eater was cute and cuddly. A bird... Well, had its scary moments.

But... Clearly, Erin wasn't happy with Bea's slip of the lip. She surveyed him, seeing his temper rise in the darkness. Moments like that was the reason Beatrix wouldn't be able to stand him. The girl herself had the shortness temper in existence. The relationship would fail quickly. There was only so much attitude a couple can take before it broke apart... Especially, like Erin and Bea's completely nonverbal attraction towards each other, it's hard to keep a relationship when neither of them said 'Sorry'.

"Shut up,"

The Ravenclaw's eyes glazed over. Was that really how it was going to be? Beatrix, for once, felt like she deserved that. "Erin..." Bea's voice cracked, "I never wanted to h--... I didn't mean to... Things just happened, okay?" She bit her lip and paused for a moment, "If I would have known... That I... That you would have gotten upset..." If he even really was, "But I didn't know... I wasn't thinking... I was stupid..." But the words couldn't form in Bea's mind. What could she say to him? She wasn't even sure if he even liked her, or even felt anything for her. And if he felt anything... That anything would probably be hate. Because hate was the only way Erin could possibly feel about her. It was, after all, the only way Beatrix could feel about herself.

Her gaze stayed planted on the floor. A small, shaking shudder escaped her lips. This was awful! What an awful night! It wasn't that Beatrix was greedy and felt like she needed both the boys. Beatrix needed Vincent, he was perfect for her. He fit in so amazingly with her. Without him, she'd be depressed and alone and quite possibly the female equivalent to Trent Travis. With Vinnie, it was natural, completely sweet, and there was no stopping it. But Beatrix wanted Erin. She was completely and utterly attracted to him and everything about him, even his psycho habits that also scared the crap out of her. But everything about him also harmed her. He was one of Bea's many reasons for her small depression. He reeked hostility and Beatrix knew, sadly, that chasing after such a boy wasn't good for her. It was definitely great game, but Beatrix wasn't in it for the game.

But if she had the chance to take it all back, she wouldn't. That was what made her greedy. If Beatrix had never kissed Erin, she would have never fallen for him. Which was what bothered her. But what she didn't think about was that she was basically ripping the Harper boy apart because of that kiss (Kisses?). Especially when she flaunted her bare legs around like a cheap, D-grade prostitute.

"I'm sorry, alright? But what can I really do about it?" Was all she managed to say. There was nothing she could really do except apologize.

"I'm rude towards everyone,"

"Well I guess we've been both rather unfair, huh?" Rude? Bea's buttocks! More like, she completely avoided Erin and acted like he was some bloke she didn't know. Was that rude? Not exactly... Maybe a little. But Beatrix didn't want to argue. Any more fighting and Beatrix might as well declare herself emotionally unstable, since the little rich girl never had to deal with much trouble.

Erin took the cat much quicker than Bea expected, and she was certain he was going to bolt the hell out of there before Beatrix could even say goodbye to the little cat. When he threw it on his shoulder, Bea lifted a hand, almost like she wanted to stop him. It wasn't her cat, but... "You don't just throw a kitten around like that!" Beatrix tried not to yell, her voice nearly perking up a bit too high. But she didn't say it defensively, more so... Pleasantly, almost like she was telling a joke. "That poor thing," She giggled, her hand pulling away quickly. Her arms wrapped around her chest, almost as if she were covering her bosoms. Which she totally was, since Erin was so much taller than her and could obviously see her cleavage if she didn't take certain precautions.

"I take care of her!"

"Cat? You named your cat... Cat?" Beatrix asked, her tone more curious than condescending. "I'm sure Cat really likes the abuse you give her," Another giggle. Truth be told, Beatrix had no clue what to think about him naming it Cat. She named her cat I-Eat-Small-Children for Merlin's sake. "I have a kitty... He's about five now... Named... Ahh... Eat," Her smile widened in understanding. There wasn't a point to owning a cat without naming it what you wanted. Just like a baby... Only a cat wouldn't grow up a homicidal maniac like a child would if you named it Dilbert. But that was an unappealing name no matter what.

"But I don't throw my cat on my back and hope for the best," Beatrix chuckled. Her cat would fall off, anyways, being so large and uncoordinated. On the plus side, he still had no claws and he wasn't a tubby. So Beatrix would at least come unharmed through the whole process. "That's abuse. Are you sure you're fit to take care of Cat?" Another giggle. Kittens could bring anyone together.

"Erin...I never wanted to h--... I didn't mean to... Things just happened, okay? If I would have known... That I... That you would have gotten upset...But I didn't know... I wasn't thinking... I was stupid..."

In a faint, unreasonable sort of way, Erin didn't like the way she said his name. When she'd been calling him Harper, it'd annoyed him, but now he thought he'd changed his mind. His first name, on her lips, sounded far too personal.

"Forget about it," Erin said bluntly. "It doesn't matter now. Really, Dark, don't think about it again. I shouldn't have - " A brief falter, as if he was going to say something else but had changed his mind, before he finished lamely - "expected anything." He really shouldn't have. Pretty girls didn't fall for Erin; no one did, that he knew of. Maybe he could coax a few kisses out of them, but to expect more was stupid. Erin knew this, not with any self-pity, but with the absolute certainty of the discarded.

Still, he supposed he should be grateful. He got to snog Beatrix Dark, after all, and how many blokes could claim that?

"I'm sorry, alright? But what can I really do about it?"

"Nothing. And I don't expect you to do anything about it." Erin took a step closer to her, his eyes locked on her dim form. "I'm tired of all this dancing around each other and pretending we're not in each other's classes, Beatrix. I want you to stop feeling bad about it, and apologizing, and to stop glaring at me in the hallways like you think I'm going to jump you." Torn between putting his hands on his hips and holding them up in surrender, Erin chose the latter; hands on hips was stolid, but so girly. "I'm not, okay? You say I'm rude, but it's been a two-way street."

"Well I guess we've been both rather unfair, huh?"

Erin lowered his hands, but nodded. He was occupied with his cat now anyways, who, in absence of Beatrix's long locks to chew on, was currently sticking her cold nose in his ear. Again.

"You don't just throw a kitten around like that! That poor thing."

"I'm training her!" he said indignantly, pushing her face out of his ear for the second time. "It's not like I'm hurting her or anything." The kitten certainly didn't seem bothered by its perch. Couldn't Beatrix see that?

"Cat? You named your cat... Cat?"

Erin narrowed his eyes at her. "You gotta problem with that?' he asked gruffly, but he wasn't really all that bothered. It was a little embarrassing, not having a name yet... but Erin hadn't been able to think of one. He would eventually, he just needed time. He added, a little less gruffly, "I haven't decided on a real name yet...."

"I'm sure Cat really likes the abuse you give he. I have a kitty... He's about five now... Named... Ahh... Eat."

"I'm not hurting her," Erin said again, exasperated, but his ears perked up at the rest of her comments. Beatrix had a cat? Named... Eat? He let out a snort of amusement, but didn't comment; after all, he couldn't exactly throw stones.

"But I don't throw my cat on my back and hope for the best. That's abuse. Are you sure you're fit to take care of Cat?"

More giggling, and jabs at his parenting skills. Erin thought he was about to go crazy. "For the last time, she's fine!" He wailed, starting to wave his arms with his agitation. But he remembered he had a kitten on his shoulder, and stopped mid-motion. Cat, who steadied herself and rode the half-completed motion with ease, watched his arms with great interest as if wondering what he was going to do next. Rebuked, Erin added in quieter tones, " 'M not abusing her... She likes it!" He put a hand up to the kitten, who promptly butted it with her head so enthusiastically she nearly lost her balance. "See?"