Anton hadn’t seen Tesla or Stella since that evening the Maine Coon was outside of his door. That was a few days ago, he thought. In that span, he had heard her play and sing, so it’s not like they disappeared off the face of the Earth. It just struck him as somewhat odd that the big feline wasn’t around as often. Stella must be keeping him on a short leash, relatively speaking, of course.<br/><br/>Licorice seemed to have calmed down a bit during Tesla’s absence, though she did give him the occasional<i>what for </i>whenever the mood struck her. Man, that little shit could hold a grudge, he thought. He smiled at the memory of the lecture she gave him upon his empty-handed return that night.<br/><br/>Lost in his thoughts and unsure as to whether to dive into<i>The Bloody Red Baron</i>right now, Anton could’ve sworn he heard a faint scratching at the front door. Well, well, and who should come trotting past but Little Miss Superior Hearing herself? Putting the book down, he knew what that meant. But just to be a bastard, he played deaf, eager to see what Licorice would do. Predictably, she soon turned from the door to let him know what she wanted, nay, what she<b><u>demanded</u></b>. Still deaf, Lics, he thought, trying not to laugh, still deaf.<br/><br/>Not to be denied or ignored, she strolled over to his location to let him have it. Reminders of the other night suddenly coming back to him, he smiled at her and then said, “All right, all right. Cut me some slack, already. I heard you the first sixty-five times.” She, of course, followed him to the door, not trusting his actions until that door was open.<br/><br/>Barely open, fourteen pounds of Maine Coon burst past the door, which almost knocked Anton on the head. Doing a double-take, there seemed to be some kind of note tied to Tesla’s collar. Untying it, he read it and erupted in laughter. “Wubble-butt?” he asked, as Tesla looked at him blankly while Licorice proceeded with the kitty-sniff thing. “I see your owner speaks quite highly of you.”<br/><br/>Already well-practiced at being ignored, he noticed how Licorice started to stalk the prone catnip mouse. Just before she could indulge, Tesla scooped it up in his mouth and headed for the tree house. Sprinting after him, she leapt into the air and barrel-rolled with him, successfully knocking the doped-up mouse out of his possession. “Oooo, careful, babe” he winced at her daring tackle. “You do that to him, he’s gonna think it’s okay to do to you. And trust me, Sweetie, I don’t think you want that much man-cat landing on you.” For posterity’s sake, he took out his phone and shot video of the two playmates frolicking. Anton thought Stella might want to see for herself their antics.