[She started it and he's the one being sent away? Jealousy flares up seeing Sherlock clutch Berit like that, but the Heart's distress...
The cat instincts fall to the wayside as the human ones reassert themselves and John's expression turns to mild horror.]
Berit, I didn't mean to... I'm sorry.
[He wants to slink away on all fours, hugging close to the counters and staying out of sight, but that would take ridiculously long. John stands up, tail still puffed up and low, and simply makes his way toward the door.]
I'll take Black Bart for a walk.
[So that he can run away and give Sherlock and Berit more space for at least a little while. How did this go so wrong? He'd just wanted to play with Sherlock. No. That's stupid. He'd wanted to just leave. And then Sherlock had him play with that damn catnip.]
You bit me on the back of the neck, I think you need to leave now.
[Berit, though incredibly fond of John usually, is in no mood to be generous right now. Her tail is still twice the size it usually is and she's pressed right up against Sherlock's chest, even as he holds her still closer.
Sherlock looks a little more mollified, it was an interesting experiment with fascinating results even if they went further than he thought they would, but he doesn't like to be seen being vulnerable this way, so he won't stop John from leaving and taking Black Bart out.
They can talk later when things have calmed down.]
[Zephyr seems to be particularly keen at the moment. John heads to the Wishing Pond to put in a wish about Berit, then takes Black Bart on a rather grueling excursion that takes them off the beaten path and into the jungle. He just wants to be away, fully ashamed of himself and his behavior. The cat in him also wants to run to dog out so that he'll be less annoying back at the house.
When they do get there, Black Bart is panting and walking at John's heel, rather than pulling ahead like he normally does. There's a note addressed to John sitting on the doorstep in Zephyr's handwriting. Right.
He lets Black Bart in and the dog immediately heads for his water bowl before just flopping down somewhere. John, meanwhile, goes to find Sherlock after taking off his hat and sunglasses and pulling his tail out of his trousers. Wherever his friend is, the consulting detective will find one of Zephyr's drawings set in front of him.
It's John kneeling down and petting Berit with a smile while Sherlock stands there smiling, as well. There are pink diamonds all around the scene. John doesn't know quite what to make of those, but they aren't hearts, so it's probably just 'magical' decoration.]
I asked Zephyr to make it so it won't hurt when I touch Berit.
[An hour and a half is more than enough time for both Sherlock and Berit to recover from what happened; Berit's skin doesn't have any punctures in it, luckily human teeth aren't as sharp as cat teeth and so it's just bruising and nothing else. Her fur still ripples and her hackles go up a bit when John reappears, but Sherlock gives John a smile that turns into a look of surprise.]
I wasn't aware that you have such a compulsion to touch my Heart that it would require this sort of wish, a few accidents surely don't make it necessary.
[It feels weird in a way he can't quite put a voice to, that John has gained the ability to touch such an intimate part of him without consulting him.]
If you want to run any more experiments, it might happen. And... like in the water, when I flipped the boat. If anything like that happens again, I want to be able to help both of you.
[Without having to worry that he's putting one or both of them in pain. She's a liability in terms of protecting Sherlock. He needs to be able to protect her, as well.]
[He falls silent, but he still doesn't look too pleased. It's Berit, as ever, who manages to vocalise what's really going on.]
Touching someone else's Heart is a very intimate thing, even without the physical symptoms that go with it, why would you do this without asking if it would be something we'd be comfortable with? You may have had Zephyr alter us to allow this.
[John's hackles instinctively rise at Berit's voice, but he tries not to let that rule him. His tail does fluff up slightly, though. The thought that this might alter Sherlock really hadn't crossed his mind. Nor had the idea that Sherlock might be against him touching his Heart.
There's also some irritation--amplified by more feline thought processes--that Sherlock would have the audacity to be upset about John doing things that might affect him without asking. Their life together has been a rather long string of Sherlock not asking for John's permission or informing him of a vast multitude of things.]
Because I hurt you, and I was upset. Not exactly a good combination for thinking clearly.
[That's actually an explanation that mollifies both Sherlock and Berit, they've made some foolish decisions when emotion has clouded their normally logical mind. It's Berit that takes the first steps to accepting this. She jumps down from Sherlock's lap and stretches to her full length, before padding over and sitting in front of John.]
Well, then? I like my ears rubbed, you can start there.
[Sherlock doesn't particularly like this, it still feels wrong in some way, but he won't stop it from going ahead. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see if it truly has been successful.]
Go on, but if pink diamonds appear in the air then you're still banned from touching her.
[John frowns down at the Heart, but can't help snorting at Sherlock's comment as he crouches down in front of her. After what happened, John goes slowly, he doesn't just lay on hands. Instead, he holds one out to Berit before tentatively touching her.
No pink diamonds appear, thankfully. Sherlock will feel something, though. Instead of the impossibly intense wash of emotion, though, it's muted. Something more akin to a warm, fuzzy feeling, without being too much to process.
[Berit's fur is silky soft, and the fact that she doesn't flinch away from his touch is probably answer enough. Her ears are still pinned back and her tail is swaying slowly side to side, but that's more of a reaction to the psychological knowledge that this is taboo rather than anything else.
Sherlock's eyebrows raise.]
It certainly doesn't hurt, it's actually quite pleasant, a bit like having a hot water bottle under my shirt.
[Perhaps that's because it's John, but perhaps it's solely because of the wish.]
No pink diamonds, though, so I suppose it's alright.
[John doesn't have the same concern about taboo as the actual Heart, so it's mostly just nice for him, some of the territorial instinct settling now that he can actually touch the other cat.]
Mm.
[The tentative touches turn to rubbing Berit's ears as she requested, and then dropping to his hands and knees to butt his head against her affectionately. If left undisturbed for a few moments, he'll begin to purr.]
[Berit is a large cat, Savannah's are the biggest domestic breed in the world, so at least John doesn't have to bend too far to butt his head against her. There's only a moment or two before she's winding around him affectionately, licking his hair like a mother cat might take care of a kitten.
Sherlock isn't sure whether to be amused or alarmed at this development, but in the end he decides that he'll decide after he's filmed this to add to the reel. So he just gets his phone out and leans back against his chair, making sure to get the cat bonding in frame.]
we can call this a wrap or keep going if Sherlock and Berit would follow
[John crouches low and lets his eyes fall to half-closed. His tails stays in a loose, neutral sway, and his ears swivel to track the other cat. After a moment, he flops down onto his side and stretches before moving to grab Berit and pull her in gently so that he can lick along one of her shoulders.
The picturesque moment of bonding is broken when John realizes he's just got a mouthful fur.]
Bloody-!
[He pushes himself up and hurries to the loo to wash his mouth out with water. Why does he keep letting this happen? He's really going to murder Phil at some point. These cat instincts are frustratingly strong.]
[The sound of Sherlock laughing is what will follow John into the loo to clean out his mouth. What an excellent way to finish his video on the experiment, he can't wait to show everyone his findings.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
The cat instincts fall to the wayside as the human ones reassert themselves and John's expression turns to mild horror.]
Berit, I didn't mean to... I'm sorry.
[He wants to slink away on all fours, hugging close to the counters and staying out of sight, but that would take ridiculously long. John stands up, tail still puffed up and low, and simply makes his way toward the door.]
I'll take Black Bart for a walk.
[So that he can run away and give Sherlock and Berit more space for at least a little while. How did this go so wrong? He'd just wanted to play with Sherlock. No. That's stupid. He'd wanted to just leave. And then Sherlock had him play with that damn catnip.]
no subject
[Berit, though incredibly fond of John usually, is in no mood to be generous right now. Her tail is still twice the size it usually is and she's pressed right up against Sherlock's chest, even as he holds her still closer.
Sherlock looks a little more mollified, it was an interesting experiment with fascinating results even if they went further than he thought they would, but he doesn't like to be seen being vulnerable this way, so he won't stop John from leaving and taking Black Bart out.
They can talk later when things have calmed down.]
About an Hour and a Half Later
When they do get there, Black Bart is panting and walking at John's heel, rather than pulling ahead like he normally does. There's a note addressed to John sitting on the doorstep in Zephyr's handwriting. Right.
He lets Black Bart in and the dog immediately heads for his water bowl before just flopping down somewhere. John, meanwhile, goes to find Sherlock after taking off his hat and sunglasses and pulling his tail out of his trousers. Wherever his friend is, the consulting detective will find one of Zephyr's drawings set in front of him.
It's John kneeling down and petting Berit with a smile while Sherlock stands there smiling, as well. There are pink diamonds all around the scene. John doesn't know quite what to make of those, but they aren't hearts, so it's probably just 'magical' decoration.]
I asked Zephyr to make it so it won't hurt when I touch Berit.
no subject
I wasn't aware that you have such a compulsion to touch my Heart that it would require this sort of wish, a few accidents surely don't make it necessary.
[It feels weird in a way he can't quite put a voice to, that John has gained the ability to touch such an intimate part of him without consulting him.]
no subject
If you want to run any more experiments, it might happen. And... like in the water, when I flipped the boat. If anything like that happens again, I want to be able to help both of you.
[Without having to worry that he's putting one or both of them in pain. She's a liability in terms of protecting Sherlock. He needs to be able to protect her, as well.]
no subject
[He falls silent, but he still doesn't look too pleased. It's Berit, as ever, who manages to vocalise what's really going on.]
Touching someone else's Heart is a very intimate thing, even without the physical symptoms that go with it, why would you do this without asking if it would be something we'd be comfortable with? You may have had Zephyr alter us to allow this.
no subject
There's also some irritation--amplified by more feline thought processes--that Sherlock would have the audacity to be upset about John doing things that might affect him without asking. Their life together has been a rather long string of Sherlock not asking for John's permission or informing him of a vast multitude of things.]
Because I hurt you, and I was upset. Not exactly a good combination for thinking clearly.
[It's half-snapped, but it's honest.]
no subject
Well, then? I like my ears rubbed, you can start there.
[Sherlock doesn't particularly like this, it still feels wrong in some way, but he won't stop it from going ahead. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see if it truly has been successful.]
Go on, but if pink diamonds appear in the air then you're still banned from touching her.
no subject
No pink diamonds appear, thankfully. Sherlock will feel something, though. Instead of the impossibly intense wash of emotion, though, it's muted. Something more akin to a warm, fuzzy feeling, without being too much to process.
John looks up at his friend.]
Is it all right?
no subject
Sherlock's eyebrows raise.]
It certainly doesn't hurt, it's actually quite pleasant, a bit like having a hot water bottle under my shirt.
[Perhaps that's because it's John, but perhaps it's solely because of the wish.]
No pink diamonds, though, so I suppose it's alright.
no subject
Mm.
[The tentative touches turn to rubbing Berit's ears as she requested, and then dropping to his hands and knees to butt his head against her affectionately. If left undisturbed for a few moments, he'll begin to purr.]
no subject
Sherlock isn't sure whether to be amused or alarmed at this development, but in the end he decides that he'll decide after he's filmed this to add to the reel. So he just gets his phone out and leans back against his chair, making sure to get the cat bonding in frame.]
we can call this a wrap or keep going if Sherlock and Berit would follow
The picturesque moment of bonding is broken when John realizes he's just got a mouthful fur.]
Bloody-!
[He pushes himself up and hurries to the loo to wash his mouth out with water. Why does he keep letting this happen? He's really going to murder Phil at some point. These cat instincts are frustratingly strong.]
a wrap is good for me