Fraud: it's a wonderful thing }Open{

[amaie]

Amaie browsed slowly, looking over furniture in Ikea. Glancing over her shoulder she briefly spotted the tail that had been following her since she had walked in the store. Whether it was the purple and red streaks in her hair that she had been sporting for the last week, or the steel that was nearly dripping from her ears and left eyebrow. It didn't matter really, she was used to it. Her ripped black tank, green and yellow plaid pants, thick wallet chain, and spiked combat boots probably didn't help her case either though. It didn't matter the store, she was always watched, either by a person or the cameras. The cameras wouldn't see her though if she told them not to, but with this guy following her, she couldn't steal anything even if she had wanted to.

She didn't want to of course. She didn't need to. She hadn't brought any money with her, but paper money was overrated really. Instead she would just pay for it on credit. Within fifteen seconds of that thought, Optical Toxin had applied for and had gotten an Ikea credit card for Amaie. Once the card had been created, OpTox hacked into their system and changed her limit. It was now an unlimited credit card, and she wouldn't have to actually pay for anything if she didn't want to.

Whether she would pay or not would depend on her whim at the end of the month. Now that she had a means to pay for what she wanted, she just ignored the feeling that she was being followed and browsed the rest of the store, making a mental SKU list of what she would need for her new apartment. A california king bed, silk 2000 thread count sheet and comforter set, bed ends, a set of leather couches, book shelf, coffee table, entertainment center, 52" LCD TV with monitor jack, kitchen set, cleaning supplies, and bathroom supplies. The list was longer than that, of course, and she stopped by their computer section but didn't add anything to the list before she sauntered to the register. After the person in front of her was done and well on their way, she stepped in front of the register, nothing in her hands.

The register started beeping crazily again and again until all her items were displayed on the cashier's screen. Of course the girl posed the most obvious of questions to Amaie, "what the hell is going on?" Shrugging Amaie occupied her attention by asking a question of her own "You deliver right?" Then she started giving the girl her address, just as she swiped her old Dobson Ranch Library card and put it away before the girl could get a good look at it. Of course it read as if it were her Ikea credit card and was immediately approved. Amaie waved her thanks as she left.

Then she was off for more unimportant things, only stopping occasionally at a video game store here, electronics store there. She was strolling along a brightly lit arrow that kept appearing behind her and zooming off in the best direction to get to the food court. She was the only one able to see such a thing of course, because she had it overlaid onto her vision from the web. It was a program made from the blueprint and map in the advertisement from the center, her GPS locator, and then the arrow was pure Amaie's coding. She had bought a couple things on the way, some more barbells for her eyebrow, a gauge earring with a copper cog in the middle, and some other jewelry that she thought she would like.

When she finally got to the food court, she got a caramel frappichino from starbucks, two big macs from MickeyD's, fries from Steak Escape, and a shake from Dairy Queen for dessert, each time using her Library card to pay. She figured that if she could think like a machine, might as well eat like one too. It never seemed to add to her weight no matter how much she ate. Maybe it was because of how much she thought in a day? Naw, it couldn't be that. Anyway the dice rolled on that one, she seemed blessed, or cursed with being rail thin. Weaving between people with her tray, she plopped down at one of the tables just outside the door, one with an ash tray in the middle of it and started to dig in, cranking up her LOTRO character, and working on Aoi's algorithms, to make sure she didn't crash again this week.

Finishing her first big mac and half of the fries, she was ready for a cigarette. Pulling out her pack of Marlboro Red 100s she flipped the hard pack's top open and shook it upward toward her face. She caught a cigarette inbetween her lips and put the pack away. She pulled out her torch lighter and it lit as soon as it was at the perfect distance from the tip of the cigarette without her pressing the button. It stopped when she got her first roiling lungful of tobacco. Putting the lighter back in her pocket, she took another drag, exhaling thick, rotating smoke rings, and then popped another fry into her mouth, munching contentedly as she smoked.

[mabs3]

It was rare Ethan left his territory; to do so felt very uncomfortable and unnatural; he was not worried about other males trying to take it over - because he'd simply kill the intruder and take it back - but he wasn't necessarily in the mood to go through such matters.

Still, the idea lingered in his mind and so he was a little quicker on his scout of the mall than he may have otherwise been. Of course, crowds in general weren't his scene and he really didn't want to stay here long - actually he would have left quite some time ago if not for picking up on a particularly intriguing female. Though it was uncommon for him to pick such things out by scent alone, there certainly was something alluring about her besides her psychical beauty.

Had he been in a place that was more open and less crowded he might have shifted and followed her from the rooftops and other high places; trailing from the ground wasn't really what he liked to do. Even so that couldn't be helped, and he was close enough now that he didn't really have the need to.

The second he stepped into Mcdonalds he subconsciously curled his lip. It stunk, it was crowded and much too noisy for the Alpha's liking. Shaking off the uncomfortable feelings his Leopard was projecting he found the seat opposite her and sat himself down in it; laid back and relaxing as if he owned the place - always was his style. He was hardly a gentlemen so much as a tyrant in many respects.

"Please don't tell me you're planning on ruining such a perfect figure by eating junk such as that?"

Ethan gestured rather plainly to the space the Big Mac had previously been, before looking at her and smiling. She really was beautiful up close, and the scent she had on her was damn near driving him up the wall. Of course, if they where alone this conversation would have gone far differently far quicker; as it was though, he had to put up with the crowds and the unpleasant smells just to talk to her.

[amaie]

Okay, so it wasn't mall security. She kind of figured that out when she was looking through the security cameras, and the same guy was in each of the stores that she had visited. Usually it was a particular store that hired that kind of person to play the undercover theft protection, but it was also someone who looked older. Far older most of the time. There were only two exterior cameras in the outside seating for the food court, and she saw him coming. She didn't know what to think of her new stalker, but barring a conspiracy and the mall having an elaborate security system with automated guns, there wasn't anything she could do to keep him from talking to her.

When he plopped himself down opposite her, and implied that she was making herself fat, she was a bit incredulous, making her impaled left eyebrow arch high over her hazel eye. She didn't say anything, but started pulling most of herself from the net, quickly closing process after process. All except her background check she was running on the guy. She even logged out of LOTRO, so that she could actually pay attention to see what kind of insult he'd throw at her next.

It only took seconds before all fifteen out of sixteen processes were shut down and she was extracted as much as she wanted to be from the net. Then she could speak, and interact. When she opened her mouth to reply the check was done, and with interesting results. There was an open missing persons file on the guy. It used the latest computer aging software, and wasn't doing too bad a job at it, though they had the hair all wrong. The most interesting part was the report was filed by someone other than his parents.

"Okay, I won't tell you that." She said in a voice that was somewhat deep for a girl and had twanged with a southwestern accent. She picked up the accent from her parents, who were born and raised in Texas, but had moved to Arizona before she was born. That was all she said. But she did make a show of snuffing her cigarette, picking up her other bigmac and taking a gigantic bite that she could barely chew. She did chew it though and swallowed, taking a drink from her soda afterwords.

[mabs3]

Ethan was rather pleased with her reaction; she hadn't reacted in any way that told him what he was about to address wasn't a good idea. Actually, all things considered the reaction was good. His Leopard may have preferred submission or at least acknowledging what he was, but Ethan also reasoned there was no way she could know - it wasn't public knowledge after all.

"Okay, I won't tell you that."

"Tell me what?"

The Were asked with a raised eyebrow. Clearly from the scents she carried, something was off. And by god did Tabaco Smoke stink. Forcing down to urge to slap that cigarette away from her he leaned forward into his elbows and grinned.

"I know you're looking for a Bodyguard. At the cost of moving to my plot of land out in the woods, which offers seclusion, privacy and around the clock surveillance, you get a very large house with full services."

Of course he didn't plan to tell her the fact he could turn into a Leopard; that'd come later. For now he wanted to see if she'd consider his offer. Though true a loner by nature, the offer of taking a female as his to protect was all too tempting for the Feline; it'd also have the bonus of solidifying his claim to the land he had. He felt his Leopard agree with that, which was good. Though the pair where one in the same, it was nice when both sides could agree on something; they didn't argue of course but having to deal with the instinctual reflexes on a number of things did get a little tiresome at times.

The 24/7 Surveillance thing wasn't a lie either, barring a few circumstances. He patrolled his territory once in the morning and at night; and short of either having a status challenge or hunting, he could hang around her house from pretty much any angle due to his climbing skills.

[amaie]

"I won't tell you that I plan on ruining my figure with these works of culinary genius. I would be more worried about my pristine complexion. But then again... I won't be telling you that it doesn't seem to matter what I eat, i don't seem to loose or gain an ounce, and zits, never had one. And i also won't tell you, I'll eat whatever tickles my fancy." She said with a smirk, popping a french fry into her mouth. Then she hefted a giant sigh and snubbed cigarette. Of course she wouldn't know that it wouldn't help, that the butt would be just as stinky for hours to come.

She had just been getting to the man's assets when he mentioned the house. She was somewhat surprised that he had found her before she was ready to do an actual face to face interview, but she could pull together something, probably. "I bet you say that to all the pretty girls. asking them to move in five minutes after meeting them. Anyway... You look a bit young to be a bodyguard. Any formal training? marksmanship... martial arts? Oh, and the most important question, how's the internet out where you live?"

Amaie started taking smaller bites of her saucy delight of bread veggies and meat, alternating bites with the rest of her fries. She was listening attentively, ready to trash her add for bodyguard. When she finished her food, she started on her blizzard, one of the greatest inventions ever created. She preferred the one with mint and chocolate chips, thoush she had made them add cookie dough as well because she felt like being a real glutton today, and that was her favorite.

[mabs3]

Ethan chuckled at her reply; he'd only known her five minutes and she had gotten something out of him that wasn't condescending in any way; something very few managed to accomplish. His minor laughter died down but the smile didn't as he paused for several long moments.

"Touche. Consider yourself lucky; Acne can be a real pain."

He chuckled quietly before he tipped his head back. Could he tell her? Sure but not here. His idea of fighting was far different than she could probably imagine currently but that was no help in explaining NOW. He mulled it over for a few moments before replying;

"I do have training but not in any formal martial art. Actually what I can do isn't like any martial art in the world. To show you we'd have to go somewhere private, because quite frankly it'd be dangerous to do it here for everyone. I'm sure you get that a lot yourself but trust me when I say we'd have to go in an area devoid of others. I don't need a gun."

A half truth. While true there was the potential his Leopard could see everyone in the area as prey, he had just fed recently. More to the point though, if he DID shift, trying to cover it up would be very messy, though his tone through that entire reply had been serious; she would probably be able to tell he wasn't just trying to get he alone. He pursed his lips into a grin at the final bit.

"Trust me when I say it is in looks alone. Besides, aren't you a little young to be on your own and wanting a strange man to look after you?"

He chuckled, trying his hardest to ignore the Cigarette that STILL stunk to high heaven. Jesus he needed air. His Leopard rumbled at that in agreement but he couldn't do much. If he wanted this job he had to get her alone to show her.

"If you follow me behind the Mall for five minutes I promise you'll understand. And please, whatever you do, don't get freaked out, scream and run off. This isn't a rape attempt (trust me I'm WAY too classy) but what I will show you is going to frighten you. I need you to promise me you won't run or tell a soul."

He got to his feet and looked into her eyes, his face deadly serious. He needed her to promise before anything. He paused before adding.

"High Speed connection. Homes where built for rich people, I happen to own two."

[amaie]

raising an eyebrow she wondered why she would need a visual demonstration of his skills, and she wondered how he would do that, she was not up for being beaten up by her would be bodyguard. She would rather not see him drag someone into the deserted backside of the mall. Other than that, she couldn't think of why to be alone with the guy that she'd only known for about ten minutes. This could become a bad situation if her were some Psychokillerrapest. Yeah it was one word, all together one big ugly.

She wasn't one to get scared of being alone with someone, especially with the big lump of metal she was carrying in her bag. between him leaving and her meeting him she would make sure to move it from her bag and to the back of her plaid pants. She'd read the Anita Blake series, and she loved the heroin and the world wrapped around her. The Anita's favorite weapon was her Browning Hi-Power. That was the lump of metal that was just itching to be held and squeezed, and was in Amaie's old style military surplus messenger bag.

Amaie gestured vaguely with her spoon , dismissing his first comment about acne, and about her being too young to need a bodyguard, as well as his lack of formal training and spoke "Fine, fine. Lead the way." She would have to make the transfer when he turned a corner or something.she knew which pocket it was in, and it should be quick and easy to get it into position.

She stood and threw away her trash, including the half eaten blizzard, and the spoon she had gestured with. Going back to the table, she lit another cigarette and held it in her right hand. She was a leftie, and it felt weird to be holding her cigarette with her right hand, but she had to keep her left free so that she could have her gun ready when they got to a deserted part behind the mall.

[mabs3]

Ethan nodded softly and led the way; though he was utterly silent as he led her to small corner of the mall that was utterly empty; still under construction but the crew was off work, and the tape was expected to keep from entering. He ducked under it and lifted it up for her to pass under before he continued onwards, leading her through a corridor and into a half finished shop.

He looked at her and took a deep breath.

"I'm not human. I know you won't believe me for a few more seconds, but I'm not. That is why I want to be your bodyguard. I can protect you far more than a human ever could - I am faster, stronger, far more agile. When you move into the house you will be under my protection in my Territory. I am an Alpha of my kind and I will not let harm befall you."

He paused to let it sink in before he smiled as he began to shift. It looked painful, but he was that used to it that it didn't take him much longer than two minutes. Two more than he could guarantee she would stick around but he had to trust she would. Within no time where had once been a human now stood a mighty beast; on four great paws and coated in black fur (not really black, if you looked close spots could be seen) stood a 5'2 African Leopard.

The Leopard was thankful for being able to have a little control. It paced back and forth for several seconds before sitting on its haunches and licking one massive paw with a great tongue. It looked up at her to gauge her reaction, but otherwise didn't make any hostile movements; it could smell gunpowder mixed in with her scent. Several more long seconds passed before he approached her slowly, casually. Circled around her back and brushed his massive head against her side before settling back down to watch her once more.

[amaie]

She had followed Ethan, reading up about her gun, as he traversed the mall. The transfer went off without a hitch. She hadn't heard what he said, being distracted by the chill metal at the small of her back. At which point his words stopped mattering. She had been just about to conceal the butt of the gun with the end of her tank top when she felt the need to hold it again. He was writhing and bucking on the floor in a most disturbing, if not disgusting manner. Then she noticed that he was growing, and out of every pore in his body black hairs were sprouting.

This was beyond anything she'd experienced in real life. She'd watched so many movies about werewolves she thought that was what he had to be. Wishing she had silver bullets, she did grasp the big gun, and started up a HUD. Fifteen shots. That is what she had, if things got ugly. She was pretty sure though that her gun wouldn't save her life no matter if she emptied those fifteen shots into him or not. now THIS was why she needed a damned bodyguard. for just these situations. She didn't think she'd have been stepping in this big pile the first day she reached Jamerson Falls though.

In addition to the ammo counter she uploaded a rangefinder to her sight and aimed her gun at the quickly emerging feline. A large red area popped up to her when she aimed it at his head. A little of the red wasn't actually on him, but on the ground around him, showing the chance that she would miss. Slowly, she put pressure on the trigger. It didn't move. adding more pressure, still nothing. Then flashing across her mind was the thought of the safety. She turned the gun so that she could see the side of it and flipped the indicator until it showed red where it had once been. It was already too late though by that time. She had it aimed at his head once again and their eyes raised at the same time, meeting over the sleek black of the gun. He looked extremely dangerous. Not hostile, just terrifyingly dangerous.

She was sure she could have shot him when his eyes weren't on her. But now, with his predator's eyes on her, nothing. She wasn't quite weak in the knees, but her brain just wasn't giving her hand the signal to squeeze, even though her inner voice was screaming it. She was frozen in place though by those eyes, and the paws. She'd seen the size of her old tabby's claws when they were fully extended, but she imagined that with those paws, he'd probably manage footlong if not foot and a half long wicked scythes. That was the real thought going through her head as she whispered "What..... the...... F**k......"

[/blockquote]

[mabs3]

The Leopard looked back at her as she did he; fully aware of the weapon she was pointing at him. And yet, it also knew she wouldn't fire at him. She couldn't. But Ethan also knew he had to change back to calm her down - it wasn't something he could do a lot but he didn't have much choice. So he slowly began to shift back; taking a little longer than the first time, but it was still no trouble.

Ethan stood up from where he was kneeled and looked up at her, eyes locking on hers. It was the same predatory eyes as the Leopard but just enough humanity for it to be bearable. He took a few steps closer, keeping eye contact and ever so slowly lowered her gun, never breaking his gaze.

"I'm a Were. An Alpha. One of the larger, leader kinds. No, I'm obviously not a Werewolf. Werepanther to be exact. African Leopard; its where I come from."

He paused to let his words sink in.

"That is why I want the job. I'm far stronger than anyone who would wish to harm you. I cannot shift like that very much however, but I am still myself in there. I am not some mindless beast, I won't harm you. I have instincts, but I am sure you have had a feline in your home before, yes?"

He chuckled thinly at her face before he stepped back.

"If you accepted you would get better protection than any human could offer you. There are many more creatures in this town than myself. Vampires, obviously. Werewolves. But they're pack orientated, no good for protection. I need none but your services and I shall protect you as long as you stay in my territory, and as long as you wish me to."

He stopped talking now and put his hands in his pockets, well aware of what had just transpired. Instead of making anymore motions he leaned against a nearby wall, awaiting her response.

[amaie]

Amaie could handle this. Surely she could. She was an open minded type of person, and with psychics and vampires running about, why couldn't there be things such as werepanthers. Demons, Angels, Witches, Ghosts, Gargoyles, Goblins, Selkies, Kappa, Kitsune, Faeries, Dragons and who knew, maybe even Genies. Either way, it did seem like he wasn't going to kill her, so as he was changing back to his human form, She stowed the gun. It probably wouldn't have even helped if she had emptied the clip into his huge body, it would be like shooting a BB gun at a natural leopard.

Before he was done changing back, she had the chance to put as much of herself on the web as possible, and weigh her options, the pros and cons of having such a thing be her bodyguard. The daily possibility of it eating her, and more the probability of it eating anything that wanted to hurt her. She weighed the costs of getting him fully trained, in a dojo, and at a gun range, against it all and had decided to do it before he was on his feet. When he told her of being an Alpha of his race, there was no need to pause, she could process information faster than anyone she knew, it sinking in before he was actually done with his sentence. The name of her childhood cat was Dr. Fluffuddly, and she sifted through her memories of the hellion. The experiences weren't as pleasant as could be, but she wasn't good at handling anything living really.

When he popped the question, of becoming his guard, she bit her lower lip and nodded, flicking on the safety of her browning, and shoving it into her messenger bag."Deal. What about payment? How much per month will you need?" Paying really wasn't an issue. Her two companies could see to that. In a roundabout way of course to keep her identity hidden from all the people who hated Optical Toxin. "Also, I will need to check out the facilities before we sign a contract. I can cancel the reservation for my apartment and have my stuff delivered there instead if it looks good enough, and has proper cable and net connections." That was a must. High speed internet. from where she lived to the city, if she was going to live outside the city. there was no way she was going to get sliced from the net for any amount of time if she could help it.

[mabs3]

Ethan grinned at her reply, before he closed his eyes. He wouldn't need much - he hunted for food, had a river to drink from. Only clothes and the bills to pay would really be the issue and that wasn't much. After several long moments he nodded to himself.

"$350 will do me fine."

He smiled at her before he stepped closer, chuckling a little. The houses had been built for the Rich; closer to mansions than houses. They had everything one could ever need, from full internet to even the offer of a maid if needed.

"As I said, they where built for those with a lot of money. They have the full services you'd expect and more - so its actually better than what you'd get in town."

***

It was about twenty minutes drive from the Mall and about fifteen walking to the house; as he stepped over the invisible boundary that started his territory he made a quick check of everything. From all appearances nobody had snuck into his territory; his scent mark was still there, untouched. He smiled as he started along the trail that bordered the massive lake before they finally reached the house.



"Here it is. Its secluded - this was a holiday home when it was first built for privacy, thus you won't have anyone finding you here. And that trail is the only way in and out for people."

Ethan jogged up to the large heavy door and reached under the mat for the key - that wasn't there. Shit, he'd left it inside. Sighing a little he turned away. Damn it how could he leave it upstairs? Sure it was no issue for him but she couldn't climb or jump that high.

"I'm going to have to grab the key from inside. One moment."

Ethan stepped back and shifted; it took a little longer than previous but the massive Leopard ghosted past her and leapt up a nearby tree within two bounds; from there he stalked along one of the branches and cleared the gap to the balcony; from there he tensed and sprang up onto the roof and slipped in the open circular window that was the attic, though it was a tight fit.

Several moments later he appeared, padding down the roof and dropping onto the balcony before dropping the key from his jaws onto the step just in front of her before he too dropped down, landing as easily as one could imagine. Casually the feline padded up the stairs and to the front door, waiting.

[amaie]

Amaie silently shook her head at the pitiful amount that he thought keeping her alive was worth. Mentally she doubled the figure, and would make it a weekly check not a monthly one. All in all she would pay eight times the amount that he requested. It didn't really matter how much he requested, it would have been worth it. Plus it wasn't like she was going to have it come from her personal account or anything. one cent a week from seven hundred accounts could cover his expenses. Forwarding a five month bonus from her business account, through fifteen, ten second, temp accounts and then to his, she followed him to his car and got in.

There wasn't much conversation on the way there, just her offhand remark that she had forwarded him some money, and that she had just made a silent call through Sub-Hub to the local butcher and grocery stores in an attempt to completely fill the cupboards and refridgerator that she was sure that came with the house. He was speaking as if the place was fully loaded, so why figure that there wasn't a fridge, or perhaps two, Amaie had read once that most people who hunt keep two or three freezers, to keep their kills fresh for up to six months. If there was a second freezer, she'd have it packed half with pizza rolls and microwaved pizzas, and the other half with bison steaks, just in case Eathan stopped by.

Amaie wasn't the best cook in the world, but she could follow any recipe she could find perfectly. It didn't give it the homey love of a mother's or grandmother's cooking. It was a more professional looking and tasting, than anything family would throw together. It was great for company, but she didn't like taking the time to do it when there was so much else she could do, like heat up some pizza rolls and loaf around the house. or do homework, or a multitude of other things online. The last time she tried to cook while having a bunch of programs running in the back of her mind, she nearly sliced off the index finger of her right hand. That wasn't going to happen again, she'd matured a bit since then of course, and had better control over what she did in the real world while busy in the interwebz.

When the car stopped, and there was no house in sight, she arched a skewered eyebrow and tilted her head disapprovingly. He was going to make her hike. He didn't say exactly how far, but that it would take about fifteen minutes. She drug her feet and complained about the heat the whole way. She wasn't one for nature, and she realized that from the point the road went into the forest the internet connection was somewhat sketchy. There wasn't a reliable connection for the mile that stretched between the road and the house. That sucked, but while she was walking she pulled back on all but one thing, her research for Aoi. That could run reliably while she walked, but everything else was laggy. It could have been the trees, the mountain or just her discomfort that hurt her connection, or maybe all three, but as long as she could keep one thing going she should be able to deal with the walk twice a day. Maybe.

When she stepped out of the forest and looked at the house and scenery surrounding it, she smiled for the first time that they had left the car. It was an extremely nice view. It looked almost like a prefect background for a PC. She also noticed that when she stepped from the trees, and was closer to the lake, her internet was at full speed. It was actually faster than anywhere except the one time she had visited Yale. This would do, Nicely in fact. But now that her access was back, she decided that the walk would not do. She wanted to get through the near dead zone as fast as possible, and set an order for three ATVs. They weren't monsters or anything but they could get her back and forth without the whole walking thing involved each time. He spoke when she was calling, and she only caught the thing about the path being the only way in and out, but didn't comment because by the time she was done ordering the ATVs, he was in the middle of shifting to get the key to the house.

Looking at him dubiously, she bent and retrieved the key. She held it gingerly though, seeing as it was somewhat wet and she'd heard that people can be made into weres by a bite or scratch maybe. She didn't want to chance getting any more of his spit on her as neccisary. She liked herself just as she was and didn't want to change a thing. Not now, probably not ever. But she had to take a better grasp on the key to turn the lock, and quickly wiped her hand on her plaid pants before turning the knob and opening the door. Peeking inside, she made sure to put an email reminder into effect to ring her and remind her to retrieve the key when she found a box of tissue or paper towels or something. So after the brief glimpse she stepped inside and looked at her new residence.

[mabs3]

He didn't want to shift back yet; so instead he thought it best to save his energy and simply be her feline tour guide for now. The massive Leopard glided past her and padded around the permitter of the entrance hall; to her right was the opening to the Living Room, her left the Kitchen and in front of her was a massive staircase that split left and right at the top but both lead to the same hallway above them that contained the rooms. The Leopard thought it best to show her the Living area first; and so with a soft rumble, flicked his tail for her to follow and padded into the spacious area on the right.

It was a large room; probably three times the size of a regular household one and it took up nearly half one side of the house. The Leopard padded further in, looking around himself. It was far different to his own dwelling, when he used it. He allowed her to look around, awaiting conformation that she was done so he could lead her to the next note. As she looked around she'd spot a sticky note on the large mirror set into the wall above the fireplace.

"Hello Amaie;

If you are reading this then I am glad to have you here. If I am currently five feet tall and furry, Its because i've shifted too much to turn back human yet comfortably. Sorry about that :3

Thankyou,
Ethan."

Yes, that note had been written in advance, but it was better to do that than shift back to explain to her why he was staying Leopard. He padded further into the room, examining everything - entrances and exits, for when he had to get in or out in a hurry.

[amaie]

Amaie meandered behind the huge cat, checking out the house. She liked it.he was sure that she could find a good room upstairs to make her own, one with a view to look out over the lake while she played her MMO. The coneection at the house was sublime. There had to be some kind of relay station or tower on or near the property. After checking the common areas, she checked out the rooms upstairs, and did finally find the perfect room for her. The location was perfect, but the interior design was too rustic for her. She would have to change that within the month. She edited the furnature list that she had bought that day, to include only the bedroom set, and made her way back downstairs to her guardian. Okay, It's a deal. I'll have a contract and delivered to the mailbox by the end of the week. You wouldn't want to help me move in when the big truck gets here at the end of the week would you?"

She didn't wait for an anwser but instead left through the back door to check out the huge patio. She was looking for a hottub, of course there would be a hottub in a place like this. Distracted by the view, she didn't get to thoroughly search for the source that would be a comfort, instead she leaned on the railing and stared out over the lake, smiling. She set up a motion detecting program and had it put a red square around each source that would seem to be living, and saw that the lake, the sky above it and the forest beyond was teeming with life. Fish jumping, a V of geese flying over the lake, and even a deer taking a drink from the lake. Yeah a person, even one that liked the city as much as she did could get used to living in a place like this.