{Jon} Mornings Suck

The rays of the sun peeked through the blinds, shining on the face of the young panwere. Her eyes slowly opened before squinting at the light. Instinctively, she turned away with a groan. While she enjoyed the daylight, Ruby didn't fancy when it was in her eyes. Throwing the covers off of her, the female sat up and ran a hand through her hair, sighing heavily. She hated mornings. The only good part about them was breakfast and even that wasn't great. She sat for a moment before swinging her legs over and pushing up off of the bed.

Opening the closet, leopard eyes, mingled with those of a tiger, glanced around. She needed to find something to wear. Deciding on a baby-blue spaghetti strap tank, she figured jeans would be her next bet. Without a thought, she pulled out a pair of faded blue jeans, ripped at the knees. Her favorite pair. It was a good thing that they got washed often enough. Sitting back down, she pulled the pants over her feet and up her legs. Standing, she tugged them up before zipping and buttoning them, running her hands over her thighs. Grabbing a nude, strapless bra, Ruby clasped it before pulling on the baby blue top. Looking over her reflection in the full length mirror she smiled in satisfaction before making her way to the kitchen.

Grabbing a cup, she poured herself some coffee before sitting down at the table. It was a quiet morning. She wasn't sure where everyone was or what they were doing. After a moment, she felt power radiate nearby and knew the the Raj was approaching.

Jon was still mostly asleep when the smell of coffee hit his nose. It was a good thing one of the other pard members knew him well enough to set the timer otherwise he'd be glaring at it every morning wondering why in the hell it was taking it so long to give him a cup of coffee.Yawning he stretched out not noticing till that moment that he had been cuddled up to something. Blinking he looked at the overly sized stuff leopard wondering what was going on. It hadn't been in bed with him before he passed out and he was pretty sure no one in the pard house even owned a stuffed animal.

When a name and a face rose up in his mind he muttered to himself about overly cheerful bodyguards. Forcing his legs over the side of the bed he made himself stand up and get dressed while day dreaming about painting someone's car a pretty pink color. He wasn't stupid enough to think that no pictures had been taken over the night. Yawing he scrubbed at his face making his way to the kitchen where he could sense Ruby. His inner leopard hissed a little at the feel of Tiger but a light mental smack dealt with that problem. It was way to early to deal with a grumpy kitten.

He ruffled Ruby's red hair as he passed by her on the way to the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup adding tons of sugar and some milk before plopping into the chair across from the panwere. He mentally snorted at the thought. He'd never thought he'd run into a panwere much less have one in his pard. It did remind him he needed to make some plans for the kid though."What's up buttercup?"

Ruby had already made sure that Jon's favorite coffee cup was out and ready for him before he appeared. She scowled slightly as he ruffled her hair before raising a hand to attempt to smoothe it again. She shook her head slightly, knowing that only a brush or comb would fix the thing. At that thought, she huffed slightly, though a small smile came to her lips. She had to admit that Jon was probably the most easy-going leader she would ever meet. And for that, she was grateful. Being a part of his Pard made things a little simpler, even with the tiger within her.

At his question she arched a brow at him and looked up to her hair. "I think my hair is up no thanks to you," she said, her tone teasing as she took a sip of her coffee. With her free hand, she rubbed the back of her neck, working out any kinks that had formed over the night. She could sense his slight irritability when she recalled what she'd been told. "I take it you woke up cudded with a leopard." Yes, the red head had been informed at some point in the middle of the night as to what the bodyguards had been up to. She was too tired to really care at the time.

He carefully sipped the hot liquid not really paying any mind to the the slight huff that came his way as Ruby attempted to put her hair back the way it had been before he had messed with it. Chicks and their hair, it was like one of the mysteries of life. And another reason he preferred guys. It was harder to find a guy that miffed it you messed with his hair. He did pause when he heard Ruby speak again.


Lifting hazel eyes that were still trying to focus he arched an eyebrow. "You were in on that huh?" He leaned back setting the coffee cup on the table. "Guess that means you get the pay back to then." A slightly wicked smirk crawled across his face as he looked at the kitten across from him. It figured the whole pard would be in on something like that. He yawned once more then smacked himself lightly on the face in an attempt to make himself stop. "So what are your plans for today anyhow?"

Leaning forward he grabbed up the cup for another long drink slumping over to one side as he rested a hand on the table.He really wanted something to eat now but didn't want to bother getting up. It could wait for a moment while he drank his coffee at least.He idly wondered if he could get a name out of Ruby, he wanted to know who it was that slipped the toy into his bed. If nothing else he could just go back and take a long sniff. He'd figure it out that way if nothing else.

Ruby laughed slightly and shook her head. "Not this one. One of the guys came in my room to tell me what they did. I'm not really sure what I said after that," she said, shrugging slightly. Part of her was thinking about putting a lock on her door, not exactly fond of people walking in to walk about pranks. Hell, what if she had someone in there with her? That would have been down right embarrassing. Thank goodness she didn't fancy anyone in the Pard that way.

His next question caused her lips to purse in thought. If that wasn't the question of the day, she wasn't quite sure what was. "I'm not really sure actually. My next training session with Mei isn't for another day or so. Today is pretty much empty. Need to tidy up my room and do some training, but otherwise there's nothing," she said, leaning back in her chair. She was glad that she'd gotten to Gavin before the streak had picked her up. While she missed the old Raj terribly, she was comfortable around Jon.

Folding her right leg over her left, she looked out the window to see some of the leopards already out and training. She shook her head slightly, having no idea how they could do so much so early.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and tilted his head back. She didn't smell like she was telling a lie but she still hadn't given him any warning. He groused to himself knowing it was just wounded pride and knowing he probably wasn't going to toss the thing. It was kind of nice to wake up curled up around something. It'd been awhile since his last boyfriend and the effects were starting to show in the affectionate Raj.

Sighing he nodded at Ruby when she mentioned that she didn't have any training with the tiger.It had been an slightly awkward thing for him to have to ask help from the Chang but he knew this wasn't something he was going to be able to help Ruby though himself. Best to just grin and bare it. Least he wasn't the one that had two different cats living it up inside of him.

Eyes drifted to the window and he grinned at the sight of the leopards already training. He knew how that was going to end. Someone would start a game of tag and then the training would go out of the window. He knew his kittens well enough to know that.Groaning slightly he stood up and stretched out. "I should make something to eat." He nodded to the window, "Any of those fool eat anything yet?"

Ruby's gaze remained outside until the Raj asked if they ate anything. "Not that I'm aware of. They seem to enjoy being up early for some crazy reason," she stated, shrugging slightly. Looking at the male she spoke softly. "You want some help cooking? I hear I'm an expert with a toaster," she said, a grin on her face. That was about all she was an expert with when it came to cooking appliances.

Standing up, she stretched and took her now empty cup to the sink. She would take care of the dishes in the afternoon. After all the boys ate. She knew how they could be and being one of the only girls in this Pard made her feel like she should do more. Especially since she wasn't always around, much of her time being spent training with Mei.

He glanced out of the window once more before shrugging. Even if they had eaten before going to work out he was sure they'd want to eat again. If only to replace everything they were loosing out there. He dug though stuff pulling out a frying pan before glancing over at the red head. "So long as you don't burn water or something I think I can handle a helper." He grinned before placing the item in his hands onto the stove.

"Grab some stuff from the fridge for me..I need eggs, bacon, cheese.." He paused unsure if they would need anything else on top of that. "Might as well grab the sausage too." After grabbing up a can of cooking oil he covered the pain and turned the heat on. Keeping a close eye on the pan he half turned his head to keep talking to Ruby as she fetched the stuff for him.

"How is training going with Mei anyhow?" He got updates from a source that Ruby didn't know about but wanted to hear what she would say. He leaned a hip against the counter next to the stove waiting while watching the pan warm up.He blinked after a moment and glanced back to Ruby before holding his hands out for the stuff that Ruby was carrying.

Ruby lifted up her right hand in a form of swearing an oath before laughing slightly. Shaking her head slightly, the panwere debated opening a window before deciding against it. She was sure that the members of the Pard would be able to smell the food anyways, but there was no reason for them to come in until it was done. Part of her wanted to lock the doors, but she knew that they were strong enough to break them down. Reinforced doors were something to look into.

Moving to the fridge, Ruby began to rifle through things until she found the items being asked for. Eggs...Bacon....Cheese...Sausage. She placed everything on the island and looked around the fridge to see if there was anything else they might need. Milk...That could come later though. No need for it to get all warm and taste gross. Shutting the fridge, she picked everything up and placed it all on the counter beside the stove.

At his question, she shrugged slighlty. "They're going alright I suppose. She's been a big help. Since I'm able to actually somewhat control the tiger now. Thankfully my leopard still remains dominant and as long as I keep up training with the leopards, it should stay that way," the female said. That was what she hoped and currently what she believed.

Once Ruby started bringing him the for-mentioned eggs, bacon and cheese he started tossing everything into the just barely warmed up frying pan. He gave most of attention to what was no currently cooking but nodded every so often at Ruby. Not that he wasn't paying attention to what the panwere was saying he just didn't want to burn anything down was all. He turned down the temp then scrubbed at his face before facing Ruby.

"So everything is going ok then?" He was slightly happy to know that Ruby's leopard was still dominant over the tiger. He was sure the Streak didn't care one way or another considering that not only was Ruby infected with Tiger but it wasn't her first strand? He could see the bigots in the group having a problem with that. Of course if any of them had issued with Ruby being there the Nimir-raj would gladly have words to exchange with the group.

Ruby moved to lean her back against the counter, arms folding over her chest. "Yeah, I guess that's the way to put it." Turning her head slightly, the panwere released a feline-like yawn and licked her lips. She was beyond tired for some reason. She was going to attribute it to the fact that she'd been woken up to be told that a prank had been pulled on the Raj. She hated being woken up unless it was for something extremely important. And by that she meant life threatening or worse. Not that there was much that could be worse than death.

Releasing a sigh, she tilted her head at the leopards working out. "I don't know how they do it. I mean, it seems like every single time I wake up, they're out there. It seems to be nonstop." The female couldn't believe the stamina they seemed to have. Sure, she had a decent amount herself, but it didn't last as long as theirs seemed to.

Spotting the yawn Jon gave a nod and glanced behind himself to keep an eye on the food cooking. He'd learn long ago if he was making food he was making enough for an army to eat. Shifters could put away the food, even the smaller cats ate twice what a human would. He stirred the eggs around trying to not give into the urge to eat any of it while it was still cooking.

Once he knew that the cooking was pretty much over with he turned down the heat and opened the window. The smell ought to make the rest of the cats wander inside. It looked like they were mostly done with training at that point anyhow. Looking back at Ruby he pointed at where the plates and stuff were stored. "Would you grab a handful of stuff. I'm sure they'll want to dig in as soon as they clear the door way."

Hearing his request, she moved and grabbed the plates and other needed items. She set them on the table and quickly moved to get her own food before the crowd rushed in. She knew that they weren't fond of her being a panwere and often times she found herself on the opposite end of pranks. She didn't fancy it, but she didn't complain. Chances were if she didn't grab food before they got in, she wouldn't have time to get any. And that wouldn't settle well with the young woman.

She turned eyes to look out the window and noticed that much of the training had stopped, the Pard members sniffing the air. She moved backwards as she saw some of the boys heading in. She sighed slightly and glanced around, knowing that it was best if she stayed out of their way. Glancing to Jon, she spoke again. "You know, I don't think they're okay with me...Having tiger in me and all," she said quietly.

He moved out of the way letting Ruby grab something to eat before the rest of the kittens rushed in and made the rest disappear. He had grabbed a piece of bacon when he noticed that Ruby's level of unease rose as the group moved closer and closer to the house. He blinked confused for a moment by what she was saying before it sank in.

He growled slightly eyes darting back and forth from the groups seconds away from entering and the panwere. "I didn't know you were getting guff." He shook his head and pointed at the table telling her without words to have a seat. When the group entered they headed straight towards the food just like he had figured they would. They didn't get very far before a rush of power was sent their way.


The Beta's instantly looked down while his Alpha's tensed and looked confused. Had he known there was a problem with people accepting Ruby's tiger he would have put his foot down a lot sooner. "Anyone here got an issue with Ruby having two cats? Talk to me. I hear anyone so much as bothers her about something she can't control is gonna have to deal with me." His eyes moved from one cat to another enforcing his words with the power that was moving though the air lightly. Everyone nodded at the same time so Jon pushed away from the stove. "Good. Now eat." He made his way back to the kitchen table his coffee in his hand yet again as he sat across from Ruby.

She heard his growl and looked to him, unsure of what was upsetting him. His words however made her realize that she probably shouldn't have opened her mouth. Seeing his pint, she moved silently and took a seat, poking at the food with her fork. She hadn't wanted to stir up any trouble, but knew that if she tried to tell Jon that he wouldn't accept it. If she was having issues with the others, he would take care of it. She knew that he wasn't thrilled that she had tiger in her, but he had accepted it nonetheless. He'd done what any good leader would do and got her help from a local tiger who could train her. For that she couldn't thank him enough.

She felt the power and shivered slightly, thankful that it wasn't directed at her. Despite that, she lowered her eyes, not wanting to risk anything. Internally her leopard rolled over while the tiger lowered it's head, looking curious. Part of her felt like smiling as he stood up for her, but instead her face remained blank. She watched as everyone nodded and allowed her gaze to follow Jon as he sat across from her. After a moment, she gave him a small, somewhat grateful smile. With her eyes, she thanked him.

Even though he was the leader he wasn't an unfair leader so that whole thing could have gone off with someone getting hurt. He waved off the look of thanks from Ruby. He would have done it for any of his cats really. Just because Ruby was a tiger too didn't mean she should get about a problems from the people who could be considered family.


As he sipped his drink he let his eyes wander around the kitchen before he just froze a moment and darted his eyes over to Ruby. "It was Dom wasn't it?" He made a face knowing that he wasn't come across very clearly. "With the whole stuffed animal in my bed thing." He started growling under his breath about the pranking midget.

Ruby noticed the wave and went back to eating her food. She was thankful when the Pard members wandered off to eat. Despite their reactions to Jon's words, she knew they weren't comfortable around her. And currently, that was fine with her. As she finished her food, she stood up to get another cup of coffee. She sighed slightly as her eyes spared a glance out the window.

Hearing Jon's question, she turned and looked confused. She wasn't sure what he was asking until he added the part about his morning surprise. A small smile came to her lips and she laughed a little bit. "I'm not positive, but if I had to guess I would place all my money on him," she said, wondering just where the male mentioned was. He hadn't come in for food and she hadn't spotted him yet this morning. She moved to sit beside Jon, not wanting to talk too loud, having a headache herself.

((invading on invite rawr))

He couldn't believe how busy he'd been that morning. First he'd had to get the pictures he'd taken last night developed, Jon was such a cutie when he snuggled stuffed animals, then he'd uploaded a seperate set on to his blog. Lastly he had nipped in to the city center to run some personal errands and it was all done with very little sleep. Admittedly he was used to the lack of sleep but there was always a point where you felt drained and just needed a darn good rest. Despite his tiredness the ever present smile stayed on his face as he made his way back to Jeffreys House, the home of the local leopards.

As he made his way up the drive he could smell the food wafting from the kitchen and picked up his pace. Here was hoping his Raj had cooked, the guy could cook a mean breakfast and hopefully he wouldn't be too late to grab at least one plate. With those kittens though, you honestly never knew if you could get food unless you were one of the first there. Opening the door quietly, the short male made his way inside gracefully and stashed the photographs in the photo album before padding silently to the kitchen. There was no point rushing now, they knew he was there and he would either get food or he wouldn't. He could always cook more.

Entering the kitchen the prankster let out a soft breath, there was still food there and without a moments hesitation he was filling up a plate as high as he could. Satisfied with the amount, Dom poured himself a coffee, humming softly and dancing slightly as he went before sitting down at the table near Jon. He wasn't too close just incase Jon decided to take a swing, he must have figured out that Dom was behind the prank by now, but he was still close enough to guard the Raj's body if he was needed. Through a mouth full of bacon came a muffled greeting, followed by a sip of coffee that hid the smile but showed off his eyes that were shining in amusement. He was anticipating Jon's reaction for pure entertainment purposes.

"Goooooood morning everyone."

He felt his eyes narrowing over the rim of the coffee cup. He would bet his favorite cd that the guy was behind it. The really good pranks always seemed to be Dom's. If he wasn't laughing at half the stuff his bodyguard did he'd have killed the guy as soon as he rolled into town. He sensed Dominic a moment before he showed up. Speak of the devil and he appeared.


He hissed slightly at the other male cat before sticking his tongue out. "Where have you been buttercup? Keeping outta trouble I hope." He leaned back in his chair bumping his shoulder against Ruby's as she sat down next to him. He'd keep a watchful eye out for anyone that might be bothering Ruby still. It wasn't something he would put up with in his pard. He'd been here long enough that they should know that.

"I owe you for that stuffed animal thing. I know it was you so don't even lie ta me." He swallowed the rest of his coffee before relaxing just a little bit more. "I got something I want you to look into for me too.. I'll tell you about it later." He gave a look that told Dom that is was pard business and not a way to get him alone and cornered so he could hit the cat.

Ruby smiled slightly as Jon bumped his shoulder against hers. She watched Dom with amused eyes, having no doubt that payback would be dealt later. She was glad that she was a member of a Pard that could joke around and be serious. It would be unhealthy if there was no laughing or humor in the mix. She shook her head slightly as she watched the male position himself out of Jon's reach, yet still close. She couldn't help but hide a laugh behind her hand.

She heard Jon say that he had to talk to Dom later and, while her gaze looked curious, she said nothing. It was business that they could handle on their own. If they needed the other members, they knew how to get ahold of them. Hell, they all lived here so it wasn't like it was that much of a challenge to find each other. Shaking her head she spoke at last. "Where have you been all morning trouble," she asked, her gaze on Dominic.

Still digging in to his breakfast, Dom listened carefully as his Raj spoke. What was this misconception that people had? He would never cause any kind of trouble, never in a million years. Feigning a look of hurt with a piece of bacon hanging from the side of his mouth, Dom spoke in a soft, tear filled tone that was directed at both Jon and Ruby.

"That is so unfair, when have i ever caused trouble? I'm as innocent as a new born baby thank you very much and if you want proof i have been taking care of some personal errands."

Waggling his fork at Ruby in a playful manner, he gave her a cheeky wink before speaking again in a teasing tone.

"It's nice to know you take an interest in my whereabouts kitten, don't let jealousy overtake you though. I may be a ladies man but i need a little kitty to cuddle up to at night myself you know. Don't think Jon is going to be left with all the fun. Not a chance."

He loved to mess with Ruby, just to get a reaction out of her. Usually it was a blush but sometimes he got hit. Turning back to Jon he nodded and sipped his coffee. His boss had work for him, genuine work, not just an excuse to get him alone and hit him. If Jon wanted it done then he could and would do it. Dom wasn't one to joke around or be lazy when it came to his work, it was important to him, just as the Pard was important.

"You got it boss man, just let me know what you need and it's yours."

Hearing Dom mouth off he leaned forward bracing one arm along the table and gesturing between himself and Dom. "I think we have different ideas about the word trouble then. Dying someone's hair blonde is causing trouble. Moving my car and parking it down the block so I panic is trouble. Your freaking walking trouble and you know it."

He grinned meaning that in the best way possible. He let Dom flirt with Ruby knowing she would most likely blush at the attention. Smirking he leaned back and sipped his coffee. "Swear to god Dom. I find pictures I'm going to make you scrub the house top to bottom.. with your own toothbrush." He grinned again before moving onto the other business. He pulled a card out of his pocket and slide it over to his bodyguard. "Find out everything you can about this kid would you?" He looked awkward for a moment rubbing at the back of his neck.

"You'll find out eventually so I might as well tell ya.." He glanced from Dom to Ruby, "Both of you. I manged to mark someone as my mate." He nodded to the card. "I need to know where he came from and what kind of person he is." He picked up his cup of coffee waiting to see why they thought of him marking someone, it'd been awhile since his last steady and everyone knew to tip toe away from that subject.

Dom's words caused her eyes to lower as her cheeks flushed crimson, nearly the color of her hair. She loved when he flirted, but hated how much it affected her. Especially when she didn't know what he really thought of her. That part irked her a little, but she wasn't going to let it bother her that much. At least, she was going to try to make it so it wouldn't affect her. Glancing up, she simply smiled at Dom and shook her head slightly.

She couldn't help but smirk as Jon said pictures would result in him washing the house with his toothbrush. Despite enjoying pranks, she was glad that she didn't get crazy with them like Dom did. However, it did make everything around here a lot more interesting and that was always a plus. For being a leader, Jon was fairly reasonable and always listened to concerns of his Pard. Her eyes narrowed slightly as a card was passed over before she turned her eyes to the Raj.

Hearing that he'd marked someone as his mate caused her eyes to widen slightly. Her mouth opened and then closed, unsure what to say. "Um...what...What's his name," she asked. Aside from that basic question, she was speechless. The Raj and relationships concerning him were normally avoided. At least, as far as she knew they were.

Dom grinned as he saw Ruby's reaction to his mild flirting, well, it was mild for him anyway. She was nearly as red as her hair and he loved it when he made her do that, she looked really cute and whilst she may have thought nothing of it, Dom himself was happy for any reaction. The rest of the pard had even noticed that he flirted more and pulled more pranks when Ruby was around. Turning to Jon, grin still in place, the clouded leopard shook his head and laughed.

"How is it my fault if you can't read the label on your shampoo? The car thing as well. Your memory is going in your old age buddy, not my fault if you forget where you park. Get one of those bleepy things so next time you can follow the bleeps."

Hearing the threat, Dom's grin grew in size and he waggled his eyebrows once, excited. That face could only mean one thing, he had just layed down a silent pranking challenge to his Raj to see who could pull the best prank on any member of the pard. It would be fun. Taking the card that Jon had slid over he studied it for a moment before his head shot up at Jon's news. The look on the smaller mans face was pure unadulterated shock but it soon turned back in to what looked like his normal smile, only the tightening of his eyes giving away his seriousness.

"You want me to look for anything specific? Anything you might think you'll need? I mean it's a big step boss, you don't even know this kid and he could be anyone."

Dom's protective side was kicking in and whilst he knew he couldn't actually protect his Raj from this, he wanted to. Instead he would have to content himself with finding out as much as possible and keeping a damned close eye on the brat. Eating a little faster he opted to let Jon answer the questions about his new mate from both himself and Ruby whilst he thought of the best way to get information on this.....Devon Blaire.

A small smile appeared on his face at the silent contest. His mind was already thinking about his other Bodyguard-Adam. He was the picture of a body guard. Big, bad, bike riding and a closet opera lover. Of course only he knew that list bit but it was still something he could work with. It'd be awhile since he had really had the time to prank someone so he'd have to make sure this was going to be a good one. He nodded at Dom his attention going to his coffee.Which needed to be refilled.

Sighing he stood up and wandered to the coffee pot Pouring himself another cup before he heard the question. Sighing he twisted putting the counter behind his back and raising the cup to his lips. "Devon." By now Dominic would have glanced at the card so he would know the name as well. "Devon Blaire.. ran into him in town. Thought he was a spy. Turns he wasn't."

He offered a one shouldered shrug to Dom."Honestly as much as you can. Be sneaky about it though. Don't want him to know I'm poking around. I get the idea he knows nothing about how a normal pard runs. Didn't even know how to greet me or anything." He had been expecting that once Devon got over being annoyed at being man handled but no greeting came so he took the matter into his own hands.