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“We're approaching land, captain!” High up in the crow's nest of the ship, the dridder woman called down, looking ahead through a telescope. It'd been as predicted, about a week on the open water. But, sure enough, their destination was fast approaching.
“Right then!” The captain nodded, standing on Evary's shoulder as he stood before the crew. “I've made a decision. Every one of you's done a fine job on my ship. You've done what you were tasked with, when you were tasked with it, and how you were intended to do it. I couldn't ask for more... so, as a reward we'll be spending the next week in town. You're free to do as you please, so long as you don't cause trouble.” She announced to the lot of them, arms crossed as she spoke. “By all means, get a nice room at an inn, have a feast, see a show. Just be sure to behave yourselves, and be back on this ship in exactly one week. That is all, prepare for docking.” With that, she jumped down from Evary's shoulder to the ground, making her way for the lower hold of the ship. He'd take care of any final preps, and she'd alert their guests.
Making her way down the stairs, she stepped inside, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. Just once, she wished she could step down here and see the two in a normal predicament. “... Mister Maxwell, exactly what are you doing?” She asked, her ears pinned back in mild annoyance.
The young man looked back at the captain, upside down from his angle with his blonde hair swaying along with him. “Um... cleaning?” The boy hung from a rig of ropes on the side of the wall, a small sponge and water bucket discarded on the floor far bellow. A rope around his waist kept him from plummeting along with them, though he didn't appear to be making any progress in freeing himself, or in his task.
“... And Miss Fernpad?” The captain arched a brow, looking over at the tigertaur laying on her bed.
She shrugged, looking at the human with an amused expression. “He insisted he didn't need any help. I'd be more than happy to give him a hand, but he's got it apparently. Least, that's what he told me a few minutes ago.” She looked like she was holding back her laughter, just waiting for her smaller friend to admit defeat and ask for help.
He glared at her for a moment, going back to his efforts at freeing himself. “Because I don't need help, I can get myself free.” He said simply, fumbling with the knot... and cursing quietly when he realized he only managed to make the knot tighter.
“... Well, if you don't get yourself down soon I'm afraid you'll be stuck here when we hit port.” The captain said simply. “Miss Fernpad, help him down and prepare yourselves. We'll be staying in town for a week, so be sure to be back at the ship once the week's over with. I don't think I need to tell you two to stay out of trouble.” She added, waving a hand and turning to leave.
“O-Oh, we're close to land already?” Maxwell asked, letting himself fall again so he could look at the captain. “And we're staying in town for a week?”
“I've already got you as an in training cabin boy, I don't need you playing the roll of parrot, too.” Jean turned around, smirking at the human with a light chuckle. “Get yourself down one way or another, I imagine it'll only be another half an hour before we're docked.”
Smiling, he nodded and put a hand to his forehead. “Yes captain!”
She simply nodded in response, turning and leaving while shaking her head. Maybe the two would be more normal when they were on land.
Getting back to his knot in an attempt to free himself, he jumped slightly when something soft and warm was lightly pressed to his back. Looking back, he saw Marigold smiling down at him, her hand having come up beneath him. “Come on now, let's stop fooling around. I can't wait to get my paws back on dry land! No more of this rocking back and forth.” Looking at his predicament, she hummed to herself. “Oh... why do yo have to use such tiny rope?” She wondered allowed.
He huffed, laying back in her hand and crossing his arms, admitting defeat. “Tiny? To you maybe, if I tried using rope your size I'd hardly be able to move.” He retorted, a bit miffed. He honestly thought he could manage to free himself. If he couldn't even get a simple job done like scrubbing scattered soil off the wall by himself, how was he supposed to prove his usefulness on the ship?
Marigold continued to think about how to free her tiny friend, tapping her chin with a finger while one ear laid to it's side in thought. “Oh... well, you've got plenty of spare rope I suppose. I'm not sure we'll be getting you down any other way.” She said, seeming to give up. Leaning forward, she opened her mouth and turned sideways, biting down on the rope just a bit above him. Pulling back, she smiled. “There! Free as a bird!” She said proudly... though frowned when the small weight of the human no longer rested in her hand. Looking down to check where he'd gone, she blushed in embarrassment. The rope being so tiny, she hadn't immediately noticed one end had gotten stuck in her teeth... the end tied to him. So, there was the human, tangling from her mouth by a rope around his waist, upside down and arms crossed.
“... Not gonna need me to get that out of your teeth too, are you?” Maxwell teased up at her, arms still crossed as he smirked at the pantaur.
Her face reddened even further, looking away for a moment. Bringing her hand back up beneath him, she used her other hand to pluck the tiny rope from between her teeth, letting him lay in her palm for certain this time. “I thought we wouldn't bring that up.” She said simply.
Seeing her reaction, the blonde boy sat up in her hand and patted the palm beneath him. “I-I'm sorry, it was just supposed to be a joke. I didn't really think you'd... you know... I-I was just, erm, I-I'm sorry-eep!” He was cut off in his apologetic rambling as something large, soft, and wet ran across his front. Looking up at her, his sorry expression changed to a smirk, seeing the tigertaur's large face smiling and her tongue sticking out.
“I know you were just teasing. Sorry, just trying to get a rise out of you.” She told him, giggling a bit and ruffling his hair with a finger.
After taking a moment to dry off her little human friend, she set Maxwell on her shoulder and started up the steps to get back up onto deck. Maxwell stood on her shoulder, a hand gripping the collar of her shirt just to be sure with his wobbly legged ride. Once they were up onto deck, he took a whiff of the sea air, smiling to himself. “Much as I'm glad to be bunking with you Marigold, I love the smell of the sea out here... it's just nice.”
She smiled sheepishly in response, shrugging her free shoulder. “Eh, I suppose for you. Bit strong for my taste, but I suppose there's an appeal to it.”
“Of course there's an appeal, why else would we commit our lives to sailing?” The voice of the captain asked behind them. Approaching the two was Mister Evary, their inu captain perched on the silver haired neko's shoulder. He hardly seemed to pay the two any mind, though Maxwell could still feel a sort of... aura... coming off of the neko. An aura aimed at him, and none too friendly, despite hardly sparing him a word or glance. “There's the town up ahead. Or, at least the port.” The captain pointed out ahead. “The town itself is a short walk away and not so close to the sea.”
Indeed, what seemed to be approaching was hardly big enough to be classified as any sort of town. There were a handful of buildings, and plenty of individuals seen coming and going, but hardly big enough for a town. From what was visible at this distance, most of the individuals seemed to be nekos. A small difference from the more mix matched town they'd left a week prior.
“So we'll be staying in that town then? … Any chance of human sized accommodations... er, Captain?” Maxwell asked, turning to face the inu on the neighboring shoulder.
“No. This town is primarily neko inhabited, and neko founded. You'll be hard pressed to find an inu or naga, let alone anything human.” Evary spoke up first, looking ahead at the port rather than the human he was answering.
Maxwell simply nodded, remaining silent and looking ahead, opting to sit rather than stand now. Everyone else on the ship, at least the crew members he'd met so far, were all fairly nice and accommodating for a band of pirates. He knew a few names, and was on generally friendly terms with most of the crew. Captain included. So why was Evary so cold to him? Had he unintentionally offended him maybe? … Did he still think ill of the human on account of him stowing away on their ship? It wasn't his intention, and he didn't plan on causing trouble. Before he could dwell on it longer, he felt something nudge his shoulder. Looking over, he saw Marigold offering him a smile, her finger up towards him and having tapped his shoulder. He smiled back, placing a hand on her finger. She must have caught his reaction.
This was it though, a fully giant town. Sure he was used to the crew at this point, but an entire town? … And of Evary's kind? He couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. Looking over at his four legged friend, he noticed some sort of reaction on her face as well. As though something unfortunate had crossed her mind. “... Mari? You alright?”
She seemed to snap to, looking down at him for a moment before smiling and nodding, waving a hand. “O-Oh! … Oh, yeah yeah, I'm fine. Not uh... not much for towns though, so maybe we could just rent a room for the week or something. Maybe see some local entertainment.” She said, shrugging her free shoulder again.
He frowned, not quite buying that she was alright. She seemed so excited to get on land, but now she was saying she wanted to stay in her room most of the stay? That didn't make much sense... Still, he let it slide. For all he knew it was nothing. Just him over-thinking things.
Another few minutes went by, and the ship soon docked at port. Evary and the captain oversaw the crew as they filed off the ship, carrying a few supplies with the intent of selling. Once they were all off, all that was left was Marigold. Of course she first made certain her friend had a good hold of her shirt, but the moment she had a chance, the tigertaur practically bounded off the ship, laying on her stomach the second she was on the ground. “Haha! Land! Oh, how I've missed you! … Oh, I just realize, there may be some interesting plant life nearby...” All at once her excitement seemed to turn into nervousness. Standing back up, she cleared her throat. “Though, I don't think it's anything too major. I could probably find a variant wherever we land next.”
Maxwell was already excited about being able to help her with a new plant project after she'd mentioned it. Hearing her final comment though as she stood up, he frowned. Something was definitely bothering his friend... Sighing, he turned around, seeing Evary and the captain approaching. “So um... we're just free then? To do whatever?”
“That's what the captain said.” Evary said simply. “We've business to deal with considering our last job. If you need anything you're on your own, we'll be unavailable for the week.”
“Enjoy yourselves though!” The captain added, looking at Evary with a cross expression. “Eat, drink, be merry! Get drunk and sing in the middle of the street!” She joked, chuckling as she sat herself comfortably on her first mate's shoulder, the neko walking past the two and towards town.
“Heh, r-right, that's what we need. More booze.” Marigold said, laughing a bit as she followed a distance behind them. She seemed fairly eager to get into town... or, was it just eager to get a room?

Before the hour was up, the tigertaur had managed to secure a room at an inn in the middle of town. She'd made a comment about how it was as far from the surrounding forest as she could manage. Flopping down on the bed, a quiet stream of purrs came from Marigold's throat, sighing contentedly. “It's so nice to have a real bed, and not some makeshift pile of sheets and pillows.” She said, rolling onto her back when she felt Maxwell climb off of her shoulder. Giggling slightly, she looked at him upside down, paws sticking in the air. “Though, I suppose with you just sleeping on the pillow, it's not terribly different for you.”
“Heh, yeah...” Sitting on the pillow of the nice inn bed, Maxwell, pondered a moment before sighing himself. Though, his was not one of contentedness. “Hey, Marigold? … What's bugging you?” He asked her, a touch of concern in his voice. “Ever since we talked to Evary on the ship, you've seemed kind of... on edge.” He scooted back a couple inches as she rolled back onto her stomach, sitting up slightly. “... Does he make you nervous too? … Is there something in the forest you're worried about, like an animal or something? … What's going on?”
Her face reddened a bit, her front paws crossing over one another over and over, seeming to be something akin to twiddling thumbs for pantaurs. “... I-It's... it's embarrassing...” She said quietly, ears flat on her head.
Pausing a moment, Elliot smiled, waving his hands. “Oh... th-then, you don't have to talk about it. No big deal-”
“No no, I... I mean, it's dumb, I shouldn't have to keep it a secret...” She said, waving a hand of her own. Sighing, she looked down at him, a serious frown on her face. “Just promise not to laugh, ok?”
“I promise, Marigold.” He smiled up at her, nodding and putting a hand to his heart.
She sighed and nodded, seeming to ready herself. “... I'mafraidofcatnip.” She said quickly, looking away.
The human paused, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. “You're... you're what?”
“I'm... I-I'm afraid...” She took a breath, shaking her head and shutting her eyes. “I'm afraid of catnip!” She said, a bit of volume to her voice, her nervousness apparent.
He was caught off guard by the volume for a moment, though was soon smiling slightly. “Wait... that's it...? Catnip?” He knew how catnip worked, it was a bit different for every cat. Some cats got really mellow, some went wild, and some just got a massive energy boost.
“Yes, 'that's it'. Catnip.” She said, huffing slightly and laying completely on her stomach, her face in front of him. “Nekos tend to use it as a relaxant. Sprinkle a little on your dinner after a long day, or chew a few leaves if you're having a rough day on the job or something... for pantaurs though, it... it works kind of different.” She explained. “See, and I know this is a shocker...” She started, a bit sarcastic, “we're a lot more cat than nekos are. That comes with a lot of things too. We're a bit more agile, we have better senses like hearing and smelling, we're a little stronger too thanks to the jungle cat strength... but um... well, catnip affects us more strongly than them.” Face reddening again, Marigold seemed to be studying her smaller friend for his reaction. “... Last time I had catnip, I woke up a few hours later, my bedroom in shambles and two of my dolls sitting like rocks in my storage stomach.” She said, sticking her tongue out at the memory. “... Th-the stuff just makes me go wild! I-I've got no control, and... that scares me. Especially now that I've got a little human friend and assistant, I don't wanna accidentally turn all jungle cat and not Marigold with you around!” She said, concerned and glancing away.
Listening to her explanation, Maxwell waited till he was sure she was finished before smiling. Walking forward, he took a seat on the pillow, leaning back against her cheek. “We've proven on more than one occasion that you're not hunter. So, let's be real here, worst comes to worst I'll be fine... that said, you don't need to be embarrassed. We'll avoid any catnip if we can, stay inside, and just chill out for the week. That doesn't sound like a bad plan to me really.”
Looking over at him, she couldn't help smiling. Cheeks still red after revealing one of her more personal fears, she purred lightly, nuzzling the little human with her cheek. “Thanks Max. Don't worry, we'll do plenty more exploring next time we're in any other town. Maybe I'll even get to show off my people's famous climbing speed, a little dash through the tree tops sound like fun?” She asked, ears perking up.
He smiled, nodding. “Yeah! That sounds like a blast!” Sighing and leaning back against her cheek, he let out a small yawn. “Long as we're here though, relaxing sounds like a fine plan to me.” He said.
She yawned as well, reaching over and poking him in the side. “Ey, cut that out, it's contagious... but yeah, a little quality sleep'll do us both good. We'll grab dinner when we wake up.” She said, sighing. Bringing her hand around, she cupped the human to her cheek, the both of them dozing off fairly quickly on the comfortable inn bed. So, they couldn't just go about the town willy-nilly, and certainly not the surrounding forest for fear of any naturally growing catnip. That didn't mean they couldn't still spend time together. Relax, have some good food, and maybe see what sort of entertainment the town had to offer. It still looked like it was going to be a fun week, eventful or no.

“So, you got the guy?” A neko sat on the other side of a desk in a dimly lit room, nothing but two or three candles keeping the place out of total darkness. That said, a few key features were apparent on this stranger. One of his ears had a small chunk missing for one. A scar ran down his right eye. As it flicked in the dim light, it also seemed the end of his tail was crooked at an unnatural angle. It was fairly obvious from looks alone, this neko had been in one too many dodgy situations, and most likely with equally dodgy individuals.
Evary silently reached for a pouch at his side, undoing the string that kept it shut. Dumping it upside down, the slave owner himself landed on the desk between the two nekos. “W-What is the meaning of all this?! I'll have you arrested you giant furball! This is kidnapping! This is-”
“A far cry from the slavery and thievery you've been up to for the past few years.” Jean jumped down to the desk, sword drawn and approaching the human. “You've no idea how luck you are, you scum. If we weren't getting a pretty penny for turning you in alive I'd have butchered you and used you for chum already... people like you make me sick.” She said, her sword at his throat. The man was completely silent, and remained that way when the terrified squeak he made only resulted in a low growl from the inu woman in front of him.
“That said, we do need him alive, so...” Bringing his hand around, the mysterious neko carefully pulled the human away and towards him, looking down with a grin. “... Take him to the other room, we'll deal with him later.” He said, snapping his fingers. What seemed to be a body guard stepped over to the desk, plucking up the terrified and confused human and stepping into the next room. Clearing his throat, the beat up looking neko looked to the two before him, smiling and holding his hands out. “Now then, that pretty penny you were just talking about... how much was it again?”
“Two-thousand gold pieces, you know that Scar.” The captain said, sheathing her sword. She seemed to be in no mood for him, glaring up with a look no one her size would typically dare to shoot at someone of his appearance.
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Haha, indeed, that is what we agreed on. Apologies, you can't blame a man for wanting to keep a handful of gold to his name.” He said, producing a wooden box from his desk. Sliding it over, he flicked the lid open, a multitude of neatly stacked gold coins shining in the dim candle light. “All two-thousand, there and accounted for. You can count it yourself if you wish.”
“Whatever's not there, we take out of your hide...” the captian said, though smiled a moment later as she turned around. “Always a pleasure, remember us next time you need work done at sea, sir.” Evary scooped up the captain, depositing her on his shoulder before lifting the box of gold and snapping the lid shut. Bowing his head silently to the other neko, he turned to leave, his captain and their pay in hand.
Watching them go, the neko's smile faded, snapping his fingers. “... Contact the navy. Tell them we not only have their mysterious kidnapper, but that he'd been keeping his victims as slaves in his own estate... oh, and do mention we have information about a certain pirate crew.” He added, smirking as his crooked tail flicked behind him. “I'm sure that alone will reimburse us for paying those low-lifes.” He said, chuckling at his own little scheme. It was perfect really. Hire a band of do-gooders to nab some horrible human, take said human into their own possession and pay them 'handsomely' for their work, turn in said human for more than double that price, and then turn in the very pirate crew who delivered in the first place. He'd make more than two-thousand measly gold pieces after today, for that he was certain...

Description
“We're approaching land, captain!” High up in the crow's nest of the ship, the dridder woman called down, looking ahead through a telescope. It'd been as predicted, about a week on the open water. But, sure enough, their destination was fast approaching.
“Right then!” The captain nodded, standing on Evary's shoulder as he stood before the crew. “I've made a decision. Every one of you's done a fine job on my ship. You've done what you were tasked with, when you were tasked with it, and how you were intended to do it. I couldn't ask for more... so, as a reward we'll be spending the next week in town. You're free to do as you please, so long as you don't cause trouble.” She announced to the lot of them, arms crossed as she spoke. “By all means, get a nice room at an inn, have a feast, see a show. Just be sure to behave yourselves, and be back on this ship in exactly one week. That is all, prepare for docking.” With that, she jumped down from Evary's shoulder to the ground, making her way for the lower hold of the ship. He'd take care of any final preps, and she'd alert their guests.
Making her way down the stairs, she stepped inside, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. Just once, she wished she could step down here and see the two in a normal predicament. “... Mister Maxwell, exactly what are you doing?” She asked, her ears pinned back in mild annoyance.
The young man looked back at the captain, upside down from his angle with his blonde hair swaying along with him. “Um... cleaning?” The boy hung from a rig of ropes on the side of the wall, a small sponge and water bucket discarded on the floor far bellow. A rope around his waist kept him from plummeting along with them, though he didn't appear to be making any progress in freeing himself, or in his task.
“... And Miss Fernpad?” The captain arched a brow, looking over at the tigertaur laying on her bed.
She shrugged, looking at the human with an amused expression. “He insisted he didn't need any help. I'd be more than happy to give him a hand, but he's got it apparently. Least, that's what he told me a few minutes ago.” She looked like she was holding back her laughter, just waiting for her smaller friend to admit defeat and ask for help.
He glared at her for a moment, going back to his efforts at freeing himself. “Because I don't need help, I can get myself free.” He said simply, fumbling with the knot... and cursing quietly when he realized he only managed to make the knot tighter.
“... Well, if you don't get yourself down soon I'm afraid you'll be stuck here when we hit port.” The captain said simply. “Miss Fernpad, help him down and prepare yourselves. We'll be staying in town for a week, so be sure to be back at the ship once the week's over with. I don't think I need to tell you two to stay out of trouble.” She added, waving a hand and turning to leave.
“O-Oh, we're close to land already?” Maxwell asked, letting himself fall again so he could look at the captain. “And we're staying in town for a week?”
“I've already got you as an in training cabin boy, I don't need you playing the roll of parrot, too.” Jean turned around, smirking at the human with a light chuckle. “Get yourself down one way or another, I imagine it'll only be another half an hour before we're docked.”
Smiling, he nodded and put a hand to his forehead. “Yes captain!”
She simply nodded in response, turning and leaving while shaking her head. Maybe the two would be more normal when they were on land.
Getting back to his knot in an attempt to free himself, he jumped slightly when something soft and warm was lightly pressed to his back. Looking back, he saw Marigold smiling down at him, her hand having come up beneath him. “Come on now, let's stop fooling around. I can't wait to get my paws back on dry land! No more of this rocking back and forth.” Looking at his predicament, she hummed to herself. “Oh... why do yo have to use such tiny rope?” She wondered allowed.
He huffed, laying back in her hand and crossing his arms, admitting defeat. “Tiny? To you maybe, if I tried using rope your size I'd hardly be able to move.” He retorted, a bit miffed. He honestly thought he could manage to free himself. If he couldn't even get a simple job done like scrubbing scattered soil off the wall by himself, how was he supposed to prove his usefulness on the ship?
Marigold continued to think about how to free her tiny friend, tapping her chin with a finger while one ear laid to it's side in thought. “Oh... well, you've got plenty of spare rope I suppose. I'm not sure we'll be getting you down any other way.” She said, seeming to give up. Leaning forward, she opened her mouth and turned sideways, biting down on the rope just a bit above him. Pulling back, she smiled. “There! Free as a bird!” She said proudly... though frowned when the small weight of the human no longer rested in her hand. Looking down to check where he'd gone, she blushed in embarrassment. The rope being so tiny, she hadn't immediately noticed one end had gotten stuck in her teeth... the end tied to him. So, there was the human, tangling from her mouth by a rope around his waist, upside down and arms crossed.
“... Not gonna need me to get that out of your teeth too, are you?” Maxwell teased up at her, arms still crossed as he smirked at the pantaur.
Her face reddened even further, looking away for a moment. Bringing her hand back up beneath him, she used her other hand to pluck the tiny rope from between her teeth, letting him lay in her palm for certain this time. “I thought we wouldn't bring that up.” She said simply.
Seeing her reaction, the blonde boy sat up in her hand and patted the palm beneath him. “I-I'm sorry, it was just supposed to be a joke. I didn't really think you'd... you know... I-I was just, erm, I-I'm sorry-eep!” He was cut off in his apologetic rambling as something large, soft, and wet ran across his front. Looking up at her, his sorry expression changed to a smirk, seeing the tigertaur's large face smiling and her tongue sticking out.
“I know you were just teasing. Sorry, just trying to get a rise out of you.” She told him, giggling a bit and ruffling his hair with a finger.
After taking a moment to dry off her little human friend, she set Maxwell on her shoulder and started up the steps to get back up onto deck. Maxwell stood on her shoulder, a hand gripping the collar of her shirt just to be sure with his wobbly legged ride. Once they were up onto deck, he took a whiff of the sea air, smiling to himself. “Much as I'm glad to be bunking with you Marigold, I love the smell of the sea out here... it's just nice.”
She smiled sheepishly in response, shrugging her free shoulder. “Eh, I suppose for you. Bit strong for my taste, but I suppose there's an appeal to it.”
“Of course there's an appeal, why else would we commit our lives to sailing?” The voice of the captain asked behind them. Approaching the two was Mister Evary, their inu captain perched on the silver haired neko's shoulder. He hardly seemed to pay the two any mind, though Maxwell could still feel a sort of... aura... coming off of the neko. An aura aimed at him, and none too friendly, despite hardly sparing him a word or glance. “There's the town up ahead. Or, at least the port.” The captain pointed out ahead. “The town itself is a short walk away and not so close to the sea.”
Indeed, what seemed to be approaching was hardly big enough to be classified as any sort of town. There were a handful of buildings, and plenty of individuals seen coming and going, but hardly big enough for a town. From what was visible at this distance, most of the individuals seemed to be nekos. A small difference from the more mix matched town they'd left a week prior.
“So we'll be staying in that town then? … Any chance of human sized accommodations... er, Captain?” Maxwell asked, turning to face the inu on the neighboring shoulder.
“No. This town is primarily neko inhabited, and neko founded. You'll be hard pressed to find an inu or naga, let alone anything human.” Evary spoke up first, looking ahead at the port rather than the human he was answering.
Maxwell simply nodded, remaining silent and looking ahead, opting to sit rather than stand now. Everyone else on the ship, at least the crew members he'd met so far, were all fairly nice and accommodating for a band of pirates. He knew a few names, and was on generally friendly terms with most of the crew. Captain included. So why was Evary so cold to him? Had he unintentionally offended him maybe? … Did he still think ill of the human on account of him stowing away on their ship? It wasn't his intention, and he didn't plan on causing trouble. Before he could dwell on it longer, he felt something nudge his shoulder. Looking over, he saw Marigold offering him a smile, her finger up towards him and having tapped his shoulder. He smiled back, placing a hand on her finger. She must have caught his reaction.
This was it though, a fully giant town. Sure he was used to the crew at this point, but an entire town? … And of Evary's kind? He couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. Looking over at his four legged friend, he noticed some sort of reaction on her face as well. As though something unfortunate had crossed her mind. “... Mari? You alright?”
She seemed to snap to, looking down at him for a moment before smiling and nodding, waving a hand. “O-Oh! … Oh, yeah yeah, I'm fine. Not uh... not much for towns though, so maybe we could just rent a room for the week or something. Maybe see some local entertainment.” She said, shrugging her free shoulder again.
He frowned, not quite buying that she was alright. She seemed so excited to get on land, but now she was saying she wanted to stay in her room most of the stay? That didn't make much sense... Still, he let it slide. For all he knew it was nothing. Just him over-thinking things.
Another few minutes went by, and the ship soon docked at port. Evary and the captain oversaw the crew as they filed off the ship, carrying a few supplies with the intent of selling. Once they were all off, all that was left was Marigold. Of course she first made certain her friend had a good hold of her shirt, but the moment she had a chance, the tigertaur practically bounded off the ship, laying on her stomach the second she was on the ground. “Haha! Land! Oh, how I've missed you! … Oh, I just realize, there may be some interesting plant life nearby...” All at once her excitement seemed to turn into nervousness. Standing back up, she cleared her throat. “Though, I don't think it's anything too major. I could probably find a variant wherever we land next.”
Maxwell was already excited about being able to help her with a new plant project after she'd mentioned it. Hearing her final comment though as she stood up, he frowned. Something was definitely bothering his friend... Sighing, he turned around, seeing Evary and the captain approaching. “So um... we're just free then? To do whatever?”
“That's what the captain said.” Evary said simply. “We've business to deal with considering our last job. If you need anything you're on your own, we'll be unavailable for the week.”
“Enjoy yourselves though!” The captain added, looking at Evary with a cross expression. “Eat, drink, be merry! Get drunk and sing in the middle of the street!” She joked, chuckling as she sat herself comfortably on her first mate's shoulder, the neko walking past the two and towards town.
“Heh, r-right, that's what we need. More booze.” Marigold said, laughing a bit as she followed a distance behind them. She seemed fairly eager to get into town... or, was it just eager to get a room?

Before the hour was up, the tigertaur had managed to secure a room at an inn in the middle of town. She'd made a comment about how it was as far from the surrounding forest as she could manage. Flopping down on the bed, a quiet stream of purrs came from Marigold's throat, sighing contentedly. “It's so nice to have a real bed, and not some makeshift pile of sheets and pillows.” She said, rolling onto her back when she felt Maxwell climb off of her shoulder. Giggling slightly, she looked at him upside down, paws sticking in the air. “Though, I suppose with you just sleeping on the pillow, it's not terribly different for you.”
“Heh, yeah...” Sitting on the pillow of the nice inn bed, Maxwell, pondered a moment before sighing himself. Though, his was not one of contentedness. “Hey, Marigold? … What's bugging you?” He asked her, a touch of concern in his voice. “Ever since we talked to Evary on the ship, you've seemed kind of... on edge.” He scooted back a couple inches as she rolled back onto her stomach, sitting up slightly. “... Does he make you nervous too? … Is there something in the forest you're worried about, like an animal or something? … What's going on?”
Her face reddened a bit, her front paws crossing over one another over and over, seeming to be something akin to twiddling thumbs for pantaurs. “... I-It's... it's embarrassing...” She said quietly, ears flat on her head.
Pausing a moment, Elliot smiled, waving his hands. “Oh... th-then, you don't have to talk about it. No big deal-”
“No no, I... I mean, it's dumb, I shouldn't have to keep it a secret...” She said, waving a hand of her own. Sighing, she looked down at him, a serious frown on her face. “Just promise not to laugh, ok?”
“I promise, Marigold.” He smiled up at her, nodding and putting a hand to his heart.
She sighed and nodded, seeming to ready herself. “... I'mafraidofcatnip.” She said quickly, looking away.
The human paused, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. “You're... you're what?”
“I'm... I-I'm afraid...” She took a breath, shaking her head and shutting her eyes. “I'm afraid of catnip!” She said, a bit of volume to her voice, her nervousness apparent.
He was caught off guard by the volume for a moment, though was soon smiling slightly. “Wait... that's it...? Catnip?” He knew how catnip worked, it was a bit different for every cat. Some cats got really mellow, some went wild, and some just got a massive energy boost.
“Yes, 'that's it'. Catnip.” She said, huffing slightly and laying completely on her stomach, her face in front of him. “Nekos tend to use it as a relaxant. Sprinkle a little on your dinner after a long day, or chew a few leaves if you're having a rough day on the job or something... for pantaurs though, it... it works kind of different.” She explained. “See, and I know this is a shocker...” She started, a bit sarcastic, “we're a lot more cat than nekos are. That comes with a lot of things too. We're a bit more agile, we have better senses like hearing and smelling, we're a little stronger too thanks to the jungle cat strength... but um... well, catnip affects us more strongly than them.” Face reddening again, Marigold seemed to be studying her smaller friend for his reaction. “... Last time I had catnip, I woke up a few hours later, my bedroom in shambles and two of my dolls sitting like rocks in my storage stomach.” She said, sticking her tongue out at the memory. “... Th-the stuff just makes me go wild! I-I've got no control, and... that scares me. Especially now that I've got a little human friend and assistant, I don't wanna accidentally turn all jungle cat and not Marigold with you around!” She said, concerned and glancing away.
Listening to her explanation, Maxwell waited till he was sure she was finished before smiling. Walking forward, he took a seat on the pillow, leaning back against her cheek. “We've proven on more than one occasion that you're not hunter. So, let's be real here, worst comes to worst I'll be fine... that said, you don't need to be embarrassed. We'll avoid any catnip if we can, stay inside, and just chill out for the week. That doesn't sound like a bad plan to me really.”
Looking over at him, she couldn't help smiling. Cheeks still red after revealing one of her more personal fears, she purred lightly, nuzzling the little human with her cheek. “Thanks Max. Don't worry, we'll do plenty more exploring next time we're in any other town. Maybe I'll even get to show off my people's famous climbing speed, a little dash through the tree tops sound like fun?” She asked, ears perking up.
He smiled, nodding. “Yeah! That sounds like a blast!” Sighing and leaning back against her cheek, he let out a small yawn. “Long as we're here though, relaxing sounds like a fine plan to me.” He said.
She yawned as well, reaching over and poking him in the side. “Ey, cut that out, it's contagious... but yeah, a little quality sleep'll do us both good. We'll grab dinner when we wake up.” She said, sighing. Bringing her hand around, she cupped the human to her cheek, the both of them dozing off fairly quickly on the comfortable inn bed. So, they couldn't just go about the town willy-nilly, and certainly not the surrounding forest for fear of any naturally growing catnip. That didn't mean they couldn't still spend time together. Relax, have some good food, and maybe see what sort of entertainment the town had to offer. It still looked like it was going to be a fun week, eventful or no.

“So, you got the guy?” A neko sat on the other side of a desk in a dimly lit room, nothing but two or three candles keeping the place out of total darkness. That said, a few key features were apparent on this stranger. One of his ears had a small chunk missing for one. A scar ran down his right eye. As it flicked in the dim light, it also seemed the end of his tail was crooked at an unnatural angle. It was fairly obvious from looks alone, this neko had been in one too many dodgy situations, and most likely with equally dodgy individuals.
Evary silently reached for a pouch at his side, undoing the string that kept it shut. Dumping it upside down, the slave owner himself landed on the desk between the two nekos. “W-What is the meaning of all this?! I'll have you arrested you giant furball! This is kidnapping! This is-”
“A far cry from the slavery and thievery you've been up to for the past few years.” Jean jumped down to the desk, sword drawn and approaching the human. “You've no idea how luck you are, you scum. If we weren't getting a pretty penny for turning you in alive I'd have butchered you and used you for chum already... people like you make me sick.” She said, her sword at his throat. The man was completely silent, and remained that way when the terrified squeak he made only resulted in a low growl from the inu woman in front of him.
“That said, we do need him alive, so...” Bringing his hand around, the mysterious neko carefully pulled the human away and towards him, looking down with a grin. “... Take him to the other room, we'll deal with him later.” He said, snapping his fingers. What seemed to be a body guard stepped over to the desk, plucking up the terrified and confused human and stepping into the next room. Clearing his throat, the beat up looking neko looked to the two before him, smiling and holding his hands out. “Now then, that pretty penny you were just talking about... how much was it again?”
“Two-thousand gold pieces, you know that Scar.” The captain said, sheathing her sword. She seemed to be in no mood for him, glaring up with a look no one her size would typically dare to shoot at someone of his appearance.
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Haha, indeed, that is what we agreed on. Apologies, you can't blame a man for wanting to keep a handful of gold to his name.” He said, producing a wooden box from his desk. Sliding it over, he flicked the lid open, a multitude of neatly stacked gold coins shining in the dim candle light. “All two-thousand, there and accounted for. You can count it yourself if you wish.”
“Whatever's not there, we take out of your hide...” the captian said, though smiled a moment later as she turned around. “Always a pleasure, remember us next time you need work done at sea, sir.” Evary scooped up the captain, depositing her on his shoulder before lifting the box of gold and snapping the lid shut. Bowing his head silently to the other neko, he turned to leave, his captain and their pay in hand.
Watching them go, the neko's smile faded, snapping his fingers. “... Contact the navy. Tell them we not only have their mysterious kidnapper, but that he'd been keeping his victims as slaves in his own estate... oh, and do mention we have information about a certain pirate crew.” He added, smirking as his crooked tail flicked behind him. “I'm sure that alone will reimburse us for paying those low-lifes.” He said, chuckling at his own little scheme. It was perfect really. Hire a band of do-gooders to nab some horrible human, take said human into their own possession and pay them 'handsomely' for their work, turn in said human for more than double that price, and then turn in the very pirate crew who delivered in the first place. He'd make more than two-thousand measly gold pieces after today, for that he was certain...