[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and kitty played by Emma))

Elizabeth Harkness steadied herself against the rough bark of the oak tree outside her home. Her gnarled knuckles turned white under the pressure as she leaned to get the weight off her arthritic knees. “Come down from there, Sheba.” Her voice, almost as weathered as her skin, wasn't much more than a creaking whisper as she reached up with her other hand in a vain effort to call the black cat down from its perch.

Sheba gave a plaintive mewl, batting thin air a couple of times before prodding at the branch, claws unsheathed. The cat moved hesitantly forward a scant inch, green eyes tracking the tree trunk in frantic search for a way down. Elizabeth tottered from her leaning post to reach up for her beloved pet, hoping that this time, this time, the cat would trust in her own sure-footedness.

Instead, Sheba yowled and backed up, hunkering down until her thick fur squashed down and the branch scraped her belly. Her tail flicked in frustration.

Elizabeth sighed and was forced to lean against the tree again, wincing in pain. She had hoped Sheba would find her own way down eventually, but that was several hours ago.

Glancing up and down the street, Elizabeth peered at passers-by in hopes of spotting someone young and graceful to send up the tree after her cat.

[Isabel]

After having a quick late breakfast at the cafe, Isabel decided to get a little exercise by having a self guided tour around the city. It was a nice and quiet afternoon. There were not that many people around and a nice cool summer breeze was blowing in. Turning down a much less busy street, Isabel admired the quaint houses down the road and the children playing on the streets.

Isabel watched as one boy and his friends tossed a ball too far and rolled towards her feet. Taking the ball, Isabel smiled as the boy enthusiastically came running towards her, asking for his ball. Bending towards his height, she gave him the ball back.

“Here you go. Watch where you're playing. You don't want to get hurt now, do you?”

Grinning from ear to ear, the boy took the ball and gave a jaunty “Thank you and yes miss!” before running off to play with his friends.

Too preoccupied as she was with the little boy, Isabel failed to notice the middle aged woman near an oak tree nor a kitty mewling on top of said tree.

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and her cat, Sheba, played by Emma))

Despite her cataracts, Elizabeth's gaze was sharp as she spotted a pretty young thing stopped to return young Jeff's ball with a kind smile. That boy was always "losing" his toys, and his parents were too busy working to look for them. Instead, they'd give him money to buy more toys, when all they had to do was check the back yard or any of his friends to see where Jeff had left them, forgetting to take them home in his haste to see his parents.

“Oh, dear, excuse me?” Elizabeth called, tottering up the street a little ways to get the young lady's attention. Her knees creaked menacingly with each step and she wished she'd thought to bring her walking stick instead of leaving it in the hall.

“My dear, I was wondering if you'd mind giving an old lady a bit of assistance?”

[Isabel]

Isabel jumped as someone suddenly called out to her. How she knew she was the one being called was pure instinct. Thankfully her instincts were still working just fine even after she was turned. After taking one last look at the boy to make sure he was alright, she turned around and saw a darling old lady walking towards her. She met the old lady halfway as to not tire her any more than she looks.

Smiling, Isabel gently took the old lady's arm to help support her while trying not to be offensive as she remembered the time when she tried helping her grandmother the same way but got a scolding instead.

“My dear, I was wondering if you'd mind giving an old lady a bit of assistance?”

Surprised but glad that she was needed, Isabel smiled brightly at the old lady. “Oh, I don't mind at all. What would you like me to do? And please, call me Isabel.”

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and Sheba played by Emma.))

Elizabeth was delighted that the young lady was so amenable. She'd always said she wouldn't be one of those old fogies complaining about "youths today", but admitted in her old age that it seemed like the world had changed. She supposed she wasn't so old in comparison to some of the types walking Elysia's streets, but eighty-seven was pretty darned old to her and she felt every second of it.

“Oh, thank you, dear. It's my cat, you see; Sheba's just as arthritic as myself and how she got up there in the first place is beyond my comprehension but she's stuck, you see, and I was hoping you could get her down, dear.” Forgetting to mention exactly where "up there" was, Elizabeth's voice creaked on by way of explanation as she guided Isabel gently towards the tree Sheba was mewling from, thankful for the support.

“I wish I could say it was just my knees, you know, but my hands are riddled with it, too, and you'd think this heat would ease up on my bones. Winter's so hard on old ladies, you see, but the heat brings its own problems, I'm afraid. But you're young yet, and I'll not make you fear your old age.” She gave a wheezing laugh, stopping shy of the tree to point up.

“She's a little darling,” claimed Elizabeth as Sheba gave another plaintive meow, conveniently forgetting the black cat's penchant for clawing anything - particularly dogs - that came near.

((I hope the GM's okay?))

[Isabel]

Isabel listened quietly as the old lady explained her situation while leading her towards a huge oak tree, nodding politely every now and then. Her cat it would seem was stuck on top of the tree, helpless. This situation greatly reminded her of when Boo, her mischievous little kitty at home, would end up in the most unlikeliest of places that would require her to save him in a not so very lady-like manner - to the horror and chagrin of her mother. Oh, she once tried to ask help from other people but it only resulted in dealing more damage... to them anyway.

Looking up at the tree where the old lady pointed, Isabel saw an adorable black cat hunched up on a bark way up, and higher than what she originally thought, while mewling softly. Letting go of the old lady, she examined the tree for footholds and an easiest path to reach the cat quicker, like an expert rock climber to a cliff. She gave another quick glance at the cat then at the old lady, “How long has she been up there?”

(( No it's not! lol kidding! I don't mind.. ))

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and Sheba played by Emma.))

Elizabeth leaned against the trunk of Sheba's tree, glad for the support even though the bark scratched her skin. “Several hours, dear. At first, I thought she'd eventually make her own way down, once hunger got the better of her, but then she missed lunch. Sheba never misses a meal, you see, you can set your watch by her.”

Craning her neck to check on the cat, Elizabeth continued. “I tried putting her bowl at the base of the tree, but then a dog came along and ate it.” She shook her head woefully. “Then I put out a salmon for her. She likes her salmon, does Sheba. I thought it was going to work, too, and it did bring her down a couple of branches. She was much higher originally, you see.” Another woeful shake.

“She's not usually so recalcitrant, dear. She's such a sweetheart normally. I think she's afraid of heights, you know. Do you need a ladder? I think old John might have one, he just lives across the street. Don't mind Sally,” she said, speaking of John's rottweiler. “Why, she's a sweetheart, too.” John, on the other hand, was much less so.

[Isabel]

Isabel blanched as she heard that the cat had been up there for several hours now. The poor thing must be starving right now. She listened for a few more minutes as the lady chattered on about her cat. It was, she decided, very calming to listen to old people chatter away. They tell you the most interesting of stories about things that people usually have the tendency to take no notice of.

“...Do you need a ladder? I think old John might have one, he just lives across the street. Don't mind Sally, why, she's a sweetheart, too.”

Giving the tree another once over, Isabel ascertained if she indeed needed a ladder; but with her new abilities, climbing the tree wouldn't be all that hard now. Hiking her skirt up a little, Isabel prepared to make the first jump towards one of the lowest hanging branches.

“I'll be fine without the ladder ma'am. It'll be easy enough for me to scale through this tree.”

Crouching a little for good measure, Isabel jumped and landed on the first branch while holding on to another to get her balance.

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness, Sheba and Jeff played by Emma. I guessed on Isabel's outfit, so let me know if I need to edit? ^^))

Elizabeth nodded but she was mildly surprised that a young girl in a skirt would pass up the chance for a ladder. She would never have been caught scrambling up a tree in a skirt - at any age! But youths today seemed to have no sense of dignity and were clearly not averse to showing off their bodies like Elizabeth's generation had been. Wearing short skirts and barely-there tops out in public, it was scandalous, but sadly something she had become accustomed to. She didn't like to sound judgemental, but sometimes she saw a girl in a skimpy outfit and just wanted to shake some sense into her!

This young lady wasn't nearly as bad as that, of course, and was decently clothed. She really did look like a lady. Still, the idea of her climbing the tree in a skirt made Elizabeth uneasy... until, that was, the young woman jumped twice as high as Elizabeth had ever seen a human jump.

Ah. A vampire. There was no other explanation. Elizabeth knew her Elysians; those who looked human either had slit-eyes to set them apart, or couldn't jump that high without first turning into an animal.

“Oh, dear.” It wasn't that Elizabeth was particularly against vampires, but she suddenly felt much more vulnerable, craning her neck to look at Isabel with nervous suspicion.

[Isabel]

Isabel made sure that she had a steady foot on the branch before looking down towards grandma - as she so affectionately called her, if only in her mind. Misunderstanding the nervous look on her face, Isabel gave grandma a reassuring smile, telling her that she was alright.

Looking back towards her goal that was still cowering a few branches up, Isabel readied herself for another jump. This time though it wouldn't be so easy. Branches have started intertwining themselves and the leaves are getting thicker. She'd have to take care not to scare Sheba if she were going to start jumping from branch to branch. From the looks of it though, it would probably just take her another long jump to reach Sheba, hopefully a smooth one. She positioned herself in a small crouch, took a deep breath, and gave one long leap - breaking the branch she was standing on.

Not noticing a few of the other smaller branches, Isabel winced as one grazed her cheek, drawing blood, and another snagged at her skirt and giving it a small rip. Well, there went her favorite skirt. She steadied herself as she landed on a branch neighboring Sheba's and carefully seated herself as to not scare the already frightened cat. Offering a hand in a gesture of friendship, she smiled at the cat and tried calming her down with words.

“Hello sweetheart.. You must be pretty hungry by now. Why don't we go down now so you could have a nice piece of salmon..”

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and Sheba played by Emma))

Sheba was completely unimpressed by the display of agility. Her tail flicked lazily as she closed her eyes, as if she were there in the tree by choice rather than an inability to get down.

Below, Elizabeth had taken to covering her mouth with a hand, worried for the girl despite her trepidation over Isabel's being a vampire. If she'd realised what kind of injuries the girl was taking in her climb, the old lady would have called the girl back out of guilt. As it was, she really wished the young woman had gone off to get John's ladder.

As Isabel reached the final branch, Sheba's eyes opened for a series of slow blinks that indicated the cat's displeasure at having her nap interrupted. She mewled and adjusted her paws beneath her, then deliberately turned her head and closed her eyes to ignore her would-be rescuer.

[Isabel]

With her hand still outstretched, Isabel waited for any other indication of Sheba noticing that she was there. Aside from a few blinks and a mewl, the cat was clearly completely ignoring her now. Frowning, she retracted her hand and sat there for a moment, thinking of what to do next. Boo, thankfully, had never been this difficult. Boo of course, trusted her completely; Sheba on the other hand did not know or care one wit about her. Okay kitty, don't think I'm done with you yet.

Remembering the biscuits she had for lunch and wasn't able to finish, Isabel took out the tissue wrapped snack from her pocket and deliberately showed it to Sheba; which she would have seen if she only opened her eyes.

Taking a biscuit, Isabel took a bite and noisily chewed to get Sheba's attention and hoping it would work. If her mother could see her now, ungracefully chewing her food, she would probably have been flayed alive and chopped up to pieces. Grimacing inwardly, it was all good that the cat was her only witness..

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and her cat, Sheba, played by Emma))

Elizabeth frowned as the girl paused, wondering if something had gone wrong. She tottered away from the tree a little to get a better look, squinting, and was just about to ask what was happening when the girl reached into a pocket. Elizabeth wasn't sure entirely what she'd pulled out but it looked like she was trying to tempt Sheba down, so she decided not to say anything after all.

Up in the tree, Sheba's eyes were still closed but her ears flicked at the sound of a crunch. Her curiosity piqued, the black cat's head turned and her green eyes fixed on Isabel's mouth, then her hand. She mewled hungrily, too dignified to beg but staring at the vampire with a clear demand in her expression. Her paws shifted again under her body, inching the cat just an inch or two closer to Isabel, and her tail flicked.

[Isabel]

Still nibbling on the cookie, Isabel watched as Sheba started showing a little interest. A flick of the tail, small twitching... that was good enough her. Acting like she didn't notice, she continued to nibble on the cookie. Once in a while flicking a few crumbs that had fallen on her skirt away. As she finished eating her cookie, she took another one deliberately showed it to Sheba. Close enough for her to smell it; but far enough away that she wouldn't be able to take a bite. If she really wanted to, it was just a small jump away.

“Come on, kitty. I know your dying to have a bite of this really delicious biscuit. It has chocolate too, you know. Very nice and chocolaty. Won't you have some?”

As she said that, Isabel slowly brandished the cookie closer to Sheba then just as quickly took it away.

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and Sheba the Cat played by Emma))

Elizabeth blinked as something pattered down from the tree, frowning in confusion as she looked at her shoulder where crumbs had dropped. Brushing them off in bewilderment, she looked up again to watch the girl's attempts. It took a few periodic brushes to realise the crumbs were actually from whatever the girl was munching.

Sheba, meanwhile, had been inching ever closer to Isabel, her curiosity getting the better of her. Her black ears flicked back and forth, her tail brushing the tree branch as her claws flexed. She didn't trust the vampire, maybe scenting a predator, but the smell of the biscuits and her hunger was more than enough to slowly tempt her closer and closer.

When Isabel held out the cookie, Sheba made to snatch it, her head darting forward to bite into it. The cookie was yanked away before Sheba could make a meal out of it, and the cat gave a betrayed miaow, green eyes fixed sharply on Isabel. She was probably within arm's reach by now, and still inching cautiously forward, intent on taking that cookie by any means, even if it meant getting her claws out.

[Isabel]

Isabel smirked as she saw Sheba inching closer and closer. Operation "Seduce the Kitty" is almost at completion. She watched the kitty carefully and based on her body language, this kitty was getting ready to pounce.

Scooting a little closer to the kitty, Isabel carefully placed the small piece of cookie left on her lap and slowly and carefully reached out to Sheba, trying to coerce her to jump into her lap. Isabel smiled sweetly, hoping the cat would take the bait. “Let's go, sweetie! If you want the cookie you have to take it for yourself! I have many more where that came from. You like some don't you?”

[NPC]

((Elizabeth Harkness and Sheba the cat played by Emma))

Whether or not Sheba understood human words, the cat understood that this was a trick. Her mistress fed her well normally, but there were occasions - like when Mrs Harkness took her to see the bad man who poked and prodded and stuck her with sharp things - that she acted the same way as this girl, teasing the cat with treats but always pulling further and further away.

Even then, Sheba was trying to decide if it was worth falling for the trick, and the smell and taste of the cookies were slowly overwhelming her resistance until, finally, the black cat was within a paw's reach of the cookie.

Rather than completely submit, however, Sheba stretched, all four paws planted on the tree branch, in an effort to grab the cookie with her sharp little teeth. She'd probably resist a little if the girl grabbed her gently, but as long as she was fed, she'd be okay and glad to go back to her mistress.

[Isabel]

Isabel watched quietly as Sheba decided whether or not to fall for the bait. As the cat inched closer and closer, Isabel readied herself to grab Sheba. She made her move as Sheba tried to stretch out to make a grab at the cookie. She took Sheba firmly but gently from the branch and hugged just to make she she would calm down.

After taking out a few more pieces of cookies and placing them next to Sheba, Isabel continued to pet her just so she would grow accustomed to her. Isabel also gave a short wave to grandma to get her attention and show her that she had gotten Sheba safely. Now the tricky part was how to go down the tree and not scare the cat even more...

[NPC]

((Elizabeth and kitty played by Emma, repeat ad infinitum.))

Mreoarw!

Sheba's disturbed yowl elicited a gasp from Elizabeth, and the old woman tottered backwards from the tree, still trying to get a better look at what was happening up there. The cat didn't seem thrilled to be in the vampiress's clutches, but she wasn't struggling either, and after a moment of being petted actually began to purr. The black cat made sure to adjust her paws on Isabel's lap, though, and all with her claws unsheathed. Cats have their pride, and none more so than an arthritic black cat stuck in a tree.

“Are you all right, dear? Is Sheba safe? She's not scratching you, is she?” Feeling utterly useless, Elizabeth shuffled around at the base of the tree, attempting to see through her cataracts in search of an easy way down for the young woman. “Are you sure you won't use the ladder, dear?” Rather than waiting for confirmation, she headed slowly across the street towards John's.

He was in his front garden, Sally curled up in a freshly-dug ditch with dirt covering her underside and her tongue hanging out as she enjoyed the sun. He had a rake in one hand and a wheelbarrow full of soil behind him. Elizabeth ignored the unfriendly expression on his face, lifting a hand to call his attention so she wouldn't have to walk all the way there. “John. John! Oh, dear, John, could I borrow your ladder?”

Sally was on her feet with a playful rrrruff! and the fence around John's garden shook under her weight. John didn't respond directly, merely waved vaguely and turned away, presumably to collect said ladder. Elizabeth was sure he was muttering to himself. “Honestly, it takes all kinds.”

The bulky man with the broken nose returned a few moments later with the ladder balanced on one shoulder, and Elizabeth pointed out the tree. “It's Sheba, you see. A nice young lady's up there with her now, but I can't imagine how she'll get down with my beloved kitty.” Even vampires couldn't jump that far without being injured. Could they?

[Isabel]

While still holding Sheba safely in her arms, Isabel scanned the tree and tried to assess her situation. Looks like going down is a lot harder than going up; specially where she had to do it wearing a skirt. Too preoccupied with her own thoughts and predicament, Isabel failed to hear grandma calling out to her nor did she saw the her ran up to her neighbor to borrow a ladder. It was embarrassing enough to think that she might end up getting stuck on the tree as well.

Carefully, with one hand holding Sheba, and the other with a firm grip on the branch she was sitting on, Isabel slid down slowly to the next branch nearest to her while trying hard to keep her balance. She figured that the only way to do this was to do it slowly but surely. She took a few moments to keep still and try to calm her nerves then slowly sat on the branch she currently stepping on, making sure to keep her weight mostly supported by the trunk. “Alright, Sheba. We're one step closer to home...”