Aquafold
Genetic mapping shows that Aquafold breed, or subspecies of cat, was breeding stably in 765AK, where one was given as the earliest known example of Kittening to the then-Princess of Saer. Since the treaty that resulted from this kittening is still in force, only now extended through The Lai Dang Accords to all of Eurani, it can be considered quite successful, even 1580 years later."What are you reading?" "Care and feeding of Aquafold cats: your new ruler and you." "If there's not a section reserved for her majesty Robyn Frobanasynnia Kagomei, first of her name, Nameita of Kagomei, someone missed a capital marketing opportunity." "I'm only on chapter one, I keep getting interrupted." "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." "I didn't say you were interrupting..." Linni's pulse raced, did she mean? "Obviously, someone is..." "Yes, lowlives, louts, men without manners or civilized thoughts in their heads. But no one ever described you like that to me." Linni, being dimly aware of the concept of flirting, began to wonder if he should let himself hope... "I'm just a low-level employee of the State Department." "Whoever called you low-level has high standards indeed. I'm a flag officer, and I don't make the money a grade 13 civil servant makes.." "What? You've been reading my file?" "I read most people's files, Linni, twice for people recently promoted in the state department, like you and your sister." "You read it, or you had to pass me, for me to be promoted." "Well, well, some people, some misintentioned people, whom I shall not name, will be getting a windfall, because your parents obviously raised no dummy. Yes, I had to pass you, I pass everyone who spends as much time as you do with ME-25 Nameihomei and ME-30 Meihomei." "Bo-ring, Mikhala who-is-Nameihomei almost adopted me, my clearance with her, and with her sister, is hardly news." "It's not news, but neither do I skimp on research for people who could be replaced, and have such an impact." "Is that the only reason?" "What do you mean?" "We went hutrosos together." "Yes, and?" Shibue's heart was beating. "Look, I know everyone else in the state department has a reputation for having relationships at the drop of a hat, but not me, can I ask you not to keep me guessing for weeks?" "I'm not going to keep you guessing for several weeks." She smirked. "But still weeks, plural?" "Maybe." Her body language was cagey, even to Linni's untrained eye. "Why?" "Because... Look, I want to know what I'm getting into." "Like what? You pull that 'we're going balling', on me, I'm minding my own business, you initate everything. "Yes?" "Wait, hm." "Yes?" "Oh, for Analecta-who-was-Kagomei-first-and-her-heavenly-mirror's sake!" "I invited you on a date... first!" "Oh, Noyjitat!" "It's your turn, lover-boy." "But I live alone..." "That's a good sign." "With four cats!" "Yes, four aquafold cats..." "What, you've bought a book... on my cats, for our second date?" "I've bought a book, about the cats a certain guy I know has, a certain guy who... Well he managed not to drop the ball during the first date, he's in rare company, I usually give second dates to guys even when they don't deserve it, just in case they were just shlubs." "And I wasn't a Shlub?" "No, the Linni was fine." Her smile, to Linnaeus, was dazzling, and he wasn't... wasn't used to that. "Mind if I sit down?" He sat on the floor, collapsed, actually, but tried to stand, since she hadn't given permission. "You're so precious, yes, do sit down. Linnaeus Van Pelt, wait, you're from those Van Pelts?" "Which 'those', there's a few in my ancestry." "The Van Pelts who got kittened by Queen Margarethe of Sarn?" She was testing him, she knew the Van Pelts hadn't been kittened in Sarn, since they were part Lollandese, and part Brescian, they had been kittened by the Mastarna of Benevento, then fallen into obscurity as Benevento Mastarneir and Lucair did not use family names, but were named after the domains they ruled. She didn't expect him to fail though, he was considered Benevent Royalty, just like his sister, although she was first in line in Sarnath and had had to make a choice. "No, those are related to the current royal family of Sarn, the Aquavits, I'm related to the Van Pelts who got kittened by the Princess of Saer, it's in the book you're reading, I've read it before." "Wait, Saer?" "Saer, then, Electoral-Princess of Saer-Nattingham now. That Kitten is why my sister is the heir to Mastarna Derred unless he produces an heir." "But that was almost sixteen centuries ago?" "What can I say, the Mastarna's enemies can't remember things too far back. He was able to outplay them, but only by relying on the most ancient and obscure of treaties." "It's the oldest treaty still in force in all of Arnd!" "And they tried all the other treaties first! If not for that one, he'd have been declared heirless, and the Sarns would have needed to actually elect an electoral princess, for the first time." "What, not just Saer, but all of Sarn?" "Saer holds the tie-breaking vote, so no, just Saer, but the rest of Sarn is deadlocked, according to every bit of intelligence I've read anyways." "Wait, let's wind back up a minute. What did your sister have to give up, that she's Electoral Princess of Sarn, Sarnath Balt and Luxem?" "Mostly the Mastarna of Benevento. It's really simple, you can't inherit a Mastarna proper if you're yourself a chief of state. The Elector-Palatine of Saer-Nattingham is considered, for legal purposes, a head of state." "So who inherits the Mastarna of Benevento?" "That's a really good question, know any good candidates?" "You got to be kidding me!" "What, no, I'm clueless, more than usual, if anything." "With Amarat being a Ruler, Lusitania a Ruler, guess who comes next in that line of succession." "Hmm, Firrson?" "He was never adopted." "Neither were you, but you are Amarat Senior's Sister's Son..." "Frak the everliving daylights out of me!" "You never did the math?" "What? No, me? Beneventi Res? That's laughable, that's what it is!" "No, at least, from what I can tell, you can't unseat the dell'Auro sisters. You'd be Mastarna of Benevento, not Res of Bresciani." "That's still more responsability than I ever saw myself holding." "What, you do look the part of a plump, relaxed diplomat, owning your own vineyard and orchard in Benevent, the trees heavy with fruit, the cats 'helping' with the harvest." "You're scaring me." He wasn't kidding, he was hyper-ventilating. "Relax, no one says you have to be that, if you don't want to." "But?" "I was just testing you, seeing if you'd try to make yourself more important, to get a second date. You kinda passed, you're obviously used to making yourself less important, for reasons of your own." "Does that mean I get the second date?" "What? No, at least, not until I know what it is, I'm not giving you a blank check." "How much of a fan are you, of Brunswicki Opera?" "Ugh, I've run through dates for less..." "And Alessian Theatre?" "The only good Alessian is a dead Alessian." "And Nisan Animated Cinema?" "Hmm, never really been a fan, but I can't say it's because I'm overexposed to it, Meihomei hates it with a passion." "Well, the Nisans are coming over, Takasuchi Miike is showing his latest Monster Pic, 'Na Kuhezo'." "I'm not monster movie girl material." "You're not? But the tattoos..." "They're a family thing, but I guess why you'd think that way, my mom certainly was a fan." "Enough that you'd try it with me?" He was earnest, and... ok, the puppy dog eyes were a bit much. But, there was something earnest about him, that if she really didn't like it, he'd not bother her about it ever again, it was an honest attempt at conversion. "What, you're making this our second date?" "No, I'm proposing this as our second date, but if you have a better idea, I'm willing to listen, or if you just want to come over and meet my 'real family'." "Your real family?" "As much as I love Lusi and Amarat, they're kinda like cousins, you know?" "So who is your family?" He pointed to her book. "They weren't kidding, when they said you were a cat boy?" "No, if anything, they undersold it, my cats are my landlords and I work really hard to keep them happy." "What if I want to go into Otter raising?" "If the cats don't veto your Otter, they're in." "What, wait, you're not vetoing the otter, the cats are?" "I'm used to being outvoted, get used to it too, those kitties have pedigree." "Pedigree?" "Robyn Frobanasynnia Kagomei, blood of Karel , King, Fourteenth of the Name, and Amygdala , Queen of Sarn, who begat Rembrandt who begat Graînea, who begat Robyn, who begat Bronwyn, who begat Raven, who begat Shy, Wise, Pretty and Sensible." "Wait, so, these cats of yours, are descended from the cats me and all the other lifeguards practically worship?" "Well, you worship them because Rembrandt was an upstanding citizen whose linage is honoured, I mean, people have conniptions just when I say I'm not making sure my cats aren't breeding with purebred Aquafold of his lineage, and I say, fuck that to that. You can't in-breed to that level and expect good results." "So you don't think Shy, who's 6 months old, has a herevallin?" "I'm a better candidate for herevallin... For fucks sake, I am the only male in my household! And Shy's a teenager!" "She's a cutie though." Shibue was teasing him, Linni was reasonably sure. "Being a cutie won't get you married, I'm sure." "Why not?" "Because being of sound mind and body is a requirement, and being a teenager ain't it." "Not going to argue that particular point, and I wanna say, you're so cute." "I've got cats, they're cute as a profession, what are you saying?" "That I want a second date, you dating mogul." "We're going to that Nisan movie theatre, with Meihomei, bring friends, and tissues." "Oh, Noyjitat." "We'll have such fun."
She woke up in his bed, it wasn't her thing, no, not really, she wasn't that kind of girl. On the other hand, waking up naked on a prince's sheets and what was probably Linni's special comfort blanket. Wait, he was grib material now? She was used to alternating dates with males, not letting them assume more than the relationship was: a way to blow off steam. Did she really have such a good time last night? "Dit-dit." "Jor-Jie?" "Dit-dit, click-click-chirp." Shibue hadn't managed full control of otter language, but she knew that click-click was peace, and chirps usually related to need, so she added two and two and went: "You're hungry, but there's no food?" "But there is? I got Jor-Jie her own bowl and everything." "Where did you put it?" "Euh, with the cats?" "Maybe Jor-Jie doesn't feel like eating with 8 cats who outweigh her and are probably a lil bit territorial?" "Oh, doh, sorry, I didn't think, let me get it for her, she can eat in the bedroom then." "What? Where do the cats eat usually?" "Each of the grown-ups have a favorite room: Corvo is in the kitchen, Corbo the dining, Raven the living, her nest is behind the jade screen, and Kelb's the attic. The kits eat in Raven's room for now." "No one in the bathroom?" "No, they follow me in there enough, I didn't want a guest's privacy to mean they were denied food." "Oh, good thinking. What's that?" "The sun-warmed pool?" "You do know that screams otter playground, don't you?" "Let me get her bowl." "What's in it?" "Cat food, Otter brand, certified safe for martens, stoats, otters, cats and any honeybadgers someone would keep." "Dit-dit." Jor-Jie was picking at her food. "Oh, where's the water?" "Coming!" Once the water bowl was added, Jor-Jie started eating, one dry kibble, one dipped in water, and so on. "Well, ain't that cute, dipping her food in." "What's that?" "Halp! I'm being held hostage by aquafold cats! Send halp!" Linni was busily being smothered by his eight felines, who had found his immobile body to be a good piece of furniture, cat funiture, that is. "I'm sorry, but I can't lift eight cats, you're on your own." Shibue smirked. "But, but, you're so buff, and strong!" "Oh, you've been noticing huh?" "Hmm, I had no idea they were platonic aquafolds though..." "What?" "The black mark at the tip of the tail? And the thin white and black skunk stripes on the chest?" "Oh, they would be, that's all Rembrandt's colouring, and he's their great-great grandfather." "What about the eyes?" "Well, they're all girls, so it's all green for them, or yellow, whereas a male, like Rembrandt would have orange eyes." "Except Rembrandt had green eyes, I mean, why else would they use emeralds for the eyes of his statue?" "Yeah, he had the rare genetic defect, if you see a green-eyed aquafold, it's a male only once every ten thousand. Orange-eyed female aquafolds have been seen only once, so they're at least that rare too." "How rare?" "Well, the breeding books for the asiranian cat authority list about six hundred thousand aquafolds, with maybe three-hundred and twenty females."
"What's she doing?" "Napping." "in the water like that? won't she droen?" no, she has been doing that sinces been weaned. She's more at yome in the eater than on land if anything.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Felis Catus Bellis
Geographic Distribution
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