Just as Cassie was about to go feed the cats, the conversation took a turn that had the young woman perking up. She knew Nolian was in college but... he did ranching? Did he work with horses, she wondered? If he did... that's one thing she wouldn't mind listening to. Of course, she would never admit that out loud. Or even ask about it. Even if she really, really wanted to know.

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That's when she realized Bonnie was looking at her. Cassie averted her gaze, swallowing uneasily. Why was Bonnie watching her? Did she perhaps see Cassie's eyes light up just slightly when the ranching topic come up? Was that it? Whatever the case, Cassie was ready to flee Bonnie's gaze.

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Pushing back her chair and standing up, Cassie grabbed her plate and headed outside. She was immediately greeted with a gentle breeze that ruffled her hair and made her smile. Nature... it was so peaceful.

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Cassie went back to the spot she had seen the cats and with pure luck on her side, the cats hadn't left. Of course, the were very wary of the young woman at first. But she wasn't deterred as she countinued to coax them out in favor of a meal. "Hey... It's okay, little ones. I promise I won't hurt you. Come on out. I bet you're starving." Cassie coo-ed, nudging the plate of food closer to the cats.

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Just as the lunch break was coming to a close, the cats finally gave in and started eating. Cassie sat back and watched them with unfiltered love in her eyes. Cats... they were such amazing and beautiful creatures. Then again... she thought all animals were amazing. Nevertheless, with a big grin on her face, Cassie watched the cats, her mind finally blank, a welcome relief to the earlier stress.

Nolian's eyes followed the young woman as she shuffled out the door before shaking his head. He might've been weird but sometimes, he was glad that he didn't have enough memories to make him weirder. "You know horses?" Alma prompted, chasing his thoughts away.

His smile grew as he dipped his head. "I know a little bit," Nolian confirmed and settled back in the chair again. "I'm used to working with horses brought in from wild herds. But they're fairly good to work with, a little rough at first. It's the ones that have been with people--people who didn't treat them right--those are the horses that give you the most trouble."

He shook his head and stood up, dusting himself off. "Ah well. We can't all be heroes."

"No," Alma mused warmly. "But some of us can be cowboys."

Nolian let out a brighter laugh at that before shaking his head again. "Ah, I wouldn't say I'm a cowboy. Just a good ol' kid just trying to do what he loves best."

Nolian made his way into the back, stretching out for a moment or two. His hand reached over, turning the radio on again as he went back to sorting through the last of the clothing and into the boxes of miscellaneous items.

A lot of Pyrex was usually donated, casserole dishes, jello molds, cake tins, books galore, old Knick-knacks as well. It was nothing out of the ordinary for him. Paintings, a lot of paintings, frames, silverware even. Holiday items were set into boxes and stored away for later.

But that was what he was used to. It wasn't much of a surprise at all that he slipped back into the same routine.

Again, Cassie lost track of time. By the time she had finished eating her half of the sandwich and the had cats left, lunch break had ended a couple minutes ago. She wasn't normally so unpunctual, but animals tended to keep her distracted. She was the type who wouldn't mind just watching animals for the whole day. Especially when the alternative was work.

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With a reluctant sigh, Cassie went back to work. She put her plate away before taking up a position by Nolian again. "Sorry. Got distracted." She murmured, glancing at her co-worker for just a second before she turned to the miscellaneous items he had just started to work on. She figured the least she could do was apologize. Afterall, if she wasn't here, Nolian had extra work.

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After a while, Cassie couldn't stop a tired groan from escaping her lips. Today seemed endless to the young woman, as if they would never get everything sorted. Her head fell back as she stared at the ceiling, trying to get herself together. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep. Or at the very least, take a break/nap.

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Glancing at the clock revealed it was almost the end of the work day. That was a relief, at least. Though Cassie would've preferred it if it was magically time to go home right that second. But it wasn't, so with a sigh, she got back to work.

Nolian glanced over as Cassie returned from her lunchtime escapade. His eyes flicked back to the box he was currently sifting through. It had mostly books that padded glass frames and little paintings. It wasn't terribly spectacular by any means. Distracted wasn't the word he would use. Nolian knew distractions and he took care not to get wrapped up in the wrong type of distraction.

But that was just himself. He was fine. "Bonnie lets a lot of things go," he said slowly, in the safety of the back of the store. His faded blue eyes flicked over, a weary smile in his face. "But you may want to be careful, her patience does tend to wear thin after a little while."

He shook his head, tossing the soft hair from his face. It took everything in him not to start yapping. It was a bad habit to just fill the silence--he hated the silence. Loathed it. The radio could only provide so much.

As she let out an exhausted groan, his eyes slid over again. "You good?" He asked carefully, stepping back to set the empty box aside and fish for the last box in the room.

"I mean, we're almost done. Once we get this box sorted through, we can head out. Our job is done," Nolian prompted, setting the box down on his table.

The box itself was old cardboard, full of newspaper. Newspaper dates that read... 1926. June of 1926. His eyes flickered with surprise and some delight. History! Oh his favorite thing! Well, one of them. But history that he could see, in his gloved hands, right there. The newspaper wasn't too interesting, just a retelling of a few stories, noting the lack of speakeasies, and alcohol. The detailing of a dance hall in a different part of town as well.

Nolian tilted his head, fishing some of the crumpled paper out with some intrigue. "Hey, check this out. This stuff is old but it looks like it's mint condition. This is so cool," he let out a warm noise before turning to the contents of the box itself.

Deep down Cassie knew Nolian was right. She should be more careful from now on. But at the same time... she much rather be in the company of animals. She knew animals didn't judge, unlike most people. That's partly why she was so obsessed with animals. Cassie couldn't find it in herself to reply besides a weak nod in his direction.

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When Nolian addressed her, Cassie turned to look at him. Ah, he was right. Only one box left. Awesome. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." Cassie replied with little to no overthinking on her part, considering it was a simple question and a simple answer.

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Upon his request, Cassie took a step closer so she could see what he was talking about. She had never been this close to Nolian before. Did she stink? Was her breath okay? What perfume had she used today? Nolian's little happy noise pushed Cassie out of her thoughts as she finally took a real look at what he was talking about.

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It was just... newspaper. Why... did he think it was cool? Despite being utterly confused, Cassie didn't say anything and instead focused on the items that were in the box. She stuck her hands in the box and carefully pulled out a small stack of books. She looked through each book, noting their titles, plots and condition. Of course, reading each plot and title wasn't necessary, but Cassie couldn't help herself. She was just too curious not to. Nolian was right though, each book seemed as if it had been just bought.

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The next item Cassie pulled out was a beautiful cat necklace. It, too, was in mint condition. It was even still in it's original box. "Nolian, look. It's so beautiful." Cassie cooed before she could doubt herself. She showed it to Nolian before opening the box. She just couldn't help herself. Plus, she *did* have a little bit of extra money on hand she could possibly use to buy the necklace.

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As soon as Cassie touched the cool metal of the necklace, however, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit her. She paused, wincing slightly as she tried to calm the nausea rising in her stomach. But as fast as it came, the dizziness and nausea quickly vanished. She did have a slight headache though, and her lower back was suddenly just a bit sore. Hm. Weird.

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Feeling something brush against her leg, Cassie went to wave whatever it was away. That's when she felt something soft and warm against her hand. Looking down, she saw a brown and white fluffy cat tail. Wait... what the heck? It was... a human sized cat tail?

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A second later, the gravity of the situation finally hit Cassie. The tail was attached to her! Absolute panic took control of the young woman's body as she jumped away. Seeking safety from the phenomenon, she turned to the only other person in the room. Cassie hid behind Nolian, as though he could somehow protect her from something that was literally attached to her.

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"Nolian! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" Cassie cried, holding onto the young man's shirt for dear life. Though she knew it was obviously attached to her, her brain hadn't fully comprehended that fact. On the plus side, Cassie's brain had malfunctioned, meaning she was no longer overthinking ^^

Nolian's eyes scanned over the books. There was a bright light to his faded blue eyes, glittering with delight as he sifted through the box. It was like a child at Christmas. He pulled it out with a giddy noise, marveling at the different books and the different items. The pictures in frames seemed hand painted which was incredible. But the focuses of the images were strange. Folks that seemed part animal, others with plants that wrapped around their limbs, leaning to their very beck and call. Angels portrayed with dark and faded wings, or dazzling light that shone around them.

They were breathtaking.

He shook his head clear of his thoughts as his coworker reached in and grabbed the necklace's box. The box itself held a very antique feel to it, with the necklace carefully set in the velvet cushion. "Oh wicked," Nolian whispered, setting the book down on the table. His eyes scanned over the necklace before nodding briefly and turning back to the box.

This was part of why he enjoyed his job. It was like a museum sometimes! So many cool things came in.

He glanced over ever so slightly when she paused but he figured she was just admiring the necklace. Nolian reached in again, pulling out a small angel-like figurine. The dirt and dust around the edges seemed to hide the words on the ribbon stretched between her hands. He tilted his head, rubbing his thumb over the ribbon to try and figure out what the words said.

That was when Cassie jumped like something had bit her. He whipped his head up to look at her, confused. "Cass--" at her words, Nolian figured it was a spider or something. Her reaction however was far beyond a normal insect or arachnid.

Nolian cut off as she gripped his shirt, dragging him backwards from the table. "What's going on?!" He cried out, fumbling with the angel. The ceramic figurine tumbled from his finger tips, breaking the head off on the table before shattering on the ground beneath them.

He managed to pry her hands off and turned around. Nolian blinked several times and tilted his head. What... was he seeing? Were those... cat ears and a tail?

He nearly asked if it was a costume when the tail lashed back and forth. Clearly... not a costume.

"... I..." Nolian chewed on the inside of his lip, biting down on his tongue. "Let's take a few deep breaths, okay?" He snapped his fingers close to his face, trying to get her attention. "Eyes on me, just focus here. Deep breath, deep breath."

Nolian hesitated before reaching out to take her shoulder. "Are you hurt at all?" He focused on the main issue at hand, pain, bleeding, injuries. If she wasn't hurt then maybe he could figure out if... or when... things had gone wrong.

The loud noise of the angel shattering did nothing to ease Cassie's fried nerves. In fact, it just made her all the more terrified. She could hardly breathe correctly anymore, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Her tail lashed out behind her violently, showing her fear. Her cat ears were pinned to her head, another sign of unease.

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As if he were an angel himself, Nolian managed to get the shaken Cassie to focus on him. That didn't stop her from whimpering as he spoke, though. Tears pricked her eyes and her whole body was shaking like an earthquake had hit her. Despite that, she managed to take a few questionable deep breaths like Nolian had requested.

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Normally Cassie would've flinched if she were to be touched suddenly. But in this case, that was the least of her problems. And the warmth of Nolian's hands helped to ground her just slightly.

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"I- I- I-" Forcing another deep breath through her body, Cassie tried her best to make herself just a little less panicked. "I have a little headache and my lower back is a bit sore. B- but I think that's because of..." She trailed off, not sure how to describe what was happening.

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"I- I'm scared." Cassie admitted, still too terrified to really care what she was saying and doing at this point. All she wanted to do right now was curl up in a little ball and hide from the world. That much was probably clear as her tears finally broke loose from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Nolian glanced back briefly, looking at the shattered ceramics at his feet. That wasn't ideal at all so he carefully nudged the pieces under his table as best he could with one foot. That would be good enough... probably.

His eyes turned back to Cassie as she sucked in a deep breath of air, steadying herself. At least a little bit. He stayed silent, focused on her eyes. A headache... he could understand. Both of which, he could understand.

"Right," he said softly, slowly. His mind was swimming, reeling and spinning gears to try and figure out what to do. "M-maybe we... we're just imagining things..." but to imagine the same thing? That was far-fetched.

"I know," Nolian attempted to sooth, his hands out in front of him to try and keep her calm and focused on him. It was the same type of position he usually took up when trying to calm a spooked horse. "Just... just... uhm..." he glanced around for a moment. "Just sit down for now, okay? Just take a seat... and I... will firstly get you something to drink... and maybe a Tylenol..."

He nodded briefly, taking another step to gather the ceramics in a dustpan and dispose of it in the trash with an extra few shattering noises. He winced and shook his head. "Is that okay with you, Cassie?" Nolian turned his head back to the young woman. "Is it okay if I head out real quick?"

Even in her panicked state, Cassie knew there was little chance they were just 'imagining things'. Especially because she could actually feel what her tail touched, as if her tail was just her hand. That was probably the scariest thing about this whole ordeal, honestly.

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Cassie waited for Nolian to tell her what to do, too freaked out to really make a plan of her own. She knew it was unfair to lay all the responsibilities on him, but right now, she was doing good to not hyperventilate. Still, her mind was telling her to do something and not just sit around like some damsel in distress.

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At the prospect of Nolian leaving, even if it was just for a little bit, had Cassie panicking again. Right now, he was her support and the thought of being alone terrified her. There was so many things that could go wrong if she wasn't in the safety of someone she knew she could somewhat trust. Plus, what if Nolian was just gonna run away and never come back? That's what she felt like doing in this instance, afterall. Or worse, what if he called the police or something?

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Cassie paused when Nolian asked her thoughts on the matter. Of course, it wasn't like people didn't ask for her opinion. But she just wasn't used to it seeming like they actually cared what she thought. And his words were also a pretty good indication he wasn't just going to book it as soon as he could.

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"I... It doesn't hurt that bad. I- I don't need tylenol." Cassie murmured, trying, in her roundabout way, to say she wasn't comfortable with being left alone, as she reluctantly sat down on a nearby chair. "And what if Bonnie or Alma come in here? Surely they heard my yelp and the figurine breaking."

Nolian let out a slow breath before shaking his head. "The Tylenol will help with the swelling--if there is any," he replied softly. "But if I can... I can head out there and tell them that you're not feeling too well. I'll stay back and help you get home."

He bobbed his head and took off, tearing through the back hallway and slowing his pace once he neared the front desk. The work day was almost over--Alma was packing her stuff up while Bonnie closed up shop.

"Cassie isn't feeling too well," Nolian explained as he dug through the break room cupboards. "I'm going to stay back and make sure she feels good enough to get home. I have my key to the back door and we'll lock up when we're good to go," he confirmed with a brief nod. The minute he grabbed the Tylenol he was already on his way to the back of the store. The young man pushed the door open and closed it behind him.

He had hoped it would just be a bad dream but here they were. Still... partially cat. A shiver ran up and down his spine which he hid under walking forward and turning the radio off.

"Here," he held the bottle down to the young woman. "It'll... be fine. Did you walk here or did you drive?" He asked quietly. If she drove, they could hide the tail with the car itself and the ears with a hat or hood.

But if she hadn't? Well... they might have to wait until the curtain of night to run home.

And hope for the best.

Nolian couldn't lie, he was terrified. What on earth had caused this? It wasn't the necklace was it? What if it was?

He shook the thoughts clear from his head, taking a seat on the floor again.