The noise was still there. Unrelenting. But even with how loud the rain was, beating down on the roof of the aluminum trailer as it did, with it having been so constant over the past day or two, Laura had actually gotten used to it. By now, it wasn't the noise that woke her up so early in the morning, it was the routine she had inevitably slipped into after a whole week of waking up bright and early to make sure she was showered, dressed and all ready to meet the Woodhouse brothers by the time the two beavers arrived at her place. They were earlier than usual this morning though, arriving in both the huge old former army truck as well as a smaller truck with a very large dumpster on the back of it, which held a very large collapsible trash chute in it, while the Somali cat was still having her morning rinse in the trailer's small shower booth. Knowing full well she would be getting pretty darn wet again anyway over the course of the day, Laura didn't even bother with drying off too much but just threw on some easy knockabout clothes over her damp fur when she heard the rumble of the heavy diesel engines pulling up to the farm, so she could quickly step outside to meet the two beavers who already were busy parking the second truck to the side of the farmhouse and offloading the large dumpster. As soon as it was in position, William took a large generator out of it which he started setting up on what once had been the back porch of the farmhouse while Edward carried the trash chute and a long coiled-up cable up to the attic of the old building, both beavers giving Laura a quick "morning" as they walked past her. Laura chuckled softly to herself at the fact they didn't even give her a bag of breakfast goods this time, but then again she had told them that wasn't really necessary anymore as she had fully stocked her fridge by now. Figuring she might as well wait around a bit for Daisy and Shelly to show up, the fluffy agouti cat stepped this way and that along the front of the house, looking up every now and then as the two beaver brothers set up the trash chute from one of the attic windows and trying to imagine what the place would look like once it would be all fixed up again. And there were still plenty of choices to make; not just which walls to remove from the inside of the house or where and what shape the rooms should be, but also for the outside of the building. Keep the original small square windows, or get larger windows installed? What kind of siding would work best; aluminum, possibly some kind of plastic, wood, or brick? The walls of the original house were a mixture of pretty rough wood and very weathered, rough brickwork. It had character if nothing else, and Laura did want to keep everything as original as she possibly could. But brickwork was likely to be very expensive with how labor-intensive it was to lay, and the fluffy Somali did have to keep an eagle-eye on all of the expenditure as the whole thing was viable to drain both her checking account as her savings account completely and utterly bone-dry. Perhaps there might be a possibility of getting pre-made sections of brick wall; Laura had heard of how some apartment buildings in the town she came from were concrete shells clad with pre-made sections of brick wall. That was bound to be cheaper, although it would also quite possibly look rather strange and unnatural at the parts where the sections joined together. She'd have to talk to either Ed or William about that and see what advice they would have. There were just so many variables to consider, especially when taking into account the location she was in. Would it actually be cheaper to get pre-fab sections transported in, or would it turn out to be cheaper to have someone more local do actual bricklaying? And judging by some of the experiences she already had with how the people reacted to the news of her bringing Fangle Farmstead back to life, there might even be more opportunities to get work, or at least repairs, done for very reduced prices or even for free by local people or enterprises who would be happy to just lend a hand in getting so historical a farm back into operation again. Not to mention, that... "Hiyeeeee, Laura!" The cheerful shout accompanied by a blast of a cracking car horn pulled Laura out of her musings and into looking up and chuckling at the black and white kitten Shelly leaning way far out of the passenger window of the old International Harvester S110 pickup truck being driven up to the farmhouse by Daisy, who also offered a cheerful wave from behind the wheel. "Was ya waitin' fer us, 'oney? Tha's so sweet," the Siamese chuckled after she had parked the truck. "Yeah well, I figured I might as well," Laura chuckled, with a slight oomph as she was enthusiastically hugged around the waist by Shelly bounding up to her. "There's still so much to think of and so much to consider in this whole project, and being out here looking at the dump was helping me think of some of those things." "Makes a whole lotta sense," Daisy agreed. "But I reckon it'll be 'bout time to get inside now an' start rootin' through yer attic, yeah?" "Indeed it is," Laura nodded with a giggle. "Ed and Will brought a huge empty dumpster and put a trash chute down from the attic window, and they brought a generator and plenty wires as well so we can have some half decent light up there. So we should be all set." "Good! We better get to it then, 'cause miss coilspring-butt 'ere 'as been bouncin' 'round all mornin' already to usher me over 'ere to yer place," Daisy grinned while playfully smacking Shelly's bum with her tail. "Hee! Yeah! I just wanted to come over already and help you, Laura!" Shelly giggled. "And I brought my camera too so we can take pictures, see?" she beamed, pulling a small, simple digital camera in a hardcase from one of her pockets. "You wanted to do that here?" Laura chuckled. "Seriously? In this dump? I thought we were gonna save the taking of those pictures until after we've all had a shower at your aunt's place." "We'll be savin' the takin' o' [i]those[/i] pictures till then alright, yeah," Daisy winked cheerily. "But I can still see a lotta pictures bein' taken over 'ere while that li'l goofball over there dresses up in all the nineteenth century duds we may find up there." "Haha, oh yeah, I hadn't even thought about that yet," Laura chuckled softly. "I have no idea what we may all find up there, or what kind of state anything will be in, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of old clothing and such among all the stuff up there." "Well, one way to find out, 'oney!" Daisy winked again. "True indeed, let's get up there!" Laura nodded. "It may not be much better than down here, but at least it'll be a good bunch dryer!" Approved by a loud cheer from Shelly, that plan was set into motion. The three of them walked into the partially gutted farmhouse and carefully made their way up the old staircase and towards the large hole in the ceiling at the end of the upstairs landing where the fold-up stairs to the attic had been replaced with a sturdy aluminum ladder. It was even as simple as following the wire, as one of the Woodhouse brothers had strung a heavy-duty cable along the walls from the growling generator on the back porch all the way up to the attic through the hole in the ceiling. They had also hung a couple of lights in the attic; nothing more than thinner wires with a bare lightbulb on the end, simple but very effective. It spread a more than enough amount of light throughout the attic. One of the attic windows had been opened as well, almost entirely covered by the mouth of the trash chute which ended in the dumpster the beavers had set up next to the farmhouse. Disposing of unwanted items was going to be as simple as tossing them out the window. Which was exactly what the three cats did for the first hour or two. There were plenty of boxes and crates filled with unusable junk they didn't even need to sort through - or which Laura had decided not to sort through so they wouldn't get caught up in all the stuff there was around and ending up keeping way more than she had space or use for. So they just tossed them down the chute after one glance at the content. A set of old oak and faded pink and flowered brocade armchairs which had been somewhat protected by an old bedsheet draped over them were put to the side for later; they were very ornate and in pretty good shape, so Laura planned to keep those for when the house was finished. As old-fashioned as they were, they looked amazing, and very in-place for an old farmhouse. There were indeed also plenty of old clothes, in boxes as well as old shellac suitcases and a few large trunks. Laura set aside all of those as well - not for her own use, but to keep the suitcases and trunks and to donate the clothes later. Sure, most of the items were horribly outdated - as in; a couple of centuries out of fashion - but most of it was still in good shape and it would simply be a shame to just throw it all away. Even if no one would be wearing it anymore, it could still be used to make into newer clothes, or whatever use the donation centre might find for it. And of course, there were several very silly pictures taken of Shelly happily dressing up in the nineteenth-century frocks and dresses and hoop skirts and oversized hats and whatnot, and every now and then getting Laura and Daisy to match her weird outfits as well, the results without fail ending in fits of hilarious giggles. They only stopped with all of that silliness when they were interrupted by one of the Woodhouse brothers calling up to them through the hole in the ceiling. "Miss Laura, ma'am? It be a bit past noon now, we be goin' now if ya don' mind." "That time already?" Laura checked her watch, then leaned down to call down through the hole in the floor. "By all means! Thank you for bringing the lights and the chute, they've been mighty helpful already! You won't be here tomorrow, right?" "Tha's right, we be back firs' think Monday mornin'." "Alright, I will see you then! Thanks again for all the help so far, and have a good weekend, okay?" "Right-o, you too!" Sitting back up, Laura wiped a few locks of hair out of her face and turned to Daisy. "I guess now's as good a time as any to take a little break for lunch, don't you think?" "Oh yeah, agreed," the Siamese nodded. "What'cha proposin', 'oney? Want me to run into town an' grab some grub, or what?" Laura chuckled softly behind a paw. "Sounds delicious. But I was actually thinking of taking you both into town with me and have lunch at Pam's." "Yaaaaay! Her pancakes are so yummy!" Shelly cheered loudly. "I take it that idea is approved then," Laura chuckled. "Sure, it sounds lovely, 'oney," Daisy nodded with a smile. "Very generous of ya, too." "Yeah well, it's the least I can do, right? You've been feeding me and getting me clean since I got here pretty much," Laura chortled. "And now you're also helping me go through like two centuries of old accumulated crap, so at the very least I could treat you to lunch." "Makes sense I s'pose," Daisy nodded. "Well, let's go then I reckon?" "Yeah, let's go indeed." They carefully made their way down the ladder and dusted themselves off as good and as bad as they could. Daisy also reminded Laura to shut off the generator, as it would make no sense to keep that thing running and burning gasoline while they were not there. Piling into Laura's old brown Impala then, the agouti feline drove them into the tiny town and to the cozy, colorful corner building that housed Pam's Ice Cream Diner. The insanely tall pastel-hued cat behind the counter greeted them cheerfully when they stepped inside, and with a hearty giggle at their dusty, disheveled look as well. "Well howdy there, explorers! From what dusty neck o' the woods did y'all manage to find the way to this humble watering hole?" "Oh 'ush, miss flagpole," Daisy grinned. "It ain't [i]that[/i] bad." "Bad enough to warrant a remark," Pamela giggled. "What'cha been doing anyways?" "Jus' 'elpin' Laura 'ere clean out 'bout two centuries o' Fangle history from her attic," Daisy thumbed at Laura with a grin. "Oh, my! Sounds like quite a chore, that does. Musta made y'all hungry as heck, too." "Hence why we're here, Pam," Laura chuckled. "I'm sure you can provide us poor dusty famished explorers with a hearty meal to get our stomachs unstuck from our spines, right?" "Ah, say no more, doctor Livingrock!" Pamela winked with a giggle. "One explorer-saving lunch, comin' right up! Times three! Y'all go and find yourselves a comfy seat now to rest y'all's poor weary bones!" "Hee, you're so silly, Pam!" Shelly giggled. "Yeah well, it's fun, ain't it?" the tall pastel cat winked before stepping through a door behind the counter. "She's right on that," Daisy chuckled. As they sat down in one of the pink and white booths she sent Laura an almost conspiratorial wink. "Say, did she give ya her very special welcome in this town ice cream yet, 'oney?" "Uh... no? I don't think so at least?" Laura wondered, running a paw over her muzzle. "She gave us that double-size root beer float when you first brought me here, but that's not it, is it?" "Oh no, that weren't it fer sure, 'oney," Daisy grinned. "It's a lot better'n that, believe ya me. When she's back 'ere with the grub, ya better ask'er 'bout it." "Uhm... okay then," Laura mused, with a sideways glance at Shelly who was doing her very best not to burst into giggles. Somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling some kind of prank or joke might be involved. Shelly's struggle to try and not giggle too much was rather suspicious, for one. And Daisy's grin having a bit of an almost... devious tinge to it was not very reassuring either. Still, there wasn't very much she could do about it for now, and if she was quite honest, it wouldn't be too bad if she got pranked. Perhaps it would just be some kind of innocent inauguration into the tiny town's community or something. And really, how bad could it possibly be? So maybe Pamela might make her an ice cream with tabasco sauce in it or something. It couldn't really be anything worse than that, right? She wouldn't do anything like... "Well, here y'all are, explorers!" the tall pastel soda jerk's cheery voice cut off Laura's musings. "One nice big helping of Pam's very own blueberry pancakes with syrup and cream to fill your tummies to the brim!" She set down three plates piled with cream-covered and blueberry-filled pancakes and sent a cheery wink at Laura. "And what were you thinking so deeply about, honey? Something exciting?" "Well... it might be, I suppose? Daisy said I should ask you about some kind of super special welcome in this town ice cream you apparently offer?" Laura said with just the tiniest hint of apprehension. "Oh! Right! Yeah!" Pamela chuckled, leaning down on the table and lowering her voice a bit. "So you're one for the ladies, honey, yeah?" "I... guess? What exactly do you mean by that?" "She means as in the intimate sense, 'oney," Daisy winked. "As in 'ow ya an' me been under the shower b'fore an' that, ya know?" "Oh... oh!" Laura blinked, running a paw over her eyes and muzzle again. "I see." She turned her look towards Pamela and smiled. "Yeah, in that case, yeah, I am." "Excellent, honey, great," Pamela smiled. "Well then, come Monday, that be the quietest day of the week, you doing anything Monday evening?" "Apart from having dinner and a shower at Daisy's place after we spent the whole day whacking down three decades of weeds, no, I don't think so," Laura said with a light chuckle. "Good good, Monday it is then," Pamela winked. "You come down here 'round eight-ish, yeah? Look by the door, there's two doorbells, you buzz the upper one so I can let you in, yeah?" "Sure?" Laura giggled softly, tilting her head a bit. "Sounds good to me I suppose?" "Good, great, that's settled then," Pamela smiled wider, rising back up again. "I'll be seeing you then, honey! And for now, do y'all want anything to drink with them pancakes?" "Yeah! Chocomalt!" Shelly cheered. "Same for me, 'oney," Daisy nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah, sure, why not, I'll have one of those as well," Laura agreed. "Right-o, comin' right up, honeys!" With a cheery twirl that wavered out her pleated skirt widely, Pamela turned and walked back to the counter with her tray tucked under her arm. Grabbing three sort of sundae glasses, she pulled three pints of chocolate malt from one of the tall vintage taps behind the counter, sticking a couple of pink and white straws into each of them and delivering them back to the booth with the same flourish she had left with. Talking cheerily and giggling about the work they had already done and the silly outfits they had dressed up in, the three felines sat enjoying their blueberry pancakes and chocolate malts. It seemed rather telling to Laura, though, that none of them mentioned anything about Pamela's apparent welcome to town ice cream and the appointment she had made with Laura just now, but the fluffy Somali let it slide and just enjoyed the food and the wonderful company. If there was any implication about that question Pamela had asked about 'being for the ladies', then how bad could it be? Contrarily even, if there [i]was[/i] any implication about that question, it was likely to be quite good, if not very good. Either way, Laura decided to not worry about it until the time was right for it, and before that she'd still have the entire rest of the weekend to spend with Daisy and Shelly, going through everything in the attic. So far, that was proving to be a very fruitful task. Except for the boxes of random assorted junk, there had been nothing they had needed to throw out. There was a lot of clothing, but that could all be donated. There were old paintings that could be donated, possibly even sold, and some that Laura wanted to keep because they looked lovely. They had found a lot of baby stuff and little kid stuff as well, clothes and furniture and toys and such, which all could be donated or sold as well. And most of the regular furniture and such they had dug out from between and under the stacks of boxes was in surprisingly good condition for having sat in an abandoned, falling apart building for over three decades. Edward Woodhouse had mentioned before that the original attic had never been altered, and it certainly looked as if the original farmhouse had been built to last the ages and withstand the elements - as opposed to most of the rooms that had been added onto the building over the years. Those brocade chairs they had found, for instance, merely had the color of the upholstery fade over the years, and the clear lacquer on the legs and arms had started cracking and peeling. But that should be quite easily repairable, and the chairs definitely looked like very comfortable and sturdy pieces of antique. And then there was that large standing lamp they had found. Laura even vaguely remembered her own grandparents used to have a similar type of lamp in their living room. Made of wicker, it had a very tall, smooth braided wicker base in an elongated hourglass shape, with a wood pole on the inside of that which provided support and rigidity, as well as an artfully turned end sticking out the top of the base which held a regular fitting for a lightbulb. Screwed onto that was a wide, thin metal hoop upon which the lampshade rested, which was almost as tall as the base of the lamp, also made out of wicker but with the twigs braided in a way to form a solid bottom and top part with most of the part in between forming a sort of netting with large rectangular openings, a swath of yellow cotton cloth affixed along the inside to complete the lampshade. Some of the wicker twigs were cracked or broken or had been nibbled on by mice, as was the electrical cord, but the overall integrity of the lamp was still fully intact. Re-wiring it should take nothing more than a length of electrical wire, a new plug and about five minutes of fiddling with a screwdriver, and Daisy had mentioned there was a studio in Pine Corner, on the other side of the mountain outcrop, that did basket weaving and such - the wicker part of the lamp could very easily be repaired there. Before they had left for Pam's, Laura had actually brought that lamp down from the attic with her and put it in her trailer so she could re-wire it and utilize it in there. Being parked under the trees at the side of the house, it tended to get rather dark in there quite soon, so an extra lamp would not be going amiss. Now done with their lunch, the three of them left the diner with an additional departing treat from Pamela in the form of a bearhug and a smooch for each of them, and a playful wink full of promise in Laura's direction. They stopped at Donny's DIY store on the way back to pick up a few handy supplies, mostly some basic hand tools, of course a small electric safety screwdriver, a roll of electrical wire, an electrical plug or two and some spare lightbulbs before returning to the farm. Daisy, having way more experience with larger appliances and machines, helped Laura re-start the generator before they made their way back up to the attic. As the rain was still coming down by about a gallon every three seconds, they used some of the old, dusty sheets that were draped over various items of furniture to dry themselves off a bit. They also uncovered a plump couch of monstrous proportions in the process, again the only damage to it being that the rust-brown corduroy upholstery had faded over time, and one lower corner in the back had been nibbled on so mice or possibly some other kind of rodent or bird could pull out some of the stuffing to build a nest with. But, again, that just gave it character. Laura playfully accused Daisy of using that as an excuse for every bit of damage they discovered on any of the furniture and boxes and linen they dug out. It was Shelly, however, who eventually made the biggest find when she was rooting through and between boxes and crates for items to play with. A quite weathered, and partially eaten leather case, which the black and white kitten curiously pulled out from between two boxes and half under an enormous pinewood dresser. As she did so, several pieces of it crumbled away and fell off, revealing that on the inside, the case was covered in slightly decaying orange velvet which cradled a 1948 Crafton Rex Model 71 5-peg banjo. "Oh! Look aunt Daisy, that's almost like the one you have!" Both Laura and Daisy looked around, and while Laura canted her head and scratched her left ear in wonder, Daisy nodded and carefully extricated the old instrument from the leftovers of the case. "That be an oldie, a'right. Looks pretty darn good still though, despite that case bein' a disaster." She looked up at Laura. "Ya wanna keep it, 'oney?" " I don't know," Laura shrugged. "Most I could do with it is putting it on display in the house somewhere. I sure as heck won't be able to play it, I never learned to play any kind of instrument." "Aunt Daisy can!" Shelly nodded brightly. "She has one of her own, yeah! She used to play funny songs for me when I was smaller, yeah!" She clapped her paws cheerfully. "Play it now, aunt Daisy! The song about tomorrow, yeah! That one's so funny!" "Well, I reckon I could," Daisy chuckled softly while she checked the old banjo over. She sent Laura a wink. "Ya reckon I should, 'oney?" "Sure, go for it," Laura giggled, making a gesture with a paw. "Heck, I'd sure like to hear it." "Well, it bein' two 'gainst one, I reckon I'm outnumbered," the slim Siamese chuckled, sitting crosslegged and resting the banjo in her lap so she could check the strings and carefully re-tune them. "Lessee if I can remember, mm?" She tickled the strings of the old instrument, re-tuned one a bit more, closed her eyes and took a deep breath to collect her thoughts, then picked the strings again to draw a simple but cheery tune from the banjo, following shortly after in song with a crisp, clear voice. "I started on a journey, jus' about a year ago, to a little town called Morrow, in the state of Ohio. I never been much of a trav'ler, an' I really di'n't know, that Morrow was the 'ardest place I ever tried to go. So I went down to the station for me ticket an' applied, for tips regardin' Morrow, not expectin' to be guyed. Said I, my friend, I'd like to go to Morrow an' return, no later than tomorrow for I ain't got time to burn. Said he to me, now let me see if I 'ave 'eard ya right, ya'd like to go to Morrow an' return tomorrow night. Ya shoulda gone to Morrow yesterday, an' back today, for the train that goes to Morrow is a mile upon its way. If ya had gone to Morrow yesterday now don'cha see, ya coulda gone to Morrow an' return today at three. For the train today to Morrow, if the schedule is right, today it goes to Morrow an' returns tomorrow night. Said I, my friend, it seems to me yer talkin' through yer hat, there is a town called Morrow on the line, now tell me that. There is, said he, but take from me a quiet little tip, to go from 'ere to Morrow is a fourteen hour trip. The train today to Morrow leaves today at eight thirty-five, at 'alf past ten tomorrow is the time it should arrive. So if from 'ere to Morrow is a fourteen hour jump, can ya go today to Morrow an' get back today, ya chump? Said I, I'd like to go to Morrow so can I go today, an' get to Morrow by tonight if there ain't no delay? Well well, said he to me, an' I got no more to say, can ya get anywhere tomorrow an' get back again today? Said I, I guess ya know it all, but kindly lemme say, 'ow can I get to Morrow if I leave this town today? Said he, ya can not go to Morrow anymore today, for the train that goes to Morrow is a mile upon its way. I was so disappointed, I was mad enough to swear, the train had gone to Morrow and it left me standin' there. The man was right in tellin' me, ya are a howlin' jay, I could not go to Morrow. Well, I guess in town I'll stay." All the while, Shelly was clapping along with the tune and giggling loudly. Laura initially listened with a bit of surprise over Daisy's apparent musical talent, but soon enough she started giggling as well and applauded when the Siamese finished the silly song. "Well, bravo I say, Daisy, bravo! I'm impressed, I have to say. If you wanna keep that banjo, it's all yours. Clearly you can make much better use of it than I ever could." "Aw shucks, well, thanks a bundle, 'oney," Daisy giggled, resting the banjo in her lap again. "I'll definitely cherish it, it's a mighty fine oldie, this is." She glanced down at the instrument, reached down and pulled out her pocket watch to flip it open. "Whoop, shucks indeed, didya know it's past nine already, too?" "Seriously?" Laura blinked and checked her own watch, then looked up at the window opposite the one that was mostly covered by the mouth of the trash chute. "Wow, that went by quickly, and so unnoticed, too. Must be those bare lights." "I reckon that must be it," Daisy nodded. "Be that as it may, though, it's time to go back home an' shower an' get some sleep." "We can still do pictures though, yeah?" Shelly begged, looking up with large, round hopeful eyes. "I reckon there may be time for that, shower should jus' be a quick rinse to get rid o' the dust." "Yay! Okay, let's go then! C'mooonnn!" Laura and Daisy both chuckled at Shelly's urging, getting up and climbing down the aluminum ladder. Making sure to shut off the generator first again and closing everything up as best as it could be closed up, Daisy ushered Shelly into her pickup truck while Laura got into her own car to follow the two of them to Bluebell Farm. Despite it getting steadily darker, with the rain still pouring down and there being no streetlights at all along the narrow dirt and gravel roads between both farms, the trip to Bluebell Farm was quick and easy. Of course, the way inside was led by Shelly bounding out of the pickup truck and into the farmhouse. By the time Daisy and Laura had gotten into the house as well, Shelly was already up in the bathroom and out of her clothes, turning on the shower and mixing the warm and cold water. They quickly followed the kitten into the shower, shedding their clothes as well and having, as Daisy had put it, just a quick rinse to wash off the dust and a little bit of sweat from the work they had done in the attic that day. Drying off was done just as quick and easy, after which they went back downstairs to just sit down together for a little while and talk a bit. Again, as before, not a word was uttered about the special ice cream offer from Pamela, but Laura didn't even get a chance to think too much about that as Shelly was all over her, cuddling up in the Somali's fluffy fur and having Daisy taking pictures of the two of them together, or taking pictures herself of Laura and Daisy together or just of Laura by herself. The cutest picture was made with the auto-timer of the little camera, allowing all three of them to be in the picture, the two adult cats sitting next to each other on the couch with Shelly in between them, being hugged from both sides by both of them. Shelly still wasn't done after that, though, happied out of her mind as she was that she finally got to do the picture-taking and making the most of it. With some quite silly pictures from time to time as well, such as a random picture of Laura's left foot, or the end of her tail, or half of her bum, or a single ear from very close by because 'it's just so fluffy', or the side of her muzzle with her whiskers almost smooshed up against the lens. Laura did feel just a little bit weird about Shelly also leaning into her lap and snapping some close-up pictures of her sex, meanwhile commenting on how pretty it was and how different it looked from Daisy's. But well, at least it showed a pure and normal curiosity, Laura figured, and the healthiness of their nudist lifestyle, rather that it having been made a taboo. Laura did know that doing something like that only made it even more intriguing to young kittens and cause them to experiment on their own, which could have quite the wrong results. She'd almost been down that path herself when she was in grade school, so she just let Shelly go ahead and mostly complied with the kitten's questions on if she could move a knee or raise a leg every now and then. A glance aside showed her Daisy at least seemed to think it a very normal thing to happen. And to be quite honest, Shelly's almost devoted attention to her person was also kind of flattering, in a way. "Hey, Laura?" "Mm?" Shelly's voice drew Laura back out of her musings, looking down at the black and white kitten laying almost facedown between her fluffy thighs. "Yes, what is it, dearie?" Shelly looked down at Laura's crotch with her camera in one paw, then back up at the Somali's face. "Could you, like, hold them apart a bit, Laura?" "Mm?" Laura tilted her head a bit and ran a paw over her whiskers. "How, uh... what exactly do you mean with that?" "Well, you know, like..." Shelly put down her camera and reached up with both paws, using her fingers to lightly and carefully pull Laura's fuzzy outer labia to the sides. "...like this?" Laura blinked momentarily and bit her lower lip for a moment while pulling in her breath at the sudden touch, trying her best to show as little of a reaction as she could. "Mh... uhm... why... would you want that, dearie?" "Well, you know, it's just so pretty," Shelly smiled with a light purr. "Yours are so soft and thick and fluffy, and these inner ones you have are much frillier and wider than aunt Daisy's, you know? They look, like, more fleshy and stuff, kinda like a butterfly, yeah." She constantly ran her fingers up and down along Laura's fluffy outer labia in an almost petting manner as she spoke, every now and then sliding a fingertip against the agouti cat's inner labia which indeed partially flowered out sideways from her slit to almost form a butterfly-shape. Laura blinked again and even kept her eyes shut for a moment or two, biting her lower lip again and trying her hardest to only lightly curl her toes now and then or twitch the very end of her bushy tail while regulating her breath as best as she could to keep it steady. Still, her body gave off more instinctual reactions she could not suppress, and with her close proximity between Laura's thighs, Shelly did quite easily pick up on the quivers and light clenches of the Somali's vulva as well as the inevitable first mild traces of dampness that started appearing, eliciting a soft giggle from the black and white kitten. "Hee, you're getting a little it wet down here, Laura." She looked up at Laura's face again with bright eyes while petting two fingers along the agouti cat's quivering inner labia again. "Do you like it when I pet you like this?" Laura squeezed her eyes for a moment and pulled in a deeper breath. "Uh... hm... well, I... shouldn't..." "An' now that be poppycock," Daisy chimed in with a smile, leaning over a bit and putting a paw on Laura's shoulder. "O'course ya should be feelin' enjoyment, 'cause that's a totally natural reaction to touches like that. Ain't no sense in tryin' to deny it or suppress it, that ain't healthy." She leaned in even closer, touching her nose against Laura's flickering ear and dropping her voice to a warm purr. "Ya should be fully enjoyin' them touches, 'oney, an' piddles to Shel bein' 'jus' a kit'. She knows what's up with alla that kinda stuff, she knows what it does, what it's for, 'ow to do it well, an' she darn well knows the ramifications of it, too. I taught her ev'rything meself, 'oney, so ya can trust me on that. An ya can believe me on this as well; she's goldurn good at it." Before Laura could comprehend that or even react to it, Daisy rolled her head to send Shelly a wink and a smile. "Why don'cha show 'er what I taught ya 'bout the magic button, 'oney, mm? With the touches as well as the lickies, yeah?" "Yeah? Can I? Yay!" Shelly beamed happily. "I wanna make you feel all fine and good and happy, Laura, yeah! You're so pretty and so soft and sweet, and you smell yum! I bet you taste yum too!" Laura could only react with the pulling in of a shuddering breath and the squeezing shut of her eyes, as almost immediately after her cheerful statement Shelly leaned way down between Laura's thighs and pressed the Somali's inner labia to the sides with her fingers so she could poke her nose directly against Laura's clitoris, which by now had gotten hard enough to poke firmly out from her hood. She shuddered and twitched her fluffy tail while curling her toes again, subconsciously parting her thighs a bit further and lightly rolling her hips, drawing a happy croon from Shelly who followed up the touch of her nose with a light, almost tentative lick of the tip of her tongue to the upper part of Laura's slit and her clitoris. Letting out a sighed mewl, Laura rolled her head with her eyes closed and buried her face in Daisy's loose-hanging golden hair, half sinking into the embrace of the slender Siamese's arms almost as if looking for comfort. Daisy calmly purred right into one of Laura's twitching ears she still had her nose pressed up against while softly rubbing the Somali's shoulder and arm with one paw, her other paw gently cupped around one of Laura's breasts. Every now and then she slowly shifted her fingers to caress the quite perky nipple while she held Laura embraced against her side with her other arm, allowing the fluffy Somali to relax further up against her as she sagged down on the sofa under the ministrations Shelly was giving her with both fingers and tongue. The black and white kitten was getting more and more into it after she had gotten her initial tentative sample of Laura's taste, holding the agouti cat's trembling labia spread as far open as she could while petting and rubbing them with her small fingers as she slid and flicked her little tongue up and down through Laura's now positively wet slit and up against her perky, throbbing clit, mewling and purring happily. Laura responded with shuddering sighs and muffled moans, rolling her hips more constantly while her inner walls rippled and clenched against each pass of Shelly's little tongue, releasing full thick drops of her juices for the kitten to lick up. There was still, in the very back of her head, that little nagging thought of all the sexual pleasure being given to her by 'just a kitten', but she was too deep into it now to do anything but enjoy the waves of pleasure rolling through her - and Daisy's reassurance and explanation had helped quite a lot as well, and made more than a good amount of sense. Shelly proved Daisy had been right about her abilities as well; with her nose and whiskers she registered the rippling and clenching of Laura's pussy, adjusting the swipes of her small tongue accordingly, slowly building up each wave of tingles and shivers until eventually, and much quicker than she would have thought, Laura grabbed a firm hold of Daisy with both arms and sang a long-drawn, deep but muffled moan into the Siamese's hair as her hips pushed forwards against Shelly's little muzzle which got drenched in Laura's thick nectar at each firm, rhythmic clenching of her inner walls around the kitten's tongue once her orgasm hit her full-on. Shelly mewled in a happy bubbling tone and pressed her dripping little muzzle firmly back up against Laura's gushing pussy, tongue flickering back and forth to lap up as much of Laura's orgasm as she could. She only stopped when Laura flopped down on the sofa and against Daisy's side, looking up at the panting agouti cat with a bright and sticky smile. "That was so yum, Laura! Your honey tastes very different than aunt Daisy's or Cynthia's!" She licked her lips and crawled up into Laura's lap, nuzzling her cheek against the Somali's still slightly heaving breasts. "Did I do good, Laura? Was that feeling good to you too, yeah?" It took a little while before Laura was able to respond, pulling in deep breaths with her face still buried into Daisy's shoulder and hair, but eventually she opened her eyes and rolled her head to send Shelly a soft smile, reaching down with one paw to stroke the kitten's hair. " Y-yes, you did... very good, dearie. It felt great." She breathed deeply and smiled again. "I had to kinda get used to it because you’re so young still, but you actually did better than one or two adult girls I can remember doing this with in my old town." "Yay! Wheeeee! That's so awesome, Laura, yeah! Thankies!" Shelly cheered happily, folding her arms around Laura's upper torso and nuzzling her head against the agouti cat's breasts with a chirping purr. "Yeah, aunt Daisy said there's lots of people who think it's like totally wrong for someone as old as me to do sex things, but I think that's like totally stupid! I know what it is and how it goes, what is good and what ain't because aunt Daisy taught me, and I like it bunches and I wanna do it! Yeah!" She nodded fervently, drawing a light chuckle from Laura. "Well, you aunt is not wrong about that. But I realize she is also not wrong about it being better, much healthier and more beneficial, to teach you about it properly at this age rather than to let you catch glimpses, hear vague things, get curious and start experimenting on your own and possibly doing something very wrong because you don't know about it." "Shucks, well, thanks fer the vote o' confidence, 'oney," Daisy said with a light chuckle, giving a playful squeeze to one of Laura's breasts with one paw and petting Shelly's head with her other. "I also ain't wrong 'bout it bein' way past yer bedtime now, though. Lookit, it's been quarter past ten already fer cryin' out loud. Up to bed with ya now, ya li'l devil!" "Bleh, I suppooooose," Shelly giggled, cuddling up against Laura and rolling her head to look down along the Somali's fluffy body. "Can I first make a few more pictures though, please? I want a few more pictures of your pussy still being wet and shiny and slippery from me licking it, Laura, yeah! Can I?" "I guess that can be arranged, that shouldn't take too long," Laura nodded with a soft giggle. "Yay! Thankies Laura, you're the best!" Shelly cheered, grabbing her little camera again and letting herself slide down between Laura's thighs which the agouti cat now willingly spread for the kitten. Several clicks of the camera were accompanied by soft giggles and purrs from Shelly before the kitten rose back up and beamed a bright smile. "Okies, I'm done now, Laura! You'll tuck me in, yeah? And will you kiss me goodnight on my pussy too, please, yeah?" Laura gave her head a short, amused shake and shrugged. "Well, one good turn deserves another as they say, so I suppose that's not too much to ask." "Wheee, yay! Thank you, awesomesauce Laura! I'm totally going to bed now! Yeah! See?" Shelly cheered, hopping to her feet and quickly trotting out through the living room door and up the stairs. Laura and Daisy chuckled over it, the fluffy Somali stretching while Daisy rose up from the couch and pulled Laura up by a paw as well. "Tol'cha she was good, di'n't I?" the Siamese winked with a light grin. "Yeah, you weren't lying," Laura agreed, following Daisy up the stairs. "You taught her well. Even if I really had to get over... well, that threshold of her... well, her being a pre-teen kitten." "That I can understand, 'oney, it's like that with mos' ev'ryone," Daisy nodded. "But like I said, they get them feelin's an' thoughts an' urges at those kinda ages anyways, so it's much better to teach'em 'bout all that right away an' help'em understand ev'rything." "I can't do anything but agree," Laura nodded as well. "I know my parents sure didn't do that. They were all like, it's dirty, it's naughty, it's forbidden. And that only made me go like, ooo, I wanna do all that then!" She smiled lightly. "And sure enough, I made a bad decision or two because of that and almost got seriously hurt." "Yeah, an' that's what I more'n anything wanted to prevent with Shel," Daisy nodded seriously, but with a smile. "She's had more'n 'er share o' 'urt already." "Yeah," Laura nodded quietly. She also smiled, stepping up to the door to Shelly's bedroom. "Well, let's wish that rascal wet dreams and give her a well-deserved goodnight kiss, shall we?" "That's the spirit," Daisy chuckled. They both stepped into Shelly's bedroom, chuckling softly again at the black and white kitten waiting for them, all ready for bed, but laying on top of the sheets instead of under them. "Yay, there you are! I'm all ready, Laura, yeah!" "I can see that," Laura giggled softly. She knelt down at the side of the bed. "Well, go on then, you deserved it, sweetie. Sleep tight and have lovely sweet wet dreams, okay?" She leaned over and gently pressed Shelly's legs apart. "And here's your goodnight kiss." For a moment or two, Laura just looked at the kitten's smooth, somewhat plump little vulva, covered in very silky white fur against which the rich rosy pink tint of her skin contrasted beautifully. Then she leaned in and pressed a soft, tender kiss on Shelly's puffy little pussy, letting it linger for several moments before she rose back up and softly smooched the kitten's nose as well. "Nightynight, sweetie." Shelly wiggled happily and purred while Laura tucked her in under the sheets this time. "Yeeeee! That felt really nice, Laura! I'll dream of it, yeah!" She wrapped her arms around Laura's neck and shoulders. "Nightynight Laura! Did you like the taste of my pussy too, yeah?" "Well, I could only taste a very little bit with that kiss, but it was nice, yes," Laura nodded with a soft giggle. "We'll get to me having just as much of a taste of your pussy as you had of mine tonight sometime soon, okay? Maybe tomorrow after we're done in my attic." "Eeeee!" Shelly bounced as best as she could while being tucked in and clapped her paws. "Yeah! I want that! That's totally awesome! I'll dream of that too, Laura, yeah!" "Good, we'll let ya dream now then, 'oney," Daisy chuckled, smooching Shelly's forehead. "Nightynight now, 'oney." "Night aunt Daisy, night Laura! I'll see you tomorrow, yeah!" Shelly waved cheerily. Chortling softly, both adult cats walked back downstairs, halting between the bottom of the stairs and the front door and hugging each other. "Well! I can honestly say today's been a... quite interesting day," Laura said with a funny smirk. "I reckon it musta been," Daisy grinned, leaning in to give Laura's nose a playful little lick. "Well, go on with ya, 'oney, ya better get yer fluffy butt home now too so ya can get a good night's sleep in for tomorrow, mm?" "Actually, I've been thinking," Laura smiled, leaning down to nuzzle one of Daisy's large silky ears. "Ed and Will won't be showing up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, so there's no need for me to be there and meet them. Subsequently, there's no real need for me to maneuver my car down that treacherous unlit gravel road to my place in my bare butt either." "Big words," Daisy chuckled, poking out her tongue. "Why don'cha jus' say yer fluffy bare butt an' yerself are gonna be spendin' the night 'ere alongside me bare butt, mm?" "Well, if you put it that way..." Laura giggled, giving a lick to Daisy's ear. "My fluffy bare butt and the rest of myself are gonna be spending the night here together with your bare butt and the whole rest of you." "Sounds 'bout right," Daisy grinned, reaching around and squeezing Laura's bum. "Well, we better get back upstairs an' into bed then, rooster'll be crowin' us awake come dawn." "Yeah, sounds good to me," Laura giggled. "You actually have a rooster here? I can't remember having seen one." "Nope. But it sounds nice an' country-ish, don' it?" Daisy winked with a laugh. "Haha. Yeah, that it does," Laura agreed. "And either way you're right, we better get some shut-eye right about now. Been a long day, after all." Daisy nodded in agreement, taking Laura by a paw and pulling her back up the stairs, a bit past Shelly's bedroom and into the master bedroom at the front of the farmhouse. Laura gave an approving nod of her head at the cozy, homely country furnishing dominated by a large double bed with a cute patchwork quilt and a thick knitted bedcover over the foot end. The bed squeaked in a very homely, oldfashioned manner as well when the two felines got into it and wiggled about for a while to get comfortably as well as intimately entwined around one another. A content purr, a couple of close nuzzled and kisses, a quite loud click to switch off the oversized bedside lamp, and then everything was silent as both cats sank into each other's arms and into sleep. It had, most certainly, been a very interesting day.