Tigerlily and the Mug of Lemonade

Tigerlily and a friend discuss the Catgirl's self-control.

Tigerlily and the Mug of Lemonade (Punctuation Edit 11-5-25)

The common room of the tavern of the Blue Bird was bright with sunlight pouring in through the open windows. The scrubbed wooden tables and worn chairs were well cared for, and no splinter caused a yowl of pain. It was a warm summer day in the Central Lands South of the East-West River, where the mixed concentration of the five sentient species mingled.

Two people sat at a table; a conversation was already in progress.

Tigerlily flicked her orange and white tail. "Don't be silly. I am fine."

"Are you sure? Your tail hasn't stopped for many moments." Fern said. Her copper-tinted skin, an inheritance from her elf grandmother was evident by reflecting the sun’s rays streaming through the window.

The Catgirl's ears twitched; they were also orange and white, placed on the corners of her head, poking through her head of fluffy orange hair. "Ok, I want to knock over your mug of lemonade. It is a compulsion. I cannot help myself," Her slim hand inched towards the wooden mug. “Remember, I was once a cat. The instincts are still there.”

Fern smiled. "How long can you stop yourself?"

"I can hold off for a while if it is guarded," Tigerlily said in almost a purr.

Fern's wide-set black eyes twinkled as she stretched out her brown arm to cut off any access to her drink.

"Fine. I'll think about something else. How is your friend Ivy?" Tigerlily tried to avert her eyes.

"Ivy is doing ok. She has a new lover starting last week; she is not serious about him, though. She is still chewing the leaves every day. She does not want to get pregnant again. She says that Palm is enough for now," Fern smiled at the thought of the previous night's conversation with Palm playing with his letter blocks. She moved her hands to show his size.
Height.

Tigerlily attacked the unguarded mug of lemonade. A splash and a thud as it landed upended on the rush-piled floor.

Fern scowled, then laughed. Incongruously, she found the Catgirl's innate fidgeting humorous after the initial surprise reaction.

Tigerlily's smile was as catlike as it had been before she was transformed into a petite young woman.

"Next one is on me, if you hold onto it," she said, fishing out a copper coin from her moneybag.