//------------------------------// // Vacation All I Ever Wanted // Story: Three More Things! // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Jackie smiled to himself as he carefully guided the man driving the forklift towards the cargo ship. The Golden Dragon statue was being shipped back to Hong Kong, and the museum had placed him in charge of transport and security. With the number of attempts there had been to steal the statue, he could understand the need for such security, and had been considering how best to go about protecting it until it could be shipped. He had a few ideas if this didn't work out, but he didn't really want to enact them if he didn't have to. As he watched, a helicopter swooped in, a hook aiming to snatch the top of the crate the statue was stored in as the forklift carried it. Leaping atop the forklift, he kicked the hook away and yelled to the driver, "Quickly! Quickly!" The driver promptly floored it. Jackie pulled himself up onto the crate to further protect it, only to duck as the hook swung in again...only to hook on his belt and haul him up into the air at the end of the long rope. As the ground slowly shrank away beneath him, he could feel a fear of the heights and the fall starting to overcome him...and changed. White fur striped in black spread over his body as a muzzle shaped on his face, and claws sprouted from his fingers as a tail slipped out the hole Sweetie Belle had carefully added and concealed in each pair of pants he owned, just in case of such an emergency. After all, cats had no fear of height or falling. With the fear gone, he flexed himself around the hook, grabbed the rope as it came loose from his belt, and began to scale the rope towards the helicopter hand over hand at a rate that surprised even him. In moments he'd reach the helicopter- If the ones flying it hadn't cut the rope to shake him off. He continued to try and climb it as it fell, hoping to outrace gravity...and almost made it, his claws catching the landing skid only to slice through it. "Huh," Jackie murmured to himself as he started to fall, idly staring at his claws. "Would have been good to know they were that sharp before now. I really should see what other changes there are to this form with Bastet granting it, and use it for more than fun with Viper." "Then again, Viper could probably make combat testing this form quite fun," Tiger observed teasingly from his shoulder. "Am I the only one presently worried about falling from a height above most buildings?" Kitten demanded worriedly, staring down towards the ground. "Yes," Jackie and Tiger stated together as Jackie began to contort, shifting his body to slow his fall and angle himself towards a building. As he reached the building, Jackie caught an extended flagpole in his hand, using it to swing forward to change some of his downward momentum to forward, releasing just before the weight and force would start to exceed the pole's ability to spring back and cause it to start breaking. Kicking off the brick wall, he bled more momentum before springing off a fabric awning, flipping across the road to the other side to catch a fire escape ladder. As it broke free of its clasp and started to slide down towards the ground, Jackie rapidly climbed rungs to slow his personal downward momentum, letting go just before the ladder hit the ground so as to not be jarred by that impact. Catching a nearby lamppost, he spun around it before landing lightly on his feet. He then realized exactly what kind of crazy stunt he just pulled. "I did not know I could do that..." he murmured in awe. "Definitely need to talk to Viper about combat testing," Tiger agreed as Jackie reverted to his human form now that the danger was past. "What about the Golden Dragon?" Kitten gasped out. "WAAAUGH!" Jackie screamed as he raced towards the docks. "Dang!" Scootaloo pouted as Jackie finished his story. "I wish I'd seen that!" "Scootaloo!" Jackie chided angrily. "I did not tell that story to 'show off'." "And here I thought you told it to try and get me excited," Viper purred playfully. Jackie rubbed the back of his head nervously. "...maybe a little..." "Flirt later!" Uncle snapped out irritably. "Help Uncle take inventory now!" Rolling his eyes, Jackie turned to help shift some of the contents of the antique shop around so the others could count them. "I told the story mainly because it made me realize just how much stronger the feline forms are as gifts from Bastet," he explained to the listening children. "In part because I need to learn everything it can do so I can make better use of it, and in part to warn you all to be careful with it. You might hurt someone without meaning to...or unintentionally anger the wrong magical being." "I've been teaching Jade how to control the extra power," Hsi Wu spoke up. "I'm used to having power beyond what my form shows, so I know how to handle it." "That's been fun," Jade purred playfully, making Hsi Wu blush and look away. "Do I want to know?" Jackie asked Viper. "Jade's starting to 'bloom' a little early," Viper explained quietly. "Not enough to be noticeable in her favorite hoodie, but quite noticeable in fur and the workout clothes Bai, Adagio, and I helped her pick out specifically to tease Hsi with." "I didn't want to know," Jackie groaned as he set a box down and rubbed his forehead. "They helped me pick some workout gear for myself I never would have thought to try before the fur came in," Viper pointed out playfully. "Not to mention a new swimsuit..." She chuckled as Jackie's eyes lit up excitedly. "So is the Golden Dragon safely on its way to Hong Kong?" Tohru asked curiously. "Unfortunately not," Jackie groaned ruefully. "The museum no longer believes a cargo ship is secure enough, and is looking for a new way to get it there-" "Phone call from Valmont," Hsi Wu spoke up as the phone rang. "I'll get it-" Jackie began, only to pause halfway to the phone. "How do you know it's from Valmont?" "He's my new brother," Hsi Wu explained readily. "It's only polite for him to let me know he's going to be entering 'my territory' before doing so." Jackie blinked at that, only to shrug. "I don't want to know." He picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Hello Jackie," Valmont spoke calmly over the phone. "How's your family's schedule?" Jackie blinked in surprise. "Well, the girls are on a break from school, but I'm in the middle of a job for the museum. I need to transport a particular item, but it's been targeted by thieves. I don't know how I'm going to ship it securely." "How about in a state of the art vault aboard a cruise ship?" Valmont suggested helpfully. "I'm taking Bai, my girls, and a few others on a 'family cruise' trip, and Sonata wants 'her kitty friends' along. Can you all take the time?" "It's your ship?" Jackie asked nervously. "I'm not sure the museum would be alright with that..." "No, it's not my ship," Valmont reassured him. "It belongs to the cruise company, which I do not own. I'm already going to be dividing my attention to tend business while enjoying the cruise. I don't want to be in charge of anything - even indirectly - while relaxing with my family." Jackie smiled happily. "I think we can work with that. Thank you for inviting us. I think the museum can get me some rooms if you give me the information-" "Let me take care of that," Valmont offered helpfully. "Let's see...I think five rooms will be enough for your group, assuming Tohru finds a remedy for his sea sickness and his mother comes along too. Or have things progressed far enough you're no longer comfortable with Jade and Hsi sharing a room?" "I think the kids can share a room together without problems, as long as Audrey III is there as chaperone," Jackie observed dryly. "As long as your eldest stops corrupting Jade." "I'll talk to her about that," Valmont promised, though his tone showed he doubted the girl would listen. "And Tohru?" Jackie lowered the phone. "Tohru, how are you with seasickness?" Tohru managed a weak smile. "Ysabelle's managed to develop a remedy that is most effective at controlling those symptoms so I can enjoy being on the sea," he allowed. "She did?" Jade asked excitedly. "What sort of potion?" Tohru blushed brightly. "It is...not a potion, exactly. And...I would rather not discuss it in front of youngsters...or my mother." Viper, Hsi Wu, and Valmont all burst into laughter. Jackie shook his head. "We would be happy to accept your invitation," Jackie told Valmont warmly. He then turned to Uncle. "Can we put off inventory long enough to go on a family cruise with some friends?" This question resulted in Jade, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all bouncing and squealing in excitement. "Alternatively, finish inventory and then go on vacation!" Uncle offered. "Work faster!" Everyone immediately got to work.