Checking In/Out

[Seiji Lockard]

It had been at least a week, or close to it since the whole SPECTRE thing happened at the school and Seiji and his snakes made out fine. He actually was not even in town when the event occurred since he had gone out to a special snake convention with Ghost; taking home first place in Ghost breed class. It was a convention so it was mostly talking about snakes, but there had been a competition and thanks to Seiji’s abilities he was pretty much able to seal a win in his favor. It was sort of cheating, but Seiji could not help himself sometimes. It felt good to be able to come out on top in things outside of just intelligence once and a while. Sure he was physically fit but not enough that he had anything to brag about, so he had other ways of boosting his self-esteem. Either way, the convention was over, he was back, and he was really worried about what few friends he had. No one was telling him anything about the names of the casualties so he pretty much had to go find out himself.

Finding out that Sorcha had been a part of some distract team he sought her out first to make sure she was okay. He figured he should have checked the infirmary, but he checked her room first since it was the shortest walk and the quickest route as to checking where Sorcha was and if she was okay. He had even gotten her flowers and a get well card just in case and made his way to her room. Saphire had decided to tag along for this trip, which Seiji found a little odd but soon figured out why as he started to head Saphire’s words in his head. No I’m not asking her out on a date. Flowers and a card are the standard when you are wishing someone better. Seiji explained in his head to Saphire who just let out a hiss of disagreement as she remained hidden in his coat pocket. “I know you like to think you are a love expert with all those dramas you watch but that is on TV, not real life.” Seiji explained out loud this time, as if thoughts would not get it clear in Saphire’s head.

She was always the one to stick to herself and hate all men but Seiji. Yet she seemed set on being his love doctor and helping him out with the ladies. Pretty much all his snakes did, but Saphire by far was the worse more so in what she suggested him to do. Leevi would more so be the one to keep the date entertained why Akiko would want the date to talk about her. While Seiji just wanted to have a good time and not have his snakes worrying about when and someone left eggs in a den together. He didn’t recall how many times he had to explain that human and snakes were not the same in so many ways. “Shh.” Seiji said to Saphire as she was going on a rant about how he needed to and the steps to woe a woman. He was just here to check up on Sorcha, and that was why he was here knocking at her door. “Sorcha or anyone of her roommates here?” Seiji asked after a good knock on the room door, having remembers; and one of his snakes confirming, where Sorcha lived.

[Sorcha Adams]

Sorcha was towel drying her hair after a long, scalding shower when she heard a knock at the dorm's main door in the common area. The sound took her somewhat by surprise since she hadn't been expecting any visitors. A quick glance at her nearby phone confirmed that she hadn't missed any calls so she assumed none of the staff was looking for her and students didn't often seek her out in the staff dorms. However, the voice that followed soon after the knock allowed her to stop wondering fairly quickly.

She grabbed a second dry towel from her bathroom, leaving the damp one hung over the shower's curtain rod, wrapped it around herself and wandered out into the common area to answer the door. Her visitor might not appreciate the state she was in, but it was nicer to let him in rather than leaving him standing outside while she scrambled to find something else to put on her wet body. He could sit in the common area or in her room while she toweled off and got dressed once he was inside instead.

"Well look who it is," she offered as a greeting when she pulled the door open and stepped aside to let Seiji in. The flowers were a surprise, but she left that question unasked for the time being. Getting dressed was probably a more pressing matter anyway. In a minute or two. "Nice to see you again. Make yourself at home, kiddo."

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji waited patiently for anyone to answer the door, figuring no one might have been home so was going to try the nurse office. Saphire was telling him that she could smell Sorcha in there however so he remained, wondering if he should knock again. It could not hurt. His hand already moving to go knock on the door again when the door was opened and there was Sorcha. Still a little wet and in a towel. Seiji was not sure if he just broke a record with how fast the blush surfaced all over his entire body. She is in a towel! She does not have anything under that towel! She was in the shower, oh man my timing. Saphire what do I do? Seiji's mind was in a panic as he asked his snake for help. His mouth just hanging open as he made sounds as if trying to form words but they would not come out. Saphire was not helping with her suggestion of asking Sorcha if he could join her in the shower. Why did he allow Saphire to come with him again?

She stepped aside, saying words that were not clicking as he carefully went into the room. He basically was pressed back against the door frame to allow Sorcha as much space for himself mainly. He would have waited out of the room, but felt like that would have been rude. "H-hi Sorcha. I was coming by to check on you after the whole SPECTRE thing. I was really worried when I heard that you were on the Distract Team and got hurt. I brought flowers and get well card and I wanted to hug you but you are wet. Not in that way but as in you were in the shower. At least I assume you were in the shower since you are wet. Not that I would know because I was not in your shower and don't have like a camera to let me know that you were in the shower. Oh god I'm making this worse. I'm so sorry." Seiji went on a full rant blushing bad as he moved to just hold out the flowers and the card.

[Sorcha Adams]

So it was a get well soon kind of visit. She wasn't exactly bedridden or anything but she appreciated the sentiment either way. It was very sweet of him and the flowers were lovely. She'd have to root around and see if there was a vase or a tall glass somewhere in their cabinets that she could put them in. They'd be fine sitting in the sink until that point, though.

It didn't take long before he was rambling in response to her current state of undress. She just grinned and shook her head while she accepted the flowers and the card he was holding out and moved over to the kitchen area. "Relax, Seiji. It's just a towel and it's not accusing you of anything," she said, placing the card and the flower on the counter and putting the plug in the sink's drain so she could fill the basin with a few inches of water. She settled the flowers upright in a corner of the sink when she was satisfied that they'd have enough water to hold them over until she found something to put them in.

It was nice of him to worry about her well-being, even if she didn't think she needed to be fussed over. She had managed to avoid sustaining any life-threatening injuries so it wasn't like she was in all that much trouble. Even so the effects of the fight were still visible. Her skin was riddled with smaller cuts and scratches and her skin color was distorted by healing bruises in a number of places. A red line ran vertically off-center on her lower lip where it'd been split and a light shadow surrounded one of her eyes where she'd been struck. She'd let the healers almost completely heal that particular injury so that her sight didn't remain compromised.

She'd allowed the medical team to heal any deep wounds or anything large enough that it'd need stitches but just enough that they'd be able to heal on their own. She'd refused to allow the healers to expend their energy on healing all of her injuries completely, insisting that their attention and abilities were better spent helping the students that had been involved and anyone else that had more serious injuries than she'd gotten.

"I do plan on getting dressed though, so you'll be able to breathe a little," she continued, turning and starting to head for her room. She didn't really see how a shirt and some shorts would be much different from a towel, but she could deal with the nuances for the young man's sake. "You can either sit out in the common area or come to my room, whatever you're more comfortable with."

[Seiji Lockard]

Sorcha was grinning, that was a good thing. At least she was in good enough spirits to be able to deal with him. He had been so worried about her and his other friends when he had heard about the attack. Still not having heard from his other friends he was really was worried. He still wanted to hug Sorcha, to actually make sure she was there and convey that he did thing she was a very important person to him. Yet there was that towel and the risk of what would happen if it fell. Sorcha seemed perfectly fine in it but Seiji recalled that she did like to be in a little clothing as possible. Now thinking about that Seiji could not help himself but to stare at all that was Sorcha. The exposed skin, the towel, her hair, the water that still was on her skin, as well as the marks clearly having been from her battle.

"...what was that?" Seiji said after hearing words from Sorcha but he had been staring and his mind kind of zoned out with so many thoughts. Thoughts going from normal Seiji thoughts to others that he was not used to having so he was still not able to get rid of his blush. Watching as she went and set the flower in the sink and the car on the counter, smiling that Sorcha seemed to like what he got and was keeping it. Unless she planned on tossing them out later, which he would have been fine with? He didn't want her to keep anything that she didn't like. Sure he paid good money for it all, but it was just money and he had several jobs and a lot of money saved up. Still a rick boy even if he was not fully connected to his adoptive family.

The marks over his body had him still worried, he was no doctor but he still wanted to do something that could help. Make sure that she was not in any pain or anything like that. I'm not doing that! Seiji thought in sort of a slight panic at what Saphire had suggested in his head. You better not. If You miss you could really hurt her. Seiji warned Saphire since the snake had offered to bite and pull off Sorcha's towel so he could do a full body physical, but Saphire was venomous and if she bit Sorcha by accident, it would be bad. She spoke of getting dressed and offered for him to sit out here or in her room. It was more logical for him to wait in her room since he was her guest and did not want to be in the way of her other roommates.

"Well in your room would be best, if you were changing in the bathroom that is. Since I don't want to see you getting dressed. Well not that I don't want to see it just would be rude of me. On top of that you should wear whatever you want to since this is your room and all. I could put a blindfold on if you didn't want to get dressed since I remember you saying that you liked to not really wear anything. I can have Saphire be my eyes so it would be fine. Or I could also leave to let you have your privacy." Seiji went on another little small rant followed by him taking a deep breath and just unable to get rid of his blush. "I also wanted to know if there was anything I could do for you. You have marks and if you need medication I can help with that." Seiji said a little lower as he looked down to the floor and messed with his shirt.

[Sorcha Adams]

"Bedroom it is then," she replied and began to head in that direction, pushing her door open and stepping into the room. It wasn't quite as crowded as Seiji's room with his several snake tanks, but it wasn't quite as clean, either. Her bed was pushed into the far corner diagonally opposite from the bathroom, at least half a dozen pillows piled up on the mattress along the wall and the headboard. She hadn't made the bed that morning so the blankets were all disheveled and the comforter was close to sliding off onto the floor. She had a nightstand set up on the bed's free side with an alarm clock and a lamp standing on it, the corners of a few papers peeking out of the top of its drawer. A desk was pushed into the opposite corner across from the bathroom coupled with a swivel chair and covered in various papers, stationary supplies and books. A bookshelf was set up, looking a little sparse and a dresser stood against a free wall with a laundry basket sat on the floor in front of it full of clothing she'd been ignoring for a few days.

"You don't have to blindfold yourself. I don't mind clothing quite that much," she said with a bit of a chuckle as she shoved the laundry basket aside with her foot and opened one of the dresser drawers and started rooting around for something she felt like wearing. "Though I guess now I know you've got a snake of yours hidden somewhere," she continued with a bit of a smirk as she dropped a pair of shorts on the top of the dresser and opened a second drawer to find herself a shirt. She was trying to remember which one Saphira was. The man hater or the vain one? It wasn't a huge issue either way, but she'd like to not upset his pets if she could help it.

Finding a crop top she liked and pulling it out of the drawer, she made her way to the bathroom, closing the door over but not latching it so that she'd be able to hear Seiji if he said anything. "You can sit wherever you want. The place is already a mess so it's not like you have to worry about that. So just make yourself at home," she called while she unwrapped the towel from around her and dried off whatever areas of her skin were still damp and started pulling her clothes on.

[Seiji Lockard]

Bedroom, right. He could do this. She had been in his bedroom before, heck she had been in his bed when he didn't have a shirt on. This was no big deal. At least that was what he kept trying to tell himself but his blush was still sticking around for the ride and his heart was enjoying beating faster than it normally did. He gave a small nod and followed her into her bedroom. It was not like his, no snakes and well it was a mess. Not like a hurricane had been though it but it was not in tip top shape, not that he was one to judge. She was cat like after all and cats could care less about certain things. Plus it was not like there was anything crawling or living under that messy bed. So it was fine. Yes, fine with the fact that he was in a woman’s room while she was in a towel. He was just here to check up on her, that was all, and he was going to keep telling himself that.

He looked around the room a little before getting distracted and staring again as she pulled out clothing he assumed she was going to change into. No I'm not asking her if she likes lace or to go free. Seiji scolded Saphire who was still talking to her master about everything and how this was just perfect. That Sorcha wanted him to try something and that a real man would. Seiji ignored her because his action did not affect his gender in such a way, plus he had respect for Sorcha. "Okay, if you change your mind let me know." Seiji added after he words about him not needed to be blindfolded. He could do it since he could see through his snake’s eyes, granted he was not sure if he wanted to see through Saphire's eyes, but at least it was not Leevi...that be worse. "I always have a snake on me. One of them always feels the need to be with me when I'm out of the room." Seiji said but seeing the smirk just made him blush a little more because now him mind was wondering if she meant that in a sneaky way and was talking about another snake. No, thats not the case. That’s always there so... Seiji thought to himself, disproving that Sorcha was playing any mind games on him.

She had everything she needed and was headed off to her bathroom, Seiji almost following just because he was in stare and follow mode. Not like in a bad way, but like in a...well he did not know how to explain it. Sitting would have been best and he nodded a lot when she said he could sit anywhere he wanted. He glanced at her bed for a moment before just going to sit on the floor with his back towards the bathroom and he played with his shirt. "Thank you Sorcha...take your time." Seiji said as he worked on his deep breathing to get the blush to go away. Saphire however was quickly sneaking out of his pocket and made the quickest beeline to Sorcha's bathroom. "Saphire!" Seiji said in a sort of panic as he dived after his snake but froze because he was right outside the bathroom door. Quickly trying to play it off as if he dropped a contact, even if he had 20/20 vision.

[Sorcha Adams]

Seiji always having a snake with him was a good tidbit of information to know. At the least she wouldn't be surprised if one of them crawled out of his sleeve or something whenever she sought him out to harass him a little. Not that the reptiles particularly concerned her, but having one crawl up her leg or something unexpectedly could be a little jarring.

She tossed her damp towel over the curtain rod and wriggled into her shorts while the young man sounded like he was settling down somewhere. At least he was comfortable enough to follow her into her room, even if he wound up deciding he didn't want to stay there. It was all just a matter of getting used to being in each other's company. Eventually he might even be comfortable enough to let himself in rather that knocking nervously at the door. It was all a matter of time and she didn't have any plans to sever their friendship just yet so they'd have plenty of time to get used to each other.

Sorcha was just picking her shirt up off the counter when a shout and a loud thud outside of the bathroom door startled her. It wasn't hard to miss the snake's dark body sliding across the light colored vinyl on the floor, which quickly explained the commotion. "Lose something?" she asked through the door, amused while she watched the reptile glide across the floor. "Hello Saphira. I won't be in here much longer," she assured the snake before she picked up where she'd left off and pulled her shirt on.

"Alright, come on you nosy thing," she said to the snake once she was finished dressing, carefully stepping around her and making sure the bottom of the door wouldn't clip her when she pulled it open. She didn't know if the snake minded being handled by anyone other than Seiji so she didn't risk trying to pick it up. Speaking of the young man she hadn't quite expected to see him on the floor just outside her bathroom door. "What are you doing down there? Are you okay?" she asked while she ran her fingers through her short, still slightly damp hair to smooth it out after ruffling it up with the towel. "You know there's a bed or a chair you could've sat on?"

[Seiji Lockard]

Saphira only had an issue with men and from what she was seeing; and already knew, Sorcha was very much a female. So that test had already been passed. The next test was the fact that she was a very poisonous snake that he just made her way into Sorcha’s bathroom. Sorcha didn’t freak out, toss anything at her, and even greeted her. Yes this human female was very nice, she passed Saphira’s other test. Saphira in the meantime was letting Seiji know this and a little bit of other information more so pertaining to what was in the bathroom and the condition it was in. Allowing Seiji to see through his snakes eyes but he knew better then to risk that. All Saphira had to do was turn her head on a certain direction and Seiji would likely end up with a bloody nose if he was in some anime.

The only other test Sorcha had to pass was how she treated Saphira’s master and she was still waiting to get a full observation on it, but she liked how the woman got her master’s heart beating faster and the nice results of his body warming up. Sorcha finished up and was even careful to not hit, step on, or really interfere with Saphira which again was just adding to the snake’s approval of the woman. Seiji was blushing bad when the door opened up and just nodded a lot for a moment before he managed to get words out. “I’m fine. One hundred percent fine. I just almost went after Saphira which would have been bad if I just busted in on you in the bathroom, so I didn’t but then I was already so close I feared that you would think I was trying to take a peek when I was not so I tried to play it off. Not that I don’t want to peek at you but uh…you know.” Seiji said at his normal fast speed of talking and trying to work things out in his mind on just how to behave and talk to Sorcha. True he was getting used to her but there were still some things he needed to work on.

He fidgeted a moment as he was staring again as she messed with her damp hair before getting to his feet and moving away to give her some space. Saphira making her way out of the bathroom and going to get a good look around the room. Learning more about this human female that was called Sorcha. She had to make sure this female was good for his master because no male was, even if Seiji was pansexual. “I know, I just didn’t want to get like my scent all over your stuff. Feline as well as many animals can get very territorial and since you take on a lot of traits of what you can change into I didn’t want to upset you or anything. Plus…uh…I think your scent is nicer then mind so I didn’t want to get mine all over your stuff…” Seiji said as he ruffled his hair and just gave Sorcha a small smile. In truth he just knew he could not sit on her bed without his mind going places and there was the chair he just felt like the floor was the safest bet.

[Sorcha Adams]

Sorcha wouldn't really have minded a peeping tom since she already knew the kid was in her room at her invitation. She knew he was much too shy to pull anything like that though, even without him denying that he'd done anything. Even if he had seen something she didn't know that he'd be able to lie about it. Either way it would have been a non-issue. It didn't bother her when people saw her in various states of undress. At least him being on the floor wasn't because he'd hurt himself or anything.

The scent excuse was one she hadn't heard before and though it was a little unusual it did make sense at the same time. Cats did have a tendency to want their scent on all of their belongings, though she didn't think she'd ever consciously done so while in the academy. "Like you sitting on my bed would be enough to overpower whatever smell's already on it," she replied with a bit of a grin. She'd be able to smell him on the sheets, but he'd need to be there for a few days at least before it became any kind of competition for the scents that were already in the room.

"And even if you did stink up the place all I'd have to do is slip into my fur and roll around in the sheets," she continued, watching him as he got back to his feet and mussed up his hair. She assumed he wouldn't be taking a seat that wasn't the floor without some prodding. "Though I suppose I could go right to the source and rub my furry face all over you instead. Get you all nice and cat smelling." Not that jaguars were overly territorial in the first place. Normal jaguars often had overlapping territories and avoided becoming aggressive with one another. She didn't need to tell him that just yet, though. Good-natured teasing was always first on the list.

[Seiji Lockard]

"True. I would have to do a lot of rolling around. With the whole side effect of my ability it might not be that bad to have to deal with my scent. Not that you should have to deal with it. It's your room after all." Seiji said as he managed to get control over his blush a little more now but was still fidgeting with his shirt for a moment. He still could remember her being in her bed, her scent just lingering just a little bit when she was gone. He would not tell her that it was one of the best night sleeps he had in ages. It was just so warm, nice to have someone there, and his mind actually felt like it was at peace. Again, he would not tell her that unless she outright asked him, but he doubted she would just bring up that whole first meeting that they had.

At least he hoped she did not because he just had too many embarrassing thoughts and reactions that happened with his body back then that he was trying to not think about too much. "I would like to see that. You never did show me your power." Seiji pointed out, actually smiling really big, his eyes seeming to be really eager to get a look at her in her other form. Would she let him pet her, possibly hug her. Oh did she have a tail? Would she allow him to touch it? His more so science mind was flying with a ton of questions as he was eager to just see the ability. Her next words however had him flushing a deep red again. "I don't think I mind that...but it might tickle. Or I might laugh. You promise you won't like take a bite out of me? Well I think I would be fine with a play bite. I might be tempted to rub your belly. Would that be weird? Man I can't seem to just say the right things here huh?" Seiji said with a chuckle that was more so because he was embarrassed.

"I was just really worried about you Sorcha. It's great to see that you are all healthy and your normal self, but your scratches and bruises worry me. Is there anything at all I can do for you, just let me know." Seiji said, wanting to say more about how he appreciated her dealing with him and even hanging out, but he didn't want to get all cheesy or sappy on her. He was honestly just happy to have someone to talk to him since he did like people.

[Sorcha Adams]

Sorcha waved a hand in a dismissive gesture while Seiji voiced his concern for her well being. Scratches and bruises were not a huge concern for her. Cats had a tendency to hide their discomfort and distress but she'd already seen a healer and she knew for a fact that there was nothing more serious than shallow flesh wounds to be concerned over so she didn't bother worrying. They were sore but it wasn't anything a long, hot shower and a couple of aspirin couldn't take care of. "Don't worry about it. They're just scratches. They'll be disappearing soon enough and so will the bruises."

His interest in her feline form was a much more interesting topic of conversation. She wasn't at all shy about showing off her furry self, though she sort of wished he'd said something before she'd gotten dressed. Not that it was a huge inconvenience or anything but it would have saved him a little blushing. "I don't usually bite people so you don't have to worry about that. And every one likes to pet furry things so that's not so weird either," she replied with a grin, amused at the way he juggled his obvious excitement and his worry over saying something out of line. It was always a good idea to be cautious with other peoples abilities but she wasn't particularly uptight about hers so he didn't have to worry about offending her or anything.

She gave a shrug and spun around so her back was facing him. Her shift didn't take much more than a minute so there wasn't really a huge need for her to sit behind a closed door for his sake. Besides it was a very petty, but very amusing way to get back at him for waiting until she was dressed before asking about her feline form. She quickly pulled her shirt off and shimmied out of her shorts as soon as she started the shift so she'd at least be starting to sprout her black fur before he had too much time to worry about her exposed skin.

Sorcha's feline form was larger than her human one, at least a foot taller and about twice as wide as her muscle mass increased. Her proportions were relatively the same with just enough of a shift that she was capable of moving on all fours without too much difficulty. She retained her opposable thumbs and her ability to talk in her other form though she didn't often need to utilize them.

The ceiling was just low enough that she had to duck her head to keep from bumping it, though she sank even lower into more of a crouch while she turned to face the young man to try and avoid startling or intimidating him with her size. A deep, rumbling purr reverberated in her chest, the volume of it probably enough to give a small motor a run for its money. Shamelessly she dragged her large rough tongue over his cheek, enjoying the slightly salty tang of his skin.

[Seiji Lockard]

“Okay…are you alright mentally as well? Like I know some are better handing the deaths of other better than others can. I figure you are pretty tough and can handle it, but if you ever want to talk about anything…I’m here for you.” Seiji said in his typically ‘I’ll always be your best friend in the world and you can talk to me about anything’ tone of voice. He really did care a lot about others, even the ones that he did not know all that well. He knew Sorcha a lot better now so it was safe to say that he was willing to do even more things for her if she just asked. He was best at being that sort of person who was there for you when times were hard, just having someone to talk to, and well hang out. That’s why he always figured he was just ideal for being someone’s friend. It was logical in a way. Sure you had people who fell for their best friends, but he noticed a more recent trend that people were falling for other categories.

In a way it made sense because if you tried to be with a friend past more than a friend and things didn’t work out then you could lose a friend. There was that fact that friends knew you best and there would be less of a guessing game when someone was upset or when something was bothering them. Either way, Sorcha was his friend…at least he thought of her as a friend and assumed that she thought of him as at least a buddy. “Alright good. Be hard to explain to any doctors where larger than normal leopard bites came from.” Seiji said with a small chuckle, attempting to make a joke there and hoped that it was not painful bad or anything. “Great, because I really look forward to being able to pet you. When you are in your other form. With fur. Petting you like you are now would just be weird, unless it was your hair or…” Seiji just stopped himself, took a deep breath, and looked to where Sapphire was as his snake made her way around Sorcha’s room.

There was a shrug then and Sorcha turning around and…Seiji was full on red again as his heart started to pound in his chest. “Sorcha!” Seiji said in sort of a panic as he fumbled with if he should cover his eyes or turn around. It was not like he was seeing like everything or anything. Plus it happened so quick that she was pretty much slipping into her other form before he could have a full panic attack. She had to have done it on purpose. She must have been planning on having him faint or something right there on her floor. He was still blushing but his heart rate started to calm down as he watched in amazement as she fully changed into her other form. Much taller than him and could possibly rip him in half if she really wanted to. His mouth dropping with amazement and his eyes as wide as they could go as he stared at her. “Amazing. Full body fur covering, appearance of a leopard but like one of those modern day versions of a werewolf. Even with thumbs still. Fasinating.” Seiji said in full observation mode, Sapphire only sort of impressed.

Sapphire however was pleased that Sorcha was having her master reacting the way that he was and was now looking for some kind of device that produced that sound waves that Seiji had told them was music. Music was great for setting the mood, was it not? Seiji was more so distracted with looking over Sorcha’s other form, smiling really wide at hearing the loud purr and how she crouched down. His hands already reaching out to try and feel her fur when he felt that warm tongue touching against his equally warm cheek that just felt like it was on fire now, but at the same time made him laugh a little. “Alright that tickled…and you did that on purpose. You didn’t acquire a taste for my flesh with that lick I hope.” Seiji said in a slight nervous tone because what if she did. Either way he wiped at his cheek and went for another deep breath. This was pretty cool. He could handle this, so long as she didn’t just tackle snug him or something. Attempting again to reach out to pet her, going to pet her shoulder first before trying to scratch at the side of her neck.