isleofavalon | Time spent with cats is never wasted.

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Time spent with cats is never wasted.

🧙 WHO: The Cat and YOU
⚔️️ WHAT: A Cat
🕒 WHEN: After the Event
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: None anticipated

Warm in the Sun
The days are getting cooler, but the weather is still pleasant enough that the Cat enjoys spending most of his time out of doors. The architectural style of Camelot is such that there are plenty of fine spots to take a nap, and today he's chosen a decorative stone wall. It's out of the way enough that he doesn't feel crowded by people in the streets, far enough into the main road that it gets sun all day, and tall enough that other animals don't bother him. It's a rather lovely spot.

To passersby he is a perfectly round bun of black fur, turned golden in the sun. Anyone who comes too close will see him open a single purple eye, but otherwise he makes no move. With a bit of courage, you may even be able to pet him.

Begging for Attention
The mood in Camelot has been abysmal since the arrival of the refugees. It isn't only the tragedies that resulted in so many refugees, but the crowding and heightened tempers clashing against each other almost constantly. The Cat doesn't have any close friends that he particularly wants to see to, but he dislikes seeing so many people so unhappy when they were in high spirits just a few days before.

Spotting someone who looks particularly stressed but not particularly busy, he pads after them and meows.

Wildcard
[ Is your character somewhere they could feasibly be approached by a cat with teleportation powers? Congratulations, you've been visited by a purple eyed constellation.

flamingchemist for questions or requests! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Barbara has been going back and forth between her camp in the woods and Camelot, figuring out how she can help the displaced fae of Celliwig. She's a little wrapped up in her own thoughts--has been, since that disastrous day--and so she's acually surprised when she hears the meow from behind her.

Ah. A black cat. With purple eyes, that's not usual for any cat Barbara's seen. She regards it for a moment.]

Cat lost?

[Maybe it belongs to a house around here.]

[ He doesn't want to startle her by speaking right away, so instead of answering her question he approaches to rub against her legs. ]

[It's been a long time since Barbara had a close encounter with a cat, and she has to dig through her long-ago memories to recall how she interacted with the village mousers beyond 'pet.'

It's certainly not a shy cat, but she still takes care as she crouches down and offers her hand for it to sniff. She'll wait to see if it's comfortable with that before she tries petting it.]

[ He politely sniffs the offered hand, then rubs his head against it. He would like to be petted, thank you. For purely charitable reasons, of course! ]

[Barbara is happy to oblige. She's heard things about how fussy and dangerous cats can be, but compared to wind drakes, she doesn't see much to fear.

Have some scritches, strange black cat.]

Cat need food?

[ He certainly won't say no to food. He mews up at her and begins to purr. ]

[ Hello, sleeping cat. Here comes a winged yellow tabby cat traipsing along the same wall, stopping short to sniff at the sleeping cat from a short distance. Following almost in stride with him, though, is a young boy, no older than fourteen or so, with sun-bleached curls, sunburnt and freckled tan skin, and an especially old-school Polaroid camera in his hands. If the smell of his familiar beside him didn't rouse the cat to attention... surely the bright flash of the Polaroid might, as Alberto snaps a snapshot at random and waits with eager eyes as the camera prints the page out slowly. He turns to his own cat, once it does, waiting with the photograph carefully clasped between his fingertips and shaking it idly, as he smiles at his familiar with a half-lidded but warm smirk. ]

Ehi, Carlo— look, a friend for you.

[ No clue that this isn't just a normal cat sleeping in the sun. He just... talks to his familiar like this... ]

[ The Cat shifts enough to glare at the tabby, letting him know that he doesn't get to invade the Cat's personal space by virtue of being a familiar. A tiny green head does peer cautiously over the far edge of the wall, though. The 3 inch tall woman has green skin as well as hair, and is curious about the strange creature.

The flash is unsettling, and the Cat lifts his head to stare, wide-eyed, at the odd device. ]

Edited 2021-10-02 23:37 (UTC)

Ah— Oops. It woke up.

[ Alberto doesn't notice the familiar watching over the scene. He gives a vaguely guilty glance to his own familiar, who looks indifferent, and so he just shrugs. Alberto does make eye contact with the Cat again, but Carlo doesn't seem too interested in him, reading those cues quite well. And even if Alberto hasn't, Carlo noticed the tiny green lady appear in the distance, and its eyes are fixed on her instead, frozen in its spot cautiously as it watches her watch them.

Meantime, Alberto leans against the wall casually, crossing one leg over the other, camera hanging by a long strap around his neck while he's holding his still-developing photo in both hands, and gazes up... directly into the sun... He at least squints his eyes a bit, but yeah, just looking at the sun, cuz that's totally normal...? He seems unbothered by it, though. And still completely unawares he's not beside a normal cat, just talking to some stray on the street for gits and shiggles, apparently. Maybe he thinks he can be understood, just doesn't expect a response. Maybe he's lonely and needs to vent his exasperation. Maybe he just likes the sound of his own voice. He's got sixty seconds to kill while he waits for his picture to develop. Not like he has anything else pressing to do, either, though; that much is also clear just by his venting, tone airy and wistful more than anything. ]

Ehhh, you cats...! You're living the life. You just lie in the sun and take naps and eat fish all day. I kinda miss that. Humans are so busy. All the time! Even Magic Humans here! Soldi, gold, work, school, all these quests—...!

[ He lets out a little sigh, checking on his photo idly before glancing back at the cat. He shoots the Cat a little cockeyed smirk in spite of himself as he finishes his spiel. ]

Mannaggia— I'd rather just take a nap in the sun, too, gattino.

[ So young, and already so tired of the bustle of life. A pity. He settles his head back on his front paws and closes his eyes, for all appearances going straight back to sleep. ]

What's stopping you?

[ Human lives are, after all, almost entirely self-imposed.

Meanwhile the poor little tree sprite is frozen like a rabbit, ready to vanish the second that strange cat makes a move or a human catches her eye. ]

Wh-Wha-Whaaat...?!

[ Alberto all but scrambles back upright, nearly dropping the photo and catching it with fumbling hands. He gazes agape at the cat, then glances to his own, who looks equally startled. The winged cat has forgotten the sprite in the distance momentarily to stare at its fellow feline, before locking eyes with its master again, who narrows his eyes at it, voice loud and accusatory, scolding his own familiar for not being so cool. ]

...Why can't you talk, eh, Carlo!?

[ The familiar lets out a low rumble, not quite a growl, but starts flicking its tail in annoyance, hitting Alberto with it in the head. He swats the tail away and turns back to the Cat in question. ]

S-Sorry, uh— signor...? [ Is he supposed to address a cat with respect? He's not really sure... ]

I didn't— uh— I thought you were— ...Yeah, y'know what, nevermind, I'm sure you get this all the time.

[ He fumbles for words before finally just letting his shock drop, his face and tone falling flat with his abrupt resignation to this oddity. He can't get startled and surprised by everything unusual that happens here. Even he'd be tired. So he just... resumes his position, leaning against the wall casually again. But he keeps his focus on the Cat. ]

Sooo are you another not-cat? Something else that isn't a cat but just looks like a cat? Or are you just, uh... a cat... that can talk?

[ Rude. "Just." ]

[ He gets it often enough that he's found it's easiest just to ignore the stammering and confusion.

The flurry of noise scares off the tree sprite, who vanishes into thin air. The Cat is not concerned. They're shy creatures. ]

I am most certainly a cat.

[ That is clearly the most important point here. To call him anything else would be much more rude than adding "just" there. ]

Oh. Okay. So, um...— why can you talk?

[ Nosy kid. Right to the point. Alberto's own cat shifts its position, sitting upright, looking the Cat over with curious eyes, its wings folded against its back. It seems to understand what's being said, but cannot speak. Unfair, really. ]

Because I am also a constellation.

[ It's a simplified version of the truth. In his own world he speaks mind-to-mind, only giving the impression that he's speaking as a human does, not a cat. Here it's a little different.

He doesn't look at the cat familiar, but he's as aware as any other cat of a stranger in his proximity. ]

Oh.

[ He is obviously unimpressed. ]

...What's a "constellation?"

[ Ah. That's why. ]

[ He does hate explaining himself in any detail, but it's such a simple explanation he supposes he can make an exception. ]

A pattern of stars.

Oh! Wait— you're... a, uh— a star-cat?

[ That takes a second to sink in, but his face cracks a smile after a beat. ]

Heh! I bet my friend Luca would love to meet you. He likes stars. More than he likes cats, but, y'know~

[ He gives a light shrug, but seems eager to continue the conversation, a boyish excitement about him now. ]

Hey, can I ask you something? Have you ever touched the Big Fish? The one that protects the stars? What's it feel like?

[ ...what the hell is he talking about... ]

[ Not a question he's ever been asked before, but okay. ]

The stars protect themselves.

But what about the big one? Have you touched it?

[ That was not his question. He’s not letting it go. He has to know for personal reasons… He’s pretty much accepted that stars aren’t fish, however dubiously and reluctantly, but that’s really the extent of his understanding of astronomy… ]

[ He yawns hugely. Children. Yeesh. ]

There is no fish constellation particularly larger than any other.

[ Alberto groans dramatically. ]

Ugh…! The huge golden white thing in the sky almost every night! The thing that’s a gazillion times bigger than all the anchov— stars, whatever! Maybe it’s not a fish, I dunno, I don’t know what it’s called, but I know you know!

[ Children are frustrated easily. Preteen boys the easiest. ]

[ Oh, he's talking about the horizon of the galaxy. ]

It is billions of stars, arranged in a disc-like shape around the Earth. Most often it takes the form of a river. I have walked it many times. I do not know what name it has here.

Wait, wait, wait— there’s a river? In the sky? So stars are fish! Giulia’s wrong! Hah!

[ He’s standing at full attention, a triumphant grin on his face. That… was not what was just said. He just wants to be right. ]

This girl I know told Luca stars are fire. I knew she didn’t know what she was talking about!

[ …Alberto doesn’t know what he’s talking about. That’s becoming increasingly obvious. He seems to think the sky is water…? He doesn’t even know the name of the moon. Let alone have any concept of planets or galaxies. This conversation is off the rails. ]

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