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 Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:55 pm
It had been a week since Riyo had seen the orange tabby she called Fredrick.
You'd think with all the cat's she kept, a single head amongst the majority wouldn't even be noticed...
But it was. She knew every feline by name, and did her best to satisfy all their needs... She did, however, have favorites. Fredrick just happened to be one of them. The fluffy cat was practically everywhere Riyo went in her dorm, staring up at her expectantly with those pretty little eyes, waiting for her to pick him up and give him affection, listening (or at least pretending to) when she started to rant and complain, a soft body to pet when she wasn't feeling as badass as Riyo's are supposed to, and almost always offering a warm body to snuggle up to when it was a little big cold in her dorm. He was a cherished friend... And the fact that he had been gone so long didn't settle well with the ghoul.
Sure, her cats left sometimes. They had every right to, but most of them came back, and the one's she cared for especially hardly ever left. Yeah... It sucked a little waking up to find him gone... But it was okay because she'd leave her dorm and usually he'd be waiting for her when she got back. It was nice like that.
... Was.
"I'm gonna look for him." She told the rest of her cats, tossing on an extra jacket for the cold weather. "I might be out awhile." Some cats roamed. It was in their nature to explore, much like she enjoyed it. So who could say where Fredrick might've gotten into trouble?
The finely polished wooden door opened, and almost immediately the demoness was off towards the exit.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:29 pm
The days had really flown. What had been only a couple of days missed had turned into an entire week. Or, was it more? Deacon wasn't entirely sure. it just seemed that their schedules had conflicted in a manner that didn't grant him entry. Obviously, he couldn't just stroll in with her there after all. It was quite the dilemma. He'd grown accustomed to being petted and pampered by the ghoul. It was nice. Not nice in the sense that he was tricking her, just... Nice.
He almost felt foolish to miss being a mute lump of fur curled up on Riyo's blankets, listening to the troubles and things that he had been confused to hear her voice. Behind closed doors, she had turned out to be much different from who he believed she was in the passing weeks.
Outside of his play as her pet, he'd tried to treat her differently. In the public eye, he still had his manly reputation to keep up, so he was perhaps a bit too careful about that and less careful about how he acted around her. But, maybe she'd noticed. He hoped she'd noticed. Had she noticed?
He was idly mulling over his own thoughts, walking quietly up the front lawn toward the dorms when she came outside. He looked up, his ears perking in mild excitement. If she was leaving, maybe he could sneak in. If she left her dorm unlocked, it was as good as done. The idea of windows being closed in the chilly weather didn't even cross his mind.
"Hey," he greeted casually, assuming they would simply sweep past one another on his way in and her way out.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:43 pm
"Mhm." It didn't seem the boil even gained a hey back. The only thing the ghoul had really noticed about Deacon was the fact that he lacked the sharp metaphorical jabs to her side that he usually had. What was up with that? She didn't particularly know or care. With all the boils that poked fun at her, it was nice to have one less monkey on her back.
Riyo's eyes searched frantically for good hiding places. If she was a cat, where would she hide? Oh, there were so many places... It was a shame she couldn't be in a number of places at the same time, then she could've just kept her eyes on him the whole-
... Wait.
Almost immediately as the thought struck her, the ghoul turned on her heel. "W-wait a minute." She started, trying to flag Deacon down before he entered the "You haven't happened to see an orange tabby running around the building, have you?" The ghoul was trying to hide her worry, trying so hard. She didn't want any s**t or backtalk for what she was doing, or the fact that she had other cats to take care of. "He's about... This big." Her hands gestured to almost the exact size of her lost friend. Oh, she remembered these things. She remembered them well. "Pretty yellow eyes, really fluffy fur... I call him Fredrick." For moments, she looked at the larger bakeneko with some semblance of hope in her expression. He was a cat too, right? Maybe they sorta gravitated towards him as w-
Wait. Caleb. No, it was a safe bet that they probably didn't...
... Poor Caleb.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:55 pm
Her lack of acknowledgement didn't surprise him; he was used to it. Though, when he'd gotten only a few steps further, hearing her again brought him to a halt. He turned, giving her a curious look before she continued. Continued, by describing his own physical details to him. Endearingly.
He frowned softly, a rare pang of guilt hitting him unexpectedly. She was worried about him?
Well... Worried about Fredrick. She didn't know that he was Fredrick.
There was a long pause, as he tried to check over the logicality of lies made up on the fly. He couldn't think of any good enough, and managing a sympathetic smile he shook his head.
"Sorry, Riyo. I haven't seen him."
He started to turn, his of his ears swiveling back to listen carefully to any response.
"Don't worry. Tom cats wander off sometimes... I'm sure he's fine and will be back again before you know it."
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:08 pm
No... Of course he hadn't. That would've been too easy.
Riyo's face returned to a forced stoic appearance as fast as was physically possible, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I know that." The ghoul mumbled and turned back around. "But he's never been gone this long... And what if something bad happened to him? What if he's hurt and alone somewhere? Out in the cold like this... Anybody would want to be found in those conditions." Maybe it was a reflection on how she secretly wished someone would do the same for her. Pick her up out of her bad situation, give her a pat on the head, and tell her everything would be alright now. Something she had been waiting for since she was a scareling.
"Besides that..." Her ears folded back against her head. "I miss him." Why she would admit it to the boil she despised was beyond her, but it wasn't like anyone else was around. She didn't want to burden anyone else with the search, because frankly she could be out all night covering places cats wandered. And... It wouldn't bother her that much if at the end he was alright. It was just... Necessary.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:02 pm
Out of her sight, the bakeneko set his jaw, clenching his teeth as he clearly heard that worry in her voice. This was so much different from getting her frazzled just for laughs. He looked over his shoulder again to see her turn her back to him, looked back to the steps toward freedom from the awkward situation he only had himself to blame for, then back to Riyo again.
"I miss him."
Those tree words alone made him feel like an unseen hand had managed to wrench at his insides.
Candlejack.
"I'll help you look for him."
The words had left before he realized he'd spoken them, and he was surprised with himself. How in the hell was he supposed to find himself, rather than figuratively? ********. He'd have to figure it out.
Stepping away from the stairs leading up to the dorm doors, knowing he was turning his back on the chance to try and put things back to the way they'd been a mere week ago, he approached her. Gently, carefully even, he put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze of reassurance.
"When and where did you see him last?"
He already knew the answer before he asked, but tried to look as though he were hanging on her every word.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:20 pm
"... Huh?" The feline's brows furrowed at Deacon's words. Help her? Riyo hadn't thought she'd ever hear those words out of his mouth.
... How unsettling. Moreso when he began to approach. What was he doing? Even with the tenderness unlike the male cat, Riyo couldn't help but flinch at his touch. She wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but it was as if the universe picked bad Deacon like a booger and replaced him with this one. She supposed she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, especially not now, but this could very well be some dumb plot to make her angry...
It took her a few moments to answer between being dumbstruck and pondering what he might be up to. "uh. My room about a week ago. I woke up and went to the closet to get dressed and he was gone... I didn't really think anything of it since it happens.. But the more days went by, the worse I felt." Pulling her eyes away from Deacons... Hey, they were the same yellow as Fredrick's, weren't they? ... The ghoul started to search by garbage cans and in small crevices, even going so far as to get on the ground and poke her head in. The fact that she looked stupid didn't really bother her right now. She was on a mission, and until she was too tired or somehow too crippled to continue, she'd keep on going. "W-why did you decide to help me?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:51 pm
For an instant he thought that Riyo's first reflex to his touch was going to be something violent and potentially crippling, but it wasn't. A flinch, but nothing more. When she pulled away, for a bit he just followed quietly after her and watched her search in detail pretty much everything in the immediate vicinity.
He had to pretend to look, too, to try and keep up his facade.
To her question, he shrugged as he replaced a trash can lid. Cats in trash cats? Stranger things had happened... Frequently.
"I know that this tabby must mean a lot to you, if you're so worried about him. Besides, it's supposed to be cold tonight, isn't it? You don't want to be out here all night looking for him."
He's lucky to have someone who cares.
Was it absurd for Deacon to be jealous of himself?
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:24 am
"Yeah, well.." The ghoul started as she peeked around the side of a building. Oh good, one of those ladders attached to the building. It made obvious how much the feline's climbing skills had been improving. She was a lot stronger than when she first got here. "That's one of the main reasons I try not to get attached to anything. They have a better chance of staying if I feel nothing for them at all..." Her voice grew louder to compensate for her height, stopping just as she crested the top. Could a cat get up here? Theoretically. She was sure she could.
Nope. Nothing there but lost bruteballs and broken dreams.
In an instant, Riyo slid right back down and landed on her feet. Easy enough to do when you were concentrating. "As for the cold, it's not a big deal. That's what coats are for." Seriously, why was he being so nice? Was he sick? Did he need medical treatment? "I probably won't be sleeping tonight anyways, so there's nothing wrong with staying out." Well she certainly was determined. "You're welcome to go back to the dorms though. I don't mind searching by myself."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:23 am
In a moment when he'd been pretending to search, he looked back to her to notice her scaling her way to check the room, a look of alarm overtaking him at the lengths to which she was going.
Oh Jack, if she falls...
He had to remember to breathe when she came back down. Brief as it was, it felt far too long for him to watch. Posture askew, he tried to regain his composure before she turned away from the wall, smoothing his hand back over his hair and ears.
Though, what she had said while she was up there slowly took its time to sink in. Well, in his case, he supposed she was right. He was still around, no matter how much she didn't seem to want him. In this form, anyway. It was probably pathetic that her words renewed his hope.
"Two sets of eyes are better; I don't have anything else to do."
Other than figure out how to fix this. How was he supposed to help her find a cat that was standing right beside her as it was?
"Maybe we should split up and check the grounds? The edge of the forest? I could, ah... Text you to let you know if I find anything." As much as he was sure she disliked him texting her, he figured that this time would be an exception. "You know, check in every fifteen minutes or so."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:58 pm
The ghoul seemed confused for a moment as she turned her head to look at Deacon and he immediately turned away. Perhaps he was in the midst of catching rabies? Wouldn't that be crazy?
"Well, you could always find another woman to harass." It was more of a lighthearted joke than a shot at him. As angry as he made her sometimes, it was hard to be nasty to someone who was helping you with something very important. The feline had learned the value of help in hopeless situations since her first day at Amityville, even if it was from someone unexpected.
"That sounds like a good idea." She didn't even make a comment about his usually annoying texts. For once, she would be happy to see his name flash across the screen of her phone. If only once...
"I guess I'll head towards the wishing well and look around there." As Riyo turned her back to the cat boil, she wondered if she should be more suspicious of him. What if he wanted to hurt Fredrick. Would he do that? She wasn't sure... No, probably not. If anything, he'd use the cat to gain leverage on her. And, if it came to that, at the very least she'd know the tabby was safe.
"Oh, uh... Thanks for the help, I guess." She said as almost an afterthought. It was hard to say that to him after all the stress he had put her through, but she'd feel terrible if it turned out he really just wanted to help her. Hell, maybe he had an epiphany and swore to change his douchey ways or something. She sincerely doubted it, but it was possible.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:29 pm
The short, dismissive laugh she got in response suggested that he might have known she was joking. Or, at least that he was brushing her words off as harmless mockery. "I doubt it."
He only nodded to her when she said where she'd continue the search, for a moment quite seriously considering setting it up so she'd find 'Fredrick' in the well somehow. But no. No, he didn't feel like suicide by drowning today. Which is exactly what he would be doing.
"Alright," he said, tilting his head in gesture. "I'll go see if he got stuck up a tree or something." That much wasn't as uncommon as it should have been, after all.
Once they had parted ways, Deacon did go to the edge of the forest. Not far within, because he knew better. Aside from potentially getting into real trouble, there had to be a good chance that without the humanoid him there to point out the lost cat, she'd stumble across him.
As he surveyed the trees, judging how easy they would be for Riyo to actually scale herself in order to 'rescue' him, he paused a few times to text her. Just to keep things going.
'Whole lot of nothing, so far.'
He couldn't supposedly find the cat straight off, that would just be suspicious.
'Asked one of the other students if he'd seen him; I might be right about the tree thing.'
Still kinda vague. Hopefully she didn't ask who that student was. It didn't matter, surely.
How long was he supposed to wait?
It was at least a half hour later when he decided on a perch. Staring at the towering oak for several minutes, he grimaced at the wonder of if this was going to work.
"Well, here goes nothing."
Typing up a quick text, he stared at his screen for a long moment before he sent.
'Checking around the shed; pretty sure the gardening tools haven't meowed before.'
Muting his phone and stashing it in a conveniently nearby dying stump for later collection, Deacon removed the telltale stud from his ear that held his skull pin. Stashing that away as well, he stuffed a bit of leaves and the like over them to keep Riyo (or someone else) from happening across them.
The shifting was easy. The climbing was less so. Needless to say, the bakeneko was more of the laze about and groom sort of cat... Not a scaling trees and getting himself dirty kind of cat. And yet, for some reason, here he was. For a ghoul. Climbing up a tree just so he might uplift her mood.
He paused halfway up, looking down to realize just how high up he was.
Planting his claws firmly in the wood, he shuddered, inwardly praying that he wasn't really going to be stuck in a tree for long.
It wasn't hard for him to muster the alarmed yowls, calling out and demanding someone get him the ******** down.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:06 pm
Officially, Riyo had looked all over creation. At least, besides the parts where Deacon was (supposed to be) looking. The updates on the search were nice, and of course she sent some back.
'No sign around the wishing well.'
Or around the library, or any trashcans near the library, or any small crevices around the library (she had checked), or ********, anywhere else really.
The ghoul took a seat on an empty bench with a long-winded sigh, ears drooping ever-so-slightly. The sun was down, and she was officially discouraged. Why had he left? Did she not feed him enough tuna? Was her mattress too hard? It seemed impossible considering how soft she liked her bed to be, but the last thing she wanted to think was that the reason lay with her.
Maybe she'd complained too much about her situation, or perhaps he was offended by her stick-figure renditions of his fluffy tail. It was possible, right?
The buzz of her eyephone made Riyo jump out of her blame-game stupor. For once, the feline didn't hesitate to rip the digital item out of her pocket and flick the switch. The shed? Meowing around the shed?
Oh Jack. It had to be him, right? Had he been trapped in that stupid shed? Maybe he was stuck up one of the surrounding trees like Deacon said! That poor cat. Fredrick was probably starving by now. And his fur would need cleaning, and-
No use just thinking about it. There was a renewed hope in her eyes when she hopped right the ******** off of that bench and headed towards the shed. It was obvious she was walking... A lot faster than Riyo usually walked.
The sound of yowling set her to panic mode. Her ears twitched this way and that just trying to get a lock on (what she hoped was) Fredrick's location. "F-fredrick?" The ghoul called. Where was Deacon? Couldn't he hear this?
And then she saw him. Not a pound thinner or a hair displaced on his fuzzy little head. If she wasn't so busy being happy, she might've had the time to be suspicious. "There you are, you crazy cat!" There was even joy in the sound of her voice. It took a moment to tear her eyes away from him so she could have a look at the tree. What would be the best way to scale up this b***h? "Hold on, I'll be up in a second."
Trees? Psch. Riyo could climb trees. They were no big deal compared to training with Jericho some days. Stepping back a few feet, the cat demon leapt and grabbed hold of a lower branch before gaining the footing to help herself climb the rest of the way up. She wasn't good enough to make it look easy, but she could probably out-climb Deacon any day.
Victory. High branch reached. Not once did she look down to check the fall. Honestly? She didn't want to think about it. The ghoul had fallen from a tree before, but someone was there to break her fall that time... "C'mere you dunce." As soon as she was close enough to scoop him up, Riyo had a seat on the branch and immediately grabbed her long lost friend to bring him into a hug. "I missed you so much." Finally, a little smile cracked on her face. It wasn't much of one, but it was something considering the generally standoffish appearance of the demoness.
It seemed to be a short-lived happy reunion, however. The loud cracking noise at the base of the tree was sure to announce that.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:37 pm
His hopes in the ghoul finding him were soon rewarded. Relief washed over him when he heard Riyo's voice, risking opening his eyes (which had been firmly shut to avoid vertigo) to look down and see her. He meowed loudly in response, almost a clear HALP! all by itself.
He was shaking when she managed to climb up to him. It might have been an act, or maybe water wasn't one of Deacon's only worries. When he felt himself in her grasp, he managed to retract his claws from their firm placement in the branch, allowing her to easily pluck him off and into her arms.
And there, he felt safe again.
Nuzzling beneath her chin, he curled up in the ghoul's arms, his paws reaching up to seemingly return the hug in happy reunion. He was even purring, despite being worried seconds before that he was going to fall before she even discovered him. His heart was still racing, but everything was going to be alright now.
Then he heard the unsettling crack, and for the briefest instant he swore his heart had stopped.
It was almost like slow motion, when he realized what had just occurred. Gravity took over, and they were both falling. Suddenly, the paws that had been trying to return the ghoul's embrace were no longer paws, the cat in her lap not only no longer there but no longer merely a cat as they began to plummet. Deacon wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her firmly against his chest, protectively shielding her head with one hand. Gravity and quick reflexes let him shift with her, putting his back to the ground, his body shielding hers as best he could manage, with he being the one to take the impact of the branches in their descent, and the forest floor once they reached it.
He couldn't help but wonder if Riyo would have the chance to kill him, or if the fall would do the job for her.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:42 pm
The moment she heard the branch crack, Riyo's arms tightened around the fuzz ball with wide eyes.
If I move my body just right, I can take the impact.
Those were her exact thoughts before the sickening crack resounded and gravity turned into a foe. Her eyes closed tightly as if the lack of sight would make the impact less painful, but something strange happened.
All at once, the cat was no longer in her arms. The very feel of him slipping away sent her into a panic... Cats were pretty good about landing on their feet but...
Wait.
What was that? This feeling around her? In the arms of someone she had forgotten existed until that very moment.
It wasn't the first time Riyo hadn't known what to feel... But... It was certainly one of the most shocking.
The thuds. Oh Jack the thuds. With each one, her stomach twisted and churned at the fear that something fragile might break in half. She wasn't sure if she was afraid for her or him at this point, as the whole situation hadn't quite processed.
And then the last one. Louder than the rest and followed by a deafening silence. She just... Laid there moments after, her eyes wide open staring at the red shirt directly in front of her. She could smell him, feel him. Her clawed fingers had subconsciously clutched the soft fabric during the fall.
... Why wasn't she waking up? Surely this was some kind of nightmare. Surely Fredrick hadn't magically transformed into Deacon and saved her.
No. Of course not.
The cat had been Deacon the whole time... Hadn't he?
... Hadn't he?
It was a thought process that made her whole body shake uncontrollably. All the implications it carried. During that span of time, in the assumed safety and comfort of her own room, he had heard everything she'd said, seen everything she'd done, and laid there on her lap expecting her to coddle and show him affection.
It wasn't until her breathing started to become sporadic that she finally looked up at his face, a panic spreading through her eyes like wildfire. She didn't know what to say. What to ask first. How to think. What to do. All at once she wanted to run, scream, and rip her hair out.
"You." She managed to push out after an erratic breath that threatened to choke her up. "T-t-the whole time. You?" She couldn't even form complete sentences. It wasn't like Fredrick had just died. No. It was like Fredrick had just betrayed her.
But the worst part... The absolute worst part of the whole situation... Was the fact that if she had paid attention... Riyo could've known at the very beginning.
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