[R] One Man's Trash... (Carmen + Nico)

[frayedflower]

The things people would dispose of without a second thought were mind-boggling. It was a thought that had never really occurred to Nico before he'd found himself in a new state of mind while in the state of homelessness. Food was a given; when food was provided in excess, it only stood to reason that humans would resort of untold levels of waste.

But there was furniture, like that perfectly good bookcase that had been left at the corner that one night. He'd clambered all over those shelves before the garbagemen had come to take it away - quite tragic really, he'd composed quite a moving piece about it. There were perfectly good little puffs and charms and things to play with.

Then, the books. Oh humanity, the fools, the sheer number of glorious tomes they'd cast away like old newspaper (which was also pretty fun to chew on, but that was neither here nor there). Sure, some were waterlogged, maybe moldy, maybe smelly. But trash? Never!

Like this, the book he'd curled himself around tonight - T.S. Elliott 's Book of Practical Cats, ironically enough. Fate was nature's first practical joker, he thought to himself with a purr as he rolled across the book, flipping open to the bit about Macavity and idly gnawing at the corner of the page as he read. It was old and yellowed and smelly strongly of cigarette smoke; still, no less deserving of being enjoyed!

Sami-Fire

 

[Sami-Fire]

Carmen had been padding along through the city with the intent of patrolling, but after a while her focus frayed into simple observation. She would never be able to pinpoint precisely when she gained awareness, but since that phantom day, the world seemed to have a new sort of luster to it. She would find herself staring at simple things for a while, reveling in their flow and color. Even the way the sidewalk continued on and on seemed to have a certain beauty to it. As she wandered, a distinct, curious scent made its way to her: that of another cat. After some searching, she found Nico's corner of the world, and she gazed at the mostly-white cat with interest. He had a star on his forehead, like she did, but she wasn't sure how to greet him. What if she spoke and it turned out he wasn't a Guardian after all? Her decision was to sit down and give him a gentle mew of greeting.

frayedflower

 

[frayedflower]

The mew drew his attention, and Nico found his gaze drawn to another cat - a lady, by the look of it. His lips curled around the corners of the pages as he released from his fangs, straightening up and smoothing out his collar with a sweep of his paw. She was, herself, decorated - although it was the star, telling as the one that hung to the North, that caught his eye. She was likely one like him. A guardian, as it were. His tail twitched at the tip with pleasure, and given the subject material, the proper greeting seemed almost too easy.

"I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat."

He padded closer, opting for a dramatical bow, all the while glancing back to make sure nothing bad became of his hidden trash treasure. His eyes glinted with mischief and barely suppressed glee at the prospect of his new audience's reaction to his cleverness.

"But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover--
But the cats themselves know, and will never confess."

He'd switched it a bit, from 'he' to 'they'; see how clever and innovative he was! This cat looked so sophisticated with those glasses; surely she would appreciate it!

"When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
Their minds are engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of their names:
Their ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name."

He gave a delighted little purr and bobbed his head gently towards her now that his piece was all said and done. "Mine would be Nicodemus. A pleasure, my lady."

(This would have all been awfully embarrassing if she couldn't talk, though.)

Sami-Fire

 

[Sami-Fire]

Carmen's suspicions were confirmed; the other cat was indeed a Guardian, and one with quite a way with words, too. She listened to his fusillade of poetry with rapt attention, marveling at how well this Nicodemus seemed to know the words. When it came to an end, she smiled and nodded back. "Pleased to meet you, Nicodemus. I am Carmen. How long did it take you to memorize that poem?" It was a serious inquiry, not mocking at all. "It's a very nice one, though I do wonder what kind of cat would enjoy the name 'Munkustrap.' I'm afraid that, in my time as a Guardian, I haven't done much reading. Perhaps you could give me some recommendations?" There were times when Carmen was surprised that she could read, but indeed she could. The street signs were plainly recognizable, as were other postings around the city.

frayedflower

 

[frayedflower]

"The words etch themselves into the flesh of my heart - although finding the right book is a good start, " he purred as he slunk a little closer, determinedly tugging his raggedy little chewed corner cigarette stained book with him. Truth be told, his memory for the written word wasn't terrible at all! - although it didn't hurt that people tended to read to each other in hospitals, sometimes even when they were sure the other person couldn't hear. He more often fretted and fawned over patients than visitors, being it was his job and all - but sometimes, those people were the ones that needed him the most.

"I doubt I'd want Munkustrap as my moniker either, " and didn't that sound diginifed! "But then, I used to be Marshmallow, so there's really no accounting for taste - please don't spread that around - but Carmen, that's a perfectly delightful name, if it's all the same!" Okay, so he kind of tacked that last part on because there was nothing beautiful or poetic in what he was saying there. He redeemed himself a little though!

Recommendations. His eyes lit up and he tugged the book a little closer, only to nudge it towards her. "This one, it's so much fun! It's T.S. Eliot's work; he does a lot of great things, but this book's all about cat poetry, so it's a subject matter we're both pretty versed in, " he purred with a throaty little chuckle. Then his ears flattened a bit as he leaned in to admit in a whisper (because there was no way to spin this in a romantically poetic way), "Also, if someone drops their phone by chance, do take the time to spare a glance. The web of spiders may contain insects, but the intraweb of man is ripe with literary gems."

Sami-Fire

 

[Sami-Fire]

"Don't worry. I'll keep your old name a secret. Why the change, if I may ask?" While Marshmellow was kind of a silly name, it made sense as a cat name, at least. "T.S. Eliot... the name sounds familiar, if only vaguely. Perhaps my old owner knew of him." She leaned over the book, skimming it momentarily. "Cat poetry... well, I'm not surprised that humans have written poetry about cats. We are intriguing, after all, but so are humans. Perhaps we should try writing poems about humans in turn?" She nodded at the other suggestion Nico gave. "Noted. I will see what peeks I can sneak at people's phones. Perhaps they might have some interesting information."

frayedflower