[PRP] Right Meow (Preacher & Alexis)

[The Semblance of Unity]

The carrier had been acquired (as well as a small order of sashimi) and Preacher was ready. She had several vet's number saved in her phone and was prepared to blow her savings on this cat if it was hurt. Alexis had, of course, been dragged along.

All in all, she was in a great mood. "So, how's we supposed to get to bullshit land anyway? I mean, I can find tha weird tribunal area once we're in, but..."

daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis came along with a minor amount of fuss -- it was all for appearances, really; their shoes were as scuffed-up as ever and they'd let their hair down, out of the work updo.

"Y'can't just, y'know -" they mimed something incomprehensible. "Can you not just walk in there whenever y'want? ...It comes with time, I guess," they shrugged, apparently unbothered. "Come on. This corner?" Alexis rolled a small square of fabric between their fingers, giving it a half-glance, and began to walk.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Of course I ********' can't just click m'heels like damn Dorothy and walk in. I ain't some sorceress." She huffed. It was exactly like being told 'oh, when you're older' and it was damn annoying, even coming from Alexis. Preacher heatedly debated kicking a rock at them.

But she didn't. Instead, she tipped her head up to look at the sky and when she looked back at Alexis, the were in bullshit land. "Did ya do that?"

daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Preacher Maria," Alexis said (surprisingly, not patronizingly, although they sounded like Atlas with the weight of the world on their back), "I have been neck deep in this ******** s**t since we found Heliodora Winters' foot in the otherworld last spring. If anyone in this stupid ******** town is going to act like we know ******** about ********, it's gonna be me or any of the fifteen other people who were there with me."

A brief pause.

"...Don't sass me, is what I'm gettin' at. And yeah, I can pretty much just walk in whenever I want. Out's a little harder, though."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Alexis Tucker," she repeated back at them. "What even happened whatall with tha foot - did someone keep it?" Weird souvenir, she guessed. Or wait, did the whole reset s**t mean the foot never existed? Preacher frowned.

"Anywayyy, the construction site should be 'round here somewhereabouts. The cat tribunal was in it." She peered around. "See any cat signs?"

daekie

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

The foot was a topic better left unspoken of unless one wanted to cause an eye twitch in Leila Townhome or Jeremiah Mercer.

As it turned out, the construction site loomed nearby and that was, in this case, was quite fortunate because thunder cracked against the sky and a downpour started.

Somewhere, within the building, was an echoed meow.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[Daekie]

"Why would I know," Alexis shrugged, apparently unbothered. "Wasn't my foot, was it? 's not my job to keep track of anyone else's feet. If you find some cat fur or whatever, hand it over, I'll do my tracking s**t." They patted Preacher on the shoulder a little too hard, throwing one hand up to ward the water away from the two of them, working some of it into a 'shield' that hovered over their open palm and kept away more of the rain.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oh my <********>. Maybe I should cut ya foot off, s**t." There, there it was. "Did you hear that? C'mon." She thwapped Alexis on the shoulder and jogged inside. The water ward was damn cool, but she'd bother them about it later.

"Cat?" Preacher glanced at Alexis. "Don't s'ppose it works without tha fur? It was on the third floor."

daekle

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

It was still in a perpetual state of being worked on, though this time there seemed to be more things that had been disturbed. As if someone (or something) had scuffled inside it.

Things were over turned, paint cans open, gravel bags spilled everywhere ... The mess was real and it was this place.

The elevator, the one that was strangely operating, was open but there was no lift within. Instead the meow echoed within it.

Daekie

The Semblance of Unity

 

[Daekie]

Alexis scuffed their shoes through the gravel - one-two, one-two, like a rhythm. It'd wear down their sneakers, but they seemed to have at least three separate pairs that were all in equally terrible states, so it was doubtful they minded. "If you cut my foot off, I cut yer arm off. Finders keepers." Their voice had gone low and quiet, though, because they could hear the cat -- a movement of their arm and the water dispersed, a little, the shield thinning and the rest quietly falling to the ground.

"Food down. How smart you think the cat is? People-smart, cat smart?"

Ashdown Whaler

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"The ******** you'd keep m'arm around for?" She rolled her eyes and rummaged in her bag. "This weren't like this last time. It's messier - like a earthquake or some s**t." Procuring the food, she placed it near the elevator and peered in.

"Can you... I dunno, smell the cat? I think it's people smart n' s**t. Here, kitty cat-o." Preacher looked over at Alexis. "Also, the ******** those on ya neck. Been meanin' to ask." She shrugged.

daekie

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

If one tried to track by scent they would quickly realize that this place reeked of felines, ones that had that slight edge to their scent that marked them as not quite normal.

As in they were othercats, if that was not clear.

Peering in the elevator revealed that the lift was actually below, it's safety door opened and light flickering. A tail, familiar to Preacher, was just barely visible.

... yet the meows continued to echo from above.

The Semblance of Unity

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"They're 'not your business', is what they are," Alexis sighed, and moved further in. "How well d'ya climb? The elevator's below, there's a cat down there, if we fall we break our ******** legs and die. I can pull you back up, but my wrist's kinda shitty, so -- probably good I don't climb this."

Ashdown Whaler

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"********' rude." Preacher hmphed and glanced up the elevator shaft. Nothing but darkness. Must be weird-a** acoustics. "Dun worry, I can climb just fine." She pulled out a couple of lengths of cloth from her bag and wrapped them around her hands. She wasn't about to jump straight down, but climbing would be hard on her hand.

She flexed her fingers. "Promise me ya gon help me back up, 'Lexis." Then she leapt forward, catching onto the shaft's main cable with a loud twang and a grunt. "A'ight, kitty, I'm comin'." She hoped the poor thing wasn't hurt too badly. Wrapping her legs around the cable, she inched her way down until she could feel the elevator under her feet. She peered into it.

"Cat-o?"

ashdown whaler

 

[azuredreams]

The cat was nowhere to be seen but there were a couple paw prints that looked bloody.

Within the elevator, it looked mostly clean and operational. Preacher might just be able to go inside and use it to bring Alexis down if they wanted to do so.

Meanwhile, Alexis heard a meow from behind them.

The Semblance of Unity

Daekie