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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 2:15 pm
No sooner had Joy powered up, for the first time in several days - a studied avoidance brought on by her increasing discontent with the lot thrust upon her and by her fear, from reading the database, of powering down suddenly and exposing her identity - than she considered powering right back down again and going home. The truth was that there was a seductive sort of allure to being powered, and while she tended to think of Joy as a sort of third person and the act as something like a type of supernatural possession, she missed, a bit, the feeling of being not only someone else but someone more powerful and unfortunately even more interesting than Elaine - who was, in her biased opinion, already pretty damn interesting. But Joy, ten minutes into prowling around in a quiet neighborhood and nominally looking for trouble, was prevented in the act of immediately retrenching, turning tail, and walking back home by a sensation that was very strange. The vagaries of what she mentally termed her Magical Radar were still being exposed to her - she had only learned that there were means of dampening a signature at all - and so she wrinkled her nose with intense confusion. The shape of it, however, was friendly. It reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite think what. Against her better judgment, she moved in its direction, suspecting that it was also moving in hers and already very close. She had once engaged in a playful game of Marco Polo in a very similar situation, only to receive a lecture for being reckless. She still felt this was unfair. Therefore, she made a second effort, hoping that perhaps this time she would find someone who wouldn't scold her for it. "Marco?" she called out into the dark, playfully.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 3:00 pm
A pleasant early spring breeze ruffled Pyewacket's long blue-grey fur and carried all manner of interesting scents that he was all too eager to snoof up. Whiskers twitching as he sniffed, the Mauvian decided it had been too long a winter; despite his luxuriant coat and floof-tufted toes, he wasn't all that fond of the snow. Grass was much more suitable for space-kitty paws. As he snoofed the air, he was keeping his other senses open, and it was with these that he detected the aura of someone nearby. It felt like a Knight, through a process of elimination in that the energy signature didn't feel like a Senshi or Chaos agent or another Mauvian; therefore, they had to be a Knight. No sooner did Pye make that determination than he heard the breeze carry a word to him, spoken softly but playfully by a female voice. Marco? Oh, he knew this game! It was a call and response game, like meowing plaintively in an empty room in the hopes of someone who could provide treats or pets to reveal themselves by saying something like "I'm here, cat, why are you yelling?" Now let's see, what was the proper response again? Pye trotted through the grass and bushes of the yards of the quiet neighborhood toward the aura, trying to remember what to say. Oh yes! "Polo," he said before emerging from the shrubberies. Yes, she was a Knight, a Squire most likely by the energy signature. Knights were interesting to deal with, given that most of them didn't interact very much with his kind. So he decided to play "normal cat" and strolled casually toward her, his plume of a tail raised and bell on his collar lightly jingling. His horoscope for the evening had predicted a friendly encounter, a new friend -- perhaps this was it! "Mmrp?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 3:14 pm
From everything she knew - which admittedly wasn't much, but was probably enough - the creature in front of her demanded a sort of respect that she was not inclined to give to most of her fellow Cosmic Bullshit Participants. It was a creature much like this one that had memorably helped her early on - the familiarity suddenly made sense - and she understood them to be a crucial part of the machinery that kept the darkness at bay, or whatever it was that they were supposed to be doing. By all rights she should be treating this moment like a chance encounter with a valuable ally, worthy of respectful treatment if not outright deference. Dignity, really, should be the name of the game. But instead, she actually clapped her hands to her cheeks with a little gasp of delight. "Oh my god," she said, without thinking and instantly regretting it. "You're so cute." It occurred to her that she was holding a whip, which was essentially a cat chase toy, and it took everything in her not to wiggle it obligingly. And then, somewhat mortified: "Sorry."
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 4:55 pm
For all he was a space cat, a reborn creature from another world, Pye was still, at the heart of it, a cat. The tip of the Knight's whip twitched as she cooed over him, and his green eyes shot to it like a motion-activated camera, his pupils growing huge. He almost almost lunged for it, muscles bunching beneath his fur. But Pye fought down his baser instincts. Maybe there would be time for play later. Maybe. Hopefully. It was hard being Serious Witchy Cat all the time. Fashing his tail to and fro to collect himself, he looked up at the Knight. "No need to apologize," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice, and a touch of pride. "My name, embarrassingly enough, is Pyewacket. I know, I know, I'm not even a Siamese. You arrrrrree hmmm.... an Earth Knight, if I'm not mistaken." Pye tilted his head a little and raised a paw in greeting. "Pleased to meet you."
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 5:31 pm
oh no the little paw"I didn't know that there was supposed to be a Siamese Pyewacket," she confessed, apparently unaware of the movie. "But it's a wonderful name. And yes, I'm - I'm called Joyeuse Garde. Squire of Earth." She wrinkled her nose, and added playfully: "I know, I know, I'm not even French." She hesitated. But it felt strange and somehow rude to tower over him, so she dropped to a squat, folding her arms over her knees and still resisting the urge to tempt him into playing with the whip. "I've only met one of you before, and we were sort of busy trying not to get eaten at the time, or at least I was. She was the most helpful person I've met since all this bullshit happened to me, though. Anyway, sorry if I'm rude - I don't know any better." And then: "And you are terribly cute."
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 6:55 pm
"It's a ridiculous movie, Bell Book and Candle, one of those rom com things." Pye was gearing up for a good rant about silly depictions of witches in cinema when the Knight introduced herself. His ears perked and his eyes fairly lit up. "Joyeuse Garde, what a wonderful name! Arthurian, isn't it, from the Vulgate Cycle? Yeeesss, it was Lancelot's castle -- he won it in battle!" He had of course read everything he could get his paws on. There was so much magical lore to be gleaned from the King Arthur stories! The Mauvian padded closer as Joyeuse Garde dropped down into a squat. "Oh, you're not being rude at all," he reassured the Squire. "I worry I'm being rude for rambling on about books, but... well, I live in a bookshop, you see. Books are kind of my life." He snickered, which almost sounded like a kitty sneeze. "Don't worry, Joy -- may I call you Joy? You can call me Pye. Anyway, don't worry. You're not being douloureuse in the least," he joked, amused by his own humor.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 7:06 pm
"Oh," she said, overjoyed at this little flex of knowledge which she, too, delighted in. " I love you. Yes. That's the one. Where he took Guinevere after all the s**t hit the fan, too. Where Mark wrests Iseult back from Tristan, in the Prose Tristan. Or well, that's how the stories go." She made an expressive face. "Not really how it was at all, I guess - it's so terribly French and empty I can't even blame Malory for getting it all wrong because the French writers did too. And it's certainly more dolorous than joyous again, if it was ever joyous at all, but you're right that Joy is a much better nickname than the alternative." She propped her chin on her hand to better admire her strange conversational partner. "You never have to apologize if medieval romances are the topic." She paused, wrinkling her nose once again, and hazarded a risky question, with ulterior motives. "A bookshop is a good place for a normal cat. Is it a good place for a - a spacefaring cat of the cosmos? Don't people try to pet you?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 7:25 pm
Pye could have leapt with glee. This charming Earth Squire who thought he was cute was also well-read! As it was, he tapped his little forepaws on the sidewalk in excitement. "Yes! Oh, how rare it is for me to encounter someone who is as fond of medieval esoterica as I am! There are so many interpretations, but if you read between the lines, you can glean some of the truth from stories such as the Arthurian tales. It's there, if you know where and how to look." He listened and if he could have smiled, he would have. "Oh yes, a bookshop is a wonderful place for such as myself! I essentially get free run of the place, and I'm left to my own devices so I can pursue my astrological studies, among other things. And yes," he nodded, a wry tone to his voice, "people do try to pet me. I actually allow it -- within reason, of course, I won't abide those who are too rough or go on for too long. Some people just don't respect boundaries." Spacefaring cat of the cosmos.... he liked that. Tilting his head again, he looked at Joy. "Would you like to pet me? My fur is very soft -- I take very good care of it...."
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 8:24 pm
She closed her eyes and spoke very quickly in a single breath, as if afraid, having found an unspoken wish unexpectedly granted, that if she did not act swiftly it might be revoked. "Oh my god, I thought it was Narnia rules or something and that it would be offensive and disrespectful and I cannot tell you how badly I wanted to pet her and now I will pet you, thank you." She had not often - or ever - had a powered moment that had made her felt that she was living up to her name. She could now count exactly one as, with delight, she accordingly Pet the Cat. "This is the best day of my life," she said, which, if you considered Joy as a separate person from Elaine - and she did - was literally true.
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Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2025 10:30 am
Pye quite enjoyed being petted in general, despite the occasional rough treatment he received as a bookstore cat from over-enthusiastic patrons. So when Joy gushed in a stream of consciousness torrent of thoughts about petting a cat, he braced himself for the worst. Instead, what he felt on his blue-grey fur was respectful, almost reverent. It was also the sensation he got from the Earth Squire herself: a sense of holding reverence for him as a "spacefaring cat of the cosmos." A soft rumble started up in his throat unbidden and vibrated down into his body. This was nice, very pleasant. His plume of a tail curled at the tip with each touch of Joy's hand, and he reflexively stood on tiptoe, pushing himself into the petting. "I'm glad I was able to make your day," Pye said around his purring. "It's a pretty good day for me too."
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Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2025 1:15 pm
tatterpixie We can either wrap here or if you want to you can wrap on another post? I love Pye so much he's so cute crying Joy, as both a lover of animals and the owner of a very small and delicate dog who required accordingly delicate handling, was an expert. Unfortunately, duty - or at least dignity - called, and after a few minutes of silently joyful Cat Time, she stood up, before she could succumb to the undoubtedly inappropriate urge to scoop him into her arms. "Thank you for that," she said sincerely. "I needed that, I think. I'm gonna be honest, this whole magical-second-life thing hasn't really been overflowing with good things, you know? But that was definitely a good thing." She paused, and then, feeling unselfconsciously and even defiantly silly, dipped a little curtsy to the cat. "I hope I see you around some time," she said. "Not every day I get to pet a cat who's read the Lancelot-Grail Cycle," she added with a laugh. "We can talk about Galehaut next time. I hope the rest of your night continues to be good."
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Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2025 2:53 pm
All too soon the petting came to an end. Just as well, as Pye was on the verge of flopping over on one side and kneading the air. He blinked, allowing the nictitating membranes in his eyes -- their exposure being the kitty equivalent of his eyes rolling back in pleasure -- to retreat to their usual location, hidden from view. "No, this magical-second-life thing, as you say, isn't the kindest on the best of occasions," he concurred with a nod of his head. "I'm very happy that I was able to give you a bit of enjoyment, though. We need to focus on the little joyful moments -- they're what keep us human. Or feline, in my case." Pye bowed his head at Joy's playful curtsy. "It was a pleasure indeed to meet you, Joyeuse Garde. I hope the rest of your night plays out favorably as well. And yes, Galehaut! We simply must meet again to discuss Galehaut!" The Mauvian chuckled and added, "I have Opinions." And with a flick of his tail, he disappeared into the shadows and the shrubbery. Rejam and FIN! thank you for the awesome RP! Joy is delightful omg heart
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