eight fallen stars

[maoser]

[ action - backdated to yesterday]
[Mao runs through the streets of the City as he is chased by a mob of cats who look like they're high on ecstasy.]

WHY ARE THERE ALSO MEN?!

[Guess who tastes like catnip-flavored ice cream today. GUESS.]




[ action - today ]
[If you happen to be walking by the Welcome Center today, you'll see more cats than you've ever seen in your life swarming and fighting and playing outside it. How cute, you might think.

WRONG. Get a little closer and you'll see that they're all trying to lick up Mao, who is rapidly melting and unable to escape.

What is his life?]

Comments

Action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ It's like a gory scene from a zombie movie. ]

[ Starring cats. ]

...Mao? [ Ew gross why are you so gooey? ]

action;

[maoser]

H-Hei.... [Even his voice manages to sound goopy. And agonized. And dreadful.]

action;

[mortemscintilla]

You're...

Melting. [ No, it's not a question. It's like witnessing some gruesome variation of Harvest's power. ]

[ Also: Ew. ]

action;

[maoser]

[Mao's chuckle gurgles]

Very observant.

action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ So gross omg ]

I'll...

Get a bucket.

[ But first he has to shoo those cats away. Funtimes. ]

action;

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny likes cats, but this is ridiculous. She doesn't see Mao right away (there are a lot of cats, okay). She knows that guy there, though!]

Li? What's going on?

action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ Like flipping a switch, Hei readjusts his expression, voice and body-language. Flustered, timid, out-of-depth. ] Ah! [ Wide-eyed, he swivels to face Penny. ] I-I'm not sure, but... I think that fat cat is melting. [ Oh god help him Penny pls he doesn't want to scoop Mao up in a bucket it's not his job. ]

action;

[anunluckypenny]

Oh my god. Just--um. Just a minute, okay?

[She runs back into the Center looking for... something. Anything to scoop a melting cat into. Keep the cat calm, Li!]

action;

[mortemscintilla]

I-I'm not going anywhere! [ And neither is that puddle formerly known as Mao. ]

[ BK201. Feared assassin and now: melty-cat sitter. ]

[ Someone shoot him pls. ]

action;

[maoser]

[Shoot YOU? Mao's the one dying!]

action; 1/2

[mortemscintilla]

[ Not dying! ]

[ Melting. ]

[ THERE IS A DIFFERENCE! ]

action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ ............Don't die, Mao. ]

[ Then he'll be bitter all alone for realz. ]

[ Did we mention bitter? ]

action;

[anunluckypenny]

[Penny comes back with a bucket that, until thirty seconds ago, was home to a mop and dirty water. Beggars can't be choosers.]

Okay. Okay, okay--I've got this. [She shoos the cats away and... ew. Puddle-cat. Penny lays the bucket on its side and begins scooping Mao into it. Ewewewewewew.]

action;

[maoser]

[Mao whimpers in pain. WHY DOES IT HUUUUUUUUURT?!?!]

action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ Ew is right. ]

[ This is horror-flick levels of repulsive. You want to look away, but you can't. ]

[ Oh wait. 'Li' is looking away anyway. This is the sort of thing his alter-ego can stomach, not sweet fragile little him. ]

action;

[anunluckypenny]

I'm so sorry! [To the goo-cat as it burbles in... pain? Pain. Right. She gets the last of it in the bucket (except for the fur and who-knows-what that's on her hands).]

Li? Li, what should I do? [Why is she asking him? Oh, because she has goo-cat on her hands and oh god she has cat goo on her hands.]

action;

[mortemscintilla]

I ... [ Wha -- ?! Don't ask Li! He seems half-ready to hightail it out of here. But after a moment of flustering, he fishes a kleenex out of his hoodie, then takes Penny's hands, carefully scrubbing the goo off. With a grimace he drops the balled-up tissue into the bucket. ] I-I think -- we should put that bucket in a freezer. So the cat doesn't melt more. [ Can it melt more? He'd rather not find out. ]

action;

[maoser]

[Mao gurgles, and even he's not sure whether it's protest or encouragement. On the one hand, COOOOOOLD! On the other hand, SOLID!]

action;

[anunluckypenny]

[She's much calmer now that there isn't cat goo on her hand.]

Good idea. I'll just... right. Freezer. [She doesn't know what the cat said, but obviously melting more would be a bad thing.]

action;

[mortemscintilla]

[ Li, on the other hand, completely ignores Mao's gurgles. Politely, he takes the bucket from Penny. ] Let me help. If the bucket's too big to fit in the fridge, there's always the ice box. [ He side-eyes the other cats still hanging around, tails waving and eyes round with greed. ] Um. Maybe we should go...

action;

[anunluckypenny]

Yeah, going would be a great idea. [She shoos cats away from the door and opens it for Li.] There should be room in the freezer.

action;

[maoser]

[whyyyyyyyyyyyy is this his liiiiiiiiife?!?!?!?!]