poly_chromatic | one fallen star

[action]

MREAAAOW!

[Splash! That, my friends, is the sound of one unhappy cat landing in the fountain.

Mao claws his way out, looking drenched and miserable. He shakes himself off and looks around, the fur on his back sticking out like porcupine needles. It's clear that this is no ordinary cat, even before you see his purple eyes.]

Hei?

[His voice is soft. There are too many people around for him to risk speaking louder, but if the other Contractor is around, Mao is certain he will hear.

Nothing.]

Damn it.

[some time later]

[voice]

[Wherever he is, he's cut off from the Syndicate's network. Not a good sign. Even worse, he can't find a way into whatever network exists here, except through this extremely cat-unfriendly device. He's going to have to do reconnaissance the inefficient way…once he figures out how. Keyboards weren't designed for cat paws in mind. Sigh.

But eventually he figures out how to turn on the audio function.]

Where is this place?

[Not very smooth. He's spent so long pretending to be a cat, he's no longer sure how to pretend to be human. But it's a start.]

[ooc: Action for anyone near the fountain! Keep in mind that he will pretend to be an ordinary cat, except over the network where people can't see him.]

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[Awwww. She pets him before making any move to carry him off to the Welcome Center.]

You're so sweet. Do you mind if I pick you up?

[Again, yes, she talks to all animals this way.]

[No. No, Mao does not mind at all.

Purrrrrr, purrrrr.]

[She will take the purring as a no. Penny picks the cat up gently and holds him close, not at all bothered by getting a little wet. Her tone is more normal now that she and the cat are well-acquainted enough for casual conversation.]

We'll get you dried off and fed, okay? Maybe your owner's around here somewhere.

[Dry and fed. These sound wonderful to Mao. Finding Hei would be nice, too, or Huang or Yin.

But for now, he's content to let this stranger carry him to warmth.]

[She takes him to the Welcome Center and starts toweling him off. Mao can probably hear the two dogs upstairs; they certainly know he's down there and they're whining at Penny's bedroom door.]

You can just ignore Sam and Tumbles. They're good dogs, but they've never met a cat before; they'll be okay where they are.

[She has dropped the talking-to-a-cat voice entirely. Look, she's lonely. She'll have a conversation with anything. Once Mao has reached something approximating dry, Penny gets him a can of tuna and spreads it out on a paper plate.]

Sorry I don't have any cat food. I don't usually have tuna, either, but some of the Wednesday regulars really like tuna salad. Anything for a paying customer, right? [beat] Except they don't pay and they're not exactly customers...

[This woman is quite the talker. She'd be a perfect stereotype, except she has dogs instead of cats. She'll be almost too easy.

Mao scarfs down the tuna, but makes sure to keep his ears attuned to her, occasionally looking up in the manner of an unusually intelligent cat. Give her the illusion that someone is listening and cares, and who knows what she might blurt out.]

[Penny takes a seat while the cat eats. He has a smart look to him; that only encourages her to think out loud.]

That's so weird that you came in through the fountain, cat. You must belong to someone around here... I'm sure you do. Maybe if we put up some flyers...

[Fliers? Mao chokes off a laugh.]

Hairball?

[Just asking. When the answer appears to be no, Penny yawns and picks up a pile of papers that need sorting. Bills, bills, donations, bills...]

You know, cat... sometimes I don't think I'm cut out for this running-a-non-profit-institute thing. [A sigh.] It's not like money management is something I have a ton of practice with. I've never had money to manage.

[She puts the papers on her lap and looks over at Mao.] You're such a good cat. You're a better listener than the dogs, anyway.

[Of course he is. Most dogs are idiots, unless they're Contractors.

His meal finished, Mao begins cleaning himself off. If she doesn't drop any useful information soon, he'll have to venture out again into the wild. More than anything else, he needs to know where he is, why he's cut off from the Syndicate, and why he can no longer feel the Gate.]

So the tuna was okay, huh?

[She gets up to throw the remnants of his meal away and pauses, studying Mao rather thoughtfully.]

You know, I've always wondered if animals can get cursed if they're not from the City. [A shrug and she goes about her business.] I hope not, anyway. That could be seriously awkward.

[Cursed? His eyes narrow. What is this about curses?]

Especially the curses where people turn into animals. I wonder if you'd get turned into a human or if you'd just get the day off. And the handcuff curse would be really weird...

[Perhaps this woman is a lunatic. But maybe not. He curls up nearby, looking relaxed and alert, wondering what she'll say next.]

[She turns her attention to the dishes but, since the cat still seems to be listening--she's aware of how pathetic this is--Penny keeps talking.]

But I guess that, on the weirdness scale, that wouldn't rate too high. It's a good thing you missed the desert. That was pretty awful even for people, cat... I don't know how well you would've done. That's okay, though. Someone will take care of you, even if your person isn't in the City.

[Mao has no desire to stick around as anybody's pet. He needs a way out of here.

He's pretty sure by this point that the woman isn't going to be very helpful in that regard.]

[Mao, darling... Penny isn't going to be the least bit helpful in the ways you'd like her to be.

She heads for the stairs that go up to the attic.

Be right back, cat.

[Now would be an opportune time to escape through an open window.]

[Mao does just that]

one fallen star

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