2014-05-18 - Surprise Space Cats
| Title: Surprise Space Cats | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Sailor Vega's cat Orpheus followed Mamoru home. Luna followed Orpheus. Mamoru just wants to eat dinner. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Mamoru's apartment! | |
| OOC - IC Date: 16 January 2014 - 05/18/14 | |
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
It was a long night. A long, long, stupid, awful night. And then it was a long, long, stupid, awful day at school. And Mamoru Chiba's tired and cranky with cold wet not-for-snow-shod feet and still in his uniform -- which, for a rich kids' school uniform, is nonetheless pretty freaking comfortable (probably because it's custom) -- and his car's in the shop and there's snow on the ground, so it was yet another bus day, sans the speed and freedom of the motorcycle.
Oddly enough, Mamoru doesn't tend to mind bus days: they let him read on the way. Unfortunately, he'd been sitting next to a very loud half-drunk lout who had a tendency to elbow him when making horrible jokes, so he didn't get much reading in before he decided enough was enough and got off at a stop about half a mild from his building.
Glasses hung from his sweatervest, school satchel over his shoulder, the boy swipes his passcard through and tracks slush into the lobby. The cold and irritable set of his face indicates that today is not one of the days the security guard or the receptionist will be greeting him; he makes straight for the elevator.
It's a nice elevator. He turns the key for the penthouse. It's a smooth, seamless ride. Mamoru Chiba does not notice. It's something that happens every day, plus he is too busy brooding.
Eventually the doors open and he steps out of the lift, toeing his shoes off, and then his wet socks, and he expects blissful solitude and possibly losing himself in curry preparation for a while before studying.
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Solitude? Ahahahahaaa... no. Not tonight.
As soon as Chiba has the door open, there is a quick *meow*.
A mostly-white calico cat is sitting not two feet from the door, looking up with expectant green eyes. Two stars mark its forehead.
"D'you have any food? Tracking someone with legs as long as yours is hungry-making work, y'know."
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Mamoru stops dead in his tracks and stares at the cat for a moment.
A long, judgemental moment.
Finally, Mamoru scowls and sidesteps the mostly-white calico cat. "Orpheus-san. I haven't made dinner yet. You may have noticed I just walked in the door. But if you can deal with a can of tuna, it's yours."
Barefoot, he stalks past and drops his school case on the couch--
it's a penthouse and it's so
very
empty
--as he heads for the kitchen. "Why were you tracking me? What did I do now? Does Vega know you're here?"
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed. "She asked me to find you!"
Orpheus is hot on Mamoru's heels as he heads for the kitchen - weaving in and out just ahead of being stepped on, rubbing his head and body against the boy's ankles *while he's trying to walk.*
"Tuna's fine."
"She hasn't *seen* you in a while, Chiba-san, so she's worried a little. *I* tried to tell her you were fine but she wouldn't just take my word for it."
Looking up at Mamoru from between his feet, Orpheus blinks slowly. "Is it ready yet?"
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
"Oh my god," Mamoru mutters, managing to avoid tripping over or stepping on Orpheus only due to effortless grace. He takes off his school jacket and throws it from the kitchen door across to the couch where he'd dropped his school bag - ten points - and goes through the door, not even dignifying Orpheus' question with a proper response.
He addresses the actual topic of conversation while he stacks some cans on one of the two kitchen chairs and puts a book on top of them, then pushes it closer to the table. And he puts a small plate on the table in front of it. "I'm fine."
Gruffly, Mamoru continues as he gets a can of tuna out of a cupboard and opens it with a hand-crank can opener, then drains it over the sink. "Maybe Asa-chan forgot to tell you school started back up, and you didn't notice her studying because you were asleep."
No, it's not on the plate yet.
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
"You're so funny, Chiba-san, I may just die of laughter if I don't die of *hunger* first," emerald glare. He hops up from the floor to the counter to be right in Mamoru's workspace so that he can be on the food the instant it's prepared.
"She's been busy - there was a big fight with some demon Alastor, and Vega's been studying and patrolling and we *still* haven't found any of the other Lyran Senshi *and* you're obviously not fine."
"I mean, you're *so SLOW.*"
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
"No, you're so impatient," Mamoru corrects with maddening precision. He turns his back to Orpheus as he rinses the can and his hands off in the sink before fishing the metal lid out of the inside of the can, then rinses the can lid and walks away from Orpheus with the can and the lid.
He drops the lid in the recycle bin. He opens a drawer. He gets out a fork and closes the drawer. Then he meanders toward the table and pauses with fork and can just out of reach of cat-on-table. "Be civilized. Sit. On the chair. Wait until I'm actually done emptying the can onto the plate before you butt your face into it because I don't want any tuna on the table."
He holds it like that until Orpheus agrees. If Orpheus DOES agree, then AND ONLY THEN does he empty the can onto the plate and move off to rinse the can. "I'm fine. How are you looking for the Senshi? Luna-san found all of hers already, maybe she has some tips for you."
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Orpheus follows at Mamoru's hands and heels with every movement. The 'are you done yet? Is it food yet? Can I eat now? Your *toes* are starting to look tasty I'm so hungry. Can you *hear* my stomach because I can' are all silent, but easily readable.
But then there are Edicts. Edicts related to the promised eatings. There is much lashing of his tail, but Orpheus... obeys. Of course, he starts cleaning himself like he doesn't give a damn and the whole thing was his idea *anyway* once he's on the chair.
Then there's practically a sputter of indignation.
"The Sainted Luna apparently didn't lose most of her memories of the Silver Milennium like *I* did," Orpheus huffs. "I stalked Vega for *weeks* before I was totally certain it was her, and she was the one I could remember best! You don't want to tell the wrong girl she's a Senshi and hand her a transformation pen if you aren't sure about her, after all."
<Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
"Mrrrrrl."
That is the sound of a cat clearing her throat.
Luna sits before a window, looking out over the city. Her tail thrashes rhythmically back and forth. She does not sound displeased, but neither is her tone kind.
"Are you here for a reason, Orpheus-san?"
She turns to look over her shoulder. For a moment, her eyes catch the light just perfectly to glow bright white.
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Pretty much the only reason that Mamoru doesn't startle at Luna's sudden appearance is because Orpheus is already giving him grief and he's counting on Orpheus to startle enough for them both, conveniently allowing Mamoru to retain his composure. Because Luna is essentially Batman but scarier because female space cat. Also because claws.
Instead, he lifts his eyebrows at Orpheus, then nods in the direction of the black cat in the window. "Luna-san," he says. "I'm making curry, are you interested?"
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Honestly Orpheus is just glad he's not right in the middle of cleaning himself this time. Because he's got a face full of tuna instead. Which means startled coughing, a deeply unpleasant-sounding cat hack (minus any hair, thank god) and bits of tuna on his face when he looks over at the Proper Space Cat.
He even has the temerity to look a little nervous; "Vega sent me to find Chiba and make sure he was okay!" he practically stammers.
"I'm *eating* here." Because that is also important.
<Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Luna tilts her head to lock gazes with Mamoru.
"I will try this... curry."
She hops down from her perch, leisurely making her way over. It is not in a straight line. Instead, she weaves through furniture and allows herself to wander off before looping back. It is the cat way.
Eventually, Luna hops up onto her own chair, sitting with a delicate arch in her back. "Princess Vega sent you," she repeats, watching Orpheus as she does so. Whatever his reaction, she looks away after a moment. "Mrrr. I will provide Chiba-san with a limited communicator so she can satisfy her curiosity in a more safe way."
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Mamoru lets the two space cats have it out however they will; he's got Luna's interest in curry, and is hungry himself, so he listens as he's doing things like opening a can of coconut milk and putting it in a saucepan, and turning on the heat and going through cupboards for other things. Things like some kind of paste in a small unlabelled jar and some vegetables and a ziplock bag of already-cooked chicken chunks.
It's as he's chopping vegetables into little pieces with possibly slightly more force than is necessary that he glances back toward Luna. He does pause. He does not intend to lose a finger. "Will it let me get in touch with you?" he asks the Moon Princess' space cat directly.
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Orpheus makes an offended noise, but then he licks his whiskers and then remembers there's still tuna.
The scarfing is audible.
<Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Luna wrinkles her nose. Aside from being a cat, it is a startlingly Usagi-like gesture.
Or, maybe, Usagi is very Luna-like.
"...yes, that is acceptable. If you are going to be working with us, then I will need to monitor your location as well." Her musing gives way to dire seriousness. "This is a very dangerous operation. We will need all of our caution, and all of our resources."
She tilts her head toward Orpheus, eyes thinning in slyness. "Princess Vega's guardians would be useful. Do you need help finding them, Orpheus-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Looking up from his plate, again bits of tuna dripping from his muzzle, Orheus... *glares* at Luna. There's a moment where his eyes shine, but it passes. There's a sharp sniff as he closes his eyes and turns his head up and in another direction. If he had hair, it would have been an epic hair-flip.
"Well. If *YOU* think you could find them any faster than me, you're certainly welcome to *try*," Orpheus says huffily.
Oh no, he ate too fast.
- Hrk...*
- HRK....*
Cat-burp. Mercifully, whatever substance was threatening to come up didn't.
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
"It'd be nice if someone knew where I was," Mamoru says, mostly to himself, but otherwise in some kind of agreement with Luna, as he goes back to chopping vegetables and dumps them in a frying pan with some oil and some more of the paste. The rest of the talking he does is while paying attention to what he's doing on the range, because food preparation takes visual monitoring.
"I want you to consider me a resource, Luna-san. I meant what I said--" he starts, then briefly glares at Orpheus. "That is NOT the way to behave! She is offering to HELP, not to take your job away from you! Pooled resources can only strengthen the likelihood of success. And you want to find them, don't you?" he scolds, already looking back at his quick stir fry. He turns the heat up on the saucepan and stirs that with a wooden spoon, then moves off to keep an eye on the stove while he opens the bag of chicken.
"Which reminds me-- I texted Usagi-" distance? closeness? "-chan about a thing, but she might have been asleep. I found something out about one of the Dark Kingdom's officers."
<Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Luna won't back away from Orpheus due to stubborn pride, but she also wants to be as far away from him as possible as he struggles with digestive distress. So, she compresses herself, leaning back and back until she's about to fall over. Thanks, balance.
What an inveterate cat.
"Oh, truly?" Luna murmurs to Mamoru, looking away from Orpheus and into the kitchen. The sight of him cooking is so alien. Yet, the things he says... it's really him.
That's why what he's saying about the Dark Kingdom is so dangerous. That's why he's so useful in the first place.
"Tell me. It would do Orpheus-san good to hear more about the enemy."
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Panting a little from his brief ordeal, Orpheus licks the last remaining bits of tuna from his plate and then starts to work on his face. Can't let anything go to waste, after all.
"Is it about robots?" he asks. Considering it's the Dark Kingdom, this is probably a stretch.
"I *hate* robots."
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
The things a differently-led life can change, and the things it can't: truly a study in reincarnation. Mamoru gives Luna a quick nod over his shoulder as he adds the chicken to the saucepan, starting to stir it again and turning the heat off under the sautee'd vegetables.
"It's not," he says to Orpheus without looking, and with a truly long-suffering sound to his voice, "about robots."
Stir, stir. "One of them attacked the two of us while we were in the park. We weren't in henshin or anything-- he was coming after me. He knew my name. It turns out he's Zoisite; he'd been masquerading as Zoe Palissandre, Ohtori student in my glass. She-- he'd been playing something on the piano that sounded--"
Vegetables get dumped into the saucepan, now, and he turns down the heat and lets it simmer together. It's starting to smell delicious. He does another terribly cheatery thing Mai would disapprove of, and instead of preparing rice properly, he gets out a little pre-cooked microwave bag of it and lets that just do its thing. "--really familiar," he understates. "At any rate, he's incredibly petty, holds grudges, very powerful, and now he knows Sailor Moon thinks I'm--"
He's faced away, but his ears are a little red, and so's the back of his neck. "--pretty. Uh. He ran off when it looked like he'd have to deal with Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask instead of, you know, just Mamoru Chiba. So he doesn't know, but considering his pettiness, he might remember that Usagi-chan's the one I told him off for in Hokkaido and come after her."
<Pose Tracker> Usagi Tsukino [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Luna is as quiet as only a cat can manage.
"Stay away from Zoisite," she says, once Mamoru is finished. "Stay away from Zoe Palissandre. If you see him, run."
She looks away. Her tail thrashes once, and then curls around her feet. She must hide her emotions. Something that Usagi Tsukino will also have to do, if she is to avoid heartbreak. Luna can make this come to pass.
Mamoru Chiba is not for her. Whoever Usagi Tsukino is, whatever part of the moon's legacy she represents, this is not how the plan should proceed. This will not serve the princess.
There is a knot in her stomach, she realizes. It's familiar. It's the feeling she gets when she needs to work.
"Please excuse me," Luna says, stepping down from the chair. "I am suddenly not hungry. Chiba-san, you will find your communicator in your mailbox tomorrow morning. Goodbye."
She pads off into the darkness to chase down her worry.
<Pose Tracker> Asagao Uekawa [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
"Huh, she left in a hurry, I wonder what she doesn't want to tell you," Orpheus remarks. Insight is his only non-speaking claim to being anything more than a cat, as unreliable as it can be.
"Can I have her share of whatever "Curry" is, then?"
Because this is the thing that matters.
<Pose Tracker> Mamoru Chiba [Ohtori Academy (11)] has posed.
Mamoru's turned sharply to watch Luna at the change in the cat's tone, sees her tail thrashing, sees her looking away from his. His eyes narrow slightly, and then he blanks his face into pleasantness should she chance to look at him again.
She doesn't.
"All right," he says to Luna's back, mildly enough. He doesn't watch her leave. "Ja ne."
He's got his hands braced backwards on the counter once she's gone, head down a little, frowning in his own little world--
Orpheus' words and the sudden scent of 'it's about to burn, genius' wake him from the beginnings of a royally brooding reverie, and he purses his lips and swipes the saucepan from the hear and sets it on a cool one. "Fine," he says distractedly to the cat, glossing completely over 'what is she not telling you'. The microwave chooses then to beep, and it's the one last thing necessary to make Mamoru check out for the evening.
There is cat-curry and there is Mamoru-curry and there isn't much conversation, and when Orpheus leaves there is a lot of standing on the balcony and watching the moon rise. Not a lot of studying after all.
What isn't she telling me?
