The Light That Blinds
"Uh...sorry...?" Juliana tilted her head. Barely acknowledging Jirou—or maybe she just hadn't noticed—she cleared her throat. "So, uh...what's your name? What brings you here?" Of course, they (except maybe Móirín) all knew by now exactly why they were going to Solomon. Still, couldn't hurt to ask.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
AKA Nixer
Shea
“...But you're a cat...” Shea frowned, as if that explained everything. They didn't resist their arm being batted away, but seemed to actually consider poking her again before letting their arms swing idly by their sides and cocking their head a fraction at her. “Is that... that's a rude thing, isn't it? Mmph... didn't think much... sorry about that. You feelin' uncomfortable?”
That was a lot of attention on her. Shea glanced around at the others, before ducking their eyes back to the floor. Without looking they waved their arms in a vague gesture for them to get away—or at least move back a little. Though they remained in their position. As did the cats.
They couldn't resist this curiosity, after all.
“Think that's enough of that. Sorry... I like cats. A lot,” they said plainly, gesturing to their small feline army before looking at Katarina again. “Please don't go hittin' me either... that'd hurt...”
Shea... didn't blink a lot. When they did it seemed to be a slow flutter of their eyelashes, and noticeably deliberate. Not rhythmic, either. It made them feel... strange. Their everything felt strange. It was like they didn't fit properly against everything else around them.
Though those attuned to fae might've caught onto why.
Edited by Enirboreh on May 29th 2020 at 12:37:32 PM
bork
Jirou
Jirou laughed at Katarina's rebuttal to Aaron, happy that she seemed a little less inclined to bolt off now than a few seconds ago. Or at least that's what he hoped. The Oni wasn't exactly a people-reader. While Juliana and Aaron continued to chat with Katarina, he briefly glanced over at Shea, who had been giving off an odd aura. It wasn't as unnerving for him since he was a supernatural creature himself, but it was certainly different compared to the feeling Yokai gave off, which made him wonder what sort of realm Shea came from.
"And what about you?" He called over to Móirín by the snack table, seeing she was alone. "Who's your divine parent? Or perhaps your family is of a more supernatural lineage?"
Katarina
Katarina sighed. She still didn't want to be here, but talking to these idiots had started to make her feel just a bit welcome. And not entirely like some sort of freak.
Even if she was one.
"Yes, actually. Very uncomfortable. My..."
Yes, she had a tail, she didn't want to have a tail but she had a tail, get on with it.
"...my tail is just barely fitting through a hole in my pants which still feels unbearably tight, my clothes make me feel like I'm putting on three layers over a fur coat which is somewhat close to the truth, and I'm being gawked at like a bunch of children watching a cat video. So it stands to reason that I am very, very uncomfortable."
She sighed. Don't take it out on them. It's not their fault. They didn't deserve it. Okay, maybe the jock did. But no-one else.
Probably.
She turned to Julia. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel a bit more open around her. Something about her made her feel relaxed. Comfortable. Like she wanted to do anything for her.
And somehow that didn't set off so much as a single alarm bell.
"Katarina, if you must know. Fitting name, isn't it? Of course, it used to be just a name. Then it turned out that my mother wasn't actually my mother. Instead, I was the daughter of a God. The God of Cats. Bast, I think. In any event, I got a bit too curious for my own good — and yes, I don't fail to notice the irony — and removed the only thing keeping me away from the petting zoo. So now I'm attending some school I had only heard of a month ago in the hopes that they can figure out a way to give me some sense of normality. Or at least allow me to live with myself."
She suddenly noticed the cats. A lot of cats. A lot of cats all staring at her. Because was a cat. Like she was one of them.
But she wasn't. Not a cat. Not really. She just looked like one.
Right?
"Um, Shea, is it? Can you please make them go away? Having them all stare at me, it's... somewhat unnerving."
Edited by kkhohoho on May 29th 2020 at 7:25:21 AM
AKA Nixer
Shea
“You could try wearin' it like a belt. I do that,” Shea suggested, flicking out their own tail in demonstration and coiling it snugly around their waist. They promptly tugged their... whatever the hell kind of shirt they were wearing over the top of if. “Don't know if it's any different for you, though...”
Ah. They were making her uncomfortable. Shea reddened a little out of sheepishness and scratched at the back of their head with their long nails. They were... seemingly painted black. Except they didn't look painted. They just looked as if they were naturally a charcoal black for some reason.
Shea's eyes didn't meet Katarina's again, and they instead ducked back down to the ground to address their beloved kitties again.
“Don't go starin' like that at the poor love. Go buzz off, then. Scarper. Say hello to the other nice folk around, alright?”
The cat (singular) who'd actually bothered listening to them simply meowed plaintively, and they sighed with a shake of their head. Unable to resist it, they picked up the complaining feline and cradled it in their arms—gently nudging some of the others with their feet to get them to get away from Katarina.
“They're insistent. Think they're lonely. They follow me around, they do...” Shea murmured, staring adoringly into the eyes of the pet in their arms before sighing and shaking their head again. “Stubborn little mules though, aren't you...? Sorry. Don't mean to be a bother at all.”
bork
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
The Beautiful Room - You Crazy?
Temporarily taking eyes off the smaller someone with the cat cosplayer looming over them, Móirín turned to give Jirou a look. Yup, definitely missed something in the orientation.
"Um... bigfoot..." she shrugged before remembering that this was a cat place. "..'s friend the sabertooth...cat." She gave him an apologetic shrug. No one told her that there was a theme. "We are supernaturally good at finding burger joints." She nodded, trying to close that line with a joke.
What the hell can I pass this off as? Móirín self-consciously adjusted her sleeves and bangs. I'll tell them that this was a costume after the fact. Or go lift a can of catfood from somewhere and say that I brought supplies.
Edited by CenturyEye on May 29th 2020 at 5:20:39 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Where am I? What's going on?
Rebecca
Okaaay, suddenly the whole "demigod" story was a lot more believable, what with the catgirl and the demon boy and the... other... person. She wasn't exactly sure about that last one, but they didn't seem human.
Which meant... what? She was one of them? She... wasn't human?
"This is real? I mean, yeah I was entertaining the thought, but I didn't think... my mom's not actually... what am I?"
Okay, maybe she could've taken this a bit better, but it was sudden. Rebecca couldn't help but think out loud as she tried to process it.
"We grieved... wait. No. Too soon to jump to conclusions... Obviously none of us are human, but that doesn't necessarily mean mom's alive. Still, I'm not human... does that mean I'm some kind of dirt... thing?"
The Light That Blinds
"That’s why you’re a cat, huh?" Juliana clicked her tongue. "And I thought I had it bad." She sighed, resting her cheek on her hand.
"My dad's Tezcatlipoca. God of night, magic, discord, chaos, jaguars, a whole bunch of other things. I don't blame you if you don't recognize him. He's..." She pursed her lips. "Aztec."
She let out a long sigh. "He left my mom before I was born, and then spent two years in my life as a cat. When I got my acceptance letter, he revealed himself and expected all to be forgiven." A half-smile flashed across her face. "Given the Great Spatula Incident, it most certainly was not. He hasn't tried to visit since, but I don't doubt he'll try again." With that, Juliana decided she was tired of standing, and sat down on a chair nearby.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Jirou
Oo...kaay.
Jirou couldn't stop himself from raising a doubting eyebrow at Móirín's response. Well that was an obvious lie, despite her clearly having supernatural blood. Jirou thought, Does she not want to reveal her heritage? Or perhaps she's has doubts like Rebecca? In the end, Jirou decided that it was better to err on the side of caution. It would be awkward if she tried to alert the human mortals not in the know and he had to knock them out and wipe their memories. Especially with so many witnesses.
"Hey, just trying to break the ice is all." He tried to deflect with a laugh, which wasn't too far from the truth really, even if she might think it was a gag for now. "Since everyone's crowding around Katarina, I figured I might try and chat with someone else. Name's Jirou, by the way."
Breath of the Sun
Aaron
"They wouldn't keep dog-girls in pounds, since they'd still be people." Aaron retorted, rolling his eyes, but nonetheless he stopped staring, instead turning back to Moirin.
"...you're too short to be part Bigfoot." Aaron said, half-serious. "Also, isn't 'Moirin', like, Irish? So it'd be a Celtic God, yeah?"
He scratched his chin, considering something. "Or... oh, do you not know who it is yet?"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
The Beautiful Room
...What is she smoking and why isn't she sharing? When the crazy lady said something about a great spatula incident after her deadbeat dad hanging around as a cat, she felt her eyes cross under her sleeves.
"Móirín Doherty," she gave Jirou a grateful smile. "And yeah, sorry I was on the spot. I didn't mean to offend your traditions or anything. Just no one told me the school spirit involved cats or something." Or more likely I tuned them out... "I guess Katty's winning best representation or something. Anyway, your parents loaded or did you get in on a football scholarship too? Or are you just really smart?" Not a hint of sarcasm. Móirín asked him with genuine if blunt curiosity.
"And oh, you're back to me now?" Móirín side eyed Aaron. "Know what? If you name a few Celtic gods I can probably go with one."
Edited by CenturyEye on May 29th 2020 at 5:39:55 AM
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Katarina
She should have figured. She wasn't the only one who had it rough. Usually she'd be content to wallow in her own little circle of melancholy, but with Juliana, she felt like sharing the misery. She'd only met her, what, not even five minutes ago? And already they were pouring out their pasts to one other. What was it about her that made her trust her so completely?
Maybe it was because she good with cats?
Or perhaps it was that her life had also gone up shit creek?
Whatever. She sat down beside her. She almost sat down on all fours on instinct, but she quickly seated herself in the nearest chair.
God that would have been embarrassing.
"If it's any consolation, at least your parent bothered to show themselves. Mine left me on a doorstep and never showed her face again. Though I imagine I see it every time I stare at my own reflection. And what was that about a spatula?"
The Light That Blinds
"Oh, that." A genuine smile appeared on Juliana's face. "When Dad appeared, I freaked out hard enough that my family came into the room to see what was wrong. Abuela was so angry when she saw Dad that she beat the crap out of him with a spatula. She's always held a grudge against him for leaving Mom."
She shrugged. "So, yeah. When I left for the academy, the family was still in a pretty poor move. God or not, leaving your pregnant girlfriend behind is a dick move, and my family's never liked him for it. Most of the time, they don't even talk about him."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Jirou
"Honestly, I don't even know if the school has a mascot. It's just..let's say I'm used to dealing with unexpected sights. Being from the Big Apple and all." He shrugged and injected a bit of humor into his voice. "Academic scholarship, though I was surprised that I got picked for it. I'd hardly call myself the smartest in my class."
Jirou briefly turned his attention aside when Aaron returned and began discussing Celtic gods with Móirín, not being very knowledgeable on the topic himself. Instead, he focused on Rebecca who seemed to stressing herself out over her parentage. "I...don't know exactly, but that might be something you'll find out in the future." He told her, in an awkward attempt to reassure the girl. "I do know that you are Rebecca, you're not crazy for realizing that you're heritage is special. Do you have an idea of your pantheon at least? Or the name of your parent?"
Katarina
Katarina couldn't help but smile herself. Or rather, she purred. Even before becoming Puss in Boots, she always had a habit of occasionally purring when pleased or amused.
Except now she did it all the time.
She tried to force it down, but all it did was make her gurgle.
Blargh.
"That sounds rather tame. If I ever met my own mother, I'd probably hold her down, strip her bare, and toss her in the nearest dog kennel. Or just tell her I despise her before smacking her in the face. Either one works." Still, she couldn't help but think about her other mother. Her real mother. The one that actually bothered to raise her. And how she was one of the only people she knew without a doubt that loved her no matter who or what she was.
It almost made her tear up a bit.
"Though that's trivial compared to what my real mother would do if she saw her. The one who adopted me? Who actually bothered to raise me? If the two of them ever met again, I can only imagine what she'd do to that hairy Egyptian son a bitch."
She almost regretted using such foul language.
Clearly she had issues.
AKA Nixer
Shea
Mph. Talk of gods again. Shea's face twisted into a grimace as they glanced away. They rubbed at their upper arms delicately a moment, tail uncoiling from around their waist—before spying Aaron and Mórín, and cautiously danced their way over to them. Their cats were scattered about this time. Though the one cradled in their arms continued to be lovingly stroked.
“Hello there.”
They offered them both a smile, perching themselves nearby as they briefly looked them over. The small stumps that were their animalistic ears twitched at the conversation involving Rebecca, and they pursed their lips again—dotingly poking the fluffy feline in their grasp in the stomach before gently setting them back down on the ground.
“I'm weird, so I don't really get them. So I came this way,” they explained, outstretching a dainty finger at the others before growing oddly bashful again and staring down at their feet. “But do you want me here either? I can go hang around if I'm not bein' wanted.”
bork
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
The Beautiful Room - Waterworks Alert
"You ...don't have a mascot?" Mórín started in disbelieving tone looking between the giant man and horde of cats and a cat cosplayer. Which was not to be answered right now. She watched Jirou tend to that other girl. "Um... there, there." She didn't know what that girl was babbling about but upset was upset. She was horrible at consolation though and knew it. Plus, the thought of being sobbed on by that girl for half an hour kept her from joining Jirou. She had been perfectly prepared to leave Aaron without a word. He did it to her.
Mórín barely noticed the one Kat was threatening approach before there was another cat running around. "Heya, Weird," Mórín joked lamely mirroring the newcomer's outstretched ET finger gesture. "Mórín Doherty. How's things?" She looked between the newcomer and the Kat. "And are you good?" Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
The Light That Blinds
Juliana snickered. "Yeah, my mom was pretty upset when she found out. You should've seen her..." She paused, tapping the mirror around her neck. "Though I'll admit, the reconciliation gift is pretty cool."
She held up the small mirror. "Check it out." She tapped it again, and on its surface, the exterior of the school appeared. She flicked a finger across the glass, and the shot rotated.
"It's basically Google Earth, except it shows videos instead of pictures. I don't like Dad much, but his mirrors are really cool." She tapped it twice, and the mirror went back to normal black glass.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Where am I? What's going on?
Rebecca
Rebecca jumped a bit in surprise as Demon Boy spoke to her. She felt that was justified. He was big and she hadn't noticed him approach, probably because she'd been wrapped up in her own thoughts.
"Sorry! Sorry! You surprised me. Pantheon, huh?"
How would she find that out, anyway? She barely knew anything about mythology, and all the possessions her mom left behind seemed pretty normal, at least to her untrained eye.
"I... have no clue. Is there like, a trick to finding out your Pantheon? Divination or something? Oh! Right, I do know my mom's name. It was Cloe, but spelled kind of weird. No 'h'."
Jirou
"It's fine, I get that a lot." Jirou waved off her initial panic. Hopefully this mystery wouldn't be too hard. From what he heard in the group, the gods didn't seem to hide their identities very hard from their families-
"It was Cloe, but spelled kind of weird. No 'h'."
...Or she could be the one god who gave a damn about keeping her secrets. Of course.. Jirou cursed mentally.
"That's...less helpful than I hoped, but it's a start." The Oni muttered and pulled out his phone to access the internet. "What about her nationality? Cloe sounds European...I think?"
Katarina
Now this was interesting. Some sort of fancy smartphone? Though if she didn't know better, she'd say it was a magic mirror.
Wouldn't be the strangest thing that happened in the last month.
"Fascinating! How does it work? I assume it's not limited to the school? Or at least not just the outside of it?"
This little trinket could have some... fascinating uses.
Maybe this place was better than she thought.
The Light That Blinds
"Nope. Not just the school. Anywhere on Earth, and in real time." Juliana gently traced circles on it with her finger. "I can find any info if I know where to look."
She let go of the mirror, letting it hang around her neck again. "Anyway, what do you think this 'advanced course' will be like? We're all connected to the pantheons, so it's definitely not your ordinary gifted and talented program."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Katarina
Very fascinating. She'd have to ask her to use it sometime. After all, what were friends for?
As for the 'advanced course', fuck if she knew. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's related to our divine parentage. Most of us are the progeny of some God or another, or at the very least related. Perhaps they wish to mold us into some sort of taskforce. Bringing out whatever talents we possess and teaching us to master them. For what purpose, I cannot say."
She almost started licking herself out of habit, though she quickly stopped herself before she did. No matter how much she trusted her, she wasn't ready to start bathing in front of someone she'd only just met.
That was just improper.
"Though if they expect me to, I don't know, fight unfathomable evil like something out of a comic book, I will kindly have to ask them to go defecate in the nearest ally. I'm here for one reason and one reason only, and I won't let them throw me to the wolves for something I didn't sign up for. Same with everyone else. No-one deserves to be pulled along like a mouse on a string without being given the whole picture. And that's a fact."
Where am I? What's going on?
Rebecca
Rebecca had to think at the question posed. Her mother's nationality wasn't exactly something that had come up often in her life.
"European sounds right... gah, I think I knew this at one point, but I haven't thought about it in forever..."
She definitely didn't know her maiden name, so that wouldn't help... Rebecca ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
"Italian? Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty sure she was Italian. I think."
If she'd known that she'd have to think about her heritage going into today, she would've done some actual research.
Katarina
And of course, now everyone was gawking at her. HEY, THERE'S A BIG FUCKING CAT IN THE CORNER WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO PUT ON A GODDAMNED DISGUISE, LET'S ALL POINT AND LAUGH!
Okay, they weren't actually doing that, but damnned if she didn't want to just run in the hallway or something.
Of course, her thoughts were soon distracted by the kinda-sorta floating girl with the tail and the cats poking them in the stomach like a plushie. She grabbed her wrist, placing it off to the side before letting go. "Please don't do that. Unless you wish for me to determine if you're real by punching you in the stomach. Which I'm more than happy to do."
And then it turned out she wasn't the only freak in the room. Jirou had apparently turned into some sort of horned-demon. Oni maybe? He did say he was a yokai. Just a month ago she would have figured she was hallucinating, but she was living proof that truth was stranger than fiction. It was actually reassuring. That there was someone, maybe a whole word that was just as strange her.
Only he could cover it up.
Honestly made her a bit jealous.
What didn't make her jealous was the jock. On the one hand it was flattering that someone thought she was hot. Even when she was still human, no-one had ever come out and said she was attractive. And now suddenly the whole room was swarming her with attention.
Though he was rather handsome.
If only he weren't such an ass. "In that case, I suggest you look up the local pound. I'm sure there's some mutt or mongrel that would suit you perfectly."
Edited by kkhohoho on May 29th 2020 at 6:31:33 AM