[early morning cat posting]

[sevenhorrorsmods]

Who: everyone
When: July 25
Where: class 3-C
What: a few visitors!
Warnings: none!

[On Friday morning at 6:00 a.m. on the dot, the student body is awoken not by the bell, but by the sound of meowing echoing over the intercom.

[It's not just the PA system, either. Soft, gentle, and very cute mewls fill the classroom hallways; distant on floors one and two, but much louder on floor three. Intrepid explorers who follow the noise will find that one of the third floor classrooms has been overtaken by a pack of ghostly cats!]

[Each creature is the size of a normal housecat, and has the mannerisms of one. That is, they will attempt to hop into your lap for some prime cuddling time, ears and tails flicking adorably all the while. Their bodies are a pale, ghostly white, and their eyes glow a soft, gentle blue. Although they are translucent, they are still solid to the touch, and they feel just like a normal cat does. Soft fur and everything! Aren't they precious? Aren't they just so stinkin' cute??? DON'T YOU JUST WANT TO SMOOSH THEIR ROUND LI'L KITTEN FACES??]

[So long as characters are kind to the cat spirits, the Nekomata are completely harmless. They just want to play and snuggle!! Although. . .]

[Anyone who touches a cat spirit will find themselves hit with a sudden need for physical contact. This can range from something small (desiring a high five) to something bigger (needing to CUDDLE THE SHIT outta someone). Being surrounded by more than one Nekomata means the compulsion becomes stronger, too! One cat means it can probably be safely ignored, but five?? If you don't HOLD SOMEONE'S HAND RIGHT THIS SECOND you JUST MAY DIE!!]

[Oh, so you don't like cats? No problem! The Nekomata are mischievous creatures, and they WILL leap onto people's backs and shoulders without warning. Being cat spirits, they can also teleport from one place to another, so. . . you can be minding your own business one second, blink, and then be staring into the eyes of a cute cat spirit perched on your lap the next.]

[The Nekomata will be drawn towards members of Anzen more than anyone else per their target lock curse, but they are excited to shower literally anyone in a bit of cute kitty affection, regardless of their homeroom]

[Please let me know if your character is being violent and/or aggressive towards the Nekomata. Otherwise, enjoy some compulsive physical bonding with a cute ghostly flair!]

Comments

[bowtiedbones]

[HELL YES SHE IS GOING TO PET A KITTY, SHE DESERVES THIS]

Nekomata! Oh my gosh, I’ve never seen one in person— Aren’t you sweet? Hello, babies, oh my gosh you are the sweetest baby.

[presgarddihellis]

Is that what they're called?

[hello, he's trapped with a cat in his lap

he's also a little bit... surrounded. for reasons that have nothing to do with his classroom curse. don't mind.]

[undefinery]

[ Oh. Ohhhhhhhhhh.

This is very unfair because Mizuki is super cat-coded, but also cats are really cute, so resisting? Not an option.

So, obviously, Mizuki can be found in one corner of the classroom, with a nekomata doing some contented lap hijacking and rolling adorably, it's really unfair. ]

Why couldn't the first day have just been you guys, huh?

[inexorableiron]

[Come the man with elf ears across the room trying to do arm curls with a ploppy purring kitty]

Well, maybe they just got here, lady dude? Like, fashionably late or some shit.

[beathollow]

( ah.... kitties..... ghost kitties, even, so they might not mind the bad vibes...

which is to say, snowdrop is sitting in a pile of nekomata, absolutely enchanted. )

Ah... patience, I can't get everyone at once...

[isdf]

[It's a staggering pile—one that Yuma stands before on his way past, caught by the sheer sight of it.]

Are you in need of an extraction?

[isdf]

[As an early riser who wakes up before the bell, the meowing still catches him off guard—enough so that he delays breakfast to pinpoint the source in a classroom, where he finds himself lingering in the doorway and blinking at a cat spirit perched on his shoulder.

Of course, others must also be investigating the unusual sounds. When he feels the presence of another student, Yuma glances behind him to see who it is and the cat, taking advantage of this, leans in to rub a cheek against his face before jumping off to rejoin its pack.

A sudden spike of unease grips him as he looks away.]

M-my apologies. [Stepping inside to make room, he stares at the ghostly pack.] They're . . . cats.

( ooc: Yuma's curse causes him to share his emotions by way of touch, so let me know if you'd like to play with this! )

[suplexer]

[ Tifa too, is an early riser. The cold she can't quite seem to shake has made it a little harder to get herself out of bed in the morning, but naturally the meows had drawn her to investigate.

The image of that cat rubbing up against his face is too adorable, although the young man himself seems a little weirded out by it. ]

... Ghost cats, yeah. But... they're way too cute to be dangerous, right?

[ Even she, with her fear of ghosts, feels like this must be true. Her love for cats seems to win out, and she crouches down, clicking her tongue to see if one of them will come over. ]

( ooc: I'm happy to play with the emotion share if it comes up! )

[ratiocinations]

[Sometimes you want to snoop in a classroom, even if all of them so far turn up no new revelations, because you are Obligated.

And sometimes a nekomata just doesn't want to let you do that.]

No. Down.

[Sitting at a desk, trying to rummage around in its insides, but Mr Adair here keeps getting interrupted by a ghostly cat jumping up into his lap and trying to rub against his chest, tail poofing in his face. He scoops it up, places it on the ground. Watches it keenly as it stares back up at him.]

I said no. Do not-

[It jumps right back up into his lap. Some variant of this cycle continues for minutes more.]

[darkholder]

[watches this cycle for a moment before coming over and scooping the nekomata from his lap.]

Contrary creatures.

[demergo]

[ ahh—haruka startles a way when he hears the meowing, reacting like he's heard something entirely unpleasant and not at all cute. he'd like to stay inside his room the entire day, but he also still hates being alone. you might catch him on the first and second floor, pressed up against a wall and fiddling with the necklace he's been wearing since the second day here.

he doesn't look scared, but anxious and uneasy.

the third floor however is an ask too much, but he is making circles around the second, so if you're coming down from the third or chasing a wayward cat it's possible you could run into him on the staircase landing. (this is my i'd like to get in on other characters feeling affectionate prompt but we do not let haruka on the third floor proper with that many cats, it would be not Great). ]

[velluminous]

[ the meowing, the infernal meowing. covering one ear irritably as she strides past—only to spot him in the stairwell. ]

They are up there?

[threadling]

A.

Hey asshole.

[Do you have a cat? Then this kin'un girl is getting in your face.]

Gimme the cat.

[She...has a cat in her arms. She has a cat climbing on her shoulders. And she has a cat rubbing against her leg. She already has three of them. And yet, she is still demanding yours.]

B.

Hey asshole.

[Regardless of whether or not you have a cat, this kin'un girl is getting in your face, and her face is slightly red. She's also shoving her hand out towards you.]

Hold my stupid hand.

Don't say anything. Just take it.

[She looks very annoyed to be having to ask this. But, uh, considering all the cats she was commandeering earlier, it's probably to be expected.]

B.

[memori3s]

[ ??? Ok?

He takes the stranger's hand in his own. Guess they're shaking hands now??

Enjoy your little wave of mild confusion, courtesy of Shiawase... ]

[inexorableiron]

[Traditionally, walking into ghosts has always led to bad things. But gosh there is just something about these squishable faces that takes the apprehension away.]

Whoa, whoa! Dudes, how many of these little fuzzballs you think there are around here?

[bowtiedbones]

So many! Exactly the right many!

[darkholder]

[currently looking around this classroom with one cat flopped over each shoulder!

and should someone be nearby, she's going to reach out to take their hand without really realizing.]

[slicings]

[ ???? his hand is grabbed?? he was just walking past, inspecting the room, and now he is frozen in place. ]

...

[parttimesoldier]

[oh yay, cute ghosts?? She'll take it.

Might be a little suspicious of approaching them at first, because they are still ghosts. But one is cutely rubbing against her shins, so she's GOTTA bend over and pet it. It's the rules.

Another one takes the opportunity to hop onto her back when she does so. She immediately freezes, but the little thing is just up there mewling and making biscuits. She can't just knock it off of her.

Congrats to anyone passing by, who she'll try to wave over in the awkward position she finds herself in.]

Hey, uh. Help a gal out, would you?

[suplexer]

I've got you.

[ Tifa scoops the cat off of Hanabi's back and lets it settle into her arms. While it fusses for a moment, she holds it in a comfortable enough position, cradling it like a baby, that it calms down after a few moments. ]

Can all the ghosts be like this from now on?

[ Wishful thinking, she knows. ]

[suplexer]

i.

[ The dilemma of whether to approach a ghost cat for someone who is afraid of ghosts is solved almost immediately. That is, Tifa can't resist them. Looks aside, they behave and feel just like any other cat, and she isn't going to let their translucent appearance stop her.

Which is how she ends up seated on the floor of one of the third floor classrooms with three of the nekomata crawling all over her and demanding scritches and pets. She isn't even a member of Anzen, but she happens to be one of those people who has the perfect calm demeanor to draw cats to her.

This is definitely what she needs right now. Some floor time with cute ghost cats isn't going to completely chase away her concerns about everything happening back home, but it will at least give her something else to focus on for a bit.

To anyone else in the room, she'll laugh and say: ] If there ends up being some downside to this, at least it'll have been worth it. [ She'll suffer haunting effects if it means she gets to cuddle some cute cats?! ]

ii.

[ Later on, though, whether it's somewhere around the school or in the Kenkou dorm, Tifa finds herself struck with the need to give someone a hug, or gently hold their hand, or even cuddle with them on the couch. It's an odd feeling. Not because she isn't willing to hug someone or hold their hand when the time is right, but this feels like it's come out of nowhere. It also doesn't seem to matter if it's with a stranger or not...?

She appears uncomfortable, hugging herself loosely around the middle or gripping her forearm with her opposite hand. If she earns anyone's attention, she'll say: ] ... Is it just me, or does something feel off?

i.

[inexorableiron]

[Hamn is apparently not as tempting a cat velcro as she is, but he has scooped up the roundest, most rotund nekomata and is enjoying a fat cat laying over his shoulders like a bloated scarf]

I get what ya mean, lady dude. These little dudes are such a fuckin' sweet relief.

[presgarddihellis]

[sometimes you check a book out from the library and go to sit on some steps and start absent-mindedly petting cats that just turn up.

if anything, the cats seem to be flocking to him, rumble-purring like they'd all gotten doses of catnip. one's making biscuits on his knee.

...

he's been on the same page for the last five minutes because there's a very distracting compulsion that is not part of Katsumori curse. but he can't move now.

there's a cat on his lap.

Just like in all those memes, to dislodge a cat from its resting place is sacrilege.]

Guess I'll die here.

[it's clearly a joke because he's smiling and scritting the sleepy nekomata keeping him from moving.]

[suplexer]

[ Tifa gets the joke, absolutely. If a cat decides to fall asleep on you, obviously you can't move until they do!

She pauses to watch the little scene and chuckles, nodding. ]

At least it'll be a peaceful one?

[ They probably shouldn't be joking about death in a haunted school... Ah well. ]

[mogger]

Now that everyone's here, it's time you got to know me! And... action!

[ yuffie perches on the nearest object, trying to avoid the cats that are climbing up to cuddle her. she has a mission ]

Some know me as the world's greatest materia hunter! Others, a beautiful and beguiling ninja! But, who am I truly?

[ dramatic pause. there's a cat hanging off her arm now ]

Well, excited onlookers, and cats, wonder no more!

Before you stands a rare bloom: the single White Rose!

[ trying to avoid stepping on a cat, she suddenly slips and falls on her ass, hard ]

Ow....

[ they climb all over her ]

[ alternately, later she finds you and suddenly grabs your arm with no explanation ]

Don't ask.

[brokenlance]

[Oh! This reminds him quite a lot of Garreg Mach, and all the stray cats and dogs which roamed the monastery grounds freely. He remembers Annette used to leave out saucers of milk for them...

So, taking an empty lunch tray from the cafeteria and a single serving carton of milk (it's still crazy that they've created such a convenient package for liquids. incredible), he heads outside to the school grounds to leave them a treat. A dozen cats rush towards him, even before he sets down the tray, as though telepathically sensing the siren song of lactose.

Milk goes in the food compartments, and he sets it down - cats, lapping it up eagerly. Some rub against his legs, and he pets a few as he crouches down to watch them eat.]

They really are like normal cats...

[bowtiedbones]

[this lady is NOT going outside, but she’ll lean out a window to check out the cute sight]

Aww, they like it!

[candlestick]

[ Zuo Le has just settled down for breakfast when one of the ghostly new friends decides to hop up on the table next to him, and...

Knock his cup right off the table onto the floor.

It doesn't look like it's trying to be unkind or anything of the sort, it's just being a cat. Coming from a world where cats are just other human beings, however, Zuo Le just looks baffled by this as he picks up his now empty cup with a small sigh, and sets it back onto the table.

... Only for the nekomata to knock the empty cup off the table again.

He's just looking at it on the floor for several seconds, before looking back up at the cat. ]

Why?

[ In response, the creature just purrs. ]

[presgarddihellis]

Creatures of particular habits.

[yes, hello, nekomata coming up to him purring loudly. pets it.]

[hotaerosol]

[You won't find this guy in the classroom, that's way too crowded with too many cats, but if you mosey on down the third floor hallway a little bit you'll find him contending with one of the ghost cats climbing all over his head and shoulders, mumbling half-hearted reproaches like No, not on that side, c'mon and You sure you're not an evil mastermind. #justnekomatathings

He's reluctantly administering ear pats now and then. Definitely reluctantly.

Alternatively, you can also find him seated against the wall around the same spot nodding off; at least three of the cats have taken the opportunity to sneak up on him and share the catnap, so they're all just chilling on top of him. That said, if you do approach, be prepared for both cats and human(?!) to swipe at your ankles suddenly. This is definitely the skinship you signed up for. ☆]

[ordimame]

[this poor guy is walking around covered in ghost cats, so naturally he doesn't see it when someone mysteriously (?!) swipes at his ankles]

[BRB TRIPPING IN A VERY DRAMATIC FASHION. . . but via some impressive windmilling of his arms and fancy footwork, he manages to avoid face planting onto the ground]

. . . hey!! Watch it!

[gamboler]

[ What fresh hell is this...

...though once it becomes abundantly clear thay these nekomata don't mean them any harm, Aventurine softens towards them considerably. They remind him of his own pets back home - are they doing alright? Are they eating enough? They have a tendency to get lonely - and as such, he's willing to indulge them more than he otherwise might. They could still be some sort of ill omen...

But he can't bring himself to really be bothered about it. There's at least one cat perched around his shoulders at all times, another in his arms, another trailing after him and pawing at his pantleg. He's looking for other nekomata, just in case they stuck or lost anywhere, but as he passes by other people, he'll abruptly reach out to take their hand or put an arm around their shoulders or even pull them into a hug.

Oh. This is. Strange. ]

...Um. Pardon me...

[bowtiedbones]

[??? well okay. reaches up to take a nekomata off his shoulders when he slings his arm over hers]

Hi, Garnet.

[praiseful]

[ Those who've previously encountered Nei might be surprised to find her actually... sort of calm and quiet, for once, while she's crouched down in a hallway where she had been patrolling, surrounded by kitties. One on her shoulders, a few others surrounding her and rubbing against her ankles while she coos at them: ]

Good kitties! Yes, yes. You're purring because I give the best pets, right? Mhm!

[ Or, catch her elsewhere later at the cafeteria or another shared space with a cat still perched on her shoulder, looking at you... expectantly? ]

[slicings]

[ blade also has cats with him in the cafeteria.. but he is doing his very best to ignore them.

what is she looking at?? ]

Yes?

[rugpull]

[covered in cats and also. meowing with them?? in a back and forth? as if in conversation??]

[tailsofwoe]

[ Also covered in cats. She is currently in the process of gingerly picking them off her and setting them down elsewhere, though another one always crawls back up to take its place. ]

... Can you actually understand them?

[slicings]

[ well. thus far the cats don't seem any more or less dangerous than normal cats, so blade pays them no mind. he neither enjoys their presence nor fights them.

but that isn't enough for the nekomata. as blade strides through the grounds, cats begin to gather behind him.. only one, at first. then a second. a third. they trot along behind him through the halls as blade pokes through the school, and when he finally makes his way to the cafeteria to eat, they surround him.

he frowns. ]

I don't have anything for you.

[bowtiedbones]

[getting her ??th coffee of the day]

But you could.

[tiebroken]

I. look... freaking kity...

a.
[ Imagine never having seen a real kitty before, and this is your first introduction... sometimes you only know about bunnies and kitties and puppies in the context of knowing they are cute pets to be dressed up as. All that to say, her eyes are wide looking at the nekomata, hesitantly reaching out to stroke their ghostly fur. Way too lightly, perhaps, her fingers more than feather light. ]

You're sure they don't bite...?

b.
[ Later, when she's gotten more used to them, you might find yourself next to her while several cats are playing around, and she points to the premier petting spot between ears, insistent. Yakuyoke's curse can be subtle, especially so that everyone in the class has failed to put together that anything's wrong. ]

See, look right here!

[ well go on... look... she's not going to do anything nefarious, source: just trust me... ]

II. h*ndh*lding 😳

[ Looking embarrassed to be doing this, Mizi grabs your hand rather firmly as you pass by, cheeks a little warm by the compulsion. It's just, it feels like if she doesn't hold someone's hand right now, she's going to explode!! But, at least she recognizes how strange it might be to latch on to someone out of the blue. ]

Sorry... could you stay here with me for a bit? [ Her fingers twitch against your palm, barely resisting the urge to lace your fingers together. ] I'm feeling a little strange —

II

[bowtiedbones]

[hand, caught!]

Hm? Sure, are you okay? Do you need me to call someone?

[cupidsammo]

[ Koharu is kneeling down in a hallway, holding a large, white feather to play with a pair of nekomata. After a few minutes of playing, an idea appears to strike her, so she looks up to anyone nearby: ]

Excuse me—have you happened to see any string around?

[suplexer]

[ They should play with the cats! They must have a lot of energy to get out. While Tifa's going to answer that question, she's distracted by...

A pair of wings on the girl's back? She's surprised enough that she doesn't think before she says something. ]

... Are those real?

[chapter6spoilers]

[surrounded by cats

like a dozen of them.

He was just trying to get a sip from the water fountain.

doesn't look like he's panicking but has no where to run

help,]

[ordimame]

[has, like. half a dozen cats hanging off of him. clinging to his back, his hips, his chest, his shoulders, one is even perched on the top of his head. he is a cat magnet]

. . . do you want some help?

[memori3s]

[ There's some light filtering in through the halls. It reflects off a sliver of visible metal from the Evoker tucked away at Minato's side. A couple of nekomata catch sight of it, pouncing on the bright spot created by the device.

So he crouches in the hall, choosing to humor the playful cat spirits by removing it from its holster and beaming the light around all over the floor.

Makeshift laser pointer is go -- ]

[ ooc note: if your char chooses to approach Minato for physical contact lmk if you want to opt into Shiawase's emotion-sharing curse! ]

[ordimame]

[see, this would be cute. . . except for one problem]

Is that a--

[GUN??]

-- should you really be playing around with it like that?!

[btw he is covered in cats. head to toe. they stick to him like burrs. also gimme that sweet Shiawase emotion share]

[velluminous]

[ clack clack clack CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACKCLACKCLACKCLACK ]

Get away from me!

[ the sound of quickening footsteps and one very discontented tiefling. if you're [REDACTED], some things will remain a constant across the duration of your life. your heritage, your most passionate interests, your accent, your horns... and the fact that you do not like animals. and in that vein, they usually do not like you.

which makes it! deeply disconcerting! to have them trotting after her now!!

WHY HAVE ALL OF YOU LET THEM LOOSE!!! ]

[inexorableiron]

[there is the sound of snickering laughter from nearby. it is the elf, with the weird gold scars]

They're catchin' up, lady dude!