[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

[beathollow]

She was, yes.

( she accentuates it with a nod, idly squishing a particularly easy-going cat's paws gently. soft... )

[brokenlance]

[He thinks for a moment about what to say. It's... difficult, because his instinct is to want to believe her mother had the best of intentions. A proud profession that would allow her to help people is something any parent would want for their child.

But seeing how fragile she seemed right now... could he really claim it had been the best path? Not like this, surely.

His words are measured and careful, not wanting to wound,]

It's only natural for you to want her esteem. But it seems... unfair that your dreams were discarded for hers, when you have so much to give the world.

[beathollow]

( ... how could it take someone she's known for less than a week such little time to acknowledge something she's been struggling to realize for years? him, and then ena, mizuki and kanade, too...

how long has she been blinded? and why is the blindfold still partially there? every time she thinks she's free of it... )

... It isn't. But I also... never spoke up.

[brokenlance]

...You must forgive yourself for that. You only wanted to be loved.

[beathollow]

If it were as easily done as it was said. ... I'm working on it. I'm working on a lot of things.

... Perhaps the one good thing about this mess is that I have the space to do it.

[brokenlance]

Yes, forgiveness is often the hardest part...

[he trails off a little, petting one cat's head absently.]

...But, step by step, you will get there. The future you desire.

[beathollow]

( the cats really do make this conversation easier, don't they? snowdrop can't help but smile a little as one cat props itself up to headbutt her chin. )

That's the hope.

[brokenlance]

[it's because they give the hands something to do, in between thinking of how to handle difficult and heavy words.

also they're soft.]

I have every faith.

Your dream... was it to make music?

[beathollow]

( they're so soft. )

No, actually. It's- therapeutic for me at this point, though. Not making music feels like hell.

I wanted to be a nurse. But... my parents seemed so- dissatisfied when I had told them. And then Mom suggested I become a doctor instead...

( ... how long had it taken for her to get to this point? to be able to talk about this so clearly. ... she'll have to thank botan and blossom later. )

[brokenlance]

[thinking out loud,]

She wanted the more prestigious route, when you only wanted to care for people. To attend them when they are at their most vulnerable.

It's a shame that she could not see the nobility in it. It's just as necessary a calling.

[...with a little dismay, he adds,] ...Perhaps more necessary, considering our curses...

[beathollow]

( the way she flinches should tell him one simple thing: he got it right on the money. )

...Yes. Thankfully, I am first aid certified still, I just... don't know if it's going to be enough?

[brokenlance]

[he sighs softly, more at their predicament than at her. then, raising his head to peer at the sky, he recounts:]

...Shortly before I was born, a terrible plague spread across Faerghus, devastating not only the capital, but many rural villages as well - many too small to have doctors, and too isolated to be reached in the dead of winter.

I've read about the time extensively. One would think the plague would've wiped out those villages entirely, by spring - and some were indeed lost. But for those that clung on, what saved them was simple: diligent, attentive, determined care. Feeding, cleaning, tending to their pain. Not from healers trained in medicine, but their community.