sevenhorrors | [early morning cat posting]

Entry tags:

[early morning cat posting]

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!]

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[Right! Safety in numbers. It's totally a need to remain on guard with the appearance of new ghosts (as cute and friendly as they might be) that's got her feeling this way, surely.

Suzuha falls into step right there with her, smiling as she gives a lingering glance to the few nekomata who've decided to come along for the ride.]

It's all pretty surreal, huh? Never thought this is the way I'd get a taste of school life.

[She's pretty sure there's no scenario where 'spending weeks with ghosts and ghouls' is on any sort of curriculum.]

[ That's an interesting way of putting it, and Tifa can't help but be curious. As they walk side-by-side, seemingly with no real destination in mind for now, she sends Hanabi a curious glance. ]

... So did you never really go to a school like this? Same here, actually.

[ Maybe it's time to exchange some background info...? Tifa has tried not to pry too much, but she thinks it's pretty natural to want to know more about the people she's stuck with. She isn't really trying to pry into the bits and pieces she heard about Hanabi's past from those voices in the woods, so hopefully she isn't accidentally prodding at any sore spots. ]

[A similarly interested glance her way at that. Suzuha knows they all come from all different kinds of places, but she just kinda figured the majority of people here were more familiar with a "normal" sort of thing like this. And really, since it seems like they're all gonna be stuck here a while, there's no harm in learning more about one another, even if she tends to keep specifics to herself out of habit.

She shakes her head.]

Heard about places like this, always thought they sounded kind of fun. But nah. Guess you could say I was home schooled.

[Most of what she knows came from her mom and whatever fraction of her dad's work that had been left behind, so. It counts.]

What about you?

[ "Home schooled." Right. That's probably a better way of putting it, although Tifa really hadn't had a sense for what "regular" schools were like when she was a kid either. ]

It was kind of the same for me, yeah! I grew up in a small mountain town, so there were only a handful of other kids my age. Not really enough to have a school like this, so we would just learn more informally from the adults in town.

[ She hasn't missed that Hanabi has kept some of the details to herself, for her own situation, but again, doesn't want to push.

Yet as they walk, her hand starts nearing toward Hanabi's while Tifa remains completely unaware of the urge. ]

[She's listening with interest, nodding along. Informal learning, yeah. That was about all there was to find, back where she was from too.]

Hey, we take what we can get, yeah? Didn't really have a lot of people close to my age growing up either, so I totally get—

[They walk and they talk, and once Tifa's hand brushes up against hers, Suzuha just very easily... takes it in her own? Something that doesn't quite register immediately, but when it does a second later Suzuha's eyes widen.]

Um—

[Um!!]

[ Not many others close to her age... Tifa wonders if that's why Hanabi seems a bit mature for her age. Before she can ask any further questions on that subject, though, they both stop in their stroll as the realization hits.

They're... holding hands from some reason? ]

Oh, umm. [ Said almost in unison with Hanabi. ] Sorry, how did that...

[ Even happen??? She's not pulling away for some reason, though, even though she probably should. ]

[How indeed? And how is it they're both compelled to stand there, hand-in-hand?

It of course doesn't help matters when one of the few nekomata that had bothered to trail them on this walk catches up with them in their flustered pause, brushing against their legs with a little purr.]

It's fine, it's fine! [Trying to summon a smile to wave away some of the awkwardness.] We'll just...

[Let go? Pretend it never happened? Both of those require being willing to let go, which is apparently a much bigger hurdle than it really should be. That smile fades a little, some color brightening her cheeks.]

...Maybe it's okay for just a minute.

[ Tifa glances down when she feels the warm, fuzzy texture against her legs, and even then, it's hard to really be mad at the nekomata. Even though it's looking more and more like maybe they're having some sort of... effect on them? Today is the first day something like this has happened, after all.

It's actually comforting to know that Hanabi's feeling the same thing, that neither one of them wants to let go. It's less embarrassing that way. ]

It might sound crazy, but do you think the cats are causing this? They are still spirits, after all...

[ But in an attempt to make it less weird, Tifa starts walking again, still hand-in-hand with Hanabi. That's not so strange, is it? ]

[Suzuha might still be blushing a little as they resume their walk, but her suggestion does make it feel a bit less strange.]

I... think you might be on to something.

[She glances back toward the nekomata as the move onward, thoughtful.]

That feeling did kinda get harder to resist when it touched us again, just now. Had no idea a spirit could pull something like that.

[ Truly, nothing would stop her from walking somewhere with Aerith like this, though Tifa also realizes that's different. For one thing, it's Aerith and she just isn't embarrassed about anything. For another, they've known each other longer.

But if she thinks about that, it feels a little less awkward. ]

... Well, if that's the effect they have on us, I guess it could be a whole lot worse. At least now we know?

[ It probably isn't going to stop her from petting them, in all honesty. ]

[Truly what's a little involuntary hand-holding when there's something cute and friendly to pet for a little dosage of good vibes in this haunted school?

At least it does feel progressively less weird as they just go along with it.]

Guess so. [She exhales a slight laugh.] Finally a hazard around this place that isn't so bad.

Right? I'll take it, seems like a fair trade-off.

[ Smiling to herself as she sees some nekomata darting around and playing up ahead. ]

So, you said you didn't have a lot of kids your age around growing up? Why is that?

[ She's really just making conversation, but if it turns out this isn't something that Hanabi wants to talk about, she'll back off...

Gotta start somewhere, though! ]

Edited 2025-08-19 04:16 (UTC)

[Her hand gives an involuntary little squeeze at the question. She knows it's probably not a big deal to talk about this stuff given the circumstances, but old habits die hard.]

Well...

[She want's to try, at least, even if she won't let herself get into all of it.]

It's a pretty bleak place, where I come from. And my dad had been involved in some dangerous stuff, so I kinda spent most of my life on the run with my mom, growing up.

[Kinda the other reason she's hesitant to share; her life doesn't exactly make for a happy story.]

[ Tifa immediately squeezes back! If this is something that Hanabi isn't used to talking about, then Tifa at least wants to let her know that she's supporting her and not here to judge. If a hand-squeeze communicates that, anyway.

A bleak place, dangerous stuff, being on the run. Tifa can't quite picture it with such vague details, but it tells her enough. ]

... That sounds really tough. [ Definitely not what would consist of a normal childhood. ] I hope at some point you were able to stop running...?

[She appreciates the gesture, however small it might be. Makes it feel a little easier to be open about this kind of thing.

Suzuha glances aside at her, smiling a little self-deprecating smile.]

Does this count?

[Technically not doing much of any running, being stuck here.]

When I got a little older, I decided to join the cause my dad had fought for... So, the running never really stopped. Just got more dangerous.

[ A cause. That gives Tifa some pause, mainly because she might know a thing or two about dangerous causes. She's not quite sure how to make that clear, though. ]

... Was it some sort of resistance group?

[ Look, that's really what it's sounding like to her, so she can't help but be curious! ]

[Suzuha's attention snaps to her more fully at that.]

...Yeah. It's, uh.

[She takes a breath. Alright. Maybe she doesn't need to dance around it so much. It's not like anyone here can go ratting her out to SERN.]

There's a group in power that's got a stranglehold on... just about everything. Conditions are bad, and anyone who steps out of line gets dealt with pretty quickly. We were trying to stop them. Fix things.

Oh...

[ That sounds shockingly familiar. Maybe Shinra isn't always so obvious about dealing with people who step out of line, but still, it happens. ]

Where I'm from, there's a mega-corporation that controls just about everything these days. Most people's lives are at their whim in one way or another. So I think I know what you mean.

[ And to stand up against a force like that, it isn't easy. Tifa knows that firsthand. ]

[A sympathetic little squeeze of her hand.]

Guess I shouldn't be surprised stuff like that can happen no matter what world it is.

[Those sorts of things tend to be fixed points in worldlines, anchoring them together. It's just... kind of disheartening to think it goes farther than that.]

Feels kinda weird to be disconnected from it like this, y'know?

[She'd gotten a little taste of that prior to getting here, sure, but that was different. Peaceful. This place is the polar opposite of that.]

[ She squeezes back without hesitation. No, Tifa wouldn't have wanted to wish anything like Shinra (or worse?) on someone else, but that's the reality of it. ]

... Yeah. I really don't want to think too hard about everything that may or may not have happened while we've been stuck here.

[ No doubt it's the same for Hanabi, if she's caught up in something so important and dangerous back home. ]

But... I do hope you're able to take them down as soon as we get out of here. I know it won't be easy, but...

[ That doesn't mean they don't try. ]

Was kinda putting everything on the line for one last big gamble to do that before I ended up here...

[Not easy, no. But sitting here wondering what might be going on with each passing day is not exactly easy for her either. She wishes she could just push it all out of her head, but it's kind of a tall ask.]

So the sooner we get out of here, the better. [Probably goes without saying that it's a sentiment they all share, but still.] I'm sure you must have stuff you need to get back to, too.

[ One last big gamble? Tifa understands how that feels, when you get pushed to your limit like that, but it does make her worry. Whatever it was, it must have been dangerous, maybe even enough to risk Hanabi's life.

And if she ended up here instead, what does that mean for everything else?

At the implied question, Tifa sighs and nods. ] To say the least, yeah... We were in the middle of trying to get our hands on an incredibly powerful item before someone else did. If he got it, he'd have used it to try and destroy everything.

[ It's a lot to admit to, but it feels only fair, given what Hanabi has told her in turn. ]

[Gunning for some object that could be that destructive in the wrong hands must've been pretty dangerous in its own right. Maybe there's not much of an immediate reprieve for either of them, once they get out of here.]

Sounds like you really had your hands full back home too. I hope you can get back to it soon.

[She summons up a tired little smile.]

Y'know, it's a shame that if we were gonna get forced into a vacation from our missions like this, it couldn't be fun one...

[Though Suzuha's pretty sure she'd be going mad in a different way even then.]

[ Tifa had gathered that Hanabi was also eager to get back, and now she has some idea of why. They're definitely on the same page there; she just wishes there was more she could do, but every potential path out of here has proved to be another dead end... ]

Yeah, right back at you.

[ She sighs and gives Hanabi's hand a little squeeze. ]

... Well, I guess the cats are one upside. But if it was too nice, I'd probably feel kind of guilty too.

[ Would she even be able to enjoy herself? Probably not. ]

[At least it's a little heartening to know someone understands what it's like, feeling the urgency to get back home and back to business. There's no telling how long it's going to take to find a way out of here at this rate, but they have to keep trying.]

...Same here, honestly.

[And saying that out loud makes her realize that's been kind of weighing on her this whole time, hasn't it?]

I'd kinda... taken a detour from my mission, before ending up here. It was nice. Really nice. But now I can't help but regret it.

[If she hadn't, would her mission have been completed before she got dragged out here? Had she completely screwed everything up by taking that time for herself?]

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