[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

[suplexer]

[ 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. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[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.]

[suplexer]

[ 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. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[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?]

[suplexer]

[ Tifa pauses, turning to look at Hanabi more directly. Their hands drift apart, but she finds that she feels fine now. It seems like they maintained contact for long enough to do away with that strange effect. ]

I don't think you should beat yourself up for needing a break. It sounds like fighting back against these people has been most of your life... It's natural you'd want to take a breather when you could.

[ Although yes, she can relate to that sentiment. She's not sure if she regrets the time spent in the Gold Saucer, exactly, and they had been there for a reason, but... it feels so strange and faraway now. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[As much as she didn't mind the hand-holding beyond the initial bit of embarrassment, she's still quite relieved to find the compulsion is gone once their hands separate. She shoves her hands in her pockets, looking downward for a moment before she can bring herself to meet Tifa's gaze.]

Easier said than done, I guess. But not much point in fretting over it until we can find a way out of here anyway, huh?

[She says that, but like. Absolutely going to be fretting anyway, how could she not.]