Catseye and Jean-Paul

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Catseye purrs Jean-Paul out of a patch of melancholy and finally gets to nap with MisterPointyEarsBeaubier.



Out for a late-night hunt, Catseye stalked along one of the trails in the woods, a fair distance from the mansion. She'd been adhering to her schedule of only eating at human mealtimes for quite a while now, but since she knew that a late-night snack was a tradition of many humans the world over, she wasn't really cheating. And the weather was fantastic.

She stopped when she heard a rustle in one of the trees. Her ears pricked back and her tail lashed as she turned purple cats' eyes upwards. Jean-Paul was in a tree, watching the sky. Catseye crept over to the trunk of a nearby tree stealthily and shimmied up the trunk, then moved slowly and silently through its branches, jumping to branches of the next tree, then quickly jumping into Jean-Paul's tree so that the whole disturbance caused by the noise the branches made lasted only seconds, aiding with her element of surprise, or so she hoped as she landed on his shoulder.

Her target shifted position a split second before she landed, leading her to sail over her teacher's shoulder and land on a warm lap instead. Not the worst trade-off in the world, at least.

"If it makes you feel better," Jean-Paul said quietly, "you came very close." He scratched her behind her ears as she settled. "I suppose I am not all that old as of yet, hmm?"

Catseye chirruped in agreement, nuzzling Jean-Paul's cheek as she rewarded his skritches with a low rumble of purring. She let herself be skritched for several minutes before moving off his lap and down the branch, shifting into girlform and gripping a branch above the one they were sitting on until she was certain that the change in weight wouldn't cause the branch to break. "Why is Mister PointyEarsBeaubier out in the trees so late?" she inquired, matching his quiet tone. "Hunting?"

"Non." He was quiet for a moment, considering whether or not he had the energy to evade. "Thinking some. Mostly I am missing my father and my sister," he admitted. "I have some very good friends here, but some days they are not the people I wish to talk to. Not family." His smile was tired and faded. "Common problem, non? Especially here."

Her head tilted as she digested what Jean-Paul was saying. "Catseye understands. Family is different from friends." She also understood that her own situation was different- she usually wanted to talk to her friends more than she did her family- but she did recognize that there was a difference. And sometimes there were things that she wanted to tell Evan before she talked to Forge or Kyle or Cammie. "Catseye found friends before Catseye found BigBrother," she explained, "and Catseye loves friends more than the MotherPerson and the rest of the family people but Catseye also loves BigBrother as much as she loves friends because BigBrother is different from friends! How come MisterPointyEarsBeaubier misses his father and sister? Are they like Catseye's familypeople? They do not like MisterPointyEarsBeaubier anymore because he is a mutant?"

Jean-Paul untangled the names as Catseye went along, regretting slightly that she'd shifted forms. Catseye was pleasant company in any shape, but there was something to be said for the uncomplicated affection inherent in stroking a cat.

"It happens that way sometimes. They say you cannot choose family, but I am not so sure about that. The family you choose is simply the one most precious." The questions drew him back to the melancholy that had prompted this expedition in the first place. "No, they were not like that. My father cared for me very much." A slight smile. "Though I was such trouble, I wonder why some days. He has been dead for a long time now, but I find myself thinking of him often now that I am at the school again. My sister and I had a very bad fight and she left. I do not know where she is these days."

"Catseye is sorry about MisterPointyEarsBeaubier's father," she said with a sad nod of her head. "Sister ran away and got lost and MisterPointyEarsBeaubier cannot find her so he cannot say he is sorry about the verybadfight?"

"Mmm." He tapped the scar at his neck absent-mindedly. "Considering how badly I lost that fight, I do not feel particularly apologetic on that issue. But I miss her, and I worry that she is hurt or worse and there is no way that I can help her. I think she does not want to be found."

"Catseye thinks people who do not want to be found are SillyKittens," she pointed out, keen eyes taking in the scar he pointed out, "but Catseye is sorry anyway because if MisterPointyEarsBeaubier misses his sister then he must love her veryeymuch even if he is not sorry. Catseye thinks one day she will grow up because no one can be a SillyKitten forever and all SillyKittens have to grow up and then she will come back to MisterPointyEarsBeaubier." She shifted back into catform and climbed into his lap, purring.

"It is complicated." Jean-Paul leaned back against the tree, scratching his companion under the chin. "I just hope she comes back, even if only for a little while." He glanced back at the sky; the moon was past its zenith. "I should get some sleep. I have to be up early -- I have a surprise in store for Nathan."

"Mrrt?" the purple cat asked inquisitively, kneading Jean-Paul's leg as she settled in, rumbling in approval of the skritching.

"You will see in the morning, I promise. In the meantime, I could use a nap before I get to work." He glanced down at the warm little shadow on his lap. "Care to join me?"

Catseye nuzzled Jean-Paul's hand in affirmation and continued to purr. If he wanted to move, he'd have to carry her, because she was way too comfortable in his lap to climb out of the tree.

"I did not think I would get much argument." Jean-Paul gathered the happy bundle of cat up in his arms and floated down out of the tree.