http://x_catseye.livejournal.com/ (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
x-catseye.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
xp_logs2005-04-27 09:23 pm
x-catseye.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2005-04-27 09:23 pm
Entry tags:
Log [Elspeth, Forge] ~ Something lost, something found...
Wednesday afternoon. In which someone drops by the mansion to give something to Catseye and is instead met by Forge. The Fates sometimes don't work in mysterious ways at all.
The door opened before Elspeth, and she stared a bit apprehensively, waiting to see who would open. It wasn't the girl she remembered all too clearly still, with the purple hair and the tail and the eyes, nor was it the man who had been with her. Instead, a young man nearly her height and slimmer than she was (though in her days, she'd have outbeat him on the slim, with some shapely added to it, her husband's voice echoed within despite his absence) stood there, looking at her curiously.
"Hello," she finally said, blushing a bit as she realized she was staring at him. "I'm Elspeth... oh, but you would't know that, would you," she waved a hand at him, feeling the nervousness fade away. He reminded her of her own boy, even though Evan was still obviously a few years younger than this young man. And as blonde as she was, gray strands going unmentionned. "I - there was a young girl who came to see us, at my home, a few months ago and she was so," her hand waved again, "well distinctive, with the purple hair and the eyes and she had a tail," she laughed a bit at that - wonder mingling with still very present curiosity. "And well... she was looking for the old Cat Lady, and I was still wondering if she'd found her, but that's not why I came - oh, I'm just nattering at you, aren't I?" She pressed one hand to her mouth in apology, the paper she'd found held in the other, fluttering in the wind gently.
"Catseye?" Forge cocked his head. "So that's where she was the other week. I don't think she's been gone since then, she hasn't talked about where she went. Oh, I'm sorry," he added, stepping aside. "Would you like to come in? I think I saw Catseye out back. She, um, likes running around and chasing birds lately. Should I go get her for you?"
"I..." Stepping inside with a small, absent nod of thanks, Elspeth nonetheless didn't take off her coat, politely refusing Forge's attempted gesture to accept it. "I'm not sure." Looking down at the paper in her hands, Elspeth unfolded it slowly, smoothing it out on her hip. "My boy, the youngest - he found this last week while we were renovating his room." She handed the paper to him slowly, looking worried and uncertain. "Normally I wouldn't have thought of it twice, but... you see, there's the color."
Forge peered at the purple paper, the hand-lettered words faded with age. "Lost," he read, "Small purple kitten. Please call..." he paused, eyes flickering over the phone number and address, printed carefully under the child's drawing of a cat. "Ma'am?" he finally asked. "do you have any idea how old this is? When your son may have found it?"
She'd known it was important. The feeling of vindication at having been right to do what she had done, come all this way just on a hunch was mitigated by the worry Elspeth now felt, and her inability to answer his question. "I'm so sorry. I don't know. The house was owned for decades by the Miss Reynolds. We've been renovating the rooms one by one slowly... this one was actually behind some wallpaper we peeled off." Sighing, Elspeth looked down at it, and the outline of a small kitten, a drawing that might have been done by her own son. "This is important, isn't it?" she asked, looking at Forge sorrowfully.
"I think it is," Forge answered slowly. "Can I keep this?" he asked earnestly. "I think it'll... yes, it's important."
"Yes!" Nodding fervenly, Elspeth ventured a small smile. If he wanted to keep it perhaps it might be helpful after all. "If I ever find anything else..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say or promise, or even if there was anything else to find, at that.
Forge nodded, then grabbed a piece of paper from a nearby end table and a pen from his pocket, scribbling furiously. "This is the phone number here at the school, to our dorm. My name's John, but if you ask for Forge, they'll know to get me. Do you want me to let Catseye know you stopped by? Or if you want to get a hold of her, I can get you some coffee or something?"
Accepting the paper he handed her, Elspeth thought the offer over, feeling suddenly shy about staying. With a small nod however, she agreed. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble... I think I'd like to hear about how the visit with Miss Reynolds went." Tilting her head to the side, she gave Forge a small smile. "Thank you, John." She seemed to be about to say something else, but then stopped, the smile growing just a bit instead and she nodded once more, before shedding her coat carefully.
Forge grinned, offering his arm and leading Elspeth into the sunroom. "I'll get some coffee from the kitchen," he offered, "and then see if I can't corral Catseye into being social. If you see something or someone small and purple, well, I'll try and find her."
The door opened before Elspeth, and she stared a bit apprehensively, waiting to see who would open. It wasn't the girl she remembered all too clearly still, with the purple hair and the tail and the eyes, nor was it the man who had been with her. Instead, a young man nearly her height and slimmer than she was (though in her days, she'd have outbeat him on the slim, with some shapely added to it, her husband's voice echoed within despite his absence) stood there, looking at her curiously.
"Hello," she finally said, blushing a bit as she realized she was staring at him. "I'm Elspeth... oh, but you would't know that, would you," she waved a hand at him, feeling the nervousness fade away. He reminded her of her own boy, even though Evan was still obviously a few years younger than this young man. And as blonde as she was, gray strands going unmentionned. "I - there was a young girl who came to see us, at my home, a few months ago and she was so," her hand waved again, "well distinctive, with the purple hair and the eyes and she had a tail," she laughed a bit at that - wonder mingling with still very present curiosity. "And well... she was looking for the old Cat Lady, and I was still wondering if she'd found her, but that's not why I came - oh, I'm just nattering at you, aren't I?" She pressed one hand to her mouth in apology, the paper she'd found held in the other, fluttering in the wind gently.
"Catseye?" Forge cocked his head. "So that's where she was the other week. I don't think she's been gone since then, she hasn't talked about where she went. Oh, I'm sorry," he added, stepping aside. "Would you like to come in? I think I saw Catseye out back. She, um, likes running around and chasing birds lately. Should I go get her for you?"
"I..." Stepping inside with a small, absent nod of thanks, Elspeth nonetheless didn't take off her coat, politely refusing Forge's attempted gesture to accept it. "I'm not sure." Looking down at the paper in her hands, Elspeth unfolded it slowly, smoothing it out on her hip. "My boy, the youngest - he found this last week while we were renovating his room." She handed the paper to him slowly, looking worried and uncertain. "Normally I wouldn't have thought of it twice, but... you see, there's the color."
Forge peered at the purple paper, the hand-lettered words faded with age. "Lost," he read, "Small purple kitten. Please call..." he paused, eyes flickering over the phone number and address, printed carefully under the child's drawing of a cat. "Ma'am?" he finally asked. "do you have any idea how old this is? When your son may have found it?"
She'd known it was important. The feeling of vindication at having been right to do what she had done, come all this way just on a hunch was mitigated by the worry Elspeth now felt, and her inability to answer his question. "I'm so sorry. I don't know. The house was owned for decades by the Miss Reynolds. We've been renovating the rooms one by one slowly... this one was actually behind some wallpaper we peeled off." Sighing, Elspeth looked down at it, and the outline of a small kitten, a drawing that might have been done by her own son. "This is important, isn't it?" she asked, looking at Forge sorrowfully.
"I think it is," Forge answered slowly. "Can I keep this?" he asked earnestly. "I think it'll... yes, it's important."
"Yes!" Nodding fervenly, Elspeth ventured a small smile. If he wanted to keep it perhaps it might be helpful after all. "If I ever find anything else..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say or promise, or even if there was anything else to find, at that.
Forge nodded, then grabbed a piece of paper from a nearby end table and a pen from his pocket, scribbling furiously. "This is the phone number here at the school, to our dorm. My name's John, but if you ask for Forge, they'll know to get me. Do you want me to let Catseye know you stopped by? Or if you want to get a hold of her, I can get you some coffee or something?"
Accepting the paper he handed her, Elspeth thought the offer over, feeling suddenly shy about staying. With a small nod however, she agreed. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble... I think I'd like to hear about how the visit with Miss Reynolds went." Tilting her head to the side, she gave Forge a small smile. "Thank you, John." She seemed to be about to say something else, but then stopped, the smile growing just a bit instead and she nodded once more, before shedding her coat carefully.
Forge grinned, offering his arm and leading Elspeth into the sunroom. "I'll get some coffee from the kitchen," he offered, "and then see if I can't corral Catseye into being social. If you see something or someone small and purple, well, I'll try and find her."