Tumblebrutus stared intently at the photograph he held in his paw. His other paw moved, leaving a light pencil line on the pad of paper that was in his lap. The patched tom kept sketching. His brown eyes flicked from the photograph to the sketchpad, the movement in his wrist never stopping. The tom was perched on his bed, and a canvas bag was on the floor, its contents spilling out.
For a moment, Tumblebrutus's eyes slipped from the paper and to the bag. When they did, he grimaced, and paused in his drawing. With a few looks between the photo and the bag, he sighed, placed the paper, pencil and photo on the bed, then slid down and started putting things back into the bag. Do I really have to go away? he thought as he put a pirate bandana back into the bag. The contradicting part of his mind immediately said, It's not every day you get offered a position of bosun when you haven't spent a day on a boat in your life.
Tumble sighed, then propped the full-once-more bag next to his bed. Then he picked up the photo. The tightness in his throat, the quickening of his heart- it was familiar now. But it didn't stop the feeling of surprise, or the little hitch in his breath.
It was just Her. The photo wasn't an exceptional one- the lighting wasn't good, and it wasn't total focused, but you could still make out Her, head thrown back and lips in a perfect smile as She began to laugh. The more Tumblebrutus looked at the photo, the less he wanted to leave. The ship was due to leave at sundown the next day. Not sunset, but sundown, when it was dark and they could peel away unseen.
The Jellicles were helping the ship- they didn't see a reason not to. And enemy of Macavity's who was helping to bring him down was a friend of theirs. So everyone knew that Tumblebrutus planned on getting on the boat, and staying there.
Absentmindedly, Tumble wondered how She felt about his leaving, sitting down and pulling his sketch into his lap once more.
Electra stared intently at the photograph she held in her paw. She had just nabbed in from Jennyanydot's den. It was the first thing she had ever really stolen, but the Gumbie Cat wouldn't even notice. She had several more in that room alone. The old queen wouldn't mind just one being gone. Electra walked into her den, green eyes not pulling away from the photo.
She thought about Him, how he was about to start a journey into another life. One away from the Jellicles, away from her. She wondered if he thought about her. Does he really have to go? her brain sighed as she sank onto the pile of pillows that made her bed. Of course he does, another part said. He just was offered the second-highest position on a ship, and he's never spent one day away from the 'Yard. What else do you expect him to do?
Electra sighed, then rubbed her eyes. She was tired, it had been a long day of dodging suspicious questions from Victoria and Jemima, and following Tugger around with Etcetera to keep her happy. She looked at the photo once more, and felt the familiar tightness of her throat and quickening of her heart. The wave of surprise, the hitch in her breath...
Oh, Bast, it was Him. He did this to her. And the photo she held wasn't even a good one- it was posed, and you could see in His brown eyes that He wanted to get away from it as quickly as possible. But it was Him, the same smile with same brown eyes twinkling at the camera. The more Electra looked at it, the more her heart begged for Him not to leave. The feeling was so strong, almost like a tidal wave washing over her entire being.
Electra's eyes grew wet. She couldn't stand the idea of His going off on Growltiger's ship. Angry, Electra wiped at her eyes. She never cried. I must be exhausted, she said to herself.
Absentmindedly, Electra wondered how He felt about her, lying down and pulling her blanket over her head.