Ch. 1: Choose Your Tom
Demeter, Pussywillow and Gossamew sat together in a corner of the junkyard clearing, chatting excitedly. This coming Sunday night would be their first Jellicle Ball as full-grown queens. And every queen-to-be had to pick her partner for the evening…
"So don't you have a favorite yet, Pussy?" Demeter questioned.
"Why pick? I could have 'em all at once if I wanted." Pussywillow smirked.
"Too bad I already do, then," Bombalurina said, sliding into place beside the black and gold kit.
"Who says?" Pussy scowled, her golden eyes narrowing.
Instead of answering, Bomba lazily waved a white forepaw to the two tom-kits lurking somewhat obviously behind a trash can. Admetus and Alonzo, seeing they'd been caught, squeaked and scurried away.
The blue-gray princess rolled her eyes, a particular idiosyncrasy of hers that had become quite well known among the Jellicles at large. "Who cares about those two, I know a pair far superior."
"And who would that be, exactly?" Cassandra, in that disconcerting way she had, suddenly materialized beside the little circle.
"Mistoffelees and Mungojerrie," Pussy replied instantly. Catching herself at this unintentional point-blank confession, she hastily added, "But like I said, I could have anyone."
Cassandra appeared singularly unimpressed (though this was hardly unusual). "Bombalurina makes the same claim."
"Of course," the scarlet kit agreed. Turning to her would-be rival, she added, "Besides, I've been here longer. You only showed up a couple of months back."
"So?" Pussywillow shrugged. "All that means is they're used to you. I'm new blood. Therefore, I'm the more interesting."
Cassandra gave a delicate cough, reasserting her role in the conversation. "So between the pair of you and Demeter here, you'll knock them all flat, is that it?"
"Yeah," the alluring pair said in unison, before turning to glare at each other.
"Then why even waste breath discussing who you want, if you can have any?"
"Who do you like best, Cassie?" Demeter asked without thinking, completely at random. She was a little flustered that the sleek Burmese even considered her competition, let alone against Bomba and Pussy.
Cassandra bristled slightly. "Don't call me Cassie." And with that, she stalked on her way.
"What was that about?" queried an arriving Jellylorum, who had seen the aloof Cassie's hasty exit. Though two years a queen already, she never minded talking to the princesses. They were so much fun…usually.
"Bomba and Pussy were arguing over who was more likely to have their choice of toms, Cassandra was questioning why they even needed to bother discussing it if their claims were true, and became offended when Demeter unthinkingly called her Cassie, which she apparently dislikes," said Gossamew all in one breath. She was good at summaries, but not so good at breaking them into separate sentences. Panting a little, she concluded, "So Cassandra just walked off in a huff."
"We were not arguing," the scarlet and blue-gray princesses muttered, each earning another mutual glare from the other. (Confused? It's really quite simple…)
"Nicely put as usual, Goss," Jelly commented.
"Thanks," Gossamew replied, still slightly out of breath.
"Cassandra never did tell us who she liked best," Demeter pointed out. "I asked her, but I guess the nickname put her off…"
"I vote Alonzo," Jellylorum said at once.
"Why?" asked Gossy, surprised at the older queen's easy certainty.
"Simple. He tries to flirt with her, and she doesn't brush him off instantly; plus, I've seen them actually having a conversation. It was so unusual I didn't even think to eavesdrop." Jelly's audience didn't offer another question on this, satisfied with her logic. "So, what about the rest of you queens? Any favorites?"
The princesses smiled. Jelly never condescended; her tone in this was simply conversational, not patronizing. Bomba was the first to answer the question. "Tugger's got my name written all over him," she responded confidently, causing Pussy's golden eyes to roll yet again.
"I don't know for sure who I like best yet… but Mistoffelees is pretty cute. When he's not blushing his head off, that is," the blue-gray kit said. Secretly, she thought the blushing made him cute, but she wasn't about to admit that in front of Bombalurina. "Then again, that Mungojerrie has a pretty devilish smile…"
"Too young for a devil- impish, more like," Bomba muttered.
"I heard that!" Pussy told her. "Mungo's every bit the devil your precious Tugger is. And he doesn't have that ridiculous mane."
"Wha' abou' my brothah?" Rumpleteazer asked, scampering up at the mention of her twin's name.
"Nothing," Pussywillow said carelessly.
"She wants him to be her escort to the Ball," Demeter informed Rumple.
"I never said that," Puss said a little too quickly.
"Never mind," Jelly cut in, before a smirking Bomba could make any comment. "We're talking about who's going with whom to the Ball on Sunday, Rumple; who do you want to go with?"
"No oidea," Rumple said cheerfully. "Bu' Oi've go' all week, there's toime ta pick yet."
"True," the yellow calico conceded. "Gossamew, Demeter, what about you two?"
"I'd like to ask Mistoffelees," Goss said eagerly. "He dances better than any of the others, and he's so…so…" The auburn kit struggled for a word. "Like when I pull off a really good twirl- that's it. Graceful. And polite. I love that."
"Everything's a dance move with you," Pussy observed.
"Well, what else is expressive enough?" This earned another eye-roll.
Meanwhile, Demeter said nothing, only blushed profusely.
"Dem wants to go with Munkustrap," Bomba casually announced.
"Bomb!" Demy squealed in embarrassment.
"Well, after what happened yesterday, who else would you go with? Which reminds me, he was looking for you this morning," the scarlet kit told her friend.
The black and gold flew to her feet, paw over her mouth. "My Heaviside, I completely forgot!" She scurried off, her face resembling the brightest of new copper. How could she have neglected to keep the appointment she'd fallen asleep fantasizing about only last night?
As Demeter disappeared across the yard, Rosemarine came up to the group. She was a kit of unusual appearance- reddish-pink patches tipped her ears and tail (a rather large one even lay right on the top of her head), with bands of the same around each paw. Around these interesting markings (which had given her her name) lay a tawny ground with little spots of a deep coffee color; a coffee streak went down her back and straight out to the reddish end of her tail. "Have any of you seen Sableslink?" she asked, deep blue eyes glancing about for her brother as she spoke.
"No we haven't, but come on Rosie, sit down!" Gossamew's habitual energy now spilled over, enthusiastic at the arrival of her best friend. "We're all choosing who we want to go to the Ball with. Bombalurina wants to ask Tugger, Pussywillow wants Mungojerrie-"
"I never said that, and it's Pussy," the blue-gray princess interrupted, now thoroughly miffed.
"-Rumpleteazer doesn't know yet, and Demeter's going with Munkustrap," Goss finished, hardly deterred.
"What about you, Gossy?" Rosemarine asked quietly.
"I…um…I'm not sure either. Misto maybe. You?"
Rose was silent.
"Rose?" Rumpleteazer waved a paw in front of the blue eyes. "'Ello? 'Oo d'you wanna go with?"
The reddish-pink patch on the top of Rose's head ruffled a little as she shook her head. "He's already taken, apparently," she said. "And I haven't a second favorite."
"Already taken?" Bomba raised an eyebrow.
"Who is it, Rosie?" Pussy wanted to know.
Rosemarine seemed to shrink inside herself, not wanting to answer. "It's a secret." Her tail switched nervously back and forth, the rosy tip blurring slightly in motion.
"C'mon Rosie, tell us," Rumple pleaded. "Iss okay, we won' tell."
But Jellylorum could see that the reticent little princess would almost rather die than tell her secret. "Never mind, Rosemarine, you don't have to tell," she said gently.
Rose rubbed a shoulder against the older queen gratefully. "Thanks Jelly. I better go find Sable." She hurried off, reddish-pink tail tip bobbing lightly.
"Well, that was interesting," said a bemused Bombalurina. "Why wouldn't she tell us which tom?"
"She's always been a bit shy," Gossamew reminded the group.
"You're her best friend, Mew-Mew, hasn't she told you?" asked Pussywillow.
The auburn princess frowned a moment, trying to remember. "No, actually," she replied in surprise. Before the others could ask why, she hurriedly changed the subject. "So what's everyone doing for a performance piece?"
"Daddy wants me to be in one of his plays…again," Jelly sighed.
"Again?" Rumpleteazer echoed.
"Yup."
"What is it this time?" Bomba queried.
"A little scene from that Arthurian show he was in last summer…"
"'The Tabby Knight?'" Teazer was suddenly very excited. "Tha' one's cool! An' so romantic!"
"Not when your dad is the Knight and you have to be the Lady Angelina." The yellow calico squirmed, uncomfortable at the thought.
"You'll be awesome, Jelly, don't worry," Goss told her.
"Demy and I are going to do this wicked sexy song," Bomba announced "Heard it on my humans' music player thingy the other day- it's called 'Fever' and it's got the most awesome tune…" She hummed a few bars.
"Ooh." Despite herself, Pussy was intrigued, though she tried not to show it. "Who's it by?"
"Some human queen with a funny name-" Bomb's brow furrowed as she tried to sound it out. "Beggy…no, is it Deggy? –Peggy, that's it. Peggy Lee."
"How's it go?" Teazer inquired.
"Hang on, let me think of it…"
"That ought to take a while," Pussy muttered.
Bomba ignored her. "Got it." She took a breath and began snapping her fingers to the beat in her head.
"Never know how much I love you, /Never know how much I care. /When you put your arms around me, /I get a fever that's so hard to bear. /You give me fever /When you kiss me, /Fever when you hold me tight. /Fever- /in the mornin', /And fever all through the night."
"Is that it?" asked Jelly as the scarlet kit stopped singing.
"No, there's more, that's just the first bit. Actually, that's Demy's part- we're each singing a set of verses and we'll end together. But I don't want to give it all away."
"What does she mean, fevah?" Teazer was confused. "He makes her sick?"
"No, no," Bomba laughed. "It's more like…" She swiveled her hips. "Like what happens to me when Tugger's around." Her smile grew dreamy.
"Which is what?"
"Well it's a sort of weird heat down…" The scarlet hips swiveled again. "…there, like-"
"Bomba!" Jelly cut in warningly. "That's enough of that."
"Oi still don' get it," Teazer complained.
"Never mind," Jellylorum said firmly.
A/N: Voila, my OC's make their debuts! The girls do, that is. I know the structure's a bit repetetive, and that we probably didn't need the detailed description of Rosie, but other than that how was it? (I love me some detail, anyway.) And cookies to anyone who guesses which tom Rose has her eye on...