"I'm bored," Electra announced while lying languidly upon her back, staring up into the night sky.
"Oh, really? Like… what else is new?" Victoria remarked, her voice laden with gentle sarcasm.
The two's conversation-such that it was-was interrupted when they both heard a shout.
"Hey there, girls!" the exciteable Etcetera called, running towards them. The kitten grinned at her friends, a very mysterious smile.
"Just what are you smiling about?" Electra demanded. "Tugger given you the gum from the sidewalk again?" Jemima teased, grinning.
"Uh-uh! Even better!" Etci crowed, clasping her hands together in glee.
"Sorry. Not possible," Victoria declared. "At least not for you…"
Etci made a face at Victoria, but wouldn't let her friend's teasing get her down. "No, huh?" Etci said. "Well, listen up, you two… I'm sure you'll find some way to suitably thank me later. I, Etcetera, have discovered a cure against boredom!"
The kittens sat up quickly, and stopped giggling at Etci's expense. "Okay, but this had better be good," Victoria warned, but her ears perked forward, listening.
"Look, my owners were playing this game the other night. It was so neat! And that set me to thinking… why couldn't we play it?" Etci explained, her voice full of promise and excitement.
"So… what's the name of this game of your's, Etci dear?" Victoria asked.
"Truth or Dare," Etci exclaimed proudly. She sat down beside her friends, and then began to explain the rules of the game. After a while, Etci finished and sat back to watch her friends' reactions.
"Know what? That sounds pretty cool to me. Let's give it a try!" Jemima said, but then her face fell. "Only… we can´t play-really play it, I mean-with only we four now, can we?"
"Never fear, Jemima. We four will go around the junkjard see who else we can get to play," Electra told her. The four kitten queens nodded and grinned. "All right, we´ll meet back here in half an hour, got it?"
Etci took off running, heading towards where she knew Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer usually could be found. They would just love a game like this, the eager kitten thought. She saw them and scampered over towards the two.
"Hello, Mungo. Hello, Teazer," she greeted them, waving and smiling happily.
"'ello, Etci, dearie! 'ow are you today?" Teazer asked solictiously.
"Great," Etci declared. "Just great! Oh, by the way… have I ever got an idea for you both!" And with that, she began to tell them about this new game of hers.
"Sounds right interestin', love. We´ll be along for the fun, don't you worry," Mungo promised the ecstatic Etcetera.
"Oh, an' we´ll be sure to spread the word about too," Teazer assured her.
A half an hour later, the four ringleaders returned back, and watched as many of their friends now joined them.
"Okay… just how many of us are there now?" Ecti asked with interest.
The Jellicles present all began counting, but it was Alonzo who spoke up first. "There are fifteen of us, Etcetera. Seven toms and eight queens, if that helps any," Alonzo told her helpfully.
Mistoffles, being the wisest Jellicle present, became the de facto leader of the game, at least for the moment. "Very well then all. First, let's establish who all the players are, and their reason for wanting to play. Agreed?" There were nods all around.
"Let's go about this in alphabetical order, shall we?" Misto suggested.
"Okay. Why not?" Victoria agreed. The others nodded their assent.
Misto nodded, and began. "That would make you first, Alonzo. So, why have you come to play?" Misto asked.
Alonzo hesitated a moment. Then looked at the others, a bit embarrassed. "Because if I do, Munkustrap will owe me ten yarns, as well as taking my watch every day for an entire month," Alonzo explained, which made everyone laugh.
Misto smiled, and looked about. "Ah, Bombalurina, you would be next. What about you?" Misto asked.
"Oh, I don't know… maybe because I think it might be fun, as well as the fact that we´ll be hearing and telling each other our deepest secrets. What's not to like?" Bombalurina said in her sultry voice.
"Well, if that's the case, you can be sure that Jenny and Jelly will be hearing all about it tomorrow then," Alonzo professed quietly, causing Etci to giggle.
Misto ignored the two, and continued. "Coricopat and Tantomile, I think that you two would be next. What are your reasons for joining this game?" he asked the twins courteously.
"Well… first of all, we are here because we believe that our abilities to read other's minds may help uncover any who might try to offer any falsehoods," Coricopat explained patiently.
"Besides that, we could hardly not come… after Jemima asked us both so nicely," Tantomile added with a smile, causing Jemima to blush and smile in reply.
Misto nodded, glad to have the pair about. "Let's keep moving along then, shall we? Demeter, you would be next up. What brings you here this night?" he asked in his sonorous voice.
"Bombalurina dragged me here, that's what," Demeter stated simply. "Not that I mind, though… I haven't anything else to do."
Before Misto could continue on with his Master of Ceremonies job, Etci interrupted, then promptly took over the job! "Well… then next it would be Electra, Jemima, and myself… but since we were the ones who started this in the first place, I'm pretty sure that everyone knows just why we're here," she declared to all and sundry.
Etci seemed to slip right into her Mistress of Ceremonies gig, much to Misto's chagrin. "All right, then. Misto, you're next, mister. What's your story?"
"I must admit that I was bored," Mistoffelees said after musing a moment. "This game of yours sounded as if it might prove interesting, so I came."
Etci was on a roll now, her typical hyper and excitable self. "Okay! Mungo and Teazer… how's about you two?" Ecti asked.
"Oy now, Ecti! Are yeh kiddin', dearie?" Teazer asked as if astonished. "We´ll get to 'ear everyone's most embarrassin' secrets, and see you all do most embarrassin' things… whatever could be better than that?"
Alonzo groaned aloud, knowing the two would do just what they said they would. "Munkustrap, you so owe me," he muttered.
Ecti grinned, but felt a bit sorry for poor Alonzo. She didn't let that keep her down though. "Pouncival! What about you?" she asked briskly.
"Well… I needed an alibi," the young tomcat said, smiling wanly, trying very hard to be invisible right this moment.
"An alibi? Whatever for?" Electra asked, frowning in curiosity.
It was then that they all heard Jennyanydots bellow in anger, "All right… who is responsible for feeding my mice soap?"
Everybody blinked, then looked immediately to the guilty-looking Pouncival. "All right, all right… I did it! But only because Jenny took away my favorite toy mouse, and told me I couldn't play with it in front of her mice." Pouncival sulked.
Etci sighed once before continuing. "Let's keep moving along. Okay, Skimble… what about you?"
"Thought Ah might spend a wee bit more time wit' ye kitties, yeh know, before mah train leaves tahmarra," Skimbleshanks explained to them, his Scottish accent charming.
Etci smiled at his response, well, that as well as feeling relieved that they were nearly through with the introduction. "All right, almost done! Tumblebrutus! You're the last of us. How's about you?" Etci asked.
"Hey, I´m just here with Pounce," Tumblebrutus said, shrugging his shoulders.
Victoria sighed, giving young Tumblebrutus a meaningful stare. "And I´m here with you," Victoria said sweetly.
Etci grinned at that exchange, especially when Tumble blushed and looked away from pretty Victoria. "All right, that's it, folks," Etci declared. "It's time to let the games begin!"
