Notes- I left Meulin's quirk apart from her voice level out because it is .FUCK
Chapter 2
JanexMeulin
StraycatStuck
The rain came cascading down, violent and unforgiving, flowing rapidly through drains and deep underground- had the scene been written up my an author of inferior calibre, then they would have, without doubt, described it as the ubiquitous "dark and stormy night". Those wise enough- or at least gifted with the instinct of self-preservation had bolted themselves away from the harsh storm, leaving all the poor souls stuck in the grisly weather stranded alone and unsheltered from the blistering gales. But with inside so tempting, and so warm, and so inviting compared to the wild, wet environment that lurked beyond central heating and Wi-Fi, who would cast a thought towards the lonely and the desperate?
Well, that's where Meulin Leijon comes in- cat lover extraordinaire with a heart bigger than all of space-time and a water-proof jacket to match; she had been tracking a strange woman who had seemed to disappear quite mysteriously into an alleyway- most definitely not a safe place to be on a night like this. She flinched at the thought of what might happen to the vanishing lady, hoping that all the bad people who lurked unseen and invisible in the shadows had been driven into the safety of home by such ruinous weather, but one could never be too careful- and such Meulin darted, with as much grace one could manage in baggy clothes- no less in the middle of a storm, into the alley, and such into the deep darkness
A vague but gut-wrenching smell stung Meulin's nose, but that pushed her on further- the alley was one of the longest around, highly suspicious, overgrown with clusters of weeds- while the young catgirl rarely ventured this deep into the city catacombs, sympathetic instincts drove her towards the faint outline of baby blue she had caught onto in the distance. Though her hearing had been near entirely lost in an accident as a young girl, Meulin's other senses were sharp and deadly- nobody could sneak up on her without being slapped in the face for their foolish attempts at a joke- something she was very proud of, and used extensively for her own cunning devices. Picking up speed rapidly, Meulin quickly semi-collided with the other girl- closely enough to make them both stop clumsily in their hurried tracks and for the other person, a short girl with slick black hair, to draw herself into a defensive pose, and for Meulin to wish there was a universal symbol for "Calm down I just saw you run into a highly unsafe alleyway and wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt also I'm deaf not disrespecting you are we all cool now?"
"Hey! Why are you following me? That's really creepy!" Meulin, who was of course unable to hear her, fumbled for an answer to what she assumed the question was- before deciding to simply announce her hearing impairment to the other lady.
"I'M TERRIBLY SORRY, BUT I CAN'T HEAR YOU- I'M DEAF! I WAS JUST MAKING SURE YOU WERE OKAY IN SUCH A DANGEROUS PLACE, I DON'T WANT ANYBODY HURT!" The other woman relaxed her shoulders, grunting at the loss of such great interrogation practice. She whipped out a notebook and began scribbling:
Fine- my name is Jane. And I'm perfectly okay- just the way everything should be over here! An apology about seeming so defensive at the beginning, being approached by a stranger is very frightening. But you look nice, and I don't think you'd hurt me.
Jane handed the pad to Meulin for her to write in:
Thank you! But why are you out now? It's cold and dark and ever so chilly, brrrrr :3
There's a family of strays down here that I help look after, and they're going to be really cold in this weather, so I need to help them!
Why don't you just take them over to the shelter? I help there sometimes, you know!
I'm afraid that they won't want them-everyone just gets breeder kittens nowadays! I really like them, they're ever so precious and sweet, but they might attack my lovely lop bunny and I don't want anything to happen to darling Snowdrop :(
I know how to deal with strays really well! My last cat had to be put down really young so now my flat is empty- I could look after them if we can coax them out with food- do you have any with you?
Yes indeedy! There's a mother cat and her two kittens- is that okay for you? If so, we can get them into one of the boxes I have left over from helping my friend move yesterday. Can you stay here while I get them?
Yes, of course!
Jane rushed op towards her car, which was parked nearby, while Meulin was left there to ponder. The meeting had gone fairly well despite the panic at the beginning- thankfully she had come out of the situation without any injuries- but was coming out of it with a family of cats, which was… strange, but life was full of unexpected surprises, Meulin had figured out a long time ago after learning to cope with a lack of hearing. She certainly liked this Jane, and was extremely pleased that she didn't bear any grudges about what had happened. One thing was for sure for them- that they would stay friends for quite a while. Reminding herself to not make noise, as her inability to hear was detrimental to regulating the loudness of her voice, and could scare off the cats she was supposed to help- whatever else tended to happen with her unfortunate vocal habits, Meulin definitely didn't want to scare adorable kitties away- think of them, with their tiny little paws, and peachy little noses and-! Jane, who had turned up at some time during Meulin's feline fantasy, startled the other girl out of her dreamy trance and back into the dreary alleyway both were situated in- Meulin had, however, not taken the surprise touch too well, and let out a screech that sent a flurry of white fur hurtling deeper into the dark shadows of the pathway. Knowing that they, one again, would have to venture deeper, and that the cats would not be nearly as trusting as before, Jane rolled her eyes, albeit with a sense of affection and compassion that made Meulin blush a bit, and shifted the pad into Meulin's palm again.
...Sorry :3
Jane smirked and blushed a little back, scribbling into the pad herself,
It's okay, we'll just have to adventure deeper!
Both girls giggled, and though Meulin could not hear the words Jane said, she felt a growing connection between them in her heart. Jane began running as coherently as her skirt and trenchcoat would allow her, and Meulin ran with her, linking their arms together and tumbling together at their own awkward, tripping pace- until they reached a dead end, and were confronted with the mother cat, bundling her young amongst her soft tail and giving Meulin death glares. Though she was unable to run due to her duty towards her kittens, it was abundantly obvious that she would do anything to protect her children. Jane lowered herself down onto the ground after Meulin signalled for her to lower herself to the level of the cats in order to appear less threatening, and to lower her eyes. Meulin also sank down to the grimy floor, and slowly shifted a piece of meat towards them. All the cats glanced tentatively at the food, eyeing it with curiosity, before the warm scent drew them in like moths to a flame. Sliced meat was laid in trails that lead directly in the direction of the box, and soon each of the cats had settled in the box, which was lined delicately with warm materials salvaged from Jane's car. Both the young ladies waited patiently until each kitten felt safe and secure amongst the cloth and wool, then Meulin softly cradled the cardboard box in her arms and carried the box to the end of the alley. Jane whipped out the writing pad again, and began to write.
How did you get out here, anyway?
I was walking for a while and stopped for lunch when it started raining- by the time I got out it was a full blown storm! I wanted to help anybody stuck out here, storms can be dangerous :3
I'll drive you back! You can't walk with the kitties in such dreadful conditions, anyway.
Why thank you! By the way, I don't you've asked, but my name is Meulin. Meulin Leijon.
Well, Miss Leijon, when I've got you to wherever you need to go, how about meeting up some other time? I know a lovely café- two o'clock on Saturday, how about it?
Did you just ask me out on a date?
Well, I believe I did!
Both girls giggled like schoolchildren while climbing into the car, having formed a beautiful bond that would last for their whole lives, deep down in their hearts.
