Disclaimer: Don't own cats.
AN: So I thought about it, and I know how I want this to continue and then even end, but it won't be for a while. I want this to be a long story. All the reviews are helping though!
Blaise was feeling slightly awkward. It had only been a few minutes, and already she could sense that the other queens weren't liking her too much. Or at least, only a couple weren't liking her. She knew that Jennyanydots, Jemima and Bombalurina liked her enough, but the rest of them were avoiding her gaze. Cassandra was one of the queens that wasn't looking at her. Blaise tried not to let it bother her. She had a feeling she did something wrong though. But she ignored that dread feeling as she talked with her new friends, and a couple of others. There was Rumpleteazer, who seemed to get along with anyone just fine, and Victoria, who was sister of Alonzo and Quaxo. It made Blaise fairly happy to get to know her. Victoria was shy, but was good friends with Jemima, Electra and Etcetera. The latter two wouldn't speak with her either. The two of them stalked off with Cassandra and a few other queens that Blaise didn't know.
"Ignore them. They're just jealous." Victoria said. "Cassanda is mates with Alonzo. She doesn't like other queens, not even me, getting near him." Blaise flushed.
"I didn't ask to. I tried-" Jemima put a hand up to silence her.
"Victoria's not saying it's your fault. She's saying Cassandra's just a jealous queen. Electra and Etcetera tend to take after her in mannerisms. There's really nothing anyone can do." Jemima said. She turned to Victoria, who nodded in agreement. "But enough of that. You looked like you were enjoying being with Quaxo last night." Jemima continued. That did it. Blaise blushed horribly red.
"I only just arrived last night. He offered to teach me to dance, and then offered me a place to stay the night. There's nothing going on. I don't even know him. I didn't even know he had a second name!" Bombalurina leaned forward now, a flirty grin on her face. Victoria, Jemima and Rumpleteazer had matching expressions.
"Have you ever owned a cat, human?" Bombalurina asked. Dumbfounded, Blaise shook her head no. "Then you should know now, especially about us Jellicles, cats tend to mate fairly quickly. None of this human nonsense about dates, and getting to know one another. It's all just for show, isn't it?" Bombalurina leaned back and looked down at Jemima, who muzzled her head at the older queen. Blaise continued to shake her head.
"It's not that..it's just...I'm a human. Or I will be again, sometime." Blaise felt her tail go limp. She didn't want to leave, but she didn't want to stay either. She missed being a human. Blaise stood up, suddenly very uncomfortable with the conversation. She couldn't think of a way out. Unfortunately, it looked as if Victoria had something more to add.
"Blaise, I've never seen my brother come out of his den more than at least once or twice a month. Last night may not have been a ball, but it was close enough. My brother was actually smiling. He's so shy, he rarely does that!" Victoria didn't sound angry, more like she was pleading. "If you want to go through with your human ritual, then do so. But don't deny an opportunity just because we're cats and you're not. That's not fair." Blaise sat back down. She glared at Bombalurina, as if it was her fault that this mess had come up.
"You guys don't understand." Blaise said weakly. "Humans have unspoken rules about this sort of thing. I can't mate with a cat. It's just wrong. Humans don't..."
"So? Don' become human then." It was Rumpleteazer. Blaise opened her mouth to argue, but Rumpleteazer spoke first. "Listen. It's not tha' hard. No more bills, woik, stuff like tha'? Why'd you wan' ta stress all tha time? Here, we sleep all day, dance all noit."
"She's got a point, Blaise." Jemima said. Blaise wasn't sure why they were arguing with her about this. Helpless, she turned to Bombalurina for help. She wasn't giving any. Blaise sighed. There was only one way out of this.
"I'll think about it." Victoria nuzzled against her, purring slightly. Blaise didn't tell them another reason she wanted to go home. This, Macavity fellow Quaxo and Alonzo had mentioned last night had her scared. Blaise didn't want to stick around if it meant trouble. Her normal life may have been boring, but at least she remained alive and unscathed there.
The conversation was dropped though. The younger queens wanted to run around and play, and Blaise couldn't exactly say no. It was a pretty day. Even the queens that had dismissed Blaise at first were joining in. It was almost a game of tag, but Blaise had never seen anything like it. Blaise never knew that even a game of tag could be poetic and with dancing. She applied some of the moves she learned last night, and was proud of herself for keeping up with the younger queens. The game came to a giggling end when Jemima and Victoria rolled right into a few playful toms.
"Pouncival and Tumblebrutus and Plato." Jemima explained with a whisper. Blaise smiled pleasantly. Plato seemed taken with Victoria, and Tumblebrutus, with Jemima. It seemed the playfulness of the queens was over. It had been awhile. While her new friends walked off with their mates, Blaise waved and walked back to Quaxo's den, feeling her stomach sink. If what Bombalurina and Victoria said was true, then she was going to have to explain a lot to Quaxo. She wasn't looking forward to it.
