Two weeks went by. Mouse, angry and hurt and confused, refused to talk to Cat at all. He just hid in his chambers, messing with his gadgets and only rarely coming out to take meals with the rest of the community. Cat, equally scared and confused, rarely left her bed. Vincent and Jamie would bring her food, only to have her refuse it or only take a few bites. Most of the time she just slept or cried inconsolably because she thought Mouse hated her. She wore his ring on a chain around her neck and clutched it while she slept like a security blanket.
"This is becoming absolutely intolerable." Jamie muttered to Vincent one day after they'd tried and failed, again, to get Cat to eat something.
"The only people who can fix this are Cat and Mouse themselves and if neither of them will talk to the other..you're right, Jamie. This is intolerable and it must stop." Vincent replied, raking a hand through his thick mane. "I will talk to Mouse..make him see that he MUST talk to Cat. That they MUST work this out."
He knocked on the wall, just outside of Mouse's chamber, to let him know he was there. Mouse looked up from the old pachinko board he'd found and restored.
"What do YOU want?" he snapped.
"Just to talk to you, Mouse." Vincent entered slowly and sat down on a stool.
"Don't wanna talk." Mouse replied, turning away from the pachinko machine and turning his back on Vincent. His clothes were rumpled more than usual and he was thin and disheveled looking. He hadn't shaved in several days and there were dark circles under his eyes.
"Well then you can listen, Mouse. Because this situation between you and Catherine is..it's not good for anybody, least of all you. We all care about you..and about Cat. We don't want either one of you to feel the kind of hurt you're feeling right now, Mouse. But you refuse to talk to us or to Cat about this. So I'm going to talk to you. You don't have to talk to me but I do ask that you listen, my old friend." Vincent said, a touch of firmness in his voice that Mouse knew meant business. Mouse turned back to Vincent.
"Broke my heart, Vincent. Didn't say yes!" he said, pain written all over his face.
"But she didn't say no, either, Mouse." Vincent reminded him. Mouse stared at the ground, twisting his toe against the concrete.
"Well..no."
"You need to talk to her, Mouse. Ask her WHY she didn't say yes. She's in pain..just as you are." he reminded the young man and Mouse nodded.
"Well..ok good! OK FINE! Go see Cat. Talk to her. Won't do any good. She won't want to talk to me. Hates me." Mouse said with a frown.
Vincent shook his head and put one hand on Mouse's shoulder.
"She does NOT hate you, Mouse. Catherine LOVES you..very much. There are reasons why she didn't say yes but you need to know, she wears the ring you gave her on a chain around her neck. Jamie says when she sleeps, she keeps tight hold of it in her hand, like it's the most important thing on earth." Vincent told him. Mouse's eyes went wide.
"Really?"
"Really, Mouse." Vincent assured him.
Mouse nodded. "Guess I'll go see her then."