The weather was terrible. Thunder cracked about and the rain poured down in sheets. The wound on his shoulder kept him from going about town. With a stack of large books, the Bookman curled up on the couch in the tea room and began to pour over them. The books the Earl kept were absolutely fascinating, detailing the involvement of the Noah and other mysterious parties throughout history.
Aside from the occasional bustle of the akuma servants, the mansion was incredibly quiet. Tyki was off probably indulging in his human side while Rhode was at school. The twins were off on a mission, and Cyril was off on governmental affairs. The others Lavi had no idea where they were or what they were doing. Skin refused to talk to Lavi, and Lulu Bell didn't talk in general. Those two made his record incredibly difficult.
"Mrow." A black cat with a bell around its neck jumped onto the back of the couch and perched there. Lavi didn't know the Noah had a cat around. Might be an akuma cat for all he knew. The cat stared at him for a moment before jumping down onto his lap and wedging in between him and his book. "Mrow."
"Well hello there," Lavi grinned at the cat, setting the book down on his lap. Quite a friendly fellow, wasn't she? Lavi scratched her ears. The black cat purred and rubbed up against him before settling down on top of the book he was reading and promptly fell asleep.
Lavi always found cats such fickle things. They preferred to be the center of attention, but too much attention and he'd end up scratched. Not enough attention and they wedge themselves in between the work and the worker. The latter was the case. He scratched the cat's ears again, then retrieved a smaller book and began to flip through it, allowing the cat to sleep peacefully and undisturbed.
The book was pretty interesting. During the 3rd century AD in northern India, the Noah of Form took the shape of the Earthly avatar of Rama, in the form of a blue-skinned man. Because of this all friends of the avatar of Rama were welcomed in India and the Noah made their base in one of the temples there. They were worshiped as gods, inspiring the myth known as the Ramayana.
The myth was one of the great epics of India. The name Ramayana meant Rama's journey. It detailed the events of the king Rama, the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu, and his journey through a forced exile and eventual return to the throne. Rama was the epitome of virtue. The Earl played the role of Rama, with the other Noah filling in the roles of Rama's brothers and wife. Even the monkey king Hanuman was played by a Noah, someone solely referred to as Maitora.
The rakshasa, the race of demon-like beings that Rama had set forth to destroy for the good of India, had remained rather unclear. They were a race who had been blessed by the gods and couldn't die by natural causes. They were incredibly adept at magic. Their leader, Ravana, was portrayed as particularly demonic. The rakshasa seemed to have the same role as the Order did currently, yet the story took place far before Order was plausibly established.
Whoever the rakshasa really were, they fell easily to the Noah.
Lavi put the book down. He had never imagined the Ramayana had truth behind it all, nonetheless the Noah were the inspiration. The tales he'd read so far were equally amazing. Yet there was one mystery still left unsolved: whose cat this was. It was far too friendly to be an akuma, and the bell around her neck indicated she had to be someone's cat.
He had considered Rhode being the owner, but that cat would probably live in Cyril's house and be dressed up with floofy bows and ruffles.
Tyki's cat probably wouldn't last very long. It would either run off trying to find Tyki when he was off playing out his secret other life or lose an organ. Neither seemed particularly pleasant.
The twins would have a monster cat probably even more psychotic than the two of them.
Skin? Well Lavi knew little to nothing about him, save his adoration for sweets and his bad temper. For that matter, the cat would not survive.
That left Lulu Bell. Lavi knew very little about her further than what he'd observed at the parties and dinner. From what he'd noticed about her, she seemed calm, incredibly composed, and rather aloof. She never said a word and he wasn't even sure she could speak. In truth, Lulu Bell seemed like the most logical owner for this cat.
The Earl was also a possibility. He'd probably spoil the cat.
Unexpectedly the cat stood up and stretched, arching her back and spreading her toes. She hopped off the book and padded out the door. What a strange fellow.
"Can I make you something to eat, Lord Bookman?"
Lavi stared at the curious servant. This was definitely one of the akuma more human-like in appearance. She had rather soft features; her brown hair pulled back into a low braid. She watched Lavi almost cautiously with her deep red eyes. Lavi'd seen her a few times, and she seemed to make more appearances around the house than any other servant.
"No, I'm good," he replied with a grin, waving her away. He still wasn't used to anyone waiting on him, even with an injured shoulder. He much preferred getting things for himself, given they were simple enough. The Bookman rummaged through the pantry and pulled out some crackers to munch on. Lavi set the crackers on the counter then he felt something rub against him. "Mrow."
Lavi looked down to his feet to find the black cat rubbing against his leg. He knelt down and scratched her ears. "Ya want some milk?"
"Mrow!" the cat replied, seemingly understanding his words.
Lavi grinned, stood up then retrieved milk from the icebox, placing it on the counter. Little did he know this was no ordinary cat standing behind him patiently. Slowly the cat grew, taking the shape of a human woman. Oblivious to this change, Lavi rummaged for a small dish for the cat to drink from.
Suddenly a long, slender arm reached over Lavi's shoulder and grabbed the bottle of milk. The hand was grayed like all Noah had, but this wasn't Tyki's arm. It was feminine but not Rhode's either. The redhead glanced at her with his one good eye. "Lulu Bell?" He'd never been this close to her before. In fact, he hadn't seen her move much in the first place. She had such a statuesque presence.
She took the milk and drank straight from the bottle, handing the empty bottle back to Lavi. She ran her hand through his hair, a habit most Noah had developed with Lavi, then turned back towards the door. Lavi followed her movements, noting she had the same bell as the cat did.
Sure enough, Lavi learned the reason behind the similarity in bells. Just as she had turned into a human form, she returned back to the form of a cat. She glanced back at Lavi before padding out the kitchen door.
Lavi nearly dropped the empty bottle on the kitchen floor. Lulu Bell's ability was shifting her shape as the Noah of Lust. She could change into whatever she desired. The cat wasn't hers. She was the cat. "No way."
…..
Author's notes
If you want more information on the Ramayana, search it on Wikipedia for a good rundown on the story and characters. Wikisource has the full text translated as well.
