Time: 2:19p.m., January 13, 2020
Location: Callista's suite, Mungojerrie residential area
-"Oi... Hey, Callista. Wake up."-
Callista opened her eyes as Kaoru's voice yanked her out of a sound sleep. She groaned, still feeling queasy as she sat up, and glanced at the nearest clock. "Lovely," she growled to herself. "And death is still warmed over. Why'd you wake me up?"
-"Heard the mail slot opening. I'm guessing the meeting's over and Ellen's dropping off the minutes, so let's go and grab 'em."-
"Mmmf," Callista mumbled intelligibly, collapsing back onto the bed. "Give me another twenty minutes, and not the paper vari-"
Callista's body abruptly blurred out of visibility as Kaoru shunted her over to her subconscious, assuming control while changing her appearance to match. "Up and at 'em, you big baby," the former Powerpuff Girls Z member grumbled as she got out of bed, not feeling any of the same queasiness that her host had been experiencing. "That whole meeting reeked of importance that you gave it. You don't get to weasel out of it."
More disconcerted mumbling. -"...Fine, whatever. Just go and get the stupid minutes."-
Kaoru put words to action, retrieving the paper where it had been left. Sitting down in the living room, she unfolded it and started to read, starting from after Callista had departed.
/-/
(BGM - Star Wars: Tie Fighter - Training Pod)
11:40a.m.: ...The one-upmanship of ugliness ended with Missy the winner. Conversation shifted over to a discussion about the timing of the group's intervention. Group tried to figure out whether to strike well in advance of the wedding, thus rendering it null and void, or wait and get involved on the day of the event. Claire, Missy and Lady Viridi were in favor of the former, while Mom, Aldonza and Zapana were in favor of the latter.
...As such, it was left up to me to cast the deciding vote. Weighing all the pros and cons, I decided it would be best to wait until the day of the wedding before bringing all of our resources to bear. If we struck beforehand, there would be nothing stopping the prospective bride and groom from simply rescheduling the wedding for another day and giving themselves time to recover. Some disappointed complaints from those not affiliated with the Infinite Defense, but eventually all agreed.
12:05p.m. ...Impromptu silliness break. Aldonza lost a battle in Pokémon Sword to Viridi, 6-4, while everyone else gave the situation the MST3K treatment. I settled for wondering to myself why I got school cancelled for the sake of something like this.
12:23p.m. ...On the advice of Aldonza, Claire decided to get in contact with Circe's part-timer Dulcinea to inquire about the duties of a bridesmaid right then and there. Following that, she called her co-workers at the Manor to find out who the maid of honor is supposed to be. It was discovered that due to the sheer number of maids whose loyalty and dedication to Circe had become top-notch over the years, the bride-to-be decided to just pick a name out of hat. As such, the fish-woman Melanie was chosen.
12:50p.m. ...Mom stated that she needed to bring her Shadow Gang up to speed and prepare them for a long-term mission, leaving the meeting early. Missy and Viridi got into an argument concerning whether or not it was viable to have a loose cannon like Mom doing her own thing, but I was able to calm them down by stating that if I trusted her to do what was right at the appropriate time, then so should they.
1:00p.m. ... ... ...Doris Sturm called us to make a correction: the fish-woman's name was Madison, not Melanie. Cue much laughing and groaning from the peanut gallery.
1:02p.m. ...Everyone present gave the duties of a bridesmaid some thought. Zapana suggested that Claire should get as involved with the wedding preparations as possible, under the excuse of proving that not being the maid of honor was not an excuse to slack off. In that event, she'd be able to find an excuse to get those at the meeting as close to the couple as possible at the ceremony.
...Of those present, you, Aldonza, Mom, Missy and I were invited as guests. Viridi is, as stated earlier, the designated flower girl. Zapana never received an invitation at all, most likely to avoid any of her group hugs. While the situation seems somewhat suspicious, all of us were in agreement that whatever happens, we would make the wedding party as a whole regret letting us know about the ceremony. That means pushing things as far as we can without them pushing back.
1:25p.m. ...Viridi motioned to adjourn the meeting, with the promise that we'd stay in contact if anything changed. Aldonza seconded, and there was a unanimous agreement.
1:26p.m. ...Meeting adjourned.
1:29p.m. ...This isn't part of the meeting proper, but Missy and Viridi got into a fistfight almost immediately after leaving the ship. With allies like these, we don't need enemies.
(...End of minutes)
/-/
Kaoru put the minutes down and shook her head. "As long as I live, I'll never understand why your faction is so laid-back and casual about having admitted villains and advocates of genocide sitting in the same room as you."
-"No need for animosity if it's not the topic of the day,"- Callista weakly responded. -"If they're actively doing those things at the time, then of course we'd go after them. But if they're just there to hang out and/or we're on the same side, then don't bother ruining a good day."-
"Still strange," Kaoru said with a slight shake of her head. "I know I would've been suspicious and angry if Mojo or the Gangrene Gang showed up at my house just to hang out."
A few seconds passed, during which Kaoru got the impression Callista was smiling. -"I like to think we're masters at figuring out whether to drop Bowser into the lava or just go-kart with him somewhere."-
"...Forget I said anything. So I'm guessing for the time being, the situation's in Claire's hands?"
-"Ugh... yeah, pretty much. Not much we can do for now but keep our eyes and ears open for updates and changes. Trust Claire to do what she needs to do, trust Ambush not to get into too much mischief beforehand, trust Viridi and Missy not to take matters into their own hands, and trust the others to play their parts. If we're going to play things Ellen's way, we'll need to be as precise as possible."-
A several minutes-long silence.
"Sooo... any objections to me going back to town and hitting the gym, Calli?"
-"Go ahead. I'm still not feeling well."-
Kaoru rolled her eyes as she got up and headed for the exit. "I'm not surprised. How many times do I have to tell you that 'massive appetites' and 'heavy nausea' don't mix before you get the hint?"
-"I can't stop eating that much any more than either of us can stop hating dresses,"- Callista rebuked. -"If you're not used to it by now, you never will be."-
"Oh, just cram it."
And for them at least, life went on.
/-/-/-/-/
/-/-/-/-/
Time: 2:35p.m.
Location: Harrison residence, Spamville-verse
(BGM - Patchouli Knowledge's Theme - Classical Arrangement)
All of her life, Ellen had been a mystery to many.
She was eleven years old going on twelve, though she had the physical appearance of a 16-year-old. This was due to her mother's freaky genetics: all of the Harrison kids, except for her brother Echo, had aged up five years in the span of six months before proceeding to grow up normally. There was more to her than just her presence in the 11th grade five years ahead of time, however.
Each kid had inherited one or two of their mother's traits. In Ellen's case, she had inherited all the caution that came from being a cat taken to the extreme: she never faced danger head-on unless there was no other way, she took her time formulating what to say before opening her mouth, and she was the utter picture of calmness, silence, and calculations. Those last two characteristics, combined with her perpetual half-lidded stare, soft-spoken voice and near-inability to smile, gave her a reputation as a creepy and borderline frightening individual.
Most days that was exactly how she liked it, as she treasured her peace and quiet above all else. That wasn't to say that she was incapable of caring, or that she was anti-social in the fullest sense. For all of their quirks and insane behavior, she loved her family as a whole and was fiercely protective of them. She valued her friends highly, and their opinions just as much. And if there was something wrong with them that she knew about, she worried about their well-being.
To all outward appearances, Ellen was completely in control. Inwardly, she was worried about the well-being of the sorceress with whom she was an unlikely friend. Something was wrong with her, and she was going to do everything in her power to fix it.
Even if it meant calling in the big guns.
Ellen sat down on one side of her bunk bed, listening carefully. Their Gaw housekeeper was laughing at a 2nd-season Seinfeld episode in the basement. Echo, the only full-blooded feline in the family, was playing with a glittery cat toy elsewhere in the house. Her mother, who had finished giving her subordinates the instructions for the mission she'd referred to, was snoring on the couch as she waited for her other kids to return home from their respective schools. Elk was who-knows-where, but that wasn't unusual for him. Her father was at a seminar, but promised to be home in time for dinner.
She nodded. "...As good a time as ever," she murmured, concentrating her next words. "...Godpapa? A few words with you please, Raleigh?"
"You have summoned me, mortal," declared someone who hadn't been in the room-or even the neighborhood-a half-second ago. After a few moments, the person dropped the drama and straight-up smiled, his sharp eyes twinkling a little. "Ellen. Nice to see you again. How's the family?"
That Ellen wasn't taken back by his appearance spoke volumes on how well she knew him. The man was decked out in a sharp black suit and fedora, his hands covered with thin white gloves. To the average anime connoisseur, he was the image of a murderer. To those with narrower reference pools, he moved like a smooth criminal. This was Raleigh, both one of the longest-lived and one of the most dangerous beings in the multiverse... and the one person that the Harrison kids trusted with their lives as much as their mother.
As such, Ellen didn't hesitate to stand up and give him a hug. "...Better nowadays," she said. "...Mom's been in much higher spirits recently, so I don't think there's any danger of her going off the deep end anytime soon. Eebon, Elk and I will be graduating next year... and on that note, I'm inviting you and Ebony to our collective graduation party at that time."
"Accepted," Raleigh confirmed. "I'll make sure Ebony knows. And how about Ezekiel?"
Ellen let go and sat back down. "...He's gotten the hang of his mutation about as much as he can by now. Scholastically he's not the greatest, but he's still doing well enough to pass." She frowned. "...Now if I could get him to stop hugging me and everyone, that would be ideal. All of the weird looks I'm getting because of him are getting tiresome."
A smirk. "Ah, the trials of being an older sibling. Now then, I'm assuming you didn't call me here just to catch up?"
"...You're assuming correctly." Ellen gestured at a small chair next to her closet. "...I'm going to need you to be Rei for this, because in the words of Roahm Mythril, 'this is a bit of a thing'."
Raleigh nodded, his form shifting like water. He shrunk nearly a foot and a half in height, hair changing from black to a light brown and his overall appearance much more feminine on the whole. Where before he could've been mistaken for Kuroudo Akabane, now she came off more as a Sakura Kinomoto cosplayer. The triangle marking on her forehead, as well as the bat-like wings and pointed tail, gave away her non-human status. "Now then. What seems to be the problem?" Rei asked, sitting in the indicated chair.
"...Well, it started this morning when I was still in class..."
/-/-/-/
/-/-/-/
Ellen explained everything that happened from the point she'd received her invitation to the end of the meeting. While she was speaking, Echo caught wind of Rei's presence and shadow-walked his way past the closed door to greet her. Afterwards, he perched on Elk's bunk to listen in on the discussion.
By the end of it, Rei was in agreement that something needed to be done. "Nice of Mr. Maddhouse to come out into the open like that. That will make things easier for everyone."
"...Guessing that you're acquainted with him," Ellen said, cupping her chin in one hand. "...And that he's not human. Not like that's any real surprise."
"Almost but not quite, Ellen. I am acquainted with him, just not the same iteration. The one I know is a Moblin business tycoon who likes to stick his nose where it doesn't belong." Rei's tail twitched as she spoke. "I put up with him because he keeps attention focused on him and away from my agents whenever they have to work in the area, and he has at least some decency. In contrast, Muffinville Maddhouse looks to be a complete waste of human life."
"...That we agree on. If my hands weren't tied with this marriage business, I would've suggested having Thunderball nab him for his bounty," Ellen griped, referring to a lightning-happy bounty hunter she was on good terms worth. "...As it is, we're going to have to rip his empire apart piecemeal if we're going to slow him down."
"Want any help?" Rei asked, wringing her hands eagerly. A pair of miniscule fangs could be seen poking past her lips as she spoke. "This feels like a good time to unwind."
"... ...If corporate destruction and espionage is your idea of 'a good time', godmama, I don't want to hear what happens to people who make you angry," Ellen stated dryly, though she wasn't as perturbed as her words would've made her out to be. "...If you and yours want to help out then I have no issues with that, though really I just called you here for advice."
A meow from above got their attention. "How widespread is this 'empire' of his?" Echo asked, his voice slightly lower-pitched than one would expect from something the size of a Maine Coon.
"...I don't have the exact numbers," Ellen answered in the negative. "...I didn't think to check before I left the Muffinverse. If the fact that he owns at least two recreation centers is any indication, I have to believe he's all over the place in terms of business holdings. Might even own some of the stores that Callista likes to raid."
Rei looked thoughtful for a few moments before nodding. "In which case the more people you have helping you, the better. Echo, you've mastered your shadowportation, correct? Do you feel confident in lending a paw?"
Ellen's eyes widened, though there wasn't any way to tell without a powerful enough magnifying glass. Surprised as well, Echo's eyes seemed to dilate before he recovered. -"I don't know how good I would be,"- he said, resorting to the telepathy he reserved for longer sentences, if only to put less stress on his throat. -"I'm just a housecat with a few odd tricks. I don't have Auntie Ebony's training, nor do I want it. And I've been shedding recently, so wouldn't Maddhouse find out someone's been investigating him if I started poking around his offices?"-
Ellen's bedroom door opened, revealing a fairly groggy Amber standing behind it. "Normally I'd be against you going out to help," she uttered before pausing for a yawn. "But admittedly, you do have a few advantages to work with. The biggest one is that I have notoriety and you don't. If they find your fur scattered around, they're more likely to think that it's me having a look-see. And even if they don't believe that, the simple fact of the matter is that you don't have a reputation. Just how many black Maine Coons are there in Muffinville, anyway? Thousands? For that matter, how many of them can shadow-port?"
"It also helps that you wouldn't be pursuing Maddhouse's interests directly," Rei suggested. "More likely you'd be poking around his lawyers' offices. If he's been escaping justice despite all of his crimes, then it's likely their fault. Incriminating them and forcing them to confess where the authorities would hear them would deprive Maddhouse of a powerful resource, and he'd be required to rely on an attorney that's more incompetent, has a moral compass, or both."
Echo thought about this for a bit before squeezing his eyes closed and shifting his posture a little. When he opened them again, they were just wide enough to give the 'you unworthy insects' visage that cats were well-known for. "I'll want backup in case I'm found, but count me in," he spoke aloud.
"...I'd have been disappointed if you didn't want it," Ellen remarked, getting up from her bed as she heard the front door open. "In any event, we can talk about this later. Right now, there's one other issue I want to bring up."
"What would that be?" Rei asked curiously.
Ellen not-so-subtly edged her way around the bed and into a corner, as far away from Rei as she could. "...The fact that you haven't been here for dinner in at least a year," she said as she moved.
A small sweatdrop appeared on Rei's temple as she vacated her chair, half-expecting what was to come. "Ah. Well, in all fairness I have been busy all over the place-"
"GODMAMA REI! You're here!" someone squealed, making Amber jump out of the way of the door in surprise.
Ellen's remaining quadruplet siblings-the black-furred felinoid Eebon and the half-insane catboy Elk-as well as the family's youngest, the currently-a-catgirl Ezekiel, were gathered outside the room. All three of them were struggling to keep themselves contained...
...and they ultimately failed miserably. "Our dear godmother has gone without our parents' cooking for all this time, gaw," Eebon declared playfully, with just a hint of drama. "We can't let this go on another day!"
"Mashed potatoes!" Ezekiel squealed again, the widest smile ever on her face as she clasped her hands before her. "Green beans! Chicken parmesan!"
Elk pointed at Rei. "Catpile on the succubus goddess, Second-Class!" he hollered.
As one, the trio hit Rei with a diving tackle and crashed against the carpet. Ellen and Echo joined in a second later, and the air was filled with purring and/or amused laughter from all parties involved (aside from Ellen, obviously).
Amber shook her head, but even she was smiling. "My cooking's not that good," she muttered bemusedly, getting her phone out and texting her husband to let him know that they'd be having company for dinner.
And for them at least, life went on.