Vlad sat at his desk, slumped facedown over folders, pens, and loose paper. He hadn't moved in hours. Madi—the cat, not the woman—casually walked in through the open door and jumped soundlessly onto the desk. She sniffed her human—or whatever he was—and bunted her skull against his head.
He stirred and mumbled incoherently. Madi rubbed her face into his hair and licked his ear. Vlad pulled away and lifted his head. Madi heard her name and moved in. She ignored his protests and slipped neatly into the warm opening between his arms that his head had just occupied. She rubbed her face on his exposed neck, and under his chin. He shook with that funny sound humans made when they were happy. Something like a noisy purr, maybe.
But she knew Vlad. He smelled like tears and his hair was poorly groomed. He needed something to do. She pawed at his cheek and made her complaining noise. He gave her his attention. She gave his nose a clumsy tap and meowed again. She took a step towards the door, then turned around and bunted his chin.
He made tired yes noises and got up. Madi led him to the door, looking back to make sure he followed. She trotted ahead, urging him into the kitchen. She sat primly near her empty food bowl. She let Vlad stretch and yawn before voicing her demands. He replied with the usual nonsense and started the breakfast routine.
Madi got chicken in her favorite crystal dish, and Vlad got—hang on, why hadn't he—? Madi jumped onto the table and clawed at Vlad as he tried to leave. He threw his hands up and scolded her. She sat up on her hind legs and wailed at him. Humans were never very good at talking the natural way—through body language and scent, of course—but they always reacted to noises.
He gave her a confused look and came back into the kitchen. He made question noises as she yelled in front of the refrigerator. He opened it, and she settled into silence. He snorted and closed the fridge, and immediately Madi complained. He opened it again and she slunk around his leg to sit by the open fridge, effectively preventing him from closing the door.
He sighed and pulled a hand down his face. He glared between Madi and the fridge and asked impatient questions. Madi hopped up and swiped a cup of yogurt off the shelf. Vlad protested loudly. She managed to claw down a slice of cheese and upset the juice pitcher before he could lift her away and set her sternly on the table.
He rubbed his hands over his eyes and shook his head. He pulled the juice pitcher out to clean the small spill and set the cheese and yogurt on the counter next to it. He examined the cheese's cover for holes and returned it to the fridge. Madi stood up and chirped.
Distracted, Vlad closed the fridge and started to walk towards her. He caught himself and spun around to address the items on the counter. The yogurt, he noticed, did have a new claw-sized hole in the lid. He shook the cup at Madi and scolded her. He set the cup on the table and shooed Madi off. He tapped absently on the counter. Madi returned to her own meal.
Vlad ended up pouring himself a glass of juice and adding some granola and fruit to his yogurt. He picked a book up from a small stack in the center of the table and flipped to a bookmarked page. Madi rubbed against his legs and trotted off in search of a sunbeam.
When she saw her human again later that day he was well-groomed and his voice was loud and certain. He stepped with confidence around the house. Madi blinked slowly at him and purred.
Later, after he'd left for a few hours, Madi watched from the couch as Vlad positioned a pine tree in the corner by the windows. She'd been shooed off from it when he first brought it in, so she'd settled in to wait until he left to try and taste it. The tree was so fragrant that smelling it up close was like getting kicked in the face.
Vlad finished fiddling with the base and stepped back for a better view. He stared at it for a second, hummed, then nodded and left the room to fetch something.
She sprung up and started chewing on one of the lower branches. She eyed the rest of the tree, plotting out a path upwards. It would make a lovely perch.
Vlad returned with boxes in his arms, which he set down on the coffee table as soon as he saw her. He swiftly scooped her up. He asked her an exasperated question and said something affectionate about her. He ran a hand over her head, folding her ears down only for them to spring right back up again.
She fixed her eyes on the tree and flexed her claws into his shoulder.
He gazed at the tree too. He pointed out the top to her asked her something. He spoke again, probably answering his own question. He scratched her chin. Obviously he too appreciated the strategic value of a high vantage point with camouflage. The cardinals in the backyard didn't stand a chance, as soon as she figured out how to lure them indoors.
She responded with a pleased trill and leapt down to check out the boxes. She'd never seen them before, and that in itself was odd given how thoroughly she'd explored their home.
Vlad sat on the floor and pulled some old linens out. Underneath were a few dozen shiny balls and baubles. A few had scratches or cracks in them. He held the cloth to his face and inhaled the scent. He ran his fingers over some embroidery and sighed heavily.
Intrigued, she sniffed the fabric when he set it aside to focus on the ornaments. It didn't smell like Vlad. There was some common factor, certainly, but clearly these things had belonged to another person. And they smelled old.
She poked at the ornaments while Vlad put one of the cloths around the bottom of the tree. Why the tree needed a skirt she had no idea, but it would make a nice spot to sit.
Her ears twitched when she heard a click, and she glanced at the speakers by the television. Human music and singing started—only it wasn't the same... Language? Dialect? That Vlad and most humans she knew spoke. The sounds were different. Unfamiliar. And it wasn't the language of the dead either; that sounded much more alien.
Vlad turned on the gas fireplace. He was beginning to quietly imitate the sounds from the speaker, Madi noticed.
He picked her up again and selected a bauble from the box with his free hand. Madi watched, fascinated, as he hung the pretty glass ball near the top. He carefully put all of the ornaments on the tree, one-by-one. His mood seemed to brighten as he made progress. Madi sat contentedly in his arms while he moved subtly to the music and sang louder.
Once he finished, he paused and tilted his head at the tree. After a moment of thought, he looked around and muttered something. His hand glowed magenta. A long wire, now also glowing, slithered out of the second box. Madi tensed and prepared to leap after it, pupils wide. Vlad snorted and held her closer as he telekinetically wound the string of lights around the tree. He plugged it in, and the whole thing lit up.
Vlad smiled. He looked down at Madi, whose eyes glittered with the reflections of the tiny lights. He put her down and sat on the floor by the fireplace, leaning against the couch. He gazed warmly at the tree and hummed along with the music.
Madi wandered around the room, checking the boxes again for anything else new, then sauntered over to Vlad and climbed into his lap. He stroked her and scratched her cheeks. Madi leaned into the touch and purred loudly as she made herself comfortable.
Vlad relaxed further and bent to kiss Madi on the top of her head.
She wasn't sure what made this day different from any other, to prompt such changes in routine and décor, but whatever it was, it seemed to make Vlad happy. And even though it was weird, she decided that she liked it too.