HAT: *sighs* I know, I know: Another story?! Well, yes. No more except for the occasional one-shot most likely. Enjoy... I guess. *sighs* Why'd I do this?!
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot and the secondary tribe.
(Note: I suck at battle scenes.)
"Skimble!"
Said orange tom lifts his head from his arms and looks at the approaching black and brown stripped queen. "What's up?"
"There's a huge little party thing that's going on tonight, do you want to come?" Electra asks, not seeming to notice how she contradicts herself, but Skimble lets it slide.
"I dunno, lass," he mutters, looking away from her and at the ground. "I'm not good with cats..."
"C'mon, everyone's gonna be there. Deut insists that you come."
Glass-green eyes lift up and meets her hopeful dark brown eyes an immediately regret settles in his stomach because he knows now he can't deny the invitation. "I guess I could go..."
"Great! I'll let Deut know."
He sighs and slams his forehead down onto his arms. "Why do hopeful eyes always force me to agree to anything?"
After several minutes Coricopat walks over, light blue eyes observing him curiously. "I take it that you're reluctant to go to the party tonight?"
Skimble nods slowly with a sigh. "Aye. Electra's big hopeful brown eyes make me weak and I just couldn't say no to her even though I don't want to go."
This earns him a chuckle from the male mystic. "I'm sorry, but most of the queens are gonna be able to do that to you. I have confidence that you'll be able to resist a few kits though."
"I should hope that I do," grumbles the brown tailed tom. "After all, in my... in my memories I did help raise most of you."
Coricopat tilts his head curiously. "Did we all turn out well?"
This causes the orange tabby to lift an eyebrow. "Don't you know?"
"Only the bare minimum," admits the male mystic. "It's rude to completely dive into someone's mind."
Skimble glances away guiltily. "Most of you..."
Macavity didn't, he thinks, remembering when the kit's magic was turned dark by-
"Ouch!" Skimble rubs his forehead and glares up at the older tom who had thumped it. "What was that for?!"
"No negative thoughts. They effect you too much."
"Didn't have to thump me," grumbles the orange tom kittenishly, a pout semi-formed out of his bottom lip.
The tri-colored tom's lips quirk upward at the sight. He finds it to be adorable and can understand what Deuteronomy had meant when he had said that Skimble had a kittenish side to him, that even though he lived an entire life, he still had the emotional development of a kit in some areas (though hiding his emotions was something that was moderately developed). A sort of fondness settles in the mystic's chest and he decides that this kit-tom would be like his own as Bombalurina and his sister had decided.
He has also mentally deemed the pout of Skimble's face to be decidedly... cute. "No pouting, understood?"
"Yes, da," grumbles the tom, a bit of grudging humor sliding into his tone.
Coricopat chuckles and then pokes at Skimble's side. "You're almost to a heathy weight. Maybe you'll get to Bustopher's weight."
"Never," Skimble insists.
The two continue to talk, borderline friendship and parental supervision on Coricopat's part. Skimble seems to not mind and remains relaxed with his friend. The noticeable constant glancing on Skimble's part seems to draw in curious looks every now and again because it kind of reminds them of how Lyon constantly glances around when he has conversations despite being as... Lyon as he was. They also notice how he seems so relaxed near the male mystic compared to when he's around everyone else, even Electra, who's become a sort of anchor of sorts and his only connection outside of his inner-inner circle that know of him and what he's been through.
"You'd better go before your mate castrates you for not answering her," Skimble says with a wry smile.
Coricopat ruffles his head fur. "She'll love you, you should come meet her."
An orange paw bats the brown paw away from his head and shakes his head. "I'll be doing plenty of meeting tonight, I'd rather hold it off for as long as possible."
A quiet chuckle. "Alright, but the sooner the better."
With that the tom gets up and goes to the dark brown queen. Glass-green eyes watch Coricopat and Exotica from a distance and smiles. At least a few things have remained the same, but as for others he's not exactly sure. Who knows if his wee Castalia will be born and made a railway cat or if any of the number of kits born would come into existence.
I sure hope... they were darling kits, he thinks before noticing the looks from nearby cats that he's receiving. Blush covers his face and he turns only to find dark brown eyes. After a startled noise from the back of his throat he calms and holds back a glare at the tom that was his best friend in a previous life- in the lie.
"You're not very good at hiding your emotions... decent, but not as good as you think," Asparagus informs, licking his paw.
How long has he been there? Skimble wonders as he stares cautiously. "Oh?"
"You don't want to go to the party or meet anyone, though as for why I'm not sure. Something painful I suppose... still, you should say no if you don't want to do something."
"I-I'm not exactly good with saying no to queens," he half-lies. "Besides, if it'll make the others happy I'm willing to do it. Besides Jenny's cooking the meat this time and I think that's something worth going to the party."
The observant dark brown eyes peer at him to get a better read, but Skimble carefully tucks away his emotions, but he's sure that this tom can see past the mask. If Asparagus had voiced what he was thinking he'd be shocked at the surprise in the tom's mind at the fact that the young tom could hide his emotions so effectively even though before he'd been an open book. Each emotion was clear to identify from across the junkyard, but now no matter how hard he looked he could find nothing, but a cool stare and some ounces of honesty.
"Full of surprises," Asparagus mutters, before shaking his head. "I'm sure that you'll get on well with a few cats."
"Mhm," hums the tom, though there's something about it that has doubt, but it's so unnoticeable that the actor can't make out if it's his imagination or not. The tom mutters something, too quiet for the older tom to hear, but Jellylorum's name is mentioned whom he's met only a pawful of times. "I don't think I can get out of this."
Asparagus' ears prick because he can hear a hidden meaning aside from the obvious. Not only is he talking about the party situation, but entirely different situation as well. Asparagus doesn't know everything, but he's sure that two mystics, a leader, and a certain red queen all know more about him than maybe this cat even knows about himself. This young orange tom looks like a confused kit at some times and like a cat too old for that body at others, which certainly piques more than a few cats' interests, including his own.
"Out of what, exactly?"
The orange cat stiffens slightly and his gaze flickers over to Asparagus with something that looks like familiarity, pain, longing, and something else that he can't quite place. Mere seconds ago he couldn't read a single emotion and now this cat's very soul is bared to him and now being carefully tucked away again.
Is that who he is? Asparagus wonders.
"Excuse me, I've got to go get food in my system before one of the queens gets at me again. A pleasure talking to you," he says quickly, walking away with haste toward the Mystic queen's den.
HAT: There, that's it for this chapter! Next, there'll be a party!
Rumpus: You really want to get a move on with this plot don't you?
HAT: *glares at Rumpus, but sighs* Yes! I want to, but also have no idea how to go about it. It's like inspiration's being smothered!
Rumpus: It's alright, it'll get better.
HAT: Don't patronize me.
Rumpus: *rolls eyes* Review.