#I just want a little black cat named sissel

[piratejenna]

Unstoppable force (my regularly increasing desire to have a cat) vs immovable object (me being uncomfortably though not life-threateningly allergic to cats)

[temsikfates-archive]

send REFLECT for me to explain a traumatic event

Anonymous asked:

REFLECT I want him to ramble about it too

Perception of events.

“I don’t even know where I start. Maybe I should start with the very beginning: the interrogation.

When Cabanela cornered me during the interrogation, I thought I was going to be arrested, for sure. Sissel had just lost her dad, a month ago and was depressed because she was very close to him... I feared the worst would happen if I were to be arrested for a crime I didn’t commit. Who would be there to comfort Sissel if that happened? That’s when I, in a state of panic, commited my first mistake: the stealing of Cabanela’s gun as he forgot it in the room with me.

I ran off in the hopes of returning to Sissel, but Detective Jowd was in hot pursuit. He shot a warning shot and I panicked. The first thing after that was grab a little girl that was playing by the fountain as a hostage in a desperate attempt to make the detective let me go. That was my second mistake.

Then next thing I knew... I heard a loud noise of something crashing down into the earth, my earth shaking under my feet, but before I could realize what was going on... I felt something sharp pierce me from behind, I barely even had time to process the pain as everything went black... and I died.”

(Cutting for length)

“When I came to, the world was tinted in dark blue. I had lost all my memories, I didn’t know who I was or where I was... I tiny meow next to my dead body made me reach out to a little stray kitten that was wandeirng alone in the park... I reached towards him and my soul transferred to the kitten. For a while, I thought I was a cat and lived with the little kitten, sharing his body.”

“Soon I realized I could control the kitten, making him obey my commands. I was a ghost that was somehow able to manipulate the kitten and other objects too. As I spent time sharing the kitten’s body, my memory came back once I saw a newspaper article while helping to get food for my feline friend. The news of the incident brought my memory back.”

Sissel, I have to get back to her! 

“But first I needed to get my body back. I went to the morgue, where my body was, possessed it and hurried to her old house, where she used to live with her father”

“But I was too late.”

“I had just missed her as she left this world... she only left me a note that said, “I'm coming to you, Yomiel.”

“My worst fear had come true. And worst of all, I couldn’t do anything, I was dead. Eventually I adopted the kitten I shared a body with and named him Sissel, after her, giving him her red scarf that was the only thing I got left of her.”

“Those ten years were the worst thing that ever happened to me. Living in this infinite loneliness and despair, having no one else to turn to and only having a cat for a friend, it twisted my mind and turned me into a monster, hungry for revenge on all the people involved in the Temsik incident. And even if those ten years were erased by Sissel bringing me back, the memories will stay with me forever and haunt me, like a ghost lurking into my soul, leaving a permanent scar in my psyche.”

Which parts have stayed with them longest and how it affects them now.

“The part that stayed with me the longest, of course, it was my memories of it, since memories are not erased even if a fate is averted. And it will forever be with me, reminding me of my worst crimes and what I was capable to do when at the bottom of my despair. The horrible person I had become. How it affects me now? I will never, ever be able to forgive myself for it. I’m trying to move on from the past... But it’s not easy, not with these memories, knowing what I did... And it also gave me enough traumas for a lifetime. I will never set foot in a park again and seeing a fountain is enough to trigger a panic attack... And I also have my legs, that were crushed that day when I tried to save Lynne. I can still walk, but my legs were never the same since then and I have chronic pain, having to take medicine for it once in a while and I can’t climb stairs, run, or carry weight anymore. But this is nothing compared to all the emotional damage this cursed meteorite has caused me.

[siverwrites]

The Strangest Stray

Ghost Swap at @fyeahghosttrick. For @kitsune-kira: ‘the au in which Sissel is a cat-sized dragon.’ The cutest darn dragon I’d imagine. 

Happy Ghost Swap!

When Jowd first brought the little creature back home, Alma went through several emotions: confusion, fear, worry, and more confusion. She’d feared for Jowd’s safety, but the visit to the hospital quelled that. A short time after he was allowed to come home and all was well. It was wonderful and relieving. It was only that she hadn’t expected the new-found family member.

Jowd had tried light-hearted first. Then his worry showed and honestly, what did he expect? How else was she meant to react to the… the tiny dragon because that was what it… he was. Not a lizard—she could see the wings, Jowd. Still, what was she to say? Jowd was hopeful and held the note of sincerity for matters he was truly serious about despite the strangeness of the situation and the little black creature with his drooping wings in his hands was… was cute and sad in a way, if he’d been all alone as Jowd claimed. A… stray. A stray dragon. It couldn’t be real.

But it was real. She almost knocked her chair over when the little thing, Sissel, he had a name (of course he did, of course) blew the tiniest flame for the first time, lighting a candle for them. She should have known. He was a dragon after all and this dream refused to break.

And yet, despite her initial reservations and fears—and could Jowd really blame her, what of Kamila? She’ll be fine, Jowd had said. He’ll be good for her, he said, ever calm—and how on earth could he know that? And yet, and yet… Jowd was right. It didn’t take as long as she expected to grow used to and even accept the odd little beast into their home, and into their family.

Her fears of him, turned to fears for him. What of his safety? What if someone found out? What then? Jowd seemed nonplussed as always and in some ways, she supposed he had the right of it. Sissel was remarkably adept at hiding himself.

Learning where Sissel came from and how Jowd found him was another matter entirely. However, Alma knew her husband well and knew getting answers out of him for something he didn’t want to talk about would be a long and difficult task—one to tackle slowly and patiently. For now she could wait.  

In the meantime, she found herself content to enjoy Sissel’s company. He could be strange at times, but then who was she to judge on his strangeness—for all she knew his behaviour was perfectly normal for his species. Still she had to wonder at certain moments.

Such as finding him limp on their living room floor, unmoving even as she gently touched him. She called Jowd into the room in a panic. What if he was sick? Or worse, dead? Had they done something wrong? What on earth were they to do for him if he was ill? She could only imagine trying to bring him to a vet and had to stop a near hysterical laugh at the notion.

“It’s just his way,” Jowd said with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you.”

He then bent and lifted Sissel gently. Alma bit her lip as Sissel’s wings dangled lifelessly over his hands. Did Alma imagine Jowd’s glance flicking to the ornaments at the top of their bookcase? She must have, or it was merely a wandering gaze. Jowd interrupted her thoughts.

“I’ll take him to his cupboard to rest.”

Right, the cupboard. Another oddity. She thought he’d want somewhere roomier. Certainly he was small, tiny even, no larger than a cat. She only felt he’d want more space to maneuver, let his wings down, whatever it was a dragon did to rest. But Jowd insisted, and she had to admit he seemed quite happy in there, when he was in at all, despite the lack of space.

Even less space, she came to learn when she discovered the random assortment of hoarded items. Nothing important or valuable. A penny, a spare thimble, an old ribbon frayed at the ends she thought she had tossed, a worn down pencil, a small sheet of paper from a memo pad. She couldn’t imagine how he got a hold of one of the tree baubles, boxed away as they were, but she didn’t have the heart to take it when she found him curled up around it.

Of course she couldn’t help but wonder sometimes if the cupboard was for rest or merely a place to store his collection. She couldn’t count the number of times she found him curled near or sitting over Kamila as she napped. She wasn’t sure at what point it had become, not just a cute sight, but also a point of security, yet it had. His presence was a reassurance and somehow she knew Kamila was safe under those watchful yellow eyes.

Of course she couldn’t help a laugh either. After all, how many one-year olds could lay claim to a guardian dragon?

From the cuteness—Sissel riding on Jowd’s shoulders, wings tucked neatly against his sides, tail draping over his other shoulder, was a regular sight. To the inexplicable moments—it took multiple times finding Sissel deathly still before the flickers of panic stopped. To the times when he seemed to vanish completely for hours at a time only to come flapping into whatever room she happened to be in much later. To his intensity when she worked in the kitchen despite his complete lack of interest in food—she still wondered at the pot of boiling water that started to slip… and didn’t. She had no explanation for the feeling, yet she couldn’t help but feel as though she was protected as long as he was there. To the way he always seemed to listen when Jowd was on the phone.

Through everything she was most grateful for the oddest little stray to come into their lives. There were concerns in their future. What would they tell Kamila as she grew older? What if he was found out? Worries and concerns, yes. But to have him in their lives, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[siverwrites]

The Newest Family Member

Little thing I started a while back then forgot in the midst of other things but thought to finish it today.

Alma hurried to the hall when she heard the door open. She knew he was injured but all right from his call. However, she wouldn’t be fully satisfied until seeing him for herself.

Jowd slowly removed and hung his coat and her mouth thinned at the stiff awkwardness in his step. She wanted nothing more than to make him sit and reassure herself that he was all present and accounted for.

His shoulders were slumped and eyes tired. It was his expression that in a way worried her more than anything else. He looked so worn and somehow distant. Yet when he looked at her his face lit with a broad smile, relief permeating through his features. She was reminded of his return from a trip one time, but this was far more intense.

“I’m so glad you’re all right. I can’t imagine what a long day this must have been.” she said. She gasped when he laughed then suddenly stepped forward and swept her into his arms, holding her close.

“You could say that,” he murmured.

“But everything is okay now? You’re okay?”

If his hold tightened any further she felt she’d be in danger of suffocation. There was a long pause before he answered. “Yes.”

Alma ran her hands up his back. “Well, with you on the job I’m sure there was nothing to worry about,” she said affectionately. The muscles in his back tensed and his hands stiffened. “Jowd, are you sure everything is all right?” Alma asked.

He abruptly released her and stepped back. “Of course. There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

Something else? Weren’t the events of today enough?

Jowd stepped toward his hanging coat and Alma realized there was a partially open box below it. “I know we’ve talked about getting a dog before,” he said.

Alma tensed. What did you do, Jowd?

“And that may still be a possibility in the future, but in the meantime,” Jowd continued and knelt carefully by the box, fully opening it. “How do you feel about a cat? He was a stray at the park. Maybe it was the dangers of today, but I found I couldn’t just leave him and, well here he is.”

Alma’s eyes widened at the sight of the small black kitten in Jowd’s arms. “Oh…! Jowd, you should have… oh he’s so sweet. And so young.” She bit her lip. “Is now a good time though? Kamila’s just a baby and we don’t know what he’ll be like and…”

The kitten mewled and if Alma didn’t know any better she’d almost say it sounded offended. Jowd stifled a cough. “I don’t think we need to worry. It’s good to get them acquainted early, isn’t it? He’s been very gentle.”

“I… I suppose we could try.” And he looked so small and thin in Jowd’s hands, poor thing.

“I thought of calling him Sissel,” Jowd said.

Oh dear, and a name already. That just clinched it, didn’t it? But what on earth led to this on today of all days?

“Sissel?” Alma cocked her head curiously. “It’s a nice name, but why?”

Jowd shrugged with an odd sort of smile. “It just seemed right.”

[siverwrites]

A Not Quite Magical Mystery

And the other piece born of @alia-mael ‘s prompt for a Discworld/Ghost Trick crossover.

Major spoiler for Ghost Trick.

Other piece here: Patrol

These were both so much fun even though Discworld makes me nervous to touch. And now I’ve gone and tackled Stibbons who I’ve never even considered writing for before.

Taking prompts

Each of Ponder’s days in the High Energy Magic building started – start time variable – with a thorough checkup of Hex. This particular day happened to begin in the early morning in an unusual and rare occurrence. Everything looked well, until he found a sheet left out and he had to stop in puzzlement at what he saw.

+++ Yy +++

And below that in wobbly lettering that brought to mind a young child there was:

Yy

+++ Correct. Oo +++

Oo.

+++ Correct. Mm +++

Mm

And so it continued down to and including Ll.

‘Yomiel’. Strange. Ponder knew Yomiel’s writing now and while it left something to be desired in neatness, it was also a sight better than that of some of his colleagues who seemed to think that being indecipherable added to the magic, or perhaps it was only a self-defence mechanism against students.

A vague memory nudged at him. Chalkboards and a harried woman. A sense of boredom, mind wandering to more complicated and interesting things. Yes, that’s what this was. It had all the appearances of Hex teaching someone his letters – very specific letters.

It was yet another oddity in the growing list surrounding Yomiel and his cat, Sissel. To his growing concern and against all logic he found himself watching the cat more and more often. It was a well-known fact that the HEM building had odd effects on animals, but the pair hadn’t been here for very long yet. It was possible, he supposed, that Brazeneck College had had a similar effect, yet for all his attempts to quietly get a thaumic reading he saw no sign of magic from the cat.

It all added up to that wonderful mix of excitement, uncertainty and worry – the latter fueled by what he would say to the Archchancellor.

It had been a challenge to get Ridcully to accept Yomiel into their ranks. He was one of Them. He had been in quite a huff until Ponder gently steered him into the idea that Brazeneck took the Dean and Adrian Turnipseed and so it was only fair that they took, or poached, Yomiel into their ranks.

He turned out to be a welcome asset. He previously worked with Pex, which Ponder knew first hand was inferior to their Hex, so he had expected some difficulties in readjusting. Instead Yomiel took to Hex immediately and even suggested some improvements that Ponder could find no fault in.

It was all very refreshing and beneficial. Ponder only wished he could explain the little things that started happening since they arrived and why was Yomiel so insistent on Sissel’s presence?

What purpose did the little black cat have in being here even if the students seemed to have taken a liking to him? Why were objects he was certain were in one place found in another? What of the last magical mishap – an event, after all there was still something to be learned from explosions – that didn’t happen and left them all hiding behind various hopefully sturdy pieces of furniture while a lot of nothing didn’t go up in smoke? What did this sheet left in Hex mean?

And why, Ponder thought as he stared up at Hex, was Sissel sitting on it staring down at him with the most knowing look he had ever seen on a cat?

Ponder wasn’t one to be unnerved. You didn’t last long in the Unseen University let alone the High Energy Magic building if you were easily unnerved (unless your name happened to be Rincewind who was another matter entirely) and any ability to feel so had long been knocked out and trodden on by Ridcully. The cat’s stare brought him close to the borders of that territory.

“Shoo,” he tried futilely. “You shouldn’t be up there.”

Sissel gave him a look that couldn’t be more unimpressed if he tried and jumped down. Ponder reached out. “Good cat… now just back away from the very complicated machine…”

Another flat stare and Sissel abruptly jumped away, knocked a lever and sauntered off. There was a click of a button and Ponder could only watch in dismay as the sheet was sucked into a tube, deposited into a bin and promptly torn to shreds.

He sighed and made a mental note to add some form of check to the whole process. Maybe another bin for things that might be reused.

“He doesn’t like to be touched.”

Ponder turned to see Yomiel had entered the room. He stood, his hands stuffed in the deep pockets of his robes and stared past Ponder at either Hex or Sissel, Ponder couldn’t be sure.

“He was sitting on Hex,” Ponder said stiffly. “You know there are many delicate workings that shouldn’t be disturbed.”

“He won’t hurt anything,” Yomiel replied calmly.

“He already caused a document to be shredded!”

Yomiel raised an eyebrow. “Was it important?”

“Well, no I suppose not, but nevertheless!”

Yomiel’s stare was as impassive as Sissel’s. They belonged to each other all right. Ponder calmed himself. He was getting silly. Everything was fine and Yomiel was right. Sissel hadn’t caused any harm yet.

“I did want to speak to you about the document in question.��

“STIBBONS!”

Ponder and Yomiel both winced at the loud tones of Archchancellor Ridcully’s approach.

“Later,” Ponder sighed.

“I wanted to check on the hive,” Yomiel said.

Ponder nodded and Yomiel made his escape into the next room in time for Ridcully to enter, large, furious and waving a letter.

“The nerve of that man! Would you believe HE has the audacity to accuse us of stealing his faculty?”

“Well, it’s not entirely a lie,” Ponder said.

“HE’s the one who left US!”

“Though Yomiel was very happy to transfer here…” Ponder trailed off. It was clear Ridcully wasn’t listening to a word he said.

“If that traitor hadn’t left he wouldn’t have this problem.” Ridcully huffed and stared about the room before finally focusing on Ponder.

Yes, sometimes Ponder felt as though the former Dean leaving was a sign he had lost all of his faculties. Other times, such as now, in the face of Ridcully’s rage, he thought perhaps it was an unexpected bout of clarity and good sense. 

“How is that Yomiel doing?” Ridcully barked. “Any use to you fellows?”

Ponder grappled with the enormous task of trying to fit the words into a size and shape suitable for the Archchancellor before giving it up as a lost cause. He fell back on the tried and true solution of the on-a-need-to-know basis. Ridcully did not need to know therefore the problem could remain squarely in Ponder’s camp.

“He’s been a great asset. He works well with Hex.”

A smug air descended around Ridcully. “Ha! So we got the better deal here, eh?”

“Yes, Archchancellor,” Ponder said simply. It was easier that way. He didn’t need to know about the attached odd things and as long as nothing worse happened it was all worth it, wasn’t it? Hex appeared to be in excellent hands and the possibility of further scientific discoveries sent a pleasant shiver down Ponder’s spine.

“Hmph. At least that college,” he sneered, “hasn’t let standards completely slip. Though he puts up a poor image of a wizard I must say.”

“Archchancellor?” Now what was the problem?

“His hat, man! What self-respecting wizard goes without his hat? And that hair is ridiculous.”

Ponder had a brief mental image of a hat trying to be fit over said hair before quickly shutting down the thought. “I suppose you could say it’s his hat in spirit,” Ponder tried weakly, regretting the words even as he spoke them. Thankfully, Ridcully already appeared to have switched paths back to the subject of the Dean’s ‘betrayal’.

“He thinks he can get the better of us. Ha. How the crossbow bolt has turned.”

And there was another mental image Ponder would have preferred to avoid.

Ridcully nodded with satisfaction to himself. “Make sure that man stays up to snuff.” He crumpled the letter and turned, stomping out of the room.

Ponder sighed. He needed to come up with some tactics to better handle Ridcully in the many and frequent towering tempers he sustained now.

In the meantime he still had a handful of mysteries here.

Ponder went back to his inspection of Hex. There were no further abnormalities and Sissel was nowhere to be found. The reason for that became apparent when Yomiel entered with the cat on his shoulder.

“One of the combs was clogged and causing a stall,” Yomiel said. “I’ve cleaned it out.”

Ponder nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a problem we need to find a solution for soon. I know it’s not common, but I’d rather it not happen at all.”

“I’ll let you know if I figure something out.”

“In the meantime.” Ponder turned to face Yomiel. “When I came in earlier I found a paper left in Hex with letters spelling out your name. Letters Hex wrote and letters someone else wrote, rather crudely I must say. Do you know anything about that?”

There was a long pause and he was sure Yomiel glanced at Sissel before shrugging. “…I don’t know anything.”

But there’s knowing and knowing, isn’t there?

Your cat is not giving off any magical readings and yet I still think there’s something abnormal about him and no, I can’t explain what, but it would be helpful if you provided some insight, but I know you won’t. So, I will keep investigating with or without your help and I will find out what is going on with you two.

The words all bubbled up quickly, but he remained silent. Yomiel hadn’t been of any help and seemed unlikely to be. There was no sense in putting Sissel on his guard… He let that thought trail off as well. He was worried about putting the cat on guard. Ridiculous. And yet…

“I’m going to take a look at the mouse. I had an idea,” Yomiel said.

“Very well. Go on.”

The HEM building existed for mysteries and now Ponder had one more furry puzzle to piece together.