IC Inbox

[noblerise]

If contacting his personal number or via Libra:

"You have reached Jusis Albarea. I'm busy. Leave a message."

If contacting his work number:

"You have reached the office of Jusis Albarea, Esquire. I'm not available at this time, so please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you."

Black Order Inbox and Class VII Group Chat for reference.

Comments

[noblerise]

For you, yes. What do you need?

[themogget]

Do you recall when I began to regain memories in earnest, and that many of them seemed to be from the perspective of some creature bound into the form of a white cat?

[noblerise]

I do recall you telling me that. Has that been getting worse?

[themogget]

You could say that.

I didn't want to bloody come here, Jusis. They told me I'd be fine.

[noblerise]

I can't say I don't empathize with that sentiment. What can I do to help?

[themogget]

Open a window.

Don't ask why. You'll find out.

[noblerise]

[Jusis isn't about to question it, honestly. He's worked long enough with Yrael that he trusts him when he asks for things like this, no matter how unusual. The blond goes over to his window in the living room and opens it.]

Okay, I've opened a window. It'll lead into my living room.

[themogget]

Right.

[After a few moments there's a small rustling sound underneath the window, then a pure white cat with bright green eyes and a long, bottle-brush tail hops up onto the outside windowsill. The animal is awkwardly carrying a mobile phone by a short tether clipped to the case, and it drops it down inside the window before slinking in after it.

Then the cat stares unblinking at Jusis, waiting for him to put the pieces together.]

[noblerise]

[Jusis stares only for a second before it clicks. He's fortunately very quick on the uptake.]

Yrael. I see now why you didn't much care to be seen by us.

[And he's most definitely not going to tell another soul about it, either.]

[themogget]

[Of course he puts it together quickly. There's a good reason he decided to come to Jusis.

Not least due to over a decade of working together and a level of trust that very few people see from the relatively reclusive Yrael, but because Jusis is both clever and discreet.

A very human-sounding sigh comes from the cat as it jumps down to the floor from the windowsill.]

I knew most of them wouldn't think much of it, but you would have started to ask questions eventually.

[He sits on the floor and curls his tail around over his paws.]

It happened almost as soon as I got here. I was only lucky that no one witnessed it.

[noblerise]

[Jusis moves to close the window just enough that Yrael can still push it open himself if he wants to. He sits down on the floor nearby primly. There's a small smile on his face at the observation.]

Unfortunately, yes. As much as I'd avoid asking as long as I could in respect to your privacy, but circumstances as they are right now....

[He respects Yrael too much to give him anything less than the truth. Still, this is quite the information drop. Jusis can't help frowning slightly.]

I'm grateful for that as well, but it's quite... Unusual. And it seems this place is a lot more spiritually active than we first thought if it's affected you so drastically.

[themogget]

[There's a soft sound of appreciation at first, a little like a purr, then the tip of his tail begins to flick back and forth. This is the very thing he had been worried about. They had all read the reports of what happens to people here, the ones somehow attuned to the spirit veins, and Yrael cannot believe for a moment that it's a coincidence that this happened to him the very day he arrived in Kaisou.

They'd told him not to worry, and... well, he'd known they were lying. Yet he'd obeyed, like a good little boy scout. Like he always did.]

Keep this to yourself. I trust you, Jusis, you know I do... but I have some concerns about the rest of the cohort. [Most of them anyway. It's not a matter of their effectiveness, but the kinds of reactions he knows they'll have to this.]

And you should know... I haven't reported it, either. I have no plans to.

[noblerise]

[Jusis doesn't even hesitate.]

You have my word, Yrael. I promise not to speak to anyone about it, not without your express permission. Not even to the Order.

[He'll keep his word to the grave if necessary, and Yrael most likely knows that by now. That said, it doesn't sit well with him to leave the... Uh.... Cat out to dry, so to speak.]

I can set up my apartment to be more accessible for you, at least as much as I'm able. Fugo is currently living with me, but I can figure out how to navigate that to cover for you.

[themogget]

[Trustworthy to the end. If he could smile he would, but things being as they are he starts purring instead. There's a long silence from him in which the pulsing vibration of his vocal cords only increases in volume, before he finally comments on it.]

... That's involuntary.

[Augh.]

Don't over-explain it. Tell him I'm a stray you felt sorry for if it's easier. Fugo has enough to deal with.

[noblerise]

[It takes immense willpower to not laugh and definitely NOT pet the cat. Thank god for his experience as a lawyer.]

Of course.

[Still, Jusis nods at that.]

Agreed. The stray story would be more believable, and it'd allow me to install a cat door. Is there any food you have a preference for?

[He doesn't want to assume that he should get some kind of cat food if Yrael doesn't want that indignity.]

[themogget]

[A few people who did not know that the cat was not a cat... have already pet the cat. Yrael would hate to admit that he actually enjoys the sensation, but it does seem that he took on more traits of this form than simply the shape of it... and being scratched behind the ears is very nice.

But he's still very much human in his head, and lets out an irritated little grunt at the questions.]

You don't have to feed me. This entire ordeal is enough of an indignity as it is.

[iamnotacat.gif]

All I can hope right now is that I'll be able to figure out how to turn back...

[noblerise]

[Yrael's not a cat and yet he's very much a cat.]

No, but as I'm going to be essentially hosting you, I thought it couldn't hurt to offer.

[Jusis is definitely being reminded of Celine as he keeps talking to him. He never thought his past life would've also had talking cat shenanigans, but here he is.]

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you with that. Though, unfortunately, it's entirely possible that there's nothing I can really do.

[themogget]

[A lot of his human traits translate very well into being a cat and he's not talking about it. Jusis has, unfortunately, known him more than long enough to be able to tell.]

Well, if you're going to insist.

[He does catch the idea that he's probably going to end up living here and he doesn't find that... entirely objectionable. It would probably start to get quite difficult to look after himself like this.]

Cooked chicken or fish is fine, but if you try to feed me anything out of a can with a cat on the label I am going to start leaving dead birds on your bed.

[noblerise]

[That gets a rare chuckle from Jusis.]

Honestly, I'd expect no less. I'll make sure you at least have chicken or fish.

[Maybe duck for special occasions. As a treat.]

[themogget]

... Thank you.

[It's embarrassing. Humiliating, actually. If someone he could actually trust wasn't here then who knows what he might have done. At least like this he can have some sense of security.]

If you hear anything about what can be done about... this, I assume you won't hesitate in letting me know.

[noblerise]

You assume correctly.

[He's awkward and troubled, not heartless, after all.]

[themogget]

I thought as much.

[Yrael sighs, and his ears pin back against the top of his head for a moment. This whole experience has been utterly exhausting and he's still unsure about whether or not he should tell HQ about it or not... but for now he would really much rather just keep it to himself.

But now that he has somewhere relatively safe to go to, it does feel like a large burden has been lifted.]

Would you mind if I got some sleep? I've barely had a wink of it since I got here.

[noblerise]

No, not at all. Make yourself at home.

[Jusis, not exactly thinking about it as anything more than a gesture of comfort, briefly pets Yrael's head. He then stands up and stretches for a moment.]

Feel free to use the couch or armchair. And you're free to stay as long as you wish.

[themogget]

[He sees the hand coming, and although his ears pin back and he does seem to retract his head into his shoulders in that typical, amusing way that cats do, he doesn't move away any further than that. After the pet he sits there in stunned stillness for a moment, then grunts and shakes himself off.]

Mmph. Thanks.

[And he chooses the armchair, sauntering over to it and jumping up onto the cushions. A few minutes later Jusis will be able to hear the sound of little cat snores.]