MHA #6, Friday Morning

[firstofitskind]

So, apparently, if you tipped them well enough, the folks at JGoB were willing to deliver. This was something Liam had discovered fairly soon after he started staying over at Verity's semi-regularly, because the chances of her having actual breakfast food were intermittent at best.

So he had a pot of coffee brewing (and tea for himself, thank you), and a plate of fresh scones waiting for when Verity made her way to the kitchen.

... And a couple of scones for the mice, because shhh.

[ooc: for the one that lives here!]

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[arboreal_priestess]

"Question the second," Verity said, though she definitely hadn't enough coffee for this, "what will you do if you find them?"

If the answer was 'put them back,' they were breaking up.

[firstofitskind]

The answer would remain a mystery for the time being, as the mug Liam was currently holding clattered to the floor due to his sudden lack of hands to hold it in.

"Mrr?"

[arboreal_priestess]

"What the fuck?!" Verity asked, which was less than useful in this situation, as it addressed neither the cat nor the spilled tea.

[arboreal_priestess]

"HAIL THE--huh." The main priestess of the mice was not sure what to make of this occurrence. It was definitely had liturgical significance, but what was a little beyond her.

[firstofitskind]

"Mrrp?" Liam said questioningly. It was supposed to be a 'what', but... cat.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Oh god," Verity said, burying her face in her hands. And then stood, voice ringing throughout the apartment, "The Arboreal Priestess has a Pronouncement!"

Random capital letters and everything.

It was like a wave of small furry bodies into the kitchen. Soon mice were everywhere, all of them staring at her with bright ink-spot eyes. Even the baked goods and the strange cat couldn't draw their attention.

For long.

"This is Liam," she said, picking up the cat since she wasn't sure how smart it--he--still was. "He has been changed by what I hope is Fandom magic. No harm must come to him, even if he instigates."

To Liam-kitty she muttered, "Please be smart enough to not instigate."

Then, back to the mice, "You may defend your lives and the lives of others, but only enough to get away. When he regains his normal form, he will amend any grievances with cheese and cake."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Hail the cheese and cake!"

The cheer wasn't as robust as it normally would be. With Verity's pronouncement, they mice found themselves at the forefront of a Liturgical Mystery and even cheese and cake couldn't compare to that.

[firstofitskind]

Liam was plenty smart. Smart enough to give Verity a deeply offended look. Of course he wasn't going to instigate.

[arboreal_priestess]

Hey, all she knew was that he was suddenly a cat! And it wasn't like he'd been solving math problems or meowing once for yes, twice for no to prove he was intelligent, still.

"Yeah, I still can't tell if you're smart enough to understand me or if you're just being a cat," Verity told that expression.

[firstofitskind]

"Mrr," Liam said, and then looked over at the mice. And then back at Verity. And then slowly, deliberately, shook his head.

Hopefully that would help clear things up? A bit?

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity didn't have a whole lot of experience with cats (they tended not to get along with the mice or her brother's European Church Griffin), but she was pretty sure that most mice didn't shake their heads. At least, not like that. "Liam?" she asked. "You're still in there?"

Remember earlier, when she'd been thinking that Fandom was weird for the potholes, thing? Yeah, spoke way too soon.

[firstofitskind]

A nod, this time. And then, in case there were any lingering doubts, he looked down at the spilled tea on the floor and gave another sad little mew. Such a waste.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well, that answers that," she said, putting Liam back down onto the chair so that she could sop up all that tea with a handful of paper towels. "Am I going to the store today to get catmint tea bags so you don't have to suffer unduly while you're...like this?"

[firstofitskind]

The answer to that was a satisfied purr as he arranged himself in to a catloaf on the chair.

[arboreal_priestess]

"And fish, I guess," Verity said. "Since I'm pretty sure you'll claw me if I offered you cat food and I don't know what else is good for cats. But if you choke on a bone, I am going to laugh while the mice give you the Heimlich."

This was her life now. And the worst part? It wasn't even all that different from her regular life.