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Post by Mistoffelees on May 31, 2010 20:31:41 GMT -5
((Open to all. This takes place when Misto is 14, Victoria is 15, Tumble is 13--well and whomever is around at the time. Would loooove other cats who were there to jump in.))
Mistoffelees stared at his hands the way he'd done so for the last fifteen minutes, a bit perplexed. Raising from the palms had been sparks, smoke, but now the only thing left was the slightest of a burn on one of his arms. It was puzzling. Tricks and illusions always came easy, some magic tricks brought in, but never to the extent of this, not that he particularly was oppose. No. Quite the opposite, really, though controlling that gift would be a plus...
He finally lowered his arms, hands moving to the pockets of his black jeans, white polo shirt loose on his tiny frame. He was shorter than most of the toms his age, even a touch smaller than Pouncival. Only two years ago he'd been taller than Tumblebrutus, but the younger tom was certainly taller by that point and in the awkward "all legs and joints" stage.
Turning his head, he smiled and walked up the smallest incline of a hill. It'd be a test of magic as he brought up his hands, straining, sparkle dust seeming to float down before there was a clap of sound, a blanket on the ground. Much nicer, he decided as he sat down.
It really was a beautiful view, almost the entire junkyard down to the city side in view.
A soft breeze broke the sweltering heat.
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Post by Victoria on May 31, 2010 20:47:10 GMT -5
Up until this point in her life, Victoria had considered herself a housecat. Priveleged, collared, she slept in a warm bed from the nearby pet store and ate food bought from a store. She allowed herself to be petted and picked up and cuddled by humans because they 'owned' her. They'd paid a great deal of money for a her, and had since spent an even more extravagant amount on her pretty, studded collars, on food and bed, treats - the works.
But after she'd discovered the Junkyard, things had begun to change for Victoria. At home she found herself missing the yard, the tribesmembers, her friends. Eating mice and drinking from puddles, bedding down for the night in an abandoned drainpipe - it made her feel raw and wild, and she liked it.
Maybe she was a Jellicle after all.
She padded through the yard, picking her way slowly around old shoes and discarded tin cans, until she came to the base of a hill on the outskirts. At the top was a black and white tuxedo tom. Mistoffelees. She waved, a friendly smile gracing her delicate features. Spying the blanket he sat on and the fact he was alone, she strolled up the incline to meet him.
"Hi, Misto." She said in greeting, her soft purr of a voice carrying on the breeze. There was a kittenish bounce in her step as she joined him at the top of the hill. "Good to see you." She'd been away from the yard for a few days, in the luxurious flat a few streets over where she was kept.
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Post by Mistoffelees on May 31, 2010 20:52:41 GMT -5
"Ah, Victoria," he greeted, tone again quiet as if she though he gallantly rose to his feet, simply beaming as he gestured to the blanket. "Please, have a seat. I'd only just sat down myself." Impeccable manners, really, a maturity to his voice that was a mixture of something ingrained combined with a touch of something playful. Victoria was interesting, a cat he didn't know very well yet her appearance seemed to be a bit more frequent, and perhaps she was more talky than she'd started out as.
"Unless you have somewhere else to be, but even still I'd love to have your company for a few minutes."
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Post by Victoria on May 31, 2010 21:10:35 GMT -5
"I hope I'm not intruding." Her face was suddenly apprehensive - the last thing she'd want to do was impose on the already immense kindness bestowed upon her by these cats by blundering into some awful social blunder. But at his request for her to sit, her smile stretched wider, and took Mistoffelees up on his offer, sinking down onto the blanket, daintily crossing her legs. "I have nowhere to be, simply enjoying the day. And yourself?"
She looked over the hilltop, at the vast expanse of junkyard, and sighed happily, not yet acknowledging the fact that she felt far more at home here than in the flat.
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Post by Tumblebrutus on May 31, 2010 21:15:04 GMT -5
Oblivious to the others on the hill, Tumblebrutus scooted below with a soccer ball, little more than a small figure from the other's visage as he kicked it around, sometimes bouncing it on his knee before his forehead as he'd turn. Becoming bored of the action, he looked in front of him and behind, lifting a leg to stretch, then the other. Alone, he'd be able to practice some dancing, some gymnastics--things he was getting a little self-conscious about doing in public.
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Post by Mistoffelees on May 31, 2010 21:19:57 GMT -5
"Enjoying it as well," he replied as he sat next to her, head turning with the sound of the football, then the tom as he began his warm ups and dance. "It's nice seeing him doing something for himself," Mistoffelees commented before he rocked back. "Rough year." A casual observation as he rest on his elbows, legs stretched out before him.
"I'm sorry I don't have any food to offer. I hadn't thought anyone would be around," he admitted. "But company's very welcome. It gets lonely."
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Post by Victoria on May 31, 2010 22:12:15 GMT -5
Victoria caught sight of Tumblebrutus, playing with his ball, and nodded. The tom was younger than her by about two years, and was blissfully innocent, simply enjoying the company of a soccer ball. She nodded in response to Mistoffelees. The didn't know a lot of the history of the Junkyard and it's inhabitants, but she knew enough to agree with him.
"I ate at-" she paused for a split second, the words sounding odd in her mouth "-home." She cocked her head to one side, considering carefully the scene before her, the junkyard she had grown to love. "Lonely? I can't see anyone being lonely around here. There's always someone about. That's one of the reasons I like this place..." she trailed off, letting her silence speak for itself.
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Post by Mistoffelees on May 31, 2010 22:21:24 GMT -5
"I suppose there are always cats around, but I guess it's that I crave..." Mistoffelees stalled, tongue tapping the back of his teeth in thought. "Companionship. No, that's not quite right. Well, perhaps in the literal sense of the word. To be able to converse, to open up, to speak. A deep bond that words can hardly do justice to. Some connection that's simply ineffable."
His eyes followed Tumblebrutus with a sad smile. "I had hoped Tumblebrutus would fill that role, but he's changed so much since his sister died."
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Post by Victoria on May 31, 2010 22:53:12 GMT -5
Victoria nodded, watching Brutus play. She was a kind and gentle soul, and any other cats misfortunes or hardships made her infinitely sad. Tumblebrutus had suffered terribly, and her heart broke for him. It was one of the perils of being as sensitive as young Victoria was. She turned back to Mistoffelees.
"Have you no one like that here in the tribe? I mean-" she stalled for a moment. "I have no one to confess my innermost thoughts to, but it's because I'm...well, rather new here." She looped a finger through the D-ring of her pale pink collar, looking a bit uncomfortable. "How lang have you been with the Jellicles?"
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Post by Mistoffelees on May 31, 2010 22:57:31 GMT -5
"Since I was a kitten, pretty much. I'm not sure much more; I don't remember life not as a Jellicle cat. Even the human family can't keep me in." The last sentiment was said a little proudly as he stretched, and shook his head. "Oh, I have friends, dear friends, but it's different. What I'm looking for, that is. It's hard to say." He paused. "Plus, at times it's a little difficult having your best friend be somewhat older than you."
Tugger.
"Or rather most of your close friends. The other toms... Well, no, I don't want to gossip." Something said with distaste.
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Post by Tumblebrutus on May 31, 2010 23:24:59 GMT -5
As if sensing he were being talked about, the tom in question lifted his head, giving a glance around but not spotting the pair. He shrugged it off before setting down to concentrate. Cartwheels turned into roundhouses into handsprings into flips and tumbling passes, moves broken up by leaps, twists, pirouettes, slides, extensions.
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Post by Victoria on May 31, 2010 23:47:10 GMT -5
Oh." Victoria looked down at her hands, knitted tightly in her lap. Misto had been with the Jellicle's since he was far younger than she. Despite the fact they both had human 'families', he'd been a part of the tribe for years.
She looked back up at the mention of the other toms, but at the look on his face she decided not to push it. "Who's your best friend?" She asked, still watching Brutus stop playing with the ball, and begin practicing gymnastics. "Wow. He's really good." She muttered.
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Post by Mistoffelees on May 31, 2010 23:56:29 GMT -5
"Tugger," Mistoffelees replied without even taking a moment to think about it, though he did add, "Skimble and Bomba closely follow." Three cats significantly older than him. That's just the way it was.
But, without giving another moment for her to ask, he continued with, "He's a prodigy." A reference to Tumblebrutus. "Unbelievably athletic, smart. Could have it all if he actually had any guidance, but I don't see anyone giving that to him soon."
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Post by Victoria on Jun 4, 2010 0:20:39 GMT -5
Victoria nodded, still transfixed by Brutus. "Amazing," she muttered under her breath, truly impressed. She cocked her head to one side as he listed off his friends.
"If you don't mind my saying, they're all a bit older than you are, right?" She wasn't quite positive about ages in the Junkyard yet, but she could hazard a guess. She stared back out at Tumblebrutus. "He has no one to support him? That's just awful."
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Post by Mistoffelees on Jun 4, 2010 11:13:42 GMT -5
Mistoffelees tensed a little bit. "Skimble's 35. Tugger and Bomba... honestly, I've never really asked how old they are. Probably twenties... somewhere." He frowned further as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"And for support, I mean, it's hard when your father's on the road, your brother's a niphead,and--"
He paused, blinking a moment, not really liking to rat on his friends. Of course she'd know about Tumblebrutus losing his sister; anyone around then knew and walked on pins and needles around him. Even Mistoffelees, though thinking about it he was pretty sure that wasn't the best idea. But, the question tugged if she was surprised at the other's isolation.
Carefully, he voiced it. "You... do know that Skimbleshanks is Brutus and Victor's father... don't you?"
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Post by Tumblebrutus on Jun 5, 2010 23:13:23 GMT -5
After another bout of dance, Tumblebrutus gave a soft sigh, slowing down, a melancholy having settled. Something he didn't want to think about. Something he tried to mask with a smile as he did a tumbling pass, landing almost flawlessly.
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Post by Victoria on Jun 8, 2010 1:38:07 GMT -5
Victoria looked down at her lap, wringing her paws. "I, I really don't know much about anyone." She looked back up at him eyes almost pleasing, searching. "Yet." she added as a hasty afterthought. "I mean, I know...enough. I know about Tumblebrutus. But um, you know, I'm kind of new around here."
She tried to keep the note of sadness out of her voice. She wanted to be a part of this tribe so badly, but every time she thought she knew people, she discovered that there was some even deeper level of connection these cats had with each other that she as beginning to think she'd never achieve.
She ached for acceptance, but now was not the time to ask for it. Not when there was such beauty and skill being enacted before her. "He's so talented. For all he's been through. What his life is like. It's touching."
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Post by Mistoffelees on Jun 8, 2010 8:40:06 GMT -5
"I never really thought about it as touching. I think of it as sad, mainly. Then again, I find a lot of things with the younger Jellicles to be sad. The batch that's just a little older--Victor, Plato, Alonzo, Admetus--they just do their own thing. Plato's so stupid, too. Ugh. Do yourself a favor and don't waste any time on him."
He stretched a little before smiling once more at Tumblebrutus. "He really is quite cute, isn't he?"
Well, that was one way to put it out there, see if she even noticed, picked up on his meaning.
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Post by Victoria on Jun 13, 2010 20:15:11 GMT -5
"It's touching that he's managed to have such skill with such tragedy in his past." She said, trying to rephrase. She nodded at his mention of the other toms in the Junkyard. She knew them by name, but was still a bit fuzzy on faces. "I'll take your advice." She smiled, making a mental note and, Plato, was it?
At his comment about Brutus, she looked at him, blue eyes alight with interest. "Yes, I suppose he is. Not really my type though." She was still a kitten. She didn't have a type. He type was Tugger, and that was that. Her eyes took on a questioning, sly quality. "But yeah. He's cute."
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Post by Mistoffelees on Jun 13, 2010 20:41:44 GMT -5
"Very cute," Mistoffelees commented, eyes not leaving the tom. "... then again, I suppose he wouldn't be your type since he's a year younger than me, but that's still within my limits. Funny how I find him more attractive than Pouncival considering ages." Another little test. He glanced to the side at Victoria, gaging her reaction.
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Post by Victoria on Jun 13, 2010 20:56:17 GMT -5
Mistoffelees liked toms. Huh. Victoria shrugged internally. She'd been raised without prejudice. She found herself almost happy that she could talk about toms with him.
"Yeah. I guess I like my toms a bit older." She giggled. "But I guess my type is just...well, Tugger." She snorted. "But then again, so do all the kittens." It was no secret all the young queens in the yard were into Tugger, she had no problem admitting it.
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Post by Mistoffelees on Jun 13, 2010 21:35:30 GMT -5
Tugger...
A smile came to the cat's face as he gave a head nod, though he wouldn't admit it. Never would.
"All the girls do. Even Plato." A bit of a smirk at the last part. It was almost pathetic how much Plato worshipped the cat.
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Post by Tumblebrutus on Jun 15, 2010 21:10:47 GMT -5
Tumblebrutus allowed his body to turn, just like his head, as he seemed to follow and just notice the eyes on him. He squinted, hand pressed to his brow before flushing, a little wave given before walking more stiffly off, embarrassed at having been watched.
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Post by Victoria on Jun 17, 2010 23:03:04 GMT -5
Victoria giggled, covering her hand with her mouth. "Well, come on. There's a lot to worship." She blushed a bit, feeling as though she'd suddenly become too friendly. Like she was talking too much about someone she didn't know.
Victoria watched Tumble notice them, and the embarrassment color his face. She frowned. "You're, er, really talented!" she called after him, searching for the right words.
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Post by Mistoffelees on Jun 17, 2010 23:20:59 GMT -5
Mistoffelees was thankful for the distraction with Tumblebrutus leaving. "She's right," he called before looking at her. "He won't stop or believe it. Really pathetic in a sad sort of way." He stretched a little bit before looking at her.
"I'm amazed," he said after a moment. "Amazed that you don't seem the least bit fazed about me liking toms instead of queens. It truly doesn't bother you? Truly?"
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Post by Victoria on Jun 17, 2010 23:27:44 GMT -5
Victoria shrugged."That's so sad. If I...knew him better I'd probably go talk to him." She left it unsaid that she felt far too much like an outsider to do anything of the sort.
At his question, she turned to him, eyes turning hard and honest. "Why should it bother me?" She shrugged her shoulder. "Prejudice is stupid." The words were blunt and a little childish, but they expressed her feelings exactly.
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Post by Mistoffelees on Jun 18, 2010 10:34:02 GMT -5
A smile broke out over Mistoffelees' face then, something genuine and warm. "That's the way I always felt." Setting aside his prejudice against stupid cats, because that, to him, didn't count since they deserved to be stupid most of the time, he gave a scoot closer to the queen.
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Post by Victoria on Jun 29, 2010 16:42:52 GMT -5
Victoria smiled to herself as Mistoffelees scooted closer. She was glad for the contact. She turned her head to him with a bit of a frown.
"How do the rest of the tribe feel about it? Do they even know?" She'd hate to out him by mistake, if he wasn't ready. Then again, if he didn't want anyone knowing why would he tell her?
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Post by Mistoffelees on Jun 29, 2010 21:10:53 GMT -5
Mistoffelees paused. "You know... I'm not sure about that, actually. It's not like it's exactly come up in conversation, the liking sort of thing. Probably they think I just don't like queens yet... not that I just... don't like queens." Another moment, some sort of reflection. "I wouldn't say..." His voice trailed off. "I mean, it's not as if it were supposed to be a secret. Because it's not a secret."
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Post by Victoria on Jul 10, 2010 2:40:13 GMT -5
Victoria smiled at him, her beaming, utterly innocent smile. "That's perfectly understandable." She said. "Very logical." She shrugged her shoulders."At least you're willing to be open about it. I'm impressed."
She leaned back onto her elbows. "You're honest. I like that." She turned her head to look at him, still grinning. The more she stayed, the more she liked this place.
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