Post by ilikegirlstoo on Dec 18, 2010 15:48:37 GMT -5
Plato is 15, Admetus is 18, and Munkustrap is 21 in this.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap sat over the pipe, head hanging low. He'd just seen Socrates off, who wouldn't even say goodbye. How could the older cat live with the guilt of leaving behind his son? Sure, he had kittens elsewhere, legitimate ones, ones not tainted by cursed blood, but Plato was a good kit. Maybe he could be obnoxious about girls, worse ever since he hit puberty a few years ago and thought Tugger was the best thing since a nap in the sun, but he meant well. If there ever was a cat who had compassion, it was Plato, even if he showed it in tactless ways.
So, how was he supposed to talk to the fifteen-year-old? He had no idea.
Moonykins: Admetus, great timing as always, appeared behind a pipe and spotted Munkustrap. He looked upset, burdened by his thoughts. Frowning, Admetus slowly approached the silver tabby.
"Is… Is everything okay, Munkustrap?" he asked softly, hesitantly.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap jerked. "Yeah, yeah, everything's--" And he paused. Admetus. Plato's cousin. Maybe it was a blessing in itself. He gestured to the spot next to him. "Got a moment? ... things... it's not good." What else could he even say as an intro? "It's about Plato."
Moonykins: "Oh," Admetus said simply, ears drooping a little. He sat down next to Munkustrap, curiously eyeing the slightly older tom. "What's going on? Has something happened to him?" he asked, worry now starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. Ever since Admetus had come to live with the Jellicles, him and Plato had grown very close, and Admetus felt more like Plato was his younger brother than his cousin.
Push Upstairs: "Inadvertently, yes." Munkustrap rubbed his hands together. "Socrates left." He waited, wanting to make sure the words sunk in before more detail.
Moonykins: Admetus just stared at Munkustrap for a while, the words sinking in. "Fuck," he said quietly, rubbing a hand over his face. "And Plato doesn't know?" Oh, he'd be devastated. He'd be heartbroken. Oh, this was bad. This was very very bad.
Push Upstairs: "No. He asked me to tell Plato." He sighed before stretching back. "I always suspected Plato was illegitimate, but were you aware of any instances of incest?" He shook his head then. "Socrates is convinced that Plato is a sort of punishment, so he left."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded slowly. "I suspected, but I didn't know for sure," he said and sighed. "Poor Plato. He adores his father, he'll be crushed if we tell him why Socrates left."
Push Upstairs: "Yeah. It's definitely not something I'm looking forward to. I'm not sure how to tell him." He rubbed his forehead before laying back on the pipe. The sky was getting dim. Who even know where Plato was? Probably eating or chasing queens somewhere. Maybe spending time with Alonzo.
"So, what do I do? You wanna be there when I tell him?"
Moonykins: Admetus mirrored Munkustrap and lay down too, frowning up on the darkening sky. Gone was every last shred of good mood. He made an unhappy sound, deep in his throat. "I honestly don't know. I almost don't want to tell him. I'm not sure he could handle it. He's such a ham generally, but really, he's quite fragile. I'm scared this might shatter him," he said quietly. Fuck. He didn't want to lie to Plato, but… He also wanted to protect Plato from any harm he could.
Push Upstairs: "You want me to keep it from him?" Munkustrap asked, a little bit surprised. Though, thinking about it, his poise relaxed a little. "Well..." A hesitation. "Maybe we could tell him he left but... soften the reason as to why. Then we'll avoid inadequacy problems. As much as I can't stand that huge ego, I'd hate to get the opposite." He rubbed his forehead, sighing with stress. "What do you think about that?"
Moonykins: Admetus sighed. "I don't really want to lie to him, but I also don't know if he'd be able to handle the truth. I think your idea could work, though. Just… not telling him that Socrates left because of him," he said, and fell quiet. "He can be really obnoxious, I'll admit, but I'm pretty sure the truth would destroy him."
Push Upstairs: He rubbed his forehead before turning on his stomach, ears flattening to the side. "Talk about shitty. If I ever walk out on my kittens, I hope someone runs over me with a car."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded his agreement, frown creasing his face again. "I don't understand how any cat could be so heartless. It's not Plato's fault. He shouldn't be punished," he said sadly.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap sat up then with a deep sigh. "I guess we should get it over with. Well, we. I'm assuming you want to come. Might be nice if he has some family there to be with. He might get lonely." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Keep him out of trouble. Hopefully."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded. "I suppose we'd better. And yeah. I want to be there. In case he needs comfort or something. I need to be there for him," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly. This was going to be hard.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap nodded his head. "Then let's get this going. I don't want to wait too long." He walked ahead, and sighed heavily. It was hard to believe Socrates, the cat who helped teach Munkustrap most of what he knew, was gone.
For a rare moment, Plato was alone. One of the large human radios that was discarded played, its battery case broken. The radiostation it was on sometimes would get fuzzy, but it didn't deter the cat as he leapt and turned in dance, thriving on it, the hints of his prodigy coming out.
Moonykins: Admetus followed Munkustrap, his shoulders somewhat slumped. He was not looking forward to this. At all.
When they spotted Plato, Admetus hesitated. Plato looked so happy, so peaceful, contentedly practicing his dance moves. Boy, could that kid dance. Admetus sighed. They had to get this over with. Sooner rather than later.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap walked forward, waving before covering his ears. Plato was good but his music was always so loud. Turning it off, he watched as Plato almost seemed to freeze in the air with a turning jeté. When he landed, he scowled. "I was almost done."
"You can go back to it soon. This is important, Plato."
Plato snorted.
Moonykins: "Plato, please listen. It really is important," Admetus pleaded, stepping forward and placing a hand on Plato's shoulder. He looked at Munkustrap, still hesitant, still not sure how to go about telling Plato. Damn you, Socrates.
Push Upstairs: Plato paused, then his eyes widened. "Hey, hey, if it's about the nip, it totally wasn't my idea. That was Lonz's. I didn't even know what it was! I thought it was like.... clover... or something... and um..."
Munkustrap groaned. "You're not in trouble."
"Oh. So why the hell is it important? It's not some innermention, is it?"
"Intervention," Munkustrap automatically corrected. "And no. It's about your Dad." A pause. "Your.... Dad left... to teach."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded. "Socrates is gone, Plato. He left not too long ago," he said quietly, and hesitated. Munkustrap seemed to be forming a story. Hopefully Plato would buy it.
Push Upstairs: "So he's not going to be back for dinner?" Plato asked, a little confused, and a lot quiet.
"No... no, Plato..." Munkustrap started to panic. "He... he had to leave. It was more of an urgent matter with some cats in Ukraine. There's no education there. There was a chance for him to travel there so he could help the literacy rate and he waited for you so he could say he loved you but he wasn't able to. So he asked us to pass that on."
Plato's confusion didn't quite vanquish, but added to it was a bit of sadness. "How long's it take to get to Ukraine?"
"... a long time."
"Like a few weeks? That means he could be gone for like a month or two."
Moonykins: Admetus shook his head. "No, Plato…. He's… not coming back."
Push Upstairs: "... but he has to. It's home. I mean, the U.K. isn't that big. Where's Ukraine?" Plato said, then looking far more tense. "He couldn't not come back. What's that supposed to mean?" He stood taller, trying to show more confidence than he had. The mask for that was thin, however.
"He's... trying to help teach some of the young cats how to read in that country. Don't you think that's a noble cause?" Munkustrap wasn't sure how to address it. Sometimes it was hard with words around the younger tom; it was difficult to tell what he really understood or didn't.
"Why can't he do that here?" Plato demanded. "He never taught me that stuff ever. Why would he do that?!"
"... it's just..." Munkustrap sighed. "I don't know."
"You're lying. He wouldn't do that. He's probably gonna be here any minute."
Moonykins: Admetus sighed. "I wish he was, but he's not. Socrates is not coming back," he said quietly. He felt at a loss for words. He really didn't know what to tell Plato.
Push Upstairs: Plato made a bit of a face then. "Not ever?"
"He... might." Munkustrap exhaled. "... maybe... years and years... down the road..." It was the only thing he could think of, maybe a mistake to say in an attempt to comfort the youth as it seemed to sink in. His poise had already started to morph entirely.
Moonykins: "Yes… he… he might. Not anytime soon, though," Admetus agreed carefully. Hopefully they were doing the right thing. All he wanted was to protect Plato.
Push Upstairs: Plato seemed still sad but mildly relieved by that comfort. A nod was given to show he at least acknowledged the situation. His face fell.
Moonykins: Admetus' ears drooped. "I'm sorry."
Push Upstairs: "If there's anything we can do--" Munkustrap began but he was already walking off the other direction.
Plato scuffled a bit before climbing up on some broken wood piles and junk before sitting down, knees pulled to his chest as he gazed out. His father was really gone?
Moonykins: Admetus hesitated, but then followed Plato, climbing up next to him. He sat down and wrapped an arm around his cousin's shoulders, but said nothing.
Push Upstairs: Plato almost tensed before leaning into the hold. "You really think he's gone for good?" Plato asked, all too honest. Maybe a bit pathetic with his hoping.
Moonykins: Admetus sighed. "I really wish I didn't, but… Yes. I don't think he's coming back. At least not for a very long time…" he murmured.
Push Upstairs: Plato's shoulders dropped and he pulled away from Admetus just enough. "Why? Why's he teaching them how to learn stuff good and not me?"
Moonykins: Admetus frowned and let his arm fall from Plato's shoulders. "I wish I knew… I really wish I knew…" he said quietly, rubbing a hand over his eyes. This wasn't fair. He desperately wanted to punch Socrates.
Push Upstairs: "Well. Doesn't matter. He'll be back. I think." He paused before nodding. Had to.
Moonykins: He nodded. "Hopefully." He really did hope Socrates would come to his senses, and realize what he'd given up on.
Push Upstairs: Plato rounded his shoulders. He wasn't sure what to do, if there was anything to even be done. He rose to his feet. "I'm hungry.."
Moonykins: Admetus blinked. That wasn't the reaction he'd expected. He decided not to question it, though, and just nodded in stead, also rising to his feet. "Let's go find something to eat, then."
Push Upstairs: "Yeah. Yeah, something." Maybe it was just a distraction, little more than that, but well, it was hard to absorb everything Munkustrap had said. His father was doing a good thing helping but... why not him? Why didn't he take just a few minutes to say goodbye? It was the only parent he had.
Moonykins: Admetus fidgeted. He had no idea what to say. He never knew his father, so he didn't really know what abandonment felt like. He sighed. "What do you fancy?"
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap sat over the pipe, head hanging low. He'd just seen Socrates off, who wouldn't even say goodbye. How could the older cat live with the guilt of leaving behind his son? Sure, he had kittens elsewhere, legitimate ones, ones not tainted by cursed blood, but Plato was a good kit. Maybe he could be obnoxious about girls, worse ever since he hit puberty a few years ago and thought Tugger was the best thing since a nap in the sun, but he meant well. If there ever was a cat who had compassion, it was Plato, even if he showed it in tactless ways.
So, how was he supposed to talk to the fifteen-year-old? He had no idea.
Moonykins: Admetus, great timing as always, appeared behind a pipe and spotted Munkustrap. He looked upset, burdened by his thoughts. Frowning, Admetus slowly approached the silver tabby.
"Is… Is everything okay, Munkustrap?" he asked softly, hesitantly.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap jerked. "Yeah, yeah, everything's--" And he paused. Admetus. Plato's cousin. Maybe it was a blessing in itself. He gestured to the spot next to him. "Got a moment? ... things... it's not good." What else could he even say as an intro? "It's about Plato."
Moonykins: "Oh," Admetus said simply, ears drooping a little. He sat down next to Munkustrap, curiously eyeing the slightly older tom. "What's going on? Has something happened to him?" he asked, worry now starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. Ever since Admetus had come to live with the Jellicles, him and Plato had grown very close, and Admetus felt more like Plato was his younger brother than his cousin.
Push Upstairs: "Inadvertently, yes." Munkustrap rubbed his hands together. "Socrates left." He waited, wanting to make sure the words sunk in before more detail.
Moonykins: Admetus just stared at Munkustrap for a while, the words sinking in. "Fuck," he said quietly, rubbing a hand over his face. "And Plato doesn't know?" Oh, he'd be devastated. He'd be heartbroken. Oh, this was bad. This was very very bad.
Push Upstairs: "No. He asked me to tell Plato." He sighed before stretching back. "I always suspected Plato was illegitimate, but were you aware of any instances of incest?" He shook his head then. "Socrates is convinced that Plato is a sort of punishment, so he left."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded slowly. "I suspected, but I didn't know for sure," he said and sighed. "Poor Plato. He adores his father, he'll be crushed if we tell him why Socrates left."
Push Upstairs: "Yeah. It's definitely not something I'm looking forward to. I'm not sure how to tell him." He rubbed his forehead before laying back on the pipe. The sky was getting dim. Who even know where Plato was? Probably eating or chasing queens somewhere. Maybe spending time with Alonzo.
"So, what do I do? You wanna be there when I tell him?"
Moonykins: Admetus mirrored Munkustrap and lay down too, frowning up on the darkening sky. Gone was every last shred of good mood. He made an unhappy sound, deep in his throat. "I honestly don't know. I almost don't want to tell him. I'm not sure he could handle it. He's such a ham generally, but really, he's quite fragile. I'm scared this might shatter him," he said quietly. Fuck. He didn't want to lie to Plato, but… He also wanted to protect Plato from any harm he could.
Push Upstairs: "You want me to keep it from him?" Munkustrap asked, a little bit surprised. Though, thinking about it, his poise relaxed a little. "Well..." A hesitation. "Maybe we could tell him he left but... soften the reason as to why. Then we'll avoid inadequacy problems. As much as I can't stand that huge ego, I'd hate to get the opposite." He rubbed his forehead, sighing with stress. "What do you think about that?"
Moonykins: Admetus sighed. "I don't really want to lie to him, but I also don't know if he'd be able to handle the truth. I think your idea could work, though. Just… not telling him that Socrates left because of him," he said, and fell quiet. "He can be really obnoxious, I'll admit, but I'm pretty sure the truth would destroy him."
Push Upstairs: He rubbed his forehead before turning on his stomach, ears flattening to the side. "Talk about shitty. If I ever walk out on my kittens, I hope someone runs over me with a car."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded his agreement, frown creasing his face again. "I don't understand how any cat could be so heartless. It's not Plato's fault. He shouldn't be punished," he said sadly.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap sat up then with a deep sigh. "I guess we should get it over with. Well, we. I'm assuming you want to come. Might be nice if he has some family there to be with. He might get lonely." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Keep him out of trouble. Hopefully."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded. "I suppose we'd better. And yeah. I want to be there. In case he needs comfort or something. I need to be there for him," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly. This was going to be hard.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap nodded his head. "Then let's get this going. I don't want to wait too long." He walked ahead, and sighed heavily. It was hard to believe Socrates, the cat who helped teach Munkustrap most of what he knew, was gone.
For a rare moment, Plato was alone. One of the large human radios that was discarded played, its battery case broken. The radiostation it was on sometimes would get fuzzy, but it didn't deter the cat as he leapt and turned in dance, thriving on it, the hints of his prodigy coming out.
Moonykins: Admetus followed Munkustrap, his shoulders somewhat slumped. He was not looking forward to this. At all.
When they spotted Plato, Admetus hesitated. Plato looked so happy, so peaceful, contentedly practicing his dance moves. Boy, could that kid dance. Admetus sighed. They had to get this over with. Sooner rather than later.
Push Upstairs: Munkustrap walked forward, waving before covering his ears. Plato was good but his music was always so loud. Turning it off, he watched as Plato almost seemed to freeze in the air with a turning jeté. When he landed, he scowled. "I was almost done."
"You can go back to it soon. This is important, Plato."
Plato snorted.
Moonykins: "Plato, please listen. It really is important," Admetus pleaded, stepping forward and placing a hand on Plato's shoulder. He looked at Munkustrap, still hesitant, still not sure how to go about telling Plato. Damn you, Socrates.
Push Upstairs: Plato paused, then his eyes widened. "Hey, hey, if it's about the nip, it totally wasn't my idea. That was Lonz's. I didn't even know what it was! I thought it was like.... clover... or something... and um..."
Munkustrap groaned. "You're not in trouble."
"Oh. So why the hell is it important? It's not some innermention, is it?"
"Intervention," Munkustrap automatically corrected. "And no. It's about your Dad." A pause. "Your.... Dad left... to teach."
Moonykins: Admetus nodded. "Socrates is gone, Plato. He left not too long ago," he said quietly, and hesitated. Munkustrap seemed to be forming a story. Hopefully Plato would buy it.
Push Upstairs: "So he's not going to be back for dinner?" Plato asked, a little confused, and a lot quiet.
"No... no, Plato..." Munkustrap started to panic. "He... he had to leave. It was more of an urgent matter with some cats in Ukraine. There's no education there. There was a chance for him to travel there so he could help the literacy rate and he waited for you so he could say he loved you but he wasn't able to. So he asked us to pass that on."
Plato's confusion didn't quite vanquish, but added to it was a bit of sadness. "How long's it take to get to Ukraine?"
"... a long time."
"Like a few weeks? That means he could be gone for like a month or two."
Moonykins: Admetus shook his head. "No, Plato…. He's… not coming back."
Push Upstairs: "... but he has to. It's home. I mean, the U.K. isn't that big. Where's Ukraine?" Plato said, then looking far more tense. "He couldn't not come back. What's that supposed to mean?" He stood taller, trying to show more confidence than he had. The mask for that was thin, however.
"He's... trying to help teach some of the young cats how to read in that country. Don't you think that's a noble cause?" Munkustrap wasn't sure how to address it. Sometimes it was hard with words around the younger tom; it was difficult to tell what he really understood or didn't.
"Why can't he do that here?" Plato demanded. "He never taught me that stuff ever. Why would he do that?!"
"... it's just..." Munkustrap sighed. "I don't know."
"You're lying. He wouldn't do that. He's probably gonna be here any minute."
Moonykins: Admetus sighed. "I wish he was, but he's not. Socrates is not coming back," he said quietly. He felt at a loss for words. He really didn't know what to tell Plato.
Push Upstairs: Plato made a bit of a face then. "Not ever?"
"He... might." Munkustrap exhaled. "... maybe... years and years... down the road..." It was the only thing he could think of, maybe a mistake to say in an attempt to comfort the youth as it seemed to sink in. His poise had already started to morph entirely.
Moonykins: "Yes… he… he might. Not anytime soon, though," Admetus agreed carefully. Hopefully they were doing the right thing. All he wanted was to protect Plato.
Push Upstairs: Plato seemed still sad but mildly relieved by that comfort. A nod was given to show he at least acknowledged the situation. His face fell.
Moonykins: Admetus' ears drooped. "I'm sorry."
Push Upstairs: "If there's anything we can do--" Munkustrap began but he was already walking off the other direction.
Plato scuffled a bit before climbing up on some broken wood piles and junk before sitting down, knees pulled to his chest as he gazed out. His father was really gone?
Moonykins: Admetus hesitated, but then followed Plato, climbing up next to him. He sat down and wrapped an arm around his cousin's shoulders, but said nothing.
Push Upstairs: Plato almost tensed before leaning into the hold. "You really think he's gone for good?" Plato asked, all too honest. Maybe a bit pathetic with his hoping.
Moonykins: Admetus sighed. "I really wish I didn't, but… Yes. I don't think he's coming back. At least not for a very long time…" he murmured.
Push Upstairs: Plato's shoulders dropped and he pulled away from Admetus just enough. "Why? Why's he teaching them how to learn stuff good and not me?"
Moonykins: Admetus frowned and let his arm fall from Plato's shoulders. "I wish I knew… I really wish I knew…" he said quietly, rubbing a hand over his eyes. This wasn't fair. He desperately wanted to punch Socrates.
Push Upstairs: "Well. Doesn't matter. He'll be back. I think." He paused before nodding. Had to.
Moonykins: He nodded. "Hopefully." He really did hope Socrates would come to his senses, and realize what he'd given up on.
Push Upstairs: Plato rounded his shoulders. He wasn't sure what to do, if there was anything to even be done. He rose to his feet. "I'm hungry.."
Moonykins: Admetus blinked. That wasn't the reaction he'd expected. He decided not to question it, though, and just nodded in stead, also rising to his feet. "Let's go find something to eat, then."
Push Upstairs: "Yeah. Yeah, something." Maybe it was just a distraction, little more than that, but well, it was hard to absorb everything Munkustrap had said. His father was doing a good thing helping but... why not him? Why didn't he take just a few minutes to say goodbye? It was the only parent he had.
Moonykins: Admetus fidgeted. He had no idea what to say. He never knew his father, so he didn't really know what abandonment felt like. He sighed. "What do you fancy?"