Honey, I'm Home [DONE]

[isthatasock]

"Oh, she's here," Skimble assured. "It's just that with my work on the trains and all, well, we never managed a stable relationship."

[kamaria]

"Oh, I see," Kamaria said quietly. "I thought love was stronger than that... But then, what do I know of love?"

[isthatasock]

"Love is strong," Skimbleshanks said. "But some things just aren't meant to be. Or I'm just getting cynical in my old age," he added, smiling.

[kamaria]

Kamaria nodded.

"I don't think all hope is lost for you just yet, though," she said with a smile.

[Tumblebrutus]

Lost.

He felt lost.

The tom had picked himself up, the stress of Victor and Mistoffelees' argument having been too much, and he'd blanked out. He was by a tree, but didn't know how he got there, or where he was going. Partly, he wanted to mewl for help, but the other part sensed an adventure, a detached one.

A step was taken forward, then another, and another, and another.

Steps that didn't slow until he realized there was company. More familiar company. His father, and a younger queen. A familiar one. His mind felt fuzzy as he tried to remember more; this happened too often when he was stressed. Happened on and off since he was an adolescent.

There was so much blood on Claudia's corpse.

"Daddy?" he called, softly, not masking the light confusion in his tone. "You're here?"

[isthatasock]

Skimbleshanks was about to reply when he stopped. "Tumble?" he thought.

No one else would have been able to hear from there, but as often as he was away, Skimble was still a natural parent.

"Excuse me," he said quickly, bustling off in the direction of the call.

[Tumblebrutus]

The cat continued walking forward. The two figures separated, one approaching him. Closer, and closer, they'd meet partway.

Skimbleshanks was 22 years Tumble's senior. Not a huge age gap in retrospect. Sometimes Skimbleshanks seemed more like Tumblebrutus's friend than a father to the youth.

But not in this case.

He came to a stop, then looked past his father to Kamaria's form. "Daddy?" again, the address, something shy. "... who's that?"

Disorientation once more.

[isthatasock]

Skimble didn't answer right away. This was not a normal greeting. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Tumble?" he asked cautiously. "What's the matter?"

[Tumblebrutus]

The tom didn't draw his eyes from Kamaria. The stress was overwhelming. He hated arguments. Raised voices, yelling, the idea of casual sex, what came because of it. His sister was murdered because of it. He could practically smell the blood still. The only way to escape was to withdraw from the situation.

Any terse situation, he'd be quiet in.

Any time voices raised, he'd revert to it.

"Loud." He was quiet then. "So loud."

[isthatasock]

"What was loud?" Skimble asked gently, putting his hands on Tumble's shoulders.

He knew something bad had happened. Something to make him go like this. If someone was to blame than Skimble would not be at all polite about it.

[Tumblebrutus]

"I don't remember..." He frowned as he looked up, biting his lower lip anxiously, again looking to Kamaria. "Are you staying tonight, Daddy? I don't wanna go home alone. Not tonight."

[isthatasock]

"It's ok," Skimble said, pulling Tumble in and holding him. "I'm staying for a while."

"But Tumble, what happened?"

[Tumblebrutus]

"I don't know," the tom said softly. "I don't know."

He frowned, then exhaled deeply. Blocking it out always was the way he functioned best. This was best. He was all right. His father was safe. The tom smiled as he squeezed the other.

[isthatasock]

Skimbleshanks sighed and just held his son.

"You don't know of anything that's been happening, do you?" he asked Kamaria.

[kamaria]

Kamaria hesitated when Tumble appeared, and hung back, leaving the two to talk alone, until Skimble spoke to her. She walked slowly over to the two, frowning.
"No, I haven't heard anything, I'm sorry," she said, and gently touched Tumble's shoulder. They didn't know each other particularly well, but Kamaria had instantly taken a liking to the younger tom. He was a good kid.
"What's wrong, hon? Are you okay?"

[Tumblebrutus]

He nodded his head a little, the smile playing on his lips though he seemed removed from the situation. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't put a name to her. An anything, really.

"Mmmhmm," he murmured. "I can't find Pounce."

But had he been even looking in the first place? He wasn't certain.

[isthatasock]

"Well I'm sure he's around somewhere," Skimble said, putting on a light air. "He can't be too far."

Surely Pouncival would cheer Tumblebrutus up. He always seemed to.

[Tumblebrutus]

The tom nodded his head before resting his face against Skimble's chest, closing his eyes. It was quiet then. He could breathe. He'd try to find Pouncival. They could play a bit. It'd be okay. It'd all be okay.

[kamaria]

Kamaria stepped back a bit, feeling a little like she was intruding on their father/son moment. Seeing how tender Skimble was with Tumble made her smile.
A twinge of something else, too. For a second, she wished she was the one in Skimble's arms. Where on earth did that come from?!

[Tumblebrutus]

"So it's fine if I play with him?"

A permission asked, the same way he used to when he was considerably younger, though he at least seemed more content, not as lost and wandering, eyes bright as they always were.

[isthatasock]

"Of course," Skimble said, still smiling yet bemused.

"No point in sitting around this time of day," he encouraged.

[kamaria]

Kamaria smiled. Tumble was returning to his normal up-beat self. Good.

"Your father is right," she said, still smiling. "It's a beautiful day, it would be a shame not to do anything with it!"

[Tumblebrutus]

The tom pulled away from his father then, a last look given up before he looked at Kamaria with a smallish smile. "I'm gonna try to find Pounce. Bye Dad, bye Claudia."

He trotted off before realizing the slip of name. An error. A slip in his psyche. An indicator.

Tumblebrutus generally was a happy cat. Where many would succumb to depression in regard to PTSD, he repressed it, regressing. It was easier that way, to believe it didn't happen, to block out the negatives.

[isthatasock]

Skimble just stared in silence after Tumblebrutus. Did he just say...

"Excuse me," he said quietly, moving to sit down, rubbing his temples. He did not need this today.

[kamaria]

Kamaria blinked. Claudia?

"Who is Claudia?" she asked, frowning, first at Tumble's back, moving away, and then at Skimble, also moving away.

What the hell just happened?

[isthatasock]

"His sister," Skimble muttered, looking at the ground.

Why couldn't this just be a nice welcome home, Dad?

[kamaria]

Sister? "I wasn't aware there's a sister, I thought it was just Tumble and Victor?" she said, and then hesitated. Skimbleshanks seemed upset, and Kamaria always thought she was rubbish at comforting. She still tried, though. Hesitantly, she gently touched his shoulder, and hoped he would take it for what it was - an offer of comfort and support. She always tried to be there for her friends. She wanted to be there for Skimble, too.

[isthatasock]

"She died," Skimbleshanks said blankly. "Years ago."

He didn't move or react to the touch. It wasn't worth noticing at that point.

[kamaria]

A pang of pain, not for herself, but from sympathy. She didn't know what it felt like, losing someone, since she had been too young to remember being taken away from her mother and siblings. Still, losing someone must be the worst pain imaginable, she thought. She fidgeted a little, feeling like she was just making everything worse.
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea," she said quietly.
"Look, you're upset, and I'm... Not doing a very good job of making things better. Just tell me to bugger off if you want to be alone..."

[isthatasock]

"Something must have happened," Skimbel thought out loud, not noticing her comments. "For him to regress like that... He's really upset."