Edwin Payne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
technicallyhellbound) wrote2025-09-06 12:41 am
technicallyhellbound) wrote2025-09-06 12:41 am
Ghostcat shenanigans
It had been a few weeks since they'd started this arrangement, and so far the Cat had, in fact, been a surprising amount of help. Enough so that Charles had stopped being mostly on-guard while in his presence and had even taken the 'puppy' nickname in stride, though he still hadn't really looked too deeply at why it didn't bother him as much as it probably should.
That particular day was neither a Monday nor a Friday, and was in fact a Wednesday, so while it wasn't one of their scheduled briefings, it was a visit that had been arranged in advance, a few hours while Crystal and Charles were at a concert, the kind of thing that while Edwin enjoyed being invited to, really wasn't the kind of thing he actually enjoyed going to, and the others both knew it, which was why they continued to invite him, even if he always declined.
It was late afternoon, not yet early evening when he stepped out of the mirror into the cannery, tugging at the collar of his slipover in much the same way he did the lapels of his usual jacket. He'd been branching out from his usual look, just a little, in bits and pieces, and now had something of a range of shades of those softer jumpers, this one was a deep bottle-green and was nearly a cowl-neck, but definitely less severe than his usual look.
It had been raining in London, or rather it had been misting heavily, and he wasn't quite sure if it was still raining here or if it had just finished, there wasn't the same kind of moisture in the air, which meant that if it was raining it hadn't been doing so for long, and all he knew was that the Cat had something planned for them to do, he was only now considering that he probably should have asked a few more questions beforehand.
That particular day was neither a Monday nor a Friday, and was in fact a Wednesday, so while it wasn't one of their scheduled briefings, it was a visit that had been arranged in advance, a few hours while Crystal and Charles were at a concert, the kind of thing that while Edwin enjoyed being invited to, really wasn't the kind of thing he actually enjoyed going to, and the others both knew it, which was why they continued to invite him, even if he always declined.
It was late afternoon, not yet early evening when he stepped out of the mirror into the cannery, tugging at the collar of his slipover in much the same way he did the lapels of his usual jacket. He'd been branching out from his usual look, just a little, in bits and pieces, and now had something of a range of shades of those softer jumpers, this one was a deep bottle-green and was nearly a cowl-neck, but definitely less severe than his usual look.
It had been raining in London, or rather it had been misting heavily, and he wasn't quite sure if it was still raining here or if it had just finished, there wasn't the same kind of moisture in the air, which meant that if it was raining it hadn't been doing so for long, and all he knew was that the Cat had something planned for them to do, he was only now considering that he probably should have asked a few more questions beforehand.
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He opens his eyes at the sound of Edwin's voice. The gold in them is, momentarily, shot through with a few flickers of violet, but it dies down as he lets the gentle command keep him in place. It sounds like something Edwin might have said to Charles, to one of his friends, something firm but oddly comforting. It does the trick for the Cat, at least, and he manages to quiet some of the turmoil in him as he looks back into Edwin's sparkling green eyes.
The cup is almost there, two thirds of the way full. The Cat can't draw his eyes away to check, but he can tell from the way his body yearns for the end to come, and the way the room around them yearns to have it continue on and on until it's drank all the power there is on offer here. A little burst of purple behind the Cat shocks into view, like the lashing of a great tail made of violet fire, here and then gone.
The Cat manages a smile, though.
"It's alright. I've got it." He says, exhaling slowly once he's finished speaking. Edwin's eyes are so bright like this. Is it the darkness of the room making them glow like that, or is it the energy in the air amplifying their beauty? "...Your eyes are mesmerising like this. You look, like... warmer, somehow. Tangible."
It's not clear if he's talking because he's got a better hold on himself, or if he's talking to keep himself in the present moment, or both, but as he inhales and exhales another shaky breath, he manages to glance down and check the cup, finding that it's mere drops away from the rim now. Soon this will all be over.
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Granted, Edwin knew his pain tolerance, and his understanding of what should cause pain was skewed, but he'd heard from others that this way was almost pleasant in comparison.
It was hard to say if he'd been planning on saying anything else on the matter, as the last droplet tracking down the Cat's elbow had filled the cup to the rim, just shy of being kept in place by surface tension alone, "There we are." His brows both lifted, regarding the cat, "There's not an incantation or anything? I've only got to feed the line?"