Ghostcat shenanigans

[technicallyhellbound]

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.

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[catting]

There's a strange sensation that washes over him as Edwin steps ever closer to the node of the ley-line that sits beneath this cave. The Cat is expecting to feel that dread he felt with the witch, when the natural energy responded to her negative impact and became even more of a roil beneath the surface of the Earth, because even though Edwin is no witch, he's seen enough hellish things to easily have some kind of impact... but the effect is entirely different. Edwin seems clearer, in sharper focus, as though his colours pick up better the closer he gets to the line. His eyes are mesmerising like this, and for a moment the Cat almost, almost, gets lost just looking at them. A familiar feeling, and though it isn't the right time for it, it unwinds a little of the tautness of his shoulders and hands.

He exhales, physically shaking free the reverie with a little toss of his head, focusing instead on letting magic transform his very human hand to something a touch more beastlike. He then holds his other out toward Edwin, wrist first. And if it just so happens to be the perfect mirror of the wrist he picked to on Edwin to latch his caging spell around, then, well. Call it coincidence.

He smiles invitingly.

"Just here, if you don't mind. And don't worry, I promise I won't demand payback for this one."

[technicallyhellbound]

He considered for a moment, even as he drew the coiled tether from a pocket, nodding once as he looped a quick miller's knot around the Cat's wrist, something that would hold but wouldn't constrict with movement, and, most importantly, something he wouldn't be able to easily shake loose or un-tie one handed himself, not that Edwin thought it was going to come to that.

He kept the trailing end looped loosely around his own hand, though his hold was firm enough, letting it flare to the warm yellow glow with a gentle flick, a glow that was more honey-gold in the strength of that magic still filling the room, "Hm. Interesting." He wouldn't have thought something that was already completed and, for lack of a better word, sealed would still be affected by that kind of thing.

It wasn't a bad thing, he'd created it, so it being stronger simply meant he had better control over it, which was something that under other circumstances he would like to explore. He nodded once more, "Secured. Is there anything I should look out for?"

[catting]

Magically producing a cup in a flash of purple light, the Cat offers it to Edwin with the hand turned bestial. "I need you to hold this under my arm, and I need you not to flinch. Everything is going to be fine, as long as you keep your eyes on me and keep that string tight, alright? I won't mind if it hurts a little..." He says, with a little pantomime of secrecy, as if divulging a secret to Edwin; confessing that he might even like it if he took the opportunity to be a little rough.

It's a play to ease the tension, of course, but it's not clear whether the Cat meant it for himself or for Edwin. His shoulders do relax a little more, though, becoming limber as he inhales and the scent of power and magic fills his lungs.

"I'm going to fill this cup with blood. My blood. Obviously." The Cat figures he should at least give Edwin the whole picture, even if there's not a whole lot of backing out he can realistically do now. He could still refuse, he supposes, but that glitter of curiosity in Edwin's eyes tells him that this might just be a performance interesting enough to keep him keen, despite the small amount of violence. "It's the quickest and most effective natural balm I've found without calling on some outside magic user to come take a look at it. Which I don't really wanna do while it's so volatile. Once the cup is full, you can get close and pour it across the crack."

He studies Edwin's face, thinking still how strange it is to be doing this with the ghost instead of with the witch who would sooner belittle him for all his snarling than show any kind of fear or concern in the wake of it. He's not sure how Edwin will react.

"It won't be pretty, but I can take a little instability. I just need you to watch for my eyes changing. If it gets weird, or I start losing focus on you, give me a pull." He wriggles his wrist, though the amplified power makes it hard to even do that much when the other end of the tether is in Edwin's hold. He smiles. "It should be easy for you, right? I'm sure you've always wanted an opportunity to actually keep me in line."