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.

Comments

[catting]

"That's kind of a surprise, hearing you talk like that," the Cat says, unaware of Edwin's discomfort because Edwin kind of always seems a little rigid around him, but definitely picking up on the heightened focus on him. He won't complain, of course, nor look this opportunity in the mouth, but also can't help but wonder what it is about their current situation that's won this kind of attention from the ghost.

"I would have expected you to tell me I'm much too old for birthdays by now, or something rude like that..." He bitches affectionately, though the idea has a reasonable amount of merit. He's never really celebrated a birthday — doesn't remember ever having one, or ever having wanted one — but the idea of doing so is pretty much all of his favourite things wrapped up with a nice little ribbon. Attention, gifts, being the most important person in the room...

"If it's my birthday, I think I should get another present from you, right? That's how it works. This one doesn't count, since it was for a different thing." Pushing his luck? Maybe. But when has he ever shied away from the precipice?

[technicallyhellbound]

His brow creased a little at the initial response, "Just because my own means little enough to me doesn't mean I don't understand their importance to others." He replied, as if that should have been obvious. Though mostly it was because his birthdays hadn't really been celebrated when he'd been alive, and after his time in Hell, as well as the multiple instances of himself there, it was as much a question of logistics as it was anything else.

The rest, however, had amusement seeping into the tone as he continued, "You aren't wrong, I suppose. Though that doesn't mean you're right." A thoughtful sound, "And I have come to understand that when you ask questions like that it usually means that you've already got something in mind." He flicked his free hand at the Cat in a half-beckoning movement, a clear 'give it here' even without saying so in those words, "Let's hear it, so I can decide if it sounds fair."

[catting]

The idea of Edwin's birthday not meaning much to him, strangely, makes the Cat feel a certain kind of way. It isn't sad, exactly, and it isn't sympathetic — because Edwin clearly doesn't seem to mind all that much — but there's a definite pull on at least one of the Cat King's heartstrings that society or experience or both has made something as universally sacred as a birthday something of low regard for him. If he were a friendlier cat, or perhaps if he and Edwin got successfully closer, he might have sought the opportunity to bully him into doing something nice for it, perhaps without revealing the true reason for initiating something nice on that particular day... but then he can't see Edwin falling for that, even if it means little to him.

"Ooh, you really are getting to know me, aren't you?" He purrs, demurely fluttering his lashes though he can't lie and say that it doesn't feel pretty great to have Edwin call his bluff like that. At least this time it's more lighthearted than being called lonely and left to sit with that feeling once Edwin turned to leave.

"Well, I get a kiss in exchange for my assistance when you need it, so I don't think what I want is any mystery here."

And Edwin is enticingly tangible right now..... But, there's the issue of Edwin's tangibility also featuring visibility to contend with, isn't there? And the Cat might be selfish, but he can understand why Edwin might whole-heartedly refuse to kiss him anywhere that people might be able to see. He hums, eyes flicking down the street they're currently wandering down.

"If I find somewhere nice and secluded, do you think that'd be fair?"

[technicallyhellbound]

There was, of course, the fact that Edwin was reasonably sure that none of these people would actually see him again that sort-of alleviated some of the tension that would usually come with being seen kissing someone, but whether or not it actually would do so was something he'd rather not test.

Which was why the Cat's offer of finding somewhere secluded -along with Charles' occasional regalement of his own stolen moments in blind corners and supply cupboards and how fun that was- tipped things in the Cat's favor and while Edwin did appear to be considering the offer for a moment, his decision really had been made already.

He nodded once, "I think that sounds fair, yes, and certainly sounds more enjoyable than the birthday switches that were traditional in my time."

[catting]

The instant he sees Edwin nod, he's already guiding him down the thoroughfare a little faster, mental mind-map of his town splayed open in his brain, eyes surveying his surroundings to locate the best alleyway for their plans. Excitement fuelling him, he almost misses Edwin's comment, but the words sink in just as he's turning down the side of a little niche fashion boutique and into the access road that brackets it.

"Switches?" He squints, not sure if he actually wants the answer to his question but certainly asking it anyway, because who would expect anything less: "Like—?" He mimes the act of whipping, or at least hitting something, with his free hand. He shudders. "That's messed up."

[technicallyhellbound]

His brow creased a little at the pantomime, "It was hardly a whipping, or being beaten with a hammer, I'm not really sure what you were trying to get across just there, and I believe pinches are traditional now." He shook his head, "It was hardly severe." Though given the source, that was probably debatable, "And many traditions are 'messed up'" there were finger quotes there and everything, "when you get right down to it."

He still followed easily at the Cat's side, keeping pace and keeping track of their surroundings as he usually did, "But your idea sounds better regardless."

[catting]

"I'm all for a bit of roughness, but getting struck or hurt in any kind of way, for your birthday, is particularly fucked up." Weird for a Cat who will wilfully scratch a ghost for a tease to be so fussy about this, but it feels wrong to so easily chalk it up as normal simply because it was commonplace. Or maybe it's the idea of punishing someone for feeling special on the one day of the year when they are entitled, arguably, to feel special that leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

Either way, he shrugs and hurries his pace so that he and Edwin can tuck into the smaller alley going off the access road, the one capped by a dead end and the lower portion of a fire escape but with no doors that appear to be frequented by staff or residents or anything else, and no foot traffic to speak of whatsoever.

"Though, if we're going by the same inspiration..." The Cat says, flirtation sneaking back into his voice as he turns to Edwin and then takes a step closer, bullying himself into his personal bubble with only the wall behind the ghost if he were to step back. He grins. "Then it's a kiss for every year I've been alive, right? You might be here a while~"

[technicallyhellbound]

He was perfectly content to let the subject drop, as it seemed the Cat was as well. More than that he was surprisingly comfortable being penned in like that where he certainly wouldn't have been before, and wouldn't be with someone else.

At the grin, however, and the statement that went with it, he returned a downright impressively flat look, one hand lifting between them to press two fingers against the Cat's chin, just below his lower lip, not to fully push him away, but certainly enough to keep him from moving closer just yet, "One. You can have one."

His brow hitched higher then, only barely managing to hold onto the flat look, amusement clear in his eyes and in his tone as he added, "So you'd best make it count."