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]

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."