abraxaslogs | ( open + closed ) this world is gonna end

[ The moment he manages to wrangle the cat into his arms and back through the portal into Thorne, he reaches out to the two people that he figures have to have the most experience with a cat. What exactly brought him to the conclusion that Annabeth and Percy would have the most knowledge about how to care for a kitten outside of a library book or anyone else he knows in Thorne isn't entirely clear.

Maybe a part of him thinks that Percy being able to speak to horses will somehow transfer to cats. Or maybe he thinks that the fondness both of them have towards Antoni will also apply to cats. Whatever the reason, they're the first two that come to mind.

He doesn't give much notice except for a curt message to ask if they're around and if so, can he drop by. The dream has long since been written off as such, but he can still remember the horrors of bringing their children back only to hear noises behind the door and having to usher them back the way they'd come.

When he arrives they'll notice a small scar now mars his cheek taking the place of the black eyes and bloodied nose from the bunker. And it's probably obvious who the culprit is. Without offering any explanation he holds out the yowling kitten towards them. ]

Do either of you know how to take care of a cat?

Edited 2024-08-04 05:12 (UTC)

[ of all the things cassian might want to talk to them about - and they gossiped about it, naturally, each theory more absurd than the last, putting them in an already giddy mood (like maybe this time he'll come with a yahtzee rip off called nohtzuu) - annabeth can't say she's expecting him to turn up with a literal cat. ]

[ they're lounging on their bed after a post lunch nap, still chattering about the mysteries of cassian, with annabeth using his shoulder for a pillow instead of the actual pillows. she looks up when cassian comes in and lets out a little gasp when she sees the kitten, scrambling upright and disentangling in delight. she climbs over the percy shaped barrier between her and the small creature, accidentally kneeing him in the gut as she hops off the bed and wriggles her fingers to get the cat's attention. when it leans over and gives her finger a small lick, she knows she's in. ]

Let me see him! Her?

[ she reaches her hands out to scoop the kitten away from cassian without hesitation, notably not answering his question, but immediately cradling the squirming animal in her arms. she sits back down on the edge of the bed and smiles widely at it, letting it sniff her fingers again. ]

Look at his little ears!

[ There's an accompanied 'oof' and an exclaimed 'ow!' as Annabeth scrambles over Percy to get to the cat, but far from being offended or even remotely perturbed, Percy just laughs from where he's been used like an actual human bridge and slowly sits up to get acquainted with the cat too.

He's not even gonna comment on the new set of injuries that Uncle Dusty has since acquired since the last time they'd seen him. Which, you know, wasn't actually that long ago either. And here Percy thought he had the bad luck of being a living punching bag when the honours really belong to Cassian. Happily, he would abscond the crown.

He's grinning when he watches Annabeth and the cat interact, and to Cassian he says, ]

Okay, so there's definitely a story here, isn't there?

[ When neither of them answer the question he posed to them, Cassian’s lips thin for a moment but there’s no hesitation on his part when Annabeth takes the fur ball of terror out of his arms giving him a moment’s reprieve. It also means giving him a moment to put down the ridiculous assortment of supplies he’d carted back from Norwich with him.

Despite the exasperation he feels there’s a care with which he puts everything down. The last thing he wants is to have to repurchase any of these again. ]

It’s a he. I don’t have a name yet.

[ Because a name means that he’s actually going to keep the kitten which he hasn’t entirely decided is something he wants to do. ]

Dan Heng gave him to me. I thought it was a joke.

[ annabeth is, naturally, already attached to the kitten. she's practically vibrating while she waits for it to settle a bit in her arms, and only then does she deem it okay to pet him very gently, scratching between his ears and smiling widely. ]

[ she looks up briefly at the supplies cassian puts down, because joke or otherwise, he went out and got himself supplies. oh yeah, he's keeping the cat, and annabeth is going to reap the benefits. joke?? what joke?? cassian has a cat now. ]

That won't do. He needs a name. You came to the right place.

[ he definitely asked them for help with something other than naming a cat, but as far as she's concerned, that's the first step to taking care of a creature. ]

I'm not feeling any fancy vibes. He's got silly little guy energy. [ based on approximately nothing. ] Robert?

Well, this cat's no joke — look at him!

[ He slides off the bed to join Annabeth in the cat-scritching and general demigod-cat introductions, still grinning widely. ]

Too formal. Maybe 'Rob.' But that just reminds me of like, some guy who regularly plays rugby and drinks beer at the local bar.

[ Will Cassian know what any of those words means? Who knows, but Percy stands by his statement. ]

I mean, you can never go wrong with regular non-fancy 'Bob'. And we know like, two Bobs already.

[ Whom they've ... both named. But, like. It's fine. ]

He doesn't -

[ The end of that sentence could end any number of ways. "He doesn't give off silly little guy energy," or, "He doesn't look like a Bob", or even, "He doesn't need a name because that isn't my cat." Whatever the ending of that sentence is Cassian finds himself stopping short and physically having to close his eyes to take a second. It goes without saying that that wasn't what he had come here for.

When he does finally manage to compose himself he looks completely and utterly...incredulous? ]

Why would you name a cat Bob?

[ the look she gives cassian is deadly serious. almost too serious. it juxtaposes against the way she cuddles the cat in her arms and he purrs loudly with her attention. ]

Why wouldn't you name a cat Bob?

[ she looks down at the kitten, who mews at her. she pokes his nose. ]

He could be a Bob. It's a good name.

[ Percy waves a hand in Annabeth's direction, and then to Cassian to emphasize said point, because! Yeah! Exactly! Why wouldn't you name a cat Bob???

It's the perfect name all around, and in this essay, Percy will — ]

Well, he can't be 'Small Bob' 'cause that's taken already.

[ He's thoughtful, like he's really putting some thought into this. ]

Maybe ... Middle Bob? Mid-Bob for short.

That isn't an answer.

[ Despite how flat and unamused his voice is, the exasperation that had been creeping up on him since he'd gotten the damn cat begins to bleeds into the edges of his voice.

He should have known better. Coming to the two of them for 1. A straight answer to his question which is beginning to feel more and more like a no, and 2. Someone to side with him on this - were both hopeless cases.

Confusion appears in the form of a deeper frown on his face. ]

Mid-Bob is worse. And how many Bob's do you know?

[ it's definitely an answer. she's not going to comment on that either. not at the way he's reacting. cassian has unknowingly triggered Percy-and-Annabeth Shenanigans, and they will continue to build on each other like an improv skit. sometimes it's how they do their best work, whether it's being annoying or fighting monsters. ]

At least two. [ bob and small bob are the most important bobs. annabeth makes a point of pointedly tapping her chin with one finger, like she's really giving it a lot of thought. the kitten idly swats at the movement in her arms, though he certainly can't reach. ]

Spicy Bob then.

Ooh, I like Spicy Bob. But we don't really know if that's true yet, do we?

[ It's totally possible, totally plausible, but Percy would really rather this version of Bob let his own personality shine through on his own time rather than put any pressure on him to be a spicy handful of feline ferocity.

And yeah. Sorry, Cassian. If you wanted a serious answer and a serious discussion about cat-care you have come to the absolute wrong place for that. Instead what you'll get are two teenagers perfectly in sync with each other with a penchant for being annoying, but like — endearingly so. ]

There's always the overly complicated mouthful: Unknown-Mystery-Bob-to-be-renamed-Spicy-Bob-if-his-personality-allows.

Or affectionately known as 'Mystery-Bob'.

Why would you name him Spicy Bob?

[ The incredulousness is only growing. It'll be endearing later but right now? They have a very disgruntled cat dad in front of them. ]

We aren't naming him Mystery Bob either.

[ "We" like this is somehow a group project and they're also adopting him. ]

Because he might be spicy, duh.

[ don't you know what it means to say a cat is spicy, cassian? no, of course he doesn't, except why would she explain it right now? ]

But Percy has a point about predestination. [ far be it from them to give the cat a prophetic name. they've had enough prophecies. ]

Fine. [ she rolls her eyes. can't believe all these rejections. ] No mysteries, no sizes - we can go with Jim Bob. Maybe Joe Bob. Nothing to live up to there except his own fate.

Jim Bob and Joe Bob have got a cool ring to it, but they also kinda sound like old dudes working in politics.

[ In fact isn't there a senator called Joe Bob? No? Well, it's not like Percy pays a whole lot of attention to that kinda thing.

He looks at the cat now, nestled still in Annabeth's arms and preening and purring at the attention it's being given; like he knows they're talking about him, and it's just so ... cat-like. ]

I mean, he's a cat, right, can't he just be ... Bob the Cat? Bob Cat?

[ Funnily enough - ]

There was a guy on Ferrix who was named that. Absolutely not.

[ From the tone it's probably clear what Cassian thought of Joe Bob. And if this cat was going to stay here, it definitely wasn't going to be named that.

As soon as the name Bob Cat is mentioned however the kitten's big round eyes seem to dart towards Percy as if he suddenly cared to pay attention to the other male in the room. Or rather, like there was approval in his gaze.

...Oh no.

This time the cat - or Bob Cat - squirms out of Annabeth's arms to pounce towards Percy before stopping just short of him to show him his belly. The realization that the cat had chosen his own damn name is met with a sound of disbelief from Cassian. ]

At this rate you should both keep him if you've named him.

[ is she sad when the cat jumps away from her? maybe a little, but she'll live, because the the kitten already likes her. she's already attached to it in return, so they're both winning. ]

[ she lets out a sound that can only be described as a coo when bob cat rolls over and reveals the Tummy. annabeth doesn't know a whole lot about cats as cassian might have expected, but she knows that's a good sign. ]

We named him. [ she's including cassian in this for no reason except to be annoying. he invited them into the process, but it's still his cat. ]

And he likes Bob Cat, so really, he's part of this too.

Yeah, he's all of our cat at this rate, isn't that right Bob Cat?

[ Percy practically coos, rubbing the cat's belly as requested.

Far be it from him to deny a cat's very personal request, and also his trust. Personally, he's honoured.

He looks back at Cassian. ]

He just gets to go home with you at the end of the day.

[ But you know, Bob Cat's welcome to come visit Percy and Annabeth any time he wants; they're just a castle room away. ]

[ Bob Cat will return to Annabeth's lap soon enough if not today then at some point in the near future which should be a given considering where this conversation is going and how Cassian is beginning to realize that he can't just pawn the kitten off on someone else now that he has a name. ]

What if you both cat sit him on the days I'm not around during the day?

[ ...Which is most days because of the courier work he does. He's just hoping that they haven't picked up on his day to day habits. Admittedly some of that is wishful thinking but you can't blame a new, tired cat dad. ]

[ annabeth will make herself the cat's favorite person or so help her. she leans over and dangles her fingers in front of bob cat's face, and he takes a playful swipe. she practically giggles about it. ]

You trying to use us for free labor?

[ as if hanging out with a cat is laborious. as if she will ever say no to hanging out with this cat. as if she's not already plotting out her first official cat sleepover. she can't even keep a straight face. ]

[ Percy can't help it when his smile widens into a grin, watching Bob Cat and Annabeth interact with each other while he's got the furry feline still comfortably lounging in his arms. ]

Yeah, you know we got day rates, right? And I mean, there's the friends-and-family discount but we're still not going to come cheap.

[ Every last word coming out of his mouth is made invalid with how content he seems to be taking care of said cat right now, in this moment, with his girlfriend. ]

[ Day labor is absolutely the last thing that Cassian was trying to pull off here and he very nearly launches into a protest. But at the very last minute it morphs into a somewhat dead pan look aimed at the pair of them.

A part of him thinks that he'll likely regret asking this, but what can it hurt at this point?

(And if he's being honest with himself if they do end up taking care of Bob Cat while he's out, he'd probably find a way to repay them somehow.) ]

Right. And what does that look like exactly?

[ oh the deadpan look! he really shouldn't have! it's the fuel that simply keeps them going, like energizer bunnies. ]

You have to take into consideration the cost of food too. Bob Cat is a growing boy.

We'll have to confer to really finalize the details, but somewhere in the range of five snacks an hour. [ for them. not the cat. ]

Yeah. [ Percy nods sagely. ] We'll draw up a whole contract and everything. You can expect to find one mailed to your place of residence in about three to five business days.

[ He has no idea what he's talking about, but the business-y mumbo jumbo sounds kind of convincing at least, right? ]

[ Cassian really should know better by now. But he's out of practice dealing with younger siblings. Something faintly in the back of his mind has him wondering if this is how he and Kerri would have interacted had they had the chance to grow up together. Or would interact, rather as he reminds himself.
As smart of a man as Cassian is he's not about to let old habits die hard. Especially when they seem to be on a roll.

And secretly, a part of him is enjoying this. He lets out a noise of pure skepticism. ]

Five snacks an hour for each of you and the cat? Or five snacks for both of you to share?

[ That includes Bob Cat. ]

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sophos - 2024-10-17 05:38 (UTC) - Expand

( open + closed ) this world is gonna end

— closed, annabeth & percy 🌌 august, thorne

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