Kitty~ <3 [Complete]

[flowing_alchemy]

Characters: Alphonse, Courtney, various ghosts
Setting: Starting in the grand room, moving through the dining room and into the kitchen, back through the grand room...
Time: Middle of the night
Summary: Alphonse finds a kitty! Also ow.
Warnings: ...cat lover obsessing? And ow.

Comments

[goblintamer]

And Courtney was incredibly relieved when she finally made it into the library without the woman seeing them. It had gone better than she had hoped - it had seemed that the study ghost was preoccupied with some far-off, ghosty thought, and didn't appear to be paying attention to them at all. As long as they stayed out of her way, it didn't seem like they'd have to retreat to the upstairs hallway any time soon. (Which is a good thing, because not only was it a dead end, but who knows whether or not she'd see the girl up there again...)

As for her handling the situation better, well, she wasn't the one with the severe burn on the cheek. She took a moment to catch her breath, leaning on the shelf, checking to see if Allison was there (and by some extension, the kitty, if only for Al's well-being.) After asserting their locations, she looked over to the Elric as he called to her. Really, he didn't need to say anything - she knew that the poor guy was suffering, that they'd nearly both been burned to death... and he probably hadn't eaten anything, either.

"Hey..." She tip-toed over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll get us out of here. We just need to--" She was interrupted by the new voice, a young person's, calling out to them - apologizing? Saying sorry, over and over again. Looking a bit peeved, she answered Al, saying, "Yeah; probably another ghost. They're really crawling out of the woodwork, huh?" It was almost to the point of paranoia - they hadn't met a single living person. Had they died and become ghosts as well? Were they living out some nightmarish afterlife? She hoped not... all the more reason why they had to find Nanaki, Edward and Fiona.

Checking the corridors to assert the location of the mother ghost (still at the far end of the stairs, walking slowly) and the burning man (who, thankfully, had stopped his pursuit), she looked back to the door of the study, where the woman's voice was coming from. "Hey," she called to the girl a low voice. "You need some help in there, or are you just making noise for the sake of it?" She was really tired of ghosts being cryptic and weird, at this point in time.

[dollsy_npcs]

Winny had padded over to Al again, mewling and trying to rub against his ankles; she passed right through, of course, but it was the closest thing to comfort she could give. For her part, Allison was standing near the door, watching her living companions silently; here, at least, she seemed relatively calm.

"I'm sorry...." Whether or not they were the people being addressed, or even were supposed to hear her, was uncertain--the voice's tireless penance went on until Courtney addressed it, and there was a brief lull before it--she?--spoke again. "Get your friend to the attic, quickly; you'll be safe there."

[flowing_alchemy]

He sniffled a little bit at, again, but nodded as he listened to Courtney - and winced. The tears and movement were stinging the wounds on his face, some, so he simply tried to stop both. It was hard, but he'd find a way to manage.

He smiled as Winny rubbed against his leg, though - it may have been chilling, but it was the thought that counted. And...it really was nice, to feel that ghostly touch against his legs, in a weird way.

The voice was disturbing, though. Alphonse couldn't help but glance up, in the direction, and then to Courtney. "D-do you think we should...?"

[goblintamer]

After listening to the girl behind the door speak, Courtney couldn't help but grumble. At least this ghost wasn't trying to kill her, but all the same, she was annoyed with how much she was being led about by these disembodied bodies and voices. Then again, she supposed she needed this, but why were they helping? Why the heck was all this happening to her?

Frustration building, she looked to Allison, looking angry. "Why are you guys helping me?" she asked the younger girl. "What're you hoping to get? Some consolation? Were you thrown in this place like us, and killed? What's with this place, anyway? Do you have any idea at all why we're being kept here?!" She paused, and, not waiting for an answer, turned away from Allison. "I know... you're not going to talk to me. Fine. I'll figure it out for myself, somehow." She tried not to think about Uncle Aloysius as she resigned herself to a lack of explanation.

And then she addressed Alphonse, a flinty look in her gaze, as if her younger self was being supplanted for a darker, more ruthless version of herself. "I don't think we have a choice," she replied. "Either we stay here and risk the patrol-woman outside catching us, we go upstairs and maybe meet Nanaki - or a monster - or we go back to the grand chamber or face burning man. Frankly, I think we have a better chance if we go up."

Moving towards Alphonse, she offered him her hand. "Whenever you're ready, we'll time it so she doesn't see us. Maybe we can get some ointment from the bathrooms upstairs for your cheek. You ready?"

[dollsy_npcs]

Allison stood still, staring back at Courtney with wide dark eyes and maintained her silence. Her expression was unreadable, but she didn't flinch away from the angry tirade of questions. Rather, she simply scooted to the edge of the door, peeking out and getting ready to lead them on once the mother ghost passed. Winny seemed to be preparing too, rubbing her head against and into Al's leg one last time before straightening to stand alert near his foot, ready to follow.

The voice spoke again as Courtney prepared to leave, gently apologetic but apparently trying to be helpful still. "There are ghosts in the gallery and upstairs bathroom as well, beware."

[flowing_alchemy]

Alphonse was quiet, until Courtney was done speaking to him. He nodded just a little bit at her comments on their chances, and eventually just...tried to smile a little bit, when she explained what they could do. The prospect of the ointment sounded nice, certainly...

"O-okay..." he reached out, taking her hand, a bit timidly. He nodded again, knowing that she was right...and prepared himself to run again, much like the two ghosts did, glancing in their direction.

...though the voice warning them about the bathroom certainly dampened the plans of something to treat his wounds, didn't it? He'd have to grin and bear it, then, he supposed...

[goblintamer]

Pulling Alphonse to his feet, she kept a hold of his hand. "Just stick with me," she repeated, as if saying that would make it more true. "I can think for the both of us." Which she was so used to doing, by now... she wondered if she was getting a bit sick of being the strong one.

As she heard the voice from the study again, she looked thoughtful, and then sighed a little. "Thanks for the warning," she said softly. Might as well thank whoever she was for the help, right? Doesn't do any good to snarl at the people lending you assistance.

Steeling herself, she waited until she saw the mother ghost passing the doorway, going towards the grand room, before nodding once to Alphonse and running around the corner, up the stairs, and towards the next stage of their uphill escapade.