[closed/complete]
Characters: Pasithea (acquiredone) and Pollux (overhard)
Date/Time: Saturday, 08/06
Location: Outside of Hypnos and Pasithea's apartment
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slight language
Summary: Balls of yarn and of steel
It was a nice afternoon, and Pasithea was being lazy. While Smokey had been in a mood to play, it was a little too hot for 'thea to want to get on the floor and roll around with her kitty, so she grabbed a ball of yarn from a discarded knitting project and decided to see if it was true that kitties loved the stuff.
Sitting in front of the open window, the kitty had been chasing after the dangling and dancing string for a little while, when 'thea accidentally got it wrapped around her leg. Bringing her foot up to rest on the windowsill so she could untangle herself, she didn't see Smokey readying herself to jump.
She should have realized that her little puffball was just as crazy as its' owner, since now she was leaning out a window, trying to coax her kitty out of a tree.
~*~
Pollux had been having something of an off week, but was determined not to let the bitterness take over on his way out. He didn't have a set destination upon leaving -- he'd simply walked out the door and figured his legs would carry him where they would. That was the problem with restless people: they had to keep moving no matter what, hopping from place to place whenever they saw fit.
So suffice to say, the twin wasn't in the greatest of moods when he heard Pasithea's voice from above, and out of instinct rather than curiosity, he glanced up. Either she was talking to a tree, or there was someone in it.
And he had a good feeling people didn't normally go by the name 'Smokey', but then again, this was America, the land of the strange.
~*~
Pasithea was starting to get worried. Smokey wasn't really an outdoor kitty, so the thought of her hanging out in a tree wasn't really comforting. The urge to climb out of the window and balance on the ledge was starting to grow in her mind, but two things stopped her - she wasn't exactly a graceful person, and she didn't want to scare the cat and have it run even farther up the tree. Something like that happening would be just her luck, really.
She was concentrating on the kitty, not paying any attention to people walking around down below. Had she known of Pollux's presence down below she probably wouldn't have been making half of the silly cat-attracting noises she was.
"Come on Smokey, psst psst, I've got treats. You just gotta come back inside..." she said, wiggling out of the window a little farther.
~*~
Yes, land of the strange, where girls leaned too far out of windows. Hero-complex kicking in, Pollux crossed over along the grass, eyes not leaving her for a second. "Oi! Unless you've got wings or something, you won't be giving anyone treats if you faceplant into the ground!"
It might not have sounded heroic, but the intention was to get a point across.
~*~
The sound of someone calling out to her caused Pasithea to pause, looking around to try and find the source of the noise. If this were a different situation, and she wasn't in a slight panic, she probably would have laughed.
“No, no wings, just a kitty who went and tree'd herself."
~*~
A couple of seconds ticked by as Pollux attempted to figure out what it meant to be 'tree'd'. Then it hit him -- the realization, not the tree. "And do you think your four-legged friend will leap back into the window from this distance?"
He might have sounded skeptical, and it was because he was. Shaking his head, the immortal half of the Gemini made his way over to the tree in question, pressing his hands to the trunk as he peered around for said kitty. Thing wasn't terribly high up. If he wanted to, he could play firefighter and save 'Smokey', whose fur was mostly all on end.
Shite, where was Castor when he needed him to calm the cat down?
~*~
Rolling her eyes, though Pasithea knew he couldn't see it, she snorted. "She was brave enough to jump out there, so how do I know she's not brave enough to jump back in if she feels like it?"
She could tell he didn't believe that Smokey was possibly capable of making the leap, and truthfully she wasn't so sure about it either. Then again, she didn't think that her cat was energetic enough to even consider going after a bird, but clearly she had been wrong about that. She'd certainly done it, even if she was scared now.
"So, since you're down there, how do you think we can get her out of the tree?"
~*~
Pollux was already in the process of jumping up to snag a low branch with both hands as she posed the last half of her question. "'We'? Not we, darling," he called back just before swinging his legs under the branch and hooking his knees around it with the ease of a child in a playground. Instead of hanging like a lemur, he maneuvered his upper body up and over so that he was perched there.
"Gimme a couple minutes, yeah?" Or an hour, the boy silently added as he shifted along the branch.
~*~
Pasithea blinked when she saw that he was already working on climbing up the tree. She felt like she should do or say something, but words escaped her at the moment. "Uh, take all the time you need," she managed to call out, wondering how she would repay him for this. It wasn't every day that some stranger decided to drop what they were doing to be helpful, and she knew that she definitely owed him for his kindness.
"Do you need me to do anything?" Like maybe see if she can keep the kitty from moving, or just offer moral support?
~*~
"Nope," he shot out simply from a place higher on the tree, fingers and knees curling easily around the branches. Having once been a kid who couldn't stay still, ways to make use of that excess energy had been found -- mostly when it came to things little ones weren't supposed to be doing, like climbing trees.
By the time Pollux reached the damsel, his hands were lightly scraped from all the bark. He straddled the branch the cat was perched on and made eye contact with her: his gaze determined, hers murderous.
His nose was idly scratched at. "... I don't s'pose 'here kitty kitty' will work, will it?" Not like she could understand him or anything. Regardless of the language barrier, the effort was made to sidle close enough to snag Smokey, though the closer he came, the more she looked like she wanted to sink her claws into the soft parts of his face.
~*~
"Alright, if you say so," she responded, ducking back inside the window to watch and wait. He was much better at climbing the tree than she would have been, having never been much for athletic endeavors other than swimming and walking. She was more of a sedentary child, peaceful, and not one to get into any trouble.
When Pasithea saw the scrapes on his hands she started to feel a little bad. This guy could get a splinter or something all because her kitty was feeling adventurous for the first time in her furry little life.
She heard his comment and laughed a little. "If that worked she'd be inside already." Mind you, if she hadn't been stupid enough to leave the window open while attempting to untangle herself the cat wouldn't have gotten out in the first place. "I've got some yarn she was chasing before if you think that might help."
~*~
As she spoke, Pollux kept edging closer, entirely concerned for the safety of his face. Only then did it occur to him that he had no idea how to bring the cat down once he snagged it. Unless the window was close enough to--
Oh. Idea.
"I'm quite good, actually, unless your Smokey decides to eat my hand off." Again he was wishing that Castor was here to soothe the cat's nerves. "But I do have a plan, and I'll need your help. It's going to sound mad, but just humour me here. I'm assuming you have a sofa, so could you take the cushions off and lay them next to the window?"
Yeah, it was already sounding crazy.
~*~
When he shared his plan, Pasithea was filled with confusion as to how this would all work. She had the feeling he was going to do something dangerous, but who was she to question the guy who was scaling a tree to save her cat?
Nobody, that's who.
"I'm pretty sure Smokey hasn't developed a taste for human flesh, so no worries." She joked with him, unable to hide her amusement. "I do have a sofa, and I can do that." As she spoke she edged away from the window, grabbing the couch cushions. "I'm gonna just leave those there and back away, but I'm still watching."
She pointed from him to her eyes and back again after placing the cushions.
~*~
That made Pollux feel so assured. Slowly, he reached out a hand for Smokey to sniff at, and though she was apprehensive at first, she allowed him to stroke her head. Anywhere near the tail and he knew claws would be sinking into his flesh.
"The crazy part is you'll have to open up the window all the way and back up," he informed her just before scritching the kitty under her chin. "If I miss, I'm going to feel completely wretched, so we have one shot at this."
~*~
All things considered Pasithea wasn't the type to assure people anyway. She watched as Pollux reached for Smokey, nervous but at the same time aware that both were proceeding with caution.
His words caused a jolt of concern to come over her. "Open the window all the way and back up?" She creeped over, pulling the window up as much as it would open, backing up and covering her eyes. "I'm not looking."
~*~
One look was directed down at Smokey, quite apologetic despite that determination firing up his blood. How could it go wrong? He was only going to fling a cat through the window and hope she didn't writhe mid-air and hit the building wall. And for that to happen would be pretty counter-productive.
Both hands curled around the small cat's middle, holding her firmly but not painfully tight. His nose came down to the top of her head. "Don't you dare flail," he murmured against her ears, which flicked in annoyance. And on a silent count of three, Smokey was catapulted toward the apartment window.
Only for Pollux to lose his balance from the momentum and tumble right off that branch.
~*~
Peeking out from between her fingers, Pasithea couldn't stop herself from cringing as she saw Smokey come hurtling through the window, landing on one of the cushions with a disgruntled mew. As she rushed over to check on the kitty, she heard a sound that caused her to turn and look out the window.
Her face instantly displayed her shock as she saw the nice guy who had saved her cat falling out of the tree. Grabbing her cell phone, she ran outside, calling 911 as she bolted down the stairs. She figured it would be faster than the elevator. Once she got outside, she checked him over as she crouched down next to him.
"Are you okay? I called an ambulance, but I dunno how long they'll be."
~*~
Upon hitting the grass below, Pollux had heard the audible crack of his humerus snapping before the pain washed over him. Though it'd been a relatively soft landing, the fact that it'd been on his arm and from rather high up made the break all the more painful.
Her question registered, but no immediately answer came to mind. In fact, his whole mind was swimming with 'ow'. He'd broken bones before, but that did nothing to make any subsequent fracture less of a surprise once it happened.
His eyes fell shut, and he counted back from five as the wind that had been knocked out of him flooded back into his lungs.
"Phone," the boy managed to get out. "Front pocket. Also -- fucking ow. Under contacts, text Cas and Mordred."
~*~
Seeing him laying there in pain made Pasithea wish she'd brought aspirin or something with her. She hadn't thought of anything like that since she wasn't sure what state she'd be finding him in. Still, she should have known.
When he didn't immediately answer her question she leaned closer to check his eyes, knowing that if the pupils looked bigger that could mean something funny was going on with his head. She hoped he hadn't broken anything.
When he shut his eyes her breath caught in her throat. If he died saving her pet she'd feel really guilty. Then he spoke, and she moved quickly to follow his instructions.
"I'll let them know you're hurt, and when the ambulance arrives I'll tell them where they're taking you." She typed out a quick message. "I'm Pasithea, by the way. And thank you for saving my kitty. I owe you, bigtime."
~*~
No further movement was attempted as her fallen hero simply focused on breathing through the ache. Breaking bones was never pleasant. Anyone who said otherwise was a tart. He made a mmmm sound, acknowledging her words but choosing not to put effort into much speech.
"Pollux. We're both Greek." In a moment of incredulity amidst the pain, he breathed a soft laugh.
~*~
If he wasn't in such obvious pain she probably would have laughed at the fact that a known Greek hero and son of Zeus had gone out of her way to help her. She had been aware that there were other Greeks in the city, but the randomness was too funny.
"Ain't that some shit," she responded, smiling slightly. "I can hear the sirens coming."
~*~
He mmm'd again, squinting up at the sky to combat the brightness of the sun. When it proved to be too bright, he closed his eyes once again, withholding a sigh of relief at the sound of sirens and the promise of drugs to make sure not the snapped bone in his arm wouldn't be felt. Sweet, blessed pain relief.
"Ain't that some shit," Pollux murmured right back. He could already hear Castor's laughter in his head. At least the cat was safe and sound.
Rest in pieces, right arm.
Date/Time: Saturday, 08/06
Location: Outside of Hypnos and Pasithea's apartment
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slight language
Summary: Balls of yarn and of steel
It was a nice afternoon, and Pasithea was being lazy. While Smokey had been in a mood to play, it was a little too hot for 'thea to want to get on the floor and roll around with her kitty, so she grabbed a ball of yarn from a discarded knitting project and decided to see if it was true that kitties loved the stuff.
Sitting in front of the open window, the kitty had been chasing after the dangling and dancing string for a little while, when 'thea accidentally got it wrapped around her leg. Bringing her foot up to rest on the windowsill so she could untangle herself, she didn't see Smokey readying herself to jump.
She should have realized that her little puffball was just as crazy as its' owner, since now she was leaning out a window, trying to coax her kitty out of a tree.
~*~
Pollux had been having something of an off week, but was determined not to let the bitterness take over on his way out. He didn't have a set destination upon leaving -- he'd simply walked out the door and figured his legs would carry him where they would. That was the problem with restless people: they had to keep moving no matter what, hopping from place to place whenever they saw fit.
So suffice to say, the twin wasn't in the greatest of moods when he heard Pasithea's voice from above, and out of instinct rather than curiosity, he glanced up. Either she was talking to a tree, or there was someone in it.
And he had a good feeling people didn't normally go by the name 'Smokey', but then again, this was America, the land of the strange.
~*~
Pasithea was starting to get worried. Smokey wasn't really an outdoor kitty, so the thought of her hanging out in a tree wasn't really comforting. The urge to climb out of the window and balance on the ledge was starting to grow in her mind, but two things stopped her - she wasn't exactly a graceful person, and she didn't want to scare the cat and have it run even farther up the tree. Something like that happening would be just her luck, really.
She was concentrating on the kitty, not paying any attention to people walking around down below. Had she known of Pollux's presence down below she probably wouldn't have been making half of the silly cat-attracting noises she was.
"Come on Smokey, psst psst, I've got treats. You just gotta come back inside..." she said, wiggling out of the window a little farther.
~*~
Yes, land of the strange, where girls leaned too far out of windows. Hero-complex kicking in, Pollux crossed over along the grass, eyes not leaving her for a second. "Oi! Unless you've got wings or something, you won't be giving anyone treats if you faceplant into the ground!"
It might not have sounded heroic, but the intention was to get a point across.
~*~
The sound of someone calling out to her caused Pasithea to pause, looking around to try and find the source of the noise. If this were a different situation, and she wasn't in a slight panic, she probably would have laughed.
“No, no wings, just a kitty who went and tree'd herself."
~*~
A couple of seconds ticked by as Pollux attempted to figure out what it meant to be 'tree'd'. Then it hit him -- the realization, not the tree. "And do you think your four-legged friend will leap back into the window from this distance?"
He might have sounded skeptical, and it was because he was. Shaking his head, the immortal half of the Gemini made his way over to the tree in question, pressing his hands to the trunk as he peered around for said kitty. Thing wasn't terribly high up. If he wanted to, he could play firefighter and save 'Smokey', whose fur was mostly all on end.
Shite, where was Castor when he needed him to calm the cat down?
~*~
Rolling her eyes, though Pasithea knew he couldn't see it, she snorted. "She was brave enough to jump out there, so how do I know she's not brave enough to jump back in if she feels like it?"
She could tell he didn't believe that Smokey was possibly capable of making the leap, and truthfully she wasn't so sure about it either. Then again, she didn't think that her cat was energetic enough to even consider going after a bird, but clearly she had been wrong about that. She'd certainly done it, even if she was scared now.
"So, since you're down there, how do you think we can get her out of the tree?"
~*~
Pollux was already in the process of jumping up to snag a low branch with both hands as she posed the last half of her question. "'We'? Not we, darling," he called back just before swinging his legs under the branch and hooking his knees around it with the ease of a child in a playground. Instead of hanging like a lemur, he maneuvered his upper body up and over so that he was perched there.
"Gimme a couple minutes, yeah?" Or an hour, the boy silently added as he shifted along the branch.
~*~
Pasithea blinked when she saw that he was already working on climbing up the tree. She felt like she should do or say something, but words escaped her at the moment. "Uh, take all the time you need," she managed to call out, wondering how she would repay him for this. It wasn't every day that some stranger decided to drop what they were doing to be helpful, and she knew that she definitely owed him for his kindness.
"Do you need me to do anything?" Like maybe see if she can keep the kitty from moving, or just offer moral support?
~*~
"Nope," he shot out simply from a place higher on the tree, fingers and knees curling easily around the branches. Having once been a kid who couldn't stay still, ways to make use of that excess energy had been found -- mostly when it came to things little ones weren't supposed to be doing, like climbing trees.
By the time Pollux reached the damsel, his hands were lightly scraped from all the bark. He straddled the branch the cat was perched on and made eye contact with her: his gaze determined, hers murderous.
His nose was idly scratched at. "... I don't s'pose 'here kitty kitty' will work, will it?" Not like she could understand him or anything. Regardless of the language barrier, the effort was made to sidle close enough to snag Smokey, though the closer he came, the more she looked like she wanted to sink her claws into the soft parts of his face.
~*~
"Alright, if you say so," she responded, ducking back inside the window to watch and wait. He was much better at climbing the tree than she would have been, having never been much for athletic endeavors other than swimming and walking. She was more of a sedentary child, peaceful, and not one to get into any trouble.
When Pasithea saw the scrapes on his hands she started to feel a little bad. This guy could get a splinter or something all because her kitty was feeling adventurous for the first time in her furry little life.
She heard his comment and laughed a little. "If that worked she'd be inside already." Mind you, if she hadn't been stupid enough to leave the window open while attempting to untangle herself the cat wouldn't have gotten out in the first place. "I've got some yarn she was chasing before if you think that might help."
~*~
As she spoke, Pollux kept edging closer, entirely concerned for the safety of his face. Only then did it occur to him that he had no idea how to bring the cat down once he snagged it. Unless the window was close enough to--
Oh. Idea.
"I'm quite good, actually, unless your Smokey decides to eat my hand off." Again he was wishing that Castor was here to soothe the cat's nerves. "But I do have a plan, and I'll need your help. It's going to sound mad, but just humour me here. I'm assuming you have a sofa, so could you take the cushions off and lay them next to the window?"
Yeah, it was already sounding crazy.
~*~
When he shared his plan, Pasithea was filled with confusion as to how this would all work. She had the feeling he was going to do something dangerous, but who was she to question the guy who was scaling a tree to save her cat?
Nobody, that's who.
"I'm pretty sure Smokey hasn't developed a taste for human flesh, so no worries." She joked with him, unable to hide her amusement. "I do have a sofa, and I can do that." As she spoke she edged away from the window, grabbing the couch cushions. "I'm gonna just leave those there and back away, but I'm still watching."
She pointed from him to her eyes and back again after placing the cushions.
~*~
That made Pollux feel so assured. Slowly, he reached out a hand for Smokey to sniff at, and though she was apprehensive at first, she allowed him to stroke her head. Anywhere near the tail and he knew claws would be sinking into his flesh.
"The crazy part is you'll have to open up the window all the way and back up," he informed her just before scritching the kitty under her chin. "If I miss, I'm going to feel completely wretched, so we have one shot at this."
~*~
All things considered Pasithea wasn't the type to assure people anyway. She watched as Pollux reached for Smokey, nervous but at the same time aware that both were proceeding with caution.
His words caused a jolt of concern to come over her. "Open the window all the way and back up?" She creeped over, pulling the window up as much as it would open, backing up and covering her eyes. "I'm not looking."
~*~
One look was directed down at Smokey, quite apologetic despite that determination firing up his blood. How could it go wrong? He was only going to fling a cat through the window and hope she didn't writhe mid-air and hit the building wall. And for that to happen would be pretty counter-productive.
Both hands curled around the small cat's middle, holding her firmly but not painfully tight. His nose came down to the top of her head. "Don't you dare flail," he murmured against her ears, which flicked in annoyance. And on a silent count of three, Smokey was catapulted toward the apartment window.
Only for Pollux to lose his balance from the momentum and tumble right off that branch.
~*~
Peeking out from between her fingers, Pasithea couldn't stop herself from cringing as she saw Smokey come hurtling through the window, landing on one of the cushions with a disgruntled mew. As she rushed over to check on the kitty, she heard a sound that caused her to turn and look out the window.
Her face instantly displayed her shock as she saw the nice guy who had saved her cat falling out of the tree. Grabbing her cell phone, she ran outside, calling 911 as she bolted down the stairs. She figured it would be faster than the elevator. Once she got outside, she checked him over as she crouched down next to him.
"Are you okay? I called an ambulance, but I dunno how long they'll be."
~*~
Upon hitting the grass below, Pollux had heard the audible crack of his humerus snapping before the pain washed over him. Though it'd been a relatively soft landing, the fact that it'd been on his arm and from rather high up made the break all the more painful.
Her question registered, but no immediately answer came to mind. In fact, his whole mind was swimming with 'ow'. He'd broken bones before, but that did nothing to make any subsequent fracture less of a surprise once it happened.
His eyes fell shut, and he counted back from five as the wind that had been knocked out of him flooded back into his lungs.
"Phone," the boy managed to get out. "Front pocket. Also -- fucking ow. Under contacts, text Cas and Mordred."
~*~
Seeing him laying there in pain made Pasithea wish she'd brought aspirin or something with her. She hadn't thought of anything like that since she wasn't sure what state she'd be finding him in. Still, she should have known.
When he didn't immediately answer her question she leaned closer to check his eyes, knowing that if the pupils looked bigger that could mean something funny was going on with his head. She hoped he hadn't broken anything.
When he shut his eyes her breath caught in her throat. If he died saving her pet she'd feel really guilty. Then he spoke, and she moved quickly to follow his instructions.
"I'll let them know you're hurt, and when the ambulance arrives I'll tell them where they're taking you." She typed out a quick message. "I'm Pasithea, by the way. And thank you for saving my kitty. I owe you, bigtime."
~*~
No further movement was attempted as her fallen hero simply focused on breathing through the ache. Breaking bones was never pleasant. Anyone who said otherwise was a tart. He made a mmmm sound, acknowledging her words but choosing not to put effort into much speech.
"Pollux. We're both Greek." In a moment of incredulity amidst the pain, he breathed a soft laugh.
~*~
If he wasn't in such obvious pain she probably would have laughed at the fact that a known Greek hero and son of Zeus had gone out of her way to help her. She had been aware that there were other Greeks in the city, but the randomness was too funny.
"Ain't that some shit," she responded, smiling slightly. "I can hear the sirens coming."
~*~
He mmm'd again, squinting up at the sky to combat the brightness of the sun. When it proved to be too bright, he closed his eyes once again, withholding a sigh of relief at the sound of sirens and the promise of drugs to make sure not the snapped bone in his arm wouldn't be felt. Sweet, blessed pain relief.
"Ain't that some shit," Pollux murmured right back. He could already hear Castor's laughter in his head. At least the cat was safe and sound.
Rest in pieces, right arm.