#arione

Thearial heard the meowing three rooms away. It took considerable effort to maintain a blank look on his face, seeing countless kittens crawling all over his bed and climbing the walls.

This was not how he left his rooms before leaving to pass judgement.

“Arione.” His youngest sister was giggling, and with the three kittens in her arms, four pairs of wide eyes met his own. “What is going on here?”

“I want a cat. But Korith said I’m not allowed to make one immortal.”

That explained far less than he wanted.

“How does that explain why my room is crawling with cats?”

“Well, if I can’t make a mortal cat immortal, then I’d find one that can’t die, because it’s already dead. Obviously.” Arione wrinkled her nose, planting kisses on the kittens climbing on her lap. “And I figured you wouldn’t mind me looking.”

“…In my rooms?”

“I needed somewhere contained so they wouldn’t chase the dogs!” Arione’s protest was too cheerful to be taken seriously. She climbed carefully to her feet, still holding onto the original three she had her arms around. “Besides, if you’re not working, you’re hiding in here. You need something to keep you company here!”

“I am content in the quiet. I don’t need… cats… intruding on my space.”

Arione’s pout -and the remarkably sad expressions on the kitten’s faces- made Thearial feel a stab of guilt. It wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed feeling, especially when it involved one of his favorite sisters… but there had to be a limit to what she could get away with!

Cats were one of those limits. Still…

Thearial sighed, nudging one of the kittens gently away from his cloak with his foot. “I have plenty of rooms in my castle. Take a few for your… friends.”

“Really?” Arione literally glowed, her conjured shape slipping away from joy. “You’ll let me keep them?”

“Just… try not to go overboard.” The words were dangerously close to a plea. “I don’t need a cat infestation to distract my workers.”

Arione made her promises immediately, vanishing with a dramatic puff of smoke… taking the cats with her. Shaking his head, Thearial sat down in front of the large mirror on the wall… except it wasn’t his reflection he saw.

He didn’t think Eiris knew about this, or she would have put an end to it centuries ago. But while he could, he watched what happened deep in her domain, in the darkest depths of the water… and watched over the souls he couldn’t save.

He might have stared for hours, or days, or weeks; time meant little when you had eternity on hand. But the vision was interrupted by a kitten pawing at the mirror with a hesitant “mreow?”

Raising an eyebrow, Thearial picked it up by the scruff; he ended up picking a tiny white ball with large green eyes staring up at him. It was almost comedic, how those eyes became too big for it’s face, too long whiskers promising growth that would never come to it.

Obviously his sister had forgotten one. He was about to call for her, make her take the creature, except for what was unmistakably hope in those eyes as the kitten hung from his hand.

Sighing, Thearial placed the kitten on his bed, shaking his head as it -and he supposed it would have to get a name eventually- immediately claimed a place on his favorite pillow.

Oh well. Thearial leaned against the wall, absently petting the kitten as it purred against his hand. One night can’t do any harm, before I send it off with Arione. At least it isn’t trying to claw my eyes out.

()~~()~~()

Arione wisely made no mention of the kitten hanging off her brother’s shoulder, the white fur glaringly obvious against the dark clothing he always wore. Just as she very wisely made no comment on the multiple cat toys that now littered Thearial’s palace.

If the dark glare on his face meant anything, he was not going to be happy if anyone mentioned his new status as a cat owner.