#cod toa

Description: A short story featuring Toa and Knight in honor of Knight’s birthday. @jaysquid @voltagefandomproject if y’all are interested 🙂

…

Toa walked to his chambers, pondering a matter of utmost seriousness—Knight’s birthday gift. Each potential gift that came to mind—imported milk, spellbooks, Qelsan chocolate—he dismissed as not worthy enough or something he knew Knight would likely receive from one of the other valets. Toa sighed as he undid the magical lock to his room and reached to open the door.

Hmm. The door was manually locked. Quite unusual. Toa then heard noises from within.

Mew! Mew mew!

“Oi, shhh! Get back here! Toa’s gonna kill me if he finds you here!” Knight’s voice rose anxiously as he scurried throughout Toa’s room.

“Knight, what is that commotion inside?” Toa knocked on his door, feeling ridiculous at requesting entrance to his quarters.

“Now’s not a great time! Ah, don’t do that!” The sound of something falling and breaking echoed behind the door. “Gah, nooo!”

“You’re forbidding me from my own chambers?” Toa raised his eyebrows in annoyance.

“Um, no of course not, more like—“

Mew! Meeeeeeew!

“Knight.” Toa tapped his fingers on the door knob. “Are you incapacitated?”

“Obviously not!”

“Has Avari somehow rendered you immobile? Or, is Fenn in there preventing you from moving freely?”

“No…”

“Then open the door this instant.” Knight shuffled to the door, opened it a crack, and quickly pulled Toa inside before locking it again.

“Knight, what is going on?” Toa turned to Knight. It was then he saw them. Carnage in fluffy feline form.

Kittens. Kittens everywhere. Two black and white kittens were leaping over one another atop of Toa’s bed. A kitten’s head popped up from within a teapot on a side table, its whiskers twitching. A black kitten with a white patch on its chest sat on the edge of a bookshelf, looking at Knight with its bright yellow eyes. The kitten tilted its head, smirked, and began knocking books onto the floor. Two more kittens darted across the floor, running underneath the couch. And finally, a pure white kitten rolled playfully on its back on Toa’s desk. This kitten purred contently at the jar of blue ink it had spilled all over official Qelsan documents. The kitten’s paws and the tip of its tail were stained blue, a string of paw prints all over the desk.

“You have obviously not been taught manners.” Toa gingerly picked up the white kitten from his desk and removed the ink from from its fur with magic. “You are too proud of your mischief.”

“Opal hasn’t been able to tend for them as she normally would!” Knight defended the feline as best he could. “We’re sorry!”

“Opal?” Toa started wiping off the ink from his desk. He groaned as he saw a set of paw prints on a letter meant for King Gilbert. Knight sheepishly retreated to his room and brought out a beautiful long haired black and white female cat in his arms, her right front paw in a makeshift bandage.

“Opal’s one of the friendlier cats at the peer. She hurt her paw.” Knight scratched behind Opal’s ears, eliciting a contented purr. “I brought her back to see what we had at the infirmary to help her, but I couldn’t leave her kittens behind! So, I brought them all in a basket and—“

“And clearly they escaped the confines of your room.” Toa filled in the remaining gaps to Knight’s tale. A kitten emerged from under the couch and began climbing Toa’s leg.

“I beg your pardon. You were not given permission to climb me like a tree.” Toa looked sternly at the kitten. Opal mewed warningly at the kitten and it promptly let go of Toa and ran away.

“Thank you Opal.” Toa inclined his head at the mother cat. It was clear Knight and Opal were bonded—this cat was the first one he knew of that Knight had named. A bolt of inspiration hit Toa.

“Knight, what will happen to the kittens after Opal recovers from her injury?”

“I, er, I’m still figuring that out. I’ve been asking shopkeepers throughout Colde if they need good mousers or want a pet.” Knight bit his lip. “Haven’t had any luck yet.”

“What if I found the kittens homes, as your birthday gift?” Toa petted a kitten on his bed. “I will throughly investigate all potential adopters before the kittens are given away.” Toa mentally started thinking of a number of noble families, professors, and students not associated with his fanatic fan club that would likely be the best candidates for adopters.

“Toa, thank you!” Knight beamed with joy and squeezed Opal.

“As for Opal,” Toa continued, “she can remain here with you Knight permanently if you wish.” Opal seemingly understood and nuzzled against Knight’s chin. Knight smiled wider.

The perfect gift for Knight was perhaps not so difficult after all.

…

CODA: In case y’all are curious, this is the image I had in mind for Opal the cat 🐱

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