(Sharing Tonight's Warmth) Faust
Card Story - "Like a Miracle"
Chapter 1
Faust: ā¦ā¦. and as such, this strange phenomenon occurs. Devised to explain it, today we will be coveringā
Tabby Cat: Mmeooooww~
Faust: āthe subject of Magical Theory.
Nero: (Come on, someone say somethin'ā¦ Why's there a cat in the classroom mid-lectureā¦)
Heathcliff: (Th-The cat has stepped on Mr. Faust's foot about four times nowā¦ Ah, it's pawing on his elbow, but he ignored itā¦)
Nero: (It's climbed to the podium nowā¦ It's shovin' its face in Faust's earsā¦)
Tabby Cat: Meeooowww!!
Faust: ā¦! And that's all for the history of it. Next, we'll be moving on to the specifics. Before we move on, does anyone have any questions?
Shino: Me.
Faust: Go ahead.
Shino: What's up with the cat?
Heathcliff & Nero: (Well said, Shinoā¦!)
Faust: It recently started showing up in the courtyard. As I was petting it, class started and I had to leave, so it followed me to complain about it.
Heathcliff: That's why it's yelling so muchā¦ It missed you, Sir.
Nero: Still, that's unusual for someone as serious as you. You coulda just put up a barrier on the door an' kept it out.
Faust: That's what I did at first. But it was making such a fussā¦
Shino: And it won you over?
Faust: That Mithra told it to "shut up" and tried to throw it all the way to North Country.
Shino, Heathcliff & Nero: Ahā¦
Faust: It's clinging to me now, but if I ignore it, it will probably leave me alone and go to someone else. I'm sorry, but please pay no mind to it.
Heathcliff: Ermā¦ Wellā¦ I-I'll do my best!
Shino: Don't sugarcoat it, Heath. Tell him, that "only a strong-spirited Central Wizard could ignore this".
Faust: Isā¦ Is that so?
Nero: In any case, a cat probably doesn't understand that "it shouldn't bother you 'cause you're in the middle of a lecture". So I say we end class early, and spend the rest of the time into keepin' this little guy company.
Heathcliff: Nero, you're just saying this because you forgot to do your homework.
Nero: Naahhh, I would neverā¦
Shino: But in reality we can't keep the lesson up like this. Who could possibly learn about Magical Theory with all this fuss going on?
Tabby Cat: Mmeeeeoooowww!
Mrrreeooooooow, mrrrrā¦
Faust: ā¦ā¦.
Shino, Heathcliff & Nero: ā¦ā¦ā¦..
Faust: ā¦. What we couldn't cover today in class will be rescheduled for the day after tomorrow, which was scheduled to be a day off. If that's fine with everyone, that is.
Shino & Nero: 'Aight.
Heathcliff: I don't mind.
Faust: Then, in that caseā¦ Well, let's give up and take it easy for today.
Chapter 2
Faust: Here, sorry for ignoring you. Come to my lap, let's reconcile.
Tabby Cat: Mmmeeeeeoow! rollrollrollrollā¦ā¦.
Nero: Haha, it jumped on Faust as soon as he sat down, like it was waitin' all day for this.
Shino: It's already purring. So careless.
Heathcliff: I want to try petting itā¦ Mr. Faust, is it okay if I touch it too?
Faust: This one is quite cuddly, so it's probably fine. Let it smell your finger first, if it doesn't look like it dislikes you, try touching around its face.
Heathcliff: Got it. ā¦ Erm, here you go. Here's my finger.
Shino: Haha. "Here's my finger" he says.
Heathcliff: But it feels kind of weird if I just point at it without saying anything.
Tabby Cat: *sniff sniffā¦* ā¦.
Heathcliff: Does it seem alright? Let me try petting you a little. Wah! Its head is so fluffyā¦
Nero: I wanna pet it too. Here, finger.
Tabby Cat: *sniff sniff*ā¦ ā¦. bleh blehā¦. *lick lick lick*ā¦..
Nero: Oh! It's groomin' me. Does that mean it likes me?
Faust: Rather than grooming, it's licking something tasty off of you. Did the smell of meat or fish rub off on you, maybe?
Nero: Now that you mention it, I did touch some fish while makin' breakfast this mornin'ā¦ Does my hand still smell like fish? Is it tasty?
Heathcliff: Nero, you're blushing.
Shino: For someone that's hundreds of years old, do you have no dignity?
Nero: That's the teacher's role.
Faust: Is it, now?
Nero: Wah, look at that! The kitty's grabbed my finger with its front pawsā¦
Tabby Cat: *munch!*
Nero: Ouch!?
Heathcliff: Eh!? I-It might smell tasty, but you can't eat Nero's hand!
Faust: Ah, no, that'sā¦
Shino: Honestly, I can't deal with you animal-handling amateurs. At times like this, wrap your coat on your hand andā¦ Come at me, the Great Shino shall take you on!
Tabby Cat: ā¦.! *grab!* *munch!* *kick kick kick!*
Heathcliff: Oh, I see! It wants to play-fight! Ahaha, it's trying so hard it's making funny noises. How cute.
Nero: But if it keeps up with that energyā¦
Shino: See, you slipped and fell right off Faust's lap. You were too rough.
Faust: There we goā¦ ..! Owow, come now, no biting. Didn't I just help you?
Tabby Cat: Mmmrrrmmnā¦.
Faust: Don't "mmmrrrmm" me.
Heathcliff: ā¦. Fufuā¦.
Faust: Heath?
Heathcliff: Ahā¦ Sorry for laughing out of the blue. It's just, this is all a little bit strangeā¦
Shino: Yeah, actually, it's unusual for us to slack off a lecture.
Heathcliff: That too, but that's not what I'm talking about. Even though Mr. Faust and Nero are both kind, and Shino and I know each other from beforeā¦ I would have never imagined that the four of us would ever be like this, over Mr. Faust's lap, playing with a cat together. How should I put itā¦ I'm happy. Very much so.
Faust, Shino & Nero: ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦
Faust: ā¦. You're rightā¦. If you spoke to me a year ago of what's happening now, I would have told you it's a lie, or a miracle.
Chapter 3
ļ½„ā§ļ½„ā½ļ½„ā§ļ½„
Tabby Cat: ā¦ā¦
Cats: ā¦ā¦.
Faust: ā¦.. (The cats are staring into each other's eyesā¦. I was wondering why they kept calling at me since noon, it seems like they wanted me to participate in a cat gathering) (Even back at the Valley of Storms, I was present during the white and black cats' meetings, butā¦) Do you guys think I'm a cat too?
Tabby Cat: ā¦ā¦? ā¦ā¦
Faust: (Well, whatever. Being surrounded by cats, alone in quiet like this is quite soothing anyway.) (There's a lot more cats, but it's almost like when I lived in the Valley of Stormsā¦.)
Heathcliff: Good evening, Mr. Faustā¦ Whoa, there's quite a lot of cats here.
Faust: Heathā¦ Shino and Nero, too.
Shino: What are you doing? After-cat fun? *
Nero: What's that even supposed to mean?
Faust: What are you guys doing out here, all with matching cups.
Nero: We just made some eggnog in the kitchen. These two wanted to drink some, ya see.
Shino: Then we saw you from the window standing out here all by your lonesome and came over.
Heathcliff: But you were together with the cats, right? Were you giving them food?
Faust: No. The little one from this noon invited me to a cat gathering.
Heathcliff: Aā¦ A cat gatheringā¦..?
Shino: What is that even. You should really make more people friends.
Heathcliff: Hey!
Faust: Hahaā¦ You're right. But would you look at that, just by standing alone out in the courtyard, three people already came to see me.
Cats: ā¦ā¦
Nero: Oh, looks like the cat's have started breakin' it up.
Heathcliff: But the one from this noon is coming right at us. Its tail is standing straight up.
Faust: They do that when they feel playful. Looks like it wants us to play with it.
Shino: Bring it, I'll play with you a lot.
Heathcliff: Fufu, there, there. Today seems to be a day full of kitties.
Tabby Cat: *twist twist*, *nuzzle nuzzle*. *roll roll roll roll*ā¦.
Faust & Nero: ā¦ā¦ā¦.
Nero: ā¦. Aren't ya glad ya didn't break it up when the kitties left, Teach?
Faust: ā¦ā¦ā¦ ā¦. Is there any eggnog left for me as well?
Nero: Hahaā¦ Can't say. Ya only get along with cats, after all.
Faust: Fufu. Then, how about I make you guys into cats as well?
Nero: Oh, so you're going with that idea?
Shino: You two. What kind of pretentious conversations are you having at your age?
Heathcliff: Of course there's eggnog left for you, Sir. ćRepsev Aivulp Sunosć Here you go, it's hot, so please be careful.
Faust: Thanks. ā¦ā¦ā¦ (I never thought I'd be spending time with anyone like thisā¦.) (ā¦. Butā¦) Tabby Cat: Mmmrreeeowww~~ā¦. *nuzzle nuzzle*
Heathcliff: Ah! The one from earlier went to pester Mr. Faust.
Shino: Careful, Faust. This guy's aiming for the eggnog.
Nero: Don't give it to the cat. Yours has alcohol in it to spice it.
Tabby Cat: Meoowww~~ Mrrrā¦ā¦
Faust: Even if you tilt your head cutely, I'm not giving you any. This is just for the four of us. Thank you for the meal.
(End)
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*TN: Pun on "after-dark fun"
