Cat out of the Bag

Osmund wasn't exactly a man of nature, preferring the dark sanctuary of his room over the great wonders of the outdoors, which only stood to reason that the indoor garden of the school was a marvel of the school he only respected by giving it a glance as he passed it by, never entering inside it. However, as he had woke to found that Pellinore, his mischievous, heterochromia iridium cat, to not be in his dormitory or anywhere to be found in the commons, Osmund couldn't imagine many other places where he would be.

This past summer, he had learned of pellinore's natural desire to hunt from the way the cat would go out at night, only to return proudly with something dead as a gift to Osmund. He supposed this was just another one of those occasions when Pellinore wished to explore his ferile side and try his luck at hunting in the school's personal garden. Osmund wasnt even sure if anything else but plants lived inside that garden, haven't ever entered it before, but perhaps the cat figured it was worth a try.

"Pellinore!" Osmund called to his cat uselessly. The bloody feline wouldn't respond to his name even when Osmund had kitty treats for him, let alone now when Pellinore wished to be free, whereas Oz wanted him back where he knew he was safe. "Pellinore?" Osmund called again, a hint of confusion at the end as he heard a rustle from not too far away and turned to face it. Had he actually gotten lucky and found his cat straight off the back? Osmund moved off of the path and parted the bushes to explore further. His hopeful face dropped as he saw a person rather than a cat. "You're not...never mind."

Cassandra looked up at the boy from her book, she hadn't heard him. She was too absorbed in her book. "Looking for something?" She closed her book, placing a feather to mark her spot. "Maybe I could help?" She got up from her spot. "What are you looking for?"

There was no use in arguing the existence of the girl as not being his cat, so the Oullett was more than content in turning away and going back to his search. He was perfectly fine on his own and very much capable. Yet as he had disturbed the girl who sat silently in the garden, reading a book, she naturally started asking him questions.

"None of your business," Osmund replied to the last of the set, the one that asked what it was he was seeking. He could only imagine what Katie would say if she found out his cat had wandered off and feared the same ridiculing reaction would come from the girl he hardly knew. His arms folded across his chest in a motion of stubbornness. He didn't want to enlist her help, but then again he had little to no luck in calling his cat home and it would be less work if someone else was helping him.

Sighing in defeat as the pros outweighed the cons in favor for enlisting her help, Osmund finally answered. "My cat has wandered off. Have you seen a cat? He looks pretty stupid with own eye brown and the other one blue. He doesn't come when he's called, so good luck trying to help," Osmund relayed, his dark eyes relaying nothing of the sorts of friendliness to the girl. If she wanted to help, great. He'd allow it. Though that didn't mean he desired help.

Cassandra shook her head, she hadn't seen a cat. ""I was too busy reading to see a cat. But I'm good with animals. So, I might be of assistance." She always enjoyed playing with the animals that ran into her yard at her home. Cats had to be her favorite animal and cats seemed to enjoy her as well. "What does your cat like to do?"

"Are you suggesting I am not?" Osmund asked, coldly. It was his cat, after all. If anyone was good with him, it should be Osmund, but yet it was his own cat that had wandered off and his own cat that will not come when he is called and to suggest that a perfect stranger would be able to succeed where he had failed was a bit insulting to him, to say in the least. "Never mind. You can work your cat magic, if you must," Osmund finished, sarcasm apparent in his voice.

If food wouldn't do the trick, Osmund wasnt sure what would. The alley cats that lived between his house and the others always seemed to come to any human who had food to offer to them, so why was Pellinore different? What was it that Pellinore enjoyed that would bring him back? The girl at least seemed on the right track with that question.

"Sleeping, mostly. Particularly on the objects that I need to get," Osmudn started, scoffing at his cat's irritating ways. Whenever he wanted to play guitar, Pellinore was sound asleep on his guitar case. When he needed a textbook for a homework assignment, Pellinore was curled up on that specific book, as opposed to the other ones. It was annoying, but yet each time it happened, Osmund let the cat finish his nap, rather than pushing him off of whatever it was he needed that the cat was sleeping on. He supposed he was nicer to his cat than actual people. So why then would Pellinore stay away for so long? "That and he likes to hunt for things."

Cassandra thought about what his cat might be doing. "Is there anything you need to do?" She thought about his last statement. "He could be catching mice or something, that's probably why your treats won't work. Or maybe your cat isn't hungry."

If it was that Pellinore was asleep somewhere, hidden in some bush in the sizely garden, Osmund wasnt sure what he could possible do to rouse the beast and bring him back where he belonged. However, he was doubtful that Pellinore was still on the hunt, either. He had been gone since last night, which meant he had all the time in the world to catch something to please himself and come back to the common room. If anything, Pellinore was probably lost. "Dumb cat," Osmund muttered to himself. He was proving to be much more trouble than Osmund was willing to handle. He didn't care if Linette thought that Pellinore had claimed him or not; if that feline didn't learn to behave himself, he'd be out with the other ally cats by his house.

"I don't care if he's hungry or not! I just want to make sure he's not getting in any trouble!" The time that pellinore had been gone was starting to unnerve the boy. Though he didn't act like it, he cared for his cat very much. Pellinore was his first pet that wasnt a lame goldfish and Pellinore was always there to listen to Osmund's complaints and secrets; things he wouldn't dare utter to a human being. "I thought you said you were good with animals," he snapped at the girl. "Yet you have done nothing already! You're just wasting my time!"

Cassandra thought about just leaving him alone to find his cat on his own, but she was a nice person. "Well, I was just asking." She searched around the garden, looking high and low. But she couldn't find the cat. "Maybe its trying to play? Maybe hide and seek." She didn't want to bring up the fact that the poor cat might be hurt and that's why it wouldn't approach him.

"I thought a huge component of hide and seek was to know you're playing it," Osmund criticized. Not that he really knew much about childhood games like that, for, his childhood didn't have many of them. The closest thing he had to friends were his equally snobby cousins, though they wouldn't dare get themselves dirty playing such games. It didn't bother Osmudn that much, though. With only him playing, he always won.

But there was a certain look on the girl's face that suggested she had another idea she wasnt sharing. "What?" Osmund asked, coldly. What was it that she was hiding? A radical idea that she thought might upset him? He'd rather not have such things censored for him. "You're not telling me something. What is it?" He took a few steps closer towards the girl, an intimidating look on his face. If she wouldn't willingly spill it out, he wouldn't be too upset with getting some practice with some spells to get the answers.