Stranger From the City

Purrsephone
     Purrsephone had been out of sorts for a few days now, and it was a feeling she neither loved nor appreciated.
    Of course, that was a given. Finding out that your only ticket to easy reparation had been murdered was never a good time. This was unfortunate for Purrsephone as she was the personification of a good time. The strange haze was all too foggy and all too dim for her to approve of. A waft of sadness and grief for the father she would never redeem, and for the slipping hope that Lola would ever take her back.

     Naturally, Purrsephone’s first instinct was to focus in on her main goals, so the distraction of cleaning her nest and rearranging the exterior decor of her den was appreciated. Amongst those menial chores, Purrsephone thought of alternatives to bringing her father home.

     However, it didn’t matter how many ideas Purrsephone had, none would match Purrkins.

     The restless stir Purrsephone felt made her inclined to explore the outer limits of ‘the valley’, and so upon a sunny morning, Seph went to do just that. Attempting to appease the unyielding knot in her stomach. Purrella had mentioned a car of some kind. Curious, considering there were ‘no humans’ around (which Purrsephone struggled to believe.)

     So Purrsephone set off with that goal in mind. Picking her way through grass and stone until the familiar-ish scent of Snakeclan and mouse disappeared into unfamiliarity. As it did, Purrsephone began to slow. The silky-furred feline’s paws rose higher with every step, her ears pricked and tail kinked in hesitant alarm. There were many new smells here, and it overwhelmed as much as it fascinated. So Purrsephone made a considerable effort of caution, though most of that seemed to hail from the desire to keep her paws clean.

Jasper
    As always, it would seem that Jasper had nothing to do. Today was a day in which he had separated himself from the others (their conversations often bored him to the bone, always about fighting or territory or something equally as draining). So, to spare his brain from fizzling out completely, he had escaped and began making his way towards the big red monster—Sorry, the car as Purrella called it—for some much needed and completely earned relaxation.

     To say he’d expected the area to be empty would likely be too optimistic; it wasn’t like they owned the place or anything, but their stench would be rather obvious. Any cat who ventured into these parts was either incredibly brave, stupid … Or had been personally invited. Jasper felt irritation heat up his chest. The tom was growing sick of newly invited cats, always thinking they were far more significant than they actually were just because of their one moment of spotlight. Jasper had the mind of squashing them like a bug.

     His mood already soured, it came as no surprise that his anger only doubled once he laid eyes on the figure in the distance. Now what? Who could possibly be interrupting his lovely day out this time? As he drew closer, he could be heard grumbling obscenities under his breath, eyebrows furrowed. It wasn’t until the distance closed completely that Jasper stopped in his tracks. There was something … Significant about this cat. He blinked. Was that a flicker of familiarity?

     Had he met this molly before?

     His tone was actually curious (rather than the usual scorn a stranger often received), his ears perked and tail raised as he surveyed her. “And who might you be?” There was a natural purr in his voice, though without the usual sarcasm. It actually sounded rather … Pleasant? Friendly? Pretty privilege really does exist, huh?

Purrsephone
     Of all days to explore, Purrsephone credited herself on the choice of today - as the sunlight was rather pleasant and… actually, the mountains were quite beautiful now that she looked at them. There was an inherit comfort about having something large encase you. Purrsephone thought of the skyscrapers in the far corners of her home, or the hotels that yawned into clear blue skies. 

     It was almost normal. 

     So there was a bright side to this ‘country living’, Seph supposed, the views were surely a sight to behold. Purrkins had taste; which of course Purrsephone knew already. To get with Lola took a tasteful feline, even if it was brief.

     Nobody would have to know that last bit, though. Nobody aside from Purrella and Purrsephone herself.     Speaking of, as the thrum of light pawsteps rose from afar, Purrsephone found herself growing hopeful. Perhaps Purrella had found her again? Her Aunt was a rather versed traveller and-  Oh.  Oh it was just… a stray.  Hmmph.  Purrella would have been preferred, Purrsephone groaned internally.

     However she would never turn away a potential conversation, and as the feline approached (with a swagger to his step) Purrsephone couldn’t help but make note of how attractive he was. Oooh~ he reminded her of those dolls up Main Street. Rugged, rather tough looking.

     Another note of familiarity.

     Purrsephone kinked her tail over her slender frame in a gracefully silent greeting, tilting her head upwards and allowing the stray to admire her - as they usually did. Subtly friendly but careful enough to not bare her neck at the stranger. 

    “Oh. Are we getting right to the point?” Purrsephone mused, sounding playfully dissappointed. “My name is Purrsephone~. Though if you can’t roll the ‘r’s’ you may also refer to me as Seph. I am here as a visitor from the city. A vacationer, if you will. Are you a local?”

Jasper
    What had began as a interaction Jasper would much rather have gone without… Had just become far more interesting. The tom hadn’t known that the cat he’d spotted in the distance was one of such splendor, such fine breeding. There was no lying about the looks of this molly; the graceful physique, the soft, fluffy fur. Jasper found himself not wanting to look away for once.

     He didn’t want to be arrogant and think that she was showing off for him, but, well, he was arrogant and so that’s exactly what he thought. Jasper raised an eyebrow at her elegant display, though found himself shooting her a smirk, too. Very nice.

      At her playful tone, he couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach. He was so easy to flirt with, so very easy to flatter. After all, that’s how Purrella had got him wrapped right around her paw… Though Jasper was rather ignorant of that detail. Subconsciously, perhaps Purrsephone’s similarities to the tom’s favourite molly was what was helping her affect him so much at this moment.

     He blinked stupidly, clearing his mind of his daze.

     Jasper repeated her name, “Purrsephone,”, rolled r’s and all. No less for one so charming.     He didn’t like being called a local. It sounded so simple. So… bland. Yet, he knew there was no beating around the bush. It’s exactly what he was. Fluffing out his chest fur slightly to make himself look bigger (he was already tall, but extra help was always appreciated), and responded gruffly, “Yes, ma’am.” The dark-furred tom flicked an ear, a small (and very rare) smile pulling at his lips.

      “I’m Jasper. It’s nice to meet you.”

Purrsephone
     Purrsephone couldn’t help a small giggle upon the sly smirk that the tramp offered her. Another familiarity with the dashing persona that this tomcat perused. How suave a cat like this could be was equitable to their desire for … well, that varied, but Purrsephone was a hard fish to catch.

      Even so, her fascination with the stranger was palpable, it escalated as he not only went through the effort of saying her name correctly - but also how polite he was with her! Such a gentleman, not at all what Purrsephone had expected from a stray.    Now he wasn’t perfect. Like any other stray this… ‘Jasper’ reeked of dirt and rotten leaves. His fur, albeit more groomed than those she had come across before, still reminded Purrsephone more of a pinecone than a well-combed coat. And of course, at the end of the day, Jasper was still a stray. But despite that Jasper was handsome, oh and how he made her giggle with the referral of ‘ma’am!’ Purrsephone placed her front paw on her muzzle, batting her lashes at Jasper with immense captivation. How curious!

      “Oh aren’t you such a breath of fresh air! Such a manner is hard to come by these days - especially from strays. Jasper, did you say?” Purrsephone flicked her tail, tasting the name on her tongue, “How charming!”

     OOHH the questions she had for this Tom! Why so well-mannered for a country hick? Did he perhaps know of Purrella? Of the car? Ah! Purrsephone could ask him for directions after this! Yes, that was a good idea.  For now, though, Purrsephone was filled to the brim with the want to know. She had too many questions to ask.

     Purrsephone would ask them in due time, but she had said her piece. Now the silky-furred molly merely sat with great care, lapping at her paws and brushing her cheek fur. 

Jasper
    It only made his heart jump when the pretty molly before him raised a paw to her chest and batted her eyelashes. He felt confidence course through him at just that. Jasper surely wasn’t lacking any arrogance on his part, but he was also deeply insecure after the horrible events leading up to his departure from LynxClan. Somewhere, in his dark and twisted chest, he felt inferior… He wasn’t about to let Purrsephone sniff that out, though, so he flashed her another cocky grin for good measure.

      His tail flicked up with pleasure at her compliment, and he purred happily. It just felt like it meant more coming from her, a cat with very evident high standards. The tom silently wondered how long she had been around these parts, especially with the quality of her fur… He always tried his best to keep as well groomed as possible, though he’d never been exposed to the impossibilities that twoleg made products could make to a cat’s fur, so perhaps he wasn’t groomed at all. Purrsephone seemed to know all the secrets. He nodded, licking his tongue across his canines, “It’s the very least a fine lady such as you deserves.”

     At her silence, Jasper began to grow curious. Where had this stranger come from? Why was she so… Familiar? All of his questions were on the tip of his tongue, though he held off on the more prying ones for now. Such forethought was quite rare for him around a pretty cat, though after his few romantic fiascos as of late… Well, he wanted to step more cautiously. Still, his curiosity couldn’t be completely ebbed, and he inched slightly closer and asked, “So… Where are you from?” He added, “A fine cat such as yourself surely isn’t from here. I would’ve noticed you by now if that were the case.”

     As he waited for her answer, he began to subconsciously flatten down some of his messier fur. If he’d known she was around, he never would’ve dared to show up this dishevelled. “Are you… Did you travel far?”

Purrsphone
     A fine lady.

      Purrsephone batted down the bright light that flickered between her ribs. It was a fine combination with Purrsephone’s desire to stand out that would inevitably have her in a flustered spiral, and oh how embarrassing that would be! Certainly not the behaviour Purrsephone had been bred into having, and would absolutely lead her to being invoked into following this stag as if she was a doe herself. Nonsense. Though Purrsephone hummed and raised her almond-shaped eyes to regard the tomcat before her with a heightened sense of appreciation. At the very least, his comments were accurate.

     Feeling little fear, Purrsephone allowed Jasper to sidle up towards her — aware of the space and approving of it when he paused. Good. Purrsephone stood straight, tipping her head lightly as if in deep thought as Jasper’s question was raised into a puff of mist.      Now, Purrsephone did recall noting her origins to Jasper prior to settling. Perhaps he was testing the truth to that story? Not a problem, for it was indeed factual. One of the few.

    “Ah, I come from a city — it’s quite different from this place. Busy, less colourful… clean.” Purrsephone’s nose wrinkled as she raised a dainty paw — lightly motioning towards the frost-licked ground beneath their feet.

     “Though thus far my company has been far from what I am used to. Seedy mongrels and whatnot, save from my aunt.” Purrsephone lowered her head so she could look up at Jasper. Sweetly musing aloud as she added, “Oh Jasper, that’s why I’m so happy to see another kindred spirit.”

     Letting a pause take hold, Purrsephone waited until Jasper had combed his pelt before tilting her head back up again and setting her paw down.

    “Oh dear, you wouldn’t believe the journey I had to endure! It was absolutely exhausting. Hm. But that’s another tale for another time, yes? I think so. Why, you’ve asked so much about me that I’ve hardly gotten to know you!” Purrsephone mewled, “A local, is that right? Were you born and raised in the valley?” 

Jasper
    Ah, yes. City.

      He remembered her mentioning such a word before, though he’d been so swept up in her good looks that it had gone in one ear and out the other. Jasper flicked an ear self-consciously, feeling a bit embarrassed that he hadn’t taken note of that. Although, he thought it best not to bring too much attention to it— Instead, he nodded and brushed up his chest fur a little, eyeing her intently. The tom had heard such words from other rogues, though he’d never been witness to them himself. Such details were incredibly irritating, as Jasper hated not knowing things.

     The dark-furred cat perked an ear in her direction as she began to explain. Busy? Clean? He wondered how so— His idea of clean was very likely not even close to what Purrsephone was used to, though he tried to form the image in his mind nonetheless. Jasper let out a low purr of amusement as the molly complained about the frost underpaw. He was also not a fan of the leafbare season, and he recalled a few memories of him complaining about his wet fur and stinging paws. His heart squeezed a little as he tried to push aside which cats had been present for those memories. They didn’t matter anymore.

     A grin spread across his face at her compliment; a kindred spirit! There were hardly any, if at all, cats that would describe Jasper as that. Most of the time, he ended up losing companions because he didn’t meet their expectations— Some of these were harsher than others, though the tom was adamant he was much better off without them. He was very happy to hear that he’d made Purrsephone’s feel a little more at home, even if she might not have said those exact words. Though, before he could think much more on that, his curiosity was piqued once more.

     “Your aunt?” He questioned softly.

Purrsephone
     Ugh. Okay, now it was getting annoying.

     Well… annoying, yet thrilling.

     Purrsephone ran her tongue to her upper fangs, finding a sharp chill creeping along the ends of her spine. If only to herself, Purrsephone would admit that she quite enjoyed giving chase. If Jasper was so elusive as to not give answers to her most basic questions what more was he keeping?

     Or perhaps Jasper was just dense. Purrsephone wrinkled her nose at the moments of silence that lasted between her own words. Hmph. Well, that was a possibility too. Country bumpkins were typical of that regard in the stories that Purrsephone had armored herself with.

     Though Purrsephone would remind herself as she caught Jasper’s blazing stare — not to trust that possibility. Every cat has secrets, this rogue had already proven to be another bachelor. His eyes said it all.

     …Nevertheless, Purrsephone hummed, allowing the fatigue of conversation to roll off of her shoulders like dew. Indulging in gossip was one of her favorite things, and Jasper had just brought up one of her favorite topics. Family.

     “My aunt, yes! You are familiar with the term I hope.” Purrsephone’s whiskers twitched. “She is a local here herself — quite a… dedicated molly. Ah! But then again she has quite the fascinating brain. Really. Such a joy in conversation — oh you would like her, I think!”  

     “Perhaps you already know her?” Purrsephone cocked her head to one side, “Small colourpoint — very soft fur, eyes like mine. Her name is Purrsi - Ah - no, it’s Purrella now! Purrella De Vile.”

      Purrsephone smiled lightly — though inwardly she wanted to lean in and stare at Jasper’s eyes for a glint of something. Recognition… emotion of any kind … whatever worked. 

Jasper
     The dark-furred tabby was many things, but being socially aware definitely wasn’t one of them. Maybe it was the byproduct of being an only kit that had caused the arrogance and selfishness to flow so freely through him, or maybe it was just because he didn’t care… Whatever it was, Jasper usually loved talking about himself. When he’d still been a Lynxclan cat, his days were most often filled with him telling whoever came across his path fake stories about his triumphs. Looking back on them now, it was evident he was compensating for his cowardice by pretending he was much braver than he actually was. So many had tried to put him in his place, yet he’d persevered and his imaginative tales continued.

       With Purrsephone, it was like he didn’t even exist. He wanted to know everything about her, even the things she hardly even knew about herself. It wouldn’t ever be enough until the tom knew every strand of her coat better than his own.

      Such sentiments would likely be viewed as romantic by a select few, but… Well, those who were familiar with Jasper knew that he had a tendency to become obsessive. Perhaps that was why he’d brushed off all her questions, why he’d avoided answering with anything other than empty words. He was so wrapped up in figuring her out that he was almost jeopardising everything. He needed to focus. It had happened with Otterspark, with Purrella… And now with the murderous molly’s niece, Purrsephone.

      Jasper’s life was in danger.

     He took a couple of deep breaths, not too obvious that the molly in front of him would think anything was wrong. The tom needed to step very carefully, for fear of upsetting the wrong sort. His expression was very guarded when he finally got his response out; there was no reason to pretend he wasn’t familiar with her, but he supposed he should leave out that it was rather intimately on his side. No. Purrsephone didn’t have to know such intricate details.

     “Yes, I know her. She… Well, I suppose she was the spark that allowed me to leave the cults behind.” He replied, very aware of every movement he made. Jasper paused then, before deciding to continue, “I guess you could say I’m somewhat indebted to her.” While it hadn’t really answered any of her questions straightforwardly, he hoped it was enough. Yes, he was a local. Yes, he was raised here. Yes… He very well knew Purrella de Vile.

     He hoped it wouldn’t get him killed.