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Vraska is an assassin, a gorgon from Ravnica with a taste for control and death, she has spent most of her life perfecting the art of killing and she was practically a master now. This evening she had been given an assignment to kill some important Azorius official who had been passing laws which limited the freedoms of the group she worked for. It was a straightforward mission, kill the man, leave behind evidence linking his death to a specific guild, and get out before anybody discovered her.
Vraska had her tools and her mission, now she just had to carry it out. She waited until the dead of night before entering the official's house. The fool was fast asleep, no guards, no security of any kind besides a locked door, it was too easy.
Vraska approached the bed and quickly went about her business. She used a specially designed device that sent out strong current of electricity to electrocute the man. His body contorted as he died, a silent scream escaping his mouth. After he grew still she began to leave traces of the "murderer" behind. Some bits of machine oil here and there, a few residual scorches from the device she had used to kill him, and some bits of torn red cloth.
The Azorius had been setting increasingly strict limits on the Izzet scientists of late, there had already been a few demonstrations and complaints by the Izzet so it wouldn't be hard to imagine one of them taking their fate into their own hands. The Izzet were an easy target and Vraska's organization could only benefit from tension between the guilds, creating more calls for assassination, more money passed through hands, more strife. Vraska left, knowing the Azorius would draw their own conclusions when they discovered the body in the morning, for now she needed rest.
She left the house and descended into the shadows, slipping into the undercity like a snake into its den. As she descended she did not notice the small creature which followed her down. Most people would not notice something so small, its coat was dirty from living on the streets, it was too small and thin to make even a morsel, and it was barely noticeable unless one was looking for it. Vraska didn't notice it, even when the creature started playing with the end of her dress, pawing at the material playfully.
Vraska arrived at her home, looking around at the space filled with objects from her travels across the multiverse. To some people it might look like a museum or a mess but to her it brought nothing but comfort. She went to her kitchen and brewed some coffee.
The creature which had been accompanying her walked into the domicile and moved around, rubbing against the objects in it and purring softly. Once she had finished this she went over to the woman she had followed and sat behind her, looking up at her. She waited a moment before meowing, asking her new friend to give her food.
Vraska froze when she heard it, a soft sound that was distinctly animal in nature. Her hair rose around her head, shifting uncomfortably as she turned and looked around. She was about to dismiss it as a byproduct of her tired mind, nothing could enter her home without her permission after all so it was probably nothing. Then she heard it again and looked down to see the dirtiest kitten she had seen in her life. She stood there for a moment and stared at it, confused as to how this creature had gotten in. After a moment she slowly knelt down and hesitantly reached a hand down, running her fingers through the matted and dirty fur. The kitten reacted by lifting its body so that it was always in contact with Vraska's hand as it moved across her back, purring happily. Vraska pulled her hand back and frowned.
"Where did you come from?"
The kitten looked at her, confused as to why she had stopped petting her. She meowed softly, hoping the food would be coming soon. She moved closer and gently rubbed herself against Vraska's leg, purring gently.
Vraska frowned and stood up, leering over the creature.
"Well I don't care how you got in but..." She waved a hand at it. "Shoo, I don't need a cat." She turned back to her coffee, crossing her arms as she watched the water boil.
The kitten meowed in confusion. She didn't understand why her new friend was acting so distant. Perhaps she didn't understand? She walked forward and went under the dress. She moved between her legs, rubbing herself against Vraska's ankles and purring.
Vraska scowled down at the creature between her legs. She pulled the coffee off the stove, pouring it into a cup. She lifted her legs and avoided the creature as she walked over to her chair and sat down. She inhaled the deep scent of her coffee before taking a sip, sighing as the warmth spread through her body.
She was about to drink some more when the creature jumped onto her lap and meowed again. The kitten walked onto her lap and circled around a moment before laying down, relaxing into the spot. Vraska lifted her arms in surprise, nearly spilling her coffee as she looked at the creature. She scowled again and picked up the creature, dropping it onto the ground at her side. She frowned down at it, her hair shifting around her head.
"Now listen here. I have no interest in owning a cat and no need for one either. You should leave and find a home somewhere else. There is no place for you here." She once again waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "So shoo." She just wanted it gone so that she could get back to her coffee.
The kitten was confused but it wasn't going to give up. She watched her drink and then walked around the chair. She was planning to jump back up and lay on her lap again when she noticed a little beetle scampering across the floor. Some primal instinct kicked in as the kitten began to stalk the beetle, creeping closer to the organism quietly.
Vraska took notice of the creature, recognizing the body language. She paused while drinking and observed it. The kitten crept closer, moving one paw, then the next, being silent and invisible. The beetle continued to scamper about, occasionally flexing its wings or rubbing its feet together. The kitten finally reared back and shook its shoulders a bit before launching forward and pinning the creature below its claws. The kitten ate the beetle, smacking its lips and licking its chops.
Vraska smiled, admiring the primal nature of this creature, and how it killed those weaker than itself. Such a show of stealth and deadliness, something she held so near and dear to her heart, was at least worthy of a meal and a night in her home. She stood, placing her cup on the table and walking to the kitchen. She retrieved some food from her stores there and walked to the kitten, setting the food on the ground before her.
"I suppose I could allow you to stay one night, but that will be it. I expect you to leave tomorrow." She instructed.
The kitten began eating as the food touched the floor, happy to have such good food. She lifted her head and meowed in thanks to Vraska before continuing to eat, enjoying the meal.
Vraska took the meow as an understanding and went back to her chair. She sat down and finished her coffee. Once done she stood and went to her bedroom, sitting and cleaning some of the devices she used in her art. She had trouble with a few stains on the more grooved instruments but she was able to remove them with relative ease.
The kitten finished her food and looked towards the bedroom as Vraska disappeared into the room. The kitten quickly followed her, wondering what her new friend was doing now. She watched her work for a bit before yawning, quite tired. She was able to locate a pillow on the ground by the bed. She quickly went over to it and stood on it, softening it by walking around in a circle before laying down. She closed her eyes and settled into a peaceful sleep.
Vraska finished cleaning the instruments at about the same time that the coffee started to wear off. She stood and stretched a bit before going to her bed and laying down, curling up and falling asleep within a few moments. She dreamt that night of her childhood, of all the people who had hurt her, and then of killing them, one by one. It was a good dream.
Vraska awoke the next day and stood. She changed her clothes and went to her kitchen. She made breakfast for herself and sat in her chair, eating slowly and considering her day, until she heard a soft meow from the floor next to her. She looked over and blinked, her mind processing the kitten for a moment before she remembered it.
"Oh right, you." She sighed. "I'd forgotten..." She looked at the food on her plate and lifted a sausage from the plate. She held it out to the kitten who took and ate it.
She smiled a little. "Now don't think this makes us friends. I still expect you to leave today... Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to help you clean before you go."
She finished her breakfast and then picked up the kitten. She carried her to the wash basin. She ran water until the basin had enough water in it and then placed the kitten inside. The kitten meowed and began to splash around in the water, thinking this was some kind of game. Vraska smiled again despite herself and began to clean the kitten, getting the dirt and grime out of her fur, cleaning her from head to tail. Once the kitten was clean she dried her off.
The kitten was enjoying this, she couldn't remember the last time she had been this clean. Once dry she shook herself and fluffed up. She had a brilliant coat of brown, red, and white fur covering her body. She inclined her head towards Vraska and meowed in thanks.
Vraska hesitated before lowering her hand down and petting the kitten. The kitten rubbed against her hand, purring in happiness as she was pet. She licked her hand before rubbing her whiskers against her palm.
Vraska blushed lightly and placed a hand over her heart, it was beating faster. "D-don't try to curry any favor with me. I still expect you to be gone before this day is out. I hope you understand that."
The kitten meowed and simply continued to rub against Vraska’s hand.
Vraska returned from her most recent mission with bloodstains on her dress. She sighed and took her coat off, putting it on the rack by her door. She stretched and rubbed her temples, trying to will the dull ache in her head away.
"What a day this has been."
She stepped further into her home, going to her kitchen. She began to brew a cup of tea when she felt a creature wind itself between her legs and let out a meow of greeting. Vraska smiled down at the creature.
"Well hello there Slither. I hope your day was better than mine."
Slither the cat purred and nuzzled against her calf. She had spent the day out in the undercity, hunting rats and spending time with the other creatures. She was a well known figure in the undercity now, and nobody would dare to mess with her, considering who her owner was.
Vraska smiled, her hair relaxing against her head. "I'm glad. But wait until you hear about mine."
She quickly put the tea in a cup and sat in her chair. Slither jumped into her lap and laid down, looking up at her. Vraska gently pet her cat as she sipped her tea.
"So, there I was in the Simic combine. I was there to kill this mad scientist who was making these monstrosities and releasing them into the undercity. They had this idea that they were engineering the next step in the evolutionary chain and that by releasing these creature that they would weed out the weak members of society." She paused to give Slither a drop of tea from her cup. Slither licked it off her fingertip gleefully.
"So I had to sneak my way past this scientist’s "pets" to get to him and even after reaching him I still had to fight off this mutant frog-monkey thing! Now it wasn't as fearsome as you," she leaned her head down and kissed the top of Slither's head. "But it was still kind of weird."
She continued her story, telling her best friend all about the day she had and the challenges she faced. She relaxed as she spoke, enjoying the tea and the company she kept. She continued to give Slither little tastes of tea and to give her slow pets. The day had started out with a challenging mission but it was ending with a cup of tea and a purring friend so maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Vraska let out a laugh as Slither put her paws on her chest and nuzzled against her chin, her hair gently petting the creature below her. She hadn’t expected when this creature came into her life six months ago that it would become her favorite companion and best confidant, but she was happy to have her and she would never let anything happen to her. She kissed the cat on its nose and hugged it, smiling and laughing.
Vraska is an assassin, a gorgon from Ravnica with a taste for control and death, and her cat Slither is her best friend.