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Catti was bored. That wasn’t anything new. Hometown rarely had anything new to speak of. The closest thing to interesting news lately was Jockington’s new hat. In all fairness, it was an amazing hat. The cat-like monster laid back on her bed, staring at the bumps on the ceiling, and the posters on the wall of bands nobody else here was cool enough to know about. She was alone in this stupid town. Nobody cared. Everything was awf-
“Hi, sweetheart! Do you want a snack?”
“Fine, mom.”
“Okay, honey! Try to get some sun today. It’s good for you!”
As she was saying, everything SUCKED.
Catti heaved herself out of bed. She might as well go outside for a bit just to get her mom off her back. She slouched out of her room and down the hall, gritting her teeth at the ukelele music floating through the house. Catti made her way into the living room, tiptoeing her way over to the door. She was almost there. Five feet, three feet. She was right there, so close, but as fate would have it, Catti’s day today would be anything but easy. Her foot came down on a floorboard that released a mighty cry, and the cat on the sofa whipped her head around.
“Lil’ sis! Omigosh, you have GOT to hear this new song I’ve been practicing.”
“Um. Well...”
This was not good. Catti racked her brain, trying to think of a way out before, mercifully, she was saved by a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it,” she muttered.
She didn’t know who she was expecting. Maybe Jockington, here to hang out. All she knew was she didn’t expect Kris. And she DEFINITELY didn’t expect the tear tracks running down their face.
“Uh, hey,” she offered after a couple seconds of silence.
Kris shuffled their feet, seemingly waiting to be let in.
“Come in. Follow me.”
“Woahwoahwoah! Lil’ sis! You still haven’t heard my song! Here, let me just-”
“Can’t. Guest,” said Catti before motioning for Kris and setting back off the way she came.
Kris quickly stepped over the threshold and speed-walked behind Catti until the two got to Catti’s room.
“So. You good?”
Kris shrugged.
“Why are you here, then?”
Kris took a deep breath, before croaking out a word.
“Magic.”
“Magic? What about-oh.”
The realization hit Catti. Kris was a human. They couldn’t do magic like all the monsters in town could. Whatever had just happened, Kris seemed really torn up about it.
“Well. Not sure if I can teach.”
Kris’ face fell, and for some reason, Catti felt terrible.
“I mean, uh, we can try?”
Kris perked up immediately, and Catti breathed an internal sigh of relief. She motioned for them to sit down on her bed.
“First, you have to look the part.”
She bustled (since when did she BUSTLE) over to the closet. She began to dig through old clothes, blanketing the room in a whole lot of black cloth and chains. Kris swung their feet absentmindedly, oblivious to the ocean of clothes filling the room.
“Do these fit?” Catti said to Kris. She pulled out a couple of her old shirts from a few years ago. Kris held up a black shirt to their body, looking down at the rather edgy decal on the front before looking up at Catti quizzically.
“Alright, fine.”
Catti grabbed them a different shirt, minus the flaming skull made of snakes, and they scurried off to try it on. Catti wondered if this was about Asriel. She didn’t talk to Kris much, but she often found herself quietly observing them, and she knew that their brother leaving had hit them really hard. Not to mention that Mr. Dreemurr was long out of the picture, mostly sticking to that flower shop of his. Maybe Susie was bothering them again. They must really have it rough, being the only human here. Nobody to talk to about whatever weird human stuff they have going on.
Kris tiptoed back in. They had washed the tear tracks off of their face, wearing the shirt Catti had given them. Here was Kris, in her room, wearing a shirt with her favorite band on it. Damn.
“Heh, looks… good! Yeah, good.”
Kris gave her a shy smile. They really did look pretty great. Catti blinked once, twice, before realizing she was staring.
“Oh! Uh, wanna, do makeup…?”
Kris grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
A few minutes later, Catti had Kris sitting in a chair while she kneeled on the ground in front of them.
“No moving. Hold still.”
Catti lightly drew her various brushes over their face, giving them a pale, ghastly look. Finally, after a whole lot of squirming from Kris and scolding from Catti. Catti handed them a mirror, and they beamed at their reflection.
“You… like it?”
Kris gave her a thumbs up.
“You wanna try the actual, you know, magic part?”
Kris seemed to ponder for a moment, before shyly whispering.
“You know, I don’t really care anymore.”