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You had a rare afternoon off and decided to go for a walk in the town’s cemetery. Only accompanied by the lingering auras of the dead and your own thoughts, you felt incredibly calm and relaxed. “Thomas Redwing, born 4 th of September 1877”, you read out loud while looking at a particularly ornate gravestone. “You must have been rich, dear old Tommy.”
“Are you talking to yourself?”, a clear voice piped up behind you, followed by a familiar monotone. “Obviously. All the smart people do.” You turned towards Enid and Wednesday and smiled. “Dare I ask what you two are doing here?” The clipped response to that was “Research” and you decided to leave it at that. The two girls moved on and you found a quiet spot next to a tree. You had promised your cousin-in-law Margaret to keep her updated on Nevermore gossip and you wanted to hear how the little What was doing.
After a two hour video call your fingers were starting to get cold and you couldn’t feel your bum cheeks any more from sitting on the hard ground for so long. On your return to school grounds you could hear faint yowling and hushed voices and you immediately went to investigate.
“Hold her still”
“You’re doing it wrong”
“Am not, she’s just frightened. Aren’t you, little baby?”
“Talk to her like that again and I will poison your tea”
“Werewolves are immune to poison, didn’t you know that”
“Are they also immune to knives?”
You walked around a corner and spotted Enid and Wednesday who were kneeling in front of what looked like an old cardboard box with holes in it. Possibly made by claws. “What is going on here?”, you asked but the answer presented itself as a small, scruffy looking cat jumped out of the box and started meowing loudly. You looked at the poor starved thing and your heart melted. “We found her curled up near the entrance. She seems to be all alone and hungry. We wanted to save her”, Enid explained and looked up at you with big eyes.
“You wanted to save her. I wanted to experiment on her”, at Wednesday’s words the cat jumped into her lap and started rubbing her face on the girl’s cardigan. You couldn’t help but smile at the adorable display of feline affection and Enid practically cooed at her room-mate. The blonde girl then turned to you, “I know pets aren’t allowed at Nevermore but we can’t leave her outside to die. Could you speak to Principal Weems? I know she likes you.”
You raised an eyebrow at that last statement and replied, “Does she now?”, trying and failing at sounding nonchalant. You could feel Wednesday roll her eyes at you. Enid seemed unfazed and responded enthusiastically “Yeah totally. She always smiles at you when we’re all eating in the courtyard and I heard her praise your lesson plan to Professor Masters the other day” You cursed your cheeks for blushing at the thought of Larissa doing these things. “Very well”, you agreed, “I will speak to her. But I can’t promise anything.”
You found yourself with an arm full of blonde werewolf as she hugged you so tightly you were starting to feel light-headed. “Enid”, you chuckled, “Suffocating your teacher is not a good start” She let go and the three of you made your way to the dining hall. It was not regular meal time but you were lucky to find one of the cooks and asked them for meat for the cat. They gave you a strange look but did not protest and moments later the cat was happily munching on some cooked ham.
“Alright, I will go and find Lar – Principal Weems and you two will collect some cat essentials. You can use sawdust from the garden shed as litter and make sure you put out a bowl of water for the little one. Keep her in your room until I come back, no need to create more chaos.” And with that you were off in your respective directions.
“Absolutely not”, your heart sank at Larissa’s response to your request to keep the cat. You decided to take a chapter out of Enid’s book and put on your most convincing puppy eyes. “Please, it has nowhere else to go and I’m sure it would delight the students.” She looked down at your earnest expression and a small smile appeared on her face. You had the sudden urge to reach up and kiss her but this was neither the time nor the place.
After some back and forth and you pointing out the lesson of responsibility this could be for the students, Weems finally relented. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’ll allow it. Under one condition: You will be the animal’s main guardian.” You happily agreed and she rewarded you with one of her genuine smiles. She insisted on accompanying you to Wednesday’s and Enid’s room and both girls seemed pleased with the news, in their own way. “I will ask one of the sirens to charm the cat so it stays on Nevermore grounds”, Weems explained while you carried the screaming box towards your room.
After a quick trip into Jericho, everything was setup and the cat had all the things needed for feline happiness; a cosy bed, food, water, a litter box and some toys. You were surprised and more than a little pleased that Larissa had stayed with you this entire time. “One thing is missing”, you looked up at those words and frowned. She continued, “The cat needs a name.” You had wished for a cat for a long time and were therefore prepared for this moment. “I will name her Set, after the ancient Egyptian god of deserts, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners”, you declared proudly.
Set became a Nevermore sensation over night. Wherever she went, students were aah-ing and ooh-ing, trying to befriend her. She turned out to be friendly and just a bit mischievous and disrupted more than one lesson. “Come in”, the Principal’s melodic voice rang through the wooden door. You entered the office, armed with the curricular changes you wanted to discuss. Your greeting got stuck in your throat when you took in the scene before you. Larissa was seated on one of the armchairs near the fireplace and nestled on her lap, purring loudly, was Set. You smiled and barely managed to contain a squeal. How adorable, you thought.
Larissa threw you an apologetic look, “She seems to have taken a liking to my lap.” The words “Who wouldn’t” were on your tongue but you quickly swallowed them. No need to be inappropriate. You came to stand next to the armrest and bent over to stroke behind Set’s ears. You could feel Larissa’s breath against your hair and a blush started creeping up your face. “I know, she’s lovely, isn’t she. I like her too, you chose your snoozing position well”, you told Set in a soft murmur. When you stood back up, Larissa was staring at you and you realised you had indeed said that out loud.
“Well, it’s true”, you mumbled while trying to look anywhere but the face of the stunning woman in front of you. “Thank you, I feel honoured to be liked by you and Set”, she teased and her smile made your heart stutter. How this woman could so easily affect you, it was truly astonishing. Curriculum forgotten, the two of you spent the rest of your meeting time quietly chatting and taking turns in stroking Set between her fluffy ears.