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Post by sansa on Feb 6, 2015 9:57:47 GMT -5
The rubber of the Tire was warm from the afternoon sun, and Munkustrap was lost in his thoughts. He'd followed those two queens out of the Junkyard, secretly, all the way to the alleys. The jet black one had seemed practically traumatized because of him. And it had led to nothing. Neither of them had led him anywhere suspicious, and he'd returned to the Junkyard feeling guilty and vaguely useless.
Maybe he'd been too harsh on the queens. The Jellicles had always prided themselves on their acceptance, regardless of a cat's background. How many of Macavity's cats had they taken in over the years? How many cats had started fresh, started a brand new life, in the Junkyard? He clenched his jaw. Maybe he should start being more lenient. Dammit, he was just trying to do right by his tribe. Why did that have to be so complicated?
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Post by Eliaza on Feb 6, 2015 17:58:21 GMT -5
The tiger tom was wandering the junkyard...rather aimlessly, he had to admit. He was trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, but he really couldn't think much of what to look for. And truthfully, his mind was more on Cassandra and the way she had seemed offended by his sending her and Alonzo off to look at the secret tunnel. He'd only been trying to help, why did he always somehow manage to upset people?
Wandering in the direction of the Tire, Mungojerrie caught sight of Munkustrap, and his spirits lifted considerably. At least now he could tell the others Munkus had made it back safely and there would be one less thing to worry about. "'Ello, Munk'tap," he greeted, approaching the Tire, "Lonza said yew'd gone out ta look after somethin'. Glad t'see yer safe an' sound."
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Post by sansa on Feb 9, 2015 18:17:18 GMT -5
"Hey, Mungo." Munkustrap gave the striped tom an easy nod and half a smile. Mungojerrie was always pretty good at lifting cats' spirits. Besides, he hadn't caught up with the tom since the Ball, really. The tom had a past working for Macavity. Seeing him again couldn't have been easy, not for somebody with such a big heart. "Yeah, um, nothing too serious." He pressed his lips together and nodded. "What's up? How've you been doing?"
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Post by Eliaza on Feb 12, 2015 16:50:15 GMT -5
Mungojerrie scratched his ear thoughtfully, considering Munkustrap's question. How was he doing? Well... All he could think of at the moment was Cassandra's odd behaviour and how he somehow managed to offend her at every turn. But he really didn't feel up to discussing his queen problems with Munkustrap at the moment, especially when he had more important things to think about. Oh! That reminded him that Alonzo would want Munkus to know about the secret entrance. "All righ' enough," he shrugged, quickly moving on to, "There's sommat 'Lonza wants yew ta know as soon's you got here. Cassandra knows of some sorta secret tunnel inta the 'yard an' she an' 'Lonz are inspectin' it now. We're just a bit troubled that, well y'know, it could prove ta be some sorta advantage to tha Henches if'n they fin' out about it..." He trailed off, not wanting to get Munkustrap too worried.
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Post by Cayran on Mar 5, 2015 22:21:47 GMT -5
Victoria had entered the junkyard on her on accord, with neither Bustopher or Mistoffelees by her side. Why they thought she needed their constant assistance was beyond her. An escort was simply out of the question, and she scoffed at their attempts to provide her with one. Her uncle had gone to the extreme of offering to hire one, but Victoria wouldn’t have it. Although she thought herself worth the effort, she would not agree to having a permanent babysitter - not when she was an adult of heavy side sake!
Shaking her pretty head at the thought of it, Tori walked through one of the tunnels, hands curled neatly behind her back as she approached the two toms. Having been lost in thought, the white queen hadn’t noticed them; however, in looking up, she found herself in the midst of a conversation that was most likely not for her ears.
”Oh…” She said, placing a delicate hand over her heart as if startled. ”I’m sorry Munku, Jerrie..” Tori nodded her head in greeting to each, smiling ever so faintly. ”I didn’t mean to intrude…honest I didn’t. Is there something wrong? Do I need to leave?” They seem troubled, and she didn’t want to complicate things…
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Post by sansa on Mar 6, 2015 10:18:24 GMT -5
Munkustrap's thoughts whirled, and shame flashed briefly across his eyes. An entrance he didn't know about? That could have been how his uncle had gotten into the Junkyard during the Ball. He'd been assuming - hoping, really - that the rumors of Macavity's mystical powers were true. That he'd gotten into the Junkyard by cheating, and not because Munkustrap had made a mistake. "There is a chance the Henches already know about this, if the Ball is any indication." His eyes narrowed in thought. He would have to alert the other Jellicles on watch duty about this. Or he could block it off and wash his paws of it. He made a mental note to set Plato up guarding it so that he could council with his father later today. "Thanks for letting me know, Mungo. Does anybody-"
His question was cut off by Victoria's entrance. The hard, thoughtful expression on his face melted almost immediately into a gentle smile, and he slid off the Tire to greet the white queen. "Not at all, Victoria. Come, join us." He extended his paw to her in welcome. "How are you? And how is Bustopher, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him after the Ball."
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Post by Eliaza on Mar 6, 2015 21:18:07 GMT -5
Mungo was just opening his mouth to respond to Munkustrap, when Victoria joined them. Turning to the white queen, he bowed slightly. "G'day t'yew, Miss Victoria, I 'ope yer feelin' well." He thought about leaving the two to converse a moment while he went to tell Alonzo Munkustrap had arrived. But just then, the harlequin tom appeared and saved him the trouble.
Alonzo strode quickly over to the group around the Tire, though truthfully he was so focused on speaking to Munkustrap that he barely registered the others at first. "You're back," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Does..." Then he cut off, looking around at Mungojerrie and Victoria and realizing he had probably just interrupted someone speaking. "I'm sorry," he said, reddening. "Hello, Mungo, Victoria."
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Post by Cayran on Mar 6, 2015 22:27:30 GMT -5
Victoria smiled at Munkustrap, bowing her head graciously as she took his hand. He had always been a gentleman, and for that, she was grateful.
”I am well, thank you…both of you,” she said, acknowledging Mungojerrie as he greeted her. ”My uncle is well also. Still keeping the local restaurants busy, as your know…” the white queen smirked, obviously hinting to her uncle’s weight. While Bustopher would tell you his weight was put on due to old age, it was quite obvious that he had a tongue for good food, and plenty of it.
Turning her head, Victoria was somewhat startled by Alonzo’s appearance, and felt suddenly out of place amongst the group of toms.
”Afternoon Alonzo,” she offered him a smile, but glanced around the trio skeptically, no longer assured that everything was “all right”.
Gently touching Munkustrap’s elbow, Tori looked up at him in concern. ”What is going on?” she asked, blinking rapidly out of nervous habit. It was plain to see that something had happened, though the severity of it was still unknown. ”Is everyone okay? You three seem awfully rattled for everything to be fine.” Young queen as she was, Victoria knew something was up, and didn’t want to be left in the dark.
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Post by sansa on Mar 7, 2015 21:21:47 GMT -5
Munkustrap gave Victoria's paw a gentle squeeze. The soft spot he held for the white queen was known fairly well throughout the Junkyard. She was a gentle queen with an abundance of kindness, and Munkustrap intended to foster that within her. Purity of soul was rare. Besides, Bustopher often helped the Jellicles in ways that nobody else could, and Munkustrap didn't want to risk that by mistreating his niece or nephew.
"I would expect nothing less from him," he responded with humor in his voice. He began to speak again, but Alonzo appeared at his side and drew his attention. He touched his shoulder briefly in greeting, then smiled tightly at Victoria. "Nothing we can't handle." He didn't want to alarm anybody, especially one of the young ones, but he also did not want to lie. "Mungo and Alonzo are helping out with security. Now that the Ball's over, we can focus more of our energy on keeping the Junkyard safer."
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Post by Eliaza on Mar 9, 2015 17:49:39 GMT -5
Mungojerrie nodded vigorously in agreement with Munkustrap's words. "Oh, aye, we're all righ'. Just bein' extra careful after th' Ball." He glanced at Alonzo, who was looking almost catatonic. Mungo sighed and elbowed the tom. "Righ', Lonz'? So no need fer such a long face," he teased.
Alonzo was somewhat annoyed at Mungojerrie for seeming to make light of the situation. But he did see the prudence of trying not to worry anyone unnecessarily. "Sorry," he said, managing a smile. "Guess I am a bit too uptight. I just want everyone safe. So I guess I shouldn't give Jelly or Jenny a hard time when they worry, either," he laughed slightly. "But Munk and Jerrie are right. Anything arises, we'll be ready. Especially since we're that much more alert after all the recent events. Constant vigilance, that's the key." Hopefully he sounded peppier than he felt.
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Post by Cayran on Mar 9, 2015 20:27:15 GMT -5
”Okay… Victoria murmured, unconvinced. She was confident in their ability to guard and protect, but she wasn’t feeling at ease quite yet. The white queen still had the feeling that something wasn’t right, though she didn’t want to pry any further. If there was something else, it was obvious that the three toms weren’t in the sharing mood.
”If need be, I can get my brother. He isn’t as buff as you three, but he does have have magical traits that match Macavity’s. He could help.” Tori looked hopeful, her tail flicking anxiously at her ankles as green eyes glanced between the three toms. ”It is the least I could do.”
Victoria wasn’t a fighter. She wasn’t made up on muscle or brawn, and was quite small for a grown queen; however, the little white queen had connections. She would offer them if needed.
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Post by sansa on Mar 10, 2015 15:18:21 GMT -5
The corner of Munkustrap's lip twitched upward in appreciation and relief. He wanted the Jellicles to be safe, to be prepared and on alert against the constant threat of Macavity and his cats. But the last thing he wanted was panic in the Junkyard. "Everybody wants safety, Alonzo. Don't worry. I appreciate your concern, and your hard work."
Quaxo was talented, that much was true, but he was also still quite young. Not much younger than Munkustrap himself had been when he had to take over Protector duties... but that was beside the point. "Thank you." He touched Victoria's upper arm fondly. "For now, I think we are doing just fine. You and your brother can just focus on preparing for next year's Ball, right?"
He clasped his paws together and smiled warmly at the other three. "Speaking of the Ball... is everyone still doing okay? You all know you can swing by my den if you ever need to talk."
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Post by Eliaza on Mar 12, 2015 19:16:28 GMT -5
Mungojerrie took what he saw as Munkustrap's hint to avoid any more talk that would worry Victoria. They could discuss the other entrance later; at least they were now aware of it. "Thanks, Munk. Doin' all righ' meself, apart from a few lingerin' scratches on me face. But I fink if those become inflamed, Jenny'ud be the person to go see." He grinned sheepishly.
Alonzo sighed inwardly. This was what made the other two better protectors than he could hope to be. Sure, Lonz was strong and quick to take action. But Mungo was much better with people, and Munkustrap was the perfect combination of both. Much as he didn't want Victoria to worry, Alonzo wanted to get going on an action-plan for the newly-discovered entrance. Right this minute. But he knew, at least until he could get Munkustrap alone for a discussion, he'd just have to go along with the others' conversation. Only, not for too long... He did have those queens waiting to be escorted... "Apart from catching Worrywart Disease, I'm holding up pretty well," he said in response to Munk's question. He glanced at Victoria, wondering what she would say. The whole situation had been quite terrifying, especially for a young queen unused to violence.
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Post by Cayran on Mar 13, 2015 12:58:35 GMT -5
Victoria nodded and smiled. The petite white queen moved to a higher indention in the tire so that she didn’t have to crane her neck so far to look up at the three toms.
” Oh, I am perfectly fine. It was a bit nerve racking, I will admit, but thankfully, I’m not loosing any sleep over it,” Victoria raised her shoulders in a shrug, green eyes casting to the side. ”I think my brother was far more worked up than I was. He is still rather nervous about his magical abilities, and I think he often wonders what would have happened had his spell not worked.” Victoria had often insisted that Misto be more confident in his magic. He was good at what he did and needn’t worry. He had gotten Deuteronomy back, and while a fight did go down, no one was severely injured.
”Besides, I’m tougher than I look,” She winked at them and grinned, obviously trying to lighten the over all mood. ”How is Cassandra by the way, Alonzo, and Teazer?” She was well aware that Alonzo had eyes for the burmese queen, and Mungojerrie was usually not to far from his sister. She had often wondered though if Munkustrap had feelings for Demeter…she wasn’t sure, so she figured it was best not to ask. ”Are they fairing well?”
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Post by sansa on Mar 14, 2015 11:26:55 GMT -5
Munkustrap kept an eye on Alonzo while the others spoke. He could almost feel the tension radiating from the bicolored tom. Alonzo had always been an 'action first' kind of cat, so Munk could imagine he'd be a bit on edge during this conversation. He touched his shoulder reassuringly as he listened to Victoria. He was certainly grateful that most Jellicles were bouncing back well enough after the attack. Still, the guilt would not leave him alone. He should have set up stronger security, he shouldn't have disregarded Demeter's initial worries. He should never have left his father's side.
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