middaeg | (catch-all)

Entry tags:

(catch-all)

Who: Ozymandias + Assorted others!
When: All month long!
Where: Around Aefenglom!
What: Sphinx kittens and small children raising hell, and sometimes he's a bossypants.
Warnings: Will update as needed!

(if you would like a private starter, please hmu by shooting me a message

rebreather or this journal! doesn't matter if we've threaded together in the past or not! anybody is free to request. :]b)

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[He seeks mastery more over this particular spell than others, but it's not one that he thinks he ought to be practicing inside. The ways in which this spell might not go exactly as intended would have some...uh, structural damage otherwise. Thus, Ozymandias seizes upon the days where it seems there will be more than a handful of hours break between passing storms.]

[But it would seem that his self-imposed insistence to limiting his practice of the spell to the outdoors is perhaps for naught as the sphinxes he manages to summon do come in multiples, but are perhaps on the small side, no larger than that of a lion cub. While possible to come across him in the process of attempt #3 or #5, it's far more likely to find him attempting to figure out exactly what it is he's doing wrong. Whether it is on a bench on the Coven lawn or on the front steps of his mansion, Ozymandias is scouring a book on conjuration magic for the answer.]

[...]

[Well, trying to. While some of the sphinx kittens keep themselves entertained by pouncing and wrestling one another or hunting bugs, and some are curled up either next to or directly in Ozymandias' lap, there's almost always at least one standing on his shoulders and attempting to step onto the pages he's trying to read. No amount of redirection or placing it back down on the ground appears to be deterring it either. At some point, Ozymandias must sigh and punish the sphinx for its troublesome behavior.]

[You know, by setting aside the book, plucking it off him one more time, nuzzling foreheads with it, and then proceeding to "attack" its stomach while he holds it like an infant.]

[With as many sphinx kittens as Ozymandias ends up summoning, it's hardly his fault that he's not able to keep track of them all. One or two are bound to make their escapes and explore the city. They are a fearless species even at this size, it would seem.]

[Or well, they mostly are. Some of that bravery may be called into question if you happen to find one caterwauling in a tree, uncertain of how exactly to get down and hoping that at some point, Ozymandias will come to its rescue. Sadly for it, Ozymandias is nowhere nearby, but you are!]

[When not stuck in a tree, however, it seems the sphinx kittens are almost always in some kind of trouble. Perhaps they're knocking over wares from those attempting to hawk their used goods for the holiday either as they're playing with each other or with smaller pieces that can easily be batted around. Or maybe they've made off with a piece of your lunch when you weren't entirely paying attention to it and are seeking a good place to snack on their prize. Harpies and those with tails may need to watch out for sudden pounces from the ground or a more reasonable height that doesn't involve a tree.]

[But if the timing is right -- or perhaps you've been around Ozymandias recently enough that there's something familiar about your scent -- you might simply need to watch your step as one starts weaving itself around and between your legs, rubbing and trilling quite cutely.]

((ooc: if you're wanting to still interact with ozy for this prompt, the kittens will eventually make their way back to him just as a heads up. they're not lost, just exploring. but this can also just be purely playing/dealing with feline nonsense if you want it that way, too. feel free to riff off this and have them getting into more cat-like trouble if you don't see what you're looking for and LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE. you may have one or two kittens, but no more than that for this prompt until/unless you find ozymandias.))

[What are two small children to the man who had over 100? This should be no trouble at all. It's only for a few hours before someone else takes over. At least that's what Ozymandias assumes.]

[Then it becomes abundantly clear why exactly their mother is looking for a little break to focus on her work.]

[Rux almost immediately tries to make a break for it the moment there's an opportunity, and thinks it's quite fun to be chased down over and over. Ruby also cannot help but want to play dress-up with all the clothes and accessories being placed out for sale. Rux seems to be teething some still, and Ruby demands only sweets for a morning snack. But Ozymandias perseveres. He scoops up Rux as soon as he's within arm's reach and apologizes for Ruby's sticky fingers. There's no compromising or negotiating with Ruby, and anything Rux shouldn't have in his mouth is swiftly taken away.]

[And after a few mornings of chaos though, things seem to improve. The children are being carefully sequestered to the front lawn of his house, gate closed and locked to prevent any further elopements. Sometimes Ozymandias sits with them, Rux typically rolling around and kicking his small legs about while Ruby sits as close as possible, listening to whatever story -- be it a story of the gods or one of his own life and legacy -- with rapt attention. Other times he plays with them, throwing a ball endlessly and working with Ruby to convince Rux to throw it back and not simply hold onto it forever. Sometimes it's a game of pretend that they've demanded, and it's quite obvious who Ruby has decided to pretend to be with her borrowed scepter that stands far, far too tall for her to properly hold straight without concentrating. Her declarations are loud and punctuated with a clumsy stamp of the scepter, but it's not long before Rux leads a coup.]

[Although he remains in disagreement about the timing of their involvement in the Resistance with the situation being as precarious as it was, what is done is done. All he or anyone else can do now is simply take responsibility for the consequences of that action. And so, while it is a bit of a different construction project than he was ever accustomed to in life, Ozymandias sees no reason not to lend his aid.]

[He doesn't get involved so much with the manual labor end of things. (That was and has never been his role as one might expect, and he has zero intention of changing that.) But he is content in reviewing the plans for the repairs, making suggestions on the acquisition and allocation of resources both in terms of materials and workforce. As one might expect from such a tyrant, his timeline is tight. Setting aside a desire for efficiency in general, Ozymandias' intentions are not, however, to be harsh for the sake of it. The longer these homes take to repair and mend into livable conditions, the longer the refugees are left with insufficient housing.]

[So, while he's willing to allow for breaks, excessive idleness is a surefire way to get yourself saddled with extra work. And those that are able to complete their tasks quickly and well are praised. ...And also given extra work. Ozymandias prefers to keep things moving.]

[Unless he's concerned things are moving in the wrong direction. In which case,]

Hold on, [he says, holding up a hand as he approaches.] Where are you headed with that?

[Ramesses wanted to return to Aefenglom when Arthur fell too ill to remain in Dorchacht, but Ozymandias needed to see things through to the end regardless of what shape that end took. That feeling only intensified the further and further away the ship got from Dorchacht, and the more and more the Bond seemed... quiet. Not gone or severed, but quiet. Knowing Arthur would be in good hands, in the end, could only ease so much, and he found himself occasionally distracted by it.]

[But soon enough, matters in Dorchacht came to a close (for now), and he was soon sailing back to Aefenglom himself. He wasted little time after stepping off the ship, pushing through the small crowd of mirrorbound and refugees to make his way to the Coven. Although Arthur was still fever-stricken, he seemed at least vaguely aware throughout the night that Ramesses was there, looking at him with some recognition when he occasionally woke up and moving a little closer to his touch despite the fever.]

[Ramesses didn't visit every day after that. He didn't feel it necessary when he felt confident in Arthur's ability to recover and the Coven's skills in managing his symptoms. And besides, he imagined Arthur would prefer that he not put everything on hold until his recovery. But despite not visiting every day, Ramesses' visits were never brief. He would spend hours in a chair by his bedside. Sometimes he talked about seemingly everything. Sometimes he read or studied. Sometimes he laid beside him, saying nothing at all.]

Have I heard right? [Ramesses plops himself down on the edge of Arthur's bed.] You haven't had a fever since yesterday?

[For a while, it seemed there was little to no improvements for Arthur. But over the past few visits, he's seemed more lucid for longer stretches of time and less prone to sudden and sporadic periods of sleep. The witches tending to him seem optimistic he'll be able to return home soon based upon their conversation with Ramesses.]

[Andersen's made it a habit to take a daily walk in the mornings. To stay cooped up writing won't be any good here, not with his powers taken away. And he must figure out what market there is for books - if there is any to speak of, that is.

His route takes him through the Entertainment District, where he purposefully wanders into streets unknown to get a better idea of the area. He doesn't seem to concerned about his own safety and is more focused on the sights and sounds around him...

... which is probably why he jumps a little when he feels something fuzzy brush against his legs.]

... oh, it's you.

[Andersen crouches to ruffle the baby sphinx's face.]

You've your owner's arrogance to be wandering about so freely. If you aren't careful, you'll be snatched up and boiled for parts.

[Bap.]

[Bap bap.]

[The noise the third time around has a bit more of a tink to it as retracted claws click against the glass. Fang, lurking around the window in her jaguar form, peers in before thumping the window again. She was sure this was where Ozymandias lived—that wasn't the question. The question was whether he was in or not.]

[...Of that she was decently sure of, judging by the strange, starry kittens prancing around inside the Haven mansion, one of which was having a delighted time pulling a book off a shelf. An identical kitten squirms in her jaws, mewling in a sulky protest at being carried around like a disobedient cub.]

[In a way, she supposed it was. Fang doubted it was supposed to be chasing (and being chased by) turtleducks out in the city. Her green eyes peered in the window again, tail thoughtfully swishing. Should she try a different window? The place smelled of dragons, plural, and she wasn't sure how territorial the Monsters could be. Entering uninvited wasn't high on her list.]

[Much like its owner, the kitten is completely unfazed by startling Andersen and far more focused on itself. It chuffs, smooshing its face a little more into Andersen's hand, pawing at his wrist. It should probably be more offended at the insinuated danger of being boiled, but perhaps, once again, like its owner, it doesn't see that as being a potential danger or issue.]

[When Andersen does not concede to its demands for more pats immediately, it ups the ante and flops onto the ground with as much theatrics as it can possibly muster. Wiggling around a moment on its back, it paws aimlessly at the air and curls back onto its side. Sorta. It's still somewhat on its back.]

[Pay the fuck attention to it, Andersen. It's withering away without attention.]

[Ozymandias is in, but the sounds at the window surprisingly do not draw a lot of attention. Not until it seems there's a pattern to them in addition to a little persistence. Ozymandias appears in the doorway of the room Fang is peering into, but doesn't have time to investigate where exactly the sound is coming from when he needs to rush over and catch a book before it's fallen to the ground. It's not the most graceful of saves, but he manages to latch onto a cover.]

[He sighs as he closes it shut and places it back on the shelf. He supposes he should be grateful it was just the book and not the entire bookshelf itself.]

I told you once already to stop climbing onto the bookcase. Do not make me repeat myself a third time, [he says, plucking the culprit off its shelf. At the sound of his voice, slightly muffled by the closed window it may be, the kitten in Fang's jaws lets out even louder protests. A look of concern manifests immediately on Ozymandias' face as he looks around, mind clearly jumping straight to one of the sphinx kittens being injured or stuck. But spotting Fang in her jaguar form with a kitten in her mouth, his concern shifts into exasperation almost immediately.] How did you--!?

[Shaking his head, he gestures for Fang to move back around towards the front of the house before setting the kitten in his arms down on the floor with its siblings. (Will it stay there? Probably not.) He leaves the room to meet Fang at the door.]

[Fang breathes an amused huff through her nose at his dive, not that he could hear it. At least the weird space-kittens were keeping him busy. She assumed they were his, anyway; they all smelled like the Witch.]

[Fang hops lithely over the bush before the window, sauntering around to the front of the mansion. She sits patiently on the steps, not releasing the squirming troublemaker just yet.]

[Her feline form had very little range of expression. Nonetheless, possibly only because Ozymandias would know it's Fang, the jaguar certainly looked amused—and in that sort of way one only is at another's expense.]

[It's not very long at all after she has a seat on the steps that Ozymandias opens the front door. It is likely no great surprise that he is not alone in meeting her at the door. A pair of kittens ghost his steps and step out onto the porch to inspect Fang with noisy little sniffs. The kitten in her mouth expresses its displeasure vocally and with more squirming with Ozymandias being so near.]

Thank you, [Ozymandias says, bending down to collect the kitten from her mouth. It clambers up onto Ozymandias' shoulders almost immediately as he straightens back out and sasses at Fang with a 'mighty' roar. He shoots it a look, which causes it to lay a little flatter on his shoulder and back itself out of his view. Ozymandias looks back down at Fang.] I hope it didn't cause too much trouble. They may be young, but as Divine Beasts, they have the pride of their adult form and do as they please in the absence of my instruction.

[Case in point, while one of the kittens has taken to rubbing on Fang and stamping about some, but the other wiggles as it's clearly calibrating a pounce to her tail. Ozymandias swiftly grabs that one off the ground by the scruff of its neck.]

You may come inside if you wish, but I could certainly understand the preference to remain out here.

[ One of the sphinx kittens may have started hunting bugs just a little bit too far off, since Asahi manages to spot it long before she spots Ozymandias himself. She's only passing by his mansion as she's making her way around town, after all, rather than having come there to look for him.

But that kitty sphinx is really cute. Really cute. And Asahi is so very weak. When she notices it running off to hunt a different bug, she can't help but run after it in the hope that she may be able to pet it.

And that's when she runs straight up to the front steps where the guy himself is sitting, covered in a pile of similar adorable kitties. And.. playing with them? Now that's something she didn't imagine from him. Not that he seemed unkind or unfeeling or anything, but.. you know. Playing with cute kitties isn't exactly pharaoh behaviour.

(Probably? Listen, Asahi's history class knowledge is still very limited.)

But she figures it's going to be very awkward if she just stands there and doesn't say anything, so she just clears her throat to ~subtly~ make her presence known while he's pretending to attack the small sphinx. ]

Uh.. hey!

[ Smooth. ]

Are these yours?

[ What do you think, Asahi, that he's just playing like that with random people's cats? ]

[ Ursula stopped midstep, not certain why Ozymandias was cutting her off at that moment before realizing outside of her own context that it was probably a little unusual for her to be carrying around a case full of paper and crayons on what was, ostensibly, a construction sight.

Her usual nervous laugh, uncertain smile, was less so in Ramesses presence, at least, Chariot realizing she hadn't even told him she'd be there. ]

It's for the children. They're all pretty restless, so I thought providing an activity would help...

[.......................... it's so cute... but he mustn't say it aloud! He has a reputation!

Andersen squats so he can try and tickle its belly.]

Didn't you hear me? Sucking up to strangers will only lead you into trouble. I guess it falls to me to ensure your safe return. You're an awful pain in the ass, distracting me when I've so much on my plate.

[tsun levels: 200%]

[Listen. With as entitled as Ozymandias is, it's not really that unfair of an assumption to make that he's just commandeered someone else's kittens to play with. He 100% would. You know it. He knows it.]

[Ozymandias looks up when she clears her throat, but it doesn't seem to disrupt his play with the sphinx in his arms in the slightest. Sometimes the sphinx has the opportunity to grapple at his wrist, sometimes he pulls his hand back away too quickly. It tries gnawing gently at his fingers and he gently shakes its muzzle about.]

I summoned them, [he confirms with a nod.] Though I did not intend to summon them in such a juvenile form.

[Much like any cat, the sphinx kitten tolerates the tickles to its belly only for a few moments before it tries to 'kill' Andersen's hand. Which is really to say that it tries to wrap itself around his wrist, but due to being as roly-poly as it is and with plenty of clumsiness one would expect from a young cat, the kitten ends up rolling side-to-side, flailing more than it is able to successfully commit a murder.]

[It eventually manages to roll all the way back over onto its stomach, which seems to come as a surprise to it as it freezes for just a brief moment or two. Hopping back up to its feet though, it does a little twirl.]

[Consider yourself fortunate, Andersen!! It has decided to show you mercy and not maul you! To death!!! As it absolutely could!]

[Better luck next time, you rascal. Were the sphinx larger, it'd surely crush Andersen to death with its big meaty paws. But in its tiny form, it can do little to hurt even the wimpiest of Casters.

The lack of (heh) bite the sphinx cub has encourages Andersen. He shrugs off his lab coat.]

Yes, yes, you did a good job.

[He's gonna... try to scoop it up, with his lab coat bunched up like a makeshift blanket.]

[Restless is certainly a way of describing it. It seems the longer the renovations continue on, the closer and closer they come to beginning to get underfoot. It's not such a bad thing to see them behaving as children ought to, but it really isn't the best place for it. Glancing briefly to the paper and crayons once more, Ramesses' lips quirk into a proud smile.]

That is quite thoughtful of you. Have you a place in mind for them to sit and draw?

I don't know about thoughtful... I mean, someone ought to, right? And I have experience with children, so... [ Deflecting praise, as always. ]

M-more to the point, I was going to see about setting up a classroom in one of the finished buildings that's not specifically for housing.

[ That sounded a little more specific, and permanent, than just giving them a place for activities... ]

[The young sphinx, of course, is not too keen about something being placed over it and attempts to make a break for it. But just as that lab coat is quite large on Andersen, the sphinx would drown in all that fabric. It doesn't make it too terribly far before Andersen's able to scoop and swaddle it though it does give a solid wiggle of protest and even tries using its little wings to ward off the inevitable.]

[It lets out a fussy 'roar.']

[Ramesses takes the paper and crayons from Chariot not because it's a particularly heavy load for her to manage, but since he's decided to walk with her, he ought to make himself useful. He steps aside to let her continue.]

A classroom?

[He'll let her deflect his praise (for now), but she's not escaping talking more about her plans for the building.]

W-well... [ She kind of hoped he'd gloss over it. ]

It's only the barest thread of an idea right now, but I saw all of those kids, most of them without any parents or guardians, and thought, well... I had to do something, right? And while I'm not a builder or a politician or anything like you or some of the others helping out, I am a teacher, so...

A classroom. I thought we could make a classroom for them.

[He can't help chuckling at its attempt at a roar. With the cub firmly in his grasp, he begins his journey to Ozymandias's mansion. He sounds annoyingly cheerful as he responds:]

You'll have to be a thousand times bigger before you can scare anyone with that voice, whelp. Accept your fate. You crossed the wrong author. Were I Shakespeare, I would've let you loose in an establishment for the sheer chaos of it. You'd like that, wouldn't you?

[Her tail gives an amused flick when the disgruntled kitten tries to roar at her. It's kind of charming, actually. She's never seen something pout so loudly.]

Well, don't you have your hands full? [Fang quips, her voice rougher in this form as always.] These little guys your doing?

[The jaguar lifts a paw, patting the friendly kitten on the back. It's a little awkward, given her form, but it's clear what the gesture is. After that, she takes Ozymandias' invitation, stepping inside and glancing around. She's curious. As long as she's explicitly allowed to be here, she doesn't mind the dragons.]

[Awkward though it may be, the kitten certainly doesn't appear to mind and happily leans into the pat and quickly trots after Fang when she moves away to head inside. Ozymandias closes the door behind all the felines before setting the sphinx in his hand back down on the floor. Unlike its sibling on his shoulder, it doesn't sass at him, but does take a moment to shake itself off and flap its little wings.]

Yes, though they were not my intention, [he says, scratching under the chin of the sphinx on his shoulder.] At least not this size.

[Being inside now, Fang will no doubt notice that aside from Ozymandias' scent and perfume lingering about both in the air and on his person, there are definitely two dragons that frequent this house. (...And bones in a closet somewhere in the house.) And yet visually, one would not likely be able to tell.]

[The house -- as she will be able to tell from glimpses into some of the other rooms on the way to the sitting room -- is still a bit of a work in progress. Traces of the former owners of the mansion still linger in some of the rooms, clashing noticeably with the overall aesthetic that's come to take over more and more of the house. Ozymandias has set about removing all the darker, muted tones of the previous owners with much, much brighter colors. That in combination with some of the lush greenery, it no doubt seems as though he's attempting to bring a pleasant and sunny outdoor day inside. But the changes he's made to the mansion are not all simple. As Fang might expect, Ozymandias has a fondness for the arts and there are already some pieces about that are clearly more in line with his tastes than the previous owners.]

[Were it not for each dragon's scent, it would be fairly difficult to tell that they live here visually. Unless they are into Ozymandias' exact brand of ostentatiousness.]

[(They're not. It just happens that neither one seems to particularly care enough to argue.)]

[He gestures that it's fine for her to make herself comfortable on the couch if she so wishes. He opts for an armchair, though he must clear it first. Two kittens are curled up with one another in a nap in the middle of the seat, but they barely even stir when he picks them up.]

Are you familiar with sphinxes or do they not exist in your world?

[Rather than setting the kittens on the floor, he places them in his lap. They both do their own share of stretching, but ultimately settle back in to sleep at least for a little while longer.]

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Page 1 of 10

(catch-all)

(open | striving for purr-fection)

(open | just kitten around)

(open | mummy daycare [rux & ruby])

(open | set-ing things right [habitat for refugees])

(closed | arthur)

[detective conan music intensifies]

Wildcarding this a bit...

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