Patrol Pals PV Pericles Closed

@Alan Vanes

Cats made for clever companions to prefects on patrol. Evolution from wild beasts to popular pets hadn't diminished their sharp eyes nor keen ears, enabling them to pick up on the most fleeting sights, the smallest of sounds. Not only did they serve to stave off loneliness, but also acted to alert their owners of anything going bump in the night. Tiger was no exception. The young Bengal had undoubtedly heard something. Together, cat and keeper squinted into the shadows. Something was coming. Beneath the low crackle of torches was a rhythmic sound, soft yet steady, pattering overlapped by a mute thudding. Something was moving along the corridor, headed directly for the duo....

First around the corner came a cat. To the discerning eye, she was an adult Siamese, distinct with her sleek cream coat, soft brown seal-point pattern, and piercing blue eyes. Then, there followed a voice. "That is Athena," it replied, mellow and carrying the sound of a smile. "But, you were close." Lastly, the source of the serene tone: Pericles Dralt. The young wizard rounded the dark corridor corner close behind his own furry friend. Traditional as ever, he wore his black school robes, prefect pin gleaming on his chest. His glasses were tucked into a pocket, silver eyes shining with preemptive pleasantries. He had been looking forward to tonight. "Hello Alan, and hello again, Tiger. I remember you!" Their meeting had been brief, but Pericles never forgot a cat. Tiger had been brought along to the pet-pampering errand. Organizing the affair had rendered Peri all too distracted to spend quality time with cat or owner, however, tonight would be time enough to catch up.

Alan was a good sort, from what he had seen. He recalled a hilarious game of Tarantallegra tag, the errand, the S.W.A.G match. Tonight was sure to mark another favorable memory, one far less chaotic than those previous. Hopefully. Maybe.... "Thank you for pairing patrols with me tonight. I see we've both brought back-up as well." Athena appeared considerably less excited than her keeper. In contrast, her eyes were fixed on the other duo, lidded in cat-grade nonchalance. She kept close to Peri's side rather than skittering forth to socialize, and looked to have humored her human's antics with tolerance in place of enthusiasm. Yet the Ravenclaw's expression made up for this with its warmth, radiating a genuine desire for comradery and a low buzz of excitement for the task ahead, fitting for his age. "Which way will we be patrolling first?"

Relief flooded his senses and awareness when he heard the familiar voice as he glanced down to take in the view of the Siamese cat; no wonder he had not seen anything if it was a pet! "Like the goddess?" he would ask with a light grin, facing the other prefect happily. For the fourth year it was always interesting to learn how a pet was named and it was nice knowing how to address a pet. It may sound silly but Alan liked to pretend that cats could understand people at all times, which is also why he was often found talking to Tiger as if he was a normal human being with a grasp for their language. He was glad that the other boy had arrived now. "Hey Peri, glad you could make it!" he greeted the not much younger prefect with a soft smile. Alan could not help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he saw the other student greeting his cat, "Sorry about that" He was sure he did not have to elaborate on the what; both of them knew why Tiger was worth remembering with all the chaos he had caused during the pet pampering errand. But Alan was quite happy that it had allowed him to make a new friend as well.

Alan was also happy that Pericles would partner up with him for the late evening patrols, because while it had something exciting to wander through the castle at night, he could not deny that it also sounded a bit spooky with all the attacks that had happened within the last couple of months. "Hm... maybe this way?", he wondered without much thought as he pointed opposite of where Peri had come from, because Alan was sure the Ravenclaw would have noticed passing by some student.

@Alan Vanes

While Athena remained somewhat aloof, Pericles sat on his heels, extending the back of his hand towards Tiger. He loved cats. They made for excellent ice-breakers, not that he and Alan needed an excuse to talk, nor were they lacking in comfort around one another. Like the goddess? He glanced up, gladly confirming, "Exactly- Greek goddess of warfare, wisdom, and handicraft. I want to be an auror someday, though for now, I'll settle for being a good student. They're our familiars... it seemed fitting to name her in a way which would remind me of my goals." Though he spoke with warm sentiment, the sleepy, steady way with which Pericles explained the decision made it sound as though he had shared it elsewhere. He would add on an abstract, more personal note, "I was born in Greece, too, though I was raised in England. My parents were traveling at the time."

Alan apologized for the ruckus his cat had caused at the prefect's pet pampering errand, though Peri only shook his head, hopefully snagging a chance to finally pet the little imp. "You shouldn't be," he reassured. "It made things interesting, and besides, he hardly caused any actual trouble. I was only sorry I couldn't hang around to talk more." They would make up for it now that the whole night lay before them. Though they didn't admit it out loud, he also found the dark castle a little less comfortable at night; it was good to have company along. Alan pointed in the direction opposite from the corridor he'd just arrived from. "Onward it is then," Peri hummed lowly, rising to stand, and he took up position alongside Alan. One hand tucked itself into a pants pocket while the other held up his Lumosed wand. Smalltalk hadn't always been a strong suit of Peri's, though the longer he attended Hogwarts, the better he was getting at initiating it. "Seen anything noteworthy tonight?"

Alan nodded, he liked the way the other boy thought about these things. "My parents would want me to be an auror but I can think of nothing better than to work with magical creatures, have some sort of sanctuary for them, you know?" he explained, smiling softly at the idea of taking care of creatures that had been forsaken by either human kind or their own. "I found Tiger too, when he was little, so I adopted him; he was a fighter for sure and still is, you should see him if you tell him he can't do something," he chuckled with warm amusement. He really did not know what he would do if something ever happened to his little friend, he was part of Alan in a way. The two of them were inseparable.

"It did, didn't it? And don't worry, you had a lot of students to take care of, though I also wish we had more time to chat that day; though it gave me the opportunity to meet some new people as well which was great!" he explained softly, smiling at the Ravenclaw prefect. Alan was sure that this was all a quite good reason to get to know people, all the events the school held were the perfect opportunity to meeting new faces and mingle with the younger years. Alan had made many friends though there were some he was sharing more fond memories with. "Nope not really, you?" he wondered. For him it had been a quiet evening, despite having to remind some students in the common room that it was time to head to their dorm rooms now. Other than that he had not really noticed anything out of place.