on cats and collisions pv: margo white

There were many things Asteria loved about having a cat. First of all, Eglantine was excellent for cuddling. The cat had a tendency to simply flop wherever she found space, lounging in stray beams of light that became increasingly rare as the days grew shorter. Eglantine also had a strong sense for emotion, knowing when affection was needed, but was still timid about it at first, taking a while to warm up to new people. And Asteria could easily go on and on, down the list of her cat's good traits. But even with her good traits, a cat is a cat, and sometimes, Eglantine misbehaved.

Today was one of those days. Asteria had been on one of her wanderings, meandering around the castle, taking in the sunlight and autumn leaves through the corridor windows before they fully faded. Eglantine had been hoisted over her shoulder, as the young girl was still loathe to fully let her new pet wander on her own. But she squirmed, as cats do, and so Asteria reluctantly let her down, noting the thick layer of orange fur that now covered her black robes in the process.

Asteria huffed as her cat fled from her arms, her thoughts flicking through a merry-go-round of worry, but they finally settled on a desire for her cat to be happy over her own concerns. She continued to meander, Eglantine darting behind and in front of her, thinking over Hogwarts. In the few months that she had been here, life had settled into a sort of rhythm. It was calming, to have a routine, to have anchors here, when previously she had only felt a constant tug of anxiety and ire. Her hands skimmed against the stone walls, taking in the comfort of their solidity.

And then her eyes alighted on Eglantine, who was batting something. She couldn't quite determine what it was, but she knew that she would have to get her cat's paws off of it. You could never quite trust things found at Hogwarts.

"Heeeey Eglantine. What do you have? Do you think you can show it to me?" Asteria crouched down, her boots, still being broken in, squeaking slightly. Her hands made "come hither" motions, as she locked her eyes on the cat. As with that, Eglantine was off like a dart.

Oh no. Was it a bug, a weird prank toy, a magical plant? The possibilities were endless, especially at Hogwarts, where strange discards accumulated like fallen leaves. Asteria's merry-go-round of thoughts had picked up speed, whirling over all of the options as she found her self unconsciously beginning to chase after her cat. Eglantine seemed to thinking the whole thing was hilarious, her whole body bouncing as she ran down the hallway, occasionally pausing to look backwards at Asteria. As for Asteria? Well, she was so focused on her cat that she didn't even notice when she ran into someone.

"Ugh, sorry, sorry," she mumbled, eyes still fixed down the hallway, tracking the ginger form of her cat, "I was, well, uh- I was chasing my cat. She has? Something and-I-didn't-want-her-to-have-it." The final explanation was rushed, a sheepish jumble of words, as Asteria's easy to trigger flush had already begun to spread across her face.

@Margo White