19 Jul 2025, 01:50
Vermin Like Me
There is nothing quite like a January breeze; as dank and chilly as crypt stone. Ondine unlatched the oversized double windows situated next to her four poster bed, allowing a rush of swamp air into her third story bedroom. The cranberry haired girl inhaled deeply, shivering slightly as the night air coiled itself around her bones, and tossed her hair about. With a stretch, she leaned towards the open sky, peering down to the pristine lily gardens below. The girl shifted to sit on the windowsill as the night seeped into her.
| Stamina 5 | Evasion 6 | Strength 2 | Wisdom 6 | Arcane Power 5 | Accuracy 6|
Leroux Family Cemetery | Slidell Louisiana | January 7th, 2024
| speaking | thinking | all other dialogue |
Downstairs the wood stove burned endlessly and without falter, its heat rising to the houses peak - the girl's bedroom. If her mother even suspected a window had been left ajar, she’d blame Ondine for every draft whispering through the house. To discover the windows thrown wide, her daughter perched in the frame like she meant to take flight? Well, that would be entirely unforgivable. Ondine chuckled at the thought, kicking her feet softly, heels thumping against the weathered wooden siding of the Leroux Manor.
Oriented directly below Ondine's room sits the master bedroom, where her mother and father peacefully sleep. The awning situated over their balcony sits just a few feet below the girl, a mess of mossy shingles, and apparently, an unexpected visitor.
"Hello, little friend." The girl whispered, meeting a tiny pair of glassy, black eyes. A small, common rat peered up at Ondine with curiosity. Amused, the girl clicked her tongue and reached a bony hand out toward the critter.
The animal could not have known who was lurking from the roof above, especially not while Dee was distracting him.
In an instant, a blur of snowy-white fluff pounced right on top of the unsuspecting rodent, nicking his perfectly pink ears with needle-sharp claws. A pitiful squeak sprung Ondine into action.
"DUCHESS! You absolute waste of space!" The girl dropped down onto the awning, cold, damp moss causing her to slip a bit upon landing. She winced at her commotion, praying that Armand's snoring had muffled her fall.
The smoosh- faced creature glared at Ondine, clearly keen on protecting it's spoils. Ondine much preferred cats to dogs, even cats as spoiled as Duchess. Aggressively plump, prissy, and sometimes, downright bitchy- she was a particular kind of naughty.
Duchess hissed angrily at Ondine, her poofy tailed inflating to twice it's size. Ondine puffed. "You are NOT doing this tonight." She gritted her teeth as she pried the fuzzy creature from the puss' paws, earning some scratches of her own in the process.
She clasped the creature tightly in her hands, and held him to her chest. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to Duchess. "Go back to being a menace somewhere else, please?" She part pleaded, before scrambling back into her room, new friend in tow.
Ondine sat at the foot of her bed, and slowly unfurled her hands. Those glassy eyes met hers once more, but this time, it felt different. The creature didn't budge- he had no interest in scampering away. "What a cutie." Dee absentmindedly spoke, bringing him closer to her face.
He twitched his nose, and began to clean the cuts on his ears, clearly at ease. "I don't know what I will call you.." The girl began, pausing as the rat turned to her and stood on his hind legs. He then leaned forward, planting dozens of tiny kisses on the girls nose. A soft giggle fell from Ondine's lips.
In a lot of ways, Ondine saw herself in the vermin. He too was innocent, misunderstood, and underestimated. No one cares for animals like rats. The same could be said for girls like Ondine.
She stared at the fuzzy creature, his twitching whiskers proving to be wonderfully amusing. "How about I call you Mister... Morty?" The girl whispered, accepting a second kiss on the nose to be a seal of approval.
"Well. That settles it then." She grinned, patting the little rats head gently. "It's nice to meet you, Morty."
ReducioWC: 669