Watercats? Errand PV

@Opeila Winters

Selim had only ever participated in one errand during his time in Hogwarts. It was... making Chinese lanterns, or something of the such. He didn't really remember much of his first year. More then half of it was spent in an odd limbo, and a good chunk of that was filled with delusions and breaks from reality.

He tried not to think too much about that time, it often ended with him wondering if any of it was even real.

Besides, his father had fixed that aspect of him, to some degree.

No use dwelling.

He walked into the strongly-smelling room, posture deceptively relaxed as he idly scanned his surroundings. Kioshi was perched on his shoulders, perfectly content watching everything from his chosen area of rest.

A familiar figure caught his eyes, that girl, Opeila something-or-other.

'She actually exists?' He blinked in mild surprise. He had honestly been quite sure she was a figment of his warped imagination, I mean, who'd willingly let someone experiment on them?

Unless that whole fiasco was also a dilusion.

He blinked, shaking his head, he'd only get a headache if he thought more on that subject.

He watched as the short-statured girl's cat knocked over a washbin with amusement, eyeing the water that flooded the area, touching the tips of his feet. Kioshi let out a meow and Selim chuckled.

"No, Kio, I don't plan on dunking you in a water bin." He smiled, only more amused upon hearing his pseudo martial arts apprentice let out an exclamation of her cat being clumsy.

He walked towards the scene, emerging from the slight haze of steam filling the room, an easy-going grin on his face as he rose a brow at Opeila.

"You do realize that cats don't need to be bathed? Other than the hairless ones, that is." He chuckled lightly, "I'm planning on just giving Kioshi a good go-over with a warm, damp rag. The dungeons truly don't do much for a feline's fur."

He smirked slightly.

This was technically his first meeting with her in his second year. The rather drastic shift in Selim's personality had surprised a few. It was understandable, he went from stoic if a bit unstable, to easy-going and teasing.

Then again, that wasn't saying much, Selim hadn't approached many of his previous acquaintances this year. Only a sparse few that barely knew him. In fact, Jack hadn't approached him much, if at all, and Selim wasn't one to initiate contact.

He had a slight hope that the redheaded boy would cut ties with him completely, beyond the bare necessity of their contract, that is. He honestly felt he deserved as much, his trust of the Fox was built of something toxic, and festering. He had honestly just been waiting for the coin to drop, making the whole house of cards fall down back to the dust.

The thought of that happening didn't hurt as much, his father made sure of that.

When Opeila entered the room, she had not expected to meet Selim Faust of all people. Not that she didn't like him, at least not at this point, but she didn't know anyone else, who's relationship developed so... well, unhealthy. She met him sometime half through her first year and they drank cider together. Back then she found him weird... She didn't like him so much.

Next time they met, was moments before the common room got flooded by black spiders. The same night he secretly took some blood from her, causing the little girl immense pain and almost killing her.
Only a short time after, she had asked him to teach her how to fight.
And then one weekend, they had been in that secret room, Jack, Selim and her, experimenting on her.

Was it weird to trust this boy?
Or was it natural? Was it possible to suffer through extreme pain with someone, allowing them to hear one's screams, without starting to trust them?

Opeila didn't know that Selim had a cat, so it was a surprise to see him in this errand. But it was almost even more surprising, to hear him speak in a lighthearted tone. When was Selim Faust lighthearted? Like... ever? He was the paranoid shadow boy who brought knives and syringes to school. Or at least that was him in his first year. What on earth happened to the boy that curled up in terror in the corner of the tent while some others and her got attacked by a shadow?

Whatever it was, Opeila wanted that. She woke up every day, wondering how to make it through it. She went to bed, lying awake under her blanket with illuminated wand, until everyone was asleep and she could light a candle without waking up anyone.

When Opeila placed some towels on the floor to stop the flood from the waterbin, she heard him talk to his cat, telling him he wouldn't dunk him into a waterbin.
Only a moment after she heard him again, this time directed at her. She grinned, when he said that cats didn't need to be bathed. "Oh, yeah, I know that.", she said, chuckling. "Maybe you should give it a try and tell him." She pointed at her wet cat, that still sat on the ground and watched his owner cleaning up his mess. "Maybe he'll listen to you. He never listens to me."

Selim explained what he planned to do for his cat. "That sounds like a less messy tactic. I guess I'll spend the rest of the errand trying to dry Loras. It's getting colder outside, I don't want him to get sick. And considering that he loves to explore the forest, he definitely would..."

Weither the dungeons were good for cats or not, Opeila couldn't say. Loras ran around wherever he liked to and it was okay. On the other hands, Opeila had never seen him come from the dungeons, like herself he seemed to sense the danger in this place. He had followed her, when she had gone down there to try and contact the hags... Today she was more than glad that she didn't get an answer back then. Opeila had been very desperate on that day.

She carefully picked up her cat and placed him on a towel. Shaking her head she began to rub his fur with a second towel. "You're such a silly cat, you know..."

@Selim Faust
WC: 576+430=1006 Words
-Errand Complete!-