W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[strangerpeople]

W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[The national council just announced the blight to the country.

There was no sugarcoating it anymore. This was a critical time. Saving all of the vines is paramount, but what does one do when the blight hits? It keeps encroaching on the grapes, day by day. Entire clusters, entire bunches, dead and rotting, while allowing the blight to spread, and the leading botanists and viticulturists cannot identify the origin or the cause. They can't even successfully isolate the culprit in their labs; it seems to disappear like air no matter the precautions taken.

It is a catastrophe that seems to be beyond science, and it will result in the complete collapse of the entire country's wine industry. Already, embargoes on this year's crop have forced other grape-growers to close shop for the year after they'd sold their previous stock; it is all too possible that no grapes might ever be grown here again if a cure cannot be found. The tourists have stopped coming. The towns have grown silent.

You, meanwhile, are devastated. With the way your business is going, it will be on the brink of bankruptcy within the year. You will soon have no choice but to close shop and let every grapevine die, let the land go fallow. There must be a cure for this, there must be. Yet everything that can go wrong is.

Then, as you watch the news, it happens. Breaking news. The blight has been found in another country.

It is a pandemic-and it is only getting worse.


-

Well. This is...what else can can anyone say? You all know the deal. You all know what situation you're in. All that is left is to figure out what you can do about it. If there's anything that can be done.

You still feel that compulsion to distrust. To know you cannot win. To know that only the hosts have your best interests in mind. It would be easy to just do all that. But would it be the right thing to do? You can't be completely sure. Indeed, nothing is certain here, except for that damned ticking sound. If only you could stop it.

But you can't stop it. It is inevitable.


There are 15 strangers in this place.]

Comments

[strangerpeople]

[The cat will freeze. Then it will start to shake, looking over at Caleb with its eyes.


What will you do next, Caleb?]

[katzenpfote]

[P... et? The cat?]

[1/2]

[strangerpeople]

[At first, the cat looks ready to fight. It's claws are out, hits tail is bushy, and if a cat's blown pupils can look at someone with pure hatred, theirs probably can.

After a few moments of petting, however, there is a change. The pupils suddenly start to contract, and the cat shudders.]

[2/2]

[strangerpeople]

[It's as if Caleb's fingers have some kind of magic, because the cat suddenly starts to purr, leaning into the petting.]

Mrrrr....

[After rubbing its face in Caleb's arm, it looks up with its normal eyes.]

Mrraow.

[katzenpfote]

[Oh he has been clawed by worse, this is fine.]

[But then it relaxes, and he pulls it close and snuggles it a bit. No one else is around, after all.]

There you are. You are a good little thing there, aren't you? We will fix what has been done to you. You do not deserve this.

[strangerpeople]

[Prrrrrrrrrrr.

The cat closes its eyes and meows again. Yes it is very good, the best cat ever. Especially since it is getting attention.]

[poorlovefool]

[spotting Caleb in the window of the cat cafe, Eric decides to come over since they had an agreement to move the cats anyway.

Then he comes across this heartwarming scene]

Oh, hey... that one looks normal. What'd you do?

[katzenpfote]

[Uh - oh. He relaxes from his initial tensing up and boops the cat's nose gently.]

I just picked them up and started petting. They froze at first but then relaxed.

[strangerpeople]

[Mrrp?? y u boop]

[poorlovefool]

That's easier than I was expecting...

[they were so in sync the thought of breaking one of them out of it was definitely a bit intimidating.

But now he's curious so... let's go pick up that cute Abyssinian over there!!]

[1/2]

[strangerpeople]

[The creature lets out a hiss as its being handled, and even as it freezes up, there is burning hatred in the cat's expression. It is clearly unnatural to the cat, almost alien.]

[strangerpeople]

[After a few moments in Eric's living arms, however, there is a shudder in the Abyssinian, and it blinks. Its pupils contract, and nearly instantly, the tics, the odd rhythms all stop in its body. Instead, it lets out a confused honk, its tail swaying lazily and curling around Eric's hand.]

1/2

[poorlovefool]

[He has definitely never seen a cat look this angry and it instantly makes him very skittish, leading to some awkward pets with the palpable fear that his hand is about to get maimed.]

C... Caleeeeb, are you SURE this works- oh!

[poorlovefool]

[that honk was so cute... he's scritching behind the ears more calmly now]

Whaddya know. She likes me now.

[katzenpfote]

Ah... see? They just needed a gentle touch.

[Although... what happens if he puts the cat down? He'll pick it back up if it goes weird again, but he has to check.]

[strangerpeople]

[Once the cat is put down, it...it...





it rolls on its side and stretches, before it gets back up and hops into one of the cat beds, meowing as it curls up.]

[katzenpfote]

Ah, good.

[He's just gonna go and pick up another cat, then.]

[strangerpeople]

[It probably goes without saying that the cat he picks up is very unhappy with this, and its claws dig into Caleb as it is picked up. Seriously, the rage emanating from the creature's eyes is so foreign that, in truth, it's almost like the anger isn't its own at all. As to whose it is, well...who knows, right now.

Eventually, the hatred melts away, leaving a much more amenable, if slightly puffed up, cat. It does look a little scared-Caleb can feel its heart pounding a mile a minute.]

[katzenpfote]

[He waits for the emotion to pass, and then just strokes the cat gently to show it that he means no harm.]

It's all right. You are safe. I will not hurt you...

[strangerpeople]

Meow, meow...!

[It purrs, but its still very confused. Can you blame it, Caleb? :(]

[katzenpfote]

Oh, I know. You have been through a lot.

[He sets it down and nudges it towards one of the cat beds.]

Go on. Rest. It'll be all right.

[Time to hug every cat.]

[poorlovefool]

What a relief!

[he'll do that too. why wouldn't he.]

[strangerpeople]

[This cat is downright vicious. It hisses and even swipes at Eric, pure alien loathing dripping out of it. As if to say not yours.

Whatever is causing the cats to act weird to begin with, the remaining cats seem to know what Caleb and Eric are doing, and what it's done to the other now-normal cats. In unison they back away, letting out growls and spitting.]

[katzenpfote]

[He sighs and tilts his head towards Eric.]

Guard the front so they cannot try to run out that way.

[He's just going to go and try to scoop up one of the hissing cats.]

[strangerpeople]

[This one fights. It tries to wrest free, with unusual strength for a cat of its size. It lets out a growl, flailing its legs to scratch at Caleb's face, and even tries to bite.

All in all, not a happy mind-controlled cat at the moment.]