Spy Between the Pages

[Humphries]

Humphries sat on the table, his tail flicking behind him. He stared down at the journal he'd managed to get open. The opening had been a process in and of itself: he'd had to flick this stick around and use his teeth a little and he wasn't even entirely sure why he'd gone through all the trouble. Boredom, most likely. Because teenage girls generally had the least interesting journals in existence. They generally prattled about bands or boys or other things that just were rather on the dull side. Except that sometimes there was information to be found there. And Humphries excelled in finding and utilizing information.

Hence why he was now sitting on a table with an open journal in front of him. One paw held the pages open while he scanned. The girl apparently had increased senses, based on the earliest entries. And she'd just come here. Hmm, that meant that she had the potential to be useful to Humphries. Girls like that had a tendency to pick up quite a lot, if they had some control or mastery over their power.

The cat had begun purring, before moving his paw to flick to the next page, batting it slightly to look through. He was mildly curious, more than anything. He also fully intended to be in position where it looked like he was reading when the girl arrived. He wanted to see this Blair Collins's reactions to his presence...

[Blair Collins]

Blair was looking forward to getting back to her dorm. Another day at school survived. She was perfectly fine with it being uneventful; she just wanted to have some time to herself. Her ears were ringing with the constant mindless chatter around her. She knew she was just being sensitive about it but that did not mean she had to be a part of it.

She got out her keys to her dorm but then froze. Her door was open. Why the hell was it open? She knew it was shut the last time she left; she had always been careful that way. She rushed in. It was time she put her powers to good use--find the intruder.

But she did not need to put much effort into it. The first thing she noticed was the white cat on her table. "Uhm..."

Her grey eyes scanned the rest of the room. Everything else seemed normal. She returned her attention to the cat. He--she thought it was a he--seemed to be frowning if that was even possible. What a strange creature. A book was spread out before him and he had one paw on it as if he was holding a page down. What now? Was he reading it? That was when she noticed the pencil on the ground--her favourite pencil which she used to hold her journal cover in place. Wait, was that her--

"What the hell?" Oh goodness. The cat was reading it, wasn't it? She did not understand why or how but he was. But that was okay, right? It was not like she had written anything interes--shit. Her latest entry had been about Lister. Heat rose to her cheeks and rushed at the cat, reaching for her journal.

[Humphries]

Humphries flicked his tail as he heard someone entering. The feline hearing was slightly better than a human's, and Humphries did have some experience with listening for human footfalls. he didn't start turning until he heard her speaking. Then he shifted, looking over his shoulder. He did have to fight the urge to lick himself, as that would hardly be conducive to the image he wished to portray.

"Language, young lady," said an incredibly proper if slightly robotic voice from the general vicinity of the cat. Someone with enhanced senses (such as Blair's) would likely pick up on the fact that the voice originated not from the cat's mouth, but from a device slung around his neck. It looked like a slightly thicker than average collar, which it essentially was. But it clearly had much more advanced technologies. To call it top of the line would be a bit degrading: this hovered a good few inches above any such lines.

"Lister..." Humphries said, before looking down at the journal, "that would be the Reynolds boy? Or are there more speedsters with that name at this school?" He flicked his tail again before shifting, already getting ready for what he knew was coming: the mad dash to the diary (likely accompanied with a yelp of some kind).

[Blair Collins]

Blair faltered in her step. Oh my goodness. The cat could talk. There was a talking cat in her room. She just talked to a cat and he talked back. She was both intrigued and scared shitless at the same time.

But the voice was robotic. Maybe he was a mechanical cat. No. He was very much real; she could hear its soft heartbeat. But why the hell was it talking? Maybe this was some sort of prank but she could not figure out how it worked. Then again, she was still new to the mutant world.

She was sure she was going crazy until she noticed the collar around the cat's neck. That was where the voice came from--that would explain why it sounded the way it did. But that did not explain why he was reading her journal.

The cat seemed unfazed by her. In fact he had simply pointed out what she had written in her journal. Her surprise gave way to embarrassment--and with it came anger.

"Look, talking kitty," said Blair, narrowing her grey eyes. "I don't know what's going on or how this is happening--but I do know that that's none of your business."

She purposely chose not to acknowledge his knowing of Lister. "What does a cat want with that kind of information anyway?" She grabbed her journal from beneath the cat's paws. "Who and what are you, perv?"

[Humphries]

Humphries tilted his head to look up at the girl as she approached. He noted the narrowed eyes, the put out words. None of his business? Perhaps, but she certainly wasn't in a position to judge that. Certain activities that went on at this school were most assuredly his business, and he intended to make certain to find them out all in good time.

"It's a matter of deciding what--" Humphries began. He moved away from her easily enough, as he had been prepared, backpedaling and reorienting himself onto the desk again. "Why is it that everyone always jumps to insults? You do realize that if I were a pervert, I would likely be snooping through your underwear drawer?" He flicked his tail toward a set of provided school drawers. "Or perhaps I would simply smuggle myself away and wait while you undress. So clearly you're more upset about my finding out about your connection to Mr. Reynolds."

Humphries had to purr as he pulled himself a little further upright. His forepaws were tucked between his hindpaws, and both were near his rear, which he'd sat upon the desk. "It's my duty to discover what's going in this school, for security measures. Seeing as Mr. Reynolds has expressed interests in joining the school's squad..." Humphries let the girl fill in the blanks from there. perhaps she did have a working brain in there. He certainly hoped so: it was so disappointing when they were just another clod.

[Blair Collins]

The cat pointed out her drawers and her face flushed red. What the hell? Everything he said about being a pervert unnerved her. Blair would never be able to get those images out of her mind. She made a mental note to check every hiding place possible before undressing next time. Sure, he meant he did not do these things but that did not stop her from feeling paranoid. And yes, of course she was upset that he knew about Lister. Who wouldn't be? The cat casually purred and got into a comfortable position.

"Your duty?" The girl took a deep breath. She needed to gather her thoughts, compose herself. Something tickled at the back of her mind... "You are Humphries," she said aloud as realization dawned on her. He was Bellefonte's talking cat--whether he was originally human or not, she did not know--who was part of the school security staff. She had heard her schoolmates mentioning him but always assumed they were having an inside joke. It was hard to take the story seriously, really.

"I do not care that this is for security measures... Do I not have a right to my own privacy?" She clutched the journal to her chest. "And I have nothing more to do with Lister than anyone else. We are just friends!"

She could hardly believe she was explaining herself to a cat but hey, if the cat could talk, why not talk back?

[Humphries]

Flushing, blubbering, complaining, all the standard defenses and reactions of a teenage girl. Humphries wasn't sure whether to be amused by Blair or just more bored. He found himself landing somewhere in between. Though he did find himself leaning more toward amused as she guessed his name, even nodding his head to indicate it as well.

"Only so far as that privacy doesn't affect the safety and security of others," Humphries replied, flicking his tail. "Quite interesting that you're so focused on someone in security, and so soon after arriving. Just friends, hmm," the cat moved along, padding slowly as he walked along the desk. "Isn't that what young people say when they really wish there was something more? or perhaps when they're putting something on hold."

Humphries dropped down to the ground, then proceeded to saunter about the room with almost too much casualness in his walk.

[Blair Collins]

Blair stared after the cat. This day kept getting weirder and weirder. First a cat intruded into her dorm and made himself comfortable by reading her journal--because she refused to call it a diary, then he started talking, and now he was strutting about her room as if he had every right to be there--and according to him, he did. If anything, this did not really make her feel "safe", whatever his intentions were. Humphries was as odd as he was amusing. She could just shoo him out but she felt intrigued enough to chat. How often would this happen anyway?

Her privacy affecting others' security? What was that supposed to mean? She inhaled carefully, calming her nerves. "I am not some obsessed teenager," she said--she was not that hormonal either but she would rather not use that word at the moment. "I do not intend to stalk him or do anything that places his safety in jeopardy. You have my word."

She pressed her lips together upon hearing his jibe. Yes, she did have romantic feelings for Lister but she had only just met him. She was not that desperate to rush their friendship into something else. "Oh, you would know, wouldn't you? Tell me, is that why you look so grumpy? Or did Filch forget to feed you, Mrs Norris?"