Chapter Text
“Hello, Corporal. I have a 10:30 appointment with General Alder,” Ana informs General Alder’s receptionist.
“Of course, Sergeant Quartermaine,” the corporal replies. “She should be ready for you.”
Ana nods and walks over to the solid hardwood door to her mother’s office. She knocks on the door and does not get the “Enter” she expects from her mother. She waits a few more seconds with no reply and knocks again. When she again gets no reply in the affirmative to enter, she glances over at the receptionist with a questioning look.
The poor corporal also seems confused by the situation and lack of answers in the affirmative or otherwise. Ana watches as the soldier attempts to contact someone in the office via farspeech.
“Ma’am, I’m unable to get an answer from her or the head biddy,” the corporal says. “I’m not sure how to proceed.”
“Shit,” Ana mumbles under her breath. She has two choices: either keep standing outside the office and not know what’s going on or she can enter her mother’s office without permission and possibly face the wrath of Sarah Alder if she interrupts some important meeting. Neither one is a great option but this kind of decision-making is exactly the kind of situation her mother taught her how to execute.
“I’m going in," she informs the corporal who is now standing beside her. "Consequences be damned," she mutters under her breath.
Ana knocks once more, then turns the knob and opens the door, her mother’s wards recognizing her and allowing her access. She then walks through the doorway, the young corporal following closely behind. Upon entering the office, Ana notices the room is empty, a fire still crackling in the grate, a long-cooled mug of coffee sitting on her mother’s desk, yet there is no sign of General Alder or the Biddies.
“General?” Ana calls. "Máà?!"
There is no reply. Ana moves further into the room, searching behind the long curtains before moving toward her mother’s quarters. These wards also let her in but Sarah is nowhere to be found. The receptionist stays in the office while Ana searches her mother's room, the Biddies' dorm, and both of the bathrooms in the personal quarters.
“Are you sure she didn’t leave to go to another meeting?” Ana asks.
“No ma’am,” the corporal replies.
Ana sighs.
“I guess I’ll wait here until she comes back. I’ve got nothing else to do,” Ana surmises.
The corporal nods and leaves Ana in the office alone, closing the door behind her when she leaves.
“Well, I guess I’m going to wait, I might as well enjoy a drink,” Ana says to herself while walking over to Sarah’s bar cart. She pours herself a healthy serving of her mother’s favorite whisky before walking over to sit in one of the chairs by the fire. Sitting down in the chair, she finds herself sitting on something soft and squishy accompanied by the shrill meow of a startled cat.
“Meow!!” the cat yowls, then hisses at the sergeant as Ana immediately jumps from the seat.
“What the?!” Ana yells, surprised at the presence of the feline in the chair.
She looks down at the unexpected visitor in the chair, a slender, beautiful midnight-black cat with bright blue eyes. After the initial startle, the cat walks over to the end of the chair and begins rubbing itself against Ana’s thigh.
“Well, hello you pretty little thing. Where did you come from?” Ana coos as she pets the cat. She then picks it up and places it in her lap as she sits down and continues petting the feline. The cat purrs loudly and looks up expectantly at Ana, meowing several times and pawing at her chest. “Máà’s going to have a field day when she finds out someone let a cat in her office. Until then, I’m going to keep loving on you. Yes, I am,” Ana coos, scratching the cat behind the ear.
A little while later, Ana hears a quiet knock on the door before it gently opens, with Cadet Craven slipping in and turning to carefully close the door behind her, silently praying to the goddess nobody but the receptionist in the hallway saw her.
“Cadet,” Ana says, clearing her throat and announcing her presence to the redhead.
Startled, Tally jumps and squeaks before turning around to face her former drill sergeant.
“Sergeant Quartermaine, ma’am,” Tally says, saluting her superior officer.
“At ease, Craven,” Ana replies as she continues petting the feline in her lap. “And call me Ana. I’m not on official business.”
Throughout her time with Ana, the cat had been napping off and on and currently had its eyes closed and was kneading biscuits into Ana’s thighs.
“Meow!” the cat chirps, standing up on Ana’s lap when she registers the new arrival. She gracefully jumps off Ana’s lap and languidly stretches in front of the fire before padding over to a surprised Tally who is still by the door.
“Since when does Sarah have a cat?” Tally curiously asks Ana. The cat meows and begins rubbing up against Tally’s legs.
“I don’t know but I don’t think she’ll be happy about having someone’s cat shedding all over her office furniture and fancy rug.”
The cat turns and hisses at Ana.
“Why are you hissing at me? It’s true!”
The cat hisses at Ana again before turning back to Tally and continues rubbing up against her legs and purring with contentment.
“Oh, don’t you worry, you pretty little thing,” Tally coos as she picks up the cat who immediately nuzzles her head into Tally’s neck, purring very loudly. “Nobody could get mad at someone as adorable as you. Maybe I can convince her to let me keep you.”
“So are you just hanging out in Sarah’s office today?” Tally asks, looking around the room and seeing no signs of Sarah or the Biddies.
“No, I had an appointment with her this morning but she wasn’t in her office and nobody could get a hold of her,” Ana replies. “I figured she had something top secret come up and if she didn’t show up in a few hours, then we could sound the alarm. So I thought I’d wait here and wait for her until then.”
Tally shrugs, then walks over to the second chair in front of the fire next to Ana’s.
Ana laughs, then takes a big swig of her whisky, finishing off the glass.
“Tally!” Sarah meows at the redhead.
“Sarah?” Tally gasps.
“Tally! You can hear me?” Sarah asks, the black cat pawing up at Tally's face.
“Sarah? Where are you?” Tally asks.
“Craven, who are you talking to?” Ana asks, perturbed.
“I can hear Sarah, but I can’t see her,” Tally replies. “Can’t you hear her?”
“Are you losing it, Craven?” Ana replies. “Because I’m not afraid to have Wick commit you for hearing voices.”
“Tally!” Sarah calls again.
“You’re telling me you can’t hear that?” Tally queries. “She sounds so close.”
“No, Craven. I do not hear my mother. All I hear is that damn cat meowing incessantly.”
Tally looks down at the cat who is pawing her face, staring deeply into those bright blue eyes. Eyes that are a familiar blue, only on someone else’s face. The cat paws gently at her face again almost like she’s trying to get Tally’s attention. It is then that Tally realizes that her soulmate is now in the form of a slender, black house cat.
“Oh. My. Goddess!” Tally gasps. “Sarah. Are you a cat?” she whispers to the cat in her arms.
“Apparently,” Sarah replies, disgruntled about being in her current form. She then licks her paw and cleans behind her ear before looking back at Tally. “It is less than ideal, I must say,” she mutters.
“Sarah, how did this happen? And where are the biddies?” Tally asks.
Before Sarah can answer the Knower, Anacostia interjects.
“Hold on Craven. How did what happen?”
“This,” Tally says, turning the cat to face Anacostia, “is Sarah. Sarah is a cat. A very pretty cat,” she says, nuzzling up against the midnight black feline and scratching under her chin.
“Haha. Very funny Craven,” Anacostia grumbles. “But seriously, where is my mother?”
“She’s right here,” Tally replies, forcing the cat closer to Anacostia’s face. “Look at her eyes.”
Anacostia huffs but reluctantly does as she is told. After a moment of closer inspection, the striking realization also hits her that the cadet is correct. This cat is her mother.
“Oh, Goddess. My mother is a cat,” Ana bemoans. “My mother is a cat and I was scratching her butt,” Ana groans, mortified at the thought.
“Mrrrow,” the cat meows in confirmation.
“She said she forgives you. And that it did feel amazing, if that makes you feel better,” Tally affirms.
“Goddess, that does not make it any better. But I am glad at least one human can understand what she’s trying to say,” Ana replies.
“But what happened to the Biddies?” Tally asks.
Sarah meows in indifference before continuing to groom herself. A squeak is heard from across the room, under Sarah’s cabinet. A flash of white comes running out from under the cabinet and streaks across the room under Anacostia’s chair and between her feet causing the usually stoic soldier to squeal in surprise. The offending visitor stops short in front of the fire between the two humans, big brown eyes looking up at the cat in the redhead’s lap.
“Ahhh!” Anacostia screams. “What the hell is that?!”
Tally squints to get a better look at the tiny creature between her and her drill sergeant.
“Umm, I think it might be a hamster,” Tally questioningly replies.
“Guinea pig,” Sarah corrects. “Specifically, that guinea pig is Devon.”
“Devon? Like your biddy, Devon?” Tally asks Sarah.
Sarah meows in confirmation.
“Okay, this whole talking to the cat thing isn’t getting any less creepy even knowing the cat is my mother,” Ana grouses. “What is she saying?”
“That the guinea pig is Devon, her biddy,” Tally answers. The guinea pig squeaks in agreement.
“Seriously?” Ana whines. “This just keeps getting better.”
Devon squeaks a few times in the direction of the cabinet and soon six other guinea pigs of various colorings come running out and across the room to join their braver comrade. The guinea pigs Biddies then begin squeaking as if they are having a very heated discussion, though the two humans cannot understand what they are trying to say.
“I’m sorry ladies, I can’t understand what you’re trying to say,” Tally apologizes.
Without warning, Sarah jumps down off Tally’s lap and goes to her biddies before gracefully laying down in front of the fire, allowing the guinea pigs to come lay on and near her.
“Okay, I’m not the only one here who thinks that’s weird, right?” Ana questions the redhead.
“Nope, that’s pretty weird. I mean this whole situation is weird–you know, cat Sarah and guinea pig Biddies–but even when we’re alone Sarah’s not usually so snuggly,” Tally replies. “I mean look at that, she’s grooming them,” she says pointing at the cat who is gently licking and grooming one of the guinea pigs. Anacostia grimaces.
“We should probably get someone in here to help us figure this out,” Ana announces. “And we’re probably going to need pet supplies if this is going to last. Like food dishes, litter boxes, and whatever you need for guinea pigs,” she quibbles, sighing. “Goddess this is so weird. Izadora’s going to love it.”
She gets up from her chair and heads over to the bar cart, pouring two tall glasses of whisky–one for her and one for Tally–before reaching out via Farspeech to the members of High Command who would need to be apprised of the current situation. After informing the necessary members, she walks back over to the chair, handing Tally one of the glasses of whisky.
“Drink up, Craven,” she says. “It’s going to be a long day.”
Sarah, who is lying stretched out on the floor with the Biddies with some of them curled up on her and some of them scurrying around her, meows in agreement.
The two humans chuckle at the feline’s antics.