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If there had been any windows in the Chantry, morning sunlight would have streamed through them. Instead, all was as dark as if it were still night, but much quieter, as the vampires all slept their deathlike sleep. A ghoul prowled the corridors, lithe and calm. She smelled another cat behind a door, and pressed her face to the bottom, but could not see through. She waited, though, and the door opened, the tall man with the ponytail stepping out. She slipped past his feet into the room faster than he could react to stop her, but he responded quickly, returning to the room and closing the door.
"Grey!" said Arthur reproachfully. "You know you aren't allowed in here." She watched his lips move, and tried to copy his speech. Then she turned her rapt gaze on the cat in the cage. Too high to reach standing on her hind legs. She looked for a perch to jump from, but nothing. She leapt gracefully to the top of the cage anyway, and the cat inside looked up at her and hissed.
Grey wasn't having any of that. She swatted her paw at the cat in the cage. He started to purr, and snapped at her paw. She swatted again, sharp claws extended fully, and he purred louder, then bit her paw painfully hard. Grey yelped and pulled her paw out of the cage, licking it thoroughly.
Sigfried looked up at the black cat perched on top of his cage. Oh, she was pretty. Sleek, black, beautiful girl cat. And she scratched him hard - she must love him. Yes. He wished she were closer, he could bite her again. Harder, to show he really liked her. He purred, and purred, and his tail swished back and forth.
Arthur scooped Grey up from Sigfried's cage and draped her over his shoulder. "Now Grey," he said, "don't attack Sigfried. He's a mean one, and I know you think you're tough, but listen to me and don't mess with him." She purred, enjoying the affectionate sound of his voice, not paying a bit of attention to the meaning of the words. Arthur smiled and petted her as he walked back out of the room, locking the door behind him. He was done with that room for the day, and he was rather glad. There was plenty more to do, then sleep until the night began again.
He walked to the small kitchen and fixed himself a sandwich, feeding Grey a scrap or two. He decided to test her memory for a bit. Taking three paper cups, he put a bit of chicken under one of the cups. Then in his best carny imitation he swirled the cups around, moving them back and forth, so that a typical human watcher would be sure which cup had the chicken, though they'd think an effort had been made to fool them. Arthur had been a bit sneaky though. He had slipped a bit of chicken under each of the cups - if Grey were going by the feline sense of smell, she'd have an equal chance to choose any of the three. If she were going by memory, though, she'd choose.... and he grinned, as she nosed over first the one he had let her follow to its resting place. After she ate the chicken, he tipped over the other two cups revealing the other treats. She looked up at him almost in awe before eating the bits of chicken. He scratched her ears, then finished his sandwich quickly. Much more to do, little time for play.
Grey had much to do, too. Her primary goal was to find a way out of the Chantry. Not a way a human could take... a secret cat route. She didn't like to feel trapped in here. She prowled around, but so far, no luck. Still, she hadn't been everywhere... it was worth a try.
Arthur left the Chantry that night, for duties outside, including helping Joseph by obtaining a few items for him necessary for his use during his time away. He made sure to leave food for the cats - and Riskard had agreed for the time being to allow him to enter and leave a bit more flexibly than the weekly schedule, now that he had so many duties both inside and out.