that was you.

Catharsis had just been shuffling through to see what he could and could not vandalize knock off of a table, when he'd found a key with a paper with an address on it. Not only that, but he was apparently invited to go inside of a mansion to babysit? Just allowed to walk right in? Dog sit, get paid for it, all while sitting in a mansion full of fancy shit the fucks probably wouldn't miss?

Yeah, okay, that was one way to spend the night working. Sign him up.

Suckers.

He was already inside, having just opened a glass cabinet full of fancy glass shit he could probably sell when the door opened. He startled, turning halfway to stare at the entrance. There wasn't really a lot of places for him to hide, so he waited to see who it was. If it was some NPC, it barely even mattered. If it was a player, then he needed to come up with a reason-

He blinked hard when he recognized the man, unsure if it would be better to just leave or not. Frowning, he set down the glass dove, realizing it'd probably break if he tried to carry it with Ghost around. Maybe he'd come back for it later. "You get the sitting quest too?" He asked blandly, knowing better than to wait for the Phantom to catch sight of him and assume he didn't know the guy was there.

ghost 1/7

that was you.

Catharsis blinked. Ghost wasn't acting like his usual self, but then he'd been a bit different ever since that first dungeon run. It seemed like it was going to haunt him and he didn't really know how to smooth things over. Maybe he'd just gift the guy with one of those pangolin things? Or would that just make it worse? He honestly couldn't tell at this point.

Ghost asked if he wanted to do some exploring, and he smiled. "I had the same idea. Gotta say, I haven't seen any sign of a dog or animal yet though. What about you?" He paused for a split second at the question, knowing full well there was a chance Ghost was asking what he'd been doing so close to the open cabinet. Instead, he smiled brightly. "Oh, you know. Training. I can make pets now along with mounts, was thinking of starting some kind of business. Thanks for asking. I had no idea you cared."

Moving closer to the Phantom, he raised his hands palm facing the ceiling. "What about you? How have you been?"

ghost 2/7

that was you.

Catharsis' step faltered for a moment when Ghost turned his back on him, his eyebrows raising when the man looked over his shoulder at him. He could tell, in one stroke, that Ghost did see. Right through him, in fact. And yet, he hadn't made any move to rebuke or assault him. That seemed like Ghost, and yet it still surprised him; it just wasn't the reaction he was used to. He was aware, peripherally, that Ghost was both smart enough to catch onto him, and smart enough to know there was no proof and no point in driving a point home ... yet.

His eyes shone like a cat watching a feathered toy, his heart beating to a different rhythm in his chest when Ghost spoke, while he listened to every word for any different meaning or play. It was fascinating, as though for once he wasn't certain that he wasn't the mouse in this game ... and yet, he wasn't fearful for his life, either. Not against a man who seemed a pacifist even to his own detriment. There was a quality to it that he couldn't begrudge. He found he held a certain respect for the Phantom, a certain fun to be found in the push and pull.

His fingers curled back towards himself as if they felt the need to scratch an itch, and he let his hands fall to his side.

"I'm so relieved," He replied, a short hum following as he took a few steps to close the gap between them. He paused after coming to stand side by side with the man, lowering his head and altering his body language to appear even shorter than he actually was against the man one inch taller than him. "It's almost like you don't trust me," His voice was soft and smooth, nearly a purr before he broke into a small laugh and strode forward. Had he not known better, he might have become defensive; suspected Ghost of wanting to keep an eye on him. That might still be the case, but Catharsis at least knew there was a decent enough excuse that he couldn't seriously accuse the man of such a thing.

"New tricks, hm?" He asked as he led the way, "Something more offensive to keep you safe?" That would be ideal, in no small part because it would keep the Empath safer when they partied together in dungeons. For some reason, however, he almost doubted it.

ghost 3/7

that was you.

It seemed like he wasn't going to get a full answer on the details about the Phantom's new abilities, but that was probably better. A few people had been dodgy about others knowing how their kit worked, That was fine, he was a bit busy noticing that the Phantom made the point of trailing beside him, matching his pace. He was looking forward, to the room across from the one that they'd been in; he'd seen something catch the light when he'd first climbed the stairs, before he'd been drawn to the other room. If he could just keep the Phantom focused on something other than what he was doing, maybe-

His line of thought broke when the man draped himself over Catharsis. For a moment, the man's spine stiffened at the uncalled for contact, but he relaxed. Ghost probably meant him no harm. He frowned, not entirely distracted from his companion's request or the fact that he wasn't offering to pay for it. He stared at Ghost as the man touched him, a soft hum dying under his tongue before he opened his mouth to speak. "Isn't it funny," He mused, closing his eyes halfway as he watched Ghost's hand reach towards his face. 'I don't remember you ever calling me cute before now." He did nothing to stop the gesture, however insulting. Not yet.

Flattery and wordplay was, after all, his forte. At least, when he wanted it to be.

When Ghost spoke again, however, he frowned and turned his gaze down the stairs and towards the wide open door of the basement. "Stop pulling my leg." He scowled, certain that Ghost was just trying to get a rise out of him. He'd obviously left it wide open before he'd come up - although, he had genuinely seemed surprised to see Cat, so that didn't actually make any sense. Catharsis heard a beep, and checked to see a ping on his quest marker. Frowning, he pulled up the list to see an addendum added to the quest he was currently on, and his heart sank while his blood chilled.

> Go into the basement

For a brief moment, a laughter broke open out of his throat, harsh and unkind, before it ended abruptly with a sharp, "Nope." Catharsis said quickly, turning straight around and hooking his arm into the crook of Ghost's elbow as he started to drag him back. No. Uh-uh. He'd seen enough of these movies, he was out and he wasn't even going to bother to race down all those stairs to have to pass by that open basement door. Nah. He'd just break the window and hop out. Could the fall kill him? Maybe. Would that be better than whatever was waiting for them downstairs? Oh, yeah. Definitely.

ghost 4/7

that was you.

"That's okay." He said a bit too quickly. He'd been called to enough people who had jumped out of buildings. He was well aware of what he'd realistically look like, and while that would have given him pause in real life, here he knew he'd just burn away into pretty little pixels, never to be seen again. Vanity would not stop him from this. If he was going to die, he might as well be the one choosing how. If Ghost survived him, well, it'd be such a shame he'd have to miss the funeral on the outside. Cat was so sure it'd be a regret the Phantom carried with him.

It was the thought of giving up his money and items that snapped him slowly back down into reality, and he paused and stepped back from the window. Just a step, but he was listening now, cold eyes focused on the man. His lips formed neither a frown or a smile as he resisted the urge to remind the Phantom that he worked in the medical field too as opposed to actually listening to what he was saying. It was hard. Really, he deserved a medal for the effort.

As the option to both live and keep his things was presented to him, he squinted at Ghost in suspicion. It was very likely he was being lied to. He couldn't prove it, but by default it was just something he believed when told something that would actually be good. He crossed his arms, deciding that he didn't have much choice but to trust the Phantom. "I- ... Fine. Okay. That works." He let out a slow, stressed sigh through his nose. "Or it'd better, anyway." While it wasn't intended as a threat so much as a wish, he wouldn't dictate how Ghost wanted to take it.

ghost 5/7

that was you.

Cat didn't appreciate feeling like he was being hand held through the big scary mansion, especially when he'd initially come here for easy money and loot. He should've known better. The game had already demonstrated plenty of times that it was out to kill them, and do so ruthlessly. Of course there would be a goddamn horror element right down to the promise of an unguarded wealthy home to lure unsuspecting and totally innocent players.

He still hadn't been entirely convinced by Ghost that he wasn't going to die here.

Then Ghost made a display, and Cat squinted at him while simultaneously feeling much better. It was extremely obvious that if one of them was going to die first, it'd be Ghost. If he was going to continue to be a little shit, that was fine by Cat. Relaxing somewhat, Cat stepped forward to stand next to Ghost - pitting Ghost between himself and the basement door as casually as he could manage. With that, he looked at Ghost with suspicion out of the corner of his eye, tilting his head slightly away. "Alright. Let's see that trick up your sleeve."

ghost 6/7