Chatting with Ussi

“Ussi, darling?”
 
“Meow?”
 
Enessa sighed, looked hard at Ussi. The causal observer may not have noticed anything strange in this. An owner caring for her beloved pet. A less casual observer may have noticed the flash in Ussi’s eyes as Enessa stared.
 
“Ussi, darling?”
 
Both casual and non-casual observers would have heard another “meow” from the large cat. Not so our dear Enessa. “Queen!”
 
“I can hear you now, Ussi. We must teach you our language.”
 
“Voice box?”
 
Enessa laughed. “I know, but I’m sure there’s a way! I’ll get Zeni on it, she must need another project by now.” The tall, thin, young Drow sighed and ruffled her panther’s ear, eliciting a purr. “We’re heading for trouble here, I think, darling.”
 
“Trouble! Kill trouble!”
 
“I’d love to kill the trouble, dear Ussi,” Enessa chuckled, “but I fear trouble may have caught us in a trap.”
 
“Bite trap.”
 
“Yes. Yes, that’s exactly what we will do.” Enessa looked thoughtful for a moment. “I was talking to Ceri on our way here. She’s so sure. And that surety gives her such peace. I have never known that peace. I envy her.”
 
“Metal lady.”
 
“Yes, Ussi.”
 
“Metal lady happy?”
 
Enessa paused. “I think she has peace, as I said. Peace is not the same as happiness. I fear what this group brings to Ceridwen. But I can’t let her leave. She glues us all together, as much as Raphael. Sergeant Boom and Wind trust her. I trust her. I trust them all, even Raphael. A liar can be relied upon to lie, you can trust in that. You know where you are.”
 
“God, peace?”
 
Enessa nodded. “I think so. I think her god brings her peace.”
 
“Cat God!”
 
Enessa paused before laughing out loud, a cheering, playful belly laugh. “Oh Ussi darling, you do make me laugh. There’s no cat god.”
 
Ussi sat up slightly, fierce in a flash, growling. “Cat God! Speaks!”
 
Enessa sat up slightly too, but there was no malice in her movement. Simply a matching of stance. “Your cat god speaks to you?” She paused a moment, thoughtful. “What is their name?”
 
“Cat god.”
 
Enessa smiled, putting a hand out to Ussi’s head. “Settle now. I meant no offence, you know that.” Ussi quieted immediately. “So, you have a cat god.”
 
“Cat god. Cat god nice.”
 
Enessa laid down on the bed slowly, closing her eyes. “It would seem everyone has their peace except for me.”
 
“Queen? Unbroken peace?”
 
The Drow’s eyes flicked open. “Yes. That’s why I’m so worried about this… this heist. We have to get out of this in one piece. As a group.”
 
Ussi meowed, as if a “hmm” could pass her voice box. “Unbroken…safe?”
 
Enessa nodded, closing her eyes again.
 
“Cat god help. Ussi help.”
 
“You are part of the Unbroken, Ussi. Just as I am.”
 
“Cat god help. Ussi help. Unbroken help. Unbroken hunt.”
 
“Yes, dear Ussi, we will hunt. But what are we hunting? And what is hunting us?”
 
“Meow.”
 
Enessa sighed. And slept.