#the barely-a-braincell between them sibs

[skimblyshanks]

Happy Jellicle Community Event Day!

Thank you to @storyweaverofgondor for putting this together!

I hope you enjoy these small offerings, @skimblyshanks (I have a higher quality file if you'd like it; I had to export a .jpg in order to post)

And small, silly ficlet is below the cut.

London had been gifted a rare day of sunshine. Jemima stretched out with a happy groan, soaking up the summer heat. She dug her claws into the rubber tire, enjoying the feeling of the old rubber giving way.

“Jem!”

Jemima blinked her eyes open and found Rumpelteazer’s and Carbucketty’s yellows and oranges. She turned her ears towards them. “Prrp?”

“We’re going hunting!” Carbucketty chirped.

Rumpelteazer cupped a paw by her mouth and non-whispered: “He thinks he’s going to catch it.”

“Because I am.”

“Not before I do,” Rumpelteazer said. She grabbed Carbucketty into a headlock and pinned him while he tried to free himself. Then, as though remembering Jemima was still there, she looked up. “Want to join us?”

“Thanks but no, thanks,” Jemima said. She extracted her claws from the tire and wrapped her tail around her paws. “I’m not super hungry right now. Sun’s too nice, anyway. Who knows when we’ll get it again.”

Rumpelteazer laughed. “Fair enough.”

“Let go of me!” Carbucketty grumbled, pushing at Rumpelteazer’s side.

Rumpelteazer dropped him. He tumbled to her feet with a yelp. Rumpelteazer cackled and raced away; Carbucketty hot on her heels. Jemima watched them go through the junkyard and out of the gate, scrambling in a tight circle to get around a pair of cats (sparkling silver and bluey-purples) without running into the street sign at the edge of the curb. Jemima’s ears perked in interest.

Who are they?

She watched the pair watch Rumpelteazer and Carbucketty run off. Despite her intentions to go back to her nap, Jemima descended from the tire and made her way towards them while they groomed their right ears and smoothed their left shoulder fur. Jemima’s heartbeat sped up. When they finished fixing their fur and started walking towards the curb – walking away from her – she felt anxiety tighten in her throat.

“W–wait!”

Two nearly identical faces turned to face her, though neither cat stopped walking. Jemima squeezed under the fence. One cat – who’s purple shaded more to blue – smiled a small, enigmatic smile. The other – who’s purple went more to lavender – walked into the street sign. Jemima winced.

“Cori...” the blue-purple cat sighed in a soft, exasperated voice.

The lavender cat sat back and lifted a paw to the back of their head. “... Ow.”

“Oh, Bast–,” Jemima muttered. She stepped forward, arm outstretched, but stopped short of touching the cat. “I’m sorry– did I, uh, are you okay?”

The cat called Cori blinked at her. His mouth opened a little. Jemima waited. After several seconds of awkward silence in which Cori and Jemima stared at each other, the female cat cleared her throat.

“He’s fine. It happens.”

Cori shook himself and turned to glare. “Tanto!”

“Introduce yourself.”

“I’m Jemima,” Jemima said obediently.

Both Tanto and Cori turned to look at her. Jemima flushed and took a very sudden interest in her paws.

The female cat chuckled softly. “Tantomile.”

Jemima looked up. Tantomile tilted her head and looked back so deeply that Jemima had the distinct feeling of being examined all the way through to her first life. Then Tantomile broke their gaze. Jemima shuddered down her spine, pawing fretfully at the ground. A shadow moved closer. Jemima peeked up into a face, as inquisitive but less terrifyingly knowing. Jemima’s heart rabbited.

“I’m Coricopat.”