hummy and ellen in: what do you mean you're not still a cat

[songfairy]

Hummy is a cat on a mission. She's had the urge to groom one of her beloved friends all day, but none of the other Cures were particularly amenable to Hummy's attempts. That was all right, anyway: the one person she'd been really hoping to find was Siren.

Who she can see just below! "Siren!!" she calls. She's glad she chose a high vantage point now: she gets to see Siren's cute, surprised face when she notices that Hummy is calling! "Siiiiren!"

Comments

[modulation]

It's probably perfectly natural that phantom voices immediately make Ellen worry that maybe she's being followed by some sort of malevolent spirit. Perfectly. Natural.

Luckily, she recognizes Hummy's voice almost immediately. Cute, surprised face it is. In the confusion following not knowing where she's hiding, Ellen looks first at ground-level, then eye-level, before finally lifting her gaze high enough, using one hand to visor her eyes.

"Hummy! What are you doing up there? Don't get yourself in trouble!"

She puts her arms out without prompting, giving her friend a place to land when she chooses to come down.

[songfairy]

"I was looking for you! It's hard to look from down on the ground, Siren!"

With Siren beneath her, there's nothing to be afraid of. Hummy leaps without a second thought, aiming not for Siren's outstretched arms, but for her cute face, aiming to get her tongue on that piece of hair right on her forehead--it was a good place to start, anyway. (Siren's hair is a lot longer now that it's only really on her head. To make up for the fact that she didn't have fur, maybe? Hummy doesn't think too hard about it.)

[modulation]

"Hum -" Ellen is cut short by the bundle of fur and soft fairy paws slamming straight into her face. She tries 'What are you doing?' again, but it just comes out a muffled mess.

It would be a lie to say that picking her up this easily when she's in the middle of being an airheaded kitten wasn't an ability she appreciated. She places both hands around Hummy's middle and tries to extract her, mostly gently (mostly). She's already a little flustered.

"That's my hair..."

[songfairy]

Hummy ignores her until there are hands on her, pulling her away, and then she reaches out with a whine. "I know, Siren! It needs to be cleaned!" She wiggles, trying to get back in there. "You understand, right?" This is accompanied by her shiniest eyes, her paws pressed together in supplication.

[modulation]

"I just washed it!" she splutters. Hibiki or Kanade would have told her if she smelled weird or something, wouldn't they?

But Ellen does understand. As much as she's changed, she understands. It's just different, now, something she hasn't quite figured out the feeling of.

"At least let me sit down. Don't you want to go somewhere comfortable?" Silly, energetic dunce; you can't just jump on someone's face and start grooming them. "I was going to pick up my guitar."

[songfairy]

"It's not the same," Hummy says, reaching out again (with all four paws, this time), but finally she sags in Ellen's hands, pushing her paws to her cheeks.

A clear moment of thought brings a pause, and then she brightens with purpose. "We should get cupcakes!" That could only be the most perfect end, right?

[modulation]

"All right, all right." She's giggling as she places Hummy on her shoulder, giving her a place to ride along. "We should do that first, right?"

It's a silly question: Everyone knows that baths are better after meals - everyone who is a fairy. Is Ellen blushing? Definitely. Maybe Otokichi has a book that can cover this...

[songfairy]

"Right!" Hummy says, settling against hair, though whether her agreement is because of the meals then baths concept or the promise of a cupcake is probably unclear even to her.

She bats playfully at the hair under her paws, amusing herself. "Siren," she says, "thank you for being with me!" It's important to Hummy, that Siren knows she's thankful to have her as a friend, promise of cupcakes or not.

[modulation]

It's a little silly for Hummy to say something like that, a little unexpected. Ellen intercepts a paw with her index and middle fingers, hooking them around it.

"I wasn't for a while, was I? I'm sorry, Hummy... I should be thanking you." She can't think of a time when she's been happier.

[songfairy]

Hummy swings her paw back and forth, now that they're as good as holding hands. "No, Siren! We'll just always be here for each other from now on, right?" The question is rhetorical; she doesn't actually have any doubt. She never has. "Don't be sorry, okay?"

[modulation]

Ellen is silent for a long moment, her brow clouded and stormy.

Finally, she smiles, moving her hand along with Hummy's paw.

"Okay, Hummy. Thank you. Say, what kind of cupcake do you want? I'll get it for you." To everyone else, Hummy is just a normal - if very affectionate - cat.

[songfairy]

"Hmmm... strawberry! No, wait, maybe... vanilla... oh, or chocolate!" There are so many great options! Hummy spends a solid minute or two hemming and hawwing over her choice before she comes up with a better one.

"We should get matching ones! So whatever you want, Siren!"

[modulation]

"What if you don't like what I pick out, silly?" Ellen laughs. She can easily put just as much indecisive thought into this as Hummy. "What about..."

What about... As they walk through town, Ellen glances around at their surroundings in search of inspiration before an idea finally comes to her.

"How about strawberry with vanilla frosting?" The colors, strangely enough, remind her of Hummy.

[songfairy]

"I like every cupcake, Siren," Hummy answers, a certain air that she's been insulted to her. But Hummy has no room or time for offense in her, and she settles back down immediately. Siren is clearly thinking carefully about her, and so that's enough, at least until she comes to a decision. Hummy has the utmost faith in Siren.

The option Siren presents is nearly too good to be true, and Hummy wiggles around, pleased, before she speaks. "That's a great idea! Oh, Siren, you always pick the best things!"

[modulation]

"Well..." Ellen colors a little, then lets out a proud little huff. "Of course I do!" She giggles despite her boasting, tickling Hummy's sides with her fingertips.

She's going to have to pretend to be a normal cat (as opposed to a former-cat, like Ellen) at least while they're making their purchase, so Ellen quiets her down the closer they get.

"Let's do it, then!"

[songfairy]

Hummy giggles and wiggles under Ellen's fingers, her protesting, "Siren--!" turning into a fully catlike mewl midway through. By the time they're outside the bakery, she's gotten back into her catlike groove, and she meows pointedly to Ellen. Time for cupcakes!!

[modulation]

Holding the box up as if on display, she turns her nose into the air just slightly.

"Oh, I don't know if a regular little cat should have a cupcake, do you?"

Ellen's cautious about teasing Hummy, still guilty with the effects her jealousy had on their friendship, but it wouldn't hurt to rib her a little bit.

This is just payback for all the embarrassing stories she told Hibiki and Kanade, after all.