Re: YOU WANT A BETTER STORY. WHO WOULDN'T? ☆ CLANWIDE
Event [#event]AND IT NEVER MADE ANY SENSE, ANYTHING
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MAGGOTPAW . 12 MOONS . IT/THEY . WINDCLAN
SILVER TONGUE T1
Huh. Now, Maggotpaw had already figured that a good pawful of cats would be interested in this. Death and disappearance are so common in their lives that it's more usual for a cat to be born one day and quietly go missing another than it is for any of those little losses to be mourned by the clan at all. That gives everyone common ground, which means that one little piece of every cat is easy to understand, which in turn makes it easy for Maggotpaw to know how to make them do something.
I know that you miss somebody. Come and tell me who they are.
Thinking about it had been one thing. Mosspaw had wanted something, and Maggotpaw knew how to get it for him. But now it's real, it's happening, it's for everybody—and it's a strange, strange feeling. Crowtooth says this is a 'wonderful plan', puts his tail on their shoulders. Maggotpaw tries to make their face into a polite one, but they still wind up staring at the dark tom a little bit like he's sprouted an extra head. They don't hate the gesture; just hadn't expected it. Maggotpaw nearly demands he put his tail back, even, after it's moved, but they pinch their tongue between their teeth to stifle the urge. They're being good right now. Being good is a tricky process with a lot of steps, and not asking for the things they want is one of them.
"You can talk about them then. Everyone will listen. And you, too, Moorsong. You can talk too. And Cardinalpaw..." Maggotpaw pauses, frowns. Cardinalpaw's making sounds like they can't talk good right now. Is he upset, is that why? The stuttering makes Maggotpaw happy in the same way pulling the legs off of bugs makes them happy; it's nice to see somebody squirm. But they're being good. This has to work. So it tries to smile a nice-smile at Cardinalpaw.
"It is okay, Cardinalpaw. You breathe before you talk. All the way in and all the way out. A story is one word at a time, and it can happen as fast or as slow as you need it to, okay? Do you understand? First you breathe." It instructs. Then it moves on, nodding to a silent Cedarpaw, eyes settling on a timid Cottonpaw...a crying Cottonpaw. Maggotpaw stares, quietly amused but working very hard to keep its polite face on. It nods very quickly, patiently shelving its own thoughts of chasing Cottonpaw around to see him cry some more—which are only exacerbated when Mosspaw beelines to him. Yes, Maggotpaw does mind that as a matter of fact...but now is not the time to show it. They have already laid out the expectations for the evening, and angrily admonishing Mosspaw for a perceived slight is not one of them. Maggotpaw will be good and gracious and, in the spirit of this event, respectful tonight.
"You can talk about them, Cottonpaw. That's allowed. If you miss them, if you're upset, you have to talk. That's the stories wanting to come out, did you know? ...Mosspaw will take care of you if it's hard. Don't worry." Why no, they're not bitter. That's a good, friendly smile being worn by a good, friendly cat. Maggotpaw says nothing to Mosspaw. There will be time for that later.
Lightnight, Carppaw, and Swiftstrike approach in silence and are given a similar welcome; Maggotpaw carefully squeezes its eyes shut at them, slow and fond, and does not pry. Some cats announce who they miss, and some don't. That's fine. Maggotpaw knows better than to try and drag it out of them.
Vinesmoke is the last to come forward for now. He's one of the types who knows who he misses. He is also helping Cottonpaw, which is fine; it's far more forgivable than when Mosspaw had done it. Objectively, Maggotpaw knows that it should be encouraging this kind of thing. Hadn't they said it themself? Our lives are all about living together and talking together. Maggotpaw watches the interaction for a moment, not butting in, then decides to let these stories all breathe.
"Okay. I want you all to start now. Everyone will listen when it isn't their turn. You have to listen or else it doesn't work. Nobody can fight or be angry about somebody else's stories either. If you decide that something is the matter with somebody's story, or if they have a story about a cat you don't like, then you wait until tomorrow to talk about it okay? You wait. I'll only tell you to stop once, and then I'll hit you and I'll chase you out of camp if you don't listen." Maggotpaw fidgets, biting the insides of their cheeks. It feels pretty nice to get to lay down rules like this. It's fun to be the boss of others.
"There is no such thing as bad cats tonight. There are only stories, and you have to listen to all of them the same and be good to each other. Okay? Go."
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