Could be Worse ((89))

[Tsughi]

Fayst's face fell sharply at that and his expression turned to one of worry. "It really isn't going to be letting up anytime soon?"

"Cat Everlasting," Slois mumbled under his breath and closed his eyes before shooting them open to fix on Mistoffelees steadily. "You honestly can't be throwing us out? Haven't you been down on your luck before? Forced out into the streets?"

Fayst gave his brother a warning look as he spoke, but it changed back into worry when he didn't say anything too terribly revealing. "It's not like we have anywhere to go," Fayst said and almost winced at how he almost sounded like he was pleading. "Don't have a penny to our name at this point..."

Slois' eyes lit up at an idea. "You know, maybe we can do something for you. We're pretty good at a lot of things. We could even be your bodyguards or something."

Fayst fixed his brother with a frown. "I don't think he would be so keen as to hire the two toms who just had a knife to his throat and a gun to his head as his bodyguards."

[victoriousscarf]

Mistoffelees blinked at them, folding his arms over his chest. "Yeah, no. Threatening me with weapons and then asking for a job is probably not going to be all that effective, for future reference. But yes, I have been kicked out onto the streets before, several times, including the time when I was tossed out on my broken tail. But you'll excuse me if guns and knives don't make me feel all that charitable."

[Tsughi]

Slois bared his teeth but Fayst just sighed and shook his head.

"I really don't blame you," He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It truthfully was a gut reaction and I apologize."

Slois looked at the ebony cat for a moment and shook his head. "Just seems like we can't catch a break."

"Oh, hush," Fayst chided his brother. "You know we can spend a night out. We've done it before."

"I don't remember any of those times being when it was raining Jellicles and Pollicles," Slois retorted.

Fayst noticably winced at his brother's argument. "No, but it can't be all that difficult..."

Slois sighed and supressed a shiver. "Just give him his gun back and let's go. If we're lucky, he'll shoot us as we go."

Fayst frowned as he fumbled at his waist with one hand to do just that. "Don't be so negative," He said as he produced the revolver. He gave Mistoffelees a glance and desided that an upstanding cat like him probably wouldn't even know which end to point with. Unhesitantly, he handed the revolver back into the tom's paws.

[victoriousscarf]

((Quick note: Mistoffelees is all black here, as in the original poem rather than a tux. Just for future reference.))

Taking the gun back, Mistoffelees scowled at it slightly before returning it to the holster under his suit jacket. Honestly, he still hated having to wear suit jackets, let alone the holster too. Crossing his arms back over his chest, he gave the pair a long look.

"So, you really have no where else to go?"

[Tsughi]

"That's what we've been saying," Slois rolled his eyes, only to earn himself another elbow in the gut. With a frown, the tabby rubbed his side and kept his mouth shut.

Fayst shook his head negatively. "No we really don't. We actually came from N- a long ways away from this city." He caught himself before he let his past slip out. It wouldn't do any good for someone to go snooping in their past. "We left in a bit of a hurry too. What you see here is all we have."

[victoriousscarf]

He sighed again, pinching his nose between his eyes. "Cori is going to kill me," he said, voice very low before looking back at them. "I can hardly let you just stay in here, considering for all I know you're robbers and I'm not sitting up all night with armed strangers. I'm hardly inviting you back home either."

[Tsughi]

Fayst flicked an ear and regarded Mistoffelees with a curious expression. "So what are you going to do then?" He could think of a few things the tom could do that wouldn't bode well for the twins.

"You're not going to call the police are you?" Slois voiced one of his brothers fears aloud, his eyes growing wide. Instead of getting an elbow, his brother gave him a gentle squeeze of reassurance, but Slois wasn't convinced. For the first time that night, Slois had a look of true concern and worry on his face.

[victoriousscarf]

"I should," he informed both of them. "But I'm not. Because I apparently am just enough of a moron not to. My friend owns a hotel though, well, sorta friend, and I figure I can be charming enough to win a room for a night out of him. But after that, you're really on your own because I have no idea what to do with you."

[Tsughi]

Both of them flinched as he opened his statement, but then their shoulders fell in relief as he said that he wouldn't.

Fayst offered a small smile. "That's more than enough," He said, his gratefulness flowing into his voice. "We'll take what we can get."

It may have been his brother's kind cheeriness begining to rub off on him but Slois also offered a small smile. "You know, if there really is anything we could do for you-"

"-don't hesitate to ask," Fayst finished for him.

Both were just glad at the prospect of having a warm bed to spend the night in. From a night that had begun so dreadfully, things were really starting to look up.

[victoriousscarf]

Mistoffelees' mouth twisted and he nodded. "Yeah, well, we'll see how that goes seeing as I usually tend to need a few more references than breaking and entering. Here, I only have two umbrellas, one of which is mine, but it's just a couple blocks and..." he looked them both over. "Not that you can get any wetter."

[Tsughi]

Fayst gave a small smile and a knod as he gestured to himself and his brother with one hand. "We'll be fine as long as we can be dry afterwards."

Slois gave a nod of his head, though he was just starting to dry from being out there the first time. It was all worth it for the promise of a bed.

"We can head ou-" Fayst began, but his eyes began to roll into the back of his head as his voice grew weak. Not a second later his knees gave out from beneath him and he started to crupple towards the floor.

"Cat!" Slois threw himself down onto his knees to catch his brother's head before it hit the floor. "You just couldn't wait, could you? You're so stupid!" His brows furrowed as he spread out Fayst from his crumpled position. "I knew you were tired, but not that tired. It has to be something else... It-" His eyes snapped open and he began to unbutton the jacket that still clung to Fayst. With expert fingers he was able to get the clothing off in record time, mercilessly he shoved the jacket out of his way to continue to get the undershirt off of him. Moments later the chest of his twin was revealed. It was a terrible sight to see, Fayst's matted fur clearly revealing almost every scar on his chest; the most noticable of which was the criss-cross X in the middle of his chest. Slois didn't pay any of those any mind but looked up towards the shoulders. Against the brown of Fayst's fur was white bandages, or what should have been white bandages.

"Why didn't you tell me? Everlasting Cat, I'm going to strangle you when you get up," Slois growled under his breath as he picked up his brother's undershirt, already torn from where the current bandage was torn from, and tore a strip off of it. Carelessly, Slois tossed what was left of the shirt in Mistoffelees' direction before he pulled Fayst's head with the utmost care. As soon as his brother's head had settled, Slois wove the cloth around the red bandages with practiced expertese.

Slois' head looked up sharply as he worked, fixing Mistoffelees with an almost pained stare. "Well don't just stand there, do something!"

[victoriousscarf]

Except Mistoffelees was no longer standing where he had been, for he'd started moving the second that the other cat's chest and bloody bandages had been revealed. Slipping to the wall, he picked up the phone on the wall, dialing the hospital before glancing back at the twins where they were in the middle of the room.

[Meadowlark]

Doctor Cohen was on his way out the door of Felidae General when the receptionist flagged him down, holding the phone out to him. The Russian Blue sighed, moving over and taking the receiver from here, "Da? What is it?"

[victoriousscarf]

"It's Mistoffelees, I'm at the Palace, and there's a cat who fainted, bleeding on my floor," Mistoffelees returned, relieved that it was Cohen he got and not any other doctor. He glanced back at the brother's and sighed. "Come help?"

[Meadowlark]

"Is the Palace not closed?" Doc shook his head, "I shall be there as soon as I can."