thackery binx

He blinked at the cat’s answer. Witchcraft? He knew witches were real, but he’d yet to have a bad run-in with one. Perhaps he’d been lucky so far. “You… used to be human?” he ventured. “So did I. But witchcraft wasn’t responsible for my change.” Arygos didn’t want the feline thinking that witches were responsible for making vampires, after all. Misinformation could be a very dangerous thing. “How do you propose to do that?” he queried. There was only so much one cat could do in that regard.

… Right?

“What is your name? I am Arygos,” he introduced, finding it a practical thing to do.

He’d expected the cat to be skeptical. Faced with a monster who could not prove his claim, how could he not doubt? Though, his words seemed to have made the creature a bit less prickly, so perhaps he did believe him at least a little. “Ah? I travel. That is all there is to it. I came through here, and there is a strange energy to this place that caused me to stay.” He wouldn’t say anything on the subject of curiosity, for surely this animal knew well its dangers. But, horrors? “And of what horrors do you speak, friend?”

It might be very prudent to know.

Arygos blinked, tilting his head. Really? Interesting. Not as though he would test the claim, of course. Archelaos might, but him? No. And honestly, as far as Arygos’ kind went, Binx was wise not to turn away. Though, he had to wonder, if he couldn’t hurt the cat, what did it have to fear from him? Perhaps he would be left to wonder.

“The town? To exist peacefully whilst I stay here. My kind does not need to kill to survive.” Though, some of them did, due to inexperience, apathy, or their own sick thrills. Arygos was, quite possibly, one of the least monstrous among them.

Oh, dear. That hadn’t gone well. The poor thing— man?— was terrified. He was correct in his guess, though there were times Arygos wished they were only part of a costume. What he had become was a double-edged sword. Brows tilted upward and drew together, lips moving into something between a frown and a grimace. I know your fear.

The chill to the feline’s voice was like a dagger to his chest. “I see. Must be lonely, being the only one. But you have a point.” Not all vampires relished what they were, after all. Perhaps it would be better if there were only one. Or perhaps not. He sighed. “In Salem? I do not know. The town is mostly foreign to me. In general?” He exhaled. “Yes. We are many. But you need not fear me. I shan’t harm you.” But how could he prove it? Arygos sighed.

“I know you have no reason to believe me. But I have no need not want to do you ill.” What else could he say?

So the cat had deemed that he wasn’t a threat, judging by its actions. Good. He was never one for animal cruelty, so perhaps it had a good judge of character. He nodded soberly at its comment. “It can. Thankfully, I wasn’t left alone for all my centuries.” Of course, Archelaos had very nearly driven him mad multiple times, but… best not to dwell on that. “Yes,” he replied, giving a smile just big enough to show off his fangs.

Now, where most vampires would be cocky with this reveal, Arygos’ was… well, more of an awkward smile, really. Hardly like the creatures of movies and books. “And you are, too? How have I missed your kind in all my years?”

The cat seemed to take interest at the notion. “Yes, the one in front of you,” he said, peering at the animal through the graveyard fence. Arygos wasn’t “most people” in many ways, chief among them perhaps being that he wasn’t exactly a person. The feline’s next words caused the man to cant his head a bit. “What makes you say that?”

“You have no goddamn idea how right you are. But, hey, I’d imagine that its just as upsetting as being a cursed catman. Curse still isnt broken, huh.”

Arygos blinked. Either he was going insane, or there was a talking cat in front of him. Not any stranger than a vampire existing, let alone one being employed as a psychologist, though. Right? “Oh, nothing. Just an immortal losing his marbles.” How had he missed the existence of talking felines in his centuries upon centuries of being on this Earth? Either the cat could clear things up for him, or he was just talking to an ordinary animal and nothing would come of it. No loss either way.

“Oh, you know, time travel, saving the world, that sort of thing. Same ol, same ol.”

“Still cursed huh? God that sucks ass. You’d think that someone would have done something about that by now.”

“You’re great,” she said, words heartfelt, as she held out her hand. Like any animal, Nocome knew to wait to let the cat decide if they want to approach or not. Despite the overwhelming desire to pet a cat right now. “You’re very pretty. Maybe I have some food in my bag.”

“Um, it’s a bit of both, I guess.” She shrugged, picking up her hair brush to brush through her still damp hair from her bath. Just a few minutes before Binx had arrived, Dani had finished her nightly bubble bath. “I can never sleep much anymore around this time of the year, y’know, not since…” She waved a hand around, not really wanting to say it.

“Oh hey. Yeah, still orange. And you’re still a cat, I see. …. Arent cats colourblind or is that only dogs?”