Eight Legs Too Many || ONC 2021 and 2022

Chapter 12: Shiori defends Devland and Mr. Tibbles from a vicious enemy

Mice.

The entire hotel room was crawling with them.

First one shadow darted beneath her dresser. Then another shadow moved at the window.

"Aw hell," said Shiori. She rubbed her eyes blearily and turned on the light. "I guess that hotel manager really wasn't lying about the mouse problem."

She sat up.

"Mr. Tibbles?" she said uncertainly.

~*~

It was the last straw for poor Mr. Tibbles.

He had been burritoed, shoved in a carrier, carted halfway across New Jersey, and sung at by a herd of capybaras. And now he was confronted by strange shadows that were streaking across the ground.

He ran back and forth. He leapt up and down. The panic in his chest grew heavier and heavier.

Mr Tibbles leapt up, with a yowl of despair, and buried himself in Shiori's arms.

~*~

"Well," said Shiori. "I guess that answers the question of whether our cat is competent."

Then she realized Devland had also covered his eyes.

"This was a bad idea," he muttered. "Oh God. Are they still there? Why is your stupid cat not doing anything?"

She peered at him. He glanced at her through the gap between his fingers, looked back at the mice, and closed his eyes again.

"You were fine with the snakes," she pointed out.

"I... ah, well, you see... I... oh God, I can't look... "

Devland seemed to be trying to suppress a shudder--or possibly multiple shudders. She had never seen him look so distraught.

"I might have...you know, an irrational fear of mice," he muttered.

No shit, thought Shiori.

A snort escaped her lips, followed by a chuckle--and then, against her better judgment, she began to laugh. It was just so ridiculous. Here she was holding a cat who was terrified of mice, sitting next to a grown man who might be the most unfazed person she'd ever met, who was cowering with fear because of some little gray creatures a hundredth of his size.

"Yes, yes, it's all very funny," said Devland, his eyes still closed.

"Why don't you like mice?" said Shiori. She had to fight to get the words out because she was still gasping with laughter. Not in an unkind way; she felt mostly relief. She might be socially incompetent, to the point where she'd given up on interacting normally with others--but at least she wasn't scared shitless by mice!

"They, they just scurry every which way... you never know if one is going to hop up on your face..." He shuddered. "My older sister dropped a bucket of mice on me when I was little, and I guess I'm a bit traumatized from the experience."

"Maybe just a little," said Shiori, still fighting back snickers. Devland grit his teeth, and she sobered. "Why on earth did you agree to stay in a hotel room with a mouse infestation?"

"Because I had faith--clearly misplaced--that your cat wasn't a coward!"

"Mr. Tibbles is doing his best." Shiori plopped the cat into Devland's lap and stood with a sigh. "All right. Let's see what we can do about this."

She scowled at the mice.

The mice scowled back. They had occupied this room for years, and as far as they were concerned, it was theirs.