Tama of Tomeowrrow

Séance & sensibility

As we approached Nate's father's funeral, Ray hesitated, glancing at the others. "Maybe I shouldn't intrude," he murmured.

Nyssa's voice was firm, yet gentle, as she responded, "Dr. Heywood needs all of our support right now, Mr. Palmer."

Ray frowned. "But what am I supposed to say to him? 'Sorry the woman I've been exchanging love letters with in prison killed your dad'?"

John chuckled darkly as he lit a cigarette. "They ought to put that on a condolence card."

Before he could take a puff, Sara snatched the cigarette from his lips and tossed it to the ground. "Look, we're going inside, and we're going to help our friend cope with his loss. With grace," she said firmly, leading the group toward the house.

As the others entered, I decided to explore the surroundings on my own. I weaved through the crowd, the somber atmosphere pressing down on me. After a while, I bumped into Nate, who was standing alone.

"Hey, Tam Tam, long time no see," Nate greeted me, bending down to scratch behind my ears.

I placed a paw on his knee, offering my condolences. "I'm sorry that your sire died, Nate."

Nate gave a small smile. "Thank you, well uh—" He started to say more, but a woman's voice interrupted.

"Oh, Nathaniel, you must be distraught from your father's passing if you're talking to cats," his mother sobbed as she approached.

Nate quickly stood up, trying to explain. "What? No, Mom—"

I shook my head and slipped away, leaving Nate to handle his mother. I made my way through the crowded rooms, eventually finding Sara and Nyssa. Just as I reached them, our comms chimed, and Mona's voice crackled through.

"This better be good, Mona," Sara sighed, not in the mood for more complications.

"A fugitive got to Jane Austen," Nora's voice added. "She never wrote Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice disappeared too."

Sara dismissed the alert with a wave of her hand. "Whatever it is, it's gonna have to wait."

Ray perked up. "Did someone say history's in trouble? Legends assemble!"

Zari approached, clearly eager to leave as well. "Okay, I really need to get out of here, too."

Just then, Nate joined us, a questioning look on his face. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing. Uh, there's a fugitive alert, but it can wait," Sara told him, trying to keep things light.

Nate shook his head, his expression serious. "No, you should go. It's hard enough that I have to play pretend. You guys shouldn't."

Sara nodded, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Okay," she agreed before turning to leave, Nyssa following closely behind.

"Bye, Nate," I meowed, waving a paw at him before speeding to catch up with Sara and Nyssa.

_______

As we entered the bridge, Charlie was quick to update us. "Gideon traced a new Fugitive to a wedding Jane Austen attended in Bath, England, 1802," she informed us. I leaped onto the console and made myself comfortable, lounging on the smooth surface.

"I already had Gideon chart a course. Can I come on the mission? Please?" Mona asked eagerly, her eyes wide with hope.

Sara hesitated for a moment before giving in. "...Sure," she agreed, though her tone was unsure.

Ray, however, seemed oddly distracted. "Yeah, and as much as I love a good wedding sneak, I'm gonna QB from, um...from my bedroom," he said, quickly retreating.