TRIPPLE ON

Two Cats

"I've brought in a guest, Valerie. He's unconscious from the smoke. Surely you'll help him recover." A cat meows at another as two Elsen carry The Batter into an apartment room. Valerie, who was resting under the dining room table, looks up to see the body the two citizens carried.

"He's not from here. Did he enter the city?"

"Yes, I saw him walking outside. He seems to be unaware that Jerusha doesn't accept visitors without approval. He'll be fine now that his body is enveloped by the atmosphere but for safe measures give him the serum."

"Okay, Pablo. Give me one moment," Valerie stretched his paws outwards before prancing into the bathroom. "can one of you two give me a lift? Place the man on the sofa." The Elsen carefully place The Batter onto a sofa just near the apartment door. One of them follows Valerie and picks him up, shifting him near the medicine cabinet. Upon opening, Valerie's tail wraps around a plastic veil with a violet hue. The Elsen breathes quietly as he returns Valerie to the ground. Pablo purrs patiently and watches Valerie do his handy work of feeding The Batter the serum.

"Excellent work, dearest brother. I expect no less."

"Thank you, brother. It's very kind of you. Thanks to you two as well. Your help is everything we have and need. It is much appreciated."

"...Thank you..."

"Yes... Thank you... Very much." The two Elsen smile and retreat into the kitchen. They begin to prepare the cats dinner, as well as their own.

The Batter slowly regains feeling in his arms and legs. Then his chest. Then his eyes. Prior to waking up, he saw a person. Standing. Waving a hand. He saw red pouring down the person's chest. He tried to move towards it, in hopes of... Saving that person. But he couldn't. It was just a dream, and the person continued to wave, bleeding out. He watched in horror, blood pooling around the waving person. When will he give out? When will it end? Don't die. Don't die, please. The person waved one last time before dropping onto the blood covered floor. The Batter's heart sank mildly as he watched the body grow cold. That person is alone now. I'm alone now. Why. What is this. What does it mean. He was unable to find out, because he is now awake and alive. Two cats sit on his chest, waiting for him to notice them.

"Greetings, visitor. I am The Judge and this is my brother, Valerie. I rescued you from the city entrance. Visitors aren't welcomed without the proper paperwork, fellow stranger. Consider yourself lucky that you survived the smoke at all. Usually bodies would pile up in front of the entrance. But you. You look different." The cat with an ominous grin meows as The Batter listens with a heavy head.

"The serum I gave you will offer immunity from the smoke, an important element for survival in this cityscape. Usually, when people are born in the hospitals, they are injected with the serum right after they're taken from their mothers. It lasts a lifetime, so no need to worry about deadlines." Valerie adds, twitching his tail eagerly. "May I support Pablo's observation by saying you indeed are different from what we've seen before. Are you even human? I don't sense any humanity coming out of you." The cats jump off of The Batter and let him sit up on the sofa. He looks around and sees a contemporary world. Golden flowers adorned the entire room, giving the area life and color. A small portrait of The Judge and Valerie hangs peacefully on a white wall. The Elsen in the kitchen are their caretakers. It's like he was back at the inn, having a cup of tea with Jair. So simple. So clean.

"Since we've helped you, we'd like to know your name, stranger. And why you are here." The Judge mews while Valerie grooms his tail. The Batter turns his head toward them and opens his mouth. He yawns aloud, catching the cats by a subtle surprise. "I guess we'll have to uncover your identity later. It's too late to be asking questions anyway. Our guest room is currently vacant, reside there for the night and we'll talk more later."