Here, Kitty, Kitty

Curiosity Can't Kill The Cat

Cassie wasn't entirely sure when the hall had gotten so damn hot. Was it something to do with the lights? Did the drink she'd finished, which felt like hours ago, cause the warmth to spread across her skin? Or maybe it was down to the tightly packed swarm surrounding both her and Helena. The little cat truly had no idea. In this moment, though, she was incredibly grateful that Helena had thought ahead and put Cassie's hair up.

Beads of moisture gathered near Cassie's hairline, occasionally dripping down the sides of her face, dampening any loose strands that fell against her nape. In the back of her mind, there was a speck of shame for whatever state Helena's mother's dress would be in by the end of the night. The heat was stifling, and as lovely as the dress is, Cassie couldn't help but wish she'd worn something more similar to Yzla's dress.

Helena, it seemed, wasn't spared either. In a scarlet bandeau top and short black skirt, Cassie could see the perspiration pooling along Helena's skin, gleaming beneath the colourful lights. The Queen of Hearts had decided to leave her hair down tonight, but the little cat could see she was struggling, gathering her dark curls in one hand to pull them up and away from her neck. Helena, though, seemed undeterred by the circumstances.

Having never been to a party before, Cassie had been, understandably, wary of joining the dancing horde. Even with the alcohol loosening her worries a little-a side effect Helena had reassured was common and typically desired-the little cat was uncomfortable doing this in front of countless others. When she'd voiced this, Helena had given her a smile of reassurance, assuring her that the others were far too busy getting 'lost down the rabbit hole', as she'd put it.

"There's no rules to this, Pussycat," said Helena, shouting over the music so Cassie could hear her. "You just, well, feel it. Do what feels good to you. No one here cares."

Slightly apprehensive, Cassie's eyes wandered to the VK's around them. Some jumped and spun in time with the music, others moved their hips and waved their hands through the air, and a few others-well, those dancing with another-moulded to their partners, twisting and swaying like they shared a single mind. There was something incredibly captivating about it, to the extent that Cassie was brought back to her talk with Helena before they came here. Were these the 'laws of attraction' Helena had mentioned?

"You want me to move like that?" asked Cassie, incredulous, her eyes tracking the movements of a particular couple not too far from where she was.

They were nothing short of, well, tantalising. The male VK was tall and slim, with a dark strand of hair falling forward over his forehead, the rest tied up with a red bow. On the rare moment he did lift his face from his partner's throat, Cassie spotted a black moustache above his lip and a patch of hair on his chin. His baggy purple vest top was torn in some places, dropping low to expose a startling amount of his chest. His partner, a female VK with golden skin, had her thick black hair pulled up into a tight ponytail, the tresses coming down to her waist. A red, loose-sleeved shirt hung from her upper arms, tightening around her chest and falling just above her belly button, where Cassie spotted a dazzling gold jewel with a ruby stone.

Attractive enough on their own, the two made quite a seductive couple, especially with the way they danced. Her back was against his chest, her right arm was lifted up to hold onto the back of his neck, and the fingers of her left hand were tightly wound with his on her hip. The way they moved together was undoubtedly beautiful. Like the waves rocking against Uma's ship, they swayed and moved as one, winding and caressing with every beat.

"Ah," muttered Helena, following Cassie's line of sight. "That's Jade; she's Jafar's niece. He's Rick, Governor Ratcliffe's son."

"They look like..." Cassie's voice faded, a dreaded word dancing on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't bring herself to whisper it, not even here.