Here, Kitty, Kitty

New Rules

Lingering around the archway, Helena anxiously watched as Cassie led Clay into the dancing crowd. Gnawing on the inside of her cheek, her wary gaze moved over to Harry and Yzla, preparing herself for the hook-wielding pirate to gun it straight for Cassie. After all, while it was Cassie's first time experiencing the jealousy of the guy she wanted touching up another girl, it was also Harry's first experience seeing the little cat do the same. Sure, he'd been in the shoppe when Maddy stole Cassie's first kiss, but that hardly counted. The kiss hadn't been reciprocated or even wanted to begin with, and Cassie had made that very clear. Now, though, Cassie was hoping to win yet another one of their 'games', and there was no doubt that she'd go to extreme lengths to succeed.

"You called for me?"

Helena whispered a curse and turned her head. "You're lucky I'm not putting you on your ass," she snapped.

C.J. bounced on her feet, clasping her hands behind her back. "I don't know what you thought was gonna happen," she said, giving a shrug. "Of course I was gonna tell him."

"You're a real pain in the ass," remarked Helena.

C.J. simply grinned. "You flatter me, Queenie."

Bringing her eyes back to the situation at hand, a silent whine escaped Helena's lips.

The distance between Harry and Cassie was reasonable enough, but, given they were attempting to rile up the other enough to draw a reaction, it was also entirely too close. There were a bunch of others between the two, enough to possibly hinder Harry in his determination to get to Cassie, but not enough for Helena to be able to swoop in before he reached her. On a more positive note, there was plenty of space for Clay to gun it if things went downhill. And given the momentary sneer from Harry when Clay turned Cassie around to face him, there was a very high chance he was going to have to run.

Breaching Helena's personal bubble, C.J. squinted, following the older VK's line of sight. "The fuck?" she whinged. "Why's he dancing with Yzla?"

"Because of me," a voice said, coming from next to the two.

Helena looked over at Zevon, whose expression was one of great vexation. "What did you do?"

"He said it was payback for sneaking around with C.J.," the youngster explained. Then he grimaced. "Yzla said the same."

Helena's eyes went wide. "She knows what he's doing?"

"She's not stupid," grumbled Zevon, crossing his arms. "Besides, Harry's not her type."

It was a slight reassurance, at least. Yzla was completely aware of Harry's scheme and apparently all too eager to join the game. If the little cat did get particularly feral, then Yzla's beating was only well deserved. Helena was unsure of the lengths they would go to in order to defeat Cassie, though. The VKs of the Isle were notorious for their cruelty, and Helena couldn't bear to think of how much Cassie would suffer at their hands if they pulled some vicious tricks.

"So, uh, who're you betting on?" asked C.J., peering up at Helena.

The Queen of Hearts frowned. "Neither," she exclaimed.

C.J. shrugged. "I'm betting on Cassie."

At this, Helena was quite bewildered. "Why?"

"Hmm, there's just something about that cat." C.J. cocked her head. "And he's been talking about her for days. It's pathetic, actually. If Clay gets a little too handsy, Harry won't be able to help himself."

Well, it certainly made sense. After everything Helena had seen of Harry this far, where Cassie was concerned at least, it was safe to say he was undoubtedly fond of the little cat. His methods of keeping Cassie around were insane and couldn't possibly be executed by someone who was only half-interested. He'd never really played subtle in his interest in Cassie, from asking her for one night to watching over her after Ginny caught her. It was outrageous, really, that Cassie still refused to see it. Harry was never one to pull back from admitting what he wanted, whether it was killing another VK or attempting to seduce them. So it was only natural that his other emotions would come out in a similar fashion.