Bewitched (Neymar Jr) ✔

#2, Magic Is My Past

"I'm back!" Avalon announced. She forcefully shut the apartment door with a bang loud enough to interrupt her neighbour's afternoon nap. Well, almost. Señor Valdés was close to deaf and couldn't care less about doors banging. "And I'm in a mood!"

The door led right into the tiny living room slash kitchenette, so it took her all of three steps to reach her old couch with the scratchy upholstery to plop down on with a heavy sigh. The shoulder bag landed haphazardly on the floor. Once on the couch, she leant back to glare at the ceiling, pulled her feet up to rest on the coffee table, ankles crossed. Lacing her fingers over her forehead, she reflected on today's events.

A jet-black cat hopped onto her lap without further ado, but it didn't take her by surprise. "And thank the Goddess you told me. I wouldn't have noticed otherwise," it said. Avalon sighed again, rolling her eyes at the patronising tone. Nevertheless, her hands reached down to softly stroke the animal's back and head. The cat purred contently at the caress before continuing, "I take it the job interview didn't go well?"

"No, it went fine," Avalon said, majorly annoyed by the fact. She scratched the cat behind the ears; Zelo loved it whenever she did that, though he never would admit to liking these particular perks of being a cat. "I got the job."

"Swell," Zelo said. He stretched his body, his claws extended as he did the cat-equivalent of a yawn. Then he lay down and turned onto his back, raising his front paws and, with one of them, pawing at a hair strand that had gotten free from the messy braid that Avalon had forced her shoulder-long hair into. Jet-black, just like the cat lying comfortably on her lap. "I propose we celebrate by giving me a belly rub."

Avalon snorted and poked the bared belly with a finger; which was something Zelo didn't love. He hissed and jumped from her lap onto the empty spot on the couch next to her. There he sat on his hind legs, his amber eyes blazing. "That was unnecessary and mean," he stated, giving her an accusing look.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Says the evil cat that only recently destroyed my favourite sweater because - and I quote - 'the scratch tree wasn't good enough for him'."

"Need I remind you that I am still a man on the inside? Choosing between a scratch tree that resembles a fluffy pink castle or no scratch tree at all, it's always no scratch tree at all!"

Avalon raised an eyebrow. "Ironic, considering my sweater was pink! Besides, that tree was a gift from Señor Valdés and we're pitch poor, so we can't be picky."

Zelo swiped his tail, managing to make the motion appear condescending, disapproving and condemning all at once. "That damn thing smells like his old cat Brigitta. And Brigitta smelled like stinky fish, antibiotics and impending death!"

Avalon turned up her nose at his accurate description and surveyed the pink monstrosity of a scratch tree in the corner by the entrance. The fabric was pink and the different levels indeed resembled a castle with towers and tops. But it wasn't that pink. A faded pink, at most. It didn't smell funny to her either - apart from the distinctive note of "cat". Then again, her sense of smell wasn't as good as a cat's. Point for Zelo. "Okay, okay, I'll see if I can get you a new one for the new house."