All The Little Pieces

Eyes That See All

"Hey there gorgeous, come here." Elizabeth wiggled her fingers in the direction of the black cat. He pranced toward her fingers and batted them with his velvet paws, then leapt into her lap in one fluid motion.

"I've missed you, buddy." She played with his soft ears and ruffled the sleek fur on his head. He rubbed his warm body against her arms and under her chin, purring loudly.

Elizabeth had woken in her bed, incredibly rested but quite sore. She had gotten up to find Loki still on the chaise, one leg sliding off, snoring lightly. When she woke him, he had mumbled a sleepy good morning and something about sending a guard for her room. After she came out of the bathroom dressed a few minutes later, he was nowhere to be seen.

When her breakfast arrived with Maren a few minutes later, Heimdall entered as well. He said he was to stay with her for the morning and was currently standing outside the library as she read.

"I really need to give you a name," she murmured into the warm black fur. He purred again and stared up at her. "Your eyes are almost as beautiful as Loki's," she whispered. "They're even the same color."

The cat blinked. "Who are you?" she wondered aloud. "You're not a Shadow or Midnight or something generic like that...I really need to stop calling you 'cat' and 'buddy,' though."

He poked a paw curiously at the bandage on her arm and sniffed at it. As though connecting things, his intelligent green eyes traveled from the bruises on her arms to her cheek and lips. The cat sprang lightly onto the arm of the chair and began licking each of the bruises on her cheek and neck with his rough pink tongue.

"Aww, thanks," she giggled. "Between you and Loki, I'm getting so spoiled." She shied away from his nose against her neck. "Hey, that tickles!" She attacked his belly playfully and dropped her voice to a whisper. "But if we're talking about you and Loki, I'd rather have him kiss me. No offense, but your kisses are a little slimy." She laughed and wiped at her neck with the heel of her hand.

He cuddled into the crook of her arm and she looked down at him. "I wish you could give me advice, little guy. I don't know what to do. I never had really close friends, at least not like this, and that's apparently not enough for my stupid self, I want more than that, and he's so sweet to me. Sometimes I think he might feel like I do, but then I can't tell, and whenever he touches me, I can't breathe... but I don't want to make it weird or anything."

She laughed down at his attentive cat face staring up at her. "If you could understand everything I'm saying, you'd think I'm a crazy person. I overthink everything and—oh, Heimdall, I didn't hear you."

Heimdall stepped around a table. "How is your reading?" He stopped short when he saw the cat in her arms and narrowed his eyes. "Friend of yours?" he asked, his gaze never leaving the cat.

"Yeah, he's a sweet little guy. Apparently he's been wandering around the library for a while and he always sits on me while I read in here—hey!"

The cat sprang from Elizabeth's lap and arched his back at Heimdall. She shook her head in bewilderment. "I don't know what's going on, he's always so sweet. He just curls up with me and snuggles and listens to me babble."

Heimdall's eyebrows rose. "Oh, does he?" He watched suspiciously as the cat stalked slowly toward him. "And how does he act around Loki?"

Elizabeth's brow furrowed. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen him come out when Loki and I are here together. I know Loki's seen him, though, he told me he's in here quite a bit. I've been trying to think of a name for him, but I haven't come up with anything yet."

"Hmph," Heimdall snorted. "How about 'trickster' or---"

The cat suddenly hopped sideways at Heimdall, spitting and hissing angrily, then abruptly bounded away into the maze of shelves.

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. "That was so weird," she said. "I've never seen him act that way before."

"Maybe it's my eyes," Heimdall said.

"I guess it could be...I don't know." She shrugged, confused. "But I'm sure you didn't come to annoy cats?"

Heimdall chuckled. "No, Elora wanted to see how you were doing. She's waiting in your room. Shall we?"