ratatouille x jerry

calcium cat, fresh from italy 🥐

Chapter 9

"Lucy, what are you doing here?!" Remy couldn't believe who he was seeing. His old pal all the way back from the restaurant times was now the one who saved his life from the crow mafia.

"I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast summoned before thy lord." Lucy always introduced herself in a medieval fashion, being sure to hold her chin up high.

"But you were a humble garbage rummager at the restaurant. How did you end up here?"

"You might be wondering how I ended up in this situation. Well, I'll tell you. But first, I'll take you back, all the way back to the Summer of 2017™." Lucy gracefully sat herself down on the blood-soaked concrete.

"It all began on one lovely summer, after you and Linguini left Gusteau's."

It was a warm, windy day in that summer of 2017. Though the weather was splendid, Lucy had more important matters to handle.

It's hard being a lowly scavenger, especially in a well-kept restaurant with weird ass food. She could find moldy cheese on a good day, or char-glazed escargot on a bad day. She only got around 1 meal a day, so she couldn't be picky for the daily menu.

Life was certainly harder for her now that Remy was no longer there to occasionally hand her scraps of food (fresh from the kitchen). So she was forced to settle on dumpster diving.

One day, however, some restaurant-goer had encountered her chewing on a half-eaten croissant. They felt pretty bad for the cat, especially since they would see her often when ordering food.

The restaurant-goer couldn't help but stare at the poor cat, with Lucy being unaware of it until several seconds later. Soon enough, they platonically locked eyes, and the rest was history.

Now, instead of being some scruffy stray, her colorful fur was now sleek and shiny. Her new owner even got her a custom-made collar! The collar was made from red leather, and there were small rhinestones carefully embedded into it. There was also a small plate indicating her owner's address and phone number.

"Wow, I don't remember your fur looking so elegant and vibrant since the old times."

"Haha, are you flirting with me? I don't remember YOU giving out compliments to the ladies!" Lucy asked in a sarcastic tone of voice. Obviously, they were old pals who would never even think to date each other. Everything was in good fun.

Remy chuckled at her remark, it was just like the good old days. After some good old laughing, Remy reminded himself of why he was here in the first place.

"So I know you just saved my life back there, but I have another favor to ask of you." Remy got into his serious mannerism.

Lucy's bright hazel-colored slitted eyes stared back into Remy 's soul. Honestly, her eyes were pretty intimidating, especially right after murdering a crow.

"Of course, you can ask me for anything. Whether it be saving your life again, needing illegal drugs, or maybe needing a wingman heehee, I'll do anything for you. Because you're my best friend, and that's what friends do." Lucy sighed at her own statement. "So anyways, whatcha need?"

Damn, she's always been insane but... What an amazing friend, Remy thought to himself.

"Do you happen to know of a mouse that goes by Jerry?" After Lucy heard the question, she looked away and seemed to be thinking big time. Remy could see those brain cells going at it just from looking at Lucy's face.

"Hmm, I think I do," Lucy responded, slow at first. "Do you mean that one who was in that toxic relationship?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm just talking about that one brown mouse, about yay high," he gestured slightly below his head, "y'know, that one?"

"Yeah, that's the one I was talking about, stupid. I thought everyone knew about the deal with the relationship."

Wow, seems Jerry has some emotional baggage I wasn't aware of. Maybe I should ask him later.

"Well, follow me! I'll take you over there." Lucy turned and walked out of the alley, with Remy following.

After some time, Remy decided to inquire again about what he had just heard about Jerry. "Uh, how long ago exactly was that, uh, relationship? And with who?" he asked.

"Hmm, as far as I know, they were both still living together, but it's been a while. I believe the one he was with was some batshit crazy cat, but I don't remember who exactly."

Hmm, I don't think I saw a cat while I was there... Maybe Jerry really has moved on from this. I sure hope he did for his mental health if this guy really was so crazy.

"How crazy was the cat?" Remy asked.

"Well, from what I've heard from the other street animals, was that this guy was really crazy. He demanded fancy dinners from Jerry one day, and then tried to kill him the next. Honestly, all I ever heard about them was how there was another crazy murder attempt going on over there. I'm talking knives and mousetraps an' shit."

They continued making their way down the sidewalk, making occasional small talk, and catching up on their lives during the past 3 years.

Finally, Lucy stopped in front of a white picket fence. "Welp, here's our stop," she said, gesturing towards the house with her paw.

"Thanks for your help Lucy!" Remy said. He waved her goodbye and made his way up the walkway.

"Good luck Remy!" she said, winking.

He made it up to the front porch, and without Linguini there, he would have to find some other way inside. He inspected the wood of the house until he found a hole just small enough for him to fit through. Remy wiggled his way through and ended up in a familiar hallway, the one Jerry lived in.

Eventually, he came upon a small hole. There was a bit of wood blocking the entrance, likely from the homeowners attempting to block the hole. Their attempt was futile at best, since Jerry had transformed it into a door. He sucked in a deep breath, and knocked on the door.