“Meow, meow…”
(This woman is absolutely hopeless in the kitchen…)
What a disappointment. La Luna sat beside the bowl. Most of the sausage in it was already gone, and she could leave the rest for tomorrow morning. Cured food like this wouldn’t spoil overnight anyway.
Itefeil, on the other hand…
“Meow, meow, meow!”
(Hey, hey, hey! You’ve peeled off almost a whole centimeter of potato!!!)
(If you don’t know how to peel potatoes, don’t cut them into cubes instead!!)
Itefeil was making her own dinner—or was it a midnight snack? La Luna had no idea whether Itefeil had eaten dinner earlier.
“Ah, I still haven’t reported today’s events to the Chief of Police… Oh, well. I’ll send him a communication report.”
Itefeil looked out at the sky, now filled with stars, and figured the Chief of Police must be asleep by this hour. She could just type up a quick report and send it over.
Then she set aside what she was doing and hurried to the bedroom to fiddle with something that looked like a radio transmitter.
Meanwhile, La Luna was lying in the kitchen, gazing helplessly at the stove Itefeil had just lit. A pot of soup sat on top.
“Meow…”
(That smells good. Is that tomato soup? Looks pretty nice.)
But then La Luna remembered how Itefeil had been fumbling around in the kitchen.
“Meow…”
(Sigh. If I weren’t a cat, I’d teach this girl how to cook properly.)
How could she waste food like this?
La Luna watched the potato trimmings with a heavy heart. If Itefeil had peeled the potatoes and cut them into strips, she could’ve made a whole plate of spicy-and-sour shredded potatoes.
“Meow!”
(Young people these days have no idea what they’re doing!)
Just as La Luna was lamenting Itefeil’s cooking skills, the lid on the pot began to rattle.
“Meow! Meow, meow, meow!”
(Damn, the soup’s boiling! Where are you, girl?!)
La Luna sprang up from the floor and backed well away from the pot.
If boiling soup splashed onto your skin, it’d leave you with a nasty blister. La Luna didn’t think she could handle that kind of pain.
“Meow, meow, meow!!”
(Hey, girl! The pot’s boiling! Come turn off the heat!!)
But no one answered.
(??)
So La Luna followed Itefeil’s scent all the way to the bedroom. The door wasn’t locked; it had only been pulled nearly shut, leaving a thin crack.
La Luna pushed the door open with her head. Once the gap was wide enough, she slipped through.
“Meow, meow… Meow?”
(Hey, girl, your pot—huh?)
Itefeil’s room was full of girlish charm. There was a bed with a mosquito net, like a princess’s bed in a fairy tale; plush dolls tossed all over the place; and stockings and all kinds of intimate apparel scattered across the floor…
The only thing that didn’t fit the room’s vibe was a desk with a decidedly mechanical look. It seemed more suited to a grease-stained workshop than a cozy little bedroom like this.
Though, to be fair, the room was pretty messy.
Through the open space beneath the desk, La Luna could see someone sitting at the workbench. There was no need to guess who it was: Itefeil.
The cat picked her way around the heap of clothes. If they were just ordinary fabric, she could walk right over them. But La Luna didn’t dare step on those delicate stockings. If one snagged on her claws, getting it off would be a huge hassle, so she did her best to avoid them.
“Meow, meow, meow…”
(Hey, girl, the soup you were making is boiling.)
La Luna gently nudged Itefeil’s leg, but Itefeil didn’t move at all. She was still slumped over the workbench.
La Luna furrowed her nonexistent brows, then leaped onto the workbench.
“Meow, meow…”
(Ah, just as I thought. She’s asleep…)
La Luna rolled her eyes at the sleeping Itefeil, then noticed a written report pinned beneath her hand.
La Luna guessed that Itefeil had finished writing the report, relaxed, and promptly fallen asleep right there at the workbench.
“Meow, meow…”
After trying several times to wake Itefeil with no success, La Luna had no choice but to give up.
“Meow, meow.”
(Young people these days work themselves to the bone and don’t even know how to take care of themselves. Honestly, this can’t go on.)
La Luna sighed.
A night breeze slipped in through the window screen. The white curtain lifted gently, and moonlight streamed into the room.
“Meow, meow.”
(Fine, she can sleep without a blanket, but she didn’t even close the window! She’ll catch a chill by morning.)
Muttering to herself, La Luna went over to the floor-to-ceiling window and pushed it shut with all her strength. The billowing curtain slowly settled back into place, and the thin layer of glass kept the moonlight outside.
Then La Luna jumped onto the bed, tugged off a thin blanket, and carried it in her mouth back to the workbench. Awkwardly, she draped it over Itefeil.
In her sleep, Itefeil felt something warm settle over her. Her shoulders gave a slight shiver, then she went right on sleeping, blissfully unaware.
“Meow…”
(Well, you’re sleeping comfortably enough. But what am I supposed to do about that pot?)
