[Open] I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin

[neverbreaks]

WHO: Luisa and YOU
WHERE: Around the city
WHEN: March 28-31, with some closed prompts later
WHAT: Luisa eats a lot and is followed around by cats. These two things may or may not be related.
WARNINGS: Maybe possession? Nothing else I can think of, but will update if that changes

A (I keep it caged but I can't control it)

[ Luisa feels like she just can't stop eating.

She isn't entirely sure why, but one morning she'd woken up completely famished, and it seems like no matter how much she eats she just can't get enough. She's grateful that Julieta still cooks large meals at home, but as much as she tries to control herself she knows that her family is going to notice (or probably already has) that she ends up eating all the leftovers afterwards. She's always had a healthy appetite, needing fuel to help use her strength throughout the day, but she doesn't usually eat this much.

Maybe it was because she was working out more? That's never been a problem before, but she doesn't entirely rule out that possibility.

But even when she isn't really doing anything, the hunger still seems to burn a hole in her stomach. She can sometimes stave it off with a snack, but it only makes the hunger more manageable and never ever really goes away. Fortunately there are enough places that sell food throughout the city, so when she feels the hunger creeping back she can slip inside the closest shop or eatery to purchase something to eat. It's not ideal, though; the little bit of money from odd jobs here and there that she's earned for her family is starting to trickle away because she can't seem to stop being hungry.

It's also a problem when she's out and there are no places to get food immediately. She finds that if she goes for more than a few hours without eating anything she starts to get a headache, and the hunger becomes too intense to focus. Occasionally when the feeling is at its worse, she stumbles to find a place to sit down, and just hopes she doesn't just collapse right then and there while waiting for it to pass, before hurrying to find something to eat again. ]

B (It's hiding in the dark, it's teeth are razor sharp)

[ Luisa's appetite isn't the only strange thing that's happening.

Those that are out and about the city might catch sight of Luisa down the street, or coming in or out of a shop. They might also notice that it seems that she's being followed...

By cats.

Sometimes it's just one or two cats. Sometimes there are quite a few of them. And sometimes it almost seems like there's a long line of them following her down the sidewalk, or cutting between buildings or on rooftops just to trail after her.

And it's possible that it might be because Luisa seems to have food pretty often. Once in a while someone might catch Luisa sitting somewhere, feeding the group of cats that happen to be around her at the time. But there are also moments when she enters a store that the cats just seem to...wait there? No amount of shooing gets them to leave, and any threat of violence has them scattering only temporarily before they return, waiting outside the store until Luisa reappears, and they move to follow her once again.

It's...definitely odd. ]

Comments

B

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel had noticed Luisa’s unusual appetite. And when she goes out to find her she finds… cats. Everywhere.

Now Mirabel wasn’t against cats, but something deep inside of her feels… odd. And she finds herself subconsciously growling. Like a long animal growl, that she doesn’t shake off for a while.

But she snaps out of it.]

Luisa, are you okay? What’s with all the… cats?

[neverbreaks]

[ At this point, some of the cats have decided to hitch a ride on Luisa's head and shoulders, while the rest still crowd around her feet. With a bit of a sigh, she scoops up the cats on her shoulders and places them down on the ground, then shoos away the one perched on top of her head until it also leaps down and onto the ground. ]

I honestly have no idea? They just keep following me wherever I go.

[ She........does not answer that first question, though. ]

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel takes a step back from the cats, an unusual feeling of wariness passing over her.]

I... can't even guess why. This place keeps getting weirder.

[Mirabel doesn't immediately associate the cats with Luisa's possession. Unfortunately, she does not let the first question go that easily.]

Anyway, you looked like you were going to pass out earlier - is everything okay?

[neverbreaks]

I know, right? [ Some of the cats closest to Mirabel start hissing lightly, their fur standing on end, and Luisa gives them a little "hssssst" to quiet them down. ] Stop that.

[ And oddly enough the cats seem to...calm down a bit? They don't relax entirely, but they at least stop hissing and sit back a little, though continue to watch Mirabel a bit warily.

Mirabel's question has her hesitating for a moment, and the reminder seems to make the hungry feeling return again. ] Ah...yeah, I think so. I've just been...pretty hungry.

A

[speaksanimal]

[Meanwhile, after school was over, Antonio found himself looking a familiar looking person sitting on a bench. At first, he wondered he should leave her be but upon closer inspection? He couldn't help but noticed something was off.

With that said, he walked right up to Luisa before giving a small smile.]

Excuse me, are you okay? You look really tired.

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa blinks, drawn from her daze by the familiar voice. She tries to smile, but the expression is a bit pained as she places a hand to her stomach. ]

Oh, Antonio, hey. Yeah, I'm uh...I'm all right. I just...needed a second to catch my breath.

[ Honestly, her head is pounding, and her hands are shaking a bit. But she doesn't want to worry him. ]

[speaksanimal]

Are you sure? You look like you're in pain.

[He said while looking down at her stomach and then back at her. As he gave a small frown, he was debating on what to say next.]

Did you eat something that your stomach didn't like?

[neverbreaks]

[ With a small frown, Luisa shakes her head, though has to stop when she starts feeling a little dizzy. ] No, it's not that...I think I'm just hungry.

[ She knows she's hungry, but she shouldn't be. She feels like she's been eating all day. ]

B

[madebyhumans]

[Hey, it's yet another cat - but bigger this time. She eyes the group of cats curiously. Part of her is still trying to get used to the idea that these are normal animals and not Pokemon.]

Are they supposed to be following you like that?

[Luisa can definitely hear a voice, but Mewtwo's mouth isn't moving at all.]

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa startles a bit at the voice suddenly echoing in her head, and she glances around until she spots the...very large cat.

It takes her a moment to recognize her from the picture in the group chat, but she still isn't entirely sure if the question came from her or not. ]

Uh...not really? I'm not sure why they keep following me, but I can't really seem to get them to leave me alone.

[madebyhumans]

Hmmm...

[Luisa, wasn't it? That was the name she told her. She recognizes her picture from the chat too, but she's not really sure if she has a solution for her cat problem.]

A show of dominance perhaps will make them leave?

[neverbreaks]

A show of dominance? [ Luisa frowns a bit. ] Like what? I did try scaring some of them, but they just keep coming back.

A-ish;

[camaleonico]

[ After dinnertime at home one night is when Camilo notices Luisa's increased appetite... and only because he's being upstaged as the bottomless pit. He'd snuck off shortly after helping the rest of the family clean up the dinner table, already seeking fresh leftovers in the kitchen when everyone had already moved on elsewhere. It's literally right after the meal ended and he's already pulling his usual shit; you'd think they didn't feed him! He has no reason to be extra hungry, he's just like this, but... when he returns to the kitchen, he finds Luisa's already beat him to it. She'd always needed to eat the most out of everyone, which made sense for her body's needs — Camilo, just a mysterious gaping maw, on the other hand, does not need these seconds. But even for Luisa, that plate's stacked pretty high. He glances at it, glances at her, then slides past her with narrowed eyes to see what else is left... ]

...Hungry, huh?

[ He doesn't mean to sound challenging, it's fine, it's fine... She can have it... but— it is a little strange, it's definitely more than she usually helps herself to. Y'know, cuz he keeps track of these things, for his own sake... And as such, Camilo starts making himself a smaller plate of leftovers than he really wanted, wanting to leave enough for someone else out of courtesy. But something tells him Luisa had done the same... ]

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa knows she wouldn't be the only one looking for leftovers, but she's still a bit surprised when Camilo enters the kitchen, and feels a little embarrassed as if she's been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. ]

Heh, yeah uh...I guess I just need a bit more.

[ "A bit" turned out to be most of what had been left of dinner. She had tried to leave some, especially knowing that Camilo tended to eat more too, but for some reason her stomach still continued to complain at her, as if she hadn't eaten anything at all. ]

[camaleonico]

Yeah.

[ He eyes her plate, raising a brow. It's more than a bit, but he's not gonna guilt her. He finishes loading up his own plate, and leans against the counter, taking a bite, then waves his empanada at her as he talks between bites. ]

Sooo... You feeling okay, cous?

[ It's been some time since... Everything Happened... so it's an innocent enough question, just checking in on her — but if she is extra hungry for a reason, that's worth checking in on, too. Open to interpretation. ]

[neverbreaks]

[ She takes a bite of her own food, taking the time to think while she chews. He could be asking about anything, really, and she isn't entirely sure which answer she'd be most comfortable giving.

As she swallows, she shrugs with one shoulder, her eyes looking down at her plate. ] ...I don't know. I just...can't seem to get full for some reason? I thought it's because I've been doing extra workouts, but even when I was doing a lot of work back home it's never been...like this.

[ The fact that she's been doing extra workouts is probably also a concern, but even with as much as she needs to eat, she had never been above skipping a meal if she'd been too busy. But the hunger she's feeling now is just too much, and it feels like it happened so suddenly. ]

b

[restinglichface]

[Going from 100 years with the same six other people to suddenly being so very alone is so much harder than Lup would have ever thought possible. She's struggling on her own, even if she'd never dare let anyone see that, but it means that she's pushed out into the city more and more, unwilling to sit at home alone with her thoughts.

Which is exactly how she stumbles upon Luisa, the young woman surrounded by adoring strays, looking a little lost while she feeds them. The elf really can't just let that go.]

They're never gonna leave you alone now, y'know. Once you feed 'em, they'll just keep coming back for more. [The elf's grin widens, playfully.] Speaking from experience as a past stray myself.

[neverbreaks]

[ Luisa glances up at the sudden voice, and pauses for just a moment. She'd seen Lup on the network a few times, but they hadn't spoken before now.

She manages a tired smile in return and shrugs a little, gesturing at the cats. ] Well, nothing I was doing was getting them to leave anyway, and I felt bad because I kept trying to scare them off.

so sorry for the delay!

[restinglichface]

True dat. Cats are nothing if not stubborn assholes.

[she says that, but ofc the older woman is kneeling down to hold out a hand, letting one of the strays give her fingers a cautious sniff.]

You must be the cat whisperer.

No worries!

[neverbreaks]

[ The cats do inspect her curiously, though don't stray too far away from Luisa, who laughs a little as she gives more food to the closest cat. ]

I'm not sure about that. I honestly have no idea why they keep following me. It just started happening pretty recently.

April 01-03 - Closed to the Madrigals

[neverbreaks]

[ Around mid-morning, the family might notice something a little strange. Luisa, who is usually one of the earlier risers, was not up doing her morning exercise. Anyone that decides to take a peek into her room will notice that she's actually still asleep.

And that is a bit odd, but perhaps not really bad. Luisa has seemed a bit tired these past few days, and maybe a few extra hours of rest will be good for her.

But as the day stretches on, and the morning turns to afternoon, Luisa still does not emerge from her room. Anyone coming by will notice that she's still asleep.

So how long can she sleep before it becomes a concern? ]

[nonmagical]

[Of course Luisa probably needs sleep. Mirabel doesn’t suspect too much when Luisa snoozes the first day. If anyone needs it, it’s her…

It’s midday second day that starts concerning her. She goes to check on her, noticing that she’s still asleep.]

Luisa? Luisa, maybe it’s time to get up?

[She tries to shake her awake, but no matter what Mirabel does she can’t wake her. Panic increases the longer she tries to wake her.]

Luisa, get up! Luisa!!

April 04 - Closed to the Madrigals

[neverbreaks]

[ The haze of sleep eventually fades, and in the morning Luisa is slowly drawn back to the waking world. Blinking her eyes open, she stares up at her ceiling as the world comes back into focus.

And as she lies in bed for a moment, she realizes that she feels...pretty good? She doesn't feel as tired as she had been lately, and she didn't remember having any dreams. Which meant that there were no good dreams, but it also meant that the nightmares that had been plaguing her recently hadn't disrupted her sleep either. So she actually feels...rested for the first in what feels like a long while.

Reaching up to rub the last bit of sleep from her eyes, she finally feels the slight weight on her, and glances down to see Mirabel curled up beside her, her sister's head resting on her shoulder. She's not too surprised, though; Mirabel has been having trouble sleeping lately too, and sometimes came into her room to sleep with her. The only thing that surprises her is that she hadn't noticed, usually waking up when Mirabel come into her bed.

She must have been more tired than she thought.

Luisa slowly shifts and slides out from underneath Mirabel, placing her sister onto the bed proper so she can keep sleeping, before she carefully climbs out of bed and stretches the unusual stiffness out of her body. She considers just changing out of her nightgown and into her clothes, but after a moment feels the need to shower instead.

She isn't sure what time it is, though suspects it's still early enough in the morning, and doesn't think anything of it as she exits her room and heads into the bathroom to wash up and start her day. ]

[nonmagical]

[Mirabel does sleep a bit longer - it's much needed sleep. She'd been fretting about her sister and not leaving her side, but ultimately, her exhaustion kicked in and she couldn't fight it anymore.

When she finally wakes up, she notices she's alone. Her sister's gone - awake? She shuffles to her feet and goes to find her.]

Luisa? Are you up now?

[neverbreaks]

[ By the time Mirabel is awake, Luisa is cleaned up and dressed, and is standing outside her room trying to decide how much she feels like working out. Hearing her sister's voice, though, she opens the door again and peers inside. ]

Yeah, Mira, I'm up.