Music Recommendation: The War room- Trevor Morris

Vincent stared at the black cat, which stared back at him, as if it was the most innocent creature he had come across until now. When in truth, it was nothing less than a hell-raiser. Having never met a talking cat before, the vampire was intrigued by it.

"Know?" The black cat laughed, which sounded like a chuckle, before it sneezed. "We have never met before. Now if you could release me, my elegant self would like to be on my way." Timotei held a troubled look, which gave away that it was hiding something.

"I guess it wouldn't be bad to have a cat for dinner over the fire. Some say they taste like delicacies," Vincent remarked with no hint of humour in his eyes before turning towards the back door of Dawson's house.

Timotei panicked, "No, no! Cat's taste like garbage, ew! Awful!" He made a retching noise.

"You took so much time to clean yourself, it would be a sin to not cook you," Vincent started to make his way towards the back door. Timotei wiggled, growling with his meows that barely fazed the pureblooded vampire.

"I haven't met you anywhere before! We haven't met! I promise you on my tail!" Timotei quickly spoke. If he liked something about his cat's body, it was his tail that he liked to groom and keep fluffy all the time. The black cat quickly pleaded, "Please let go of me, I haven't done anything. I have been under great torture of other beings. Cursed to live a life so small and short. This is my eighth life, please don't kill me!"

Vincent stared at the melodramatic cat that had now stopped wiggling, showing it accepted its defeat with its head downcast. After a second, the black cat raised its head in question if it would be spared as the pureblooded had stopped walking.

"Why did you rush as if you were going to be killed? By me," Vincent wondered what it knew that he didn't.

"T--That... I thought you looked familiar, but I was mistaken. I mean I have met so many people, I just got confused and you know," Timotei replied with a laugh, and when Vincent gripped the cat's scruff, it meowed louder.

"Looks like you are tired with your ninth life. Fire it is," Vincent threatened it, and the cat raised its paws in front of Vincent.

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"Eight! This is my eighth life," Timotei corrected the vampire and didn't know how he had ended up so close to a person like Vincent.

"That's what you think, but you don't appear to be too sure if this is your eighth or last life," Vincent remarked. The black cat turned confused and started counting with its front paws. He then added, "Reincarnating over and over again, you might have lost a count."

Timotei wondered if he had miscounted it, but his eyes widened, "I am on my last life!"

Vincent was only poking the cat, but it seemed like a confused black kitty that got swayed and doubted anything said. Not to mention, it appeared to look like it wanted to live. While the cat was fretting on its own, the pureblooded vampire questioned,

"I will ask this one last time. When and where have we met?" As interesting as the talking cat was, it wasn't enough for him to let the cat live and bring problems to Eve, when he didn't know if he could trust it being around, especially when Eve had mentioned to him that the cat knew about her true identity.

"Okay okay! Just put me down so that I can speak in ease!" Timotei demanded. Seeing the evil look in Vincent's eyes, he adjusted his tone and beseeched, "Please!"

Vincent let go of the cat, which jumped on the ground. It stretched its body, pushing it backwards and straightened itself before clearing its throat. Timotei then said in a proud tone,

"I actually come from a far time from now. The time when the world was divided by factions of pure predators and preys. Humans and supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves. Humans feared the existence of the supernaturals and were under the thumb of our rule. The King had many illegitimate wives... of different kinds, and each of the children were bestowed with gifts like abilities. Some that were good, turned into destruction."

Vincent's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "Are you talking about the King who took in powers from the sea goddess Nerhys?"

Eve, who had stepped out from the house's backdoor, caught sight of Vincent and Timotei talking to each other. She made her way to where they stood. Timotei turned to look at Eve and replied to the pureblooded vampire,

"Yes. The same King who wanted the mermaid goddess for himself," the black cat turned back to look at Vincent and said, "Once the King died, these gifted abilities were misused, and were used to force people into submission. And soon the children and their children's children started to fight for power. For some years, they conspired and backstabbed each other until only two princes lived. The reason why I, uh, walked earlier from you is because the energy inside of you... it has the same energy as one of the two standing princes in the past. And it isn't the good kind."

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"Are you trying to tell me that I am the son of that person?" Vincent deadpanned.

"I am not sure. It is said that the two princes fought for two days in a row. They were told to be destined to fight against each other even without the existence of the abilities. It was said, if one lived, the other one was meant to die as the two couldn't exist during the same time, or there would be a shift in balance of life and death. But in the end, they both died."

"Did you know the King and his family closely?" Vincent questioned the black cat, who suddenly looked nervous.

"We were familiar," the cat answered.

"How familiar?" Vincent questioned, and the cat looked left and right as if it didn't hear the question.

"Oh, look! A butterfly!" The cat exclaimed while being stared at Vincent and Eve. Realising he wouldn't be let off easily and not wanting to be thrown into the fire, he replied, "I, uh, used to work under the other prince."

"Interesting," Vincent murmured, not bothering himself with the history as much as Timotei, and questioned, "Do you know about the curse that fell on the King and his children which was placed by Nerhys?"

"Of course, I know about the curse. What am I stupid?" Timotei waved his soft paw hand in the air as if there was nothing he wasn't aware of. The black cat raised its head as if it had turned into a God for having all the answers to the question. Except that he hadn't foreseen turning into a cat one day. It continued, "The curse wasn't just for the King and his children, but also people who served him closely. Most turned corrupted by heart and mind, eventually dying like plague had struck the land. The children of the King were doomed to die once the sea goddess died."

Eve asked Timotei, "And do you know about breaking the curse she placed?"

The black cat opened its eyes. Clearing its throat, it glared, "Before that... I had been turned into a cat and had been killed by the hands of a wretched human child. Children are evil!" he hissed before continuing, "Life has been so hard since then, and I thought I would be promoted. Instead I got demoted into this small thing. I can't even speak freely, because when I did in the past, people assumed I was a witch and I was instantly killed."

Timotei had not bothered about the curse or the King's children as he was busy looking for the siren who had turned him into a cat. There was no point worrying about others when he was cursed.

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Eve stared at the cat. It seemed like it had the ability to look at people's inner being the way it did with her and Vincent.

Vincent then questioned the cat, "Does Eve share similar energy as Nerhys?"

Eve was surprised by the question. Timotei walked up to her and sniffed, "Not that I know of. Just the siren." The black cat then said, "I am hungry. Is the food ready?"

Eve nodded, "Can you not scratch Rosetta again?"

"She was trying to dirty me by touching me like some pet! I was protecting myself!" Timotei looked appalled by the memory of it. Seeing Eve's frown, the cat added, "Tell her not to touch me and I will be good." Saying that Timotei pranced on the ground, making its way inside the house to have a good meal.

Eve walked to where Vincent stood, who held a serious expression and asked, "Is your family related to the King's bloodline?"

"Not that I am aware of, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look into it," Vincent remarked and then offered her a bright smile, "Let us go inside and have dinner."

During dinner, Eve, Vincent, and Rosetta sat at the table while Eugene served the food from the kitchen. The fourth seat was taken by none other than the black, which now placed its front paws on the table.

Rosetta remarked, "I have never seen a cat that has been so well trained to eat at the table."

Timotei was too engrossed with the food that was kept on the table to glare at the vampiress for her calling him 'trained'.

Eve smiled, "You would be surprised."

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