Maeve had been somewhat surprised that no one else had joined them for the hot chocolate, but then, as she’d noted before, it had been a rather trying afternoon. And the prospect of doing some exploration after all the excitement, and in the company of someone who’d been a good deal of fun already, was something she was looking forward to.
“Let’s head upstairs then,” she said, teasingly slipping away and standing to go deposit her used cup in the proper place.
Chris popped his mug next to hers and followed with a slight smile. “Lead on then, fearless one!” He said with a wave of his hand before folding them neatly behind his back. His eyes glanced downwards momentarily before his nurturing as an aristocrat’s son kicked in and his eyes came upwards again.
Maeve was oblivious, as she bounced on ahead, eager to put the unsettling parts of the day behind her. Reaching the stairs, she took them two at a time, using the handrail as an extra lift to help propel herself up.
And of course on seeing Lord Thomas, she grinned and leaned over, her hands on her knees. “Awwww, isn’t he adorable?”
Chris tilted his head to one side. “It’s... a cat.” Was all that honestly came to mind when the Mansion Moggy appeared on the landing. His cheeks were slightly red because of the position Maeve had adopted, but his eyes flicked to focus on the cat. “Wonder how old it is?”
“Seems like he’s been here a while, by what the Missus said,” she replied, equally oblivious to any effect her bending over may have had on her companion. She first beckoned with one hand to the cat, and when he didn’t seem to shy away, gently reached down and picked him up, cuddling him close and gently petting him.
“He’s so soft!” she commented, scritching gently behind his ears.
“Ah, he, sorry, didn’t know.” Chris trailed off and frowned briefly. There was something just a teensy bit off, but he thought it was because he’d never really been around cats before, mostly dogs. “Wonder where he lives? I didn’t see any pet things lying around anywhere.”
“Some cats don’t much go in for all that,” Maeve said, shrugging idly, continuing to murmur quietly now and then at the cat, cuddling and petting him carefully. “It sounded like he chooses to stay here, and other times chooses to stay other places.
“He can stay on my bed any time. I think he’s great.”
“Ah so the cat gets that offer straight away, does he?” Chris said with a slight grin, one point appearing briefly before his lips closed again.
“On the bed,” she quipped, shooting Chris a grin in return. “Not in it.”
“Well, they do say three’s a company...” Chris said as he glanced at the cat, then up the stairs. “He was upstairs right? The very top?”
“Up in one of those top windows - one of those spots I think that are off-limits,” the red-haired girl said, pondering as she glanced up in that direction, trying to mentally place the window she’d first noticed the cat in.
“Take a peek up there?” Chris said looking to her and back to the cat again.