Stray Cat Strut Chapter Forty-Three - Nothing But Cuddles

Chapter Forty-Three - Nothing But Cuddles

Aint no one getting between and my cuddle ti! Uwu.

--Quote attributed to Neon Girl Happy-Chan, 2029

***

I woke up feeling both warm and content. It didnt take long to realize why.

Lucy was turned on her side, wedged between and the edge of the couch. She had a hand pressed under her chin, which squished her cheek up, and her other hand was balled into a fist over my chest.

I shifted my leg just a little, and Lucy shifted in turn, her own leg moving up and down, soft skin against mine. She was snoring, and it wasnt the cute kind of snore that the girls in the movies had.

I smiled and leaned my head over to peck her on the forehead. She didnt react at all, entirely oblivious to the world at large.

That was fine. I tugged the blanket shed covered us in higher so that it was tucked up near her neck and settled in to wait. I was trapped, of course,and there was no escaping this one--not that I wanted to.

I didnt want to speak aloud; that might wake Lucy up, and that would be a sin. So I took so pictures of her face, line of drool and squished cheeks and all, and saved them for later. Blackmail was always handy to have.

Opening a ssenger app with my augs, I sent a ssage to Myalis. Hey. Any news on the stuff?

How very eloquently put. Yes, there has been so news about the conditions and changes with regards to the stuff.

I let out a huff of laughter before replying. Cute. Did Longbow and Deus Ex reply? Any news from Gomorrah?

You received replies from both. Neither were visual or audible though. Do you wish to see the replies?

Sure, I sent.

A new box appeared before , my augs printing it on the air.

The situation with the sewers is a problem, but its not as critical as other issues we have. Ill send what you sent to the Family. Theyll put so pressure on the city to fix things. Im too busy to interfere myself. Take care of it.

-Deus Ex

Fucking callous little pipsqueak, isnt she? I asked.

She has proven her worth as a vanguard. I trust that her claims of currently working on more pressing concerns are truthful.

Hmm, I humd. Lucy moved her head up and tucked it in the nook of my neck, so I tilted my head down and rested my cheek on the poofy ss that was her hair. Alright, so thats one avenue thats basically gone. The Family thing might help, but the mayors a cunt so I doubt it. What did Longbow say?

Displaying now.

Deus Exs reply minimized and was replaced by a longer one.

Stray Cat

Hey little sister, heard you had fun playing in the mud. Digging the Two Girls One Flar s, by the way. Not too sure if I can help much. Im spread a bit thin as is, and I dont know if I want to concentrate that many resources in one city. Still, I think I can help in another way.

Theres a politician whos not that much of a twat (I know, theyre all twats to one degree or another) who could probably use the kind of boost that cos from having a friendly samurai breathing down his neck. Hes not an idiot, and I think he might actually an well.

His nas Jeff Burringham. Bit of a narcissist upper-crust type. Ivy league, rich parents, you know the sort. Still, my psych profiles suggest that he does want to help, if only to make himself look better.

Ill send him a small intro. Hes going to be running against the mayor in a bit. He might have the clout to fix your problem.

Also, I gave a call to Peter Silverbloom. He runs a non-profit. He might be able to help with your ex-Sewer Dragons.

XOXO

The best big bro,

-Longbow

Huh, I said. Can you add those two to my contacts? Once Im, ah, free, Ill give them a call... actually, before that, do you have anything on either of them?

I do. Longbow seems to have extensive security systems in place across a few cities. These have been set to surveil Jeff Burringham in order to create a full psychological profile. He sent this profile along with the mans contact information.

That seems a bit excessive, I wrote.

He is a normal human citizen trying to enter the political spectrum with the assistance of so vanguard. It is only properly cautious that a vanguard would verify such a persons past and present.

A bit much in my opinion, but I wasnt going to stop Longbow from doing what he wanted, especially not when it served just fine. So, whats the profile say about Jeff boy?

To summarize, he is educated in politics and has had life-long ties with the leadership of several mid-sized corporations. He has lived a life mostly devoid of major hardships, but has nonetheless developed so empathy for those currently facing greater difficulty. An uncommon trait among the more privileged.

So hes a good guy?

Relatively.

I nodded, cheek rubbing against Lucys head. Okay. Do you think he can help?

You are ill-suited to solve the issues you currently wish to solve, not without a great shift in your future plans and ambitions. You also lack the contacts to press society itself towards solving its own issues. Currently, Jeff Burringham might be more capable than you are in this situation if given the proper incentive.

Does Jeffs profile have his schedule for tomorrow... no, later today, I wrote. A quick glance at the ti revealing that it was morning already, though still very early in the AM.

It does. He currently has several activities on his itinerary, though this afternoon is ant to be used for clothes shopping at a specific mall.

Lets crash that, I said. I want to et him. What about the other dude?

Peter Silverbloom. His profile isnt as deep, though he does have a public record. He is a noted activist and philanthropist. He had founded several non-profits, and been a mber of dozens. His history as a volunteer stretches back to when he was an older teenager. He was responsible for the social-outreach club at Lawsons All Girls Academy.

Sounds way too good to be true, I wrote back. Also, all girl?

He was a woman then.

Okay. Still too good to be true.

Good folk existed. We had a few at the orphanage who were genuinely nice people who really did seem to only want to help. But they were the exception, the one-percent.

Send him a ssage to call soti later, I sent. We can chat. Does he have any organization that might help the Sewer Dragons?

He does run a non-profit that raises funds to purchase cybernetics for victims of street cris. It is likely that they would assist individuals who were kidnapped by the Sewer Dragons and forcibly modified. From the public records available though, it is exceptionally unlikely that the organization would be able to assist the number of people who were rescued.

Yeah, figures, I wrote. I sighed and cuddled closer to Lucy, mostly because that was my favourite way to get rid of any lingering negative thoughts.

I closed my eyes, and zoned out for a mont. When I opened them again it was with a heavy yawn. Sohow an hour had slipped past.

Gomorrah, I wrote.

Has expressed a desire to speak when you have the ti to do so. She has also noted that the people you have saved are currently secure and housed at the church where she resides. The accommodations can last so ti before they will need to begin addressing the issue of the survivors being rehabilitated and returned to their previous lives.

The folk there were probably just happy that an actual samurai was looking into things. But that happiness wouldnt last if no one gave them a proper solution.

Can you remind to call Gomorrah later? I wrote.

Added to your agenda for the day.

I chuckled. , having an agenda. It sounded like a joke. Still... Thank you, Myalis, I whispered.

Youre welco, Catherine. You should sleep so more, you have a busy day ahead of you.

I nodded and ignored the way my arm was tingling after having Lucys weight on it for so long, and I shifted so that I could wrap my other arm around her in a protective hug.

Thanks, I muttered again.

***