Worry and Belief

At the appointed time, Ryne, along with Nini and Fonmi, went to the restaurant Caitlyn asked him to meet up at. It was a little classier than the one Ella took him to, but it was probably because of the difference in budget.

Speaking of it, he had been thinking that he and the other cats should just live on the streets if the investigation went longer than he expected. He didn't think he would actually get some leads.

Soon, an office lady with glasses came near him and asked, "H-Hello. Are you Mr. Spencer Smith? The student from the city college?"

"Yes," answered Ryne.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me tonight."

"You're welcome. Please, take a seat, Ms. Caitlyn."

"Thank you again," said the lady as she sat. She then noticed Nini and Fonmi near Ryne's feet. "Oh, those are such cute cats. Are they yours?"

"You could say that."

"That's a rather vague way of saying yes."

The cat-human became a little nervous. It seemed like Caitlyn was a little sharper than he thought. What should he do if he was found out?

"It is, isn't it?" was his answer. He took a deep breath and made the decision in his mind to tell something closer to the truth. "Well, actually, they're strays. They just like hanging around me."

"Really? So that's why you're seated outside… Would you let me pet them?"

"Uh, if they'd like to, I suppose."

"Did you give them names?"

"Yes. The mother is Nini, and the son's name is Fonmi."

"Those are adorable names. So cute and fluffy. Here Nini, here Fonmi," said the lady as she called out to them and pet them.

Seeing Caitlyn stroke his friend's and her son's fur made him a little envious again. Still, he could not just elude his responsibilities and let go of his human form. Not when the people he's talking to aren't aware of his true nature.

After a while, the office lady stopped petting and got back to business.

"I guess we should order first, so we can talk over food. I'll foot the bill since you're a student and all, and I'm the one who asked the favor."

"I thank you, since that's the case."

"No problem. Just order one dish that you want, okay?"

The two proceeded to look through the menu and place their orders. While they waited, they talked about some other topics.

"I've been thinking about it the moment I saw you, and now I remember who you look like!"

"Is it Mr. Miller?" By this time, Ryne had gotten used to the comparison.

"You're right. I'm guessing you two can't be twins because you two have different surnames, not to mention the age gap, but then, you might be held back years, or he could actually be pretty young."

The cat-human just stared at her in wonder as she tried to analyze how he and Mallory would not be siblings, at least.

If only this person could help us with the case.

Caitlyn noticed Ryne looking at her curiously. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I really like reading mystery novels, you see. Sometimes, I just tend to do the same things the characters would."

"It's all right. I actually like it."

"Really? Thank you. I want to be like Mr. Miller, who likes reading anything he could get his hands on. I'm happy that he took me in as his assistant, and I got into that company, which surrounds me with books and other publications."

The lady blushed as she talked about her employer, which prompted Ryne to ask out of curiosity, "Do you, by any chance, like Mr. Miller? Possibly in a romantic sense?"

"Aaahh!! P-Please don't tell anyone about it. I-I know it isn't proper."

"Why isn't it, though? You're both adults, and why should your positions stop you from pursuing it? I mean, cat colonies have a certain pecking order sometimes, but it doesn't stop anyone from going after someone they want to."

"Well, we're not cats, and there's what other people will say. They're going to think that I'm just social climbing, when I'm satisfied with being his assistant. Just working with him is enough."

At this point, Caitlyn was close to tears.

"I'm sorry," she said as she started sobbing.

Not having any handkerchiefs of his own, Ryne took napkins from the holder on the table and offered them to her.

"Thank you."

"Sorry for making you cry. If anything, other people's opinions don't matter much. For one, they're not going to be the ones who will pursue a relationship. And they don't know your side of the story, either. It makes me sad that people like judging others so much."

"Thank you for that. I'll… think about it."

Soon, the food arrived at their table. Seeing that what he ordered was relatively safe for his companions, Ryne gave some of it to Nini and Fonmi.

"Oh, that's so nice."

"I have to feed them sooner or later. In a way, they depend on me."

"Understandable."

"I guess you should talk about what you need help for now?"

"Yes, that… Actually, I need help from you regarding Mr. Miller."

"What about him?"

"I don't really know why, exactly, but he's been acting strange lately. He's been working more late nights these days and sleeping more on the job. And he only ever really does that when he's troubled about something."

Working late nights, huh? I wonder.

"And then there's him suddenly going out earlier. He didn't tell me his destination and just left me to take care of things while he was gone. I know he's unorthodox sometimes, but this just made me worry. And then I found out from you that he went to meet with Mr. Bennett. Or, at least, was with him there at Illemore Mental."

"I don't recall saying anything about the mental hospital."

"I just thought that it was the case. You mentioned something about an appointment and mental illness. I concluded that you would have seen them there. I don't think you'd go anywhere else if you were going to ask people with mental illness."

Now Ryne was even more amazed. There was no wonder why she was chosen by the man that she admired.

"Okay. So, when did this first happen?"

"It was sometime after we've received entries for this semi-annual grant that we give out. One of these is that paper by Ms. Allen, your classmate. He's been unusually interested in it ever since he read it."

"The one with that big creature, and the cats and the people?"

"Yes, that's the one. He kept a copy of it as a reference for something, and now all this is happening. I wouldn't be surprised if the mass cat disappearances were connected to it too."

"Now why would you say that?"

To Ryne, Caitlyn seemed like a logical person. But now he found that, unlike Ella, who dismissed certain happenings as impossible, this lady considered everything to be true unless proven false. And this mindset may very well be what they needed.

"So, according to what was written on the paper, cats were believed to have magical powers and they were instrumental in fighting against this evil creature that wanted to terrorize this land. But, since its power was too great, they only managed to seal it away somewhere deep within the city instead of completely defeating it."

"And…?"

"What if someone wanted to unseal that creature and destroy the city? Or maybe take control? It would make sense, if we base it on the assumption that the lore was true. If someone sacrificed a lot of cats, maybe they could get enough magical energy to break the monster loose. Don't you agree?"

Now that Ryne thought about it, it did make sense. Why would he even discount the fact that there's magic, when he and his fellows are already what could be considered fantastic creatures?

They had to consider the workings of magic. Their own magic.

"But the thing is, I don't see why Mr. Miller would want to do something like that. I believe he's a good man. Why would he desire to sic some ancient creature upon the city? And sacrifice poor kitties in the process?"

"I can't answer that question, Ms. Caitlyn. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. What I would like to ask you is to assist me. Please help me find out if this is what he's planning, and if it is, stop him."

Was this what they meant by 'third time's the charm'?

First, it was Nini who needed help, then Ella, and here now was Caitlyn. Ryne had agreed to the first two people and requests, but now he was starting to have doubts again. Mostly with himself.

It seemed that more and more people were now depending on him, both on the cats' and the humans' side. He lived his life so far knowing that people easily trusted him, but he had to know for sure, from somebody else… why?

He decided that even though he may sound mean, he should still ask.

Caitlyn had been looking at him while he pondered about what to answer. She thought that maybe he would decline. "I-Is it all right with you?"

"Um, well, it's not that I'm against it, I would just like to know…"

Ryne's question caught in his throat for a moment. But it managed to get out.

"I would like to know why you trust me with this, Ms. Caitlyn. I mean no offense, of course, but it's just that…"

He was worried that he would get a negative reaction from the start, but the office lady simply looked at him in a way that kindly urged him to go on. He took it as a cue to continue his reasoning.

"… I've been in a number of situations where people counted on me to do something. And I just felt like that trust came too easy. I've always thought that, but I've never really expressed it in public."

"I suppose that, like you, I also used to worry about what other people thought of me. In this case, I believed that I would be thought of as a bad person if I didn't do my part in helping out or complained to some extent about it. But now, I've decided that I would ask. Why is it that people trust me this easily?"

Ryne paused then searched his listener's eyes for a sign to continue. Upon receiving it, he finally stated his main query.

"In your case, we've only had one telephone conversation before this meeting of ours. Is there something in me that tells you I'm trustworthy?"

Caitlyn thought hard and reflected deeply on the question. She thought at first that it may be because he had information that she wanted and needed. After all, he did encounter her superior earlier in the day when she had no clue where the latter went. He also knew the person who wrote the paper that had a subject that seemed to be part of this whole matter.

Then she tried to determine if she was merely desperate. To be honest, she wasn't at all sure about that aspect. She was only doing this now, and she had only likely done this because the opportunity presented itself. As she had thought earlier, he had clues. Otherwise, she would have endured the anxiety of knowing that her employer may have been doing something potentially evil.

In any case, she should give an answer soon.

"Now that I think about it, I am not completely sure, Mr. Smith. But I do admit that, aside from your connection with both Mr. Miller and Ms. Allen, there really is that kind of element to you. It's like, you have this disarming presence. It feels… comfortable to open up to you. I have read about people like that, and I believe it's true."

Ryne was somewhat glad to know that he wasn't alone in his predicament. Still, it can make one guilty to be able to easily win over others. What if he wasn't the virtuous kind? He could only imagine.

"But you don't have to help me if you don't want to. I mean, as you said, we've only had one talk on the phone before this, and I do respect any decision that you make about this. I'll find a way on my own if you choose to decline."

His own decision, huh…? He still had that.

How could he forget that he was a cat? Like any other, he looked… what was the apt term for it? Harmless? No. Cute? He didn't really like that term… Maybe non-threatening?

But despite that kind of appearance, there lay the ability to make a decision by one's self. And it was not always in accordance with others' wishes. But when they did agree, they truly did so.

He also knew that humans were capable of it too. No one had any actual reign over the mind of another. They simply made a huge fuss about control and order.

Putting things into perspective, even though he was asked to assist, and he couldn't stop them from wanting him to, he had the choice to make. He was the one who chose to make the various decisions he had in his life so far, and he will continue to do so in his other eight.

Maybe he really was someone who, in his very core, cared. And he felt that it was the right thing to do, and to be. As if everything was in alignment.

If so, then who in the right mind would go against that which they believed was correct?

"I apologize for the pause," he said.

"I don't mind, Mr. Smith. It's all right."

"I have come to a decision. Yes, I will help you, as well as Mr. Miller."

"Oh, thank you very much!" said Caitlyn, her eyes filled with joy. "In that case, I will try to convince him to agree to an appointment with you."

"I will try and find out what he's up to, somehow."

"Exactly," noted the office lady.

She then paused for a while and said, "Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what you've been intending to do, haven't you? From the start. To talk to Mr. Miller instead of Mr. Bennett, I mean."

"H-How…?"

Ryne didn't expect to be found out. But in a way, he didn't quite put as much effort into actually hiding it as he would have liked.

"I… was thinking about what you said earlier, during our phone call. You said you were interviewing Mr. Bennett for your paper, and Mr. Miller just happened to pass by. That means that he wasn't actually part of your interview. If you needed information for your paper, it would make more sense to contact Mr. Bennett directly, wouldn't it?"

The cat-human kept gawking, which encouraged the personal assistant to continue.

"Also, I somewhat got a clue from how you talked about Ms. Allen. If you really were working together on something like an investigatory paper, you should have been able to give me part of her schedule, or at least would've considered contacting her to know if she'd agree to what I asked for or not. But you didn't."

"I gather that you're doing this on a more personal note, and because of that, I believe there's something that you haven't quite told me yet, Mr. Smith."