Room Reveals
As Cat and Crow hurry down the hallway, along with Knitten in Crow's pocket, Crow says, "I didn't like that. It felt awful causing a scene and then running away. I should go back and apologize, but maybe after it's all settled down. And what happened back there? It's like I was filled with energy!"
Cat answers, "Yeah, it went to you through me, but I don't know how. It was weird." She floats up and alongside Crow as he is jogging. "Fist bump for keeping those guards safe so they didn't get injured. That was awesome!" She extends a curled-up paw toward him.
Crow sees it and responds, "Fist bump? I don't follow what you're saying."
"Oh, you know, just kinda a thing between friends to show some respect," she explains. "Just tap your fist with mine."
Crow is confused on how hitting their raised fists together is a sign of respect rather than an act of aggression, but he curls his hand and reaches out to touch it to her paw. When he does, he realizes that it demonstrates a connection and trust toward her in doing so, and it brings a smile to his face.
"Woo!" Cat says. "That's what I'm talking about!"
"Indeed," Crow replies, "Sort of like combining our power in a friendly show of unity."
She snickers, "You're thinking about it too hard, but I guess so. Unity it is!"
For the time being, while they wait out the aftermath of what occurred at the throne room, Crow guides Cat to his room to show her his gadget workshop and his impressive collection of various soda pop bottles. "I love trying out all the different flavors," he tells her, "especially when they have new, limited edition flavors. Most of them are so yummy. You never quite know what it's going to taste like, which is exciting!"
Knitten says, "What I love is that this is where I was created! It feels like it was just yesterday."
"It was today," Crow reminds her. "This is still your birth day. Speaking of which, is there anything else you would like to do to celebrate?"
"Oh, yay! Hmm... Maybe now that we've shown Cat my room, we can visit her room? I can't wait to see how she decorated it! What she crafted in the forest was amazing!"
Cat rubs one of her ears nervously while answering Knitten, "That's so kind of you to say, but... Well, about that, I suppose it's safe enough for you to visit, but there are no decorations or anything really. Just a plain old room."
Crow asks, "Wait, I know that the mirror allowed you to enter the castle from wherever you're from, but do you have a room here at the castle?"
"Not exactly," she giggles. "The mirror is a door into my room, but my room isn't here. It just seems like it is."
"You actually live in there?" Crow says. "Astounding! Just being able to see the inside of a mirror would be exciting enough."
"Sounds fun!" Knitten agrees.
"Sort of. Alright, if that is your birthday wish, Knitten, then let's do it!" Cat floats over and places a paw on each of them. "One room tour coming up!"
Colors swirl all around them, obstructing their view of anything. Then the colors break apart and float away like sparkly, disappearing glitter and reveal different surroundings.
Crow is confused. "Gadzooks! How did we get to wherever we are?"
"We're actually in my room now. Neat, huh?"
It is a very plain room, smooth and rounded, almost like an oddly-shaped bubble. No furniture or anything to speak of, just like she had told them.
Knitten says, "Wow, Cat, it's bigger than I thought it would be, but it needs excitement. There's nothing to do."
The little fox nods her head, "It's bigger than it used to be. I've been trying to stretch the boundaries as much as I can."
Crow asks, "So, does this mean we are inside the mirror somehow?"
Cat grins, "Turn around, silly, and tell me what you see."
Crow turns around and sees that the entire wall is an enormous, shimmering, oval window the same shape as Cat's mirror was. Looking out the window, he sees the same room where he met Cat. It seems they really are inside of the mirror.
"Astouuunding." Crow walks over and places his hand upon the window. It begins to go all the way through, causing the glass to ripple like water the same as it did from outside the mirror.
Cat explains, "I used my mind to reach out into your thoughts and imagined design ideas for you to make Knitten so I could guide you here through her. Then, when you touched the mirror's surface, I was able to jump out. It seems I can only exit through the mirror with your help and you can only enter with mine. Beyond that, none of my abilities work while I'm on this side of the mirror. That's why I can't create anything to decorate my room with."
"Why are you trapped in here?" Crow and Knitten both ask at the same time. "Jinx!"
Cat giggles but looks sad. "I don't remember much of my past, like how I got in or how long I've been here, just some trivial facts about the world. I know though that it's my duty to emerge and help protect the castle with the caretaker when it's in danger and then I reappear back in here after it's safe. I faintly remember that I can't even venture very far from you or else I get sent back, like it's happened a few times."
Crow says, "Ooh, a mysterious backstory. So then, now that we've stopped the thief, why weren't you trapped in here again?"
Cat says, "Good point! I'm not sure why. Maybe there's still more to be done? I haven't sensed anything additional yet, but I'll definitely let you know if I do."
"Well, okay. Hey! Maybe we can bring some things into the mirror to help you decorate and make this feel like more of a home!"
"That's a great idea!" Knitten shouts.
"Do you think that would work?" Cat wonders. "Let's give it a try!"
"Sure thing!" Crow says. "First though, would you mind if we have some fun in here while there's nothing to accidentally break? There's no place in the castle that's actually fun to bounce a ball without being careful not to knock over a vase, or ruin a painting, or that sort of destruction being a worry."
"Ooh, we can! That does sound like fun! Just don't pull at any corners." Cat warns them.
Crow sweeps his eyes all the way around the room. "There are no corners. The room is rounded."
"Well then, that's good. There won't be any corner pulling." she says.
"Fantastic! I've never seen a room so empty and ready to have a ball rolled or bounced about. It's perfect! I mean, assuming the mirror won't break. I just thought of that."
"Oh, don't worry, it won't," Cat tells him. "Believe me, I've tried."
"Or the ball goes bouncing through."
"Nope. Won't happen."
"Stellar! Sounds like no problems then." Crow pulls an entire ball the size of his head out of the pouch on his hip and begins testing it on the surfaces, bouncing and catching and running after it.
After a bit, Cat asks, "Did you bring more than one?"
"Oh! Uh, sorry about that. I was lost in the moment; being able to bounce it about," Crow tells her. "Here, you can play with it for awhile and I'll watch." He tosses the ball over, but Cat jumps and kicks it back to him with her hind legs, which he catches.
"Let's bounce it between us!" she says.
"Oh, of course. Why didn't I think of that? Sorry for my awful manners. I should have asked you to join in right away." He bounces it back.
"Don't worry about it!" she says, batting it toward him with her tails. "Now I understand why you like bouncing it so much! We should think of a game we could play using it."
Knitten hollers, "Bounce it to me, daddy!"
He looks down at her and says, "But you're right here, in my pocket. How would I be able to do that?"
"You're so smart, daddy! You can think of a way. I believe in you!" she tells him in return.
He does put his mind on that very problem for a second, then he bounces the ball against the wall, catches it, and places it against the pocket where Knitten is. Having by now noticed that she does not move at all when she is not on his own hand, he makes certain to touch both of her cloth hands with the ball.
"Boop!" she shouts when he does.
Crow smiles and says, "Yes, definitely, let's come up with a game that all three of us can play."
And so they do, and they have fun the rest of the morning, playing games and finding items from the castle to decorate Cat's room with.
