House crossed lovers.

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Pounce. Pounce, come back! [Nepeta looked furtively about the dark halls, certain that Mr. Filch was going to pop out of the shadows at any moment. She usually considered herself a fairly adventurous person, and it wasn't as if she weren't breaking any bigger rules but she was walking a rather fine line here at Hogwarts. Unless it was for certain purposes, she'd rather keep a low profile if she could. Unfortunately it seem that Pounce had ideas of her own and she had gone zipping out when the portrait had opened.

It really was not like her to keep evading her like this. She was usually such an obedient cat, what was going on that had her so determined to get away? It seemed like she was headed somewhere specific too. Nepeta frowned, but continued her pursuit.]

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[moirailcompass]

[Nepeta followed in suit, picking up Pounce and cradling her. She'd very much rather not have Filch find them...who knew what he might do to their pets if he could find some reason to punish them. She was certain if anyone could exploit a rule to do so, it would be Filch so best not to take their chances.

She looked back at Dave, meeting his eyes and silently nodded, wasting no time in moving away from the spy cat. She wasn't really sure where to go--this castle was constantly changing, so she wasn't sure exactly how to get back. Their best bet would be to just find an empty room or nook to hide in before Filch caught wind of them.

From the sound of pounding footsteps, it didn't seem like they had a lot of time.]

[oftime]

[ Dave followed her easily, trained both on her and the sounds of Filch's advancing steps. Cursing quietly to himself, he hefted his oversized cat up so that Cheez could dig his claws into his robes. The cat clambered up, tail winding under his chin for balance and back arched as he almost seemed to keep watch while they ran. When his claws dug in tighter, enough to leave a sting against his owner's skin, he sped up a bit more.

Taking in what familiar 'landmarks' of the halls they were running in that he could, he couldn't think of any immediate rooms they could get in quickly (picking locks wasn't beyond him, but they didn't have the time for it). He cursed again, pushing his sunglasses up as they slid, before a patch of darkness caught his eye.

He reached out, snagging Nepeta by the wrist firmly but gently, and made for a nook with a vacant suit of armor in it. ]

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[She made a small noise of surprise when she felt herself pulled into that small space. Pounce wiggled a bit in her one arm but she held on tightly to her--last thing they needed was for her to knock over the suit of armor. She tried to wedge herself as far in as she could, and just in time too. The light from Filch's lantern illuminated the hall.]

"Well, Mrs. Norris? What did you find. What devilish runts are scampering around this time?"

Nepeta tensed a little. She had been fortunate enough not to run across Filch before but she had heard plenty of rumors of the sort of punishments he liked to dish out. There wasn't a lot of space to move back here, so as much as she'd like to try and peek to see just where he was she was too afraid to move.

So she. Just remained where she was. Leaning against the wall and glancing awkwardly at Dave, hoping to hear Filch pass by soon.]

[oftime]

[ Used to having to hide when they were out after curfew, Cheezburger stayed quiet where he was, having wound around Dave's shoulders like an oversized, furry scarf. He tucked his face down close, probably close enough to bump his nose into Nepeta, and covered what he could of Dave's bright hair and his own white spots.

Dave stood straight and held his breath when Filch came closer, head turned a little to peer past his cat as far as he could. But all he saw was the light from his lantern, and he didn't dare turn from where he was facing Nepeta. He grimaced faintly in response to her awkward glance, almost apologetically. This was not the best position to be in, and he wasn't sure how long it'd take for Filch and his demoncat to leave.

God, he hoped he headed away from their respective houses. He didn't want to go around the whole damn school just to avoid him, and the idea of Nepeta having to do the same didn't sit well with him. ]

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[Ladeeda. Nothing amiss here, she was totes comfortable. Actually, all things considered it could be worse. Dave is a friend, one of the few she has here so if she has to be cramped in some tiny nook behind a suit of armor with two cats she's glad it's him. So when she grimaced she just returned it with a small smile, still a bit awkward but he had saved them from Filch so she wasn't going to complain.

Speaking of, it seemed he had finally started to move on. The light from his lantern, at the very least was moving away so she waited just a bit longer till darkness fell over them again before risking peeking her head out.

A pause, and then:]

I think he's gone.

[oftime]

[ It was true, they could've been stuck with people that they didn't know. Or, hell, they could've been stuck with Karkat. As amusing as that would've been, he wasn't sure if the ginger-haired loudmouth could stay quiet in a situation like this. Dave tipped his head just slightly at her smile, expression calming even as he listened for Filch.

Slowly, Cheez lifted his head up as the lantern's glow left them. And then Nepeta was moving to look out, so Dave just stayed still and let them scope it out. Shifting, pressing one hand to the armor to keep from knocking into it, he craned his head out of the nook cautiously. Cheezburger peered over the top of it, eyes keen in the darkness. ]

... worth at least slippin' out before he doubles back.

[moirailcompass]

[If Karkat had been with them, they would have been doomed. She also had the faint suspicion that the following days would have been filled with rants of him reprimanding them for break the rules. She steps out fully and nods.]

Hopefully the passageways and stairs haven't changed too much. But knowing how the school is I don't think we have much to bank on. Where are you guys located?

[oftime]

[ Oh, hell, if Karkat heard that they'd almost been caught tonight there'd still be a rant in store for them. He was such a damn mom sometimes. Slipping out after her, he lets Cheezburger flow from his shoulders to his arms. ]

I can usually find my way back, it's just a matter of timing. [ Cheez chirps, keeping watch over his shoulder. ] Seventh floor. Hopefully not much's moved up there yet. You?

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We're down near the kitchens. [Which of course made for a lot of jokes of her house being full of puffy people. Really, you think they would come up with something a little more imaginative. Nevermind the fact that Nepeta often went into the kitchens to ask the elves for a snack or to teach her how to make food. Girl was like a dispenser.]

I really wonder who thought it would be a good idea to make these constantly changing stairs. It has almost made me late to my classes so many times. [In fact for the first couple days she pretty much WAS always late because she got so lost.] I bet half the rooms in this place aren't even used....but then again, that makes them fun to explore.

[oftime]

Kitchens, huh. Yeah, we're in one of the eastern towers higher up. [ Dave didn't really pay much mind to any of the jokes or insults the other students threw at each other. What little he'd heard wasn't exactly original. You wanted to insult someone, and have it stick, you should've thought up something new. ... Much like he did. ]

Vantas would probably know the answer to that question. It wouldn't surprise me if it was done as a defense mechanism. We can't navigate the halls, but neither could an invader. [ He shrugs. He's gotten the hang of traveling the halls by now, but the first week he was only on time anywhere because he put his agility to good use. ] Plenty of rooms are locked up and used more for storage, I think.

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Karkat knows the answer to everything. [She gave a small roll of her eyes, but secretly she was envious. She wished things could come as easy to her as they seemed to come to Karkat.]

Well, maybe not everything, but sometimes it sure feels like it.

[She finally set Pounce down so she could follow at her leisure.] One day I'd like to figure out just what it is they keep holed up in here. I bet there is all sorts of cool stuff. We should go check some of them out one day, when it's not after hours.