Policeman and the cat

9 - Familiar

"Human!" Ian was greeted again as soon as he came in. Ian lifted his glasses to the top of his head and saw the witten again. Paws pressed on the glass, shining eyes, happy expression.

Meanwhile, Chilli slipped out of his pocket and transforming back to her fuzzball shape, she floated up to the ceiling mixing in with the rest of her kin.

Ian used his experiences with Mandy as a contrast to not avert his eyes from the witten. By applying the 'pretend it's not morbid' filter he took a proper look.

Wasn't this actually completely different from how Helga's book described it? Wittens shouldn't be like this. This interested in humans...

"Human!" the witten said again.

"Uh--" Okay. Right. "My name is Ian, you would be?"

"You didn't give me a name," she said with a slight head tilt.

Eh? What? "...I should give you one?"

"Do I need one?" She asked next.

"Uh..." okay, this certainly wasn't going like anything he had expected it to go. But, alright, Helga did also name her wittens when contracting them, so perhaps Wittens really didn't have names.

"I can name you if you become my familiar," Ian said, figuring he might as well bring that up.

"Okay," she said.

... Okay? Ian was dumbfounded. Uh... "Will you become my familiar?"

She nodded.

Ian reached up to scratch his head. Well... that was unexpected. "You know that you will share my lifespan if you become one?" He asked, just in case this witten was just... well, unaware of things. It would feel like tricking her if that wasn't the case. She might be a Monster, but... well.

She nodded with a smile. "I'll also be able to go around with you again."

"Again?" Ian asked.

She nodded, pointing her paw at where Ian's hand was.

Ian looked at his hand. The ring finger. Again... could it be that she had memories of being a ring? Her eyes were the same silver as it, her bones too seemed silvery. Perhaps he had been approaching this the wrong way.

Subjectively precious...

Ian went closer to the fish tank, reaching up the same hand that used to hold the ring. Her eyes followed it and then she reached out her paws to take a hold of his hand.

He felt like water was gently brushing against his skin as she held on his hand. There was no pressure in her paws.

At that moment the witten stopped seeming scary and Ian no longer needed to filter his own vision. Ian recognized this feeling. There was no doubt that every time when he was washing the fish tank or when he was feeding fish, she had been doing this.

'Helga, you needed to raise one, rather than hunting one born from another person's precious item.' Was what Ian would like to say to that witch.

Ian let go, smiling a bit to himself seeing the Witten's dejected expression from him moving his hand away. He felt stupid for running in the morning. True, it had led to good things and knowledge, but this was like running from your own cat. A cat who clearly liked her owner at that.

Mandy looked scary, but was a nice person, this Witten had seemed scary, but... it was clear that Ian needed to seriously re-evaluate his own perception of what was scary and what was not.

Ian took out the folded up paper with the contract circle. As long as it was big enough for both of them to step on it would be enough and if so then he needed something to draw with. He did have a permanent marker at home, but cleaning it off would be a pain. Pain or not that was the only thing he could use so he got the marker and set to draw.