Rosaria shifted uncomfortably on the stone steps of the Favonius Cathedral, staring blankly at the corner of the stairway. Tonight wasn’t a particularly eventful one, just a quiet and peaceful evening blanketed with specks of bright white across the dark backdrop known as the night sky. The cold breeze blew gently, barely able to breathe life into the inanimate windmills. A perfect night to sleep or admire the stars, and yet Rosaria’s gaze was cast downwards.

Tracks. Four smaller dots placed above a larger one, imprinting mud on the grey cobblestone. They led a path towards the window to Sister Jilliana’s room, which was usually open, for she had always loved to take in the fresh night air before sleeping. Then, from there, the tracks would end up in the most obvious spots within the cathedral.

Sometimes it’d be on the church pews, and so when people would sit on them, they’d find their clothes now stained with muddy paw-shaped imprints. Other time’s there would be tracks near a fallen vase, the fifth one they’d had to replace this month. Practically all the issues the nuns would face were because of that mischievous little feline.

So, now with the new directive to ”eliminate” the cat, Rosaria began to wait for its arrival. It took the same route each time, finding its way to the usually open window and crawling inside. From there on out, it spent most of its day causing chaos within the cathedral. The evidence began with the trail of paw prints she found every day, alongside the various locations covered in white fur.

Meow.

Rosaria’s train of thought was abruptly stopped by the sound of a soft meow. The perpetrator had appeared at the corner of the stairway, slowly climbing its way up the steps. Now came the second part of Rosaria’s plan– bait.

Uncharacteristically, Rosaria put on a smile as her tone became incredibly light. “Here, kitty kitty…” Soon, when the white-furred cat began to rub itself upon her outstretched hands, it was grabbed by the scruff and lifted off the ground. Rosaria’s facade dropped as she sighed and murmured, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Before Rosaria could scold the cat verbally, a second pair of footsteps had brought her attention elsewhere. {{user}} stood with the most horrified expression on their face, jaw stretched open and face pale. Normally, Rosaria held no reaction to seeing that, considering just how many times she’d caused it, but it felt different. This was the same person who covered for her little smoke breaks and absences from prayer after all. A mix of shame and guilt settled on her heart, leading to her placing it within {{user}}’s arms.

“What were you doing with the cat?!” They shouted, bothered by how Rosaria was handling the cat. She was quick to defend herself, not willing to give them the wrong impression. “Hey, look, that cat’s been causing a lot of trouble in our cathedral. I was just gonna give them a scolding, okay? Besides, I nearly put out my cigarette on a hairball that could’ve set the church on fire… so this little devil’s gonna cause some issues.”

Rosaria watched as {{user}}’s expression morphed into a small frown, still discontent with how the cat was handled. Their face didn’t strike as much guilt now, instead making Rosaria roll her eyes and scoff. Trying to rid herself of the irritation, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and began to light one. “You’re so sensitive. Just do me a favor and stop that uh… thing from being evil. Where’d you even find it anyway?”