Unrecognizable

~(The Real) Chapter Twenty-Three~

A sound from across the room piqued her attention, and the cat spun around to where Void and Sage were communicating in hushed voices. She couldn't make out much, but her name was definitely being thrown around a bit. Hmph. Citrus licked down a stray tuft of fur that was sticking out before walking up to the two people. She nimbly leaped onto the top of the cell she had been in before calling out, "Would you two mind including me in this conversation about myself?" Her voice sounded innocent, but a hint of sarcasm was not-so-subtle as well, and she cocked her head, her big eyes glaring petty little daggers into Void's own. 

Sage coughed uncomfortably, his face flushing just a bit. "Ah, right. Yes." He recomposed himself, before continuing. "Void and I were discussing whether you should be going back outside already, or if you should remain in here for at least a few days." 

A few days? Citrus scoffed. "Well, I can answer that perfectly fine." She flexed a paw, her claws stretching. "I don't need to stay in here like some sort of kitten, thank you." She wasn't useless.

Sage seemed to hesitate for a moment, but Void nodded. "My point exactly." He stared at Sage pointedly until the moustached person sighed, then turned back to Citrus. "You want to go now?"

Citrus nodded. Of course she did. Her only memories of the outdoors were hazy, for one because they weren't hers, and also because something told her that being a cat didn't gain her very good remembering skills to begin with. Ah, well. Something she did remember distinctly was the feeling of the sun shining on her fur, which was a lot different than this stuffy room, extremely far from the fresh air. "Absolutely."

X walked over to a wall right beside the stairway, where a stone button was installed on the wall. Turning back to Citrus, he gestured to the stairs. "This button will open the door at the top. It doesn't stay open for long." He opened his mouth to say something else, but Sage spoke from across the room.

"I installed another button at the top while you were out," he corrected. Citrus turned around to see Sage speaking as he dug through a chest. "It's quite useful," he finished, without looking up. From where she was standing, the cat could make out just the slightest glint of something in Sage's eye. Hm.

Citrus turned back to X, who blinked. "Oh." 

The cat held back a snicker and bounded over to the steps. "That's that, then," she cooed. Something inside her was itching to go outdoors, though she had no clue why. She didn't even know why she was going outside, or even existed, for that matter. Ah, well. She'd surely find out soon enough. "Shall we go?" 

Void nodded, and the two quickly made it to the top. Well, one of them was much quicker than the other, but Citrus could hardly blame Void for only having two functional legs. Void pressed a slightly out-of-place button on the side of the wall and the ceiling opened up, revealing a few more steps and a sun glare directly into her pupils. The cat adjusted to the sunlight and bounded out of the stairwell glancing around. Having memories was one thing, but experiencing outside for herself was oh so much better. Citrus's tail flicked as X emerged behind her. "It's a lot nice than down there, isn't it?" Citrus turned around just in time to catch something flicker in Void's eyes behind his visor, but disregarded it. "Come here, I want to show you something."

He led her over to a shelf where another button lay uncovered. "This is to open back up the staircase," he explained as Citrus hopped up to get a better view. A thin line of red dust led to somewhere or other; Citrus didn't really care to look. She nodded. Void somewhat covered it up with a few trinkets and notes, as he continued, "Make sure to cover it back up when you're done. We don't want someone to find it." 

Surely people would find it regardless, right? The Hermits couldn't be that daft. Could they? Regardless, Citrus nodded. "Understood," she said, her high voice resonating in the tall-roofed room.