Caste to Class

O'Malley

Adira-Mommy
Nova-Mumma

*Iris P.O.V*

I carry O'Malley, holding him like a baby. He's very used to me doing this, I've done this since he was just an itty bitty kitty. He's not so itty bitty now though. In fact...he's kind of fat. I don't tell him that though, I only think it.

'Rude,' I hear a posh voice in my head. I shake my head, my eyebrows furrowing slightly as I frown in confusion. I look around, pausing when I realize that it could only come from one thing.

"You can talk to me too?" I ask out loud, making my voice a quiet whisper.

'Is it talking or am I just projecting my thoughts towards you? I am not sure which but yes, I can speak with you,' O'Malley says, or well thinks, making me narrow my eyes slightly. He's kind of mean, that is kind of how I imagine him being if he could talk though.

"I didn't know you'd be so jerkish," I mutter to him, pouting about the fact that he was being mean to me. I was so nice to him most of the time, unless he was doing something stupid. Like putting his paw in a candle. You think he'd be smarter than that seeing as he was so snobby.

'I am not snobby!' O'Malley says and I can sense the annoyance as he lets out a growl, his nails digging into my arm slightly.

"Darling, are you okay?" Mumma says. I snap my head up, having not realized that she had come back. We had been walking together but she walked way too fast and I started to lag behind. Eventually I had lost sight of her  but that was fine because she was going to talk to Mommy.

"O'Malley is being a butthead," I mutter, earning a look from Mommy. I had noticed her standing kind of behind Mumma but since she wasn't talking to me, it didn't matter that she was there.

"No name calling Iris, it's not nice," Mommy says. I huff, earning an annoyed hiss O'Malley since I had squeezed him tighter to me at her words. I wince, letting him go and he jumps out of my arms.

"He's mean to me!" I object at Mommy's words, earning a disapproving look from her.

"He's a cat sweetheart, they're not exactly known for being friendly," Mommy states, making me roll my eyes.

"Well then I should get to call him a butthead as much as I want," I inform her, earning a roll of her eyes. That wasn't fair! I was the only one who should get to roll my eyes.

"No name calling Iris, I mean it," Mommy says and her tone is so stern sounding that I frown. I bow my head as I frown, my lower lip trembling. I couldn't cry though, she wasn't being mean to me or anything. Just stern. But that was almost worse than her being mean to me. At least in my head.

'The women you used to bring home never made you nearly cry,' O'Malley comments casually as he fluffs up his fur, letting out a hiss as he stares at Mommy.

"Is that fleabitten furball hissing at me? You heard it hiss didn't you?" Mommy asks, making Mumma roll her eyes.

"What happened to no name calling? You can't tell Iris not to name call and then do it right in front of her," Mumma says, this time her tone scolding. Mommy sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes before she nods her head.

"Of course, my apologies. Did that cat, that is covered in fleas and is filthy, hiss at me?" Mommy corrects herself.

'I have been forced to live on the streets as I looked for my beloved Iris and this wicked witch wishes to call me filthy!' O'Malley hisses as his back arches. He lunges at Mommy, his claws sinking into her leg.

Mommy doesn't say anything, her eyes widening when he does that. She looks down, bending down. I watch as she scruffs O'Malley, pulling him off of her leg. He growls even louder and I flinch as Mommy holds him in place.

"We're not keeping this thing!" Mommy says, making my eyes widen. We had to keep O'Malley, he was my bestest friend!

"Yes we are! We have to," I say as I bend down and pick O'Malley up. He lets me, letting go of Mommy as if he hadn't done anything to her at all. I hold him close, squeezing him slightly as he hisses again.

"We are not getting rid of Iris' cat, you two will just have to make peace with each other," Mumma says. I nod my head in agreement, sticking my tongue out slightly at Mommy who narrows her eyes.

'See? Even the other humans like me. You're outnumbered...and you taste terrible,' O'Malley glares at Mommy and I pet him, trying to make him calm down so that Mommy doesn't take him away.

"Fine. Iris, you are in charge of cleaning up after that thing and giving it a bath," Mommy says, sounding annoyed that I was getting to keep O'Malley. I nod my head in understanding, knowing how serious she is just because of the look she gives me.

"O'Malley doesn't like baths," I say quietly.

"Well he's going to have to learn to like them as long as he has fleas. And don't say he doesn't. I can see them from here," Mommy says, ruining my brilliant plan so I just huff and nod my head in understanding.

"Yes Mommy," I agree hesitantly, only because I love O'Malley and don't want her to throw him out. Even if sometimes he needed a timeout or two.

"I am going to the infirmary. If I did because that thing scratched and bit me, I will haunt both of you," Mommy warns Mumma and I. I nod my head quickly, not taking her warning as a joke at all. She sounded super serious and I knew that super serious people tended to be serious about what they said.

"I give bath," I promise quickly.

'Like Hell you will' O'Malley hisses before he launches himself out of my arms and runs off down the hall, making me huff in anger.