<strong>Alfred "Al" Birche</strong><br/><strong>Location</strong>: Baker family house*<br/><strong>Tag</strong>: No one, open<br/>At 2013-09-03 15:24:02, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 46 (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=49677)<br/><hr/><br/>The Baker family were nice. A man and woman, married for a few years. They never could have children, so for them, taking in Al was something close enough to make them happy. Al, however, did not like the set up. He never liked the other families he was with, either, no matter how nice they were. Maybe he was just being a picky brat, though.<br/><br/>Even after all these years, he still had nightmares about some of the things that happened when he was still living with his biological parents. So for him, these new dreams were a reprieve of sorts. They were disturbing in their own way, but also elicited a sort of keen curiosity in him. Plus, he didn't wake up screaming from them, which his 'family' found to be a pleasant change.<br/><br/>Sleepless nights were not new to him. He managed to always find some inner wellspring of willpower to draw upon, though, to help him get through it. Even with how young he is, he was capable of a high degree of persistence that would likely serve him well in the years to come.<br/><br/>The half-imagined figment person in his room was not a new sensation, either. And in the back of his mind, he could hear his father's voice, cold and harsh, threatening, like a knife held to the throat. "Go the fuck back to sleep", he'd say, and he could hear his mother crying in the background. He didn't really breathe until he stared down the darkness, and realized that, no, his father was not there, haunting him.<br/><br/>A little pin-prick, followed by a loud purring sound, drew his attention to the little ball of fluff that had previously been curled up right next to him, tiny paws and arms and legs wrapped around the human boy's own arm. The little boy kitten, named Mori, was probably six or seven months old. Al had been taking care of him for about three months now, having nursed him back to health when he found the furball whimpering and crying on the street.<br/><br/>He had instantly felt a sort of kinship with the cat. And now, the two were practically inseperable. Mori would follow him around, room to room, like a dog, unwilling to leave its saviors side. When Al went to school, the cat would hide in his room, or else perch in the windows, and watch, and wait, for his return.<br/><br/>The little ball of short, black fur, with a white, heart-shaped spot on his chest, was a comfort. He spent some time petting the kitten, while the kitten nuzzled back against him, and thrummed a song of happiness. Frisky and playful, no matter what time of day it was, Mori winds up trying to climb up on his chest, but instead ends up merely cradled in the boys arms.<br/><br/><em>"Meow! Mmm...meow!"</em>Mori was hungry, and wanted to let Al know. Or, perhaps it was thirst. "Meow." The boy meowed back at the cat, finding nothing strange about the idea. Crawling out of bed, he would tiptoe through the house, keeping the kitten in his arms.  Mori was happy there, content to nuzzle, and purr up a storm, for he felt safe in Al's arms.<br/><br/>Al figured he'd give Mori some dry food to snack on. He always had a bowl of it down, alongside a bowl of water, in the kitchen, but for whatever reason, Mori seemed to have a preference for being hand-fed. Al liked doing it, too. He'd get himself some crackers from the pantry, too; a salty snack might help him get back to sleep. If not, it'd give him the energy to play some games.<br/><br/>He frowned a bit, though, as he stared outside through the kitchen window. Usually, there were some crickets chirping.  At least, he thought that sound he always heard was crickets.  That seemed weird. Come to think of it, he didn't hear much else, either. It was way, way too quiet. All he could hear was the furry one's continued purr.<br/><br/>He set Mori down on the counter. Usually, his parents would get upset at him for doing that, but he wasn't planning for them to be awake or awoken. He'd get himself some saltines, and some dry food for the kitten; and while he fed himself, he also fed Mori, who enjoyed standing up on his hind legs to take the bit of food out of Al's hand, held above him.