Thirteen-
Suikoden III, Geddoe's team + cat
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"Yes!" Thomas said, trying and failing not to squeak. "I mean, uh, yes. I did." He stopped short and laced his fingers tightly together. "I have a little problem that I was hoping you could, uh, help me with."

Geddoe was silent. After a moment, he inclined his head. Thomas flushed and looked down at his fingers. "There's, uh, there's a lady down in the east courtyard who says her cat's stuck up in a tree," he said, rushing the words out and jumbling them together. "I was hoping that you could go down there and help her get it down..." Thomas trailed off there.

There was a pause. "A cat," Geddoe finally repeated.

"Yes," Thomas said faintly.

"In a tree," Geddoe said.

"Yes," Thomas said again, wilting.

"You want me to get it down," Geddoe said.

Thomas made a faint whistling sound. "'s."

Geddoe was silent, watching Thomas as he slowly shrank down into his chair. Moments before Thomas could burst out with his apology, Geddoe said "All right." And he turned around and left.

Thomas sagged in his chair and wheezed in a delayed breath.

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"So what's the deal?" Queen asked as Geddoe closed the door to Thomas' office behind him.

"Cat up a tree," Geddoe said, and snorted. "Wants me to help get it down."

Queen waited a beat. "That's it?" she finally asked.

"That's it," Geddoe confirmed.

Queen shook her head sadly. "That's nothing," she said. "I'll handle it."

"Thanks," Geddoe said, waving a hand absently at her. "East courtyard."

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"Hey. Joker."

Joker twitched and looked up from his beer. "What?"

"There's a cat stuck up a tree in the east courtyard. Geddoe wants you to get it down."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the first person I found," Queen said patiently. "Get a move on."

"It's a cat in a tree," Joker pointed out, reasonably. "It'll wait for me."

Queen sighed and rolled one shoulder in an elaborate shrug. "I suppose that's true," she said. "On the other hand, my patience..."

"Is not legendary," Joker finished for her, and chugged off the rest of his beer. "On my way."

=====

"Hey, potatohead!"

Ace scowled and looked up from his ink-spotted manuscript. "What?"

"Geddoe wants you to go to the east courtyard! Says there's a cat in a tree that needs to be gotten down."

"A cat in a damned tree?" Ace asked, dropping his pen in the inkwell. "Why do I get all the stupid jobs?"

"Because you're the stupid one?"

"Ha ha. You're really funny--" Ace lunged for the door. Joker ducked back and slammed it shut, and Ace's knuckles hit wood instead of flesh. He howled and stuck his hand between his legs, hopping around on one foot.

=====

"Hey, kid."

Jacques blinked slowly, like a turtle, and resumed normal Jacques-consciousness. "Yes."

"You need to go to the east courtyard--" Jacques was already starting to stand up, slowly unfurling himself to his full height "--because there's a cat in a tree that needs to be gotten down."

Jacques stared at Ace for a long moment, then inclined his head. "All right."

"Tell Geddoe when you're done," Ace said, sucking on his bruised knuckles.

"I will," said Jacques, drifting out of the room.

=====

Thomas could hear the almighty racket long before it actually reached his office. In fact, he had close to thirty full seconds to hope desperately that the problem was not coming to him before it became clear that it was, in fact, coming to him. Thomas swallowed and folded his hands together neatly on his desk, waiting.

He didn't have to wait long. An absolutely infuriated Zexen lady, her careful makeup streaked with tears, nearly knocked the door off its hinges in her rush to barge into his office. Geddoe, his face a stony mask, followed her; drifting along at the rear was Jacques, looking mildly bemused.

"Yes?" Thomas said apprehensively.

The Zexen lady flung out a hand, nearly smacking Geddoe in the nose as she pointed dramatically at Jacques. "THAT MAN SHOT MY CAT!" she wailed, her bellowing soprano filling the room and threatening to shove Thomas back against the wall.

Thomas blinked rapidly. "He did what?" he said weakly.

"He shot my Precious!" the lady said, and this time burst into tears.

Thomas swallowed and looked past her at Geddoe. "What happened?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

Geddoe shrugged and looked at Jacques. Jacques blinked at Geddoe. "Ace told me to get the cat out of the tree," he said, tilting his head to one side. "I got the cat out of the tree."

Geddoe continued to look at Jacques, who gazed back at him with perfect, placid calm. After a moment, Geddoe looked back at Thomas. "Miscommunication," he said.