[crow]

This wasn't something any of his masters had ever said to him, but these were the words that Rhodes himself lived by, built on experience. Indeed, if more of his former masters had paid mind to his wisdom, perhaps he needn't have changed those he served as often as he had done.

But there was no sense crying over spilt milk. And at any rate, there was no one around for him to admonish right now either.

[crow]

The only one he had to take care of for the moment was himself, which made this a delightfully simple thing as far as managing personnel was concerned.

It was just as well, since dealing with an unrecognized magical phenomenon tended to be tricky. If he had had to look out for someone else in the meantime, such as the young lady, then he might not have been able to perform the task to his utmost efficiency.

[crow]

If it wasn't inside, then the thing could only be lying outside the room, by process of elimination. The sense of it that he had, fortunately, felt as though it had a directional aspect to it, if nothing else. That directional aspect pointed outwards, rather than further within the house. So Rhodes, naturally, followed his feline intuition and directed his attention out the window.

What he saw very nearly startled him off the very windowsill he sat on.

[crow]

Fortunately he was able to tamp down on his instinct to jump. Another one of the advantages afforded to him, this time by the gift of higher thinking--- sometimes he was able, though with some effort, to repress his instinct if it would not be advantageous to him. And jumping when startled was now more of an inconvenience than it was not.

There were situations where a well honed jump reflex could save his hide, which was why cats had it to begin with...

[crow]

But Rhodes trusted himself to know which these were. This was not one of them.

What he saw was difficult to describe. He was making mental notes all the same, for he was sure he would be expected to describe it to the young master later. Any suspicious activity around the estate grounds was as much his responsibility as it was Rhodes'. In fact, if it actively posed a danger to any of them, it was perhaps more Sivain's responsibility than it was Rhodes'.

[crow]

Rhodes could fight, yes, but he preferred not to do it. And at any rate, he did not have the talent that the young master had for it either. It was best to stick to what he was most proficient at, which was managing the estate's affairs and providing information for those who needed it.

The best that he could make it out at first was that it was some sort of black... mass of some sort.

[crow]

That really was the only way he could think of to describe it. No, perhaps not; it was something like a lifted shadow. It was opaque and dark, so that he could not see through it at all, to the grass that he knew must be below... Unless this black stuff had somehow managed to kill that off, in which case it might be very dangerous indeed. Hmm.

But the longer he looked at it, the more of it he could make out.

[crow]

And as he managed to make out more details, he began to see all the ways his initial description was not as apt as it could be. The stuff moved, but not as any creature might move... More as a cloud might, or some sort of colorful solution just beginning to dissolve in liquid.

But it did not dissipate either, staying together as a cohesive... whatever it was. And it contained, he could see now, some sort of... bits of light.

[crow]

He wasn't sure at first that this was what it was seeing, since it seemed so absurd, but he didn't stop seeing them.

Moreover, he could start to see lighter parts and parts that were in shadow, so that it really did look very much like a cloud. It was just that the stuff had been so dark at first that it was hard to tell what from what. But as his eyes adjusted, so too was Rhodes able to make out the depth of it.

[crow]

That helped, somewhat. What did not help was realizing the sheer volume of it, as he did now. It seemed to take up all the way to the first storey, if not further. And Rhodes was looking down upon it from the third floor too.

At least it didn't seem to be travelling in any particular direction. If it had an intent, that would have been... More interesting, to be sure, but also more worrying, at the same time.

[crow]

And Rhodes was inclined to prefer something bland at the moment, since he never did love excitement and the like. This was already more adventure in his day than he had bargained for.

Those errands were going to have to be put on hold, he was afraid. It was going to put him behind schedule, but his schedule could be set aside for now too. It was more important that he get to the bottom of this.

[crow]

Rhodes jumped down from his perch on the windowsill, landing lightly on the floor of the room. The plush carpet wasn't necessary to cushion his fall, but it was a nice bonus.

He considered taking his tea with him, but decided against it, in the end. He was the one who had decided that this was an urgent matter, after all, did he not? It was a pity that the tea was going to get cold, but that was just the reality of his task.

[crow]

Tea could be drunk cold, or brewed anew. He didn't know if he was going to get much more time to do what it was he needed to do.

Rhodes made up his mind and bolted out of the room. He ran past several other doors before reaching the stairwell. He didn't bolt down the stairs as quickly, but mostly for considerations of practicality. He wasn't as young and spry as he used to be, sadly enough.

[crow]

Though the magic did keep his body in fairly good shape, as another of its little benefits.

But then, bolting down the stairs headlong, he felt, was a bit of a foolhardy endeavor for even the spriest of young cats, which he certainly was not anymore.

But he did go down the stairs as quickly as he could manage, which was not a slow pace. And then he was out the door, using his magic to first open it, then close it behind him.

[crow]

A little telekinesis was nothing much. It required little effort from him now, even on the days when he was tired. In a world made for people with hands, this was one of the conveniences afforded to him. Indeed, many aspects of his job would be more difficult too, without this bit of magic on his side.

After this, he made for the area where he had seen the suspicious activity in the first place, from that windowsill.