A little something familiar

[hotheadwarmheart]

Who: Lea and Xion
When: Nebula 29, evening
Where: Starting in the Standard car, moving elsewhere
What: Lea notices a skinny black kitten lurking around under Xion's seat, and puts two and two together
Warnings: Mild unintentional animal neglect? They're gonna fix that though.

It was a pretty typical evening all things considered. In the absence of sunsets or anywhere high up, one of the Quiet car's compartments had taken to serving as their ice cream spot. But upon finding their usual spot occupied this particular night, Lea opted to move their conversation to the Standard car and see how that worked. Baby steps, right? As usual, while they ate, they talked. Usually about the events of the day, sometimes about completely random things that happened to come to mind. But they didn't generally pay those passing by much attention during the conversation, and most people were kind enough to return the favor and leave them to their chat.

A little while in however, one of those passers by nearly tripped on something, catching himself on the back of Xion's seat before he fell, and looking around for what had tripped him up. He clearly didn't see it from his angle, given that he quickly shrugged and moved on, but Lea had certainly spotted the culprit. "Hey, Xion," he said. "Do know know there's a cat under your seat?"

Comments

[nobodys_puppet]

Xion had... not been happy about changing where they were going to have ice cream and chat. But she didn't know what else to do. She didn't want to miss ice cream. But she also couldn't ask someone else to leave. And if they waited, the ice cream would melt.

So she had gone with him. She kept her hood up and her shoulders were close to her ears as she followed. Or her ears were close to her shoulders.

She had tried to sit next to him, but somehow wound up across from him. It just made it more obvious to her that someone was missing. But then, she usually left space for Roxas between them when she could.

She hadn't been talking much, mostly listening. But to be fair, that just happened sometimes. Less with Roxas gone, but it wasn't that odd for her to be quiet. But she was clearly not as relaxed as she was when it was just them.

When someone caught themselves on the back of her seat she threw herself to the side, away from them, Keyblade appearing, but whoever it was just... left.

She watched them go, vanishing her Keyblade, pale under her hood. She had been so sure that was an attack or something.

She glanced up startled when Axel spoke and it took her moment to process what he had said. She looked confused under her hood.

The kitten, realizing he had been spotted backed further unto the shadows, ready to flee if need be. But his person was scared so she should be here, right? Then again, maybe hiding was better. The cat backed up even further, trying to flatten himself, but it was hard to do with his fur all puffed up. You try not being freaked out when someone steps on your tail!

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea had shaken his head slightly at Xion's overreaction, but then refocused his attention on the cat for the moment. He leaned partway over to the side look under the table properly. It was a little hard to see the black cat- no, kitten, really- in the shadows under the seat, but its eyes looked wide and frightened. Not that he blamed it after what just happened.

"Hey there, little guy," he said gently, beckoning it with one curled finger. "It's OK. C'mon out."

[nobodys_puppet]

His little shoulders hunched in as he backed up more. As cats' eyes often do in dark places, as he moved his eyes flashed. Kingdom Key gold. He didn't growl, because he was used to Axel enough to not. But Axel wasn't his person. His little tail lashed, still puffed. In the shadows it was more heard than seen.

"A...Axel?" Xion asked, moving her legs out of his way and trying to make herself as small as she could against the wall.

[hotheadwarmheart]

No go, huh? "Well you certainly remind me of someone," he said to the kitten with a bit of a wry smile. Hiding in the shadows and scared stiff even of a friendly face? Yeah that was familiar. And it also gave him an idea.

He sat back up properly. "Why don't you see if you can get him to come out?", he said. "Just so we can be sure he's not hurt. Maybe someone quieter will be less scary to him." Or her; he couldn't be sure without a good look. But 'him' would do for now.

[nobodys_puppet]

"Me?" she asked, surprised. And confused. Who could a cat remind him of? Someone from a mission? "Why would I be able to do it?" Just because she was quiet...? She didn't know anything about cats. "How would I do it? I don't know a spell for that..."

Besides, if Axel couldn't do it, how could she? That made no sense.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"It's not a spell," he said. "Just call him. Ask him to come out and sit by you. He's little and scared, and you're a lot smaller and quieter than I am, so he might come to you where he wouldn't to me." And with the particular shade of gold he'd seen in those eyes... he was starting to have a hunch.

[nobodys_puppet]

"Oh..."

She got down onto the ground, careful not to hurt Axel. "What do I say...?" She'd never asked someone to sit with her before. Certainly not a cat. She tried to remember what Roxas had said when he first invited her to have ice cream. But she didn't think something extra or the icing on the cake would help here.

She glanced at her ice cream, sitting where she dropped it.

Would it?

She considered for a long moment. Because she's Xion and has to think through the ramifications of offering ice cream to anyone other than Roxas and Axel. Except that one time she offered Taiki. She looked at the ice cream, then at Axel. "Is a cat more or less of a person than a Nobody?"

[hotheadwarmheart]

How the heck did Xion come up with non-sequitors like that? "I dunno," Lea said. "Maybe depends on the cat? I mean, I've met talking ducks, dog, mice, and chipmunks on top of regular ones, so could be either one, really."

"As for what to say... maybe something like 'here, kitty-kitty?' Or even just little 'ps-ps-ps' noises. Cats like that, I think."

[nobodys_puppet]

She tried out the odd sounds, trying to figure them out. And why anyone would like them. But if there was a chance that Roxas could think she could have replaced him with the cat, she shouldn't offer it ice cream.

Deciding she wasn't sure if she was making the sound right, she looked under the seat and tried the other suggestion. "Here... kitty kitty....?" she asked, voice unsure.

The cat looked up at her with those keyblade gold eyes and then inched closer, unsure if she really wanted him to come out. She never had before.

But when she saw it was working her eyes went wide and she tried again. "Here kitty kitty..?" she still sounded unsure, but less so.

He inched closer until the tip of his nose was visible. He sneezed. She jumped back, startled, catching her shoulder on the table or other seat, or wall. She wasn't sure and didn't glance back to check, staring at the tiny nose and whiskers just barely poking out from under the seat...

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea chuckled slightly when Xion jumped at the sneeze. He felt a little bad about it, given that she'd bumped her shoulder in the process, but she didn't seem to be hurt, at least.

"You're doing good," he said, a little quieter than usual so as not to scare the cat. "Try it again, and this time pat the seat next to you like you're inviting him to sit. See if he'll com out and join you."

[nobodys_puppet]

She looked up at Axel, confused. "Patting a seat is an invitation to sit?" She was now trying to remember if she had ever accidentally done that and maybe confused someone. Or upset them. Or anything. The cat was no longer her focus as she also tried t figure out why patting a seat would be an invitation to sit.

Did people need invitations to sit? Had she been sitting wrong this whole time? She was starting to panic now. "Am I not supposed to sit unless someone does that?" Why had Axel never told her before?!

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea chuckled. "No, you can sit whenever you want as long as there's something to sit on," he said. "Patting a seat next to you like that just means that you specifically want someone to sit with you; in this case, the cat. So call him again and give it a try."

[nobodys_puppet]

"Oh..." Did that mean that Axel and Roxas hadn't wanted her to sit on the clock tower because she didn't do that? Did they think she hadn't wanted them to sit? She looked down at her gloves, unsure. "I'm sorry," she said softly. Had she hurt him by never patting the ledge for him to know he wanted him to sit with her?

...I literally don't know how I keep forgetting to bump left. X3 But not this time!

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Well, yeah I guess," Lea said. "I mean technically pretty much anything that happens because of something else happening could be called a consequence. I just mean we won't get in any trouble for it or anything. It's something we don't have to do, but we do it anyway, because we like it."

And there was the pounce. Lea laughed and let the kitty tussle with his hand for a moment before reaching out with the other to gently pet him. Or perhaps add a new toy to the mix depending on hos the cat was feeling.

ROFL

[nobodys_puppet]

"So... being upset is... a consequence but not a real one, like how we were people...but not really people?" she asked, trying to work that one out.

The cat had wrapped paws around his hand, gnawing on his finger while rabbit kicking the side of his hand. Cute now. BAD HABBIT for when it got older, bigger, and stronger. But when that second hand descended, all the fur poofed out... which was comical given the cat was laying down. The cat sprang back, scrambling to get away, looking like a soot sprite in a Miyazaki movie as it hunched into itself to make a smaller target. Which was not helped by the super poofed fur.

Re: ROFL

[hotheadwarmheart]

"That's... not quite it, no," Lea said. "Getting upset is a consequence, yeah, but it's not one we have to worry about because we know we'll still be friends even if we mess up or are a no-show once in awhile. It won't be much fun, but there won't be any harm done in the end."

And then cat jumped back and poofed out like Vexen's hair in a field of static electricity. He sighed. "Seriously, cat? After all that you're not even gonna let me pet you? And here I was all set to fix you up a really tasty dinner." He knew the cat was likely smart enough to at least get the jist of what he was saying, so he made a show of dramatically crossing his arms and sighing, as if he was genuinely disappointed he wouldn't get to.

Re: ROFL

[nobodys_puppet]

"Even if we mess up..." she whispered, like she was clinging to that desperately. Like she was engraving the words within herself. There was so much complex emotion in her soft repetition.

The cat was eyeing his hands more than listening to his words and made a hesitant ready to spring away at any moment sort of approach. By making a tiny little hop forward, fur still poofed.

Re: ROFL

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea noted the way Xion repeated the words, but didn't comment. He was currently too busy giving the cat a mildly exasperated look, arms crossed. "Well, kitty?", he said. "Do you want that dinner or not? I know you must be hungry." He was clearly not impressed by the poofing, but he also made no move to touch the cat again.

Re: ROFL

[nobodys_puppet]

The cat gave another tiny little hop forward, then another...

Xion was lost in thought now, not really watching.

Re: ROFL

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea sighed, still clearly unimpressed, but crouched back down to be more on the cat's level. "Look, kitty," he said. "I get it. Really, I do. I mean, I'm probably this big, tall, spikey-headed weirdo to you. But we have one important thing in common, and that's that we care about Xion and want to protect her. But we could do that a lot better together than we can with you there puffing at me. So what's say we be friends, hmm? I promise, I don't bite.

Re: ROFL

[nobodys_puppet]

The cat's ears twitched, and his head tilted, studying him as he crept forward slowly, lowering his belly to the ground again.

Re: ROFL

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea studied him right back. "Well?", he asked. "What do you say, kitty?"

Re: ROFL

[nobodys_puppet]

Another few small tentative steps, small body quaking as the cat got into grabing range.

Re: ROFL

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea smiled and slowly extended a hand, careful not to move too suddenly, and began to gently scritch the cat under the chin. "Good kitty," he said. "See? Told ya I'm not so bad."

Re: ROFL

[nobodys_puppet]

The cat looked ready to bolt then stopped, discovered he liked the scritching and found himself leaning into it.