abraxaslogs | ( open + closed ) this world is gonna end

[ His lips quirk for a brief second tinged with both exhaustion and amusement as he hands the chicken toy to her. ]

Out of all the Summoned the cat whisperer found me. I'm in good hands.

[ If Cassian tried to recall a situation that was remotely similar to this he'd fall incredibly short. Finding a lost pet typically wasn't something that people came to him for. Deferring to someone that had done this can only be a good thing because he's already lost the cat. Things couldn't possibly get worse from here. Probably. ]

I can circle around. [ He pauses, realizing belatedly his lack of manners. ] I'm Cassian. And the cat doesn't have a name yet. I haven't had time to think of one.

I don't know about a whisperer...

[ If Tifa had been that, then surely Fluffy wouldn't have run off so much. Granted, she'd been a kid back then and there were times when she just forgot that she left a door or a window open, or her dad would do the same, and so...

At least Fluffy had always come back. At least she'd still been safe, after everything.

Tifa shakes her head clear of those thoughts when Cassian speaks up to introduce himself. ]

All right, Cassian. I'm Tifa, and I'm sure together we've got this. [ She gives a firm nod, then makes toward the alleyway where the kitten was last seen, trusting that Cassian will circle around like he said.

As she walks further in, she sees a few crates, boxes, and trash cans piled up. The perfect place for a kitten to hide. She gives a few shakes of the plush toy, jostling it so that it makes some noise. She crouches down, hoping the sound will be enough to grab the cat's attention, and clicks her tongue. ]

It's all right. We just need you to come out...

[ Cassian might not find himself so concerned for a creature he had little to no attachment to or had more certainty in the kitten's behaviours. Unfortunately he didn't have any knowledge of the latter and was a notorious softie at heart.

Which is how he's found himself in this situation: walking as quickly as he can through the streets of Nocwich apologizing to every other person to ensure that the nameless kitten doesn't get away.

He rounds the corner just in time to see Tifa crouching by a pile of objects and is quick to join her on the other side. Crouched on the other end though he feels a little silly not really knowing what to do. He drops his voice which only adds to the amount of ridiculousness of the situation. ]

...Do I make a noise?

Yeah, like this.

[ Tifa clicks her tongue again, continuing to shake the toy around in hopes that the kitten will be tempted to come investigate.

She eyes Cassian over the pile of stuff and nods to the treat container he's holding. ]

Shake that around too. With kittens, it's hard to know if play or food is going to grab their attention more.

[ And it could vary from cat to cat. Surely the little furball won't be able to resist both of these options, though... ]

[ After a somewhat dubious look, he proceeds to follow Tifa's lead, clicking his tongue and giving the food a little shake. He even cracks open the bag a little in the hopes that the smell would be enticing on the off chance that the smell would waft towards it.

It feels like an eternity but then finally a pink nose pokes out from between a box and a bag, sniffing the air cautiously. Large round eyes dart between the offered snacks and the joy, Tifa and then Cassian before finally, he seems to decide that Tifa looks like the friendly of the bunch.

Cautiously he begins to emerge, all of its attention now focused on the toy chicken in Tifa's hand. ]

[ With cats, it really is a matter of patience. They can be skittish, meaning that staying relatively still and avoiding loud noises or sudden movements until the cat feels safe enough to come out is the name of the game.

Tifa's relieved that Cassian manages to hold still even as the time stretches out, and she suppresses a gasp when the kitten finally shows itself.

More than that, the little guy is coming toward her. Tifa speaks in a soft, gentle tone with reassurances, coaxing him over and assuring him that everything's all right.

Once the kitten is close enough, he pounces, tiny but razor-sharp claws digging into the plush toy. ]

Wow... you're a pretty good predator already.

[ She makes sure the kitten seems well and truly distracted by the toy before she glances up and over to Cassian, nodding to him to indicate that he can make his way over — slowly and quietly, she hopes — to scoop up the cat. ]

[ Cassian doesn't really know what to expect here. If the cat refused to come out - which is something he wouldn't put past the creature considering their interactions thus far - they might have to resort to manhandling it. Unsurprisingly the thought of that is incredibly unappealing to him. He'd already collected upwards of ten scratches from the last two hours alone. It's mostly that which prompts him to mutter before he can stop himself - ]

Don't encourage him.

[ Their window of opportunity is going to come to a close though and he knows it. At Tifa's nod he begins to creep up behind the kitten who is fully engaged in battle with the chicken but then his boot kicks a rock, sending it skittering towards Tifa. The kitten's head snaps towards the sound, his round eyes landing on his owner and before Cassian can pounce, the kitten leaps onto the boxes he'd been hiding between and up onto the roof.

The silence is deafening when he finally utters - ]

...You're fucking kidding me.

[ Encouraging a cat to play is fine so long as the cat knows what is and isn't a toy. Little plush chicken? Definitely a toy. Cassian's arm? Not so much. But that's something that Tifa can explain to him once they have successfully wrangled this little guy.

Except then in a split second their carefully hatched plan is ruined. All it takes is a kicked rock and the kitten spooks, somehow finding the agility to get up onto the roof. ]

...

[ Tifa glances over at Cassian and can't help but let out a laugh at his words. ]

Well, that makes things more interesting. This might be a blessing in disguise, though. [ She tilts her head up, following the path the kitten took with her gaze. ] A lot of times cats will climb up somewhere and then not know how to get down, which means it'll be easy to corner him.

[ She stands up, pocketing the toy for now as she approaches the stack of boxes. Will they be able to climb them as easily as the kitty did? ]

... Hmm. Wanna give me a boost?

[ Tifa should just be warned all the same that if this future explanation ever comes to pass that he'll probably just end up wearily explaining to her that he doesn't think the kitten cares very much whether or not something is actually a toy. That wouldn't be due to a lack of the kitten's intelligence. He may have only spent a couple of hours with him but Cassian knows enough about animals to understand when there's a keen glint of intelligence in their eyes. And this one had it in spades.

Cassian's gaze stays fixed on the roof, mostly so he can keep an eye on the kitten to make sure he can see where he runs off to if he decides that's where the wind wants to take him. At least for now the kitten stares down at them with what Cassian believes is a smug look. Without turning away he mutters - ]

At least one of us is looking on the bright side.

[ After a moment he turns towards her though, chancing and hoping that the still nameless kitten won't just bolt when it catches wind of what they're doing. With a nod he stoops down a little offering his hands as a step of sorts for her to find a foothold. ]

Let me guess. You've done this before?

And what gave you that idea?

[ Tifa lets out a low laugh, still not wanting to be too loud in case it startles the kitten who she's pretty sure is keeping a close eye on the two of them. But it also hasn't moved, so that's something. ]

I had a childhood cat and she made a habit of sneaking out of the house. I can't tell you how many times I had to wander around town looking for her...

[ Though while she shakes her head in dismay, the smile she wears is fond. She approaches Cassian, nodding to him as she reaches out to brace a hand on his shoulder and then places one boot into the foothold she's made. She pushes up, relying more on her own strength to reach up for the edge of the roof and then pull herself onto it.

The kitten's still there, thankfully, though it's retreated to the other side of the roof, engaging in a reasonable amount of caution. ]

Hey, [ Tifa greets, her tone kept soft and gentle. She rearranges to sit cross-legged on the roof, exuding as much calm as she can as she once again clicks her tongue. ] You wandered pretty far off, didn't you? Come on, let's get you back down to safety before anything else happens...

[ And for good measure, she pulls out the toy again. Slowly but surely, the kitten creeps toward her. ]

I had a feeling.

[ Her story doesn't sound so dissimilar from those he'd seen in Ferrix that owned pets. Bix had temporarily taken a stray in after it realized that she was leaving out milk for her to have before she went to bed. Eventually the stray had become hers which had then naturally led to moments like this.

He'd say more as he watches her boost herself onto the roof, noting how effortless it seems but his gaze travels towards his charge who seems to sizing her up and thinks better of it. He'd seen crates stacked at the end of the alley and he's quick to make his way there, pulling himself up with a little less grace than Tifa had. The kitten had bolted once and he wasn't about to chance it again.

The cat seems none the wiser either as he hoists himself quietly onto the rooftop across from them. All of his attention is solely focused on Tifa and the jingling chicken toy. ]

[ Better safe than sorry in this case, and so Tifa doesn't begrudge Cassian hoisting himself up onto the opposite rooftop so that they have all their bases covered.

Although that's impossible, with a cat. They'll always find some corner to scurry into or some other path of escape if they really want to.

Thankfully, Cassian's keeping enough of a distance that the kitten doesn't feel boxed in, and soon enough it climbs right into Tifa's lap to get to the toy and start attacking it again. Its tail whips from side to side as it pounces on its prey.

Now that the cat is well and truly distracted, Tifa glances over to Cassian and nods. If he approaches quietly and without making any big movements, he can probably snatch the cat up once and for all. ]

[ The moment the cat ends up in Tifa's arms again Cassian's body language visibly relaxes. The last thing he wanted to do today was try and leap across the rooftops of Nocwich trying to track down a cat.

But it's not quite over yet. He still has to take the damn thing back from Tifa and bring him back to Thorne with him.

With an ease that denotes he's probably done this a couple of times in his life, he makes his way across the roof to Tifa's side, extending his arms out for the cat. As grateful as he sounds he also wears the look of a weary (cat) dad. ]

Thank you. I might have to call you to cat sit in the future.

[ Tifa does note the way that Cassian approaches, how he manages to keep his footsteps light and avoid making too much sound. It's the sort of thing that Yuffie is capable of, in theory, though it's not often that Tifa would ever think of that girl as quiet.

Once he's close enough Tifa picks the cat up out of her lap and hands it over, smiling when it wriggles but also doesn't put up too much of a fight. It seems like it's gotten enough enrichment by making them chase it around Nocwich.

She laughs as she pushes up to her feet and dusts herself off. It's actually kind of neat to see all of Oleuni Square from up here on the roof. ]

That might be kind of tough if you're not in Solvunn. [ And she's pretty sure he isn't; she's never seen him around the settlement. ] But you're welcome to message me if you have any questions?

[ The kitten seems a little more than chagrined that they've been returned to their weary father's arms. But to Cassian's credit he seems to have gotten a hang of keeping a hold on him now. Even the little pokes and scratches from the kitten seem to go ignored save the odd wince or so. With his new pet sated at least for the time being he turns his gaze out towards the bustling community below. ]

I'm not. I'm in Thorne. But I could give him to you every other month if you're interested.

[ Tifa being in Solvunn would explain why he hadn't seen her around. The castle was large but not so large that he hadn't at least become acquainted with the faces of the Summoned. As for whether or not he's being serious about handing off Bob Cat to her every other month - well that mostly seems to be a joke. Mostly.

But for now he offers her a weary lift of his lips. ]

I will. Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it.

( open + closed ) this world is gonna end

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