deercountry | yes I knew it was no moonshine, it is real

[well, shit. also: confidence is hot.

vi will think on this later and laugh a little, cringe a little and briefly wonder if beatrice cursed her - but in the moment she just meows as best she can - her best impression of visenya, which is fair. it might be a slightly better impression because of the alcohol. in fact she asks twice - the second mrrrow with just enough uptick that it's obviously a question.

she's grinning, and catching sight of the vendor, she gives another wiggle - more pronounced and almost dancelike - before she leaps after the trenchie with a very catlike jump. it could be an early sign of what's coming - it could just be vi being silly.

she cat pantomimes an exchange with the amused woman, who hands over a pair of black ears, laughing, and turns back toward beatrice - if she's followed she may just bump right into her.]

[vi leans into the pats because pats - lets out a small cry and tries very hard to give a thumbs up, but it's not ...working very well. she can kind of curl her paw and try to extend the ...claw. the cat's face is unsure as she looks from scorpia to her gesture and back again. dammit. she can't do fingerguns either. she looks at the beer a bit longingly. but she's very! awake!]

[no cursed paint for you, maul. you have had enough bullshit from this place. thank the pthumerians for followers. or thank the followers for following.

she's having a crisis over paint. none of it looks right, but oh, hey, hi, there is no problem here. she is professional. she can make decisions. yes, she just dropped that particular paint jar right into the fucking trash bin.]

Yup.

[there are two followers. oh no. is this three faces she has to paint? a momentary look of panic. (lies - it's not momentary, it's still there.]

What kind of paint? [the kind that's not cursed, vi.] I mean, what kind of design?

A-aw! [The catbat seems to be okay and making cute noises! She thinks the cat's just batting at the air with her paw in a funny way, because cats can be inexplicable creatures. But they sure are cute when they're doing it! In any case, it looks like she doesn't need to cough anything up after all, and that's a relief. Scorpia transitions into gently petting her with one claw, while taking a swig of her beer with the other.]

You know, I think this is the start of a great friendship. A classic one!

[ Kainé snorts. A fellow graduate of the academy of sarcastic wit. ]

I'm stuck with this furball whether I want him or not. [ She reaches down, reaches her hand through it's head as if to ruffle its fur. He doesn't come out often, but she's not complaining. ] Kainé. I'm a hunter.

[ If Vi was being rude, Kainé sure as hell doesn't care. Manners have never been her strong suit. Her Omen on the other hand, seems to be enjoying the attention. ]

Is it? I care not for the foolish games these mortals invent.

[ She shrugs, and tips back her beer. ]

(she watches the batcat from the couch; letting her observe everything and making sure everything is clear from whatever. and with the window shut, it puts her a little more at cease but the silence is still too thick. by this time, she reaches over her omni when vi returns back on her stomach.)

Thanks. (jinx chuckles sheepishly as she stammers over her words.) Music. I-I, heh, I just need some music. That's all. I'll be fine, then.

(fiddling with her omni with nervous fingers, she finds this and seems satisfied with it. exhaling a breath, she sets the device down with her eyes shut -- trying to relax while stroking her kitty sister's back.)

[vi only settles in, leaning in to the petting, until a low, steady purr emanates from her - she's a bit of a weighted blanket with added heat vibration. not bad for a trench curse.

well, what do you know ...this seems to work just fine for anxiety filtered through a batcat, as well as it might work for anyone else. she'll fall asleep if jinx calms enough.]

Edited 2022-10-29 05:25 (UTC)

(for a little while, she doesn't say much. her fingers brush along her sister's fur with her eyes shut -- taking in the music and to breath in sync with hers. but jinx does speak after a moment even if her sister is already asleep. it's fine if she is because she is just talking out loud:)

I wonder if I'll get friends here. ... It'd be nice to have someone over sometimes. I like havin' you over but I know you get busy. So.

(a beat.)

— Who am I kidding? No one is gonna like me. 'Least that's what Mylo says.

(again, she is forgetting this cat is actually her sister in animal form. and she is also forgetting she can understand her, too. which means, she just out herself one of her voices is mylo. jinx huffs a tiny breath as she mocks the way he talks.)

"Like you? You can't even talk to people like everyone else. Anoooother book in the shelf in the library." Teh, stupid.

[ He wipes at his own face with the back of one sleeve, and with the other arm he uses to take the offered hand to stand. Not immediately, certainty lacked; until whatever hesitated him gets thrown in the fuck it garbage, and he's standing up.

Because it's Vi, is the answer. Vi, who Robby might not know that well, but still feels fondly enough about; because she's being there for him, he can see the sympathy being granted, and he doesn't want to throw that in her face. Plus-- ]

Walking-- walking's good. [ Fuck the mess that might be his face, and whoever will see him, but he knows nobody will care. His head is ducked already anyway, and he moves to the doorway, then will stand outside just to give himself some shitty air. Anything is better than thinking-- anything else. Robby won't leave without her, but he will jump into moving again, once she gives the signal that she's ready; and he'll walk without real direction unless she gives it, just walking, whatever can jumble around or clear his head.

He doesn't really need to speak, not straight away. Just moving can be good enough, even with tepid skies above, the streets around a similar grey. ]

[ Battler glances over curiously - he is still considering their transformation problem. Maybe it'll wear off? He has his Golden Magic, so he could try to restore her, but he's not sure if that would make it worse or better. Or if he has the power to do so here. The marble distracts him.

Huh. ]

What's that?

[ He reaches out to stop it with a hand and then he gives it a little flick back toward her, rolling it over the sand. Sure, she's a person. But maybe she wants to play? ]

[the fuck it garbage is overflowing right now, but that's not much of a concern, because, well, see: fuck it.

and at that signal, walking it is, then. and ...because it's trench, and because cloverfield, there are less people to raise an eyebrow at robby's state, and any that do might get a "yes, and??" face directed at them, complete with rude gestures. there's a bit of regret after the fact, and the more the walk the more vi wonders if she'd overreacted, or if she could have been a wee bit nicer about it - after all, some of those stares may have been simple concern.

she knows this area well enough that she's good with where he goes, until she isn't (maybe not that way, the smell of blood's a bit thick and that's not what they need right now) and she'll direct the flow of the walk away from the general direction of soma. a few breaths of breathe in strength, breathe out bullshit are needed, and she can't help but whisper it at least once.]

Breathe in strength, breathe out bullshit.

Three ring shitshow of my life. Weightless. Timeless.

Fuck that.

That? That's my blood gift this month. I can't stop worrying, so we're a fucking pair.

[she offers a tight strung smile, and yeah, there's concern in it, a dash of frustration at not being able to do much but be here - that part will never cease to needle her no matter now much she tells people being there is sometimes all you can do. she still wants to do more.

and she won't push him to talk right away, considers not pushing him to talk at all, but then she remembers that he came all that way, and probably not to stare at her and play with a fidget cube. he'd already told a terrible truth, and it's doubly hard for his mind to process that when his body's doing this. so with a fraction of luck maybe enough of the energy (?) can burn off so that---

---so that what? so that he can re-live the incident he'd talked about? again? none of this is good, but fuck that, too, she's going in.]

Who was he?

[vi can't help but smile at the banter between the two of them - as much as she complains, and it isn't always, she is grateful for fang's assistance when the omen chooses to give it.]

Ah, that's it! I was thinking Outpost, but that's a ..well, that's Hunters, too. A lot of us to go around. Then again...

[one hand flies up in a gesture of all of this - there are a lot of beasts to go around, too. so better too many hunters than too few, right?]

Good to meet you, Kainé.

ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴜᴘꜱᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴘᴀʀᴀᴅᴇ, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ. ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ, ᴡᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴀᴅᴇ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ. ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ꜰʀɪɢʜᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. ᴄᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜱɪᴢᴇ?

[you know what. if her omen wants to let loose, she's not going to comment. the idea of a giant wolfdog just lurking hugely on a float is enough to make her almost sputter, but she holds it in.]

Hey Fang, before you get all big, or climb a building or sit on a float or whatever? You think you could grab me another two ciders? [she turns to kainé.] You want something too?

[nosebump against the claw, friend! she'll turn a couple of circles before catching sight of her own tail, batting at that and headbutting scorpia's claw with a pretty impressive show of strength for a small animal.]

Mrrrrow!

Thanks to this festival? Everyone gets to be a work of art. And not in the weird, oh no, why do I suddenly have tentacles way, but in a way we can all enjoy, relax...

[...]

...if that's even possible, and [a hand sweep over all of it - the floats, the costumes, the decorating everywhere] all that out there? Art.

I gotta try pretty hard to fail [unintentional wordplay], and even then ...it's like every fuckup is a better fuck up. Like a friend said, " planned fuckups but with improvements". Not that I'm going to blow this, I can draw almost as good as I fight. C'mon, I'll get my paint, I live practically around the corner.

[headtilt.]

You wanna walk it, or are you a climber?

[she's sure it's a glass eye, and she knows you can get photos in exchange for them. she wonders if he's done that yet - or if he knows about it at all. ...and then she wonders how fast she can zoom it back to him because: cat. she doesn't mind playing, it comes easily in this form.]

[Each one of those individual actions is incredibly adorable. Scorpia continues to grin widely as she admires the cat's antics.]

Heh, you're a tough one! [She remarks in response to how strong that headbutt felt for a little cat head.] But you're also super adorable. I like that combo. Keep up the good work, Toothy!

[vi purrs, resting but not quite sleeping, and though she doesn't open her eyes, one ear tilts at the question of friends. she understands. and there's not much comfort she can offer as a cat, other than what she's doing. so she remains still.

and then jinx says that. it's the way she says it, so casually, as if mylo is still here, as if he's saying not. not that's what mylo said, but that's what mylo says. try as she might, she cannot stop her fur from poofing, her tail suddenly more raccoon than cat even though she's tucked it mostly under - there's a pouf of fur right above her butt that would give it away if seen.

and then jinx quotes him, mocks him. it's word for word something he would say, something he'd said.

oh, her little cat heart just stills - it's as if someone's squeezing it, and though she pretends to be asleep, puffed fur and all, she lets out a sad little mrow and burrows closer to her sister, stretching out her head to nuzzle, eyes closed. it's all she can do.]

.. a wolf.

[ It's strange, but it's like she's having some realisation here in the middle of what Vi is summing up for her. Even though it's such a long, long list of animals and other potentially creepy kinds of face paint, it's that single suggestion that sticks out to the girl for some reason.

Though maybe it's for the better that she truly seems to settle on something here, or poor Vi might have fretted herself out of existence worrying about what animal to paint on Chizuru. ]

I-If that isn't too hard for you, I mean! [ Chizuru would very much like to add that caveat. She doesn't want to make this too hard on her friend. ] But a wolf might be.. nice, I think.

[ It's because she's thinking about her group back home. The Shinsengumi-- the wolves of Mibu.

Maybe she can still be connected to them a little through this. ]

(she blinks down at the cat; hand ceasing for a second when the fur poofs. but then she returns to stroking to soothe it.)

Hey, don't be upset, kitty. I'm use to him sayin' stuff like that. It's normal.

(it seems she forgot the true identity of the batcat again. with a big inhale and exhale, her fingers gingerly move to the top of vi's head to give scratches.)

... He's exhaustin', though. They all are. Sometimes I don't really have any room to think for myself. And every time I tell 'em to shut up, they just... don't listen.

[ He is blissfully unaware of any photo exchange - so for now he's happy to bat it back and forth with her. Relaxing by the seaside with a person turned batcat?

Good way to spend the day, honestly. ]

[she'll play as long as he allows - fetching with an enthusiasm that might be a little much for most cats, pausing a few times to dig in the sand to unearth more bits and bobs, another eye, a bit of shell, each time carrying the new discovery to battler for inspection. she'll zoom and catch things thrown into the air if he tries - doing little loops and dives until she settles, and if he'll have her, she'll curl up for a nap in his lap.]

[it isn't a stretch to see why mylo might be exhausting. for vi, his complaining was background chatter, something she never took personally, but how could she when he looked up to her? yes, she was around to shut him down when she heard him rag powder too hard, but when she wasn't around? even though his jibes were meant more kindly than they landed, they were never kind. had he the benefit of living long enough to reach her own age he might have regretted a good bit of it. but he hadn't, and he's frozen at his immature best, apparently - she can only imagine the kind of things jinx hears him say. it's the worst of the worst, probably - because that's what the mind does so much of the time.

it shouldn't be normal. because it's not true, it doesn't have to be true, and it's a whole lot of bullshit.

the cat huffs, a distinctly human sound.

they all are.

as much as she doesn't want to think of it, she remembers their meeting on the boardwalk - how easily jinx had treated her as if she were a hallucination. she's there, too.

you never left me. i always heard you. shadows on the streets, prickles on the back of my neck. your voice. pushing me. picking me up when all the colors were black. you're the reason i'm still alive.

but at what cost?

she'd give anything to make them listen, even just a little. she'd have words with them if she could.

but she can only give comfort, and trills, purrs.]

"Every fuckup is a better fuck up." Not the kind of aphorism I'd have predicted, but there's a certain kind of wisdom in it.

[It's not dissimilar to things she's told herself in more trying times, albeit not with such colorful language.]

I daresay I'm an excellent climber.

[She'd proved that to herself hauling arse out of the Archive, after all.]

[a wolf? relief floods, untwisting vi's smile into something easy.]

Hard? [her grin widens.] More like hardly. I can knock this out of the park. We've got two wolves in house. Three, if you count Sansa. A wolf is perfect. What color wolf were you thinking?

[she'd have gone for grey, but the spectrum of colors for wolves seems ...not too overwhelming. chizuru could ask for a purple wolf and she'd probably be fine. this is super familiar territory, and her whole manner relaxes. for now.]

I was thinking grey, but any color's fine.

But it's okay. I'll be alright. It's just... one of those things, y'know?

(looking down at her sister cat, she carefully scoops her up so she is sitting on her hind legs. from there, she carefully maneuvers vi around like she is dancing along to the very soothing beats of the song.)

You wanna spend the night with me tonight? I got a lotta extra room in my bed for you.

yes I knew it was no moonshine, it is real

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