4th Floor Common Room, Wednesday Evening

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

“This,” Hinata said to Yei, “is the fourth floor common room.”

Yei purred at her, and Hinata set the kitten on the ground.

“You may explore, but you’re not allowed out of this room while I’m here,” Hinata said, trying for stern and failing as Yei rubbed up against her legs. “You’re just lucky Gwynn-san was nice the last time.”

As Yei set out to explore the common room, Hinata tugged out a book and settled herself where she’d be able to keep a good close eye on her adventurous kitten. No escaping tonight, she was determined.

[Open, yes of course!]

Comments

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir had been planning to go up to the roof (what, it was public!) for a time, but there was nothing that could distract him so well as an animal.

"Is that your kitten?" he asked from the stairs.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata smiled, even as Yei's ears flicked curiously towards the sound.

"Y-Yes," she said, "or r-rather, I'm h-hers."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He smiled and settled down low near the grown.

"That is generally the way of it."

His bag, his bag... did he still have tuna in there? Wait--

"Mind if I give her a bit of fish?" he asked even as he pulled the package from the pocket.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Yei was certainly not going to object to fish. The kitten wandered over curiously and mewed. Fiiiiiish.

Hinata shook her head. "I d-don't mind, and I t-think she'd a-argue if I tried to m-mind."

She most certainly would.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir nodded before turning to the kitten and pulling open the packet of tuna. After a second, he got a piece between his fingers which he took out for the kitten to start on.

"Hello," he started, speaking to the cat much like he would a person.

He looked up.

"Does she have a name? I'm sorry if I'm being rude, Hinata, not saying hello, but she really is rather adorable."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

The hello got a half-chirp/half-mew from Yei as she stuck her nose out curiously at the fish before deciding that, yes, it really would be a good idea to eat it.

"I d-don't mind," Hinata said, laughing softly. "S-She much prefers the attention o-over me. Her n-name is 'Yei', it m-means 'flourishing' back h-home."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I see," he said with a nod before digging out another piece of fish for the kitten.

"Hello, Yei. A pleasure to meet you, my dear cat. Enjoying that, are we?"

It should be said that while there was a certain stiffness to him, a certain propriety that came with his world which was a part of his every action involving human beings, it was utterly lacking in his dealings with animals.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She most definitely was, and there was more fish and this was her new favourite person (besides Mommy, because Mommy was the one she loved more than anything) and Yei purred loudly at him.

... it should probably be noted that Yei's second favourite person changed every time she met someone new.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

That's just fine. He knows cats.

"Mind if I give you a scritch, hmm?"

More fish was provided at the same time as the offered scritching.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Scritches were just fine, and so were head rubs, and any sort of pettings ever.

Fish too. Yei did like the fish.

Hinata rested her book in her lap and watched them both with a smile.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Scritches were given, as were headrubs and even some petting.

Along with more fish.

"She's very sweet," he commented.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"S-She likes e-everyone," Hinata said, and Yei purred and wriggled delightedly, "and l-loves exploring, so I t-thought a c-common room was a good place f-for her to do b-both."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Well, I was on my way up to the roof, but I can't say I'm sad I was distracted."

He looked to Hinata.

"How have you been, if you don't mind me asking?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Yei was a much better distraction than a roof. Yei was quite firm about that point.

"I-It's been quiet," Hinata admitted. "I e-enjoy that. I've b-been trying to think of w-ways to g-get out more, Father i-insists, but I'm n-not sure how. H-have you been w-well?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Not in the least.

"You didn't have any trouble this last weekend, right?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata shook her head lightly. "S-Stayed inside," she admitted, "p-played with Yei. I w-was in no trouble."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"That's good to know at least," he said with a smile. "I probably should have, but I like to pretend to heroism every once in a while. It's a terrible fit, but it's fun to pretend for a while."

He gave the kitten more tuna.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"P-Pretending though, c-can go wrong," she said softly.

Yei, for her part, paid utterly no attention to the conversation and all of it to the tuna.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I know. Well do I know. And the lovely bruise I got was a good reminder."

He shrugged.

"Nothing harmful happened because of it. I know my limits."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"W-Were you, at l-least a little, h-heroic?" Hinata asked tentatively.

Yei, on the other hand, finished up the bit of tuna and batted at his knee. Hellooo, she was down here and wanted pettings.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I'm the last person to ask.

"No one had to save me and I got to pull someone out of a cave."

They hate me now, but that doesn't change Sunday.

"So perhaps."

He pulled out more tuna and fed it to her, adding some pettings in as an apology.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I was silly and tried to talk."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

All was forgiven, with more tuna and pettings, and Yei was a purring bundle of kitten again.

"W-Was it w-worth it?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I'm not the person to ask on that," he admitted as he played with the kitten.

"But I think so."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"H-How can y-you not know?" Hinata asked curiously.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He smiled at her as he made sure to keep petting the kitten.

"I don't know a lot of things."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

The kitten deeply appreciated that thoughtfulness.

"B-But that o-one..."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"The way I see things," he explained, "things are so fluid, it's hard to say if what's true at one moment will be true the next. I feel as if it was, but I couldn't say for certain."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"T-Things are f-fluid?" Her eyebrows knit together slightly--that seemed like an odd sort of way to be looking at things.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He looked down at the kitten.

"Probably not."

More fish. More scritchings. He liked kittens. They were simple.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata gave him another puzzled look.

"I'm s-sorry?" She wasn't understanding him at all.

Yei, for her part, was quite fond of the fish, the scritchings, and anything involving playtime--but would also protest that she wasn't simple at all.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Much simpler than people, anyway. Or perhaps he just understood them better.

He smiled at her.

"I don't mean to be obtuse. I see things oddly. I'm probably wrong, but it's the only way I can see them. That's all."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata shook her head, smiling. "J-Just because it's d-different doesn't m-mean it's wrong."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"That I will have to see," he said with a smile of his own.

and some more scritching.