2nd Floor Common Room -- Monday Early Evening

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata had figured that even if Warren was more than pleasant about dealing with Yei, that it was only good manners to remove herself (and her cat) from the room at intervals just so he could spend longer than kitten could nap without Yei attempting to stalk and play with his feathers.

Yei was a bit sulky about this move it had to be admitted. She liked the feathers.

At least, until Hinata rolled a brightly coloured ball with bells in it across the floor of the common room and all thoughts of feathers disappeared from Yei’s head as things quickly reoriented themselves, in Yei's view of the world, to ‘Omigod it's moving--moving. My ball! After it! Miiine! HI BALL!’. And a fuzzy white kitten went stampeding after the ball as if it were the best thing ever.

For her part, Hinata contented herself with a book and keeping an eye on Yei.

[Ooopen as common rooms are, yes!]

Comments

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I think so," she said carefully. "I know there is o-one girl who has an animate clock for a pet," Hinata had no idea how that came about though, "and a few have horses that they care for in the stables. I d-don't think we have many fish though."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"An animate clock?" Bruce asked. That wasn't an answer he was expecting, clearly. "Does it talk or something?"

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She flushed slightly.

"I d-don't know exactly how it works," she admitted. "But it seems to have developed some form of a mind of it's own?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"If it's ever brought out to play with the cats, I think I'd need to see that," Bruce said.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if it's b-brought out to play much," she laughed softly. "But I wonder what Yei and Rookie would make of that."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully not spare parts," Bruce joked.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata laughed quietly.

"I wonder if they'd be so brave," she answered. "Have you any pets? No cats, I understand, but..."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"No, I don't," Bruce said. "But I get along fine with other people's pets."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"Th-That's good to know," she said, "I sometimes wonder wh-what we'd do if someone was allergic to them here."

That would be an interesting challenge, really, to deal with.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Buy stock in any company that produces antihistamines," Bruce said.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"Th-That's an option if you have money," she conceded. "But I don't know viable that would be for everyone."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Probably not. You can usually cut down on someone's reaction to pet allergies by grooming your pet regularly and making sure the janitorial staff knows to change any air filters often."

Yes, Bruce knew about this kind of thing. That wasn't even part of his training. That was just something Alfred taught him when he was young.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata blinked.

...and quietly wondered about the feather-dust Warren was sure to bring with him. Well, they'd deal with it as it happened.

"I don't know about the filters," she said, "but I do try to keep Yei well in hand."

Spoilt kitten was spoilt.

"I th-thought you didn't have pets though?" Ah! "Were you thinking of getting one?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"No," Bruce said. "I just read a lot."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She nodded.

"Th-That's an explanation I should have thought of," she admitted ruefully. "I work at the book store in town."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Unless you've read books about cures for common household ailments, I think you can go easy on yourself," Bruce noted.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata's taste in literature tended more towards depressing fantasy novels, really.

"That's not really on my reading list." Hinata shook her head, amused. "Th-Though I wonder now how many books there are about that sort of thing."

More than you want to know, Hinata.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Many," Bruce answered. "They tend not to be very interesting, though."

Or, if they were, they were also vaguely horrifying.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

That was a curious answer.

"Why would you read something if it was not interesting?" she asked.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"To learn," Bruce said simply. "And also because my butler made me."

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

"To learn anything at all?" she wondered. "At random?"

Hinata flushed.

"Ah! F-Forgive me if I'm being too curious!"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

To learn everything that could possibly be useful. But he wasn't going to say that. "It's okay. Curiosity is a good thing." He still wasn't answering the question, though.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

She noticed that but didn't press. It wasn't her business after all.

"Do you read for pleasure at all?" she asked instead.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes, but not usually just for pleasure," Bruce admitted.

[shyest-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hinata nodded.

"Well," she said, "as long as it's not all business..."