daemonized | RECOLLE IC CONTACT.

He's a bit creepy looking.

[Which isn't his fault, as Grell had cooingly said, but it's still true. Kawaii-san looks up at Ardyn with big, buggy eyes, mournful of this absolutely accurate assessment.]

But I don't dislike him so much as the lack of choice.

He's not creepy at all.

[Ardyn legitimately thinks this. He thinks it's cute and doesn't deserve to be called creepy.]

If you do decide to keep him... I have a few other things for you, but I've left them in my car. Shall I retrieve them for now, just in case?

[She hesitates. She doesn't want to make Ardyn make the trip for nothing, especially for such a generous gift, and she's not entirely certain she wants to keep this thing. It is creepy, but admittedly, that's not entirely an insult. Cats take work (but not all that much, apparently); they take money (but she has that in spades). They shed (but this one wouldn't) and she's never felt that insane over-indulgence that most people do (but it is sort of interesting, in an awful way) . . .

Kawaii-san glances over at her, his eyes widening. It's the same look he'd given her when she'd filmed him, and Rosalind sighs.]

Yes, all right. Thank you.

Perfect.

[Ardyn is definitely the most pleased by this development, grinning wide, and standing to his full height. He practically whirls on a heel to face her, gesturing.]

I have no doubt you'll not regret it.

[He's so excited about CATS he is definitely related to Souji and Yu. He mutters a "I'll be right back" and wanders out of her apartment. It'll take a minute or two, but when he comes back, he returns with various items-- or rather, he does once he spirits them back into existence with his magic, don't mind him.

They appear, one by one, in a flash of light.]

Here.

[HERE. A litter box, a bag of cat litter, various toys, and a scratching post. Oh, and a little cat tree.]

[oh my god YOU GODDAMN NERD

Kawaii-san does not care for that magic, oh, no. The appearance of all kinds of interesting things can't make up for the fact that they came out of nowhere, and--

Oh, he's yelling again.]

Oh, damn it--

[Oh, oops.

HIS CATS ARE TOO USED TO IT BY NOW HE COMPLETELY FORGOT THAT THIS COULD... freak out Kawaii-san.

Well, the items are already out. Nothing to be done about it now.]

...He'll calm down in a minute.

[#helpful]

[EVERYONE HAS BETRAYED HIM . . . ROSALIND YELLED . . . ARDYN DID WEIRD THINGS WITH MAGIC . . . TRULY, KAWAII-SAN SUFFERS . . . only the blanket is his friend now.

Ardyn's right, though: he does soon calm down, but that's it, his trust in everyone is broken. He looks leery of both adults staring down at him, and after a moment burrows deeper into his blanket, because that seems a good option.]

Well, now that we've traumatized my cat . . . a pity, I would have thought he would have fallen in love with you.

[Now he feels a little guilty, and while it's tempting to try to coax out her cat, Ardyn knows felines well enough to leave it be. It'll take a bit, but he'll hopefully forget about it soon enough, returning to normal and venturing out from the blanket eventually.]

Not what I had meant to do, I assure you.

[Sigh.]

He'll come out again. He'll be too curious not to.

[She pats his arm gently. There, there.]

And you can try wooing him again. In the meantime: aren't your cats going to miss all this?

[ :C a sad day when you make a cat sad]

This is all extra, actually. [He lifts a hand to rub at the back of his neck.] When Souji gave me my cats, he was certain to bring all manner of cat-related objects with him. Far too many than what I actually require.

[Well, the cat litter is a new bag, of course, but that's fine, Ardyn will just buy more later.]

I'm shocked he hasn't gifted Fynn with any yet. He hasn't, has he?

[Kawaii-san may never emerge, it seems. Perhaps this is it for him. Perhaps this is his home now, beneath this blanket where everything is dark and quiet. Perhaps--

Oh, wait, no, Rosalind just kicked a squeaky toy and that seems interesting, perhaps he'll come out after all. Warily, though, and biting the blanket to drag it along with him, because #priorities.]

No, he hasn't. Fynn is not one for cats. Or at least, he wasn't, though I think one of mine has grown on him.

[Ah, the squeaky toy -- it may be his salvation yet. Ardyn will slowly be bending down to grasp at it lightly, moving it across the floor in a way that he hopes the little feline might find interesting.]

He's moved out now, though. The company of my cats are a thing of a past for my little brother.

Perhaps I can bribe Souji to donate one to him.

[Blithely said, but she's watching the show closely. Ardyn has good instincts: that's intriguing, and it's enough to get Kawaii-san to slowly leave his blanket in favor of chasing the toy. He's hunting it, and naturally that's interesting, so naturally his tail starts whipping through the air, and--]

Oh, god, it's like a rat's tail.

[He grins as he successfully manages to get Kawaii-san's attentions. Erratic movements of the toy is enough to keep him entertained, tail swishing.]

Now, that's rude. It's nothing like rat's tail.

[Time to talk to the cat:] Isn't that right?

It's absolutely like a rat's tail.

[Kawaii-san can't possibly answer. He's far too fixated on this magically moving toy, because he's got to hunt it down, and he will, except it keeps moving so cleverly, damn the thing--

Rosalind sighs as she kneels down next to Ardyn, watching her wrinkly little companion get lost in his hunt.]

That isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it is true.

There are some truths that you should always keep to yourself, for the sake of sparing someone's feelings.

[Though he's joking, of course, and when Rosalind kneels down next to him, he pauses just long enough to offer her the toy.]

You try.

Er--

[For just a moment, there's a look of . . . well. Not panic, precisely, but certainly uncertainty.]

You seem to be doing perfectly well on your own.

[It's just that she doesn't like looking an idiot in front of anyone, and surely she will if she takes the toy. Kawaii-san will be able to sense she has no idea what she's doing, and he'll wander off, and she'll be left looking like an idiot.]

[He gives her the most skeptical look.]

Rosalind.

[He will not judge you if you look like an idiot. He looks like an idiot when he picks up his own cats at home, chiding them for getting into places they don't belong, and placing them gently on their cat beds. Part of being a pet owner is just looking stupid sometimes.

The toy is still being held out, by the by.]

[Okay, but consider: all that happens when he's alone. Rosalind stares reluctantly at the toy, and honestly, it's almost comical how wary she seems to be of it.

But no sense in being a coward. So soon she's taking the toy, pulling a face as she sets it on the floor. Kawaii-san is looking at her, more bewildered than anything-- where did his prey go?

He'd just moved it a bit, hadn't he? Just-- sort of twitched it, yes?]

[Ros, what is that

Blandly:]

You're very awful at this.

[THAT'S IT, CAT OVER, PET OWNERSHIP DONE

Seriously: she seems rather stung for something so minor, but she really does hate looking stupid in front of other people. Ardyn gets the toy pressed very firmly back towards him, a fierce scowl on her face.]

I told you to keep doing it!

[YOU GOTTA KEEP TRYIN THO ROS

He raises his hands up in the air as she presses the toy to his chest, refusing to take it. His expression cracks into a smile and he laughs a bit belatedly.]

Come now! That doesn't mean you can't improve! You need only be more enthusiastic about it.

[NO

IF AT FIRST YOU FAIL IT'S FINE BUT IT SHOULD BE IN PRIVATE, NOW YOU CAN NEVER TRY, TRY AGAIN]

Take it. I told your nephew I wasn't cut out for this and this is precisely why, I'm not good with children nor pets!

No.

[He won't take it.

He offers with a bit of a concession:]

You'll be fine, there's no need to take such a small criticism as a personal slight. Try it again, and move it around more. He'll want to play with you this time.

[She bloody well doubts it, and the scowl she wears says it. Rosalind really doesn't take well to looking inexperienced in front of anyone, and this is sort of a disaster, and she's just inviting it to happen again as she sets the stupid toy down in front of her.

But she does indeed move it more, her ears burning, very much aware of Ardyn next to her. And for a long moment, Kawaii-san doesn't do anything. He just stares, honestly more wary of Rosalind than intrigued by the toy. But she keeps moving it, and--

Oh. Well. There he goes, his rat tail whipping through the air, his eyes narrowing as he focuses on his prey.]

RECOLLE IC CONTACT.

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