[open mingle] close your eyes, feel the present

[revolutionfalcon]

Who: Everyone! This is an open mingle log, so feel free to toplevel and thread between yourselves as much as possible.
When: October 27th
Where: Calico Cat Cafe, somewhere vague in Tokyo. An address was posted on the BBS a day prior.
What: Cat adoption day - come bring some (or a lot of) new friends home, take advantage of the no entry fee to spend a day hanging out with cats, or volunteer to help out the somewhat overloaded staff.

An adoption event needs no small venue, and Cat Cafe Calico provides that much, visible as soon as anyone walks in the front door, pane glass with a little bell to ensure no cats walk out undetected. The area is spacious and welcoming, warmly lit with smooth and modern decor, and of course, plenty of posts for the cats. The cafe area itself is on the lower floor, along with various stools, cushions and lounges for people to sit on and spend some time with the plentiful felines. Most of the adoption services have set up along one wall down here, but it's plenty easy to avoid them and just play around with the cats unless you intend to adopt. They've got plenty of waitstaff available, and the cafe is testing out some new and unusual styles and flavours of tea, coffee and milkshakes, as well as seasonal fruit based cakes and tarts. For those without as much of a sweet tooth, there's savoury snacks as well - or maybe you'd prefer to just buy some snacks for the cats, which is an option too.

Upstairs, there's also a video game area with plenty more seating and plenty more cats...though good luck getting them out of the way of the screens, or occasionally off the consoles themselves. Quite a few of the cats are lounging around by the large window, either between cushions or on an impressively-sized play frame, and some are even up near the roof on mounted walkways. There are no guarantees they won't drop onto the occasional passerby. The upstairs also houses a few enclosed areas for people to socialise with specific cats or groups of them to see which ones they get on with best.

Volunteers will be thanked profusely, and some of the staff may even approach visitors to ask if they might help, offering compensation of food and drink prices or similar. There's a lot of adoption paperwork to be done, and with the waitstaff run off their feet, there's few people left to supervise interactions between visitors and cats to make sure all's friendly. Of course, this is an excellent excuse to just surround oneself with any available cats and let others approach as they please.

There's a steady stream of kittens being let out into the mingling cats throughout the day, most of them kept to enclosed areas under staff supervision. Whenever more come out, it might be possible to catch some whispers from the waitstaff, as if surprised at something - listen closely enough, and it sounds like they're talking about an employee, one who they barely see and rarely talks, yet finishes work promptly and slips away before anyone notices except the cats, who all seem very comfortable around him...

Whatever the reason for being here, there's plenty of cats to go around, plenty of activity, and ample opportunity to take home a new friend! Or two. Or ten, if you can convince the staff you can handle it.

Comments

OTA

[revolutionfalcon]

[A]

[So, about that really quiet employee the waitstaff keep talking about. Shun is doing his best not to be seen - with occasional abuse of teleportation, because desperate times call for desperate measures - but he's still occasionally visible coming in and out of the door to the back area where all the cats that aren't out on the floor are, dressed in plain black. If anyone tries to head out the back (it's not too difficult with the advantage of going largely unnoticed by humans, even if the cats will eye some people off suspiciously), it's largely very similar to the front. There's the same carpeted floor and cat posts, but there's also various cages, beds and food bowls out here.

On the topic of food, Shun is feeding a couple of the kittens who need more regular meals, which has had the unfortunate side effect of him having to deal with something akin to this, a line of kittens trying to climb his leg. For his part, he seems used to it, mostly just looking faintly exasperated.

There's a slightly older, somewhat grizzly-looking white cat watching the proceedings, apparently content to observe Shun's suffering until a certain point where it gets up, stretches, and strides over, meowing rather loudly. The kittens all drop off Shun's leg in dribs and drabs, and he goes over to fill their bowls and let them eat while he puts the food away, squinting at the white cat the entire time.]

Typical. [The white cat meows again and headbutts his leg. And then does it again. And again until he picks it up, though that's probably around the time he notices someone else here and tenses visibly.]

--

[B]

[Shun is, in fact, the person making regular kitten deliveries outside after he's checked them over to make completely sure they're ready to go out. He's been pretty careful about how he's doing it, but that doesn't mean he's not occasionally catchable heading upstairs with an armful of wriggling kittens.

Especially when one of them wriggles free enough to start trying to crawl into the arm of his shirt. He can't exactly get it out with his hands full, so he settles for walking faster, though the flailing back legs of a kitten coming out of his sleeve are a little bit noticeable...]

--

[C]

[After a while, when things get busier and cats are needing to go out faster, Shun has to reluctantly relegate himself to checking over kittens in an isolated enclosure on the top floor...which means he's actually fully visible and in one place to be caught out. He's pretty determinedly not paying attention to anyone unless they approach him, though, at which point he'll raise his head just long enough to give them the withering glare of the century, bar the maybe three people who already knew about his job here who'll just get a normal glare.]

These ones aren't ready yet. [He bluntly points back towards the other enclosures before turning his attention to the kitten lying on its back in his lap.]

wildcard maybe?

[abgrund]

[ Shun can probably feel Ain coming from a long way away, a small chill in the air intensifying to something moderate as he finally reaches the entrance of the cafe. Add and Roxas have convinced him to put on clothes and reorganize his body into something that wouldn't scare away Near Shore residents on sight, so he merely looks a bit like a hobo with hair long enough to almost touch the ground.

His aura scatters people around him, the living humans moving out of his way without actually looking at him. Some of the younger kittens also reposition themselves in other corners, though the adult cats don't seem to be fazed by him.

He'll just hang around in a corner, watching the cats intently. ]

A!

[thevanguard]

[ It's pretty obvious that Shun's noticed he's not alone anymore from the way he's tensed, but Yata doesn't look all that apologetic that he's been subtly watching the guy be a living cat tree for a few moments. In fact, he's grinning, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, expression rather amused as he takes in the sight of the god snuggling the fluffy white cat. ]

Yo.

open to celebs (she wishes, it's ota)

[priforprince]

[ I ]

Hm.



[ Hibiki is sitting in the cafe part of the cat cafe. A clowder has formed around her, watching her eat, but - she isn't ordering anything for them. In fact, she's not interacting with the cats at all. She's just. Having tea. ]

Gracing such a puny business for the sake of one's followers isn't bad, on occasion.

[ "Let something amazing happen so people will come to adopt cats!" A simple prayer. Easily answered. Hibiki is here. That is all one requires. And the cats are all surrounding her, sitting up at attention. She is Prince of Cats. ]

[ II. ]



Denied!

[ Hibiki tries to brush the cat a volunteer is offering her away. The cat paws at her hand. ] Adoption doesn't interest me. Make your appeal to someone else.

[ Taking full advantage of its status as a fuzzy liquid, the cat worms out of the volunteer's grip and parks itself on Hibiki's lap. Afraid of Hibiki, the volunteer retreats. Hibiki looks around until she spots someone. ]

You. Remove this animal.

[ III. ]

[ Careful where you step up here in the gaming room. It may not be obvious, given that the swarm of cats covers up quite a bit of this toy, but....



You know how cats are always drawn to the one person in the room who doesn't want them around? Hibiki is trapped now. Trapped by cat butts. Sitting on her. Lying on her. All looking very playful, and inviting, and innocent if anyone approaches. ]

Rather. Insolent creatures....

[ IV ]

[ And yet. Hibiki is sitting here staring at a cat, now. And the cat is staring back. She'd heard...something...about this one... ]



Are you really....from a line of award-winning purebreeds?

[ The cat yawns and bats at Hibiki's ahoge. Hibiki wrinkles her nose, but permits this. For now. ]

II

[purr_ince]

[Adrien maybe be helping out and he's turning to go rescue a distressed patron only....

Oh it's her.

Of course it's Hibiki - he's pretty sure that if he hears stuff like this; it's gotta be Hibiki. Oh that poor unfortunate kitten.

Adrien swoops in and scoops up the kitten cradling it to his chest.]

Come here, mon chaton. Don't bother the grumpy lady. Let's find you some one nice to play with.

Is there nothing you don't dislike? And please don't break a cup this time or I'll have to tell them to give you plastic.

IV

[alchemists]

I can run tests if you want to be sure?

ok you know what i had to, III

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, Shun had been on the way up to put a few more kittens out with the older cats, staying fairly well out of sight, but then he hears that voice and can pick out who it is stuck under the pile of cats.

After a short moment, he bends down and deposits his armful of kittens carefully onto the ground.

Enjoy a good dozen kittens charging in to join the pile-on, Hibiki.]

[alchemists]

A.

[ Elfnein is enjoying a cup of tea at one of the cushions set up for the cafe. There's a light cream colored tabby interested in Elfnein and is sitting by her just watching. ]

It's nice to meet you, I hope that maybe we can be friends.

B.

[ After a nice cup of tea Elfnein heads up to the other floor where the other cats are. Though the cream colored tabby from before seems to be following her closely. ]

Is there someone I talk to up here for one on one spaces?

B

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun has unfortunately found himself temporarily saddled with having to check over some kittens in the one-to-one enclosures, so when he hears that question, he gives a mild sound of annoyance and points to one of the empty ones.]

As long as nobody else is using it, it's fine. [Not the most welcoming reception a staff member has ever given, but the rolling pile of kittens he's trying to check over ruins the image a little.]

A

[pure_radiantics]

[ Kairi's walking by when she hears Elfnein's voice and has to laugh a little. ]

For a second I thought you were talking to me.

[ Then she smiles down at Elfnein. ]

I don't suppose you have that as a god power, do you? Talking to cats?

OTA

[unlucky7]

[A]
[Ginia came to Cat Cafe Calico for the purpose of interacting with cats, but ends up volunteering once she finds out they're understaffed (and offering food and drinks for compensation). Stationed at a laptop, Ginia helps out with updating information and printing out forms, and trying out the new flavors of milkshakes. There's also a small notepad with her thoughts on some of the flavors. Mango strawberry? Definitely a winner. Lychee? Not bad, but a bit light on the flavor. Breakfast cereal? Hmm... needs some work.

And if she hasn't moved for awhile, the giant tabby sleeping on her lap might also be to blame.]

***

[B]
[Catch Ginia laying on the floor upstairs being viciously mobbed by tiny, ferocious kittens. Such teeth, such claws, such savagery as they pounce her shoelaces, nibble and lick her fingers, tangle with her hair, and chase the feather on a string she's lazily waving around for them.]

***

[C]
[Wildcard! Have an idea? Throw it at me!]

B

[revolutionfalcon]

[And now there's about six more tiny, ferocious kittens joining the fray. It would be seemingly out of nowhere if Shun hadn't chosen to speak up from his spot carefully out of sight (mostly) near the wall.]

You know they're probably going to climb your leg if you get up now. [Shun says it in the tone of one discussing a frequent and frustrating activity they have to deal with.]

A

[pure_radiantics]

[The nice thing about knowing sign language is that, when Kairi comes up to say hi to Ginia, she doesn't have to disturb the sleepy tabby. She starts with a simple wave, then gets back to remembering her signs.]

How have you been? Having a good time here?

[She laughs a little - silently - and then points lightly at the kitty.]

[purr_ince]

A

[Anyone that knows Adrien shouldn't be too surprised to see him here and it's clear he came with every intention of helping since he'd stayed in his usual clothes and he's Plaggless for the first time since he'd gotten him.

He's stationed at one of the tables helping with forms once the staff clear people to adopt. Clipboards neatly arranged in front of him. The blond even has information on what to do after - getting collars, ID tags, a list of shots and when the cats need them.

He's also serving as go between making sure they take down the information on which cats have been given homes so that there's a proper record in case anyone is wanting a specific kind of cat - age, breed, color - ect, ect. And he's greeting each new adoptive pet parent with one of those clipboards.]

Aw, did you find a new member of your family? That's great! If you could just fill out your information here while I make sure this adorable fluff is ready to go.

B

[He's supposed to be helping with cats so he's moving through some of the rooms - making sure they have food, water, toys. Adrien did eventually end up with some of the older cats, giving them extra attention. He's supposed to just be helping. But somehow that turned into him sitting in the floor with some of the special needs kitties.

Some are blind, some deaf. some need extra care, some are missing a leg, tail, eye, or ear. Some of them have a little extra - extra ears or are polydactyl. Either way Adrien is quietly giving them extra attention - purring quietly at some of them when he's given gentle headbutts here and there or is rubbed against with loud mews.]

Is that so kitty?

[But he feels particularly special when one of them decides to make his way into Adrien's lap and just lay there.]


C

[Adrien has moved from the desk. He can't stay still the whole time so once another volunteer takes over well he's moving along the floor. Watching to make sure that none of the cats are getting distressed or showing signs of becoming overwhelmed. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt or any of the cats to hurt their chances at adoption.

But there are a few children that have came with their parents and they're laughing and talking. Adrien would ignore it if not for the fact of what he hears.]

"An ugly wrinkly little gremlin."
"Totally gross, right?"
"It's not a cat at all. More like a hairless rat."

[He scowls turning to follow where they're looking and there the little kitten is huddled up in one of the little hideaways on a scratching post. It's tiny and shaking from possibly being a bit chilled or maybe being afraid. If these kids could say mean things well they might have intentionally scared the poor thing.

Shooting them an annoyed glare, the blond is moving over kneeling in front of the little hideaway. He's slipping a hand inside, carefully gathering up the tiny hairless little ball of kitten. Adrien is trying to soothe it with a soft little rumble of a purr as he tucks it against his chest; seeking to share his warmth with it.]

Don't listen to them. You're adorable.

[How mad would Marinette be if he took home a couple extra cats? Six was just as much work as four.]

C

[revolutionfalcon]

[As the group of kids and parents heads off, still laughing, a few more kittens bound up the stairs, drawing the attention of the children. The parents are left a little way behind, walking beneath a large plastic cat decoration that hangs from the ceiling - it's light and hollow, from the way it moves as people come up and down the stairs.

It's held there by two metal cables, shiny and intact. Or...not so shiny? Within the moment or two the parents are walking beneath it, the lowest sections of the cables tarnish, rust, and then disintegrate, dropping the decoration directly onto the parents' heads.

There's a few loud gasps and a cry of pain, but it's too light to do anyone any real damage, and within moments, the parents are gathering their kids and hurrying away with scandalised looks on their faces. It's at that point someone emerges from their previous static, almost concealed position in the vicnity of a large, tall planter - a young man with little in the way of expression on his face, but a subtle irritation just in the set of his eyes.]

People like you shouldn't be here anyway. [Shun says it fully audibly, though since he's a god and the humans are already retreating, it goes unnoticed by them.]

[yoshinocherry]

Outside
[The moment she saw the flyer go up on the BBS, Yuna knew it was something she needed to help out with. Finding homes for animals in need is just so nostalgic of things the hero club would do, it would be a travesty to let this opportunity slip by.

Luckily for her, the employees are all too relieved to have extra assistance, and while it's likely that there's no real shortage of people looking to take a cat home, some word of mouth is sure to get people who are otherwise in the dark about the whole event inside.]

Did you hear about the adoption day at the cat cafe?

[She's going out of her way to stop passersby, and doing a fairly good job of getting herself noticed, in order to hand out physical fliers. Maybe she'll even manage to catch a passing Far Shore resident in her efforts, too...!]

Please check it out if you have the time!


Indoors
[And, with enough people filtering in the cafe, there's some need for volunteers supervising the guests and cats. Fliers handed out, Yuna makes her way back inside to help with some matchmaking between guests and cats.

A few cats have flocked to her as a spot for sitting and/or napping, so most of her supervision is accompanied by some warm, fuzzy, purring felines. Ahhh, it's enough to make her want to take them home herself...!]

Hmm, what do you think about this one?

[Of course, she can only take good care of so many temple residents, so any interested parties may find themselves on the end of her attempting to pass off some of the cats.] He's really friendly, I'm sure he'd love to spend a little time with you!

Wildcard
[Got something else in mind? Hit me up with anything, friends!]

outside

[swordofzero]

[It hadn't been a long walk to the address on the poster but Suzaku had gotten used to the fact that no one could really see him. It had been in the leaflet he had gotten when he arrived a few days ago so it didn't surprise him, indeed he found he sort of liked it.

Still it was a bit of a surprise when he was handed a leaflet.] Oh. That's where I was going, is it close by?

OTA

[trademark_skull]

[Before]

[Emizel was not sure what possessed him to come here. He still did not really know a thing about cats, then again this might be the perfect place to learn more. He also did not really need to know much about them. ...After all, Emizel still remembers quite vividly how his butterflies reacted when a kitten stumbled to his temple.]

[If there was one as a permanent residence... Well...]

[--But they were very interesting creatures. Friendly. Possibly playful? He coaxed one over with a bag of treats, and watched it enjoy a piece. Now it was staring at him intently as though it wanted more.]

Do you wanna play..?


[After]

[Emizel may have gone over his head.]

[What started with one cat eventually became two - then three, four, up to ten of various ages. A very affectionate bunch that wanted to climb all over him, some of them probably in it for more treats. Some of the braver cats would even try to bat at his flame when he moved around too much.]

[Emizel may need some help. He's not used dealing with so many active furry friends at once.]

Before

[purr_ince]

[Adrien isn't remotely surprised. He'd seen how Emizel was with Joli. He knows a cat person on sight. So he's moving over a kitten latched onto his shirt as he carries it - a wrapped little purrito; with a single paw free - in his arms.]

I knew I saw a familiar face.

[He's rubbing along the kitten and soon a head is popping out of the warm blanket.]

So then, Emizel, does this mean you've come to find a little kitten or two of your own? I could help. Oh..

[He's slipping a hand into his pocket digging out some ribbon with a little bell on it.]

Here. Most of the kittens like this kind of toy.

[swordofzero]

A

[Suzaku had gone most out of interest after seeing the advert on the BBS. He likes the idea of cats and also of exploring a little, this gave him an aim. He had only been here a couple of days and this was his first time on the near shore.

It feels... The fact he is almost invisible is something he finds reassuring. He doesn't seem to be bothered at all that he can walk around ignored and does nothing that might attract attention.

The cats notice him though, he kneels down on the floor when the first one comes and brushes up against him. He reaches out to stroke it's head...

And winces as it bites his finger.] Hey [He doesn't... make any move to remove said cat though, just let's him use his finger as a chew toy.]

B

[So he's learned he likes cats but cats do not really return that love. The original cat seems to be attached... to his finger that is. There is another clawing at his leg, one attacking his hair. Three more hissing at him.

He doesn't know what he's done to offend them. Can you even offend cats? This is ridiculous.] Um...

[Some help might be required]

B

[unlucky7]

[Oh dear, oh dear. It's good to see a familiar face around, but not one in the process of being attacked. At least it's only by cats and not something like ayakashi. Ginia hurries over with a cat toy, waving streamers attached stick to draw the attention of the hissing cats, gently luring them away from Suzaku and toward the other patrons in the cafe. Once those three cats are sufficiently entertained elsewhere, she returns to carefully remove the cat attached to his leg, cradling the growling cat in her arms.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

A.

[It's been less than a week since Ayumu was grievously injured during a yakuza raid at work. Though her wounds are physically healed, she's still hasn't fully recovered from the blood she'd lost but given her great affection for both felines and strays, she simply couldn't resist coming for a little while, at least.

Under different circumstances, Ayumu would be happily assisting the volunteers but she's still weary from her ordeal and looking a little paler than usual. Today, she can be found resting on one of the couches on the first floor with a large Maine coon sprawled across her lap and a gray longhair draped around her shoulders like a purring, furry shawl.

Her tea sits just out of reach, getting colder by the minute, but the cats are so comfortable where they are, she just can't bring herself to disturb them. So instead, she calls out to the nearest person for assistance.]

Excuse me. Could you hand me that, please?

[Of course, she could just move one of the cats off her of but what kind of inhuman beast do people think she is?]

B. Adoption

[There's never any question that Ayumu would be returning home with a new cat.

The question is how many will she be taking home with her.

There's so many charming felines to choose from. Older ones that might get passed over because of their age, young adult cats swaggering about, adorable little kittens... If Ayumu had her way, she'd take every single one of them home but between the two she already has and all of the monkeys running around Sanzang's temple already, she needs to approach this responsibly and reasonably.

So she goes up to one of the workers and says in a calm, authoritative tone:]

I'd like to adopt that box of kittens over there.

[She points to the one she has in mind, currently being used as fierce battleground between about four or five of them. It's kind of hard to make out exactly how many are in the box with the way they're wriggling about.]

What do I need to fill out?

[swordofzero]

Of course! [Suzaku seems to have made a friend. Said friend is currently clinging to his shoulder batting at his ear. But Suzaku doesn't seem to mind as he picks up the tea and hands it to her with a smile.]

There you go.

OTA

[tadaishi]

Play

[Finding the café was a small adventure, as Tadashi didn't know the layout of Tokyo all that well, and had to check the address on the BBS several times. But it was worth it to see cats--even if he didn't know if he could or should adopt any of them.

That didn't stop him from making friends with several of them. Or maybe 'friends' was a stretch; he had a handful of cats of various ages clustered around him--and his tea and pastry, given as advance compensation for offering to help take care of the cats later. A particularly bold cat had to be removed from the area of the food multiple times, crying pitifully even though Tadashi only gently removed her each time.]

No, that's not yours. I'll feed you later, I've already promised. Let me eat my own food first.

Work

[Earlier, he'd volunteered to help one of the staff feed and clean up after the cats, since there were far more cats than staff. And since he'd become (temporary) Giver of Food, he once again had several cats clustered around his feet or attached to his jeans like living velcro.]

You'll never get fed if you won't let me move, you know...

work

[revolutionfalcon]

[For his part, Shun doesn't particularly appreciate the other staff setting people to do his job, though he assumes it's because the ones who don't gossip about the mysterious person who works in the back tend to forget about him more often than not. In any case, this guy doesn't look like he's handling the usual reaction of kittens to nearby food very well.

Shun initially fully intends to pass by and return to the back without interrupting, but...it'll bother his schedule as well if this guy can't get them fed, so it's probably more annoying to leave it like this.

Swiping a laser pointer from behind the counter, Shun directs the beam over a few of the kittens so they notice it, then onto the floor in a waving motion. Most of the cats drop off immediately, rampaging after the dot of light, while Shun looks decidedly unimpressed.]

[smilingbullet]

[ A ]
[ D2 came to the cafe to play with cats (taking some time off from training once in a while is important too - though he did come directly from a gym) and, maybe, adopt another one. He'd have to ask Forrest before actually making any decision, though he thinks he won't mind.

He has found a seat on the floor and he's using a stool in place of a table, and on the stool he's got coffee and fruit tart, and there are at least half a dozen cats around and on him by now. He lifts up the coffee cup when one of them puts her paws on the stool to sniff at the coffee. She looks at him with an offended expression when the cup is held out of reach. ]

No dear, this is far too hot for you right now. And it's not very healthy for you either.

[ B ]
[ After finishing several cups of coffee, D2 has found another place to sit and play with cats. One is chasing a mouse toy he's bouncing across the floor, for example. ]

Are you comfy in there?

[ Today, D2 is wearing pastel pink and blue, jeans, and, it seems, cats. Two kittens have made itself a nest in his hoodie's hood. One of the kittens meows, the other snoozes on. He speaks to the cats in English, like he often does to the cats he already keeps, and he speaks way too little English since he came to the Far Shore. ]

Alright, but you know you can't stay there forever right? Same goes for you, blossoms.

[ The big round cat in his lap that he gives a poke burps, the one sitting on his shoulder with its back paws on his back and a few claws digging into his hoodie to stay on ignores him in favor of watching the mouse toy with laser focus. The cat sitting on his leg and partly on the round cat, purrs when he pets it. ]

B!

[pure_radiantics]

Oh my gosh! Did you put them in there?

[Kairi comes up behind D2, where the kittens snuggling in his hoodie's hood are clearly visible.]

How cute...

[She comes up with a little feather toy in hand, looking for where all the cats in this area of the cafe went to - and thinks she found them, all surrounding D2.]

OTA

[shutupnail]

I. Why am I here?

[Piccolo still wasn't sure how he'd ended up in this place. He had been out and about trying to do more as his god wished of him--fitting in, after a fashion, by attempting to help out with prayers and the like--when he'd heard a desperate plea from some tiny mortal as he was walking past. While it was true he could only do so much as a shinki he could still act on behalf of his god or in general to be useful to the populace. Besides, his curiosity was piqued as he'd only caught part of the plea and wanted to know what it was all about.

To make a long story short, he had ended up following the tiny mortal and its parents into the cafe and once there he'd been shocked and stunned into into a silent, brooding mass of green shinki. Entirely because he regretted his curiosity-driven path as soon as he realized what the fuss was all about: felines. And there were entirely too many of them crawling, mewling, rolling, sniffing, and everything else about.

There was a fleeting moment of the desire to blast his way out of the confines of the building but it was tempered by the sudden, inane thought of the hordes of cats escaping out into the city. And for whatever reason that abhorred him. Maybe it was the sheer amount of fur and cuteness that it would unleash. He shuddered at the thought.

Instead, Piccolo found himself trapped inside for a bit as the enthusiastic crowds of humans came in and out to coo at the soft, fluffy balls of fur scampering all about. He reluctantly relegated himself to a corner as he eyed everything in sight with a nasty glare of hatred and loathing--until he caught sight of the original tiny human girl that he had heard pleading with her parents outside. His visage softened slightly as he watched her try to coax a small feline out of one of the hidey-holes. The cat, however, was either too stubborn or rude to come out and play with the girl and Piccolo watched as her demeanor slowly began to change to one of unhappiness.

Annoyed, the green shinki glanced around until he spotted a poor, defenseless cat lounging on a nearby stand. It looked to be a good size for a tiny human so he roughly picked it up to the cat's displeased yowl and brought it over to the little girl. He thrust the unfortunate feline towards the girl. "Here," he said as the cat dangled limply in his grip around its collar. It mewled plaintively.

Startled by the sudden appearance of a green man shoving a cat in her vicinity, the little girl went very quiet and shook her head. A glance towards her parents and back told Piccolo she was obviously frightened of him. Well, he was a very imposing stranger. Good on her. Still, she hadn't called out yet and after Piccolo knelt down to her level she seemed a little less scared as she instead began to look at him curiously. When she started to reach out towards one of his antennae though he flinched away with a small "tch" noise that had her pulling back her hands quickly, tucking them under her chin in renewed fear.

Piccolo distracted her by holding out the cat still in his grip front of her. "Here. Don't you want one of these?" he asked her.

She shook her head again and this time spoke up, quietly. "Not that one," she said. The girl pointed to the one still hiding in its hole. "That one."

Piccolo glanced at the indicated feline. For the life of him Piccolo could not understand why she was so dead-set on the one that wanted nothing to do with her. It was stubborn and rude and clearly not coming out of its hiding spot any time soon. With a resigned sigh, Piccolo released the ball of fur in his grasp; it scampered off with an indignant hiss at the shinki and disappeared. Piccolo watched it go and an idea hit him as it passed by one of the tables set up off to the side.

He got up and walked over to the table. On it sat a bunch of cat toys for people to pick up and use to engage the cats. After examining the different types of toys, Piccolo eventually picked up a pole with a string on one end that had some feathers and a bell attached to the opposite end. He walked back to the little girl and offered the toy to her. "Here, try this."

For a moment the girl just stood there and Piccolo feared he would have to demonstrate what he was trying to get her to do but then a light hit her eyes and, overjoyed with the prospect of luring her feline friend out of its hole, she took the stick from him. She immediately began to flail the stick about, whipping the feathered string about quickly, and while Piccolo could see the cat was watching it he could tell it wasn't going to come out with that as its lure. He knelt down again and gently instructed her to be more patient, to keep her movements to a minimum while still keeping the cat interested in its quick flitting about. Thankfully, she seemed to grasp the concept rather quickly.

Piccolo moved away to watch from a safe distance. With her happy nature restored, he seemed more content than he had all day long. Not that he was going to admit that to anyone. Her enthusiasm seemed catching, too, now that she was being both patient and encouraging to the cat as it slowly began to inch towards the exit closest to the toy. The little girl was smart; before Piccolo could prompt her, she dangled the feathers closer to the exit while the cat seemed interested and sure enough was rewarded with a paw striking out. She let out a cheerful little giggle and continued to dart the toy in and out of the cat's line of sight.

Piccolo watched over the tiny human for some time after that. He felt an odd sense of pride as he watched her scoop up the feline and present it to her parents with an excited smile. After seeing her bond with the feline her parents couldn't seem to resist the little girl's renewed pleas to adopt a cat. A few minutes later, he watched the little girl leave with her parents, cat in tow within its carrying case.

Though perhaps not his original intent with the day, it looked like he managed to help out with a "prayer" after all. He let a tiny smile tug up his lips briefly as he leaned back against the wall, arms crossed and looking rather pleased with himself. Let the vulnerable moment pass or interrupt him for maximum embarrassment effect?]

II. Wildcard

[[Hit me up for anything else! You can PM with an idea if you prefer to plan out something or just hop straight in with a tag of your choice. c:]]

I

[pure_radiantics]

[Kairi hadn't seen him since her fly-by comment encouraging Goten not to be rude to the new person, but he was hard to miss in a small space like this. She observed his interactions with the girl and, when the family finally left, Kairi stepped forward to smile up at him. She's much shorter than him, so it's not hard to be intentionally looking up in order to meet his eyeline. She's wearing casual but fashionable clothes for a young lady, with a vest over a long-sleeved shirt and a skirt on, plus open-toed sandals that make it easy to see her shinki name on one of her ankles.]

That was very kind of you just now.

[Her smile widens as she tries to make eye contact.]

I didn't get your name before, but I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you properly.

OTA

[lookingforhead]

A)

[Those who had seen Celty around might have assumed that someone like her wouldn't be interested in such things as a cat cafe. Even those who saw her without her helmet might think so, considering her nonhuman nature. But anyone who had spent any amount of time talking to her would definitely not be surprised seeing the helmeted woman sitting there on the floor with cats and kittens crawling all over her.

In fact it seems like she's being a bit overwhelmed by all their attention. But at the same time she doesn't seem to mind. Still, maybe a good idea to mount a rescue?]

B)

Upstairs in the game area, Celty's opted to use one of the computers set up, both to check some things online and maybe look through the games they have available on it while waiting her turn on one of the consoles. Unfortunately she's run into a bit of a crisis moment. A kitten has flopped over her mouse hand and has fallen asleep. Her helmet turns left and right, frantically looking for someone to rescue her.

C) Wildcard

(Have at it~)

B

[cuddle_battery]

Aww~! He's so cute!

[Yumoto is here to unhelpfully give the kitten some ear scritches. He's got another kitten cradled in his other arm and one on his head.

He loves this place.]

Are you gonna adopt him?

OTA

[needsteaplz]

A
[Several kittens chased after a flash of silver across the play area. At first glance, it looked like a large silver marble that seemed to defy physics as it rolled around, darting and faking out the tiny hunters in training. Finally, it came to a halt at Saori's foot. The lead kitten pounced, only to have the ball squish and pop into tiny wisps of smoke that disappeared into the air.]

You guys did so tracking it down. Now, how about a little something for your hunt.

[The kittens immediately rush in as Saori gave each of them several treats.]

B
[Saori may have taken a page out of the cats' books and parked herself on a comfy chair right where a beam of warm sunlight came in. Despite all the commotion going about, she could be seen dozing off and she's not alone. Two kittens called dibs on her lap and were fast asleep as she was. However, other cats gathered around for the prime real estate. Will someone save her in time before a cat-pile begins?]

A

[pure_radiantics]

[Having never met Saori before, Kairi isn't sure from a distance that she's from the Far Shore. However, then she spies the ball pop into wisps of smoke, and starts to have her suspicions. It's as she walks closer that Kairi spies her name on her collarbone, so she gets a smile mixed with amused confusion.]

Hiya - that smoke ball... did you do that, by chance? I didn't think I'd seen you in the Far Shore before, but I know it's a big place.

[shadowrevenger]

[ A ]

[Ren comes here often enough that he's a familiar face to all the cats, even if it takes the staff a few moments to remember him every time. As such, he seems to have been accepted as one of their own and somehow gathers a small crowd of cats anywhere he sits or walks.

...Of course, that might also have something to do with how happy he is to buy treats for them, but you know, details. He is a Cat Whisperer, and the how doesn't really matter all that much, does it.

He's also technically a volunteer today, but he was probably only asked because he was going to be hanging out where he could help supervise the main floor all day anyway, and he's seemingly not even doing a great job of that. At the moment, he's paying a whole lot more attention to the handful of cats darting around his feet and the stick toy that's keeping them there. At least, until one snags it out of his hand and starts dragging it across the room, leaving Ren and other other cats to weakly chase after it.]

Hey, if you steal that, I can't play with you guys anymore...


[ B ]

[It's been a long, exciting morning, and some of the cats are tuckered out and taking naps. And curled up right there on the floor with a couple of them is a certain red-head who is definitely shirking his volunteer duties. It's not his fault the small patch of sun looked so inviting...]


[ Wildcard ]

[Ren is going to be somewhere in the cafe all day so feel free to hit me with something else!]

[pure_radiantics]

[ Kairi has returned from getting another round of treats for the furry friends when she sees that this is a volunteer on a break - but also recognizes him. ]

Hi there - you're from the Far Shore, aren't you?

[ She laughs. She's not about to tattle on him or anything, but she's still curious. ]

Is this for a prayer or something?