I wish I could be as carefree and wild

[yousaytron]

Who: Keith and You!!
When: Any time between January 3rd-6th, before the newcomers start pouring in.
Where: Around the Far Shore - is he scouring the land outside of your temple? In a public space? Follow your heart!
What: K i t t y Q u e s t

[Following the abrupt disappearance of Yog-Sothoth’s temple and his unexpected days-long-nap, it doesn’t take very long for Keith to realize something somewhat distressing - the three cats that had made their home at the temple are nowhere to be found. With snowfall starting to creep more and more into the weather forecast, it’s for the best to try and find them as fast as he can, lest they find themselves subjected to the consequences of cold weather exposure…

Or, maybe he just really needs an excuse to keep himself busy and hold off on confronting him own troubles over Futaba’s disappearance. But, you know, still. He’s not going to just abandon a trio of cats who are used to spending time indoors, either.

Equipped with a few sheets of paper with the cats’ likenesses drawn on them, as well as a small bag of cat treats, he’s looking high and low, any place a cat or two might take shelter, which is naturally going to lead him to investigating around a bunch of buildings. Any spot that looks like it might be a cozy enough hideaway is getting a thorough look-over, even if that means sneaking around someone else’s property. It’s for a good cause. Of course, with the affinity so many heaven-bound residents have for cats, it’s only natural that he’s going to attract a good number of incorrect felines. Probably yours, if they have the freedom to go outside. Heck, his endeavors will probably catch the attention of some other temple specific critters outside of cats, too. Imagine.]


[[OOC: Hit me up either by PM or over on sandshrew if you’d like for one of the cats to be at your character’s temple, or want them to discover one of them together! Otherwise I’ll assume a fruitless search, but... maybe the real cats... were the friends we made along the way.]]

Comments

[unlucky7]

[One all black, one with white socks and a forehead mark, one with white socks and a white muzzle and tail. There are questions about whether the bottom cat is missing an eye or was drawn winking for the sake of cuteness, but right. Got it. Ginia's ears swivel and pick through the sounds of the forest. There haven't been any meows or squeaks, no sounds of dog barks or growls in awhile either.

Carefully, Ginia licks up the treats. Very dry, very fishy. Not... bad. With how small they are compared to her, she swallows them in one go. Rising to her feet, she carefully stretches before bounding to the forest floor. She looks up at him and tosses her head toward her back a few times. It's a big forest and she's not up to much. Might as well offer a ride as they look for the cats.]

[yousaytron]

[He'll take that as a sign that big cats are probably just as fond of treats as any other cat might be. The fact that this is simply another shinki in a different form has yet to cross his mind as a possibility, all she's managed to convince him of so far is that she's probably a lot smarter than a standard beast might be - and that's easily chalked up to 'weird Heaven nonsense'.

The invitation for a ride almost misses him, and it's with a bit of uncertainty that he asks for the clarification,] You... want me to hop on? [That should be easy enough to confirm or deny, he figures.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods again, repeating the motion and huffing at him. The forest is fairly large and it's easier covering ground this way. Also this way, she can make sure he finds his way out without running into the wolves or the guard dogs. The wolves tend to keep to themselves and are only a threat to the local wildlife, and Regal is the only guard dog that actually guards and tends to warn before attacking, but it's better this way.

So can also make sure a flyer makes its way to the temple proper. Maybe the guys have seen something.]

[yousaytron]

[Such a smart plan, one he'd have no real qualms about if he knew exactly what she had in mind. As it is, he's honestly pretty willing to trust the judgement of someone who apparently lives on the temple grounds, so... a ride through the forest to some unknown destination it will be. Can't deny that it's a pretty tempting way to travel, either.]

All right. [He's careful in climbing up onto her back, pocketing the treats to keep them out of the way and tucking the papers under his arm once more to free up his hands.] Ready when you are.

[unlucky7]

[With a height closer to that of pony than a real snow leopard and a god a hair over six feet tall, Ginia's pretty confident when it comes to carrying most people. However, while she's of the right size to carry someone, a snow leopard was still never designed as a mount. A good thing there's plenty of dense fur to grip onto.

Ginia sets off at a light gait, ears swiveling around to catch every sound and nose and whiskers twitching. If Keith points her toward something, she'll carry him over, otherwise she inspects any root caves or hollows a cat could have found its way into as she sets a path toward the temple proper.

Occasionally, there's the glimpse of a large white dog watching in the distance, but the dog never approaches.]

[yousaytron]

[Snow leopard fur is a lot softer than he would have expected, and with how thick it is, he doesn't feel all that worried about making sure he's got a good, solid grip. The goal here is to investigate, and while he doesn't let himself get particularly distracted by his own thoughts, Ginia may find herself on the receiving end of some idle, appreciative scratches behind her ears and around her neck at times when they stop to take a closer look at a potential hiding place.

No dice on cats, it seems, and while Keith can't help but wonder a bit about the dog, it's not like he'd be getting an answer out of asking his current company. As long as it isn't bothering them, or anything else for that matter, there's no real reason to risk provoking a standoffish creature.]

Not even a trace of 'em, huh...? [Well... heaven is a big place, it shouldn't be that surprising. Just, maybe a little disappointing.]

[unlucky7]

[Every single person that's seen her vessel form has given scratches in some way. Ginia huffs and curls her tail when the petting start; at this point, she doesn't blame anyone. Soft and fantastically fluffy, several hundred pounds of muscle and sharp claws and teeth, it's a good vessel form.

Ginia sighs at Keith's words. A pity. At least the temple itself is nearby, maybe the kittens are hiding closer by. Archer feeds strays so maybe they're drawn to the deck. At the very least, she can see if Keith wants anything to eat or drink. Nice as being a snow leopard is, thumbs and communication are nice too.

It's only a few more minutes before the large wood three-story hunting lodge making up her home draws into view. A white dog identical to the one shadowing them in the forest runs up, tail wagging furiously and barking happily. A smaller white puppy also follows on his heels, wiggling uncontrollably from excitement. Ginia crouches down so Keith can dismount and gives the two dogs affectionate headbumps. Raising a paw in a "wait here" gesture, she leaves Keith in the company of the dogs as she heads into the temple to find Caster.

A few minutes later, Ginia walks back out and raises a hand in greeting. She kneels to pet Pal and Lucky, typing on a cellphone. A message plays from the phone, read by a digitized alto voice.]

A pity we didn't find the kittens, but I'll keep an eye out for them and let the rest of my temple know. I'm Ginia, by the way. Nice to meet you.

[yousaytron]

[Raw power paired with a mouth full of sharp teeth, dangerous claws, soft and fluffy fur.... plus the kind of autonomy afforded to wander around on your own without the help of a god to cart your vessel form everywhere, truly a good form to take.

Still allowing his trust to be placed in the leopard chauffeuring him around, he doesn't have much of a problem with waiting outside the lodge, figuring she may be going to fetch someone better equipped for communication. Being left on his own like that would probably make for a good opportunity to check for any hiding spots near the building itself, except... you know what? Any attention the pair of dogs will allow him to pay them is a pretty appealing use of his time, too. If they're friendly enough to approach him as a stranger, then he may as well try petting and playing with them a little. Who could resist...?

It isn't much of a surprise when a human person returns, though the message the phone plays out... is.]

'We'...?

[If she's watching his expression, she can probably see all the pieces falling to place in his mind.]

Wait, that leopard was you?!

[What a twist!!]

[unlucky7]

[The dogs are the friendliest, over exuberant even. Guard dogs they are definitely not, though the temple has its share of guard dogs already. They'll tag along after him, tails wagging furiously as they lean against him and bump his hands for pets.

Surprise, surprise? Ginia smiles sheepishly and nods at the exclamation.]

Vessel form. What can I say, being a snow leopard is cool.

[yousaytron]

[Surprise, surprise for sure... Had he known, he probably would have approached the situation totally differently. He definitely wouldn't have tried to placate her with cat treats, and now he's probably going to be trying very hard not to think about how weird that probably was in hindsight.]

Yeah, it... it is cool. [He can't deny that, but if it sounds like he's still pretty shocked about it, that's because he absolutely is.] I, um, appreciated the help, too.