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

January 4th

[unlucky7]

[The grounds of Caster's temple in the Northest district are largely forest. Massive, ancient trees reach high into the sky, their sprawling root structures creating cavernous shelters perfect for an animal - or human - to hide in. Some of the trunks also twist and grow at an angle, allowing easy access to the intersections created by branches or the hollows within the trees.

With some searching, Keith ends up finding a cat, though not the one he's looking for. Sprawled across a large branch, a massive snow leopard - large enough to carry someone - blinks at him with large brown eyes, ears pinning back and head cocking to the side.

Hello, stranger.]

[yousaytron]

[If one of the cats were to have wandered into such a wild, expansive forest, what are the chances that Ketih would even be able to find them in a matter of a day or two, let alone the handful of hours he's dedicating to the location? Still, searching even a little is going to put his mind more at ease than skipping such an appealing area entirely.

Of course, one very large cat is going to be much, much easier to spot than any of the missing house cats, but being as focused as he is on lower ground, that particular discovery finds him at a somewhat... closer proximity than he would have liked.

Ah. Well then.]

Easy there, kitty.

[Holding his hands in sight in front of him, snacks and papers not withstanding, he tries to keep his tone steady, calming. Not that she seems hostile, but there's no reason to give her an excuse to be when he's the one trespassing in the first place.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia is a light sleeper at best and it's no different in her vessel form. She wakes up as her ears pick up footsteps nearby, sits up when someone draws near. He's a stranger and she peers at him, trying to figure out if he's someone she's seen around before. Maybe at training or any other large gathering?

Hmmm... nope.

Her ears turn forward as she looks at the leaflets in his hands, also picking up the smell of cat treats. As she stretches forward to look at the flyers, it's also easy to think she's going for the treats.]

January 6th

[missingache]

[Roxas is prone to wandering around and observing everything around him. So seeing someone crouching down and looking under things? That doesn't seem normal.

It might be even less normal for Roxas to come right over and crouching right next to this person with a curious expression.]

What are you looking for?

January 5

[replicatedform]

[After the busy days from the shrine visits, Yamanbagiri have taken this time to relax. Well, he try to relax until he feel restless enough to look for work around Konohanasakura's Temple. It's quiet enough that he doesn't mind letting the troop spirit run about. He'll be nearby in case the troop need to call for his attention.

Speaking of temple critters, Keith seems to have attracted the attention of the troop on his "patrol" around the temple. There's the sounds of a horse approaching, and if Keith turns to look he would see... a very tiny guy and his horse.]

[yousaytron]

[Do big cats like treats just as much as domestic ones do...? That seems to be the question running through his mind as she leans in closer, and, he figures... maybe it's worth a try. Carefully, he tucks the papers under one arm to open up the bag and fish out a few morsels.]

I don't suppose you've seen any of the cats I'm looking for.

[Spoken as if he doesn't really expect an answer, and is mostly just talking to himself to break any tension brought on by the sudden appearance of one enormous snow leopard.]

[yousaytron]

[Maybe a little odd, but who can really blame someone for being curious? When Roxas approaches, Keith pauses in his searching long enough to regard him, not finding himself too concerned about having company as long as said company isn't trying to chase him off the temple grounds.]

Some cats that have gone missing. Have you seen any around here recently?

[yousaytron]

[Surely, there are some strange things that wander around the Far Shore, and while 'tiny men on tiny horses' is probably not a typical sight by any means, Keith seems to take the sudden and surprising appearance in the kind of stride someone generally used to dealing with weird sights might.]

... Okay. [Well then.] Hello there? [Keith's guard is up, and ideally he'll try and keep at least a little bit of distance between himself and this shockingly small horse and rider duo, but he might as well find out if they're hostile or not to gauge how he should approach this situation.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia pulls back as the flyers are tucked away and the treats offered. She sniffs at them, whiskers bending forward. Fishy, not unpleasantly so. Despite looking like a large cat, it's only her vessel form, and animal instincts don't come with vessel forms. That fact hasn't stopped Ginia from trying to solve cat mysteries such as "why are boxes great" (inconclusive, more research required) and "is it comfortable sleeping curled up in an otherwise back-breaking U-shape" (YES).

So why not see how cat treats taste? Ginia sniffs again as she considers his question. Cats? Ah, that would explain the flyers. She shakes her head and huffs lightly. With four dogs and a pack of wolves around the forest, hopefully any missing cats have the sense to stay away. Still doesn't mean she can't keep an eye out for them. Ginia huffs and waves a paw at the flyers.]

[replicatedform]

[The little soldier seems to be thinking while staring at Keith for a moment. He looks between Keith and the temple behind him.

After thinking for a moment, he points to Keith and frowning. And then gestures to the general area around them, before pointing back at Keith.

... While that's happening, Yamanbagiri's looking for the troop after he's done with a chore. Hm, where is he?]

[yousaytron]

[Surely there are plenty of cat mysteries that can be solved by virtue of cat physiology...! But, without the cat instincts to go along with them, the treats will probably just taste like sharply fishy crackers. But, hey, anything for science, right?

The shake of her head gives Keith a moment of pause, and once his surprise at what genuinely seemed to be a moment of understanding cools down, he holds the drawings back out at what looks to be her insistence.

They are. Recognizable as cats. And probably an adequate enough visual description in lieu of any photographs.]

They've been out... a few days, I think?

[yousaytron]

[That doesn't seem like a particularly 'friendly' gesture, but it's not an attack, either. That much bodes well, he figures, but he's not about to be chased off so easily when he's got a mission to fulfill.]

I'm just looking around for something, I'll be out of here in a bit.

[Can the troop be reasoned with? Let's find out...!]

January 6

[frankensteins_moe]

[Jackpot!

In his wanderings, Keith does in fact manage to find one of the cats. There's just one problem...]

A-aaaaa...

[...It happens to be latched onto the end of Berserker's arm, mouth clamped around her hand. She winces in pain, but reaches out to pet the little guy with the other hand.]

[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.]

5th

[creepface]

[ A path leads Keith into the forest where a dainty little temple hides in the lush woods. Well, it's lush when it's not winter, but you can tell that it will be come spring. There's a cosy glow coming from inside and the door is ajar and there's the sound of metal music coming from inside. Meanwhile, one of the cats Keith has been looking for wanders around the corner of the building and into the little temple. ]

[yousaytron]

[How fortunate! Minus the whole 'attacking a passersby' aspect but. Uh. Hopefully she'll be understanding enough once he pries the cat off of her?]

Whoa, whoa there, [He'll hurry over to her side, fishing a cat treat out in order to give the critter something more tempting to snack on.] Come on now, let go of her.

[yousaytron]

Ah-!

[As he investigates the grounds, Keith's sure he catches sight of one of the cats he's been searching for - or at least, one that looks enough like it to warrant a more thorough search. Grabbing a few cat treats out of the bag, he moves in closer to where the cat has snuck in, hoping to be able to coax it out.]

Come on, kitty, let's get you out of here.

[Hopefully the cat can hear him over the noise of that music, or at least have it's attention grabbed by the smell of those treats.]

[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.]

[replicatedform]

[The troop stare hard at Keith for a moment. And then he nods, as if deciding on something. He make the horse move forward until he's close to Keith, watching him.

If Keith decides to keep looking around this area, the troop will follow him around!

Meanwhile, Yamanbagiri went to the next likely spot the troop might be at, all while calling out for him. "Oi...!"]

[missingache]

I..... [Okay this might sound a little weird. But the guy is still fairly new so lack of memories and all...] I don't know what a cat looks like... So no? Maybe?

[yousaytron]

[Oh.

Okay.

That is probably the answer he never would have expected to hear, but he is at least kind of prepared for this situation.]

Like this, [and here he presents the drawings he’s made of the missing critters, though the one in the top corner has been crossed off after having been found the day before.] They aren’t very big, only about.... [And now he’s holding his hands out to give him an approximate size idea. You know. House cat sized.]

[missingache]

[..........] So they're called cats... I thought they were dogs who couldn't bark right...

[Oops. But yes! This makes things easier.]

There's a whole bunch in the park.

[Spirit and living.]

[creepface]

[ Joke's on him, cats are gonna do what they gonna do

which is not come outside, because that's where the snow is.

Come inside or stand there like a fool waiting for the cat to come outside again? Up to you, Keith. ]

[yousaytron]

[He knew what dogs were but not cats??

Well, you know what, that’s fine. He isn’t going to think about it too much while there are bigger fish to fry.]

I’ll probably stop by there, too, but are you sure you sure you haven’t seen any around here?