Face in The Crowd [Zero!] [M]

[DaGlobster]

It was an unremarkable day in Suna, during the heat of the summer rain season. Thanati of all stripes hurried among the streets as a moderate, warm rain gently washed the city. Everybody was used to it by this point, but not Kytin.

He had spent all of his eighty or so years on the continent, but as soon as he hopped off the ship he stowed away on, he knew that many new discoveries awaited him here.

He'd heard the Thanati worshipped fertility. He knew they revered the fairest among them and practiced incredible flesh-sculpting magics. He was quick to scurry off that Adelan merchant boat, much to the protest of the sailors who'd adopted him on the ride over.

Cats often were capricious creatures, he was just doing what was natural. Quickly, he climbed a building to get a lay of the land, light shining off his black fur and glimmering in his striking bluish-purple eyes.

But where to start? Some food, perhaps...

He set off across the rooftops, following his sharp nose. His travels took him by the city's grand temple, and he slowed down to study it for a moment. Then, some movement on the temple grounds caught his eye and he focused in on that. It seemed someone was there...

[Zero]

The rain didn't bother Hiwa, despite the fact that her hair and clothes were damp and clinging to her. It was just the way the weather naturally swayed many days during the wet season. If not for the rain their island home would certainly have looked much different than the tropical paradise they were blessed with calling their home.

Today she was walking the temple grounds, even though a more sensible priestess might have stayed indoors to be sheltered from the drizzle.

Hiwa found it refreshing.

The plants that were being gently beaten down by the rain tried to perk up for her, some blooming as she walked past and causing her to smile faintly. She may have gotten strange looks from people all her life for her non-native appearance, but the flora and fauna seemed attuned to her and that made her feel wanted by the island - and by Inima - more than making up for the wariness of her peers.

[DaGlobster]

Kytin focused his sharp eyes on this woman who seemed to stand out from everyone else. It was in the way she welcomed the rain, mostly. When flowers bloomed in her wake, that really caught Kytin's eye, and he watched her intently as she strolled the grounds.

He lept down from the roof, down into an alley. Using his reflection in a puddle, he shifted himself to appear dirtier, and just a little starved. The kindness of a priestess would be easy to exploit, no doubt...

He slunk out of the alley and onto the temple grounds, intent on intercepting her. He tucked himself away in some dense bushes, curling up.

When he heard her get close, he made a pitiful "Mrow!" sound, trying to mimic a cold, starving cat hiding from the rainstorm.

[Zero]

There was rarely anything to disturb her strolls on the temple grounds. Nobody tried to talk to her and the occasional small animal simply watched her pass in silence. Except today, she heard the little cry as she brushed past a few bushes.

Hiwa towards the sound with a soft frown. A cat was out here in this weather? Most of the stray cats on the island, and even around the temple, had hunkered down somewhere sheltered. If there was one that wasn't as familiar with the grounds here they might not know where to go to get out of the weather.

The priestess knelt down by the bushes and peered in to find the source of that pitiful meow. He looked a bit scrawny and dirty. Definitely a stray, but not one she had seen before.

"Oh, poor thing. Here kitty kitty." Hiwa called softly, not caring that she was getting dirty from the ground as she held out a hand and wiggled her fingers invitingly to the cat. The least she could do was get him to a drier place with a snack.

[DaGlobster]

When she found him, he was huddled into a ball, shivering and wet. At the sound of her voice, he stilled and looked up at her, looking up into her eyes. She'd be able to see thst his eyes were like turquoise gemstones, an extremely uncommon color for a cat.

It was the only part of himself he couldn't change. He could wear the skin of men, beasts, and other less describable things, but his eye color was always the same...

He gave her a curious "Yowl!" and seemed suspicious of her for a few moments before cautiously uncurling and sniffing at the tips of her fingers. He noted how her wet robes clung to her shapely curves with a passing curiosity, and looked back up at her again before he gave her finger a small lick.

[Zero]

What unusual eyes for a cat. They were really pretty, though. It was a shame the poor thing was a hungry stray and not someone's looked after pet.

The cat seemed a little wary of her, which was almost odd to Hiwa. Since the time she was born most animals seemed to just like her. Her parents suggested it was because something about her made them trust her.

Still, she smiled at the little lick he finally gave before slowly reaching her hand out further to try to pet his head.

"That's it, come here kitty. I'll help you get dry"

[DaGlobster]

Again, he seemed unsure of her. Playing hard to get was just part of being a cat, right? He flinched a but at her touch, but ultimately accepted her and let her pet his head.

He begrudged being called a kitty, but if this woman proved interesting enough he'd be getting that back and more. Just like how that sailor who kicked him ended up drowning tragically...

He snapped away from his thoughts, batting at Hiwa's hand with a paw before meowing again, although he did approach afterwards.

[Zero]

The cat truly was the most skittish animal she had ever encountered around herself. Hiwa pulled her hand back slightly in surprise when it actually batted at her hand. It wasn't trying to claw her, though.

"You're an odd one," the priestess mused softly as the cat finally approached her. Well, there wasn't much to really consider.

"I'm trying to help, don't be afraid, little one." She reached for him again and cautiously picked him up into her arms, being sure to cradle him so he would less afraid of falling.

[DaGlobster]

He was a curious one, but he let off a small yowl when she picked him up, squirming in her grip until she had him securely. His fur was matted and dirty, and he looked like he hadn't eaten in at least a couple days.

However, now that she had him he played the tired and hungry kitten, nestling against her bosom and mewling weakly again.

[Zero]

Hiwa smiled as the cat settled once he was safely cradled in her arms. She cooed at the poor scraggly animal as she carried him away from the grounds and into the temple. Plenty of stray cats roamed the halls, tolerated for their usefulness in keeping vermin at bay.

The priestess headed straight for the kitchen and set the cat down on the floor.

"Sit tight, little one. I'll get you a little something to tide you over," she hummed softly as she fixed a saucer with some fresh fish from that morning.

[DaGlobster]

Kytin had no issue letting this beautiful priestess cart him about, his eyes studying everything around him as they walked through the Suna temple's halls. For a brief moment, he made eye contact with one of the strays in the temple, and it hissed before stalking off to another part of the temple. Kytin paid it no mind, however.

Set down on the kitchen floor, he padded about and examined his surroundings. Satisfied, he then sat on his haunches and observed this priestess. He could detect quite the wondrous aura of magic about her. He'd seen these kinds of energies before, but never so concentrated...