[He reaches into his bag, pulling out...whatever this is. Striding past Oda, he moves towards the bookshelf, squatting down and putting the bag on the floor before he reaches out with the toy.]
[He lets the feather thing hit the floor a few times, making a quiet jingling noise.]
[ odasaku closes the door, leaning against it as he watches howard try to coax the cat out.
he fears that it'll be too difficult and that howard will be disappointed but he's actually pleasantly surprised to see that the cat step out from behind the bookshelf, batting at...whatever that is. ]
I think she likes you. You're the first person she meets besides me and it took me days for her to eat while I was around. You might be a natural.
Hm. I just have dealt with a lot of cats before...you just have to know what they like. What they don't like. Not too hard.
[He gestures to the bag next to him, continuing to play with the cat. The little feather thing darts this way and that, and the cat bats at it, obviously pleased.]
There's things like this in here. Laser pointers. A couple of stuffed mice you can throw around. Cats like...to hunt and to jump around. Also there's a bag of treats in there, too. If you play with her, she'll warm up to you faster.
[A pause. He turns his head to Oda. The cat moves to play with Howard's long hair, even rolling onto its back as it chews at the strands. Howard ignores it.]
[ the amount of things that howard brought for the cat is actually...really surprising for odasaku. he blinks at it, wondering how the hell he's gonna pay him back-- yes, he was told not to, but this is too much to not show some sort of appreciation.
ah well, i'll figure it out later.
taking in all the information, sakutarou nods, kneeling down next to howard and the cat. with a hesitation that makes it seem like he's about to do heart surgery and not play with a cat, he nods again. ]
[His smile is wider now - it's a rare sight to see, on the usual deadpan expanse of his face. He leans forward, resting his chin in his hands as he watches the two play.]
If you give her enough activity...she'll appreciate it.
[ he's also smiling which is also rare on its own. if someone came in and saw the both of them, they would probably not believe the sight of the two of them smiling.
but what matters now is the cat, who continues to bounce excitedly as she follows the toy. at one point, oda turns to howard, although his hand is still moving the cat toy around. ]
Thanks. For this. [ a pause. the cat's got the toy, and oda will let her have it for a while. ] You...should come over more. If you want. I think she'll like it.
[It feels odd, to have thanks directed at him. He sheepishly doesn't meet Oda's eyes, reaching up with a finger to brush a wayward strand of hair out of his face.]
[He finally gains enough courage to turn his attention back to the other man, his smile softer.]
I'd be very honored if I could, Oda. She's wonderful.
[Howard is more than glad to give her affection, instantly reaching over to pet over her head and rub down her neck. The sound of purring is something that always manages to calm him down in the worst of times.]
She'll make your life richer. As long as you take care of her, she'll take care of you.
odasaku thinks a bit on that while he watches howard pet the cat. his life has never been one that could be called enriched. it never lacked anything (as far as he knows) but it never had anything special about it either.
he reaches, petting the cat gently. ]
That'd be nice. I wanna make sure she has a good life.
She likes you very much. I'm sure you'll give her a wonderful life.
[It's amazing, he thinks - he remembers being incredibly annoyed with Oda from that time in that wretched town. The man's thoughts ringing in his head, his overwhelming concern...it was too much. He had rejected it completely. And yet now, seeing Oda like this, so willing to care for this cat he's just taken into his heart and home...]
[Hm. He misjudged the man. He really did.]
You know, I'm... [He tilts his head to the side, trying to think of words to say. He withdraws his hand back to himself, his gaze cast to the floor.] Sorry. For how I acted in Pesgare. It wasn't...fair to you.
[ odasaku blinks, unsure if he heard howard right. is he...apologizing for what happened in pesgare? he remembers the stressful time they both had, having to listen to each other's thoughts. he remembers the anger the other held towards the town and how outright tense it was between them...
but he never blamed howard for it. he was worried, yes, but he didn't think it was something worth apologizing.
still, he won't argue. though oda doesn't know him too well, he has a feeling that an apology like this doesn't come easily. ]
Thank you. I know it was a hard time for you too, so...I'm not angry. I'm glad we can talk like this.
[ he somehow manages to understand howard's vague gesture and nods in agreement. the last thing he wanted was to have someone in his head and that definitely made things more difficult between them. ]
Well, I'm still thankful. Hope things can go a lot smoother between us.
[ akage meows, as if understanding the situation, and odasaku immediately goes to pet her. ] You're welcome to visit her when you want. Just tell me beforehand.
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where do you live
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[No it's just Howard, a paper bag tucked in the crook of his arm. He looks expectantly over Oda's shoulder.]
Hello. [A beat.] Where is she?
[Getting right to the heart of the matter there, Howard.]
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he points towards the bookshelf, where a tail is swishing. ]
She's hiding. I guess she's afraid of knocking.
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[He reaches into his bag, pulling out...whatever this is. Striding past Oda, he moves towards the bookshelf, squatting down and putting the bag on the floor before he reaches out with the toy.]
[He lets the feather thing hit the floor a few times, making a quiet jingling noise.]
Come come. Come here...
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he fears that it'll be too difficult and that howard will be disappointed but he's actually pleasantly surprised to see that the cat step out from behind the bookshelf, batting at...whatever that is. ]
I think she likes you. You're the first person she meets besides me and it took me days for her to eat while I was around. You might be a natural.
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[He gestures to the bag next to him, continuing to play with the cat. The little feather thing darts this way and that, and the cat bats at it, obviously pleased.]
There's things like this in here. Laser pointers. A couple of stuffed mice you can throw around. Cats like...to hunt and to jump around. Also there's a bag of treats in there, too. If you play with her, she'll warm up to you faster.
[A pause. He turns his head to Oda. The cat moves to play with Howard's long hair, even rolling onto its back as it chews at the strands. Howard ignores it.]
Want to give it a try...?
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ah well, i'll figure it out later.
taking in all the information, sakutarou nods, kneeling down next to howard and the cat. with a hesitation that makes it seem like he's about to do heart surgery and not play with a cat, he nods again. ]
Yeah, I wanna try.
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It's....not hard. You just let it jump around. Cats like the sudden movement. It makes them feel like they're hunting.
[A nod.] Go on. Have a go.
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the cat's attention immediately goes to the moving object and bats at it.
aware that the cat likes it, odasaku continues. ]
This is kinda fun.
[ it's an understatement. ]
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[His smile is wider now - it's a rare sight to see, on the usual deadpan expanse of his face. He leans forward, resting his chin in his hands as he watches the two play.]
If you give her enough activity...she'll appreciate it.
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[ he's also smiling which is also rare on its own. if someone came in and saw the both of them, they would probably not believe the sight of the two of them smiling.
but what matters now is the cat, who continues to bounce excitedly as she follows the toy. at one point, oda turns to howard, although his hand is still moving the cat toy around. ]
Thanks. For this. [ a pause. the cat's got the toy, and oda will let her have it for a while. ] You...should come over more. If you want. I think she'll like it.
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[It feels odd, to have thanks directed at him. He sheepishly doesn't meet Oda's eyes, reaching up with a finger to brush a wayward strand of hair out of his face.]
[He finally gains enough courage to turn his attention back to the other man, his smile softer.]
I'd be very honored if I could, Oda. She's wonderful.
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[ the fact that howard agrees makes odasaku, who was unsure if he was going too far or not, happy.
the cat seems to also take notice of the good atmosphere between the two, and she'll be rubbing against howard and odasaku-- give her attention. ]
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She'll make your life richer. As long as you take care of her, she'll take care of you.
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odasaku thinks a bit on that while he watches howard pet the cat. his life has never been one that could be called enriched. it never lacked anything (as far as he knows) but it never had anything special about it either.
he reaches, petting the cat gently. ]
That'd be nice. I wanna make sure she has a good life.
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[It's amazing, he thinks - he remembers being incredibly annoyed with Oda from that time in that wretched town. The man's thoughts ringing in his head, his overwhelming concern...it was too much. He had rejected it completely. And yet now, seeing Oda like this, so willing to care for this cat he's just taken into his heart and home...]
[Hm. He misjudged the man. He really did.]
You know, I'm... [He tilts his head to the side, trying to think of words to say. He withdraws his hand back to himself, his gaze cast to the floor.] Sorry. For how I acted in Pesgare. It wasn't...fair to you.
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[ odasaku blinks, unsure if he heard howard right. is he...apologizing for what happened in pesgare? he remembers the stressful time they both had, having to listen to each other's thoughts. he remembers the anger the other held towards the town and how outright tense it was between them...
but he never blamed howard for it. he was worried, yes, but he didn't think it was something worth apologizing.
still, he won't argue. though oda doesn't know him too well, he has a feeling that an apology like this doesn't come easily. ]
Thank you. I know it was a hard time for you too, so...I'm not angry. I'm glad we can talk like this.
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[He makes a vague gesture. The mind link thing. The one thing that could make him feel more vulnerable than even being in a crowd could.]
Anyways, I just didn't want you to think badly of me...it's already behind us. I just felt like it needed to be said.
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Well, I'm still thankful. Hope things can go a lot smoother between us.
[ akage meows, as if understanding the situation, and odasaku immediately goes to pet her. ] You're welcome to visit her when you want. Just tell me beforehand.