isleofavalon | closed 🌠 the night is blind, so hard to find the way back home

[It's been a couple of days since Aerith's house had filled, and a couple of days for Tifa to fall into a sort of routine. It was wake up, prepare breakfast (something different every day), keep Balthier company on the couch for a while, and then some play time with the kitten, and who else would this kitten want to bring to play time? None other than Nanaki, who has grown to be her favourite in the household since the moment he stepped through the door, much to Tifa's relief.

It's better this way. This way, she knows that the people she cares about most are safe, and she and Aerith could take care of them all under one roof.

Although on the third morning, play time begins earlier than normal. Before Tifa can even finish the last bites of her breakfast, she's already padding at Nanaki's paws and leaping up to catch his tail (and failing miserably, landing and rolling on the floor instead), but she can hardly be upset about it.

The kitten had been a rescue from the fires of Celliwig, and one of the few animals in the shelters that had made it out alive. Tifa expected her to be scared and shy, and for the first little while she was, but over the past couple of days, she's slowly opened up and has decided that Nanaki would be the one she would join at the hip. If he was around, then she wasn't so afraid, and it's the kind of thing that could fill Tifa with love, even on her worst days.

Setting her plate into the sink, she wanders over to the pair.]

Whoa, let him finish his food first!

Edited 2021-10-02 15:56 (UTC)

[It's not Nanaki's first time seeing such widespread disaster. Not even his second, even. But just because he was used to seeing and surviving such harrowing events, that didn't mean he was used to it, or numb to it. And after everything that's happened, it's no wonder that those who remain would want to huddle together, keep close just to make sure each of them was safe. So, when he was offered a place to stay in Aerith's home, well, Nanaki had agreed. He didn't want to overstay any welcome, but given the circumstances? It would be good for him to remain close to those he knew best.]

[Nanaki keeps his good eye on the little kitten that crawls around the house and investigates everything. Even though she had been clean, Nanaki could smell the faint scent of ash on her fur, which was only further confirmed by Tifa's words as to where the little one had come from. But in that way that all children seem to persevere, it only took a few days for the kitten to grow curious and playful.]

[He had been eating some dinner when his new companion had wandered over, and Nanaki lazily kept the burning tip of his tail up and out of her grasp so she wouldn't burn herself. But other than that, he held quite still as the kitten leapt and tried to bite at him, or paw at his paws. His ear flicks when he hears Tifa arrive, and he looks up at her.]

It's alright. I was almost finished anyways.

[When he flicks his tail away again, she screeches and topples over against Nanaki's side before rolling over onto the ground, and Tifa will leave her to pick herself back up, kneeling in front of the pair.]

Clover's pretty taken with you.

[The kitten, while curious and perhaps a little too playful for everyone's own good, is still a bit on the clingy side. She follows Tifa wherever she goes, right on her heel if she isn't screaming to be picked up and carried. Unless someone else has food, she typically minds her own business... unless that person's name is Nanaki. If it isn't Tifa she's tailing, it's him, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel a little bad that Clover isn't giving him enough space to do his own thing.]

If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's right about playtime, if you're up to it... again...

[The last word is tacked on with an apologetic sigh...]

So it seems.

[He watches as Clover picks herself back up, and lowers his tail once more... though he still keeps the flaming part out of reach. But he lets the rest of his tail be in kitten-pouncing range.]

It's alright with me. Someone needs to teach this little one how to be a cat.

[And for all his human-like intelligence, he is still also a beast. He can help teach responsible playtime.]

[Is that what he is? Just a big cat with a fiery tail? Tifa still hasn't figured it out, but if anyone can teach Clover how to hunt like a cat, it would be him.

She's still going for the tail, her eyes going black as they go wide with excitement, and she pins herself low against the floor, skinny tail up and watches... waits... and her bum wiggles before she leaps for it and misses again.]

You know, I wonder if there was anyone at the café that taught her how to do all the things cats do. You know? Like hunting and cleaning herself. She's still so small...

[Is he a cat? Is he a dog? He is that which stands before her, nothing more. But he is similar enough to the little kitten to understand her needs, and can at least translate enough to her to understand. Don't worry, little one, you'll get that mean old tail sometime!]

Given her age, it's possible she is still missing some guidance. Normally such skills are left to the mother, but...

[Well, there was no mother, was there?]

I... have never raised young before, or had younger siblings, but I can do what I can to help. I think I can remember some of what my mother taught me, and what Grandfather taught me as well.

Edited 2021-10-12 05:38 (UTC)

[There's so much about him that she still doesn't know.

Clover tries and fails once again, still not learning her lesson that this tail is not the toy she's looking for. She tumbles over this time, and Tifa pauses the conversation to lift her back onto her feet. She might be too doting a mother, but she can't help it...]

You know, I've never heard anything about them.

[Or about anything in his life before he ended up in Hojo's lab...]

They still around?

[Nanaki lets out a hum, his ear flicking. Right... Tifa hasn't heard much about him, at least not yet in her time. He remembers his initial hesitance to reveal anything to what were at the time a group of strangers, but now... well, Tifa is a good friend. So, lowering his tail enough to finally allow the kitten to be within pouncing reach, he keeps his eye on the kitten while he talks to Tifa.]

...no, not anymore. My father died many years ago, when I was too young to remember him. My mother died when I was a pup, so for the most part, Grandfather raised me. He taught me the ways of my kind, even if he was not the same as me. I owe much of my knowledge to him.

[She's hit a bit of a sore spot, hasn't she? She watches his ear flick, notices his hum, but when he explains, she listens patiently, her own eyes on Clover while she makes another leap at the tail. She's persistent, if anything.

Tifa recalls their initial meeting with him. He hadn't been so open to share anything about himself, so they had little to go on about who he was before he wound up there, or where he'd come from... whether he had family or friends looking for him. So the fact that he's sharing even this much with him now pulls at her chest a little, but in a good way.

Her smile grows sullen to warm, hearing about his grandfather, and she's silent for a short stretch while she gives Clover a small scratch behind the ears, to which she responds with a small, angry mewl. Don't, mom! She's trying to catch her prey!]

Your Grandfather... he wasn't like you?

[Once upon a time, talk of his family would be a sore spot. Something he adamantly refused to bring up with strangers, and found it even harder to bring up with those close to him. But the truth about his father's death really allowed him the peace to talk about these things more openly.]

No, he was not. He was long-lived like my species, but he had a human appearance.

[Old Bugenhagen wasn't a Cetra, but he wasn't quite human either.]

For many years, it was just me and Grandfather, and the rest of the residents of Cosmo Canyon. They taught me all I know, and everything I knew about the Planet. And, in time, Grandfather even taught me of how my father died... ironically, it was not long after I met you all.

[His ear flicks.]

...that's something that will come to pass for you, eventually.

[Tifa's brows shoot up.]

Cosmo Canyon? We really make it that far, huh?

[All the way across the water, closer to Nibelheim than Midgar which means they would find a way to get across. Through Junon and Costa Del Sol, perhaps? But why there in the first place? Were they planning on taking a trip down memory lane? ... As he said, it will come to pass when the time comes, so she'll simply leave it at that. The future isn't something she wants to know too much about anyway.]

He must know a lot, if he taught you everything you know. Including how to be a cat.

[She smiles down at him.]

And now you get to pass it all down, too.

Yes. We travel to many locations around the Planet.

[He won't say too much, because like her he's not sure if it's a good idea to reveal too much too soon. But it's a little interesting, holding knowledge that others do not possess.]

He lived in Cosmo Canyon for generations, and knew of my species the best. He was very knowledgable! I would have no other teacher than Grandfather.

[There's something of a childish pride in the way he speaks of the man. Someone was very proud indeed.]

Ah, I suppose so... But I am still new at this, so please forgive any inexperience on my part. [And then, more to himself, he adds,] I'm only 50, after all...

[Very proud indeed. It's sweet, really. And she's sure that if he were here right now, he would be proud to see how far Red had come... even if it is just on the dining room floor wagging his tail around with a kitten. Although she does raise a brow at the last part.]

Only fifty?

[A giggle bubbles up in her chest that startles Clover, and she realizes how rude that must have sounded, so a hand shoots up over her mouth.]

Sorry... I just... that's older than I thought.

[Good save!? Not that she meant any of it in a bad way!]

[Ah, right... Nanaki hums, his ears flicking as he looks away. A little... bashful?]

Well... yes. I am fifty years old now. [Meaning he was 48 when he met everyone.] Truthfully, it's not very old for my species... it is about the equivalent of a human teenager.

[That's what Bugenhagen had told them all.]

Ahhh, so... [Tifa leans towards him, her voice and smile all too teasing in manner.] That means you're actually younger than me.

[Than all of them!

Clover mewls, and it almost sounds like a gasp in surprise at the news. She sits, her tail curling around herself, and stares at Nanaki through watchful yellow eyes.

She won't tease him too much, don't worry!]

So your species must live a pretty long time, huh? The things you must be able to see...

Well... I suppose...

[But he's been in several fights! He is a guardian of both Cosmo Canyon and the planet! He's practically an adult!]

[Perhaps if this was around when they first met, he would have said as such. But instead he simply rumbles, turning to Clover and flops his tail in front of her. Hey, he's still older than you, kitten!]

Yes, they do. It is not uncommon for my kind to live a few hundred years.

[Clover mewls quietly at him, her head tilting while she continues to sit and watch his tail, the end of her own tapping gently against the floor, and Tifa pauses to look down at her.]

You want to live a few hundred years too?

[She meows again, this time louder and more enthusiastic before she's pawing at his tail again.

Tifa's hands reach out, and she pats them both on their heads. Cute.]

I've never seen your species before meeting you. Are you all just in one place? Feels like I should've at least seen them when I was in Nibelheim.

[Nanaki looks down at the kitten, and lets out a little chuckle.]

Work on growing stronger first, young one. Then perhaps I can show you my skills.

[He will endure the petting, mostly because it is Tifa, Though, he does frown a little, looking away.]

...no. My kind are... rare. I only know of a small number of them.

[She sees that frown, small as it is, and wonders if maybe that was a bit of a sore spot for them. A rare kind, and hopefully only that instead of a dying breed. So, with a small, sad nod, she lets the conversation steer elsewhere.]

Well, I guess Clover can be a part of your pack now.

[Tifa smiles wide, hoping that it will bleed into the air around them and lighten the mood, but there's still a small pang of sadness that cracks in her voice.]

She's going to need all the friends she can get... [She turns to Clover.] You're lucky to have him as your teacher, you know.

[Outside of his parents, himself, and another member of his tribe named Deneh, he's honestly not sure exactly how many remain. It is a sobering thought, knowing he is one of the last of his kind. But like Tifa, he is willing to move on from such a sorrowful conversation. He nods, looking at the little kitten.]

Someone needs to teach her to hunt and survive on her own. And when it is appropriate to bite someone, and when it is wise and unwise to pounce. I believe I am the best to teach her such skills.

[He will teach her the ways of the wild catdogwolf!]

[She's going to be the best catdogwolf Camelot has ever seen!

Clover seems to agree, because she mewls happily as she takes a spot next to him, sitting and swinging her tail in a way that mimics his, her big eyes mesmerized by it still. Soon enough, she's going to be more Nanaki than cat!]

Yeah. I wouldn't know the first thing about that. So... what's our first lesson?

['Our' because she wants to learn for Clover's sake, too. It's important that mom knows all of these things so that she knows what's appropriate and what's not!]

Well...

[He draws out the word, looking down at Clover. His lips curl up in a feline grin. He lifts up one of his paws.]

The first lesson of any feline is to learn how to remain on your paws.

[And then he moves to gently knock Clover over, so she can roll over. It's little more than a gentle nudge, and a low, deep rumble sounds in his chest as he does it. Is he... having fun??]

[Tifa's gasp is loud when she sees Clover topple off her feet, but there's no shortage of amusement. She's still young and small enough that even the gentlest nudges could knock her over, but even Clover is surprised by it, mewling at Nanaki in a fit of protest as she tries to right herself.

But instead, she gives up and rolls over onto her side, the end of her tail flicking contentedly on the floor.]

No, I think that means you have to get up and try again!

[Clover's eyes flick to Nanaki, as if asking him if this is indeed what he intended.]

[Nanaki chuckles a bit, intermingled with that deep rumble in his chest. What a playful little one.]

Well? Will you take that, little one? Or will you pounce back?

[Leaving it up to Clover. Will she pounce at him? Or just keep rolling around? Honestly, either way is fine; play is play when it comes to children.]

[She's a feisty little one now that she's starting to feel more confident, so she will indeed pounce! ... But she misses and instead crashes into Tifa's legs, and the collision topples her over. Just going to pick her right back up and set her on her feet.]

Aim's pretty off there. You sure that was the best choice? Maybe try learning how to sit so you don't fall, hm?

[Clover's mouth opens and she gives a mighty meow back. Don't tease her, mom!]

How's she supposed to sit proper anyway?

closed 🌠 the night is blind, so hard to find the way back home

nanaki.

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we can probably start wrapping this! 🥰

I'm cool with that! :3

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