[Day 4 - Early Afternoon] Making Pals

[Matsu Eriko]

One way of getting a cat in your good graces is to spend more time among their kind. Eriko had never personally owned a pet before so she supposed she had a bit of catching up to do. Dogs were typically a witch hunter's best friend but could that be said about cats? She wore a casual khaki-coloured outfit today, which was for the best considering all of the rain she had to put up through in the morning. Public transportation was a special Jigoku and took a bit of willpower to not elbow anyone in the throat.

She charged right to the door when she neared her destination and went inside to see what the hubbub was about.



One cat was startled by the sudden Matsu at first, staggering back and before letting out a small meow.

"Ah! Are you the welcome committee here? Hello! I'm Matsu Eriko, nice to meet 'ya!" Eriko would greet back Debris, crouching down to make herself smaller.

[Utaku Yesugen]

The last time Yesugen had ventured here, she had barely interacted with any of the cats. This time, she sought to rectify that issue.

Not that she was any good with animals back at home. Only the best-trained steeds had done well with her. The cockpit suited her much better.

And so, Yesugen watched the Matsu interact with the miniature lion. She too crouched down to get a better look, though for now, she didn't want to interrupt this intricate process.

[Matsu Eriko]

Debris would pad away from Eriko just as she crouch down, perhaps just a bit of petting distance. However, she didn't run away completely, only turn back to look up at the facepaint-covered human with an intent stare and let out a "Meow..."

Eriko sighed softly as she returned upright. "Ah, figures. I guess I will have to earn your trust too, then!"

She would turn her gaze to the figure beside her and greet her with a polite bow. "Oh, Utaku-san, good afternoon. Would this cat be a friend of yours?"

[Utaku Yesugen]

"I highly doubt that feline considers me a friend," Yesugen said, blankly regarding the cat. Then she took more of a look at the face paint and raised a brow. "Utaku Yesugen, to be more specific." And now she played the waiting game...

[Matsu Eriko]

"Well, then! They seemed like such a nice kitty but perhaps my approach was too strong, yeah. Something I should work on. I've never owned a cat myself but I'm looking to become friends with one. We have a cat over at the embassy that's a bit surly around me, so I'm trying to put in the work to smooth the rough edges." She gave a small shrug with a smirk. "I'm Matsu Eriko, pleased to make your acquaintance, Utaku-san. Do you want to share a table, grab a bite? I'm guessing you're at least okay with hanging around cats."

[Utaku Yesugen]

Yesugen regarded the cat once again with a passive expression. Once satisfied, relatively so, she turned her attention back to the Lion. "May our futre be bright." She glanced over at the nearest table and gave her own shrug. "Okay." Clearly not enthused, nor really too objecting... Extremely honest. Extremely awkward.

[Matsu Eriko]

"No sweat or anything," Eriko smiled encouragingly at the idea. "I figured that we could pool our collective cat courtier knowledge together and potentially wrangle at least one of these felines to our side. I'm sure we can try to get there somehow. Share a table, make some friends. Heeey, that looks like a good spot."

She gestured to one of the tables that had a pile of old paper magazines in case any patrons wanted to do some reading during their stay. Then again, who would when there were so many cats roaming around? They did also serve as a material for cats to scratch. For whatever reason, these magazines were currently spared their wrath. Most notably, a cat sat in loaf form, seeming like a stoic guardian of the table.



"Good afternoon, cat. I hope you don't mind the company, we figure we could join you." Eriko talked to the loafed cat like it was a person. She didn't think of these cats as people, most likely.

[Utaku Yesugen]

"Cats seem to be an enigma, from what I've read. They will flutter between total adoration and abject disdain." Yesugen shook her head. "It's a wonder people house them for so long." She looked about then shook her head. "Cuteness, I suppose. And general independence."

She followed along to the Matsu's chosen spot. As she watched the little exchange, she couldn't help but wonder if that had been to sway the cat or for the Matsu's amusement. "Best that we do ask for permission," Yesugen admitted. "I would rather not add a cat's claws to my skin today."

[Matsu Eriko]

Mold looked rather impassively at the Matsu when he was spoken to, giving her a resting cat face before his eyes slowly sank. It had been a productive morning of zooming around and smooching his face into some nearby hands. He had to recharge for a little bit, especially when the sun was hinting more after the rain was slowly letting up.

Eriko looked at Mold and then back to Yesugen for her opinion. "Hm...not quite the answer I was expecting. This cat isn't meowing but I don't think they are hissing at us either. They're probably okay with it. Quite the enigma as you said."

Eriko carefully took a seat to see if Mold would react with sudden movements. Mold did nothing. "...I think we're good. But as you said, it does seem like a good number of people do have cats. With a samurai's busy schedule, it's kind of not surprising. There aren't enough hours in the day for dog walking."

[Utaku Yesugen]

Yesugen sat across from the odd Matsu, eyes mainly on the cat. I suppose she might have married into that family. Most of them are the exact opposite of the Utaku. Loud, obnoxious, untalented...

It was best not to think too much on that. Instead, she leaned closer to the cat and adjusted her glasses. "Yes. This one would surely not beg for scraps all day."

[Matsu Eriko]

"Well, maybe we came after their lunch and he's just taking a bit of a catnap, Utaku-san. I don't think he minds us too much for the time being." She said as she looked at the stack of magazines and found a plastic board that was mostly cat-proof which listed the offerings of Hakumyo. "I wouldn't mind getting something to eat and drink while we're waiting for the fella to recharge or maybe another cat to wander over to us. Some simple green tea would be nice. Skipping lunch and straight to dessert? That doesn't usually work out for me but I might be hungry enough to get some waffles."

She looked up from the menu before sliding it over to Yesugen. "So, how have you been finding Winter Court so far? Are you local around here?"

[Utaku Yesugen]

"I suppose it comes as no surprise that cats too endure drowsiness due to ingestion." Others had a much more succinct term for that. "But no, eating only dessert is sure to leave you unsatisfied. Indeed, it is mostly superfluous."

Yesugen raised a brow. "Do I appear to be a local? I am not. I am here for a vacation. The Winter Court has been acceptable."

[Matsu Eriko]

Eriko perhaps finally clued into the other woman's general vibe after a few exchanges into the conversation. She would give her a few nods of her head. "Oh, I think I get you, Utaku-san. Well, sometimes a good waffle can hit the spot. Maybe with some deep-fried chicken or a brick of crispy tofu It's not all sugar, at least. Of course, real lousy to your diet, it's bound you to set you back a few cheat days, eh?"

She waved a hand up to get the attention of a server so that she could make an order. "Well, there's a lot of folks who live here who aren't exactly Scorpion. Whether or not they stay for long is a whole another question. I've been stationed here for about a month but it's not my first time here. They figured since I know a bit more about the city that I would be useful somewhere. Not a big demand for Lion Witch Hunters, you know? Politics though, that's something I'm probably just going to leave to my wife."

[Utaku Yesugen]

"While I understand that others feel the need for cheat days, such is not necessary for me." Yesugen shook her head. "As long as the meal is prepared well, then I can eat it repeatedly." This, of course, only included healthy choices.

Yesugen refrained from making any comments about a born Matsu's aptitude for politics. "This is a hub for quite a few people. I suppose you've seen much as a Witch Hunter then before leaving your ancestral home."

[Matsu Eriko]

Eriko would make an order for her seat before shifting the server's attention to Yesugen so that she could make her own order.

Her eyes narrow a bit as she rested a forearm on the table. "I guess that would make you easy to please at the very least but could you actually eat the same thing day in and day out regardless of how it's prepared. No preference for anything else, eh? Sure, everything is about the same when it's your stomach but I recall can get around living like I was still in mandatory service," she shook her head.

"My job asked me to do a bit of wandering around the galaxy. Not that we're perfect at home but a witch hunter's duty is best when they're hunting, it's right on the label!" She smirked with a shrug. "But, I've done more mundane investigations in my time. Life is already complicated without these spiritual terrors."