The kitten was hungrily nomming at the bun that he didn't quite notice Atsumori going near him until he was right upon him. He perked up and let out a few pants before spitting in a threat, defensive over the bit of grub he managed to procure. However, Atsumori was successful in picking up the kitten.

The kitten looked at him with his beady eyes as he was at his mercy but this didn't stop him from letting a few hisses and swiping a right claw ineffectively.

How had that even worked? Hayato bit back a sigh and watched the kitten and the Phoenix for a few moments. "You got her? Or do you need some help?"

"Hey, hey, we're all friends here, mate," Atsumori crooned to the hissy cat. "Look, here's your barbecue, you c'n still have it. Here." He offered the affronted beast a bit more meat.

"I think I got him... her..." Atsumori raised his voice to a more normal tone to answer. He was on the point of bundling the kitten into the front of his coat to prevent escapes (without worrying much about the claws), but it occurred to him to check under the tail for a certain clue first. Not that kittens cared about gender pronouns anyway.

"Not too strong at this size, so long as I keep a good grip on him he won't escape." He chuckled as he ambled back toward Hayato. "Can't say that about a grown cat. Did you have a plan from here, Tsuruchi-san?"

A bit of ripped up grilled otori was handed over to the Phoenix, so the kitten would have plenty to eat, though the mantis was carefulnot to touch the beast. "Well, I hadn't really planned that far." He admitted with a soft chuckle.

"Maybe bring her back to the Wisteria to be put in a kennel for the time being? Seems like she will need some time getting used to people, so that may be a good place for it?" Hayato looked at the other man. "She will get used to people right? If so maybe we can find her a home with one of the participants or with one of the locals."

There was some hissing from the kitten with a few sudden claw springs as he attempted to get control again. However, he was under the mercy of his caretakers when Atsumori wisely bundled up the kitten to keep his claw to himself. He merely meowed and stared intently at them, bemused at the sorcery they used to keep him in check.

While he didn't understand human, he did understand the language of food and nibbled on his share when presented to him.

Tsuruchi Hayato and Shiba Atsumori have one very spicy orange kitten boi! The spicy orange kitten can be socialized and domesticated with a cumulative roll of Animal Handling/Awareness at a TN of 60, one roll per time slot. Once achieved, the kitten is tamed as a pet!

[[earlier....]]



"Luck to you too, Kitsune-sama. I'll be in touch later, bet on it." Atsumori nodded--yes, on comms, shush--and let the line close.

[[now...]]

"Yeah, guess they've got to have a place, I've seen other guests with dogs and that." Atsumori nodded at Hayato's suggestion. "Well, Usagi Jin just kept his little monkey in the dorm with him, but it didn't take much space. A kennel might be best for this tiny fella in case he still feels like escapin'."

He petted the kitten's head gently, which meant Hayato would get to experience the unique sound of a small animal growling, purring, and gulping food simultaneously.

"Seems to me you have finder's rights here, Tsuruchi-san," he commented. "Even if you don't want to keep tiger-chan here, you could pick a name."

"If I wasn't allergic i probably would." Hayato replied watching the Shiba pet the kitten with perhaps a touch of envy.

"Might be best to get a collar on the way back though, maybe i can think of a name on the way?" He wasn't sure what he'd name the beast though or even if he would.

"Fair plan, though right now a closed door and plenty of tucker is what's really going to keep 'im from running off again. Cats can skin right out of a collar if they really mean it." Despite the sticky, oppressive heat that was already increasing with every passing minute of the morning, Atsumori zipped his jacket up partway, the better to contain the kitten in a sort of marsupial pouch.

"It's a good deed for you today anyway, Tsuruchi-san, right enough," he added with an easy smile as he started strolling back toward the main street. "Kindness to any living thing is an act of positive karma, that's what the sutras say."

"I'll remember that." Hayato replied with a nod plenty of food seemed the way to go for him. Its not like he could let the tiny beast run around his room after all. "And thanks again for coming." He dipped his head towards the man's communicator. "You seem like the popular sort after all, with all that chatting, so it was nice of you to make the time."

A smirk came to his lips at the later comment. "I've done enough of the other that saving one kitten isn't gonna change my karma much. Still thanks, Shiba-san."

"Hey, no life is insignificant. Nobody knows till it's all over and added up, eh?"

He had the grace to look a little sheepish about the comms thing. "Oh, right, sorry about that. Not quite proper kemari, talkin' on the comm in front of your face like that. It's, err... the Fox Clan did me a favor about this researcher position I got back on Old Rokugan, so I owe them one. That was Kitsune Izumi, he's a guest at this shindig too. Don't think he'd actually call in the chit if he didn't really need it."

"I suppose so." Hayato agreed, starting the search for a pet should so he could acquire a few supplies.

"Ah, sounds like it is important then." He replied with a wry smile. "I'm not looking so get any details though. Your business is yours and none of mine. You have time to drop him back at the wisteria with me, or should I pick up a carrier too?"

"I should have, yeah," Atsumori nodded. "I expect the people I'm supposed to meet are all going to the offroad race this morning, they're in the miai too. I'll catch 'em after that." He looked around as well; in the mall district, it should be easy to find a pet supply shop, right?

Meanwhile, the kitten had temporarily forgotten it was being held in unjust captivity and had fallen asleep, digging its tiny needle-claws into Atsumori's shirt (and chest, but he barely noticed that; he'd had much worse).

"Are you goin' to race?" he asked by way of conversation (and, at least partly, in order to turn the topic away from whatever had Izumi so agitated).

"Probably, the Phoenix have gone through the trouble of holding a race, so I might as well right?" What did you name boy cats anyways? Nyan-kun was likely out.

"Learned some about driving when I was in the military, im not much of a racer but I shouldn't finish last." He looked towards the Phoenix and his cat pouch. "What about you?"

"Yeah, same." Atsumori looked quite relaxed as the pair strolled through the mall, as if carrying a small feral mammal in his coat was an everyday sort of activity for him. "I've run those little buggies offroad before, plenty of times, but I can't say I ever thought to race 'em. We used them in protected wilderness areas, mostly, and you don't want to be tearin' around in there. Slow and steady, leave as little trace as you can. Those tires will make a muck of rough ground right easily."

His eyes caught on a storefront bedecked with colorful signage in a cute font: NYAN-WAN EMPORIUM: FOR THE DISCERNING NEKO/INU.

"That's true enough about the tires." Hayato agreed as they arrived at the pet store. Luckily plenty of fresh air and the kitten being trapped in a jacket had kept him from sneezing just yet.

"Most of my driving is done behind the wheels of larger vehicles. Not that you want to go racing around on them either though. Two easy to tip." He gestured to the sign. "Seems we are at the place though."

"What kind of... larger vehicles?" By the time the question left Atsumori's tongue, he realized he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer--but then, again vehicles one drove and which could tip probably weren't the same as the 'pirate' starships preying on the Phoenix fleet in deeps space.

"Right, let's see if they can do us a bitty collar, then." He chuckled as he shouldered the door open. "You're going to want some proper food for the little fella, and probably one of those cat sandboxes too."

"Jeeps and trucks mostly, the type you use to move people and gear around." Not that such was what he usually did. "I'm not a driver by any means but u can cover cor one if they've been shot."

"Alright " What was a bitey collar? "I'll take your advice on this whatever it is. Never had a cat in my care before so, I've not alot of ideas of where to start."