middaeg | June Catch-All

[ The frosty air turned the clear heat of his breath to a ghostly white as he went over the light supplies he packed, ready to head to the forest. He’d taken a morbid curiosity in the forest and their so-called Death Trees, specifically the poisonous fruits which they bore, but more than slightly nefarious intentions with deadly fruit juice the leylines were something he’d like the chance to study.

He knew a little bit about them and now that he had a better grasp of magic in this world, the chances of gleaming more useful information from them seems more likely. Not to mention that he has Saori in his corner now which would make the trek easier for him. He wasn’t sure of her combat abilities and doing this quest together seemed like a good way to test that and lay some of his worries to rest.

Also being paid to do all of that wasn’t bad either.

A quick exchange of messages and the plan was set, meet up bright an early by north gate, make the trek to the designated areas, fill the leylines, beat up some shades, get paid, and be back home before supper. What could go wrong?

He probably just jinxed it. ]

[Saori is an early riser by default, so the early time isn't a problem for her. With the full moon come and gone, she now has the long tail of a crocodile and her eye color is a yellow-green like the reptile's. She looks up at the gate, as this is her first time here, let alone going beyond it.

Her forearms are wrapped in long white bandages, similar to a boxer's. She has a belt holster around her waist with a knife handle peaking out, along with a sheathed short sword. If she had more funds, she would have commissioned something more on the lines of a tanto short sword but this would do for now along with her chimera strength. When she sees Bishop approaching, she waves.]

Good morning, Bishop-san.

Good morning.

[ He greets with a nod. He noted the color of her eyes, weapons, and the very notable reptilian tail. Crocodile? Or was it an alligator? Hard to tell without the head. ]

You look ready. Is this gonna be your first trip out in the wild here?

[ She would appreciate it if the possibility of her head transforming not be mentioned. Blame Stiles for giving her nightmare fuel on that subject matter. ]

Yeah, it is. From what I understand for this mission, I basically watch your back while you take care of the leylines, right? Hopefully the smart Shades will turn tail when they see me but something tells me that's probably unlikely.

Maybe. We'll just deal with it when the time comes.

[ He actually assumes that they will be attacked, it's just easier to stay on his toes if he believes they are threatened. ]

Before we head out, let just double check our supplies. I doubt we'll have to set up an overnight camp but better safe than sorry right?

[ He said while removing the light shoulder strap bag he carried and set it on the ground. ]

Alright, so I have-

[ His train of thought was cut as he opened the pack, reached inside and pulled out a kitten with a calico pattern. He stared at the cat with annoyance and exasperation. ]

I was wondering where you had gotten to.

[ The kitten meowed. ]

[Her own bag was next to her on the ground and she was about to go through her own supplies to compare with Bishop's. ]

Ah-

[Saori covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. She goes in closer to get a better look.]

Oh my goodness, who's this little cute stowaway?

This - [ He says while handing the kitten over to her. ] - is the recent freeloader in my apartment.

She's a stray that wandered over one day and I have her some scraps of food on a whim. I guess she liked it cause she never left.

[ As cats are sometimes wont to do. ]

And she has no name. I haven't given her one because if I did I feel, well, that'd be "signing the contract" so to speak.

[ He sighs. Cats. ]

Hate to break it to you, Bishop-san, but I think you might've already signed that contract the moment you gave her food.

[Saori holds onto the squirming kitten as she sniffs at the strange creature that's holding her. The cute charm has already worked its magic onto the chimera, who looks up at Bishop.]

I imagine it wouldn't be safe for her to join us but we'd lose out on time if we take her back to your apartment now. My place isn't exactly nearby either. So...what now?

So I have, haven't I?

[ He also thinks she might have adopted him rather than he adopt her. ]

Hmmm. We can leave her and she can find her way back to my place, but I think she'll just follow us.

[ Who knew having a cat could be so troublesome? ]

Do you see any guards? We could leave her with them since we'll be passing by this gate later.

[She looks around to find any guards nearby but she couldn't see any of them. That was incredibly odd. ]

...Is there normally a shortage of guards around here or is everyone on their breakfast break? I guess we don't have much of a choice here but maybe this might help.

[She rummages through her bag and pulls out some rope. With some carefully placed knots, she manages to create a makeshift harness for the kitten. The kitten on the other hand, flops onto her side after Saori makes sure it's not too tight for her.]

Sorry, kitten, but can't have you wandering out there if you're coming with us. Guess she's staying in your bag though.

Uhmmm...I think we've hit the spot right between the end of the night watch and the start of the morning watch.

[ So between one group of sleepy bastards and another group of sleepy bastards.

The makeshift harness is a good idea but it does make him sigh. That's embarrassing. ]

Looks like it. Jesus, this cat.

Hmm, that's just irresponsible, leaving a gap between shifts like that. Well at least we found out about our stowaway now than later.

[Saori gives the kitten some chin scratches to make sure they can associate being harnessed with good memories.]

And hey, could be worse. Try corralling 2 five year olds and a litter of fox kits by yourself.

There's always one or two. I'm pretty sure these guys are also the newer recruits so this much slack is expected.

[ The fault would fall to their commanding officer though. A good one would make sure this kind of behavior isn't tolerated. But that's not his responsibility and he's not about to let himself tear hairs over it. ]

I'd rather not be in a position to that, thanks. Anyway, lets go over the supplies. Aside from rope, which I also have, I have a filled water canteen, packed food - nothing fancy I'm afraid -, a flint, some clean rags, and this. [ He says handing her a tube the size of a flash light. ] It's a kind of flare I made. Pull the string on the bottom to light it. Hopefully you won't have to use it.

And that about does it for what I brought. Of course my katana and magic too.

[ A beat. ]

And one kitten.

Don't worry, it's a position I wouldn't curse most of my enemies with. Unless they're Loki, but that's a different story for another time.

[Saori takes the homemade flare and pulls out the three compact metal flasks from her holster to make room for the new item. ]

Right, let's see. I brought my hunting knife, this short sword, fire starter, these flasks of water, some food, a kitchen towel and a grappling hook. Good thing I brought two ropes with me. Oh and these.

[She pulls out a small carton containing 6 eggs. Sure, it would be dirty to use these in a duel but this wasn't the case now. These were more a last resort item to use if the user intends to live another day.]

Inside these eggs are my personal blend for a metsubushi, or eye blinding powder. If thrown at the right time, it should give either of us an opening. Don't worry, there's no explosives. Just a lot of ground up pepper, salt and a few other things.

[ He raised his brows and nodded in admiration. ]

Not bad. I'm impressed.

[ He fixes up his bag and packs his...cat, and dusts off his knees. ]

Alright. Hopefully, we won't need to use any of these but it is the wilde and these shades can be a right pain in the ass sometimes. Let's keep our eyes open, and watch each others backs.

[ He raises a fist for her and a big eager smile, and as if rehearsed for comedic timing, the kitten made a soft and modest meow that Bishop couldn't help but make a face over. ]

Okay, fine. You too.

You got it, partner and kitten.

[ She cracks a smile and goes in for the fist bump. ]

Let's get going then. How far are we heading out today?

[ A part of his wishes the kitten just remains in the background, but that's not going to happen he thinks. ]

Not too far. I also got a map of the route and area in the pack somewhere but I was told it's pretty straight forward. It's just that shades tend to be attracted to witches restoring the laylines, or so I heard.

[ He informs her as they start their venture to the outside. When they do pass the gate, there were half asleep guards stationed on either side of them which he can't help but notice and frown at.

But then he makes a face similar to what he made back at the bakery where they met and he quietly jabs her arm with his elbow then gestured to the guards with a cock of his head. 'Watch this' his look suggests. ]

...LOOK ALIVE, YOU MAGGOTS!!!

[ He says while hiding his voice behind a thick southern accent, typical of a drill sargent. The guards snapped to attention in a panic and gave a hearty 'sir, yes sir' only to be confused to find that their commander was nowhere.

Bishop giggled and smiled. ]

Hehe! Hooah!

Edited 2020-07-03 20:45 (UTC)

[Saori nods as he gives her the details about the location and route. She gives Bishop a quizzical look when he gets her attention. She had to cover her mouth to stifle herself the moment he mimicked that type of voice and risk blowing his cover. Once they were out of range from the guards, she laughed]

Pfft haha, good one! I can't believe they fell for that!

Ehh, scream at the FNGs loud enough and they'll believe anything.

[ Something he's experienced on more than one occasion. ]

Hopefully that little display would teach them a thing or two. [ A beat. ] Or not. I'm not their officer or their mom.

[ Then a meow. ]

...And now that I think about it, I should probably come up with a name for her if I'm gonna be keeping her. Got any ideas?

Hm...Tama and Fluffy are too cliche. Uh...Lady Purrington? I don't know. Maybe I'll keep thinking up names and see how she responds to them?

[At least there will be something to ponder about when they can have a breather. ]

Ah, I should've asked but any preferences on names? Probably the shorter and less punny-er would be best, huh?

I don't have a preference, and I'm not particularly good at naming critters either so feel free to come up with as many as you'd like.

[ He's only good at assigning code names and mission classifications. ]

Although, I will say "Lady Purrington" is a bit of a mouthful and a bit too classy sounding for a cat in my care. Not to mention I don't want this one to grow up to be a spoiled "lady".

Yeah, that's true. I was just picking at the names that first came to mind.

[Even she's not sure how the heck she came up with a name like 'Lady Purrington' like that.]

Let's see...there's Haru, Mina, Serena, Yuna...

[Don't mind her listing off names, pausing every now and then to hear for any reactions from the kitten.]

[ He lingered a bit on the name "Serena" and "Yuna". They had a...ethereal feel to them, but it didn't seem quite right for the meowing kitten. ]

The last two sounded nice, but...I dunno. It's got something in the name about it, I can't quite put my finger on it.

[ Speaking of the kitten, she managed to crawl out of the pack and was clinging to his collar and shoulder while purring though Bishop couldn't feel her. He could hear her though as she meowed at almost everything. ]

She is a curious one, isn't she?

June Catch-All

For Saori

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