(catch-all)

[fulgency]

Who: Ozymandias + Assorted others!
When: All month long!
Where: Around Aefenglom!
What: Sphinx kittens and small children raising hell, and sometimes he's a bossypants.
Warnings: Will update as needed!

(if you would like a private starter, please hmu by shooting me a message rebreather or this journal! doesn't matter if we've threaded together in the past or not! anybody is free to request. :]b)

Comments

(open | just kitten around)

[fulgency]

[With as many sphinx kittens as Ozymandias ends up summoning, it's hardly his fault that he's not able to keep track of them all. One or two are bound to make their escapes and explore the city. They are a fearless species even at this size, it would seem.]

[Or well, they mostly are. Some of that bravery may be called into question if you happen to find one caterwauling in a tree, uncertain of how exactly to get down and hoping that at some point, Ozymandias will come to its rescue. Sadly for it, Ozymandias is nowhere nearby, but you are!]

[When not stuck in a tree, however, it seems the sphinx kittens are almost always in some kind of trouble. Perhaps they're knocking over wares from those attempting to hawk their used goods for the holiday either as they're playing with each other or with smaller pieces that can easily be batted around. Or maybe they've made off with a piece of your lunch when you weren't entirely paying attention to it and are seeking a good place to snack on their prize. Harpies and those with tails may need to watch out for sudden pounces from the ground or a more reasonable height that doesn't involve a tree.]

[But if the timing is right -- or perhaps you've been around Ozymandias recently enough that there's something familiar about your scent -- you might simply need to watch your step as one starts weaving itself around and between your legs, rubbing and trilling quite cutely.]

((ooc: if you're wanting to still interact with ozy for this prompt, the kittens will eventually make their way back to him just as a heads up. they're not lost, just exploring. but this can also just be purely playing/dealing with feline nonsense if you want it that way, too. feel free to riff off this and have them getting into more cat-like trouble if you don't see what you're looking for and LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE. you may have one or two kittens, but no more than that for this prompt until/unless you find ozymandias.))

[detective conan music intensifies]

[manlet]

[Andersen's made it a habit to take a daily walk in the mornings. To stay cooped up writing won't be any good here, not with his powers taken away. And he must figure out what market there is for books - if there is any to speak of, that is.

His route takes him through the Entertainment District, where he purposefully wanders into streets unknown to get a better idea of the area. He doesn't seem to concerned about his own safety and is more focused on the sights and sounds around him...

... which is probably why he jumps a little when he feels something fuzzy brush against his legs.]

... oh, it's you.

[Andersen crouches to ruffle the baby sphinx's face.]

You've your owner's arrogance to be wandering about so freely. If you aren't careful, you'll be snatched up and boiled for parts.

[fulgency]

[Much like its owner, the kitten is completely unfazed by startling Andersen and far more focused on itself. It chuffs, smooshing its face a little more into Andersen's hand, pawing at his wrist. It should probably be more offended at the insinuated danger of being boiled, but perhaps, once again, like its owner, it doesn't see that as being a potential danger or issue.]

[When Andersen does not concede to its demands for more pats immediately, it ups the ante and flops onto the ground with as much theatrics as it can possibly muster. Wiggling around a moment on its back, it paws aimlessly at the air and curls back onto its side. Sorta. It's still somewhat on its back.]

[Pay the fuck attention to it, Andersen. It's withering away without attention.]

[manlet]

[.......................... it's so cute... but he mustn't say it aloud! He has a reputation!

Andersen squats so he can try and tickle its belly.]

Didn't you hear me? Sucking up to strangers will only lead you into trouble. I guess it falls to me to ensure your safe return. You're an awful pain in the ass, distracting me when I've so much on my plate.

[tsun levels: 200%]

[fulgency]

[Much like any cat, the sphinx kitten tolerates the tickles to its belly only for a few moments before it tries to 'kill' Andersen's hand. Which is really to say that it tries to wrap itself around his wrist, but due to being as roly-poly as it is and with plenty of clumsiness one would expect from a young cat, the kitten ends up rolling side-to-side, flailing more than it is able to successfully commit a murder.]

[It eventually manages to roll all the way back over onto its stomach, which seems to come as a surprise to it as it freezes for just a brief moment or two. Hopping back up to its feet though, it does a little twirl.]

[Consider yourself fortunate, Andersen!! It has decided to show you mercy and not maul you! To death!!! As it absolutely could!]

[manlet]

[Better luck next time, you rascal. Were the sphinx larger, it'd surely crush Andersen to death with its big meaty paws. But in its tiny form, it can do little to hurt even the wimpiest of Casters.

The lack of (heh) bite the sphinx cub has encourages Andersen. He shrugs off his lab coat.]

Yes, yes, you did a good job.

[He's gonna... try to scoop it up, with his lab coat bunched up like a makeshift blanket.]

[fulgency]

[The young sphinx, of course, is not too keen about something being placed over it and attempts to make a break for it. But just as that lab coat is quite large on Andersen, the sphinx would drown in all that fabric. It doesn't make it too terribly far before Andersen's able to scoop and swaddle it though it does give a solid wiggle of protest and even tries using its little wings to ward off the inevitable.]

[It lets out a fussy 'roar.']

Wildcarding this a bit...

[belligerentwarrior]

[Bap.]

[Bap bap.]

[The noise the third time around has a bit more of a tink to it as retracted claws click against the glass. Fang, lurking around the window in her jaguar form, peers in before thumping the window again. She was sure this was where Ozymandias lived—that wasn't the question. The question was whether he was in or not.]

[...Of that she was decently sure of, judging by the strange, starry kittens prancing around inside the Haven mansion, one of which was having a delighted time pulling a book off a shelf. An identical kitten squirms in her jaws, mewling in a sulky protest at being carried around like a disobedient cub.]

[In a way, she supposed it was. Fang doubted it was supposed to be chasing (and being chased by) turtleducks out in the city. Her green eyes peered in the window again, tail thoughtfully swishing. Should she try a different window? The place smelled of dragons, plural, and she wasn't sure how territorial the Monsters could be. Entering uninvited wasn't high on her list.]

[fulgency]

[Ozymandias is in, but the sounds at the window surprisingly do not draw a lot of attention. Not until it seems there's a pattern to them in addition to a little persistence. Ozymandias appears in the doorway of the room Fang is peering into, but doesn't have time to investigate where exactly the sound is coming from when he needs to rush over and catch a book before it's fallen to the ground. It's not the most graceful of saves, but he manages to latch onto a cover.]

[He sighs as he closes it shut and places it back on the shelf. He supposes he should be grateful it was just the book and not the entire bookshelf itself.]

I told you once already to stop climbing onto the bookcase. Do not make me repeat myself a third time, [he says, plucking the culprit off its shelf. At the sound of his voice, slightly muffled by the closed window it may be, the kitten in Fang's jaws lets out even louder protests. A look of concern manifests immediately on Ozymandias' face as he looks around, mind clearly jumping straight to one of the sphinx kittens being injured or stuck. But spotting Fang in her jaguar form with a kitten in her mouth, his concern shifts into exasperation almost immediately.] How did you--!?

[Shaking his head, he gestures for Fang to move back around towards the front of the house before setting the kitten in his arms down on the floor with its siblings. (Will it stay there? Probably not.) He leaves the room to meet Fang at the door.]

[belligerentwarrior]

[Fang breathes an amused huff through her nose at his dive, not that he could hear it. At least the weird space-kittens were keeping him busy. She assumed they were his, anyway; they all smelled like the Witch.]

[Fang hops lithely over the bush before the window, sauntering around to the front of the mansion. She sits patiently on the steps, not releasing the squirming troublemaker just yet.]

[Her feline form had very little range of expression. Nonetheless, possibly only because Ozymandias would know it's Fang, the jaguar certainly looked amused—and in that sort of way one only is at another's expense.]

[fulgency]

[It's not very long at all after she has a seat on the steps that Ozymandias opens the front door. It is likely no great surprise that he is not alone in meeting her at the door. A pair of kittens ghost his steps and step out onto the porch to inspect Fang with noisy little sniffs. The kitten in her mouth expresses its displeasure vocally and with more squirming with Ozymandias being so near.]

Thank you, [Ozymandias says, bending down to collect the kitten from her mouth. It clambers up onto Ozymandias' shoulders almost immediately as he straightens back out and sasses at Fang with a 'mighty' roar. He shoots it a look, which causes it to lay a little flatter on his shoulder and back itself out of his view. Ozymandias looks back down at Fang.] I hope it didn't cause too much trouble. They may be young, but as Divine Beasts, they have the pride of their adult form and do as they please in the absence of my instruction.

[Case in point, while one of the kittens has taken to rubbing on Fang and stamping about some, but the other wiggles as it's clearly calibrating a pounce to her tail. Ozymandias swiftly grabs that one off the ground by the scruff of its neck.]

You may come inside if you wish, but I could certainly understand the preference to remain out here.

[belligerentwarrior]

[Her tail gives an amused flick when the disgruntled kitten tries to roar at her. It's kind of charming, actually. She's never seen something pout so loudly.]

Well, don't you have your hands full? [Fang quips, her voice rougher in this form as always.] These little guys your doing?

[The jaguar lifts a paw, patting the friendly kitten on the back. It's a little awkward, given her form, but it's clear what the gesture is. After that, she takes Ozymandias' invitation, stepping inside and glancing around. She's curious. As long as she's explicitly allowed to be here, she doesn't mind the dragons.]

[fulgency]

[Awkward though it may be, the kitten certainly doesn't appear to mind and happily leans into the pat and quickly trots after Fang when she moves away to head inside. Ozymandias closes the door behind all the felines before setting the sphinx in his hand back down on the floor. Unlike its sibling on his shoulder, it doesn't sass at him, but does take a moment to shake itself off and flap its little wings.]

Yes, though they were not my intention, [he says, scratching under the chin of the sphinx on his shoulder.] At least not this size.

[Being inside now, Fang will no doubt notice that aside from Ozymandias' scent and perfume lingering about both in the air and on his person, there are definitely two dragons that frequent this house. (...And bones in a closet somewhere in the house.) And yet visually, one would not likely be able to tell.]

[The house -- as she will be able to tell from glimpses into some of the other rooms on the way to the sitting room -- is still a bit of a work in progress. Traces of the former owners of the mansion still linger in some of the rooms, clashing noticeably with the overall aesthetic that's come to take over more and more of the house. Ozymandias has set about removing all the darker, muted tones of the previous owners with much, much brighter colors. That in combination with some of the lush greenery, it no doubt seems as though he's attempting to bring a pleasant and sunny outdoor day inside. But the changes he's made to the mansion are not all simple. As Fang might expect, Ozymandias has a fondness for the arts and there are already some pieces about that are clearly more in line with his tastes than the previous owners.]

[Were it not for each dragon's scent, it would be fairly difficult to tell that they live here visually. Unless they are into Ozymandias' exact brand of ostentatiousness.]

[(They're not. It just happens that neither one seems to particularly care enough to argue.)]

[He gestures that it's fine for her to make herself comfortable on the couch if she so wishes. He opts for an armchair, though he must clear it first. Two kittens are curled up with one another in a nap in the middle of the seat, but they barely even stir when he picks them up.]

Are you familiar with sphinxes or do they not exist in your world?

[Rather than setting the kittens on the floor, he places them in his lap. They both do their own share of stretching, but ultimately settle back in to sleep at least for a little while longer.]

cats canonically can't stand witchers, so here's a rude guy bullying a kitten ig

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert generally doesn't give much of a shit about cats, given they certainly don't like him, but with the changes the magic of Aefenglom's wrought on his form in his time here, it seems his scent or whatever magical quality about them that usually puts them off has been altered, just a bit.

Right now, though, what he is is amused, hand on his hip as he looks up at the wailing cat in the tree, sneering as any attempt to approach gets it to hiss and scoot further out on the branch it's trapped on. ]

You stupid or something? Quit crying and get down already. You're a cat, aren't you? [ He is, at least in part, mostly watching to see if it does fall. ]

wow so rude

[fulgency]

[The sphinx does not appear to be responding well to Lambert's, uh, 'encouragement' to climb down. The most recent attempt at reaching it has left the cub on a very delicate line with the branch it's climbed onto. Any further out and it's likely it won't hold the kitten's weight. The small Divine Beast appears to be aware of this as it has now taken to laying as flat as possible on the branch while continuing its cries with more urgency.]

[whattaprick]

[ Yeah, no, Lambert's just going to keep watching as the sphinx shimmies out on that branch like some very strange fruit. He's not moving to catch it -- he knows well enough how little love cats have for witchers to risk his skin like that of his own volition -- but he won't make any sudden moves, either. ]

Who let you go walking around on your own, anyway? [ Cats are so useless... ] C'mon, there must be some little girl looking for you by now.

[ He's Helping!! ]

[fulgency]

[Little girl? Not so much. But the sphinx's owner is still nowhere in sight. What is in sight is another sphinx cub trotting over at the sound of its sibling's yowling. It boldly ignores Lambert as it uses the trunk of the tree to go on its hind legs and yells back. All this noise does not appear to be accomplishing much by way of progress, but the sphinx in the tree at least starts watching its sibling down below. The sphinx at the base of the tree drops back down to all fours and does a little circle, sparing a glance at Lambert.]

[whattaprick]

[ Well, shit. Now they’re multiplying. ]

How many more of you are there? [ Lambert snorts, shaking his head. He estimates the distance of the height between himself and the cat precariously balanced on its branch, considering it as a test of the newfound springiness in his limbs. A witcher might not be able to make that distance, but a Puca’s a different story.]

[fulgency]

[So many, Lambert. There are so many kittens.]

[The kitten at the base of the tree watches Lambert curiously as he starts sizing up the potential jump. The one on the branch, however? It's a little less thrilled about this and starts growling at a low volume, but it's not moving around or actively swatting at least. If Lambert's quick and able to make the jump, he might be able to get out of this (relatively) unscathed.]

[Glancing up at its sibling, the cub down on the ground with Lambert quickly scampers off. Perhaps to get their owner? Or maybe it's leaving its sibling to get eaten. Who can say?]

[gwenhwyfar]

[ She is, in a sense, lurking around.

The past few days, Gwenhwyfar has gone out of her way to avoid people, just to recollect her thoughts. And really, just to sulk in what she knows best -- forests and the outdoors than to deal with others. Never without her spear or her cloak. Outside of the number of rags and torn cloth that she calls clothing, her snow-white appearance makes her stick out like a sore thumb.

Maybe that's why she doesn't get very far, having apart of her cloak caught in little paws. Now, as upset as Gwenhwyfar is, she certainly doesn't have the heart to lash out on an animal, especially one so young. A myriad of smells hit her nose and her ears open up to ever shuffle or pitter-patter of paws around her. Sure they would have been cute on a better day if Gwenhwyfar was with her traveling party again.

She heaves a sigh, not having the heart to raise her voice, only cast a pitiful look down at the kitten playing with a small, billowing piece of her cloak. Even a slight step forward, she can't work her way past the soft trills of the kitten. ]

Yn waeth, can't even enjoy a walk by myself.

[ Because really, that's all she wanted. Some time to herself to explore or see if she could hunt for her own food. ]

Don't you have a master or a mistress looking after you? Off with you, little one.

[ Gentle, yet firm, Gwenhwyfar pushes gently with her bare foot for the kitten to move along past her so that she can continue to brood in peace. As the kitten offers a small noise in protest, slowly working it's way back to the dark-haired stranger, Gwenhwyfar lingers, just so that she knows that, at least, it's safe under someone else's watchful eye, not hers. ]

You ought to keep a better on them. [ She barely glances over to him with her left eye. Cold, keeping her distance as she pulls on her cloak. ] Lest you want them to become something's dinner.

[fulgency]

[As the kitten returns, bonking its head quite pointedly into Ozymandias' ankles, he crouches down. Despite scratching it beneath its chin and subsequently petting it along its back when the kitten turns about, Ozymandias is about to admonish it a little for running off. But there's a voice that he assumes is speaking to him, and so he looks up instead. The only sign that her appearance manages to catch him off-guard is that his hand stills on the kitten. The combination of the state of her clothes and the paleness of her features makes her seem more a ghost than someone among the living. It's certainly a stark contrast to Ozymandias, who still dresses the part of royalty in finely tailored clothes, obvious perfume, makeup around his eyes, and gold accessories.]

[He shrugs off the surprise of her appearance and rises to his feet properly once more.]

Was that your plan then? If it had not returned to me. [He huffs a laugh.] Quite bold of you to attempt eating a Divine Beast, even one as young as this.

[gwenhwyfar]

Hardly.

[ Gwenhwyfar is, unfortunately, lacking humor or the realization it's a joke. She scoffs, keeping her thoughts of just how cute the little kitten is, despite it looking like something that belonged into the realm of the fae. His lofty appearance only spurs Gwenhwyfar to square her shoulders. Sure, she wasn't too concerned about her clothing (in the end, what mattered most that she was always able to run when the need calls from it.

But anyone of a higher class always made her a little uneasy; she wasn't exactly brought up in such a lifestyle, despite being the daughter of a queen. ]

I would be more concerned about the beasts that lurk here, even before the moon falls.

[fulgency]

[Ozymandias is used to being taken quite seriously often. That is simply part of being a king that one's word is taken as such. However, that does not apply to when he is making a joke. Even if someone appears to take it at first, there tends to be a brief moment of realization (often accompanied by embarrassment) as they realize he's joking. Looking at her appearance a little closer, now that the shock of it has completely worn off, he supposes there was no other way for her to interpret his words.]

And yet you don't seem all that concerned for yourself, [he observes.]

[gwenhwyfar]

I can fend for myself.

[ Gwenhwyfar asserts with her lone spear; no swords, shields, or anything other than that, just her worn self and her spear. But surely the scar on her face is a good indicator? Gwenhwyfar is haughty, literally scoffing at the notion of being anything else but prepared. She could brag that she's survived for a while in the highlands of Eire's forests but-

Gods help her, she likes to prove herself more than capable, to assert herself beyond her youth and, well, being an adult. ]

I didn't lose an eye from brushing my hair in front of a mirror. Besides, I'd hate to see an animal that young in the mouth of a wolf.

[ Or... whatever lurked in these forests. She's not entirely sure, she's only sure that nothing will happen to her, again. Of course, not. ]

[fulgency]

[It appears he's struck a sore point. His observation was not one intending to imply weakness in her necessarily, but that she seems to think herself immune from harm. Ozymandias lifts his chin slightly as she speaks, beginning to bristle somewhat himself. It is a mistake to ever believe one is above harm. Especially in this world, as Ozymandias has already learned. But that one of his Divine Beasts, even one as young as this sphinx is, could or would ever fall to some mundane or magical beast of this world... Especially when he is so near? He does not like the implication in the slightest.]

[The kitten at Ozymandias' feet slinks around behind him warily.]

Because it seems I've managed to wound your pride and that was not my intention, I shall be fair and forgive you this once. But, in the future, do not use an acknowledgment of your confidence as an opportunity to insult my Divine Beast or myself. I will hear no further insinuations that it would meet such a fate in this forest.

If you wish to boast your skills as a warrior, do so by speaking of your victories and accomplishments instead.