cats to meet you

[fatemeter]

For a humble family-run business in the middle of nowhere, Tatsumi Textiles houses a surprising variety of things if you turn up at the right time - particularly recently, as its side trade in knit toys, phone accessories and other fluffy knickknacks has taken off. Naoto is aware of this. She's also aware that, nevertheless, ceiling-to-floor piles of adorable fuzzy kittens are not usually among them.

Yet here she stands as the door slides shut behind her, with a chorus of mews filling her ears in surround, and a rapidly growing apprehension that she should have told the senpai squad she was busy after all.

"Excuse me?" she ventures, after what seems like a very long while.

Comments

[realmenknitplushies]

Kanji's never had pets. The store being what it is, having animals running loose around it could easily result in problems: after all, who wants fur shedding on their expensive fabric?

As such, he's torn. He knows he should be trying to shoo the cats out that'd managed to get in - how? What are they even doing here? But...

Kittens. Come on. He's just about entranced by the way they seem to have wormed their way into every available spot. Unfortunately, he's not quite the kitty-whisperer some of their group might be, but he's found a couple who are happy to indulge his tickling and scratches...

It takes him a moment to realise there's even anyone else there, and barely avoids treading on a tail in surprise.

[fatemeter]

Naoto observes him for a second. The rational part of her mind suggests to her that this must be either a shared illusion or no illusion at all - she can't imagine anybody convincingly faking the look on Kanji's face right now. Meanwhile, a different but increasingly vocal part is repeating something more along the lines of: oh no, look at that one over there, it's yawning.

"Good morning, Kanji-kun," she says. If her voice sounds a little more strained than usual, it's because of the effort required to ignore the closest purring bundle of feline as it begins to clamber up her trouser leg - and also, if somewhat less wilfully, to ignore the faint pink blush creeping into her own cheeks.

[realmenknitplushies]

Ahem. Yes. Let's - let's try this whole 'talking to her' thing. Right, how does this go again? Can he manage to engage his brain in a way that doesn't involve - oh, look at that tabby!

"Uh. M-mornin'," he manages to get out, or a faint squeak that sounds something like it. Never mind faint blush, he's just about radioactive right now...

[fatemeter]

Naoto hovers in the doorway, uneasily silent. No, he doesn't look well at all. Could that have anything to do with the mystery of how all of these cats found their way inside the shop to begin with? Or, perhaps -

"If you're allergic, Kanji-kun, we should ensure you're away from the premises before we consider our options." She steps forward, to the audible displeasure of the small ginger fuzzball still clinging to the side of her leg. "Please, allow me."

[realmenknitplushies]

"N-!" Allergic? Gah, why is she asking that? "Y- you don't- I ain't...!" Damn it, damn it, why can't he just get the words out straight? He holds his hands up a little defensively. She doesn't have to do that for him, especially when it's not actually a problem, it's just, it's just - argh!

[fatemeter]

...Is that a "no, not allergic" or a "no, I'm so severely allergic that I've lost all control of my limbs and vocal cords, send for help before trying to move me"? The latter would be... atypical as far as cat allergies go, but it's hard to tell.

Glancing around for pointers rather more frantically than she'd like to let on, Naoto finds her gaze drawn to the same tabby Kanji was looking at a moment ago - after approaching Kanji, it seems to have rolled onto its back, and is now looking up expectantly.

"Oh," she says, turning even pinker.

[realmenknitplushies]

And he's gone from making strange sounds to making even stranger noises before he manages to actually speak up.

"S-sorry, Naoto-kun. Just... these guys..."

[fatemeter]

For better or for worse, she doesn't hear him, because the orange kitten on her leg chooses this moment to turn its head and, in a fit of either playfulness or jealousy, pounce straight at the tabby that was trying to get Kanji's attention. Rolling across the shop floor in an almost cartoonish ball of fluff, they bump into a third cat which was in the middle of investigating the balls of yarn on display; it lets out a yelp of surprise, and promptly dives into the fray.

Naoto takes a step back again. With ears and whiskers pricking up all over the room at the commotion, she's pretty sure they need to defuse the impending catsplosion now, but - how?

"Kanji-kun..." she starts to say, but finds she can't make herself sound quite as authoritative as she wants to. ...Gosh, they're really cute.

[realmenknitplushies]

"Whoa, whoa, don't you-!" he starts as he notices the little scuffle starting up, but - dammit. He can't bring himself to shout at kittens. There are many things he can yell at, sure, but cats aren't included in that number...

[fatemeter]

Meanwhile, although Naoto may look like she's dropping to her knees out of sheer despair, she's really trying to make herself look smaller for once, on the off chance that the cats will consider her a less threatening presence and calm down. She knows it's unlikely, though - the scuffling kittens don't even give her a glance, although one of them does sail past her and into a nearby roll of expensive-looking fabric as she watches.

"On the other hand, play aggression is healthy behaviour for young cats, if I remember correctly..." she says, not sounding at all certain.