⟨ 椿—To his statement, the least the koschei could do was nod in agreement, still peering at the cat with a concentrated gaze. What she didn’t word out, though, was that she couldn’t quite share the opinion on warm colors: while Karmina’s hair yes, was red, she always preferred the color blue. Or, more specifically; she liked seeing the color red and blue together, rather than by themselves. She didn’t know exactly if there was a reason she hadn’t found out yet in regards to this matter - maybe the fact they contrasted so well and so much together was a plausible one.
“ Do you encounter cats often? ” she asked, still not daring to touch the kitten as she went from a crouching position to a sitting one, making herself comfortable within her tight skirt and a little cramped legs ( staying crouched for one than a minute always causes this kind of reaction, and she really found it annoying ) . The demon asked mostly out of curiosity— to say he ‘COULDN’T PICK’ only meant he encountered a lot of cats very often, and it was interesting for her. An injured child who constantly scratched cats and petted them lovingly– yes, definitely a picture worth of one’s attention. ⟩
↳ ❂ ↰ There was, of course, one exception to his dislike of cool colours–his fondness for the sky. The sky came in all different colours, warm or cool, and perhaps he liked it for that reason. It followed its own whim and schedule, not dictated by mankind’s desires or held down by chains; that was a freedom the child never had and possibly never would. No matter how much smarter he was than everyone he encountered, they still found ways to keep him beaten down and submissive.
“Sometimes. The city has a lot of strays and outdoor cats. Sometimes they stick to themselves and don’t come around humans, but sometimes they’re social.” He preferred the felines’ company to that of other people, so when he got the chance, he indulged in petting them. On occasion, if he managed to scrape together some extra money, he bought treats to hand out to the strays. They worked so hard to stay alive that they deserved some special treatment every now and then, and consistent meals could be hard to come by.
⟨ 椿—“ Oh, yes. I agree. Plus, they’re all so different, in shapes, color, form—it’s intriguing, really. ” keeping
her sight on the cat, Karmina’s mind wondered one simple thing: why was
it that humans were so hostile towards other humans of different race
and - or ethnicity, when cats, that have basically the same level of
diversity humans have, simply get along ( or don’t, it depends on the
cats themselves, of course ) ? The same question went for all other
animals of all other kind– animals understand eachothers, and get along
just fine; why did humans have to be HOSTILE for such a filmsy thing such as… different skin color? She never really understood, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever grasp this odd concept.
“ My favourite cats, though, are the red ones,” she stated, passing an hand through her bright-red hair in the meanwhile, striking a small ironic smile. “ I guess there’s no mystery as to why – but apart from that, I just think they’ve got a nice shade of fur. It seems… soothing. ”
she often associated orange to the sun- and considering that cats are
both warm as the sun and colored as such, her fascination with the sun
itself also could be associated. It wasn’t that much of an in-depth
thing: Karmina just appreciated how warm she could be thanks to the
light the star emitted, how days could be bright, and how the Earth
would be warm with it. Summer was still her least favourited season, but—– ⟩
↳ ❂ ↰ Humans were stupid creatures. He knew that and he always would. Their thoughts were complex, but they didn’t know how to process their own emotions in a functional way. They created needless conflict over situations that could be settled with simple resolutions, yet they failed to see the destruction they caused. Perhaps ignorance was bliss after all. People didn’t seem to realise the consequences their actions had, and therefore didn’t get bothered by the terrible messes they created. On the other hand, all the causes and effects filled the child’s head, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t truly ignore it. He could shut out the world around him, but not his own mind.
“Warm colours are nice.” Like sunshine and blood, oranges and reds carried with them a distinct feeling: it was easy to tell the sensation of both washing over skin apart from other feelings. Cold things all felt the same to him–from ice cream and harsh winds to humanity and kindness. He found nothing inherently pleasant or distinct in anything cold. “I can’t pick a favourite cat though. They’re all the best.”
⟨ 椿—Hm. So he liked cats. Well, it’s definitely good to know—-at least, if he won’t discuss of his injuries, Karmina could always retort on the subject of those little feline creatures she oh-so-much likes aswell. Crouching down to reach the kid’s eye level, the demon glanced at the stray kitten with curiosity, almost as if she were trying to catch its attention by merely looking. She didn’t dare pet it; since the other was already doing that.
“ Ah, me? ” she sounded slightly surprised– she wasn’t, really. “ Oh, yes. I really like cats. They’re perhaps most interesting after hu—society. If I could keep one, I would. ” and why couldn’t she, is the clever question one would ask: because she’s a nomad. It’s useless to adopt a kitten ( or really, any kind of pet ) if you constantly move around the world with no true purpose but study and examine. To not say that she did have the ability to shapeshift into a cat herself- though it’d be interesting to bond with a real one, she wasn’t sure about wether or not it would’ve sensed her INHUMANITY.
Cats were creatures full of surprises, after all. “ I think what I like most about them, is when they curl into a ball to sleep. The unicolored cats end up being… spots. Black spots, white spots, brown spots, orange spots. It is definitely most cute. ” she was still staring at the kitten, not glancing up at the kid– too enthralled within the feline. ⟩
↳ ❂ ↰ So they had that in common, then. They both liked cats but couldn’t keep them. Well–perhaps he could, but he didn’t want to risk it getting hurt in the midst of all the things he himself had to deal with. Cats were possibly the only animals he felt compassion for; even humans didn’t qualify as something to be concerned about. They did nothing to deserve that respect, and any single person who did was dead and gone.
“Spots are nice. I like when they snore.” The sounds cats made were almost unbearably cute, especially when they were asleep. It also showed that the feline liked him if it trusted him enough to fall so deeply into sleep around him, and that was comforting. He preferred being appreciated for his presence and not his intellect, for he knew how much damage the latter could cause (and how much it could fail when he needed it most). “And stick their paws out. Everything about cats is cute.”
He knew there were people who’d disagree with that statement, but they were clearly wrong. How could someone in their right mind not appreciate such perfect creatures? Though, he didn’t find humans particularly interesting himself despite her sentiment–and why the slip-up? It seemed suspicious (she nearly said humans rather than society, implying the role of someone outside humanity), but he wouldn’t question it.
⟨ 椿— ‘Everything’s fine’. How quirky. Karmina never understood why humans liked so much to keep themselves hurt, rather than asking for help—even when they were evidently, blatantly and unavoidably in pain, like this kid, they still denied it with two words. ‘I’m fine’. What kind of lie is it? What good does it bring, what pros, especially when the injuries are visible to pretty much anyone?
“ If you say so, ” she simply replied– she didn’t know wether this kid was the kind to say he was fine to then scream ‘help me! help me!’, and frankly, it wasn’t her main concern nor matter of interest at the time being. Moreso, she was interested as to… how the hell he could get the idea of sitting in the middle of some road like this. Did he sit in ROADWAYS like this? She sincerely hoped he wouldn’t be that much naive. Especially considering that usually it’s teen and upper that say ‘I’m fine’ when hurt, just to emphasize how much she found this child interesting.
“ That’s for sure. I wasn’t telling you to budge out of the way, in fact. ” it was a statement. Common sense.“ Still, it’s weird— to see, I mean. Hm. You like this cat? Is it yours? ” perhaps switching topics to a more… subtle ‘road’ would be more fruitful for her. Let’s see how it goes, she thought.⟩
↳ ❂ ↰ He wondered that as well, but humans were afraid of change; they’d rather deal with familiar pain than risk escaping it. Some tried and managed to better their situations while some tried and failed. The latter fit him better, but if he kept his eyes closed, he could ignore his surroundings and pretend it had nothing to do with him. When people expressed concern and asked if he was okay, it shattered the illusion and only hurt more.
“Not mine.” He glanced down at the cat by his side. It stretched a bit before sniffing at his hand, which had stilled in the course of conversation. So he lifted his hand once more to continue petting the animal, and it purred in response. “I like him though.”
Ah yes, he much preferred a change of subject. The less he had to talk about himself, the better, especially when he didn’t have the willpower to stand up and walk away from this nosy stranger. Cats? Yeah, he could talk about cats anytime. If he could own one, he would. But perhaps later in his life, things would work out and he’d be able to get one for himself. For now, though, he’d settle for the strays he saw around the neighborhood.
⟨ 椿— An usual habit of Karmina’s been walking around during the night, to explore the surroundings, discover some interesting scenarios or, who knows, even meet some people that might be of her interest. Tonight, she decided to stumble in the park; which wasn’t that much full of people, if you didn’t consider the drunkards and the drug dealers, in hope to find something that might’ve piqued her interests.
Luckily enough, she found exactly what she’d been looking for in not that much time: a child covered in bandages and injuries that was sitting right in the center of one of the park trails. She’d spotted him with the corner of her eye, and the demon did not hesitate to approach.
“ …Is everything all right? ” her question was, stopping right in front of the kid. “ You… shouldn’t sit here. ” though her words were of worry, the same couldn’t be said for her tone of voice, which was as monotone as ever. ⟩
↳ ❂ ↰
People had an awful habit of sticking their noses where they didn’t belong. The only reason he’d sat at the park was because he was too tired to walk all the way home, and sure, assumably someone would come along and ask if he needed any assistance, but he didn’t and he didn’t want them to. Why couldn’t anyone let an injured child be? He failed to understand how it was any of their business.
At the very least, she didn’t appear to hold any actual concern for his well-being, and that calmed his nerves a bit. Kindness wouldn’t have been taken very well, so he appreciated the indifference.
“Everything’s fine,” he responded, and it wasn’t, as evidenced by the bandages wrapped around his head and his inability to bring himself to move. “There’s nothing that says I’m not allowed to sit here.” Aside from common sense, of course, but there were no signs to uphold it. Besides, with the small amount of foot traffic at that time, who would come to yell at him for it?
↳ ❂ ↰ He sat in the middle of a park trail, one hand petting a stray cat that had made his acquaintance while his other arm wrapped around his chest as though to hold it together. While he knew he would be in someone’s way–although the park wasn’t busy that late into the evening–he didn’t have the strength to get up and relocate. Whoever, if anyone, came by, they’d have to go around him. And sure enough, he heard the crunch of footsteps on mulch approach before too long. He didn’t bother looking up.
