faderift | ssssssomeBODY ONCE TOLD ME

WHO: Prompto, a cat, jerk natives and YOU
WHAT: Monthly shenanigans for the month
WHEN: Throughout the month of Harvestmere
WHERE: Throughout Kirkwall
NOTES: Minor violence

A) Stalker in the Gallows

Errands in the Gallows had started off solo, but at some point in the afternoon, Prompto realizes he isn't alone.

A black cat with white paws stalks him as he went out and about his business, running reports to and fro. And everywhere he goes, the cat trots behind him. At first, Prompto figures the cat would get bored and run back home, but after about an hour of this going on, he realizes that didn't seem to be the case.

Finally he stops to face the feline, brow raised as it comes to a stop, tail swaying as it looks up at him. "You lost there, buddy?"

It meows.

He bends down and holds out his hand, letting the cat walk up and take a tentative sniff before it rubs its face against his hand. Aww, cute kitty. Prompto scratches its ears, smiling as it purrs. All the while, though, he looks around, wondering whose cat this was. "Anyone missing a cat? Think this one got lost." Seems friendly enough, at least, which makes him think it was a house cat and not feral.

He didn't know it yet, but he's now a pet owner. The cat chose, and it's chosen him.

B) Tension in Lowtown

So, glares and mutters as people turn away aren't uncommon, but these days, it seems to have gotten worse. What used to be just poorly concealed looks of suspicion have turned to outright disdain, and he's been refused service more than once. It stings, but Prompto chalks it up to just uneasiness. Maybe something went down that he's not aware of.

Normally the natives aren't violent, just cross. But things turn sour one night when Prompto tries to enter a tavern for a quick drink and bite to eat. Before he can even enter, some drunk patrons loitering outside spot him. One grabs him by the shoulder and shoves him back. "They don't serve your kind here. And you ain't wanted anyway."

"Just a guy who wants a drink. Don't know what you-"

The man surges forward and shoves him again, this time hard enough to send him to the ground. "I know what you are, you festerin' demon scum! Take another step and I'll knock your bloody ass back to the Fade where you crawled out of!"

Prompto glares at him, looking torn between just walking away and standing his ground. Help him decide?

C) Drinks in a Non-Shitty Tavern

Eventually he finds a tavern that's not full of shit people. Or maybe they just don't know he's with the Inquisition. Whatever the reason, Prompto finally manages to have a drink in peace. He leans his head in his hand, swirling his drink round in the glass before taking another sip. He's taken a shine to the ale served around Kirkwall. Or maybe his taste buds have gone so dead he doesn't mind anymore. It could really be either or.

He's sitting alone, and being an extrovert, Prompto is always in want of company. If he knows you and spots you, he'll grin and wave you over, lifting his drink in invitation.

D) Wildcard

Hit me with your own prompt(o)!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Really? I mean, it seems pretty - wait, what?" Prompto looks baffled at Anders's assessment. Okay, sure, Pryna took to him well when he took care of her for awhile, but she needed help. This guy just waltzed up to him and started following him around! "You serious?"

The cat purrs, butting its head against Prompto's leg.

"Some cats know what they want," he says, kneeling down to rub behind its ears. "And you do, don't you?" The cat gets a little more of a smile before Anders stands up again.

"The cats in Kirkwall don't habe the easiest lives, and they've enough sense to know when someone will be kind to them and take them in." A beat. "And spoil them. Cats seem to target people for that, too."

The kitty purrs, lapping up all the attention it's getting. Damn straight it knows what it wants. ~~and it knows a sucker when it sees one~~

"Oh. I... wouldn't know. Never had a pet, let alone a cat." His parents never let him, as much as he wished they would. They certainly left him alone enough times that it would have been nice to have the company. "I mean, if it doesn't have a home and wants one, I'll take it in. Just not sure how to go about it."

"I know basically everything there is to know about taking care of cats. Though they're not exactly hard to take care of. Feed them fish, give them attention, make sure they've a box of sand to relieve themselves in that you clean out regularly, daily, even, and they're happy."

This is the safest topic he's an expert on and he likes to spread a love of cats. It's nice to have an easy conversation for once.

"Also tuck away anything fragile you have, because they like batting things off other things, and the more fragile or important to you, they more likely they are to knock it off anything it's sitting on."

That doesn't sound too hard! And Prompto managed to take care of Pryna for a little while during her recovery without any idea of how to care for a dog. So surely looking after a cat with some guidance can't go too terribly?

"Something of an expert, huh?" Be prepared for plenty of panicked questions in the future, Anders, because you're now Prompto's go-to guy.

"Someone once told me cats can be petty. And jerks. Maybe there's some truth to it, given what you said, but..." He pets the cat's head. "Seems hard to believe right now. Heh. Probably gonna be eating my words soon enough though. Anyway, I guess I should try to figure out if it's a boy or girl."

"They can be loving and jerks. They're wonderful creatures." He says it with genuine happiness; Anders loves cats even if they're trying to take the feathers off his pauldrons. He'll love questions.

"And to find that out, lift its tail. If both holes are basically right next to each other, you've a girl. Further apart, a boy." Now there's amusement in his voice, because he's not about to kneel down and lift a stray cat's tail. "It might not approve of the lifting, as a warning. But I find fish, dried or fresh or even oiled and salted, heals all wounded cat pride."

Oh. So like Gladio. Kind of. Actually no. While Prompto likes Gladio, he can be more of a jerk than loving. So like Noctis then. Yes, that works. Noctis is like a cat. It all makes sense now.

"Guess they keep you on your toes!"

Though his smile falls a bit at the warning. Oh crap. Is he gonna get mauled? Crap. "Well, ah... guess it's worth a shot. Have to find out somehow." This is it. This is how Prompto ends, a la an angry cat. Swallowing thickly, he keeps scratching the cat's head, all the while leaning over sloooowly towards its butt. When he has a clear shot, Prompto goes for it. He grabs the tail and lifts up.

And to no one's surprise, the cat's not happy about it. It hisses and turns, swiping at Prompto. Those claws manage to snag on Prompto's hand. "Yeowch!" Prompto immediately retracts his hand, hissing under his breath as the cuts sting. "Yeah, he didn't like it." But heeey, he figured out the sex, so it wasn't all for nothing!

Anders snickers, holding out a hand.

"I can fix that. If there's not a healer on hand in the future, make sure to clean the wound thoroughly. Dog and cat scratches can get infected quickly. And while I heal this you can start to think of a name for your boy."

He can... talk about potential spraying later. Ease Prompto into cat ownership, and the like.

"Ah, thanks." Prompto winces as he holds out his hand. The scratch isn't too bad, honestly, though it did break skin. It just stings more than anything.

He looks down at the tom, who still looks a bit miffed over that display. Given his personality and the look of the scowl he's getting, he knows exactly what to call him. "Already got one for him. He reminds me of my buddy. Noctis."

Noctis. It sounds Tevene, but that's not the attention and he thinks it should be fine if Prompto winds up yelling it out in public. He heals the shallow wound quickly and lowers his hand, considering Noctis.

"Excellent." What else might Prompto need to know? He's mentioned box of sand... Oh. "As a note, any meat will do for them. It doesn't have to be fish, I mentioned that only because they prefer fish. And with that I... think I should let the two of you get more acquainted and be on my way, unless there's anything else?"

Well, it is Lucian (~~which is kind of bastardized from Latin via Japanese game developers~~) which rather sounds like Tevene so it makes sense. Hopefully he won't be called a Vint and have something thrown at his head for it.

"I think I'll be okay from here. Just gotta find me some sand, a box, and then hit up the local butcher." Despite his (now-healed) injury, Prompto smiles at Noctis. "Whaddya say, pal? Want some fish and maybe some milk? You know, as an apology for lifting up your skirts."

"Go easy on the milk to start," he cautions. "Some adult cats can't always handle it right away, and you'll have quite the mess to clean up if he's one of them." But that's enough of that. It's time to let cat and man bond, and with his comment Anders waves and heads off, wanting to go pick up his own cat.

ssssssomeBODY ONCE TOLD ME

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