Unexpected Reunion

Kymin couldn't help but be amused by Felix's droning on about this Dantes guy. Sounded like the guy might've been immortal after all, unless all that had happened while he'd been resting. He didn't know who half the people in this story even were. While he'd been talking, Kymin'd eaten a sandwich. This was before he'd noticed that their puppy had gone off. Getting up as well, Kymin followed after Felix, surprised that for once Vishnu didn't come when called. The bigger dog was swatting a huge paw playfully at Vishnu, knocking the pup over, but that only seemed to fuel Vishnu's playfulness. And then, just when Kymin had started looking around for the dog's owner, did he see someone walking over to the big dog. He couldn't really tell if it was a really short boy or a really flat-chested girl, to be honest. He or she was wearing what looked a lot like a school uniform, a checkered vest with a white collared shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the kid's elbows. On their head was what could've been mistaken for a winter hat, and on their face black glasses.

Lain hurried over to her dog, book bag draped messily over one shoulder. She'd been reading on a nearby bench when she heard the barking, but luckily her lovable pooch was good at playing nice. "June, play nice," she called. She was well aware that her appearance caused confusion, and her voice was no different. It coulda been the voice of a twelve year old boy. She smiled nervously at the two older men when she came up to her dog. "S-sorry, I shoulda been watching him better, but he plays nice, I swear."

Felix saw the dog knock Vishnu over and then he saw the puppy get back up and go back in for the "kill". Felix blinked in confusion when he saw the owner walk up. He didn't want to ask if she or he was male or female. "Uh...no, it's fine...they look like they're having fun," he said with a nod. "Right Kymin." He hadn't meant to scare the poor kid. "If anything we're sorry for Vishnu bothering your dog. He's really hyper and hasn't had much experience with playing with others. I think he'd excited to see another German Shepard." He gave a small grin. He looked to Kymin for help. He wasn't sure what else to say.

"Right, yeah, it's fine," Kymin agreed with a smile. He tried not to chuckle when Felix looked to him for help. "Heck, I think he's just excited to get to play with another dog. He's just a puppy, so he hasn't really done much socializing," he chuckled.

"Well luckily June's done plenty of that. I think they'll be good friends," she said with a small giggle. "Anyways, are you guys from around here? I've only been here a couple months, but it's a small village, and it's pretty easy to get to know everyone. But I don't think I've ever seen you two before," she smiled. She blinked though, when the little puppy stopped playing with June, sniffed the air, and instead went to attack her leg. She didn't move, but just looked down at the puppy and laughed a little. She was neither surprised nor confused as to why he was attacking her, and she just picked him up, petting him as the puppy tried to swat at her. "He's very lively," she smiled, but it faded and was replaced with a frozen stare of shock as Vishnu's claw caught in her hat and yanked it off, her brown cat ears popping into immediate view and her face slowly turning a bright red color.

Felix shook his head. "Not all, we're just visiting for a bit. The perks of vacation time," he said to the child. However, his smile faded when Vishnu attacked the kid's leg. "Hey, stop that Vishnu." He went to reach for the puppy, but the owner picked the puppy up instead. Felix blinked. "Sorry about that, he's really hyper." He then titled his head when Vishnu managed to claw off the hat of the nameless owner. Felix's mouth dropped for a minute before he found himself able to speak. "Y-you're a neko." Felix smiled. "Oh man, this is rich." He then rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry for the outburst, it's just that you're the only other neko I've met besides an employee of mine and he's been searching high and low for another one." Felix gave a small chuckle. Too bad this kid was too young for Mori. The guy may have looked fifteen, but he was still twenty-seven." Then there was the fact that this kid was probably a guy. Oh well, better luck next time. "I do have to ask though, how does a Neko come to own a German Shepard?"

Kymin's eyes widened a bit when he saw the cat ears. Looked like Mori may've just gotten lucky. After all, even if this kid was a boy, nekos usually had a litter, right? Which meant this kid probably had siblings, right? When the kid went to put Vishnu down, Kymin quickly picked the puppy up to keep him from attacking the neko again.

Lain was still for a long moment before she put the puppy down, and quickly retrieved her hat, pulling it back over her head immediately, and holding it there as if an invisible force would pull it off again. She looked terribly embarrassed. June, by this point, had come over and sat next to her, looking up at his friend. At this point, the neko was looking down at the ground, her feet moving lightly against each other. She kind of wanted to run away now. "U-um...he was the only one in the pound who wouldn't attack me..." she muttered, her grip still tight on her hat. "C-cats included," she added, swallowing lightly. Why did the guy have to gawk at her like that...? Both of them, actually...

Felix was still amazed. However, his amazement died away when he noticed how uncomfortable they were making the younger kid. "I think we're scaring them," he said with a wary look. "Sorry, like I said, we're both just excited is all." He looked down at June. "You're an awesome little guy for loving your owner unconditionally," he said with a nod. He looked to Lain. "So, just a curious question from owner to owner, did you get him as a puppy and if so, was he as hyper as our little Vishnu? Tell me you have some remedy to calm him down. I'll pay you a fortune for all of your secrets," Felix joked.

Kymin wasn't sure what to say. He knew they were making the kid nervous, but he wasn't entirely sure how to remedy the situation. So he let Felix talk, holding onto Vishnu and giving his silver haired love a small shrug and a look that clearly said he didn't know what to do.

Lain kept a grip on her hat, only looking up slightly when the silver haired man spoke to her. She shook her head a bit at his question. "H-he was about a year old when I got him...but he's always been this calm, from what they told me...sorry," she said, giving another light swallow, her face still red with embarrassment. She at least seemed a bit more willing to talk about June.

Kymin looked at the German Shepard with a smile before looking back to Lain. "What's his name?" he asked curiously.

The girl's brown eyes turned to the black haired male of the two. He hadn't really spoken much since getting here. "June," she said. "Like the month. I don't really know why they named him that...but he likes the name," she nodded lightly, her grip loosening on her hat a bit.

Felix was sharp enough to pick up on the fact that Lain was more comfortable when talking about her dog, so he took Kymin's lead and went in that direction with the conversation. "Oh well, guess we'll just have to find a way to calm him down ourselves. If we were staying a bit longer or moving here, we'd ask you to let him play with June a bit more. Maybe he'd learn a thing or two." Felix crouched down and petted the older dog. "Do you know of any good dog parks, um..." Felix smiled a bit embarrassed. "I have no idea what your name is." He glanced up at Lain. "I'm Felix, my friend there is Kymin, and the puppy is Vishnu." He honestly wanted to tell the kid that he could care less for the ears. He'd seen Mori's ears so many times before this that it was only natural. The only thing that had excited him was meeting another neko.

(Pick now, Laori or Morin.)

Lain felt a bit bad that she didn't know any ways to calm the puppy down, honestly. "How...long are you two staying for?" she asked, finally letting go of her hat when the silver haired man knelt down to pet June. The big German Shepard seemed to like the guy, so the brown haired neko felt just a little safer. "O-oh, my name's Lain Marie, but...everyone just calls me Lain," she said, giving a small embarrassed smile. The main reason for putting her middle name in there was to make sure there were no doubts that she was a girl. It was hard to bring that kind of thing up in conversation without feeling awkward.

"Nice to meetcha Lain," Kymin smiled, to which the neko girl responded with a light blush and nod. The black haired ninja smiled and looked to Felix. At least they knew it was a girl now. Kymin looked back to Lain. "Probably not too long. We wanna get a good lot of traveling done," he said with a smile.

"So...you two won't be returning to your home for a while then..?" Lain asked a bit curiously. She was a little bit curious about that other neko they'd mentioned...

(I see what you did that, Laori)

Felix was glad she'd said Lain Marie instead of just Lain, because had she not, he'd be just as confused as before. "Nice to meet you," Felix said as well. When Lain asked about going home, Felix's brain didn't think anything of Mori. "Not any time soon," he said. "Unless we have an important reason to do so." He shrugged. "Why?" He'd been playing with June the entire time he'd been talking, so when he'd asked why, he looked up to her. What reason would she have for wanting to know if they were going back or not? She didn't even know where they were from. The only indication was his headband, and he wasn't sure the girl had seen it. He didn't even remember if Kymin was wearing his. Felix didn't really care for the answer.

Lain looked almost as embarrassed before when he asked why. "U-um..." She couldn't help but start flitsing around with the hem of her shirt. "I-I kinda...wanna meet that neko you mentioned..." she said, blushing a little. She didn't care if it was a boy or a girl neko, it would be nice to know someone of the same species.

Kymin couldn't help but grin. He'd promised Mori he'd tell the guy if he ever found a neko girl, so this was pretty lucky. "You have a phone?" He asked. When Lain nodded, he continued. "I have his number, if you're interested," he smiled. He'd gotten the number when Felix had been out looking for help, so Kymin wouldn't have been surprised if he got a look for this.

Felix smiled when Lain explained. This was really rich, but it faded when he realized that they had no idea how old Lain was. She looked like she was twelve and then there was the issue that not only was Lain younger, they weren't sure if she was a pureblood. He felt it would be rude to ask, but he really wanted Mori to find someone. He looked to Kymin when the guy said he had Mori's number. Felix blinked. What? Felix wasn't jealous, but what reason would they have exchanged numbers? He gave a small sniffle and looked back to Lain. "His name is Mori," he said. "If you ever want to find him easily if you travel to the Crested, he runs the orphanage near the center of the village." That was Felix's way of giving a small hint that Mori was older than her.

Lain was almost a bit more excited when they mentioned that the neko was a boy. Not that she'd been specifically looking for a boy, but still...She hadn't met a girl or boy neko in a really long time, so she wasn't picky. She paused when Felix said that the guy lived in the Crested, and looked almost a bit intimidated. "That far, huh..?" She didn't like traveling long distances without other humanoid beings. She had June, sure, and she felt safer with him around, yeah, but...A couple hours away was one thing, but the Crested was a couple days away. Wasn't it? She tilted her head a bit, one of her ears twitching harmlessly under her hat. "How old is he? And...c-could I get his number?" she asked. She felt like a little kitten again, stuttering and being all nervous.

Kymin couldn't help but smile. "Sure. Can I see your phone?" He preferred putting numbers into other people's phones, it was just faster and more discreet than saying them aloud. When Lain handed him her phone, the black haired ninja put Vishnu down, the latter of whom ran over to Felix happily and rolled onto his back, pawing playfully at his dad's leg. Kymin merely chuckled and started tapping the number in.

"He's twenty-seven," Felix said as he scratched behind June's ear. "But there's a genjutsu on him that makes him look about fifteen to keep the kids from feeling uncomfortable around him." He then smiled when Vishnu came running over. Felix happily scratched the belly of the puppy. "Hey Vishnu, hey Vishnu," he said with a small laugh. He looked up at Lain when she spoke of the distance. "You know, we can take you there if you like," he said. "If we get your parent's permission." Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have spoken on behalf on him and Kymin, but Felix was sure the other male wouldn't mind so much.

Lain was quiet for a moment after Felix spoke of how there was a genjutsu on Mori. "...genjutsu. That's like...an illusion, right?" she questioned, tilting her head a little. She knew very little of ninja, but she knew the three basic types of techniques, or at least, she knew their meaning. Taijutsu had to do with hand-to-hand, ninjutsu had to do with techniques that used...elements, or something, and genjutsu was...illusions, probably. Disregarding that, Lain was glad the guy wasn't super young or super old. "Y-you could?" she asked, her brown eyes lighting up. "I-is that okay, I don't want to ruin your vacation or anything..." she said, sounding a little embarrassed. She blinked at his last statement though. Did she really look so much like a kid? "I...don't think that's necessary," she said, tilting her head. "I'm twenty, so I think it'll be okay."

"All do-" Kymin had been about to hand Lain her phone back when the girl said she was twenty. That had caught him completely off guard. There was no way this kid was that old. Or did nekos just age differently...?

"Precisely," the silver haired jonin said when Lain asked if it was an illusion. This kid was clearly no ninja. Felix's face reddened in embarrassment when Lain mentioned her age. "Oh...I'm sorry....I...." He gave an apologetic smile. "My fault." He looked down to Vishnu. "But yeah, we don't mind. Mori would be grateful, and helping a friend in need is more important than vacation time," he said with a laugh. "It's not going to be the end of the world if we head back home for a little while, right Kymin." He gave the shinobi a smile. Secretly, Felix had his own reasons. With them leaving, it meant that couldn't help Kana, which gave them some time to be together. Four days wasn't enough, even if it had felt like they'd been together for longer. That and by leaving, anyone who was trailing them would think they weren't interested in Kana. It was a bit strategic and selfish, bu Felix didn't care. Of course he wanted Mori to meet Lain as well, but there was always some hidden agenda with Felix.

(Yay, more Kylix time!!)

Lain smiled at the two of them. It was kinda funny, but she almost felt bad for being so deceiving. Taking her phone back when Kymin gave it to her, she looked down at the number. "Thank you," she said, putting her phone away in her pocket. "I'd go by myself, but..." The brown haired girl looked down, tapping the tips of her fingers together in embarrassment. "I don't like being outside of a village for too long by myself," she admitted. "The world's a pretty scary place."

Kymin couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic for the girl. She was really small, and looked like a little kid, it was no wonder she didn't like going anywhere alone. "Don't worry about it, like Felix said, we're more than happy to help," he smiled, patting the girl on the head. When Lain looked at him, he realized his mistake and pulled his hand back giving an embarrassed grin. "S-sorry, sorry!" He was so used to patting little kids on the head that he hadn't even really thought about the action before it was too late. But it seemed to be fine, considering Lain only giggled afterwards, causing Kymin to sigh.

Felix understood about not wanting to go without some sort of escort. He wasn't sure how many people knew about Batsu, but even he wouldn't want to roam alone with such a creature out there. He blinked away the memory and then stood up after giving June another scratch behind the ears and Vishnu a rub on the belly. Standing up straight he smiled at Kymin's mistake. "So, when do you want to head out. No need to rush, for we're now on your time,"he said with a friendly smile. Felix felt that going home would be like starting over in a way.

"Is tomorrow okay? I don't wanna take up too much of your time," she said, smiling lightly. "I just hafta finish up some things before we leave." Like telling her landlord she'd be leaving. The guy was a bit of a creep, honestly.

Kymin glanced to Felix, catching the smile. He was really embarrassed about that, but did his best not to show that he was. It had been a silly mistake, and he didn't want to dwell on it.

Felix nodded. "That's perfectly fine," he said. "Kymin will get you his number, so you can just call us tomorrow." Felix looked down at Vishnu and then to Lain. "Just to let you know ahead of time, Mori is going to be just as stoked as we were." He gave a small smile. This was turning out to be a very good day. Felix had thought the day couldn't get any better. He wasn't homesick, but home sounded good after all the trouble they'd been through. Of course they'd be leaving Kana behind, but she could handle herself for a little while longer. The biggest fear Felix had was that they'd send her out on a mission, but he'd easily solve that problem if it came to that.

Lain was about to reach for her phone, but was stopped by Kymin holding a hand up. "Already done," he smiled. "I figured I'd put it in there just in case," he chuckled. Lain couldn't help but giggle lightly. "Alright then," she said. "Thanks guys. A lot. I'm gonna go get a head start on wrapping things up. I'll give you a call tomorrow?" she smiled, giving a small wave before turning away. "See you tomorrow," she said, before calling June to follow, petting the dog as he walked up beside her.

Kymin gave a wave goodbye as well before looking to Felix. "I'm glad Vishnu ran over to June," he chuckled. "Now the question is, should we give Mori a call and let him know, or surprise him?" he asked with a grin.

Felix nodded and waved goodbye. He then looked to his black haired lover and smiled. "Vishnu you're such a smart boy." He then crossed his arms behind his back. "I think we should leave Mori to his duties of caring for the little ones. If anyone should surprise him it should be Lain, so unless she texts him, he doesn't need to know." Felix smiled. "I hope she's a pureblood and I really hope she's interested enough to turn this into something more than a chance encounter with him." Felix felt awesome right now.

"Even if she's not a pureblood, he can't afford to be picky, though, right? From what he's told me, there's barely any nekos left as it is, letalone purebloods," he said, heading back to the blanket. He wanted a sandwich. Once he got to the blanket, he plopped down and started eating one. "Well hey, Mori's cute, I don't see why she wouldn't be interested," he shrugged. He hoped Felix wouldn't get all bent out of shape by that comment.

"If it was up to Mori he'd be with that one girl he has a mad crush on. It's his parents that want him to be with a pureblood." Felix shrugged. "Glad my mother never gave me grief over who I chose to be with." He smiled lightly and followed Kymin to the blanket, beckoning Vishnu along. He sat on the blanket next to Kymin and laid on his stomach. He wished they were at a beach or near some water. He could take off his shirt and just enjoy the warm sun on his back. He smiled at the thought, but it faded when Kymin spoke. "Considering he looks fifteen, that's a bit perverted, but I understand where you're coming from. On the other hand, when did the two of you exchange numbers?"

"Yeah, that's true," he shrugged. "You do realize though, you employed that 'one girl he has a mad crush on', right?" Kymin asked. He wondered if Felix had ever realized the reason Mori had started twitching that one day. The black haired ninja said nothing when Felix said he was glad he'd never been given grief over something like that. In his first life, Kymin had never had the blessing of having fallen in love. Not even in his second life. It was only during his third life that he'd met Lily. "Hey, I said he was cute, not hot," he complained, eating what was left of the sandwich in a few bites. He didn't really need to eat, but he at least wanted one sandwich. Felix could have what was left and he really wouldn't care. "When you went to find those employees you bribed," he grinned with a shrug. "I promised I'd let him know if I found a neko girl wandering around, but considering the circumstances, I think it'll be fine for us to just drop by," he smiled, laying on his back next to Felix with his arms crossed behind his head as Vishnu went over on the grass and started rolling around in it and rubbing his face against the ground.