y'know like nyah [open]

[korekara]

WHO: Souji, Honoka and you poor unfortunate soul
WHERE: Recollé Square
WHEN: 2/21, late afternoon
WHAT: Rescuing cats from trees. or something like that.
WARNINGS: probably none?!? will be edited if needed

[ It's a nice, ordinary day in Recollé Square, isn't it? The weather's passable. Birds are singing. Cats are meowing.

Hold up.

That's right, cats are... meowing? Or that's what it sounds like, anyway. The distinctive nyaaa of a mildly distressed cat seems to be coming from the branches of one of the trees dotted around the park. It's followed by another meow, which suggests the presence of another cat up there. Weird.

Surely you wouldn't have the heart to leave a feline in distress up a tree, would you? ]

Comments

[momentaryspring]

[ Ugh. Jerky? For real? ]

You're going to force a girl to eat your meat? Disgusting.

[korekara]

[ muffled sniggering. ]

Yeah, Souji, you can't just force your meat on a girl like that.

[ she snorts. it's incredibly attractive. ]

[korekara]

[ sorry Peridot. There's no kitties, just a pair of idiot teenagers sat in a tree.

Honoka starts spluttering, though. ]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! You're not gonna throw that thing up here, are you?

[korekara]

... Yeah. I know I-- hold on-- I just--

[ she r e a c h e s with her foot and completely fails to reach the first rung of the ladder, so she has to scoot a few more inches across the branch. ]

I'd rather. Not. Fall. Y'know?

[ oookayyy time to try and ease herself onto the ladder... ]

[burningblossoms]

[Honoka...

Yukiko is very patient though, just holding onto the ladder, making sure it doesn't move around even a little bit.]

It's fine. I won't let you fall. You've got this...

[Seriously, don't be that guy.]

[tarotcards]

... I got a single pet in.

[ :(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ]

[tarotcards]

[ souji maintains a straight face, but there's this look in his eyes that clearly say that he's trying not to smile. ]

But I thought all "kitties" liked meat.

[ emphasis on kitties because he can't say pussy out loud, okay ]

[tarotcards]

[ The bear and Yosuke are practically on the same level here, tbh. ]

But it was calling for me and it would have taken too long to call for a groundskeeper.

[tarotcards]

Mewbe.

[ no, the verbal tic will never stop ]

[tarotcards]

[ ... well, this just took a dangerous turn. Souji just kind of... scoots further over down the branch, kind of dragging Honoka with him. ]

[korekara]

[ she leans over and grips his shoulder. her expression is comically severe and sympathetic. ]

I'm so sorry.

At least it didn't scratch?

[ a beat. ]

Right?

[korekara]

Y--yeah, I... I got--

[ whatever the rest of that sentence was supposed to be gets lost in a little yelp as Honona sort of. Slips sideways onto the ladder and manages to slide down a few rungs before actually getting her footing.

Give her a moment to just wrap every single limb around the ladder to steady herself. She might be there a while. ]

[burningblossoms]

[Yukiko is...patient. She really, really is. Only with girls, though. And she'll stand there, obediently holding the ladder. However, she is also slowly but surely letting individual fingers slip loose so that it's supporting itself.]

I believe in you.

[burningblossoms]

and if it's stuck it's not going anywhere for the five minutes...

[Oh, nevermind, Souji you're an odd duck.]

Anyway, you're okay, right?

[rosettareflected]

Admittedly this seems like the kind of thing you'd realize was wrong long before it was too late, but nothing for it now. Do you need anything...?

[Because if they're pretending to be cats, perhaps they've somehow manifest the ability to land from heights without damage?]

[momentaryspring]

[ Hmm. If they had time enough to joke, these individuals were in no real danger. And he was pretty sure the guy was the one he'd caught eating spam out of a can or maybe that was the other twin he really couldn't tell. ]

So what's your plan? Calling the fire department? Your rescue may end up on the internet; is your agency all right with that?

[ Cat guy probably didn't have an agency. ]

[moribound]

[He doesn't look very worried, somehow... Minato could have left it like that, but for the lack of concern Souji shows about being stuck on a tree Minato doesn't feel like he should let things slide.]

Wait a meow-ment then. [It's not a long walk away to a shop and Minato decides to just say that he's rescuing a cat on a tree rather than telling the truth, but the ladder's big enough that it takes him a while to drag it back to the tree , placing it as close to the tree as possible before opening it up.]

I think that should do it, but...how did you get stuck up there, anyway?

[korekara]

[ Meowment. Finally, a savior who truly understands their plight. It's enough to put a grin on Honoka's face while they balance precariously on their branch. ]

Trying to help a cat down! Or uh. Well, he -- [ and here she digs an elbow into Souji's ribs ] -- was trying to help a cat down. I'm up here 'cause he kept texting sad emojis at me til I said I'd come help him down.

[ a beat. ]

I didn't really think it through.

[korekara]

What, like they're gonna get mad at me 'cause I got stuck in a tree? S'not like you can make a scandal out of that unless you wanna accuse me of taking tree hugging too far.

[ She's stuck in a tree with a boy, yes, but she doubts anyone will be clutching their pearls particularly hard given that all they've done is sit around and meow at passers-by. ]

If anything, it'll be great publicity!

[ let her dream. ]

[korekara]

[ She doesn't deserve you, Yukiko Amagi, she really doesn't.

After a painfully long pause, Honoka unglues herself from the ladder and starts to slowly ease herself down it. It's pretty clear she does not want to be making this climb but she knows there's no other way for her to be getting out of that tree.

She doesn't risk a glance until she's sure she's close to the ground and even then it feels a bit too far. She doesn't open them again until her feet hit solid ground. And at that, Honoka reels away from the ladder with a very authentically feline yowl. ]

Ohhh my god, I thought I was gonna die!

[burningblossoms]

[Let's be honest, Honoka. Most people don't, even when she's giving out a punishment.

And for a friend she'll be there. Guaranteed. With Honoka skittering away from the ladder, Yukiko takes a moment to lower it and fold it up before turning to speak to the future idol...]

You'd have been fine. That was only about an eight foot drop. The worst that happens is you bruise yourself if you fall bad. But you're totally fine.

[tarotcards]

[ there's a small pause of hesitancy before souji looks away, eyes downcast ]

... It tried to.

[tarotcards]

[ they are definitely not in any serious danger. they're just dumb kids ]

She might even get sponsorships from cat-related businesses for her splendid tree climbing and meowing.

I'd sponsor her, nya.

[tarotcards]

[ Souji was about to say something to that comment because no cat should stay up in a tree for five minutes. It's simply cruel, but he decides otherwise and nods his head instead. ]

I'm all right. Thank you.

[ He just might be a little dirty from climbing a tree and then staying them for who knows how long, but he's definitely okay. ]

Thank you for also getting me down. Do you need help to take back the ladder?

[tarotcards]

A way down would be nyaice, but otherwise, food or watepurr if we're stuck up here fur a while.

[ who knows how long that'd be until someone fetches a ladder or the fire department gets here... ]