genessia | Welcome to the Festival of Fireflies

[It wasn't much, though he wouldn't make claims that any of his magic was much to talk about. Any old mage should be able to do most of it ~~even if he knew he was the strongest~~. He was just glad that he could successfully make Katze happy. That was accomplishment enough for him.]

I... I don't know what fish eat.

[He shrugged softly. He usually ate fish. He didn't feed fish.

He plucked up his staff, which he'd left leaning on the tank, and stepped over to the booth operator - who, fortunately, had been turned around during his stunt to try and attract more people - and gently touched his arm for his attention.]

E-Excuse me... Wh-What do the fish eat...?

[He was rather stunned to see how many fish were in the bowl. Even a pair of killifish had been caught.

Fortunately for him, he also just happened to sell fish food and other goods for the fish. Before long he was selling Bracken bottles of fish pellets. It wasn't too bad, though, so he paid - and got shortchanged a little bit without realizing it - and held up the bottle for Katze.

He didn't mind at all paying for things to make someone else happy. It was status quo for him.]

Th-They eat this.

B-But if they don't eat candy, then what do they eat to get their bright colors?

[Katze let's out an annoyed huff as he peers down at his fishies. All of them are swimming about in confusion thanks to earlier. The mage definitely made them all so dizzy that they are swimming in small circles.]

I think you made them sick...

[He grumbles as he idly taps the bowl.

Katze wasn't paying attention when his goon inquired about the fish food. He was too busy trying to eat one of the fish that he didn't notice. He managed to swallow one whole but soon he coughed it up once it started wiggling in his throat.]

Yuck! Seafood tastes bad! Too bitter. [He whines briefly before Bracken provides him with proper food for the fishie.] Oh~? Do I just sprinkle it on top?

[He opens one of the bottles and toss in a small cluster fish pellets at his new pets.]

S-Sorry...

[He could only apologize for that. But at least all he did was make them dizzy rather than cause real damage.

For once he wasn't the most clueless one there. When he turned around to see Katze trying to eat fish, he spoke up more loudly than usual - mostly out of surprise.]

I-I don't think you're... you're supposed to eat these fish. I think they're s-suppose to be pets.

[And the booth operator was less than entertained, getting upset and shooing them both away from the booth.

But, Bracken wasn't mad at him. He figured it was an honest mistake.]

Y-Yeah, I think you just... s-sprinkle it in.

[Gently, he reached for Katze's arm to lead him away.]

I-If you want seafood, I think there's s... some over there.

Pets, huh? [He blatantly ignores the fish vendor guy and just stares at his fish. One of the fish is a bright pink one with long silvery fins and adorably cute blue googly eyes. Katze let's out a slight "aw" as he names his new favorite fish.] I'm going to name this one Bubbles. He looks like a "Bubbles" to me. Perfect name. A++.

[Out of all the fishies, Bubbles seems to be the most curious about its new owner. It keeps following Katze's fingers when he taps the bowl.]

Eh? There's a difference among fish? [He let's the mage escort him away~]

I'm really hungry.

"Bubbles"...? Th-That reminds me of Airy...

[Safely on their way, he glances at the fish in the bowl. The pink one reminded him of Katze, but they were all such vivid colors.

Though he wasn't tugging on any means, he left a hand gently on Katze's arm as he led him.]

I-I don't know much about fish. But... Maybe th-those ones are too small for food. Th-The fish in restaurants are much b... bigger.

[Of course, this was a festival. There were a lot more stalls than there were restaurants sitting around. It didn't take too long to find a stall with dozens of types of seafood out on display. There's a lot of little pieces so that people could try a variety, as well as full fish and other seafood ready to be prepared by the booth owners.

His hand slipped away from Katze and he stepped forward to pull out one of the chairs for him. Taking a glance at the prices, he hoped he had enough. He saved the majority of his money, but he'd only been around for a little while. His savings were still small.]

Wh-What would you like?

[He sat in the next chair and leaned his staff up again the booth.]

Airy? Wait, you know her?

[The alien let's out fake surprised gasp. Of course those two would know each other. They're both derpy as hell. Katze thinks Airy is pretty stupid but he doesn't mind her company.]

Talk about a small world.

[Katze doesn't seem to mind the touch too much. Usually he would be trying to gnaw the offending hand off or trying to kill the one touching him. That's not the case here since Katze is actually fun and making silly faces at Bubbles. The little pink fish definitely seems to like him the most.]

I know there's different types of fishies but which ones are edible?

[Once they find a decent seafood stall, Katze plops down on the offered chair and places his fishies next to him on the counter.]

Ohhh!! I didn't know takoyaki was seafood! I thought they were gummy pancake balls.

Mhmm... Sh-She's really nice.

[That was his opinion of people in general, until proven otherwise.]

A-And she can make bubbles.

[Here was a weakness for him. There was so much stuff out, and he had no idea what to eat.]

I-I don't know too much about fish...

[Even if he did know, he just couldn't make a conscious decision about it. But, he'd developed some workarounds. He turned to the owner to solve his dilemma.]

Wh... What do you recommend?

[And he'd go with whatever was placed in front of him without complaint.]

Do... Do you want the ta-takoyaki?

She can make bubble? How? With soap and water?

[Katze doesn't get the implications at all when it comes down to Airy's alleged powers. Not at all.]

Oi, then we both are kinda screwed. Neither of us know what to eat then. [He mutters quietly while reaching for a menu pamphlet.] The takoyaki are apparently octopus balls! They're really good and I had them before, so let's try that and maybe shrimp tempura?

[The alien pauses for a moment.]

...Shrimps are fish, right?

I... I don't think they are... They're s-something else in the sea.

[He definitely wasn't a marine biologist. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled.]

I-I bet it's all good, though. Let's have that.

[He got the attention of the owner and made the order. It wasn't cheap stuff, but it wasn't too expensive, either. He figured he could afford it just fine.

And, for the price, what was presented to them was some delicious looking food. Bracken took the chopsticks provided and carefully sorted them in his hand. He used them awkwardly, obviously not used to them, but he did manage to make them work as he picked up a ball.]

A-Airy uses magic. Sort of... I... I think she said it's not magic, b-but... it looks like magic. I-It was really pretty.

Oooooh~! Aaahhh~!

[Katze's eyes widen large enough to be partially seen from under his brightly colored bangs. He stares down at the food with a look of total awe. The alien is almost drooling when Bracken gives him a pair of chopsticks.]

Time to dig in! [He cheers merrily as he snapped them apart. They're wooden chopsticks, the disposable kind. Katze can use them perfectly but poor Bracken...]

Pzzt! Wrong! Can't you use chopsticks properly. [The alien reaches for Bracken's hand and tries to force his fingers into proper place.] There ya go! Lookie. That is the way.

[Katze grins a little at Bracken as he starts eating.]

Eh? Airy is a magical girl? That plain blond girl? Ha!

Mhmm. A-Airy has to con... concentrate to do hers, though. It's neat.

[Though he was taken by surprise, he didn't resist Katze correcting him. He was still awkward, because he rarely ever used chopsticks, but he went for it, popping some takoyaki in his mouth.

It was good stuff. Very nice on the taste buds. He chewed away happily.

He did tilt his head a little bit. He'd seen a lot of different humanoid creatures, but he still had certain expectations. Colors particularly attracted his eye.]

D-Do you have red eyes?

[The question was pretty plainly put, more curious than anything.]

Reeaaallly? I'm gonna get Airy to perform some tricks then.

[By the way he speaks about Airy, you would think the poor girl is his pet.]

She got me cotton candy earlier but didn't mention about anything regarding making bubbles! I'm kinda mad her.

[Katze quiets down once Bracken mentions about his eyes. He stares at the mage for a very long time before slowly pushing up his bangs.

His eyes are a bright firestruck red with little black diamonds floating around them. They're large and oval shaped. He almost looks like everyone's standard perception about aliens minus the fact he's quite pretty and has human proportions. The one thing he doesn't have are long eyelashes or eyebrows.

Katze has a dainty looking face. He definitely looks more like a girl than a boy with those smooth cheeks and small chin. Even his nose is small and cute.]

See~? They're red.

[They were a vibrant red, bold, just like Katze's hair, and not at all what he would have expected to see on someone as human looking as Katze. But, rather then pretend not to look, he studied them intently. Which essentially meant he was looking into Katze's eyes, but he wasn't really thinking of it like that.

It might have been considered rude by some, but it got him more used to Katze's appearance. After a bit he seemed to take it all in and turned back to his food.]

Th-They remind me of b-butterfly people's eyes. S-Some of them have red eyes, too. But... they're a d-deeper red. And, And they're big a r-roundish. And, one color.

[That stare...

Katze isn't certain why he's letting this fat creep get away with looking at him like this. He tenses up a little causing that skinny black tail of him to lash about behind him. Yeah, that fancy black diamond thing behind him is his tail. It looks like a piece of jewelry but it's a tail.]

Butterfly people?! You're saying I look like a bug?

[He huffs a little as he let his bangs drop over his eyes again. More interested in his food now, Katze starts munching loudly.]

[Had he said something wrong? He didn't think it was an insult, but Katze seemed upset.

He did get a bit distracted by that thing waving behind Katze, but he was more concerned with if, and why, the other man was mad. What could he say to fix it? He anxiously munched on his food as he thought about it.]

I... I think butterflies are pretty.

[If there's one thing about Katze that should be known, he values anonymity above a things else. He doesn't like letting people people see his full face, especially his eyes.

The bratty alien is sensitive about that and that bug comment makes him make him want to whack Bracken across the face with a plate.]

...grrr!

[He was about to reach for a porcelain plate to do just that until Bracken opens his mouth again and floors him with an indirect compliment.]

Eh? You like butterflies?

[His tail stops flickering and curls up beside him.]

Oh? Oh!

[Okay, he's giggling now.]

[He was a little confused. Sometimes, it was hard for him to read people, and Katze was bouncing through emotions. He wasn't positive if he was mad, or happy, or sad, and he wasn't exactly sure what the cause was, other than he seemed to have said something.

Maybe... Katze didn't know what butterflies were?]

I... I think everyone does. L-Lots of people like to look at b-butterflies, because they're so colorful and... and beautiful.

I know what butterflies are. [A brief pause.] Maybe. I confuse them with the fuzzier ones, moths!

[He's all smiles again as he eats. His emotions are completely out of whack buy they're never in check.]

So, I'm a pretty butterfly? A little cheesy but I can live with that.

[He leans against Bracken and nuzzles his cheek with a happy purr-like laugh.]

P-People don't like moths so much.

[He said that pretty confidently, being that the butterfly people were 'good guys' and the moth people were 'bad guys'.

With the other man's body leaning on his, he flushed a little. Only Thistle ever got that close. Not that he minded at all. Once he got over the initial shock and relaxed some, he settled into it.

It felt warm. And cozy. He looked pretty happy there like that.]

H-Have you tried any rides?

[Katze's tail sways lazily behind him as he cuddles with Bracken. The squishy human was designed for cuddles. He's so soft and plump like a comfortable pillow.]

Rides? [He shakes his head.] Nope! I watched a few but I didn't get on one.

[Katze might be too tall for a ride or two.]

[That definitely was a benefit to him. He was good at keeping things warm, too.]

M-Maybe we can go on some? I-I didn't get to ride m-much, either...

[He wasn't scared, exactly. He just shied away from stuff when he was on his own.

He happily nommed away on his food, not shy at all about that.]

If you're up for it, big guy! I'm game for any form of excitement and entertainment.

[Katze is in a good mood. He's literally up for anything this evening but they're going to need a fish sitter.]

Hey, do you know where Airy went? She gotta watch our school of fishies here.

[He points over towards the little fish bowl beside him. The fish are totally just staring at them with the bright pink Bubbles leading the pack.]

[He nodded. Rides sounded a lot more fun with someone else - though he'd kind of like Airy to join them. But then, someone needed to watch the fish. Fish couldn't go on rides, could they?

He popped the last takoyaki ball in his mouth and swallowed, setting down his chopsticks on the counter. For how awkward he was, he did manage to get the food into his mouth.]

I-I'm not sure...

[He looked behind them.]

Th-There's a lot of people h... here. Maybe... Maybe we could s-split up and look for her?

[Wait, then how would they find each other?]

And... And meet up over there?

[He pointed at the ferris wheel, since it was huge and easy to find.]

[Airy honestly looked like she needed a ride or two.

That girl looked glum as hell earlier when Katze ran into her. So, so, so sad! Something is up with Miss Sunshine but Katze doesn't know and he frankly doesn't care! He's s brat like that.

Katze eats the rest of his takoyaki and smiles happily like a cat who ate the canary. He's nice and full now and quite happy.]

Sure! Let's split up and hunt down the Bubble Girl!

[Once he spots the ferris wheel, Katze hops out of his chair and starts bouncing around again.]

Yes, yes, yes! Let's do that! Please~?

[If only Bracken knew. He'd undoubtedly want to cheer her up.

But, he was with Katze right now, and he wanted to make him happy. And the ferris wheel seemed to have him excited.]

O-Okay. When we get back.

[Not a problem. He'd like to see the ferris wheel, too.

He split up, wandering northward to try and find Airy. His path was weaving and random, taking a slow pace around the festival for a while.

When he didn't find her, he headed back and took a seat on the bench in front of the ferris wheel, waiting for Katze to arrive back.]

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