Tree-ted To A First Meeting

FennWenn · Mar 12, 2019

Being a journalist sounded like a noble job. “Kiyomi would be happy to give more information for the benefit of people-who-need-informi— Ohh!”

The transformation startled her rambling. This wasn’t the first Youkai that Kiyomi had encountered — she’d met those Bakeneko at the MC3, and she still wasn’t if the Japanese Sword Meatsmell Man was one or not. Even so, she was pretty impressed. The NEK0’s ears twitched forward as she peered closer, admiring Natalie’s twinned tail. She lifted her hand near the Nekomata, inviting her to rub up against it.

“Sprinkles becomes a cat too!” she exclaimed cheerily.

Or, she supposed in Natalie’s case, she was a cat that became a person. Kiyomi sometimes felt like she was that too. But she was a cat-person who had always been a person, and just thought of herself as a cat. Complicated. Maybe that was something the people that newspapers informed wanted to know? It seemed like a fun comparison to her.

“Pretty sure he is the only NEK0 that does. Kiyomi would like to be a small, pretty cat sometime too. Could explore all sorts of tiny places. Any other powers?”

Lotharingia · Mar 14, 2019

Sometimes, Nat liked to balk at people who expected her to act like a typical cat. Part of it was the fun of messing with peoples expectation, while some of it was her simply having enough pride to not pretend to be a simple cat.

But habits born from years of living were hard to break.

Plus it felt nice.

So she didn't take any issue brushing herself against Kiyomi's hand, softly purring so that she could feel the vibrations as she did so.

"Oh yes. I've met Sprinkles as well." She continued. "He seems to have a good head on his shoulders."

Nat found herself comparing the Nek0 in the back of her head. Sprinkles definitely appeared to be adapting to island life well, throwing himself into the community and already having a good grasp on most concepts. Kiyomi on the other hand seemed like she had a ways to go before she got there. From what she'd seen it appeared the Nek0 were as varied as most of the islanders.

"Hmm, well, since you called me pretty, I suppose I don't mind showing you what else I can do."

Nat chuckled to herself before taking a couple steps away. Her tails lifted, both ends pointing towards the sky, before a pale blue flame suddenly burst into life in the space between them. It burned in place for a moment, before shifting into the shape of a cat, then into a face that looked almost identical to Kiyomi's, aside from it's burning blue colour.

"Nekomata's can be tricky creatures." The phantom face said, in a voice that sounded just like Kiyomi's. "Some of them like using magic to fool people into seeing things that aren't there."

FennWenn · Mar 21, 2019

Kiyomi gawped at the illusion a moment. If she touched it, would it burn her? She held her hand near to test the heat. After the surprise, she stuck her tongue out at it. “Real fire, or all false? Good trick, oooohhh. Kiyomi certainly can’t do that! Illusion-y magics seem common here,” the NEK0 commented, withdrawing her tongue thoughtfully.

Was it weird to keep rattling off people who had the same powers as Natalie? There was that shadow-girl who did the voices, and the moth boy at the MC3 who changed looks. Come think of it, she hadn’t seen him around in a while…

Flicking her attention outward again, Kiyomi giggled. “Kiyomi would show you her powers, but well… she has few! Except perhaps that she learns fast. Learned much of Russian history today, kya~.” Giggling, she struck a cute pose, her head in her hands. “Her other power is entirely too visible. Kiyomi, too, is adorable.”

Out of everything Owner had left her with, Kiyomi had decided that her self-confidence in that one tiny aspect of herself was the most decent.

“So what questions does a journalist ask? Of NEK0, and not-NEK0.”

Lotharingia · Mar 26, 2019

The fire, despite its appearance, didn't let off any heat, confirming its illusory properties. The fake Kiyomi mirrored the catgirls expression, sticking its tongue back out at her, before vanishing into a puff of smoke. Nat sat down on her little cat butt as Kiyomi talked, her body starting to grow large again, stretching out until she was back in her human form, reclining on the bench. The Nek0's declaration of her 'power' made her smile.

"Yes, I'm sure few people would disagree with you on that point."

Shifting to the side of the bench, Nat patted the seat next to her, inviting Kiyomi to sit if she so wished.

"Well, the questions I ask depend on what the story is. In the case of the Nek0, the story would be about them. Who they are, how the scouts found them, what they're doing now."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment. When she'd spoken about this with Sprinkles, he'd seemed to be able to distance himself enough from his past to be comfortable talking about it. Kiyomi...well, Nat hadn't quite grasped just how mentally mature she was in comparison. It might be best to tread lightly for the moment.

"So, I suppose the sort of questions I would ask a Nek0 would be things like; what their life was like before the scouts found them, and how they've been adjusting to their new lives here."

She adjusted her sitting position to face Kiyomi more, her expression less casual and more serious now.

"But before all that, I think I'd make sure the Nek0 was ok talking about their past. Not everyone is so keen to revisit it."

FennWenn · Mar 26, 2019

With her own excitable wiggle, Kiyomi leapt butt-first onto the bench next to Natalie. Once seated, she crossed her legs and sat at the same dignified attention she always saw Mama Tasha do.

“Yes,” Kiyomi said back, after a bit of wrinkle-nosed thought. “Before the island was… not good for a lot of us.” Though she had only met a few of the other NEK0 again post-trading-post, she knew well enough that they probably had it as bad as her — or worse. “Not easy to talk about. Or listen to, for some people? Is learning about what is good to say, and what makes people unhappy to hear. Truthfully, Kiyomi has mixed feelings.”

As she said this, her leg bounced on her lap, and her tailtip switched in time with the motion.

“Kiyomi is pretty willing to talk, but wants to make sure others want to hear, first? Is like the touching rule. Ask before touching. Learned that from Sprinkles, too.”

Considering Natalie’s profession, though, she was pretty sure the Nekomata was willing to hear. A shrug ran through her, head to tail. Her demeanor remained just as sunny (in spite of the snow and discussion topic). “Does Natalie go to special, cozy places to ask her questions, or just anywhere? Figures it goes smoother in nice environments!”

Lotharingia · Mar 29, 2019

Nat's smile returned quickly after Kiyomi's question, maybe she was underestimating the youngsters a little too much. It sounded like Kiyomi was a bit more mature than she appeared at a first glace, Nek0's did learn fast after all, so that shouldn't surprise her. Maybe it would be alright to discuss things further.

"I actually think the snow looks quite nice at this time of day, but you're right, it's getting quite chilly out, and interviews usually go smoother when everyone is nice and comfortable."

Pulling her coat tight around her, Nat stood back up from the bench, hands returning back to her pockets.

"If you're willing to talk, I'm more than happy to listen. There's a nice cafe close by here that I like to conduct my interviews at, unless you know a place you'd feel more comfortable talking in?"

Kiyomi was, after all, the subject of this interview. If she was going to be talking about her past Nat figured it'd be best for her to pick some familiar ground first.

FennWenn · Mar 30, 2019

Like an eager kitten, Kiyomi padded off after Natalie. Though she didn’t say it, she was glad to be going inside for a bit. Her fall had gotten some snow inside her booties and her coat. It melted, because body heat, but it was still pretty cold. Her fur had puffed out a bit in an unsuccessful retaliation to it.

“Oh, Kiyomi is still learning where everything is, in the city,” the NEK0 admitted, curling a length of her hair around her finger. Learning, learning, learning. Even with her speed, she was just a tad bit impatient with the process. She wanted to just know. “She is very happy to explore new cafes!”

Though, momentarily, she frowned up at the sky.

“Hope they have good food for cats. Err, not cat-food, just human food Kiyomi can eat! But Sprinkles maybe told Nat all about that already, nyahh.”

Lotharingia · Mar 31, 2019

"Oh, don't worry. I'm already aware of your diet." She affirmed, nodding her head. "I think you should be fine eating there. Come on, I'll show you."

With that, she lead the way out of the park.

____

Natalie had expensive tastes, her clothes, her living space, and the foot she usually ate often reflected this. The cafe Nat picked was one near the coast of the island, partly because it had a nice view of the ocean, and partly because she knew that they had a few simpler seafood dishes that Kiyomi shouldn't have too much trouble eating. The cafe itself could be summed up as high class. The floors and tables were meticulously clean and maintained, and the lighting was warm and inviting.

Thanks to the cold, there weren't too many people dining around them, so the place was fairly quiet as they arrived.

"Feel free to order anything that you want," Nat said as they found a table to sit at. "I'll pay for it, a lot of the stuff here can be pretty pricey."

It was questionable financial decisions like this that kept Nat perpetually inches away from the poverty line, but she didn't really mind it. No point in living if you weren't going to live it up sometimes.

FennWenn · Apr 1, 2019

Shiny glass surfaces. A seaside view. More importantly; warm! With relief, Kiyomi slide her coat off and tied it around her neck like a cape, revealing the nice blouse underneath. The fanciness of the cafe reminded her of both Mama Tasha’s house, and Owner’s apartment. Fitting. Given the likely subject matter of this conversation, that was.

With a politeness more-than-obviously hiding a nervous, excited buzz, the NEK0 glanced through her food options and twitched her ears.

“Um, shrimp. Lots. Cooked, but plain, doesn’t care if has the tails or not. Would ask for tea too, but Kiyomi isn’t sure if the ones here are good for her. Mama Tasha is helping her learn,” she admitted sheepishly.

When she was done, Kiyomi glanced up at Natalie. The NEK0 had her own pad of paper out — ready to write down what she was asked, her own ironic attempt to gather information on how interviews worked. “So. What are the first questions or so?”

Lotharingia · Apr 3, 2019

Unsure herself about the tea, Nat simply settled on a glass of water to go with Kiyomi's shrimp, while ordering a cup of coffee for herself. The server took their orders quick before heading off, leaving the two alone to talk.

Nat quirked a smile once Kiyomi took out her paper, before reaching into her pocket and procuring her own notepad and pen. She settled back in her seat, flipped to an empty page, and begun to speak.

"Well, I suppose the best place to start would be the beginning. Most people have heard about the trading post, I'm guessing the scouts would have brought you from there along with the others."

Nat crossed her legs, leaning forward, watching Kiyomi with a seemingly impassive gaze as she mentally noted the Nek0's body language, gauging how she reacted, what she was thinking.

"I want to start with before that. What kind of life did you lead before ending up at that trading post? How much would you be ok telling me about?"

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Tree-ted To A First Meeting

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