OPEN

[anti_nonsense]

Who: Rita and YOU!
When: Day 28-29
Where: Around Rita's trailer.
What: Someone left catnip at Rita's trailer, cuteness commences, also general in-between-event stuff for anyone who wants it!

[home videos / open]

Passing through the trailer yard, one might find Rita crouched outside Trailer 19. Her wings seem to be missing several feathers, but beyond that, she appears to be unharmed and in good health despite all the recent chaos.

In fact, she's actually... having... fun?

The space just outside the trailer door appears to be heavily sprinkled with catnip and mint, and her Litten, Francis, purrs up a storm as he rolls around in it. Rita appears to be filming his adorable antics with a handheld video camera, grinning all the while. She doesn't immediately notice if someone else happens to be nearby.

[wildcard!]

Alternatively, Rita might be seen around the carnival, reading a book she picked up in Wismuth, putting the finishing touches on a thick manuscript she's been writing, or just hanging around the training grounds, trailer park, or cookhouse. If you want to do something else with Rita, feel free to tag with a different starter, or hit me up on plurk (pzue) to plot!

Comments

[anti_nonsense]

Rita gives a start at the sound of Yuya's voice, fumbling with the camera but fortunately catching it before she can drop it. She turns her head sharply to see him, but some of the alarm in her expression subsides when she sees who it is.

It takes an extra second for his question to register, and she replies, "Y, yeah... seems like it." In other words, she's not actually sure.

[hippocarnival]

"Core acts like that whenever he gets any." Wild and rambunctious, which is always funny when he's normally such a calm cat. But that's what tips him off.

Yuya comes up beside her, leaning slightly to look at the camera before he crouches near Francis to see what plant he's rolling around in. It makes his pendulum hang down and swing in the air slightly. "There's a lot of it... where'd it come from?"

[anti_nonsense]

"I don't know... maybe 9S put it here," Rita guesses, rising to her feet and shrugging. After all, who else would it be?

Looking over to Yuya curiously, she asks, "...Core?"

Must be a cat's name, but Rita hasn't heard Yuya mention a cat before.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya nods. "Core's one of my cats. Uh, from home I mean."

He's definitely catless in the carnival. Yuya holds his hand over Francis, wiggling his fingers in an attempt to get the cat's attention. He is absolutely in danger of scratchings by trying to use his hand as a toy for a high cat, but does he care?

Well, not right now anyway. "Right, you two share a trailer? Maybe he brought it for Francis."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita nods. "Could be. Francis can be kind of aloof, but I think he's been warming up to 9S and Pod lately." It's not unthinkable that 9S might do something nice for him... but it is kind of weird that he'd dump it on the floor inside the trailer, too. He's usually the clean one between the two of them.

Francis, seeing the waggling fingers, stops. He stares, wide-eyed and perfectly still for a second... then wriggles himself upright and jumps at the fingers, swiping and seemingly trying to grab them... with his claws out.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya jerks his hand up with a grin, just barely dodging the claws.

"Almost! Come on, get it," Yuya encourages, wiggling his fingers as he slowly lowers his hand. Then he pauses, glancing over his shoulder to her. "Are you still recording?"

He realizes he might be in the way.

[anti_nonsense]

"Huh?" Rita looks to the video camera in her hands. "Oh. Yeah." Oops, she forgot about that. Rita holds it up and reaches to switch it off... but pauses, watching Francis make another undignified leap at Yuya's hand.

Actually... that might be good footage.

Rita circles around Yuya, pointing the camera to catch some of the Litten's feats of impaired acrobatics.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya jerks his hand up again, flinching as he's just slightly scratched. Maybe his hand isn't a good idea. He looks up at Rita when she finds herself a better, then glances between the camera and Francis before he gets an idea.

With a smile he pulls his pendulum off his nack and dangles it in the air, spinning a slow and enticing circle. He's not worried about it getting damaged at all, so he doesn't mind using it as a temporary cat toy.

"Fraaaancis," Yuya practically sings, bouncing the pendulum. "Get it."

[anti_nonsense]

Francis stops, his eyes following the pendulum, tail flicking back and forth... and then he makes a wild jump at it, misses, then flails his limbs as he scrambles into another jump. If Yuya isn't careful, he might actually snatch it from him.

Rita shuffles around until she seems to have found a good angle, standing close by and pointing the camera down.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya laughs as he dangles the pendulum higher, but given a few attempts Francis will successfully catch it and Yuya's hand jerks down with the pendulum.

"Ah--" He tries to jerk it back, his other hand reaching to scratch Francis' backside in an attempt to distract him. It's hard to tell who's having more fun here (but it's probably Francis).

[anti_nonsense]

Francis, unfortunately for Yuya, isn't easily distracted. He pulls the pendulum to his mouth and refuses to let go. His tail swishes excitedly while Yuya makes his attempt, though.

"You've got guts, tempting him with something so valuable-looking," Rita comments from behind the camera. "He's been known to take things and run."

[hippocarnival]

"I won't let him have it that easily." And as if to make his point, Yuya tangles the cord around his fingers to tighten his grip. It's thick, so there's no worry about Francis breaking it, and instead Yuya gives it an occasional, gentle tug. The great thing about magically made pendulums: they don't break easily (at all?).

With his other hand he pets the back of Francis' head. At some point he's bound to tire himself out, especially if he's been rolling around for a while before Yuya even showed up. Still, Yuya doesn't seem impatient for him to stop. "I guess he's back to normal, too?"

[anti_nonsense]

"Yeah," Rita confirms. "No more Creation power, no more talking. Not that he talked that much even when he could."

The Litten remains latched on to the pendulum, occasionally making a pathetic-sounding mewl, like he can't believe Yuya would be so mean as to try and keep his prize away from him.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya laughs as he tightens his grip, but stops pulling against Francis' grasp. He'll get tired eventually. "Too bad, right?"

He wouldn't have minded keeping Creation's power a little longer. Even if Creation doesn't need him still... but he also knows wishing for it won't turn things back.

He glances up. "Are your wings doing better?"

[anti_nonsense]

Is it too bad...? Even though Rita was happy to talk with her cat, she doesn't feel too disappointed now that it's over. If anything, she feels more confident than ever that she and Francis understand each other well, even without exchanging words.

She nods at his question, then flexes her wings outward in an experimental gesture, showing the uneven rows of feathers. "There's no serious damage, and the feathers are starting to grow back in. Might take a while, but they'll be good as new in a few weeks."

[hippocarnival]

"That's good." He's relieved to hear it's not serious at least, and gives the pendulum another hard tug. Hm, maybe this wasn't as good of an idea as he thought.

He draws his other hand back as he watches Francis, scrunching his nose. Cats like long, wiggly toys, so... he moves his tail, arcing it around and slowly swaying the tip in front Francis, a pounce away. Maybe this will distract him from his pendulum. "How long has he been playing in this?"

[anti_nonsense]

Seeing the tail, Francis tenses suddenly, watches it... then lets go of the pendulum and swipes at it.

"On and off since we got back from Wismuth. I don't know if it's too much stimulation for him, but..." She shrugs. "It's probably fine, for now. He's earned some time to relax."

[hippocarnival]

Success! Yuya grasps his pendulum tight to his palm as he pulls it back. And gets his tail smacked instead, twitching as Francis' paw grazes it.

"No, I just meant he still has a lot of energy." He pulls his tail up higher, hopefully harder for Francis to get to. Although that's also a good point--can you give a cat too much catnip? They usually gave Core those toys or scratching posts with it, so it wasn't a huge concern. "But he's a Pokemon, right? So I guess he's not exactly the same as an ordinary cat."