Legend of Ransera

Kalsazi was not a place that left you bored. Some would say that it was the sights that kept them entertained. Street performances and beautiful buildings; likely candidates. For others, it would be the food. Enterprising citizens found one recipe or another to make their own; a twist on a well-loved treat. He'd could agree with that, but his answer would always be the same: the people. And their money.

He'd already picked the pocket of a gentleman with his attentions elsewhere. Not much in the man's coin purse, but the telltale signs of a night about to be spent in the Cabaret had been...interestingly clear. He'd been vocal about it for a good moment when Mino had "accidentally" bumped into him. Too easy a target; his empty coin purse was discarded with ease. Mino was more than content to spend his time lifting items off unsuspecting persons, but his gaze landed on the trail of cats and the flames of red hair.

He recognized a few of the strays from his own evening patrolling and -- "Peaches?" He was close enough to be heard by the stout tabby, who turned to look his way. It gave a soft meow before continuing to follow behind the woman with the red hair. His brows rose and he fell somewhat in line, noting the growing number of them. He stifled a laugh at the sight; a train of stray cats (some that he knew all too well to not trail after) for a particularly messy eater. If this didn't teach her to be more careful with how she ate, he wondered what would.

And, then she did something he didn't expect: she ran. She took off down the street with her skewers in hand like it was the only option. He stopped, blinked. Around him, people glanced the woman's way, chuckled some, but otherwise went about their business. Which probably made him jogging behind the odd parade a touch odder. His shoes slapped down against the stones of the street, cold air brushing over his skin and through his hair. Mino felt a bubble of curiosity fill him slow. A small voice that marveled at the extremeness of the reaction - and what else she would do.

By the time he'd caught up with her, she was pulling herself up over a ledge that he knew would definitely not get her much further. She was, truly, stuck. The cats mewled and cried for her, as if pleading for her to come down. He cocked his head to the side as several of the cats turned at his arrival, turning their sights on him. Of course, he had no food to offer. Not tonight. It didn't stop him from scooping one cat up and cradling it like an infant. Claws dug into his clothes as it began to knead at his arm, a soft purr rising from it. He glanced up at the girl before looking back to the cat. "Are you picking on tourists? I see you all learn fast." A kiss was pressed to the top of the cat's head before it pushed off and jumped back down, another jumping up to take its place.

"I take it you don't do very well with cats, yeah?"

The first thing he did was laugh. Mostly because - who didn't love a cat? This girl, for one, but he couldn't really count her. He didn't know her well enough, and this veered more on the edge of fear than it did dislike. To him, at least. Once the short moment of laughter passed him, he opened up one arm to allow for another cat to hop into the crook of it while the first nuzzled at his neck.

"I've been called worse before." His smile spread a little wider, cheeks pushing his eyes into twin crescent moons. She was certainly one to talk, given what he'd already witnessed. He hiked the two cats further up until they perched almost on his shoulders. He hated having to tip his head back to speak to her, and he certainly wasn't a fan of the picture this painted. A lecherous young man attempting to look up the skirts of a lady while she sat defenseless and...scarfing down pork skewers so that strays couldn't get to them. His brow twitched and he fought the familiar tingle in his ears. Mino wondered, partly, what her reaction would be to him shifting forms, but that would be something he could see later.

For now, he wanted to solve the matter of levels. Normally, he was the one higher up, lounging precariously on the edge of something he probably shouldn't lat on, leg swinging. But it was too cold for that these days. The season wasn't right and the sun wasn't out for him to bask in. Gods above, he missed the sun, and a peaceful nap in it.

"Mino Lekivian, at your service." His bow was meant mockingly, a touch too deep. The cats on his shoulders peered up at the woman, pushing up slightly on their flesh perch. He walked a little closer, they might be able to hop onto the ledge. If they weren't on his shoulders, he would have no problems reaching the ledge. The perks of his Rathari nature, and one he utilized often. He righted himself and wore the same smile. "Would I get to know the name of the...interesting young lady who's lured all my favorite neighborhood cats into an alley?" He paused, blinked. "You know, someone would think you're a mage of some kind, planning something with all these cats. It's probably not what you're doing, but." He shrugged as if this answered anything, the cats on his shoulder mewling as they pressed themselves closer to him.

He strolled closer to the ledge, looked up - pointedly in a direction she was not. "Also, do you need help getting down?"

He tipped his head to the side, considering. He didn't dabble much in magic himself, and he didn't know much about the practices of mages. "I suppose they make for good practice thralls for necromancers." He shrugged, scratched at the chin of a purring feline by his ear. "I have no need for cats in that manner, so I'm not too familiar with it. An animus mage may take one of them as a form?"

Mino's experience with mages was surface level, at best. The family had a few within their ranks, but they had not come from the same generation as he had. His interaction with them could be limited to instances counted easily between his two hands. He supposed, if he had to, he wouldn't say that he hated their magic. It was neither inherently good nor evil, but it did seem a bit like he'd have to level the playing field somehow if he were ever paired with them for a job. He sniffed, glanced up at the girl once more. "I wouldn't take you for someone in the business of chopping cats up for such a thing, though. Considering." His brows rose as he set both cats back down on the ground.

The black cat with the white tail that had managed to get the meat Fawn had dropped hopped into his arms as she'd been waiting. He chuckled to himself at the sight, running a hand through her fur. She mewled, settling herself in. He knew her to be a stubborn, spoiled sort. Getting her to stay down now that she was in his hold would be a different kind of challenge. Mino looked up to the ledge again. It wasn't that high, as far as heights he's scaled went. Making sure the cat was safely tucked into his less dominant hand, he back up some. The sea of felines parted with each step. They watched as if they knew what to expect, striding towards the walls of the alley to make way. Of course, some of them may have learned their lesson from getting their tails trampled underfoot on one occasion or another.

He figured it would take no more than a few easy strides. He rocked back on his heel on his right side, pushed forward. He went with the momentum, picking up a bit more speed as he got closer to the wall. His left foot pushed him higher up and his right hand reached for the top of the ledge. He swung himself with ease that was all too practiced, even with an older cat in his arms. The same cat that peered up at him, then the sky as she observed their new location. A soft mewl left her.

"You know, if it was the stars you wanted to see, I'm sure I could have found other ways to show you." It was harmless flirtation; something he did with everyone. Up close, though: she was pretty. Lady Blue would approve of her. Might make something of her, too. But she didn't like cats that disqualified her plenty in his book. For now, of course; she was still entertaining. "Might I present her Ladyship Pumpkin? She's the oldest of the bunch, much more refined, you'll find." As if trying to attest to this, Pumpkin purred and tucked herself closer to Mino as he adjusted his position on the ledge to let his legs dangle off the sides.

There was one thing that lingered in his mind. The same thing that often lingered wither everyone else. If only they knew. He was still wondering about that. Her aversion to cats was growing more and more humorous, topped off by her evident astonishment at Pumpkin's pleasantness. At any of the cats' friendly disposition.

"I brought her up here, because I can't very well have my precious queen scratching around in the gutter." He looked toward the cat, who mewled once more as she kneaded at his thigh. His ear twitched, just a jolt. Pumpkin was older, perhaps even older than he was. He'd seen the cat in this area for as long as he had been around. Some nights, when he was younger and prone to the frights of life left behind taken shape in dreams, he would wander about to find her. And she would be there, waiting. She shut big, bright eyes and lowered her head. "I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge to respect your elders."

He regarded Fawn a moment as she seemed to miss his meaning entirely. Another raise of his brows, a cock of his head. "You don't get out much, do you?" It could be said of her reaction to his words, and to Pumpkin's pleasantness. He scratched the cat on the back of her head, earning him a purr. He offered her the same sound in reply as she pushed her head further into his hand.

"They're all good children. Pumpkin's just older. She doesn't have the same energy as the younger ones, and she tires of nonsense very quickly. They also might have thought you were playing earlier. Some people do kick up a fuss before they give them something to get them to go away, and I guess they've got it in mind that you're much the same."

He leaned back, rested his weight partly on his hands as he gripped the ledge. "But really - you don't get out very much, do you? I think I would have run into you a few times over by now." His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, he might have looked predatory as he appraised her. She looked of good stock. Pretty; nice dress. Had her family decided to hide her away? He couldn't think of any houses with children with hair quite so red, and quite so sheltered. "Have you been locked away in some high tower?"

It would make sense if she was bred or taken to pass as an heir. Lady Blue had once talked about getting Masquerade mages for a purpose of a similar ilk, but nothing had come of it. It certainly hadn't been included in their newer ventures. The look was gone, replaced with an easy smile. "You can try petting her, you know. Her fur's quite soft." His chest puffed out with pride. "I do brush her out once a day, after all."

His laughter was a low rumble, eyes shutting for a moment. Behind his eyelids danced the image of her running down the street with an army of cats at her heels. To be fair, if she hadn't run they wouldn't have given chase. Mino suspected the reaction had merely been an exaggeration to fit her personality. She seemed like the kind of loud that was...entertaining to be around.

"You came to the city to discover yourself." His eyes opened then, slow and lazy. Entirely too relaxed for being around someone he'd just met outwardly. Inwardly, however, was another matter. Self-discovery was a tricky business. His own enlightenment on his personality was carefully watched. Didn't want to give him the opportunity to run for the hills. Not when they'd gotten one of their best in a long while. His lips twitched downward, but otherwise the sullying of his mood didn't reflect much more on his expression. "Commendable. I assume you came on your own? You should be careful out on the streets." If she'd come to the city recently, it meant she did not have much. Nothing of value to him, at least. Which meant that she was safe from him relieving her of anything worth a few coins during this chance encounter. One less thing for her to worry about, he supposed.

"She's a lady of class. If she wanted nothing to do with you, you would know." He shut his eyes once more, turning his face up toward where the moon shown down on them. Not for long; the clouds rolled over and darkened the world once more. The brush of fabric as she moved to reach for Pumpkin came shortly after a moment of hesitance. The quiet stretched on, disturbed only by Pumpkin's soft purring.

The cat's paws were tucked under her frame, nestled between Mino's legs and her body. She blinked up at Fawn as her hand drew away, a tired mewl sounding. She tipped her head up, nose working before her eyes opened fully. Another soft meow, as if asking for more pets, and Mino replaced Fawn's hand to placate her. His eyes opened as the moon peeked through the clouds once more.

And then she was asking him what he did aside from chasing cats. His grin stretched out a little wider. He leaned forward, frame hunched over Pumpkin. Mino had always been one to assume that his smile was nothing short of a shield, but easily wielded like a weapon. It helped if he smiled wide enough that past his lips was the wink of teeth. Teeth longer, sharper than a human's. Teeth that could have easily been disguised if he so wanted, but decided that he didn't care much for. The light caught them as he spoke, teeth lining a pink tongue that curled first with a yawn, then around his words. "I work with assets for my family." It was the same trite line that Lady Blue had fed him. Told him to say it whenever anyone asked. He supposed it worked well enough; no one had ever questioned it.