[They sure did! As did Siffrin solo - some of the memories coming to mind are from before the party, and there's a lot more being outdoors or on the move than being indoors. Not a single one of these older, fuzzier memories appears to be in the same place.]
[Hmm. They've honestly been trying not to think about it very much - Firepaw and Laios hunting, and their Cheri Berry rations definitely having some kind of meat since they're at least partially a carnivore, and all of it. It's not like they had objections to eating meat or hunting before Bottlecap Bay - they wouldn't have made it to adulthood if they weren't willing to hunt. But... it feels different when you know that whatever you're eating is as smart as you...? Even if predation is clearly normal here, and there just seems to be a truce within Bottlecap Bay itself...]
[Maybe seafood is still fine. They haven't talked to any fish yet. Or seen any in town. Because they wouldn't be on land but let's just not think about that.] I can try to catch a fish...?
[They seem to be assuming Firepaw's asking if they're also okay with hunting. Yes they'd probably be in RiverClan; they also like swimming. Sorry Firepaw.]
[...what, really? Siffrin isn't offended, as such - not everyone likes seafood, and fish markets have a distinctive smell even for a human nose. But Firepaw gets back an (equally accidental) baffled vibe of, 'What cat doesn't like fish?']
[But hey, they've got no problem with malasadas! Sounds a lot less stressful. Even though now they're wondering if Firepaw might like some kind of non-fish seafood more, if they get him to try it...]
[Whenever Firepaw shows up, he's holding a bag with a few malasadas in it, a bottle of water and a bowl. He... usually doesn't actually have a plan for opening those bottles, but he trusts the ex-humans to have a better sense of how to get the water out. He tries to speak around the bag straps, but all that comes out is some awkward mumbling before he gives up and drops it.]
If there's one thing from here I wish I had back home, it's bags...
They're pretty handy, aren't they? [Especially when you don't have hands. Heh heh. Stealth pun...]
[Siffrin picked a spot to wait where they'd be easy to spot, but they weren't sure whether "sharing tongues" was a thing Firepaw would want privacy for or not, so they erred on the side of yes. They bite down on the bag straps and lead the way with their tail determinedly perked upward. (Their mood isn't truly improved quite that much... but they're making an Effort!)]
[It takes a few hops up buildings and roofs, but they're not expecting Firepaw to have any trouble. The spot they lead him to is a tiny rooftop, surrounded on three sides by slightly taller buildings. The "walls" have plants growing up the sides; the result feels like an enclosed alcove, albeit with open air instead of a ceiling.]
[Siffrin found it at some point, early on, and thought it would be a good spot for napping in the sun if they didn't want to head all the way back to the Canopy... not that they've ended up doing much napping. But now they're sharing it with Firepaw! They sit, looking at him for approval.]
[Unfortunately for Siffrin, the pun goes completely over his head. Oops.
This is a very cozy spot - Firepaw wouldn't have cared about privacy, but he does think a nice view is an important factor for a good grooming session. He immediately sits down and curls his tail around his paws, staying upright just so he can work on pulling out their malasadas and awkwardly figuring out a way to get water into the bowl. He... might need help with that part.]
It's really beautiful here... and warm.
did I go on a wikipedia spiral trying to figure out how they'd probably be sealing bottles? maybe
[Firepaw likes it! Siffrin flips their tail, pleased.] Nice place for a nap too, right?
[The smell of malasadas starts to spread, and Siffrin's whiskers twitch. But, seeing Firepaw start to struggle with the glass bottle and bowl, they bap the bottle over to themself.]
[They don't have thumbs any more than Firepaw does, but they are more familiar with dealing with bottles. If they just wedge it over the bowl, and... they pause, tilting their head to each side to make sure the bottle is positioned right, what with their lack of depth perception.]
[Okay, there. They clamp it in place between their paws and worry the cork free with their teeth, letting the water start pouring out.]
tbh technus needs to invent squeezy bottles for them
[Firepaw gives Siffrin space to work, and watches them with open fascination. That's much smarter than whatever he was planning to do. (He didn't actually have a plan at all.)]
Bottles might actually be the one thing I'd want to bring home with me... usually we soak moss with water to bring it places, but then it tastes like moss.
[Or they can go out and drink out of puddles and streams, but that's not always possible.]
they'd have to be smartbottles since it's technus. a curse is unleashed upon pokekind...
[Mossy water... well, it doesn't sound like the worst thing. Siffrin's done more than their fair sure of drinking out of streams themself!]
[Hmmm. Through the cork stopper, their voice muffled, they ask:] Do humans... not use bottles, where you're from?
[If Firepaw says yes, they might honestly believe him. They have a really weird idea about what the humans from his home are like at this point...]
[But yes they are implying that the Clans should just steal some water bottles.]
[Siffrin nudges the bottle with their nose to tilt it down when the water stops flowing - they don't trust repositioning it with their paws. When it's empty, they roll it back into the bag, and drop the stopper in with it.]
Oh, they do! I think they do. But the cats don't have anything like that - they don't like touching anything that belongs to humans.
[Should he feel bad about how little he paid attention to his owners' lives, to the point where he can't remember if they kept water bottles in the house? Maybe.
He doesn't, though.
Now that they're all set up, though, he folds himself into a loaf and starts eating his malasada. Which means... the conversation might be dead for a little bit, since Firepaw has developed an aggressive sweet tooth since gaining the ability to taste sweetness.]
[Siffrin tucks themself into a slightly less natural-looking loaf, near Firepaw, but not quite touching him. They're still not great at initiating contact.]
[They're noticing, somehow, that Firepaw is saying "they" about the cats rather than "we." But it feels odd to bring that up...]
...why not? [Maybe it's too dangerous to take something human, especially with the weird monster-riding humans Firepaw has?]
[Whatever it is, for now they pull over their malasada with one paw and munch on it too; they don't seem in a rush for an answer. They're probably done sooner than Firepaw, just because of their size difference.]
[His own wording fully escapes his notice - but he's definitely been feeling more distant from his cathood, the longer he stays here. And even more so, feeling like it's disingenuous to talk about ThunderClan like he belonged there - he didn't know any of them nearly as well as he knows the Cheri members, and he's known Emporio, Dark Heart and Shoka much longer than he knew Graypaw and Ravenpaw.
He does hesitate at the question - although he covers it up with another bite of his food.]
Humans set traps for them - load them into monsters and bring them to the cutter, or... shelters. If a human caught one of them, they might never see their kin again.
[He hesitates.]
I never saw anything like that, but... it's what the older cats told me. They didn't like me talking about humans too much, though.
[No one liked feeling like he was regretting his decision to join - least of all Firepaw himself. He's spoken much more about his owners and their house here than he ever did in ThunderClan.]
[(No Siffrin does not realize what Firepaw is talking about.)]
That sounds like a good reason!
[Forget whatever horror story the cutter is, even just being separated from family against your will... but they wouldn't know anything about that, hahaha!]
[They chomp down on the remains of their malasada with a bit more vigor, finishing it off.]
Yeah... but we have bottles here, and we don't have to steal them. So that's good.
[Unfortunately, the effect his choice of wording had is sort of lost on him. (He barely remembers that it's supposed to called a vet.)
Food, though! He's just about finished with his malasada, and afterward he rearranges himself to press his side against Siffrin's. There is a pause, as though he's hoping to put a little distance between them and the terrifying topic of the cutter, but eventually he leans over to start grooming behind Siffrin's ear.]
[While they're not good at initiating, Siffrin is pretty good about having Firepaw press up against them now - they lean back in response, lightly.]
[The lick is a bit more of a startling feeling; their ear instantly flicks a few times. One of their front paws twitches, too, as if they've just barely stopped themselves from reaching up and bapping with it.]
[...]
[Hesitantly, they tilt their head down more to make it easier for Firepaw to reach. They are notably taller, after all.]
[They're just! Going to let Firepaw show them what to do first! Before they try anything themself!!]
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[Hmm. They've honestly been trying not to think about it very much - Firepaw and Laios hunting, and their Cheri Berry rations definitely having some kind of meat since they're at least partially a carnivore, and all of it. It's not like they had objections to eating meat or hunting before Bottlecap Bay - they wouldn't have made it to adulthood if they weren't willing to hunt. But... it feels different when you know that whatever you're eating is as smart as you...? Even if predation is clearly normal here, and there just seems to be a truce within Bottlecap Bay itself...]
[Maybe seafood is still fine. They haven't talked to any fish yet. Or seen any in town.
Because they wouldn't be on land but let's just not think about that.] I can try to catch a fish...?[They seem to be assuming Firepaw's asking if they're also okay with hunting.
Yes they'd probably be in RiverClan; they also like swimming. Sorry Firepaw.]PAINFULLY LATE OOPS...
Let's... just get something from the market instead. Like malasadas.
[That feels like a safe compromise - no fish, and no dead sentient creatures. Just donuts and kitty cuddles.]
ME TOO /trying to catch up
[But hey, they've got no problem with malasadas! Sounds a lot less stressful. Even though now they're wondering if Firepaw might like some kind of non-fish seafood more, if they get him to try it...]
Sure. I'll meet you there?
holds ur hand...
[Whenever Firepaw shows up, he's holding a bag with a few malasadas in it, a bottle of water and a bowl. He... usually doesn't actually have a plan for opening those bottles, but he trusts the ex-humans to have a better sense of how to get the water out. He tries to speak around the bag straps, but all that comes out is some awkward mumbling before he gives up and drops it.]
If there's one thing from here I wish I had back home, it's bags...
no subject
[Siffrin picked a spot to wait where they'd be easy to spot, but they weren't sure whether "sharing tongues" was a thing Firepaw would want privacy for or not, so they erred on the side of yes. They bite down on the bag straps and lead the way with their tail determinedly perked upward. (Their mood isn't truly improved quite that much... but they're making an Effort!)]
[It takes a few hops up buildings and roofs, but they're not expecting Firepaw to have any trouble. The spot they lead him to is a tiny rooftop, surrounded on three sides by slightly taller buildings. The "walls" have plants growing up the sides; the result feels like an enclosed alcove, albeit with open air instead of a ceiling.]
[Siffrin found it at some point, early on, and thought it would be a good spot for napping in the sun if they didn't want to head all the way back to the Canopy... not that they've ended up doing much napping. But now they're sharing it with Firepaw! They sit, looking at him for approval.]
no subject
This is a very cozy spot - Firepaw wouldn't have cared about privacy, but he does think a nice view is an important factor for a good grooming session. He immediately sits down and curls his tail around his paws, staying upright just so he can work on pulling out their malasadas and awkwardly figuring out a way to get water into the bowl. He... might need help with that part.]
It's really beautiful here... and warm.
did I go on a wikipedia spiral trying to figure out how they'd probably be sealing bottles? maybe
[The smell of malasadas starts to spread, and Siffrin's whiskers twitch. But, seeing Firepaw start to struggle with the glass bottle and bowl, they bap the bottle over to themself.]
[They don't have thumbs any more than Firepaw does, but they are more familiar with dealing with bottles. If they just wedge it over the bowl, and... they pause, tilting their head to each side to make sure the bottle is positioned right, what with their lack of depth perception.]
[Okay, there. They clamp it in place between their paws and worry the cork free with their teeth, letting the water start pouring out.]
tbh technus needs to invent squeezy bottles for them
Bottles might actually be the one thing I'd want to bring home with me... usually we soak moss with water to bring it places, but then it tastes like moss.
[Or they can go out and drink out of puddles and streams, but that's not always possible.]
they'd have to be smartbottles since it's technus. a curse is unleashed upon pokekind...
[Hmmm. Through the cork stopper, their voice muffled, they ask:] Do humans... not use bottles, where you're from?
[If Firepaw says yes, they might honestly believe him. They have a really weird idea about what the humans from his home are like at this point...]
[
But yes they are implying that the Clans should just steal some water bottles.][Siffrin nudges the bottle with their nose to tilt it down when the water stops flowing - they don't trust repositioning it with their paws. When it's empty, they roll it back into the bag, and drop the stopper in with it.]
no subject
[Should he feel bad about how little he paid attention to his owners' lives, to the point where he can't remember if they kept water bottles in the house? Maybe.
He doesn't, though.
Now that they're all set up, though, he folds himself into a loaf and starts eating his malasada. Which means... the conversation might be dead for a little bit, since Firepaw has developed an aggressive sweet tooth since gaining the ability to taste sweetness.]
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[They're noticing, somehow, that Firepaw is saying "they" about the cats rather than "we." But it feels odd to bring that up...]
...why not? [Maybe it's too dangerous to take something human, especially with the weird monster-riding humans Firepaw has?]
[Whatever it is, for now they pull over their malasada with one paw and munch on it too; they don't seem in a rush for an answer. They're probably done sooner than Firepaw, just because of their size difference.]
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He does hesitate at the question - although he covers it up with another bite of his food.]
Humans set traps for them - load them into monsters and bring them to the cutter, or... shelters. If a human caught one of them, they might never see their kin again.
[He hesitates.]
I never saw anything like that, but... it's what the older cats told me. They didn't like me talking about humans too much, though.
[No one liked feeling like he was regretting his decision to join - least of all Firepaw himself. He's spoken much more about his owners and their house here than he ever did in ThunderClan.]
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[(No Siffrin does not realize what Firepaw is talking about.)]
That sounds like a good reason!
[Forget whatever horror story the cutter is, even just being separated from family against your will... but they wouldn't know anything about that, hahaha!]
[They chomp down on the remains of their malasada with a bit more vigor, finishing it off.]
no subject
[Unfortunately, the effect his choice of wording had is sort of lost on him. (He barely remembers that it's supposed to called a vet.)
Food, though! He's just about finished with his malasada, and afterward he rearranges himself to press his side against Siffrin's. There is a pause, as though he's hoping to put a little distance between them and the terrifying topic of the cutter, but eventually he leans over to start grooming behind Siffrin's ear.]
no subject
[The lick is a bit more of a startling feeling; their ear instantly flicks a few times. One of their front paws twitches, too, as if they've just barely stopped themselves from reaching up and bapping with it.]
[...]
[Hesitantly, they tilt their head down more to make it easier for Firepaw to reach. They are notably taller, after all.]
[They're just! Going to let Firepaw show them what to do first! Before they try anything themself!!]