Bloom and Wilt [Ai/Cecil]

For once, Cecil didn't have his headphones on at his typical relaxing spot. He took it upon himself to take in the world around him, walking about and smelling the roses.
And daffodils.
And daisies.
Whatever he came across, really.

Even without hanging around as people worked their plots, the Garden Path was a sensory delight Cecil took a lot of pleasure in, a variety of scents wafting through the air from all the different blooms that had been planted in this place.
And on top of it all...Ankou actually let him be here. For all his Persona normally hounded him, even the spectral being that resided within him now seemed to be at peace in this place as well. Maybe...maybe because it was a reminder of what he could do?
Or did this place of petal and sprout calm even this inner drive as well?

He didn't know for sure. All he knows is that as he crouches down to smell a patch of flowers, breathing the fragrance in deep...
This is nice.

Ai made her way towards the garden that was near the resort she lived at currently with her father, As Ai walked her way, Cynthia, her little kitten companion slept in her hoodie as Ai took in the air. "Ai... Let's go home... you have yet to do your homework and... I don't want to be outside.. people are scary.." Selene said to Ai as she rolled her eyes. "Oh calm down Selene, We're just going for a walk... Cynthia wants to play in the flowers and I might pick some for daddy."

After a few moments of Walking Ai came to a patch of flowers, the small girl laying back on the floor with her hands moving to let Cynthia out of her hoodie, letting the kitten run around in the flower patches as Ai relaxed in the grass, yawning... oh no.. she went to sleep, The kitten running around with a red bow around its neck quickly found some other person.... Cecil. "..." the kitten looked up before crying out at him when he got to close, running back to her owner. Leading the man back to Ai.

He knew that sound. He loved that sound.
"Hello there, little kitty..." It was a kitten...! And it was adorable. "Here, kitty kitty..." He beckons to Cynthia, only to nearly outright pout as she runs off. "Aww! Where are you going?"
He follows the path of the little kit, to spot someone lying in the grass. So, it was hers? Huh. Come to think, most people didn't go out with their cats.

He felt off as he approached her, willingly walking into a social situation, but one resounding thought kept him moving:
I am petting that kitten!
He steps up, ready to ask, when...oh. She-she was asleep.
Dammit, what was he supposed to do? Umm, aaaagh...
"A-Ummm...hello...?"

The small calico kitten looked at him with its big soft blue eyes. "Mrow!" the kitten cried once more before it ran over to Ai's face, the girl was blushing at the warmth of the spring air and how soft her kitten felt against her face, the girl trying to sleep as the small animal licked Ai's nose, only for her to hear someone.

"ABORT ABORT! HUMAN NEAR BY AND WATCHING YOU SLEEP QUICK BREAK FOR IT!" Selene screamed in the the girls head, before Ai quickly sitting, the kitten almost sent flying into the hedge but it gott off her at the right moment before Ai would remember her surroundings. "...e-ello.." Ai said as a weak voice came out of the girl.

"Agh!" He watched wide-eyed as the girl jerked up, and nearly sent the kitty flying, watching with horror as it goes through the air...oh thank god, it just jumped o-
He hears a voice.
He slowly turns to the girl who the voice belonged to. "H-h-heey...is thagjh- thagnh-" His eyes close as he drives the heel of his hand into his forehead. Suddenly, it was a nightmare all over again. "Is...that...your... kitten?" Each word is slowly and carefully enunciated, in fear of them turning into another mess. "Only...I don't think...you should be sending cats flying. Let alone one on your face."

Ai looked at the man with her blue eyes staring straight at him. "..." She said softly. Already 5 seconds and he looked... like a killer. "Uh... Yes... That's Cynthia... she's a stray..." Ai said softly as Selene wanted to run away from the two but she can't escape Ai's mental state. "Girl... run now... he doesn't know you name.. he doesn't know where you live.. just run."

Ai slowly moved her hands to her lap as she sat up. "I am sorry but...are you ok..?" She asked with head slowly tilting. "I'm sorry for asking but.. you don't seem... okay.."

Cecil chuckles to himself darkly, smiling sadly. "Yeah...I see how you'd get that idea. No idea what I look liked but I doubt it's anything good." Stepping away from Ai, he sets himself down cross-legged on the grass. "I'm fine. Just have a habit of turning my tongue into a pretzel when I try to speak." He sighs.

He focuses on Cynthia as she frolics around, a little smile on his face at the sight. Animals were so much easier than people. "A stray, huh? Glad you took her in." The smile on his face is relaxed, but there's a longing look in his dark green eyes. "Do, a, um, you...mind if I pet her? I meant I meant to ask before, but you were asleep, and I didn't know what to do, I didn't think you'd want me just touching your cat but she's so damn cute, and then all this happened..." He groans, and looks briefly back at Ai, rubbing at his neck with an awkward grin on his face. "Aaaaand this is part of what I mean by pretzels."

Ai looked at him as her hands moved to the small kitten, grabbing it and putting it on her lap, petting it as it soon got off her. "Aw...." She said softly before looking back at him. "Oh I'm sorry... I just.. please forgive me.." She said softly, rubbing her arm. "I didn't mean to be rude or anything.." She said.

Then he asked if he could touch her small kitten. "Y-You.. want to touch... Cynthia..?" She asked before Ai slowly moved to grab her kitten to give it to Cecil. "Be... Very gentle... She's not used to people other than me... Lets say.. she's... scared of everyone but me.." She said as the Kitten just looked up at him calmly.

"He's gonna kill her.. I bet you he will...5 bucks he will."

Cecil's face lights up. "No, no, don't worry about it!" He shakes his head. "I'll be careful. Promise."
Carefully, he shuffles towards Ai, until Cynthia is comfortably in reach. He reaches forward slowly, presenting his hand to the kittens palm up so that she could get used to it, and his scent.
He waits to see how they respond from there.

Ai continued to watch the boy... her body tensed as he started to play with the kitten, her heart almost stopping when his hand was by the kittens neck. "Ngh...." She whimpered softly before she relaxed when he moved the hand, the kitten slowly moving through his hand abit, only for her to start biting and clawing his hand hard, Ai just watching, not really knowing if it was painful or not. "...wow..."

For the record? It hurt. It hurt a lot. The first contact he was expecting with this kit was not teeth. But despite the fact that it bloody hurt, a fact that was written over his face, he grit his teeth, kept quiet, and carefully moved his hand around to stroke Cynthia's back...
Or tried to, anyway. Little thing was determined maul his hand.
He gave a pleading look to Ai. "Help?"

Ai kept her eyes on the the kitten, it seemed rather normal for her before she looked at him. "I've never seen her act like that..." She said before he asked for help. "O-Oh right!" She yelped while she grabbed onto Cynthia pulling her away slowly, the kitten being moved to her lap once more, putting her on the grass to let her run around. "I-I'm so sorry.." she said once more. "She has never acted like that..."
"She's scared of him... Quick kick his ass... he doesn't deserve to touch your kitten..."

"Haaaa-aaaa..." The moment that Ai got the kitten off his hand, he brought it back and shook it in the air, letting out a breathy gasp in the air. "Fine! It's fine. Don't worry about it...fffffff...!" He holds the curse back, letting his arm drop with a pained expression on his face...happy, but OH GOD THAT HURTS.
"It's...fairly normal, honestly?" There was a strained tone to his voice as he tried to ignore the pain that Cynthia had inflicted. "Playful thing. Knew other cats like that. Don't know how long you've had her, but you might want to watch for that in future." There was a little tear in his eye he failed to notice. Kittens were not supposed to hurt that much. "Would have normally just taken my hand away or something, but you said she was skittish, so...didn't want to do anything sudden?" Oh hell, was it bleeding? His hand might be bleeding. "She been vaccinated and stuff, by the way? She old enough for that?"

Ai looked down at her hands and then at him with a tilt, the small kitten growling towards him as is left the two for the moment to start hunting. "I-I know how to use a medkit.. d-do you want me to get you one..!?" She asked him softly as she started to panic.

"Y-Yeah,... she's just... scared... Also.. I didn't want anything to happen to it..." She said looking down to her knees before she heard his final question. "Vaccinated..?" She asked him. "What do you mean?"

"OH MY GODDESS IS HE BLEEDING!?.....Yeah he's bleeding... Maybe... hey you have that med kit in her jacket right..? your father always said to keep one at all times..."

"No no, it's fine, it's fine! It's not that bad!" The blood wasn't flowing that badly...it probably looked worse than it was just because it was coming from several points. "I...I think I can get this sorted out...just gotta head home. Probably stop on its own, but I need to clean this up."
He pauses as he starts getting up. "You...said she was a stray, right? Did you not get her checked to see if she had anything? Diseases and stuff?" He gives Ai a concerned look. "It's...not like she's a normal house cat or anything. She's had more chance to catch something before you got her."

He shakes his head, and finishes getting up, as best he can without using his bloodied hand. "Anyway...think I'll get going. Get myself cleaned up. Good meeting you and Cynthia!"

He waves as he walks off just a little bit briskly, and once he has some distance, he lets out a noise he'd been holding in a while.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-"