Welcome to Gaia! ::

A soft wind whispered through tree limbs overhead as the sun made it's lazy trek across the noon sky. It's beams shown warmly down on a deserted playground, dancing with the shadows of the leaves upon the ground. Above that, little sound could be heard; the park's occupants busy at school. It was a peaceful, quiet afternoon and a nice, sunny day.

Amber eyes stared intently through the limbs above him, into the infinite blue of the sky, and a fluffy, flame colored tail twitched and flicked every so often as it hung over the side of the metal framework. Somewhere on the ground below, the tom-cat had discarded his dark jacket, and so now found himself laying at the top of the incline of a tall slide. He found that he was much cooler in just the sleeveless brown top. Even so, on such a nice, peaceful day, he seemed perturbed, frustrated with something... or possibly with everything. He had been wandering about for several days on his own, lost in troublesome thoughts. Why should this day be any different?

His mental musings coming around on themselves once more, as they always seemed to, the Somali tom frowned to himself and flattened his ears. He moved one arm from behind his head, where it had been comfortably nesting with it's mate, to cover his eyes and block out the impossibly sunny day for a few moments. He was getting nowhere like this.

Dhiren hadn't noticed the younger cat's presence until a sudden, unsettled mew met his ears sharply. He flicked his ear and blinked into his arm a few moments before raising it and craning his head around. Rolling slightly, the tomcat peered over the edge of the slide and looked about before spotting the kit padding towards him. His face was still set in a frown as his amber eyes met the bright green ones of the younger tom. "...You're tree?" He asked flatly, glancing over to the trunk near the slide as if he hadn't seen it before, "Oi, kid... Sorry, but I'm not ready to leave yet." With a quiet growl, Dhiren rolled back over onto his back again and gave another flick of his tail, as if in dismissal.

As he stared into the sky again, the kid continued to speak, and with a quiet sigh, the somali tomcat slowly slid down the slide, popping up at the bottom and getting to his paws to face the runt. Brushing a hand through his long bangs, pulling them back from his eyes for only a moment, Dhiren fixed his gaze on the younger cat. He met wide green eyes, an imploring expression, and a little uncertainty, and the older cat thought for a moment. His issues weren't this kid's fault, but damn if he was going to be chased of of a peacefully quiet park by him. "I won't leave." He murred after a moment, watching the other with a calm expression, "But I also won't bother you. If you wish to nap here, that's fine. I've got my own problems, kid, I don't have a reason to poke my nose into yours, whatever they might be."

He dropped his gaze from the younger somali's for a moment, searching the ground for his jacket. Once discovered, Dhiren went to retrieve it and dust it off before taking it with him back to the trunk of the tree in question. He sat with his back against the trunk for a moment, then lifted his eyes to the boy again. He took notice of the collar around his neck, the sleek, well-kept appearance of his fur, and the timid air of caution about him and tipped his head slightly. "What are you doing out here, anyway, kid?" He spoke in a soft growl, bringing his knees up a little and resting his arms over them, "Don't you have a home to go to? Your humans seem like they care for you."

Not that the older tom cared about this kit's humans at all, they were troublesome creatures to begin with, but the boy didn't appear to be ready to be out on his own.

"Oh?" Dhiren murmured, lightly surprised by the response. Perhaps he was wrong about this kid's home, "How far have you gone?" The tom's fluffy orange tail curled up at his side as he addressed the other Somali, and though his lips didn't move from their disinterested frown, his eyes glimmered a little in curiosity. "Do you have any favorite places to go?" He continued; so much for not bothering the kid.

Dhiren suddenly found that inquiring about the brat was much more preferable than brooding over his own issues.

Dhiren blinked a few times at the young tom before him, before a small, amused smile broke through his features. What had he expected from the kid, after all? He was a house cat, sure enough. "Ah. So you haven't gone very far at all, have you?" He began, tilting one ear back and uttering a small snicker, "What draws you back to your home? A free meal?" The older tom scoffed at the idea of those humans holding this kit captive with tasteless kibble. At the idea of the life he once enjoyed with his own. "If a free meal is all you need, well.. They are easy enough to get out here as well" His voice took on a more serious note. The idea of living with humans willingly... was all ludicrous now.

For some strange reason, Dhiren was sickened at the idea of watching this young cat of his same breed waste his time returning to the two-legged beasts. Amber eyes gazed into the serene green of the smaller cat with intensity, and suddenly, the older tom wondered what it was he was beginning to think. Running away from one set of problems, only to adopt a new set? Was that really what he needed right now?

"...I can show you... if you want?" He murred slowly, glancing away from the kid to stare off into the maze of buildings that made up the city, "And also... What's your name, kid?"

Dhiren smiled at the kid's enthusiasm, the gentle expression a little foreign to his face. He let his tail swish from side to side a few times and considered where they would go. "Maybe you're not entirely hopeless after all." He murred, narrowing his eyes playfully, "I'll show you around." The Somali tom stretched before standing and slinging his jacket over one arm. Amber eyes settled on the younger tom for a moment, and Dhiren awkwardly held his paw out to the boy. "You can call me Dhiren, kid. Keep in mind that we'll still be going to the humans for food, just not in the way you're used to." He wondered if he should show this kid the way he did things, or try to do it the way he'd seen Alice and Taiko do it before. The former seemed safer to the older tom...

Dhiren's tail tip swished as he watched the younger somali, and he chuckled to himself. "Garbage? Why bother with that stuff when you can get something better?" Motioning for the kid to follow, he began heading out of the park, "For all their shortcomings, humans are definitely good at making food." Glancing quickly up and down the street for cars, the orange-pelted cat quickly darted across and began strolling along the sidewalk on the opposite side. With his jacket still resting in the crook of his elbow, Dhiren's hands found their way to the pockets of his slacks. Behind him, his fluffy tail hung in a low arc, and he glanced back to make sure the kid was following alright. "Don't get too far behind, Asher. A cute kid like you is bound to be snatched up by one of these humans if you're not careful." He called back with a grin.

Dhiren raised his ears, taking note of the boy's loss of composure over crossing the street. Ah... there was much to be done with him it seemed. Still, an amused smirk played at the older tom's lips when the younger puffed out his chest and defended his freedom. "Sure, kid, whatever you say." He chuckled, continuing on as the kit caught up, "Let's see... do your humans ever feed you scraps? Do you have a preference for any kind of human food at all?" Amber eyes glanced down to the younger Somali and Dhiren flipped his tail up curiously.