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The story was a long one it seemed. Neko did his best to soak up the information and look at it objectively. It was hard to think in the same light though. When he was seventeen and on the verge of dropping out of school to walk a very dark path, Hakim had offered him a choice....a future. To stay with the school and teach what he knew best since no one else could manage the job or do what he wanted and more than likely commit crimes for the rest of his life. The job itself turned out to have a more negative impact than imagined so it was disbanded, but about that time Hakim found another use for the feline and here he was now, playing janitor and informant. Kids....were the furthest thing from his mind.

When the story came to an end and Jess asked his question Neko was honestly stumped to think about it. If he had wanted to make sure the children were happy, healthy, and well taken care of, what would he have done? "Nothing legal...." Neko mumbled at first. "I honestly don't know.." Was his final answer. There really was no good alternative to the scenario. Two kids require lots of money for care but with Riyo added into the mix with her...'special needs' situation it made the decision all on its own.

"But there's really nothing you can do to change what's happened. With Nami or with Riyo. It will be tough but you need to make the best of what you have now. Riyo is a very guarded individual but despite what she says I don't think she wants you gone. Just...Get to know who she is now. I think she would appreciate that more than you forcing a lost childhood into her lap. As far as Nami goes....." Neko looked toward the bathroom door again but didn't see Riyo. He had to wonder what she was doing, his bathroom wasn't that dirty. "I'm sure you'll hear about her from Riyo eventually..."

Getting up from the table Neko moved toward the bathroom to see what Riyo was up to. "Hey, what are you up to?" Neko called on his way. "My bathroom isn't that filthy."

Turning slightly Neko looked back at the musician trying to take in his expression. It wasn't like he didn't have a mass of his own secrets to keep, what was one more? "It's no problem." He said quietly before he peeked into the bathroom to see Riyo dusting around the cabinets with vigor. "You cleaned in here just last week it can't be that dirty." He had heard the noise of her shuffling stuff around in the cabinet but didn't think much about it. She did like to rearrange things while she was cleaning and there really wasn't much to find. He apparently thought his photo album well hidden, though it did make him nervous to have her in that area for so long.

Leaning against the door frame, Neko spoke a bit more quietly so that her father couldn't hear. "Did you want to work on anything today? With your father here?" While they had told her father she came here to clean that wasn't the sole purpose of her trips to his house.

That nervous smile had Neko wondering and the fact that Riyo couldn't look him in the eyes like she was trying to hide something. Instead of asking he ignored it. It wasn't a subject he wanted to bring up if she had managed to find the pictures. For now he would just let himself believe they were still safely hidden in the cabinet. "Reprieve...I guess. We can make it up later when you have some time to spare."

Glancing behind him, Neko's gaze didn't linger long on Jess. "He doesn't make me uncomfortable...though he is a little weird. It's obvious he hasn't played Dad in a while. I think you both have a lot of adjusting to do." Since Riyo had never really been treated as a daughter either apparently. It was going to be a whole new experience for the both of them at an extreme level. One super doting while the other was reclusive and anti-affectionate. Well, Riyo might be affectionate with the vampire but Neko hardly thought about that. He really didn't see the vampire being a good match for anyone with a beating heart but who was he to judge?

Outside the window of the cabin, a strange man fully clothed with a hoodie pulled tightly around his face, adjusted his camera for a shot. Thankfully the noise was turned off but he was still fairly visible so as soon as he took a picture he ducked down to recheck its quality for he readied himself for another picture. He was curious who their big star was hanging out with. He had seen him and his daughter coming out this way but who was this man that lived in the middle of the woods? What business did he have with him? It would no doubt make an interesting story to speculate on.

((if you don't want paparazzi just ignore the last post and I will delete it later lol. Just thought I might stir things up a bit))

"You have to write a report? Who is making you do that?" Neko asked curiously backing up out of the bathroom so that Riyo would have room to exit. He was thinking about heading back toward the kitchen. Considering what little he knew of the vocalist he had his doubts the man could keep himself occupied for long.

The photographer snapped another quick photo as Neko's back came into view before he ducked back down. So far he had avoided detection and he was going to stretch his luck to get a few more photos if possible. With more photos gave way to being able to concoct a plausible story.

"Suto?" Now what was he up to? Though maybe it was honestly something for class. It was hard to guess what went on in the mind of the scientist. He was borderline mad for a reason.

Before Neko could say anything else his attention was directed to the window where the photographer popped back up to take another picture. It was only then did the man realize his cover was blown as eyes were on him. Gathering his things quickly, the man secured his camera and started to take off in a dash.

Neko could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise at the sight of a strange man outside his house. Pupils narrowing to little slits, he rushed toward the door his shadows already pooling in his hands like inky liquid. As soon as he threw open the door and caught a glimpse of the guy, Neko tossed the liquid, the shadows stretching from his point at the door toward the man. Racing along the ground throwing up dirt, grass, and sticks in its path, a hand like appendage appeared at the front of the liquid making a grab for the photographer's leg but the man was a little quicker than he appeared and slipped out of reach.

"Damnit!" Neko cursed, darting off after the guy, leaving the door wide open.

The photographer only looked back briefly to see that he was indeed being pursued, this apparently wasn't his first time either, he seemed to have a rather nice evasive pattern set up avoiding the little black creature at his heels. In fact, he darted back and forth much like....a rabbit. It didn't hinder Neko from following, though he seemed to have a few companions at his side, one of which was Riyo's manifestations. Somehow he saw this going all wrong but that was hardly the concern at the moment. Priority one was stopping the a*****e who had been sneaking about his property.

The photographer suddenly broke off from his zigzag pattern and took a sharp right making a high jump over a fallen tree before continuing his route of escape. Not far behind, Neko leaped for the tree though he wasn't able to clear it like their escapee. Instead he landed on it and used it to launch himself forward at a faster speed before throwing out another attack, the shadows coming from two different directions this time.

One of the shadows barely managed to clip the photographer's feet which made him stumble but by no means made him stop. It did manage to slow him down for a few precious seconds to let his pursuers get closer.

Neko was doing fairly well at staying on the guy's heels but he was just out of reach for grabbing him with his magic. It was unfortunate because at this point he really wanted to pound the guy. Concentration solely on the fleeing man in front of him, Neko hardly noticed his surroundings expect what was in his immediate path. So when the rabbit man took another sharp turn to the left, Neko moved to follow and immediately ran into a tree.

He crashed into the stationary object without enough force to land him on his a** after he bounced back, now dazed. The shadows he had been commanding splashed against the ground before reverting back to normal shadows.

"Ha, ha, Later suckers!" Called the photographer as he bounded off into the forest making a clean escape now that his pursuers were laid ********," Neko hissed shaking his head trying to gather his bearings. Still a little disoriented he tried to stand but unsteadily he took a seat once again. It was going to take a minute...maybe two or three.

Looking at the hand offered to him, Neko's gaze shifted up toward Riyo's face as he took her hand and pulled himself to his feet. Her face caked with dirt would have been comical given a different situation, but he couldn't even seem to muster slightly amused. Instead he looked rather angrily in the direction their rabbit had run off in, the man no longer in sight.

Neko was angry enough now that his clear blue eyes were swirling with a hint of something but it hadn't quite come to light yet. "You deal with this often?" He asked as he dusted himself off, his pants dirty from the fall. At least he had landed on his a** he supposed.