Poptart poked her head up from the pile of cardboard boxes she'd been snuffling around in. Darnit, she'd smelled something -heavenly- near the trash... Her jade-green eyes locked onto the giant moose of a trash bin and she pondered how the heck to get up there. Because she was pretty sure there was leftover Chinese in a box somewhere close. And it made her stomach rumble...even if she'd eaten only hours before. Still, she was feeling a little peckish and Chinese was a favorite food of hers...something Daddy didn't let her have so often.

--

Luminara had gotten away from her doting father to do a little life experiencing of her own. Much the mix kitten loved her father, but sometimes he got a little too carried away. the world was a dangerous thing for someone so small and young like herself. Sure, but she couldn't live the pampered life in the arms of her father. She had to grow up sometime. Now seemed like the best tiime as any. So with the ribbons her father had placed behind her ears, the pale colored kitten roamed new territories. Hoping to make new friends, with ears twitching and nose a quiver, Luminara struck forth to break her father's rule. By now she was far from home, lost in a sea of pavement and scut, Lu looked around at the sites. The smell of something and the rustling of another drew her from her wayward path and towards the trashbin were it seemed another cat was looking at it hungrily. Or at least it seemed like it, there seemed to be a longing at least. "Is there something you want in there?" Luminara asked quite openly, though remained where she was on the far side of the bin, just in case.

--

The little calico lifted her head, then flicked her slender tail. Eyes pinned on the pale-furred kitten, finding her quite adorable indeed. "Ohmygod!" she squealed, darting towards her, Chinese boxes forgotten. "Those ribbons..." She reached out a hand, pawing the air but never touching the strange girl, but she looked ready to swoon. "So pretty. So wherd'ya get 'em?" Her own ears pricking curiously, she tipped her head to the side, looking quite like a puppy dog rather than a curious kitten. She stuck out a hand. "I'm Poptart, by the way."

--
The sudden whoop and squeal of the other surprised Luminara to the point that she fell back onto her rump and almost completely head over heels. Shaking her head a little she watched the calico as it pawed the air and looked quite intently at her ribbons. "Papa gave them to me. I have a lot more at home. Papa and mama are always finding new ones. I have all sorts of colors as well." Luminara flushed pink when speaking about her ribbon collection.. Today she was wearing a brightish pink color. Picking herself up off the ground she looked back to the calico. "I'm Luminara, nice to meet you.. Poptart was it?" Her own head tilting to one side before gasping the other's hand to shake.

---
Poptart giggled as the girl fell backwards in surprise. "Whoops!" She then grinned. "Ooh you're lucky! My Daddy doesn't give me ribbons, but look!" She pulled at her silver hair, cropped short in a pixie cut, showing off the array of colorful dyes spread in a rainbow through it. "I love rainbows!" she boasted, doing a little dance in her flip-flops. "Well actually, my entire family does. My Momma is an artist, my Daddy does hair, and my Papa draws and plays music." She beamed, not bothered one bit by the fact that she had two fathers plus a mom. "Luminara... Lumi... I like it! Yep, I'm Poptart, but you can call me Pop or Poppie, everyone else does!" She touched the lime and pink striped collar at her throat, to the little poptart charm Momma had made for her.

---

Luminara watched as Poptart revealed the assortment of colors that were adorned in her hair. Luminara's was a mere one color, a pale blonde, paler then even her mother's hair. But certainly not as white as her sister's hair. She liked it, it was different, in the light one could even see small traces of her birth markings within it. "Poppie? Sounds like a strange nickname. Don't get me wrong its a nice one too, I just haven't really met too many. Not after one of my brother's left and my sister has found someone. I seem to not want to leave my kitten years. Even after all this time." She hung her head a little. Her sister and brohers where all grown up now and she was still her little self. The 'little' sister in literal form. "My father calls me Lu when he's not angry about something I have done. When I have its the full thing. Then I know I have done something to his displeasure. Ears of a dog I swear he has." Her own hand tugging at the blue collar around her own neck

---

Poptart thought the girl was pretty--but delicate, like a flower to be kept in a vase. Where as Pop herself was pretty...well..rambunctious. She shot Lumi a grin. "Well I'ma call you Lumi. Lumi is how I'll know you." She eased a little closer, bending down, her long thin tail flicking around one leg. "I like your collar. Daddy says I can take mine off when I'm ready... What about you? I dunno if I'm ready or not, but...it's getting tight. Maybe I'll string Momma's charm on a necklace of kandi beads!" She bounced away, vivacious, back to the trashcan. "I smell Chinese... And I want it." A simple decision as she hopped and tried to loop her fingers over the top.

---

Luminara couldn't help, but flush pink again, she was used to her father making her blush. But here was someone else that she barely knew making her flush all over. "Thanks, Mine's getting kinda tight too, father said i could remove mine soon as well, before it chokes the life from me. I'm kinda fond of it though. When I do take it off, I think I might keep it as one of my many ribbons, even if the cloth ain't that big. Hmm?" She looked up watching Poptart bouncing back over to the bin and trying to get to the top. "Chinese? what's that?" It was true she had never had any, she ate mostly what her father brought home and that was mainly tuna or some other fish he managed to sneak peices from. "Need some help getting up there?"

---

Poptart nodded, her silver hair bouncing as she did so. She hopped again, missed. "Darn..." She turned to Lumi, saw the palest of flushes creep across the girl's cheeks and giggled. "Don't be embarrassed! I don't bite! Well...unless you're Chinese food." A pause, jawdrop. "You...don't know what Chinese is? Ohmygod." She squeaked and did a little dance. "I will show you the beauty of Chinese! Hey, grab that box!" She pointed, not meaning to command her, but accidentally doing it anyway. "We can get to the food with that!"

---

She jumped away a little, giving a kind of unsure look when Poptart looked at her as if she were kinda crazy for never having Chinese food. She did have to wonder what it was and if it tasted good. From the antics of this one, she supposed it had to or they wouldn't be going through all this trouble. "Father always brought home fish to eat. Kind of a bland diet I think.." she scuttered off to get the box. Heaving and pushing it over, minding not to step on the front of her dress. Why was she always wearing dresses? Luminara pushed the bax over to the side of the bin and look up. "This should be good, right?" She asked looking towards Poptart.

---

"Yeah! Thanks!" Pop climbed up on it, not too gracefully, then hoisted herself up the rest of the way. Teetering at the edge, she tumbled into the trash with a crash and a "whoops!" Then: "Hey! I found the MOTHERLOAD!" she squealed, grabbing a couple of boxes. She found sweet and sour beef, some fried rice and some teriaki chicken. Omg and CASHEWS! She delightfully hopped back out, armful of boxes with a banana peel on her head. "Okay, look. Chinese food is like, from a people restaruant. They cook chicken and beef and seasonings and riiiiice," she thrust the box of teriaki towards her newfound friend. "No chopsticks, so we'll have to use our fingers." Plucking out a piece of beef, she popped it into her mouth and swooned. "Soooo goooood. Try it!"

---

Luminara tilted her head as she watched Poptart vanish into the can, almost tempted to climb up and see if she was alright. But that was forgotten when the calico whooped and cam back out with boxes of foodstuffs. Blinking a moment as one of the boxes was thrust into her hands, it smelt good as she sniffed at it. But still wasn't so sure about the taste. from watching her new friend eating, she didn't want to disappoint and not at least try some. Setting the box down she pulled out a piece of the chicken and sniffed at it. The spicy scent tickling her nose, pulling off a piece she nibbled at it before taking a bigger bite. From the flavor, she froze for a moment as a shiver ran down her spine and setting her tail to stand out almost bone stiff. "That is good." After she recovered some of her awestruck wit and started devouring the piece of chicken she had in hand.

---

Poptart licked her fingers as she finished up, shooting her new friend an 'I told ya so' look as Lumi began to devour her box. Poppie scoooped a little bit of rice from the third box, licking her lips and her tail wiggled with excitement. "Chinese is the bomb," she said with a smile. "Daddy doesn't like to eat...um...processed? foods? So I get green stuff at home." She wrinkled her nose; maybe in time she'd like fresh salads, but for now? Noway, Jose! "And my Papa eats junk, but he's not around all the time." She sat down on the box, legs swinging. She felt a little wierd in her jeans, denim skirt, and hoodie...when Lumi was wearing a freaking dress. A very pretty one, too. "We'll have to hang out often," she decided.
---

Luminara felt like she was going to pop as she sat back almost gasping for breath. All she knew was that the next thing that she was going to find was somehing to drink. That stuff was good, but it made her mouth and throat really dry. "My father ain't much for this kind of stuff, but he doesn't make me eat greens. He actually says they are bad, bind you up on the inside." She shrugged leaning back a little, her legs folded and her dress pulled over them.  "I would love to hang out. It gets me away from my father and doing something fun for a change."

---

Poptart grinned. "Sometimes greens are good. And I like his raw nuts. Like, cashews? Yummm. But Daddy thinks eating animals is wrong." She shrugged her thin shoulders, obviously not minding having eaten a cow. Or part of one anyway. "That's awesome. I live in two places, actually. My Dads live in the Ruins...and my Momma lives in the Ongaku University right beside it! Very handy, so I can see them all the time. Where are you living? I'll have to come by sometime." She swished her tail, stroking the short fur at the tip. "Cuz it's gonna get dark soon and I don't wanna make Daddy worry about me. And I'm sure your Daddy would be worried too!"

---

Luminara scratched her head as she tried to remember the location of her own home. "Its near the Tanabatchi House. That's where my parents live at least and ya I should probably be headed home." She looked towards the darkening sky as the colors had started to coat it. "My father will be mad if I don't get home at least when its still a little light out. So perhaps we can get together again tomorrow?"

---

Poptart nodded brightly--she'd heard of that place. That's where Venus lived! "Do you know a cat named Venus?" She tipped her head to the side--Venus had been a friend of her father's, and a close friend of her aunt Khloe's. Khloe revered the woman like she was a mentor or something, but Pop thought she was nice. She flicked her tail and nodded. "Yeah! That sounds fun! And sometime you'll have to come to my house. Daddy can paint your hair a color to match your dress!"

---
"Venus is my mother." Luminara perked up as she stood and dusted herself off again. "I'm not so sure if I would want my hair painted. Though I'm not overly sure about a lot of things right now." Turning she took a step back the way she had come. "But maybe someday I may come and get my hair painted. see you again soon Poppie."

---

Poptart's eyes widened at her words. Venus was her MOM? She wiggled in place, hopping to her feet -- she could see it, the pale dappling of her coat and her smooth fur. Like an ocicat! "Awesome. We'll have to have a giant family get together. Maybe like...a major holiday...or something." She laughed. "Okay! Get home safe, Lumi!" she called with a wave as she darted back towards the Ruins. Surely Daddy hadn't noticed she'd been missing.