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Alyssum was outside, enjoying a bit of sunlight. Marimo was with her, bouncing around and having a grand time. She smiled, watching the slime. It was nice to have a pet who could accompany her. She could probably get a harness for her salamanders, but she doubted they'd enjoy the walk. She'd have to keep them on her shoulder or in a carrier or something. Perhaps she should look into it though. Some of them would probably hate it, but she had a couple that were more adventurous.

A frantic rustling of bushes and a meowing sound broke into Alyssum's thoughts. She looked up in time to see Marimo hopping as fast as it could towards Alyssum, being chased by one of the most colorful (and fluffy!) vespercats she'd ever seen! The slime hopped up to Alyssum and cowered behind her legs. The vespercat, seeing its prey escape, slowed its chase as well. It stood there, staring at the slime, tail twitching.

Alyssum watched it for a moment, then bent down and twitched her fingers, making soft chitter sounds. The vespercat looked at her, then sauntered over. It sniffed her hand, then allowed her to pet it. Alyssum smiled to hear it purring as she found a sensitive spot on the neck. On closer inspection it was pretty skinny under all that fluff and the fur was somewhat unkempt. There was no collar either. A stray?

She hesitated, sucking on her lower lip. Ordinarily she wouldn't have hesitated to take the cat in, but it seemed to have some chase instincts. If she just had Marimo she could probably work around it, but she had the salamanders as well. Salamanders with fiery tales that burned when startled...

Maybe someone else could take it in? She didn't know if there were any shelters around though, and if those shelters were any good. Oh! She could always ask Sasori, or Sasori's mom. Both had been in the area a bit longer than Alyssum, so they might know. They might even be able to take in the vespercat themselves, which would be lovely because then she could visit!

"Can I pick you up," she asked the vespercat. It looked at her and purred. Hoping she hadn't misjudged its apparent sweet position, Alyssum eased her hands around the vespercat and lifted it into her arms. It seemed a bit concerned, but quickly calmed when she administered more nice scratches to its face and neck.

With purpose to her steps, Alyssum trotted off in the direction of Sariya and Sasori's house.

Alyssum made it to the house and maneuvered the vespercat so she could knock. She could hear music from inside so she was pretty sure someone was home, but no one came to the door. She stood there for a moment, hesitating. Should she knock again? Then the door suddenly opened, making Alyssum jump slightly and causing her fur to puff up a bit.

She got over her unexpected fright pretty quicken, fur slicking back down and heart rate going back to normal. She smiled shyly as Sasori greeted and hugged her; everything she did was still a bit shy, though she had gotten much better at interacting and talking with Sasori and Sariya. She'd have returned the hug, but her arms were still full of vespercat. Vespercat which was also having to smooth its fur down after the surprise. That was probably her fault, vespercats could be quite sensitive!

Alyssum followed Sasori into the house, keeping her grip on the vespercat as it sniffed the air. She knew Cerise quite well, but she wasn't sure how she'd react to a stranger or vice versa. Marimo stayed outside, but that was normal behavior for the slime. As long as Alyssum wasn't gone for more than an hour or two they'd be happier out among the bushes, and if they wanted to find Alyssum they could bring more than enough volume to their usual chatter to get her attention, even from outside!

"If you have any fruit juice that would be nice," Alyssum requested in her trademark soft voice. She hesitated a moment, then continued. "Actually I have a bit of a favor to ask." She readjusted the vespercat in her arms. "I was out walking Marimo when this handsome one decided they wanted to play. They're a bit scruffy so I don't think they belong to someone. I'd take them myself, but I don't think my salamanders would appreciate it."

Alyssum was encouraged to see the vespercat leaning out of her arms to give the offered fingers a sniff. She could feel the vibrations against her chest as it started to purr, the sound springing up a moment later as it rapidly increased in volume.

"They are," she confirmed with a nod. "I could try, but...," she paused and shrugged her shoulders. "They were chasing Marimo around. I don't think they meant to hurt Marimo and were probably just being playful, but you know how Griffin is," she said, naming her most territorial and aggressive salamander. Even Alyssum sometimes had problems with her feisty nature. "I don't think Kraken or Dragon would appreciate a vespercat getting playful either. There's charms on the school to prevent fire accidents, but it wouldn't stop the vespercat from getting scorched if one of my salamanders gets upset."

She rubbed her fingers though the vespercat's fur, once again taking notice of how thin they felt under all the fluff. "I'm sorry to be asking out of nowhere, especially when you already have familiars to look after as well and I don't know if they have any health complications or not. I just couldn't leave them and wasn't sure what else to do."