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A very long, bushy tail bounced through a stretch of manicured hedges along a Destiny City sidewalk, almost like a furry periscope. Foot traffic paid it no mind, just another stray wandering about looking for scraps. Simple fools. Scraps were the concerns of past Orias, of alley cat Orias. No. This Orias, living his full glorious life, was in search of the nectar of the gods: beer.

Destiny City had its fair share of street-facing bars among the shop fronts, and more than a few restaurants with patios. These were his target, where he was most likely to find his quarry. See, during sunny weather Destinites were bound to be out and about enjoying the rays. Chatting, having fun with friends. And not paying attention to their pints and bottles.

Simple fools, the thought came again.

A mischievous feline face peered from twixt the branches of the shrubbery, the tail above flicking back and forth. He'd reached a promising hunting ground: just ahead, past a wrought-iron gate, young people mingled and laughed. Food and camaraderie, what could be better? Orias knew. As expected, several bottles of various beer dotted the tables of their inattentive owners. In face, one of the tables nearest the gated partition had two to three just ripe for the picking.

Strutting onto the sidewalk with a self-confident gait, the Mauvian padded straight to the fence and crouched. With a quick butt wiggle, he lightly leapt up to balance on the railing. He paused for but a moment, waiting to see if anyone was bothered by or even noticed his presence. His time living on the streets told him no, but it was always good to check. A perfect heist was always more satisfying, and running tended to spill perfectly good beer during the escape.

Assured that the moment was his, Orias stretched forward toward the table and its sweet bounty. The "current" owners of the beer (he liked to refer to them as beer deliverymen and women) had their backs to him. It was almost too easy. It WAS too easy. The table was a little farther from the gate than he'd thought. Surely he was long enough to bridge the gap? Little kitty digits wiggling, the feline reached even further.

He was sure any passerby on the sidewalk behind him were being treated to a show. After all, he had the fluffiest tail and most taut mancat buns this side of the park. The more time he spent dangling from the fence and table, however, the more likely he was to be discovered. Hopefully no curious kid would walk by and poke him from behind or something. That'd be tragic.

Almost, allllllmooooost...

Waving a paw back and forth, Orias was now well and truly dangling from the fence as he tried to reach the nearest bottle of beer. He really needed to invent some sort of extendable grabber for situations just like this one. Then he'd be off enjoying said beer rather than in his current predicament. Something to ponder really.

A beckoning sound one might use for a well-trained housecat rang out from behind him, causing tufted ears to perk. Criminy, he must have been discovered. Twisting slowly at an awkward angle, the Mauvian saw a woman actually curling her fingers at him. The audacity, the nerve! While it seemed her noises hadn't alerted the drunken beer guardians, him uttering tongue lashing certainly would. He settled for the most scathing eye daggers he could muster from his compromised position. After all, there'd be no recovering his prize at this point.

Then again, this person had the feel of an Order-aligned goodie goodie. A comrade in arms, as it were. Good, then she'd recognize the star on his head. Waving one paw frantically in a shushing motion, the act nearly cost him his already precarious purchase on the tabletop. Deciding to go all or bust (and beer was worth that gamble), Orias prayed to the ninja gods of stealth and agility before pushing off from the fence with his hind legs.

Settling daintily to to the table, he leaned forward and nabbed the closest beer bottle quick as a flash. Couldn't have people seeing him use his forelegs in a decidedly un-catlike fashion after all. Another leap and he was down and gone, scampering into the soothing shade of a nearby alleyway.

After a moment a suspicious furred face peeked around the corner, scanning to make sure his getaway was clean. Satisfied, he zeroed in on the one who'd almost blown the whole operation and gave HER a come hither wave.

Sitting back on his haunches to wait, he lifted his hard-won treasure with gusto and took a solid swig. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Still frosty.

Orias watched with a bemused expression as his unannounced "partner" made her own getaway into the alley with him. Smacking his lips in appreciation and setting his ill-gotten beer down with a loving pat, he looked up to regard the woman. Yep, he'd never seen her before. Not that he knew everyone, of course not. Just the people that mattered. If the Mauvian knew you, you mattered. It was quite simple really.

"Sooooo... What was all that back there, lady?" he huffed, kitty paws on hips as he remained sitting on his haunches. "You nearly scare me half to death with your 'here kitty' sounds, then you stand there staring at me with google eyes! If I'd wanted to work hard for my beer I could've created all sorts of distractions myself."

Harumphing, he lifted the bottle for another big swig.

"Come to think of it, we should think of a sound to make at humans to call them to us. It's only fair. I'm thinking the retching sound riiiiiiight before a big meaty hairball would do it. Should even elicit the same reaction that I have!"

Smirking at the image in his mind's eye, he waved it away for later.

"Now that you've made your welcome in the most inconvenient way possible, what can I do for you? I'd say I'm busy, but the tough stuff is over. Only a nice buzz and relaxation ahead. Gotta warn you though, if you're wanting something built or fixed I'm gonna need more booze. There's a reason it mostly rhymes with muse, y'know."

He jingled the quarter-empty bottle at the lady for emphasis, giving a crooked but genuine smile.