Snowbunnies (1) : Winter seems to bring out the cutest of all rodents; this isn’t the first time that small, white rabbits have infested Destiny City. They’re small, rarely larger than a guinea pig, and have large eyes and wiggling noses. They are always pure white and seem to show up whenever there’s snow. They aren't menacing or evil, they're just everywhere. They seem strangely domesticated; they are sweet, curious, and friendly creatures that will eat anything you give them. They always seem cold to the touch, and when they shake, little snowflakes sprinkle off of them.
While they seem to be social creatures who seem to appreciate anything warm and will cuddle up to steal body heat, they are too skittish and fast to be kept for pets. They can show up just about anywhere, either alone or--often--in pairs. They tend to wander off on their own without any trouble, but if you surprise them or try to catch or hurt them, they may bite. Their little teeth are enough to break skin, but after one bite they run away. The bite itself isn’t bad, but the effects are a bit unpleasant: for roughly two days after the bite, the injury is cold and the victim will feel random, cold, shooting pains. Their core body temperature will drop and they will often be sent into random fits of shivering. No medicine seems to help, and no amount of blankets or hot baths can soothe the chill. You're just going to have to deal with it and hope it gets better…
Most experiences with the bunnies are perfectly pleasant, you just have to worry about them burrowing. There are holes peppering Destiny City, and with the fresh fallen snow it can be impossible to tell where they are hiding. The holes range from small holes to several feet deep, so can be a minor inconvenience to a potential hazard. On the bright side, sometimes you wind up covered in bunnies looking for warmth from their sudden guest. On the other hand, there are a rising number of trips to the hospital for twists and sprains. The bunnies always leave with the snow, so best to enjoy them--or avoid them--for as long as you can.
Quicksilver could only stare. Her blue, round orbs took in the sight of the gentle creatures that were frolicking about a mere fifty yards from where she crouched with interest. What in the world were these things? They could not be real rabbits, could they? Normal rabbits did not produce little snowflakes whenever they shook. They also were supposed to be herbivores but these little, pure white, creatures seemed happily enough to chew through the remnants of a dropped meal that had just been dropped by a passerby. Her silver fur could have almost blended in with the rabbits' own white fur as she padded silently forward. Her eyes were filled with curiosity even as she closed the distance between herself and the animals. Perhaps it was foolish to get nearer to creatures that were not acting like their normal Earth cousins but the draw of the unknown was too much.
Sitting down in front of one rabbit that seemed brave enough to approach, did Quicksilver simply tilt her head to and fro before letting a gentle purr echo around her. She raised a paw and gently tapped the critter on the head before chuckling softly at the cool sensation that seemed to radiate through her, "how very odd you are."
Content, and proving herself to be no threat, the Mauvian simply sat and watched as more of the rabbits seemed to acclimate to her presence. They ranged around her as if she were an island in the middle of a stream that the water simply chose to ignore and that was fine with the feline. She was merely an observer tonight.
Rejam
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2025 10:31 am
tefla
"Hey!"
Maus would not like to have confronted even to himself, let alone a stranger, how long it had taken him to decide to intervene. And, in truth, it did look like the cat wasn't doing much, but that was the thing about cats, right? They always looked like they were nonchalant and aboveboard right up to the moment that they turned on you and started gnawing or kicking or scratching or murdering.
He might have acted differently, had he realized that this was not an ordinary cat. But as he did not realize it, he decided to be very brave - a bravery that came to him much more easily for something like a youma or even an agent than it did for a mundane cat - and launch himself in the direction of the snowy slope where the rabbits were at play. He had gotten fond of them, visiting them after work, and if there was something inconsistent in his despising cats for abruptly getting fed up and biting while finding it adorable and admirable in the rabbits - well, inconsistency is a trait in all human characters, and perhaps more in this human's than most.
"Leave them alone! Shoo!"
He did not, notably, get very close. But he was waving, of all things, a stuffed mushroom in a threatening fashion, as if he expected it to do any damage at all.
The human shouting at first didn't grab the Mauvian's attention. She had been in the process of grooming her paws when her ears twitched at the shout that had come from somewhere behind her. Really? There was an insinuation in the call to shoo that would imply that she, a Mauvian, would harm these gentle critters. How blind did the owner of the voice have to be to see that she was not even in the process of hunting? Padding out of the fluffle of rabbits did Quicksilver position herself so that her back was to the cotton puffs behind her to stare at the one that dared to intrude on her quiet moment.
He certainly dressed oddly enough for what appeared to be a normal human. She scoffed silently before choosing that silence was the better option. Yet, there was something tugging at her senses. Instead she flexed her small body, arching her back as she lowered into a stretch before turning her large, blue eyes onto the stranger before she inched closer to him. Just what exactly was it that he was waving around in his hands. Quicksilver's gaze widened before she smothered the laugh that wanted to erupt.
A mushroom ... and a stuffed one at that. Why would a human be carrying that around? She promptly wondered if she could steal it away before sitting down in front of the stranger silently contemplating the human's build and size before trying to rub up against his legs.
Rejam
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2025 11:00 am
tefla
People always said - didn't they? - that cats had a sixth sense for figuring out who wanted the least to do with them, and then immediately trying to be as friendly as possible. This was in keeping with their general character of unpleasantness, of course, but it did not make him feel any better as he went stiff and very still. You shouldn't run, or they'd chase you. Maybe that was bears, but it probably applied.
(It again, did not occur to him that he, too, liked to single out people who looked like they wanted to be left alone and inflict his company on them from time to time.)
"I will turn a spray bottle on you," he said threateningly, despite clearly having no spray bottle to hand. He made a little tsst tsst sound through his teeth, whether in imitation of the imaginary spray bottle or in an attempt to hiss at her. "Shoo," he repeated, and - oblivious to the danger of what he was doing - waved the mushroom again, this time half-stooping as if to sweep her away with it.
The stuffed mushroom was waved at her in what she could only imagine would have been a threatening manner even as the stranger made little tsst tsst noises at her. Really? The threat of being sprayed with some unknown liquid had the Mauvian pause in her deliberation of what to do next before her paw flashed out, as if she were testing the human's next actions.
Why would anyone want to spray her? She was the lovable Quicksilver. The one thing that still puzzled her was that if this human was indeed a powered individual then why was it that she wasn't picking up on such an obvious feeling as such? How very, very, odd. Given the odd attire, Quicksilver was betting that this stranger was indeed a powered person.
"That's a threat I do not care to receive, not that water bothers me. Tell me, why is it that I can't seem to sense you?"
Her gaze turned back to the rabbits before she heaved a giant sigh, "I don't know why you would think I, a Mauvian, would stoop so low as to harm one of these strange, yet fascinating, creatures."
Her gaze turned back to the man before she tried to see what exactly it was that was concealing his presence. Was it the mushroom he'd been waving around or something else? If she stole the mushroom would she have that ability bestowed upon her?
Rejam
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2025 11:33 am
tefla
He startled, but unfortunately - very unfortunately, in his estimation - he had grown accustomed to the idea of cats randomly speaking to him. He backed away a few steps, his fear not really diminishing but somewhat changing shape. Unfortunately, this did result on his slipping on a patch of ice and falling directly onto his a**, the mushroom falling out of his hand into the snow.
"Because I'm special like that," he yelped, not quite imbuing the statement with the dignity and menace he'd intended, given that it came out of his mouth when he was halfway to the ground. He felt around blindly for his misplaced weapon, unwilling to take his eyes off the cat. "Because I've got the same sneaky weasel powers that you little bastards have," he added, with some venom.
Quicksilver was simply aghast at the words that spilled forth from the human's mouth. At least he wasn't surprised to hear her speak but that visceral reaction caught her off guard even as she seemed to briefly shrink back at the venom directed at her. It was perhaps her good fortune then, and maybe some strong dose of karma, that as the man was stepping back from her he seemed to have found a patch of ice that took him down.
The bonus of the man falling on his rear was that he lost his grip on the object that he had earlier tried to shoo her away with. Her gaze tracked the mushroom as it fell in between herself and this caustic individual before she darted forward. Her words spilled out in a tumble even as she moved to liberate the mushroom from its owner, "Ouch, I'm wounded by such harsh language. You brought this punishment onto yourself. Best to keep a tighter hold on objects when you see me next."
With that said she hissed at the man as she ducked down her head in order to clamp her teeth into the siding of the stuffed thing. With a quick darting motion, she turned and bolted through the group of rabbits that had drawn her attention earlier scattering them in the process.
Score: Quicksilver: 1 Unknown powered stranger: 0
Even as she ran off did the thought echo through her mind that was along the lines of 'serves him right.'
