#she's very cautious but she purrs like a small motor

[the-everqueen]

cat obtained

[revasserium]

運命なんて

commission for @mika-ze; thank you so much for commissioning darling, i hope you like it u__u 

things like ‘fate’  hirugami sachirou; 3,016 words of fluffy fluff fluff

one. he remembers it like recalling a dream just dreamt, the image so clear a moment ago and yet fading by the second -- he watches as if through a running stream, the water crystalline in the way it distorts the memory. he doesn’t think so much as he knows that the two of you will be friends, or perhaps more, for a very long time. 

he’s all of six years old. 

“what’s your cat’s name?” 

you look up with eyes the color of molten chocolate, the spark in them just as sweet, just as shy and curious and perhaps, a little apprehensive. your glasses are a bit too big for your face, but you push them up with a finger as you frown up at him, the sketchpad splayed in your lap, charcoal dust smeared across your hands. 

“tiger.” 

“huh?” 

“her name is tiger.” 

he blinks. 

“why?” he asks. 

you shrug, glancing over at the large tabby cat in a walking vest, tethered to a long leash, currently pawing her slow way around the base of a rather ginormous tree. at least, compared to the both of you -- most things are ginormous compared to the both of you. 

you frown even harder, and he plops down on the bench next to you; the dog park is filled with, well, dogs -- and one leashed cat. yours. 

“because that’s what she’ll grow up to be.” 

hirugami squints at you, unsure if he should be the one to break it to you that your cat, large and orange though she is, will not grow up to be a tiger. 

he decides that he’ll leave that daunting task to someone else, so he just shrugs and looks back at his own puppy, yipping as he chases a stray tennis ball down the length of the park. neither of you mentions the large sign by the door that says only dogs allowed. 

two. middle school is a mess, as middle school is wont to be. but hirugami thinks that if he does what he’s supposed to, practices all the right things, studies hard enough, that everything will be fine. everything should go just the way it was meant to go all along. 

he’s almost right. almost. 

“everyone say hi to mika, she’s transferring in as of today.” 

hirugami blinks, because he needs to (basic bodily function -- he learned that in science the other day, something called biology; he’ll have to ask his parents about it when he gets home), but also because he’s surprised. 

it’s you. 

“mika,” he says to himself, frowning slightly to himself as he familiarizes himself with the shape of your name in his mouth -- he thinks it’s a nice name. cute. sweet. with a little kick. 

he spares a moment wondering why he’d never asked for your name all those times he saw you at the dog park with your cat, tiger. then he spares moment musing upon the fact that he knew your cat’s name before yours but you hadn’t seemed to mind. 

“hirugami-kun? do you mind showing mika-chan around school during break today?” 

he gets to his feet, his back straight as straight can be, shoulders back, chin up -- posture perfect. he bows and says yes, sensei, of course. when he gets back up, it’s the find you standing by his desk, staring at him with your eyes (your glasses are still a bit big for your face; he spares a moment to wonder if they can grow with you before ridding himself of so ridiculous a sentiment). 

“didn’t know your name was... that,” you say, sitting down in the desk next to his. 

he looks over, slightly distracted by the charms on your backpack (are those even allowed in school?). 

“didn’t know your name was that either,” he says back, because he’s feeling a little childish today. one of the very few days in a week, if he may say so himself (he says so). 

break comes as it always comes, and he pushes out of his seat, waiting for you to follow. instead, you give him a brief bow before scurrying off out the door, faster than he can stop you. 

“hey -- !” he chases after you, because the teacher had put you under his care, at least for the duration of break, and he’s not about to slack on such a show of trust. you’re surprisingly fast, he thinks as he follows you up four flights of stairs, at the end of which he finds a door clearly labeled do not enter, swinging. he pants as he pushes through it with cautious hands. 

“hello? are you up here?” 

you turn on him with a scowl on your face. 

“shh!” 

he’s about to frown at you, about to tell you that it’s not okay to just race off like that and it’s also not okay to go through doors labeled do not enter but he’s halted in his tracks. 

hirugami blinks. 

clutched in your arms is a very, very large tiger. 

no, not an actual tiger -- your cat tiger. but he does have to admit that tiger is starting to look very much like an actual tiger. a small one perhaps, but for a cat, she is very large indeed. her vest looks just as fitted as it did before, and he wonders if things really can grow with the people (or cats) who wear them. 

“wh -- you --” for the first time in a very long while, he finds himself at a loss for words. 

nothing he’s ever read or practiced or learned or studied or accidentally overheard his parents talking about has prepared him for this. 

after a moment, you grin, swinging tiger slightly in your arms. she meows, licking lazily at her own mouth, seemingly unfazed by the way you’re holding her, her legs hanging straight down, almost skimming the ground of the rooftop the both of you are currently on. 

the wind picks up and you walk towards him. 

“wanna pet her?” 

“uh...” hirugami stares as you bring your cat towards him, holding her out with both arms. tiger regards him with an languid sort of look before yawning. 

he doesn’t have time to answer before you’re dumping tiger into his arms, almost knocking him off balance because wow he didn’t know a cat could be quite so heavy. 

“she’s cute, right?” you grin as you pat tiger’s head now that she’s firmly curled against hirugami’s chest, purring loudly. he gulps, looking down at the large cat. and he can admit that with her round face and her orange fur and her big, green eyes, she could indeed be considered cute. so, he nods. 

you laugh, a delighted sort of noise, which startles him, because he’d never really heard you laugh before either. 

(at the dog park, he mostly sits next to you while u scribble or sketch, him occasionally peering over and pointing at a random blob with a that’s nice and you answering with a grunt of something that sounds vaguely like thanks.) 

“i think she likes you,” you say, scritching tiger behind an ear. tiger mewls, apparently pleased and closes her eyes, folding herself into hirugami’s arms. 

he thinks it’s weird, the feeling of feeling a cat’s purr rumble through him. like a tiny little furry motor running, running, running. it makes him shiver and he finds himself smiling. 

he forgets to tell you that it’s against the rules to bring pets to school. 

three. you go to a game of his, and you don’t really cheer, because you don’t really like places with a lot of people, but you go. and he thinks that it means a lot that you did. you find him after with your smile (that he’s now familiar with) and your glasses (which are still a bit too big) and a milk flavored popsicle (which he’s actually never had before but always wanted to try). 

“here,” you say. 

“thanks,” he says. 

he takes it, studies it for a second before taking a bite. it’s cold against his teeth, but it feels good sliding down his throat; he’s still sweating from the match after all, but they won, so it’s all good. 

“my mom’s making okonomiyaki for dinner tonight, wanna come?” you ask. 

he takes another bite of icecream. 

“didn’t she make that last week?” he asks, frowning when he realizes that it’s a terrible question because he was there last week, and he remembers. and it was delicious. 

you nod anyway, because you don’t seem to mind stupid questions. 

“yep! and you had a lot, so she’s asking if you wanna eat some more.” 

he looks down at the now half-finished popsicle. 

“sure, if your family doesn’t mind.” 

you laugh, a sound he’s also now familiar with. a sound that he thinks he likes. 

“of course not -- we wouldn’t invite you if they did.” 

he nods. right. stupid question. he seems to do that a lot with you -- he wonders why. but he finds that he doesn’t mind. because after all, you don’t mind. 

and he likes -- 

“sachirou!” 

he turns to find his sister smirking at him. he tries not to scowl, not because he doesn’t like her, but he really doesn’t like her boyfriend -- and she’s always got a boyfriend. 

“oh, is this the famous mika-chan? hi there, i’m shokou, sacchi’s older sister,” she grins, offering you a hand. 

hirugami feels a wave of heat wash into his cheeks and he’s not entirely sure why. probably because she’d just called him sacchi, a nickname that he really doesn’t like because one of shokou’s boyfriends gave it to him and it stuck. shokou thinks its funny. hirugami, decidedly, does not. 

“hi. yes, i’m mika. nice to meet you. are you the one with the boyfriends?” you ask. 

hirugami’s eyes go wide as he whirls back around to look at you. 

you’re blinking up at his sister like it’s a perfectly normal question to ask someone upon first meeting them (it’s not, but he probably won’t tell you that later either). 

shokou laughs, ruffling hirugami’s hair. he shakes it out after, huffing slightly. 

“yep, that’s me. so he’s told you about me, hm?” 

you shrug, apparently losing interest in her, “just in passing. anyway, i was inviting him over for dinner. mom’s making okonomiyaki and he had a lot last time, so she’s inviting him over for more.” 

“yeah, i’ll come,” he says, blurts out, more like, his cheeks feeling hotter than ever. he refuses to look at his sister as he grabs his sports bag and heaves it over his torso. 

“i won’t be home too late,” he says, waving over his shoulder as he brushes by shokou, his eyes trained somewhere on the floor in front of him. to your credit, you fling yourself into a hurried bow before dashing off to catch up to hirugami. he’s a fast walker when he wants to be, and right now, apparently, he wants to be. 

four. high school is an even more of a mess, as it is wont to be. but he finds that it’s not so bad with you. 

he still goes to the dog park with you, and tiger. although tiger seems to be getting on in years. she doesn’t move so nearly as much as she used to, and the hairs around her face are turning a distinctly whitish-grayish color. 

“that’s nice,” he says, pointing at your sketchbook. your drawing has gotten much better, and you’re thinking of going to design school. he thinks you should; he doesn’t tell you that it makes him feel a little queasy to know you won’t be in the same school as him anymore. 

you smile up at him (some time ago, that smile had started to look like home). 

“thanks.” you reach up to tuck a hair behind your ear, your glasses no longer too big for your face because he’d insisted on getting you a new pair last year for your birthday. 

you go back to your sketch of a boy -- they never have faces, the people you draw. and when once, he’d asked who they are, you’d gone a strange shade of red and shook your head -- 

“no one -- th-they’re no one! just... just random people.” 

he’d wanted to ask why they looked like him sometimes, but he figures that artists, you know? (he doesn’t know, really. but he pretends he does because it makes you happy.) 

he doesn’t know how it became like this, with you -- comfortable, he thinks. and in all honesty, it’d never been uncomfortable, so he supposes that by that logic, it’s always been comfortable. but still, it’s a thing more than mere comfort -- a thing that’s like... settling into a warm bath, or taking the tape from his fingers after a whole day’s practice (sometimes, you come to his practices, and you still don’t cheer, but he thinks that it means a lot you’re there). 

“i think tiger’s gonna die soon.” 

he blinks, because he needs to. 

he blinks again, because he’s surprised you’d said it so plainly, without even looking up from your sketch. 

he doesn’t know what to say (and that’s okay, he’s learned), so he keeps quiet instead. 

your fingers pause; you turn to look at him, there’s something in your expression he doesn’t quite recognize. maybe... fear, or perhaps sadness of a kind that he’s never come into contact with. a kind of sadness that sinks its claws into your very soul and squeezes till every drop of blood is gone -- you purse your lips and swallow. 

you look back down at your sketchbook, but you make no move to start sketching again. 

hirugami hesitates for a moment before putting his arm around you. it’s the first time he’s done anything like this, but it feels like the right time to do it, his body tells him, before his mind can quite catch up -- 

you lean into him, and you sniffle. he pats your arm before sliding his large palm along your back. 

“i’m just... scared,” you say, still not looking up. 

“what’s there to be scared of? death isn’t that scary, y’know -- its supposed to be just like falling asleep,” he says, looking down at the top of your head. he can smell your shampoo -- sweet, vanilla. you used to use green apple, and then you used lemon-orange for a while. but he likes the vanilla too. he likes it because it’s you. 

“no -- it’s not that...” you shake your head. 

he waits. 

“i -- i’m scared cause... tiger’s always loved me, y’know? we grew up together... and she’s always been there for me. when i was happy, when i was sad... and...” you hiccup and he pats you on the back, “and if she dies then... who’s gonna love me that much?” 

hirugami lets out a small laugh, and finally, finally, you look up at him. 

he meets your watery eyes with a steady gaze of his own. 

he smiles. 

“i will.” 

you blink up at him. probably because you need to. but also probably (he’s a actually very, very sure) because you’re surprised. 

he cocks his head, “objections?” 

you blink again. 

he hums happily as he tucks you into his side again, a large, floaty feeling filling his chest (he thinks he knows what it is, but he’s in no hurry to give it a name). 

“good. now let’s go get some dim-sum. the place you like is doing a promotion.” 

he gets up, reaching down to take your hand. you let him. and he thinks that that must mean something. 

(it does.)

five. “i’m going out!” 

shokou peers at him from over her sunday morning coffee. 

“going to see your girlfriend again?” she teases. 

hirugami hasn’t told her yet, because there isn’t much to tell, really. 

so he smiles, and instead of his usual answer of not answering at all, he gives his head a firm nod. 

“yep.” 

he steps into his shoes as his sister nearly chokes in the kitchen, the sounds of her coughing echoing down the hall. 

“wait -- what? you actually asked her out?” 

he turns and fixes shokou with a smug look, “what do you mean? i hang out with her every sunday.” 

shokou sputters, and the sight of it brings him more joy than it rightly should. 

“y-yeah, but you never admitted that she was your girlfriend before!” 

he cocks his head at her. 

“what difference does it make? not everyone feels the need to announce their relationships like you do.” 

shokou scowls even as he sends her a cheery wave over his shoulder, opening the door and stepping out into the mid-september chill. 

you’re waiting for him outside the gate, like you always are. you open your hand and he takes it, the pair of you setting off down the street. 

you peer up at him and grin.

“did you tell shokou?” 

“not in so many words.” 

you laugh, nudging him slightly. 

he laughs too, swinging your hands between you. 

the pair of you pause outside the gates to the dog park, looking over at the ginormous tree under which the pair of you first met, under which tiger is now buried, safe and sound, with her favorite vest and leash and your solemn promise to love her forever. 

and hirugami’s equally solemn promise to love you forever (for her, but for himself too. mostly, he thinks, for himself). 

after a moment, you set off towards the dim-sum place. 

“i think i’m gonna become a vet,” he says. 

you nod, “good. just make sure to pick a school close to mine, okay?” 

hirugami laughs again, letting the sound breeze through him like the autumn wind (the best wind, you say). 

“i don’t like the thought of not going to school close to you,” you say. 

he nods, firmly. certainly. 

“yep. me too.” 

[taffysteratology]

Monster Hunter Stories Analysis #1: Velocidrome

You stand in the middle of a grassy field, Taffy’s long black hair whistling in the breeze as she strides forth, a Velocidrome at her side. Its body is caked with battle-hardened scars and practically is glued to her side. You great them both, with the Velocidrome snorting in response.

“Peanut here is a Velocidrome, though I am sure you know that.” her gloved hand strokes the cerulean scales, causing the creature to coo and lean into her touch. “Let us begin the lesson.”

Name: Velocidrome, Alpha Raptor

Franchise: Monster Hunter, Monster Hunter Stories

Species: Bird Wyvern

MHST Bestiary: “Alpha monsters that lead the smaller Velociprey. Note their larger size, impressive frill, and sharper claws.”

 When it comes to taming a Velocidrome, because of its pack-like mentality, they actually become accustomed to Riders rather quickly. They tend to become attached to their Riders in a way that they are the protector and caretaker. Of course, their alpha tendencies do not fade so it is not surprising when you notice your Velocidrome attempting to do things their way.

But overall, if you talk with them, they will respect your decisions and judgement.

Because of their pack-like mentality, they are also highly protective of their Riders, not hesitating to snap at anyone who even looks at them the wrong way. It is best to, when you hatch it, to help socialize it with not only other Monsties, but also Riders, non-Riders, and Scribes. They also seem to have no sense of personal space, sometimes even following you when you’re trying to go number 2 in the loo.

Velocidromes are noted to be highly social creatures, and living just by itself could leave to it dying of lonesome. It is very important to interact with your Monstie daily and if it is able to get along with other Monsties, allow it to roam around and have a play date with them. If you manage to tame other Velocidrome, they could work as playmates as well. However, sometimes they can fight over who is the ‘alpha’ or the ‘best protector of their Rider’ so do be cautious.

When it comes to care for a Velocidrome, they tend to preen themselves as needed. Sometimes they tend to get plaque on their teeth because of the meat they chew on so sometimes it is necessary to brush their teeth and get rid of their bad breath – because believe me, it’s not pleasant – along with ensuring health of the heart overall. Dental diseases are possible signs of heart diseases as well, or could lead up to them. It’s recommended that you train your Monstie from hatchling to let you poke around in its mouth and not clamp down on it. I’d rather not have to use a mouth speculum since it causes them quite a bit of stress.

They are good at keeping their claws naturally sharp, but again, it does not hurt to help sharpen them. It’s actually a bonding exercise, gently taking a file and making their talons even pointer than before.

If your Monstie ever starts leaning on you – accidentally trying to crush you – and starts rumbling, don’t worry, it’s just purring and making social contact with you. Again, they are highly social creatures and this is a sign that they are comfortable around you. If you are lucky, sometimes they will let you nap with them under a sunny day and purr, lulling you to sleep. You need to train them to not completely put their entire weight on you when they do this.

When it comes to battle, Velocidrome are Speed-type monsters, dealing extra damage to Power-type creatures. Because of their slim body and need for speed – at this, Peanut chuckles – they prefer hit and run tactics when it comes to fighting alongside their Rider. They are considered “Beginner” Monsties as they are not as strong as others, but when it comes to speed, this one is key.

Their Kinship attack is not all that strong, but is made up with amazing speed, complementing their hit and run tactics. There is no solid element your Monsite should be, so experimentation is always recommended, but not necessary.

As you can guess, their diet consists of meat.

Overall, a common Monstie for beginner Riders, helps one get the real of being a Rider, and they are just sweet companions to have.

Taffy lets out a small huff as Peanut leans into her side, purring like a motor. You laugh softly at the display of affection, but feel a shiver go down your spine when you notice the glint in the eyes of the Velocidrome, eyeing you as though you were an intruder.

Though really, it wasn’t an incorrect assumption. 

“Class dismissed!” 

- Taffy