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BLACK CAT

[un: gatto]

(note: cat is unfamiliar with this level of technology/accessible communication, and icly takes a bit of time to respond.)

(for action, he lives in a smaller than
average hill house.)

. action | text | voice | video .

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Same to you.

Must she have done anything? She's been a perfect neighbor. I hear she's a perfect host as well. Maybe I just find perfection grating and thought you might too.[Being too good to be true, and all.] Haven't you ever known somebody whose house is all in order, servants as quiet as the grave, philanthropic reputation and not a hair out of place? I'm telling you, I wouldn't want to be around someone like that when somebody tracks in some dirt or says a wrong word. Ah, forget it, we'll find something more interesting to talk about over that bowl.

[he needs!! lol!!!]

ha
trust me that aint her
cant picture her with a servant first of all and if she did have one she wouldnt be perfect now would she?

[He's worked for the people Li Lianhua is describing... Blue's always come across to him as the kind of person that can play at being a noble, but that's because she's tried out a lot of games in her time.]

youre the one that brought her up anyway
you could have just been concerned about me and left it at that :( some friend
get mine ready
ill be over once im dressed

[He has to crawl out of his blanket burrito...rip, but at least Li Lianhua can see the mask and outfit he was so sorely missing when they met! Knock, knock -- at least Cat has manners enough for that.

His coat is beaten and stitched from heavy use, clothes deceptively high quality for how grungy he looks wearing them, and one arm's bandaging is clean while the other is old and stained from a variety of things. Cat's mask is rusted on one side and stapled together with the scratched leather of the other, but despite these things, it isn't falling apart by any means.

Of course, it isn't as helpful while he's trudging through the snow. The device used to compensate for his fading vision doesn't do too well with the light bouncing off so much snow, made for much more conditions, so he'd had to put both his hands up to try shading the eyes of it on his way over.]

~~It's a cruel world indeed that denies a cat his lolz.~~ This cheeky cat's admonition is received with the kind of fond exasperation that it was undoubtedly aiming for. Punctuating it with that silly picture is pretty funny, to be honest. Whatever will he do, being caught out by such an astute young man? Even if he wasn't trying particularly hard to hide his intentions, and at least the concern came across. Nor was he expecting to change any judgements the boy has no doubt already made himself in the past day or two. For now he'll be satisfied with a visit and to know the boy seems in good spirits.

...Visiting a little too eagerly, even. Didn't he just say she was fattening him up with pastries? What's the hurry for some soup? So bold! It's just that Li Lianhua isn't exactly at his best, after yesterday's excursion, can't really prepare the kind of dishes he'd like to offer a guest. But soup will be manageable.

He's got a fragrant broth bubbling and is cutting up vegetables when the knock announces his visitor. The round green door opens right into the kitchen and living area of the house, so Li Lianhua only has to step over to pull on the door-- and find it refusing to budge even an inch. That brat! As if Fang Xiaobao's repeated reminders not to go outside again hadn't been enough, he really blocked the door when he left to replenish their stocks of food. Li Lianhua huffs, throws his knife on the counter and wrenches open the kitchen window nearest to the door to stick his head out. His sight isn't doing well with the snow either, the glare blinding him painfully, so all he can do is to squint at the dark shape of the boy standing in stark relief against the whiteness of his surroundings, and offer a slightly harried smile.

"Hello! Ah, sorry. Can you tell, is the door blocked, by any chance?"

He asks as if he doesn't know full well it is. If Cat can examine the door, he'll find a big stick wedged between the handle and the frame, more symbolically than anything. There's a second, unblocked door off on the side of the building even, though the porch there isn't cleared of snow. Don't worry about it, just help a friend out.

It serves him right, offering something he doesn't have. In truth, while they would have worked something out, possibly involving Blue going out into town on her own later, when she wouldn't be giving him a disapproving but relenting look in return for his vague, "I won't go far from here", the pastries Cat had bragged about were few in number...and already finished off by him the night before. Also on the edge of stale, but even stale pastries are a treat for him. Warm soup? In some ways less exciting, but depending on what Li Lianhua has for him, that's as equal a rarity. Either way, it's a free, no effort meal.

...Well, he'd assumed no effort. He's been here for two seconds and he's being asked to unblock a door! In his condition! Cat looks from the window -- and the smudge calling out to him -- down to the door and, upon discovering the problem, tilts his head and puts his hands on his hips.

"You call Fiore overbearing when you've got someone keeping you trapped in your own home?" Silly man. Easily rectified, once he gets his teasing in. Cat wanders inside with the removed stick resting on his shoulder like a weapon, a measly echo of his longspear. Now that he's inside, Cat's mask does its job properly, defining the shapes of the furniture, his host, and the soup he was promised still in preparation. It was a good call, setting up an incentive for him rather than asking for a favor directly.

"Can't say I blame them, after you demonstrated how you'd rather freeze to death than step inside long enough to get feeling back in your fingers. What a stubborn fellow you are."

Some backtalk is expected from his chatty friend, but having to hear that nickname applied to that woman is really too much. In his condition! He can't even fully blame Iris' influence for it, maybe nosy little grifters just share vocabulary for overly familiar terms of endearment. Across realms, clearly. A petty wrinkling of his nose is mercifully lost on Cat before he retreats into his kitchen.

At least Cat doesn't need any plying to help with the door, the promise of soup clearly still pulling its weight. He'll find this house to be a little shabby but cozy, many things repaired and repaired again, a little mismatched, but all in working order. A living area with a sofa and be-blanketed armchair, table and bookshelves is set further back from the door below a sloping roof. A kind of coat rack has been set up in the back as well, with two thick winter coats on it. There's space for one more, should Cat like to hang up some of his gear.

The kitchen really seems to be getting the most use out of this place, though, shelves stacked with pots and bowls, ingredients both fresh and dried. An entire wall's shelf is dedicated to jars of various sizes for pickling and other long-term storage of food, though not all in use yet. Li Lianhua is clearly keeping busy ~~and making sure his companions won't starve when he's gone~~. The preparation area that Cat's host is standing in is similarly generously laid out, a big stove keeping the whole room at a toasty temperature that may be a little oppressive, especially coming in from the cold. A large stack of firewood right next to the stove ensures that keeping the fire alive is easily done. Next to the big pot of broth, a kettle with water is just starting to whistle.

Li Lianhua isn't looking much better than he did at the end of the masquerade night, his skin an unhealthy pallor, lips pale and dark circles under his eyes. For a moment, he's taken aback enough by Cat's unusual appearance that he narrows his eyes as he tries to focus his vision on more detail than the general outline of the mask, seeing just enough to recognize what he's apparently taken his name from - or the other way around. Then his eyes slide off the useless attempt, turn up to the ceiling instead as he puts his hands on his hips.

"Alright, alright. Did you come all this way to lecture me, or for some good food? Pick one, my friend." This is a rhetorical question, obviously, as he's already gesturing in the general direction of the kitchen table with three chairs around it so he can get his visitor squared away and return to his cooking. "Sit down, go on. It's just some silly brat playing a prank, anyway. Ah, stick's free, you can keep it."

Maybe people should stop offering flowers as their names and being playfully charming, if they want to avoid these things. Food for thought, in exchange for the food soon to be in Cat's belly.

As much as he's interested in that most of all, he does slowly take in the state of things. It's certainly more of a home than either Cat's or Blue's, and he can feel the sudden absence of housemates in those, given how obvious they are here whether or not they're around. He doesn't know Li Lianhua (or those he lives with, obviously) nearly well enough to determine which things are whose. It...just seems shared. Cohabitation is a concept that's hard to grasp for him when it isn't his sister in the equation, after so many years relying only on himself, so he grimaces a little and shies away from the more prominent evidence of it. Even if that wasn't the case, though, he'd be keeping all his things to himself, toasty temperatures be damned. Not even the mask is coming off just yet.

He doesn't placate the man by waiting at the table, either, merely stopping by it long enough to set the stick down before he comes over to investigate what Li Lianhua's doing, and try to determine how much longer he's supposed to wait. His leaning in doesn't help much, really, with how unfamiliar he is to the cooking times of vegetables. The angle of his head lingers to let him process the idea of readily available fresh produce for the dozenth time since he arrived in the gardens here by taking in the sight. He hadn't been sure what to expect aside from broth, given Li Lianhua's exchange for the plants Blue had grown for him -- and that alone would have been good enough for him. This is looking like it'll be the real deal... Well. A home-cooked meal is easier when you're in a home and not just a house, after all.

(None of the aforementioned plants amongst the ingredients, either, which he'd set out to confirm.)

"You said there's a bed free?" Cat pulls off his rough gloves and tucks them away in his belt pouch so that he can try to make a reach for the knife, whether Li Lianhua's already retrieved it or not. Nothing too hasty or determined, but not being stealthy about it, either. "Buuut only three chairs. I guess you won't be springing both strangers on me, then -- one, maybe?"

If he did, then would it be the 'silly brat' or the mysterious third occupant, whose coat remained alongside what he has to assume is Li Lianhua's? Neither would particularly thrill him, which likely comes across a bit in his tone. Like his wordless intention of helping, he isn't trying to hide it -- but no one likes an ambush, even if they're as mild as an unexpected introduction, do they?

What a nosy brat, coming to investigate in the kitchen instead of getting seated like a polite guest. Li Lianhua is going to make him sniff this onion he's just started chopping, if he doesn't behave himself. Despite his currently poor vision, he doesn't need help with this task, holding the knife and vegetable securely and measuring out thin slices by keeping the blade close to the tip of his finger. Who's ever heard of making a guest do the cooking? He's ill, not rude.

But the snooping will be tolerated, much like the slightly crabby questioning. A whiff of something unexpected can indeed be a little off-putting sometimes, to a cautious sort of person. Even if that sort of person might have waited for assurance that their visit is convenient before knocking on somebody's door for a meal. "The house actually came with four beds," he clarifies casually, confirming three occupants, with space for one more, should the need ever arise. Especially such a small one. "Ah, Fang Duobing is out on errands, he won't be back in a while. I'd introduce you to Lao Di, but he decided to have a brawl in the snow yesterday and is all tuckered out." And placated with poppy juice. He shrugs, like it's a pity he won't get to enjoy this soup and company, but no real sympathy is lost on the state of him. This is, of course, a lie; some soup will get set aside and Di Feisheng is not out of the woods yet.

Without wasting a glance at the boy that won't tell him anything anyway, Li Lianhua lifts his hand from the vegetables and gives those searching fingers a gentle smack. "Friend Cat, if you're that bored, why don't you brew the tea?" He cants his head over at the boiling kettle. A teapot already filled with leaves and two small cups are waiting on a little tray in front of the stove, along with a bowl of candied ginger pieces. A small relief for nausea and of a heating nature, should one suffer from that sort of ailment, but they also just make for delicious candy.

Pouring accurately actually is a task made significantly harder by being half-blind, easy to make a mess and lose some skin to boiling water. So all squabbling aside, if Cat can be troubled to oblige with this, Li Lianhua would appreciate it.

To expect a polite guest of Cat was his biggest mistake -- and an expectation that the boy would insist he was meeting. He's just a little guy! If he wasn't polite, he'd comment more on how the roommate hadn't been the only one making silly snow decisions, or how this was apparently a house for the infirm. Instead, he isn't doing anything wrong, just being a little angel over here, you all are just mean. Rebuking him, not letting him have a knife, gosh.

Tea isn't nearly as compelling to him as carrots, in betrayal of his youth and British accent, so there's a muffled huff of reluctance as he takes his hand back to prop against his side and lean on the counter by his other arm's elbow. The man had said that the stick blocking the door was his now, but Cat has to bite his tongue from suggesting that there's a more suitable place for it right in front of him. As little as he believes they'll be the best of friends, he also doesn't want to unnecessarily aggravate Li Lianhua -- not until after the meal, at the very least.

"Heh. No thanks." Let it scream. Today has traded one brat for another, and this one has no loyalty.

Cat could have any knife he can find, if he wants to go digging for them in this kitchen, except for the one Li Lianhua is currently in need of. That's really not Li Lianhua's fault, is it? But of course cats always want the one thing they're not allowed to have and won't even accept a substitute. See, this is why he considers himself a dog person.

At the boy's tetchy reply, a slight grimace passes over his face, like either he or Cat just stepped in something sticky. "So willful," he chides, though the attempted scolding is rather softened by a smile briefly creasing the corner of his mouth. But that doesn't stop his voice and expression from turning plaintive as he gets into the drama of his hurt pride as a cook. "Hey, you're being like this just because I won't let you mess with the food? Do you even have experience with cooking? What if you slice the onions too thick or the radishes too small, huh?"

Too late for that, anyway, since he's already dicing the radish into the perfect size, then depositing all the vegetables into the broth. Li Lianhua has his assumptions as to the answer to his question, but getting those confirmed is hardly the point, at least not as much as directing Cat's annoyance towards a new thing and away from the fact that his genuine offer of help had to once again be refused.

Looks like nobody is getting what they want, which is always the risk when denying teenagers, especially ones that aren't already loyal or prone to being soft. Cat isn't thinking too deeply on the request -- nor the rejection -- but he doesn't need to go out of his way to do the things he doesn't want to do anymore. There isn't a point.

Li Lianhua's further prompting doesn't bite back perhaps in the way the man wanted, with Cat easing into a more casual lean that speaks to a matching attitude. His comfortable tone and poise isn't a complete letting down of his guard, but it isn't performative either, and he's less suspicious of anything happening here than he might've been elsewhere, especially after refusing to help in the way he was asked. When he speaks, he's back to the mindset of having a conversation. The momentary bummer of not being allowed access to what he can't stop thinking of as a rarity has passed.

"It is really the wrong size if the soup's meant for me?" he ventures, arms crossing more comfortably. "Of course I can cook. Maybe not fancy meals like you folk are used to --" Li Lianhua, regrettably, would be described as stuffy by him...though with less derision than others would be. It's just the way it is. "-- but I had to take care of myself, didn't I? You expect me to have eaten out of the garbage? Got more pride than that."

Good thing Li Lianhua isn't looking for anyone to be loyal or soft to him, then. All that nonsense is more likely to get a teenager removed from his home than being bratty is. No, eating his food is good enough for him. So everyone may yet get what they want from this visit.

Especially since the wind and waves in this little teacup seem to have abated for now. The notion that his dishes might be considered fancy makes Li Lianhua laugh, a soft huff of amusement that ruins his woeful act. If the boy wants fancy, he should talk to either of the other occupants of this house, really. Compared to those, Li Lianhua is just a down-to-earth, simple... well, nothing in particular, here. At last, truly just some guy.

"I wasn't expecting anything," he lies, with an innocent little shrug. "I just know not everyone has easy access to a stove and a full pantry. It's rude to presume, isn't it?" Even if you end up being right. Speaking of pantries, he reaches up on a shelf, running his fingertips over several jars until he finds the right one, then tosses a decent helping of dried mushrooms into the soup. "Oh by the way, how do you feel about spicy food? I was thinking of adding some chili and seeing how it treats us, eh? Nice and bracing."

"Uh-hmm. Sure."

'Not fancy' and then he tosses in even more ingredients and thinks about adding spices beyond basil and salt to any dish? Psh. Li Lianhua is setting his low bar too high.

"Wouldn't know," he admits after a moment of thought. There definitely were spicy dishes, even at the Red Lobster Inn, but his own diet had remained pretty bland. No full pantry for him, indeed. "It's meant to heat you up, yeah? I don't think I'd mind that...though this place is plenty warm already."

Maybe he...will...take off his mask a little early, phew. What little advantage he had is lost, but it's easier to breathe once he can feel the air on his face again. Since all the tasks have either been rejected by him or refused him away, he tucks his mask and the net-bound collar beneath it against his hip with one hand and uses the other to ruffle up his hair and further embrace this minor freedom.

If his guest knew the cold toxin in his body is particularly easily triggered by lower temperatures, he'd never hear the end of it about going outside. One brat locking him in here is enough, thanks. So he won't grace that comment about his heating habits with a response, especially since it's also encouraging the boy to get a bit more comfortable, it seems like. Li Lianhua smiles into his pot, watching Cat's little gestures of resettling and relief out of the corner of his eyes. It's a shame to miss out on the individuality of his expressions, but he can memorize the shape of his face and the color of his hair at least.

"Promotes good circulation, yes. It has warming properties, resolves dampness in the lungs too. Ah but I'll go easy on it then." Probably just two dried chili peppers will do. Maybe three. They're really pretty small... Nobody saw that look of doubt passing over his expression, it's all good. He knows what it'll save it. Not that it'll need saving! Regardless, he pulls down a piece of cured ham from its spot hanging off a shelf and cuts a few slices to distribute into their bowls. The final slice he holds out to Cat, pierced on the tip of the knife of earlier contention ~~as a treat for good behavior~~. The offer goes uncommented on, instead nodding towards the clean bandages on Cat's arm. "You've been recovering well?"

If it makes him feel any better, most of Cat's worrying is in jest -- of course, when the end result is still that stick going right back to blocking the door like he found it when he leaves again, the motive likely doesn't matter too much. Being an annoyance out of fondness or out of fondness for being an annoyance... Either way, it's being an annoyance. How unfortunate for Li Lianhua.

How unfortunate for Cat that he's decided to Trust the Process and isn't paying much mind anymore to what's being added to the meal, at least until the ham is offered. He accepts, naturally, though doesn't seem as welcoming as his interest before might have suggested. Salty meat and knife are cool, but consider... Carrot. Mmm, scarcity: the most delicious of things to a Cat.

He grunts vaguely at first, weighing his possible responses while he nibbles away at the ham. In truth, he hadn't needed to bandage his arm at all. The scarring was fresh and discolored, but the wound wasn't in danger of reopening or at risk of infection. It wouldn't be long before it blended in with the rest of the hardships his body bore. Where the side of the angel's icy blade had slid across his side was a little worse, thanks to his discomfort in having someone -- a stranger -- treating him so closely for long. The worst of it was remembering the cold, and the nothing.

"A bit stiff." Cat shrugs, flipping the knife deftly in his fingers to hold it back out to his host handle first after removing the rest of the meat with his other hand. Utensils are unnecessary in this case. "That healing magic in this place sure is something, and I didn't have to give even a single shard. That's a good deal."

"You got that good a deal, really?" Li Lianhua says, sounding mildly impressed while he gestures for Cat to simply drop the knife on the cutting board when he's done with it, since it's no longer needed. He wipes his hands on a towel, then gives his soup a good stir and breathes in its aroma, trying to check if it needs any other adjustments, but seems happy with it so far and puts the lid on. "You must be quite fortunate, to have met so many generous people here. Even healers have to make a living, don't they?"

So Iris even paid for his treatment. It's difficult to guess what purpose ingratiating herself to this boy serves, but then again, his neighbor is a lunatic. Maybe she's just looking for more entertainment, as if those Qi matches and harassing him aren't enough. Would that be any wonder? Li Lianhua already knows, against his will, that whatever she's seeking knows no satisfaction. But all hidden motives aside, it's a good thing the boy got the treatment he needed, enough so to be making a nuisance of himself in Li Lianhua's kitchen.

Since regrettably nobody has volunteered to take care of the kettle, Li Lianhua finally turns to that task himself. The kettle clatters against the rim of the pot with less control than he'd like, but he manages to pour the hot water without spilling anything. Setting the kettle back down, he has to brace against the counter for a moment, feeling the length of time he's been on his feet already. Ah well, the soup shouldn't be long.

Edited (words) 2024-03-23 14:14 (UTC)

He complies while watching the man go about, a little pleased with himself despite not having much of a hand in whether or not he'd lost money over it. It's still weirdly validating to have it parroted back at him. Terribly, it's also validating to see the toll that this morning is taking on him. It makes it feel more like tricking Li Lianhua into doing what he wants, for one, but also, "It's a shame you were so determined to not take advantage of my offer... Where will that pride get you, when you've lost consciousness, I wonder? Yesterday, too."

He's just so silly, standing around in the cold and playing host despite his health being so much worse than Cat's.

Well Li Lianhua is certainly pleased to be providing entertainment. There's a smugness to that running commentary that luckily precludes any notion of concern, so all it does is tease out a small smirk and a huff that could be exhaustion or irritation or amusement. What pride? Cat couldn't be more wrong about what's keeping him self-reliant and standing and that, like the boy's vague air of superiority, is just fine.

Li Lianhua takes a fortifying breath to stand without support and picks up the tea tray, making his way over to the kitchen table with a lot more concentrated force of will than he'll be letting on. "Who's losing consciousness? I'm fine, aren't I? I haven't lived this long without knowing my limits." Nevermind that he'd all but collapsed, heaving blood into the sink as soon as he staggered through the door just yesterday. He made it back and he's still alive today, what else matters?

"If you're waiting for me to pass out, then let me tell you right now the most valuable thing in here is probably that cut of pork ribs marinading up on that shelf. I've got a pretty decent bottle of wine somewhere too, but it's elsewhere in the house. Hah, with the way they're running their economy here, I can't even hide away any savings, can I?"

The noise he makes is doubtful, but amused all the same. Someone's limits could change by the day -- or less -- and leave them unaware. He would know. But...that's not really his business, this time. He waves off the thought and the calm accusation both, striding back over to the table and pulling a chair out with his foot so he can sit with enough space to set his mask and gloves on the table beside him. The elbows immediately go on the table.

"Is that what you think of me? You're going to hurt my feelings all over again, friend. Anyway, if you think that would keep anyone from snooping, though, have I got bad news for you..." he chuckles. It doesn't matter when he isn't interested in stealing anything from here, or even doing that much exploring. He's not going to spend the energy worrying about what he would do in the event that his host passed out, but he imagines it would be something that he found outrageous, but would delight that nosy neighbor that enjoys needling him so much. Once everything got back to stable, anyway. "Can't imagine someone like you would have much in savings, even outside this place. You aren't even interested in buying treatment!"

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