#dadjin

At first Rudo hadn't even realised he was doing it. He just sat outside to eat one day, totally lost in his own mind as a kitten tapped over to him, meowing pitifully. It stared at him with big eyes, and he just mindlessly scraped some of his food onto the ground, watching as the kitten scarfed it down eagerly. It was nice, in a way, watching such a small creature be so grateful.

Usually, Rudo didn't know how to deal with animals. He'd rarely ever seen any up in the Sphere, and down here on the ground most of them were scared of humans. Most cats ran away when approached, even when Rudo tried his best to appear friendly. This little one seemed weirdly friendly - or just especially desperate for food.

Somehow, this became a frequent thing to happen. Rudo would bring food outside, the kitten would walk up, brush against his legs and beg for a portion until Rudo caved in, picking at parts of his food to make sure it was edible for such a small creature. At some point, he'd started calling it Cinnamon, mostly because its dirty fur reminded him of Cinnamon buns, and because it felt awkward always calling it Cat. "What, you want some more food, Cinnamon?" He'd hum, already scraping something onto the floor as the kitten purred happily. It didn't matter that technically he needed that food himself, because he genuinely felt good helping Cinnamon out. Well, until Cinnamon started bringing its family.

It started small, with one or two Cats showing up along the kitten. It was manageable, even as they started climbing up his pant legs and he needed to pluck them off regularly just to keep some food for himself. Then more started showing up, forcing Rudo to get extra food from the cafeteria, making it seem like he was just more hungry because admitting the truth was weirdly embarrassing. At some point, a group of around eleven cats had formed, all with names and unique personalities, and out of necessity Rudo just started spending a portion of his salary on cat food, dividing it evenly between each cat.

"... Rudo, is this why you always eat outside nowadays?" Rudo yelped as he looked up from his plate, keeping the plate in his lap with one hand while the other held back a kitten - Lollipop, as he'd named it, because it's attitude reminded him of Dear, and Dear reminded him of Lollipops. Enjin stood beside the door, watching the scene of eleven cats and one Spherite sitting and eating together, all looking totally out of place. Cats didn't come to HQ - at least that's what Enjin thought. Apparently he had been wrong, proven by the well fed kitties at Rudos feet. "...they wanted food." Rudo shrugs, looking back down at his plate - Lollipop had finally given up on snatching his food, though he was sure the kitten would try again soon enough. "I ain't judging. They're kinda cute... just keep them out the building." Enjin huffs a soft laugh, scaring a few cats as he sat down beside Rudo. "What's this guys name?" He questioned, picking a kitten up by the scruff of it's neck as it tried to attack his ankles. Rudo doesn't answer at first, chewing his food silently. Enjin looked at the kitten, placing it in his lap to pet it even as it bit his fingers. Rudo knew he was waiting for an answer, but he wasn't sure if he should be honest. Would Enjin make fun of him? "...Chocolate." he then mutters, trying to seem casual about it as he glances over at the adult. Enjin just chuckled again, nodding. "Gotta be a piece of real salty Chocolate, though." He grins, inspecting the scratches and bitemarks on his hand as the kitten scurried off.