HAI DOMO

    ‘SAFE’, HUH? SHE wishes that much were true, outside of the metro or not… Such is her life, or whatever; always in some sort of danger no matter where she goes. But why make that any of Kizu’s business? For now, she’s content enough to not comment on that bit, tracing her own gaze out as spots she usually has to vault over…

    It’s the one comment about merch that steals her attention back, and Tsii offers a very dignified sort of sound ( a squeak, that is ) in response. She’s thrilled at the idea of having it, obviously, but!! Was that… allowed?? That’s the sort of stuff she’d plan to stand in line for, not something she expects to be handed to her…

    Suddenly she’s feeling a little bit bashful.

❝A-ah? You don’t… have to do that if you don’t want…! Do um… I can pay you for it at least, if you want…?❞

   “No- no it’s fine! Seriously, I have... more money than I know what to do with...” She slumps a little in her seat, sighing. The life of a celebrity was a difficult one... She gives so much money away to charities and such, and it all just. comes right on back. ... Anyone else would be spending this money constantly. Kizu has... no idea what to spend it on.

    TSII ONLY OFFERS a small shrug at the first comment, unsure of the answer herself. The only other person on this planet to ask her name was her now-roommate, and Tsii hadn’t even answered her ( speaking to a stranger outright like that? She wouldn’t have even considered it before. This planet really has a way of making her have to step out of her comfort zone… ).

    … Well, no use dwelling on it much. Tsii offers a content little smile that turns the tiniest bit nervous at mention of the jewelry store.

❝Close shave, for sure.❞

    … She’ll just leave it at that. Kizu didn’t have to know her comment was more so about the reason the police were there, rather than escaping the alley. It was probably safer that Tsii not mention the Nyakuza at all. If Kizu learned of them and went to the wrong police officer about it…

   Watching the metro go by outside, Kizu sighs. This place was... kind of a mess, as much as it was home. Ever since these weirdo cats and their masks started showing up, she’d been too afraid to go out for as long as she used to. And now they were chasing kids around... Maybe it was time to start looking into surface apartments.

“Yeah... but- but you’re safe now! We’ll get you to my place, and... figure out how to sneak you back up to the surface. ... And- and since you’re uh. a fan, I could... slip in some merch.” Maybe a hoodie that actually fits, and... Kizu had a few branded facemasks lying around, but- she’d figured maybe those would be weird to wear with the gang walking around in their own facemasks. Like some kind of challenge.

    Tsii can get the feeling of not liking crowds as much. Tsii was the same as far as that goes, and even if she’d only been in like… 4 movies, the fact remains that both The Conductor and DJ Grooves are big name directors. Tsii’s since taken to wearing a disguise when taking walks around the UFB (seems the deathwish outfits turned out useful after all).

“I’m Tsii…! I think most of this planet calls me ‘Hat Kid’ or ‘Some Girl’, though. Funny how few people actually ask for a name…”

    … Not that she’d really speak to most people outright anyways. Kizunyan is really turning into something of an outlier, huh?

“Um, but yeah. I don’t think I like crowds much, either. I’m not really used to being around lots of people at once.”

   “Why would people not ask for your name..?” Was that a surface thing? Kizu only went up there for shows, or meetups, and... well, everyone already knew who she was. Maybe she’s just used to asking for names because of all the autographs she writes...

    Tsii keeps up just fine as the two rush through the station (though a part of how easily she keeps pace is thanks to her headband). It’s an unfamiliar situation seeing one of the trains stop in the first place. Even more strange to be ushered into one. Usually she’s having to hitch a ride on top. Tsii lowers her hood and casts a few glances outside of the windows before turning back to Kizunyan as she begins to speak.

“You…”

    The ‘reveal’ is honestly pretty comedic, but Tsii’s not about to give up on her oblivious act right at the end! So, she instead channels the excitement she didn’t show earlier, grinning widely and allowing her tail to wag freely.

“No way!! I watch your videos all the time! Though… I guess a lot of people can say that. That’s why you have to disguise yourself, right?”

   Kizu had seen cats riding the tops of these trains. She hasn’t got a clue why anyone would climb around on these considering how fast they tended to go, but... y’know. leave that to the actual cats.

Once she’s sure the kid isn’t going to start- squealing, or demanding an autograph or something, the catuber sighs in relief, sitting herself down. “It- yeah. I’m really bad with public stuff, so- I try to avoid it as much as I can? Crowds freak me way the heck out...”

And a freaked out cat is a problem nobody wants to deal with, so... easier to keep things simple. Fan meetups had to be calm and quiet.

    Tsii, mercifully, decides not to challenge Kizunyan’s excuse. After all, why cause trouble for someone trying to help her out? Instead, Tsii decides to go along with it as the two walk.

“You don’t? That’s no good! She’s got such fun videos! You should look her up on Catube sometime.”

    Tsii, figuring that was enough, falls silent and lets her blatant compliment hang in the air. Progress over to the station proves… fairly smooth, even as odd as a duo as the two appear to be. Though it should be worth noting that with the hood drawn and the tip of her tail peeking from under the edge of the hoodie, Tsii actually does look like she could just be a kitten.

    …Provided no one got a good look at her face, anyways. Maybe she ought to invest in making a new mask flair or something…

   “Oh yeah? I-I’ll uh, have to... yeah, look her up. This. catuber I’ve never met before.” She’s flattered, obviously, but if there was even the slightest chance this kid actually hadn’t figured it out, admitting the lie would be chaos. All it takes is one person screaming her name, and everything goes wrong...

And they clearly don’t have time for fan interactions - Kizu’ll wait until they’re on the train before any exciting reveal. Hopefully they can find an empty carriage... Still holding onto the ‘kitten’, Kizu rushes them through the busy station, avoiding eye contact with everyone and staying quiet until- well, the wait for a train is brief, but it feels like it takes forever.

The doors open, Kizu pulls Tsii in, and by some miracle, they’re alone. For now. There are like four more stops til Kizunyan’s place.

    Ah, if only Kizunyan could know how very not frightened Tsii was of this whole ordeal. The Nyakuza was maybe more organized than, say, the Mafia… but the only one in its ranks Tsii even remotely considered a threat was the Empress, and she sure wasn’t chasing Tsii around with a bat.

    If anything, this little chase felt more like a game, and with the catuber unexpectedly joining in, it seems it’s gotten infinitely more interesting (Tsii hasn’t even ridden in one of the trains before, so that’ll be new for sure). 

    Tsii eyes the hoodie as it’s held out to her with a bit of surprise. Yeah, sure, Tsii’s playing oblivious to who this is, but is this… allowed? Are they even selling these anymore?

    Ah, but wait, now she’s staring. That doesn’t really help the whole ‘oblivious’ case. So, to cover her tracks, Tsii speaks as if she’d simply been observing the branding. 

“… Nice taste!”

    … Pretty funny to be saying that to the real deal, now that she thinks of it. Well, with that out of the way, Tsii moves to slip the jacket on, pulling up the hood for added stealth. The hoodie is… endearingly large on her. 

   The poor thing - Kizunyan was likely the only cat in the Metro willing to help this poor, frightened soul... ............... Well, the only cat willing to help without demanding some kind of payment. Kizunyan is already rich, so she doesn’t want any more money. All she buys is ramen and anime. And anime merch.

Once she’s sure they’re in the clear, she moves back to lead the girl with her, stopping for a moment as the hoodie is commented on, and- hesitating.

“Oh! Uh- right, that uh- that was a um. a gift, I don’t- I don’t know... who that is.” Kizunyan Mewku’s signature outfit is the only part of her ‘virtual’ self that didn’t truly exist - so she can normally trick people into thinking she just. looks like her, or something. ... She’s also wearing a Kizunyan branded t-shirt. She gets sent them free whenever she releases merch. Shut up.

    … Huh. Sometimes it was really easy to forget just how young she really was, huh? The last time someone was this concerned about her was… years ago. A small time frame really, but with everything she’s done since, it feels like so much longer.

    … That’s time for you.

    Tsii averts her gaze, hesitating for a moment before responding.

“They’ve come after me… a few times before. Not with bats, though. Only claws, at most.”

    Not exactly a soothing answer for either of them.

“I… wouldn’t mind. But I don’t think you want to be seen with me.”

   This whole situation gets worse and worse with every new reveal, and Kizu can barely imagine how frightened this poor kid must be - she’s gotta get her somewhere safe, maybe give her some kind of disguise or something, and get her out of the Metro.

“I don’t care if anyone sees you with me- why would anyone care? It’s just those scary cats, and I can- probably just call the cops if they try anything. I’m not gonna let them hurt you, okay?” She’s just. gonna dial most of the number for the cops before they go. No chances taken.

    The girl… doesn’t seem to react to the surprise she caused the catuber. Instead, she somewhat blankly answers the question.

“I’m… fine.”

    Something about the words almost seems forced, as if the kid wasn’t really used to talking… Which, of course, is true, but it’s not as if this catgirl could possibly know that. Tsii casts a glance back at the street.

“They were armed this time? That’s new. They probably wouldn’t hurt you, though.”

There’s a quick pause before Tsii looks inquisitively back to Kizunyan.

“Why sneak past them to check on me?”

   “Wh- why? I- I thought they were gonna hurt you! I see these weird masked cats all over the Metro these days. They’re like, super menacing, and I saw them threatening someone for pons once- I dunno what they’d want with a little girl, but- one of them had a baseball bat, so couldn’t be anything good...”

She resists the urge to fuss over the girl, luckily, hands wringing nervously together as she looks to the alleyway entrance, making sure none of those cats were still there - Kizunyan is the very definition of a scaredy cat.

    Messing around in the metro was all fun and games until the Empress decides she’s had enough for one day, huh? One minute Tsii’s trying out a new laser pointer, next thing she knows, that pointer is slapped out of her hands and she’s running away from a bunch of cats. Again.

    … Next time she’ll try a feather teaser.

    It doesn’t even take her time-stop hat to slip away from the mob, but just for the sake of safety, Tsii hops up to the top of a lone vending machine as her pursuers (purrsuers?) file past… before there’s a new voice. Tsii whips around, tail fluffing up as she presses herself against the top of the machine. Glowing eyes regard this new visitor…

    … Only to recognize who she is pretty much right off the bat. What can she say? She’s kind of a sucker for Earth entertainment. Normally this would be the part where she gets all excited and stuff, but… now doesn’t really seem like the best time for that. So, Tsii chooses the quieter route, hopping deftly to the ground to better regard the other.

   ... Huh. Maybe she’d just missed her? These alleyways didn’t go on forever, but kids could double jump. Kizu can’t for the life of her figure out what a bunch of rando cats would want with a kid, but she’s... probably better off just telling the authorities, or something. Getting involved could get her in trouble too, and she’s terrible with confrontation...

Turning to leave, Kizunyan startles hard as the kid drops in front of her, tail floofing up as she scrambles, back, eyes thin lines as she... slowly calms down. Just the kid. This is maybe a little embarrassing.

   Today, Kizunyan’s taking another stab at that stealth stuff. With all the games she’s been playing lately her wrist is in no condition for signing like, thirty autographs. She’s put her hair up into one single ponytail, and thrown on a hoodie, and a pair of shades.

She is so good at this.

But- during her very very sneaky walk through the Metro, the catuber finds herself getting involved in something anyway - a group of those menacing looking cats in the masks, and a... small, hairless cat hiding from them? Wait, no, not a cat- a... oh, what’s the word, a....... well, it doesn’t matter. Some of those cats look armed, and they’re looking for something!

So, as they move past, Kizu moves in nice and sneaky like, looking around for the girl she’d seen.