Booker huffed out a soft laugh at the kitten's enthusiasm, nodding. "Yeah, it's mush-room stuff. They're called spores. They're like... baby mush-rooms," he tried to explain. "'s how you get more mush-rooms, like how we have chrysalis's." As the cat continued on about family, the numbat found himself eyeing her with a tiny, patient grin. She reminded him of Diot, in a way, that same wide-eyed wonder at the world.
"I think they could be your family if ya want 'em to. Family is... hm." How to explain something he couldn't even fully comprehend? "It's all these feelin's, like wanting to protect 'em, and to be there when they're happy, or sad," he started, eye glazing over a bit, lost in thought. "And it's forgivin' 'em if they do somethin' they shouldn't've, even if they hurt ya. It's knowin' they didn't mean it, and that they feel those same things, that they want to protect you too." He nodded once, ears flicking, unaware of his own rambling. "It's knowing that no matter how bad anything else is, you'll always have them."
He turned to the cat, then, tilting his head inquisitively. "Friends is a good start to family. It can grow, change into those kinds a' feelings, until one day you look around and realize you don't remember what it's like to be alone, anymore." At her offer, the numbat stood, stretching his lame leg in the hopes of getting it to work a bit more. No dice - it stayed motionless. Somehow, it didn't bother him as much, now, not when the little one stepped closer to give him a friendly groom. Booker blushed under his fur, nudging her cheek with a tiny black nose in return, whiskers twitching.
"Sharin' a path sounds good to me," he offered, thinking of where, exactly, one could find a feather - and not just any feather, but a feather-as-a-sign. A sign-feather? He shrugged, the movement sending out another plume of spores. "Maybe together we can find you sign for ya, hm?"
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