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why don't i just pull the weeds

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Purity was tired, first and foremost. Strings of fluid clung still to the thick fur over him, evident of his previous hibernation. Caves, he looked nasty. Sure, most had dried out by now, but he definitely felt icky, like he'd contracted some disease of disgusting-ness. Gross.

His first course of action was to clean himself, and he knew that stuff wouldn't be good against his tongue. He'd found his way to a a familiar lake- one he'd witnessed the odd purple being by, the one he waded into now with slow, lethargic movements. At least this was a good wet. When the water met his back ankles he lowered himself to his haunches and began to rub over his limbs. Blech, the water helped to strip the fluids from him, but he still hated how he looked drenched in just plain old water. It was better, though; he could get his tongue on his limbs now, and he just had to carry on and focus on his back. Methodical bathing took place as he dipped his body in and out of the water, first rubbing along the stony bottom before twisting his neck back and licking out the tangled curls and missed spots he could manage.

It was lost on him the ruckus he was making with the water, splashing about in it. There was nothing drinking at it nearby when he approached, so nothing should be too bothered, right? He didn't need to be bothered if he stirred someone else awake, that was for sure.

At least he was clean now.

@Nassir

token cat time

Nassir had meandered for quite a while after talking to Pride - a little aimlessly, if he was honest. Sure, there was the house searching, the Property Brothers nonsense (minus the strange career choices and oversized budget belonging to only the 1%.) Pale eyes had filed through many of Orion's buildings, but the vast majority were plain stacks of dust and blue-bricks. What was this room's stone even made from?

A great splashing came from behind his most recent object of study - a shoebox sized condo, spacious and clean floored. It reeked of disease and had strange hatch-marks all over the walls and rolled-up... pale leaves? Odd. Seemed inhospitable. More like a festering wound than a house.

Anyways.

Dark ears swiveled towards the splashing. One, it meant that someone was there; two, it was making him remember that he was a bit thirsty. Warily, but still persistently, Nassir padded towards the source of it: some strange cat cleaning off the newness from themselves. His lip went up in a grimace, more from the loss of fresh water than actually encountering another living being. Polite as ever, though, he masked it with a lick at his chops and continuing to round the lake - there had to be a source somewhere, with water upstream...

Idly, he called, "who are you? Why are yuh-you washing in - in still wuh-water?"

@Purity

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why don't i just pull the weeds

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Purity kind of forgot that other beings existed, there. His priority was himself at the time, a thick paw running through a particularly tangled batch of fur his tongue just couldn't handle. At the voice, though, his minstrations nearly immediately halted. Tipped ears flicked this way and that before his head followed. Minty green eyes took in the fellow feline, and-

"Ah." He hadn't really realized that the water was still. Well- it still helped. "It was the first water I saw." His excuse came with a rolling shrug. "I'm done anyways- sorry for ruining your drink."

He wasn't. But, genial as can be, he made sure his voice carried a friendly lilt as he backpedaled out of the bath he'd made for himself. It just now struck how much newness was left on him when he first emerged. Yuck. A flicker of a grimace ran across his face before he swallowed it down with a hard shudder to get the water off. It'd take a while to dry with all that coat on his frame.

"Pardon my manners- I'm sure it'll wash away soon enough." He gestured with an errant paw towards the shoreline he'd made a mess of. "And the lake isn't too small. I'm sure I wasn't carrying any disease before I returned to my shell, if you're concerned about that." Carefully and casually, Purity lowered himself to his hindquarters and began to run a tongue over a foreleg, trying his best to wick away the moisture trapped within the fur.

"Ah, you'll have to excuse me," he began between strokes, eyes glancing up to watch this being as he continued. "I'm Purity- well, not the concept, as much as I'd like to be." Complete with his few licks he gave out a short, clipped laugh under his breath. "I'm assuming you live around here? I'm not sure how long I've been asleep." The meow was casual, though he was certainly curious. If they lived around here, then, he should get to know the locals, yes?

@Nassir

"It's f-fuh-fine," Nassir called across the water, though he still eyed the muck rather disdainfully. There was always another source, this time of year. He licked at his chops, plodding further around the lake, lowering his head to drink from the brook feeding into it. It was a meager amount, and he wound up with more silt than water in his mouth. He spit it out rather easily, though - no harm, no foul there. Only caution.

"Ah - I'm not worried ab-about disease." Damn, a sentence where he almost didn't stutter once. Progress, a baby step, one movement closer to completion. "But someone else's sh-shell-water duh-doesn't taste very good, I'd, I'd imagine." No, he hadn't tried it before, what do you mean -

Pale eyes stared at the odd cat, who introduced himself as Purity and wished to embody the concept itself. That - might explain the oddly obsessive grooming. Nassir would've had a one and done deal. Whatever was stuck to him would eventually fall off, right? Anyways - "Nassir. I - I live around here. I was just, just looking for-for a dweh-" he coughed, "dwelling." He gazed imploringly, then, the unsaid question clear: what about you? What's your story?

@Purity

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why don't i just pull the weeds

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Purity's light eyes glanced down to the water he'd just left, then to the being's chosen drinking spot. Ah, well. Rumbling under his breath and in his chest, the smaller feline shook out his pelt before taking a cautious step to the darker Gembound. "I suppose not," he mewed simply, a head tilting towards the dissolving stain in the still water. It may taste like egg, maybe? Though, it wasn't like he wanted to know. Egg might taste good right about now, actually...

Hm. Now wasn't the time to go raiding nests. Right now, there was this being, the first person he'd interacted with in... Forever. He did seem to have an odd stutter to their voice, but, ah, that was no fault, no? He couldn't help it. No- faults were restricted to those who refused to work on them. Who knew this leopard's story on his voice?

"Nassir is a lovely name," he made sure to acknowledge and compliment. He was inching closer, stepping leisurely at his own pace to him. He didn't mean to imposing- he couldn't really be imposing, but he did have an innate desire to be close to someone else. But, really- Nassir did sound nice; it rolled off the tongue well. Looking around, though- "I suppose this place would be as fine as any to live." He flicked his tail to gesture to the nearby structures, but really intending the entire room. Many places to hide were abound, and many prey creatures liked to make their homes in the dusty nooks and cracks of the destroyed rock formations. At least- as far as Purity knew.

"As for me," he began, stopping across the river from the leopard, "Now that I'm awake, I may as well look for one of my own." An empty smile played across his muzzle. He'd like to remain awake this time, at least- perhaps actually focusing on a home of his own instead of hopping about would do best for him. It wasn't a bad thought to settle down. "You wouldn't happen to know any places for those of..." His eyes roamed over Nassir's form. "... Smaller stature?"

Now, there wasn't anything wrong with being so large, no! That certainly wasn't what he was implying- instead, perhaps, he wouldn't have to do all the hard work this way.

@Nassir