A Bit Impulsive, But I'm Down For A Trip!

The sound of the door opening rouses me from my doze by the window. I hear Val sighs, dropping his coat on the back of his desk chair and face planting into his bed with a groan. He remains there for a good chunk of time.

Strange, he doesn’t do that often. Migrating from the window to the bed, I jump up and start pawing at his head. A muffled laugh escapes from below as he turns his head to look at me, eyes tired but smile sincere.

“Hey there, Princess.” He mumbles, shifting so he can reach out to me. “Don’t worry, it’s just been a long day. I’ll be ok after some rest.”

Val finally sits up, stretching his arms above his head as I begin to circle him on the bed anxiously.

I’m not sure why my nerves are so on edge, but they are.

But it seems Val interprets my pacing as something else.

“Do you still have energy, Princess? Would you like to go for a walk in the palace gardens?” He asks, watching to judge my reaction. “Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Leo at all. I’ve been wondering what he’s been up to.” He adds on, more quiet than his initial question.

You know what? Maybe that’s exactly what this kitty needs! A stroll through the gardens to clear the mind, and even catching a glimpse of our favorite gardener again.

Val hasn’t mentioned him in a while, notably since he and Marius began talking again.

While I personally think Leo would be a better match for him than Marius if only due to the baggage Marius comes with, both emotionally and his sister included, I can’t help but wonder how Val will act around Leo now. He’s at least aware he finds Leo attractive. I think.

Once the collar is secured around my neck, Val leads me outside to the gardens. The sun is just now beginning to set, painting the sky in brilliant colors I can’t help but admire. The fresh air is also, well, refreshing! I haven’t been outside of Val’s room since the incident, maybe I was just missing the outdoors. I already feel lighter than before~!

We stroll forward, Val glancing around in search of Leo. I keep this in mind, but don’t really pay too much attention to it. Kind of preoccupied with the emotions sweeping over me after finally getting to leave that room for the first time in AGES.

Suddenly, a tug on my collar nearly causes me to trip over myself as Val tugs me away from the path I was about to wander down. He flags down another worker, an older gentleman who just finished watering the flowers.

“Excuse me!” Val calls out. The man looks toward him. “Would you happen to know where the gardener named Leo is?”

“Ah, Your Highness!” The gentleman bows. He offers a kind smile. “That Leo kid… Yes, I believe he requested some time off. I’ve heard he went back home for a short time for some family matters. He should be back by the beginning of next week. Is there something urgent? I can let the head gardener know.”

“Oh, no, nothing urgent! I was curious. It can wait.” Val offers the gent a smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. It’s clear to me, at least, that Val is a bit disappointed.

The older man nods to him before returning to his work, Val continuing his walk unusually lost in his thoughts. I didn’t realize he would be so upset over missing out on seeing Leo, just how often have the two of them been seeing each other that I wasn’t aware of?

After the walk is finished, as soon as we get back to Val’s room, he pulls out his phone and starts sending out text messages. I watch him carefully from my perch on the cat tower; given the look on his face, it’s probably not Marius he’s texting. He remains like that for a while, before a grin finds its way to his handsome face. One more tap and he sets his phone to the side. His gaze meets mine.

“I’m thinking it’s about time to go on a little trip, Princess.” He declares. Walking over to where I am, he scratches the spot under my chin that I can’t get enough of! “After all, I need to inspect the damage to that greenhouse to see just what we’re dealing with. A promise is a promise.”

Oh, I see! My eyes grow wide. He’s making up excuses to see his friend! I’m actually a bit surprised, watching him walk over to his closet and pull out a suitcase.

“I need to contact my assistants and workers, get the work I’d been putting off covered… Oh, need to make sure I’ve got all of the cat essentials too.”

He mumbles to himself as he starts packing right away, before getting distracted by more things he thinks of that need to be covered while he’s away. How long is he planning on being gone? But I can tell from the way he’s moving and how he’s muttering to himself that he’s actually pretty excited about this.

When was the last time my Prince took time off to travel for fun? Well, it might not be for “fun”, but he’s certainly acting like it is. The whole “inspection” thing is just a thinly veiled excuse.

The whole night, Val was buzzing with anticipation, and when the morning finally came, he woke up early and placed me inside a pet carrier. I hardly noticed, for a second I nearly panicked when I woke up in the car inside the carrier. It took me a minute to remember the hazy memory of Val waking me up before the sun rose to place me in the carrier.

Peering through the holes on the side, I see Val staring out the window, earbuds in, oblivious to the rest of the world. He seems at peace right now.

It takes a couple of hours before we arrive at Riverside Village. It’s about three hours from the capital. When we arrive at the inn reserved, Val has to be shaken awake by his aide. He blinks awake, gaze immediately landing on me inside the carrier.

“Are we already here?” He yawns, stretching to get the crick out of his neck. He reaches for me. “Ok, let’s go.”

The inn is simple, nothing overly fancy, but definitely the best one we can see on the street. Riverside is not super big, pretty easily walkable, but there’s lots of inns for travelers who happen to blow through. It’s not the first time I’ve heard of things like this, but even with modern technology, people still like to travel and explore for a living. I guess instead of horses and carriages, they use cars and bikes. The image of a stereotypical RPG group riding in a beat up convertible instead of on horses makes me chuckle.

Once Val is all checked in and security is set up with instructions, he leaves his belongings in his room on the top floor, slipping a collar around my neck and carrying me as he leaves the building. The street outside is lively, as it nears lunch time and folks walk to and fro trying to get to where they need to go, greeting each other as they pass. It’s very much giving “town where everyone knows everyone” vibes.

When we start to walk, Val pulls out his phone for directions, and leads us to the edge of town. A structure that looks like it’s been worn out by weather catches my eye, and I immediately know that it must be Leo’s greenhouse. It looks like its frame is still standing strong, but it’s been almost entirely gutted. There’s a hill visible in the distance beyond the greenhouse to the left, a house nestled comfortably at the top surrounded by the beginnings of a forest with a rough, gravel road leading to it. It’s difficult to see from here, but it’s obvious it hasn’t taken nearly as much damage as the greenhouse has. Or at the very least, it’s been successfully patched up since.

Gaze wandering off to the right, you can tell where the damage likely stemmed from. There’s a river close by, water lazily drifting down stream. If a bad storm blew through, it could easily cause flooding. That’s likely why the house was built on a hill. It looks like that was at least considered since the greenhouse is a good distance away from the river, but it must not have mattered. It still got caught in the crossfire of whatever natural disaster blew through.

Much to my surprise, though I really shouldn’t have been, when Val approaches, Leo’s head pops out from inside the ruined greenhouse. His eyes widen for a second before his face splits with a large grin.

“Hey! Prince Val!” Leo calls, hopping over some metal pipes and dusting his hands off on his overalls. “You’re here! Uh, welcome to my family’s greenhouse!”

He looks about as dirty as he typically does when he works in the gardens; it’s kind of cute how committed to his work he is regardless of where the work lies. Val returns his smile.

“It’s my pleasure, thank you for having me.”

“N-No! Of course! I was surprised when you said you wanted to visit, but I guess it makes sense after you explained it.” The boy laughs nervously, looking back to the ruined building. “No better way to assess cost than to see the damage for yourself, right? I’ve already got some materials bought and ordered with the funds you’ve already given us. Seriously, I can’t be more grateful.”

“I’m glad, it looks like you’ve been hard at work.” Val chuckles. “I was surprised, myself. I didn’t know you’d be returning home so soon. At least it gave me an excuse to come visit.”

Leo wipes the back of his hand against his cheek, only smudging more dirt on his face. It barely does anything to hide the blush creeping in.

“Y-you never need an excuse, Prince Val…” Leo mutters, eyes averting from Val.

“Well, can I take a look around?”

“Oh! Yes, of course, right this way.”

Finally getting his bearings straight, Leo leads Val into the greenhouse. I trot alongside, carefully eyeing the ground. My fur is too long and too white to get dirty. The absolute LAST thing I want is to need a bath after.

From the looks of it, Leo and his family have basically needed to rebuild the place from the ground up; walls needing to be brought down almost entirely with only a few sections still intact enough to leave. Leo shows Val around, pointing out things that have been damaged and things that can be salvaged. Val listens intently, taking notes as he does. It’s all babble that goes in one ear and out the other for me; I’m SO glad I’m a cat and I don’t have to deal with this kind of thing.

The sound of a twig snapping catches my attention. I whirl my head around to where I heard it from, seeing two eyes looking intently at me from behind a stack of wood and pipes. A black cat with white markings stares at me, and I stare back, alert.

Now that I think about it, I’ve never actually met another cat in this world since I’ve been here! Unsure of how I should react, I circle around to the other side of Val, pressing close to his legs as a barrier between me and the other. Val notices, following my line of sight.

“Oh!” The exclamation is soft before Val chuckles. “I see there’s another visitor here.”

Leo looks up and over to where both Val and I are staring, before also laughing.

“Oh, yeah! That’s one of the strays that hangs out around here. We call him Snappy. He gets, well, snappy if you get too close to him. As long as you give him his space, though, he’s perfectly fine. I think he just likes being around people, just doesn’t like interacting with them.”

Snappy over there growls before slinking off, gaze never leaving me until he disappears behind a bush. I hope that’s a sign of him deciding I’m not a threat; the last thing I want, aside from needing a bath after this, is to get into a cat fight of all things.

“There’s a few other cats that hang out around here, so keep an eye out.” Leo tells Val. “Most of them are friendly, some like Snappy prefer to be left alone. There was one before that was really territorial, though. I haven’t seen that one in a while, but just make sure to keep Princess close.”

Val nods. “Ok. Got it.” He tightens his grip on the leash before following Leo around a bit more, focused on getting as much information as he can during the tour. At one point, Leo gestures towards a sturdy-looking chest.

“That’s where we keep most of the seeds for when we replant.” He explains. “We’ll probably need more than what we have saved.”

“If you can get an inventory list of the plants you do have and what you need, I can look into adding it into the budget.”

“Sounds good!” Leo says. He writes on a clipboard with a smile on his face as they walk, clearly enjoying the work being given. It’s interesting to watch him work; clearly this is where his passions lie. I think Val can tell as well, being easily swept away in Leo’s enthusiasm until the sun starts tempting to set.

A bottle of water is offered to Val, who graciously accepts the offering from Leo. A bowl gets set beside me, Val pouring some of his water into it. A gentle breeze sweeps through, an indication that the heat from the day is finally fading into something more pleasant; something comfortable.

The boys take a seat closer to the river; a walkway and bench not far from the greenhouse with a perfect view of the flowing water. It’s pleasant; something comfortable about just existing out in nature like this with the sound of the river and the feeling of the air beginning to chill. Leo’s eyes are closed, taking in the ambiance like it’s second nature to him, while Val scans the surroundings like he’s trying to commit it to memory.

A comfortable silence has taken over the pair, only interrupted by the sound of tiny feet approaching from the grass. A couple of small “mews” echo one after another, when finally a pair of cats appear, one orange cat and another calico. Leo’s head jerks towards the pair, huffing out a laugh as he reaches out to pet the cats as they approach to offer a greeting.

“Well, looks like a few more visitors decided to stop by today!”

Val turns his head, observing the pair of cats as they interact with the human they’re familiar with, allowing himself a soft chuckle.

“I thought I’d heard some tiny paws following us around for a bit towards the end there.”

“That’d make sense. These two are usually together. They probably think we have food to offer them, that’s why they showed their face, haha.”

The orange cat happens to catch my gaze, big green eyes locking in on me. He stares straight at me, unblinking, while the calico moves from Leo to Val, brushing her head against his leg.

Is it cat instinct that makes me REALLY not like that? I’m not sure, but I feel my fur prickle at the sight! I move to confront her, but I guess there was something in the way I moved that Val noticed and didn’t like.

“Princess, hey!” He exclaims, before snapping me up off the ground and perches me on his lap. My eyes remain glued on the calico, who now stares up at me like I’m crazy. “Be nice, they won’t hurt you.”

I don’t care!! That cat’s rubbing her scent on your leg! I don’t want to smell like another cat while we’re here! So, rather shamelessly, when she goes to brush her head against Val’s leg again, I swipe down at her. Not to hurt, of course, I have at least THAT much self control! It’s more just a bap on the head, while I give her a warning hiss for getting too close to MY Prince! In response, the other cat leaps backwards, looking back up at me in Val’s lap before giving an innocent “meow” and stalking under the bench.

That little skunk! She knows what she’s doing!

Val gasps as the altercation happens, pulling me back once the deed is done and looks down at me with concern.

“What’s gotten into you, Princess?!” He frowns at me, but I refuse to look away from the other cat who continues to just stare at me. Just TRY what the other one just did. I dare you. Watch what YOU get after staring at me like that for so long, jerk!

“Has Princess ever socialized with other cats before?” Leo asks, looking from the cats on the ground to me. He reaches out and scratches behind my ears. Good. Stop paying attention to those guys.

“Well, no… She hasn’t.” Val looks towards Leo. “She’s the only pet I’ve ever had, I got her when she was just a kitten. We don’t have any other pets on palace grounds.”

“Hmm.” Leo hums, tilting his head to get a better look at me. “That’s probably why. Cats can be territorial when it comes to what’s ‘theirs’, and some random cat was just getting cozy with you.”

“So she was jealous?”

“I guess that’s a way to put it!” Leo laughs. “She doesn’t do this often, right? She’s always calm when I see her in the gardens.”

“That’s right. Princess is really well behaved around people, I guess I never thought about how she would interact with other animals. Should I do something about that…?”

My head snaps back to look at Val. I HATE that idea!! In protest, I bump my head against Val’s chest, making him laugh.

“I don’t necessarily think so, unless you want to get another cat sometime or plan to take her places with lots of other cats often.” Leo tells him, retracting his hand. “You might just need to keep a closer eye on her around the cats here. Some of them will bite back.”

“I see…” The defeat in Val’s voice is apparent as he tightens his grip around me. “I guess that would be ok, then…”

“Don’t feel bad. She was fine until they got too close.” Leo offers a smile. “I think she’ll be just fine.”

“I can’t help but wonder if she feels lonely… I would hate that…”

“Well, she’s got you, right? Are you lonely with her?”

Finally, Val cracks a smile. “I guess not. I’m not always around though. I just hope she doesn’t hold that against me.”

“If I were her, I wouldn’t.” They meet each other’s eyes, Leo’s face showing a belated embarrassment after making eye contact. His face slowly turns red. “Ah, I mean, as… a cat… n-nevermind.” Leo ducks his head while turning away. His ears still burn red.

“It’s ok, I understand.” Val suppresses a laugh. “Maybe it’s like that with you and your plants. I’m sure they’ll be happy when you officially take over.”

“I… hope so. That would make me happy, too. Anyway!” Sudden movement makes me nearly jump out of Val’s arms, Leo springing up to stand on his feet. “Let’s head inside before nightfall. Bugs get bad around here.”

He doesn’t give Val much room to reply before he’s always speed walking down the path back towards his house. Val smirks, gathering me in his arms and standing to follow. I cast one last warning glance back to the two cats staring back at me from under the bench.

Thank god they weren’t following us back, we’d have problems then.