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Adrestes was... surprised, to say the least.
There Mithicia stood, with a ball of striped fluff in her arms and a bright smile on her face. Just what did the Maw Walkers rope her into this time?
"What is that?" Adrestes finally asked, confused.
The woman broke out in excited giggles as she reached out to show off the feline in her hands. "A cat! Isn't she the cutest thing?" Mithicia cooed at the animal as she petted it gently. And then the cat mewled, batting its paw against Mithicia's fingers affectionately before looking back up at her with those big emerald eyes and soft purrs rumbling from deep within its chest.
Adrestes stared at the little creature, his confusion growing by the minute. But something else was there. As he observed Mithicia and the way she was interacting with the cat, he felt his heart swell with something familiar: the love he felt when he was in her presence. But somehow, it was different than when he cloud-gazed with her or walked with her on paths he knew like the back of his hand.
But he shook away the feeling even as it lingered still.
"Where did you get her?" He asked with a tilt of his head, ignoring the strange feelings in his stomach.
Mithicia laughed again, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She seemed ecstatic, and it made the polemarch smile. "One of the Maw Walkers gave her to me! Said they couldn't care for her, so I offered to take her off their hands!" She cheerfully explained.
Adrestes internally sighed as he realized that his assumption about a Maw Walker being involved was right, but he wasn't annoyed; he was simply concerned. "Lovely," He said, "But are you sure you have the time for such a thing?"
Mithicia wasn't the busiest woman alive, but she did have her days.
She paused for just a second, her eyes flickering before brightening again, "The Maw Walker said that cats don't require a lot of time. Most of them are independent! I simply need to make sure she has food and water while I tend to my errands." She reassured with a grin.
Adrestes raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. After all, she seemed to be in a good mood, and she seemed very sure that she could handle the responsibility. She wasn't immature or irresponsible by any means, actually. He'd seen time and time again how caring she was towards animals.
"If you're sure." Adrestes said, trying his best to sound reassured. "Have you given her a name yet?"
"Actually, I was hoping you'd pick!" She said with a small blush. It took him a few moments to process her request, and then he blinked. Did she really want him to...?
He shook his head as his mind raced to come up with an answer. "Well," The polemarch began, "I'm actually not too good with names, so-"
"I insist!"
Adrestes internally flinched at her insistence, and his wings fluttered. He took a few long seconds to think of an appropriate name. He glanced at the feline still resting in Mithicia's arms. The cat's wide eyes were a lovely shade of green, and its fur was white, speckled with grey dots all across it, similar to stars in the sky.
He settled for using the cat's appearance as a basis for its name.
"Astri could be lovely." He finally answered, giving a small smile.
"Astri?" Mithicia repeated with a tilt of her head, but she seemed happy nonetheless.
And now he was starting to feel weird. His heart was beating harder and faster, and his cheeks were heating up as well. He quickly looked away from the woman, focusing his attention on the ground. What in the Shadowlands was happening to him? Why was a simple look from her having such an effect on him? He knew he had strong feelings for her, but this was ridiculous.
Finally, he nodded stiffly, and tried his best to will his wings to stay still. Curse his wings for being a very obvious indicator of his feelings...
The woman glanced at the cat in her arms and then returned her gaze to Adrestes, her smile growing impossibly wider. "Astri it is. I love it." She said in a joyful squeal as she pet the furball.
Her answer served as a great relief to Adrestes, but he couldn't help but be nervous still. Was he overthinking things as he always did when she was around?
But Mithicia continued to pet Astri as she spoke. "So, I'll see you around?"
Adrestes' eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn't expected her to say that. "Of course," He responded. He swallowed deeply as he gave a polite nod. "Have a good day. I wish you and Astri the best."
With that, he left in a hurry, and took in a deep breath as if he'd been suffocating.