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Locus, the infamous mercenary that struck fear into his enemies, and friends, was currently not such an individual right now. Granted, he hasn't been since Felix's death, and since he saved the Reds and Blues alongside Grif, but his point still stands.
He was actually quite the opposite, trying to coax a cat out from under A'rynasea – his ship – and horribly failing. It didn't help that the cat had pitch-black fur, blending into the shadows with only its bright green eyes visible.
The cat wouldn't budge. He didn't even know how a cat got onto Chorus, the war had dragged on for years and made inhabitable areas and battlefields, there was no way for cat food to have possibly been at the ready, or even a remotely existing item. It probably snuck on a ship at some point and landed here; he wondered if it missed home, if its siblings and parents missed it.
He still needed to get out of Chorus, it wasn't exactly the best idea of his to continue checking on Agent Washington, despite knowing he was alive and as well as a man could be after getting shot in the neck, after all Locus was still the one who had a hand in the attempted destruction of all living beings on Chorus. The trip wasn't completely pointless, though; he got supplies. More M.R.Es, mainly.
Eventually, he realized it wouldn't leave with just his hand out. So, he elected to go back inside the ship, open the cabinet storing the sweet foods inside the M.R.Es – he never ate them, but it'd be a waste to just throw them out – and grab one that should be safe for cats. They're similar to dogs, he thought to himself, so no chocolate. Eventually he found a strawberry tart, and chose that one, and if he decided to buy cat food from the next planet he went to then that'd be his and that cat's little secret.
Leaving A'rynasea, the door closed and he heard the cat hiss. That was stupid of him, and probably startled the cat, and that made his job – getting it away from the ship, he wasn't sure it'd be safe to leave with the cat under there – infinitely harder.
He rounded the corner, to where he previously was, and stuck his hand back under. Just so the cat knew he was there.
In the middle of opening the packet, which was regrettably proving to be a struggle to do with one hand, he felt something hit his fingers, and heard the scratch to accompany it. Great. The cat was probably irritated now. Dogs don't like loud noises, they bark at them, he recalled. Cats are probably similar.
He retracted his hand, and a small, black and clawed paw dragged with it for a second. It was probably a kitten, which would've made more sense. Maybe its mother had died, and that's why it sought shelter under a warm ship, granted it probably didn't know that's what it was under. His heart definitely didn't sink at the thought. He absolutely can not keep the kitten, and he absolutely will not name it Sam Jr. No, not happening.
The packet finally ripped open, so he pulled himself out of his thoughts and began breaking the tart into pieces. He set one piece on the ground, and flicked it closer to where he assumed the cat was, and then repeated that to hopefully land the pieces closer to where he was. With the remaining tart, he broke a slightly bigger piece off and put it in his hand, where the kitten had previously attempted to claw at, then let the last part of the tart rest on the ground.
Eventually he heard crunching, and assumed his plan was succeeding. Slow and steady wins the race, afterall. Locus did need to get out of Chorus as soon as possible, but rushing the kitten when it's already been startled was not a good idea.
There was talking in the background, but he should be fine. The war may have ended after Felix and Doyle died, alongside Locus disappearing, but of course there'd still be patrols. Probably more soldiers than usually, due to Agent Washington's current situation regarding health.
While distracted, he hadn't noticed the kitten crawl out from under A'rynasea. It was staring at him now, and he wouldn't have noticed unless it meowed at him.
He will not get attached. He will not.
Locus moved slowly, carefully repositioning himself to let the kitten eat the piece of the tart in his hand without it having to trust him that much. He wondered what Felix would say if he saw what Locus was doing. He'd probably say that he's wasting time and to just get on the ship.
The kitten didn't look malnourished, thankfully. He didn't have cat food and the human food he has probably wouldn't be healthy for it.
Locus needs to get cat toys. Kittens need entertainment and treats. No, he reminded himself, I'm not keeping it.
The kitten licked his pointer finger, and he was glad he was wearing his helmet so no one could see him smile.
He did, infact, end up keeping the kitten – Sam Jr, he reminded himself.
Only because while the kitten was eating the remainder of the strawberry tart, Agent Carolina saw him. And he did not want to know what she had to say about his presence on Chorus.
So, he did the only smart thing to do in the situation: pick up Sam Jr., activate his cloaking enhancement, and sprint inside A'rynasea, immediately activating the engines and getting out of there.
Locus didn't want to lose that progress with getting the kitten out from under the ship, that's the reason he told himself. And definitely not because he was worried Carolina would take Sam Jr.
Speaking of the kitten, it started hissing. He probably scared it. That was stupid of him – incredibly so. But he couldn't find himself able to regret it.
He'll make sure to buy it all the toys and food it could ever wish for as soon as he can. Preferably before it started scratching him.