161 An Outing (5)

There were numerous people about, and Iris couldn't see the map at all. With a shrug, she pulled Kyro in a random direction in the cat area. Under a large tent, numerous cats lounged about. Some were in luxurious carriers, others rested on tables, while some hid in a cat tree. Near each cat was a small sign with their breed written on it and a person to supervise the interactions with the felines.

One of the cats was really large and fluffy, and looked rather familiar. If not for the color of the coat being different, Iris would have sworn it was Lucifer.

"Look there!" she told Kyro, pointing with her left hand since the cat was in that direction. However, she had forgotten that she had taken hold of his hand and now raised it as well. She swiftly let go of him, embarrassment washing over her. "That's Lucy's breed isn't it?"

Kyro nodded, somewhat distracted, and she ran off to escape the suddenly awkward atmosphere. The cat wasn't too far, so she went right to it and read its tag - Norwegian Forest Cat.

"You're so pretty," she told the lounging giant, and the brownish gray cat gave her a languid look. It seemed to be wondering why she was stating the obvious.

"It is, isn't it?" a woman said who was also admiring the cat, and Iris nodded. "I think I'd like to own it one day. It's so majestic!"

Iris laughed at that, remembering Lucy hiding in the wardrobe. "Sometimes. At others, they can be downright silly."

"You own one?" the woman looked at her with worshiping eyes.

"Yeah, we have…" Iris' voice trailed off as she saw Kyro touch the cat and realized what she had just said. 'We' not 'a friend', or 'there's a cat at my place'. Kyro didn't say anything, pretending not to have heard it, but Iris felt like she'd done something unspeakable. 'Aghhh!'

While crying inside, she smiled at the woman who was now looking at her strangely. "Yeah, I live with one. It's very similar to this one, just black and wary of strangers. He would never come to a place with so many people and stay calm."

The person watching over the cat then joined their conversation, saying that it all depended on the cat's upbringing and how many people it met as a kitten. The three of them chatted for a few minutes, with Iris and the woman mostly listening and asking questions about Norwegian Forest Cats in general.

However, more people came over soon, and with a light pat on the cat's head, Iris stepped away. She had learned a few interesting facts about the breed, but Lucy didn't seem to be a model specimen. He was more like his owner than the breed's guidelines.

While Iris thought about that, Kyro took her hand. "Be careful not to get lost. You don't even have a phone to call me if something happened."

She looked down at their intertwined fingers, feeling both excitement and trepidation. Were his words true or just an excuse? Something fluttered in her stomach at the thought of the latter.

"I can just walk back," she said, but didn't let go of his hand. That would just be stupid!

Kyro smiled wryly. "In a week or so like last time? I almost went gray-haired while waiting for Lucy."

The question if he'd go gray-haired waiting for her as well was at the tip of Iris' tongue, but she bit down on it. It was way too early to say things like that. She'd already stumbled once by saying 'we' out of nowhere!

"Which reminds me, since when do you own him?"

For a moment, Iris looked at Kyro wide-eyed. Had he read her mind? Why did he suddenly ask about what she was just thinking ?

Then, seeing his teasing manner, she calmed down a little. He wouldn't be this amused if he'd read her mind. It was all fine for now.

"I spend much more time with him than you, so of course he's partly mine," she declared in a confident manner.

"And the eight years I spent with him before you ever showed up?"

She grinned at him, showing her teeth. "Does not matter!" Without giving him a chance for a come back, she tugged him at a nearby stand where a Maine Coon was playing with a young kid. The boy was laughing loudly while holding a feather toy as the feline rose again and again to lazily swipe at it with its paws.

Iris smiled at such a display, then moved away. For a time, she led them around the area, admiring all the different cats. The one that shocked her the most, though, was certainly the Sphynx. Although she'd seen pictures of them online, seeing a hairless cat in real life was still surprising. Especially when she was used to Lucy who was more hair than cat.

After they visited most of the felines, Kyro chose the next place to go. They listened to a talk held by some cat enthusiast/researcher about cat communication and discussed quietly what fit Lucy and what not. A few times, they almost burst out laughing when they remembered how Lucy had acted around Iris' fox form.

Once the speech was over, they ventured into the dog area and watched how people led their dogs through random competitions made just for fun. The prizes were usually just dog food or toys, but the owners seemed very satisfied with it. There was no lack of participants.

Later, they checked out the various breeds and admired the trained police dogs as they masterfully executed their tasks. While cheering upon the last dog's success, Iris glanced to the side, at Kyro. He didn't seem much different from normal, but there was a slight smile on his face as he watched the canine standing still for the ovation from the crowd.

Something about that bugged Iris. It wasn't like Kyro never smiled. He laughed often enough that she would never find it unusual. Yet…

'He seems happy,' she realized.

This wasn't the first time she saw him simply enjoying himself, but it wasn't a common sight. If she thought about it, he was often troubled by work, his parents, or Gale. Or her. The only time he relaxed was when he sat down and just played with Lucy or her, before learning of her origin. She could count on her fingers how many times she'd seen him this happy and relaxed for more than a few moments at a time.

"Why are you staring at me instead of the show?" Kyro asked, and Iris blinked, her thoughts scattering away.

To her surprise, though, Kyro wasn't looking at her. His eyes were still on the ring below where a new pair of dogs had come out. 'Do you have eyes on the side of your head?' she asked angrily in her mind, then turned away with a huff.

Yet inside she was dancing. This date was going much better than expected. Not only had she not stepped on her own toes too many times, Kyro seemed to be having a good time. There was no way that his evaluation of her wouldn't rise up after this.

'Unless you keep calling this a date,' she cautioned herself. The only way to screw this up was to voice something that shouldn't be voiced and ruin the mood.