It was a good sunbeam.
The angle was just right to provide ample coverage for this spot on the carpet, letting the amber glaze of the spring day spill over Arthur's grey-furred form. The cat's tail was relaxed as he lay on his side, eyes shut, and ears tilted slightly back as he enjoyed the patch of warmth and general silence of the Kururugi apartments. Occasionally, soft humming could be heard from the nearby kitchenette as the Lady prepared a snack. The Master was away, working probably, not that it was any of Arthur's concern. His immediate agenda only encompassed warming himself at this time and catching up on his quota of sleep.
A soft musical tinkling of bells could be heard, his eyes opening briefly but ignoring the sound, lazily presuming that it was the wind-chime hanging from the balcony near the master bedroom. The Lady murmured softly, flicking a pink lock of her hair over her shoulder and leaning over the counter to smile down at something Arthur couldn't see. Not that the cat cared at the moment what the disturbance was. Arthur yawned briefly, his pearly incisors catching the glint of the sun before he stood, stretched, and flopped his lean form to his other side resume sunbathing.
The chime-like tinkling could be heard again, followed by near-random patter, soft thumps of awkward movement coming from the entrance to the kitchenette. The cat's whiskers twitched, but he remained still, giving a lazy purr of contentment. The thumping became more distinct as whatever moved neared his position. Arthur only bothered opening one yellow-slitted eye in annoyance when a shadow disrupted his sunbeam.
"Kittie!" A voice chirped, an excited girly squeal and a giggle soon following suit, "Arfur!"
Towering over him, relatively speaking, stood the offspring of the Master and the Lady. The toddler smiled down at Arthur, her dark pink hair pulled into a pair of stubby pigtails. The scent of apples reached the cat's senses and he peered at the spilled juice stain on the girl's purple onesie. Giggling again, the offspring bent down over him. "Gud Arfur!" she cooed before running a pudgy hand, sticky with spilled juice, over his head and shoulders. Tiny bells, the source of the gentle tinkling sound, were clasped gently around her wrists with soft velcro bands. It served as a simple way for the Lady and Master to monitor their daughter around the apartment.
His ears flattened in response, little Saki's attentions were not on his agenda for the day. It had been eighteen months since the bulge in Lady's abdomen had disappeared and she and the Master had carried their swaddled offspring through the front door of the apartments. In that time, Arthur had learned to tolerate the baby and her needs, such as those occasional nights where her crying would echo through the apartment, prompting him to hop onto the edge of her crib in the vain hopes that his staring could enforce her silence as a parent comforted, fed, or changed her.
When Saki had started crawling, Arthur had to find new sleeping spots; even with the Lady or Master carefully watching her, the precocious baby had explored to find Arthur and snuggle happily – not to mention roughly - up against him.
The petting she gave wasn't unkind, but neither was it gentle either, it lacked the smooth pull of the Lady and Master's strokes and tugged at his fur, forcing his eyelids back whenever Saki started her petting at his head. Arthur rolled onto his stomach to sit up, ears flattening and flicking his tail in annoyance, the tip curling back and forth as he resisted the urge to hiss at the child. He'd never scratch Saki, since she was young and didn't know any better to pet so hard, but a slight hiss would startle her enough to relent and give him the opportunity to escape. Arthur tensed, ready to give his warning when the silken voice of the Mistress appeared from above. "Saki, no, you're making Arthur upset."
The cat and toddler both looked up at the Mistress; Euphemia's hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face while cooking. Carrying a tray of food with some napkins and a few paper towels, the ex-princess stepped gingerly with slippered feet, and was clad in a white blouse and ebon khakis for contrast. Saki beamed and reached up to make grabbing motions with her hands, "Ma-ma!" she happily cried.
Euphemia smiled down at her daughter as she smoothly slid to the floor, her purple eyes alight with warmth as she set the tray down. The meal consisted of small rice balls with ginger slices, a few celery sticks with creamy peanut butter dip, a plastic bowl of applesauce with accompanying rubber-padded spoon already placed inside said bowl, a sippy-cup of milk, and Saki's favourite: a cluster of Wasabi peas in another bowl. "Here's lunch, Saki, try to not spill too much this time." Despite this gentle command, Euphemia spread some paper towels on the carpet in case of a spill occurring nonetheless.
Arthur barely managed to swish his tail out of the way in time as the toddler plopped down next to him. Saki leaned, reaching out to grab the spoon and lifted it awkwardly to her mouth , a generous dollop of applesauce already on it. A bit spilled as she inserted the spoon in her mouth, droplets of the treat pattering down onto her onesie and the paper towels. Saki ignored this, swallowing the mouthful of snack and babbling in happiness. "Gud!" she squeaked, dipping the spoon in again, her other hand flailing a bit in excitement, the bell on her wrist tinkling rapidly with the movement.
Despite the child's distraction, Arthur didn't move from his spot, regarding the eating toddler impassively with his tail still swishing in slight agitation.
"I know we should be eating at the table, but with the light bulb out, it's not very sunny, so I thought we could eat lunch here." Euphemia mused idly as she munched on a nectarine she'd brought with her. Saki paused in eating to look up at her parent, her big green eyes curious about her mother's statement even though she didn't understand it. Bits of applesauce were scattered around the toddler's mouth. Euphemia grinned, reaching out with a napkin to dab spilled sauce off her daughter's face, "And you're getting better at feeding yourself."
Saki wriggled a bit in protest to her mother's cleaning, but otherwise remained compliant, putting the spoon back into the mostly-finished bowl of applesauce, the pink-haired child turned her attention to the wasabi peas. She smiled as she cupped a few of the spicy treats in her tiny hand and put some in her mouth, crunching them happily, utterly used to the burning kick of the food. Euphemia watched this; unsurprised at her daughter's reaction since Saki had been eating spicy foods for so long, even since she was in the womb due to Euphemia's cravings and that one occasion that Euphemia mistook wasabi paste for guacomole.
Saki lifted another pea to chew on, but paused and turned to the lounging cat next to her, "Arfur?" she asked, practically shoving the spicy condiment in the cat's face to see if he'd eat it, "Twy?"
Arthur sneezed as the wasabi scent assaulted his nostrils, turning his head away and leaning opposite from the toddler. Saki was insistent, obviously not knowing that the cat didn't want to eat her snack. "'sabi, twy, Arfur!" she chimed, smiling, poking the pet in the nose repeatedly with the pea.
Arthur sneezed again and shuffled further away from the girl with a soft glare, his tail lashing an annoyance. Saki prodded him in the mouth again, giggling, and the cat had enough. Keeping his claws retracted, Arthur flicked out with his paw and batted the pea from Saki's grasp, letting it fall to the carpet.
Far from startled, Saki giggled again, probably thinking it was a game and reached into the bowl again for another pea. Arthur tensed, ready to run if the girl resumed her forceful antics, but Euphemia squatted down to gently tug the wasabi bowl from her child's grasp. "No Saki, dear; Arthur doesn't like that." She stated, her lean face bearing a concerned expression.
At this, Saki looked up at her mother with big pleading eyes, and gave a sniffle of disappointment, "'sabi…" she begged, making a grabbing-motion towards the bowl Euphemia held.
The rosette-haired woman shook her head firmly, resisting her child's pleading, "No Saki, I'm sorry, but Arthur doesn't like wasabi. And he doesn't like it when you try to put it in his face."
At this, the toddler turned to look questioningly at her cat, "Arfur no like?" Arthur stared back pointedly.
Euphemia shook her head again, sending her ponytail swaying, "Nope, he does not. It's mean to shove the pea in this face if he doesn't want it."
"Mean?" came Saki's innocent reply.
"Yes Saki, it's mean to Arthur. Here," Euphemia leaned over to point at the cat's tail, which was still flicking in agitation despite Saki's distraction, "when his tail wriggles like that, it means he's sad."
"Like goggy?" The child squeaked, starting in wonder at Arthur's tail. The cat leaned away as Saki reached out to snag his tail, swishing it out of her reach.
"Doggy." The ex-princess corrected, pronouncing the word slowly for Saki to better understand while gently pulling Saki's hands away from the cat's tail, "And no, not like a doggy, Saki. When a doggy wags its tail, that means it is happy. But kitties like Arthur are different. When his tail wags is means he is sad or upset."
Saki looked distraught at this, she sniffled, beads of tears forming in the corners of her jade eyes, "S-sowy, Arfur." She apologized, giving a slight sob of guilt and reaching out to pat at the cat's head. Arthur flinched at these uncomfortable bops, his ears flattening and his tail whipping again in annoyance.
Seeing this and remembering Euphemia's explanation from before, Saki's became more distressed, the tears flowing now and she gave a wail of sadness before turning to cling to Euphemia and bury her head in her mother's blouse "Me mean! M-me mean!" the toddler shuddered between sobs.
Euphemia reacted like any decent mother would, by pulling her child into a hug to comfort them. Shushing her daughter gently with a calm voice, the rosette-haired woman patted Saki's head. "No Saki, you're not mean, you just don't know how to pet him." She soothed, her purple eyes looking down at Saki as she wept into the blouse, staining it with tears. "Would you like to learn how to pet Arthur nicely?" She asked hopefully with a smile.
Sniffling, the toddler peered up at her mother, "Pet nice?" she managed, her soft voice cracking.
Euphemia nodded with a grin, "Yes dear, and if you pet Arthur nicely, he'll let you know he's happy! Would you like that?"
Saki nodded, rubbing her eyes and wiping away the tear streaks on her face as she turned away from her mother and back to Arthur. To his credit the cat hadn't moved during Saki's crying since he'd long become used to the sound. He stared at her intently, his yellow eyes boring into her inquisitive green ones. Her eyes were very similar to the master's, which reminded Arthur to vent his ire on the master as soon as he strode through the front door. Despite how he bottled up his ire at Saki's actions, Arthur would soon release that emotion upon her father, like he always did.
"Ok Saki, to start, stick out your hand slowly so the kitty can sniff you and know you're friendly." Euphemia explained as she extended a relaxed hand by example, bringing her fingers hovering a few inches away from Arthur's face.
The cat was bewildered by the Mistress' behavior, as she was the most comforting to him and didn't need to be so cautious, but Arthur relented and stepped forwards to sniff at her fingers for a moment. The small of lavender body wash flooded his senses, a distinct contrast with the wasabi spice he'd endured a few moments ago. At ease, Arthur slid his head under the Mistress' fingers in invitation, his eyes narrowing in contentment as her fingers scratched gently.
Euphemia turned her head to see if Saki was paying attention, and smiled upon seeing her daughter tentatively stick out a pudgy little fist next to Arthur's nose. The cat stopped nuzzling Euphemia's hand, looking at Saki's for a long moment, cocking his head in curiosity at the offspring's change of behaviour. After several seconds of calculating if it was a trap, Arthur sniffed Saki's hand, his senses once again being assaulted by the scent of apples and the lingering stench of wasabi peas. Despite this, the girl's demeanour seemed gentle enough, and he could always run away if it wasn't, so the cat moved past Saki to rub the side of his torso against her leg.
"See Saki, that means he's going to let you pet him." Euphemia chimed, her smile widening as she saw Arthur's reaction and Saki's surprised face as the cat gently bumped his head against her torso. "Now you have to pet him the right way so he's comfortable. Watch…" At this Euphemia gently stroked Arthur along the back from his shoulders to his tail with one smooth movement, "Be gentle, and always pet in the direction his fur is pointing, towards his tail. Don't pet his tummy, though." The ex-princess repeated the process again, feeling Arthur arch his spine slightly under her palm. She pulled her hand away, "Now you try, Saki."
Eyes wide in wonder, Saki gently placed her hand on Arthur's back and pulled it towards his tail, her mouth curling into a smile, giving a soft giggle as she felt him arch his back slightly under her touch. She repeated the petting, trying to keep a steady pace.
"You can talk to him as well." Euphemia explained, wishing dearly that she had her camera for this adorable moment, "Say soft things like 'Good Kitty' and 'Nice Arthur'". She elaborated
Saki nodded, her expression serious to an almost comical level, taking her mother's advice to heart as she turned her attention back to Arthur. The cat stayed near her, but kept his head pointed away from the girl, as if his interest in the petting was feigned. "Gud kittie" Saki whispered, bowing her head closer to Arthur as she did so, "Gud Arfur".
At this, the cat turned his attention back to Saki, slitted eyes narrowing in comfort at the girl's gentle strokes, giving a purr in response.
Saki paused her petting, gasping at the noise she'd never heard from a cat before. She looked curiously to her mother for explanation.
Euphemia smiled, nodding for Saki to continue petting, "That's his happy-noise, it's called a purr. When a kitty makes that, it means he's comfortable. Arthur may make it again if you keep petting him gently."
Saki beamed, excited at her discovery and resumed petting Arthur in earnest, the bell on her wrist tinkling as she did so. "Wuv Arfur!" Saki squealed, and giggled happily as Arthur's purrs continued.
Euphemia laughed in response, her heart fluttering to see this joyous moment, "And Arthur loves you too Saki, just always remember to be nice to him and pet him gently so he knows you care." She explained, resting her hand lovingly on Saki's head. "And of course…" the ex-princess continued, suddenly pulling the girl into a gentle hug, "I love you too!" Euphemia exclaimed, giving a series of kisses to her daughter's cheek, Saki giggling happily in response "An your daddy does too, and Uncle Lulu, and Aunt Shirley, and also your brand new cousins! And Auntie Nunnally, and Uncle Rai, Auntie CC, Auntie Kallen, and even Aunt Cornelia!" She listed, planting a smooch for each name, her daughter's laughter ringing in her ears.
Arthur simply stared at this display, bemused; he yawned and settled to the floor to resume his sun bath, now that he was at ease with Saki's behavior. Just as he was about to flop over onto his side, the front door opened.
"I'm home!" came the voice of the master.
"Da-da!" Saki shrieked in joy, wriggling reluctantly from her amused mother to rush to the front door, arms outstretched to embrace her father's leg. She was overtaken by the grey blur of Arthur as the cat streaked towards the door, hissing as he went.
"Why hello Arth- OW!" Suzaku managed before the housecat unceremoniously sank his fangs into the knight's ankle. Arthur locked his grip on Suzaku's foot, a muffled hiss escaping his mouth.
Just because little Saki Kururugi was exempt from retribution didn't mean that Arthur wouldn't turn that irritation onto his favorite scratching-post that was her father.