The wind whistled by his ear– ripped past his skin– and threw him back down to earth. A crater. A metallic roar, screeching rails, the sound of artillery. He got up despite the pain, the sensation of it an echo – separate, alien.

A shadow loomed overhead. Wingless, smaller, covered in metal instead of plumage; it bore no resemblance – yet it was an enemy all the same. He did not remember why he was fighting yet his blood roared to continue, spurned by snippets of memory: an impalement, thundering screams, a view of the crashing sky framed by black feathers.

A notification popped into the side of his screen– and he remembered.

“That’s enough!” In an instant, the ground settled. Steelix froze arcing over debris, and Waffle on a ruined obelisk stopped his barrage of seed bullets. “Time to go. Get over here.”

He caught Waffle as the cat leapt down, placing him on his shoulder before turning to Steelix. “Shut the fuck up,” he told the behemoth, who had said nothing (and had done nothing wrong in his life, ever), but was staring all too knowingly. Steelix narrowly crushed him with his tail in an attempt to pet him before he was returned to his ball.

Kazuki made his way up the path, already knowing the destination by heart.

It had been a while. Whether it was because of Verai’s other obligations or Kazuki’s shifting schedule or both, the sight of his silhouette at the mouth of the cave felt like coming home. A grin pulled at Kazuki’s lips and his strides grew longer, so fixed on his target that he paid Miyuu no mind. Waffle hopped off his shoulder, predictably returning to Kitten.

“Waiting for someone?” Kazuki purred, slipping his hand around Verai and leaning in, only to pause at the sight of the distracting packages, the silky green one already being chewed and pawed at by Waffle. “The hell are those?”

<Mmf mrrup!> Waffle chirped in agreement.

Kazuki perked up, like a dog who just heard the treat bag. “A present?”

<A PR–!> The excited shriek was cut as Waffle remembered Kitten napping nearby. <A present…!> he says, excitedly whispering instead. He bent down to nudge the armor onto him and managed to get it to about half-way, backwards, before he turned to his trainer. <Pawzuki, I don’t have thumbs!>

“Relax, you’re gonna kick it off.” Bending down, Kazuki began fitting it on the tiny cat. The padding helped fill out Waffle’s shape, reinforced his tiny frame and looked badass to boot. Waffle puffed out his chest, gleaming under the sunlight in swooping filigree and emeralds rich in luster.

“That’s not too bad. You actually look like a warrior now.” Kazuki chuckled, sitting cross-legged as his sprigatito began modelling on the flat stone. It’s a definite improvement from the haphazard armor they wore during the raid. He turned his head to the remaining package, grinning at Verai before grabbing it and peeling past the vibrant red tiger stripes.

He already had an inkling, but seeing it under the light was something else entirely.

Kazuki stood back up. “Shit, seriously?” He was still ecstatic, though disbelief lined the furrow of his brows as he regarded the armor—he has never seen anything like it in the game, everything carved with a precise hand. He doesn’t have to put it on to know it will be a perfect fit.

He turned to Verai. “Mind showing me how to put it on?” he asked, eyes shining with intent. “Last time I wore one of these, it got fucking obliterated, so clearly I didn’t know how.”

Waffle pinked with pride, smiling so hard it threatened to pop off his face. Kitten called him cool! <I’m a warrior now! A warrior and a cat!> His eyes shined. <A warrior cat.> Letting out a ferocious ‘myu!’ he launched, pouncing the spinning Kitten off the platform and into the grass in his excitement.

He was not the only one preening like a cat who got the cream.

Despite being undeserving of it and not needing it in the slightest, Kazuki was spoiled rotten by Verai, and this was a prime example.

Kazuki leaned back, resting his palms on the stone platform as he watched Verai kneel by his feet. He hummed as Verai felt about for the right piece of armor, in absolutely no rush whatsoever as he happily offering his legs to the demo. He was also paying close attention— though Verai’s words appeared to be going from one ear out the other for the most part.

He chuckled as the videogame logic bristled what was clearly Verai’s special little interest. “Yeah, I didn’t wear an undershirt during the raid either. Game armor won’t chafe, but I’m still fucked if it gets too cold.”

It still felt strange; he spent the game exposed and uncaring about it for so long that he wasn’t sure if the armor was supposed to feel this heavy, but it was a comforting weight. Encompassing.

Hands settled heavy on his hips and the smile on Kazuki’s face stretched wide. “That all?” His leg slid behind Verai’s, locking him as his hand held the vambrace by his hip. He tilted his chin up to observe the look on his face. “Sure you didn’t miss a step, Ver?”

TRADE COMPLETE!

Kazuki's STRIFE SPECIBUS has been allocated with the BLADEKIND ABSTRATUS!

Kazuki Verai