The day was already rather cloudy, a sign that rain was going to come anytime soon. Clotheslines has been hastily cleared of the morning's washing, drying fish and vegetables had been bundled up in their mats and taken in and playful children were called back indoors by their families. The small boats had docked as well, their pilots prudently deciding to wait out the storm rather than attempt to brave it.

Ichika was in the outer portion of the kitchen, chopping up long strips of bacon into tiny rectangles no longer than the middle segment of her pinkie. The Safehouse wasn't empty, of course, but Ichika still preferred the outdoor portion whenever she had to prepare raw meat or seafood. The wind could take the gamey/bloody smell away, and it'd save everyone from dealing with a wild animal breaking into the house. Bears were revered and feared for a reason, after all.

A loud meow, like the kind you would expect from a bigger cat like a Maine Coon or Ragdoll, echoed out from the backyard as Ichika finished the last of the bacon strips and was about to clean up and head back indoors. She turned to see who it was and met the gaze of a white-furred Alien Magma with a bushy tail and red on pals red eyes, the intense pink of his tongue and his silvery fangs flashing everytime he meowed. His message was clear enough: Hello friend.

"Imari"! Ichika purred, reaching down to pet the alien tom as he neared the steps, beginning to groom his feet of dust before he stepped onto the throw rug laid out. "Surprising to see you today".

"I'm not surprised. Perhaps my brother visited you more often than I thought", he murmured back, giving his white mane a brisk shake. "He's made it an errand for me every time I come to visit him".

"I can see why", Ichika mused. Maguma and her had dated a long time ago, but had split up to marry spouses of their own choosing. Maguma to his present-day wife and mother of their kittens, Marisa, and Ichika to her present-day ex-husband, Endo. However, Maguma had still, in a subtle way now that they were married, kept her safe by visiting her every now and then as he had when they dated, mainly by showing up at her doorstep when she was outside and asking for rubs and pets or a snack while she vented to him about her problems. He would reply, of course, if he had a solution to offer, but most of the time he simply listened and allowed her to offload.

And it seemed he was keen on continuing the tradition...just not through himself.

"Are you hungry, Imari"? Ichika asked the white Alien Magma tom.

"Not really", Imari answered, giving her a sideways look. "Why do you ask"?

In response, she swept some of the chopped bacon into a saucer and held it in front of him.

"Ah", he sighed, sniffing the contents lightly. "I knew it".

It didn't take him long to start chowing down, legs and tail tucked under himself and ears pushed to the sides as he wolfed the cured meat down. Ichika sat down beside him and ran her hand down the middle of his back.

Just like old times, she thought.

"This used to be your brother's favourite", Ichika told him. "He'd go to town on this every time I offered it to him".

"Did he now"? Imari asked, chewing on a few squares of congealed fat that were in there as well. "You sly furball. I knew you could get along with women, but you never told me you knew which one of them fed you well".

"Wait, what"?! Ichika gasped, amused.

"You heard me right", Imari admitted wryly, making her laugh.

"Well, I'll admit. Mags was quite a big eater", Ichika sniggered, looking off into the distance. "He wasn't picky, but I figured it'd be best if he didn't try anything that wasn't meat lest it...well, you know".

"Glad to know you're a cat owner with some logic", Imari muttered, spearing a bacon piece with one of his two fangs. "The Internet's going crazy with people attempting to turn their cats into vegans".

"Those so-called 'cruelty-free' people sometimes forget that campaigning for animals means accomodating their diets", Ichika admitted, giving his ear a gentle scratch. "And that includes the carnivores".

"Geez, people being idiots", Imari barely suppressed his amusement. "None of this will ever end, will it"?

"For every genius out there, you're going to find at least two idiots", Ichika told him. "Trust me, there's no escaping them".