***
*Old Note*
March 16, 2005
Are you alright? Please write back to me!!
Your Friend
***
*Present Day*
The impromptu cooking session took longer than Ilari expected, although he really shouldn't have been surprised. After all, in a house like his, there was no way to feed only one feline and let the rest go hungry. It didn't matter that, technically, none of the familiars aside from Kai had any right to be hungry after the lunch they ate! They just surrounded him and demanded their share of the food. Even his father's lion joined in the fun. At the same time, the human representatives of the family excused themselves leaving Ilari alone with his fiancé. And the cats. And one bird.
Ilari was quite used to it, of course – but he was a little concerned about Kir, who seemed quite at a loss.
"All right there?" Ilari asked, eyeing Kir curiously.
The thin man was currently surrounded by one small cat, three big cats and one big bird. Only Kai, the tiger, was by Ilari's side.
Kir flashed a shy smile at Ilari.
Leo, the lion, patted Kir's knee gently with his large paw. "Kir is a good child, Ilari," he declared. "We all like him very much."
Kenya, the black panther, and Kolya, the cheetah, nodded immediately.
"He's also good to look at, from a human perspective," Kenya said, fixing her emerald green eyes on Kir's face. "He has nice golden eyes, fit for a tiger."
"And Kai is a good tiger, perfectly fit for our family," Kolya added.
Arusha, the scarlet macaw, was perched on Kir's shoulder. "Yes, even though I hoped Ilari's spouse would have an avian familiar, I like this child very much," she said. "But he is a little too thin, and his shoulder is bony. Ilari, you have to feed him properly from now on."
Alair was stretched out on Kir's lap and instructing the man on how to scratch the silver cat under the chin properly. Kir's long, slim fingers looked rather elegant as he followed Alair's instructions.
Alair purred.
While he was perhaps struggling with a suddenly very affectionate set of familiars, Kir didn't look like he hated it.
Ilari felt somewhat relieved.
"Don't worry," Kai, the tiger, said in a soft voice, nudging Ilari gently with his large head. "Kir and I are not used to being showed with affection and care, but we are not averse to it."
Ilari couldn't help but stroke the tiger's rough fur with gentle fingers when he heard that. He also couldn't help passing a sandwich to Kai on the sly, for 'taste-testing' – even though he knew that it would taste perfectly fine.
Kai ate the sandwich with great relish, while the noses of the other felines twitched.
"How is it?" Ilari asked the tiger. "Should I add anything to it?"
Kai shook his head. "It's perfect," he said. "It's the tastiest thing I have ever put in my mouth."
Ilari felt happy and distressed in equal measures. What kind of life were Kir and Kai living that a simple sandwich would draw this reaction?!
Now that the taste-testing tiger had okayed it, Ilari brought out the sandwiches for everyone, handing the first plate to Kir.
Kir was the epitome of reverence as he carefully examined the layered sandwich Ilari had put together for him (and the group of magical familiars). The way he approached the meal, with sparkling eyes and as if it needed his full attention to be appreciated properly, almost made Ilari blush. He wanted to tell the other man that there was no need to treat his food like a masterpiece and he could just eat it, but he got distracted by Kolya and Kenya, who looked ready to leap at Ilari and snatch away the sandwiches in his hand if he didn't give them some.
Ilari quickly placed the next plate in front of Kai, and then quickly gave his family's familiars their plates as well.
Eventually, when he fed all the familiars and had time to look back, it turned out Kir somehow managed to eat his sandwich without leaving a single crumb on his plate. Ilari couldn't help but wonder whether the man actually used his space ability to prevent himself from wasting even the slightest bit. His somewhat nonchalant attitude about food from before, though, didn't suggest that he ever truly lacked things to eat. Until Ilari put his foot down with the questioning, Kir simply didn't seem to remember that he should be hungry at all.
"Would you like another one?" Ilari asked Kir, pushing the tray of extra sandwiches towards the man.
Kir looked awkward for a moment.
"Eat more, child," Arusha told him, flapping her red wings.
Kir looked at Ilari and nodded shyly.
Ilari suddenly felt that this man was adorable. He stood up and put two more sandwiches on Kir's plate, and then added more to Kai's as well.
"What about us?" Kenya asked, batting her eyelashes at Ilari.
"You'll get a stomach ache if you eat more, and then Ilma will scold me," Ilari told the black panther.
Alair huffed at the one he often called a 'black furred menace'. "Panthers are supposed to be agile – the way you eat, you will grow into a panda instead," he scoffed.
Kenya ignored the silver cat and eyed Ilari pitifully.
Ilari shook his head and handed one sandwich to Kenya. "No more, though," he warned. "I don't want you getting sick."
"But it's so tasty!" Kenya protested.
"Everything Ilari cooks is tasty," Alair pointed out, but his blue eyes shone with pride at his human's talent.
Ilari rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Kir. "Don't mind them," he murmured.
Kir shook his head. "You're a great cook," the man told him admiringly, his golden eyes glowing with a strange emotion.
Ilari laughed good-naturedly.
There was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he replied, "It was just a sandwich, wait until you eat dinner to praise me properly!"
Kir bowed his head but Ilari could swear there was a small smirk tugging at his lips. "I'll remember," he murmured.