[When she arrives, he will give no further indication of what it is he wants help with. Not immediately. Instead, he ushers her into the living room and has her sit on one of the sofas before saying that he will return shortly and they can begin. On the sofa cushion beside her, he places the sphinx cub before stepping out to get the gift bag. Not suspicious at all, but hm, no time for questions because Ozymandias has already left the room. While he's momentarily gone, the sphinx watches him go before looking up at Zelda and chuffing at her curiously. It puts a paw on her leg and does a step towards her lap.]
Zelda sits, and waits, because she is a good and polite child that mostly does what she is told, but there is no small amount of confusion written upon her face as Ozymandias leaves almost as quickly as he ushered her inside. The cub does well enough to distract her even if she still feels a little unbalanced, however. After a moment's hesitation, she holds out a hand towards the sphnix's face for it to sniff at its leisure.]
Hello, there. I... do not suppose you know who I am, do you?
[It's not like she takes time out of her busy schedule of studying to play with divine magic space cats very often.]
[The sphinx does a very solid sniff of the offered hand, making sure to inspect a few fingers before trying to flop on it. No, not trying to rub on it or get pets out of it. The sphinx just flops its whole body directly onto Zelda's hand. Or tries to, in any case. She's certainly able to remove it before this slick move is complete or thereafter if she's a little slow on the draw.]
[True to his word though, Ozymandias is not gone for long and returns with her gift bag.]
I'm afraid that if I use all of these gifts, [he says, setting the bag down on the coffee table in front of her,] my sphinx may become spoiled and stop listening to my commands. It will only think of me as a playmate.
[The aforementioned sphinx cub is curiously sniffing the air in the direction of the bag now, beginning to inchworm its way closer to the edge of the couch before standing. Ozymandias sits in a nearby armchair.]
But I believe there is no harm in it thinking of you that way.
[Yes, Zelda. He invited you over to play with his cat.]
[Zelda does not move her hand out of the way in time - animal body language isn't exactly a forte of hers - and once it is flopped upon she just kinda... lets it sit there, until Ozymandias returns.
She's so good at this.]
... That is what you invited me over for?
[She is thoroughly befuddled, to say the least, as she often is around Ozymandias. She knows him well enough by now to know she doesn't need to necessarily suspect any catches or hidden strings attached to his words, but still, hesitance slows her hand as she reaches for the familiar bag.]
Just-- for my own peace of mind... [Her anxiety's gotta come up first before playtime, hold on.] ... you are not... unsatisfied with what I got for you, are you?
[Toys he can't play with aren't very useful, are they!!]
[Ozymandias' eyebrows raise slightly as Zelda ekes out her question, but he is patient and listens to the question without any sign of wanting to interrupt. When the question is done though, he cannot help but laugh. It's not directed at her, as he's never been one to mock her, but Ozymandias is actually pleased with her consideration for him. Not in the entitled sort of way where he feels that his comfort should supersede others' (even if there is a natural degree to which he's inclined to think that way), but because it is a quality of Zelda's that he has always held approval for. If only such kindness could be directed towards herself or given without the exception of herself.]
[The sphinx starts wanting in that bag. Like in. The toys inside having captured its interest just yet since all it can see for the moment is the bag.]
You could bestow upon me the ugliest and most useless gift, and I would still be satisfied and cherish it because it is a gift from you! [He shakes his head a little.] But that is not the case here.
Your gift was thoughtful, and I'm sure it will provide my sphinx with a great deal of entertainment and practice in hunting. [His smile and eyes shift to something less amused and instead, warmer.] I just thought it would be a shame if you did not get to present your gift to its true recipient.
[She can't very much help the way she jumps a little at the sudden bout of boisterous laughter, caught up in her own worries as she is, nor is she quite able to stop the sphinx from diving into the bag of goodies, because that's... a really nice thing for him to say. What she has done to earn such fondness, she has no idea - and, let's be honest, if he were to tell her in so many words, she likely wouldn't believe him - but it stirs something up within her. Something she thought long since buried, something that makes her lips quiver and her eyes water.
She doesn't break because of it, not like the last time she had a sphnix cub in her lap, but she does sniffle a little, and rubs at her nose a bit before responding.]
You are so kind to me... I am beginning to wonder how I shall ever repay it.
[A paw batting at her hand through the cloth of the bag is enough to pull her back into the moment, overwhelmed as she might be, and she blinks back the tears that have yet to fall as she reaches in after the magic cat that took advantage of her emotional vulnerability.]
Ah-- hey! You're not supposed to be in there...!
[Okay, so, her smile's still a little wibbly, but the baby's antics are pretty funny, she has to admit.]
[Ozymandias does not bother with telling her that it is impossible for her to repay his kindness because it is not necessary, instead laughing as she is forced to wrangle with the sphinx cub. As one might expect, it does not come out of the bag very easily, making more attacks both through and within the bag. Some of the toys inevitably end up spilling out onto the coffee table, but eventually so, too, does the sphinx.]
[It's just that unlike the toys, it wants to try and get back in the bag as this has now clearly become a very fun game of keep away for it.]
Would that not be the case that despite all of your generosity towards it, the sphinx would prefer the bag above all the rest?
She really, actually laughs. There is just no defense against an energetically playful sphinx cub. She laughs, and tries to hold the bag out of reach, which only results in the cub jumping and crawling all over her, resulting in even more laughter.]
It would be a bit of a shame; some of those things came very highly recommended...!
[It's when she very nearly gets a paw in the face that she finally gives up, releasing the bag and letting the little thing go ham on it as it pleases.]
[It's such a rare sound that Ozymandias does not actually join in on Zelda's laughter, wanting the moment to simply be as it is with her simple joy and pleasure at the sphinx's antics with nothing that might distract from it. He watches the two of them instead, the smile on his face warm and pleased. Even if this is only to be a moment, Ozymandias thinks this is as things should be with such lightness gracing her features and her heart.]
[With the bag finally free for it to do as it pleases, the sphinx leaps upon it. Whatever contents might remain in the bag from their scramble for it, well, they are definitely tumbling out all over the coffee table and floor with that pounce. It starts pawing at the bag, trying to open it while not realizing by standing on it so firmly, it's making it a bit of a futile task.]
I don't know about that. I would say you only have some work to do in making them more enticing than the bag.
[She's rather content simply watching the kitten entertain itself (and indeed, her attention is focused upon it, leaving the warmth in Ozymandias' smile to go unnoticed), but she doesn't object to his prompting, either. While the sphinx tries to bend physics and crawl into the bag while standing on it, Zelda searches the scattered bits and bobbles at her feet.]
Let us see... ah, this one is meant to be very entertaining!
[What she plucks seems to be a small copper tube about the size of a finger with a ruby on one end and a lens of some sort on the other. She points the lens towards the floor, taps the crystal end with the tip of her finger and--
--a tiny red point of light appears upon the floor.
It's a ye olde magitech laser pointer.
She wiggles it a bit, to try to catch the cub's attention.]
[With how focused the sphinx is on its task of trying to get into the bag, it doesn't notice the laser pointer immediately. But with enough wiggling about, the cub's head eventually snaps in exactly the right direction so quickly, one can only imagine how quickly it has identified an Intruder.]
[In a move that's somewhere between a scurry and bellying its way over, the kitten abandons the bag to move to the edge of the coffee table closest to its new target. There's a bit of enthusiastic wiggling from the sphinx itself as it gets ready to pounce and then with a mighty leap...!]
[Zelda giggles again, a truly girlish, joyful sound as she watches the cub wiggle and leap in an adorably clumsy way that would belie its age if its size didn't do that well enough on its own. She ends up leaning forward, attention thoroughly captured by its antics, elbow resting upon her knee and chin upon her hand as she darts the point of light away.]
There's that hunting instinct...!
[And seeing in action, maybe she can believe she didn't mess up by spoiling the little thing after all. It's useful!]
[The sphinx cub scrambles after the dot the moment it realizes that it managed to escape its paws, though there is a little bit of fumbling as it gets to its feet before it gets into a smoother run. It makes whatever leaps and pounces once it manages to catch up or the dot seems to go still for a moment. Although Ozymandias is watching the sphinx in its endeavors, he still glances over at Zelda with a smile. This is exactly what he intended in inviting her over, and he's quite pleased to see it brought to fruition so quickly and easily.]
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Of course. I am available now, if it is a decent time.
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[When she arrives, he will give no further indication of what it is he wants help with. Not immediately. Instead, he ushers her into the living room and has her sit on one of the sofas before saying that he will return shortly and they can begin. On the sofa cushion beside her, he places the sphinx cub before stepping out to get the gift bag. Not suspicious at all, but hm, no time for questions because Ozymandias has already left the room. While he's momentarily gone, the sphinx watches him go before looking up at Zelda and chuffing at her curiously. It puts a paw on her leg and does a step towards her lap.]
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[What is... going on.
Zelda sits, and waits, because she is a good and polite child that mostly does what she is told, but there is no small amount of confusion written upon her face as Ozymandias leaves almost as quickly as he ushered her inside. The cub does well enough to distract her even if she still feels a little unbalanced, however. After a moment's hesitation, she holds out a hand towards the sphnix's face for it to sniff at its leisure.]
Hello, there. I... do not suppose you know who I am, do you?
[It's not like she takes time out of her busy schedule of studying to play with divine magic space cats very often.]
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[True to his word though, Ozymandias is not gone for long and returns with her gift bag.]
I'm afraid that if I use all of these gifts, [he says, setting the bag down on the coffee table in front of her,] my sphinx may become spoiled and stop listening to my commands. It will only think of me as a playmate.
[The aforementioned sphinx cub is curiously sniffing the air in the direction of the bag now, beginning to inchworm its way closer to the edge of the couch before standing. Ozymandias sits in a nearby armchair.]
But I believe there is no harm in it thinking of you that way.
[Yes, Zelda. He invited you over to play with his cat.]
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She's so good at this.]
... That is what you invited me over for?
[She is thoroughly befuddled, to say the least, as she often is around Ozymandias. She knows him well enough by now to know she doesn't need to necessarily suspect any catches or hidden strings attached to his words, but still, hesitance slows her hand as she reaches for the familiar bag.]
Just-- for my own peace of mind... [Her anxiety's gotta come up first before playtime, hold on.] ... you are not... unsatisfied with what I got for you, are you?
[Toys he can't play with aren't very useful, are they!!]
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[The sphinx starts wanting in that bag. Like in. The toys inside having captured its interest just yet since all it can see for the moment is the bag.]
You could bestow upon me the ugliest and most useless gift, and I would still be satisfied and cherish it because it is a gift from you! [He shakes his head a little.] But that is not the case here.
Your gift was thoughtful, and I'm sure it will provide my sphinx with a great deal of entertainment and practice in hunting. [His smile and eyes shift to something less amused and instead, warmer.] I just thought it would be a shame if you did not get to present your gift to its true recipient.
[In other words, he wants her to have fun.]
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She doesn't break because of it, not like the last time she had a sphnix cub in her lap, but she does sniffle a little, and rubs at her nose a bit before responding.]
You are so kind to me... I am beginning to wonder how I shall ever repay it.
[A paw batting at her hand through the cloth of the bag is enough to pull her back into the moment, overwhelmed as she might be, and she blinks back the tears that have yet to fall as she reaches in after the magic cat that took advantage of her emotional vulnerability.]
Ah-- hey! You're not supposed to be in there...!
[Okay, so, her smile's still a little wibbly, but the baby's antics are pretty funny, she has to admit.]
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[It's just that unlike the toys, it wants to try and get back in the bag as this has now clearly become a very fun game of keep away for it.]
Would that not be the case that despite all of your generosity towards it, the sphinx would prefer the bag above all the rest?
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She really, actually laughs. There is just no defense against an energetically playful sphinx cub. She laughs, and tries to hold the bag out of reach, which only results in the cub jumping and crawling all over her, resulting in even more laughter.]
It would be a bit of a shame; some of those things came very highly recommended...!
[It's when she very nearly gets a paw in the face that she finally gives up, releasing the bag and letting the little thing go ham on it as it pleases.]
But I suppose it cannot be helped, can it.
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[With the bag finally free for it to do as it pleases, the sphinx leaps upon it. Whatever contents might remain in the bag from their scramble for it, well, they are definitely tumbling out all over the coffee table and floor with that pounce. It starts pawing at the bag, trying to open it while not realizing by standing on it so firmly, it's making it a bit of a futile task.]
I don't know about that. I would say you only have some work to do in making them more enticing than the bag.
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Let us see... ah, this one is meant to be very entertaining!
[What she plucks seems to be a small copper tube about the size of a finger with a ruby on one end and a lens of some sort on the other. She points the lens towards the floor, taps the crystal end with the tip of her finger and--
--a tiny red point of light appears upon the floor.
It's a ye olde magitech laser pointer.
She wiggles it a bit, to try to catch the cub's attention.]
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[In a move that's somewhere between a scurry and bellying its way over, the kitten abandons the bag to move to the edge of the coffee table closest to its new target. There's a bit of enthusiastic wiggling from the sphinx itself as it gets ready to pounce and then with a mighty leap...!]
[The chase is most certainly on.]
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There's that hunting instinct...!
[And seeing in action, maybe she can believe she didn't mess up by spoiling the little thing after all. It's useful!]
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I'd say you found a winner.