[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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no subject
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.]
no subject
[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?
no subject
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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
[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.]
no subject
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!]
no subject
I'd say you found a winner.