An Injection of Hyperactivity (Jamie)

[Cloud Strife]

The atmosphere here was tranquil. Cloud had a lot to think about. Kadaj... Tifa... Rikku... Zidane... He'd only been moving around for a week, and already, he was becoming overwhelmed with the pace of his life. He had come here for a minor calming period. The wilds always did that for him.

It was stunning at dawn. Red light cascaded through the trees, illuminating the path, leaving long shadows of the mighty boughs that shielded the paths. Each twisting walkway littered with colour and life. It made him appreciate the very nature of Spira. Kept him thinking of why he did this. Why he put himself under such stress. So such a place could exist.

His calm was shattered when he heard a rustling deeper in the wilds. He tried to ignore it, but it grew nearer and nearer. Whipping round, he placed a hand over his holsters, ready to draw blade at the first sign of trouble.

He watched the undergrowth for movement, noticing small shakes in the leaves. Something was in there. And it was coming for him.

Who's there. Show yourself.

He called out in hopes of some form of intelligent life responding, or that it was merely a curious creature. There was rarely anything malign out here, but it never hurt to take precautions.

He was totally unprepared for what would hurtle out of the wilds...

[Jamie]

A cute little fluffy white bunny popped out of the foliage. Its nose wiggled, the little whiskers went wild. It stood up on its hind legs and looked up at the man. How silly that man was, getting so antsy over a little bunny!

But wait. The bunny's ear twitched, snapping its head around to peer behind it. A giggle. A cute, high pitched giggle, followed by a few crunching sounds. Leaves, perhaps? Sticks? Whatever it was, was moving pretty fast through the rest of the foliage, and whatever it was, was staying hidden pretty damn well.

A charcoal black tail popped out from the long grass. It whipped around, ducking in and out, swaying to and fro. Two little ears appeared, but soon ducked down once more as she got closer.

Aw, damn. The grass ended, and Jamie slowed her crawling. The bunny had already bolted, knowing that the crazy kitty was still after it. Jamie now sat in front of the man holding onto his weapon, her head tilted to the side. She pushed herself up onto her knees, her hands folding in her lap. Head tilted to the other side, as she asked in a curiously cute tone, "Myaaaoo? Were you scared of a bunny~?"

[Cloud Strife]

Several thought ran through Cloud's head at once, each more confusing than the last.

The first, why had he reacted so defensively? It wasn't as if anything dangerous lived out here... He chided himself quickly. Always better to be prepared. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. One of the first things the Crusaders had taught him.

Second, why was the creature, a rabbit in fact, looking so concerned about what was behind it. It was giggling of all things. Moreover, why was there something giggling in the wilds? He couldn't think of anything that normally giggled out here.

Third, why was the cat GIGGLING! He held his head, shaking it lightly before coming to the conclusion that it was real. And it was SPEAKING to him. He looked at it wide eyed. What in all of Spira was this? His apprehension soon melted away though. It was just... So... Cute. That was the only word for it. He smiled lightly, before kneeling down.

Now who says I was afraid of the bunny? Maybe I was afraid of you? You certainly showed that rabbit who's boss.

He smiled, almost feeling his eyes twinkle with pleasure. Look at it! It was just so cute!

So, erm... What's your name? My name's Cloud.

He extended a hand, not really sure what he was doing talking to a cat in clothes...

[Jamie]

"Myaa!? Nuu! Jamie tis not fearsome.." Her bottom lip quivered a little. If she really did scare that bunny, now she wanted to go find it to apologize. She didn't mean to frighten it~!

She inhaled softly, sitting up straight, sucking her lip back in. Crimson orbs blinked a few times, staring at him, an impish grin upon her features. In fact, perhaps a little pointed tooth stuck out from the bottom of her lip, pressing into her skin just slightly. Before that began to hurt though, she opened her mouth almost as wide as it could go, her eyes closed and her ears pressed back as she made the cutest little happy smiling face one could imagine.

"Nyaaaa, Jamie is my naaaame! Pleasure to meet'cha Cwoudy~!" Her arms lifted high into the air as she pushed herself up from her sitting position. She was still on her knees however~ But, depending on your point of view, that could be a bad thing, for she began to topple over... she swayed a bit as she sat there on her knees, but eventually she just ended up falling against him.

As soon as her body made contact, her spread out arms seemed to clamp around him, hugging him tightly. "Oooopsies, Jamie fell~! Eeheh~" Giggling cutely, she nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder.

Kitty mode: ACTIVATED!

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud couldn't help but silently go 'aww' as the small cat-like girl(?) looked fit to burst into tears. It seemed she really just wanted to play. She looked and acted like a bundle of fun. He smiled again, a little wider.

Hi Jamie. Careful...

His voice trailed off as she began to teeter over. He leaned over as if to stabilise her, but she fell before he could reach her. But at least she fell on him rather than the ground. But my, she had a strong grip.

Yeah. You did. Silly Jamie!

He smiled, before realising how strong a grip she had. For one so small, she had one hell of a hug. He stroked her head as she nuzzled him. Having never had a pet before, Cloud found this EXCEPTIONALLY adorable. The sheer cuteness of her voice just made it even more infectious.

Aww...

He couldn't stop it. It just fell out of his mouth as he stroked the cat-child. He began to tickle behind one of her ears, remembering what one of the kids had done with her cat. Only hers was smaller. And didn't talk. And didn't have such a tight grip...

[Jamie]

Her hug only grew tighter and tighter. Jamie really didn't know her own strength. Machina insides... proved to be just a bit on the non-human side. If she kept this up, she could probably crack a bone or two.

But luckily for him, he had just tickled one of her most sensitive spots. Jamie cooed softly, her arms fell limp, as well as the rest of her body. Ears and tail twitched slightly as she clung to his shirt. "Ehehe, nyuuu~~ D-Don't do thaaaa-- nyaa~" Oh, it felt like heaven. A soft rumbling resounded from the back of her throat, echoing out of her mouth as her feet joined in with the twitching. Yes, Jamie was indeed purring. Purring like a little kitten on catnip, or... perhaps one that was just in a state of bliss.

Her fingers fell away once more as she plopped to the ground, rolling slightly, making sure that his hand was always on her head. Every so often her head would nuzzle into his hand, just to direct him to where she should be pet next. Oh how Jamie could live like this for the rest of her days~

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud smiled wider. Such a cute little thing... He was glad she wasn't hugging him anymore. She was VERY strong. He wasn't at as much risk, since he was a reasonably robust individual, but it was still slightly uncomfortable. As for his tickling, it seemed to have gone down well.

Seems that you LIKE this. I might just have to do it some more!

He reached out with his other hand, tickling behind the other ear as well, occassionally under the chin. She squirmed around at his touch. It was adorable. He couldn't help but beam at her. A fluffy ball of fun and love. He went aww again, yet again involuntary.

Now Jamie, what are you doing out here? Just looking for someone to play with?

He stopped tickling behind her ears, just stroking her head gently. She would have to not be squirming to answer his questions. It was a fairly simple one, he wasn't sure how intelligent this creature was, no matter how affectionate.

And, another thing. What exactly are you? You're not QUITE like anything else I've seen.

He looked at her again. Not strictly true. She was a cat. Mostly.

The tail gives it away.

[Jamie]

His tickling dulled down, as did her squirming. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. For as much as she loved being loved on, it got rather tiring. She giggled and sat up, grabbing his hand once she was up again so he could continue petting her.

Now, one thing Jamie came with was honesty. Normally people didn't ask what she was, but then again, she hadn't really run into many people. And when they did, they sort of accepted that she had ears and a tail, and was extremely affectionate.

But this man... he actually wanted to know. Her brow furrowed slightly in frustration. Her creators had told her that sometimes people were very much against Machina. If they found out she was one, well... she might not have many friends.

She wiggled uncomfortably for a moment, biting her bottom lip. Worry filled those crimson eyes of hers as she looked up at him. What would he think? Would he like her just the same? Would he still pet her? It was strange for Jamie to feel things like this, she didn't quite understand why people might not like her, but she knew that being disliked was a very bad thing.

Finally, she spoke up. She had to. Using her small amount of cunning, she figured out how to dodge giving the true answer. "Mew? Jamie ish a kitty! Silly~" She giggled nervously, wondering if he'd accept that. She didn't want to lose a friend so early.

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud rolled his eyes a little. Oh this one was smart. A quick dodge. Very sharp. Of course she was a cat... That much was obvious. I mean, the tail gave it away as he said...

Oh very clever. I meant what are you? There aren't many kittys as strong as you. I promise I won't tell anyone. Big promise.

He smiled warmly. He could detect a hint of nervousness in her tone. Could she be... It was concievable, but... Well... The Al Bhed maybe, but even then... Well, it was too early to draw conclusions. Nor would it matter. Whatever she was, she was lovable and cute and lovable and... Well, you get the picture.

Please? I won't be scared. I'll stay here. You're far too much fun for me to leave now.

He grinned a little, tickling under her chin a little, not enough to set her squirming, but enough to make her happy again. He'd never felt so much affection in this way. Tifa was a different matter. That was deeper set. This little ball of love however, it just naturally made you love it. Without REALLY trying.

He smiled again. Sitting down, moving his holster out of the way, he picked the little thing up, hugging her gently. He felt like a little kid again, like getting a pet for the first time, and not really wanting to put her down. He was quite content to just sit here, stroking and petting this ball of fluff and love and fun. Quite content indeed.

[Jamie]

She gulped slightly. Even though he had told her he would still be there, could she believe it? The little tickle to her chin did make her giggle and perk up a bit, wrapping her arms around his neck, nuzzling her cheek against his, but that nagging thought still pressed her mind.

"J-Jamie is.. an Al Bhed! An experimentie... Machina. But she is a kitty still! Myao!" She huffed slightly, puffing her cheeks in a pout. "Jamie doesn't want to be different.."

Suddenly, her ears perked again. In all of this pouting and huffing, she had forgotten what her main goal was. In nearly no time at all, she was over that now, and she popped herself right back up, staring at him with pleading eyes. "Ooh ooh! How can Jamie be like youuu~? She doesn't want to be different, nopie nopes!" Her tail swished, showing her excitement.

Anything to learn more about being more human~!

[Cloud Strife]

His hunch was correct. Al-Bhed been at it again had they? Well, this time they'd made a very cute cat-girl. He figured he could let them off, as long as she wasn't doing any harm.

Machina? Well. That explains how big a hug you can give.

He smiled a little. Then he laughed a little as she pouted. She was too cute not to. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he spoke to her.

Yes. You're a very good kitty.

He tickled her under the chin again, despite the grip around his neck, which she seemed to recognise as being quite strong. He smiled. More human? Well, she had the enthusiasm...

More human... I don't think that' possible. You're too happy. We humans get sad quite a lot. You don't seem able to get sad much. But, I guess if you wanted to be more human, you could try... Erm...

He struggled to think of how he acted. He wasn't exactly the best role model on how to be human. It would be better to say how NOT to act...

Well, I can't say I know how... Why do you want to be more human? You're adorable enough to make even me feel happy.

[Jamie]

Every time he tickled her, she giggled cutely, wiggling slightly like she was trying to get away. But did she want to? Surely not~! Jamie had found a fun place to be, and that was with Cloud, being tickled and cuddled! The kitty giggled again, nuzzling his cheek softly.

But sooner or later, Jamie would have to answer his questions. She sighed softly, unhooking an arm from around his neck. Her palm was face-up, and she stared down at it, contracting and relaxing her fingers. "Jamie doesn't want to hurt someone, myuu.." Her hand clenched into a fist. "Jamie must be more human to be accepted! People don't like Al Bhed, nopie nopes! That's what mommy and daddy told me!"

Jamie began to shift uncomfortably. Why wouldn't people like the Al Bhed? Why would they not like Jamie? Was she really as cute as Cloud said? She sighed softly and looked up to him, worry tinting her eyes, her brows wrinkled slightly. "What is wrong... with Machina? With Al Bhed? Did mommy and daddy lie to me?"

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud frowned for the first time since meeting this bouncy kitty. She had no idea how deep set the fear of Machina was...

It's not so much that there's anything WRONG with Machina. People are just afraid of it. There was a big war, with lots of Machina used in it. A lot of people died. People don't like machina because of that. But, I'm sure some people wouldn't mind, depending on the item.

He tickled her ears again. How could anyone not just LOVE this example of Machina? It was just so... Aww...

As for not liking the Al Bhed... One of my friends is Al Bhed. She's almost as bouncy as you are. I think people are just a little more wary of them. They tend to keep using Machina, even though people tell them not to.

He smiled at her. Rikku WAS slightly manic at times... And obsessed with Machina, he supposed it was just inherent to the Al Bhed.

You don't have to be human to fit in. I think for you, being EXACTLY the way you are will suit everyone fine. I like you the way you are. You just have to remember to not... Hug everyone so tightly. Just be a little more gentle. Ok?

He hugged her again, with the sort of pressure he deemed most people would think to be acceptable, before tickling her behind the ears again.

[Jamie]

Her ears seemed to wilt now. Her gaze dropped and she stared at the ground. So people were afraid of Machina? They would be afraid of Jamie, if they found out what she was? She sniffled slightly, shaking her head.

"Noooes! Jamie doesn't want to be Machina! Nuuu.." When he hugged her, she clung to him, gripping tightly onto the front of his shirt. "Jamie doesn't mean to hug so tight... She will try to be gentle.. myuu.."

She gulped, and slowly hugged him, trying to hug him softly. Not bone-crushing like she accidentally did earlier. With her ears still folded down against her head, a pleading look in her eyes, she looked up to him as she pulled away. "Like that? Did that hurt? People shouldn't be afraid of Jamie.. myuu.."

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud smiled softly.

Awww... Don't worry. You don't have to tell anyone! Just make sure you hug like you just did. That was much better.

He returned the hug, squeezing tightly, stroking her again. Such an adorable creature. All she wanted to do was be human... He sort of understood the feeling. He knew what it was like to be an outcast. He never fitted in himself, as different as he was.

Hey, you know what? You're a bit like me. When I was a boy, all I ever wanted to do was fit in. And you know what?

He stood up, smiling at her.

I'm glad I didn't. I got to meet lots of interesting people, do lots of interesting things. And hey, I got to see the most adorable kitty in Spira!

He hugged her again, beaming as he did so. He felt ecstatic. This Machina enhanced cat had an unusual, quirky, bouncy energy. It seemed to spread from her, it was good to feel happy for no reason for a change.

[Jamie]

Her tail swished frantically. Jamie was suddenly becoming a super duper happy kitty~! As he stood up, Jamie remained on the ground, staring up at him. "Myaaa~? Jamie is the cutest?" For some reason, that just made her the happiest of all.

She quickly popped to her feet right before he hugged her again, and as he did, she threw her arms around his middle. "Myaa! Jamie wants more friends like you, Cwoudy!" When she pulled away, she bounced a few feet away from him, staring off in the distance, looking around them at the trees.

"What can we do now, mew?" Her impatience grew even though she had barely asked the question. She couldn't help that she was so excited~!

[Cloud Strife]

Cloud grinned. Cat and mouse sprang to mind, but they were missing a mouse... Something about her made him feel like a child again. She had as profound an effect on him as Tifa did, but a wholey different one. Tifa was a calming influence. Jamie just made him feel happy. Regardless of the things that had preyed on his mind. He thought for a moment.

Well. I guess that's up to you. I'm not picky. Well, unless it involves picking flowers or something... I'm not one for being slow.

He smiled again. He figured she'd probably feel the same way. She didn't seem like the one to take her time over anything. She was just so happy. And bouncy.

So. What have you got in mind?

He considered some possible options. A race maybe? He wasn't truly sure who would prove the faster. Cloud was fast for a human, but he was against a mechanically enhanced cat. She would be extremely fast. Hide and seek? He'd never been great at it. His form was not easy to conceal, but, she'd probably enjoy it. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to do. He never usually gave leisure much thought. He tended to live and breathe duty. He only ever stopped to gather his thoughts.

Until now that was.