A Soul Gone Astray

Ain't no rest for the wicked

"Stay right there, you stupid boy!"

As Nico ran away from a very furious employee at a small supermarket, he reconsidered his life choices, specifically if listening to a cat had done him any good at all. Nico had sadly gotten into a very unfavourable situation a few days prior and had witnessed a fairly violent dispute between some gang members. They had discovered him to his utmost misfortune and had proceeded to chase him and attempted to "get rid" of him. Therefore, Nico did not have a chance at finding something edible anywhere, as he was constantly hiding and running from anyone suspicious, which was a very admirable feat, considering he inhabited Gotham. This passed infelicity had gotten him into the dismal situation of not consuming any food in approximately two days, which left him feeling weak and tired, more so than usual. This desperate situation had led him into a situation he had hoped he would find himself in for quite some time. He considered stealing; and after Tara had had enough of his inner conflict if stealing out of need was acceptable and if he really had to, Tara had led him to a small supermarket with a pathetic security. At first, Nico had tried to scavenge something consumable from the waste bins, but was heavily disappointed.

Trying her very hardest to explain the fine art of taking another's possession without them realizing, Tara had tried to teach Nico how to be inconspicuous and silent, but to her dismay Nico did not seem to fully understand all of her instructions and was a bit too tired and hungry to really follow along, so they decided that Nico just had to do with his consisting skills. So, Nico walked into the store and successfully managed to hide a can of ravioli in his jacket, but seeing as he felt like he was starving, he tried to steal a small package of cereals, which lead to his discovery.

Admittedly, Nico was not very keen on being caught steeling, so he started running at the first sign of discovery, which ultimately led to his current situation. Miraculously, Tara was able to keep up with his sprint, even though her legs were significantly shorter. Furthermore, she was even a bit ahead of him, as she had waited for his return a bit further down street. Nico almost crashed into some random people on the street, which cost him quite some time. Clearly annoyed at Nico for being caught red handed, Tara guided Nico into the maze of unsavoury alleyways that were the heart of Gotham. Obviously, Tara kept a level head and urged Nico to run faster. His current pace would not do, the employee was catching up, swiftly. Hoping very hard that Nico would understand, Tara flicked her tail to an abandoned building, silently urging Nico to hide there. Then, she turned around and ran at the stunned employee, jumping up at him and hissing and scratching at him and being as ferocious and intimidating as she possibly could. It certainly had the desired effect, seeing as the person came to an abrupt stop and tried to rid themselves from the aggressive feline.

Nico, who had thankfully understood his cue, ran to the building and entered through the remains of a kicked down door. Desperate to get away, he sprinted up a flight of stairs and dashed into a hallway. Picking a random room, Nico found a door that was slightly ajar, caused by the dysfunctional lock. Trying to steady his ragged breathing, Nico ducked into what appeared to have once been the kitchen and hid. Glad that he had not lost his newly acquired food during the stressful chase, but wanting to share it with Tara, he sat down and hoped that Tara would be fine. He hoped she would not be caught or injured, she had, after all, attacked a full grown human, and humans tended to be quite vicious, especially towards animals.

Tara had indeed encountered a pretty violent reaction, as she was hunted by the male, who had tried to kick her when she scampered off. Luckily, Tara's distraction had worked and the man had lost sight of Nico, so he begrudgingly trotted back to the store. Sniffing disdainfully, Tara took a detour, in case she was followed and looped back to the deserted structure.