A pawsome guardian

[oichi]

She looked at the phone in awe for it's size and versatility. While she had known cell phones exist, she knew her mom had a really old flip phone that was mostly used for calls and texts only. Technology for phones have really advanced over time for what she had seen. Not having them so much also helped with this awe. Ayane knew of what gogglemaps was as well as other goggle products. "It's like a big map that can't be burned up. Can it go everywhere else?" she said as she kept eating her slice of pizza.

There were many places she passed through, she wondered if she was supposed to look in nightclubs much earlier. It wasn't her thing personally. While the party atmosphere is nice, there can be some people that could only be described as, well... sleazy. Getting jobs at least for the moment was a passing opportunity. It was great helping out somebody for a free meal and/or money. "I can go with you to those kind of places if you need to Tatsu-san. That kinda depends on where I'm at in the world though, but I'll make the extra trip when we zoom on the motorcycle together." she said, finishing her pizza slice and getting another.

It was true what the detective was saying. It made a lot of sense to start looking for fluffier bakenekos. She didn't really think about that before. She reasoned to herself that she looks like a younger version of her mom, so she was mostly looking for orange cats of any kind. If he liked ladies as much as any bachelor, was there any other children or other cursed women too? "A fluffy bakeneko with a penchant for women. I wonder if there's other indirect family I should know about caused by him?" she said deep in thought.

[mermalaide]

"It can, and it can either pull up other maps, pictures and phone numbers for what you are looking for, as long as it's logged. Sometimes they even have reviews." She was pretty happy with it. "I'm lousy with directions, so I will admit it helps a lot." The phone was the one thing she had really saved up for. Even her sewing machine was second hand, but everything she had was hers. It made her feel a little proud. "Guide books are really helpful, the only drawback is that sometimes if you aren't careful, it will turn you around. And if your battery runs out, well, you can't use it. The paper map is almost better then, or at least more reliable."

She thought about what Ayane had said, she had never been on a motorcycle before! That would be neat. "That could be really fun. We should be safe if we stick together. Especially in the daytime." Japan, especially Kyoto was pretty safe. She swallowed a little more tea, and whipped her hands on her napkin. "I can try to help with gas. The temple gives me a little savings." She took up her slice again, nibbling on the crust that was left. Pizza was pretty awesome.

"It's possible you might." She shook her head. Ayane's dad sounded like a cad. Her grandpa had warned her to be careful about some guys. They could be trouble or even pushy. "I bet if we think a bit more like that, the fluffy part, maybe we could find him in no time, especially if he is hanging around." Part of her wondered why he did that to Ayane.  Ayane probably wondered herself. 

[datmass]

So, they had something of a viable lead, a fluffy possibly-orange-style cat yokai who hangs out in bars, a real wanderer who might be leaving a trail of siblings to Ayane in his wake like any common stray. Thinking like that, the first explanation as to why, though... Shiro didn't want to voice it, but he thought perhaps it wwas very much like the roaming boy cat that randomly pops in to love 'em and leave 'em. The very notion angered him, made him think that the man-cat needed to be punished first, but Shiro shook his head.

No no no... Not only would that be going too far, but if I'm feeling THAT way, then the worst sting should come from Ayane and her mother, not me. They're the ones suffering, after all.

Externally, the detective hahd had kind of a serious look on his face for a moment before settling back into a more relaxed state. He looked around the car and saw that Ayane and Tatsu were well under way to establishing how they were handling living matters for the time being. It looked like they were gonna be fine on that front.

"Alright, it looks like this meeting is just about over, at least on my part. You've given me a decent amount of information to work on now, and I think I could pinpoint something down, especially since the man will no-doubt be over-confident in his position. That is, he must believe his memory wipe will keep him safe, so I'm sure he'll have made several mistakes that I could pick up on. Will there be anything else tonight, ladies?"

He would be able to find Ayane and Tatsu with relative ease, provided Ayane didn't move on too quickly, so he could leave them be and get moving on matters now.

[oichi]

There were many more questions to be answered but she wanted the answers personally from her dad. There was only so much she can do with a detective, though it will help find her father more accurately. Ayane herself was amazed for the phone app. "Maybe I need a phone? I can try a better phone for mom too..." she watched as she was hearing Tatsu's explanation. It was a wonderful thing. It was also wonderful to have some shelter for a little while. "Thank you Tatsu-san. I'll try to keep the costs low for gas. It's a matter of which gas station it is in for a better cost." she said as she ate her last slice of pizza for the night. It was pretty good pizza.

The questioning wrapped up in her eyes. She had good hopes that the detective will at least do something. She was thinking about trying to find him in the area on the side but she also wanted to relax. Any possible half-sibling thoughts can come later. "Mom, I'll get you answers." It was now a possible promise that she could make to herself. She shook her head at the detective's question. "I think that is all. Thank you for taking this on Shiro-san. Let me know if you find anything." she said getting out of the car. "Have a great night! Tatsu-san, I can give you a ride back to your temple using my bike if I get the directions." she got herself ready to get on the bike, she had to find a helmet for Tatsu quickly. Safety first!

[mermalaide]

"Hey! Sensei?" Tatsu tossed him a card for the temple. "We have a phone there, but you can come anytime you like. And we have a clinic too if something happens!" She was very proud of that. She gave a big smile and positioned herself and the bags she had with Ayane, as well as took a helmet if it was offered. "Let me show you where it is. I can chip in for gas as well, I appreciate the ride back as well. Trust me on that."

The air was getting a little crisp. Her cheeks were pink from all that. "This is exciting. I have never rode before." She was kind of cheery, even if the circumstance was a bit sad, she was pretty happy to meet both of them, the temple had been a little too quiet as of late anyway. She showed her phone to Ayame again. The temple was likely a fifteen minute ride straight past the canal and into an older neighborhood of Kyoto. It was very close to Abe No Seimei University. 

"See you Kunewawa-sensei! It was nice meeting you!"

[datmass]

Shiro nodded at the both of them, catching the card and inspecting it for a moment.

"I'll be sure to keep you two in the loop. Ayane, if you have to go anywhere, leave some other contact for me to follow-up on."

A drifter will tend to drift, never staying at a place for too long. It all depends upon circumstances and the hospitality of others. Although, actually...

"And remember, you two: I'm reachable through the NAPI directory. Don't hesitate to call if something comes up."

With them having got out of the car and Shiro starting it up, he waved back at the two, saying "Careful riding, you two. Be safe.", knowing that - as he thought before - riding a motorcycle with a dress could be a little tricky. He was sure that Tatsu would be mindful of that, but it's always better to be sure. So saying, he would pull out of the parking lot with a smile.

So much work, yet so little time, and plenty of good to do. Where do I start first?

EXIT