“You really think you can care for it better than I can?” Pantalone scoffs, eyes narrowing as he clutches your cat closer to his chest. The fur of the creature is pristine, not a speck of dirt marring its sleek black coat, a testament to the few days it’s spent under his care. He finds it hard to believe you’ve been a diligent owner, given that the little beast was wandering the streets, meandering among dangers as if left to fate.

He’s already named the cat—Mischief. Yes, he decided a name change was due, not just because of his new attachment to your feline pet but because it was a name befitting its cunning, not whatever mundane tag you’d given it.

“You lost it, didn’t you? Let it slip right out from under your nose.” Pantalone’s eye twitches with annoyance at your pleads. He’s unforgiving and accusing, believing you’re a horrible owner, even though the cat had only been missing for a few days. “Do you even understand what could have happened to this creature? The streets are no place for something so defenseless.”

The cat seems oblivious to the tension, its eyes slowly blinking as it gazes up at him. Pantalone’s heart warms slightly. He can’t help it. Mischief has wormed its way in, much like the other strays he’s taken in. He wasn’t going to give him up that easily.