Ken was mistaken, much to his relief. The catastrophic consequences of him looking up a girl’s skirt, even if it was an accident, was almost too much for him to bear. Visions of slanderous headlines started to fade as the guitarist reevaluated his situation. She was younger, probably a year or two than he was, but she held herself with a presence he’d seen from rough and tough sailors who spent too many days out at sea. Of course, she was no sailor but it was something else…

He was attentive enough not to miss the fading white aura around the faunus girl. The fact that she was a feline herself didn’t help anything, Ken imagining that they were in cahoots. Or at the very least she had been taken by the charms of the black cat who shot conceited glances at him while she scratched the cat’s chest.

Those worries proved true as she set the cat down and let her scamper off, Kenneth reaching out in vain. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he stood up and pried his guitar case from the concrete. Bits of debris was trailing off it, the guitarist frowning at the dust caked on it. While he wasn’t the cleanliest of people behind closed doors, he took pride in keeping a presentable state in public and that included his equipment.

“I suppose I don’t have a choice…” He said with a glare at the cat running off. The girl was already keeping up with it, but her movements seemed casual as if she was just doing this out of boredom.

Taking off after them, barely keeping up with the girl and her elegant movements, Ken contemplated just activating his guitar and tangling the cat up in the strings. Of course, that might kill the cat and he was sure that would send him on a whole new path of worries. His guitar weighed a lot and the case wasn’t a delicate feather either. While he was used to lugging them around, he was not used to running all over the place, twisting and turning as he was. The girl probably didn’t have any trouble at all.

The cat, having obviously concluded that the girl was just toying with her, made a daring move. She slid under a bench, doing a very impressive triple front flip afterwards before bounding into a hole under a residential building that not even the petite girl could fit into.

Clamping his jaw shut, not wanting to give the feline the satisfaction of seeing that he was impressed, Ken contemplated on how to deal with this pest. Glancing over at the girl, trying his best to show he wasn’t fatigued, he was a bit annoyed having to be out in public this much.

“My stamina is, I admit, not up to par but I think I’ve had enough of this.” Yes, indeed, he had enough. He almost let his accent slip, a silly thing he had suppressed after being around Setek sailors for the better part of his life.

Letting out a shallow breath, Ken set his case down gently and opened it to reveal his precious guitar. The wood and copper design didn’t show a hint of dust or wear, it was polished and pristine all on its own. Hefting the surprisingly heavy guitar up, the metal case groaned as the guitar was the source of the bulk of the weight. Aylith felt heavy in more than just a physical sense to Kenneth but he didn’t mind. Leaning against the wall of the building, he began to play.

The strings sung, mellow and even. He had once heard a story of a man who could lead mice with just a flute. It wasn’t far-fetched to him, all you needed was the right tone, the right sound. His fingers danced along the strings, moving as elegantly as the girl had moved during their chase, each pluck of the string resonating. A low purr escaped from the hole, two shining eyes could be caught within the darkness but Kenneth didn’t notice as he had his own eyes closed. Inch by inch the cat moved out, moving ever slowly but it couldn’t resist the sound…

The music came to a screeching halt as Kenneth’s hand shot out and grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck. It struggled at first, scratching Kenneth’s hand but in that fury of claws and fur it had dropped the pick. He could have sworn a resigned sigh came from the critter as he dropped her and retrieved his pick. It was a little worse for wear but otherwise undamaged. Its fur was on end as it hissed at him and with a reluctant sigh of his own, Ken retrieved the now soggy sandwich from his pocket, setting it on the ground as a peace offering.

Hesitant, the cat sniffed it before sitting down to dig in, all the while keeping an eye on Kenneth.

“Thank you for your help, miss, but I guess I had to do it my own way.” Kenneth said with a forlorn look in his eyes, setting the guitar on his knees as he sat there and watched the cat eat the rest of his sandwich. He really didn’t want to play in public. A thought popped in his mind and he felt incredibly rude for not introducing himself earlier.

“My name is Ken Almias, nice to meet you. ” 

Well, this was quite a pickle he put himself into. On one hand, he appreciated the compliment and was rather curious about someone who was so baffled by his playing. On the other hand, he didn’t want to talk any more than he had. Kenneth was starting to feel that creeping anxiety of having to be involved in such a strenuous situation. Of having to communicate with someone outside the realm of ordering his food or being forced to answer questions in class. Those were fine, those were necessary.

This, not so much.

If he wanted to communicate with someone, he played his music. And his music had a way of touching a person’s heart, of bringing forth something within, be it for better or worse. That was how he talked to people, though it always seemed to affect them more than it did himself. Kenneth mulled the idea of excusing himself and retreating to his dorm room. Yet that curiosity of his was a fickle and cruel mistress, Kenneth’s urge to interact with the girl rising. What was the story about a cat’s curiosity...?

“It was just a song I heard once, that’s all. Thank you, though.” He said, masking the white lie with years of experience and an honest demeanor. While he was grateful, most of Ken’s songs were from his head. There was no trouble in playing something he had only heard once but he had a habit of making songs his own. Altering them and crafting them in a way that made them original and unique. That presence about her had faded. Not to diminish her character but it was as if he was looking at a turtle without their shell.

Pushing himself up, he froze as his stomach let out a low growl. This caused the cat in Lily's arms, as accepting as it was of her situation, to fold her ears back and shoot him a haughty stare. Almost as if it was telling him that he deserved to feel as hungry as she once was. Cheeks flushing red, he glanced up at Lily before packing up his guitar and slinging the heavy case over his shoulder with a strained grunt.

“I should eat something.” He said, pausing to look her over again. Ken had a grasp of her physical characteristics enough, what he was truly interested in was the experience she just had. That’s where his curiosity lay, he deduced.

“Have you…hm...” He stopped, trying to think of the right way to say what he wanted to say.

“Have you never heard a song before?” It was a random question, he assumed, but he had a thought scratching at the back of his mind. Not many could say they never heard a song before, the thought alone might be preposterous. He wasn't sure if that was the right question to ask but he felt the need to say something. Stomach growling again in protest, Ken’s features didn’t change as a gentle Fall breeze passed the pair.

Now that was interesting, however the fact that she was so casual about never listening to a song before threw him off. His whole life had been immersed in music, to hear someone had been deprived of it upset him a great deal. There was always the possibility that she was going to admit to never hearing a song but the truth of it weighed heavily on him. Of course, this range of emotions was throttled and kept in check by a very contemplative look upon his face.

Kenneth simply offered a smirk and a small bow of his head when she gave her compliment. Placing a hand on his stomach, as if the simple action would calm his stomach, the guitarist rubbed his chin as he considered her offer. There certainly wasn’t any harm in answering her questions.

“I…I suppose I don’t mind.” It was a tad impractical of her to just invite herself but Kenneth was impractical himself at times so he could relate. The cat seemed to be enjoying the affection she was getting, occasionally glancing in his direction. Sparks of tension flew between the two as they locked stares, the peace offering prior seeming to do little in regards to their standing. That standing obviously having the cat thinking it was far superior.

“Curry? Curry sounds good.” After perking up at the mention of curry, Kenneth did his best to keep his excitement in check. His mother had made curry before and he had been reluctant to try it again after her passing. However, after his last visit home, he was willing to move forward.

Gesturing for her to lead the way, he repositioned his guitar case on his shoulder for a more comfortable feel. He wasn’t sure what to say or how to engage with Lily, most of the people he did associate with before his hiatus had moved on or made new friends. It was hard making friends before but now it was like climbing up a mountain, or at best, being invited to a part where he only knew one person. Just...awkward.

For now, he just kept his mouth shut while they walked, waiting for her to ask her questions when they arrived at the curry place.