#nina the cat

[lionydoorin]

for your consideration: tara, who has almost certainly never interacted with a pet before, and nina, the cat who loves traumatized people

tara, who's never had a pet, both because of her fragile health and her mother's overall hatred for them.

who had never pet chad and mindy's childhood dog, because she was so scared of it they had to keep him outside the room whenever tara visited them. who only heard stories about amber's old cat, who passed away when her ex best friend was six.

who's startled when kirby first releases nina in the apartment, watching, with amazed eyes, as the small, black cat passes by them and runs into the agent's new bedroom.

she thought it was cute. but from a safe distance.

it was certainly calmer than when she had to worry about the meeks-martin's dog, though, because whenever they went to kirby's place, nina was nowhere to be found. tara would always wonder where she went; sometimes, she'd find her hiding in the closet, or taking a nap under the table.

one time, she went into the kitchen to grab a cup of water and found nina lying on the counter, tail gently wagging, and watched as the cat's head peeked up with the new presence.

tara ran out of the room right after.

it was always like this, though – she'd keep her distance, just like the kitten, watching as she existed in their presence. sometimes, when they arrived, the agent would call out her name and nina would respond with the smallest squeak. sam would pass by her and give her a gentle pat in the head, and tara would watch as the cat closed its eyes and purred contently. she'd see her rubbing up against kirby's leg when it was time for dinner and it would make her smile.

once, tara and kirby were on the couch while sam, mindy and chad went out to grab their pizza (safety in numbers, or something), and tara flinched slightly as she noticed nina jumping on the center table.

"you're not really a cat person, are you?" kirby chuckled, chugging a bit of her beer.

"i'm not the biggest fan of pets," tara said, fascinated eyes watching as the cat licked her paw and rubbed it on her face repeatedly. "i had never seen a cat up close before i met nina, actually."

"oh?"

tara nodded, pursing her lips in a tight smile as she looked up to the woman beside her. "never had animals. my mom wasn't a big fan of them, and she thought if we had one it could trigger my asthma. she didn't wanna waste her money on any more hospital bills. i seem to be doing just fine with your cat around, though. and nina seems pretty calm."

"she likes you." kirby's words made tara tilt her head slightly in confusion, looking back at the cat, that was now licking her own stomach. the woman shrugged. "she was a dumpster cat before i found her. probably got abandoned, and then she had her kittens pretty early on, and, well, nina's not really fond of people. not besides me, since, well, i'm her caretaker and stuff. but you see how she acts around gale. i guess since you never insisted, she liked that. i'm not saying you should run up to her, carry her around and become best friends with my cat. but i'm just saying that there's nothing to be afraid of, as well."

tara still watched. questioned, as she absorbed kirby's words, if this meant she could give it a try.

wondered if she would like to try.

——

sometimes, when kirby and mindy talked about movies, it reminded tara of her old best friend.

mindy and amber had lots of similar discussions before. the meeks twin would start an argument about the latest horror film she'd watched, specially when amber expressed a different opinion than hers — teasing her, daring her to prove them wrong. and amber would respond with such enthusiasm they'd get lost inside their own horror-centric universe.

whenever their group had a movie night and they settled for horror, the controller always fell on their hands. either kirby or mindy would give them insight into different options, so they could vote on the one that would be chosen.

before they pressed play, one of them would comment on something of the movie they were excited to watch — or rewatch — and it sparked a discussion that lasted for at least an hour, when someone finally managed to steal the remote from their hands and start the dvd.

this first hour always made tara kind of black out; she'd pull her knees close to her chest, staring at the distance as she blocked out all of the noise. her mind would wander elsewhere, away from movie dates she's once had, from get-togethers with her high school group where they laughed and acted like real teenagers. she'd avoid thinking of everything she once had and longing for those that she lost.

it always left her with a sort of melancholy, one that carried throughout at least half of the movie. but it was always best to not think at all than to face the things she felt constantly.

she was so lost in herself she didn't notice a presence settling beside her. nina walked in small steps, passing by kirby in front of the dvd player, jumping on the center table and stopping in front of where tara was positioned on the ground. then, she moved again, slowly pushing herself towards the girl, before she decided to sit right by her side, watching the group interact.

tara got back to her senses as a tail brushed her side, blinking rapidly and shaking her head as she adjusted her hazy vision. then, she notices it. nina, sitting there, tail gently wagging and eyes focused on the group interaction.

first, tara felt the initial panic; the thought of losing her breath, of having to claw at her throat and take her medicine as soon as possible. her hands searched for her inhaler, right then, finding it securely stored on her pocket. she didn't feel any chest pain, nor shortness of breath. everything was fine. she was fine.

(but i'm just saying that there's nothing to be afraid of, as well.)

she reached out hesitantly, watching as nina side-eyed her movement. seeing the cat didn't shift or run away from the idea of being touched, tara brushed her fingers through the fur in curiosity, choosing to pet her just like sam did the other day.

nina closed her eyes, lying down, seeming content with the gentle head massage she was receiving.

she retreated her hand, watching as nina leaned to rub her head against her leg, before she returned to the same spot by her side. she lied down again, both her front and back paws hidden by her tiny body.

"you're a good kitty, nina." she whispered. mirroring each other, tara and nina looked ahead, observing the rest of the group interacting, mindy leaning her body back with the remote raised above her head as chad impatiently pushed her, fighting for it.

tara felt happy, simply existing in the presence of this new but somehow familiar presence, and nina apparently felt the same way, quietly purring beside her.

[cameliawrites]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted her on here, so I thought I would just let you all know that Nina the kitten is alive and well (and very much enjoying this box). 😋💕

[ultra-bitchlord]

*sniffs* more Nina cuz I can.

[mermaidmvtel]

[catsofyore]

Glamour! 💅 1952. Source.

[hyolks]

he's learning how to do every kind of braid for her !!

[moskitodou]

another class assignment! it's based on one piece of alfons mucha's artwork

[thewindowofthesummerhouse]

Nina Werner- ninesque

[nina-scribbles]

"doomed yuri" this, "tragedy" that. Ok but what if they were happy?? What if they were in love and they were happy??? Horikoshi you coward answer my calls

[purrlockholmesbooks]

Six of Crows collage!

The Crows have all arrived!

Let's hope they're just here for a waffle party, not another impossible heist 🧇🗡

Individule photos: Cat Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jespaw Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Nina Zenik, Meowtthias Helvar, oh and also Peccat Rollins.

[dollyswan]

[lenzoli]

hwee hee

[cameliawrites]

HI LIA CONGRATULATIONS ON ADOPTING NINA!! I am sure she is a perfect angel if you have pictures I would love to see 😊

EEEE THANK YOU HERE SHE IS!! She is about 3 months old 🥰

[cinemamind]

Nina Hopkins

[mermaidmvtel]

[catsofyore]

Business networking. 1946. Source.