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...Yes.

[ please ]

... No, I won't allow it.

[ No cats allowed on this date. ]

I don't want your attention split with a cat during a date!! It wouldn't even be a date!

It wouldn't be split...!

[ It's true. Ami would have 100% of her attention and Terry would get 0%. ]

But alright. Where do you want to go? Someplace warm.

[ > someplace warm for a date
> rules out 99% locations with that criteria alone

Then Terry thinks back. They did have a conversation about this once upon a time... ]

Actually, I changed my mind. Let's have a date at home. It's cold outside and I don't want you to keep using your eye ability everywhere we go.

Hm... Is that okay with you?

[ She turns so she can scoot closer to him and tuck up against his chest instead of lamenting about the lack of cats. A date at home would be a quiet, boring date compared to going outside and having fun and doing whatever sort of noisy exuberant thing Terry always seems to like getting to do. ]

It's not really fun if we have to keep hiding ourselves away, even though I'll be close to you.

[ Terry smiles and nuzzles against the side of Kido's head. ]

You like being home too, don't you?

Yeah. I like being at home. It's where I feel most comfortable, and I'm with people I feel safe with.

[ The outside world is downright horrid, but at least at home she has control over what happens and she's with family, the people she trusts and cares most about. She's always felt this way, even before all the townspeople turned on them for whatever the hell reason. ]

[ Terry had some suspicions on that, but Kido has made it clear that she preferred staying indoors anyway, even if for simple reasons. ]

I think there was a movie projector next door... should I bring that over?

Oh, a movie night sounds fun. Without distractions this time.

[ Little kids aside, Terry was also the distraction last time. She doesn't remember any of the movie, except it was about vampires or something and hopefully Terry can find something less gory at the other house. ]

Okay! Pick a genre.

[ So he knows which one to get. ]

Cats.

[ Cats is a genre. Pick a warm and fuzzy feelgood movie starring cats. ]

Alright! I'll be right back then.

[ Terry grabs his jacket and goes out. He visited the clubhouse before to get away from the honeymoon event redux, but now he's going back... well, it shouldn't take too long. He brings back the projector, vcr player, and two tapes. ]

I got two!

[ After setting them down, Terry hands Kido the two tapes: Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro. Totoro is not a cat, but there's a cat bus. ]

[ Instead of preparing snacks or anything like that, all Kido did during all that time was get under the covers so she can keep the warm spot still warm, looking over either tape and handing Terry My Neighbor Totoro to play because the cat bus is my favorite character and so they're watching this one. ]

These are good ones. Have you watched them before?

[ Terry shakes his head no and starts setting up the cords and such. He kinda remembers how it was from the last time they had to use these. ]

I haven't watched those movies before. Are they good?

[ He's never seen them, but he went right for the anime movies, huh. Kido watches him set everything up, ready to direct him if he needs help or reminding him to rewind the video if needed and stuff like that, but otherwise she's cozy in her blanket fort. It'd be perfect, except for the fact that cats are banned from the room. ]

Yeah, they're good. These sorts of movies always make me feel happy— I won't spoil anything for you, though, so let's just watch it.

Okay!

[ He just hoped that the anime ones would be nice to watch and not as... ridiculous as the yakuza one.

Terry finishes setting it up with Kido's instructions when he needs it and goes to also make himself comfortable under the blanket. ]

It's so warm in here...

[ There are two little kids on the cover of the tape so that's a good bet. Although there's also a monster... Maybe the townspeople wouldn't be so scared of them all if their Personas were less dragons and spider women, and more cuddly looking bear creatures like Totoro. ]

Was it really cold out?

[ Winters suck. Thank god neither of them need to brave the cold for school or work or any other obligation like that. Terry's also cold since he just got back from outside, but she wonders if summoning Nekogami as a space heater would violate the "no cats" promise for the date. She'll just have to lie close to Terry and thaw his hands with hers or something. She's going to do the ineffective friction rub and then breathe on his fingers. ]

Yeah... it really is feeling more like winter every day. Maybe we should have gotten a house that had a fireplace...

[ Would a Hirajiro home have a fireplace? Who knows. Terry smiles when Kido takes his hands. There are no gloves this time since he's inside. ]

You're warm to make up for it.

[ They can huddle around a flaming Nekogami and pretend he's a fireplace. ]

Yeah, and your hands are freezing. I'm going to need you to give me my warmth back later.

I'll give you all the warmth you want!

[ He just turns maximum sappy when he's with Kido... but then he looks at the wall where the movie is being projected. ]

The little dust balls are cute... they remind me of Ananke's bunnies.

Yeah, they're cute, aren't they? If Ananke were my Persona, I'd always have them out. I kinda of miss Nekogami being a little cat sometimes.

[ He was a good shoulder scarf cat who demanded affection on his own terms, but now he's huge and has to just sit there and accept it when Kido hugs him. Like hugging Totoro... that's the urge Kido has every time Totoro comes on screen, to hug something warm and soft and bury her face into warm soft fur. Where is Ami... ]

Yeah.

[ Terry would rather Nekogami go back to being a small ghost cat, but things must change. He has a kangaroo plush on the bed so he puts that next to Kido. Ami isn't allowed inside... ]

Imagine if someone had something like Totoro for a Persona.

[ Thanks. Now Kido's going to hug this kangaroo plush for the entirety of the movie instead of Terry. Happy Christmas. ]

That'd be cute. But shh, let's just watch the movie.

[ At least she'll snuggle close against him, but also, shh, no talking during cute Miyazaki movies or you can't appreciate the dialogue and the music. ]

[ Terry stays quiet throughout the remainder of the movie. It's 87 minutes, and Terry only adjusts his position slightly from time to time.

He finds it nice to see that the children care so much and are doing all they can to help the sick one. ]

I want a Totoro guardian...

[ He mumbles, lying on his back after finishing the movie. ]

[ Wouldn't it be nice if the would were filled with kind, caring children? Unfortunately, that's just not how reality is.

By the time the movie is over, Kido's using Terry's arm as a pillow and is half buried in the covers so that she can barely see the credits rolling on the wall. The movie is so short but the bed is so warm that she just wants to sleep the rest of the day away. ]

You have Vassago as your guardian. Would he hate a warm sweater for you to hug? [ ...she shifts to look up at Terry ] Have you ever hugged Vassago?

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