It had taken him days of searching but he had finally found it. A fishmarket that had actual fish and not, whatever it was the last two had been offering. Japan had spoiled him on fish markets that was for sure and he had always tried to find the best of the best in whatever place he lived in afterwards. Though nothing could compare to waking up at three in the morning to make it by four to the fish market to get the best deals on whatever was freshest that day.

Sometimes he missed his SEAL pay because if he was still in the navy he'd be able to afford that delicious looking tuna right in front of him.

But buying an entire blue fin tuna was expensive and he had to budget his money until he got a job somewhere in the city. He was procrastinating at this point when it came to the school but he was enjoying being a bum and exploring the city whenever he pleased. And right now he pleased at five in the morning at a tiny little fish market  on the harbor. He got stares as per usual but he didn't care at this point, right now his only mission in life was to get himself something delicious to eat.

Wandering away from the tuna he followed his nose to the freshest scent he could find. Salmon. Hmmmm that seemed delicious and much much cheaper than the tuna. His wallet and stomach agreed for once and he patiently hovered in the back of the line waiting to be called upon for his turn with the fish. Maybe he could make some salmon with miso paste? That seemed like a good idea. Already listing the ingredients he'd need in his head he focused his eerie eyes on his delicious prize, tail twitching in anticipation. Yes, it would do. It would do very nicely.

"EEY! Drop it, ya rodent!"

A ruckus suddenly sprang up from the other end of the market. "That damn cat is back!" Shouted one of the workers, waving around a fillet knife helplessly.

A few of the people shopping turned to see a small dark cat come sailing over a counter, scramble to get up on top of a shelf, and then turn back to look at the poor man screaming at her.

She felt bad. A little. A smidge... but this was literally the only place in town that had quality fish and, alas, she didn't have a wallet. Not on her, at least.

Hiyori grinned, pupils slit and feral, with a smallish Bluefish clamped between her teeth comically. She wasted no time in leaping from the shelf to the floor and taking off full speed between legs and out the open door.

"@#$^, That's the third one this week!" One man cursed while ripping his hat off.

Another merely chuckled as he went about putting more fresh fish on the ice beds.

"Gotta quit leaving the door open, Frank."

The cat slowed once she was on the sidewalk, and set about trotting off toward the nearest tree with her catch for a nice snack. She knew by this point that they didn't often leave the store to chase her. She often took the cheaper fish, and small ones at that, so they weren't really losing much.

That cat wasn't a cat Des could tell almost instantly. It, she, didn't smell right for a pure cat. Pure cat was more animalistic to his nose and she had a touch of human to her that didn't quite fit with her appearance. Still it wasn't in his nature to intervene in a good fishnapping and he just grinned a wide manic grin at the sneaky thief as she ran out the door.

"Tell ya what, sir, lemme buy tha fish that cat just stole. I also want that salmon over there too, if ya could be so kind as ta get it." Desire drawled out, fishing for his wallet as the man looked at him in surprise. Still he was a paying customer and he was covering what could have been a loss. Packaging up the fish for Des the man handed it over to the handsome neko.

Walking outside Des let his nose tell him where to go as he followed the scent of the stolen fish. Standing under the tree he looked up and smiled his friendliest smile. "Stealin' fish ain't very nice darlin'. Ya need help or somethin' or are ya in it fer tha thrill?"

She clawed her way easily up into one of the higher branches, plopped her butt down at its widest part, and laid her front paws over her fish to keep it in place (and the sky rats at bay). Getting the scales off could sometimes be a bit of a task... unless she just went for the insides where it had been cut open. Did she dare risk another bath from her sister for it?

She never got the chance to decide. A voice popped up from below and instantly her hackles rose. The wee cat up on the branch above started growling like she was a beast twice her own size and peeked down at her accuser. Had he seen?

What greeted her eyes was not what she had expected and temporarily caused all her fur to stand on end. Both her tails flapped around angrily. Her nose was telling her there was another cat down there, and her instinctual paranoid was screaming at her that he wanted her fish.

Half of a hiss got out before her human brain kicked back in and pointed out that the one with ears and a tail was not, in fact, some common street cat looking for a meal... but a human. A mutant? Unless the ears and tail were just crazy good prosthetics.

The tension instantly left her and her pupils returned to normal size if a little round with curiosity. She sniffed at him curiously from her perch, mouth open just enough to catch a bit more scent.

... She could sense death on him as well. Possibly old... Hmm.

Hiyori sat up, one paw still on her fish, and tilted her head at him. What had he been saying?

"...Stealing?" The dead eyes of the Bluefish looked up at her and the wee cat instantly looked a bit guilty.

"Ah... that." She batted at the fish listessly, maybe a tiny bit shamed.

"Neither." She mumbled, reluctant to admit her shortcomings to a stranger. Then again... what if he was a policeofficer?

"...I...occasionally have trouble denying my more animalistic tendencies. Particularly around fish."

Des didn't approach her any further though he could have climbed up the tree if he had wanted to. No, it was better to stay down and let her get used to him before he tried to get closer if her reaction was anything to go by. He kept his own calm expression tilted towards her as his tail and ears twitched in fascination. He'd never met another cat mutant, that was if that was what she was. He was willing to bet a good deal of money on it which is why he had talked to her in the first place.

"Can't say I blame ya, took me a good number o' years not ta steal dinner from my 'um when she was makin' fish. She ended up gettin' me dashi flakes ta appease my instincts. That 'n a swat on tha rear if I got a little too focused on dinner." Des kept the easy going smile on his face and shifted his weight to better stand at attention.

"I paid fer tha fish don't worry, cats gotta stick together don't we?" He asked, fangs flashing just a little in the dim morning light. His eerie eyes practically glowed and he motioned at her fish. "Would ya like ta eat with me? I was plannin' on cookin' my salmon in miso but if ya feel more comfortable bein' outside I don't mind a little raw fish. This shit's sushi grade if my nose was tellin' me right."

He had a knife on him that could be used for fish chopping if need be though he wasn't above just digging into a filleted fish if need be. He'd eaten weirder things during survival training, like bugs. Crickets were crunchy and tasted good enough, though he wasn't a fan of water beetles. Those had gotten into a sandwich a time or two in his day and the added non lettuce crunch was more than he wanted. "Name's Desire McGee, though ya can call me Des if ya want ta sugar."

Dashi? That perked her interest. She sat up a litter straighter while she listened. Though, he had her at 'Miso'. The moment he mentioned it little flowers and stars may as well have appeared in her eyes.

Snagging her fish in her feet, she prepped herself to hop from the tree. One butt wiggle for balance and a leap later and she was airborne.

When she landed, it was not like a small black cat. She'd formed a human body around herself while falling, one with a sharp black bob and fuzzy black ears atop her head. She stood from her crouch, in colorful mimicry of the fashions popular in Tokyo at that moment. Two tails waved around languidly behind her. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her coat and offered a very human smile, complete with a dainty blush all the Japanese girls wore in the dramas.

"It feels like it's been forever since I last enjoyed Miso with anyone but my sister."

He introduced himself and she bowed slightly. "Hazimemashite! My name is Isida, Hiyori. Please call me Hiyori, Des-San."

She found herself watching his ears and twitching hers in a similar way whenever they moved.

"Thank you for paying for my fish... I am very grateful!"

Oh, Kami, she had SO many questions!

"... Where did you learn to make Miso?"

Now that was nifty. Des wondered if that was a physical body or an illusion, his nose couldn't tell the difference since she smelled exactly the same. Cat and person in an unique mix that he'd only smelt on himself before. It was more than nice to meet another cat mutant and he was a little envious of how normal she looked in comparison to him. His wildly pink hair with purple tabby stripes stood out no matter the situation and the purple stripes on his skin gave him an even more exotically fantastical look with his fluffy pink and purple tail.

He bowed back to her respectfully, recognizing her as Japanese of all things. What luck! He'd been stationed in Japan for several years during his early days in the navy. "No problem kiddo." He waved off his own generosity with a casual flick of clawed hands.

"Used ta be in tha navy 'n I was stationed in Japan fer a few years before I joined tha SEALs. Gotta say yer country knows how ta treat cat people. Tha closest I've ever come ta bein' accepted fer bein' me was over there. They also appreciated my undyin' love o' fish."

Tilting his head in the direction of the nearest international market he grinned. "Gotta get me some fresh miso ta go with tha salmon, meybbe some pickled ginger too. Mind if we use ramen noodles 'n scallions ta go with it? Don't got no rice cooker ta make rice with right now. When I get around ta gettin' a job I'll buy one 'cause rice just don' turn out right on tha stove."

Her eyes went cartoonishly round for a moment. "Uwa~! I've never met anyone from the Navy before!" Not even the Japanese branch! She had seen the occasional ship sail by once on a blue moon, but never up close. Least of all spoken to a service member! "That's so cool!"

She nodded a few times at his mention of her culture and how they tended to treat cats. "...I can see why. You do kind of look like a Harajuku Maneki-Neko. I'll bet lots of people tried to rub your ears, too." She'd had that happen a few times while wearing a human form. It was much easier for people to approach her when her tails were gone and only the cute ears remained.

"People here can be quite a bit more judgemental, I suppose. Or at least are more vocal about it. Everyone at home tended to keep their thoughts to themselves for the most part."

Her ears perked straight up at the mention of another market. She hadn't known there was another one here! She'd been going all the way across town for months!

"I don't mind. Though, I can't eat scallions. They make me violently ill." She crossed her arms in an X over her chest as a visual. "I replace mine with wheatgrass or carrot fronds."

She followed after him toward the market, eager for many things. The soup, her fish (which she was still clinging to greedily inside her construct), conversation with a new possible friend.

"I can do with just my fish though. I would hate to be a bother!"

And, oh, did she agree with his rice cooker comment. "When my sister and I first moved here all of our luggage arrived late, including my rice cooker! The both of us very nearly starved!"

She giggled, hiding it behind a hand. Okay... maybe she was being dramatic. Her sister found food elsewhere and she did thrive off of a few of the really fat rats around their new apartment for quite a while.

Desire preened in pride at her obvious amazement at his service. It was so nice to be recognized as doing something good and cool even before he added his special forces training into the mix. It stung a little when civilians shunned him for his choice to be military, he'd done it to do good in the world not cause terrible pain or strife. "Thank ya kitten." He said wanting to reach out and ruffle her hair, though refraining from doing so because he had just met the teen.

"Good or bad Americans let ya know where ya stand in their opinion." He shrugged far too used to being scrutinized and labelled as 'other' to call his country any other way. They were a vocally judgmental lot, some areas being better than others as he was finding out New York to be.

"Duly noted kitten. Guess bein' half human helps keep me from gettin' tha cat restrictions. Promise I won't add citrus ta any food I give ya." He crossed his heart with a clawed finger as he walked confidently ahead. He was learning his way around the city now and google had been such a great help in finding everything he needed.

"Ain't a bother if I'm offerin'"

Keeping a grin on his face he kept his gait an easy slow pace, letting Hiyori catch all the landmarks she'd need to find the international market from the fish market. When they arrived at the admittedly sketchy looking store Des didn't hesitate to go in. All the best gems were the ones with multiple health food code violations in them. Fresh produce sat in bins and buckets and he immediately went to find the items he was seeking. Like a connoisseur he poked and prodded produce, lifting it up to sniff delicately before making faces and putting it back down. No, he was going to make a perfectly cat friendly feast for his new kitteny friend.

Inside her constructs tummy, she hugged her fish and absolutely squeed. She'd just met Desire, but she already liked him. Was it too early to consider him a friend? She was never sure when it came to human standards. Cat relationships were simultaneously easier and more difficult.

Deciding to let her happiness show a little, she spread a blush along her body's cheeks and slapped on a wide, toothy grin.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!"

She did indeed take in the sights as they traveled, memorizing them as best she could for later. Likely she would just follow the smells she was picking up to find her way back, as street names and such had no importance to her personally.

When they got to the little place it struck her how it reminded her a bit of home. The baskets, the food out in open are. The smells. She wasn't one to cry, couldn't actually, but it might have brought a tear to her eye had she been human.

Mcgee Senpai went around sniffing and inspecting, and she loitered behind inspecting things with her eyes vs her nose. With her fish so close it was a little hard to focus on much more than what her stomach wanted.

"Ne... you can call me Hiyori-chan if you want. I don't mind, Senpai." Oh goodness, that was nerve-wracking. Getting used to the speed at which Americans used informal names was dizzying a lot of the time.

Thought... she did like 'kiddo'. Nobody had ever called her that before. Her family didn't refer to her as anything other than kimoi, and her mom typically referred to her by name, or as Ojōsan.

Kiddo just made her feel.... different. Like a child. She'd never been treated as such before.