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Astrid strode forward to greet her two adoptive parents, the cat still nestled in her arms. Her heart was beating far too quickly in her chest for it to be a normal rhythm, and she could feel her eyes starting to bulge. Her skin felt clammy, too. She was more nervous than she had been in a long, long time.

Bijou squirmed slightly as Rebecca and Jesse conversed. Astrid was silent, trying not to push her luck any farther than it would go naturally. However, when she heard Rebecca mention that the apartment didn't allow pets, she made a sound like a wounded animal. That was what she felt like, after all. She had just saved the little creature, and she was suddenly having to face the fact that she could be ripped from her arms after such a short period of time.

>> ”Jesse, babe… do you think we could get away with keeping a cat at the base?”

>> "Well, people get away with doing a lot of things at the base."

Astrid's face brightened suddenly. That was a viable option. She stepped in place and hugged the cat closer to her chest, a gleeful expression on her face. "We could totally do that! We could bring her to the base and let her be the team pet! Maybe the team mascot! That would be so very cute!"

She beamed at her parents. There was no use in trying to hide her excitement from them, anyway. She was very excited. That was a fact, and there was nothing that could bring her mood down. Certainly not the fact that they were talking about bringing a cat into a sterile place, anyway.

By that point, Bijou had managed to squirm right out of her arms. She set her down on the ground and watched as the cat stretched out and went around the room, sniffing the new space that she'd just been put in.

Meanwhile, Astrid put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath in, assuming that the decision was final. "We will probably have to take her to a vet to make sure that she is not sick and then buy her some food and a collar. This will be perfect! Mister Geo and Miss Agnes can watch her when they stay over for the night!"

Astrid's window fell shut behind her with a loud thump. There was no way that both Becca and Jesse would have missed that. She was well and truly screwed. Well, really, she had been screwed the second that she flew back to the apartment building with a live animal. 

The girl knew full well that she wasn't supposed to go out after bedtime. That much was an obvious rule. Don't go flying around New York City after dark alone when there are people kidnapping mutants hanging around. However, there was something about the feeling of being above everything else and, well, free that made her want to ignore the rules that had been put in place for her own safety.

She also knew that bringing a cat home to an apartment that didn't allow pets and two parents who'd already told her that she couldn't have a pet. However, when she saw the scrappy little thing wandering the streets alone, she couldn't very well just leave it there.

It had been alone in an alleyway, devoid of tags or identification, and very clearly malnourished. Beneath the dirt and matted fur, there was a female brown tabby with bright green eyes. Astrid had coaxed it toward her with the cheese string that she'd had in her jacket and then plucked it right up. At first, the cat had been scared, but with some cheese and gentle petting, Astrid had won it over. They were cut from the same cloth; abandoned and then found by someone willing to give them the love they needed.

So, Astrid had high hopes as she jumped down from her bed that late night. Her adopted mother, Rebecca, had a soft spot for strays. Everyone knew that. Maybe, just maybe, if she tugged on her heartstrings enough, then she could get her to agree to let her keep the animal. If not, then Astrid would be making a scene. Either way, there was no way that the critter was going back out on the streets with her around.

"Shh," Astrid whispered soothingly, trying to get the cat to stop wriggling in her arms. She stepped out of her room and down the hall, holding her breath until the proper time.

As soon as she'd reached the room that had previously occupied both of her parents, but at that point only held one, she opened the door. Normally, she would have knocked, but she was too excited to bother. "Mom...s! Look!" She added the s on the end as she remembered what form Jesse had taken that morning.

She held the cat out for the two woman to take a look at. It was a filthy, wriggling, skinny little thing, but there was no denying that it was very cute. Astrid licked her lips and began to the spiel that she'd been rehearsing in her head for her entire fly home. 

"I know, I know, I am not supposed to be going outside after nighttime, but I found this cat! And she's so cute! I named her Bijou because her eyes look like green jewels and I want to keep her," she finished. Her blue eyes were wide as she glanced at the two women who had the power to decide the fate of her new friend.

"Alright," Astrid nodded and smiled. Shiny things and fluffy things could be very distracting - that was a fact that she knew full well. She did, after all, have one of those things on her back at any given moment. Luckily for her, she'd grown accustomed to having them there, so she didn't find them as distracting as other people. Otherwise she would have never gotten anything done.

Cait set out a song on the music stands, and it immediately registered with the young girl. 'Happy', by Pharrell Williams had always been one of her favourite songs. The lyrics were so wonderful, and it had such an amazing beat. It still amazed her that anyone could dislike the song or be annoyed by it. It was like being annoyed by sunshine! Impossible!

"Of course!" Astrid grinned excitedly. She ran her fingers along the page, giving the notes a quick glance over before they played them. It was going to be so fun. "I love this song! It is so happy and lovely. Do you play it often?"

She picked up her violin and rested it under her chin, plucking out a few notes distractedly. "I did a few warmups before you arrived, but we can always do more. Maybe some arpeggios and scales? Do you have a favourite key?"

Astrid had always been partial to E flat major. It was such a joyful key.