Miletus MarketGate: Patrius's Tale of Courage and Wit

The cats were mostly staying in the same room for now. They had been there for a week, and it was getting a little hot.

"This is the third time you've slept on the floor," Theo's voice came from a corner of the small room. It was his fifth night here, and he was getting restless. It wasn't so bad when they had Patrius to keep them company, but she was off on some errands, leaving her two cats alone in their house near the market gate.

"Not that I mind," Aristo replied, "but you're not even making an effort to nap with me anymore."

Theo's tail twitched in irritation, curtain-like ears flattened against his hairless head. "Stop it! You know what I mean."

Aristo sighed, shifting about to look at his fellow feline. He sat up, stretched his front paws outwards and flexed his claws before resting both front feet on Theo's chest. The other cat looked up at him, eyes narrowed in annoyance as he grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath. "You're such a child," Aristobulus continued anyway.

"Fine!" Theo snapped back. "I'll go sleep with her if it means so much to you!"

The elder cat stood up smoothly, padding across the cold stone ground towards the door before stopping short and turning back around to face Theo once again. "It's just that... we have never left our home before," he said softly; his eyes drawn down towards the floor as he thought back on their usual life in Miletos. If he closed his eyes, he could remember it perfectly: sitting on top of one of the city walls and watching ships sail into port day after day; hearing the sound of a certain merchant's voice call out to him by name as he sold his goods at one of the market stalls; even being fed freshly caught fish by a young girl as they rested together on a break while at work; all of these memories were now distant to him thanks to their sudden exile from their home city... That fact weighed heavily upon his heart.

"Well there's always a first for everything," Theo replied with a shrug and walked past Aristobulus towards the door which led to another room beyond that one; not bothering to turn back around as he left behind his older companion who simply stared after him silently before letting out another sigh and following after him regardless.