<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/steusloffa/Junk/9b4c67d7-5e06-4750-8d35-191de0acc40c_zpsagryk5tp.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 200%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #BF0000">I Z U</span></span></span></div><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000">"I do not believe Zoltan would have brought me home if he felt it were unsafe..."</span></span><br/><br/>Her words didn't help ease the unrest Izu felt, though it was in his nature to expect conflict.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000">"It is far more comfortable to shed these unnecessary garments. I believe you might get used to it if you try it...You already know how I feel about these items you call clothes."</span></span>Izu furrowed his brow a bit, he wasn't keen on being completely naked. It wasn't a big deal that everyone was going be nude, but Izu was just a bucket of pessimism. Clothing just offered so many benefits over being naked, at least that was how Izu saw the matter. Still, he would try being somewhat normal among Alida's people. Perhaps he could figure something out to wrap around his waist, sort of like a robe bottom.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Knock Knock Knock</span></span><br/><br/>Zoltan left little time to react, letting himself into Alida's room before addressing the pair.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF8000">"I was hoping to find you two here, Princess Alida. How are you feeling, Prince Izu?"</span></span>His words left a bitter taste in Izu's mouth, surely he knew better than to poke a bull with a stick? Either way, Izu let the<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">King</span></span>know his displeasure by offering him an especially venomous smile.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000">"Did you find anything?"</span></span>Alida was the first to break the painful silence, brushing some hair from her face. Izu glanced over to the girl from the corner of his eye,<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #BF0000">She's curious about if I'm really ok with being like or not I guess.</span></span>His thoughts trailed off a bit as Zoltan addressed the situation some more, only being brought to the present moment by the sting of being called a Prince again. Izu furrowed his brow, obviously displeased that this man wasn't picking up on his hints. Izu wasn't exactly a very subtle person either, nor was he likely to bite his tongue for much longer. When suddenly....<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000">"Marmalade!"</span></span><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #008000">"You need to get Marmalade! I will not celebrate anything until I have my kitten back!"</span></span>Zoltan seemed surprised by the sudden request,<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF8000">"I don't know that it is a good idea, Alida---if it is an animal you speak of, then certainly it will manage to surv---"</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #408000">"NO!"</span></span>Alida cried out, stomping her foot.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #408000">"He is more than an animal! He is a part of our family!"</span></span>she insisted, becoming more irate with each passing moment.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #408000">"We have taken care of him since before he could even take care of himself! You can't just leave him there! You and Izu have to go get him!"</span></span><br/><br/>Izu had been smirking and enjoying watching the King plead with an upset Alida, that was until she brought him into the equation.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #408000">"Y-y-you c-can-tt leaveee h-h-immmm!"</span></span>Alida was a wreck, and was that a spit bubble? Izu cringed slightly as his partner broke apart in front of him, his gaze locking with Zoltan for only a brief moment before returning to the pleading Alida.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #FF8000">"Alright! Alright! Shh. Alida, please. We'll get this Marmalade you speak of, won't we Prince Izu?"</span></span>Zoltan said as he looked up to Izu, his eyes begging for him to step in.<br/><br/>Izu scrunched his face up into his hands, trying to think quickly of some solution to their problem.<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #BF0000">"We'll figure something out Alida, I promise. Mar has food in her dish and water, she'll be fine until we can figure something out. We won't leave her there, but we can't just snap our fingers and poof her here-"</span></span>Izu paused, why couldn't they just poof the damn cat here?<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #BF0000">"King somethingoranother,"</span></span>Izu made no attempt at his name,<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #BF0000">"How did you bring Alida back? You didn't intend to get me back, I wasn't a part of the plan. How did you home in on Alida? How long until we can do that again, and what do I need to do to get it done now?"</span></span>Izu asked with an authority he spoke with only when it concerned Alida's happiness.<br/><br/>Luckily, the only thing stopping them from bringing the cat back right at this moment was a lack of a way to track the kitty, and time. According to Zoltan, they would need either a piece of her fur or something the kitten would have recently had. At that, Izu perked up and reached into his pocket before producing a simple plastic milk ring from a gallon of milk.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Mar stashes these in my pants all the time, would this work?"</span><br/><br/>Zoltan eagerly took the milk ring, explaining what he was going to do, and that it would probably take some time to locate the kitten. Izu chimed in with a look to Zoltan,<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="color: #BF0000">"We can do it at the festival if everything is going to take time to set up anyway, right Alida...?"</span></span>He asked, slightly seeking her approval in hopes of having defused the situation.