The sound of loud barking laughter startled Coli, causing her to straighten up, eyes wide. As Nier's mirth faded into chuckles, she managed to return a halfhearted smile, unsure what she had said that had been so funny. "Oh... Bran hates him, really? I'm sorry to hear that -- you two seem so close," she murmured as the explanation was offered. The two Stormbringer brothers seemed inseparable, connected in body and spirit. She did not know them well enough to discern their individual likes and dislikes, so it surprised her a little to learn that they had such a glaring difference when it came to cats, and that Nier would choose the kitten over his brother's discomfort. She felt a little twinge of guilt over having had similar thoughts as Bran -- 'waste of space' seemed harsh, but it did seem, well, uneconomical to spend so much time and energy adopting a wild animal. But her opinion had already been swayed from that. Ciaran was charming, and now that he could seemingly take care of himself, it was less responsibility and more companionship.
"He's only seven months old? He looks so grown up already..." Coli remarked, smiling at the pride in Nier's voice. She knew nothing about the various cat breeds, of course, but it was hard to picture the cat getting even larger. "So, um... he'll be like a bobcat?" She added meekly, imagining the dark tabby with wide snowshoe feet, chasing rabbits across the snow. That could be useful if he was taught to retrieve prey -- maybe Bran would appreciate that, too.
