Lance McClain and his friends— the ones that were around his own age— noticed an obvious change in their parents after the alleged meeting with Yorak. Each family responded differently, but none have been left completely unaffected.

Lance's chose to leave him in the dark. He's not sure if his siblings, beyond Luis, know about it or not and he's almost afraid to ask them. Being the baby of the family was fun when he was little because it meant that he usually got what he wanted when it came to toys and sweets. It was less fun when he was an adult and his parents treated him like he was still a child, like he couldn't handle much of anything on his own. Like whatever was discussed in that meeting would strike him dead on the spot.

He wants to know. But it's a hectic time of year, so he hasn't had time to meet with Hunk or Pidge privately to ask them what their parents told them. And when he sees others, it's because he's making or receiving a delivery. He spends many days confined to his farm, hard labor leaving him a creaky-boned and sweaty mess with no time or energy left for socialization, passing out the moment the sun sets.

That's why it is a good two weeks before he finds himself near the center of the village again.

He has developed a sort of routine. He's been determined to befriend that pretty cat since he first saw him sneaking around Shiro's Sweets, and befriend him he has. Sort of. Kitty still hasn't allowed Lance to pick him up, but he DOES allow Lance to pet him. Takashi wasn't joking when he said that the cat takes its time to warm up to new people.

Lance got into the habit of carrying around extra sweets and snacks— stuff safe for cat consumption— and presenting them whenever he saw Kitty. The cat eventually approached. After several of these exchanges he started allowing Lance to touch him, just barely. He only likes to be pet on the head. If Lance's hand dares venture past his shoulders, he snarls. Lance doesn't want to ruin their new friendship, so he is always quick to apologize and return his hand to the space behind the cat's ears.

He keeps an eye out for Kitty as he wanders the town square alone. He's finished his deliveries early and is taking the opportunity to potentially meet up with some of his pals. Maybe they'll tell him what went on at that meeting. He knows that they're likely working, though, and there are crowds of decent size in the marketplace, so he has no intention of bothering them when they're at their busiest.

Lance squints, white-hot springtime sunlight burning into his eyes. It makes Kitty's dark shape harder to spot, but he does spot it. Kitty keeps to the bushes. He's probably headed for Takashi's place, but for whatever reason, he is especially sneaky.

"There's my little guy! You almost blended into the shadows there, huh?"

Lance approaches with an offering of dried fish. He knows the cat is expecting its bribe by now and would likely be annoyed if he waltzed up without it. And by now, he is accustomed enough that he takes the fish without needing to sniff it and inspect it first. Lance watches him eat and strokes his soft little head. Kitty eats strangely and must have been someone's pet once. Lance brought him fresh fish once and Kitty didn't seem to know what to do with it. He doesn't have trouble with the dried fish, but he does hold it between his paws and take careful bites like a tiny person might. It's strangely endearing.

It takes him a bit too long to notice the change. His fingers brush against something, and that's when he notices the ribbon around Kitty's neck. He grabs for whatever it is and Kitty hisses at him.

"Fine! I won't touch it!" He puts his hands up to indicate his surrender. Kitty goes back to eating. Lance moves his head around until the sun's beams finally reflect off of the dark metal. It appears to be a small key, and it's fastened around his feline neck with a length of sturdy ribbon. "What are you doing with something like that, anyway?"

Kitty, of course, does not answer him. Lance doesn't want to get scratched, so he makes no effort to grab the key. He does notice, though, that the cat seems even more on edge than he usually does. He eats quickly and keeps looking around for possible enemies, or maybe for those that would steal his fish.

Lance is stationed there, crouched down by the bushes, for what could not be any longer than two minutes as Kitty eats. Just two minutes before the marketplace spirals into chaos. Lance is looking at Kitty, and then hears a horrifying warrior's scream as a woven basket comes flying out of nowhere. Its handle barely grazes Kitty, but it does not land atop him, as was apparently the intention. Kitty yowls at the top of his tiny lungs and bolts past Lance and into the fray that is the town square. He quickly realizes his mistake, but it's too late. People are shrieking and either jumping back to avoid him or grabbing at him. Lance jumps to his feet.

"What was that for? What's going on?!" He shouts at Romelle, who threw the basket. She isn't listening to him. She's jumped atop a nearby wall.

"NADIA! GRAB IT!"

Nadia looks up from the crowd of customers in front of her family's stalls. She puts down the melon she was handling— gently, of course— and throws off her apron before she springs into action and leaps over the barrier of vegetable crates. Her eyes are locked on Kitty. It's been a while since Lance has seen her sprint like this.

He watches the chase in confusion and horror. Even with several girls working to corner the cat, he's just too fast. He manages to escape the market square and runs down the street, and then he is a dot in the distance. He didn't even get to finish his fish.

Shaken by the incident and knowing that he won't be able to get the attention of either girl he knows while the square is still in such an uproar,  Lance returns to his home and asks his sisters if they know anything about it. Both of them and his brother Marco start talking at him at once, and he can't make out what any one of them is saying. He shouts over them to take turns.

"You seriously still haven't heard?!" Rachel scoffs. Lance glares at her.

"No! It's not like any of you told me!"

"You have to get up so early," she retorts. "We haven't had a chance to gossip in a while and you KNOW I can't say anything if mom or dad is around."

"Don't forget about Luis," Marco adds.

"But— But I'm almost always working around Luis!" Lance's work involves the animals, most days, and Luis is in charge of that. Marco helps dad and Uncle Roberto with planting and harvesting while Veronica and Rachel help mom and Luis's wife Lisa with the flowers. The McClain farms are practically an enterprise now, and it's not uncommon that he doesn't see these three siblings for four days because they're all so busy working in different sections.

Veronica shrugs.

"Exactly. If we could have found you alone we would have filled you in, but I was sure one of your friends would have told you by now. I guess you've been pretty busy, though..."

"It's too fast," says Rachel. "There's no way either of those girls could catch it. Romelle just sews!"

"You're not supposed to be going after it!" Marco reminds her through gritted teeth. Rachel scoffs.

"Well, if it's for the village, then—"

"Is ANYBODY gonna tell me what's going on?!"

The story that Lance's siblings tell him sounds almost impossible. He's not even sure what he should believe. Takashi has made Yorak out to be nothing more than a bit of a grouch and largely misunderstood, but according to everyone else, he's gone into the cursing business. The only way to cure Coran, Veronica explains, is to take the key and then marry Yorak. It's no wonder that Rachel has been forbidden from trying to catch the cat.

"I guess Romelle and Nadia are willing to do it, then," Lance guesses. "Romelle makes sense. She was the first to volunteer. Nadia might have just been trying to help her catch him."

"You're not going anywhere near that cat," Veronica commands. Lance throws his arms out at his sides.

"I never said I was—"

"You didn't have to."

Lance isn't about to let Veronica tell him which animals he can and cannot befriend. The next day, he buys a sweet roll from Takashi's place and looks around the village for Kitty once more. He finds the cat and a small crowd of would-be-cat-catchers by the riverside. Plaxum's father is backed as close to the water as he can get without falling in, rod in hand, as Ina and Pidge attempt to catch the black shape that darts back and forth.

"Katie!" James sprints towards the scene with Ryan hot on his heels. "Knock that off! You're too young!"

"I don't care if it'll get me out of being a small-town doctor for forever!"

"We both know you don't mean that!"

James takes a moment to catch his breath before he crosses his arms. Ryan settles in beside him and observes silently. As he usually does. Lance isn't going to try and grab either of the girls, so he approaches the two of them instead.

"You guys HAVE to calm down and leave the cat alone," he pleads. "Kitty can be touched pretty easily if you offer food and take your time."

Both men (and Plaxum's dad) stare at him, bewildered.

"Are you familiar with this cat, Lance?" James looks like he might just explode. Lance is sure James has heard no end of this whole predicament from his father.

"I am! I've been feeding him treats for... I don't know how long exactly, but it's probably been weeks now. And then suddenly everyone was trying to grab him by the tail."

Lance is yelled at by several people at once for the second time in two days. Ina and Pidge overheard him and intend to give him a piece of their minds. James is furious that Lance has not said anything to them about the cat. But why would he? As far as he knew it was another cat. He doesn't announce it every time he pets another dog the next town over, or every time one of the cows nuzzles him or a baby chicken eats out of his hand.

"I didn't think it mattered that I started feeding a stray cat," Lance says with a shrug. Ryan shakes his head.

"You're not supposed to feed strays."

"Is it... really a stray, though? Or is it really a cat at all?" James wonders.

"That's not the point!" Pidge is on the verge of ripping her own hair out. "Lance, give me your bread roll."

"I don't know if—"

"Give me the roll!"

Lance sighs as he rips the bread into a few pieces. There's a piece for Pidge and a piece for Ina. Carefully, quietly, both girls approach. Both are hissed at. Ina is so startled by it that she runs to stand behind Lance. Pidge is just irritated. Lance half expects her to hiss back.

"I don't think the cat likes women," Ryan says. James scoff-laughs and smirks at him.

"What, you think it's a misogynist?"

"Oh, no."

"Well, that's good, because—"

"I think it's gay." It's Ryan's turn to be shouted over now. He isn't one to yell, so he just holds up his hands and waits until he can speak again. "It's a familiar, right? We can assume that this is not a normal cat, and that it does have some kind of purpose. It acts as an extension of its master. Of Yorak."

"Okay, and?!"

"So, what if Yorak is gay? Did anybody actually ask him? He wasn't interested in any of the brides, but he DID agree to a marriage contract."

James open his mouth as if he is going to protest. He shuts it. There is a long silence. Then, the next thing Lance knows, he is chasing them all down as they rush up the hill to Yorak's house. Ryan has his bow ready just in case. James has a heavy piece of wood and Ina opted to grab a frying pan from Plaxum. James likely has his father's voice in his head when he insists on being the one to knock.

Lance holds his breath. This is the closest he's been to the warlock thus far.

The door creaks open slowly. Yorak doesn't seem especially angry this time. Maybe that's because there's no mob, and there doesn't appear to be an offering, or because he's already established his contract with the village and knows they know better than to try and weasel their way out of it. Lance can't really see him past Ryan, but confirms that he and Yorak are around the same size and that he wears a hood over his head.

"You again," he greets, sounding tired. His voice is distinctive enough to be picked out of a crowd. "Did you want something?"

Pidge is normally one to boast, to pick on those far bigger than she is. Now, she is terrified and clings to Lance's side, preventing him from moving in order to get a better look. He doesn't say anything.

"You recognize us?" Ryan seems surprised. Yorak hums.

"The two of you. And that girl. Pity about your father." Lance assumes that Yorak is referring to Ina, to Councilman Leifsdottir.

"Right," James agrees. "It's a shame. ...Now, we really hate to bother you, but we had a question regarding your challenge. Your cat."

"Yes?"

"You're, uh... Are you gay?"

"Yes."

Lance can sense that the group would like to shout at Yorak. They don't have the guts, though, so it's left to James to express their mutual frustration.

"W-Wh— Why didn't you you just say so?!"

"Why did YOU assume?"

"That's fair," Ryan says despite James' protests, eying him sternly. "We shouldn't have. And we're sorry about that."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Ina adds. Yorak's head tilts.

"I— I know?"

Yorak seems more confused than anything. Maybe witches don't make judgements about that sort of thing. Plaht isn't unfriendly to the idea— Takashi would have a harder time running his business if it did— but it DOES treat marriage like a contract meant to do nothing more than bear children, so the elders do tend to make assumptions.

"Oh. Oh! Well, I mean, I guess that's good—"

"Will that be all?"

Everyone looks at James.

"Uh... Yeah. That's all. Sorry for bothering you."

The door slams. Not violently, but firmly enough to get the point across— that Yorak is bored of them now and won't entertain their company any longer. They stand there in silence before they march back down the hill. Not defeated, because they did learn something valuable, but feeling very silly nonetheless.

Halfway back to the town square, they spot Kitty again. James and Ryan sprint after it in lieu of the girls this time.

"No, guys! Slowly and with food— Slowly and with food!"

It's too late. The cat has once again been chased away. Lance's chest collapses in a heavy sigh as he resigns himself to eating what is left of his bread roll.

— ◦ ◐ ◦ —

A/N:
lance, dropping food on floor: here you go, kitty! some fresh fish!!
yorak, internally: i mean i guess that's nice of you but why did you throw it on the fucking ground?? you're gonna have to give me a minute