[PRP] Lost and Found [Hemlock x Shimmering Sea]

[Nym]

Hemlock was stressed, and reasonably so. Ivy made a habit of exploring the great outdoors, with or without Hemlock's permission--if he could pretend she cared for something like that-- and at any time of the day. She did what she wanted, and, honestly? Honestly? Hemlock let her. He didn't believe in controlling his "pet" and viewed her as her own entity -- an entity that was half the time dependant on him, but if she wanted to roam free he wasn't going to stop her as long as she was safe. Ivy always came home to him before he went to bed; an unspoken rule that had developed between them over her kittenhood. She always came home, rain or shine, and Hemlock had comforted himself with that knowledge. Except now she hadn't. It had been three days. Three agonizing and painful days for the witchy gardener. He had begun panicking on the second day, and the third had been spent pasting fliers in every nook and cranny of Phonyland. He would have spammed the internet if he had a phone or computer or anything that could access it, but Hemlock was this close to selling everything he loved to do so. Ivy was his baby -- his sun, his moon, his best friend. She was everything to him, and the thought of something having hurt her made his blood (or whatever acted as so within him) run cold. Not Ivy; anything but Ivy! He wished it was he in trouble over her. The fliers had his home address written all over them and a promise of something as a reward. He was a poor man, sure, but he had things... really, he'd give anything to get her back. The concern of safety hadn't dawned on him, and if it had he would have shrugged it off. If someone came to his home to hurt him due to his poor planning with the fliers then so be it; he was not only a poor man but a lonely one. No one would really mourn him. Maybe his coven, but Hemlock wasn't entirely sure. Ivy would miss him. Ivy -- ooooh, Ivy! He paced his house anxiously, slipping between hundreds of plants and worrying away at his hooves as he relentlessly trudged through his house, huffing and sighing every few minutes. He should go back out there and look for her again, but what if someone came? What if someone had found her and was trying to find his house? Oh -- he couldn't risk it. Not today, at least. He had a feeling something was going to happen, and he hoped it was good.

@HopelesslyPretty

[HopelesslyPretty]

The past forty-eight hours had been rather busy for Shimmering Sea. Her normal routine of long walks to source natural materials for her artwork had been quite literally thrown for a loop. Instead of driftwood she'd found a stray feline not far from her beach-front studio. Where did the cat come from? Did she get lost? These were the first questions the artist had wondered to herself while observing the beautiful little lady from afar. You didn't often find cats in such close proximity to the water... and this one seemed far too well-behaved to be feral. Of course the merphony had wanted to help but convincing a cat to follow you home was a lot harder than she'd expected! It had taken her some time to build enough trust with the pretty kitty to safely bring her back to the studio but it had been well worth the effort. She'd been pleasantly surprised to find that a bit of fresh tuna had gone a long way!

Without having any pet experience of her own made the whole experience more stressful than she'd imagined but naturally she knew a cat would need food, water, and a comfortable place to sleep. Shimmer had spent her afternoon gathering all the necessary items she'd need to help make her new companion feel more at ease in an unfamiliar place. Her worries were luckily eased by the little lady's sweet personality and eagerness for cuddles - all of that attentive doting was paying off when she'd heard that first precious purr! It had warmed her heart and made her feel all fuzzy inside to think that maybe the budding relationship might turn out to be better than she'd ever expected.

The second day Shimmer had gone to Phony City to look for any clues about where the cat had come from. Checking the local animal shelter and veterinary offices hadn't provided her with much luck... but that was when she stumbled upon a flyer with the exact photo and description of the little lady! Her first hunch had been right - someone did in fact own this cat and that she needed to be returned to her owner who was definitely missing her. Unfortunately there wasn't a phone number listed so additional research had to be done on the artist's part to figure out where exactly the kitty belonged. Shimmer promised on every abalone shell she owned that she'd reunite the two as quickly as possible.

With a sense of duty and urgency Shimmer purchased a carrier the next morning to start her mission with success. She couldn't risk losing the kitty on the journey to take her back home. The trip hadn't been too long and passing through the woods was a lot easier when you had a handy-dandy hover device! Shimmer was grateful that ride had been pretty smooth for her companion who hadn't made much of a fuss at all along the way. When they finally arrived at Hemlock's cottage, Shimmer carefully adjusted the carrier strapped over her shoulder. The area was a little rustic but there was something rather charming about it - despite the simplicity of the property she could tell that the garden was dutiful manicured and the plants all seemed to hum gently with a calm but protective energy. Whoever she was about to meet, Shimmer could definitely tell that this phony also shared a love for nature - with that in mind she felt more confident than shy as she gently knocked on the front door. "Hello! Is anyone home?" A loud meow sounded from the carrier and Shimmer couldn't help but giggle softly. "I'm here to drop off Miss Ivy!"

@Nym

[Nym]

There was a knock. There was a knock! He had hoped and waited and begged and pleaded and now there was a knock, which meant one of three things;

1. Someone had come for his services (He really hoped not.)
2. Someone was trying to sell something. (Please no.)
3. Someone was bringing Ivy home. (By far a superior situation).

Or, really, it could easily be unfortunate news about Ivy, but Hemlock was not the type to stress himself out by thinking of the most negative possibility. Or, maybe he was, but if he pretended otherwise he could perhaps discourage karma from biting him in the butt. It didn't matter- someone had knocked and he was rushing to the door in an uncharacteristic flurry, sidestepping plants and even catching a tumbling pot. That'd never happen on any other day, but this wasn't just any day! No! This was--hopefully--the day he got Ivy back.

The door opened to reveal a far smaller phony. Someone who had traits he realized he only had a name for; a Merphony. He had never met one prior, nor had he truly considered how they'd get around, but it made sense. His eyes scanned her, an action he normally would carefully avoid to ensure others didn't think he was judging, but-

"Meow?"
His baby.

"Ivy!" He cried, ears flattening for a brief second. He wasn't someone ever so jovial or loud, but the relief that poured through him had turned the normally quiet stallion into an excitable mess. He snapped his attention to the mer and sighed lowly, shoulders dropping. Thank the makers. "I was so worried, thank you! I- I'm Hemlock. I can't believe you found her."

The nerves had begun to set in and he shifted his weight, avoiding eye contact in favor of the safety of looking towards the small orange paw he spotted sticking out of the carrier. "I'm sorry-" He gestured faintly into his clean but plant-filled home. "Would you like to come inside? I- gosh, I'm sorry, I'm just relieved. I can't believe she's back home."