[Espy]

Ciaran felt Quintus sweep past him as he slunk through the shop towards where Rin usually slept. After several long minutes, the smoke and acrid odor was starting to get to him, burning his nose. He shook his head violently to clear his eyes, and his earring clanged against something metallic and sent it spinning away. The bell...! With a soft *cling*-ing, it hit a wall on the far end under a bookshelf.

...Well...shit. Agile as he was, Ciaran was still the largest shop cat, and would never be able to get that bell. Unless...

He was beginning to become a bit disoriented, and ran headlong into the broom, propped up against a wall, he was looking for. He easily dragged it back to the bookshelf and without much of a hitch proceeding to sweep the bell, now dusty, out from under it. He ran over, picked it up gently in his jaws, turned around to leave...

...and stopped. For the one who spent the least amount of time actually indoors, Ciaran was still strongly attached to his mound of rags that he called a bed. Padding over, he nuzzled it lightly with the tip of his nose, then flopped into it, despite the growing heat and smoke. After some time of tossing and turning, he reluctantly clambered back out, a bit unsteadily, then stared at the pile.

...Really. Why am I doing this...? Ciaran wondered a few moments later as he gingerly dropped the bell in the middle of one of his rags, then took the corners in his mouth. The only way to carry both...

He turned to leave and nearly ran headlong into a strange black cat with a slight limp. But his vision was starting to blur; no time to ask questions. He heaved himself out of the window at a slight run and landed ungracefully outside, sense dulled.