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[Well, he's not exactly what was asked for, but he does cuddle. And he's kind of incredibly lost, so Sprinkles mewls at her. Hey, down here.]

[Oh hi there adorable kitten. Shelby does not see many cats in her neighborhood, and she's exhausted and a little sweaty from her afternoon run, but she'll gently scoop you up and cuddle you anyway.]

Where did you come from, little dude?

[Hey, he's as without a clue on how he got here as Shelby is. At least she's nice enough to pick him up - kitten feet aren't meant for walking really long distances.

He nuzzles into her and purrs, clearly one for affection - revealing a small white thread collar that reads 'Sprinkles' and 'property of SCP Laboratories, Inc.' in black lettering. Clearly, this is not a lab, and not near one, so you see his plight. This has been a long walk with precious little food or water. Or, for that matter, rest, as he yawns in Shelby's arms.]

[She checks the collar and frowns slightly; Shelby's a race car driver, all she knows about science is as it applies to a 135 mile an hour IndyCar. But she can Google that later. Right now she's tired and it seems the little guy is too.

So very carefully, she carries him the short walk into her first-floor, so obviously not occupied by other animals or even other humans apartment, and sets him gently on the carpet while she puts down some water and oh crap she hopes she has something she can feed him in here. Wait, yes there's some tuna.]

[She won't like what she finds; a lot of government redacted sites and websites that go down if they say too much. But it's all Sprinkles has ever known - strange people in lab coats who are not to be trusted and people in normal clothes who want to hold him and coo over him. She's the latter, as far as his kitten brain can tell, and that's good enough for him.

He's not a picky eater, but both the wonderfully cool water and the tuna are perfect for any cat, really, and he purrs from his spot on the floor, alternating between the water and food as the whim hits him.

This is way better than the lab. He's not going to have to go back, is he?]

[Shelby's going to give him a few minutes to eat and drink, mostly because she needs a few minutes to wipe the sweat from her forehead, chug from a cold water bottle and then go sit down heavily on her couch.

She has so much nipping at her mind, with just two days before she has to get on a plane and fly back East for work. So much to worry about. Her fiancee off serving his country in who knows where he is. Wanting to see if her boss offers her a new contract so she can keep doing what she loves and keep a roof over their heads. The bruise under her eye still healing that she's going to get asked about another billion times.

She never saw herself as a pet owner, especially with the travel, but if he thinks he wants to put up with her she'd make a go of it.]

[He starts to feel a little sick after too much tuna, so he walks away from the bowls, full and content, to where she is on the couch. He's too tiny to try to climb it, but he can rub himself against her legs and purr like a motorboat to show her how much he appreciates her being, quite honestly, the nicest human being he's ever met.

Sprinkles never saw himself as a pet because he only knows what life as lab property is, but he can tell the human lady is upset and he nuzzles her extra hard to try to make her not-upset. His is a simple love, but it's there for the taking.]

[Shelby's startled from her thoughts by the contact. She glances down, bends over and scoops him back up so he can sit or rest beside her if he wants. It's obvious that she's lived alone for as long as she's had this place. It's neat and clean and almost a little too perfect.

She leans her head back into the couch, one hand reaching over to pet him gently and show him she appreciates the attention. That hand with the ring that Michael bought her before he shipped off to some place he can't even tell her about.]

You need a hug too, hmm? I know the feeling.

[He curls up appreciatively right next to her, ears a little drooped, still purring softly. His ears twitch at the sound of a human voice, but he doesn't hear the words that usually proceed some kind of pain like 'needle', 'check up', 'higher dose', or 'tube', so he stays relaxed at her side.

He's not going to leave, and all he really needs is someone to treat him like a pet and not an experiment. Theirs is a simple and truthful exchange.]

[She's going to let him sleep if he likes. She's sort of considering a nap herself after that run. Shelby's spent five months doing almost nothing but working 12 to 14 hour days, pushing herself harder than she ever has before, and she's got two more weeks to go. She's spent, and she knows it, and it's not like there's anyone else here to take the workload off her shoulders.

She'll have to figure out what to do for him when she flies to Pennsylvania and then California; she can't leave him here alone, she doesn't think, and she doesn't want him to think she's abandoning him and not coming back and have him run off again. But that's not something she wants to consider now. It requires serious thought and she's not in that mood.]