As the days had passed, each seeing Philandros a little more energetic...so that he now felt able to visit Hylas and Felix--and pick up the kitten he had been promised! He had been told that it was almost pure white, with fiery-orange ears and tail, and he longed to take the little girl home with him at last. He and Olaf set out along the block north on the cardo, then turned left onto the upper decumanus which would take them to the Forum and the insula where Hylas and Felix had their apartment. By the time Philandros arrived, his limp had started to show a bit, as it did when he was tiring...he waited gratefully to catch his breath as Olaf knocked at the door to the northeast apartment.

Hylas greeted Olaf with a big hug and an infectious grin, and looked at Philandros with a pleased smile--he was glad to see his ex-master able to get around again, and he told him that the shorter hair was very appealing as he moved back to allow them to enter. Seeing that Philandros was a bit subdued, he quickly showed him to a chair in the central room, and brought him a cup of wine.

"What can I do for you--are you here to see Felix, or have you come for your little terror?" The glint in the Greek's eye clearly showed his affection for Flora's kittens...and a reluctance to part with them. Philandros gave him a smile and patted his rump as Hylas made for the stairs to his own room. The scurrying of many feet could be heard coming from the upper room, followed by tumbling and tiny growls and hisses.

"Now, dear Hylas, why wouldn't we come to see you? You are one of the first people I knew in Pompeii, and a steadfast friend!" Philandros' smile broadened as he sipped the wine. "I must confess though, that I've been dying to pick up little Daio since I first heard of her!"

Hylas turned to speak as he went up the stairs: "We've had to put a little gate up here to keep them from running all over the house--now that they're old enough, they get into everything! They might calm down a bit when they get to their new homes--since there's no other cat there...but be prepared for them to see you as a large play toy!"

After some bumbling, a few good-natured curses and laughing, Hylas returned with a small furry bundle cupped in his hands. Bluish-green eyes stared hugely out of a small white face, offset by orange ears and a pink nose. He knelt before Philandros, holding the kitten so that the two could look at each other for a bit...and Philandros let out a sigh of rapture. His green eyes met those of the kitten, and he very slowly put out a finger for her to sniff. Drawing back at first, the kitten soon swatted with a tiny paw, and Philandros began to rub her chin and throat gently. Loud purring greeted this gesture, and Philandros held out his hands, so that his new friend could climb into them.

Within a few minutes, Daio had decided to give this new person a try, and tentatively stepped into his palms, her weight almost negligible, but her presence filled the space in his heart to overflowing. He stroked her back with one finger, eliciting more purrs, and he marvelled at the softness of her fur. Olaf reached over to pet her, and she shrank back for a moment before he realized he should try it kneeling, so he'd be less threatening.

Hylas smiled as he watched the trio bonding...and knew that this little girl would have a perfect home with his old master. That feeling was guaranteed when he watched Philandros gently kiss her on the top of her head, and nuzzle against her, imitating her own purring sounds as best he could. From a corner of the room, he returned with a small ball of wool tied to a string.

"This is one of their favorite toys...besides people! She will play for ages with it, and anything else which will move and make noise like leaves or bits of paper...and you must make sure she has a dish of water at all times, and feed her several times a day--but don't stuff her 'til she's like a ball herself! Right now, very small pieces of meat are good, make sure they are very small, so her teeth and stomach will be able to digest them--if you want to give her a treat, some milk is alright--but not too often, and not too much...she has been weaned off her mother's milk now, so solid food is okay...."

Philandros was surprised at the lecturing tone which had entered Hylas' voice...this was a very serious side of the boy he hadn't suspected...but he listened attentively, wanting to know all he could about raising his newest charge. "What about, um...her toilet?"

The long-haired Greek laughed. "Flora taught them what to do...and they are very neat--for now, provide her with a shallow box of sand and dirt, and she will do her business there...but clean it every day so she has a clean spot--when she is a bit bigger, she can use the peristyle garden, or the box if she is indoors most of the time."

Philandros looked fondly at the kitten, laying contentedly in his lap; "She will have the best of care, Hylas...I promise!" To prove this, he took a very small piece of chicken, and held it out to the little girl--who sniffed it eagerly, and gingerly tore a smaller bit from it, purring as she ate.

"Meat can be very lightly cooked, but be sure it isn't spiced...play with her a lot--she loves to chase things...and will grow up to be a good mouser like her mother! Do you have something to take her home in?"

Olaf produced a wicker basket with a lid, lightly woven and with a soft red cushion in the bottom..."This will do?" Hylas nodded and laughed, his voice catching as he said goodbye to Daio...it was like losing one of his own children--if he'd had any!

Philandros put her in the basket, and carried it himself, talking quietly to the bundle inside, as they exited onto the street...Olaf said his goodbyes to Hylas, urging him once again to visit, taking his eyes off Philandros as he did so.

Busily purring to Daio, Philandros didn't see the young man before he ran into him....