[Manhattan] Purrfect First Impressions [Occult/Salem]

He had been in his own headspace for a while as he marched down the corridor, but as soon as a voice rung out from... somewhere, Jamison would stop himself in his tracks and look around, soon enough locating the source of the voice itself as he'd look up to spot... a cat. Was this cat really the one speaking? Or was it someone projecting their voice into it? He'd squint his eyes in slight disbelief, and Ezmo... 'stared' at him, even with his lack of visible eyes.

"... Okay, either I had too much Hennessy the other day, or... no, of course there'd be a soddin' talking cat." Jamison huffs, a bit bashful over being caught off-guard in a sanctum filled with the mysterious and magical. "Aherm, sorry about that, lil' fellow. But yes, uhm... we're looking for one 'Mr. Saberhagen'? The Doctor said he'd be around this wing of the sanctum. I suppose you don't know of his whereabouts?" he'd inquire. All the while, Jamison's imp companion was not done staring STRAIGHT at Salem, almost as if the demonic creature could TELL that something was up. He was a creature of mischief, so naturally, he'd be attracted to it like a fly is attracted to cow-dung.

"... I dun' like this one, Boss. He's giving off a weird vibe." he mutters aloud to Jamison, and for Salem himself to hear. Letting him know that out of the two of them, at least SOMEONE kept their (unseen) eyes on him. "Better watch yerself, kitty cat. I dun' like people who mess with the Boss, y'hear me?"

"Ezmo... what have I told you about aggressive greetings?" Jamison slowly pushes Ezmo down on his shoulder again, letting the demon piggyback ride off of him, but still Ezmo did stare at Salem. "He gets a little... antsy with new people sometimes. Don't mind him. But I agree... strange you'd pop up with such convenience. Who are you, exactly?"

"Making deals! Pah! He's already got a deal with me, kitty! So shoo!" Ezmo blurts out again, getting a bit defensive once more, but Jamison calms him down with a FIRM, but endearing head-pat, the imp mumbling and slowly relenting.

"And that, Ezmo, is once again what we call a 'metaphor'. Plus it wasn't THAT type of deal, even I can tell." Jamison tells his imp, before he turns just in time to spot the cat leap down from the cabinet and start to trot down the corridor... in the same direction he just came from. Now that was a bit odd... he had been instructed SPECIFICALLY by the Doctor himself that he was in THIS wing of the mansion. So why was this cat now leading them AWAY... it made him scratch his head a bit, but he'd simply smile. "Well, how about you go ahead. I will have one last look around here before I return. Oh and don't worry, I should be able to track you with no issue." but before he even finished his sentence, it seems that the cat already took off. Now Ezmo hops off his master's back and moves to stand in front of him, while Occult just mumbles to himself.

"I say we just ditch'em, Boss! He's clearly up to no good! Even I can sense it!" he huffs indignantly, trying his best to be supportive of his master, and give him hints that this clearly was a bad idea. But, it seems that even Occult was starting to feel something was off with this. "... Boss? You thinkin'?"

"... This is all buggerin' me far too much to be a coincidence." he mutters aloud as he marches back and forth in the hallway. "How come he so conveniently shows up, and offers me to find Mr. Saberhagen just like that... is this a trick? Is he just fuckin' with us?" he gives up eventually though, deciding to just roll with it. "Well, let's see if our feline friend can tell us what we need after we help him." he says, as Ezmo just huffs, but agrees with him eventually as he joins his side and moves off with Jamison, as both of them eventually spot him in the kitchen of all places. "Well, here of all soddin' places huh? So then, my fancy little feline... what 'gifts' are you actually in need of, hm?"

"Well, just saying this is a big place. I suppose you'd think that anywhere you'd sit would be your throne, if my experiences with cats are of any use." Jamison jovially just informs Salem, while Ezmo just huffs as he'd plant his hands at the edge of the kitchen island and pulling himself up to where he could rest his chin on the edge, looking over at the cat and still keeping his 'eyes' on him. Especially when the little rascal of a cat had the gall to ask Jamison to do something so menial of a task! But, to Ezmo's surprise, his human companion would just smirk a bit and nod. "Certainly." and he'd just give a quick glance to Ezmo, before turning to look into the cabinet.

"... Wha' the hell's Bobunk?" Ezmo then asks Salem while Jamison occupies himself with digging out the perfect can of extra virgin olive oil-soaked tuna. The imp pulls himself up further on the kitchen island, propping himself up by his arms and elbows as he tilts his head curiously, the tip of his very elongated hood seemingly moving on its own, like a tail made out of cloth, as it'd rub across his head in confusion. "Tha' doesn't sound real! You're just makin' stuff up!"

Ezmo was busy pulling himself up proper onto the kitchen island to sit himself up on it, cross-legged and elbows on his knees as he kept his hands propping up his chin. The little imp seemed absorbed into Salem's tale about this 'Bobunk'... sounded like a weird holiday. He'd tilt his head a bit as Salem went onto his tirade, kneading his chin idly in his hands as he just listened to him. "Eeehh... sorry bud', still not fully convinced y'ain' just spewin' hogwash. Bu' wait... y'said you were partyin' in the Other Realm? Ain' no way a CAT could just be struttin' his way into the Other Realm! Ye'd hafta be a dang good magician to get to the realm o' demons! Or at least find someone who can take ya there!"

"Either way... terrible soddin' loss of a perfectly good holiday, from the sounds of it!" came the voice of Jamison, followed by a grunt of struggle as he was digging around the cabinet, until he found his target; a can, not of the tuna that Salem requested, but spicy pickled jalapenos. He'd smirk to himself, and while Ezmo would keep Salem busy and occupied with entertaining his ranting about 'Bobunk'... and his admittedly odd tale of being to the Other Realm... Jamison would wave his free hand and swipe it across the can he had picked up, and with a quick use of Illusion magic, he'd change the can of jalapenos -- the can and label themselves, the contents, and even the aroma of said contents -- into a delicious-looking, fine can of fresh tuna, soaked in only the most extra virgin of olive oil.

"Ah~! There we are, sorry about the wait!" he'd huff as he pulled himself out of the cabinet, and walk back to the kitchen island, and popped the can open for Salem, revealing the oil-covered, 'fishy' content inside. "Dig in, friend!"

"Ezmo!" came Jamison's quick command, to which the imp only grinned and saluted Jamison the moment Salem shoved the can off the counter, and the imp fell backwards and off the counter, but did not land on the floor. Instead, he landed on a shadow cast by the kitchen island, and zipped right into it, only to pop out of another one right where the jalapenos were supposed to land, catching the jar that had now returned to its original state. "Got it Boss~!" he declared, through a starting fit of demonic cackling as Ezmo ended up rolling on the floor with laughter at their little jape, bashing his fist on the floor laughing while Jamison just smirked coyly, and opened up the nearby fridge door to pull out a container of heavy cream, opening up the lid and putting it before Salem, and immediately pulling his hands away and holding them open, as if to show no trickery was involved.

"Dairy products help to numb the spiciness." he explains before he would sit on a stool at the island, elbows propped up and his chin resting on his tucked-up hands, staring at Salem with a bemused look. "... 'Whoever said I was a normal cat'. Indeed... you truly said it yourself." he muses with a bit of a smirk. "And missing the convenience of thumbs, showing you HAD them at one point, but was then transmogrified... into this. Something tells me... I've had the man I was looking for right under my soddin' nose. So, how's about it? You tell me EXACTLY who you are, and maybe... I'll make it worth your while. I'll grab an ACTUAL can of tuna for you. And let you keep the cream. Do we have a deal?"

"Apparently nothin's sacred to ya either, pussy-cat!" Ezmo butts in as he has already clambered back up along Jamison's back, now perched atop of the warlock's shoulder for a bit as the man just grins a self-satisfied grin at the cat, hands put together and fingers splayed out. Oh he was loving this far too much, he could tell. He was really trying to reel himself in, but that grin was all but plastered to his face. "We's ain't as dumb as ya think, cat! I could tell from the beginnin' something was fishy, even without ya precious tuna. An' I dun' take kindly to people messin' with tha' Boss." that last sentence devolved into something truly threatening, as Ezmo's right clawed hand opens up slowly, an orb of brilliant orange and red arcane energies floating and growing in size, up to the size of a baseball, until--

"Ezmo. Down." came Jamison's command, to which the orb of energy was snuffed out in an instant, and Ezmo huffs and scuttles back to sit on the edge of the kitchen island. "Tuna coming right up." the human then adds as he moves over to the cabinet once again, and this time grabs a can of olive-soaked tuna. For real this time. "I'll even have a bit myself to prove it. Fancy having a momentary 'poison' taster?" he'd chuckle jovially as he sat opposite of Salem once more.

"Now then... where were we?"