Scenario:Dante - What is Happiness

What is Happiness?

The cats explore Verona in hopes of getting the local felines to take part in Dante's event, but are puzzled to find no cats roaming Verona's streets. At the same time, Dante becomes acquainted with one of the administrators of a cat adoption fair while passing out fliers for the festival. After the cats return to the ship, Freiheit rushes up to them in a panic.

---

A couple of hours have passed since Dante told the cats about his plans.

Vapaus: Wow, this place sure is bustling!

Rivera: It looks like this "fan festival" that Dante got the ball rolling on has people excited.

Mukuta: Yeah, those non-felines seem to really love partying.

The cats are taking a walk through Verona as its residents scurry about preparing for Halloween.

Aselia: That said...

Aselia: It really is only non-felines. I haven't seen any cats at all.

Mukuta: Yeah... We came all this way, but there's nobody to invite.

The group had hoped to enlist the cats of Verona into participating in Dante's event.

Aselia: I was sure that we'd find someone willing to participate in this stage business with us, but...

Afaka: And it's such a nice day too... Where are all the nappers?

Mewmew: Maybe they have a special secret napping spot!

Afaka: Secret, huh? I guess it can't be helped then.

Rivera: ...
Well, let's look around a bit longer.

Vapaus: Okay, but I'm not going anywhere near the fountain!

Mukuta: I'm pretty sure you can't drown in a fountain.

Vapaus: Tell that to someone who cares! Water is—

Dante: Lords and ladies!

Upon seeing the cats, Dante pushes his way through the crowd to reach them.

Dante: What a delight to meet you all here. Are you on a walk?

Vapaus: Meow!

Aselia: Ryeow.

Dante: You don't say! I'm honored that you would do something like that for the fan festival.

Learning of the cats' enthusiasm, Dante is overcome with emotion.

Dante: I truly am honored, but are you sure it's not a bother? I wouldn't want you all to push yourselves.

Rivera: Meow...

Dante: I see... Yes, you are indeed right.

Dante: If you all have decided in your hearts to do this, than that, too, is freedom.

Dante: You have enlightened me once again.

Rivera: Meooow.

Dante: Indeed, I will return to my own efforts. As I have decided to in my heart—

Mewmew: Mew!

Dante: Ah, Lady Mewmew. Are you perhaps requesting cuddles?

Noticing Mewmew rubbing up against his ankles, Dante gently picks her up.

Mewmew: Mew, mew!

Dante: Oh? Are you interested in that spot?

Mewmew: Mew...

Mewmew buries herself in the fluff around Dante's collar.

Mewmew: Mew!

Dante: Very well then. I will appreciate your company, Lady Mewmew.

Rivera: Meow.

Dante: With that, I must excuse myself, lords and ladies. Please do take care.

Dante: Right then... Lady Mewmew.

Mewmew: Mew.

Dante: My plans for today were to pass out these fliers for the festival.

Dante: The town is already quite excited for Halloween, so there may not be much point to further advertising.

Dante: But I still want to do whatever I can to bring people in to receive your wisdom.

Mewmew: Mew, mew!

Dante: Indeed, thank you for you patience.

Dante begins passing out fliers to pedestrians.

Dante: Please come to the Juliet Cat Festa.

Dante: We'll be running a fan festival along with cats.

Man: Pardon me, might I have one of those?

Dante turns to the source of the voice to see an amicable-looking man.

Dante: But of course. Here you are.

Man: Thank you.

The man quickly looks over the flier.

Man: A festival to express our gratitude for cats... How wonderful.

Dante: We'll be holding it in the Rose Theater on Halloween.

Man: I wouldn't miss it for the world. Thank you for letting me know.

The man then turns his attention to Mewmew, who is still perched on Dante's shoulder.

Man: What a cute little kitten you have there.

He smiles at Mewmew, but she turns her nose up at him and buries herself in Dante's collar.

Mewmew: ...
Mew!

Dante: It would seem Lady Mewmew is a little sleepy. How free she is.

Man: Haha, cats are like that sometimes. Personally, I find it makes them all the more endearing.

Man: I take it that you're a cat-lover as well?

Dante: I revere them from the bottom of my heart.

Man: You revere them? What an interesting fellow.

Man: Ah, I know. Are you aware that there's an adoption fair for cats going on right now?

Dante: An adoption fair?

Man: It's just what it sounds like. We take cats off the streets and hold a fair to look for people who can give them good homes.

Man: Some are sick or injured when we pick them up, but we nurse them back to full health before putting them up for adoption.

Man: Once they check out, we find an owner for them who's a good fit for their personalities and needs.

Dante: Hm... I've never heard of such an endeavor before.

Man: I'm actually one of the fair's administrators.

Fair Administrator: If you're interested, please come and take a look.

The man bows his head with a smile and leaves.

After parting with the administrator, Dante brings the sleepy kitten riding on his shoulder back to the Grandcypher.

Dante: We've reached my room, Lady Mewmew. I will lower you to the ground now.

Mewmew: Mew!

Dante: Oh? Have you conquered your sleepiness?

Mewmew: Mew, mew!

Dante: Hm, I see. Then I will prepare your meal.

Rivera: Mrow.

Dante: Ah, my lords and ladies, you've returned.

Vapaus: Meow.

Dante: Yes, of course. I will return with all of your meals.

Dante: Please give me some time to prepare them.

Once Dante leaves the room, the cats all begin lounging about in their favorite spots.

Vapaus: I'm famished after all that walking. I bet I can eat a whole lot today!

Rivera: Right... But in any case, we never did find any other cats.

Aselia: We sure didn't...

Mukuta: Did you see any while you were with Dante, Mew?

Mewmew: I didn't see any cats. I did see a lot of not-cats though!

Mukuta: I see... You didn't do any better than us then.

Vapaus: Maybe all the cats in this town are the indoors type?

Afaka: It sure is nice to sleep by a nice, sunny windowsill after all!

Vapaus: I like being inside sometimes too. Like when it rains for instance!

Rivera: Indeed. Different cats all have their own preferences.

Mukuta: Do you think that they were all hiding because there were a bunch of outsider cats wandering around?

Aselia: I hope not—I'd feel guilty if we were making them uncomfortable.

Mukuta: Either way, it doesn't look like we'll be able to enlist them for the festival.

Vapaus: Well, that's not the end of the world, is it? We can just do it ourselves.

Rivera: ...
That's true enough. Dante wouldn't want us to push them to participate anyway.

Afaka: Hey, hey! Do you think we'll be—

Freiheit: Guys!

What is Happiness?: Scene 2

Freiheit breathlessly explains that he can't find his kids anywhere on the ship. A short time later, Dante hears about the situation and makes his way to the cat adoption fair. He finds a young girl looking forward to having a cat, a high-class woman, and the fair administrator he had met earlier.

---

Afaka: Whoa, you surprised me!

Freiheit: Haa, haa...

The cats are startled by Freiheit's sudden entrance and frantic demeanor.

Rivera: What has you so troubled?

Aselia: Wait, have you still not found your kids?

Freiheit: No, I haven't. The wife and I have searched every corner of this ship and they still haven't turned up.

Freiheit: The only thing that I can think of is that they went into town!

Freiheit: And after I warned them so many times to stay on the ship!

Vapaus: Oh dear... Well, I can understand being interested in everything you see at that age, but...

Mukuta: It's probably not good for them to be out there on their own.

Freiheit: Yeah, who knows what they'll run into!

Freiheit: So please, help me find them!

Freiheit: I hate to bother you all with our problems, but...

Aselia: It's not a bother at all. Of course we'll help.

Rivera: We should hurry. Let's get going.

Freiheit: Thanks! I really owe you guys one!

Mukuta: Should we tell Dante? I'm sure he'd help us.

Freiheit: No, we'd best not. He's already busy enough with the festival as it is.

Vapaus: That's true. He was outside all day and only just got back to the ship, so I bet he's famished too.

Rivera: Indeed... But I suppose we should leave someone to let him know once he gets back.

After a quick bit of deliberation, the cats decide to leave Afaka behind.

Mukuta: We're trusting you, Afaka.

Afaka: Leave it to me. I'll let him know as soon as he's back.

Aselia: Right then, let's hurry!

Some time after the rest of the cats leave...

Dante: Thank you for waiting, everyone. Your meals are...

Dante: Oh? Everyone but Afaka has left? Where...

Afaka: Meyaow.

Dante: Yes, indeed, they were all very hungry, especially Lord Vapaus.

Afaka: Meyaow...

Dante: Oh? Then Lord Freiheit joined you?

Afaka: Meyaown.

Dante: And he appeared to be concerned about something... I see.

Afaka: Meyaoown.

Dante: What? Lord Freiheit's children are gone?

Dante: That is an emergency indeed!

Afaka: Meyaown.

Dante: So everyone has gone off to look for them. Understood.

Dante: I too must make haste to take part in the search!

Dante heads back into town with Afaka.

Dante: Hm...

He stands deep in thought as he looks across the still-bustling town.

Dante: ...
I think I have an idea of where they might be.

Dante: This may be dangerous, so I would appreciate it if you would make your way back to the others, Lady Afaka.

Afaka: Meyaoown.

Dante: Indeed. We must find Lord Freiheit's children without fail.

Dante: I see, I see...

After parting with Afaka, Dante makes his way to the cat adoption fair.

Dante: This is quite the event.

The fair is filled with the excited chatter of couples and families looking at different cats as staff members answer their questions.

Dante: Hmm... Though I would say that the true essence of cathood is the freedom to determine one's own lifestyle...

Dante: It cannot be denied that some require protection. I should not dismiss the value of this endeavor out of hand.

Dante: Though it does concern me that they've elected to put all of these cats in cages...

Young Girl: Hey Mister.

Dante: Hm?

Feeling a tug at his sleeve, Dante turns around to find a young girl looking up at him.

Young Girl: Are you dressed up like a cat?

Dante: Ah, you can tell? I've prepared this outfit for Halloween.

Young Girl: You must really like cats.

Young Girl: I like cats too. My mom and dad brought me here today.

Young Girl: I hope there's a cat here who will be my friend.

Dante: Cats are excellent teachers. Should you befriend one, you will no doubt find much to learn from them.

As Dante talks to the young girl, he spots someone he recognizes out of the corner of his eye.

Fair Administrator: ...

Dante: That's...

Young Girl: What's wrong, Mister?

Dante: Though it saddens me to cut our conversation short, I have a task I must attend to with haste.

Young Girl: Haste?

Dante: Yes, haste. I pray that you will meet a good friend today.

High-Class Woman: ...

Fair Administrator: ...

As he makes his way through the crowd, Dante sees the man he has business with approach a woman who had only just arrived.

He then watches as the two of enter the back rooms.

Dante: I must go after him!

What is Happiness?: Scene 3

The fair administrator offers two kittens to the high-class woman, but Dante recognizes them as Freiheit's children. He asserts that their freedom must be respected, but the administrator retorts that cats must be provided safety and happiness. Suddenly, Freiheit himself arrives and rescues his children. Having watched those events play out, the woman declares that she'll respect the cats' own decisions and promises to come see Dante's festival.

---

Dante follows the pair past a sign that says "Staff Only" to a small room.

High-Class Woman: There's no need to go to the trouble of giving me special treatment, you know?

Fair Administrator: It's no trouble at all. There's hardly any call to vet you and go through the whole spiel again.

High-Class Woman: If you say so.

Dante hides behind the doorframe and peeks into the room.

Dante: (Could that woman be a local dignitary of some sort?)

Fair Administrator: We're already fully aware that you can provide a suitable environment to any cat.

Fair Administrator: Did you have any specific qualities you were looking for? If so, I can go and find some potential adoptees that fit.

High-Class Woman: Hm... What's special about the cats in this room?

In the room are several cages containing cats that don't seem any different from the ones on display in the main hall.

Fair Administrator: They're simply waiting for their turn to be put out in the hall.

Fair Administrator: Actually, some of them we took off of the streets only recently...

Dante: (Confound it, I can't see behind him...)

Fair Administrator: Would you perhaps be interested in these kittens?

Fair Administrator: Though every cat is different, many are best able to adapt to a new feline in their household if it's a kitten being added.

High-Class Woman: My, how cute. There's two of them I see. Are they perhaps siblings?

Dante: (Those two are...)

Dante leans into the room as he squints at the cage.

Dante: They really are Lord Freiheit's—

Security Guard: Hey you!

Dante: ...!

Security Guard: The back rooms are staff only. What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?

Dante: Right, well... You see, I'm advertising the Juliet Cat Carnival, and...

Security Guard: I can understand being excited about Halloween, but that's no excuse for trespassing.

Security Guard: Come on, back to the main hall!

Dante: I cannot do that! I must save the—

Fair Administrator: What's going on over here?

The fair administrator hears Dante and the security guard arguing and comes to investigate.

Fair Administrator: Aren't you the man who told me about the fan festival?

Dante: Indeed... I was hoping to speak to you.

Dante: I would ask that you release the kittens in that cage immediately.

Fair Administrator: What in the...

Dante: Those two are the progeny of my esteemed mentor, Lord Freiheit.

Fair Administrator: I have no idea what you're talking about, but...

Fair Administrator: These kittens were found digging through garbage in the alley behind this building.

Fair Administrator: I cannot return them to someone who's standard of care would leave them that desperate.

Kitten 1: Myan, myan.

Kitten 2: Pyeow...

Dante: I assure you that they were merely playing. And to my eyes, it would seem that they wish to return to their parents.

Fair Administrator: What are you saying! Do you genuinely think so little of the obligations that come with owning a pet?

Dante: I am not their owner.

Fair Administrator: How woefully irresponsible! In that case, there's no reason at all for me to surrender them to you!

Kitten 1: Myan...

Dante: These two are still young, and as such their curiosity may lead them astray at times.

Dante: There can be no question that they still need guidance from myself and their parents.

Dante: However, that guidance must not be so overbearing as to restrict their freedom.

Kitten 2: Pyeow.

Dante: By ignoring their wishes and trapping them in a cage, you have far exceeded that limit.

Fair Administrator: "Trapped" is an unreasonably point choice of words. We've taken them under our protection for their own safety!

Fair Administrator: I have always worked purely for the happiness of each and every one of our—

High-Class Woman: Eek!

Security Guard: What!

Suddenly, a window is broken and something flies into the room.

Something black and white, and holding a pole.

Freiheit: ...

High-Class Woman: A... black cat?

Fair Administrator: Why does it have a pole?

Dante: Lord Freiheit!

Kitten 1: Myan, myan!

Kitten 2: Pyeow!

After sticking his landing, Freiheit raises his pole to strike.

Freiheit: Mreow!

Fair Administrator: Aaahh!

With one swing, Freiheit breaks open the cage containing his children.

Kitten 1: Myan!

Kitten 2: Pyeow!

Having attained their freedom, the kittens trip over themselves rushing to Freiheit.

Freiheit: Meorw.

High-Class Woman: Oh my... Is that their father perhaps? The little ones seem pleased.

Fair Administrator: Ma'am! This is hardly the occasion for such carefree—

High-Class Woman: Hello there.

The woman slowly approaches the cats and crouches down before them.

High-Class Woman: Would you all like to live at my house? There's no need for you to be separated.

Freiheit: ...

Freiheit looks at the woman for a moment, then nonchalantly turns away from her.

Freiheit: Meorw.

Taking his kittens with him, he leaves the room.

High-Class Woman: Oh dear, it seems I've been rejected.

Fair Administrator: Do you not understand how dire this situation is, Ma'am? Now those cats are going to go back outside and face who-knows-what kinds of dangers!

Fair Administrator: They would be far happier being cared for by someone who will keep them safe and sound indoors!

High-Class Woman: Well, I won't tell you that you're wrong. It's certainly safer for them to stay inside. However...

High-Class Woman: I believe that the question of what will make them happiest is neither certain nor simple.

The woman stands up and walks to another cage.

The cat inside has obviously seen more years than any other in the room, and is sitting quietly in its cage with its eyes cast down.

Senior Cat: ...

High-Class Woman: How about you? Would you like to come with me?

Senior Cat: ...

The elderly cat slowly opens its eyes and, after looking at the woman for a moment, opens its mouth a little.

High-Class Woman: Hehe, then I'll be happy to have you.

High-Class Woman: I'd like this one. Is there anything I should know about him?

Fair Administrator: Oh, but...

Dante: Do you have the ability to discern this gentleman's wishes, Madam?

High-Class Woman: That's a good question.

High-Class Woman: The only thing that I can give him is a life that I imagine to be a happy one.

High-Class Woman: It could be that, in the end, that just means a life that I'm happy with.

Dante: ...
I see.

Dante nods at the gently smiling woman's words.

Dante: Sometimes a cat's path will cross with ours, or run alongside ours for a while, or perhaps split away. To accept that or to fight against it is a choice to be made in one's heart.

Dante: That too, is part of the freedom I revere.

High-Class Woman: Hehe, what an amusing gentleman. Are you dressed like that for a play or something?

Dante: Indeed, something like that. I have prepared it for the fan festival that is to take place at the Rose Theater on Halloween.

High-Class Woman: Oh? Will you be playing the leading role?

Dante: Perish the thought. That position belongs to the cats.

Dante: The rest of us are merely to observe them in their noble, natural state of freedom.

High-Class Woman: My, how fun that sounds. I'll be sure to go.

Dante: Very well, we will look forward to your visit.

Dante tips his top hat to the woman as he sinks into a deep bow.