<I totally would,> he agrees. <Wanna skin me?>

"And get blood on your pretty fur? I don't know how to make coats either."

Purr-giggle.

Pet, pet. Sigh of indeterminate emotional content.

Snuggle snuggle purr. Trouble's emotional content is easy to determine: he's a cat, and he's getting petted. Happily.

Yep. He's pretty readable that way. The purring is helpful.

Andi and Ax are in the garage, and she is explaining the cultural context of the Beatles.

<I'm a kitty! Who wants to pet me?>

"Ooh, me!"

Kitty Trouble rubs his face against her leg and purrs encouragingly.

Andi scoops him up and pets him. "Sofffft," she coos.

<Yep,> he says, purring louder. <Soft and fluffy and cute. That's me.>

"Uh-huh! What are you exactly?"

<Part serval, part snow leopard. It took a while, but it's not like I had anything better to do. And now I look like a housecat but I'm way better at killing things! And so pettable.>

Pet pet. "Well, you're an adorable little killing machine, that's what you are."

<Just how many animals of the 'cat' type are there?>

<Hell if I know. Lots. Mostly you just hear about the domesticated kind, though; if somebody says 'cat', that's usually what they mean. People keep 'em as pets. They hunt little squeaky things where little squeaky things are a problem, and otherwise they're just cute.>

<...What kind of problem do little squeaky things present?>

<Eating things they shouldn't, I think.>

<Ah,> says Ax, though he continues to seem puzzled.

"Little squeaky things like mice, Ax," clarifies Andi.

<Do humans not approve of the mouse named Mickey?>

"Turns out," says Andi, aiming her remark at Trouble, "it is kind of hard to do just an overview of human culture for an alien."