Liam sat cross-legged on the floor, peering curiously at the broken wristwatch. Pepper, his sleek black cat, purred contentedly nearby. "Where do you keep disappearing to, Pepper?" he mused aloud, recalling the odd trinkets she'd brought back in the past.

With a playful swipe, Pepper knocked the wristwatch across the floor. It shimmered briefly, the hands momentarily flickering to life. Liam reached out, just as a flash engulfed the room. "What the—" his voice trailed off as the world around him shifted.

Liam staggered, disoriented by the sudden change. Nearby, Pepper lounged contentedly on a senator's lap, her eyes half-closed in bliss. "Pepper! How did we end up here?" he exclaimed, drawing curious glances from passersby.

"Ah, you must be the young man connected to this extraordinary feline," the senator remarked kindly. Liam nodded, still in awe. Pepper's presence here was as confounding as it was marvelous.

The senator explained the peculiarities of the watch, an ancient relic with the power to traverse time. "It seems your cat is a guardian of sorts," he surmised, offering Liam a goblet of wine. "Together, you could explore the secrets of history."

Liam pondered the senator's words, glancing at Pepper, who now sat beside him, her gaze fixed on the stars. "I suppose our adventures have only just begun," he mused, feeling a thrill at the thought of unraveling time's mysteries together.