Remembering a scene at the cat cafe.
There's this 9 years old cat who have adopted all 4 kittens. At the time this took place the 2 younger ones hadn't moved in yet, and the 2 kittens they had are siblings.
I was playing with one of them at a cat tree when he jumped down and landed right in front of the cat. The cat stopped in his tracks, but the kitten didn't move, so he walked around him. The kitten kept trying to stand in front of the cat and the cat kept walking around him. They made their way through the room like this and by the time they got to the bed everyone was watching.
The kitten tried climbing in front of the cat, but the cat clearly wanted to go to sleep. The kitten took the hint and jumped up at a scratching board next to me. Then I figured it out. The cat he had been following around is the one who usually grooms the kittens. He wanted to be groomed more than he wanted to play.
I got it confirmed when I stretched out my hand to pet him and he lifted his head up to make contact faster. He looked so happy that someone had figured out what he wanted.