Birds Need Not Apply

Posted on Sun 12th Nov, 2017 @ 4:52am by Wyatt Keller

1,307 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Phaser as Deadly as a Candlestick
Location: Cosmic Creatures,
Timeline: MD 5, mid-morning

As long as she had to come to the Promenade to find the florist and see what she could scare up for Samhain anyway, Ischemia decided this was a good time to stop at the pet store. While a pet was not exactly what she had in mind, it was a place to start. She wondered if there would be black kittens, or perhaps a Raven. She didn't want a bird, though. She wanted something she could hold and pet ... or put down and forget, something that could take care of itself if she neglected to do it.

Stopping in front of the window, she watched several puppies tripping over each other and their ears. It made her smile, and it was true they were devoted companions, but ... not quite what she had in mind. She pushed into the shop door, hearing a dim noise that announced her presence.

Wyatt had been going over the inventory early so when Maia had said she wasn't feeling well, he'd sent her back to their quarters to rest. The morning had been quiet so when the chime sounded that there was a potential customer in the store, Wyatt came out of the back to see if he could help. The tall slender woman stood in the shop quietly looking around.

"Can I help you Ms?" he asked almost cautiously.

"Miss Ischemia Addams, of the New York Addamses," she introduced herself. "And maybe. I'm looking for a pet. I'm not sure what. My sister, Dr. Chlamydia Addams? You may know her if you are ever sick. Anyway, she told me a crow would be best, as they are quiet intelligent, but you know, I just can't imagine one sitting in my lap, or petting one. So, no, not a crow, even if they ARE one of the most incredibly intelligent species. I imagine before too many years, I'll be putting forth a defense for them being classified as sentient." She looked around the shop while continuing, "Of course, they would preclude them from the pet category anyway, so why start something I can't finish?"

Having made a complete circle, while standing in the same spot, Ischemia faced the man again. "What do you have that's smarter than the average four year old?

"Well," Wyatt looked around. "Our ring-tailed Lemurs are really remarkable." He reached into a cage to bring one out for her.

Addams took the animal from him and held it at arm's length with a hand under its tail. It had an intelligent looking face. "Nice markings," she said cautiously. Bringing the animal in close, she waited for something, she didn't know what. She didn't have a feeling of anything from the animal or toward it. It yawned, opening its mouth wide. With a sigh, she handed it back. "No, I don't think so. Something else perhaps?"

"We have some fox kits." Wyatt offered but as he moved to get one from its habitat, he paused. "They make great pets, and they're very intelligent, but they require some care and house training, if possible with a great deal of patience and attention." He held up the small fox.

"Umm, I don't think so. Cute, but ..." she ran her hand over its head and under its chin, then she shook her head,regretfully. "Too much like work." She looked around again. "I do hope I'm not going to have to go with Chlamy's suggestion. That would be so ... boring," she sighed.

Wyatt chuckled a little. "No birds. I'm sure we can find something for you." He looked around at what he had up front and then remembered something. The Addams women were a peculiar group and he'd heard talk from several others about witches, Halloween, and goblins. He hadn't noted anything like that from Ischemia. She seemed quite friendly and in her own way, she was very pretty. But, he wondered if what he had in the back might make a complete picture for her after all.

"I may have something for you." He still wondered. "Let me show you what I have in the back. I wasn't going to put them up for sale just yet because of ... well because of where they came from. They have a very interesting back story." He walked to the back without another word and came back again with two small kittens, both black from head to tail. "I purchased these fellas from a visiting ship. They were picked up in the Beta quadrant on a survivor pod. Everyone on board was dead with the exception of these two. They're healthy now, but when they got here," he shook his head. "I believe they're part Kneazel."

Ischemia looked at the two creatures carefully. "Yes, you may be right. There's a certain ... pointiness to their ears which speaks of Kneazel. One of the cats sneezed at this, and the other gave her a superior glare from light silvery eyes. That caused her to smile, and she held out a hand, not touching either animal. The one on the left, still glaring, leaned his nose into the back of her hand and sniffed. After a moment, he licked her hand once, and then sat back in the shop owner's elbow. She felt a definite sense of the possibility of acceptance, though yet to be earned.

The other cat, also silver-eyed, was slower to respond, more cautious. Schemy waited patiently and after a moment, it sniffed the underside of her hand and then pushed its head into her palm, inviting a scratch, which she gave willingly. A soft buzzing purr started. "Sex?" she asked.

"Male," he pointed to one, "and female." he pointed to the other. "I didn't name them. Maia has a tendency to become too attached if we name them."

"Perfect," Addams replied. "I'll have both of them. Space survivors must stick together," she added, thinking of her sister. "Let's get everything I need right now. Do you deliver to Tivoli Gardens, or do I need a cartage company?" She took the more amenable female in hand and walked to an area hung with harnesses and leashes. The cat in her arms stiffened and there was a definite negative feeling impressed upon her. Surprised, she walked on by that and headed to an aisle with animal treats and toys. Maybe that would be received more eagerly.

"I'll have everything sent to you by the end of the day today. You can take the kittens with you, and I'll bag up a bit of their food to get you through the morning." Wyatt was glad to see the pair were going to a good home. This woman seemed to really care about keeping them together and that alone told Wyatt that she would care greatly for them.

She turned back to the man and reached out a hand to be sure the second animal would come with her. He hesitated, focused on his sister, and then ... she could almost swear he sighed as he stepped onto her arm and walked up to sit on her shoulder. "Oh. Can you hold your balance there when I move?" Of course, the cat didn't answer, but she still had the impressed she'd been called an idiot. Smothering a laugh, she continued into the treat aisle. "Let's see ... chew toys are for dogs. Cat's like ..." she spied a laser toy. "Oh yes, this will do nicely. She picked it up and also a small, soft ball next to it. That will get us started."

Ischemia turned back toward the counter where the man was accumulating an ever-growing pile of supplies. "Something to scratch, yes?" she inquired. "With ..." she paused and when she was sure, she nodded, "okay, with hidey holes in it."

Wyatt smiled. Yesthis was someone who would care for the ill-fated Kneazel.

 

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