Fluffybutts

Posted on Thu 7th Sep, 2017 @ 11:57pm by Maia Dalton

961 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Unity Week
Location: Cosmic Creations
Timeline: MD 4, early afternoon

The kitchen at Orchids & Jazz was never off-limits. Chef Holmes kept a friendly atmosphere going, in spite of being an exacting task master. So she wasn't particularly surprised to see Jenna Clark enter early in the afternoon, just as she was getting ready to take her afternoon break.

She whipped off her apron and flung it at a hook saying, "Uh, uh, uh! No you don't! I'm out of here for three hours and there's nothing you can say to make me stay. I don't care if the President of the Federation is here for a meal, I'm going!"

Jenna laughed, "You're such a character. I don't have a thing to say. Go enjoy yourself. Stop by Cosmic Creatures while you're out."

"Why would I stop at a pet store on my limited time off today?" Marin asked, walking toward the kitchen exit.

"Because you want to see the blue Tribbles."

"What! Tribbles are illegal!" Marin exclaimed.

"Not these. Go. See. Buy." Jenna took the Death by Chocolate which the dessert chef handed her. "Shoo. Scoot. Time's flying!"

Marin shook her head and left the kitchen. As she walked through the dining room, she waved to Jade and then stopped for a minute to chat with Reon, before heading out into the Promenade. Blue Tribbles? she thought. I never heard of such a thing, and anyway I don't need any pets, especially the multiplying kind!

Nevertheless, almost against her will, she found herself standing in front of the Promenade Directory. It only included the decks 25 below and 25 above deck 600. "If you aren't in these 50 decks," she muttered to herself, "I'm not going to come looking for you." But there it was, Cosmic Creatures, Deck 625. "Just my luck!"

A quick trip 25 decks down, and she checked the Deck Guide to see where the shop was. "Everything is conspiring against me!" Marin exclaimed out loud, causing a few odd looks to come her way. The shop was two doors down from the lift. "Well, maybe they'll be out of the wee bairns."

Stepping into the shop moments later, she saw a large tree in the middle of the store. She didn't know what it was called, but it was larger than she would have expected to find anywhere on a space station. She walked closer and reached out to touch the trunk, checking to see if it was real. "This can't be real," she said to no one in particular.

"Oh it's very real." The soft voice of a young woman answered. "Maia Dalton." The voice introduced itself as Maia swung down from an upper branch and smiled. She quickly righted herself and took a purple ball of fluff by the tail and attached it to the branch next to her. "Can I help you find something?" She asked as politely as she could before hopping down off the lower branch of the tree.

Marin was fascinated by the fuzzy animal which the woman had left on the tree. "What is that thing?" she asked. "It isn't blue so it can't be a blue Tribble." She took her eyes off of it long enough to meet Maia's eyes. "That's what a friend told me you have here. So what is this purple thing? And I thought Tribbles were banned."

"Tribbles are banned on bases and ships. But those aren't Tribbles." Maia smiled. It seemed everyone was making that mistake. "See the tail?" She asked as she picked the small creature from the tree branch. On closer look, the small fluff ball looked much like a pastel hedgehog with a long tail and short snout. It was also much softer, its fur reminiscent of cashmere. "It's a Polyfluff. Just a baby but he's strong and healthy." She smiled. "No thanks to the Ferengi that was selling them." There was a tone of anger in her voice.

"Oh? These are rescue animals, then? Do you mind ... that is ... may I hold ... him? or her? It?" Marin asked hesitantly. "How many do you have?"

"They are rescues." She nodded as she handed the small furball over to the woman. "And orphans." She gave it a small pat. "He's the last one, runt of the litter and all." Maia shrugged. "I think he's the smartest though."

The little animal snuggled right into Marin's elbow and she lost her heart to it. "I noticed you picked it up by the tail. Is that the normal, expected thing the mother would have done?" It wasn't a cat, so Marin knew it wasn't purring, but she could feel some kind of energy emanating from the small creature. "And is it supposed to be emitting energy?"

"Their tails are prehensile, so they are used to hanging by them. I wouldn't pull it or carry him long distance with it." She grinned as she looked down at the critter. "He likes you. That's the vibration you feel. It's almost like a cat's purr but silent. Only the person it's meant for can feel it." She pet the blue fluff. "He's telling you that he feels safe, content, and loved. I think you've found a forever friend."

Marin sighed happily. "I think I have, too."

"Yeah!" Maia jumped up and down as she clapped her hand. "They're really easy to care for and they aren't fussy about their diet." She fumbled through some papers on the counter. "This is just a quick list of do's and don'ts." She handed the paper to Marin and kissed the fluffball in her arms.

Half-listening, the chef grabbed the sheet and waited to place her thumbprint on the payment screen. Then, walking along in another world, only half paying attention to the world around her, she and Rex headed for home.

 

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