Pampering Pristine Pets Errand Closed

SEPTEMBER 12TH
@Martyna Romero @Lucia Fox

»»————-　✼　————-««

It was evident this girl had some form of sass. The new girl, she looked like a first-year, had practically marched up to a prefect and asked for his cat. Incredible. The girl had already earned her respect and Scarlett was a year higher than her. With hands on hips, the girl had introduced herself as Martyna, or Tina, complimented their names and faces. Rather a handful, but nice nonetheless. No one had ever told Scarlett she had a 'lovely face' before.

Scarlett didn't attempt to stop the rollercoaster of speech coming from the Tina girl, instead observing the cat. There wasn't much to do to, what had Pericles called her, Athena. She was already pampered and incredibly well-cared for. Glossy fur, intelligent eyes...Scarlett hoped for her own kitty some day. Taking part in this event was a step forward towards a pet like that. Obviously Scarlett wouldn't want a cat exactly like Athena - the Siamese looked graceful and regal, something that didn't appeal to the girl that much for a prospecting pet.

As Tina ever so sweetly asked Athena (she called the cat Anthea) to jump on the table, Scarlett quickly corrected her. "I think it's name - her name - is Athena. By the way, I'm Scarlett!"

With a nod to Tina, the Gryffindor hurriedly bounded over towards one of the water bins, dragging it over to the table where her pet-pampering squad was.

"It was easier than trying to get Athena over there," shrugged Scarlett, grinning. "I heard cats hate baths."

With a stretching of her hands, Scarlett said to the two, "Apparently, the flier said wiping cats down with a warm, wet towel helps to clean them if they don't want to take a bath. So what do you think? Hope Athena wants to get in this tub? Or just wipe her down?"

She hoped she was doing the right thing. Animals detested her normally. She was completely clueless about all of this.

1000+/1000
Errand finished

The boy, Carolyn noticed, had exactly the same reaction she would have if Mordred was in danger. It appeared that he cared for his pygmy puff a great deal. That's good, she thought fondly. Thankfully, he also wasn't angry and seemed to be quite friendly and sarcastic, which she could definitely appreciate. "I'll see what I can do," she retorted with a smile. "Though you must admit, he would be the cutest pirate ever." She pointed out while walking closer to the boy and his pet. Still all jokes aside, it was not unrealistic concern. Carolyn would never let such thing happen of course but Mordred was a cat and they were known to be quite unpredictable. "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on him so Chance won't get hurt. I'm Carolyn by the way," she finally remembered her manners and offered her classmate a handshake. "And nice to meet you too," she waved in the direction of the other boy as well. Mordred eyed that one with great suspicion however so she decided not to approach him. They have already caused enough trouble as it was.

After introducing herself, Carolyn devoted all her attention to their furry friends. She promised a close supervision and she would keep that promise. She took Mordred in her arms and held him until Nick placed Chance on the floor then she followed the suit and placed her cat in front of the pygmy puff. "Slowly Mordred," she warned her cat. Thankfully, he already knew what his owner asked of him. She trained him the same way with their dog and all the owls coming in.

At first, Mordred looked quite confused, tilting his head slightly to the side. Probably wondering why he should be careful with a toy. Then the adorable pink pygmy puff moved and it finally seemed to click. He took a step back and raised his head to properly assess the little thing. Soon though, he realised how small and non-threatening his new friend was and grew curious. He crouched and cautiously lowered his head... almost laying it on the floor. Simply trying to get to the pygmy puffs eye level. He sniffed him carefully and stayed still. "That's a good boy," Carolyn smiled at her pet and gave him a treat. Mordred was still looking a bit confused but he was calm and it was clear that he wasn't going to attack. Then Chance went ahead and bonked into him. The witch raised her eyebrow. "He is one brave pygmy puff," she smiled at Nick. It was exciting to see Mordred being nice to something he never saw before. Even after Chance became more playful, he simply poked him gently with his nose or a paw, no sign of claws. "Thank you, I'm glad he got to interact with Chance. He is very choosy with people but usually doesn't have problems with other pets. I'm glad to see that applies for pygmy puffs as well." I wonder what he'll think of spiders. "He seems okay with you though." Carolyn wondered aloud. Nick was quite close to him and even reached a hand towards him at one point but Mordred eyed him with interest. If he didn't like him, he would probably walk away or even hiss at the boy when he got too close to his liking. “I think you can pet him if you want. Can I pet Chance too?” She asked politely.

WC: 766+576 = 1342/1000

Interacting with @Pericles Dralt, @Henry Knight, @Caelan Stewart, and @Carolyn Hunt

The boy with the pet introduced himself as Nick and the ball of fluff as Chance. Robert was about to accept the invitation to pet said ball of fluff when suddenly, a cat jumped between Nick and himself, causing the pet owner to pull back Chance to protect him from the much larger other animal. The cat's owner soon followed, apologizing for her pet's behavior. It didn't seem like the cat was going to attack, but it did seem like Robert had lost his chance to pat what he now understood to be a pygmy puff. However, it was quite hard to stay disappointed after watching Chance roll over and adorably boink Mordred.

Robert was pulled away from watching the two animals play by a greeting from someone he recognized as Henry Knight. Turning around, he waved at the Slytherin, who gave him a quick smile and left the group to find a place by himself. Shortly afterward, Pericles also noticed the younger Ravenclaw and enthusiastically greeted him. Robert was happy to learn that the older Ravenclaw did remember him from their meeting in Diagon Alley, and was even more pleased to learn that he was in fact a Prefect. "Hey Peri! This was a great idea for an errand!" And he really did mean it, much to his own surprise. Robert still wasn't sure if he wanted a pet for himself, but looking around the room and seeing how happy everyone was to be pampering their pets, he could definitely understand the appeal. Robert would have been happy to talk to the Prefect for longer, but it did seem like he kind of had his hands full, and the first-year didn't want to bother him.

Turning back to the group he was currently in, Robert was startled to find Mordred giving him what seemed to be an almost accusatory glare. Unfortunately, Carolyn, his owner, appeared to have also picked up on this, and seemed to be pointedly ignoring him in favor of Nick and Chance. It felt like she was almost mocking him when she asked if she could pet the pygmy puff. Dejected, the first-year began to feel a bit out of place, being the only one in their little group not to own a pet. Looking around the room, he saw that even Henry had gotten his hands on a cat, despite his earlier confession to Robert that he probably didn't have enough money for one. The Ravenclaw began to feel increasingly uncomfortable in the group. It was a mistake to come to this errand, he thought to himself. "Well, I-erm, I guess I'll be going," he awkwardly mumbled under his breath as he started backing away from the group. He was disappointed. He'd almost been at a point where he could understand the happiness a pet could bring, but Mordred and Carolyn's rejection had ruined it for him. Lost in thoughts of what could have happened, Robert began to walk away.

Robert is leaving the thread unless stopped.

WC: 566+495=1061/1000

On her way to breakfast, Xailah had stopped outside of the Great Hall to investigate a paper that had been posted on the wall. She had been doing that since the start of the semester, when the parchment had first been pinned. She did that with most of the things, that found their way to the stone walls of the hall. There wasn't exactly a reason for doing so- it was simply what she did. Similarly to how adults read the newspapers in the morning; she got up to read the notices on the walls. It was habit by this point. However, today she did have a reason to stare at this particular paper. Before the start of the most recent S.W.A.G game, Pericles- an associate of the metamorphs, had invited her, and another friend to an errand he was hosting. He wanted to introduce them to someone- or something along those lines. Why it required them attending the errand, the metamorph did not know; but she did not question it. Normally, Xailah would have agreed to such a thing without much hesitance- if her curiosity was adequately fed. Only- only this time, she was certainly considering it.

The girls attention did not deviate from the paper- her yellow hues locked onto two very specific words. Two very horrible words. Her lips pressed together in a dissatisfied manner, as her slotted pupils traced over every letter. Pygmy Puffs- in neat bold text. Those were the words. Those were the horrible, horrible words. It was no secret that the Gryffindor, had more than her fair share of secrets. And each one seemed to be more surprising than the last. But this one- this particular secret was one of the most innocent, and outlandish of them all. Xailah Alptraum had an irrational fear of Pygmy Puffs. Yes. She who wrestled mosps with her (semi)bare hands. She who attacked a Half-Giant, who was twice her size. Yes, the same lioness who ventured into the Forbidden Forrest; was afraid of softball-sized, balls of lint. It was an unusual thing to be afraid of. Most girls her age were usually scared of spiders, or even the newest Care of Magical Creatures Professor- you know, things that people were meant to run from.

This... fear, had sparked at the age of nine. It was her sister Meadow's, birthday. The two Alptraum girls, had been taken to the Magical Menagerie, to select a pet. Xailah would purchase Schrödinger that day. And Xailahs sister? Xailahs sister would walk out of the shop with a fluffy, pink Pygmy Puff. It was an admittedly fun pet in the beginning. A perfect companion for a bubbly child such as Meadow. But the little creatures charm quickly began to wear off. The pink animal would prove too much for the six-year-old Meadie to handle. She could never remember to lock its cage during the day, so it would almost always escape. The following days would be spent searching for the critter. One time, Meadow had not locked the puffs cage, before she went to bed. The pet would of course sneak out- but this particular time, it would sneak into Xailahs room. Somehow the pink demon, figured out how to get onto the metamorphs bed. It would stick its long, pink tongue into the ear of the little metamorph. Xailah undoubtedly woke up screaming. After that experience, the girl had always steered far away from the bothersome creatures. The Gryffindor shivered, as she recalled the memory she had desperately tried to repress. Blinking, she would realize that she was still staring at the notice, for the pet errand. Well. Now she had something new to mull over, during breakfast.

After a hearty breakfast of waffles, and bacon; Xailah and her cat Schrödinger, would find themselves on their way to the classroom, in which the pet errand was being hosted. So she had decided to show up after all. Xailah had remembered that she silently promised to make an appearance at the errand; when the subject had been brought up during S.W.A.G. The lioness wasn't one to go back on promises, be they verbal or otherwise. If anything, she could at least humor her Ravenclaw acomplice. The Gryffindor was very hesitant to step through the doorway at first. She peered around the wooden door frame, scanning the inside of the room. Lots of cats. She spied a few familiar faces inside- most notably, the faces of two Gryffindor S.W.A.G members. They appeared to be talking to the host of the errand. Pericles. Xailahs attention would fall onto the boy. The Gryffindor, and her cat would enter the room- but oh so cautiously. Her eyes would occasionally wander, to look at all the other pet owners, and their critters. Halfway across the room she would spy it.

It was the most horrid beastie the girl had ever laid her eyes on. Some students gathered around an extremely fluffy, purple Pygmy Puff. Xailah froze. Black pupils shrank, into two brittle lines. It isn't too late to turn back. She looked behind herself. Right? The door looked so far away. She looked forward, at the host. He's much closer than that door. The lioness squeezed the feline in her arms, and brought him closer to her chest. Her grip around Schrödinger's lumpy form, tightened. He mewled as he felt the arms of his mistress, constricting around him. Xailah took a step forward. Two. Three...five, six. She moved swiftly towards her target- made a beeline towards the boy. Her eyes were drawn downwards- she didn't want to accidentally make eye contact, with one of the one hellspawn, that were bumbling around the room. That would be horrible. "Pericles. Lovely seeing you." She called, her voice wispy. She relaxed a little, once she stood out of the general vicinity of the Pygmy Puff. But despite the fleeting wave of comfort; the girl still had a squirming Schrödinger locked, in her Kung Fu grip. The lioness appeared unfazed by the felines escape attempts. "Alan... Piérre" She nodded to her fellow Gryffindors, acknowledging them, before turning towards Pericles. "I applaud what you have done with the place- have you seen Ruby?" Panicked thoughts bounced around, as did her topic of conversation. Her head whipped around, as if she was looking for the girl in question- but really, she was only keeping an eye on the puffs. Xailah was awfully jumpy. That much was evident.

Errand complete
1,074/1,000 words

Interacting with | @Alan Vanes
Mentioning | @Pericles Dralt | @Lizzie Verdine

Interactions open, but please owl/DM first!

There was just a hint of hesitation in Dee's steps as she entered the classroom that hosted the pet grooming errand. While she didn't dislike animals, she generally wasn't particularly fond of them either, not like Aida or Ileen were. A definite exception to that rule, however, were pets that actually belonged to her, like the cat she had at her parents' house, Theophilius. She loved him fiercely, and by extension, she tended to be rather fond of cats. But Theophilius was getting rather old, so her parents had decided it best that he stayed with them instead of moving to Hogwarts when Dee had started attending the school. She missed him.

During the summer break she had tried to convince her mother to get her a pet she could take with her to Hogwarts - another cat, maybe, or a lizard! - but Alexandra Prince had a heart of stone and had refused Dee's pleading eyes without so much as a twitch of her eye. Thus Dee tended to regard her peers with pets with something between longing and envy.

She hadn't originally planned to participate in this errand after seeing the announcement, but, well there was money in it... and she did miss Theo. Maybe she could help someone else with their cat.

It was with this mindset that Dee stepped into the classroom, and automatically scanned the place for familiar faces. Peri earned a cheery wave, as did Lizzie and her odd purple ball of fluff, but then her eyes locked onto a different boy, and she brightened up considerably. They'd just talked at breakfast, and he seemed sweet.

"Oh, hey Alan!" she greeted the older Gryffindor, who was currently kneeling on the floor, picking up cotton swabs. Crouching down next to him, she picked up a few out of his reach and put them back in the box next to him, then grinned, looking around them. "Do you have a pet?" she asked curiously. "Or are you just here to help?" There were a bunch of people around, some with pets, some without, and there was the general atmosphere of slight chaos that came with having a lot of animals in one room.

While most of them seemed to be with their owner or at least had someone taking care of them, there were two rather similar looking cats who were instead chasing each other around the room - the same breed, judging from the rosettes they both had in their coat. The one chasing behind in particular seemed somewhat familiar, and Dee recalled a rather cheeky cat that had tried to sneak into the Great Hall along with Ileen and her this morning - where she'd met Alan.

Eyes narrowed in thought, she watched them for a second longer before deciding that yes, she did think that was the same cat. Watching them made her smile, and she gestured to the two playful cats. "Is one of them yours?" she asked Alan, then winced when they managed to knock a stack of towels to the ground. Suddenly it became clear why Alan was kneeling on the floor, picking up swabs. "Want me to help you catch it?" she asked, both her voice and expression clearly betraying her amusement. "Or you might end up spending the entire day picking up things in this room."

Interacting With: @Robert Toukmond & @Carolyn Hunt

Nick smiled at Carolyn's response to his joke. She clearly had similar humor to him, which was a big relief. Some people in this school can't really read sarcasm and get upset or mad when he makes certain jokes, which has gotten him in a few sticky situations. "He would, though I wonder how the eyepatch would be placed aroond him." Nick said, genuinely thinking about the positioning for a moment. He was by all accounts, a sphere, so the positioning would be pretty weird, especially since he uses his whole body to roll.

It took Chance a bit to realize what he bumped into. He's never met a cat before, so he didn't know if it was alive at first. He rolled back and stared at Mordred until he started pawing Chance. He rolled back for a moment, confused, but then happily boinked into Mordred again. They played for a bit, Chance rolling around, a stark contrast to the very cautious and idle cat. They seemed to be getting along fine, though, his hypothesis about pygmy puffs and cats being right.

Nick snorted when Carolyn called Chance brave. "Heh, more like very dumb." Nick said rubbing the little furball's head. He followed orders fine, at least any orders he wanted to, but he didn't have much common sense. It was probably because of breeding, but Chance would never be afraid to approach someone or something, no matter how big they are.

"Go for it, n' I would gladly pet Mordred" Nick said, picking Chance up and placing him on the table so he would be easier for Carolyn to manage. Chance would stare at the girl approaching him and happily chirp when he received pets. As for Nick, he slowly bent down and put his hand out to Mordred so he wouldn't be intimidated. He then slowly put his hand on his head and started scratching it. He didn't know the cat's favorite spot, but he knew the head was always a safe bet.

The other person in their trio, Robert, suddenly got up and went to leave. Nick cursed himself for not offering Chance up again to him. The poor guy must've felt like a third wheel, and he didn't want that. "Robert!" Nick pipped up, "There's room fur more than one person fur Chance. In fact, the more people the better!" Chance really did thrive off of attention, more so than food surprisingly. If not, he would get restless, which was difficult to manage because it's hard to wrangle a riled up rolling ball of fluff.

WC: 919 + 429 = 1348
Errand Complete

"Heh, more like very dumb." Nick commented when Carolyn complimented his pet, making her chuckle in response. “Well…there's a thin line between those two.” She remarked still smiling. It was true and applied to pets and humans alike. Courage was admirable but too much of it could lead to horrible decisions. She herself didn’t like to play hero unless absolutely necessary. She wouldn’t leave someone hanging if they needed help but she wouldn’t look for danger either. “Thank you,” she said when Nick allowed her to pet Chance and moved him on the table for her. He was really adorable and she was glad to have the opportunity. “You be nice, Mordred,” she warned her furry friend. It looked like he was quite content with exploring the new human though. Carolyn started petting the little pink guy, listening to him chirp. “Aren’t you the cutest,” she cooed at the pygmy puff, while Mordred enjoyed some good head scratching. Soon however, she was pulled out of her little world when she noticed the other boy leaving.

She didn’t even know his name but she knew that face. The young witch herself had the same expression couple of times last year. She was left standing alone three times while she tried to initiate a conversation and it was truly discouraging. Carolyn definitely didn’t want anybody to experience the same feeling and she felt extremely guilty since it was most likely her fault. Thankfully, Nick noticed too and reacted just in time to stop the boy. Then even Henry who was passing by decided to talk to him. She was truly glad to be surrounded by so many good people. “Yes, please don’t leave. I didn’t mean to interrupt or ignore you. It’s just…Mordred can be a bit mean sometimes. I didn’t want to scare you.” She threw a dirty look towards her pet. He meant a world to her and she felt special for being the chosen one but she also felt bad for all the people he didn’t like. If he ignored them, it was okay but he would hiss at a lot of them too, which was totally uncalled for. It could even be scary for anyone that didn’t like or understand cats. “He was already almost a year old when I got him from Magical Menagerie. Apparently, he wouldn’t let anybody close to him. I’m working on that but he is still incredibly choosy,” she admitted, sounding somewhat ashamed. “I can see Chance needs all the attention he can get though. I’m sure he’ll be happy for some nice pets from you? I will have to groom Mordred eventually anyway so I will have my hands full.” She paused for a moment. “I’m Carolyn by the way...from Ravenclaw. It’s nice to meet you Robert.” The witch repeated her name with a smile just in case he didn’t hear her before. At least, thanks to Nick, she now knew his name as well.

WC: 1835/1000

@Lizzie Verdine

Lea had walked away from the older student and their owl after offering a small head nod and a "thanks." The girl now knew a little more about owls- this errand certainly had been a good idea to attend if only to learn more about the options of pets. And while owls seemed like the most useful of pets, the first year was still curious about one pet. The living fluffballs she had seen. Brown eyes would dart around the classroom, starting to head towards the first fluffball she saw.

As the girl grew closer, it appeared as though the student was in a wrestling match with their pet. Apparently the purple puff of fur did not appreciate getting groomed or.. whatever else was necessary to care for such a pet. She had forgotten the specifics on the poster. There was a moment of hesitation as the hufflepuff debated whether she had any actual ability to help this other student. For one, Lea didn't know how to care for pets. And two, there was practically no muscle on the girl- something that might've come at least a little bit handy when trying to hold a pet still.

But she would walk up to the older student, cautiously glancing between the owner and pet. "Hi... d-do you think a.. uh.. treat- would help?" That was currently the best support that the first year could offer, cringing slightly at her ineptitude when it came to animals. "They prob- probably have some that I- I can find."

Word Counter: 875 + 254 = 1,129

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

@Henry Knight | @Pericles Dralt | @Lea Hirsch

Lizzie jumped as the cat went onto the table and whizzed around to look at the boy who quickly apologized, "You should keep that cat under more control. Chief could have been eaten." She said and placed her hands on her hips before scowling, rolling her eyes turning back to the table, "...and this is why I did not get a cat." The girl was not in a happy mood and to nearly have her pet die was not something that was going to make her happy.

She sighed and picked up Chief again while finishing off clipping his nails. Lizzie knew that was the hardest job done. All was left was to try and brush his fluff so it was at least less knotty. Lizzie had figured out that Pygmy Puff's hair were impossible to brush as soon as she had gotten the purple ball. They loved rolling around so much that the hair literally got tangled together. Ultimately, every time she had tried to brush it, she had given up just after 30 seconds of tugging and a lot of whining.

"Hey Chief. It's only a brush." Lizzie said while moving her hand over towards the comb. Chief instantly made another angry face and started to roll around again. He obviously did not want to endure the pain that he was going to go through. Lizzie could only imagine how it would feel.

She turned to look at the prefect that had come up beside her, "Hi Pericles. I think I will only accept help if someone comes up to me. Thanks though." Lizzie nodded her head while darting her hand out for Chief. "I love the idea of this errand. I'm just not sure Chief does." She slammed her hand on the table which stopping the ball of hair.

Quickly grabbing the annoying little rodent, Lizzie lifted the brush with a haste and finally put it on Chief's hair. She took a deep breath before tugging at all the knots, lumps and bumps. She did not want to leave without finishing the task. It was already had been hard to get him to go to the errand and Lizzie was determined to finish it fully. She did not want to go back to her dorm with a scruffy looking Pygmy Puff.

Not so soon after another girl strode up to Lizzie giving her yet again another fright. "Oh my god. What is it with people today?" She laughed and put a hand on her chest while placing down Chief on the table. It was just another one of Lizzie's miraculous mood swings that happened every so often. One moment she is angry, moody and not happy at all and the next its all laughter and joy. She took the girl in with one eye movement and decided came to the decision the Hufflepuff was younger than her. Possibly a first year. The first first year she had actually met. The Ravenclaw stuck her hand out and smiled, "I'm Lizzie. Lizzie Verdine."

Quickly, she looked back down at the table and nodded her head. "Yes. I think it would be good if I got some help. A treat would defiantly calm him down." She gestured to the Pygmy Puff that was rolling around again on the wooden table.

593 + 546 = 1139 COMPLETE