Pampering Pristine Pets Errand Closed

Nell was relieved when Miranda accepted her offer, and the two were off. Nell couldn't really see anyone who needed help just yet. "Honestly, I really don't see anyone," Nell said, continuing to look around. "There are a lot of cats though," Nell said with a tinge of excitement in her voice, since she really loved cats, "Do you want to see if any of their owners need a hand?" Nell looked at Miranda with hope. There were in fact a lot of cats in the classroom getting their grooming. Cats are a very popular pet though. When Nell was living back home, all of her neighbors had cats. They were mostly all outdoor cats, except for a few including Nell’s cat. It would be so fun to finally give a cat care again after all these years. She really missed having a cat. It was probably her favorite childhood memory, even though she almost attacked Nell once but that’s a different story. The air of the classroom spelled like treats and shampoo - a familiar smell that made a thin smile grow across Nell’s face. She looked over at Miranda, who didn’t wear the same expression. ”So?” Nell asked her again.

Time to have Miranda face her fears >:)
Note to All: Does Anyone Actually Need Help With Their Pet?

@Lizzie Verdine

Lea blinked, a little taken aback by the first comment. The girl was quick to introduce herself, though, adding a name to the face. Lizzie. She watched the hand, her own hand shaking it half a second later than normal. "Lea... Lea Hirsch." This seemed like a very unusual introduction, but perhaps that was because there were pets involved. It was making everything just a little more crazy.

Perhaps there were some negatives to having pets. Maybe there was a reason why her parents didn't want her to have one. Really, she should've expected this- they had proved time and time again that they knew more about the what was good for the girl. But sometime soon she would get there- to when the girl could make good decisions on her own.

"Alright," that she could do. The girl would offer a quick nod, before disappearing into the mingling groups of students. It wasn't too hard to find the treats- she had seen their general location when trying to find the owl and its owner. The only difference now was that it was a treat for pygmy puff instead. Rummaging through the different treat and treat bags, the girl would eventually find the treats for the living fluffballs. She'd grab a few before wandering back over to Lizzie.

"Here," her hand would extend out to show the newly found treats. Since it wasn't her pet, the hufflepuff didn't directly give any to the fluffball itself, concerned about being bit or something more that was required before receiving a treat. "I- uh- do you need any more help?"

Sometimes the world could be cruel. Either that, or it simply had a cruel sense of humor.

Seriously, what were the chances that of all the animals Nell could have picked, she chose the one that would bother Miranda the most? Well, possibly pretty high considering the amount of cats there were compared to other creatures, but at the moment she wasn't thinking about that. Her thoughts were more preoccupied with laments of what exactly she'd gotten herself into? Now that Miranda really thought about it, and believe me, she was thinking about it hard, touching a cat, let alone washing it, sounded nigh on impossible.

Unfortunately, she was true to her word. Which meant finding the least threatening-looking cat in the room - which already sounded like a ridiculous prospect - and asking its owner if they needed help.

Miranda glanced around the room, her gaze catching on all of the visible cats before moving on. There were so many...and most of them seemed less than friendly, at least in her eyes. Finally she decided on a silver and black-spotted cat with vivid golden eyes that was being tended to by a raven-haired girl that looked faintly familiar - perhaps they'd had a class together before? The girl looked to be the same age as Miranda, anyways, so that was probably it.

"Why don't we go help her?" she asked Nell, then started towards the cat's owner if Nell agreed.

WC: 562 + 312 + 310 = 1184
Complete (but I'll still stay to roleplay)

@Dan Palmer (interacting with)
@Pericles Dralt (don't mind my mentioning)
@Miranda Everest @Nell Zoldak (if you'd like a cat to help out or play with, there's Dan and his cat Loki - I think? I dunno ask Dan it's his cat. XD Or Andrew's rat Penelope, if you're curious)

Pericles Dralt was one of those unique-looking wizards whose white hair and silver eyes stood out from the majority. Though they hadn't had many encounters, Andrew would recognize the Ravenclaw prefect, as soon as he entered and swept his gaze around the room. "Thanks Peri!" Andrew would call back, returning Pericles' compliment with a smile. "Will do," he'd reply, both in reference to the pumpkin seed offer (which Andrew would head off to fetch right afterward) and reassurance to help Andrew if problems arose.

He could see there were several students who didn't have their own pets and were eagerly looking to help others with theirs (or mooch some pats off of them). Andrew didn't think he'd need any help with Penelope (or that there would be too many others who'd want to pet a rat; since the cats in the room seemed to be getting all the attention).

Of course, sharing the same bunk bed and being besties, Dan and Andrew rarely left each other's side at school (except when Dan had Quidditch; Andrew unfortunately couldn't share a broom with him during those times, but even then, he'd be watching Dan from the stands or beside the playing field). Either Dan had slept in later (no surprise if it was from Quidditch practice) or Andrew had gotten up earlier than usual (being the early bird he normally was) for the two boys' breakfast times to be a few minutes out of sync (though Dan did have a bigger helping of celebratory weekend fried potatoes to finish, while Andrew had gone off ahead to meet Dan later at the assigned room).

Dan's bare feet could have easily snuck up on him, if not for Andrew anticipating Dan's arrival with frequent glances at the doorway. He'd wave and call out to get Dan's attention, letting his friend know where he was, before resuming his task of bathing Penelope while Dan tackled Loki's clipping.

Andrew would turn to grin at Dan and Loki as the two four of them were reunited once more, but didn't raise his voice to greet them right away. "Shh… I think she's sleeping," Andrew whispered, stifling giggles as he pointed his eyes at Penelope. All that massaging had been really relaxing, for the rat to close her eyes and fall into a comatose nap, her tail end still soaking in the warm water while her chin and front paws were propped on the life-saving raft of Andrew's arm.

He wiped his free hand on his pants, before fishing out a dried mealworm from his sweater pocket. "Pin-pin, wakey-wakey…" He dangled the treat in front of Penelope's nose, its aroma inciting a twitch of her sniffer as she jerked awake, stretching her neck to reach the morsel and grab it with her teeth. "There you are, you're alive," Andrew joked as the rat clutched the mealworm between her paws and began munching on it.

"Hey Loki." His fingers would scratch the feline's cheek before reaching for a towel to rub down Penelope with. The drying, spiky-furred bundle would squirm out of Andrew's hands and dart over to Loki with a few happy chirps, cuddling and climbing all over her playmate for a tussle in between all the chasing that was bound to occur. Andrew felt confident enough that Loki would keep a bodyguard presence over Penelope if she ran into trouble. Although… maybe setting Penelope down early wasn't the best idea, in preparing Loki for bathtime.

"So, do we Freeze him? Throw him in the bin?" Andrew chuckled. Loki wouldn't be able to put up a fight against Immobulus (though others in the room might condemn it as animal abuse, forcing a petrified Loki into water).

Having been best friends with Dan for a while, as close as close could be, Andrew knew all about Dan's crush on him, though it had taken him a while to fully catch up on it. Puppy love or any kind of romance, just wasn't on Andrew's brain, nothing he had ever felt before or cared to get entangled in. His parents had assured him that those kind of feelings weren't something he should have to worry about right now, at his age. That they would inevitably hit him when he was older (though Andrew partly doubted that). Love just seemed so…demanding. It changed people, made them clingy and delusional. All the more off-putting for Andrew to want to get involved with. As evident when Dan had fed him the laced Chocoball one fateful Valentine's Day, in a spiral of depression after losing his ex-boyfriend Ozzy, though Andrew had long since reconciled with Dan after that incident. He didn't understand why Dan had feelings for him - out of all people - there were tons of better-looking, smarter, braver, more popular students than him. The attention was flattering (especially coming from the Quidditch Captain), but Andrew had to be forthright about his own feelings as well, and that was, he didn't have any. Not for Dan, at least. Or any other guy, he supposed. Naturally, Andrew's eyes were drawn to girls, and though he knew beauty when she (or he) walked on by, his mind wouldn't dwell on it for long.

Still, he did his best to be sympathetic with Dan, and didn't pay Dan's crush much heed in a way that would alter their friendship. He wanted Dan to feel better, maybe actually try his hand at match-making, if a new boyfriend would help mend Dan's broken heart.

"How's things going between you and Ozzy?" He'd ask Dan, lowering his voice slightly to keep the conversation private. Andrew wasn't one to pry too deeply into personal matters, except maybe when it was his best friend involved. He had found out that Dan and Ozzy had shared a moment of reunion at the Secret Blossom Ball, though he hadn't yet inquired Dan about the latest, not knowing if the two had resolved things or made up or were still even remotely talking to each other. Had Dan moved on from the past or was he still clinging onto old feelings?

Word Count:1018 (+712) = 1730/1000
Errand complete
(sticking around for interactions)

Nell agreed with Miranda to go help out a fellow student. "Sure!" She followed right behind Miranda and got to the girl. She looked familiar... And then it hit her. Her and Nell had chatted at a celebration (or something of the sort) in the Room of Requirements. Her name started with a C... Chloe? No. Callie? No. Carolyn! That was it. Nell gave Carolyn a friendly smile and for once, said something. "Nice to see you again. It's Carolyn, right?" she asked quietly. She wondered if Miranda and Carolyn had met before. Whether they had or hadn't, it wasn't Nell business nor concern. "Would you like us to help out with your pet?" Nell asked, glancing quickly at Miranda and then focusing her gaze on Carolyn. Nell quickly studied Carolyn's cat: he was quite handsome cat. Nell took notice that he was an Egyptian Mau. "What's his name?" Nell asked, gesturing to her lovely cat. Nell wanted to pet him, but she decided against it. She knew the dangers of petting an animal you didn't know, and she didn't really want to take any risks. Nell was excited to help out with her cat, if Carolyn gave the needed consent.

Carolyn was just thinking of her not so successful social experiences when one of them actually showed up. It was almost unreal to her to be honest. At this point, she kind of assumed Nell and she simply weren't meant to be. Both of them were quite shy and the other girl was always quick to disappear. Carolyn wasn't angry with her. She still thought Nell was most likely a nice girl that just struggled with communication even more than Carolyn did. Still, those two failed attempts were a bit discouraging for the witch and so she was happy this time it was the other girl, who decided to approach her. I just wish the occasion was different. Her brain supplied immediately. If it was just her, she would be happy to indulge the two girls but Mordred could very well ruin everything. "Yes, Carolyn is right," she confirmed with a gentle smile. At least she remembers my name. "It’s very kind of you to offer Nell and....?" She turned to the other girl. That one looked familiar too but they probably never got a chance to talk so she gave her a moment to introduce herself. After she did, Carolyn smiled at her too. "It's nice to meet you Miranda." She then looked at her pet who was still in Nick's company but obviously noticed their new visitors. His ears were slowly going backwards and he started crouching again while watching the girls like a hawk. Carolyn knew he was not getting ready to attack but he was definitely getting nervous. His owner was there so he would not hurt anybody but he was also NOT happy. “I’m so sorry. I would love it if you joined me but Mordred is not the friendliest cat when it comes to humans. We are working on it but I only got him this summer so there hasn’t been much progress just yet,” she explained apologetically. At least Robert saw it was not just him Mordred disliked.

After explaining the situation, she clicked her tongue at her cat, who slowly stood upright and turned his full attention back to Nick, clearly ready for some more scratching. “I’m sure some other people might welcome the help though." She looked around the room. “Maybe you could try that one?” She pointed in Loki’s direction. She didn’t know the cat or the boys that were with it but they did look a little helpless. “I’m really sorry… again.” She just hoped the girls wouldn’t take Mordred’s rejection personally.

OOC: Carolyn stays with the boys (definitely still waiting for the reaction ). I just jumped in so the girls don’t have to wait since they will most likely want to move somewhere else after this? We’ll see...

Alan who was still kneeling on the ground as he picked up the cotton swaps his cat had knocked over, looked up upon hearing a familiar voice; vaguely familiar but familiar and that person also knew his name. He came face to face with the boy that had participated in the water fight he had led during the summer break and Alan could not help but give him a warm smile. As he was still busy with picking up the cotton swaps he actually could not greet the other kid comfortably but would still extend a hand for the younger kid to shake if he so pleased. "Yeah, that's my name! I don't think I caught your name?", he asked with a more or less subtle hint as he had been too preoccupied with his current task to focus on the conversation between the boy and Pericles. He truly hoped that the boy would take no offense to that. "This? That's my cat Tiger, yeah. He can be a handful," he said with a chuckle but with his voice soft as there were no hard feelings towards his cat. Rather he was amused by this whole situation even though it was not the most fun having to clean up after the prowler.

After Peri knelt down beside him in order to help him with the cotton swaps, the fourth year hushed out a thank you and a smile into the direction of the pale fella. "It should be alright, thanks for the offer though! I wouldn't want to distract you from your task," the Gryffindor muttered as a small blush crept over his face. "He is just a little crazy and playful but he usually never runs too far," he explained with a small chuckle and watched as Jeger and Tiger were full on running through the room as they jumped from counter to chair in a chase. Sometimes they would turn into a ball of playful brawling before they continued their chase. With a soft smile the fourth year shook his head helplessly. That would be exhausting having to catch them later. Tiger certainly would not get away from a thorough brushing.

Now on his own again, the fourth year would pick up the last couple of cotton swaps, relieved that he was finally done with that bothersome task, even though he had not shown it but to be fair who liked picking up hundreds of little cotton swaps? That ought to be a little annoying after a while. However he was not left to his own for a long time as a quite familiar voice approached and instantly caught his attention as the familiarity was still quite fresh. He would glance around until his eyes found Dealla who he had met in the great hall just this very morning. "Oh, hi!" he would chirp as he got up and placed the cotton swaps back into their box and then would proceed to dust of his hands at his pants as he held out his hand for the Ravenclaw. "I got a cat but he is currently busy with causing trouble," he explained with an exaggerated sigh that could not be taken seriously due to the mirth and mischievousness sparkling in his forest green eyes.

"Sure we could try and catch him, I think I still have some treats!" and with that he would begin to rummage through the pockets of a black cloak that was similar to the official school uniform just that it was opened in the front and therefore revealed what he was wearing beneath; a white shirt and black pants. After a few seconds he would pull out a small zipper bag so that the contents would not ruin his clothes and once he opened the zipper a faint smell of dried fish would waft through the room, possibly catching the attention of one the other feline. Alan would take a couple of the treats from the bag and store it back into his pocket. He would offer his hand to Dealla with his palm up, presenting the treats for her to take.

Nell nodded at Carolyn, completely understanding the situation. "Don't worry about it!" Nell told her with a smile. Then Nell turned away the talk to Miranda. "So, you coming?" she asked her. She glanced over at the cat who Nell had never seen before, not had she ever met their owner. Nell wanted to make sure Miranda okay with going to the cat, as much as Nell wanted to go over now. The cat's owner seemed to be a little older than Nell. Maybe that's why she'd never seen him around. His cat looked familiar though. Well, maybe that's because there's not only one Egyptian Mau.

Nell took a quick look around the classroom to observe all the pets. She spotted a Pygmy Puff or two, many, many cats, and few other animals. Nell wasn't familiar with man of their owners, and she hadn't really made and effort to get to now them either. Maybe she should, but not now. She needed to focus on helping out the boy's cat, if Miranda wanted to join her, of course. Nell inhaled a little too much lavender - shampoo - scented air and gave a quick cough. She was ready to hear what Miranda had to say.

@Andrew Vance

Loki purred adorably when Andy started paying the attention the kitty was due by birthright. Once his sister was finished drying, she would start climbing and darting around, which Loki responded to with batting with his paws, and pouncing, playing as they always did.

Then, Dan gave the kitty a salmon treat, and set him in water. Loki did not like this very much. He wanted to play with Penelope, not have a bath. But, Dan continued to give him his favorite treats, so he allowed Dan to bathe the kitty.

Dan looked at Andy in shock at the idea of freezing Loki or throwing him away.

"No, we're not throwin' the baby awey! Why would I throw awey the best kitty in the world fer? Are ye mental, mate?"

It was at this point that shampooing started. Loki did admittedly like this part. Dan gently massaging shampoo into him felt good, and the scent of Lavender relaxed him. The addition of yet another salmon treat also helped. Loki meowed his approval of this treatment.

Right up until Dan poured water over the kitty to wash him off. He arched his back at this clear betrayal, until Dan gave him another treat. The water pouring continued without more back arching, as Dan continued to give him treats after every time now.

"Ye know... If I didn't know any better, I'd say this one's exploitin' me."

Word Count: 1053/1000. Errand complete. Staying for interactions.

Interacting (mainly) with @Carolyn Hunt and @Caelan Stewart, briefly interacting with @Miranda Everest and @Nell Zoldak

Robert heard some happy squeaks coming from behind him as Chance enjoyed the pets Carolyn was giving him. The young boy couldn't help but think that it could have been him giving those pets, had things not worked out a little differently. Hanging his head, Robert tried not to listen to the happy sounds coming from behind him.

However, he was not able to completely tune out those sounds. As Robert was leaving the group, he heard Nick pipe up, making a pun about how there's always room fur more people when it comes to helping Chance. Soon after, Carolyn also asked him to stay, going against his earlier speculation that she didn't want him here. The young boy, with his back still turned to the group, smiled to himself, overcome in gratitude that the two pet owners had included him. He turned around so the other members in the group could see his smile. "Thanks, I'd love to help."

A bit to Robert's shame, he couldn't help but feel even better when Carolyn later turned two other girls away who were looking to spend time with her cat. He was able to see first-hand that she hadn't just been trying to make him feel better when she said the feline wasn't the most friendly of creatures to most. The fact that she was also willing to turn other people away, but had gone out her way to stop him from leaving, made him feel even more special. Robert tried to hide the smile on his face, lest the girls, who he now knew to be named Nell and Miranda, got the wrong idea. "Nice to meet you both!"

Robert turned back to the group, assessing his options. He was still a bit scared of Mordred, but the Ravenclaw was still quite curious about the pygmy puff. The scientist in him would like to say this was because it was the first creature he'd seen that was obviously native to the magical world, but the truth was that he was an eleven year old given the opportunity to pet a living, breathing, pink ball of fluff. Any boy would love to do that, right? Looking at Nick, he awkwardly asked, "Erm, do you mind if I pet him?"

WC: 1000+/100