hello, sweetie pet

August 25, 2023. Friday morning, 10am.
With @Twyla Whittaker-Flores and @Robin Monroe. Permission to godmod given.

With only a few days left until the school year started, the entire Flores family had set out to Diagon Alley today to pick up last minute school supplies that had been forgotten on previous trips to London. Ayla's favourite cousin, Twyla, had come along with her to purchase a pet to accompany them to Hogwarts, and the pair ran off to the Menagerie almost as soon as they arrived.

"What are you thinking of getting?" Twyla asked her.

Ayla smiled. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sure I'll know what's right for me once I'm there."

"Oh, do you now," was Twyla's response. Confused at the curtness of her tone, Ayla turned to face her, but her cousin was already pushing the door open to the Menagerie. The blonde shrugged it off; it probably wasn't intentional.

As she entered the shop, Ayla greeted the shopkeeper at the counter with a polite smile. She'd met him and his wife a few times whenever she'd tagged along with her sisters, so hopefully awkward introductions weren't necessary. "Good morning, Mr Witticker."

"Morning, Miss... Flores, is it? How can I help you today?" The old man's

"My cousin Twyla and I want pets, sir." Ayla looked around admiringly at all the animals. They were all beautiful and well kept, of course, but the animals that had properly caught her eye were the cats. That was surprising; she'd always considered herself a dog person. "Can I take a look at your cats?"

She wandered over to the cats as Mr Witticker helped Twyla narrow down what kind of pet she wanted, and noticed a girl (Robin) around her age browsing for pet food. Ayla offered her a quick, distracted smile before crouching down to pet the cats. Even though she'd always been partial to dogs, she had to admit that they were really, really cute, and she could definitely see herself walking around Hogwarts with one. One of the kittens seemed to take a liking to her, and nuzzled its head against her leg. Ayla laughed softly at the ticklish feeling, marveling at how soft its fur was. "Hello, sweetie," she said dreamily, eyes wide with wonder.

The other girl's voice startled her out of her reverie. "I think she likes you."

Ayla blushed and looked up with a shy, pleased smile. "Do you really think so?" She couldn't help but feel sort of honoured; a cat - or any animal, for that matter - liking you on sight had to be the highest form of compliment in the world. "She's very beautiful," Ayla sighed, partially to herself. She looked over at the other cats half-heartedly, but her heart was already set on this one.

A realisation suddenly struck her and she looked up again, slightly panicked. "I don't have a name for her." Names were important, even for animals. You didn't want to accidentally give your new best friend the wrong name. Ayla straightened up with the cat now in her arms, meeting the other girl at eye level.

"Hmm," the girl said, looking thoughtful. A small smile suddenly appeared on her face. "You should name her River Song."

"River?" Ayla echoed. The cat purred, and she smiled. "Like a river, as in water? I like that name."

"No, River Song! Like the Doctor Who character? Because you said 'hello sweetie' when you first saw her, which is, like, one of her catchphrases..."

"Ohhhh." Doctor Who had to be a Muggle thing, then - thinking of it now, Ayla thought she could remember her mum talking about it a few times. "Well..." She looked down at the cat in her arms and considered the suggestion. It suited her, and it was a nice name, even if she didn't really get the reference. "What do you think? River Song?" She directed the question at the kitten, not caring if she looked a little crazy talking to a cat. It purred again.

Well, that sounded like a deal to her. Ayla smiled at the girl in front of her. "River Song it is."

What animal do you wish to purchase? Silver Siberian (to be RPed as a ragdoll cat)
What do you want to name it? River Song
Is this a boy or a girl? Girl
What is your pet's date of birth? May 15, 2023