that grumpy suspicious kitten pet

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[ july 7, 2022 ] briefly mentions x[/size] Esme wasn't exactly sure how it had happened, but her aunt Steph had managed to convince her parents to let her get a pet. From the moment she arrived home for the month, she'd been trying to act "normally"—whatever that meant anymore. Being the middle child in her family, the gryffindor had always found comfort in the fact that she wasn't the center of attention, a position that was given, and even vied over, by the other two Rosslyn kids. But it was hard. You can't just come back from an entire year at Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry and magic, and expect to be treated the same. Especially when "the same" meant being overlooked and perfectly out of the spotlight. It just... didn't happen that way. That's why Esme jumped at the chance to go hang out with Milo and Steph, for the day. The two of them had been the more reasonable ones about the whole thing, and she'd always been closer to them anyway, so it just felt right. It wasn't even until they were out the door that she thought to ask where they were going. "Wherever you want," was Steph's response, but there was a knowing look in her eyes. Just last night, Esme had overheard a conversation between her aunt and her parents. She'd told Steph that she was really thinking about getting a pet and wanted to, but wasn't sure if she'd be allowed to. So that conversation happened... and Esme hadn't heard the results yet. With a hesitant smile, she glanced over at her aunt. "Can I... can I get a pet?" Milo's head shot up and he glanced between the two of them and then back at the house, where their parents and sister were. "No WAY she's allowed to—" But Steph was already grinning, and the siblings' eyes grew wide. Milo's "Wait, REALLY???" was quiet compared to the sudden burst from his sister: "I can?!" An exaggerated nod from their aunt confirmed it, and Esme and Milo's excitement grew. Her brother talked her ear off for the rest of the journey, but she barely heard him. She was going to get a pet. Her own, actual pet, that she could take back to Hogwarts with her!!! --- Diagon Alley shut Milo up. He had been chatting Esme’s ear off the whole time, leaving her hardly any space or quiet to think herself. Luckily, the instant they stepped through the parted bricks, he grew entirely, completely silent. She could think all she wanted—or… maybe not. She’d only been there the same amount of times as Milo had, since he'd come along the last time too (when she got her school supplies for her first year), and the whole area and feel of the crowded space ended up leaving her almost as quiet as him. Almost. She had been living around, with, and doing magic for the past year. Leading her suddenly quiet family members to where she thought the pet shop was, they quickly got lost. It was crowded, only their second time there, and more than a little overwhelming, to be fair. It ended up taking them about ten minutes to spot the menagerie, tucked into a corner they had passed... at least three times. Maybe five. Pushing open the door of the small building, Esme, Steph, and Milo looked around with similarly widened eyes. She remembered being in here the first time, back when magic was entirely new and she knew nothing, how the pet shop had been a place of comfort. Because even though yes, there were many strange animals that muggles wouldn't count as normal, it was a store full of animals, which Esme loved. And besides, there were plenty of creatures that muggles did know about that were probably just as weird as some of the animals here. Remembering one of her first letters to her anonymous pen pal, M, Esme dragged her brother and aunt over to the Pygmy Puffs first. Back then, she'd been reminded that all their fur might be hard to take care of, and keeping them clean might end up being an issue too, but... they were adorable, there was no denying it. Even Milo couldn't resist grinning and talking to the little puffs in a squeaky voice that was apparently what he thought they'd sound like if they spoke. After spending a minute or two watching them, one of the shopkeepers wandered over. An older lady, who soon introduced herself as Anita. "The pygmy puffs are a favorite in our store," Esme was told. "They make lovely pets, really, and don't take much effort at all. Adorable too, don't you think?" the twelve year old nodded quickly, earning a laugh from Anita. "Are you thinking of getting one?" But right then, as the girl's gaze wandered, another animal caught her eye. A kitten, dark grey very fluffy. Absolutely the cutest cat Esme had ever seen... but it looked at her with such a grumpy, suspicious expression on it's face that she had to laugh. Anita, following her gaze, smiled knowingly. "Ah, that's one of our little silver siberian cats. Very cute, but hasn't quite warmed up to anyone yet—that's including Ernest and I!" the shopkeeper laughed again. "He's rather grumpy most of the time, too, but we love him anyway." she continued. "I'm going to go over," Esme told her, already halfway there. Something about the little kitten... she wasn't sure yet, really, what it was. But there was something. When the kitten saw her, it made that face again—who knew cats could be so expressive???—and Esme immediately burst into giggles. It just looked so ridiculous. And adorable. But ridiculous. The cat looked at her like he didn't know what to do. Anita, standing behind the gryffindor, laughed again herself. "I think he's confused. Most people don't laugh when they see him, they usually just move on." After a few more minutes of watching, the shopkeeper added, "I think... you two make a good pair." Steph, having just come over with Milo in tow, quickly agreed. "He seems perfect for you!" Esme grinned up at them, and nodded. "I want him." Milo scrunched his nose right back at the kitten, who was back to being suspicious of the two new people, but gave his sister a thumbs up at her choice anyway. A few minutes later they walked out of the shop, Milo with a cookie in his hand and Esme with a kitten in her arms. Steph glanced back at her niece with a smile, loving how happy she looked. "What's his name, Rae?" she asked, using her usual nickname for the girl. And without hesitation, Esme replied, "Cinder."[/size] Word count? 1122 What animal do you wish to purchase? Silver Siberian Cat What do you want to name it? Cinder Is this a boy or a girl? Boy What is your pet's date of birth? March 10, 2022[/size] stamina 7 | evasion 6 | strength 4 | wisdom 7 | arc power 8 | accuracy 8 ✦ [ stats ][/size]

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