interaction: @
date: 5th July 2025

"Hurry up, Victoria. We don’t have much time."

Her mother’s voice brought Victoria back to reality. She had been so absorbed in observing the animals that she had completely forgotten how little time her family had given her to choose a pet. She nodded nervously at her mother and walked toward the cat section.

Victoria’s family had never been particularly supportive of her getting a pet. Her father said it was too much responsibility and insisted she should focus on her studies. Still, when her first-year performance didn’t disappoint them, her mother—albeit reluctantly—agreed to it. Her father, however, still wasn’t thrilled about the idea. So, this could be her only chance to adopt a pet.

She wanted to adopt an animal that truly felt right—not just any pet. She needed one that would make her feel better when she was down. Victoria had once read in a book that cats could sense human emotions—she wasn’t sure if it was true, but the idea had stuck with her. It was sweet. And honestly, it was exactly what she wanted: something that could understand how she felt without her having to say it.

The Magical Menagerie was quite crowded, especially near the cats. Tilting her head slightly, Victoria looked at them—she wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting. A sudden connection? A magical gaze? Ha.

She sighed nervously. Her father’s impatient grumbling echoed from behind—he acted like waiting a few minutes would ruin his whole day.

Suddenly, she felt something soft brush against her leg. Startled, she looked down—and certainly hadn’t expected to see a fluffy, whitish-gray cat nuzzling her. Victoria swallowed. The cat gently rubbed its cheek against her leg, then looked up at her as if trying to comfort her. Maybe she was imagining it—maybe she was just desperate for something to distract her from her father’s irritation.

Still, she slowly crouched down and ran her fingers through the cat’s soft fur, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman with white short hair walking towards them. Victoria assumed this woman was the owner of the shop.

“Oh—there you are,kitty. I was looking for you,” the woman said, looking at the cat with a gentle smile. “So you came to her, huh?" The woman looked up at Victoria, her eyes were warm. " Would you like to adopt her,young girl?”

Victoria carefully lifted the cat and held it close to her chest. She didn’t say much to the woman, just nodded and turned to her mother.

“...I think i found which one i want,mother.”

Her mom raised an eyebrow but didn’t object. Her father groaned. “About time.” But Victoria didn’t care. The cat’s warm body curled against her chest, and for the first time in days, she felt like everything might actually be okay. In a world of noise, something quiet chose her.

WC: 512/400