The pitter patter of little paws

[very_sharpe]

Thomas was rather excited by the prospect of finding animals that might want to live with him, and not in the guess-work sort of way that it always seemed to be. Daine would help him, he hoped, find a pet or two that might suit him. He'd spent so little of his life choosing things for himself that the prospect of at least having help was terribly appealing.

He waited outside the shelter for her, supposing this was as good a place as any to start. The idea of giving an animal that needed a home some help also appealed. There was no sense in going to a pet shop when adopting would do just as well.

A smile appeared when he saw her and he pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning on. His clothes were simple yet stylish; he'd entirely embraced what Darrow had to offer and rather prided himself on looking put together.

"Thank you, I'm glad this time worked. Steve offered to watch the shop and it seemed as good a time as any."

Comments

[wildmage_daine]

"It's no trouble," Daine assures him with a small smile. She wasn't expected at the veterinary clinic today; they still seem to be deciding whether they'd rather have her work more regular hours and help with check-ups, or be on call for when something more serious happens.

Thomas's outfit gets a slightly dubious glance, and she wonders how he'd feel about it falling victim to shed fur or drool or a kitten's claws. Her own outfit is more on the sturdy side (jeans might be one of her favorite things Darrow has to offer), since she anticipates a certain amount of mussing. But she isn't too worried. Thomas been nothing but kind to her, and it's hard to imagine him treating an animal uncharitably just because it was excited to meet him.

She turns towards the shelter doors, then pauses, a flicker of anxiety crossing her features. "Um. Before we go in, I s'pose I should tell you. I've sort of... turned my magic off, at least for now." She gives him a sheepish sidelong glance, not sure what he was expecting and not wanting him to be confused or disappointed when creatures aren't lining up to chat. "It's just--I'm not quite sure what it'll be like. When they're in cages, it's... hard." Harder for them than her, really, and it always feels a little like cowardice when she closes herself off like this. But she does want to help Thomas find a pet, and she can't do that if she's off panicking in a corner.

[very_sharpe]

"Oh, I imagine it would be terribly overwhelming to walk in and hear all those voices. I can't blame you." Thomas couldn't imagine what it would be like to not only hear the clamoring voices, but to know that they're kept in kennels, without the room they really ought have to be their happiest and healthiest. He couldn't help the concern that flickered over his face.

"You're sure you don't mind doing this?" It wasn't doubt but empathetic concern in his voice. He didn't want her to face a panic or something if she couldn't keep herself closed off. He knew all about closing himself off, but it wasn't easy. And he didn't have any magic to begin with.

[wildmage_daine]

It's an immediate relief when he understands, and she recovers her smile quickly, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I don't mind. I've had plenty of practice." Their majesties' menagerie isn't the torment it once was, but she'd spent months having to put her walls up whenever she got too close to it. Numair had made sure she had that skill down pat once he realized how much listening to the caged animals had pained her.

"If we find someone you'd like to talk to, I can just let my walls down a bit. That way, there won't be any ruction." If the entire shelter knew she was there, they'd all want to meet her, and then she'd end up spending the next few hours tending to everyone.

[very_sharpe]

Thomas nodded. "Yes, of course. You know, I hadn't quite thought of the downsides of that sort of magic when we first met... I have been, since then. I was a little worried this would be upsetting." He was sure there were animals in there that were in pain, or recovering, or just sad or lonely or lost. How difficult would it be to hear all those voices, calling out for help?

He held the door open for her as they went inside; the smell that hit him, quite immediately, was that of animals. It didn't bother him, how could it be avoided when the place had so many?

"Where.. should we start?" He actually looked a bit overwhelmed for a moment.

[wildmage_daine]

"I'll be all right. Anyway, it'll be worth a little upset if we can get someone out of here." Or two someones, if Thomas is still so inclined. She doesn't want to jinx it.

Where to start is surprisingly tricky to answer. Normally, she'd be able to get a sense of where everyone was by listening to them. With her walls up, she's at almost as much of a loss as he is. "The kennels will be loud," she says. That seems a fair enough guess; the royal kennels could be loud, too, and the dogs there weren't lonely or frightened or starved for attention. "So we might not want to start there."

She looks around, spots some laminated signage, and nods toward it. "It looks like there are cats and some other smaller animals over that way. We could start there." She's a little surprised to see that they carry more than just cats and dogs, but she supposes they might have some rabbits back there or something.

[very_sharpe]

Thomas tucked his hands into his pocket, like a child trying not to touch everything. They ended up in a room with small animals first; the cats were further through. There were guinea pigs, rabbits, even a couple of chinchillas, a turtle, and a baby corn snake.

He drifted away from Daine, drawn to a cage with a few romping little creatures. Thomas hadn't expected to find rats cute but... the bunch frolicking around the cage were rather cute. The tails didn't bother him a bit.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine examines the assorted animals closely. Since she can't simply ask them how they're doing, she has to rely on other clues - outward hints of illness or injury, whether they seem listless or petrified. As she wanders down one of the aisles, she's relieved to see that everyone appears healthy. Some are showing signs of strain, but that's to be expected. It could certainly be worse.

Something seems to have caught Thomas's interest, and she wanders over to see what it could be. As she nears the cage, creeping suspicion turns to open disbelief.

Rats. There are rats here. Just... set out like any other pet! Is this some sort of joke? She doesn't even know what to say, so she just gapes at the little creatures.

[very_sharpe]

"They're rather cute... not like the ones I used to see at home. Though I might have made friends with a few of those when I was a boy, all the same." He smiled a bit at the memory and lightly touched his fingers to the bars. A few of the young rodents came to investigate, sniffing, trying to grab with their little paws.

Others still flocked to the edge of the cage to try to get a better look at Daine.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine's first, uncharitable thought is: are you sure about that? In her experience, rats wouldn't befriend anything or anyone that wasn't another rat. They got along with the Graveyard Hag well enough, but that was all. She couldn't even get them to work with her without striking a generous bargain in their favor.

These rats don't seem unfriendly, though. They're bright-eyed with curiosity and intelligence, sniffing at Thomas's fingers without any trace of aggression. Daine frowns, then cautiously lowers the walls around her magic, just enough to let them in. She still half-expects to feel them like an itch, all suspicion and scorn and uncooperative pride.

Why are you in a cage? she asks them. It's as close to 'why is anyone trying to pass you off as pets?' as she can get without being rude, and she doesn't want to be rude until she's certain they deserve it.

[very_sharpe]

A few of them crowded towards Daine when they heard her, whiskers wiggling as they tried to catch her scent.

Come closer one insisted, voice high and young. You're awful big to be a rat.

She isn't, don't you smell her? another said, a little older but only by a week or two. This is where we live, it announced.

Thomas watched curiously as a few started to pay more attention to Daine but he stayed quiet, wondering if they were talking.

[wildmage_daine]

There's curiosity, as she expected, and intelligence, too, but none of the nastiness she had anticipated. Her frown takes on a more puzzled air as she reaches a hand up to the bars. They should be able to get a good sniff of her, at least, though she keeps her fingertips out of nibbling range.

"You're quite a bit different than I thought you'd be," she murmurs aloud, mostly for Thomas's benefit, so he'll have an inkling of what's going on. Even setting aside their milder attitudes, the caged rats are in a broader variety of colors than she'd expect to find in a wild population. There are light browns and soft, heathery grays - even a few that are stark white with pink eyes - albinos. Those almost never last long; camouflage is too important for avoiding predators. "Have you always lived like this? Not here in this building, but in cages? Under the care of two-leggers?"

[very_sharpe]

As long as we can remember, the older rat said. He came closer to investigate Daine's fingers, whiskers touching them as he stuck his nose through the bars. Some of the younger ones were hiding under their plastic house; a few more were peeking out of a hammock at the strange girl.

One of them brings us blueberries, a smaller voice squeaked as a white rat with gray marks poked his nose out from under the house.

Do you have blueberries?? the young gray that had been playing with Thomas's fingertips peered toward Daine.

"What did you think they'd be like?" Thomas asked, softly, like he was afraid of interrupting the conversation he could only hear half of.

[wildmage_daine]

"Um." Daine blinks, then looks up at Thomas, her expression slightly dazed. "I'm not sure. All the rats I met back in my realm were... different. Maybe because they were wild and these are tame." She can't really compare them to Darrow's wild rat population because she's intentionally avoided interacting with them, though now she's wondering if she ought to give them a look, too.

She doesn't have any blueberries, but she also doesn't leave her apartment without a pocket full of something that she could hand out to any hungry animals she came across. She digs in her jeans pocket for a moment, emerging with a few unsalted peanuts. It's probably not the sort of thing the rats should eat too much of, but it'll do for a treat. "Here," she says, offering them to Thomas. "Why don't you try giving 'em these?"

She shifts her focus back to the rats, her brow still furrowed in bewilderment. But they seem friendly enough, so she tries sending a little thread of reassurance into the cage. "It's all right," she says quietly, directing it mostly towards the ones still in hiding. "You can come out and say hello, if you like. No one's going to hurt you."

[very_sharpe]

"Suppose wild rats would be rather different," he agreed. He smiled and took some of the peanuts to offer through the bars. The gray that had stayed near him happily took one and ran away to hide while he ate it. A few more popped out, including the white-and-gray, to come investigate the offerings.

An albino cautiously approached Daine; while the pigmented rats had dubious vision to begin with, with his pink eyes he saw even less. But when he smelled the peanut, he took it and sat right there to munch it. This is good! his little voice declared. With that, a few more young rats came over, also seeking treats.

Some of the two-leggers that come in here make bad noises at us, the oldest declared after eating a peanut treat.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine feels a rather guilty twist in her gut; she'd been close to making some bad noises, herself. "Maybe some folk aren't used to thinking of you as being nice," she says, poking her fingertips through the bars so the rats can examine her more closely. "Where I come from, no one ever keeps rats." They're not entirely wild, given the time they spend in close quarters with humans, but they're never cared for, either.

She gives the cage door a thoughtful look. It's probably not meant to be opened by random visitors, but there's no lock on it to stop them, and it's not as if she's going to let any of them run off. That's even if they wanted to, which she rather doubts. Pretending to be nice until she let her guard down is a human trick, not something an animal would do. Not even a rat.

"Would any of you like to come out?" she asks them. "I wouldn't mind getting a closer look at you. Thomas would probably like to meet you properly, too," she adds, tossing him a quick smile. She might be presuming, but he does seem to like them.

[very_sharpe]

I will said the gray that had been investigating Thomas's fingers before he got the peanut. He and a few others, all of them young, came closer to the door, some even climbing up the side of the cage, when Daine reached for it.

Once it was open, the gray climbed right out and made his way onto Daine's arm; he was cautious, feeling his way along and paying close attention to what he could actually see. But she felt sturdy enough, so he gripped the fabric of her clothes and climbed up to her shoulder. The others made it as far as standing on the cage door, like a drawbridge, but they seemed more interested in determining the boundaries of their platform. None of them attempted to jump.

"What are they saying?" Thomas asked, curious and a bit delighted as he watched them come out.

[wildmage_daine]

It's hard not to remember the last time she had a rat on her sleeve - it had been attacking her, and she'd had to shake it off. But this one's different (Mithros knows why), so she holds herself steady as he trundles his way up to her shoulder.

"They liked the peanuts," she says, "though I think they'd like blueberries better. They've always lived in cages - I think they were bred to be pets, though nothing like that happens back home." Not with rats, anyway. Most domesticated animals have specific jobs to do, and it's hard to imagine what practical purpose a domesticated rat might serve. "They've clever enough, though. They know when folk don't like them."

To the rat on her shoulder, she adds in a more wheedling tone, "I think Thomas likes you. He's the one who gave you that nice peanut."

[very_sharpe]

The rat climbed across her shoulders, beneath her hair, and came out on the other side. He stretched, sniffing, towards the one she called Thomas.

For his part, Thomas looked rather charmed and held his hand out, letting it touch Daine's shoulder. And he couldn't help but look delighted when the young rat came right onto his hand, gently grabbing his fingers in small paws, looking for more peanuts. It was sort of nice to have a little creature like this trusting him. "I imagine I could arrange for plenty of blueberries."

One of the young albinos was investigating Daine's hand. Now stay still it warned in a somewhat tremulous voice. I don't see except what's in front of me.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine smiles when the rat goes over to investigate Thomas. He's the one looking to bring some new friends home, though Daine doesn't want to pass that along and get the rats' hopes up until she knows for certain that Thomas wants them.

"I will," she promises, cupping both her hands together for good measure. "Here, you've got more room, now." For Thomas's benefit, she explains, "The albino ones don't see so well - and things look blurry even for the ones that do. It's one of the reasons they sniff around so much, and use their whiskers to feel what's close by."

The albino cautiously steps into her hands, and Daine smiles down at it, her voice gentling. "There you are," she all but coos at it. Odd's bobs. If Numair could see her now, he'd think she'd gone mad.

[very_sharpe]

"I didn't realize their vision was so terrible." Thomas smiled as the gray rat climbed his arm in order to investigate his face and hair. The whiskers tickled but it was rather delightful. "You know, I think... they might be fine little pets," he admitted, almost bashfully, to Daine.

A little gray-and-white peered out of its hiding place and climbed up to the open door. He made his way to the outside of the cage and climbed higher, until he could sit on the top. Is he nice? he asked.

Smells a bit funny but not in a bad way, the gray on Thomas's shoulder answered.

[wildmage_daine]

"I think they might, too," Daine replies, sounding even more surprised by that fact than Thomas did. Ten minutes ago, she never would have believed it - she'd've laughed at the suggestion. Now, she carefully lifts the albino up to her face so it can investigate her, its little paws braced against her nose as it sniffs her hair.

She comes close to laughing at the rat's assessment of Thomas, but she manages to fight it back. "Thomas has a workshop where he makes things," she explains to them. "There's lots of wood and glue and paint and suchlike. You'd have to mind what you nibbled." To Thomas, she belatedly (and imperfectly) translates, "They think you smell interesting."

[very_sharpe]

"I could give them some wood though, couldn't it? Scrap pieces that aren't all splinters?" He thought that might be nice for them, especially to keep their teeth in order. Thomas smiled as he ended up with a second rat climbing on him, utterly delighted.

"Perhaps a cat some day, but... I think I've found my new little friends," he admits. "Do you think they'd be a good sort for me?" As it was, the gray rat that had settled on his shoulder had tucked himself against Thomas's neck, tail loosely curled around him. He seemed quite content to stay there and snuggle.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine nods. "It should be all right, so long as it's not treated with anything." These rats are worlds away from what she would have expected as far as their minds are concerned, but their bodies don't seem all that different from what any given wild rat's would be. They should be sturdy enough to handle a bit of wood. It's paint she's worried about; it might have lead in it, or something else that could make them ill.

"I think they've picked you," she adds with a grin and a nod towards the rat cuddled up by his neck. "I don't know about keeping 'em as pets, but they won't eat as much or make as much mess as a dog or a cat would. They like to chew, is the main thing, so they'll need safe things to nibble, and you'll have to keep anything important where they can't get it. And they can get just about anywhere."

She frowns thoughtfully. On principle, she doesn't want to suggest caging them. But they're so small that she's not sure shutting them in a big cage would be all that different than keeping a cat in an apartment. The alternative is trying to find a way to rat-proof everything, which makes her tired just thinking about it.

[very_sharpe]

"Well, that's that, then." He smiled and lightly pet the two rats, entirely content to have these little rodents snuggled up to him. "Suppose we should go fill out paperwork, shouldn't we?" He knew they had to do that in order to adopt them.

"Then we'll see if we can get you a nice big house to run around in." He wanted them to have room so that they weren't on top of each other. "And toys.. they're smart, aren't they? I mean, not to say that any animal is really stupid but... They're clever." He looked at Daine for confirmation, wanting to know what sort of things would be good for them - if they needed things to play with or just things to chew on.

[wildmage_daine]

"I suppose we should," Daine says, reluctantly shifting the albino back into the cage. Another rat with faded brown patch on its nose takes the opportunity to brace its forepaws against her fingers, and she gives it a gentle scritch before pulling her hand back out. They really are sweet little things.

It's a relief to at least hear that Thomas plans on getting them a big enclosure. And toys, no less. "You'll spoil them rotten," she says with a slow smile. "I'm sure they'd love to have things to play with. They're fair curious - and clever, yes. The more you occupy them, the less likely they are to get into things you'd rather they didn't." She considers the idea for a few moments, then adds, "If you could hide food in places where they'd have to work to get at it, I'm sure that'd keep 'em busy."

[very_sharpe]

"I wish I could talk to them like you did... We'll have to have regular tea meetings so you can make sure they're happy and have what they need," he said with a small smile.

It wasn't difficult to find someone to help them with the paperwork - there was relatively little for adopting such small animals, since they didn't need any kind of licensing. From there, a volunteer gets boxes for them with little holes - just enough for a curious nose to stick out but not enough for an entire head.

Thomas wished he could take all of them, but two seemed the best for right now... Maybe he would come back for more if things went well.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine feels just a bit ridiculous for impulsively filling out her own application, but she can't say she's sorry, either. They're different than the rats from home, and taking a couple back to her apartment for further study seems like the sort of thing Numair would do. It's just that she probably won't be 'studying' them so much as just chatting and playing with them.

"Most creatures are good at making themselves understood, 'specially once you learn how to read them," Daine says, giving Thomas a reassuring smile. "You'll figure them out, I'm sure. Though I wouldn't say no to visits, either - and of course I'll come by if either of them seems ill or is acting odd."

It's a short enough trip to the pet store for more supplies. Daine avoids the cages - she plans on giving hers the run of the place, after a stern talk about what not to chew, where to leave any droppings, and where to hide if the landlord makes any unexpected visits (the same talk she gives any wild or semi-feral creature capable of slipping into her second-story window) - and instead spends a fair amount of time perusing the food options with an assessing frown until she's settled on the one she deems best.