fandomtownies | Everything But The Monkey, Tuesday

"Aren't they just smaller rats with fluffier tails?" Arietty asked. She'd seen pictures of gerbils in books. "I'd say we should get a squirrel, but they seem to have their own thing going, around here."

"Very much. They'd probably charge you for any rides they gave you," Kenzi agreed. She peered into one cage at a ferret. "Is this too big? Or too sneaky?"

Arietty's eyes went large. "It's very big! How does it keep track of both its ends at once?"

Kenzi looked from Arietty to the ferret, then admitted that it would be like trying to drive a bus for her. Or a big rig. "Riiiight, point. Rats it is."

She sat down on the floor near the edge with the rats, looking thoughtful. "The babies are kind of cute, I gotta admit."

"The trick is," said Arietty, who actually knew next to nothing about rats other than that they didn't like it when you accidentally stumbled through their nests, "to find the one that looks the smartest."

She climbed down Kenzi to get as close to the rat cages as possible. "And maybe one that's vegetarian."

"Hunh. Okay, so, for you, like picking out a future horse-sized... wolf." Yipes. Kenzi put her chin on one hand. "Maybe you want one that's kind of mellow?"

"Oh, maybe! Or maybe I should try to pretend to be a rat, too?"

"Would that work?" Kenzi slanted Arietty a glance. "Have you actually done this before?"

"Nope," Arietty said cheerfully. "But they used to do it all the time in the Underground."

Well, that was what Spiller told her, anyway. He wasn't the most reliable source.

"Hmmmmm... Underground?" Kenzi questioned, looking back at the other girl, then tapping the cage, trying to see how the rats would react. "With little saddles and bridles and crap?"

"That's the borrower city back home. And I'm not sure. I've never seen any, but lots of borrowers have cars and bikes now, instead."

"Hunh." Kenzi cocked her head, trying to imagine that, and finding it way too possible. Also... "Hey! Are they the people always taking the pens that get left places?"

"If they can use them. You only really need one biro at a time."

"This explains a lot," Kenzi said, halfway between envy and admiration. She looked at the rats again, poking at the mesh. A couple of the little ones came forward to sniff. "Hmmm. What color? White? Brown?"

"Maybe one of the white and black ones. Look," Arietty pointed to the sign. "They're named 'Fancy'!" She tilted her head. "That seems like it would get confusing."

Kenzi blinked, reading the sign. "That's the type of rat they are. Fancy rats. I don't think they're all named that."

"Oh! That makes a lot more sense. What makes them fancy? Is it just the two colors?"

"Probably?" Kenzi hazarded. They were actually pretty cute. "Or maybe they're special and expensive. Do you have enough money?"

Or they could just 'borrow' a rat.

"Oh!" Arietty twisted her bag around until she could dig into the back, and pulled out two nickels, a 20p, and a wheat penny. "I've been saving up."

It was hard to get down in those couch cushions.

"Um." Kenzi looked at the money, then winced. "Uh, these cost a good bit more than that. That's about enough for one paw."

"Really?" Arietty looked at her coins, then started tucking them away in her bag again. "You beans have such weird ideas about money."

Yes, it was beans that had the weird ideas.

"I guess I'm going to have to borrow one." She looked around the shelves, frowning, then pointed to the acquarium plants a few shelves away. "Can you get one of those down for me?"

Okay, she had to see this. "Hang on." Kenzi got up, and picked up one, placing it on the ground next to Arietty with morbid curiosity.

Arietty wrapped it several times around her waist, securing it with a twist tie, then pulled out her fishing hook and line. She spun the hook a few times over her head, then tossed it up to the top of the cage like a grappling hook, then started scaling.

"Make sure the owner doesn't see? It's hard to tell, since you're already looking at me."

"Noooo problem!" Kenzi said, cheerfully, then stood up and stretched. Artistically. Taking a step to block the store guy's view.

Yeah, he wasn't looking at Arietty now.

. . . Arietty was so going to be practicing that move in the mirror, tonight.

She made it to the top of the cage, wrapping her rope (fine hemp twine) a few times around her arm to help secure herself in place while she pried up the corner of the lid and started feeding the aquarium plant in.

She figured which ever rat started climbing it first would probably be the smartest.

"So, how long have you worked here?" Kenzi asked chattily, idly messing with one ponytail. "I was thinking maybe a cat, but I don't know..."

She kept up a stream of distraction, trying hard not to peek over her shoulder to see how Arietty was doing. There were interesting sounds over her shoulder that she made sure to talk over.

One of the smaller rats let out a little squeak and started tugging on the plant, as if testing it. Arietty pinned it in place with a binder clip.

"C'mere ratty ratty," she called softly. "Doooon't eat me. . . ."

Kenzi had to lean on the counter to keep herself from turning around and checking Arietty again. Although she was starting to wonder how long this was going to take.

"...so you want to be a vet? That's cool...."

The rat sniffed at Arietty when it reached the top of the cage, while the other rats squeaked curiously from below. Arietty squeezed her eyes shut and hoped she wasn't going to die.

The rat bumped its nose in her bag, and she remembered the rations she'd packed. "You want a raisin?" she asked, pulling one out and holding it out. The rat snatched it up, perching on its hind legs on the edge of the cage, and scarfed it down, then sniffed at Arietty for more.

Arietty giggled. "Okay. I think you'll do." She dug her hands into its fur, then tossed a second raisin down to the floor. The rat didn't seem much bothered by her weight as it scurried along the cage until it reached the edge of the shelf and started climbing down.

Kenzi finally had to sneak a glance over her shoulder, then whisper "Yes!" under her breath, snapping her attention back to the guy at the counter after a second.

"I dunno... I'm gonna need to get back for dinner and all." She took a step toward the door, then opened it, leaning on it. "But yeah, do you have any of those really fluffy white cats? That the evil villains are always stroking?"

Hmm. This might actually be cool to get.

Arietty was trying to urge the rat towards the door, but didn't have the hang of it, yet. Instead, all she could do was hang on tight while it wandered up to the back of Kenzi's heel and started climbing, making short work of her shoe before starting to scale her stripey socks.

"Oh!" She whispered. "Sorry, Kenzi!"

The strangled noise Kenzi made was not transcribable. The look on her face wasn't much better, as she slumped and wriggled, eyes widening as she tried to suppress more screeching at the tickling-itching-creepy-clawing up the back of her leg. "Gotta go dude talk to you later think I'm having an episode," she gabbled, nearly falling out the door.

The rat clung on tight as Kenzi started moving, and Arietty clung even tighter onto the back of the rat.

Definitely needed a saddle.

Once the door was shut behind them, Arietty started giggling. "Kenzi, you ARE a borrower!"

Everything But The Monkey, Tuesday

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