T42 - Thursday

[hernando_fuentes]

[Shop description here]

The pussy willows he had bought from Peter had rooted nicely in the nutrient gel Hernando had placed them in.

Too well.

He arrived at the shop to find that they'd had kittens. The quokka were playing herd to a dozen or more thumb-sized gray kittens that were waddling to and fro on the floor near the vase the parent plants were in. The pussy willows were purring in a self-satisfied manner. The kittens were making tiny mews and louder rumbling purrs as they played with the quokka.

After staring at the tableau in completely dumbfounded disbelief for a few minutes, Hernando went and retrieved one of the larger white bakery boxes and lined it with napkins. He began to very gently scoop up the miniature baby cats and place them in the box. They objected, of course, but their itty bitty claws weren't sharp enough to gain purchase on the walls of the box.

What exactly did one do with a box full of ...infant pussy willows? Pussy willow seeds? They looked like regular cats made small.

Hernando put the box on the counter. Then he put the sign outside.

SPECIALS
Strawberry Oolong - hot or iced
Orange Ginger Sencha - hot or iced
Pear Mate - hot

[Open wif no OCD]

Comments

[2_old_for_this]

Peter had been wanting to say hi to Hernando again, hopefully as just a fellow shop owner that there was absolutely no reason to be afraid of. He hated making good people afraid of him.

So, here he was, opening the door and waving. "Hi."

[hernando_fuentes]

"Hello, Peter," Hernando greeted, "I was going to call you this evening." He gestured to the box on the counter. "Have your pussy willows ever done this?"

The pussy willows he'd put in the rooting gel were still in their vase. They were also purring. Loudly. Smugly. Very pleased with themselves.

He was not, on the whole, afraid of Peter. The magic was startling and unsettling. Peter himself had been described by Kaidan as 'good' and Hernando was willing to take that on the faith he had in his friend.

[2_old_for_this]

Peter came over to look in the box, then blinked. "No, I can't say they have." He eyed the adult pussy willows. "They seem pretty happy. Do you want me to check with my distributor, see if they've got any advice?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"If you would be so kind," Hernando asked, "I am feeling a little lost. I don't know whether to treat them as tiny cats or mobile plants."

Pushing his glasses up, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and then gave Peter a wobbly smile, "Good thing I didn't bring back a spider plant, no?"

[2_old_for_this]

Peter huffed in laughter. "Probably just as well, yes." He reached carefully in to pick up one of the kittens. "They...don't seem to have animal parts any more than their parents, so maybe just put them on top of a pot of dirt and see if they root? Give them water and lay some fertilizer down?"

He was guessing, although the water would be important no matter what they were.

The...kitten willow?...clambered over his hand and curled up under the edge of his sleeve.

[hernando_fuentes]

Animal parts? Hernando hadn't even looked. "That would spare me having to find appropriate litter boxes for them," he mentioned weakly. "A box of dirt and some fertilizer is much easier on my mind."

He smiled as the kitten curled up under Peter's sleeve. "For all they are strange, they are very charming."

[2_old_for_this]

"They are," Peter agreed. He petted the thing carefully with one finger. "How old are they?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"They weren't here when I left last night," Hernando answered with his palms up, "I found them when I came in this morning. The quokka were herding them away from the pet door so they wouldn't get outside."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter grinned down at the quokka. "Good for them. You don't want to go outside," he told the little fuzzball in his sleeve. "You might get run over by a rickshaw!"

[hernando_fuentes]

"Or stepped on by anything," Hernando agreed. He poked a finger into the box only for it to be pounced on by a tiny kitten with sharp little claws. "Have you been to your store yet today?"

[2_old_for_this]

"Not yet, why?" Peter asked. "Do you need more fertilizer for these guys?"

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando was amused, "I'm wondering if it's just the branches I bought or if you're going to open the store to hundreds of miniature kittens. I think perhaps the fertilizer might have been the problem."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter laughed. "Well, I've had them for a while, and they've never done this before. Still, I probably should check, you're right."

He tried to coax the little one out of his sleeve and got a squeaky protest and claws digging in. He glanced at Hernando. "Mind if I bring this little guy with me? I'll bring him right back if he misses the others."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando raised both brows but smiled, "You may have a little pet now, you know. What if it does not turn back into a plant? By all means, please, bring it - him? - back if the kitten gets lonely."

He truly hoped Peter didn't find hundreds of them waiting for him in the store. Charming as they were.

[2_old_for_this]

"As long as it gets along with plants, I think it'll be fine," Peter said.

He was also hoping this was the extent of it. An entire shop of kitten willows would be a bit much.