fandomtownies | The Magpie Emporium, Monday [03/6]

Entry tags:

The Magpie Emporium, Monday [03/6]

It was June, which meant that over the weekend, the store had metaphorically exploded with glitter and rainbows. The flag coloured pinecones had been dragged out of storage, the actual flags had been hung, and the minis had been adorned with their capes and set out in a parade.

And of course Little Bot needed an appropriate paintjob, so Vi had gotten out the paints and was carefully applying stripes along his sides.

[Open!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hey now, it had taken a lot of work to make that metaphorical explosion happen. Also there were sequins.

"Do you think we can get Saffron to wear an appropriate collar?" Steph wanted to know, twirling said Pride flag striped collar around her finger as she walked in. She noticed what Vi was doing and grinned. "Aw. I love this so much."

Vi straightened up, grinning at Steph and Little Bot spun around in place to show off his new look.

"I think it'll depend entirely on if she figures out it was your idea," she said, wiping off her forehead and leaving a bright streak of multicoloured paint. "If she thinks it's mine, we might have a chance."

The things Saffron endured for her beloved Snuggle Human.

"Hell yeah, Little Bot, looking good!" Steph even threw in a little whistle for emphasis there, then chuckled, shaking her head.

"I think we can sell it as your idea," she said, grabbing one of the napkins from their endless stash of takeout extras behind the counter and dampening it from a bottle of water that she'd meant to finish the other day except that she'd gotten too distracted decorating, oops. She came over and reached out to wipe the paint off Vi's forehead with one hand, and with the other one went to hook her fingers into one of Vi's pockets to pull her closer for a kiss. If the collar just happened to end up in that pocket in the process? Total coincidence.

Totally just a coincidence.

Vi smiled into the kiss, leaning in against Steph. "Were you trying to pick my pocket just then," she teased.

"Yeah, but I blew my stealth roll." Steph lingered against her lips, not terribly cognizant of the tiny trickle of water that was threatening to roll down Vi's forehead from the damp napkin she still had pressed there. "Maybe I did it on purpose, you don't know."

"You were very subtle," Vi told her, not very convincingly, resting her hands on the drop cloth she'd placed on the counter rather than Steph's hips like she wanted.

Steph laughed and tucked the collar more securely into Vi's pocket, wiggling her fingers as she did.

"I just distract you with my hotness. Easy."

Saffron raised her head and cracked one eye open to glare at them. She was on to you, humans! Never mind that she'd been asleep through that whole conversation so far.

"That is extremely distracting," Vi happily conceded. "Though not on Saffron, sadly."

She was being talked about, obviously it was vitally important for Saffron to interrupt this canoodling.

"Sadly, Saffron is immune to my many charms," Steph said with a melodramatic sigh. She dabbed at Vi's forehead a couple more times, used her thumb to brush some of the stray droplets away, and leaned in to kiss her on the nose. "I am bereft. Bereft, I tell you."

Saffron's disgruntled noises were totally her agreeing. Food Human was foolish enough to buy that, right?

"It's the worst," Vi agreed, with a heavy, completely sincere sigh. "Guess I'll just have to snuggle her for both of us."

Oh, yeah, Saffron was so much smarter than Food Human, who'd never be able to get one over on her.

"Your snuggles are superior anyway." Confident that the collar was securely tucked away, Steph let go of Vi's pocket and just reached to put an arm around her waist instead. "Can't fault her taste there."

Food Human had a point, tragically, but Saffron would let her have it. Everything she did was playing right into Saffron's clever little paws, after all.

Vi wiped her hands clean, then placed them on Steph's hips where they belonged. "Good thing I have enough snuggles to go around."

Soon, Food Human would have no choice but to admit Saffron had bested her, then, salmon for days.

"Impressive, considering I demand so many of them," Steph laughed. "Clearly your superpower."

Someday she would concede to Saffron's superiority. Any day now. Any day.

Vi leaned in to bump their noses together. "One I use all the time for my demanding girls."

Ha! Saffron would prove it by stealing Snuggle Human's attention. That'd show her!

"Poor baby," Steph said in a teasing tone, resting her forehead against Vi's. "No wonder you're in such good shape, keeping up with both of us."

There was probably some alternate universe somewhere where Steph was saying that to her in an entirely different context.

Just... don't mind Saffron hopping up onto the counter and stalking over in preparation to leap.

And where that 'us' definitely wasn't referring to Saffron.

Vi sighed again. "It's a hard job but someone has to do it."

Butt wiggling, Saffron gathered herself up and pounced. Attention, now, Snuggle Human.

Saffron might not even exist in that reality, which she would argue meant it was the worst.

"Couldn't think of anyone better to --" Steph sputtered as she got a faceful of cat tail.

It was good of Food Human to acknowledge that any reality without her was the worst by definition.

Vi did her best not to laugh as she scratched behind Saffon's ears. "Someone doesn't want to share," she said, other hand sneaking into her pocket.

"Can't blame her," Steph replied, graciously backing up just a step or two so Saffron didn't feel like she was being trapped in place. "Any girl would love to have your undivided attention."

Food Human did acknowledge that. Right?

Food Human had to acknowledge it, she was sensible enough to have her as a cat.

Vi palmed the collar, then brought that hand up to pet Saffron with. "Good thing I've only got a couple of girls I want to give it to."

"And good thing they have..." Saying it was a rapport would be pushing it, Food Human was clearly at least aware of that, because she trailed off and chuckled. "An understanding about that."

Steph leaned back against the counter to watch, an affectionate smile on her face.

What was this behavior, Food Human? This was... very considerate, actually. Saffron ought to be suspicious, but she was getting petted by her favorite person in the universe and the only one deserving of such a title.

"And they'd never get jealous of each other," Vi teased, fully aware of just how smug Saffron looked right now.

She spent several minutes just scritching generally around Saffron's neck before looping the collar around and clicking it closed in one smooth motion.

...wait. What?

"I am well aware that Saffron and I fulfill different roles in your life," Steph said cheerfully. She'd taken the opportunity to pull her phone out while Vi was scritching Saffron into complacency, and she brought it up now to take a picture.

Saffron yelped in a distinctly betrayed way and gave Steph a baleful look.

How had you done this with one hand, Food Human? Because this was clearly your doing.

Vi bit her lip to keep from laughing at Saffron's air of betrayal. "You're a very pretty kitty right now, Saff."

Well, if Snuggle Human thought she was pretty...not that she didn't still blame Food Human for this.

"Look at my two gorgeous girls," Steph said delightedly as she took all the pictures.

Ugh, Food Human, nobody asked for your opinion on the obvious.

"Saffron's a pretty kitty all the time, clearly, but now she's festive."

How could Food Human do this to her? Saffron flopped dramatically in Snuggle Human's arms.

"Didn't know all we needed to be festive was a rainbow collar," Vi teased.

"During Pride month?" Steph asked, snorting good-naturedly and taking a few more pictures of swooning Saffron. "It's practically required, especially in my store."

Vi just raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Feeling a bit underdressed then."

"Oh?" Steph waggled her eyebrows and grinned back, cruelly ignoring Saffron's reproachful stare. "Are you saying I should get you a rainbow collar too?"

How dare they get their flirting on when Saffron was swooning from her ordeals.

Vi kept grinning. "Would you be into it if I was saying that?"

"I would be into it if you were saying that because you were into it," Steph said, squarely meeting her gaze. "Maybe with those tabaxi ears..."

Seriously, Food Human? Seriously?

Edited 2024-06-06 04:46 (UTC)

Right in front of Saffron's salad?

"I could be into it if you wanted to try it," Vi said. "Ears and all."

Her salad that should have salmon in it, which meant that Food Human was falling down on the job, figurative or not.

Steph chuckled and licked her lips briefly. "I think I could definitely be into trying that, yeah."

Ugh, Food Human, did you have to go and ruin it right when Saffron had reconciled herself to the collar?

"Sounds purrfect."

Now Food Human was just rubbing it in.

"Boooooooo," Steph laughed. "Don't make me reconsider."

She wouldn't.

Much to Saffron's disgust.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Magpie Emporium, Monday [03/6]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject