The Magpie Emporium, Thursday (6/26)

[drumsticksandd20s]

With two days to go until Pride, Steph had about five dozen small tasks to juggle. Nothing too serious -- just the long, long list of seemingly trivial items that needed to get done in order to make sure things went off without a hitch -- but it did have her in a bit of a hectic state, constantly on the phone while she rang up customers and checked table reservations.

And, of course, made sure Saffron had her salmon treat. Not that Saffron had been feeling terribly charitable toward her ever since the HVAC maintenance person had found multiple stashes of kitty toys hidden away in the ducts.

This was all going to keep her busy until the usual lunchtime slowdown. It was a good kind of busy, though.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi came by after class, bearing breakfast for lunch. "I hear there's a hot girl in need in this store," she said, terribly seductively.

[drumsticksandd20s]

Breakfast was valid any time of day if you asked Steph.

"Oh yeah?" she asked,, all too happy to set down the phone and lock the register up. "Who told you, the squirrels?"

Just... don't mind the hug that would inevitably follow.

[giveittoyoursister]

Like Vi would ever mind a hug from Steph.

"I have my sources," she said. It was totally a squirrel.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I'll let you keep your secrets," Steph assured her with a soft laugh, tucking her chin against Vi's shoulder. "So glad to see you. It's been kind of a flurry of everything today."

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi kissed her temple. "Well, I'm here now to handle any heavy lifting you need done," she said with a grin.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I know," Steph said, and gave her one more hug before stepping back. "You're very, very good at it. Plus I get eye candy."

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi's grin broadened and she quite deliberately flexed for Steph. "Yeah, I am very pretty."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"The prettiest," Steph agreed, waggling her eyebrows. "You've been the actual best about helping me out with this every year."

[giveittoyoursister]

"It's important to you," Vi said, sincerely. "So it's important to me too."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"You're the literal best." Steph was grinning against Vi's shoulder, but Vi could probably feel it. "And as always I really appreciate it."

[giveittoyoursister]

"It's what I'm here for," Vi said, leaning in to steal a kiss. "Your appreciation."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph wrapped an arm around her neck as she leaned into the kiss. "That and enforcing my good eating habits."

[giveittoyoursister]

"Gotta make sure you get a solid meal before we can enjoy dessert." Vi let her hands rest on Steph's shoulders as she started nuzzling along her jaw.

Something which soon became both sharper and a lot more ticklish as now claws and whiskers were involved.

[drumsticksandd20s]

No, no, see, the person who was supposed to be doing the purring here was Steph.

"Oh no," Steph mumbled as soon as she registered the sharp little kitty claws digging into her shoulder and the whiskers tickling the inside of her ear, and the fact that she was holding onto something much smaller. "Not this again."

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi let out a disgruntled little mew and tried to lick Steph's nose. This was not how she'd planned to spend the afternoon!

[drumsticksandd20s]

Saffron immediately came rushing out of the game lounge with a loud mew or five of her own. Finally, Snuggle Human was portable again and Food Human had better relinquish her right now.

Steph laughed and adjusted her hold on Vi to something much more comfortable for a kitty. "You and your raspy little tongue. Good thing I just got a new bag of cat food, I guess."

[giveittoyoursister]

In yet another sign of Food Human's cruelty, instead of immediately wriggling free to come over to Saffron, Vi snuggled in against Steph, purring.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I've got you," Steph assured the adorable pink kitty, stroking the top of her head. "I'm... gonna have to get creative about carrying you around with me, because no way am I letting you miss out on Pride, even in this shape."

Woe for her lack of eye candy, though. Don't think she was going to let Vi get away without considerable ribbing for that later.

[giveittoyoursister]

Poor Steph, deprived of hotness.

Food Human didn't need to worry about that, Saffron was here to take Snuggle Human for the duration. You could tell be how she was sitting up on the counter, glaring.

[drumsticksandd20s]

You could relinquish her any time now, Food Human. Any time.

"You're always so infuriatingly adorable in this form," Steph told Vi, scritching vigorously around her ears. "But we're gonna have to have a talk about your timing for next time, okay?"

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi purred even louder, her paws moving in little kneading motion as her eyes slid closed.

Couldn't Food Human see the clear distress she was in that only Saffron could protect her from.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Going to ride around on my shoulder?" Steph asked after a moment or two of making tiny incoherent noises of glee at the kneading paws. "Just don't dig your claws in too hard."

No. Food Human, you were supposed to be putting her down so Saffron could carry her off.

[giveittoyoursister]

Didn't you know anything, Food Human.

With a much less disgruntled mew, Vi scrambled up onto Steph's shoulder, snuggling in against the crook of her neck.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"There you go." Steph cupped one hand protectively over Vi's tiny kitty body (much to the indignation of Saffron) and looked over at the food she'd brought before she acquired a tail and fur. "Damn, and we didn't even get to have lunch yet."

She'd been looking forward to that nice little break.

"On the upside, I think you've just made sure I have no excuses about skipping meals for the next three days at least."

[giveittoyoursister]

Vi let out a small mew of agreement as Saffron settled down to watch and plot. She may have been a tiny kitten, but she took her self inflicted responsibilities seriously.

[drumsticksandd20s]

Steph nuzzled at Vi's fur. "I still love you even when you're like this," she said fondly as she took the food and went into the office to have her (tragically innocent) lunch.

No, Food Human, you had better not shut the door -- oh, miracle of miracles, for once Food Human had actually complied with Saffron's wishes.

Not that she was getting up; she had a decent view from here.