"D! Get your damn sheep off me!!" Detective Leon Orcot scowled and tried to
pry open the teeth of a strange sheep/lion-thing, in vain. "I gotta get to
work!"
A feminine-looking man with dark hair, one purple eye and one gold eye smiled sweetly at him. "Why, my dear Detective, you are the one who kicked Tet-chan."
Leon finally got Tetsu off his leg, much to the disappointment of the other members of the petshop, and walked out the door, tousling the hair of a golden-headed boy that looked like himself on the way out. "Chris, you know the routine, don't eat anything funny and don't smell too much of that damn incense. I'll pick you up tonight for your early birthday dinner."
The boy grinned. ~Can't wait! Bye, Leon! ~ (AN- I'm gonna use ~ where Chris thinks, since he doesn't talk).
After Leon left, a raccoon suddenly changed into a young woman with bouncing, golden curls wearing a fancy, frilly dress. "Chris, how old are you going to be?" She asked curiously, smiling at him.
~I'm gonna be sixteen! ~ he replied, excited. ~Leon said he'd teach me to drive his cruiser for my birthday. ~
Tetsu had formed into a bare-chest young man, with wild hair and sharp, curling horns. "Ha! Doubt he'll even remember. Hey, Pon-chan, you said something about a par-"
The girl pounced onto his back and covered his mouth with her hands, sweating. "Heh heh, what are you talking about, jewelry-boy?"
"JEWELRY-BOY?" Tetsu thundered, leaping up.
"Yeah, you're wearing necklaces and bracelets, aren't you?"
"They aren't jewelry- they're decorative, ceremonial artifacts. Get it right, Goldilocks!!"
"GOLDILOCKS?!?!?!"
Leon laughed. ~C'mon, guys, stop fighting! Let's go visit Philippe. It's so hot this summer, and the water's always perfect. ~
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D hummed to himself as he went around his parlor, setting out teacups and pouring tea, despite the heat. The other animals ran around, laughing and playing.
"Hey, D," a woman with extremely short brown hair and a monkey-like tail called out. "There's a customer coming."
D sighed. "Well, alright." He set down the kettle and walked to the front of the shop. "Hello and welcome..." He drifted off, caught off guard by the person.
Standing by the cages was a young man? Woman? It was hard to tell, because the person was wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt which was pulled over his head, black pants, and dark sunglasses. Startled, the person looked over at D and away from the bird they had been stroking. The person looked nervous. "Oh, uh, sorry lady, I didn't see you there."
He chuckled. "Mister, if you will. Welcome to my petshop, where we deal in love and dreams. How can I assist you?"
The girl- D was sure it was a girl now- paled. "Well, uh, I um, was, ah, hoping to get a job." She finished the sentence timidly.
D frowned. "I'm sorry; I need no assistance in my shop."
She took off the hood, revealing auburn hair cut to her chin in a very spiky manner. "Listen, mister, please." Her voice was stronger now, but she was pleading. "I'll do anything. Clean animal cages, wait on customers, clean your shop, sweep, mop, windows, the works."
D sighed. He didn't need the help, but something was telling him he should let her have the job. "I don't know, I would have to see if you're good with animals..."
"I'm great with them!" She said loudly, face slowly regaining color. "I don't know why, I've always had a knack with them." Her voice lowered. "Some people- well, some people call me crazy because I talk to them." Her cheeks took on a rosy tinge, as if she was embarrassed to have told that to D.
He sighed. "I would like to see how great you are with them. Just one moment." D left and soon came back with a few animals. He left again. The girl had no idea what she was supposed to do, but the animals looked so adorable. She petted the dog, stroked the cat, whistled to the bird, and let the snake coil around her arm. When D came back, the snake had its head comfortable on her shoulder, the bird was perched on her head, the cat curled around her feet, and with her free hand she petted the dog. D was surprised of her change. She had gone from a quiet, shy, sickly-looking girl to a vibrant, laughing, radiant young woman. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Count, your pets are so friendly! It's not everyday a bird will willingly go near a stranger." She whistled again and the bird chirped back, making her giggle.
D looked at the animals. To him, a man with scales was curled on her arm, a girl with bright red feathers leaned on her head, a young boy played by her and a woman with fur wrapped around her shoulders was lying contentedly at her feet.
"I like her, Count!" the dog/boy yipped gleefully. "She's real nice!"
"She didn't squeeze me," the snake/man said.
"She knew exactly where to stroke me, but she wouldn't let me eat the bird." She cat/woman complained.
The phoenix stuck her tongue out at the cat/woman. "Thank goodness. She whistled with me! She sounded just like Robin!" she added, naming another bird in the petshop.
D smiled and looked at the girl, clapping his hands together. "Well, it seems you have passed the test. What is your name?"
The girl looked up at him, shocked for a moment- then smiled radiantly. "Beryl. My name's Beryl."
A feminine-looking man with dark hair, one purple eye and one gold eye smiled sweetly at him. "Why, my dear Detective, you are the one who kicked Tet-chan."
Leon finally got Tetsu off his leg, much to the disappointment of the other members of the petshop, and walked out the door, tousling the hair of a golden-headed boy that looked like himself on the way out. "Chris, you know the routine, don't eat anything funny and don't smell too much of that damn incense. I'll pick you up tonight for your early birthday dinner."
The boy grinned. ~Can't wait! Bye, Leon! ~ (AN- I'm gonna use ~ where Chris thinks, since he doesn't talk).
After Leon left, a raccoon suddenly changed into a young woman with bouncing, golden curls wearing a fancy, frilly dress. "Chris, how old are you going to be?" She asked curiously, smiling at him.
~I'm gonna be sixteen! ~ he replied, excited. ~Leon said he'd teach me to drive his cruiser for my birthday. ~
Tetsu had formed into a bare-chest young man, with wild hair and sharp, curling horns. "Ha! Doubt he'll even remember. Hey, Pon-chan, you said something about a par-"
The girl pounced onto his back and covered his mouth with her hands, sweating. "Heh heh, what are you talking about, jewelry-boy?"
"JEWELRY-BOY?" Tetsu thundered, leaping up.
"Yeah, you're wearing necklaces and bracelets, aren't you?"
"They aren't jewelry- they're decorative, ceremonial artifacts. Get it right, Goldilocks!!"
"GOLDILOCKS?!?!?!"
Leon laughed. ~C'mon, guys, stop fighting! Let's go visit Philippe. It's so hot this summer, and the water's always perfect. ~
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- *-*-*-*-*-
D hummed to himself as he went around his parlor, setting out teacups and pouring tea, despite the heat. The other animals ran around, laughing and playing.
"Hey, D," a woman with extremely short brown hair and a monkey-like tail called out. "There's a customer coming."
D sighed. "Well, alright." He set down the kettle and walked to the front of the shop. "Hello and welcome..." He drifted off, caught off guard by the person.
Standing by the cages was a young man? Woman? It was hard to tell, because the person was wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt which was pulled over his head, black pants, and dark sunglasses. Startled, the person looked over at D and away from the bird they had been stroking. The person looked nervous. "Oh, uh, sorry lady, I didn't see you there."
He chuckled. "Mister, if you will. Welcome to my petshop, where we deal in love and dreams. How can I assist you?"
The girl- D was sure it was a girl now- paled. "Well, uh, I um, was, ah, hoping to get a job." She finished the sentence timidly.
D frowned. "I'm sorry; I need no assistance in my shop."
She took off the hood, revealing auburn hair cut to her chin in a very spiky manner. "Listen, mister, please." Her voice was stronger now, but she was pleading. "I'll do anything. Clean animal cages, wait on customers, clean your shop, sweep, mop, windows, the works."
D sighed. He didn't need the help, but something was telling him he should let her have the job. "I don't know, I would have to see if you're good with animals..."
"I'm great with them!" She said loudly, face slowly regaining color. "I don't know why, I've always had a knack with them." Her voice lowered. "Some people- well, some people call me crazy because I talk to them." Her cheeks took on a rosy tinge, as if she was embarrassed to have told that to D.
He sighed. "I would like to see how great you are with them. Just one moment." D left and soon came back with a few animals. He left again. The girl had no idea what she was supposed to do, but the animals looked so adorable. She petted the dog, stroked the cat, whistled to the bird, and let the snake coil around her arm. When D came back, the snake had its head comfortable on her shoulder, the bird was perched on her head, the cat curled around her feet, and with her free hand she petted the dog. D was surprised of her change. She had gone from a quiet, shy, sickly-looking girl to a vibrant, laughing, radiant young woman. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Count, your pets are so friendly! It's not everyday a bird will willingly go near a stranger." She whistled again and the bird chirped back, making her giggle.
D looked at the animals. To him, a man with scales was curled on her arm, a girl with bright red feathers leaned on her head, a young boy played by her and a woman with fur wrapped around her shoulders was lying contentedly at her feet.
"I like her, Count!" the dog/boy yipped gleefully. "She's real nice!"
"She didn't squeeze me," the snake/man said.
"She knew exactly where to stroke me, but she wouldn't let me eat the bird." She cat/woman complained.
The phoenix stuck her tongue out at the cat/woman. "Thank goodness. She whistled with me! She sounded just like Robin!" she added, naming another bird in the petshop.
D smiled and looked at the girl, clapping his hands together. "Well, it seems you have passed the test. What is your name?"
The girl looked up at him, shocked for a moment- then smiled radiantly. "Beryl. My name's Beryl."