Title: Pure of Heart
Author: Hellsfire.scythe
Chapter: 5?
Chapter Summary: Count D's business gets some customers, but is that really a good thing? The dentist appointment has arrived and strange going-ons are happening in the factory.
Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet'. CatCF/PSoH
Chapter Five: How…Weird
"Ma ma! Ma ma! Kan Gong Jue D gei wo de gou! Wo ke yi yao ma? Ke yi ma?"
A Chinese woman looked from the small chitzu puppy in the pet shop owner's hands, to her young daughter's expectant face. "Ni yao hao hao de guan zhe ta, Xiao Gang. Hao me?"
"Tai bang le!" squealed the girl, she hugged her mother gleefully. "Xie xie ma ma!" Then she turned to the pet shop owner. "Duo xie Gong Jue D!"
The man gave a small respectful bow and smiled enchantingly. "Bu ke qi."
Break.
"The business is going well today, isn't it?" Count D relaxed gracefully on his couch. There was a box of homemade moon cakes resting on his lap which he eyed keenly.
"Yeah, you sold two dogs and three goldfish. Big deal," snorted T-chan, sitting across from him. "This whole time in this little town, you've only sold two of us that needed a contract."
"One of which that ended up in quite the bloody mess," crooned a striking male as he replaced the box on Count D's lap.
"I only sell love and dreams. I had no idea that Ms. Talaway's would produce such carnage," replied Count D, sipping slowly at his cup of green tea as he glanced at the newspaper. "Her husband and his lover, mauled to death by some sort of creature. Ms. Talaway dead at the scene as well, with a single shot to her head. She shot Yuri-chan as well, it seems." His grip tightened on the small cup briefly and a hard look flashed through his eyes before fading into a silent frown.
"What's with the face?" grinned T-chan. "No Detective Orcot to come barging through your doors and demanding answers anymore?"
The expression on Count D's face was blank and he stared levelly at the Totetsu. "That's quite enough." T-chan flinched at the hard edge that the Count's voice took on and he went silent. Uncomfortable with the tension that had built up in the room; the being that had once occupied Count D's lap crept back into the depths of the shop.
A tinkling of bells dispelled the silence that had grown all around. Count D stood up from his seat and walked closer to the doorway. A tiny smile graced his face as he watched the boy who had entered, and was now kneeling on the ground. "Welcome back, Charlie. Are you here for more incense?"
"Yes, sir, I suppose you've been expecting me," Charlie smiled as he looked up from petting a small cat.
"You have been visiting quite regularly for it for two weeks," replied Count D with a note of amusement to his voice. He picked up a small bag from the table and handed it to the boy.
Charlie took it from him eagerly and put it in a book-bag. "By the way, sir, Mr. Wonka asked of how your Coco Cream Berry plant is doing."
Count D raised an eyebrow and glanced to the large pot that sat on his coffee table. The plant had indeed grown just as Wonka had said it would and was a foot tall. Small buds had begun forming at the tips of the branches. "It's doing very well. Tell Mr. Wonka that the leaves are quite delectable."
"I'll be sure to do that, sir." Charlie reached into his jacket and pulled out a thin bar of chocolate. "This is for the plant. Mr. Wonka says that it will act like a sort of fertilizer for it."
"Then I must thank him once again," Count D murmured as he took the bar. Charlie nodded and headed towards the door. "Payment is the same as usual."
"I'll make sure he sends it over then!" Charlie called back with a wave.
Break.
"What does that one taste like, Charlie? Toffee? Caramel? Banana Crème Pie?" Wonka stared at Charlie, purple eyes sparkling in excitement.
Charlie looked down at the golden egg that had a rather large bite taken out of it and chewed experimentally. The candy shell crunched satisfyingly and Charlie shuddered in joy as the new taste exploded over his taste buds. Quickly, he swallowed and showed Wonka a sticky grin. "It's lemon meringue!"
A Chruffle clucked impatiently and pecked at Wonka's notebook. "Hey! That's my notebook. Go get your own!" At that, Wonka snatched the book up and began jotting down more notes relating to the Chruffle eggs. Charlie stifled a giggle. "So, Charlie, what shall we be calling these little guys?" One of the Chruffle's golden eggs was held up closely to Wonka's eye.
"How about 'Golden Surprises'?" suggested Charlie.
Wonka shook his head, "Nah, already have Nutty Crunch Surprise. We need something new…and catchy, too!"
The sound of ruffling feathers and loud squawking made the duo turn towards the door. An Oompa-loompa pushed his way past Chruffles that were exactly his size. Somehow, he managed to squeeze his way through the whole flock and arrived in front of Wonka.
"Why hello today," Wonka wriggled his fingers and the sound of rubber squeaking was barely heard over the sounds of the Chruffles. The Oompa-loompa nodded and swiftly held up a small note card. Charlie looked as Wonka's expression changed from excitement to dismay.
"What is it, Mr. Wonka?" asked Charlie. The chocolatier grimaced as he wordlessly handed the card over to his protégé.
Things Mr. Wonka has forgotten to-day, Feb. 25:
-To floss
-Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket are due for a dentist appointment at Dr. Wilbur Wonka's office at 2 o'clock in the afternoon to-day.
The pocket watch was whipped out of Wonka's coat and Charlie's eyes widened at the time. "It's already 2 o'clock!"
An almost crash later, they exited the 'Chruffle Room' and the Great Glass Elevator shot up into the winter sky.
Charlie watched as the snow rushed past the glass elevator. The sound of the wind and the pattering of snow splattering against the glass was all the noise that was heard. But soon, Charlie could hear another noise joining in. It was the sound of latex squeaking against itself.
"Don't worry, Mr. Wonka. It'll be fine. You've already been to your father's office four times before." Charlie patted Wonka's arm reassuringly, but the man didn't stop wringing his hands.
"But Charlie," Wonka whined, looking pleadingly towards Charlie's direction. "Three of those times I was just there to wait for you. This time, I have an appointment, too."
"Mr. Wonka, your teeth are always perfectly fine." Charlie cocked his head slightly as he waited for his mentor to respond.
"Uh-uh! Not according to my father," Wonka replied. He drew himself up and mimicked one of Dr. Wonka's stern expressions, "You never know, Willy. But there are plenty of germs in the human mouth that can cause all sorts of problems, especially since you don't floss. Who knows if there are some problems beneath your gums?"
Charlie tried and failed to suppress a giggle. "That's why you made the no-floss candy chews."
"Exactly!" Wonka crowed. "See Charlie? You understand. I always knew you would, being my heir and all." Suddenly, Wonka shut his mouth and his lips tightened into a line.
Over a ridge sat Dr. Wilbur Wonka's house, looking as dismal as dentist offices usually do. Charlie firmed his grip on Wonka's wrist as the elevator doors chimed open and as they trudged towards their destination.
Break.
"You're late again," Wilbur Wonka's commanding voice boomed from the second floor. Wonka gulped and smiled weakly as his father walked briskly down the stairs. The sound of latex doubled at Willy Wonka's hand wringing, and Dr. Wonka snapping on his gloves.
"We were a little caught up, you know…with business." The chocolatier managed to reply as his eyes flickered from the floor to his father.
"Next time, keep your eyes on the clock while you're doing business. I suppose you can manage that?" Dr. Wonka said as he ushered Charlie into the dentist chair. Wonka automatically sat down in the waiting chair a few feet away and nodded meekly. "There's no way of changing you being late, so stop moping." Dr. Wonka looked up from gathering his tools, "And take off that hat, this is indoors, not some sort of circus."
"Okay…sure." squeaked Wonka. Shakily he removed his precious top hat and clutched it to his chest.
His heart lightened just a smidgen as Charlie smiled at him encouragingly. 'Yeah, I'll be okay…' he caught sight of the wicked looking hook tool in his father's hand and moaned softly, 'No I won't!'
"Now, open up your mouth Charlie. Let's see how your braces are progressing," murmured Dr. Wonka as he lowered the back of the dentist chair slowly.
The room wavered and dissolved, now it was little Willy Wonka sitting in that chair.
"Hold still, Willy." Dr. Wonka commanded the squirming five year-old. "For heaven's sake, I have three year-olds that act more mature than you do." He put a restraining hand on Willy's arm. "Hold still. Do you understand?"
Little Willy looked up and met his father's eyes. "Will it hurt?"
"You ask this every time. Not if you stop moving around like this."
"It hurt last time."
"That's because you don't floss."
The boy's movements stilled, but his dark eyes darted around nervously as his father skillfully removed the orthodontics head gear. Like great vultures, the cold metal tools descended downwards. Willy's eyes squeezed shut and he opened his mouth.
Half an hour later, Willy emerged from the dentist's chair. He ran to the washroom and stood on tip-toe to reach the sink. He spat. Saliva and blood oozed down the drain. It hurt. He could still feel the floss sliding roughly between his teeth and gums.
"You haven't been flossing, Willy." Dr. Wonka's voice coldly echoed in the little boy's mind.
"Huh? What?" started Wonka as someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, Charlie, it's you."
"It's your turn now." Charlie whispered. Wonka felt Charlie's little hand in his own and the boy pulled him up. Cautiously and gradually, Wonka lowered himself into the dentist chair. Dr. Wonka pulled up beside him and put a heavy sort of apron over the chocolatier's shoulders and torso.
A gasp emerged from Wonka's throat as the heavy weight settled over his body. "W-w-what's this for?" He poked and prodded the thing from underneath. It was dismal and a rather gross looking green, like the rest of the room. Something cold moved uncomfortably close to his cheek.
Dr. Wonka appeared back in front of him holding some sort of plastic chip in a pair of plier-like tongs. "Open your mouth."
"Wait! What are you doing?" Wonka exclaimed, he uneasily eyed the machinery that surrounded him and then at the tool in Dr. Wonka's hand. "Where'd Charlie go?" The boy was no where to be seen. "Charlie? Little boy? Charlie?"
"I sent him to the sitting room. It will be safer for him there," Dr. Wonka interrupted. He thrust the chip and tool closer to Wonka's face. "Now open."
Wonka's eyes widened considerably. "Safer! What are you going to do?"
Dark eyes bore down on Wonka and he felt as if his insides were shriveling. He cowered back into the chair and winced, waiting for the tirade to come…but it didn't. The thing was moved away from his cheek and Dr. Wonka's hand slowly pulled back. It was after a heavy sigh that Wonka dared to look back at his father.
"I forgot that you haven't been to a dentist for years," There was a slight sound of displeasure in Dr. Wonka's voice. "This, Willy, is an X-ray machine." He pointed with a gloved finger at the thing that had once been touching Wonka's cheek. "It will take a detailed picture of your teeth so I can see what sort of damage there is."
"Will it hurt?" Wonka blurted out. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"After all these years, you still ask me that."
The floor suddenly seemed to look very interesting. Finally, after a while he replied. "It always has before."
"This time, it won't hurt one bit." Dr. Wonka replied, in a surprisingly reassuring tone. Wonka looked up into his father's eyes and offered one tiny, consenting smile.
Break.
"There's a rather unsavory man standing in the sitting room." Femto-kun's lilted from on top of a cabinet, his tail curled back over copper-toned skin.
Count D glanced upwards and beamed at the Egyptian feline. Femto-kun face-faulted and steadily backed away out of the room, only to be knocked back in as T-chan raced into the room.
"Can I eat him? Please?" T-chan grinned voraciously and showed off his razor-sharp teeth. Two other beings joined him, wearing replica expressions. "It's been so long since I've been able to eat anything that tastes remotely like human flesh. Just a couple bites." Count D remained silent as he toweled off his hands.
"Perhaps you'll get your chance, sometime later." Count D murmured as he glided out of the room.
"Ah, there you are, Count D. I was worried that you weren't here."
A man wearing a black trench coat and hat stood near the coffee table. His glasses flashed as the light passed over them. 'Unsavory man, undeniably.' Count D smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in his cheongsam and walked closer to the customer. "Welcome to Count D's Pet Shop. We carry ordinary pets like cats and dogs, to rare exotic animals. What would you be…" The man turned around with candy plant in hand. "Please, I would rather not to have anyone―"
"Where did you get this from?" interrupted the man.
"I received it from a previous customer of the shop." Count D squared his shoulders and allowed a rather calm and rather fake smile to cover his feelings of disdain. "It's rather impolite to handle other people's items."
Hurriedly, the man set the pot back down on the table and brushed his hands. "I apologize, Count D. I am Mark Ficklegruber, owner of Ficklegruber's Ice Cream."
"What would an Ice Cream maker want with a pet?"
"You could ask the same about Willy Wonka. What was he doing buying a pet?"
Count D hid his surprise and kneeled smoothly near the table. His hand gracefully ran his finger over the blade of one of the fudge-mint leaves of the plant. "Whoever said that Willy Wonka was in this pet shop?" his lips curled up into a charming smirk.
"He is the only man that can accomplish something like this, though Slugworth would kill me for saying it and I don't like it much myself." Ficklegruber muttered, envy darkened the man's eyes and Count D found his own curiosity peaked. "Look, Chinaman. Is this Willy Wonka's creation?"
"And if it is made by him?"
Ficklegruber stared for a moment at Count D and grinned. "How much do you want for it? I'll pay anything!" There was no reply. "I'll give you five hundred…no five thousand! Anything!" Still no reply.
Carefully, the plant was cradled in Count D's arms and he breathed in its refreshing scent. "I'm sorry, but this is not for sale." His smile remained the same when T-chan growled threateningly at the man. "Now…let's get to business. What sort of pet are you looking for?"
"Well, it would have to suit my requirements…"
"That can be quiet easily met, Mr. Ficklegruber."
Fifteen minutes later, the Count watched as Mark Ficklegruber exited the shop carrying a large cage covered with a black velvet cloth. Count D's finely manicured hands slid away from the doorway and the doors closed shut behind him.
Pon-chan wriggled into Count D's lap as he settled down into his chair. "Was it a good idea to give him Vene-chan?"
"I fear that it wasn't."
Break.
"Don't touch that!" Wonka rapidly walked over to the side of the chocolate river and plucked up the sticky toddler. Was it normal for babies to grow so…quickly? It had been two months since Charlie's birthday and over two weeks since the appointment with Dr. Wonka. Somehow her blankets were replaced by a silk tunic and pants. Rubies and diamonds that decorated her hair and clothing sparkled in the artificial sunlight.
"Oh, thank you Mr. Wonka! I didn't know she was missing." Charlie cried as he rushed out of the Bucket home. He took Feng Huang into his arms.
"It's a good thing I found her. Or else we might have had Chocolate Babies instead of Chocolate Birds." Wonka laughed unconvincingly.
"Chocolate Babies?" Charlie's expression grew worried and confused. "Are you alright, Mr. Wonka. You have been acting…stranger ever since that visit to the pet shop."
"Uh…what? Oh, fiddle-sticks. It was just a slip of the tongue, Charlie. Must have been that tongue-numbing candy I'm developing." Wonka fibbed.
Something tugged on the tails of Wonka's coat and he looked down. An Oompa-loompa stared up back him. "Yes? What's going on?" he bent down to let the being whisper in his ear. "Fudgmuffins! The Marshmallow Fluffing Machine has been jammed? How in the world could that have happened?" The Oompa-loompa shrugged. Wonka turned to Charlie and waved him over.
"But the marshmallow fluff always jams things, Mr. Wonka." commented Charlie as Feng Huang shrieked joyfully and ran into the house at the sight of Mrs. Bucket's bowl of diced fruit.
Wonka shook his head fiercely and his hair swished around just as quick. "Nu-uh Charlie, not the Marshmallow Fluffing Machine. That I designed so it won't ever jam because of the marshmallows." Quickly Wonka strode over to the glass elevator. Charlie managed to catch Wonka this time before he hit the ground and the two ended up sprawled on the candy-grass.
"Oh, my dear Charlie, I'm so sorry!" Wonka quickly pulled up his heir. "Now lets not dilly or dally. We have something to look into!"
The rest of the week went on like that. Something went wrong where it never should have. Pieces went missing to machines, chocolate birds disappeared without a peep, and there were whispers among the Oompa-loompas about a great monster in the factory. Wonka spent days puzzling over the situation with no results. But one thing was for certain: something really weird was going on in his factory, and he was determined to stop it.
To be continued...
Translations:
Ma ma! Ma ma! Kan Gong Jue D gei wo de gou! Wo ke yi yao ma? Ke yi ma? Mom! Mom! Look what Count D gave to me! May I have it? May I?
Ni yao hao hao de guan zhe ta, Xiao Gang. Hao me? You have to look after it nicely, Xiao Gang. Okay?
Tai bang le! Too good!
Xie xie ma ma! Thank you mom!
Duo xie Gong Jue D! Thank you Count D!
Bu ke qi. You're welcome
Dear me...something is going wrong. Wonder what? 'grins'
Ohh...wow, this fic has been looked at so many times! That really makes me happy. Reviews make me happy to 'winks', it also lets me know if you're enjoying it so far or not.. So drop me a line some time! I would greatly appreciate it!
-Hellsfire.scythe