Post by Phugsius Charadus on Aug 10, 2009 15:09:18 GMT -5
It was just about sunset when Phugsius walked down the streets of Drakborough. Destination in mind, he made swiftly for the store. Consolation sprung to his heart as he approached as the store. His eyes scanned the sign which was sloppily edited to say "Sylph's Pet Shop". It was still open.
Phugsius swiftly opened the door and his eyes panned the store looking for the owner whom he knew as his mentor in elementalism. His eyes fell upon the various creatures in the store. The boys eyes fell upon a snake. He leaned down to get a closer observation. The snakes eyes locked on his and it's tail began rattling. "How interesting..." Phugsius said aloud to himself clearly amused by the noise making snake.
However, a snake was not what he needed and he hoped his professor would be able to help him find what he was looking for. Phugsius' eyes fell upon another creature which caught his interest. A rabbit hopped around in it's cage nibbling at some parsley, "No thanks, too cute" he said an ounce of displeasure in his voice.
The brass bell above the door jingled merrily away, and from behind the main counter there came a strange roaring sound, emitted by a small but persistent pot of dandy-lions. All along the walls in shining glass tanks the rats and mice and other, less familiar rodents squeaked and nipped each other in excitement. Warp snakes fizzed and popped and the fire-breathing puppies started yapping loudly. Only the giant osprey at the back on his perch remained silent, surveying the newcomer with great orange eyes.
From behind the beaded curtain that was situated behind the counter a tall, lanky figure emerged. She wore muggle gear today – jeans and a vest top were far better for dealing with angry hippogriffs than robes – and her forearms were adorned with embossed brown leather archery guards. Upon seeing the Slytherin student, her green eyes sparkled, and she smiled her devil-may-care smile.
“Alright there, Phug?” she said casually. “What can I do ya for?”
Post by Phugsius Charadus on Aug 10, 2009 21:37:53 GMT -5
Phugsius stood observing the rabbit, when a noise from the back jarred his attention. The black-haired boy turned to see his CoMC professor emerge into the room, her face carrying a smile. He returned the smile but decided it was time to quickly get down to business. He had no desire to fiddle about with small talk.
"Professor, I felt it was time to invest in a pet. I need something that's quiet, but nothing too 'cute'. I don't need people wondering why I have a bunny, running around my common room". A right index finger was placed on his chin in thought. "Not to mention if anyone else decides to bring another rabbit into the common room we'll have population control issues.... Anyway, you see my point" He had just completely failed in not engaging in small talk. With Sylph, however, he supposed it was almost impossible to deny a pleasant conversation with the beaming woman.
"Have a fire breathing kitten by chance?" He let a sly smile cross his lips.
A jet black brow arched over a glittering green eye as the Slytherin boy used the word “invest”. It wasn’t exactly the normal terminology that people used when they wanted a pet. A pet was something to love, something to act as a companion. People that used the word ‘invest’ in her shop usually wanted animals to perform tests on – laboratory rats and the like. Was Phug really the kind of kid who wanted a pet to take care of? Or did he simply want something to aid his elementalism training? Something he could test his power on by burning alive? He didn’t strike Sylph as the sort of person who wanted the hassle of regular feedings and cleanings, still, she had been known to be wrong.
“No, no fire breathing kittens,” she grinned. “No such thing, last time I checked. I’ve got fire breathing puppies but you won’t want them - they grow up to be massive. There intended as guard dogs mainly, see. I’ve got some kneazles though if you’re looking for more than your average cat-type creature. Bloody difficult to tame, mind,” she added, gesturing at pen of what most would assume to be miniature panthers and lions. “And they’re only willing to leave with people they deem trustworthy, which can be a problem.” Sylph didn’t mention that she had seen one of her kneazles nearly scratch a kid’s eyes out because of this. It probably hadn’t even been the poor girl’s fault; her dad had struck Sylph as a bit dodgy. Still, there had been no lasting damage.
“How about a bird of some kind?” she asked. “Intelligent, and rarely considered one of your traditional cutesy pets. Tell ya what,” she said suddenly, cutting through her own rambling in a cheerful sort of way. “You tell me what you’ve always wanted – invented fire breathing cats aside – and I’ll see what I can do to about getting it.” As Mr. Chang’s favourite employee, Sylph had managed to make several connections with black marketers. If Phug asked her for his own herd of griffins she’d probably be able to arrange it. Of course, whether she’d be willing was another matter.
Post by Phugsius Charadus on Aug 11, 2009 23:10:02 GMT -5
The Slytherin boy listened intrigued. A guard dog sounded nice, but too much risk in taking care of it. He examined the little dragon like canine's and one burped sending a jet of flame into the air. A smile crossed the boys face. Maybe a fire breathing puppy would be kinda nice. Dogs were loyal, growled at enemies. Potty training would be a bit of a hassle... Then he'd also have to worry about where he'd put a fire dog without risking the little pup burning down his common room, or the gryffindor common room.... or anywhere else...
"What do they eat?" He pointed to a Pyro puppy that looked like this:
Kneazles sounded acceptable too, except finding one that trusted him would be a bit difficult, and he'd risking some decent skin he imagined. He glanced around for one of the mini panther/lions he liked.
"How can I tell if one of these little fella's trust me?" He realized that having one of them in the common room might not be a good idea if they scratched other people they don't trust. "Will they scratch anyone else that's untrustworthy? Will they be loyal if they trust me or will they lounge around all day?"
His gaze fixed upon some birds. He had his owl Seekachu. He didn't think a bird would best serve him unless he trained it correctly to bring him what he needed. A quick look around the bird cages brought him to a peculiar looking bird...
"It's possible to train birds to bring you things right? Say if I needed my broom, a text book, or my wand maybe?"
All these pets seemed interesting, and all all of them had their pro's and con's. He'd also need prices.
"How much for each one individually? I might be basing my decision on pricing at this moment, unless you happen to have something else. Sorry if I'm being a bother about all this, but I need a pet I can rely on. Especially around here, I don't want to end up being kidnapped or attacked and have absolutely no help" Phugsius knew Sylph would strongly disagree to sell him anything at this point. She might even be angry at him for even attempting. However his last encounter with the Unkown one had taught him many things about being helpless.
Of course now he probably sounded like an insensitive twit for asking for a pet for the sole purpose of helping him in combat, and meanwhile would endanger itself in the process. "I, of course, will take great caution in only asking any pet that I do choose to help me only when necessary. Don't think me completely insensitive. I am looking for a companion who I can bring out to the lake with me every other night or so while I play guitar, or when i'm out at the dueling field, however, I want a friend who will stick around for a long time and not go off and get itself killed by running into the castille by mistake and becoming some vampire's dinner, I'm sure you can understand that". He stared into the witches eyes with a look of complete understanding and seriousness. DERP!
“Don’t worry, I understand completely,” she said, holding up her hands in a gesture that meant she wasn’t about to launch any kind of attack on him for his comments. “It’s always been a bit rough around here – I know what you mean. Plus I myself find more, uh, aggressive animals far more attractive as pets. But then,” she added, a rueful grin tugging at her mouth. “I expect you already knew that. My lessons aren’t exactly for the faint hearted.”
“Now, in regards to your questions.” He had asked a lot questions, all of which Sylph was only too happy to answer, he just hadn’t given her the chance to do so until now. She didn’t mind, it always brought a smile to her face to see a first-timer in her shop, looking in wonder at her various stock items. “I’ll try and do them in the order you asked them, if not… you’ll forgive me I’m sure.” A wry crooked grin later, and she began.
“Firstly.” She held out her right hand as she said this, and ticked off her right forefinger with her left. “The dogs eat, well, dog-food. You just have to buy a certain kind that contains extra sulphur – and uh, people normally buy a supplement to stop their breath from smelling. Secondly.” A second finger was ticked off. “Kneazles. The only way to tell if a kneazle trusts you is to approach it. These ones have already been tamed – mostly – and aren’t likely to attack people unless someone they don’t like tries to get too friendly with them or their owner. They generally act like cats, but they’re much, much smarter and more fierce. Thirdly.” Another finger.
“Birds are wonderful creatures, and can be trained if you set your mind to it. Some of course, are smarter than others…” At this she glanced back at the osprey on his perch with a roguish smile. The osprey glared back at her but did nothing. “This guy here,” she continued, indicating the eagle Phug had noticed. “Is less on the smart and more on the pretty. He’s kinda vain, actually, if you ask me.” The eagle swivelled its regal head toward Sylph at that point, as if it knew it was being discussed, and stared unblinkingly at her for a moment. The purple haired witch quirked an eyebrow at him, as if daring the majestic raptor to contradict her. Of course, he didn’t. He was just an eagle.
“So yeah, what was next?” she asked, breaking her gaze with the eagle, apparently having lost her place. “Prices, was it? Well, those pups are just over twenty-eight galleons – not that you should have one at school, mind,” she added with a slightly disapproving look. “The kneazles are eleven, and the handsome feathered chap – yes you,” she added as the eagle looked at her again. “Is forty-seven, not including the cage. But,” she added, remembering that Phug was in fact an orphan and might not have a great deal of money. “I’m sure we’ve got another bird here that costs less than that – or I could get you a chick of the same species, which would be a third of the adult price. It’d take more looking after, of course, but it’d end up the same – probably smarter, I’d say. And it’d make it easier for you to train. What d’ya reckon?”
Post by Phugsius Charadus on Aug 13, 2009 11:32:39 GMT -5
Phugsius listened to Sylph rattle off answers to all of his inquiries. The knowledge this witch posessed on magical creature was obviously rival to a great encyclopedia. This of course would HAVE to be the case if you owned a pet shop, he realized.
As Phugsius listened he began taking into account all the witch was saying and slowly calculated the options and downfalls of each pet. The pyrop puppies unfortunately were eliminated as Sylph implied that having them on school grounds would not be a fabulous idea.
The explanation on the eagle made Phugsius chuckle. To think a bird could have enough concious thought to recognize itself as vain was silly. However, silly was not on his agenda and it sounded like the only way the bird would get any real training was through food or a lot of tedious effort and he already had too much going on as it was. Besides that he wouldn't want to accidently bump into Malachy and have the eagle devour his raven.
So it seemed like a kneazle was going to be his choice of animal, that was unless the witch could perhaps show him more interesting creatures. The kneazle seemed the cheapest, it was the most friendly looking in terms of school travel, It definately seemed like Phugsius could live with a mini panther. He just needed some things sorted out.
Phugsius' eyes lit up as he seemed to make a decision, "So, kneazles, how big do they grow to exactly? If i'm looking for a companion to watch my back I can't have it be a little kitten forever, and I highly doubt that any dark wizard is going to fear a few tiny claw marks" He laughed at the idea of a dark wizard running from a kitten. "Do they get exceptionally more fierce as they get more attached to their owner?"
Deep down Phugsius hoped they did grow bigger than normal house cats.
Sylph’s emerald eyes glittered in their usual odd way as the Slytherin boy asked more about kneazles. Was it the price that made up his mind? Or was it the thought that a big cat was more likely to be dangerous than a big bird?
“They’re the same size as a large house cat,” she answered slowly. “But in all honesty, if a giant tiger came at a dark wizard all they’d have to do was get off a killing curse and that would be that. Size,” she said, with a cheeky twinkle in her bright eyes. “Is most certainly not everything. Don’t be so quick to dismiss a kitten if that kitten can spot an untrustworthy person at fifty paces. Not many people keep kneazles, not purebred ones like these here, at any rate. If you can get one to trust you, I’d say go for it. I mean,” she added with a genuine smile. “Who wouldn’t want their very own mini panther?”
Well, Sylph would personally go for the shimmering golden one with the black rosettes. It was similar to the rest of its companions in that it had a hint of a mane and a large tuft at the end of its tail, but it was rather more heavy set and with its brilliant fur looked almost exactly like a jaguar cub. In addition to the panther-style kneazles, which were dark versions of the jaguar with black on black rosettes, there were striped ginger ones, golden brown ones with dark manes and tails, white ones with black spots and a single yellow one that had a mixture of spots and stripes, possibly a little like an ocelot. They were gorgeous creatures, and, as Sylph had said, dead useful.
“Of course,” she said, turning from the pen of miniaturised big cats. “If you don’t like them, I’m sure we can find something else…”
Post by Phugsius Charadus on Aug 13, 2009 23:08:20 GMT -5
Phugsius was about to open his mouth to explain that he'd prefer to explore more options when he felt a presence urging him to look at a particular black panther kitten. His emerald green eyes looked into the narrowed iris' of the animal and it began walking to the front of the pen. It stopped at the front and mewed once. The boys hand slowly extended into the pen and some of the kittens hissed at him. The black one, however, kept it's gaze locked with his and mewed as he picked it up. Slowly examining it he brought it into his arms and began petting it and listened to it purr.
Phugsius' eyes caught Sylph's, "This one, I'll take this one". A smile appeared on his face as he began stroking it's fur gently. The kneazle kitten purred happily and seemed content to be in the place it was right now. "I already have a name for him, actually: Seraphinus".
Phugsius set the cat down and it meowed at him. The black mini-panther looked up and purred letting it's tail wave a bit. "You said eleven Galleons correct?" A brown pouch appeared out of his wallet and he held out eleven galleons for the witch to take for the black kneazle.
There was the sight that made Sylph so happy to keep doing this job in addition to her teaching duties. Even the most unlikely of people could find a pet they absolutely loved at first sight. She never grew tired of the look of surprise followed by the sudden melting of their hearts and eyes.
“A fine choice,” she smiled, her eyes twinkling madly. “And a good name for a kneazle. They’ve already had all their preventative charms put on them,” she continued as she accepted the money. “So no need to worry about worms or anything. Tell you what,” she added as she plonked the gold in the till. “I’ll throw in a bag of cat food and a collar with that as well.” As if by magic, these things appeared on the counter, and she bagged them up and handed them to Phug.
“Think you’ll be wanting anything else?” she smiled, noting how gently the boy was stroking his new companion.
Post by Phugsius Charadus on Aug 14, 2009 3:14:00 GMT -5
Phugsius gazed down at his companion Seraphinus at his feet. "I think we'll be fine Professor, thank you". A sly grin appeared on his face and his eyes shifted to Sylph. "Mrow, mrow" mewed Seraphinus in the same tone that the boy had said thank you.
A swift stride over to the counter, a wave good-bye to Sylph and Phugsius and his new companion were out the door leaving the bells jingling in their wake.
Teagan Offline: This board is full of nostalgia.
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Azrael: hold onto your pantaloons
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