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 Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:53 pm
 Pets were a way of life at the Academy.
Every time there was an event of some sort, a festival, a fair, whatever, new animals showed up. Sometimes they were breeders or shelters finding new homes, sometimes they were strays. But the Academy’s open-door policy to animals and lax rules on how many pets you could stuff inside your dorm room meant that most students at least had a few pets. Zuna, then was sort of unusual—she only had the one pet, a Crocobee named Twilight. Twilight was quite beautiful, fluttering around her head and nuzzling her chin. She was quite an affectionate little creature, and Zuna loved her quite dearly. But Twilight hated to be alone, and was always trying to sneak into Zuna’s backpack or pockets. The poor thing probably needed a friend—certainly, that was the conclusion that Zuna had come to lately. She was still new to the concept of having friends—so far, she could only count Quilo and Yaviss in that group—but now that she knew what companionship was like, well, she began to sympathize with Twilight a little more.
So Twilight needed a friend—preferably a fellow Crocobee. She hadn’t seen one recently, though—they didn’t seem to be very common in winter. She’d have to wait until spring, and she was becoming increasingly worried that poor Twilight wouldn’t be happy waiting until spring. Her Crocobee was becoming…despondent. It was time for Zuna to take action, for the sake of her first pet.
On the way to the library to do a little searching, Zuna passed by one of the approximately bazillion bulletin boards set up with posters. One of them, in an eye-shocking shade of lime green, caught her attention. It was an advertisement for Pumpkas—apparently someone was rehoming their Pumpkas because they couldn’t take care of them. Listed on the poster was the names and personalities of the six pets, accompanied by a picture of them. It was in black and white (or rather, black and green), but the pictures were enough to attract Zuna’s attention.
One of the Pumpkas, “Danger” by name, was described on the poster as being mischievous and friendly, and carried the warning “He likes to sit on people’s heads and hates to be alone.”
Sitting on the head was…not ideal. But hating to be alone? Zuna looked down at Twilight, hitchhiking on her collar, and smiled. “I think we should check that out, don’t you, Twi?”
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:54 pm
 In terms of appearance, Cal’s favorite Pumpka of Perigor’s lot was one named Danger. He was teal with sea green swirls, quite a handsome gourd, and his turquoise flame was as bright as any Cal had ever seen.
On the other hand, he was mischievous, rarely listened to anything anyone ever said, and what was worse, although he had only been in her possession for a couple of hours, Danger was constantly needling Moschata. Moschata was one of Cal’s own Pumpkas. A dogged watchdog—er, watchgourd—Moschata basically didn’t like anyone. Heck, Moschata didn’t like Cal, though that might be because she was the one who caught Moschata and tied the troublesome Pumpka up in the first place. Moschata did like Elienne, thankfully, though Cal had yet to meet anyone who didn’t like her mother.
But Moschata also didn’t like other Pumpkas, and a clingy troublemaker like Danger was definitely high on that list. It’s weird that Perigor’s getting rid of—I mean, adopting out Danger, Cal thought. Because he’s a dead ringer for Perigor’s personality! Thankfully, Cal wouldn’t have to put up with Danger for very much longer—someone had emailed her this week to tell her that they had an interest in Danger as a pet.
At least, that’s what Cal was pretty sure they meant. It was a little hard to tell—they were being awfully cagey. They were bringing another pet along this afternoon to see if the two would get along? Who knows.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:55 pm
Zuna took an interest tab from the bottom of the poster and that night, she emailed both the addresses on the tab expressing an interest in the Pumpka Danger. She noted in her letters that she wanted a companion for Twilight, and that she was specifically looking for someone who’d get along with her Crocobee. To her surprise (and delight), the two people she’d emailed had agreed to arrange a meeting between her, Danger, and Twilight.
The fact that she had to email two people was sort of weird, but from what she understood from the poster and from the emails, what it was, was that this guy, Perigor, wanted to rehome his Pumpkas, and he was doing it through this gal, Callessa. Something weird like that. Convoluted. But hey, whatever worked, right? Zuna thought it was weird, but that wasn’t really her business. What was her business was that both Perigor and Callessa had agreed that they should meet and that they’d arranged a meeting at the same time and the same place. So everyone was communicating well.
“I was actually sort of worried about that,” Zuna said quietly to Twilight as they headed back to their dorm from the computer lab. “I’m not very good at communicating. I was worried something would be lost in translation.”
On Saturday, Zuna slipped out of the Academy and took a long walk to the address listed, just outside of town. Security was sort of high on campus, but it turned out that her friend Yaviss knew a way or two off-campus without being caught. Useful guy, that. She’d never expected that from a Goblin before she came here…
Zuna’s feet were hurting by the time she knocked on the door at the farm. The door was answered by a four-eyed Fallen. No, not a Fallen with glasses. A literally four-eyed Fallen. Yeah, definitely an Academy student, Zuna thought. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Zuna. Uh…I’m here to meet the Pumpkas?”
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:56 pm
There’s no such thing as a school without gossip. Seriously, it’s the cogs in a machine, or maybe the fertilizer in the soil? Yes, fertilizer was about right, because it was—according to studies about the teenage brain—essential to growth, and yet at the same time, it was disgusting, unappealing, and yet, oddly satisfying to spread around. So while it couldn’t be said that everyone knew everyone else, it could certainly be said that everyone knew who the biggest stinkers in the student body were. You might not know who the nice people were—nice people tend to get ignored no matter what, because there’s no fun in complaining about nice people, and 90% of gossiping is just complaining about other people—but you certainly knew who needed a good kick in the fanny, especially if you were in the same house as the aforementioned stinker.
Zuna, then, was the potential adopter that Cal and Peri were most worried about. She had a reputation for hanging around the common room and being a snot. And yet, she’d come to them to talk about a companion, and she seemed to be honest. Cal had asked around, and Eidil’s friend Anchriesel’s friend Quilo had vouched for her—apparently she just didn’t know how to not act like an a**. Still not necessarily the best person to give an animal to. Then again, Quilo had a good reputation—he was one of the few nice people with a strong reputation—so she was worth a chance. Cal greeted her at the door, noted the look of surprise directed at her own eyes, and nodded at the Naiad. “My name’s Cal. It’s nice to meet you, Zuna.” She gestured at the hallway of the house with her head. “The Pumpkas are out back. I’ll take you out there, but can I get you something hot in the meantime?”
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:57 pm
It was certainly quite cold out here. It was cold enough to chap Zuna’s skin. She couldn’t wait to get back to her dorm and have a good soak. Until then, she’d probably just have to grit her teeth and put up with the cold and the breeze that dried her out until she felt like her skin was about to split open. A hot drink sounded heavenly, but not as much as a hot shower did. That didn’t mean she was going to pass off an opportunity for a hot drink, though! “Nice to meet you, Callessa. Uh…some hot cider would be nice, and, um, can I use your bathroom as well? It’s sort of a long walk.” She hesitated—could she ask for something a little more, or would it be…weird? “Um, also, if you don’t mind, could I maybe…like, put some hot water on myself, like with a paper towel or something? I’m drying out really badly out here.”
She stepped inside as the Fallen stepped aside and looked around the house. It was cozy, already dressed up for the holiday, with lots of greens and reds and whites around. There was tinsel on the stair railing and it seemed like there was a wreath on every door. It was…cozy. It wasn’t really a Naiad house, but it was the first house she’d been inside since leaving the foster care system in Above (haunted houses didn’t count). It was…weird to be in a real house again.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:58 pm
Cal hesitated. Put some hot water on yourself? Weird? Well…then again, Zuna was a Naiad, and Naiads, like Nixie, dried out really quite easily. That was why they had fountains in shops and special rooms at the Academy. It had been a major overhaul, but a necessary one for the aquatic races to move in to Asphodel in general and the Academy in particular.
Cal stepped aside to let her guest inside, suddenly remembering that the cold outside was hurting Zuna. “Yeah, sure,” she said. “Um, you can use a washcloth if you’d like, it’ll probably be better for you than paper towels.” She closed the door behind the Naiad and gestured to a nearby door. “The bathroom’s in there,” she added. “I’ll be in the kitchen over there.” She gestured to the other door. “Uh…see you in a few minutes, I guess?” she added. Awkward. So very awkward.
Cal busied herself in the kitchen making two cups of hot cider, one for her guest and one for herself. They were going to be going out to the shed after all—she’d need something to warm her hands and her insides as well! She set the other cup of hot cider on the kitchen table and nursed her own. When Zuna returned, she gestured to the door. “So, want to see the Pumpkas now?”
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 5:59 pm
Zuna was grateful for the opportunity to use the bathroom, both for its nephritic purposes and for the water it represented. It took a little while for the water in the tap to warm up, but she was finally able to warm it up enough to rub her face with a hot, wet towel. Ah, yes. Much better. She had a charm to prevent herself from drying out most of the time, but it seemed like her charm wasn’t working well in the cold weather. Stupid thing.
She hung the towel up to dry and slipped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. By now, Twilight had finally wormed her way out of Zuna’s collar and was taking in the world with what seemed to be eager interest. Zuna reached up and stroked Twilight on the head. Her poor dear hated the cold weather—she’d been sleeping in Zuna’s arm pit for most of the journey. She was probably glad to get out of a stinky, sweaty place. But sadly, she’d have to go right back in soon. Zuna held the hot cider in her hands with a sigh of relief. “Thanks for letting me use your bathroom, Callessa,” she said. “And thanks for the hot cider. I think I’m ready to brave the outdoors again.” She stepped outside and giggled as Twilight crawled back down into the safety of her armpit. It tickled, okay?
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 6:00 pm
Cal watched Zuna’s collar with interest. A dark, peacock-blue crocobee had just crawled out from under Zuna’s collar. Cal smiled. It looked like it was really quite cold, but it was also quite cute. Cal had a weird relationship with Crocobees—they seemed to think they were bees, even if they really, really weren’t. They were like wasps, or mimics—and maybe that was why Cal was a little wary of them: they reminded her of parasites that mimicked the species they preyed upon. She made sure that her brother kept all of the Crocobees they found as far away from her Fluffbugs and her bees as possible.
And yet, for all of that, they were undeniably adorable, with their big eyes and their pudgy faces. “This must be—Twilight, right?” she said. The pet that Zuna had brought along with her—and Cal was pretty sure she knew why Zuna was interested in Danger in particular. “You know, I’m sort of curious as to why you’re looking for a Pumpka instead of another Crocobee,” she said. “I’m making sure because the former owner of these Pumpkas thought he wanted them, but couldn’t take care of them. I don’t want any of these plants to have to go through this again. No offense meant,” she added hastily. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Zuna. Well, okay, the second-to-last thing she wanted to do. The actual last thing she wanted to do was adopt Danger out to someone who didn’t want him, who only wanted him for his pretty colors.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 6:01 pm
Zuna quirked an eyebrow. “Pumpkas are resilient to the heat and to the cold, although they prefer low temperatures to warm ones, they don’t need feeding or watering, and they can be knocked unconscious safely and without doing them any harm. How can someone possibly not be able to take care of them? If they were a little friendlier, they’d be perfect for little kids who don’t know how to take care of them.” Zuna let a smirk through. She’d done some research on Pumpkas both in books and online before she’d contacted either Callessa or Perigor about the Pumpkas. She’d done the work—so why get all snippy with her now?
“I kind of like Pumpkas,” Zuna said. “They’re not the most social creatures, which I can respect, since I’m not a very social creature myself. But they’re loyal to the people who own them. They don’t show affection, but may the royalty help you if you hurt the people they like. I guess that reminds me a bit of myself,” Zuna said. She shrugged. “Besides, your poster said that your boy Danger’s looking for a friend. Twilight’s looking for a friend, too, and if they hit it off, what does it matter what species they are?”
Zuna looked around. “So where’re the Pumpkas?” she said, satisfied with her answer.
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 6:04 pm
Well…it was sort of hard to argue with that?
Certainly, Zuna had demonstrated a knowledge of what Pumpkas were like, what their needs were, and how to take care of them. And, well…finding a pet that was a lot like you in terms of species temperament was…well, it was interesting, right?
Either way, she didn’t really have much of a leg to stand on in terms of complaints. Zuna sounded like she knew exactly what she was getting into and was ready to face it. Cal lead the way to the shed and introduced Zuna—and Twilight—to the Pumpka named Danger. To her surprise, and the gratification of both Nightmare and Daydream, Twilight and Danger hit it off quite nicely. They were curious about each other, but after being allowed to spend a few minutes together, it seemed like they were well on their way to having a rapport. Danger followed Twilight around, and Twilight crawled all over and inside Danger. As much as you could tell the emotions of a possessed gourd, Danger seemed…pretty happy!
Cal gave Zuna a pamphlet on Pumpka care with an assurance that it was “just in case” and helped Zuna with Danger—namely, by blowing out the candle inside and handing the Pumpka to the Naiad. “Let me know how he settles in,” Cal said. “I’d like to hear back from him later, just to make sure he’s okay.”
Zuna rolled her eyes, but nodded. “Of course. Thank you—for Danger and for the cider.” She handed Cal the cup back, and with a cheery wave, set off back to school with both her pets in tow.The following pet is being rehomed:  From Perigor's familiars to Zuna's familiars.
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