White Trickster Rabbit
See what I did there? wink
“She’s gonna be home in half an hour and I gotta ice this cake. Itsuki, what the crap are you doing?”
“I have to look fancy for Melody-san! I have to find my bowtie!”
Zach sighed, trying to keep his body and brain focused on the delicate task at hand - using pink-tinted vanilla frosting to ice the yellow box-mix cake he’d made earlier that day. The boy -- young man now at twenty years of age -- was no chef by any means. He could just follow directions decently enough. Clad in a chef’s hat (that Itsuki insisted he wear) and apron for no real reason other than the fact that aprons were kinda cool, Zach wielded the butter knife with relative ease while the talking cat skittered across the floor behind him.
“I found my bowtie, Zee-chan! You have to tie it on me! Oh, maybe I should have found a top hat too. That would be honto kawaii, wouldn’t it?” When the boy didn’t immediately respond, the Mau trotted up to his legs and used his squishy bean-toes to pitter pitter pat against them. ”Zee-chan~!”
Brandishing the butter knife, Zach’s gaze narrowed and he grumbled. “You’re gonna be a honto stain on the floor if you mess me up while I’m icin’ this bitchin’ cake.”
“But Zee-chan, I don’t have thumbs!”
Between the two of them, Itsuki managed to make a single roll of salmon sushi (with much assistance from Zachary, Bearer of Thumbs) for Melody without endangering the location of their new apartment by transforming into a teen-cat. The fluffy thing was quite proud of his contribution despite the fact that a single roll of sushi was hardly filling for anyone larger than himself. It was the thought that counted, right?
Zach had gotten much sound advice from one Jada Chamberlyn on which designer jewelry would be most fitting for her (and fitting for his budget!). A pair of delicate pink sapphire earrings in the shape of sakura petals and matching necklace were carefully placed in velvet boxes and then wrapped in the shop’s signature gold-and-white striped wrapping paper, their emblem emblazoned in silver script in the center - Serenity Designs. Known for their unique jewelry creations, Zach never gave the shop much thought since they catered to a crowd with more cash flow than he’d ever had before. Now that his employment with Miss Chamberlyn allowed him the occasional opportunity to glance inside and actually make plans. It was Jada’s strong female intuition (and excellent taste in jewelry) that helped seal the deal.
Once the cake had been iced and was situated firmly on the glass cake tower, Zach made sure to gently punt the Mau out of the way should he dare to cross paths with The Birthday Cake. Placing the cake on the dining room table and planting three candles in it (because really, what lady wanted to be reminded of her age with so many candles taking up valuable cake space?), Zach stepped away to survey his work.
“Aw crap, can’t forget the flowers…” he muttered, turning away from the table to head back to the kitchen. Scooping up Itsuki along the way, he’d interrupted the Mau’s protests.
“Zee-chan, now that the cake is done, I need your help with my booOOOOOWWWTIE-!”
Cradling cake in one hand and bouquet in the other, Zach quickly returned to the table where the tall glass vase was waiting. Plunking Itsuki down on the table, the boy made quick work of the bowtie - it was a literal snap, made specifically for pets. “Aight, we got like--” A glance at the clock. “maybe ten minutes. Does my breath stink? Do I stink? Do I look okay?”
Itsuki tilted his head. “Ie, Zee-chan. You just took a shower. You smell like… whatever the green goo shower gel is.”
Zach sputtered. ”It’s pine, thank you. Pine is manly. It’s not Axe, either, so that’s a plus.”
The Mau raised a paw. “Hai! You don’t smell like used car salesman anymore!”
Just then, the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs interrupted what retort the boy could have come up with and alerted the two to take their places post-haste. “Hide behind the cake! I’ll light the candles while you sing, okay?”
The dining room lights went out as Zach stepped behind a wall, blocking Melody’s view of him from the front door. Itsuki was a fluffy ball on the other side of the cake.
