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Sugar Shanty was successful, as successful as a candy shop could be, given the time of year it was and the holiday that would soon be upon them. Yes, Valentine's Day, a candy maker's delight, and Richard Moreau could imagine how his business would be swimming in money by the time February rolled around. Richard wasn't a scrooge- not by any sense of the word, nor was he frugal. As far as he was concerned, he and his family's business was swimming in money, so today he wasn't too upset to see so few visitors approaching his store.

After all, there were so many factors as to why it was slow today. For starters, school started again, so his primary customers, snot-nosed little children with gluttony sparkling in their eyes, were stuck sitting in class, likely dozing off to their teacher's droning voice. Secondly, so many people had disillusioned themselves to start their New Year's resolution, which meant less time gobbling up candy and more time wasting their time in the gym. Richard rather pitied those folks, but he then figured that not everyone was born with such a firm sense of self control like him.

So he didn't mind that business wasn't picking up today- there was always another holiday that would send people in. No, it was more of the fact that he was bored, and it was only him in the shop today. No Greg to pull the taffy and talk at, no little children scuttling through the aisles and stuffing candy in their disgusting little pockets. NO ONE.

All Richard had was himself, and his taffy. So, he started talking to the taffy, snapping a fresh new pair of gloves on and prepping it for another round. "What delicious flavors shall I make today? Sour apple? Strawberry? Oh, strawberry with a hint of kiwi, just to watch their little faces squint with surprise! Or maybe something else... something dandier."

So there Richard was, talking to the taffy that he pulled, his back turned to the door of his shop. If someone came in, great! A customer to talk to. If not, then he'd be just as well off, though the taffy never talked back to him... at least not before his first round each night.

Richard yanked, and pulled, and twisted the taffy, all the while talking and whispering sweet nothings into its ear, as though he were coaxing a horse, or, more likely, a pretty but shy partner into his arms. What exactly he was saying? Various things, nothing he was keeping track of and nothing he cared if someone overheard- he rather hoped someone would overhear him, as it'd make an excellent segway into a conversation, and maybe a little more if he played his cards right (and not to toot his own horn, but he usually played them well).

And it would seem that the fairy of luck had graced him this day, as a peculiar sound caught his interest. The fact that he heard the cat's curious mewl over the sound of his own deep, sultry voice was nothing short of amazing, either he had excellent, mutant-like hearing or the cat was quite loud in its own right. And given how pudgy he was? Perhaps it DID have a rather powerful voice box to warrant Richard's full and undivided attention.

"Well, you're certainly the smallest, roundest, and most adorable customer I've had in awhile," Richard said to the cat, leaving the taffy on the hook without so much as a good bye or 'call me'. He never questioned how a cat got in here (the little creatures were far more intelligent than they let on), nor would he question why the cat was there, but for the same of casual conversation, he played dumb. "What brings you here, Patches? You don't mind that I call you Patches, do you? Of course not. You're a cat- you can't tell me otherwise, so Patches it is!"

He didn't care if he was talking to a cat- after all, with no customer in sight and no one else in the store, what did he care what others would think? Besides, better a cat in the shop than a rat, right? Thinking that 'Patches' was nothing more than a hungry little kitty looking for a bite, he played along, moving to the counter and pondering if felines could, in fact, ingest sweets. "Let me guess... that belly of yours is rumbling and you're looking for something to silence its growls? I may be able to help with that!"

Or kill it, if they were anything like dogs with chocolate. Richard wasn't a zoologist, but he'd be lying if he wasn't the least bit curious to test this theory. "What would you like?"

Pippin was damn lucky that Richard had his back turned when he spoke, and the moment the word "Pippin" made it out of the cat's mouth, the red-headed taffy casanova glanced around the store to see who had just walked in. But there was no one there, and a few leans and turns indicated that there was no one else down the aisles either. He glanced down at the cat but thought little of it, and he gave a shrug. Auditory hallucinations... maybe he put a little too much dye in that taffy? Or, again, insane. Either way, Richard didn't seek answers for where the mysterious 'Pippin' came from. Or perhaps someone had poked their head in and wanted to correct him on the cat's name?

Either way, Richard was hardly concerned. If he took the time to question every strange thing that occurred in his life, he'd get no where. And besides, he welcomed the strange. Just like he welcomed the company of his new feline friend and customer.

"So, my fuzzy little guinea pig, what can I do you in for? I have chocolates, licorice, fruity candies, taffy... oh, maybe some jelly beans!" Richard always had a ton of samples at his counter, opening the drawer and without the cat's consent, began pulling out various candies. Soft candies, hard candies, even candy left over from Christmas. He placed a wrapped spearmint in front of Pippin, eager to see if he would sniff at it or try to eat it. "What about a spearmint? They're much better than peppermints, especially when you drop them in champagne."

Yes, Richard experimented... a lot. He waited to see what the cat would want, before he'd help unwrap it for him. After all, cats lacked opposable thumbs, though he'd like to see the pudgy kitten struggle for a bit. Maybe it'd do him some good, to exercise a bit, before meeting his diabetic end.

Unaware of the feline's intelligence nor how he ruffled his so-called 'feathers', Richard was simply too into rummaging and his own thoughts to notice Pippin patiently waiting for him to unwrap the spearmint for him until he had set a second one down. He gave the piece a nudge towards the cat and the smallest of frowns could be seen on the ever smiling candy man. "What, spearmint not good enough for your fine tastes, Guinea pig?"

When he nudged it a second time, it dawned on him, and his cheeks were almost as red as his hair as he gave a chuckle and immediately moved to unwrap the candy for the little cat. All the while, he continued to speak to Pippin, in a manner similar to how he wanted to talk to some of his customers but had refrained (likely due to him knowing it'd chase them away, and that was never good for business. Ever.) "Oh, my apologies, Sir cat! I was so caught up in all the delicious sweets I could feed you that I forgot that you lacked opposeable thumbs! Please, allow me to get that for you!"

He made quick work of those wrappers, setting down each piece before the cat as though he were treating a pampered child to a mint after his meal. He turned away to dispose of the wrappers, allowing the cat the chance to snatch up the spearmints he was offered and looking around for something else to give the cat, should spearmint not be worthy enough for his taste buds. "Let's see, something chocolate, maybe some taffy... oh, and some gummy, yes. Then, if you survive that little round, I'll treat you to some of my liquor delights."

He would make this cat burst by the end of the day!

Richard was a dog person, through and through. He didn't hate cats, but he never owned one, so he wasn't sure what kind of mannerisms to look for when it came to deciphering their mood or temperament. Dogs wagged their tail and had an overall look of stupid joy on their face when they were happy. What the hell did a cat do when they were happy?

Well, Richard was quick to find out when the chubby kitty devoured the spearmints, and to see what he suspected was genuine pleasure on the cat's face made the candyman beam. His smile was like that of a child being swept away in someone else's excitement, even when they weren't getting anything out of it but knowing to be happy nonetheless. He wasted no time, looking around for more candy to give the cat, and going straight for the chocolates now.

Chocolate could kill a dog. What kind of effect would it have on a cat, Richard wondered, as he grabbed a box of Valentine's day candy he was preparing and presenting it to Pippin. This time, he made sure to remove all of the wrappings for the feline, and he leaned on the counter, resting his chin in his palms and supporting himself with his elbows. "Would you care for some chocolate now? Please, help yourself to the entire box! I have plenty more to make later anyways..."

Perhaps what he was doing wasn't humane at all, but it was simply too fascinating to see a cat so content on eating his candies. Richard just had to give it to him- Pippin was far too cute to deny sweets!

Richard had no idea what was in the cat's mind- it was a cat, what could a cat possibly be thinking of besides 'this is mine, that is mine, that and everything around it is MINE'. So what if the cat thought him to be crazy- Richard was enjoying himself, and at the end of the day, that's all that mattered to the candyman.

When Pipping pushed the box over to him, he mistook it for 'I'm done' and his disappointment could be seen as clear as day. Perhaps the kitty's stomach couldn't handle as much as he thought, though he didn't appear to be showing any immediate adverse effects to the chocolate. Then again, he never gave Baldwin chocolate and never looked into how long it would take for it to affect their health- he avoided that possibility at all cost! Why would he want to subject Baldwin to such a thing!

"That all you want? It seems like such a waste, but if you're full." Richard grabbed the box, not once realizing the cat was offering him some, and he moved towards the trashcan. All the while, he tried to think of something else he could give the cat- perhaps something gummy, or jelly? Chocolate was rather savory and filling- maybe something lighter? "Would you like some jelly beans? I have plenty of those to spare, if you're interested."

Richard had dealt with his fair share of whiney and bratty children, and their even more annoying parents, but to see a cat make such a fuss took him completely by surprise. He was more of a dog person, but he knew a little about cats and how some breeds were very talkative, and he half wondered if that's what bred this one was. Or if certain breeds were super fussy...

This was why he preferred dogs, and he looked to the chocolate that the cat was eyeing and then back to the cat. "What? You weren't done? But you weren't eating it! I swear, you cats get some kind of jollies out of confusing poor humans like myself, don't you."

Nevertheless, he surrendered the box of chocolates to the cat once more, not wanting to risk its wrath. Claws hurt, and he couldn't stand the thought of allowing them anywhere near his face. No good came out of pissing off women and cats, Richard thought. The moment he set the box down, he moved to grab the jelly beans anyway. "Can't blame you, though. My candy's the best and if I stopped caring for my figure, I'd eat myself out of a business! Now... which flavors to give you..."

Eventually this cat would kill over, or at least get diabetes. He didn't know if cats COULD get diabetes, but there was one sure way to find out!

If Pippin was expecting Richard to hand feed him the jelly beans, he certainly had another thing coming. It wasn't in Richard's nature to hand feed a cat, especially after a past incident with a friend's cat taking a good chunk out of his hand (not really, but it certainly felt that way to him at the time). No, it was better to leave the food in front of the picky animal and let them eat it on their own, much like he had done with the chocolates.

He set an assortment of jelly beans at Pippin's front, allowing for the cat to scoop them up if he so desired, and all the while keeping an eye on its behavior and health.

"Have at it, little guy! I'm certain you'll enjoy these!" Richard said with a beaming smile, his crimson eyes lit with amusement at the thought of this cat getting ridiculously fatter. "Special recipe and one of my personal favorites myself! On the house, of course... being that you're a cat and have no means of paying, though if you did, I'd be making a killing, I'd imagine!"