RP: Bundle of fluff

[rar_millicent]

Date: 19 October, 1999
Characters: Millie Bulstrode, Verity Jackson, Kevin Entwhistle
Location: Their houses
Status: Private
Summary: Millie gets a Puff, and Kevin gets a surprise.
Completion: Complete

Comments

[rar_verity]

Verity looked up at the knock, then back at the cage of Puffs. "Okay, you lot behave, and someone will have a new home. If you don't, I'm using one of you to scrub the sink later..." The Puffs quieted as if they understood; sometimes she really believed they did.

And others...well. They could be a pain, in large numbers. And she had large numbers...

She pulled open the door and smiled. "Hi! Come on in...how are you?" She ushered Millie inside, then shut the door behind her. "It's been ages...your ankle's all healed?"

[rar_millicent]

Millie smiled at Verity. "Hello. I'm doing good, how about you?" She entered the house, trying not to obviously eyeball the place. "Yeah, haven't been too clumsy recently. Least not where I'd hurt anyone." She smiled good-naturedly. "So, a lot of Pygmy Puffs on your hands, huh?"

[rar_verity]

"Oh, I'm okay. You know. Working and whatever..." She waved a vague hand, then led the way to the little side table, dwarfed by a large cage filled with Puffs.

"A lot? That's an understatement. I probably get about ten new ones a week..." She reached into the cage, lifting out a purple ball of fluff. "They're ridiculously reproductive..." Verity held it up, looking into what she hoped was its face. "Yes, you are."

A long pink tongue came out of the other end, and she laughed, realising she'd been addressing its behind, and shrugged. "They're very sweet, though," she added, as the tongue wrapped around her little finger and tugged gently. "Would you like to hold it?"

[rar_millicent]

"Yeah. Though...." Millie hesitated. "I hope everything's ok. Beside the obvious of having the shop burn down. I mean." She flushed. "I'm sorry. I'm not good at this sort of thing. But I truly do hope everything's ok." She would offer her help, but she didn't know Verity that well, and it likely wasn't anything she could help with in any case.

"That many? Oh dear. I hope more people come by for one. We have two cat's, and I don't know how they're going to take to them, but when I saw your ad, I just couldn't resist. My third roommate doesn't have a pet, so I'm hoping he'll like one of these around teh house." She was babbling a bit, in her nervousness. They were very small, and looked breakable.

Then it stuck it's tongue out and she giggled, unable to help herself. "Ok." She took the puff in her hands, gingerly holding it. "Anything I should know before taking one home with me?"

[rar_verity]

Verity nodded soberly, then sighed. "It's as okay as it can be, I guess. Wheezes was my first job, so it was hard to see it gone. But everyone's okay, and that's the main thing. George and Lee weren't there when it happened, thank goodness." She hoped they were doing okay...she knew George was staying with Hermione and Harry, but hadn't heard from Lee...

She glanced back at the cage, then laughed. "Yeah. George says they're raucously randy," she quipped, then blushed. "Oh gods, I can't believe I said that..." She passed over the Puff.

"They're pretty sturdy," she said, scooping out a pink one. She closed her hand over it, squeezing it in her fist, then opened her fingers to reveal it whole and fluffy. "Kids carry them in their pockets and everything. The original group escaped through a crack in the floor to hide under the porch, so you've got to watch them for escaping, but they'll just hide under something. They'll eat anything green; the food George used to make for them was like shredded and dried veggies, for the most part."

[rar_millicent]

Millie laughed. "Well, when you have nothing to do all day but, er, that, it's hardly surprising. And really, it's a fact of life."

Millie's heart just melted when she realized they'd managed to survive the fire. "Wow. That is sturdy. Don't think we'll have too much trouble with one escaping, but it's good to know." She felt the one in her hand purr a little, licking at her palm. "Do they respond to names?"

[rar_verity]

"I suppose it could be pretty boring to be a Pure Puff," Verity said with a chuckle, reaching for another. "I'm sure I'd look for something to do, myself."

She tilted her head, looking at one in each hand, then shrugged. "You know, I don't know. I've never had just one to name. There was always a cageful in the shop, and here, there's a bajillion at least. They do hush up if you shout a bit, not that I'd know," she added with a mock-innocent look. "And they all know the word 'f-o-o-d'. They get pretty rowdy if they think it's coming."

[rar_millicent]

"Yeah. Though with their size, if they decided to do something else they could get in a lot of trouble." She imagined them decimating furniture over time, or clothes.

"Good to know." Millie stroked the one in her hand. She'd have to ask Kevin what he thought they should name it. Tracey, too. "So shouting, green stuff, and sturdy hiders. Anything else?"

[rar_verity]

Verity thought, then shook her head. "Nope. That's pretty much it. They like to check things out with their tongues, but I don't think they have any teeth. Never been able to see any, anyway..." She dropped the pair she held back into the cage and watched as the others surrounded them, squeaking in welcome as if they'd been gone for years. "Merlin, there'll be another three by tonight, if they keep that up. Sure you don't want two?"

[rar_millicent]

"And have my own cageful in a month? Sorry. Fraid we don't have the time or space to spare. Maybe you could donate some to St. Mungo's? One of the wards could probably use them." She suggested.

[rar_verity]

Verity snickered, then brightened. "Oh, that's a fab idea! Do you think they'd want some? I mean, separated in their own cages, of course...oh, I'll have to write a letter."

She turned and grabbed a quill and scribbled Puff Mungo into her hand, then tossed the quill back onto the table. "Otherwise I'm considering parking myself in the park with a blanket, a box of Puffs, and a sign that says 'Free, take one'."

[rar_millicent]

"Well, there's usually kids in and out of the place, could be helpful in the accidental spell damage ward for that, or for the folks in long-term care." She pointed out. She made a mental note to ask her mediwitch instructor if she knew who might want some. "I'll ask around, see if anyone else wants one."

Millie grinned. "That too might work. Or take them to a club, see who might take one home." She thought it might be funny to stuff pockets in a coatroom, but the coat owners wouldn't likely appreciate that.

[rar_verity]

"Oh, thanks. I'm planning to keep maybe three, but the rest...Merlin. They're so...busy."

She rummaged in a drawer on the little table, pulling out an old grocery list, and a tap of her wand Transfigured it into a small box. "There you go," she said, passing it over to Millie. "You like the purple one? Or would you rather a different colour? Take whoever you like..."

She gestured to the cage, then thought. "Oh, I've just made some fo...um...f-o-o-d for them, all dried and everything. Let me get you a bit to start out."

It took only a moment to put a handful of dried greens into a twist of waxy paper and return to Millie. "Just a standard drying charm like you'd use on your hair, leaves enough moisture so they can chew it. Or whatever it is that they do..."

[rar_millicent]

"Don't suppose there's a means of rendering them sterile?" She thought Magical Menagerie might have an answer, but given how much stress Verity had been under, it wasn't surprising she hadn't gotten around to asking anyone.

"Yeah, I'll take this one. Is it a he? Or does it matter?" She thought given how frequently they mated, they had to have gender. Did color indicate? Purple was sort of an in-between color, she thought.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it. Until I can dry out some." She gratefully took the packet, stuck it in her pocket, then dug out a few galleons. "I know you're trying to just get rid of them, but please, let me pay for one. To help defray the cost of you keeping the rest." She added.

[rar_verity]

"George says there's not, because they're not boys or girls. They're whatever they need to be, and it's just being around the others that makes them...you know. Puff."

Weird, magical creatures were..." She helped Millie settle the purple puffball into the box. "You be good now," she told it, smiling at the tongue that flicked over her fingertip as she closed the flap.

"Oh, Millie, you don't have to. Really..." But she extended the coins anyway, and Verity sighed. "Well, okay. But. They're only two Galleons each," she added, nudging Millie's fingers closed around the rest. "Just pass the word and help me dump the rest, and I'll owe you."

[rar_millicent]

Millie snorted. Well, puffing sounded a bit less dirty than shagging.

She took the box and managed to fit it in her pocket, just to keep her hands free.

"Alright. Sounds fair. I'm glad to take at least one off your hands." Millie hesitated. She'd always avoided going into WWW, thinking they wouldn't want her patronage, but after meeting George and Lee at Draco's ball, she'd realized they weren't as prejudiced as she'd assumed. Too bad she put it off for so long. "Hope you can sell or give more away before they get out of control."