Slow days keep on coming at Viper's.

[Tigressanna]

Steven hadn't seen a customer in days. In fact, he was actually feeling a bit lonely. He hadn't seen his girlfriend Olivette for quite some time and it was starting to eat at him. Even though he acted tough on the outside it didn't mean he could live without interacting with others. It was pretty quiet in the shop. He could just go out for a bit, but you never knew when somebody needed pet supplies. Ironically enough Steven rarely gets customers.

Steven looked out the window and stared at the seemingly emptied street. He wouldn't be surprised if a tumble weed rolled on by. Steven turned his attention to the small, aged radio and turned it on. When he heard the song that was playing the edges of his mouth curled upward slightly, a small smile forming. The radio was playing Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas. It always reminded him of home. A small grimace formed on his face as he thought of his father and he quickly pushed that out of his head, not wanting to think of the past too much. Steven then looked back out the window waiting for the sound of the bell that chimed whenever it was opened.

[StaciaStarburst]

Snaggle awoke from her slumber to find that she was not in her bed. She shifted her body slightly, feeling the ache in her back from the stiff sleeping apparatus. The atmosphere around her held a stagnant taste to it. The woman had forgotten to clean up the house last night. With a faint yawn, her optics focused on her surroundings, her brows furrowed in disappointment. To any normal person or infected creature, the place was spotless. Flawless. Barely conscious of her surroundings, her eyes shifted to the static-blaring television. The sound was grating on her nerves like sandpaper over her nipple. Digging one of her blunt nails into her ear as she dug into the couch with her free hand, she was able to retrieve the remote. Pressing the red power button, the TV clicked, buzzed, then went dark.

With an exaggerated stretch, her arms popped, releasing the built up carbon dioxide in her joints. The sound pleased her as she continued creating it by cracking her knuckles next. Rolling her ankles, she canted her head downward to see a small patchy ball-of-fluff resting upon her abdomen. Her hand shifted toward the small kitten to pap her on the head ever so gently, bringing the small animal to life. The small calico began to purr softly as she shrugged off her sleepy demeanor and began to paw at her owner.

The small cat had been sitting in a cardboard box in the middle of the night when Snaggle had ‘rescued’ her. The baby calico had been left by her mother and was resting in the makeshift home to keep as dry as possible from the rain. The poor thing was soaked by the time she had found her. Scooping her up gingerly, Snaggle had taken her home and nurtured her to substantial health. The kitten had grown some, but because her poor health for the first, younger portion of her life, she would probably no longer grow. Her body was becoming leaner as Snaggle walked with her, and took care of her, and fed her. The calico was very cute, unique, and perky; although she still lacked a suitable name.

[ Just so you know; that cat was just as cute as a hamster popping out of a poster and destroying the face of Justin Beiber while wearing a hat with chocolate covered raspberries in her tiny little hamster hands, wearing a party hat in December so she had a scarf and mittens to keep her tiny little hamster hands warm from the cold outdoors that was outside which didn’t really affect her; in short, adorable. ]

Being the neat-freak that she was, she began her morning routine of morning self-preservation. In short, her routine was based off of her cleanliness, so you can only imagine what her morning revolved around. And after all of her morning requirements of the house being spotless, laundry being done, and her self-image being prestige as the cleanest infected, she would be satisfied enough to step outside her comfort zone; her home. But seeing as today was a ‘working late’ day, she had no problem taking the time to prolong her morning rituals. And today she needed to again, visit the stores and shops to get some things for the house. Today’s list included cat supplies.

She recalled having seen a Pet Supply store somewhere in town and planned to visit it today. She would need cat food, cat litter, a collar and a few toys to keep the little calico entertained while she worked. She made a mental checklist before putting on her beanies and sliding it over her eyes. She didn’t particularly like covering her eyes, but she pitied the infected who had clawed theirs out and wanted them just to assume she had the same fate. With a sigh she called to her small kitten and scooped her up with loving arms, placing her in the purple hoodie. The cat’s head poked out the same place Snag’s did, and her paws rested on the rim of the hood opening. With a toothy grin from them both, the two left the house and began walking from the apartment to the store.

While enjoying her walk, she plucked a piece of fruit from a local vendor shop stand that was conveniently placed in her route to the store. There had been no one around, so she felt no remorse just snatching it from the stand like Sly might have. Sinking her teeth into the apple, her gums tingled slightly at the feeling of being grazed by the crispy fruit. She could taste a small amount of blood in her mouth from the peel pushing the flesh inside her mouth upward. She loved that feeling. So much. Repeating this many times, as she devoured the apple, she nearly walked right pass the shop she had planned to go to. Tossing the core carelessly down an alley, she opened the door and was greeted with a retarded chiming of a stupid bell. What in the fucking hell were their purposes? Ugh. Anyway.

The smell of pet stores was not something she enjoyed, they always smelled dank and unkempt; something she did not approve of. She greeted the man at the counter with a friendly smile before standing back to look at the few aisles there were. She had no idea where to start. Snaggle never owned a pet before, until now. So maybe it would be best to ask. She would try on her own first…

[TenderFoot]

Yesterday after leaving work, Scuttle had noticed that he was running low on puppy chow. The large torn open bag was bent over in the corner like a dilapidated and unloved starving child. Although he hated to waste money on something as processed dog kibble, they claimed to have vitamins and nutrients that simply could not be gained from only consuming raw deer. Scuttle always went out of his way to provide his puppies with only the freshest and healthiest deer he managed to track in the nearby forest.

Nevertheless, Scuttle knew that his puppies weren’t infected like he was and would probably have a greater chance of contracting some sort of weird disease from consuming raw meat. Nurrg, Scuttle silently chided himself. They’re freaking dogs! They’re supposed to eat meat! …God dammit. He bit down on his tongue and hissed at himself; he was acting like a worried mother duck whose ducklings just got FUS RO DAH’d across a plaza. He jammed his hands into his pockets and quickened his pace down the sidewalk towards Steven’s pet store.

Oh yeah, Scuttle hated that douchebag who owned the only pet supplies store in the entire city. That was another reasonable reason as to why Scuttle hated going there. Like fucking hell he was going to willingly hand over his hard-earned (and sometimes stolen) cash to that gorilla-fucking tool shed. Nah, Scuttle always attempted to steal whatever he picked off the shelves at the establishment. Usually he was caught, but nothing ever stopped him from just running out the fucking doors like black man running from the cops. It gave him something to do.

Finally he had arrived in front of the shitty pet store which he observed grimly before pushing through the doors. Noticing Steven at the counter, he peeled back his lip in irritation and let out a soft growl. Nope, the dildo wasn’t even worth his precious time. Scuttle stalked towards the back, finding the ceiling tiles suddenly fascinating. Ignoring most of his surroundings, Scuttle didn’t even realize the huntress standing directly in front of him and ran into her. He jolted from his thoughts and snarled out of reaction, wondering what sort of obstacle could have suddenly conjured out of thin air directly in his path. “What the hell- Hey!” He shoved himself away from the girl he nearly trampled and snorted. “Watch where you park that fatas-“ His words halted on the tip of his tongue when he noticed that it was…that…same… fucking… huntress… Holy shit. He huffed after staring at her for a moment, just baffled for a second at how many times they ‘coincidentally’ ran into each other. Her familiar scent reached his nostrils and he immediately puffed out his chest and held his breath. Scuttle lowered one eyebrow and watched her guardedly. Things were getting freaky. He slowly backed away from Snaggle, giving her a short half-assed glare before turning from her and disappearing down an aisle.

This is Desmond’s fault. He just knew it.

That creepy father of his always had some weird… way of trying to get people close to him. Just so he could snatch them up for his own. The hunter inwardly shuddered at the thought.

[Tigressanna]

Almost an hour had passed and Steven's mind had gone off somewhere else. He was thinking about Olivette, no surprise there. He thought of her soft and plush hair, the way it glistened ever so slightly in the light. He thought of the shape of her body and how it moves, how each step she takes either excites him when she walks towards him and how he feels sad when she turns and leaves. He thought of the way she cocked her eyebrows at him and how just seeing her smile makes his heart skip a beat. She was certainly beautiful and he felt lucky to have her as his gal.

The sound of a ringing bell caused Steven to wake up from his day dream. He blinked fast a few times with his working eyelids. It's a bit silly; even though he no longer has an eye there he still feels the need to blink. He looked at the huntress who had walked in. He barely noticed the small kitten she had tucked in her jacket. She greeted him and he lazily waved in response. He waited for her to ask for help if she needed anything, and as soon as he was about to speak up the bell went off again. He turned his attention to the hunter that walked in. [i]Oh great, the "thief" is here.[\i] he thought to himself, a small grimace forming on his face. Steven's shoulders tensed a bit before relaxing. He never enjoyed it when Scuttle came here. Scuttle would always attempt to steal things for his puppy. Steven, however, would usually manage to catch him.

As Steven leaned back in his chair he saw Scuttle run into the huntress. He stifled a laugh and managed to remain quiet enough, but knowing Scuttle he may have heard. Steven really didn't give two shits if he heard him or not. It was actually kind of funny seeing Scuttle get pissed off, even though that's how he usually is when Steven sees him. He stifled another laugh as Scuttle walked into the aisle behind him, seeming to act like the huntress would attack him in some way.

Although Steven despised one of the two customers he had today, he was just happy he'd get some money.

[StaciaStarburst]

Snaggle politely greeted the store’s host before receiving her own half-assed welcoming into the shop. The bell chimed a second time, and before she had time to turn around, that same smell of straight up rotten leftovers from a hunt wafted into the stagnant air of the pet supply store. Her lips arched back in disgust as she figured the alley next to the shop was filthy and the door being opened pulled it in like a draft. She wrinkled her nose as the smell became more potent. So potent that it seemed it had taken a physical form and walked right into her.

Well it had; the same hunter she had been seeing almost every time she left the house to shop. And with him, a wretched smell lingered in a one foot radius of any part of his body. The atmosphere shifted and unsettled her stomach. This was probably because the physical for of stank had just walked into her. Her mind flipped more tables than the store they were in could possibly hold. She had been so clean today. All of her hard work today had, in that very moment gone to shit. Her skin crawled. Her composure stayed consistent as her mind reeled.

“Sorry, Chase.” She muttered timidly. Snaggle up to him apologetically, as her words had just clipped off the last s of the word fatass. She hadn’t done anything. But at this moment in time, she felt vulnerable, very vulnerable. The female huntress had stepped aside as he moved to the back of the aisles, her mind still in a bit of a stupor. Her eyes scanned the aisle listings to distract her mind and she walked toward the one labeled ‘For Cats’. Skimming the bags of dry food, wet food, and other assortments, her kitten had jumped out of her hoodie and onto the shelf. The cat nuzzled a bag of cat food that said ‘Pro-Health’ on it. Snaggle grabbed it and papped her cat on the head gently. The small calico jumped toward the toys and batted a few around. Snaggle would never have let this happen in her own store. She had planned to pretty much spoil the cat, so anything she pawed at would be bought. Grabbing a few of the toys and a black collar, she juggled the items carefully in her arms. The calico proceeded to jump onto her shoulder and perch their as she made her way to the checkout.

She looked like a cat lady. Great. The total of the products she was planning on purchasing could easily amount to around $50, but either way it didn’t faze her. She owned her own business and worked freelance for anyone willing to pay her. Not to mention she was about to seal a great deal with someone looking for an interior design artist for a bar that planned to open in a few years. Her expressionistic art would be channeled into the bar, or night club, if you will. Snaggle was very excited about this job and it would score her a good deal of money in the long run. Pulling from her reverie, she smiled at the man behind the counter as she began placing the items down before him.

[TenderFoot]

Scuttle reached the end of the aisle and jerked his head around. He remembered where the dog products were and headed in that direction. It was on the opposite wall, and he cut across the back where all the aisle’s ended towards the rows of racks that held huge fifty pound bags of dog kibble. He scanned over the bags for a few seconds, not really giving much thought into which one he was going to purchase. Although he wanted the healthiest choice for his puppies, he always hated spending his cash…. But his puppies…they needed and deserved the best! Finally satisfied with his decision, he snorted and grabbed the bag. He slung it over his shoulder with a grunt and started towards the front of the store. He peered around one of the shelves and saw that the huntress from before…fuck what was her name. Scuttle wrinkled his nose and grunted again, Something stupid…. I remember it was something stupid. Well, as long as she was at the counter, it meant Steven was distracted. The hunter strode over behind her and lingered there for a few seconds like he was intending to wait in line. Once the huntress’ scent reached his nose he pulled his head back quickly and snorted it out. He snarled and snapped his teeth distastefully like an irritated dragon. Yeah no, Scuttle turned on his heel and walked right through the door, taking off down the sidewalk in a sprint once he was out.

[Tigressanna]

Steven turned down the radio and straightened himself up in his seat. "Find everything you need, ma'am?" he asked, a minuscule trace of joy in his words. He peeked around the huntress as she set down her items to see Scuttle waiting in line. He narrowed his one eye before returning his attention to his customer. He grabbed the items and started to calculate her total on the register. Once he rung her up he told her "Your total is $48.50." He heard the bell jingle, he looked at the door and saw Scuttle making a run for it down the block. Before he had time to react he was out of sight. He grimaced and mentally called himself an idiot for not keeping an eye on him. I'll get him next time, he thought to himself. He gestured slightly to the kitten on her shoulders. "What's her name?" Steven asked curiously. It wasn't too often that people brought their pets to the store with them; well, the few that shopped here, that is.

[StaciaStarburst]

"Everything is very well organized in your store and was easy to find, thank you." She smiled in a content manner as he rang up her purchases. She wasn't surprised it came to so much so quickly, but didn't care much either because she had quite a surplus of funds. Snaggle scratched the small kitten's head and the calico purred in response. Her attention turned to the Hunter as he bolted out of sight. She pondered for a moment after watching his angry glare in the thief's direction. Snggle was still sure that the guy's name was not Chase. Maybe she could weed it out of this clerk. "My kitten's name? I haven't figured it out yet. What's his deal? Oh- and I don't believe I caught your name?" She looked to him for a moment as she began removing her wallet from her back pocket. "Add his steal to my tab, I can cover it." She spoke nonchallantly, picking in her wallet and waiting for the new total. The kitten squirmed anxiously within her hoodie before climbing out onto the huntress's shoulder.

[Tigressanna]

Steven started to bag the items the huntress was purchasing. "I try to keep the shop clean." He said when she said she had no trouble finding anything. As he finished bagging the items he said "I'm sure you'll figure out a good name for her. And the name's Steven. What's your's?" he inquired. When she had offered to pay for what Scuttle stole he was a bit surprised, thankful even. "Oh, okay. You know him or something?" Steven asked, raising an eyebrow. He watched as her kitten hopped onto her shoulder. Reminded him a bit of the cats at some of the shelters he volunteered at.

[StaciaStarburst]

"Well you succeed. And yeah, I figure once she is home a little longer a name will come to mind!" She smiled, listening to the cat purr in her ear as she spoke. "My name is Snaggle, by the way. I own and manage the clothing store down the road across from J.J. Scoops. It's called Zombie Gearz." She extended her hand to shake his own and spoke again. "Him? Yeah, I know Chase. He works at the Ice Cream parlor I work near." She used his name he told her, maybe Steven knew his real name. She was just so sure it wasn't Chase. Snaggle pulled out four twenty-dollar bills and set them on the counter. "This should cover the Cat stuff and that huge bag of dog food, yeah?" She smiled politely again, her innocence resonating from her persona like steam from a wet road on a hot evening.

[Tigressanna]

Steven took her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Snaggle. I think I've passed by your shop a couple times." He laughed slightly when she said Scuttle's name was Chase. "Chase? Is that what he's calling himself?" he said. The idea that of Scuttle calling himself Chase was pretty amusing. Steven hated the guy, but this was pretty funny. When Snaggle put four twenty dollar bills on the counter he picked them up. "This should cover it." Steven opened the register and pulled out fifteen dollars and fifty cents in change and handed it to her. "Here's your change." he said. Steven could almost smell the innocence coming off of Snaggle, it was that strong. It was slightly unsettling but not that bad.

[StaciaStarburst]

"You should stop in sometime. Once I train this little girl-" She fondly turned her head and nuzzled the small feline. "-I'll probably let her walk around the store ad let customers pet or play with her if she proves to be good around people. She seems to be fine in public with me." She grimaced slightly at his next statement. "Calling himself? Is that not his name?" The female hunter looked at him questioningly after he spoke. She knew that it wasn't, she knew, but she wanted to be absolutely sure. She repressed a growl of irritation. It should not take this long to figure out that guy's name. Her smile returned politely and she took the change from the clerk named Steven. Her fingers gripped the couple of plastic bags by the handle before pulling them off the counter.

[Tigressanna]

"Sure, I might stop by later this week. And it looks like she should be able to walk about and interact with customers." he replied. It would be good for Steven to get out more. He also was in dire need of a new jacket, his current one pretty worn out already. "Yeah, his real name is Scuttle. I wouldn't try and get close with him though, from what I've seen he's a prick." Steven commented in a casual manner. After he had handed her the change he put the money she gave him into the register. "If you ever have any questions about pet care don't be afraid to ask. And do stop on by for supplies." Steven attempted a smile, though it may have looked a bit forced, but he was still glad he finally had a customer.

[StaciaStarburst]

"That sounds great, I look forward to seeing you stop by! And yes, she seems decent around people so long as I am around her." The kitten continued person in the infected female's ear. She regarded the small calico's gesture with a lot of fondness before looking back up the Steven who was standing behind the counter in a relaxed and laid-back manner as he spoke. "Scuttle? Hmn. Alright, thanks. I don't get why he would have lied about his own name!" She shrugged off the idea that maybe he was just mentally challenged, confused, or having an identity crisis. Whatever. Snaggle knew his name for real now and that was probably the only accomplishment she would make all day. She could see the man's smile was a bit reluctant and she gave him a pleasant smile in return. "I'll probably be back with plenty of questions! She is my first."

Snaggle looked at her cell phone and regarded the time mentally. "I still have to hit the mall for some gift shopping, now that I'm done spoiling this one." Snaggle nuzzled her cat who responded by riding in the huntress's hood of her sweater that had slipped off her head. Now that silly kitten looked like she was cozy in a purple hammock. With one last smile, Snaggle proceeded to the door, waving from behind as she exited the store. "Thank's Steven!" She turned toward the direction of her house to drop off her purchases.

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