So he’d not gotten her two cats, that at least was a relief. Well, somewhat of a relief she supposed, Emma twisted and turned the cat in her hands to look at it from all angles. It was a mass of white and gray, somewhat silent and wiggly. Definitely a kitten, though she couldn’t remark on much more than that. There was a suspicious feeling that was curling up inside her as she set the cat down and looked over at her boyfriend. Like she had no idea what angle he was currently working by giving her a cat to look after. To Emma, that seemed like putting a mouse in with a snake to watch a couple of hours, and though the kitten needn’t fear that Emma would suddenly develop the ability to unhinge her jaw and swallow it whole, there was the danger that it would perish in some other way, at some point in the future and it would be her fault. It was with that thought that she released the busy baby back onto the bed while Nigel snuggled the warm furry things.

“That’s her owl,” said Nigel. “You have a kitten.”

The blonde witch didn’t readily agree with him, that it was indeed her cat. But the girl did watch them for a while laying back against her pillows, taking the other presents that were on the bed and pulling them up to her, fiddling with the ribbon of one, as if her fingers were deciding if enough time had passed between opening the box of cats and seeing something else. Nigel seemed very enamored with the little beasties, laughing then snuggling them and Emma liked watching them frolic about. But there was a big difference between watching and having.

“You’d rather have an owl?”

“No…I don’t want an owl.” Emma most certainly would not like an owl. They ate rats and had sharp talons and also required a level of care that she didn’t want to bother with. Her arrangement with Scarlett was the perfect kind. Scarlett loved her owl, Tam. Much like a mummy owl would coddle its baby, and occasionally Emma used Tam for class, though the two were uneasy with one another, a barely there truce. She didn’t coo at it the way Lettie did, she was sure that was why Tam and she didn’t get on as well as they should. Emma just refused to talk to the owl like it was an infant human child.

“I thought you liked cats.”

“I like them well enough. Most people do.” Emma hedge, it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she liked other people’s cats. But she was distracted enough now by a slightly heavy box in her hands that she was pulling it up into her lap to open, leaving the cats be while she moved on to greener pastures. She didn’t think that Nigel would have any more live things to foist on her, so odds were in the next box there would be something pretty and shiny.

“This one’s mine,” he said to Emma. “I’m calling her Coco.”


“Hmm.” Was her distracted answer, “What are you calling the other one?” That seemed like the next logical question to continue their conversation. The yowly little animal that Nigel had recently released was bouncing across the bed and toward her with the sound of ripping paper more than happy to try and get a paw up and pat at it, though Emma picked it back up and set him away toward her boyfriend so she could finish what she was doing.

“A camera!” The grin spread back across her face when she freed the contraption from its case, ignoring the kitten that had started to rub his cheeks against the newly acquired camera before Emma pulled it out of his reach.

“I love it.” And she did, Emma had an affinity for her own face. Mirrors or pictures it didn’t much matter to her. She moved the camera around to look at it, much like she had Coco. Only this time there was a little hum of pleasure, instead of the suspicion that had accompanied her looking at the gray and white kitten. The blonde turned to Nigel and held up the contraption to her eye and her finger slid over the button.

“Say…Shag me.” That made the girl grin, and it was much better than the usual ‘cheese’ that was supposed to make you show your teeth.