“YOU’RE FUCKING DISGUSTING YOU KNOW THAT! YOU AND YOUR FELLOW ABUSERS!”
Zeri peered outside. Some crazy woman was screaming at Emilia in the reception area.
“I’VE SEEN THE VIDEO FOR ENTEPOTT FLUFFY SHELTER!”
Zeri gritted her teeth. An activist? Already!? It had only been three days since Ariella posted their promotional video online. Wasn’t this way too fast?
“A FUCKING SHIT RAT PUNISHMENT PROGRAM! TRAINING SCHEME FOR GOOD FLUFFIES! YOU FUCKING MONSTERS ARE TREATING THEM LIKE SOME GOD DAMN COMMODITY!!! I CAN SEE WHY ENTEPOTT LOST THEIR HUGBOX STATUS!!!”
Zeri sneered. This woman felt like such an uppity bitch. Literally came in screaming, and she was probably the kind who wondered why people hated Hugboxers. What was worse was that Emilia was not doing anything. Just standing there and taking it, yet the woman still felt the needed to scream. Well Zeri wasn’t going to stand for it. She was ready to burst out the door and scream back at the woman. However, before she could, she felt someone grip her fist tightly and pull her back. It was Ariella.
“Chill, Ze” Ariella said.
“I’m not the one that needs to chill that bi-”
“Stay back and let me handle this… And don’t bark back, it’ll make things harder for me. Also no calling the customers rude words”.
Zeri looked at Ariella in disbelief, but nodded, as Ariella walked through the door with a small smile.
“Hello ma’am, what seems to be the problem here” Ariella said politely.
“WHO ARE YOU?” The woman screamed
“My name is Ariella Orisa ma’am. I am the owner of…”
“THE OWNER!? SO YOUR THE SICK PSYCHOPATH WHO IS RUNNING THIS VILE OPPRESSION PROGRAM?!”
Ariella nodded, smiling politely, which only seemed to outrage the woman even more.
“YOUR A FUCKING MONSTER YOU KNOW THAT? SHIT RAT PUNISHMENT PROGRAM? FLUFFY BEHAVIOR TRAINING SCHEME!? YOU KNOW THEY’RE FLUFFIES, RIGHT?! THEY’RE CUTE CREATURES THAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DOTE AND LOVE. PUNISHMENT PROGRAM AND TRAINING SCHEMES?! ARE YOU RUNNING SOME KIND OF FLUFFY INTERNMENT CAMP!?”
Zeri tightened her fist, watching from the side. Oppression program? Internment camp? Tad over dramatic wasn’t she? Also big words from someone that wasn’t running a Fluffy shelter of their own. Easy to look down on people from atop her ivory perch. Perhaps she come down for a bit. See life from the perspective of others. Also what exactly was her plan? Scream Entepott to the ground? Absolutely astounding plan.
What was more astounding was Ariella and Emilia. Somehow both were able to remain calm and maintain neutral looks in the face of this banshee’s relentless assault. Zeri wanted to deck her, but it was clear that Ariella had other plans.
“You are absolutely right ma’am” Ariella replied “This is no place for a Fluffy foal to be raised, may I interest you in adoption? We have some very good foals who DESERVE to live in a happy, healthy home and definitely not in a place such as this”.
“Deserve? DESERVE!? THEY ARE CUTE LOVABLE CREATURES WHO ONLY WANT HUGS AND LOVES. THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY WHO DESERVE THIS MORE THAN OTHERS”.
Zeri held back from rolling her eyes. This woman’s ignorance was seriously something. Was she really living under a rock? Maybe some sort of Fluffy utopia? If she was, maybe Entepott could just send all the Shit Rats there. Then maybe she could say whether Shit Rats deserve good homes just as much as the good Fluffies. Yet despite that, somehow Ariella maintained her calm, and she was even nodding in agreement.
“You are very much correct ma’am” Ariella replied calmly “Ideally all Fluffies should be living in good home and ideally shelters should only have to exist as a very temporary place to stay”.
The woman was surprisingly quiet for a second.
“Exactly!” She suddenly exclaimed.
Zeri frowned. God this woman felt obnoxious, but for some reason Ariella was smiling.
“That was actually my dream. I wanted to provide a comfortable place for Fluffies to stay when they lost an owner and waited for a new one”.
The woman made a loud scoff.
“I very much doubt that. Your fucking promotional video doesn’t exactly line up with this so called dREaM of yours?”
Zeri began walking towards the woman. She seriously had enough. The amount of disrespect this woman was showing to Ariella. Someone who was really trying to make this all work, and yet Ariella just nodded with .
“Your are very much right. This far from my dream, but I stand by it, we have Fluffies here. Fluffies born out in the wild or born in our shelter. Fluffies with good hearts and good heads on their shoulders. Fluffies who have never know what it is like to have a loving owner or a happy home. Do you know why that is ma’am?”
“Wha… Uh…”
“It’s their colors ma’am. Dull or unappealing. Colors that do not cat-”
“THAT SHOULDN’T MATTER!”
“Exactly!” Ariella said with a big smile “That really shouldn’t matter, and that’s what we want people to see that! We have plenty of Fluffies here with the kindest hearts, and all we want is for people to just give them a chance. A chance to show that they really are worth it, because they really do deserve to get a nice, happy home, and would it be alright for me to show you what we are all about and give us a chance to show you that our Fluffies deserve a home?”
The woman stared at Ariella in silence. Seemingly at a loss for words, but Ariella was still on point.
“I understand your reservations. Owning a Fluffy can feel like a massive responsibility, but here at Entepott Fluffy Shelter, we try to make them feel like less of a responsibility on people. We teach them how to care better for themselves, so people spend less time worrying about them and more time on enjoying them for what they are. Cute lovable creatures! We’re not asking you to commit, just maybe have a chat with our Fluffies. Just give them a chance to prove to you that they are worth it!”
The woman remained silent. Seemingly speechless. Zeri couldn’t help but grin. Ariella was basically calling the woman out. If she was a Hugboxer, she had to give them a chance. If not, then she was just some loud mouth asshole who was just looking for some reason to scream at others. Zeri was so sure that it was the latter. She was so sure that the woman was gonna scream again and say something completely delusional. Much to her surprise, the woman nodded.
“Okay… I want to talk to your Fluffies. I… I want to see their side of the story”.
Ariella smiled, and quickly ushered the woman to the housing area. The woman having one of those resting bitch faces. Zeri turned away. She couldn’t look at that woman, and she notice Emilia staring blankly at a wall. Concern would find Zeri approaching Emilia and holding her hand supportively.
“You okay, Em?” Zeri asked with worry.
Emilia had a tear in her eye, but quickly wiped it away.
“I’m fine” she replied with a small smile “Just not used to people shouting at me”.
“That bi… That lady is quite a piece of work, I don’t know how boss was able to stay so calm”
“It’s… It’s easier when you realize their intention… I guess”
“Huh?”
“The woman… She might seem brazen, but she clearly had good intentions”
“Good intentions!? She came in screaming. She was clearly pissed off and just using you… Entepott as an outlet to vent out her stress”.
“No. She’s not. She clearly loves Fluffy and is probably just angry that the world is constantly kicking them down. Maybe today was just the day that she had enough”.
“What because she called Ariella’s bluff of giving the Good Fluffies a chance?”
“No. It’s just, not once did she ever try to include herself in her rant. Her anger was entirely on behalf of the Fluffies, and once Ariella started talking about giving our Fluffies a better chance at life, she started to calm down and even gave us the chance to prove it… Go in and see for yourself, she probably has some complaints, but she probably also started realizing that we are not what she though”.
Zeri had her doubts about that, but she went into the housing area. It was a bit noisy today, because the Shit Rats had noticed that a new human had appeared, and had started begging.
“Pwease nice wady Cawot nu wan stay in dummeh pwace wit meanie hooman. Pwomise nu mak bad poopies nu mowe. Jus wan nice housie, sketti n specaw fwen”
“Emewawd am bestest mummah! Hab bestest babbeh! Pwease tak Emewawd!”
“Dummeh hooman! Bestest am bestest! Gib bestest nice housie wite nao!”
God they were annoying, but the woman ignored them. She was more focused on three Good Fluffies. Tanner, Petal and Wimpy, who were on poopie cleaning duty.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” The woman screamed.
She was loud enough to silence all the Shit Rats, and suddenly Wimpy bolted.
“Nu wike woud noisies!” Wimpy screamed as he ran away.
The woman seemed surprised by this, but then she reverted to her angry state and gave Ariella a scornful look.
“I said I’d give you a chance, but what the hell is this?! Fluffy slave labor?!”
“Nu shouties at Ewwa mummah!” Petal suddenly shouted back.
The woman looked at Petal in surprise “What? I…”
“Nu be meanie tu Ewwa mummah” Tanner said with a pout.
“Petal. Tanner. It is fine, this nice lady was just a bit surprised that was all. Can you two help me find Wimpy and tell him that everything is okay?”
“Otay!” Petal and Tanner said in unison.
Petal unstrapped Tanner from the carpet, and the two ran off to find Wimpy. The woman looked back at Ariella, who looked quite dumbfounded.
“I… I don’t…”
“Ma’am, would you like to see our classroom?” Ariella asked “Our teacher Fluffies are in the midst of teaching the Good Fluffies, good Fluffy values”.
“Te… Teacher Fluffies?”
“Yes ma’am. Like our promotional video displayed, our behavioral training program is all about having the Good Fluffies learn behaviors and actions that human owners would find desirable, and we figured instead of just having a person teach them this, why not have a fellow Fluffy teach them such behavior. A Good Fluffy teaching other Fluffies what makes them a Good Fluffy, so to speak”.
The woman gave Ariella a doubtful glance, but nodded slightly.
“Fi… Fine… I… Okay, but what about those three… Uh… Petal, Tanner and… Um… Wimpy. I don’t understand why you have them… Well… Scooping up feces”.
“Unfortunately ma’am. We are rather low on manpower. Our shelter is currently running on a three person team. Myself, the lady at reception and the young woman over here”.
Zeri blushed a bit as Ariella pointed at her. She offered the woman a polite nod, before turning back to clean one of the empty cages with a wet cloth. She had been so engrossed in their conversation that she had forgotten that she was supposed to be working. Thankfully the woman did not use this as some sort of bullet for her agenda. Instead, she looked uncomfortable.
“O… Only the three of you are running this shelter? Why haven’t you tried looking for volunteers?”
Zeri rolled her eyes. Why haven’t you tried looking for volunteers? Sorry Entepott didn’t think of that earlier. Is there some tree where volunteers just grow from? Could the lady direct them to said tree? It was so tempting to make that retort, but Zeri knew to hold back, it would only make things harder for Ariella. Fortunately, Ariella was able to provide a more professional response.
“Unfortunately ma’am, as you are aware, Entepott has lost their Hugbox status and we haven’t received many volunteer applications as a result. As such Entepott only has these two volunteers”
“Wait, those two are volunteers as well?! How are you able to operate a shelter with two part-timers?!”
“Full-time ma’am. Both of them are working full-time as volunteers. The details are… Well if it is quite alright, I don’t really want to get into the details, but I can assure you that my girls are the best workers Entepott could ask for”.
Zeri could not help but feel a sense of pride from hearing that, and began cleaning the empty cage with a little more vigor. Meanwhile, the woman was left speechless and she was looking around shifty. Zeri smirked with satisfaction. Emilia had to be wrong about this lady. She was probably just some asshole having a bad day. Saw the promo video and probably saw it as nothing more than justification to scream at random people. Hopefully, she was starting to realize how fucking wrong she was.
“Can I see these… Um… Teacher Fluffies in action?” The lady suddenly asked.
“Of course” Ariella said with a smile.
Ariella led the lady to the playroom, where Entepott Helpers were diligently teaching the Fluffies. Reeses, Oakley, Sunflower and Hip-Hop were teaching the foals. Nanna and Buggie were teaching the adults. Noodle, Coco and Mustard were on watch duty.
As Ariella and the lady entered the room. All the Fluffies looked at them curiously.
“Hi everyone” Ariella said politely “This nice lady is just here to watch. I want you all continue with your lessons and do not mind the nice lady. Just be yourself, okay?”
“Otay!” The Fluffies cried in unison.
The Fluffies went back to do their own things, and Ariella turned to the lady.
“If you want, we can give you some private time. Allow you to have a proper chat with our Fluffies and such. We will wait outside”.
“Um… Okay…”
As Ariella walked out, one of the Good Fluffies approached the lady. A mare of pink and grey. It was one of the Fluffies who had been in Entepott for a while now. Zeri watched as the lady bent down and offered a kind smile. Probably the first kind smile she had made this entire time. One given to these dumb, noisy things and not to the two Hugboxers who worked their asses off everyday to provide for these thankless creatures. It certainly left Zeri feeling sour, and Ariella seemed to notice this, as she put an arm around Zeri’s shoulders and led Zeri away.
“Thank you for keeping your cool” Ariella said with a grin.
“I wanted to punch her” Zeri admitted.
“A bit much… But yeah, I understand your feeling”
“How were you able to stay so calm”.
“Experience Ze. You don’t survive long in the service industry unless you grow thick skin. Is Em doing alright though?”
“Yeahh… I think. Emi says she’s okay, because the woman felt like she had good intentions. I don’t really believe that”.
“Well she is giving our Good Fluffies a chance”
“I bet that she’s just trying to use the Fluffies to get more dirt on us… You sure it’s okay leaving her alone with the Good Fluffies? What if they say something stupid, or something she can use against us?”
“What will they say? Our Fluffies know we are genuinely trying to help them. In fact them being completely honest is good. It would help us convince that woman even more of our true intentions”.
Zeri looked down and sighed slightly, shaking her head, as Ariella suddenly snapped her fingers.
“Kitchen. Pelts. Now”
Zeri stared back at Ariella wide eyed and quickly nodded. She knew exactly what Ariella was telling her. She quickly rushed to the kitchen, up to one of the counters where a couple of Shit Rat pelts from yesterday had been laid out in a line with salt sprinkled all over. It was something Emilia had done with the salt they had. Something to help preserve them in the long-run. Something that would definitely trigger that very vocal supposed Fluffy lover.
Zeri quickly put the pelts in some wooden box that Emilia had provided, and hid the box in a cupboard. Then she quickly collected all the excess salt in a container and inspected the kitchen for any other things that could be considered controversial. Blood or bones. Nothing. She exited the kitchen, just in time to see the woman walk out of the playroom with Candy walking closely behind.
It would seem the Fluffies had not said anything stupid, as the woman did not burst out of the playroom screaming as expected.
“I had a chat with the Fluffies and they… Well they seem to hold your shelter, and your people in high regard, so I… Plus your training program was not as barbaric as I expected”.
“I’m glad you feel that way, ma’am. As…”
“Ewwa mummah!” Candy interuptted “Nice wady namesie nu am maam, am Kawen”
Zeri raised an eyebrow. Of all the possible names. Lady really was just perpetuating the stereotype, yet Ariella maintained her polite smile.
“I see” Ariella replied “Thank you… Apologies for that, we…”
The woman raised her hand “It’s fine. Candy is just being a Good Fluffy. Aren’t you Candy”
“Yus Kawen mummah!” Candy replied with a big smile “Candy am gud Fwuffy”
Ariella simply nodded with a friendly smile.
“Have you consider adopting any?”
The woman had a hesitant look on her face, but made a small nod.
“How much exactly are you selling them for?”
“A hundred and fifty per Fluffy”
“A hundred and fifty!? Hasbio sells them at a hundred, and…”
“Yes. We are well aware that Hasbio sells them at a hundred, but Hasbio sells newborn foals and you are expected to do most, if not all, behavioral training. Here at Entepott, we guarantee that all our Good Fluffies have good behavior, thanks to our program as you have seen”.
The woman had a hesitant look, and she was crossing her arms. However, she offered no retort. Instead she walked up to one of the Shit Rat cages. This one had two Shit Rat stallions, both looking at her.
“Suwwy am bestest Fwuffy! Suwwy am fo bestest housie! Dummeh shewtew onwy fo poopie dummeh!”
“Dummeh wady! Gib Bubbwes nice housie n sketti n toysies n specaw fwen wite nao!”
“I still don’t understand this Shit Rat punishment program. You are aware that they are Fluffies, right? Like they cannot help it if they say or do bad things. They are naive creatures that operate…”
“Ma’am. Naive or not. They still have problematic behavior. Entitled, easily angered, deviant desires to name a few. In a perfect world, we would try to rehabilitate them and fix these behavior issues, but as I have mentioned we do not have the numbers to do such things, and even if we did, the low demand for shelter Fluffies does not properly justify the time and cost of rehabilitation, as such we need to make difficult decisions. Right now, here at Entepott, our priority is making sure that Good Fluffies get the good homes that they DESERVE. These two stallions right here both have arrogant attitude and we suspect they may also be babbeh enfers. Would you honestly want to give these two a nice home, instead of our well-behaved Fluffies, who have only known our shelter for their entire life?”
“Pwease Kawen mummah” came a voice.
Candy was still here and she was not alone. There were three foals with her. One brown, one pink and one yellow. Ariella looked worried.
“Candy, please go…”
“It’s fine” the woman stated.
The woman knelt down and gave Candy a head pat.
“Hey Candy, so about getting you a new home, I…”
“Candy nu nee nyu housie” Candy suddenly stated “Candy am otay stay hewe a Entepott! Wuv Entepott! Bu wan babbehs tu hab gud hooman mummah n housie, eban ju wan babbeh”
“I…”
The three foals suddenly ran forward, and suddenly the pink foal and yellow foal pushed the brown foal towards her.
“Ib Kawen mummah onwy nee wan babbeh, den pick Bwownie! Bwownie am nut pwetty cowow, bu hab biggest heawt! Wosie can wat fo nexie mummah!” Stated the pink foal confidently.
“Pick bwuddah!” The yellow foal exclaimed “Bwownie am vewy gud, n Ducky can wait fo nexie tyme”
Suddenly the brown foal ran behind his yellow sibling.
“Nu! Pick Ducky! Ducky am gud big bwuddah dat awways gib Bwownie heawt happies o Woise! Wosie awways pway wit Bwownie n am gud sistah n pwetty! Bwownie can wai! Bwownie can wai!”
The woman looked stunned and Zeri had to smirk. Had she never seen Fluffies selflessly sacrifice their own happiness for the happiness of another? Weren’t Fluffies perfect in her mind, surely such behavior would be common? Or perhaps it was because the woman really didn’t care about Fluffies.
Zeri had to grin. This was so perfect.
Three foals begging her to give their sibling a good life. Such uncharacteristically selfless behavior from these creatures. It sure would be cruel for this supposed Hugboxer, who came here screaming about Fluffy welfare, to suddenly deny them a happy home. Especially a severely understaffed shelter with unpaid staff, trying their very best to support a bunch of ferals.
The woman basically only had two choices. She could either fork out $150 and adopt a foal, or walk away. It didn’t matter if she walked away with apologies or walked away screaming. She would have to break the hearts of a Fluffy family and leave everyone here knowing that she never really did care about Fluffies as much as she screamed she did.
Unfortunately, Ariella provided her with an out.
“All of you stop” Ariella said sternly.
The four Fluffies looked at Ariella with surprise, as she stood up with her arms crossed.
“Candy. I want you and your babies to apologize to the nice lady. You are making her uncomfortable and you are making dem…”
“I’m sorry, but I… I need some time to think”.
“Of course ma’am. Please take all the time you need” Ariella said with a kind smile “Ze, please take Candy and her foals back to the classroom, now”.
“Come on you four, let’s go back”.
Candy and her foals looked dejected. Walking back to the classroom with their heads down low. The woman just stood there with a weird look and Zeri really wanted to make a nasty comment at her, but Ariella gave her a stern look, before offering the woman an apologetic smile.
“I am so sorry about putting you in such an uncomfortable position ma’am, and…”
“I… I need to go” The woman suddenly stated.
“Of course ma’am. I hope this hasn’t ruined your experience here in Entepott”.
The woman said nothing more, as she left. Out the housing area, through reception and out the front door. Emilia walked in from the reception area with a confused look.
“She didn’t adopt any?” Emilia asked.
Zeri “Told you she was just looking for an excuse to scream at us”.
Emilia looked down disheartedly, yet Ariella looked perfectly normal.
“Em, can you make sure Candy and her foals are okay? They seemed to bond quite well with the potential owner, so they probably are taking the rejection pretty bad. Ze can you start prepping Shit Rats for lunch now. I’m just gonna have a smoke break, and then I’ll help out”.
“Oh… Uh… Can I get a smoke break too, boss?”
Ariella smirked “Course”.
As Emilia went back into the classroom to check on Candy and her foals. Ariella and Zeri walked out the shelter back door, to the alleyway. Ariella rested against a wall, making a soft sigh, as she lit up a cigarette, while Zeri bought a can of coffee from the vending machine nearby.
Neither said a word. Both quiet as the bustling sounds of a busy city continued to fill the air.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you slacking, while I was talking to the woman” Ariella suddenly stated with a small grin.
Zeri grinned “What? Nah I was cleaning the cage. Just a really tough stain that’s all”.
Ariella took another puff of her cigarette and exhaled the smoke up to the sky, before making another soft, solemn sigh. Zeri looked at the floor, feeling sour. That lady and her attitude. It needed to be said.
“That lady was a complete bitch” Zeri stated boldly “Comes here screaming, calls us and Entepott abuser, then ends up breaking the hearts of a small Fluffy family. Like what a complete waste of our time. Seriously boss, I can’t believe you apologized to her. After all the shit she pulled here… ugh… Honestly, I really would have just started screaming at her the minutes she started screaming at Emi, but you actually humored her and then she just fucks off. Like seriously fuck her”.
Ariella smirked with a knowing nod.
“Yeah… If it was a younger me, I definitely would have come at her screaming”.
“Like why didn’t you? I know you said all that stuff about needing thicker skin, but like look what happened in the end. Even after all that customer is right attitude, she still leaves with nothing”.
Ariella grinned and shook her head.
“Customer is right” she said with a laugh “Ze that was not what that was… but I get what you’re saying. Calling her out would definitely have felt good”.
Ariella paused, as she took another smoke and Zeri took a sip of her drink.
“But you’ll also gotta think long term” Ariella added “Calling her out and sending her packing would feel great as first, but then the lady leaves sour. She’s gonna leave thinking that everything she knew about Entepott was correct, and if she was vocal here, then how vocal would she be out there. Telling anyone and everyone she knew, about how Entepott is an abuse shelter with rude staff”.
“Eh? What makes you think she still won’t say that?”
“I don’t honestly. Heck, after all our effort, she might say that Entepott used Fluffies to emotionally blackmail her or something. That was something we could’ve avoided… also I really shouldn’t have told her that our shelter is run entirely by volunteers, it was very unprofessional on my part”.
“Does it matter? I doubt she’s coming back”.
“True, but that’s not the point. The main point is that WE did everything in our power to change her impression of Entepott. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t actually think any better of Entepott, the point is that we tried. Instead of screaming back to make ourselves feel better, we tried to change her mind about us, and if she really did, then it doesn’t matter if she adopted or not, because at least that’s one person who had a better image of Entepott, and maybe she starts telling other people about us. If we’re lucky someone comes over with a better impression, ready to adopt”.
Zeri just nodded and made a small sigh.
“I just realized… All things considered, I guess that lady wasn’t the worst” Zeri admitted.
“Oh?”
“Like yeah. She came at us screaming, but like Emilia said, she gave us a chance. I could totally imagine someone coming in and just screaming at us and then fucks off, maybe even throwing stuff around or taking a shit and then just fucking off”.
Zeri noticed the frown from Ariella’s face. It would seem she had not considered that too, and Ariella took another smoke of her cigarette before making a soft sigh.
“God I haven’t even considered that” Ariella admitted “But we’ll do the same. Apologize with a smile, because even if it doesn’t calm them down… Hopefully it won’t give them any excuse to return”.
Zeri grinned as she shook her head in disbelief. She did like this though. Her boss’ logical approach to such bullshit. The maturity.
“You better remember this though” Ariella suddenly said “The plight of us little people. Our struggles”.
Zeri chuckled.
“I don’t think the usual little people would spend their savings trying to run a Fluffy shelter” she quipped.
“True true, but the little people don’t delay the opportunity to manage an MNO in favor of working in a Fluffy shelter”.
Zeri grinned, as Ariella playfully slapped her back.
“Time to get back to work”.
“Aye boss”.
Zeri knew she would never forget these moments. She had a great deal of respect for what Ariella said and did. The experience and wisdom. The way she handled these situations, her maturity, and in the end the fact of the matter remained that Zeri really did love her boss.
“Good day ma’am. I’m looking to adopt a… gud Fwuffy”
Ariella smiled politely. Standing in front of her was a handsome young man, wearing a stylish coat with a charming smile. More importantly, a potential owner. It had only been two days since that rather raucous woman. Two potential owners in the past five days since the promotional video had been released. Pretty good, given that the past three weeks beforehand had seen not a single potential owner come through their doors.
She would blame the loss of Entepott’s Hugbox status, but it seemed more to do with no one caring until Entepott released that rather contentious video. That being said, she was surprised by the consequences. Given the many nasty and rude comments, she expected a lot more angry people to be coming in, but it was only that lady, and now there was this man.
“That’s wonderful, sir. Thank you for thinking of Entepott. If you don’t mind me asking. How exactly did you come to hear of our shelter?”
“Oh. I saw the promotional video and it caught my interest, this whole thing about Gud Fwuffies and Shit Rats. Very intriguing and I’m curious to see what this Gud Fwuffy thing was all about”.
“Well that’s great. If you would like to follow me, we can give you a tour of the place and let you meet our Good Fluffies. It’s currently lunch time, so most are going to be eating in their cages, but if any catch your interest, please feel free to talk with them”.
The man and Ariella walked into the housing area, and like Ariella had said, it was quiet because all the Fluffies were eating, though some of the Shit Rats were whining about how they didn’t like their food.
Fortunately, Ariella had made some changes to the meal schedule. For lunch, Shit Rats now had the near-expired kibbles. It was mainly to avoid a scenario of a potential owner walking in and listening to Shit Rats potentially complaining about having to eat other Shit Rats. The Shit Rat meat would be served at night. During shelter non-visiting hours at 1900.
As for worries about being served for lunch the next time. Ariella wasn’t sure if it was because Shit Rats were really arrogant or stupid, but for some reason, none of them ever seem to realize that they were going to be on the menu. Even when they knew that the Shit Rats that went into the kitchen would end up as food, all it took was telling the Shit Rat that they were going to have sketti and not only would they allow themselves to be brought to the kitchen willingly, but they would even mock the other Shit Rats. It was entirely mind-boggling.
However, the main point was that the Shit Rat complaints did not unsettle any visitors of the shelter. Not that this man seemed to mind. In fact, it was like he completely blocked out their voices, able to maintain a friendly smile, as he offered polite hellos to all the Good Fluffies that greeted him. He also seemed very focused, carefully inspecting one cage before moving to the next.
“Is there a particular Fluffy you’re looking for?” Ariella asked.
“Oh!” The man said, seemingly surprised “I… Uh… Actually I’m kind of curious. In your promotional video there was mention of Entepott Helpers and I saw some Fluffies helping teach and some clean. How do you determine which Fluffies become a helper or not?”
Ariella kept silent for a few seconds, as she had not prepared for a question like that, but she was able to quickly formulate a response.
“Well. It’s mainly behavior. Our teacher Fluffies have what we consider ideal Good Fluffy behavior and it is simply a case of, we… Feeling that a Good Fluffy would make for a better teacher, as they can better capture a Fluffy’s mentally, being a Fluffy themselves”.
The man smiled and nodded.
“And the Entepott helpers that help with cleaning?”
“Diligence and good spirit, mainly”
The man smiled again, but his smile felt off.
“I couldn’t help but notice that the helper Fluffies had rather specific colors. The kind of colors that don’t really sell well”.
Ariella raised an eyebrow, as she sighed internally, then made a resigned nod. Was it that obvious?
“I will admit. The Entepott Helpers are Good Fluffies we deem as having a lower chance of adoption, BUT they are still very much up for adoption if you’re interested, and in fact I would…”
“Sorry” The man suddenly said “Are the Entepott Helpers aware of this?”
Ariella gave the man a suspicious look. What were these questions? What was this man hoping to find?
“If it’s not too rude. May I know why you’re asking this?” Ariella responded.
“Oh!.. Uh… Just curiosity really… uh… I’m just worried that your Entepott Helpers think it is unfair that they have to work, while some of the other Gud Fwuffies do not. That’s all”.
Ariella raised an eyebrow, but maintained her neutral expression. She was trying to figure out what exactly this man’s angle was. He didn’t seem to mind the whole Entepott system, but showed concern that the Entepott helpers might complain about unfairness? It felt odd. Was this man some kind of journalist trying to find some juicy drama to use against Entepott? Seemingly pointless, giv en that Entepott did not seem to have a stellar reputation anyways, so she decided to humor him.
“To put it frankly, yes. Our Entepott Helpers are fully aware that they have a lower chance of adoption, so we provide them with jobs in our shelter. Yes, it helps us reduce some of our work load, but the main point is to provide them with a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Show that we at Entepott still need and value them”.
She wasn’t sure if that answer would suffice. She definitely needed to workshop her answers in the future. Fortunately, the man was still smiling. In fact he seemed happier strangely enough.
“Could I talk to one of the Entepott Helpers, they very much pique my interest”.
“Oh? Of course!”
Ariella wasn’t sure why the Entepott Helpers were more interesting, but she wasn’t complaining. If the man wanted to adopt one of the Entepott Helpers that would be all the better, so she led him to the nearest cage. The one with Nanna and Buggie.
“These are Nanna and Buggie. They are our Teacher Fluffies. They help educate the full grown Fluffies on ideal behavior both as a Fluffy and a parent”.
“Hewwo nice mistah” Buggie said, as he munched on some kibbles.
Nanna said nothing, but made a polite nod.
Ariella bit her lip in frustration. It would have been nice if the two showed a little more enthusiasm and she could see that the man was not interested.
“Can I see another set of Entepott Helper?” The man asked politely
“Of course” Ariella replied, as she led him to the next cage.
The next cage was Reeses and Tanner. The recovering Downer and the quiet farm Fluffy, both just stared at the man, as they munched on their kibbles. Well Tanner was looking, Reeses didn’t even seem to care.
“Quiet little guys aren’t they?” The man commented.
Ariella made an embarrassed nod, making a mental reminder to talk to the four about showing a little bit more enthusiasm to humans who showed interest towards them.
“Perhaps another set of helpers?” The man asked.
Fortunately the next two Entepott Helpers were bound to show more enthusiasm.
“These are Noodle and Mustard” Ariella introduced.
“Hewwo nice mistah, am Noodwe!”
“Hewwo am Mustawd, bu Mustawd nu am nummies!”
Ariella made an internal sigh of relief. A much more enthusiastic introduction, but not too demanding. Good, and it would seem that the man was interested, as he had a rather big smile.
“Wow, look at you two. Vewy wovely Fwuffies, huh”.
Mustard took the compliment well. Bouncing about with a big grin.
“Tank yu mistah! Mustawd am Fwuffy nut nummies!”
Noodle on the other hand looked visibly shocked.
“Mi… Mistah tink Noodwe am wovewy… eban… Eban wit Noodwe bwoken hown?”
The man continued smiling, as Ariella gave a simple explanation.
“Mustard is a runaway pick up. He ran away, because he thought that he was going to be eaten due to a misconception born from being named after a condiment. Noodle on the other hand was a drop off. He’s under the impression that he was left because of his chipped horn”.
“Oh I see. That’s… terrible… Hmm…”
“I can assure you that his chipped horn is only a minor appearance defect, and…”
“Is it cool if I inspect it?”
“Oh? Of course”
Ariella opened the cage, and carefully pulled out a very surprised Noodle.
“Nice mistah wan wook a Noodwe bwoken hown?”
“Yup” Ariella said as she passed Noodle to the man.
The man held Noodle awkwardly. Cradle hold, instead of the usual shoulder hold that most Fluffy owners applied. Noodle laid on his arm, his belly and legs up in the air, with a joyful smile.
“Nice mistah wan huggies?” Noodle asked, trying to lift himself from his position.
“Well aren’t you a polite fella, huh”
Noodle giggled, and Ariella smiled.
“Our adoption prices for Good Fluffies are one fifty. If you want, you can interact with Noodle for a while in our playroom. Get to know him, and see if you think you’ll work well with him”.
The man gave Ariella a surprised look
“A hundred and fifty? For real?”
Ariella nodded with a careful smile.
“Yes the pricing is quite steep, but we do have justification. One hundred is the going price for Fluffies at any Fluffmart, but those are baseline Fluffies that you need to train from scratch. Here at Entepott we provide Fluffies that display Good Fluffy behavior”.
“What exactly is Gud Fwuffy behavior?”
“Well standard stuff. Always relieve themselves in the litterbox. No bullying. No name calling. Always listen to the owner. Don’t make demands, especially for sketti. That kind of stuff”.
“But you could easily tell that to any Fluffy. Sure they’ll listen, and they might do as told for a while, but eventually they go back to their old ways”.
Ariella gave the man a wary look. Old ways? Not a rather high opinion of Fluffies, but then again Shit Rats still outnumbered Good Fluffies significantly in this shelter, and she suspected it was the same everywhere else.
“In the case of Entepott that is why we have a sort of rank system. Good Fluffies and Shit Rats are not just some title a Fluffy gets. It is a rank that a Fluffy has to work hard to obtain and maintain. Good Fluffies are Fluffies who have a high level of self-control and a humble attitude, allowing them to easily follow Good Fluffy behavior on a daily basis”.
“Oh I see, and if they fuck up they fall to Shit Rat. Nice!”
“Bad wowdsie!” Noodle suddenly said.
The man frowned slightly, before his smile turned to an awkward smile, and Ariella gave him a perplexed look. Something felt off, also nice? Was this man really looking to adopt a Fluffy. It would seem the man noticed this as he offered an apologetic smile.
“Sorry… Noodle. I didn’t mean to swear and apologies about my wording, I… well let’s just say I’ve had a couple of bad experiences with terrible Fluffies… which is why I’m looking to adopt Noodle over here, a way to prove to myself that there are Gud Fwuffies. You’re a Gud Fwuffy aren’t ya Noodle”.
“Noodwe am gud Fwuffy!” Noodle proudly exclaimed.
Ariella nodded in agreement to the man’s intentions, yet she felt conflicted. On one hand she really did want Noodle to get a happy home, but she wasn’t completely sure whether this man could provide such a home. Something about him felt weird, yet at the same time, did she really have the option to be all choosey about the kind of owner and home Noodle could get?
“I can honestly tell you that Noodle is a good Fluffy” Ariella stated firmly “He’s got a gr-”
“I’ll take Noodle” the man suddenly said.
A moment of silence as Ariella looked at the man in surprise. Noodle was the first
“Nice mistah be Noodwe nyu daddeh!?” Noodle asked with disbelief.
“Yeahhhh” The man said with a grin
“We… WEALLY?! E… eban wit Noodwe bwoken hown… Nice mistah wan be Noodwe nyu daddeh?!”
The man nodded and Noodle’s eyes went so wide they practically bulged from their sockets, as a large smile began to form on his lips.
“Mistah be nyu daddeh!? Eban wit bwoken hown mistah be Noodwe nyu daddeh!?”
“That’s what I said”
The shelter would become quite lively. Good Fluffies cheered, while Shit Rats jeered. However, Noodle wasn’t listening, he was too busy nuzzling the man’s chest with tears in his eyes and the biggest smile.
“Tank yu… Tank yu nyu daddeh! Noo… Noodwe pwomise tu be bestest… bestest Gud Fwuffy ebah… PWOMISE!”
“Mhmm… So one fifty, right?” The man asked, handing her Noodle.
Ariella took the gleeful giggling Fluffy, as the man began fiddling in his pockets. He looked confused and continue fiddling about, but making an embarrassed.
“Sh… uh… I seem to have left my wallet in my car. I just parked it outside. Can you get Noodle and the paperwork ready, and I’ll be back fast”.
“Oh? Of course”.
“Nyu daddeh, can Noodwe sa gud byesie tu aww Noodwe fwens fiwst?” Noodle asked politely.
“Yeah, go it for it little guy!” The man exclaimed “Then after we get the paperwork started, you and me are going to Fluffy mart to buy you a new toy”.
“Nyu toysie!?”
“Yup, and once we get home. I’ll show you your new safe room and we can have spaghetti to mark your first night in a new happy home!”
“Safewoom!! Sketti!! Happie housie!! Bu… bu… can Noodwe hab huggies n wuv tu?”
“Sure! I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Otay!”
Noodle was bouncing so excitedly in Ariella’s arm, and the man had a big grin. Ariella felt a sense of relief. The man was willing to pay $150 for a full-grown, second hand Fluffy and he looked excited too. The man felt a bit off, but it was unlikely that he was an abuser, who would pay that much just to hurt a Fluffy? Though slightly strange, it would seem that Noodle had found himself a nice owner and a good home.
“Once you have a wallet, you can just wait in the reception area. I’ll bring Noodle and the paperwork to you, after Noodle had said his goodbyes”.
The man gave her another big smile with a thumbs up, as he walked out of the shelter.
“Noodwe hab nyu housie!” Noodle exclaimed.
Ariella smiled “I’m happy for you Noodle, you did it. You got a nice, happy home”.
She put Noodle down and opened the Good Fluffy cages, so Noodle could say his goodbyes. Heartfelt hugs and nice nuzzles. All his friends wishing him well, as the Shit Rats spewed scornful spite. Zeri entered the housing area with a confused look.
“Yo, what’s going on?” Zeri asked.
“Noodle got adopted” Ariella replied.
“Wh… no freaking way”
Ariella nodded, as Noodle rushed up to Zeri.
“Miss Zewi! Noodwe hab nyu daddeh!” Noodle cried out excitedly.
“Good for you little guy… where is he?”
“Oh. He just went out to get his wallet. He’ll be back…”
Ariella paused, as she noticed Zeri giving her a weird look. She looked amused, but also shocked.
“Ze?” Ariella asked.
“Wait. A dude came in, said he wanted to adopt Noodle and when he tried to pay, he realized that he forgot his wallet and went to get it”.
“Ye… yeah?”
“No freaking way”.
Ariella felt a twinge of worry. The way Zeri had said that.
“Ze, what’s going on?”
Zeri gave her another weird look. Like she seemed shocked yet she was also smiling. She didn’t respond as she walked out of the housing area with Ariella following closely behind. Through the reception area and out the shelter, the two would find the road empty. Not a single car in sight.
“The man said he parked just outside… Ze, what’s going on”.
“Boss” Zeri said with her hands on her head and the biggest smile “I think we just got pranked”
“Huh!?”
“Yeah I think it was a fake adoption prank!”
“Fa… fake adoption prank? HUH!?”
“Yeah. It’s a new way to fuck with Fluffies. I think it started with some guy called FreshlyPillowed or something, but I heard a lot of people started doing it. Oh shit, guy must have been a pro too, because he targeted Noodle… Fuuuck”
Zeri was grinning, but Ariella did not feel amused and she shot Zeri a disapproving look, one that Zeri was quick to notice.
“Ah! Sorry boss… uh… yeah the prank is quite cruel”
“I’d say very cruel, but I don’t get it”
“Oh! The prank is simple, like a person goes into a shelter and says that they want to adopt a Fluffy. Then they choose a Fluffy and tell the Fluffy all the good things that are going to happen to it, like a life full of comfort, toys and shit, but before they pay they make up some excuse, like my wallet is in my car and then head out”.
Ariella looked at Zeri in disbelief, before massaging her forehead in frustration.
“I… I don’t understand, and why Noodle? The man ignored Nanna, Buggie, Reeses and Tanner”.
“Oh! Yeah he’s definitely a pro, like you can do it on any Fluffy, but like… uh… it’s more effective if you target… uh… like really needy Fluffies, like the kind that thinks no one loves them, and… Oh shit, I bet Noodle mentioned his broken horn didn’t he?”
Ariella nodded, before making a pained sigh.
“So to get this straight. The man picked Noodle, simply because Noodle seemed to think that no person would take him in. Then he filled Noodle with hopes and dreams, just so it would break Noodle’s heart when he drove off?”
Zeri nodded with a slight smile “Yeah pretty much”.
Ariella groaned in frustration, as Zeri offered her a sympathetic smile.
“Damn it actually does feel kind of petty, when you say it like that”.
Ariella was going to ask why, but she already had an inkling on reasoning. Because fuck you that’s why. A popular saying by people who loved screwing Fluffies over. No reason, beyond hating Fluffies, but there was still one thing Ariella didn’t get.
“What’s the point?” Ariella asked.
“Huh? Oh you know how it is, you don’t really need…”
“No. I’m not talking about motivations, but like the man just drove off. He won’t see Noodle’s reaction. Isn’t the point of the prank to get off their despair”
“Ah but like Fluffy whining is all the same. You don’t need to see their reaction, because well I guess he already knows how Noodle is gonna react. It’s just knowing he crushed Noodle’s spirit, and… yeah… damn seeing it from a shelter side perspective, this is actually quite cruel ain’t it. Noodle is gonna be so heart broken once he finds out”.
Zeri was holding back a smile, and Ariella made another pained groan, as she massaged her forehead in frustration. She really didn’t need this. This bullshit. She was definitely upset. Partly at the man, but partly at herself. The signs were all there. The way he kept saying Gud Fwuffy in a somewhat sarcastic tone. The way he really didn’t seem to mind the whole Shit Rat system. Plus just the way he told Noodle all about the toys, sketti and home. Zeri was right, this was really going to leave Noodle heartbroken.
“About Noodle, what we gonna do boss?” Zeri asked.
Ariella made a resigned sigh.
“I… I’m gonna wing it”.
The two walked back into the housing area. Noodle was surrounded by all his fellow Fluffy friends with the biggest smile. The other Good Fluffies cheering and showering Noodle with kind words. Emilia was there as well, giving Noodle a nice head pat to congratulate him. Ariella knew that this was going to be painful, and Noodle was quick to notice her return.
“Ewwa mummah! Noodwe sa gud byesie tu fwens! Am gu wit nyu daddeh nao?”
Ariella felt a cringing feeling, as she thought of what to say. It was gonna be painful whatever way she said it, so she just went with the direct option.
She picked Noodle up and carried him to the playroom. Away from the rest of the Fluffies. Somewhere more private.
“Ewwa mummah?” Noodle asked.
“I’m sorry Noodle, but that man… well… he won’t be your new daddeh”.
“W… wat?”
“He’s… uh… Well…”
Ariella paused as she tried to figure out what to say, meanwhile Noodle was looking at her with tearful eyes. Should she just tell him the truth? That the man didn’t actually want him and was just doing this as part of a mean joke? There was another option.
“He… No, I… I decided that he can’t be your new daddeh”.
Noodle looked at her with shock.
“Y… Y EWWA MUMMAH!?” Noodle suddenly cried out in dismay.
“Because… he… Oh! Because I went outside to look for him and I saw him hurting Good Fluffies”.
“Nyu… nyu daddeh gib gud Fwuffies… Huwties!?”
“Yup, and even forever sleepies?”
“NYU DADDEH GIB GUD FWUFFY FOEBAH SWEEPIES!?”
“Yes. So I told him that he cannot be your daddeh”.
Noodle was giving her an incredulous look.
“Bu… bu… nyu daddeh sa gib Noodwe huggies n wuv, n nyu toysies, n housie, n sketti, n…”
“He was lying”.
“Nyu daddeh wying!?”
“Yup. He only said that to trick you, and then he was probably going to give you hurties”.
The look of disbelief on Noodle’s face was understandable, as Ariella gave him a sympathetic smile, but then Noodle began to shake his head with tearful eyes, he began to put slightly as he hit Ariella softly with his hooves.
“Ewwa mummah am WIAW!” Noodle screamed “Nyu daddeh sa wub Noodwe eban wit bwoken hown! EWWA MUMMAH AM WAIW NUT DADDEH!”
Ariella sighed, as she stroked Noodle’s mane gently. She didn’t say anything as Noodle squirmed in her arms, trying to hit her desperately.
“WAIW! EWWA MUMMAH AM WIAW!” Noodle screamed over again “DADDEH SA WUB NOODWE! EBAN WIT BWOKEN HOWN! DADDDEH WUB NOODWE!”
It was scary how quickly a Fluffy could get attached, but then again Noodle was probably quite desperate. Ariella could only stroke his mane gently, and there was only one thing she could think to say.
“I’m sorry, Noodle”.
Eventually Noodle stopped his tantrum. The Fluffy still in his arms, staring at her with a pitiful face. Tears began to form and he began to make an ugly cry.
“Hu hu hu nu faiw! Am nu faiw! Y Ewwa mumah nu wet nice mistah be Noodwe nyu daddeh!”
“Because he would have given you hurties”
“Bu… bu… nice mistah… nice mistah sa dat wuv Noodwe… eban wit… bwoken… hown”
Ariella gave him a sympathetic nod, as she thought about what to say. Meanwhile, Noodle had buried his head into her chest, making a faint hu hu hu noise.
“The man was a meanie and he was lying. He only said that to trick you. He wanted to bring you to his home and then he was probably going to give you hurties all the time, which is why I told him that he cannot be your new daddeh”.
Noodle began crying harder in response. A louder hu hu hu noise, as he rubbed his face into Ariella’s shoulder. Ariella could feel his tears soaking her shirt. Not that she minded. She remained silent, as he continued grieving. The Fluffy eventually dropping into a faint sob.
“Noodwe… Noodwe wa… Nyu… mistah am… onwy sa… onwy gib huggies… huggies n wuv… Mistah wying… Onwy… onwy… onwy wan gib Noodwe… Noodwe hu… huwties?”
Ariella gently stroke Noodle’s mane.
“Yeah… I’m sorry Noodle”
Noodle began to faintly sob again.
“Nu… nu wan… wan Noodwe… caw… caw…”
“It’s not because of your broken horn Noodle”
“Bu… bu…”
“I’m sure there someone out there who is gonna see your broken horn and go wow! I want that Fluffy”.
A quiet sob. Noodle offered no response.
“And… well… We still want you!”
“Ewwa mummah wan… wan Noodwe?”
“Yup! You’re one of my Entepott Helpers. The Good Fluffies who help me run Entepott. Without you, guys I’d never be able to run my shelter. You guys help me to realize why I’m finding good homes for good Fluffies, and if you were gone I’d be down one Bad Fluffy finder”.
Noodle did not respond, but his sob had turned into a sniffle.
“And I can assure you that there are many in Entepott who still want you. Emilia definitely. Zeri… uh… yeah. Mustard! Your roommate was probably going to be lonely if you left. All those Good Fluffies who wished you goodbye. They might be happy to see you go, but I can assure you that they will just be as happy to see you stay, because in the end you are their friends”.
“We… weally… wan Noodwe… eban…”
“Even with your broken horn”.
Noodle had seemed to calm down, and Ariella sighed in relief. She wasn’t sure if what she said was the right thing to say, but at least it helped him feel better.
She walked out of the playroom, with Noodle still in her arms.
“Can… can Noodwe hab wittle mo huggies?” Noodle asked softly.
“Sure you can buddy” Ariella replied, squeezing him a little tighter.
The other Good Fluffies had returned back to the cages, both Emilia and Zeri standing there with concerned face.
“How’s Noodle?” Emilia asked.
Noodle turned to face her “Noodwe sowwi… Noodwe nu hab nyu daddeh no mowe”
Emilia suddenly took Noodle from Ariella’s arms and gave him a big hug.
“Aww that’s okay Noodle. It didn’t work out and from what I hear man wasn’t going to be a good daddeh anyways. Probably just an ars… uh… big meanie”.
Noodle nuzzled Emilia lovingly, as Ariella gave her a thankful smile. Then she looked at Zeri.
“I have to admit” Zeri said “The prank really does feel mean when you know the Fluffy… kinda”
“Yeah” Ariella said with a small smirk
“Well anyways, I was thinking… maybe we just let the Good Fluffies chill today. Let them play and do stuff that Fluffies normally do. I dunno, like maybe tell the Good Fluffies what happened to Noodle, I feel they can help him get back to tip top shape or something”.
Ariella nodded with agreement.
“Yeah definitely. We’ll make today a play day… uh… Lunch first. Let’s have lunch. I’m going to BK, do you guys want anything?”
Both girls shook their heads, both stating that they already had lunch prepared and Ariella gave them an agreeable nod. Out of the housing area and out of the shelter, she maintained her silence, yet her mind was anything but silent.
A feeling of resentment towards that man who decided to target Noodle and make trouble for Entepott, simply because he felt like it.
A feeling of annoyance that two potential owners had come over and both only brought headaches to the shelter and nothing more.
A feeling of stress for this was only the start. Two for two, and many more were to come. Screaming activists and annoying pranksters, all while dealing with money and food issues.
She took a deep breath.
This was only a bad day. There were always days like this, and like she learned it was just best to keep trudging on. The good days were bound to come. Hopefully, and if it was nothing but bad days, well it was just to move on. A dream was a dream, and if it could not make it a reality, then oh well.
As she walked down the steps, a car suddenly stopped and someone in a face mask stared at her.
“I hope your shelter slowly and painfully collapses!” The person screamed.
Ariella watched dumbfounded as the car drove out of view. Completely at a loss from words.
Where did that come from?
Why?
Ariella began to chuckle. A dry, defeated chuckle, as she rubbed her forehead in frustration.
A realization.
The person said shelter. Not Fluffy, and with it came confusion.
Was that an Abuser who really hated Fluffies or a Hugboxer who really hated Entepott?
Ariella looked up at the sky. A gorgeous blue with soft white clouds. Such a lovely day, yet all she could think about was how many people probably hated Entepott.
“God…. Entepott is fucked isn’t it” Ariella muttered to herself.
TING
Emilia heard the bell, and grimaced.
The bell was supposed to be a good sign. It was supposed to symbolize that someone was interested in Entepott, and more importantly the Good Fluffies.
At least that was what it was meant to signal.
However, Emilia could only sigh. The last two visitors had certainly left a bad impression. How long had it been since the prankster? One day? Two? Four? What day was it today? It was hard to tell. The days had all kind of merged into one. Working at Entepott everyday. Seeing the same walls, cages and smells. The same faces with the same voices. Doing the same thing over and over. Had it been any other workplace and she would already have gone crazy, but the Good Fluffies still served as good motivation.
Interacting with potential owners. Not so much.
Emilia entered the reception area and she froze.
How many people lived in this city?
Of all the people, why was it her again?
And why was she the one who had to deal with this woman again?
It was the screaming lady. Again.
Dressed in a stylish outfit like last time, she took off her sunglasses and placed them in her small, luxury handbag, like she did the last time. However, this time she was not alone. There was a big guy next to her. A body builder in some workout outfit. Tall and intimidatingly muscular, and Emilia could not help but notice the lady’s smile. It felt sinister and certainly left Emilia feeling nervous.
“Hello again miss” Emilia stated in a careful tone, as she walked up to the front desk.
As the lady approached, Emilia carefully opened the top drawer of the desk. Inside was a can of pepper spray. Ariella put it there recently. The last two encounters had certainly left them worried about future visitors. Fears of a rather violent activist or less than stable prankster. This certainly felt like it was building up to be one of the situations they feared.
“Firstly, I would just like to say… I’m REALLY SORRY” the lady suddenly stated in a polite manner.
The woman offered an apologetic bow, catching Emilia off guard, as the man approached with a friendly smile, raising his hand apologetically.
“My wife gave me the details of her previous visit to your Fluffy shelter, and from what she told me, it sounded like you guys were really trying your best with what you got, so I told off her, but you’ll have to forgive her, she was having a really stressful time that day”.
“Hun, it’s fine. How I acted last week was inexcusable” The lady replied “Absolutely inexcusable”.
Emilia nodded slightly. More out of nervous rather than agreement, but she did feel a little bit of relief. A little bit, yet she was still nervous why these two were here.
“Is Entepott really operating on a three woman team?” The lady suddenly asked.
Emilia felt a hint of worry, and nodded hesitantly.
“Um… yes” she replied.
“And you’re all really working full-time as a volunteer?” The woman suddenly asked.
Again Emilia felt worried, and again she nodded hesitantly.
“Uh… Well… uh yes miss, BUT I can assure you that it is entirely my choice and that Ella is working her best to get me a full time salary… I mean us”.
The lady gave her a surprised look, then looked down shaking head with a sad look.
“God, and I came here screaming that you guys were all a bunch of abusers. Look, I’m really sorry about my attitude last week. I was behaving in such an appalling manner, and I really wished that I could take it all back”.
Emilia felt that sense of relief again, and gave the lady a small smile.
“Um… It’s quite alright, miss…”
“Please, just Karen and this is my husband, Brad”.
“Oh… um… Karen, if you don’t mind me asking, are you here to adopt a Fluffy, or is there another… um… reason you’re here?”
“Oh? Right, sorry. Yeah… um… Both haha, is Candy and her foals still here?”
Emilia smiled, unable to hold back her joy.
“Yes miss… um… Karen. They’re all still very much available for adoption”.
“That’s great! I hope they weren’t too disappointed when I said no the first time, I really wanted to adopt them on the spot then and there. Like all four of them were such adorable jellybeans, but you know, can’t make such a big decision without asking hubby first haha, and…”
“Baby, let’s focus on why we came here first”.
“Oh right! Sorry about that, haha. Anyways, is your boss… um… Ariella here as well?”
“Yes, she should be, but if you would like you can break the good news to Candy, Brownie, Ducky and Rosie first. They’re all in the playroom right now for class”.
“Oh! Lovely, hun you got to see this. Fluffies teaching Fluffies. It’s like the cutest thing ever!”
The couple followed Emilia into the playroom, where the Good Fluffies were right in the middle of the class. They had come during a fun time. A large group of foals dancing about with Sunflower and Hip-Hop the dance break of lessons. Brad suddenly made an unexpectedly high pitched squeal with a delighted look. One that caught many of the Fluffies by surprise.
“So… sorry” Brad stated sheepishly “It’s… um… It’s cute”
“I know right!” Karen exclaimed.
Emilia grinned with pride, as she spotted Candy and her foals.
“Candy, can you come here with your babbehs. Someone special wants to see you guys”.
Candy nodded, as her foals quickly ran over to her. The four approached the couple and it was obvious that they recognize the woman.
“Kawen mummah!?” Candy exclaimed in shock.
Karen quickly knelt down.
“Hi Candy!” She exclaimed with a bright smile.
Then she turned to the foals
“Hi Brownie, Ducky and Rosie. Do you guys recognize me?”
Ducky suddenly rushed forward.
“Ducky kno! Am nice wady!” Ducky suddenly exclaimed “Ducky am sowwi! Ewwa mummah teww dat Ducky, Wosie n Bwownie mak nice wady feew uncom… uncomfow… mak nice wady nu feew gud! Ducky am sowwi!”
“Wosie am sowwi tu!”
“Bwownie sowwi! Sowwi!”
Karen’s face said it all. Heartfelt love, and Emilia smiled.
“I’ll… um… let you… um… bond with the Fluffies, and I’ll just go get Ella”.
She let the couple bond with the Fluffies, and couldn’t help but smile.
Quickly rushing out of the playroom, she found Ariella and Zeri in the housing both with worried looks.
“Ella, the lady from before is back”.
“Yeah, we saw. Did she say why she was here?”
“Yup. Came to adopt Candy and her foals, as well as apologize for her previous behavior”.
Ariella made a relieved sigh and Zeri looked surprised.
Emilia grinned.
“Told you she cared about the Fluffies, Ze”
Zeri smirked and nodded.
“Fine fine. You were right, but I’m going out for a smoke break with my homie, Tanner”.
Emilia and Ariella grinned, as Zeri walked away, then Ariella made a relieved grin.
“Okay. Help me get Candy and the foals ready for transport, I’ll bring and her… um…”
“Husband. Woman’s name is Karen and the man is called Brad”.
“Karen and Brad. Okay okay”.
Emilia watched as Ariella entered the playroom politely, offering the two a friendly smile, as Karen began apologizing. Ariella played it off cool, saying that it was no problem and focusing more on Candy and her foals. She led them to her office, as she explained the standard information for Fluffy care. Meanwhile, Candy and her foals tried to follow.
Emilia ruffled Candy’s mane.
“Emi mummah?” Candy asked.
“Don’t you need to say goodbye to everyone? You won’t be living a shelter anymore, you’ll be living in a nice house with a good mummah and daddeh”
Candy and her foals looked at her in surprise. It was clear that they had just realized this now.
“Kawen mummah am… Candy mummah!?”
“Yup”
“Ducky, Brownie n Wosie tu!?”
“Yup”
The mare and her foals began to celebrate, jumping for joy as all the other Good Fluffies crowded around to offer their support. Emilia quietly excused herself, heading to the storage room to grab a cardboard box for transport. She would come back to see Candy and her foals hugging and nuzzling all their friends. The four Fluffies, so joyful that they were practically crying.
There were alot of Good Fluffies for the four to say goodbye too. Really alot, but fortunately, the four had time. Plenty of time. The couple had been in Ariella’s office for quite some time now. Quite a while. Long enough that Emilia was starting to worry that something had gone wrong, but before she could worry too much, the lady came out of the office alone with a big smile, as Candy and the foals came rushing up to her.
“Wub Mummah!” Candy cried out.
“Mummah!” The three foals cried out.
She picked all four up with one big scoop, and Emilia just watched with a smile, as the woman hugged the four Fluffies. Soon the man came out and Emilia politely handed him the box, as the woman started putting the Fluffies inside.
Ariella came out of the office with a smile, and stood next to Emilia.
“I’m actually having trouble believing that this is happening” Emilia whisppered.
“Me too, Em” Ariella admitted.
“It’s just so sudden”
“Yeah I know what you mean”
“The lady… uh… Karen said she had something else she wanted to say. Will she be volunteering?”
“Nah. Too busy, but she did give me something just as good”.
“What?”
“Good business advice”.
Emilia gave Ariella a puzzled look, and Ariella just grinned.
“We’ll talk about it later”.
Online market and live streaming. That was the advice the couple had given.
Turns out that after the Entepott, Karen had gone to a couple of other Hugbox shelters during the week, and the thing that she took out of it, was that Entepott was supposedly the one trying the hardest despite losing their funding, and Karen very much wanted to help. So, Ariella took a gamble and told the couple about what they did to Shit Rats. Cutting them up for food and skinning them.
The gamble paid off.
E-commerce. Karen was actually quite an expert on that. Turns out she had her own business and was willing to help out.
Colorful Fluffy pelts. Not as controversial as Ariella thought it would be. Turned out there were plenty of people selling that sort of thing and quite the market. Plenty of hobbyists and fashion designers who had a use for this vibrant furs.
Karen even offered to sell the furs on her own online stores, of course she would take a cut. 80/20 in Entepott’s favor. A really good deal as she had a much more established platform and better courier costs due to her long-term partnership deal. She would arrange pick up times and her courier would come in with specialized pouches. E-HAWBs already filled out with the necessary details. All Entepott had to do was skinning, salting and then putting the pelts into pouches.
Then there was the case of live streams.
Brad was the one who brought this up.
Entepott had something rare. A classroom full of Fluffies teaching other Fluffies how to be a Good Fluffy. Most especially rare because they could run these classes without Human guidance. It could be seen as cute. It could be seen as wholesome. It could be seen as Hugbox content.
The idea was simple: Install a couple of cameras in the Fluffy classroom. Not the whole shelter. The couple had accepted forcing Shit Rats to cannibalize each other, but that did not apply to all other Hugboxers. So, just the classroom.
Have the cameras streaming live. Either just when class was happening or 24/7.
If 24/7 maybe have Good Fluffies come in at random times and just do random things when there were no classes, just for some extra entertainment.
There were two reasons for that.
One to show what Entepott really was all about. Good Fluffies teaching other Good Fluffies on good behavior so that they could get a good home. A way to hopefully lessen similar scenarios like Karen.
Two was donations. Lot of people out there who couldn’t own a Fluffy for one reason or another, but had some cash to spare. Maybe a couple of them see what Entepott was doing, and maybe put some money their way to keep the shelter running.
There was just a case of setting up an account.
However, it turned out Zeri had been exploring the idea as well.
Turns out little miss abuser had been figuring out ways to get back at mister prankster, and she had figured that the best way was to show that Noodle had come out fine from the fake adoption prank. Nothing tacky like calling the prankster out, but just live streams showing that even after that prank, Noodle remained happy and unphased. As a result, Zeri already made an account and how to set up cameras for live streaming.
Ariella was in her office, eating takeout with Zeri and Emilia. Looking at the Zeri with a cocky grin.
Zeri shot her a disapproving look.
“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t do this for Noodle” Zeri stated “I only did it because you two looked so glum over the silly prank, so I just wanted to get you guys some closure. That’s it”.
Ariella just continued grinning.
“Sure sure”
Ariella turned to Emilia, who also had a cheeky grin, and they gave each other a knowing nod.
Ariella munched on some fries as she reclined on her seat.
Two potential sources of revenue.
A Fluffy abuser who was helping them get back at another.
Most importantly, they had found a Good Fluffy family a good home.
She knew that it was not a sure sign of change. The two potential income sources were not guarantees and she had only managed to find four Good Fluffies a good home out of eighty something she had in her shelter. This was definitely not a turning point for Entepott, but at the very least, even just for today. It gave Ariella hope.
Hope that perhaps Entepott could keep on running.
