Mr. Adams’ Guide to Practical Fluffs - Part 7
by Oculus
Featuring art by Coalheart, Mrpaint, Pinkyfluffy & Fosterfluffy
You want to know more about the Fosterfluffy, and why the white Pinkyfluffy said that they were the best breed in the world. At the current moment, Sam seems preoccupied, and is speaking with Giuseppe about acquiring a Pinkyfluffy for himself. As such, you approach the white Pinkyfluffy for more information.
“Yes, kind mistah?”
“What is a Fosterfluffy?”
Max and his Fosterfluffy (Artist:Fosterfluffy)
The white fluffy smiles. He fully understands that his two languages, Italian and fluffspeak, are a little incomprehensible to you, and thus, he would not be able to articulate the point on his mind. Instead, he goes to a cabinet. With a meticulous use of his mouth and hooves, he carries a bunch of photos and documents and places them on the table for you to peruse. The photos show various pictures of a boy with his pet fluffy. You then read the document and learn that the Fosterfluffy was the name given to a rare, but specific designer breed of fluffy. The breed was made rather recently, and it is possible that the team behind the fluffy breed may produce more of these designer fluffies in future.
You can really feel the love that the boy has for the designer fluffy he had. The document mentions that the boy was a victim of child abuse, while the fluffy was found abandoned. That fact was unusual, given the rather remote and controlled status of the Fosterfluffy breed. It is unknown as to how this specific fosterfluffy breed ended up abandoned. Nevertheless, the foal bonded with the child, and has proven to be a good companion animal.The discrepancy is too strong at the moment. You learn that the boy, as well as the few fluffies of the Fosterfluffy programmer, are currently based back home. Since you’re in an ABAP building, it is obvious what the next step is.
“We’re going to Spain.”
Wait.
WHAT?!
“You heard me. We’ll be staying in Italy for a few days. We’ll then head to Spain by plane.”
“Can’t we just use The Door? I’m pretty sure, with how advanced fluffies are in Italy, they would have their own version of your fluffy teleportation devices.”
“Well yes lad. As a matter of fact they do. But see, after what happened the past few times, and with how you ended up in an alternate reality because of said teleportation attempts, I think it is safer if we actually traveled ‘properly’ for this one.”
~
You are currently in your room at the Holiday Inn in Rome. You’re surprised Sam has gotten you a cheaper hotel ticket this time round, but he mentioned that the reservations for the other hotels were booked. Also, the hotel in question was next to some good locations for sightseeing.
A Venetian fluffy family (Artist:Pinkyfluffy)
Across from your hotel room, you see Rome come alive at night. And you see the Pinkyfluffies, some moving in orderly herds, some as tight knit families, and some with their human caretakers. Knowing how simplistic and childish that fluffies could be back home, it felt surreal to see the Pinkyfluffies develop such recognition and status within Italian society. But you remember the time you saw the Fluffy city that was built by Mangoalie, KMEB and Renaissance fluffies. While integrating into a pre-existing human society is different from building a city from scratch, the concept was rather similar.
And yet at the same time, you can’t shake off the feeling that maybe, you ARE in another parallel dimension, and Sam was lying to you this whole time. But, what if the Pinkyfluffies were truly native to your timeline, independent of said shenanigans? Just their intelligence and versatility alone would question and challenge most popular perceptions of fluffies, especially in the English-speaking world.
It is getting too much to think about. You switch off the lights and lay down on your bed.
~
“The coin is always two-sided. This is reality of Hasbio that you must understand.”
In protest of the nightmare that the alternate Sam had put you through, you screamed at the top of your lungs, only to find yourself in the hotel room. This wasn’t the first time you had such a visceral dream, but there was something foreboding about it. You never thought you would meet the parallel universe Sam Adams again, but he appeared, and revealed a dark aspect of Hasbio that you wish you had not seen.
“You saw him again?”
You are with Sam in his private jet. As it speeds high above the European landscape, you mentioned to Mr Adams that you’ve been having difficulty sleeping lately. The encounter with the alternate Sam has caused you to fear entering the world of rapid eye movement, for fear of encountering an individual that can enter your mind at any time in your sleep.
“Yes. Yes, I have,” you admit.
A stewardess serves both Sam and you a hearty breakfast of egg and sausages. As you dig in to your grub, Sam is reading an Italian newspaper. The raising of his right eyebrow while reading the paper denotes a concern. You wonder what is troubling Sam as he asks, “You said that he had the Fluffycommissions (FC) breed culled?”
“Yes.”
"There’s been reports about the disappearance of that breed lately. Some communities, where pet populations were mostly made up of certified FC breed fluffies, have seen their fluffies gone."
“Gone?”
"As in disappeared. Without a trace.
A store had an entire stock of Fluffycommission Fluffies. All gone the following day. A young girl was playing hide and seek with her fluffy in room, only to find it disappeared without a trace. A hospital patient had a Fluffycommission fluffy as a companion animal, cradling in her arms. Next, the fluffy vanished into thin air."
As Sam keeps narrating the cases of the missing FC fluffies, a dark thought creeps up in your mind
“Do you think he could be involved?”
Sam frowns, as he continues, “I think it may be very well be the case. Did he mention any reason why he considered them ‘defective’?”
“No, he just said they had a defect.”
Stroking his chin, Sam Adams dwells upon the circumstance behind these disappearances.
"The FC breed weren’t exactly perfect. Recently, they had been crossbreeding with the Foxhoarder breed, but otherwise they had been breeding particularly well. And ABAP has been in good standing with the leader of their project.
No, my counterpart is up to something. And the fact that he has started abducting FC fluffies from our own universe means that he has some hidden agenda."
“How are you so sure its him? Surely its a coincidence?”
“Maybe. But for him to mention it, not too long after its been mentioned in the news, and to highlight that breed specifically? I think its him. And he’s after something.”
The ideal still feels a little incredulous to you.
“If what you’re saying is true, they should at least leave behind some presence. There’s got to be something that proves that they visited our dimension before.”
“I know what you mean. As it is, I remember that, at one time, they had attempted to capture a number of Coalheart fluffies.”
“Coalheart… thats a name I remember from my dream!”
"Yes, the Coalheart, a Spanish fluffy breed. And a Type 2. However, unlike other Type 2s such as the Gowdie and Foxhoarder, Coalheart fluffies lack the ability to naturally break the laws of physics. This made them very popular, since they got involved in less misadventures than the other Type 2 fluffies.
It is a shame they disappeared."
“Disappeared?”
“The last official Hasbio release of the Coalheart was in 2015, and the species is mostly continued in Spain by licensed breeders. Mostly.”
“I don’t like it when you trail off discussions like that.”
“The Coalheart fluffies have been disappearing. I’ve been trying to track down a shelter that had the largest collection of Coalheart fluffies but so far, I have not been having any luck. It is also why we are making the trip to Spain - the Coalheart originated from Spain, so perhaps the fluffmarts in Spain might have more Coalhearts.”
~
According to Sam, Hasbio and ABAP both have branches and fluffmarts in only three of Spain’s largest cities, those being the Valencia, Barcelona, and the capital Madrid.
You had a fun time in Spain, as you go to see the sights such as the Sagrada Familia, the Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (Prince Phillip Science Museum) and the Plaza Mayor. However, the stay in each of the three cities was brief and, for Sam, it bore disappointing fruit.
“I’m sorry Senor, but we don’t have any more Coalheart fluffies.”
That was in Barcelona, the third and last stop. Sam had been visiting the various fluffmarts, and even the man office of Hasbio in Spain, but so far, none of them had a pure or even a mixbreed Coalheart fluffy. This discovery has perplexed Sam. With its disappearance in both the UK and the US, the Coalheart fluffy may very well extinct.
“So the Coalhearts really are gone,” you bemoan.
“Bueno no exactamente, senor. Our store does hold one type of coalheart fluffy.”
The fluffy that she presents to you looks like any other microfluffy to the untrained eye. However, and after months spending with Mr Adams, you realize that this micro-fluffy is of a Type 2 breed. Most other microfluffies, like the Carpdimes and Buwwitos, tend to be of the Type 1 breed, or be of a unique breed like the McGonagall. However, this particular fluffy was a Type 2. Its hooves were of a more circular shape as opposed to a distinct horseshoe appearance, and its legs were bereft of fluff and were fairly stunted. As far as you know, you have not seen a Type 2 breed have a microfluffy variant (at least not yet).
“So this is a Coalheart microfluffy?”
“It is a Coalheart TOY fluffy.”
Ah yes, you remember now. Sam once mentioned that they were Hasbio’s initial miniature fluffy pony range before they released the microfluffies. The more you look at it, the more does it look a bit like a real-life plushie.
“They do kind of look like toys.”
“They are NOT toys. As in, they are not playthings,” the fluffmart owner interjects. “They are called toy fluffies because they are based off the toy breeds of cats and dogs.”
“But that name, ‘toy fluffy’, along with their categorization as ‘biotoys’ has led to people treat these fluffies as playthings, haven’t they?”
“They have,” sighs Sam. Turning to the owner, he ask, “Do you still stock limited editions of these toy fluffies?”
~
“Dere am no safe pwace. Dun maek fwuffy kiww dummeh. Dummeh know not dummeh am special fwuff. Dummeh am onwy become smawtie. Join Smawtie huwd and dummeh too wiww becum smawtie. Huwd wiww cwaim aww wands!”
“Fwuffy wiww neba join smawtie!”
“If onwy dummeh knew the powah of da Smawty. Obi-Wan neba say abot dummeh’s daddeh.”
“Smawtie kiwwed daddeh!”
"No.
Fwuffy AM dummeh daddeh."
You’ve seen fluffy plays before, but this was very well choreographed. Like as though it was properly rehearsed. You had seen the Japanese Pumpiikins mimic Hatsune Miku, but for these fluffies to be able to re-enact the entire scene for The Empire Strikes Back must have been quite the feat.
“No! NO DAT NOT TWU!!!”
~
After the quick presentation, both fluffies bow before you.
“These are fantastic! I’d love to own them!”
“Sure! The pair cost 16000 Euros!”
You balk at the price. Even with the increased regulation and ABAP influence, fluffies are considered among the cheapest of pets.
“Why is it so dear?”
“This is a one-of-a-kind toy fluffy of the Coalheart breed. It is one of the earliest derivatives of an already rare fluffy breed. In fact, we are trying to raise money to preserve these fluffies, hence their increased cost.”
“I can buy them for you if you want, Laddie,” Sam offers.
The offer seems all too tempting.
~
Sam’s jet is currently cruising high above the Atlantic Ocean. The ABAP offices in Spain did not carry breeds like the Fluffsplosion, and thus, the journey home had to be made by jet. You are having breakfast as its morning. Not too far away, you can hear the chatter of the four new fluffies that Sam had acquired from his European trip - the two Pinkyfluffies, and the two Coalheart toy fluffies. The Pinkyfluffies, being the doting caretakers there are, are watching the Luke and Vader toy fluffies re-enacts scenes from Star Wars, while making sure that the two little fluffies do not involve themselves in trouble.
Sam is seated at the window, looking pensive.
“Whats wrong, Sam?”
“I’m just a bit sad that I didn’t find a proper Coalheart.”
“But you did. You got two toy fluffies.”
“Yes, but they’re not the same as a ‘normal’ Coalheart fluffy. The Coalhearts were one of the earliest Type 2 breeds released by Hasbio and had a lot of traits that you can see in later Type 2 breeds like the Foxhoarder and Muffin.”
“You mentioned that they have been disappearing lately. Perhaps it can’t be helped. Though I wonder what was the ‘defect’ that ‘other’ Sam talked about.”
“I can’t think of a defect, but, I can fathom a reason why they retired the Coalheart toy fluffy line from official release.”
“And that is that?”
"You see that Vader and Luke? They’re not ‘toys’. They are two fluffies that, through extensive conditioning, rehearsing and acting, can act out and recite entire lines from Star Wars. Hasbio released other toy fluffies like them. There was one of Tracer from Overwatch. Some from Warhammer 40k, and many others. But the problem with these toy fluffies was that, with their catgeorization as ‘biotoys’, people actually treated them as ‘toys’. They were badly handled. Kids would throw them at each other like as though they were action figures. And of course, you have the typical neglect and bodily harm.
Hasbio never issued a formal recall, but they did retire the line. They reworked their miniature line of fluffies, with the new work going towards the Buwwito breed. Thats how the Buwwito microfluffy came about. At the same time, fluffy rights groups were starting to form - including my own ABAP - ensure that these fluffies were properly treated."
“That’s good to hear. I think microfluffies really are interesting.”
“They are,” sighs Sam, as he looks out of the window. “So are the normal Coalhearts. As a first generation fluffy breed, like the Marcusmaximus, Inkiepie and KMEB, they had a lot unique features as fluffies. I’m still researching them, and I’ve been trying to understand the differences between Coalhearts and other Type 2s. But it is kind of hard to do when you can’t find them anymore.”
“You could always move on to a new breed.”
“Its just not the same. You see, I mentioned before on my podcast that I was going to cover the Coalhearts. But now I feel a bit embarrassed that I can’t find one, despite my searching. I haven’t even had any leads as to the shelter that house a lot of Coalheart fluffies.”
“I’m sure you’ll find one soon. They’ve got to be out there, somewhere.”
~
Life went back to normal upon reaching home. The following day became a week. And the week became a month. During that time, Sam didn’t call you. You thought of contacting him, but his receptionist (when she wasn’t busy attending to Sam’s ‘personal’ affairs) mentioned that Sam had busied himself with more business contracts and matters for the month. Things have been mostly normal but, a part of you is hankering to go on another excursion with Sam into the wide of fluffies and their many breeds
And then one day, you get a call from your father.
“Yeah dad, what is it?”
“Son, you keep forgetting this. But we need your help to repaint the house.”
~
You kind of don’t want to do it. But you agreed to it anyway as it had been a while since you last your parents, the last time being about a few months ago when you had to help your dad with a computer problem.
Upon reaching the house though, you see find out that house has already been half-painted. Your parents had already contracted a professional painting service, as you noticed their van outside. You take minor note of the name of the painting service - Mrpaint.
“Why the hell did you ask for my help? You could have at least told me.”
“Well, we haven’t seen you in a while.”
Not a really good excuse there, you silently remark to yourself.
~
“A mountain of a man” (Artist:Coalheart)
The chief painter is a mountain of a man. A redhead with a thick beard, he has managed to finish painting half of the house by the time he appeared. A few hours later, he has finished the job. You are a bit impressed, so you ask the chief painter for the name of his service, as well as a business card.
“You’re a friend of Sam, aren’t you?”
You’re not sure what to answer him, as it was a rather sudden question. But the fact remains that Sam is a friend of your fathers, and, by extension, your friend as well.
“Yes, I am.”
The chief painter smiles. He passes you two cards. One of the cards reads “Mrpaint Painting Services” along with an address and a phone number.
The other ‘business card’ is a bit more unusual.
“Tell Sam to meet me at a hayfield in Buxton. He should know which hayfield I am referring to. You’re invited to come, but no one else should follow you or be aware of this meeting.
- Mr. Painter
P.S. The walls have ears. No one else should know about this message."
~
You’ve been trying to reach Sam for about two days now, but the difficulty has been getting past the receptionist. Which is weird, because, you had no trouble getting past this particular receptionist before.
“I’m sorry. I know you are close to Mr. Adams, but he really has been busy as of late. You’re going to have to try again next week.”
Maybe it is not urgent. Maybe, for all you know, the man could be met again next week.
~
It is evening. You have just had dinner, and you’re about to binge watch some Netflix shows before heading to bed. About half an hour into the show, you receive a phone call.
“Hello?”
You hear nothing.
“Hello? Who is this?”
There is the unmistakable sound of heavy breathing.
The phone then hangs up.
~
The next day, you return home from jogging. Your body covered in perspiration, and feeling tired, you hear the phone ring, roughly at the same time as the previous day.
“Hello?”
“I’m on to you.”
The phone hangs up again.
~
About a week later, you decide to give contact Sam another try, and so you call the ABAP office during the morning hours at work.
“Welcome to ABAP. Please hold while we attend to your call.”
About five seconds of pleasant muzak plays. And then you hear the receptionist answer the phone
“Good afternoon, how may I assist you?”
But it is not the female receptionist you had hear countless times before. It is a male voice.
“I would like to speak to Mr Adams please.”
“Sure, can I get a name?”
You give him your name.
“May I know the purpose of a meeting with him?”
You freeze in your chair. You then remember that Sam always had female receptionists, especially at ABAP. For there to be a male receptionist today was too unusual. Upon realizing your error, you hang up the phone.
Your breathing has gone heavy, you are sweating profusely. You may have made the most grave mistake.
Your mobile phone rings again. It is the ABAP number.
You pick the phone up.
“What is the purpose of your meeting with Sam? Did you find something?”
You switch off your phone. You have about 30 minutes left until its lunch break.
~
The thirty minutes passed by very quickly. You quickly depart, to the surprise of your colleagues
“Aren’t you joining us for lunch?”
“I got to attend to something today.”
~
As you take the public transport, you cannot help but feel that you are being watched. You keep turning back but, so far, no one has approached you, at least not yet. However, every time a person mildly stares in your direction, you feel unnerved.
The ABAP office looms on the horizon, as your bus approaches the stop. Alighting from the bus, you quickly run for the entrance.
“Wewco-”
Before you can let the Marcusmaximus fluffy usher finish his sentence, you barge through the door. Upon reaching the receptionist desk, you see that all the receptionists are still female and people you have met before.
The receptionist you are currently talking to, Laura, smiles, as she remarkes,"We haven’t met in a while!
How may I assist you?"
“Did ABAP have any male receptionists lately?”
“Male receptionists? No… we only hire female receptionists, per Sam’s specifications.”
"I see.
Is Sam available today? I understand he’s been busy as of late."
“I’m here, laddie.”
You turn around, and lo and behold, Sam Adams stands before you, wearing a business suit, a red tie, and a permanent grin.
~
You tell Sam about the weird phone call you got, and the one grave mistake you made today.
“You’re a dumbass, laddie. You know full well I don’t hire male receptionists.”
“I’m only human. Most businesses I know have both male and female receptionists, so hearing a male receptionist didn’t sound unusual at first.”
Sam frowns, and he gives out a loud breath
“I’m wondering how they managed to get past security. I need to beef up the security at this rate. What did you tell him?”
“Only my name. Nothing else.”
“I see. At least its not too bad. You’re still at risk, but we will discuss that later.”
“Also, someone asked me to pass you this.”
You pass Sam the blank business card that had the handwritten note on it. Sam gives it a read, and his face lights up.
“MrPaint! Now that’s a name I have not heard in ages!”
“Is he with ABAP?”
“No, he’s independent. But I have work closed with him from time to time.”
Sam whips out his smartphone, and proceeds to make a call
“Who are you calling?”
“Your boss.”
You loudly groan.
~
The trip to Buxton did not take long, and you are now riding in the back of Sam’s SUV. Sam has managed to clear out the rest of your week for the trip, and per his suggestion, you have brought along a backpack. Though, rather unusually, Sam has asked you to prepare various items for a trip to the beach, even though Buxton is a mostly agrarian and inland place.
The SUV starts to pass by various hayfields, until it reaches a particular one with a large red barn.
“We’re here.”
Sam tells you to wait for him as he gets out of the SUV. He looks left and right, then walks towards the barn. Within moments, a bearded man, that being the same painter you had met a week ago emerges out of the barn.
“Long time no see, Sam!”
“Its good to see you again, old friend. How is Bob doing?”
“Bob’s okay. Smokey still takes care of him, though Bob still has yet to come out of his shell. He’s been better ever since he adopted Max, though.”
“I see.”
The painter whispers something in Sam’s ear. It is confidential, but you have a feeling that they are discussing the matter of the individual who had been following your activities.
Sam then walks back into the SUV. The painter proceeds to open up the barn doors, as Sam drives the SUV into the barn. You inspect the interior of the barn. You see the various farming implements, stacks of hay, and a few cardboard boxes.
Cardboard boxes with wiring that lead up to the large barnyard doors.
“Start the spaghetti machine!”
The painter nods, and, using another remote he pulls out of his pocket, initiates the sequence. You hear the unmistakable sound of a fluffy shouting “Sketti! Sketti! Sketti!” in frantic anticipation. A brief flash can be seen at the space beyond the barnyard door. There is a slight darkness. Then, daylight returns to peek under the barnyard doors.
~
“We’ve arrived.”
As the barnyard door opens, you see a pristine beach before your eyes, azure waters sparkling in the midday sun, and emerald palms, bristling gently in the wind. Your jaw has dropped in open-eyed wonder, fuelled both by disbelief and anticipation, you felt inclined to inquire Sam on your current whereabouts.
“Zihuatanejo.”
“Zi-hua-what?”
“Zihuatanejo. We’re in Mexico. And to be more precise, we are at bungalow that’s being rented out by the Fluffy Shelter for the Abused.”
Around you, children and adults can be seen playing with their fluffies. There is an air of carefree jubilation and gaiety. However, as you inspect each fluffy, you noticed that each has some for disability. Some have a few or all of their limbs missing. One is wall-eyed, and not able to observe its surroundings properly. A girl is tending to a drooling fluffy, that can only make gurgling sounds.
Bob and Smokey (Artist:Mrpaint)
Near the entrance of the bungalow, an old man with a long, scruffy beard and uncut, unkempt hair eyes you menacingly. On his lap, an ash-coloured fluffy is sleeping, showing no signs of injury. The man is missing a leg but does not let that fact hinder his powers of observation. Before you can introduce yourself, he fires the opening line first.
“Are you with Sam?”
“Yes,” you answer slowly.
He is wearing a coat, a wifebeater and jeans, clothing which doesn’t seem to fit the holiday mood of the shelter. He has his hands in his pocket, and from the looks of it, you can tell that he has a pistol, ready to draw upon need. However, and while his maintains a guarded composure, he does smile at you.
“Go right in. Antoine has been expecting you.”
~
Antoine Stiles looks a little like you. However, he is far older, and has enough visual differences that anyone can definitely point out that the two of you are not blood related. Nonetheless, the both of you have the same hair colour, hairstyle and body type, with Antoine being slightly older than you. At the age of 45, Antoine has been the head of the Fluffy Shelter for the Abused for a few years now. He has taken over from the previous owner, Mabel, and over the years, he has gotten used to the motley crew of fluffies that has come to call the shelter “home.”
With him is a blue Coalheart fluffy by the name of Crush. Crush belonged to a bipolar owner who took out her frustrations on him, with the name she gave him being a reference to her occasional cruelty. At one point, it got so bad that she permanently damaged Crush’s right front leg. Eventually, she sought therapy and considering herself an unfit owner, donated the fluffy to the shelter. As one of the first fluffies brought into the shelter, he is also the oldest, but surprisingly nimble and agile. despite being a Type 2 and having a wheel for a leg.
“So Sam tells me that you’re looking to adopt a fluffy?”
“I am. From what I understand, the fluffies from this shelter are adoptable?”
“Nowadays, no. With what has happened to the Coalheart fluffies, and because we actually got raided at one point, the Shelter has been moving from time to time. Thus, I have been looking after the other Coalheart fluffies such as Patchy, Andre, Charles and of course, Crush here.”
“I hear that Sam is trying to acquire a Coalheart?”
“He is, but we’re still discussing it. Not too long ago, the foals of one our super-breeder dams were stolen, and we had to beef up security to make sure we didn’t lose any future foals. Lately I’ve been of the opinion that instead of trying to ‘restart’ the Coalheart breed for enthusiasts, it is more important for us to protect the Coalhearts we still have.”
“What can you tell me about Coalhearts?”
"I don’t think it is easy to typify or explain what owning a Coalheart fluffy is like. I feel like it is better if you spend time with the fluffy themselves.
Hey there Crush."
“Yes daddeh?”
“This mister here wants to see the beach. Think you can show him around?”
“Otay daddeh! Com fwend, Cwush wiww show fwend da beach!”
Crush (Artist:Coalheart)
Crush raises his left leg and his right wheel, mimicking a physical request for you to carry him. You do so.
~
Max and Shark Week at the beach (Artist:Fosterfluffy)
As you come out of the bungalow with Crush in your arms, you see the Painter is now seated where the scruffy old man was previously. The old man is busy playing frisbee with his grey fluffy. With a quick toss, he throws the disc up high, and the fluffy scampers after it, kicking up the sand. Not too far from the two, you see a young boy, trying to catch the frisbee that the old man threw. With him is a blue fluffy, exhibiting no external or internal sign of damage. That fact confuses you a little since this was supposed to be a fluffy shelter for the abused, but the two owners here have healthy fluffies.
And then it dawns on you. The boy is Max, the owner of the Fosterfluffy, which won the “Best Breed Award” of 2019, as the Pinkyfluffy pointed out to you a month ago.
“Enjoying yourself?" asks the Painter.
“A little, but I just got here.”
“Well, I hope you’ll have a good time while you’re here.”
“What can you tell me about that fluffy over there? The blue one that Max has.”
“Oh, so you know about Shark Week?”
“THAT is a VERY odd name.”
"It is, but thats the name Max gave to his fluffy. Sam has mention that there was a question you wanted an answer to, so I’ll explain it to you.
The various fluffy associations of Italy have an annual Fluffy award show. It is an unofficial thing, independent of Hasbio, and they like to look for the best fluffy breeds in the world. Since the Pinkyfluffy won a few times, the panel eventually started to include a Pinkfluffy as a panel judge, owing to their independence and intelligence. And, in 2019, the panel, including Giuseppe’s Pinkyfluffy, picked the Fosterfluffy as the best breed, owing to the story of Max and Shark Week."
“I understand that the Fosterfluffy became Max’s companion animal after he was rescued, but why is Max here?”
Bob meets Smokey for the first time (Artist:Mrpaint)
"Well, that is because Bob is here too,” the Painter says, pointing towards the scruffy old man playing with his grey fluffy.
“Bob here owns a fairly rare breed I worked on, the Mrpaint.”
“So wait, you named your professional painting service after a fluffy breed?”
He smirks, as he relates, “Its more like the fluffy breed was named after the professional painting service. Well, thats what creator of the breed once said. I’ve been wondering to myself why the director of the Coalheart programmed went with that name.”
“So you’re a Hasbio employee?”
“EX-Hasbio. I long left them. I now spend my time looking after the fluffies at the shelter, as well as run a professional painting service.”
You tell him about the recent trouble you had, especially with the one man who got word about your name.
“Oh I heard about that. However, Sam has a lot of contacts so, even if they were trying to phish out information from you, as long as you didn’t mention the location or the purpose, we’re fine. Besides, things have been safer ever since Bob started working for us. Not to mention, and as an ex-military man myself, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“What can you tell me about Bob?”
"Oh Bob? He’s Max’s dad. Well, his adoptive father. He’s also a war vet. Lost his leg in Afghanistan. Then, when he reached home, he found out that both his wife, and his only son, died in a car crash. On top of that, a business that he had invested in had lost money. Depressed, and without anything to live for, he was going to take his life.
“Then Smokey came into his life” (Artist:Mrpaint)
Then, Smokey came into his life."
Smokey, the grey fluffy, jumps up, and manages to catch the frisbee with his mouth.
“Good one, Smokey!” applauds Bob.
“Hey Cwush! Come and pway wacies wif us!”
“Otay!”
Crush proceeds to run from you lap, as he rushes towards Smokey and Shark Week.
“Shawk am fastest!”
“Nuh uh! Smokey am fastest!”
“Siwwy babbehs! Cwush am fastest cuz Cwush hav a wheewies!”
The three fluffies then get behind a line, as Bob counts down.
“Three, two, one! Go!”
And the three fluffies run in a straight line. Despite having a wheel for a leg, Crush is quite the competent runner. Nonetheless, all three fluffies run at the same speed, and reach Max, who is standing near a palm tree, and is the designated 'finishing line."
“Congratulations, you’re all winners!”
All three fluffies laugh. Shark Week jumps up, and Max tumbles over. The other two fluffies proceed to give Max a big hug. Bob comes over, smiling at his adoptive son. He lands his hand and helps pick the boy up.
“Thanks, dad.”
“Bob has really gotten better,” the Painter remarks. "When I first met Bob, he was an angry and jaded man, who ignored most social interaction in life. He adopted Smokey from a feral herd that tried to invade his lawn. The herd abandoned Smokey, and he decided to care and raise him. However, Scar noticed that his owner was naturally wary of people.
So, one day, Smokey got Bob to attend a fellow fluffy owners gathering. That is how Bob met Max, as Scar knew Shark Week at a local fluffy daycare. After finding out that Max was an orphan, and hearing his story, Bob adopted him."
You keep watching the three fluffies. After the race, the trio had taken turns chasing each other. Crush, while the eldest and disabled, puts his utmost best in matching up with his other compatriots. You feel a sense of courage to him. Smokey has a sort of primal energy. Wagging his tail constantly and with his tongue always sticking out, he reminds you a bit of a dog, and to some extent, like Maurice the Waggytail. Out of the three, Shark Week is the most composed and graceful in his movements, owing to his existence as further development of a biotoy line at Hasbio. However, and despite this significant status, he maintains an unwitting humility in his friendship with the other two breeds, seeing them as not only his equals, but as his friends. Though they came from three different generations of fluffies, the three fluffies exhibit a sort of humble happiness, a happiness which benefitted two ostracized people, and helped start a shelter for the neglected.
“Who would’ve thought that fluffies could bring people together?”
“They can, and they have. Its something that people of Italy realize. And its something that groups like ABAP and AWFP are working towards raising awareness about.”
END OF PART 7