Feliformia Ch. 14

"I... I do?"

"YES! You do! Who did that to you!? Why didn't you tell me!?"

"Lucyyy! It was an accident!"

"Accident, my ass! I'm going to ban whoever hurt my pets!"

"Nooo! It was my fault! Don't ban anybody!"

"Come on out! I need to look at it! Meeka! You come too. Did you know about it? Why didn't you tell me that someone hit her?"

"Nobody hit her... As she told you, it was an accident. She is fine. I gave her some pain killer last night. She is just going to look funny for a few days."

As soon as Vix was in range, Lucy, feeling particularly motherly, pulled her out of the capsule by the arm, and Meeka followed, trying to explain what happened to save her friend from zealous care.

All that to say, Apricot was now alone in the capsule, not too sure what to do with herself outside remembering the terrific night she had with her new friends. Still trapped in her dog costume, she didn't even know if she was going to work again today. That had not been discussed yet.

After a minute or two, when the loud voices ceased, she got on her fours and crawled out of the capsule. A good stretching session was in order to take care of those sore muscles. Vix and Meeka definitely gave her a good run for her money.

The first logical place to go was the costume room which was just across the hallway. Still filled with endorphins, Apricot danced her way over there and found Lucy preparing the fox and raccoon suits.

"Ah! You... yes. You look happy. Slept well?"

Apricot nodded and danced a bit more.

"Glad to see you enjoyed yourself. Come here now. I'll take off your costume while the girls are showering."

That was not what Apricot wanted to hear, but this Lucy lady didn't seem like a person she should be arguing with. Plus, it would be a good idea not to push her luck. Since yesterday, she had a unique experience, and requesting more of it would just be greedy at this point.

"Mmm... Where is your key? It's not in the key box... Is it in the capsule room?"

Apricot nodded.

"Ah, it's fine. I have a spare over here. Come."

Lucy went to the nearby dresser, opened the first drawer, and grabbed a full keyset, the keys for all her animals. It was not the first time the girls lost their keys, so she had learned to have a backup plan.

"Turn around, Kitty."

Click!

The metal cap holding the zipper tabs popped off, and a second later, the cold ambient air chilled Kitty's neck skin, a sensation announcing that the fun was truly over. The suit opened all the way down to the small of her back and then to the top of her head.

"Okay, let me do the work here. I'll remove your mask and clean up your face. You know, your hair is very pretty, Kitty. It reminds me of Accalia's hair, but hers is shorter. She is Asian too, you know. You guys are so lucky to have straight black hair like that. Alright, take a deep breath and open your mouth. I'm going to pull off your mask. You can close your eyes too if it helps."

"Bleeerh!"

"Haha... I know. It feels funny when the nose tubes come out. Here, let me wipe your face with a wet towel."

It obviously was not Lucy's first rodeo. That wet towel felt great and smelled equally pleasant. It was so refreshing, making the end of a fun adventure more bearable. The store owner seemed a bit overprotective and motherly, but God, she knew how to take good care of her pets.

After popping Kitty's arms out of the latex sleeve and pushing the suit down past her hips, Lucy wrapped her in a big soft towel to keep her warm, a feeling that Kitty had not really experienced since she was a child. Did the pets get this nice treatment every time they got out of their suit? Was this some sort of comfy reward for having done a good job? No matter what it was, Kitty buried her nose in the large towel and appreciated the attention.

Once Lucy pulled Kitty's feet out of the socks, she hung the suit to have it cleaned later.

"So, Kitty. How did you like working as a pet."

"Oh... I loved it."

"Good. Outside some little mistakes, you did okay. Stella did well too. Are you still interested in working for us?"

The first thing that Kitty wanted to say was yes, but she paused for a moment instead of answering. The truth was that she had not done this for a job. Meeka kind of put her into this situation just to make her happy. Kitty was many things, from being childish to being an absolute pervert, but there was one thing that she wouldn't do, and it was to lie. Even though it could cost her something important, she preferred to be honest.

"Well... about that... I... I wasn't here for a job. Meeka just wanted me to have a chance to wear a pet suit because she knew I would like it."

"Is that so?"

"Yes... I'm sorry. But... I mean... Stella wanted this job, and me, I just happened to be at the right place and the right time. So it wouldn't be fair to steal her job, right?"

"Mmm... Yes. You are right. Thanks for telling me the truth. I appreciate that a lot. I'll close my eyes on this and still consider you as a potential candidate. But let me be honest as well. I'm very picky when the time comes to choose a new pet, and I'm not convinced that you nor Stella would be good pets yet."

"N...no?"

"No. Stella did a great job around the clients, plus I think being a pet would be beneficial to her. It would change her world. But she wasn't very comfortable wearing the suit. When I let her out, I could tell she didn't enjoy it nearly as much as she thought she would."

"And... me? What did I do wrong?"

"You? Haha. Nothing. You did nothing wrong at all. You are a natural. I don't know what you do at home, but you were born to wear a pet suit. You are the best!"

"But... Why do you say you are not sure if I could be a good pet, then. What does it mean?"

"Kitty, to be a pet here, you need a good reason. Just wearing a suit is very fun, but why would you do it at a café when you can do it at home. Meeka said that you have a boyfriend... Surely you can express your love of latex with him, right?"

"Well, yes... I do that already... but... I don't know..."

"And that's exactly it. You don't know. Look, if you ever figure out why you'd like to work here, I would be happy to hear it. Until then, I don't think I can hire you. I'm sorry."

"No... It's... it's fine. You are right, Lucy. Thanks for letting me try it, though. It was a lot of fun."

"You bet. Your clothes are in the little locker right there. Number 4."

"Thanks."

Lucy exited the costume room, leaving Kitty alone, cocooned in her warm towel. She fixated the floor for a moment, thinking about this conversation. It was not often that somebody reached her core so easily. But the message had been pretty clear, for now, she couldn't be a pet at the café.

After retrieving her clothes from the locker, she dressed back up in her civilian clothes. The fabric rubbing on her hairless skin felt a bit boring. As she finished tying her shoes, Two supercharged naked girls wearing nothing but towels around their torso rushed at her.

"KITTYYY! You are no longer a bitch!"

"Haha! Hi! No, I'm no longer Apricot the bitch. That's funny."

"Sooo? Did Lucy hire you? Please say yes!"

"Nooo... She said I did well, but I don't think she is interested."

"AWWW! WHY?"

"It's okay, Meeka. It's fine. I had a lot of fun, but having a job is not for me, I suppose. It would require effort. and effort is too difficult anyway."

"Awww. Okay, but I'm still disappointed. I think you did super great. Lucy is a good judge of character, though. She knows what she is looking for, and sometimes, her thinking is pretty mysterious."

"We can still be friends, right?"

"OF COURSE! Silly Kitty! We work a lot, but I'll text you when I'm off so we can do more fun things."

"Great. And you too, Vix. You are the most adorable girl I've ever met."

"Awww... Don't say things like that. It's embarrassing."

The new friends hugged each other, wet eyes included, and then Kitty said goodbye and headed out of the room. The staircase leading downstairs seemed a bit longer than it was yesterday, or perhaps she was a bit slower. With Kitty, air density was enough to slow her down. When she reached the main floor, Lucy was doing some paperwork at the reception desk.

"Goodbye, Lucy. Thanks again for the opportunity."

"Don't mention it. See you later. I'll tell Meeka to text you when your salary is ready."

"Right!"

Dragging her feet as if she carried a heavy weight on her shoulders, she was still ready to go; her body just didn't seem to want to. When she finally reached the glass door separating her from the outside world, she pushed it open, but a voice interrupted her.

"Oh, Kitty..."

"Yes, Lucy?"

"Say hi to Elizabeth for me, would you?"

"... How... how do you know that?"

Lucy pointed at the security camera in the corner of the lobby.

"You... you knew all along who I was?"

"Of course."

"And... You didn't mind?"

"Nope!"

"A.. alright. I'll pass the message."

"Thanks!"

The wind pushed the glass door close as if an invisible force wanted to prevent Kitty from leaving. Having no muscles, she struggled to push it back open, but as she put a foot outside, the same voice stopped her a second time.

"Hey, Kitty..."

"Y... yes?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

What? Kitty thought about it for a second and had no clue what she could have forgotten. But Lucy helped her a little by placing her backpack on top of the desk.

"Oh! Darn! My backpack! Thank you!"

"Your mind is definitely elsewhere this morning."

"Yes... I'm sorry."

She trotted back to the desk and hugged her bag before returning to the door that had slammed shut again. With her tiny shoulder, she pushed it open again, and once more, Lucy called her name again. It was almost getting irritating.

"Kitty..."

"Uh? What did I forget this time?"

"Nothing... I was just wondering how badly you wanted to leave. Have a good one."

"... O... okay..."

Kitty finally stepped outside, still hugging her backpack and being puzzled by Lucy's strange comment. How badly did she want to leave? What did Lucy mean by that?

She shook her head and headed toward the nearest bus stop to sit on the plastic bench. Her next move would be to call Syr so she could come to pick her up.

As she walked on the busy walkway, she realized something. For the first time in a very long time, she was all alone in the big City. Meeka wasn't there to accompany her, and Mark, Erika, and Syr were not around either. It reminded her of her previous life when she had a hard time making ends meet and simply survive a society she didn't fit in.

There was still a bit of guilt coursing through her veins regarding this previous life before Mark saved her. Her bad situation back then was due to her extreme laziness. She hadn't been capable of holding a job, had trashed all the opportunities offered to her because she got distracted by more fun things, or simply had been so uninterested that she gave up on everything.

If she had been smarter, she would have kicked her own butt hard and did something about it. But no, she had failed over and over, never learning her lessons. To this day, even though she now lived a much happier life, she had a hard time forgiving herself for having been this lazy and stupid. Simply put, everything she possessed today, love, money, home, friends... She only got that because of luck. She had not worked for any of those things she had. They had been handed over to her by people much more valuable than herself. She knew that... it was burning her insides just to think about it.

After sitting on the bench, she retrieved her phone from her bag and dialed Syr's number. It rang two times, and a melodic voice answered.

"Hi Syr... Yes. I'm done. Can one of you come to pick me up?... Cool. I'm at the bus stop near the café... Yes, same street... Okay... I'll see you in a bit then... Thanks... Bye."

Soon, she will be back home with the people she loved the most. At night, she would have tons of fun, and during the day, she would just chill and do nothing, as usual, watching Syr do her crafting and being fed by her too. She would wear her latex suit, get tied up for Erika's pleasure, play mind games with Mark, and get punished accordingly. She would also spend a lot of time locked in her crate or tied up in the leather sleepsack with a bit of luck.

For what? For herself? For them?

Was she supposed to be a toy? An entertainment? Did the fact that she loved all those things meant that her entire life had to revolve around this little BDSM planet? Was this her limitation? Or could she do better?

"No... Kitty... You are an absolute idiot! Aren't those people worth more to you than that? Can't you be better? Can't you offer them something better? Mark, Erika, and Syr bust their ass to earn money so we can do all kinds of cool things... and me? I just take everything for granted. Erika pushed me hard so I could get my secondary school diploma, and what do I do with it? Nothing! She wasted her time on me, and I gave her nothing extra in return. Just my usual warm body. This is sick."

Eyes watering, Kitty mumbled things to herself... harsh things. Her mind spiraled out of control, ejecting questions and considerations, memories of all sorts. A tornado of bad choices that had led her to undeserved happiness.

"Hey? You okay?"

"... uh?"

"Are you okay?"

"... Oh... yes... sorry... I was just talking to myself."

"You don't look too good."

Kitty wiped her eyes with her sleeve so she could see who was talking to her. It was a short Asian girl, like her, wearing a worried look on her face.

"Sorry... I was just thinking about things. I'm fine, really."

"Do you want a hug?"

"..."

"You can say yes, you know. It's free."

"I... I would love a hug, actually."

That was very special. An unknown young woman sat next to Kitty and pulled her in a warm hug. It felt so good. For about a minute, Kitty's mind calmed down, and her thought became somewhat coherent again. Why was this girl so generous? Why was she doing this?

"There... Do you feel better?"

"Yes... Much better. Thank you."

"I'm Lian, by the way. And I have to go. I'm already late, and my boss is kind of a dictator. Haha! Maybe I'll see you around."

"Haha. I'm Theresa. Have a great day. Thanks again!"

Lian walked away, but after a few steps, she turned around while jogging backward.

"Hey! Theresa! If you need more hugs at some point! You should visit the Cakes and Pets Café! It might just be what you need. Byyye!"

Kitty froze and whispered back the words she had heard.

"The... Cakes & Pets... might just be... what I need?"

As if a lightning bolt had traversed her brain, Kitty stuffed her phone in her bag and zipped it close. She sprung off her bench and ran after the girl who had disappeared into the crowd.

"HEY! WAIT UP!"

Lian was already out of sight, but Kitty exactly knew where she had gone. Despite the tears that had restarted running down her cheeks, it didn't take her long to travel the hundred meters separating her from the animal café. As soon as she arrived at the glass door, she took a deep breath in and opened it with one hand. That was so much easier than when she had left.

She stepped inside and found Lucy, still working at the reception desk, and Lian, the mysterious girl she had just encountered, was about to climb the stairs.

"LUCY!"

"Kitty? Back so soon?"

"YOU MUST HIRE ME! YOU MUST!"

"I must?"

"YES! YOU MUST!"

Lucy smiled and placed her two elbows on the desk and rested her chin in her hands.

"And, why would I do that?"

"BECAUSE! BECAUSE I WANT TO!"

"Sorry, Kitty. Not good enough. Try again."

"BECAUSE I LOVE IT! BECAUSE I WANT TO BE A PET AT THE CAFÉ!"

"Why?"

"BECAUSE I'M LAZY, AND I'M SICK OF IT!"

Tears were flowing down Kitty's cheek as she was clumsily pleading her case to a very calm and composed owner who didn't seem to mind being yelled at by a hysteric girl.

"So? What would working here do for you, exactly?"

"I'LL BE WORTH MORE! I'LL LEARN THINGS! I WANT TO GIVE MORE TO THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME! I WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE ME BETTER PERSON. I KNOW I CAN DO THIS! I WANT MY OWN LIFE AND STOP BEING A FOLLOWER. I WANT TO IMPROVE WHO I AM, SO I HAVE MORE TO OFFER!"

"Okay, you are hired."

"NO! PLEASE! YOU MUST HIRE ME! I MUST WORK HERE! I KNOW I CAN DO IT!"

Lian walked to Kitty and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand, which petrified the crying girl.

"Hey! Snap out of it, nutcase... She just said that you are hired."

"..."

"Hello? Did I break you?"

"She... she did?"

"Yes. She did. Welcome to the Cakes and Pets' family... whoever you may be."

Kitty fell to her knees. Crushing her backpack in her arms was the only thing that prevented her from fully collapsing to the ground. Her tears wetted the floor, and her whole body was shaking. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. As much as she would have loved to make sense of this moment, her brain had turned into useless scrambled eggs.

Meanwhile, Lucy wrote a little message on a piece of paper and placed it on the floor in front of Kitty before turning away.

"Alright, Accalia. Come put your costume on. You are late."

"I knooow! I'm sorry!"

"Next time, I'll revoke your fridge privilege."

"Nooo! I'm sorry. It was Trixie's fault. She wanted me to wear this cute nurse uniform and... then she started touching me and..."

"Have mercy! I don't want to hear about that. I'm paying you to be a pet, not to be a nurse."

"Awww... But it was such a cute outfit..."

As Lucy and the girl climbed the stairs, Kitty stayed on the floor for a bit longer, trying to recover from her flash meltdown.

Did she... get a job? By herself? Without anybody's help?

Her shaky fingers picked up Lucy's note, and then her reddened eyes began to read it. It was only a few words, but they opened a whole new world to her.

"Monday 8am to Thursday 8am. Don't be late, Savannah."