Squiggle

[intheheart]

Title: Squiggle
Rating: G
Summary: Ivy and Gina adopt a cat.
Warnings: none.
Notes: This cat will eventually be renamed Skimbleshanks, because Gina likes TS Eliot.


"Okay," Ivy said, slapping both hands down on the front desk at the animal shelter. "Show us the biggest brat in the whole place."

"No," Gina said, catching up with her girlfriend. "Absolutely do not do that. Also, hi."

"Hi," the girl behind the desk said, laughing. "Welcome to Manhattan Animal Care Center. You're looking to adopt?"

Ivy nodded, and rooted around in her capacious purse. "We've got everything you said on your website. Application--" She produced the paper as she spoke, and put it on the desk. "Lease and pet addendum, photo ID for me, Gina's got her own." Gina did, in fact, and had it out of her wallet, laying it down next to Ivy's.

The girl had been picking the papers up as Ivy put them down, and she frowned at the application. "It says here the veterinary clinic is... 'me?'"

"Oh, yeah," Ivy said, and pulled out a paystub and her license. "I'm a fully qualified veterinarian. I work over at the East Side Clinic, but I'm thinking of starting my own clinic soon. Not that that's important. The point is we'd like to adopt a cat. Today, if possible."

The girl was laughing again, and shaking her head. Gina tried not to put her hands over her face, and reminded herself that Ivy was enthusiastic about having a pet again, and no one minded that. Instead, she took out the post-it note she'd written East Side's information on, and silently stuck it to the application.

The girl grinned at her. "Let me get you an adoption counselor," she said, and went into the back.

Ivy turned away from the counter and beamed up at Gina, bouncing on her toes. "I'm excited. Aren't you excited? We'll have a cat soon!"

"Yes, honey," Gina said, laughing herself a little. She couldn't help it; Ivy's joy was infectious. "But I think you're scaring the nice adoption people."

"Am not," Ivy said, "she was laughing. And it wasn't a scared laugh, I know those. Anyway, did you decide if you wanted an older cat or not?"

Gina shook her head, leaning against the counter. It was slick formica under her elbow, cool after the heat of the day. "I don't want a kitten-kitten, but apart from that, no, I don't really have a preference."

"I get that," Ivy said. "I want younger, myself, to maximize the amount of time we get with them-- hi," she added, as the girl from before came out with a dark-skinned woman. "You're the adoption counselor?"

"I am," the woman said, and shook both their hands. "Maria Lopez. Klaudia said you had all your paperwork in order, so why don't you come on back and meet the cats we have?"

Ivy bounced again, and it was Ms. Lopez's turn to laugh. "Yes please!"

Gina took her girlfriend's arm as Ms. Lopez held the door open for them, and reminded her, "Now you said we weren't going to take home the first one we saw. We were going to take our time and consider options."

"I know," Ivy said, and then, unconvincingly, "Options. Definitely. Oh my gosh, look at that tabby!" She stuck her fingers into the cage, despite all the signs saying not to, and giggled when the tabby bit at her fingers.

"Do you want to hold her?" Ms. Lopez asked. "We call her Squiggle. She's such a sweet little lovebug, and only nine months old!"

It was just as well, Gina thought as she watched Ivy coo over the little tabby, that she hadn't believed that particular promise at all.