10. Proslo
10
PROSLO
T he movers were right on time. Since my office was the only room we knew for certain wouldn’t have anything added to it from her former apartment, we shut Pumpkin inside it to allow free movement in and out. The first things brought in turned out to be three boxes labeled kitchen, which we decided to simply have them leave on the breakfast bar. A chiller box was next, filled with the items found in her refrigerator; those I placed in our own chiller unit so Betty could direct them to where she wanted everything. I wanted her to make this her home and felt that she would feel more as if she had claimed this space as hers if she did so.
“I can’t believe they brought half empty mustard and mayonnaise jars,” she said, shaking her head as she watched me empty the chiller box. Then she whirled around at a query from one of the casual workers.
“Oh! Um, could someone move the couch already here so it’s in front of that side wall over there? Great! Then pop this one right where that was.” She wandered off to oversee more placement of furniture being carried in.
I unboxed her clothes, placing them carefully on the bed that was brought in. The bed itself was large enough for two people, even if one was a Mylos such as myself. A pang of jealousy roiled in my gut as I imagined previous lovers she might have shared it with. I squashed that right down, as I knew it was unreasonable. Humans were not like Mylos - they took lovers before settling on a single mate or even two or three in a poly pairing. If they settled into a relationship, that is. Many humans did not. I also knew my irrational emotions were the result of us not having completed our mating, as evidenced by the accompanying itching as more scales slowly emerged. I knew she was it for me and I for her and that was all that mattered. I got to be her forever and no one except Pumpkin or a young would ever join us in that bed.
She poked her head inside the bedroom, “Is it okay if I claim part of the dining room for my desk and a bookcase?”
“If you wish, you could share my office. I only use it to catch up on paperwork or compose progress reports for my students and minor things like that.” I flashed her a smile. “A lot of the time I actually do most of that using my tablet while relaxing on the sofa. The office was a fancy of mine from my becoming the Fleet Chief Medical Officer.”
She laughed. “I was just thinking that if it was in the dining room, I could be on hand to keep tabs on the kid when it gets here, even if I’m studying.”
I gave her a nod. “If that is your preference, then by all means. Just know if you need a quiet space to study, the office is there to use.”
“Okay, great. Plus, with the desk in the main living area, if they have homework, we can make sure they do it.”
She made an excellent point, so I copied what I’d seen my human medics do from time to time to signal approval - I lifted my hand and curled my fingers inward, thrusting my thumb into the air.
She laughed. “Did you just give me a thumbs up? I didn’t know Mylos did that.”
I grinned back at her, pleased that the gesture made her so happy. “I learned it from humans on my staff.”
“Giving thumbs up, watching retro TV, giving a girl flowers and chocolate, just look at you go,” she beamed before turning around to let the males know where to place the desk.
Two and half hours later, the movers were gone, the cat freed, and everything was in place, including the kitchenware and her clothes. Pumpkin jumped onto the bed, staring at us angrily after his temporary captivity.
“Oof, I’m bushed,” she muttered, flopping backward onto the bed after hanging up the last blouse. “I could just sleep right here.”
I smiled down at her. “Then you should take a nap. I can prepare dinner after.”
“If we were back on Earth, I’d suggest we get a pizza delivered or maybe some Chinese.”
“I saw a pack of frozen pizza when I put the food away.”
Her face brightened. “Did you? Cool! We can have that, then, unless you want to replicate something else.”
“The pizza is fine.”
She yawned. “Maybe we can have some salad with it. We can replicate one, right? And some brownies with ice cream for dessert.”
I nodded as her eyes slid shut and she began to gently snore. I went into the living room where I’d seen a soft fuzzy blanket draped over the back of her deeply upholstered sofa. I carried that back into the bedroom and covered her with it as Pumpkin stood and stretched, looking at me with consideration.
“Mreowww,” he complained, following me out of the bedroom.
I checked his dishes. He had both food and water still from earlier. Then I remembered seeing a packet of cat treats amongst the shelf stable food items. Perhaps he wished one of those, to cheer himself up from missing out on seeing everything unfold. I quickly located the package, shook some into the palm of my hand, and crouched down, offering it to him. He moved swifter than I’d expected, making a loud rumbling noise as he greedily scarfed down the small biscuits. He began to plaintively beg for more and I decided that perhaps this was a good way to make friends with him as he was openly approaching me now. I poured some more out and he made short work of those as well. He began to head butt with apparent affection, so I took the packet with me and settled into the soft cushions of the new to me sofa. I’d closed the bedroom door behind me, so I could safely watch a documentary on the care of cats, I decided. Pumpkin was important to her, so he was to me as well. Betty referred to him as her fur baby, meaning that he was like a young to her, and so, I knew I already had a son of sorts. I rather liked the idea and looked forward to parenting him. I just needed to make certain I knew what to do to keep him safe and healthy.
Pumpkin chirped, looking up at the screen as various felines appeared. I shook out a few more treats and he settled into my lap, making that sound I now knew was called a purr. He began kneading my trousers, which for some inexplicable reason the documentary referred to as ‘making biscuits’. I looked down at him, stroking his little orange striped head, and froze. Why were his pupils dilated like that?
I paused the documentary. “Xeranos,” I asked nervously. “What common item that can be found in our quarters would cause a pet cat’s eyes to dilate? It looks almost as if he’s been drugged.”
“Treats filled with catnip or valerian are common culprits,” came the swift reply.
I glanced down at the now empty packet of cat treats. “With tuna, cheese, and catnip,”I read aloud, swallowing. “Thanks, Xeranos. It’s the treats I gave him.”
“You’re only supposed to offer a very small amount to them, even if they don’t contain catnip or valerian,” Xeranos informed me. “They are quite high in calories.”
I felt dreadful. I’d already been a bad cat dad. I’d gotten our fur baby high as a kite and I hoped my bride would forgive me.
“How do I detox him safely?”
“No need. He’ll either sleep it off and get the munchies or will zoomie it off, or a combo of both. Just don’t give him any more treats for today.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “So it’s safe to wait out the effects?”
“Yes,” came the affirmative reply.
“How long?”
“A few hours at most.”
Thank the stars. With any luck, Pumpkin would be sober when Betty woke up. I carefully moved him off of my lap, so I could dispose of the empty packet. I would confess to her later, of course. Once I was certain Pumpkin was all right, I amended to myself mentally. Hopefully, she would see a funny side to it. Despite my best effort, Pumpkin woke as I stood up. His eyes flew open and he got a crazed look on his face. And then I discovered precisely why they called it the zoomies.