Chapter Text
It wasn't exactly an achievement, but they managed to be banned from a grocery store within two hours. Two hours.
The mistress turned back to check on her catboy employees in the backseat of their car. Fortunately, she learnt how to drive and got her license when she was still in university. Gods knows what they have done, if she didn't.
That wasn't all that transpired. Sage had a bleeding in the back. The store was kind enough to give him ice. He leaned onto the window, with closed eyes. Dill was covered in cheese powder, grumbling to himself, with his arms crossed over his chest. Fennel was besides her, silently holding his throbbing bandaged tail. And Laurier...wait a minute where was Laurier?
The mistress darted her eyes, searching for him, but he wasn't there. How could they forget him...Well to be fair a lot went when they were at the store. Laurier was away from the chaos, by sleeping in the mattress section the entire time.
"Guys..." The mistress sighed, " I think we left Laurier at the grocery store."
They all stared at her in shock, before realizing and gasping that he really wasn't there.
"Indeed we have," Fennel put a hand on his chin, pondering and concerned,"There's no other option, but to return to the store and pick him up. The store is located quite far from the mansion."
Sage was too hurt to really speak so he nodded. But that turned out worse. He grunted at the movement. After all this, they all needed a few head-pats for comfort.
The mistress took a U-turn.
"Oh no! What if he's still asleep..."Dill said.
"Surely an employee must have noticed him and woke him up," Fennel reasoned," He's most probably waiting outside."
Hopefully Laurier was outside, grumpy, but at least outside.
No one was exactly thrilled to return to that grocery store after what happened.
***
It all started when they wanted to try out this new grocery store Fennel saw on the Internet. He jotted down a list for all the supplies they required for home. Mostly they bought the ingredients and other necessities for the cafe from small businesses around the area, which were more affordable and supported local creators. Plus they were fresher.
Fennel smiled to himself as they drove down the road. Apparently the courses in general life skills included driving lessons.
"This will certainly be an experience," Fennel said with all the enthusiasm of visiting an amusement park, instead of a grocery store,"These past two weeks, I've been researching and preparing coupons for this occasion."
The mistress was bored one night and watched an episode of extreme cheapskates. Fennel saw a bit and was amazed at how they purchased hundreds of supplies at a measly price.
"Is that what this big book? A coupon book?" Dill tapped the thick book with newspaper clippings poking out.
Ever since that night, Fennel had been clipping out newspaper coupons and printed a few online.
"Correct. These will certainly come to use today," Fennel nodded.
Dill sighed to himself,"I hope it isn't too boring...."
Laurier was dozing by the window seat. His snores softly filtered the car. They had a busy day at the cafe even though they closed early today since it was a Sunday. Laurier dealt with a particularly annoying customer today that kept on asking for his number, even when he politely refused.
"Not to worry, Dill, I heard there's a clothing section and a variety of gourmet sweets that might interest you,"Fennel reassured him.
Dill's ears perked that,"Really?"
"Yup! I've heard they have a lot of traditional and western sweets there too." Sage added
The mistress saw Laurier's ears twitch at that, but didn't comment.
"Cool! This sounds like a fancy store...stores like these must have a make-up section too. But it sounds pretty expensive if it has gourmet stuff." Dill said.
"It definitely is an upscale supermarket, " Fennel replied,"Hopefully with these coupons, the price won't be a concern, but that doesn't mean you buy whatever you lay your eyes on. Still restrain yourself."
"Yeah, yeah," Dill waved his hand flippantly, looking side-ways with a pout.
Dill wasn't exactly the pinnacle of self-control, but he was learning.
Eventually they reached the parking lot of the large market.
"We're here !" Sage gently shook Laurier.
Laurier blinked and rubbed his eyes.
Then they headed inside, their shoes squeaking against the shining, waxed floor.
Huge was an understatement. . There were so many shelves with everything a person did and didn't think a market should have. From frozen food to fresh produce to drinks to toys to clothing to school supplies. The cashiers hastily put the groceries into durable white and blue packets.
Sage quickly grabbed a cart, along with Fennel, while the others followed through. Fennel took out the list, mumbling what was needed while they headed to first cleaning aisle.
"Wow we can't finish this place in one day, even if we try," Dill whistled, while looking at the directory.
The mistress nodded while Laurier just yawned.
"I think if we went earlier, like the other shoppers we could have...Maybe next time," Sage commented while he helped Fennel get the bulk detergent from above.
The mistress helped out too and brought the few items on the list. Laurier and Dill tagged along, until they both reached their limits.
"Well if anyone needs me, I'm at the bedding section," Laurier stretched his arms up and sauntered away.
It was useless to try to make him stay. No one ever could control a catboy, no matter how hard they tried.
Dill followed suit, and with kitten eyes asked," Hey Fen, can I check out the clothing section? I promise I won't be too long."
Fennel sighed, already expecting this," Of course, just don't pick too much and come when it's time to check out."
" Thanks Fen!" Dill grinned, " Wanna come?"
"Kay!" The mistress agreed.
"Maybe later, ?I'll help Fennel for a bit. Call me when you checking out the sweets!" Sage shook his head.
"Are you sure? I won't mind if you join them," Fennel's eyes widened at that.
Sage just shrugged,"I will! I will! But I just want to help you out for a bit before I do. I don't know..I feel kind of bad just leaving you doing all the work, while we all do our own thing."
Fennel smiled at that," Thanks...I appreciate it. We can finish faster if we do it together."
Dill took her hand and dashed to the clothing section. Out of everyone, Dill had the best fashion sense. If the mistress had any problems deciding what to wear, she knew who to turn to.
Dresses, shirts, light jackets and pants hung from the metallic hangers. There were white tables with folded, colorful tank tops, that reminded the mistress of square pastel bubblegum. Summer was coming and they were all planning specials for the cafe.
They browsed the articles of clothing, picking out what to wear for the new season.
"Even though it is a market..you'll be surprised by how many good clothes you can find here. Sure they aren't exactly designer clothes, but that doesn't mean they're terrible and some are even branded!" Dill said.
"Yeah," The mistress nodded while examining a pair of dark blue shorts.
"Oh that looks nice! They look comfortable and you don't get this color everywhere."
For a little while, they were just looking through the clothes until Dill gasped when he was rummaging through the summer shirts.
His tail stood up and ears flicked in agitation at the green and pink shirt on his hands. Upon closer inspection, even his pupils were narrowed to slits.
"What is it?" The mistress asked.
"I have a friend who designs clothes...She owns a small business and..." He grumbled, " They stole her design. It's like the same as the one on her website and her logo is still there too."
With a pout, he clicked a picture and sent it to his friend. Though Dill's furious face had all the ferocity of a pouty kitten, when Dill was genuinely angry, it was no laughing matter.
He walked to the service phone and called the manager with a rumble, his tail flared in indignation. They put their picked up clothes back. There were plenty of other stores that they could shop. After he was done with the phone, he crossed his arms over his chest and turned to the mistress.
"This might take some time..You can stay and I'd love your company...but..," Dill sighed, "I don't want to drag you into this and it might take some time...I'm sorry, but I just can't stand someone using my friend's hard work for their own..."
The mistress smiled to herself. Dill was always mild tempered, but if any of his friends were peeved or insulted, he wasn't afraid to put his foot down.
"I understand, I'll be here, don't worry," The mistress reassured him.
His face lit up at that, "Thanks...Honestly I'm kind of scared doing this all alone, but with you here, I feel a bit more brave."
After a few minutes, the stout, thick lipped manger came. Dill had promptly showed his friend's design and the pink shirt in his hand. The mistress had to calm him down with a hand on his back, when the manger claimed it was only 'inspired'.
"Let's take this inside, shall see?" The manger started to sweat when other shoppers were starting to notice the hullabaloo.
They headed to his private chamber, but the manger closed the door before the mistress could enter. She heard hissing from the other end and opted to return to Sage and Fennel.
They were at the cereal section. Already their cart was filled with cleaning supplies and dry food, before they even started the vegetable and meat section. Sage waved at her while Fennel crossed off another item on his list.
"Hey where's Dill?" Sage tilted his head.
"He's talking to the manager about something important." The mistress answered in short, " The store copied his friend's design."
" Plagiarism.." Fennel shook his head in disapproval, "It's becoming so common nowadays...But I'm relieved that Dill's speaking out on behalf of his friend."
"Hope things work out his way..." Sage nodded as he leaned onto of the mistress, using her as a headrest.
By now, the mistress wouldn't bat an eye at Sage's affections. At first she was a blushing mess, but now she just grew to accept it. Sage was just tactile with everyone. He sometimes playfully messed up Dill's hair, twirled Laurier's hair in boredom when they were watching tv, and patted Fennel's back after a rough day.
"Let's head to the sweets section," Sage pointed to the sign.
"Before you go can you help me getting that jar of peanut butter?"Fennel pointed to a large plastic container above.
"Sure!" Sage smiled as he stretched to get the giant jar, "Yeah I love this brand...Dill loves it too, right?"
Even if they loved it, the mistress doubted they would finish half of it even after six months.
Fennel nodded, "Correct. And be careful you might drop it."
"Don't worry, I won't!" Sage flippantly reassured.
He didn't. Instead a jar of chocolate spread was pushed a bit too far and landed squarely on Fennel's tail. Instantly, with shut eyes, Fennel yowled at the impact. Urgently, he rolled the jar away as chocolate sauce covered his tail and the once untainted floor. His yowl and suppressed groans rang in the soundless aisle, earning more than a few stares from fellow shoppers. He gripped his tail , as Sage and the mistress called for help.
Am assistant was there in no time with a first aide kit and quickly tended to his poor tail. Within five minutes, his bruised tail was bandaged and the floor as clean as they before they entered the store.
"You okay, Fen?" Sage asked while patting his shoulder in comfort.
"Of course I am... You need not worry about me." Fennel shook his head, "It...no longer hurts."
The sudden stiffness to his jaw said otherwise, but the both of them didn't comment on that. They knew Fennel enough by now that he would refute them further if they tried.
"I'm sorry about that....You told me to be careful too." Sage scratched the back of his neck.
" No worries. As long as you're cautious next time, it's absolutely fine...And everyone makes mistakes." Fennel waved his hand.
Dill soon joined the fray again, his tail twitching in agitation. The pout was even stronger than before. The irritation that darkened his chocolate eyes warmed to concern.
"Fen? What happened to your tail?" Dill pointed to his bandaged tail.
"Ah while Sage was getting something it dropped onto his tail," The mistress replied.
"Ouch," Dill's eyes scrunched in sympathy, "Our tails are pretty sensitive. It gets pretty sore when people pull or step on it...It must hurt like Hell."
"It's nothing I cannot handle," Fennel said, " And how did your talk with the manager go?"
Dill's pout returned full-
" He said that he will think about it..." Dill sighed, "He kept on denying it even when I showed him my friend's page...I don't want to talk about it. My throat hurts shouting so much.
The mistress patted his head, the tension of his shoulders melted slightly from the contact.
"Everything will turn out alright. Don't worry," Sage patted his back,"Let's buy some snacks to cheer you up."
Dill's ears perked at that, "Good idea."
"I'll continue shopping and if anything catches your fancy feel free to put it in the cart." Fennel said as the three of them dashed to the snack section.
They didn't have to run for long. The snack section was just as impressive as the rest of the store. Bite-sized saltwater toffee, shiny candy canes, and bunny shaped chocolates wrapped in blue and pink tinsel , lined the shelves. Rainbow lollipops, as wide as a young man's palm, were tastefully poked out from a metal stand. Chips and shrimp puffs hung by metal hooks. Boxes cookies and cakes with foreign text were laid out on the higher shelves.
"Wow." All three of them uttered in union.
The mistress was relieved that Laurier wasn't here or else he would have probably lost his marbles. She still was planning on getting him something though....It wouldn't sit well with her that everyone had their fill of sweets and snacks, but Laurier.
Dill and Sage checked out the cakes while the mistress was ahead of them surveying the Swiss rolls. Laurier did love anything with sugar, but he did have a weakness for Swiss rolls...well fresh cream in general. They were more brands and flavors than she could count. Plus it didn't help that all of them looked lovely.
She was eyeing the triple strawberry and mango supreme special, when she heard Sage gasp in surprise.
"Sage!" Dill screamed.
They really all were making a complete mess this entire trip.
Without wasting a second, she turned back to see a hook carrying gummy bears, caught on the collar of Sage's yukata. Dill was below trying to reach the hook. As Sage was struggling with untying the knot that clung onto the hook, the shelf started to lean in front. The mistress pressed her body against the shelf, as it started to push forward. If it did fall, they would have been more crushed than flies slammed with plastic slippers.
Various boxes and other treats fell onto the floor. Some were undamaged while some toppled with a sharp crack. Crumbs and broken shards of sweets crumbled onto the floor. A jar of cheese puffs bounced on Dill's shoulder, causing him to hiss. Cheese coated his cheeks and hair, as he bent down in pain.
If she wasn't holding a shelf, she probably would have helped Dill. The store probably was ready to kick them out any time by now.
Finally, Sage was able to push the shelf upright and unhook himself. Unfortunately, he smacked his head onto the metal edge with a groan. A bruise blossomed onto his head as he laid down on the floor.
The mistress bent down on the sugar and salt coated floor to rub their heads in comfort. Sage pressed his aching temple as Dill shook off the cheese powder that ruined his makeup and hair.
The mistress once again called for help, the third time that day.
Just then, Fennel dashed to the site along with widened eyes and a slackened jaw.
"What happened here?" Fennel gestured dumbfounded.
Before the mistress could answer, the manager came, fuming.
"All of you get of my store!" He exclaimed.
After a stern scolding, paying for the damage done and getting Sage an ice pack, they headed out.
***
And now they had to return and get Laurier back....But he wouldn't cause too much trouble on his own...right?