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DrRetro was having quite a nice day.
It was rather nice day out, even if she had been indoors almost all day, she had done all the chores (with help of Melanie and a totally hardworking Pest), and she had no patients all day so far.
Finally, she can just sit on the couch and catch up on the latest episode of House MD. Pretty peaceful, if she can say so herself!
All that peace was stopped when one of her adopted children bursts into the room, with the other in tow.
"DrRetro!! Pest stole from the swear jar!" Melanie yelled, holding the empty, suspiciously chewed jar, with a paper label slapped on. DrRetro sighed, as for whatever reason something like this always happens. She sits for a bit, and one or the other comes to complain about what the latter did.
"Did not." Pest mutters, trying to snatch back the jar to hide the evidence... Or to snack on later. DrRetro turns to the duo, standing next to eachother- and basically playing tug of war with the jar.
"Mrrow. Meow mow (Stop. Both of you.)" DrRetro said, and she took the swear jar. Observed it. Took a good look at it, as you do.
"Meow mrrow? (Who chewed on the swear jar?)"
She already knew the answer, she just wanted to know if the bug will admit to it.
Immediately, Melanie pointed at the beetle boy - who put his hands up in fake surrender. "What? It wasn't me. I didn't take or chew." Pest retorts with a small chitter. Despite that comment, Melanie did not take her finger off the guilty bug.
"Mrrrow... (1314...)" The katball says in a warning tone, since the beetle won't own up. She takes another look at the jar, before setting it down on the very convient table just there. Both the beetle and bunny watch as the doctor looked REALLY closely at the jar, as if it'll tell her if Melanie is a liar or if Pest is a thief.
Yet the next words were likely not expected by either.
"Meow mow mrrow? (Sugar, what have I told you about eating random things?)" DrRetro asks Pest, who was probably sweating bullets by now. The bug has been caught, not just in stealing the money, but also chewing on the jar of all things.
Melanie turns to Pest after that statement, now quite concerned. Who wouldn't be if you found out the reason your pillow is slightly chewed is possibly because of your adopted sibling? But that can be another yelled "DrRetro!!" complaint for another time. For if Pest is being annoying in the future.
... Melanie can't say much anyhow, as she has just eaten a cardboard box before. Just not while in DrRetro's care.
Pest then sighed before muttering his next word, "Don't." A small silence. DrRetro gave him a look. "... Don't eat stuff that isn't actual food." The Katball then nods before inspecting Pest's mouth and mandibles to check for any cuts from chewing on the glass of the swear jar. Thankfully, there was none - not even a speck of glass in the beetle's mouth.
"Mrrow? (And the Money?)" The Katball asks with her usual smile. "He stole 10 bucks from the swear jar." Melanie added, and Pest gives her a look of "How DARE you say that". However, Pest just shrugs. He totally earned that money, he should just keep it! He'd make better use out of that 10 bucks than whatever it did, sitting in the jar. It was mostly his anyway, from when he'd get caught swearing at Poob in the elevator - or after dying while playing Super Mario 64 on Melanie.
After like two minutes of no answer, DrRetro sighs for the second time this conversation. "Mrrow, meow mew? (Sugar, where is the money from the jar?)" She'd rather be watching her show, but her kids are bickering. Hell knows what'll happen if they're left arguing!
"In the money room..." Pest reveals. All the way in MR knows, maybe. The "money room" is at his den, which is like an hour long elevator ride from DrRetro's house. With that small statement, DrRetro pointed to the corner with two chairs it. "Meow! (Time out, now!)". Of course, at their grown ages, they had time out. She had to discipline them somehow - in the doctor's defense.
"I'm too old for time out-"
"Mrrow! (No buts!)"
With a groan, Pest dragged himself to the time out corner, continously chittering and muttering under his breath before sitting down in one of the chairs, arms crossed. The katball then turned to Melanie, smiling once more. "Mrrow mew? (Anything else, Mel?)", in which Melanie shakes her head and goes off to her room.
Finally. Peace again.
DrRetro sits back down on the couch, unpauses the episode, and straight back to watching the shenanigans at the hospital.
"Where the FUCK is my night light!"
"Mew! Mrrow. (Language! 3 bucks in the jar. No buts.)"
Melanie shuffles back to the room, adds 3 bucks to the jar, and leaves once more, grumbling under breath about the missing night light. At least the jar isn't empty now.
"Mow mrrow? (1314, did you steal Melanie's night light?)" DrRetro asks the beetle after Melanie had left, eyes still watching the screen. Retro, not Pest. Pest was staring at the wall. "Yes." Pest confirmed, not turning away from the wall. Time out had it's rules, after all.
"... Mew mreow. (I'll revoke the rest of your time out if you give it back)" DrRetro starts, once more pausing her episode of House MD to turn to Pest. "Meow meow- (Mel can't sleep without it-)"
Pest was already half way across the room at the announcement that his time out would be very significantly shortened if he gave the light back. DrRetro just nods and goes back to watching House MD. Again, peace in the DrRetro household. And thankfully, Melanie happily shouted about 2 minutes later, "Got my night light!".
Good. Her adopted ones are getting along.
Soon, her episode had ended. She glanced at the time- oh it's quite late. She left the couch, for now, and went to the kitchen. Grabbing two apples, two bowls... Now two bowls of apple slices. A snack for the two. Why not? DrRetro got the two bowls and walked to Pest's room first.
"Mew meow. (A snack for you, sugar.)" DrRetro said with a smile as she handed the beetle the snack. He only muttered a "thanks", and got down to chewing on it, taking a break from whatever game they were playing.
Then DrRetro went to Melanie's room - accidentally interrupting her little night time call with Mozelle, but Melanie happily gave a "Thanks!" to the apple bowl. As DrRetro exited Melanie's room, she could already see Pest putting the bowl away. Must've been tasty. As Pest walks past, he doesn't say or do anything... Maybe just too tired to care.
It was late enough that there wasn't any light peeking through the curtains. DrRetro thought about sneaking another House episode but... She had work to do the next day. Unfortunate. She turned off the TV, turned off the lights and finally, headed off to bed. Peace. No bickering, no shouting from Pest, and Melanie had probably said goodnight to Mozelle by now.
DrRetro felt she'd have a pretty peaceful night, and a pretty peaceful sleep.