"Oh yeah, the energy fields being radiated by these metal shelves are just so electrifying," Lillian murmured quietly as she shoved a bag of dog food onto the shelf labelled, appropriately, Dog Food.
When you're faced with something you don't understand, I think the most natural thing but also least interesting thing you can be is afraid.
Pratik smirked a bit, deciding to let that one go. He looked around and asked playfully, "Where's the 'skunk food' shelf?"
21 words
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"That sign can't stop me because I can't read," Pratik smirked. He never thought he'd have an opportunity to reference that meme.
22 words
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Lillian squinted. But like...he attended the same high school as her? And he took the same literacy test as her in sophomore year? Maybe it was just some saying she'd never heard before? Or maybe he literally couldn't read and somehow that had been compensated for in an IEP?
She gave up trying to figure out the logic of that statement and responded with an awkward laugh. "I mean, it's not like it says stop, though."
When you're faced with something you don't understand, I think the most natural thing but also least interesting thing you can be is afraid.
Pratik stared at her for a long moment. Did she really think he couldn't read? But... he was... and she... He blinked at her. "It's... a... meme."
27 words
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Oh, yeah, pfft, I mean, I knew that." And this is why Lillian avoided interactions with strangers, on the off-chance she encountered a painfully awkward situation like this. Now he was gonna think she was a Luddite or something.
When you're faced with something you don't understand, I think the most natural thing but also least interesting thing you can be is afraid.
"Yeah." Pratik cleared his throat, not convinced, and threw the foods onto the appropriate shelves.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Lillian led the way out of the storage room and back to the entry. "I, uh, might be seeing you around?" she asked, repeating an earlier conversation almost word for word. Because despite what people claim about life being ad-lib, Lillian wasn't a fan of ad-lib-iness.
When you're faced with something you don't understand, I think the most natural thing but also least interesting thing you can be is afraid.
"Uh, yeah, for sure." Curiosity was getting the best of him. He looked around. "And you said you uh... have... baby skunks here? Like... here?"
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Lillian bit her lip and nodded. She was feeling more comfortable in a place she knew by heart, and besides, maybe this would give her a chance to prove she wasn't a totally hopeless heap of awkwardness. "Okay, follow me."
She moved back down the hallway, which curved to the left and opened into a lobby-like space. There was a cluster of disorganized chairs to the right, which Lillian straightened up when she arrived every day and everyone else managed to return to disarray by the time she left. Straight ahead was a desk, and behind it sat a lady with frizzy light brown hair.
"Hi, Sandra, um, are the skunks up to visitors? I have a--" Lillian scrunched her face. What was Pratik? A human who she barely knew? "--friend? Who'd like to see them."
"A friend, hmm?" Sandra responded, raising her eyebrow slightly and smirking. "Who'd that be?"
When you're faced with something you don't understand, I think the most natural thing but also least interesting thing you can be is afraid.
Pratik was buzzing at the prospects of actually getting to see baby skunks. He'd had his hopes, sure, as soon as he volunteered to come here with the food. But the fact that Lillian was actually going to let him.
The fact that she'd gone as far as to say the word 'friend' even though it clearly pained her to do so.
He almost smirked at the thought. The good little girl dragging pretending to be friends with the idiot suspended from school for fighting--
Pratik sobered as he suddenly realized the situation that he was in. Maybe he should have cut his losses and forgot about the stupid skunks. As he stared at Sandra, guiltily, he suddenly remembered how bruised and battered he was and how absurd he must have looked. Here. In an animal shelter. Begging for baby skunks.
"Ah, you know, just another stray, heh," Pratik joked, offering a cheesy grin. Humor always made things better. Or, at the very least, made awkwardness funnier. "Highly motivated by food. Answers well to 'Pratik'."
176 words
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Strays? I didn't know Lillian had stooped so low. Last time I checked you had very picky taste in peers." Sandra directed the last remark at Lillian as she came out from behind the desk and began to lead the way to the skunks.
Lillian flushed, mortified. Now Pratik was going to think she was some snooty snob or something. Although it was possible he already thought she was just that but like, still -- did her supervisor always have to speak her mind so literally? On the one hand, it was nice sometimes because you never had to guess what she was thinking, but on the other hand, there was a time and a place for it and this was not one, Sandra.
Lillian peeked at Pratik and whispered sorry under her breathe. She should've known the skunks were a bad idea.
When you're faced with something you don't understand, I think the most natural thing but also least interesting thing you can be is afraid.
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