It was an insanely long day filled to the brim with customers visiting Bluebell. The florist supposed the cooling temperatures and the crisp leaves had brought newcomers in to the quaint little village, one for which he didn't mind: his flower stand had flourished quite well for such a stint with happy shoppers and elated promises to return for more business.
As Cam finally placed the rest of his wares inside the cafe and shut the door, something caught the corner of his eye upon the ceiling. What in the world...?
Yes, it was a bat – a little brown one with a dark stripe across a wing at that. The brunet wondered briefly if Howard or Laney had possibly placed it there as an All Hallow's decoration, but, upon closer inspection – a quick blink and squint of his eyes – he determined that it was a living, breathing creature which stared at him rather intently.
A frown played at the florist's lips. If the cafe owner, let alone his daughter, were to see it, there was no telling what might happen. He didn't want to shoo it out, nor was he afraid of it, but the idea of a bat was just too coincidental and 'cool' to pass up. It was much smaller than a standard house cat and possibly easier to conceal as well.
Cam went to the back storage room to grab a stepladder. Upon ascending it back in the cafe's foyer, he stretched out his fingers to the small creature. It wriggled an ear in response, little nose sniffing at his outstretched digit as a curious animal might check for scent. Once it deemed him worthy, the bat unlatched a clawed foot to topple down on the florist's fingers, perching happily with a small screech of approval.
“Shh,” the brunet quietly commanded, raising his other handed finger to his lips. “You don't want Howard or Laney to hear you, little guy. Then you'd have to go.”
The bat seemed to understand, closing its mouth and wrapping its little wings around Cam's finger. It appeared to like the florist enough to do such, provoking a smile from the brunet whom reached out his opposite finger to gently rub the creature's head. It wasn't a fluffy cat, but it was certainly cute in an endearing way.
Cam set the stepladder aside up against the adjacent wall; he'd put it back in storage later. For now, the little one had his attention enraptured. Greens on the creature, he walked quickly back to his room, elated the cafe owner and his daughter were elsewhere at the moment.
“I think I'll call you Johann. What do you think?” He queried, sitting at the edge of his bed. The bat's ears wriggled, little body shifting to a more comfortable spot within the florist's hand. It tilted its fuzzy head to the side as though considering the name and blinked, onyx eyes staring at Cam with something akin to curiosity. It then spread its wings and launched forward, flying around the brunet's head with crazed fervor.
“I guess that's okay with you, then.”
Cam reached out his fingers once more as Johann swiftly landed, a smile breaching the usual stone of his heart. He'd have to research what bats liked as well as where one might sleep, but that seemed fine with him: he had a pet and he could see a nice friendship forming fast.
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