Lesson 86- If you find a cute animal, always ask a grown-up before bringing it home.

“Is that enough? I have more.” The vampire starts to pull out more cash.
“Woah, yeah that’s plenty. I meant it would be like an extra couple dollars, not a hundred. Give me a second and I’ll get your drinks.” I make their drinks and the vampire insists on me keeping the hundred.
“That was a creative idea, what made you think of that?” Torin asks, I shrug.
“I searched online for what blood tastes like. I was trying to figure out what drink might be closest to blood so I could suggest it and maybe stop their whining. Apparently it has a metallic taste and it’s because of the iron content. So I figured you can buy iron tablets and another search showed that it actually comes in liquid form too. I thought it was worth a try.” I conclude.
“Huh, well it worked out, clearly.” He gestures over my shoulder where the vampires are already waiting to order another round.

“I’m Isaiah by the way.” The vampire informs me.
“The other two are Bastian and Harold.” He adds. Harold? The vampire is named Harold? Isaiah and Bastian are both suitably dramatic for them, but Harold just… It seems wrong. Still, I’m not saying that out loud. I only just got them to like me!
“Oh, well it’s nice to meet you properly Isaiah. Did you want another drink?” I ask and he nods eagerly.
“Great, I’ll grab that for you now.” I answer easily. I’m just turning to make the drinks when the front door swings open and Jackson comes rushing in, his arms wrapped around himself strangely.
“Jackson? What are you doing?” I ask.
“Uuuh… Is this bar pet friendly?” He asks awkwardly.
“What?” I ask, baffled. Jackson loosens his arms and pulls open one side of his jacket and drops something small and fuzzy onto the bar in front of me. It lets out a tiny mew.
“Is… Is that a cat! Oh my gosh it’s so cute!” I immediately start stroking the tiny orange cat’s head. It’s so little, I could balance it in one hand. It lets out another long meow.
“I found him outside. I think he’s lost or something. But he’s too young to be by himself. I’d keep him but… Well cats don’t like me very much.” Jackson reaches out a hand to the kitten who starts hissing and spitting.
“I never had this problem before. It wasn’t until I got turned into a werewolf. Now they freak out. I have no idea what to do with this kitten.” He sighs, clearly disappointed to be unable to keep the cat himself. I pet the kitten again and he turns to look up at me with his big wide eyes and then immediately bites me. Not hard, more like he’s chewing on my finger or something. The poor thing is probably hungry. Aaaaaand I’m a goner for this cat.
“I want to keep him.” I announce. Jackson raises an eyebrow doubtfully, but it’s Isaiah who says what everyone is thinking.
“There is no way you will be allowed to keep that kitten.” He says bluntly, glancing towards Torin. I pick up the kitten and clutch him to my chest. He immediately cuddles in and starts purring. Yeah there is no way I’m giving up this kitten.
“I’m keeping him.” I insist.
“Never going to happen.” Isaiah insists.
“It will. I’m going to tell Torin right now. HEY TORI!!!” I call out to him. He’s on the far side of the room but he immediately jumps to his feet when I call him over. He stops a few steps away and blinks at the sight of the kitten.
“Is that a cat?” he asks and I nod.
“Yeah, Jackson found him. I’m going to keep him. That’s okay, right?” I smile at him hopefully. Torin just nods.
“Of course, let me know if you need me to get anything for the cat.” He answers easily, reaching out and stroking the kitten with one finger.
“Awesome, I’ll make a list of everything he might need. Thanks Tori. Now I just need to pick a good name for him!” I say excitedly. I tuck the kitten into my jacket and he happily curls up, still purring. I think he’s just relieved to be away from Jackson. Poor guy, I’d be devastated if kittens suddenly hated me. I’ve always wanted a pet, but my dad hated them and my brother is allergic to pet fur. I continue making the drinks Isaiah ordered but the vampire is just staring at me with his jaw wide open.
“He just… You just… Seriously?” He seems totally astounded. I shrug. I don’t see why they’re so shocked. Torin let ME live here, and he had to full on renovate a bathroom to make it work. A kitten can’t be nearly as troublesome.

This kitten is the cutest creature ever. It’s only been a few minutes and he already totally owns my heart.
“Tori I’m telling you right now, you can’t change your mind later. It would break my heart to lose this kitten now.” I warn him. Torin gives a serious nod.
“As long as you take care of it, I will never stop you from keeping him.” He promises.
“Deal.” I say cheerfully. I swear the room falls dead silent. There are a few stragglers whispering to each other. But for the most part everyone is staring at me and I have no idea why.
“Uh… Tori… Why is everyone looking at me like I’ve grown an extra head or something?” I question. He sighs.
“Because technically you just agreed to a deal with a demon. We’re really into deals and binding contracts.” He explains. I frown.
“Seriously? But you never even had me sign a contract or something to work here. Actually, I’ve never seen you sign anything!” I point out. I did intend to ask why he has myself or Laura sign for work and deliveries all the time. Maybe this is the reason?
“Yes. Most people aren’t comfortable agreeing to any kind of deal or bargain with me.” He says looking a little sad. I scrunch up my face, a bit confused.
“But what about Laura, Kyle and Catcher? Surely they have contracts to work here?” I question and he shakes his head.
“No. I pay them cash and they turn up here to work. If they don’t show up one day that’s completely up to them. There’s no contract. No agreed number of hours, not even an agreed pay rate. I know I pay better than any other bar owner so the numbers should be okay. They worked out the shifts they were willing to work amongst themselves.” He tells me. I frown.
“How did they even end up working here?” I question.
“You’ll have to ask them. But like you, they have their own reasons for being here. I appreciate them for turning up and hope they continue to do so. Not many people are willing to work for a demon. Not many people are willing to work in a job without a contract. It has its own set of difficulties for renting homes and stuff like that.” He answers awkwardly. I’m totally fascinated.
“How were you running this place before they started here?” I wonder and he shakes his head.
“I wasn’t. I owned the place, inherited it actually. But it was sitting here unused. An empty bar. Years ago my parents ran it, but it was sketchy as hell. They… Weren’t good people. No one came here to hang out and drink. If they came here it was to make a deal with a demon and it was because they were desperate. I didn’t want to do that, so I decided to try to make it into something else.” Torin sounds nervous and is looking at me like I might judge him. For what? Because his parents weren’t great? Well neither were mine. I think it’s nice that he decided to try to make something different out of a horrible place. It’s very like him. I reach out and pat him on the arm gently.
“Well you succeeded, this place is great.” I tell him firmly. Torin smiles and I watch as the tension drains out of him. Blushing slightly, he rushes back to his seat, clearly a little overwhelmed.