Celeste Academy - Date with Sylvie (Patreon)

Carida can hear her destination before she can see it.

Barks, meows, roars, and several sounds that are impossible to name rumble like distant thunder as Carida approaches the Familiar Shelter. Well, it's unfamiliar to her, since this is her first time visiting.

Located just a short walk from the Celeste campus, the Familiar Shelter is a temporary home for abandoned and neglected familiars - the animal companions that help many of the Attuned with their work. While Carida's cooking specialization didn't really necessitate a familiar, they were common sights around the campus. Cats were the most common, but bats and rats were far from rare. And of course, there were plenty of more exotic companions too.

Today is free adoption day at the shelter, which Sylvie, Carida's date-to-be, had promised (or perhaps warned) would be the busiest day of the year. Carida brushes her hair back as she approaches the building, the cacophony of noise getting louder and louder with every step. It's a large, sprawling compound with wire fence running alongside it. A lonely unicorn munches some of the grass that grows through the fence, staring at Carida as she passes by along a dirt road.

A number of people are milling around outside the front as Carida approaches. She scans the area, looking for her date.

Suddenly, she spots Sylvie. Or rather, Sylvie spots her.

"Carida!"

Carida turns, following the sound of her name, right as a sleek, black dog crashes into her. Stumbling and struggling to keep her balance, Carida barely notices the plaintive cries of "Down Hans, down!" as an ecstatic black lab bounces around her, jumping for pure dog joy. Although taken aback at first, Carida smiles and leans down to scratch the dog's ears. His apologetic owner catches up a moment later.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. He usually listens better than that!" She glares at the dog. He stares back like a dope.

"It's fine, I like dogs." Carida stands up, facing Sylvie. A couple inches shorter than Carida, she's wearing the exact same sweater from her Wondr avatar, but with significantly more fur covering it. Her grin is pretty much identical, too.

"He likes you too!" Hans woofs in agreement.  "Anyway, I'm Sylvie, but I guess you already knew that."

"I'm Carida, but you already knew that too."

They both laugh. After so many first dates recently, the nerves that normally plagued her aren't as bad as they used to be. Could she be the one? That question is still at the forefront of her mind, though.

"Soooo," Sylvie says, skipping to Carida's side and linking their arms together. "You're doing the Love Witch's quest too, right?"

It's like she read Carida's mind.

"Yeah, I am. So far, I've gone out with a ringmaker, a librarian, and a princess."

"Oh my God. I've got a lot to live up to. So I'm number four then?"

"Yup, that's right. What about you?"

"Well…" Sylvie comes to a halt, which also jerks Carida to a stop as well. "You're my first date, actually!"

“Oh really?” 

“Yeah! I just signed up for Wondr a couple days ago. I didn’t expect to match with such a cute girl right away though.” 

Carida doesn't know how to answer that. For someone on a first date, Sylvie doesn’t seem nervous at all. Instead, she hums a song from the radio as she leads Carida by the arm towards the shelter. Hans follows dutifully alongside them, occasionally nuzzling Sylvie's hand.

"So," Carida asks, changing the subject. "Do you volunteer here at the shelter a lot?"

"Every weekend for three years. Sometimes during the week too, if I have the time. It's sort of like my home away from home. Actually, I guess my apartment is like my home away from this place. I was worried that you were gonna think it was super weird to go on a date like this, so I'm glad you said yes."

"I've been on some pretty weird dates already. They're more fun that way."

Sylvie grins as she detaches herself from Carida, grabbing a pair of orange vests from a hook near the front counter.

"Perfect. Okay, here, go ahead and put this on."

The vest has the world "Volunteer" stenciled on it in pretty white font, with a picture of a happy looking black cat. When Carida puts it on, it smartly conforms until it's just her size. Sylvie had warned Carida beforehand to wear clothes that she didn't mind getting dirty, so she came dressed in a hand-me-down sweater and jeans.

A stressed-looking volunteer spots Sylvie and pulls her aside while Carida (and Hans) wait close by. The walls of the shelter are covered in photographs of happy looking staff and owners with their new adoptees. A few of the pictures are animated, revealing wagging tails and flapping wings. Carida even notices Sylvie in a couple of them, wearing vests identical to the ones they have on now. A minute later, Sylvie herself scurries back over to Carida, clutching a bag of treats.

"Looks like they've got us in the black cat ward to start. It's the most crowded part of the shelter. Lots of people only want one to cast a spell or two, and then just abandon them… Poor things. Hopefully we can find them all homes today!"

"How many are back there? A dozen?"

Sylvie gestures down a hallway, leading to the rooms where the animals are kept. "Let's find out."

"What about Hans?" asks Carida. The labrador in question looks up when he hears his name.

"He'll be fine, he'll find some friends around here to play with."

They leave the dog behind and head for the black cat room. Carida peeks into a few windows as they pass by, getting quick glimpses of their occupants. In one, a row of bats hang in artificial darkness. In another, a floor-to-ceiling fishtank contains a beige octopus that waves to Carida with a noodly arm. The two girls finally enter one of the last doors in the hall, and Carida can't help but gasp at what she sees.

It's cats, and way more than a dozen of them. Cats everywhere. Cats in cages, cats on the floor, cats sleeping on top of other cats. All of them are pure black, but of varying shapes and sizes. The moment the pair enter the room, a chorus of mews begins, with several of the animals seeming to recognize Sylvie. Sylvie herself croons with affection, picking up a little kitten that flops onto her shoes and holding it up for Carida to see.

"Look at this one! Isn't she precious?"

"She's adorable," Carida says, offering a finger to the baby. The cat sniffs twice, and then nuzzles Carida's hand. A small collar around her neck says that her name is Fantasia.

"I think she likes me," Carida giggles.

"Is that true? Do you like Carida?" Sylvie asks, stroking Fantasia gently. She leaves her fingers pressed against the kitten's head as she meows in response.

"She says she does," Sylvie confirms, smiling. "You've got good taste, Fantasia." Then she lowers the kitten to the ground, returning her to the crowd. 

"Smooth," Carida laughs, and Sylvie's face turns the slightest shade of red.

"Hey, I'm just being honest." Another cat paws at Sylvie's leg, demanding pets, and Sylvie happily obliges.

"Newstar here says that he's been here for a long time, and wants to explore somewhere new. Aww, you poor thing." The cat hops up into Sylvie's outstretched arms, and then climbs up onto her shoulders.

"So with your attunement, you can understand anything they say?" 

"Mostly, yeah. As long as I'm touching them. It's kind of like speaking a second language. You have to translate it back in your head first."

"Does it work with any kind of animal?"

"It does for Professor Hedren. She's my advisor, do you know her? For me, since I'm still pretty new to it, I can only do birds and reptiles and small mammals. Anything bigger than a horse gives me trouble. It's like-"

Carida doesn't get to hear what it's like, because just then, one of the shelter workers barges into the room to yell "It's starting!" before disappearing out the door like a mouse down a hole.

"Oh, here we go!" Sylvie says, clapping her hands excitedly. "Let's get you guys some families!"

She quickly outlines the plan to Carida while she paces around the room, ushering some of the cats back into their cages, including the one on her shoulders.

"Okay, you hang out by the door, and whenever someone comes by, find out what they're looking for in a cat. You know, if they want a fun, playful one, or someone more laid back. Young or old, that kind of stuff. I'll talk to the cats and find which ones would be a good fit."

"We're going to run a cat matchmaking service, then?"

"Exactly," Sylvie beams.

The first potential adopters arrive just a few minutes later: it's a husband and wife, along with their young teenage son. They explain to Carida that they've never had a pet OR a familiar before, so they're looking for something low-maintenance. Carida memorizes the details and then relays the info to Sylvie, who's on the other side of the room.

"Low-maintenance, huh…" she murmurs to herself as she scans the library of cats, trailing her fingers across their whiskered faces. "How about this one?" She scoops up a lazy looking boy who lets his legs dangle as she passes him to Carida.

"His name is Omelette, and he says he wants a family who will just let him sleep in the window."

Carida dutifully carries him over to their "customers."

"This guy's name is Omelette," she repeats to them. "He likes to take naps in the sun, and wants a home where he can do that lots."

The son gingerly reaches over to pet Omelette, whose eyes are half-closed. But when those pets turn to ear scratches, Omelette shuts his eyes and begins to purr. The boy grins.

"May I hold him?" he asks, and Carida carefully hands him over. The boy's parents crowd around them while Omelette continues to purr contentedly, happy to be getting attention from so many people at once.

"We'll take him," the dad finally says a few minutes later, while his family keeps fawning over the cat. It's clear that they've already fallen in love. Carida and Sylvie both wave goodbye as the new, happily growing family head up front to fill out the paperwork.

Sylvie leans her head against Carida's shoulder while they wait for the next visitor. "One down, like fifty to go."

"That was easier than I expected, actually," Carida says. She wonders if she should put her arm around Sylvie or something like that.

"Mhm. Sometimes it's quick. Sometimes they need to meet a few to find the right one."

Carida wonders if Sylvie is only talking about cats.

The next adopter to come in is an older lady, who explains that she already has eight cats as familiars, but wants to make it nine, since that's a luckier number. Carida and Sylvie convene to discuss.

"What about Otto?" Sylvie suggests. Otto is young, just a little over a year, and has a small patch of white on his tail. But he doesn't like the idea of living with eight others.

"How about that one?" Carida asks, pointing to one in the middle of a crowd. "She's with a lot of other cats right now, so maybe she's more social." Sylvie goes to check it out.

"This is Ms. Muffet," Sylvie says, reading the collar. "Miss, do you wanna be kitty number nine?"

As it turns out, she does, and she meows a greeting at the waiting lady when Carida carries her over. After a quick chat, it's another match made, and Ms. Muffet departs for her new home.

"Good call, Carida." 

"You're the one who did all the talking. Good job you!" Both of them laugh.

"Some of the talking," Sylvie corrects her. "Besides, it's easier to talk to animals than people. At least, that's what I think."

"How come?"

"Because they always tell you exactly what they're thinking. Whether it's with their voice or their tails or whiskers. And animals don't lie. I think life would be easier if people were the same way."

"Was Hans really the one who wrote your Wondr bio?" Carida teases.

"Maybe," Sylvie says with a grin.

More and more adopters start to arrive, making it harder for the two of them to talk. Eventually, Carida is juggling multiple requests while Sylvie hurries from cage to cage, asking questions.

A one-eyed cat named Luna turns out to be the perfect match for a retired music professor. A newlywed pair of women adopt Miles and Kilo, who are brother and sister. Nightmare goes to a little girl and her mom who recently lost a beloved cat of their own.

Time flies by in a blur. At one point, there are so many people in the room - or waiting just outside of it - that Carida has to pull out a notebook and start writing down details just to keep track. Sylvie, on the other hand, manages to keep all the orders in her head like a waitress, and directs Carida to certain cats with gusto.

After a couple hours, someone comes in to take over while the two go on lunch.

It's only when Carida's collapsed into a chair in the break room that she realizes how sore her legs are. Sylvie, on the other hand, seems entirely unfazed, and her eyes sparkle as Carida unpacks the meal she had prepared for both of them that morning.

"Here you go," Carida says as she passes Sylvie a paper-wrapped sandwich and a thermos of everwarm soup. Her date unwraps the sandwich and takes a dainty bite, while Carida herself explains what it is.

"It's fresh mozzarella, cucumber, watercress, tomato, and a balsamic dressing. The soup is wild rice and barley, with a hint of garlic. Sorry they don't exactly go together, but-"

"Carida. This. Is. Amazing!" Sylvie's sandwich is already halfway gone (despite the fact that the flavors don't compliment each other perfectly, as Carida was about to say).

"I'm glad you like it!" She can't help but smile as she watches Sylvie dig in. After all, there's not really any feeling more satisfying than when someone else enjoys your cooking. She'd spent a while poring over vegetarian recipes, trying to think of something that Sylvie would like and that also would survive the day.

"Seriously, I'm going to switch my focus to Cooking attunement if I get to eat food like this every day."

"That means you'd have to try the bad stuff, too. Peanut butter salad, tomato cookies, pumpkin pizza."

Sylvie blanches.

"Okay, maybe not," she says, and they giggle. The next few minutes pass in silence while they both eat, grateful for a moment's reprieve from the bustling adoptions.

"Do you cook for… other people, a lot?" Sylvie asks when they've both finished. Not a crumb or drop remains of Sylvie's meal. 

"My roommates, yeah. Most days in fact. They'd probably starve otherwise."

"Oof, yeah. It's mostly instant stuff for me, or delivery."

Carida wags a finger in mock admonishment. "That's not very healthy!"

"Maaaaybe you can cook for me more often, then?" Sylvie asks slyly.

"Maybe," agrees Carida, and they both laugh again. 

Carida gathers up their trash and throws it away, placing the two soup thermoses back in her bag. Then she moves to the door, holding it open for Sylvie.

"Shall we?" Carida asks.

"We shall," Sylvie says, taking Carida by the hand.

Back in the cat room, the numbers have dwindled to only a couple dozen remaining. There are more cages empty than occupied. The pair return to their positions from before, and get back to work.

The rest of the day passes by quickly. There's not a single moment where they don't have at least one person in the room, looking to meet a new friend. Nobody leaves empty-handed.

Just three hours after their lunch break ended, Carida and Sylvie say goodbye to Morris, the last cat in the room, as he departs with a grizzled old boat captain who wants a companion at sea. As the door bumps shut behind them, Sylvie sits down on the ground, leaning against a cabinet. Carida joins her.

"We did it," Sylvie says. Even she's starting to sound a bit tired, but the pride in her voice is unmistakable.

"Sure did," agrees Carida. The room had been so noisy when they first arrived this morning. Now, it's happily silent. The two of them sit contentedly for a bit, basking in the satisfaction of a job well done.. It's Sylvie who stands up first.

"Well," she says. "It's about time to go." She offers a hand to Carida, helping pull her to her feet. Their hands stay clasped together a moment longer than necessary.

As they make their way back through the building and to the front doors, they exchange congratulations with the other volunteers. Free adoption day was a smashing success, and the whole shelter is nearly empty.

When they step outside, they're instantly greeted by an excited bark as Hans barrels around a corner, thrilled to see his Sylvie once more.

"Aww, I missed you too, buddy," she says as she rubs his ears. His tail whips back and forth like a metronome as he woofs in agreement.

"What's he saying?" asks Carida.

"That he had fun today, and that he hopes I did too." Sylvie kneels down, letting Hans lick her in the face. "I sure did, huh? I had a great time."

"Me too," Carida says, answering the question that wasn't asked.

"Was it weird enough by your date standards?" Sylvie teases.

"Oh, definitely."

"I'm glad."

The two of them hug, neither one wanting to be the first to acknowledge that this is where they go their separate ways. But then, Carida looks down at herself.

"Oops," Carida says. "I forgot to give my vest back."

Sylvie waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, you can keep that. I have one of my own at home, too. Besides, maybe you'll be back here someday."

Carida grins.

"Yeah, maybe I will."

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