Mittens Has Class

Chapter 13 - First Impressions Are Always Important

After leaving the mall, the trio piled into Mittens' car and began actively roaming around Cartersville, exploring what treasures might be found within its limits. All three of them took a turn sharing rare places of interest that they knew about, with Krystal turning out to be a veritable catalog of quietly beautiful places hidden about the city. While Mittens had never assumed she knew even a third of the many secrets the town held, it shocked her just how many places with amazing views and scenes that were tucked away in unexpected corners.

It wasn't so much a surprise that all of the places that Krystal showed them had the one thing in common of being places where other people weren't. They were the sorts of places someone went to be alone with their thoughts. At most, a sketch pad to capture whatever inspiration was in abundant supply there. She could easily picture Krystal seated on a bench or stoop somewhere, mocha latte sitting beside her, furiously drawing with a charcoal pencil.

Valli had been the least versed in obscure sites of interest, as she and her friends tended to frequent only a handful of places, mostly all near her house and generally unremarkable. However, she did lead them to a very interesting place that she and her friends had discovered a year or two ago. It was a used book shop tucked away in a corner of downtown, hidden among a collection of far less interesting businesses. Mittens quickly earmarked it as somewhere she wanted to spend a lot more time.

The owner, a quirky-seeming lady that looked like she'd stepped out of the sixties, hadn't even batted an eye when Mittens explained that she lived as a cat. She'd simply begun treating her as though she was an actual feline that the other two had brought along with them, scratching her behind the ears, offering her milk, and telling her that she was a 'very pretty kitty'. Mittens had eaten it up and shown her appreciation in typical cat fashion by purring and rubbing against the woman a few times.

However, the shop itself was what truly made her want to return to spend more time. It wasn't arranged like a typical bookstore with uniform rows of shelving filling the space, but more like some old-world library, chaotic and beautiful. All the shelving was splayed randomly around the periphery and at the center of it all was a cozy little nook full of deep and soft chairs where people could just sit, read, and enjoy the teas and coffees that the lady also sold. Mittens suspected that the pricey beverages were her real business, the used books more intended as something for patrons to enjoy while they relaxed.

Mittens could easily see herself spending hours curled up in poofs, exploring all manner of weathered old tomes. It was like something out of a fantasy story. It was definitely somewhere she intended to introduce Master and Chloe to as soon as possible.

For her own turn as tour guide, Mittens brought them to 'If You Dream It', the comics and collectables shop that her friends Papabear and Butterfly owned. Both Krystal and Valli had thoroughly enjoyed browsing there, but only Valli had seemed just as enthusiastic about meeting the couple themselves. Krystal had quickly shifted into her shy and self-conscious mode, politely greeting them in a quiet voice, before awkwardly migrating off to browse. The sudden change in personality made Mittens realize just how significant a difference there was between what she considered to be the 'real' Krystal and the emotionally armored version that most of the world always saw.

She'd watched the transition happen several times over the course of the day as they'd visited various stores; though not as significantly pronounced, since she hadn't been expected to actually socialize with new people in those places. Even in the used bookstore, the proprietress had focused far more on Valli, whom she knew, and Mittens. Krystal had managed to subtly wander off and just quietly look around, avoiding any direct personal interaction.