Devil in Disguise

three

Three: Write a scene where your villain's henchwoman (or henchman) goes on a wild adventure to retrieve your villain's pet that they were given strict instructions to take care of, only to lose. Does the henchwoman (man) get the pet back before the villain returns? If so, how did they do it? If not, how are they "punished"?

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Charlotte Halstead is in a hurry.

Charlotte rushes out of the slightly busy Starbucks, not paying any particular attention to the nice, non-discreet man that holds the door for her. She is on a mission. She loves Caspar. She really does. But she often wonders why Leo doesn't groom Caspar himself. But, she knows that if Caspar didn't go to the shop three times a month, she would be the unlucky soul taking care of the semi-devil cat's personal needs.

Charlotte's phone starts to ring and she lets out an exasperated sigh. She shifts her beverage into her left hand, and digs into her bag with the right. Her phone is really stuck in there, that is for sure. Her head is down, not paying much attention to anyone, or anything, besides her incessant ringing phone.

So when she gets bumped into, hard, she is startled into dropping her pricey drink all over the sidewalk. It splatters upward, getting on the bottom of her perfectly tailored matchstick jeans.

"Shit." she curses under her breath. She really needed that caffeine. But, she doesn't have time to go back and beg Leo for another. She quickly regains her composure, and keeps walking. She has to pick up Caspar within five minutes, or face the moody wrath of Leo.

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"I'm here! I'm here to pick up the cat! Don't close yet!" Charlotte says to the man, who is locking the door to the groomers shop.

"You are late. There will be an additional $30 fee."

"Yeah, that's fine, whatever, just give me the cat, I am on a tight schedule today."

Charlotte swipes Leo's card and picks up Caspar's carrier. It feels lighter than it should, but Charlotte pays no mind, because it could be possible that the hair removal has made the mokav jag cat lighter. She hears a disgruntled meow.

Time to get the food.

✪✪✪

"Hi, I'd like to place an order please?" Charlotte says into her phone, walking down the street."

"I need one chicken Lo Mein, and one Kung Pao. Ready in fifteen minutes? Sounds great. I'll be there then."

Charlotte hangs up her phone and unlocks the door to the apartment in which she and Leo reside. There is no reason that she needs to take Caspar along with her to get the food, so she decided it was best to bring him home.

She sets his carrier on the floor and unlatches the door. She waits a beat, expecting Caspar to dart out of his carrier like a bat out of hell, as he usually does.

But nothing happens.

Charlotte nervously looks inside the carrier. Nothing.

Where is Caspar?

Leo should be off by now. Charlotte reluctantly calls him.

"Hey Char! What's up?" Leo says, mood light.

"Leo." Charlotte says seriously.

"What?"

"I lost Caspar."

"What?"

"I lost Caspar."

"Yes, I heard you. Go find him. I'll pick up the food." He says, trying to sound non-angry.

"Got it." She hangs up.

✪✪✪

Charlotte, after an hour of searching, finds Caspar in the alley behind the groomers, picking through the dumpster for stray mice or food.

Charlotte, avoiding the rank waste, swipes up Caspar and hurries home with him. Leo is going to have her head.

✪✪✪

"Charlotte, is that you?"

"Y-yes?" she replies, closing the door behind her.

"You find him?" Leo asks from the couch, mouth full of Lo Mein.

"Yes."

"Good." He says, taking a sip of his beer.

"So you aren't mad?" Charlotte utters.

"Well, you found him, didn't you? No reason to get pissed then. Now come eat, your food is becoming cold."

Charlotte sighs and walks over to the fridge, grabbing a beer for herself. She really needs a drink after the day she had. Run run run, is how it felt.

And she thought for sure Leo was going to lay into her about Caspar. She is surprised, but relieved that he was cool about it. Must be the beer he was sipping.

"Hurry up, Charlotte. We have some plotting to do."

And so it begins.