Re: Ernie and Theo
Theo raised an eyebrow skeptically but nodded, playing along. He was still about as relaxed as a longtailed cat in a rocking chair factory but he was actually having a not-bad time while being sociable for a change. He'd have a better time with being so if all interactions went as smoothly as this one, but they rarely were.
He shrugged as the topic was brought back around, as though the reason hadn't ruined his entire day, and turned his whiskey glass around as he spoke. "I work at the Menagerie." he explained. "And when I came this in morning a littler of our intelligent rats had died." And he put the blame entirely and squarely on himself. He was the animal caretaker, he should have looked after them. "Thing is, they're intelligent, you know, so the parents know what happened. So they were grieving." You couldn't really put it any other way. "I suspect they'll follow - they don't tend to do well after losing a whole litter in one go."