"Cat food. I have a kitten."
Who: GlaDOS and Rahne What: GlaDOS has a kitten, gets advice, and potentially hires an test subject aid. Where: a store When: Thursday Status: complete Rating: PG
Caroline was smoking a cigarette as she made her way downtown. She really should stop smoking but she'd picked up the habit recently. She put it out and headed into a store.
Rahne glanced around the store. She caught a hint of cigarette smoke as the door opened. Her nose seemed to be getting more sensitive to odors lately. She wasn't sure if that had anything to do with the dreams or not.
She coughed once, then rubbed at her chest, and looked around. She had a very specific shopping list, and her first stop was the pet food aisle.
Rahne rubbed her nose. Well. She could stock up on chocolate. But waiting for the after-Halloween 'take it, please, take all of it' leftover sale might be a better choice.
"..what the hell..." Caroline muttered. There were 90 types of food and none of it particularly seemed to stand out. It was just a cat. For an experiment. Did it really need to eat?
She walked past a darkhaired woman who smelled faintly of cigarette smoke who seemed lost in thought over the cat food. "Looking for anything specific?" Rahne asked, on a whim.
"Cat food. I have a kitten." It was for science, she almost added, then shook her head to clear it. No, no, it wasn't for science. Why had she thought a cat was a good idea? "It's kind of the..lab mascot."
"Oh! Have you asked yuir vet for recomendations?" That seemed like the best step. "About how old is the kitten?"
Caroline looked clueless at both questions, "It just arrived last week." She didn't recall ORDERING a kitten, but it had been in her name and signature. She worried that GlaDOS was starting to overwrite Caroline.
"...is it very tiny, or is it closer to cat-sized?" Rahne assumed the woman had been gifted the kitten. Not knowing was certainly understandable under those circumstances.
"Tiny." She held up her hands about 6 inches apart, "It's very loud and demanding." How did people put up with such things, and why?
"...ye might need tae feed it kitten formula, if it's not weaned yet. Do you know if it's weaned yet? Did whoever gave it to you provide any information at all?"
She thought about it, "I believe it's weaned. That's what it said in the box. Nine weeks old I think? Maybe ten."
"Ahh." Rahne smiled. "Probably go for canned for a bit. Should be easier for it to get used to. Then you can try some dry food along."
"Dry food is better?" She'd think that wet food would be better. Cats were carnivores after all.
"Well...that part I dinnae really know. Best to ask yuir vet."
"I should get one of those, shouldn't I?" Pause, "Can kittens eat cake?"
"You should, and no, cake is bad for pets. Unless it's a cake made out of pet food or pet-safe things," Rahne said.
Caroline looked like her mind was boggled, "Pet-safe things?!"
"Well, ingredients that are only things that are foods safe for pets. Not all human foods are good for animals."
I'm a scientist, I should know this stuff, Caroline thought. Out loud she shook her head an exhaled, "Lets just start simple."
Rahne nodded. "Stick to canned food for now."
"Thank you. I'm Caroline. I run a lab nearby." She looked Rahne up and down, "..how would you like to earn some extra money?"
Rahne grinned. "You own a lab? What sort of money for what sort of work?"
"It depends on your skill set, I have several openings. I need people to run obstacle courses for some experiments. Safe ones, of course, and well paying, but I also need people who aren't morons who are very smart."
"Well, I've got a BA in biology, with a minor in chemistry from UC Irvine," she said, smiling.
Caroline stared at her like a god had answered her prayer, "If you'd like I could send you some files on what I'd need?"
Rahne nodded. "And if I think I can do it, I'll send you a copy of my resume?"
"Please!"
Rahne grinned. "I will, thank you!"
Caroline selected several cans of cat food, "I think it will like this. Do you know a good vet?"
"I can ask a friend about one," Rahne replied.
"Thank you, Rahne. I hope we can come to terms."
"Aye, I hope we can."
Caroline took her hand, squeezing it, and then whistling, walked off!