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If this is your first Nikki & Sarah story, you might want to read the first one first. (Although this particular story does work as a standalone story.) Here's a list: Nikki & Sarah - Index thread ------------------------------------------------ Pet supplies The bell at the door jingled and a freezing gust of winter air hit Anita. She looked up from the magazine she had been reading. Hurrying through the door and closing it behind them before stomping the slushy snow off their shoes, were two women. At first glance, they could have been mother and daughter, but as they loosened their scarves and took off their hats, Anita could see that they were both in their late twenties or early thirties. One was about a head shorter than the other and had an almost boyish figure. Her short brown hair didn't do much to alter the youthful impression. The other one was, while not model-tall, tall enough to stand out in a crowd. Her height combined with long auburn hair and striking blue eyes made her what Anita's boyfriend often referred to as 'every man's kryptonite'. Anita closed her magazine and pushed it to the side. It had been a quiet afternoon in the pet store and she was glad to have something more interesting to occupy her mind than old magazines and filling out order forms. Anita liked to see if she could guess what kind of animals the customers had and she was good at it too. The couple walked past the terrarium with the lizards and stopped a while at the hamster cage, but Anita didn't read anything into that; most people stopped to check out the hamsters. Next, they did something Anita didn't expect: They took a sharp left towards the doggie corner. She had been sure that they were aquarium owners. Not a big one though. Probably a starter tank with guppies or tetras. But no, they were checking out the collars on display. Anita left her post behind the counter and walked over to them. "Can I help you?" Anita asked. "Yes..." the short one glanced at the name tag on Anita's shirt, "...Anita. I'm Nikki. I'm looking for a collar for my little sweetie Sarah. and I'm a little unsure about what kind to get" Anita thought that wasn't exactly the most typical name for a dog, but then again she had a regular customer who had named his two poodles Captain Kirk and Captain Picard. "I see," she said. "Well, what breed are we talking about?" Nikki chuckled a little. "To be entirely honest, she's sort of a little bit of everything. Anyway, I measured around her neck and it's a little under 40 centimetres." "So, not a puppy then?" "Oh no. She's fully grown." Anita added up the facts: Obviously a new owner, mixed-breed, not a puppy. "A rescue?" Nikki smiled. "I guess you could say that." The redhead fiddled with the plastic bag she was carrying, making a loud crinkling sound as she studied the display. Anita got the distinct impression that she was only halfway paying attention to the conversation. "Well, there are plenty of different collars to choose from. These are very popular." Anita pulled a bright yellow nylon strap from the display. "It's really durable and you can adjust it to exactly the length you want. Plus, there are reflective threads in the nylon so she'll be visible at night." "That's nice, but Sarah is more of an indoor kind of pet so I think we'll go with a old-fashioned leather collar instead. Don't you agree?" Nikki bumped her elbow into the redhead's arm. "Huh?" she said, almost dropping her bag as she was jarred out of whatever world she was in. "Oh, er... yeah," she said as her brain seemed to catch up with the conversation. "Nothing too butch though. I don't think we need those big spikes. Just a plain leather collar." Nikki lifted a dark brown leather strap from the display. "Something like this, but maybe with one of those steel tags that are riveted in place. The fewer dangly bits, the better." "I think we have those. Let me just look." Anita started looking through the collars on the left side of the display. "By the way, if you want anything engraved on the ID tag, we have a deal with the hardware store across the street. Fifteen percent off if you show them the receipt from us." "I'll keep that in mind," Nikki said. "Anything else?" Anita asked. Nikki seemed pleasant enough, but the nameless redhead's constant noisy fiddling with her plastic bag was getting a little annoying. "Just this," Nikki said and picked up a short chain leash. While Nikki and Anita went to the register, the redhead returned to the hamster cage, intently studying the little rodent running in its wheel while she put her scarf back on. Anita rang up the transaction and put the collar and leash in a bag along with the receipt. "Well, have a good day," she said cheerfully. "And welcome back." Nikki smiled and headed for the door. As she finished wrapping her scarf around her neck she turned to the redhead. "Are you coming Sarah?" The redhead, Sarah, Anita realized, left the hamster cage and took Nikki's hand before they both disappeared out into the gusting snow outside. "Huh," Anita said to herself. "I did not see that one coming." She opened her magazine again, but her eyes didn't stay on the text. They kept wandering to the display of collars in the corner. "I wonder..."