They walked over to the blueberry bushes and started collecting. It was evident that Mary was going to have more berries than Valerie because she gave Arlo a berry every other time she'd pick one.
"So, how's your week been?" Mary asked Valerie.
"It's been," Valerie answered bluntly. A long silence stretched before Mary talked again
"How's Alan?" Mary asked as she struggled to get the blueberry off the bush.
"He's well," Valerie answered, keeping it short and simple.
Another long silence took place. The girls weren't the best of friends, Valerie liked her before- before she knew that Mary hated her. Valerie took a deep breath and a long sigh to release it.
"What do you want?" Valerie finally let the words she'd been keeping back all this time out.
"What do you mean? We're doing what I want, berry picking." Mary said.
"Ow!" Mary got pricked by a thorn- a thorn? Weren't these blueberry bushes, it looked like they were growing blueberries, why was there a thorn?!
Mary dropped her basket and retracted her hand, a soft, faint meow was heard coming from the bushes. Mary hadn't been pricked by a thorn, it was a cat, most likely it's claws.
"What the-" Valerie sat down Alro and he went over to Mary and started gnawing on her arm.
"Arlo, fight the foe later, save the friend now." Arlo went back into the basket and laid down, while Valerie quietly kissed and slowly moved her hand around in the bush.
"Valerie, what are you doing? And I'm not a foe, I'm not a foe anymore at least." Mary rubbed the spot on her leg that she was bitten on and crawled toward the bush where Valerie was, face to close to the bush for comfort.
"I'm trying to find the poor tiny thing," Valerie said as she felt something wet on her fingertip and it moved away and came back again.
Valerie pulled out a brown cat with dark brown stripes across its back and beautiful blue eyes.
"Ew Valerie it's-"
"Aw Mary it's adorable, I'm going to keep it." Valerie sat the cat in the basket with the bunny, who had eaten all of the berries, and walked into the castle.
"Ugh, this is a lost cause." Mary picked up her waisted berries and ran after Valerie.
"What do mean your gonna keep it? Don't you have to provide for your family, your only making around 150!" Mary exclaimed following Valerie.
"I get paid 500 dollars, plus having a cat around would keep away the mice," Valerie said as she coaxed the tiny things head.
"It smells horrible, you can't keep it around!" Mary said almost spilling her berries again.
"I'll give it a bath, decipher its gender, and train it." Valerie gave a sweet smile to the animal as they arrived at the kitchen.
"And you're going to feed it?" Mary watched Valerie turn on the faucet.
"Not right now, but after its bath." Valerie shook her head and placed both Arlo and the cat in the sink.
"With the bunny?" Mary sat down her basket.
"They'll be family soon, might as well get them used to each other." Valerie put some soap on both the animal's head.
Mary watched quietly as Valerie straightened out the cat's whisker and fluffed out its fur and dried it off, it looking like an angel.
"Woah, is that the same cat who went into the sink?" Mary asked looking astounded at the newfound beauty.
"The exact same, now time to tell if it's a girl or boy." Valerie picked up the cat and twisted it around for a bit before she set it back down.
"It's a girl, do you want to name her?" Valerie asked Mary and she quickly shook her head, if Valerie got in trouble for this she wanted nothing to do with it. She thought it was still better to let the stray thing go anyway.
"Alright, I'll name her then. Let's see there Alan and Alro, how about Alice." Valerie rubbed her head and she purred, feeling like a vibration on Valerie's hand.
"Alice it is then." Alice took Arlo by the neck and sat Alro and herself back in the basket.
"Aww, Alice is already adapting to us." Valerie put her hands together under her chin and tilted her head and squinted her eyes.
"Oh, you've named it." Mary slapped her forehead.
"I'll see you, Mary." Valerie grabbed some raw fish, lettuce, and tomatoes waved at her, and smiled at her and Mary took her hand off her head and smiled a little.
"Bye Valy." Her slight sweet smile turned into an evil cunning smile, one so sharp it could cut right through diamond.
Mary straightened her skirt and walked out, Valerie obviously felt more comfortable around her now, that was one step closer to her goal.