My First Imp

“Alright, I can do this.” Clover grinned to himself, standing in front of the Imporium. He’d decided to get an imp of some sort to keep him company after watching a friend’s for a weekend and enjoying having a little guy follow him around. A tiny companion, a little buddy, a friend he could drop on his shoulder and still run around and chat with - without having to worry much about normal social cues and the like. No imp is about to care about him talking over them or not hearing a response, obviously. He put his hands on his hips and psyched himself up a bit, huffing and puffing. Normally his neres wouldn’t be getting the better of him, but this was important! Imps can be lifetime friends! He was about to go pick out a lifetime buddy! He needed to be very careful when picking his selection - and deep thought was definitely not one of his strong suits. He was much more of a brawn than brains kinda guy, a gentle giant, yes, but giant nonetheless. He barreled his way through problems, he wasn’t great at sitting down and truly considering options. But… well today he would have to be. He nodded to himself firmly, mentally reassuring himself that he would be able to pick out just the right new little buddy.

That confidence lasted all of five seconds, as the second he walked into the shop he was bombarded with various noises coming from all over the store of all the little creatures on offer. His eyes widened as he scanned the store, taking in all the options available. He somehow hadn’t realized just how many imps there were…

“Welcome! Can I help you?”

Clover’s head snapped to look in the direction of the shop over, Hutch. “Oh! Uh, yea, I’m lookin to uhh.. Adopt an imp…” Clover laughed awkwardly, now overwhelmed by the bombardment of options and things to consider. “But uh… If I’m honest I’m pretty overwhelmed.”

Hutch nodded. “First time owner, I take it?” When Clover nodded in response they smiled and guided him over to a corner of the shop where a handful of imps were playing in a pen. “These are Chirops,” they pointed to a round winged imp, “Impups,” they pointed to an imp with floppy ears and a wagging tail, “and Phloofs.” they pointed to a fluffy looking imp. “These are the most beginner friendly imps I have.”

Clover nodded and stepped closer to the pen and kneeled down, smiling when all of the imps in the pen ran over to look at him excitedly. “Oh, this one’s cute…” He wiggled his finger at a very excited looking Phloof and laughed as it bumped against the pen in an attempt to get closer to him for pets and scritches.

“Here, I’ll get it out.” Hutch scooped the Phloof out of the pen and handed it oer to Clover, chuckling when it immediately scampered up on his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck. “Well, it likes you! They’re pretty simple to take care of… Lots of attention, the occasional treat… They’re docile and friendly, so as long as you give them plenty of attention they’ll be your best friend.”

Clover nodded eagerly, following Hutch over to the checkout counter, grabbing a box of treats to buy along the way and accepting the imp care pamphlet Hutch handed him, nodding along as he gave him more information. Once confident he fully understood how to take care of his new lil guy, Clover paid for the imp, treats, and a little toy, choosing to let the Phloof ride on his shoulder when it seemed adverse to the carrier Hutch attempted to put it in. He eagerly thanked Hutch before heading home with his new friend, having to hold back from just sprinting to get home as fast as possible.

The second he got through the door he found the softest pillow in his house and sat it in a cozy spot, putting his new friend down on it. “What am I gonna name you…” He hummed in thought. “I’ll figure it out later, let’s get you settled in!” He put the toy and a treat on the pillow and let it scope out the cozy corner that now belonged to it before showing it around his home and letting it investigate each room, ending the day by letting it watch him make himself dinner and sharing some of his dinner with his new little friend before settling down on the couch and turning on the TV, petting his new buddy as he slowly drifted in and out of sleep, yawning and pulling a blanket over, making a small nest out of part of it for the little guy to snuggle into, and drifting off to sleep, excited to spend the next day with his new little friend.