[PROMPT/GIFT] Finnegan's Imp-Land

It took a good while to get Hutch to actually give him the Imp carrier. He figured that walking in with an Imp in net would’ve led to him walking out in a few minutes with supplies for it, ready to care for the little bugger he fished up. 

However, it turns out placing a Thulu that was coming off of its nap on the desk of one of the most knowledgeable Imp tamers of Burrogatory earned Finnegan a stern and well-needed talking to. 

“...so before I can raise that,” Finnegan said, pointing at the Baby Thulu he had sloshed on the front counter of the Imporium earlier,

“You want me to care for this bat here?” 

Hutch sighed with relief, pushing up their glasses.

“Yes. The, um… ‘catch’ you brought in is… not an Imp you can just take home and care for without prior experience, as I explained…” 

Hutch looked back at the saltwater tank the Thulu was resting in, grateful they didn’t have to deal with it escaping while it was lucid. 

“This Imp, however, is still just as agile and almost as smart as the Thulu you brought in. It won’t be as quick to escape however, and will still love for you to care for it. They’re quite friendly, and need to be fed twice a day at a regular schedule.” 

Hutch put their hands on the carrier, pushing it forward to bring the Chirop sitting inside closer to Finnegan. He nodded along, as he had been doing for the past 40 minutes of imp-related lecture.

“These Chirops are an extremely popular pet, and there are plenty of Buns out there you can learn from, in terms of being a good pet owner. Or, you could even ask other owners for advice! If- it comes to that, of course.”

Finnegan kicked up with his legs and scooped up all the supplies in two hooves. The Chirop stirred in its carrier from the sudden movement, flapping a bit. 

“If you have any questions, I can answer them-”

“No problem! I’ll just follow all the advice you gave me and bring this Chi… Chirob back in a few days to get the Imp I gave you back!” 

Hutch interjected. “Chirop.”

“Chirop! Yes!” Finn’s freckled smile lit up the room, and Hutch could see the genuine, slightly-naive affection he had for Imps. They glanced at the Chirop in the carrier, which was now leaning against the walls trying to get a look at the Bun holding it, and their shoulders loosened.

“I’m… I’m sure with an Imp like that, you’ll catch on fast to how tricky they can be. Afterwards, we can talk about raising something like a Thulu.”

“Mhm.”

Hutch pulled out their calculator, and quickly began adding up the costs of Finnegan’s first venture into the world of pet ownership.

“Now, with food, the carrier, the feeding trays, the bed, and the toys, that comes out to 68 carots, plus the temporary adoption fee-”

Ring-a-ding, the door chime rang. The teal bun had already left through the front door and was on his way back to his burrow, whistling a tune while wondering what name to give his lovely Imp. 

He’ll have to come back for his Thulu, then he’ll pay… right?

FIN