Team spirit

Honestly Gaius was stumped on how he managed to get this little impup. He knew there was something happening with the imp... well he didn't know what to call them, breeder? He wasn't sure if imps could breed. Either way he was stuck with them because of Hutch and the new bun, Quince's little rivalry. He didn't really care much for it but, it's not like he could say no. Especially with the way the competition flared in Quince's eye. He brought them to hutch hoping to learn more about the little pup, he didn't know what he was doing at all and to have one so suddenly was really unnerving for him. He didn't really plan to get any other imps after this one. This was it. Last imp he was getting.

He made his way to the imporium where Hutch sat, happy that Gaius had picked his side, though Gaius just picked it cause it meant he didn't have to worry about feeding the thing. He sat it down on his desk. 

"So, what did you decide to call the little guy?" Hutch smiles up at Gaius who just looks down at him a bit unamused, not happy to be out of the church. 

"Pup." He says simply, not bothering too much with any additional words. 

"Oh." Hutch smiles awkwardly, "How creative." He nods, well... at least he already had Gaius on his side and not Quince's. The intimidation wouldn't help if he wasn't on his side so that was a good plus. Or at least Hutch hoped it was. "So do you know anything about them?" He hums, still smiling despite the cold demeanor of the other.

"Uh, no. This is my first imp. Probably my last too." Gaius grimaces slightly, he wasn't even sure if he'd keep this little guy.

"Oh, well I can teach you about them while we get him all cleaned up! I can also show you some of the other imps we have, never say never." Hutch smiles a bit brighter at the man who just nods. 

"Sure. I mean, I can't see myself having any others but it doesn't hurt to look." He sighs slightly, he should at least learn more about them and see if his statement was even true.

The two make their way over to a small grooming station, starting to brush out the little pup and get him nice and pretty. Gaius listened intently as Hutch explained all that he knew about the imps, things such as not feeding them dango or mochi since they didn't seek them out in the wild. It made enough sense to Gaius, they formed an unnatural craving because of buns, so why would it make sense to feed them something even if they wanted it. Temptation was a strong thing, even he knew that. He might encourage it in the church but this wasn't a bun and it didn't have a vice, it wasn't the same. At least not in his eyes.

"So an imp with colors is just... mutated?" Gaius asks, looking around at all the black imps in the shop, his eye being drawn in to the smooth flowing creatures in water, the Jellsi's as Hutch called them, there were also other ones from what he remembered, thulu, shelon, devish. They seemed interesting but his eye was drawn to the relaxed figure of the Jellsi's. He might get one... or two... maybe even three.

"Correct, and even though buns have been doing it for years, we don't know how long an imp's life span is or even anything about them biologically! Who's to say in two or three hundred years they don't just spontaneously pass or even mutate further!" Hutch emphasizes his words causing gaius's eyes to widen some. He wouldn't have gone that far considering it just seemed to change their colors but, he guessed it was a possibility. 

"What about those ones?" He points to the tank of water imps, "Do they mutate?" He asks, he'd seen a few of the aqueous imps around the church, maybe they turned into water or some kind of sea flower. Something.

"No, those ones don't mutate at all. They don't even take the dango or mochi. They're kind of a catch all for imp changing." Hutch smiles, those were safe in his eyes, no one could mutate those. 

Gaius continued to groom his pup, it leaned into his touch as its eyes squinted up at him in happiness. Maybe he'd even get one or two more of these little guys. Maybe.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind adopting some of the jellsi. They're pretty and it'd be nice to have them in a fancy tank." His lips quirk into a small smile, the first one Hutch had seen from him and he happily brought out a new tank. 

"I'm sure a fresh tank would be great for them, and you can show off their natural inkiness in a bright space." He smiles and the two begin to work on the new tank as well. Gaius's little pup occasionally interrupting them by stomping and playing around with the items they were going to put in or just running into the water back and forth, forcing Gaius to groom the little pup again. Not that he minded, but he wouldn't say it out loud. He enjoyed playing with the little imp, petting it and brushing it was quite calming as well. 

Once the tank was ready and they put the two jellsi and one thulu, which Gaius affectionately named Jellsi, into it he reached in, petting them and feeling the smooth feel of their skin. He held his pup, letting it dip it's paw in to 'pet' the jellsi as well. Hutch was enjoying watching Gaius bond with all his new imps, playing and brushing them as well as just learning about the care that went into it. 

Gaius was a bit hesitant to have to now play each day with the imps but it would just be part of his new routine. Plus Orryn wanted to go out with him sometimes to new restaurants and always commented how he looked constipated. Walking an imp could probably hopefully help with that. 

He set the tank back down, drying off the pup's paw before setting him back down. "Thank you again Hutch for doing this on such short notice. I might actually come back for another pup." He laughs quietly as the little pup jumped at his sash, trying to play with it and he gently swung his hips some to get it to move to play with the pup a bit more. "While your rivalry is definitely one for the ages, I do think you're in the right." He hums, "Imps have a natural tendency, they were wild at one point and we changed it." He looks down at the pup, he couldn't imagine it any other color than the inky black it was right now and that was perfect for him. "If the fish cannot mutate, maybe it is for the best the others don't as well. Either way, you have my word he won't be touching any dango or mochi." He smiles up at the other bun, "He'll be well taken care of, don't worry."

With that, Gaius lifts his pup up into his arms, the other picking up the tank. "I appreciate the help, and I'll be back again soon for more grooming. I can't say the church has many grooming supplies." He laughs and with that he had left the imporium, new information in mind and a new pet to show to Orryn.