Hutch's Favorite Place

Unlike probably most of the world, Hutch looked forward to going to work more than to going home at the end of the day. There was nothing more rewarding than to see imps become used to spending time with each other, learn tricks (for those of a more receptive temperament, as sometimes they did not mesh as well with him as they did their future owners), and be given to a loving owner. Imps had such incredible potential for learning and loving that it was hard to not care for them as much as he did, but Hutch was probably the most passionate there was when it came down to it.

 

When Hutch unlocked the door to the Imporium they approached desk the front and set up their computer to get ready for the day. The room had a seating area and a small refreshments station for when the busy hours hit, and was decorated according to Hutch's style: cozy and relatively modest but with imp-themed decorations both bought by Hutch and occasionally donated by frequent customers. Little figurines, some magazines, wall decorations, and photographs of imps with their owners or events taken place at the Imporium lovingly filled the room in such a way that it was clear that their business held genuine care for the imps rather than using them for a quick profit.

 

Once they were clocked into the system they headed towards what was essentially the main room of the building. Upon entering the door they were immediately greeted by Reginald who flew over to land on their finger, and more slowly by Sesame who they walked over to pick up into a hug. Miss Hiss, though not interested in coming over to them, slowly blinked her eyes at Hutch in such a way that made their heart swell with affection. As much as Hutch would love to bring their imps home with them, they had a very important job at the Imporium. They were tasked with spending time with the new imp arrivals that Hutch caught in order to normalize them interacting safely with other kinds of Imps; however, Miss Hiss tended to take on more of a mediator role since she seemed to be aware that her sudden movements made some of the other imps a bit wary of her. 

 

The first thing that Hutch did after greeting their pets was to unlock the few skittish imps from their cages in the back. It was sometimes necessary to separate imps when they were unsupervised since they needed some extra time to grow accustomed to being around so many others. It was for the others' safeties as much as their own. When they were released, Hutch fed them all according to their dietary needs and replenished their supply of liquids as necessary. While the imps ate, they made a coffee and took a seat at one of the tables.

 

The main room of the Imporium was essentially an imp cafe. Hutch believed that the best bonds occur when you have spent some time with the imps and find the one you feel a special connection with, and vice versa. They believed it was a better (and more profitable, since they could sell drinks, snacks, and imp treats) business model than what the classic model was for imp adoptions was in the past: having them in cages or an inaccessible area where customers would point to which one they liked most. Their customers' reviews reflected those same ideals.

 

They took a look over at the little imps and smiled, watching them eagerly down their food and play with the many toys present on the floor. There were also a lot of obstacles, perches along the walls, tunnels, and little "houses" around the room to give the imps some comfortable places to relax, hide, and provide more stimulation than a flat floor. Seeing them so happy made Hutch feel immensely proud of their accomplishments. 

 

They looked over to what they would consider the "main" wall. It had a large screen updated to show a list from their website of all of the current imps along with their pictures to help customers identify them. Beside it was a much smaller screen where customers could look at more details about each imp, such as their temperament based on a little personality chart Hutch put together along with their likes and dislikes, plus where they were found. They found that having that information readily available also helped succubuns find a better match for them since it wasn't uncommon for them to come in for a short time to browse and then leave.

 

When Hutch finally got a taste of the hot coffee, the expected shock of how hot it was reminded them that they had to update the list of all current imps on their website. Immediately, they headed to the front room to get ready for work.