bath time!

Somewhere between a kitchen incident in Breakfast’s apartment that had left the whole place smelling of smoke and burnt ube, and about half a dozen sticky treats in the past few days, she’d become acutely aware of just how filthy her impups had become. Strawbaby, normally a bright magenta hue, had taken on a more dull hue in her coat, and Raspbaby was almost unrecognizable, as his baby blue coloring had turned something more like… baby grey?

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she had to give the two a good bath, but the logistics of it were a bit tricky for a first-time imp owner.

She thought about trying to bathe the two imps at her place, of course, but the idea of trying to stumble around the pair in a cramped shower just didn’t seem efficient, or safe, for that matter. The bun was a thrill-seeker, but cracking her head open on the bathroom floor wasn’t the sort of thrill that she lived for.

The bun who’d given most of her imp-rearing advice so far was obviously her next stop. Fortunately for Breakfast, Quince had a nice grooming station in the back of her shop that she figured would do the trick just fine. The imp trainer was even kind enough to help with Raspbaby while Breakfast handled Strawbaby!

“There’s shampoo and conditioner here,” Quince explained, pointing out the pair of identical black soap dispensers on the wall, each labeled neatly with their respective contents. Perhaps it was because the shop was still new, but the grooming tubs were nicer than the shower she had at home!

“And then I have rubber aprons so you don’t get soaked while you wash them. Other than that, it’s just like a regular bath.” She explained it with all the confidence that Breakfast would expect, but once Strawbaby’s little imp paws hit the tile on the waist-high, imp-sized tub, she could tell this whole bath thing would be easier said than done.

The handheld hose was easy enough to handle, but Strawbaby clearly didn’t have any idea what was going on, cowering from the stream at first with a pitiful whine. Breakfast tried to lower the heat, ramp up the heat, turn down the water pressure, but nothing seemed to convince the poor imp that the stream of water wouldn’t hurt her. “Ah–” Breakfast’s brows knit, and she finally gave in to peek over at Quince and see how her technique differed.

The difference really wasn’t in the technique itself. The water pressure seemed normal, and judging by the lack of steam rising up from the water, it wasn’t that the water Breakfast was using was too cold. She did, however, note how Quince cooed and stroked the imp’s back while she aimed the spray into his coat, a satisfying amount of dirt and grime falling away.

It made sense, didn’t it? Showers weren’t anything out of the ordinary for your average bun, but for the imps, this was something completely new. Perhaps they just needed a little reassurance!

“Shh, shh,” Breakfast hushed as she turned back to Strawbaby, running a hand over her head first, down to her back, and then up again to do the same. The imp was much more receptive this time, cuddling up close to her owner’s hand even when she introduced the water back into the equation. “That’s a good girl. Who’s a good impup?” Breakfast broke out the baby talk, pleased to find that all of Strawbaby’s painfully obvious anxiety melted away with the water dripping off her coat.

“Looks like they’re really getting comfortable with you,” Quince commented, lathering a dollop of shampoo between her hands to rub into Raspbaby’s coat.

“I think so,” Breakfast replied softly, setting the hose down to hold both of Strawbaby’s cheeks in her hands. “Is that right, little Strawbaby? Do you love me?”

Strawbaby made a sharp yip before bouncing forward to give Breakfast’s cheeks affectionate imp kisses, sending the bun into a fit of giggles. Even with the rubber apron on, she would be soaked through after this.

Well, fair was fair, right? Breakfast wrapped her arms around the impup to hug her back, giving her muzzle a couple (less wet) kisses in return.