"You're an adult, it's only your permission I need."
A laugh escapes me. "I meant from the examination board."
"Oh."
"So?" I prompt when he doesn't respond immediately.
"I don't think it'll be a problem. But I'll run it by my advisor next time I talk to him."
"I thought you said you were working with Miss Feathertop?"
"As an assistant, yes. But she's not in charge of my thesis."
"I guess I'll find out about that if I get that far in my education." I hope I do. Not that I want to be a doctor of anything. That's not part of my life plan. Though at this point, I'm not sure what that plan really entails beyond surviving.
"I'm sure you'll do more than survive. You seem to be a very resourceful young woman."
I have no idea what to do with his compliment but am saved by the ring of the bell.
"I need to go meet my friend," I murmur.
"Can I have your number?" he blurts. "So I can text you about my thesis?"
I can tell from his voice that he wants it for more than that, but I don't question it. I want to give him my number for exactly the same reasons he wants it. Plus, there's the added advantage of us maybe figuring out what's wrong with me.
I lean in and scribble it on a spare bit of paper, before standing and scooping up the kitten. "Use it wisely, Mr Smith."
"I intend to," he whispers. There's a chance I wasn't meant to hear it, but I did. And it left a content smile on my face.
My time here at Grimalkin looks a bit less bleak after this afternoon.
Chapter Five
"What are you going to call him?" Daphne asks as she scratches the grey kitten's chin.
He seems to like it, as he pushes himself further into her hand.
"Call him?" I echo.
"He needs a name."
Oh. Right. A name. I have no clue what to say to that. I don't have any pets and have never gone through the naming process before. What happens if he doesn't like the name I pick for him? Will he hate me for good?
"Mona?" Daphne prompts.
"I don't know any good cat names," I respond honestly.
"What about Rhubarb?"
"As a name?" I frown at her, wondering if she's joking.
"It's one of the most popular cat names in the world," she informs me.
"How do you even know that?" Who spends their time looking up what people call their cats? Huh. Okay, that does sound like the kind of thing people would do.
"I've been looking into cat names ever since we started looking for the spell to turn into cats," she admits, a slight blush colouring her cheeks and matching the pink of her hair. "I didn't know if my cat form would like the name Daphne, so it was better to have backups."
"You looked up alternative names for yourself?" I'm asking a lot of questions, but I feel the situation warrants just that. It's not every day that your best friend tells you she looked up cat names in case her magically induced cat shifting side wants a different one. The funniest part is that they haven't found the spell yet anyway, so she doesn't need a name for her cat side.