12

You clear your throat, almost having forgotten what you came in for.

"Well, I ran out of pet food, but I'm not sure what's good for cats that I can also afford. This is kind of my first time buying this stuff."

Nic nods.

"That's no problem. To be honest, a lot of this expensive stuff is no better than the store brand. And if your cat's fussy, we've got plenty of options. If you like, you can take a bunch of samples to see what they prefer."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, no problem. It can be like a new customer bonus."

She spends a few minutes getting you set up with enough cat food for a small feast, all the while asking you questions about Arctus. Her face starts to light up as you chat about animals, with even a little small talk seeming like a welcome distraction.

Once you have a full basket, Nic takes you to the checkout counter. While she's scanning everything through, your conversation starts to lag, and eventually you find yourself just watching as Nic moves things about with automatic motions.

After a minute of quiet, you say: