Echoes of Emotion (Sebastian Sallow x OC)

Chapter 19 - Vivarium

He didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped forward, taking the jug and brush from Deek, giving him a small nod of thanks, before turning back to me.
"Where to first?" he asked.

I quickly pointed to the vivarium in front of us, since it was the closest one.
"After you, then." he said, to which I quickly headed inside.
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When the light had cleared, it took a second for my eyes to adjust.
But as soon as they did, I couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of me.
There, in front of us, were all my little Nifflers.
They clambered to get to us, seeing the food and brush Sebastian had, making him back away slightly before I grabbed his arm.

"Don't worry, they only want to say hi." I reassured him.
I let go of his arm, taking out my wand to summon my own jug and brush, just in time for them to greet us.

I began brushing and feeding as many as I could, with Sebastian following my lead.
He did not say a word as he struggled to deal with so many Nifflers.
They began climbing up him, checking his pockets to see if they could find anything.
When they realised they were empty, they began to grab at his buttons, desperate for anything new.

I laughed at the sight, before using my magic to gently grab them off of him, placing them on the ground.
I quickly reached into my pockets, taking out coins and jewellery I had collected on my adventures especially for this occasion, and threw it around, causing the Nifflers to scruffy after it, filling their pouches with as much as they could.
Sebastian laughed nervously, taking the opportunity to back away from the group, glad that a lot of them now left him alone since they were full and freshly groomed.

"I know you said you liked them, but isn't this a bit much?" he asked, stepping around the offspring I was currently feeding.
"Not at all. My grandparents practically have an infestation of Nifflers, so this is nothing." I smiled, looking up at the absolute chaos they were causing over some coins.
"Why do they have so many?" he wondered, a slight distaste in his voice, no doubt picturing the overflow of unruly beasts.
"Not sure. I think they like the innocence of it all. They're troublemakers, no doubt about it, but they mean well. And I think it's also because it means they can keep them out of trouble." I shrugged.
Sebastian let out a short chuckle.
"No wonder they're taking care of you then. Practically trained for it."
I shot him a glare, but this only seemed to continue his amusement, the smile sticking to his face.

I looked back to the Nifflers with a huff, feeding the last one before standing up.
"How come you aren't with them now?" he continued, causing me to look at him again.
His face had now dropped into one of concern.
"They travel a lot, so it's easier to just stay here. Less guilt for them." I shrugged again, not really thinking too much of it.

I was about to ask him about his own Christmas plans, getting to the whole reason I brought him here, but he changed the subject.
"So, where's Highwing?" he wondered, looking around.
"She's not in this vivarium. She's with the Graphorn's and other Hippogriffs." I explained, beginning to head out of the vivarium.
"Hold on, you have Graphorn's too? How did you manage that?" he asked as he followed me out.
"I had to obtain one for one of the trials last year, and I didn't want him to be lonely, so I got one of his friends too. The same goes for the other Hippogriffs." I explained, making my way over to the other vivarium.
"A Graphorn? Really? Can't those keepers choose a simpler beast for their trials? Like a Mooncalf."
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As we entered the second vivarium, I was greeted by the sounds of the shore.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I closed my eyes, taking in the relaxing sound.
However, a chorus of squawks interrupted me.
I opened my eyes to see Hippogriff's staring at me, eyeing up the jug in my hand,