"Welcome to the... Multiversal..." He trails off as some white blob enters the store, small ears on top of it as it looks up at him, stubby little legs flailing a bit on the ground, yet still standing somehow.
"Meow." The cat simply states, hopping onto the counter.
"Uh... good kitty?" He hesitantly reaches out, petting it. It purrs, so it's definitely a cat.
Probably.
"So, where'd you come from little guy?" He asks the cat, who stares at him blankly. "Right, you're a cat. Shouldn't expect high level of conversation."
*Ding*
'Already?'
Walking through the door was a cat of similar size to the one he was petting. The difference was miniscule, barely even noticeable if you weren't paying very close attention.
This cat was carrying an axe. Holding it high above itself, despite the fact that it had to weigh more than the cat by a lot.
"...you're not gonna kill me, right?" He squints his eyes at the cat, who blinks back at him silently. "I'm watching you."
*Ding*
'Crap, what now?'
Walking through the door was a cat almost perfectly flat—like someone had ironed it upright. Like a wall, it barely fit through the door as it approached the counter.
"Meow~"
"I can't tell if you all are here to buy something or not." Alex admits, continuing to pet the cat on the counter as more and more strange cats poured in. "...is this gonna be a problem?"
As the crowd grew, he was starting to realize it might actually be an issue, but thankfully, one he didn't have to actually solve.
"Hey, where are you all going?" A light voice calls from outside the door, some of the cats turning to look back before continuing on their exploration of Alex's shop.
Stepping through the door was a very tall woman, with wings sprouting out of her back with minimal armor on. Wearing black greaves and what seemed to be a bra of metal, she walked into the shop, eyes glancing over at him under her metal crown with a red gem embedded into it.
"Hello, I don't believe we've met." She politely greeted him, nodding a bit. "I'm a Valkyrie Cat, who are you?"
"...Valkyrie... Cat?" Alex questions, not seeing the 'cat' part of her at all.
"Yes, I was made by the Cat God to serve in the battle against the Devilish Doges and their army of evil." She calmly explained. "Were you not also made by Cat God?"
...
"No?" He almost seems to question. "I'm, uh, just a traveler. I sell things, trade too, just for whatever someone needs when they enter the shop."
"Oh!" She came to some sort of realization. "Yes, we've seen travelers before, though few have ever sold anything. What wares do you offer?"
"Uh, depends on what you want. The shop changes based on your own desire, I don't control the inventory."
"Really?" She looks to some of the shelves, which were currently filled with different varieties of cat food, and seems to concentrate. The shelf shifted, changing to different types of armor, a few cleaning utensils for weapons, and... catnip scented perfume?
Raising an eyebrow at her for the last item, she looks away, snatching it off the shelf without a word.
"Right, catnip perfume, makes perfect sense." He deadpans as the first cat that entered hops off the counter. "So, wanna buy that now, or are you still browsing?"
"Browsing." She confidently states, a slight blush on her face as she explores the shop. Thankfully, her entrance did seem to stop the flow of cats entering the shop for some reason.
The chaos finally started to settle. Despite the absurdity of the situation, Alex couldn't help but relax a bit—until he noticed a cat tied up and scooting across the floor, mouth gagged and chain on its leg.
Looking up at the Valkyrie, he notes that she's looking right at him.
"...he likes it." She calmly states, blush growing stronger.
'Only raises more questions...'
Thankfully, she finishes shopping pretty quickly, dropping a basket onto the counter.
"Didja find everything alright?" He asks calmly, looking at the strange orbs and different pieces of armor.
"Quite. Everything was laid out nicely." She compliments with a small smile. "Also, I apologize for the... number of visitors, I usually keep them on a much shorter leash."
"Eh, it's fine." He waves off, mentally calculating everything in the basket. "Honestly, it was nice to have a break, pet some cats despite how weird they might be."
She holds her hand to her mouth, chuckling a bit. "Well, I'm glad to have been of service. How much for everything?"
"How about I give it to you for 2 and a half million XP?" He calmly gives the price.
"Oh?" She seems pleased yet surprised. "Are you sure that's all?"
"Yeah, this has been a great time, I'll consider the company the other part of your payment."
"Oh, such a gentleman~" She pulls out a pouch and produces a Golden ticket of some sort, handing it over to him. As it disappears from his touch, Alex is surprised to see two silver tickets stay in his hand.
"Huh, I guess this is your change?" He questions, never having given change back before.
"Thank you." She gracefully takes it, turning to leave. "Hopefully we'll see you again." She comments as all the cats rush out of the door.
As all the cats leave, she follows after them, the door shutting silently behind her.
...
"What just happened?" Alex can't help but ask himself. "So, she was a Cat? She worships a Cat God? I don't-"
Sighing, he hangs his head a bit, giving up for the moment. "Whatever, it's the multiverse, surprised things have been coherent at all for this long."
*Ding*
"Oi, Choom!" A loud female voice rings out as they enter, the door banging against the wall from the forceful opening. "You better have some Preem shit here to be taking up my relaxation space!"
'No time for peace and quiet.'