Geppetto's Toy Shop

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The Little Wooden Head was created by his father, Geppetto, a kind maker of toys and clocks. However, Geppetto temporarily departed for some errands, leaving Pinocchio under the watchful eyes of Figaro the kitten, Cleo the goldfish, and the wooden boy's official conscience, Jiminy Cricket.

Because Pinocchio was just brought to life, he was very naive. When he wasn't being watched, Pinocchio curiously opened the shop's door and smiled widely as he watched some townsfolk pass by the shop.

"Real boys!" Pinocchio exclaimed to himself. He was often fascinated in the most mundane things.

[Figaro]

"Mrow," mewed little Figaro, who snuck under between Pinocchio's legs to get a look outside, himself. Not unlike Pinocchio, Figaro always had a sense of insatiable curiosity... but that was only natural, as he was a cat.

Although Geppetto's orders were that Figaro keep a stern eye on Pinocchio, that wasn't on the kitten's mind at the moment; all he wanted to do was play with his new (newly-vitalized, anyway) friend.

[Jiminy Cricket]

"Careful now, Pinoke."

*A voice said from somewhere. Just then, a cricket, wearing a jacket and top hat jumped to a table next to the door.*

Don't stray TOO far from the shop...remember what Mr. Gepetto said, right?

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Pinocchio turned his head 180 degrees (an impossible feat for humans) and responded to Jiminy. "Uh-huh!"

He spun his head back and looked down to Geppetto's cat. "Hello, Figaro!" he said with a light, innocent giggle. As he bent to pet Figaro, squeaking could be heard within his joints. He was, after all, made of wood. His gloved hand trailed along Figaro's back, from head to tail.

[Figaro]

Figaro purred blissfully as Pinocchio's hand stroked his furry back, happy that he had garnered attention from the puppet, and rubbed his small head against Pinocchio's hand. Figaro's first meeting with Pinocchio was far from a good impression, but the cat had quickly warmed up to him since then, trusting the puppet enough to pet him.

[Alice]

"Oh, Dinah," the dainty voice of an English girl said nearby. "They're only people. You have seen many people, you know. You needn't worry!"

Alice was of course speaking to Dinah, whom she carried in her arms. A very pretty female cat, indeed, Dinah was. Through Dinah's baby blue eyes, she noticed a rather handsome cat (perhaps about her age?), and... a boy made of wood. Dinah couldn't believe it, and she mewed and nuzzled Alice's forearm to get her attention.

Alice stopped in her tracks, in front of Pinocchio, Figaro and Jiminy, but she didn't notice them at the time. "Dinah? What are you doing?" Alice held her cat before her face, to examine Dinah.

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Pinocchio continued to pet and stroke Figaro until he was distracted by a voice whose pitch was higher than his own. The wooden boy suddenly stopped petting Figaro (much like the first time the animated puppet petted him) and looked up to see, what looked from his point of view, a boy with red lips, long yellow hair, and really poof clothes.

"Jiminy," Pinocchio asked with childhood innocence in his voice, "what's t hat?" He pointed directly to Alice. He then noticed what the girl was holding. "Oh! Another Figaro!" He looked down to the real Figaro and pointed to Dinah. "Look, Figaro! Another Figaro!"

[Figaro]

Once again, the wondrous feeling of being stroked had suddenly vanished; Figaro lightly fell over on his side as he was rubbing Pinocchio's hand, before the puppet lifted it away. A displeased pout replaced his content smile, and the kitten rose up to try and elicit more attention from Pinocchio.

Just as the puppet shouted at something outside, however, Figaro's attention was divided from receiving strokes to discovering what was outside. Trying his best to be agile (although not exactly succeeding, being only a kitten), Figaro leapt onto a table and then to a windowsill, then seeing Alice and Dinah. It was not the girl that caught his attention - Figaro saw human girls all the time - but the kitten in her arms.

Figaro just stared at Dinah, wide-eyed with amazement. Faint memories of his mother and siblings aside, he had never seen another cat before... no less, a cat of a different sex. Figaro was unsure of what to think... was this other cat a threat? A friend? Puzzled as he was, the kitten didn't take his yellow eyes off of the other kitten...

[Jiminy Cricket]

Jiminy blinks, tilting his head...he couldn't see from where he was, so he hopped down off the table and jumped up to a planter that was just outside the door, and looks towards where the lively wooden boy was watching.*

Hm? Oh! Hehe, why, that's a little girl. They're um...well...ah...

*The cricket stalled, scratching his head. How the heck was he gonna explain this to the puppet, who, not more than a few hours ago, had been a lifeless wooden doll? He chuckles softly.*

A little girl is like a little boy, only the opposite.

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"Oh!" Pinocchio responded with enthusiasm. He felt as if he was slowly becoming very smart. 'A little girl is a little boy, but opposite.' That seemed to make sense!

"Hello, little girl!" Pinocchio shouted to Alice. He raised his gloved right hand and waved. The faint sound of a joint squeaking could be heard as he waved. He pointed to the female kitten. "And Figaro! Hehe."

[Alice]

Alice turned her head to look at Pinocchio when he shouted to her. At first he appeared to be a little boy, but it quickly dawned on Alice that he was actually a wooden puppet... that was alive?!

"Goondess!" Alice exclaimed. She wasn't scared, but heavily fascinated. She approached the puppet, and then noticed Figaro by his side. She smiled, bent and sat Dinah in front of the black and white kitten. "You may converse with him, Dinah," Alice explained as she stood up straight, "while I converse with him."

She faced Pinocchio again and invited herself to study his features. She pressed her hands against the front of her skirt and leaned in gently, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow as she examined this marvel. She would later regret this action, thinking herself rude, but she truly hadn't seen anything like this. She has seen many wondrous sights, to be sure, but never an animated puppet.

"I beg your pardon," Alice said as she stood upright once more. "My name is Alice!" She curtsied.

Dinah should have been fascinated with the puppet, too, but she couldn't help be be drawn to Figaro. The female kitten, feeling shy and a little nervous, smiled lightly and hid her face slightly from him.

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Pinocchio grinned and mimicked Alice. He repeated the same curtsying stance as the little girl, and he tugged his red trousers as if it were a skirt. "I beg your pardon," he recited. "My name is Pinocchio!" He felt a bit odd doing this, but it must have been customary, because a real girl, who was a real boy but only the opposite, did it.

[Figaro]

When Alice placed Dinah down in front of Figaro, the black-and-white cat instinctively flattened his ears took a few steps back from the unfamiliar red kitten. Yet, something about her made Figaro want to get a closer look... his ears lifted up as he just stared right at her with innocent curiosity. Slowly and cautiously, he padded his little white paws towards Dinah, although taking care not to get too close.

When the girl kitten smiled at him, Figaro stopped in his tracks, and didn't know what to think... yet, he ended up responding as any little boy would; he refused to return the smile, looking away and pouting as he pretended to have no interest at all in her. Figaro often tried his best to be a 'big' cat: brave, tough, and independent... but, at the same time, he was just so interested in this newcomer...

[Alice]

Dinah's smile vanished. She was initially surprised by the male kitten's reaction, but then she was obviously offended. Her ears flattened, she narrowed her eyes and she looked away with a nearly "Hmpf!" expression.

Alice was perplexed by the wooden boy's action. Was he... mocking her? The girl stood upright, folded her arms on her chest and furrowed her eyebrows. "I beg your pardon, but are you... mocking me?" She was hopeful that the boy wasn't insulting her. Otherwise, she would give him a piece of her mind.