[WP] You always were a somewhat shy person, always letting people walk over you. That was, until you got your pet cat. People have treated you...differently since then.

Pebbles the Elder God laid on my couch, his eyes roaming the house in a languid and desultory fashion. Since the summoning, he'd been true to his word. Not one thing had changed between us. I made no demands on his power, assuming he had any, and he continued to leave his poop uncovered in the litter box.

It was a chilly November morning, and as was my habit, I'd curled up on the loung chair and hunkered deep into the alpaca blanket my grandmother had given me. The landlord promised the heat would be fixed this year.

No sooner had the thought occurred to me, did Pebbles decide to leave the comfort of his perch and approach me.

"Jason, we need to talk."

His tone brooked no argument, though I wasn't prepared to offer one anyway. I sat up and looked down at the orange ball of pretentious fur before me.

"Okay," I said. "What about?"

Pebbles lifted his haunches off the floor and let loose a stream of neon yellow fluid. He never looked away from me. When he finished, he turned around and went back to his lazy examination of the house.

Well, that was odd. I decided it wasn't wise to confront a God, so I got out the mop and cleaned up the mess. Before I even had time to put it away, I heard another stream of liquid. Pebbles was pissing on my blanket!

I sprinted at the cat, but stopped short at the look on Pebbles's face. That was not a look to challenge. For nearly the whole month, Pebbels did something atrocious at least once a day. Finally, even the fact that he was a God couldn't restrain me.

"Dammit, Pebbles!" I screamed while picking up the shards of my mother's urn. "I can't take this anymore. I want you out!"

Okay, it wasn't the most violent outburst, but for me it was an explosion. Pebbles moved to me and pushed his head against my hand. I rubbed his ears and he darted his head this way and that, making sure I got all his favorites spots.

"I wish I knew why you were doing this," I whispered while scratching under his chin.

"Now that you've stood up to a god,"Pebbles said, surprising me, "maybe you can tell that worthless human to fix the heat. It's freezing in here."

Without another sound, he walked away. The way he managed to both stomp his feet and delicately avoid stepping in my mother's ashes was astounding. Also, if a walking cat could convey disappointment, then Pepples was nearly livid.

A few days later, Pebbeles and I sat on the couch together basking in the warmth of a newly installed heater. The landlord hemmed and hawed, but relented in the end. Flush with victory, I wasted no time in telling Pebbles, who did not deign to respond.

My phone rang and absently picked it up and answered it, automatically putting it on speaker.

"Hello"

"Good morning, is this Jason Maxwell?"

"It is," I said.

"Mr. Maxwell, this Cynthia from Bombast Cable. We have to reschedule your modem installation for January third."

January 3rd! This was the second time they wanted to reschedule and I'd already been without internet for two months.

"We're very sorry about this, and hope you understand. "

A claw dug into my thigh. I looked down and saw an expression on Pebbles's face that promised dire retribution if I acquiesced.

"You know what," I snarled, " I don't understand. "