I'm Not Losing ((19))

[victoriousscarf]

Sonya entered the cafe much more subdued than he usually did, glancing around the almost abandoned place. Most people were still celebrating with their families or sleeping off the night before after all. He settled into a corner table, his small tail swishing behind him on the seat, and his ears drooping.

[amanika]

As a result, there was only one waitress about that day. Rumpelteazer was covering the breakfast and lunchtime shifts, having taken off the busy Christmas Eve shift and then spend a pleasant enough Christmas day with her brother. She came out from the kitchen as she heard the bell on the door go. She useually enjoyed working Boxing day, her manager useually took it off, leaving one of the kitchen staff, all of whom she got along better with, in charge.

[victoriousscarf]

Sonya's ears flickered a little when he spotted Teazer, not entirely sure he was actually comfortable with talking to people yet. This had probably been a terrible idea.

[amanika]

Given the way they'd last parted, Teazer wasn't feeling so confident about talking to Sonya either, still rather embarrassed at how her brother had behaved. His reaction had made her wary too, she couldn't think of Sonya as a danger with any intent to hurt her, but it had hightened her awareness of his job once again.

Nevertheless, no one else was there to serve him, so there was really no avoiding it. Teazer approached the table, but paused when she caught a proper look at Sonya, everything about him seemed to be the very picture of misery and discontent. She paused, and withdrew to the kitchen, under the pretence of clearing a nearby table.

When Teazer returned, she was carrying a tray with a generous cup of coffee, and milk and sugar on the side, as the Comissioner useually asked for it. She placed it down on the table without saying anything, though she dared to offer the brooding tomcat before her a small smile.

[victoriousscarf]

He glanced up, a little surprised at the sight of the coffee on the table before him, not having been paying attention to his surroundings much by that point, and smiled faintly at Teazer, though his ears were still flickering around. "Thank you," he said softly.

[amanika]

Teazer nodded at the smile, "Least I can do. Can I getcha' anythin' else?"

[victoriousscarf]

"Not yet," Sonya replied. "Thank you though."

[amanika]

Another nod, "I'll leave you t'enjoy that then. Just yell if y'want anythin'." Teazer turned to leave.

[victoriousscarf]

He saw her turning and opened his mouth before he could think better of it. "Teazer..." he said and then paused. "Are, how have you been?"

[amanika]

She stopped as he called her name, turning back on the balls of her feet. "Not bad," she smiled again, "jus' the same as always really. What about..." she paused, changing tack, "I'm sorry about the stuff my brother said, he's a good cat, really, just don't know when t'keep his mouth shut. I hope y'don't think any worse of him f'it." or of me.

[victoriousscarf]

Oh, right. With his wallowing session over Christmas, Sonya had actually almost forgotten about Jerrie. "It was alright," he said, not mentioning that Jerrie had been in the day after to talk to him more about it. "He cares a lot about you, and that is what matters, even if it makes him... abrupt to other people."

[amanika]

"I know he does." Teazer agreed, "But it ain't no cause t'behave like that, he's gotta' let me go sometime. But he is my brother, so I still love him f'it. But I'm glad you didn't take no offence."

[victoriousscarf]

Sonya nodded, turning the cup around in his paws. "He actually stopped by the station the next day to apologize too," he said after a moment.

[amanika]

Teazer was rather taken aback by this, ears pricking up in surprise, "He did? Well I guess that's good," a pause, "was it?"

[victoriousscarf]

Sonya nodded. "He looked rather unhappy about being there, but he was civil about it." He paused for a long moment before venturing, "And how was your Christmas?" Someday he would learn not to ask questions he did not want to be asked in return.