Lunar Heart, Shadow Bound ✓ [when the moon lies]

Ch.8.1: Dealing with Deel

Edited: Apr, 27, 2020

Note: Drawing above, by me.

==============

As the sky began to turn pink, light seeped into her room. Pinti stretched and rubbed her eyes. Outside her door heavy footsteps thundered by and made the floor quiver. Yawning, she went to turn on the tap but of course the water wasn't on for her. Sighing in annoyance, she licked her paw and tried to make herself presentable, but the right side of her face had bedhead no matter what she did.

Twitching her whiskers, she sighed, muttering, "Whatever." She didn't feel like dealing with that now.

In the hallway, she met Deel and noticed his dark blue eyes. Those were the eyes of insensitivity as far as she knew. Pinti gave him a warning glare, hoping he would get the hint to not make comments about her tousled appearance. Just as he opened his mouth, his eye color changed and only a squeak came out.

"Slept well?" Deel gave her a warm smile. She still couldn't get used to the fact that under that façade he was Kathula. He just looked like any normal annoying Human.

"Somewhat. Well rested," she said. Her mind was groggy still and she knew today was one of those days that she needed coffee to get herself going. Ever since her first taste in Bairenshire, Pinti occasionally had days when coffee was the only thing that could energize her in the morning.

The diner still had the markings of last night's brawl with Pinti's claw marks on the wall. Deel eyed those marks and gave her a questioning look with furrowed eyebrows, but she pretended not to notice. She didn't feel like explaining herself.

At the same table as last night, she waited for the pasty waitress.

"So?" The waitress' voice faltered, and the stench of fear was strong on her. Pinti hoped they finally got the message after last night—don't mess with the blue kitty.

Pinti raised her head and gave a smirk. "Coffee."

"Coffee?" Deel said at the same time the waitress did.

"Okay..." The waitress glanced at Deel and back at Pinti. "Is that all?"

"For now." Pinti nodded.

The waitress swallowed nervously and hurried away muttering, "A cat that drinks coffee? Coffee?"

The morning inn was much quieter and there were fewer citizens each looking as exhausted as the other. Scents were subtle, the worst being a hint of vomit. As she tried to replace the minor stench with something better, the something better came and filled her nostrils with delight.

Deel arched his eyebrows when the waitress brought her coffee. Pinti opened her mouth to let the coffee scent fill her inside. The coffee cup was a pretty little one with pink flowers on it and the waitress was kind enough, or maybe just too scared of Pinti now, to try to rub her the wrong way. Before she could even ask about sugar and cream, the waitress noticed, ran back to the kitchen as if her life depended on it, and brought back two cubes of sugar placed neatly on a small plate together with cream in a little jar.

Taking a deep breath, Pinti closed her eyes, enjoying the thick yet comforting scent of freshly ground coffee. This was the stuff. A slight smile crept upon her lips. Humans she disliked, but sometimes they had clever inventions they brought all the way from their home planet.

After mixing in the sugar and cream as she liked it, she took a sip of the delightful concoction. Immediately, her switch turned on and she felt wide awake. The sweetness, the creaminess, and the slight bitterness all mingled together in her mouth—perfect harmony. With a short, satisfied sigh, Pinti licked her chops and took another sip.