Tea Time

You never know how you manage to get yourself into these types of situations. It could be the fact that maybe, just maybe, trouble likes to find you.

You were cornered against a steel fence with three very amused, very threatening thugs. Clutching your bag to your chest, you sent the middle one a hard glare.

"Back off!" You bark at them, making sure your voice was clear enough to send a signal of don't fuck with me.

Didn't seem too effective, as the middle one just took a step further. "We won't hurt ya. Hand over the bag & we'll slide." He mused, his hand outstretched to you.

"I'm serious! I have pepper spray! I KNOW SELF-DEFENSE!" You yell, holding the pepper spray straight at him.

The thug swipes his hand at you tauntingly & you flinch back into the fence. You hear him & his buddies chuckle.

"Seems like we'll be having a good night after all..." The thug said, as he & his buddies approached you.

Before the main one could grab you, you hear a couple of trash cans crash loudly further into the alley. Your heart sang, thinking someone could be there to step in.

The thugs glanced back at the overturned trash cans. "S'probably some rat." They turned back to you, with the middle one making another swipe at your purse.

You scream out-

-and one of the thugs is cut off as he's suddenly pulled to the ground & yanked away from the alley.

The one on the left whirls around, looking wildly into the alleyway. "Ra-AACK!" He's lifted by the throat and slammed into a dumpster near the building wall, his limp body sliding down into an unconscious heap.

You frantically searched the dark alley for the person dishing out the pain, and coincidentally, so was the final mugger that threatened you. He instinctively backed up close to you, as the air around you grew tense.

"It is a beautiful night." A calm, grave voice echoed from the dark edges of the alley.

"It would be a shame if something were to ruin it."

A flash of light, and a trash can lid was sent flying forward, hitting the thug square in the jaw.

He swung over from the momentum, facing you with wild eyes and a bleeding lip.

You react instinctively, extending your arm and hitting the thug with a lungful of pepper spray.

He screams out, covering his eyes as he falls to the ground. Rolling over in pain, he curls up in fetal position, sniffling & shrieking.

You stare, still feeling the shock of it all, before the stranger's voice breaks you out of your reverie.

"It would be best to clear the scene, wouldn't you agree?" He said, stepping out of the shadows and strolling past the two unconscious thugs.

His tail caught your eye first, then, your eyes slowly wandered up, taking in the weathered yellow robe with the distinct medal, then the graying Fu Manchu mustache, & finally, the beady eyes & rat ears.

This is unreal. You thought as he approached you.

"Pardon me for the abrupt introduction but, would you care to join me for some tea?" He offered with an outstretched bandaged hand.

This must be some weird-ass Alice in Wonderland schtick.

You don't know what possessed you, but you took his hand, stepping around the groaning stranger on the ground. "What....Who are you?" You asked.