The Stray

Part 7 - The Bailer with a Smile

"Thank you, officer, I'll take it from here," the creature tells the man gripping his arm, his voice painfully positive. The officer grunts, letting go abruptly, letting me stumble a bit and finally rub my sore forearm.

"Come, come, we have much to do today!" the creature states, he hops a bit before turning and walking to the door in a stately way an animal shouldn't be able to. Without any other option, I reluctanly follow after, mind aswirling with question.

"Now, I'm sure you have many questions, child," the creature says as they make their way into the early dawn rays, making me squint in surprise. I hadn't thought that much time had passed. "We will get to them all eventually, but first, let me introduce myself. I am Nezu! Principle of UA and Aizawa's boss!"

I blink in surprise, then shock and awe, then confusion. "A-Ah, sir, who i-i-is this A-Aizawa?" I ask, voice nearly breaking from the softness that stemmed from my rattled nerves.

Nezu chuckles, and that isn't so strange coming from the creature, even if it sounds a bit sadistic. "You might know him better by the name Shouta."

Oh. Oh dear.

I can't help but send a nervous and fearful look at the creature who walks just a bit ahead on my right. (Where are we even walking?). Why on earth was the kind man's boss picking me up from jail? Did he want to threaten me to leave the kind man alone? He didn't want me to assossiate with someone who works at UA and taint their repuation? (The kind man works at UA. U. A. And I never knew! And this is UA's principle!)

"Don't worry so much! You aren't in any trouble with me!" Nezu assures. Still smiling. I wanted to tell him to stop, but that would be rude.

"An-And n-not you?" I stress. Could I be in trouble with someone else?

"Ah, well, Shouta was less than pleased the last time I saw him. In fact, he asked me to do a favour and find you when you didn't show up like usual. He was quite worried! I don't think I've ever seen the man in such a state," Nezu says. "I image he'll be quite furious when he realizes you had skipped town only to get put in jail for not having money for a train ticket."

Lord. How am I going to face him?

"W-Well, th-thank you f-for pay-paying my bail sir, i-i-it was-was an honour, r-really, b-but I, I better be g-going," I say, dipping my before turning around and planning on heading in the opposite direction of wherever Nezu was going, the place an angry Shouta probably was. I didn't want to face that. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

An irritated kind man is vindictive enough (showing itself in cold plates of food, oddly itchy clothes, and too sour or too sweet drinks--- Mic would know, as he often takes the brunt of this if he fouls up something royally.) I was not eager to face an angry kind man. He'd probably give me cold coffee and glare at me when my back is turned for weeks.

(Or worse, he wouldn't let me stay in his apartment anymore, and I'm not sure if I could face that kind of regection. Not from kind man.)

"Where do you think you're going?" Nezu asks from in front of him. When did he get there?!

I determinedly avoided the creature's gaze, unwilling to challenge the creature. I knew better to meet anothers gaze when on the streets, and I think it applied here with this predator.

"T-To my-my city," I stutter out, nervous.

"Well, there's no need to walk there or hitch another unpaid ride on a train. I can take you there for free after we pick up a friend!" Nezu says, clapping his hands ---paws-- together.

I scramble for an excuse, mouth flapping. Nezu does not allow me to come up with anything substantial, shooing at my kneecaps, "Keep walking, the friend is in the cafe just down the street and we shant keep him waiting!" Nezu says.

I can't find it in myself to go against the small creature. Despite his less than intimidating stature, I still found myself quailing and fidgiting under his black-eyed gaze. It was unnerving that a harmless looking creature could feel so dangerous. I wonder if the kind man ever felt like this.

: : : :

Clearly, he doesn't. Not at all.

"Nezu. Stray."

I have never been metally strangled by another person, but it is terribly affective in stopping the breath in my throat.

"K-Kind man," I squeaked out with my last reserves of air. I shrunk under the dry gaze that bores into me. My favourable name of choice for him does not sooth his temper in the slightest.

"Where was he?" Shouta asks, turning away from me to look at Nezu who stood calmly, like one of his faculty wasn't staring daggers at a homeless kid.

"He was in the local jail. Apparently, he was caught on a train without having paid," Nezu says, happy to inform Shouta of my wrong-doing.

Shouta's lips twitch downward, his gaze sliding back over to pin me to the floor of the cafe, just as a snake strikes fear into a mouse within it's reach. "Oh really," Shouta says, voice drier than the Sahara Desert on a bad day.

I wondered, as my heart raced and my mind blared fire-alarms in the background, how Mic had managed to survive thus far? This heady disapointment and anger is faster at drowning me than any body of water.

God save my poor soul.

I knew than, cold coffee was the least of my worries.