The promise of rain had lead Kawaii~Chan to bring her umbrella out with her, yet as she walked the streets the sun shined as brightly as ever, the sky a perfect periwinkle blue. It fit her mood; happy and excited, anticipating wonderful opportunity. She breathed in the air, light with the taste of the summery breeze, and exhaled with a smile on her face. This was going to be a great day. She'd solve the problem that had guilt tearing at her heart these past days. She was going to fix the mistake she caused.
Kawaii~Chan was going to earn enough money to repay her housemates for the costs of the damage that the fire she had created had caused.
Yes, she'd already gotten a second job at the maid café with Aphmau, but the place she had was going to had a better salary and working times that her first job at IHOP. She'd trade IHOP for that in a heartbeat.
Swallowing her shame, Kawaii~Chan strode towards her job interview. It was to be at an adorable cat café, the only one for thousands of miles so it was extremely popular (it was a Japanese concept after all, and hadn't spread through the world much... yet), and Kawaii~Chan was determined to work there. Not only was she practised in working at cafes and coffee shops, but she was also cute and (above all) pretty much a cat anyway! There was no way she wasn't going to get a job there.
Daydreaming and smiling at passer-bys, the Mei'fwa nearly walked past the café but was luckily pulled back to her thoughts by a loud meow. She quickly pranced inside, happily noting the large poster with the words; "HELP WANTED" surrounded by little cute paw prints.
She placed her closed umbrella into the holder by the door.
The person waiting to provide service to customers in the doorway looked up to see her. He wore a headband with fake white cat ears. Kawaii~Chan stifled a giggle.
"Welcome to the Cutesy Kitty-Cat Café!~" he smiled broadly "How may I help you?"
"Kawaii~Chan is here for a job interview!" the Mei'fwa purred excitedly. The man raised an eyebrow, whether it was about her name, her talking in third-person or the job interview, she didn't know or care.
"Very well, follow me and I shall take you to the manager" the worker replied, gesturing for her to follow.
They weaved their way through the dining area towards the cat lounge.
She heard a loud clutter like someone dropping their fork onto the plate accidentally. Kawaii~Chan turned her head to see a man forcibly looking down at the stack of pancakes in front of him, fumbling with his cutlery. He had a head of black hair with a fringe completely covering his left eye. A mask was hanging around his neck, obviously moved so he could eat with more ease. With a small shudder Kawaii~Chan recognised him.
He was the one who nobody liked, who caused trouble. The one Aphmau had opened up to despite warnings from all her friends. The one who'd make people's lives miserable just for a laugh. The one who both repulsed and intrigued Kawaii~Chan. The one who she'd always turned her back on and could never bring herself to show kindness towards due to the stories. The stories of him vandalising the Highschool they once went to, stories of him spitting insults and hate at Garroth for years and years since they were children, stories of him joining the shadow knights then deciding to form his own more formidable and terrifying group of lackeys. Knowing about him having a way with his words and his deep, charming voice to get what he wanted.
Zane Ro'Maeve.
Their eyes met for a mere moment and a spark of recognition sent a strange mewl threatening to break free of her lips.
Her first thought was; What the hell is he doing here?
Her second; He's not wearing his mask properly...
Her third; Why can't I look away?
The man she was still following led her into the cat lounge and she forcibly looked away from the Ro'Meave. Then she saw the cats.
Kawaii~Chan had to use every single ounce of her self-restraint not to run over to the nearest cat and stroke it for hours, her thoughts from before completely forgotten.
Finally, they arrived at a door with a shiny 'manager' plaque stuck to it. The man knocked on the door before opening it enough to stick his cat-ear-adorned head through, saying;
"There's an applicant for the job opening here to see you ma'am"
He must have gotten a reply because a moment later he stepped back and opened the door wider to admit Kawaii~Chan inside. She flounced in, unable to contain her excitement.
>>>
Kawaii~Chan tore through the café, trying not to look upset as she hurried to get the hell out of there. She pushed her way through people and out into the street, half walking and half running to get as far away from that place, just to get home, where she could hide and forget. A cold wind blew and Kawaii~Chan tried not to remember what the manager had said...
She looked through Kawaii~Chan's files, her resume and application form. She kept nodding and taking sips of her coffee every now-and-then. After she had flicked through once more she looked up at Kawaii~Chan, hesitating when she saw her.
"You're a Mei'fwa?" she said, tone neutral. Kawaii~Chan nodded. The woman made a tutting sound.
"Your resume and application seem in order..." the manager said, looking Kawaii~Chan directly in the eyes. "the only criticism from you're previous employers seems to be the lack of ability to be entirely serious and/or you talking in the third person. Although, here that hardly matters, it's supposed to be a fun establishment"
Kawaii~Chan nodded, smiling brightly. This was going well...
"However, you are a Mei'fwa," the woman said. Kawaii~Chan's smile faltered, the woman said it like it was a bad thing.
"Yes...?" Kawaii~Chan said "Is that... is that not good?"
Dark clouds started to form, blocking the sun and sending a frosty wind across Kawaii~Chan's bare shoulders. She lifted her head to look at the sky and a heavy drop of rain plopped into her nose. She flinched.
Shivering, she picked up her pace, clutching her goosebumped forearms. The rain started to fall and Kawaii~Chan realised, choking back a sob, that she'd left her umbrella at the café.
"Usually, I have no qualms with Mei'fwa" the woman assured her "but I'm not too fond of employing one to work here"
Kawaii~Chan cocked her head, signifying her confusion. The woman continued;
"We have had feedback about previous Mei'fwa employees from customers, saying they felt awkward playing with the cats when there are cat-people in the vicinity" she explained. Kawaii~Chan gulped.
"S-so... I don't get the job...?" she said, looking forcibly down at her hands, which were clasping the light material of her skirt. The woman sighed.
"Usually, I'd say that" she said "but we really do need another hand around her to keep up with the popularity this place had been getting"
A spark of hope sent Kawaii~Chan's head flying up to look at the woman, a smile creeping onto her face once again.
"So if you give me a good enough reason to give you the job, I'll take you on" the woman sat back, arms crossed expectantly. Kawaii~Chan gulped once again.
"M-my house was recently victim to fire..." she said, the guilt coming back "I wanted to get a second job to help pay for the repairs instead of my housemates"
the woman's face twisted with concern and curiosity.
"Goodness, what caused it?" she asked. Kawaii~Chan looked away, the guilt making it hard for her to swallow.
The rain pummelled down, so cold it was practically painful. The sob that Kawaii~Chan had been forcing down finally bubbled up and the tears streamed down her cheeks. She shivered, dragging her wet hair from her face. She cursed her impractical clothing which showed off her shoulders and collarbone but meant they were exposed to the freezing wind and drenching rain. The past few days had been so awful, the rain and the interview was just the cherry on top. All her pent up emotions came pouring out, sending her crying out in misery, practically unheard over the roar of the torrential rain
"I-I... I was making c-cookies..." the Mei'fwa admitted "a-a-and I got distract-t-ted. They got burnt a-and..."
"YOU SET YOUR HOUSE ON FIRE?!?!" the woman said, shocked, standing up with her hands on the desk.
"It-t-t was an accident!" Kawaii~Chan stammered, trying to assure her. It didn't work.
"There is absolutely no way I am hiring someone who sets fire to her house by making goddamn cookies!" the manager practically yelled. "Get out!" she pointed to the door with a rigid arm.
Kawaii~Chan blinked, surprised at the sudden harshness of the woman, and hurt by the reaction. Frozen, she didn't move.
"I said get out, you alley cat" the woman repeated, her voice deadly calm.
Kawaii~Chan's eyes widened, insulted. She stood, walking swiftly to the door, teeth gritted.
You're ok, you're ok, you're ok... Kawaii~Chan repeated to herself. She walked through the kitty lounge, ignoring the cats nudging at her legs, to the door of the dining area. She sniffed, forcing her face into composure. As she was taking a deep breath, she felt as if someone looking at her. She turned to see Zane, leaning back in his chair, a cruel sneer on his lips. Her eyes filled with tears and she tore through the café...
Kawaii~Chan stopped, she was shivering uncontrollably from the cold and rain, her eyes were blurry with tears and she could barely see through the storm. Oh, why did you have to go and forget the umbrella Kawaii~Chan? She whined to herself.
Her arms were so numb that she couldn't feel the way her sharp nails dug into her. Her hair, tail and ears were dripping and Kawaii~Chan was sure she's lost at least one of her pink bows. She shuddered harshly as she sobbed, she couldn't find her way through the storm, and how was she supposed to get home? Who knew how long it would last...
Just as she was about to attempt to find adequate cover to call someone, for help, her keen ears twitched to the sound of someone sloshing through puddles as well as the drumming of the heavy rain on an umbrella.
Lucky person she thought. Not stupid like me, forgetting her umbrella...
The person stopped next to her.
She looked up to a peculiar sight.
Zane Ro'Maeve stood there, facing straight ahead, in all his darkness and black clothing, holding a pale pink umbrella lined with white frills and the occasional hot pink bow. Her umbrella.
She stared, gobsmacked, as he slowly held it out to her, the rain instantly flattening his black locks. He still faced ahead but his eye then looked to the side, towards her. Telling her to take it.
She reached out just as slowly, unsure even though it was her umbrella, and grasped the handle. Their hands touched accidentally as he withdrew his and she felt herself blushing. She cursed herself for her annoying tendency to be into guys who were dark... like him. She shook herself mentally. This was Zane Ro'Maeve.
He began to walk away, leaving her standing there, surprised and conflicted. The rain pummelled him but he walked on unfazed. She watched him round the corner and in a flash of lightning;
He was gone.