Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alg was back to covering shifts at the bookshop. Thankfully with more employees he didn't have to do as much, but the hours were usually quiet and it gave him time to write- not like that was going very far lately.

His knee had been looked over since the incident at Blackfriars, a brace for a week and eventually he was able to walk with only mild soreness and that was assured would wear away.

The usual group of young people of indeterminate career (because everyone was a casual hipster nowadays, even professionals) were sitting in the front area of the shop with books and laptops and their sleeved cups of coffee which weren't allowed any further than the counter. Alg himself was behind said counter, scribbling in a small notebook and rubbing his fingers over a very long, very relaxed looking white cat that half hung off the counter edge.

Alg glanced up over his glasses, pausing from rubbing his forehead as he scribbled, and smiled with polite recognition. "Yes- hello!"

He stood up from the stool he was perched on, "John? or Jack? Was it? I'm sorry it was a very ... bizarre situation for real introductions and I've a s**t memory." He offered a hand for a shake, a gold signet ring glinting off his pinky.

"Yes this is Violetta." The longcat blinked very blue eyes, "Say hello Violetta.." She yawned.

"Cats." He said with a snort.

"Nice to meet you," Alg of course didn't need much introduction, not while the book by the counter had his face on the back and the wooden built-in case behind him contained gleaming leatherbound editions of his books, as well as first editions of much more lofty and expensive things.

Thankfully the cat wasn't overtly strange looking, not at first glance. Violetta was just a particularly large, floppy and lazy thing. The sort of cat you could pick up and drape around your shoulders like a scarf or be thrust in the air like Simba with no care whatsoever.

"My husband, Detective Mercer, owns her brother Hellbine." He nodded, "He's probably out and about. For all she's lazy and large, he's a tiny bundle of energy."

He glanced at Jack, "You can pet her, if you want..." Most people were all about petting cute fuzzy animals. "She enjoys attention, just not moving much."

As if on cue she yawned and stretched her legs and flexed her toebeans and flicked her tail.