Aelius had left for ballet class early. He needed to get away from the apartment and Waru. He tossed out some lie that he needed to get to the studio early to work on things, but instead he walked around aimlessly, just soaking in the late autumn sun and trying to distract his ever buzzing brain. It didn’t work. Not entirely. That was normal anymore, but he’d been trying to combat the pit in his stomach that never ceased to get smaller. It gnawed away at him as his mind twisted and turned down pathways he wasn’t proud of. Things he kept hidden away.

A gentleman bumped into him, pulling Aelius from his thoughts he hadn’t realized he’d been lost in. Blinking he stumbled out an apology.

Where was he even at?

He pulled out of himself long enough to take in his surroundings. The area wasn’t bustling with people, but there were a few shops around that seemed busy enough. Open signs hung in doors or flashed in windows. It wasn’t the signs that caught the young mans attention so much as a smell. The fresh coffee bean scent was hard to miss, and Aelius looked around.

Just across the street, a little place called ‘Pressed’ drew his attention. The sight of a barista working just beyond the large windows was enough of an enticement. Adjusting the bag over his shoulder, Aelius crossed at the intersection and made his way to the small cafe.

He stepped in, greeting by a soft ring of a bell. The place was small. Tiny even with only a few tables and chairs. It didn’t feel cramped, but the tiny cafe definitely was designed more for the grab-and-go customer than those who wanted to spend time there. In fact, only one other person was sitting at a table, and she was well engrossed in a laptop and papers at her side. Obviously she was either studying or doing work. The shop lent well to that it seemed.

Finding a small table by the window opposite of the counter, Aelius dropped his bag as he went to the counter. The barista working there glanced over from whatever he was doing and offered a large smile that Aelius only half-heartidly returned.

“What can I get ya?” The man, probably in his 30’s sporting a well groomed red beard and bald head asked as he walked over.

Aelius didn’t know what he wanted so stuck to the basic. “Black coffee. Breakfast, if you have any, if not then a dark brew. Stevia for sweetener.”

The barista nodded ringing up the total which Aelius paid.

“It’ll be a few minutes while I geet that made for you.” The barista was chipper. Too chipper and Aelius returned back to the table he’d claimed for himself. He slid into the chair and reached down to his bag. A bit of rustling around amongst shoes and clothing found him his sought prize. He pulled the notebook out and proceeded to dig for a pen in an outside pocket. With both tools procured he set them on the table.

He began to put pen to paper. Writing about anything and everything. Spilling his thoughts from his mind onto paper and into the vessel that was never to see the light of day except when in his own hands. It was a release. A way to ease the pressure building within him and to keep the darkest of thoughts at bay. A tool that he had discovered abroad to help with the harder days. It worked, as long as he told himself no one would ever see it. Not unless he truly wanted them too, and the odds of that were incredibly slim. Some things just shouldn’t be shared.

“I have you coffee.” The barista called just as the bell to the shop chimed again. Aelius got up, not paying much mind to the elderly man who walked in, and retrieved his coffee. As he returned to his seat he was surprised to find a small cat laying curled up alongside his bag. Brows furrowed as he looked around, wondering if the feline was part of the cafe itself. Cat cafe’s were a thing, even if Aelius didn’t tend to frequent them. He didn’t mind cats, but people tended to be a bit overbearing in places like that, especially where the cats were free to roam wherever their little feline hearts desired.

Not thinking much more on it, Aelius slipped back into his chair and returned to his writing. This particular bit was about…to Faustite. An apology of sorts. One of many written in the book along with his own pleas of just wanting to be heard and understood. To be accepted.

Waru’s name also made many appearances. Some good, some bad. Many of them a jumbled mess of confused thoughts and feelings. But the brunette wasn’t the focus of the day despite being a constant in Aelius’s life.

Sipping the hot coffee, Aelius was pleased that it was indeed a breakfast. The extra caffeine from the light roast would help get him through the rest of the day even if it meant feeding the pit in his stomach. The anxiety thrived on the caffeine that Aelius had been almost forced to drink daily to keep himself going. Sleep wasn’t the best. Again. In fact, it had grown worse. The ring that hung around his neck along with the also precious crystallized fire was a constant reminder for Aelius of how much of a turn his life had taken. A self-inflicted collar of sorts that held both sorrow and the smallest shred of hope.

A soft meow caught his attention as he wrote just before a furry weight found its way onto his lap. Surprised, Aelius shifted and looked down into a pair of green eyes. The feline stared back up at him, tail twitching behind her as she lowered herself down and loafed right there on his lap. What the hell?

He couldn’t move her though. She was so content. Tentatively he reaching his hand down and let her sniff. She sniffed, but not long before settling in even more on his lap with eyes half-lidded. Aelius took that as a sign that he was good, and began to scratch the top of her head, moving to one ear than the other as his other hand returned back to his writing.

A soft purr began to rumble from the cat and Aelius smiled softly to himself. A true smile as he put the pen down again and returned his attention to the cat.

“Gods damned cat!” He heard from the counter, eyes flying up at the barista. “Thing keeps getting in here.” The barista did not appear happy at all as he stood there looking at Aelius and his new found companion. “Damn thing can’t be in here!”

Aelius frowned. “Is she a stray?” He questioned. It would be odd considering how friendly she seemed.

“Family up above left it behind when they moved out and it keeps sneaking in here now that it’s getting colder out.” the barista at that point was walking around the counter with, what Aelius could only assume, with all intents of removing the cat again.

A protective hand settled on the cats head. “I’ll take her out.” The dancer said as he closed his notebook. “No need to just shove her out the door.”

Carefully, so as not to spook the little tortie, Aelius dropped both his notebook and pen into the main compartment of his bag. Gathering his new little friend up into an arm, the only protest he got a sleepy meow, he grabbed his bag, slung it over a shoulder and grabbed his coffee before departing. The last he heard of the barista was a huffing as Aelius assumed the man returned to the back side of his counter.

Now Aelius had a problem. One four-legged one that laid contently against his chest while cradled in an arm. “What am I going to do with you?” He couldn’t just toss her back into the street. It wasn’t safe for her and he worried what that barista would do if she kept slipping into the coffee shop. A shelter seemed just as cruel…

“Damn it.” Maybe someone on the team would want her? Perhaps that nice corrupt he met, Hestia? She was still in housing but perhaps once she got her own place? Maybe Mizuki? He had no idea of either of them would be interested. Another reminder of how little he knew about his own team mates and the task that Faustite had given him months ago before everything went to utter s**t.

He sighed heavily. “Guess you’re coming with me for now.” He muttered softly.

then it occurred to him. Surely someone at class would want her? He knew the madam was a bit of a cat woman herself. If no one wanted her there, at least he knew the cat wouldn’t be kicked out to the street then and there. He could even, maybe, tuck her into his bag? He glanced down at it. Maybe not….

He’d figure it out.

He began to walk down the street again. The heat of the coffee keeping one hand warm while the little tortie kept the other one from feeling the n** of cold.

As it would all turn out, after a half-hearted scolding from the madam about bringing a cat into the studio and the others claiming they could not take the petite feline in, Aelius found himself walking out with the feline tucked up under his coat. The two of them, together, made their way back to his apartment.

Vaguely, as he plodded along the sidewalk, Aelius hoped Waru wasn’t allergic to normal cats.