The Perk, Sunday Morning

[endsthegame]

There were more awkward things in life than waking up from a wet dream to find a kitten licking your face, no doubt. Ender preferred not to think about it overly much, but he did take it as a sign - it was probably time for him to leave the hotel room and do something with himself

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie had reason to believe she was going to be a shut-in for most of the day, so she'd decided to start her day with coffee at the Perk. So here she was, ordering her usual before glancing around the place.

And you'd think after two, almost three months, she would no longer have flinched at the sight of Ender thanks to the little dungeon adventure, especially since her AU counterpart had already run into him once since then. But you'd have been wrong. Even if it was just a slight sudden tensing of her shoulders. A slight widening of her eyes.

Before she went back to dealing with the barista, while telling her body to cut it out. There was nothing to be afraid of here.

[endsthegame]

That reaction didn't exactly escape Ender's notice. Small twitches, certainly, but he wasn't exactly a foreigner to reading body language.

The kitten in his lap got up; Ender had to move forward suddenly to grab him before he ran off.

Too late, as it turned out. Ben hopped onto the floor and went trotting up to Natalie's ankles.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie flinched again, though this time it was just from surprise. She raised one eyebrow as she looked down at Ben. As you do.

"... Hello, cat."

[endsthegame]

Ender approached, slowing his steps consciously. He'd rather not see Ben go running off and out of the Perk, but he didn't want to spook someone who already seemed to suffer some anxiety at his presence. "Sorry," he said. "He isn't as bad when he's a human."

Ben seemed more intent on rubbing his head all over said ankle.