Caritas- Tuesday

[throughaphase]

It had been a long night followed by a tough day, and Kitty really didn't want to be working a night job today. She would much rather be asleep.

But she was here, and she'd gotten the zombies to play more uptempo music (all from their first album but whatever).

SPECIALS
ALL COFFEE-RELATED DRINKS

[Open, no OCD!]

Comments

[died8yearsago]

Although Rosa was pretty sure Kitty would easily win a tired competition, hands down, no contest, she was still dealing with a dog that was frantically trying to Find the New Friend since Sunday evening, so she could at least sympathize a great deal. And, at the risk of coming home to a puppy-made hole in her wall later, she needed to a break and it was Tuesday anyway.

"I support those specials," she said. "Does that include just coffee?"

[throughaphase]

"Yes, I am a kind and giving person," Kitty said. "Do you want just coffee?"

[died8yearsago]

Rosa thought about it for a moment, and then came to the conclusion any reasonable person would.

"No. Throw some whiskey in there. Otherwise, what's even the point?"

[throughaphase]

"I don't know, straight coffee is sort of minorly helping," Kitty pointed out, but went fir the bottle anyway.

[died8yearsago]

"I've been pretty much mainlining the straight stuff," Rosa said, "and it hasn't done much good. Something's obviously missing."

And that something, as was usually the case with these things, was probably booze.

[throughaphase]

"Might as well add a depressant," she said. "Long night or long day?"

[died8yearsago]

"Long couple of days," Rosa offered, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "My neighbor got a cat."

Realizing a moment later that this might require a little more explanation, she added, "My dog is very determined to find that cat. In the wall."

[throughaphase]

"I don't suppose you can soundproof," Kitty said, placing the drink in front of her.

[died8yearsago]

"Apparently," said Rosa, narrowing her eyes in a general burning glare of hate, "they already are. Except when they're not. Because Fandom."

And the Powers That Be thought it was hilarious and were easily amused.

[throughaphase]

Kitty paused.

"Maybe your dog will get bored."

[died8yearsago]

And Rosa paused in return.

"Have you met my dog?" she asked.

[throughaphase]

"I'm actually not sure I have," Kitty admitted.

[died8yearsago]

And now Rosa was thinking about it, too, and realizing that, somehow, that was right.

"We should change that," she said. "She'd love you."

She loved evveerryyyooonnee. It was pretty gross, actually.

[throughaphase]

"We should. Because I'm sure I'd love her, too." And who didn't need more dogs in their life?

[died8yearsago]

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," said Rosa, "but maybe, next time you need a break from the whole mommy thing, we could do a..."

Ugh. Please understand the pain she was about to endure for you right now, Kitty. Letting crap like this even pass through her mouth was a genuine sign of her affection.

"...doggy play date."

So gross. But, hey, she hadn't had a chance to meet Kitty's dogs, either, and maybe new friends that didn't live on the other side of a wall might satiate Arlo 2's ravenous hunt for new buddies for a little bit.

[throughaphase]

"Yes," Kitty said, even managing not to smile too much at that. "We should totally have a doggie play date."

[died8yearsago]

You just had to say it again, didn't you, Kitty?

"You just let me know, then," she said. "You're the one whose life is currently ruled by a small, tiny person. All I've got going on for me lately is babysitting a bunch of grown-ass men in plastic armor."

[what_the_shock]

Miguel waved at Rosa, paused, and squinted at her. "You look like hell. Sorry."

[died8yearsago]

And Rosa was going to squint right back with a glare and she wasn't going to feel the least bit bad about it, either. Sure, it was absolutely true, and if the roles were reversed, she'd have said the exact same thing to him, but that was still a pretty stupid thing to say to a Rosa that looked like hell.

"I feel like hell," she grunted. "My dumb dog keeps trying to get to my neighbor's dumb cat through the dumb, stupid wall."

Why were you so dumb, Arlo 2? And how did Rosa still love your dumb, stupid face??

[what_the_shock]

But it got her to tell him why without whining about talking about things!

"Ugh." Miguel rolled his eyes. "I don't suppose they make puppy sedatives? Or smell blockers, or something?"

[died8yearsago]

That was true, but that had only been true because she actually liked Tightpant.

"I'm not going to sedate my dog."

Oh.

She was totally going to sedate that dog as soon as she got home.

[what_the_shock]

"That or sedate yourself," Miguel suggested. "I'd invite you to my place, but I live in the bachelor pad from Hell, so maybe not."

His roommates were insane. Or Rosa's boss.

[died8yearsago]

And that would just be awkward.

"I don't see how you can actually live with people," said Rosa.

This was a woman who had destroyed an apartment solely because people from work had been in it, though. It was honestly kind of a surprise she was still in the one she had, she could count four whole people who had been in there already. But this place didn't really have a lot of real estate options...

[what_the_shock]

"You think that's bad? At least this place has doors," Miguel said.

The panoptichron was many things. "Comfortable living" wasn't one of them.

[filleauloup]

"I'll have one of those, what's it called? Coffee with whiskey in it, at any rate," Éponine told Tino with the air of someone who still enjoyed getting to order other people around every once in a while, instead of the reverse. She took a seat at the bar and propped her chin up on her hand as she looked at Kitty.

"Good lord, when was the last time you slept? You aren't looking at your best. I s'pose that's to be expected and all, but I'm concerned for you all the same."

[throughaphase]

"I last slept in I think September," Kitty said, already starting on the drink. "Babies are whiny."

[filleauloup]

“I recall as much, from my sister and brother,” Éponine said wryly, although she kept feeling vaguely as if there had been somehow more than just the three of them. “And so many kids crying all the time, lots of places we lived, where the walls were like paper. Only I wasn’t there much at night, really. You look like you need the coffee more than I do, that’s for certain. Babies don’t much care to pay mind to things like bedtime, do they?”

[throughaphase]

"She's sleeping more at night, but then crying more in general. Why? No idea," Kitty said. "It's a mystery and I will never know the answer."

[filleauloup]

“And ‘round about the time she knows how to talk, she’ll have forgotten the reason why, most likely,” Éponine answered, nodding. “Or she’ll never tell you, in any case. Kids have got to keep their secrets, I guess. Otherwise grown-ups have too much of an unfair advantage.”

[throughaphase]

"You can tell I've gotten old because my first thought was 'no we don't,'" Kitty said, sliding over her drink.

[filleauloup]

Éponine burst out laughing and toasted Kitty with the mug before she took a sip. "Your secret's safe with me, don't you worry about that."

[throughaphase]

"It's okay, I've been old since college," Kitty sighed. "Old in leather pants, but still."

[filleauloup]

"So long's it makes you happy, that's what," Éponine said, nodding. "How's Lexi doing? Besides keeping you up all night, that is."

[throughaphase]

"Otherwise she's good. She's two months old as of yesterday."

HOW.

[filleauloup]

"Good god, how has it been that long already?" Éponine asked, underscoring her incredulous echoing of the narrative by nearly doing an Irish-coffee spittake.

[throughaphase]

"I have no idea! If I blink she'll probably be walking," she said.

[filleauloup]

"And then old enough to be going to school by the time you finish yawning." Not helping, Éponine. Not helping.

[throughaphase]

"Oh, no. We can't go that far yet," Kitty said, and paused. "Also I just realized how old I'll be then."

[filleauloup]

Éponine looked at her and tapped a finger against her lips. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m not entirely convinced you’ll ever really get old.”

[throughaphase]

"And why do you think that?"

Because comics?

[filleauloup]

Actually, yes. Because comics. Just pretend that line hadn’t been omitted from the last bit of narrative.

“Because you might be my friend, but you also provide me with drinks, and I’ve got to use some flattery if I’ve any hope of getting a free drink now and again,” she teased.

[throughaphase]

"I mean, flattery does help," she conceded.

[filleauloup]

"I'm very practical that way sometimes," Éponine said solemnly. "But I also have a very hard time ever imagining you as old."

[throughaphase]

"I can," she admitted. "There's some alternate universes out there, makes it a lot easier."

BECAUSE COMICS.

[filleauloup]

“All right, you’ve got me there,” Éponine — wholly unaware that she was an alternate universe version of herself just by virtue of being alive — conceded. “Well, getting old’s not so bad, I suppose. It means you’re still around.”

[throughaphase]

"I like it much better when it's said that way," Kitty decided.

[filleauloup]

“It’s true, though. Time was, I never thought I’d see twenty,” Éponine said in a serious tone before she tried to lighten the moment with a laugh. “And now here we are! So it’s all right, getting older.”

[what_the_shock]

Hey, with a special like that, how could Miguel not stop in? "What kinds of coffee drinks do you have?"

[throughaphase]

"I will put literally any booze in coffee," Kitty said.

That... was special, all right.