The Perk, Saturday morning

[betterthanaplan]

"Right," Duke said, staring at the rat nibbling on a slice of coffee cake across the table from him. "So. You're a rat."

"Clearly," said the rat.

"Named 'Fallacy'."

The rat nodded.

"And you're a demon."

"Daemon."

"Did Lucifer send you?"

The rat facepalmed. Duke didn't know they could do that.

[open!]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

"A cat," Duke said, watching Danny and his new friend come in. "Yep, that tracks."

"The rat's natural enemy," Fallacy observed.

"I was thinking more that he's impeccably groomed and kind of insane."

[hatesparadise]

Jo hopped up onto the table to sniff at Fallacy. "Being fastidious about grooming isn't a bad thing," she informed them both.

"You know what's going on here?" Danny asked, letting her do her thing.

[betterthanaplan]

Fallacy stretched up to sniff her back. "I didn't say it was," she said. "Rats are very clean, too."

"Oh god, I really am a rat," Duke said, pressing both hands to his face. He looked up at Danny. "Apparently the daemons are . . . symbolic. Somehow."

[hatesparadise]

Danny and Jo stared at each other for a moment at that. "Explains Steve's otter," he decided with a nod as Jo looked away again to butt her head gently against Fallacy's side.

[betterthanaplan]

"Danny," Duke said. "Danny, what's your cat doing to my rat?!"

[hatesparadise]

"How should I know?"

She was purring as she flopped over onto her side next to the rat. "He's very easily confused, isn't he?" she asked Fallacy.

[betterthanaplan]

"I can hear you," Duke said.

"He's paranoid," Fallacy said, climbing up on top of Jo and settling into a little nest of fur. "To be fair, though, people are regularly out to get him."

"Daemons are judgey," Duke grumbled."

[hatesparadise]

Jo curled in a little to groom Fallacy like she had to Kailani. Fallacy, at least, didn't taste like saltwater.

"So, they're... us? Kind of?" Danny said, frowning a little at everything. Because it was the best way to deal with today.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was kind of staring at Jo grooming Fallacy. Even he wasn't sure what the expression on his face meant.

"I guess?" he said without looking up. "Fallacy just said that she's mine and I'm hers, and then Freya came in talking to her rat about how she was a representation of her. . . . Man, I'm just figuring this out as I go. As usual."

[hatesparadise]

"Yeah," Danny replied, feeling a little relieved that it wasn't just him. Well. Him and Steve.

"You just didn't realize we were here before," Jo said as she inspected Fallacy before deeming the rat clean enough.

"That doesn't make sense."

[betterthanaplan]

"It's not our fault you weren't paying attention," Fallacy said with great dignity. She climbed down off Jo to offer the cat some of her coffee cake.

"You may have to give up on things making sense, shortstop," Duke said, resigned. "It's Saturday, though, so they'll probably be gone again by Monday morning."

Fallacy looked up, hurt. "I would never leave you, Duke!"

"That's not as reassuring as you think it is, Fal."

[hatesparadise]

Jo sniffed at the cake before shoving her little portion at Danny because her stomach would not handle that sugar well, but she could live vicariously through her dumb human.

"I'm not--I'm good. Thank you," Danny said, sounding flustered at the offered food. "I feel like they're being evasive on purpose."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. "No wonder Fallacy here feels so much like home."

Fallacy gave him a deeply offended look. Then looked Danny over.

"You should buy him a crueller," she said. "He looks like a crueller man, doesn't he?"

"Apparently my rat thinks you need to eat more."

[hatesparadise]

Danny covered his eyes with his hands and sighed. "I eat fine. I had breakfast already."

"Steve made it," Jo chimed in brightly. "Kailani helped."

[betterthanaplan]

"See, there you go," Duke told Fallacy. "Steve and his daemon have it covered."

"I guess." Fallacy didn't look convinced.

[hatesparadise]

Jo gently bumped into Fallacy's side again to reassure her.

"Thanks? For the offer. I think," Danny said.

[betterthanaplan]

Fallacy started gently grooming Jo's nose. "It's what we do."

"So, uh. What'd Steve end up with? Something amphibious?"

[hatesparadise]

"A sea otter," Danny huffed. "I'm sure he's upset it's not a seal to match him better."

"Kailani is perfect how she is," Jo grumbled even as she purred at the grooming.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke laughed at Jo’s indignant defense of Steve’s daemon. “Octavia’s got a snake. It’s gorgeous.”

[hatesparadise]

"Everyone get something different?" Danny asked, frowning as he tried to see if the baristas had some animal back there with them too.

[betterthanaplan]

"Not totally different," Duke said. "Fallacy met another rat earlier."

"Frigga! She was pretty."

[hatesparadise]

"Huh," Danny said, letting that sink in. "Anyone touched yours yet?"

[betterthanaplan]

". . . No?" Duke looked down at Fallacy. He couldn't figure out why, but the thought of other people touching her made him deeply uncomfortable. "Not many people are super excited to pet a rat."

[hatesparadise]

"Annie pet Jo and it was--" Both of them shuddered at the memory. But he'd tried his best not to let it bother him.

[betterthanaplan]

"Huh." Duke looked at where Jo and Fallacy were still looking damned cuddly. "They seem alright with touching each other, though."