Treat G. Lorimer (omnomnoming) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-09-12 20:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-26, aurora, treat |
The world that I see inside you
Who: Aurora, Treat (and Dominicus!)
Where: Animal Clinic -> Sunny's Diner
When: A little after noon
Treat slipped into a parking space a few feet away from the entrance of the veterinary clinic. The parking lot had a few other cars in it. Hopefully, it wouldnt be a very long wait as Dominicus was not a fan of tight spaces. Checking that his cat was still asleep, Treat killed the engine and then exited the vehicle. He went around to pick Dominicus up and in under twenty minutes, he was registered and in line for a routine check-up. He hoped the other cats were doing all right back home and that Kaleb was behaving himself. All his cats were rather curious little things and liked climbing up on bookshelves and the like.
Picking up a magazine on pet care, he read through it idly, stopping at a section that featured collars and tags. The twins and the Baron would be needing some new ones soon. Perhaps even Caesar. The twins were growing at a rather insane rate and it wouldn’t be too long before they were about Caesar’s size and they were scheduled to be larger than the two year old by the time they were 8 months old. Treat browsed the collars, making mental notes of which ones would be best. Within the kitty carrier, Treat could hear Dominicus waking up and making his signature high-pitched mewing noises.
There was nothing wrong with Cookie Dough, Aurora was certain of this. She was certain of it for one very simple reason - things did not go wrong with kittens. They were too cute and fluffy for anything bad to happen to them. Yes, that was right. But then Aurora had had a client who had a cat - vampires could have pets too! - that had gotten sick and died. Aurora had been so terrified at the thought that she had asked what you did with a sick pet. One of the other workers had told her that you took them to a vet. Vet rhymed with pet so it made sense that they would go to one of them. Deciding that it was a good idea to make sure that Cookie Dough was healthy - she would not be able to bear the idea of her kitty dying, just the thought of her sick made tears well up in her eyes - Aurora had gotten one of the drivers to drive her to the vet.
One flaw with her plan that Aurora, who had just been escorted into the vet’s office by the kindly drive who sounded like an older man, had failed to notice was that she had forgotten to bring Cookie Dough along. “Hello,” the air elemental chirped to the receptionist who asked what she needed help with. “I have a kitten who needs to be seen. Because I don’t want her to get sick and she hasn’t been to one since we adopted her.” And that was when she realized the problem because it was pointed out, kindly, that she did not have a cat with her. “Oh... I must have forgot her at home....” And now she had absolutely no idea what to do with herself. Or if she could get something to help Cookie Dough even though the kitten was decidedly not sick.
Treat was now inspecting the vet as he inspected Dominicus. He was really sort of attractive and most definitely the kind of guy Treat wouldn’t mind inviting over for some dream-munching. Nevertheless, he had an image and while it was easy to get away with really random things in a city like D.C., he wasn’t quite sure what the scene at Scarlet Oak was like and Treat would really rather not do anything that would discredit his reputation. It was important that he got his message across along with Cameron’s. Vampires needed to go die a heinous, horrible, painful death.
The vet - Julian - asked a few questions about Dominicus’ health history and shot history. Treat confirmed that he had been a rescue but had received all immunizations since his rescue. Julian had nothing to say except maybe that Dominicus might benefit from a shot that would ease his gastric system and protect him from recent strains in cat parasites. “Would you suggest I bring in my other cats, too?” Treat had asked. Julian had replied in the positive, especially if their diets weren’t carefully monitored and they were allowed to play outside. Treat made a mental note of that as Julian prepared the shot. As if sensing some form of pain was about to ensue, Dominicus leaped off the table and made a mad dash for the receiving area, where he promptly tried to climb up some woman’s leg.
Aurora was sort of just standing there, debating whether or not she should ask if there was anything that could be done to help a kitten that was not there - did they get shots? Oh she hoped not! Those hurt and the last thing she wanted to do was put their precious kitten through any sort of pain - when she heard the sound of a cat running. Being an air elemental meant that her sense of hearing was better naturally, adding in the fact that she was blind just meant that she heard a lot of things normal people did not. Or that normal people simply ignored because they did not seem important enough to listen to. She was shocked at the feel of it trying to climb her though. Jumping back she felt her legs hit a low table and before she knew what was happening she went tumbling along with the cat that had startled her, landing on the ground.
“Ow,” she muttered, biting at her lip as she sat up, rubbing at her back while a pout formed on her face. Normally this was the part where her twin would help her up and rub at the sore spot, assure her it was fine, and then they would go get something to eat or lie down. Except Aetheria was not there. Aurora could not remember the last time she had fallen down without her twin there to help her back up and she felt a tiny shot of fear worm its way into her mind. Luckily there was a cat right there and, even though it was definitely not hers it was available, Aurora scooped it into her arms and pressed her face against the fur. A few minutes and she could get up and find her way out and go home, tell Aetheria what happened and never do it again. Tripping hurt.
Shit. The last thing Treat needed was a personal liability suit his first day here. Rushing forward to help the lady, he noticed two distinct things. One, she wasn’t getting back up and so he dearly hoped to whatever being was there in the universe that karma wasn’t biting him in the ass for Tanith Beckett and, two, that she wasn’t looking around for the owner of the cat that knocked her over. Instead, she was hugging the cat. “I’m so sorry, Miss,” Treat said, reaching over to touch her shoulder. Different people had different personal spatial bubbles and Treat, being the social butterfly he was, tried to take note of that. “May I help you up?” he asked, reaching over to give her a hand if she needed it.
Seriously, if she was going to slap him with a lawsuit over a dislocated hip or something, he was going to settle out of court and ply her with enough money that she never had to speak again. He cursed Dominicus internally for getting him in this position as he looked at the lady without staring at her. She was very pretty...had oddly-colored hair but he was willing to bet it was bleached out. “Are you okay?” he tacked on at length, hoping she would be nice about it. Most pet owners were nice people, right? After all, he was a pet owner and he was pretty...shit.
Hearing a voice address her - it had to be her because there was no one else that close - Aurora tilted her face up so that it at least seemed like she was looking at the man who was talking. People were infinitely more comfortable when they thought you were looking at them for some reason. Aetheria said it made sense but then again, she could see so... “It’s okay,” Aurora replied, erasing her pout with a bright smile. If there was someone there to ask if she was alright then maybe they could help her up like Aetheria would! Just like that nice man, Angel, had done when she had fallen because he had pulled her out of the way of the car. “And yes, please, I don’t really know this place so I don’t want to get up and hit my head too. That would hurt.” The thought that this was someone else’s fault never even occurred to her. Aurora never blamed people for things.
After a moment she lifted her hand up and it only took a moment for her to find his, taking a grip and allowing herself to be helped up, not even thinking to release the cat. It was warm and fuzzy and bigger than Cookie Dough, therefore good for cuddling. She wondered if its purr was louder because it was bigger. “Thanks for helping me up and I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just a little bump.” Aurora was not as immune to pain as her twin, true, but she was unfortunately used to it. She just happened to enjoy getting pampered over it a little bit. “Is this your cat, mister...?”
Oh, thank...whatever. She was fine. Treat helped her up and moved a lock of hair out of the way of her face. He would have gladly rubbed whatever hurt on Aurora but very few people considered that acceptable behavior for a first meeting so he didn’t. Despite the fact that she looked up at him (or tried to), the fact that she was quite blind was obvious to Treat. “I’m glad you’re okay, Miss, I’m really sorry about that. Dominicus is very excitable,” he said as she as right side up again. He reached out for the cat but stopped when he noticed he was actually sort of okay in her arms, which was a first for him. Well, an unmedicated version of Dominicus at any rate.
She seemed very nice. “Yes, he’s mine. His name is Dominicus and he seems to like you,” Treat said fondly. Anyone that his cats took a liking to was already in his good graces. None of his cats liked vampires, so that was a fair statement. “I’m Treat...Lorimer,” Treat said, offering his hand, then realizing she couldn’t see it and return the sentiment so he put it back in his pocket as he signalled for the receptionist to have Julian see the next patient. Dominicus wasn’t ready for a shot. He’d have to go another time. He looked around. People at vet’s clinics usually had pets and none seemed to be in sight for the lady. “Is your pet...around here somewhere?” he asked, looking around for something unattended.
Used to being touched by all manner of people, Aurora hardly even took note of the fact that her hair had been moved. It had never really been in her way to begin with but if he wanted it moved he could do that. She was used to going along with whatever everyone else wanted. “Dominicus is a fun name,” she declared, giggling as she rubbed her nose against the top of the cat’s head. Very childish behavior perhaps, but it was Aurora and sometimes she did not act all that different from one of those. When she was having fun. And meeting someone new who was willing to help her up and had a cat counted as fun, like meeting Harley the other day had been. Only she was doing this all on her own! Wait until she told Aetheria and Amaya. “So is Treat, I’ve never heard a name like that. Is it a nickname?”
At the question about her pet, Aurora felt her cheeks color slightly even though her smile did not fade. “I sort of forgot to bring her,” she admitted after a moment. “Her name’s Cookie Dough and we just got her from the shelter. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her but I heard someone talking about how their cat had gotten really sick and I didn’t want that to happen to her so I was going to bring her here and make sure... then I got here and realized I’d left her home.” The pout had slid back onto her face for a moment, though once again it vanished like it had never been there when she realized she had yet to give her name. “I’m Aurora Elias and it’s very nice to meet you.”
Oh, ...whatever, she was adorable. It was rare for Treat to find more than one...living being he wanted to take home with him a week, much less in one day. And he had found four just this morning! It was insane. He loved Scarlet Oak already. Etzli and Tanith...the gorgeous Dr. Julian and now, the darling blonde who liked his cat. “Yes, it is,” he agreed. Unlike his recent cats, he had actually named Dominicus. “It’s a name,” he answered her question. “My parents were a little strange. They named my sister Bless,” Treat twitched. It was a good thing she was blind because she failed to notice to look that passed across Treat’s eyes. Pain and anger and a whole slew of other emotions that shouldn’t be felt by a person in one time. He rubbed his eyes to restore calm. He really needed some form of rest.
Treat was one of those people that took their pets seriously, like members of the family. And he often asked himself: would I enjoy being called this for the rest of my life? Sure, Treat had taken some getting used to as a kid, but once he hit his stride, no one even questioned his name. Everyone had wanted to be him...and everyone who didn’t, well, was lying to themselves. Cookie Dough was not high on Treat’s list of preferable names. Nevertheless, he supposed - what was her name? - Aurora was cute enough to get away with it. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Aurora,” he said. “Is Cookie Dough a cat, too? And, don’t worry, a cat will usually show signs if it’s not feeling well, though it’s always a good idea to visit your local veterinarian regularly.” Ah, new pet owners.
Blissfully unaware of any emotions passing across Treat’s face, Aurora continued to smile and cuddle the cat in her arms. “Bless is a pretty name.” Like blessing, which was a big deal in a family like hers full of priestesses. Well, and maybe Dashiell was going to be a priest? Are we even going to be priestesses anymore? That was not something Aurora had really thought about and she determined now was not the time. That was a question for when she had her mother around. Which could happen now!
Cookie Dough was a wonderful name in Aurora’s mind. She and Aetheria liked Cookie Dough and they liked their kitten so it had seemed like a very good idea to give her a likeable name. No one had remarked on it yet that she knew of. “Yep, she’s a little gray kitten.” Aurora knew that because of Aetheria and the shared vision sort of thing that could come on the really rainy, stormy days. Her absolute favorite for the shared telepathic and empathetic link that they always brought. “Half-grown I think and really intelligent, but she doesn’t like eating her cat food all that much. She’s always getting into our food...” Speaking of food, her stomach gave a sudden rumble, reminding her that she had not eaten since the previous afternoon. True, she had access to food constantly now, but it was hard to remember that after years of the opposite. “Which way is out? I need to go find something to eat.” Probably back at the house. Aurora still struggled a little with the idea of eating at other places.
Treat didn’t respond at the comment about Bless. “She sounds very pretty,” he agreed about Cookie Dough instead. “I have two grey kittens myself. Maybe sometime we should arrange for a playdate between Cookie Dough and Caesar. Caesar is my two-year old kitten. He’s very playful and has been needing someone his age to play with for a while. The other cats are much older...and the twins are too young,” Treat suggested as Aurora told him about her cat. Caesar didn’t like cat food either, silly little thing. Dog food was the preference, though it wouldn’t do as dog food wasn’t good enough for him. And then there was the mention of food. Treat reached for her arm to lead her out the right way. “Would you like to accompany me to lunch?” he asked politely. She might feel offense if he offered to join her, so the other way around seemed a lot more tactful. Ah, sometimes he was such a gentleman.
That and she still had his cat.
“Cookie Dough would love that!” Aurora declared with another bright smile. Cats liked to play with each other, right? Humans liked to so it made sense that the cat would too. If she liked human food then she should like human things too... even if the rain was one of those things that the silly little kitten did not like for whatever reason. “You have a lot of cats.” Treat talked about them like he had a whole family made up of them. That sounded like a wonderful thing to the air elemental. Fluffy kittens everywhere mewing and rolling around and being adorable... heaven, right? Going along with the tug on her arm, as used to being guided as she was to breathing and singing up the wind, Aurora blinked at the offer before nodding. Guys seemed to like eating with her for some reason. Hopefully he was not like Angel and hung up on the weirdest things. “I’d love that. At one of those restaurants with the fizzing... pop.” It was called pop, she remembered this time. “Do you know of someplace around here? Do they let cats in?” The fact that these questions were childish and the answers known by everyone in normal society did not occur to Aurora because, to her, they were not.
Treat smiled at her enthusiasm. It was really kind of infectious. “Brilliant, Caesar will be so excited,” he said happily. It was nice to meet someone who enjoyed cats like he did. He nodded and then stopped himself as he remembered she couldn’t see it. “I have eight,” he responded. “You and Cookie Dough are welcome to play with them anytime,” he informed her. Though his cats were never in want for anything, he was admittedly a much busier person than could give all eight cats the proper amount of attention they deserved. At her question about a cat-friendly place, Treat had to pause. He had intended to just leave Dominicus in the kitty carrier, but that might upset Aurora. “Wait, let me check with the receptionist,” he said and walked over to the woman behind the counter and asked about a nearby pet-friendly place.
Reciting the directions in his mind, he walked back to Aurora and took her arm. “There’s a diner nearby that supposedly has pretty lenient pet rules,” he told her. “Do you mind if we take my car?” he asked, wondering how she even got here - she couldn’t possibly have driven. He decided it was a fair enough question and asked anyway, “How did you get here?” Dominicus was nuzzling comfortably in her arm.
She could play with the cats too? This was one of the best trips out ever! While Treat went off to check on something, Aurora was not quite sure what, she stood there waiting. Ae’s going to love hearing about this one. A man with a lot of cats that we can play with. Because not for a moment had Aurora considered going to play with the cats without bringing her twin along. Maybe she should tell Treat about that but it slipped out of her mind when her arm was taken again. “Sounds good and I don’t mind at all.” Cars were one of the things that she had gotten used to even if the noise bothered her. “Oh, I was driven by one of the drivers.” That was when she realized she should probably let him know where she was going... Hoping that he was looking at her, Aurora nodded at Treat and smiled reassuringly. Since no one came running she was just going to assume it was alright. “Normally I don’t go out alone, but Aetheria was doing something else and I wanted to... so I did. Have you ever been where we’re going? To eat?”
Standing outside, Treat had to pause at her response and give her a bit of a look. A driver? Even he didn’t have one. Well, he chose not to because they were pretentious and highly unnecessary as he loved the feeling of driving a high-powered vehicle himself. Nevertheless, he was mildly impressed by the darling little princess he was now escorting. At least he had a car that was to her taste. Even if she couldn’t see it. Treat naturally assumed that the driver was on call and off doing another errand or some such, since she didn’t inform him that she needed to speak to him. Guiding Aurora to his car, he opened the door for her and helped her in, making sure she didn’t bump her head. He wasn’t certain if he was supposed to help her buckle up, so he asked: “I don’t mean to seem presumptuous or insensitive, but would you like help putting your seatbelt on?” he asked politely as Dominicus settled comfortably onto her lap.
How nice of Treat to help her in! That time when they had gone out for ice cream with Galen he had been nowhere near as considerate. Or polite. He had also not had a cat and that definitely made Treat better. And then he asked if she needed even more help. “You’re far too sweet,” she giggled, brushing back a piece of hair before nodding. “You can help, I don’t really know how to work that.” She sort of did, but not really. They were not required to wear them when the drivers were taking them places and since that was the only time Aurora went anywhere...well... it actually made perfect sense that she was not all that familiar with the workings of a car. She even held her hands up out of the way, if that would help, never once seeing a problem with him helping her with that. “Promise I don’t bite so you don’t have to worry about getting too close.” The clients were the ones who bit. Giggling a little at the thought, Aurora leaned her head back, wondering where they were going.
There was something oddly innocent about her that both intrigued and concerned Treat. He wondered if it was simply her blindness and her parents had kept her relatively safe and well-protected within their home that was the reason behind her seeming naivety. Other reasons did not really occur to Treat - most certainly not the Greek-priestess-turned-prostitute sort of reasons. He laughed and snapped the belt into place as she told him not to worry about her biting. Somewhere, in the back of Treat’s mind, that held a much graver connotation, including the fact that if something did bite him, there’d be a bullet in their brain before they could even blink. He tried not to think about it, though, because the idea of shooting someone as sweet as Aurora was depressing, even to him. He told Aurora he was about to close the door, so she had better keep her hands close to herself, just in case, and then walked over to the other side of the car. He slid in, started the engine and started driving down the road the receptionist lady had told him to do. “Have you lived in Scarlet Oak long?” he asked as means of conversation.
Having no idea what was going through Treat’s mind, doubting that she would care if she did, Aurora contented herself with stroking the cat in her lap while she hummed a quiet song. The moment she felt a breeze tug at her hair she stopped, unsure of whether or not she should do that inside a car. Something told her that it was a bad idea. “Not very long,” she admitted to his question. “We only came here a few months ago at the offer of a job.” Domina had been very direct when telling her and Aetheria that they were not to speak of what they really did to outsiders. Not everyone could know or else they would get in trouble. Some sort of trouble? Aurora was not sure about the details, it was not really her business anyhow. “I’m actually from Greece, the mountains... so some of the things here, they still confuse me a little. What about you, Treat? Where are you from?” If it had been here then he would not have needed to ask about what restuarant they should go to, right? Sometimes Aurora made leaps of logic that astounded even her. If she thought about them. Which she was not going to do or it would just hurt her head.
Treat stopped at a light and turned to look at Aurora as she mentioned a job. The driver must come with the job, then. But what sort of job did a blind girl do that deserved a personal chaffeur. Oh, maybe she was one of those perfume people who smelled things and identified them at a sniff. It sounded even more plausible when she talked about the mountains of Greece. That must be it. He nodded to himself, content with the explanation before responding to her question. “Well, my parents are originally from Scotland,” he explained. “But I’ve lived in Virginia most of my life...though I’ve just come from D.C.,” Treat didn’t think his life was all that complicated but trying to express his roots and where he came from was a little lengthy. “I just got in this morning,” he added. Maybe she’d offer to show him around town...or, then again, maybe not. She hadn’t been here long either. “Do you like Scarlet Oak?” Are you a vampire sympathizer? It felt rude to ask that, however, and she was too, too sweet to be in contact with those monsters often anyway. She couldn’t be. Definitely not.
Perking up at the mention of Scotland, which Aurora knew was a completely different country, she liked the knowledge that she was not the only newcomer much better. He seemed nice! He was taking her out to get food after all. The fact that maybe she should not get into a car with some guy she hardly knew just because she liked his cat and he sounded nice was something that never even occurred to her. Why would it? Despite a life that should have led to her trusting no one she did the opposite, she trusted everyone. “I do!” Aurora replied with a bright smile, giggling and nuzzling into the cat she was somehow still holding. “Everyone seems really nice and my entire family almost, I haven’t seen them in a long time, they’re here too. It’s really very nice.” And she saw nothing wrong with vampires. Despite the plethora of marks they left on her body. Usually they bit Aetheria because the pain did not bother her near as much. “You haven’t had time to like it yet, but you will!” Cheerful optimism always.
Treat pulled up to the parking lot of the diner that declared it belonged to Sunny, whoever Sunny was. It looked like a halfway decent place, though certainly not his typical choice for dining. Then again, he didn’t usually take his cats with him to eat unless he had made arrangements beforehand. Nevertheless, he cut the engine as he listened to Aurora talk about Scarlet Oak. Oh, so her entire family had moved here, too. Or she had moved here to be with them. The timeline in Treat’s head with regards to her life was making a little more sense now. Not of it, of course, was correct, but it made sense in Treat’s head. “I’m sure I will,” he said genuinely. “Just today, I met a very nice lady who liked my cat,” he said with a smile she couldn’t see as he opened the door on his side and walked around to help her out of her seat. He looked up at the sky for a second to check the clouds and then opened Aurora’s door for. Dominicus, the little manslag, was curled up in her lap, nuzzling his cheek against her belly.
Aurora, being herself, just nodded and said, “Why wouldn’t she like your cat? He’s such a sweetheart! If she likes him then she’s got really good taste.” Never once thinking that Treat might be referring to herself, of course, things like that went right over her head. And no one had ever been able to get it through her head that people talked like that. Really, she liked this cat. Hopefully Cookie Dough would grow up to be just as friendly. Slipping out when the door was opened she hesitated, Dominicus still in her arms. “Should I leave him here or is he coming in too...?” If that had already been discussed then she had gone and forgotten about it completely. Which actually happened a decent bit. It could get annoying for other people.
Chuckling to himself when he realized Aurora wasn’t feigning her surprise, he chalked it up to another part of her naivety and general aura of adorableness. “She does and he seems to like her, too,” he said before helping her out of her seat, watching her head as they exited. “He can come along, unless you want to leave him behind,” Treat teased, not really meaning to leave Dominicus alone. He’d go insane and start tearing up the seats, if Treat had any guess at what the cat in a fit could do. Taking Aurora’s arm, he helped her up the stairs and towards a booth seat, as the girl behind the counter gestured for them to take whatever seat they’d prefer. It was a quaint little diner, cozy but clean. Treat wondered if Aurora would like a description of their surroundings.
“Do you think he likes me?” Aurora asked as she got out, genuinely concerned about that. It seemed like the cat liked her with how much he was purring and rubbing against her but she just wanted to be sure, could never know when it came to cats. Cookie Dough had actually seemed like she was sulking when her and Aetheria took her out on the leash but that was not possible. How could anything be upset about being taken outside? Unthinkable. Sliding into the booth, Aurora’s nose crinkled a little at the scents that assaulted her and the typical sounds she was beginning to associate with these dining places. Briefly she wondered if Treat would humor her by telling her what everything looked like. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear she settled Dominicus next to to her. “Is it pretty in here or regular looking?” Not that anything really qualified as regular to her... and if it did, then regular would be the temple.
“He does, very much,” Treat responded. “His owner does too,” he added in, relatively sure she wouldn’t get that hint either. In the booth, she asked if it was pretty and Treat decided to give her a detailed description. “It’s very nice, a lot of stainless steel and art deco, much like a typical diner, but it’s got dark leather seats instead of the usual red, very classy. There’s a flower on our table, too, it’s a white...carnation?” the upward lilt betrayed his meager knowledge of flowers. The teenage waitress came up to them, head wrapped in an odd manner. Treat looked up at her in confusion. “Are you okay?” he asked, she shook her hand to wave his concern away and dropped off two menus.
“My name is Chance, I’ll be serving you this afternoon, can I get you folks anything to drink while you look at the menu? And can I get the kitty anything?” Her use of the word ‘kitty’ betrayed the farce of professionalism she was trying to put up.
“What would you like, Aurora?” Treat asked as he flipped his menu open. It was always polite to have the lady order first. When Aurora was done, he added his own order. “I’ll have a glass of water, no ice, hint of lemon. Dominicus will have a platter of your best cream, whole, please. No two-percent, no fat-free.” The cat was spoiled, okay?
Aurora tried to imagine what Treat was describing. He had been right in thinking that she was not going to understand what he said about the owner liking the lady meaning that he liked her. Right over the top of her head and it kept going. Actually if he had directly said it she might not have quite understood either. But it did sound like a nice little place and she was going to have to tell Aetheria about it when she went home. “Hi Chance,” she returned with a cheerful smile, not bothering to reach for the menu because she had no idea it was even there. And had she known then it would have made no difference because it was not like she could read them. Which she was not going to call attention to. “I’d like one of those fizzing pop drinks, the dark one? and a chicken salad with Italian dressing.” She had learned that was her personal favorite, though the cream sounded good too. But she was not a cat so she could not have that. The fizzing pop drink and a salad would be plenty good for her.
Chance scribbled down their orders as Treat scanned through the menu quickly. He smiled at Aurora with curiosity as she asked for a fizzy pop drink...who still called them that? He looked up at Chance to see if she understood what she meant and the young waitress was simply scribbling away before looking at him expectantly. He dropped his gaze back to the menu. “Chicken cutlet sandwich with a salad, no dressing, and sweet tea, please,” he smiled up at Chance as he returned the menu. Too young, don’t even think about it. Treat admired men and women of all ages but not when they were jailbait. Besides, he already had a very beautiful lady in front of him. It would impolite. Chance announced she’d be right back with their drinks and left. “Are you in town to stay or just passing through?” he asked. She’d mentioned she found her family here, so she might just be getting ready to go back home, wherever that was. And, he’d heard Scarlet Oak had a very transient population. He counted himself among them. He wasn’t sure how long he’d stay. It’d depend on Cameron and if he could really hold up his end of the bargain.
“I’m staying,” Aurora replied. Not that she thought she actually had a choice in the matter. Did she? No, Domina did not seem the sort to let something go after she had paid for it and Mr. Lex could probably find her really easily if she left. And why should she want to? They gave her everything she needed and she only had to give little things in return. Plus her family was there! Aurora could not even think of leaving when they were all there. Even if she could not see them every day she could still be content just knowing that they were there. Close to her if she needed them. “No reason to leave, everything that I need and love is here with me.” Cheila? She’s not here. A pout formed on her mouth thinking about her other sister but she shook it away when the cat in her lap mewed. “Are you staying, Mr. Treat?”
Treat nodded as she said she was staying. That would be nice, to have someone to call on while he was in town. He didn’t even mean a booty call, but someone to call to spend time with and have a conversation or let his cat have some fun with theirs. Aurora was a very sweet girl, seemingly naive, but very sweet and he wouldn’t mind continuing their acquaintance. Chance came by with their drinks and Treat pushed Aurora’s a little closer so she could reach. He took a sip of his sweet tea before answering her question. “I’ll be staying, for a while, at least,” he informed her. “It all depends on how my business arrangement works out.” It all depends on whether Calvert can hold up his end of the bargain. “I would like to continue seeing you while I’m here, however, if that’s at all possible. Perhaps get our cats together for a playdate,” he added. “I’ve enjoyed your company today.”
Sweet and naive described Aurora perfectly. If one would then consider adding in how un-naive she was when it came to certain things. But that was not part of the conversation and so Aurora kept it locked away, enjoying the company, the purring cat and the drink that made her throat and nose tickle in that funny way she was really learning to like. “I’d love to get Cookie Dough together with another cat!” Aurora agreed, beaming at the thought. “And would you mind if I brought my twin? I don’t like doing anything without her and she’d be able to see you and tell me what you look like. Because I like the way you sound and you’re nice so I want to know that.” The air elemental absolutely loved these ideas and went so far as to cuddle Dominicus to her chest in her excitement, temporarily forgetting that she had a fizzy drink to be drinking.
The cuteness was seriously enough to give Treat diabetes. Or the sweetness. Or both. And she had a twin. He hoped her twin was as sweet as Aurora. He’d met several twins who liked the same things and even liked to share. Really liked to share. On the other hand, he’d met twins where one of them was a heinous, raving bitch and the other was a sweetheart. Treat hoped Aurora’s twin was like her. “Of course not,” he said pleasantly. He immediately went over his diary in his mind. He had the thing with giant kitty’s angry human tomorrow and he probably should leave Tuesday open in case of Cameron because he had really better see the man soon. “How does Wednesday sound?” he said with a smile she couldn’t see but he hoped she could hear. “I can pick you and your sister and Cookie Dough up and we can go to a park or my house, if you’re comfortable with that. I have a gigantic backyard and every toy a cat could dream of.” It was true. The cats had an outside play area and an indoor play area. It was a good thing they were so active or they’d be fat and full of catnip. Well, the Baron was fat and full of catnip. But the others were fine. He took a sip of his sweet tea.
Had Aurora known what Treat was wondering she would have been quick to assure him that Aetheria was every bit as sweet as her. The twins were so alike that, if one was simply going off personality, it would have been nearly impossible to tell them apart. There were enough little differences in their physical appearances and of course there was the fact that Aetheria had a scar on her neck and could not speak while Aurora had been born blind... but discounting that they were very nearly the same person, truly. They even dressed the same! Which was admittedly because Aetheria did the dressing but hey, no big deal. “We’d love that,” Aurora replied, toying with her straw. “Though if you tell me where you live then we can come to you, thanks to our drivers. I don’t ever remember my address.” Or it was more that she was not supposed to tell people. She had not told her parents so she doubted that telling Treat would work so well. “Cookie Dough will be so happy to get to play with other kitties!” Biting at her lip, she reached out to find Treat’s hand and pat it affectionately. “Thank you for being so nice to me today.”
Treat nodded a nod she couldn’t see again as she suggested they come to him. Of course. If he were to be completely honest with himself, picking Aurora and her sister up would have been a little too much like asking two five year-olds if they would like to come into his van. Even if the van was really a high-end rented luxury vehicle. Nevertheless, he smiled and gave her the address. “Will you remember?” he asked with a hint of a smile so that she didn’t feel like he was being pushy. He reached over for a napkin and wrote his address down with a pen from his jacket anyway, just in case. He’d hand it to the driver later. “It will be lovely to see you,” he added and then looked down as she reached over to touch his hand. He placed his free one over hers. “You’re very welcome. Thank you for taking such good care of Dominicus. I’m afraid he’ll never want to come home with me now,” Treat joked, eyeing the cat that was ignoring the cream for Aurora’s lap. Releasing her hand, he signalled to their server for the check. It had been a very lovely day.
“Probably not,” Aurora said with a bright smile. “But if you write it down I can give it to Ae and she can pin it somewhere.” So they could promptly forget together that they had something to do. Not that Aurora would! She really, really meant to remember that they had a kitty playdate with Treat because she wanted Cookie Dough to meet other kitties and she wanted her sister to meet him. And she wanted to see Dominicus again because he seemed like such a sweetheart of a kitty and when she realized that it was time to go she pouted a little before lifting the kitty up to nuzzle her face against his fur. “It was very nice of you to take me out for lunch, Treat, and of course Dominicus will go home with you! You’re just as nice as me so why wouldn’t he want to?” Aurora even went so far as to pick the cat up and hold him out towards his owner just to show she had no intentions on stealing him. One cat was plenty enough for the Elias twins, and some would argue it might even be too much.