Re: B&B: Cat & Jack Shhhh. The lock-picking made her feel better. Young, theft had been her hope for a better future. She'd steal for the orphanage, and she'd pocket part of the take in her ratty teddy bear. Five, and she'd already understood that she needed wealth to become free. Oh, the lock-picking was child's play, especially in an old house like this, but it still put a tiny bit of spring in her step.
She didn't take note of the book. The title and author were momentarily evasive, and the world was just settling back around the edges. She managed a smile for his complaint about the ice, a smile slow to bloom, but lush once the petals unfurled, and she liked the visual of him living with a bunch of nosy old biddies. "The ladies did this?" she asked, and her brow arched. Entertainment suffused her features, and she gave him a look that was all curious kitty. "What do you mean? Poor performance?"
Noticing his sobriety came later, came next. And he looked like a completely different man from the one she'd first encountered drunk in a diner, unable to pay for his own toast. In fact, the more she looked at him, the more certain she was that she'd done the right thing in renting this room for him. Her own discomfort with the decor aside, the room was nice. He looked good, and even that shirt looked expensive.
She leaned back in her chair, and she watched him pour the vodka. His own glass was left mostly empty, and now she was getting curious. She took the glass when he handed it to her, and she took a slow swallow of the vodka. Its burn made her think of decades in a cold docha, the chill soaking into the stones and floorboards. The only way to get warm had been a drink, and this vodka reminded her of those days.
He moved the pawn, mentioned the cat, and she grinned. "The cat is an angel, and something about you is different. Tell me. You know how I love a good morality tale."