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The air outside was crisp, it was just nearing the beginning of fall after all. Fria pulled white feathered wings tighter around herself, attempting to ward off the chill. She just started her new job today after all- didn’t exactly want to catch a cold.
The transport police. Not exactly where she’d wanted to end up, but work was work. At the very least it’d keep the lights on in her small apartment. The city was fairly busy today. It always got to be that way around this time of day. An old friend had referred to this time of day as “sunshine hour.” The time of day that everyone decided they needed to see the sun. Fria laughed to herself as she wove through the crowd towards a local coffee shop. It was hard to keep places like this up and running. Places containing originality and nuance instead of the hyper-intense black coffee everywhere else served.
“Excuse me!” a small voice piped up from somewhere to her left. “Can I get through?” She looked over to spot- a kid? Silver haired and wingless too. Not from Ysdrigsial then… Fria hummed and began to walk towards her.
“Are you lost?” she leaned over slightly, looking down at the small girl.
“Nope! I just have to find Jonny again, he’s somewhere around here!” she began attempting to jump over the heads of the adults around her to little success. Fria craned her neck and looked across the crowd.
“What’s he look like?”
“Oh! Jonny’s beautiful and he gives the best hugs, and his voice is really nice and-” Tiny hands flew as the girl launched into a detailed description of her apparent caretaker, which appeared to be more of a glowing recommendation of him than a physical description. No sight of him…
“Hey, uh-” Fria gestured to her.
“Lily!”
“Lily. Lily would you like to get some hot chocolate with me? I’ve got a friend who might be able to help us find yo- Jonny. But they’re working right now, so we’ve got to wait a bit. I looked around for him but didn’t see him, it’ll be more comfortable to wait indoors.” Lily seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding.
“Okay- but I want marshmallows,” she said as she huddled up to Fria’s legs. Fria smiled and reached down a wing to wrap around the shivering girl. Whoever this Jonny guy was she’d have to recommend him a good place to get a jacket.
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A bell above the door chimed as the two of them walked into the small shop.
“Hello Fria! Back again?” the owner called from behind the counter. She was a middle aged woman, warm and bubbly, always welcoming. She was also the reason Fria returned here, Leva reminded her of her own mother.
“Wish I never left Leva,” Fria responded warmly as she walked up to the counter. “I brought a friend this time.” Opening her wings, she gestured Lily forward.
“Do you have marshmallows?” Lily leaned against the counter and looked up at Leva. Leva grinned down at her.
“I’ll do you one better munchkin!” Leva reached under the counter and pulled out a small glass shaker, “I’ve got rainbow sprinkles!” Lily’s eyes went wide and she looked up at Fria.
“Get whatever you want, I’ve got a bit of extra spending money now,” she turned to Leva, “I’ll have a chai tea.”
“Sure thing darlin’! What for you love?” Leva addressed Lily, ringing up Fria’s order.
“Can I have a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and sprinkles?”
“Sure thing! I’ll just ring that up quick… that’ll be five for you Fria,” Leva smiled softly at Lily as she began to take in the rest of the shop.
“Leva… you and I both know that I owe you more than that,” Fria said, opening her wallet.
“Take it as a thank you then. Can’t go losing my most loyal customer now can I?” Fria shook her head, smiling.
“Well I appreciate it. Something tells me I’m about to have an interesting afternoon,” she handed Leva a few bills with a thank you and turned to Lily. “Where would you like to sit?”
“Over here!” Lilly made a beeline to a set of high top tables and clambered onto a seat. “I like the windows!” Indeed, the tables were placed in front of a large open window. The busy street below was a soup of busy, active people.
“Good choice!” Fria stepped up onto the stool, folding her wings behind her. “So Lily, where do you think this Jonny of yours would have gone?”
“Probably the casino!” Small legs swung excitedly under her own stool.
“The casino? Why’s that?” Fria turned her head to the side. That’s not the best sign.
“Oh to burn it down!” If Fria’s drink was there, she would have choked on it.
“Excuse me?” She hadn’t just said that, right?
“To burn it!” Lily was still speaking joyfully.
“Lily… you can’t just say stuff like that…” Thankfully she was a kid but people had gotten thrown in jail for less.
“I can’t?”
“No… Oh, look! There’s our drinks. Be right back,” Fria hopped off the stool, travelling across the room with a beat of her wings. Leva handed her the two cups with a smile.
“Look out for her won’t you?” Fria noticed a smiley face drawn on Lily’s hot chocolate.
“I’m just trying to find her caretakers, but I will until then. Promise.”
----
“-and Tim has the softest hair and he lets me play with it sometimes and-” Lily was still happily talking about her evident family, an hour or so later. Fria drifted in and out of listening. It’d be another hour or so before Lyf was off work to help her out, that was if they’d be willing to help. They’d only met her today after all, but Fria’d like to think she’d made a good impression.
“Hey, there he is!” Lily exclaimed, pointing out the window.
“Huh? HOLY-” Fria hardly had the time to knock Lily to the ground before the window beside them shattered as a group of- actually Fria had no idea what they were supposed to be. Either way the odd group had neglected using the door four feet to the left.
“Jonny!” Lily exclaimed from underneath Fria’s wings, poking her head out and running towards a wild looking man.
“Lily!” he responded softly as she wrapped her arms around his legs. “What did you do with her.” Oh there was a gun drawn on Fria now, great. Any trace of softness had completely vacated the face covered in harsh black lines. The man (Jonny? This was the Jonny Lily was gushing about?) moved as if to attack her before another voice rang out across the shop.
“Jonny if you get me stuck in a time paradox I’ll throw you out the airlock,” a woman made of wood and metal spoke up from behind the counter. Wood and metal? That couldn’t be right. Was she ordering drinks? Was that Lyf in a space Halloween costume beside her? Was there someone trying to set the tables on fire behind Jonny?
“Oh you’re no fun Fria,” Jonny holstered his gun again, crossed his arms, and scowled at the clockwork woman.
“That’s- that’s my name.” Honestly, Fria was just shell shocked by whatever had just happened. The clockwork woman, who’d evidently just finished ordering, laughed to herself.
“That it is.” Leva was making drinks now, there was someone else behind the counter with metallic wings trying to take apart the coffee machine. The space Halloween Lyf was scowling angrily at a man in a green coat. Jonny and Lily rejoined the group as Fria stumbled back up to her feet.
Leva set drinks on the small outgoing counter, prompting a violent argument over who’s was who’s. During this argument, the clockwork woman approached her. She set a metal hand on Fria’s shoulder.
“I’m not stupid like Jonny, but a few words of advice. Make Lyf sleep more. If anyone named Marius Von Raum shows up, tell him he’s a simp. Also, try a few more drinks from here, the place won’t be around much longer.” There was a solid pat on her shoulder and the clockwork woman straightened, addressing the other parties in the room. “Alright everyone out, Lyf let’s fix this place up after they destroyed it.”
Naturally, the group exited out of the mirroring window. However, with a flash of rainbow and a sad smile, the clockwork woman and space Halloween Lyf returned the shop to normal and vanished. Leva and Fria were left blinking at each other.
“What the fuck just happened.”
“Language, Fria.”