Forums » General Roleplay » Trick Or Treat: Wandering Star Cafe!

OOC NOTE: More info on the cafe here!

Andromeda had been working day and night to get these blends just right for the autumnal season, with a little help from Elyra and Kieran. And at last, the Halloween setup was complete!

The Wandering Star Bookshop & Cafe are having some late nights with comfy beanbags, scary movies and many many little treats for those who decide to enter! For its first year of Autumn/Halloween season, there are some new drinks to try!

- Pumpkin & Cinnamon Latte
- Salted Caramel Mocha
- Honey & Apple Tea
- Dark Chocolate & Cherry Latte

And with those drinks come a few offers!
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+ 25% Off all Drinks!
+ Extra 10% Off if you are dressed up!

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They had also set up a small basket of hand-wrapped sweets for the younger children who popped into the meticulously decorated cafe. When stepping back to look at the cafe from the outside, the small pumpkins along the outside windowsill giving it a further edge than the other shops on the street.

Andromeda smiled, hands-on-hips and headed into the cafe to start serving the 'hopefully' dressed up customers.

"You have got to be kidding me," Krepta hissed. She was standing outside a cute little cafe in some town she had never been to. It was all bedecked and bedazzled for Halloween, and there were sweet little children in bumble bee and pumpkin costumes trooping in and out of the doors.

And she was about to go in there like a weirdo and paw through their candy bowl.

She had thought that the fae thing had been a one time thing-- an unlucky roll of the dice. She had gone along with it, assuming that once it was done, she could retire in peace for the holiday.

When had she ever been that lucky?

Instead, the book had sent her from place to place to collect, of all things, candy. How a handful of sweets could be a threat to the universe was beyond her, but her family tome had been fairly clear in it's instructions. The worst thing was-- it was picky. She couldn't just go in and stealthily grab a handful here and there. She had spent fifteen minutes at the last joint picking through a jumbo sized bucket left on someone's porch and hoping no one came across her. Before that she had had to bribe a twelve year old for their candy bar, who had parted with it for no less than three bags of name brand candy from the store across the street, the little shark.

But-- duty called. What was a girl to do?

She shot the book hidden in the leather bag dangling at her side a dirty look. "You suck, and I'm buying myself a latte if I'm going in there," she growled. She sighed and pulled the deer skull up over her face again. It was real, antlers and all-- selected to maybe protect her identity a little, and intimidate people out of asking too many questions when she appeared. The rest of the outfit fit well, all well worn, hand sewn deerskin and a bearskin cloak. It wasn't a costume, it was her day clothes when not in... places like this-- but it worked well enough for the purpose.

The bell above the door tinkled merrily as she pushed her way inside, a strained, uncomfortable smile on her face beneath the mask. "...Happy Halloween," she said uncertainly as she approached the counter. "So uh, what's good?" Her eyes were searching as she spoke. Where was that candy?

Andromeda was looking through the back of the cupboards for some more of their vanilla essence when they heard the bell ring on the door. It took a moment to register but they put the little halo on to match their clip-on wings before heading out into the front of the cafe. 'Woah... that costume is super well made!' they thought to themselves before putting on the usual customer-friendly smile as always.

"Hello there, that is a wonderful costume you've got there. What can I get for you?" They also pulled out the huge basket, filled halfway with candy that had been taken from throughout the night. "I'm guessing you are trick or treating as well?"
In the back of their mind, they thought'little tall, maybe just a bit unlucky when it came to height. I shouldn't be too harsh.'

Meanwhile, the coffee machine dinged and they poured the mix out into a takeaway cup, handing it to an extremely tired mother with an extremely sugar-filled child. "Good luck.." They waved the pair out of the door, turning back to the well-dressed individual.

"Yeeeeee-ees..." She drew out the word, sounding uncertain herself. Wait, she really believed that she was a trick or treater? Seriously? Hell, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Thank you, it's uh, it's my last year, so I wanted to make it a good one." That was believable, right?

Oh, and fortune was smiling on her tonight, it seemed. The lady just plunked the basket down in front of her without her even having to ask or search. She glanced up at her, and if she could see under the skull, relief would have been written clear across Krepta's face. She looked back down at the basket. Right.

"So... um..." she said, trying to buy time. She picked up a piece of candy, sliding it up her palm towards a little glass bead on a simple leather thong around her wrist. Inside there was a little droplet of red, like a frozen petal suspended in ice. She tapped the bead with the piece of candy. Nothing happened. No tug. Damn it. She picked up another, trying to be subtle about it.

"What's better the--" Tick. Nothing. Tick. Tick. Nothing, nada.

"The Dark Chocolate and Cherry or the Pumpkin and Cinnamon?" How much candy was there in this basket? Pursing her lips beneath the mask she stuck her entire hand into the basket, up to the wrist and began to slowly swirl it around, waiting for the tug that would tell her she was close to her target. She leaned forward, trying to hide the odd scene with the rest of her torso, but she knew how it looked.

"There any cookies or anything? Cookies are always good with a latte. I-- My vision's not so good in this thing, sorry."

"It's always good to go out with an amazing outfit like yours..." They admired the craftsmanship of the intricate costume, slightly jealous of their skills. Even though the girl was very covered, they saw their whole body breath out a sigh of relief. 'Poor girl, people must think she's too old for this.. she doesn't look like she's gotten much candy at all...'

They watched the girl dig through the basket, which wasn't far from unordinary in the trick or treaters who came by their store. 'She might have an allergy or is just kinda picky, that's fine too.'

"Personally, I like the uh-" Mind went blank. Can't think of a single thing they've tasted throughout their very weird life. They looked back to the menu. 'Dark Chocolate and Cherry... Pumpkin and Cinnamon...' Their mind flickered between the two. 'Oh wait... I don't have much cherry extract left. I'll say Pumpkin and Cinnamon. Yeah, that works.'

"Pumpkin and Cinnamon" There was a beat. "Yeah, I prefer the sweetness of the cinnamon over the bitterness of the dark chocolate." 'Well, they weren't lying that is sort of true..' They listened on as they dug through the basket.

"Cookies? Sure, that and the Pumpkin and Cinnamon Latte all you want?"

A faint tug. Krepta snatched up a bit of prettily wrapped candy that she suspected was some kind of caramel and popped it into the glass jar in her bag. It already had two or three other pieces. She still wasn't sure what the connection between them was, but sometimes with this Walker business it was just best to stop asking too many questions. Either the answers would barely make sense, or you would see a whole other side of the universe that you wished you hadn't.

"I'll go with that then. And the cookies, yeah." She smiled under the mask, glad to be on the receiving end of a bit of kindness for once tonight. "Thanks," and she sounded like she meant it sincerely. She reminded herself to leave a tip-- a big one, when she left. She could afford it tonight.

She wanted a lot more than cookies and a latte, of course. After the thing with the Fae and having to bypass all the treats on the buffet table at McMansion's house, she was starting to get pretty hungry-- and with a dragon's appetite, a couple of cookies would barely take the edge off. She also didn't want to weigh herself down however. She sensed that she still had work to do before she could call it a night.

That didn't stop her from staring longingly at the rest of the treat display, however.

"Has it been, uh, a busy tonight?" She asked as she waited for her drink. That's what people asked at places like this, right? She was terrible at small talk.

Hearing her relieved voice pulled at the corners of their mouth, it made them very relieved to have given a place of solace to a customer who was in need of one. The cafe was founded on the idea of helping lost stars on their journey, wherever that may be.

"That's absolutely fine by me!" They typed in the order in the till and deducted the sale price as this was clearly a costume. Andromeda read the number aloud and smiled, getting to work on the latte. They put the milk on to heat and grabbed a small paper bag from underneath the countertop and using some tongs to grab the Halloween specially decorated cookie and placed it in the brown bag.

"Not really, there's been a lot of parents who come in for a little stop off while their little ones watch some of the cartoons as their drinks are being made." They looked over to the small beanbag area, where about 3 children in costumes sat with their candy buckets in front of them - eating some as they watched the short film. They smiled, happy to provide a place of rest for their weary parents.

The machine dinged, and Andromeda got to work on creating the rest of the latte. They turned around after putting both of the extracts into the cup. "Would you like some whipped cream and marshmallows on top?" They held up a small jar which was half-filled with green and orange coloured marshmallows, with a smile on their face.

Krepta flashed a grin. Aw... those were... kind of cute actually! She didn't get to indulge in silly little things like this very often, and she was finding it surprisingly enjoyable. And watching her make the drink had been interesting, though it was likely something that most people didn't even notice anymore. Once you had been without it for a while, the mundane tended to take on a new novelty of sorts.

"I'd love some marshmellows, thank you," she answered. "And whipped cream."

She paused, and her smile faltered. Oh. She should get something for Kargo too. He had stayed home this year. She wasn't sure he was ready for Halloween yet. Too many grabby hands, and she had needed her alone time anyway, but that didn't mean she couldn't bring him something back, particularly since she was feeling a bit guilty for leaving him behind.

"Sorry-- could you add something to my order?" What did Kargo like? "I have a friend who's kind of... particular, but he's home sick tonight, so I wanted to bring him something. He can't have chocolate, but he's not really that fond of sweets anyway. Do... you have something I could get for him maybe?"

Andromeda nodded and adjusted the circular glasses sitting on their nose. They took the almost empty bottle of whipped cream and sprayed an almost perfect swirl on top of the drink - must remind Elyra to get some more tomorrow - or Keiran... but he would forget. They placed a small handful of the mini marshmallows on top of the cream, making sure they weren't going to fall.

"Hmm... So something savoury for your friend, eh?" They thought out loud, trying to go through what they had left. "We do have some ghost pies left I think? It's just cheese and pepper in them so far from sweet..."

They placed the cup on the table, awaiting the payment to complete the transaction. "Is your friend sick? I would hate for them to miss out of Halloween 'cause of an Illness..." They furrowed a brow, remembering the many times they missed out on Halloween because their mother was 'too tired to go out' even though she would go out barely an hour later.

"That sounds perfect!" The smile was clear in Krepta's voice. Kargo was a big fan of cheese, which she found secretly hilarious, and hadn't bothered to tell him why yet. It was probably better that way, she thought with an upward twitch of her lips. Her friend wasn't the sort to be easily insulted, but all the same, she knew that her sense of humor could be a little... off colored sometimes.

Andromeda's question gave her pause, however. She opened her mouth, but found that she didn't really want to outright lie to her.... him? She squinted distractedly for a while under the mask instead of responding, trying to decide between the two, before remembering that she was supposed to say something in return.

"Sort of... I mean, it's a kind of sick. It's... a sort of anxiety. He doesn't do well around large crowds of people, particularly people who like to touch without asking and well---" She half turned to lift her hand to the window and a crowd of rambunctious trick or treaters jostling each other outside. "That's kind of Halloween in a nutshell. Maybe next year. We're working on it."

She shrugged. It was the closest to the truth that she could offer without sounding like a madwoman in a place like this.

"But, ah, they don't really celebrate Halloween where he's from, so he doesn't really know what he's missing anyway. He'll be okay. He'll really enjoy the pie."

Speaking of-- She bent to shuffle about in her bag for a moment. There were a lot of different currencies in there, by necessity. She hoped she had judged right when she reached for the american dollars. The accents sounded right, and everything here looked fairly normal, but in her business, anything was a possibility. Hopefully if it wasn't correct, she could just play things off as a Halloween prank and try again.

"Great!" They gave a smile, putting the pie in a small to-go box and placing it next to the brown bag of cookies and the drink. Their smile faltered for a moment when Krepta was telling their story, feeling a tinge of relatability with the whole 'anxiety' business. If it weren't for Kieran and Elyra then Andromeda probably wouldn't be standing behind the counter at all.

"Oh right, I totally get that. Halloween was almost like a hunting sport where I grew up. I can see why some places don't partake in it." They huffed, not bothering to add the pie as it was for an anxious friend and that seemed like a good enough reason for a little Halloween treat. They took the money from Krepta, handing back the correct amount of change. She seemed foreign to begin with so they probably just forgot the pounds or something, Andromeda didn't mind. The exchange rate was pretty much 1 to 1 now.

"I hope your friend comes and joins you next year, I think this area is one of the more pleasant that I've experienced." They nodded, waving goodbye to a parent who was being half-dragged out by an at least 4-year-old child. They grabbed a cloth and wiped down the side, a small bit of drink had spilled while they were carrying it.

"I hope so too," Krepta told her. She had to admit that she agreed with that opinion. The area itself felt welcoming, peaceful. Kargo would probably like it. Maybe she could take him with her next time, a little sooner, on a day that wasn't Halloween. Meanwhile, there was work to be done.

She made a little show of tipping her skull mask at Andromeda across the counter, like a hat, and slipped the change for the purchase into the tip jar. She wasn't sure how much exactly there was, but likely plenty enough to be a hefty tip, which was the point.

Then she slipped out of the shop to watch the trick or treaters for a while while she scarfed down her cookies and latte. It was a welcome respite before having to continue on to her next destination, and the ghostly little pie was a pleasant weight in the bag against her side. Kargo would love it.

She had decided early on that, while compromising the integrity of her uniform was acceptable only when as a result of dispatching her duty, in the spirit of the holiday she would make an exception. Staring at herself in the mirror with an intensity that was in no way warranted given the inconsequential nature of her present dilemma, Kita ultimately decided to tilt her cap slightly to the side, wearing it at an angle which bordered on ‘jaunty’.

Subsequent doubts over this egregious breach of protocol over the course of the evening resulted in the young officer constantly adjusting, and readjusting the cap as she waffled erratically between compulsive perfectionism and festive enthusiasm. It was a miracle that this absurd distraction didn’t interfere with her virtually religious dedication to the overall task at hand - which was, of course, remaining alert and attentive so as to maintain a safe and friendly environment for the trick-or-treaters.

For lack of a better term, Officer Deschain was thoroughly pumped. The giddy excitement that had been her constant companion since graduating and earning her badge only seemed to resonate even more now - her first Halloween as an official, licenced member of the local police department! While Kita had never been particularly fond of the holiday in itself - easily startled as she was, and failing entirely to appreciate the more gruesome, violent aspects such as slasher flicks and gory decorations - she had always loved the sense of community it brought about. especially in towns like this. It was the very embodiment of why she had followed in Lieutenant Evans’ footsteps to begin with - and the chance to walk out and about with the very folks she worked to protect and serve was beyond gratifying.

A cool autumn breeze kissed Kitalaiya’s cheek and rustled the hair which tufted out beneath her pristine cap, as the declining light cast the town into a dusky twilight which could not have been more perfect for the occasion. There was an air of mysticism she had never experienced before, back in the inner city, where Halloween held little interest to the desperately preoccupied denizens. The musky scent of fallen leaves wafted on the air, tinged by the tng which hinted coyly at the coming of winter just around the proverbial bend. The streets and sidewalks were alive with quiet revelry. Costumed children and dogged parents, costumed teenagers whose raucous laughter was a harmless crack in the understated atmosphere. Costumed adults, who wisely knew that one was never too old to indulge in childish fancy.

And to top it all off, it had been a marvelously quiet day spent walking the beat, ’strollin’ an’patrollin’, as David might say. With her usual squad car having been usurped by some senior officers for some purpose she was too low on the totem pole to know, Officer Deschain’s effective area had been reduced to such a point that of the few calls that did come over her belt-mounted radio, none were within her range.

Though she had to admit - walking around all day tended to make one’s feet sore...And glancing to the wristwatch she insisted on wearing, it was immediately apparent that she’d put more than enough hours in to earn herself a break. Especially since she planned on patrolling well into the night - some coffee would do her well. It did not take long to decide on a place - a cute little coffee shop called ’The Wandering Star Cafe’ which she spied half a block down and across the street.

It took fourteen minutes between Patrol Officer Deschain’s decision to stop by the Wandering Star and her actually getting through the door, despite the total distance traveled equalling that of about one compact city block at most. Most of that time was taken up by the immediate and pressing matter of enthusiastically explaining to a small child that their pudgy pumpkin costume was by far one of the greatest things she had ever seen in her life. This, in turn, resulted in the still technically on-duty patrol officer sitting on the sidewalk, further discussing the merits of bumblebee and ghost costumes with children who were eager to pick up on her boundless enthusiasm. Indeed, the childlike delight in her own eyes was a veritable mirror of theirs.

Luckily for Kita however, children tended to have short attention spans, and parents tended to want to keep moving - and so, after nearly fifteen minutes of sitting on the ground so that only the top of her head was visible through the window from inside the cafe, Kita was able to hop spryly to her feet and promptly walk straight into the bone-and-leather clad woman who was presently stepping out. Several profuse apologies later, she found herself listening to the gentle tink of the bell as she slipped through the door...Miraculously, without tripping over anything or otherwise causing a scene.

The woman who entered was of a very small stature, with a youthful enough face that she might have looked like a teenager who was dressed as a police officer rather than an actual officer of the law. She was clad in the department’s newly issued (and recently redesigned) cool weather uniform, the sky-blue pullover warmer than it looked, covered by a seemingly innocuous black vest, and with a cap to match. If she was a kid dressed up as a cop, it was a very irresponsible getup indeed - given that the badges mounted on vest and hat, as well as the utility belts and all accompanying tools were most definitely real - or extremely lifelike replicas. There was also a tiny, happy looking ghost pinned to her vest beside the badge - a bit of Halloween flair that she had pestered no less than half the department over whether or not wearing it would be a breach of protocol.

Silently hoping that nobody saw the whole ’crashing face-first into an exiting patron’ thing, Kita glanced about with obvious approval at the quaint decor as she closed the door behind her. Catching the eye of the shop’s proprietor behind the counter, the young cop greeted them with a bright smile and even brighter eyes, accompanied by a little wave of the hand.

”H-hi, hello~” She chirped, adding in a cheerful ”Happy Halloween~” for good measure as she moved toward the counter.

While cleaning up once again, they heard the door's bell ring out into the cafe, signalling a new customer. They looked up to see a police officer, possibly a costume but by the looks of the tailoring and the overall quality, it was most likely an officer on break. Understandable, they have a lot of children to watch over and keep safe this year. As they do every year.

They really looked up to officers and their duties to the public, it was quite a noisy night out there, busiest they've ever seen it! What they do this time of year is really admirable. The community was safe to roam the streets free of actual monsters in human form. When they entered, they gave them a quick look, not staring too long as not to make it weird. The taller Andromeda, decked out in a cream turtle neck, brown trousers and little devil horns on their head, gave a small wave to the officer, putting down the cloth they were using to clean up their surroundings.

Andromeda shone a smile, adjusting the glasses sitting on their nose. "Hello there, officer! Happy Halloween!" They said, enthusiastically. "Anything I can get you today?"

Hóng's costume was as much a disguise as it was anything else. A very silly one, but it served its purpose. Better to look like a small domestic animal that had somehow gotten stuck in a box than be carted off to some zoo somewhere. But as much as it was in his best interests to keep his nature hidden from the pedestrian public, Hóng was not so careful in smaller venues. Try as he might to resist, Hóng had the social needs of any other sapient being, and others of his kind were nowhere near good enough in conversation.

Despite his efforts to hide himself, nobody could deny the attention-drawing nature of his chosen costume. It wasn't everyday one saw a walking box heading down the street, supported by a quartet of little black paws. Staring out through small carefully-shaped circular eyeholes, Hóng resisted random attempts to 'free' him as he closed in on what looked like a good respite to stop off for a snack. Not that he could afford to buy anything - no pockets, no bank account, no job - but as was often the case with small cute animals, it wasn't hard to get people to throw scraps his way. He did not really have the visual perspective to read much of the signage related to the establishment, but it was Halloween - and glimpses of decoration suggested some form of party atmosphere. No doubt he could head inside without too much drama.

The difficult part was getting inside. Little paws did not make for good door-opening tools. But he could not exactly remain still and wait around outside, as almost certainly his costume would be stolen and his journey through the city likely put to an end. It was with luck that the door was opened by a patron at just the right time for him to slip inside without any real drama. Naturally, it was not without observation, much like it was impossible to miss an errant pigeon sneaking into a baker's shop. But for the most part, the general passing public seemed to decide it was on the commercial establishment's staff to see off the animal intrusion.

Despite the disposable nature of Hóng's costume, what he wore was - thankfully - just about acceptable when it came to Halloween attire. More than just a box with holes in it, the flaps that were intended to close off what was currently the costume's underside had been tidily removed and all printed labelling was painted over by an attentively even coat of grey paint. Darker grey stripes followed the faces of the box in an even pattern down its length in a manner that showed clear artistic intent. It was, however, the front face that was most revealing in the purpose of this box. The cartoonish feline features were undeniable, particularly with the presence of a pair of triangular attachments stuck neatly to the top of the box, perhaps crafted from the aforementioned removed flaps. Simple and cheap it might have been, but the cat costume most certainly had artistic value - and some level of style.

Hóng did his best to tail the human who he had followed inside. There was, after all, no point in delaying contact with the proprietor, particularly as it risked the potential of being removed from the premises by a third-party. But he did not want to interrupt either, as that was equally likely to cause a stir. His best bet to have some fun and beg for food was perfect timing. Besides, it was also the laziest strategy. And if there was one thing that this particular example of ailurus fulgens had in spades, it was laziness.

Kiki tended to be, as a general rule, rather anxious when in uniform. Responsibilities, the pressure to maintain the proper image, and so on - but that had rarely stopped her from being her usual, chipper self… And frankly, today had gone so nicely that the little weirdo could almost forget to be awkward. Almost.

Any trace of uncertainty melted away from the rook’s face as she was greeted with an open warmth that, these days, was not always afforded to the folks in blue. Glowing, Kita beamed at the barista as though her day had already been made. She chirped out a little ”Ohthankyou~!”, not really sure what she was being thankful for, but not particularly caring, either. With a cursory check to make sure she wasn’t cutting anyone off, the young woman sped up to a little trot for about one and a half steps as she approached the counter. Her big eyes trained up to the menu, darted over it for a moment, hands held somewhere in the vicinity of her navel in a fashion which was both excitable and vaguely distracted.

”Umm- w-what would you recommend? It all looks so great I- uh, I mean, maybe something halloween-y? Or like ’autumn-y’ L-likewithpumpkinorsomethinglikethat I’m really not picky- Oh but with a shot of espresso or something please-? My supervisor says I shouldn’t drink caffeine because I talk too much already butIdunno’if thosetwothingsarereallyrelated, d’you? Caffeine and talking a lot? I bet you’re an expert on that sort of thing, working as a….coffee...shop...person…Barista? Coffee Artist? OH I love your costume by the way! Imeaniassumeitsacostumemaybeyoujustdresslikethatallhetimewhichisperfectlyfine-”

The officer was certainly…talkative. Excessively so. To a point where it was probably clear that she would immediately agree to whatever beverage was suggested to her without even pausing in the middle of her oblivious yapping.

It was confirmed that this strange young woman was in fact an actual officer of the law when, a moment later, she gave a start as garbled, but undoubtedly official sounding call crackled rather loudly over the radio secured at her belt. Kita jumped, letting out an involuntary squeak as she fumbled with the dial, lowering it to a more acceptable volume that might constitute background noise rather than obnoxious racket.

Glancing sheepishly back up toward the ’coffee shop person’, cheeks tinted vaguely pink at having momentarily become the unwitting center of attention of the whole shop, Kita was about to explain that it was nothing to worry about. She got as far as ”S-sorry, I-” before pausing, blinking in realization, then doing a double-take back to the downward direction she’d looked a moment prior.

Embarrassment fled Kita as she perceived the… critter in the cardboard-box-tabby-cat costume. In an instant, her eyes widened in awed delight. ”Oh. My. God.” She intoned, lowly enough that it might almost have been mistaken for some kind of distress if not for the undertone approaching reverence. ”Thatisthemostadorablething-...I have ever seen- in my life.” She was referring to the costume itself as well as the prospect as a whole rather than the critter beneath, who was almost entirely obscured - but there was no doubting that she was suddenly fighting an urge to flock to the critter and enthusiastically fawn over it.

”A-are they yours? Likeashopmascot-?" the weird Officer asked, gasping sharply as though she had just been struck with a brilliant idea and adding "C-canIpet'em~?" before glancing briefly, excitedly in the direction of the shop's hopefully very patient proprietor, trying not to bounce slightly on the spot with all that damned pent-up energy....

And, of course, failing to take into account that petting a cardboard box wasn't entirely feasible to begin with.

Seeing the anxieties and uncertainty drain from this woman's face filled Andromeda with glee. When it came to making people feel safe, they took that extremely seriously. It was a relief that they felt calm enough that it physically drained from them. They straightened their apron, re-tieing their aprons bow. They tried to pick out some of the things this clearly on edge woman was trying to order. 'Pumpkin? Espresso, even though they are advised not to?'

"We have a Pumpkin and Cinnamon Latte? I can add a shot of espresso if you want." They spoke slower, allowing the officer to calm down for a moment, 'stressful nights do stuff to people...' They tilted their head while waiting for an affirmation. "And really, I'm not an expert but I have a taste for..." 'ingredients? spices? tastes?' "what things go nice together?" They questioned their wording, thinking that maybe it sounded like they definitely knew what they were talking about and not like a jabbering mess.

As the radio went off, Andromeda jumped a little, shaking their head a little to steady themselves back to reality. Andromeda looked confused initially when this lady made an acclamation as if something had happened outside. They peeked a bit further over the counter, trying to see what she was looking at. "Oh, no they aren't a mascot or anything..." They looked a little concerned now they were really looking at this being in a cardboard costume. "It might be a kids pet they left behind? I didn't notice them before but, maybe just see if it backs away I guess?"

' What... what on earth is that?' They began to mentally panic, seeming cool, calm and collected on the outside. 'I did say cats and well-trained dogs were allowed in... is it a dog then? Did one of the kids really want a cat and then dressed the dog up as a cat and then somehow forgot it on the way out?' Some of the nearby kids, sitting in the beanbag area crowding the television now looked over and gathered near the officer, the exhausted parents taking no notice

"Is that little friend one of yours?" They asked the small group of children, all of which shook their heads. "Well, make sure you are nice to them, yes?" The group nodded, Andromeda handing each of them a piece of candy before they skittered back to the cardboard box with something in it.

"You know, I am right here, you know..." A voice piped up from within the box. There was something... uncanny about it. It sounded vaguely human and male, but... it was definitely off. Distorted. Not just raised in pitch, but at a different timbre. It was neither childish nor chipmonk-ish. Almost like... a small talking animal would perhaps sound - hard to imagine at first, but upon hearing it, it was like that was how talking animals were supposed to sound all along. "Kinda rude to talk about someone as if they aren't there," it continued its tone definitely more mocking in its chastisement than anything else. "To answer your question, I don't belong to anyone. I was kinda hoping... seeing as I think this place is some kind of café, right...? That I could maybe... trouble you for a bite to eat?"

One of the paws pulled up into the box and started pushing at the cardboard cover. With a bit of effort, Hóng managed to flip the box free of himself, where it landed upside down in front of him. Flexing his shoulders in a very human manner, the red panda was revealed in all his fluffy glory. "At the very least, I'd like the chance to look through your trash for something..." his eyes narrowed. "Not that I'm one of those trash pandas..." his tone suggested that he didn't really regard raccoons particularly highly.

With that out of the way, as a side comment, Hóng turned to glance up at the officer he had followed in. "And yes, you can pet me if you want," he added, raising his head high as though in anticipation. Though his tone suggested he was offering it as favour, most certainly he was internally relishing the opportunity.

”W-well that’s kinda’ like being an expert~!” Kita had replied encouragingly, nodding her insistence. It was becoming apparent that the young woman’s occasional stuttering was more due to some inward desire to say everything at once than any kind of tangible anxiety. She might be twitchy and hyperactive and easily startled, but she was actually quite at ease! Really!

She had also, at some point, given a distracted, but affirmative nod to the proprietor’s beverage suggestion.

But presently, Kita found herself automatically replying to the words of an inexplicably talking red panda with the vaguely flustered manner of someone who was more oblivious to the playfulness of the speaker’s false-reproach than she was of exactly who was talking. ”Oh! I’m sorry, you’re right that was kind of rude, I didn’t-...uh…”

It was about then that her brain managed to catch up with her mouth. The words drifted off, and the young officer blinked down at the small creature with an openly blank, uncomprehending look on her face. ”Didn’t realize you...uh...y-y’know-...” She ventured, sounding a bit dazed and rather awkward, brain once again losing the race to her incessant need to keep talking.

Again, the words drifted off. Maybe someone more reasonable and less airheaded might have been staring in shock and awe - but Kiki was merely a continued aspect of flatlining cluelessness. And a moment later, her brain defaulting to its usual (utterly ineffective) means of coping with awkwardness: which constituted ’asking a stupid question’.

”What’s a trash panda?” The ditzy cop blurted out, albeit quietly enough that her dumb query might mercifully go unanswered. Might. And she certainly wasn’t going to wait around for someone to take the opportunity if she could help it.

Realizing that she was now the subject of the red panda’s attention, Kita floundered silently for a moment as her brain struggled valiantly over the agonizing confusion regarding proper etiquette in relation to humans versus animals - there was even a little part in the back of her head wailing over the potential PR disaster, oh god what if they made her attend sensitivity training or something?!

And then, just like that, it clicked.

Somewhere between a lack of common sense which would have dictated any more reasonable adult find more reasonable explanations and an abundance of childlike wonder which held out some smidgeon of hope that maybe there was still magic in the world, Kita came to the conclusion that just accepting it all at face value was the only viable option. She found herself squatting on the heels of her boots, reaching out tentatively at first to gingerly pat the panda’s head - still looking more awkward than properly anxious. After a moment, when the reception was invariably positive, the tension left her stiff shoulders and she settled into a more indulgent scritching of the critter’s head and ears. The spellbound glittering in her eyes made it clear that she was positively enchanted with the texture of the fur - Kita had always been the most delighted by the littlest things in life - and as such she would proceed with the affection for as long as the critter wanted. Without being overbearing, of course.

"T h i s is the best thing e v e r~"

"I guess? I never studied the art of it or anything..." They trailed off, fussing themselves with the machines behind them, doing some checks for water levels and such.

They turned back after answering the lady's question, starting on the drink when... what was that? Did it... talk? They paused the drink-making process and scooted in front of the counter, joining the small group of children who definitely heard what they did. They peered forward, stepping through the growing crowd.

"I- I... I'm not the only one hearing this right?" They whispered to themselves as if their sanity was deteriorating from their head in real-time. They looked to the box, brain trying desperately to wrap its head around this talking animal? Maybe a small human?

She looked to the officer, sharing a fleeting glance before stepping forward once again. "What do you... eat? If you want candy or something we have plenty." They tried their hardest not to sound a little frightened by the talking, red panda(?) at least it looked like one. Seeing the officer reach down triggered some type of flight or freeze response, so Andromeda froze in place - extremely off-put by the human mannerisms this little guy(?) had developed.

"Also do you have a name? Or is just 'Panda' okay?" The scratched the back of their head, leaning down to meet the panda on it's eye level, to be respectful, of course.