🇼​🇦​🇰​🇪​ 🇺​🇵​ —

Ella raised an eyebrow at Blake’s response and shot her a grin. “Resting thinking face, huh?” she teased, straightening up so she could twist from side to side, trying to loosen her back muscles. “Thinking about anything in particular?” she asked, curious to what might be new in Blake’s neck of the woods. “Thinking about the karaoke set later, maybe?” It was a fairly popular event that attracted a good portion of their regular clientele, and most of the time, people refrained from getting too drunk, which meant fewer times that Ella had to de-escalate things. It was almost like a very entertaining break for her, in all honesty, and she was relieved to still have something dependable to look forward to during the week. “Oh, I don’t have anything special to share, either,” Ella said, and waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve got a day off coming up, I might just use the time to clean my place,” she added with a shrug. “That … sounded so boring, didn’t it?”

“It’s better than a resting bitch face,” She joked. “Or at least, I think so.” At the question, Blake finally gave in and allowed her reasoning for coming here to slide out. “I sold a piece today. A piece I hadn’t expected to sell. I’m pretty proud, honestly.” And it was a nice feeling, to feel pride in your work. It was someone to celebrate, and celebrate she would. “Oh I heard about that!” Just whispers, nothing concrete, but Blake was excited for the event nonetheless. Hearing it confirmed was even better. “Yeah, I’d like to hang out for that. Though I can’t promise any good singing. Prepare to have your ears hurt.” She was only half joking. Blake was no exceptional singer, but she did have fun singing though. It was one of those ‘you win some, you lose some’ situations. A attentive nod of her head as Ella mentioned her plans. “Sounds like a solid plan--- not boring at all.” She assured. “I know I look forward to my days off too, it’s nice to have the time.” Though, typically work didn’t feel al too work like. Blake loved her job after all. Days off were just says where she got to sleep a bit more. 

“Oh,” her mouth found an o as the female and her grimaced expression informed her the less positive situation was at hand. “Well, we could call someone?” Was the simplest, quickest, the most logical solution. However, there was something else they could do, if the event was an important one. “Where do you have to be? And where? We can still get you there, you can be… Fashionably late.” Beast exchanged looks between the two women and she scrunched up her nose at don him before looking back at the other. “I don’t live far from here, you can borrow my car and I’m sure we can find you something in my closet. As for the car, there’s a mechanic who I know would be happy to figure out whatever happened to your buddy,” buddy because Edith heard the female talk to it so hey, whatever she was into.

“I was thinking that as well, though I don’t know who’s best to call.” Ideally it’d be a tow-truck or Triple A. She had to google the phone numbers though, it wasn’t something Blake had on her off hand. The offer gave her pause, and Blake may have accepted it hadn’t she already told those who expected her she wouldn’t be arriving. Still, the offer in itself was something generous and appreciated. “Thank you,” She began with because she was grateful for the offer in itself. “I already called off where I was heading, but if you still wouldn’t mind giving me that ride and hooking me up with that mechanic that’d be amazing.” She wouldn’t be going to the event but it’d be nice to get home in hourly fashion, sooner rather than later.

Ever since he was a child he craved attention and it seemed like he never cared how he got it or who he hurt to get it. There was something about the way people treated him after they thought he had been in some type of peril that had become addicting. It was this incessant need that caused trouble for his parents. Forced them to leave their home town and eventually perpetrated their divorce. Felix’s father got tired of dealing with his mess of a son and left and to this day he has never bothered to reach out. Not even when Felix was allegedly kidnapped. To be honest Felix had expected for his dad to do something. To show up in Grimmbrook and ask about him. When that didn’t happen he was very disappointed but it was also to be expected. The man probably thought this entire thing was bullshit and didn’t even bother with it. At least his mother made a few phone calls to the The Grimm to ask about him and actually came to visit him at the hospital. Of course, now she was not returning his phone calls. 

Blake looks at him with that same amount of disappointment now. Frankly, he didn’t think she cared that much to have been so heartbroken with his fake death. ❛ They’re not going to hurt me. I have the money, just not on me. ❜ Of course it’s bullshit. How much money does he actually have in the bank? Blake asks Hector if he takes a check and the man smiles widely, from ear to ear. “Cash only.” Makes sense since the reason he owes him money is not exactly legal. “There’s an ATM nearby.” Well he feels like a piece of shit right now. Felix gets in between them, pulling out his wallet and getting a few bills out. ❛ Here, I have … 50 bucks. Take them and I’ll get you the rest tomorrow. Besides, it’s getting close to curfew time so we should - ya know - go home. ❜

It was briefly, Blake wondered if this was considered playing hero. She didn’t feel much like a hero. She felt more like... like instead of letting someone kill a fly, she let it back into the world. Not saving it, not sparing it, just making sure it kept being. She may have been doing action but she still felt awfully like a bystander. Perhaps only delaying the fate Felix brought upon himself. He set so many loose ends that it’s only inevitable one day they’ll become a noose. Still, as perturbed as she was, Blake was making a choice she knew she couldn’t regret. She was saving him from a beating, albeit begrudgingly. It was at a great loss to her wallet. But she’d recover that mass far faster than he’d recover from a broken arm. So here she was, biting the bullet. 

Blake didn’t buy even for a moment that he had money elsewhere, and she was putting this whole situation to bed once and for all. “Cash only.” She repeated, not thrilled with the answer but neither shocked by it either. They seemed shady enough, cash only remained fitting. (Yes, Felix was included in the they. After all he’d done, he could buy ice cream and she’d consider it shady). A deep sigh unfolded from her lips. “Let’s go then.” She paid little heed to Felix’s attempt to put the deal off til the next day (and, she’d guess, his attempt the next day to put it off til the next). “If you have the rest, then you could pay me back after I pay him.” Blake didn’t typically consider herself stubborn. Yet in this moment she felt the emotion ferociously. Felix couldn’t pay for this, and he wasn’t going to weasel out of it, not by the look on the other guy’s face. Blake could live with being snubbed some money. She doubted he’d pay her back, quite frankly. It was a nice thought but ultimately a deceitful one. She’d pay, she’d be done. He’d be breathing. All’s well, it ends well. Hopefully. “We have a bit left til curfew, we’ll be fast.” 

             “I think the last time I was behind the wheel of a car like that, it ended up needing a drink in a stream and I left it there ‘cause it wouldn’t listen to me anymore,” she admitted with a shrug, not touching on the fact that she’d been thirteen at the time and definitely stolen the car to prove that she could. A bit of that younger sibling mentality when she spent too many years trying to keep up with her brothers, that she could relate to the other’s struggles in the moment as she strolled up closer to glance between her and the car. “These roads have claimed more than their fair share of cars, that’s for sure. You’re not the first that I’ve seen when I’m rolling through here.” But she often didn’t stop to see what had gone wrong or even ask if they needed help, considering that they must have had it covered while she only had her two feet to get her from point a to b. Danielle shrugged, not sure if she was in the mood to see Joseph, if he was the one that came to tow the car but knew that if she was in the other’s position that she wouldn’t want to be out there alone either as she nodded. “As long as you don’t mind my company. It’s not the best but it’s better than nothing,” she added with a crooked smile.

                   Blake didn’t know enough about cars to know what needing a drink in the stream meant. She knew how to change a tire, a bit of some other basic car knowledge, but that was the extent of it. Given the predicament she was currently stuck in, she would consider learning more about the topic in the forth future. As much as Blake wanted to say they should put up a sign for it, she couldn’t really blame anyone. She knew these roads well, she’d been living in Grimmbrooke for a long enough amount of time that she was well aware of the dangers in her own choices. There was no one to blame but herself, and her shitty car. “Any company is better than none.” It was only a second afterward Blake realized that could be taken as an insult. “Plus,” She added, a kind smile upon her face. “I think you’re pretty good company.” She didn’t know the other all too well, but enough so that she liked her presence. 

She was out getting a few things for her parents. They thought she could do it quicker. She had cloth bags (the Roses didn’t use plastic ones). She was biking home, the bags in the basket on the front. She liked to walk places, but she needed more speed in these dire times. She squinted as she saw some girl off to the side, standing next to a car. She slowed down to look at her and caught the tail-end of what she was saying. “Are you okay? Do you need help with something?” Ruth called out. She stopped biking and rested one of her feet on the ground. She wanted to make sure that she would be fine. 

It wasn’t often she came across someone properly traveling with a bike, front basket and all. A proper little delivery service, she would joke, if she wasn’t so frustrated by her car’s malfunction. The girl came to a stop, and while Blake was grateful for the concern and consideration, she was doubtful the girl would be strong enough to get out the bolts. Hell, Blake was pretty sure even a stronger guy wouldn’t be able to rip them out. They were, pun intended, bolted in there. “Well uh.” The plan answer was a yes. The rude answer was yes, but not from you. The answer Blake settled on? “I wish you could help.” It was the truth too. “But I can’t change the tire with the bolts screwed so tight, so I’m stuck waiting for the tow truck.”

“A thinking face, hmm?” She pulled a clean rag from her back pocket and dabbed at a spot she must have missed on her last wipe down. “Penny for your thoughts?” A job like hers could be taxing – not only physically but emotionally, taking in the energy of those she was serving and having to keep a smile on her face through it all. Even when there were angry drunk men insisting they could handle more liquor. Even when teenagers were pouting and telling her that she’d be hearing from their parents. But tonight was a good night, an easy one, and Ella wanted to hear from the people around her – almost selfishly, as she didn’t really want to be alone with her own thoughts. It was easier to deal with other people’s. “Oh, I’m – same. I don’t have anything special either,” she replied with a shrug, bringing a hand up to brush her bangs out of her eyes. “Same soup, just reheated. But I’m very lucky to not have much to do with that mist. How about you? Have you been impacted at all?”

“Yep, the most thinking face of em all.” She joked, a smile of amusement slipping onto her lips. “Only a penny? Are my thoughts worth so little?” She teased the other woman, laughter peeling from her lips. It was a good night, it really was. Blake would take all the enjoyment she could from it, and she’d take the good company too. “Look at us un-specials together.” Blake joked. “We should start a club or something.” The mist. A topic Blake had found easier to avoid than it should have been, typically. Something that effected their town so much--- it should be the talk of all’s ear. Maybe it was. Maybe it was just her had slid around the topic. Blake didn’t know. Anyhow, this was the first one she brought forth the topic proper. “Not yet. And I’m hoping it stays that way.” Not that there was much she could do once yet happened. “Yourself?”

@blakereevcs ! BLAKE REEVES

Poking her head into the studio, she spotted her friend as Blake worked on one of her projects, too lost in the zone to notice her arrival. Holding out a package with the Sugar Plum logo on it, Marie stepped into the studio and said, ❛ Special delivery for miss Reeves? ❜ In the other hand, she carried a tray with two coffees. ❛ I come bearing gifts. ❜

Marie walked over to the blonde, setting the food down on a part of the table that wasn’t covered in paint stains or art materials, and glancing at her work. ❛ What are you working on today? ❜ She loved those days she got to sit with Blake in her studio and make mediocre art while the woman worked on her master pieces. Thanks to her full time job, it only happened once every other week, but it was enough for a hobbyist like Marie, and just getting a glimpse of Blake’s process at all was very rewarding. She may not possess the skills to produce artwork of value, but she can certainly appreciate it.

In all fairness, Blake had been in the ZONE. Paintbrush in her hand, she had been painting the last dot upon a hill--- the green mixing so beautifully with the blue overhead... She almost screamed when she first heard Marie approaching, the sound grasping and thrusting her back into reality. “Miss Reeves right here,” She spoke faintly, bit out of breath from her fright. “Very happily accepting gifts too.”

Blake liked Marie, she did. The young woman had a good heart and an earnest attempt at art. she wasn’t as skilled as herself, Blake would be truthful in that much. But she did have a certain spark about her, and Blake hoped to help build it. “Nothing too important, just a piece of my own stuff.” Experimenting with the new style of sorts, which was for a different reason. But that needn’t be said, she was enjoying the free range of painting as it currently was. Eyes set on the coffee, she grinned. “Sugar Plum, my favorite.” 

***

Winifred had been driving to The Red Apple, it was supposed to rain soon and the heavy clouds above seemed to indicate the same thing. So when she saw a woman on the side of the road on her way, she sighed and slowed down. Rolling own the window, she peered out, the blonde’s face familiar but not because of any friendship, more so business. Before his death, her father had used The Candy House to launder international funds. “You alright?” Sure, Winnie appeared to be standoffish quite often but it really did depend on the context. And with no one around to see either of them, she felt fine talking to the other woman and offering help. “Your tires?” she asked, as that seemed to be the most obvious culprit when it came to car trouble. 

                                       …………………………………………

There had been something Lily had said about mewing kittens and boxes and how to get them to chill out while they were in one while you were desperately trying to pay attention to the road. But he couldn’t entirely remember what the girl had said as he was trying to pay attention to the road with the constant soundtrack of heartbreaking mews coming from a box tucked safely in the passenger seat of his car. Stopped at a red light, Drake had almost thought that maybe the little guy had tuckered themselves out until he pressed on the gas when the light turned and the tiny sad cries started all over again. 

“Alright, okay, nothing over five kilometres an hour, I get it.” 

Blowing out a breath with a soft shake of his head, he made a right onto a side street and through another one before putting his car in park. He reached for the once again quiet box, gently pulling out a kitten no bigger than his two palms. “Please tell me you’re happy now,” he said, holding out the brown and white critter in front of him for a moment. All he got in return was another mew and a constant string of purring as it decided to climb up his shirt to nestle in the place between his neck and his shoulder. He shook his head again, fingers drifting through the tufts of fur on the top of the kitten’s head before he looked through his rear-view mirror. Was that…? 

It had felt like a forever since he’d seen Blake Reeves. Why was that? “Hey… want to meet a friend?” he asked the open air. It felt weird, saying that word. Honestly he hadn’t felt like much of a friend at all for a long while, at least when it came to Blake. But his furry companion seemed to agree, the purring drifting away from his ear until he could feel it against his upper back as the kitten found a very comfortable napping place in his hood. 

Getting out of his car, Drake walked up beside the girl, just as she was lamenting about what to do next. He waited for a moment, as if expecting the inanimate hunk of metal to say something of use before he shrugged.

“I don’t think it’s really in the chatty mood. Especially being stuck like that,” he said, eyeing the flat tire stuck in the dirt. “Need some help?”

Drake Li was a good friend. Date? Sparks didn’t fly all too much. But friend? She quite liked him as that. He made her laugh, produced a kind lightness she enjoyed. He was a fun person to be around, a lot of goodness in him. Being around him in itself was an uplifting feeling. A feeling Blake missed considerably. Not to say she wasn’t content with her other friends, she cared about them all a great deal. But Drake was a special case, and the lack of him was something so note worthy. So... crappy. She missed the guy. She had thought their friendship was durable. Now, she had wonders about it. She hadn’t seen him in all too long, and quite honestly Blake couldn’t even explain why, just so many tiny things that couldn’t be it--- lots of wonders and curiosities. 

There was a small startle, not having heard him initially. But she was quick to calm, because--- now here he was. With something purring in his hood. Blake sure hoped it was a cat, or a kitten. She couldn’t imagine what else could be tucked in there. “Yeah, I don’t suppose you have a better lug wrench than mine?” 

Loser. Yeah, he can’t disagree with that. To think there was a time when he was actually someone important in this town. Known for being a survivor, a fighter - hell some people went as far as calling him a hero for being able to face the odds and make something out of the nightmare he experienced. When the truth came to light everything changed and overnight he went from being admired and loved to ostracized and hated. If he took the time to put himself in everyone’s shoes then he’d understand the reasons behind their dislike towards him. He tries not to though. Blake is one of those people he hurt deeply because she placed her trust in him. Now here she was, trying to save him from a beat down and it made him feel the size of a god damn gnat. She got in between again, asking Hector to give them a moment to chat and Felix is surprised that he agreed to it. Perhaps Hector has a soft spot for pretty girls. 

Blake pulls him to the side, asking him why he needs the money. Immediately he came up with a fabricated story that made him look like the victim of the situation. His lips part and he’s about to lie to her face when he finds himself stopping. It’s unfair to do that when she is trying to help and isn’t he making an effort to change?  ❛ I’ve made bets with the wrong people. ❜ He’s not going to specifics and tell her that he has been going to The Pit when most people don’t know the place exists in the first place.  ❛ You don’t have to do this. I’ve been having a rough time, that’s all. Not your problem. ❜

Blake wondered, briefly, if there was a time she would have stood by and watch Felix being beaten. Rather than cut in and prevent it, step back and watch. She had been so angry at him, still was honestly. How could one not be? After all he had done, a couple lies that sent the whole entire town spinning. There had been nights she had stayed up in worry, when he’d been gone. Fear that the worst had happened to him. Then he got back, and according to Felix, the worst had happened. They believed him, because they had no reason not to. Until suddenly, there was one. And someone she cared greatly for, turned around and became someone branded as a LIAR. Someone who cared so little for people’s emotions he played them like a fiddle. Back then, at her angriest, Blake couldn’t have said before if she would have done the right thing. Even now, she had doubts in her actions. 

She awaited his answer, his explanation, and half expected it to be some fabrication. Even after he paused, and the words left him--- vague enough that she should believe... she still struggled to. Felix, the man who was such a good liar, Blake wouldn’t even be able to recognize him telling the truth. She’d never seen it. “The wrong people, got it.” That was obvious enough, with what’s-his-name over there with glaring eyes and a generally not-so-good demeanor. “If I don’t do this he’ll beat the shit out of you.” That much was clear. “So yeah, I do.” Because she wasn’t going to watch that unfold. Turning her attention aptly from Felix to the other man, she asked. “Would a check work? Or would you prefer cash or a card?”

Beast noticed the figure in the distance far sooner than his human friend did. And with great enthusiasm the husky rushed forward, as if to scout out. He immediately approached the problematic tire and sniffed; his tail wiggling as he mistakenly thought the woman addressed him. At first Edith squinted her eyes to convince herself the woman wasn’t a figment of her imagination before hurrying after Beast. “Wait up– oh, hey,” she put on a polite smile for the other. The woman whose fancy clothes were all muddy. “Are you going… From a party or to one? No judgement here,” parties did tend to turn wild nowadays. “I’m sorry for him– come here, boy. I guess he finds it weird, seeing someone here.” Interesting road she’d chosen, though– the one through the woods. Edith rarely saw or heard cars pass by but maybe it was a shortcut? “What’s the plan here?” Her gaze shifted from the woman to her car. And a frown creased her forehead, it didn’t look good.

Of all the things that had been on the tip of her sights to see, a cute husky hadn’t been anticipated. Wagging it’s tail in delight, a moment of fear struck in which she wondered if the dog was alone. Only to be proven incorrect once her eyes set on the woman behind him, presumably the owner. “To one,” She answered, a slight grimace. “At least I’d been planning to.” Now, her plans were foiled to the brink. She already detached herself from the event, now all that was needed was to figure out the whole car problem and find a way home. A tired but overall pleasant smile laced upon her lips. “He’s fine-- I love dogs.” And truthfully, it wasn’t frequent she got much chance to interact with them. “Right now? The plan is...” A sigh fluttered from her lips. “The plan is a work in progress,” Figuring out where to even begin, a whole WIP. 

            “Does your car talk like the one in that one movie? Or maybe it was a show.” Danielle shrugged as she slowed to a stop, barely learning how to keep her balance on the longboard had turned into her using it far more often when she needed to get to work faster than only on her two feet. One day she’d like to think that she’d be able to get herself a car, even if that took a license too which she didn’t have so until then she was lucky that she had anything at all. Still, it wouldn’t have sucked to have a car that wasn’t stolen except for moments like this as she glanced down at the others predicament. Her mouth opened to say that she knew someone that could help her in a moment’s notice, except that they weren’t on good terms anymore. “I’d ask what happened but I have a feeling that these old roads finally caught up to you. Never did have much luck myself, thought I’d end up in a ditch if I took that last curve any faster than a snail’s pace,” she admitted, having gone on her fair share of joyrides in the past. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

                     The question took her aback, mostly because she hadn’t seen the other woman coming along. An amused but tired smirk laying upon her lips, she spoke. “Yeah, she speaks. Lots of whining... And sometimes she sleeps. Kind of like right now.” She leaned against the old car, defeated and a tire blown out. Her car was down for the count. “You might be right about that.” The curves and swifts upon the roads, considering those, she may have been lucky this hadn’t happened sooner. “You may have been right about that though.” She noted with a small low chuckle, maybe if she’d took the curve with a snail’s pace she wouldn’t be stuck where she was right now. “Well, I have to call a tow-truck to pickup and find a ride back. I don’t suppose you’d keep me company until they show up?” In all fairness, she was a bit nervous to be out there alone for such a time. 

He feels a hand reach into his pocket and pull out his wallet. Fantastic. He hears Hector laugh when he realizes he had nothing inside it, throwing the wallet at his head because the situation was not humiliating enough already. Oh but it gets worse. Blake Reeves shows up, getting in between them and actually asks Hector about the money he owes him.  ❛ Wait, no - ❜ Hector throws him a look, pointing his big fat finger at him to get him to shut up before turning back to Blake. “400 bucks.” Felix sighs, licks his lips, wishing that the earth would simply open up to swallow his ass because it would probably be less painful to be masticated by gravel than this.  ❛ I told you, I’ll have the money tomorrow. Look, I just had to put my dog down alright? It’s been a rough week but I swear I’ll get it for you. ❜ How embarrassing to be doing this in front of Blake of all people. Someone who once considered him a friend and who for the past few years has done everything in her power to ignore his existence. “You’re a fucking loser, Felix. Quit the bullshit or I’ll break your face in front of your girlfriend.”  

400 bucks. She entertained the thought of it, and well she’d survive without the money Blake just as well wasn’t keen to hand it over for a person who had deceived her for so long. The only opposing force came in the fact that--- despite all he had done, she wasn’t keen on seeing him hurt. She wasn't keen on seeing anyone hurt, in all fairness. A karmatic punch was one thing, being beaten up by whoever the fuck this guy was, was another. Maybe she should have played along with his story, but Blake wasn’t quick on her feet in these situations, wasn’t much of a liar (nowhere near as a pro as present company) so when he spoke of a dog--- well, she looked at him incredulously. Since when did Felix have a dog? In fairness, she had made the decision to collectively ignore his existence until this very moment for years. In the timeframe, yes he could have gotten a dog. It was a possibility, but it was more likely Felix was lying, it was what he did best after all. She couldn’t argue with the loser insult whirled at Felix, in fact Blake would sooner agree. “Mind giving us a brief sidebar?” She asked the man eager to beat Felix’s ass into the ground. A feeling she understood all too well. The moment he was a little distance away, she turned her attention to the liar in question. 

“400 bucks? What do you even need 400 dollars for?” There were loads of things people could do with 400 dollars, but this was Felix and Blake suspected it wasn’t as simple as rent. “He will beat the shit out of you Felix --- what were you thinking?” It’d been a long time since she remotely spoke to Felix Buchanan, now here she was lecturing him. Blake knew herself well, she wouldn’t sit by and watch Felix get beat. Still, she wasn’t all too happy about the inevitably of being out 400 dollars. 

❛ Okay, okay! Fuck! ❜ And his arm gets twisted in a way that feels almost inhuman and for a moment there he fears that it has broken or at least sprained. The side of his face hits the hood of the car  and everything goes white for a brief period of time. His ears are also ringing but he can still hear the man call him a lying piece of shit. ❛ I’ll have it by tomorrow, I swear. ❜  Why is he still making promises that he knows he can’t keep? Most importantly, promises he has no intention of keeping. Everything is fun and games until you make those promises to dangerous people. “You said that two days ago motherfucker.” Fine, so he lied. Shocker.  ❛ Alright, grab what’s in my wallet. I’m-I’m sure it’s all there. Just - get off me man. ❜ 

open

Clink. The bottles hit against each other as Ella cleaned up the mess the previous customers left on her bar. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Ella took in the figure who hadn’t moved much in the past half hour, their drink all but untouched. She made quick work of placing the bottles in the recycling located under the sink and washing her hands, and then crossed the short distance to where the other was sitting. Leaning forward, Ella rested her elbows on the countertop and offered a sympathetic smile. 

“You gonna tell me what’s on your mind, or do you wanna sit there with a puss on your face instead?”

It wasn’t often Blake found herself preening in bars. Sure she had the simple drink with a drink or would go out as a group to hang out at a bar for however long, maybe go to see some live music. But going alone? It wasn’t something she did much at all. In fact, last time she had done so had been her 23rd birthday when her mom aunt finally didn’t call. In all fairness, Blake had ignored her call the five previous years. Still, it had been a bit of a blow anyhow and she had found herself drowning those pesky sorrows into oblivion. This time, however, it was a congratulatory drink. She’d sold some art of her own, a hefty price too. It hadn’t even been art Blake was particularly proud of, just a small something someone liked. And no matter how many times it happened, she still found great pride in it. “Hey, this puss face is my thinking face,” Still, she grinned. “I have nothing special to spill.” It really wasn’t special by now, even if it did feel good. “What about yourself?”