Nessa (O)Connor(s)

The mention of the dog has her raising a slight eyebrow. She remembers running into Nessa at the dog park before their altercation at the hospital. They had gotten along well enough for the few minutes they had interacted – well enough that the way they ruffled each other’s feathers at the hospital had been surprising. 

“The one you met? Still a shithead,” she rolls her eyes but laughs, showing that she’s kidding. Sparky is a handful, but they had known that when they adopted him. “He’s good. Feels like three steps forward, two steps back sometimes but…” A hand waves, brushing it off. “He’s good. He’s gettin’ there. The older dog is a good influence on him, I think. Though he was never really wild, even when he was a puppy.” 

It’d been surprising to see another dalmatian in such a small town, so of course Rowan remembers Nessa’s dog as well. “And yours?” 

“How many do you have?” she asks, laughing. From what she remembers, she can understand occasionally walking them separately. Sparky seemed like a lot to handle. “What kind is your other one?” 

“She’s good,” Nessa nods, smiling widely. If there’s one thing she has come to love, it’s her dog. And dogs are easier to talk about loving than code, or computers. People look at you less weirdly when you love your dog. 

“She still has some separation anxiety, but luckily I can take her almost everywhere with me. She’s calmed down a bit. Likes going on runs. And I can let her off leash at the dog park now without worrying too much.” It’s a relief because Lucky likes to run. And Nessa can only run or bike so many miles before she has to throw in the towel whereas Lucky--and Dalmatians in general from what Nessa read--were meant to run alongside carriages for long distances.

God, this girl is hard to keep up with. One second she’s pissed, another she looks like she’s on the verge of tears – Part of him wants to just call him and make him get his ass down here so the two can talk out whatever the fuck it is that needs to be said. He’s learned his lesson over the years: Never be a middle man. He keeps to himself, doesn’t assume anyone is on the same page as him. (Especially when it comes to pillow talk gossip his wife fills him in on) He doesn’t know much about Finn and Nessa’s relationship, but it’s clear they have a few burned bridges. “Sure,” Andy nods, understanding the intention but knowing better than to go on blind faith. She seems honest enough, though. He can’t help the eye roll that comes with the mention of accusations, wondering if this girl has ever been around an MC before. Anyone who comes into the shop looking for somebody is met with a suspicious look and a hand itching to reach for a hidden gun, just in case. God knows they’ve have enough run in’s like that before. “You’re better off callin’ him yourself, kid.” Andy points out, “Showin’ up to the shop askin’ questions to strangers isn’t gonna get you what you’re looking for. Lotta the people here are pretty suspicious.” 

“Look, I get it,” she said, holding her hands up. “My bad. I just know he’s staying with you currently so....” Finn had told her that much at least. Probably hadn’t wanted her to show up at his place with a care package and sit outside for hours like an idiot. Little girl waiting for her brother to come home. Wasn’t that just the story of her life? 

“I’ve called him. I’ll call him again. Thanks.” There was no heat behind it, and really, Nessa wasn’t upset anymore. Or not as badly. Her emotions roiled, rising and falling as the circumstances changed. She just felt embarrassed. 

She was sure the man knew Finn well--of course he did, Finn was living with him--so she had thought he would understand her brother’s desire to keep things close to the vest. But of course, he did understand that, which was why he wasn’t telling her. Nessa was some stranger, and not in the know. He was being protective of Finn. 

Objectively, Nessa could appreciate that. In reality, it pissed her off. Not Andy and his reaction, although she was annoyed at having been accused of wanting to take advantage of Finn. No, she hated that she was on the outside looking in. 

“I know you guys have to be careful. Anyway, like I said, thanks for your time.” 

“Most my life. I grew up here, left for six years for college and grad school, and came back when I got the librarian job,” Nate explained, “There’s just something about Olympus that feels like home,” he continued with a shrug, “What about you? You been here long?”

“Ah, so you have the hometown advantage then,” she laughed. It made sense that he’d be allowed his eccentricities as a local. “That’s nice that you came back here. And being a librarian sounds like a fun job.” 

He was not what Nessa would have pictured when she thought of a librarian, though. She didn’t even know that was actually a job anymore, though of course, logically it was. Librarians didn’t just appear fully formed in their respective libraries. 

In her mind, though, Nessa’s stereotypical librarian was an older or middle aged woman, kind, but firm in enforcing the rules of the building, and able to help with just about anything. The tall, dark haired man before her was definitely not what she had envisioned...for a librarian. 

“I moved her recently. A few months ago now, actually,” she said, pausing for a moment and making a face as the math caught up with her. “Wow, yeah, time flies.” 

“Well Nessa, it seems you know a lot considering you just moved to town.” He grinned and relaxed to sit on the stool next to her. The blonde brought the drink in his hand to his lips to sip at the amber liquid inside. What to do with this one, he pondered as he looked at her. She was new which meant she didn’t know a lot about the town, however her being new to a small town meant she knew someone in that town or was hiding from something or someone. No one just chose to move to some small town in Louisiana without some kind of reason. Perhaps he could play off of that. See what she could offer him.

“Sounds like a decent little city. You already know the chief of police, so that’s definitely a plus.” He smiled. “Unless you met her for the wrong reasons, of course.” It was a joke, from the looks of her she didn’t seem like the type to have too many run-ins with the law. But, looks can be deceiving. After all, he’d had many runs with the law and the only reason he wasn’t sitting in prison is because he was a rich white boy with friends in a lot of high places. His luck was impeccable, some might even call it skill at that point.

He rubbed his lips together and briefly glanced around the bar. “Alright, so you told me about all the things you can do for entertainment in this town. What do you do for fun?” The question was non-nonchalant and typical for first time meeting small talk. He is aware he can be a bit pushy with people. It was something he’d developed while trying to get a hard yes from other members of congress for his father or constituents to agree to vote for him. “Sorry if I seem pushy, I’m just excited to be able to talk to someone finally. I’ve been feeling super uncomfortable since I got here.” His mouth turned into a downwards smile, indicating his embarrassment. It wasn’t true, but he was building rapport. 

Nothing that couldn’t be found in a guidebook or through a quick search online, but Nessa kept that thought to herself. If he wanted to flatter her, she’d let him for now. At least he hadn’t called her a hot piece of ass, or given her a cheesy pickup line. Though saying he was new in town was just as corny.

“Oh, only all the right reasons,” she joked, giving him a wink, despite the fact that she didn’t know the chief well. Might as well be corny back. It wasn’t as if she was likely to see him again, especially if he didn’t live here. Why would he want to move to Olympus anyway? He didn’t look like he belonged.

“I like the arcade so far,” she replied, throwing him a shrug and a smile. It might be juvenile, but she didn’t care. “I work at the animal shelter, and it is fun spending time with the animals, as lame as that is.” Another shrug. To say she loved her work might be a bit much, but she did enjoy the flexibility, and being able to bring her own dog to work with her. 

“I run sometimes, though I can’t really say it’s for fun,” she added, giving him a wry smile. She ran to clear her head, and because she knew it was bad for her to just sit for hours behind her computer screen. She was starting to run with Lucky too, and the dog was enjoying it. 

She refrained from talking about her tutoring, because thinking about all she had said, it made her seem like a boring Mary Sue. And tutoring was fun, but it was also challenging, and kind of annoying sometimes. At least Nessa could do it at the community centre rather than having to go around to different people’s houses.

“What do you do for fun?” she asked, turning it back around on him. And not just because she didn’t want to talk about herself. “And where are you from? What’s bringing you to Olympus?” They were all normal questions considering he kept harping on his being new in town. And she was curious. Finn might be paranoid, but that didn’t mean Nessa didn’t get a healthy dose of the O’Connor suspicion gene herself.

“Sometimes when I’m by myself home, after a few special treats, I end up on this website called Pet Finder. My phone has it automatically bookmarked from how often I’m on there. Not mad about it, though. Who doesn’t like looking at pictures of bunnies and cats at three in the morning?” She muses. 

Chandler laughs at the dogs reaction, tilting her head to the side. “He’s a grumpy dude. I like him.”

“Special treats?” Nessa asks, raising an eyebrow. Home alone, and special treats. It would sound inappropriate if Chandler’s next step wasn’t looking at cute little animals online. “I mean, there’s a reason cat videos are so popular,” Nessa agrees. Any animal videos really. There was just something about them that spoke to most people. 

Nessa laughs and scratches Lucky’s ears. “She’s jealous,” she explains. “And he is grumpy,” she added, as the pug snuffled away, making his displeasure known.

A hum leaves her when Nessa explains herself, fingers tapping against the ceramic mug in front of her. “And you were in pain.” Physical or emotional, Rowan’s not sure which had been the leading factor to all the snapping and honestly… she doesn’t really care but it’s enough to have her letting it go. “Shit happens.”

She’s not really expecting Nessa to stay after the air is cleared, but she’s not really annoyed by it either. She’s always been a social person, an extrovert by nature finding it easy to strike up a conversation with most people she comes into contact with — usually talking more than her fair share. 

“What isn’t bad for you these days?” Her eyes roll, laughing lightly. “I’m pretty sure my body was like 75% jaeger bomb when I was in college, though. Which is about where my experience with energy drinks ends.” But she pulls a face as she sips at her coffee, not even the vanilla creamer and sugar she had added making it something she enjoys. Tolerable, sure. Enjoyable, no. “But if they taste better than this I’m gonna have to give them a try.”

She smiles, exhaling in relief. She hopes she’s forgiven. It seems like she is, and that’s all Nessa can ask for. She had been emotional, but that didn’t mean she should have been rude. It was just how she was raised in order to get someone to back off. Offence is the best defence. 

“They do,” she nods emphatically. “That’s kind of the danger. Anyone who tries to say an energy drink is healthy is just kidding themselves, but....” she shrugs, giving the blonde a smile that indicates she doesn’t care. “But if you get hooked, don’t blame me,” she laughs. Nessa will drink them anyway. They’re probably the least toxic thing in her life...except for her dog. 

“How’s your dog, by the way?” she asks, wanting to remind Rowan that they had gotten along before she kind of blew it at the hospital. Wanting to remind her she wasn’t all bad. 

She threw Nessa a withering look because ugh, she wasn’t wrong. 

But she also supplied her with cats, and Del was never one to bite the hand that fed her. She opened her arms up to the tom cat that looked to very well be in his sun set years before cradling him close to her chest. 

Yup, she was in love. 

This was her problem. This was always her problem. 

Before she knew it, there were tears in her eyes. She sniffled slightly before looking up at Nessa, a lone tear falling down her cheek. 

“… Ness, I love him.” She wailed, throwing her head back as more tears seemed to continue to fall. “This is so stupid, I shouldn’t be crying over a cat.” She wasn’t crying over just the cat, that was obvious.

At the blonde’s tears, Nessa didn’t know whether to laugh or panic. Nessa knew that Del had a big heart--otherwise she wouldn’t have multiple animals--but she wondered if there was more to what was going on than the simple...cat. He was cute, sure, and it was always sad to see them in situations like this. And yeah, Nessa did have a bit of a problem leaving them all in the shelter when she went home at the end of the day. But they would all find the right homes for them. She had to believe that. 

“Hey, hey, he probably doesn’t want a bath, babe,” Nessa said. She put a hand on Del’s back, and guided her over to a chair. “Sit,” she ordered. The cat, bless his heart, only looked mildly put out, but not too alarmed. 

“Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”

A smile touched her lips, a small pout pushing itself out from her bottom lip. “You’re sweet.” She awed, accepting the hand that was extended out to her to take. Looking down, she analyzed her outfit for any hair that may have come off of the dog onto her and ran her hands over her body to extract it. It didn’t bother her; it was more of an instinct to do it. Considering she was a preschool teacher and she had a lot more worse things stuck to her over the years, but she couldn’t help but look. 

Her eyes shot up, looking at her friend to examine her face as she told her to wait where she was. Thoughts swirled through her head as she hurried off. Did she already have company over? Was she in the middle of something and Addie had ruined what she had planned that afternoon? She felt like she was intruding, and the thought of telling her she would come back another time crossed her mind until she came back out from an unknown room. Addie quickly replaced the frown that had formed without her knowledge into a smile. “Were you hiding your secret stash from me?” She joked. 

“I should have called and asked if it was okay. I’m sorry.” That was an issue of Addie’s- she apologized too much for her own health. These thoughts ran through her head, but it isn’t until she inserts herself in the situation and sees that it might not be the best that she starts questioning it seriously. “Next time I promise to make an appointment.” It was noted. 

She followed her into the kitchen, placing her bag and the bottle on the table. “I didn’t bring glasses…or a bottle opener.” She decided to mention, with a small giggle. “Anyways- how has your day been?”

“No, just my mess,” she replied, giving Addie an apologetic smile. “It’s really fine,” she reassured her. “It’s my own fault for not being neater. I don’t know when I got so much stuff, but...” Nessa shrugged. “You really don’t have to feel bad. I just needed a sec to clean up real quick,” she said, looking down. She scuffed her toe along the floor. 

She just let things pile up sometimes, especially when she was in the middle of a work project, or gaming. It was easy to lose track of time when staring into a screen, even with the little clock in the corner. Plus, with no roommate, Nessa didn’t feel she had anyone she needed to impress but herself. 

It wasn’t as if she was entertaining all that much. Nessa wouldn’t really be sure how to go about it, even if she wanted to. She had never invited people over to her childhood home, and her dad had had ‘meetings’ and poker nights, not dinner parties.

“Oh, darn, and I don’t have those either,” she said, adopting a look of disappointment. “Usually I just buy twist off, and drink from the bottle.” She managed to keep a straight face for a moment longer before her smile got the best of her.  “I’m just kidding,” she reassured Addie. Reaching into a drawer, she shuffled some things around before triumphantly pulling out a bottle opener. 

“Glasses are in the cupboard behind you,” she said, pointing. 

“My day’s been good. I haven’t been up to much, honestly. Obviously should have been cleaning,” she laughed again, self deprecatingly. “How about you? What have you been up to?” 

Anxiety crawled into Adrian’s throat and wedged itself there as he watched Remi dart off with the other dog. It was such a stupid thing to be worried about. Letting a dog off the leash in a dog park? That was the whole point wasn’t it? If he let himself think about it for more than a second, he’d realize that the thing he was actually afraid of was disappointing Ryder. Again.

Nessa’s persistence left a sad smile on his face as he watched the dogs dart around each other like old friends. I’m fine. It’s nothing. Everythings okay. “I’m probably still not gonna shut up,” he admitted with a bitter laugh. “Never really been my forte. Not good at riding out awkward silence without saying too much.” Reluctantly, he tore his eyes away from Remy to examine Nessa. She’d almost perfected it. The stone-wall of an expression meant to ward off the kinds of questions he wasn’t going to stop asking. Adrian had gotten so good at it too once. Even when he was visibly falling to pieces, he could still sound so convincing when he said he was okay. What looks like a tragedy to you is just normal for me. I’m doing better than ever. 

Adrian stretched one arm out along the back of the bench, kicking his legs out in front of him. “When I was your age,” he said, suddenly feeling as old as his father last time he’d heard those words come out of his mouth, “most people I knew had already given up on trying to help me. You keep insisting you’re fine enough and people will eventually stop asking. Not because they believe you, but because they’re too worn down to keep asking.” Adrian pauses, eyes drifting to watch the cherry burn down the length of his cigarette. “It gets worse when people stop reminding you that you’re not okay. When the things you’re going through and the ways you’re coping start to feel normal. Because once you hit that point it’s harder to pull yourself out.” He tapped the ash on the ground and looked back towards Nessa. “So, if you maybe wanna change your mind? Decide you’re not okay? I’d be willing to listen.”

She gave him a sideways glance, but, when he got comfortable, she knew she was in for it. Nessa exhaled loudly as he started with ‘When I was your age.’ Everyone always thought they knew everything because they had gone through their own shit. She sat back, arms folded over her chest, and didn’t interrupt, though.

From what Nessa had gathered about Adrian so far, she knew that he probably had gone through a hell of his own, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to share. Or rather, she wouldn’t mind if he wasn’t doing it to push her own disclosure. Nessa was a good listener, empathetic, sympathetic, the whole works. But she was not an emotional sharer in her own right.

Still, he was being nice, and while Nessa could be a bitch when pushed, it wasn’t for something like this. She still regretted snapping at Rowan in the hospital, and she didn’t want to go around making more enemies in this town. Though, she figured Adrian would understand. 

Nessa sighed again, this time softer. It was meant for her rather than him. She knew that he was just trying to help. But she couldn’t get into it now. She was still feeling vulnerable from the night before and her bad sleep. The last thing Nessa wanted was news of her crying on a park bench with Adrian to get around town--or worse, to Finn. 

Finn. 

She had to be honest with him first. He had warned her to stay away from Adrian. And she couldn’t spill her guts to him before she told her brother what was going on, or at least what had happened.

“I just...I need some time, okay?” she said quietly. She looked over at him, hoping he would understand. “I can’t get into specifics right now.” Nor did she want to. 

“I had something bring back up some bad memories, and I’m just trying to deal with those right now.” She hoped that the admission that there was in fact something would be enough for Adrian for now. 

“I appreciate you wanting to help, though,” she added, nudging his knee with hers. It was kindness where she hadn’t expected it. 

“I know.” replied Gisele in a solemn tone. Whoever enjoyed such a subject, kudos to them. However, for Gisele it was like a whole other ballpark. A definite weakness of her’s, which is why she sympathized for the young student who was simply trying to pass. 

“Really?” The dancer’s face lit up as she expressed a gracious expression. “I really appreciate you taking this on! You can bill me for your time. I already told him that I’d be covering it for the time being.” At Nessa’s question, she clasped her hands together and settled them onto the desk as she explained, “Your service is fairly new to the Center right? So I was thinking that maybe I could get you more people to tutor if that interests you? Help you gain clientele. Many of them are students anyways and as much as I try to give them The Studio as a place to crash and do their homework, I cannot for the life of me solve any form of math ever.” 

“Well, that’s what I’m here for,” Nessa pointed out, though the smile on Gisele’s face made a matching one grow on her own. For all that Nessa pretends to be tough, she likes making others happy. 

“That’s very generous of you,” she says slowly, giving the other woman a look. It’s not quite disbelief, confusion, or suspicion, but a mix of them all. She understands being good hearted and wanting to help, but a lifetime of penny pinching means Nessa is not going to be spending her own fortune any time soon. 

“My rates aren’t high or anything, but if you’re sending a lot of kids my way, it’s not just gonna be a dollar here, or a dollar there.... What exactly are you expecting?” she asks, wanting to be up front with the other woman.

She likes the thought of helping kids, and providing them with some sort of guidance. Though Nessa is still fucked up as all get out, so she’ll probably just stick to the math part of guiding. But providing a safe space is important too. And the Community Center is generally thought to be one. It was one of the reasons Nessa had chosen it as an additional gig.

She’s tiny, compared to him. Most people are. But he doesn’t hunch his shoulders, nor does he bow his head when he speaks. He maintains perfect posture, regardless of the situation or who he’s speaking to, and the girl is no exception. He plays with the smoke through his nostrils, tipping his head upwards as he watches it come out in a steady stream. “No, you wouldn’t,” he affirms her curiosity but he doesn’t address it. “Brought my pup for a vaccine when I got him. Two months ago or somethin’. Had a booster last week.” It’s much easier to talk about his shoe-eating, carpet-shitting six-month old puppy than himself. In a way, they’re kind of just the same thing, though, aren’t they?

“Kane. Work at the sheriff’s office.” He usually doesn’t bother with his first name, lest he risk getting called Helen or Allen. Kane is simple, to the point, and he likes to keep it that way.

“What kind of pup?” she asks. She has a better memory for animals, and associating them with their people. There are all types in this world, but one thing Nessa has learned: people who like animals, and who animals like in return, are generally good people. Or at least they have some redeeming qualities. She’s not sure about the melt down in the middle of the street part, but at least if he’s a puppy, he can’t be all bad, right? 

“Work at the sheriff’s office?” She raises a brow. It’s an interesting way of putting it. “Secretary? Admin?” she teases. “Or are you a cop?” She has a feeling she already knows the answer. 

Being this close to one doesn’t make Nessa uneasy. She hasn’t committed a crime in a while, and anything she did do was virtual, hard to prove, and almost impossible to track. She is in no danger. Small town Olympus barely even knows what cyber crimes are anyway.

The topic of Finn’s sister isn’t one that’s come up between the two men. Andy’s always tried to be one step ahead of the curve, making sure he knows who he’s dealing with before something can happen – He knows Nessa isn’t a threat to him, but he doesn’t know anything about her, or her relationship with her brother. Where Andy comes from, when someone shows up into town looking for someone else, family or not, it means trouble. God knows he’s seen enough of it first hand himself, knowing when someone he doesn’t recognize comes to the shop looking for Andy Thane – He doesn’t assume it’s for a friendly chat. Not to mention, Finn and Maddox had been shot, and the club didn’t have answers for it yet. He’s not about to welcome a stranger with open arms, without Finn giving him the green light. Nothing personal, just protecting his people. 

Andy’s eyes don’t leave hers as she explains herself in a huff, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her. The conversation ends just as quickly as it began, with her turning to leave and hitting the table in the process. He’d be a liar if he said he didn’t wince – He runs into that stupid fucking table all the time, with the bruises on his thigh to prove it. Andy’s not sure what her goal is here – But he softens up just a touch, still remaining on guard. A voice in the back of his head, one that sounds a lot like his Ma, tells him not to be a jackass. 

Squatting to the ground, he moves to help her clean up the nuts and bolts that were knocked over, speaking as he does so. “He’s doin’ better, holdin’ up.” Andy begins, keeping his answer decently vague but at least giving her something. He may not know her, but he can at least give the bare minimum. “If you’re so worried you should call him.” Andy continues, standing back up with the box in hand once all of the pieces have been picked up off the floor. “Instead’a coming in here and tryin’ to leave in a huff when you don’t get the answer you want.”

She doesn’t meet his eye as he squats down to her level to help with the errant little pieces. Probably just wants her out of his shop faster. When he speaks though, she raises her face to him, surprised, and a little pleased. A touch of the tightness releases in her chest, just a little bit. 

“I do. We talk, we text.” She manages not to sound defensive, keeping her tone level. Because does he think she’s going to everyone except the source? “But he doesn’t always tell the truth.” If this man knows her brother half as well as he seems to, he’ll know hers is an understatement. 

Finn is not big on talking about feelings, especially his own. And he downplays when he’s struggling, tries to hide it. If he weren’t doing fine, it wasn’t something he would advertise. Hell, he was cracking jokes from his hospital bed the day he was shot! If there was something wrong, he would try to deal with it first, all the while knowing that once he told Nessa she’d try everything she could to fix it. 

“I don’t care what the answer is, so long as I get one rather than accusations,” she replies sharply. She sucks in a breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “Look, sorry. Clearly you don’t know me, and that’s fine.” She just hadn’t seen the point in remaining there listening to him accusing her of essentially being a no-good gold digger. She had been afraid of what else would come out of his mouth, second hand from Finn’s.

She stands, the cold little metal pieces in her cupped palm, the container in her other hand that she places on the table. She pours them inside, listening to the clink as they fall back into place. “Sorry for taking up your time,” she says again, though this time there’s no heat behind it, just a weariness. 

“Yeah, running’s not my strong suit unfortunately, so I guess that I’ll just have to risk it,” Nate chuckled, “Though I like to think that people in Olympus have just always decided that I’m a weird lost cause and decide to leave me alone in the long run.”

“Oh, have you lived here long then?” Nessa asked. Head quirked to the side as she looked up at the taller male. He had a boyish charm to him, and seemed very open and willing to laugh at things, especially himself. It was a nice change from some of the others she knew.

Mitchell downed what was left of his scotch and turned to the bartender. He ordered himself another drink and told the bartender to put whatever the young lady wanted on his tab. That way he wasn’t guessing and she could see he was (mostly) harmless to her, no hidden motive to drug her or anything. He wasn’t the type anyways. Picking up, pretty much anyone, at a bar wasn’t an issue. That’s not why he was there, though. He needed to know about Olympus.

“I just want to know the basics. Where’s the good places to eat? To hang out? Shop?” He started, his fingers drumming on the top of the bar. “Do you know anything about the local government and who’s who around town? That kind of stuff. If I’m going to move here I need to know the basics, I’m still on the fence, you see.” Mitchell didn’t want to live in that town, it seemed like the most boring place on earth. He didn’t even want to live in New Orleans. Though it had excellent music and lots more to do. His place was in the nation’s capital, he had been groomed for it. Who was he to argue? The money was fabulous and there was so much potential. Power, mostly. He wanted to finally be the one in power.

“What do you like doing around town?” Mitchell finished it off. Grabbing at the drink the bartender dropped off for him and taking a sip.

“Oh yeah, so not much at all,” Nessa replied. “Wow, um, yeah, I think you might have the wrong girl? I only just recently moved here myself....” Nessa bit her lip. That also was an awfully lot of questions for a random guy and girl in a bar. She wasn’t naturally suspicious, but Nessa did have some street smarts, and this just felt...weird to her. 

“I mean, there’s the diner, obviously The Dive, Calliope for fancier dining, The Watering Hole for sports, and Mama Kay’s is a great cafe. Plus all the regular amenities. I mean, they have bowling here? A roller rink? An arcade?” Nessa shrugged. She had a feeling the guy was fishing for more than she could give him, and she wasn’t quite sure why.

“As for local government, the only thing I know is Tori, uhh Victoria Garcia is the police chief?” She threw him an apologetic look and reached for her drink again. 

“Yeah,” she laughs, shaking her head. “I don’t know if thats a good or a bad thing.”

The woman puts on a faux pout, looking to the ground. Once she looked up, her grin had returned. “I love them. But, it makes me happy to know that at least one of them has a home.”

“Still, I don’t know how you can not adopt every dog you see.”

“It’s tough,” Nessa admitted. “But Lucky wouldn’t like having a buddy around all the time. Watch.” She knelt down to interact with the pug, petting him all over and trying to encourage him to run around. After only a few moments, they were joined by the larger Dalmatian who not-so-subtly pushed her way between Nessa and the other dog. 

She leaned so heavily against her owner that Nessa fell over onto the grass. “See?” she laughed, hugging the Dalmatian who had promptly flopped into her lap. 

“My girls might hate me if I bring another cat home.” Del said with a laugh before turning to Nessa with a shake of her head. She paused in contemplation, only to walk up to her friend with wide eyes. 

“Can  I hold him though?” Her eyes widened a bit more in pleading. 

“I need to hold a cat.” 

Nessa laughed. “Are you sure you want to do that?” she teased. “What if you fall in love?”

Still, she relented, coming over to the cage to unlock it with one of the keys from the many clipped with a carabiner to her belt loop.

“Hey there, buddy,” she cooed softly.

The cat gave a low, mournful, meow, but didn’t resist as she pulled him gently out of the little enclosure.