#nothingnowheres

It had been nearly six years since Oscar had last seen Rowan, and while he had thought of her every day, and dreamed of their reunion, the prospect of it all still turned his stomach into knots. Six years was a long time to miss someone. It was an even longer time to hate someone. It took everything in him to remain carefully neutral about their upcoming time together, but a little part of Oscar hoped that they could get back to the place they'd once been even if they could never be those people again, and hopefully, exploring the farmer's market would take the pressure off of this momentous occasion.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me," Oscar greeted. Was he supposed to hug her? Shake her hand? Stand three feet away and nod? A decade ago, this would have felt like second nature, but now, with the time and memories between them, Rowan felt more like a stranger than a daughter. "It's good to see you. How've you been?"

Alejandro set the cat carrier on the examination table. He brought his face down to the mesh opening and smiled at the cat inside. It was time for Gargoyle's pre-surgery examination. If everything went well today, the kitten would be able to be neutered in the next few days, and then, join the ranks of adoptable cats that called the frisky kitty there temporary home.

The vet that he usually worked with was out today, and Alejandro hadn't seen Mateo on his way in, but he trusted the staff at Rescue Paws -- they all seemed to have the animals' best interests at heart -- so when the door opened, he smiled and jumped into his usual introduction. "Hi, I'm Alejandro and this is..." The words sputtered out as he met the veterinarian's gaze. "... Gargoyle," he continued, hoping against hope that she hadn't recognized him in the same way he'd recognized her. Immediately and without hesitation. "He's here to make sure everything's good to go for his neuter."