mrow?

Tom loved his walk home from work. The fresh air, the ache in his feet, that feeling that he’d done well - or, at least, not too badly. And if he walked slowly, he got to spend less time at home! With his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his greatcoat, he hummed tunelessly and shook his head, wet hair stuck to his forehead.

“Excuse me, is this your dog?”

“Around for a long time, huh?” Hm, that’s interesting. “I grew up on the island and my grandma’s been here forever…” Kai shrugged. “Maybe I met your family when I was little and forgot.”

When Tom mentioned he worked at the market, the dog suddenly wasn’t the most excited member of the trio. “Oh my gosh, really?!” Kai practically leaped into the air, and quickly settled down when Tom seemed startled. The dog started barking, too, so Kai took a moment to squat and calm the furry beast. It licked their ear and they laughed.

When they stood, they made sure to hold the dog as close to their side as possible, and as far away from Tom, now that they’d accidentally gotten it excited. “Sorry, I just got a new job at the Kahi, and I’m really excited about it. I’m learning to make coffee! Imagine that! Anyway, anyway. What sort of food do you sell?”

“Mm...” They seemed younger than him - he doubted they’d shared any classes at the Academy. The witch shrugged, adjusting his hat. “There’s a lot of us, so, um. I think, uh, most people have met a Fuller or two. The hair is usually, um, the t-telltale sign.”

A little taken aback, Tom skittered to one side, before regaining some composure and blushing. The dog’s barks didn’t help matters, and he anxiously fidgeted from foot to foot, hands tugging at his sleeves, while he waited for Kai to make it stop. He felt more than a little out of place, lurking beside the boisterous duo and trying to avoid making eye contact with passers-by.

Tom loved his walk home from work. The fresh air, the ache in his feet, that feeling that he’d done well - or, at least, not too badly. And if he walked slowly, he got to spend less time at home! With his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his greatcoat, he hummed tunelessly and shook his head, wet hair stuck to his forehead.

“Excuse me, is this your dog?”

Kai really appreciated Tom taking the time to come with them, even though he was obviously paralyzed with fear. They felt a little guilty about that, so they did their best to keep him distracted. “Thanks so much. Always nice to meet a new friend. And help the wildlife…even though you’re right, around here, you never know what to expect. This big guy seems pretty harmless though. Might even be a real dog!” They laughed at their own joke.

They listened carefully as Tom introduced himself. “The…Fuller family?” Kai squinted, tapping a finger against their lips as they thought. “Nope…don’t think that rings a bell, sorry. To be fair, I don’t know a whole lot of people. But it’s really nice to meet you, Tom! I live over that way.” They pointed in the general direction of the school. “Apartment near campus. Close to the library, too, which is nice. I’m a student still. What about you?”

Tom felt his cheeks redden a little, and he scratched the back of his neck, shrugging. “I-it’s fine, um. I wasn’t really in a rush to get home, so... Always nice to spend some more time outdoors.” Growing up on the island had given him a love for the wind and the rain, and being outdoors was invigorating. He took a second too long to pick up on the joke, staring at the dog in disbelief for a second - had he really missed a shifter? - before belatedly realising it was... well, a joke. He made a strangled noise, then gave a weak chuckle. Humour wasn’t his strong suit.

Tom loved his walk home from work. The fresh air, the ache in his feet, that feeling that he’d done well - or, at least, not too badly. And if he walked slowly, he got to spend less time at home! With his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his greatcoat, he hummed tunelessly and shook his head, wet hair stuck to his forehead.

“Excuse me, is this your dog?”

Kai lit up. “That’s a great idea!” They closed their book and tucked it into their backpack with one hand while trying to hold the dog still with the other. Finally, they were able to sling their book bag around their shoulders and stood up, desperately trying to keep hold of the enthusiastic animal at their side.

“I’m sorry you’re not a huge fan of dogs. You can totally go, if you want, but I think I am going to take it to the Pet Center and I’d sure appreciate your help!” They smiled warmly. “Here, I’ll stand between you and this fluffy nonsense over here.”

“I’m Kai, by the way,” they said, herding the dog away from the bench and towards the main road. “You coming?”

Oh, they were standing between the dog and him..? That was... maybe a bit better. Tom tried his best to give them a weak smile, his hands curled into fists and shoved deep into his pockets. “I... um. Yeah. I’ll c-come with you. Wouldn’t want you to, ah, for anything to happen, you know? You n-never know with the wildlife on the island.”

 This was one of Malik’s most frequented areas, for a lot of reasons. Firstly, there were usually so many people bustling around here, consumed with their work or their meals, that people often didn’t notice them. Secondly, it was easy to find food that other people had thrown out, that could serve as dinner for them, instead. And thirdly, they just liked the energy. It smelled wonderful and everything always felt welcoming. But… they had never actually been able to buy anything. Malik didn’t have money, so hot food of their choice had never been an option.

 Until now.

 Malik had been collecting stray dollars and coins for weeks now, picking up any penny or quarter they could find, exchanging plastic bottles for change in the mornings, doing a few favors or jobs that paid in a dollar or two, and they finally had enough that they thought they might be able to buy themselves a meal. It was mostly in coins, and they hoped no one minded. They carried it all in their scarf, held carefully to make a pocket for all the money to sit in as they wandered around, considering their options.

 Until someone ran into them.

 Malik barely bit out a yelp of surprise as they were knocked over, flopping over into the grass… And the money that they had so carefully collected for the past three weeks had been thrown everywhere, flipping through the air and into the grass. Malik kind of stared in shock for a minute, because it would take ages for them to recollect that all, and they still probably wouldn’t be able to find it all again… and then kind of began to tear up, their body slumping as they stared and mourned their loss.  

Tom could barely bring himself to look at the damage, at first. For a moment, the witch sat with one hand over his eyes, letting the rain drum down onto his hooded head and feeling the deep ache in his back that promised bruises in the morning. Gods, he was such an idiot. The heat in his cheeks was more than enough to keep the cold of the rain at bay. Taking a shaky breath, he slowly uncovered his eyes.

Shame welled deep in his gut, and he groaned. Half the stall owners had seen this skinny kid before - clearly homeless, and usually dug around the trash cans when the day was wrapping up. Shit. He felt awful, and rubbed at the back of his neck fretfully, unable to stop staring at them. Finally forcing himself to move, Tom gathered up the now-ruined armfuls of food, regret hitting him as he realised that the bottle of soy sauce had been smashed in the fracas - he’d have to get a replacement before his parents noticed. In the rain-filled silence, he could just hear the bakery boy snorting.

Tom loved his walk home from work. The fresh air, the ache in his feet, that feeling that he’d done well - or, at least, not too badly. And if he walked slowly, he got to spend less time at home! With his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his greatcoat, he hummed tunelessly and shook his head, wet hair stuck to his forehead.

“Excuse me, is this your dog?”