Out of Place
Upon hearing her explanation, Clementine only nods slowly in response, understanding that not everyone had the luxury of traveling into different parts of the city. It was huge, after all. It’d be naive of her to think so. Letting the door close behind them, she scans the room to make sure everything was in order. Some cats were silently napping in their favorites spots, but others were walking about, seemingly curious of the new face.
“Mmm, on a Saturday? Not often, but… it happens. A group nearly filled the place earlier but left about an hour ago.” She shrugs it off, indifferent to the lack of customers. Having them around was a good thing overall, but some weeks it never ended. Clementine took advantage of the quiet time when she had it.
Noticing the small black and white cat that made herself known, her eyes lit up, smiling down at the two. “Looks like Diana wanted to see you first, huh? Interesting. She normally likes to observe.” Following behind, a larger built gray cat meowed loudly, as if he were being ignored. Rolling her eyes, she takes a seat nearby, rubbing her thumb and middle finger together in a fast motion to call him over.
“And this one here is Chuck. Looks intimidating buuuut… he’s just a big softy. Probably waiting for me to brush him like always.” As he hopped onto the seat, she waited for him to get situated, sparing a glance back at Katniss. Curiosity piqued, though she didn’t want to unnecessarily pry if she fought back. “So… do you normally take trips out for your friend like today? Or was this for a special occasion of some sort?”
Katniss shakes her head as she sits down, pulling one of the treats out and breaking it in half so she can offer a piece to Chuck. “No, this is pretty out of the ordinary. I uh,” Katniss rubs the back of her neck uneasily, then decides there’s no shame in hiding the truth for now. “I’m from the lower levels in Fibonacci. It’s tough to get out when the rich control the elevators up. Just recently earned enough to get out, so stuff like this...” she gestures to the cafe after handing the treat to Chuck, “all of it’s pretty new to me. And my friend’s too young to up and leave like me, so I’m here for her.”
“I’m more than a little out of my element here. But I’m... guessing that was kind of obvious,” she offers a half-hearted grin. Katniss knows she probably sticks out like a sore thumb, and she’s thankful that Clementine has been gracious enough to have not mentioned it yet.
