Open Your Heart

Chapter 3

The days that passed by were like any other he'd had since death. Waking up in the morning to run the few errands he could before showing up for his daily cascade of insults from a belligerent boss. No calls, no text messages; not that he was truly expecting anything from Henroin. "Are you listening to me?" Char jumped as a fist collided with his shoulder, not hard mind you, but enough to yank him out of his thoughts.

"Ow, what the fuck Ellie?" The woman crossed her arms and gave him an unbending glare.

"You know I can tell when you're not paying attention to me, right? You were totally spaced the fuck out just now. Did you hear anything I just said?" Ellie, a black cat demon with large green eyes, began tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. Char cringed with a heavy sigh, before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. I was thinking about something stupid and you know how I get." The feline rolled her eyes before dropping her body into the nearest open chair. The cafe they were at wasn't busy at this time of day, making it easy to find a quiet place to sit and talk. If his mind would let him listen at all.

"Well, now you have me curious about what you could possibly be so distracted by that you aren't listening to me." The subtle push in her tone was only complemented by the pop of her coffee cup's lid as she removed it. Lowering himself into the chair across from her, he watched her start to stir her drink, a practice he knew he'd never understand. She ordered these frothy, whipped cream covered drinks only to turn around and stir them up.

"Why don't you just ask them for milk? Why bother with the whipped cream just to blend it all together?" The question was at the forefront of his mind, so he couldn't help but let it slip out. Another roll of her eyes was her response before she sealed the cup again and took a long sip.

"So, where was your brain just now?" Chardenay sighed as she didn't change the subject as he'd hoped.

"Do you remember what I told you happened a few days ago?" She thought for a moment before tapping a finger on the table.

"You mean when you met that big scary guy and he bought you dinner? What about it?" As she spoke, he was taking a sip of his own drink.

"Well, I was just thinking about how I probably shouldn't have bothered giving him my number. Or keeping his, for that matter. He's not gonna call anyways." A server walking much too quickly, strolled up to their table and set down the plates of food in front of them. A couple of large scones, some tarts, and a few donuts made for a sugary meal that most mothers would be upset over. Once the man was gone, Char was grabbing a donut and shoving it in his mouth unceremoniously.

"Oh come on, you don't know that. Maybe he'll have a change of heart, huh? Or, you know... a change of head?" It was Char's turn to roll his eyes.

"Oh yeah, cause we see homophobes change their ways all the time." He made sure that the sarcasm that dripped from his tongue was nigh palpable. She waved a hand at him casually as she grabbed up a scone.

"Oh please. Even homophobes can change their minds if they're given a good reason, right? Who's to say you aren't a really good reason?" She giggled while he gently kicked her under the table. Her laughter came to an abrupt halt as her eyes focused behind him, her pupils thinning to slits. At the change in her, his smile faded and he prepared himself to pull out the tail he wrapped around his waist. He rarely used it, but that didn't mean he'd never learned how. "Can... uh... can we help you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you can." The voice was deep, with a timbre that made his body vibrate, but it wasn't one he recognized. He did, however recognize the accent; the same one as Henroin. He weighed the likelihood that they weren't related and decided that, while it was possible, it wasn't likely. Turning around in his chair, he found out why Ellie had been so reserved when speaking to the man. A large spider, a Huntsman from the look of it, who had to have been at least a foot taller than himself. Meaning the man was a good three feet or so above Ellie's head easily. Straightening his back, Char held his head high and prepared himself to name a price for even an hour with either of them. A little above their normal rates should be fine, given his size, the time of day, and the fact that they weren't even on a walk. "My boss would like a word with you." The man pointed to Chardenay specifically before motioning to the opposite side of the shop. A quick glance didn't show Henroin, which made him all the more wary.