"It was that night I met her. A memory that is held deep in my heart—a memory of someone precious to me."
It was a chilly and rainy night 5 years ago, with rain pattering on the concrete sidewalk. The bright lights of Argon City enveloped the sky, with cars bustling on the busy road. "Oh dear, I forgot my umbrella!" Stephen cried as he rushed to the Sinforth Cafe, a popular cafe in the area. Entering inside, he stopped at the entrance, soaking wet. The owner was an old lady in a barista outfit, wiping away at a cup. "You look like a wet dog right now." Her voice was strained and very raspy from the years of smoking she's done. Even if her voice had deteriorated this much, she always kept a large cigar in her mouth. On the counter in front of her, she set down a cup of coffee.
"Here."
Stephen squeezed some rain out of his coat with a silly smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Offner." Walking over to the chair, he sat down and took a sip of the coffee. A bitter and earthy flavor, his favorite. The clockwork maid in the cafe set down a plate with a sandwich in front of him. He didn't order it and was about to tell Mrs. Offner, but she stopped him before he could. "It's on the house, dear. You look like you've had a rough day."
Stephen nodded, giving her a warm smile. "Yup! You read my mind correctly, Mrs. Offner. Thank you, as usual!" Eating the sandwich with delight, he admired the casual interior of the cafe. It was plain, but had a cozy feeling to it. That's why this place turned into his go-to after a hard day's work. The radio buzzed as the news forecast came in with an urgent report.
"Due to the weather, it's advised that you do not take any steamships to Ceden Island. Leviathan sightings have been seen in the ocean during this time." The newscaster warned.
"Aww, so the trips to see the great statue of Esbar are no more, eh?" the second newscaster questioned.
"Unfortunately, if you had plans to get to Ceden Island, they're all cancelled now. The Aegisbound has been called in to take care of the Leviathans, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the weather as well. This rainstorm is estimated to last for two days."
Mrs. Offner sighed, hearing the news. "Little Jimmy wanted to go to Ceden Island tomorrow. It seems our plans have to be cut short." Stephen took a sip of his coffee, now gazing at the rainy streets of Argon City. "Rainstorms are considered Leviathan breeding grounds. It's horrible timing that they're here today. On the bright side, we're presumably going to see a lot of Leviathan meat on the market tomorrow!"
Mrs. Offner chuckled. "I might give it a try; it's just that it costs 30 silver for one pound. In this economy, I can't afford something like that."
"Maybe one of these days, I'll bring in some Leviathan meat for you! Just wait till I get promoted to police chief, I'll get rich in no time!" Stephen looked proud, his eyes dazzling with determination.
She casually walked over to the front entrance and turned the open sign on the front door to closed. "I appreciate it, but we can keep the dreams for later. I'm closing up the shop early because of the weather."
"Aww, man. Already? I just got here." Stephen quickly gulped the rest of his coffee, which had gotten warm over time.
"I only kept it open this long because I knew you were coming in, dear. Please lock the door when you get out, okay? Have a safe night." Mrs. Offner then went out the front door, opening her umbrella to walk home.
Setting down a silver coin in the money tray, he stood up from his seat afterward. "I think it was 1 silver in total..." He got to the front door and looked out the glass window. "Oh my, I still don't have an umbrella!" Glancing around in panic, he saw that there was another umbrella stationed next to the door. He didn't see the umbrella when he came in, so he presumed Mrs. Offner left one there before she left. "Oh my goodness, Mrs. Offner is an angel!" He picked up the umbrella and stepped outside after turning the lock on the door. Taking in the humid smell and the depressing, rainy scenery of the city streets, he began his walk back to his apartment. "I should buy something for Ryan before I get back home. I don't think he has eaten dinner yet."
He took his path on the sidewalk to the supermarket. On his walk there, he saw a noble couple harassing a poor homeless man on the city streets. "Ugh, look at this repugnant creature in our city! He's no different from those dirty slaves!" The noble man says as he glared down at the homeless man, balled up on the floor. "Maybe this bum should get a job, then he wouldn't be an eyesore! Get a job, you bum!" the noble lady added as she summoned out a pathetic-looking Artifact. It took the shape of a tiny blue dagger. Nothing impressive about the aura at all. Raising her arm, she was ready to stab the homeless man. "Now get out of here!"
Suddenly, a powerful force weighed them down, causing her to drop her Artifact. "H-Honey, what's going on!?" she shrieked as her body was weighed onto the ground. Her husband, who also struggled to stand upright, collapsed onto the floor. "You two are hereby under arrest." Stephen says as he approaches the unruly pair. He towered over them, his umbrella now flying away as he let it go to use his Artifact. "Let us go this instant!" The noble cried.
It was the usual blabbering that criminals would always say, but these two were different. He noticed a familiar crest on one of their suits, which lessened his Artifact's ability just a bit. The nobleman grinned. "S-So you finally noticed it, eh? I'm part of the Equestor family, the people who run this city! You'd better stop now before I get you killed!"
He stops the gravity placed on them with haste. "I-I'm so sorry, I just saw that you were about to kill that man-" Stephen tried to explain himself, but he was stopped.
"Shut the fuck up!" The nobleman screamed. He then slapped Stephen right across his face. The slap was intense, and the rain brought clarity soon after. "Next time, mind your fucking business!"
Stephen knelt next to the homeless man as the barrier between the two nobles. "I'll arrest this homeless man and move him off the streets for you. That's the least I can do." The nobleman made the moment tense. He considered doing many things, but the weather was terrible, and he had places to be. "Hmph, fine then. Know your place next time, boy." The nobleman walked off with his wife, smacking Stephen on the back of the head and laughing as they left.
He was now drenched in the harsh rain, looking at the frail homeless man crawled up in his cardboard house. "Go further into the alleyway and hide there, okay? I'll come back." Stephen ran into the supermarket as fast as he could.
The cashier could see the supermarket doors open wide with Stephen's soggy figure creating puddles everywhere. Stephen hurriedly went to grab some packed lunches from the refrigerated section before going to the cashier. "I want to purchase these, please." It was an assortment of packed lunches, up to five. The cashier eyed him with tired disappointment. A soft sigh came out of his mouth as he responded. "That would be 5 silver coins, please."
Pulling out his coin pouch, he digs for five silver coins. His fingers shuffled around the coins before finally getting five silver coins. Planting them each individually on the counter, he smiled before placing his umbrella on his shoulder. "Now, have a wonderful night, good sir!" Stephen strutted out of the supermarket, leaving the exhausted minimum-wage employee to dreadfully stare at the huge puddle of rainwater Stephen left behind. He sighed before pulling out a mop. "I don't get paid enough for this."
Stephen rushed back to the homeless man and handed him a packed lunch. "Here, good sir. Please be safe out here." And before the homeless man could reply, Stephen ran off. He wanted to get home, worried that Ryan hadn't eaten anything yet. "Goodness gracious, I've missed the time!" Stephen exclaimed, staring at his watch.
Thud!
Stephen collided with someone in the midst of his run as he was checking his watch. Standing up in the rain, he stood over the person. "I am so sorry. Are you okay?" Looking down at the person, it was someone who appeared delicate. Her body was small in stature, and her limbs trembled with every motion. But most of all, what stood out the most was her cat ears and tail. She sat up, her gaze pure, as if she saw the world in a clear vision.
He stood there, watching her in awe for a brief moment. He was star-struck at the sight of her. Demi-humans were rare to see running amok, especially a catgirl. And seeing how terrified she was at his towering figure, he felt immense pity for the poor lady. He knelt, reaching eye level with her. Lending out his hand to shake, he gave a welcoming smile. "My name's Stephen. What's your name?"
She spoke, the rain almost overbearing the sound of her voice. Her voice was timid and breaking apart, but she managed to get her words through. "My name is..."
"Miranda."