(no subject)

[sunbaked_baker]

"That should be enough to cover the rest of my tab," Rae says to the bar, as the money disappears into the counter top. Up on the tab board, Sunshine's balance goes into the black by a few dollars. "Thanks again for keeping my key for me while I'm out. I should be back... whenever the door shows up again."

She rummages through her things for a moment, and produces a folded note, much creased. "If Autor shows up while I'm not here, could you see that he gets this? Thank you." It may just be a note telling him to let her know that he's okay and back again, but she doesn't want to go on vaguely worrying about him without doing anything. She has put off going home for too long, and it just gets harder to do so the longer she stays. So she's going. Today. Right now.

...After a cup of tea.

But after that? She's definitely going.


~*~*~*~

Sometime after the door closes behind Rae Seddon as she returns to the coffeehouse, the front door opens again - this time, on a busy grade-school hallway. Ten-year-old Rae Seddon comes in with her backpack heavy-laden with books, her hair in a ponytail held by a hot pink scrunchie. The girl's somewhat tired look brightens into a grin as she sees where the door had led her. Careful to make sure the door closes securely behind her, she quickly shucks her backpack onto an empty couch and heads directly to the kitchen. The bar knows just when she needs it to show up the most (i.e. when there's another hour before lunch and that hour is math class).

A little while later, the girl emerges back into the bar room, carrying a plate with a bean'n'cheese'n'avocado burrito on it (microwaves don't require adult supervision, so there) over to the couch. Rae balances the plate on her lap while she eats, having found an interesting-looking cooking competition show on the bar's television.


(ooc: Catch adult!Rae before she leaves or catch little!Rae after she arrives. Open forever.)

Comments

[cook_the_rude]

"Good morning, Rae!"

That is Dr. Hannibal Lecter, walking up to Rae as she is having her good-bye tea.

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae is sitting on a bar stool, her back leaning against the Bar, her hands cradling the warm cup of tea. She wasn't exactly at ease with what she might be going back to - less so now that company has arrived.

"Good morning, Dr. Lecter," she replies, with nowhere near as much enthusiasm. Possibly negative enthusiasm.

Minusiasm.

[cook_the_rude]

"How are you doing?" Dr. Lecter asks, ordering coffee for himself.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Doing just fine, thanks," she says, though she is not at ease, even after a bracing (too-hot) sip of tea. "Heading home for a while."

[cook_the_rude]

"Are you going to have to deal with the Goddess again?" Dr. Lecter asks.

[sunbaked_baker]

The muscles in her jaw move.

"Probably."

She sips her tea.

"I'm sick of waiting for the other shoe to fall."

[cook_the_rude]

"Better to go and deal with things head-on," Dr. Lecter agrees. "What was the lastt you heard of her?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Our last face-to-face meeting was her botched Delete attempt."

Back when Rae was still Dr. Lecter's friend. Back when she still trusted him.

"News has been sparse since then. She's had... my SOFs reassigned, new beats, new partners. Kept an eye on, and kept away from the coffeehouse. They have the evidence, though, and haven't been found out. It'd be all over the news before we could blink."

[cook_the_rude]

"Evidence against the Goddess, or about you?" Dr. Lecter asks.

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche and the dogs are about, either out back or by the fire, and either way cheerful.

[sunbaked_baker]

Little!Rae peers at the dogs and Gavroche from her corner of the couch, grinning.

"Hey you," she says, cheerfully. It's been a while since she's seen them.

[street_sparrow]

Jo uncharacteristically forgets to be shy and bounds forward to greet her.

"Hey, Sunshine", Gavroche says with a grin in return.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Hello, hello," Rae says, offering her open, palm-up hand for the dog to sniff. It probably smells like a bean and cheese and avocado burrito, at the moment, but there are worse things to smell like. If Jo gives approval, Rae offers plenty of petting and ear-scritches.

"How've you been, Gavroche?" she asks, happy to provide attention to the friendly dog. "And who's your friend?"

Rae knows Franz well, and she has likely seen Jo around, but...

[street_sparrow]

Jo definitely gives approval. He likes cheese, if not the other things, and he likes her.

"His name's Jo", Gavroche says easily. "He doesn't usually take to people as fast as that."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Well, I'm honored to meet you, Jo," Rae says, scritching the dog's ears with delight. "Where'd you get him?"

[street_sparrow]

"A friend gave him to me here", he tells her. "When he was a puppy."

[sunbaked_baker]

"I bet he was so cute!" Rae beams. "Not that you're not still cute, of course, Jo."

There are reassuring scritches.

"How have you been, Gavroche?"

[fry_sandhu]

Fry was about to ask little Rae something, but at the moment he's distracted by the pretty scrunchie.

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae notices a familiar face as she's wiping her mouth after finishing her burrito. Putting her napkin down on her plate, she smiles, giving a litle wave. "Hi there, Fry."

[fry_sandhu]

"Hello." Fry says.

"I'm going on a treasure hunt, are you coming?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Treasure hunt?" she echoes, asking a passing wait-rat if they would return her empty plate to the kitchen and thanking them.

"Oh! For the cache-hunter badge?" Now unburdened - and not overly concerned about her backpack - Rae stands up from the couch. "Sure, I'll come along."

[fry_sandhu]

Fry flaps his hands happily.

"Which one shall we find?"

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae grins. "I've not gone looking for any yet - let's look at the list and see which one sounds interesting? We could probably get some hints of where to look from the cache names."

[fry_sandhu]

"Some of them are big and some of them are small, what size treasure are we going to leave?" Fry asks, showing her the list.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Well... first off, what treasures do we have that we could leave?" Rae wonders, peering at the list while she thinks of some things in her backpack she could stand to part with. "I have... some little erasers that look like cupcakes and pies - they're pretty tiny - and... well, I'd leave my keychain flashlight, 'cause I never use it, but Charlie got it for me and I wouldn't want him thinking I lost it."