Originally posted: February 14, 2012
C.M.D: This is a half-gift, half-request for my good friend Mythcraze776, who wanted me to write a short for her OC Phoenix in the kittycon 'verse. It's taken me a while to get finished, because I wasn't too sure what to write. But a couple discussions, and I came up with a plausible plot~
In either case, I hope you enjoy this Mytho! I'm sure (at least hope X_X) that it'll be pleasantly surprising and a good read overall~
The cafe that she worked at was a small, quaint thing.
Phoenix smiled sweetly as she set a couple's order down upon the table, before bowing slightly and heading back for the kitchen. Setting down her tray, she replaced it with a jug of sweet, iced oil; grasping the large container by the handle while also cupping it with her other servo at the bottom. Holding it to her chassis, the youngling took a moment to survey the cafe.
There were only about ten small, circular tables each, with three booths position along the wall directly across from her. The two on her right and behind her led to the washroom and the cafe's kitchen; the last wall on her left was nothing but windows. Potted flowers sat just in front of the glass outside, their bushes vivid green and thriving with fresh spring bouquets. A 'bot would have to be mad not to enjoy the sight of them, or their heavenly scent. As it was, the handful of customers they had today were too busy chatting merrily to themselves to notice the flowers or the other, homely charms that the establishment held for them.
But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing either.
Calmed by the gentle babble, Phoenix smiled. She loved the aura of this cafe very much -it was the reason why she worked here, among other things.
"Getting caught up again?," a slightly teasing voice asked. Ears twitching in surprise, the femme turned around, looking up at the grinning face of her boss. A kittycon, only a few stellar cycles older than her, the siamese both owned and ran the kitchen of the little cafe. Though they never did get much business, because of their tucked-away location, the mech was still dutiful in his work and it was a dedication and care that Phoenix both admired and hoped to emulate herself one day. As if reading her very thoughts, the kittycon grinned further, lifting his chin almost haughtily. "I know I'm awesome sweetspark, but if you keep drooling over me like that I will be forced to take drastic measures."
Phoenix rolled her eyes, giggling lightly. "Whose drooling? Really, you're such a horrible manager. Harassing poor young femmes like myself."
The siamese laughed back. "Is that so? Well I guess that means letting you have a slice of my precious energon-cream pie would fall under that category too. How sad... Welp, just means more for me!"
The autodog gasped in fake dismay, unable to fully stifle her chuckles this time. "Just don't eat yourself fat, Mr. Piggy."
"Ha ha ha... now, get back to work," the kittycon smiled, gently pushing the femme forwards again. "The customers need some refreshment. And in twenty kliks, you can head off."
That was news the brittany spaniel was grateful to hear. As much as she loved working here, she couldn't wait to get home and out of these clothes. The bodice was really beginning to chafe against her backside...
Ears perked in delight, and tail bobbing in a similar fashion, Phoenix hurried to attend to her patrons; smiling sweetly to each and every one.
"Have a good night!," Phoenix called as she skipped out the door. Her boss paused in his motion of wiping the counter, waving goodbye to her as she left. Humming to herself, the autodog slung her bag over one shoulder, starting around the building. It was the fastest way to get home and perhaps the most direct as well. As she was passing by the back of the cafe though, she noticed an odd shape slumped over by the garbage bin. Curious, she slowed down in her stride some, looking fully at the unexpected sight.
It took her nearly a klik before she realized it was a 'bot.
Anxiously, the brittany spaniel rushed forwards, kneeling at the autodog's side. The poor mech was grungy and dressed in filthy clothes -no doubt a homeless mutt, if the stench alone was anything to go by. Olfactory sensor twitching in disdain, Phoenix reached forward hesitantly, gently prodding the old mech's shoulder. "Sir?," she whispered. "Sir, are you okay?"
At first there was no response, and the femme feared the worse. But thankfully, her poking drew a long, weary groan from the autodog. Slapping a servo to her face, Phoenix was nearly overwhelmed by the stale odour of alcohol that slipped from the mech's mouth. Not really wanting to, but concerned for the old 'bot all the same, the brittany spaniel continued to shake the other autodog gently. "Sir, you must wake up, sir. This isn't a good place to sleep."
But despite her efforts, the street mutt continued to remain in his heavy state of sleep, no doubt caused by the uncountable amounts of high-grade in his system. Sighing, Phoenix pulled away from the old mech, resigned to the fact that there was nothing she could do in this situation. Hopefully, her boss would come across him when he was taking the trash out tonight and guide the drunken autodog to the nearest shelter. With her thoughts still on the unconscious mech, the femme turned around and continued on her way home.
The next afternoon, she saw that the stranger was still there. He was awake now, gnawing on the end of a burnt out cygar; hunched over by the potted plants lining the front of the cafe. Phoenix spared him a wary glance as she hurried past, heading indoors. To her surprise, her manager was standing just by the front door and he did not look pleased.
"I'm sure you've seen the stray we've managed to pick up," he started, crossing his arms over his chestplates. The femme gave a slow nod. "Right, well, don't talk or give him a scrap to eat if he starts begging. Just ignore him and I'll deal with things once we close tonight... I don't need a bum hanging around, disturbing our customers. You understand?"
"Yes sir," Phoenix replied softly.
The kittycon sighed, softening before her very optics. "Alright... For now, I need you to go to the back and get changed please. Table five, seven and eight need more refreshment and I'm expecting the regulars to start coming in by six. We'll need to be on top of our game tonight."
"Just like usual, hmm?," she smiled back. The mech laughed lightly, sharing with her a quick smile before he disappeared behind the counter again and into the kitchen. Phoenix moved to do the same. But she couldn't help the quick glance back through the cafe's little window, to the poor homeless mech squatting at the curb.
"Here you go, sir."
The autodog responded slowly to the femme's words; his helm lifting slowly in her direction and his static-laced optics glancing idly at the plate she held in her servos. Fidgeting somewhat, the longer her gift was simply stared at, Phoenix eventually took it upon herself to squat beside the mech, setting the dish on the ground between them. "I-it's a really lovely piece of cake," she began timidly, "My m-manager made it fresh just this morning. T-the, umm, copper skins there help enhance the flavour, bringing a fresher taste to the zinc cream and-"
"Won't you get in trouble for talking to me?"
The sudden comment caught the brittany spaniel off-guard and she looked up at the stray, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "W-well..." It was true, she couldn't deny that. If her manager saw her out here on her break, giving the mech cake, after explicitly telling her not to feed him anything, then he would more than likely give her a firm scolding. Or at least, that's all she hoped he would do... She couldn't afford to lose this job.
Shaking her helm, Phoenix lifted her optics to meet the other 'bot's curious gaze. "I suppose it doesn't really matter either way," she shrugged, "I mean, you're hungry, are you not? I couldn't just stand by and not do something."
The scottish terrier (or so she guessed. His fur was horribly matted and patchy, sadly) grunted at her words, chewing on the nub of his cy-gar quietly. He still did not touch the cake. Glancing over her shoulder self-consciously, Phoenix, against her better judgement, scooped her skirt up, sat down facing the old mech. "Why were you passed out in the garbage?," she asked, struck by a sudden urge to talk with this stranger.
The autodog carried such a mystery about him, that compelled the youngling closer, even despite his smell and filthy appearance. Again, the stray grunted, though this time it almost sounded like a laugh, and if she squinted, Phoenix could have sworn that the corner of his mouth twisted upwards just an inch.
"Too much drink, I guess," he gruffed. "Or maybe because it was warm. Not too sure which came first..."
That was disconcerting news. Not knowing what to say, the femme fell into a quiet idle, scratching at the ground with one finger. Soon she'd have to go back inside. She only hoped her boss didn't see her sneaking indoors; she didn't quite feel like making up excuses to him.
"You were the one that tried to wake me, weren't ya?," the scottish terrier asked suddenly.
The spell of silence broken, Phoenix fumbled to gather her scattered thoughts again, her vocalizer spitting out half-formed words. "W-well, urm..." She blushed a second time, knowing how idiotic she sounded. "I-i-i just..."
"Couldn't not do something, right?" Now she was definitely certain the older 'bot was smiling. Mutely, the brittany spaniel nodded her helm. The stray cocked his helm slightly, finally removing the well-chewed cy-gar from between his denta. His optics were fixed intently on the femme, studying her. His silence and his deep penetrating gaze slowly began to unnerve Phoenix.
"Doesn't it bother you?," he asked vaguely. Phoenix felt her brow furrow at the confusing question. "To have to wear that blasted thing all the time?," the scottish terrier elaborated, waving a servo slightly. "One would have to wonder why you'd hide them..."
A chill zinged down the femme's backstruts. Phoenix almost lept to her pedes, back-pedaling quickly from the mech. Her optics were flaring brightly, showing her puzzlement and horror; servos curled tightly at her side, trembling warily. But despite all her defense, the stranger did not move to retaliate, still staring up at her coolly. "I-i... I've got to go back to work now," the youngling stammered politely, turning on her heel quickly and hurrying for the door.
She didn't look back even once this time.
All she could think about, haunted by the unexpectedness of it all, was 'How did he know?' Fingers brushed her shoulder plating anxiously, bringing a shiver to the frightened femme.
The question haunted her all through out shift. Looking at herself in the cafe's washroom mirror, Phoenix lifted a servo, sliding it down the stitches of her bodice. The material was tight across her chestplates, making it hard to vent properly sometimes. For a moment, the femme rested her servos on the snaps down the front, thinking to undo them. But rationality prevailed and with a sigh she pulled her servos away from the bodice. Stiffly, Phoenix slipped on her blouse and then her coat.
"It's a little dark out there...," her manager started as she came out of the washroom. "You sure you can get home alright by yourself? I wouldn't mind walking you."
Phoenix smiled, waving him off. "No, it's okay," she said, politely rejecting the offer. "I don't live too far away, and I'll stick to the streets just to be safe. No shortcuts, I promise."
The kittycon gave her an incredulous look, but sighed, relenting to the brittany spaniel's wishes. "Okay, but if anything does happen, comm me, alright? I'll still be here at the cafe for a bit, so I can rush out if you need some help or anything," he replied. Nodding her helm, the femme was quick to exit out into the late afternoon, pulling her coat close to herself to fight off the nipping chill in the air.
She hurried past the potted plants, not even noticing that the stray was no longer sitting there.
"There she is," a voice growled.
Phoenix yelped as suddenly her coat was grabbed; yanked backwards for a moment before she was pushed forward, tripping over her pedes and slamming into a nearby tree. Hissing slightly at the pain, she quickly turned around to face her assailant, finding herself surrounded by two larger autodogs. The pitbulls had their denta bared, fists clenched at their sides.
"You little glitch," one of them spat, stalking toward her. "We're going to make you pay."
"I-i...," the brittany spaniel stuttered, trying to press further back into the tree. The bark bit at her backstruts uncomfortably. "I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't do anything to you!"
The mechs closed in and Phoenix risked bolting for freedom. She managed to slip under the arm of the first autodog, before her arm was grabbed and she was lifted off the ground. "Let me go!," she shrieked, biting and kicking wildly. Her attacker yelped as she got him good, dropping her for a moment. But before the femme could get back up to her pedes, a fist slammed into her cheekplate, knocking her back down to the ground.
"Stupid whore!," one of the pitbulls snarled. "You're probably sleeping with that bastard cat, aren't you! Fragging kittycon-sympathizer... you need to learn your place and just who's side you're on."
A servo fisted the back of her coat and shirt, tugging quickly, trying to pull her back up. But the yank had been too quick, and Phoenix was still limp, dead weight with that cracking blow to her helm, so instead of picking the femme up the action tore the fabric entirely. Free of their restrictive confines, long, purple and grey feathers flared out into the open air; her wings, spreading themselves after so many stellar cycles.
Her processor cleared just in time to hear her attackers fall into a disturbed silence; tensing, Phoenix curled her fists, preparing herself for either the following blows or another escape attempt.
"She's a... a..."
"Freak!"
"Nasty, dirty, little freak! She's no autodog," growled a mech. "She's a slagging imposter! Kill the pit-spawn glitch!"
There came a roar, and the brittany spaniel shuttered her optics, expecting the worse. But the roaring continued, behind her, as a 'bot was slammed into a tree, yelping in pain. "Get the stray!," she heard a mech shout, before the air was filled with more sounds of snarling and scratching and grunts of pain. Pushing herself up quickly Phoenix turned around, watching in disbelief as the old mech from earlier today grabbed one of the pitbulls by the collar, throwing the younger autodog over his shoulder before grappling with another one lunging for him. With cool focus, the scottish terrier dodged, slipped and moved out of every attack coming at him; returning with a perfectly placed punch, or kick, or strangle hold.
"You- glitch! You had friends?"
The femme snapped her helm up as she saw one of the pitbulls take a charge at her; his arms outstretched, ready to grab her. Quickly Phoenix pulled her leg back, kicking the bigger autodog's with all the strength she had in her, hearing a resounding crack as he yelped in pain, before tripping and crashing it into the ground behind her. She wasted no time to see if he was alright, scrambling up to her pedes and watching as the stray dealt with the last of the pitbulls. Whimpering or growling weakly, her attackers picked themselves up; cursing and calling for each other as they ran away.
"Sir... Sir? Sir, are you okay?," Phoenix asked, jogging up to the old autodog's side. "Sir, you're bleeding! Do you need me to- woah!"
The mech collapsed in the brittany spaniel's arms, panting heavily as he clutched at his aching side. "Now, now...," he rumbled at the femme's worried gasp, "I'm not injured. That's just a lil' scratch... otherwise, I'm in good health."
"You can barely stand!," she pointed out with a frown.
"Yeah... slagging old frame. Ahh, but what can you do," the mutt said back. For a moment, he was quiet, just looking at something over the femme's shoulders. Fuel tanks dropping, Phoenix remembered that her wings were unfurled and fluttering in the night wind.
"I...," she swallowed sharply, pulling herself away from the old mech. "I-i-i really sh-should..."
"Don't hide them," the scottish terrier said. He stood up straight with a grunt, pulling that old cy-gar out of his pocket, smiling kindly at the femme as he placed the chewed out end in his mouth. "They're very pretty, and I doubt you like tying them down much."
Phoenix didn't know what to say. She simply stood there, gaping at the other autodog, her spark puttering within its chamber. No one had ever said her wings were pretty before... No one had not yet called her a monster, or a freak, or a creature because of them.
"C'mon, at least let me walk you home now. I want to make sure you get there safe," the stray added, taking off his tattered coat. He held it out for the brittany spaniel to take. "Humour an old mech."
"W-well, umm... thanks," Phoenix replied, flushing in embarrassment. "Just... thank you."
The scottish terrier came up to her side, draping the coat over her shoulders. Though her first thought was to remove the dirty article, the femme refrained, finding the coat warm and the smell more pleasant than she had been expecting. It was a coat that had been well-lived in.
"Anytime, pup," the old mech said. "The name is Kup, by the way," he told her, as they started walking.
"Phoenix," she returned, holding out her servo. "It's nice to meet you, Kup." The grey autodog smiled back, shaking her servo.
"What?," her manager yelled. Customers turned their helms curiously at the sound, some wanting to know what was going on, and others merely frowning at the noise. Cheekplates flushed with his embarrassment, the kittycon gently grasped Phoenix by the arm, leading her into the kitchen. "I know I should have went with you... If I had, you wouldn't have gotten attacked last night! Oh Primus... I just can't believe somebot would do something like that! Phinny, I'm sorry; really, really sorry."
"It's alright," the femme said, trying to placate her distressed boss. "Really!," she added at his doubtful look. "Listen, there was a lot of them there. I doubt you'd have been able to fend them off all by yourself. In fact, you probably would have made them madder by being there. And besides, it's not as if I was alone for long."
She glanced out the kitchen's surface window, and the kittycon followed her line of sight. "I see...," he deflated, worried frown still on his face. "Well, I suppose I can't get rid of him now. But are you certain, Phoenix? Are you sure that he won't cause you any harm?"
The brittany spaniel smiled kindly at the manager, patting his arm with one servo. "If he wanted to hurt me, he would have had ample opportunity last night. No, he's a good mech. He's just had some misfortune, like many others."
The mech was silent for a moment, before he sighed again; this time, a small smile working onto his lip components in return. "Alright...," he relented. "Go on, you've got another hour before your shift starts. I can tell you want to get back to talking with him."
"Thank you, sir!," Phoenix beamed, turning around and skipping for the door.
"Oh, and sir?" She paused, looking back at the kittycon. "I'd like to keep my wings out when I'm working. Is that alright?"
Her manager shuttered his optics in surprise, but he merely smiled again, folding his arms over his chestplates. "Sure thing, kiddo."
She couldn't help the little giggle that escaped as she hurried from the kitchen,a bounce in her step as she slipped into the chair opposite of the stray. "What took you so long, pup?," Kup grinned at her, still chewing on that cy-gar.
"Sorry for the delay. Just... making some necessary changes," Phoenix replied. "Now, I believe you were telling me about the Great War."
"Ah, right. Back in that day..."
C.M.D: Even old mutts need some lovin'~