The Imposter
Waitressing was boring! People coming in and out stressing over what to eat, what to do, and other boring life aspects whilst looking right through the establishment staff as though they were autonomous robots, completely unaware they could hear everything they were saying; which was sometimes fun.
Occasionally excitement in the form of a dine-and-dash would happen, but it wasn't their job to sort that situation out, just gossip about it later. They just reported to the manager, who would put up a wanted poster with some kind of reward and the sweepers would deal with it.
"Cos, table 4 wants the bill," the words shocked her out of the stupor she had been in for the last 10 minutes at less, her arm prompted up on the bar and her head in her hand. Miss match eyes drifted over to the speaker and regarded her with a dull look.
"Come on, it time to earn your paycheck" the blonde chirped, grinning at her coworker and holding out a folder with their bill inside and the card reader.
Cos sighed and straighten up, flicking her dye blue hair out of her face, before taking the offered objects and make her way to table 4, a couple that had been arguing about who's fault it was that the washing machine was broken. They defining wouldn't be tipping.
"Here you are." She said, letting a smile drift across her face. It made her eyes twinkle, her dimples show and it was completely and utterly fake, not that they would be looking enough to notice.
The man observed the bill before placing a card down on top of it waiting for her to pick it up and be presented to him again this time in the card reader because just handing it to her would have been too easy.
"If you would like to check the amount and enter your pin." She said handing the card machine to him.
Like always, after the card was returned, bill paid, the couple left, still arguing, without a backwards glance.
The smile fell off her face as they left and she returned to the bar area and her loitering colleagues.
"So has the world ended because the washing machine is broken? It's the apocalypse right?" A brunette, the one who had handed her the couples bill, asked laughing softly.
"Just about it would seem," Cos replied as she placed the card reader back in its charger and slouched back against the bar top, straighten out her black work skirt and making sure her shirt and tie were straight. The hair she could get away with but a messy uniform was apparently a step too far with the management.
"Well it's better than my table, apparently he cheated and got someone pregnant whilst she is pregnant it apparently it's not his, and the wedding is in two days." A guy piped up, "We could seriously make a TV show about the stuff we hear on a daily bases."
"Yeah but Ant, that would be a gross breach of confidentiality," a tall black hair girl said, a disproving look in her eyes.
"Why? If it's that secret they shouldn't be saying it in a public place where anyone can overhear them."
"They are not expecting people to listen in."
"Like they haven't ever ease dropped and besides..."
Letting the argument drift into the background, Cos drifted her eyes across the shop floor.
It was what you would expect for a town of so few residences: many tables littered the place in a fashion that suggested they had just been thrown there, the windows where diamond patterned and the curtains were a faded red. It was a fairly quiet day, only 18 people were currently in and only 34 people in total had walked through those doors since they had opened, so much for the lunchtime rush.
It was, to an extent, to be expected though. In a small town like this, most of their customers were drifters of some kind, normally the bad, and something was drawing them away. Less and less had been coming through their doors and sweeper arrests were decreasing in their area. There simply weren't many wanted people in these parts anymore. Well, not many except the one currently sat on table 12 eating some kind of pasta.
She chuckled quietly at that, a wanted criminal and of all the tables it was that number he was on.
However, it wasn't her issue, not anymore. Blum Pullman could eat peacefully and leave. A choice she could make herself.
The door opened and a man walked in, a beard and heavyset stomach were the only things of note about him though he seemed pleasant with a large grin on his face.
He scanned the bar before focusing on the man at table 12.
A sweeper then.
He pulled up the collar of his black trench coat, pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket and walked over to the table, placing the paper on the table.
"You are the man on this poster, correct?" Blum froze, he gazes fixed on paper, a wanted poster. At this point everyone was watching them, eager to see how this showdown would go.
"You better not resist." The man said and pulled up his left sleeve, "You know the meaning behind this tattoo of 13."
'13 in Arabic numbers …' Cos snorted to herself, 'who is stupid enough to get that wrong.'
"The Black Cat!" someone gasped and a mutter started up in the restaurant.
"Can you believe it, the legendary assassin here?"
'Apparently, people are stupid enough to believe it.' Cos shifted her eyes over to her coworkers, taking in their awed looks at the 'Black Cat'.
Blum Pullman didn't even resist as he was taken down to the police station, the name was enough to drive all fight from him. The Black Cat may have been gone for two years but he was still feared.
"I hope he comes back for food." Her blonde coworker said gushing over what had just happened. It was the most exciting thing to have ever happened in this small town, most likely.
"We are the best restaurants in the area." Ant said with a grin.
"We are the only restaurants."
"God, Cynthia do you have to disagree with everything I say."
"I was just pointing, Antoine, out that Rachel's hope of him coming back will happen as we are the only restaurant here." Cynthia glared at him.
"Not sure why you want him back Rach, there are much better specimens of men around here." Ant flirted and winked at his blonde colleague. Both Rachel and Cynthia glared furiously at him.
"You're not a notorious assassin."
"Neither is he."
"Cosima?"
Looking up at her coworkers, she grinned.
"Sorry was just muttering to myself." She grinned at them, knowing she had spoken too softly for them to properly hear her.
"That bored by the argument?" Cynthia asked smiling softly.
"Shotgun." Cos said just before the bell on top of the door rang.
"Man all that work has made me hungry." A familiar voice rang out and Cos picked up a menu to hand to the customer.
"That's not fair." Rachel cried as she walked over to the man who claimed to be the 13th time guardian.
"Hard work being a hero." Cosima smiled as she led him to a table and handed him the menu.
"I'm not a hero." He grinned as he sat down, "I'm the notorious Black Cat, Sir Woodney, and pretty girl like you should be careful around a dangerous man like me.
"I can handle myself."
Woodney laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck before gaining a serious look.
"No need to try to impress me, I'm afraid I am but a shadow dweller, a loner, I can never return the love you so bravely show."
"I'll be sure to let my coworker know. Just call when you are ready to order."
Walking back to the bar counter she relished the look of expectation on her coworkers' faces, like children peeking through the door to try as spot Santa.
"So what was he like?"
"Very intimidating." Who was she to ruin their fun?
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She couldn't sleep. Closing her eyes just made her memories flash all the quicker.
Memories of split skin and bloody knuckles, screams and broken bones, death and a boy with golden eyes.
For a year she hadn't though of any of this and now with just a name she couldn't stop.
Black Cat.
Suddenly it was everywhere.
People muttering it on the streets, her coworkers discussing every possibility, only the wrong name came afterward.
"Black Cat, Sir Woodney."
"Hope you're having a better night than me Train." Cosima sighed, staring at the ceiling; "I'm not getting any sleep tonight."
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Author's notes: Short I know but I wanted to see how this would be received. Have through about writing something like this for a while so let me know what you think!