This one is specially for resplandorrosa626, who has been so lovely to me in reviews and PMs, and who adores Motti. It is a little shorter than some of the others, though in my defence I never meant the previous chapters to go beyond 1000 words each, and yet Aguma's is the shortest at 1,500 words. Oops.
Also I have no idea where this idea came from, it just kind of materialised itself at about 10pm, and was pretty much written by midnight. Thanks, plot bunny. Or plot kitty, technically.
Motti
Christmas Day was just like any other day for Motti. It was a business day for her, and in fact it was busier than usual thanks to the national holiday on the 23rd and the general rush on Christmas Eve. It was probably going to be just as busy again today.
Unlocking the back door of the cafe, she had barely taken a step when seven cats swarmed her, meowing happily.
"Okay, okay, miaow," she told them. "I'll feed you if you let me move!"
Setting up the shop for the day was a matter of routine now – she had opened it nearly three years ago once all of the mess from the Nemesis Crisis had been cleared up and some of the shopping estates were starting to open up again. She had always loved making sweets and cakes, and of course she loved cats, so when she had discovered the concept of a cat café she had jumped at the chance. Now she had a collection of nine cats of various colours and sizes who lived in the shop, and a strong customer base that was there both for the cats and Motti's baked goods.
The first customers of the day were later than usual, a reflection of the busy day the day before – a couple from the next neighbourhood, who both got strawberry shortcake before settling in a corner with the tabby cat, and about half an hour later, the second customer – an older lady who adored the tortoiseshell cat almost as much as she adored Motti's flavoured mochi bites.
Slowly, the café filled up. Motti was kept busy between baking, selling and serving, whilst simultaneously keeping the perpetually-curious black-and-white cat out of the food areas. When a man and his twin sons came in, she was relieved when they picked the black-and-white to cuddle.
No-one seemed to want to leave too quickly. After all, the café had good food, hot drinks, comfortable seats and cute cats, so why bother going out into the damp winter's day? It was a pleasant, slow way to enjoy Christmas, and Motti liked the way it all felt so cosy. Her decorations, mostly made up of ribbons woven around lights, made the café look particularly nice, with a homely glow to it that it didn't usually have.
"What would you like, miaow?" she asked the next customers, a woman and a young girl in a red dress. The girl had already picked up the ginger cat and was cuddling him tightly.
"Gingerbread!" she piped up, smiling widely and showing a missing tooth on one side. "Like the kitty!"
"Just a coffee for me," the woman said, before turning to her daughter. "We can't stay too long, darling, and be gentle with the cat, he might not like being held like that."
"No, he's okay with it, miaow," Motti said. "Don't do it to the white kitty, though, she doesn't like being held. Just stroke her gently." She bent down to get another plate from under the counter for the gingerbread.
"That's strange," said the woman suddenly. "Why can I hear bells?"
"Bells?"
"Sleigh bells. Listen!"
Motti straightened up and tilted her head to one side to listen more carefully. Sure enough, a faint jingling could be heard from outside, coming closer. Seconds later, the door to the café burst open to reveal -
"It's Santa!" the little girl gasped, tightening her arms around the ginger cat until it yowled and wriggled out.
Motti stared at the newcomer. He was huge, as tall and broad as her door, dressed all in red and carrying a large sack over his shoulder. On his big black boots, a set of little bells jingled every time he took a step.
"Ho ho!" he boomed, and Motti suddenly frowned. That voice sounded very familiar. "Madam Cat, I have brought presents!"
"Presents!" the twins exclaimed together, scrambling to stand in front of 'Santa' with their eyes wide.
That was when Motti suddenly realised what was missing from the picture. 'Santa' didn't have a white beard. In fact, he had a purple one.
"Manager Benkei?" she asked incredulously, staring at the owner of the next-door burger restaurant. "What are you doing here, miaow?"
Benkei grinned at her and put a finger on his lips. "I am not Manager Benkei!" he said. "Who is he? I am Santa! And I have brought presents!"
Presents, it turned out, meant a pile of cuddly hamburgers with the Bull Burger logo stamped on the top for the children, and even smaller hamburger keyrings for the adults. All of them had different little expressions on them. Motti picked one up and dangled it from her finger, frowning at the cute smile.
"Manager Benkei, you are advertising in my shop without permission," she said firmly, pulling him to one side as the children dived into the pile of cuddly toys. "Please explain yourself."
Benkei laughed awkwardly, putting a hand up to the back of his head. "Half my staff got sick over the holiday. I can't open today, and I had all these things I was going to give to my customers as presents. So when I saw you were open next door I thought I'd bring them round. That way at least someone gets some use out of them. Oh, and… here. This one's for you, to say thanks for all the help you gave me getting set up this year."
Motti blinked. The box in her hands was larger than one of her own cake boxes, wrapped in bright paper that was covered in tiny cats. She ripped it open, vaguely aware of the tabby cat grabbing the string with a murderous gleam in his eye. Then she gasped and dropped the box onto the table.
It was full to the very top with piles of brilliantly coloured ribbons in every shade she could imagine. Some were plain, some were silky, some were chequered, some were patterned, some had cats, some had Santa hats, some had strawberries, some had katakana for Merry Christmas – some even had tiny burgers on them. Motti plunged her hands into the box and brought them out brimming with strips of material that shimmered under her fairy light display. She loved ribbons. All of her decorations were ribbons, all of her boxes were tied up with ribbons, all of the cat collars were ribbons – and that was before you got to her collection of hair ribbons.
"You like them?" Benkei seemed pleased. "I was thinking about your cats and what they might like to play with, and then I thought they might eat these but I'd already bought them and then I thought you might like them."
Motti looked up at him, hands and forearms overflowing with dozens of ribbons, and beamed. "I love them, miaow!"
She didn't know what she had done to deserve this generosity. Yes, she'd given him a couple of pointers when he had first started setting up his shop next door, but nothing that would have suggested something so dramatic would be required in return.
"We should do a joint event next year," she said suddenly, getting an idea. "You could be a proper Santa outside your shop, and I can make Christmas strawberry cake for everyone. Santa and cute cats, who could possibly resist?"
"It's a deal!" Benkei said, holding out a hand to shake, before heading back to the middle of the café to cuddle the white cat that had apparently fallen in love with his boots.
Motti stepped out from behind the counter to allow the tortoiseshell cat to spring up onto her shoulders, where it immediately began washing its ears with a paw. Who knew, perhaps this one-time alliance between Motti's Mochis and Bull Burger might be just the thing to revitalise their little corner of the shopping district. Christmas might be just another business day, but that didn't mean it had to be the same as every other day.
Motti reached up a hand and stroked the tortoiseshell's head. "Happy Christmas, kitty," she said, and smiled when the cat purred back.
Some explanations, as this may come up in future chapters based in Metal City – Japan doesn't really have Christmas Day as a celebration. The 23rd is the Emperor's birthday, and is a national holiday. Christmas Eve is the busy day, and is more of a couples day, like Valentines. Most businesses are open on Christmas Day, particularly KFC, which is the primary provider of food on Christmas Day!
Also yes Motti has a cat café next door to Bull Burger. It is called Motti's Mochis. Do not question me on this.
