"Miranda? That's a beautiful name." He kept his smile, trying his best not to look as menacing as possible. He noticed her eyes constantly darted to the packed lunches in his shopping bag. She kept trying not to make it obvious, but it was clear she had a strong desire for it. "You want one? Here." He reached into his bag and handed her a packed lunch. He specifically chose the one with tuna and rice, something he assumed a catgirl would love. Without saying a word, Miranda took a gulp before taking the packed lunch. Taking the lunch into her hand, her eyes were glued to the contents.
"T-Thank you..." she says as her cat ears twitch. Stephen smiled in response, standing up. "It's the least I can do; I hate to see someone struggling. In fact, here." He quickly got another packed lunch from his bag and handed it to her. Her hand was hesitant in holding the second lunch, almost like it were brittle. "B-But I can't take this much..."
"Don't worry about it! I love helping people anyway!" Stephen gave a thumbs up to her, which made her body to relax a little. "Now stay safe, okay?" Stephen warmly told her before turning around. With his back turned to her, he heard her voice again. A gentle and beautiful voice under her timidness seconds prior. "Are you coming back?" she asked.
Turning his head back, Stephen saw it. The face of longing, as if she were waiting for someone like him to stumble upon her. Her ears were slumped down, almost like her hope was dwindling by the second.
"Sure, I'll stop by every day!"
His voice cut through the rain as a small glimmer of hope etched into her eyes. And from that moment, the sight of Miranda's face stuck in his heart. It was her smile, the purest one of all. And to that, Stephen smiled back, a small blush creeping onto his face at the utter satisfaction of seeing her smile.
*
*
*
It was the next day, and he arrived at the same spot again. The rainstorm had decreased into simple rain and showed signs of things calming down. The alley between the two abandoned buildings. And as soon as his footsteps entered, he saw it. Miranda was creeping out from a hole underneath one of the buildings. "Nya..." she cried upon his arrival. "Good evening, Stephen." She was still too shy to make direct eye contact with Stephen, but allowed him to step closer. "Good evening to you, too, Miranda. It's a shame the weather isn't great, but I brought you more food."
He held up the bag of more packed lunches for her, in which her eyes lit up in delight. "You didn't need to..." she says in a tone of reluctance but also great appreciation. "Think of it as a gift for you, as a friend." Stephen responds, putting the bag of food in her hand.
Miranda's ears twitched to the word "friend." She didn't have any friends throughout her life as she lived as a straggler and a thief. So the first instance of her being a friend made her chest warm with excitement. "F-Friend? Nobody has ever called me that before." Her tail was swaying slowly in the air as she gave Stephen the look of innocence. "Well, I'm your first friend then. Glad to be your pal, Miranda."
He then eyed the hole in the abandoned building. "Is that where you live?" he asks in curiosity. Miranda nodded as she followed him to the hole. In the hole, it shows her home. A comfy but old bed, clothing in an old closet, a blanket, and many assortments of items that she had stolen. "Are you comfortable in this place?" He asked as he turned his head towards Miranda. She hesitated in answering at first, but she nodded. "Y-Yeah... I'm comfortable here."
"If you want, you could crash at my place." He offered, seeing the bad state of her living conditions. Miranda, on the other hand, shook her head in a panic. "N-No, I swear, it's fine. Thank you for the offer, though I appreciate it." Stephen's mouth was flat, but he didn't say anything about her reluctance. "Alright, but if you need somewhere to stay, just tell me, okay? Because I'm your friend." She nodded, unsure if she could fully trust him. Living on the streets, she could never trust anyone. It was a dangerous place, so a blatantly kind person brought massive suspicion.
Stephen checked his watch, and his eyes widened. "Oh my, I'm late for work!" Quickly scurrying to the exit, he waved at Miranda. "I'll see you later, Miranda! I have to get to work, okay?" He ran as quickly as he could, not leaving any room for Miranda to respond.
Time passed that day, with her waiting for the arrival of Stephen. She wondered if he was gonna come back later that day, or if he was gonna come back the next. All she was doing was patiently waiting to hear his familiar footsteps come through that alley. She went to great lengths for this because it was the first time she had anyone to speak to. Miranda and her mother were brought in by the slave trade, and she managed to escape by her mother sacrificing her life for her. She was only 11 at the time, and for the past 8 years, she's been striving by living in the shadows and stealing. It was only by miraculous luck that she made a mishap in her stealth and bumped into Stephen. And even if she trusted nobody, she still waited for Stephen's presence.
Then she heard it as her ears immediately perked up. Running outside her little abode, she met Stephen face-to-face. "S-Stephen!" she excitedly exclaimed. Surprised by the abrupt appearance, Stephen stepped back momentarily, then smiled. "Excited to see me, aye?" he says, causing Miranda's face to redden a little. "I'm finished with my shift, so I'll take you to the place I always go to after work." It was already evening when she looked up; she couldn't believe she waited that long for Stephen. They then walked down the street, passing many people and cars. A tram strolled by in the middle of the street, causing them to wait at the crosswalk.
"Here, hold my hand so you don't get lost." Stephen says, grabbing her hand. His touch was unexpected and warm, causing her to get a fuzzy feeling in her chest. "N-Nya!" she cried in the form of a yelp. Stephen chuckled, seeing her cute reaction to the handholding. "Sorry, did I scare you? A gentleman has to be a proper guide after all." They then proceed down the road, finally reaching his favorite spot—Sinforth Cafe.
Miranda took a gulp, seeing the cozy cafe. She had never been inside an establishment like this, especially with multiple people inside. Seeing her nervousness, Stephen smiled. "Don't worry, everyone here is welcoming." Once he says that, they step foot into the middle of a huge argument in the cafe.
"You bastards serving me this shitty coffee!" The voice and face were familiar. It was the nobleman he saw the night before who was harassing the homeless man. "My name is Eugene Equestor, a part of the most powerful family in this city! I will not tolerate this disrespect any longer!" He screamed, to which Mrs. Offner angrily responded to him. "Then get out of this place, you crummy nobleman, before I shove this coffee up your ass!" Her big cigar managed to stay in her mouth as she spoke the entire sentence.
The nobleman turned with a glare before walking out. "You'll regret talking down to me, old lady." He then sees Stephen holding Miranda's hand as he gets to the entrance. "And you allow these filthy demi-human slaves to be in this place? No wonder your business is about to fail soon." The words "demi-human slaves" degraded Miranda to the point where she trembled in fear, unable to meet the eyes of the man who spoke pure disdain to her. Eugene then walked out, and the entire cafe watched him walk far away.
Now trembling in shame, Miranda looked around in a panic, seeing the many eyes on her. Eugene's words stuck with her, and she nearly broke down to tears in an anxious wreck. As her breathing accelerated by the second, a sudden warmth hitched it. It was Stephen's hand, petting her. "Calm down, that evil man has left." he spoke, reassuring her. However, that was not what Miranda was thinking about at the moment. Her brain had a total meltdown upon his touch. It was something she had never felt in her entire life. The sensation was thrilling and almost addictive to her. Soon, a loud rumble began to come out of her chest, something that she couldn't control. It was her purring, and once she realized she was purring uncontrollably to being petted, her face began to redden.
"T-That's super cute..." Stephen blurted out as he looked away in embarrassment and continued to pet her. As she whimpers and tries to pull his hand away, the pleasure is too immeasurable to gather the strength to do so. That's when Mrs. Offner spoke, cutting the moment. "Okay, you lovebirds, stop messing around in the middle of the store and come up here already." Stephen's face began to turn a deep red alongside Miranda's. "L-Lovebirds?! What do you mean?! I just met her recently!" He shouted. "L-L-Love..." The word itself nearly made Miranda pass out. Mrs. Offner laughed out loud, prepping coffee as she did. "Love at first sight exists, honey. You should've seen how fast my late husband and I fell in love."
Stephen and Miranda sat side by side, trying not to make eye contact. The mood was too awkward for them to even speak. Meanwhile, Mrs. Offner smiled at what she started, placing two cups of coffee for them. Stephen coughed with the tiny clink of the cup being placed in front of him. "I-I need to use the restroom..." he spoke in an offset tone, hastily going off to the men's restroom. Miranda sat still, only nudging her tiny cup of coffee. Mrs. Offner chuckled, seeing her shyness. Leaning over the counter, she looked her in the eye. "I saw it. You two had the same type of look when eyeing each other, dear. The sweet look of love." Miranda's face heated up, causing her to cover it. "I'm rooting for you." Mrs. Offner says, walking off to the back.
Stephen returned, settling down next to Miranda. "The place is nice, right? It's a warm place."
"Yeah... I'm starting to enjoy it here." Miranda says under her breath, taking a tiny sip of her coffee.
The radio on the counter next to them spoke about the news that happened around the city. "A recent string of murders has been happening recently. And in these murders, a red rose has been a noticeable pattern. People have been calling this serial killer the Red Rose Killer. It's advised that you stay indoors and lock all entryways at night during this period."
After hearing the news, Stephen turned to Miranda. "Are you scared?"
"Y-Yeah..." Miranda's ears were slumped as she stared at her coffee.
Stephen pulled out his police badge. "Look at this, then. I'm a police officer, see? I'll deal with this Red Rose Killer in no time."
Miranda's eyes brightened. "Whoa... does that mean you'll protect me when a bad guy tries to kill me?"
Stephen nods. "Yup, you can put your faith in me, Miranda. Whenever you're in trouble, I'll be there. That's my duty after all."
Miranda's face brightened with confidence, her cat ears rising once more. "Okay, I'll believe in you then, Stephen."