Brand New Friend

(Photos found in Pinterest!)

If Marion Nette said she didn’t like her job all too well, she would be lying around most of the time. 

Being a receptionist at Morningstar Hotel & Casino was a pretty simple task. You help guests check in, check out, maintain reservations and answer guests questions. It wasn’t hard at all and Mari would say she had experience from being in Paradise as a puppet. 

Though, instead of green valleys and the beauty of Paradise where souls could all gather, Morningstar was bright, classy and too extravagant for her tastes.

Not a problem. Usually, at least.

However, today was not one of these times. She had a particularly bad customer today who complained that she had a reserved room but her name didn’t show up in her records. Therefore, this rude lady wanted to speak to the owner of the hotel.

Mari freezes when she realizes that means she’d have to deal with Caleb Moore. She could imagine his reaction right now.

“Seriously, Mari? You couldn’t even handle one client? Divine, I should reconsider having you work here or living with me at all. You’re getting kicked out.” Her mind supplied for her, in his usual no nonsense and emotionless voice.

She thinks her soul left her body at that possibility. 

Thankfully, this lady’s son sensed her discomfort and told his mom to find another hotel to stay at. With one last disheartening comment, she left along with her family.

Mari left to take a walk, leaving the hotel’s front desk in the capable hands of her coworker, Emily. She paced outside the hotel, looking for something to do.

Las Vides was an interesting place. And Mari means that in the worst way possible. It was disorganized, filthy and overstimulating. Everywhere she turned, she missed the Paradise that she hoped would take her back.

Divine… Send me a sign, She pleads to herself. Any sign at all!

That’s when she hears a loud noise. A trashcan falls to the floor with a THUD and she backs up, terrified.

Is this some sort of karmic punishment from the Divine? She braces herself for anything until her thoughts halt with a much softer noise.

“Meow?”

She relaxes upon seeing a feline creature crawl out of the bin. While Mari wasn’t too well versed in mortal affairs, she quickly grew aware of animals. That’s how she knew the one approaching her was a cat.

“An orange cat.” She mumbles, recalling all the videos she had watched. They were her favorite, she thinks. They shine like golden like they belong in this over the top world. 

She cradles the cat in her arms, smiling down at her new friend. “What’s your name, little one?” It purrs in response. Her smile softens even more. “That’s okay if you don’t have one, little kitty…”

She laughs to herself. “I didn’t have one either.”

---

Mari didn’t check to see if employees were allowed to bring animals into the hotel’s premises. She tucked the kitten in a random bag that she had bought in a nearby shop as if that would make her less suspicious.

She entered the lobby with a newfound mission. All she had to do was find Caleb and try to convince him to keep the stray cat. Shouldn’t be difficult. It wasn’t like he despised animals. 

Come to think of it… I know nothing about this guy… even if he’s my roommate…

“You are aware that you have to log in your breaks before you leave, right?” She freezes, slowly turning to the source of the voice. 

There was Caleb Moore, sitting on one of the couches in the lobby, looking unamused. He was wearing his usual red and black suit while having that same soulless stare that haunted her being.

“Ah, Caleb! I’m glad you’re here! I have to ask you about something-“ Before she could even finish her sentence, he stepped forward. He was too close and his glare never faltered. 

“You’re a horrible liar. You know that?” He snatches the bag from her grasp.

“Hey, be careful with that-!”

“Meow?” 

She stills. The orange kitten jumps out of the bag as he places it down. Guess cat’s out of the bag. Literally, in this case.

She looks up at him. She knew she wouldn’t get scolded. While she didn’t know Caleb all too well, he made it clear that he wasn’t the kind of guy to use his status against her. He worked under the Morningstar Casino as she did. What job he worked, Mari just never asked.

Even with that aside, she did know that she would be judged by him which she thought was worse.

Her mind was quick to, once again, give her all the worst case scenarios of judgement but they all stopped when she heard a sneeze.

She stared at him for a while. His eyes were watery, he was sneezing, his face was red. Then it clicked. 

“Oh, you.. you’re allergic to cats?” 

Something cracked in the stoic man that she knew little of. His expression had a hint of vulnerability in it. “Yeah..” He replied. 

“I can take her away from you. If you want, that is.” She says, shrugging her shoulders. The kitten approaches Caleb and purrs at him, her face nudging against his ankle.

He sneezes again at this.

“Bad cat!” Mari scolds, scooping the cat up in her arms. “I’m so sorry, Caleb… I didn’t know-“

“It’s okay.” He’s quick and sharp with his answer. A faint smile was on his lips. A typical calm and cool smile that made Mari’s blood boil. Is he being genuine or not?!, she’d yell to herself. “She’s a she?”

“Yeah, I checked.”

He chuckles. Again, she couldn’t tell if he was being sincere. “You attached to her, Mari?”

Yes. “No.”

“Then I would prefer it if she isn’t around me.” 

Her face falls for a second before she forces a smile on her face. “Don’t worry. I know exactly who to give it to.”

---

“Mari… it’s a weekend.” Ashton Campbell was awake and not in a pleasant mood when his good friend woke him up from his deep sleep. He was already slouching against the doorframe, rubbing his eyes. “I was very busy having a good dream about-“

“Meow.”

“-cats- I mean- what?” He straightens his posture and stares at the cat in her arms. He glances at the cat before he looks back at her. “Mari, what-“

“Look, I found this kitten and she looked very lonely and I don’t want her to be left back out there in the streets of Las Vides. I mean, come on, the people here aren’t exactly the best so I thought that I could let you take care of her since we’ve grown so close and I trust you-“

Ashton sneezes.

Mari feels a sense of dread. “You’re allergic too, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…”

“Seriously?! Is it that common?!”

“Kinda?” 

She groans, she analyzes him the same way she did with Caleb. Compared to him, Ashton doesn’t seem to have any bad reactions to the kitten. If he hadn’t sneezed, she wouldn’t be able to tell he was allergic at all. “Can you still-“

“No. I’m afraid of cats…” 

She looks appalled. “Seriously?” She repeats.

Ashton gives her a blank look. “If I wasn’t serious, do you think I would have told you?” He blushes, ashamed. “I get nightmares about them. My mom said one scratched me and I ended up crying for hours about it.”

“But look at this face-“

“I am and I’m terrified.” He sighs. “Sorry, Mari. I can’t help you.” 

The cat hisses at him. Ashton flinches. They both didn’t like each other. Yeah, this wasn’t going to work. 

---

Mari fortunately was able to get Emily to adopt the sweet cat. Mari trusts her a lot and she seemed excited to adopt a pet so at the end of the day, everything went well.

As she walked back to her apartment, she couldn’t help but feel a bit sad that she wouldn’t be able to see the kitten anymore. Sure, she’s only known the adorable cat for two days but she was still dreading giving her up to Emily tomorrow.

As she approaches the door to the apartment, she hears sneezing from inside. That anxiety she felt from before? Now, it has tripled. She realizes how horrible of a decision it was to leave the cat inside with Caleb.

Originally, she thought it was a great idea. That way, Caleb wouldn’t have to deal with the cat during work. It was a great idea when Mari didn’t know he didn’t go to the casino today.

Curse you, Ashton for telling me late! She opens the door quickly. “Caleb! I’m so- huh?” The cat was curled up on Caleb’s lap, purring as he pets her. He looks calm despite sneezing once again. He had a tissue box next to him and a trash can.

“Oh, Hi Mari.” 

“What are you- why are you- Huh?” She asks, perplexed. “I thought you were allergic?” 

“I am. But it’s not deathly, Mari. It’s mild allergies. I won’t die from it.” He shrugs his shoulders. 

“But you said you didn’t want her around you?”

“Yes, cause I hate cats. They annoy me.”

“Then why are you-?!” 

He cuts her off. “You’re attached to the cat. And it’s unfair if I strip you away of what makes you happy. So we’re keeping it.”

“Who told you I was-?”

“Ashton.” He holds up his phone. A satisfied smirk on his face. “He also told me about you letting her get in Emily’s care. I reached out to her and told her we’re keeping it.” 

“I am sending Ashton a very long and angry text later!” 

Caleb chuckles, putting on his black jacket from the coat hanger. “Do that after we get Lyra what she needs.”

“Lyra?” Her eyes lit up. “You named her?” 

He looks away to hide his flushed face. She couldn’t tell if that was because of his allergies or because of his embarrassment. “My little sister, Milly, named her old guinea pig, Pickles, after my guitar pick. So I wanted to name the cat a string instrument too. In Pickles’ memory. She loves music so it’s a nice way to remember her.”

He scoops up Lyra in his hands before sneezing again. “We heading out or what?” 

Mari smiles. “Only if Lyra comes.”

“Alright.” He returns it.