The cat and the canary (Alvis Alendran x thehighpotato)

[thehighpotato]

The dim lights radiated a yellow glow that gave the city side street a particular warmth. Old jazz music played softly through the backstreet and the smell of anise bounced from brick wall to brick wall. Following the soft hums of the jazz music, were the sounds of chatter from an aged bar to the right of the backstreet. Old women bickered back and forth, elderly men made bets on the horserace that was being broadcasted on the boxed TV that hung crookedly on the wall, the bartenders chatted up the young ladies at the bar counter and the youthful fellows sat outside to accompany the cigarette smoke and late fall breeze.

Sitting in the corner at a table by herself, Katherine Hanes drowns herself in her fifth round of shots. Perhaps it was the somber mood of still being Katherine Hanes instead of Katherine Williams or perhaps it was the fact that she had walked in on her fiancé fucking young, blonde and perfect. She rested her cheek against the palm of her hand, sighing heavily as she eyed the drop of tequila that still swirled at the bottom of the shot glass. Katherine had been with Charles Williams for the last four years, meeting the man when she studied abroad in England back in college.

Loose chocolate curls slipped through her dainty fingers as her head dropped to the table with a groan. Being young and barely twenty-one, Katherine had been eager to impress Charles upon their meeting. He was popular amongst the female students and seemed almost unattainable at the very beginning. Tears stung the back of her amber eyes and threaten to stain her whites red. Their love story was quite normal despite her own apprehensions; the two hooked up at one of the university mixers and the rest was history. She shot up straight and blinked away whatever tears that may have threatened to fall. She motioned for one more round of tequila before downing it, feeling the sting breathe heat back into her chest.

Paying her tab, Katherine wrapped herself into her tan peacoat and began to make her way back to her apartment. Slapping color into her cheeks, she silently repeated a mantra to herself in order to revive her dead confidence. “Charles is an idiot for leaving me,” she chanted, hoping that it may help her feel anything but the tequila and the chilled air. “I’m an executive of Yukon Law, I have a really nice apartment, I can afford Gucci,” the clacking of her heels filled her thoughts as pulled her jacket closer into her upon a shiver. “I’m pretty.” Her whisper faltered into silence as she caught her reflection in a dark window.

The moment that Katherine caught him in the act, her golden eyes suddenly became muddy pools and her maple hair that produces those soft curls Charles claimed he loved became a mop stained with shit. Her button nose and pouty lips now made her look piggish and the subtle freckles that softly dribbled over her bridge made her look childish. To ensure that the woman looking back at her was indeed herself, Katherine gave a wide smile and wiggled her eyebrows. Deep dimples appeared on the rounds of her cheeks and she solemnly chuckled at drunken stupor despite the self-hatred that was welling up.

With a depressed sigh, Katherine turned on her heels and continued to walk down the street. Although she was cold, she hadn’t regretted wearing her skirt suit. The firm had the pleasure of eating lunch with a New York hotshot who wanted to use the firm for one of his many lawsuits, and it was no secret that this man was a sucker for a tight ass in an even tighter skirt. Although the idea of using her body to sway her deals made her shiver in disgust, Katherine had to admit it was indeed a useful tactic. All those years of going to the gym and working on her form to keep Charles happy made her want to stomp her feet even more. Although she was bitter about the idea of it all, Katherine was more upset with the fact that because of this man, she at least had a nice body.

Despite the night ending in drinking, Katherine’s day was rather optimistic. The meeting had ended at noon and to celebrate the new cases between NYC hotshot and Yukon, the offices were dismissed so she spent her afternoon doing some pet shopping. Being alone in the apartment had made Katherine lonely and a close friend had suggested getting a pet to fill up that void. Katherine mulled it over during dinner and the next day, she began looking around the shelters, rescues and shops for either a rambunctious pup or a cuddly cat. However, things did not go as planned. Dogs required time she did not have and cats weren't all that cuddly. Before she knew it, it had been three days since she began searching without any luck. While she was bummed out that her third day wasn't the day she'd take home a lovable buddy, Katherine always felt a little relaxed seeing and visiting with all the animals.

Letting out a breathy whine, Katherine turned the corner and began to head up the street her apartments were on. She sniffled at the cold as her hands rose to her cheeks again, feeling the heat of the tequila still lingering in her body. At least tonight, she'd sleep good.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

New York on the edge of real cold wasn't a good time to be outside. Especially if you didn't have much chance to get out of that cold.

While it was tempting to huddle closer to the grating on the sidewalk that had steam coming up from it, a smart person would know that the moisture would be the death of someone eventually. Those that didn't get smart out here, usually didn't get much more than dead. And Max still alive, so he assumed that her must have at least become marginally smart. So huddled near the wall of a building, bundled in layers of ragged coats, a man sat, hoping that maybe his luck might change. He had a small hat on th ground, a loose assortment of change in it, showing that some people were willing to toss him the crap in their pockets for a moment of feeling better about themselves.

He didn't particularly care why they did it, so long as they did. He had enough for a good sized coffee, and that would be enough to get him through the night. He wasn't too close tot he streetlights, but the faded outer coat was still an orange that was almost a hazard colour, and had a faint reflective tinge to it, showing it might have once been something worn by a road worker or the like. There was a few tufts of black hair that were escaping the woolen hat that he had pulled over his head, and he flicked his gaze to each person that passed him by with dark eyes. They iris was dark enough to make it almost impossible to tell where the iris ended and the pupil started. He was pale, his skin lighter than most people, showing that there was likely something the matter with him, likely a lack of sun or proper nutrition.

Even in the dim light, when someone dropped a coin near his hat, but was missing, his hand shot out unerringly to grab it, not seeming to mind or be hindered by the poor lighting at all. The traffic was thinning down, and he knew he'd have to move on soon if he was going to potentially get anythign else in terms of change tonight. He pulled up the small hat, transferred the change into one of his many pockets, and stood up. As he took in the sights around him, he caught sight of a woman walking down the street. There was just a hint in her movements taht said she'd probably been drinking. Most people out at this hour had been, so that wasn't anything new. But for some reason, he found himself staring at her, taking her in a little more than he probably should have. He gave himself a shake, and stuffed his hands into his pockets, when a car pulled up the curb near her.

A man leaned out of the window of the car, very openly leering at her as he did so.
"Hey there lady, you need a lift?" He called out to her.