#notxhansel

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

Cenk supposed it was good that the tests had all come back negative. Physically he was fine, but what it meant about his mental state he didn't want to think too much about. Perhaps it had been nothing more than a drunk hallucination, not that he ever really drank anything, but he had to least try and think logically.

Leaving the hospital he had got into the lift, aware someone else was there but not thinking too much about it. His plan had just been to go home and maybe just never leave his house again. Best laid plans of mice and men, as he felt the lift jerk to a stop. That was all he needed, though he supposed he wasn't actually alone in the lift, "guess we're going to be stuck here a while then".

@notxhansel

[enchantdly]

“ oh yeah, they've got all the usual diner food as well, ” jasmine says with a smile. “ sweet, savoury, you name it. ” their pies are excellent, and wonderfully varied, but they're not going to force anyone to eat food they don't like. “ i'll see you then ! ”

getting rajah to let go of her once they got home had been a struggle, the poor cat entirely frazzled by the whole ordeal — but she'd gotten him to calm down eventually. nonetheless, jasmine made sure to pick a nice long-sleeved top to hide the scratches all up her arms.

she waltzes into the princess and the pie with a smile, seating herself opposite winter. “ hope i didn't keep you waiting too long. have you already ordered ? ”

Handing Rajah back, Winter was happy to have reunited the little one with his owner. He knew that if one of his cats had disappeared, he'd be absolutely bereft until he had it back, so he was glad Jasmine hadn't had to worry for too long about Rajah. "That sounds good," he agreed, but then a thought occurred to him. "They have stuff other than pie there though, right?" Winter didn't touch sweets, but not because of health reasons. No, there was something...deeper that kept him from indulging. Whenever he tried to eat cookies or cake or candy or - yes - pie, anything like that, he immediately felt unsettled, a strong sense of apprehension and discomfort washing over him. But then he decided it didn't matter because even if all they had was pie, he could just drink coffee or something. "I'll see you then," Winter told Jasmine.

Winter was about ten minutes early to The Princess and the Pie, so he went inside and found them a table. He was weirdly nervous, and Winter knew that was because he was so out of practice with social interaction. Likewise, he knew the only way to change that was to do it more, that practice made perfect, as they say, so that was what he was going to do. As he waited for Jasmine, he went through various conversation topics in his head.

[enchantedtm]

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒  𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐃 (  +  1  )

Winter Hollis, our (Hansel), is looking for their sister (Gretel). they look like anyone resembling Casey Deidrick and have the age range of 29-33. The siblings have grown apart due to various circumstances, though they were close when they were children. the player does require you to contact them before applying. (@notxhansel)

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

For the most part the evening was turning into a lot of fun. Be nice if it would last, but luck wasn't on his side. Realising he was moving too close to a conversation he didn't want to have, he quickly looked around for an out. Winter was standing there, that could work. "Ok please do me a favour and pretend we are having a very important conversation, so that I don't have to have an uncomfortable conversation with my ex... one that dislikes me".

@notxhansel

[enchantedtm]

𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄    𝐓𝐎    𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃    𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒                                           

 …. please follow .

@notxhansel

[enchantdly]

“ oh, there are so many wonderful choices, ” jasmine says, “ but what sorts of things do you like ? i don't want to suggest something you won't like. ” she looks at the menu carefully. “ my personal favourite is the custard tart, but if you're less keen on sweet things, the quiches are all very good. ” she feels a little stupid for even suggesting this — it's so obviously out of his comfort zone, and it's not particularly within hers either. “ how has your afternoon been ? any more runaway cats rescued ? ” she jokes.

When he heard what Jasmine said, Winter felt better about this plan, not that he was especially worried - he had never expected to be forced to eat pie, after all. It was just nice knowing he'd have other options besides getting coffee or something. "Sounds good," Winter replied, smiling at Jasmine, though he was admittedly a little nervous.

A bit later, as Winter waited for Jasmine to arrive at the diner, he looked at the menu and considered what he might order. He wasn't really sure what he was hungry for, and honestly Winter was more fixated on ways not to make a fool of himself. He was so distracted that Winter hadn't noticed Jasmine approach, jumping a little when she sat down. "Sorry," he apologized, "I was...uh, really invested in the menu." That was of course only partially true. Shaking his head, Winter answered, "No, not yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

"Mmm, I don't think they were bad owners, the opposite really, I know they'd had tried their best. He was just very overexcited. I don't know... not sure most people think of adventures when it comes to this town. I don't mean that as a bad thing" she didn't think it was, but then she was perfectly happy with her life. She had siblings who loved her, a job that she loved, and was comfortable. She didn't need some big adventure, it wasn't really very her. She could hear the stutter in his voice, and had to hope that it wasn't really a sour topic. "I do" that was no secret, she wouldn't pretend it was. "I can't really speak for my mother" she had no memories of the woman, only what her brothers had told her, and she didn't know if those were real, or if they had exaggerated the stories after the woman had died. Sad really, but that was just how life was sometimes, horribly tragic. "But I won't let her grow up the way I did" she knew love, but that feeling of wondering why she wasn't enough... that she'd never wish on anyone.

She wondered if that was true, or if people just took the opportunity to be cruel, that wouldn't surprise her either. "I suppose silence scares people" she didn't mind it so much, but she had always been told she was oddly quiet. It was what it was, she didn't see any point in getting upset over it. At his confession she laughed, "well holidays are a little different, I think a lot of people end up wearing them then" and probably one of her favourite times of the year. Something magical about it she supposed. That was a start she supposed, although how useful it would be she wasn't sure. "Mmm well can do it with a machine or by hand. Machine probably looks better, but it might be pushing my luck if customers come in".

Winter looked at the cat as they spoke, smiling. He would make sure from now on that it never wanted for anything, whether that meant reuniting it with loving owners or giving it a new home. There had been so many times in his life that Winter wished someone would have been looking out for him, but from a young age, he'd had to take care of himself. And while that made him strong and independent, it wasn't an easy life. If he could spare anyone - human or animal - that same fate, he would do it. Smiling at Elora's story, Winter guessed, "They were probably more relieved than anything, though annoyed that he had such a desire to explore the unknown. Maybe they should have taken him on adventures." Although Winter felt a little weird now that he'd told part of his story, he didn't regret it. Maybe that was all he would ever tell Elora, or maybe one day they'd get more into it. But for now, he thought that was a good first step. "That's a good way to look at it," Winter agreed. "I don't have any kids of my own...don't know if I ever will either. But if I do one day, I..." He trailed off, feeling a strange sense of a feeling he couldn't quite place, like a hollow sort of loss. Then he finished, "I'll be a lot better father than mine ever was."

Nodding, Winter said, "Yeah, and it costs nothing to keep your mouth shut when you can't find it in yourself to be kind. A lot of people don't realize that, or else they don't care." He laughed again, amused at the thought of wearing snowflakes. "I do wear Christmas sweaters at work during the holiday season, and sometimes they have snowflakes on them. So I guess I kind of do that sometimes. Mostly I just wear what's comfortable." It seemed like Elora knew right away what to do for his shirt, so Winter knew she wasn't all talk, not that he had suspected that of course. "What is 'darning?'" Winter asked, though it sounded vaguely familiar. "I do actually. It's not very good though. I got it second-hand, and it jams a lot, but it works well enough I guess. Usually I just use a needle and thread though."

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

"Well, always better to have a little optimism isn't it? I knew a dog who would often jump over his owners garden wall. Always ended up walking back home though, I'm not sure if they were relived or annoyed with him for that" least the dog was never harmed, and deep down she knew they were relieved really. "Poor thing does look thirsty, might not want to go back even if they do" she didn't want to think too much into that, but a happy future, wasn't that what actually mattered in the end? She was silent as he spoke. It was a sad fate for anyone to go on, and not one she'd wish on anyone. She'd been lucky she supposed, she had her brothers, they'd done more than they ever should have. "All we can is break that cycle" she also knew not to push it too much, her story was known and she was ok with it. He might have kept it hidden. But she had to do better by her daughter, she had to make sure of that.

"Always try and be nice, and if you can't be nice... always be kind" that was what she tried to do anyway. She wouldn't say it was easy, but it was all that was left for her to try and do. She could be cruel, but she didn't see how that would ever help anyone. "Well I suppose that if you have a name like that, you go with it, might as well dress to impress" she wasn't really sure that was what she did, but she wouldn't be rude about someone. She laughed softly, "Ah see that depends if anything has snowflakes on" she teased. She looked at the shirt for a moment, a rip she'd seen on her brothers' clothing hundreds of times, "well that just needs to be darned. Do you have a sewing machine?" she'd assume not, but she didn't want to assume, he did say he fixed his clothes.

"I agree," Winter replied with a nod. "But they're also pretty mischievous sometimes, so they can get lost. If that's what happened and they weren't just dumped somewhere, then I try to reunite them with their owners." It always made Winter happy when he found the worried owners of a missing pet. As he held the cat, Winter admitted, "I kind of hope this little one didn't have a home before we met tonight though. He does now." When Elora told Winter about her past, he was honestly stunned because he hadn't expected her to be able to relate. "Wow," he said quietly. "That...I get that." He hadn't clarified what he meant, so finally Winter revealed, "My dad married my stepmother, and she didn't want children, so neither did he. I haven't seen either of them since I was a kid." That was all Winter was prepared to say on the matter, for now at least, but it felt nice knowing Elora had gone through something similar. "Parents aren't always good," he added, though Winter knew his mother had been. For a moment, Winter just looked at Elora, and he felt like something passed between them, some sort of understanding, and for now at least, he didn't feel so alone.

This was something Winter could agree on, and he nodded and said, "Yeah, just because you can be honest doesn't always mean you should. Sometimes the best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut, or find something more positive to say." Sometimes a person could benefit from harsh truths, but other times it was better to take a kinder approach. Winter had had a lot of experience with people who just said what they were thinking without a care to how it might make him feel. It was nice knowing Elora wasn't like that. When she mentioned someone named Spring, Winter laughed. "Of course they wore florals," he said, still laughing, but then he stopped as he realized, "I...I actually wear cold colors, blues and greys and such, or I'll wear warm sweaters and flannels, things like that. I guess you could say I dress according to my name a lot too." If Elora was willing to teach him, Winter was willing to learn, and he said, "Alright then, let's do this. Unless you'd rather teach me another time." Looking down at his flannel, Winter noticed a rip in the sleeve, so he took it off since he was wearing a t-shirt underneath. "We could practice on this," he told Elora, showing her the tear.

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

"I'll be honest, I haven't. I feel for them, but it's a little harder" she just didn't want anything that close that might risk her daughter's health. Still, she did feel for them. "Maybe, but I think animals are a lot smarter than a lot of people think. They'll remember you, even if their owner is found" she did believe that, she was sure he now had a friend for life. Still, she could see that he seemed a little uncomfortable after admitting what had happened. That she did know, she rarely talked about her father and step-mother and what they had done. "That doesn't make what happened ok" she replied softly, "my father did a similar thing. He re-married and suddenly his biological children didn't matter. Some of my brothers were older than eighteen so we stayed together. It shouldn't have happened, but we all turned out ok" more or less. But it was also hopefully enough to show him she really did understand, different situations and different emotions, but still both let down by the people who should have been there.

"It's a common phrase, people claiming that they're not being mean, that they're just being honest. There's a big difference" and not something she agreed with. She tried to be honest, but she did also know that sometimes it was better not to do that. Kindness always came first. "Perfect" she replied with a smile. Hopefully he'd take it, though she also knew that she couldn't force someone to do anything they didn't want to. "Think I knew a Spring when I was in school. Wore a lot of florals" she mused, for a moment. "I'd always say having a unique name is a good thing. Can't get confused for anyone else that way" though it meant that she had to believe completely in her actions. She nodded, she could understand that, "that's hardly a bad thing. It's very easy to just spend all your money in one go" something she worked hard not to do. She needed to do right by her daughter, and right now they were comfortable. "Well nothing that will put us out of business" she teased gently, "but there's a few tricks that really aren't worth paying for".

"You know how it is when you start taking care of one stray," Winter replied, "more just sort of show up." Winter always found them homes though. As he listened to Elora, Winter looked down at the cat, smiling. It had taken a liking to him it seemed. "Maybe you're right," he agreed, "or maybe one they see their owner, it'll be like I don't exist." Winter wasn't upset by that notion though. On the contrary, it was a nice thought because it meant the cat would be back where it belonged, with its family. But if the cat didn't have a family before, well...maybe it did now. When Winter talked about his sister and referred vaguely to what they'd gone through, he immediately regretted bringing it up. Elora had been very sweet to him, but she was basically a stranger, and she was probably uncomfortable with him talking about something so personal. But he'd said it, and there was no taking it back now. So Winter just shrugged, downplaying it. "I turned out okay," he replied, but had he? If Winter was honest, the answer to that question was probably no, he hadn't.

Nodding, Winter agreed, "Yeah, sometimes being blunt is a good thing. Then people don't have to wonder what you're thinking or misunderstand what you say. But you're right, sometimes it's just mean. People don't always have to say everything they're thinking. When Elora gave him his number, Winter was surprised, but in a good way, smiling at the woman. "Thank you," he said gratefully, and then he took his phone out of his pocket and immediately sent a text to the number. "There, now you've got mine too," he told her. Had he just made a friend? Winter hoped so; he could definitely use more of those. It was very pleasant sitting there with Elora drinking tea. This was the kind of social interaction Winter was more comfortable with, a one-on-one experience in a quiet setting, though he still was fighting his general creeping anxiety. Laughing, Winter said, "Yeah, especially Summer and Autumn. I don't know that I've met anyone named Spring to be honest, not as a first name at least. And I knew a girl Winter in college, but it's definitely unusual, especially for a guy. But hey, maybe it gives me character." Shaking his head, he told Elora, "It's not that the prices are too high, I just..." He trailed off, trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say. "I didn't have a lot of money for a really long time...or any really," Winter explained, "so even though I'm doing alright now, I've gotten in the habit of being...thrifty I guess. So I try to make my clothes last and repair them myself when I can." A little surprised, he asked, "You'd really teach me some things though?" Winter hadn't thought Elora would do that given the fact that it would take at least a little bit of business away from the shop.

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

Well there was a fairly sweet image abut the thought of a small army of animals turning up outside his house. Not that she would mention that, it probably wasn't quite what he meant. "It's a good policy to have. Although from the looks of it, I'm not sure they'll agree with being separated" she pointed out, looking at the cat's reaction. She was silent as he spoke, unsure whether sympathy or empathy was the way to go. "That isn't such a bad thing, to see the world differently. Just a terrible reason that no one should go through" that she did believe, she'd been through it herself. She just knew she'd been lucky and her brothers had protected her.

She laughed softly, "nothing wrong with being blunt, just as long as it isn't malicious" that she did believe. There was no reason for anyone to put cruelty out into the world. But she wasn't naïve, she knew people still did, and always would. Still, that did sound lonely, and she grabbed one of the business cards, writing her own number onto it, "here. Use or it or don't, but least it's someone to talk to right?" well she had to at least offer didn't she? No one deserved to be alone in this world, and if she could do something, she had to try. She nodded at his question, "we don't really have anything they can eat, but drink is always a good start" the rest, well that was something to resolve elsewhere. "I suppose it is" she replied with a soft laugh. "Oddly it is. Though I've heard Spring, Summer and Autumn be used, so couldn't say why. Well, if the prices here are too high, I can always show you some tricks".

Nodding, Winter answered, "Yeah, I do, or sometimes they find me. I think word has gotten out that I'll take care of them. I can't just leave them when I find them, you know. I sort of have an open door policy at my house, though I don't keep all of them. Usually I find them good homes." Winter couldn't abandon them, couldn't leave them to fend for themselves. After all, he knew what that was like, and it had been hard enough for him to do; he couldn't imagine what it would be like for a helpless animal. Deciding to maybe open up a bit to this person who seemed to get it, Winter explained, "I was sort of abandoned too, only not sort of. I was, my sister and I both. Ever since then, I guess I just see the world differently." That was more than he expected to share, and for now it was enough.

The woman went to get the tea, and while he waited, Winter looked around the shop. Maybe he would start coming here a bit more often. Right now he was mending his own clothes when needed, but he was not skilled at it, to say the least. Winter noticed the woman's reaction to what he'd said, and he blushed as well now. "Sorry, that wasn't meant to sound so...blunt, I guess," he said quietly. "And I get what you mean. I'm sort of used to it...haven't had many people to rely on, so I sort of stopped getting attached for the most part. But I think maybe I'm starting to feel that loneliness, which is why I'm trying to get out more." Noticing that there was a saucer of water, Winter asked, "Is this for the little one?" and then he took it, laying it down in front of the cat. As he took a cup of tea for himself, Winter said, "It's nice to meet you, Elora. That's an interesting name." Then he laughed, admitting, "I guess Winter is too though, isn't it? And as for clothes, I try to fix mine on my own, but I don't really know what I'm doing."

[enchantdly]

“ lucky, ” jasmine says wistfully. if only she were as fortunate as him. “ maybe he was. oh well, there's no point in dwelling on it. ” it's not as if rajah can answer any of her questions. she hefts him a little higher, both human and cat benefiting from the warmth of the other's body. “ okay ! does four pm at the princess and the pie work for you ? ”

"It's okay," Winter reassured the woman. "I'm just...like, weirdly good at remembering faces I think." That definitely seemed to be the case at least - Winter was always watching people, committing their faces to memory even without consciously trying. It seemed to be a vestige of his tumultuous childhood, back when he wasn't sure how long people would be in his life. "Maybe he was just exploring," Winter suggested when Jasmine said she wasn't sure why the cat - Rajah - had gone outside. "Cats are curious," he went on. "One of mine is always getting into things. Once I found him in a crawlspace I didn't even know my house had. I just followed the meowing." Jasmine offered to buy him coffee, and while this much social interaction was already taking a toll on him (he hadn't been able to mentally prepare since it had been unplanned), Winter was really trying. So he just nodded, saying, "Yeah, that would be okay. But if you want to get Rajah home, we could always meet later. I've got nothing going on today."

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

It was a quiet day, hardly anyone was coming in, and she had just been working on one of the repairs. It was why when she did hear the door she turned instantly, she'd hardly be against human interaction when it was so quiet. "No, they're not" much as she liked animals, she didn't have to time to have a pet currently. "Poor thing, it's far too cold out there. I'm sure we've got something to use that can be wrapped around them to keep them warm" least that was a starting point, but hardly anyone had been around today to have lost a cat.

It happened again. Picking up the small cat, Winter held it close, examining it for any sign of injury. When he was satisfied that the cat was physically alright, just scared, he breathed a sigh of relief, but there was still the mystery of whom this cat belonged to. He'd just been out for a walk, trying to clear his head after a long day, when he'd noticed the cat huddled against the wall of one of the shops on the main street in Enchanted Falls. Well there was no way Winter could just leave it, so now he found himself standing in the shop holding this cat, looking around. "Excuse me," he said to no one in particular, "is this your cat? I found it outside."

[enchantdly]

“ i'm terrible with faces, so i can't say the same, ” jasmine remarks, “ but it's nice to meet you, winter. ” she's a little surprised that rajah was scared, he's always seemingly fearless around her, but he does hate the cold and is rarely separate from her, so maybe those factors combined to create fear. “ usually he won't go outside in this weather, so i don't know why he'd want to stay out rather than going straight back inside, ” she says, already planning to check the security cameras in case someone forced him outside. “ thank you again. i don't want to keep you, and i should get this munchkin back home, but can i buy you a coffee or something as thanks ? ”

Immediately Winter felt relieved when the woman responded; he had been worried he would have a bit of a hunt ahead of him, not that he had ever shied away from that sort of thing. Besides, the little guy was cute, and Winter usually got along better with animals anyway. Even so, he was glad to find the cat's owner so quickly. Smiling (one he didn't even need to force) at the woman, Winter let her scoop up the cat, feeling genuinely happy at the look of relief on her face as she took back her friend. The change in the cat was immediate as he was reunited with the woman, and Winter felt like he had done a good thing today. "I'm glad to have found his owner," Winter responded. "It's cold out there, and he was scared. They're pretty tricky though, cats, so I guess that's how he got out." Now that the deed was done, Winter wanted to leave, but he was trying to be more social, so he lingered, talking to the woman - Jasmine, it seemed - and managing to keep smiling. "My name is Winter," he replied. "I think maybe I've seen you around town before. I've been here a few years now."

[enchantdly]

“ rajah ! ” jasmine exclaims, scooping the chausie into her arms. “ gosh, thank you so much, i was so worried when i couldn't find him, ” she says. “ i hope he hasn't been causing you any trouble ? ” how he got out is a puzzle that she'll solve later. for now, the architect simply pulls the cat closer to her as he rubs against her cheek and relaxes into her arms. “ sorry, i don't think we've met before. i'm jasmine, what's your name ? ”

It happened again. Picking up the small cat, Winter held it close, examining it for any sign of injury. When he was satisfied that the cat was physically alright, just scared, he breathed a sigh of relief, but there was still the mystery of whom this cat belonged to. He'd just been out for a walk, trying to clear his head after a long day, when he'd noticed the cat huddled against the wall of one of the shops on the main street in Enchanted Falls. Well there was no way Winter could just leave it, so now he found himself standing in the shop holding this cat, looking around. "Excuse me," he said to no one in particular, "is this your cat? I found it outside."

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

She smiled softly, well she supposed from the cat's point of view, they had been saved by a giant and now didn't want to be separated. It would be sweet if the fact that it seemed they'd been abandoned wasn't so heartbreaking. "Do you find a lot of strays?" she knew she'd seen a few around, but really not very many. Though she supposed she'd never really looked for them. "You don't need to apologise. I agree, no animal deserves to be abandoned. Not by the people who they believe loves them" not like her father had done with her. She supposed she was one of the lucky ones, with so many brothers she had never really been alone. But it didn't make it easier that she was the one her father had looked at and decided he no longer wanted to be a parent. She nodded, going to the back room to make it, luckily it didn't take too long, coming back with a tray with the two mugs, some biscuits, and a saucer of water for the cat. She'd explain that one later. Still she blushed at that, "oh I can be, think anyone can be at times. I just don't like the thought of anyone suffering, and loneliness is terrible" perhaps that really was blunt, but the thought it happened around here was horrible. "Elora. Alas with fabric condition, a lot of clothes don't last as long as they should. Besides, I think it takes a lot for anything to be beyond repais, might just need some extra work, that's all".

Winter wasn't sure what the woman was doing when she opened the drawer, but then she handed him so scraps of fabric, and he took them gratefully. "I can just make this little one a bed or something while I figure out what to do." He tried to do that, making a sort of cat nest on a counter, but the cat didn't want Winter to put it down. So he just continued to hold it, dangling one of the scraps for the cat to play with. "Yeah, that was my thought too," Winter said. "It's what I usually do when I find a stray. Sometimes though, even when the cat has been microchipped, the owner has purposely left them somewhere and doesn't want them anymore. So instead of trying to find them a new home, they just dump them somewhere. It's shameful." The more Winter talked about this, the more worked up he became, and he didn't have to be a therapist to know that he was projecting some of his own issues. "Sorry," he said more calmly. "It's sort of a sore spot for me." It was a kind offer, so Winter nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice," he said. It was cold out there, so Winter thought it might be nice to warm up a bit with some tea. He was a little surprised that he so readily agreed to social interaction with a stranger, but his own therapist would have been proud of him - he was really trying. When he heard the woman's response, Winter couldn't help but laugh because it was just so blunt. But she was right too, and he chuckled a bit more as he nodded. "You're not wrong," Winter confirmed, "and I like that you're not afraid to say what you think. In my line of work, I've learned that a lot of issues are caused by people not being honest with their thoughts and feelings." Realizing they'd been talking for a bit without him introducing himself, he stated, "My name is Winter, by the way. And yeah, I've never been in here. I tend to wear my clothes until they're beyond repair usually."

[violentdelightstheseviolentendss]

She nodded, opening the drawer where most of the scraps were kept. Well you never knew if they might be useful later on. "Here, if nothing else it'll warm them up" and that was a good starting point if nothing else. "Doesn't look they're wearing a collar, but the vet's might be able to find a microchip. Or you're more than welcome to wait here should they return. I can make some tea" perhaps that was too optimistic, but she had to at least offer. It was a kind thing he was trying to do, she just wasn't sure how successful it would be. "A Dream Stitch Away, most people come for the alterations" well she knew that, maybe some of the richer people in town looked at the clothes but they were more expensive. "That sounds a lonely way to live".

When he entered the shop, Winter looked around and was fairly certain that unless this cat belonged to the sole employee he could see that he wasn't going to find the owner here. After all, nobody would come here with their cat and then just...forget it. When he heard the other's response, he sighed; of course it couldn't be easy. "I was afraid of that," Winter admitted. Looking down at the cat in his arms, he went on, "I'm going to find its owner, but it sure would have been easier if they'd been in here." And then Winter paused, once more looking around. "Actually, I don't think I've ever been in here before," he said; he hadn't glanced at the sign outside before coming in. Blushing just a little, Winter continued, "I've actually lived in Enchanted Falls for a few years now, but I sort of keep to myself."