Approaching winter. (Bow)

October; it’s a month that marked the middle of fall and the beginning of the holiday season. At the very end of it would come Halloween, and every little kids dream of dressing up as whatever they like and going out to get all the candy their bags, baskets, and buckets can hold. For most kids, that’s a pretty exciting and much anticipated time. Annie, however, is NOT like most kids.

To Annie, October meant the coming of cold weather; and cold weather was not a happy thing. It meant trying to stay warm, which meant Kasha had to stay with her more to help her stay warm, which meant Kasha couldn't be out searching for food as much, which often meant Annie went hungry. This winter she was a little more prepared at least, and had actually managed to get a hold of a decent coat to whether it out. Good thing too…because she was using it today. It seemed like the weather had been warm, warm, warm, even through November; then suddenly, *Boom!* Cold hits; as cloudy weather and cold wind started rolling in.

Annie wasn't really hungry right now, so Kasha stayed close to her in wolf form through most the day to help keep her warm. The coat worked pretty well at keeping her warm actually; and as long as she could stay out of the direct wind, she was fine. It was later in the day, close to sunset, when she and Kasha left the abandoned house they were staying in. It didn't have much for insulation, and there was no heat; but it was something. They were headed to a bakery shop they had been to several times before that regularly gave them the day-old items that would normally be thrown away. It was a steady source of food for her.

As she walked she kept huddled in her coat, which kept her nice and warm in the windy and somewhat chilly weather. Kasha walked close beside her in wolf form, with Annie’s hand clutching to the scruff of his neck. She always liked keeping him close; he kept her protected, feeling secure, and in this case kept her fingers warm as they walked.

The first day of winter weather came as a joy to Bow. Now she had an actual reason to wear her worn down hoodie. The day had been spent with her walking around in the brisk weather with many blankets in her arms and passing them out to those who needed it. She giggled at most of the responses she got and simply skipped down the street some more.

Not only was the girl a Titan, but also a regular volunteer for the homeless shelter, soup kitchen, and the orphanage. Today she was passing out the blankets to the people she knew were living at the homeless shelter; however, she also had a lead that there was a small girl living somewhere alone and by herself and Bow had to know why. She knew that the bakery was known for giving out day old pastries. It was one of Bow's favorite places to eat for that very reason.

This evening she went there just to ask about the girl, having no idea that she would actually be there. She ordered a latte and drank it, striking up a conversation with the owner, not wanting to just ask about the girl because that would be rude.

Annie and Kasha arrived at the front door of the bakery and looked in to see the owner talking to a unfamiliar girl with pink hair.  That wasn’t something you see every day, but she looked really pretty with it.  She looked down at Kasha and asked him softly as she petted him.  “Khan bacht tske?”  Kasha responded by shifting down to his kitten form as Annie picked him up and held him in her arms.  She pushed the door open with her shoulder and walked inside; but given the current condition of the owner talking to someone, AND the fact that it was still a several minutes till closing, she decided not to interrupt and just walked by.  

The owner took the next opportunity in the conversation to give Annie a small ‘hello’ wave and a smile before returning her attention back to Bow.  Annie smiled and waved back as she stood of to the side.  Not wanting to interrupt she just stood out of the way and looked around as she petted Kasha.  Kasha on the other hand was watching Bow and, like he did with EVERYONE else, kept a feel on her personality; as well as current emotions and intentions.  He didn’t see Bow as a threat in the least, but regardless was always actively aware of the surrounding people.

Bow was having a simple conversation about baking with the lady when the little girl walked in. Once she entered, Bow gave her a small look and wondered if that could be the girl that she was here to ask about. It would make sense. Close to closing. No parents. The owner giving her a wave. That must be her. Bow simply smiled to the girl and waved as well. They were at a good stopping point in their conversation and so Bow went back to eating her snack as she began to listen to them.

Kasha would feel the Bow was almost completely harmless. She had a slight aura of light around her that was warm and soft. Her emotions were curiosity and glee that she was able to talk to the owner and be able to see the little girl she wanted to. Her intentions were a bit hazy because even Bow wasn't quite sure of them yet. Part of her wanted to take the girl home to the Tower, part of her wanted to take her straight to an orphanage, and part of her just wanted to talk and see what Annie would want and be comfortable with as well.

Those last three thoughts were the predominant things going on in her mind right now. Though, Kasha may only be able to feel the fact that she was contemplating something within herself, but he would see that it had something to do with Annie. However, he would also be able to tell that no matter the outcome, she would never hurt Annie. Ever.

The bakery owner nodded to Bow as they finished their conversation and she excused herself to go over to Annie.  Annie was standing off to the side a waise and looked to her with a smile as she came over.  "Hi miss."  She smiled back, "Hello again Annie.  How have you been?  Are you staying warm in this chilly weather?"  Annie nodded and replied, "Ya, my coat is really nice and warm; and the gloves your momma gave me work really well too.  Tell her I said thank you for them."  The woman smiled and replied, "Of course I will; and your welcome.  We don't want you freezing out there.  It'll just be a few more minutes till closing, and then I'll have some nice rolls for you; okay sweetie?"  Annie nods, "Okay; thank you."  The lady nodded and smiled, then went to the back to clean up a bit before closing.  

Kasha seemed to be focusing his attention almost entirely on Bow.  As he searched her mind and feelings, he was alerted by the fact that she seemed to have a focused attention on Annie.  Reading her personality and general mindset, he didn't find her to be any kind of danger at all; but he knew that she was looking for a particular person that she had received information about, and believed, if not knew, that person to be Annie.  He could tell the reason for this was a concern and desire to help; but this wasn't the first person to find out Annie was homeless and want to help her.  He was able to gauge the type and level of help that Bow wanted to provide, and didn't know if he liked it.  People had tried to adopt or find a home for Annie a few times before, and none of them worked out.  He didn't know if this girl would be any different, but would wait to see what happened.  

Annie felt all of these thoughts and his attention and focus on Bow run through Kasha's mind, and she also looked over at her.  Annie blinked and stared for just a bit, and as she focused on Bow a little she kind of liked the way Bow felt.  Bow's personality felt really nice to her; and she seemed completely safe and trustworthy to an extent.  She blinked and gave a small smile and a wave, but didn't say anything as she held her Kasha.  The black kitten with blue tinted fur just watched Bow with its solid, white eyes.

As Bow listened to their conversation, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that this was the child she had wanted to find out about. With a few more sips, she was finished with her drink and turned to smile gently at Annie, waving her over to join her. The smile was genuine and only was it then that she actually noticed Kasha. Her smile got brighter and she gasped. "Your kitty is so cute! Very unusual colors too... What's its name??" Of course she couldn't tell what gender he was, so she didn't specify.

Bow wanted Annie to feel comfortable with her. Even if she couldn't help her today, she didn't want for this meeting to end without Annie at least having her phone number for emergencies. If she could, Bow would let everyone have her number in case of trouble. She had actually thought about putting a commercial on tv about it before, but then used logic to realize that still wasn't the best idea. No matter how much she wanted to believe, the world wasn't all candy and roses. Which is why she was here today. To help a little girl who should not be living by herself.

Hopefully they could part ways knowing they had a new friend.

As Annie stood there and watched Bow, she could feel Bow confirm in her mind that Annie was the one she was looking for. She blinked as Bow motioned for her to come over and join her, and she looked back to the store owner. She was a bit busy in the back, and it was still several minutes till closing. She and Kasha figured it would be okay to talk to Bow, so Annie looked back to her with a soft smile and slowly walked over; still holding Kasha in her arms.

She smiled a little more at Bow's comment and looked down at her kitten. "Thanks; His name is Kasha. I'm glad you like him; I really like how cute he is too." Kasha seemed to just stare at Bow curiously. Annie moved to kiss his head, and petted him as she spoke softly to him, "Masha alaseen tareet." She smiled down at him as she said this, and he looked up to her happily. Kasha then started to purr and licked her face a bit, to witch she giggled. "Kashaaaa~ Masana paraloo~ Kara t'seenuama mira?" He kept purring and moved again to rub up under her chin, to which she again giggled and responded; "Baraseena..."

After a moment she looked up at Bow with a smile. "Do you wanna pet him?"

Bow watched the exchange between her and her pet curiously. It seemed they had some kind of communication. Though if she thought about it, that shouldn't have surprised Bow. No wonder the girl had been able to live on her own. Her pet was what they called a... familiar! Yeah, that's it. Bow smiled softly as she realized this and put another piece of the puzzle together. Her familiar must be the one that people had seen with her in town. Though the appearance was never constant. She began to wonder if he perhaps shape shifted, but that would be a question for another day.

When they finished their conversation and Annie asked if she would like to pet him, Bow nodded happily. "I would love to!" She simply reached out to pet him, not wanting to take him away from Annie at all. She knew what it was like to have something that comforted you 24/7 and would never take that away from someone. After a moment, Bow looked up at Annie with a sweet smile. "My name is Rain. What's yours?" She wanted to ease into it. It would take time before she would be able to talk about what she needed to, and she knew that.

Annie smiled as Bow reached out to pet Kasha, and Kasha sat still as she did.  At first he just watched and did nothing, then he started to purr, and then rubbed his head against Bow's hand as she petted him.  He seemed to be liking it.  Annie could sense that Bow was deliberately being slow and careful with her; and could understand that.  They were aware that Bow was trying to slowly warm up to them in order to ask a bigger question; something having to do with her being homeless, and something to do with helping her in one way or another.  The two of them played along, perfectly content to let Bow believe that she was the one a step ahead, when in fact they knew her plans all along.  

Bow told them her name was Rain and asked for her, to which Annie replied; "My name's Annie.  Nice to meet you Rain.  That's a name I've never heard before; but I think it's pretty."  She gave a genuine smile, really meaning that.  She had to admit that the name 'Rain' did sound strange...but it was pretty.  Kasha was more relaxed now, though he never let his guard down completely.  He still wasn't 100% certain about Bow, but now felt that she was save enough not to worry about as he grew more comfortable with her.

Bow giggled and nodded, smiling gently as she continued to pet Kasha while they talked. "Thank you, Annie. I like your name as well!" She then bit her lip in thought for a moment before smiling sweetly, trying to keep the conversation basic, while at the same time getting a little more information on the girl. She knew what it was like to have someone just ask you bluntly about traumatic experiences in your life and the current status of the situation. And she knew she didn't like it and felt uncomfortable with it. So she tried to make the question seem very elementary and superficial, even though she was trying to pry a bit. "So, Annie, what are you getting here? I think they're lattes are the best! *giggle* But you're probably a bit young to enjoy those, huh?" Her smile was sweet and warm. Eyes open and inviting. Everything about her was pleasant and light.

Annie nodded in response to Bow's question. "Ya; I tried coffee once. It was yucky. Kasha says that I'll probably like it one day; and he's probably right. But I still say it's yucky." She then blinked, and answered Bows other question as she looked to the back. "Um... think she said she was getting some rolls." Annie wondered how long the owner was going to be. She wasn't really anxious; just curious. Her curiosity was soon satisfied as she came up and flipped the sign in the front window from 'open' to 'closed'. She then turned to return to the back, and on the way smiled at Annie. "I'll be just a moment sweetie." Annie smiled back and nodded. "Okay; thank you."

After she had gone to the back again, Annie looked down at Kasha, petting him some more. She hadn't much to say right now, and Kasha merely purred; enjoying the attention.

Bow giggled as Annie talked about how yucky coffee was. It was then confirmed that the little girl and her cat had a special connection and could somehow communicate with each other, which made Bow smile happily. That meant she wasn't really alone, though a cat didn't really count as a guardian in her mind either. With a sigh, Bow bit her lip and waited for the woman to be gone again before looking at Annie, her eyes softening and her smile turning compassionate as she prepared herself to actually begin talking about why she was really here. "Why don't you take a seat, Annie... I have something I want to talk to you about..."

Her mind would get a more serious feel to it, though keeping the warmness about it. Her words were sweet and invoked no sense of obligation to say one thing or another. "I know you've been living on your own for quite some time now, but I also know that you seem to like it, or at least haven't sought out help yourself... I volunteer for the orphanage whenever I can and I just wanted to extend an offer to you... You would be able to come and go as you please, get meals, shelter, everything you need. Though you would keep your independence... Sadly, Kasha wouldn't be able to stay for more than about 24 hours at a time... And I'm sure you don't want to let him go... Which is why I think this plan is best... You would have a place when things get too hard on your own, but would be able to do as you please as well... Though... I would like for you to at least call or come by once a week so that I can make sure you're okay..." She only then paused for a breath and blinked, giggling in embarrassment. "S-sorry... I tend to ramble a bit..."

Annie looked to Bow when she asked for Annie to take a seat.  She could already feel that Bow was about to come out and express her feelings to Annie about the situation.  She nodded, "Um...okay."  She took a seat, still holding Kasha close.  Kasha mentally prepared himself and Annie for what Bow was about to say, and the two of them listened as Bow made an offer.  

Throughout Bow's rambling, Annie heard several things that didn't appeal to her very well at all.  The first thing she didn't like hearing was Bow's assumption that Annie LIKED living on her own.  That was just downright wrong; Annie HATED living alone.  The problem was finding a stable home to live with that wouldn't make Annie feel guilty, pressured, or uncomfortable, and where the people actually loved her.  Another thing she didn't like hearing was the fact that the orphanage wouldn't let Kasha stay for very long.  She wondered if they would even let Kasha stay at all.  Annie had been taken to an orphanage once before...and they downright hated him.  They thought he was some kind of demon that had possessed Annie; and she wondered if this was the same orphanage.  So she asked, "What orphanage was this?"  

Annie blinked at Bow's response.  She'd never heard of that orphanage before.  The one she had been to was some home for girls; catholic if she remembered correctly.  Less worried about being hated or mistreated by them, Annie and Kasha thought a bit more.  One last thing she thought about was the obligation that Bow was trying to impose of coming in or calling regularly.  She wasn't sure she liked the idea, or the way Bow had brought it up.  It's not that she didn't like Bow, just the way she was coming on so quickly made Annie uncomfortable.  

She just sat there...not saying anything; and avoided eye contact by looking down and off to the side.  She held Kasha tightly and close to herself, feeling timid and uncomfortable about saying anything; so she just remained silent.    Kasha had stopped acting all cute and was now staring at Bow like before.

Bow watched Annie's reaction and bit her lip. As she had feared, she came off too strong too fast. She sighed and looked at her when she asked the orphanage and smiled lovingly. "It's name is Safe Haven... The reason why Kasha wouldn't be allowed to stay more than 24 hours is because there are a couple children in the orphanage already that are allergic to dogs... Though the staff seem to be quite excited to have you..." She smiled caringly at her, trying to reassure the little girl that she would be safe and loved in this environment.

Then she began to look away and Bow couldn't help but tear up. Kasha would be able to since that Bow longed to reach out and hug the girl, but was afraid of coming off too strong again. All she wanted was for Annie to be safe and out of harm's way. It was the only solution she could think of. The reason for checking up was not only that she would know she was safe, but also so that they could become better friends.

Bow couldn't not say anything and smiled softly, trying to find the right words to say but knowing that it was practically impossible in this situation. "I want to be your friend, Annie. More than anything else, I want to be someone you can talk to... I know we've only just met, but I have a tendency to become friends quickly and I promise, I don't take friendship lightly... You will never be alone again, okay?" She smiled sweetly and Kasha would be able to feel that all of her words true and sincere.

Annie was silent for quite a while longer, thinking about what Bow said and what she was feeling.  She started to feel bad when she felt that Bow wanted to hug her, but held back due to the worry of driving her away.  Kasha looked at Annie, knowing that she was just sitting there feeling put on the spot.  She wasn't even considering Bow's offer; she was just doing nothing.  Maybe she felt like if she was silent long enough, somehow the decision of what to do would be made for her.  

While Annie's mind was void and blank, Kasha looked back to Bow and thought about her offer.  Logically, he saw little reason not to take the offer.  It would add to Annie's list of places to turn to when times got hard, and the cold of winter was when times got their hardest.  There was no obligation to stay for extended periods of time, as Bow had explained that some kids would be allergic to Kasha.  Kasha knew this wasn't true, as he wasn't a real kitten; so unless the kids were allergic to magic or shadows there would be no problems at all.  Though, they weren't about to explain this.  If Bow knew this she might pressure them to stay permanently, so they kept quiet.  Kasha didn't even think that coming in once a week would be much of a problem by itself.  

Even after all this thought, Annie's mouth and mind both remained silent as she stared at the ground.  Kasha looked at her and after a moment gave a soft meow, as well as a telepathic message to snap out of her trance.  She blinked, and looked up to Bow again; and after a moment started to think about Bows offer to be her friend.  She concentrated on feeling Bow's mind and personality.  She felt that Bow's words were true in accordance to her emotions, but her emotions had a limited depth.  Something felt...off about her.  They couldn't tell what, but something about Bow just felt weird.

Now Annie wasn't about to say anything about that right now, but thinking about what she felt from Bow gave her something to think about for a moment rather than her own situation; and in some weird way, it made her feel more comfortable.  After thinking a bit with Kasha she looked down again slightly and said, "Okay...I guess that will be alright."  Bow would be able to her in Annie's voice that she felt a bit better now.