Flour Ghosts

It feels good to be back in Harara. 

Sookie has lived here since they were a kittle, and though their job sometimes takes them all over the planet, returning to the city they grew up in always feels like a breath of fresh air. They love the neverending nightlife, the grand architecture and the neon clubs, the casinos and back alleys. Harara has always been home to them--they’ve been running these streets for years.

It’s especially nice to recline with their feet dangling over the edge of an old rooftop, soaking up the sun, and just take a minute to relax. Their latest job has been, to put it politely, a shitshow. They’ve been gone for months, wandering through the desert and the dark side of the planet on a series of fetch quests, only to discover at the end of the line - after an acute betrayal - that their true goal has been Harara all along. 

Someone’s been embezzling funds from the Courier’s Guild.

There’s a traitor in their midst, gathering info on jobs and stealing merchandise out from under their noses, shorting good couriers of their proper pay and dragging the guild’s good name through the mud. Sookie is one such courier who got the short end of the stick, and they intend to put a stop to it. If there’s anything worth protecting it’s the paycheck of the everybull. The honor of the guild is a close second. 

Just… not yet. If they swoop in guns blazing without the proper evidence, the whole operation is liable to collapse on them, and they’d rather not get run out of the city that they love so much.  No, Sookie’s been biding their time, waiting for a job so juicy the traitor simply won’t be able to resist, and when that happens… They’ll have all the proof they need.

For now, it’s been a long time since they were home, and they’re enjoying taking a minute to just breathe.

Shadows fall as the moon slowly begins to eclipse the sun in that old familiar way that has them buzzing. This is the only sunset they have ever known with any regularity, and its glow warms them to the core. They bask in it as darkness grows and lights begin to ping on in the buildings around them, and when it’s dark enough they slide from the roof and onto the balcony below. 

From there it’s a quick jump to the next roof over, and then a jaunt down a couple of flights of stairs until they’re outside of Sterling’s apartment. Apparently the man in question decided it would be fun to take a short notice trip to who knows where, and he begged Lup to feed his crabits. Unfortunately, Lupita is busy tonight, but nobody wants Sterling’s much beloved pets to starve.

Sookie takes a quick glance around and then, casually as they please, begins to pick the apartment’s lock. 

They’ve done in Sterling’s lock before, so it isn’t difficult. The thing pops open with the barest touch, really. If Sterling knew how terrible his locks were, he’d probably be appalled, but nobody from the bar has told him. If he bugged the landlord to change them out, then how would people get in to feed his poor neglected crabits?

The door opens with a click and a creak, and Sookie steps inside to Lucy and Nyx’s excited barking.

[“Hey, hey, shhhh,”] they purr at the two critters, offering many headpats to calm them down. Lucy licks their fingers and they give a churring laugh. [“Yeah, yeah, alright. Let’s get you fed.”]

Sookie kicks the door shut behind them and goes to find the bin of fish kibble Sterling keeps in his apartment. It seems pretty low in stock, but there’s just enough left to eke out a couple cups to pour in Lucy and Nyx’s respective bowls. They resign themself to going and getting a bag to bring next time, or at least texting Lup to do it, and go about filling the critters’ water bowls.

When they check the crabits’ kiddie pool in the bathroom, they decide it looks murky enough to just straight up change out the water, too, and end up dumping all of it down the shower’s drain. The less said about that the better, considering Sookie’s general height and the size of the pool. Let’s just say they get a lot of water on the floor, too, and end up throwing some towels down to soak it up. Then they practically scale the wall to grab the showerhead from its satyr-sized perch and start filling the pool again.

Sterling is far, far too tall, Sookie thinks, not for the first time. 

They’re sitting there on the toilet - not using it, mind you, the lid’s down - watching Nyx and Lucy’s pool fill up when they hear the first of the thumps from the next unit over. They’re willing to write it off as none of their business, except then they remember that the next unit over is the girl that Lup told them Sterling’s all worked up over. Apparently she’s been a fun friend to Lupita, which makes her good people in Sookie’s book. Definitely not the kind of stranger where you can look the other way when you hear mysterious thumping.

Sookie stands up cautiously, turning off the water. They return the shower head exactly where they found it to erase the traces of their passage and listen at the wall for a moment. All is quiet, save for the normal noises of the city, and then…

Thunk-thump.

It isn’t knocking. It’s farther away than that, they think. These walls are paper thin, so sound carries easily, but there’s definitely something going on in there. 

Sookie sighs in the way that only kitbulls can, a short burst of static and a rustle of fur. They aren’t going to leave Lottie to whatever fate has befallen her, that’s for sure. With new purpose, they say goodbye to Lucy and Nyx, close up Sterling’s apartment behind them, and move to the next door over.

The door itself is cutely decorated with sticker stars and moons and bows. Sookie appreciates a strong sense of self, and Lottie seems to have that in spades. They knock on her door and hear another clatter from inside, more clearly now. 

A pause, the sound of an approach, and then the door flings open to reveal a little satyr woman absolutely covered in flour. She could almost be a ghost, especially with how pale and hopeful her eyes are. Her gaze is fixed on a spot about three feet above Sookie’s head, the name “Sterling?” on her lips. She trails off immediately, eyes tracking down until they reach Sookie’s face. “Oh! Sookie, right? Hi.”

She rubs discreetly at her face, but doesn’t manage to obscure the tear tracks that have disturbed the mess of flour before Sookie sees them. Ah, damn. Poor thing.

[“Sup,”] they say, and sign a greeting along with it. 

Lottie’s ears twitch. “That’s ‘hello,’ right? I’ve been trying to learn.” She raises her hands and folds down her pinkie and thumb, as is traditional for KGL signers with more than three fingers, and mimics their greeting. It’s a little stiff, but it’s not bad for a newbie.

[“That’s right,”] they say as well as sign, trying to keep it slow and simple for her. [“Pretty good, kid. Are you okay? I heard a noise.”]

Lottie watches their hands very carefully, and then sniffles--and then sneezes, covering her face with the crook of her arm. That sends a fresh trickle of tears down her cheeks that she quickly rubs away. “Sorry,” she mumbles. “I’ve never been very good at studying, so I only caught a little bit of that. I’m okay, though! Just-- I’m just…” She tries to smile, but it’s watery, the kind that doesn’t fool anyone. Sookie raises an eyebrow at her, and it flickers and fades. “Sorry, I don’t know if you’ve heard. Sterling and I are having a little tiff is all. You’re one of his friends, aren’t you? Were you visiting him?”

Sookie considers their options for a moment. They could keep trying to sign, but if Lottie doesn’t know enough to understand their simplest attempts, they’re probably better off doing something else. They pull out their phone instead. It’s only a simple flip phone, so it takes them a minute to tap out a message on the keypad, but they figure this will be more clear for her.

he’s more lup’s friend than mine, but we run in the same circles, yeah. she asked me to feed his crabits for him since he’s on some short notice vacation. she told me about what happened. d’you want to talk about it?

They finish typing the message and turn their phone around so that Lottie can see it. She leans down and peers at it, and then wipes her face again. “...Oh, I’m being so rude again. Do you want to come in?”

Sookie shrugs. [“Sure.”]

That’s understandable enough without typing it out, so Lottie lets them in and they look around with idle curiosity. Her apartment, like Sterling’s, is a small studio with a kitchenette and a single bathroom. Unlike Sterling’s, her bed is separated from the rest of the room by a layer of beads and curtains intricately put together. Her walls are covered in collages of photographs, probably taken with the old Fate’s Focus that Sookie sees lying on the counter. Sheets of fabric hang artfully over old white wallpaper, some of them tied with big poofy bows. An angelic wing cloak is hung next to the door, presumably for easy access. The whole room is lit by strings of fairy lights, but the overhead in the kitchenette is also on, revealing the disaster that probably led to Lottie’s current state.

An entire bag of flour is split on the ground. Looks like it might have hit the counter and then fallen, which would account for the noise that Sookie heard. 

Lottie catches them looking and titters in an embarrassed bell chime. “I dropped it. Sorry for the mess. I should clean that up…” She gravitates toward the kitchenette, where there’s a broom propped up against the counter, and Sookie doesn’t stop her. 

[“Fair enough. You just talk when you’re ready,”] they tell her, though they know she can’t understand.

Funny enough, the busy work seems to loosen Lottie’s tongue. “I’ve been baking a lot lately. It’s a new hobby. I wasn’t really allowed to do things like this before,” she says. Kind of an alarming statement, but okay. Sookie lets it roll over them. “But it’s been fun! My first attempts weren’t very good, but I’ve been getting a lot better, and it’s nice to put my mind to something. Especially right now. I…”

She hesitates, her brow furrowing, and sweeps in silence for a moment. 

“I do like Sterling a lot,” she finally says. 

[“No accounting for taste,”] Sookie says, specifically because Lottie can’t understand. If she could, they’d probably be a little nicer about it.

Lottie glances at them, and they nod encouragingly, signing, [Go on.]

“He’s been really nice to me, especially while I’m getting used to Harara. I’ve never lived in a city like this before, and he’s been so helpful. I think he’s funny, and he’s so different from most of the people I know… I like spending time with him, but I never-- I mean, I never thought about being romantic with him. I don’t think about being romantic with people a lot. It used to be something that I always thought would just be arranged for me, and since I got away from all of that, I haven’t really thought about it.”

Sookie buzzes thoughtfully, and types something up on their phone, approaching so that Lottie can look it over.

are you aromantic?

Lottie gives them a blank look, so they type a little more.

it means you don’t experience romantic attraction. there’s nothing wrong with it. some people just don’t.

They point to themself to indicate an example. 

“Oh… I don’t know, I’ve never heard of something like that,” Lottie says, uncertain. 

Sookie shrugs and says, [“Just something worth thinking about. You don’t have to have all the answers.”] Then, because it bears repeating, they type it out for her too. They gesture for her to go on after they’ve done so.

Lottie considers them for a moment, lost and uncertain, and then turns her eyes toward the ceiling for a moment. “I think I’ve had a crush before,” she says, sounding far away. “When I was little, there was a girl… But it wasn’t proper, because I was--I was supposed to be doing other things, and I haven’t had a lot of feelings like that since then.”

[“It can be pretty complicated to figure this sort of thing out,”] Sookie says, sympathetic, and though Lottie doesn’t know what they’re saying, their tone is clear enough that she offers them a grateful smile.

“So… I don’t know what to do about Sterling,” she sighs after a moment. “He asked for time, so I’m giving it to him, but I feel like I’ve made a horrible mess of things. He’s my best friend here. I’ve been wondering… if I just felt like he did, would that make everything okay? I don’t want to lose him.”

[“Oh hell no.”] Sookie taps the side of the counter to get Lottie’s attention and looks deep into her eyes to emphasize how serious they are, shaking their head. 

if he’s as good a friend as you think he is, he’ll get over it. this isn’t your fault.

They type it out and show it to her, holding their hand steady.

“But…”

They shake their phone and tap their finger under the screen.

this isn’t your fault.

[“It’s awkward, but this kind of thing happens. Don’t let it get you down, kid,”] Sookie tells her.

Lottie sniffles again, and then sneezes again. 

“Okay,” she says. “...Can I hug you?”

Even though Lottie is still absolutely covered in flour, Sookie opens up their arms and lets her sweep them up in a tight hug.