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Chapter 111: The Meeting

Roger felt increasingly better the more of the sugary coffee drink he had drank. It was delicious, though pretty awful for him, he knew. Still, it was a price they had to pay for having something they liked.

The idle gossip had died down when the patrons in the café realized that the wolf was not there for them. They still wondered why he was there in the first place, but when they spotted Roger, they figured it was a study session. It was dismissed.

It was better that that was what they thought, Roger thought to himself. No need to bring about anything incriminating.

It took a little bit, but the designated time had approached, and the lion should have been arriving at any moment. He had picked the corner because it had been a good vantage point to see all of the customers, but also it was open and most of the tables were occupied.

A few minutes prior and he saw what he had been looking for. A lion in his mid-forties put away his phone that he had out, stepping into the café, eliciting a few murmurs, but nothing exceptionally strange. All attention died out almost as quickly as it had come about. It was a café, after all. Anyone was allowed to go in and have a bite to eat.

The lion was wearing a fairly smart-looking business suit. It was a dark blue jacket that blended in with the black pants, and there was a white collared shirt with a light blue tie. It did not seem very special, but considering what everyone else was wearing, it was a lot fancier and way more expensive. It made him look a bit more regal.

He had a large mane, an unfortunate side-effect of his species, Roger commented to himself. Still, it was well groomed, and his eyes were a striking yellow. He managed to find a table near the window, big enough for them to all sit at, and took his phone back out. He looked like he was about to take his own picture.

It was tough to see the facial expression that he had made from Roger's position, but he saw that his face had contorted a little before he resting back into a neutral expression. He then stared at the table, and Roger could swear he saw his ears start twitching a bit.

Roger's phone buzzed and he took it out. He saw a message from Greg, and attached was a photo.

The lion had stuck his tongue out and gave a sort of smile in a sort of silly pose. Roger snorted, amused, and then showed the picture to Hunter, who had given a couple of wags and smiled in return.

"He seems friendly enough," Roger said. "What do you think?"

Hunter nodded. "Let's go meet him, then."

The two got up, took their drinks and wandered off to the lion. There were whispers in the air again. Everyone's target was up and moving, maybe to sit next to them, maybe to grab them in his large, strong arms. They were disappointed.

Roger thought he had heard a few sour huffs from the surrounding individuals. He felt a pang of anger that they would assume such things, but at the same time, it was a bit rewarding to hear their response. He smiled on the inside, pleased.

The lion had been watching the ground, his ears twitching, and when they drew near, he looked up. He stood up slowly, and extended a paw. "Roger, I assume?"

The fox took his paw in his own and shook it, noting that it was about twice the size of his, and about as strong as the wolf's. "Y-yeah. That's me. And this is Hunter."

The lion's gaze shifted to the wolf, and after his paw was let go, he moved it over to shake the wolf's. They shook, and Hunter just gave a wag. The lion said, "My name is Greg. Very nice to meet you both."

"Did you, uh, find the place alright?" Roger asked. He was still a bit awkward around what was essentially someone new, even if he had the wolf with him. He had spoken to Greg many times online, but never over a phone or face-to-face. It was an odd feeling.

The lion had been staring at him intently. "Yes, I found the place just fine. GPS these days make that a fairly simple task."

Roger quirked his head. There was an odd way he was pronouncing everything, and he could not quite place it. Maybe it was an accent he was unfamiliar with. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. And what was with the picture? You know you could have just sent a regular one." He smiled at him, letting it be known that his intentions were friendly.

Greg smiled back. "You're right, but isn't that what you kids do these days? Silly pictures of yourself, what do they call them? Selfies?"

The fox nodded. "Those awful things, yeah."

"It got you two to get out of that corner and come here, though, so I guess it worked." Greg made a nod toward the corner where they had been sitting, hoping they had blended into the crowd. Apparently they were very conspicuous.

"Ah, yeah. Had to make sure you weren't a creeper, you know. Sorry. I know I shouldn't have really thought that of you." Roger folded his ears down, a bit ashamed.

Greg shrugged. He had still been staring at the fox. "You're right to be cautious, although not because of me in any particular sense. There are a lot of bad guys out there, some of them would want nothing more than an opportunity that I've been afford to meet someone new. Their intentions, though, are a bit more insidious."

Hunter smiled and said, "We didn't really think you'd do anything. Just Roger being paranoid, that's all." He laughed and gave the fox a nudge.

The lion's eyes had darted to the wolf as he spoke, and then back to the fox. It did not seem aggressive or hostile, but it was very intense, and it caused the fox to feel a little uneasy. Perhaps that was just his personality.

"Y-yeah. I guess I am a bit paranoid." Roger shrugged and began to stare at the table, a bit self-conscious.

There was an awkward silence in the cacophonous café. The lion stood up and said, "I'll grab us something to eat, then. It'll clear the air a little, I think. What would you two like?"

Before Roger could answer, Hunter mentioned that he would be very interested in one of the sandwiches that they made here. Roger jabbed him in the side and said, "Hunter, we can't just ask him to get something for us; we just met him! It's fine, I'll go get us something, alright?"

Understanding came across the wolf's face, and then he quickly apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Greg shook his head and said, "No, no, it's fine. You guys look hungry, and I have a job, and I make money. What good is the money I earn if I can't choose how to spend it, especially on treating others?"

Roger frowned and did not want to argue against that point. It sounded pretty reasonable to him.

"Fine," the fox said. "I'll get you back for it, though. I'll have what Hunter is having."

The lion smiled, nodded, and headed to the front desk, placing the orders.

Roger said to Hunter, "I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have butted in like that."

The wolf shook his head. "You were right: it was rude of me. We're just lucky he's so nice. Kind of like you, actually."

The fox blushed.

Greg had returned with a cup of coffee, still steaming. He set it off to the side, put his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his thumbs and the rest of his fingers joined in front of his nose. He stared intently at the fox. Roger could no longer read his facial expression.

"So, I have some questions for you. First of all, how is your headache coming along?" the lion said.

His ears were twitching ever so subtly.