Refreshment

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     Author: [[User:Jonas|]]  
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}} {{#if:| — see also [[:Category:{{{category}}}|other works by this author]]}}

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Hot... so... very... hot...

Lloyd squinted and raised his hand to shield himself from the sunlight beating down on him. Of all the days for there to be a heat wave, why did it have to be the one when his air-conditioning broke? Lloyd’s apartment may have been shaded, but with the AC out it seemed more like a pressure cooker. Wandering the streets, the young man had gone to every ice cream parlour and convenience store he could find, desperate to cool off. At each one he’d make a small purchase, and then slowly enjoy it in the air-conditioned store along with about five to ten other people who had the same idea. Eventually the person at the counter would catch on and shoo him out, making him wander once more into the searing heat looking for relief.

Meandering around the street corner, Lloyd was considering seeing how long he could stay on a bus before getting kicked off when he saw the most wonderful sight of his life: A storefront with a hand painted sign identifying it as William’s Soda Shoppe and promising Free Refills With Every Purchase! Lloyd had never seen anything so beautiful.

A blast of cool AC hit his sweat drenched face as he opened the door and stepped inside. The soda shack was empty apart from Lloyd and the man at the counter, who was wearing what looked like a pirate costume—probably wanted his store to have an old-timey feel. The storeowner didn’t look up as Lloyd approached.

“Uhh, you open?” He asked. The man nodded. “Great!” Lloyd said, beaming. “I’ll have...” His eyes scanned the enormous list of sodas on the wall. “Oh, wow—you’ve got a lot of stuff to choose from.”

The man nodded again at this. “I’ve been in business a long time. Every time I find something new, I add it to the menu.” He still didn’t look up, and continued to clean the glass he was holding.

“I see... well, I don’t recognize anything on here. Why don’t you pick for me?”

The man stopped cleaning his glass. “You sure?”

Lloyd shrugged. “Yea, you know your selection better than I do. Just don’t give me something expensive, heh.”

A chortle came from beneath the man’s large hat and he rummaged around below the counter before bringing up a tall glass filled with a fizzy green drink. It looked like a darker version of Mountain Dew.

“Oooh, that looks good!” Exclaimed Lloyd as he licked his lips. “How much?”

“No charge,” Said the storeowner with a wave of his hand. “Not gonna make you pay for something you might not like.” “Thanks a bunch mister....”

“You can call me Kenku. William Kenku.”

Lloyd smiled and picked up the glass as he sat down on a stool next to the counter. “All right then. Cheers, Kenku.” He raised the glass to the storeowner before downing the soda. A crisp lime-watermelon flavour washed over the young man as the ice cold drink cooled his insides and the fizz bubbled along his tongue. Kenku resumed his glass-cleaning as Lloyd gulped down the drink.

“Ah! Now that was refreshing!” He exclaimed, setting the now-empty glass down on the counter and wiping off his mouth. “I’ve never tasted anything like it either.”

Kenku shrugged. “My drinks are pretty unique.”

Lloyd nodded, absently scratching the back of his peaked ears, careful to sheathe his claws first. “I’ll bet. No clue why this place is so empty though. You’ve got a sign offering free refills on the hottest day on record. Speaking of which by the way...” he tapped the empty glass.

Kenku shrugged again as he refilled the drink. “I cater to a pretty specific clientele. My drinks have a fairly niche market.”

“Hmm, I guess that would be true.” Lloyd said, gulping down the newly filled glass. His whiskers twitched at the tickle of the bubbly soda. “Most people prefer to stick to stuff like Coca-Cola or Sprite.” He rubbed the fur on his chin thoughtfully. “Although, I guess it doesn’t help that you don’t try and be visible. I mean, this store is on a downtown street and no one else seems to notice it.”

He tugged at his shirt collar. “Is it all right if I take this off?” Kenku nodded and Lloyd eagerly pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a chest covered in tawny fur punctuated by large black patterns. “Oh that’s better—thanks a bunch. Sucks having to wear a shirt in this weather, of course it probably doesn’t help that I’ve got this—” he flicked a stubby finger at the lion-like ruff around his neck, “—bushy thing. But people are pretty sensitive about that these days. Oh, mind if I have another refill?”

As Kenku poured more soda into the glass, Lloyd began to fidget in his seat. He unbuttoned his shorts and kicked them off to free his feline tail. A frown crossed Lloyd’s muzzle when he looked down at the fallen shorts as they lay on top of a heap of socks and shoes, trying to remember why on earth he had bothered to wear clothing that was far too large for him. He must have looked like a complete idiot—no wonder he got thrown out of those ice cream parlours and convenience stores.When Kenku presented Lloyd with his refilled drink, it was inside a bowl. For a brief moment, Lloyd wondered why it wasn’t in a glass, but then he mentally slapped himself for thinking something so silly and began to lap up the soda. Glasses were too wide for his paws to get a grip on after all; and it wasn’t as if his muzzle could make a decent seal. Lloyd made a mental note to stay indoors next time there was a heat wave—clearly the temperature was messing with him.

Lloyd climbed onto the counter to drink his last refill—it was far easier than trying to do it from the stool with how small his body was. Besides, Kenku didn’t seem to mind it; the storeowner had finally looked up and wasn’t voicing any objections to the Maine Coon on his counter. Reaching out with his own furred hand, the foxish drink-maker scratched the cat behind the ears. Lloyd purred pleasantly at this before finishing his last drink.

“All done, eh?” Kenku asked. Lloyd mewed an affirmative.

“To be honest, I’ve never tested that soda before.” Kenku said absently as he took out a notepad and made a few notes. “But testing like this is what makes my job interesting.” He chuckled and looked down at the cat. “Well, I daresay you must be sick of sugary sodas by now. What say we head home and get you some fish and a proper saucer of milk? I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a few lazy cat days until this heat wave is over. I’ll change you back afterwards though, promise.”

The cat tilted its head, unsure of what its master was talking about. Change back? Back to what? After all, Lloyd was just a pet, and he loved it when Kenku made him fish. Mewing happily and jumping into his master’s arms, the only problem the cat could think of was Kenku burning his meal.