A Quick Stop Before Eternity
(A Post-TMiL/NC Crossover)
by Trakal
DISCLAIMER: All characters are copywrite of their respective owners
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 The busboy wiped down the tables and whistled in tune with the Jukebox
which was, for some reason, playing a pretty Japanese melody.
 The waitress smiled, cheerfully, as she prepared coffee for whomever might
walk in next.
 "Ochira." The owner of the establishment nodded at the jukebox. "Good tune."
 He was a middle aged man with a receding hairline, roman nose, and a thin
but not quite wiry frame. His thinning blond hair was curly and he had the look of a
1920's gambler about him. He was dressed 'to the nines' as they used to say, his clothes
out of place in the humble roadside diner he now haunted. He smiled, knowingly, and nodded
to the door.
 "Customer coming." He alerted his staff.
 Neither of the pair who worked for him questioned how he might now this. They'd been in
his service far too long.

 The door opened and a creature from their darkest nightmares walked in. He was
humanoid, of average height, probably not much older than a teenager judging by his
slender frame. His long chestnut brown hair was pulled into a neckline ponytail, but much
of it was hanging loosely about his face. His left arm, in fact most of him, was cover
with soft fur.... not hair... *fur*... and his face bore the features of an exotic bat.

 For a moment, no one moved. Then the owner nodded to the waitress who approached the
newcomer and poured him a cup of coffee with a trembling hand, continuing to pour even
after the coffee had reached the top of the cup.
 The newcomer cleared his throat.
 "Oh. Sorry." The waitress apologized.
 "Quite all right." the newcomer smiled. "I like having two servings of coffee. Of course,
 I usually don't have both of them poured into my cup at the same time..."
 The waitress smiled. "May I take your order?"
 "Just a bit of miso soup." the newcomer replied.
 The waitress started to say that it wasn't on the menu when she saw that it now was.
 "I'm never going to get used to that." she told herself as she prepared the newcomer's
meal and set it before him.
 "So," the busboy asked. "We don't get many like you in here...What brings you here
to the All Night Cafe...?"
 "It's a long story...." The Operative began.
Lt. Trakal
Operative of the Galaxy Police SIU