Chapter Fourteen: Roaming the Streets of New Orleans:

Noiz looked up at Louise. “How you calmed down now?” Louise snorted at her question.

“What were you doing in there?” she asked.

“I was escaping from you,” the kitty confessed.

“And why would you do that?”

“You were fighting with Daryl. You know how you get when he crosses your path.”

Louise frowned at her boss. “My mistake.”

Noiz’s eyes trailed over to her employee. “So where are we going now?”

“Nowhere.”

“So we’re just going to walk around the city?”

“That’s right.”

“Okay…” She shoved her hands into her pockets.

“So how is she?” Louise asked. Noiz glanced up at her.

“Huh?” she asked.

“The new wife. How was she?”

“Oh, she’s really nice.”

“Nice?”

“Yeah. A little too naïve.”

Louise lit up a cigarette. “She’s going to find out the truth soon enough.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

The older woman glanced up at her. “Such as?”

Noiz shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. “We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” Louise blew out smoke, frowning.

“Whatever,” she said.

“Okay…” the kitty said under her breath. They walked further down the street under the bright streetlights. The sound of traffic going by them helped calm the stale silence between them. Noiz looked street out on the street. The people walking by and the stores reminded her of Tokyo at night. If she took away the words on the signs and the ethnic features of the people, it would look no different than any city. The difference between the country and city were lights and people. Buildings only changed nature into civilization.

It doesn’t change, no matter where I am, Noiz thought. Tomorrow would be no different. Summer moved slower in America than Japan. The ladies would have to go back to work soon. Noiz still had paperwork to finish. Still, she had one question her mind.

Why did she bring me here? Asking Louise would count as complaining. The last thing Noiz wanted was to be stuck in New Orleans probably into Christmas. Even so, the kitty just had to know the truth.

“You want to grab a quick bite?” Louise spoke up.

“Pardon?” Noiz asked.

“I want something to snack on. You want anything to eat.”

Noiz pulled her hands out of her pockets. “Why not?”

“Follow me.” The women walked across the street before Louise turned her attention to her boss. “What were you doing in that restaurant anyway?”

“I was escaping from your fight.”

“Yeah, but why there?” Louise asked.

“It was the first place that I thought I would hide.”

The older woman tried not to laugh over her cigarette. Noiz tilted her head at her.

“What?” she asked.

“You know that’s a tourist trap, right?” Louise asked. The kitty frowned at her.

“I figured that out once I sat down.”

Louise shook her head, smirking. “That’s just sad for you, Noiz.”

“Shut up!”

Her older employee laughed loud enough to draw attention from passers-by. “Come on, I’ll show you where the real stuff is.” She gave Noiz a hard pat on the back before heading down the street.

“Ow,” the kitty mumbled before following behind in the night.