Ray sat back at his desk, staring at the paperwork there.

It was from his lawyer, a list of greavences caused by what was going on.

Ray had done commercials for years, musical scores, voice overs, folly work, sometimes all at the same time. He was saught after for his ability to change his voice, people liked him… Usually.

He had moved all the way out here to live his dream, voicing the main charater in an animated adaption of his favourite book. No more bit parts, or comercials. Sure the pay wasn’t stellar, but he had always been good with his money. This move was huge for him, but, they wanted him closer to the studio. A passion project that he had dropped everything to be a part of.

Ray had sold his parents house he had grown up in, to move here. He had even lost his girlfriend when she realized his new job didn’t pay as much, and that his new place was half the size of his old one.

Ray had lost his life to be here.

And that morning he had showed, moved in, showed up to the officeto find the show had been canceled, before it had even started. Locked out, without notice.

He gave a heavy sigh, looking around at the half unpacked boxes.

He couldn’t even just pack back up and move back. At least he could find work voice acting anywhere.

He had just finished signing the paperwork from the lawyers, looking over the document one last time. His agent had said it was a good idea to sue, the loss of work, the expences of the move, and the mental distress. But it wasn’t just that, it was everything. All of it was becoming a bit too much. The issues with people in town, people he didn’t even know, who were still looking at him like he was a freak. The only person other than Alex and Lance he had managed to work up courage to talk to hated him.

He wondered really hard if he should just pack up and get lost somewhere.

He slipped the paperwork into its envelope and got up.

It was a thought better left till after coffee. The corner coffee shop calling to him.

He stepped out onto his porch, the cool night air still hanging like a veil in the early morning sun. He thought about grabbing his coat as he walked outside wearing just a t-shirt and shorts, his breath misting in the early morning air. There was a fine layer of frost on everything, even on the fountain in his other neighbors yard. But he shrugged it off, just another task for coffee to fix. The cold didn’t bug him that much anyway, Ray loved the cold, so he just walked down the street as he was.

The road was quiet this early in the morning, no cars, just the odd person out for an early walk. Most of them bundled up like this was deep winter. By the time he made it to the mailbox he was flat out laughing, watching as the person in front of him fiddled with the mailbox lid with mittens on, only to pull off the mittens to reveal finger gloves. They rubbed their hands, reaching into their pockets of their huge fur coat, growling and spitting hushed curses at the steel box.

He was glad he was wearing his headphones pretending to look at his phone as if watching something to cover the fact he was laughing at the people who walked by giving scandalized looks at him in his bike shorts.

“UGH!” The person in front of him growled suddenly, turning around and getting in his face.

“Can you mail~”

Reb froze, her jaw working as she realized who she was griping at.

He looked at the letter in her hand, gently taking it from her, then stepped around her, finagled with the tricky latch on the boxes drawer, and slipped both her mail and his envelope into the box.

It had been two weeks since he had last seen her  and while he still wished he could make things better, he had decided after that last incedent to give her space. That, and his mood with everything going on, well, he didn’t want to bother her with his problems.

He nodded to her, then started to walk away but it seemed she wasn’t done with him.

He felt the tap on his shoulder, turning and puling his headphones off.

“Hey~”

“Can I get you a coffee?”

He stared a bit dumbfounded, so she kept rolling.

“Raymon, I~”

“I’d love that.”

“Great,” she tugged his sleeve.

He smiled.

Pulling up her scarf again, she turned walking back up the street towards their places.

“There’s a coffee place just around the corner?” He said, thuming towards the street corner.

“I know, but the coffee I make is better.”

He looked at her back as she turned and headed home, he couldn’t believe it.

But he followed all the same.

“People might think something of it?”

She shrugged, “They already think we canoodle,” she sighed, “I tried to spare you that, but there’s nothing to be done.”

He laughed, “You make it sound like you were trying to not embarras me?”

“Well Duh shug, why’d you think i was trying to put distance between us?”

“I thought I’d embarrassed you?!”

She stopped.

Her eyes looked so funny, her contacts made it look like she had yellow eyes.

“What?”

“You, thought you’d embarrassed me?”

“Well yeah, when we got caught in the doorway there. I thought people would make fun of you for having your panties on display there.”

“Are you kidding?” Reb put her fists on her hips, “Shug, I’m a dominatrix. I didn’t want people in the neighborhood thinkin you were some john.”

“Oh, so you really do, uh…”

“Sleep with folks for money?”

“Well, I didn’t wanna say it  but~”

She got in real close, her hand coming up to the wall, leaning over Ray, pulling her scarf down as she got right into her face, the scent of spice and lemon on her breath as she whispered to him.

“And, would you think differently of me if I did?”

He didn’t even have to think about the answer.

“No.”

He barely knew her, but he knew this much, she was still the lady who had made him feel welcome, and brought him food when he moved in.

And she must have known it, “I don’t sleep with people shug, I work on-line. I’m a net dommy.”

“Gorsh,” he nervously qwerked like Larry the Lemon.

Her eyes bugged, “Say that again.”

“Gorsh?” He said confused and in his normal voice.

“No like you said it before.”

He laughed, “Oh, sorry, yeah, I kinda skip into the voices of characters I’ve voiced when I’m, uh, when I get,” he looked up at her, still pinned to the wall by her body pressed to his, “Uh, nervous.”

She giggled, “God shug, I love Larry.”

“Larry?” He laughed, “Figures, you seem to love everything lemons, figures you’d like a kids fruitsnack commercial from eight years ago.”

She stood up, letting him step away from the wall, “Has it been that long? I have a Larry poster even.”

Ray laughed, nodding, “That checks, had someone once ask me to sign one in a chat group.”

“So, uh, you did that? Voiced Larry I mean? That’s so great,” she said, nervously scuffing her boot against the sidewalk.

Ray nodded again, “Yeah. And you, uh, dominate guys… online, I mean?”

“And women too,” she said with a smirk.

“Well, that’s cool.” Then the idea hit him, “What’s your audio set up like?”

Reb looked down at him, a cheeky smile on her pouty lips.

“I mean, audio’s important I imagine.”

He smiled, a shy grin on her

“Play your cards right an after coffee shug, an I’ll show you.”