It was difficult to take Alexei Snegopad off guard. A lifetime of training that had been bred and beaten into him had kept his senses sharp. Even walking into a place as innocuous as a pizzeria triggered his honed mind to start counting exits, gauging the reactions of others to see if they had been expecting him, and making a quick ocular pat down to determine if they had anything in their pockets or up their sleeves.

Maybe it was the fact that his head was still a little woozy from the night before, or maybe he had been too engrossed in the crisp, cheesy flavour of Bernie O'Possum's renowned pepperoni slice. It still left the trained assassin shocked and frankly embarrassed that a 600 pound killer whale could catch him by surprise.

He checked the warbled reflection in the napkin dispenser on the table, not daring to turn around until he had weighed the options. Even distorted as it was, the hulking profile of Leslie Moore was unmistakable. He was dressed casually, hands in his pockets as he rattled off an extensive order to the eager little crocodile behind the counter. He hadn't seemed to have noticed Alexei.

The vigilante tried to make himself look smaller, replaying the previous night in his mind. The organized thefts along the harbourfront, the titanic Less knocking out support pillars with his bare hands to cover his accomplices' retreat, the intervention of Alexei's alter ego, Snowplow.

Less had collected his pizzas, but he wasn't leaving. Alexei fought to retain a calm demeanor. He was unarmed, out of costume and still rattled from the fight the night before. His ribs ached, and his head reeled. Would he be recognizable? Whatever force that granted the massive orca his invulnerable strength was probably still active. Alexei's options were minimal if it came to a fight.

“Pepperoni huh? Can’t beat the classics.” Moore’s thunderous voice washed over Alexei’s back like ice water. He stayed unreactive.
“I tend to be more…comprehensive with my pies. But you can see I’ve got broad tastes.” He chuckled and slapped his own belly. Despite himself, the reindeer’s eyes briefly flickered to the brobdingnagian stomach that dominated his left peripheral.

Less obviously noticed Alexei’s wandering gaze. He rested a hand the size of a man’s rib cage on the back of the reindeer’s chair. “So, you live close to here? Or do you trek halfway across town just to get a taste of the good stuff, like me?”

Alexei swallowed. “Close enough.” he mumbled, doing his best to disguise his thick Slavic accent with a strained surfer bro impression.

“Mmm.” the whale crooned. “A local. You definitely look like you can handle yourself in this part of town. You had yourself a run-in last night?”

The reindeer felt Leslie’s eye on his shoulders and arms, picking out the definition of his muscles. His eyes flickered at the jar of pepper flakes on the table. Maybe a well-aimed dusting in the whale’s face would give him the momentary distraction he needed. He craned his neck to look Less in the eye, gauging the distance.

“There he is.” The orca smiled. “If it made you feel safer, I could walk you home…nobody messes with me.” He winked. “Unless you wanted to try.”

A shiver ran up Alexei’s back. This was far worse than being recognized and threatened. Less was actually flirting with him.

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Another little slice of life in Sterling, once again featuring the art of  roundwombo
Featuring Snowplow by  kikatsu