kadytheredpanda

Title: Killing Time as the Eye Passes
Author: Kady the Red Panda
Fandom(s): Spirou et Fantasio, Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Pairing(s): gen
Rating: K
Warning(s):none
Summary: Prompt: performance anxiety. Drabblish. The calm before the storm.
Word Count: 480
Disclaimer: I'm not involved with Dupuis Publishing.
Other tidbits: This occurs in the first timeline. Can also apply to win or lose.

0000

The cafe, like many others, did not get much traffic apart from retired people and the occasional younger early bird when it opened that Sunday morning at six AM sharp. Since it opened two hours before Seccotine and Fantasio sat across from each other at a little table in the middle of the left side, Seccotine sipping tea and completing a crossword puzzle and Fantasio laid down on the table, lightly snoring and with his arms bracing him.

A tap on his shoulder woke up him enough for him to open an eye halfway.

"Fantasio get some coffee," Seccotine said. "You're gonna need all the energy you can get. If the rumors are true all three of us will need to be at the top of our game."

He adjusted himself in his seat and yawned. "Do you know what time Samhain will arrive?"

"Not exactly." Seccotine fished her phone out of her purse and fumbled about until she found what she needed on a note taking app. "Though the girl from Stradford-Upon-Avon believes it will be in an hour."

"Hmm..." One of his eyes twitched and the other snapped shut from fatigue. "Y'know, why don't any of these witches ever strike at the supposed witching hour? Like, I know they're not... witches witches, like the ones in books and Salem and all that jazz, but it'd be great to know something about themselves that was already in a book or whatever for once."

The blonde shrugged. "Beats me..." She shut her book shut after scribbling the final answer to the crossword. "Say, do you have a clue when Spirou is coming?"

"Soon, I think. He said he wanted to go to confess before service started."

"Confess? I doubt he did anything wrong."

"Same. Spirou just said he felt uneasy about the whole situation and wanted to clear his head before the battle. He hasn't been there in a year so it must really be eating him up." 

Seccotine looked back before drinking more by now lukewarm mint tea.

Fantasio rubbed his eyes and continued, "I tried assuring him we'll probably be fine with you around, being veteran and all, but I decided to drop him off just so he was one hundred percent sure about it too."

I would feel the same way too if I didn't see the info I saw, Seccotine thought, stomach cramping and mind flashing back to photos of a similar witch's damage.  She didn't feel hopeless, but she certainly also wasn't as cocky-confident as Fantasio seemed to be. This was definitely not going to be a quick or clean battle but a true "win or lose." Faking a smile, she nodded. "Of course. I've been around ten years for a reason! Don't you ever forget it! Too bad I forgot to get a bottle of champagne to celebrate when we're done. I guess we'll just have to get it later..."