"......" Rene was silent, as he saw that the food had disappeared pretty quickly.

'Hoo boy.' he thought.

He then looked at his wrap, of which he had only eaten about half, and then pushed it towards her.

"Here." he said.

"Give this one a try." he told her.

"And... you're still in school?" he asked.

"I'll admit, for one such as yourself... seeming to have no home, and being in your sort of condition... that's very impressive." he told her.

"Hm." Rene muttered.

"I can relate..." he said quietly, as Erica's second mocha arrived.

When the server left again, Rene sighed.

"Well, try the brownie." he told her.

"The ones they make here are quite decadent." he said.

He then pulled his wrap back towards him, and took another bite, flicking some to the cat, which gobbled it up quickly.

"Normal." he then muttered.

"Something people strive towards... but is impossible." he lamented, as he wistfully looked out the window at the worsening weather.

Rene looked back towards Erica when she said that.

"...seems you've had to grow up far quicker than is fair." he commented, her statement about 'what she was' not escaping his mind, but he decided not to bring it up now.

"But yeah, you're right." he went on.

"They say a person's reach should exceed their grasp, but... some things just shouldn't be beyond grasp." he sighed, looking back out the window.

As he did so, the feline crawled onto Erica's lap, and curled into a ball.

Rene looked at Erica as she said and did what she did.

"Hm?" he muttered.

"I believe I said I would also provide you with shelter for the night." he told her.

"I mean, look outside." he said, turning his head and looking at the heavier hail, which was starting to collect on the ground. "It's getting worse by the hour." he commented, as the wind howled.

"Don't tell me you have some place to go?" he then asked.

"Because, given how you seemed ready to hole up in that child's play structure in the park, I very much doubt that is the case." he then commented.

"Ah, yes." Rene replied.

"You mentioned you went to Angel Hearts." he remembered.

He then thought for a moment, seeming to mull things over in his mind.

"Hmmm..." he muttered, before taking out his phone, going into the map feature, and fiddling around with it some.

"Well, I live about a 45 minute walk from that school, actually." he told her, handing her his phone so she could see the location of his place more precisely.

"And a 5 minute walk from a bus that stops at that school." he said.

"If that helps any." he added.

Rene was silent for a moment, and scratched at his chin.

'Hmmm...' he thought.

'Maybe...' he thought further, before shaking his head.

"I just need to make a stop on the way back." he told her.

"Need to pick up a few things." he went on.

"Notably, some things like litter and such for the cat." he then specified further.

"Kind of." Rene replied.

"My original plan was to feed him and then... well, leave." he told her.

"However, with the weather worsening as it is, and with the fact he seems to have taken a liking to you, I very well can't NOT take him in." he chuckled.

"I have no idea for how long, but... well, I'm a sucker for animals, I guess." he added with a smile.

"But my place doesn't have the proper things for a pet." he told her further.

"So I need to make a quick stop to remedy that."

Rene just nodded.

"Yep." he said.

"Hm." he then mumbled, looking outside again.

"Perhaps we should consider leaving soon." he told her.

"If this keeps up, it'll be an outright storm." he reasoned.

Rene finished what was there, and nodded.

"Right." he said.

He then handed his coat, and the cat, back to her, and made his way to the front.

Once there, he ordered the house selection of baked goods, paid for them, and they all made their way back to the car. Once they were in, with the doors closed, he turned on the vehicle, and seemed to be thinking.

"...hmmm..." he mumbled.

"Yeah, I know where to stop." he said.

"Buckle up." he told her, as he started to pull away from the cafe.

"Hartferd's Pharmacy." Rene replied.

"They have everything there." he told her.

"Seriously. They may be a small, individual owned place, but they have a little of everything, and it's always good stuff." he said further, as they drove down the street.

"I frequent there a lot." he told her further.

"You want to come in with me, or wait in the car?" he asked.

"I'll only be a few minutes."