Convincing Confessions?

[Raffe]

They wandered. Moscow was a city that never really slept, the red light district in particular, but some hours were quieter than others. The neon lights and lurid holoscreens eventually faded to shop fronts. When Nox paused, it was a moment before Raffe realised why. Sadness tugged. Nova had meant more than just a dog, Raffe knew, and the loss was still raw. The memory of Nox’s tears was like a vise around his chest, tugging a frown to his brow. He let go of his hand to slip it around his waist instead. 

It seemed cruel to leave animals in a window like that, and he could not help but think of the orphanage. Some kids got homes. Most fell the whole way through the system, though, like Raffe himself.

“We weren’t allowed pets growing up,” he said. Even when his life became his own again, he’d bounced between jobs and apartments enough that it had never been a consideration. It was one of the reasons he kept plants, which were easy enough to tuck under an arm and didn’t chew a friend’s couch during the long hours of a nightshift.

“Nothing will ever replace him. But we could look if you wanted, when you’re ready.” He tugged his hand through his hair, grinned. “Carmen might kill you, but I’m sure I could talk her round.”