Impure - Chapter Twenty-Four (Patreon)

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Chapter Twenty-Four

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Rivi’s heart was so buoyant he practically floated down the hallway at Argos’s side. His bare fingers were twined through the coyote’s. His palm pad pressed to Argos’s, their gentle warmth shared the same way their lives now were. For the first time in Rivi’s entire life, he was a genuine part of someone else’s life, and someone else was part of his. The impossible was impossible no longer. Rivi had a boyfriend.

Rivi was someone’s boyfriend.

That single word echoed through his mind, again and again. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. We have a boyfriend, Rivi!

Mere weeks ago, Rivi never would have realistically ever imagined himself in such a relationship. He’d given up all such hopes and aspirations many years ago, on the day his father struck him simply for being impure. The day he warned his son that impurity could get him killed, and not even his father could always protect him. Rivi did everything in his power to bury that part of himself so deeply even he could never find it again.

His efforts were a failure, of course. The cheetah knew in his heart that he was impure. That he would always be impure. Rivi considered an aspect of great shame, something to be hidden away from the world. And to be apologized for, whenever even the tiniest little slip up made it past his tongue. To beg forgiveness for his thoughts, for his desires, and for who he truly was. He had never imagined meeting another person who would not only accept him openly, but also wish to be with him. After all, Rivi hardly considered himself prime boyfriend material, regardless of his preferences.

Even if he’d been wholly interested in females all his life, the cheetah doubted he’d have had much more luck or experience with relationships. He was a scrawny, insular, introverted little scholar who spent most of his days with his nose in books and a pen in his hand. When he did venture out into the sunlight, it was usually to view the world through the lens of a camera. He gave lectures primarily to other academics, and the religiously intellectual. Rivi spent little time in taverns or attending sporting events or other picture shows or other sorts of entertainment so popular with the rest of his generation. Even were impurity allowed in his homeland, Rivi found it doubtful he’d ever had stumbled his way into any sort of long term relationship. There was the lion in the bar, of course, but even had they not been pointed out to the vice police, Rivi suspected the lion would have eventually looked for someone more interesting.

And then, somehow, someway, Rivi found Argos.

More accurately, he supposed, Argos found him. That damn wolf would have left him broke and alone, at best. But Argos saved him. Rivi squeezed the coyote’s hand, smiling. He was starting to believe that the coyote had saved him in more ways than one. For day by day, conversation by conversation, smile by smile, Argos was saving him from himself.

Rivi had long floundered in a mire of shame and self-loathing. Year by lonely year, he sunk a little deeper, convinced himself a little more completely that his impurity was something shameful. That his soul was tainted. That he was like a disease, to be quarantined and kept away from the other felines, lest he infect them with his soul-corrupting illness. That he deserved all the pain and scorn heaped upon him in his youth. Eventually, that swamp was going to drown him.

But no more. Argos had grasped his hand, and pulled him to safety. Argos made him believe that he was not tainted. That there was nothing wrong with him. That he was not diseased, not corrupted. Argos helped him realize that he did not deserve to be hit, to be punished, simply for being impure. And little by little, Argos was convincing Rivi that he was not impure at all. That he simply was.

And now Argos, beautiful, open-hearted, gentle, kindly Argos, was his boyfriend.

“We left out terrifying, Rivi!” Rivi giggled to himself a little.

“You okay there, Spots?” Argos glanced over, a smile on his muzzle.

Rivi gulped, his ears back. “Y-yes.” He hadn’t meant to say that part aloud. But Argos, as usual, did not seem to care. So Rivi pressed himself to the coyote, hugging his arm as they walked. “Perfectly fine.”

“Good.” Argos licked one of his ears. “You’re gonna like this place, I think.”

Rivi shivered at the gentle affection. A little, doubting voice in his head screamed at him. Told him to stop holding the coyote’s hand in public. Stop cuddling his arm. Stop letting him lick your ears. Stop being so obscenely impure, let alone where everyone can see you. Rivi, for the first time in ages, found it far easier to ignore that voice entirely rather than listen to it.

He is terrifying though, Rivi.

That voice was a little harder to ignore. Then again, Rivi wasn’t sure he wanted to ignore that voice. The cheetah was well aware of his own naivety, but even he would be hard pressed not to acknowledge Argos’s darker side. Yet until that afternoon, Rivi had never witnessed it firsthand. Argos had menaced people before, but he’d never needed to make good on any of those threats until today. Watching him take down a lion nearly twice his size was both exhilarating and frightening. Everything turned in a split second. One moment Argos was warning the lion to stay away from Rivi, and the next, Argos literally held the lion’s life in his hands. Rivi could not help but wonder how far Argos might have gone, if Rivi himself had not been watching. Surely, Rivi thought, he would not have killed the lion.

Or would he?

Rivi was under no illusions that Argos had not taken lives before. And likely, not just a few of them. And yet, Rivi did not believe that inherently made Argos a bad person. After all, the felines had their own military and police agencies, and they sometimes were required to take lives, as well. Rivi likened Argos in a way to a soldier, fighting a war. That soldier might take countless lives in defense of his homeland, and each lost soul weighed heavily upon him. But their deaths, while tragic, did not necessarily make that soldier a bad person. It simply made him a soldier. There was a different, Rivi believed, between someone who killed in war, and someone who killed in anger. Or worse, for fun. Argos, he believed, was a soldier, not a murderer. Even if Argos himself seemed to wonder about that.

Everything is weighing on him lately. Iosa’s voice echoed through his head. The vixen had whispered to Rivi, while Argos first paced the cabin, snarling under his breath and ignoring their early attempts to calm him. The way his life has gone, the things we do. He bears the guilt like weight upon his chest, and it’s only getting heavier. He doesn’t sleep much, anymore. His body’s damn near unbreakable, but his mind…I’m worried about him, Rivi. I hate to ask this, but I can see where you two are headed. Will you help me take care of him?

Rivi whimpered, leaning his head against Argos. Poor Argos, he thought. Our poor, burdened coyote, Rivi. He’s not ours, Rivi. Yes, he is now! He’s our boyfriend! That makes him our coyote! Our poor, guilt-ridden coyote. He might be a killer, Rivi, but he can’t be a murderer. No one who killed for anger or cruelty would ever be so smothered by guilt.

Would they?

Rivi hugged Argos’s arm tighter. Surely, whenever Argos had taken lives in the past, he had good, clear, legitimate reasons for doing so. While he still wasn’t sure exactly what the Guild did, Rivi believed them to be some manner of secretive, elite, paramilitary police force. Argos and Iosa were likely sent to capture the worst, of the worst. The most dangerous criminals and terrorists and warlords the world had to offer weren’t likely to go peacefully, after all.

Right now, what mattered to Rivi was less the deeds Argos had done, and more the way they affected him. He knew well enough that police officers and soldiers forced to take lives often suffered long-term effects on their mental well-being. He could hardly imagine what someone like Argos must go through. If the coyote needed support, Rivi thought, then the cheetah would be his goddamn buttress.

Don’t blaspheme, Rivi. And surely we could come up with a more appropriate metaphor than buttress. Support structure? Scaffolding? Pillar? Oh, pillar of support would have been good, Rivi. Still, he is our boyfriend, so perhaps buttress would make for an appropriately tawdry double entendre. Oh, Rivi, that’s so crass! And now we’re just talking to ourselves. At least it’s all in our head, Rivi. Right? It is, isn’t it? I’m not even sure anymore. Let’s ask our boyfriend!

A happy little shudder ran through him at the very idea of having a boyfriend. “Argos?” Rivi’s skin prickled beneath his fur as he looked up at the coyote. “Am I talking out loud?”

The coyote flattened his ears, chuckling. “You are right now. At least, you just asked me a question. Nothing before that, though.”

“Oh, thank the Divines for that.” Rivi swished his tail against Argos’s. The feline half-wished his tail was prehensile enough to curl it around Argos’s. But while longer and slimmer than the coyote’s tail, it lacked the sort of flexibility and musculature required.

“I did hear a whimper, though.” Argos gave his hand a squeeze. “You sure everything’s alright, Spots?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Rivi idly stroked Argos’s back. “I’m just still a little overwhelmed, I think.”

“That’s understandable.” Argos lifted their twined hands. “You’re still okay with this? In public, I mean. If you’re more comfortable, I don’t mind if you put your gloves back on. Or even if we keep the affectionate stuff in private.”

The cheetah slowly shook his head. “No, Argos. I’ve spent far too long hiding who I am. And when I go home, I’ll have to do it all over again. While I’m here, with you…” He stared at their hands, then squeezed Argos’s. “I want to be here, with you.” The cheetah smiled, only for his grin to falter a little. “I’m sorry, I meant that emphatically, but perhaps it just sounded repetitive.”

“Nah, Spots. It sounded perfect.” Argos turned to curl his other arm around Rivi’s head, hugging the cheetah against his chest. Argos kissed the top of his head. “I just want you to be comfortable, that’s all.”

Rivi happily mewled into Argos’s chest, savoring his gentle affection. “Comfortable is a strong word, considering our public visibility right now. But I’m comfortable with you.” He lifted his eyes, glancing around. People walked in both directions down the wide hallway. Most of them ignored the couple entirely. A few smiled at them, a few more giggled. A couple gave them dirty looks or scowls that lasted only until they saw Argos glaring. Then they quickly looked elsewhere and hurried on. “I’m working on the rest of it.”

“Take your time, Spots.” Argos stroked the back of his head. “We should probably keep going, though. We’re already running late. We got a great excuse, though.”

Rivi nodded, easing away from Argos to resume walking along at his side. He did, however, continue to hold the coyote’s hand. “We do?”

“Absolutely.” Argos grinned. “We’re late because I was busy snuggling with you on the sofa.”

Rivi gave a joyous little laugh. “You know, I do believe you’re right. That is a good excuse.”

“I thought so.” Argos gently swung their hands as they resumed walking. “You know, I was thinking something similar, earlier. That for as long as we’ve got together, I want to spent as much time with you as I can. I wanna make the most of every damn moment I’ve got with you.”

“As do I.” Rivi smiled at the coyote, even as confused emotions roiled around inside him. As much as joy and jubilation filled him, sorrow lurked just around the corner. As soon as this voyage was over, Rivi had to say goodbye to the person he’d only just started falling in love with. The first person to ever truly accept him for who he was. The cheetah flattened his ears, looking away. “I just wish we had more such moments to come.”

Argos whined, his tail drooping and ears down. He pulled Rivi closer, hugging him with one arm. “I know, Spots. Me too. But that’s why we gotta make the goddamn most of this, right? Those are worries, and pains for another day. You and Iosa didn’t want me to think about that damn lion tonight, and I don’t want you to think about the end of this voyage. Tonight’s about beginnings, not endings. Right?” He gave Rivi’s muzzle a gentle kiss. “We might be meeting friends, but it’s still our first official date, and I want you to have a goddamn great time.”

A smile soon returned to Rivi’s muzzle. “I agree. There’s no sense in letting the pain in before we’ve even had time to bask in the happiness that precedes. So yes, try not to think about that stupid lion. Because I want you to have a blasphemously good time tonight, too. And every night we’re together. And then, after night after that, as well, because you deserve it.”

Argos chuckled, resuming his stroll down the corridor. He squeezed Rivi’s hand again. “So do you, Spots.” He glanced over, grinning. “I’ll take you somewhere romantic soon too, if you want. This place is nice, and I think you’re gonna enjoy it. But I’ll get us a private booth at a fancy restaurant, some wine, some candlelight, some music. All that fancy shit.”

Rivi giggled. “That does sound nice.” He swallowed, his tail tip idly flicking. “Never really imagined someone would want to do all that for me.”

“Well, someone does.” Argos playfully bumped against the cheetah as they walked together. “I know we ain’t got as much time together as we want, but I’m aimin’ to give you every goddamn happy relationship experience you deserve! From cuddling on the sofa, to watching the stars together, to fuckin’ drinking and dancing and…” He shrugged. “Look, if there’s anything you ever wished you’d get to do with someone, you just lemme know, and we’ll do it.” He held up his free hand. “And I ain’t even talking bedroom type stuff, either. Though, that sure as hell ain’t off the table. But, for example…”  Argos shrugged, his tail gently bumping Rivi’s. “You being so scholarly, if you ever thought it’d be nice to just sit with your boyfriend on the sofa, readin’ books and shit together, then I’m all for it.”

Rivi swallowed hard, his throat tightening slightly. He had, once, envisioned himself doing exactly that, and then wrote it off as a foolish fantasy. “I would like that, actually.”

“Then consider it done, Spots.” He glanced over, smirking. “Though I’m probably gonna read one of my magazines, unless it’s a specifically a book, in your mind.”

The cheetah laughed a little. “Read whatever you like.” He tilted his head, trying to recall what other simple activities he’d always hoped to share with someone. “We could do some kind of puzzle, together, perhaps?”

“Hell yeah to that, Spots.” Argos’s smile widened. “As long as you don’t mind my dumb ass holding us both back.”

“Firstly, don’t insult my boyfriend’s intelligence.” Rivi poked Argos’s nose. “Secondly, if you should have trouble, than surely I’d have difficulties, as well.”

“With that scholar’s brain?” Argos scrunched up his face. “Only if you faked it.”

Rivi poked the coyote’s nose a second time. “And you shall never know if I do.” He dropped his arm back down. “I enjoyed photographing the Fractures with you. I should love to have you accompany me all around the ship, on a photography tour of sorts. We could both take pictures of interesting things. And when we visit the Winged Isles, the two of us could go on an excursion to see the local landmarks.” Rivi grimaced, glancing down. “Though I’m certain you’ve already seen them all.”

Argos chuckled, lifting his voice a little to imitate Rivi. “You shall never know if I have.”

“Yes, yes,” Rivi said, his smile returning. “Very clever.”

“So, what else?” Argos led them through an intersection, turning onto a new corridor where more people lingered.

“I’m not sure. I’d love to wander around whatever book stores or libraries the ship, and the Winged Isles have to offer.” Rivi splayed an ear. “Though I can only imagine that would be terribly boring for you.”

“Nothing’s boring if you’re involved, Spots,” Argos said.

“I find that exceedingly hard to believe.” Rivi bumped his shoulder against Argos. “But I shall endeavor to come up with some activities you’d enjoy, as well. For example, I’d still enjoy seeing you show off at the shooting range. And I’d like to try skeet shooting with you. That sounds like fun.”

Argos nodded a few times. “Oh, absolutely. We can definitely do both. I’ll give you some pointers with the scatterguns, though hitting a moving target consistently may take you a lot more practice. And if you thought your arms were sore after the range, just wait till you’ve been firing a scattergun all morning.”

The cheetah winced, his tail flicking. “Yes, I recall my shoulder being quite uncomfortable for some time after my last attempt. Still, I think it sounds like fun.”

“Me too!” Argos turned down another large hallway, where the din of voices was louder still. “And there’s that dance down in steerage, that I think you’d enjoy. Hell, I think you’d get a kick out of steerage in general.” He smirked at the cheetah. “To visit, of course, not to stay. And in my company, just to be safe. Come to think of it…”

His ears slowly went back, concern etching itself across his face. “From now on, you probably shouldn’t be out on your own, at least until we know who that fucking lion is, and what he wants. Now, I ain’t gonna impose no restrictions on you, mind. Just a serious suggestion. Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t think you oughta be traveling the ship unless you got me with you. Or Iosa.”

Rivi scowled, his ears flat. “Yes, well…” He adjusted his spectacles. “You’re probably not wrong. I’ll be sure to get one of you to accompany me outside of extremely short trips and potential emergencies.”

The coyote’s expression darkened, and he gave a frustrated growl. “I’m sorry, Spots. I don’t wanna leave you all cooped up in the room if Iosa and I are both busy. I just don’t wanna risk those assholes stumbling across you when we’re not around.”

“It’s fine.” Rivi hugged Argos’s arm again. “I’ve got plenty of things to do in the room. I’m still far behind on my work for the Pilgrimage, for example. And I can always order room service if I’m hungry. And I thought we weren’t going to talk about that particularly unsavory character this evening?”

“Alright, alright,” Argos said. “I surrender. Change of subject, then. You ever been to any kind of dance before?”

The cheetah shook his head. “I have not. If we do attend the steerage event, I’m fearful I might make quite a fool of myself.”

Argos only chuckled. “Nah, a steerage dance is about as informal as you can get. It’s as much a big, open party as anything else. Half the people there are gonna be too drunk to notice your dancing, anyway. Now, if you wanted to go to a formal dance, the ship has those, too.”

A wistful smile drifted over the cheetah’s muzzle. “I’ve only ever experienced those through books, and radio serials. Mother and Father occasionally attended formal balls, but those were usually ministry or church affairs.” Rivi snorted. “I rather doubt they’d let us dance together, anyway.”

“Spots,” Argos said, leaning his head against Rivi’s. “I’d like to see them try to fuckin’ stop us.”

Rivi giggled. “Somehow, I don’t think even you would want to cause trouble for the ship and its staff. Besides, I don’t know the first thing about any sort of formal dancing, whatsoever.”

“Aw, it’s easy.” Argos turned towards him, gently grasping his other hand. He stepped a few paces sideways, forcing Rivi to follow him. “I could teach you the basics.” Then he guided Rivi back the other way, before circling a hand around his lower back. He eased Rivi forward, and gently turned him in a slow circle. “It’s easy.”

Rivi followed the coyote’s lead best he could, staring at him. “You know formal dancing?”

Argos lifted a hand, then spun beneath it, his tail brushing across Rivi in a way that made him shiver. “Seems that way, don’t it.” A few passersby playfully applauded when Argos released Rivi’s hand. He glanced at them, and then gave a mock bow. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week.”

Rivi tilted his head. “Why would you be in the hallway all week?”

“It’s a joke, Spots.” Argos ushered him back down the hall. “Anyway, I can teach you to dance, if you want. We could pick up some records from one of the ship’s stores, play them back in the room. Plenty of room in there for us to dance, all alone. Or…” Argos glanced over at him, an unusually wistful smile upon his muzzle. “We could go out on the balcony, at night, and dance under the stars.”

“That sounds…” Rivi swallowed, his throat tightening slightly. “Enchanting.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.” Argos pulled him closer again. “Speaking of which. Do me a favor. Close yours eyes a moment. There’s something up here I wanna surprise you with.”

Rivi flicked his ears back. The cheetah was uncomfortable walking with his eyes closed, though he knew Argos would keep him safe. “Very well, if you insist.”

“I do.” Argos held Rivi’s arm with one hand, and put the other hand on the small of the feline’s back. “Don’t worry, Spots. I got you.”

Rivi swallowed, glancing at Argos with what he hoped was a demure look, rather than one that said he might be suffering from a bout of constipation. “You certainly do.”

The cheetah closed his eyes, and allowed Argos to guide him down the hallway. His steps were slow and halting at first, and he groped about in the air with his free hand, just to ensure he didn’t bump into anything. But Argos guidance was exemplary, gentle, yet just firm enough to keep Rivi moving in the right direction, and prevent him from bumping into anyone, or anything. The clatter of voices grew steadily louder, but also oddly echoey. With every step, it sounded more and more like they were in some grand, cavernous hall, rather than airship corridor.

“Alright, Spots, there’s a railing up here.” Argos eased Rivi to a stop, then guided his hand until cool metal brushed Rivi’s pads. “Find it?”

“Yes.” Rivi curled his fingers around the railing. “I must say, it still feels very strange to be out in public without my gloves. Almost indecent. What if my hands brush someone else’s?”

Argos chuckled, guiding Rivi another step forward, towards the rail. “Then I guess you’ll both be going straight to hell, huh?”

The feline giggled, his ears flicking. “Oh, very funny. Can I open my eyes, yet?”

“Just about.” Argos gently eased his hands away from the cheetah. “You’re standing on a balcony though, so don’t be startled. Go ahead, open your eyes.”

Rivi nodded at Argos’s warning. He looked down first, and opened his eyes slowly. First, he stared at his own shoes. He’d selected more formal footwear for the evening, black leather shoes edged in gold, cobbled to fit a feline. Burnished brass posts rose up on either side of him, from the gold-carpeted floor. Rivi gradually lifted his eyes, over the ornate brass rail that spanned the posts, and hemmed in the edge of the balcony.

The cheetah gasped when he realized what lay beyond the balcony. If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn they’d somehow wandered into some rustic town’s charming, downtown main street. The balcony overlooked a grand, open-air atrium that was at least three decks deep, and wider than some entire airships he’d flown on. Elegant, spiral staircases with maroon carpets wound down on either side of him, with flights opening onto each deck. Glass-enclosed lifts operated beyond the stairs. Tiered, balcony style floors encircled a vast, open space, like grand stairways.

Rivi peered down towards the lowest deck. Tiled flooring imitated the cobbled streets of a quaint town’s shopping district. All the storefronts were done up like separate buildings, some of dark wood and others of red brick. At each end of atrium was a beautiful wooded area, an entire forest of towering trees and flowering plants growing from massive, diamond shaped planters. Streetlights lined the floor, and wooden benches sat beneath the trees. Other lights resembled old fashioned lanterns, hoping from poles and illuminating wooden signs calling out the names of shops and cafes.

Each deck above the lower floor continued the aesthetic, with walkways designed to look like old wooden bridges crisscrossing the atrium, and the topmost deck resembling the rooftops of old buildings. Grand skylights spanned it all, with clusters of lights filtering through it like cloudy sunlight. The whole thing stretched on for ages. Rivi was certain he’d traveled through villages that were smaller than this one shopping center. People teemed everywhere, wandering its walkways and streets, browsing its shops, eating in its cafes. Their myriad voices rose and echoed off the skylights, and down the lengthy avenues.

“This is…” Rivi’s jaw hung open. His tail swished several times before he could find words. “Incredible! I’ve never seen anything like this. Are you sure we’re still on an airship?”

“Last I checked, anyway.” Argos circled his arm around Rivi’s waist, gently pulling him close. “I was hoping you’d like it, Spots.”

Rivi eased up against the coyote, forcing himself to ignore all the little voices screaming at him not to be affectionate with another male, doubly so in public. “It’s absolutely unbelievable. I know people call this ship a city in the sky, sometimes, but…” His eyes wandered along the pathways down below. Some of them splintered off into smaller side streets, imitating alleys that passed beneath trees, and lead to additional shops and eateries. “I thought they just meant the size! I didn’t know part of it actually looked like a city.”

“This isn’t the only area like this, either.” Argos leaned forward, gazing down. “This one’s my favorite, though. I love the way the hall just spills out into this balcony, overlooking everything.”

“I can see why.” Rivi cuddled up against Argos’s side, allowing the beautiful, mesmerizing sights to help him focus on something other than his nervousness, and the scorn he was certain everyone around him must have felt for his brazen display of impurity. “Does this place have a name?”

“This one’s just called Old Town.” Argos pointed up at the skylights. “They got a whole host of different lights up there, that they use to imitate different times of day, weather conditions, and so on. If you come here at noon, the big cluster lights up, like the sun. If you’re here in the middle of the night, they turn off the big lights, and just shine lots of tiny ones, like stars.”

Rivi gave a happy little murmur. “Oh, that sounds beautiful.”

“It is.” Argos gestured towards an oversized street light, designed to look like an immense, old-fashioned lantern. A busy patio beyond it hemmed in a cozy looking building with dark wooden beams, and deep green eaves overhanging its windows. “That’s where we’re meeting Iosa and Calix. The Brass Lantern. Good place, I think you’ll like it.”

Rivi glanced up at Argos, offering him a playful smile. “Well, you’ll be there, so I’m certain I shall.”

The coyote grinned, kissing Rivi between his ears, heedless of who was around. “Another night, when I take you out somewhere romantic, we might come back here.” He lifted a hand and pointed to the far end of the top deck. A crimson-painted archway led to a secluded looking door, golden-hued against a black wall. Red butterflies decorated the wall. “The Vermillion, it’s called. Very nice, very quiet, compared to some of the others. Or…” He turned Rivi’s attention towards one of the small, winding alleyways at the edge of the deck. The path snaked under several towering trees, towards a pair of large, artificial, indigo-hued mushrooms, up against a wall. Vines and others plants crawled across the wall. Another doorway sat between them. “Lost Forest is also really nice. Real cozy, and private.”

Rivi licked his nose. “That certainly sounds appropriate.”

“Yeah, we’ll figure it out.” Argos gently nosed at one of his ears. “There’s some other great spots too, in different parts of the ship. I’ll come up with some good options, and see what you think.”

“I think,” Rivi said, smiling. “That you’re a far better judge of what’s romantic than I. Not to mention what’s…” He grimaced slightly. “Safe. For us to be romantic, I mean.”

Argos tightened his grip around Rivi’s waist, ever so slightly. “Everywhere is safe, when you’re with me, Spots. Ain’t no one gonna lay so much as a single finger on you without gettin’ through me.” He grunted, his ears back. “And I’d like to think there ain’t no one on this ship capable of doing that.”

Rivi leaned his head against Argos’s muzzle, a smile returning to his muzzle. He wasn’t sure how much of that was truth, and how much ego, but he liked the idea, just the same. “Even so, I’m sure there are some places we’d feel more comfortable than others. Or at least, I would.”

“Fair enough, Spots.” Argos held him for a moment, then gave one of his ears a gentle lick. “Shall we go join Iosa and Calix? Or you wanna just stay here and enjoy the view all night?”

“A shame we can’t do both.” Rivi slowly pulled away from the coyote, only to twine his fingers through Argos’s once more. “Lead the way.”

Rivi followed along at the coyote’s side as Argos walked to one of the glass elevators. They were a small line, but the people in it paid them little attention. A few well-dressed couples glanced their way, and then looked away again. Rivi swallowed, easing closer to Argos. Even in their short look, the cheetah felt their contempt, like embers smoldering just under his fur. And yet, they talked and laughed about silly little subjects unrelated to he and Argos. Rivi wondered if they were truly scornful of him at all, or if it was all in his head. A lifetime of being told his desires were shameful, that he was shameful, left the cheetah unsure where the line was drawn. Maybe they didn’t care. Rivi looked up at Argos. When Argos only smiled at him, instead of snarling at the other people, Rivi was all the more certain it was just in his head.

“If Argos isn’t angry, then we’re only imagining it, Rivi.” He took a slow breath to steady himself. The coyote squeezed his hand, but did not otherwise acknowledge that he was speaking aloud again. “Just because we feel like they’re staring at us, that they’re revolted by us, doesn’t always mean they are.”

Soon, the line moved forward, and they boarded the lift. The operator here was a gnoll, in a well tailored red and silver uniform. He greeted everyone as the doors closed. They were aboard with a few other couples including a human pair and a wolf and fox, along with a group of four kobolds. They glanced at Rivi and Argos, looked their entwined fingers, and then looked away, continuing their own conversations. Rivi took a slow, deep breath, trying to keep his heart steady. Some of his inner voices hissed at him, told him that they were all so disgusted they couldn’t even look at him.

No, Rivi, he told himself. It’s not that. They just don’t care. Not everyone believes as the Church does.

As the lift descended, Rivi pushed himself up against the glass window. His stomach lurched with the motion. Watching the world move and the ground rise towards them somehow much the sensations of movement both more disconcerting and more exhilarating. He tilted his head back, staring at the skylights above through the lift’s glass walls. They paused on the first floor, and a few people got out while others entered. Then they descended again. Rivi’s belly churned a little more, and yet watching the trees and pathways below growing nearer and nearer enthralled him.

“This glass lift is incredible, Argos.” He tightened his grip against the coyote’s hand. “I’ve never seen anything like it! I shall absolutely have to write about this.”

“Sure thing, Spots.” Argos brushed his thumb across Rivi’s fingers. “We can come back here sometime with your press pass, and you can get all kinds of interesting photographs.”

“Oh, yes!” Rivi smiled, flicking his tail. “That would be wonderful.”

Eventually, the lift reached the lowest floor. The doors opened, and another gnoll beckoned everyone out, pointing towards the right. To the left, a line of people stretched down the path, waiting to enter the lift. Argos and Rivi were the last to leave, and Argos released Rivi’s hand to fetch his billfold. He passed both gnolls a bank note, and thanked them for helping everyone out. Both workers seemed pleasantly surprised by the gesture.

Rivi smiled as they walked down the tiled pathway. “You’re so kind and generous, Argos.”

The coyote only shrugged. “They gotta deal with a lotta shit, and a lotta ungrateful assholes, every single day. Least I can do is try and be a bright spot in their day.”

“Exactly as I said.” Rivi rubbed Argos’s back. “Kind, and generous.”

Argos chuckled. “I have my moments. I gotta try and balance all the bad shit I do with something nicer, after all.”

Rivi decided against arguing that with Argos. The last thing he wanted to do was say the wrong thing, and send Argos spiraling down into the darkness lurking in his head. Rivi wanted this evening to be a relaxing, pleasant one for both of them. Instead, he took Argos’s hand again, cradling it in his own, and leaning slightly up against the coyote as they strolled along. Despite all the people present, the pathways were wide enough and numerous enough that they did not feel too crowded. They strolled beneath towering trees with broad, deep emerald leaves. Long, snaking vines with bright blue and yellow blossoms ran between some of the tree trunks. Others smothered arched trellises that crossed the pathway. Brushes with vibrant, crimson flowers grew from other planters amidst the artificial forest. Little signs named the plants, yet most were species Rivi was unfamiliar with, anyway. Just the same, the cheetah marveled at the very idea of strolling beneath a living canopy and savoring the sweet fragrance of flowers while aboard a flying ship, far, far from land.

“This is honestly quite unbelievable.” Rivi tilted his head back. Lamplight glittered from silver fixtures hanging above the trellises. “We don’t have anything like this back home.”

“Not many people do,” Argos said, looking around. “This is pretty special. They got another place they call The Garden. Part of it’s exactly what the name implies, and the ship grows crops for the restaurants and things there. But they also got an even bigger forest than this one. And another shopping district.” Argos scratched at one of his ears. “I hope they got enough water for all their trees. The rationing ain’t gonna be easy on them, either.”

Rivi scrunched his face. “I hadn’t considered that. I do hope they’ve brought in drought tolerant plants. Or at least have a gardener who knows how to stretch a small amount of water as far as possible. Come to think of it…” Rivi paused, tilting his head back to stare up into the canopy of one of the trees. “This ship’s not all that old, right? They must have brought in fully mature trees. Or…” He flicked his tail a few times. “Perhaps they planted them while it was still under construction, and kept them going while the rest of the ship was completed around them? And how do they ensure they get enough light? Are the timed lights you mentioned specialized for growing plants?”

“Hell if I know, Spots.” Argos walked on when Rivi was ready. “It’s awful pretty, though.”

Soon, they emerged from the forest grown in planters onto the main lane through the shopping district. The tiles that lined the floor were smoother and flatter than real cobblestone, but still gave the visual appearance of a stone paved street. Rivi imagined them to be far lighter than actual cobblestone, a factor that was surely of importance when designing a flying ship.

He scarcely dared consider how much the trees must weigh. The cheetah found himself thankful that the captain had removed all the statues to increase their weight allowance, rather than the trees and plants. Statues could be recovered later, but he doubted their living decorations would have been so lucky. Plus, the trees were more useful for crowded areas, given their oxygen production capabilities. Then again, Rivi did not think there were quite enough of them for that to be truly useful.

Rivi gazed all around as they walked the lane. Now that they were on the atrium’s lowest deck, the impression of wandering through some quaint, downtown shopping district was even stronger. Wooden buildings rose up all around him. Lamplight shone in glass-paned windows. Benches sat beneath additional trees. Curved streetlights in tinted glass shone gentle, orange light, mimicking old gas lamps. Gone was the brightly illuminated signage of the upper decks, and the vibrant, neon lettering above restaurants and shops in some of the other common use areas. Wooden signs, hand carved and painted, hung in front of every storefront. Diners sat in fenced in patios alongside cozy taverns. A few street vendors hawked wares and treats from seemingly make-shift stalls.

Logically, Rivi knew it was all artificial. The buildings were most likely thin wooden veneers over lighter materials. The lamps were electric, like everything else. The street vendor stalls were permanent installations, staffed by the ships crew. And yet, the effect remained absolutely magical. If not for the faint, ever-present vibration beneath his feet, Rivi almost could have imagined himself in some beautiful little downtown.

“This place is wonderful, Argos!” Rivi hugged the coyote’s arm.

Argos smiled at him, nosing one of his ears. “I’m glad to hear, Spots. I thought it was pretty special, too. The other big Black Star intercontinental ships have this kinda stuff too, but nothing on this scale. There’s some pretty good shops here, too. In fact, one of the record shops I was thinking of going to is down here. They’ve probably got the best overall selection. There’s a place down in steerage too, has all kinds of used rarities.”

“I can only imagine you’re a better judge of music than I.” Rivi returned to holding Argos’s hand as they walked. His eyes wandered from shop to shop. He spotted a place to buy fashionable clothing, and decided to return there later with the coyote. “We mostly just got music from our own people. And that to have the Church’s approval before it could be released to the public. And they could be…” He scrunched his nose. “Finicky. Anything anti-Church is banned, of course. But so are some of the angry genres, or anything anti-establishment in general.”

Argos gave a little bark of laughter. “I’ll try to ease you into real music gently. Now…” He held up his free hand. “Our tastes may very well not align, and that’s fine. I’ll pick up some good records for formal dancing, and then I’ll grab a variety of things I think you oughta experience.”

Rivi smiled at the idea. “Oh, I’d like to hear all of it! Even if I find myself despising it, I shall enjoy the experience of having listened to something I wouldn’t even be allowed to hear back home.”

“Got it.” Argos grinned at him. “Pick up something dissonant, and something written about being in The Club.”

Rivi tilted his head. “They write songs about that? They must be written in heavy metaphor.”

The coyote shrugged. “Some of them. I’ll see if they have a copy of Love Songs for the Unfortunate.” Argos flicked an ear back. “It’s a brilliant album. Definitely would not have passed your Church’s censors.”

The cheetah only smiled. “Then I should like to hear it!”

“Yeah.” Argos glanced over at him. “Do they let you listen to sad music?”

“Depends on the subject matter. For example…” Rivi gestured with his other hand. “A song about your loved one being sent to the firing squad. If it was a patriotic song about a feline soldier executed by an enemy nation, and the sorrow of his widowed wife, that would be allowed. If it was about some feline wrongfully executed by the church, then no, that would likely not pass muster.”

“Kinda what I thought,” Argos said. “Well, Love Songs for the Unfortunate would be banned, for sure. It’s the sort of music that’s both achingly beautiful, and painfully sad. Especially for people like us. The singer’s a feline who’s in the club, and part of it’s about his experiences having to hide that, in his youth. There’s a lotta stuff like…” Argos cleared his throat, shifting into a slightly higher register, softly singing a few drawn-out words at a time. “We love…like you. But we can’t…live… like you.”

Rivi whimpered, his ears flat. “That sounds like it would make me cry.”

“It might.” Argos licked his nose, glancing away. “Makes me cry, now and then. But, luckily for you…” He turned his gaze back to the cheetah. “I got a big old shoulder for you to cry.”

“That you do.” Rivi pressed up against Argos’s side. “I look forward to hearing it with you, even if we both end up sobbing.”

“I think you’ll like it.” Argos released Rivi’s hand, only to circle his arm around the cheetah, and hold him close. “And trust me, it sounds way better when he sings it. I butchered it.”

“Oh, you sounded fine.” Rivi swatted at the coyote as they ambled along. He focused on Argos, and on their beautiful surroundings, ignoring any of the odd looks they got for their open affections. “You said the singer is a feline? Did he flee from the Church, or something?”

“Not exactly. I think he’s from one of your people’s old colony states, though.” Argos shrugged. “Got the hell outta there as soon as he could. He doesn’t give a lot of interviews, and live performances are mostly about the music. Sometimes it’s kinda hard to tell how much of the songs are the truth, and how much are fiction. He lives in one of the human cities, now. He’s shacked up with a wolf, these days. There was this music magazine that put a picture of him and his wolf kissing on the cover. It was pretty controversial. Buncha religious groups tried to get the magazine boycotted, or shut down.” Argos smirked. “Backfired, though. Even more people went out and bought copies to see what all the fuss was about.”

Rivi giggled. “I’m heartened to hear that. You’re right, though. None of that would be allowed back home. And he certainly wouldn’t be allowed to travel home to perform.” The cheetah tilted his head. “If he’s been featured in music magazines, he must be doing quite well.”

“He does alright, I imagine.” Argos swished his tail as they walked, bumping it against Rivi. “He’s not a superstar, or anything, but he’s got a lot of respect in the music industry. Sort of a cult following. Makes enough to live comfortably and keep making music. He actually put out a few really successful albums before he released Love Songs for the Unfortunate. It was where he came out and admitted to being in the Club. People thought it was gonna be career suicide for him, but…” The coyote grinned. “Just like that magazine, the more people heard about how sinful or whatever it was, the more they wanted to see what was so bad about it. Turned out, it was just a sad feline making really beautiful music about being mistreated. Now, it’s considered his classic album.”

Rivi smiled at the coyote. “I’m starting to think you know as much about music as you do about firearms.”

Argos barked canine laughter again. “Hardly. Music’s just a minor passion of mine. I’m excited to get to share some of it, with you, though you’re probably gonna hate some of what I love.” He smirked, his ears perked. “And again, that’s totally okay. Iosa sure as hell does.”

The cheetah blinked. “Iosa hates the music you enjoy?”

“Some of it. We agree plenty on lots of music, but not on all of it.” Argos looked the coyote over. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess you ain’t never heard Acid Star. The album, or the song.”

Rivi shook his head. “I cannot say I have. Is that also a sad love song?”

“Nope.” Argos shook his head. “Acid Star is an instrumental album, by a group called The Collapse. The title track’s my favorite song on that album. It’s really dissonant, off-kilter, high tempo, time-shifting stuff. Drums, brass, strings. It’s a little too wild for most people. I fuckin’ love it, though. Used to put it on right before sparring sessions, or to get my head right for a mission.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard music described that way.” Rivi scratched at his ear. “I’d be fascinated to hear it, though.”

“I’ll see if any of the ship’s record shops have a copy.” Argos led Rivi across the lane, towards the giant, overhanging brass lantern that illuminated pathway to their destination. “It blew a lotta people’s minds, when it released. Kinda redefined what that group of instruments is capable of. Nowadays it’s the sort of thing a lot of musicians aspire to learn to play properly, just to say they can do it.”

Rivi’s tail flicked a few times. “It must be quite enthralling.”

“It is.” Argos chuckled. “At least to me. I think most people usually end up loving it, or hating it. If you hear it once, and you don’t hate it, there’s a good chance it’ll grow on you till you fall in love. Iosa can’t stand it. She says it sounds like the band’s just throwing all their instruments down a long staircase.”

The cheetah giggled. “Well, if nothing else, I don’t think I’ve ever heard music like that. Perhaps tomorrow we could spend the day wandering some of the ship’s record stores and book shops?”

“That sounds lovely, Spots.” Argos guided Rivi past the immense, decorative lantern, towards the front doors of the establishment. “It’ll give your arm time to finish feeling better before we go abuse your shoulder with scatterguns in another couple days.”

“Ah, yes, the cycle of discomfort.” Rivi rubbed his shoulder. “As soon as I finally feel fully recovered from one shooting session, I injure myself in another.”

“Let’s hope there ain’t no real injuries, huh?” Argos grinned. “If you go shootin’ with me often enough, you’ll get used to it. After enough practice, your arms don’t hurt anymore.”

Rivi nodded as they passed under the immense light fixture. Just beyond it was a seemingly free-standing building, hemmed in with a few more trees in planters. The structure was done in dark, crisscrossing wooden beams. Deep green eaves overhung its leaded paned windows. A narrow pathway led to a single, equally green door edged in gold at the front of the restaurant. Argos grasped the brass handle, and pulled the door open for Rivi. Warm light, buzzing voices, happy laughter, and delightful aromas wafted from it in equal measure.

“After you, my dear.” Argos held the door open.

A happy shiver racked the cheetah at the affectionate moniker. He brushed his fingers across Argos’s arm as he walked inside. “Thank you, b-boyfriend.”

“Welcome.” Argos smiled, following the cheetah inside.

Argos put his arm around Rivi’s shoulders, and led him down a short, narrow corridor accented with several shining brass lamps. Unlike the gargantuan one crafted to serve as the restaurant’s sign, these were vintage. From the look of them, they were arranged down the hall from the oldest to the newest. Some once bore candles, with mirrored glass in an elegant brass housing. Others burned oil, while the most recent were electric lamps made to imitate the look of the older lanterns. At the end of the hall, it opened into a larger room. A human in a black and green uniform stood behind a pedestal with a book of reservations upon it.

“Greetings, Sirs,” the human said with a friendly smile. “Do you have a reservation this evening? Otherwise, I’m afraid the main restaurant is fully booked. We do, however, have open space in the bar, if you like.”

“Hi there,” Argos said. “We’re actually meeting the other half of our party. The reservation was under Iosa. I think they’re already here.”

“Ah, yes!” The human scanned his book for confirmation, tapping it. “They are indeed. If you’ll follow me, please, I’ll take you to your table.”

Rivi followed along at Argos’s side as the attendant led them through the restaurant. It was a cozy place, with an interior designed taverns of old, mingling with modern touches. Arched beams painted black spanned the low ceiling. Stools lined a long bar. Light fixtures in the shape of lanterns glowed with warm, yellowy light. More lanterns in miniature form decorated each of the dark wood tables. Servers in old-fashioned uniforms bustled about, carrying drinks and meals. The only thing missing, Rivi thought, was a hearth with a roaring fire. Somehow he doubted the ship’s safety regulations would allow it.

Iosa and her brother Calix were seated in a semi-enclosed booth. A plush, U-shaped cushion encircled a long, dark wood table. As Rivi and Argos approached, servers were busy sweeping up empty plates and bringing fresh drinks. The foxes were laughing together, as Calix snatched the last bite of food from one of the plates, just before it was whisked away.

The attendant waved at the table, then stepped aside with a smile. “Here you are, Sirs. Please enjoy your evening.”

“There you two are,” Iosa said, glancing up with a smile. “We were starting to wonder if you’d decided to ditch us and spend the evening alone. Not that we’d have blamed you.”

“Yeah,” Calix said, grinning. “If I had a chance to get laid instead of hanging out with me, I’d take it, too.”

Rivi’s ears flushed hot, and flattened back. Yet the cheetah refused to let himself be too flustered by a dirty joke, especially one rooted in Calix’s easy acceptance of his impurity. He forced himself to smile back at the two foxes, his tail swishing. “Oh, I’m certain your company is nearly as enjoyable as sexual intercourse.”

Argos clenched his jaw, struggling to hold back laughter. “Good effort, Spots.” He gestured at the booth. “You wanna sit down first? If you don’t mind, Iosa and I like sitting on the outside ends of booths, just in case we gotta spring into action.”

Calix popped something breaded into his muzzle. “Yeah, they gotta be ready to go yell at the chef if he fucks up our order.”

Rivi continued smiling, glancing between Argos and the others. “I’m happy to let you sit wherever you like. Although…” He swallowed, glancing down at his shoes. “A rather foolish idea occurs to me. I know we’ve all met before, technically speaking. But, I wonder if…” He slowly lifted his gaze up to Argos. “It’s just that…” Rivi grunted, looking away. “That’s a foolish idea, Rivi. We shouldn’t even suggest it.”

“Still doing that talking to yourself thing, huh?” Calix leaned over the table, towards the coyote and cheetah. “Well, listen here, Cat. Ain’t no good idea ever been spoken that someone didn’t think was dumb as hell. Besides, I, for one…” He tapped his thumb against his chest. “Am full of dumb ideas, and these two still tolerate me. And Captain Punch-A-Lot there’s staring at you like you’re the sun in his fuckin’ sky. So, whatever you got simmering in that mixed up cat brain, I say you spit it out.”

Iosa gave a mock sigh. “Eloquent as always.”

“Yup.” Calix leaned back in the booth, his hands behind his head. “They don’t call me a poet, for nothin’.”

Iosa stared at him. “Literally no one has ever called you that.”

Argos squeezed Rivi against him. “What’s the idea, Spots?”

“I just thought, maybe you could…” Rivi’s eyes darted between the two foxes. Even with Calix’s seeming approval, he still felt awkward suggesting his idea out loud, in front of them. He stood on his toes, whispering it into Argos’s ear, instead. “If you don’t mind, or, think it’s too sappy. I’ve just never been introduced that way.”

Argos nosed at Rivi’s ear, whispering back. “I got you, Spots.” Then he stepped away from the cheetah, and closer to the table. “Iosa, Calix, a pleasure to see you both. Please allow me to introduce you to The Wandering Scholar, Rivimiralous.” He swept his hand towards the cheetah in a grand, showy gesture. “Rivi, for short. And Rivi…” A smile parted the coyote’s muzzle. “Is my boyfriend.”

Those simply words sent a happy shiver through the cheetah. Musical, mewling feline giggles erupted from him before he could stop himself. He bounced on his toes, then snatched up Argos’s hand in both of his, bereft of gloves. Excitement bubbled in his voice. “I’m his boyfriend! We’re boyfriends!”

Calix stared up at the two of them, blinking a few times. “Yeah, we know. So what was your idea?” Then he grunted when Iosa elbowed him in the ribs. “Ow! Oh, right…” He rubbed himself, but grinned at the feline. “This is a big deal for you, right?” He stood up, brushing crumbs from his red and silver shirt. “Well, congratulations then. It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Mister, uh…” He scrunched his muzzle. “I’m just gonna go with Rivi.” Then he held his hand out, only to pause. “Oh, wait, you cats don’t do that, right?” Instead, he offered a stiff bow, then sat back down. “Anyway, you picked a good one. Argos here’ll take great care of you. And any relationship of his is a friend of mine. So sit down, I’ll buy you a drink.” Calix shot his sister a glare. “And not just cause she told me I gotta.”

Iosa stared at him for a moment. “You’re a lot, right now.” Then she turned her attention back to Rivi and Argos. “He’s right about congratulations being in order, however. For making this…” She gestured between them. “Official. So, congrats. Especially to you, Rivi. I know this is a big moment, for you.”

“Big?” Rivi chuckled to himself as he settled into the booth. He slid in to make room for Argos. “It’s monumental, really.”

As Rivi slid across the padded seat, he took a moment to look the two foxes over. Iosa had, in fact, changed her clothes from earlier in the day. She now wore an elegant silver dress, with a hint of a sparkle to it, and black triangles around the collar, and sleeves. Calix wore a long sleeved shirt in deep crimson, and with black buttons done up the front of it. Though it was hard to tell while seated, Calix appeared slightly shorter than Iosa. His fur was roughly the same measure of gray to rusty red as his sister. Ashen hues marked his face and muzzle, while reddish fur covered his ears, and stretched across his hands. Black marks ran from the inside of his eyes, to the back of his muzzle, not unlike a broader version of Rivi’s own tear streaks.

Argos scooted in next to Rivi, patting the cheetah’s hand. “This is a major life event for Rivi, here. One of the biggest, and most difficult decisions he’s ever made. And…” He turned his head to kiss Rivi’s cheek. “I’m very proud of him for making it.”

Rivi murmured, tilting his head into the coyote’s muzzle. “I wouldn’t have the courage to do so, without the acceptance you’ve shown me.”

“This is your first time gettin’ to date whoever you choose, right?” Calix folded his arms. “Seems pretty stupid to me that the Cat Church won’t just let you fuck who you fancy.”

“Yes, well…” Rivi rubbed his ungloved hands together. “That’s one way to put it.”

Iosa passed menus for food and drink across the table. “You’ll have to excuse my dumbass brother’s foul tongue. He’s not used to spending time with civilized people.”

“Oh, hah hah, Iosa, hilarious.” Calix glared at her. “I don’t swear half as much as the cat’s boyfriend does. I’m sure he’s used to it by now.”

Rivi giggled to himself. “I am growing increasingly adjusted to foul language, yes. Though technically speaking, you were the first person here I heard using it so freely.”

Calix blinked. “You ain’t never heard no one swear before?”

The cheetah scrunched his muzzle. “Of course I had. I just meant, out of our current group. You were swearing up quite the storm while you were standing behind me in line.”

“Yeah, that sounds like me.” Calix scratched the thick gray fur around his neck. “Sorry for leaving you stuck with my suitcase, by the way. Took me forever to find the pisser, and then there was this huge line.” The fox snorted, his ears splayed. “And then, about three dozen wolves jumped me!”

Iosa gave another put-upon sigh. “There weren’t dozens of them.”

Calix only shrugged. “Alright, so a dozen.”

The vixen shook her head, trying not to laugh. “There were five, Calix.”

The fox picked up his fresh mug of ale. “Five’s still a lot! Especially when they’re twice my size!” He took a long drink, and set the mug back down. “Anyway, I woulda come back for my stuff, but I got arrested for kicking five wolves’ asses. And I was just defending myself!”

Iosa stared at him. “No, you were arrested for punching that gnoll security officer in the nose, when he was trying to break up the fight.”

Calix rubbed one of his rust-hued ears. “Thought he was another wolf. I was in the moment, yanno? Kickin’ ass, takin’ names…” He smirked at Rivi. “Mostly the first one.”

“So, I’ve heard.” Rivi grinned at the gray fox. “You’re lucky you know how to fight! If a bunch of people tried to beat me up, I’d probably just curl up into a ball and wait for it to be over.”

“Oh, no.” Argos gently lifted Rivi’s hand in his own. “Anyone tries to hurt you, Spots, you use these.” He tapped his fingertips. “You got knives in your fingers already, right?”

Rivi unsheathed his claws to their full extension. They were slightly curved, and ever so sharp. Their off-white color looked yellowly in the electric lamplight. “I suppose I do, yes.”

“Ooh, finger knives!” Calix leaned over the table. “Neat! I wish I had those. Vulpine claws ain’t exactly great for fighting.” He lifted his own hand, spreading his fingers near Rivi’s to show off his own dull, gray claws. “Mine’ll scratch you up, I guess, but yours look like they could cut throats!”

Rivi blinked, then chuckled to himself. “I certainly hope I never have need to find out if that’s true, or not.”

As the feline and vulpine compared their claws, Argos gently pushed Calix’s hand a little further back. “No touching Rivi’s pads. That’s a feline no-no.”

Rivi flashed him a smile. “Thank you, Argos.”

Calix pulled his hand away, his ears back. “It is? But you just touched ‘em like five seconds ago.”

“Argos is allowed,” Rivi said, still holding his hand up. A sheepish smile stretched across his muzzle. “But only Argos.”

The coyote circled a finger around Rivi’s gray palm, and then again around his fingertips. “These are off-limits for casual acquaintances and strangers. That’s part of the reason they wear gloves in public. But, for close family, or…” He smirked. “Lovers. Then they’re allowed. Especially lovers. It’s an intimacy thing for them.” Argos glanced at Rivi. “That about right?”

“You summed it up well, yes.” Rivi slowly retracted his claws. “And because they ensure we keep our claws sheathed. Showing one’s claws can be considered quite aggressive, or threatening. For example…” He glanced at Argos, and then glowered at Calix for a moment. Rivi suddenly leaned forward and slapped his hand down against the table, his claws back out in an instant. He forced a growl into his voice. “You owe me a beer, fox!”

Calix jumped in his seat, his eyes widening. He swallowed, eyes fixed on the cheetah’s claws. “Oh, yeah, uh…” He gulped a second time. “I can see how that would be threatening.”

Rivi retracted his claws, and eased back into his seat. “I hope that wasn’t too aggressive. I was only trying to demonstrate.”

Calix held his hands up, grinning. “Effectively demonstrated, then.”

Argos nudged Rivi with an elbow. “That was pretty good, Spots.”

“You know, Argos,” Iosa said. “I can think of a few interrogations we had to conduct where claws like that would have been awful useful.”

The coyote shrugged. “We manage.”

Iosa lifted her hand. “Yes, but just consider…” She mimed slowly removing a glove in front of Argos’s face. Then, in a blink, she grasped him over the base of his muzzle, a few finger tips perilously near his eyes. “You do like your eyes, don’t you?” She tapped a dull, vulpine claw against the coyote’s face a few times, just below one of his eyes. “Imagine this with feline claws!”

Argos jerked his head out of her grip, batting her hand away. “It’s creepy enough with fox claws.” He laughed, turning his attention to the feline. “Besides, I already told Spots I envied his claws. They’re be great in a fight.”

Rivi leaned against the coyote, giggling to himself. “They seemed to get your attention in other ways, too.”

Iosa lifted a single ear. “Oh?” A smirk crept across her muzzle. “Do tell.”

Argos cleared his throat with a stuttering growl. “Oh, hey Rivi, why don’t you take a look at that menu, and figure out what you want?” He picked up his own menu, intently studying it.

The vixen laughed, sinking back into her seat. “That tells me more than an actual answer, anyway.”

Rivi smiled, deciding to keep the rest of the details to himself. “I noticed you two had just finished eating when we arrived. I’m sorry we’re so late.” He scanned the menu, and found that almost everything looked delicious. “Do you have any recommendations?”

“We’d hardly finished,” Iosa said, glancing back down at her own menu. “Calix and I were thinking we might just split a bunch of things between everyone. But if you’d rather order entrees for yourself, that’s fine too.”

Rivi lifted his eyes, smiling over the menu. “That sounds quite nice, actually. What did you already have, and is it worth having again?”

“They got three kinds of fried cheese bites, that each come with their own sauce.” Calix leaned over and pointed to it on the menu. “Those were great. We also had some mixed shellfish, those were more Iosa’s thing than mine.”

The vixen chuckled. “Yes, so far I mostly ate the shellfish and he mostly ate the cheese. I’d be happy to get more of those for you two. But I think anything you see that looks good, you should order. If no one else ends up liking it, more for you. There’s no hurry, by the way. I told the servers we’d wave for them, whenever we were ready for the next round of orders.”

“And don’t forget you gotta get a beer. Or a cocktail, or whatever.” Calix patted the drinks menu. “Mostly so I can buy it for you.”

“Perhaps I should figure that out, first.” Rivi swapped his dinner menu for the list of drinks. “As I trust Argos to order good things, and he probably already knows what he wants to drink.”

“Pretty sure I got that covered, yeah. But, it never hurts to look at a list.” Argos picked up the second drink menu. “Uh oh, Spots. They got that Imperial Lager you liked so much.”

Rivi giggled, his ears back. “Oh, Divines help me. I’ll end up draped over your lap again! And in public this time.”

Iosa rested her muzzle against her palm, her elbow on the table. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

Rivi shook his head. “Only a small one. Argos and I were looking at some of my travel photos, and I was enjoying a few lagers. Only, as it turned out, they were double strength. A fact we only realized after I ended up stretched out across the poor coyote.”

“Oh, yeah,” Calix said. “I’m sure he was real broken up about having the cat he’s crushing on sprawled out across him. If you felt anything solid poking you, it wasn’t his gun.”

Rivi gave another mewling giggle, burying his face in the menu. “If he had that particular issue, I fear I was too inebriated to notice.”

Argos held his hands up. “I was a perfect gentlemen, thank you very much.”

Iosa sipped her strawberry-hued cocktail. “Guess there’s a first time for anything.”

“Yeah, if you were that bunny he used to bang,” Calix said, picking up his mug. “He’d have thrown you down on that couch, and gone to work!”

“Nonsense,” Argos said, glancing up. Then he looked back at the menu. “Linha would have thrown me down.”

Rivi’s head spun from all the bawdy banter and wicked innuendo. Not that he minded. On the contrary, the cheetah was enjoying simply being part of a group who talked so openly about such things. “She was quite the, shall we say, aggressive lover, was she?”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Argos said, laughing. “I think, for your sake, Rivi, we’ll just say that Linha likes to be in charge. Especially when her lover is, for lack of a better term, a predator.”

Rivi blinked, looking back at the coyote. “Someone can be in charge of that…” He paused, working his tongue inside his muzzle, searching for the right word. “Act?” Before Argos could reply, the cheetah’s brain kept coming up with questions and ideas, and his mouth just kept speaking them. “How does that work, exactly? Does she present you with a list of demands, beforehand? Are there negotiations involved? Or does she give you orders, like a superior officer? Or were you sort of like her butler, for the bedroom?” When everyone else around him fell silent, Rivi realized all the jumbled, confused, and foolish thoughts in his head were tumbling out across his tongue again. “Oh, dear Divines, I’m sorry!” Quick, Rivi, we sound like a prude! A fool! A foolish prude! Make up a good excuse! The cheetah forced himself to offer what he hoped was a suave grin. “It’s just that I’m terribly sexually inexperienced.” His grin faded in an instant. “Oh, Divines, we just said that out loud, Rivi!”

“Here, Spots.” Argos put a hand behind Rivi’s head, gently easing him closer. “Just hide your face against me till you feel better.”

Rivi did exactly that, burying his face against Argos’s chest. “Th-thank you. Please ignore me, and go about your conversation.”

“Ah, don’t worry about, Cat,” Calix said. “Ain’t none of us give two shits. Besides, you ain’t gonna be inexperienced for long, with that one.”

“Yes, Rivi.” Iosa took another sip of her drink, smiling at the cheetah. “No one cares what you have, or haven’t done. No one thinks less of you, just because you haven’t had a lover, before. We like you, Rivi. Argos in particular, obviously.”

Rivi slowly lifted his face. Heat still flooded him beneath his fur, but he was grateful for their words. “Thank you.” He straightened up, reaching for his menu again. “I just…hate it when I embarrass myself, that way.”

“Easy solution there.” Iosa waggled her glass. “We embarrass ourselves too.”

“Wait, what?” Calix stared at his sister. “I thought you were gonna say, we just don’t care.”

“We don’t.” Iosa took a drink, then put her glass down. “But in Rivi’s case, I think it’s hard for that to feel meaningful to him. So, how about this. I’ll tell you an embarrassing story of my own. The others can join in, or not. I won’t force them to humiliate themselves, after all.”

Rivi chuckled, shaking his head. “I appreciate the thought, but that’s really not necessary.”

Iosa leaned across the table, folding her hands. She kept her voice soft, so only their table could hear it. “When I was young, I accidentally ruined both of my first two would-be encounters. First, I was alone with a male fox I quite fancied at the time. We’d been kissing, and eventually, we were ready to take the next step. He unbuttoned his breeches, and eased them down. Now, this was the first time I’d seen what a male fox looks like when he’s…” She shrugged. “Ready to go, we’ll say. Do you know what I did next?”

Rivi’s face remained at least as hot as the sun, but he found himself drawn into the story, just the same. His tail flicked back and forth. “I can imagine any number of naughty experiences might have followed.”

“Oh, they might have! If only I hadn’t looked directly at it…” Iosa tilted her head, as if staring at an object of curiosity. “And said…” She lifted her voice a little. “Funny looking little thing, isn’t it?”

All three of the others burst into raucous laughter. Rivi covered his muzzle with his hands. “Oh, my! I cannot imagine how poorly that must have gone over with him.”

“No, I’d wager you cannot.” Iosa sighed, leaning back in the booth. “That poor male pulled his breeches up and fled so quickly I’d scarcely even realized what I said, before he was gone.”

“That poor bastard,” Argos said, shaking his head. “Tell him the one about the girl, too.”

Iosa nodded. She took a sip of her drink. “So, couple years later, I’d finally admitted to myself I was into girls, too. I’d been sort of, unofficially seeing this female wolf. We’d had a few drinks, and we ended up in my room. Same kinda thing, kissing at first, started going a little further. Ended up with my shirt off, and her button-up open. And, sure enough…”

When Iosa trailed off, Rivi’s eyes widened. “Oh, please tell me you didn’t tell her that her breasts were funny little things, too?”

“Close enough.” Iosa sighed, setting her glass back down. “What I actually said was, are your nipples supposed to look like that?” She flattened her ears. “And when I realized what I’d said, and I saw the horror washing across the poor wolf’s face, I tried to make up for it. Now, at the time, we had a silly running joke between us about who’s were bigger. Don’t even remember how it got started now. But, right after I implied she had weird nipples, I very suavely smiled at her, and said…” She lifted her voice again. “See? I told you mine were bigger.”

Rivi balled his hands up under his chin, grinning. “Oh no!”

“Oh, yes.” Iosa swatted the table. “She slapped me so hard I saw stars, stormed out of my room, and never talked to me again.”

Everyone laughed again. Rivi continued to relax, leaning up against Argos. “Alright, I will admit, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who blurts out embarrassing things.”

“That you are not.” The vixen folded her arms, turning to grin at her brother. “Well? You gonna share too? You don’t gotta, if you don’t want to.”

“Aww, what the hell.” Calix scratched at one of his rusty red ears. “Mine ain’t as fun as yours.” He turned towards Rivi. “This ain’t a first time story or nothing. Just an embarrassing one.” Calix gestured enthusiastically with his hands. “So there I was, about to seal the deal with this lovely deer girl I’d been pursuing. I’d always kinda wanted to try makin’ it with a prey girl, yassee.”

Iosa snorted at him. “Calix…”

“Right, right.” The male fox rolled his eyes, his bushy tail thumping the seat. “Someone who prefers plant-based foods. That better?”

Iosa sighed, rubbing her face. “You’re such a dipshit, sometimes.”

“Anyway,” Calix said, pushing on. “Finally had my chance. But, she was only on an extended lunch break, right? From the bar she worked at. So, we get back to my place, right? Had a little flat above a café near the bar. We get up there, and she starts undressing, and she tells me, we gotta make it kinda quick, cause she’s only got about thirty minutes before she should be leaving to make it back to work.” Calix leaned forward, flashing Rivi a cocky smile. “And I said, don’t worry baby, I’m always quick.”

Rivi blinked, and then snorted laughter. “That does sound like something I’d accidentally say, yes.”

“It gets worse.” Calix held his rust-furred hands up. “I didn’t even realize what I’d said till she started laughin’ at me. Now, that wasn’t the bad part. She stuck around, and we did the deed, and here I am, thinking it went great. So, I’ve just finished, and I’m cuddling her cause, yanno. We gotta wait for the uh…” He glanced between Rivi and Argos. “Actually, does he know about…?”

Argos shrugged. “Just finish the story.”

Rivi gave the coyote a confused look, but decided against asking questions, for now. “Yes, unless it’s a pertinent detail, I suppose you can just skip over…” He scrunched his muzzle. “Whatever it is.”

Calix yipped vulpine. “Ain’t pertinent till you try something specific with your new boyfriend, here. Then it’s gonna be a real pertinent detail.”

Almost at the same time, Argos and Iosa both said, “Calix!”

“Sorry, sorry!” The male fox ducked his head, grinning sheepishly. “So anyway. Here I was, thinking I’d really given it to her good, that she was gonna go tell all her friends foxes are great in bed, and she says…” He cleared his throat, putting an air of frustrated disappointment. “Well, you were right about being quick. At least I’ll get back to work on time.”

The other three all laughed. Rivi once more hid his face behind his hands in sympathetic embarrassment. “Oh, dear!” His shoulders shook as he giggled like mad, then glanced at Argos. “I daresay I fear that’s what Argos will say about me, should we go that far.”

The coyote put a hand on Argos’s shoulder. “Spots, in all honesty, I’d expect it. That’s normal when you’re first trying that stuff out. Sure as hell ain’t no one gonna judge you. Besides, if things happen real fast the first few times…” He brushed his muzzle against Rivi’s ear. “Just gives us an excuse to keep trying.”

“Ohhh…” Rivi shivered, his tongue nearly lolling out of his muzzle. A familiar tingle and pleasant stirring left him shifting in his seat. “Perhaps you should not do that while we’re at dinner.”

Calix gave a snort. “Oh, please, wouldn’t be the first time Argos-” He snapped his jaws shut when Argos shot him a glare. “Comment withdrawn.”

Rivi gasped, looking between the two of them. “In public?”

“Oh, no one could see, anyway.” He smirked at the two foxes. “At least, no one who was gonna snitch.” Then he shrugged. “I may have had a little too much to drink, at the time.”

Iosa smirked at him, splaying a single ear. “Which time? Because I remember-”

“Well, those embarrassing stories were great,” Argos said, pointedly picking up his menu. “How about we call that server over? You figure out what you want, Spots?”

“Oh, I see how it is,” Rivi said, circling his arms around Argos’s. “Everyone embarrasses themselves but you?”

Argos chuckled, slowly setting his menu back down. “I don’t know if you’re ready for my embarrassing stories, yet.”

“What about one of those tales the other two just implied?” Rivi glanced at Iosa, then back at his canine boyfriend. “You must have been quite embarrassed to be caught fooling around with your lover, under the table.” Then he bumped his muzzle against Argos’s cheek. “I’m only teasing, by the way. I’m just enjoying being part of the group! Please don’t feel obligated.”

“Go on, Argos.” Iosa waved her glass at him, then took a slow sip. “Tell him what happened.”

Argos glared at her, but soon relented. “Oh, very well. But then I’m putting in my drink order. I’m gonna need booze, after this.” He turned towards the cheetah, brushing his hands back over Rivi’s ears. “You sure you wanna hear this?”

Rivi melted into his touch, mewling softly. “Only if you’re comfortable telling it.”

“Nah, it ain’t that. It’s just a little more, shall we say, adult than you might be ready for.” He stroked Rivi’s ears again.

The cheetah sighed happily, leaning into Argos’s touch. “So were their stories, but I still enjoyed them.”

“True enough, Spots.” Argos grinning, shifting back. “So, Iosa and I were on a long-term mission, meaning we’d stayed in the same place a few months. I’d hit it off with this other coyote, and we were sort of casual boyfriends at the time. I took him back to my room, had some drinks, we made out, and he starts rubbing me through my breeches. Which, obviously, I was enjoying. I get unsheathed pretty quick, and I let him keep going a while. And just when he starts to unbutton me…” Argos trailed off, smirking at the feline. “You okay so far, Spots? Feel free to ask me to tone it down.”

Rivi coughed a little. His ears were aflame, and his stomach doing flips. And, he found himself in need adjusting his trousers. “Fine!” His voice came out squeakier than intended, and he forced himself to deepen it. “Just fine. Please continue.”

Argos glanced down, still smirking. He didn’t comment, and instead just lifted his eyes, continuing his story. “So just then, I remember…” He waved at Iosa and Calix. “I gotta meet these two at dinner! Calix was in town for a week or so on his own business, so we’d set a meet up that I almost totally forgot. I apologize profusely, and ask him to let me buy him dinner, to make it up to him. Suggest we continue where we left off afterwards.”

Iosa leaned towards Rivi. “He says a few drinks, but they were both drunk when they showed up.”

Rivi gave a mock gasp. “Drunk? Argos? I’m shocked!”

Argos rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, we get there, have a few more drinks, they get along well with the boyfriend, and then…” Argos set his hand on the booth between himself and Rivi, rubbing it in a slow circle. “He starts getting handsy again. Now, in his defense, we were in a booth kinda like this, and it would be difficult for anyone outside the booth to see, unless they were standing right next to us.”

“Key words there being, outside the booth, and unless they were standing.” Calix drained the last of his beer. “We could tell right away.”

“And so could the poor server who kept coming to refill our drink orders.” Iosa finished off her own cocktail, laughing. “Argos’s boyfriend kept stopping whenever the server showed up, but always a few moments to late.”

Calix laughed with her. “Yeah, and nothing says innocence like yanking your hand away from someone’s crotch whenever the waiter arrives.”

Argos folded his arms, his ears flat. “So, he keeps this up most of the night. And honestly, I’m drunk enough that I don’t realize how obvious it is. And he’s drunk enough that he doesn’t realize he’s, uh…” He swallowed. “Getting me real close.”

Rivi sucked in a breath, gasping for real this time. “You didn’t.”

“Well, not on purpose!” Argos threw his hands up.

Iosa laughed even harder. “He just started muttering to his boyfriend…wait, wait, wait…wait!”

“Poor bastard didn’t realize what I meant,” Argos said. “He thought I was trying to warn him that the server was coming.”

Calix slapped the table. “Oh, somebody was coming alright!”

Iosa put her muzzle in her hands, trying to stifle her bawdy laughter.

“When it happened, all I could do was put my head down into my arms on the table, and keep quiet.” Argos rubbed one of his ears. “He must have realized what was happening-”

“We all realized what was happening, Argos.” Iosa kept laughing. “I think your boyfriend might have been the last one to catch on. And even then, I think he thought he might as well see it through.”

“Yeah,” Calix said, his bushy tail thumping against the cushion. “Not like it was his pants being ruined.”

For reasons unbeknownst to Rivi, that was the line that finally pushed him into a full-fledged giggle eruption. They bubbled from him in a mewling, cackling cascade. He threw his head back, his tail lashing. Then he turned and pressed his face against Argos’s shoulder, trying and failing to stifle his laughter. Argos laughed with him, circling an arm around the cheetah’s shoulders to hold him close.

“There you have it, Spots.” He squeezed the cheetah into a one-armed hug. “Anytime you think you’d embarrassing yourself, just remember, it could be worse. Now, can we all get some fucking drinks, or what?”

Rivi slowly lifted his face, smiling up at the coyote through his laughter. “Yes, I too should like a strong drink, after that story. Argos, do you think I could handle another of those Imperial Lagers, knowing how strong it is, this time?”

“Spots, I think you should order whatever the damn hell you want.” Argos kept his arm circled around the coyote. “You get too drunk, I’ll carry you back the room, if I gotta.”

“I dunno,” Calix said, smirking. “If he gets too drunk, he might try and imitate that other coyote.”

Rivi straightened up, struggling to fight back his mirth. “I shall not be rubbing him public, thank you very much. In private…” He gave the coyote a playful, sidelong glance. “That remains to be seen.”

Argos held his free hand up. “Oh, no, Spots. The rule still stands. No naughty stuff when you’ve been drinking. That’s not the kind of decision you should make when you’ve been drinking. I don’t want you to regret anything the next day.”

“But what if…” Calix jabbed a finger at the cheetah. “He’s only got the courage to do it while he’s drunk?”

Argos shrugged. “Then I’d question whether or not it’s really what he wants to do. Which is all the more reason for him to be sober. So, full disclosure, Spots.” Argos turned to give him a serious look. “You start getting handsy with me while you’re drunk, and I’m gonna gently turn you down. For your own mental well-being.”

Rivi nodded once, taking Argos’s hand between his own. “Thank you, Argos. I do genuinely appreciate your concern.”

“It’s the least I can do, Spots.” Argos leaned in and kissed Rivi’s forehead. “Now, you start getting all touchy-feely with me when you’re sober, or you suddenly decide we better share a shower to save water, that’s a different story.”

“Noted.” Rivi leaned against the coyote, inspecting the drinks menu. “I shall like the Imperial Lager, tonight, as it seems it’s already proving appropriate for this evening. Especially considering…” A slow grin crept across his muzzle. “Iosa still owes me another story.”

“She does?” Argos glanced between them.

Rivi rubbed Argos’s hand. “About a certain stray.”

“Aw, fuck.” Argos’s ears fell. “I forgot about that. Yeah, alright. Fuck it. Let’s all get drunk tonight.”

“Fuck yeah, I’ll drink to that!” Calix picked up his beer mug, tipping it back to his muzzle. Only droplets hit his tongue. “Damn it! I forgot about that.”

“It’s a plan, then.” Iosa gestured for the server. “Three of us have had a hell of a day, anyway. I’d say we’ve earned a proper drinking session.”

“Damn right we have.” Argos glanced at the cheetah. “Alright then, Spots. We’ll all have a few drinks, and I’ll tell you about the biggest hole in my heart I got. I’ll tell you about the stray.”