Childish Bones Mimi... make me feel good like you used to.... make this sad go away......... Sitting on a rolling chair, I rebelliously rolled my way through the isles of Safeway, shark phone seated on my lap with my music blaring. It was quite busy tonight..... As I rolled around, I noticed another girl across from me doing the same thing. She stared at me. This wasn't unusual given what I was doing but coming from her, I didn't like it.... "Let me know if the music is bothering you. I can turn it down," I offer to this only person. "That's alright," she responds quickly. She says she doesn't care. I end the awkward convo by getting out of my chair and rolling it into a clearing where an older overweight man asked if I was done with it. I let him have it and I walk into the other isles for cookie dough. There was a quick shift. I have something important. A package of some sorts. I was to fly it to a village. I quickly fly up and creative mode fly over some good amounts of land. No village. That meant I had to go to other terrain.... but I knew where my home was... I wanted to go there.... but I needed a village..... I take a slight detour to a small island where I find a rather large farmhouse with a meager fence in front with various animals inside. I terrorize the animals in the fenced area. A girl comes out from the terrain to the right and scolds me for putting the male bunny into the mix. She says I'll make more bunnies. Duh..... Quick shift... again and I was transported with blue lights into a type of realistic future facility. There, the first thing I see is Daisy who, as always, happily greets me. "MIIIIMIIIIII!!" She gives me a big hug despite the long time I hadn't seen her. She always comforted me... she led me to her room. Daisy's small room seemed to be temporary. It was small and you entered from one side to basically walk through what room was available to the window to the right. Nothing else. As soon as you walk in, the white-sliding doors to a closet could be seen. To the left behind the door was a small poster. To the right of the closet grew out to have a white plastic laundry basket cozied next to a dresser with miscellaneous makeup, lotions, and sprays villaged on top. The surface led to a slight elevation which was basically a nightstand that held a small tv. It was on but nothing was showing. Only the blue hue of its light was valuable. Next to that was a working desk, with note paper and writing supplies. A perfect place to be next to the window that you can turn your head to view a winter tree lulling in the wind, your view interrupted by a single power line. Adjacent to that, was the bed, pushed forward into the middle of the room due to the backing of what seemed like a huge headboard decorated with that traditional Latino attire that was God stuffs and a puffy blanket covering a cold wall. Daisy tells me to be careful and we reminisce about the game creator, Miramoto. Before I came into the game, he briefed me. I was to complete a small series of tests and I would be done. Just like that. It wasn't a difficult request but I should have asked the older Japanese man with a bandaged head cap whose hair patches poked through, whose left eye was replaced with a rather large screw, whose slender body was tucked under a blanket, who sat in a wheelchair, who had a small and crooked smile, who wanted nothing more than the failure of me and would mean my certain death...... daisy as usual wanted to talk about emotions and I quickly leave to resume the game. I want to get out as soon as possible. She quickly learns of my disappearance and I hide in the shadows to make sure wherever she goes, I go the opposite.... She comes out almost like a wandering elderly lady, slightly crouched over in a worried posture and inching her steps as if missing any ground with the soles of her feet would be for sure a missed attempt to find me. I hear her sad calls... "Mimi.... Make me feel good like you used to.... make this sad go away....." As soon as I was sure that she was downstairs, I left. As I approach a room, the prompt tells me: KILL EVERYONE TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE OPEN DOORS Determined, as soon as the time bar appears, I take out a hilt and snap it into a plasma sword. Killing everyone would be hard. But with the plasma sword, you could lunge forward quickly, which is what I did. Once the power depleted, I rushed to use my plasma rifle to little avail but to slow the enemy. I managed to find a shotgun... game over. I kill everyone in this stage and I rush through the portal-like sliding cylinder doors Into the next room where another battle ensues. This battle was larger but I had too much at steak to lose. After my shotgun empties, I manage to use its last blast to kill an elite in a ghost. I steal the ghost and kill off the other ghost and the banshee. With it being too big to advance with, I had to abandon it. After the battle and my shield recovers, I crouch run through the doors and through the opposite end of the next room... I want to go now.... I pick up another plasma sword and some ammo for my shotgun from the corpses in the previous room. As I go through the dimly lot area, a clear signal that this is NOT the way to go, I see a familiar area... I was back to where daisy was. I look at the window on the door to the stairs and see none other than Daisy. I panic. She Walks up stairs through door holding a print out of a brain activity color chart. I hide with my shotgun behind a rather large but thin cabinet. I worry that she saw me before I hid behind the shadows. My fears were realized when she walked up to me... 'Mimi... no more secrets... no more hiding......' I knew that she could have done something... anything..... ended me..... but I knew she wouldn't.... I knew..... but then I also knew..... that she was the last one..... her face was so sad and her voice echoed. She took me by the hand and I shockingly looked at her, my face wide eyed and battle ready from the previous room... she led me into her room once again where she carefully sat me on the bed. "It's okay. It's okay. He's already gone. I'm gonna make this better, okay?" I was still in shock, mouth agape. "I'll be back, okay? Stay here. I'll be back. You'll be okay." As I swiped a hand across my face and waved the other at her to signify that I was alright if she left, I glanced at the table to the right of the tiny television, whose blind light was the only thing lighting the room, I saw the bandaged headcap that Miramoto sported, tiny scoops of hair standing out of the bloodied wraps. Next to it we're some screws and the skull cap. She did it. She killed Miramoto. But what did that mean for me? I can't escape this... I'm trapped.... If he's dead.... That means that..... I really do.... Have to......... ....... ...... ........ Kill her...... As I wait for her in the quiet room, a low breeze coming from the dark window to the right of the table, I slowly....... And somehow unhappily......... Wake up......

Eternal Youth TheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyouTheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyouTheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyouTheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyoubutyoucantalwaysjustwakeupTheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyouTheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyouTheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyouTheonlymeismeareyousuretheonlyyouisyou A car passes by. The hard breeze blowing against me is so strong. I can't tell if it's pleasant or not. It's not like I'm the movies. My hair is going crazy and flying everywhere. If I cared about how I looked, I would be embarrassed.... but I only want to watch. Across the streets, on the other side of the sidewalk part of the bridge, I see a lone biker. Not the typical one in those weird spandex shorts and clicking shoes that make you walk like you have shit crawling down your thighs, or pay for their lattes with sweat soaked dollar bills, or think that they are made of adamantium and cars can't hit them so they go against traffic or out of the bike lane, the ones who bike for sport because being a super high paid white man just isn't enough: you have to be that guy can can bypass Prof. Oak's words telling you "there's a time and place for everything." But not all of them are like that....... to your face..... It was obviously a girl because she was in a dress with leggings and a helmet. Something you'd see in a slice of #life anime or a Japanese cartoon right at the end where everything gets really good for her and she turns a corner without looking and the person waiting for her to arrive will continue to wait. A car passes by. While riding, she glances at the horizon as she nears the middle of the Dumbarton bridge, slowing to a stop when she finally gets there and getting off her bike, kicking down the stand and resting her white helmet on the handle. She never notices me; she only notices the water, vast and proud, and only slightly infected with the acne of civilization until you see the other side of it where the buildings are. I expected her to look out my side. It surely looks better here. She just stares, leaning on the railing. She seemed so fixated on something, just as I was fixated at her. I don't normally people watch. I usually try to keep to myself. If I don't see anything, I either won't see it coming in time to panic or I won't have to be a snitch. She turns around. I've been spotted? No, she's taking selfies.... Of course.... Numerous selfies... In the most 'traditional' of poses no less. She wants pictures of herself with the ugly 'poop smelling' part of the bay. How does she keep her hair almost flawlessly flowing with the wind? I'm here struggling trying to watch her.... Another car passes by. She sits on the railing. That's dangerous. More selfies. So many selfies. How many do you need? I barely take pictures of myself so I guess I wouldn't understand... I'm not ashamed of how I look, I just don't see the point... Finally, she's done. Trying her best to keep her hair out of her face, she leans over trying to see the phone. Kind of like when you pop a squat. I hear that's a better position for you rather than using toilets. More praise to the asians who do this on a daily. I don't think my short legs can do it untrained for the amount of time it usually takes me. I always have to go.... at least 9 times even without water.... She leans over and places her phone into the bike's basket and sits back onto the railing. She's smiling. She's been smiling this entire time. Oh. I think this time she actually spotted me. She smiles again, teeth shown but she's too far to see too well. She waves at me. I awkwardly wave back. That's right... This bridge it's weird that barely any cars passed by.... She smiles so wide she looks like her eyes are closed. She slowly leaned back. Another car passes by.... but I can still see that she leaned all the way back. For half a second, I freak out! I quickly see no cars coming and dash over the center railing into the freeway, over the center divide, over the opposite end's center railing, and push myself against the outer railing to see if I can find her. Nothing. Did she seriously do that?! I can't believe it! Was I dreaming?! I skim over the surface... Skimming.... skimming... .... ...... .... No....... I've found her..... I quickly try to take out my phone to call the police. This was real. This really happened. It's not a hallucination.... I can't find my phone..... Wait.... She left her phone in her bike basket! I quickly grab the phone and without thinking, I use the fingerprint ID. That wouldn't work, it's not my phone... What am I thinking....? It opens. The first thing I see is the photo album thumbs... Wait... What...? What is this.......? I click to enlarge.... ..... ..... My head spun, I feel everything distancing, the world is the farthest thing on my mind now.... But I know someone had seen because there's someone running over to see the body below.... ..... .... It's..... Me..... I feel myself float and then.... I wake up....

Subtleties Pt. 3 (And it's hard to carry on...) For about a little over an hour, we searched through the rooms of the house, admiring the décor and arts on the walls and stands. We hadn't seen anyone else the entire time. I made sure to do the best I could to make Miss Doe feel wanted so I insisted we stayed linked the entire time. From time to time I would compliment her appearance, flirtatiously or platonically. My intent was to make her feel better. I may not have the best method, but for someone like me who has a deteriorating social ability, it worked. I was inspecting a bust of a wolf nearby. It looked so realistic for something made from stone. If it were colored, I surely would have suspected someone had been decapitated. It was then that I felt the tea getting to me. "Miss Doe? I has to use the bathroom..." I whined. "Hmm?" Miss Doe seemed to be fixated in an artistic picture on the wall. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to hold it. The best part of me when I have to answer the call of nature is that it hits randomly, it hits fast, and it hits hard. I saw that she didn't seem to have any intention in moving and at this point, all guardianship instincts left me. "So... Uh.. I'm going to go find the bathroom really quickly and I'll come back," I spoke, trying to nonchalantly hint whether or not she wanted to come with me. "Okay," she replied. I couldn't wait any longer, though. I really had to go! I decided to quickly go and come back. "I'll be right back, okay? Stay here!" I said as I left, hoping she wouldn't think of me as treating her as a child. I dashed down the long hall and into what I instinctively felt was the bathroom. Usually I was always lost and always asking for the restrooms but I would have none of that today! I quickly relieved myself and washed my hands, intent on getting back as quickly as possible. With the most intense face I was able to make, as if it would make a difference, I sprinted back to the room as quickly as I could... And yet... I ran into someone else, face to face. Well, considering they were taller than me, it was more like face to chin... My eyes teared up as I sat up to see that I had ran into, literally, Miss Cat. She was also on the floor, rubbing her chin. Both of our wings and tails were extended and fluffed out with pain, agony, anxiety, and anger. "What the fuck is your problem?!" she yelled. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just got out of the bathroom and I wanted to get back to Miss Doe as quickly as possible!" I explained. "WHAT!? You left Miss Doe by herself?!" she yelled, getting up quickly and standing over me with the most evil of looks. "I had to pee, man. What did you want me to do!? Go in a bush!? There was none around and, I tell you what, that's speciest!!!" I yelled back. "What?! What are you even saying!?" she yelled back, offended. "Hnnng!" I waved my arms in front of her, as if erasing the arguments. "Never mind! I have to get back!" "I can't believe you left her alone! She's just a deer! And she's basically the best prey!" Miss Cat would yell at me the entire walk back, spitting insults to both Miss Doe for being physically and mentally incompetent for her species, and me for leaving her. Her incessant yelling would cease as we entered the room in which I left her. It was empty. I looked around. "Shit..." I spoke. "Where is she!?" Miss Cat yelled. "Look, man," I spoke to her. "You could either continue to bitch about the past or you can help me find her, 'cuz you're not helping anyone right now by blaming me. She's around here somewhere." She looked at me with a bit of surprise, drowned with anger. She snarled at me, "Fine, but don't think this makes us friends." "Sure thing, buddy," I mocked and speculated the empty room. Why would she leave? I told her I would be back and to stay here... I noticed that the room was very sound. I looked down. There was something subtly different. On the floor was a little figurine. No doubt from Miss Doe's cell phone charm. I picked it up and sniffed it. Definitely Miss Doe, but there was a different scent... I couldn't place it. "Come on," I demanded sternly, walking from the room. Miss Cat followed behind. We walked through the halls following the scent of Miss Doe. The scent grew stronger as I turned the corner and I stopped. Miss Cat walked before me and got bumped quickly. "Hey, Mister Fox!" I greeted. He just sharply apologized to Miss Cat without stopping and walked by. His eyes looked so scared. It wasn't like him to ignore me, at least from what I gathered tonight. "Okay..?" Miss Cat and I moved forwards and around the corner. Not long after Mister Fox passed by were we greeted by Mister Lizard. He bumped into Miss Cat and held onto her quickly, steadying her as he quickly passed by. He was covered in something that quickly stung our noses. We quickly moved into the room that Mister Lizard fled from behind Mister Fox. There lied Miss Doe in a pool of red. next to her was her card that stated 'bystander' and then her cell phone which was just inches from her hand, an empty spot where the figurine I found earlier was supposed to be. Miss Cat and I stood by the door, watching the body. "That's..." I whispered. "SO COOL!!! This is so realistic! Even the blood smells real! Oh my gosh!! This event is amazing!" I jumped around excited. Miss Cat let out a sigh a relief, seeing that it was fake. As we both inspected the scene, Miss Doe's phone began to ring. She stood still, no doubt part of the rules. "Miss Doe! Hey! Your phone is ringing! You don't have to pretend this long. Miss Cat and I won't tell!" I giggled. No response. "Miss Doe? Are you sleeping? Did you hear her? Your phone is ringing," Miss Cat kneeled next to her. Still no response. I began to get suspicious and leaned over, holding her wrist for a pulse. Something told me, even if she was playing a trick, it was best to be sure. I must have waited for five full minutes trying to get something. I think I was more hopeful that rational. I just stared at her for a moment before looking up at Miss Cat, hoping, praying, wishing that she would yell at me for overlooking something. Instead, her eyes met with mine and she immediately knew what I was thinking. "Mister Lizard...." she whispered. "What?" I asked. "Mister Lizard. When he bumped into me, he smeared a liquid onto me... I now know it's blood..." she explained. "And he was chasing after Mister Fox!" I gasped. "We gotta go! He's making this into the real thing!" With that, we both dashed out of the room to find Mister Lizard and Mister Fox. Hallway after hallway, room by room we passed through the house with haste. We must have run miles in the half an hour we spent searching. Before I could react, Mister Lizard appeared from a hallway adjacent to us. He quickly noticed us and opened his mouth as if to yell. I tried to stop and in front of me, a door opened. It was Mister Fox! "Get in!" he yelled, grabbing both Miss Cat and I and pulling us into the room, shutting the door behind him. "Let's go!" he demanded as he led us out of another door, into the hallway to resume the run. Mister Lizard seemed to be behind us no matter what obstacle we threw at him, no matter how quickly turned the corner. We couldn't lose him. "You realize this is all your fault, you stupid wolf mutt!" Miss Cat called unfairly. I didn't reply, assuming that she was just saying whatever because she was scared and wanted to take it out somehow. It just happened to be on the most popular person in the house, of course! Mister Fox led us into a final room, where he locked and barricaded the door behind us. "Miss Cat! Over there!" Mister Fox directed and Miss Cat quickly followed. "Mimi!" he called to me, gently grabbing me and leading me to a nearby cupboard. "You need to hide here, okay? It will be alright! You'll be safe! I'll be back for you! I won't let anything happen to you!" He caressed my cheek as he coaxed me into the cupboard. It was snug, but I fit. I wasn't sure if it was all the tension, the feeling of anxiety, or the intensity of it all, but I felt that much more attracted to Jeremy. Dare I say it? I had developed a little crush on him. We exchanged smiles and he shut the cupboard. I heard Jeremy's footsteps and then nothing. For a while, there was silence. I probably waited in that cramp box for a good fifteen minutes before being stirred from a loud crash just outside of the cupboard. Despite what Mister Fox has told me, I was compelled to look. As I opened the small door, allowing the light to pour in from the room, I heard Miss Cat gasp. There, I saw her just feet from me and in a struggle. She was being strangled from the back and her throat slowly slit. I gasped as I saw it all happen. What happened next was even more striking... Mister Lizard busted into the room in a hurry and hissed at Mister Fox, who dropped Miss Cat's gasping body to the floor. Mister Lizard lunged at Mister Fox and I quickly ran over to Miss Cat, helping her seal her neck, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. She continued to gasp and looked at me with fearful eyes. "Miss Cat! Look at me! Look at me, okay? You need to calm down. I know it seems impossible, but you need to get your blood to flow slower or you'll die faster!" I called, remaining calm and being blunt. I was never any good at lying. She looked at me as if she didn't hear me, her pulse increasing. I figured that was it for her. I quickly took out my phone and emergency dialed anyways but didn't put the phone to my ear. "See? I'm calling the ambulance, Miss Cat," I spoke with a soft voice and showed her the phone dialing. I hear that cats emit a pheromone when you stroke their cheeks, so I softly began to caress her cheek in hopes that it would calm her. I whispered sweet nothings to her as her world began to slow. Either it was working or she was going into shock, but Miss Cat began to pass slowly, her pulse fading as did her eyes. She never took her eyes off me, but she did lower her eye lids as she went. I just continued to smile at her until I was sure she was gone, and then a little bit after. I don't know if it went the way I meant it, but I wanted her to see that it was okay and to be calm. I didn't tear up, probably like I should have. I don't tend to tear up anymore. Death is a normal part of #life to me. Particularly to someone I just met, I could not feel any regret. A hint of sadness, yes, but nothing personal. Maybe that made me a bad person. Mister Fox and Mister Lizard continued to struggle behind me. Mister Fox, being clearly more fit than Mister Lizard, tossed him aside and towered over him, stepping on his chest. Mister Fox took off his bloody latex gloves and tossed them into the fire. I didn't see if they burned quickly or not, but now his hands were clean, and Mister Lizard was not. Mister Fox winked at me as he kicked Mister Lizard in the face and disappeared from the room. Mister Lizard, in apparently immense pain but not knocked out, tried to stand and make his way to the two of us. Before Mister Lizard could reach us, Mister Peacock ran into the room, holding Mister Lizard at gun point just as he managed to make his way to Miss Cat's body. "Freeze!" Mister Peacock demanded. In his other hand, he flashed a detective badge. Damn it, Mister Peacock... Why do you have to come in at the most criminalizing moment for him!? "Wait!" I yelled, but to no avail. Mister Peacock just ignored me as he began to arrest Mister Lizard, stating that his intent was to kill all the guests. His motives stated didn't make much sense but he wasn't willing to listen; and poor Mister Lizard could say nothing to his defense, for it wasn't until then that it came up that he was a mute. And then that was the end of the night. Mister Lizard was arrested, Mister Peacock was a secret agent, Miss Doe was dead, Miss Cat suffocated to death before my eyes, Butler just held his hand over his mouth in surprise at it all, Mister Fox was nowhere to be seen, and then there was me. I just pondered the entire night and drew my own conclusions as the rest of the police questioned me. Miss Cat and Miss Doe were being taken out on stretchers and sacked as I recalled the entire story to the police. However, it didn't seem like they took my word for any of it. I wonder why...? Poor Butler. I suspect that he has suspicions that this would happen but he honestly didn't seem like he expected it to actually happen. A defeated Mister Lizard was escorted into Mister Peacock's police car and I was just left there, free to go, but with so many unanswered questions that I was pretty sure were to be left a mystery. The most burning question of all was why? But do some people even need a reason? I made my way to my car and sat in there, slowly collecting myself as the ambulance rolled away. The bright lights of the cop cars stayed, though. I had no idea how long they were going to last, but I was too tired to care. I buckled my seat belt as I heard my passenger door close. Mister Fox had gotten into my car in a hurry, looking around in case he was seen. I just stared at him tiredly. I wasn't afraid of him, I was just so tired of all this shit... I just wanted to go home... "Drive," he demanded, and yet he still sounded so polite about it. "Let's go." "Seriously...?" I grumbled at him. "Come on, please." "Ugh..." I sighed and turned on the car. Even if I did try to turn him in, Mister Peacock was so intent on Mister Lizard being guilty, it would probably result in him going free and I having a less than reputable name. We drove for hours. I, of course, took the scenic route to clear my mind. The car was silent the entire ride but no tension to be found. I drove us through a forest filled path with no other cars in sight. I slowed the car and drove to the side, stopping the car and taking my hands off the wheel. "You must have read my mind," Mister Fox said. "Mister Fox," I addressed. "Please, dear, call me Jeremy." "… Why?" I finally whispered. "What? Well, because it's my name, dear," he laughed. "No. Not that. I meant why did you kill those girls...?" "… Do you really want to talk about that now...?" he said, leaning into me, kissing my lips lightly. I drew back quickly. I was angered and offended at the mere thought of it all. "Seriously?!" I growled. "Come on, baby. I need this..." he moaned, trying to put his arms around me. "Damn it! Stop this shit! Seriously!" I yelled in the most fed up tone. Unlocking the door, I gave him the choice. "Look, I'm not going to turn you in, but the last thing I want right now, or EVER, is drama. So, please, just go." "Why would you want me to go? Don't you want to be with me? I deserve this!" he argued. "Okay, so why is this my fault?" I said truthfully and still mad. I never care how attractive someone is. No one fucks with me unless I say so. Especially if I'm not getting paid for it. He stared for a second and sat back into his seat, clearly bothered by my statement. "The world owes it to me," he began. "Before I was born, my mother and father couldn't breed. Maybe it was because they were different species, maybe it was because one of them was infertile. Either way, every time they tried, the fetus would grow inside of my mother but would never develop enough to reach the second phase. My father was a very stubborn buck and he demanded a new, upcoming type of procedure to be used on my mother. It wasn't licensed so they had to go to less than reputable places... But, it worked. My mother was a fox, so she was able to give birth to a litter, however, since my father was a deer, it shortened the birth to just four of us. Three baby fox pups and one deer. My father was furious at the deer. I guess he never wanted to be a deer himself so he took it out on it. One day, my mother and father had had it with the deer and started to provoke a fight with it, my father bearing a gun and my mother a noose. After fighting about how damned the deer was from birth and who was to slaughter it, my mother threw the noose to the deer, demanding it take its own #life. The deer cried and cried and cried. How could its own parents hate it so much. It was much too young to understand why. Its brothers and sister were also crying but they huddled to the corner in such fear. Giving up on #life, it fastened the noose around its neck as the parents watched. They turned away to prepare it for the lynching... But then quicker than anything else, it tied the noose that was on its neck to its father and used all its strength and weight that it could to force its father to the floor. He accidentally shot himself with the same gun that he was holding to off the deer. Its mother screamed in fear and tried to get away... But I managed to use all my strength to pick up the damn gun and shoot that bitch in the back... And I didn't even finish her.. I let her bleed out... She begged me to end it... She begged me to not let her suffer and that she was my mother... I just bit her eye out of her socket and swallowed it in front of her and my brothers and sister..." I stared straight at Jeremy with the most hilariously disgusted look ever. "Why do you have to stare at me like that!?" he demanded angrily. "Like what?!" "You can't even be scared enough to either be scared or pretend to not care!?" "What the fuck face am I supposed to make?! You ate her fucking eye ball!" I was always famed for making light of a tough situation, but perhaps this wasn't the best time... "She wanted me dead!" he defended. "'Kay den, but still! You need Jesus," I motioned to him. He laughed heartily at me. "This is why I like you. We just connect on so many levels and you can just make me laugh!" This man is crazy... Deer.. Buck... Whatever, he's cray. At that exact moment, time began to slow and I felt as though I was floating away from the car. I was able to see my body as I left it, in a perfectly still motion, with that slightly disgusted look and Jeremy just laughing and trying to put his arm around me. I began to float higher and higher, through the rag top of the car, into the clouds, and my vision became less and less vivid and more blurry... I wasn't sure what was to become of that night but I guess it didn't matter anymore at this point... … And then I woke up...

Subtleties Pt. 2 (That is what I do... Now that I've found you....) In the den, Miss Cat and Mister Peacock already arrived, waiting for the rest of us. Mister Fox and I came in and I sat down on the couch next to the fireplace and Mister Fox, finally giving me some peace, stood between the bookcase and the door, leaning on the bookcase with his arms folded. Miss Doe then entered, slowly floating to my chair with a smile. She sat on the arm of the chair. Guess Mister Fox wasn't the only one that felt a 'connection' towards me. We waited a few minutes in silence before Mister Lizard slithered in and stood in the far corner. His arrival meant that we can finally start this game. He shut the doors behind him slowly, the creaking of the door whistling in the room, followed by a click from the locks. With this, Butler spoke. "We shall do this the way of the cards. As you are all familiar with, each card has the name of a specific position. Each position must be taken seriously, you cannot change it, you cannot hint about it, and most of all: you must have your card at all times. The murderer must show his card to the bystander in order to make them into a victim. They must also be alone at the time of the 'murder' or else there will be witnesses and they will be arrested and then the game will cease. Then, the victim must be positioned by the murderer in a manner of which shows clues of the murder type and weapon," he explained before holding out each card so that we knew what each one looked like. "Any questions as of yet?" His eyes scanned the room. There was silence. "Good. Now, I will pass each of these out. You will get acquainted with each of your cards and head out into the house. Be mindful of yourselves and most of all.. Have fun," he said as he walked around with the deck of cards, allowing each guest to draw one. Afterwards, he bowed promptly and, without a word, left the room. We all simply stared at each other and made our way out. I looked at Miss Doe, who seemed excited. "Shall we travel together, Miss Wolf? After all, we can't die if we're not alone!" "Sure!" I said with a tail wag. "Although, I don't want to be fucked up, but you're a deer! You're basically the damsel in distress all the time!" I joked with her. She took it in good stride with a laugh, linking her arm with mine, and looked to Miss Cat, who was also leaving the room to venture out into the house. "Miss Cat, would you like to join our little group?" Miss Cat scoffed at the offer, "If anyone needs to be babysat, it's you two. I can handle this game on my own." She walked away without looking at us. "Particularly you, Miss Doe. You're practically the victim of the night." She disappeared into the second floor of the house. I felt immediate regret for my previous statement to Miss Doe. Miss Cat definitely wasn't playing nice with the others in the house. Perhaps it wasn't just me? I turned to look at her and saw sadness in her eyes. "Miss Doe?" I called to her. She smiled at me, erasing any trace of sadness she could. "Well then! Shall we go forth, Miss Wolf?" I wanted to tell her everything was fine. I wanted to tell her that I would serve as her guardian. I wanted to assure her that I was here... But I didn't want to bring anything up that would make it worse. Contemplating into deep thought, it wasn't until Mister Fox walked out of the room and gave me a wink before walking into a door. He was quickly followed by a Mister Lizard, who glanced at me quickly before being engulfed in the same door. "For sure!" I yipped with my tails wagging after waking from my daze and led her into the house. An adventure awaited for us.

Subtleties Pt. 1 (And I miss you when you're gone...) I wake up to a note near my door. I sluggishly walk over and pick it up, a morning apple in my hand and twirl away, my tails whisking around me. As I open it and read what it says, I slowly place my apple on the table. It was an invitation. From whom, I had absolutely no idea. I was curious as to who it was from, considering it had no sender information. It described an event that was held at a house. A type of live action Clue. I decided to check it out, since it didn't seem very suspicious. The night of date set, I drove up to the hill and parked my car in my usual near perfect position and step out of the car with a large huff, as if an extremely overweight person were struggling to get out of the car. I call this my temporary 'fat-girl' mentality. I look around and see the house and see that there was already a figure reaching the door and going inside. I soon followed. It took me a little while to get there, but I enjoyed the brisk walk in the damp, dark, airy night through the massive estate garden that I led myself through. The shrubbed glory that was guiding me amazed me at how well kept it was! Or perhaps it's because I didn't have a trained eye or the fact that it was a poorly lit late night that it seemed amazing. Never the less, I was surely amazed. Not expecting too much nor too little, I was psyched out to see what was going on. I had never been to one of these gatherings. Despite the invitations anonymity, I was sure to either see my friends or make new ones! I didn't care! I was just happy to be there! My tails showed this excitement, wagging like mad. I was probably more excited than I really should have been... But my current motto of the evening was 'GO BIG OR GO HOME!' Reaching the door and doing an ecstatic fist pump to myself, I extended an arm to the doorknob. To my surprise, someone from behind me quickly opened it for me. I looked around to see who it was quickly. There he was; a rather tall, handsome, firmly built human male. I was amazed on how handsome he was yet attracted to how chivalrous he was. Almost a rarity in this day and age and definitely not common in one as fair of skin as he, which might just be me. To seal the deal, he flashed me an almost irresistible half smile as he motioned me inside politely. How about that? Chivalrous, cute, hot smile. He definitely gets pluses from me. I thank him and he follows me inside, replying "You're quite welcome, darling," with a slight southern accent. Done. He officially has my interest. We exchange smiles as we walk to a small group of others further into the house. I play it cool around my newfound interest. After all, I know all too well that faces are just faces, crushes are just crushes, and that I'm definitely not rushing into any type of attachments. I quickly scouted around the small group. There were a total of six of us. We all glanced at each other, some more nervously at others and more so at my and my propelling tails. It was as if they were trying to launch me into flight, but hey, that's the price of being a canine: You can't hide anything, let alone your excitement. Before I could speculate, a figure appeared from the stairs above, which stood elegantly placed between the large room and between two more door entrances. The figure turned out to be a human, dressed as a butler. Standard issue, I guess. He walked as if he were a snooty board, eyes opening slowly to peer at his guests. As he made his way down, he spoke with a very pronounced yet elegant voice. "Good evening everyone. I'm glad to see that you have all made it on the appropriate hour. I am to be referred to as Butler here and I shall specify the names each of you are to be given." He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked to his right. "I will start from you and go in order," he said to the first guest. "You are to be referred to as Miss Doe," he named the first guest. She was a rather thin built young woman with what I would call a pixie cut hairstyle with pointed ears sticking out of the sides and small antlers peeking over her head. She was definitely adorable with her petite features and dark colored eyes upon her pale skin. Her puffy tail was barely noticeable if you didn't look. Unlike the other guests, she shared my half human and half animal appearance. Her modest nod in compliance exposed her shy nature. Moving on to the next guest, Butler stepped away from Miss Doe to stop in front of the next guest. "You are to be referred to as Miss Cat," he spoke to the next guest, an anthropomorphic calico that stood next to me. She was of a more lean build than that of Miss Doe but she was a bit shorter. Her medium fur length was short enough to show off her build yet too furry to show off her bones. Her forked tail swayed contently behind her and she stood with her weight on one leg. It was then that I noticed that she had miniature demon wings on her lower back, or what I call her 'love handles.' She had a bit of an annoyed expression and she seemed to scowl at everyone with her strikingly beautiful hazel eyes. Even through she was a beautiful creature that my eyes would behold, she seemed as though she didn't want to be here, which made me wonder why she came. Her only confirmation of her name was a grunt of confirmation. Butler moved on. Finally it was my turn. He looked me over with slight confusion. My smile was bright and my tail waggings were brighter. Why fight the excitement? Yet I couldn't tell if it was because of that or because my choice of clothing was less formal than the rest of the guests. That and I'm wearing a wolf jaw around my neck and a butterfly in my hair. Ignoring his suspicions of me, he continued, "You are to be referred to as Miss Wolf." I was a rather short female, with long elflike ears protruding from my side braided black hair. Like Miss Cat, I also had miniature wings, but white angelic wings that came from my shoulder blades that were usually in rest position since I'm usually the clumsy one to knock things over when I open them. It definitely didn't help that at this moment in my #life, I was huskier than normal. I also had twin fluffy tails that often exposed my true feelings to the world, although it's not a secret about how easily excited I get. I nodded happily and thanked him. Butler moved on again to the man besides me. It was none other than the one that held open the door for me. "You are to be referred to as Mister Fox," he said to the tallest of the group. His name perplexed me, as he did not have any indication as to being a fox at all; or even to being anything other than just human. Now that I was given the chance to steal a longer glance at him, I saw that he was definitely a tall man with a strong yet lean body with a strong nose, jawline, and these auburn eyes that stood out to me. His hair was short and dark yet is curled nicely. Not something I assumed a fox would have, so it definitely reinforced my assumptions that he was just an ordinary male and not a fox. I assumed it was just a quirky nickname. "Thank you kindly, sir," he smirked as Butler walked away. He gave me a glance and I returned it with a smile. You might think we're flirting, but I'm not. I'm just really happy to be here. He just happens to be eye candy. Hehehehe. "You are to be referred to as Mister Peacock," he said to an average sized man. Another name conundrum. This man also shared no signs of being of animal origin. He was an average sized man of average weight and height and he even had an average face. It was sad to say, but he was one of those forgettable people that you meet once and never remember his name, whether or not you've talked to him, or even have met him at all. He was just that guy who was always 'one of the crowd' so it was ironic his name was Peacock, an animal that stood out. I think it was this that caught my attention from this particular guest. Despite this, he was the darkest skinned humanoid in the group. It's funny... As soon as Butler moved on to the last guest, I can't recall if Mister Peacock even made any sounds... "You are to be referred to Mister Lizard," he said to the final guest. He was a very stout man, not thick, but definitely not fit. This monitor lizard man stood with a visible hunch and although he was definitely taller than me, it made him the shortest of the males. He was very still and his brown and green skin made him the most colorful of us all, despite being very still all the time, omit his occasional tongue flicks. I definitely got a weird vibe from that last guy. His eyes may have been still but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching me. Despite this... I still wanted to hug the shit out of his cute face. Butler walked into the left side of the room in front of a door. "Now that we are all acquainted, shall we dine?" he said as he opened the double doors, revealing a large table with a bountiful amount of food decorating the table. At that point it was either an earthquake or my tails were getting a work out. It could only be one. Of course we all know what it was... Trying not to seem too desperate for food, I tried to wait for someone else to sit down first. They were just too slow. I made my way to the table happily and was, of course, the first to sit down as the others loomed around in a confusion. I had half expected there to be assigned seating but much to my amusement, there wasn't. I placed my napkin on my lap and waited patiently for the others to sit down. Beside me sat the shy Miss Doe, who seemed to follow my lead. I smiled at her. Followed by Miss Cat, who sat across from me, she seemed to have flowed gracefully into her seat and gave me a stern smile as she also placed the napkin onto her lap as if she was seeing me as a rival. I wouldn't know why... Hell, I just wanted to eat... The rest followed and then lastly, Mister Fox. He sat beside me with haste, smiling sheepishly as he entered the room at the last second. I just smiled at him and looked back at Miss Doe before looking for Butler so I could eat. At this point, everything that he said was inaudible for me. It was basically along the lines of 'eat now because you won't have the chance later.' I had no idea whether or not to take that ominously but all I knew was... FOOD. "You may begin," Butler said and, of course, I was the first to chow down. I wasn't particularly starving or anything... But it all looked so good...! The table sat fairly quiet for the first minute before I noticed that most everyone was staring at me. I looked up at them with my mouth full, my intention to strike up a conversation to hold them as I eat my way into becoming a piggy. "Hai!" I smiled at them. I saw Miss Cat give me a grimace at my disgusting table manners. "Hey, hey, now! There was no instructions on how to eat this! So I'ma eat it!" I said playfully to the crowd. Mister Fox gave out a hearty laugh and stabbed his fork into his meal. "She's right! Not much point in acting all civilized and such in front of each other. Especially since we're probably not ever going to see each other again!" He stuffed his handsome face full of the meat and gave me a nod of affirmation. Definitely a keeper. Miss Doe clapped her petite and dainty hands together and somehow managed to still make eating like a barbarian look adorable! In response, the entire table seemed to become just a little more enjoyable, now complete with laughter and a good time guarantee! Well, except for Miss Cat, who sophisticatedly ate like the aristocrat she apparently wanted to be, still giving me a glare from time to time. Good to see I make as many good friends as I do 'best' friends here. As dinner went on, most of the chatter was from Mister Fox, Miss Doe, and Mister Peacock with random remarks made from Miss Cat. Overall, it was definitely enjoyable, however I couldn't shake this odd feeling. It was as if I was being watched... I lifted my head to the conversation as to not draw suspicion and slowly scanned the room. Miss Cat was either glaring at me or laughing at Miss Doe and... Wait... Is she eyeing Mister Fox??? No wonder...! Anyways... Miss Doe was making a subtle mess and giggling, making small talk. Mister Fox was busy being the #life of the party and taking some times out to make sure both Miss Cat and I still felt included. Mister Peacock was making the most of the time and apparently sharpening his mingling skills; he was doing good! Though I still can't remember what he was saying no matter how many times he said it... And then there was Mister Lizard... When our eyes made contact, my heart dropped. Has he been staring at me the entire time? I looked away quickly, but I could tell that he was still looking at me. Had he been staring at me the entire time? For how long? What is he possibly think-- wait, wait. I've been here before. I don't want to know what he's thinking... I wanted to make myself look unavailable, so I turned to either Miss Doe or Mister Fox to chat with. He didn't seem to care much when I spoke with Miss Doe but I did see a noticeable reaction when I interacted with Mister Fox. Bingo. I began to interact more with Mister Fox, seemingly much to his pleasure. I got to know Mister Fox a bit more and he leaned into my ear. "Hey, uh.. Listen.. I want to tell you something," he whispered. "Eh?" I responded, confused yet amused that on how Mister Lizard reacted. "I know we're supposed to be using aliases and stuff.. But I think it would be more in my favor to be a gentleman to you if I told you my real name," he explained with a half smile. That exact one that made my heart melt. I giggled and asked, "Okay. But why would you tell me that?" He laughed and shrugged, "I just feel like we connect. From the moment I met you, there was, uh... Something about you that drew me to you." I laughed at the thought. It was cute and I took it that he was definitely flirting with me. Although, if it meant anything would be a different thing since I knew the curses of unintentional or meaningless flirting all too well from past experiences. "Oh really?" I responded. "Yeah. Do you want to know?" he asked playfully. "Sure!" I smiled. "My name is Jeremy. Jeremy Fox," he introduced. "Oh! Well, that wasn't as silly as I thought it would be! My name is Mimi," I responded, purposely leaving out my last name. I wasn’t every very proud of it and besides, it's none of his business. We shook hands briefly but before I knew it, he was caressing the top of my hand and staring into my eyes. I immediately felt freaked out rather than the flattered and enamored that I assume most girls would feel in this situation. Good thing I'm a wolf and not subject by those types of societal norms. Even if I was, fuck that shit. I do what I want. Before I was able to say anything in protest, Butler butted in, "If all the guests are finished dining, we may carry on to the den. There we shall finally commence our meeting's purpose. Please feel free to take your time, but don't keep us all waiting. I look forward to seeing you all there." He left the room and shut the doors behind him. I just looked back at Mister Fox and then smiled, patting his hand with my other one, signaling for him to let go. "Well! If you'll allow me, I'm done with my food," I smiled at him and got up to leave. "Of course!" he graciously stood and helped me up. He ended up letting go of my hand but he followed me out. Mister Lizard stared daggers.