I hadn't been through the front lobby of The Hearth. I always left through the garage. Paid rent online. But it was a lovely place. Space heaters thrummed away in the center of the broad room, in conjunction with the rattling HVAC pumping warmth from above, with six or so families lazing in the warmth. Another four stood in line in front of the receptionists, who chirped away, telling them how many apartments were available in what sizes. Their costs, requirements, and that it would be three hours before they could finalize anything with the leasing staff.

  Standing to either side of the receptionist desk were broad-shouldered men, their thick tails twitching. They wore heavy coats, hands folded in front of them quietly. Their straight-backed posture spoke of complete confidence. Hired muscle of some sort, no doubt. I glanced at Bella, tilting my head to them curiously. "Just some of the bigger guys. Like to keep the peace. Sometimes there's trouble." She admitted, wandering up to begin chatting with one of them. Bouncing my foot twice, I hissed.

  I quickly slipped outside, pulling my coat more firmly around myself, the snow freezing every scale it touched as I lit a cigarette. I was glad to have thrown on my winter combat boots, the only pair I had with soles. They gritted against the salt, crushing snow as I leaned against the pillar at the end of the awning.

  Engines rumbled as cars raced down the road, the acrid scent of exhaust burning the inside of my nose, before I blew a thick cloud of smoke through it. "Lovely," I muttered, thankful for the warmth of my heated vest. As it blew away on the wind, the sound of tires running up the curb and bouncing suspension came from the other side of the pillar. I leaned around it, frowning.

  A police cruiser had trundled up onto the broad sidewalk into one of the few empty streetside parking spaces. Out stepped a familiar face. Officer Halsin blinked a few times as he met my gaze before he smiled, adjusting his scarf. "Hey there, Vidr! I knew you lived here, but I wasn't expecting you to be out in the cold," he said, walking up. Officer Nathan followed from the passenger side.

  "I needed a smoke," I said with a shrug, tail sweeping against the snowy ground, sending a shiver up my spine.

  "Fair enough. Just swinging by. Had some time on patrol to make sure things by The Hearth here were going smoothly enough. I know it can get hairy for you scaled folk this time of year," Halsin said, leaning against the pillar opposite mine. Nathan nodded along, before stepping from under the awning, walking to the corner of the building, and peering into the alleyway it fed into.

  "So I've heard. First year outside a corporate arcology, admittedly. Not something I ever had to deal with," I chuffed, returning my gaze to the street. A car raced past, slinging slush up onto the sidewalk, its driver leering at me through their poorly tinted windows.

  Halsin glared at the car as it ran past. "At least it isn't Seattle. Lichgarden had to throw their corporate military down to stop people from lynching Saurids, Naga, and Orcs last week." Halsin grimaced as he spoke, pulling out a cigarette of his own. I held out my lighter, flicking it to life. Nathan crossed behind us to check the other alley.

  "Fuck," I said dryly. "Takes a lot of pissing around to get a corp to move like that."

  "Lichgarden's a weird one. Pharmaceuticals. Also have the only competitor to Charon's Gate, with their subsidiary Aegis International," he chuckled. I glanced down at the cigarette in my hand, Lichgarden's logo printed along the side of the filter.

  I took another long drag, letting the smoke warm me. "I shouldn't stay out here too long." I flicked the ash from the dart as I spoke.

  "No. You shouldn't. Things will only get worse from here. But I made sure Nathan and I have your part of town for patrol. So you can count on us." Halsin held a fist out.

  I met it with one of my own. "I appreciate it. I've learned that life at street level is all about looking out for each other. Stop by some time. We can grab lunch on one of my off days," I promised, flicking out my fingers. His AR lenses lit up with my contact info.

  "We'll do that, Vidr. Enjoy your time off. Keep an eye out." Halsin stood. "That car's gone by twice now," He said. I nodded idly, dropping the cigarette and crushing it under my boot as I met the leering man's gaze again, more slush splattering the sidewalk between us.

  Nathan gave me a smile before slipping into the cruiser. Halsin followed quickly, their engine rumbling as they joined traffic. I gave a nod after them, slowly standing up again. The door behind me opened. "There you are," Bella chirped from behind.

  "Sorry. Needed a smoke. Some friends from work stopped by to say hello," I said idly, watching the street for another long minute, tail lashing.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "Mhmm. It's beautiful out," she mused, coming up beside me. "Something the matter?"

  I blinked, following her eyes to where my hand was hovering over the grip of my pistol under my belt buckle. "Just some asshole. Drove by twice, trying to hit me with slush." I jerked my head to the piles that had fallen short, letting my hand hang from my belt by the thumb.

  "Oh." Bella's voice went flat as she looked over the traffic, which slowed for the next light cycle.

  "And the man that just passed behind us has come through about four times, since I stepped out." I turned on a heel, walking back into The Hearth, breathing in the warm air deeply. I glanced at one of the kids who had been staring at me through the front window, giving a half smile. Then I moved past the line of prospective residents and put a hand on the shoulder of one of the men standing guard. "I'm sure you saw what I saw. Something I should take seriously? Guy in the red parka? Green SUV?" I asked, tail flicking against the floor.

  "Mmm. Something like that. Good eye. Vidr, right?" He asked, holding a hand out to shake. I returned it firmly.

  "Yes, sir. I'll be around when I'm not at work. Let me know if there's trouble," I offered, tongue flicking out slowly.

  "We'll do that. Go get that girl of yours fed. Stay safe about it," he rumbled, turning back to watch the door. With a bob of my head, I led Bella into the elevator, pausing for a moment as my claw hovered over the garage floor button, watching the time in my peripherals.

  //11-08-2099 - - 12:57//

  "Traffic will be pretty bad. I can cook something up. Could also order. Up to you." I said, instead thumbing the button for my floor of The Hearth. I leaned back against the wall, watching Bella from the corner of my eye. Her tail flicked as she considered it, hands in her pockets.

  "Bad traffic means ass delivery times." She sighed. "You can cook?" She tilted her head gently, meeting my eyes.

  "I know a thing or two, I guess," I said, scratching at the back of my neck. "Arcology food was always pretty good, but sometimes it was nice to make something myself, if I had the energy for it," I mused aloud, pulling off my jacket, feeling its armored weight drop off my shoulders.

  "Then we can do that," she chirped, slipping out the elevator door before it fully opened. I followed at the tip of her tail, slipping through the small crowd of murmuring Saurids who waited for their turn on the elevator.

  The blue-and-black scaled man from that morning leered at me from the back of the pack as we slipped past him. I barely spared him a glance, my eyes on Bella's back as we finally broke free of the small throng.

  The dull thud of my apartment door closing behind me melted a tension in my shoulders I hadn't even noticed till it was gone. "What's on the menu?" Bella asked, landing heavily on the couch, pulling off the jacket she had grabbed from her own apartment, tossing it to one side.

  "Let me take a look. See what's left." I turned to the fridge, peering inside. Ground beef. Marinating steaks. All manner of meat that made me cringe, remembering how much I'd paid for it. As I stared into the cold refrigerator, the bagged meat under one clawed hand, my appetite vanished.

  Still, I grabbed one of the bags of steaks and dropped it on the counter. With a huff, I knelt and dragged a pan from one of the drawers, letting it clatter onto the gas stove's top. My tail slapped the drawer closed, while I turned the knob, a quick series of snapping the air before the gas lit with a soft blooming flame.

  I turned away, letting the pan heat as I stalked to the window. Bella was lying back on my bed, watching me from under her commlink. More Saurid families were lined up outside the lobby's entrance below. A flash of red sent a shudder down my spine, tail lashing, before I realized it was just a red scarf on one of the Saurids as they scooped up their child.

  "It's weird, being on this side of the street," I admitted, tail flicking again, more slowly. "It was never a problem, up in the Arcology."

  "I'd imagine. You were one of their soldiers. They had to keep you warm, well fed, and focused," Bella pointed out, sitting up. I heard her belt coming undone. "But you're here now. Doing something about it."

  "Guess so," I murmured, backing into the kitchen again, dropping a slab of butter into the pan now that it was screaming hot. I watched the yellow-white square bubble and vanish into a puddle of greasy warmth, popping away against the black of the pan.

  "You did more than you think, being tall, dark, and brooding out front," Bella chuckled. A steak dropped into the pan, sizzling and popping as the thick marinade spread around it, the soft scent of garlic and synthetic honey warring with sharp paprika and red pepper. I glanced over my shoulder at a metallic snap, Bella undoing the part of her pants that went over the top of her tail with a soft sigh of relief.

  I looked away as her pants hit the floor. "Do you always walk around other people's homes half-naked?" I asked, watching as the steak seared, tongue flicking out. My hunger didn't return, even with the mouthwatering scent of cooking steak.

  Her answer came in my ear, her body leaning up against my back. "Pants suck, Vidr," she stated, trapping my tail between her legs. She wrapped her arms around my waist, leaning forward to peer over my shoulder, watching the meat cook. "Just one?"

  "I'm not hungry at the moment, I'll make myself something later," I said, sighing at the soft trill she gave into my ear. "You're awful."

  "Am I?" she asked with a soft smirk, pressing more firmly against me, the soft down of the inside of her legs squeezing against my tail. A shiver ran up my spine at the warmth.

  "Yes, Bella. I'm trying to cook, you know," I said, eyes rolling.

  "And you still feel like you're ready to go beat someone's ass. Relax, V, no one to shoot just yet," she scolded, giving another firm squeeze with her legs before she pulled away. I flipped the steak, unsure if I was just imagining the cooling wet spot left on my tail, or not.

  "This isn't dinner," I pointed out, glancing back at her.

  "I know," she purred, looking like the cat who got the cream.