The rat queen lets us go without much of a hassle, allowing us to take one of the secret entrances back up through the sewers to Monorise. Once we’re out, the skies are a bit too cloudy to tell what time it is, but a quick glance at my phone tells me I’ve still got a good part of the day left to myself, since it’s only a little after noon.

“Shall we return to Aspen Town?” Coyotl asks, standing rather awkwardly in the alley, thankfully out of sight of any passersbys. “Unless you’ve got somewhere else to be, in which case I’d like to know. Ain’t many options besides home, and sneaking about Monorise.” The chimera holds their arms close to themself and sighs. “I would be lying if I said I was not interested in returning to the Inkton Manor after seeing that...Ghost Train...I would be able to sleep much more comfortably without worrying about everything I don’t know about it. It would help my research as well…”

I can’t blame them, but at the same time, I don’t think it’s the best idea to go anywhere near that place. With a paw on their shoulder, I shake my head.

“I’m sure there’s people in Aspen who could help you with your ghost-ology. A stupid snake once told me about how Ascended folk putting their might together can accomplish anything. And hey, you’re one of us, ain’tcha?”

They seem to withdraw somewhat at the question, but nod all the same, if hesitantly. “Y-yes, you are correct…”

With a sigh, the stranger leans back against a wall and falls into a squat, Fox then nudging and rubbing her cheek against Coyotl’s leg. I swear, she’s like a therapy fox. The chimera reaches down to pet her, but for some reason, Fox flinches away from their palm, and I see her Shadow flash over her face for a second. She must still be struggling with her…

“Well…” Coyotl sighs, sounding more tired than they did after the fight with Legion, “I was in the middle of something when you summoned me. I should head back to Aspen Town to apologize for disappearing suddenly. After a short rest…”

My head tilts as I smile at the stranger, unsure of what exactly they could have been up to, but happy they found something to do in town. Checking my phone once again, I remember that I never got around to replying to Sue-Zee. Their encouragement definitely helped propel me through that mission, so thanking them is the least I can do.

 

12:04 - Cat Kitten - [ Thanks a ton, you two. Today went well, I’ll be on my way home soon. Can’t wait to see y’all tonight! ]

 

Putting my phone away and leaning against the wall with Coyotl, I sigh, craning my head back to the sky, then to the side, watching city goers walk by.

“Just tell me when you’re good to go…” I trail off, squinting, noticing someone familiar looking at their phone as they pass by the alley.

“Poison…?”

Curiosity pulls me by the choker as I wrap my tail around my waist and pull my hood over my head, the shade from it being enough to keep my face masked in darkness.

“Fox, would you be okay to watch Coyotl for a sec? There’s something I wanna check out.”

My partner looks a bit sad to see me go, but nods and smiles all the same. I return the gesture and blow her a kiss, the silly little fox giving me a hammy swoon as I turn tail and head out onto the streets of Monorise.

While I’m definitely suspicious looking, reinforced by all the odd looks I’m getting, I at least don’t stand out as Ascended, so there’s no immediate concern. Poison doesn’t seem to be too fast of a walker at least, so trailing her isn’t hard. We end up walking a few blocks before the underworld freelancer turns a corner into a random alleyway. I’d been keeping a good distance between us for most of the way, figuring two shady looking people walking together would only draw more attention, and that distance gives her some time out of my sight before I turn the corner as well.

Immediately, all three people in the alleyway are put on edge as I enter: me, Poison, and some masked figure in baggy clothing. Another underworld denizen, perhaps? Regardless, they reach for their hip slowly. In responseI put my hands up, making sure I’m well enough into the darkness to not be spotted by anyone outside of it.

“Oi oi oi, no need to escalate things...I’m a friend of Poison’s,” I mutter, pulling my hood back and allowing my ears and tail to fly free. This alone seems to put the other two at ease, Poison relaxing while the masked one laughs.

“Haha, wow! Did not expect to see you of all peeps out here, fish finder!”

Wait.

That voice.

It’s familiar.

Uncomfortably familiar.

“I guess I should have, considering your background…” the masked figure muses, pulling off their guise and revealing…

“Oh, you’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me.”

 

Jam. The one and only Prick of Aspen.

“No jokes here, fishy, this is where business gets done,” she says, that typical cheshire grin of hers stretched across the glowing blue rings on her cheeks.

“Shoulda figured you of all people would be involved in underworld dealings.”

I cross my arms and look as stern as I can, yet the octopus tilts her head, shaking out her tendrils of hair.

“Underworld? Nah, nah, you’ve got the wrong picture here, kitsy cat. Maybe you shoulda taken one of my art lessons!”

Despite being the only one laughing at her own joke, she maintains high spirits all the same, glancing over at Poison and pointing at me. The freelancer turns her head my way before shaking it side to side, whatever that’s supposed to mean.

“Alright, alright, I guess I’ll do the talking.” Jam begins, still grinning as she crosses her arms to match my stance. Idiot. “Ol’ Poison over here is a lot less underworld oriented than you might think. She’s started a--”

Poison cuts her off with a jab of her elbow, however, Jam then holding up her hands defensively.

“Okay, redacted, withdrawn, alright,” the octopus cowers, coughing a little. “Suffice to say, I ain’t much for dark world dealings. I’m helping more above ground than anything.”

She then reaches under her coat and pulls out a spray can of sorts, shaking it and letting the rattling echo through the alleyway.

“Lil’ missus over here has gotta get her name from somewhere.”

Clearly it’s not just paint in those cans, as evident by the caution symbols carelessly plastered over it. Jam tosses the can Poison’s way, to which she returns in kind with a presumably empty can of her own, replacing it with the new one in a split second. This girl’s got some quick hands, I’ll give her that…

“Alright,” I sigh, “I guess I’ll leave you to it. Whatever it is.”

My tail flicks, a small ember trailing off at the tip as I pull my hood over my ears once more and turn towards the light. Stopping for a second, however, I look over my shoulder and raise my paw in a wave.

“Thanks for the help today, by the way. Maybe we can work together more directly some time, while I’m still dipping my toes in this underworld business.”

Just as I turn tail about to walk off, I feel something pull at my free hand, finding Poison’s oversized sleeves wrapped around it. They look up at me past those big goggles, looking as though she wants to say something, but in the end, she looks down and nods, her thumb poking up through her sleeve in a gesture of good will. She does have some incredibly cute energy to her. I offer a smile in return, watching her shrink back as Jam starts jeering at her, the octopus’ voice thankfully becoming easily drowned out by the crowds skittering about Monorise’s sidewalks. I can’t say my opinion on her has gotten much better, not with how being close to her could put Sue-Zee in danger. They can take care of themselves, but I’ll never forgive Jam if something happens to them because of her shady hobbies.

The walk back to Fox and Coyotl is smooth enough, though, I can’t help but feel very...noticed. Whether someone’s eyes are peeled on my tall, shadowy figure, or just glossing over me, it feels as though people’s attention stays on me for just a bit too long. Maybe it’s all in my head, maybe I’m getting defensive being out in the open without Fox, or maybe feeling more comfortable in my skin has made me all the more sensitive to being seen. Whatever the case is, it doesn’t make the cold any more comfortable than it was before, and I’m happy to find myself turning the corner into the shade to find my partner once again. Or, part of her, it would seem…

Coyotl and Fox are on either side of the alley walls, though, it’s less Fox and more her Shadow, returned to that larger, darker wolf form, her tail swishing in irritation as the large claw at its end flexes and grips at the frigid air. Her eyes, all four of them, are pinned on Coyotl, who in turn appears to be desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Thankfully, upon my entrance, tension seems to wane between them, Coyotl pulling themself up while her Shadow relents and Fox returns, darting to my side and curling around my legs.

“Is everything alright over here, girls?”

Fox and Coyotl look at one another for a moment before my partner nods at my question. The Chimera hugs their arms and sighs, shaken for some reason, but unwilling to explain why.

“Yes, all is well. I believe I am ready to return to Aspen Town.”

I give them a nod, leaning down and giving Fox a quick pet and a smile before we set out for home.

 

Not gonna lie, I’m starting to wish we had some kind of transportation system between Monorise and Aspen Town. There are a few residents of our humble little village that I’d consider for the position, but the main problem would be establishing it with Monorise being the way it is right now. Something to look forward to should everything go as planned at least.

Coyotl spends the walk talking more about relics and other things they’d picked up from the Inkton Manor, while Fox remains hanging off my shoulder, beginning to doze off. It’s comfy honestly. I do hope the stranger eventually becomes comfortable enough to be more than a stranger, because seeing them talk on and on about this thing they clearly love is like music to my ears.

The chit chat helps speed up our journey, and soon enough we’re back in Aspen Town, Fox making her way up to the top of the roof above and Coyotl once again seeming less comfortable than they did outside of it. Maybe breaking the ice will help.

“So you said you got interrupted when I summoned you, yeah?” I ask, pulling Coyotl’s attention back to me. “What were you up to?”

“Ah, well…” they stammer, gripping at something within their cloak. “I was...training. I wanted to be prepared for if you needed me, and without even looking too hard, a teacher basically fell right into my lap.”

With a smile, I tilt my head, “I’m happy to hear you’re getting along with folks around here. Who is your teacher anyways?”

Their clawed finger clacks against their chin, trying to recall. “She is a small one, like a little tree, and she carries books on herself at all times...oh, what was her name...it was--”

“I am Bomba.”

We all look down as Bomba walks past us with rather convenient timing, passing by just as fast as she had appeared.

“...Yes, that was it. Bomba.”

Coyotl and I look at one another before nodding and moving on.

“What’s the plan now, eh? I could always point you in the direction of somewhere nice if you’re still a bit lost.”

The chimera shakes their head however.

“Having seen the depths of Subterfuge…” they begin, reaching into their cloak and pulling out one honkin’ huge book, “I believe I must consult my research once more. I had no idea the problem ran so deep through the veins of Monorise...it is concerning to say the least.”

“At the moment, I’m more concerned with how the hell you’ve stuffed so much junk under that raggedy ass towel,” I joke, Coyotl scoffing but sounding at least somewhat amused.

“Have I not proven to you how this is more than ‘junk?’ I would have presumed better regarding your view of such things.”

My snort is met with an eye roll as I cross my arms and lean in Coyotl’s direction as we continue to walk.

“One cat’s trash is another cat’s treasure. Don’t you worry your mysterious little face off, Coyo, I promise I love hearing about and seeing your relics. I’m guessing one of them is helping you carry all that, huh?”

They nod, grasping at the fringe of their cloak before looking over the rest of their outfit and sighing.

“I really should get some better clothes while I’m situated here. The cloak stays, however, for it is none other than the Different Dimension Dimensional Distortion Cloak! It allows me to store virtually any item I need within its dark depths…”

I count the number of D’s on my paw before shaking my head and smiling.

“A fashionable bag of holding. Curious. You’ll have to let me borrow one of those relics sometime, they sound like they’d be a huge help, both with work and in daily life.”

They appear hesitant to agree upon the idea, to which I shrug.

“Alright, finders keepers I ‘spose.”

The chimera continues looking themselves over, pinching at the fabric of their clothes, and I feel a twinge of a long forgotten sadness. Maybe I could use this as much as they do…

“...What d’you say we head on back to my place? I’ve got some looser stuff that’ll fit ya fine, then we can do a lil’ retail therapy.”

Their hands idly tug at their threads as Coyotl absentmindedly nods along before my offer seems to actually register in their head.

“R-retail therapy? Your place?!”

The look on their face as they turn to me is one of hopeful incredulity, like they’d never been asked to hang out before, and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

“Yeah, you don’t seem too happy with what’s going on, and I haven’t...ever gone shopping really. It’ll be a good experience for the both of us. I don’t have any plans until later in the evening anyways, so don’t think you’re intruding on my time or anythin’.”

Their eyes wander down and over themself once more, hands shaking somewhat as their claw grasps tightly at the cloth of their pants.

“...Okay. Fine,” the stranger sighs, “I suppose I don’t have much more information to go off of regarding ghosts, so...this is fine.”

My smile shines down upon Coyotl as I pat their back and begin leading them towards the woods on the other end of Aspen Town, Fox reuniting with us as we enter and traverse the woods on the way home. Seeing how Coyotl seems to be restraining what I’m guessing is giddiness, my hope that they won’t be a stranger for long seems a lot more founded than it was moments ago.

Being a hope for many might be a daunting as hell task, but being a guiding light for at least one person makes it feel all the most possible.