Easy does it… I just finished cooking these bloody things and I am not doing another batch; I’ve seasoned these perfectly! Diego thought to himself as he carried a breakfast tray of lightly seasoned eggs, full-fat buttered toast and freshly squeezed juice through the main lobby of Karen’s mansion, and up the stairs.

 

It was just sunrise, and the staircase was brilliantly lit by dazzling white-golden rays, pouring in through the thick, soundproof glass panels that made up a good portion of the mansion's architecture. Diego’s bare feet sunk into the rich, steel-coloured carpet beneath him with every soft step. He was currently dressed in a sharply cut turquoise shirt and plain black trousers; uniform.

 

Admittedly, this was some super comfy carpet. Thick enough to sleep on, in fact. It was a better quality than most nomad beds.

 

The breakfast tray rattled gently as plates and cutlery clinked against one another, the juice slipping and sliding around inside its glass precariously and threatening to spill as Diego carefully climbed the stairs, and reached the gently-warmed landing. He paused for a moment and looked over at the view before him, through the glass walls to the surrounding estate.

 

This place was gorgeous. This area had only recently been terra-formed and grass only recently sown, and as such, acres upon acres of brilliant green, sweeping fields surrounded the mansion. The grass sparkled in the morning sun, thanks to a passing seeder barge (a low-hovering DA vehicle designed to spread seeds and water over large areas automatically) spraying fresh water from its sides in large, life-bringing arcs. 

 

Hell, the grass was more comfy than a lot of nomad beds.

 

Watching the planet’s sun rising over the distant mountains and lighting up those fields was a joy. And Diego got to witness it pretty much every day, seeing as part of his new life involved preparing his early-rising keeper’s breakfast every morning. It was a picturesque and brilliant scene, with naught a single soul in the area besides himself. It was just… peaceful, in every sense of the word. No wonder she’d chosen to have her estate built here…

 

He arrived at the master bedroom, and tapped his knuckles against the door gently to signal his arrival.

 

“Come in, Diego.” A feminine, well-spoken voice called out.

 

He pushed the door open slowly with the tray, and went inside. Somehow, the carpet was even thicker in here.

 

Karen was sitting upright in her massive bed, looking out over her balcony and enjoying the morning sunrise as well.

 

She was a pleasant dragoness to look at; brilliant golden skin that faded to a lighter, almost white, ghostly hue towards the end of her limbs and her snout. A pair of dazzling teal eyes sat just above her smoothly scaled muzzle, which was a little short for her species. She had sharp ears of a medium length, and a sleek set of horns that rested parallel above them. Her silvery-white hair was currently messy and curling around her face and neck, but usually she ensured to keep it straight and sharp. She had three teal marks on her face, one centred under her lips, and the other two, just under the outer corners of her eyes.

 

On her back sat a large and impressive set of wings, currently stretching out from either side of her as she relaxed in bed, as though reaching out for an embrace. They were coloured just like the rest of her, but covered with a splattering of teal pellets, as though someone had flicked a paint brush at her.

 

She met Diego with a sleepy, comfortable smile.

 

“Oh, those smell wonderful, Diego! Uh, just lay it on the bed for me here, please.”

 

“Of course.” He smiled back, half forced but also half not, and lay the tray down as she’d asked. Her bed was gigantic; even with her wings stretched out, she couldn’t reach from one side to the other.

 

“I’ve changed my mind about the pool this morning. Don’t worry about it. Instead, I'd like you to pop down to the village and pick up some shopping for me. Feel free to take your time, enjoy the morning, I know you like to go out and splash your feet around a little in the fresh dew!” She giggled softly and leaned over the tray, taking in the scent of the food. “Oh, look at those! Seasoned to perfection!”

 

“Thank you, Karen.” His smile didn’t falter, but he could feel his face reddening. She’d obviously been paying even more attention to him than he’d realised, and now he just felt embarrassed. 

 

“Clean yourself up and head out straight after, if you'd like. I have nothing else for you to do this morning, and I’ll send you the shopping list later on - oh! Before I forget, I'm hosting a party at the end of the month, so we’ll need to get you a brand new suit, tidy up that hair of yours as well, have you looking less like you’ve spent the last six months just running through my hedges!”

 

“O-of course, Karen. Is that it then, for this morning?” He grit his teeth together slightly; the hair was a sensitive subject.

 

“Oh, don’t pout. We’ll keep your hair long, it just needs to be tidied up!” She giggled again and reached a hand out towards her breakfast, causing the blanket to roll down her body slightly and show off her silky dressing gown, with just the slightest hint of soft, golden cleavage. 

 

Diego immediately averted his eyes and took a step back.

 

“W-will that be all, Karen?”

 

“Hmm, for now. Ugh, I’ve got a meeting later tonight with a nomad anomaly hunter and he is such a spineless hog! UGH! I will want a hot bath when I get back, so please have it ready for me… Right, that's it for now. On your way!” Her face had creased in frustration for a moment, but it swiftly smoothed into a satisfied smile as she hummed and chewed on a mouthful of toast.

 

Diego retreated from the room sharply and made his way straight back to his living quarters on the basement floor.

 

He walked quickly through his bedroom and into his small ensuite. Splashing his face with cool water, he rested his arms heavily against the sink, sighing loudly.

 

I do not need a reminder of what I'm missing. Or what I'm not doing. Or what I am doing! This is difficult enough as it is. He tugged at the thick metal collar, sat snugly around his neck.

 

I can’t even jack off with this bloody thing on, not without Karen ‘checking in,’ asking me if I'm having a freakin’ heart attack! I have no privacy in this place, she’s made sure of that!

 

He stared at himself in the mirror, watching the water drip down his face and muzzle. His eyes narrowed, the briefest hint of a snarl curling at his lips.

 

I would have torn this place apart. 

 

He jolted, shaking his head vigorously.

 

No! No. He grabbed a towel from the rack nearby and dried himself off.

 

The basement was less cushy than the rest of the house, but by no means was it a terrible place. The grey, stone walls were thick, heavy and pleasantly warmed, and he had several nice pieces of dark wood furniture, a generously sized single bed, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers for storing clothes, plus the ensuite. It was spacious, nicely heated and it felt rather homely, in a weird sort of way...

 

His eyes flickered briefly to the printed note that had been securely stuck to the wall above his bed.

 

“Any further escape attempts by the labourer will result in him being removed from the premises and re-auctioned after behavioural calibrations.”

 

The words ‘behavioural calibrations’ had been underlined several times and circled in thick, red ink. It wasn’t pleasant to be reminded, but it was useful. He remembered quite clearly the ‘chat’ he’d had with Karen that night…

 

* “Diego, stop  it! That’s enough!” Karen  snapped and glared down at her labourer for a moment, then furiously continued pressing buttons on the remote device in her hand. The collar around Diego’s neck beeped and flashed in correspondence; she was re-calibrating it, following his latest - and hopefully last - escape attempt. Diego growled threateningly through his molars and stared straight down at the floor. There were fresh cuts and bruises all down his arms and torso, and blotchy, red marks around his wrists. The collar tightened its grip for a moment around his neck, and instinctively he went for it, clawing and yanking at the metal ring. 

 

“You’re behaving like a child! There, we’re done!” Karen sighed in frustration and placed the device down on the coffee table, locked and well out of Diego’s reach. She looked over at the two DA enforcement officers, who had been watching their interaction from the far side of the room the entire time. “You can go now, I’ve got him from here.”

 

“You better hope you do! The enforcement division won’t tolerate strays meandering around a beautiful place like this!” One chortled. “I hear the pet store down the village is having a sale on leashes, maybe you should invest in one!”

 

Diego turned his furious glare towards the guards and made to stand, but Karen quickly placed a hand on his knee.

 

“Good boy, settle for your mistress now!” The guards continued to laugh as they made their way down the hall, and left the building. As the front door closed, Karen leaned in towards him, feeling the heat and anger rising off his skin.

 

“If you try and escape again, you better make sure it’s a success, because I won’t be able to help you again!” She hissed into his ear. “They’re already starting to laugh at me, ‘only one labourer, and she can’t even reign in him’ and the like! If the authorities catch you again, that’s it! I don’t know exactly what happens to repeat offenders, but trust me, they do not come back the same. So I suggest you get a hold of yourself, and go run me a god-damn bath.” *

 

A deep growl vibrated through his throat. His next escape attempt needed to be successful, or he’d be in for a whole lot of trouble... But those were thoughts for another morning; for now, it was time to go shopping.

 

He pulled some fresh clothes from the wardrobe in preparation for the walk, a solid hour each way, along with a backpack. He glanced down at the walking shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe, and after a few seconds, decided to leave them be. Karen was right, he did like the feeling of the dew on his feet.

 

Before he could be alone for too long though (privacy wasn’t a thing for him here, after all) the sound of small, pattering feet could be heard, rapidly approaching him. A pint-sized petshee suddenly bounded down the stairs and burst into his room, running circles around Diego’s feet. It was akin to a gecko-puppy hybrid, with all the enthusiasm, daftness and love of a golden retriever puppy, combined with the aesthetics of a long-legged leopard gecko. There was a deep midnight hue to its little body.

 

“Yes, hello Morby.” Diego sighed. “Ya know, I still can’t tell if you actually like me or not. Are your brothers and sisters awake yet?” He kneeled down to pet the hyperactive bundle but it actively avoided his hand, still sprinting around him like a cracked-up lunatic. The rush of more feet suddenly echoed down the hall towards him.

 

“Oh yeah, you only like me when I feed you! How could I forget? C’mon, let's get you some lizzy-kibble, you adorable little twat.”

 

*

 

“Fuck - FUCK!” Seeth slammed her hands down against her bed and collapsed onto it, curling up into a ball on the grey sheets. 

 

She glanced up at the alarm clock on her bedside table - 3:45am.

 

Her room was the largest in their flat, with a king sized bed pushed against the far wall, a large metal desk against the right side, accompanied by a bin full of tissues and broken pens underneath. It was also the only room with a private bathroom, the door situated next to the desk. It was currently being used to dry out her freshly washed bio-suit; it hung limply over the glass door to the walk-in shower.

 

Seeth’s skin was clammy, her forehead thick with sweat. She hugged herself tightly.

 

“Nothing to do - nothing to do, no distractions!”

 

She remained frighteningly still on the bed for a few seconds, before bolting upright and charging over to her desk, pulling the drawer open furiously and retrieving a battered notebook. She slapped it onto the metal surface of the desk with a loud *pang*.

 

Biting hard on her lip, she flicked through the notebook, scanning its crumpled, ink-scribbled pages until she got to a fresh one.

 

She grabbed a pen and pressed the nib up against the page… yet she could not make it move any further. Her fingers were trembling. She squeezed the pen harder until eventually, the plastic snapped in her grip. Quickly, the pen was thrown into the bin with all the others and she grabbed another from the drawer.

 

Indecision gripped her. She flicked back one page in the notebook.

 

From top to bottom, the words “IT DOESN’T HELP - IT NEVER HELPS” were scribbled in an aggressive, sketchy fashion over and over again, taking up all the lines, the header and footer and every inch of spare space.

 

Seeth gripped the pen in her fist and traced the words on the page, taking long, laboured breaths as she did so.

 

She could feel them through the walls.

 

Her body ached for it. They were so easy to overpower. She could take any one of them - hell, she could take them all! She knew that.

 

“M-maybe I could just ask if T-Trent or T-Tivy just… if they… if -”

 

She stopped herself again. The pen crunched in her hand, ink splattered all over her palm, and she dropped it into the bin.

 

“No. I’ve made it this far. That means something. He believed in me. I can do this.”

 

Clasping her hands together tightly she attempted to meditate, closing her eyes and slowing her breathing. But, in all honesty, her mind was no good company right now.

 

Please, just come back to me…

 

Suddenly, a gentle pinging noise broke through the chaos, sweat and desire of Seeth’s unique and personal hell, like a ray of sunshine. It was a sound that made Seeth exclaim with joy every time she heard it.

 

“OH THANK FUCK! OH MY STARS! YES!” Seeth cried out, her huge amethystine eyes turning glassy with relief.

 

She clambered over to her bedside table, where her data-tablet was bleeping.

 

One new message. 

 

Still trembling, her fingers unlocked the tablet and quickly flicked through the main menu screen:

 

Seeth - Need you at the Fixer Den if you’re available - Situation ongoing - Non-lethal takedown at the den - NON-LETHAL TAKEDOWN!!! - Wife made pie - COME QUICK! - Garnet.

 

She stared at the tablet, holding it in shaky, sweaty hands.

 

O.K. Coming. 

 

Just those two words had to be deleted and retyped several times, as her shaking fingers hit the wrong keys time after time.

 

The moment her message was sent though, she charged into her bathroom, snatched up the still dripping hazard suit from the door and squeezed it on. In the space of just a few minutes, she had adequately dressed herself, but as she turned to leave, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror, and stopped.

 

Her hair was wild; an all too honest representation. 

 

“This won’t do.”

 

She quickly reigned her dreadlocks in and tied them together into a huge single plait, ensuring the braid was as tight and clean as it could be.

 

“Better.”

 

Quietly, she tapped on the panel next to her door, deactivating the sound shield and sliding the metal door open to reveal the empty corridor, linking to everyone else's rooms.

 

Seeth nipped out, walked down the hall and past the kitchen, where she heard a quiet fumbling. She paused and looked in, and saw the crouching form of Venner, pulling her security gear out of the washing machine. She was dressed in a loose-fitting, plain yellow nightie, rather unflattering considering her fit, well-kept physique. 

 

Seeth averted her eyes, unwilling to look at her directly.

 

“Hey. I got a message -”

 

Venner leapt out of her skin and bolted upright with a gasp, clutching onto her uniform as a deep red blush spread over her tired face.

 

“S-Seeth! Fuck! Eugh! You scared me! W-what are you doing up?” Her shock faded into confusion as she eyed Seeth’s biosuit. “A-are you going back out already? You only came back today!”

 

“Yeah. I got a message from Garnet, he needs me now. Not sure when I’ll be back, might just be a quick one.”

 

“You taking the ship?”

 

“Yeah, if that's okay with you?” Seeth asked, rubbing her forearm.

 

“No problem. you’re the one earning the big bucks, better you use it than me.”

 

“Thanks…” Seeth turned to leave, then looked back. “What are you doing up?” 

 

“Oh. Just some laundry, Tivy doesn’t do it right so I'm just… sorting it out.” The rat suddenly went shy, shrinking a bit where she stood.

 

“Right. She would likely change what she was doing if you spoke to her about it. Save you being up at four in the morning for some washing... Anyway, gotta go.”

 

“B-bye! Be safe!” Venner called out as Seeth resumed her pace, leaving the flat quickly and locking the door behind her. 

 

The journey itself was a blur as she made her way through the housing complex to the dock, and quickly embarked on her routine journey to Garnet’s den in Venner’s ship.

 

Non-lethal? That’s… specific. And unusual. I wonder what’s got Garnet so worked up to message me like that? He has guards at the den too; why does he need me? Seeth sat back in the pilot’s seat and wondered to herself as the stars drifted past her. It was only a short trip, and within a few minutes her ship had docked at the den, a converted asteroid that now functioned as Garnet’s heart and home.

 

She grabbed her somewhat blood-stained equipment from the weapon’s rack within the cargo hold - just a studded metal bat and a stun rifle - and cautiously exited the ship. Each landing pad had been positioned within easy walking distance (and view) of the den’s main reception, which was smoothly decorated with white and grey tiling. The reception was always warm and nicely lit, and usually bustling with bounty hunters looking for their next contract, or visiting old friends from Garnet’s military days. Now, there was a distinct lack of people inside. Something was very wrong.

 

Seeth entered the lobby slowly and noted its empty chairs, the drops of blood on the floor. The receptionist was nowhere to be seen, and there was a strange noise… a mechanical noise, almost like drilling.

 

Seeth approached cautiously, bringing her stun rifle up to her shoulder and following the sound to its source.

 

Ahead of her was a heavy security door, operated by a code panel on the wall. Her eyes flickered to the panel, and the faint speckling of red blood on the metal numbered buttons. As she approached, however, a light above her head flashed green and the doors parted automatically, revealing a large storage bay.

 

The bay itself was very grey, sterile and metal. The floor was mostly empty, except for several large metal crates stacked up in the corners and against the wall, illuminated by industrial white lights hanging from the multi-meter tall ceiling.

 

The sound of the drilling intensified, and the source revealed itself quickly. On the opposite side of the storage bay was a second security door, which was currently being bored into by a mechanical drill, fixed up with some scaffolding to keep it in place.

 

Standing guard, currently huffing and swinging a kanabō club, an intimidating and deeply irritated woman patrolled the drill and the bay, hustling between the whirring machine and a small group of bound hostages, including Garnet’s receptionist.

 

“I swear to fuck, I didn’t want to do this. But if you don’t believe I can’t FUCKING HANDLE MYSELF, then I’ll just have to show you, won’t I? YOU WATCHING THIS GARNET?!” She paused and stared intently up at the corner of the bay, where a small, silver security camera was watching her. “I’ll get those fucking contracts, whether you let me have ‘em or not!”

 

The woman was a strider class oni-demoness, standing at seven-foot-nine, with blood-red crimson skin. She had a humanoid face with sharp but attractive features, piercing copper eyes and brilliant white hair in a messy, fluffy and chaotic bob cut. Her body was heavily muscular, donned in armour designed to deliberately expose her carved midriff and thunderous thighs, although most of her body was well protected, and armoured in heavy metal plating. Her slender tail, fists, and feet were wrapped in a white fabric, giving her a strong sense of physical prowess. The fabric around her knuckles were stained with pink splatterings of blood - likely someone else's.

 

She pounded her fist against her chest angrily with a menacing thump, and flashed a middle finger up to the camera. As she turned back towards the drill, she caught sight of Seeth’s frame, peering around the door.

 

“You…!” She scowled, spitting at the floor and seizing her massive club with both hands. “Well, don’t just FUCKING stand there, you massive purple bio-hazard cunt! I shoulda known Garnet would send for his favourite strider hoe!”

 

Seeth sighed loudly, dropped her rifle gently to the floor and reached her for the club instead, before walking quite calmly into the bay.

 

“C’mon, Tora. We don’t need to do this. Why don’t you tell me what this is about?” Makes sense why Garnet wanted non-lethal now… Seeth thought, casting a quick glance over to Tora’s hostages. Although they were a little beaten up, they all seemed fine.

 

“Fuck you - trying to appeal to my reasonable side! Garnet is FUCKING HIDING SOMETHING FROM ME! He thinks I'm not up to the task! He’s TESTING ME.” Tora snarled, gripping both her hands around the club tightly, twisting them around its handle.

 

“Tora. Don’t make me kick your ass.” Seeth stated firmly. Her eyes stared directly into Tora’s, but the demoness wasn’t to be intimidated so easily. The drill continued to work in the background.

 

“FUCK YOU - DON’T MAKE ME KICK YOUR ASS!” Tora yelled, pointing the club directly at Seeth with one hand, and flexing her other arm, her muscles pressing tightly against her armour. “I KNOW WHY YOU WEAR THAT SUIT! I DID MY RESEARCH!” She yelled again, and began a slow stride around the room, Seeth mimicked her pace and the two began to circle one another.

 

“Watch your words, Tora. I haven’t wronged you. If you need more money, we can work toge-”

 

“FUCK YOU! You’re a corrupted czarite! That weird sex thing that's doing the rounds - That's you! That’s why you’re so fucking big! It doesn’t fucking matter though -  you think you’re hot shit, but you’re not, I’m gonna take you down - wait, am I immune? You can tell, right?” Her demeanour suddenly changed, and a sharp grin erupted over her face.

 

“Yes. You’re immune.” Seeth answered uncomfortably, her fist gripping her club tightly. The material shifted between her fingers.

 

“Ahh-hah-ha-ha. YES. I’m gonna make you my bitch after this! You’re single right?!? It don’t matter, I'm gonna take you from whatever bitch boy OR GIRL you got anyway! Gonna prove Garnet wrong, get those contracts, get YOU between my legs, and shit will be tight! TIGHT-TIGHT-TIGHT!” Tora chanted triumphantly, her eyes focused on Seeth with predator-like vision.

 

Seeth shook her head and huffed angrily, flinging her now bent club across the room. Her breath was like fire on her tongue.

 

“Garnet did say you get a tongue on you when you’re pissed.” She drove her fist into her palm with a meaty clap. “Stop shit-talking already and put your club where your mouth is.”

 

“FINALLY! BRING IT ON, BIOHAZARD BITCH!”

 

The two giant girls threw themselves at each-other, pounding across the surface of the bay with thunderous strides, where they clashed dead centre.

 

Tora swung her club straight at Seeth’s head with a huge sweeping arc, but the czarite ducked below it and sent a strong punch into Tora’s abs. Her fist crunched against the crimson skin with a solid thump, and Tora retaliated with a flurry of club swings, trying to slam the studded metal into Seeth’s limbs. The alien proved too nimble up close, and she managed to catch the club in her bare hands.

 

In mere moments, Seeth had pulled the club and its wielder towards her. She flung her head forward, the crown of her carapace smashing into Tora’s nose with a bloody and sickeningly loud crack.

 

Tora tumbled backwards, landing solidly on her rump and looked up at Seeth, who stared down at her and tossed the club aside.

 

“You down, or you want more?” 

 

“Oh get fucked, I’m just getting started!” Tora placed her hands either side of her nose and crunched it back to its original position, blowing a wad of blood from one of her nostrils and leaping up to her feet. She charged at Seeth, and made to grapple her around the waist, but the czarite met her charge and the two locked arms. For a few seconds, they both struggled, bodies quivering and shaking as they tried to overpower one-another.

 

Tora’s legs quaked as she began to fall backwards, slipping and sliding against the metal floor as Seeth pushed her back. Realising her position, Tora suddenly dropped back to Seeth’s midsection, reaching around and grabbing her plait firmly with both arms, yanking it downwards like a church bell. Seeth’s head jerked backwards, and she was thrown off-balance. As Seeth stumbled, for just a second, Tora released her grip, reeled back onto her heel and kicked out, knocking Seeth off her feet and onto the floor, with a sharp scrape and a thud.

 

As she tried to scramble to her feet, Tora suddenly pounced on top of her chest and sat there, feet pressed down on Seeth’s forearms, flexing her knuckles threateningly, as though she’d already won.

 

“Told you! You don’t gotta worry though, being my bitch is gonna be fun! GIVE IT UP ALREADY! I’m gonna - NUEFH -”

 

Seeth pulled her arm free, clamped her hand around Tora’s armoured neck brace and yanked her head down, driving her carapace crown into Tora’s nose once more with that same shiver-inducing crack. As Tora recoiled, Seeth kicked her legs up and pushed her feet against the demoness’ trunk, heaving her off her chest in a single swift motion. She kicked her legs out and Tora flew through the air, and landed with a meaty thud as she hit the ground. 

 

The two of them rose to their feet, Tora stumbling, Seeth’s stance absolute. As Tora attempted to nurse her nose once more, Seeth brought her fists up and bullied her backwards, jabbing at the demoness until she was pinned against the wall, not far from the drill. With Tora’s back to the wall, Seeth suddenly stepped up her game and began a cold, methodical, staggering assault, throwing punch after relentless punch against Tora’s rapidly bruising frame.

 

It didn’t matter where she hit, against her armour or flesh, each hit landed caused a shuddering, breathless gasp from the demoness as she desperately tried to block the hits and defend herself, but it was startlingly obvious to anyone in that room that Tora was thoroughly outclassed. She looked clumsy and weak as Seeth drove several, bone breaking punches into her torso, each one smacking into her body with a shuddering, splitting efficacy.

 

The last one struck her dead centre in her chest with a mighty crack, leaving a visible and lasting impression on her skin. The demoness bounced off the back-wall and collapsed to the floor, winded.

 

After a few seconds of silence, Tora finally gasped as her lungs started to work again. She spread her battered body out against the cold floor.

 

“You down?” Seeth demanded, standing tall over her.

 

“I’m down.” Tora responded between gasps, weakly pawing at her armour. “I get it… Sorry. I might have let my temper get a hold of me there…” She coughed out weakly, but genuinely.

 

“You need first aid?” Seeth asked bluntly. 

 

“Nah. I’m gonna wear this beating for a while. Hey - say sorry to Mel for me, I roughed her up a bit to open the hanger, she didn’t deserve that.”

 

Seeth merely nodded in response, and began to survey the room.

 

Tora didn’t move from her defeated position on the floor, whining a little as she reached for her nose again. As Seeth went to untie the hostages, a distinctly southern, enthusiastic voice called out across the bay.

 

“Seeth! Is that you? I swear I just watched a ghost beat up Tora on the cameras! My den’s haunted!”

 

“Garnet!”

 

A somewhat short, portly, otter stepped out from the door on the other side of the bay. He had traditional brown fur and a round belly. Both his tail and left foot had been replaced by dark grey, rustic-looking bionics, and both his eyes were sewn shut; he relied on a small red optic attached to the side of his head just above the ear  to see instead. Dressed in a plain white t-shirt and brown cargo shorts, he appeared a rather casual, if unusual man, standing just shy of five feet tall.

 

“Well darn howdy, look at that! She was drilling into my safe! I don’t keep no contracts in there, just guns and armour and bombs and stuff. Glad you came, Seeth!” He spoke quickly, and was staring in the complete wrong direction of his addressee. He held a hand out and Seeth came over, meeting it with her own and guiding him to face her. 

 

Two of Garnet’s assistants came out to untie the hostages and stop the drill. Soon enough, things seemed to be back under control again, with the otter seeming rather unphased by the whole incident. He made to leave the storage bay, and gestured for Seeth to follow.

 

“You wanna tell me what that was about, Garnet?” Seeth asked the otter as he made his way back through the door and into his office, a small but comfy space with a solid wood desk in the middle of the room. The office was kept delightfully warm and the smell of a fresh pie gave the room a wonderful, cosy feel. Seeth sat down in one of the chairs closest to them.

 

“Bah, I will! Just gimme a second here!” He waddled over to his oversized seat on the other side of the desk and sank into it with a sigh, drumming his fingers against one of the leather arms. “Firstly, I’ll wire you a sum for dealin’ with Tora. She’s a good egg, but she was being fried on both sides and frankly, she was overdone! I don’t blame her none and we’ll make sure she’s alright but either way, many many thanks to you for turning up so quick and dealing with that nonsense non-lethally. Lord knows I’d hate to see you do to her, what you did to those two brothers! Although those brothers had it coming, mind you!” He continued to ramble idly, twiddling his fingers faster against the arm of his chair.

 

“Garnet. I can tell you’re avoiding something.” Seeth sighed, flexing her neck a little. “Why was Tora mad? What’s going on?”

 

The otter paused, his head sinking a little on his shoulders.

 

“C’mon Garnet. You know you can trust me… Is it about my condition? Because you know i’ve got it under contr-” 

 

“What? Seeth, darlin’, Seeth- No! Absolutely not! Hell no! Don’t you be silly, we already spoke ‘bout that. Hell no.” He paused again, his nervousness obvious, and looking slightly past her, in the wrong direction.

 

“Maybe it's not my business then, that's fine.” Seeth pivoted. “I’ve never seen you look so uncomfortable before.”

 

“That’s cuz I'm not really comfortable with what I'm about to ask you.” He hopped off the chair and walked towards a narrow door on the far wall of his office. He opened it slightly, just enough for him to slip through, but Seeth could just make out the inside - it seemed to be a simple supply room.

 

“We need help, Seeth. Tora was mad because she thought I was keeping some high payin’ and classy jobs from her.”

 

“Right…”

 

“Truth be told, Seeth. I was savin’ her life. I do trust Tora, I think she’s a total hotshot, but she ain’t ready for this.” He came back out holding a substantial cardboard box, filled to the brim with filed paper contracts. Garnet popped it onto the desk with some effort; the box was practically as big as him. 

 

“You know I look after my mercs. I don’t send ‘em where they can’t handle themselves. I know all too much ‘bout that.” He remarked sadly, his mechanical gaze landed on the less original components of his body. “But these contracts keep coming in by the shitload. These ain’t just odd jobs for cash. They’re a necessity, people are dying because these contracts are unfulfilled. And now I'm stuck between a rock and a real hard place and I'm stressin’ Seeth, I really am.” A slight glint of tears appeared in the corners of his eyeless sockets.

 

“What are they, Garnet? What’s going on?” Seeth stood from her chair, deeply concerned.

 

“Truth be told, Seeth, y’all might be the only person I trust who can deal with these. And even then, I got my concerns.” He paused again, leaning on the box and flicking through the files with a pair of trimmed claws. “Have you ever heard of them Vora Barons…?”