Twitch stood and jogged over, leading the trio to their spot on the lawn. Sabrina's chair seemed to only struggle momentarily with the grass. In a wispy yet fast voice, He said, "I thought you weren't going to come by. Hey Kev, it's good to see you. And the fair maiden is your sister, right? I remember she had dinner at the VIP table a few nights back."
Sabrina said, "At least someone understands chivalry. Talon, you could learn from this one."
Talon said, "Chivalry is for ladies, not hellions."
"Like you'd know, brother. I'd be amazed if you found someone you love more than work."
Talon sighed and put the lock on Sabrina's chair. "I love working because I love not sleeping outside."
Sabrina giggled and said, "Find yourself a rich boyfriend."
Talon rolled his eyes and said, "Sabrina, this is Mr. Twitch, and that is Mr. Skippy. Please do not bully them."
Sabrina batted her eye. "Hey, Skippy." The kangaroo man simply waved.
Talon took the walkie-talkie from his loose shorts and hit the button. "Mr. Gus, we've made contact with Mr. Twitch and Mr. Skippy."
Gus's gravelly voice responded, "Twitch, what's the situation?"
Talon handed the device to Twitch. Twitch held up the talkie to his mouth, saying, "Gus, it's good to see you've finally found a use for these old relics. You always did say there'd be a time we needed them. The situation is calm."
Gus's voice said, "Even if it's your day off, I'm holding you three responsible for anything that happens to Mr. Kev."
Twitch grinned at Kev while talking into the speaker. "The human will be fine, Gus. Isn't that right, Skip?"
"Yes."
Gus chuckled, saying, "If Skippy says so, then I'll believe you. Hope you boys enjoy your day off."
Talon took back the walkie-talkie and said, "Thank you, Mr. Gus." Talon then handed the walkie-talkie to Kev and said, "Please don't let Sabrina harass Mr. Gus."
Kev nodded and looked over at Sabrina. "You'd never do that, right?"
"Who wants to talk to that dirty old gator anyways when we've got some hotties working out in front of us?" Sabrina smiled at Skippy.
Twitch, in his speed whisper, grinned and said, "So, girly, you came along for the show?"
"Yes, so you better make it a good one."
Talon sat with Skippy on the grassy lawn to stretch and said, "Don't listen to her, she's an idiot."
Sabrina looked at Twitch and dramatically said, "Do you see the abuse that I have to deal with daily? Can't a girl just enjoy a nice day and objectify some muscular guys?"
Kev laughed, still surprised by Sabrina's audacity.
Twitch laughed too, "Talon, are you sure you two are related?"
"I've asked myself that very question many times."
"I know, Mr. Twitch, it is amazing that such a radiant beauty and a hulking thug are related, but it's true."
Twitch said, "Sorry, but to a dumb furball like me, I'd say you and your brother are the spitting image of each other."
"Ugh, I take it back, brother. You can't learn anything from this one."
Twitch laughed again and turned to Kev. "So, Kev," he said, his voice a rapid-fire whisper, "it's good to see you out of the club. How have you been settling in? You know, you've been the talk of the club for the past two weeks. Getting your own room on your first day – how'd you manage that? Not blackmailing Mr. Fang, are you? Lots of people have different ideas on what's going on."
Kev waited for his chance to jump into Twitch's quick, rapid-fire voice. "It's good to see you too," he said. "Don't think we've really had much of a chance to talk yet."
"We can talk now," Twitch said. "I've been dying to know what you've been up to. Fang hasn't gone out on the town in years. What sorts of trouble are you getting up to out there?"
Skippy said, "Rex would tell us if it was important."
"I know, I know," Twitch turned and rejoined Talon and Skippy in their pre-workout stretching. "Doesn't mean I'm not curious."
Talon said, "Mr. Fang wants to show Kev around the city."
Twitch turned to Talon and said, "So, where'd you lot go? Anywhere exciting? Mr. Fang isn't going to go out just anywhere. Probably some real posh sorts of joints."
"They came here," Skippy said simply.
Twitch said, "Yeah, that's right." Turning to Kev, he said, "Talon filled us in that Perry got jumped by some car thieves, and you got to see Rex in action. Can't believe that anyone living in this city would be stupid enough to pull some shit like that. Looking around now, though, it seems like happy families."
Skippy said, "It's daytime."
Twitch nodded and said, "You're right. The moon always turns some people into animals."
Kev asked, "Is the park usually busy like this?"
All three stretchers shrugged.
Talon said, "This is my first time in the park."
"I drive through here every day for work," Twitch chattered away. "but it's usually dark still or just getting dark. I see some people walking around now and then but usually don't pay any attention." He looked around at the bustling plaza. "Seeing it busy like this is nice. Fang was smart to open this as a city park; seems like everyone likes it."
Skippy nodded in agreement with Talon and Twitch.
Twitch said, "So, Kev, you gonna join us? Wanna work out? We're curious about what a human can do. Neither of us have met a human before so we didn't know if you had any skills or…"
"This skin bag can't even stay out in the sun without dying" Sabrina giggled. "I'll have to call Gus if you kill him."
Skippy and Twitch both gave Kev quizzical looks.
Kev coughed and said, "I'll keep Sabrina company. I'd just slow you three down."
"Be careful," Talon stood and began stretching his arms. "Watching Sabrina is a workout too."
Twitch sighed and said, "That's fine, that's fine. But can you really not spend time in the sun? You're not nocturnal, are you? Can't imagine such a light-colored person would be stealthy in the dark."
"I'll get a kind of rash from the sun if I'm out for too long, but it won't kill me."
Skippy said, "Bummer."
"That is a bummer," Twitch said. "Is it a human thing or just you? Guess it's lucky you got the job you did. I don't know if Fang even knows what the sun looks like anymore. No big loss for you, huh? But if you can't go out in the sun, does that mean you just spend all day inside?"
Talon said, "Kev goes outside. He's quite good at swimming."
Skippy said, "Swimming is nice."
Sabrina said, "there's a pool in back of the club if you ever want to take a dip. It's fine if you don't have a bathing suit."
"Uh… I know," the kangaroo responded, a touch of confusion in his voice.
Talon glanced at Sabrina and said, "I told you not to harass the security team."
Sabrina said, "It's their day off, they aren't working."
Kev lit another smoke and sat next to Sabrina on the grass. They watched as the security members began discussing their workouts. Twitch, with his boundless energy, declared he was going to do sprints across the wide lawn. Skippy, his powerful legs already tensing, announced his plan for squats and lunges. Talon, after observing them, said he would do a bit of both, his sharp eyes calculating the optimal routine.
While they began their workout, Kev lay back on the grass. When he closed his eyes, the warmth of the sun on his skin, the distant laughter, the rustle of leaves… it felt like he could almost be back on Earth, a normal day surrounded by normal people going about their lives. However, when he opened his eyes and saw an Ibex woman gracefully passing out ice cream cones to a furry pack of excited, brightly-colored pups, the illusion shattered. He couldn't help but feel a pang of dislocation. He was the one out of place here, the oddity in this vibrant, bustling world of beastmen.
Sabrina blocked the sun as she leaned down over Kev, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey," she said, her voice a playful chirp, "you got a joint?"
Kev blew his cigarette smoke playfully in Sabrina's direction. "Isn't it illegal in the city?" he asked, a wry smile on his face. "We're surrounded by people."
Sabrina waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, don't be such a wimp," she said. "If anyone says anything, I'll just start yelling that my legs hurt. Works every time."
Kev shook his head, though he couldn't suppress a laugh. "I'm not looking to be the center of attention, Sabrina."
"Boo," Sabrina retorted.
Kev sighed and stood up, looking around. His eyes landed on a bench near a tree on the lawn. It was unoccupied and a decent distance from the bustling paths. He pointed it out to Sabrina. "Do you think that's far enough away from everyone?"
"Yeah, yeah, it will be fine," she declared. "Let's go."
Kev called over to Talon, who was mid-squat with Skippy, "We're going to sit at that bench!" Talon looked over and just nodded, his focus quickly returning to his exercise.
Sabrina, her voice carrying, yelled, "You're not invited, brother! But Skippy can come over if he wants a leg massage!"
Skippy paused, looking over at Sabrina with a slightly alarmed expression. "I'm okay!"
Sabrina just giggled and said, "For now."
Kev unlocked her chair and pushed her through the grass. He was surprised how little resistance there was, the wheelchair Fang had gifted her was obviously very well made. As Kev sat down Sabrina readjusted herself to be right next to him.
Kev watched Twitch sprinting between the paths across the lawn. He was amazed how the ferret seemed to be able to turn completely around without losing any momentum, a blur of focused energy. Talon was following Skippy's leg workout, and they were now doing standing high jumps. Skippy's powerful legs sent him soaring upward with each jump, an impressive display of raw power. Talon, despite his own athleticism, might indeed need to flap his wings a few times to even get close to the same vertical that the kangaroo effortlessly achieved.
Sabrina, her gaze also following the working-out security members, said, "You know, I was thinking Skippy at first, but that ferret guy is kinda cute too."
Kev glanced at Sabrina before saying, "Do you have a thing for mammals, or...?"
Sabrina grinned and said, "When you say it like that, it includes you, so no, I don't have a thing for mammals."
"Ouch! And I thought you liked me."
"I like you just enough that I'll let you share your smokes with me."
Kev pulled out a joint and said, "I must have done something really great in a past life to receive such an honor."
"I'm glad you understand the enormity of the situation, my dear human."
Kev looked around one more time to check that there was no one too close by, lit the joint and took a drag, then passed it to Sabrina. "Talon mentioned you two moved here not too long ago," he said. "Has that been hard?"
Sabrina took a drag and said, "Meh, the internet here is the same as back home. Or… it was before brother decided we were going to become Luddites." She passed the joint back.
Kev took a hit and said, "I'm surprised you haven't stolen someone's phone to check the web while we're here."
"Phones can't run Immortal Battle."
Kev passed the joint back and said, "What type of game is it?"
Sabrina was animated as she began telling Kev that the game was the most popular online game in the world, a team-based strategy game that required groups to work together to defeat the other team in virtual combat. Sabrina took a hit and said, "I was in the top thousand in the ranks. 874 when Talon dragged me away from our old apartment."
Kev took the joint and said, "Top 1000 in the world? That's really good."
Sabrina sighed, "And now I'm stuck watching sweaty hunks running around for my enjoyment… It's not the same."
Kev laughed and passed the joint back, saying, "At least you're not suffering through it alone. I do miss being able to sit down and spend a few hours watching a movie, myself."
Sabrina took a long drag from the joint, exhaling a cloud of smoke that swirled in the warm afternoon air. "At least you can tell your friends back home you've got a cool job and a hot boyfriend," she remarked, a hint of wistfulness in her voice. "All I can say is I've got a new mode of transportation."
Kev felt a pang of hurt. He knew Sabrina was just teasing, teasing about her own situation even… but her words hit a little too close to home. He couldn't exactly call his friends back on Earth to share his new life with Fang, especially when he wasn't even sure how he'd gotten here in the first place. He decided to gently steer the conversation in a different direction.
"Are you looking for a job, or, uh, are you thinking about going to school or something?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"I'm not a brainiac," she declared. "No need to try to get into some college."
"You're not dumb," Kev countered. "You'd probably do fine."
She finished the joint, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I know, I know," her voice a mix of confidence and frustration. "I really am so much better than so many, but I would have had to get top marks to even be considered for anything more than military school." She sighed dramatically, then yelled, "And I was nearly high enough ranked to make money playing Immortal Battle!"
"Was that always your plan? Become a professional gamer?"
Sabrina grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Since I was fourteen," she confessed, "and I convinced my folks that we needed another computer in the house so I could do schoolwork."
Kev chuckled, picturing a young, determined Sabrina, already honing her skills and plotting her path to gaming stardom.
Sabrina gazed at Skippy for a bit, watching the kangaroo taking large, lunging steps across the lawn. "I was getting better really fast since the car crash," she said. "Talon finally stopped trying to force me to go outside and stuff so I could focus."
Kev lit a cigarette and said, "Talon doesn't seem like the type to play video games."
"Brother has two left hands. Not an ounce of talent in his body."
"I wouldn't say that. Have you seen him play darts?"
"And who cares about darts? Are there stadiums full of screaming fans waiting for someone to toss a dart?"
"Hell if I know."
Sabrina pointed her beak high into the air, "Exactly! What I do know is Immortal Battle is the most watched game on all the streaming platforms for the past four years."
"Hey, Talon's only been working for a week so far. Once he has a chance to save up a bit, you two might be able to get an apartment in the city again, and you can get back to your game."
Sabrina scoffed, a wry smile playing on her beak. "Silly human. What do you think it would cost to get a wheelchair-accessible apartment downtown?"
Kev shrugged.
Sabrina said, "Everyone wants things bigger, taller, more expensive... I don't think I could find an apartment like the one up at the club anywhere in the city, at least not until I become ranked 1st on the leaderboard and my legion of adoring fans make me rich."
As Kev listened to Sabrina passionately detail the intricate strategies and adrenaline-pumping action of Immortal Battle, his gaze occasionally drifting to the surprisingly intense workout unfolding on the lawn, a hand suddenly reached out and plucked the cigarette from his unsuspecting fingers.