Kev waved and headed up the staircase to his room, where the napping Max awaited his wake-up call. He almost caught himself knocking on his own door in the quiet hallway. He opened the door and said, "Max, it's lunchtime." The inside was still dark, the blinds drawn. Max was not on the couch. Kev saw a kettle of water heating up on the stove and heard the shower running. Kev opened up the windows and pulled the kettle off the stove just as it began to whistle.
Kev was just lamenting his missing joints when Max emerged from the bathroom. His normally fluffy red fur was slicked down from being wet, giving the fox man a much skinnier look than usual. Max was a bit surprised seeing Kev but just gave him a grin and said, "You're late… trying to sabotage me? You know this place would fall apart if I wasn't here."
Kev grinned , "I know, Max. Just can't have you looking so good to Cindy and Fang all the time."
Max laughed and said, "Good thing they haven't assigned a bodyguard to me yet. They'd be upset to know what I really do all day." Max fixed a cup of coffee.
Kev said, "I'm going over to Talon's room for lunch if you want to join."
Max raised an eyebrow and said, "I'd have thought those birds would have tired you out."
Kev said, "Oh, Talon and Sabrina, they are fine, great actually. You know I was going crazy before he got hired, trying to keep myself busy all day."
"I heard that girl when she moved in… She's quite different from you."
"If that's the only time you met Sabrina, then you don't even know half of it." Kev grinned and said, "Why don't you come and get some lunch? It's not like the cleaners are gonna miss you for another half hour."
Max sipped his coffee, his wet tail swishing. "Well," he said, "maybe it would be good to check in on the newbies."
As they walked down the quiet 2nd-floor hall to Talon and Sabrina's room, Max asked how he thought Talon was settling in. "Hasn't attacked anyone else since that incident with Vlad, has he?"
Kev, remembering Talon nearly killing the hog in the park not even an hour ago, said, "Nope, he hasn't attacked any of the staff since then."
"If only he would have done that to Asmodeus instead of Vlad, I would have paid to see that."
Kev said, "I don't think Asmodeus would have taken it as well as Vlad did."
"That's what makes it funny." Max said, "At least there would be a real reason for us to be cleaning up all those feathers."
"Is Asmodeus really that messy?"
Max sighed and said, "He's been living here for a few years now. Let's just say, unlike you, he didn't ask for any cleaning supplies."
"He doesn't seem like the cleaning type."
Kev knocked on Talon's door. Sabrina pulled it open, saying, "Come to raid my food, have you?" Sabrina's brows furrowed when she spotted Max. "Who's this weird cat? Did hot tiger guy get sick?"
Max said, "What?"
Kev looked over at the fox, his orange color and vulpine features highlighted by his damp fur. Kev said, "This isn't Rex, Sabrina. This is Max."
Talon's voice came from inside, "Be nice to Mr. Max, sister."
Sabrina rolled her eyes and said, "I'm charging you extra. I can't just be giving away all of my food to you needy boys."
Kev grinned as he walked in, saying, "You're such a saint, Sabrina."
"Glad to see you made it out of the bedroom, little lass." Max nodded and said.
"Hold it right there, kitty." Sabrina said, "Why am I making food for you too?"
Max grinned and said, "Because I'm so very nice."
"Prove it."
Max strolled past her and said, "I guess I can ask my team to raise those counters back up to normal height."
"Oh, so you're the brains?" Sabrina said, "You know, I don't think I've ever been to an accessible building as thought out as this room."
"Well, yeah. I'm the smart one."
Sabrina laughed, "Well then, come in. Maybe you should put that brain to use on getting Talon a computer up here."
Max waved at Talon, who was reading the history book on the couch. Talon said, "It's good to see you, Mr. Max."
Max took a seat and said, "A computer, Talon? What do you need that for?"
Before Talon could speak, Sabrina yelled, "Work shit!"
Max looked over at Sabrina, "Talon can't watch Kev using virtual reality."
"But Talon also can't watch me while he is following the human around. A computer would put his mind at ease and allow him to focus."
"You've never allowed me peace of mind, sister." Talon didn't look up from the book.
"Well, brother, if you're not going to get me a computer, then I'll just drag you down to the park for entertainment."
Max said, "The park? Not a bad place to kill some time."
Sabrina responded, "Maybe for a kitty like you."
Max, eyeing the grinning eaglewoman, "Not a cat."
Sabrina, "Fine, weasel."
Max, "Wrong again."
"Pole-cat."
"So very wrong."
"Wombat."
"Are you even trying?"
Sabrina laughed and said, "Of course not, silly fox."
Max smiled and turned to Talon. "So, this is the mystery sister you warned us all about? Thought her sass was just from moving in that first day."
Talon looked over his book and said, his voice a low rasp, "Sabrina is a hellion."
Max said, "Well, it's a good thing we've got a nice home here in the second circle."
Kev raised an eyebrow. Was Max quoting Dante's Inferno? There was no way. The thought was so bizarre, so out of place, that he almost missed Sabrina's next line.
"So, what kind of sandwiches do cats like?" Sabrina asked, looking directly at Max.
"The free kind."
Kev chuckled and said, "Sabrina, everything you make is great. I'm sure he would appreciate any of your creations."
Sabrina puffed out her chest slightly. "You all would be so lost and hungry without me," she declared. She turned her wheelchair with a practiced spin and headed back towards the kitchen counter to finish putting together the cold-cut sandwiches.
"You lot have a good morning," Max asked as he sniffed the air. "Smells like you didn't hit the pool like you have been."
Kev said, "Not today. We actually decided to..." Kev wondered if it was a good idea to tell Max but realized that Max would probably find out from one of the daytime cleaners as soon as lunch was over. Kev finished, "... get some fresh air down at the park."
Max leaned back, unfussed. "Didn't get enough excitement down there the other night when Perry got roughed up?"
"That's not my idea of excitement, Max."
Max nodded and said, "I didn't think so." Max's eyes shifted over to Talon. "So, how'd you manage to keep an eye on both Kev and your sister?"
Talon put his book down and said, "I was not alone. Mr. Skippy and Mr. Twitch were there on their day off."
"Twitch, huh? He try to interrogate you?"
Talon shook his head, "Mr. Twitch just wants to know about where Fang brings Mr. Kev out in the city."
"He is the biggest gossip in this club." Max said, "Can't hear his voice in the barroom with the music going on, too. Good thing Skippy has taught him that less is more sometimes."
Kev relaxed while he listened to Max question Talon on how he's been settling in. After a few minutes, Sabrina said, "Come get your food." Sabrina wheeled herself over to the coffee table with a sandwich on her lap.
Talon said, "Thank you, sister," got up, and grabbed one of the sandwiches. Kev picked up the other two and handed one to Max.
As they ate, Sabrina said, "So, Max, was it? We had quite an exciting time at the park, if you must know."
Talon eyed Sabrina, but it only seemed to egg her on. She continued, "It's quite amazing how many people were there."
Max put his empty plate onto the table as he scarfed down the sandwich. "Yes," he said. "The park is supposed to act as a buffer between the club and the city's encroachment."
Sabrina nodded in pretend agreement. "Yes, indeed. But this buffer zone... is it supposed to be overrun with... vile idiots?"
Kev and Talon glanced at each other before watching Sabrina, hoping she didn't spill the beans on the earlier fight.
"Uhh, girl, the city was overrun with vile idiots long before either of us were born."
"True, true…" Sabrina replied, "Good thing brother is around to teach them now."
Max looked over at Talon, saying, "What does she mean?"
"Well, there was a little scuffle at the park earlier." Kev cut in, "but Talon handled it with Skippy and Twitch."
"What kind of scuffle?" Max slowly asked.
"It was brutal!" Sabrina yelled, "Skippy kicked some coyote, and Twitch was going ham on some rat thing! You've got to tell me, are all the security members such hunks?"
Kev saw the concern growing on Max's face and said, "It wasn't a big deal."
"No club members got hurt." Talon added.
Max looked at Talon, serious, and said, "Good. That's the way it should be." Kev was surprised; Max didn't seem to care once he heard from Talon that no one important got hurt. Kev quickly said, "Max, I need to be the one to tell Fang about this tonight. Could you do me a favor and wait until tomorrow to tell people about it?"
Licking his fingers, Max said, "No fur off my tail. I'd actually prefer it if you were the one to pass on that little nugget."
Kev said, "I appreciate it, Max. It will probably be easier this way."
Max grinned and said, "I would have told Cindy, and she would have made sure Fang didn't lose it… but now I don't have to stay late."
Kev frowned and said, "Oh, thanks, Max."
"Cindy… isn't she the one who's gonna be your mommy, Kev?" Sabrina asked.
Max looked horrified at Sabrina's comment. Sabrina, noticing, said, "What's wrong, kitty? You scared of a little old lady?"
Max seemed lost for words.
"Cindy is Max's boss, Sabrina." Kev said quickly.
Sabrina looked at Max and said, "Really? Are you the brains or the yes-man then?"
Max shook his head and stood, saying, "Both." Max was looking back to normal now that he'd dried off, his fluffy orange tail back to its full size. He stretched and yawned before looking at his watch. "Well, I better get back downstairs," he said. "People might start talking if I'm missing for too long."
"Your secret's safe with me." Kev said.
Sabrina looked over. "Secret? Oh, you naughty human."
Max looked at Sabrina and winked, saying, "Remember, girly, if you mess with me, you'll find your room full of staircases."
Sabrina laughed, "You're a fun one, kitty."
Max said goodbye to Kev and Talon and meowed at Sabrina before leaving.
"You're right, brother. Mr. Max is nice," Sabrina said, rolling back to the coffee table.
Talon nodded and picked up his book, saying, "Thank you for realizing, sister."