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"We just need to watch out for She's-A-Problem.

"Who?"

"She's my old roommate. Don't let her kick you."

"Why would she?"

"She's kind of an ass like that." said Pika with a grin. It took Wires a considerable amount of effort to smile back at her.

Their borrowed car got to the house at about three in the afternoon. It was in shambles, with graying paint flaking off the wood. The porch was completely covered in brambles. The two of them went to the back door, where she was waiting for them. She's-A-Problem was actually a mule, not a donkey, and greeted them at the back door. She was wearing an ugly Christmas sweater and a threadbare black skirt. The sweater was a shade of green that he had only seen once before, in a puddle of vomit Keisha left on his comforter. It was haphazardly decorated with reindeer the color of baby diarrhea. He hoped the mule could not feel him judging her. "How are you, She-sha?" asked Pika, her ears laid submissively back to her head. There was a tense moment as the mule stared down her muzzle at them.

"I've been fine." she finally said. Then, "It's been a long time."

"Yeah."

The two of them stood there, rooted to the ground. She's-A-Problem stared straight at Pika, while Pika focused on some area to She's-A-Problem's immediate left.

"You might as well come in."

"Thank you."

The inside of the house barely looked better than the outside, with sagging floors and cracked plaster. Wispy strands of hair sprouted from the cracks, reaching out like little tendrils. The hall was lit with foggy incandescent bulbs, casting a dull yellow color that made his companions look sickly. She's-A-Problem ran her quadrifurcated forehoof across the wall as she walked, making an uncomfortable clacking noise. She led them into a small living room, only slightly better lit than the hallway. There was a knitted blue rug on the floor, and a pastel green couch that looked as if it had been mauled by terriers. The room was otherwise bare, only a ripped zombie poster breaking up the monotony of the cream walls.

"Do you like that?" asked She's-A-Problem when she caught him staring at it.

"It's okay, I guess."

"It's mine." she said flatly. "You two can sit down if you like, I have tea ready."

The mule wandered off into another room without waiting for an answer. Pika sat down, leaning back into the couch. A scent of mildew wafted into the air. Wires hesitantly sat next to her. She's-A-Problem appeared a few minutes later with a pair of teacups held up on saucers.

"It's earl gray." she said.

Pika thanked her and lapped at her steaming tea. Wires blew on his, trying to ignore the mule standing over him, as there was no more room on the couch.

"Whenever you want, we can go into Monosodium's old room and get your stuff. It's pretty much as you left it."

"You really saved it for me? All of it?"

"You thought I wouldn't?"

"Not after everything that happened."

"Oh, sweetie. It wasn't your fault, and everyone here knows that now."

"I thought you hated me. I ran away." Pika was crying now, and She's-A-Problem sat next to her on the arm of the couch.

"And I'm sorry it came to that. If you want to come back, there might be a lease for you in the spring."

"Thanks, She-sha. Thank you. I'll think about it."

The entire night was spent drinking tea and socializing in She's-A-Problem's living room. Eventually, the other boarders made their way in. A pudgy owl with a British accent, a pair of seal-point cats who sat everywhere with their tails intertwined. The dreary living room was filled with noise and light and laughter, and the tea was replaced with wine. Pika burst forth from her shell, brimming with stories and anecdotes, and by the time they realized it was time to leave, they were too tired and too drunk. She's-A-Problem sent Pika to her old room, and offered Wires the green couch.

Wires stared at the cracked ceiling, decompressing from the night. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, a ghostly figure sailed through the halls into the living room. Pika, wearing nothing but her fur, walked over to him and took his hand. Together, they walked back into her room and settled down on a fluffy mattress laid on the floor. Pika held him just within reach, lacing his fingers with hers.

"Pika, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"In high school. Why were you always naked?"

"You noticed that." she said. She smiled, but a little too toothily. "I didn't wear clothes because I thought my fur should speak for me."

"Why do you wear them now?"

"Because I was sick and cold, Wires."

"Oh."

"And because I gave up in believing in what being a Royal really meant."

"And what does being a Royal mean?"

"To my parents? I don't know. Socializing with low-level politicians and putting on appearances and marrying up. Sending their kids overseas to make them seem exotic and cultured. Shit like that."

"And what does it mean to you?"

"I don't know."

"I mean, what do you want to do with it in your life?"

"I guess, go out into the world. Use my magic to become one with nature. Hunt, fight. Write songs."

"You sound like a wild." he said, and she turned her head away, looking into the wall as if he hadn't said anything. He pressed his cold nose into her ear to get her attention. "So, you still sing?"

"I mean...sometimes."

"You know Bravo used to want you to join his band?"

"You were serious about that?"

"Yeah, he thought you could hit some high notes."

"I could." said Pika, and she laughed. Wires had never really listened to her laugh. It was a complex sound, peppered with traces of her heritage. The chirp of the cat, the melody of a wolf. "Or you could make me hit some of those high notes."

His hands buried in her fur, the smell of her, the feel of slipping out of himself as he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She was hot against him. He could feel her warmth leaking into the tips of his pads.

"Did you ever fantasize about me?" he asked. She whined and rubbed her face gently against his. He felt a shock as their whiskers touched. Her breath smelled like wine and ozone. He dug his claws into her rump. Sparks danced around her, jumping out of her tail, her fingertips. They arched from her fur into his, popping on his muzzle. He could feel the static in her kisses. She drew him in. White whiskers, pink nose, lavender-and-daffodil fur. Like something that belonged in a hanging basket in front of a flower shop. This time he remembered everything that appealed to him.

"Don't make me say it." and she giggled and flipped her ears back. Wires smiled back at her and reached out a hand to her face. When she didn't pull back, he trailed a claw down her jawline until she chirped happily, then flipped the ear up. The inside was a bright pink.

"You're blushing."

"Fuck off."

Wires "hmmed", and rested his jaw on top of her head, between the perfectly pointed ears. He lapped at one until she relaxed completely in his arms.

"Hey, Wires?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not really going to Japan right now."

"I noticed."

"Can I...keep not going to Japan?"

"I think that might work for awhile."