FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Sun Harbor was considered the jewel of the west coast. Situated on its own crescent shaped bay, the tightly packed city measured only a few square miles, but it was a tourist attraction at any time of the year, and a regular getaway spot for celebrities. A scant couple of blocks in from the crystal blue waters stood Pantheon Towers, side-by-side skyscrapers reaching 36 stories each into the air, and the 19th floor of the southern tower was occupied by Scion Industries, a smaller tech firm that mostly specialized in software enhancements and applications for mobile devices. Inside the rat race of cubicles sat a lop-eared rabbit named Gabe.

Tall for his species, standing in at 6'2", and a little on the chubby side, Gabe was currently leaning over his workstation, pouring over lines of code to find what was causing the error in his current project. Frustration knit the eyebrows on his face, blue eyes flecked with gold moved back and forth across the computer screen from behind his wire-rimmed glasses, seemingly incapable of finding what was wrong. With a groan, he leaned back in his chair, popping his neck slightly by craning it side to side, when his cell phone let off a metallic sounding, "EXTERMINATE!"

"Nerd!" Came the call from the next cubicle over, as he snatched the offending device off his desk, before pushing his rolling chair back to glance at his neighbor. Covered mostly in pristine white fur was his co-worker and friend, Mia. Bright blue eyes looked back at him, surrounded by her small mask of deep, chocolate brown fur, and a grin split her face while he scoffed in return.

"This coming from the girl that showed up yesterday wearing 4's scarf?" he retorted, a smirk playing over his own face.

Huffing with feigned indignity, she turned her nose up at him, "It's called style, bunny boy, but I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that."

Shaking his head as he keyed in the passcode for his phone, he laughed softly, "Style that may be, but it was still 95 degrees yesterday, so it couldn't have been that comfy, could it?" He glanced up at her over the rim of his glasses, only to have her stick her little pink tongue out at him and return to her work. Counting it as a win for himself, Gabe turned back to his phone, noting that the alert came from a text message from his lemur friend, Zane. A small frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as he opened the message, already aware of what it would contain.

'Dude, still haven't heard from you. You down for Tails tonight?'

He sat there in silence for a minute, weighing the answer that he wanted to give to how that would affect the friendship between himself and his eccentric friend. Tomorrow was Zane's 25th birthday, and the only thing he really wanted to do was spend the night with his closest friends at "Tails", one of Sun Harbor's more prestigious strip clubs. Gabe, however, had tried the gentlemen's clubs in the past, and he was not a fan. When he turned 18, Gabe's friends had found a strip club that didn't serve alcohol, allowing those under the age of 21 to partake of the debauchery within. Like all young men of that age, he was eager to see the bare fur of the, for lack of better words, "exotic dancers". However, expectations were high, and the reality was a bit of a let-down for the white and grey furred rabbit. He tried again, just after his 21st birthday, hoping that the addition of liquor might make the experience more enjoyable, however he spent more time at the pool tables that night then watching the dancers. And so he gave up the whole experiment as a bad idea, and hadn't been back since, but he knew that Zane had never been to such a place, and that the lemur would be severely irate with him if he backed out. Trying to buy time for his answer, he leaned over into Mia's cubicle, trying to put on his most needy face.

"C'mon, Mia. You know you want to go out to a strip club with a bunch of guys tonight, admit it." Ever since Zane had sent the initial invitation, he had been trying to get the feline to come along. She was only about 5'5", and wasn't built like a model, but she was certainly curvy in the right places, and he knew for a fact that Zane was certainly interested in her. He was hoping that by bringing her along, Zane might not be so interested in the festivities and call it an early night. Mia, however, only rolled her eyes at the offered invite once again.

"Oh, absolutely!" she said, sarcasm dripping from every word. "The most I could ask for is spending my Friday night at a strip club with a bunch of drunken, horny asshats." She gave him a look, before smiling slightly, "Present company excluded."

Pushing himself out of his chair, he leaned against the flimsy divider that separated their two work areas. "Please Mia? I'd owe you for life if you help me out here. You know I can't stand those places. Coffee on me for a month?" he offered hopefully, knowing that the feline couldn't make it through the day without her usual triple shot mocha.

Sighing as she pushed away from her desk, she looked up at him with a sad little smile on her face. "Normally, I would Gabe, but I've actually got plans tonight." She finished, and he couldn't help but notice a small tint of red creeping beneath the white fur of her cheeks. Ah-ha, she's got a date, he thought to himself, and leaning over gave her a small pat on top of her raven-colored locks.

"Alright, kitty, I'll stop pestering you then." Leaving her to her work, he plopped back into his chair, looking at his phone and the message that stared back at him. Sighing inwardly, he keyed in a response:

'Sorry for the late response, been busy at work. I'll be there tonight, just let me know what time.'

Pressing 'SEND', he set the phone back on the desk, waiting now for the rest of the pertinent information to come in. Meanwhile, he turned back to his work, resigned to his fate that evening.

5:30 that day found Gabe exiting Pantheon Towers, blinking slightly in the fading daylight as the sun began was just starting to touch the horizon in front of him, casting the city in a ruddy light, when he felt his pocket vibrate, and the now muffled voice of the Dalek reached his long ears. Fishing out his phone, he found a text from Zane, telling him to be at Tails at 9 o'clock that night. He read the message a couple of times, before reaching up to his neck and loosening his tie, alleviating some of the tension he was feeling in the warm air at the moment, and fired off a quick reply in the affirmative, promising his friend he would be there. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he took a moment to watch the sunset, muttering to himself, "Well, it's gonna be an interesting night...." Turning on his heels, he made his way down the street, walking the 3 blocks to his apartment complex, making a detour on the way home to grab a light dinner for himself at one of his favorite pizzerias.

Stepping out of the small restaurant with a piping hot veggie lover's in his hand, he dashed across the street to his building, keyed in the entrance code, and entered the blissfully air-conditioned lobby. Strolling across the tiled floor, he punched the button for the elevator, relieved when the door immediately opened right beside him. Slipping into the elevator, he rode it up to the 6th floor, and then meandered down the hallway to his apartment. Fumbling with his keys while balancing the pizza in his other hand, he felt and heard his phone go off once again, and he let out a mumbled curse before he was finally able to jam the key into the lock and push open his door with a foot. He was immediately greeted by a blast of sinking sunlight from the balcony door directly across from him, making him curse again, this time a little louder, and almost drop his dinner as he attempted to balance the pizza, his keys in the door, and shield his eyes, all while on one foot. Yanking his keys from the door, he managed to regain his balance and dip his head to avert the sunlight before stepping into his apartment and kick the door shut behind him. Setting the pizza box down on the counter and tossing his keys beside it, he pulled his phone out to look at the newest text that Zane had sent him about tonight.

'Dude, might need you to dd tonight, and maybe crash at your place'

As if he wasn't feeling apprehensive about the night's activities already, now Zane was asking him to be the designated driver. He had been looking to build up a healthy buzz that night, if only to get him through the debauchery that everyone has was sure to have, but that all seemed to be going up in flames now. He read the message a few more times, before tossing the phone onto his couch in disgust and helped himself to a slice of pizza. Just as he took a bite, his phone blared once more, making him stomp over to it and glare down accusingly before blinking in surprise. The message was from a different friend of his, a jet-black panther named Micah. He had met Micah back at college, both of them taking a computers class with Gabe on his way to his computer science degree and Micah heading on to music production and editing. Grabbing a seat on the couch, he read the message while munching on his dinner.

'Gabe! Long time no talk! Playing a gig tonight at Crymson if you wanna swing by! HMU and I'll get you guest-listed.'

Gabe let out a groan around a mouthful of pizza. It had been years since he had seen Micah, and would normally be eager to catch up with his old friend, not to mention dust off his old LED poi that he hadn't used in years. He had been pretty good years back, but the demands of college and then work had put on damper on him getting much time to spin the lights like he once had. It was with regret that he messaged Micah back, informing him that he had other plans, and asking if he was free the next night. Dropping the phone back on the couch, he finished his first slice of pizza before wandering off to shower and change for the night.

In his bedroom, he tugged on his patterned black and red tie until it finally came undone and he was able to slip it off. He strung it over a hook on the back of his door along with his other ties, before slipping out of his black vest and then working at the buttons of his plain white Oxford shirt. With a small sigh of relief, he then wandered back out to the hallway, stopping to grab a towel from the small linen closet, and proceeding into the bathroom. Slipping his shirt off entirely, he caught a look at himself in the mirror, turning slightly to the side as he studied his reflection. He wasn't small, that was for sure, but the pudge around his middle was beginning to disappear thanks to the morning hours spent at the gym, although he still had a ways to go. Running a hand along his fur, he smoothed it down slightly, fingers brushing out and straightening the patches of grey from the underlying white. With his mouth twisting to the side as it often did when he was thinking intently, he stared into his own eyes for a brief moment before shaking his head, lifting a hand to run it through his brown head fur and then turning to the shower and twisted the handle to begin the spray.

30 minutes later, the bathroom door opened, releasing a cloud of steam to the air as Gabe made his way back to his room, still damp from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. Opening his closet, he poked around for something suitable to wear that night. Not looking to impress anyone, or even draw attention to himself, he settled on a plain black t-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo shorts. A fresh pair of underwear, an application of deodorant, and then he was slipping into his clothes for the night. Opening a drawer in search of a hair tie, something he used to keep his long ears from flapping about, he found his old poi. Gears spun in his mind, Zane didn't say he NEEDED to stay here, maybe I could head to the club after... With a small shrug, he grabbed the poi, checking to make sure the batteries were still fresh, and slipped them into one of his cargo pockets.

Wandering back out to his living room, he snagged another slice of pizza before retrieving his phone from the couch. Noticing he had a few missed messages, he began to scroll through them while opening the sliding door and stepping out onto his balcony while idly munching.

Mia: Hey, don't bring home any strippers tonight! XP

Micah: No prob man, tomorrow could work! I'll hit you back with details.

Zane: Change of time, meeting at 8 instead.

Choking on a piece of pizza, he glanced at the clock on his phone: 7:18. Swearing loudly enough that someone shouted down at him from a few floors above, he stalked back into his apartment, wolfing down what remained of his slice of pizza. Tossing the box into the fridge, he hurried into his room, grabbing his keys and his wallet before bolting out of his apartment, locking the door behind him.

Riding down to the parking garage, he was hating this night more and more as it continued. He was off to spend the night at a type of place he despises, he was missing out on seeing an old friend of his, and he wouldn't even be able to drink at all. Gabe was one unhappy rabbit. He took the time to gently pull his ears back, keeping them in place with the hair tie he had grabbed earlier, and when the elevator doors finally opened, he hurried over to his small coupe, hearing the chirp as he disabled the alarm and unlocked the doors. Slipping into the driver's seat and fastening the seatbelt, he cranked the ignition, feeling the engine rumble to life, and pulled out of the garage. Tails was across town from his complex, and it would take him a while to get there with the amounts of traffic that Sun Harbor suffered from on Friday nights. Weaving through a few backstreets, he merged onto the Bayside Expressway and immediately found himself in a parking lot. Banging his head lightly against the steering wheel, he wasn't sure if the night could get any worse. Pulling out his phone, he shot off a quick text to Zane, explaining the situation and telling him he would get there when he could. Irritated, he dug into his center console, fishing out a half empty pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. Placing it between his lips, he lit it and took a quick pull. He rarely smoked anymore, after practically chain smoking through four years of college, but occasionally he needed one when he was stressed out, and this was one of those moments. Rolling down the windows to let the slight ocean breeze blow the smoke from his car, he settled into his seat, preparing to ride out the long trip to the club.

It was nearly 8:30 when Gabe finally parked in the garage just down the street from Tails. Locking the car behind him as he exits, he made his way up through the levels and back onto the street. It took him a moment to get his bearings, but he eventually turned in the direction of the club and wandered towards it. He hadn't heard back from Zane since he texted him earlier, but he wasn't surprised by that at all, they were all already in the club, enjoying the scenery and libations, and here he was just barely getting there. Looking up from his phone after checking it one last time, Gabe found himself at the back of the queue to get into Tails, with about 50 people in front of him. With another groan, he pulled his phone out again, once more sending an update to Zane as he began yet another wait.

Minutes ticked by and people slowly trickled into the club ahead of him. Soon it was just after 9:15, and there were only 4 more people in front of him, and that was when the night took yet another nose dive into the sand. The large tiger manning the door pressed a finger against his ear piece before calling out to the crowd, "We at capacity! Y'all can either hang around, or clear out! If you stay, it's gon' be a while." With that, the tiger stepped into the club, pulling the doors shut behind him while the remaining people in line expelled a long line of various curses. Gabe was furious; nothing at all had gone right that day. Work had been rough, his dinner cut short, agreeing to numerous things he didn't want to, and it was enough for him. He stalked out of the line, winding his way through people on a path that would take him back to his car, violently punching a text into his phone:

'Can't get in, club's full, text when you're done and I'll come get you.'

Sending the short message off to Zane, he rummaged in his pocket for his pack of smokes, pulling another one out and lighting it. Barely watching where he was going, he managed to collide solidly with a rather large feline, and he quickly stammered out an apology before moving to step around him, when his own name brought him to a halt.

"Gabe?"

Looking up, he noticed that the feline he had ran into was, in fact, Micah, and he had somehow made his way outside of Crymson. The panther had a crate of CDs underneath his arm, and his face split into a wide smile. "Holy shit dude! I thought you couldn't make it!" He adjusted the crate and pulled Gabe into a tight hug.

Relief and a sense of elation swept through Gabe after seeing his old friend, patting him on the back before pulling away, "Damn Micah, what are the odds? I did have plans, but apparently Tails is full, and after the day I've had, I didn't want to wait around. Told my buddy I'd be back to get him later."

Laughing softly, Micah placed a hand on Gabe's shoulder and steered him towards the club's entrance, "Well then, it's a good thing you literally bumped into me, cause if you've got time to kill, then you're partying with me." The panther waved at the doorman, a run-of-the-mill tan and black striped tabby, before pointing at Gabe and giving the tabby a thumb up. The doorman simply nodded and waved them in. Gabe snuck a look at the line, and his jaw nearly dropped as he saw that it wrapped around the block. Before he could make a comment, Micah was sweeping him inside.

Stepping over the threshold, Gabe was immediately met by the thumping bass-line of one of his favorite EDM songs, and a wide smile spread slowly over his face as all the drama and irritations of the day simply melted away from him. Rounding a corner with Micah's hand still gripping his shoulder, they entered the main room, already filled with furs of all types, sizes, and genders. Lights flicked back and forth from a display behind the DJs stage, while even more blinked on and off, bathing the crowd in a constantly changing sea of color. Gabe's head craned side to side, taking in the sights of this club he had yet to come to. The main floor was certainly spacious, and a wide platform wrapped around three sides above them with furs lounging, talking, dancing, and drinking as much above as they were below. Turning slowly on the spot, Gabe took in his new surroundings before Micah stopped him, both hand planted on his shoulders and his golden eyes glinting slightly in the flashing lights. His voice raised to be heard of the music, he asked the rabbit, "Dude, tell me you've got your glow on you!"

Patting his pockets, Gabe felt the weight of the poi and gave the panther a wide grin and a nod. Letting out a laugh, Micah hooked his arm around Gabe's shoulders, leading him further into the club. "Well then, my old friend, you are up on stage in front of me tonight!"

Gabe's footsteps faltered at the proclamation, and he gave Micah an uneasy look which the panther merely laughed away, waving his hand. "No worries, this place is glow friendly. More so for someone as skilled as you." Still unsure, Gabe merely followed along beside his friend, believing the panther now as he spotted several other furs wielding lights of various types.

Micah steered the rabbit through a curtain beside the stage, leading him back to where a few other furs were lounging about, enjoying beverages of their choice, and chatting amicably with a pair of foxes; one red, the other white, and both clothed in club-worthy attire. "Wait here for a sec," Micah instructed, removing his hand from Gabe's shoulder and approached the two foxes. Greeting them both, he shook the red male's hand before giving the female white one a hug, then pointed over to where Gabe stood rooted, simply watching the exchange. The pair smiled at him, the red fox waving him over, and Gabe reluctantly complied.

"Gabe, I want you to meet Dev and Riley," Micah said, motioning to the red and white in turn. "Dev here owns the club, and Riley is the manager and newly christened fiancé of Dev here." The panther grabbed Dev around the neck and ruffled his black hair while Riley's cheeks stained slightly pink in the dim light. Releasing Dev, Micah continued. "Guys, this is my buddy Gabe, an old friend from college. Hope you don't mind him hanging around and putting on some light shows for us?"

Gabe felt his own cheeks heat up at the comment, as Dev simply shook his head, "Not a problem at all, looking forward to your stuff, Gabe." He offered his hand to the rabbit, which he took, giving it a quick shake.

"Er, thanks for that. Your club's great, I don't think I've ever seen a line that long for a club before," Gabe replied, releasing Dev's hand and making the red fox grin while Riley let out a soft laugh.

"Well, everyone's here for the celebration," Dev explained, hooking his arm around Riley's waist and planting a kiss on her cheek, making the arctic fox blush again. "So, enjoy yourself tonight, if you need anything, let Micah know, he'll take care of you." Giving the rabbit a little salute, Dev turned to leave, Riley offering him a wave before following in tow. Turning back to Micah, Gabe could only smile and shake his head.

"I think that's the first time I've ever met a club owner. Interesting experience." He said, with a small chuckle.

With a dismissive wave, Micah said, "That's nothing. Dev's a real hands-on guy; doesn't hang out in the office, always walking around and talking to people, treats his employees and customers like family. Tonight there's no cover here, so that everyone can come and celebrate the engagement with them. Dev and Riley are good people, I'm really happy for them." The panther looked off in the direction the two foxes had left, a happy little smile on his face, before clapping his hands together. "Anyways, let's grab a drink, I got about 20 minutes before I need to start setting up."

Leading Gabe further into the backstage area, Micah wandered into a makeshift lounge area: a large sectional couch, a couple of tables, and a handful of coolers were spread around. Opening one of the coolers, Micah pulled out two beers, popped the tops off them, and handed one to Gabe. Raising his bottle, he clinked it against Gabe's in a little toast, "To old friends!"

Gabe laughed, tipping back his bottle to take a drink, before settling onto the couch beside Micah and catching up. Over talks of work, travel, hobbies, and families, the minutes flew by quickly, and soon Micah was standing up again, setting his empty bottle on a nearby table, "Time for me to get ready for the switch." Motioning towards a curtain that stood beside a narrow set of stairs, the panther said, "Head through there and you'll get on the stage. No one should hassle you, but there's a grey wolf out there named Styx, he'll help if you need it. Oh, and one more thing," Stepping past the rabbit, Micah snatched up a backpack and, after rummaging through it for a moment, tossed Gabe a black bandanna. "I know you like to be anonymous when you spin, so there you go." Grabbing the crate of CDs and his backpack, he nodded to Gabe before climbing the steps to the DJ booth.

Gabe sat there on the couch for a while, idly tugging at the bandana he still held in his grip. He was undisturbed for most of the time, one foot bouncing nervously as butterflies filled his stomach, looking up as the occasional fur passed him by, and nodding to the lanky otter that descended from the booth and waved to him. It wasn't until he heard the first few bars of one of his favorites remixes done by Micah that his nerves finally settled. Pushing himself off the couch, he checked to make sure his ears were still secured behind his head, before tying the bandana around the lower half of his face, covering his nose and mouth. Adjusting his glasses quickly and taking a deep breath, he pulled his poi from his pocket, pressing the switches on their sides and watched them light up, cycling through all the colors of the spectrum. Gabe took a few tentative steps towards the curtain and Micah, seeming to sense his friend's imminent emergence, changed the track. Smiling beneath the bandana, Gabe's eyes closed, pushing aside the heavy fabric and letting the deep, soulful melody hit him. He knew this song well; knew the changes in tempo, the drop, the bpm, and he let it carry him onto the stage.

Feet moved his slowly as he gripped the strings for his poi, the weighted lights dangling down in front of him and swaying slightly, to the observant eyes, to the beat. Eyes closed as he reached center stage, swishing the poi back and forth as he listened to the climb of the song. It was close, the crescendo, he felt it coming closer and his body tensed until he crouched slightly, arms thrown out to the sides and flinging the poi into the air as the drop hit and he went into action. Dimly, Gabe heard cheers come from the crowd, nearly drowned beneath the fast-paced beat of the song while he turned and twisted on stage, spinning his lights about his person in a varying array of designs. It felt right to him, being here once more, and he was finally feeling more like himself than he had since he had begun work.

Gabe quickly lost track of how long he had been on the stage, but he remembered Micah cycling through at least 4 other songs before his arms grew numb and finally stopped his actions. Sweat was matting the fur on his face, and he was panting heavily beneath the bandana as he finally opened his eyes once more, blinking as he saw the crowd before him cheering and waving at him, bouncing along to the song. He felt his face heat up, praying that it wouldn't be visible in the various flashing lights, and he jumped slightly as he heard Micah's voice blast over the PA. "Yeah! Let's hear it for that glow bunny up on the stage! I haven't seen this guy for years, so make him feel welcome!"

Turning to glare at his panther friend for a moment, Gabe then moved his way towards the curtain leading backstage when he felt someone tug on his poi, pulling him off balance for a second before he was able to catch himself. Turning to yell at the offender, his words were lost before he ever had a chance to say them.

"Those were some amazing moves there, bunny boy!"

Stunned silent, Gabe could only stand there and stare, glad that his open mouth was obscured by his bandana as he looked down at one of the most beautiful furs he had ever seen. She was a fox, that much was obvious, and he took a guess at a red one, but the shifting lights made it difficult to nail down. She was wearing a black and purple corset, over which was a white, zip-up hoodie with the sleeves cropped short. His eyes drifted lower over her bared stomach and the lighter fur there, and down to her black leggings, holes artfully cut in random spots. The whole attire was finished with black and purple fluffies covering her lower legs and feet. He snapped his eyes back up to meet hers as she brushed back her long black hair and met his gaze with dazzling green eyes and a wide smile. Tugging on the poi she had still in her grip, she made Gabe stumble again, this time having to take a knee in front of her as she leaned forward. Raising her voice to be heard over the music, she called out to him, "Mind if I give these a shot?"

Gabe had no idea what to do. This was a completely alien situation to him, and he followed her eyes as she glanced over to the side, sights landing on a large grey wolf with "SECURITY" emblazoned on his black shirt. The wolf met his gaze and simply gave him a look that said 'You're an idiot if you say no.' Turning back to meet her expecting smile, he nodded and offered her a hand, pulling the vixen up onto the stage with him, while Micah's voice blared from the speakers again, "Uh-oh, looks like the bunny's got a challenger! Let's see what this foxy foxxie can do!"

Cheers went up from the crowd as Gabe handed the vixen his poi and Micah changed tracks, slipping in an older song with a heavy bass line. Stepping back, Gabe watched as the femme fox got a good grip on the stings and went into motion. Entranced, the lop-ear could only watch as she twirled and spun, the lights whirling about her as she moved with the beat, appreciative cheers and numerous cat-calls and whistling came from the crowd. A slow smile spread across his face, still hidden beneath the bandana while the vixen showed off her own impressive skills for the crowd, and after a few more songs, she let the poi fall to her side as she came to a rest and an explosive cheer went up from the masses. Gabe clapped and whistled along with everyone else, laughing to himself as she took a bow and padded over to him offering the lights. Taking them from her with a bow of his own in thanks, he heard her laugh softly before she wrapped him in a hug, making him blush furiously beneath his fur and Micah's voice rang out once more, "Aww, looks like a new friendship made over glow! Let's hear it for these two awesome furs everyone, and thank them for entertaining us!"

Before Gabe could react, the vixen grabbed his hand and pulled him to center stage, bowing to the raucous applause from the assembled furs, and he awkwardly copied her. Standing upright again, she pulled herself closer to him. "Thank you so, so much for letting me borrow those. Wanna grab a drink?" she asked, pulling back slightly and looking up at him with those vivid green eyes. Nodding in the affirmative, he gestured towards the curtain and led her towards the backstage area, a few cat-calls following them as they exited. Pulling aside the heavy curtain, he let her pass before following behind her and letting the curtain fall back into place and muffle the noise. His eyes were watching the swishing motions of her tail, as he noted that he was correct in assuming she was a red fox, although she appeared to have a russet tint to her fur. His wind was wandering slightly, only to be snapped back to attention at the sound of applause coming from the lounge area. Looking up sharply, he noted Dev, Riley, and numerous others clapping for the two of them, and his face heated up as if it was on fire. The vixen only giggled and curtsied for the small crowd and they all went back to their previous activities, so she turned to face Gabe once more.

"Thank you again for letting me borrow your lights. It's been ages since I've had a chance to spin like that, I really appreciate it." Reaching up to him, she pulled down his bandana and planted a light kiss on his cheek, make him redden further beneath his fur and made her laugh lightly. "I'm Yuni, by the way. Do you have a name, or do I just call you the Glow Bunny?" he asked, offering a hand to him.

Taking her dainty hand in his own, he gave it a gentle shake while laughing, "A pleasure to meet you, Yuni, and it's really not a problem. I'm Gabe, although I suppose Glow Bunny does work."

Smiling up at him and shaking his hand in return, she took the time to look around the lounge area, eyes wandering over every detail. "This is pretty impressive. I've never been behind the scenes anywhere before. You come here often?" Turning back to look at him and lofting a brow.

With a shake of his head, he replied, "Actually, this is my first time here. But the panther that's up there right now is an old friend of mine, he got me in tonight." Gesturing over his shoulder with a thumb, towards the DJ booth. A moment of awkward silence followed before he suddenly jumped slightly, making her start as well. "Drinks! That's right. Umm, over..over here." Feeling a little awkward, he led her towards the lounge, only to have Dev and Riley stop them. Riley gave him and Yuni quick hugs while Dev patted him on the back.

"Those were some very impressive moves up there, you two. Really enjoyed watching that." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a couple of business cards and handed one to each of them. "If either of you want to come back, just show that to Ty, our doorman, he'll let you in."

Looking at the card in his hand in stunned disbelief, he tried to stammer out a thank you, but Yuni wrapped Dev and Riley up in a large hug. "Wow! Thank you guys! And congratulations to you two, everyone's so happy for you!"

Riley gave the red vixen a hug and smiled, "Thank you for that. It certainly took this lug long enough to realize things." Swatting at Dev playfully with her tail, she shot him a look that he laughed off.

"Yeah, yeah, it's certainly been a long time coming," the owner replied, glancing down at his watch before looking up at Gabe again. "Riley and I have got to make the rounds. You two feel free to relax back here, help yourself to some drinks." Extricating his fiancé from Yuni, the two of them waved before wandering off once more.

Gabe watched them leave before turning back to Yuni, finding her watching him with an odd little smile on her face. Shifting uncomfortably as he felt his face heat up for the umpteenth time that night, he led her towards the sofa, gesturing for her to have a seat while he rummaged for drinks. He opened a few of the coolers scattered about before finally grabbing two bottles of water and returned to where she had seated herself. Unable to stop his eyes from roaming over her again, picking up on her subtle nuances; the cream colored fur that started on her soft face and, seemingly at least, continued down the front of her body; the ash tips to her ears and tail, as well as the "gloves" on her arms. He was unaware of just how long he had been looking at her until her voice snapped him back to attention. "See something interesting, bunny boy?"

Eyes whipped up to meet hers once more, a flicker of mirth in her green hues, and a mumbled out an apology as he handed her one of the waters, settling beside her on the couch with an ample space between them. His eyes roamed around to the other furs in the small lounge: the lanky otter was there with a thin ferret that appeared to be his boyfriend, at least the way they were acting; a male husky and female corgi were likewise intimately engaged; and a female snow leopard was sitting at the far end, foot bouncing with the dulled music and fingers typing away at her phone.

She accepted the water with a laugh before scooting closer to him, watching his face tint red beneath his grey and white fur. "It's not a problem, you're not the first to look, won't be the last," she said, patting him lightly on his arm. After taking a swig of water, she turned on the sectional to face him. "So, first night here and you manage to get backstage, meet the owner, and then dance on a stage usually reserved for contracted dancers. How DO you manage these things, Mister Gabe?" she asked him, lips curled slightly at the corners in a small smile.

Laughing softly to himself, he turned as well, tucking a leg underneath himself as he faced her, "Would you believe it all started with me trying to get into a strip club?"

Green pools widening as she laughed, she shook her head, "Oh, this is a story that I have to hear!"

And so Gabe recounted the activities of the day: how he hadn't wanted to go to Tails, but it was his friend's birthday, the changing of the time, running late, being unable to get in, and finally bumping into Micah. "So, I didn't have to go, mostly because I couldn't get in, but I'm supposed to pick him up once their shenanigans are done," he finished, lifting his water to his lips and taking a long drink. He found himself growing more comfortable as he talked, the tension that he had felt as soon as she grabbed his attention had ebbed away, and he was enjoying the company of the vixen as the minutes ticked by.

"Well, you've certainly had an interesting day, haven't you? And all wrapped up at the end by enticing a sweet and innocent vixen," batting her eyelashes at him, she kept her composure for as long as she could before laughing.

With a chuckle, he shook his head, "Not exactly what I had on my agenda, but I'm certainly not complaining." His eyes met hers once more, watching her a bit as they lapsed into silence, and she surprised him by leaning forward and planted a kiss right on his lips. Startled at the sudden action, he pulled back after a moment, blinking dazedly at the kiss, before noting a small hint of disappointment on her face. "S-sorry, I wasn't really expecting that."

Shrugging slightly, she looked away, "No, no it's my fault. I shouldn't have just done that, I mean, you've probably got a-MMPH!" It was her turned to be startled as he silenced her with a kiss of his own. A happy little murr rose in her chest as this kiss lingered, drawing out for a minute before they both parted, red in the face, although his was more discernible. "Well now, that was more like it."

Laughing nervously, he tensed as she scooted herself closer, her thigh pressed snugly against his with and her tail draped over his lap. Looking up at him, she chewed slightly on her lower lip before speaking. "I...I don't usually just do this, but, there's definitely someth-OH!" She jumped, and he did as well, when his pocket suddenly vibrated. Groaning outwardly, his fished out his phone while inside his mind a torrent of curses was raging, and his heart sank when he noticed that Zane had texted him. Ready to ignore the text, his phone went off again with another alert heralding a second message from Zane. Angrily keying in his code, he blurted an apology to the vixen before hastily reading the messages.

Zane: 'Dude, need you to get me, Brent got us kicked out by trying to fuck a stripper.'

Zane: 'We're down the street at the diner.'

In stunned disbelief, he stared at the messages, trying to keep his rage down at the sudden, and unwanted, turn to his evening. Looking up to explain what was happening to Yuni, he saw that she had read the messages over his should and was looking at him in a way that said she understood. "I'm sorry. They, er...he needs me to-HEY!"

Snatching the phone from his hand, she scooted away as he tried to make a grab for it, and quickly keyed something into the phone. After a moment of watching the screen, she handed it back to him with a smile. "Well, now you've got my number, and I've got yours," looking at the screen, he saw that she had entered her information on his phone, then sent herself a text to get his. Looking up with a smile, he blinked as she gave him another quick kiss before staring into his eyes. "You better get in touch with me soon then, ok?"

As he nodded, she picked up her water and stood, making her way towards the curtain where she stopped and looked back at him. Offering him a wink, she swished her tail slightly before slipping through the curtains and back out onto the dance floor. Sitting there stunned for a moment, he was jarred out of his thoughts as yet another text came through from Zane:

'Duuuuuuuude, c'mon!'

Sighing heavily, Gabe pushed himself off the couch and made his way out of the club, head hanging in thought as he replayed the night's events. Reaching the street, he turned towards where Zane said he was and wandered in that direction, his mind running a mile a minute as he both blessed and cursed his luck. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about that wonderful vixen named Yuni, and he idly licked his lips, blinking slightly as he tasted the apricot lip gloss she apparently was wearing.

A smile was still spread over his face when he was rudely jolted from his happy recollections as someone slammed against the glass window of the building he was passing. Spinning around, he found it was Zane, in a clearly inebriated state. With a sigh, he waved to the small group of furs inside the diner and motioned for Zane to come out, which he did after saying goodbye to everyone else.

As the two of them made their way back to Gabe's car, the rabbit had to listen as Zane rambled on about the night's activities, which continued along the drive back to the rabbit's apartment, the ride up the elevator, and right up to the point that the lemur passed out on the couch. Sighing, Gabe fetched a blanket from his hall closet and draped it over his friend before retiring to his bedroom.

Changing out of his clothes into a light pair of shorts, Gabe finally crawled into bed and plugged his phone in to the charger. About to set it to silent, the alert went off and he saw a text message from Yuni. Unable to stop himself from smiling, he hastily opened it and read the short message.

'Something to remember me by, Mister Glow Bunny! <3' [Download Attachment]

Raising a brow, he pressed the button on the screen, wondering what she could have sent, and was surprised to find a picture of her, blowing a kiss at her camera. Smiling as he stared at the picture for a few minutes, he finally set his phone to silent, replaced it on the nightstand, and rolled over onto his side. The last thought he had before drifting off was, 'Interesting night...'