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"I'm telling you, this is all a giant pain in the ass." Victoria picked her way carefully through the foot traffic on the sidewalk, trying to ignore the stares of passersby. It was very difficult not to feel all of those eyes on her, though. A fifteen-foot-tall vixen thumping down the street towards you was bound to get your attention. And that was the one thing should would rather do without.

"No, you're the giant pain in the ass. That's the whole point of this thing." Ming power-walked next to her to keep up with the giant's long strides. She was a red panda, a species not known for their great size or long legs. She made up for it with boundless energy and a natural grace that Victoria would never achieve now. She also had the annoying habit of being tactlessly blunt, but just friendly enough to get away with it. "People need to know you're not going to cause any damage just by walking down the street, and that you're not going to flip out and throw their cars or anything."

Vicki sighed. "I know all that. They're just making it so hard."

Ming shrugged, and nearly had to leap around a businessman who couldn't take his eyes off her friend. "Well, people are nervous, dear. They don't know how to deal with the fact that you exist any more than you do. The fact that the government's even trying for co-existence at this point is a big deal."

As much as she hated to, Vicki had to admit that Ming was right. This past year was quite a rough one for everyone, and society was only now bouncing back from the brink of collapse. A biological weapon introduced some sort of airborne virus that caused a significant section of the population to start growing much, much larger. It took the government six months to figure out how to stop the expansion of most of the infected, but by then the damage was done. Vicki had heard rumors that there were some folks who could be measured in miles instead of feet, and that some cities simply didn't exist anymore because some giant or two either outgrew it or demolished it. To this day, no one knew the parties responsible for the attack, but the situation looked to be more or less contained for now.

That left the question of what needed to happen with the infected. The ones that had grown too large to safely mingle with smaller individuals were 'relocated' to wilderness areas and set up with the knowledge they needed to make whatever living they could out there. The rest -- those who were thirty feet tall and smaller -- had to take a number of psychological tests and study for an exam that tested their knowledge of new laws specifically designed to allow citizens of augmented height to co-exist with the rest of the populace. It was a controversial measure. Most people would rather be more comfortable with giants segregated entirely, but thankfully a few giant advocacy groups won something of a compromise.

That compromise wasn't doing her much good, though. Her test to be licensed was coming up in a few short weeks; there she would have to physically demonstrate her ability to be careful and prove that she had knowledge of the many, many laws governing her movement and behavior. She was never a good test-taker, and that hadn't changed after growing ten feet taller than she used to be. But if she failed this test, it meant that she would lose her job, and her apartment, and move away from the only home she had ever known. To say there was a lot riding on this was an understatement. This test decided her entire life.

"I know. It's just frustrating to have to know all of this stuff. I mean, I'm not going to flip out and kill anybody just because I have a bad day." A man bounced off Vicki's thigh and stopped, stunned. He briefly forgot the conversation he was having on his cell phone and gaped openly. Vicky merely looked down with a long-suffering sigh. She would rather be knocked down by someone like that then gawked at. "Excuse me," she said, in a tone that made it clear this wasn't an apology.

She stepped around the wolf that had continued staring, which meant she brushed the awnings that covered the shops lining the sidewalk, which meant she had to walk even more slowly to prevent bending or tearing anything. It had taken her a long time to get used to being over twice as tall as the world wanted her to be, and even once she learned the ropes it didn't help with the frustration. She navigated the rest of the busy street expertly, picking her way around smaller people and making sure she never bumped into benches and other obstacles too hard.

Ming watched and chuckled, then patted her friend's thigh. "Nice restraint. I could tell how much you wanted to rip that guy apart."

Vicki rolled her eyes, even as she caught the nervous glances of a few other people. "Please. I'm not that cranky in the mornings."

The red panda winked before she ducked into the coffee shop they stopped in every morning on their way to campus. "Almost, though."

The Burr and Bean was one of those aggressively local coffee shops that prided themselves on being distinctive and community-focused. They served expensive coffees and almost exorbitant espresso drinks that took around five minutes to prepare. Art from local painters adorned the walls that weren't stacked high with coffee beans or all the peripheries you needed to have to live the lifestyle. Posters advertised an open mic night for poetry on Wednesdays, an anarchist's book club on Thursday and a live Celtic-Arabic fusion band on Friday night. It was the kind of place Victoria would have made fun of three months ago. Now, it was one of the few places outside of her apartment where she felt relaxed.

She waited for a moment for Ming to clear everyone out of the way, and then got down on all fours. Her large bulk filled the sidewalk completely now, and she fought the blush rising to her ears as people watched her maneuver. She pushed the door open with her left hand and practically crawled in through the narrow door, twisting herself to get in with one shoulder, then part of her chest, then the other shoulder, then her hips. Vicki was an old pro at it by now, and it took her a little under a minute before her tail disappeared from the sidewalk and people could walk again. Instead, she found herself in a cozy, dark space with a ceiling that was only eight feet high. The regulars watched to make sure she wouldn't break anything then went about their business. The barista behind the counter, however, stared open-mouthed.

Vicki blinked at the cheetah, trying to place him. He was reasonably tall, thin in the manner of his kind, with deep black streaks of fur falling from deep golden eyes around his muzzle. His lips were black, and his tongue moved back and forth in his muzzle as if he were panting. She couldn't think of a cheetah on staff, and her stomach sunk when she realized he must be new.

"Please stop staring at me." Her voice carried more than she meant it to in the small space, and she found a spot above the chalkboard menu to stare at instead of him.

"Sorry," she heard him say. "I...I don't know if we can serve you."

Vicki bristled, and Ming stepped in. The panda put herself between the oversized vixen and the counter, wearing her best smile.

"I'm sorry, you must be new. What's your name?" Her voice was a purr of ingratiation.

"Charlie." The cheetah looked past Ming and up towards Vicki, who was trying very hard not to bare her teeth.

"Charlie, great to meet you. I'm Ming and this is my friend Vicki. Not sure if you're aware of the news or not, but the government has passed laws making it illegal to discriminate against giants who have been licensed to live amongst us, so we'd appreciate it if you could serve us. We won't make any trouble, I promise. We're just here for two coffees." Vicki felt her anger dissipating somewhat, but she watched the cheetah for signs of protest. She wasn't above frightening someone if they were being a dick.

The cheetah's gaze finally melted away from Vicki, and he looked at Ming as if she had just arrived. "What? Oh...oh God, no, that's...that's not what I meant at all! I'm sorry, I'm just...I don't think we have anything to serve your friend coffee with."

Vicki forced herself to relax. So he wasn't malicious. Just...new. "There should be a bucket back there for me. I've worked this all out with the manager before, and he knows what's up."

Ming smiled. "There. See? We understand if it'll take you a while to brew it. We'll just be over in our usual spot." She pointed to the wide space in one corner where they always sat.

Charlie, however, looked even more nervous than before. "I...uhm..." His voice faltered, and he looked almost pathetic as he regarded Vicki.

"Is there a problem?" The vixen sounded sharper than she meant to.

Charlie flinched. "It's...the bucket. Metal? With black tape all around the sides?"

Vicki nodded. It was swaddled in tape so that the coffee wouldn't scorch her pads. The owner had been nothing but accommodating.

"I...uh, it's...going to take me a little while to get it ready. I, uh, didn't know that it was yours, you see. And I, uhm, sort of used it as a mop bucket."

Ming spoke before Vicki could. "Honest mistake, anyone could make it! Just...uh, make sure it's cleaned well and quickly. My friend here is a little grumpy without her coffee."

"I...uh...yeah." Charlie nodded and fled. He looked exceedingly grateful to be given an exit from the conversation.

Vicki sighed deeply, and Ming reached back to pat her hand. "I can't believe--"

"I know," Ming said quickly. "But everybody's still figuring this thing out. It's all awkward. Just give it time."

The vixen knew the wah was right, but it didn't keep her from being frustrated. The insane test, the frightened and shocked stares, the production involved in just getting a cup of coffee -- it was enough to fray anyone's nerves. And just to make things worse, this was likely to be the rest of her life. Chances were high that things wouldn't be getting any better. Maybe running away from everything that she had ever known wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

She pinched her muzzle and sighed again. Then she turned to crawl towards her corner, her tail wrapped around one of her legs to keep it from knocking things over. It still slammed into an empty table. "Let's just sit down. You can help me study or something."

Ming sat in the far corner, next to the window, while Vicki loomed over her with her back facing the rest of the cafe. The red panda prepared the study materials in silence, giving the vixen a chance to steady her nerves and cool her head. Vicki was not in a good position to do either of those. She merely sat and stewed on her ruined life. When the first question was asked, she had missed it entirely. Ming cleared her throat, and spoke a little louder.

"Vicki. How tall does a building have to be before you're able to lean against it?"

"What? Oh, uhm...you can only make contact with a building if it's at least twice your height."

Ming nodded. "And for you, that would be?"

"Three stories."

"Great! Now, for the purposes of road travel, all giants should pay attention to road signs advising of weight limits for vehicles. If a sign advises there are to be no trucks travelling down a thoroughfare, what is the maximum weight a giant could be to use that road?"

Vicki groped for the right answer. "Two tons? Four thousand pounds."

Ming nodded. "And would you be able to use that road?"

Vicki looked up from where she had been picking at her claws. "Are you trying to guess my weight?"

Ming shrugged. "The guy at the Naturalization Office is going to be asking you these questions. I know you're a little weird about that, but it's the way the law works now."

Vicki willed herself to relax. "OK then. Yes, I would be able to use that road."

The red panda's tail swished. "Look at you, all svelte. They're going to want to weigh you to confirm that, so just a heads up."

Vicki's ears flicked back. "No."

"Oh yes. They brought in one of those truck scales and modified it to work for...uhm, big people. I'm sure they'll be discreet."

"It's bad enough that I have to go through this whole song and dance at all, and now they're making me weigh myself in public? How is that discreet? At all??"

"It's not going to be public, sweetie. It's just like weighing yourself at the doctor's office, that's all." Ming smiled at her, and Vicki knew her friend was trying to be reassuring. It didn't work, but just the effort calmed her down. She felt a small flush of shame. She really needed to chill out.

"You're right. I'm sorry, let's move on."

Ming brought her attention back down to the book that was almost as big as she was. "When is it acceptable to run down a busy sidewalk or thoroughfare?"

Vicki blinked and shook her head. She had studied for this question, too. But the rules were so labyrinthine about this sort of thing; she was never quite sure where she would get tripped up. She knew she couldn't run with impunity, and she knew that so many parts of that question were open to interpretation. What constituted running in a legal sense? When did the officer get to determine that a sidewalk or street was 'busy'? How could she legally challenge that claim? It was a bad law, but it was one that she had to abide by now. If she wanted to run, she would have to do it in a designated area or outside city limits.

"Vicki?" Ming looked up at her, tail swishing before it curled around her.

Vicki shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know, Ming. That's a weird question. Give me a hint."

Ming looked away, and Vicki knew that the wah was wondering how far to push this. "The officer isn't going to give you a hint, Vicki. You have to know this cold."

"Ugh, I know Ming. But I don't know it yet; just give me the damned hint already."

"What's the question?"

Both Vicki and Ming turned around to see Charlie moving towards them, carrying a mug of coffee in one hand and pulling a wagon behind him with the other. The cheetah's ears flattened immediately under the vixen's gaze, but to his credit his smile never faltered. "Forgive me for intruding, but I couldn't help but notice you're studying for the Giant's Test. I think I can help, if you'll let me."

He pulled the wagon next to Vicki carefully; besides the bucket of coffee, smaller buckets filled with milk, sugar and cinnamon were in the corners. How he managed to pull it together so quickly -- and pay attention to its presentation the way he had -- was anyone's guess, but the fox was glad for it. She watched as he pulled a napkin from his apron and set it on the table, placing Ming's mug on top of it. Gone was the stuttering nervousness of several minutes ago. Charlie seemed to be an entirely different cat.

Ming looked to Vicki. Vicki looked at Charlie, then shrugged. "All right, fine."

Charlie smiled, then nodded his head so low it almost looked like a bow. "Thanks. Sorry about...before. I'm new, and I was kind of thrown by, uhm...by you. I know it can't be easy for you, so I'm sorry if I made your day worse or anything."

That simple apology melted the day's stress away from Vicki's shoulders. She slumped, visibly, but she managed a smile for the first time all week. "It's all right. I really appreciate that. I'm just stressed. Studying for this damned test.'

Charlie followed her gesture towards the oversized book in front of Ming, and nodded. "Oh yeah, I know all about it. I helped my brother study for it a couple months ago."

Vicki's ears perked. She watched Charlie as she reached for her coffee. "Did he pass?"

The cheetah's ears flicked back. "He, uh, never got to take it."

Vicki stopped in the middle of pouring her bucket of milk into her bucket of coffee. "Oh. I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

Charlie managed a forced smile this time. "No, no, it's nothing that bad. We just have to go out camping to visit him once a month or something like that. But uh, anyway, we studied the Naturalization manual backwards and forwards before then. We had a bet going to see who could memorize it first."

This grabbed Ming's interest. "Who won?"

"I did." The cheetah smiled. "A lot of the laws in there are worded pretty weird, but after we memorized it we tried different ways of explaining it so it'd be easier to understand." His gaze went from Vicki to Ming. "So what law were you having trouble with?"

Charlie stayed for the entire hour Vicki and Ming was there. The regulars were self-sufficient enough to refill their own coffee, and he only had to go back to the counter to get pastries or espresso drinks. By the end of the hour, the cheetah had mostly untangled the knot of the giant's legal code, distilling everything down to one of three aims: prevention of destruction, loss of life or injury, and protection of privacy rights. Once Vicki started thinking in those terms, everything became much easier to manage.

Her study session was so productive that by the end of it Vicki thought she might be able to pass the damned thing after all. She was in much better spirits when she crawled out of the coffee shop, doing her best not to knock over tables or displays.

"Hey," Charlie called after her once she managed to squeeze her way outside. "I know we just met, but here's my number. If there's anything you need just call or, you know, text me like normal people do. Maybe we can meet up again, go over the code before you have your test."

This time, Vicki's smile was easy to generate. "I'd like that. I'll let you know when we've got our next study session. You're awesome at this stuff."

Charlie grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm a good test-taker. See you 'round, eh, Vicki?"

The vixen flicked her tail, knocking a pedestrian over behind her. She barely noticed. "Definitely, Charlie. See you soon."

Ming disengaged herself from the angry man getting up behind the fox and quickly scrambled into step next to her. "You do realize you just swept a man off his feet back there."

Vicki grinned. "Really? Do you think he likes me?"

The red panda rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Ugh, don't pull meet-cute with me today. I just can't handle it."

Vicki laughed, startling a few of the people around her. They edged away from the fox nervously, and for the first time in a long time she didn't mind. At least there was one person who didn't take one look at her and shy away without getting to know her. And that was enough for today.