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Intrigue lay on the stiff prison bed. A pair of guard dogs stood outside the hard steel bars. Her tail sprawled off the end of the short mattress. Cold grey cement blocks formed the walls of her holding cell. The thin mattress sat atop a tough metal frame, the dragoness imagined she could feel every steal joint stabbing her as she shifted trying to find some small measure of comfort. The thin saggy pillow squashed flat against the rigid bedsprings as soon as her head hit it.

She hugged her chest tight, a simple black shirt and pants had replaced the shredded remains of Lithy's highly impractical battle outfit.

After generating the new clothing, the two stubbornly ignored each other. She imagined the spirit still felt angry over their trifle with the paladin and Intrigue still blamed her for the fight with Derriger the demon and now their mess with the law.

That tan lemur attacked them first, but she probably rested at home on a large, fluffy mattress while Intri hadn't even been offered the chance to call her family. In some ways, she felt grateful for that, still keeping her bond with the dark spirit a secret, plus the conversation would only worry them.

The entire situation struck her as odd. The arresting officer hesitated at reading her rights and then rushed her into the holding cell before leaving in a hurry.

The hermaphrodite felt like curling up and crying, but she resisted the tide of emotion due to the constant presence of guards outside her cell. Lithy's comforting presence felt weak lately, the wedge between them growing with every new problem.

A loud bang echoed to her cell as doors slammed against the wall. Footfalls marched down the hall. Intri stood up and approached the bars, craning her head.

Several people stepped into view and paused outside her door. The dragon's head rose, staring at the towering figure in the lead. Faded white scars covered their otherwise smooth light grey skin. Only a couple of feet separated the top of her huge, blocky head from the ceiling. A pair of large breasts hung from her chest wrapped in a white business shirt under a black jacket. A matching pair of pants covered her tree trunk-like legs. A thin tail stretched from her back, ending in a horizontal fin. Intrigue didn't notice a dorsal fin, but a pair of leathery gray wings filled the void behind her. The dragoness stepped away, remembering the last winged mammal she encountered. Stone-faced, the whale gestured at the bars. “Open it up."

The bulldog guards glanced past her. The brown-spotted Dalmatian who'd arrested Intrigue nodded hesitantly. A ring of keys rustled in the lock and the door slid open. The dragon stepped away, ears lowered in distrust. Two plainclothes officers, a badger and a wolf, stepped inside and grabbed the small rickety bed hauling it out. Another duo carried in a similarly small wooden frame equipped with a large white mattress and set it in the old metal cot's place. While the guards shuffled back out, Intri glared at the piece of furniture, expecting it to sprout wings and try eating her.

A hulking shadow fell over the blue reptile. Twisting her neck, she found the whale squeezing through the narrow cell door, ducking her head to fit inside the low chamber. Intri backpedaled to make room, hiding in the corner next to her new bed. The demoness glanced outside and a petit, orange bat dressed just as smartly and practically as her boss stepped into the room, carrying a short stool. She set it down and retreated outside, while the cetacean sat down. The police gawked at the two of them. The bat took up a protective stance next to the door, glaring at the crowd.

“You all can leave. I'm taking charge of this," the sperm whale spoke, her tone deep, calm, and commanding. She ignored the leering mammals afterwards.

“Alright, break it up," their spotted commander ordered, waving his arms to usher them away. They obeyed, retreating down the hall. The Dalmatian paused looking into the cell.

“You, too, Lieutenant," she said.

They locked eyes as the canine lingered in place. He glanced at Intrigue, suspicion plain in his steely expression. With a quiet grunt, he nodded and followed his men away. Another bat stepped around him, this one bright pink and male. He took up a protective vigil across from his orange counterpart. Goosebumps prickled Intrigue's skin as she found herself virtually alone with a demon for the second time in three days.

“Are you okay, hun?" the duplicitous, dark creature asked, her deep voice softened by concern.

Words failed her and her legs nearly did as well, the dragoness stumbling at the mammal's motherly expression. A gray hand patted the bed in front of her. Intri stared at the soft, inviting sheets laid out for her.

“I'm fine all things considered," the herm suppressed a sniffle, sliding around the bed to sit on it. The soft, yet firm springs collapsed comfortably under her butt.

“It's been a rough week, huh?" she asked. “Your name is Intrigue, right? I'm Minerva Phantom; chief of the DPS, we're a semi-government organization that focuses on the protection and policing of the demonic populace. A group you now fall into if what the Lieutenant told me is true."

“That's my name, I'm not sure what the spirit's is," The herm's brow furrowed as she tried to access Lithy's powers, but her eye color remained unchanged. An unbreakable wall stood between her and the spirit's magic. Minerva leaned forward curiously. The dragon sighed. “Sorry, my… other half, I guess, isn't in the best of moods."

“Maybe I can help with that," Minerva scooted closer, chair legs squeaking against the floor. A meaty arm reached towards the dragon's hand, pausing a few inches away. “May I?"

Intri stared at her open palm for a moment before setting her hand atop it. Meaty fingers squeezed and a rush of fulfilling warmth shot up the dragon's arm. The fire spread through her chest and into her cheeks. Her eyes glowed as well, first purple, before shifting to red. Lithy's feelings stirred in excitement. The dragon sensed comfort and familiarity through their link. A lump formed above her shoulder, a narrow head emerged followed by a plump snake body. Lithy leaned towards Minerva, bright eyes staring at the whale.

With a smile, she reached out and scratched the bottom of the snake's jaw. The banded runes on her back glowed, Minerva's aura coursing through them, helping fill their belly. The two paranormal creatures leaned forward, resting their foreheads against each other.

A host of emotions blossomed in Intri's mind, deeper and stronger than the rage that consumed Lithy at the paladin's touch. Joy and sadness flooded the dragon in equal measure, her throat tightening as her eyes watered. Minerva hugged the small serpent. The dragon averted her eyes, lost under a barrage of alien emotions while the centuries old spirit reunited with an old friend.

“I can hardly believe it's you," Minerva said as she leaned back and stared at the creature curled around her arms.

The dragon wiped at her eyes, unbidden tears welling up. The dark spirit licked the whale's cheek like some kind of thin, rubbery puppy. Meanwhile, Intri fought to keep from fully breaking down into sobs, her own fears and worries not helping. Minerva noticed the misty-eyed dragon and sat up. Lithy pulled away as well, curling over her host's shoulder, her glowing red eyes also watery.

“Sorry about that," the whale said, collecting herself. She cleared her throat of the watery waver building inside. “It's just ancient history that you probably don't care about."

“I do," Intri interrupted voice sharp and full of curiosity. She froze, ears drooping sadly. “Well, I did… before things got… scary."

Minerva's expression darkened. “I pried the information about your fight with that paladin out of Lieutenant Cupid. You handled yourself well. Things could've gone much worse."

The serpent's tongue flicked out in annoyance, her bloodlust bleeding into the dragon's emotions. Intrigue hung her head. “Lithy did most of the fighting."

The whale stared at the black tentacle hanging from her shoulders, suddenly weary. “I'm not talking about the battle. I'm sure Lilith leapt to defend you from a perceived threat, but the conflict with the paladins and priests of the Old Beast has been over for a century and she overreacted even if I personally think that cadet had it coming."

Lithy's proud head fell at the demon's admonishing. Intri shifted nervously in her seat. She'd half suspected the truth of her spirit's true identity, but always dismissed it as ridiculous.

“You called her Lilith. Is that…?"

“Yes, you're the first avatar of corruption in nearly a century," Minerva nodded solemnly. “I should know. I spent years alongside her previous host."

Intrigue froze a sense of terrified awe settling over her, the weight of Lilith's coils on her shoulders increasing. She shrugged unable to ignore her presence no matter how she tried.

“I'm more concerned about the other day," Minerva said. “According to the case file, it seems you had another fight. The local police haven't identified the second party involved, some stallions claim you attacked them, but the only blood recovered at the scene belongs to a dragon. After I landed, I got a call from some of my agents. They busted an information broker and found he'd sold your location to a serial killer named Derriger. Have you met-?"

A ferocious hiss interrupted her, Lilith's eyes flashing in anger. The demoness watched the snake, jaw narrowing in concern.

“He wanted to eat me… well, us, I guess," she replied as a chill ran down her tail.

“Fortunately, you escaped," the whale said.

Lilith shook her head, jaws snapping open and shut. She stared at the spirit, eyes widening in astonishment.

“You defeated him," she said slowly.

Intri found it difficult to speak around the lump of nervousness in her throat, so she nodded before choking it down. “I don't think he expected much of a fight and he did nearly… get us at the start."

“Did he escape?" she asked. The dragon nodded solemnly. Her large head fell, grimacing in frustration. “I'm gonna need you to recall your encounter with him."

Sighing, she steadied her nerves. Lithy stretched around her back and rubbed her nose against her host's cheek, her presence comforting again instead of unwelcome. Intrigue glanced down at her soft, red orbs.

She started with the trio of equines pulling her into the alleyway and threatening her. Describing the spirit's quick transformation of one and the rest fleeing in terror was easy. When she got to Derriger's appearance, her throat tightened as she recalled the sensation of fangs in her neck and her life and magic draining away. She described it briefly. Minerva's scowl showed she knew the goat's grisly methods well. Her description of regaining consciousness at the sound of her phone and the subsequent battle interested her far more as her stool leaned forward, the lines in her face shifting, becoming eager and ferocious. Concern softened her expression again as she reached the end where Derriger briefly regained the advantage and beat her into the ground.

“So, in the end, he ran away like the coward he is," Minerva sighed, resting her chin atop her knuckles. “The information broker is in custody. We'll also delete your post about Lilith and erase as much of the trail leading to you as possible. I'm sorry we didn't learn about this sooner, but you fared better than many of his past targets."

Intrigue lowered her head, bangs shrouding her eyes from view. “It was my fault he found us. I was blaming Lithy, but my curiosity is what led him to us…"

“Derriger's been hunting his own kind for decades now," the DPS chief said tiredly. “It's possible he would've tracked you down some other way eventually. The number of wild spirits has fallen thanks to him. The ones remaining are kept safe by us and our allies."

“You can hold onto spirits?" Intri asked, curiosity pushing aside her somberness for the moment.

“Most aren't as wild and independent as Lilith," Minerva replied. “Still, they're normally free to pick hosts as they chose and being cooped up and hidden disrupts that process."

“It seems like they could cause a lot of chaos if left to their own devices," Intri said. The whale stared at her and the dragon quickly added. “I mean, based on a lot of what I've read it seems that way."

She shrugged and sighed. “It's true they cause trouble, most don't mean any real harm. Some people think their disappearance is part of the problem with magic though."

“What problem?"

“How it's disappearing," Minerva replied. “We've been monitoring the blood lines of magical families and creatures. Natural talent is getting rarer and rarer as the years go by and half-monsters no longer manifest power as easily. Some blame the disappearance of the demon's infective magic; others think technology itself is to blame. Paranormal phenomena certainly are rarer in cities and other urban areas."

Intrigue remembered Arja and her claim of being descended from a line of powerful kitsune. She wondered if the silver fox might be casting spells and living the magical life she could only study now if things were different. A sense of sullenness emanated from Lithy.

“It's getting rather late," the large lady stood up, craning her neck to avoid slamming her head off the ceiling. “I would appreciate it if you spent the night here. I doubt the enchantment you placed on Derriger has broken yet, but I'll station a few of my people around your home just in case. I guarantee they'll keep your family safe and meanwhile we can help you come to terms with Lilith. She could cause a lot of chaos if left to her own devices."

She smiled reassuringly at the herm, but the dragon only frowned. “The spell on him will wear off?"

“Eventually. Nothing you do with magic is permanent unless the target stays in your range or you attach something imbued with your curse onto them," she replied. “Don't worry. Lilith is one of the most powerful spirits in the world; it could be months before Derriger shrugs off the effects of her venom, especially the dosage you described. Now, would you like to call your parents?"

Intrigue nodded. Minerva produced the dragon's confiscated cell phone from inside her suit pocket. She took the small device, blanching when it turned on and showed the late hour. Preparing for an angry chewing out, she selected the home phone number and dialed it.

The sperm whale stepped out of the cell, giving her some privacy. She glanced between her two bodyguards and companions. The bats remained vigilant, but they kept glancing out of the corners of their eyes at the new succubus residing in the cell. Minerva trusted the pair with the spirit's name and identity, but didn't want the information extending any farther until she felt Intrigue could protect herself. From her short experience with Cupid, she found him trustworthy, but she wondered about the rest of his men.

“All right, I'll see you guys tomorrow," the dragon said. A short beep followed as she disconnected the call.

Minerva turned around and found the hermaphrodite with shorter hair, no visible breasts under her tight shirt, and scrawny limbs. The extra serpentine limb had vanished as well. She stared at the male for a moment in surprise. “That's your original form?"

Wide green eyes blinked in confusion. “Yeah, didn't you know?"

“I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, considering Lilith changed my sister even less…"

“Lilith possessed your sister?"

A pained expression crossed the ancient monster's muzzle. Intri's ears lowered in regret.

“I'll explain as much as I can later," Minerva said. “First, we need to take care of your issues with the law. I've got someone 'investigating' those stallions that assaulted you. One of them should confess by tomorrow, even if they don't, the evidence is on your side. In the meantime, are you hungry?"

His stomach growled, Intri feeling its emptiness now that the weight of his worries had lifted. He nodded. “I'm starving."

“I'll send our gracious hosts out for some fast food," Minerva grinned. “What would you like? My treat."

“Something with fish, no tomatoes or pickles," he stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“All right, I have to go talk with the Lieutenant anyway," she turned to leave, pausing just long enough to add. “If you need anything else, just ask Fizz or Nosh here and they'll take care of it."

The bats nodded curtly as their boss disappeared down the hall. Intrigue leaned back, palms resting on the mattress as he stared at the ceiling. He sighed and closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts inward at his serpentine symbiote.

Sorry for being a jerk.

No response came afterwards. The dragon's head fell, figuring he deserved to be ignored. His chest swelled up a second later, long hair falling around his neck. A cheeky hiss filled the hermaphrodite's ears as the narrow slit between her legs opened. With a deep sigh, the dragon realized things might be looking up.

---

Chastity felt terrible. She woke with a pounding headache and a scratchy, unfulfilled sensation gnawing between her legs. She languished in her apartment's bedroom, covers strewn over her back as her forehead bore into the soft pillows. To her left, the piercing, incessant chirps of her alarm clock rang out. An arm reached out, fumbled over the hard countertop until fingers brushed the smooth plastic face of the digital clock. Her fist slammed down, silencing its screeches.

With a sickly groan, the lemur rolled over and threw the covers off her head. Sunlight burst through her thin, white curtains, filling her vision and aggravating her hangover. The cold air brushed her exposed fur, leaching the warmth from her body. She slipped out of bed, shivering and glancing around for her coat. She realized she hadn't fully undressed last night, still wearing jeans with just a bra.

Cradling her head through the mess of pink hair, she stumbled towards her bathroom, squinting at the brightness. Making a note to buy some darker curtains, she closed the door. Sitting on the toilet seat, she slowly recovered her bearings in the darkness.

“Oh. Oh, damn," she muttered, memories flooding back. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment while her vagina burned with need. The events after Cupid found her forcing herself on the succubus became a blur of sound and color. She vaguely remembered being at the station, before someone drove her home. Hoping her embarrassment remained strictly limited to Lieutenant Cupid and not the rest of the squad, she turned on the hot water in the tub, desperate for heat.

Adjusted to the darkness, she flipped on the lights. The bulbs over the mirror shone a dull yellow. Black marble formed the sink countertop, the metallic bits tinged golden like the doorknob. Water thundered into the tan bathtub, until Chastity grew tired of its drone and switched on the shower. With a sucking mechanical noise, the soft splatter of droplets replaced the thunderous tide.

Stripping her ripe clothing off, she stepped into the spray, soaking her tan and white chest. Breathing in the hot steam seemed to lighten the pain rattling through her skull, but the runoff rushing over her nether regions only aggravated the ache there. She turned and let it splash against her back, but her butt failed to shield her flower as the flow curved down her taut cheeks and dripped off the bottom of her tender snatch. She stepped forward, soaking her long, fluffy tail while her naked, wet flesh shivered in the frigid air.

Wet fingers splayed the folds between her thighs. She moaned the sudden stimulation too much, her legs shaking as she reached out and grasped the screen handle for support. Warm humidity filled the cramped space. Liquid soaked her tail, splashing between her ass and off her stretched sex. She worked her two middle fingers into her depths, while her outer digits spread her pink lips open.

Groaning, she humped against her paw, short stumps squishing between her needy, red flesh. Her desperate vocalizations grew in intensity as the splitting urge deep inside fled her limited reach. Kneeling on the floor, she leaned forward stretching her ass high into the air, palm wrapping over her mound to plunge further inside. Her other hand squeezed around her breasts as they pressed against the hard ground. Slippery fluid squished around her fingers as they resumed working her raw flesh. The hot shower streamed down her soaked tail, washing away the lubricating coating. Chastity gritted her teeth as she raw rubbed her vagina, the pain merely an itch next to the burning sensation consuming her lower body.

The surging pleasure held her in its torturous grip, burning through her lustful flesh like fire, the warm shower a cold, winter stream compared to it. Panting and heaving, the lemur splayed her legs wide. Both hands went to her pussy, digging into the passage. Moaning and blushing, Chastity imagined the dragon demon's tentacles filling her completely while her fingers wobbled clumsily against her skin. The tension gripping her body wound tighter, reducing her to a gasping mass on the tub floor. With a snap, her sex burst into spasms of pleasure. Half a hand slipped inside her, pulsing against her wet insides, while she cupped her breast with the other, moaning loudly as she rode out her climax.

She bit her lower lip, purring as a pleasant buzz settled over her body. Sighing, she pulled her hand away, a small warm glob rested in her palm. Shaking legs pushed her upright, the red hot blaze in her vagina simmered, reduced to a bearable pinprick. Turning towards the water, she opened her hand and washed away her cum.

“Fucking monster," she cursed, grabbing her body wash. Chastity rubbed the cleansing cool fluid into her fur, forming white suds. Her flesh tingled at her own touch, a constant, teasing reminder to go with the half-satisfied hunger itching within her pussie.

The lemur hurried washing her fur and stepped out of the tub. Toweling off the worst of the moisture, she proceeded to grab her hair dryer from under the sink. She plugged it in and set about getting ready for work. No matter if she had embarrassed herself last night, Chastity planned to maintain her professionalism. As the jet of warm air travelled over her fur, Chastity cursed that dragon again; the lucky reptile probably had an easy time getting ready in the morning with her smooth, hairless hide. She wondered how she could recall the sensation of that smooth skin against her naked fur so clearly and everything afterwards became a confusing blur.

After an eternity of standing still and running the stream of hot air over her body, Chastity stepped into the bedroom. The cold hit like a surging ocean wave after the heat and humidity of the shower and drier. She hurried to her oak dresser and dug out a fresh pair of undergarments. The soft, white fabric pressed tight over her hot fur. A slight tingle ran through her pussy's lips as the cotton hugged them. Ignoring the sensation, she grabbed jeans and a pink shirt.

Clad in her simple outfit, the lemur went to make toast and jam, the extra shower time cut into her prep time, so she decided breakfast would be quick, simple, and eaten on the road. The loaves cooked in the toaster as she retrieved her long, brown coat from the stand. She searched for her sword, wand, and belt finding them on the couch where they'd been carelessly dropped. With her coat under one arm, she hooked the leather strap in place before unfurling the garment and slipping it on. Checking the full length mirror positioned on the wall before her kitchen entrance, Chastity noticed the dark sleep shadows under her eyes. Groaning, she rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. Her fur shone in the gray morning light, her spiky hair combed neatly to the side, only the ugly black bags under her now angry blue eyes hinted at her failure the other day.

Her toast popped up with a soft metallic shonk. She pulled her gaze away from her reflection and stepped into the kitchen. Her large white fridge contained a meager supply of food, mostly white cartons of greasy leftovers. She found the raspberry jelly shelved in the door as usual. Slathering the red preserve over the dry, toasted wheat bread, she glanced at the pink analog clock on the wall next to her calendar. Seeing the late hour, she swore and flung the knife into the sink before twisting the lid back onto the jar. Chastity threw the jelly back on the fridge shelf and turned away, grabbing her toast and pinching it in her jaw as she rushed out the door.

Stepping off the staircase, she found Lieutenant Cupid waiting by the wall of tenant mailboxes just inside the door. Her shoulders slumped; worry gnawing at her gut as the grizzly, old police dog walked towards her.

“I'm giving you a ride today," he said, an edge of stress tinged his calm tone. His cool grey eyes bore into hers, looking for signs of the dragon's spell.

“I'm fine," Chastity insisted.

Cupid froze, glaring silently. The Dalmatian rarely raised his voice in anger; he found disapproving silence far more effective. The lemur shifted uncomfortably, head lowered. At last, the lieutenant spoke. “You're still coming with me."

From his tone, Chastity knew the conversation was over. She followed him as he led the way out to his old brown sedan. The lemur climbed into the passenger seat. A faint acidic scent filled her nostrils, the lingering aroma of cigarette smoke. She resisted the urge to cup a palm over her nose as Cupid slid into the driver's seat. Her two pieces of toast sat in her hand, forgotten as worry and nausea destroyed her appetite.

With a harsh groan, the car started and settled into a weak sputtering. They pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. The drive lasted fifteen minutes with Chastity at the wheel, but Cupid seemed content to drag out the awkward silence as the sedan sputtered down the salt-streaked road.

After suffocating in silence inside the smelly old, rumbling machine, the lemur breathed a mental sigh of relief as the station's tall, white roof rose in the distance. Cupid pulled into the lot and parked near the door. Chastity hesitated, one hand on the lever as the canine leaned back in his chair.

“You really mucked up this time," the old dog stated plainly. They glanced at each other, the young officer quickly averting her gaze. “I checked the kid out. No record just happened to get tapped as a host by one of them dark spirits. Probably not just any phantasm either, judging from the number they did on you and the chief of the DPS coming down here in person."

“What about the horses she attacked?"

“Already admitted they were the aggressors," Cupid replied.

“Those succubus have ways of getting people to say anything," Chastity growled.

“Maybe, but I think it's the truth in this case," he said. “Lucky for you, that spirit has mostly fed off its host's emotions. If it had been nourishing itself on those equine's fine women folk, you wouldn't have woken up with just a hangover this morning…"

“So what happens now?" the lemur tried to sound subdued, but anger shook her voice.

“Now, we suck up to Minerva and hope we don't all get fired," he replied. “The chief is already upset and you know both him and the DPS have little love for us."

The color drained from her face. Her indignation faded, replaced with shame and worry. Hands wrapped together, she looked at her mentor. “What do I do?"

“You take the blame, you say you screwed up, because you did," Cupid ordered. “Minerva still remembers the incident. I don't want a repeat of that. You'll apologize this time and do whatever they say."

“I was doing my job!" Chastity snapped, some of her fire returning.

“That kid and his spirit managed to fight off and curse the most prolific paranormal serial killer in the world. He should be getting a commendation, not arrested by us the very same week!"

She leaned away, heart thundering in her chest as the lieutenant glared at her. Cupid sighed, embarrassed at losing his temper, even if it seemed to finally get his point across.

“Now, the chief's waiting in his office," the driver's side door clunked open. Cupid stood up. “Let's hope he goes easy on us."

The ashtray stench inside the car suddenly didn't seem so bad. She watched the canine walk around the hood onto the sidewalk. He paused, waiting for her. With a loud gulp, her trembling hand pulled the door lever.

Flurries of snow began spiraling from the clouds as they walked to the front entrance. Chastity huddled inside her jacket, hoping her nervous shakes would be mistaken for shivers. She entered the lobby with her head hanging low, afraid of seeing her squad mates if they happened to be there. The heels of Cupid's shoes led her towards the elevator.

Entering the chief's office always felt surreal. From the featureless silver elevator doors to the plain white hallway, everything held a minimalist, practical aesthetic and then you stepped through the wooden door bearing a nameplate that declared the office home of 'Buster Claufield, Chief of Police'. Framed pictures of the feline's family and friends hung from every bit of wall space not occupied by hulking metal file cabinets or the wood and glass brandy store. Memories of backyard barbecues and fishing trips lay forever preserved behind glass barriers. The darkly stained desk stretched out from the center of the room, leaving only narrow alleys between it and the wall. Chastity imagined the cantankerous cat selected the layout to make it hard to reach him. Baubles covered its surface. A massive backed office chair sat behind it, the creature sitting in it a good head short of its full height.

If you asked Chastity to sum up Chief Claufield in one word, she'd choose sour. The dark gray cat glared at the two detectives with humorless yellow eyes. White hairs had crept into his smoky coat over the years. He steepled his paws, arms resting on the giant slab of stained oak.

“Sir," Cupid offered a token formal greeting.

“Sit," the feline replied, gesturing to the pair of steel folding chairs in front of them.

For the first time since stepping into the building, the lemur raised her head parallel to the floor and saw the demon hovering in the corner, leaning on a gray cabinet. Minerva grinned, resembling a cat far more than their boss. She wore the same business attire the lemur remembered from the incident. With Cupid's warning fresh in mind, she gulped and braced herself, taking a seat.

“So here we all are again," Buster sighed, voice tired and grave. The black slits of his eyes focused on her as he continued. “I thought once would've been enough for you to learn your lesson."

“Sorry, sir," Chastity muttered, the distaste rose from her belly and out her mouth, dying her words in sarcasm.

Buster's eyes widen in fury, his lips pulling away from his sharp teeth. The lemur braced herself, expecting the small feline to leap over the desk with his claws out. After a second, he relaxed. “You're suspended for a week and off the Paladin taskforce. I'll figure out your new position when you get back."

“What?!" Chastity's hands curled into fists. She'd aimed for the paranormal unit from the beginning. She couldn't get thrown out of it! Buster glared at her, eyes devoid of sympathy.

“That seems a little harsh…"

Three heads turned in the direction of the voice's owner. Minerva crossed her bulging arms under her massive bust. Her grinning mouthful of conical teeth stretched wide for all to see, a sinister purple glow tinted her pupils. In danger of losing her position, Chastity only felt unease at the whale leaping to her defense.

Buster peered around the back of his chair, ears and fur standing upright. Cupid frowned at her, the only one not taken completely by surprise. He crossed his arms, trying to decipher Minerva's game.

“I have a punishment that'll satisfy everyone involved without tarnishing your career, dearie," she purred. “Agree and we can sweep all this ugly business under the rug."

“You guarantee the public won't hear anything about this?" Buster asked, betraying his true interests lay with public opinion and Minerva's not inconsiderable influence being turned on him. Chastity glared daggers at the little coward's back.

“So long as this matter remains private on everyone's end, yes," the sperm whale replied. “You forget you ever heard the name Intrigue Tailer and no one has to know about this."

Minerva knew whipping up a big media storm and suing the police wasn't something Intri wanted, but if pretending she might intimidated the force into silence, then it worked out better for her plan. She suspected Lilith chose the sheltered dragon as a way to ease back into the mortal world after her century long slumber. The least she could do was honor her old comrade's wishes for the time being.

“What's this punishment?" Cupid asked.

“Who cares?" Buster snapped, banging a paw against his desk. He addressed the lemur. “What'll it be, Sergeant?"

Chastity glanced at the demoness' soft smirk. Her hairs brushed uncomfortably against her collar as the lemur nodded and accepted the deal, the thought of life outside the Paladin squad too terrifying to contemplate. “I'll do it."

“Excellent!" Minerva clapped her hands together in glee. The soft smack rang in the lemur's ears like a banging gavel. “Buster, you've been delightful as usual. Lieutenant Cupid and I will handle the little cadet's punishment from here."

The lemur's cheeks flushed in indignation.