FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Episode: Cedar

---

Episode: Cedar

"Goddamnit!"

Cedar slammed a fist against the steering wheel. "Come on, you fucking nitwit! It's green!"

Kanoth's paw rested on his arm. "Take it easy, Cedar."

"Take it easy?" he repeated. "Kan, Ryker made a second fucking Pact. With Decanter of all people! Do you know what that means!?"

It was a rhetorical question. Of course he knew what it meant. No one in their right mind would ever make a Pact with more than one IP. There were huge risks involved. Just being bonded to one IP meant that a Host's life force was suddenly placed in a singular pool that would deplete twice as fast because of the presence of two people draining from it. Bringing the IP into the Realworld usually caused an immense drain on the Host's system simply because that IP had to manifest in said world. True, the IP and Host could devour as much food and exercise as much as they could to replenish their energy supplies and maybe ensure that the Host could live even longer than their expected lifespan but there were still risks involved. Especially if that IP was hostile.

Who knew what happened up in Aileen's apartment? What if Ryker and the others had such a fierce battle that the poor pup's energy reserves were already depleted. If he dropped out of the Overworld and had to materialise both Takoshi and Decanter, he could die from the effort alone!

"Running people off the road won't solve any problems," Kanoth reassured. "Let's just get over there in one piece. We're the only ones with a car, remember?"

Cliff, in a panic, had been the one to call them using Ryker's phone.

Cedar remembered when AllAle had experimented on trying to bond multiple Dosers to a single Corpsman. The idea was always considered taboo but that didn't stop some corporations from trying it anyway. He had heard others had tried but it all ended in the same result: premature ageing. Since Dosers couldn't really sustain themselves and relied heavily on the energy supplies of the Host, they were a constant drain on their Host especially when fully manifested in the Overworld. When in a shadowy form, they didn't caused any drain but for them to materialise, they took a large chunk of the Host's energy. Even 'switching' from one Doser to the other took such an immense toll on a Corpsmen that their hair would turn completely white in the process.

That was just on the first attempt.

Further attempts would subsequently lead to a rapid degradation of the Corpsman no matter how much food or water they consumed.

It was ultimately deemed a failure.

There was no telling how this would affect a Host like Ryker.

A block away from Aileen's apartment, they came to a halt. Takoshi and Cliff were carrying Ryker between them like he had just passed out drunk. The two hurried over and quickly placed Ryker in the middle seat while the two occupied the outer seats.

"What happened?" Kanoth demanded.

"Raskeil had a fucking trap laid out for us," Takoshi snarled. "She was playing the long con."

"We tried to out smart her," Cliff responded. "It was Ryker's idea. Oliver had recorded Aileen's proposal and we brought it up to Decanter."

"And?" Cedar asked, knowing full well the answer. Out of all the IPs, Decanter had probably been the most loyal. Well, except Shaoxing. That guy never spoke. No surprise given Elijah barely spoke as well. He would've been surprised if Decanter had actually surrendered and switched sides but there was hope. After all, he did form a Pact with Ryker, right? Maybe in the fight the poor guy had been fatally wounded and in an attempt to save him Ryker did the stupid thing of forging a Pact?

"He didn't buy it," Cliff said. "Or maybe he did. Thing is, he didn't care. Aileen had made a call out to nearby IPs. Offered a position in AllAle if they could get rid of us. Even after I used Parse, we still had to deal with them. So we were trapped."

If only Ryker had passed on his plan to him. Cedar would have been able to tell the pup that Decanter was the last person to ever switch sides. Then again, it wouldn't have mattered. Aileen had them trapped. Either fight Decanter and Aileen against a countdown or retreat and the Libertatis_would likely never get another chance to hit _AllAle. She really had planned for every eventuality.

"So what happened?" he asked, pulling away from the curb. "Where's Arthur and the other two?" As much as he bore some guilt over what had happened to Soren and Oliver, he despised the way Oliver was treating his partner. There had to be a limit. "In fact, what happened to Decanter?"

The two conscious men in the back exchanged glances. Cliff recounted how Aileen had just been shot by someone from the outside, right through the heart. She died within a minute but not before she bequeathed Decanter into Ryker's care. The strain of keeping two IPs was too much for Ryker. When they dropped back into the Realworld, the grey-furred wolf immediately fell unconscious as Decanter and Takoshi materialised. They Corpsmen were no problem for them as they had managed to sneak out of the apartment building through the throngs of attendees before returning to the Realworld. Decanter, who was still beside himself in grief and completely opposed to being handed over to Ryker, had to be subdued by Arthur, Summer - who was now going under 'Soren' - and Oliver. Takoshi and Cliff saw to Ryker.

"I didn't know you could 'bequeath' an IP to someone," Cliff admitted.

"It's rare," Kanoth answered, nodding grimly. "Few people are willing to entrust someone that they know and love, who has that special bond, to anyone else. This is especially true because most of the time, handing an IP to someone else means you're basically defenceless in the Overworld. You'll still have access but it'd be like jumping into the lion's den with nothing but your fists. Usually only occurs amongst family members when you're handing an IP from one generation to the next but that would normally involve a family business or everyone in the family being aware of the Overworld. Family-run corporations put this into practice." He cursed under his breath. "Shit... Decanter is one of, if not the most loyal IP out of all the other officers' IPs. He wouldn't go willingly even if Aileen handed him to Ryker. Where is he now?"

"Don't know," Takoshi answered. "The bastard was raving and ranting about us killing him when we clearly didn't do that shit. The others took him in the opposite direction." There was panic in his eyes as he glanced towards the unconscious Ryker. "We've got to take him to the hospital! Oliver said there's one not too far from here."

"We can't," Cliff protested. "What exactly are we gonna tell them? That he got drunk at the party and needs his stomach pumped? The one thing that's a _surefire_way to get him killed is to get doctors to misdiagnose him!"

"They're professionals! They should be able to figure out what's wrong with him!"

"What's 'wrong' with him is that he's been forced to manifest two IPs in the Realworld! There's no curing that!" Cliff regarded Ryker worriedly, pressing two fingers against the wolf's neck. "He's still breathing. His pulse is strong. He's fighting but we have to get him out of here."

"Back to your apartment then," Cedar concluded. "Tell Arthur and the others to meet us there. Bring Decanter."

"Why are we bringing that asshole?" Takoshi spat.

"Because if Cliff is right and Ryker is fighting, then that means there's been a massive drain to the energy pool you all three share now. You're probably running on adrenaline right now which is why you're still up and aware. The only way we're going to get him to wake up is if you _both_consume enough food and water to restore his strength."

Of course he was spitballing. He had no idea if that would fix the problem. The Corpsmen who had been aged prematurely were not Independents. The Overworld was so poorly understood. He had never heard of any Independents bonding with more than one IP and manifesting them in the Realworld. Perhaps that was because corporations perpetuated the taboo. Regardless, there was no literature on the subject. He just had to base his diagnosis on what he knew.

"If I have to shove meat down that fucker's throat I will!" Takoshi snarled.

Kanoth briefly exchanged glances with Cedar. Both of them had seen brash decisions end poorly for multiple people. Even _AllAle_in its early days had been a bit reckless though Emile had mellowed out and become somewhat more restrained as the years went by. A CEO had to be, after all.

"Take it easy, Takoshi," said his partner. "Decanter lost someone too."

They didn't even dare mention that whoever killed Aileen could still be out there. Cedar could think of hundreds of people that would want Raskeil dead. If she had really been colluding with other corporations to take over AllAle, many people would likely want her out of the way. Maybe even one of the Corpsmen under the command of Elijah Marmouth. Would the Chief Security Officer go so far as to assassinate one of the officers just to keep _AllAle_afloat?

He drove as fast as he could while still remaining within the confines of the law. Ten minutes later, they had reached Ryker and Cliff's apartment building. Given that it was still in the middle of the night, it was easy enough to carry Ryker to the apartment without anyone noticing. Carrying Kanoth up the stairs was easy for him as he could hold the gopher in one arm while carrying the wheelchair in the other. They set Ryker on his bed where Takoshi worriedly rested a blanket over his partner, gripping the young wolf's paw tightly.

The look in the guardian bear's eyes was one that Cedar was all too familiar with. He had worn it many times himself. There had to be some irony in the fact that not too long ago, he was perched were Takoshi was and Kanoth had been resting where Ryker was now.

"You need to eat something," he insisted.

"This isn't the time to be stuffing my face!" Takoshi growled.

"Yes it is," Kanoth insisted. "Remember, materialising Decanter into the Realworld will have drained you and Ryker immensely. You need to restore your energy. Come on, I'll order some food. What do you want?"

"Just get me anything," mumbled the bear, kneeling beside Ryker. "I'm not really hungry."

That was a lie. Takoshi was surely starving. Nothing could be achieved in this world without some cost. The price to manifest an IP into the Realworld was immense. Someone like Decanter who benefited from being the IP of a officer would likely have been able to contribute some of his strength to the cost of manifesting in the world but that burden was still mostly on Ryker and Takoshi. It was like someone was trying to fit a huge silo of water into a much smaller one. The latter would have to adjust itself and reshape to fit the new mass and that was likely what caused little Ryker to fall into shock. Takoshi, being physically bigger and fitter, likely could handle it but Ryker...

Kanoth began dialling a deliver number and ordering themselves a large amount of food.

Cedar gently pulled Cliff out of the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving Takoshi to look after Ryker in the dull glow of the computer screen.

"This is fucked up..." mumbled the tiger, wandering over to the kitchen counter and slumping against the granite. He rested both his arms on the table and slouched into his forearms. "I thought Ryker's plan was a good one! I really thought Decanter would switch sides! But then someone shot Aileen and..." He clutched the sides of his head and let out a loud cry of frustration. "Damnit! What the hell is going on!?"

"A lot of things," Kanoth said, holding up a finger against his lips. "But can you keep it down. I'm trying to order here." He glanced back towards his phone. "Yes, yes. Still here. Can you read that back to me...?"

Cedar glanced towards Cliff and wandered over. He wrapped his arms around the tiger, hugging him tightly. No words needed to be said. Sometimes, a hug was enough. The feline tensed in his arms.

"Bro... What're you doing?"

"You just got out of a life-or-death situation and watched someone die in front of your eyes," Cedar said calmly. "I wish I could say that I don't know what you're going through but in my work with AllAle, death was just another risk to be mitigated."

"What do you mean?"

If there had been one death that had really impacted him, this talk would have been easy but in the years he had worked with Kanoth as the 'muscle' of AllAle, there was more than one time when he _should_have been shaken to his core. Sadly, after being steeped in the mire of the corporation for so long, he had just accepted the nefarious acts as gospel. In retrospect, he should have voiced his concerns sooner. Now he wondered if he should be breaking Cliff's innocence or leading him down the path of being desensitised to the harshness of the world.

"The people at AllAle are at war," he said, formulating his words as he spoke. "Don't think of them just as people on a corporate paycheck. They're soldiers. They go out into battle expecting to die for their cause. Only thing is that instead of fighting for home and country, they're fighting for corporations and profit. They're fighters and sometimes, the people they fight don't always... make it."

Cliff let out a slow breath, straightening in the process. "Reminds me about all those dystopian futures where corporations run the world instead of governments. Never thought it was really like that."

"What did you think it was like?" A new fear was bubbling up in his chest. Surely someone established within the _Custodes Libertatis_like Cliff wasn't just in it 'for the fun'. This college kid couldn't be an anti-establishment rebel who thought that fighting 'the man' was cool and that was why he joined?

"I thought there were rules of engagement," Cliff admitted. "Like killing people was off limits. The Custodes Libertatis doesn't kill. But do corporations?"

Cedar pursed his lips, looking to Cliff's hopeful eyes. "They try to avoid it. It's way too costly to cover up a sudden death especially when people tend to have such a huge online presence these days. At least for AllAle, it's all about intimidation, making situations worse and kicking you while you're down. Death is the last thing they'd ever resort to."

The young tiger rested his paws flat on the counter and took a deep breath. "Don't know if that really makes me feel better but I guess that means that whoever did it must be really bad news. I dunno if I should even be involved..."

Wavering faith. A sure sign that Cliff's loyalty to the Custodes Libertatis was just an alliance driven by circumstance. If a corporation had convinced Cliff of joining them, he likely would have and assumed that to be the only truth out there, that the Libertatis were the enemies. Much like Oliver.

He had to remind Cliff of what he was fighting for... and maybe bring his mind out of the dire situation for the moment.

"Hey, you never told me how you met Arthur," he said. "From what I recall, he's a character from a failed TV show. How'd he end up like that? In fact, where's your original IP?"

The tiger gave him a wry smile. "I'm not nearly creative enough to have my own IP. I just workout, play basketball and build people's rigs on the side. No idea why the app popped in for me. First time I triggered it, I just finished up this guy's build on the team. Went to my computer to email him I was done then I got the email asking me if" - Cliff suddenly dropped his voice so it sounded more ominous - "I wanted the chance to see my dreams come true and to enter a world of imagination. Honestly thought it was spam but it was vague enough that It made me laugh. I mean, it didn't even really have anything going about it. Wasn't selling anything in particular. I guess I was just curious. So I clicked the link and I was brought to a site that just asked me for my phone number. No social, not address, no date of birth. Nothing that would normally cause alarm. Just a phone number. Was about then that I started doing my research."

Cliff laughed at himself a little and ran a paw through his hair. "Oh man. I tried to figure out exactly what they wanted, you know? Thought I could be the first to report it or something. Ran it through _every_hacking and virus software I had. Went on the forums to ask about it. You wanna know what happened?"

He already knew what had happen but he decided to let Cliff talk. "What?"

"All my posts got deleted for some reason. The software found nothing. It seemed legitimate. I thought, 'This is my Morpheus Moment', ya know? Blue pill or red pill. I couldn't pass this up. So I entered my phone number... and the app appeared on my phone. I tapped it and boom I was in the Overworld. Imagine my surprise when I found Arthur sleeping on my bed!"

Cedar's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Arthur was sleeping on your bed? Why?"

"He was looking for a way to get across the ocean to the UK. Thought that since the Arthurian Legend is based in the UK, maybe he's more likely to find someone to be his Host. He just so happens to have crashed in my place because it's relatively close to 3rd Mother. He followed me in when I was heading back that night." Cliff glanced away, scratching his cheek absently. "Man... that was crazy. He told me all about the Overworld, we fucked, we formed a Pact and then the Custodes Libertatis contacted us a short while later. Apparently they were keeping tabs on me because I was good with computers and -"

"Wait, hold up," said Cedar, holding up his hands. "Did you two seriously have sex the first night you met one another?Before even making a Pact?"

Cliff shrugged. "The email promised me my dreams and I dunno if you noticed but Arthur is one sexy daddy. That he just so happens to have appeared on my bed made me hard."

Cliff was completely confident and comfortable with his sexual orientation. Unlike Kanoth had had to struggle with it, Cliff knew what he wanted in terms of sex. Cedar had to admit that it seemed so strange to him for anyone to be so sure of who they were that they would get into bed with a complete stranger like that.

"I'll have some follow-up questions," he said. He flicked an ear towards the door. "But sounds like the others have arrived."

It was hard to miss the loud stomping and sounds of struggles. When the door sprung open, Arthur practically hurled Decanter into the apartment. Clearly, the wizard hadn't been cooperative on their way in. By the number of bruises and the blackened eye, the white-haired rhino had to be subdued somewhat. Cedar just hoped that they hadn't damaged him too much. If it a Pact with a second IP shocked Ryker into a coma-like state, the death of one...

"You guys look like hell," Kanoth commented, wheeling himself towards the trio of Oliver, Soren and Arthur. The one-legged gopher avoided Decanter who was writhing on the floor. "What happened?"

"The asshole was kicking and screaming all the way back here," Oliver said, straightening his cheek ruffs. "Kept accusing us of killing Raskeil."

"You did kill her," sneered the downed rhino, rage in his tear-filled eyes. "Why are you even denying it!? You already got what you wanted."

"I had to punch him a couple of times just to make sure he'd shut up," Arthur rumbled, cracking his knuckles. "I'd do it again. Just ask."

Kanoth raised a paw. "That's not wise. He's bound to Ryker now and whether we like it or not, he is draining the pool of energy he shares with Takoshi and the pup. Hurting him more will only give his body need to dip into that pool."

The rest did not need to be said. The more Decanter was hurt, the more power he would drain from the unconscious Ryker.

"Heh," Decanter scoffed. "If you think I'll be grateful, you better think again." He gave them a bloodied grin. "I'd sooner let starve and die and take that _brat_along with me than to help you!"

Soren stormed forward but Cedar intercepted him, pulling Decanter to his feet.

"Okay," he growled, "you and me need to talk. Cliff, we're using your room."

"Lube's in the second drawer," said the tiger.

Decanter physically went rigid. Cedar wasn't sure if Cliff had intended that as a threat or as a joke but it had put Decanter on edge. That was good. Being on the defensive meant that he at least was going to try and protect himself. An escape attempt was likely a possibility but he wasn't going to do anything in his condition. Being in the Realworld also severely limited his powers and given the animosity he held for Ryker, he probably didn't have a high enough synch rate to manifest any weaponry.

He shoved Decanter onto Cliff's bed and shut the door behind him. Hopefully the blood would come off easily enough.

"Going to rape me now, Cedar?" spat the white-haired rhino. "Or am I not your type? You prefer smaller fuckers with glasses, don't you?"

The heat of the moment. That was all this was. Lingering rage over having lost his Host. "Look, what happened has happened. You can't change that Aileen is dead. You need to move on."

"I have moved on. I'm going to kill the son-of-a-bitch who killed her! Starting with that fucking wolf who tried to convert me over to his side!"

Folding his arms stoically and making sure he stood in front of the door to prevent escape, Cedar said, "And exactly what's your evidence that Ryker had anything to do with Aileen's death?"

"You must be joking." Decanter struggled to sit up, clutching his side where he had likely been kicked or wounded. Since he had manifested with such a poor synch rate, he didn't have any clothes to carry with him. A crude loincloth made of an expensive suit jacket was wrapped around his waist and another one was drawn over his shoulders, his arms free of the sleeves. A kick wouldn't be enough to bruise a rhino's thick hide but perhaps a kick from an armoured foot would do the trick and Arthur certainly had the strength to inflict enough damage if not the weight. "These bastards tried to kill Aileen first! We outsmarted them and instead of doing what they always did or what they did to you and Kanoth, they instead went for the nuclear option and killed her!"

"You're not answering my question. What makes you think they killed Aileen?"

"I just told you! They came into our house -"

"They were invited by Aileen," countered Cedar. "Or are you telling me you don't believe that the Witch of Wine was willing to sacrifice you for her own ambitions?"

That stopped him. Aileen Raskeil may have been the Chief Operations Officer and had all the dirt on everyone but Kanoth and Cedar were not without their own resources. They had an inkling that Aileen may be dipping a little into other corporations and likely had allies outside of AllAle. Neither of them had ever thought she'd go so far as to try and betray the corporation let alone sell out Decanter. That she even went so far as to recruit desperate IPs could only have made more enemies.

"Now listen to me very closely," said Cedar evenly. "I know you've got your opinions. I know you and I have never trusted the Custodes Libertatis but don't look at these kids as a bunch of saboteurs. They're civilians dragged into our war and forced to pick sides."

"Then they picked the wrong one!"

"Why? Because they're standing against AllAle?" He tried to keep his temper down but Decanter was not making it easy. His white-haired counterpart had to be one of the most infuriatingly stubborn and loyal IPs he had ever met. What Aileen Raskeil had done to him, how she had treated him like he was little more than her property was just disgusting. "Look, did you love Aileen?"

The fire in Decanter's eyes flared up. "What has that got to do with anything!?"

"Answer the damn question!"

"I don't owe you anything, you fucking traitor!"

Cedar lunged forward, lifting Decanter off the bed briefly before pinning him down against the pillows, one massive hand clutching his throat. "You may think that you can cause us pain and suffering by siphoning off Ryker's energy and health but that kid has something that defies even the laws of the Overworld."

"W - What...?" choked Decanter, the look in his eyes suddenly filled with uncertainty and fear.

"I don't know what it is but something about him just breaks_what we all considered as normal or the law. He has a way of thinking outside the box and opening doors that we'd never consider." He tightened his grip around Decanter's throat, the other rhino gagging in protest. "So listen to me _really well when I say that I won't hesitate to choke the life out of you because I'm absolutely sure Ryker will pull out of it somehow."

There was also the option that if Decanter died, Ryker had enough allies who could contribute some energy as his Contact. They could hopefully keep him alive.

Only then did he release Decanter's throat, making sure to throw the rhino's head against the headboard one more time before stepping back. "But I won't out of respect for the years we worked together. Now answer the question." He massaged his wrist a little. Now that he was mortal, an act like that strained his body. "Did you love Aileen?"

Decanter choked and gasped a little, rubbing his throat. "Do you love Kanoth?" he spat.

That was his answer. "We all do crazy shit in the name of love. I'm lucky that Kanoth loves me in return. Did Aileen love you?"

The self-styled wizard snorted at him, a sardonic smile touching his lips. "Are you sure that Kanoth even really loves you? What makes you think he's not going to get sick of you like he did with his wife? He married her out of social obligation. He got together with you because you two were basically stuck together. Both cases, he had no choice. What makes you think he's going to 'love' you forever."

Just like Aileen, Decanter was an expert at using words as weapons. Those words could hurt and they pierced Cedar's chest like hot, burning knives. The rapid assault of questions peppered his resolve, shattering his calm and seeding him with a burst of self-doubt.

"Word of advice, Decanter," Cedar said, reaching for the rhino and grabbing his arm. "Find value in your life. Find a purpose. Make sure it's a good one too. You only get one chance to live. Don't waste it hating someone."

The more athletic rhino pulled his arm free of Cedar's grip. "Why? Are you going to spout some nonsense about I'll just feel empty afterwards?"

"No. You're already empty. You loved Aileen to a fault and now that she's gone, you're empty." He gave Decanter a shove towards the door. "I was going to say don't waste your life hating someone because then you're making your life about them. It's your life. Make it about you."

Decanter looked over his shoulder briefly, that fire in his eyes momentarily vanishing in place of confusion.

******

Ryker hadn't woken up by the morning. Takoshi was eating but he was just scarfing down whatever was offered in front of him to the point where he would have gotten sick had someone not been there to slow him down. The moment he was done eating, he would just go back to Ryker's room, kneel down, grab a paw and wait.

"He hasn't showered, barely speaks and only leaves Ryker's side to eat or go to the bathroom," Arthur sighed.

"That's love for you," Kanoth mused softly. "Though I'm sure he'd never admit it."

Cedar knew that feeling all too well. When Kanoth had lay dying in his arms, he was reduced to little more than a blubbering idiot desperate for a miracle. Ryker had been that miracle. Admittedly, Ryker had also been the cause of Kanoth losing his leg but he had also freed them from AllAle and gave them a second chance at life together.

A soft ringing caught their attention and they all turned towards the lone phone sitting at the centre of the kitchen counter.

Ryker's phone.

Oliver and wisely snatched it away from Takoshi to keep the bear from doing anything stupid like hitting Refresh over and over again in a desperate attempt to revive Ryker. Not that it would do any good. Their energy levels were full even with Decanter's injuries.

The screen of the ringing phone read 'Work'.

Cedar plucked it from the bench and hit 'accept'.

"Hello, Ryker's phone."

"Hey, who is this?" came the abrasive and clearly irritated voice.

"I'm a friend of Ryker's. He's sick right now. Who is this?"

"His fucking manager! He should've called! He's late for his shift!"

Clearly this guy was no real manager. True managers would be understanding, professional. Even the food service industry had standards. But this guy... He would _never_make it big in the real world unless he sobered up and learned how to treat his employees with dignity and respect.

"Look," Cedar said calmly, "Ryker is in really bad shape. I'm sure if he could, he would come into work and -"

"You know what? Don't fucking bother. He's fired!"

Beep.

Cedar held out the phone at arm's length, giving it a foul look. "Tell me you know where Ryker works," he rumbled. "I'd like to go down there and personally give that asshole a piece of my mind." The appearance of a huge, green-haired rhino would likely be more than enough to intimidate whoever that was.

"Let's not do anything rash," Oliver counselled. "The guy would probably have to fill out a lot of paperwork to officially fire Ryker and he should know that he could be sued for wrongful dismissal if he goes through with it."

"Problem is we can't really prove that Ryker is sick," Soren said. "We haven't taken him to a hospital."

"Maybe we should..."

Kanoth shook his head in a negative. "Not a good idea. Hospitals are crawling with pharmaceutical Corpsmen and IPs. You bring an unconscious Independent in there and they're going to be all over you. That's not counting what doctors could do and_the expenses it could incur. I'd be happy to pay for anything they need but we _know nothing they do will help him."

The sad but true facts. Maybe they could hook up Ryker to an IV line and keep his body from deteriorating but what could the doctors really do but make him comfortable. Worst case scenario, the hospital called Ryker's parents and said parents took him away. There was no telling how Takoshi would react to that news considering Ryker probably hadn't told his family about the bear. Though from what he remembered, Ryker's father was dead and his mother was somewhere in Europe with her navy boyfriend.

"This is gonna make rent pretty damn hard," Cliff sighed. "We split the rent evenly. I'm happy to pick up the slack but I don't think it's something I can keep up forever... People don't really upgrade their rigs often and with online tutorials these days, they can fix a lot of shit by themselves..."

Kanoth lifted a paw. "I can help there."

"Naw, brah," said the tiger, waving a paw away. "Your wife is gonna grab a shit tonne of your money. You shouldn't be throwing it at us. You'll need it to land on your feet."

"It's really no trouble. You all saved me life. The least I can do is make sure you two don't lose yours."

Cedar straightened and padded towards Ryker's door. "Let me at least tell Takoshi. He should at least know that Ryker may be fired from his job."

"Is that really something you want to be telling him?" Kanoth asked. "The poor guy's heart is breaking."

"Maybe but he might get pissed at the manager and go down there and attack the guy. If it'll get him out of the house and _doing_something aside from moping, it's got to be a good thing, right?"

No one was going to argue which meant he had could enter Ryker's room very quietly, poke his head in and get a face full of Takoshi's body odour and sweat. The A/C wasn't on in the room leaving the place quite warm. Didn't help that Ryker's PC was still on. To his credit, Takoshi wasn't crying or weeping; just staring forlornly at Ryker's still and peaceful features.

"Hey, Takoshi," Cedar said softly, stepping in and closing the door. "I need to tell you something."

"Unless it's a way to wake up Ryker," growled the bear, "then I don't want to hear it."

"It... has to do with Ryker." He took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. "He's just been fired."

Takoshi was immediately on his feet. "The _fuck_did you just say!?"

Holding up his hands, Cedar said, "His manager just called. Fired him on the spot. Tried to explain to him Ryker was sick. Didn't even give him a chance to submit a doctor's note or anything. Just fired him."

Takoshi's blue eyes filled with utter fury. "I am going to rip that fucking beagle's throat out!"

Ryker's manager had been a beagle. Made a lot of sense. They always tended to be quite the noisy howlers.

Cedar let the bear storm out of Ryker's room and charge out of the apartment door before chasing him down. He didn't intervene as the polar bear - who was still charging down the stairs bare foot - ploughed through the front doors and began stomping down the street. Again, he didn't stop Takoshi even as they took a left at the street corner, then a right, went straight three blocks and then took another left. Furs on the crowded New York streets gave him a wide berth which made it easier for him to follow.

It was only after fifteen minutes of raging through the streets, shirtless and just wearing a pair of rather revealing red shorts that Takoshi realised he was lost.

"You have no idea where Ryker works, do you?" Cedar said smugly.

The beefy bear turned towards him, eyes fiery with anger and frustration. "Shut up! I'll rip apart every beagle in this fucking city if I have to!"

Cedar, maintaining his air of superiority, pointed a finger towards Takoshi's crotch. "You might want to put on something a little less revealing then. Blood on white fur is quite obvious especially when you're strutting out in the middle of the street."

Takoshi glanced around, seemingly waking up from a daze. The stares of furs around him caused him to duck his head and blush. "Fuck..."

Wrapping an arm over his shoulder, Cedar said, "Come on. Let's go back to the apartment. Get you a shower to cool off and then let's talk it out, okay?"

"What's to talk about? My Host is in a fucking coma. What do you want me to do?"

That was a question he was more than familiar with. "How about not raging about things you_can't_ do and starting to focus on things you can?" Takoshi gave him a puzzled look, likely curious how he had come up with a solution so quickly. "Look, when I was in love with Kanoth, do you know how frustrated I was that he would go home every night to his wife, with his children while I was stuck in an apartment with no one? I could've turned to drink really easily. I worked for a fucking beer company."

The bear turned away, his cheeks starting to get redder and redder the more he realised he was practically naked. Lucky no one had yet to call the police on them. Likely had to do with the fact that Takoshi had a very attractive body and a decent bulge. Those stares were less about the fact that he was naked but more about his rigid eight-pack and plump, bouncy pectorals.

Even Cedar was wondering if he could 'bury his wood' in the bear.

"And you got over it by doing little things," Takoshi concluded. "Like fucking him in the backseat of your car."

"Yes," Cedar responded proudly. "So think about it. What _can_you control?"

Takoshi stared off into space for a moment. Then he lifted his head. "Take me back to the apartment. I'm going to get a job."

That was good. If he got a job, that would mean Ryker's sudden lack of income would be offset. "Good idea. We'd need to think about your credentials and resume -"

"Don't need one. Already have a job lined up."

Now he was a little jealous. The prospect of getting a job had been at the forefront of his mind since entering the Realworld and as much as Kanoth insisted that his investments and funds could keep them afloat from now until they died, he never imagined himself as one of the idle rich. Maybe he could be a carer. Kanoth could be his reference.

Then there was Takoshi who already had a job after having just materialised.

How was that fair?

In his musings, Cedar realised Takoshi had left his side. Thankfully, the bear was now storming down the streets with a mission. Still parted the crowds like Moses to the Red Sea but at least he wasn't a compressed white ball of fury.

"Whoa! Hey! Wait up!"

After another fifteen minutes, they were back in the apartment with Takoshi barging with little announcement.

"Cliff," boomed the bear, "you know where Hayden Okonjo lives? Or his number?"

Cliff, who had been in his room, poked his head out from around the door. "Uh... Yeah, bro. Why?"

"I met him earlier. He offered me a job as a personal trainer at his gym."

"Don't you need qualifications to be a personal trainer?" Oliver asked.

"I don't fucking care. We need money and a place to stay." He nodded towards Cliff and then Soren. "Hayden said he can offer us free room and board to live in his place. Can't really pay us until the gym gets fully up and running but at the very least we won't have to worry about rent from this place."

Kanoth wheeled himself around the kitchen counter. "As I've said may times before, if you guys need a little bit of extra money to help you along -"

"No thanks," Takoshi said, holding up his paw. "You've already helped enough. You've risked your life and reputation for us. Can't ask you to do more. We've got to handle this. If we need you, we'll ask. But right now, I've still got options and I'm taking them." He marched over to Cliff. "Contact number and phone now."

The two disappeared into Cliff's room, leaving Cedar exchanging glances with Kanoth.

"When I left through that door, I did not expect this to happen," Cedar admitted.

"When you left through that door, I expected you to be brought in cuffs for Takoshi's indecent exposure," answered the gopher with a shrug. "I guess those two really are full of surprises."

The rhino snorted softly. "Hey Kanoth, it's not cheating if I lick Takoshi's abs while stroking myself, right?"

The gopher glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "I suppose not. So long as I get to watch."

In that moment, he was sure that he and Kanoth would be together forever.

"Join in, if you want," Cedar challenged, wiggling his eyebrows.