{"sf1_id":1901878,"sf2_id":"ynZ7qNR1","title":"Chapter 3 - Third Time's a Charm?","author":"Tiberius Rings","words":3346,"posted_at":"2022-09-27T23:27:00.000Z","tags":["Brothers","Feline","Food","Fox","Series","Thriller","Wolf","san francisco"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1901878-chapter-3-third-time-s-a-charm","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/ynZ7qNR1","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/f8/2f/f82f64d7-ce3f-4c38-ac5a-506a8f025d3d","description":"#3 of Simon King #3: A Lonely Dragon\n\nSan Francisco has a lot to experience if you know where to look. Simon finds a community willing to help this poor city fox a thing or two.\nArtwork by FruitzJam\nStory by both of us","content":" **Chapter 3 -\u0026nbsp;Third Time's a Charm?**\n\nIt had taken us some time to get up after our...morning activities.\u0026nbsp; Tin was very convincing when he wanted to be, and honestly, I loved every moment of it.\u0026nbsp; There was something nice about a regular partner, not something I'd really experienced in my life.\u0026nbsp; I was enjoying the permanence of Tin's presence.\u0026nbsp; I think he knew that too.\u0026nbsp; Eventually though, even he couldn't lounge in bed all day, and we got up.\n\nAfter a nice bath and some grooming, I talked to Tin about what I had found in the paper.\u0026nbsp; Specifically, I told him that Mordecai was spending a lot of money around San Francisco and a nearby church was named in the paper.\u0026nbsp; I wanted to check it out as Lucas had invited me to go with him.\n\n\"You sure that's smart?\" Tin asked as he fixed his suspenders over his chest.\u0026nbsp; \"You know if he's there...\"\n\nI shook my head.\u0026nbsp; \"I doubt it, he's rich and powerful, and this church is poor.\u0026nbsp; I think he's just putting money there because it gets him good will with the city.\u0026nbsp; Nothing gets him favors quicker than donating to a charitable cause.\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\nI was having trouble with my shirt buttons.\u0026nbsp; Tin came around and reached around me, helping me rebuton it.\n\n\"I doubt I could say anything that would convince you not to go, but you need to be careful, Simon.\"\n\n\"Aren't I always careful?\"\u0026nbsp; I flashed him a grin.\n\n\"Psh, no.\"\u0026nbsp; The tiger rolled his eyes and I chuckled when I saw it in the reflection in front of me.\u0026nbsp; I liked mirrors.\u0026nbsp; \"You tend to leap first before thinking,\" he added.\n\n\"It's a fox thing, you wouldn't understand.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, as I am a lowly tiger, do me and my heart a favor and just be careful.\"\u0026nbsp; I felt a slap on my ass and jumped dramatically.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Otherwise I'm going to miss this.\"\u0026nbsp; Tin ended and leaned over, giving me a kiss on the cheek.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI held up three fingers in the 'scouts' salute I had seen some cubs do in New York.\u0026nbsp; \"I promise to protect my ass at all costs!\"\u0026nbsp; It got a huff and another eye roll from Tin who headed out.\n\n\"I'm helping unload some furniture today, so I'll be around.\"\u0026nbsp; The tiger turned to look at me.\u0026nbsp; \"Please come back for lunch -- Miro and Oro keep trying to corner me.\"\n\n\"I'll see what I can do.\"\u0026nbsp; And with that, I headed out the door myself.\u0026nbsp; I hummed happily and put my hands in my jacket pockets and decided to go about my day as planned, even if several hours had been spent having sex and napping.\u0026nbsp; Damn stupid sexy tigers.\n\nAfter going down to the harbor and not having much luck finding a job I went back up into the city and found Lucas by early afternoon.\u0026nbsp; The wolf boy waved at me and jogged right up.\u0026nbsp; \"Hi, Mr. Simon!\"\n\n\"Just... Simon,\" I said, unable to hide my smile.\n\n\"Simon,\" Lucas repeated and stuck his tongue out.\u0026nbsp; \"What brings you around here?\u0026nbsp; It's too early for supper.\"\n\nLucas knew I was very taken with Mexican food, even if the spices didn't quite agree with me.\u0026nbsp; The boy's father got a kick at watching me eat something called _hallah-pen-yows_and told me I should have them cooked to cut down on the spice next time.\u0026nbsp; That's the last time I ate a pepper on a dare from a wolf cub.\n\n\"Not hungry, but you told me you were going to St. Andrews today.\u0026nbsp; I thought I could tag along?\"\n\nLucas beamed but then smirked.\u0026nbsp; \"No clients yet?\"\n\nI looked at him warningly.\u0026nbsp; \"Lucas...\"\n\nThe boy raised his hands.\u0026nbsp; \"I kid I kid!\"\u0026nbsp; Which was punctuated with a giggle and a skip just out of arm's reach.\u0026nbsp; \"Sure, you can come!\"\n\nLucas led me through the city that reminded me of my time in London.\u0026nbsp; I had been so good at getting about the city through secret routes and alleys that I could get to where I needed to be faster than anyone.\u0026nbsp; I never picked up the skill in New York, and I almost missed it.\u0026nbsp; I was having some pangs of homesickness for the first time.\u0026nbsp; I wanted to go see what my old home was like, to see if Billy was still there in the area.\n\nImagining an older Billy meeting Tin made my grin, and I walked right into Lucas, who turned and laughed.\u0026nbsp; \"Get your head out of the clouds, Simon. You're gonna walk right into the bay.\"\n\nLucas took off an invisible hat and bowed like he was introducing something magnificent.\u0026nbsp; \"Here we are!\u0026nbsp; St. Andrews!\"\n\nThe small church was pretty.\u0026nbsp; But it was nothing like the cathedrals I had seen in London and New York.\u0026nbsp; This place looked worn but also loved.\u0026nbsp; You could see where someone had gone about doing repairs and planted flowers.\u0026nbsp; There was a pile of raked leaves from the tree in the small yard.\u0026nbsp; All in all, you could tell that people put a lot of care into the place.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We go around back,\" Lucas took my hand and led me through the courtyard to the back side of the church.\u0026nbsp; There was a community room where people could come and gather and not disturb the people in the front worshiping.\u0026nbsp; When I was very young, I spent a lot of time in the church's community room with the other children, since we were usually too rowdy for the front.\u0026nbsp; I had to stop myself from reminiscing about those old memories.\u0026nbsp; I was growing sentimental in my old age, it seems.\n\nLucas pushed through the wooden doors and we walked into a room set up for various tasks.\u0026nbsp; Tables were arranged in a small circle in a corner, and some wooden toys were laid out on a blanket.\u0026nbsp; On the wall were some hanging sketches that some cubs had done, as well as the usual religious iconography.\u0026nbsp; You could tell that this room had so many purposes and was used by so many people that it had an air of importance.\n\nThere were a few women in the corner speaking a language I had never heard before.\u0026nbsp; Lucas walked up and waved to them, speaking the same language back.\u0026nbsp; They waved and then looked at me.\u0026nbsp; Lucas struggled with what he said next, but they nodded and smiled politely.\n\nOf course, I smiled back.\u0026nbsp; \"Good afternoon, madams,\" I said and took off my cap, letting my accent slip back out and bowing gentlemanly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt earned me a giggle from a few of them and a snicker from Lucas.\u0026nbsp; \"I thought you didn't like speaking that way!\"\n\n\"It's still charming,\" I said and put the hat back on, fixing it so my ears rested just right.\u0026nbsp; \"What language were you speaking?\"\n\n\"Chinese,\" Lucas said.\u0026nbsp; \"I only know some words, but this place has a lot of Asian people coming and going, so I try to know the basics.\"\n\n\"Can you tell them who I am?\"\n\n\"Of course--\"\n\n\"And _not_ that I'm a whore?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"...Fiiiiiiiine.\"\n\nLucas went on to convey the introduction for me, or at least I hoped he did.\u0026nbsp; I shook hands with them, getting some names that didn't stick.\u0026nbsp; Chinese was such an odd language.\u0026nbsp; I had heard it before but it was so different from English.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Lucas,\" a warm male voice said from the back of the room.\u0026nbsp; \"You're a bit early for your reading lessons.\u0026nbsp; Would you mind walking these wonderful ladies back home?\"\n\n\"Yes, sir!\"\u0026nbsp; The wolf saluted but stopped, looking up at me.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Don't...\" I warned.\n\nThe little devil showed his usual mischievous grin.\u0026nbsp; \"Tristan!\u0026nbsp; This is Simon, he's new in town, and he's a well traveled who--\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nI grabbed the cub and pulled him close, locking my arm playfully around his neck. \"Stop telling people I'm a whore!\"\u0026nbsp; I wasn't holding him tightly, and Lucas giggled and played like he was really stuck.\u0026nbsp; He got out of my grip easily.\n\n\"I'll be back, Tristan!\u0026nbsp; Bye Simon!\"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; And the wolf cub ran out of the church faster than I had ever seen him.\u0026nbsp; I sighed dramatically.\n\n\"Sorry about that,\" the voice got louder as the person approached, and I saw the speaker for the first time.\n\nIt was a fox, but a fox species I had never seen before.\u0026nbsp; He was taller than I was, if only slightly, and a bit broader in shoulders.\u0026nbsp; The man's fur was a combination of blacks and whites and some gray in between.\u0026nbsp; He had what I can only describe as a raccoon mask down his fuzzy cheeks.\u0026nbsp; And he was, admittedly, striking.\u0026nbsp; He was also dressed well in a nice pair of slacks and a vest with a loosened tie around his neck, the top button to his shirt unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up to above his elbows.\u0026nbsp; He seemed older than I, perhaps because of his attire, but not by much.\n\n\"Lucas likes playing practical jokes, but he's very harmless,\" the man held his hand out to me, which I shook with my own.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm Tristan.\"\n\n\"Simon,\" I returned the introduction.\u0026nbsp; I looked around the room and then back at the uniquely colored vulpine.\u0026nbsp; \"And I know Lucas is just playing.\u0026nbsp; He reminds me a lot of...well, me.\"\n\n\"He's got that spirit a lot of men lose when they grow older,\" Tristan agreed.\u0026nbsp; \"But his heart is as big as the state of California.\u0026nbsp; Anyway, what can I do for you, Mr. Simon?\"\n\n\"Just Simon, please,\" I corrected.\u0026nbsp; \"And I was hoping you could teach me some things.\u0026nbsp; Lucas says you tutor people here?\"\n\n\"That's right,\" he said.\u0026nbsp; \"I like to give people who come here a chance to make it in the city.\u0026nbsp; Sometimes it's as simple as helping them learn to count, others a trade.\u0026nbsp; Are you lacking in anything specific?\"\n\nI shook my head.\u0026nbsp; \"No, I mean, I know I'm not well learned or anything, I know how to read and write, but--\"\n\nTristan laughed warmly, his hand coming up and touching my shoulder in a very friendly embrace.\u0026nbsp; \"Relax, Simon, this isn't a test.\u0026nbsp; No need to get your tongue tied on my account.\"\n\n\"Sorry,\" I said with a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of my head.\u0026nbsp; \"Just been awhile since I sought out anything educational.\"\n\n\"Oh, but we learn things every day.\u0026nbsp; We just have to be aware of it.\"\u0026nbsp; The other fox rubbed his chin with a _hmm_ and looked me over from head to toe.\u0026nbsp; \"You said you can read and write?\"\n\n\"Yes, I'm trying to find a job as a laborer or something, but it's not working out.\u0026nbsp; I figured some extra skills can't hurt.\"\n\n\"Well, let's start with the basics.\u0026nbsp; This is Chinatown, and if you want to find work here, you need to at least be able to communicate.\u0026nbsp; How about some language lessons?\"\n\nMy ears perked.\u0026nbsp; That actually sounded interesting.\u0026nbsp; The cordial smile which this man gave me was also putting me at ease.\u0026nbsp; \"That sounds wonderful.\u0026nbsp; You can speak Chinese?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I grew up here,\" Tristan said with a nod and a bit of pride in his voice.\u0026nbsp; \"Ever since I was a small kit.\u0026nbsp; When I fell on bad times, the people of this community took me in, so I repay their kindness by giving back.\u0026nbsp; I can also speak Japanese, if you want some lessons there as well.\"\n\n\"Oh...yes!\"\u0026nbsp; My tail flicked a bit behind me.\u0026nbsp; \"That sounds amazing, actually.\u0026nbsp; How much would it cost?\"\n\n\"Cost?\"\u0026nbsp; The other fox looked confused.\n\nI tilted my head slightly.\u0026nbsp; \"You...don't charge?\"\n\n\"Why would I do that?\"\n\n\"How do you...you know, make money?\"\n\n\"I have a job like anyone else, and I give my time here freely as a charity.\u0026nbsp; You don't owe me a thing, but if you feel like some kind of exchange would be important, please donate it to the church.\u0026nbsp; A lot of people depend on the money here for food and supplies, and with the winter coming, any little bit helps.\"\n\n\"That reminds me,\" I said and perked my ears, \"I read in the paper this church got a lot of money from some rich Englishmen?\"\n\nTristan's smile never faltered, but his ears flicked.\u0026nbsp; I knew that sign: _dangerous subject._\u0026nbsp; But the fox nevertheless answered my question:\n\n\"Yes, and we are so grateful for the generous donation of Mr. Crossbell.\u0026nbsp; But as you can probably imagine, there's always more people to help in this neighborhood than we have supplies for.\"\n\n\"More than you can imagine,\" I said.\u0026nbsp; I needed to change the topic quickly.\n\n\"Oh?\"\u0026nbsp; He cocked his ear.\n\n\"I grew up poor myself.\u0026nbsp; Orphan.\u0026nbsp; I know what it's like to rely on people to survive.\u0026nbsp; Wasn't an easy life.\"\n\nTristan shook his head.\u0026nbsp; \"No, it isn't,\" he said and looked around the community room.\u0026nbsp; \"And no one should have to experience something like that.\u0026nbsp; Your experience gives you a perspective a lot of people wouldn't have normally.\"\n\nI just shrugged my shoulders.\u0026nbsp; \"Is it that special?\"\n\nThe man shrugged.\u0026nbsp; \"I don't know about 'special,' but I would say that you have empathy for those less fortunate.\u0026nbsp; I can tell that you have a good heart.\u0026nbsp; Lucas is also a good indicator of people with good hearts -- he takes to them like fish to water.\"\n\n\"I want to give back,\" I said softly, looking down a little bit, \"but I don't know where to begin.\"\n\n\"Forgive the piety, but you have come to the right place, my friend.\"\u0026nbsp; Tristan put his hand on my back and turned me to face the cross high on the wall.\u0026nbsp; \"Here we are all equal in the eyes of God, and here you will find people who are good, honest folk but are in a bad situation.\u0026nbsp; The government would turn their backs on them simply because of where they were born.\u0026nbsp; It is disgusting, truly.\"\n\nWas that a growl I heard in his voice?\n\n\"I'm not very religious,\" I said, \"but I believe in what goes around comes around.\u0026nbsp; If you help me with some language lessons, I promise I'll help out around here, you just give me the word.\"\n\nThat earned me a sincere nod from the other fox.\u0026nbsp; \"I can tell you genuinely mean that.\u0026nbsp; You may have some hesitation from others here until they warm up to you -- and I'm afraid that it might take a little while for some people because of the language barrier -- but if you are as genuine as I believe you to be, you'll be loved in a fortnight.\u0026nbsp; We only ask that you work hard when called upon and ask for help when you need it. There is little nobility in suffering alone.\u0026nbsp; We are a community here, Simon.\"\n\nI nodded.\u0026nbsp; \"In that case, what do you need done?\"\n\nI found I liked Tristan.\u0026nbsp; He was smart and very kind, and all of his words were genuine.\u0026nbsp; Having lived in the worst slums of London as a kit, I was good at reading people and knowing whether they actually meant what they said or were just saying things to get me to do something for them.\u0026nbsp; Tristan was the former.\u0026nbsp; That day, he had put me to work moving some food supplies from a recent delivery to the yard out back to be distributed.\u0026nbsp; This gave me a lot of time to do what I did best.\n\nWatch.\n\nPeople slowly came trickling in, mostly Chinese by the way they spoke, but I heard other languages, and English very infrequently.\u0026nbsp; At first the people gave me a wide berth, not sure of what to make of this new black furred fox who was clearly not of Asian birth or origin.\u0026nbsp; More than one had approached and tried to talk to me, but I knew nothing of their languages so I just answered in English.\n\nMost smiled politely, one or two responded in broken English, and one in fluent.\u0026nbsp; They all wanted to know who I was, where I was from, and I told them the truth.\u0026nbsp; I had just arrived from New York City but I used to be a sailor.\u0026nbsp; The few who could understand me seemed surprised, and one man, a kindly looking tan cat, translated for me.\n\nI noticed that my presence was slowly forgotten, or accepted.\u0026nbsp; The people came with some cooked food, others with laundry, some with minor things to be repaired, some with books, women with their children, and it was clear this was a hub of activity.\n\nFood was dispersed, some of the warm soups ladled into bowls...and noodles!\u0026nbsp; Oh, the noodles looked delicious and I felt my mouth water.\u0026nbsp; And they ate their meals with sticks!\u0026nbsp; I was shocked at how dexterous they were, including the children.\u0026nbsp; A little girl came over and handed me a pair and a bowl of some cooked vegetables.\u0026nbsp; I tried to say _no thank you_, that I already had food and I didn't want to eat theirs, but she insisted.\u0026nbsp; I tried to eat with the sticks, but it just earned me polite laughs.\n\nAnother woman came up, took my hand and the sticks, and put them properly in my hand.\u0026nbsp; She showed me how to squeeze them together, and after some trial and error I was able to eat some of the pickled veggies.\u0026nbsp; The woman, the mother of the little girl, clapped her hands gleefully and dramatically.\u0026nbsp; We couldn't speak but she was proud of me.\u0026nbsp; It made me smile from ear to ear.\n\nI caught sight of Tristan, working hard with children at first, teaching them English.\u0026nbsp; Lucas was sitting with a small chalkboard in his lap, and when the children's lesson was over, the adults had theirs.\u0026nbsp; It was much bigger, and taught mostly in Chinese, but Lucas sat for that lesson, too.\u0026nbsp; He was attentive and polite.\u0026nbsp; He never made a snarky joke or comment.\u0026nbsp; He was taking this seriously.\n\nAs the night moved on and my chores rotated from unloading to cleaning, I met more and more people from the community.\u0026nbsp; I learned a few names but it was hard to remember the tones and who they belonged to.\u0026nbsp; Lucas told me that it would take time but reassured me that soon I'd know everyone if I kept showing up.\n\nIt wasn't until late in the evening when I finally saw Tristan again.\u0026nbsp; He was helping put away chairs and I rubbed my back, popping it in a few places.\n\n\"You were pretty popular,\" Tristan said to me.\u0026nbsp; \"Apparently you eat with chopsticks in a very adorable fashion.\"\n\nI blushed a little when I remembered my clumsy attempts earlier that evening.\u0026nbsp; \"I did get a small round of applause when I got that pickle into my muzzle.\"\n\nTristan moved to say something but a slow, restrained laughter came from the back room.\u0026nbsp; It crested from struggled reserve to full on belly laughter.\u0026nbsp;\n\nI sighed and flattened my ears.\u0026nbsp; \"Lucas!\"\n\n\"I couldn't help it! I'm sorry!\"\u0026nbsp; He still laughed and popped out from the back room. \"You know, since you're a --\"\n\n\"Lucas,\" Tristan said with a firm voice, but not losing his tender tone.\u0026nbsp; \"Simon has told you not to call him that.\u0026nbsp; Respect his wishes.\"\n\n\"Sorry,\" the pup said as he flattened his ears dramatically.\u0026nbsp; \"I won't do it again.\"\u0026nbsp; The boy wandered out to the yard where there were still a few people mingling.\n\nTristan smiled at me.\u0026nbsp; \"Are you ready for your lesson?\"\n\n\"Now? You aren't tired?\"\n\n\"What's the saying... 'I'll sleep when I'm dead'?\"\u0026nbsp; He chuckled good-naturedly.\u0026nbsp; In the quiet of the empty room, it occurred to me that this man's voice had a distinctly soft tone to it, and hearing him talk reminded me of listening to a priest's sermon.\u0026nbsp; \"Of course now, if you're ready.\"\n\nI grabbed a chair and sat down in it.\u0026nbsp; I watched the other fox approach and sit himself down in another, holding a small chalkboard.\n\n\"And please,\" he added, \"feel free to call me Tri.\"\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Simon King #3: A Lonely Dragon","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1899392-chapter-2-brat-and-breakfast.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1902821-chapter-4-family-far-and-near.json"}}