{"sf1_id":610359,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Old Faces","author":"DarkSoulsSauron","words":8949,"posted_at":"2013-11-05T02:18:00.000Z","tags":["Gay Relationships","Soren \u0026 Eli","ninetales","pokemon"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/610359-old-faces","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/610359","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=610359\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Soren\nand Eli were on the couch, lounging after a rather long Wednesday.\nSoren had his nose in a scientific journal while Eli lay on his\nsilver lap, a PSP in his hands. He was running through Persona 3\nagain. Soren had his music out on his computer, playing Electric\nSwing Circus. Eli was\nbobbing his head to the music as he played. There was a small bing\nas Soren was notified of an\nemail. Eli sat\nup as Soren checked his email. \"Good, good,\" muttered Soren to\nhimself. Eli\nlooked away from his game, \"Sasha said 'yes?'\" Soren\nsmiled and nodded. \"You get to drive some of it this time. It's\nabout time you helped me on distance trips.\" Eli groaned. Soren\nflicked a beige ear playfully. \"You learned stick for a reason. The\nlast few times we traveled I drove the whole way.\" Eli\nsighed in resignation. \"Should we leave on Friday then?\"Soren\nnodded. \"Sasha said we can crash at her place. We can drive after I\nget home from work. We'll pack something to eat for the car. Can I\ntrust you to make some sandwiches without leaving our kitchen in\nruins?\" Eli\nkissed Soren on the cheek. \"Yes, smart ass, I can pack us some\nsandwiches.\" The two foxes stayed up till the album finished and\nwent to bed. Eli cuddled up to Soren beneath their blankets. They\nshared a long kiss, tasting of toothpaste. \"I love you, Soren.\" \"I\nlove you too, Eli,\" said Soren, rocking them back and forth in his\narms. Eli smiled as he felt Soren kiss his hair.  Thursday\nand Friday flew by without any significant events. Eli managed to\ndrive the whole way without stalling or grinding the gears. He could\ntell Soren was relieved by his good driving. They both held a small\namount of anxiety about damaging their new car.Sasha\ngreeted them at the door. Eli frowned. \"You didn't have to wait for\nus. It's almost 3am!\" The\nLinoone shook her head. \"It's all right. I needed to catch up on\nsome work. I didn't want to make you stalk into my house like\ncriminals.\" She yawned widely as she walked into her bedroom. \"The\nhide-a-bed is folded out for you. Goodnight.\" After a few seconds\nshe poked her head around the doorway again. \"And behave\nyourselves, boys. I don't wanna hear anything.\" Both foxes blushed.\nSasha winked as she shut the door. Both\nSoren and Eli flopped on the couch bed, not even changing clothes. It\nhad been a long drive. \"Thanks for driving,\" whispered Soren, his\neyes drooping as they lay next to each other. \"You did really\nwell.\" \"Thanks\nsweetie,\" said Eli, equally quiet. He snuggled up to Soren, sharing\na long kiss.  \"Let's\nhave fun tomorrow,\" said Soren. \"I love you, Eli.\" Eli made\na small noise of assent, burying his face in Soren's fur. \"That's\nthe idea. I love you too.\"Soren\nand Eli woke up together. Eli checked his watch. It was 11:30. He\ncould hear Sasha working in the pottery room. Eli groaned as he sat\nup. Sasha called from beyond the half open door. \"Rise and shine,\nboys. Help yourself to what's in the fridge.\" Eli\ncould tell Soren felt a bit bad for sleeping in so late, and the\nsilver fox began digging through the fridge, looking for something he\ncould make Sasha for lunch. Taking out some chicken and vegetables,\nhe quickly made chicken salad paninis. Sasha\ncame in to wash her hands. \"Dammit, Soren,\" she said with a\nfrown, \"I was gonna use that chicken for when Di and Danny came\nover tonight. I should have told you not to touch that.\" Soren\nscratched the back of his head. \"Sorry,\" he said sheepishly. \"I\nwanted to cook you something after you let us crash here. I can go\ngrab some stuff from the store if you like. I had plans to cook for\nus anyway. I'll make sure to get you some more chicken while I'm at\nit.\" Sasha\nsmiled. \"It's no big deal. Knowing you, you'll wow us again with\nyour kitchen wizardry, as usual.\" Eli\nfinished his sandwich. \"You know Soren wouldn't wanna pass up a\nchance to flaunt his culinary skills anyway.\" Soren shot Eli a\ndirty look, but there was no anger in that glance. Eli liked to rib\nSoren for bragging about his cooking, but he was glad to see Soren\nproud of himself. He was always so awkward and reserved. Showing off\nwas good for him. Soren\nturned to Sasha. \"When are Danny and Di coming?\" Sasha\nchecked her watch. \"Around half past soon. They didn't give me a\ntime frame other than the afternoon. It depends on when Di can get\naway from the set.\" Eli\nnodded. He began making up the hide-a-bed. He folded the blankets,\nhaving to stop and undo the mess he was making. For once he\nwas actually a bit anxious. He only knew Sasha from Soren's group of\nhigh school friends. He wasn't sure what Danny and Di, those nebulous\nfigures who Soren called friends, would be like. He was sure they'd\nbe nice, but still... so this is what Soren felt like half the time.\nHe folded the bed frame into the couch, wincing as he caught one of\nhis tails in the structure. Soren\nturned around. \"Wanna help me shop?\" Eli\nsmiled and grabbed the keys. \"Can I drive?\" Soren\nnodded. \"Don't make me regret it.\" Eli punched him playfully on\nthe shoulder as they walked down to the parking lot.Eli\ndrove down Lassaire's main street, slightly jerkily as he fumbled a\nbit with the gears. \"What are your friends like? You never really\ntold me.\"\"You're\nright,\" said Soren sheepishly, \"I'm sorry about that. Di is a set\ndesigner working for a small theater in Milwaukee. She has her nose\nin all of the art world. You geek out over the same plays she does\ntoo. Cheap romance, high concept stages and scripts, and drama so\nthick you'd need scuba gear to breathe.\" Eli\nchuckled and grinned. \"Sounds like my kinda gal.\" Soren\nlaughed. \"I thought so. Then there's Danny. He just finished his\ninternship and is working as a freelance architect. He acts all\nserious when you first meet him, but he's really just a smart ass.\nHe's a bigger gamer than both of us put together.\" Eli\nsmiled and nodded, mouthing the names silently. They pulled up to the\nstore, its small parking lot mostly empty on a chilly and rainy\nSaturday. Exiting the car, they headed inside for an ingredient\nhunting excursion. Soren was such a snob when it came to finding the\nright cooking materials, but then again, the results spoke for\nthemselves. Soren\nand Eli laughed as they walked out of the grocery store. They had\nbeen inside for almost an hour and their canvas bags were laden with\nassorted ingredients. Soren was glad to be back in Wisconsin just for\nthe cheese. Soren said he had planned\nfor making five cheese\nfondue, but he broke down and went for seven cheeses. They could\ntake some home at least. As they crossed through the sliding doors,\nSoren stopped dead. He was staring at a tall Typhlosion with large,\nfiery red quills and sharp horn-rimmed glasses.\"Chris,\"\nasked Soren tentatively, addressing the fire type. \"Soren,\"\nreplied Chris in a curt voice. Eli fidgeted awkwardly as the\nTyphlosion gave him a deadly glare. Soren\ntried to initiate conversation that wasn't hostile. \"I haven't had\na good look at you since you evolved. It suits you.\" Chris nodded.\nSoren bravely attempted to continue. \"How's school?\" \"It's\nfine,\" said Chris, still glowering at Eli. \"Where are you working\nnow that you graduated?\" Soren explained briefly about his lab job.\nChris raised an eyebrow. \"Didn't they have a break-in recently?\nThat place doesn't seem to have its shit together, from what I read.\"\nEli saw\nthe jab stung Soren a bit, but he stayed composed. Eli shuffled a bit\ncloser to Soren. \"Are Mom and Dad OK?\" Chris\ngave a forced grin. \"They'd be glad to have you for dinner. You\ncould even bring your...friend. Sasha's also welcome too. Who is your\nfriend, by the way?\"Soren\nfrowned. \"This is Eli. He's my boyfriend.\"Chris\nnodded. \"Like I said, your friend. Why are you here, anyway? You\ndidn't drive eight hours just for cheese.\"\"I was\ngoing to visit friends. Introduce them to Eli,\" said Soren, his\nvoice steady. \"I've told them a lot about Eli ever since we started\ndating.\"\n\"I\ndidn't get that last bit,\" said Chris, but he kept talking. \"Mom\nand Dad are really worried, Soren. Ever since you've moved out.\nThey're really afraid you're going to keep... regressing.\" There\nwas an audible thunk as\nthe grocery bags fell to the ground around Soren, their handles\nburned through by the blue sparks that ran up and down his arms. Not\nthat fire would hurt any of them here. Soren's hands were balled into\ngnarled fists. But as Soren was fuming, Eli stepped up to Chris.\nChris was as tall as his brother, and Eli had to stare up into\nChris's pointed face. \"What the fuck\nis your problem?!\"Both\nSoren and Chris were staring at Eli in amazement. \"My problem,\"\nsaid Chris in an affronted voice. \"What's yours? This conversation\nwas completely civil before you started shouting.\"\"My\nproblem is you,\"\nsaid Eli his voice rising. \"What is your problem with someone being\ngay? What is your problem with your brother being gay? Chris\nfrowned. \"My brother isn't gay. That's a nasty accusation. Don't\nshout that around in public.\"\"Fuck,\"\nshouted Eli, beginning to pace with manic energy. \"I'm gay. Your\nbrother is gay. I love\nyour brother. What about that freaks you out?\" Eli performed an\nabout face and kissed Soren on the muzzle. He turned around. \"What\nabout that is wrong to you?\" Crimson sparks were running across his\nshuddering body. Eli's mouth was forming words but nothing came out\nexcept a snarl.\"Control\nyourself, you feral,\" said Chris icily. He gave Eli an appraising\nlook before glaring at Soren through his glasses. \"You gave up your\nfamily to live with this trash? You have bad taste.\" He then\nroughly shoved Eli and Soren apart to enter the store. THWAM!!\nEli jumped as Soren smashed\nthe lid of a garbage can with his silver fist, leaving an enormous\ndent in the metal. The blue fire around his fists left scorch marks\nall across the can, and the bag inside was emitting the toxic fumes\nof burning plastic. Even through his own rage, Eli had never, ever\nseen Soren this angry. The two stood there as if frozen, but after a\nminute Soren started to turn back into the store. Eli\nsnapped out of his own anger in an instant. He placed his hand on\nSoren's shoulder. \"Please,\" begged Eli, \"Please, let's just\ngo.\" They were both shaking, but after a minute he felt Soren\nbegin to relax. Soren picked up the bags in his arms. The fire that\npreviously wreathed his silver arms had dissipated. When\nthey got into their green Prius, the two put their arms around each\nother. Eli couldn't say anything that would help, but he knew he\ncould console Soren with just his body. Soren closed his eyes and\nheld Eli. Eli felt a few tears leak past Soren's blue eyes. After\nwhat felt like ages, the silver fox spoke. \"I'm sorry. It still\nhurts some days,\" was all he said, his voice shaking a bit. \"I'm\nsorry,\" said Eli in a hushed voice. It was all he could\nsay. Soren nodded and started the car. The drive back was silent,\nwith Soren not even turning on the music. Eli sat without speaking\nand watched Soren. He was mouthing words to himself as he drove\nsmoothly through the streets, but Eli couldn't tell what he was\nsaying. Eli slowly stroked a silver tail that was spilling over the\narmrest, and he could gradually feel bristled fur receding to its\nnormal silky smoothness. When they left the car, Eli embraced Soren\nfor a very long and tense minute. \"Are you OK now,\" asked Eli,\nhis voice slightly muffled in Soren's silver arms. There was a long\npause, and Eli could feel Soren breathing heavily. \"Yes,\"\nsaid the silver fox after a very long time. \"And you?\"\"I'm\nOK.\" They grabbed the groceries and walked up the stairs. Soren\nstill was a little tense, but he was relaxing. They walked through\nthe seventh door and back into the apartment. Sasha\npoked her head out of the doorway to her room. She had changed out of\nher pottery clothes and was wearing a loose blue skirt and a light,\npowder blue shirt. \"You took your time. Did you find everything?\"Soren\nnodded, his voice back to normal. \"I couldn't resist splurging on\ncheese. I got you your chicken and I got plenty of stuff for fondue\nand some appetizers. You have a pot, don't you?\" Sasha\nnodded. \"Thanks. Di called. She said that she'll be here soon,\nperhaps a bit less than half an hour now. Danny shouldn't be far\nbehind\"Soren\nnodded in return. \"I can start on the spinach dip. And if you help\nme I can do the potato bites too,\" Soren then pointed a silver arm\nat Eli, \"You sit\ndown.\" Sasha gave Soren a quizzical look. Soren looked surprised.\n\"After all this time, you've never seen Eli in the kitchen?\"\nSasha shook her head. Soren smiled. \"Pray you never see the day.\"\nEli gave\nSoren a fake pout. \"I helped you with that pie the other day. I'm\ngetting better.\" Soren\nsmiled again. \"Slowly. Hey, Sasha, I also got you some flour and\nsugar, cause I'm likely to use all yours tonight. I was gonna do a\ncake.\"Sasha's\neyes widened as she saw the enormous mountain of high quality\ningredients that Soren and Eli had brought in. \"How much did you\nspend on food?!\" Eli\nscratched the back of his head. \"ehhh... a lot.\" Eli felt really\nself-conscious about how successful he was right now. Sasha's place\nwas pretty shabby to be honest, and the complex itself was kind of a\ndive. Not that he cared at all, but he felt sort of bad now that he\nhad spent so much when Sasha looked like she was just getting by. Eli saw\nSoren looking a little guilty too, but he hid it by starting on the\nspinach dip, smashing up the spinach and artichoke hearts in a creamy\nbase. It didn't take long at all, and Soren threw it into the oven to\nget it to the right heat. Sasha\nknew Soren's potato bites recipe, and began peeling the potatoes and\nshredding the cheese, leaving Soren to actually garnish the potatoes\nhimself. Taking the spinach out of the oven, she upped the heat by a\nfew degrees while Soren spiced and cheesed the potatoes. He fried\nsome bacon for the potatoes while they waited. Eli sat on the couch\nand enjoyed the good smells. There\nwas a knock on the door and Sasha went to get it. Eli perked up as he\nheard a jovial and musical voice sing-speak, \"Hey, how are you,\"\noverlapping with Sasha's cool and mellow voice. There was a pause and\nhe heard the musical voice say, \"Soren's here. I can smell him\ncooking.\" It wasn't a question; it was a statement. A graceful\nLiepard bounced in on springy paws, her purple spotted fur somehow\nlighting up the slightly dingy living room. She smelled of sawdust. Eli\nstood up to shake her hand, attempting to stammer out his first name.\n\"God, I'm turning into\nSoren...\" The\npurple cat bounced up to him and gave him a quick hug. \"You must be\nEli. I heard good things about you. Glad to meet you. I'm Di.\" She\nquickly turned around and gave Soren a hug from behind as he was at\nthe frying pan. Eli saw his tails shoot out straight and bristle. A\npuff of blue fire combusted under the stove.Soren\nyelped. \"Don't do that!\nYou want me to burn the food?\" Di\ngiggled. \"I don't think you have ever\nburned food in your life.\"\nSoren\nbegan work a strawberry pound cake as Di sat down at the table.\nSomething easy and quick to make. It would also go great with\nchocolate fondue. There\nwas another knock on the door, and Di bounced off to greet what was\nvery likely to be Danny. Eli peered around the corner, nervous. Soren\nwas chopping up the bacon into bits, but stopped. He grasped Eli's\nhand and whispered. \"My friends aren't monsters. They'll like you.\"\nThe\nFloatzel slipped between the two girls and clapped Soren on his\nsilver shoulder. Danny spoke in a smooth and low voice. \"Good to\nsee you man. How's life on the other side of school?\" \"Good,\"\nsaid Soren sincerely. \"Kansas City is a nice place to live. The lab\njob is really interesting now that I'm not just fixing computers.\" Danny\nlooked Eli up and down who was standing meekly next to Soren. \"So\nthis is your date Soren? I'm Danny. Good to meet you.\" he extended\na webbed hand. Eli shook it. Danny gripped Eli's slim arm firmly and\nlaughed. \"I heard you're just as geeky as Soren. Glad you're one of\nus!\"Eli\nsmiled. \"Thanks. My dad got me into it when I was eight. What's\nyour drug of choice? I've played a bunch of White Wolf games, but\nSoren and I are both suckers for D\u0026D 3.5.\" Danny\nsmiled. \"Good choice, good choice. Strong enough mechanically to be\nplayed seriously, but enough silly rules to play a silly game if you\nhave a wacky DM.\" \"Yeah...\nI tend to play seriously. I like to role play,\" said Eli. Soren\npoked his head around the oven door. \"Food's on the counter. What\nare we playing first?\" Danny\nreached into a backpack and pulled out Settlers of Catan with a\nnumber of expansions. \"Will this do? Figured we'd start with a\nclassic.\" Soren\nhad finished with the appetizers and brought them to Sasha's round\ntable. Danny set up with expert efficiency and they all dived in. The\ngame was long and tense. Everyone started strong and there was no\nclear winner for a while. Danny snagged some extra victory points by\ngetting across the ocean first, and Di bisected the map with her\nlongest road. Eli was probably in the worst condition. All he had\nwere sheep. No ports either, just a crap ton of sheep and a bit of\nwheat and clay. It was\nnow the tail end of mid game and Danny had lost his lead due to the\nwhims of the random number goddess. Eli and Sasha were racing for a\nport, but Eli would go first. He rolled the dice and got the robber.\n\"Sorry, Sasha,\" he said with a grin. \"I know you have plenty of\nwood in that hand of yours.\" Eli placed the robber on a key tile\nand gestured for Sasha to hold out her cards. Eli drew blindly and\ngot the final piece of wood he needed. He cashed in his resources and\nwith a triumphant and smug smile at Sasha he placed his settlement on\nthe clay port. Sasha\nfrowned. \"You, Eli Vatra, are a treacherous little scab.\" Out of\nnowhere, Di gave a tiny gasp. \"Vatra,\" she said in a slightly\naudible whisper. \"Eli... Vatra... no. I don't believe it.\" She\nlooked up at Soren and grinned. Also, Eli couldn't say for sure, but\nwas that a smug little smile on Sasha's face? She spoke loudly this\ntime, addressing Soren and Eli together. \"I don't believe it. You\nare dating Eli Vatra? Do you know all the gossip about him going\naround? The spunky young fox walked into the art world, diploma in\nhand, and made an enormous entrance!! I have one of your paintings,\nEli!!\" Eli's\njaw dropped. \"What? You're shitting me. Which one?\"\"Color\nStudy: Verdant,\" said Di. \"I love how you mixed the earth tones.\nAnd the pattern is just like tree rings. I got it before you made\nyour big splash.\" Eli\nsmiled. \"Well, you should really be thanking Soren for that. I\nalmost didn't put it in my portfolio. He's the one who encouraged me\nto send it to the galleries.\" Soren\nrubbed Eli's shoulder. \"He's such a perfectionist. He was freaking\nout because a few of the rings wasn't exactly circular.\" Di shook\nher head. \"But that's what I like most about it! It looks like\nsomeone painted a tree trunk. If it was perfect it would look too\naustere, too artificial. I love it. It's the best piece in my house!\nI bought it a few days before your huge debut.\" Eli\nabsently picked at the fur on his arm, a bit disoriented by how\nsurreal this was. He had a fan!\n\"Thanks Di. I'm glad you like it...\" there was a silence that\nlasted just long enough to start feeling awkward before the game\nresumed. The game\ncontinued at a fast and furious pace. Sasha seemed to take the loss\nof the port as a personal insult, and allied herself with Soren, who\nlooked like he could take the lead soon. She rolled the robber at a\nfortuitous time. Di and Danny had eight cards in their hands, so they\nhad to discard half their resources. She also blocked Eli's clay\nport. As play ran about the table, Eli drew nothing but sheep. He was\nso close to a city last turn, but now all he had was sheep after\nSasha drew his only piece of wheat. Eli\ntossed the dice and got a five. His jaw dropped as he realized what\nhe rolled. He had four cities and a settlement on spaces that\nprovided sheep on a five. He counted his cards. He had 21 sheep now\nbut still nothing for a final city. Eli ran through his options, but\nhe remembered the 4 to 1 rule. He placed down 20 sheep in triumph. \"I\nbuild the mighty city of SHEEPOPOLIS!! The walls are made of bone,\nthe citizens eat nothing but mutton, and the houses are woven from\nwool and sheepskin!!\" \nThe five roared with laughter at the\npreposterous victory and began to clear up as Soren started on\nfondue. Sasha shredded Gruyère,\nJarlsberg, Leerdammer,\nAppenzeller, Emmental, Raclette and Cheddar cheese and\nmixed in white wine, lemon juice, and sour cream. Soren made a double\nbatch of his famous meatballs, and Danny chopped and trimmed\nvegetables once he cleared up. It was ready in no time, and it was\nall delicious. Soren\ndipped a meatball into the cheese. \"Danny, have you found work yet?\nLast I heard no one was willing to hire a freelancer lately.\"Danny\nswallowed the hunk of cheese covered bread in his mouth. \"I did get\nwork. I kinda wish I didn't have to do this job though. Didn't you\nhear Lacey's place burned down?\" \"Oh,\nno,\" said Soren. \"Not the Ice Cap! I wanted to grab a cone there\non the way back home. What happened?\" Danny\nfrowned. \"She had some electrical work done recently. I think the\nelectrician who did it did a shitty job, and that's what started the\nfire. But no one can prove anything. The place was really old\nthough, so I'm trying to redo the floor plan to maximize space for\nher. I'm actually giving her a discount. She lost everything in that\nstore to the fire. Besides, she's promised me free ice cream. I can't\nsay no to that.\" Soren\nsmiled. \"Did anyone get hurt?\"Danny\nshook his head. \"Nah. It literally happened two minutes after Lacey\nlocked the front door. She saw smoke and called 911. The fire just\nescalated absurdly quickly. I think there were multiple sources that\nstarted the fire.\"Soren\nshook his head. \"Well do a good job. Lassaire wouldn't be the same\nwithout the Ice Cap.\"Danny\nsmiled. \"I will. I don't wanna let Lacey down. Di wants to help\nwith interior decorating a bit. Mostly for fun.\" Eli\nperked up. \"That's right. Soren told me you were a set designer.\nWhat's your current project?\" Di lit\nup. \"OH! I loved my last project. It was Rosecrantz\nand Guildenstern are Dead.\nI made this really surreal set. I made the bow and stern of a ship,\nand I used a wavy black and white color scheme. It was designed for\ntheater in the round.\" Eli\nsmiled. \"I wish I coulda seen that. I love that play! What are you\nworking on now?\" \"The\nStory of My Life.\" said Di as she finished a mouthful of\ncauliflower . \"It's a musical about two friends who've grown apart.\nOne of them just committed suicide and the other one, the author,\nneeds to write a eulogy about him. He keeps getting help from his\nfriend's ghost, or a personification of the memories of his friend.\nIt's pretty vague.\" \"I\nknow that play,\" said Eli as he ate another one of Soren's\nmeatballs. \"I helped with lighting in high school. It's one of my\nfavorites.\" \"The\nset is the author's studio, but it's full of book shelves, so it can\ndouble as the book store. I've done my best to add a lot of personal\ntouches. There are video and DVD cases of It's\na Wonderful Life somewhere\non every shelf. I also decided to use a projector whenever they meet\nup on the bridge scenes. We also changed the script. We aren't\nincluding the kiss scene.\" Sasha\nfrowned. \"Is this a case of Hide Your Gays?\"Eli\nreplied. \"No! I like it this way!\" Di\nraised an eyebrow. \"Why do you say that? We only got rid of it\nbecause neither of our actors could do it with a straight face.\"Eli\nsmiled at the stealth pun. \"Well, with the kiss, it makes it look\nlike the friends grew apart because one saw the other in romantic\nlight while the other one didn't reciprocate those feelings. Without\nthe kiss, it looks like they just grew apart just because. There's no\napparent reason for it. That makes it so much sadder in my opinion. I\nlove it!\" Di\nsmiled. \"I can see why Soren slipped through your fingers Sasha. A\ngamer, an artist, a theater junkie, and\nhe's drop-dead gorgeous.\nYou had stiff competition.\" Danny,\nDi, Sasha, and Soren all laughed as Eli blushed and looked at Soren\nin confusion. \"You dated Sasha?\"Soren\nshook his head and rolled his eyes. \"No. I never did. These guys\nfaux-shipped us even before I came out to them. We've been best\nfriends since second grade. It's just a running gag.\" The\nfondue was almost gone, so Soren got up and threw the cake batter in\nthe oven. Soren then went into his duffel bag and pulled out The Last\nNight on Earth. \"Who wants to play zombies?\" The game\nwas eagerly set up. They all flicked through the rules again and\npicked up their decks. Sasha played the police chief, Eli the priest,\nand Soren the nurse. Di and Danny spawned their zombies and the game\nbegan. Soren\nran through the hospital, picking up a first aid kit, a health buff,\nand for some reason, ammo. Eli found a revolver his character\ncouldn't use and a baseball bat. Sasha decided to forgo searching for\nitems and picked off a zombie with a crack shot from her revolver. However,\nSasha immediately regretted not searching for things as Di played a\nrush down card to surround Sasha. The three zombies crowded around\nthe police chief, and Sasha took two points of damage on the first\nturn. Danny\nwas up next, and he attempted to play a spawning card, but Eli had\ndifferent plans. He used his virtue power, and rolled the die to\nsuccessfully nullify the card with a shout of \"counter!\" With no\ncards left, Danny shuffled his zombies one space closer, but was\nnowhere near the other people. Sasha\nwas cornered, but attempted to rush past. Danny played an instant to\nstop her, but Eli countered him again, allowing Sasha to run out of\nrange. Danny glared at Soren. \"your boyfriend's a complete\ncockblock. You know that, right?\" Soren\nkissed Eli on the cheek. \"You're just jealous.\" \"Careful,\"\nsaid Eli, feeling a bit self-conscious about Soren's open display of\naffection. \"I'm out of counters till I heal up.\" Soren\nnodded and dashed out of the hospital, trying to get to Eli to\nrestore his health. In the meantime, Eli kept searching the church,\nbut all he found was another revolver and ammo. Why guns and ammo\nwere in the chapel was unknown to Eli, but he could pass one to Soren\nwhen they met up. The\nzombies moved again, but they seemed to be planning something, as\nneither of them played special cards. All they did was shuffle\ntowards the players. That choice may have been a poor unlife decision\nas Eli met up with Soren, passing on a revolver to the nurse in\nexchange for a health buff. Soren then used his nurse's special power\nto bring Eli back to full health, now allowing him to counter cards\nup to three times. Sasha managed to dash into an unoccupied garage\nand find the monkey wrench and a first aid kit. It was better than\nher bare hands at least. Di and\nDanny smiled, laying down a series of special cards. Both played rush\ndown, spawning, and health buff cards. This was gonna be nasty. Soren\nlooked at Eli. \"feeling lucky?\" Eli\nnodded and rolled two dice to counter. The rush down cards were\nnullified, meaning that only three zombies could reach them rather\nthan the planned seven, but the pair were still had ten zombies on\nthe field that were way too close for comfort. Di swore and moved in\nto assault Eli, hoping she could take out the priest with his\nobnoxious counter ability. Eli was in dire straits as he took on\ndamage, leaving him an inch from death after one fight. The next\nzombie moved in, but Di botched the roll as Eli rolled a pair of\nsixes. Eli pumped his fist in the air as he flicked the green zombie\nfigure off the board. Danny could only reach the nurse, but he\nsucceeded on inflicting a nasty wound, not to mention cornering the\npair so that they could only back into the hospital. Sasha\nsearched again inside the garage. \"FUCK YES!!\" she shouted as she\nflaunted the shotgun and ammo cards she picked up. Eli raised an\neyebrow. Sasha rarely swore like this, but he had never seen her get\nthis into a game. Eli and Soren did not share Sasha's confidence, and\nthey dashed back into the hospital, hoping that the two zombie\nplayers were out of rush down cards for a bit. Eli doubted he'd get\nlucky again. Danny\nsmiled in return to Sasha's exclamation. \"Don't get cocky, girl. He\nplayed a THIRD damn spawn card, throwing four zombies into the garage\nand shuffling them all towards the police chief. Di played\nthe card \"zombie moan\" to attempt to stop Sasha from\nattacking, but she managed to resist.\nSasha\nhad five zombies on her ass with no chance of back up, but she was\nsmiling. \"Danny, you're an idiot. You just clustered in front of a\nguy with a shotgun!\" Danny's face paled as Sasha mimed a pumping\nmotion and rolled her dice. All three of Danny's zombies were wiped\noff the board. Sasha's kill count was up to five. Unfortunately she\nran out of ammo and had to sink her extra ammo card right away. Soren\nand Eli managed to find a point in the hospital with an escape route\nas Soren managed to heal up Eli again. Eli searched around and found\nsomething that he didn't display just quite yet. He kept his face as\nstill as possible, but he had a feeling Sasha and Soren both noticed\nthe glint of joy in his eye as they gave just the slightest nod. Di and\nDanny were clearly getting irritated. Di threw down a Lights Out\ncard, forcibly ejecting Sasha from the garage and into a crowd of\nwaiting zombies. Danny played a rush down card again, but this time\nEli failed to counter. Eli ticked a life point off his meter and\nhoped Sasha could hang on. Sasha didn't look too happy right now as\nfive zombies entered her personal space. Somehow, Sasha's 2d6 tied\nwith Danny's 5d6, and the monkey wrench let her win ties to defend\nherself. Sasha let out a sigh of relief while Danny swore. He was\ngetting terrible rolls all day.Eli and\nSoren began to search the hospital, finding another first aid kit as\nwell as crowbars, which were better than the baseball bat that Eli\nwas using. Sasha hightailed it past the zombies and popped the first\naid kit. At least she wouldn't die in one hit, but rush downs were\nthe most common card in the zombie deck, and it was likely she would\nget mobbed again. Di moved\nher zombies around a bit. However, now she was smiling, addressing\nSoren and Eli. \"You know, you two are both stuck in the building,\nand this could be\nyour last night on earth.\" The two foxes raised an eyebrow in\nconfusion. Di laid down the card that shared the name of the board\ngame. Eli read\nthe card. \"When a male and female character are within the same\nbuilding, they become invulnerable for a turn but are unable to make\nany move or action during until their next turn.\" Soren\nturned to Eli and ran his silver fingers through his hair. They both\nlaughed. \"So much for your vow of celibacy, father.\" And Soren\nand Eli kissed each other until Sasha began her turn. As they broke\napart, everyone was laughing. Eli was laughing too, but he felt his\nface burning like fire. Sasha\nlooked at the arrangement of zombies around her. There was no way she\nwas breaking through that mob. Soren surveyed the map. \"You seem to\nbe surrounded officer.\"Sasha\ngrinned. \"That's great. It means I can aim in all directions.\"\nShe mimed her shotgun again and fired two shots, wiping away three\nzombies. Their kill count was now at nine. They only needed seven\nmore.Danny\ntook his double turn and mobbed Sasha, bringing her to the brink of\ndeath again. Di moved her zombies around to prepare to mob the priest\nand nurse after they finished their... business. She hoarded her\nspecial cards, waiting like a tiger ready to pounce. Sasha\ntook her turn again, firing the shotgun point blank, even though she\nwas threatened. Her recklessness was rewarded by two more kills. She\nran out of ammo, so she had to discard her best weapon. She spent her\nnext attack action taking a pot shot at a zombie that was threatening\nEli. She missed. Soren\nsearched around and found another health buff. He passed it to Eli\nagain to boost his counter powers. Now he could counter four times\nand\nhe failed only when he rolled a one. Eli searched to find another\nfirst aid kit and a health buff. He passed it to Soren. He needed the\nnurse alive to restore his life after counters.Di\nsmiled as she placed down two damage buffs, a rush down, and a debuff\ncard. This could get ugly. Eli tried to counter the rush down and the\ndebuffs, but he only got one of the damage buffs off. Now he was down\nto one life. The zombies mobbed Soren and Eli, but Eli got lucky\nenough to win his defense rolls and even kill one of his attackers.\nFour kills to go. Soren was also reduced to one life, and he broke\nhis crowbar.Danny\nspent his turn thoroughly trouncing Sasha. He shouted in joy as Sasha\ntook her miniature off the map with a nod. \"Sorry boys. You two are\non your own now.\" Soren\nspent his turn to heal Eli. They needed to keep that counter ability,\nand Eli had that secret weapon. Speaking of which: \"I drop my\ncrowbar and whip out a chainsaw!\"\"Shit,\"\nsaid Di with a hiss. \"Where did a priest find a chainsaw?!\" Eli\ndidn't answer, instead growing like a gas engine and gesticulated a\nchainsaw grinding through rotted flesh. He rolled dice, and got\nenough sixes to kill a zombie AND get a free attack attempt to roll\nagain. And again. One kill to go, but Eli ran out of gas.\"Danny\nhad to spend his turn moving, leaving it to Di to try and take out\nthe players. Setting up a spawn card, Di mobbed Eli. Soren would have\nbeen an easier target, but she wanted to crush Eli out of spite. She\nmade it with her massive mob of zombies.Eli\nkissed Soren on the cheek. \"It's up to you, dear.\" Soren\nbacked up a square and aimed the revolver. Soren groaned as he rolled\na two on his damage roll. He had a one in six chance of getting the\nlast kill. Soren, Eli, and Sasha all shut their eyes in anticipation.\nDi hissed in anger. The living team opened their eyes and cheered as\nthey saw the red die, facing up, displaying a one. The final kill\nwent to Soren.Eli and\nDanny went to clean up as Soren, Di, and Sasha went to start on the\nchocolate fondue. Soren watched the chocolates melt together as Di\nand Sasha chopped and prepared the various morsels, Sasha spending\nmuch of the time to cube the freshly baked cake. The food was brought\nover and people dug in greedily. Sasha\nturned to Eli, who was sitting next to her. \"I completely forgot to\nthank you. Vincent called me and set me up with a representative.\"Eli\nraised an eyebrow. \"He never told me. He said he'd make some calls\nbut that was the last I heard of it. \" Sasha\nsmiled. \"I had a meeting over lunch with Alexi just this Thursday.\nShe's not promised anything but she said she knew a few people who\nmight like my portfolio.\"\"Is\nthere anything in particular that caught their attention,\" asked\nSoren.\"My\nlife sculptures,\" said Sasha. \"If I can get a gallery to host me\nI might be able to drop my waitress job. But that's getting ahead of\nmyself.\" Danny\nwas rummaging in his bag as they were talking. After a minute of\nrustling, Danny produced a large box. \"Care to play while we eat?\"\nSoren\nraised an eyebrow. \"Hrrm... Small World? I've never seen this game\nbefore.\" \"It's\nlike Risk, but it doesn't suck,\" said Danny as he set up the board.\n\"Draw a race, Draw a power, and conquer territories by use of\nnumbers. Territories get you loot, loot gets you the win. Got it?\"\n\"Works\nfor me,\" said Eli. He drew a race and power. \"Hrm... Wealthy\nElves?\" \"They\nspecialize in running like pansies,\" said Di, obviously a veteran.\n\"Basically you just got a bunch of free points, but you don't get\nany special in game effect.\" She drew her cards. \"Crap, Merchant\nDwarves.\" Soren\nchecked the rules. \"You get bonus points for owned territories. Why\nare you complaining?\" \"Yeah,\nbut I only get five units to conquer with,\" grumbled Di. \"What a\nwaste of the best point earning power.\" Danny\ndrew blind, finding Commando Tritons. \"Well then, stay away from\nthe seas boys and girls unless you wanna get swamped.\"Soren\ndrew next. \"Bivouacking Orcs... hrm,\" Soren flicked through the\nrules. \"So I can conquer and get more money and I get five camps to\nboost defense. Not bad at all.\" Sasha\ndrew last. \"Ratmen? From the underworld? Well I guess I'll play to\nthe stereotypes.\" The five\nexamined the map. Danny used the lake in the middle to capture inside\nproperties. Sasha created three small pockets on the inside of the\nmap, using her underworld power to stay connected over long\ndistances. Di concentrated her dwarves on the mines to stack money\nboosting powers, but her force of five dwarves only allotted her\nthree properties. Soren's Orcs occupied the far east, forming a wall\nwith his camps to deter invaders. Eli spread his elves out wide, not\nfearing for their losses because of the racial ability to withdraw\nfrom territories without losing units.Di\nstarted the first turn, conquering an empty mine, sitting pretty as\nher racial abilities and power stacked for nine coins from only four\nproperties. Danny followed, expanding outward from his ocean borders.\nThe first conflict came between Sasha and Soren. Sasha's mass of rats\nswarmed Soren's Orcs, the camps doing nothing to protect him from\nSasha's sheer numbers. Soren fought back using his Orc's pillaging\nprowess to earn back some of his lost properties, taking in extra\ncash from the properties he reclaimed. Eli was perhaps most\naggressive of them all. Knowing his elves could retreat without\nlosing units, he spread himself as thin as possible, collecting money\nfrom all the empty lands he was squatting in. Di spent\nthe next turn sitting pretty, collecting more cash and declining her\ndwarves. She could still work the mines while she picked a new race.\n\"Ooh, ghouls! Seafaring ghouls! Sorry Danny.\" Using the Ghouls\nnewfound ability to traverse the waters, Di squashed most of Danny's\nTritons, forcing him to decline his once-strong army to draw a new\nforce.He\nscratched his jaw. \"Mounted Anthros... well now I can get my\nfarmlands easier.\" Eli's elves got stomped by the incoming Anthros,\nforcing his elves back into a small cluster as Danny cashed in on the\nfarmlands.\"I'm\nnot sure how this declining thing works,\" said Eli, looking at the\nflipped over pieces on the map. Di\npointed at her grayed out dwarves. \"You discard all extra units so\nthat any occupied territories have one unit per area. You still get\ngold, but you can't conquer or manipulate their positions. You only\nget one race in decline and you can't decline your current race until\nyour first declined race is wiped out completely.\" \"So\ndon't get attached to your sissy elves,\" said Sasha. \"Dump them\nfor another group.\" Eli\ngrinned, flipping his tokens. \"I'm sorry,\" he said to the card\ncontaining the rules on elves. \"It's not you, it's me.\" He drew\nDragon Master Giants. \"Hey Danny, I want my farmlands back.\" Eli\ntook his dragon token and squashed Danny's biggest stronghold with a\nsingle unit. The game\nwent fast, with a lot of give and take as the five players captured,\novertook, and recaptured the territories along the map. Di expanded\nher ghouls but quickly retreated to the seas, waiting unthreatened\nfor the perfect time to strike now that Danny's Tritons were wiped\nout. Sasha discarded her rats for swamp dwelling wizards who fought\nvaliantly against Soren's Orc's and Danny's newfound fortified\ntrolls. Eli's giants were punished for not taking the mountains\n(where they were strongest) as Di made her move with her ghouls. The\nnext round involved everyone trading hits with everyone else,\nalthough Di looked worse for wear, and retreated her ghouls to the\nsea before declining them. \"Oh,\nhell yes!\" Di waved her race and power cards before the other\nplayers. \"Spirit\nSkeletons?! You dirty whorebiscuit!\" shouted Sasha.Eli was\nconfused, but Di's gloating clarified things for him. \"They\nself-replicate when they conqure areas,\" said Di, gleefully. \"But\nwhen I decline them they retain their ability to conquer and I get a\nnew army. And because I also control the ghouls...\" \"You\nbasically get three self-sustaining armies,\" said Soren, fingers on\nhis muzzle. \"I propose an alliance. Any takers?\" \"Agreed,\"\nsaid Sasha. \"Let's take her down.\" Di\nfrowned indignantly, hands on her hips. \"Who's calling who a\nwhorebiscuit? This is supposed to be a free for all!\" \"And\nyou're supposed to only have one army at a time, but here we are,\"\nsaid Danny. Eli\ndeclined his giants to draw Diplomatic Halfilings. \"I think I'll\nform an alliance with Di. Specifically, your ghouls.\" A series of\nangry glares were shot at Eli from Soren, Sahsa, and Danny. Eli\nflushed, a little indignantly. \"Wait till you see where I place\nthem, jesus.\" With a devious grin, Eli placed his hobbits along the\nexterior of the lake, encompassing the entire lake. Danny\nand Sasha were glaring still, but Soren smiled. \"I see... now her\nghouls are stuck on the lake they can only gain one gold a turn now.\"\nThe game\nquickly went from a free for all to a four on one battle. Di was\noutnumbered but her skeleton's ability to replicate kept her going.\nShe declined them into spirit form and found berserk amazons,\nallowing her to attack without reservation. The game ended in a\ndramatic fight consisting of Di's ghouls, skeletons, and amazons\nverses Danny's trolls, Eli's hobbits, Sasha's wizards and Soren's new\nflying sorcerers. Even though she was outnumbered, Di's three armies\nall giving her gold secured her an overwhelming victory. She\ncelebrated by stealing that last piece of cake from under Soren's\nfork, swirling up the last of the fondue. \"Hey\nDi, winner cleans up.\" Sasha yawned widely. \"Wow... it's almost\ntwo. Jeez that went fast. Get outta my house. I've got work at eleven\nand I'd like to catch up on my sleep for a bit beforehand.\"Di and\nDanny began to gather up the games they had played, Danny looked up\nas she put the lid over Small World. \"Hey, can I get ride to the\ntrain? I think a late night train will get in to Lassaire in about a\nhalf an hour.\" \"Why\ndon't I just drive you,\" said Soren. \"It'd be faster. Danny\ndoesn't need to walk this way and we can catch up for a while.\" \"Sounds\nlike a plan,\" said Danny. \"I'll be ready in a minute.\" Eli,\nSasha, and Soren began to attack Soren's cooking dishes. \"Go drive\nthem home,\" said Eli. \"I'll do the dishes.\"Danny\nand Di were getting their coats on. Game boxes in their arms. Soren\nkissed Eli's cheek. \"Don't wait for me sweetie. It's a good thirty\nminutes to get to Milwaukee, so just go to bed.\" Soren dried his\nhands and fished his keys out of his pocket. The three left the\napartment, letting the door close behind them with a soft but squeaky\nthud. \"I'll\nfinish the dishes,\" said Eli, starting to wash one of the plates.\n\"What time do you want us out of your place?Sasha\ndried her hands on a rag. \"Whenever. I don't care if you leave\nbefore or after me. You've got a long drive and I don't want either\nof you driving for hours sleep deprived.\"\"Thanks,\"\nmumbled Eli. There was a brief pause. \"Di and Danny make a fun\ncrowd. I'm glad I came with Soren.\"Sasha\ngave Eli a quick hug. \"I'm glad you both came. You look a lot\nbetter compared to senior year.\" Eli\nchuckled. \"I was stressing about how I'd make painting my job and\nnot starve. I really don't know how I got so lucky.\" \"It's\nbecause you've got talent,\" said Sasha, bluntly. \"People pay for\nthat.\"Eli\nflushed a little as he examined the suds he was washing the fondue\npot in. \"Not all the time,\" said Eli, sort of self-consciously.\n\"From what I've heard people haven't wanted to buy your stuff.\"Suddenly,\nSasha gave Eli a hug. \"Hopefully that meeting with Alexi will go\nsomewhere. I owe you big time for setting me up with her.\"Eli\nblushed even more now, the rising color visible through his pale fur.\n\"You're welcome, Sasha. I should have done it for you before.\"\"I\nunderstand it's a big favor to ask,\" said Sasha. \"You told your\nagent to go send someone to check out this nobody sculptor in\nWisconsin. It's a big risk. If you asked too soon it would look like\nyou were just trying to shoehorn all your old classmates into the\ndoor, which isn't classy, even if they could use the help.\"\"You\ncan go to bed if you want,\" said Eli, gesturing to Sasha's bedroom.\n\"I can finish the dishes. I know you've got work.\"\"Thanks,\"\nsaid Sasha. She wiped her hands and began to walk to her bedroom. \"I\nheard you and Soren talking last night.\" Eli's\ntails bristled as his blush consumed his whole face. \"You did? I\nthought we were being quiet. Sorry to bother you.\"Sasha\nshook her head. \"It's no big deal. This place is tiny and noise\ncarries. But you two are really cute together.\" \"Did\nyou introduce us because you thought we'd end up dating?\"\"No,\"\nsaid Sasha. \"I introduced you because I thought you two would be\ngood friends. I thought you'd get along and a lot of Soren's college\nfriends had graduated by his senior year, so he was pretty bored.\nWhat do you think I am, some kind of magic matchmaker or something?\"\n\"No,\"\nsaid Eli, ruffling his hair. \"But I heard you helped Soren out once\nbefore.\" It was\nSasha's turn to blush a little. \"Eheheheh... he told you about\nthat?\" \"Yeah.\nHe was pretty casual about it, actually,\" said Eli, starting to\nwash the frying pan. I mean, he's got some good stories he's shared\nwith me about Milo.\" \"Oh,\nthat's good,\" said Sasha, smiling now. \"For a while he was really\ntorn up about it. I still think he sees it as his fault. Which is\ncompletely wrong, but Soren's never had to be rational about blaming\nhimself.\" Eli\nstopped working on the frying pan. \"He worries me some days. He\ntries to take on everything himself, He gets sort of obsessive about\nwork and he seems to be mortally afraid of asking for help.\"'I\nknow,\" said Sasha. \"He worries me too. But he's been a lot\nhappier since you've started dating. You've been happier too. It's\nsweet, really. It gives me hope for me.\" Eli\nsmirked. \"No luck with the guys?\"\"None.\nAt. All,\" groaned Sasha, shaking her head. \"I've had zero time\nfor dating as it is, but it seems all the guys I run into went to my\nhigh school. The same random jock-y dudes asking me out just cause I\nlook good. And this time the dudes don't even look good. The\nWisconsin diet just isn't conducive to maintaining an athlete's\nbody.\" She grinned sardonically. Eli\nraised an eyebrow. \"What is\nthe Wisconsin diet?\"\"Beer,\ncheese, cabbage, and brats. I shit you not it's a mainstay of most of\nthe guys here. It shows.\" \"You\nknow, some days there's a person behind those muscles. Or in your\ncase, flab. Wasn't Milo kinda proof of that?\"Sasha\nsighed. \"I dunno. You may have a point.\"\"I'm\nnot promising all guys are hidden gems, but hidden gems are just\nthat: hidden,\" said Eli, returning to the dishes. \"Just try and\ngive 'em a chance. But I bet you hear that a lot.\" Sasha\nnodded, slightly morosely. \"You might be right. Maybe my standards\nare too high.\"\"Besides,\nthere is one other thing,\" said Eli with a wink a wry grin. \"Sports\nguys are pretty good lays.\" \"I\nthought you told me you only had one boyfriend before Soren,\" said\nSasha, hands sneaking to her hips. \"You told me he was a theater\ngeek.\" Eli\nsmiled a bit wider. \"Doesn't mean I didn't have a fling or two. Sex\nis fun.\"Sasha\nshrugged. \"You have a point. I just don't like going on a date with\nsome guy I don't really know. It's sort of a principles thing.\"\"Take\na risk some time,\" said Eli, putting the frying pan up to dry. \"I\ndare you to say yes to the next lunch date you're asked out to. No\nobligations beyond lunch with a guy. Can you do that for me?\"Sasha\nsighed. \"Maybe. It depends on who asks me. I'm gonna hit the sack.\nAnd don't tell Soren I heard you last night. He'll probably make you\nsleep in the car if he found out.\" She let out a small \"heh\" of\nsarcastic decisiveness. Eli\nsmiled. \"I'd laugh, but the thing is you're probably right. Good\nnight, Sasha. Thanks for hosting us.\"\"It\nwas fun,\" said Sasha, turning to close her door. \"Night, Eli.\nFeel free to leave whenever. I might be gone when you wake up. I got\nto work lunch shift.\"Wordlessly,\nEli finished the dishes, trying to avoid excess clanking as he dried\nand stacked the plates. He flicked the kitchen lights but left a hall\nlight on its lowest setting so Soren wouldn't have to stumble through\nthe dark. He switched to fresh boxers and left Soren's pajamas out\nbefore crawling into bed. Sasha didn't give a damn that they slept\nin, but Soren wouldn't feel right sleeping in boxers with Sasha in\nthe other room. It\ndidn't feel like a long time as the door clicked shut and the light\nwas flicked to darkness. There was a rustling of fabric before the\nhide-a-bed announced Soren's arrival with a creak. \"Heya,\nsweetheart,\" whispered Eli.Soren\nkissed Eli's cheek as they lined up for a cozy spooning, wrapping his\narms around Eli's bare chest. Eli growled as he held one of the hands\ngripping his chest tuft. Soren whispered as he laid his cheek in the\ncrook between his left shoulder and neck. \"Did you have fun? Did my\nfriends bite?\"\"I'm\nglad we came,\" said Eli, wriggling his butt a bit to free his tails\nand snuggle closer to Soren. \"They're both really nice. Let's try\nand do it again some time.\"\"Good,\"\nsaid Soren, absently. He was clearly drifting. Eli knew night driving\nwas tough on his eyes. \"I love you, Eli.\"\"I\nlove you too, Soren.\" "}