FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Storm's not stopping, Mike," Geevin announced as the brown drake leaned on his cushion to look out the cafe window. The sky was a dark shade of gray as the thunderhead built over the city skyline.

"Maybe the weatherman will actually be correct for once," Mike replied while carrying over a large mug for the dragon. Mike's cafe was quiet, the persistent rain keeping most of his clients sheltered inside their homes and offices. "How is the book going?" The human asked while placing the fresh mug down and glancing at the thick notepad the dragon had been scribbling on.

"It's coming," the large drake said with defeat before picking up the almost-bucket of coffee and smiling weakly to Mike.

"A dragon western, hey? Is that what's next?" Mike asked while collecting the empty mug the drake had been sipping on prior.

"Maybe, I keep getting distracted," the drake said and lifted the fresh mug with both paws to take a sip, smiling as the hot coffee graced his tongue. "Fuck, this is good," he added with a smile.

Nodding in thanks, Mike turned and carried the empty mug back behind the counter and began washing it along with other mugs from the morning customers. "I kind of expected you to be with Ben, at his bar," Mike called over his shoulder. The drake was the only customer in the cafe and had selected a thick cushion to lie on while he wrote.

"He— we worry about you," Geevin said simply, "I've been sent to spy on you, make sure you are doing okay," he added with a warm smile to which Mike just turned and focused on the dishes.

It had been almost a year since she had left him in the university courtyard. Since then, he hadn't received a letter or phone call from Taalli. While she had said it was over between them, she continued to send him her paychecks. While Claws On Coffee had been doing well, there were days like today where customers were scarce, and he was grateful for her contribution.

Placing his thick pen down, the brown drake turned his head to Mike, "You are okay, right?" He asked and saw the human nod. "Still no word from her then?". The drake frowned when Mike shook his head and couldn't help himself looking over Mike's uniform, a black business shirt and pants with an orange apron. The uniform gave him an appearance of black arms and legs with an orange body, just like Taalli.

"Her loss, mate," Geevin added and looked outside as the rain began to fall heavily.

Mike opened his mouth to reply, but the ring of the bell above the large front door interrupted his thoughts. "Hi, welcome!" Mike said happily and tried not to stare as a lavender dragoness quickly stepped inside the cafe to avoid the storm. He had heard of wingless dragons before but had never had the pleasure of meeting one.

"Oh, hi!" The dragoness cheerfully replied before looking out the glass door at the torrent of rain falling. "Ehhhh, well this is going to put a damper on things!" She added, talking to herself more than Mike.

"What can I get you?" Mike chuckled, his eyes flicking to Geevin who was also captivated by the curious dragoness. Her lithe body was not covered in scales but a dense frizzy purple fur that ran down her whole body, her throat and underside a bright ivory which matched the thin white horns that swept back from her skull and contrasted against the tidy black leather harness she wore.

Turning back to Mike, she quickly glanced at the cabinet and the rest of the shop, "Oh! Sorry, um. This is a coffee shop, of course it's a coffee shop, sorry, geez, I-um, I just needed to get out of the rain," she said nervously before glancing back out the door to gauge how bad it was. "I- don't really drink coffee, sorry," she said and sighed, the rain looking like it wasn't going to ease anytime soon.

Mike glanced at Geevin who simply shrugged. "Well, we have other things than just coffee," he added hopefully.

The dragoness seemed to be hardly paying attention before flicking her head around, “Oh, sorry. You were talking. I was rude,” she said and trotted towards the counter, her long neck bringing her head just higher than Mike's but a fair way shorter than any dragon he was familiar with. By the looks of her horns, she was fully grown, yet was on the smaller side of what would be considered average size.

"No, it's okay," Mike said politely, unable to tear his gaze away from her bright green eyes and long ears that seemed to twitch slightly as she contemplated the menu. "Perhaps tea? Or hot chocolate?" he offered, seeing her eyes flick to the large clock on the wall.

"A hot chocolate sounds good!" she announced with a smile. "Thanks!"

"Do you have a flask? Or would you like to dine in?" Mike asked while tapping buttons on the register.

"Oh! Shoot. I knew I forgot something," she flustered as she checked her harness straps. "I'll need to buy a flask, darn it, why today?" she chastised herself and peered over at the cabinet of empty flasks. "Oo, go black!" she said, pointing one out for Mike to grab from the other side.

Ringing up her order, she placed her paw on the counter; strapped to her wrist was a large human smartphone in a case that looked almost homemade. When the payment terminal lit up, she pressed her wrist to the side and waited for a positive chime to ring out. "That's neat," Mike commented. Usually, dragons would pay with cash, as credit cards were often too fiddly for their larger paws. When he had purchased the register, the salesperson had said that contactless payments were the next new thing in commerce, and to actually see a dragon use it was reassuring. "I mean, a phone on your wrist. Saves dropping it."

"Thanks! This one is a bit of a first draft, but I hope it takes off," she said cheerfully, her ears flicking out slightly in excitement.

"Something tells me it will, and can I get a name for the order?" Mike said and blushed when she glanced around the coffee shop to see she was alone other than Geevin.

"Sure, Liiria, two i's, an r and then another i-a for good measure," she said cheerfully and glanced at the clock on the wall and then at the rain outside.

Catching her glance, Mike took the flask to the counter and began working. "I take it you're in a rush?" He asked politely.

"Sort of, I left home early to try and get to this meeting before the storm, but I don't know if I will make it now," she explained and sat back on her haunches, her fluffy tail tucking around her while she waited.

Mike glanced outside and then back to the fur-covered dragoness before his eyes widened in realization, "Of course! Sorry, I have not seen many fur dragons before."

"Yup, no wings and fur, not a great combo for walking in the rain," Liiria remarked sadly, "I just hope it stops soon, or else I'm just gonna have to get wet."

"Well, you are welcome to wait it out here if you want," Mike said cheerfully and turned to face Liiria with her new flask in hand.

Taking the flask with a smile, she turned to attach the metal canister to her harness next to a small black leather-bound postal tube that was also connected to her harness. "Thanks, but I think I'm just gonna have to leg it and try to dry myself off when I get there," she said sadly. "But thank you though, I just wish it wasn't right before an interview," she repeated before turning to leave.

Looking at the deluge of rain falling from the heavens, Mike came up with an idea. "Hey, hold up for a sec. I might have an idea." Reaching under the counter, Mike retrieved a couple of spare aprons. "Do you want to borrow a couple of these? They might keep some of the rain off of you."

"Really? You would do that?" Liiria asked and smiled when he nodded. "I'll bring them back, I promise."

"Sure! These were just samples from the supplier, but if you can bring them back, that would be cool," he said and laid the two aprons out on the counter.

"Of course!" She said and returned back to the helpful human. "Let's see what I can do." She added and overlapped the two aprons at the hem. Using the two straps, she knotted them together to form a large double length covering, long enough so her neck could go through one neck loop and her tail through the other. "Do you mind giving me a hand?" She asked, a hint of vulnerability in her voice as she tried to get her fluffy tail through the loop.

Geevin watched with a smirk as Mike came around the bar and helped the damp damsel out. With a gentle hand, he guided her tail through the loop and held the other neck loop open for her to push her head through. Her furred face came close to his as she did so, her bright eyes looking briefly into his before she turned her head to look down her side. “Sorry, can you tie them together?” She added quietly. Mike saw she had passed one strap under her for him to tie to the other and quickly busied himself with tying it off in a loose knot for her to undo when she got to her meeting.

"You've done this before," Liiria commented, the insides of her long ears becoming flushed.

"My ex used to wear a harness," Mike mused and saw her eyes widen slightly with realization.

"Well? How do I look?" Liiria asked and posed comically with her chin held high, the orange aprons draped roughly over her torso like a horse blanket.

"Well, I'm afraid it won't help keep your tail or neck dry, but I hope it keeps you somewhat warm," Mike commented while smiling at her antics.

Glancing at the clock, Liiria gave a polite nod to Mike, quickly reading his name tag. "Thank you Mike, you are a gentleman and a lifesaver! I'll be back to return them!" She hastily opened the door, not pausing for him to reply before disappearing into the rain.

"You're… welcome," Mike chuckled as the bell rang with the door closing, looking outside after her for longer than he expected.

"A lifesaver, eh?" Geevin teased, his deep voice rumbling with a laugh.

Mike's cheeks blushed red as he turned to return back to the safety of the counter, "Shh you." He playfully retorted with a smile.

"Oh? What? I can't call you a lifesaver but Liiria can?" Geevin exclaimed in mock offense before holding his now empty coffee mug. "Another, please Michael, thanks muchly."

Shaking his head, Mike collected the empty mug with a playful snatch and returned to his coffee machine, "I'm giving you decaf for that."

"And they call me the monster," the brown dragon retorted, "but you! You are something else, little man. Oh! Here, let me keep you dry and warm, I'll cover you with my apron-slash-wing and make sure you get to your meeting." Seeing Mike blush further, he pointed a talon at the human barista. "You would make a good drake, you know that, right? You're a natural."

"Oh god, shut up!" Mike chuckled, smiling in what felt like the first time in forever. "Or I'll tell Ben you have been flirting with other dudes." He threatened.

"Pfft, he wouldn't believe you, but Liiria on the other hand, she seemed cute, if not a bit distracted." He added while watching Mike from across the cafe, "you gonna ask her out?"

Mike glared at the brown drake with a smirk while working the machine. "That's not professional."

"Oh flap on!" Geevin exclaimed and relaxed further into the cushion, "I've seen like half a dozen pornos start with the cute barista and the hot customer who 'needs another way to tip their server.' Hell, I bet it's a fantasy of hers."

Carrying the large mug back to the brown drake, Mike set it down with a clatter on the low table. "She said she didn't like coffee."

A wicked smirk appeared on Geevin's snout before he nudged the retreating Mike with his tail, "don't have to like the brew to love the grind." The sudden push caused Mike to stumble and chuckle. "Well? Why not ask her out?"

Mike sighed and wiped down the coffee machine, the stainless steel fittings always kept in immaculate condition, yet he rubbed them with the cloth he kept in his apron. His smile faltered as he saw the orange crystal statue of Taalli perched just above the machine, nestled from the customers' view beside the syrups. "I don't know, I don't think I'm ready yet." He admitted quietly.

"Gotta get back on that horse eventually." Geevin remarked with a chuckle and adjusted his notebook. "Or, dragon in this case. It worked for me and Ben, he was my rebound, but it's working." He explained with a shrug.

"How about, I don't take relationship advice from a drake that happily bones in the alleyway behind the bar?" Mike teased.

"Oh don't go all high and mighty, it may not be the top of the spires, but I bet you can't deny it feels good with the wind blowing." Geevin snapped back with a smirk, his grin broadening as he saw Mike fluster. "Oh yeah, Ben told me about you and Taalli on the rooftops, you kinky thing."

"Oh you are not getting another free cup, like ever again!" Mike retorted. "Takeaway for you, mister."

The brown drake roared laughing, only stopping when the bell rang above the front door again, smiling as a regular customer strode in water dripping off his gray scales onto the floor.

"The usual, Nuut?" Mike asked and held out his hand for the dragon's coffee flask.

The medium-sized dragon unhooked his flask from his harness and passed it over, trying to minimize the amount of rain being tracked in. "For me, yes. But I was wondering if I could get another as well?" Nuut said, his cheeks becoming flushed slightly as he nervously looked around. "It's for my neighbor," he added hastily.

"Ah, working from home again?" Mike asked and smiled as Nuut paused before finally nodding. "Good day for it. Do you have a flask for them? Or did you want to pick one out?" he added and gestured to a glass display case.

Nuut leaned over as far as he could to avoid tracking more water inside and peered into the cabinet, inspecting each one. "I think this one," he said while pointing to a large black flask. "But, could I get a yellow lid? It will match his eyes," the gray dragon explained and smiled when Mike nodded.

Balancing the gray dragon's flask under the machine's spout, Mike moved behind the cabinet and pulled out the desired combination of components. While dragons would insist that they were not vain, Mike had noticed it was very common for a dragon to purchase accessories that matched their scale color. Mike mused that Liiria was now an exception to his thoughts.

"How does he take it?" Mike asked and saw the dragon's eyes go wide and mouth open an inch as he imagined his neighbor presenting to him. "Nuut? His coffee, how does he take his coffee?" He asked again.

Nuut smiled guiltily, glancing over to the brown drake who seemed to be stifling a chuckle, "Um, well. I don't know exactly," Nuut stammered.

Mike cocked his head in confusion. "Do you know if he likes it sweet, or milky?" He asked and saw the drake become slightly crestfallen, clearly not realizing he had hurt the dragon’s pride. "How about this? I'll make it middle of the road, and ask him what he thinks."

"That will work!" Nuut said happily, the relief evident in his tone.

Mike smiled as he finished filling Nuut's flask and began the process of tapping out the grounds and starting again for the dragon's neighbor. "So, your neighbor. Good dragon?"

Nuut sat down on the floor and smiled dreamily. "The best, he is helping me build a deck!"

Mike smiled at the gray dragon's enthusiasm. "That's nice of him. Decks can give you a lot more room for activities." Mike mused, missing the gray dragon blush profusely. "So, he is a bit of a handi-drake I take it?"

"Uh, yeah. He does, like, woodworking stuff in his shed."

"Neat! How big of a deck are you doing?" Mike asked while waiting for the flask to fill. The gray dragon leaned back and began rummaging through the pouch he had at the front of his harness before extracting a folded piece of printer paper.

"This big!" Nuut exclaimed and placed it on the counter. Mike leaned forward and looked at the drawing that the gray drake was clearly very proud of.

"That's cool," Mike said and could see the drake had done his best to capture a top-down view of his house and backyard, as well as having drawn the joists for the future deck. "You drew this all by yourself?" Mike asked and saw him nod happily.

"I hope he likes it! I spent all night looking up ways to build a deck," Nuut said happily. "We are meeting up at the hardware store to buy the timber."

Looking down at the paper, Mike cocked his head slightly. "Have you thought about having the decking go the other way?" He asked and saw the drake nervously look down at his drawing.

"Um, no. Why?"

Mike reached into the top pocket of his apron and retrieved a pencil. "Because the door is here, if the deck goes this way, it will look bigger as the lines will lead away," he said while indicating on the paper. "May I?" Mike asked and turned the page over when Nuut nodded.

The gray drake looked on in wonder as Mike quickly recreated his vision in higher detail, indicating dimensions and spaces of footings and joists while explaining his reasoning. He paused only to stop the coffee machine and return the lid to the second flask.

"There, that should do it," Mike said happily and turned the paper around for the drake to inspect.

"That looks amazing! Thank you!" Nuut exclaimed.

Mike smiled up at the drake and tucked his pencil away. "No worries at all, Nuut," he said and entered the drake's order into the register while Nuut carefully folded the paper and tucked it safely back into his pouch.

Seeing the price of the two drinks, Nuut retrieved a fifty-dollar bill from his harness and slid it across the counter. "Keep the change, thank you!" he warmly said.

Mike nodded in thanks as Nuut clipped the second flask onto his harness and sighed, "If only it wasn't raining. Bye, and thank you again."

Mike bid him farewell and collected a mop from behind the counter to begin cleaning the water drips that the dragon had tracked in. He paused when he saw Geevin grinning at him from the corner. "What?"

"Oh, I have a book that needs writing, is that a service you offer as well?" Geevin teased.

Mike smirked and shook his head while mopping. "Paying customers only," he retorted.

"Oh, come on, I paid you… once," Geevin remarked. "Missed a spot," he added with a flick of his tail.

With the water cleaned up, Mike returned the mop to behind the counter and leaned against the back wall. "Hey Geevin, what do you know about fur dragons?" Mike asked, blushing slightly when Geevin turned to him with a broad grin. "Oh, don't start. I'm just curious, I've only seen them in videos."

Placing the cap on his pen, Geevin adjusted his posture so he wasn't craning his neck. "Oh? And what videos would they be?" He teased, "Little white fur gets pounded by a black derg?" He offered.

"Forget it! I don't know why I bother," Mike exclaimed and began cleaning the coffee machine once again.

Geevin chuckled, "Okay, okay, okay. The reason why you don't see them is because us dragons don't wear clothes like you humans do." Seeing Mike's puzzled look, he explained, "If humans want to live somewhere cold, you put on a jacket. But for us dragons, we don't have that luxury, so we tend to live in areas that are comfortable for us. Make sense?"

Mike nodded, he knew they were more common in colder climates, but had never thought about why they didn't live elsewhere. "And none of them have wings?"

The brown drake shook his head, "Too cold, you see. If a dragon flies in a blizzard, it's more likely to die of hypothermia than actually get blown out of the sky," he explained and partially extended a wing to demonstrate. "A dragon that is too hot will often flap its wings as the membranes act as a way to cool our blood. But in cold winds, they would cause us to lose too much heat, so over time, fur dragons evolved to not have wings." Cocking his head from side to side, he pondered his words, "Although, as I say that, it's maybe an oversimplification, some fur dragons may have a little bit of down on their wings, membranes, or feathers to keep them warm."

"Right, I guess that makes sense. So why do you think Liiria is living in the city?" Mike asked.

"Maybe you should ask her that," Geevin teased with a wink. "My guess is you will find her place has the AC cranking, and she probably doesn't do beaches."

Mike nodded in understanding, "do you know if they like… shed?"

Geevin roared with laughter, his deep voice echoing through the empty cafe. "Everybody sheds, Michael!" Wiping a tear from his eye with his wing knuckle, he smiled. "Even you shed your dead skin. It's completely normal and natural. But you might want to not wear black, and keep a lint roller with you."

"Noted!" Mike chuckled and began to reorganize the flasks in the cabinet.

"So, are you actually gonna ask her out?" Geevin smirked. "She seemed your type."

"Oh? And what exactly is my type, eh?" Mike asked, his hands on his hips as Geevin clearly was enjoying riling him up.

"Oh, come on. You saw her harness, black, leather, designer, that postal tube she had was even leather bound. Going for some interview, probably with a poster in that tube, my guess, journalist or something, I bet she has money too," Geevin explained. "She smelt single too, if that helps."

Mike rolled his eyes, "How does one 'smell single' exactly?"

Geevin gave a playful wink at Mike with a smirk, "Didn't smell of another dragon. Fur like hers would keep a male's scent in it for days."

Mike thought for a while before finally muttering, "I don't know. What if Taalli comes back?"

The brown drake nodded sympathetically, "But what if she doesn't? How long are you going to wait for her?"

Mike focused on wiping down the shelves in the cabinet as he thought. Taalli's final words to him were for him to find someone else, yet the thought of replacing her with another made his chest tighten. The steady stream of her paychecks reminded him that she could come back at any time, and made him wonder how would he feel if he loved someone else and she returned.

---

As the storm slowly settled to a constant shower, a steady stream of customers began to trickle into the store. Dragons and humans alike lined up inside, each seeking their afternoon caffeine fix before braving the weather once more.

As the last of the queue paid for their coffee and left, Mike smiled as he saw Liiria approach the front door, her exposed lavender fur flat against her neck and tail.

"Welcome back! How did your interview go?" He asked cheerfully as she entered. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Geevin stop writing, his pen held an inch from the page as he eavesdropped.

She shook her head, her long leaf-shaped ears pinned flat against her neck. "Oh, don't get me started," she said sadly and began removing the waterlogged aprons she was wearing.

"Here, let me help," Mike said and quickly came around the counter to give her a hand. The canvas aprons had become surprisingly heavy, and her fur was quite damp despite their best efforts. "Well, we have a special deal at the moment," Mike said and carried the aprons back behind the counter, depositing them in the sink. Glancing over to her, he could see her ears perk up slightly. "Any dragon who has a job interview gets a free refill," he added with a smile, keeping his eyes on hers despite the brown dragon at the other end of the cafe struggling to contain himself. "I just haven't made a sign yet."

A small smile pulled at the corner of Liiria's mouth. Looking outside, she could see the rain wasn't going to relent. "Sure. That would be great," she said and removed the flask from her harness. "It was a good hot chocolate anyway."

Taking the flask from her, Mike set about washing it out and making a new one. "But, there is a condition: You have to vent to me about how it went," he said, smiling warmly.

Liiria chuckled, "Coffee with therapy, that's a new business model." After such a stressful day, she could do with someone to listen to her. She was planning to call her mother when she got home, but seeing the warmth in Mike's eyes made her feel more at ease.

"Maybe coffee is the therapy, or, hot chocolate in this case," he said, taking his time while scooping the powder into the flask. "So, tell me. Why did that company make the biggest mistake ever and not hire Liiria, with two i's, an r and then another i-a for good measure?"

Her smile broadened for a moment as he repeated her words from earlier and sat down on her haunches. "Ever had an interview where the receptionist's first words were basically 'Run!'?" Liiria asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Mike shook his head, "Really?"

"Yup, that should have been my first clue. And then I met the boss in the interview and he was such a creep."

Geevin slipped his notepad into his harness and stood up, holding his large empty mug in one paw. He hopped over to the counter to place it down. "Sorry to interrupt, Mike, that was amazing as always. Are we still on for that charity gig? The helping eggs without nests thing next week?" Geevin lied, giving a subtle wink. Seeing Mike blush, he glanced between the pair. "Sorry, I know you are busy with the volunteer scale shining, so if I see you there, I'll see you there. Toodles!" he added and quickly left the cafe before Mike could respond.

Liiria's mouth was slightly agape as she turned to look at the bewildered Mike. "Oh, you do charity work?"

Mike briefly nodded before shaking his head. "No, sorry. He is a friend, I don't know what that was about," he said with a guilty smile.

Liiria's laugh was like music as she realized what the brown drake was trying to do. Her whole body vibrated with amusement as Mike's face turned red.

"So! As you were saying, the boss was a creep?" Mike asked with a smile, knowing he had ruined Geevin's attempts at being his wingdrake.

Liiria slowly regained her composure. "Oh! Yeah, 100% alpha fuckwit energy. Like, he didn't even care what I was saying, just focused on my fur."

Mike shook his head sympathetically. "Well, it is pretty cool fur."

Pointing a paw at Mike, Liiria exclaimed, "See, that's a nice way to say it. Looking me up and down like a piece of meat while I'm trying to explain my services is just a big nope! Back home, no one would give me a second glance. But here, noo! I can't walk into a bar without some scale skin coming over."

"So you told them to get fucked?" Mike asked, passing the full flask to Liiria.

"Didn't even do that, excused myself to go to the bathroom and just ran," she explained and took a sip. "Ah! This is good, but a bit hot," she said and returned the lid to her flask.

"Oh! I can add some cold milk to it to cool it, if you want," Mike hurriedly offered.

Liiria looked outside. "Nah, I'll just wait. If that's okay."

"Of course! Have a seat if you want," Mike exclaimed and gestured towards the cushions.

"Sorry, I'm a little damp, I don't want your cushions to smell like wet derg," she said sadly.

"Nonsense, that's why I have so many of them," Mike encouraged and pulled a fresh one off the stack in the corner, placing it down for the dragoness and smiling. "Make yourself at home."

"Thanks, you're too kind," she said warmly and stepped onto the padded square cushion.

"So, what was the job? If you don't mind me asking?" Mike asked while pulling up a chair, catching her off guard as she took a sip from her flask.

"Oh, I do species augmentative design. And no, it's not cloning or genetics!" Liiria exclaimed.

Mike smiled, "I know, you make things compatible for dragons, right? Like refitting buildings and workplaces, right?" He said, remembering taking classes at university that touched on her field.

"YES! Thank you!" Liiria cried out. "Most places just put a cushion down and call it 'dragon friendly,' but there is so much more!" She added enthusiastically. "Everything needs to be looked at: Are the lights too bright, too dim, wrong Kelvin, fire escapes, stairs, balcony weight ratings. I could go on for days!"

Mike nodded with a smile, enjoying her energy. "Well, I think they lost out on a good hire. You are very passionate about it."

"Oh, I have to be. So many places say 'dragon accessible' like we all have wings. The amount of times I've gone to a workplace only to discover that the stairs are for humans, and the balcony or rooftop is for dragons."

"That would suck!" Mike chimed in, becoming very glad he hadn't rented the rooftop and insisted on a ground floor.

"I was really hoping that LSD would be a good place to work, but apparently not," Liiria remarked and took another sip from the flask.

Mike frowned and recoiled back in his chair slightly, "LSD? You mean Large Scale Developments?"

Liiria cocked her head, "I didn’t mean the drug."

"Wait, so your interview was at Large Scale Developments?" Mike repeated, his chest suddenly becoming tight at just the thought of the workplace.

"Yup! They made The Spires, you know. I was hoping that, being a big company, they would be a good place to work. Maybe I overreacted," she said, her voice becoming sad.

Mike shook his head, "No! You made a good choice by running. Gods, no, definitely don't work there. Kaarak is a complete…." His words failed him as his heart began pounding at the thought.

Liiria cocked her head. "I didn't say his name, how do you know him?" She asked, seeing the fear in his eyes.

"I-I used to work for him," Mike said softly, "It didn't go well."

"Really? Like making coffee?" Liiria asked curiously before pulling back in shock, her eyes going wide and ears flicking back in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, that came off bad."

Mike waved a hand. "It's okay, I was his assistant," he explained and saw her nod in understanding. "Which, yes actually, it did involve making him coffee," he added with a weak smile.

"So, what happened? I get the impression that you are not his type," Liiria smirked and then smiled when Mike chuckled.

"He had me arrested," he started and saw her nostrils flare slightly, "because I was dating his daughter," he added weakly.

Liiria snorted before laughing. "How was that a crime?"

Smiling, Mike leaned back in his chair. "Oh, he made it a crime," he retorted. "Trust me, you don't want anything to do with that family, or business." His words pained him as she smiled warmly, the image of Leena's face still clear in his mind.

"So, you had a thing for the boss's daughter, hey?" Liiria asked and took another sip.

Mike fidgeted with his hands. "Well, we met at university, and he became my boss later."

"What did you study?" Sensing the topic being a sore one, Liiria took a sip and didn't hold his gaze.

"Architecture, building design and the like," Mike said simply, remembering studying along with Leena, the way her black paws would hold a pencil between her toes while she drafted a building.

"Ah! That's cool!" Liiria exclaimed happily, grateful that they had some overlap in knowledge. "So what made you want to make coffee?" She asked, looking around the room and subtly making notes on how dragon-friendly it had been laid out.

Mike chuckled softly, "Well, that's a long story. But essentially I've always wanted to start my own business, and I just got good at making coffee, I guess."

"Well, your hot chocolate is pretty good as well. Not gonna lie," Liiria mused with a smile and took another sip while looking around the cafe. "And it's quite a nice little place you've got here. Orange and black is a bold color scheme." Seeing his expression change, she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, in a good way. Us dragons are often attracted to contrasting colors, so you chose well!"

"Thanks," Mike said and tried to hide the sadness in his voice and became distracted with the rain outside as an awkward silence fell between them. "It's really coming down, isn't it?" he mused.

The purple dragoness turned her head to look over her shoulder and sighed, "Yup, it's going to be a wet walk home."

"Well, I won't kick you out. Want another drink?" he asked and rose from his chair.

Tilting the flask back and forth, she shook her head. "I'm still going, but thank you. I should really head home. Looks like I will be applying for more jobs now," she said sadly.

"Well, we are always hiring," Mike said cheerfully.

Liiria smiled and nodded politely. "Thanks, and I mean no offense, but I'm not sure if the pay would line up with what I'm looking for," she said with a smile.

Nodding in understanding, Mike looked at the rain lashing the pavement outside. "You sure you don't want to stay? It might ease up later."

"It's tempting, but my laptop is at home, and I can't get a job unless I apply," she said and slowly rose to her feet, stretching her body as she did so. "Although I think I'll need the rain to wake me up. That hot chocolate will send me to sleep otherwise."

"If only there was a shop that could make you something to wake you up?" Mike teased and smiled when she blurted out a laugh.

"You're sweet, Michael. Maybe another time."

"Well, do you want to borrow some aprons for the trip home?" Mike offered and saw her look outside in contemplation. "That way you only have to dry your paws, neck, tail, and legs." He added with a smile.

"You would do that?" Liiria asked, raising a furry eyeridge.

Nodding, Mike returned to the counter. "Gotta get returning customers somehow." He joked and realized he only had one spare apron left.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that," Liiria replied.

Without hesitation, Mike undid his apron. Seeing her begin to protest, he waved a hand dismissively, "it's okay, I'll wash the ones from earlier. I'm about to close anyway." He explained and laid his apron on the counter with the spare and tied them together as she had done before.

"I can't thank you enough, I'll come back tomorrow and return it," she promised and smiled as he came around the corner, holding one of the neck loops open for her to slip her tail in.

"Not a problem, Liiria. It was nice hanging out," he said and held the other neck loop for her to slip her head through. Her inner ears became redder as her head was once again close to his.

"It was nice. Thank you for listening to me rant," she said and gave a friendly nod goodbye.

"No, thank you! The place can be a bit quiet sometimes," Mike retorted. "I'll see you tomorrow."

With another nod, she turned and exited the cafe, her purple tail flicking from side to side slowly as she walked into the rain before she began to hurriedly run up the pavement as the rain fell.

Running his hand through his hair absentmindedly, he walked back to behind the counter, a warm smile on his face as he picked out a glass and began filling it with water from the tap.

Collecting the aprons she had used earlier out of the sink, he wrung them out and hung them from the drawer handles behind the counter, noticing that they had a distinct scent lingering on them that he now associated with her.

The orange crystal sculpture in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and his smile wavered, a pang of guilt running through his heart as he quickly returned to preparing to close the store.