[Chapter 1] Price of Naivete
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Chapter 1
A persistent throbbing and a sharp metallic smell emanating from your face tells you all you needed to know. Your lips were busted, and there were no doubt bruises here and there which were hidden largely thanks to your fine coat of white fur. A sniffling of the nose and warm streaks makings their way down your cheeks, brings you back to the present. Here you are, curled up against the wall, your knees to your chest. Crying quietly into your knees, interrupted only by the periodic hiccuping of the shoulders and the shuddering of your breath caught between sobs.
It's happened again. This happens every time. Why did you think this time would be any different?
It had been roughly 2 years since the start of your university degree, two years of struggling and repeating your courses in psychology. Despite being a canine, more specifically a Korean Jindo. You'd been unable to make any substantial headway. So much for the stereotypes concerning Asians and canines, you thought. Considering the subject requirements it's was a surprise that you even got accepted to begin with.
During all that time all you've managed to do was somehow end up in situations like these with several people in your course who you've had to let down to varying degrees of fallout. Your friendly mannerisms 'leading them on' and being too scared or awkward to say outright tell them that they were wrong, fear gripping the words in your throat until it would always inevitably circle back to this point. Either ending with a confession or a proposition. Who would've thought attempting to be your ideal and trying to be as friendly and helpful as possible would lead to disaster each time?
“I just..."
With another shuddering sob you thought back to this particular incident. It was a particularly bad one, though definitely not the worst. This time, it was someone from outside your study group that had met you the night before, more specifically a senior friend of a classmate – a rather gangly looking male Sphynx cat anthro. He was open and cordial, introducing himself as Paul, then striking up a conversation about how he'd heard from his friend that you were struggling in the course and that he would be more than willing to help with things you didn't understand. So you had eagerly taken up his offer, inviting him over to your apartment complex with a big goofy grin and hugging him with joy. Thanking him for his help, serving up drinks and snacks while the two of you sat at the kitchen table to study in to the deep hours of the night.
Sniffle.
But it went horribly wrong. After letting him stay the night since it had become too late for his trip back home, you awoke to find Paul standing in the living room – cold and calculated anger on his face, his polite grin and calm demeanour gone, a mop handle in his hand gripped tight enough to show the whites of his fur-less knuckles.
“P-Paul? What's -"
Crack.
A sudden blinding pain shot up from your leg, your mouth opening involuntarily to let out a strangled gasp as the body tried to recover from the shock. Your body crumpling from the blow and collapsing onto the floor.
The next moments were a blur – memories hazy despite how short a time it had been since it happened. in the body's attempt to protect your psyche from the physical and verbal abuse you couldn't remember any specific details. Just the sporadic beatings between Paul destroying and attacking your apartment and everything within it. All the while angrily shouting at you for being a whore and a lying cunt, among many other things. You didn't know what you'd done to earn his ire, but in the panicked state of the mind at the time, all you could manage was to meekly mutter apologies between the pained gasps and sobs, curling up in a natural reaction to protect yourself physically best as possible in that situation.
After what seemed to you like hours of screaming and swinging, he had stopped. The cessation of blows serving only to highlight the pain now growing all across your body. The hollow metal tube of the handle was a mangled mess, dropped to the ground once he had finished. And through the consistent ringing in the ear, you manage to make out one last sentence before he began stomping off out of your apartment.
“Next time I see you fucking with my friends again you gook bitch, I'm coming back to finish what I started."
The stale air in the hallway hit your face as you step past the threshold of your apartment, casting quick glances left and right to see if the supposed scorned lover, assailant and possible murderer was still around. Better safe than sorry, right? Pulling the jacket closer around you you step towards your neighbour's apartment door. Flung wide open, natural light from within bleeding out and mixing with the colder artificial glow of the hallway. You gingerly step over close to the open doorway and peek in, lightly knocking on the open door.
“Hello? I couldn't help but notice all the commotion – is everything alright?"
Everything was certainly not alright. Just from a glance you could tell her apartment was absolutely devastated. From broken lamps, cracked windows, upturned furniture and ripped curtains to the girl herself, a bloodied small shivering figure huddled against the wall. Your question seemed to startle her, as she jumps before slowly turning her head and looking up at you with an equally bloodied face. Her deep brown eyes glistening with moisture. Her face contorted in a mixture of pain, fear and worry.
“...Jesus christ. Stay there, I'll go get help."
You notice her attempt to nod but wince in pain, only for her head to slump once again against the wall. Pulling out the phone, you dial emergency services while walking back to your own apartment to grab your first aid kit. You knew better than to try and move her or do anything other than the most basic first aid since you had no idea how bad the damage was and even though you hadn't taken a first aid course the least you could do was clean up her blood and disinfect any wounds she had, quietly hoping that you hadn't fucked anything up.
With your kit, you had washed off and cleaned her wounds disinfecting them with rubbing alcohol which caused her to wince and sneeze, perhaps from the fumes. Not trusting yourself to wrap her up properly with bandages, you settled for sticking little band aids where it would fit on her cuts and bruises. she had stopped crying, though she was still shivering and hiccuping every now and then.
When the police arrived, they began to take her statement. Taking note of what had happened, the events leading up to and after the incident – leading the officer to glance your way momentarily - and what the assailant looked like. Only once they were done they asked whether she wanted medical help or not.
“No… No thank you."
To the officer's and your surprise, she refused. Sure, you cleaning her blood and wounds certainly helped her look less like a bloodied corpse, but she still didn't look too well off. She noticed the confused and worried expressions on the officer and your face and quickly began, forcing a pained smile as the corner of her mouth began bleeding again.
“I- ow. I'm okay. I'll be okay, I'm used to knocks and scrapes – and this is really not the worst I've been through I'll be alright. If anything gets worse I'll be sure to seek appropriate help."
“Well Ma'am, if you're sure. We'll give you a call if we find anything. And thank you for the call, sir."
The police officer turned to you, nodding in acknowledgement and began to walk off, talking into his radio, although you couldn't make out what he was saying as he got further and further away down the hallway. When he had completely gone out of sight, you turn your attention back to the girl – now standing in the doorway, leaning heavily into the door frame and looking haggard.
“Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" You asked, your worried frown still present.
“Y-yeah I'm fine. Thank you for the concern though…" She fidgets with her hands and keeps avoiding eye contact. Then shoots up, illiciting another pained groan as she seems to constantly forget about her injuries.
“I don't think I've introduced myself – My name's Jin!" A wide, friendly smile beaming at your concerned but tired looking visage. She looked unexpectedly chipper considering what she'd just gone through.
“Nice to meet you Jin, name's Anon."
You shake her hand firmly but gently, all the more aware of all the little darkened spots and band aids across her body now that she's standing up fully. You didn't want to be thought of as 'perving' but you couldn't help but size her up. A slender lithe frame with little curves in all the right places, dressed in a singlet and jeans, a little curled tail wagging side to side while your hands shook. You hadn't had many encounters with anthros to be perfectly honest, but you couldn't help but notice how soft her paw(hand?) pads were, and the velvety fur you'd brushed against while administering her. Her feminine neotenous face framed by her boyish bangs, accentuating her big brown puppy eyes and pink button nose with subtle brown mottling at the bottom.
“Is… Something the matter?" Shit, she noticed.
“No, no I was just wondering what you'll do while… That gets sorted" You gesture to her apartment, chaotic and broken as it'd been when you found her. That seemed to get her mood down momentarily, looking quite literally like a lost puppy. Getting struck by an idea, you decide to try your luck.
“Well, how about staying at my place while you sort things out?"
“You'd… You'd do that for me?" Her tail began wagging uncontrollably – wow that thing's a tell if you've ever seen one, you'd best tell her to avoid playing poker in the future. Even more concerning was her distinct lack of suspicion or mistrust at your sudden offer. You'd only met her today but she's trusting you to stay over?
“Yeah, no problem – so long as you're comfortable with it I'd be happy to help. Being neighbours and all-" A rough bump against your chest, Jin's gone and hugged you tightly, forgetting again about her wounds she groans in pain, but quickly returns to her happy smile, looking up at you.
“Thank you so much, Anon! I'll be the bestest guest and try not to be a bother. Thank you!"