FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This is a trade of sorts with https://twitter.com/Atimist (follow me, too! https://twitter.com/TayuBW)

This series involves AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION! I encourage you all to participate and help guide the story along!

There can be different ways for this story to go, and we're both interested to see the places you send him, and the things you... do to him!

Comments and tips are always appreciated! https://ko-fi.com/tayubw

Join my writing group if you want to chat about stories, brainstorm ideas, look for advice on writing, or just hang out! https://t.me/joinchat/CPoeZhclggenrOEh0yYwvg

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Atimist flopped down in the pilot seat of his ship and kicked his paws up on the console with a groan. "About damn time. I swear, sometimes I think I should start hunting for a faster ship."

"All ships move the same speed in hyperspace. You also have less than a thousand credits to your name. I'd like to see you try," Cres said.

"Yeah yeah. If I knock out this bounty, I'll earn plenty to put a nice down payment on one, though." The fennec reached over to the other seat in the cockpit and fished around in his bag for the metal bottle that he kept full of nutrient-water. "We're in Atzirian Space, right?"

"You said to wake you when we reached Atzirian Space. I woke you. If you follow that logic..."

Atimist just rolled his eyes and took a big gulp of the water, grimacing at the taste. No matter how much sugar he added, it still couldn't mask the taste of the healthy stuff. "Fine, whatever. Let's start calling up people. I've got some favors to call in, I think..."

A screen full of faces popped up on the display with names beneath each. "Here's all the contacts you've called in the past few months. Where do you want to start? And would you like to put on some clothes first?"

Atimist glanced down at himself and shrugged. "Not really. Just keep the view around my face, above the neck."

"Of course," Cres said with a sigh.

"Uh huh. Anyway, let's call Maurice up," the fennec said.

The face of an alligator on the screen took center stage and the others faded. The image wobbled back and forth as the ship tried to make contact with the reptile, imitating the old ringing tones from years past. After four rings the live image of the alligator appeared on screen, and he did not look happy.

"What?" Maurice said, brow furrowed as he stuck his face in close to his holoscreen.

"Maury! Buddy," Ati said, giving his best smile to the big, green-scaled beast on screen. "Been a few months, just wanted to check in and-"

Maurice's eyes flashed with sudden anger and his nostrils flared. "Don't call me Maury, you little pipsqueak. Only my friends call me that. You are just a treacherous little furball that is lucky to be breathing."

Atimist shivered, but his smile didn't waver one bit. "Hey, that hurts, Maury. We've worked so well with each other in the past, you know? I got you out of that little snafu back in Cicada 6, remember?"

"Oh, I remember. I remember you selling me out to save your own skin, and then when things went to hell, you had to blast your way in to free me and get out alive," the alligator grabbed a glass of dark liquid and downed it in one gulp. Atimist could hear the glass shattering as Maurice threw it, and the outcries of a few other people; he was at a bar, apparently.

"What? No, see, that was part of the plan! I had to really sell it," the fennec said, doing his best to keep the events straight in his head. "See, the guards knew you already! I had to pretend like I was on their side. I would never really sell you out, man. I love you! You're like a brother to me!"

The gator's eyes narrowed to slits and he took a big hit off of some sort of metal pipe, exhaling smoke that curled around his muzzle. "Then why did you cut me out of the bounty after telling me you'd pay me if we got out alive?"

Atimist grit his teeth, suddenly rethinking his decision to call the gator. "Uh, they... never paid me for it! I was going to, I swear I was going to, though. Shit happens, right?"

Maurice's eyes softened a touch and Atimist grew wary at the gator's expression. "Yeah, ain't that right... tell me, fox, what can I do for you now?" he said, voice almost too calm all of a sudden.

The fennec's eyes narrowed and he drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, hedging his bets. "Well, it's about a bounty. Trying to get some more information on someone."

"Alright, give me a name. I'll see what I can do." Maurice flighted open a small, metal device and a bright blue flame shone as the gator lit the end of his pipe once more.

Atimist was about to respond when the transmission suddenly ended, leaving him staring at the still-image of the gator's icon from before the call. "Huh? Hey, what happened? Did the call drop?"

"I ended the call," Cres confirmed coolly.

"What! What gives, why?" Atimist frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "He was doing something, wasn't he?"

"My you're sharp today. I detected a tracing program starting up on his end, trying to track our exact location. Worse still, it would have stayed after the call and relayed the information back to him."

Atimist groaned and rubbed his forehead with both paws. The irony was that the money he'd gotten from welching on his deal with Maurice paid for the very software that could track attacks like that. "Dammit... okay, so maybe I shouldn't have tried to leave him out to dry. Bad choice."

"Indeed," Cres said dryly. "Who would you like to call next?"

The next two hours went only marginally better than the first call had; at least no one tried to run a trace on him. He'd gone through nearly a dozen different contacts and received nothing resembling any information or help from anyone.

"Ugh, fine, uh... call Melody," Atimist said, grumbling and popping another cookie into his muzzle. They weren't cheap, and he tended to save them for stressful situations. He's eaten half the box during these calls.

"Blocked. Can't get through," Cres replied.

"What?! Still? Damn. Ugh. Fuck. I'm basically out of options." Atimist stood up and paced around the cockpit in small circles, tail irritably twitching every which way.

The AI was silent for a few seconds. "You still have one contact left to call. You haven't called him in six months, but maybe-"

"NO," Atimist said. His face was flushed and he quickly sat back down at his console, leaning back with his arms over his chest as if to hug himself close. "No way."

"Very well. Then where would you like to start looking? We can begin at the nearest planet and start asking around, I'm sure that won't take more than... oh, twenty? Thirty centuries?"

Atimist closed his eyes and pressed the heels of his paws against his lids, groaning. "You don't understand... it's just... awkward. He's awkward."

More silence from the computer. "No, no, not at all. I wouldn't know an awkward individual at all."

"He isn't just awkward. He's all... flirty and, ugh, full of himself," Atimist said, tugging on the ends of his ears and bringing them down to cover his eyes.

"Right, of course. I don't know anyone like that."

Atimist growled. "I'm not like him. He's just-"

"A source of information?" Cres ventured.

It was Atimist's time to be quiet and he glowered at the screen for a minute before taking a deep breath and sighing. "Okay. Fine. Call him."

Immediately the last contact's picture took center screen. Unlike some of the other calls, this only took half a ring before the live image of a reindeer took the screen. He had coffee-colored fur that turned to a light sand down his neck. The darker brown was highlighted by strips of green over his muzzle, and the tips of his ears, and pink had been worked into a couple dots on his cheek. His antlers added to his height, but didn't branch out further than three points on each. And, unlike everyone else that Atimist had called up 'til now, he was positively beaming with delight.

"ATI!" the deer cried, his smile touching his eyes. Both ears were perked up and the deer bounced a few times in his seat, obviously elated to see Atimist.

The fennec's ears flattened against his head and he slumped down in his seat a few inches. "Hey, Espin."

Espin's brought both paws up in front of the screen, holding them together and laughing cheerfully. "It's so good to hear from you! I was just thinking about you the other da. I figured you probably got yourself into some sort of trouble, but I just knew you'd find your way out, and then-"

Atimist sunk even lower in his chair, shoulders practically in the seat now as he listened to the reindeer go on about a myriad of nonsense. Espin was an acquaintance of his for several years and was a wealth of knowledge when he wasn't constantly getting under the fennec's skin. There was no denying how resourceful the deer could be, though. "-And now that you're back in the area you can come by, we can catch up, and it'll be great!" Espin finished speaking, bouncing in his seat and Atimist could hear the faint jingling of bells.

"Wait, what? Come by?" the fox's face blanched.

"Yeah, of course! You obviously need something, and I haven't seen you in so long, so yes! Come over and I'll do whatever I can do to help you." Espin bowed his head forward and blinked big, brown eyes at the fennec, giving his best, bashful smile. "Come on, Ati, come have dinner with me."

Atimist grit his teeth together, ears almost completely flat against his skull. He didn't want to say yes, but Espin was the last person he might get some reasonable help out of, and he rarely asked for much. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll head your way. Are you still at the same place?"

"You know it! I'll see you soon?"

Cres, who had been listening to the conversation, displayed a map of the system in the bottom corner with a line drawn from their current location to their destination, and a callout showing the travel time.

"Uh, about two hours." Atimist sat back up and stretched his arms up, shaking his head. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. The deer did have a fairly cushy place and could throw some amazing parties there. Dinner would, no doubt, be amazing, and who knows when he'd get a true meal while off hunting down this Quinten Cassidy.

"Perfect! I'll get started. And, might I add, you can totally show up on my front door like that..." Espin cooed, winking one eye at the fox.

Atimist's ears shot up and his face flushed scarlet as he looked down at his nude self and then away from the screen. "CRES! NECK UP!"

A callout in the bottom of the screen popped up with the word "Sorry!" and Espin's laugh carried through the cockpit of the ship for a few seconds before he waved. "See you soon, Ati."

The deer's face vanished and the screen returned to its normal gauges and monitors of the ship's systems, leaving Ati sitting alone in his chair with his big, bushy tail pulled around himself to keep himself modest. "You were SUPPOSED to keep the view of my face?"

Cres let out a polite cough. "I thought it didn't matter with him. Wasn't he your lover?"

"What? No! Him? No!" Atimist's ears flicked around and he hopped up from the chair, tail still held in front of him as he walked back to his room. "Put us on course already, jeez."

Cres's voice followed from the various speakers throughout the corridor of the ship. "Is he not, though? I clearly recall him aboard this ship. In your quarters. In the same state of attire as you are right now."

Ati's face burned with embarrassment and he grit his teeth, the door to his room sliding open. A display screen turned on and the grainy image of Espin and Atimist came on the screen in those emerald greens you only get from night-vision. The playback showed the deer pulling Atimist down onto the bed and present-day Atimist sucked in a sharp breath before looking away. "Why do you have that recorded! Delete that! Delete that now!"

"You know I can't delete system records. Besides, you look like you're having fun. You certainly seem aro-"

"OFF! Now," the fennec snarled, snatching a pair of pants to shuffle into along with a heavy, linen shirt. "That was different. I was drunk."

"Was that the first time with him?" Cres asked.

Atimist buttoned up his shirt and then pulled his vest on over his shirt. His hackles were still raised and he was flustered from this conversation. "Look, he's not my lover. He's not even a friend. He's a source of information."

The AI laughed. "A non-answer is the same as saying yes most of the time, I do believe. So, you're going to go pump your source for information, then, is that it?"

The fennec fell back into his chair and grabbed his holoscreen from his pocket. "That is not what I'm going to do. Drop it. I've got stuff I wanna research while we're heading that way, so let's focus."

Two hours passed fairly quickly, and Atimist had gotten plenty of information about his mark on the way. Nothing particularly useful except what he'd learn from someone's resume. Quinten, a wolf a few years older than Atimist, worked in research and development for Orion Inc after graduating with a double major in Subatomic Engineering and Robotics. He had school transcripts, dissertations, work resumes, and a couple of social media accounts that hadn't been updated since working at the company. Hopefully Espin would have some better contacts.

The Crescendo came out of hyperspace above a beautiful blue and green planet, Lairos. Atimist took over piloting the ship as he banked down through the atmosphere and followed the beacon for Espin's house. The deer lived far to the north where the trees grew thicker and winters would cover everything in several feet of snow in a few months. He touched down on a bare patch of grass a few hundred yards from the house and steeled himself before leaving the ship.

"Wish me luck. I should be back in a few hours, if I'm lucky," Atimist told his ship as he headed for the door.

"Or tomorrow morning if you get lucky," Cres posed wryly.

Atimist grumbled.

Espin's house was set down at the end of a cobblestone path lined with thick conifers that hid the house from view until you got closer. The place had the feel, and look, of a cottage from older, romantic periods. Broad, white wood walls with crossing beams of darker, richer wood, and steep ebony eaves with a couple of tall, brick chimneys sticking up at either end. It looked like nothing out of this century. Nothing out of this millennium. It was old, rustic, and invoked in Atimist a nostalgic feeling that he couldn't quite explain; it wasn't as if he had memories of places like this. It was a calming feeling, though. As if walking down the path to visit an old relative.

The front door was a solid, matte black of some exotic dark wood. Filigree carvings framed the door, and a tarnished bronze door knob matched the knocker set in the middle of the door. It was heavy in Atimist's paw as he brought it up to rap the knocker several times.

"Deep breath. It'll be okay," the fox said, composing himself.

Seconds later, the door swung open and Espin stood in the threshold, beaming like the sun. If Atimist could claim to be tall because of his ears, then Espin could claim the same with his antlers. He was wearing a dark green, expensive-looking sweater that could have doubled as a short dress if the deer hadn't been wearing a pair of black slacks. Green-tipped ears were perked up in excitement before he rushed forward, throwing his arms around the fennec's neck.

"Ati!" he cheered, hugging tight to the fox with a jingle of sleigh bells he wore on a bracelet.

Atimist tensed and was nearly knocked off balance as the slim reindeer pounced on him. He reluctantly returned the hug, unable to stop a nervous laugh from bubbling up from his throat. "Uh, hey Espin. It's good to see you." To Atimist's surprise, he meant it. The deer could get on his nerves, but there was a small comfort in knowing that at least someone in the universe would great him with something other than definitely-warranted suspicion.

Espin pulled back and took both of the fennec's paws in his own, squeezing. "Yes, come in, food is almost ready." He tugged the fox inside and closed the door behind them.

If the outside was a cozy, throwback to the romance period in old textbooks and literature, the inside was a study in modern engineering and technology. Espin's career as an artist-turned-consultant provided him with the luxuries and comforts of easy living. Sleek metal walls with plasma lighting along the ceilings, and glass floor that reacted to each footprint with a ripple of colored energy as they walked through the foyer.

The glass floor turned to a heavy, plush carpet as they entered the living room, and expensive entertainment equipment dominated one wall. Sitting opposite was a couch, lounge and several chairs all done in rich, black leather and sharply defined edges. A dozen steps took them into the dining room with its floors and furniture done in exotic woods in chocolate and toffee tones. It was already set for two people; simple, white china with real silverware and crystal wine glasses.

"I thought at first that I might do some of my older recipes. I know you enjoy a good steak and all that goes with, and I could have done that, but you know I love trying new things, and I came across some fabulous cheese that I've been dying to use in something, so I'm turning it into a sauce and it should go well-"

Atimist just smiled and nodded along as he stood in the archway to the kitchen, watching the deer go back and forth between two different stovetops and the sink. He'd have offered to help, though his experience in cooking was not much past mixing powdered packets into a bottle of water. Espin, by contract, was incapable of making anything that tasted less than spectacular, and the fox's mouth was aching to sample the food being prepared.

Small talk continued as Espin wrapped up his cooking, and he brought a serving dish out to the table to plate their food. "Sorry, I couldn't do anything fancy, but I think you'll enjoy it! Let me grab the wine."

Coming from anyone else, it might have been a pretentious attempt to seem humble, but Atimist knew the deer well enough that he was genuine. "You know I'm not a fancy sort of guy anyway," he called after the deer.

Espin returned with a bottle of white wine and filled both glasses. "I suppose that's sort of true. You're definitely more the rough and tumble sort, and I've seen your ship."

Atimist coughed and looked away. "Uh, yeah. Thanks for dinner, by the way."

"Thank you for the company! Caught me at a good time, too. I'm leaving tomorrow to go to some big function at Cerulean Prime. Some big gala? Charity? I don't remember, but the bureaucrats always invite me, and it's a good chance to learn secrets. Man, the things that people will tell you after a few glasses of wine and some flirting, right?" Espin, took a sip from his glass and winked at Atimist.

The comment made the fennec chuckle and he had some of his own wine. "If you say so. That's why I come to you, though, right? You've always got dirt on someone."

"Mmm, or know who can get the information for me," Espin added. "So, might as well get to it. Who is it that you're hunting down this time, hm?"

Atimist recounted everything he'd discussed with Cres between bites of food, trying hard not to blush too much when talking about certain business aspects of Orion Inc. He relayed his suspicions and theories on what might have been stolen, and why, and then detailed out all the basic information he'd gotten about Quinten Cassidy on the ride here. Espin listened, taking notes on his holoscreen and asking pointed questions along the way for clarification. When Atimist had finished explaining everything Espin sent off a few, quick messages and pocketed his holoscreen.

"There. Done and done. I know a couple people in Space Transportation Department that should be able to check on any new ships that might have been stolen, bought, traded, or whatever. There're also a few people I know who deal with... acquired technology. They might have caught wind of it." Espin twirled some pasta around his fork and took a bite. "It's really amusing, though."

"Amusing?" Atimist asked, reaching for his wine glass.

"Well, yeah. You're hunting down a guy who basically stole some kinky sex toy."

The fennec choked on his wine and had to fight not to sputter as he swallowed and cleared his throat. "I-I didn't know! I'd never heard of Orion Inc before."

Espin arched an eyebrow in disbelief, and then blinked in surprise. "Oh my, you're serious, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. I'm guessing you knew about it?" Atimist held his wine glass still as the deer filled it back up.

"Of Orion? Of course! I've got a bunch of their stuff! Hell, I knew about the new stuff they're developing, too. Do you know all the bureaucratic channels they had to go through to even get the approval of technology like that? It's been in the works for two years. Hell, I know one of their VPs. He had me help grease the wheels with some of the officials to allow them to work on this. I get called in as a consultant, of sorts, for this kind of work all the time."

Atimist just stared at Espin for a few seconds before having more of his wine. "What, working with dildo manufacturers?" he said, the corner of his mouth turning up at one corner, cheeks red; the wine was starting to get to him.

Espin smacked the fox's arm with the back of his paw. "With convincing agencies to push through certain paperwork, you dork. It just so happened that this particular company happened to manufacture sex toys."

"Well, thanks for your help on this. I might have been able to stir up some of this information in a week or so, or gone through different angles, but I didn't want to lose out on this sort of contract, you know?" Atimist finished off the last of his pasta and shook his head when Espin reached for the serving dish to get him more.

"Yeah, of course. I enjoy helping you out. Now let's go relax a bit, talk about something besides work," Espin got up from the table and grabbed the wine glass and bottle, walking off towards the living room.

Atimist swayed as he stood up, glass in hand, and followed along behind the deer. The plush carpet felt nice under his paws, but Espin didn't stop at the couch. He followed along behind as Espin continued down into the hall, along the rippling, glass floors and into another room. It had heated stone floors that sloped down into a big pool of steaming water. Benches were carved into the stone near the door and a door off on one side led to the rest of the bathroom.

"W-wait, I thought you wanted to relax and talk," the fennec said, glancing over at the pool of water.

Espin put the bottle and glass down on one of the benches before shrugging out of his sweater to reveal more of that coffee and sand colored fur. "What? A hot tub is plenty relaxing! When was the last time you got to soak in hot water and just... relax?"

Atimist tensed as the deer stepped over to him and took the glass of wine from his paws and began pushing his jacket off his shoulders. As it fell to the floor a shiver ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. "It's... been a while, for sure."

"Exactly. Let me help you relax, Ati," Espin whispered, his fingers starting to work on the buttons on the fennec's shirt.

The fox's face flushed with embarrassment, but all he could do was roll his shoulders as Espin's paws pushed his shirt backwards off his body once unbuttoned. "I guess I could relax for a little bit before I go..."

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This week's completely unrelated question...

What do you see Atimist as?

A: Top B: Bottom C: Top with Bottom Energy D: Bottom with Top Energy