FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The chilly breeze outside meets my face suddenly, refreshing yet a bit bothersome. The neighborhood scenery passes by without a thought paid to it. Nothing really happens here, save for the occasional shouts of children at play in a yard or two. That doesn't really bother me though, since all I really cared about when looking for a place to live was that it would feel like our own, distinct from the surrounding homes, not just one in a sea of white houses in a suburb. ...that and the price, but still. It's hard to describe our house as anything other than "home" at this point; I know it looks unique, and I did still have to note what color, materials, and house number to look for when inviting Kylie over the first few times, but to me, it's home. Nothing more, nothing less.

A right turn out of the neighborhood, and it's a ten-minute walk or so to the bus stop. Transportation's good around here for our needs, since neither of us really goes out that often. The walks between stops help keep us fit, regardless. Taking a seat at the stop, shielded from the wind by the translucent panes of glass on all sides but the front, sightseeing takes over to while away the minutes. A local bakery, a few restaurants, an antique shop... common sights, ones I've not really investigated myself. Perhaps I'm satisfied with that heavenly smell wafting from across the street, pastries and bread just leaving the oven from their morning preparations. I wonder if Penn would like it there, if we found the time this weekend.

Then the bus arrives, and such thoughts merge with my fantasies of newlywed days I keep tucked away for daydreams. Stopping a few times to pick more of us up and drop them off, it feels so quick when I suddenly notice the telltale signs it's time to pull the cord for my stop. Whether it's a little flower bush or just a familiar storefront, something sparks in my head each work day to tell me where I am.

One more brisk walk through much less distinct scenery, and finally the right pattern of rails, plants, and signs comes into view to tell me work is here, on the seventh floor. The lobby's gray tiled floor, sterile-smelling from the cleaners' work last night, gives off that impression that basically any business could be here, and your only hope is to check the signs if you don't come here every day. Best hope you don't accidentally wander onto an office floor like mine; the awkward, confused looks lost patrons get after mistakenly reaching our floor look like torture while they wait for the elevator to come back and rescue them.

Floor seven. A sea of side offices along the walls for more private work, tables spread around with groups debating their next steps, and rows of work computers for those who've already settled that point. My home away from home. More like an obligated visit to a disapproving family member, but at least there's still some places that feel cozy here. My own little side office away from the ruckus, complete with a colorful faux flower and a framed picture of Penn and I. The break room, outfitted with a coffee machine, tea packets, microwave, and a large refrigerator, where my lunch for the day has been resting, labelled. A risky decision, but knowing I'd be making another round of breakfast today, I opted to just plan ahead instead of adding it to the list of things I might forget on the way here.

Closing the office door behind me, I take a seat and put my purse to the side. Anyone can see I'm here through the window, anyway, so it's really just a way to give my ears a rest from the din of decisions. First batch of emails is... progress report from the presentation crew, request for assistance from accounts, and an all-too-common "How does this look" sort of work email. Good job on the slide design, referring the request to our higher-ups and thank you for telling me, and I'm sure it looks great since you knew there weren't any problems in the first place, in that order. Phrased much more carefully and verbosely, of course. Every day with some of these people, I swear. More emails coming in over the day with the occasional patrol around the office, answering questions and advising stumped groups on how to get things together, the time seems to pass quickly. I can tell it's about time for my break, though; my stomach has been pining for the fridge for the last fifteen minutes.

After confirming that no, no one was brazen enough to take my lunch for themselves all day, I grab a plastic fork from the cutlery and just relax in the break room. Leftover pasta salad from yesterday. Spiral noodles, olives, tomato, thin-sliced zucchini, and parmesan, all mixed with a tangy vinaigrette from the store. ...hm. It somehow tastes better today. An oddity with this dish, I suppose. I don't get the time to speculate further, though.

"Same ol', same ol', eh?" There she is. That little Harlequin rabbit, right by my side since middle school.

"A weary gal can't just have yesterday's scraps, Kylie?"

"Nah, but I can give ya a hard time for it any day of the week, Bone." Her ears shift to one side as a familiar mischievous grin spreads across her face, a glint in her hazel eyes, the orange and black halves of her fur accentuating that tone she so often conveys to me. The symmetry continues down her body from what I've seen, swapping sides at various points. She's admitted to me her thighs and a few other places don't keep that symmetry, though I can't say for certain who knows that firsthand; our choices of college were different, and I hadn't heard much from her about boys or girls she fancied until phone calls from around then. ...shy about it, that one. Hard to believe we both wound up here, of all places, but I was glad to take that gift horse without checking it if it meant reconnecting with her in person.

It seems she's gone for a plain dress in lavender. She never did like to wear many colors, though I suppose her fur pattern would make more look messy. I managed to convince her that bright bracelets looked lovely on her black wrist, though, and that compliment has stuck with her to this day, reflected in those shining silver baubles strung together around it. Speaking of things that have stuck, she basically refuses to drop that nickname from when we were young. Bone. Hardly subtle, given my species, but it worked at the time for young teens. Kylie's orange-red hair, kept in a single, long, pulled-back braid, may make her look younger than she is, but we've easily outgrown the nickname; whether or not she likes to give the impression, we're both 28 or so.

"Never gonna let that name be lived down, huh?"

"Call me when hell freezes over and you've stopped being the best, most bashful cook I know. A historic moment like that, now that would warrant a change!" She takes her own bag from the fridge. Seems to be a salad and a banana muffin from whichever coffee shop she got her morning caffeine fix from.

"But hey, you've got a lazy weekend ahead of ya. I could hardly impose for dinner on such a fine end to the week's gruelin' labor." Heh. I see that hopeful look in her eyes as she picks at her salad. She knows what's coming though, all my invites have been on weekdays.

"Sorry to disappoint, Kylie, but the fridge is full of leftovers. There won't be a single fresh thing in the house until at least Monday. You're not missing much with the company there'd be at that meal, anyway." ...d-did that last part slip out? Oh dear. I can almost feel the heat from her look shifting to confusion and annoyance.

"Hey. The heck's that supposed to mean, Bone? Look at you; you're a stunner with skills to match, and everyone knows it. Sweeter th'n sugar, working harder than a frickin' luggage boy. They'd be denser than my mom's concrete slabs she kept tellin' me were COOKIES not to notice!"

"Notice, huh? I guess so." Great. My tail's drooping, and now everything's written all over me. I'm never getting out of this talk.

"...Bone? Is... are things fine?" That serious look on her face is rare enough to be unnerving. I... should tell her more, but...

"I, um... I just... look, I don't know. We're not fighting. Nothing's broken, no sudden expenses. Nothing really, just... nothing."

"I know enough to understand nothing ain't nothing, Bone. Not with you. Though, if that's part of the problem, seeing how I doubt I'm gonna get anythin' concrete from ya here..." Suddenly there's a firm grip on my shoulder, breaking it from the haze of having been stuck in place, just shoving my food around with the fork for the past minute. Her hand is so small. Warm. I make an effort to look her in the eyes rather than just trying to quickly read her expression for what's coming next.

"...then listen to me. The ladies in the office, there's a pub we head to for Ladies' Night on Fridays. Discounts, not a thought on work, the whole shebang. I know you've heard. Always found some excuse to go home and see yer honey. I need you to remember, Bone... that door's always open. If there's been nothing... let's get you somethin', eh? If yer up to it, I'll try to guide ya through it. No need for that small-talk. Just you, a new place, and the occasional good drink to let ya relax a bit. Get it?"

Ladies' Night... I've never been. I get all my social obligations taken care of during the workday, so I never saw it as necessary. Still, there's nothing I really want to do tonight. Penn will be busy, whatever that plan of his is. He won't mind waiting a little while for me to get home to listen. ...if he'll have to wait at all.

"Kylie, I... okay. Maybe. Um, where do I... go, after work? For that?" She sighs, giving a gentle squeeze and removing her hand from my shoulder. She looks more relaxed now. It feels nice to see her like that.

"Just follow the swarm of buzzin' bees, ya silly girl. You'll get some questions at first, but go along with the group a bit like work an' soon enough, you'll be able to just relax into it. Seeya then?" S-She looks... giddy. If I could see her tiny tuft of a tail from here, it might be shaking. ...no, wait, isn't that the opposite with rabbits? Either way, there's no denying that energy.

"Yeah. I'll see you then."

"Great! Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a call to make for tonight, and break's almost over. ...I'd also recommend EATING that poor sod of a olive instead of toyin' with its fate if ya don't wanna be hungry 'til then."

I can't help laughing at that one. Even as she's rounding the corner, pulling out her phone, I can see her eyes following me a bit, a gentle smile showing itself alongside them. Gosh, I missed her in college.

* *

Kylie was right. I can see a crowd of ladies from all parts of the office congregating near the center. Even that new girl... Jill, was it? As I take note of the time and send out my last email for the day, I head out to meet them. I wonder if I look as nervous as Jill does. I'm pretty sure she's been on at least a few of these, though... maybe she's still not used to this?

"Bonnie? What a surprise, dear! You're coming with us?" Ah, great. Charlotte. A tall, boisterous, but well-meaning older fox, complete with a gold necklace and a heavy dress of warm fabric and floral patterns. That upkept, rounded look to her blonde hair with silver streaks, no doubt aided in its pose by hairspray, rather suits her. Pairs well with her glasses, too. Hopefully she doesn't draw too much attention to me like this...

"Well... yes. I thought I could do with a change of pace, and Penn's all tied up tonight anyway."

"Well, look at you, dear, there's no better night, I'd say! You look beautiful!"

My ears catch a "Y-Yeah..." coming from nearby. The voice is unfamiliar, but it's so soft and squeaky I feel like I'd know if I- ...ah. A small silhouette is poking out from behind Charlotte's imposing figure. That'd have to be Jill. Canine, with pitch-black fur and golden eyes. Her hair is black, too, a bit short but long enough to cover half of her face on one side. With her dark blue dress, we might never find her if she got separated from us at night. She seems just as nervous as before. Shy, maybe? At the same time she's... staring. A lot. It seems I didn't have to worry about someone noticing the outfit; her eyes are darting all over me until I wave a hand to greet her.

"Oh, hi, I don't believe we've talked much. I'm Bonnie, I keep things running smoothly around here."

"Ah... h-hi, I'm- I'm Jill, miss. I'm new with... graphics design." Hm. I'm pretty sure I got a few emails from her team today. Examples given of the work on our current project seemed new, fresh even. Maybe she's been putting in some good work.

"Ahhh, I've been getting some designs that looked new passing through for approval. Are those yours? Our client seems pretty happy with them." Her eyes dilate and she looks almost panicked. I guess I was right, but I ought not pry further; she's already nearly hiding behind Charlotte.

"Oh, Jill's been doing WONDERFUL, Bonnie, she's been an inspiration! Hardly knew what we were going to do at all until she slid some stuff to me she'd been sketching in her notebook." Jill's covering her face now, but this time I think I can see her... blushing? Maybe smiling a bit? It's hard to read someone like her when the void seems scared to stare back.

"But enough about work, it's time to get going, Bonnie! Kylie's said a friend of hers will be there, so we'll have a fresh face to share the evening with! Isn't that great?!" Ah yeah, those phone calls. I suppose this is what those were for. Well, if Kylie likes them, they ought to be good company. I'm sure of it.

"It sounds like tonight will be a good one, Charlotte. I hope you all don't mind getting me up to speed on all this?"

"Not at all; just follow Jill and I, we'll have you on and off the bus there in a jiffy." I nod, and begin following them. Jill seems relieved that the conversation has ended, and she's comfortable enough again that she's glancing back at me every so often. Sometimes I notice her keeping her gaze on the ladies leading the pack, though, including Kylie. As much as she freezes up during conversation, I get the feeling she's enjoyed every single one of these outings she's been on.

Maybe tonight's a good one to let go. Meet new people. Forget about everything for a little while. I'll have to thank Kylie once the night wraps up. She always did have a hunch on what would keep me going, and I'm going to enjoy every second the night lasts, thanks to her.