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The Roommates

Written by Amethyst Mare for TheJeweledHorn as part of a trade

At any time of day, The One Stop Coffee Shop was full to the brim with customers; every fur passing by seemed to have a few minutes spare to sit and drink or grab a take-away cup on the go. The ever-changing atmosphere and clientele was one of the reasons that Tazmania, a young zebra-donkey hybrid, loved this particular coffee shop, despite there being several other options nearby. Racing through a cold deluge of summer rain, she sprinted into the coffee shop, skidding to a halt scarcely in time to avoid bumping into a well-dressed business fur in a suit and tie. Far from being dressed to impress, Taz was outfitted comfortably in royal blue three-quarter length trousers, a plain grey t-shirt and a loose, aquamarine, hooded sweatshirt in one of the larger sizes. She was not the thinnest of furs, truth be told, and, unlike some, was not proud of her curves. When given the choice, she would always choose to conceal her body beneath layers of clothing even throughout the usually warm summer months.

Sweeping the hood back from her muzzle, the zedonk clopped noisily over to the ever-present notice board, wincing at the clamour that her hooves made upon the smooth floor. Pulling a carefully folded square of paper from her pocket, she held it up and unfolded it along the smooth creases, helping herself to a spare, red pin from the cork board. She pinned her small, hastily written notice right in the centre, surreptitiously moving a couple of other notes for cleaning services to make room for hers, although she hoped that nobody would notice her sly move.

She pressed the corners of the note flat and, satisfied, trotted to the counter, intending to grab something to drink while she was there; there were some things in life that a girl just could not pass by when opportunity presented itself.

"Hey, Taz," a lion with a dark brown mane greeted her from behind the counter as he wiped down the surface, soaking up one of many accidental coffee spills. "How're you doing?"

"All right, Dave, thanks," she said, leaning forward and scanning over the special coffees of the day. "And you? Anything been happening?"

"Not really," he chuckled. "Same old: work, work, work and home again. What can I get for you?"

"Raspberry iced tea, please."

"Iced tea? From a coffee shop?" Dave teased.

Taz smiled self-consciously, tapping the fingers of one paw absent-mindedly against the back of other one, ears perked forward eagerly at the prospect of getting one of her favourite drinks. Half-turning as he added ice to her drink, Dave glanced over at the notice board, which was partially obscured by bustling customers, many of which left empty cups and crumpled napkins on their tables; he sighed, contemplating making a sweep around the room to clear said tables, though he did not think that he should not have to work harder to make laziness tidy.

"What did you put up over there?" He asked, nodding towards the notice board.

"Sarah's moving out," Taz said, her ears drooping. "She's moving in with that boyfriend of hers, the husky. More power to her, I say, but I don't know how she can do it when she's only been with him for a couple of months. It's so, so...strange."

"Ah, well, furs in love and all that," Dave waved off the behaviour, clearly in the same camp as Taz on this subject. "Sorry to hear that you're without a roommate though. With the amunt of furs that go through here from day to day, I'm sure you'll pick up a new one before long. Just hope they're not crazy like that damn billy goat you had before."

Grimacing, Taz inclined her head in agreement. The billy goat, which Dave was referring to, was a peculiar, old roommate that she had briefly taken in for under a single month. He had walked in on her in the shower several times, claiming that he had 'not realised' that the room was occupied, whined for a share of her dinner every night, never bought his own groceries and took great pains to touch her inappropriately, which was ultimately the deal breaker in Taz' mind. Unnerved and afraid of the molestation, Taz had evicted him swiftly with the help of the police and the couple of friends that had witnessed his leery behaviour. She could not be gladder to be rid of the weird creature who had not had a kind word for anyone and paws for anything female.

"Are you working the afternoon shift?" Dave placed her iced tea beside her paw, tapping the amount into the till.

"Yep," she said with a small sigh. "The surgery calls, receptionist duty as per usual, ugh. Got to go home to change before I head over."

"Ah, shame," he said sympathetically as she took her cup and placed the payment in his palm, along with a fair tip. "Take care and stop by again soon, okay?"

"Will do, Dave. Have a good one," she called, stepping away from the counter and making her way through the crowd.

Heading out the door, she sipped at the cool drink, ducking her head into the rain and hoping that it would not be too busy at the surgery, though that was likely to be a futile hope. The afternoon surgery was always packed with coughing, sniffling and whining furs along with the quietly sick ones, who sat with their muzzles bowed, waiting and conserving energy until their names were called. Snorting and tugging her hood back up over her head, Taz walked into the slanting wall of rain, drink cradled close to her body.

She did not notice the llama darting into the coffee shop as the door swung closed, the slender fur squeezing in through the small gap with a hair's breadth to spare. Behind her ran an equally slim mouse girl, toned as if she jogged or took part in some light, regular exercise. As if she had been forgetful of the unpredictable weather, the llama wore a shockingly tiny pair of hot pink shorts and a sleeveless grey tank top with a bright motive splashed across the front. In her ears were two large, gold hoops and, unusually, there was also a hoop serving as a nose piercing. Her body was partially revealed by her scant clothing, with her light brown fur ruffled and the cream underbelly, forearms and lower legs darkened from the downpour. She stared around the coffee shop with her sharp blue eyes before flopping into a recently vacated seat by the window and dropping her muzzle on to her upturned palm.

Her mouse friend, dressed in similar but darker attire, sat opposite her, scraping the chair back inconsiderately over the linoleum. A frazzled waiter ran up to take their order - two large coffees, one with cream, one without, both with sugar and milk, thank you - and dashed away as frantically, tripping over his own feet as he tried to serve the customers that were sitting down in the coffee shop; only take-away customers went to the counter in The One Stop Coffee Shop.

"Jeezuz," the mouse breathed, whiskers twitching. "It is freaking heaving in here! Sure you don't want to get take-away, Olive?"

"Yeah," Olive answered, her ears drooping. "My legs are killing after running. I never seem to get any fitter or used to it, whatever I do. Besides...do you wanna go back out in that right now?" She jerked her thumb at the rain and, as if to emphasise her point, a roll of thunder pealed out, encouraging the few furs outside to quicken their steps.

They chatted while they waited for their coffee, making several complaints about the weather and comments on some of the younger male furs that were ordering coffee. The mouse rubbed her paws together, blowing on them to warm up the pale grey fur while she chattered about a boyfriend, who she said was taking her out dancing that night, just the two of them. In the midst of this, Dave the lion padded over with a smile and a flirty wink for Olive, placing their coffees lightly upon the table. When he had departed, Olive slumped back in her seat, cradling her coffee between two white paws.

"How's the living situation going anyway?" The mouse asked, sipping her coffee with a soft murmur of approval.

"Not good," Olive groaned, looking down at the table, which was dotted with breadcrumbs; her friend sat back and surveyed her, glancing at her freshly painted fingernails.

"Spill."

"I can't believe I'm being kicked out," the llama moaned all of a sudden into her coffee. "She's such a bitch and she's left me with a freaking week to find somewhere to live. How fair is that? I'm gonna be out on the streets at this rate!"

"She's kicking you out!" The mouse gaped in shock, her slim tail twitching frantically.

"Yeah," Olive continued. "You know my ex, that jerk-off of a wolf? He kept coming round the flat, sprayed graffiti, screamed and hollered for me in the middle of the night, tried to break the door down, smashed things...did no end of shit. Tracey was able to get rid of me in the end because I was causing a disturbance and was a danger." This last word she accentuated by making quotation marks with her fingers, a look of disgust upon her muzzle.

"Well, at least he won't follow you to your new place, will he?" The mouse asked, shivering a bit. "He was horrible - I don't know why you couldn't see it when you were dating that freak."

"I bloody hope not," Olive sighed. "If I had anywhere to go, that is."

"Don't they put up notices like that in here?" Her friend questioned, glancing around.

"Like what?"

"Ads for roommates, silly!" The mouse squeaked impatiently.

"Oh, right, roommate ads," Olive muttered. Her thoughts had been on her ex-boyfriend.

"Duh!"

Giving the rodent an exasperated look, Olive stood and squeezed through the crowd, glaring at the furs that had the audacity to jab elbows against her. Well, it was their fault for being in the way and unwilling to move, she thought as she came up to the notice board. She folded her arms across her chest and huffed, casually looking over the notices, more for show than anything else as she did not expect to find anything suitable listed there. Many of them were for places far out of her price range - she was working as a waitress until she could find something more suitable - but there was one that caught her eye, wedged between two advertisements for cleaning services.

Ripping the note off the board and leaving the pin, along with a corner of the paper, secured to the cork, she read through it several times, her eyes screwed up as she tried to decipher the small scrawl. Her ears perked up as she read and her eyes brightened, some element of enthusiasm returning to her defeated form. Reaching into her pocket, Olive pulled out her mobile phone and dialled the number on the ad.

*

"There," Taz huffed, heaving a large cardboard box with a rip down the side on to the floor. "I think that's the last of them. Is that the last of them?"

As out of breath as Taz, Olive collapsed on to the bare mattress of her new bed, her chest rising and falling sharply as she sought to regain her lost breath. Looking around, she took a mentally tally of the boxes.

"I damn well hope so," she grumbled. "How did I get so much stuff?"

"Beats me," Taz grinned, rubbing the back of her head.

"Don't worry," Olive groaned, sitting upright again. "I checked when I was down there. What you brought up now was everything that was left. I told the driver that he could go when you got that last box."

She swung her legs off the thick mattress and stood up, stretching out her arms above her head. Taz was suddenly struck by how slender the llama was, at least in comparison to her, and she glanced down at her own body, wrinkling her nose faintly in distaste. She wished that she could ask Olive how she stayed so slim, but she had a feeling that it would be rude to ask her so soon; there would be plenty of time for more personal questions when they had gotten to know each other better.

"Do you want help unpacking?" Taz asked instead.

With a tired nod from Olive, Taz pulled a box closer to her, heaping the clothes from it on to the bed. Olive followed her lead and grabbed pawfuls of the clothes, beginning to stack them haphazardly into the chest of drawers (there had been no wardrobe hangars left behind by Taz' old roommate). They worked together quickly in relative quiet, Taz not paying much attention to the clothes that she was handling until, after a fairly great volume, she became painfully aware of the vast difference between Olive's clothes and hers. Whereas Taz felt most comfortable in loose clothes, preferably in dark or muted shades, Olive seemed to go for anything bright and in styles that Taz would brand 'daring'. Certainly not the things that her wardrobe was made up of! Although the zedonk could not help but feel slightly envious of Olive's style, as erratic and bold as it may be.

"I wish I could keep up with the trends," Taz said at last in an admiring tone as she held up a fashionably cut dress.

"Oh, we can soon fix that," Olive replied quickly, casting a critical eye over Taz' ensemble. "I don't need to unpack all of this today."

Unsure of where this exchange was going, Taz nodded wordlessly and busied herself with a box of make-up, laying the confusing pile of implements - not knowing the intended use of the majority - on the bed beside Olive. Fix that? What did she mean? She did not have to wait long to find out.

"I mean," Olive went on. "I haven't been shopping in a few days, so there's clearly going to be something new in Outfit that I need, and I need to stop by Hooves, Paws and Claws for new shoes."

"Uh...new shoes?" Catching on, Taz' eyes strayed to the heap of footwear in the base of the wardrobe. How could she have so many? "You seem to have quite a few already, but I wouldn't really know how many pairs are necessary - you've seen that I don't wear them."

"But why not?" Olive questioned, her ears flicking forward curiously. "You can never have too many pairs!"

"Oh, really, I just find them a bother - "

Taz was cut off thankfully by the Olive's phone buzzing into life, some dance track blaring out of the tiny, pink speakers at full volume. Grimacing, she held up one finger towards Taz and groped along the mattress for it, the number appearing as "unknown" on the little screen.

"Hang on a sec, okay?" She muttered, trotting out of the room and into the kitchen. "Hi? Who is this?"

The zedonk tried not to listen to the conversation at first as her mind was mostly occupied by the thought of being dragged out shopping. She giggled at what her close friend Tania, a bay mare, would say if she turned up at one of their outings dressed in a fluorescent miniskirt and halter top - not that Olive's wardrobe was anything so garish, it was simply an amusing thought. She mused over the clothes for a few minutes, half-listening to the murmur of the llama's voice from down the short hallway but raised her head when Olive's voice escalated sharply.

"You don't have any say whatsoever in anything I do!" Olive shouted (presumably into the phone) from the kitchen. "Who the hell do you think you are, phoning me up like this? You've caused enough shit for me! Why can't you just fuck off already and leave me well enough alone!"

Setting the clothes down, Taz edged towards the open door, poking her muzzle into the hallway. The kitchen door was also open; Taz supposed that Olive must have forgotten to swing it shut in the upset, though she could not understand who was on the phone to her and why they were angering her so. The zedonk was never one to engage in conflict willingly and the mere sound of it reminded her of all the arguments that she had strived to avoid as a foal in her parent's house: that time had been far from pleasant. She felt a guilty pang in her chest as she realised that she was eavesdropping on her new roommate within hours of first meeting her and Taz made as if to withdraw into the bedroom. However, the next shriek of words from Olive stopped her in her tracks, ears pricked attentively.

"No, no - I won't tell you where I am! Oh, why? Why? So you can come around and get me kicked out of another place? You're an ex for a reason, arsehole, and if you call me again, I'll call the police and file for harassment! You got that all right?"

Ex-boyfriend...forced to leave her previous home...personal troubles... The pieces of the puzzle fell into place for Taz and she frowned deeply, wondering if she should anticipate a similar kind of nuisance. What sort of weirdo would go after a femfur after they had broken up? Although she felt unease stirring in her chest, Taz was acutely aware of the fact that she did not know the whole story, only snippets, and could not make any judgements...even if her thoughts would run away with her.

I don't have much luck with the roommate game, she thought with a sigh. I don't want to have to call the police on some crazy guy, jeez.

"Leave me alone!" Olive finally screamed at an ear-splitting pitch. "I won't tell you who she is and I want nothing more to do with you - ever! I never want to hear from you or about you again and you can drop dead for all I care! Now, goodbye!"

If she could have slammed the phone down, Olive would have, but being matters as they were with her petite mobile phone, she merely huffed loudly and stalked back into her bedroom where Taz sat, striving to look as if she had heard nothing, nothing at all. Without speaking, the llama pawed through the make-up pile listlessly, selecting a random cylinder of mascara and adding a flirty flick to her eyelashes with a couple of effortless, practiced strokes.

"Are you...okay?" Taz asked tentatively and Olive paused, collecting herself before flashing a bright smile.

"Oh, of course I'm fine, that's sweet of you to ask," she replied, looking genuinely surprised and happy to have been asked. "It was nothing - I guess you heard all of that?"

"Well, I heard some of it," the zedonk admitted cautiously, her tail twitching against her leg. "I was unpacking."

Pursing her lips, Olive gave a half-shrug as if to say "what can I do?" and continued adding a light layer of make-up to her face, stylishly outlining her eyes with a complimentary, dark brown eyeliner that brought out the delicate shades of brown and cream in her fur.

"Come on, let's go," Olive said abruptly, snatching up her handbag from the bedside table.

"What? Now? Don't you want to finish unpacking?" Taz asked, surprised by her abrupt change, though she chanced that she saw tears pricking at the corners of Olive's lightly glistening eyes.

"Okay," Taz said hesitantly. "I'll get my coat and bag."

*

"I'm not so sure about this," Taz murmured, her arms piled high with clothes seemingly picked at random off the racks, although Olive assured her that there was method in her madness.

The llama had said barely a word to Taz as they walked to the shopping centre, an awkward silence hanging over them. Unused to situations like this, Taz tried to begin a conversation several times, but Olive shrugged her off and only deemed to supply short, one or two word answers in return, which swiftly discouraged Taz. However, Olive came to life once in the shopping district and, besides making an assortment of eclectic purchases for herself, insisted that Taz try on a variety of different clothes, including several flowing skirts that Taz certainly would not have selected if she had been on her own.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Olive breezed as she ushered Taz into the dressing room. "You need to update your wardrobe. You have no trouble paying for them, right?"

"Well, no..." Taz admitted. "I don't spend very much on clothes, so I have a bit saved up for this kind of thing. I didn't reckon that I would need it for this kind of clothing... Are you sure this is a good idea? It doesn't really seem my 'style' at all... What should I try on first?"

Olive laughed and closed the door on Taz in the dressing room, holding the handle up so that the zedonk was effectively 'trapped'. Seeming to have regained some of her former good spirits, the llama giggled and refused to open the door again as Taz growled inside, realising that she had no choice in the matter.

"I'll let you out when you've tried on five outfits," Olive relented. "And shown them to me!"

Sighing, Olive took the safest outfit, a pair of slim fitting jeans with flares at the base and a turquoise halter top, dressing in the crisp, price-tagged clothes without glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Turning when fully dressed to see the full effect, she shook her head, instantly disliking the way that it clung to her curves - she looked ridiculous! And fat! Snorting, the zedonk hardly let the fabric settle into place upon her body before tearing the top off over her head and stepping out of the jeans again, clipping both garments neatly back on to their respective hangars.

"So what do you think of the jeans and the top?" Olive shouted into the changing room, unaware of Taz' decision.

"No, not this one..." Taz grimaced, glad to be out of the jeans especially. "It looks wrong. I'll try another."

"Oh, okay - oh! Try the skirt! I know that'll look good!"

Choosing a top to match the muted red skirt that Olive had been so enthusiastic about, Taz went to slip it over her head but paused halfway through the motion, wondering if she could find out a little more about the little mishap between Olive and her mysterious ex-boyfriend over the phone. Would it be prudent to ask? She wouldn't know unless she tried.

Social situations are so awkward, she thought, screwing up her muzzle and tugging the top into place - a light, floating garment, which did not cling as tightly as the last.

"So...do I have to be worried about what happened earlier?" Taz tried, stepping into the flowing skirt that Olive had picked out, finding it surprisingly comfortable and perhaps even attractive.

"Worried about what?"

"The thing with the phone," Taz went on awkwardly, checking out the skirt in the mirror. "Hey, this is nice!"

"Oh, that... And you like it? Come out here and show me."

Stepping out of the changing room, Taz lowered her head shyly as Olive gave a soft 'oh', clapping her paws together in seeming delight.

"Does it look okay?" Taz asked anxiously, thinking that she had drastically over-estimated her appearance in the clothes. They were very comfortable...they could not look right, really. But Olive had chosen them, so...maybe.

"Okay? They look great, hon!" Olive squealed. "Get that top in a different colour too! It fits perfectly!"

"Really?" Taz said, still unsure about the true fit of the fabric. "Well, okay, if you think so... It is nice. So, yeah, what I said - what about that phone call? Wasn't that weird?"

"Yeah, my ex..." Olive looked down, fiddling with the hem of her crimson blouse. "He won't leave me alone, you know how it is."

"Oh, it's nothing, really. He doesn't know where I am," Olive reassured Taz. "He just makes life difficult for me. I'll block his number later and, if he bugs me again, I'll call the police. Then it won't be my problem and it sure as hell won't be my problem when he gets his ass thrown in prison."

"That's not quite what I meant, Olive," Taz said carefully, admiring the way that the skirt fell from her hips in the long mirror outside the changing room. "I mean...are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Olive laughed, although there was a strained note in her voice. "I'm fine, don't worry. You hungry? Let's get these and grab something to eat. We can shop more afterwards."

Although she did want to try on some of the other clothes that Olive had selected for her, she accepted being towed gently from the changing room and to the till to pay, grateful that she did not have to worry about the implications of such a spending spree. She really should have bought some new clothes that were not for work before this point, she thought absently, swiping her card to complete her purchase. And Olive had made some lovely, flattering choices too.

They made some chit-chat as they walked leisurely to the nearest cafe, a small establishment that sold 'no-nonsense' meals - as advertised on the gaudy window display. Taz sighed as she looked up at the menu, her eyes immediately going to the cheeseburger, which she would never be able to order unless she lost a little weight. To her, it was not worth the guilt she would feel later, even if she really wanted it. Sighing and subconsciously licking her lips, she opted for a healthy, chicken salad while Olive fussed over the soup choices, eventually choosing something light with seasonal vegetables.

Their meals were prepared swiftly and brought to their table, though Taz looked in a dejected manner at her small salad, the lettuce leaves drooping and an unappetising shade of green.

"I wish I could eat what I wanted," she grumbled. "I'd love even a soup right now."

"Do you wanna swap?" Olive said, startled with her spoon poised halfway to her lips.

"No, no," Taz said hastily. "I'm not nicking your meal, jeez."

"Well, what did you want to eat then?" Olive asked, eating a couple of mouthfuls of soup, although she wrinkled her muzzle and put the spoon down again.

"Oh, I don't know, a burger or something," Taz mumbled, trying to ignore the ravenous growl of agreement her stomach gave.

"Hm, dieting then?"

"Yeah...I can't keep the weight off, as is glaringly obvious," she snorted, looking down at her body with an air of disgust.

"Oh, come on, you don't look bad," Olive said, waving her paw to dismiss the comment. "You're gorgeous, but if it would help you, we could work out together sometime, if you want," she offered, smiling a little. "I jog but I need motivation!"

"That would be great," Taz replied, despite not feeling very enthusiastic about the prospect of working out. It would be good for her, she was forced to admit, and perhaps Olive would be fun to exercise with? "I thought you were hungry?" Taz said with her mouth full of salad, gesturing towards Olive's barely touched soup, not very subtly changing the topic.

"Nah, not really... I don't like to eat too much, really, just don't feel very hungry most of the time. Ah, thank you," she smiled to the cute waiter, a husky who had just brought her another coffee with extra sugar and cream. "Thanks, this is just what I need."

This surprised a chuckle from Taz and she shook her head, marvelling at the llama's ability to ingest copious amounts of caffeine; it was surely a large contributor to her bubbly personality. She jumped from topic to topic so swiftly in general conversation that the laid-back zedonk had difficulty keeping up with her; the couple of hours of shopping had tired her out while Olive was raring to go again after the coffee. As Olive chattered on, Taz found herself drifting into her own thoughts and mostly listening though, if her mother had seen her spacing out like that, she would have claimed that her daughter was 'away with the fairies', as the expression went.

A group of femfurs entered the cafe, clustering in a tight huddle by the door. Taz did not pay much attention to them at first, but when they began casting dark, poisonous looks towards their table, she could not help but wonder what on earth their problem was. A giggle rose in the zedonk's throat: were they sitting in 'their' spot, or something equally ludicrous? Olive had fallen quiet and was eyeing up the waiter with an appreciative murr, so had not noticed the group behind her at all. Taz was about to point them out and ask if she knew any of them when one girl, a painfully thin lioness, broke away from the group, snatched up a glass of water from another table and up-ended the contents over Olive's head.

"Hah! That'll teach you!" The lioness screamed triumphantly as Olive spluttered. "You shouldn't have stolen my boyfriend then, should you, bitch!"

"What?" Olive growled, half-standing from her seat in indignation. "I didn't take anyone's boyfriend - how dare you! Who do you think you are?"

The lioness shook her head and smirked, crossing her arms over her ample chest, which was barely constrained by the low-cut, pink top that she was wearing - flashy and more suitable for clubbing than casual shopping. Olive stepped up to her angrily, forcing the cat to back off, her eyes wide and claws unsheathed as she hissed in an unladylike fashion.

"You deserved it," she hissed vehemently, eyes narrowed. "And you deserve everything that you get. I hope you die in a hole, whore."

Stuttering, Olive shook her head and struggled to get her words out, which only served to amuse the group of girls closing in like hyenas. The lioness stood up taller when backed by her cronies, looking down with an air of superiority. Taz touched Olive's arm lightly, hoping that this would not escalate into a cat-fight of the literal kind, and pulled her back a little. Taking the cue and realising that the whole cafe had fallen silent, Olive's paw twitched and she took on a cool, uncaring demeanour, acting as if she was not bothered by the cat's words or by the water marking her shirt.

"I did not take anyone's boyfriend and you would do well to remember that," Olive said frostily. "Get out of here - you've done enough."

Taz supposed that the lioness would have had some smart response to that, but an official looking terrier femfur with glasses stormed through the cafe, the crowd parting to allow her through. A gold name-tag on her mauve shirt indicated that she was the manager of the establishment, which prompted the group to beat a hasty retreat. Half-tripping over themselves, the group of femfurs hustled from cafe, muttering amongst themselves and gesturing rudely at Olive, who remained motionless throughout their departure, her paws trembling faintly with suppressed emotion.

"Miss? Miss? I'm so sorry for that disturbance," the manager tried to apologise, offering Olive a wad of napkins. "They have caused trouble here before. Would you like to come out back to change into something, ah...drier? Your meal, of course, will not be charged and I hope that you will accept our sincerest apologies."

"No, no, changing won't be necessary," Olive said primly, embarrassment making her tone short and clipped as her cheeks heated up. "I'm sorry that I was caught by them here and thank you for your help and compensation for the meal."

Glancing at the remains of her meal, which she had hardly eaten, the llama dropped her muzzle slowly, pulling her wet shirt away from her body, although it only clung damply to her.

"Come on," Olive went on, turning to Taz with a deep frown, worry behind her cool, blue eyes. "We'd better pay and go. I'm a mess."

*

When they returned to the flat, Olive was quick to jump in the shower with her new fur products; Taz could not fathom why she needed so many. Some had been pressed upon her, designed specifically for equines, but if they would have condition her fur and keep her skin healthy, who was she to complain? However, the zedonk had only flopped on to the sofa for a couple of minutes before there was a loud rap upon the door, demanding her attention. Groaning, Taz heaved herself to her hooves and clopped over, muttering under her breath as she expected that she would have to send off another puffed up fur preaching some religion or the other to a deaf ear.

Instead of a salesfur or preacher, Taz was shocked to see a white hare a couple of inches taller than her standing there, smiling widely. She used to work with him at the surgery, but he had only been part-time while he completed the final year of his university studies in Biomedicine and had been snapped up by a high-ranking company.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, surprised to see him. "Ben, what brings you here? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Hey, Taz," he grinned. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she blushed and moved back to allow him entry, closing the door quietly after him, suddenly over-aware of every little movement she made. Briefly, she caught herself wishing that she had some of her news clothes on and not her grubby, old, grey sweatshirt. He could not have paid a visit at a worse time, Taz felt.

"Do you want to sit down?" She offered him a seat, hoping that he could not see the blush on her muzzle.

Ben gladly took her offer and plopped down into an armchair, stretching his legs out before him. Awkwardly, Taz considered where to sit - opposite him? Beside him? On the sofa? - and eventually settled on the armchair directly in his line of sight so that neither of them had to crane their necks in order to talk.

"So, how have you been? Is work going okay? Would you like anything to drink?" Taz asked, fumbling over her words and fidgeting nervously.

"I'm fine," he chuckled, "thanks. Work's great but demanding. And I've been good, just haven't had much time to catch up with people due to, well, work."

"Sounds very busy," Taz said, although she privately thought that he had not said very much at all about what he'd been doing.

"Yeah, it is pretty busy and I've got to get home soon too," he admitted, ducking his white muzzle shyly. "I did have plans but now my sister has asked me to babysit her cub this evening. Great night in for a single guy, hey?"

"Not too bad," Taz smiled, warming up to him. "I loved babysitting my little sister, but I doubt she would stand for it now!" Ben laughed.

"So, how have you been, Taz?" He asked earnestly, leaning forward. "I've missed seeing you around."

"Nothing much has been going on, I'm good," Taz said, though her mind was buzzing with what he had said about missing her. He had missed her! "Got a new roommate. So what really brought you round today? I can't imagine that this was planned in advance or anything like that...or was it?"

Ben shuffled his feet and looked down, the tips of his ears colouring a light pink, visible through the very pale fur, soft to the touch.

"I was going to see Fur in Black this afternoon, but my friend cancelled on me at the last minute," he admitted. "I didn't want to go to see it alone and I wondered if you still lived in the area, so I wanted to give you a call."

"That's nice, I'm glad you stopped by anyway," Taz said happily, her ears perked up attentively. "And I've been dying to see Fur in Black for ages! It's a shame that you missed it today."

"Really?" The hare's eyes lit up hopefully and he slid his gaze away as if trying to gather his thoughts together. "Well...um..."

"What?" Taz asked, perplexed. "What's wrong?"

"Um...would you like to come with me? To see Fur in Black?" He said at last, not able to meet her eyes.

"Sure, what time and when?" Taz nickered happily, not understanding the implications of what he was asking; Ben either did not notice this or did not mind, for he positively glowed with glee when she accepted his offer.

"How's tomorrow at eight sound?" He chirped, smoothing his ears back with a sense of relief.

"Hm...I'm working late tomorrow - not sure I'd have time to get home and change before it would start," Taz bit her lip.

"Well, isn't the cinema closer to the surgery? We could meet at the cinema?" Ben suggested brightly, unfazed by Taz' work schedule in the slightest.

"Sure, that would be fine, I can change at the surgery," Taz said, visibly pleased. "Great! I'm looking forward to this now - I didn't think that I'd have the chance to see it for weeks!"

"Awesome!" Ben smiled and rose fluidly from the chair, tugging his shirt back down where it had ridden up. "Well, I'm sorry to be abrupt, but I've got to head off now. I hope we can catch up more tomorrow after the film!"

"Sure, I look forward to it!" Taz got up too and darted to open the door for him. "It's going to be an amazing film!"

"It is," he agreed whole-heartedly, pausing at the threshold to the flat to lean in and give Taz a quick hug. "It was great seeing you again, however briefly, and I really hope that we can catch up more tomorrow."

"You just said that," Taz giggled.

"Right..." Ben chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. See you tomorrow then, Taz. Stay well."

"See you, Ben."

And, with that, he was gone, bounding down the corridor like one of his feral kin. The zedonk shook her head and settled down on the couch again, thinking that the hare had been a little different than before, a bit more...nervous, yes, that was it. How strange, but perhaps it had solely been because he had not planned on visiting her beforehand. It was better than arrogance at any rate, Taz decided.

"What was all that about?" Olive shrieked, bursting out of her bedroom in fresh clothes and with her fur still damp from the shower.

"Jeezuz!" Taz yelped, shooting up. "What's the commotion over? What the heck's gotten into you?"

"You like him, don't you?" Olive squealed, clapping her paws together and bouncing like a child on their first day of school.

"What? No! I don't like him!" She denied, but the hot blush burning her muzzle said otherwise. Shyly, Taz ducked her muzzle and rolled the cuff of her sweatshirt between her fingers. Deliberately ignoring the hint that she would not like to discuss the issue, Olive perched on the side of the armchair and poked Taz' shoulder, grinning as her natural good mood returned.

"But...he likes you," she prodded gently. "Does he know that you like him?"

"No! There is no liking! No liking at all!" The zedonk groaned, hiding her muzzle in her paws. "I haven't seen him since he finished at the surgery, so how could I know if he's the same as before?"

"Aha, so you did like him before!" Olive latched on triumphantly, hugging Taz around the shoulders. "Eeek, that's awesome! And you're going on a date with him! He was cute!"

"A date?" Taz sat up and snorted derisively. "Oh, please, Olive. He could never like me, let alone ask me out."

"Nuh-uh, why would you say that? You've obviously made a great impression on him, sweetie," she said firmly. "You're going to have to tell him that you like him at some point though - males never take hints about these things."

"But...how can I say that? I don't do these things," Taz shook her head. "No, no, I can't tell him. I'll have to cancel." Olive chuckled and patted her head softly.

"Don't worry, honey, just chat and have fun," she advised. "If things go right, say that you like him at the end of the night and that you'd like to meet up again, that's all there is to it. No need for any silliness or drama."

Taz nodded, silently agreeing with the llama. She would never have said it aloud when her confidence was so low, but she was secretly glad that Olive was encouraging her to go out on what she had not even realised was a date. If left to her own devices, she might never have gone to the cinema at all and stood poor Ben up as a result of her own insecurities. One date could not hurt, she reasoned with herself, since he was such a good friend from before. If nothing else, they could at least catch up on one another's lives and see a great flick.

"What are you up to tomorrow night then?" Taz asked, slumping back in the chair as she accepted the addition to her social calendar.

"Hm...just going out to a house party, it is Saturday after all," Olive mused. "Tina invited me over and I don't know where else we'll go.

"Mm, sounds fun, but make sure you avoid the crazy girls, all right?" Taz teased, shooting the llama a sly look from under her eyelashes. Olive rolled her eyes and made a silly face with her tongue poking comically from her muzzle - Taz laughed.

"Haha, not funny yet," Olive grimaced. "But I'll be taking pepper spray, so they better look out if they run into me!"

*

The film was a good couple of hours long and Taz' eyes hurt by the time that it was finished, the bright lights of the cinema too intense after the comforting darkness. Ben insisted on walking her back to the flat to ensure that nothing happened to her, he said, as there had been a fair few muggings reported in the area. Taz didn't have the heart to complain if it meant that they could spend more time together for, regardless of the cliché, Ben had been a perfect gentleman the whole night and was very charming, warm and considerate towards her. She had not laughed so much in weeks and was more and more glad that Olive had given her the push that she had needed to go on a date with him.

"You know," Ben said as they reached Taz' block of flats. "I was thinking of tonight more like a date than a casual meet-up...if that doesn't weird you out, that is..."

Shadows fell across the couple standing close to the building so that neither could determine the other's expression. Hugging her arms about her body, Taz tugged her new coat, which Olive had picked out for her the day before, closer, feeling the wind nip at her fur.

"I'd like to think of it as a date too," she replied after a short pause, smiling sweetly. "Although it was a very sly date."

"Yeah," Ben chuckled, stepping close to the zedonk and wrapping his arms very gently around her. "But it was fun. I want to see you again. I really missed you when I left the surgery."

"I missed you too, Ben," Taz murmured against his neck, turning her muzzle up in a sudden burst of courage and touching her lips softly to his.

The hare did not move at first but soon tightened his arms around Taz, murring very softly into the kiss and resting one paw in the small of her back. It was several, long moments until they broke the kiss, both furs very warm and flushed in the muzzle but not from embarrassment by far. Ben nuzzled her cheek softly and squeezed her tightly to him, unwilling to let her go and, when he did release her from the circle of his arms, it was only with a distinct air of reluctance.

"Right, so...call you tomorrow?" He said, appearing a little flustered, though he could not hide his happy grin.

"Yeah, I'll be waiting," Taz smiled, waving him off and watching him walk away down the street, turning several times to flash yet another grin at her.

When he was out of sight, Taz looked up at her flat window, noting with some surprise that the light was out; she had thought that Olive would have returned home by this time, but she might have decided to stay out later than she had originally anticipated after all the stress of the move. She hoped that Olive would not be too noisy when she returned home. Something buzzed against Taz' hip and the zedonk dug deep into her pocket, fishing out her phone, the screen of which flashed to show that there was a new voicemail message.

Who would be calling me at this time? Taz thought and pressed the button to play the message, holding the phone up to her ear. The phone beeped and the first few seconds of the message crackled with static until Olive's voice came through.

"Heeeeeey...Taz? Taz, are you there?" The voicemail played. "Look, me an', an' the girls are going to The...The...The Mane Place for drinks! Itsa pub! Ah'll be back laaaaate, oookay? Oookay? Oh, an' he's here, that di...di... Oh, that guy! Him! 'E's gettin' in tha way again...trouble... Gotta run, Taz! Bye, Taz!"

How much has that llama had to drink? Taz wondered, shaking her head in despair. Oh boy, I hope that she won't encourage me to drink like that, though she'll have a hard time of it if she does have the balls to try.

Going as if to ascend the stairs to her flat - the elevator had not yet been repaired - Taz paused, replaying the message from Olive in her mind. What had she meant when she said that 'he' was there? Was it a friend? Or was it...someone more sinister who had caused no end of problems? The ex? Unease swelled in Taz' stomach and images of all the horrible things that could happen to Olive flashed through her mind, making the zedonk swallow nervously.

The Mane Place was a pub only a few blocks away and Taz found her legs moving before she had made any solid decision to go looking for Olive. Lengthening her stride into a steady jog, Taz breathed heavily, fighting not to tire too quickly; she really was not very fit. A street lamp flickered and buzzed overhead as she passed the second block, the zedonk's legs beginning to ache. What if there was something terribly wrong? Would she get there in time? Leaning forward, Taz gritted her teeth and strove to increase her pace, ignoring the pain grazing her lungs.

There might be nothing wrong at all, she futilely tried to reassure herself as she pounded through the streets, the glowing neon lights of the pub coming into focus from a distance. I'll soon find out...

Panting, Taz raked her gaze over the scattered furs in the street, some a little worse for wear after a late evening of drinking. There was no sign of Olive anywhere, not even when Taz chanced a dash into the pub, where the clientele was quickly dwindling as furs drew their night out to a close, weaving and laughing in the open, cool air. Despondently, Taz paused in the entrance of the pub, the sign glowing dimly above her head, some scuffle to her right causing her to turn her muzzle curiously though without great expectations.

There! There she was! A surge of relief flowed through Taz and pressed into a walk once more, lungs heaving painfully from her previous physical exertion. The llama stood at the entrance to an alleyway, one paw resting on the grimy, stone wall as if to steady herself, legs slightly splayed as she swayed forward with her other paw clamped firmly over her muzzle. Taz started towards her and then came to a halt in shock as Olive was yanked by some unknown into the darkness of the alley, her startled cry cut off into a gurgling choke.

Taz didn't have time to think her actions through before she swung into action, leaping into the alley and blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the low light, the stink of piled rubbish and human waste almost unbearable. Olive struggled in the paws of a bulky, muscled wolf, pinned to the wall by a brutal, crushing grip upon her throat; the llama's eyes rolled back in her head and she looked sightlessly towards Taz, the light in her eyes fading as if into unconsciousness. The black wolf did not notice Taz as he was too intent on sinking his clenched fist into her unprotected stomach, daringly revealed by the midriff showing top that she wore, slamming into her soft belly again and again.

"You deserved it," he slurred, slumping forwards and knocking his forehead against her shoulder as he lost his balance. His fingers fumbled at the hem of her shirt, tugging blindly as if to pull it down or in such a way that it would reveal even more of her body. "You should have known better...better than to mess with me."

"Get away from her!" Taz screamed, suddenly finding her voice.

Disorientated, the wolf lethargically stumbled about to face Taz, blinking dully as Olive slumped down against the wall, bringing her arms up slowly to cover her muzzle - the last meagre protection she appeared able to give herself. Snarling, he curled his upper lip back threateningly and narrowed his eyes: leave now!

But Taz had no intention of leaving while he stood dominatingly over Olive - her friend. The wolf gave a lopsided smirk, deeming that he had scared off the zedonk, and swung his attention back to Olive, who stared fearfully up at him from under the shelter of her arms. Braying as loudly as her lungs would stand, Taz charged in recklessly, slamming her shoulder into the wolf's ribcage and sending him careering to the side, though the zedonk almost toppled after him into the rubbish. Cursing fluently as he struggled to right himself, the wolf growled and muttered, lurching to his feet before Taz had the chance to get Olive more than halfway to her hooves.

The alcohol, which the wolf must have consumed, proved to be his undoing, however; Taz bravely rose to meet him in the middle of the alley, pulling her paw back as if to throw a punch. He cocked his head and grinned smugly, reaching to close her much smaller fist in his dark paw. Quick as a flash, Taz pivoted, curled her leg back and snapped it out - directly into the wolf's crotch with a sickening thud. His eyes grew as wide as saucers and he sank to the ground with a pitiful whine, curling up into a foetal position, legs drawn up against his chest and paws thrust between his legs to soothe away the ripping pain.

"Quickly!" Taz shouted to Olive, who was thankfully standing upright, if unsteadily.

Olive nodded sluggishly and stumbled towards Taz who grabbed her arm, dragging the llama bodily out of the filthy alleyway. The wolf groaned behind them but Taz did not dare look back, the two furs drawing some strange, questioning glances as they dashed down the street, Olive retching dryly. There was no noise of pursuit, but their pounding hooves could have disguised that easily, so Taz was unwilling to take any chances, pulling Olive at a cutthroat pace past other furs, only vaguely aware that she was heading back to the flat - towards home and safety like the prey animal that Taz truly was. Several streets away, Taz finally slowed to a halt, breathing hard through her flared nostrils; Olive leaned heavily on the zedonk's shoulder, looking around as if she did not know where they were.

"Who the hell was that?" Taz gasped, bending forwards and putting her paws flat against her thighs. "What the hell was with that? What happened, Olive? Olive!"

Olive blinked and shook her head uncomprehendingly, tilting to the side and regaining her balance with difficulty, fighting tooth and nail to even stay remotely upright. She sighed deeply, knowing that the llama was in no state to talk right then; she was barely conscious.

"I have to get you home," Taz murmured gently, taking Olive's paw gently. "Come on, come here, we're not far away."

Slinging the llama's arm over her shoulders, where she clung like a child, barely able to stand steady on her own two hooves, Olive heaved a sigh and guided her at a snail's pace through the dark streets. Being very careful to keep to the main roads and close to the street lamps, the zedonk kept looking back over her shoulder nervously, ears twitching in every direction, alert for the slightest sound. If that wolf found them again... She was not sure that she would be able to outsmart him again, intoxicated as he was, as he was so much larger and stronger than her. She would have been lying if she said that she was not afraid and that fear showed in her every tense, rigid step.

It was a great relief to Taz when she stepped inside the apartment once more, locking the door with a solid click behind her. She did not pause to turn on the lights, knowing the layout of the flat and not wanting to take too long about getting the llama into her own bed: it had been a long, tiring night. Stumbling over the bedroom threshold, the zedonk manoeuvred Olive on to the bed and contemplated, albeit briefly, helping her to change into some more comfortable night clothes, but decided against it. There had been enough awkward situations for one day, so she settled for filling a tall glass of water for Olive, leaving it on her bedside table and covering her slim form with the duvet.

"Mmm? Taz?" Olive mumbled, rolling over and blinking blearily as if she did not know where she was.

"Yeah?" Taz said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing Olive's shoulder gently. "It's okay, you're safe and you're home...back at the flat."

"Oh..." Olive closed her eyes again. "That's good..."

Stroking the llama's back as she settled down on to her stomach, muzzle pressed into the large pillow, Taz finally had time to think about what had actually happened that night. Had that wolf been...the original male troubling Olive, for want of a better term? What if he came around again? Should she ask?

"That was your ex, wasn't it, Olive?" Taz said quietly.

"Yeah..." Olive slurred. "I told him to fuck off outside the pub... He didn't... He didn't like it... He hit me before... Tha-that's why I dumped him."

"He hit you?" Taz repeated in shock. "What the hell kind of sick jerk does that?"

"Him... He won't go, Taz," Olive mumbled, turning her head back and for in distress. "He keeps coming back and...and...messes things up, he just won't let me go... I wish he was dead! He'll come here, Taz, he will!"

"Shush, it's okay, he won't come here," Taz said gently, leaning down to give Olive a tight hug. "We'll call the police tomorrow to report him and he won't be able to do anything again, we'll get it sorted. Don't worry about it now and get some rest, okay?"

Saying no more, Olive let her head fall back in exhaustion, unable to do anything but listen and do as Taz said. Hovering over her worriedly, Taz waited until Olive's breathing had calmed and her eyes wandered sightlessly beneath her eyelids, the llama deep in sleep, even if dreaming. Taz rose quietly, stretching her cramped muscles out with a wince as she realised just how long she had been sitting there - she really needed to get some sleep too if she was going to work in the morning.

She slipped out of the room, pacing into her room with unusual silence, her hooves barely making any noise for a change. Deciding that she would have a quick shower in the morning instead, before work, Taz glanced out of the window, stilling suddenly as she noticed a motionless, dark shape standing on the street outside. She might have taken it for a tree or some other inanimate object if it had not moved after a few seconds, a vaguely canine muzzle drawing her attention.

He, for she assumed instantly that it was a male from the height and stature, looked up at the rows of windows that made up their block of flats. The canine's eyes scanned the rows, pausing over lit windows, and finally landed on the very window where Taz was frozen, eyes wide with a white rim of anxiety. Taz ducked below the windowsill, peeking over the edge and thanking any listening gods that she had not turned on the light in her room, so it was unlikely that he had seen her. Was it the wolf?

She did not have the chance to find out, for the figure stalked away, head held high and walking with a sense of purpose that suggested that he knew exactly where he was going. Though a distinct edge of unease ran through Taz' motions, she was glad to see the strange fur leave - whoever he was - and she stepped back from the window, ears drooping with dislike for the whole situation.

Whatever it was or whatever he wanted... It doesn't need to be thought about until morning - we'll sort it in the daylight hours, she thought determinedly, quietly moving about her room in order to prepare for bed. It's not worth the brain cells at this hour.

On the bed, her phone suddenly buzzed to life, the screen lighting up and reading that there was an unread text message. Curious, Taz picked up the phone and opened the new text, a wide smile spreading across her muzzle as she realised who it was from: Ben. Her boyfriend. She wouldn't get tired of saying that anytime soon. Blushing in the dark, Taz replied to the message and lay down in bed, drawing the thick covers up snugly under her chin and turning over on to her side, knees drawn up against her stomach. Because, even if things were difficult and her new roommate might be having some problems with a potential stalker, she knew that things were not so bad. Out of all the trouble, she had gained a new friend and a boyfriend in the course of a few, wonderful days.

As she snuggled into the pillows and checked her phone once more for messages, she closed her eyes and hoped that her good luck and good friend would stay a while.