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--Naki--

It's hard to believe its only been a little more than a week since we watched Fen's parents leave, especially with everything that's happened since. Incidents have been picking up across Neotria. Just yesterday I'd heard that some Requorans had begun fighting back; protesting and trying to gather support from Neotrian allies; threatening and even carrying out violence-- promising to kill if anyone tries to take their homes. I also saw on the news that many Neotrians have actively helped authorities find Requorans trying to hide. Some have even captured the little guys themselves, removed their cloakers, and handed them over in an effort to "hurry the process along" as the news anchor put it. Nothing has happened on campus yet but... off campus there's already been two reported deaths; two Neotrians. It's not even clear that Requorans were the ones who killed them; all they found in the bodies was poison consistent with what Requorans have used in the past. Yet some of the residents around the area have complained to President Leary, asking him to force Requorans off of campus for fear that even those immune to exclusion might actively retaliate as well. So far he's resisted. It's hard seeing so many shops around the area ban Requorans and how many people seem to distrust them despite the fact that it's Requorans who should be afraid-- it's their future on the line, not ours. I hope it's just a vocal minority and not how most of the Neotrians around here feel.

Since exclusion began, and in reaction to the High Court protecting micros like Fen, Natbur has implemented a curfew. No Requoran that isn't escorted by a Neotrian can be outside after eight pm. When it was announced I already knew Fen would be even worse off for it. He'd already been struggling to deal with what happened as well as the new developments on the news. His reaction wasn't as strong as I pictured it, mostly him growling about it all day-- I'm sure it's because he's already worn out; no one can be stressed for so long without ending up fatigued. I'll admit, I'm not entirely unhappy about the curfew. I really do fear that someone would try to hurt Fen if he were outside alone, especially now. Since Requorans are being actively escorted to exclusion zones-- essentially forced out of their homes, there's no way things won't get worse from here until it's finished. As much as I sympathize with them, I really hope they go quietly... and that Neotrians leave them alone.

"You think it's alright if we go to the party tomorrow, Motts?" I ask from my desk. The sound of rain pounding against the window in front of me is loud even while I'm talking. Strangely, it's soothing at the same time.

"Yea, I think it's alright. We'll keep an eye on'em and if anyone asks then they're with us." he peers up from his own desk and turns to look at me. "Or... you mean you're not sure Fen'll be alright?"

"Kind of both," I say.

"You know better than I do," he responds. "But I think gettin' out of here an' having a little fun would be good for'em. I mean, can't stay here moping forever... much as I understand why he's been doin' it."

"Maybe," I say, still uncertain. "I wanna go, I think it'll be fun. I think he'll have fun too if he lets himself." A sigh escapes my muzzle and I go back to writing at the assignment I'm supposed to be working on.

"He'll come around. You're doin' all you can, Naki. It's not like he hasn't been playing videogames or watching movies with Sian. I'd worry if they stopped doing that... but they haven't. They gotta adjust, and they are."

"You're probably right. Anyway, I heard you guys have been winning."

"Yea, the season's smooth so far."

"How much have you played? Er-- sorry, I haven't been watching..." I say, lowering my head a bit.

"I didn't figure you were," he says, turning to smirk at me a bit. "Not a lot yet, but coach seems to like me. Maybe towards the end of the season or at least the next if I work hard enough in the off."

"You're still enjoying it, though?"

"Is that even a question?"

"Well, I mean, you used to start!"

"Yea, I guess. It's a challenge, though, y'know? Have to prove myself good enough to start again. It's pretty nice if you ask me. Even when you're not playing the game you're still competing. There's always something to do in football."

"Just makin' sure," I say. "I'll have to watch the next game. Maybe Fen and me and Sy can come to the stadium to see."

---

The day of the party is pretty nice; the weather is warm enough that it's not too cold to be in costume without a coat, but definitely Fall weather. We walk to Rory's parents' place not too far from campus. Just a couple blocks away. Also gives us a chance to see the other costumes around. Fen had decided not to dress up-- I know why, and I know he doesn't exactly want to go. I hope it turns out to be better than he thinks it will, though.

I bought a collar as close to identical to his as I could find and decided to go as a Requoran. Partially out of support and partially out of lack of spending money. Fen wasn't... certain about the idea at first but he seems to have warmed to it. I dunno, maybe I'm going too far but it might be interesting to see how people react. I'll have to try wearing it on other days too. It could help me learn more about how he feels-- or that's what I tell myself at least.

Sian is going as some superhero I've never heard of named "The Masked Bandit." All I know is that it involves a mask, a fairly tight spandex suit, a cape, and a pair of boots. We convinced him to buy a size larger than he'd normally wear to... keep things tame. Motley's almost as bad as Fen; he's just wearing his football jersey and carrying a football around. I asked him if he could be any more bland but he pointed out that I didn't exactly put that much effort into mine either. Whatever. I guess Sian wins the costume contest between us.

By the time we arrive it seems things have already gotten started. It's only about 8:30pm but there's plenty of noise coming out of the house and the smell of alcohol is in the air. I'm actually pretty excited-- first college party and it'd only taken us a month and a half to attend one.

"Before we go in...," I say, looking to Fen for a second. "I know I don't have to say it but I will anyway. You two be careful if you go off on your own. I'll keep check on my cellphone so if anything happens... even if it's just suspicious or makes you nervous then let me know."

"Or me," Motley chimes.

"Or Motley." I smile. "Alright?"

"Yea, we got it," Sian says, waving a paw. "Don't worry, we've done this before, right Fen?"

Fen looks at Sian for a moment, then gives a little nod. "We'll be alright... but we'll let you know if something goes wrong."

"Alright," I state. I don't want to act like their parent but... I don't want something to happen, either.

"Let's go!" Sian states, moving to climb the stairs into the house, shifting past some of the attendees standing at the entrance drinking. I grab Fen's hand and tug him in with me.

"C'mon, it'll be fun," I assure him before we get in.

It's loud. Music can be heard but most of the noise is people talking and laughing. Looks like Sy has already found Rory, who seems to be wearing a white, frilly shirt with a dark-red vest and black pants. I don't quite get it until I see his teeth. He's a vampire.

"Hey, Naki, Motley." I hear a familiar voice and turn to see Erin. I'd spoken to him a few times since orientation. Beside his... views on Requorans hes not a bad guy. I'm sure Fen recognizes him too, I'm also certain he doesn't want to be anywhere near him.

"Hey," I say.

"What's up?" Motley asks.

"Not much, you guy's are on a roll!" he says suddenly looking at Motley. "And you did pretty good. I bet you'll replace Kepper as center before the season is up."

I notice Fen start to move away so I shift to walk with him.

"It's alright," he states as soon as we're out of earshot. "Go have fun... don't worry about me."

"That's impossible," I say. "You give me so many reasons to worry."

"Go have fun," he replies, giving my hand a squeeze before smiling. "I'll be okay, I'm gonna go have fun, too. I'll go follow Sian around or something..."

"Well... alright, just be careful. Remember to text or call if you need anything at all, okay?"

"I will," he says before turning to leave towards where Sian went. I watch him for a second before returning to Motley and Erin.

"He didn't have to leave," Erin says. "I wasn't gonna push the topic.."

"Err--" I start to say.

"But I understand," he says, waving his paw a bit. "How've you been?" he asks as a grey-furred coyote wearing a wizard's hat and grey robes walks over to stand next to him, paw clasped about a drink.

"Erin! Erin..." The coyote says with a slight lisp. "Try this..." he holds the drink out to the skunk.

"Pretty well, everything's normal... how about you?" I ask, unable to keep myself from watching the 'yote lean against Erin, wrap his arm around the skunk's shoulder and press the drink towards his face. Erin shifts a little, tugging his muzzle back and moving to grab the drink with his own paw.

"Okay okay, I'll try... you're having too much fun, Iris," he says with a grin before looking at me and Motley.

"This is Iris. Iris, this is Naki and Motley."

"You guys should try this too!" he says quickly. "It's good, they're making it in the kitchen. Err... nice to meet you!" he holds his paw out and both Motley and I shake while Erin drinks.

"Mmmm!" Erin vocalizes happily as he takes a swig.

--Fen--

I know I promised to enjoy myself but honestly I just want them to have fun; I'll spoil my own mood without killing theirs. As soon as Naki isn't looking I move through the kitchen and down a small flight of stairs to a secondary living room-- or a den or whatever it's called. There're a few people in here but they're off in a corner so I find a place away from them to sit. It does feel nice to be away from the extra noise. "I hope Valan isn't here," I say to myself, recalling the fact that one of his friends is here. Rory wouldn't do that, would he? My eyes shift back to stare into the kitchen when I hear Sy laughing.

"You watched that show?" Sy asks.

"Of course! It's the worst superhero movie ever! You can't not watch it," Rory responds.

"I've never heard of it," a female leopard speaks up. I don't recognize her. "How old are we talking?"

"Century or so?" Sy says, thinking for a moment. "Yea, about that."

"That -is- old..."

"Where's Fen anyway? I haven't seen him," Rory says. "Did he come?"

"Yea he's here," Sy states. "I dunno where, though..."

I shift so I'm not staring anymore, not wanting the attention. I'm there for about half an hour or so, only getting up to get a drink from the kitchen occasionally. I can still have a -little- alcohol...

"Hey, Fen," I twist to see Loraine and, closeby, two others. One is Samson, who I only recognize because of his tail and physical build-- the pumpkin mask over his head keeps me from seeing much beyond his eyes. The other I have to stare at for second. I'd been drinking something banana flavored, and the fact that there's an enormous banana standing in front of me seemed just a little surreal until I notice a face behind some holes cut into the costume. Good, I hadn't drunk enough to be hallucinating yet...

"What's up?" Samson asks.

"Hey, er... how're you?" I ask, staring at the three but especially Loraine. She's wearing a witch's costume.

"Good! Naki told us about this little party and said we should come check it out. Why're you out here on your own?" she asks.

"Oh... just taking a break.... I think Naki's in the other room just past the kitchen to the left. He's wearing a collar like mine, can't miss him," I offer, hoping she won't question me any further.

"Oh, alright," she says, looking through the kitchen. I know who's in the banana costume now that I've gotten the scent. It's Brian; Loraine's date from prom. "Well, I kinda wanna sit down for a second anyway. It was a long walk from the dorms," she states before moving to sit.

"A Requorn costume?" Samson asks.

"Yea," I reply. I can't help but smile a bit; he's such a blockhead.

"Huh, I wonder if it'll fool anyone," the beaver replies. Seems like he's more thinking outloud, though.

"Oh! You've met Brian, right?" she asks, looking to her boyfriend who'd so far been quiet.

"Yea, from Prom, I think," I state while he holds a paw out, smiling.

"Nice to see you again. How're you and Naki getting along?" he asks. I clasp his hand gently and smile a little in return.

"It's going well, thanks..."

His eyes fall to my neck just as Samson's had the day he found out, but the fox says nothing about it. He simply nods and says, "Good, glad to hear," before sitting down. I settle there awkwardly for a moment, trying not to feel bad about not talking-- I'm just not in the mood.

Samson moves to settle on the arm of the couch nearest to me since Brian and Loraine have taken the only two spots next to where I am. We all stay silent for a while, which only makes me feel a bit worse. 'Just go hang out with Naki,' I think to myself.

"So why aren't ya dressed up?" Samson suddenly asks.

"Uh, didn't feel like it," I say truthfully.

"Oh, comeon! Requorans celebrate Halloween, right? I'm sure there're some shrinking superheroes you could've come as."

I frown a bit. "And what makes you think I'd want to come as something like that?"

"Er... well, y'know. It'd fit."

My head shakes a little. "Eh."

"So you're a Requoran?" Brian asks. "I wasn't sure... I thought you might've just worn one of their collars as a costume or something."

"Yea," I respond.

"Well, we should go find Naki," Loraine states as she stands up and the other two follow.

"Yea, alright. Later, Fen," Samson states.

Brian pats between my ears a little. "Take care, little guy." I cringe slightly but refrain from saying anything. I can't help but wonder if he's suddenly willing to do that -just- because of my race.

Brian and Samson walk and Loraine moves like she's going to. She gives them time to get ahead before looking at me.

"Seems like you're a bit unhappy about something. I won't push it, but I hope you feel better. I'll keep the boys out of your hair, okay?" she states.

"Thanks," I say gently, trying to give an appreciative smile before leaning back into the couch again and sighing. I check my phone-- 9:15pm. Tonight couldn't go any more slowly. I do eventually decide to get another drink. The rabbit mixing and passing them out in the kitchen is pretty loud and more than once I'm asked if my collar is my costume or if I'm really a Requoran. He's wearing a devil's costume. Maybe I should've just put a costume on too, then no one would ask. I'll admit most of them are pretty nice about it; they're only curious. I also notice that Sy and myself are probably the only Requorans here. I guess that's no different from normal, though. Part of me wishes Khole would've come. He said he doesn't like alcohol or being around people when they're drunk and so decided against coming. I was tempted to tell Naki, Motley, and Sian to just leave me but I don't think Naki would've gone for it.

The drink I keep getting is actually pretty good; some sort of frozen concoction. It only takes a few of them to leave me feeling a bit lightheaded but I keep sipping at it anyway. I don't think drowning myself in alcohol will help much, but the the flavor is addicting. It's only after I realize I'm going to get a hangover if I drink much more that I stop and decide maybe it's best to make a -little- bit of an appearance at least. I get off of the couch and take my cup back to the kitchen.

"More?" The bunny asks but I shake my head.

"Nah, thanks, though," I state before moving past him, keeping an eye open for familiar faces.

I do manage to spot Rory talking to the skunk Naki had been speaking to when we arrived. I don't get the costume until I realize what the reference is-- a vampire. They are played by bats a whole lot in the old movies. I start to walk past to find Naki but Rory spots me.

"Fen! There you are. I'd been looking around for you. How's it going? Have you been hiding this entire time?" he asks.

"No I uh... I'm fine. How're you?" I ask, taking a glance at the skunk; green highlights in his headfur catching my eye. I don't think it's a costume, though; he seems normally dressed in a dark-brown hoodie and black jeans. I know he's one of Valan's friends, but I've never directly spoken to him. Still, just the association between the two is enough.

"Good! Oh, this is Erin. Erin, this is Fen. I don't know if you guys've met."

I just look at him for a moment, he gives a little smile and tip of his head. "We have," he says gently. Someone walks up to Erin and begins speaking to him. I don't know who it is at first since he's wearing a rather full costume. All down his shoulders is a black robe and over his head is a hood. The front of the hood is covered in a material I assume he can see through but we cannot. Must be a death costume. Unfortunately, my curiosity gets the best of me and I start to piece who it is together. He's about the right height, and a quick twitch of my nose leaves me frowning. It's Valan. Why is he here?

"Hey, Rory, we're gonna do Jagerbombs in a sec. Wanna come?" he asks, paying no attention to me.

"Uh, gimme a bit, but sure!" Rory states before turning back to me.

Valan takes a glance my way but only gives a little nod. "Hey, Fen," he states before twisting to walk off. "Seeya in a sec, Erin, Rory..."

I watch him walk off before turning to look at Rory. "Why's he here? Actually, I should've guessed..." I mutter. "You're here, after all," I state, staring at Erin for a second.

"We haven't done anything to you," he says defensively.

"They were invited before all of that even happened and... look they're not going to do anything, alright? Valan is a resident on our floor and was invited just like everyone else," Rory says.

"He already promised to avoid even brushing up against you," Erin says. "What else do you want?"

"You -hope- he's not going to do anything. I've heard what he's said about us. He's not worth being nice to, Rory. All it's doing is making him feel comfortable with the things he thinks. It's -not- okay that he thinks we don't belong here. It's -not- okay that he believes we don't deserve citizenship or equal rights. Those things -aren't- okay, Rory," I growl perhaps just a bit too loudly since I see eyes turning to stare at me from around the room.

"Alright alright, relax..." Rory says with a slightly defensive tone. "Look, he's here for now. Avoid him, alright? We can talk about this later."

"What's going on?" Sy asks, approaching-- probably after hearing my voice. "Everything alright?" he asks, looking between me and Rory.

"Valan's here," I state. "I'm trying to understand why. You know he's talked about killing us before? He found Requorans living in his house and murdered them. People like that don't deserve to feel welcomed."

"Murder? The Requorans Valan killed were trespassing. They attack homeowners, they carry diseases, they steal. First of all, many Neotrians, not just Valan, do this. You want them to stay away from you too? Because I bet a large portion of the population has had to do it at least once. You wouldn't be able to be near most of the people in this room. Secondly, are you sure you want to insinuate that you're the same as the kind of Requoran we find crawling around in our walls?" Erin asks suddenly.

"Fen, comeon, just calm down... let's go somewhere else," Sy offers, reaching to grasp my hand. I hold my ground, though.

"And I bet you think it's okay, don't you? Maybe I didn't grow up the way they did, but they're still people! They wouldn't trespass if they had anywhere else to go... what you do -is- murder. If you'd treat them with some respect-- at least try to talk to them, then maybe no one would have to die!"

"Protecting our homes is murder? You know how many people have died because they decided to let Requorans live in their walls? You feed one because you feel bad, next thing you know a whole family is there, then an entire community. What happens when that community feels threatened somehow? Homeowners end up poisoned to death if they don't contract something before that. On top of that, most Requorans don't even speak our language. It's simply safer to remove them."

"Okay guys," Rory states. "Let's just agree to disagree. Comeon, Fen, let's go..."

"Yea, it's not worth it, Fen."

"No! You invited them, Rory. Isn't this what you wanted to happen? Because what else do you think was going to happen?" I ask him, growl still rumbling in my throat.

"Maybe he thought you'd just be civil for once and relax. We didn't start anything with you, but you seem to want us kicked out. What? Is everyone supposed to bend over backwards so that a couple of Requorans can feel entirely comfortable? No one here is interested in doing anything to you. Try and enjoy the party," Erin says.

I feel Sy tug a bit firmly on me. "Comeon, Fen," he says. "Let's go." I finally relent and take a few steps back with the raccoon, still staring at Erin; adrenaline pumping, heart beating.

"It's a party, man, you're supposed to be social and have fun," Sy states as soon as we're on the couch again, removing his mask. The Den is empty now, everyone in it went back to the living room to join the rest I guess.

"Why would he invite them?" I ask, frowning.

"Look, Fen, they're not doing anything. I know how you feel but c'mon, relax... look, you can't just be mad forever. Eventually you have to let go a bit and just... try to enjoy what we've got. I know it's easy to be pissed off at them but it's not worth it. If they keep their distance from us then I don't see any issues... Just chill out for today, okay? We can figure out what to do about it in the future later on."

I sigh and nod a little, ears lowered. "Yea," I state. "Don't worry, go back to the party."

"Come with me," he says.

"No," I state. "I'm okay, just go have fun."

He stares at me. "Naki's not gonna be happy if you just sit here all night."

"He won't remember I bet, at least not if he drinks as much as he said he was going to."

Sian grins a little. "I won't either, really. Still, just think about it okay? Don't mope all night. I'll be back to check up on you-- if I'm sober enough," he says before turning to leave.

I stare at my phone again; 9:45.

After getting another drink, I sit and try to just forget about things. I haven't seen Naki since we came in; maybe I should check on him? I wonder if he even misses me. Maybe I have been a drag on everyone even if I've tried to keep it to myself; they all want me to feel better but all I want to do is... I dunno. I take another sip of the banana-drink and try to enjoy the quietness of the Den. I never was a fan of big parties. Sy loves them but I always liked the smaller ones when we were in highschool; less chance of running into people you don't like.

My ears perk when someone walks in and I turn to get a glimpse of Erin. Instantly I start to stand but he holds his paws up.

"Look, not here for trouble. I want to talk a bit," he says, walking away to the other side of the room to sit down. "See? I'll keep my distance," he states.

I glance at him before sitting down again. Admittedly, I remain ready to leave if he does do anything.

"What?" I ask bluntly. "I just wanna be alone. I don't have anything to say to you and the only thing you seem interested in telling me about is how justified you are in hurting us."

"Yea yea," he says. "As if all I want in my life is to make you miserable."

"Could've fooled me," I reply. "So if you're not here to attack me, why are you here?"

"Because I want you to understand," he says gently.

"Understand...?"

"We probably disagree on a lot of things, sure. I can't speak for Valan but, personally, I don't have anything against you and I certainly don't hate Requorans-- at least not as a group. I think Requorans have the potential to be dangerous; not nation-threateningly dangerous, but something that has to be addressed. I think we still need to learn more about both the population of Requorans that don't own MMDs as well as the population that does. Violence has increased; Neotrians have died and been seriously injured in microaggressions triggered by your race. On top of that, very few Requorans have gone on record calling for peace and compromise. Those who have spoken in the past talk about us like we are somehow evil for being able to populate and control the land. Small Requorans spread disease by living in filth, infiltrating our walls, stealing and touching food... I've never heard of a Requoran trying to be proactive about improving relations between us. I know Neotrians haven't exactly tried, either, but after all of the things Requorans seem to go through you'd think they'd be sending people to our government regularly to try and find some way of reasonably existing alongside us."

I glare at him. "Just leave me alo--"

"Look, I'm sure you disagree. I wanna know what your opinion is... I wanna hear from a Requoran. I'll be honest, I haven't tried that hard to talk to any of you in the past. Like I said, most of you don't even speak our language... at least, none that aren't using those MMDs. You do, though... and I know you feel strongly about your opinion. I realize you have some reason to dislike me but I've never heard the Requoran side of things and I don't really feel like drinking that much today anyway. Why not try me? Worst comes to worst we go our separate ways."

I stare at him for a while before sighing to myself. Strangely, part of me welcomes this even if I don't think he'll be changing his mind. I don't plan to change mine, either. "We were hiding. If a cloaked Requoran came forward to try and talk then the secret would've been out. I don't know why no one from Kupai or one of the other cities ever came to try and negotiate... I don't know a lot about that population. Look at what happened after you learned about our cloakers, though? You slap collars on us and treat us like we're animals. Now we're marked so that -anyone- who can see us knows that we're not our true height. Anyone can just... attack us, capture us, whatever; we were made vulnerable after registration. Not only that, but they made laws against hiding our cloakers-- we have to wear them in plain sight. Anyone who wants to come after us only has to figure out where our cloaker is; boom, helpless Requoran. They even outlawed any attempts we might make to try and protect the cloakers from being taken off... and now Exclusion. Y'know what my family wanted? We wanted to enjoy what we had. I've never killed or hurt a Neotrian before and neither has Sian or any other Requoran I know. Maybe we thought it wasn't worth trying to talk. Neotrians have barely given us a second thought since the war anyway."

"I stand by my opinion that we were justified. Not only are you using technology way beyond what Requorans have been capable of before, but it's even beyond what we're capable of. That alone is a red flag, where did you get it from? We'd, of course, want to figure that out and figure out how those things work. I'm sure not all Requorans are bad, some probably do just want to get on with life, but we have no idea how true or false that may be. We don't even know how long you've been among us without us being aware. You don't just ignore a large group of unknowns popping up in your backyward," Erin replies, leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Then why register Requorans without cloakers, too?"

"Because we may as well. They've caused more trouble than any Requoran with an MMD has as far as we know. If we're going to solve a problem, we may as well solve it in its entirety. Plus it seems it wasn't a bad idea; the Requorans that were caught stealing research and making an assassination attempt were from one of your subterranean cities."

"So collecting us all is the answer, then? And then what? Only reason I'm even here talking to you now is because the High Court stepped in. If not for that then I'd be..." I frown a bit, lowering my voice as I'd started becoming louder. "You really think your government cares about us? They're collecting us so that they can do something even worse. There's no way they just let us go. They'll make something up if they have to."

"We don't know that... the High Court did step in to protect you, but the executive orders signed in by our PM protected both Requorans that are part of a Neotrian family and Requorans that are owned by a Neotrian from the beginning. That means they never meant to drive you to extinction..."

"Well you've convinced me," I mutter sarcastically. "My bad, let me go turn myself in so that our conquerors can feel more comfortable with their position in the land they pulled from under our feet. Maybe I should be happy; despite losing that joke of a war, we still managed to scare you guys-- I'm sorry if I think that Neotrians are a much greater threat to us than we are to them; we've never had the upper hand against you guys, the cloakers have been the only break we've ever managed in the last century. You asked what we've been doing? Well I told you-- we were trying to avoid living in your walls, stealing, being persecuted..."

"Which is a good point, and maybe one we could be more sensitive to," Erin states. "Although I believe we have every right to take precautions and to make certain that Neotrians are safe, I can't say that you're wrong in feeling that way. Requorans would naturally want to protect themselves and, naturally, they want to feel safe. I don't think you're lying about some Requorans wanting to better their lives with the cloakers, but it's not safe to assume that of all of them and it's not safe to assume those cloakers aren't more than they appear to be."

I just look down and shake my head. "Well, thanks. So now when I'm taken away to be stuffed in a prison or treated like I'm a criminal, I'll remember that at least one Neotrian had a bit of sympathy."

"Do you at least see where I'm coming from? If the roles were reversed, what would you do? Would you assume that a foreign population with a reason to dislike you is benign? Since the end of the war, no Requoran has ever tried to compromise with us. That's not the sign of a race ready to try and make amends."

"Maybe not, but you didn't have to make us dislike you. Neotrians could've been eighty billion times more amiable when they came here. At the very least, treat us with respect."

"I never said we didn't make mistakes. My ancestors didn't treat yours very well, I agree. That's why we're here talking about this. It's conversation like this that might find a way to make this work for both parties."

"Maybe," I say, "but I think it's easy for you. Your family isn't on the line, your life isn't on the line. No matter what happens-- unless by some miracle we manage to overthrow your government, you know that chances are you'll live a normal life. Norms-- I mean Neotrians... if they don't get their way and we get citizenship, their lives probably won't change that much. At the very least, they won't lose their families. If we don't get our way, though... we lose everything. If we don't get citizenship then our options are being deported, being enslaved, or being massacred."

He goes silent for a moment. His eyes are on mine at first, but he diverts them to the floor. "I still don't think it's as grave as you're making it out to be but... you're right on one thing. If they decide not to give you citizenship then it's hard to tell what they'll do instead."

My head turns when I hear someone walk towards the Den's entrance. "Hey, Erin? You comin'? The game's about the come on," a coyote wearing a wizard costume states before peering at me. "Oh, it's another one. How many other Requorans are there at this party?" he asks, peering between Erin and I.

"Yea, I'm coming Iris," Erin states before standing up. "Just Sian, I'm pretty sure."

"Aww, well you should come join us, short stuff." Iris grins before turning to leave. Erin makes his way to the door, stopping just for a moment to look at me. I didn't have time to respond to Iris but I do frown a little until I hear Erin speak up again.

"For what it's worth, Fen, I do hope the High Court rules in your favor. You're probably not wrong, not all Requorans are bad. I'm also kinda hoping you'll be open to talking again sometime; we might have more in common than you think and... well, it's hard to figure out if you have a good point preaching to the choir all of the time. Anyway, I'd better go before Iris comes back to get me. Take care," he says with a wave before climbing the stairs into the kitchen.

"Yea... seeya," I say. I'll admit, he wasn't as much of a jerk as I thought he'd be. Still, it's not like his opinions were that forgiving. We're still the bad guys in his eyes.

I sigh a little and check my phone: 10:30pm. The buzz from the alcohol is starting to wear down a bit and I think about going to get another.

*THOOM*

"Gah!" I jump, twisting my head to stare at whatever'd just jumped into the room. I see the grinning face of...

"Naki?" I ask, watching the obviously drunk otter walk over to me with the largest grin on his face.

"There you are! Where've you been this entire time?" he asks, moving over to plop next to me. He's wearing mardi gras all over-- glasses, necklaces...

"Uh... nothing," I say, blushing a little. "I'm fine, though, you don't have to worry," I say, trying to shift my nose away-- I think I'm getting buzzed again just smelling his breath.

"Nooo, comeon Fen it's a party! We have to -dance- at least," he states, pulling me over against him with an arm a bit forcefully. I struggle a little bit but he's pretty strong... "We've been having fun and you haven't been out there with us. Comeon, let's go to the party together.."

I push at his side a bit but he holds on, tugging me against him until my head is pressed to the side of his chest. I give an exasperated sigh and nose into his side a little. I'll admit it, having him holding me like this is pretty nice. "I'm fine," I say again. "I just wanna relax for a while..."

"You've been relaxing all niiiigghht," he sighs. "Come dance with me."

"Naki..."

"Comeon," he tugs at me, pulling me to my feet. I sigh a little, lowering my ears.

"No, really, I'm fine okay?"

He stares at me before sitting down and pulling me into his lap. I do welcome the warmth and when his arms wrap around me and pull me powerfully to his torso I can't help but lean back into it. He's much stronger than he normally lets on. "I know you're still stressed, Fen."

I lower my ears a little, leaning my head back against his chest. "I am, but... it's alright."

"But I'm worried. You haven't been okay ever since... y'know. And I know it's hard but just sitting around all the time isn't gonna fix it... let me help."

"I don't need any help. I'm better than I was a couple weeks ago, alright? It's getting better..." I say defensively. I don't actually know that that's true.

"Yea right, I bet you've been sitting here ever since we got here. It's a party, Fen. You're supposed to socialize! So tell me, what's wrong?" he asks, squeezing at me a bit. I can see he's not going to leave me alone this time.

"I dunno, I feel... listless, I guess. Like nothing I do now is going to matter in the end. What difference can I make in all of this? What's the use in going to school if all they're going to do is--" I feel something at my fingers but before I can tug away I'm suddenly my natural height, settled against Naki's lower belly and staring up at an otter grinning down at me; my cloaker between his fingers.

"Naki!" I shout. "Give it back!"

"Nope," he states, reaching to pick me up gently so that I end up in his palm. I growl a bit and stand up only to lose my balance and fall back onto my rear again. "Dammit," I mutter, frowning. "Give it back, Naki! I'm not kidding..." I shout, shifting to try and get to my knees but he simply pushes me over with a finger and pins me to his palm with his thumb. I struggle and try to push his finger off but I'm no match for it. He brings me up to his face and the smell of alcohol washes over me.

"Naki!" I shout again but he merely noses against my face.

"Yes?"

"Give me my cloaker," I state, trying to sound more firm despite already feeling a little out of breath.

"No," he says with a grin. "Fen?" he asks suddenly.

"What?" I growl. "Naki, this isn't funny."

"I know it isn't... But you can't stop me~"

I don't know what to say at first. "Naki, this isn't funny... give me my cloaker back and let go." I'm starting to huff from the exertion and eventually simply go limp, frowning to myself and taking in the room around me. Damn him, just wait until I get my cloaker back...

He never reponds. Instead, he simply begins walking back through the kitchen. I stop struggling, realizing I can't really overpower Naki at this height. "Really, Naki," I say sharply while keeping my voice down-- I don't want to attract more attention. I can see a lot of the others that showed up. Besides those that were in the kitchen making drinks and generally having a hard time standing up at this point, a number of people are in the living room laughing way too loudly and clasping beers in their paws. One lion in particular, dressed as some sort of king, can't seem to stop laughing for long enough to down the drink he seems to want. He keeps bringing the glass up but then tugging it away. I spot Erin, Valan, Iris, and what I assume to be their other friends drinking together. I can't help but wonder why Erin even bothered earlier. Is he really just interested in talking? Others are bobbing for apples or grabbing hand-fulls of candy from a table set up for treats.

Near the front of the room is a table with a fox DJ dressed up in a weird purple suit and carrying a cane. Next to him is a female tigress holding onto his side, dressed as a singer whose name I can't recall in my half-anger.

"Just let me sit, okay?" I say, hoping he'd listen. "Really, I'm being serious, Na--" I notice us walk through a sliding door out into Rory's backyard. There're a bunch of tables lit by candle light and there are a number of partygoers out here too. I feel Naki waver a bit but he keeps his footing. I sigh a little, at least the weather is pretty nice-- a bit chilly but after being inside this entire time it's a welcomed coolness.

"There you are," I hear Ian's voice. Naki sits down at a table and places me in front of him. Around the table is just about every face I know that attends Phalance. Motley, Loraine, Samson, Brian-- I don't know if Brian attends Phalance or not. There's Naki, of course, and Ian and Samantha are here-- dressed as sailors, matching uniforms and everything. It's kind of cute. I didn't even know they knew the party was happening. I blush a little-- now I really don't want to be without my cloaker.

"Hey," I say, suddenly a little flustered. I don't want to be mad in front of everyone. "Where's Sy?" I ask suddenly, noticing the raccoon isn't at the table.

"Comeon, Sian..." I hear, turning my head to see Rory, leading the raccoon out of his house. Maybe I should've been more attentive, could've probably stopped Sian from getting knee-walking drunk.

"Guys! Hey guys..." Sian states, grinning dopily and leaning a bit heavily against Rory. "Heeey, oh... Fen! You're so small," he says, peering down at me while Rory brings a cake down to the table, seeming in a bit of a hurry-- I guess Sian'd probably nearly made him drop it on the way out. It's immense, but I don't get a great look at it yet--

"Fen! Should I take mine off, too?" Sian asks, peering down at me closely. I can see Naki's hand move a bit closer, possibly out of caution. I'm not afraid, though, I've seen Sian drunk. He's clumsy but he wouldn't hurt me.

"I wouldn't have mine off if Naki didn't take it," I reply, peering up at the otter with a glare. He only grins back and pets over my head with a finger.

"Mean ol' Neotrian," Naki replies to me, wavering side-to-side a bit in his seat with a happy look on his face. He's not as drunk as Sian is, but I think he's had enough too.

Rory pulls Sian over to a chair next to Naki and gets him sat down while Ian scoots over a bit. "Why didn't you tell us there was going to be a party?" he asks.

"I uh..." I lower my ears. "I'll tell you later," I state before walking over to the mouse's fingers and giving one a rub. "I'm glad you guys are here, though. When did you arrive?"

"About half an hour ago. No one knew where you were. Well, at least not until we asked Loraine," Samantha states.

"I thought it was a bit weird you were just back there on your own," Loraine says.

I feel Ian's fingers lift and moving to surround me. "May I?" he asks, keeping his fingers poised but not grabbing until I smile and nod a little.

"Sure," I say. I feel him grasp me gently and tug me into the air. His fingers do feel weird since they're not heavily covered in fur. I find myself stroking over the flesh a little while he holds me at eye level, green eyes staring into mine before his face twists into a grin.

"You'd have never done this before," he says.

"No... I guess I'm picking up some bad habits from someone," I mutter before shifting to sit in Ian's palm. "I'm more comfortable with it now, though."

"Good, I expect to get to do it more," he says, giving my chest a little poke and winning a small nip in return. "Well stop being such a stranger and come over more."

"Maybe I will!" he replies after tugging his finger back and giving me a look. "That kinda hurt..."

"No it didn't!"

After Rory gets Sian settled he explains the reason for the cake. Apparently he'd made several for people to eat while here, but he decided to give this one to us "for the trouble he caused". I'm not sure if he means what happened back there with Erin but a giant cake is not a bad start either way... I still wonder why he didn't at least tell us that Valan would be around, but maybe I could've handled it better. I don't know. I do feel a bit bad for Rory... in a way. I mean, he has to try and stay on good terms with everyone and any problems between me and Valan here or in the dorms will ultimately see him made into the middleman. While I don't get why he even let Valan come, I still can't think of him as a bad person; not yet, at least. After he cuts the cake and finishes passing it around, he takes a seat right next to Sian. It's not long after that that I notice Sy pressing against him every now and again. The look on Rory's face is a bit unreadable. It's somewhere between uncomfortable and understanding. I can't help but chuckle softly under my breath at the glances he gives Sy who simply continues lean into the slightly flustered bat, looking half-asleep. Ian sets me down so that he can eat and I take pieces off of Naki's plate. I'll admit, being my natural height is pretty great right about now. I've never seen a cake I can literally climb.

"Oh yea..." Naki says suddenly. "Rory, this is Loraine, Samson, Brian, Samantha, and Ian..." Naki says. "We know them all from high school. Guys, Rory is our RA."

They all greet one another while I focus on taking more bites from the chocolate-frosted yellow cake. I hear Naki and Samson talking about the school's swim team and a little bit about class. Eventually it shifts over to old high school memories when Motley joins. I stay mostly quiet, watching Rory and Sy from the piece of half-finished cake Naki is working at with me. Part of me thinks I should be asking for my cloaker back but... another part of me is comfortable without it now that I've had it off for a while. My eyes glance at Sian again but he appears to be dipping in an out of consciousness. Instead of purposefully pressing against Rory, he now lays against the bat, eyes opening and closing intermittently. Despite not looking as uncomfortable, I can only imagine what's going through Rory's head while he speaks to Brian and Loraine and shifts to be more comfortable with Sy's weight against him.

"A Requoran in the family? Wow, how was finding that out?" Rory asks Loraine.

"Well, it was new but they're still family right? Can't treat them differently because of something like that."

"I agree," Rory says. "I take it you two are together?" he asks, looking to Brian who smiles a little. "Yea, ever since June," he says.

"Awesome, congrats," Rory says. "How did you meet Naki and Fen?"

Loraine grins a bit at that. I don't think Naki hears at first but Loraine seems intent on making certain he can hear it.

"Me and Naki?" she asks. It's not -loud-, but it certainly makes Naki turn to look at her. "Well, we were dating for a while," Loraine states. Naki stares at her for a moment before his face twists into an embarrassed smile.

"He dumped me for Fen," she states, glaring at me.

I stare for a moment before grinning at her. "I think I saved you a lot of trouble, honestly," I reply. I have to shout a bit but I know she hears me when her glare breaks into a grin.

"That you did. Hey, you wanna save me a bit more and take Brian as well?" she looks at the other fox and bumps him a bit. He lowers his ears a bit and smiles.

"I'm getting better, right?" he asks and she just kisses his nose. I can't see it, but I'm sure she's flicking her tail a bit.

"Oh quiet down, you're just fine." she turns to face me again. "Is he taking care of you?"

"Yea, besides the occasional block-headedness," I state before rubbing at one of Naki's nearby fingers. "He's kept me sane," I say only half-jokingly.

"Good. I'm happy for you two," she says with a smile.

Naki leans down to give me a little kiss; I rub at his muzzle tip in return. "You want your cloaker back?" he asks but I shake my head a bit.

"No, I'm... comfortable," I say.

Rory stays quiet for most of the back and forth but when it ends he smiles. "Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun."

"In hindsight," I chuckle.

"Back when their size was a secret, just about any chance that someone figured it out ended up being a big deal," Ian speaks up. "Remember the shoe incident?"

I laugh. "No no, that's not fair... Sy can't defend himself."

Samantha perks. "Wait... Oh! I remember that. Man that feels like so long ago now..."

"Yea, it does," I reply. "How you two been? Sorry I haven't called much. The last two weeks..." I say, suddenly recalling why I've been depressed. It's only then that a realize that I'd forgotten all about it for a while there.

"Nah, it's alright. We've been good! Our dorm isn't too noisy and Sam and I joined a club for CS majors. It focuses on Systems Programming; interesting stuff... for us, at least. I don't think you'd feel the same if I told you about it."

"No, I don't think so." I grin. "Good to hear, though. Oh! When did you wanna get together and play again?"

"We could next weekend if you wanna?" Ian asks. "Sam's gonna join us, finally," he bumps her a little and she bumps back.

"Watching was fun! I didn't need to join before."

"That sounds good to me," I reply. "How about around 3pm Saturday?"

"Alright, I'll make sure we can have the space for around then," Ian says.

"Good, I think maybe it'll help a bit," I say before looking at Sian passed out against Rory's side. I sigh a little.

"Hey, Rory?" I call out. He's talking with Naki but stops to look down at me.

"Hmm?"

"If you want, we could get his cloaker off and lie him down next to me."

The bat stares for a moment. "You... sure he'd be okay with that?"

"It'll be fine, he's too sleepy to realize it anyway," I say. "It's on his right hand..."

"Uhh... well, maybe someone he knows should do it?"

"Oh! I'll do it," Ian grins, shifting out of his chair and dashing to Sy. I roll my eyes a bit. It does remind me of older days... when he'd ask to see us with them off just about every week. The fact that he'd always ask instead of simply trying is probably the only reason we didn't try to avoid him.

Soon enough, Sy's cloaker is off and Ian gives it to me. I pocket it and help get Sian sprawled out on a napkin near enough to me that I can keep an eye on him. The rest of the evening is spent just like this. Motley, Samson, and Naki tell us about what led to Naki asking me about being a micro at prom; I knew the story, of course, but I still wonder what would've happened if I'd have kept my cool around Motley at the swimming championships. Ian, Sam, and I tell a few of our own stories-- eventually including the tale about Ralph which I'm sure Sy will find out about in the coming weeks somehow. Loraine tells us about how jittery Naki used to be around her and how she came to meet him the first time through Brad. I'd honestly forgotten all about Brad until that moment. I also never realized he hated Naki so much.

Where time had been inching by before, it's suddenly 1am by the time I look at my phone again. Sy's knocked out cold in Naki's hands and Naki is sobered up enough that he's not wavering anymore. I did manage to convince the otter to take a little cellphone video of Sian being held by Rory after we began clearing the table. It's actually kind of cute and I'm sure Sian'll be mad he wasn't awake for it.

After saying our goodbyes and parting ways for the dorms again, Naki is left with me riding on his head, and Sy snoring gently in his palm.

"That was pretty fun," Naki says. I can feel the vibration of him speaking through his head.

"Yep! Got someone's phone number, too," Motley states, grinning ear to ear.

"What? When?" Naki asks.

"When we were dancing."

"Oh! Olivia?"

"Yep."

"Nice."

"You gonna call her sometime?" I ask.

"Probably, but I dunno when..." Motley says, furrowing his brow. "I've always heard you're supposed to wait."

"Blah, who cares? She gave it to you, she wants you to call," I say.

"Yea, you're right. Maybe tomorrow. Or the day after," he says thoughtfully.

It's only about another hour before we have Sian in the bed, cloaker secured around his finger again. I requested we put a trashcan next to the 'coon. We'll only hope he finds it if he ends up waking up sick. Motley goes off to bed since he's technically got practice tomorrow-- I dunno how he'll get up in time for it. I'm pretty tired too, but I want to stay up with Naki, especially since I'm in such a good mood now.

"You feel better?" he asks after sitting down, holding me in his palms.

"Yea, I do. You were right, I needed to stop moping around and have fun with everyone. Sorry I'm so unbearable at times," I say.

"Naw, unbearable isn't the word. I'm glad you feel better, though. So you really sat out there in the Den for the first half of the party?"

"Pretty much," I state. "And got pissed at Rory... and ended up talking to Erin."

"What? Erin?"

"Yea, but... it was okay. He might have bad opinions but he wasn't... entirely unreasonable."

"I'm... well, as long as he didn't bother you," he says.

"Nah."

The otter leans down a bit and presses his nose to my chest, dragging it up until my shirt lifts so that my belly is exposed. I feel him roll his tongue along it gently and my eyes close, tail flicking happily at the show of affection. I rub over his nose with my hands, pressing my belly into the licking for a moment.

"Does my little Paws want a pair of paws to end his day with?" I hear his voice rumble against me. My ears flatten and my flesh reddens but I nod my head slowly.

"Y-you have no idea how much I'd like that," I stutter.

He shifts me down to the arm opposite of where he's sitting so that I stand near it and soon shifts his feet up so that they settle in front of me. Once again I'm a bit overwhelmed by just how large they are in comparison. Easily three times my height give or take.

"Rough or gentle today, Paws?" he asks. I lower my ears a bit.

"Not so loud! Someone'll hear you," I whisper sharply, biting my lip before removing my shirt to avoid getting it smelly. "...rough," I mutter right before his foot shifts downwards; toes moving in near to me. I brace myself and his toes surround my head, pressing me into the translucent webbing between before they clasp my frame with a simple curl. I feel him lift a bit before forcing me backwards into the supple sole of his opposite foot, smothering me between them.

It's warm-- very warm, and all I can smell are the two feet settled firmly around me. He squeezes gently and begins to simply rub the paw above over my frontside, grinding his scent into my fur and holding me mostly immobile except for the shifting my body does due to his rubbing. I make sure to lick and nuzzle when I get a chance-- sometimes he's a bit too firm, though, and my head gets pressed down against the sole of the paw behind me. It never hurts, but sometimes I have to really try to suck in enough air. Eventually, the foot above me stops grinding and simply rests there; sandwiching me between what -has- to be the softest feet ever. I'd swear that I'm not biased, but his are just about the only paws I've been between. I sigh gently and start licking against his foot again, pressing my face and nose firmly in place to adequately taste the slightly salty surface; enjoying the ottery flavor and noticeable musk after a day of walking around.

Before I can get too comfy, thought, he begins to shift again. I'm lifted into the air between his feet and brought down-- at least I think I'm going down. They suddenly separate and I fall to the floor. It's only about half an inch but I'm a bit dazed when I hit the carpet.

"Better run, little guy," Naki says from above, wiggling his toes nearby and splaying them out so that I get a view of the pinkish sole and toe-webbing from below. As if he were about to step on me. I smirk a little at that.

"That's not really threate--" I swallow my words as one of his toes come down and gently forces me backwards with a 'gentle' flick. I tumble a little and scramble to try and get on my feet again only to have his toes come down and grasp me by my torso, lifting and pulling me back towards the couch before dropping me on the floor-- guess escaping won't be so easy. I mutter a little, standing to protest only to see his foot coming down for me again. I jump to try and get out of the way, avoiding the ground-shaking thud that resounds when his paw hits the floor. "Missed!" I shout, turning to run only to find his other paw had, at some point, settled behind me. I'm tripped up by one of his toes, tumbling overtop his foot and then rolling onto the ground again. This is actually kind of hard. As I twist to try and stand again I notice a shadow over the floor around me.

"Poor little Requoran, helpless beneath a big, bad Neotrian's feet. What're you gonna do? Run?" he asks. I grumble and twist just as his foot comes down, raising my arms as I land on my back to try and hold his foot up. The weight hits me but it's only a small fraction, as I'm sure he's holding most of it back. My hands sink into his foot a little and my muscles strain from the pressure of even a portion of the giant otter's weight; I'm struggling to even pretend to hold it above me. Slowly, he forces his paw down on me, adding miniscule amounts of pressure until I can't hold it up anymore.

"Aww, comeon Fen! You can do better than that," he states before I finally give in. My arms fall to the sides and I watch him adjust his foot to hold it above me. "Poor little thing," he teases before his paw comes down on me with a gentle thud. He grinds it into the floor, rubbing his scent into my fur again, leaving me a little damp and reminding me of just how easily he could actually harm me. Actually, it's getting a bit hard to breathe.

"Okay okay! Careful..." I squeak and he lets up a bit.

"Sorry, you alright?" he asks, lifting his foot away and settling it so that the ball of his foot rests on my chest and his toes are settled around my head. I stare up at the webbing again and shift my head up to give a few licks over its surface, nuzzling into the flesh and breathing a bit roughly. It does have the advantage of allowing me to catch more of the scent his feet give off while pretending I'm only trying to catch my breath.

"Yea, just couldn't breathe that well. You're getting better at holding back, though," I say before squirming a bit to move so that my face is directly beneath one of his toes. He curls it down to press my head to the floor and grind it against my face fur before letting up and allowing me to plant more licks against the bottom.

"Good," he says gently, adjusting himself to grasp me between his feet again and lift me back to the couch. Once deposited by the arm again, he turns around and lies on his belly so that his soles are exposed to the air. I climb up onto the bottom of one and lie down, starting to lick gently along his heel while he relaxes above.

"I'm glad you had fun today, Fen. You've been scaring me a bit."

"I know. I'm sorry... I promise I'll try harder to not be so moody," I say in return, closing my eyes now and resting my head against his soft sole. The heat and musk coming off of it is relaxing; I can't help but plant a kiss over the bottom once more before I finally settle. We talk for a while longer and each second we continue speaking is a second I intend to tell him that I should go get some sleep. I never get around to it, though, as becomes apparent when I wake up to the sound of Sian exiting our room with a weary groan and the realization that I'd just used Naki's foot as a bed.