Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sky had been gray for several days now, the dark and threatening clouds gave the impression of being ready to break out at any moment. The wind was blowing, not strong enough to disturb the passers-by but enough to make the branches of the few trees and other plants that decorated the city shake, making their leaves fall off and disappear elsewhere. The smell of humidity floated in the air almost hiding the other smells and if you listened carefully you could hear the distant hum of a thunderstorm rumbling. However the weather did not stop the living.

On the sidewalks many people were walking, some in a hurry to reach their destination, others walking and admiring the store signs and what they offered, while the few illuminated signs here and there were trying to color this world of black and white a little. In the streets the cars, whose lights had been turned on because of the semi-darkness, were coming and going, growing and moving in a strange and unpredictable choreography. The surrounding noise was deafening, a mixture of the conversations of the passers-by, of the few blasts of the horn that the cars exchanged when one of the drivers did not respect the code of the road or had simply decided to release his frustration on innocent strangers.

A few people had lingered in front of a store that sold televisions, most of the screens presented in the glass were old models that had not been sold for several years now. The multitude of screens, which were accompanied by small speakers, were broadcasting the evening news. With the clouds and the prolonged darkness it was very easy to lose track of time without any chronological reference. The face of the main reporter appeared with a smile, made up of teeth so white that they could not be real, on his face. The reporter began to announce headlines about things that concerned the city, the country and even the rest of the world. With the headlines announced, the reporter began his speech.

"But first let's remember that this week we are celebrating 70 years of the Great Revelation ! So let's give a warm welcome to our friends the fantastic creatures !" Spat out the speakers with a slight sizzle

"Humph ! Those monsters would have been better off staying hidden." Blew loudly one of the people standing in front of the televisions.

"Ma'am, please be careful what you say." Said someone else who was standing nearby.

"I have a right to express myself, and anyway, I'm just saying what most people think !" Replied the woman dismissively.

"That's not why we want to hear you call us a monster !"

A man in his thirties who had been content to watch television silently from the beginning turned to the woman who had begun to denigrate the Supernaturals. If from a distance and at first glance his appearance did not reveal anything special, when looking more carefully, one could see small scales of pale blue color at each corner of his crystal clear eyes. The same blue color appeared on his ears, almost entirely hidden behind his silky blond mane, whose shape was strangely reminiscent of a fish fin.

The woman let a small hiccup of surprise escape her before backing away slightly, an expression of disgust plastered on her lips as her eyes struck the merman with anger and hatred. The woman replied something in the direction of merman that you didn't even bother to listen to. People like this woman, besides being numerous, were lost causes, too blinded by fear, malice or simply stupidity, they refused to listen to anyone and acted as if they were superior to the Fantastic People. Fighting or arguing with this kind of human was useless, it was like jumping into a puddle to try to make it go away, the only thing you got out of it was to get dirty.

At her remark which must have been very unpleasant, the merman hissed almost like a snake, the woman gave a cry that was far too exaggerated as she backed away, jostling some people in passing. Pushing a sigh you pulled back the hood that was resting on your head a little more, plunging your gloved hands a little deeper into the pockets of your sweater to secure what was there, before passing by the small crowd that had formed around the woman and the merman to continue your way. Soon enough the police would arrive and separate the two, the merman, who had made the wrong decision in responding to the provocations of this woman, would surely have a warning for threatening a human, even though he had only defended himself and his people.

Once away from the agitated crowd, you straightened your face to observe the street and all the people that were there. The world's population was made up of about 50% humans, so it was not uncommon to see humans walking around the streets. To them was mixed the 30% that represented the Metal People or Technological People, or still called the Science-Fiction People, which consisted of animatronics, robots and androids.

More than 150 years ago, technology had experienced its greatest advance, and the first members of the Technological People had made their appearance at that time. These people had initially been considered as tools but had gradually developed into an intelligent species with their own rights and freedoms. The humans had given their ancient creations the freedom to decide and live, allowing them to create their own government, hospitals, schools and other public buildings, as well as to create businesses and factories that allowed them to have children. There was a class dedicated entirely to the procreation of animatronics in college, but you decided to skip  school on those days.

The metal and plastic figures that walked the streets were as varied as the human species, making each animatronic unique and different. Like their original creator, these creatures made of metal and animated by electricity and numbers walked the streets just as easily as humans did, unlike the remaining 20% of the population that was made up of the Fantastic People.

After witnessing the creation and acceptance of animatronics by humans, the supernatural people began to think that their existence could be accepted as well. So the government of the Fantastic People, which at the time was secretive, made the decision that after thousands of years of living with humans it was time for the supernaturals to stop living in the shadows. If some of the human and animatronic population had easily accepted the magical creatures in their daily lives, it was not the case for all. After all, there was a difference between creatures that humans had even created and those whose existence they had no explanation for.

After having crossed several streets, immersed in your thoughts, you saw a new crowd gathering in the distance in front of the entrance to one of the alleys you regularly used, since it led to your neighborhood. Seeing the flashing lights of the numerous police cars parked nearby still active, you couldn't help but let out a sigh of annoyance. A few hours ago you had passed through this same alley shortly after someone had discovered a dead body at the foot of one of the buildings. The police had already been informed but had not yet arrived. So, out of curiosity, you took a look at the corpse, wished him well in the afterlife before resuming your journey, not bothered by the sight of a dislocated body of a man or even by the pool of blood that had formed around him. Although you had carefully avoided stepping in the blood so that you wouldn't find yourself stupidly accused of murder.

You had hoped that when you returned the police would have already removed the body and that the alleyway would be free of traffic again, although you could have gone through another alleyway but you would have to make several detours before being able to return to your apartment. With a new sigh you decided to walk towards the crowd, hands still in your pockets, curiosity pushing you to see the progress of the police investigation. The crowd was less dense than at first sight, you slipped easily between the different people present, elbowing slightly to be able to find yourself in the first row behind the famous yellow ribbons 'do not cross' that the police had installed.

Further down the alley were several uniformed police officers who were busy with a particular task, whether it was taking pictures, filling out documents or talking to witnesses. Among the law enforcement officials, you saw humans, an animatronic, but no magical creatures. Even though many of the magical creatures looked human most of the time, such as Skinwalkers, Vampires and Werewolves, you could recognize them by your sense of smell. The smell of the creatures belonging to the Fantastic People was recognizable and characteristic to each species. But here, even with a slight modification of your sense of smell, you could only detect the presence of magical creatures in the crowd, and you didn't suspect that they too had smelled you, or somehow detected that you were a supernatural creature.

Your gaze wandered around the area marked out by the police, stopping on a few insignificant details or on objects that some policeman or other had placed before coming to rest where the body had once been. You were right, the body had been moved, but the blood pool was still present on the ground, now trampled and even more spread than before, like a macabre painting on the concrete floor. You let out a small sigh, you weren't sad that this man was dead, but you knew that his death would further confuse the Fantastic Community, and things were already complicated enough for all of you.

"It's probably a suicide." Declared one of the police officers who was further away at the scene.

"It's a murder." You thought before clicking your tongue in annoyance, too many things didn't make sense when put together, but these things were only visible to a creature apartment to the Fantastic People. Logic would have dictated that you should have told the police about this information, but who were you ? You were just another citizen of the Fantastic Community, if you told the police that they were wrong and that the evidence was in the smell of fear no one would believe you and you would probably be arrested for obstructing the police. And you definitely didn't need anything more to add to your criminal record. At this thought your hands closed a little more on the loot that lay in your pockets.

"That's them in the hood ! That's the person I saw hanging out next to the corpse earlier !" A female voice exclaimed.

Your face instantly turned towards the voice that had spoken, you then immediately met the eyes of a human woman who recoiled in surprise as she realized that you had heard her speak. She stood back with the rest of the few witnesses who had passed through the alley before the police arrived. You remember seeing her in the alleyway in a state of panic unable to do anything but cry, plus you currently had your hood pulled down over your head, you never thought she would be able to recognize you.

Two silhouettes that you had not noticed before turned in your direction. Two animatronics that you hadn't noticed before because they were dressed in civilian clothes and were in the company of the other witnesses, but now that your gaze crossed a pair of fiery red eyes and the other one of an impenetrable black, you understood that they were policemen, and that the only thing you had left to do was to flee.

You turned suddenly, taking your hands out of your pockets to push the few people who were surrounding you and blocking your way. Within seconds you were out of the crowd, sprinting down the street as the smarter passersby got out of the way before you had a chance to push them. You had partially transformed, tail and ears out, your senses sharpened and your muscles strengthened, forcing you to ignore the unpleasant smells and deafening noises to focus on the two animatronics chasing you. You had a head start, but they were fast enough to keep a steady distance between you and them. And even if you were tough enough, you knew that when you started to tire they would have no problem whatsoever, not needing to breathe or rest, they would eventually catch up to you.

You couldn't keep running in a straight line for very long, you would have to change your strategy. As you came to a new street you turned at a right angle, using one of your gloved hands to grip the wall and help you turn more easily without hurting yourself and enter a smaller alley. There were fewer people around, which gave you no protection against the guns the two animatronics might have been armed with, whether the bullets were tranquilizer, electrified, or even deadly. You heard two metal policemen enter the alleyway you had just entered, the distance between you having narrowed slightly.

You couldn't get arrested, not with all the wallets and other items you'd stolen on you, you knew that the warning you'd received last time was the last one, if you got caught today you'd end up in jail for a few years and you didn't want that. You couldn't stand to be locked up within four walls, and being locked up constantly with a bunch of fantastic creatures would only put you and what you were trying to hide at even greater risk. You were going to have to give up your loot, at least if you got caught you wouldn't have anything on you, and that would also make it easier for you to get away. When you reached the end of the alley you grabbed one of the trash cans that was in the passage, knocking it over behind you in the hope of slowing down the two animatronics.

You then emerged into a new wide street, not wasting a second you dashed onto the road, a car passed at full speed in front of you and you jumped into the traffic crossing the road narrowly avoiding a new car that honked loudly in your direction as its wheels screeched against the asphalt when it stopped too suddenly. Once you had crossed the road, you entered the alley opposite, and at the end of this narrower and darker alley, you spotted an open garbage can. You plunged your two hands into your two pockets catching everything you could find before throwing it all into the trash can as you passed by. The crashing of the objects as they broke was not your problem. The two animatronics had caught up with you once again.

Your teeth were clenched, your lungs began to burn, as did your muscles, but now you were free to move about as you pleased, and to put your feline agility to the test without risking anything. You turned right, entering a new alleyway that was at the back of an apartment building. Many fire escapes were there, rusted and aged by time and weather, but still passable, without slowing down you ran towards one of the metal stairs before jumping, your legs that you had transformed enough to feel the fur rubbing against your jeans helped you reach the height of the safety barrier of the first flat floor of the stairs with your hands. You then quickly pulled yourself up the stairs, not even bothering to breathe as the two policemen arrived.

You climbed the stairs four by four, even leaning on your hands to climb more easily. When you reached the top, you spun around, feeling the wind stirring your hair, which was no longer protected by your hood that had fallen off during your chase. Also your gray cat ears were now visible, pressed against your skull as you turned towards one of the buildings next door. You took off running again, barely holding onto the edge of the building you were standing on to jump and land nimbly on the flat roof of the building next door. You saw out of the corner of your eye the two animatronic policemen appearing on the roof you were standing on a few moments ago, urging you to repeat the action once more to put more distance between you and them.

Your heart was pounding not only from the fear of getting caught, from all your physical efforts but also from the adrenaline. You had to admit that the two policemen were tenacious and skillful, no animatronic was able to keep up with you, especially once you started to abuse your Skinwalker cat agility. Crossing over rooftops, even the tiled or sloped ones, was no problem, you used your tail to balance your weight, leaping over chimneys and climbing over air conditioner vents with an agility that would make even the greatest human parkours blush.

After five minutes of jumping from rooftop to rooftop, a building stood in front of you that was far too high for you to reach, even with your abilities. You could jump to the building to the right, but that would waste your time, and only prolong the chase, knowing that your body was almost at its limit. The large building across the street had a gutter that ran along the entire edge of the roof before dropping down the wall, hanging by a few wretched ties. Between the roof and the ground there was about fifteen meters, it was certain death for a human, but you were not human so you did not fear this height. Two rooftops behind you the police were getting closer, and it was high time to end it all. You sprinted towards the tallest building, leaning on the edge of the walls that made up the you you were standing on to jump.

You heard voices shouting behind you, but the wind whistling in your ears prevented you from understanding what was being said. As you had noticed you were unable to reach the you roof, however, your outstretched hands closed the gutter that was hanging vertically on the wall.  There were a few seconds of silence where nothing happened before finally with a cracking sound the ties that held the gutter to the wall finally gave way under your weight, the gutter tilting as the ties attached to the wall broke one by one as the gutter gradually collapsed. As the gutter fell, it bent slightly, the top of it rubbing against the wall of the building you had just jumped from, slowing the fall of the gutter as well as your fall a little more.

Finally, five or six meters from the ground, you let go of the gutter which had begun to break into several pieces on either side. You felt your body fall in free fall, attracted by gravity, but before you hit the ground you transformed completely, letting the gray fur cover your whole body as your limbs shortened, and your human face disappeared to be replaced by feline features, your whole body changing to let you adopt the shape and size of a house cat. When you touched the asphalt floor, it was not your feet and hands that cushioned the shock, but four strong paws that were cut for this kind of acrobatics. You lifted your muzzle towards the two animatronic policemen who were leaning over the void to look at you, unable to do anything since they couldn't jump from that height and even if they hurried back down you would have had plenty of time to escape.

Suddenly a drop of water landed right on your snout, startling you and causing you to shake your face. The drop of water was quickly followed by many others as the rain finally decided to fall on the city. You heard the rumble of thunder followed quickly by a flash of lightning, which caught your eye. You turned your head once more in the direction of the two policemen, crossing their black and red orbs with your own orbs (e/c) one last time before turning on your heels and disappearing into the alley under the pouring rain, satisfied that you had succeeded in routing the policemen, especially two animatronics.

The cold water soaked into your gray fur, plastering it to your body as you trotted down one of the alleys leading to the Miracle District after making several turns and detours around town to make sure no one was following you and would be able to track you down. You wouldn't risk going through the alley occupied by the police, now that some of them had seen you in your full animal form, they could easily recognize you and you wouldn't want to be chased again. You weren't too worried that they would find you simply because of your feline physique, Cats-Walkers, one of the many subspecies of Skinwalker, were numerous in the city, especially Cats-Walkers with grey tiger fur.

You didn't think these two animatronics could see your face either, you were careful never to look directly at them to avoid facial recognition. The only thing they had on your human form was the color of your hair, but again it was a very small detail to find you. However, you preferred to be cautious, you would stay quiet for a few days and you would ask one of your neighbors to be your alibi if the police ever came to ask you questions.

The storm was rumbling heavily, and the heavy rain was making it difficult for you to move forward, blinding you slightly, many passers-by had taken shelter when the rain started, leaving only the bravest or most desperate in the streets of the city. You decided to take refuge for a few minutes under the porch of a building, shaking your fur to dislodge as much water as possible before lifting one of your paws to your face to remove the few drops that had fallen in your eyes or clung to your whiskers. You raised your eyes to observe the street in front of you, apart from the already gray tones of the city due to the clouds and rain, your feline vision had diminished even more the intensity of the colors, painting everything in more pastel colors.

Everything about you was similar to that of a real cat, from your sense of smell, to your hearing, to your organs, and ending with your body. The only thing that wasn't animal was your mind, but you could still feel your instinct, in some distant corner of your mind, telling you to lick the water out of your fur. An instinct that you pushed away very easily and quickly, but you knew that young skinwalkers, or even desperate or weakened ones, sometimes gave in to their instincts.

Skinwalkers was the name given to people who were able to transform themselves into an animal. The name Skinwalker came from old Navajo legends that spoke of malevolent shamans who could transform into wild beasts. Many also believed that the first Skinwalkers appeared in the deserts of Arizona before spreading to the rest of the world. But even in the fantasy community no one could attest to the authenticity of this, as magic is volatile and undetectable, and centuries and centuries of hiding magic and the supernatural from human eyes had finally made our history disappear.

There were also Werewolves who were able to transform into a creature that could resemble a wolf, or at least a canine. But unlike Skinwalkers, Werewolves had more trouble controlling their transformations. It usually took them several years and the tutelage of an accomplished werewolf, a wolf who could control himself, to be able to control his instincts during transformations. The humans were not wrong when they spoke of Alpha and chains of dominance in their books, it was one of the few things they got right, but that was probably because werewolves were the most seen and known of all magical creatures.

Besides, the werewolf transformation was painful, and clothes couldn't withstand the breaking bones and changing muscle mass. But Werewolves lived longer, were much stronger and faster even in their human forms, and above all they possessed a strong immune system and a healing process that allowed them to heal in a few hours wounds that would have required a hospital stay for any other creature.

Selkies could be considered close cousins to Skinwalkers, but they only transformed by putting on their seal skin, and the consequences of stealing or destroying their skin could be dramatic and irreversible. There were also other types of transformation, like the Sirens and the Mermen who saw their legs transform into flippers when they came in contact with large amounts of water.

And there were also the creatures that even though they were almost physically similar to humans were unable to hide themselves completely, like the Centaurs, the Goblins, all the beings belonging to the family of the 'Little People' like the Dwarves, the Gnomes, the Oknytts or the Domovoys and many others. They had been the ones who had benefited the most from the Great Revelation, no longer needing to hide in the woods, gardens or alter their physique with talismans or other crystals infused with illusory magic.

Shaking your muzzle to get you out of your thoughts but also to get rid of the remaining water that had accumulated in your fur. Your gaze was drawn to a silhouette of an old woman at the end of the street you were standing in who was walking in the rain, without an umbrella but without a trace of moisture on her clothes. You squinted to see that the drops of water were as if deflected, not reaching the old lady as if she was protected by an invisible umbrella. You saw this as an opportunity to move forward a little more while being sheltered from the rain. When the old lady passed by where you had set up protection from the rain, you jumped up with a little mewl, landing next to her feet and in the area where the rain was magically diverted.

The old lady stopped and looked down at you, her face was covered with wrinkles, her body was all packed and her bones were quite prominent, even her hair had become entirely white, preventing you from knowing what color it had been. But her eyes, as deep blue as the ocean, shone with vigor and sweetness. When you saw the water being magically diverted from her figure you suspected that she was a water creature, whether a Nymph or a Fairy, but now that you were next to her her scent told you that she was a Nixe, a species related to Undines. When she saw you, the nixe blinked before letting a small smile appear on her lips.

"Good evening young cat-Walker."

"Meow." You reply, holding her gaze.

"Do you want to keep the old lady company or are you just trying to avoid the rain ?"

You meowed again which made the old lady laugh. You knew she couldn't understand you, after all only cats can understand cats, but that didn't stop it from being a way of letting her know that you were willing to listen as long as you could stay dry.

"No matter what your answer is the result will be the same, so let's go my little instant companion."

The nixe started walking again with you at her side. As she talked about her late husband and grandchildren, you were careful not to brush against her, not only because you didn't want to trip her up, but also because you didn't want to rob anyone else today. For several blocks you walked side by side, no one really paying attention to you, the rare few braving the rain in too much of a hurry to see a woman without an umbrella walking along with a cat by her side while staying dry. The nixe was good company, you were really paying attention to what she was telling you and her stories were full of everything you needed to capture your attention. Or maybe it was just that you kept your childlike soul and liked to listen to the stories the elders told.

The Fantastic Community was quite close-knit and supportive, and it wasn't uncommon for complete strangers to help each other out. However, like everywhere else, there were some exceptions, like the Trolls in their bad time, which was almost all of their existence, the Werewolves on full moon days, or simply those who were cruel and evil. But generally the anger and hatred of the Fantastics was directed at the humans and the Techno People more than at their own kind. After all, it was you against the rest of the world.

Finally the time came for you and the nixe to part ways, she heading for other quarters while you had only a few more alleys to go before returning to the Miracle District. After she wished you a good evening, to which you answered with a little meow, you started again under the rain which had now largely decreased in intensity. After looking at both sides of the road you crossed into a small alley, cluttered with garbage cans and other trash that ended in a fence. You climbed on top of one of the garbage cans, continuing along the driveway, stepping over the dumpsters until you came to the fence, and then jumped down, landing on the top of the fence with agility before jumping to the other side.

You had just entered the Miracle District, but you still had a good distance to go before you could return to your apartment. When you came to a new alley, you went forward until you came to the main road, the buildings of the Miracle District were all much smaller and for the most part less well maintained than those of the rest of the city. The street lights, some of which had flickering lights, illuminated the streets which were already busier than the one you had passed earlier.

You could see a dog-Walker having fun in the rain, jumping and trying to catch the drops of water in his mouth before rolling in the puddles that had formed because of the deformed road. Further on, a goblin had started to put small boats made of dead leaves on the water that was going down the road, some children, of various species, having fun chasing the little boats. Walking along the sidewalk you passed an alley in which there was a minautor that two young fairies were helping to fix a broken gutter. There was even a mermaid who was sitting in an inflatable pool that she had probably filled with rainwater. So many fantastic creatures that weren't hiding.

Not that you would hide in the rest of the city, but here in the Miracle District where the Fantastic population was 75% of the residents you had more freedom. Normally, untimely transformations, the use of magic or anything that might disturb or frighten other residents were forbidden in the common areas, but here, even though these laws still applied, few respected them since most of us were used to seeing Fairies flying or Nagas crawling.

But this freedom was only a façade and a small comfort to the situation in which the Miracle District found itself. Most of those who lived in the Miracle District were not rich. Many magical creatures were looking for jobs but were unable to get them because of their supernatural conditions. And when, in despair, some turned to the wrong people, this gave rise to underground fighting arenas, drug and live-creature trafficking, the creation of Mafia-like or Yakuza-like clans, and radical groups advocating the domination of magical creatures over those human and robotic beings who despised and repressed us. But you were out of it, you were not a saint, but you were not the worst criminal living in this neighborhood, and you did not want to become one, your life was complicated enough in normal times.

You crossed two more streets, a few people greeting you as you absentmindedly answered them with a wag of your tail or a little meow, before stopping in front of a building. The building was made of red bricks which, faded by the weather and the years, had become pink, almost yellow in places, colored with green also in places where the water did not drain easily and gave the silt the opportunity to grow. Some of the windows on the lower floors were broken and had been mended with cardboard or garbage bags and tape. The fire escapes were in worse shape than the rest, corroded by rust, in some places the railing was missing as if torn off, or dented as if someone had given it a violent blow.

Next to your building was a small alley that housed the garbage cans. You went inside, walking up to find a small hole in the wall between two garbage cans, created a long time ago after a brick had fallen out. The hole was at the very bottom of the wall, and was just big enough for you to slip your paw, up to your elbow or so, inside to pull out an old empty tuna can. Inside the can rested your set of keys, which consisted of the key to your apartment and the key to the mailbox. You preferred not to have your keys on you when you went out pickpocketing, not only so you wouldn't lose them but also because if you needed to escape by transforming yourself completely, you simply couldn't get rid of the keys.

You could transform completely with any clothes, the fabrics somehow merging with your skin and fur, but it was still more pleasant to transform when the clothes were made of natural materials like cotton or wool. You had already heard stories of skinwalkers having to go to the hospital because the clothes they wore while transforming had become embedded in their skin. If, during the transformation, you had objects in your pockets they would inevitably end up on the ground, metal and any other object not as thin as cloth and made of natural material would not pass the transformation, worse in some cases it could make the transformation painful.

That was one of the reasons you decided to get rid of the items you stole before you shifted, you also preferred to think that there was some chance that the two animatronic policemen didn't see you getting rid of the wallets. And even if they did find the items you stole, with the gloves you were wearing you had left no fingerprints.

The jewelry, such as necklaces and bracelets, did not undergo any change and being too large or too tight during the transformation was lost or broken, the only exception was the piercings and earrings, that was why you had a few in each ear, two on the left side and three on the right, they were small rings or small studs but they were the only jewelry you could wear so you took advantage of it. As for the shoes it was a mystery and a lottery, some supported the transformation, others not, the only way to know was to test. But you knew that the pair of black Converse you had on your feet was as comfortable as it was practical.

But then again, everything was complicated in the world of magical creatures, where certain rules applied to Skinwalkers, this was not the case for all species with transformation. Werewolves could not wear clothes or jewelry, while Selkies could wear clothes and jewelry without fear. Magic and the supernatural were some of the most unstable and erratic things that even as a member of this people you had a hard time joining the whole thing.

Heaving a sigh, you stepped back slightly before recovering your human appearance. Your clothes were soaked, as was your hair and everything else on your body. You bent down and retrieved your keys before pushing the can back into its hole with your foot to be used later before heading back down the main street to finally enter your building. The entrance was a long 'T' shaped hallway, to the right was the landlord's house while to the left were the stairs leading to the upper floors and apartments. Walking down the hallway you passed the many mailboxes that were mostly empty, except for the police officer's reminders.

As you turned to go up the stairs you heard the door to the owner's house open. You stopped and turned around to see a man coming out, his hair was ashy gray, but it was not old because it was his natural color, at least you had always known him with this hair color. His face was quite angular in shape but his soft features and warm brown eyes softened his face. Like all other Harpies, his arms, which were larger than those of humans in proportion to their bodies, were lightly covered with feathers of the same color as his hair, while his fingers ended in hooked nails. His legs were those of a bird, long thin and covered with a layer of feathers up to the knees before ending in bird feet.

"Oh ? Did the cat get caught in the rain ?" Said the harpy.

"Yeah... Looks like it." You reply with a small amused smile.

"That doesn't sound like you... You haven't gotten yourself into trouble yet at least ?"

"If I had, I wouldn't have been here, would I ?" You say with a big smile.

"I hope I don't see the police show up on the doorstep like last time."

"I hope so too ! Have a nice evening Mr. Botzaris."

Mr. Botzaris let out a small sigh before finally wishing him a good evening and leaving the apartment. The owner of your apartment was an extremely intelligent and equally kind man, he had graduated from a great school and possessed a great deal of knowledge on all subjects, however despite all his qualities he never had a permanent job because of his condition as a Harpy. Harpies were known to have an unstable and aggressive temper, but this was only the case for their wild ancestors, as humans had evolved so had most of the fantastic creatures. Mr. Botzaris was far from being like his ancestors, in fact he was one of the few fantasy creatures you knew who stood up for humans and wanted to make peace with them, he gave volunteer classes to the young and old of the fantasy community to educate them.

Shaking your face, you turned back to the stairs as you began the climb up the six flights of stairs that separated you from your apartment. The stairs were separated in two, one part was made of steps covered with plastic flooring, and the other was a slight slope covered with non-slip plastic to allow any magical creature that had trouble climbing the steps to go up, likewise the three lower floors were preferably reserved for those who had trouble climbing the heights. As you climbed the almost spiral staircase you observed the yellowed and aged beige paint on the walls, trying to figure out what had caused the stains on the paint.

As a Skinwalker cat, you lived on the seventh and top floor of the building, since you were not afraid of heights, nor of accidental falls. You were sometimes annoyed that you had to go up and down six flights of stairs every time you wanted to go out or come home, but you consoled yourself with the fact that you didn't have any noisy neighbors above you, and that if you ever needed to get away from anyone who tried to attack you in your apartment you would have time to jump out the window and escape before your enemies reached your door.

Arriving at the top floors you looked at the two doors in front of you before heading to number 11. You inserted the key into the lock before pushing the door open and entering your small apartment. It wasn't very big, but it was better than nothing or some other apartments. It was a small four-room apartment, a kitchen that also served as a living room and dining room, a bedroom separated by a corridor from the bathroom and toilet, which were different rooms. The walls were the same color as those of the corridor, except for the one at the level of the window and the fire escape which had been left bare and revealed the reddish stone wall.

You didn't have much furniture, an old sofa that you had recovered from the dump after someone had thrown it away, a small coffee table that also served as a dining table, a small TV cabinet on which rested a television that, although old, worked and received almost all the existing channels. In your kitchen you had everything you needed to cook the most basic and quick meals, you had some aromatic plants installed on the fire escape that a neighbor of the neighborhood who was a nymph had given you.

You locked the door once you entered the apartment before heading to your bathroom as quickly as possible to avoid getting water everywhere. Your bathroom had a bathtub that could also be used as a shower, a small sink above which was a small cabinet hidden behind a mirror. You took off your clothes before wringing them out and putting them in the sink, tomorrow you would have to ask one of your neighbors if you could use their washing machine. You slipped into the bathtub to take a quick hot shower, before leaving your small bathroom to go to your room. In your sleeping area there was a bed, which had been made quickly, a small wardrobe and a nightstand, all made of dark wood and slightly damaged but still standing. You went to the closet to get some clean house clothes, which consisted only of a tank top and a pair of sweatpants.

You then left your room to go back to the living room where you retrieved your set of keys that you had left on the coffee table to put them next to the TV before leaving for the kitchen. You didn't have the courage to cook anything tonight, so you picked through the few leftovers you had and decided that some chicken pasta would do just fine before heating it up for a few minutes in the microwave. Once your plate was hot you headed to the living room to sit in front of the television, absent-mindedly listening to the few animal reports that were on before heading to the kitchen to do your dishes. You finally made your way to your room, letting yourself fall into bed face down on the mattress before squirming until you slipped under the covers and closed your eyelids.

You had been asleep for what seemed like an hour or so when you heard a knock on your door. With a grunt you turned around hoping they would leave you alone if they thought you weren't home, but the knocking was repeated several times and you knew it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. You struggled to get up from the bed, reaching for the phone on the dresser, which technically wasn't yours because you had stolen it, but that was a long time ago. You looked at the clock and saw that it was barely 6:10, you could have slept for a few more hours before you had to get up. With a grunt of frustration you left your room and walked down the hallway, praying that whoever had disturbed you had a good excuse.

When you arrived in the living room, the first thing that worried you was that whoever was behind the door had no smell, so you knew it wasn't a human, nor a fantastic creature. So it had to be an animatronic. A bad feeling made you freeze, the hair on the back of your neck standing up slightly. You tilted your face slightly, turning your ears to better hear what was behind the door. Hearing only one kind of buzzing sound you realized there was only one animatronic, but that didn't reduce your suspicion. Your mind and your instincts told you that it could be one of the animatronic policemen who had chased you yesterday, but you thought it could also be the animatronic woman who lived in the building across the street. It wouldn't be the first time she'd woken up in the middle of the night to chase away a mouse that had infiltrated her home.

"y/n ? Would you please open the door ?"

Surprised to recognize the voice, you approached the door to open it, finding yourself in front of a huge animatronic, almost 7 feet tall, bear-like designer. He had most of his body colored a soft warm brown, tending towards orange while his torso, his lower jaw, the inside of his big hands and the inside of his round metal ears were a beige that also tended towards orange. He had some touch of color on his body, such as two lines, one neon blue and the other red, that followed the line of his eyebrows, going down slightly at the level of his nose before stopping on the sides of his cheeks. Another vertical line of the same blue was drawn across his chin to what served as his lower lips.

You also knew that he had a flash of blue on his chest, but it was almost entirely hidden behind his police uniform. He wore the dark blue almost black shirt buttoned all the way up, a small gold star decorated each end of the collar, on each arm was embroidered the emblem of the city's police, while in one of his chest pockets, the left one, was a black pen. He had a wide belt around his waist on which many small pockets were hung, but the one usually housing his weapon was empty. His pants fell on his legs and ended on black leather shoes. And finally, hanging on his shirt where the human heart would normally be was an impeccable medal that confirmed his membership in the justice system.

"Freddy ? W-What are you doing here ?"

Freddy wore a saddened, worried expression, his neon blue eyes lowered in your direction as he breathed :

"You're going to have to come with me to the police station. You're a suspect in the murder of Arnold Wilson."

"Oh... I'm in trouble."

Chapter Text

Freddy sighed at your comment, shaking his metal muzzle before looking up at you again to stare at you and try to read you. You hold his gaze with little or nothing to hide.

"Freddy... You know I'd never do something like that right ?!"

"I'm sorry y/n, a witness saw you hanging around Arnold Wilson's dead body, and when two of my colleagues tried to approach you for questioning and you ran off."

"I didn't kill him." You repeated.

"I know you didn't. But it's not my decision." Freddy replied with a sad little smile. "Please don't make it worse for yourself and come with me to the police station."

"Okay. But at least let me change first."

"Okay, but don't try to run away again." Freddy says.

"No I'm not stupid, I'm in enough trouble as it is." You sighed.

You invite Freddy in before heading back to your room and changing. You put on a new sweatshirt and pants before finishing with a pair of black gloves, you looked at yourself in the mirror, fixing your hair as best you could before joining Freddy in the living room. The animatronic was sitting next to the chair but didn't dare to sit down or make himself comfortable. You retrieved your keys from the television and turned to Freddy who gave you a small smile of encouragement. You rolled your eyes before following his lead as he left your apartment. After locking up your apartment, you turned to Freddy who was waiting for you with a pair of handcuffs between his big paws. You gave Freddy your key, since you were not allowed to have any personal items, and he put them in one of his pockets

"I'm sorry... It's the..."

"That's the protocol. I know, Freddy. And stop apologizing. It's like it's your fault, I screwed up." You declared, interrupting the animatronic.

You held out both hands towards Freddy who after a few seconds of hesitation came to close the handcuffs around your wrists. The metal was strangely hot around your wrists but you knew that was because the magic in them had activated to block your shifter ability. A normal pair of handcuffs wouldn't have held if you were shifting, and the humans, after a few arrests of magical creatures had realized this and so had made handcuffs that could hold most Fantastics, Dwarves who were extraordinary blacksmiths by nature, as well as Fairies capable of minor magic had been put to use. The feeling of the anti-magic cuffs around your wrists was not very pleasant, but you were used to it. As you began to walk down the stairs with Freddy you heard the door next to your apartment open.

"Hey... If you go to jail, can I have your chair ?"

You turned your head to see your next door neighbor grinning at you, his eyes slightly crinkled with mischief as his hairy tail and round ears wagged slightly. Shin Rayton was a young man about your age, his dark brown hair reaching his shoulders and almost completely hiding his ears which were the same color. His amber brown eyes glowed with amusement, but you could also see a hint of concern in them. Shin was a tanuki, a species of creature with an appearance somewhere between a Pomeranian and a raccoon, who were able to take on a human appearance. Tanukis, like Kitsunes who were foxes, were part of a strange group of creatures that instead of being humans who could shapeshift, were originally wild animals who had obtained the ability to become human.

"Don't touch my stuff raccoon. I'm not going to jail today." You replied with a smile in his direction.

Shin let an offended expression appear on his lips before he stuck his tongue out in your direction and turned his back, his black and brown striped tail disappearing behind the door before it slammed. You got along well with Shin, he had been your neighbor for a few years now and you used to watch all kinds of TV programs together. He also came to see you to talk about this or that new Korean drama that he had started to watch. Well, talking was a big word because he mostly came to seek comfort when one of his favorite characters died or when a season ended. It wasn't without saying that you weren't a very comforting person and that he often left angry and offended that you didn't understand the 'subtleties and poetry' of drama. You let a chuckle leave your lips before turning back to Freddy who had gone down some steps before waiting for you.

You descended the steps in silence, the quietness only disturbed by Freddy's footsteps as yours were almost inaudible. When you got to the bottom you were glad you didn't run into your landlord, you didn't want to see him looking at you with accusing eyes, promising you that if you ever came back you would get a lecture. But you knew that sooner or later he would be informed, after all, the walls had ears and there was no lack of gossip-loving neighbors. Outside the building Freddy walked up to an old car, the paint was almost completely removed and it had neither police colors nor flashing lights. The police didn't lack for cars or even money, after all they had cars to fit all their employees, but you knew that Freddy had made the right decision in choosing this piece of junk to come to the Miracle District.

Freddy opened the back door of the police car and let you in before closing the door behind you. You lay back in the back seat, your cuffed hands behind your head as you looked up at the ceiling of the car, observing the stains on it while ignoring the multitude of smells that wafted through the car's confined air. You heard the driver's door open before Freddy got behind the wheel, he buckled his seatbelt before looking in the rear view mirror, seeing that you weren't properly seated he turned his metal muzzle towards you and said :

"y/n, please put your seatbelt on."

"I don't like it, so I'll stay that way." You reply.

"It's for your safety. If we ever had an accident..."

"You're driving too carefully for that to happen and even if it does at worst I might die and it won't be any worse. It'll keep me out of jail for something I didn't do." You sighed and closed your eyes.

For several seconds nothing happened and then finally Freddy started the car and drove it down the road. You let out a small inaudible sigh as you opened your eyes before turning your head slightly in Freddy's direction, observing his 3/4 face and the way he was concerned about the road but his slightly frowned eyebrows revealing that he was slightly concerned. Freddy was someone who had always been kind and caring to you, despite the fact that he was a police officer and you were a delinquent.

You had met him when you were about 12 or 13 years old, after you had committed your first robbery and had been caught the police had come to take you to the station and it was Freddy who had taken care of you. The big metal bear took the time to talk to you, trying to find out why you had stolen and trying to make you understand that stealing was a serious thing, and that it could even be dangerous for you if you had come across someone who would have preferred to take justice into his own hands. You were a brat at that time (well, that hadn't really changed) so you pretended not to listen to him, answering him with flippancy and bitterness just to provoke and annoy him, but Freddy had kept the same behavior, gentle, attentive, reassuring.

After talking to you for a few hours to explain the situation and the consequences of your actions, he drove you home. But his kindness didn't stop there, he gave you, while dropping you off at your home at the time, a huge box filled with pastries. You were shocked and amazed by his gift. You weren't starving, but sweets and other types of desserts were something you hadn't had the opportunity to enjoy as a child. So after watching Freddy for a long time you quickly ran off with the dessert box in your hands, fearing that the animatronic would change his mind and decide to take his cakes back.

Unfortunately, you didn't learn from your mistakes. Over the next few years you committed several crime and other offenses, making frequent visits to the police stations. So you got to know the policemen and colleagues of the police station where Freddy was, in spite of them. But a few months ago, your criminal record had started to fill up too much, making the threat of prison loom over your head. You promised yourself you wouldn't get into trouble again, but someone you knew needed money, money she couldn't earn and you couldn't give her because you didn't have any yourself. So you decided to steal again, you were going to sell everything you could to a pawn shop so you could make some money off your salary.

You were working part-time in a café whose owner had decided to hire you after seeing your criminal record and especially your condition as a Skinwalker. You still didn't know if your boss was stupid, desperate or too nice to keep someone like you as an employee. It wasn't much, but you could afford to eat and pay rent to Mr. Botzaris, plus you had some free time. Your boss was human, one you respected because he welcomed fantastic creatures into his bar as long as they were willing and motivated to work.

Sometimes you wondered how you would have ended up if it wasn't for all the people around you who, despite the difficulties, managed to show you kindness. Telling yourself that it was because of them that you were where you were made to feel even more guilty, because not only would you never get to go in the direction they were so desperately trying to push you in, but also because you were constantly lying to them. It wasn't a big lie, but what that lie was hiding was huge and in the end one lie led to another and you ended up lying to others, the world and yourself.

"So... These two animatronics worked in the same police station as you and the others ?" You asked to get yourself out of your thoughts.

"Yes and no. It's complicated and I'm not allowed to reveal that kind of information." Freddy replied, glancing back at you.

"Um... The police should hire more Fantastic."

"That's what we would have done if there were more members of the Fantastic community looking for police jobs."

"More Fantastics would have enrolled in police academies if they were sure to be treated fairly and if they were sure to find police work afterwards." You replied.

A new silence settled between the two of you and you insulted yourself for letting your big mouth speak. You moved your hands and put them on your chest for a few minutes before finally, tired of staying in the same position, you straightened up, turning your face towards the window. The landscape of the city passed quickly before your eyes, you could see the passers-by starting to fill the streets while some puddles were the only traces left from yesterday's rain.

"Tell me Freddy, isn't it against the law to tell a criminal how he or she was found ?" You questioned.

"I don't think it's against the law."

"Okay ! In that case, how did they find your two new employees ? I did everything I could to make sure they couldn't find me."

"Well... They wouldn't have found you if they had been assigned to another precinct. But when they gave us your description, (h/c) colored hair, dressed in a sweatshirt, converse and gloves, Skinwalkers cat with a tabby cat transformation and (e/c) eyes, I and the others immediately knew it was you."

"Huh ?! So it was you and the others who ratted me out ?! Freddy ! Come on... I know I'm your most loyal customer, but you could have pretended you didn't know him." You say with an amused smile on your lips.

A low, frank laugh left Freddy's mouth, you saw him looking in your direction through the center mirror, his blue eyes sparkling softly with amusement, before he turned his attention back to the road and said :

"You know I can't do that."

"Geez... Here I thought there was something between us. I'd ask to be arrested by a different precinct from now on. You broke me." You continued, waving your hands dramatically.

"It would be nice if no one had to arrest you." Freddy declared.

"That's true." You replied, deflecting his words. "You couldn't let me do my thing and go harass someone else ?"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll do that." Said the iron bear with one last laugh. "But enough with the jokes, we have arrived at the police station."

You hummed a reply, watching the police station get closer and closer. The police station was a building only two stories high, yet it was several meters long and wide. The building had a somewhat geometrical shape, although it was a little squiggly, the walls were made of red brick, but unlike the one in your building, here the walls were maintained and cleaned. Large glass windows, sometimes tinted and sometimes not, decorated the different facades, all around the parking lot and the main building was a perfect green lawn and other small colored flowers that made everything warm and welcoming. Above the front door was the word "police" in large letters, while in a prominent corner stood the American flag, waving slightly in the wind.

After turning the corner, Freddy drove the car into the police station parking lot, drove to a set of spaces reserved specifically for police vehicles, and parked in one of the empty spaces. After turning off the engine Freddy got out of the car and opened the door for you to get out. Once out of the car you stretched, lifting your handcuffed hands above your head. A woman standing a little ways away looked in your direction, specifically at your handcuffs with a slightly worried expression, you gave her a big smile as you waved. Freddy eventually moved closer to you and you focused on him again, walking next to him as you made your way to the entrance of the police station.

"I know you're not guilty y/n. So when they ask you questions, answer truthfully." Says Freddy as he walks, looking in your direction carefully.

"What if they don't like my truthful answers ?" You asked as you looked towards Freddy, raising an eyebrow.

"Whether they like your answers or not is not the point, as long as they are sincere you will be free to leave later." Replied Freddy with a big smile. "I certainly wouldn't want our favorite troublemaker to go to jail."

You let a laugh leave your lips at his comment, lightening your mood. Freddy took the lead, opening the door to let you inside the police station. The reception room consisted of a long, wide, light wood desk in the right corner, separating the waiting room from the administrative office. Behind the information counter were police officers, busy recording who knows what information on their state-of-the-art computers. The reception area had several chairs with files that were spread out on the right side of the room. Some people were already waiting for their turn to talk to the receptionists, and when they saw you some of them gave you indifferent looks, until they saw your handcuffs and like the woman from earlier their expressions changed.

Posters and other preventive signs had been hung on the different walls in dull and neutral colors. For comfort there was also a drink dispenser, as well as some magazines and copies of the rules of law, which you doubted anyone had ever opened. In addition to the front door there were four other wooden doors, one near the waiting chairs led to a restroom, the two doors on the left wall led to the plains office, an office you had never had the opportunity to visit. The last door, the one opposite the entrance, was wide open and led to a corridor.

You walked into the room, your shoes squeaking on the newly cleaned tile floor, waiting for Freddy to close the door behind him so he could stand beside you and lead you down the hall. You crossed the hallway until you arrived in a large room. Separated by a plexiglass wall from the rest of the room, the entire right side was occupied by a multitude of desks equipped with all the necessary equipment for work, computers, drawers, bulletin boards, paper clips and fancy staplers. Police officers sat behind some of the desks, reading files intently, tapping away at their computer keyboards, or simply chatting with their colleagues.

Behind the desks were doors, one of which, located at the very back of the room, led to the offices of the commissioner. Other doors led to more private offices for more privacy during interrogations or delicate depositions, as well as two other doors that led to meeting rooms, one of which was the largest and as glass door that revealed the inside of the meeting room, again you had never had the opportunity to enter but you had passed in front of it several times, curiously observing the policemen who were there without ever managing to hear anything, the door being soundproof. Then there was a large open room that led to a small, fully equipped kitchen, and the last door led to the restrooms and locker room.

The other part of the room was composed of doors, three of them leading to interrogation rooms, each of which you had already visited, each door leading to the interrogation rooms was juxtaposed with a door that led to the room behind the one-way mirror. Then there were two last doors, one that led to a new corridor that led to the holding cells and the last one that led to the other utility rooms like the archives and all that.

"You ! You made me lose six donuts !" A voice exclaimed in your direction.

You turned toward the desks to see a huge animatronic crocodile, or alligator, you didn't really know the difference, get up from his chair and walk toward you and Freddy. Montgomery Gator had the long snout typical of crocodilians, its dark green skin was speckled with a few darker, almost black spots to mimic scales. His lower jaw as well as his torso, widely visible since he never closed the shirt of his police uniform, were of a paler green color tending towards yellow. If he had made the effort to put the shirt, his pants were however not with the standards since instead of wearing the pants provided by the police force he raised one decorated with a skin of reptile pattern. On the corner of his nose, in line with his right nostril and his right eye was a small drawing of a purple lightning bolt that contrasted with the green of the rest of his body. Likewise, he had a dense mane of bright red hair on top of his metal skull, cut to form a Mohawk. The same red was in his eyes, which were lowered toward you and glowed with false anger.

"Really Monty ? How could I have made you lose six donuts, if I had stolen them I would have understood but now I've just arrived and on top of that..." You said answering him while you had waved your handcuffed hands.

"Roxy had said you wouldn't last a year without doing something stupid, and I, considering your situation, thought you would have kept quiet for this year. But no ! Here you are, accused of murder !" Monty exclaimed with a big wave of his hands.

"Come on... I know you're secretly glad to see me again. " You declared with a big smile on your lips.

"I'd be happy to see you again if you'd made me win my bet ! And especially if you had brought me back my stapler !"

"Ah ?! So as soon as something disappears it's my fault ?" You answer with a falsely vexed look.

"If that thing disappears after we see you, then yes, it's probably your fault." Monty sighed with a big smile revealing his white teeth.

You let a laugh leave your lips, Monty reached out his big metal hand towards you, placing it on the top of your head before ruffling your hair. You let out a grunt of annoyance as you pulled his hand away from your hair, you tried to put your hair back in place properly, but with the handcuffs on your wrists you couldn't do much. You glared at Monty, who knew you didn't like having your hair ruffled. The metal crocodile let out a thunderous laugh at your angry expression, which made you roll your eyes. Freddy then motioned for you to follow him and Monty decided to follow you

"By the way, where are Roxy, Chica ?" You asked, turning slightly to Monty who was walking beside you.

"The girls went out for an intervention just a little while before you came in. They told me to say hi to you." Monty replied.

You hummed a reply as you watched Freddy open the door to interrogation room number one before stepping inside. Monty bowed in a gentlemanly fashion as he waved to you to go first, you thanked him in an equally exaggerated fashion way before entering the room. The interrogation room was relatively small compared to the rest of the police station, and there wasn't much to see, the walls were a light gray, devoid of any decoration except for one wall that had a large one-way mirror. There was a metal table in the middle of the room, accompanied by two chairs of the same style. In the upper left corner of the wall where the one-way mirror was, there was a camera, the little red dot indicated to you that the camera was active. You knew that behind the mirror was a small room where everything was recorded, whether it was sounds or images.

"I'll tell them you're here." Freddy said, turning to you.

You didn't answer anything, just watched him leave the room and close the door behind him. You moved forward, taking a seat on the chair, moving it back slightly before lifting your legs to put them on the table. Monty, who was still in the room, raised an eyebrow at you before motioning for you to put your feet back down. You meet his gaze with a slight shrug and a small smile of defiance. Monty shifted, coming to rest one of his big hands on one of your shoulders while saying :

"I know you're not the type to listen to what people say, but this is for your own good so for once don't try to make it worse for yourself."

"You think I killed this guy ?"

"Nah. I know what you're like Hairball. A little shit maybe, but not a killer." Monty sighed with a calm expression on his face.

"Thanks Big Lizard."

"I hate it when you call me that..." Monty growled.

"I know you do."

Monty clicked his tongue before leaving the room, the last thing you saw of him was his big metal tail wagging almost as if to say goodbye. Once the door closed you sighed, moving your feet to let your legs fall to the floor, as you moved the chair closer to the table and placed your handcuffs on it. The metal of your chains echoed against the metal of the table before silence once again filled the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts. Barely a few seconds and you were already bored, with the anti-magic handcuffs your senses were not at their best, but you still managed to detect the smell of a gnome who reeked too much of fear to simply be impressed. "The only ones who are as scared in an interrogation room are the ones who have something to hide." You thought with an amused smile on your lips.

It was the sound of the door opening that brought you out of your thoughts. You lazily lifted your face towards the door to see two animatronics enter. You were used to seeing all kinds of physiques and appearances, whether it was the Fantastic People, the humans, or the animatronics, but you had rarely seen members of the metal people with this kind of aestetic. Usually members of the Science-fi species opted for something between the 'awfully human-like' which was the androids, 'totally robotic' with raw metal skin and antennae, or something more balanced by adopting the appearance of animals as was the case for Freddy, Monty, as well as Chica and Roxy who were, respectively, a chicken and a wolf. But these two were a strange mixture of the three types, the whole designed in the image of the celestial stars that were the sun and the moon.

The first to enter and approach you was the one that looked like the moon, or more precisely a crescent moon. The general features of his face were very humanized, a rather pointed and long nose, eyebrows over his eyes, a mouth proportional to its face, as well as a designer body more or less like that of a human, but the resemblance to androids stopped there. In fact, his face was a rather flat disk if not for his human features and the two big round cheekbones engraved with a spiral winding towards his nose.

His face was as if cut in two, the right half having the shape and silver-white color of a crescent moon, including the whole right side of his nose which gave him a cartoonish look of an animated drawing moon. The other part of his face was dark, almost as if that part of his face was plunged into darkness. You didn't know if you could call his eyes minnows since it wasn't his irises that were a different color but his sclera, his right eye was almost as dark as the other half of his face, pierced by a pupil devoid of irises of a blazing red. Pupils that were found in similar ways on the other side of his face, but whose sclera was a pristine white. His eyebrows, which were quite thin, had undergone the same color swap, an eyebrow of the same silvery white as the moon of his face on his dark side and a black eyebrow on his moon side. You noticed that he had on his moon face just below his eye what could be small grey freckles, which could also imitate the craters found on the moon.

His neck was a sort of mechanical arm divided into two articulated sections, connecting what served as his face to his body. His body was long and slender, about the same size as Freddy's, or maybe a few inches taller. From what you could see of his hands, you assumed his skin was the same color as the moonlit part of his face. The only color change you could see was in his hands, his phalanges closest to his palms were the same color as the rest of his body, his distal phalanges were a dark blue part of his face, while his middle phalanges were a mixture of the two colors. When you looked at his hands you saw that he had relatively round pads on each of his phalanges and a much larger one in his palm. The pads were of a midnight blue color that would have stained with the rest of his body if not for a detail, but that did not concern his body directly but his clothes.

He was not wearing a police uniform, the lunar animatronic was dressed in a classic white shirt decorated with a black tie. He had tucked his shirt into his dark gray pants that were the type of pants that were usually worn with suits. At his waist was a black belt which, as for his colleagues, was decorated with several small pockets that could contain various materials. His shoes as well as his belt were similar to those of the other policemen, black leather shoes perfectly polished and maintained. You couldn't see if he was carrying a holster or even a gun because of the long black collar coat he was wearing that reached a little above his knees. The coat was decorated with silver buttons, and he had his police badge where the human heart was. But it was the nightcap he wore on top of his head that caught the eye. The cap was of night blue color, the same blue as his pads, decorated with small yellow stars, some were five branches, others in the shape of diamond with slightly elongated branches, or simple small points. The bonnet was decorated on the edge of an immaculate white fabric, and the same fabric was found for the small pompom which decorated the end of its night cap.

Once the first of the animatronics was analyzed you tilted your head slightly to look at the second. The resemblance between the two could make them brothers, they had the same build with a thin waist, the same long and thin limbs and very similar facial features, whether it was their nose or their cheekbones decorated with the same spiral. The walking sun had like the first one a round facial disk where was visible the outline of a crescent moon, however this one was designed like the sun and had more shimmering colors and details that could be associated with the solar star when it was represented in cartoons. He seemed to be a bit taller than his colleague because of his strange rays.

His face was colored for the part of right-hand side of a soft pale yellow, the other half of his face was as for him of a clear and hot orange drawing towards the yellow. He had seven large triangles around his skull, each separated by smaller, slightly rounded triangles, all colored the same orange as his left face. His rays seemed to be able to move independently of his face since you could see them oscillate slightly from right to left. His eyes were strange, his pupils and irises seemed to merge, leaving only a large dark spot on his pure white sclera. The deep black of his eyes had however something bewitching, they had this glow that made you think of obsidian. Under his right eye, the little orange freckles gave him a childish look while his lips were stretched in a neutral and cold expression while his eyebrows, whose colors were reversed for each part of his face, were slightly frowned.

His skin was the same color as the right side of his face, he also sported a gradient of phalanges, his proximal phalanges being the same pale yellow as the majority of his body, his fingertips were the same orange as his sunbeams while his middle phalanges were a mix between his two main colors. He had bright orange pads in the inside of his hands, hands that held in one of them a cardboard file from which some pages were protruding and which was surely your criminal file.

Mister the sun had also decided to wear a white shirt decorated with a black tie, even the pants seemed to be the same, while the shoes, you were sure, were the same up to the size. However he was not wearing exactly the same as his partner, he had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, giving him a more relaxed look that contrasted with the small gold sunburst pin he wore above the third button of his shirt. No coat, he had decided that bright red suspenders were a better option. His belt was the one that came with the police uniform, sporting a pouch and holster that housed a pistol, you were not a professional, nor even interested in firearms, but you knew, thanks to Monty who often liked to talk about guns, that this one was a Glock 22, which had been adapted to house any type of bullet. You couldn't help thinking that Mister the Moon was also carrying a gun.

Your gaze surely lingered on his weapon and you saw the animatronic diurnal put a hand on his weapon, making you understand that you had no chance to grab it. You looked up at him, meeting his obsidian colored gaze that shone with ferocity and coldness. You let a smirk appear on your lips before rolling your eyes, you brought your hands towards you, voluntarily making the metal of your handcuffs rub against the table, to make the yellow metal policeman understand that even if you had wanted to steal his weapon, which was not the case since, being a magical creature, you didn't need a gadget to defend yourself, you couldn't have done it.

The lunar animatronic approached the table and indirectly from you, which drew your attention to it. You saw him staring at you, before leaning towards you, his two hands, with extremely long and thin fingers, coming to rest on the table. He plunged his reddened orbs into the ocean of (e/c) that served as your eyes, hoping that you would look away, which you did not do, even after several long minutes. But your attention was finally diverted by the walking sun that had come closer to you, coming to put your open file in front of you, revealing all its contents. Inside was your criminal record, the list of crimes for which you had been suspected but not accused, photos of you or of what you had stolen or vandalized, as well as your identity card and all the information related to your private life. Your gaze went over your personal information quickly, stopping on the line designating your species which had been filled in as 'Skinwalkers, subspecies Cat-walker'. You had plenty of crimes registered to your name, but the biggest one of all had yet to be discovered.

"y/n l/n. You're pretty well known to the police." Said then Mister the sun, his voice while slightly high pitched was cold and pragmatic. "Numerous pickpocketing, some vandalism and fighting..."

"Should we now add murder to your list of crimes ?" Mister the moon suddenly continued in his husky, deeper voice than his colleague.

"What answer would you like me to give you ? Do you want me to say 'yes', that I admit to killing this man even though I didn't, or do you want me to tell the truth, that 'no' I didn't kill this man ?" You then sighed your gaze passing from one inspector to another.

The one in front of you straightened up, his gaze fixed in yours for a few seconds as you raised an eyebrow as if you were waiting for an answer from them. The nocturnal animatronic turned his eyes slightly in the direction of his solar partner. When he looked back down at you, you smiled a little. Freddy and Monty had asked you to behave and answer truthfully so you wouldn't get in trouble, but those two had decided to accuse you as soon as you entered the room, so you couldn't help but provoke them back, you couldn't help it. Besides, you were already in trouble so you couldn't make it worse by being impertinent.

"What were you doing in the alley this afternoon ?" Moonface asked.

"I live in the next neighborhood over, this alley is the one that provides the quickest route to downtown. Before you ask, I left my house at about 4:40 p.m., it takes half an hour to get to the street where this man was found, which should correspond to the time when this woman saw me arrive in the alley."

"That doesn't mean anything, you could very well have come back after killing Arnold Wilson." Said the walking sun.

"If I had really killed him I would have run away instead of coming back to see the corpse. I'm not a psychopath." You hissed as you slumped in your chair.

"Not a psychopath ? But you approach a corpse to observe it as if it were a show." Grumbled the one in front of you.

"I wanted to know if I knew the guy. And if your witness tells you I talked to the corpse I just told him to rest in peace before I went on my way."

"Why did you run away when we wanted to question you ?" The sun asked as he moved closer to come and lean on the table.

"As you said so well Sherlock, my case is full of problems, one more problem and I'd be in jail for several years, so I certainly didn't want to get involved in a murder story because of my curiosity. Besides, two animatronics coming at you is enough to scare anyone. My instinct took over and told me to run away to save my skin, and that's what I did." You declared.

"Um... Or you ran away mostly because if we questioned you we would have found out that you had stolen goods on you." Replied the nocturnal AI with an almost amused smile.

You saw him reach under his coat, digging into one of his inside pockets and pulling out a plastic bag containing all the items you had stolen and disposed of in the trash. You froze slightly, even if there were not your fingerprints on the stolen objects they had certainly seen you get rid of them so they knew where to find them, you had no argument to defend yourself. You looked up at the two detectives to see their satisfied expressions that they had been able to trap you on at least a few things. You looked down again at your stolen items before huffing with a small hand movement :

"Maybe it did influence my reaction too, but don't wave all those objects around like that's what makes me guilty of murder."

You hold their gaze once more before seeing the two of them move slightly away from you to go and talk in low voices. Normally you would have been able to pick up snippets of their conversation easily but with the anti-magic handcuffs you couldn't hear anything. You sighed, even though you were innocent you knew that your words and alibis were not plausible. Despite Freddy's encouraging words, telling the truth wasn't enough, you still had to have tangible proof and not be considered a criminal already. When they turned to you again, their verdict on you already decided, they met your determined and resolute gaze.

"I did not kill Arnold Wilson. You can send me to jail for theft, vandalism, repeat offenses or any other crime I've committed that's on my record, but I would never go to jail for something I never did. I may be trash or whatever you want to call me but I am not a murderer. I would never kill anyone, I'm not like that."

"You're cleared." Mister the moon sighed with a small sigh.

"W-What ?" You say surprised and unsettled.

"Killing someone and then returning to the scene of the crime with pockets full of stolen property is not logical behavior for a murderer. Even more so when witnesses are seen passing by the crime scene the first time." Declared the solar animatronic.

"Moreover, the agents of this police station immediately told us that it could not be you, agent Monty even laughed when we told him that we suspected you of murder. They know you better than we do, so they were in a better position than us to know if you were capable of killing someone or not." Mister the moon continued.

"We just needed to confirm what they said by questioning you ourselves." Mister the sun finished.

You blinked, taking a deep breath as you felt the relief of knowing you weren't going to get arrested for a crime you didn't commit. You looked down at the documents and the pouch of stolen items in front of you, reaching out and brushing the plastic pouch with your fingertips. You never imagined that one of your thefts would save your life, you might not escape prison but you wouldn't go there for the rest of your life. And you owed it all to Freddy and the others, your debt to them only increased more, and you still didn't know how to thank them.

"However it was a stupid decision to run away." Declared the lunar animatronic.

Your attention was once again drawn to the two of them. They were standing in front of you, one with his arms crossed while the other had one of his hands in one of his coat pockets. Their eyes, which had not left you during their interrogation, were still on you, scanning your every move and reaction even though they had just told you that they did not think you were guilty, but maybe it was because they were animatronics and their eyes were specially made to analyze everything around them. You straightened up, resting your elbows on the table and your chin on one of your cuffed hands while letting a Cheshire smile appear on your lips.

"Not as stupid as that since I escaped you and if it hadn't been for Freddy and the others you never would have found me." You replied.

Their calm and almost satisfied expressions disappeared, replaced by one of annoyance as you reminded them of their previous defeat. The animatronic with the effigy of the sun clicked his tongue, while the other one made a grimace that revealed his strangely pointed teeth, a slight growl almost leaving his voice box. A small chuckle left your lips which earned you a look of menace from the two animatronics. You raised your hands innocently, your smile still plastered on your lips. You heard the two of them let out a sort of sigh, you didn't know if it was physically possible for them to do so, before you saw them turn towards the door ready to leave.

"Detectives ?"

You saw the two stop in the same motion before turning their facial disks in your direction, silently questioning you with their eyes. You met the eyes of the two metal cops, holding eye contact for a few seconds before asking :

"Since I obviously didn't kill Arnold Wilson, what happened to him ?"

The two exchanged glances as if to consult each other and find out if they could really tell you anything about a case they were working on. Finally, Mister the sun turned to you, his hands disappearing into his trouser pockets as he said, with slightly furrowed brows :

"From the looks of his injuries, he probably committed suicide by jumping off the... "

No sooner had the word 'suicide' left the solar animatronic's voice box than you had shaken your face negatively, forcing the metal policeman to interrupt his sentence. The pair had frowned, facing you again to look you in the eye.

"This was not a suicide. Arnold Wilson was killed."

Chapter Text

"What did you just say ?" Mister the moon asked.

"Wilson didn't kill himself, he was killed by someone." You replied.

"How can you tell ?" Questioned the walking sun as his rays shook slightly.

"It's a Fantasy thing."

"Explain." Mister the sun ordered.

The two of them were slowly and dangerously closing in on you, you looked up at them as you began to explain, but your gaze fell on the handcuffs that still rested around your wrists. You raised your face and lifted your hands in the same movement to place them between you and them before waving them slightly in the direction of the two metal policemen. You tilted your head to the side without moving your hands, watching them with a small smile on your lips and a small glint in your eyes.

"I'll explain everything once you take the cuffs off me. Not only are they in the way, but I'm seriously starting to feel like a criminal."

You heard Mister the moon let out a grunt of annoyance before turning on his heels to leave the room with a quick step, leaving you alone with Mister the sun. The silence between you was heavy and almost suffocating, only disturbed by the sound of the chair he pulled in his direction before sitting down. He then reached out his hands to quickly and skillfully pick up all the documents that were spread out on the table and place them back in the cardboard folder that he came to put on a corner of the table, the small bag containing your stolen items placed on top. Under the table you could feel his leg twitching up and down, you didn't know if he was just eager to hear what you had to say or if he was the kind of animatronic who didn't like to do nothing.

Barely a minute later you saw the lunar animatronic enter the room again, a metal chair, probably from one of the other interrogation rooms, held easily in one hand while the other was firmly closed around what you assumed was the key to your handcuffs. He approached you silently, you held out both hands without him even having to ask. His long, slender fingers slipped easily around your first wrist, holding the handcuff in place as well as your hand as he released it. Contrary to what you had expected, his hands were warm and his paw pads were soft, almost the same texture as a real cat's.

After he repeated the same operation on your other wrist, you brought both hands towards you before rubbing your wrists to try to erase the sensation that was in them. All your senses were now back, you could hear the hum of the camera in the corner of the room, as well as the very slight mechanical noises that emanated from the two metal policemen. You had once again expected their mechanisms to be louder than that, but even with your refined hearing they were barely audible, but you weren't complaining since it kept you from listening to what was going on inside them. And now that your sense of smell had returned you were sure that the gnome who had been interrogated in that room before you were guilty of you-know-what.

"Arnold Wilson was a Skinwalker, specifically a Royal Eagle Skinwalker. For a skinwalker bird to commit suicide by jumping off a building is almost impossible."

"Why is that ?" Mister the sun asked.

"You don't kill a bird by throwing it off a building, it's like trying to drown a fish. If a Skinwalkers bird jumped into the void, even in his human form, his instinct would be to transform and fly." You say, waving one of your hands.

"Skinwalkers are supposed to be in control of themselves, how can instinct play a role ?" Mister the Moon asked.

"Skinwalkers have control over their animal instincts only because these instincts do not exist, or are very atrophied, in their human side, as is the case with the hunting instinct. However, the survival instinct is an instinct that even humans still possess. In Skinwalkers, both the human and animal sides have this instinct, so even if the human side doesn't want to do something to live or survive, the survival instinct of the animal side will take over to allow it to follow. For example, if I were to throw myself off a building my instinct would be to turn into a cat to land on my feet, and that's even if I don't wish to do it at all."

"Really ?" Mister the Sun asked.

"Yes really." You replied sarcastically. "Being a bird, if he wanted to kill himself, he would probably choose to throw himself into a river or something like that. Wet feathers are heavy and usually drag their owner to the bottom, especially if there is a current."

"But his injuries were clearly from a fall." Declared the lunar animatronic.

"Maybe he was drugged." Added the other policeman. "That might explain why he couldn't fly."

"Nah. If he was drugged he wouldn't have shown that expression. Or reek of fear." You sigh.

You looked down at your hands intertwining your gloved fingers together. You could still see Arnold Wilson's face distorted by an expression of pure terror. But worse was the smell that wafted around him, a smell of fear and despair, the smell of someone who still wanted to live but had been prevented from doing so. You looked up to see the obsidian and ruby colored eyes of the two animatronics focused on you, watching you intently as they waited for you to elaborate your words.

"You saw his face, didn't you ?" You asked, pushing your back against the back of the chair again.

"Yes. It's true that his expression was not the one usually worn by suicide victims. Moreover, he had no particular motive, he didn't leave a suicide note and his family didn't know about any problem in his work." Mister the Moon replied.

"Yeah, well his smell wasn't that of someone who had a death wish either. Let me explain something to you, we Fantastic people are for the most part endowed with an exceptional sense of smell, except for a few exceptions like Wilson who being a piaffe didn't necessarily have the best sense of smell, or like the fairies who for lack of a developed sense of smell are able to sense the magic that each of us harbors, but anyway. Our sense of smell allows us to know who is what, to recognize our supernatural fellow creatures when we come across them and even to be able to know sometimes what someone is feeling. It's probably a pheromone thing or something like that but I'm not scientist so don't ask me. All I can say is that joy, sadness, anger, fear, emotions that can be described as primary, we are able to smell them, and the more important an emotion is the more important its smell is. So when I tell you that Wilson smelled like fear, it was that he smelled strong enough that even after two hours the fantastic creatures in the crowd were able to smell it even with all the surrounding smells superimposed."

After your statement a silence fell between you, you tilted your face not knowing if the two animatronics would take your words into account for their investigation. You tilted your head back, looking up at the pristine ceiling, trying to see something as the two continued to have their silent conversation. You were almost beginning to regret your decision to tell them what you knew as a Fantastic. Being members of the Science-fi people, they surely didn't understand that your words were not based on mere deduction, and that even though smell couldn't be considered real evidence in a human or robotic investigation, for you Fantastics it was as important as anything else.

There was a reason why the supernaturals were not very willing to help or work with the police and that was because the police were unable, or simply unwilling, to understand how the Fantastics worked. The police only relied on physical evidence, evidence that they were able to examine and manipulate, so even if there was irrefutable evidence for magical creatures such as a scent or a residue of magic, in the eyes of the police, if they couldn't see that evidence then it didn't exist, and a criminal went unpunished sometimes at the cost of an innocent person's freedom.

When you heard a click you lowered your face to see that the lunar policeman had taken a pen out of his coat pocket to hand it to his solar colleague who had recovered a small pocket notebook. You saw him quickly writing some information in the small notebook before raising his obsidian orbs towards you, his rays waving from right to left. Mister the moon who had been sitting with his arms and legs crossed until then straightened up, leaning in your direction as one of his hands came to rest on the table, one of his fingers tapping on the table to bring your attention back to him as he waved his hand for you to resume your explanations while saying :

"Go on, we're listening."

"You... seriously believe me ?" You sighed in genuine surprise.

"All the information you have given us so far coincides with the readings and the clues we have. So there's no harm in continuing to listen." Answered Mister the sun.

You couldn't stop a small surprised expression from forming on your lips, you could even feel your pupils dilate without you being able to control them. You had never met a policeman who would willingly listen to the information you had to say as a Fantastic. Freddy and the others did from time to time, but they had never been able to confirm what you had to say, let alone use it as evidence in an investigation. You couldn't exactly thank the four metal animals for saving your ass with their two colleagues in front of you, but you could at least make an effort to help their precinct solve this case. However you weren't going to do it without teasing the two metal stars a bit.

"Damn... I don't know if you're that desperate to prove yourself as newbies or if there are a few misdirected bolts in your head but I'll talk."

"Watch your mouth." Snarled the lunar animatronic.

"Yeah yeah. He died from a skull wound didn't he ?" You questioned, remembering all the blood you'd seen around Wilson corpse.

"Yes." Mister the Sun replied.

"Did he by any chance have injuries on his arms ?"

"Yes, he had a dislocation on one of his shoulders and a broken forearm. The coroner said it was probably from the fall." Continued the nocturnal animatronic.

"Tell your medical examiner to redo his tests or whatever. The wounds Wilson had on his arms were probably inflicted by his killer who then probably pushed Wilson off the roof to make it look like a suicide." You say, waving one of your hands as if it makes sense.

"If that were the case, someone would have heard Wilson's cries of pain and distress, and even a body hitting the ground is not something that can't be heard." Declared Mister the moon.

"Unless he was in his bird form. A screaming bird doesn't usually alarm people, and if a bird crashes to the ground it doesn't make that much noise."

"If he had been in his bird form when he died, shouldn't we have found him in his animal form ?" Questioned the walking sun.

You let out a grunt of exasperation before leaning back on the table and stretching your arms out as you rested your forehead against the cold metal of the table. You had hoped that these two animatronics were a little more knowledgeable about supernaturals than the average human and animatronic, but hearing them talk about one of the worst clichés about skinwalkers you couldn't help but feel a touch of disappointment cloud your previous expectations. You straightened up and put one of your cheeks in one of your hands to look in the direction of the two animatronics who were watching you with surprised and unsettled expressions. You let out a heavy and audible sigh before saying :

"No. No he wouldn't have been in his bird form. If a Skinwalker is killed while in his animal form his body will revert back to human form since it is his human form his 'main form'. The same goes for werewolves. Only magical creatures with an animal form in their primary form die in their animal form or revert to their animal form if they were killed when in their human forms."

"We didn't know that." Declared the lunar animatronic with a neutral expression.

"I had kind of noticed that there were a lot of things you didn't know." You sighed, rolling your eyes. "One more thing if he was in his bird form they could have tied his beak with a piece of rope or something to keep him from screaming, when he died, and he got his human form back, because of the difference in physics between his human face and his animal face the rope would have surely come off."

"Wait." Said the diurnal animatronic as his sunbeams made a complete turn.

You saw it rise abruptly before storming out of the room, you blinked as you watched the door close behind the animatronic's figure. You tilted your face in surprise before turning it towards the other animatronic who raised his eyes towards you to observe you for a few seconds before finally refocusing on the small notebook he had retrieved as well as the pen to add some information himself. Finally after a silence the door opened again on Mister the sun who was holding in one of his hands a new small plastic bag. He took his place on the chair in front of you before pushing the pouch on the table and pushing it in your direction.

"This rubber band was found at the crime scene, a few feet from the victim, and we didn't know if it had anything to do with the murder or if it just happened to be there." 

You reached out a hand, retrieving the bag that he had pushed in your direction to lift it to your eye level. Inside was a rubber band, slightly longer and thicker than normal, but it was the kind of band that anyone could get in any store. The piece of plastic showed signs of use and in some places the rubber band looked like it was about to break. You cast a questioning look in the direction of the two policemen before opening the small plastic pouch, you pushed the rubber band up slightly using the pouch that surrounded it before leaning over slightly and sniffing the band.

"Yeah." You say as you close the pouch containing the rubber band. "That thing was probably wrapped around his beak, the little cuts there are on the rubber band were probably from the sharp edges of Wilson's beak."

"But if the rubber band could come off if he returned to his human form, couldn't he have transformed and screamed for help in this case ?" Asked The Solar Animatronic.

"It is difficult, if not impossible, for us Skinwalkers to transform or re-transform when we are injured. The worse the injury, the more difficult the change. We may not be like werewolves who have every cell in our body change one by one, but whether it's our animal form or our human form it's still our body, so the wounds are the same regardless of the form. So the injuries that Wilson had in his bird form probably prevented him from becoming human again."

"I see... You wouldn't have smelled any particular odor that could give us other clues ?" Asked the solar animatronic after writing what you had just said in his notebook that he had retrieved.

"It's hard to say, there was the smell of a lot of people in the street, many of them were around the corpse, I guess it must be the smell of witnesses or people who had passed by the street before the murder. But on the corpse itself there was only the smell of Wilson."

"How is it possible that the assailant didn't leave a scent even after he assaulted and pushed Wilson ?" Questioned Mister the Moon.

"Two possibilities. Either the murderer was an animatronic, since you have no characteristic smell, or else the assailant knew how to hide his smell." You say.

"Hide his scent ? How could he have done that ?" Asked the nocturnal AI as Mister the sun took notes.

"Perfume, coffee grounds, or even wearing new clothes or the victim's clothes can hide his body odor. Natural body odors are very weak and volatile, at least if your not someone who stink, and therefore quite easy to hide compared to the odors of the species you belong to or even the smell of your feelings." You answer.

"Hum..." Mister the Moon hummed.

"But why did the murder kill Arnold Wilson on this street ? Murderers usually want their crimes to be discovered as late as possible. But here it was almost as if it was deliberate..." Mister the sun sighed in the direction of his lunar partner.

"I know he used to visit several stores and other businesses located in the Miracle District, maybe he got into an argument with one of the owners and things went bad for him. But it's strange, he had already come a few days ago and he usually visits the District only once a month." You declared, tilting your face to the side as you tried to remember the exact date.

"You know he used to ?!" Exclaimed the lunar animatronic. "You knew Arnold Wilson and you didn't tell us ?!"

"You didn't ask me if I knew him." You hissed. "Besides I don't know him personally, I know him the same way everyone knows Lady Gaga. In the Miracle District he was a bit of a star."

You watched as the lunar animatronic brought his hand to his face plate to pinch the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh as Mister the sun watched you with his sunbeams waving but in a different way from the times before, the movement more robotic and jerky. You let an amused smile appear on your lips, which only reinforced the reproachful look that the two animatronics were giving you. You shrugged your shoulders with an innocent air, tapping your nails on the table with a small smile, trying to bring the two policemen back to reality to finish their little interrogations as soon as possible. The smells in the room were starting to give you a headache and the hunger was starting to make itself felt.

"You've mentioned the Miracle District several times, what is it ?" Asked the solar animatronic.

"Oh... Detectives. Tsk tsk. You should have done a little more research before you came. The Miracle District is the nickname given to the entire area between Greendell Street and the Eastern Pier area, it's one of the closest areas to the national park and by the same token the area where there are the most members of the Fantastic Community." You answer, coming to rest your cheek in your hand.

"And what made Wilson a 'star' in this neighborhood ?" Questioned Mister the moon.

"He's one of the few Fantastics who managed to leave the Miracle District, that's why he's so popular. Initially he worked as a courier in the neighborhood, but one day he decided to open a delivery business with the little savings he had. When his business started to grow and become successful he moved to more upscale neighborhoods. A decade later he is the big boss of a company that owns several buildings all over the city. And I think he even has one in a neighboring city. But he often visited the neighborhood to spend some of the money he had in different stores and other small businesses, he often said that he would never forget where he came from. It wasn't much, in my opinion he was doing it more to strut his stuff than anything else, but it still helped the lucky few who were visited by him."

"Um... Maybe one of the stores wasn't happy about not getting his visit and financial support ?" The nocturnal animatronic sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And you wouldn't happen to have the names of the various stores he visited before he was murdered ?" Mister the sun asked in your direction, raising one of his eyebrows.

"I could only give you a few names, but he usually visited about ten stores." You say.

The two of them asked you for the names anyway. You gave them the names, watching as the walking sunshine man wrote the names down in his notepad before closing it and putting it in his pocket, giving the pen back to his partner. You thought it was strange to see them writing, after all they were machines capable of retaining unimaginable amounts of information, but you figured it was more for form than utility. You lowered your eyes to your gloved hands, opening and closing them several times before raising your face in the direction of the two policemen, things would have been so much simpler if things hadn't been so complicated between the Fantasy People and the other two Peoples.

"Next time, consider bringing a supernatural with you." You sighed. "Even if it's just Gerard the janitor, being a kappa even if he only helps you a tiny bit, it will already be a lot for you."

Your sentence as well as the intonation you had used to pronounce it was both serious and critical, a small mocking smile on your lips as you looked them up and down. The two metal policemen had deeply annoyed expressions, however they could not deny the fact that you were right, if it had not been for your help as a magical creature they would not have had all this information, they might even have concluded that it was suicide. You saw the rays of the walking sun make a complete turn of his skull before stopping, he let out a small sigh before concentrating again on his notes, the lunar animatronic kept his ruby orbs pointed for a long time in your direction before finally turning them away. Now that you had nothing more to say and they didn't seem to have any more questions for you you didn't see why you should stay there any longer, you cleared your throat, drawing their attention back to you before saying :

"Can I go now ?"

"Yes, you can." Mister the moon sighed.

"Mister the sun, Mister the moon, it was a pleasure to meet you but I hope I never see you again !" You said with a smile appearing on your lips.

You didn't waste a second, transforming yourself into a cat to jump on the table before jumping again passing between the two animatronics who showed surprised expressions. Landing a little further away you saw that their expression had changed from surprise to annoyance which almost brought a smile to your feline muzzle before you dashed for the exit door before they decided to arrest you again for offending the law or whatever rules you had broken. No sooner had you taken a few steps outside than a feminine and authoritative woman exclaimed :

"y/n Hearton ! Not only do you get arrested for suspicion of murder, but you also find a way to break the rules of the police station that forbid the use of any magic ! Are you really looking to spend your evening in a holding cell ?!"

You froze, turning your head slightly to see Vanessa standing at the other end of the small hallway. The blonde was of average height, neither too tall nor too short, she wore her police uniform to perfection, as if the clothes had been tailored for her, and it was easy to see the care she took in maintaining her clothes, the perfectly pressed shirt, the metal emblem shining as if it were new and the shoes shined impeccably. On the surface she didn't look very muscular, but you had seen her tackle men twice her size and weight as if they were made of straw. Her pretty apple green eyes were lowered towards you, shining with a glint of annoyance. With a little mewl you turned back to your human form, finding yourself face to face with the policewoman whose gaze kept reproaching you.

"Commissioner Vanessa ! How have you been since the last time ?" You say with a big smile.

"Good, very good. I was going to ask 'and you ?' , but I doubt it's a good day for you after you got arrested. Again." Grumbled the blonde.

"That was a mistake ! I promise you I didn't do anything this time, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time !"

"Really ? Didn't do anything huh." Vanessa stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Almost nothing done."

You saw her bring both hands to her face before letting a heavy grunt of annoyance escape her which made you silently chuckle. You've known Vanessa pretty much since you knew the Glamrocks. The 'Glamrocks', was the little nickname you gave to the band composed of Freddy, Chica, Roxy, and Monty because when you saw them all next to each other the first time with their shimmering colors and their animal faces you couldn't help but imagine them making music. The blond girl, about ten years older than you, had become the chief of the police station a few years after the former commissioner retired, not only because of her exemplary behavior but also because of her determination and above all her accuracy. She was one of the few people you knew and liked. She was hard on you, but you knew it wasn't because of your Fantastic status but because, like Freddy and the Glamrocks, she didn't want you to get into trouble.

"If you only knew how much I want to kick your ass." She sighed.

"Don't. Your shoes are clean you'll get them dirty if you hit me with them." You reply with a smile.

"Get out of my precinct."

"Right now, right now. I'll just talk to Freddy and Monty first !"

You slinked away once more, hearing another grunt from Vanessa. As you walked around the corner to where the police officers' offices were, some of them raised their faces in your direction, waving or ignoring you because they were used to seeing you hanging around here and they know you were more or less harmless. You didn't see Freddy, but you did find Monty sitting in his chair, which seemed slightly too small for him, behind his desk. As you approached he turned his muzzle in your direction, revealing his white metal teeth.

"Stay a meter away from my desk. I don't need a few things disappearing again." Monty sighed.

"Tsk. Okey okey, you know what, as a thank you I'm going to give you back your stapler."  You declared with a big smile.

Monty's eyebrows furrowed as you walked away from him, moving closer to one of the desks that was not far from Monty's and that you knew belonged to Chica. You walked around it and stood in front of the three drawers before opening the middle one, but instead of putting your hand inside, the drawer containing all kinds of documents and a few empty cookie wrappers, you slid it underneath. You let your fingers, palm upward, graze the bottom of the drawer until your fingers touched something. You closed your hand over the stapler before giving it a sharp tug, ripping off the pieces of tape that held the stapler stuck against the bottom of the drawer.

"Always check underneath." You declared proudly as you walked back to Monty with his stapler in hand.

You handed his property to Monty who grunted as he retrieved his stapler before placing it on his desk. Feeling a look burn the back of your neck you looked up to see that the two animatronics that had just questioned you were staring at you intently with indecipherable expressions on their face discs. They had probably just come out of the interrogation room since you hadn't seen or heard them when you spoke to Vanessa. Monty's voice made you look down at him :

"I'll finish filling out my paperwork and then since I have to go on patrol in Area 11, I'll drop you off not far from your house on my way in."

"I can't thank you enough Monty." You declared with a smile.

"Yeah yeah. Freddy also left his share of donuts on his desk he said you could help yourself." Said Monty as he continued to scribble on his papers.

You turned towards Freddy's desk and saw a small cardboard box with a small post-it note on it and next to it were your keys. You lifted the post-it, reading the little message Freddy had left you that said: "you can eat them all if you want, you know I don't mind, I don't really need to eat ^^". You let a small smile appear on your lips, placing the post-it note on the desk before opening the box to reveal six pretty little donuts of different flavors. After examining, by smell and color, the different flavors offered, you reached out one of your hands grabbing the chocolate one, leaving the others for Freddy knowing that chocolate was his least favorite flavor of donuts.

You stuck the donut between your teeth grabbing a pen that was resting on the desk and the post-it pad that was nearby. You wrote: "Thank you Freddy, thank you for everything. And thank the others for me." You stuck the post-it note on the little box of doughnuts, retrieved your keys and slipped them into your pocket before turning away. You began to wander between the various offices, peering at the documents on the desks when the policemen weren't giving you reproachful looks. Finally you saw Monty straighten up before stretching, the metal crocodile looked up at you before nodding in the direction of the exit, as he walked himself out of the office area.

You let a smile appear on your lips, you gulped down the last of your donut, licking your fingertips clean before carelessly wiping them on your clothes, and turned to one of the desks closest to you. With a leap you climbed onto the desk, landing nimbly between the various objects on it. Exclamations were heard from several policemen ordering you to get down from there, while others simply sighed with annoyance, used to your shenanigans. Not listening to anyone and still in your human form you jumped on the next desk, and so on, heading towards the exit passing from desk to desk being careful not to trample or spill anything.

As you jumped on the desk closest to the exit you froze, turning to face the rest of the room to see the police officers looking at you with half-amused, half-angry, half-despairing expressions. Vanessa, however, was watching you with more displeasure than amusement, her eyebrows furrowed and her jaw so tightly set that you could see the vein in her forehead dilate even at this distance. Her arms crossed over her chest as she stomped her feet on the ground. Right next to her stood Mister the Sun and Mister the Moon, documents in hand that they were probably taking up with Commissioner Vanessa before you interrupted them. Both were also watching you, almost unresponsive expressions on their facial disks. They seemed like everyone else annoyed by your behavior, but at the same time you felt like they were questioning your level of impertinence, courage and stupidity.

"Don't worry Commissioner V. I'll leave, but just before that, you should probably bring back the gnome you questioned in interrogation room number 3. I think he still has some things to hide." You say with a smile and a wink.

You walked down the hall from the office and quickly made your way to the exit hallway where Monty was waiting for you with an amused smile on his metal muzzle as he shook his face. As you reached him he put a hand behind your back, pushing you forward and towards the exit as you exclaimed a small "Hey !" In the hallway several whispers from the room you were leaving were heard, most of them too low for you to hear, but you did hear Vanessa's voice, who after a heavy sigh ordered the gnome to come back. A small satisfied smile appeared on your lips, the echoes of the conversations disappeared as you left the police station.

                                     ~❂✯☾~

Several days had passed since your visit to the police station and you were always on the loose. You didn't know if the police had simply forgotten about you or if because you had provided some useful information they had decided to let you go free. But whatever the reason, you were relieved because after all, even if you hadn't committed a murder, you had still exceeded the limit of offenses tolerated by the law, which guaranteed you a short stay behind the bars of a prison cell specializing in the supernatural. However, you had decided to keep a low profile for a while, so you stayed in the Miracle District and decided to explore the streets and alleys that you already knew almost by heart.

You had put on your feline appearance to climb more easily on the roofs of the different buildings, your paws were gently placed one in front of the other as you progressed on the metal roof of a house, the metal was hot against your paws but it was not yet unpleasant since the sun had not yet reached its zenith. When you reached the end of the house you saw a chimney on which you climbed with a good agility of the paws coming to place one beside the other while your tail allowed you to keep your balance on the thin edge of the chimney. You turned your muzzle towards the next building which was a much larger building than the house you were standing on, however the windowsills of the building were wide enough for you to land on.

You braced your body before jumping up with your claws out to the nearest window, your front paws easily grabbed the sill and you easily managed to hoist the rest of your body onto the sill. You lifted your face and looked up at the window that was diagonally above you before climbing up, you continued your ascent like this, your gaze lingering from time to time on the interior of the different apartments, at one point you met the gaze of an old dwarf who beckoned you to get out of his window, which you did quickly with a mewl that could be taken as an insult or as an excuse. Finally you reached the top of the roof and lay down on the ledge, letting one of your hind legs fall into the void as you lazily lowered your eyes to observe the street below.

The streets were as usual busy, you could see all sorts of species passing by, especially Fantastics but you could also see some very rare animatronics and even humans, but the latter were usually there by chance, they were probably lost, or they were friends or family visiting. Even from the roof you were able to pick up a few snippets of the conversations that were being exchanged, your ears twitching slightly each time you spied a new conversation looking for some interesting story.

And as you listened to the amusing conversation of a dwarf and a centaur woman about the best way to care for fur, you saw several passers-by appearing at one end of the street. This could have been considered normal if they didn't have angry or worried expressions. They were all moving quickly, and you even saw a mother lift her child protectively before looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was following them. You stood up out of curiosity, tilting your head in the direction of two passers-by who were just passing by and had started talking loudly.

"What do you think those two walking scrap metal guys wanted ?"

"Do I look like I know that ? You should have gone and asked them if you wanted to know."

"Tch. If even in the District the cops start showing up like they want to, then we won't be safe anywhere."

No sooner had these few sentences been exchanged than you turned your muzzle towards the street that had just left the passers-by, the tip of your tail wagging slightly. What was the probability that the two metal policemen that these supernaturals were talking about were the same two that had questioned you four days ago ? The most logical thing to do would have been to do as all your fellow creatures did and go in the opposite direction of the police, especially knowing your tense situation with the law. But you were not like the others and your curiosity was stronger. Always staying on the roofs you went in the direction of the perpendicular street, following the few passers-by who were still moving away to make sure you took the right intersection before arriving in an almost deserted street.

It was a sharp contrast with the other alleys and streets you had crossed before, there were only a few pedestrians left, some of them not paying attention to the two imposing silhouettes that were progressing in the street and others that didn't even wait for the two policemen to have their backs turned to shoot them with their eyes. Your instinct was not wrong, Mister the sun and Mister the moon were walking in the streets of the Miracle District, and you didn't even need to see their face disc to know it, the night cap and the sun rays being a more than revealing clue. The two policemen seemed to be talking, but you were still too far away to hear anything, so you decided to get closer, continuing to move along the rooftops of the various buildings until you were more or less at their level.

When you landed on a new roof, your eyes quickly scanned the alley, and you saw the old and illegible sign of the fish shop 'Fischer and Son'. A feline smile formed on your face as you realized that the animatronics had come to talk to one of the stores that had received funds from Arnold Wilson and incidentally one of the ones you had mentioned. You climbed up onto the edge of the roof and began to follow them up high, your ears perched on top of your head as you tried to spy on their conversion once again. You barely had time to hear a few words about the fish shop owner's profile before you suddenly saw the walking sun stop and turn his face in your direction, his rays waving slightly from right to left.

He just wasn't looking in your direction, his eyes as black as ink were focused on you, his eyes plunging into yours. You froze, one paw still raised in the air, as a shiver of surprise ran down your spine making your hair stand on end. Mister the moon also turned his face towards you, an almost amused expression on his lips. Your ears lay back against your skull as your tail wagged in frustration, you were positioned on the opposite side of the road they were walking on, especially since you had kept your cat-like appearance so as not to be detected, you had thought you would go unnoticed.

You didn't know what kind of sensors they had to be able to detect the presence of a cat on the roofs of buildings at more than fifteen meters, but now that you were discovered you might as well take advantage of the situation and go and provoke the two animatronics a little. You turned back into a human, leaving your tail and ears visible, crouching down on the edge of the building, resting one of your elbows on your knee before resting your cheek against your closed hand. You let your Cheshire smile appear on your lips before tilting your face, your ears following the movement of your face as your tail wagged.

"Mister the moon, Mister the sun, nice to see you here. I was going to ask you what you're doing here but... Um... I have a little idea." You said loudly enough for them to hear you, while making a small movement of your hand towards 'Fisher and Son'.

"Were you spying on us ?" Asked the solar animatronic, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh no ! I would never dare !" You exclaimed in a barely exaggerated manner.

"So you're going to tell us that it was a perfect coincidence that you found yourself on the same street as us, heading in the same direction ?" Questioned Mister the moon.

"I wouldn't say it was an accident, but I wouldn't say it was on purpose either." You replied. "I wanted to know what could make all these supernaturals run away and I found you. I expected to see something interesting, I'm disappointed."

You stood up and started walking on the small ledge that separated the roof from the void five floors below, your arms extended on either side to keep the balance that your tail was already providing. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Mister the sun looking both ways before crossing to the side of the street you were on. You lowered your face in his direction and raised an eyebrow, but he paid no attention to you, preferring to walk back towards the fish market once his lunar comrade had joined him. You could feel their gazes occasionally going back to you as if to make sure you were still following them, but you did the same, analyzing them from the corner of your eye to try to understand what they wanted.

Arriving at the end of the building you had to stop, the other building was much too high for you to reach with a single leap, moreover there was no window to help you climb the floors that separated you from the other roof. However, you knew that the back of the building had a fire escape, so you turned at right angles towards the back of the building you were on. You then turned into a cat, placing yourself more or less in front of the fire escape as it was slightly off the building you were standing on before jumping. Once on the fire escape you quickly climbed back up the steps before trotting across the entire roof to the ledge that overlooked the road.

Climbing up the low security wall you lowered your muzzle towards the ground to see how far the two metal policemen had progressed, to your surprise they hadn't progressed any further than you had. You had to make a small detour, it wasn't much but they should have been at least one building ahead of you, your ears twitched slightly at this thought. Had they been waiting for you ? You didn't see why they would wait for you, besides how could they know you were coming back, you could have just left. Maybe they didn't know what you were going to do and decided to stop and try to figure out your intentions. You turned back into a human, a small chuckle leaving your lips before you looked down at the two strange animatronics.

"You know there's very little chance of anyone answering your questions truthfully ?" You say.

"Why is that ?" Mister the sun asked.

"Because you are two of the things that the people in this neighborhood hate or fear the most. Cops, and Animatronics."

"Freddy had told us that things were... peculiar in this neighborhood. But we didn't think it was so bad that they were refusing to give us information." Replied Mister the moon.

"Welcome to the Miracle District."

Chapter Text

After your declaration a small silence settled between you, you lowered your eyes towards the two policemen who had looked at each other as if to exchange silent words before raising their eyes towards their initial objective which was straight ahead of them. The Fischer and Sons store had been around as long as you could remember and had never changed since. It was the same pastel blue storefront, soiled and aged by time, the outside blinds had been reduced to shreds by the weather while the windows showed a few small cracks here and there.

You saw the two metal policemen stop a few steps away from the entrance before glancing quickly in your direction and finally deciding to push the door which opened with a small bell-like jingle before closing behind them. You waited a few seconds, just enough for the smell of fish that had escaped when they had opened the door to disappear, you then turned into a cat before returning on your steps, two buildings away. You then leaned in the direction of the street, placing yourself just above one of the outside blinds that you had judged in good enough condition to support your feline weight before jumping. After landing on the blind, you jumped again, once you reached the ground you dashed towards the fish store.

You moved forward until you arrived in front of one of the large cracked windows, you placed your two front paws on the small wooden ledge to stand on your hind legs and thus be able to observe the poorly lit interior of the store. The room was not very large, a long refrigerated display case separated it in two, exposing to potential customers a varying quantity of fish, only a small space had been set up to accommodate a cash register as well as a small space to allow the one and only employee of the fish shop to slip behind. Behind the display cases, pushed up against the wall, were metal tables that held all the materials needed for cutting, cleaning and packaging fish. Even from the outside the smell of fish was noticeable, and being in your cat form, you couldn't help but lick your lips.

The two policemen were approaching the counter behind which stood Martin Fischer, the owner of 'Fischer and Son'. The uncertainly aged Merman stood in front of them, his two hands resting on the counter as his greying brown moustache twitched in annoyance. The wrinkles on his face, tanned by the years he had spent at sea, were even more stretched as he looked warily at the two animatronics standing in his store. Although the sound wasn't very loud you manage to hear Martin click his tongue before saying :

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know this guy. He's dead and it has nothing to do with me. We're all going to die eventually anyway."

"Mr. Fischer, we know that Mr. Wilson used to support certain stores every month with a little money." Declared Mister the sun.

"So what ? What does that have to do with me."

"We also know that your store was among those selected this month." Continued the solar animatronic.

"And a few days ago Arnold Wilson personally visited you to make his payment." Mister the Moon finished.

You saw Martin stiffen, his pupils dilating slightly in surprise before a small grimace distorted his lips. A small feline smile appeared on your lips, it was one thing for the police to know that 'Fischer and Son' had received a payment from Arnold, but to know that Wilson had personally visited his store was another, and Fisher knew it. He could no longer lie about not knowing anything since he had received the payment the day of the visit, and you had no doubt that the two animatronics had asked to see Wilson's bank statements to get concrete proof.

The merman suddenly turned his back on them, walking over to one of his worktops where a cooler was sitting. He dipped his hand into the ice to catch a fish before lifting it up and dropping it heavily onto a wooden cutting board that was nearby. He grabbed one of the many knives that hung on the wall before starting to scale the fish. After a few stabs with the knife, he stopped to look over his shoulder at the two animatronics before saying in a slightly hesitant voice:

"It's... It's true. About a week ago he came to visit me to buy all the fish stock I had in my store. But he didn't stay long, he came, bought the fish and left. We barely exchanged a few words, hello and all the other banalities granted to customers."

"Why did you tell us you didn't know him then ?" Questioned the lunar animatronic.

"I didn't particularly want you to associate me with this murder story and we know very well how you metal policemen are always accusing the first ones who seem a bit odd." Martin grumbled slightly.

"Do you know of anyone who might have had a grudge against Mr. Wilson's life, such as another store owner with whom he might have had an argument ?" Continued the solar animatronic, ignoring the merman's comment.

"No." Martin replied coldly.

"Do you have the names of the other stores Arnold Wilson visited ?" Asked Mister the moon.

"Not anymore, I'm old and have a bad memory. Now if you're done with your questions could you get the hell out. I have a store to run and because of you my clientele has run away with their tails between their legs."

You saw the two animatronics exchange a look of disappointment and frustration. Your tail wagged in both annoyance and amusement. You were annoyed by the behavior of the people in this neighborhood, they often complained that the police did nothing for them when problems arose, but they were the first to refuse to cooperate when the police tried to help them. This was a murder of a man, a Skinwalker, who, although not the best of all, still managed to do his share of good for this community, and Martin found a way to refuse to help the police when they were just trying to get justice for one of their own.

Even though you knew that not all police officers were the same, that not all of them were good, and that some of the people in this town had a justified hatred or fear of them, perhaps even your judgment was influenced by the fact that most of the police officers you met were never unfair or cruel to you, but you just couldn't stand by while these police officers were trying to be good and fair once again.

But you were also amused because you knew that things would never change and that you would certainly not be the one to change the world. After all, who were you ? A repeat street thief who lied almost all the time. You were already struggling to survive, you weren't going to risk your miserable life for a lost cause. A small feline sigh left your lips before you turned towards the street, your four paws touching the ground, you took a few steps away from the fishmonger's before turning back into a human, you dusted off your clothes before turning towards the fishmonger's. You could at least give them one last little paw since you were there, plus it would give you some reason to tease them.

You walked up to the door of the fishmonger's and pushed it wide open, loudly ringing the little bell that was just above the door. Your entrance attracted the attention of the people already in the room, the two policemen frowned slightly when they saw you while Martin frowned so much that his blue orbs became almost entirely invisible behind his eyebrows. You let a fake surprised expression appear on your lips before saying :

"Oops. I didn't realize you already had a visitor, Martin. I hope I'm not interrupting anything ?"

"What do you want wet cat ?" Martin grumbled.

"Oh me nothing in particular, I just came to see what fish you're offering today !"

Martin looked in your direction, his eyes sliding to the two animatronics before a small growl left his lips. You moved closer to the windows where the different fish were exposed, you pretended to examine them before standing up, you pivoted on your heels, turning towards the two policemen to give them a wink accompanied by a small smile before turning back towards Martin. You leaned back, resting your arms on the windows as you looked in the direction of Martin who had once again turned his back to cut up his now scaled fish.

"Hey Martin, the other day I was thinking about this huge fish of more than five kilos that Mrs. Escaida bought for her son's birthday and I was wondering if you had any ? She told me so much about the quality and the taste that now I would like to try it."

"It was a gray salmon and it was six kilos, not five, it was one of the biggest I had caught that day. Besides, Mrs. Escaida bought it for Christmas and not for her son's birthday." Martin replied. "And no there aren't any, it's not the season."

"Really ? Too bad. But it's amazing that you can remember all this, even though it happened more than two year ago, but you can't remember the name of some poor store..." You sigh.

Martin froze for a few seconds before brutally planting his knife in the cutting board. He turned abruptly, coming closer to you who was still leaning against the refrigerated window, his bluish orbs shining with anger and annoyance while you still continued to smile.

"Are you eavesdropping ?" Martin hissed through clenched teeth.

"No, not exactly. It's not my fault that as I walked past your store I heard everything you were saying. You have a big mouth, what do you want me to say." You answer.

"I should cut off your ears in that case, maybe my big mouth would bother you less."

"Outch... But if I were you I wouldn't say that in front of them unless you really wanted to go to jail." You sighed and indicated the two policemen in the room with a small movement of your hand.

You saw Martin's angry expression melt away as he looked up to see behind you, your Cheshire smile only getting bigger as you saw the old man let out a heavy sigh. He turned around grabbing a rag to wipe his hands before turning back to the two animatronics and incidentally to you. You pushed yourself away from the window, taking a few steps back before stopping and realizing that Mister the sun and Mister the moon were closer to you than you thought. You grinned at them, your eyes meeting theirs before moving closer to the counter, you sat on the edge with your legs waving slightly in the air as you looked in the direction of Martin who moved closer to you.

"I'm taken aren't I ?" The merman asked.

"Like a fish in a net." You replied.

"I don't see what you have to gain by helping them.

"Nothing, but since the time you know that I have like a past time to piss people off. And today I decided that it was you."

"Tch. Little shit."

"Now now... It's better to tell them everything they want to know than to let them snoop around and find out things that have nothing to do with Wilson don't you think ? You've got a few more years ahead of you old man, don't spend them in jail."

Martin let another sigh leave his lips, he walked around the counter and leaned against one of its refrigerated windows before crossing his arms and looking up at the two animatronics that had remained very quiet since you had entered the room. Their attentions, like yours, were turned towards Martin. The old merman clicked his tongue before saying :

"I don't know much... and I'm not lying this time. When Wilson came by we talked a bit, he told me about the other stores he was going to visit during the day, asked me if I had any to recommend for the next month and all that. And as he was looking at the quality of the fish he got a call. I couldn't tell you who the other caller was, Wilson didn't mention his name once, but they were talking about a project they had together. However, Wilson seemed to disagree with the project, and the other caller didn't seem to like it. The other guy started to get upset and Wilson told him that this was not the time to discuss this, they made a date and then Wilson hung up."

"Could you give us the store names this time ?" Questioned Mister the moon as he looked at Martin.

"Y-Yeah. I don't know if it matters, but Wilson told me about one of his managers that he had recently fired for some stupid reason. But he didn't tell me the reason." Martin added.

Martin then gave them the names of the other stores, and the two policemen asked him a few more questions, especially about Arnold Wilson's arrival and departure times. You stood there throughout the conversation, your legs twitching as you looked between the two animatronics and the merman, a small, satisfied smile on your lips. When their interrogation finally came to an end, Mister the moon and Mister the sun wished Martin a good afternoon, who only grunted in response, before heading for the exit. As you finally got off the counter and the animatronics opened the door ready to exit, Martin's voice rang out to say :

"You better watch your pockets, gentlemen. That wet cat is more agile than an eel in the water."

The walking sun and the moon animatronics had stopped at the door, their facial discs turning in your direction as you took on a fake look of shock. You turned to the merman, who had gone back behind his windows.

"Come on Martin, seriously ?"

"You know the rules, an eye for an eye.

"Too bad for you they already know what's on my locker. You replied. But you know I have more to say about you and your store if you really want to play this game ?"

"Nah, I give up, I'd rather anchor before I get swept away by the storm." Martin replied, a smile stretching his lips hidden behind his mustache.

"Good day to you Fischer."

"Wait a second more."

The merman slid behind the counter and turned to his workbench you saw him quickly wrap the fish he had cleaned and cut into a small plastic wrapper before holding it out in your direction, his hand passing over his refrigerated windows. You blinked before letting a small smile appear on your lips, you retrieved the small package containing the fish before looking up at Martin and saying :

"Thanks Martin."

"Tch. Don't thank me. It wasn't sellable anyway. I'd rather it end up in the belly of an ungrateful wet cat than in the trash."

"Yeah yeah. Thanks anyway !"

You turned towards the door to see that the two animatronics were still there on either side of the door like guards, Mister the moon even holding the door open for you. You slowly moved forward alternating glances between the two before crossing warily, taking a few steps on the sidewalk to get away from them, before turning around and hearing the door of Fischer's fishmonger's close. They were standing still, one had slipped his hands into his jacket pockets while the other had crossed his arms over his chest, both of them looking at you with indecipherable expressions on their facial disks. You let a small smirk appear on your lips before saying :

"First time someone answering your questions am I right ?"

"Um... Could you answer some of our questions ?" Asked the lunar animatronic.

"What if I answered no ?"

"In that case we could very well bring you back to the station to question you and discuss what's on your record." Replied Mister the sun with a small smile in your direction.

"It was only a question, no need to be so cruel ! I have to do my good deed for the day after all, so ask whatever you want. That is, as long as you don't ask me to share my fish with you."

"No. You can keep your fish." Mister the sun sighed with a small amused smile on his lips, his rays shifting slightly.

You let a satisfied smile appear on your lips before you turned on your heels and started walking, you didn't know exactly where the two wanted to go but you knew they had to at least cross this street. You heard one of them sigh, since the sound was to your right you suspected it was the lunar animatronic, but they eventually moved forward anyway, following your lead. You slipped the fish you had obtained into the pocket of the sweater you were wearing. After only a few steps, the walking sun asked :

"Do you know Mr. Fisher ?"

"Does it seem to you that I don't know him ?"

"Has he ever done anything illegal ?" Continued the walking sun.

"So has just about everyone else in this neighborhood. But it was nothing too serious, I promise you." You replied, waving one of your hands.

"You're not going to tell us, are you y/n l/n ?" Mister the moon asked.

"Nah, it's a trade secret." You replied amused.

You heard another sigh, you turned your head slightly towards them before looking ahead once more. While progressing in the street you could feel the looks of the passers-by weighing on you and on the two animatronics which did not seem to care. You paid no attention to their looks, whether they were scornful or frightened, preferring to continue walking down the street. At the intersection you stopped, ready to turn back to the two animatronics to ask them which way to go, but you stopped when you saw a group of people suddenly dissipate in one of the streets perpendicular to the one you were on. You frowned before realizing that you hadn't seen their car as you crossed the street.

"Say... Your car won't be parked over there by any chance ?" You asked as you turned to them and pointed to the street where you had spotted a gathering.

"You were really spying on us before we noticed you..." Mister the Moon sighed.

"Sorry to dash your hopes but no. However you better hurry up before there's nothing left of your car."

You saw the two of them quickly join you around the corner before turning their facial discs in the direction of where they had supposedly parked their vehicle. You heard an insult leave the voice box of the lunar animatronic before the two of them drove past you and quickly into the new street. You watched them sprint away for a minute before following suit, shoving your hands into your pockets. As you got closer, the outline of the now wrecked car became visible.

The car was a model that you knew, having already heard Freddy and the others talk about it, was commonly used by the police during discreet interventions or shadowing, it was black in color and didn't display anything that could reveal its belonging to the police. However, malicious eyes had surely seen the two metal policemen coming out of it. The windows had been smashed, the tires punctured and the bodywork widely scratched and dented. The two AI's went around their car, noticing the damage outside, the solar animatronic took out the keys unlocking the car to open the different doors to contact the damage, even leaning inside the car to observe more carefully.

As you approached you saw that the interior was not in a better state, the seats had been violently torn apart with claws while all the electronic equipment inside had been ripped out vulgarly almost as if someone had tried to steal them. You also saw two puddles, one was a viscous liquid that had appeared under the car and was beginning to spread slightly, from the foul smell that was coming out of it you suspected that it was gasoline, while the other was near a wheel and was much clearer which made you wrinkle your nose. You noticed however that the trunk had not been opened and that the hood housing the engine had not been opened either. You let a small smile appear on your lips before moving away from the car, leaning against the wall of the building next to it while saying :

"Whoever did that was really stupid."

Mister the moon, who was closest to you, raised his face in your direction, his eyes full of reproach and threat, as if he already knew that what you were going to say would be a mockery or a criticism. And you couldn't blame him because that was indeed the case. You moved forward until you reached the car, attracting the attention of Mister the sun who watched you through the open car door. Arriving next to the front door you reached out with one of your hands to what was left of the window and with one of your gloved fingers you knocked out the few pieces of glass that were still clinging to the door, watching them go crashing to the ground with a distinct little clang.

"Personally I would have removed the rims and wheels so I could resell them. I would also have opened the hood to get as many parts out as possible, I would have emptied the gas tank to get the contents. And incidentally I would have opened the glove box and trunk to see if there were any valuable items."

"Should we add all this to your list of crimes ?" Asked the nocturnal animatronic as it moved closer to you.

"No, this is simply a personal opinion. I never said I had done it before." You reply as you turn to the moon animatronic, raising your hands in the air.

"Don't touch anything. You could compromise the crime scene." Said Mister the moon as he waved you away from their car.

"Oh, not a chance Inspector. What do you think the gloves are for ? No fingerprints when you steal, no DNA when you murder someone." You sighed as you walked away.

The facial disk of the two animatronics had suddenly turned in your direction observing you with severity, their looks filled with reproach. You raised both hands in the air, slowly starting to laugh before letting a real laugh leave your lips at their far too serious expressions. You lifted one of your hands to wipe away a small tear that had started to escape from your eyes. When you finally calmed down you looked up to see Mister the moon and Mister the sun continuing to stare at you intently. When one of Mister the moon's hands moved to reveal his belt and the handcuffs on it you rolled your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest and saying :

"Come on, I was just kidding, tsk... You're not funny."

Mister the moon let go of his coat before turning once again in the direction of the car, to start inspecting the surroundings. You leaned back against the wall, shoving your hands into your pockets, making sure your precious fish was still there, while hiding your gloved hands. You watched the two animatronics for a few minutes, as you saw the daytime animatronic walk around the car to approach the hood of the car you said :

"I wouldn't step in the liquid by the wheel if I were you. It's definitely not gasoline."

Mister the sun lowered his facial disk in the direction of the puddle you were indicating with one of your fingers, he then raised his eyes towards you, his rays making a complete turn to follow back to their initial place, before avoiding the puddle of urine that had formed. Reaching the front of his car he deftly opened the hood and began to examine the interior. Slowly a small mischievous smile appeared on your lips, pushing you off the wall once more before discreetly approaching the solar animatronic, you saw him looking at you from the corner of your eye as you pretended to look over his shoulder.

"Is this like looking inside a corpse for you ?" You say as you point to the engine and everything around it.

"You're really giving us reasons to be able to stop you." Mister the sun sighed as he turned to you with an expression you didn't know if he was more annoyed or amused drawn on his lips.

"I'm testing my luck, and your patience at the same time." You answered happily.

You moved away again, coming to stand on the sidewalk to continue to observe them with attention and amusement. Even if the smell of gasoline was strong, you had managed to detect the odors of the species that had fun trashing their car, and luckily you didn't know any of them, so you had no qualms or regrets about reporting them. But of course you weren't going to do it out of the goodness of your heart, if you could use this information to tease the two animatronics a bit more then you would be happy to denounce some troublemaker who had nothing more intelligent to do than destroy a car.

"Because i'm a good and generous little cat, I can tell you the numbers and the species to which the ones who destroyed your car belonged. But only if you say 'please'." You say, crossing your arms over your chest.

"There were five of them, three of them were Skinwalkers, according to the hair we found in the car and the claw marks one of them was a Breton Spaniel, and the other one a Golden Lion Tamarin. The last one was probably a rodent, such as a rat or a mouse, because it penetrated the hood without opening it in order to cut the battery cables." Mister the sun began.

"From the constriction marks and the few scales we found near the car, there was also a Naga. Moreover, there are traces of hooves, which in view of their size and dimensions belong to a centaur." Mister the moon continued.

"There is a road surveillance camera a little further away, it does not cover the entire street but we can have a visual of our car and the vandals. Also, the hair, saliva, scales and urine recovered will allow us to do DNA testing to confirm the suspects. And I'm sure that once put in front of police officers they will quickly reveal the names of their two remaining comrades, well if we haven't already gotten their names before." Resumed the solar animatronic.

"I think this time we can do without your help, Kitty-Cat."

You blinked, letting your arms slowly fall back down your body as the two metal policemen turned their facial discs in your direction, victorious and satisfied smiles on their lips. You had to admit you were impressed by their analytical and deductive skills, you had hoped to trap them but your plan had backfired. You couldn't help but let a laugh leave your lips, you shook your face, coming to place one of your hands in front of your lips to try to calm your laughter. You finally looked up at the two animatronics to see that they had abandoned the examination of their cars to get closer to you.

"I admit it, you had me going for it. But there are a few things that deserve a little clarification. It was indeed a rodent, but it was a squirrel. Also the hoof marks do belong to a horse, a Skinwalker, not a centaur."

"Thank you." Said the solar animatronic.

"No need to. You've distracted me well today. Mister the sun, Mister the moon, if you don't have any more questions, I'm going to take some time off before my fish is not so fresh anymore." 

You slipped your hands into your pockets before moving towards the two animatronics, the street where you lived being on the other side, you passed between them two much less wary than the first time. And that was your mistake. A hand closed over both your arms, making you freeze as you were unable to move any further. You turned your head slightly to either side to observe the two policemen who had each grabbed one of your arms above the elbow, Mister the moon on your right and Mister the sun on your left. Their facial disks showed serious expressions, you looked down at their hands so large that they completely surrounded your arms, the pressure they were exerting was not painful but it was firm.

"Tomorrow, at 3pm, come to the police station. We need to discuss a few things." Declared the walking sun.

"Is this a date ?" You asked as you looked into their eyes alternately.

"No. We have a deal for you. A deal that cannot be decided here and now." Answered the lunar animatronic.

"Good thing it's not a date then, I was going to tell you I wasn't interested in animatronics." Did you sigh with a smirk on your lips.

The two of them  simultaneously let go of you, you made some steps to move away from the two, slipping once again your hands in your pockets. You looked up at the two metal policemen examining their serious expressions, you couldn't read exactly what emotion was in their black and red orbs respectively, however you didn't see any bad intention. You let a small sigh leave your lips before turning on your heels and starting to walk away, as you walked you turned your head, looking over your shoulders in their direction to see that they were still watching you before saying :

"I have a very busy schedule. I'll see if I can squeeze you in."

                                     ~❂✯☾~

As soon as the bus doors opened you slipped out, going through the back doors once more so the driver wouldn't notice the cat you were in his vehicle. You had gotten on the bus illegally, transforming yourself into a cat to hide under the seats and wait for the stop sign not far from the police station to appear. Luckily you didn't have to transform back into a human to ask the driver to stop, a hulderfolk who had seen you get in decided to ask for the stop for you, you thanked him with a shake of the head before leaving the bus.

Once on the sidewalk, you went to a small and discreet alley where you could change back without risking that anyone would reproach you. Once your human form was back, you walked down the busy street, slipping into the crowd to go towards the police station. You crossed the parking lot before entering the police station, as the last time some people were present in the waiting room, you approached the administrative office. The policeman behind you looked up at you. It was an android named Tim, his appearance was quite human, brown hair, swarthy skin, no joints or external mechanics, if you forgot the slight humming that escaped from his body and his slightly shiny blue eyes. Seeing you, a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Here's y/n. For once you come here without handcuffs on your wrists it must feel weird right ?" He says.

"So much so, I'm afraid that at the slightest moment one of you will throw himself on me to put chains on me !" You answer with a laugh.

"Nah nah, not today. But hurry up, you're almost thirty minutes late."

"That's still better than not coming at all. Bye Tim."

The android waved back at you before letting you head for the offices. You walked down the long hallway, arrived at the entrance of the office and heard someone exclaiming, you turned your head in the direction of where the commotion was coming from to see two policemen escorting a monkey Skinwalkers towards the temporary cells. The Fantastic wore an angry and frustrated expression, he turned to one of the accompanying policemen and spat :

"You have no evidence against me ! You can't arrest me just because of a dented car !"

You let an amused chuckle leave your lips, which drew an evil look from the monkey as he disappeared down the hallway to the temporary cell. This Skinwalker and all his comrades had surely underestimated the abilities of the animatronics to find evidence, or they had simply overestimated their intelligence. Another chuckle left your lips as you walked further into the room in search of those who were supposed to receive you, after a few seconds you saw them coming out of one of the interrogation rooms, a Naga coming out right after them, handcuffs on his wrists. You saw their facial disks turn in your direction, you raised one of your hands and gave them a little military salute. The moon animatronic gave a small wave to his colleague and you saw the walking sun approaching you as the other led the naga into custody.

"We thought you weren't coming." Declared Mister the sun as he came up to you.

"I thought so too. But the best way to bait a cat is to pique its curiosity, and you detectives managed to pique mine."

"Curiosity kills the cat."

"But satisfaction brings him back. So I hope what you have to say is interesting, or you will have my death on your consciences."

"Let's get settled." Mister the sun sighed.

He waved his hand at you in the direction of one of the many private offices there before taking the lead. You followed his lead, letting him open the door for you before slipping inside. The room was of average size, there were several pieces of metal or wooden storage furniture, a rather large desk around which rested chairs, three in this case, there was also a computer, a printer and all the other equipment you found on the desks of the main room. Some documents were already on the carefully stacked desk, but they were facing away from you, so you couldn't see their contents. You walked around the desk, passing behind it to get closer to the window that was behind it and overlooked the parking lot.

"You didn't waste any time stopping the people who trashed your car."

"The street camera had a better angle and quality than we thought, so we didn't have to do any DNA testing. The facial recognition made the process much faster."

"Really... Um... I was going to compliment you on how efficient you were, I should go congratulate the street camera instead then."

You turned towards the solar animatronic, giving him a big smile as he looked at you with annoyance, his rays wagging almost like an annoyed cat's tail would. You heard him sigh before you saw him lift one of his hands to his face and pinch the bridge of his nose. You sincerely admired their patience, few people, let alone police officers, had the courage and patience to put up with your snide remarks. You knew that it was a risky operation to tickle law enforcement officials, but it was the best way you could find to see the real face of people, and it amused you enormously.

You approached the chair which was alone in front of the two others, you settled there, putting you to observe what there was on the desk. The solar animatronic made the turn, coming to install himself also in one of the chairs that had in front of you, you observed him some second before concentrating you again on the office then on the window which was not far behind. For a few minutes you remained motionless, but finally your patience came to an end, you stretched one of your hands towards the stapler which was the object that was closest to you.

"Don't even think about trying to hide that." Mister the sun sighed.

"I only did that once, besides it wasn't my intention. I just wanted to keep myself busy for a bit since you don't seem very inclined to do the talking and your moon-faced colleague doesn't seem to be deciding to come." You say as you close your hands on the stapler to pull it towards you.

"Um... I wouldn't let you steal anything anyway."

You looked up at him, taking his words as a challenge. You rolled your eyes slightly as if to let him know that his words were not getting to you, you began to examine the stapler, turning it over and over before finally putting it back on the table, looking in the direction of the walking sun, whose eyes had begun to follow your every move with attention, showing him that your intentions were good. You started to play with everything on the desk except the documents, which as soon as you approached them you got a look of dissuasion from the metal policeman who was with you. You finally grabbed the box of paper clips, grabbed a few and mixed them together to make a chain. The paper clips were small but you could use them to win your challenge.

As you undid your chain you clumsily dropped two of them to the floor. You looked up at the animatronic who was looking at you suspiciously, you gave him a smile. You then bent down to retrieve the two paper clips, placing your hand on the edge of the table and pretending to use it as a prop to bend over and get up when in reality you were placing your hand on a third paper clip that you had carefully moved closer to the edge. As you stood up you discreetly pushed the third paper clip into the sleeve of your sweater, reaching out then your hand that had picked up the paper clips to drop one into the small box that housed the paper clips.

"The second paper clip." Mister the sun ordered across from you.

"What second paper clip ?" You replied innocently.

"You know what other paper clip."

"We can't hide anything from you, Inspector." you sighed.

You reached out with the hand before which you had picked up the paper clips, spreading your fingers to let the one you had hidden between your ring and middle fingers fall to the table. You lifted it up to place it in the paper clip box in turn looking in the direction of Mister de sun and giving him a little smile, you saw him give a heavy sigh while shaking his face disc. You come to rest your hand on the table and your chin inside your hand while with the other you slipped your successfully stolen paper clip into your sweater pocket.

"I thought I was late, if I had known your colleague would be even later I..."

You didn't have time to finish your sentence, the door was opened on the silhouette of Mister the moon, the animatronic looked in your direction more in the direction of his colleague before closing the door behind him. As he approached the last free chair and indirectly from you and his solar colleague you said with a teasing smile on your lips :

"When it comes to the animatronics, you see the cap !"

"Did something happen ?" Mister the sun asked, turning to the newcomer.

"The naga I was driving to the cell thought it would be a good idea to try to escape. It took longer than expected but he's finally in his cell, he'll have to spend a little more time there than his colleagues. Sorry to keep you waiting."

You frowned slightly at his words. Nagas were generally peaceful and calm creatures, however their strength was still very great so it was very difficult to subdue them by brute force. It usually took three men to subdue a single naga, so to hear that Mister the loon had subdued one of them alone was something that disturbed and worried you slightly. You never imagined that Mister the moon, and Mister the sun since they were almost identical, could possess such strength. Unlike Freddy, Monty and even the other Glamrocks who were of a large and powerful constitution that easily revealed their strength, the two animatronics in front of you were thin and slender, you had thought them to be built for speed and agility, especially after they had managed to follow you over the rooftops.

"The next time you have to deal with a naga, grab the tip of its tail if possible and bend it towards its spine. This creates tension along their spine and the slightest movement becomes painful. They usually calm down after that." You sigh unconsciously.

"Thank you for the information." Answered the moon face making you understand that you had spoken out loud.

"You're welcome. Now that you're here Inspector, could you hurry up and explain to me what you were talking about ?"

The lunar animatronic sat back in his chair before reaching for the documents you had not been allowed to touch. You saw him turn the documents over before flipping through them quickly, then he pushed some of them in your direction. You retrieved the documents, looking at the two animatronics suspiciously before quickly reading the papers. It was a document listing all the information about Arnold Wilson, his movements, the money movements made on and from his account, after two pages you pushed the pile of paper in their direction raising an eyebrow:

"And what does this have to do with me ?"

"We want you to assist us on this case." Replied Mister the sun with a small hand movement in the direction of the documents.

"Okay, you clearly have a bolt not tight enough, or maybe too tight, in whatever you're using as a head to offer this to me." You sigh as you back into your chair to cross your arms.

"We think that you can be useful to us in the continuation of this investigation. The help that you brought to us during our previous meetings allowed us to obtain precious information that we would unfortunately not have obtained in normal time." Declared Mister the moon.

You blinked, looking the two AIs in front of you in the eyes, alternating for a few seconds between their night colored orbs and the flame colored one before slowly a small laugh started to escape from your lips. Their expressions were so serious and determined that it only strengthened your laughter, you leaned slightly on the table wiping a small tear that had started to escape from your eyes as you struggled to catch your breath. When they had said that it wasn't something that could be said at the door of everyone's ear you had thought that they were going to ask you to accompany them to the few stores Martin Fischer had given them the names of, at the very least to serve as their guide in the Miracle District, but you never thought that they would ask you to participate in the resolution of their investigation.

"Okey, okey... if it's a joke it was very funny, if you're serious then it was even funnier." You say once a little calm.

"We are more than serious." Continued the solar animatronic.

"Then don't be. You read my file, didn't you ? Then you know I'm probably not the best person to ask to help you."

"Why did you help us with Martin Fischer ? For that matter, why did you tell us that Arnold didn't kill himself ?" Mister the Moon asked.

"Arnold was a skinwalker, just like me, so I couldn't let you foolishly think he killed himself when he didn't." You sighed with a shrug. "As for Fischer I just wanted to be able to piss him off, plus I was able to get a free meal out of it."

"I can't believe your excuses." Replied Mister the moon.

"Okay, look. If I had found your car before I found you, I certainly would have been one of the people you arrested today. So Mister the sun, Mister the moon, you..."

"It's Moon and Sun. Our names are Moon and Sun."

Chapter Text

You blinked, leaning back in your chair once more and crossing your arms. You observed their facial disks, your eyebrows slightly frowning, both of them had neutral and somewhat serious expressions, however you saw the rays of the one you assumed was Sun waving from right to left, as for Moon you noticed this time that his eyes were not simple red dots, they were also slightly bright like small LEDs, barely lighting the bridge of his nose. You clicked your tongue before saying :

"You think telling me your names is going to change the situation ?"

"It was a simple correction." Declared the solar animatronic.

"Yeah ? Well Mister Sun, Mister Moon let me ask you a question. Are you desperate or just plain stupid ?" You questioned with a mocking smile on your lips.

"Neither. You're the one who suggested we bring a Fantastic into our investigation, we just listened to you." Inspector Moon replied with a sly smile.

A new silence settled between the three of you, you turned your face away, letting a loud "Tsk" leave your lips before you started biting your lower lip, a bad habit you had developed when you were thinking too hard or when you were annoyed, and in this case it was for both reasons. You couldn't help them, you were just one of those Supernaturals participating in feeding the human hatred of Fantastic, you were a delinquent. These two metal cops needed to work with someone they could trust, and you weren't it. You turned your face in their direction before saying :

"I may have said that, but I wasn't talking about me. There are plenty of Fantastics in this damn town, some even more qualified than me, so go make them your little offer."

"Before you refuse our offer, wouldn't it be better to listen to the proposal we have for you ?" Said Inspector Sun.

"Um... Nah. I'll refuse anyway." You say as you come to rest your face between your hands whose elbows were resting on the desk.

"You'd still refuse to listen even if we said it was about the freedom you're enjoying right now ?"

You turned towards the lunar inspector who was the one who had spoken, you grimaced slightly in his direction lowering one of your hands to the table to come and click your nails. You had wondered when they would bring up the subject of your freedom, you knew that your record was full enough to send you to prison for at least ten years, it was a good argument to make you blindly accept their deal, and they knew it well. But you were stubborn.

"Your threat to send me to jail is getting old and repetitive, you'll have to do better than that." 

"We're not threatening to send you to jail, we're giving you a chance to avoid it." Sun sighed.

Your hand that was supporting your face slowly fell back, your fingers suddenly stopping from hitting the table as you once again observed the two animatronics in front of you. There was no threat or mockery in their eyes and their words were sincere. You were slightly caught off guard, you weren't used to anyone other than the Glamrocks and Vanessa treating you with respect, but at the same time you knew that it was you who was preventing anyone from treating you like this by your behavior, however you didn't understand why the two of them, who barely know you or even don't know you, were treating you like this.

"What is it ?" You end up asking.

"The proposal is simple, you assist us for all the duration of the investigation and when the case will be solved all the crimes and other misdemeanors that you have committed will be erased from your record." 

As he spoke Inspector Moon pushed a document in your direction, it was your file with your criminal record. You grabbed the document and tapped it with your fingertips, but your gaze did not linger on your crimes but on your membership in the Fantastic People, a membership that also appeared on your identity card and other important documents such as employment applications or hospitalization papers... Many people were concerned about whether the person in front of them was a Supernatural or not, whether it was an employer, a doctor or even a potential lover.

"The one thing I'd like to erase you can't do." You murmured unconsciously.

"And what is that?" Detective Sun asked.

"Oh ?! Uh... That's my name." You say, lying. "But anyway, what's the catch ? Because there's always one."

"By participating in the investigation you could be asked to work at different times and for different lengths of time, in different parts of the city and maybe even outside." Sun remarked.

"Hmm... It's not a problem for me, as long as I get at least eight hours of sleep, day or night, I don't mind. What is the thing that could make me regret saying yes ?" You asked.

"The Arnold Wilson investigation is our primary investigation and is the one that will determine the length of your cooperation with the police. However, since we do not know the exact duration of the investigation, your contract is open-ended. In addition, you may be required to work on other cases." Detectives Moon continued.

"So that's it... You're going to keep me on a leash and walk me around until Wilson's death is cleared up. And I suppose you think there's something much bigger than a single murder story behind this, don't you ?" You asked with a small sigh.

"We can't say more until you agree and sign the contract, but let's say yes." Answered Sun, his rays twitching slightly.

"Not that I mind becoming the police's little house cat huh... But I need money to survive, I can't just give up my job." You sighed as you pushed the documents the two policemen had shown you in their directions.

You saw Inspector Moon and Inspector Sun exchange a look while exchanging a small laugh before the solar animatronic grabbed the last two documents they had in front of them to push them towards you. You quickly pulled them towards you out of curiosity, quickly reading the first lines of the document which was the contract you had to sign if you accepted their offer. You heard the daytime animatronic clear his throat, which drew your attention to him, frowning as he said :

"Your contact also includes a compensation pay. The amount is written in paragraph number two of the second page."

You looked down at the contract turning the page before following the animatronic's directions. A surprised gasp left your lips as your gaze fell on the numbers on the document. You had expected to get the same amount as your part-time job, but this was much more, almost double what you earned in a month of work. It was also specified that at the end of the contract you would still have a month's pay and a written recommendation from the police for any job you might want. You quickly read the next few lines which stated other details such as the fact that if you were injured during your working hours your medical fees would be taken care of by the police. This was too much to refuse, despite the risks involved.

"I think our proposal is quite interesting to you now, isn't it ? Unless you're still interested in prison ?" Moon asked with an amused tone.

"I must admit that you have once again managed to capture my attention. But are you sure you want me to accept and sign this contract ?"

"Why wouldn't we want to ?" Questioned the walking sun. "We did make you the offer."

"Because even though I'm on a leash, I'm still a cat with a nasty bite." You replied, almost purring, a wry smile on your lips.

The two metal policemen didn't seem to be fazed by your joke, which made you sigh slightly. You reached out with one of your hands and grabbed a black pen that was nearby before signing the contract that was still in front of you, if it had been a contract made with another magical creature you would have had to sign with your feline paw print, or with your blood, it depended on the species you were facing and the importance of the contract. You pushed the signed contract towards Sun and Moon, rolling your eyes at Sun's happy smile and Moon's satisfied one. You hummed for a second before asking :

"Now, I suppose you'll finally give me some more explanation about this murder, won't you ? But first I have the right to ask a question ?" You think for a moment before adding. "Or maybe two."

"What is it ?" Sun asked.

"Why are you wearing a nightcap ?" You say, pointing to Moon's hat. "I'm not interested in fashion, but still, I'm wondering..."

"That question has no bearing on the case. I don't have to answer it." Moon grumbled.

"Okey, okey ti each his own, after all. In that case the next question is for Inspector Sun and has a little more to do with the investigation. Why do you bother to write down the information you get when you can record it in your database or whatever serves as your memory  ?" You say, waving the pen you were still holding in the direction of the Sun animatronic.

"It's easier to organize the information you get by writing it down on paper."

"Simpler ? Nah. That excuse only works when you have a memory made of flesh and blood, not when you have a backup capacity equivalent to five times all the computers in this precinct. I could almost believe you've been watching too many of these old crime movies."

As you looked up at Detective Sun you saw his beams retract slightly into his face disc, your pupils dilated as you watched him as it was the first time you had seen his beams move like that. The realization then hit you suddenly as you saw Moon roll his eyes slightly in Sun's direction as he looked away guiltily. You chuckled and said :

"Nah... Seriously ?! I was just saying that as a joke, but I never thought that was really the case."

"If we've answered all your questions, can we get back to the topic at hand ?" Moon asked.

"Actually you haven't really answered my question Sherlock. But we'll say it'll be good for today, after all, I have the whole duration of this investigation to annoy you." You replied happily.

A grunt left Moon's voice box as he stood up and retrieved all the documents from the desk. Sun followed his partner's lead while shaking his face disapprovingly. As the two policemen turned towards the door ready to leave, you discreetly slipped the pen you still had in your hand into the sleeve of your sweater, you had already stolen the paper clip but if you could steal the pen you wouldn't complain, it would give you one more object to prove that you had won the challenge that Sun had indirectly given you. When you saw them stop and turn to face you, you stood up, assuming you would have to follow them, but before you could move away from the desk Sun said :

"Put the pen down immediately."

You let a growl leave your lips before pulling the pen from your sleeve, setting it noisily on the table before raising your hands in the air towards the two policemen. Moon left the room first and you followed, leaving Sun to close the door behind you. As you left the private office, you let your eyes roam the room before stopping on a huge pink and white mass with feathers. After a few seconds of staring at it, Chica finally raised her face in your direction, the huge metal chicken waved her big hand in your direction, you returned her gesture in a more discreet way before turning to follow Detectives Moon who went to the second meeting room before opening the door and inviting you in. You slipped inside quickly examining the huge room you were in, letting a whistle leave your lips.

"It's a big room, really fancy." You say.

The room was quite large, there was actually a table of substantial size in the middle with several cabinets and other shelves as well as a desk in the corner of the room. But what attracted your attention was the huge magnetic board that was pushed against one of the walls, many photos and other printed information had been hung, inscriptions had been added with erasable felt-tip pens, specifying such and such information and linking together different information. You had moved closer to the board, examining with more precision what was there, a group of information had been dedicated to Arnold Wilson, there were all his identity, his background, newspaper extracts, paparazzi photos and even some photos of his corpse and of the few clues that had been found next to his corpse.

Then there were several small groupings of documents scattered here and there, but you were most interested in the other two large gatherings of documents. One was dedicated to a centaur, a Fantastic politician named Jyseral Klain. You had heard of him before, but more often in bad than good terms. He was part of the political branch of the Fantastic Government that wanted peace and equality between Fantastics, Humans, and Science-Fiction. His intentions were good, but some of his proposals were considered offensive because they restricted or degraded the living conditions of some Fantastics, such as the proposal he made to force trolls to have their teeth cut, even though this was a criterion of beauty for this species.

The last documents concerned Abigael Fynch, a fairy known as much in the Fantastic world as in the human one for her beauty but also for the production chain of care and aesthetic products that she possessed for several years now. The information provided on the papers spoke of many things, diplomas that she had obtained, some review of scandalous newspapers that spoke of her private life, the name of competitor she had trampled ... Ect. However, you let a small amused smile appear on your lips when you noticed that there was a missing information. You turned towards the two policemen, Sun having finally entered the room. You moved slightly, letting them see the board and the section dedicated to Abigail before tapping with one of your phalanges the photo of the fairy.

"Abigael also ran a cosmetic surgery business." 

"There is no mention of this information on her file, or even on the internet." Said Moon with a frown.

"Normal, it's a cosmetic surgery center that runs illegally. It is exclusively reserved for Fantastic clients. Whether it's tooth filing for Vampires, removal of visible scales for Mermaids and Mermen, dehorning of Satyrs and Minautors, I think her clinic even did big, heavy operations like wing amputations and heavy facial modifications and so on. Basically, it's a clinic that specializes in surgeries to make fantasy creatures look more human." You say as you walk away from the painting.

"How do you know that ?" Questioned the solar animatronic.

"Very few people know about his second business, even within the Fantastic Community, only the richest and most important Supernaturals, those who can afford her services, know about it. But one day I happened to run into two Supernaturals who were talking and one of whom was about to have an operation. I was curious and did my research after that. Some people are discreet but not enough for a cat's ears."

"That's a lot of coincidences about you. " Moon said, crossing his arms.

"Promise made on my tail and ears is the truth for once." Did you reply, letting your ears and tail make their appearance.

Moon hummed a reply, waving one of his hands to tell you that you were acquitted. You let a smile form on your lips without making your feline attributes disappear, you walked over to the table before sitting down, your legs drooping as you faced the board to see that Sun had approached it to write down the new information you had provided with a red marker before moving away again to contemplate the board from further away. You scanned the board, your ears twitching slightly as you heard noise further back in the office as Inspector Moon seemed to be searching in a drawer, you finally tilted your face before asking :

"You think his three murders are related, why ?"

"The circumstances were too strange. Like someone was trying to cover up their murders as an accident or suicide." Said the solar animatronic.

"You talk to someone who turns into a cat about murdering Fantastic creatures in a world populated by three different communities and you still find some things strange you ?" You asked, ignoring your conscience that told you that you found them strange too.

"The murders of Abigael Fynch and Jyseral Klain have been classified as an industrial accident for one and a suicide for the other." Moon replied. 

You turned in their direction as you heard files being placed on the table, you remained seated on the table bending your legs to cross them in front of you as you leaned forward slightly. You looked up from the two files to see the two metal policemen looking in your direction with seriousness, you blinked, holding their gaze to let them know you weren't going to move from there. Hearing a sigh and seeing an orange colored hand open the file to reveal its contents, you let your Cheshire smile appear knowing you had won. You had warned them that you were going to be unbearable, they hadn't wanted to listen now it was up to them to take the consequences.

The first file contained a dozen photos from every angle of the body of Jyseral Klain. The centaur had killed himself by wrapping one end of a metal rope around his neck and attaching the other to an object that looked like a small cabinet or chest of drawers. He stood near his balcony on the second floor of his home and pushed the small cabinet over the railing, the weight wasn't heavy enough to topple his semi-equine body over the railing but it was enough to break his neck. According to the dates on the photos, Jyseral's supposed suicide was a little over five months ago.

Abigael had died more recently, less than a month ago. She had supposedly gone to one of her cosmetic factories late in day for reasons unknown to her family and employees. She then went to one of the storage rooms where the products were stored before being shipped to the stores, and one of the huge shelves housing the cosmetics collapsed on her. The police concluded that while trying to retrieve a jar of product she had pushed on the shelf, which may have been already wobbly, and that the accident occurred before the employees discovered her the next day. You examined the photos that the two policemen showed you before stopping on one of the pictures that gave a perfect view on the wings of the deceased fairy. One of her wings had a sort of straight and too perfect tear in the middle.

"I can't tell you much about Jyseral since everything seems to fit the method a centaur would use to kill himself, but the fairy is a different story. Do you see the wound on her wing here ?" You say as you hand them the picture you were holding.

"The coroner says it could have been caused by one of the products that fell on her wings." Sun says as he grabs the photo.

"Fairy wings have a special texture, they are resistant to rough impact, a punch or a relatively round object like the products that were on the shelf would not have injured her wing in that way. However, fairy wings are sensitive to sharp objects. We can compare the wings of fairies to balloons, it is very hard to burst them by hitting them, but a simple needle is enough to burst it. And from the looks of the cut, it was probably done to her with a knife or a claw."

"Um... We thought it was strange that being a fairy she needed to lean on one of the shelves to grab a product. She could have fly, or just picked up a product within her reach. Plus why go at night and not wait until the next day." Moon said.

You hummed a reply before reaching out one of your hands grabbing the photos that were in Jyseral Klain's file to examine them again and try to see if you didn't see something particular that caught your attention, you stopped on a photo that showed strange marks on the smooth parquet floor, the marks were dark on the light wood floor and was located not far from the corpse. You put the photo on the table before pushing it in the direction of the two animatronics who had also started to observe the other photos and documents. Their hands landed simultaneously on the photo you had thrown, slightly surprising you since they had seemed so focused that you hadn't thought they would have noticed you immediately.

"Well catch Sherlocks. What's that in the picture ?"

"Hoof rub marks. We think Jyseral tried to fight the pull of the cabinet he pushed into the void before finally the weight of the cabinet got the better of him." Moon replied.

"Hmm... Is that what made you think it wasn't a suicide ?"

"Yes, the tracks started from way too far back to say that he changed his mind at the last minute and easily tried to fight the weight of the cabinet. It was almost as if he had been pulled to the balcony from the middle of the room." Says Sun.

"Also the wardrobe was heavy enough that he couldn't resist the weight, so that meant it was impossible for him to carry it, yet there was no sign of friction from the cabinet that would indicate that he had pushed or dragged the wardrobe. Likewise he would have been unable to get it over the guardrail." Moon added.

"I find these tracks strange too. Centaurs usually wear non-slip pads when inside buildings, especially when the floors are fairly smooth like the floor in Jyseral's house from the pictures. Moreover, centaurs are generally creatures that pay a lot of attention to their hygiene, whether it be their bodies or the hygiene of their homes. Jyseral Klain was one of the centaurs who were very attached to the cleanliness of their home. And in the photos you can see that his hooves were dirty, as if he had not bothered to wipe them before entering." You say as you tap different photos that were important to you.

"Would he have gone home in a hurry ?" Sun asked.

"Probably." You sighed as you placed the photos near their respective folders.

You saw Sun retrieve the photos you had indicated as important before going around the table to come and hang them with the other clues on the board. You observed once again the table and all that was there, your eyes passed on the images of the three people who had been killed, not only the circumstances of their murders had been more or less made up to make them accidents or suicides but also there were no concrete clues to allow you to follow a trail. You don't know why, but a little shiver ran down your spine as you looked again at the photos of the three deceased. The week to celebrate the Great Revelation had been turned upside down with the news of Arnold Wilson's death, and you could feel how everyone in the District had been on edge for the past few days. Suddenly the realization hit you that all three victims were Fantastics, Fantastics who were all the more popular with the Fantastic Community.

"They are Fantastics..." You sighed. "I'm stupid, why didn't I notice that before !" 

"Hmm ?" Sun asked.

"The victims, they are all three supernatural creatures. Not only that but they were known to our community, one was a politician, and the other two were famous business owners !" You say as you turn to the two metal policemen. "The murderer was looking for the supernaturals to notice the murders."

"It's true, the death of the first two victims made a lot of noise in the Communities and not only in the Fantastic one in the different communities too we talked. The police have been under a lot of pressure from the government and the media to solve these two cases and avoid the outbursts of crowds looking for answers. After retrieving the investigation files we clearly saw a lack of application and time given to analyze the various exhibits and crime scenes." Moon stated.

"Jyseral Klain was killed first, at his home where his wife and son discovered his body. Abigael Fynch was murdered in her factory, only to be discovered by the employees. Arnold Wilson was killed in the street... "Says Sun.

"On a street that is very popular with the Fantastics. I'm not the only one who passes through here frequently. The entire Miracle District passes through here at one time or another in their lives, it's our Fifth Avenue." You added your tail wagging slightly.

"So the murderer wanted his victims to be discovered, discovered all the more by Fantastics given the different locations chosen. But if the murderer wanted everyone to know about the murders why did he bother to make them up ?" Detective Sun sighed.

"To make the police look incompetent, to make the Fantastic community think that the police don't care enough about us to seriously investigate murders of related to our kind..." You sighed.

A silence settled between the three of you, you had lowered your eyes in the direction of your hands that were still dressed in gloves, you opened them before closing them again. You had a bad feeling, things were already tense between the Fantastics, the Humans and the Sci-Fi, if now the supernaturals started to feel even more cornered than they already felt you could already imagine the reactions of your fellow creatures, anger and fear, claws and fangs, blood, chaos, death. Unconsciously the fur on your tail bristled as your ears lay on your head. A clatter brought your attention back to reality, Detectives Sun and Detectives Moon were looking at you with concern and another emotion you couldn't quite figure out.

"D-Don't take what I said the wrong way." You sighed, your ears tilting back even more.

You liked to make disparaging and annoying remarks but only when they were intentional, and here was not the case.

"We don't take it the wrong way, we're just waiting for a little more explanation." Moon replied as he tilted hid facial disc, the pom-pom of his cap following suit.

You blinked, your ears immediately perking up on top of your skull in surprise, the sudden movement drawing the attention of both animatronics. You winced slightly before shaking your head, making your ears and tail disappear, you often forgot that your tail and ears were a good indicator of how you felt, and you didn't want them to know that you were surprised by Inspector Moon's answer.

"For all three of his incidents the police have ruled them accidents or suicides for lack of evidence. The problem is that we Fantastics know that these were murders, whether it was a habit or a smell, we had evidence, detectable only by ourselves and our snowdrifts, but evidence. So when we learn that the police, after having spent very little time on these investigations, announce that it was an accident and suicide... Imagine what the Fantastic People might think and feel, some start to think the police are incapable of doing their job, others say the police took the easy way out so they don't have to investigate Fantastic creatures..."

"Then they feel angry, abandoned, afraid that a murderer hasn't been caught and can strike again..." Sun sighed.

"And not only is this hatred directed at the police, but it will be indirectly directed at the Humans and the Technological People since these are the two communities that overwhelmingly make up the police force." You continued.

"Increasing even more the tensions that already exist between all these Peoples." Moon finished.

A heavy silence fell over you, you didn't need to say it, the murderer's motive was clear now, he was trying to create a revolt among the Fantastics. But the problem was to find out who the murderer was, so that he could be stopped before things got worse, and the Fantastics decided to make the Humans pay for the unwarranted suffering they had caused the Fantastics. You raised one of your hands to your face to rub it as the situation you were in became clear, you had expected their investigation to last a few months, but you hadn't thought it would be such a large conspiracy and you were right in the middle of it.

"Is it too late for me to choose prison ?" You say as you lift your face in the direction of the two police officers.

"Are you already starting to regret your decision to help us ?" Moon sneers.

"You can't blame me, because right now with an inter-gender war hovering over us I find that prison isn't so bad after all..."

"Yes, it's too late. We have already given your contract to Vanessa and in a few days it will be validated by a commission which will make you legally considered as an employee of the police as a consultant." Answered Sun with a small laugh.

"What a mess I got myself into..." You sighed.

"We won't let it get that bad."

You turned to Moon who had been the one to speak, saw him walk around the table before coming to stand in front of the table, his arms crossed over his metal torso. You couldn't see his face, but from the way his face disc moved and his cap twitched slightly, you knew he was once again analyzing the pictures and the clues they already had.

"The first thing we have to do is to try to calm down the tensions, for that the best thing to do is to reopen the investigations so we can then classify them and announce them as murders." Moon said.

"That's right. If we do that, the main objective of the murderer will be partially changed." Added Detective Sun, snapping his fingers.

"Do you think you could find any new tracks if we took you to the other crime scenes ?" Moon asked, turning to you.

"Um... I can't guarantee anything. A lot of time has passed since then, and there's a good chance that the scents have been erased by now. The smells only linger for a few days at most. But I can still try." You replied with a sideways tilt of your face.

"Good. Let's go for today to where Arnold Willson was killed, and plan for tomorrow to visit the other two crime scenes since they are not only further away but also because we will have to apply to go back there." Said Sun.

"I'll ask Chica to fill out the applications for us." Said Moon as he headed for the exit.

The lunar animatronic quickly left the room leaving you alone with Sun who waved his face disc to invite you to follow him out of the room. You rolled your eyes, jumping off the table before taking one last look at the board covered with clues and pictures. You left the room and entered the common offices, you saw Moon chatting with Chica and as you were about to join them, wanting to chat with the metal chick, you stopped almost abruptly almost getting hit by Sun who was behind you.

You apologized to the solar animatronic, deciding to change your plans by going in the direction of the small kitchen which was used by the policemen. Once inside you let your gaze scan the room spotting the various sweets that were here and there before you began to catch some, slipping them into your pockets as you came to place the others in your mouth. As you placed a new colored lozenge on your tongue you heard someone clear their throat which turned you around only to see Detective Sun watching you with a raised eyebrow and a small, almost amused expression on her lips. You pushed the tablet into one of your cheeks before saying :

"Another of the reasons I agreed to come to the station to see you was only because I knew I would be able to enjoy the kitchen and the treasures it holds."

"You're a sweet tooth huh ?"

"Is this a crime I'm going to be arrested for ?" You replied.

"No." Sun sighed with a laugh.

"Good !"

You grabbed another handful of colored pellets and put them in the pocket of your sweater that already held the paper clip you had stolen. You then approached Sun passing by him with a certain distance of precaution before returning to the offices seeing that Chica was now alone you approached her. The metal chick was slightly smaller than Freddy and Monty, her metallic skin was colored white, her beak had a little touch of pink lipstick that matched the ribbon she had on her head that held a strange tuft of feathers. She was wearing a police uniform like all the others, but strangely enough it didn't fit her because you could easily imagine Chica wearing more colorful and sophisticated clothes. Sensing you approaching the chick raised her purple eyes to you, a smile appearing on her metal lips.

"y/n ! Glad to see you looking good and not in handcuffs !"

You rolled your eyes at her comment. You pretended to look around discreetly in all directions before reaching into your pocket for the candy you had just retrieved before placing it on her desk and pushing it in her direction. The metal chick looked discreetly from right to left before pulling the candy towards her, hiding it discreetly in her pockets. You let a laugh leave your lips, quickly followed by Chica's. It was a silly, childish little habit you both had picked up.

The chick has a sweet tooth too but she was restricted from eating sweets because she was able to eat an infinite amount without any problem, so every time you were at the police station and you had the opportunity to be in the shared kitchen, you would steal some sweets, sharing your booty with Chica in exchange for her silence, acting as if it were an illegal commodity. In reality you suspected that many of the other policemen saw your little trick, but since you weren't doing anything fundamentally wrong nobody said anything.

"The walking sun over there may have spotted us but I doubt he'll say anything. He looks like a wimp to me." You sighed as you placed another lozenge in your mouth, holding back a laugh.

"Good. Good." Chica replied, laughing. "Anyway, how are you ?"

"I'm fine, Chica, thanks for your concern. I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for the last time for sticking up for me. And I have to thank you and the others for taking my side by offering me to work on the investigation in exchange for my freedom. I guess it was you who came up with the idea wasn't it ?"

"You're welcome ! But no, it wasn't our idea to have you work on the investigation. It was Moon and Sun who proposed to hire you as a consultant ! I and the others voted for you to be accepted, but the idea is entirely theirs !" Chica declared cheerfully.

"W-What ?"

You were once again caught off guard. You never thought it would be Sun and Moon who would have offered to work with you, they didn't seem particularly pleased with your behavior. You looked down with a little confused pout appearing on your lips as you played with one of the little candies you had between your fingers. The more you learned about his two police animatronics the less you seemed to understand them, they were truly a mystery to you, and that's saying something since you were a mystery yourself. Hearing your name being called you looked up, seeing Moon and Sun standing near the exit of the offices, looking at you intently.

"We're going, hurry up." Sun said.

"I... I have to go. Thanks again Chica." You say quickly in the direction of the policewoman.

Chica wished you good luck and good evening while waving her hand in your direction. You approached the two detectives who waited until you reached them to leave the police station. You followed them silently to their car, occasionally slipping a candy between your lips. Seeing that it was the same car they had been vandalized you couldn't help asking :

"Or is it a similar car to the one from the last time or  you had a very, very good mechanic."

"It's the same model, not the same car. The license plate is different." Replied Moon as he pulled the car key from his coat pocket.

"The one that got vandalized was mine." Sun sighed.

After unlocking the car Moon slid behind the wheel, Sun taking the passenger seat while, with some hesitation, you came to sit in the back seat. When the two animatronics simultaneously buckled their seatbelts you didn't hesitate to do the same, assuming that if Freddy tolerated your rebellious and cheeky behavior it wasn't the case for the two of them, plus you didn't necessarily trust their driving yet even though being animatronics gave them a definite advantage.

"Same car, almost same clothes, same face... I'm going to start believing you guys are brothers." You say jokingly.

"We are. We're twins." Replies Sun, looking at you in the rearview mirror.

"I don't doubt it."

A small silence settled between the three of you, Moon taking the car out of the parking lot. You began to watch the city go by through the window, watching passersby from different communities go about their business as if the threat of a inter-gender war wasn't hanging over them. You let out a small sigh, letting your mind continue to wander. After several long minutes in a silence that was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, you finally arrived at the place where Arnold Wilson had been murdered. Moon parked the car before getting out of the car. You and Sun followed his lead. Once outside you looked around. The alley was exactly the same as it was before, with people walking through it as if there hadn't been a man there a few days ago.

"Let's go to the roof." Moon said, gesturing towards the building near which the body had been found.

You followed Moon's lead, with Sun leading the way. You entered the building silently, Sun and Moon taking the time to signal their presence to the janitor who was also the owner of the building, retrieving the key to access the roof. You climb the steps which separated the first floor from you, Sun opening the door before making a small sign in your direction to invite you to pass in front. You did not make you beg, advancing you on the roof by letting your glance cross all the zone. While moving forward with caution, you began to sniff the air, several smells mixed together from the surrounding streets, the smells of the roof itself was washed away by the rain that had fallen several days earlier.

Realizing that in your human form you would not find anything you took off your sweater, carefully making sure that the candies you had in your pockets did not fall out, before putting it on the ground. And as you turned into a cat, ready to start sniffing the area again you saw Detectives Sun make a face before moving closer to where you were, picking up your sweater that you had put on the ground. You stared at him intently, your feline eyes becoming mere slits as you wagged your tail and ears in both annoyance and question. Sun lowered his eyes to before looking at your sweater he held in his hands.

"Don't put your clothes on the floor, they'll get dirty."

Still in your feline form you rolled your eyes, shaking your head slightly before turning on your heels. You began to sniff the ground like a hunting dog, as before few scents were detectable, the ground was smooth leaving little chance for scents or tracks to become embedded in the ground, but slowly as you approached the edge of the building you could detect traces of Arnold's scent. After a few seconds of searching, your gaze stopped on the source of the smell, a small white feather with a small red spot on it. You stepped back, regaining your human appearance before crouching down, reaching out with one of your gloved hands towards the small feather, catching it between your index finger and thumb to lift it up and turn towards the two animatronic policemen who had remained silent until then.

"A feather, it belongs to Arnold."

"Well, that confirms that he was on the roof in his animal form then." Moon then sighed.

Moon quickly pulled out a small plastic pouch from one of his pockets and held it out to you so that you could slip the feather into it, and after a few more minutes of searching you found two more. You suspected that there must have been more, Arnold must have tried to struggle, but it was possible that the wind and rain had blown them away, and it was also likely that the police had mistaken Arnold's feather for that of a pigeon or some other bird when they first inspected the roof. Seeing that there was nothing more you could do, you went back to Sun and Moon, taking your sweater from the hands of the former before saying :

"I can't do anything more, the smells have been erased."

"That's already a good start. But now that we know Arnold was injured and couldn't fly in his animal form how could he and his murderer have gained access to the roofs if the door was locked ?" Sun asked.

"The door was locked ?"

"The owner never leaves the roof access free." Replied Moon. "That was one of the things we found suspicious when the suicide had been considered."

You blinked before turning towards the street below, you looked at the approximate location of the body before looking up towards the other buildings around. You began to follow the edge of the building, measuring the distance between the roof you were on and the nearest building, like all the buildings in this area the distance between each building was minimal to non-existent. You indicated the rooftops with a wave of your hand before looking towards Sun and Moon.

"Maybe the murderer came through the rooftops, anyone could get through here, even with the weight of an eagle of about six or seven kilos under his arms even a human could jump this distance."

"Probably." Moon sighed as he moved closer to you to observe the buildings. "This case is getting more and more complicated."

"We'll stop here for today." Sun said as he joined you. "You're free to go home for today."

You blinked, watching the two animatronics that were placed to your right and left. You let a small smile appear on your lips before taking a step backwards, you let your tail and your feline ears make their appearance before sprinting, passing between the two animatronics to leap onto the building opposite with agility and without difficulty. You then turned to the two police detectives who were looking at you without surprise. As you turned on your heels ready to leave, Sun's voice called out to you.

"Do you have a way for us to contact you ?"

"Uh... I have... a phone ? But I don't usually take it with me, it's not practical when I transform."

"Give us your number. And make sure you go out more often with your phone or stay home a little more. The last option would be the best, its would keep you from deciding to cause trouble." Moon sighed with a snide little laugh.

"You're mean. You're almost going to start making me feel like a kitten causing havoc." You replied with a fake hurt look.

After giving them the number you were using on the stolen phone, you dug your hands into your ear pockets wiggling slightly as your finger stopped on the paper clip. You let your Cheshire smile appear on your lips. You looked up at the two policemen stopping them on Sun.

"Hey Detective Sun, what did you say again ? That you wouldn't let anything be stolen ?"

You lifted the paper clip to the height of your face, showing it to Sun who let a small expression between surprise and annoyance appear on his lips. Moon raised an eyebrow at the two of you as an almost amused smile began to appear on the corner of his lips. Sun murmured some words that you didn't understand, you ended up turning on your heels, slipping your little treasure back into your pocket, after all despite its small size, this paperclip so small that it was the beginning of something big.

Chapter Text

The sound of a phone ringing was not something you were used to, so when your phone suddenly started to vibrate and ring you couldn't help but jump, almost falling out of bed while you were still comfortably wrapped in your blankets. After blinking for a few seconds, trying to wake up slowly, you reached for the phone to see an unknown number on it. Immediately you understood that it was Sun or Moon, your first impulse was to refuse their call for waking you up, but after thinking about it you said to yourself that it would surely not be the best idea since anyway, determined as his two animatronics seemed to be, they would surely call you back. So you pressed the pick-up button putting the call on speaker.

"Hello ?" You sighed.

"Hello y/n, it's Sun. We've got the permits to go and re-inspect the other two crime scenes. We're going to stop by the police station to pick up some materials and then we're coming to pick you up at your house. Make sure you're ready in half an hour."

"Yeah yeah." You replied, letting a loud yawn leave your lips, not even trying to hide it.

You then hung up the phone, letting a grunt escape you when you saw the time on your phone. You rolled onto your back, placing one of your arms over your eyes as you yawned once more. You had said you were okay with working late into the night, but you should have mentioned that you needed sleep like any self-respecting semi-human being. Finally you left the comfort of your bed to go to the bathroom, after having made your morning toilet you went back to your room putting on the first clothes you had, without forgetting your gloves, before leaving your room to go to the kitchen where you nibbled something. Once you were approximately awake, you looked at the time and seeing that the two metal policemen were about to arrive you grabbed your keys to leave your apartment.

After locking the door behind you you went down the many flights of stairs that separated you from the first floor. Once outside of your apartment you slipped into the adjacent alley once again hiding your keys in the old tuna can before leaving to settle on the stairs that were in front of your building. It's only when you sat down, looking at the different passers-by and other cars that you wondered how the two animatronics could know where you lived.

You didn't have the opportunity to ask yourself the question for very long because a few minutes later the black car of the two policemen appeared. A car similar to the one owned by the two animatronics approached until it stopped in a free space, you stood up and approached the car before opening the rear door that was closest to you and sliding inside. You looked up to meet Moon's and Sun's red and black eyes through the rear view mirror.

"Are you going to continue to be creepy like this looking at me or are you going to decide to start this car and drive ?"

"Sorry." Sun sighed with a small laugh. "We were just surprised that you were already here waiting for us."

"Yep. I'm just as surprised as you are. Besides how do you know where I live, I don't think I told you ?"

"We read your file." Moon replied as she pulled into traffic.

"Oh... Nice." You replied sarcastically. "If you could forget all the information you read about me in my file I would be grateful."

A small laugh left Sun's lips before the silence settled between you once again, but this time a little more pleasant. After almost half an hour of driving on an expressway Moon entered an industrial area, even with the window closed you could smell the different smells in the air, stinging your nostrils slightly and making you wrinkle your nose. Finally Moon stopped the car in front of one of the many factories in the area. You waited for one of the two policemen to open the door before following them outside. The factory was similar to all the others, it was a big building with grey walls slightly white aged and dirty by the years, there were several large chimneys that spit smoke that rose until disappearing in the sky. The only difference was that on the entrance of the building was displayed the name of 'Fynch Cosmetics'.

"This is for you." Moon said, catching your eye.

You turned in his direction to see him holding out some kind of badge in your direction. You picked up the card to see that it was an ID card that confirmed your membership in the police force as a consultant, it had your first and last name on it along with the official police symbol. The card was laminated and had a small pin so you could hang it on your clothes. You raised your eyebrows and looked at the little card with both curiosity and amusement. You looked up at the two metal policemen, Sun you watched with a small smile while Moon had a more neutral and stoic expression. You waved the badge before saying teasingly :

"Are you really going to leave me in possession of this ? I could abuse the power this badge gives me."

"We know you won't do that." Moon sighed as she began to walk toward the factory entrance.

"You trust me too much Detectives. But you should keep it with you. I risk losing it every time if I need to transform." You reply, following the lead of the two animatronics.

"For now you can keep it since you don't need to transform. Besides, the only power this card gives you is the ability to come to a crime scene without anyone asking you any questions."

You let a small sigh leave your lips before rolling your eyes, you grabbed the badge coming to hang it on your clothes before plunging your hands into your pockets to follow the two silently. Arriving at the reception of the factory, a woman asked you to wait a few seconds until one of the managers came to welcome you and guide you. After a few minutes of waiting during which you had put yourself to observe a little everywhere with curiosity, a man, a human, whose head started slightly to baldness made his appearance presenting himself as Jones Gray and as the one who was going to guide you and to answer your questions. It was also one of the people who had welcomed the police the first time when the body of Abigael Fynch had been found.

After Sun and Moon exchanged a few words with Mr. Jones, the manager invited you to follow him into the maze of corridors and rooms that made up the factory. You passed many employees who did not necessarily pay attention to you. Sun and Moon had begun to ask questions concerning the business to Mr. Gray, the man was slightly nervous but he did not seem to lie then you had put yourself to listen only with one ear, preferring to spy the every corner of the factory that you cross. When you arrived in the room where the products were mixed to create the cosmetics you couldn't help but wrinkle your nose, the smells stinging your nostrils dangerously, you couldn't hold back a sneeze which drew Sun and Moon's attention to you, both raising an eyebrow in your direction. You'd decided after that to almost completely neutralize your feline sense of smell.

"Here we are." Said Jones Gray as he pushed open a huge door. "This is the storage area where Abigael was found."

The room was proportional to all the rest of the building, like all the zones of storage it was rows and rows of products piled up and packed carefully ready to be exported elsewhere. Since the incident everything had been put back in place as if nothing had ever happened, you could see however that reinforcements had been added to the shelves as if to prevent them from causing another accident. As you entered the room Sun and Moon approached the spot where Abigael Fynch's lifeless body once lay before turning to you. You blinked before shaking your head.

"For the smells I can do nothing, between those of the products used for the conception of the cosmetics, the numerous employers and the time elapsed there is no trace. But I still have a small question, while crossing the factory I did not see any camera there is not ?"

"Cameras ? No, we don't have any. Abigael always said that it was not necessary." Replied the director.

"Oh no no, I'm sure there are but you don't know about them. Abigael Fynch was a fairy and although nice, fairies are extremely possessive and hate it when people touch their things or what belongs to them. I highly doubt she would have left a warehouse full of cosmetics worth a small fortune unattended. If it wasn't to prevent mass thieves she must have put up cameras to make sure none of the employees stole any product." You say.

"You really think there are cameras ?" Sun asked.

"I don't think so, I'm sure."

"What ? But..." The director sighed.

You then turned on your heels leaving the director shocked while the two policemen you were with frowned even more. You began to observe the walls that made up the room, you didn't have to go far before your gaze stopped on a wall thermometer that was near the entrance. You approached it, looking at the red liquid inside, carefully observing the shape of the thermometer that seemed slightly too old and out of place for this sophisticated factory. You lifted your finger to tap the glass before turning once again to the director to ask:

"Why is there a thermometer in this room ?"

"Uh... The room has to keep a constant temperature so that the cosmetics don't get spoiled."

"Do you monitor that with this kind of thermometer ?" Sun asked, indicating the old wall thermometer.

"N-No not exactly we have a control room further down." Answered the management as he raised both his hands to wave them nervously.

You hummed lightly before lifting your hand, letting one of your fingers run along the thermometer and specifically where the red indicator fluid was. You let your finger run down to the little sphere that usually contained the red liquid, when your finger landed on it you could feel a slight movement, you continued to press on it before finally catching the little sphere between your index finger and thumb, without too much effort you managed to dislodge the little sphere from the thermometer, removing it as it was not part of the thermometer and had been a small marble that someone had put there. You lifted the marble to the light, observing its interior which was the same red as the liquid in the thermometer, making the camouflage perfect. You looked down at the two detectives, a big smile appearing on your lips as you showed them the glass marble.

"Ahh... Even better than a camera ! This is an Observation Marble. It's a small object that some fantastic creatures are able to create in order to monitor or spy on places or people. It's kind of like a camera but for the Supernatural."

"Are you seriously talking ?" Moon questioned as he moved closer to you.

"Yeah. Observation Marbles are as hard to create as they are to get, so they're pretty expensive, but Abigael Fynch was rich and had connections to a lot of magical creatures so it doesn't surprise me that she got them."

Sun and Moon moved closer to you, you handed them the small marble, letting the two metal cops examine it as Director Jones looked as much shocked as confused, you let a small chuckle leave your lips at his expression. It was not uncommon for humans who thought they knew magical creatures who were close to them to discover that the latter were hiding secrets from them. Certainly it was unintentional, the members of the Fantastic Community had become so accustomed to living in secrecy and mystery that it had become second nature to you people.

"How can we see what has been... Recorded by this Observation Marble ?" Sun asked, turning to you.

"You're going to have to get help from a fairy or some other creature that is capable of practicing some pure magic, like an elf. I couldn't do anything, I can only turn into a cat." You say, waving your hand before turning your back.

Moon hummed a reply before pulling out a small plastic pouch and handing it to Sun, who carefully slipped the marble inside before tucking it away in one of the pouches on his belt. You had lied. You could look at what was on that Observation Marble, your eyes went to your gloved hands which you lifted slightly opening them closing them slightly, you had been with fairies before, you had touched fairies before, you knew how to do it, but you didn't want to, you couldn't at the risk of pointing out the anomaly that you were even within the Fantastic Community. When you heard Sun's voice calling you, you turned around, erasing your pensive and guilty expression to give way to your usual smile.

"I think there are other Observation Marbles hidden throughout the factory, but again you'll need the help of a creature with more magical affinity to detect them all." You say.

"We'll have to, and more importantly, be able to reopen the investigation into Abigael Fynch." Sun said with a smile.

"Looks like it, Sherlock." 

After having exchanged some words with Jones Gray who always seemed slightly stunned, Sun, Moon and you left the factory of Abigael Fynch to take the direction of the residence of Jyseral Klain. As this was the centaur's private home, the police had asked Jyseral's wife for permission to enter since she and her son could not bear to stay in their home after the tragic incident. Mrs. Klain agreed, and she also agreed to speak with the police.

The drive was a little longer, as the Klain family lived in a fairly remote part of the city. The buildings had given way to smaller houses and more forested landscapes. You couldn't help but smile slightly as you watched the landscape go by. You were used to the city, its smells and its fast pace, and you rarely had the opportunity to go to wilder and quieter places. You were jealous of all the Fantastics who had the opportunity to live in a place where there were more trees than buildings, maybe it was your instinct but you preferred the atmosphere of the forests.

After driving along several small country roads and through a small town, Moon drove the car on a beaten earth road surrounded by huge fir trees, after a few minutes of driving you arrived in front of a huge dark wooden house. You couldn't help but whistle with admiration at the size and beauty of the house, which looked more like a cottage. You got out of the car and followed Sun and Moon, following them down the long paved path through a huge garden with an almost perfect lawn. You could see in several places that the lawn had not been maintained, the flowerbeds that decorated the garden in some places had begun to be invaded by weeds.

Arriving in front of the door of the house, which was wide enough to let centaurs pass through, Sun reached out, knocking on the door. It was a few seconds before you finally heard hoofbeats coming closer before the door opened to reveal the figure of a female centaur. Her hair tied in a bun was brown, the same color as her equine tail, her skin was slightly swarthy while the fur on her equine part was a dark beige. Mrs. Klain wore a pale pink shirt on her human part while her hooves were dressed with small indoor slippers. The centaur woman's gaze was hard and cold, dark circles present under her eyes, her arms were crossed over her chest, and if her human part wasn't expressive enough you could see her tail wagging violently behind her as she repeatedly lifted and put down one of her back legs.

"Hello Ms. Klain, thank you for agreeing to see us."

"It's not like I can turn down the police, let alone policemen from the Science-Fiction people." Declared the centaur woman.

She stared at Sun and Moon before her gaze settled on you, you saw her nostrils twitch slightly surely upon smelling your Skinwalkers scent. You saw a small flicker of questioning shine in her chocolate colored eyes before she frowned, one of her front hooves hitting the ground almost noisily, her gaze turning cold again as she backed away turning to disappear inside her house saying :

"Enter."

After exchanging a glance between them more in your direction you saw Sun and Moon ready to enter the house. You suddenly stopped them by grabbing the sleeve of their clothes and the two animatronics turned towards you to lower their eyes in your direction. You immediately released their clothes, raising your hands in the air as if to apologize before pointing one of your hands at their shoes and hissing :

"Take off your shoes before entering her house ! She may not live in that house anymore but she still seems to care enough to put on indoor skates, so the best you can do to try and calm her down a bit, since she clearly doesn't seem to want to see you, would be to not enter with your shoes on."

You looked at the two policemen who finally bent down and took off their shoes to leave them in a corner of the door before entering the entrance corridor, you quickly took off your shoes without bothering to bend down, taking off each side using your other foot. You then followed Moon and Sun. The interior of the house was almost impeccable, just like the exterior it was made of wood more or less dark, the decorations were sober and classic with some equine motifs here and there especially in the form of horseshoes. Everything was carefully arranged and organized, however you could see that dust had accumulated here and there, indicating that nobody had been in this house for some time.

You finally arrived in a large living room, the armchairs and other sofas were made of suede and had strange shapes, they were long and thin while being much lower than normal. Mrs. Klain had settled on one of them, lying down on it while her horse legs were sticking out on each side of the armchair, resting in a folded way against the ground. It was always strange to see a centaur sitting, but it was even stranger to see them sleeping, since they were almost sleeping standing up. You saw the gaze of the centaur woman land on the two policemen you were accompanying, her gaze remaining blocked for a few seconds on their bare foot, seeing her tail wagging slightly in satisfaction you let a small smile appear on your lips.

"Settle down." Said Mrs. Klain by making you sign to take place on the other chairs that was in front of her.

"Thank you again for having us, Mrs. Klain. We know it's difficult for you to talk about what happened with your husband and to come back here, but we think we have some new information about this investigation." Says Sun as she takes a seat on one of the couches.

"What ? New information ? I thought you had concluded it was a suicide." Replied the centaur woman with a certain aggressiveness.

"That was the conclusion of our police colleagues who had been in charge of the case when it had just happened. But we decided to take over the investigation after noting the strange circumstances of your husband's death." Moon continued, seemingly unaffected by Mrs. Klain's sudden aggressiveness.

"Strange circumstances ? What strange circumstances ? My husband taken his life, there are no strange circumstances. He had money, a good job in politics, a family that loved him and that he loved, a son who had just turned ten... but he decided to kill himself because he was not happy."

Mrs. Klain's statement was made with anger and sadness, you could see tears shining in her eyes as one of her hind hooves hit the ground hard, the sound echoing heavily in the room. You saw Sun and Moon, who were sitting on the same couch while you were sitting a little further away, exchange a look, Sun's hand closing into a fist on one of his legs. Feeling the tension rise with each passing second you stood up, drawing the attention of the three other people in the room to you. You walked a little further into the living room, approaching a piece of furniture with beautiful decorative objects on it, letting a little hum of admiration leave your lips before turning to the centaur woman.

"You have a beautiful home Mrs. Klain."

"Uh... Thank you."

"Did you build it or did you buy it this way ? I ask because I would love to have a house like that." You say with a smile.

"Jyseral had it built shortly before we got married. That was many years ago now." Replies Mrs. Klain.

"Really ?! Whoa... He must have really loved you. I can see all the care and love he put into every detail. But you were the one who chose the decor, weren't you ?" You continued.

You saw Sun and Moon frowning in your direction and turned to them, waving to ask them to be patient and not to interfere. You listened to Mrs. Klain's answer, who confirmed that she was the one who had chosen the decorations, but that she had had to compromise with Jyseral on some of the decorations. You made her talk a little more, continuing to divert her attention, slowly watching her eyes get lost in her memories. Eventually you returned to your seat in the chair, putting your hands in your pockets and tilting your face slightly.

"Your husband didn't kill himself, did he ? He cared too much about his family for that." You sigh.

"Y-Yes, he loved us very much, he loved his son very much. He would never have left him like that..." Mrs. Klain replied.

"I have... I've seen pictures of what happened to your husband. And there were a few things that bothered me, in the picture Mr. Klain was not wearing non-skid skates. Did he ever forget to put them on ?"

"Oh no ! He never did. Jyseral was a very careful person, almost a maniac. He always took the time to put on the skates."

"What could have prevented him from putting on his skates that day ?" You asked.

"I... I don't know. He was usually so composed and calm. I think something must have spooked him or he was in a real hurry to get home."

You looked in the direction of Sun and Moon, giving them a little wave to let them know that you had asked all the questions you had in mind and that this was your chance to ask their questions. Moon was the first to respond, leaning in slightly as he asked :

"Tell me Mrs. Klain, did your husband have any special plans that day ? An appointment with another politician or an interview for example."

"No... Not that I know of. However, he did behave strangely a few hours before. It was the weekend and he had suggested that the three of us go out that morning. So the three of us had planned to go out to a baseball game. We had prepared to go but Jyseral said he couldn't come with us because he still had work to do, papers to fill out he told us. I first offered to postpone our outing to another time, but he didn't want to disappoint our son since it was one of his favorite teams playing that day. So I went with our son to watch the game... If... If I had known what was going to happen I would have insisted more on staying..."

The last sentences pronounced by Mrs. Klain were almost inaudible, drowned by her sobs as huge tears started to escape from her eyes. You turned your face away slightly, preferring to ignore the tears of the centaur woman because you could do nothing more to comfort her. At the corner of your eye, you saw Sun get up and dip one of his hands into one of the pouches hanging from his belt before handing a small packet of tissues to Mrs. Klain who awkwardly retrieved it, taking out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. Sun then gently placed her hand against the arm of the centaur woman, whispering in a soft voice :

"Can we go and observe where the incident took place ?"

Ms. Klain nodded, articulating difficultly the direction to go to the scene of the crime after Sun told her to stay here and calm down. You didn't wait for Sun or Moon you left the room, moving far enough away that you couldn't hear the centaur woman's sobs. You hated to hear crying, you had heard so many people crying in the short time you had lived, but you had never been able to comfort anyone, not even the people who were close to you. You took a deep breath before shaking your face, almost snorting like an animal to try to get rid of the unpleasant feeling that had started to creep under your skin. Hearing footsteps behind you, you turned to see Sun and Moon approaching with serious expressions on their facial discs.

"I'm now sure that this is a murder." Said Sun as she shook his face disc slightly.

Moon hummed an answer before taking the lead following the indications that Mrs. Klain had given him, after following a series of corridors and crossing several other rooms you finally arrived in a huge room where all the furniture had been pushed into the different corners of the room. There was a staircase that led to an upper floor where there was a sort of balcony. You exchanged a look with the two animatronics before heading up the stairs until you reached the balcony. You let the two metal policemen get close to where the marks were before getting closer to the railing over which the furniture tied to the rope had been pushed to strangle Jyseral Klain.

You first approached the marks on the ground, bending down and examining them with your eyes before touching them with your gloved fingertips, confirming once again with a small movement of your head in the direction of Sun that they were indeed hoof marks. I then stood up and turned to the fence, it was made of dark wood and solid, strong enough to support the point of a centaur attached to a wire, you then noticed a small cut made in the wood of the barrier you turned to Moon who were closest to you before showing him the cut.

"It was made by the metal rope because of the weight on it."

You blinked letting a small "Ok." leave your lips before turning back to the tracks on the ground, you followed their direction, walking down the small hallway there before stopping where the hoof marks that rubbed against the wood began. You tilted your face as you saw that they seemed to be heading towards a door, which was in the hallway, you straightened up and turned towards the door, you glanced in the direction of Sun and Moon, noticing that their attention was not on you, before opening the door and slipping inside the room. It was an office, the style was similar to the rest of the house, carefully you walked a little further into the room, letting your eyes scan the different pieces of furniture before finally stopping on a picture frame that was on the desk.

You moved closer to the desk and lifted the frame to see that it was a family photo, with Jyseral Klain, his wife and a young centaur of about ten years old who looked a lot like his father. The three of them were smiling broadly, the foal seemed barely able to stand still while the parents looked on him with affection. You let your fingers close tightly around the frame, biting your lower lip. Like many others you had not liked the laws that Jyseral Klain proposed, you had found them too repressive towards the Fantastics, but you had never wanted him to die, even more so now that you knew he had a family that loved him and that he loved.

"y/nc? What are you doing in this room you found something ?" Sun's voice suddenly asked.

You turned around with your picture frame still in hand to see that Sun was looking at you from the doorway with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. You shook your face and moved closer to him with the picture frame still in your hands. You walked out of the room showing the trace of resistance on the floor before saying :

"Nothing. But from the hoofprints I think that when Jyseral was attacked he was coming out of this room." 

"Most likely." Moon replied from the balcony, looking towards you and Sun.

"What I'm curious about is how someone could have gotten a piece of furniture heavy enough that a centaur couldn't pull it over the railing." You say as you move closer to the balcony again looking down.

"I'm beginning to think it wasn't really the weight of the furniture that was the problem. Let's say the piece of furniture wasn't as heavy as that, one person or two people could easily lift it and balance it precariously on the railing and wait for the metal rope to be wrapped around the back of Jyseral Klain's neck before pushing it over the edge. With gravity, the suddenness of the movement and the fact that the rope is around his neck and not somewhere he can hold it I don't think he had a chance to resist any more." Moon stated.

"And the fact that he didn't have a non-slip pad on the slippery floor only doomed him further." You added. 

A new silence settled between the three of you, a silence heavy with innuendo. Finally Moon turned to the stairs starting to descend them, you turned to Sun, placing the picture frame in his hands as he looked at you with a surprised expression as you quickly turned on your heels to start walking away. Before the policeman had time to reproach you you said :

"You should give this to Mrs. Klain, she hasn't been in this house and even less in the office since her husband died. I'm sure she'd love to have this picture."

You didn't give Sun time to answer anything, you sat down on the railing of the staircase and let you slide down where Moon looked at you with a disapproving look. You ignored him, sliding your hands into your pockets before going into the living room where Mrs. Klain was, her tears had calmed down slightly but her eyes were reddened and her tired expression seemed even more pronounced than before. By seeing you return she raised the eyes towards you her glance lingering on the animatronic that there was in front of you before stopping on you, she detailed you once again, wondering surely what you made with the police. Moon settled back into the chair, taking the exact same seat he had occupied a few minutes before, as Sun entered the room, the photo frame in his hand.

"Mrs. Klain, we came to see you because we thought your husband had been murdered, and from the new evidence we have obtained and your testimony we are now sure that this is the case." Moon said, drawing the centaur woman's attention to him.

You saw her blink before her eyes slid back to you. Her gaze was asking you a silent question, a question that only you Fantastic could understand, she was asking you if she could believe them, if she could believe the two police animatronics you were accompanying, she was asking you if she could believe Sun and Moon to solve the case that had cost her husband his life. You let a silent sigh leave your lips before turning your face to look in the direction of one of the windows and suddenly transforming partially. Your ears and your tail twitched slightly as you looked back at Mrs. Klain, holding her gaze for a long moment before making a tiny movement of your head. You heard Mrs. Klain sniffle, lifting one of her hands to wipe her nose with a handkerchief before saying :

"I know he didn't kill himself... He smelled too much of fear and despair and sadness. And he wouldn't have done that knowing that our son... That our son would see him like that... He loved our son too much to do that... You believe me don't you ?"

You saw Sun and Moon exchange a look before Sun stood up, he approached the centaur woman crouching down to her height to hand her the picture frame you had given him. You saw Mrs. Klain reach out and delicately recover the frame between his hands which slowly began to tremble, she let her fingers run over the photo, her expression showing a smile before tears quickly began to cover her face again, a small cry of pain leaving her lips. Sun gently placed her hand on his forearm.

"We believe you, Madam. We will catch whoever did this. We promise you that. He will pay for what he did. We will get justice for your husband."

Mrs. Klain pressed the picture frame to her heart, nodding slightly as she continued to cry, after a few minutes she calmed down and asked if you needed anything more, and when Sun and Moon told her they didn't need anything more, Mrs. Klain walked you out. You wished her a good end of the day before going back to the car after getting your shoes. You made your tail and ears disappear as you got into the car, buckling your seatbelt silently before looking outside and between the trees. After the two policemen had settled into their respective seats, Moon asked :

"What happened with Mrs. Klain that you need to turn ?"

"A Fantastic thing." You reply.

"And more specifically ?" Sun continued, looking at you through the rearview mirror.

"She wanted to know if she could talk about what she had felt and what she was feeling. She kind of wanted to know if she could trust you despite the fact that you are animatronics and she is a Fantastic. I transformed myself to promise her on my Fantastic origin that she could speak freely to you without fear that you would not believe her."

"All this without exchanging words ?" Questioned Sun.

"Yep. It's kind of a custom among Fantastics, when making a promise we expose what makes us Supernatural."

Moon hummed a reply as Sun frowned seemingly digesting the information. Moon started the car taking it out of the Klain mansion and onto the road, as the scenery passed quickly and you couldn't help but feel your mind racing, you thought back to the picture of the Klain family and what Mrs. Klain had said about Jyseral Klain planning to go out at the last minute to a game of one of his son's favorite teams before just as quickly saying he couldn't make it and finally leaving his wife and son to go alone. You took a deep breath before saying:

"I think of Jyseral Klain knew he was going to get killed, and that he purposely kept his family away from him."

"Huh ? What makes you say that ?" Asked Sun. 

"Lots of details. The fact that he plans to do something his son would absolutely not want to miss, that he decides to stay back even though he initially had no plans and he was the one who offered to go out, the tracks he left in the floor as if the last thing he did was look at the picture of his family on his desk... He loved his family very much and I suppose that since he knew that his life was in danger, he preferred to take his family away to make sure that nothing happened to his wife and son. I even think that he let himself be killed, that he voluntarily didn't try to pull more on the rope that was strangling him slowly so as not to risk that the reprisals would fall on his family." You say as you continue to stare out the window.

"Are you sure of what you are saying ?" Sun's voice asked seriously.

"No not really, I don't have any evidence to back up my words, but that's what my gut tells me. So I thought I should tell you. But you don't have to pay attention to it." You replied, turning your face to look at the two policemen.

You met their respective red and black eyes through the center mirror for a few seconds before focusing on the scenery outside once again. A mis chemin Moon asked if you wanted him to drop you off in front of your house, you had been slightly surprised thinking that they were surely going to drive you to the police station to continue to discuss the case, you did not fail to make them the remark but they answered you simply that they were going to make only to fill documents to be able to officially reopen the various cases on which you work but also to ask for an examination of the Observation Marble that you had found.

"Can you drop me off downtown on your way to the police station ? I have to go see my boss to give him my resignation papers. Since I've started working with the police and I don't know when I'll be available or not I'd rather just resign than waste his time." You say.

"No problem." Moon replies. "Besides if you have problems and he refuses your resignation or to pay you for the days you worked we can make you a special document."

"Nah it won't be necessary. He's a good guy, he won't balk at that. But he probably won't appreciate me quitting, I was his best employee." You declared with a smile on your lips.

"If you're as good at working as you are at getting into trouble, then I have no doubt that you're the best employee." Sun sighed with a laugh.

A mocking chuckle left Moon's lips as you rolled your eyes and clicked your tongue. After another few dozen minutes on the road, Moon finally parked his car in one of the free spaces downtown. You unbuckled your seatbelt before getting out of the car, leaving the door open for a few seconds to say a short, "Thanks for the ride." to the two animatronics before closing the door and slipping into the crowd that was walking the sidewalks. You followed the movement of the crowd, your mind still lost in your thoughts as you tried to take in everything that had happened today. You slipped your hand into your pocket, feeling for your consultant's card that you had taken out long before you got out of the car.

Finally, after crossing several streets and alleys, you arrived at a small café called 'Le Lucky'. The front was made of aged red wood, a large glass window carefully cleaned to reveal the interior of the store while the door was decorated to look like an English telephone booth. You walked up to the door and opened it before entering the small space that led to another door on which a small sign saying "don't let the cats escape" was hung. You wiped your feet on the small cat carpet between the two doors before finally entering the café.

The interior was decorated in the same way as the exterior, a very English style with shelves on which were some books and other entertainment magazines, there were some luxurious teacups with their teapots were scattered here and there for decoration. There were several chairs and other tables in the room randomly distributed and already occupied by some people but mostly occupied by cats. 'Le Lucky' was a cat bar, there must have been a dozen of them, of all sizes, shapes and colors. The few cats that had drawn their noses up at the door to see who had entered stood up and rushed in your direction, coming to rub against your legs meowing and purring. You crouched down, petting the different cats that had come to greet you, wishing them good morning by calling each of them by their names, all of which had something to do with a spice. You grabbed Paprika who was the newest arrival, lifting him up in your arms because you knew he wasn't going to leave you alone if you didn't.

You walked into the cafe, petting the purring little ball of fur in your hands and wishing the few customers who were there a good morning. You slipped behind the outline, entering the employee area, opening a small door that prevented the cats from going further before arriving in a small, simple but perfectly maintained and equipped kitchen. As you entered the room an aged looking robot turned to you. Otis was far from being like any other animatronic you knew, he was an 'old model' as he often liked to say. His skin was of raw metal and grey, his face was far from being that of a human, his skull was almost a metal box, he had no movable mouth, nor even ears or any semblance of features that could make him look more alive. He only had two green points of light that would be his eyes, and whose blinking caused the optics to close very similar to that of old cameras.

"I should have known it was you when I heard the cats start meowing." Otis declared in his husky, electronic voice. "Don't bring the cats into the kitchen, they'll get hair in the tea and food."

"You heard the old grumpy, Paprika. You and I are not allowed to be here..." You say as you lower your eyes towards the cat in your hands.

Paprika meowed in response, purring as he raised his little green eyes to you. You walked back towards the dividing door, resting Paprika in the area he was allowed to enter after giving him a kiss on the top of his head, before closing the door, listening to the cat meow in protest. You return to the kitchen to see that Otis had finished preparing a customer's order. As you saw the robot's hands clasped lightly over the tray that held the order, you sighed. With a quick, agile movement you retrieved the tray from between his metal hands before leaving the kitchen, pushing open the dividing door with your toes like you used to do. You heard Otis grunt the table number to you as you reached the living room.

Paprika was still following you but he was almost careful not to come in front of you, not only to avoid that you step on him involuntarily but also because he didn't want to trip you up. You approached the table that Otis had indicated to you and you served to the customers those that they had ordered placing on your lips your commercial smile before wishing them a good tasting and leaving in the direction of the kitchen, caressing in passing the few cats that you had not yet had the occasion to see before joining Otis again. The robot had started to wash the dishes, his hands, which were sensitive to water, protected by large plastic gloves. Without raising his eyes to you he asked :

"What are you doing here ? You don't have to work until next week."

"Isn't there anyone to help you today ? I thought this was Lola and Chris' work week."

"Answer my question before, cat." Otis replied.

"Okey okey. I... I'm here to tender my resignation." 

Chapter Text

"You what ?" Otis asked stopping in his dishes to turn to you.

"I'm here to quit. I know you're old but are you starting to have hearing problems too Otis ?" You say with a chuckle.

"Watch your mouth you walking flea bag." Grumbles the robot. "You quit ? You ? You got in trouble with the police again or did the dogs in your neighborhood finally decide to put a bounty on your head and you have to run away to save the fur on your ass ?"

"First option Otis, I would never run with my tail between my legs." You replied.

"Police huh ? If you're in trouble why are you still here and not in jail with handcuffs on your wrists."

"I said I was in trouble, but not what kind of trouble."

You pulled out the badge you had tucked into your clothing pocket, setting it on the counter before tossing it in Otis' direction. The old robot pulled his hands out of the water removing his gloves and placing them in a corner before retrieving the badge you had pushed in his direction, Otis raised it to his eye level, his gaze seemingly scanning the badge intently before he lowered his hand, turning back to you as he squinted, his electronic and sizzling voice rising in curiosity and almost shock to say :

"What the fuck did you do to get the police to hire you ?"

"I was accused of murder." You replied with a laugh.

Otis stopped moving and lifted your badge again as if to make sure it was real, he hummed for a long time, his gaze almost piercing you until you finally laughed, raising your hands in the air as you decided to tell him everything that had happened to you during your week away. The robot didn't say much, just hummed as he listened to you, continuing to work on what seemed to be a new order. After telling him the whole story you finished with a short "Here you go." Otis paused, looking you up and down as you raised an eyebrow, spreading your hands as if to let him know you were expecting compliments. The old robot lifted the order he had just prepared, almost ignoring you as you were about to remove the tray from his hands again he placed your badge in one of your hands making you freeze as he left the kitchen.

You quickly followed his lead as he made his way into the main room, dropping the tray in an empty spot before settling into one of the chairs. You blinked as you approached Otis, crouching down next to the table he was standing on, petting the various cats that had once again gathered at your feet, Paprika being one of them, as you rested your chin on the table looking at the pastry on the tray and the small cup decorated with little cats filled with tea.

"Who's that for ?" You asked.

"For me." Otis replied.

You let a small "ohh..." leave your lips before nodding, your chin resting on the table as if you were another of the cats in the cat bar begging for a little something. You heard Otis let out a sigh before his hand came up and slammed down on the top of your head, without any real force. You would have had time to step back to avoid his blow if you had wanted to, Otis was no longer young, his movements were difficult, you could see in some places of his body small rusty traces and each action he made was accompanied by a slight squeaking.

"This is for you you stupid cat. I don't have the ability to eat, I don't even have a mouth." Grumbled the robot as he brought his hand back to him.

"Thanks Otis !" You exclaimed as you came to take a seat on the chair in front of him.

You grabbed the tray and pulled it towards you, almost drooling already. You grabbed the little spoon that was in the tray, quickly dipping it into the pastry that was otherwise your favorite. You hummed with happiness, your tail would have surely wagged if you had made it appear, Otis was the best baker you knew and you could never get enough of his cooking. You looked up at Otis, he had turned his face towards one of the cats that had come to sit next to him, his metal hand gently stroking the little feline's skull. Otis was the oldest animatronic you knew, and unlike all the others he had less technology, improvement and resistance to time.

"Thank you Otis. For the dessert but also for employing me despite my criminal record."

"Tch. It's not me you have to thank, it's Ezekiel. If it hadn't been for him telling me that you were a good kid I wouldn't have hired you. Besides, did you tell him you were hired by the police ?"

"Mr. Botzaris ? No I haven't told him yet. Even if the conclusion to this story is rather positive, he's going to tear me to shreds for getting myself into trouble, especially since I got caught up in a murder story." You sigh while taking a sip of tea by raising the eyes towards the robot.

Your glance lingered on the initials that he had engraved in his metal neck, 'L.M'. Lina Maria, that was the name of Otis's wife, you didn't know her, she died when you were still too young, but you knew from the stories you heard that she was a half-blooded Fantastic, half Orc, half human. She had been both a close friend of Mr. Botzaris and also Otis's wife, and it was because of her, or thanks to her, that Mr. Botzaris and Otis had met and become friends. From the stories that the robot and the harpy man told you, she was a sweet and brave woman, she was also a very strange case, she had the blood of a human and of a Fantastic and she was married to a member of the Technological people. You wondered if sometimes it wasn't because of her that Otis hired almost only Fantastics and that Mr. Botzaris was also determined to bind the Fantastics and the humans.

"You should tell him. And you should tell Mrs. and Mr. Hearton as well. Ezekiel and his two took care of you when you were just a rambunctious, stupid kitten." Otis said as he turned his face to you.

"Yeah yeah..." You sighed, lowering your eyes once again. "The Heartons have enough problems as it is they don't need to deal with me on top of it."

Otis let a sigh leave his lips before dropping the subject knowing that you weren't going to listen to him no matter what he told you. He then decided to talk about how the termination of your contract would work out, just like you had told Sun and Moon he decided to pay you anyway, he even did better than paying you only for the few days you had worked that month he decided to pay you for the full month, you thanked him by telling him that you would pay him back by coming to buy his pastries. If he could have rolled his eyes he probably would have, you heard a sound that sounded like a sigh leave his lips before saying :

"They'll miss you." Otis said, indicating the cats with a wave of his hand.

You looked down at Paprika who was sitting on your lap, while two other cats, Pepper and Curry, were sitting next to you, you let a small smile appear on your lips before petting the three cats that were sitting next to and on top of you. You then looked up at Otis, he didn't have an easy expression but you knew that if he had one he would have shown a sad little smile. You let a small amused sigh leave your lips before saying :

"I'll come visit them, I might also volunteer a little bit to help you out once in a while too."

"Yeah whatever." Otis grumbled.

But you could hear a hint of relief in his electronic voice. You finished the pastry and your tea before taking it all back to the kitchen to wash the dishes while Otis took care of the cash register to cash in the few customers who had finished taking their coffee break. You stayed with Otis to help him until the end of the evening, greeting customers, serving or helping him in the kitchen. You fed the cats their evening pies, which were their delicacy in addition to the kibble they always had available, cleaned the tables and the main room before closing the café for the evening. Ready to go home you went to look for Otis to say goodbye, heading to the back room where Otis was storing the oils and other materials he used on himself. The robot was putting oil in the joints of his wrist, but his shaky hands didn't seem to make it any easier. You approached the old robot with a sigh, retrieving his small jar of oil between his fingers and saying :

"Me and the others tell you every time you can ask us to do this for you you old walking piece of junk."

Otis mumbled something incomprehensible, you rolled your eyes before turning to his small workshop to grab one of the user brushes that were there. You dipped the brush into the oil before gently and carefully applying the specialized oil to his various joints. You repeated the process for his other hand before placing the small jar of oil carefully closed, as well as the brush on the small workbench that was further away. You wiped your hands on your clothes before looking down at Otis who had started to move his hands to facilitate the insertion of the oil in his joints. After a few seconds you heard him sigh before raising his face to you.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." You replied with an amused laugh and a small shrug.

"Even though I hope you don't come back, if you ever get done being the police's little cat and want to come back and work here, the doors to 'Le Lucky' will always be open to you."

"Thanks Otis. That's nice of you."

You waved at the robot before turning on your heels with a small smile on your lips as you left the Lucky. Night was beginning to fall, the stars slowly making their appearance in the sky that was putting on its pastel colored coat. You hummed lightly as you began to follow the sidewalks, after turning into a cat in an alleyway and retrieving your badge in your mouth you reached a bus stop where there were people waiting. You saw one of the people waiting for the bus looking curiously at you, you supported their gaze tilting your face slightly. When the bus arrived you quickly slipped inside almost tripping someone getting out before slipping back under one of the seats.

You waited until you reached a stop not far from where you lived before getting out from under the seats, pressing one of the stop buttons to make the driver stop and look back curiously before seeing you. He frowned but stopped the bus anyway to open the door. You dashed out the door, keeping your feline form to sprint along the streets and alleys, your badge firmly clenched between your fangs as you felt the adrenaline of a good run begin to surge through your veins. But when you got to your apartment you still felt the need to let off steam. Your gaze turned to the starry sky, you blinked and decided to give up for once. You slipped into the alleyway adjacent to your building, retrieving your keys before resuming your human form and walking back to your apartment.

Once inside you locked the door before heading to your window, leaving your consultant's card and keys on the coffee table, to open your window slightly before going to the bathroom. You took off your sweater, your gloves and your shoes putting them in a corner of the room. You then leaned over the sink contemplating your reflection, looking into your eyes (e/c). You took a deep breath and closed your eyes for a few seconds, focusing on who you were and who you wanted to be. When you covered your eyes nothing had changed, everything was exactly the same, your eyes your nose your hair... But you felt deep inside that you were no longer a skinwalker cat, it was something you didn't usually like to do but tonight you felt the need to do it.

You stepped back from the sink, before turning, but this time you didn't turn into a cat. You had traded the gray fur and four legs for feathers and wings. You shook your beak, waving your four clawed paws and wings to get used to the feel of this form. Once you got used to the sensation and the habits you spread your wings and with a flap of your wings you landed on the edge of your sink. You looked at yourself once more, the mirror reflecting the image of the little blue jay you had become, a perfect representative of the Blue Jay Skinwalker species. The only thing that could betray that it was you that you saw in the mirror was the color of your eyes. It was the only thing that didn't change when you changed.

You turned abruptly and opened your wings before flying away, quickly leaving your bathroom, crossing your house and flying towards your open window, carried by your bluish reflecting wings. In an instant you were outside, hovering just outside your window for a few seconds before with another flap of your wings you climbed up, coming to rest above the roof of your building before landing. You preferred to take things slow, it was certainly hard for you to pick up the habits of your other forms when you weren't wearing them often, and you spent most of your time in your Cat-walker form.

You looked up at the sky, your bird's-eye view diminishing your ability to see in the dark, but you could still make out the stars just as well. You closed your eyelids and let yourself fall, feeling the wind whip across your face and plumage for a second before you suddenly spread your wings, stopping your fall abruptly, as you rose once more toward the sky. You kept a good distance from the buildings flying a few meters above them, you could slowly feel the hot and cold air currents confronting each other, you flew into a gust of hot air, not forcing your wings to rise a little higher in the sky as you tilted your black and pointed beak towards the ground to observe the more or less empty streets of the Miracle District and its inhabitants.

You were the oddity by the Fantastics, you were a Shapeshifter. You could change the species you belonged to and only with a simple touch of your skin against the skin of another fantastic creature. You adopted the species and shape of the creature you touched with frightening accuracy, perhaps a little too much accuracy, to the point where you considered that you were copying, stealing the appearance of other magical creatures. If you touched a fairy with blue wings, the wings you would make appear if you decided to metamorphose into a fairy you would have the exact same wings as the fairy you touched. If you touched a gray cat skinwalker with black stripes, you would become a gray cat skinwalker with black stripes. All the shapes you were transforming into weren't really yours, they were all appearances that you had stolen. The only thing that was really yours was your eyes, no matter what form you took only your eyes remained yours.

But you were an anomaly among the Fantastics, if the supernaturals were hated by humans and a large majority of Animatronics, the Fantastic community did not like the Shapeshifters. Shapeshifters were very rare and could not be considered a species entirely because Shapeshifter was usually the result of interbreeding over dozens of generations. Many thought that in addition to stealing the appearance of the affected person, the Shapeshifter also stole memories and some feelings. But this was not entirely true, the Shapeshifter only copied the magical part of the people they touched, for centaurs only the equine part was copied, for trolls it was the stature, the skin color and the teeth, for dwarves it was the size that was copied... No feelings or memories were stolen.

You let yourself dive into the void once again, your eyelids closed, trying to stop yourself from thinking for a few seconds, simply letting your instinct take over. As you felt your heart beat faster and faster in your chest, the wind whipping through your bird-like body and whistling in your ears, you suddenly opened your wings, stopping your fall when you were only a few feet from the ground. You tilted your wings to the right quickly dodging several stopped cars before climbing once more into the heights you circled around a building gradually climbing back up letting the wind caress your feathers, enjoying the coolness and the silence of the night, the fact of being free.

You continued to fly for several more long minutes, letting the air currents guide you. You watched the ground and the sky below you, seeing how the lights of the apartments and houses blended with the stars in the distance. You finally let a very human sigh leave your beak before heading home, still taking time to enjoy the sky and the wind before finally seeing your apartment appear. You folded your wings slightly to lose a little altitude, stabilizing yourself at the height of your window that you had left open before sliding inside. You landed on the ground, folding your wings against you before resuming your human form. You sighed again, feeling the pressure you had built up during the day leave your shoulders for good. You also metamorphosed once more, becoming the skinwalker cat that almost everyone thought you were.

You headed to your room, grabbing your pajamas before heading to the bathroom to shower and put away all your stuff that you had carelessly left behind. After tidying up a bit you went back to your kitchen and made yourself a quick meal, realizing that you'd spent more time than you'd planned wandering around in your blue jay skinwalker form. You sat down in front of your television watching an old movie that had started playing on television, you couldn't help but laugh when you saw that it was one of those kinds of movies that talked about a robotic mascot from a big company possess by spirits. You were both amused because this kind of movie must surely offend the members of the Science-Fiction community, but also because ghosts were one of the only magical creatures that did not exist. The dead did not come back and could not stay among the living.

Once the movie was over, you got up to go to your room, but your eyes stopped on the consultant's badge that Sun and Moon had given you. You bent down and picked it up with one hand before letting your fingers caress the surface, you had left a slight fang mark on the protective plastic but it was barely visible. Still holding the badge you turned on your heels, heading for your room where you placed it on the table next to your phone. You then lay down on your bed, slipping under your covers while continuing to distractedly observe the badge. You eventually fell asleep to the thought that you didn't want anyone, especially Sun and Moon to find out who you really were.

                                    ~❂✯☾~

You had not been contacted by Sun or Moon for the next two days which left you with some time to yourself and allowed you to do some errands and other household chores that you had put off. But your rest had been short-lived because this morning you had received a call from Moon asking you to come to the police station in the afternoon. So you joined them, taking your badge with you, even if it was clearly not practical for you to enter and leave the bus discreetly with a badge in your mouth. You had even slipped it into your pocket when you entered the police station, feeling uncomfortable wearing it because you were still a criminal. After having greeted the few policemen who disdained to pay attention to you, you approached Freddy and Roxy who were respectively installed at their desk, seeing you coming towards her, the metal she-wolf swiveled her wheelchair towards you, and while remaining seated spreading her arms wide as if she was going to give you a hug.

"But who is that ?! If it isn't the little cat that made me win some donuts !"

"You should thank me better than that Roxy." You say.

"Yeah yeah you're right." Sighs the Roxy with a big smile on her lips. "I'll give you a donut when you get back from your meeting with Moon and Sun."

When you looked at her some times you felt like you were looking at a werewolf on a full moon night, with a little less fur, and a little more control over her instincts. She told you that the two metal cops you needed to see were in the office reserved for them, you thanked her, waving briefly to Freddy who was busy with someone before heading into the meeting room you had been in last time. You knocked on the door, waiting to be let in before entering the room. Moon's voice quickly invited you inside, which you did without being asked. The two animatronics had turned their faces in the direction of the door surely to see who it was about and by noting that it was only you returned to their previous activity.

Moon was installed on the table, several tens of documents scattered in front of him while he seemed to think, one of his hands carried in front of his lips while his eyebrows were frowned. Sun was standing in front of the board where all the information from the three cases you were investigating was hung, you saw that many of the documents had been removed and replaced by the new clues and other information you had helped to uncover. You stepped further into the room with your hands slipping into your pockets as you asked :

"So Sherlocks why did you call me in ?"

"We got permission to cover the investigations, they are now our responsibility." Moon stated as he pushed three of the documents he had in front of him towards you.

"We sent the Observation Marble you found to a specialized group of analysts, but since there is no fairy in their lab they have to bring one in from another lab but it's from another country so we'll have to wait a few weeks before we get an answer." Sun added as he showed you a picture of the Observation Ball he had hanging on the board.

"But we didn't bring you here just for that." Moon added.

Moon had interrupted you as you started to open your mouth to complain that they had only brought you in to give you information. You hummed slightly, a small pout appearing on your lips as you came to sit on the table with your back to the two animatronics, your legs placed in the void as you waved them. Your curiosity wanted you to ask them why else they had brought you here, but your pride prevented you from doing so, you didn't want them to understand that you were beginning to be invested in this investigation, so you remained silent, letting them speak. You heard Sun sigh before moving to put something on the table. You turned your head and looked over your shoulder to see that the solar animatronic had placed a phone, an old model, on the table.

"We got Arnold Wilson's things, including his phone, and we went through his phone book to see who he might have called when he was at Fischer's fish market. Unfortunately the number was registered to a disposable phone."

"So... You don't have any more leads than that ?" You sighed, raising an eyebrow.

"On that side we have nothing, but we did manage to get the name of the director that Arnold fired." Moon continued. "It's not even close to the culprit of the Abigael Fynch and Jyseral Klain murders, but it's one of the only leads we have so far, so we're going to follow up on it in addition to talking to the other stores than to visit Arnold."

"Yeah... Looks like you were trying to find a leprechaun's treasure." You say, shaking your face.

Even with your help the cases didn't seem to be any further along, also, as it stood, other than the fact that all three victims were part of the Fantastic community there was nothing to say that the murders were actually related to each other, Sun and Moon had reopened the investigations because they were murders and not accidents or suicides, but they still hadn't proven that it was a serial murder. Perhaps the theory of someone trying to create a revolt among the Fantastics was just your imagination. However, you still had the nagging feeling that this was somehow the case, and that there was even more behind it. But that was just your instinct talking, nothing concrete or useful...

"Here is the file of the director who fired Arnold." Sun said as he approached you to hand you some documents.

You looked at the walking sun for a few seconds, his eyes remaining calm and determined despite the situation that seemed hopeless, before retrieving the file from his hand leafing through the various information that concerned Hikaku Hajimata. He was an Oni, a kind of ogre from Japanese mythology, he was a little over forty years old, he had worked for the company that Arnold directed for almost five years but had been fired a few weeks ago for no particular reason. He had only a couple of speeding tickets on his record and seemed to be a fairly respectable person on the surface, however you knew better than anyone that what the eyes saw was not always true.

"We are going to visit him today. You're coming with us." Moon said as he got up from his chair, rearranging the documents spread out in front of him to put them away carefully.

You handed him the documents you had finished reading, watching as the lunar animatronic quickly put the documents away before exiting the office, you and Sun in tow. As you passed into the shared police offices you saw Freddy wave at you before giving you a thumbs up, a big smile on his metal muzzle, you rolled your eyes slightly with an amused smile inevitably appearing on your lips. You followed the two animatronics to their car, watching Moon get behind the wheel once again as the car left the police parking lot and took to the city roads.

This time you weren't driving to a backwater neighborhood but to a fairly upscale one, the houses and buildings were huge though almost all similar. Moon drove the car into a small alley that was in front of a rather banal but luxurious house surrounded by a little greenery and some trees. The animatronic parked the car behind a large red SUV decorated with flames and other Japanese symbols. Sun signaled that it was indeed Hikaku's car, and you didn't doubt it, only an Oni could have this kind of flashy car. Once out of the car you observed the surroundings and the other houses that were next to it, even if the scents were far away and light you could smell several magical creators in the neighborhood, especially that of Oni and a Deer Woman.

You then turned towards Sun and Moon who were already approaching the house to ring the doorbell. As you walked up to the landing you saw that the house had some decoration, there was a blood red paper lamp hanging outside, Japanese masks with Oni's mask, and strange inscriptions carved in the wood just above the front door. You also frowned at the latter, trying to decipher them, the hair on the back of your neck standing up slightly. Seeing that no one answered the door Sun rang the bell again, and after another wait where no one answered, you saw Sun and Moon frown. You had no doubt that Hikaku was inside, the smell of Oni was too strong for anyone to be there.

"He's here." Moon declared. "We are picking up his vital signs."

"Either he doesn't want to answer you, or he's asleep. Oni are almost impossible to wake up when they're sleeping." You sighed.

Sun rang the bell again but with little hope this time, finally you saw the solar animatronic raise his hand ready to knock on the door in the hope of making more noise. But as his hand went to touch the wood your gaze stopped once again on the inscriptions engraved on the door, in a flash you caught Sun's hand before he had time to knock on the door. When Sun looked down at you in surprise and shock, he saw your pupils dilate under the adrenaline of your action. You indicated with a shake of your head the runes that were engraved above the door before saying :

"Don't knock on the door, it took me a while to recognize them, but there are runes of protection, or rather defense, carved into the wood. If you touch the door too roughly you may suffer a counter blow. I don't know exactly if it's an electrocution or if you'll be thrown something like that."

"Is it really possible that kind of thing ?" Moon asked, looking in the direction of the door.

"It's complicated to do and a pain in the ass to maintain but not impossible. He probably has Receptacle Crystals installed inside his house, they're what power the runes with magic."

"Since he doesn't seem to want to move, we'll have to find another to get Hikaku Hajimata to open the door or we'll have to come back another day with a warrant." Sun sighed.

You nodded before realizing that you were still holding Sun's hand, you abruptly released it raising your hands in the air almost as if you had done something serious, taking a few steps back and placing your hands in your pockets. The two metal policemen looked at you for a few seconds, slightly confused by your sudden reaction, before finally, moving away from the door, starting to walk around the house. Even with the gloves on you still had the feeling of Sun's arm and hand against your fingers, his skin was strangely cold but not like pure metal, nor like Otis' hands, it was cold but more like the skin of someone who would naturally have a low temperature.

Shaking your face, you followed the two animatronics for a few seconds before your gaze fell on a window on the second floor that was ajar, you could easily reach it if you climbed one of the adjacent trees. You hesitated for a few seconds not saying anything to the two metal policemen, before you got their attention, telling them that you were going to go to the door to try to ring the bell again and that hopefully the oni would decide to wake up. You let them go a few steps away, pretending to walk away in the direction of the main door before stopping.

You left your consultant's badge on the ground before transforming into a cat, you left in the direction of one of the trees whose branches were close to the roof of the house of Hikaku. Quickly you climbed the tree, reaching the highest branches, you descended along the branch before settling down, your claws digging into the bark of the branch before you covered the small distance between the tree and the oni's house. You landed nimbly on the roof, looking down to make sure the two animatronics hadn't noticed you yet, which they soon would since both were able to detect vital signs, before heading towards the window to slip inside the house.

If the outside looked quite classic and sober it was not the case of the inside, you had landed in a kind of corridor and you could see traces of scratches and blows in the walls made of plaster. The floor was also damaged by claw marks, while the few doors that were there and were mostly open looked ready to fall off their hinges. In the air floated the smell of Oni's musk accompanied by the smell of cigar and incense. You could also hear a slight humming sound, the origin of which you could not guess. You walked down the hallway towards the staircase that led to the first floor, as well as the rest of the house the staircase was damaged and unkempt. When you arrived in the hallway leading to the entrance and the different rooms of the first floor, your feline ears caught the humming sound again, which was in fact a snoring.

Your ears twitched slightly as you approached the living room, the room where the snoring was coming from, and you saw the Oni Hikaku sitting on the floor, half reclining on his coffee table. His face was turned towards you, his mouth was half open with drool escaping from it while his eyes were not fully closed, a much too happy expression on his lips. Your ears lay back against your skull as you noted the presence of a small plastic pouch whose contents had seemed to be emptied, the small pouch was between his face and his hand. Suddenly you realized that he had been drugged, you backed away quickly, heading back towards the front door, once in front of it you took back your human form, keeping your tail and ears on to make sure that the oni didn't decide to wake up immediately from his little trip.

You looked up at the two crystals on either side of the door, they must have been the size of your palm and were a hazy white, you hummed for a few seconds quickly analyzing them before reaching for the door handle, you unlocked the door before pulling it open, the door immediately opening to the silhouette of Sun and Moon who looked at you with frowns and cold, annoyed expressions. Your ears laid lightly against your skull as you raised your hands in the air innocently with a slightly amused smile on your lips at being caught so quickly.

"Before you decide to blame me for anything, you should focus on Hikaku instead. I doubt you'll be able to talk to him drugged up like he is." You say with a small movement of your hand towards the living room.

You gave way to the two animatronics, continuing to smile in an amused way, the two police animatronics exchanged a look between them before finally entering the house, Moon stopped next to you letting a heavy sigh escape him, you saw him handing you your consultant's badge that you had abandoned outside. You took the badge from Moon's hand, before he followed Sun into the living room. You closed the door behind them, your ears returning to their usual places as you followed them into the lounge, slipping your badge into your pocket.

Sun and Moon had approached the sleeping oni, you saw the solar animatronic bend over the coffee table to lift the empty pouch, lifting it to eye level, visually analyzing it as he rubbed the pouch between his fingers, making the little powder left inside move. You moved closer to Sun, observing the small pouch as he did, seeing the small residue of a pearly pink powder inside, you stepped back slightly, frowning, your nose wrinkling in disgust as you breathed out :

"It's 'Fairy Dust'."

"Huh. Looks like it." Answered Sun as he grabbed one of the small pouches he had tucked away on his belt to store the small used druggie pouch for safety.

"This drug wreaks havoc among the Fantastics, one take causes addiction, and in humans it can even cause death if taken repeatedly." Moon added as he came to stand next to Hikaku.

"It's one of the drugs that works particularly on Fantastics. I've seen Fantastics in the Miracle District on 'Fairy Dust' before. Some are like Hikaku fainting, but others become aggressive. They become worse than new werewolves on the night of a full moon. And it's almost as scary when the addicts don't get their fix, they turn into raging beasts..."

You felt a chill run down your spine, flashes of a Fairy Dust accident coming back to your mind. You could still hear the screams echoing in your mind, whether it was the disturbed screams of the vampire who didn't have enough money to pay for his drug fix or the screams of the people he had attacked in his insanity. He had killed two bystanders that day, a young Supernatural couple who had innocently decided to take a walk in town. It was a minotaur who managed to stop the vampire, but it was not without a price, the minotaur had lost some fingers and the vampire had been skewered by the minotaur's horns badly. Despite his heroic act and the fact that he had saved the lives of others, the minotaur had been arrested by the police for violence, he had only been in prison for a few months, but this was one of the things that, as a young kid, had made you doubt the police. But it was also because of what had happened that day that you had promised yourself never to touch drugs or any other addictive substance.

A hand suddenly resting on your shoulder made you jump slightly, pulling you abruptly out of your unpleasant memories. You raised your eyes to meet Moon's ruby-colored ones, who was looking at you with a strange glint of compassion and concern in his eyes. You saw him move his other hand into his pocket and pull out a black handkerchief decorated with white and gray horizontal and vertical lines, which he held out to you. You blinked slightly, not understanding what he wanted, but retrieving the handkerchief anyway, his hand left your shoulder as he said :

"Hide your face with the handkerchief for safety, there doesn't seem to be any Fairy Dust particles in the air but it's best to be careful."

"And don't touch anything y/n. We don't know if there might be drug residue in the house. It would be better if you didn't turn too." Sun added, his beams twitching slightly.

"What ? Don't tell me you're worried about me Detectives ?" You say jokingly but still bringing the handkerchief in front of your nose and lips.

"We certainly don't need a rabid cat on our hands, although we'll be able to control you." Moon replied. "But also to prevent the police from having to pay for your rehab if you accidentally get hooked because of our police intervention."

You rolled your eyes, slipping your hand that wasn't holding the handkerchief in front of your face into the pocket of your sweater. You blinked slightly, the handkerchief smelled pleasantly, a fresh mint and lavender scent. You also changed back, making your feline features disappear as well as your sense of smell, even if you weren't used to obeying orders you didn't want to end up like the other Fairy Dust addicts. The solar animatronic moved closer to Hikaku again, looking at the oni with a frown before sighing. You saw him grab the handcuffs he had on his belt before leaning towards the oni, he grabbed both of the addict's hands, catching them before placing them behind Hikaku's back and handcuffing him.

Once assured that the oni was not a danger Sun grabbed Hikaku by his arms straightening him up with ease to get the oni to lean back in the chair, a sleepy grunt leaving the lips of Hikaku who was still high. You were once again impressed with the strength of the animatronics, Hikaku wasn't the biggest Oni you had ever seen but with the muscle mass and size he must have been in the hundreds of kilos and yet Sun had moved him as if he weighed nothing at all.

Now that his face was no longer pressed against the coffee table you could get a better look at him. He was a man in his thirties, his features were quite classic for an oni, a long face, prominent cheekbones, protruding upper and lower fangs, thick black eyebrows that matched his bushy hair and beard, small horns and pointed ears. His skin was slightly reddened, but that was their natural color, it was one of the things that distinguished them from ogres and trolls who usually had greener skin. The drool that escaped from his mouth smeared his entire cheek that had been pressed against the table, and you could even see traces of Fairy Dust at his nostril.

"Come see this." Moon said from another room.

While Sun was taking care of the oni, Moon was searching the house, you exchanged a glance with Sun who after a last glance in the direction of the unconscious oni left the living room, going to the kitchen which was the room opposite to the living room. The kitchen was in the same style as the rest of the house, quite classic but well equipped, here too there were traces of claws here and there. Moon was leaning under the sink, illuminating the interior with a small flashlight, seeing you and Sun getting closer he turned to you and said :

"Be careful, place the handkerchief in front of your nose."

You frowned but obeyed him anyway, pressing the handkerchief more firmly against your nose, only the smell of the handkerchief penetrating your nostrils. Moon moved slightly to the side still illuminating the interior to reveal several neatly packaged packages of drugs, the pink powder inside making you have no doubt what they were. After he and Sun had examined and visually estimated the amount of drugs, Moon stood up, turning off his lamp to put it away at his belt, you then noticed the large amount of claw marks that were on the floor and on the doors that camouflaged the sink pipes. You let a small mocking laugh leave your lips before pointing to the marks.

"Someone seems way too eager to get their fix every time."

"Hmm. We're going to have to call for backup to come apprehend Hikaku for drug possession and use." Sun declared.

"Let's try to find a way to wake him up until a support team arrives." Moon added, turning around

"Maybe I can help wake him up. But I'll have to go visit the Deer Woman who lives right across the street." You say, lifting one of your hands as if you were a child asking permission to go outside and play.

"Why is that ?" Moon asked with a frown.

"Um... I think she may have an ingredient that could help awaken the oni." You reply.

"Go and make it quick." Sun declared.

You nodded your head before heading for the door, a small amused smile on your lips. Once outside you took the handkerchief off your face and put it in your pocket next to your badge. You quickly crossed the street, getting closer to the house in front of Hikaku's, the house was slightly smaller, there were more plants outside, and the decoration was a bit more pronounced, you could see curtains decorated with small flower patterns. You walked onto the landing, before knocking gently on the door. You waited a few seconds before finally hearing hoofbeats echoing inside the house before finally opening the door on the figure of a woman in her forties.

She had long wavy blonde hair that cascaded around the human part of her body while like the centaurs the lower part of her body was not human, but was that of a doe. The warm brown fur that covered her legs matched her hair, while her hooves were a shiny black that were carefully groomed. Her eyes were exactly those of a doe, round and slit horizontally. You gave her a small smile before bowing slightly, a very common sign of politeness among the Deer Woman. You saw her bow slightly in return before she asked :

"Yes ? Can I help you ?"

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but I'd like to ask you if you might have a few things to help us get rid of an Oni problem."

Chapter Text

You saw the Deer Woman's tail wagging slightly at your question, she wagged her hooves before moving slightly, giving you room to enter her house and inviting you in with a small wave of her hand. You let a small smile appear on your lips while thanking her. Once inside she led you to her kitchen, the whole house was decorated with flowers and other kind of decoration that looked a bit old-fashioned but you didn't wait too long on that. You saw the Deer Woman reach into one of her drawers and pull out two small bags, one containing soybeans entirely while the other bag was full of a strange powder with a color similar to soybeans. An even bigger smile spread across your face.

"Yes that's exactly what I was talking about. Would you mind if I borrowed a little of both ?"

"No, not at all... I... I saw you come in earlier. Are you from the police ? Have you come to arrest Mister Hajimata ?" Deer Woman asked as she tilted her face, her voice almost relieved.

At her question you let a small "Oh" leave your lips before reaching into your pocket and pulling out your consultant card and handing it to the doe. She grabbed the card and read it quickly before nodding and handing it back to you. She turned around to grab two small glasses and began to fill them with the soybeans and ground soybeans.

"Yes, the two policemen who came with me came in a way to arrest him. Why ? Is there a particular problem you would like to tell the police about ?"

"Hikaku... Hikaku tends to be very aggressive with humans. He doesn't like them at all. I have a human friend and every time she comes to visit me, Mr. Hajimata comes to me afterwards to lecture me in a very aggressive way. He once confessed to me that he was a member of one of these extremist anti-human groups... And moreover he... I think he's on Fairy Dust."

The last sentence was whispered in a low voice almost as if she feared the oni living in the house across the street would hear her. You hummed lightly, watching the Deer Woman as she looked anxious, her hands were shaking slightly and you could feel her fear and worry, but you knew she wasn't lying. Once the two small containers she had prepared were full, she gave them to you with a small shy smile, she walked you to the door of her house. You thanked her again before starting to turn on your heels ready to head back in the direction of where Sun and Moon were but she stopped you, one of her hands closing against your wrist, a smile on her lips as she looked at you with relief.

"No thanks to you for stopping him. I've never been able to relax since he moved here."

You blinked, slightly surprised by her reaction, and the Deer Woman released your hand, apologizing for grabbing you so suddenly before saying goodbye and wishing you well. You froze for a few seconds and then started walking again, crossing the road quickly and absent-mindedly as you couldn't help but think about the Deer Woman's words. A part of you was proud and moved that someone would thank you in this way, but you knew that you hadn't done anything, that you were only accompanying Sun and Moon, you didn't deserve any thanks, it was Moon and Sun who should receive her compliments.

Arrived in front of the house, you stuck the two small containers in one of your hands using the other one to catch the handkerchief with checks that Moon had lent you to come to place it once again in your lips. You entered the house and went into the living room where Sun and Moon were, both of them were already looking in your direction before you even entered the room. Both frowned when they saw what you had in your hands. Sun quickly moved closer, retrieving the two small containers from your hand and saying:

"What took you so long ?"

"Hmm ? Oh... The neighbor talked to me a bit. It seems that he is not a good neighbor, he is aggressive and noisy. According to her, Hikaku doesn't like humans at all, he would even be part of an extremist anti-human group, in addition to drugs and all that... If he gets out of prison, we have to be careful that he doesn't think that the Deer Woman is the one who denounced him. Besides, the neighbor has thanked you for arresting Hikaku." You answer.

"Okay..." Sun answered, assimilating the flow of information you had just spouted.

"Is this soy ?" Moon asked as she grabbed one of the containers that held the soybeans.

"Yep. The Onis are allergic to soy."

"How did you know she had soy ?" Sun questioned, taking a pinch of the soy powder.

"I didn't know, I was just hoping she had some. When I walked in I saw that there were lots of claw marks on the walls and floor, I figured that certainly meant it was pretty violent and unstable. Noisy enough too to worry the Fantastic neighbors who know what an unstable Oni is capable of. So I assumed she had a way to defend herself in case Hikaku decided to be aggressive towards her or anyone else." You declared with a small movement of the hand and a shrug of the shoulder.

The two animatronics exchanged a look before keeping you informed about the arrival of other policemen. You nodded your head getting closer to Sun who was holding the soy powder, you grabbed a small pinch of the soy powder before getting closer to Hikaku, you held your hand that was holding the pinch of soy just above the oni's face, your other hand holding the handkerchief firmly against your face, you then waved your fingers slightly letting the small powder fall slightly like dust, getting quickly sucked up by the oni's big nostrils. You quickly moved away waiting for a reaction from the oni. After a few seconds you saw Hikaku wiggling his nose slightly in an unpleasant way, you frowned, grabbing another small pinch of soybean powder before repeating the same operation.

The second time was the charm as the oni began to shake suddenly, sitting up with a grunt as he began to sneeze very violently, almost hitting the coffee table in front of him. Sun and Moon exchanged glances before moving closer to Hikaku, you gave way to them, moving away to stand on the other side of the room, leaning against a wall, one of your feet raised to rest against the wall as you slowly watched the oni wake up, his allergic reaction overriding his state of euphoria as he continued to sneeze almost to the point of losing his lungs. Finally after a few long minutes the oni seemed to regain enough consciousness to realize that he had his hands cuffed and that he was not alone in his house.

"What the fuck is going on here ? And who are you what are you doing in my house ?" Hikaku articulated with difficulty.

"We're from the police." Sun said, showing his badge to Hikaku.

The oni squinted but seemed unable to read what was written on the card, he simply grunted, his condition still not fully restored to normal. Sun put the card back in his pocket with a sigh before straightening the oni who had started to fall forward slightly. The oni looked around the room his gaze stopping on you as he frowned in your direction, sniffing the air with his nostrils that were now clogged from his allergic reaction.

"You have no right to be in my house ! You are trespassing !"

"We knocked on your door for more than fifteen minutes, seeing that you did not answer, two possibilities were open to us, either you refused to cooperate with the police, or something had happened to you that prevented you from coming to answer us. In these two cases we have authorization to enter your home to make sure of the situation and your condition." Said Moon in a cold and serious way

"Bullshit !"

A new growl left Hikaku's lips as his gaze stopped on the two small containers that contained soybeans in different forms. He frowned before snorting again and suddenly becoming agitated, he almost growled in a bear-like manner before becoming agitated, moving his hands as if trying to break the handcuffs on his wrists, before looking in the direction of Sun and Moon in an angry and aggressive manner.

"You used fucking soy on me ?! That's illegal shit ! That's torture you have no right to do that ! It's illegal."

"Buying and consuming Fairy Dust is illegal too, but yet you do it anyway." You suddenly declared. "Besides, it's not them the one who used the powder soy on you. Only a fantastic person would know these things."

"You... You, if I ever get the chance, I'll break your neck, cat..."

"Hey. Watch your mouth." Sun intervened, coming to stand in front of Hikaku.

You turned your face away, not paying any attention to the oni's words, you lived in the Miracle District, death threats were almost as common as bills and police calls to order. You felt the need to intervene, not because you wanted to take credit for being the one to get the oni off drugs, but rather because you didn't want Sun and Moon to get into trouble for you. Hikaku was right when he said that it was almost considered torture to use soy on the Oni, after all it could cause them violent allergic reactions. So you preferred to let the blame fall on you, you already had a record and was on borrowed time, you didn't have much to lose, while Moon and Sun still had their whole careers ahead of them and then, it was the truth, only a Fantastic could know the weaknesses of another Fantastic.

"We originally came to talk to you about the murder of Arnold Wilson, but it looks like we're going to have to ask you about your drug supplier as well, and considering the amount you've got hidden under your lever, you're probably going to inherit a good ten years in prison." Moon said.

"What ?! Hey hey guys wait a second... We can work something out, right ?! You know I'm rich I could pay you ! Better than what the government gives you !"

"Hikaku Hajimata, are you bribing us with money ?" Sun questioned as she frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You prefer drugs maybe ? Maybe not for you since you are animatronics... But if you want some for your little cat that's with you I'm willing to share !"

You let a feline hiss leave your lips in Hikaku's direction, your tail and ears making their appearances, your hairy gray ears lying against your skull as your tail whipped the air with annoyance. You then picked yourself up and replaced the handkerchief you had in front of your face properly before making your ears and tail disappear again, remembering what Sun and Moon had asked of you. You had slightly lost control of your composure, not only because the oni was offering to drug you but also because he was talking about you like you were a pet.

"Keep talking Hikaku, you're only giving us more reason to send you to jail." Moon said as he lowered his eyes in Hikaku's direction.

The reddened orbs of the animatronic painted a worrying glow on the face of the oni who grimaced slightly in front of the seriousness of the two animatronics which was in front of him. After a few more minutes of waiting in silence, other policemen arrived, Freddy and Chica in particular, who were in charge of recovering the hidden packages of drugs since they were not in danger of becoming addicted. Sun and Moon drove Hikaku to a police car before making him sit inside before the car started to go to the police station where Hikaku was going to be interrogated.

You waited outside so you wouldn't have to hold the handkerchief Moon had lent you, and you let your gloved fingers run over the checkered fabric, not knowing if you should give it back immediately or wash it first. Finally you decided that it would be more polite to return the handkerchief when it was clean, so you slipped it into your pocket along with your consultant badge. After exchanging a few words with the other policemen who were there, Sun and Moon beckoned you to join them in their car to leave. Once in the car you heard Sun sigh, you saw him look at you through the rear view mirror.

"What you did earlier was illegal. We're not allowed to trespass on people's property without permission."

"I know. But if it hadn't been for my home invasion you never would have discovered that Hikaku was using and possessing drugs." You replied with a smile.

"That's no excuse, your action will get us into trouble. Because of this simple mistake there is a chance that the evidence we have against him will not be recognized as valid." Moon added while still keeping his attention on the road.

You looked at the two animatronics before rolling your eyes, you didn't see why they were bothering with such a small detail, they only had to tell the truth, that you had decided not to obey their orders and had decided to act without their agreement and without consulting them. You would be held entirely responsible and perhaps their effectiveness would be slightly impaired due to their inability to control and monitor you but their reputation and position would not be threatened. Also the evidence you had against Hikaku and the possibility that the oni would lead you to the serial murderer would not be affected. You shrugged your shoulders before saying :

"You only have to blame me. I'm already a criminal, one more or less bad deed won't change much in my record. Especially since I've already done worse."

"We didn't decide to work with you to use you as cannon fodder, and that's even if you are a criminal. You're our partner, you're helping us with this case." Moon declared, his voice cold and authoritative almost as if your words had offended him, his ruby orbs crossing your eyes this time in the rear view mirror.

You were slightly surprised by the statement of the Moon animatronic, you had always seen yourself as someone accompanying them only to serve as an informant or mediator in communicating with the Fantastics, you had never thought that Sun or Moon saw you as their partner. It was not the first time that the two animatronics surprised you, you thought back to the fact that they had been the ones who had proposed to make you a contract as a consultant to the police. Did this mean that they trusted your judgment, your abilities ? You saw Sun's face in the rearview mirror, his sunbeams slightly retracted into his skull as hid lips drew a thin line in an expression of disappointment. You let a mocking sigh leave your lips, a sly smile appearing on your lips as you said :

"I told you that you would regret your decision to have me work with you."

The rest of the drive to the police station was done in silence, arriving in front of the parking lot you left the car placing your hands in your pockets before following Sun and Moon inside. You were almost immediately greeted by Vanessa who asked you to follow her into her office to discuss the situation. Sun and Moon were the only one talking, you were mostly observing and spying on Vanessa's office, especially the presence of diplomas, press clippings about her station and the police in general as well as a picture of all the employees of the station. You let a small smile appear on your lips when you saw that the Chief Commissioner was more sentimental than she seemed to let on.

"We take full responsibility for entering Hikaku's house without permission." Said Sun then which brought your attention directly back to the conversation of the three policemen.

"We are responsible, we should have been more careful." Moon added.

"What ?" You say with an amused, almost annoyed smile on your lips. "Are you stupid or do you have superhero syndrome ? I'm the one who went into Hikaku's shack through the window, I don't need you to come to my defense out of pity or whatever. You know you were just stupid to trust me enough to leave me alone. Think of it as a lesson, don't trust a criminal, let alone when it comes to a Fantastic and even less when it comes to me."

Your last sentences had been said with a certain bitterness hidden behind your disdain. You could feel the gazes of the two animatronics on either side of you as Vanessa slowly frowned before lifting one of her hands to pinch the bridge of her nose. She muttered some unintelligible words before letting out a sigh and pushing a file in the direction of Sun and Moon before pointing at the door behind you with her hand :

"Get out of my office, all three of you. I will decide what is to be done or not. In the meantime, go interrogate Mister Hajimata, he has been placed in interrogation room number one."

Moon and Sun nodded their face plate before thanking Vanessa, retrieving the file she had given them. You simply stood up with your hands still in your pockets before leaving the office, Sun and Moon closing Vanessa's office door behind them. You froze a little further from the door ignoring the two animatronic policemen who were not far behind you, not giving them any look before leaving in the direction of the offices where the other policemen were, you intended to go and discuss with Roxy who was sitting at her desk but you were stopped by a hand that grabbed the hood of your sweater. A strange sound left your lips as you tilted your head back, glaring at Sun, who was the one who had grabbed you, and hissing :

"What are you doing ?! Let go of me !"

"You're coming with us to question Hikaku." Moon repodied.

"You can interrogate him alone ! There are already two of you."

"Since we can't leave you alone, we gonna have to keep an eye on you the whole time."

Sun lowered his face just above yours, a big smile on his lips revealing his small pointed canines almost similar to a vampire's, while his nose almost touched yours. You saw his rays flare up before he straightened his facial disc, starting to walk off in the direction of the interrogation rooms as he continued to pull you. You let little grunts and other noises of annoyance leave your lips trying to resist but you couldn't resist the force of the animatronic so you ended up letting yourself be dragged along, crossing your arms in front of your chest as your tail, which was whipping the air, and your ears, lying against your skull, came out.

You felt both humiliated, you felt like a kitten again the way Sun was almost pulling you by the neck skin, but also desperate in front of the tenacity and determination of the two animatronic policemen, they were like hungry vampires clutching your neck and refusing to let you go. You had wanted to dissuade the two animatronics from continuing to trust you and indirectly make them reconsider their judgments of considering you as their teammate, but they now seemed even more determined to make you work with them. And they were going to keep an even closer eye on you, which put your condition as a Shapeshifter even more at risk.

You were able to make yourself pass off as a skinwalker cat just fine for now, but you were afraid that as you delved deeper and deeper into the dark secrets that made up this serial killer case you would begin to put yourself in danger. Sure your cat form allowed you to run and act quickly but if you needed to fight something bigger than a dog you would need to transform into something else with more claws and fangs and strength and you weren't ready to reveal what you really were to anyone else, certainly not to Sun and Moon who worked for the police.

As you continued to be pulled you heard a small giggle coming from the offices which made you look up to see Roxy lifting one of her big metal paws to her lips to stop herself from laughing. You hissed in her direction like a real cat, waving one of your hands as if you were threatening to paw her which only made her laugh again as she turned her back. You rolled your eyes, meeting Moon's gaze as he stood more or less beside you, your pupils dilating slightly before you looked away, a bit of red coloring your face from the embarrassment of being caught acting like a real cat.

Finally Sun got you back on your feet, releasing your sweater before pushing you slightly in the direction of the room next to the interrogation room, where you could watch and listen to everything that was happening in the adjacent room. Sun beckoned you to enter the room, pushing the door open for you, you rolled your eyes before entering the room. Sun entered after you, pressing several buttons and other small switches on a small table in the room. You stopped and put your hands in your pockets as you watched Hikaku who was sitting on a chair that seemed too small for him. Sun then turned to you once all the adjustments were complete.

"You should be able to hear everything we say, if you have anything to say or want to ask us to talk with Hikaku about anything in particular, come to us but knock on the door first." Sun said.

You hummed a semi-positive reply before turning to Hikaku, pulling one of the chairs that was in the small room to come and sit in it as Sun left the small room to join Moon who had been waiting outside before entering the interrogation room. You felt unsettled, you were so used to being on the other side of the room being the one being observed and not the one watching. Sun and Moon walked into the room, coming to sit on the chairs that had been placed in front of Hikaku, turning their backs to you. Moon was the first to speak.

"Well Mr. Hajimata, it seems that the police have more to blame you for than it seems."

"I want a lawyer. I wouldn't talk without a lawyer." Hikaku immediately stated.

You let a small growl leave your lips at this cowardly man, unable to defend himself and take responsibility for his crimes. You shook your face, turning your ears back and making them disappear as the noise of the different electronic objects in the room kept buzzing and started to give you a headache. You saw on the other side of the glass Sun step back in his chair to cross his arms over his chest, you couldn't see him but from the sound of his voice you knew that the solar animatronic had a little smile on his lips.

"Very well, but you should know that a lawyer will not help you any more than that considering the evidence we have against you. Not only is the large amount of the drug Fairy Dust we found in your house enough to guarantee you jail time. But the recordings we made of you offering bribes and threatening our consultant will also guarantee you another year or so."

"W-Wait, guys... You're saying this to scare me, right ? You can't really record what people say is illegal ?"

You saw Sun and Moon exchange a look and you didn't doubt that both of them exchanged a smile, really able to register what was being said and happening around them. You felt a slight chill run down your spine, the more time passed the more you felt you were discovering things about these two animatronics, and you couldn't help but wonder what other gadgets or functions they might have. Sometimes you found the technology even less logical and explainable than the magic itself. You saw Moon move to push a folder towards Hikaku, opening it easily with one hand before saying :

"No, it's not illegal, the law says everything you say can be used against you. But in the meantime we are willing to reduce your sentence if you answer our questions about Arnold Wilson and your drug supplier." 

You saw the oni's face break down as he looked down at his cuffed hands, he began to rub his canines together, very similar to the Orcs and Trolls as he began to think. You finally saw the oni stir before he abruptly nodded his head, raising his dark brown eyes to the two animatronics in front of him. Sun straightened up adopting a now much more serious sitting position.

"Why did Arnold Wilson fire you ?"

"Hurg... That old patsy found out I was using drugs and he didn't really like it... He said he wouldn't tell the police but he fired me. But it looks like he didn't keep his promise..."

"Arnold didn't tell the police anything." Moon declared.

"What ?! Did that bitch from next door tell on me then ?!" Hikaku almost roared.

"Your neighbor has nothing to do with this. We came to see you because Arnold Wilson was murdered. Didn't you know that ?"

You saw the oni freeze, his pupils dilating in surprise before he said he didn't know. Moon and Sun continued to question Hikaku for several long minutes, making him talk about what he was doing the night of the murder, luckily for the oni he had an alibi that cleared him, he had gone drinking in a fancy bar with some friends, he had paid by card and the bar employees as well as his friends could attest to his alibi, although the bar employees complained about his unpleasant behavior.

"Being one of the directors of Arnold's company, were you aware of the plans he had ?" Sun asked.

"Until I got fired yes." Replied Hikaku with a shrug.

"Were you aware of any future 'big plans' he might have had with someone else that might have caused conflict ? Maybe another company ? "

"Nah, there was no planned project with any other company, but one of the other directors had proposed an idea at a meeting that was supported by many other board members. Wilson didn't really agree, but he promised to discuss it again later in a more serious way."

"What was this project ?" Sun asked.

"The 'Project Pure Fantastic' was intended to make the delivery company an all-Fantasy company that would deliver only to customers of the Supernatural people. The company was made up of a large amount of Supernatural, but with this project we wanted 100% of the company to be made up of Supernatural." Hikaku stated with a big smile.

"What made Arnold refuse and question the project ?" Moon questioned.

"He said that delivering only to the Fantastics wouldn't be profitable enough, that there were very few Fantastics who used the services of his delivery companies. But that was just crap, he was just part of this pro-peace group between the different communities. He was afraid of change... Pfft... Look where that got him !"

The last sentence the oni said was accompanied by a laugh and a superior smile, you couldn't help but frown, a slight growl nearly escaping your throat. You didn't understand how Hikaku could be happy about someone's death, even if Arnold didn't agree with the oni on the question of whether or not to try to integrate further with humans, the eagle skinwalker was still a Supernatural, a direct member of his Fantastic community. And you knew that the words of the oni did not pass equally to Sun and Moon because the rays of the first agitated in a very dry and mechanical way contrary to their usual fluid movements, whereas the hand of Moon that he had lowered under the table closed in a fist.

"Can you give us the name of the director who wanted to launch the project as well as the names of the other directors who supported this project ?" Moon asked, his voice not betraying his feelings.

"Jenna Royn, she was the one who proposed to completely reform the company to make it a haven for Fantastic. And she was also the one who supplied me with Fairy Dust." Said Hikaku.

"Does she produce the drug herself or was she just a dealer ?" Asked Sun.

"She's a dealer. She had a big supplier and she sold the goods to the company's employees. I did ask her if she wouldn't give me the name of her supplier so I could buy directly from him but she always refused."

You saw Moon and Sun exchange another look before Sun took out his notepad and pen, asking Hikaku to list all the names of all of Jenna Royn's clients and customers as well as the board members who were supporters of the 100% Fantastic reform. Hikaku grinned and complied, giving the names he remembered, as the list went on you noticed that many of the fantasy directors who were for the 'Pure Fantasy Project' were also heavy users of Fairy Dust, you thought back to the words of the Deer Woman who had told you that Hikaku was part of an anti-human extremist group and you couldn't help but wonder if there was a connection. 

Deciding that the best thing to do was to ask Hikaku directly, you left the small surveillance room, coming to stand in front of the door to the interrogation room before knocking a few times. The door soon opened on Moon's figure who lowered his reddened eyes towards you before leaving the interrogation room and closing the door behind him so that Hikaku couldn't hear what you were going to say. You waved your hand in the direction of the interrogation room and said :

"Ask him about his anti-human group. I have a hunch that several directors of Arnold Wilson's company, including this Jenna, are in the same extremist group as Hikaku."

"Hmm... I doubt that Hikaku will confess as easily as anyone else to being part of an extremist group." Moon stated as she crossed her arms.

"Mmh... There are three major anti-human groups competing for the most adherents, 'The Wild Call', The 'Magic Right' and The 'Dragon's Blood'."

You raised one of your hands making a three with your fingers before explaining, lowering a finger each time you mentioned a new extremist group.

"Each group has some kind of symbol, I know that the 'Wild Calling' have a habit of wearing a tooth as a jewel, Hikaku doesn't seem to wear any tooth on him so we can eliminate that group. The 'Dragon's Blood' mark their members with a magic rune which means dragon. The mark is usually located at the back of the neck so that it can be hidden with the hair or clothes. For the 'Magical Right' their symbol is conceal, a magical tattoo made on the wrist that only appears if another magical creature touches the area."

"We already knew about 'The Wild Call' and 'Dragon's Blood' but how do you know all this you ?" Moon questioned.

"Those who raised me told me to always check to see if I was talking to someone who belonged to an extremist group. They taught me how to recognize members of different groups to better avoid them." Do you answer, frowning at Moon's question that was slightly off the main topic.

"What if he's not part of one of his three groups ?"

"So he's part of a harmless minor group. These minor groups are there more like talk groups that allow those who hate humans but are not brave enough to do anything to express themselves. The three anti-human groups I mentioned are the most dangerous, they are capable and have already done horrible things..." You say in a serious voice.

"We had already heard about them, but we didn't know about the symbols. We will check the one of the group the 'Dragon Blood', if the mark is not present you will come to check if it is part of the last group." Moon stated.

"O-Okay." You replied hesitantly.

Moon turned towards the door ready to join Sun again in the interrogation room but he stopped, looking over his shoulder in your direction with a big smirk that revealed his sharp teeth, his eyes shining with a gleam you couldn't make out. When Moon entered the room you froze and stood outside for a second, trying to figure out what had happened as your heart beat slightly faster in your chest. You looked down at your heart, lifting one of your hands to put it roughly where your heart was, which had now recovered a more or less normal rhythm. You blinked before shaking your face, entering the monitoring room.

Sun was finishing writing down the last of the names Hikaku had given, only glancing quickly at Moon and then at the two-way mirror you were standing behind. Moon sat down on the chair next to Sun, waiting a few seconds before asking Hikaku if he could turn around and show them the back of his neck, although a little movement from Sun's rays made you understand that the solar animatronic was surprised by Moon's request, Sun didn't question his brother. Hikaku frowned slightly with a growl before asking why he should do this, the oni snarling again when moments ago he was almost talking as if he wasn't under arrest for several crimes.

"We need to check something." Moon simply replied. "If you don't do it of your own accord we'll have to check it ourselves."

You saw Hikaku hesitate for a long time before finally spitting an insult in the direction of Sun and Moon before turning around, you saw him put his cuffed hands behind his head before lifting the clump of hair he had revealing a red-hot iron burn just at the edge where his hair began. You breathed a sigh of relief, if Hikaku didn't have the mark of 'Dragon's Blood' you would have had to step in and touch Hikaku, an Oni, a magical creature you had never touched before and were not yet able to turn into, and did not want to turn into.

As a Shapeshirter you already had plenty of creatures that you were able to transform into, but there were many more and you didn't want that. You already hated the fact that you could copy all these creatures, and you didn't want more, you didn't want to be the monster among the monsters. That's why you often wore clothes that covered your entire body and gloves, to avoid accidental contact. You concentrated again on the three people who were in the room next to you. You saw Hikaku sit down again with an annoyed expression on his lips, as Moon spoke:

"The 'Dragon's Blood' huh ? So in addition to drugs you are also part of an anti-human group."

"So what ? There are anti-fantasy groups everywhere that don't even hide to make their ads and you're going to come and break them for me because I'm part of an anti-human group ?"

"All extremist groups are banned groups, no matter what species those groups think they're fighting." Sun replied with authority.

"Who else in Arnold Wilson's company was part of 'Dragon's Blood' ?" Moon asked.

"I don't have to answer that. I'd rather go to jail than help pro-humans like you, you piece of junk." Grumbled the oni angrily.

"Jenna Royn, she was part of the 'Dragon's Blood' too wasn't she ?" Said Sun as he stood up, placing both hands on the table to lean slightly towards Hikaku.

You saw the oni's expression flicker slightly as Sun suddenly became aggressive, he who had been very passive from the beginning. Hikaku tried to growl back but his growl echoed pretty pathetically around the room, the anti-magic cuffs he had on his wrists prevented him from using the full potential of his strength and anyway even if he hadn't been restrained you doubted he could face Sun and Moon together.

"Y-Yes she is." Hikaku finally said.

"Good. And were the other directors part of the anti-human group too ?" Sun continued.

"Some of them were."

Hikaku then began to repeat the names of the few directors who were part of the 'Dragon's Blood', Moon retrieving Sun's small notepad to add the information that was said. There were a lot less names mentioned than those who were consuming 'Fairy Dust'. Once finished with its information Sun and Moon had exchanged a glance before rising simultaneously, Sun recovered the documents and other files which had been posed in front of Hikaku before taking the direction of the door of exit, Moon stopped him to turn to Hikaku and say :

"Our colleagues from the narcotics and anti-gang section will take over and come to talk with you Mr. Hajimata, we hope you will cooperate with them as you did with us."

Despite the fact that Moon's words were spoken without aggression his words almost sounded like a threat. You saw Hikaku look down, his expression turning dark as he suddenly realized all the trouble he was in. You looked at him with disdain, you felt no pity or compassion for him. He had everything going for him in life, he had a good job, he was well paid, he had a house and enough food to live on and be happy, but he had decided to throw his life away for drugs and for a hatred that he couldn't contain. You clicked your tongue before turning on your heels, leaving the small surveillance room and almost hitting Sun who was standing right outside the door.

"Looks like you were right about the anti-human extremist group." Sun stated, looking down at you.

"What ? How do you know it was me who said that ? Moon didn't tell you about it? I didn't see him or hear him tell you about it. Don't tell me you're able to talk over Bluetooth or something..."

"Um... Maybe we can" Sun replied as Moon moved closer to you.

"You're so weird... You give me the creeps." You replied with a grimace.

You raised your hands in the air along the wall to stay away from the two animatronics as Sun let a laugh leave his voice box as Moon rolled his eyes. Sun waving the files in his hand slightly as he said :

"I was just kidding, we don't have that kind of communication, though we can read messages sent on our phones directly into our heads. I simply made the conclusion that you were the one who told Moon about it only because he brought up the subject after you came to him."

"That doesn't make you any less weird. On the contrary."

"You can turn into a cat. You're the one who's weird." Said Sun.

"I'm a normal weirdo. You're a weird weirdo." You replied.

Sun let a small laugh leave his lips before waving you to the front inviting you to go to the room where was the summary table of the case you are trying to solve. You made a face before passing, arriving in front of the door you pushed it open entering the room before going to settle in front of the window observing the outside and the night that was starting to fall on the city forcing the lights to turn on and the passers-by to go home. Your eyes remained fixed on the outside for several long minutes listening distractedly to the two animatronics discussing and reorganizing the information they had just obtained. Eventually you heard Moon call your name, which forced you to turn to the two animatronics.

"We're going to have to go to Jenna Royn's house to ask her some questions. According to her file it would be an elf, about thirty years old, no particular record except a speeding ticket a few months ago." Declared Moon who had settled behind a computer.

"Something to say in particular about the Elves ?" Sun asked.

"Hum... Except that they are one of the magical creatures that physically resemble humans the most and can do magic ? They are generally quiet in temperament, and they are intelligent, not the type to commit crimes generally, or else they are too clever to be caught. Many are claustrophobic..." You reply, tilting your face to the side.

"Hmm... Thank you." Said Sun. "Can we confide in our colleagues in the gang squad what you told us about the latest Fantastic extremist group."

"It's not like I have any right to that information. You do whatever you want with it now. Besides, I don't even understand why you're asking my permission." You sighed as you turned back to the window.

For another fifteen minutes the two policemen remained at the police station to set up their plan, thanks to the information that what given by Hikaku the two could make a request for a search what would allow them to avoid the troubles if, tomorrow, Jenna Royn refused to open them the doors of his apartment. Finally after the sun had disappeared on the horizon the two animatronics put an end to the improvised meeting, and as you started to take the direction of the exit door of the police station, hoping to have time to catch the last bus in direction of the Miracles District, Moon stopped you grabbing you by the hood of your sweater as Sun had done earlier. You let a growl leave your lips before turning slightly towards the nocturnal animatronic to hiss :

"You got a problem with me or something ? Stop grabbing me with the hood of my sweater !"

"We're dropping you off at your house." Moon declared.

"No need, there's still a bus. I still have time to catch it, if you'll let go of me."

"Too late. You'll never have time to get to the bus stop without doing something illegal. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen you possess a bus pass, or even anything else that would allow you to take a bus legally..."

You felt your face lose color slightly as you grimaced, you had feared that the two policemen would eventually discover your little subterfuge regarding your transportation, but you never thought they would find out so soon. You pursed your lips together before looking down with no excuse to defend yourself. You heard Moon sigh before releasing your hood, you didn't dare move for a few seconds shifting your weight from one foot to the other while continuing to stare at the ground. Finally Sun and Moon headed for the exit, Sun inviting you with a small movement of the face to follow them, which you did in silence, continuing to put on the expression of a small cat who has just been reproached for breaking a glass that was standing on the edge of a table.

The car ride was done in a heavy and almost suffocating silence, when finally the car stopped in the street on the other side of your apartment you hurriedly got out of the car, saying a quick thank you before crossing the road quickly to enter the alley adjacent to your building and retrieve your keys, you then quickly entered your building letting out a sigh when you no longer saw Moon's car on the other side of the street. You stood still for a few minutes in the hallway with your back against the wall, reaching into your pockets and pulling out your badge and Moon's plaid handkerchief. You took off your gloves, placing them in your pockets to allow you to touch the cloth and the card directly with your fingers. The card was cold and stiff while the fabric was very soft and felt good under your fingers.

You knew that you had caused them many disappointments today, whether it was because of your illegal entry into Hikaku, your snide little comment when you were in Vanessa's office, or the fact that you continued to commit minor crimes. But you were like that, you didn't want the two policemen to see you as a good person, someone who deserved trust and respect. You always ended up disappointing the people around you one day or another and somehow, your very existence, your condition as a Shapeshifter was a disappointment for humanity. At least now the people who know you were not so disappointed.

Chapter Text

You end up shaking your face putting everything you had in the pockets of your sweater before turning in the direction of the hallway with the goal of reaching the stairs and thus your apartment. However, you almost jumped out of your skin when you saw that Mr. Botzaris was standing not far away, his arms decorated with a few feathers crossed over his chest while one of his feet was tapping the floor at a steady pace. He was looking at you over his square glasses that he usually only put on when he was reading, a small smile amused by your reaction on his lips, but you could tell by the gleam in his eyes that he was there to give you a scolding.

"It's rare that we manage to surprise you. Were you that preoccupied with your thoughts ?"

"Ha ha ha... Let's put it this way." You answer with a roll of your eyes.

"Were you thinking about how you were going to explain to me the fact that you quit the Café to work with the police ?"

You grimaced slightly before silently cursing Otis, you had expressly asked him not to tell anyone but you should have known he would tell Botzaris, those two got along too well, plus Otis especially liked to get you in trouble. You looked up at Mr. Botzaris, giving him your most innocent smile before saying :

"Well... That's a pretty long story..."

"Oh, but I have plenty of time. I've made some tea, so we can discuss it over a cup." Mr. Botzaris replied with a smile.

The harpy made a small movement of the hand, inviting you in the direction of his apartment and you knew at this moment that you did not have any more the choice. With a small sigh you walked towards Botzaris' apartment, pushing the door open before entering your former teacher's apartment, the apartment was plain and simple, the walls were brown, decorated with a few very Greek looking objects, the dark wooden furniture was shiny and carefully cleaned, you doubted you had ever seen dust in Mr. Botzaris' apartment. There was a bookcase that housed books with aged covers, so much so that some were illegible, when you saw the red cover of a children's book you couldn't help but smile before approaching it.

You took the book off the shelf, it seemed much smaller than when Botzaris lent it to you so that you could read it over and over again to the point that you knew the stories inside by heart. You let your fingers caress the battered cover before opening it to a random page, you came across a page dedicated to the story of the sick little dragon, your smile widened even more. It was an fairytale book specially written for children of the Fantastic people, the stories were pretty standard but instead of the knight rescuing the princess from the dragon it was more the other way around with the dragon going to rescue the princess, who was otherwise a fairy, from a cruel human prince.

"You know you can always come borrow books from me if you want ? I know most of them are children's books or if not history books but they are still entertaining." Declared Botzaris as he came up to you and saw the book in your hand.

"I'm too old to believe in fairy tales, I've seen what the world is really like, I know it's no use dreaming. As for the history book, they are too boring." You replied, putting the book back in its place.

"Usually you answer politely by saying, 'yes maybe next time', and those even if you don't do it afterwards but it's you we're talking about, so I'll settle for that answer."

Mr. Botzaris, walked into his dining room which was also the kitchen, you saw him remove a metal teapot from above the fire before bringing it back to the table where cups, spoons as well as a pot of sugar were already set up. You sat down on one of the chairs on the table, Mr. Botzaris filled a cup of tea before pushing it in your direction, you looked down at the pretty green liquid stirring slightly as a little steam rose. The smell was pleasant, you detected a touch of mint, verbena, chamomile and a little touch of mallow flowers. You grabbed the little spoon that was in the sugar before putting some in your cup. You then lifted the hot drink to your lips, watching Mr. Botzaris settle in front of you before looking at you and making a small movement of his hand that was not holding his cup to invite you to start explaining the situation you were in.

After trying to prolong the wait by taking more time than necessary to drink a sip of tea, you ended up explaining to Botzaris the situation in which you had found yourself and the situation in which you currently found yourself. You didn't hesitate to tell Mr. Botzaris everything, you trusted him, he was one of the only ones, along with your adoptive parents, to know that you were a Shapeshifter. Someone had to know so that you could be taught to control your shifter ability, and even if Mr. Botzaris wasn't a Shapeshifter himself, he had enough knowledge of magic and biology to help you not to go crazy and panic when your abilities were first revealed.

"Arrested for murder, huh ?" Botzaris finally sighed.

"Is that all you remembered from everything I told you ?"

"That's the most egregious thing to me. But at least his two cops managed to do something I tried and never succeeded."

"Huh ?" You say, tilting your face.

"Make you stand on the right side of justice." 

Mr. Botzaris had stood up retrieving the two empty teacups with one of his clawed hands while with the other he had come to ruffle your hair. You let an exclamation leave your lips before lifting your hands, pushing his away before glaring at him, but the amused smile on your lips revealed that you weren't really angry. You let a small mocking smile leave your lips before saying :

"Sun and Moon are trying anyway, but I don't know if they're really succeeding..."

"I don't doubt it, but having managed to get you to sign a contract to work with the police is already beautiful. I hope they get compensation for having to work with you." Replied Botzaris with a laugh.

"Hey, I'm just a consultant, besides I didn't do this to be nice, if it wasn't for the generous compensation I would never have accepted."

You saw Mr. Botzaris look in your direction with a small smile on his lips, a smile he often used to do when he knew you were saying something that wasn't entirely true. You shrugged, reaching into your pockets to feel your gloves, the handkerchief Moon had lent you, and your consultant's card. You froze for a second before tilting your head back with a sigh. Mr. Botzaris' laughter was quickly heard now that you had indirectly admitted that you weren't just doing this for the money.

You didn't want to admit it to yourself, but part of you liked being able to investigate and solve crimes and mysteries. But after all, who wouldn't dream of that kind of adventure, maybe it was still your 'teenage thriller and detective story' soul that made you want to help close this case. There was also the fact that you didn't really want to get involved in an inter-species war, although the conditions might not be the best for the Fantastics, but you didn't see how a revolt would change things in a positive way. Besides, Sun and Moon's company wasn't all that bad... The two animatronics were pretty good company, they were certainly policemen with their seriousness and their sick need to respect the laws but they were fun to tease and they hadn't once treated you without respect, hadn't doubted your words or your advice...

"Maybe I'm doing this a little bit for something else too. But it's mostly for the money !" You declared as you straightened up to look at Botzaris.

"Huh huh. I don't doubt it !"

You let out a sigh at your building owner's mocking and sarcastic tone, he probably wanted you to tell him the truth but you yourself didn't really know why you had decided to help Moon and Sun with their investigation.

                                    ~❂✯☾~

The next morning, not having received any call from Sun or Moon, you decided to leave your house to go to the laundry, not only because it would allow you to stretch your legs but also because your dirty clothes were beginning to accumulate a little too much. With your bag of laundry on one of your shoulders, you walked through the alleys of the Miracle District, stopping in front of a bus stop where you had to pay for the ticket before you could get on board. When the bus stopped, you had to walk for several more minutes through the more popular streets of the city before you saw the laundry appear.

The front was classic, with the name 'Laundromat' written in blue on a white background and some small soap bubbles for decoration. The outside was a bit old, the white of the front having slightly yellowed under the sun while the paint of the outside walls was flaking a bit, but the laundromat you were in front of was not yet as dilapidated as the laundromat of the Miracle District. It was because you knew that half of the machines in your neighborhood were not working that you rarely went there, they were always busy and you had to wait for hours to find out that they were out of detergent.

You pushed open the front door of the laundromat, and when you went inside you saw that there were few people and many washing machines available. You approached one of the washing machines and stuffed all your laundry inside before stopping when you saw Moon's handkerchief. You lifted the little plaid handkerchief, hesitating for a second to wash it with your things. You didn't want to risk Moon's handkerchief getting your scent on it because, even though you knew the animatronic was incapable of smelling what exactly you smelled like, you didn't think it was very reasonable. But you didn't want to make a machine just for a handkerchief either, it was not only not ecological but also an unnecessary expense.

You ended up putting the handkerchief in with all the rest of your clothes, closing the door of the washing machine before leaving to get some detergent. You took a little more detergent than you needed, hoping that with a little more detergent your skinwalker smell wouldn't stay on the handkerchief, and even though the smell of detergent might sting your nostrils it was a concession you had to make. After starting the program on the machine, you sat down on one of the benches provided, watching your clothes spin in the machine while letting your thoughts wander, coming back to reality only when you heard or saw someone entering or leaving the laundry.

Your sense of smell was slightly destabilized by the different products used, however when a young merman entered the laundry room, his fishy smell and panic immediately won your nostrils. You turned your head in his direction to see him looking over his shoulder towards the outside before moving closer to one of the washing machines, putting his gym bag on the floor, his clawed and palmed hands shaking slightly. You frowned at the young merman's behavior, watching him observe the interior of the laundry room, his gaze stopping on each of the people present. When his gaze settled on you, you saw his eyes shine with relief, a small, stressed smile appearing on his lips before he leaned back into his bag of dirty clothes, a small sigh leaving his lips.

And just as you were about to ignore the young merman again you saw the door to the laundromat open, but this time to a small group of four young people. There were three humans and one android, the four newcomers must have been about the same age as the merman, they were chatting quite loudly among themselves, almost jostling each other, and when they saw the young mer-boy, laughter that was anything but benevolent, left their lips. The young merman turned around as he heard the door open again, and his expression of relief from a few seconds ago disappeared to be replaced by one of terror and panic. One of the youths, the tallest of the three humans, came up to him and said :

"Well Rotten Fish, where do you think you are going ? We just wanted to talk."

"For someone who doesn't really have two legs, you run fast !" Added another.

"Guys... Please, leave me alone..." Asked the young merman.

You saw one of the humans approach him, coming to grab the merman by the collar, despite the fact that the young Fantastics was much taller than him, forcing him to bend over before pushing him to the ground. You saw the young merman land on his butt, his back hitting one of the washing machines behind him. You immediately stood up, a small growl leaving your lips as things suddenly got out of hand. One of the other kids in the group grabbed the fantastic kid's bag before spilling it on the floor, grabbing one of the water bottles that was in the young merman's bag, before you had time to stop him the kid who had grabbed the water bottle opened the water bottle before spilling it on the merman.

A small scream of fear left the Fantastic's lips as suddenly the shorts he was wearing were torn on both sides by scales, his legs giving way to a huge fish tail with a red and orange sheen. The laughter of the other kids could be heard as the young merman wagged his tail slightly in shock and despair. He suddenly folded his tail in his direction when one of the kids leaned over, ready to grab his tail. You stepped forward and abruptly your foot crashed into the hand of the youth who was trying to touch the merman's tail, your shoe pressing the young human's hand to the ground as a cat-like growl left your lips.

"I think it would be best for you to leave. Now."

As you said the 'now' you pressed your foot a little harder against the young human's hand, digging the heel of your converse into his skin as you listened to him squeal in pain as he tried to pull his hand out from underneath your foot without much success. You saw his comrades exchange looks of consultation as if trying to decide what to do, the android of the group stepped forward in an almost intimidating manner in your direction. He looked you up and down before saying :

"Otherwise what ? Huh you freak."

Another growl left your lips before you decided to lift your foot, releasing the little human's hand to watch him stumble to his feet before walking away from you to join his three other comrades. You looked at the three humans before focusing on the android again, taking a step into his distance to close the gap between you. You looked into the eyes of the young sci-fi folk, letting a smug and superior smile appear on your lips before looking in the direction of his other comrades to once again come and look into his eyes.

"Otherwise this story might end up with three new werewolves and a pile of shredded junk. We wouldn't want that, would we ?"

You saw the three little humans turn pale at the word 'werewolf', the young android seeing his comrades stop supporting him took a small step back. You didn't move, remaining motionless, watching the four youngsters confessing their defeats before turning on their heels and muttering some more insults in your direction and in the direction of the young merman before finally leaving the laundry room with some last glances full of contempt. You let a sigh leave your lips before abandoning your threatening stance, also turning back into a skinwalker cat since even though you hadn't turned into a werewolf, you had to alter your race to look more dangerous.

You turned your head towards the other people in the room. None of them had reacted when the young boy had started to get harassed, some had just watched while others had pretended that nothing was going on and turned their backs. But now that you had been the one to threaten the youngsters, pretending to be a werewolf as well, everyone looked at you with expressions of concern, reproach or anger. Hearing sniffling, you looked down at the fantastic youngster who looked up at you, his yellow orbs filled with tears.

You rolled your eyes making your tail and cat ears appear, not only to support the young merman who was now in his supernatural form, but also to reassure the humans in the room that you were not a werewolf, however you suspected that stupid as some must be, would still believe you were a lycanthrope. You crouched down next to the young boy, looking him up and down, the merman who had just been transformed had short hair of a slightly reddish color easily revealing his merman ears which were orange and tinged with red. He must have been a little more than fifteen years old and even if he was young he must have been easily more than two meters fifty long with his fish tail. You finally let out another sigh before huffing :

"Stop crying. You're going to get even wetter and it's going to delay your return to your human form even more."

"I know... I'm s-sorry." Replied the youngster, wiping his tears with the bottom of his clothes.

"Don't be sorry, you didn't do anything wrong. Now take off your wet clothes."

You stood up, watching the young mermaid nod before seeing him take off his wet shirt and push it back a little further. You then removed your sweater before throwing it over the Fantastic's tail, inviting him to use your sweater to mop up the water that had wet his lower body and thus speed up his return to his human form. He seemed to hesitate for a second before protesting, but a commanding look and a grunt from you silenced him. You looked at the wet ground all around the young merman, you come to stand next to him before saying :

"We're going to have to move you buddy, otherwise with all the water there you'll never be able to dry.

"O-Okay." He answers simply.

You come to place yourself in his back, coming to catch him under his armpits with your arms before pulling him back, you clenched teeth using all your strength to manage to move him only a few meters, but far enough from the puddle that had formed on the floor of the laundry. You let go of the young merman, straightening up as you felt your back crack slightly as you caught your breath. Once your body recovered from the sudden and intense physical effort you looked down at the young Fantastic who was lightly rubbing your sweater against his tail, you could see the moisture spreading through your sweater and you knew that in a very short time the improvised towel would no longer be effective. You left in the direction of his bag, recovering the few clothes that had been spared by the water in his direction, stretching the wet sweater away from him.

Knowing that it was going to take him still some time before being completely dry you turned to the washing machine which sheltered your own clothes. Noting that the machine was finished, you went to get them back and put them in one of the available dryers before launching a program while ignoring the other customers. You come back then to sit down at the place you had occupied earlier before the altercation, the young merman being only a few meters away from you since you had made the effort to pull him in a corner of the room where there were not too many passages. You saw the fantastic young man raise his eyes to you before saying :

"Thank you. For defending me and helping me."

"Um... You're welcome." You replied, lowering your eyes in his direction.

"You're not a werewolf ?"

"Do I look or smell like a werewolf to you ?" You say with a touch of sarcasm.

"No."

"So you have your answer."

You gave a small smirk in the direction of the young Fantastic, who looked down with a small, slightly pouty face as he continued to rub his clothes against his tail to dry it off. You were a little tense, you had to use your Shapeshifter condition and on top of that you had to mess up, even more, the reputation of the werewolves. Werewolves were the most persecuted magical creatures due to their difficulty in controlling and transforming themselves, but especially due to the fact that in lycanthropes the curse, or also called 'disease' by some, that affected them was transmissible to humans. Among the lycanthropes, transforming a human into a werewolf was a great taboo, not only because it was forbidden by the government, but also because they, who were affected by this curse, did not want others to suffer the same fate as them. Infections of humans into werewolves were accidental and very rarely voluntary, although there were a few stories of 'Serial Infectees' running around the world.

You looked down at the young merman, watching him actively rub his fish tail to the point where some scales were torn off. You felt a little sorry for this poor young merman, it was difficult for mer-people to stay in their human form, the slightest contact with a bit of water, be it salty or fresh, made them transform. And it was even more difficult for this young man who had been transformed against his will and by his bullies. You tilted your head to the side, your ears following the movement of your skull as with a small sigh you finally said :

"Skinwalkers cat."

"Oh ! Oh... I didn't know cats could growl like that."

"A cat can't, but I'm not just a cat." You reply with a little mysterious smile.

"Y-Yes I know that ! I just uh... I thought it was strange."

"Huh. Are you okay ?" You suddenly asked seriously.

"Huh ? Yes... It could be better, I guess." Answered the young merman, looking down at his fish tail that he waved lightly.

"It's not the first time that these four have bothered you, is it ?"

"No. I belong to an athletic club, and one of them is also part of the club. He and his buddies used to make fun of the fact that I was half fish and that I'm 'not supposed to have legs'. Today I managed to run one of the fastest times in our club and..."

"And let me guess, it didn't help whoever was in the club with you to see that you, a merman, has a better score than him ?"

"Yeah..."

You looked down at the fantastic young man, from his expression you could tell that he was considering every possible solution to his bullies problem, and that the first solution that came to mind, and stayed with him, was to simply give up his athletic club. You couldn't help but have a touch of sympathy for this fantastic young man who was considering giving up his passion. You hadn't really had a chance in the few years of study you had done to find an activity you were interested in or good at, apart from stealing but that wasn't something you could put on your school record, however you could imagine what it felt like to have to give up one of the things you loved to do, to give up a dream and that was only because of the narrow-mindedness of some people.

"Don't overthink it. The best thing you can do against your stalkers is to keep doing what they hate. He doesn't like the fact that you got a better race time than him ? Then get two. Annoyed by the fact that a merman is running next to them ? Then run ahead of them with one, two, even three laps to spare !" You declared with a laugh.

"I... I don't think that will stop them from continuing to harass me..."

"Probably not, but at least you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you're better than them, and that'll piss them off."

You saw the fantastic young man look at you with perplexity before finally letting a laugh leave his lips, his eyes shining but this time with amusement. After a few more minutes spent sponging his tail, the young mermaid finally got his human legs back, however the shorts he was wearing had been torn and the rest of his clothes had gotten wet so he couldn't put them back on. So you decided to lend him one of your pants and one of your sweaters that you had just taken out of the dryer, the size was not exactly adapted for him but it was already better than being naked in a public place.

While you were retrieving the wet clothes of the young man to put them in a washing machine along with your sweater that he had offered to wash since you had lent it to him to use as a towel, you felt your phone start to vibrate in your back pocket. You quickly recovered it seeing that the contact displayed Sun's, you started the program of the machine before picking up your phone turning your back to the young fantastic, moving away from a few steps before becoming human again to allow you to hear perfectly the voice of the animatronic by placing your ear well against the phone what would have been impossible if you had kept your cat ears.

"Hello ?" You say.

- "Hello y/n ! We will be able to go to Jenna Royn's apartment today, in view of the information provided by Hikaku Hakimata we got the permissions to allow us to enter and search her place." - Sun stated from the other side of the phone.

"Hmm. Would you like me to meet you at the police station ?"

- "No need, we've already left the police station we're already on our way. We should arrive in front of your building in a little over half an hour." -

"What ?! O-Okey !"

You didn't waste another second almost hanging up on the solar animatronic before looking at the time. It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon, you were about twenty minutes by bus from the Miracle District and a little more than ten minutes walk from your house, plus you hadn't eaten anything yet this lunch. It was going to be close, but you had a chance to get home in time if you left immediately. You picked up your bag in a hurry and headed for the exit, surprising the other customers and especially the young merman with whom you were making small talk. As you were already on the sidewalk rushing towards the nearest bus stop you heard the young Fantastic calling out to you :

"Hey ! Y-Your clothes ?!"

"You can give them back to me later !" You replied, looking briefly over your shoulder.

You thought you heard him say that he didn't even know your name, but it was too late for that. You walked through the crowd quickly, bumping into a few passers-by and absentmindedly excused yourself to get to the bus stop, luckily waiting at least a few minutes before you saw one arrive. The trip on public transport seemed even longer than usual, when finally the bus stopped in your neighborhood you left the bus in a hurry, jumping out of the open doors while you let some of your feline features make their appearances. The streets of the Miracle District were much easier to navigate, most of the inhabitants pushing themselves out of your way, used to seeing one supernatural or another running for unknown reasons.

Eventually you arrived at your apartment, out of breath and sweating, but you had arrived in time. You left your now clean clothes in your room, putting off putting them away until later when you decided to quickly change your clothes so you wouldn't end up with a soaking wet t-shirt, you would have liked to be able to take a shower but when you saw Moon's car parked outside your apartment you gave up on that idea, opting for some perfume. You then grabbed two slices of sandwich bread and stuck them between your teeth before retrieving your keys, the handkerchief you had to give back to Moon and your consultant badge. You left your apartment, letting yourself slide along the security fence to get downstairs a little faster while continuing to chew and swallow your slices of bread.

Once outside, you turned toward the car of the two animatronics, waving in their direction that you'd be there in a minute as you ducked into the alley adjacent to your apartment to drop off your keys before heading back to their car, trying to look like you hadn't just run a marathon just to get home. As you entered their car you let a sigh leave your lips before looking up at the two animatronics, Sun having turned his face plate, and only his face since his body was still perfectly positioned in his chair which made it very creepy and disturbing, in your direction while Moon gave you a look through the rear view mirror.

"Hello. Could you next times give me at least an hour's notice before you announce that you decide to take me who knows where, please, thank you." You declared as you put on your belt.

"Did we disturb you ?" Sun questioned.

"Not really. But if it turns out one day that I'm not home and it takes me more than half an hour to get home you'll find yourself waiting like a couple of idiots in your car." You reply with a small shrug.

"In that case you could just tell us where you are and we'll meet you." Moon interjects as he starts the car and pulls it into traffic.

"No thanks." You sighed almost silently.

You then let the silence settle between you. If there was one thing you didn't like, it was being indebted to people, it was a particular way of relating to them, and you never knew what the person you were indebted to might ask you in return. It was one of your principles, you wanted to be helpful, but you refused to accept or ask for help from anyone, you didn't want to be tied to anyone. You saw Moon's ruby eyes return to you quickly through the rear view mirror as Sun darkened his eyebrows slightly before turning his face back to the road.

Now that you were in the car with the doors closed and had calmed down, you realized that you reeked of mermaids. Mermaids, like trolls or ogres, naturally had a stronger smell than others, but on top of that, the kid you'd been helping had just finished a sports session and had been stressed out from his altercation with his bullies, you could smell his scent on your arms and even through your sweater and even after changing your gloves. You let a growl leave your lips, which earned you a look from the two animatronics but you ignored them, focusing more on the outside trying to forget the fishy smell that was emanating from you.

"We contacted the company where Jenna worked. They informed us that she hadn't come to work for ten days because she was sick." Moon says, pulling you out of your thoughts.

"About ten days ? That's about the same time Arnold was killed. It's not a coincidence." You reply.

"We think so too, it's likely that by now Jenna Royn has run away, unless she's really sick. In any case we must go to her house to check." Terminated the solar animatronic.

Moon's car drove through the city for a good little half hour before stopping in a suburban area, the neighborhood wasn't as upscale as the one Hikaku lived in, but it wasn't run down like the Miracle District either. The buildings here were all very large, randomly maintained there were here and there some green areas and other small playgrounds for children. On the street you could see people coming and going, but not as frantically as in the city center. After crossing several major streets, the car driven by Moon turned into an alley before stopping on the side of the road in one of the empty spaces there. The three of you got out of the car, your hands in your pockets as Sun pointed with his robotic hand to one of the nearest buildings.

"That's where Jenna Royn lives."

You simply nodded, relieved to be back in the open air and not to have to endure the smell of panicked mermaid. Delicately you took out of your sweater pocket the plaid handkerchief Moon had lent you, during the trip you had time to discreetly and carefully fold the handkerchief, smoothing the folds with your gloved hands. As Moon walked towards the building you stood in front of him, cutting Moon path off. You had one of your hands resting casually in the pocket of your sweater while with the other hand you handed him his handkerchief, barely looking at him as you breathed :

"Thanks for lending it to me last time. And... I'm sorry I didn't return it sooner, I wanted to wash it first."

You saw Moon raise an eyebrow in your direction, a small smile slowly making its way onto his lips as you felt Sun's obsidian orbs come to rest on you as well. You slowly felt a little red coming to color your cheeks as their attention continued to be fixed on you who was still foolishly holding the handkerchief towards the lunar animatronic. Finally you felt Moon's hand come to retrieve the handkerchief from between your fingers, a few more seconds and you probably would have thrown the handkerchief in Moon's face to avoid further embarrassment. You let a small "tch" leave your lips as you turned your back on the two animatronics to focus on the building in front of you.

"You're welcome, and it's okay, thanks for giving it back to me." Said Moon, that you ignored in favor of remaining focused on the building.

You tilted your head back, the building was big but a little less than all the others, there were balconies on each floor, the walls were painted a coral orange and you could see different curtains on each floor. You saw one of the residents on the balcony looking curiously in your direction as you entered the building. The interior was also very simple, the walls were the same color as the exterior and looked like all the other apartments. You were somewhat surprised to see that Jenna Royn lived in such a simple place, for someone who had a high position and extra income from the sale of Fairy Dust she seemed modest.

After a trip to the concierge to get the spare keys to Jenna's apartment, you followed Moon and Sun to the elevator, the apartment may have been simple but it still had the latest technology. The elevator went up to the sixth floor where the elf's apartment was located. You followed the two metal policemen down the hallway, reading the few apartment numbers there were before stopping in front of the one that corresponded to Jenna's apartment number. You let Moon and Sun get closer to the front door, watching the two animatronics stop in front of the door before saying :

"There is no sign of life inside the apartment." Moon declared as he placed his hand on the door.

While the two policemen were busy, you heard the elevator doors open and turned your attention to the elevator door, watching a woman in her forties emerge with her little boy, about 6-7 years old. The woman was human, but you knew from the smell that the boy was not, he was a Dhampire, a hybrid between a human and a vampire. So you assumed that the boy's father must be a vampire or a dhampire himself. When the little dhampire's mother's gaze fell on Sun, Moon and you, her son looked in the same direction before sniffing the air with a frown. You saw him tug at his mother's dress before pointing at you and saying in a far from discreet way :

"Mom, why does this person smell like cat and fish ?"

You saw the mother grab her boy's outstretched hand to tell him that it wasn't right to point at people. The little boy's statement had caught the attention of Moon and Sun who had abandoned the door to turn to you, you could only see them out of the corner of your eye but you knew they were watching you, you could feel their gazes weighing on you. The little boy's mother then looked up in your direction making a small apologetic face before taking a few steps in your direction and saying :

"I'm sorry. I was trying to get him used to not sniffling, let alone saying what people are smelling like, but he's still having a little trouble understanding."

"That's okay." You sigh. "It's normal to develop your senses at this age. Plus I literally smell like a cat and a mermaid."

You said your last sentence as you looked down at the young dhampire, emphasizing the 'siren' so that the young dhampire would understand that he was wrong. You saw him stare at you with his big yellow eyes before nodding and turning his face away, his attention diverted by Sun and Moon. You saw Sun wave his hand vigorously at the boy with a big smile on his lips as his rays fluttered slightly, Moon did the same but in a much calmer and more serious manner. The mother had also raised her eyes in the direction of Moon and Sun when they had started to greet her son that she had to slightly encourage to wish good morning. You saw her blink before saying :

"Have you come to visit Jenna ?"

"Not exactly." Moon replied. "We're with the police."

You saw Moon hold out his badge in the woman's direction as Sun did the same. You saw the little dhampire's mother's expression go from fairly neutral to surprised. The woman then blinked, frowning slightly, a small worried expression appearing on her lips as she held on a little tighter to her son's hand that she had grabbed.

"I-I'm afraid Jenna isn't here. It must be several days since I've seen her, or heard from her for that matter. I-Is something the matter ?"

"Sorry ma'am, our ongoing investigation we can't really talk about it anymore... some things are not to be said in the presence of children." Moon continued, looking discreetly in the direction of the young boy.

"Oh..."

You saw the mother look down at her son who seemed captivated by Sun and Moon, she let a small smile appear on her lips before wishing you a good evening, even inviting you to come and see her if you had any questions. You watched as the mother and the little dhampire went home to the apartment next door, the very young fantastic waving his hand in your direction one last time before closing the door behind him. You turned in Moon and Sun's direction before saying :

"Jenna definitely got away didn't she ?"

"Definitely." Moon and Sun replied in sync.

You watched as they turned once more toward the door Sun, pulling out the spare key the janitor had given her after seeing their badge and arrest warrant. You watched as Sun unlocked the door before putting his keys back in one of his pockets. He pushed the door open, looking down the small hallway that opened before him with caution, one of his hands resting on his pistol that was at his waist, Moon had adopted the same position, hand hovering over his weapon, ready to be drawn. Sun entered the room, remaining motionless for a few seconds before abandoning his defensive posture, Moon quickly imitating him. You didn't question their reactions or their precautions, because even if they were assured that there was no being made of flesh inside the apartment it didn't mean that there couldn't be animatronics. As Moon followed Sun into Jenna Royn's apartment, you heard the walking sun ask :

"What happened to make you smell like a mermaid ?"

"Curiosity kills animatronics, Detective."

"Hmm ? Something personal perhaps." Sun continued with a slightly teasing tone.

You rolled your eyes with a grimace, a sigh leaving your lips. You hated the fact that Sun was taking back your words from a few hours before, but his intonation was even worse. It was a provocation to your ears, he was daring you to talk about it, whether or not he was trying to learn about your personal life was not your problem right now since it wasn't much of a personal thing, you had no problem telling them what happened in the laundry room. You just didn't want them to find out that you'd run halfway across town just so you didn't have to make a detour for them, you'd already been embarrassed enough when you'd given Moon his handkerchief back. You walked into the apartment and started to say :

"If by 'personal' you mean helping a young merman you don't know after he got turned against his will in a public place then yes it is totally per..."

You didn't finish your sentence, no sooner had one of your feet landed inside the apartment than a huge shiver ran down your spine, spreading throughout your body with a sense of fear, insecurity and imminent danger. You froze, your tail and cat ears almost immediately appearing as you tried to determine the cause of the danger. The hair on your tail bristled as your ears twitched and flapped in all directions, your breathing quickened, your heart drumming almost to your throat as your eyes scanned the hallway in front of and around you.

This was not the first time you had felt this way, your instincts were telling you, and in this case screaming at you, that there was something dangerous, however you were unable to know what it was. You couldn't smell any particular scent except that of an elf you assumed was Jenna Royn, the scent was diffused and slightly aged, confirming to you the fact that the woman hadn't set foot in the apartment for several days now. You could also hear nothing in particular except for the light noises of  Sun and Moon mechanism and the distant hum of electricity. You took a hard breath, almost jumping as Moon who was in front of you had turned to ask :

"y/n? Are you okay ?"

"Something's wrong." You sighed, looking up at Moon furtively before looking around again.

"What's wrong ?" Sun asked as he looked back at you as well.

"I... I don't know. And that's the problem."

You finally put your other foot inside the apartment, feeling the strange sensation that had come over you diminish slightly, but not because the danger had passed but because you were on the alert. You walked into the apartment with extreme caution, your steps light, slow and calculating as you continued to scan everything around you with your (e/c) orbs. You breathed in deeply through your nostrils to try to catch the slightest change in smell. Arrived at the height of Moon you saw his ruby eyes lowered towards you before his hand came to rest on his pistol, Sun more in front had also done the same, recovering a more defensive position. You held the animatronic's gaze for a few seconds, seeing in his optics a glimmer of determination.

You looked away quickly, once again unsettled by the confidence they had in you, you could very well be lying just to confuse them, and you hated the fact that they trusted you. You would have liked to make them regret their decisions again, but the situation was not favourable, whatever was in that apartment scared you. However, the presence of the two policemen allowed you to relax a little, you didn't really know if it was because you were not alone or if it was because they were policemen and they would never let anything happen, but you felt a little safer. You looked at Moon and then Sun for a few seconds before focusing again on the room in front of you, which was the living room.

The living room was very uncluttered, there was only an orange fabric couch in front of a television, right next to the couch there was a large white standing lamp with the cable unplugged. At the perpendicular of the sofa was a bay window that gave onto the balcony, the curtains were slightly drawn did not allow to see completely the outside. Other rooms opened up on either side of the living room, you could see a large open kitchen as well as the dining room which was almost the same room. As you stopped in the living room to analyze and try to figure out what was making you feel this way you saw Sun and Moon start to explore the rest of the apartment, you immediately followed them, not feeling confident enough to be left alone.

You followed them to the kitchen, your eyes stopping on every object and every corner as if someone or something might jump out at you at any moment. The policemen began to methodically search the furniture and other storage units in the kitchen. After several long minutes of you remaining motionless, your tail almost ruffled and tense while your ears did not cease to agitate to the slightest noises that could make the two animatronics, you saw the two throw a glance in your direction silently analyzing your behavior while they moved again towards in the apartment.

You saw them go to the balcony quickly while you stayed inside watching the sofa as if it was an enemy ready to pounce on you. The balcony was almost empty except for a few flowerpots that were now wilted due to their lack of water. Once the balcony was inspected Moon and Sun, always followed closely by you, explored the single room that was there as well as the bathroom. As Sun pointed out, everything seemed to be abandoned quickly, the cupboards only housed a few clothes that had been messed up as well as the hygiene products that had been spilled on the floor, the drawer containing them remaining open.

In Jenna Royn's apartment you could hardly smell anything except hers, no one else had been there according to your sense of smell, however your instinct was telling you something else, your sense of danger had not disappeared. After several more long minutes spent slightly startled by the slightest noise Sun or Moon might make while searching the apartment you saw them return to the living room, their expressions thoughtful and somber as they found nothing to help their investigation go forward or to find out where Jenna Royn had gone. Moon turned to you with a sigh to ask :

"Still feel the same way ?"

You nodded your head, in the direction of the moon animatronic before lowering your eyes to the ground again, your ears lying against your skull and hair as you felt slightly guilty for not being more helpful to them. You walked towards the balcony, feeling the need to get some fresh air to try and calm yourself down and focus on something other than your unpleasant feelings. Once on the balcony you took a deep breath looking down at the landscape in front of you for only a few seconds before the sound of something shaking against the ground started to be heard.

Your face turned sharply in the direction of the noise only to see the lamp on the stand between the couch and the balcony window fly off in your direction, almost as if an invisible force had pushed it. Your pupils dilated and a small scream barely had time to leave your lips before the lamp's electric cable, almost animated by its own consciousness, wrapped itself around your throat, strangling you violently as with the momentum the lamp projected over the balcony, dragging you down, tipping you over the balcony and into the void.

Chapter Text

Your back hit the protective barrier hard before you suddenly felt yourself tipping backwards, your hands unable to grip the barrier as you raised them to your throat to try and undo the cable that had wrapped around it, cutting off your breath. The sensation of emptiness and falling was what triggered your survival instinct, causing your muscles to tense and rotate slightly to prepare for the shock. The sound of the lamp shattering on the ground was quickly followed by the sound of your body hitting the concrete of the sidewalk six floors below. You had managed to land lightly on your feet with a sharp pain spreading through your legs at the sudden contact, one of your ankles flinching slightly as your hands, partially transformed, cushioned the rest of the shock as best they could.

But as soon as you hit the ground you almost immediately toppled over onto your side, ignoring the pain that ran through your muscles as your hands frantically went to your throat to try to free the cable that kept on squeezing again and again despite the fact that the lamp had been reduced to pieces. You could feel your own fingernails scratching the fragile skin of your neck as you tried to slide them under the cable to cut it or at least give yourself a chance to take a breath. The pain of your fall was nothing as the sensations in your body began to leave you, a heavy humming sound was heard in your ears, even covering the sound of your heartbeat which was speeding up under the adrenaline but not getting the necessary oxygen supply. You didn't know exactly what you were looking at, your black spots filling your vision until you could only focus on the cable and the pain it was causing you as it crushed your windpipe more and more.

Tears began to fill your eyes, rolling down your cheeks before disappearing to who knows where as you continued to claw desperately at your throat. You were going to die, you knew it was the only rational and safe thing your slowly suffocating brain could think of as even the sensations in your fingertips slowly disappeared. You knew that you were destined to a tragic and painful end, the Shapeshifter rarely led a good life...

As your consciousness slowly began to leave you, you felt the pressure around your throat loosen a little, cold fingers brushing against your abused skin and before suddenly the pressure that was preventing you from breathing disappeared completely allowing you to take a deep breath of fresh air. The sudden rush of air back into your lungs was painful, your eyes opening to blackness as your vision struggled to return. You inhaled irregularly and jerkily as tears continued to wash down your cheeks, while you could feel your fingers slowly closing over some things to keep you conscious, closing sharply as your nails dug into the strangely soft material. As you inhaled and exhaled irregularly, you had a coughing fit, the pain in your almost crushed trachea coming back in force, making you choke once again.

"y/n ! Calm down ! Listen to me, breathe in slowly ! y/n, breathe in !"

The voice had sounded close to your ear, louder than the buzzing that deafened you, a breath gently crashing against the painful skin of your neck. The voice was warm and comforting, encouraging with a shower of concern behind its authority. You did as the voice asked, breathing in slowly, hard, as the voice sounded once more, a little clearer :

"Yes, continue like this, now breathe out."

You followed the instructions again, wincing in pain, coughing slightly as you still dug your nails into the only thing you were able to grip to try and fight the pain. The voice continued to guide you, telling you when to breathe in and when to breathe out, slowly allowing you to recover the sensations in your body. Slowly you opened your eyes, the black spots disappearing to allow you to see the street stretching out, you could see some figure in the distance watching you but the outline was still too blurred for you to read their expression. The sensation of a hand gently caressing your back in a comforting way brought your attention back to your own body.

You found yourself sitting between long crossed legs that slightly elevated your feet and made sure you were not resting against the concrete floor. Your chest was pressed against a torso, your face placed on the shoulder of the owner of the hands that held you firmly but gently against him, one of his hands continuing to caress your back. Your hands had slipped under the arms that held you, your fingers being buried in the white shirt that you had, in addition to crumpling violently, slightly torn. If the two small red straps had not been enough to make you know who it was, by turning slightly your face by seeing the neck of gray metal which supported a head surrounded by yellow orange triangles, you understood that the one who spoke to you and held you since a moment ago was nobody else than Sun.

You tried to articulate something but no word managed to leave your lips, only a pathetic squeak that only reinforced the pain you had in your throat. You tightened your fingers once more around Sun's clothes as his arms tightened around you in response to your movement. You could strangely feel Sun's chest rise and fall as if he were breathing, which you found strange since he didn't need to breathe. His strange breathing was also crashing against your cat ears, which twitched slightly as the sensation slowly came back to you more and more clearly. You wagged your tail slightly, slowly letting your hands go loose, leaving Sun's clothes as you let yourself go against him, your breathing matching his instinctively.

You closed your eyes, letting your cheek rest against the shoulder of the solar animatronic as you tried to focus on the sounds around you. You could hear the conversations of passersby a little more clearly, they were talking about how you had suddenly fallen off the building and been strangled by a cable. Closer to you you could hear mechanical noises that didn't belong to Sun but surely to Moon, whom you hadn't seen because he was out of your field of vision. Suddenly Sun's voice rose again, this time you could clearly hear the concern he had :

"y/n ? You are starting to regain consciousness, aren't you ? That's good, don't move for now, don't try to talk either. Squeeze me with your hands once if you understand me."

You hissed slightly before opening your eyes slightly, squinting in Sun's direction before slowly closing one of your hands on his shirt and back. You heard Sun hum in contentment, his hands squeezing you comfortingly and encouragingly for a few seconds before releasing you. You heard footsteps coming closer again, your ears turning slightly in the direction of the one coming closer, you then felt a new hand, not belonging to Sun, come to rest against your back, Moon's voice then rose saying :

"Continue to ask they questions. y/n, if it is yes squeeze again Sun, if it is no do not move. You got it ?"

You felt like rolling your eyes at Moon's words, but you didn't see it as you also heard a hint of concern in his voice, you simply clasped your hands against Sun's back.

"Do you remember what happened ?" Sun asked.

If you hadn't been unable to do so you would have let a heavy growl of anger leave your lips. Yes, you remembered exactly what had happened, you had been strangled and dragged into the void by a fucking standing lamp. Your mind was still foggy but you knew that it was a curse that had been placed on the lamp. You should have known something was wrong from the moment you saw the stupid thing, the lamp was too far from an electrical outlet and it wasn't plugged in, why would Jenna bother unplugging a lamp even though she'd given up everything to run away. Your tail wagged roughly on the floor as you closed your hands against Sun's clothes to answer their questions.

"That's good, your brain doesn't seem to have been affected by the lack of oxygen, the fact that you're conscious, able to react and move a little shows that your muscles weren't too badly affected either. According to our sensors, your vital signs have been stabilized but we'll take you to the hospital for further examination and to make sure you don't have a relapse."

You suddenly became agitated, moving your hands to place them against Sun's torso and trying to push yourself up which you couldn't really do because of Sun's hands holding you against him. You moved your face, your neck starting to burn as you felt the pain of your partially crushed throat and the many scratches you had inflicted on yourself trying to get free, you heard Moon and Sun protesting your movements but you didn't listen to them, not only because you didn't care but because your ears were ringing. You let your hands go down to Sun's belt, your fingers lingering on the objects that were there, except for his gun, which you ignored more than quickly until your fingers finally found the small notebook that was in one of the pockets on his belt.

You pulled the notebook towards you, trying to get out from between Sun's arms so you could get a better grip on the notebook and write since you were unable to speak at the moment. As Sun finally moved his arms, one of his arms wrapped around your waist, slipping behind your back as he supported your hands. As your trembling fingers slowly lifted the front cover of the small notebook you saw a pen appear right before your eyes. You lifted your face with difficulty, looking up at Moon's face, crossing his rubies for a few seconds before grabbing the pen and lowering your face back to the notebook. You struggled to hold the pen, the strength in your hands having diminished while the few efforts you had asked of your body seemed to have been intense forcing you to breathe a little faster.

You grabbed the pen between your trembling fingers starting to write the first few letters only to realize that your handwriting was actually that of a child not yet knowing how to write, you let a sound that could have been a sight leave your lips before you started to write again, reducing a sentence entirely to a few words. When you were done you waved the notebook and the page you had written on, 'No hospital. Home.' in the direction of Sun and Moon. You saw the two animatronics read your few words before you felt Moon's gaze land on you again, his voice rising authoritatively.

"It wasn't a question. You're going to the hospital."

You couldn't complain, nor could you insult the two policemen, which you were currently doing liberally in your mind, because of your throat that was hurting like hell. You were almost unable to move, your fall and landing in partially human form was making your muscles sore and getting strangled hadn't helped either. You waved the paper you'd written on about wanting to go home again only to be ignored by Sun and Moon who began to argue with each other, your tail wagging in annoyance as you found yourself unable to do anything to plead your case. Moon looked down at you, looking at the notebook in your hands before gently taking it from your hands.

"You take them to the hospital, I'll stay here and wait for my colleagues and the specialised team to find out what caused this." Moon said in the direction of Sun, pointing to the rest of the lamp on the floor.

Your gaze stopped on the lamp on feet which was now only detached parts, only the iron bar of the middle was still intact but largely twisted, the decoration which decorated the bulb had been demolished and the bulb was only glass crushed. But what made the hair on your tail stand on end and your ears lay against your skull was the cable that had been torn from the base that normally supported the iron bar. The cable lay on the ground now inert as if it had not been wrapped around your neck a few minutes ago. As you began to wonder why the cable had come loose you suddenly remembered the sensation of hands, other than your own, around your throat. You looked up slightly in the direction of Sun and then Moon, understanding that it was one or the other of the two Inspectors, surely Moon since you had woken up firmly anchored in the arms of Sun, who had removed the cable from you.

"All right. Be careful." Sun replied.

You saw Moon look in your direction, his ruby-colored LEDs lingering on you for a second before he turned on his heels, heading for his car. You felt Sun's hands move slightly, one of his arms slipping under your knees for support as his other hand secured you against him by wrapping around your back. After making sure you were comfortably and carefully placed against him, you felt him rise up without any effort. Your pupils dilated in surprise as your hands closed lightly on Sun's shirt, you looked up at him, your ears perked up on your head as your tail stiffened.

Sun began to walk off in the direction of Moon's car, you saw the lunar animatronic open the back door of the car after pulling out his keys. Sun walked over to the car leaning in with you still in your arms to get into the back seat, as Sun started to reach for your belt ready to buckle you in you hit his hand with one of yours with what little strength you still had, pushing his hand away as you made a face in his direction, making it clear that you were not a child who needed him. You grabbed the belt tying you up by yourself before looking at Sun, huffing with difficulty :

"H-Home..."

Sun shook his face disc before closing the door you were sitting next to, you sighed, rolling your eyes as you came to rest your skull against the glass, making your ears and tail disappear to be more comfortable. You saw Moon give Sun his car keys before turning on his heels to head towards the crowd and surely give some security instructions. Sun's animatronic got into the car and took a seat behind the wheel before starting the car and driving it into traffic.

"The trip to the hospital shouldn't take very long."

When you couldn't answer him, you met his gaze in the rearview mirror, wincing once again as you stuck your tongue out before leaning against the door again. As the scenery unfolded outside you could feel a headache starting to creep up on you, so you closed your eyes trying to focus on something other than whatever was hurting you. Slowly your mind went back to what had happened to you as you tried to figure out what had activated the curse that had been burned into the lamp. As you continued to unravel the mystery you felt yourself getting drowsy, eventually falling into a very light sleep.

Your sleep was disturbed by Sun who came to lift you up again making you straighten your face abruptly which you immediately regretted as you felt the scratches on your throat open a little, making you hiss in pain and causing Sun to freeze thinking that he was the one who had caused your pain. You didn't even try to resist or push Sun away even though you now felt able to walk, you knew your pride was no match for the superhero complex of the two animatronics. Sun pushed the door of the car before locking it to then head in the direction of the hospital which was further in front of the carpark in which Sun had stopped.

The hospital was a huge building in the shape of an "H", the walls were mostly made of glass reflecting the sun that was starting to set on the other side of the city, the outside was carefully decorated to make it look welcoming and to make people forget the dramas that could have happened there. Sun was parked near the entrance of the hospital, you could see people going in and out of the building, some looking in your direction with curiosity and others starting to whisper among themselves which made you roll your eyes. Sun went inside, crossing the reception hallway to approach one of the secretaries, while deciding not to put you down. The nurse looked up in your direction, looking at Sun and then at you as you looked at her with a desperate expression.

The nurse wrote your name down for the waiting line before inviting you to sit in the waiting room. As Sun thanked her you saw her smile in your direction before placing one of her hands in front of her lips, a hint of red on her cheeks, you grimaced in her direction, wrinkling your nose as you shook your head before focusing your attention back on Sun who finally decided to let go of you and allow you to sit in one of the empty chairs as he took a seat next to you. You glared at the animatronic as he looked down at you, then raised an eyebrow as he smiled to reveal his perfect teeth and small canines that reminded you of a vampire.

"Are you still angry ?"

You nodded your face before lowering your eyes looking for something to write with and on. You finally looked up at Sun, motioning for him to give you his notebook and the pen you had used earlier. Sun took both items out of his pockets before handing them to you, you grabbed both before quickly starting to write on the notebook. When you finished, you held it out to Sun who grabbed the small notepad to read : "I don't need to be treated in the hospital. I just need to go home and rest for a while. Being here is a waste of time. And money."

"We don't know if everything is okay with you yet." Sun replied, handing you the notebook again. "The strangulation and asphyxiation may have caused damage that Moon and I were not able to detect."

You quickly scribbled the following sentence on the notebook : "I'm still breathing. That's all that matters."

"Your health is not something to be neglected."

You rolled your eyes with a sort of sigh, turned the page of the notebook to find yourself facing a new blank page, with trembling hands you wrote again, "When you're a fantastic person living in the Miracle District you can rarely afford hospital care. Besides, there are often fantastic diseases that human technology and medicine are unable to cure."

You saw Sun gradually frown as he read your words. You saw his fingers close slightly on the edge of the notebook before he looked up at you, an expression you could hardly make out on his face, one between frustration, sadness, helplessness. You saw Sun reach out in your direction as if to pat you on the head, but you stepped back, squinting in the direction of his hand before looking him in the eye and shaking your face. You grabbed the notebook before very quickly and vulgarly writing : "Don't feel sorry for me. I hate this. Plus, it's not your fault. So stop making that face, it makes me hate you more."

"Thanks y/n. You don't like me ? Why ? I think we were friends." Sun said with a smile, his saddened expression fading.

You turned a new page in the notebook to write : "You had forced me to come to the hospital."

"Why don't you like the hospital ?"

You rolled your eyes beginning to get tired of writing you opened your mouth, blowing out a small "smell", wincing at your voice hoarse and distorted by pain. Sun let a thin line split his lips before nodding but asked you not to speak. You snorted a reply before diving into your thoughts, trying to ignore the multiple smells that came to tickle your nostrils despite the fact that you were completely human. The smell of hospitals and nursing homes in general was something you didn't like, it was too much smell, whether it was the smell of people, their feelings, products or even the smell of sickness and death, it reminded you of the smell that was wafting through the Hearton's house and the guilt you felt with it. You then saw Sun stand up, pulling you out of your thoughts, you followed the direction of the animatronic's gaze to see that the nurse with a doctor was waving to you.

You stood up with a touch of difficulty, feeling your legs bend slightly under the slight pain that ran through them, quickly you felt my hand of Sun come to slip behind your back to support you, you glanced at him before moving forward, letting him help you walk since it was already better than letting him carry you around as if you were unable to manage on your own. You walked down a few corridors following the doctor who then invited you into a small examination room. The doctor after letting you in closed the door behind you before turning to you with a smile and asking :

"So, what's wrong ?"

Sun helped as he entered the room leading you to the consultation table where he helped you settle in before turning to the doctor. You also looked up at the doctor, he was a human so you didn't have to worry about him touching you, humans don't have magic in them so if you touched them you couldn't 'steal' their appearance, their species. Sun turned to the doctor and then began to explain the situation :

"They were attacked and strangled by a cable. They started to lose consciousness but we managed to get they out of the cable in time, they had a slight dyspnea that we managed to stabilize. I performed several physical scans before and on the way to the hospital, their major organs don't appear to have been affected, they remembers what happened and is responding to their name and behaving in a fairly usual manner."

You saw the doctor blink at Sun with some surprise, you were just as shocked as the doctor at Sun's words. You didn't even understand why he had bothered to bring you to the hospital when he had been able to give you a complete and detailed examination. And you didn't even want to know what other physical parameters he could know from his 'scans', and the idea that Moon was doing the same made you rage even more. You turned your attention in the direction of the doctor who had opened his mouth before closing it seeming to be slightly uncomfortable when he had practically nothing to do, you almost felt sorry for him.

"Well... I can always do another examination to confirm all of this and prescribe appropriate medication."

Sun nodded, giving way at your side to the doctor who approached after putting on latex gloves to give you a physical examination. He began by looking inside your mouth, checking the condition of your throat from the inside before looking at your neck, which had begun to bruise, leaving your skin red with darker spots. After that he did some heart and breathing tests to make sure that nothing was wrong, but as Sun had said, apart from a sore throat and a pronounced tiredness you were doing quite well. Sun had stood next to you almost protectively throughout the examination, watching the doctor's every move with intensity, you had even seen his rays retract into his skull and his hand twitch slightly after the doctor touched your throat and you winced slightly in pain.

After putting back on the sweater you had to remove for the examination, you stepped down from the examination table and approached the doctor's office as he now asked you questions about your usual physical condition and the few other personal details he needed to know in order to prescribe appropriate medication. You had to write back, holding Sun's little notebook hostage. When asked what species you belonged to you quickly wrote Skinwalker cat, the doctor froze slightly humming before tapping on his computer keyboard to search for drugs against your species he finally raised his eyes making a smile saying :

"We'll have to avoid Paracetamols and Aspirins. Have you ever taken Meloxicam ?"

You shook your head, you rarely took medication and more often opted for natural painkillers like turmeric, since it was an ingredient you could afford to buy, otherwise you would go to your neighbors who knew a little about plants and herbal tea hoping that one of them would have something to help you. The doctor nodded, telling you that if there was any problem, you should stop the Meloxicam treatment and come back to see a doctor, while writing a prescription for the medicines you would need and the dosage of the medicines you would have to take. You were also given a painkiller to apply to your neck and bandages to hide the wound if you wanted to.

As you reached for the prescription the doctor gave you, you heard your stomach growl loudly, loud enough for Sun and the doctor to hear. You froze, feeling your pupils dilate as Sun and the doctor looked at you with surprise and amusement. You felt the fire suddenly rise to your cheeks, you reached up with both hands grabbing your hood and pulling it over the top of your head and down in front of your face to try and hide from the other two people in the room who you heard laughing slightly, which made you curl up even more in embarrassment. Your light lunch had certainly not been enough after all that had happened to you today.

Finally the doctor got up to open the door and invite you to leave the room now that the consultation was over, now that you had been able to work your legs a little and your body was not as sore you moved on your own. Refusing Sun's help as you walked as quickly as you could past the doctor, continuing to hide under your hood with your hands slipping into your pockets as you made your way down the hallway to head back towards the front desk. The doctor let a small laugh leave his lips before saying to Sun who had taken the trouble to stop and thank him :

"There is a very good ice cream shop a few steps from the hospital, since your lover won't be able to eat solid food for a while it's a good place for a little date. Plus the ice cream will ease the pain a bit."

You had stopped turning abruptly in the direction of the doctor your embarrassment of a few seconds ago completely forgotten, if you had not had your throat crushed you would have surely scolded that Sun was not your lover. You simply let an expression of disgust distort your face, but the doctor didn't pay you any attention, arguing with Sun who let a little embarrassed laugh leave his lips, you saw his rays waving around his skull quickly before he answered :

"N-No, y/n is not my lover ! They're a friend."

"Oh ? Sorry. I must have misread the signs." Replied the doctor with a small smile even though he didn't look sorry.

You rolled your eyes as Sun turned to join you as you started to walk back out of the hospital grounds as you left Sun passed by the front desk to pass the cost of your consultation on to the police since you had been injured yet again from investigation. Once outside, away from the hospital and away from Sun, you sighed, breathing in the air deeply and closing your eyes for a few seconds. You walked into the small garden in front of the entrance of the health center, crouching down to admire the few flowers that were lost in the grass. You recognized some poppies, and daisies, there were also some other wild flowers whose names you didn't necessarily know. Your gaze was drawn to a small group of orange colored wildflowers whose petals immediately reminded you of the rays that surrounded Sun's face disc. You reached out with one of your hands and gently touched the petals with your fingers as you tilted your head slightly to the side to rest on your shoulder.

You couldn't help but feel your feelings conflicting, at the same time as it annoyed you that Sun, and more indirectly Moon, were worried about you and acting like you couldn't cope on your own, you were also touched by their concern. Even though you had grown up surrounded by people who supported and loved you, they had taught you to be independent, you had grown up in a dangerous and cruel world, you had to grow up quickly, adapt and not let your weaknesses be seen at the risk of paying the price. You had lived alone since you were almost 15, you had never had anyone else take care of you but yourself, no one had ever taken you to the hospital when you were sick or hurt, no one had ever held you like you were the most fragile thing in the world, not like Sun had and that made you feel hot inside.

And you hated that feeling, you hated the police, you hated Sun and Moon. You clenched your teeth, closing your whole hand around the little orange flower ready to crush it to a pulp but you couldn't do it. You let out a desperate sigh, releasing the flower as you continued to stare at it for a few seconds before you gently came to flick it, watching it slowly flicker before returning to its place as if nothing had happened. "Valiant and determined little weed." You thought. You reached out again with your hand delicately touching the petals of the little flower, Sun's voice suddenly sounded close to you, making you jump and triggering your partial transformation.

"Anagallis arvensis. Or more commonly known as Scarlet pimpernel. They can be blue as well, and in rare cases white."

As you startled yourself to turn to him abruptly, your ears laid back on your head as your tail whipped through the air, glaring at Sun who raised his hands in the air apologizing for startling you as you grinned before rolling your eyes, then lowering them again in the direction of the little flowers as you repeated their name so you would remember them the next time you saw them. You turned your attention back to Sun, who smiled at you and then motioned for you to follow him to the car, telling you that he was going to drive you to a pharmacy so you could get your medicine. You nodded and let him go ahead of you, which he did with a small smile, making sure to stay close enough to you just in case.

As he passed you, you looked up at Sun's back, your pupils suddenly dilating as you saw the state his shirt was in. Your hands that had been more like claws when you had grabbed Sun to keep you conscious had created long, wide scratches, tearing large pieces of his white shirt and revealing his metal back on which you also managed to get a glimpse of scratch marks. You suddenly stopped, causing Sun to freeze and turn to face you, you looked up at him with your pupils dilated with guilt. Sun noticed your broken expression which made the worry reappear on his face.

"y/n ?! Are you okay ? You don't feel well ?" 

Your ears fell to either side of your head as your tail slid lightly between your legs in guilt, a small squeak leaving your lips. You dug your hands into your pockets pulling out the notebook and pen to quickly write on paper before moving closer to Sun to give it to him, you looked down at your hands which you folded against you in the form of a fist as Sun read : "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"What...?"

You saw Sun turn his face 180 degrees, his facial disc basically in his back, making you wince even more as you took a small step back. You saw Sun lift his shirt slightly to observe and reveal more of the scratch marks you had made on the metal plate on his lower back. Sun quickly released his shirt before moving his face disc back in the right direction, looking at you with a small comforting smile on his lips as he breathed out :

"Don't be sorry about that. I didn't feel a thing, you only took the paint off it, it's not even a scratch to me, it takes more than that to hurt us. A little swipe of paint and there won't be any trace of it left. It's just a small price to pay for the mistake Moon and I made."

Sun's last sentence had been spoken with guilt and a touch of regret, your ears twitched slightly as you tilted your head to the side with a frown. Sun understood your question silently as he reached out his hand, one of his mechanical fingers barely grazing your neck before saying :

"You told us something was wrong. We should have been more careful. It's all our fault what happened to you."

You shuddered slightly as his finger quickly brushed against your bruised neck before his hand fell back to his side, his eyes looking at you with a certain sadness. You straightened your face, blinking as Sun's words soaked into your mind. You didn't understand why he felt guilty, it wasn't like he was the one who strangled you and pushed you off the sixth floor, was it again his superhero complex that spoke, his duty as a policeman that pushed him to take responsibility or was he truly worried about you ? You gently shook your face before retrieving the notebook from his hands quickly writing, "How could it be your fault ? It was magic. Very powerful and extremely well concealed magic that I myself was unable to spot until it was too late. Even if you were more careful, you couldn't have prevented it."

"We should have reacted faster to free you..."

You roll your eyes at Sun's determination to carry the weight of what had happened to you on his metal shoulders. "I'm still alive because of you, that means you reacted fast enough." you wrote in the notepad. As you read Sun frowned, before finally curling one in your direction and saying :

" 'Because of us' ?"

You let a satisfied smile appear on your lips, proud of yourself that you managed to divert his attention from your little guilt debate. You stuck your tongue out in his direction, retrieving the notebook once more before walking back to Moon's car. Sun opened the car, settling behind the wheel before starting it, while you still sat in the back to be comfortable. He drove for about ten minutes before parking in front of a pharmacy, he offered to go and get your medicine to avoid you making too much effort which you accepted, enjoying the coolness of the air conditioning and the comfort of the chair.

A few minutes later, as you began to doze off, you heard the door open again, you opened one eye to see Sun placing the large packet of medication on the passenger seat next to him before turning to you to check on you. You only looked at him with one eye, feeling analyzed from head to toe now that you knew he and his nighttime partner were able to make physical diagnoses just by looking at you. When Sun started up again you breathed a small sigh of relief, shutting down again and hoping to enjoy the ride home. But after only about ten minutes of driving the car driven by Sun stopped again, you straightened up slightly, looking outside to confirm that you were definitely not in front of your house but in front of an ice cream shop. You looked in Sun's direction, your lips forming a thin line as you despaired a little more.

"Come on. We wouldn't want your belly to start screaming again..."

You pouted at his comment, listening to him chuckle with amusement as you got out of the car after Sun came to open the door for you. You crossed the street before reaching the ice cream shop, it was a very small store, there was barely room for four or five people inside and the tables outside were also few. There were already a few customers sitting around enjoying their ice cream, whether inside or outside. Once inside, you were greeted by a multitude of ice cream flavors more exotic and appetizing to the eyes than the others, you could feel the water rise to your mouth as you felt your stomach threaten to make itself heard again.

"I'm buying your ice cream, so what flavor would you like ?" Sun asked as he leaned towards you.

You shook your head before pulling out the notebook to write, "I can pay for my ice cream alone." You saw Sun let out a sigh before looking in your direction with a touch of what you thought was disappointment. You saw him hand you the notebook before asking :

"Why are you so determined to respond to me and refuse my proposal every time ?"

You blew loudly through your nostrils, looking down to write, "Because it's fun." You then looked up at him with a smirk on your lips. Even without being able to speak you didn't intend to let them rest, you intended to annoy them that they will eventually get tired of you. You saw Sun staring at you, an unamused expression on his lips, you heard him sigh, ready to give you back the notebook but a glint of mischief suddenly appeared in his obsidian colored orbs before a small smile shimmering yours split his lips. He suddenly pulled the notebook away from you, slipping it into one of his pockets before saying :

"If you don't tell me what flavor of ice cream you want, I'll choose for you."

You shook your face slightly before showing him your wounded throat and reminding him that you were almost unable to speak without the notebook. Sun looked down at you, placing one of his hands on his hips before grinning.

"Just show me the perfume you want ! I wouldn't risk giving you the notebook back if it's just to have you contradict my orders again."

"Fuc-ck... y-you." You articulated before you started coughing slightly.

"y/n !" Sun exclaimed with an offended expression.

While trying to calm your coughing fit that made you feel like your throat was filled with lava you let a teasing smile appear on your lips, your eyes sparkling with amusement and mischief. Seeing Sun's outraged expression you could only say to yourself that the pain was worth it. Once you calmed down you looked up at Sun who was sporting a new little guilty pout with his eyes fixed on your bruised neck, you snapped your fingers drawing Sun's attention back to the moment rather than to the wound on your neck. Sun shook his face before asking if you'd finally decided on your ice cream. After sighing, giving up on today's battle, you indicated your ice cream flavor with your index finger. The solar animatronic nodded before ordering your ice cream, you took the opportunity to remove your gloves not wanting to dirty them with the ice cream and not wanting to hold your ice cream with your gloves that were surely not clean.

Once your ice cream in hands you went out to settle down outside, whereas you took place on one of the small metal chairs, settling you in cross-legged on the chair you looked with amusement at Sun coming to sit in an awkward way on the chair which was largely too small for him, what made that his knees were almost higher than the table itself. You let a small sound that should have been a giggle leave your lips, as Sun grinned, making a small pout before starting to eat his ice cream. You focused on the ice cream as well, lifting the small spoon you were given after generously filling it with ice cream before bringing it to your lips.

Barely touching your tongue you let a small hum of happiness leave your lips, closing your eyes for a second to analyze each touch of flavor as the cold calmed the fire in your throat. You looked down at the ice again, watching it with your pupils dilated as if it were the most precious thing in the worlds, even if you weren't a dog and didn't have any trace of dog Skinwalker registered in your Shapeshifter DNA, you'd surely have your tail wagging with happiness. You were so engrossed in your ice cream that it wasn't until you heard the sound of a ventilation system being activated that you remembered you were with Sun.

The solar animatronic had turned his face away, one of his huge hands placed in front of his lips while with the other he was still holding his little ice cream pot, his rays waving furiously around his face. His little spiral cheekbones were lightly colored pink, which made you frown. You didn't know that their faces could change color. You didn't know what caused Sun to change color either. You raised one of your hands, drawing a question mark in the air toward Sun as he finally looked up at you. The daytime animatronic shook his face as if to snap out of his thoughts, coughing slightly before speaking.

"It's nothing."

You rapped your fingernails on the table before tapping your index finger a few times to once again get Sun's attention and signal with your hands that you wanted the small notebook back. Sun let a suspicious expression appear on his lips but before he had time to refuse you gave him your eyes of beaten kitten. The metal policeman finally sighed and reached into his pocket to pull out the notebook and give it to you, you let your Cheshire smile appear on your lips as you won this little round. You could have insisted on a little more explanation for his sudden and strange behavior but as you had just recovered your means of communication from the simply written : "I would have never thought you would have taken Bubble Gum as ice cream flavor."

"Hmm ? I like sweet things." Sun replied. "What did you expect me to get ?"

You rolled the pencil between your fingers before quickly scribbling your answer : "Dunno, something like coffee, dark chocolate, mint..."

"I like those flavors too, but I still prefer the sweeter, fruitier flavors. And so the flavor you chose is it your favorite or..."

Sun didn't finish his sentence because suddenly his phone started to ring, you saw him quickly take out his phone and look at the contact before answering by announcing Moon's name. You looked down at your ice cream again, trying not to pay too much attention to their conversations, but you did catch a few snippets of their exchanges, such as the fact that the apartment had been condemned for investigations, and that the remains of the lamp had been taken to a magical laboratory for special analysis to determine exactly what had triggered the magical attack. Upon hearing this last point you frowned, strongly doubting that the lab would discover anything, given the powerful magic that had been inoculated and the way it had been concealed you suspected that not even a tiny trace of magic would remain from which it would be impossible to extract anything.

"Yes, they are fine. Yes, we have seen the doctor and have also picked up the medicine. We are eating ice cream, the doctor said it would do them good." 

You immediately looked up, tilting your face slightly in Sun's direction to question him silently as he looked at you with a smile and raised an eyebrow, accusing you of eavesdropping. Moon remained silent for a few seconds before finally humming a positive response before saying that you were going to take at least a day off. You frowned, his words weren't a question it was a statement and you saw Sun nod his head resolutely as well before answering Moon by looking you in the eye again to make you understand the message.

You rolled your eyes but nodded, you didn't really need a full day but sleep would surely do you good. Sun continued to chat with Moon for a few more seconds, which gave you time to take out the notebook to write. As Sun and Moon were about to finish their conversation, you tapped your fingers on the table, catching Sun's eye and looking down at the notebook, which you slid in your direction and said : "I think I know what kind of magic the lamp was spelled with and why. But I need to do some more research to make sure that what I think is true and plausible. I'll be coming to the police station the day after tomorrow to put it all together."

Chapter Text

Sun looked up at you after reading your note and you nodded your head determinedly. Sun turned his attention back to his conversation with Moon, telling his brother and nighttime partner what you had just written. After agreeing with your words Moon hung up, Sun slipped his phone back into his pocket before looking into your eyes, his obsidian orbs glowing with determination and a sort of pride.

"So you have some important information about the 'bewitched' lamp as you call it ? Do you think it might be important to the investigation ?"

You grabbed the pen underlining the phrase "need to do some more research" that you had written earlier to let Sun know that you weren't totally sure yet. Your mind had been working since the moment you realized that you were not dead and that you were not going to die today, and now solving this investigation had become something personal, you didn't really like it when someone tried to kill you and even less so in such a cowardly and disloyal way. You did, however, answer Sun's second question by writing, "I wouldn't bother talking about it if I didn't think these information was important..." You also took the trouble to add a little smiley face sticking out this tongue, an expression you mirrored when Sun observed you again.

After having finished your ice cream Sun dropped you in front of your house, by recovering the bag of medicines which he had recovered for you, you gave back to him his notebook on which you had beforehand written "thanks", that it is for the medicines, the ice cream or the drive. But you didn't wait for Sun's answer, turning on your heels to go home. Once in your apartment you sat down in your chair before dropping off, barely taking the time to remove your gloves, shoes and sweater before rolling into a ball and closing your eyes and falling deeply asleep.

You woke up many hours later after that, in the middle of the night, and decided to make yourself some food, opting for soup. You went to your bathroom, taking a shower while your soup cooled down, once clean you looked at your reflection in the mirror, observing the fine marks of threads that were inked in your skin and that were the most visible because their color was the darkest, a red tending towards blue that stood out on the rest of your throat that was reddened. You went to pick up the bag of medicine, looking at the different boxes and sprays inside before grabbing the prescription to find out what you should take, when and why.

After several minutes of deciphering the doctor's handwriting, you grabbed a painkiller and swallowed it with some water before leaving your bathroom, but you didn't immediately go to the living room where your meal was waiting for you. You went into your room before getting closer to your closet, after opening it you moved all the mess and other clothes inside to grab an old cardboard box and pull it out of your closet before stuffing your clothes back inside. You opened the cardboard box, inside lay a dozen large books with aged, dirty and damaged covers that you never thought you would use again. You took out the books one by one, reading the covers quickly before sorting out what you could use and what was useless.

You finally left your room with three books under your arms, and the rest of them back in the box that you had simply pushed into the corner of your room. You put the books on the table, retrieving your bowl of soup before going to sit in front of the television to watch what was on, you tried to watch the news but seeing that there was almost no good news you preferred to change the channel to watch a movie that was on. After watching the whole movie you turned to the table and the three books that were on it, you stood up and picked them up before settling back into your chair. The three books had something to do with the Fantastic People, the first one talked about magic and the different types of magic that existed, the second one was a list of all the magical creatures that existed or had existed, and the last one was a kind of mixture of the two.

You opened the first book, feeling a touch of nostalgia as the pages became a little too familiar. When you were younger and had just discovered your Shapeshifter abilities, Mr. Botzaris had given you his books to help you learn about all the supernatural creatures that existed and the intricacies that defined them so that you wouldn't be lost or caught off guard if one day you had to metamorphose into one of his Fantastics after touching one by accident. You had spent most of your childhood studying those books rather than what the other kids were learning at school, Mr. Botzaris had been the one who had taught you this particular subjects but also the others. Before you ended up simply giving up studying when you saw that you would not get anywhere.

Your finger slid across the page before stopping as you pulled out your memories, quickly chasing them away before the bad memories took their place, and you had more bad ones than good. You began to flip through a few pages, you knew for a fact that these books were no longer young and that Mr. Botzaris had more recent versions, however you didn't want to go to him in your current state. The harpy man would probably ask you some questions before giving you a new set of admonitions, but more importantly he would be worried about you and your safety and you didn't need anyone to worry about you. You also knew that the new books would not contain the information you were looking for since they would have been censored to prevent ill-intentioned people or stupid young people from trying out some of the spells that were present in those old books.

You sighed and looked down at the book in front of you before diving in. You began your research in the book which spoke of the different types of magic that existed. Magic was something that was difficult and complex to use, all magical creatures had it, it varied in form and consistency depending on the species. Skinwalkers used it to transform, werewolves transformed because of the magic that infected them and was reactivated on the full moon, magic kept the wings of fairies from wrinkling and so on, somehow magic influenced the existence of the Fantastic and it was precisely because this magic was in them that made them 'supernatural'. But even though magic was present in every fantastic creature, few were actually able to practice it, to use it.

It was necessary to have a high level of magic stamia to be able to condense it out of its body and thus to manipulate it, the Fairies, the Elves and the Dwarfs were in particular the principal users of raw and pure magic, there were then the more secondary magics like the Ondines which had an elemental magic, the Kitsune which were able to practise the illusory magic, the satyrs and the sirens with the hypnotic magic ect... Some other species, like the Skinwalkers could not practice their magic because it was consumed in their transformation, the centaurs and minotaurs were almost entirely made of magic, but this did not make their magic reserves important.

Having made a first sorting of possibilities, you immediately eliminated the possibilities of elemental magic, as well as the weak and harmless magics, such as the Dwarves' which although powerful only worked on stone and crystals, and you didn't remember seeing any rune stone embedded in the lamp. You quickly turned the pages going to the section that was dedicated to magic and spells that were applicable to objects. You tightened your search circle once again, focusing only on spells and curses that were harmful and destructive.

As your gaze scanned the first few lines, you could feel chills run down your spine as you reread the warnings about the various effects of corrupting magic, which was as dramatic for the sufferer as for the user if the spell or ritual was performed incorrectly. You still remembered some of the passages in this section of the book, you remembered how frightening they had been to you the first few times you had read them. Your mind then stopped at the bottom of the page where there was a small note written in pencil, the writing was unsteady and almost erased, but you managed to remember what you had written: 'It's a good thing you're afraid of this part of the book, because it means you still have the heart to recognize what is horrible.'

That was what Botzaris said to you when you admitted to him that you couldn't read that section of the book of magic for more than a few minutes because of the atrocities that were in it. His words made such an impression on you that you wrote them down to make sure you wouldn't forget them and to give you the courage to continue reading the book of magic little by little. And even though you eventually forgot about it, you couldn't help but smile to yourself as you told yourself that despite everything, you still had enough heart to know what was wrong.

                                     ~❂✯☾~

A whole day and a few hours later you had recovered a little more of your form after having slept for a long time and mostly done nothing all day except to continue researching the magic, which had been used, as well as some external research, and from time to time give yourself a break to rest your mind. You had left your house to go to the bus stop, your sweater pulled up high to hide the marks of the accident, because although you were getting better and the pain was slowly becoming dull and distant, the marks were still very visible. After paying for your trip, you sat down by the window, putting down your bag which contained the books you had been studying and which you were going to give to Moon and Sun so that they could learn more about the Fantastic.

Their database was probably chock full of information about the supernaturals, but they certainly didn't have the information the creatures didn't want them to know, and those books you had contained everything they needed and deserved to know. You just hoped that they wouldn't blame you for having illegal books, because, yes, you had discovered after researching that not only were the original versions, the ones you had, censored, but they were banned for a variety of safety and ethical reasons.

You lifted your thumb to your lips, nibbling on your nail, watching the outside world go by as a little touch of stress came over you in the form of a lump in the pit of your stomach, not just because of the illegal books. You had an idea how to find Jenna Royn, but it was something you had to do alone. You wished you didn't have to tell the two animatronics, but if you were going to give them the information you got about Jenna you needed to back up your words with evidence or at least witnesses, and your word as a thief wasn't going to cut it. Besides you felt indebted to both of them.

After indirectly biting your lip, making you squeal with pain you lowered your hand, looking out as the bus stop closest to the police station making its appearance. You asked for the stop before leaving the vehicle, your bag on your shoulders you quickly joined the police station, this time you did not greet the policeman who was at the reception, his cold and reproachful look having dissuaded you. At another time and with another physical condition you would surely have taken the time to voluntarily go and titillate the policeman just to have the satisfaction of having pissed him off, but with your sore throat you didn't want to waste your time and energy on idiots.

Entering the shared police office you quickly scanned the premises before your gaze fell on Monty, Roxy and Freddy. You immediately approached the three metal animals, almost immediately their glowing optics turned towards you and Freddy's two hands quickly grabbed you for a hug. You froze for a few seconds before letting a small uncomfortable smile appear on your lips, you gently pushed the metal bear away, looking up to see the three animatronics hovering over you, watching you intently, which made you wince again. You cleared your throat slowly before blowing out your hoarse, weak voice :

"I hope you're not scanning me like the other two weirdos did..."

"Huh ? Two weirdos ? Moon and Sun ? Nah, they have that feature, not us. They're a little younger." Roxy stated with a frown.

"They're the same age as y/n in real." Interjected Monty.

"Nah I think they're slightly older than them. Older than them but younger than us." Continued the metal she-wolf.

"Because it matters ?" You say. "Whether you're 5 or 180 years doesn't make any difference to you, does it ?"

"Not exactly. With technology we have developed a system of growth, more or less similar to breathing creatures. But that's not the point." Interrupted Freddy. "We heard about what happened to you, are you okay ?"

"Still alive, so we'll say yes. I've seen worse in the Quarter so you don't need to worry about me."

You saw Monty reach out his big green metal hand, placing it more gently than usual on your head to ruffle your hair. Freddy asked you to show him your wounds so that he could see the extent of the damage, which you did without much reluctance. You hadn't bothered to put on a bandage, you weren't bleeding and you could easily hide the strangulation marks with your sweater so you didn't want to waste the bandages, you didn't know when you or any of your neighbors might really need them. You saw the animatronics wrinkle their noses slightly before Freddy said that everything seemed to be on the mend. You continued to chat with Freddy and Roxy for a few minutes, Monty having to leave the station for his patrol, before you finally decided to join Sun and Moon in their office.

You knocked a few times on the door, waiting to hear Moon's voice inviting you to enter before actually stepping inside the room. Once in the room you noticed a large quantity of documents spread all over the table, you approached and put your bag on the table, trying to have a look at the documents before finally looking up at Detective Moon and Detective Sun. Their red and black lenses were on you, looking you up and down with expressions you couldn't quite read. You let a sly smile appear on your face before saying :

"Don't be so disappointed to see me... I know you were hoping I'd give up the ghost in my sleep but still..."

"y/n." Moon grumbled with a frowning sigh.

You ignored the looks of curiosity and reproach from the two metal cops, reaching into your bag to pull out the books you had brought back. From the pages protruded small bookmarks of different colors. You opened the different books on the pages you had noted as the most important, before raising your eyes towards Sun and Moon, letting a smile, this time determined, take shape on your lips. Just as you were about to begin your explanation, Moon cut you off, his reddened eyes showing a touch of concern, as Sun's beams twitched slightly.

"How are you feeling ?"

"I'm fine." You replied sincerely. "I won't die today. I have 5 lives left... Or maybe 4."

"What ?" Sun sighed incredulously.

"I have a doubt, I stopped counting." You say with a shrug.

"Sometimes I wonder what could be going on in your head." Says Moon.

"Lots of things you'd rather not know, Detectives. Now can we get down to the serious stuff ? I've spent several hours studying all his damn books just for you, so don't waste the time I wasted."

You saw the two animatronics exchange a look as they got up from their respective seats and came to stand on either side of you. You looked at them out of the corner of your eye, your hands that had been selecting the right pages stopping momentarily. You had not necessarily asked that they come to join you but that also worked, you end up opening the last book before pointing out a particular spell which was on the double page which you had opened, you looked once again at Moon then Sun, this time voluntarily before beginning your explanations.

"The spell that was placed on the lamp was a 'trigger spell'. It is a kind of spell that only activates when the parameters desired by the spellcaster are all met. This kind of spell is usually innocent and used for pranks and other jokes but this one was drifted. The magic that was used to create this spell has been corrupted, amplified and hidden so that its exact location cannot be detected."

"A trigger spell ? And what could have triggered this spell." Moon asked, following your hands as they pointed to information in the book from time to time.

"I think you had to be standing on the balcony to trigger the spell..."

"How come Moon and I didn't trigger the spell by going to the balcony then ? We inspected it before you did." Sun stated with a frown.

"Probably because of the second parameter needed to trigger it. I wondered what I had that you didn't that could trigger a spell, that's when I figured it out. Heartbeat. You don't have a heartbeat. When you walked out onto the balcony it was like you weren't there, you weren't 'alive'. The spell could also be triggered by the presence of magic, but I think it was more of a killing spell with no particular distinction, so it was safest to have the spell triggered in the presence of a heartbeat since that's the one thing humans and Fantastics have in common."

You stopped and looked up at Sun and Moon who had frozen, both of them showing almost indecipherable expressions with their eyebrows furrowed over their lenses. Sun had his sunbeams retracted slightly into his facial disc while Moon had lifted one of his hands, one of his fingers resting on one of the books on the table. You grabbed and pulled towards you the book that had recorded all the species of magical creatures opening the book on the section of supernaturals capable of practicing magic.

"Many species of Supernatural are capable of practicing so-called 'pure' magic, magic that is not bound to an element, or having no particular use. Fairies, older female Harpies, Nekomatas, Elves... are Fantastics who can use magic."

"Do you think it was Jenna Royn who put this spell on ?" Sun questioned, looking towards you.

"No. I think the spell was mainly aimed at Jenna Royn." You answer. "I said the spell would kill indiscriminately, but I didn't say it wasn't done in a way to target anyone in particular."

"That would mean that someone else entered Jenna's apartment before we did to perform the spell ? You said you didn't sense the presence of anyone but Jenna in her apartment." Sun continued.

"That's what I said, but that doesn't mean that no one else entered the apartment. With the bad omen of magic I wasn't focused enough on the smells, I was more focused on what might happen. Also smells are concealable, and considering the power of the spell that was put on the lamp I don't doubt that the spell caster has hidden his smell."

"What makes you say that the spell was done to eliminate Jenna Royn ?" Moon questioned.

"It's a small detail, but it's the fact that the spell only goes off when you're on the balcony that made me doubt it. If it had been Jenna Royn who had set the spell, assuming she knew the police would come and search her apartment, she probably would have put the spell somewhere she was sure the police would look, like her bedroom or the kitchen. Also, why one trap and not two or more ? Here, the spell was placed on the balcony on purpose, as if the spell caster was indirectly targeting someone in particular. Aimed at an Elf."

You turned the pages of the book devoted to magical creatures stopping on the pages of the elves and other species sub-genre. You tapped the book with one of your gloved fingers before looking up at the two animatronics, an almost amused smile on your lips as you continued :

"Elves are very intelligent supernaturals, capable of using magic and very similar to humans. It is because of this similarity that Elves are among the species with the least instinct. Where I immediately felt my hair stand on end because of the danger, Jenna would probably have felt almost nothing, maybe some discomfort, but not a danger of death. And since the magic would be hidden she would not have known what was waiting for her... And being an Elf she would have thought that her feeling of discomfort..."

"Was due to her claustrophobia." Sun continued.

"And then she would have headed for the balcony instead of the exit door." Moon finished.

"That's right Sherlocks ! Damn... I could almost believe you've been studying the Fantastics your whole life !" You said with an amused smile on your lips.

You saw Moon and Sun give you a little look that was half amused and half annoyed, you let a new giggle leave your lips. Sun then grabbed the book that was dedicated to magical species and lifted it to his eye level before he started to turn a few pages, you saw him turn around before leaning his lower back against the table before asking :

"Do you think we could narrow down the circle of magical species that would be able to cast this kind of spell ?"

You shook your head slightly before turning the pages of the magic and spell book to get to the section that was dedicated to artifacts and other magical support items, you turned the random pages before stopping on a double page that featured different items like crystals. You finally answered :

"The problem is that species that would normally be unable to do magic are able to do so thanks to objects that have been previously filled with raw magic. This would allow even me, who is normally incapable of doing external magic, to be able to do it. Of course this does not guarantee the success of a spell I would cast, usually it takes several years of practice and training to master pure magic. Plus you have to own a said magic item and they are very rare and extremely expensive and given the power of the spell it must be a competent item."

"Hmm... So it could be any magical creature." Moon sighed.

"Yes, but now we know for sure that the murderer is a magical creature. No human, no animatronic is capable of doing this kind of thing."

"And we also know that since the murderer set the trap to kill Jenna Royn, it's because this elf has information that the murderer doesn't want the police, or anyone else, to know." Says Sun as he puts the book down and turns back to the table.

"We're going to have to put out an APB for Jenna Royn, not only because she has important information but also because her life is in danger."

You froze at Moon's words, turning your back to the table, coming to sit on it as you let your legs fall into the void shaking them slightly as you tilted your face to the side, trying to find the right words. As the two animatronics began to read and analyze the various books your sudden silence drew the attention of both animatronics to you. You let out a small sigh, your legs stopping moving as you said in a rather hesitant voice :

"I know someone who could probably help us find Jenna Royn."

"Huh ? And I'm guessing this acquaintance of yours is not a very respectable person." Said Moon with a frown.

"In the eyes of the law, no. But to those who live in the Miracle District and even to the Fantastics outside of it he and his group represent a certain form of justice... violent and illegal but justice nonetheless when the police can do nothing else."

"Are you talking about a gang ?" Sun questioned, crossing her arms.

"Um... No, it's more like a guild ?" You replied with a small grimace.

"How could this 'guild' help us ?" Sun continued septically.

"They have eyes everywhere." You answer simply.

"Who is it ?" Moon asked. "And why would he agree to help the police when you yourself said that this mysterious person and his group were not law-abiding ?"

"Because I know him personally and he owes me a favor. I just have to go to him and ask him if he has any information on Jenna Royn and where she might be. Being a Fantastic, let alone an elf, I doubt the police alone could find her. Nothing more nothing less."

You saw Moon and Sun exchange a look between them, silently discussing what answer to give you as you looked down at your hands coming to play absentmindedly with gloves before looking up at the two animatronics waiting for their answer. You finally heard Moon click his tongue as Sun's rays made a complete circle around his facial disc, Moon leaned towards you, his red optics staring into your eyes as he pointed his index finger in your direction to announce :

"Okay. But only if we go with you."

"Hell no. I have to go see him, alone." You declared as you crossed your arms. "If you don't have confidence, in me, in the one I'm going to meet in what I'm going to say... Or in I don't know what else, you can put me one of those stupid microphones or your hidden cameras."

"We trust you, but there's no way we're going to let you go see someone you yourself described as violent if we're not there we can't keep you safe." Said Sun.

"I can guarantee you that I am not in danger. I know he won't do anything to me. However I cannot guarantee anything for you. You are animatronics and police to boot. Judging by the way your last visit to the District went, you should know that the Fantastics do not have you in their hearts. They may refuse to talk if you're there, they may even decide to eliminate you."

"There is no discussion y/n. We're coming with you or we're doing fine without the help of your 'friend'." Moon interjects.

"And don't even think about going to him without our approval." Growled Sun.

You let a growl of annoyance leave your lips before suddenly transforming, taking on your feline form before quickly crossing the table, you jumped off the table to land on the desk before jumping onto the window sill that had been opened. You sat there, your tail wagging back and forth to reveal your annoyance as your ears were pressed up against your skull to try and cut out as much sound as possible. You could feel Moon's and Sun's eyes on you, which annoyed you even more and caused your tail to whip around.

You didn't understand why they were so concerned about your safety, you told them you were safe, you knew this man you were meeting, he owed you a life debt ! You knew that Sun and Moon still felt responsible for the accident you had with the bewitched lamp, but they didn't need to protect you as if you were unable to do it alone. You had lived and survived alone all this time, you certainly didn't need them today, tomorrow, or ever.

The more you thought about it, the more your annoyance was felt, unconsciously you had bent your feline face, reflexively licking your fur on one of your front paws to try to get rid of your frustration. When you realized this it only made your annoyance even greater, a sound between a yelp and a meow leaving your feline mouth as you dug your claws into the wood to try and calm yourself down. You hated those two animatronics. Oh, how you hated them. They made you feel so angry, made you feel like you were weak, like you needed their protection, you hated them because they made you feel things that you couldn't understand. You come and put your skull against the window, banging your head several times without really too much force but just enough to put your mind back in place.

You finally let out a sigh, your ears returning to their normal position on your skull as you lay back on your stomach to regain your composure, you closed your eyes for a few seconds before rolling towards the ground, transforming back to land on your human legs, your hands digging into your pockets as you looked at the two animatronics with determination and still a touch of annoyance, your cat ears tilted back slightly as your tail wagged back and forth. You climbed onto the desk before jumping onto the table, moving forward on the furniture, still being careful not to step on the documents there, until you were in front of Sun and Moon.

Standing on the table you were now more or less at their level, your eyes easily crossing the red and black optics of the animatronics. The two detectives were looking at you with expressions between amusement and curiosity, Moon had raised an eyebrow as Sun's sunbeams cyclically moved from right to left. You straightened up looking down at them before crossing your arms over your chest, glaring at them before saying seriously :

"Very well. Come with me. But you're going to have to listen to me and do what I ask you to do. There are rules and customs to respect to enter this place and if I could have easily entered alone with you two it will be complicated. Very complicated."

"Okay." Moon sighed with a small nod, the tassel of his nightcap waving slightly.

"We accept your terms." Replied Sun with the same seriousness.

"Now get off the table."

Before you had time to answer anything Moon who had spoken had reached out his hands grabbing you easily by the waist before placing you on the floor right next to him and Sun. You blinked slightly surprised by what had just happened, both by Moon's gesture, and by the fact that they had so easily accepted your conditions. You froze for a few seconds, before looking up at Moon and Sun who were still watching you, small, almost amused expressions on their lips at your sudden silence. You frowned with your gray furred tail whipping through the air before you sighed again, looking down at the ground, deep in thought for a second as you considered the steps you would take to make up for bringing two police animatronics with you. You faced Sun and Moon again, your voice serious but this time with a touch of pleading.

"You're also going to have to promise me that you won't talk about this person we're going to meet, or talk about where he is. I know that in your eyes he is a criminal, but to the Fantastic community he is a very important person. He helps many of us in every way possible, and although it may seem unlikely, when you owe him something, you owe him almost nothing. Some information here and there and a little too much respect to him and his group, but he never asks for huge sacrifices as one might expect."

You saw Sun and Moon exchange a look between the two of them, a small silence settling in between the three of you as you waited for their answers once again. But this time you would make comprises, you needed them to promise you to respect this condition in particular, if the Fantastic you were going to see was arrested by the police a great number of Fantastics would go to war to free this man who was almost like their father, even if it meant losing their lives or taking some, moreover if he disappeared it would leave the possibility for other less peaceful and even less respectable groups to take over. The two animatronics finally broke the silence by saying simultaneously :

"We promise."

"Give me your hands."

You held out both hands palm up urging them to each hold out one of their hands, you saw Moon and Sun frown slightly unsettled by your request before finally complying. They held out their huge metal hands as if to shake hands with you, you rolled your eyes, grabbing Moon's hand to rotate his hand palm up, you then did the same with Sun's hand. You then brought their hands together, making it so that there was almost no space between their hands, sliding yours underneath theirs as if to support both hands without actually touching them, you then lifted your tail, bringing the end in front of you to place it in their hands. You saw their hands twitch slightly as you let your tail rest in their hands, you looked up at them both, not moving your hand or your tail.

"Promise it again." You ordered.

You saw a certain gleam of incomprehension flash in the eyes of the two metal policemen, their gaze fixed on your tail that was in their hands and that you couldn't help waving. You felt their fingers close slightly around your feline tail, their fingers indirectly caressing your fur which made you shiver, their metal hands seemed strangely warm against your fur. Sun and Moon then raised their optics in your direction, Sun's beams solemnly still, while Moon's LEDs seemed to glow a little brighter than usual.

"We promise." Sun and Moon sighed their voices carrying no hint of hesitation.

You pulled your hand out from under theirs, watching them hold your tail for a second before you came to retrieve your tail from their hand, catching it before letting go as you made it disappear along with your ears. You looked up at the two animatronic detectives, giving them a genuine little smile now that they had made you a Fantastic-like promise. You let a mocking chuckle leave your lips, however, as you came to sit back down on the table grabbing one of the books to place it on your lap as you looked down at its contents.

"You don't have to actually grab my tail you know ? Just holding it is enough."

"Aren't you going to give us some explanation for what just happened ?" Moon asked with a touch of curiosity in his voice.

"No. When do you want to meet Double B ?" You replied, looking up at Moon and Sun.

"Double B ? Is that your friend's name ?" Sun questioned.

"He's not a friend. He's an acquaintance. And yes that is his name."

"When can we meet him ?" Said Moon, looking in your direction, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Today if you want." You replied with a smile.

Sun and Moon froze for a few seconds before simultaneously starting to put away the various documents and other files they had spread out on the table. You closed the book that you had put on your lap, grabbing those you had put on the table to stack the three books, pushing them in the direction of Sun who observed them a few seconds before catching them with a small sigh to then put them in a drawer that he closed with a key by asking without even raising his eyes to you :

"How did you get those illegal books ?"

"Black Market. I've had them for a long time." You lied.

You didn't know yourself how the harpy had obtained these books and it didn't matter to you, even if it made you look even worse, you didn't want to involve Mr. Botzaris in this story, you didn't want him to get into trouble with the law. While Sun and Moon finished putting away the files you approached the board that displayed all the clues, retrieving the sheet that displayed the general information about Jenna Royn as well as a photo of her, to slip it into your pocket. Once the room was more or less organized you left the office following Sun and Moon to their car. Once inside the car you asked them to go to the northern part of the Miracle District since that was where one of the many Double B bases was located. The Fantastic tended to move all over the city and especially in the District, never staying in one place for more than two or three weeks, constantly moving to avoid the police and possible enemy attacks.

However, Double B still had sedentary informants spread all over the city, and on your day off you had to leave the comfort of your home to go and meet one of his informants to ask him about the current location of his boss. You ended up finding the informant at his usual place, near an old building now inhabited only by rats and pigeons and used as a playground for some reckless kids. When he saw you, the henchman didn't hesitate to tell you the temporary residence of Double B before wishing you good luck, an almost amused smile on his lips.

After several long minutes to indicate to Moon the roads and other streets to cross and where to borrow you end up asking him to park in a street which seemed of the most banal. You took off your belt without leaving the car, signalling to Sun and Moon to wait a few seconds. You lowered the rear window and quickly looked outside, breathing in the air deeply, trying to catch any particular scent before closing the window and moving to the middle of the back seat, allowing the two animatronics to see you, you met their eyes alternately before finally huffing :

"Remove your police badges, I doubt Double B doesn't know you're police but if not it's better. I wouldn't ask you to remove your pistols but at least conceal them."

You saw the two animatronics immediately execute, removing their badges to slip them into their pockets. Moon already having his coat to hide his gun simply moved it a little further back putting it almost behind his back, Sun had to hide it in his pants, under his shirt after having removed his suspenders that he had given you asking you to place them on the back seat next to you which you did, watching him remove his shirt from his pants to let it fall over his gun. Once that was done you nodded your head in agreement.

"When we get inside the 'Nest' you say nothing. You don't look anyone in the eye, certainly not Double B. I was going to say you don't even sniffle but you're not breathing so it won't be a problem. And I'm not kidding when I say that, just do what I ask, okay ?"

"We've already told you that we accept your terms y/n." Sun stated, his beams twitching slightly.

"I know... It's just that I'm just making sure..." You let out a sigh, not finishing your sentence. "We're going to have to walk a bit. I didn't want to come straight to the 'Nest' and risk upsetting Double B."

You left the car, stepping onto the sidewalk and waiting for Sun and Moon to join you outside. Once the two animatronics were at your height you began to walk down the street, slipping your hands into your pockets. The street was quite popular, not too many pedestrians but enough for you to be almost unnoticed, well that was without forgetting the almost inordinate size of Moon and Sun behind you. After crossing a street you shook your face letting your ears metamorphose to take on their feline appearances as your tail made its appearance wagging slightly. Now the eyes of the few passersby who hadn't been curious enough or hadn't paid enough attention to Sun and Moon were directed at your strange little group.

Your gaze wandered distractedly through the street, looking from right to left, stopping on the passers-by, on the stores or on the few birds posed on the wires of the electric cables or on the roofs of the buildings. After only a few steps made in a new street you felt Sun, who was standing slightly behind you, leaning in, his facial disk just beside your ear as he came to whisper :

"We are being followed. Two men, one dressed in a white T-shirt and black shorts and the other in jeans and a green polo shirt. We have no facial recognition for them, they are not in our database."

Feeling Sun speak in your ear you couldn't help but shiver slightly, the fur on your tail beginning to bristle before you snapped it silently. You stopped, coming to stand between Moon and Sun before grabbing both of their arms and starting to walk again, keeping both animatronics close to you despite their surprise at your sudden move. You let your eyes scan the landscape once more before looking at Moon on your left and Sun on your right.

"I know. We were spotted a little after we got out of the car and we've been followed ever since. And not only by those two guys behind us who are a werewolf and a male Ondine. See the birds everywhere ? Some of them are hard to see because they only look like pigeons among many others or are similar to wild birds that we are more or less used to see in the city but they are Skinwalkers." You declared.

"It's nice of you to warn us about that only now." Moon sighed with a touch of reproach.

"You're welcome." You replied with a smile in his direction before resuming more seriously. "Walk next to or very close to me. I wouldn't want the Nest to think you're trying to attack me. I'm sure Canarie must have told Double B that I was looking for him, but I think he'll be surprised to see me with company..."

"And I suppose it's not a good thing to surprise Double B ?" Sun said with a voice that sounded almost amused.

"Absolutely Sherlock. Especially since it's you I'm bringing back with me... I'm praying that everything goes well."

"Didn't you say he wouldn't do anything to you ?" Moon asked.

"Oh no I'm not worried about me. It's you I'm hoping everything goes well for." You said with an almost amused smile on your lips as you looked at the two animatronics in turn.

You saw Moon and Sun looking at you in an almost annoyed way, as you were about to nod you noticed that you were still holding their arms, you released them, letting your gaze fall back on your feet as your hands came once again to recover their places in the pockets of your sweater. Even though you were joking with them you couldn't help but be concerned for Sun and Moon's safety. You knew Double B well enough to know that he was not cruel without reason, but you were going to present yourself to him with two police animatronics, and that was enough for him to have the two Science Fiction people blown to bits. You closed your hands into fists in your pockets, taking a deep breath and closing your eyes for a second to calm yourself and focus on the procedure at hand.

You crossed the entire street before turning right, walking only a few meters before turning right again, grabbing the sleeves of the two detectives to enter an already much less frequented alley. Sun and Moon had had to move to walk behind you, no longer able to be at your side, strangely this made you feel a little more anxious, pushing you to be even more on the alert to not risk being attacked from above. The chirping of bird wings was heard, you looked up to see a large number of birds of different species watching you from the roof and window sills of the alley. You continued to progress along the alley, your steps echoing against the damp cobblestone floor, after a few more detours you finally saw a huge metal door appear in the distance, on which was drawn a feather with red paint.

"Here we are. This is the 'Nest'."

Chapter Text

You stopped right in front of the metal door. The door was at the back of a modest sized building, the walls were dirty gray, covered with graffiti and other drawings very unartistic and more stupid. Raising your hand you were about to knock on the metal before stopping, you looked over your shoulder at Moon and Sun who nodded their heads signaling you that they were close. You knocked three times on the door, the sound of your phalanx against the metal echoing for a few seconds before stopping, there was a slight silence before the door finally opened on the figure of an elf with dark skin and short shaved hair. His skin was decorated with lighter marks, scars of one in particular at the level of his lips which held stuck between it a toothpick. The elf looked at you with his eyes before looking at Sun and Moon who was standing behind you, a grimace distorting his lips before he lowered his eyes again towards you, removing his toothpick ready to speak.

"It's y/n. I'm here to chat with Double B." You declare before the elf even has time to say anything.

You made the elf freeze imperceptibly at the mention of your name before opening the door wide, giving you room to enter the room. You nodded, silently thanking the elf before entering under the elf's careful and intense gaze, which lingered particularly on Moon and Sun who didn't flinch, following you silently. The interior was a simple corridor, the wooden floor was covered with dark red carpet, the room was lit by orange light bulbs, the walls were decorated from time to time with typical Australian posters, decorated with kangaroos and koalas as well as emu and other fantastic folk creatures.

In the hallway, in addition to the elf who was standing by the door, there were two other people who were looking at you with such seriousness and especially with a certain hatred towards the two animatronics that were behind you. The two Fantastics, a satyr and a dwarf beckoned you to follow them, you looked quickly in the direction of the two policemen nodding imperceptibly towards them before turning again towards the two supernaturals to follow them down. You crossed the long hallway, coming to a flight of stairs that you began to climb. The smell of wet wood and wood fire could be smelled, mixing with all the scents of the different supernaturals that were in the building or that had passed through there.

When they reached the third floor, the two Fantastics saw that they were standing on either side of the stairs in a very military fashion. In front of the staircase was a small waiting area devoid of any objects or decoration, simply opening onto a huge double dark wooden door that was guarded by two new Fantastic, this time a naga and an orc. In the staircase you could hear murmurs, glancing at it you saw the different people who were surely in the rooms of the lower floors looking in the direction of Sun and Moon, their pupils dilated by curiosity, anger and fear.

"Double B is ready to receive you." The naga hissed, the tip of his tail curling around one of the door handles to open it before pushing it open.

You nodded once more, moving towards the door, as you walked through the door you heard the naga hiss lightly in the direction of Sun and Moon. You curled your lips slightly letting a small cat-like growl echo in your chest, the naga immediately looking in your direction with disdain. You knew that provocation inside the Nest was not something you wanted to do, and it was even more risky since you were in the company of animatronics. But you had to make them understand that Moon and Sun were with you, and that until Double B said so, the two metal policemen would indirectly have the privileges you had. The Naga finally looked down, closing the door behind you once you had passed through it. You found yourself in a new corridor, much darker and even less well lit than the first one, you took a small jerky breath before sighing turning to Sun and Moon to tell them with a small smile to try to hide your nervousness:

"We did the easy part. Now all that's left is to be in Double B's good graces." 

You didn't give Sun or Moon time to answer anything, pivoting on your heels to face the hallway and the opening at the end, you stepped forward with the two policemen right behind you. At the end of the hallway was a large circular room, like the rest of the building, the floor was made of red carpet, the wooden walls had been replaced by tapestry on which were embroidered birds and other exotic vegetation. This time there were paintings with golden frames, abstract representatives, landscapes and once again birds. The furniture was imposing and dark, in the middle of the room there was a table surrounded by chairs, pushed against the walls there were cabinets and shelves with contents for some invisible, while others revealed objects once again rare and sophisticated.

On either side of the room you could see henchmen, of different species but all Fantastics. Their attention was entirely directed at Moon, Sun and you, but your attention was entirely directed at the man directly in front of you, behind a huge desk of wood and glass, in a black leather chair. A lamp placed right next to him barely illuminated his face and features. Double B was a Fantastic over forty years old but you didn't know exactly how old he was, his salt and pepper hair was neatly slicked back, he sported a slight mustache and a small goatee, but what caught your eye the most were the scars he had that started on his right cheekbone and ran across his lip at an angle before ending on his chin almost like claw marks. There were many stories about how he got this scar, some said he got it while he was still living in Australia after being attacked up by a crocodile that tried to eat him, others said it was the claws of a werewolf that he had faced when he arrived in America.

You motioned to Sun and Moon to stand still, both nodding imperceptibly from their facial discs as you stepped forward under Double B's heavy, weighted gaze. You walked around the table, your heart pounding in your chest but you hid your fear, not wanting the other Fantastics in the room to sense your fear. You walked forward with your head held high, your ears perked up on your skull as you forced them to stay still despite the animosity in the room, your tail wagging gracefully as you walked.

Once on the other side of the table, facing Double B directly, you looked up at him and met the dark, piercing gaze of the boss of the organization, before bowing. As you bent over, one of your feet came to stand behind the other, one of your hands went behind your back, the other extended at your side in a very theatrical and almost exaggerated way, but in a way that imitated the movement of a bird's wing. You heard Double B shift in his chair, a heavy exhale leaving his lips as his stony, time-worn voice rose, echoing throughout the room to say in his voice that mixed an Australian and Spanish accent :

"Straighten up. You know you don't have to greet me like that."

"And you know that under the circumstances in which I present myself to you I am obliged to do so." You reply, straightening up to look at Double B.

Double B let his gaze pass from you to Sun and Moon who still hadn't moved from behind the table. You heard the Fantastic humming a reply while examining the two animatronics before he focused on you again, one of his hands decorated with a few rings coming to rest on the table with a slight clatter.

"It's true that when Canary reported that you were looking for me I didn't expect to see you in the company of anyone, let alone in the company of animatronics working for the police."

"And I apologize for that Double B. If the situation had not been critical and important I would not have..."

You were interrupted by a hand movement from Double B, his chair creaking slightly as he leaned menacingly over his desk with both hands coming to rest flat on the table in a threatening and rather loud manner in this room where the silence was deadly. You blinked slightly, observing the reactions of the other Fantastics around you who had not moved but whose threat was becoming more and more apparent but not in your direction. You glanced over at Sun and Moon, making sure they hadn't moved, the two animatronics seemed still but you could see that their eyes were confused, and that they seemed to be fighting against themselves not to interfere.

"You know that's not what I want to hear from you, Gatito." Declared Double B his slightly rumbling voice.

Biting your lower lip before letting out a sigh, you looked up at Double B. You had always tried to keep your distance from Double B and all his little group, but you knew that right now you had no choice but to give in to the whims of the Fantastic, not for yourself, but for Moon and Sun. The two policemen had certainly imposed themselves to accompany you, but they trusted you enough to come to a place like this, having agreed to do what you asked of them and promising never to speak of it. Their lives were literally in your hands, it allowed you to prove to them that you could defend yourself alone, but it also allowed you to turn the balance, since this time it was you who had to protect them.

"I'm sorry DB." You sighed in the direction of Double B.

"Ah... That's what I want to hear. You're one of the only people I allow to call me that, and the reason I gave you that permission is so that you would do it Gatito. Now, explain to me why you are so suddenly visiting me, when I invite you and you constantly refuse my requests huh ?" Declared DB with a little touch of reproach.

You grimaced slightly in front of the remark of the Fantastic, your reaction however did not pass unnoticed, Double B let a laugh leave his lips, moving back again in his armchair in a more relaxed way while he came to rest his arm on the desk and the other one on the armrest of his armchair. Immediately you felt the threatening atmosphere in the room fade away slightly, making you breathe a small sigh of relief. DB waved his hand again as if to erase the subject and added :

"Forget it, I know, a wild Gatito will always be a wild Gatito."

"Thanks DB. If I'm here to ask you for your help, to ask you to pay your debt. This debt that you owe me, I would like to use it please." Declared you while looking Double B right in the eyes.

You saw Double B freeze slightly in front of your request, his hand which was posed on the table moved to come to caress the small goatee which he had with his chin whereas he frowned. You saw out of the corner of your eye the few guards in the room fidgeting uncomfortably. It was common to see Fantastics come to DB for help, but it was rare to see someone come and ask the boss of the 'Nest' to come and pay his debt, let alone when that person was accompanied by members of the police. Double B hummed for a long time before bending over again in earnest, intertwining his fingers to rest his chin on it.

"I'm more than a little surprised you'd come to me for this. You who always refused to use the debt I had towards you for all these years, refusing my proposals more than advantageous for you..." 

Double B made a small pause, raising his eyes in the direction of Moon and Sun before pointing one of his index fingers in the direction of the two animatronics while saying :

"And I can't help but think that it's because of these two that you've come to claim your due."

You looked in the direction of Sun and Moon, making a small movement of your head in the direction of the two metal policemen to signal them to come closer. You saw the two animatronics comply immediately, moving around the table to stand next to you. Their movements had caused a slight agitation near the guards but a simple movement of the hand on behalf of DB had made them all recover their calmness and their stoicism. You concentrated again on Double B, speaking again while indicating Sun and Moon with small movements of your hands. 

"This is Sun, and this is Moon. As you said DB, they work for the police. And you're also right that they're the reason I came to you for help. You probably know about the murders of Arnold Wilson, Jyseral Klain and Abigael Fynch ?"

"Yes, like all Fantastics I have heard of them. But the police have concluded that they were accidents and suicides, not murders." DB sighed as he settled back into his chair properly.

"Yes, that's what the first police investigations concluded. But Detective Moon and Detective Sun found some of the circumstances too strange and decided to reopen the investigations to get more clues."

"And what exactly do you want from me ?"

"A potential witness to one of these murders has fled, leaving no trace. I was hoping that with the eyes you had through everything that you could help us find this Fantastic quickly. Or maybe you already had some information about her." You finished.

"Hmm... And why should I help the police ? I find it strange that the police suddenly decide to pay attention to our community. Seventy years since we revealed ourselves to humans and the Science Fiction community and we never received anything but hatred, restrictions and rejection. The dead will not come back to life because of this investigation. The hatred between the different groups will not be erased because of this investigation so why should I do such a meaningless action that will not change anything for us Fantastics ? Why change things today ?" Double B asked.

A small silence settled in the room as DB's words hung in the air, heavy with meaning and innuendo. The corner of Double B's lips was slightly raised in a barely visible smile, his gaze weighing on you as he waited for an answer from you, and only from you. He knew for a fact that you were the first one not to do anything to change things, and you were even one of the ones making things worse with your thieving background and present. You knew that DB was testing you, he wanted to know if you came to him willingly, if you were aware that you were using the huge debt he owed you for something futile, something useless, something that didn't bring you anything and wouldn't bring you anything in the future.

You looked over your shoulder, meeting Sun's gaze and then Moon's, there was a glint of determination and confidence in their metal and plastic eyes. A trust that they had placed in you for a reason that was still mysterious to you, you wanted to ask them why they trusted you despite everything they knew about you, you were a criminal who knew worse criminals and yet here they were, not even thinking that this might be a trap. You let a small sigh leave your lips, for creatures made of metal and electricity and numbers at the cutting edge of technology they were pretty damn stupid. A smile appeared on your lips, DB's words were as serious as they were mocking and you couldn't help but respond in kind.

"Because things have to change sometime DB. And it's probably up to us Fantastics to make the first move. But I'm just repeating Mr. Botzaris, he's a good teacher when he wants to be. At least he's trying to teach me something, even if I'm not one of his best students." You paused for a moment before resuming. "And I don't think you have much to say about my choice DB, you said you would grant me what I would want, and I want to use this debt you owe me to get this information about this elf."

Double B let a thunderous laugh leave his lips, he came to hit his desk with one of his hands in a way that almost exaggerated his amusement before slowly calming down. You knew that your words had been more than risky, it was directly associated with provocation and anyone else who would have dared to speak to Double B in that tone would surely have been punished, but you knew that for now you were still on the good side of the boss of this organized gang. Once his seriousness recovered DB's gaze shifted back to Sun and Moon, examining them from head to toe before he clicked his tongue, waving his hand in their direction.

"And why did they need to come with you, Gatito ? You could have very well come to me for his information alone, it would have caused you less trouble."

"They needed to be there for..."

"We wanted to make sure they were safe." Moon said, interrupting you.

You turned almost abruptly toward Moon, glaring at him as the fur on your tail bristled and one of your ears twitched against your skull. You heard Double B click his tongue before humming at length, you turned in his direction analyzing his reaction with apprehension. The Fantastic brought his hand to his lips before saying :

"None of my henchmen would dare touch Gatito here. In fact, I think they are safer here than anywhere else."

"That's probably the case sir, but we didn't know who exactly they were going to meet. So we allowed ourselves to have doubts for the safety of our colleague." Said Sun, taking a step forward.

You turned back to Sun, looking at him with dilated pupils as you shook your face, silently and not very politely telling him to be quiet, but the animatronic only gave you a single glance, focusing on Double B. You turned to the Fantastic, watching as he froze in his chair, his body motionless and tense. Your gaze roamed the room as you saw the other Fantastics begin to wave their hands, some reaching for their weapons, others digging out their fangs and claws. As you heard Double B let out a heavy sigh through his nose you looked up at him ready to intervene to cut the discussion short, but DB let a new mocking laugh leave his lips at Sun and Moon's statements. When the voice of the Fantastic was raised again full of mockery and especially in Spanish you could not help but grimace.

"¿ Colegas ? ¡ Ja ! Los pequeños animatronics me hacen reír fingiendo que se preocupan por un Fantástico." Double B sighed, looking at one of his closest bodyguards.

You understood very little Spanish, knowing only the basic greetings and a few insults, but even if you didn't know what Double B had said, you knew it was a bad sign to hear the boss of 'the Nest' speak in his other native language. Like you, most of the Fantastics in that room didn't speak any language other than English, except for the guard closest to DB, who was the one DB trusted the most, and who in turn let a laugh leave his lips. Without any reference you didn't know what reaction to adopt or what to answer, not having understood anything. So you remained motionless, your ears straight and tense on the top of your head... That is, until Moon next to you decided to speak again, answering Double B in his own language:

"Sí, es cierto. Nos preocupa la seguridad de nuestro colega, aunque sea una criatura Fantástica."

"Ser de la comunidad fantástica no cambia el hecho de que y/n siga siendo nuestro colega." Sun then added with a small movement of his hand in your direction.

To say that you were stunned was an understatement, and you were not the only one since the many Fantastics in the room, including DB in particular, were looking at the two animatronics with dilated pupils. Your ears slowly fell on either side of your skull as your tail fell back along your legs, waiting with anticipation for Double B's reaction. Contrary to what you had expected you saw the Fantastic step back in his chair, his fingers intertwining as he came to rest his hands against his stomach his accusing gaze judging the two detectives that accompanied you.

"Huh. Te importa tanto que te hace querer acompañarlo a un lugar donde estás arriesgando tu vida. Y supongo que y/n te advirtió de que era peligroso presentarse ante mí, así que incluso a sabiendas insististe en venir de todos modos... ¿ Por qué tienes tanto interés en proteger al pequeño gato ?"

You didn't understand what DB was asking, but you knew it was about you since Double B had indicated you with a little finger movement and Moon and Sun had looked in your direction. You couldn't help but recoil slightly from the surprise and sudden attention. The respectively black and red optics of Sun and Moon being posed scrutinizing you as if it sought the answer inside you, you saw them exchanging a fast glance of agreement before turning to Double B which awaited their answers with a raised eyebrow. When the two animatronic detectives started to speak you didn't understand anything, the words were exchanged too quickly and apart from a slight surprise from Double B, his reactions didn't reveal anything particular to you apart from the fact that he was amused because at the end of Moon and Sun's answer, DB burst out laughing again. Lowering his eyes towards you, an enigmatic gleam in his brown orbs.

"Ah... Gatito. One can say that you know how to make special friends. I don't hate those two animatronics, but can I trust them ? I wouldn't want me and everyone around me to be in danger because of those two."

"I promise you on my life DB, they won't say anything. I will vouch for them." You answer.

"You trust them that much ?" Asked Double B with almost septic intent.

You turned, looking slightly in the direction of Sun and Moon who had lowered their eyes to you again. You tilted your face, frowning slightly as you looked down at your gloved hands, which you opened and closed. You stayed in your thoughts for a few seconds before finally letting out an amused sigh. You then turned back to Double B and smiled at him before answering :

"Yes, I do. I trust them."

You saw DB get up from his chair, the man wasn't very tall, he was even shorter than you but that didn't stop him from being scary. He came to stand in front of his desk facing you as he removed the rings he had on one of his hands before holding it out in your direction, his gaze fixed on you as he asked you to make a promise. You walked over to Double B, reaching out and placing your hand in his, palm up. Once your hand was placed DB lifted his other hand which he had transformed into a wing like hand covered with black and white feathers coming to place his hand in yours as he withdrew his other hand from under yours, leaving you to bear the weight of his feathered hand alone as you looked into his eyes.

"I promise you DB, on my existence, that they will not speak of you, your group or anything associated with you." You sighed with determination.

Double B gave you a small approving nod before removing his hand from yours, you took a step back out of respect, watching DB retrieve his huge rings to put them back on his fingers. He then leaned back against his desk crossing his arms over his chest looking at Sun, Moon and you who were now lined up before him. He let a laugh leave his lips before saying :

"So who is this Fantastic you are looking for ?"

You immediately reached into your pocket and pulled out the information sheet you had previously retrieved and handed it to DB. The Fantastic retrieved the sheet, his eyes scanning the file as he quickly read a hum of agreement leaving his lips. Double B finally turned around having put the sheet you had given him on his desk before focusing on you again. He shook his head slightly before saying, indicating the documents with a wave of his hand :

"Neither her name nor her face tell me anything. I will have to ask my informants to do some research to get more information. I'll let you know as soon as I have something that might interest you." 

"DB. Tell your men to be careful. The police don't seem to be the only ones looking for this elf."

As you spoke you had grabbed the collar of your sweater, pulling it slightly to the side as you turned your head to expose the bruises that marred your neck. You saw Double B's pupils dilate before his eyebrows furrowed over his eyes, he clicked his tongue before nodding, letting you know he got the message. You put your sweater back on your shoulders properly.

"If we also find the one who did this to you, do you want us to take care of them too ?" Double B asked with a sinister smile.

"No !" You exclaimed, the fur on your tail bristling slightly. "The police will take care of it."

"Okay okay Gatito." Replied DB with a laugh.

"Thanks DB." You sigh as you bow to him once more.

"Gracias por su ayuda." Sun says.

"Gracias Sr. Double B." Moon added.

DB let an amused sigh leave his lips in front of the words of the two animatronics before turning the back, making once again the turn of his office before sitting down in his armchair. Hardly seated he made signal to one of his men of hands to approach him to come to give him the information concerning Jenna whispering him some orders. You turned on your heels and faced Sun and Moon to whom you made a small movement of the hand to mean that it was time to leave. As you and the two detectives reached the entrance to the hallway DB's voice rose again.

"One small thing Gatito. My debt to you is not yet fully paid. This little research is nothing at all compared to what you have done for me. A life for a life."

You looked over your shoulder, giving a small nod in DB's direction and as you were about to turn around again you heard Double B add to Moon and Sun :

"You should thank Gatito, thanks to them you have immunity from my group. I will make sure that my men do not cause you any problems."

You saw the two animatronics let a small laugh leave their lips before nodding in the direction of the Fantastic who signaled you to leave. As you left the room you saw the two guards standing by the door looking at you in amazement, you gave them a small smirk, your tail wagging with some pride as you left the building without a scratch and with your request granted. You made your way back in silence, once inside Moon's car you let a sigh leave your lips, lying back in the back seat before draping your arm over your eyes as you made all your Skinwalker attributes disappear, letting a heavy sigh you didn't know how to hold leave your lips. You heard Moon and Sun settle into their seats before you heard Moon chuckle and say :

"Are you okay 'Gatito'?"

You froze, pulling your arm away from your face to glare at Moon. He and Sun had turned their facial disks in your direction, not yet having bonded. The two animatronics displayed expressions full of emotions, satisfaction, determination, relief, and a little touch of mockery in front of the little nicknames. You made a face in their direction, lifting one of your hands to give them the middle finger, letting a giggle leave your lips as you saw their expressions change directly to one of annoyance.

"Don't call me that." You say. "And yes, I'm fine, just the pressure coming down."

"Okay. Put your belt on." Moon declares.

"Hell no. All three of us need to talk. Don't you know how to follow instructions ?! I told you not to speak, not to say anything and you dared to address Double B directly ! Without his permission, and in Spanish too ?!" You exclaimed, straightening up slightly in the back seat.

"Hmm... It look like we can't. We're just acting a little like you, don't you think ?" Sun replied with a small laugh.

"It's not the same. If Double B had been on a bad day or if you had said something wrong he would have taken you apart on the spot and nothing I could have said would have changed his mind. I told you the second time we met, blame me for what you want but I'm not a murderer and I don't want anyone's death on my conscience."

"And it's exactly the same for us." Moon declared. "When you entered Hikaku's house without our permission if something had happened to you it would have been our responsibility. And we don't want death on our conscience either."

You froze blinking, caught off guard again by their words as you watched the animatronic eyes before wincing once more in their direction letting a loud "tch" leave your lips as you sat up properly deciding to buckle your belt and look out the window. You could have answered them, you felt like telling them that it wasn't the same there were so many differences between you and them, you were a criminal, they were police, they were fair and honest, you were a liar and you weren't afraid of being illegal, they were animatronics and you were a monster, they wouldn't have your death on their conscience, you're sure too many would be relieved to know that there was one less Fantastic, namely a Shapeshifter.

The car sat still for a few more seconds before Moon finally decided to start the car, sending it into traffic as the silence between the three of you became slightly heavier and less pleasant. After a few minutes of driving Sun looked up at you through the rear view mirror and asked :

"What did you do to make Double B owe you so much ? Usually people like that do everything they can to not owe anyone anything and to make everyone owe them something."

"It's a long story." Did you still sigh a little coldly.

"And it's a long way to your house too. So I think you can tell us." Moon added for emphasis.

You watched the two animatronics before rolling your eyes, looking out the window of the moving car again. You hesitated to tell them for a few seconds before finally letting out a sigh, you could at least explain how you came to know DB. You owed them for saving your life, for the medicine and for the ice cream last time.

"When I was about 15-16 years old, I was hanging out in the streets in my feline form, as I used to do every time I skipped school, and that's when I saw a bunch of barely suspicious people in a dark alley. Curious I hid and spied them, one of them, a male Nymph was saying that they were going to make a lot of money with what they had found, and while talking he was waving a small cloth pouch that seemed to contain some very precious things. They were not discreet and not careful enough, moreover the idea of being able to get money made me lose all caution, so I came out of my hiding place I grabbed the little pouch between my fangs and ran away with it. The Fantastics I had just stolen didn't like me stealing from them so they started chasing me all over town. After almost getting hit by who knows how many cars, I finally lost them. I decided to see what was in the pouch and upon opening it surprise, a little sparrow."

"A Skinwalker ?" Sun questioned.

"Yeap. She's a young skinwalker, she must have been about ten years old, she was terrified, and I didn't understand why she could be valuable. As I was about to ask her some questions, the Fantastics who had clearly kidnapped her found me. I reflexively grabbed the Skinwalker sparrow before running away again. As I continued to run without really knowing where I was going, the little sparrow girl pointed me in the right direction, and I listened. We ended up in a neighborhood I didn't know at all and the Skinwalker led me down a dead-end street. I thought we were done for because her kidnappers had caught up with us, but before they could do anything to us an army of Fantastics came in and tore them apart. It was quick and violent, and once the kidnappers were out of the way, the Fantastic pack turned on me and the sparrow I was holding in my fangs. I noticed that the Skinwalker Sparrow was getting restless, and it ran away from me and towards one of the Fantastics in the pack who had just stopped the kidnappers. That's when I realized that it was probably her family and that I was probably going to end up like the kidnappers..."

"What does this have to do with Double B ?" Moon questioned.

"It's coming. I was exhausted and out of breath, but the adrenaline and fear made me run again, I've never run so fast in my life. After escaping from this pack of Fantastics I stayed a whole night hiding behind a trash can in an alley in the Miracle District, too afraid to go home. The next day I finally came home and told myself that I was probably safe. A few days passed after this incident and even though I kept thinking about it I was not on my guard. On my way out of school I was approached by a car, and before I could react I was grabbed and pushed into the car. I thought it was karma coming back at me. When I found myself in front of the father of the little sparrow Skinwalker I thought that I was really finished. But the father instead of turning me into a coat thanked me for saving and bringing his daughter back safely, telling me that he owed me a life debt."

"That was Double B's daughter ?" Moon declared.

"Yep !"

You let an amused laugh leave your lips as you went back to your memories, sure at the time and at the moment you had experienced this mishap you hadn't laughed, but now that you thought back it was one of the most exciting and positive things that had ever happened to you. You let a small sigh leave your lips as you thought about how you told DB that you didn't save his daughter on purpose and that you only did it because of a misunderstanding, but that didn't deter the Fantastic who insisted that you join his group. You didn't want to have anything to do with Double B and his group despite the many interesting propositions he had made to you during the years following the one where you had saved his daughter, it was too risky with your condition as a Shapeshifter and then you preferred to stay alone. Besides, Mr. Botzaris would have probably lectured you for joining a criminal guild. But today, thanks to your misadventure, you had been able to get precious help, so your past fright was a small price to pay.

"Should we know of any other people around you with a suspicious profile ?" Sun asked with a small laugh.

"Um... Nah, DB is the most dangerous one I knew. My other acquaintances aren't perfect but they're not like me either." Did you answer almost amused by Sun's question.

"If you get into trouble so easily I understand why you don't have much life left. Although I'm curious to know the other five who lost you a life." Moon stated, a sincere hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Hey. My life isn't a TV show. You should already consider yourself lucky that I told you how I met Double B."

You turned again to the two animatronics abandoning the contemplation of the outside to furtively cross the glance of Moon in the internal mirror and then to support that of Sun. While silence returned to settle comfortably only disturbed by the noise of the engine of the car, you thought again of the exchange that there had been between Moon, Sun and DB and that you had not succeeded in understanding because they had addressed it in Spanish.

"What did Double B ask you ? I didn't understand everything but he asked you something about me ?"

"Huh..." Sun sighed and seemed to think for a second. "He just asked us why we decided to go with you despite the risk it might represent for us."

"And what did you answer him ? I have rarely seen DB surprised and amused at the same time." You asked, tilting your face to the side.

"Just that you found yourself working with us because you got caught by the police for a murder story. No big deal. Kitten." Moon chuckled.

"Okay. Let's get this straight. You don't call me that. I don't like nicknames. So no nicknames, Capiche ?"

" 'Capiche' is an Italian word." Sun replied with a laugh.

"And I don't really care."

Moon and Sun let a small mocking chuckle leave their lips at your sudden annoyance. Nicknames were a few things you didn't appreciate, it was something that was known to be adorable and affectionate but it was also double edged, it was a sign that you were close to someone. Sure you were used to nicknames and other silly puns about your condition as a Cat-Walker, but affectionate nicknames were reserved for your close circle, and you didn't feel or want to be close enough to Sun and Moon to allow them that.

The night had started to fall on the city, slowly you could see the illuminated signs being lit, the streetlights illuminating the road on which the car was moving as well as the passers-by on the sidewalks. Even at night the city seemed to be alive, bustling with members of different communities, every time you took the time to observe the city you couldn't help but wonder how things had been before. Before the Great Revelation of the Fantastic, before the Techno People were created. There were history books, photos, news reports, movies and a whole lot of other records, but nothing described the atmosphere of those times. 

You were curious to know, but at the same time, you didn't want to, fearing that things would have been better if they hadn't changed. It was a paradox because as much as the tensions between the different communities were sometimes frustrating and some of the rules were very unpleasant to follow and bear, you didn't want to have to hide. Maybe it was because you were hiding your true nature as a Shapeshifter that you thought that way, maybe it was also because you were young and born well after the Great Revelation that you thought that way, many old Fantastic people you knew said that life was better before all that. Your gaze also stopped on Sun and Moon, if everything had been like before, you probably wouldn't have met them...

As you saw the dimmer streets of the Miracle District appear you let a sigh leave your lips, shaking your face to get out of your thoughts. As the streets continued to pass by, Sun's voice rose to ask you:

"When we were with Double B, you made a promise with him. It was the same kind of promise you made to us. Is this some kind of Fantastic custom or tradition ?"

"Um... Yeah, you could say that. It's kind of like the human pinky promise, but a little more complex." You answer by waving one of your hands.

"Is there some kind of special significance to the way you place your hands ?" Sun continued.

"You are right. When making a promise there is the one who receives it and the one who gives it. The one receiving the promise must always reach out where the hands first, he asks for the other party of the promise to support him. The pledger then places his hands in the other's, palm up to show that he is ready to pledge. The receiver then comes to place one of his hands, or one of his limbs that may be the tail, a wing or even the face, usually it is a limb that shows our supernatural side, in the hand of the other to show him that he gives his trust to the one who promises. The receiver of the promise will remove his hands from under the hands of the promisor to signify that the promise rests entirely in the hands of the one making the promise."

"This is... We were not aware of this custom." Moon stated. "We have a tremendous amount of information about the Fantastics, but a lot of important things seem to be... missing."

"Who gave you all this knowledge ? Did you ask any Fantastics, or did you just look at websites written by people who weren't necessarily Fantastics ?" you asked. "There's a lot of things that the Fantastic community won't say they do, and for a variety of reasons."

"You're right. There were no Supernaturals in our group when we graduated to become police officers, so we relied entirely on books and other information available on the internet, we didn't think to consult any Fantastics outside the police field." Moon answered you.

"Have you studied ? Don't you just need to consult your 'database' or whatever you call it ? You can download the information from the internet right ?"

The two animatronics let a laugh leave their lips at your question that was both sincere and slightly skeptical. You often heard them talk about their databases that they consulted to find out whether or not, so to hear them say that they had to actually study was something that threw you off slightly. You saw Sun turn slightly towards you to look over his shoulder before saying with a small wave of his hand :

"We could have, but we preferred to find out for ourselves to cross-check as much information as possible and make a generalization of the information we could get."

"It's... kind of stupid right ? I mean, you could have just learned it all without really making any effort but you still wasted your time. If I had been in your shoes I would have taken the easy way out." You say with a slight frown.

"Hmm... It's true that we spent some time, but the proof is that even with all the research we did, there were things we didn't know about, so if we had just been satisfied with one piece of information we would have been even more lost." Moon replied.

"But if it makes you feel better, there are some things we just download the information for example, criminal profiles. There are too many of them and since they are constantly being updated, to add, remove or modify criminal profiles, we can't afford to read them over every day." Sun added.

"Many animatronics prefer to do things this way. With our instant and nearly infinite memory we have an advantage, and we don't want the humans, or even the Fantastics, to feel inferior because of it. We want to be on equal footing with the other communities. It's kind of our complex." Moon continued.

"Well, of course there are members of the Technological Community who take full advantage of their developed abilities, we're just making a generalization. Sun said with a small movement of his face disc.

"I see ?"

Your answer sounded more like a question. You never knew that animatronics could have complexes too, especially about their superior abilities. You had always thought that Technological people could just plug into a computer and have all the knowledge in the world, you didn't think that they could have the concern for equality and the fear of being excluded because of something they couldn't necessarily control. You found it strange and yet it made you think that maybe the Science Fiction People weren't as well integrated as you Supernaturals thought, after all even though it had been longer than you that Animatronics and other robots were integrated the fact that they were still afraid meant that things weren't as perfect for them. That maybe they weren't so different from you.

Chapter Text

With this beginning of realization made, you couldn't help but be curious about the Science-Fiction People, and even to a lesser extent, the Human People. Your eyes began to stare into the void before you, your pupils dilating slightly as you lost yourself in thought, your face tilting slightly in the manner of a pensive puppy. You finally looked up at the detectives sitting in front of you in the car.

"Do you guys have any special traditions too ? I mean like a particular way of greeting each other, of promising each other things between Animatronics ?"

"Huh ? When it comes to greetings, not really, we have very human-like manners. But for promises it can happen that when we're a couple and more often when we get married to exchange a small object that makes us up, like a screw a bolt or a small piece of metal more often something that's in our bust. It's a way of promising your partner that you'll always be with them."

"What ? Like really ? Isn't it kind of like swapping one of your organs ?" You asked in surprise.

"Well... In a way, yes. It's a bit strange when you put it like that." Moon said with a sigh.

"Yeah... It's strange, but at the same time it's kind of romantic. Well, from what little I know about romance." You reply with a laugh. "I'd ask a friend of mine who's an expert on the subject for confirmation. But having watched films and stuff like that, that's what I think."

You saw Sun and Moon exchange a surprised look before observing you through the internal rear-view mirror, well Sun mostly since Moon quickly focused on the road again. You blinked, slightly unsettled by their surprised reaction, you knew you didn't look sentimental, which indeed you did, but they didn't need to be so surprised, you weren't entirely heartless either. You rolled your eyes and looked out again to see that the car was turning into the street where you lived. You hadn't seen the time go by, let alone paid much attention to the scenery, night had now fallen entirely over the city, and you could see some of the District's inhabitants gathering outside to take advantage of the cool night air for a chat. When the car stopped in front of your building, you let out a small sigh. Opening the door and slipping outside, you said :

"Thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome. Good night, Kitten." Sun said with a smile in your direction.

"I said no nicknames ! " You hissed with annoyance.

You let a small growl leave your lips before closing the door with a little more force than necessary just to slam it shut. You turned on your heels, plunging your hands into your pockets with annoyance as you went first to collect your keys before entering your building. The nickname and the way Sun had smiled at you had annoyed you so much that you could feel your heart beating a little faster in your chest, and your face heating up. You let a "tsk" leave your lips as you climbed the stairs to your apartment, also slamming your apartment door, though not as loudly as Moon's car door so as not to disturb your sensitive-hearing neighbors, hoping to lock away this strange sensation that was being born in the hollow of your heart outside.

                                    ~❂✯☾~

The next evening, as you were slumped in your armchair, dressed only in a tank top and jogging pants with your evening meal in your hands, watching yet another stupid movie about fantastic creatures you heard something scratching at the door of your apartment. You stared at the door for a few seconds, a small smile appearing on your lips as you decided to ignore the man you knew to be behind the door, preferring to concentrate once again on the film, which was more amusing than offensive, given all the mistakes made about the Supernaturals who appeared in the film. Vampires and werewolves were always the most misinterpreted in books and films, but that was only to be expected since they were the ones who, over the long centuries that the Fantastics had remained hidden, had been the most noticed by the human race.

The scratching against your door repeated itself once more, accompanied by a high-pitched, shrill squeak similar to that of a fox in agony. You glared at your unwanted guest through the door before turning up the TV slightly, hoping this would be enough to dissuade the tanuki from coming to bother you, but he continued barking and scratching at your door for several moments too long for your patience to hold out. You got up with a grunt of annoyance, putting your breakfast on the table before going to open the door to the tanuki, immediately lowering your eyes in the direction of the furball standing in front of your door, his amber-brown eyes looking up at you as a few tears escaped from his orbs and moistened the fur on his cheeks.

"What do you want Shin ?" You asked the tanuki with a new growl as you caught sight of his tears.

The brown-furred raccoon tilted his head back dramatically, letting another high-pitched cry leave his pointed muzzle, making you wince. Shin then walked into your apartment, you could have stopped him, but decided against it, not wanting to hear him bark any more. Once the tanuki had entered you closed the door behind him before returning to your living room, watching Shin jump onto your sofa to sit down. You let out a sigh as the tears continued to leave the tanuki's eyes, crashing onto your sofa. You clicked your tongue and headed for your kitchen to pick up the leftover fried chicken you'd made yourself, placing it on a plate along with a small slice of bread and some salad. You also grabbed a paper towel and a kitchen towel, which you placed on the armchair in front of the tanuki before putting the seat down.

You saw the tanuki observe the plate before looking in your direction with dilated pupils, his puppy dog expression growing even more pronounced as his round ears seemed to fall further down his skull. You saw him start to open his mouth ready to bark, but you were quicker, reaching out and closing your hand around his muzzle to stop him screaming and screwing up your eardrums once more. Shin's scream turned into a squeak as he looked at you in despair. You waited to make sure he didn't decide to bark again before releasing his muzzle, indicating the plate with your hand and saying :

"Okay, you eat, calm down a bit and then explain to me what's wrong. And I hope it's not one of your stupid shows, because if it is, I'll throw you out the window."

Shin looked down at the plate, lifting one of his paws to rub his muzzle before beginning to eat silently. You turned your attention back to the film, retrieving your own plate as you settled back into your sofa, folding your legs against you to finish your interrupted meal. For several minutes you ate in silence, keeping an eye on Shin, watching him slowly calm down as he continued to eat, the tears slowly disappearing from his hairy cheeks. After finishing his plate you watched Shin get down from your chair, moving away to transform into a human with a small cloud of smoke. The brown-haired young man then returned to the sofa, removing the plate and kitchen towel and placing them on the coffee table before sitting down next to you again, his ears drooping, his tail tucked up beside him as he rested his hands on his knees like a little boy being lectured.

"So... ?" You asked, also putting down your plate to turn to the Fantastic.

"There's a cute fairy who started working a few weeks ago in the convenience store where I work. And we've also been chatting more than well for a few weeks now, and I've been flirting with him. I thought my crush on him was mutual, but when I told him I liked him, he... He just..."

"He friendzoned you." You declared tactlessly.

"Yes..." Shin squeaked sadly.

"Shin... He's another Fantastic, you should have expected him to reject you." You sighed, coming to pinch the bridge of your nose. "With all the rejections you've already taken, you should be used to it. You're too sensitive, raccoon."

An offended hiccup left Shin's lips as he glared at you, and you saw him make an exaggerated pout before reaching for the paper towel you'd brought earlier, noisily blowing his nose. You let an amused chuckle leave your lips, which drew Shin's attention back to you, and the tanuki stuck out his tongue at you before gently nudging your shoulder with his own and saying :

"It's better to be too sensitive than heartless like you."

"Yeah... But at least I don't cry every time a fictional character dies." You replied with a touch of mockery. "And if I'd been heartless I'd have kicked you the instant you slipped into my apartment without permission."

Shin let a laugh leave his lips, his amber eyes having lost some of their sadness. Shin then explained in a little more detail how he'd fallen for his colleague Fairy, and you couldn't help but sigh at the ease with which the tanuki attached himself to others, especially Fantastic who wasn't his own kind. Shin was a Supernatural, and he knew exactly how the Fantastic world worked when it came to relationships. In the Fantastics community, relationships between different species of magical creatures were just as rare as relationships with members of the other two communities, for a variety of reasons. But the one that came up most often was the fear of giving birth to an Unstable Hybrid, and in the worst case, giving birth to a Shapeshifter.

In the vast majority of inter-fantasy crosses, one of the two parents saw the genes of his species more dominant than those of his partner, so that their child would be only a few percent hybrid. Werewolves, for example, could have children without fear, despite all the accusations against them, since the lycanthrope curse could only be transmitted by bite. Some cases of inter-species mixing produced hybrids that were 50% stable, as in the case of the Dhampires, who were both human and vampire and had no problem living. But others were not so lucky, and sometimes the two 'magical' genes of the parents came into conflict, creating degenerative diseases in the child that were difficult to treat and very often fatal, and these sick hybrids were called Unstable Hybrids.

If successful crossbreeding posed no problem over one or two generations, several generations of inter-species crossing later, the risk of a Shapeshifter appearing in the line greatly increased. As it was difficult to retrace one's entire family tree, many Fantastics didn't know if they had parents born of cross-breeding and didn't want to risk giving birth to a Shapeshifter, knowing the instability and presumed danger represented by this 'species'.

You lowered your eyes to your hands, feeling a lump form in the pit of your stomach, your feelings about inter-species relations were very mixed. You yourself were the result of inter-species mixing, and you couldn't help but curse all your ancestors for not having done what all the other Fantastics had done, and for having settled for a few of your own species. If it hadn't been for them, you wouldn't have been here, you wouldn't have had to hide constantly, you wouldn't have had to suffer for your existence, for what you really were. You knew you weren't the Shapeshifter who suffered most, you'd been lucky enough to get out, to find what could be a family to educate and love you, but the fear that your true nature would one day be revealed hung over you. And you knew that the vast majority of Fantastics wouldn't appreciate knowing you were close to them, knowing you lived. And if you weren't afraid of dying or leaving, you feared for the safety of those who had been so good to you. You didn't want what you were to harm them, you didn't want their kindness to you to help you live to hurt them.

And if you hated the idea of inter-species relationships because your parents and family had given birth to you, only to abandon you when they discovered you were a Shapeshifter, you couldn't help thinking about the Heartons. Of how these two Fantastics of different species truly and sincerely loved each other, of how they fought to take care of their sick child, despite the difficulty, despite the reproaches and remarks people made to them, despite the fact that they knew there was probably no good end for their family. They who had accepted to raise and love you as their own flesh and blood, knowing that you were a Shapeshifter. And you, unable to do anything to help them, to return their kindness, their love...

You gritted your teeth, clenching your hands into fists, feeling your arms tremble slightly as you tried to contain all your emotions. You finally closed your eyes with a heavy sigh, releasing your hands, seeing that your nails had begun to leave small marks in your palms. You shook your face slightly, your gaze shifting to Shin, who was looking at his tanuki tail with a touch of sadness and anger. You saw one of his hands close a little too roughly on his tail, will still talking, hoping to find some comfort in you.

Tanuki were, along with Kitsune and Nekomata, the most controversial Fantastics in existence, the fact that they were animals who could transform into humans placing them on a boundary that discouraged many from frequenting them in any way. And you knew that every time he was rejected, Shin blamed his own species, which he already hated because of his family. A small, almost amused sigh left your lips as you saw once again that you weren't the only one with existential problems concerning the species to which you belonged. You leaned in Shin's direction, jostling his shoulder with yours, drawing his attention back to you as you gave him a small smile and said :

"Hey, I'm sure you'll find the right person in the end. You just have to look a little harder... And stop falling in love with every person who breathes within a meter of you."

"Ah ?! That's not true ! I don't 'fall in love with every person who breathes within a meter of me' !" Shin exclaimed, imitating your voice by echoing your words.

"Give me some proof, then."

"Easy. You. You're very often within three feet of me and I've never fallen in love with you."

"Fortunately. Otherwise I'd have been one of those who'd friendzone you... As well as kicking you." You replied with a smile.

"Don't worry, there was no risk. You're not friendly, not interesting, not funny and on top of that, you're ugly." Hissed the tanuki with a mocking smile.

You let a falsely hurt exclamation leave your lips as you brought one of your hands to your heart. Shin leaned in your direction, his two hands coming to rest on your chair right next to your folded feet before sticking his tongue out right in front of your face, his ears and tail wagging. You were about to roll your eyes at his childish behavior before stopping yourself, a Cheshire smile splitting your lips. You lifted one of your feet slightly before suddenly unfolding it, pushing one of Shin's hands, who was suddenly thrown off balance and let a cry of surprise escape his lips. His cry was quickly silenced as his face slammed into the chair. You chuckled before finally laughing outright, watching as the tanuki froze for long seconds with his tail tousled.

When Shin finally lifted his face, you could see an expression of defiance on his features, a playful smile on his lips that you quickly returned. In a flash, he threw himself at you, surprising you in turn as you toppled off the sofa, landing on the floor with a soft thud. A small grunt of pain escaped you both, as you straightened slightly, remaining motionless and silent for a few seconds as your eyes (e/c) met that amber of Shin. You suddenly assumed your feline form, ruffling the hair on your back as you assumed a playful stance, an amused gleam in your eyes. Shin also transformed, taking on his tanuki appearance, you saw him resting his front paws flat against the ground, his hindquarters raised as his tail swished rapidly from right to left like a dog inviting another to play.

Seeing that he was willing to play, you didn't waste a second before pouncing on him, your claws carefully hidden in your paws so as not to hurt him as you landed on top of him, your fangs closing gently on one of his ears. Shin yelped slightly before pushing you away with a shake of his head, and you backed away from him, staring at him with your ears laid back along your skull as your tail whipped through the air. Shin let a low growl leave his lips before pouncing on you in turn, sending you tumbling to the ground as you pulled him into your roll. You felt him gently bite one of your front paws as you playfully slapped his muzzle a few times.

You twisted to get away from him, his fangs releasing your paw as you took off running across your living room to your kitchen, Shin chasing you until you jumped nimbly onto your countertop, Shin failing to stop in time and lightly impacting the underside of your counter with a squeak. Had you been in your human form, you would have laughed, but being unable to do so with your voice, you did so with your eyes. Seeing that Shin was all right, as he had started to bark in your direction, you pounced on him, sending you rolling to the ground once again, trying to bite each other.

Your heart was racing with adrenalin and action, but you were having fun. You knew it was stupid and childish to play like this like young Fantastics, but it felt good and you knew that Shin was also enjoying your little friendly battle to let off steam. You were giving in a little to your deep-rooted instincts, which told you to just have fun, but at this moment you didn't have to worry about anything, you just had to attack, dodge, run away before turning around to start chasing Shin. You hadn't often had the opportunity to play like this with other children your age when you were smaller, you were unable to control your Shapeshifter powers properly and you feared involuntarily transforming yourself while playing. So you simply watched the other young Fantastics playfully battling it out in the streets of the District, occasionally playing with the adults around you, even if it wasn't the same thing. And you knew that Shin hadn't been able to enjoy his child either, being the only son of a strict, withdrawn family.

A little mewl of surprise left your lips as you felt Shin's fangs close on your tail, and you turned towards him, pawing his muzzle repeatedly before biting his ear in retaliation. Shin snorted before fleeing, and as you once again began to run around the house frantically you thought you heard a knock on your door, but ignored it, thinking it must be the noise you and Shin were making as you galloped around your apartment. In your animal forms you were roughly the same size, Shin slightly bigger, but you were quicker than him and used to fighting for real, so you had the upper hand on him more easily.

Seeing that you were beating him, Shin took off towards the entrance to your apartment. You began to chase him quickly, your paws pounding the ground behind him, arriving in the hallway of your entrance you pounced on Shin who let out a yelp of surprise as you both rolled to the ground once more, you quickly got the better of him pushing him to the ground against his back as you placed both your front paws on the fur of his chest, your muzzle just above his as you looked him in the eye, sticking out your tongue slightly to prove your victory. Shin let an annoyed squeak leave his lips. A squeak that suddenly turned into a cry of surprise as the door to your apartment suddenly opened.

Your feline muzzle turned sharply in the direction of the door, your ears laid back against your skull, your eyes reduced to slits as your body tensed ready to react to attack or flee in case of danger. But you froze, your ears going right back to your skull as you saw Sun and Moon standing in front of your apartment door, Sun having pushed the door open while Moon had put his hand on his gun, his jacket pushed back. You blinked, slightly unsettled by the presence of the two animatronics. Shin beneath you tilted his head back, his skull resting entirely on the floor as he gazed at the two policemen with a small, shocked expression, a squeak leaving his lips. You looked down at Shin before transforming back, one of your hands still holding the tanuki to the ground as your tail and ears twitched slightly.

"Moon ? S-Sun ? What are you doing here ?" You asked.

"We've been trying to reach you for half an hour, but you didn't answer. So we came to check if you were at your apartment." Sun began, frowning.

"We did a scan for your vital signs and had seen you in the presence of another creature. And we thought, from the sudden movements you were making, that you were being attacked..." Moon finished as he straightened up, his hand leaving his holster.

You felt Shin stir beneath you before there was a small cloud of smoke, the tanuki taking on his partially human appearance. Your hand was still on his chest as you found yourself sitting next to him, who was lying star-shaped on the ground. Looking in the direction of Moon and Sun before looking back at you, he held out a hand, pointing at the two animatronics and saying :

"Do you... know them ?"

"Yeah ?" You replied, slightly confused by the situation you were in.

You raised your eyes to the two detectives, watching their expressions change from neutral to unsettled and almost devoid of feeling, their respective optics shining with a gleam that made the fur on your tail bristle. You didn't know exactly what you'd done, but they were looking at you and Shin just like the first time you'd faced them in the interrogation room, only this time you knew what you'd done wrong. Shin beneath you also tensed, a barely audible squeak leaving his throat as he saw the looks on your two colleagues' faces. Now that you were looking more closely... Were Sun and Moon looking at Shin specifically ?

You heard Moon let out an exasperated sigh before seeing him enter your apartment to get closer to you, he bent down sliding his hands under your armpits before lifting you up easily, your feet not touching the ground as Moon carried you like you were Simba at the very beginning of The Lion King. You blinked again, now even more bewildered by everything that was currently happening, your orbs lowering towards Shin who rolled onto his stomach before standing up. Sun in turn entered your apartment, moving closer to Shin and Moon, who seemed determined not to put you down.

"Are you all right ?" Sun asked Shin with worrying seriousness.

You saw Shin look at Sun, then at Moon, then at yourself, who was firmly held by Moon's hands. A mischievous smile split the tanuki's lips as he brought his hand to his left shoulder, letting a sigh of pain leave his lips before he said, almost squeaking :

"Gentlemen... I don't want to cause any trouble, but this wild creature savagely bit my shoulder."

A hiccup of surprise and offense left your lips as you felt Moon lower his eyes in your direction as Sun turned his facial disc towards you. You lifted one of your dangling legs, trying to jostle Shin, who was standing not far away from you, with your foot, but the tanuki moved away just far enough not to take a blow. You started to growl, but stopped yourself, letting your Cheshire smile reappear on your lips.

"Oh, perhaps I should make the introductions. Sun, Moon, this is Shin, my next-door neighbor. Shin, I'd like you to meet Moon and Sun, the two police officers I'm currently working with."

You had emphasized the word policeman, and you saw Shin's mischievous expression melt away, his ears falling back along his skull as his bushy, striped tail came lightly to hide between his legs, making you giggle. Feeling Moon's fingers close over your armpits without hurting you, you tilted your head back, shaking your shoulders as you silently asked him to put you down. Which the animatronic did, with a small expression of hesitation and almost... embarrassment ? Once on the ground, you smoothed out your clothes, moving closer to Shin to put your face to his, reaching out to boop the tip of his nose.

"Well, Shin ? Don't you have anything more to say ?" you almost purred.

"I... I'm sorry Detectives ! I'll... I'll let you two talk w-with y/n !"

In a flash Shin bowed respectfully to Moon and then to Sun before transforming into a tanuki, scurrying out of your apartment as he slid in beside Sun. You heard him reach his door, open it and then stop. The tanuki, now human again, poked his head through your doorframe, his ears resting on the sides of his head as he looked in your direction and said :

"Thanks for the meal... And everything. Talk to you later."

He disappeared again, and this time you heard his door close. You let a chuckle leave your lips as you rolled your eyes, and after a few seconds you let out a sigh before looking up at Sun and Moon. You watched the indecipherable expressions of the two animatronics, before looking at your door and then at your living room, which was further away. You hummed lightly before gesturing towards the living room.

"I can't really kick you out, can I ? So... Come in ?"

You turned on your heels and walked back to your living room, hearing Moon and Sun follow you after closing the door behind them. You grabbed the plates you and Shin had left behind, removing them from the coffee table and placing them in the sink. As you walked through your apartment, you noticed that while playing, you and Shin had left a few tufts of furs here and there, which made you grumble slightly as you knew you were going to have to clean your whole apartment sooner than you'd expected. Returning to the living room, you saw the two animatronics standing almost uncomfortably, their optics scanning the living room of your apartment with surgical precision.

"You can sit down, you know ? You're not dogs Skinwalkers, you don't have to wait until I suggest it to do so." You declared with a chuckle.

"It wouldn't have been very polite of us to do it without your permission." Sun declared.

"Because analyzing my apartment as if it were a crime scene is polite ?" You retorted.

"This... We were just looking." Moon replied, sounding slightly embarrassed.

You blinked as you saw the usually stoic nocturnal animatronic turn his face away, a hint of pink coloring his cheekbones. You thought back to the strange reaction Sun had had when you ate ice cream, the same kind of reaction Moon was having now. You let a teasing smile appear on your lips as you realized that the two animatronics could be blushing, that they could be embarrassed, this was information you could have fun with. You went to your bedroom, retrieved your phone and realized that you'd forgotten to charge it. You plugged in your mobile before returning to the living room, grabbing one of the chairs from your dining room and placing it opposite Sun and Moon, whom you watched settle into your sofa, which seemed so small compared to them.

"My phone did run out of battery... Sorry about that." You sighed, a touch of guilt rising in the pit of your stomach as you disturbed the two animatronics.

"That's okay, it's something that can happen to anyone." Sun replied.

"So... Why did you want to contact me ?" You asked, cutting the discussion short to get to the point. "It's late, usually you contact me in the afternoon."

"We had new information about Jenna Royn, we analyzed her habits and the places she often visited and we managed to find a bar she commonly frequented." Moon replied.

"Oh ! Okey. I'll get changed quickly and we can go."

You didn't wait for a reply from the two policemen, getting up and heading into your apartment to your bedroom where you quickly put on one of your usual outfits you used to go outside. You also collected your consultant's badge before returning to the living room, where the two animatronics had not moved, chatting almost silently. You signalled that you were ready to leave, and Moon and Sun immediately got up and headed for the exit of your apartment. You recovered from your apartment before you'd left it near the entrance and closed the door to your home.

As Sun and Moon started down the stairs like sensible people, you slid along the barrier, watching and waving to the two animatronics who watched you disappear quickly down the stairs. Once at the bottom you didn't wait for the two metal policemen, leaving the building before rushing into the adjacent alley to deposit your keys in their secret hiding place. Once you'd done that, you left the alley, quickly rejoining the main street just as Sun and Moon left the building. You saw them frowning, Moon stepping forward to peer into the dark alley with both hands plunged into the pockets of his long jacket.

"What's in this alley that you need to check every time you enter or leave your apartment Kitten ?" Moon questioned, indicating the alley with a movement of his facial disk.

"Don't call me that." You hissed. "As for what's in that alley... My little secrets... But mostly my keys. I can't have anything on me when I transform, remember ? So I leave them in a little corner where no one can find them."

"Isn't there a risk that a Fantastic might find your keys because of your smell ?" Sun asked.

"With the smell of garbage ? Not a chance."

You accompanied the two animatronics to their car, taking your usual place in the back seat as night began to fall on the city, the sun painting the sky in pastel hues reflected on the tall glass buildings you passed. The car drove on for a long time, the scenery changing as it went, while the silence was pierced from time to time by Sun or Moon asking you questions or explaining how the search for information was going to unfold. As another small pause in the conversation began, Moon spoke again, surprising you slightly by broaching a subject totally different from the investigation you were carrying out.

"Why did your neighbor seem so frightened to learn that we were police ?"

"Huh ? Shin ? Oh... He's sickly afraid of the police." you hummed.

"If he's not to blame, why would he be afraid of the police ?" Sun sighed, frowning.

"Shin arrived in the country illegally, traveling in the hold of a plane from Japan. He's afraid the police will arrest him and send him home."

"What ?" Sun sighed surprised by your answer. "I thought you said you had no more acquaintances with a suspicious profile."

"Do you really think Shin looks suspicious ?" You replied with a tone somewhere between sarcasm and mockery.

There was a short silence before both policemen finally answered "no" simultaneously, which made you chuckle slightly, because even Sun and Moon, not knowing Shin personally, knew that the tanuki was harmless. You couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Shin, who was being read like an open book in the blink of an eye. What's more, his kindness, sensitivity and playfulness were what made him so endearing.

"Why did he flee his country ?" Sun asked.

"It's not really his country he fled, it's his family. Shin is a tanuki, tanukis are one of the rarest species of Fantastic these days. Before Supernaturals revealed themselves to human eyes, Tanukis, who remained almost entirely in their wild, bestial form, lived in the mountains and forests of Japan. But with the development of technology and urban expansion, their natural habitat was eaten away and destroyed. Those who didn't die trying to defend their home were forced to scatter everywhere, with less chance of encountering fellow creatures and their population slowly dwindling. Even today, Tanukis are still struggling to recover, and to try and remedy this, it's common for Tanukis families to arrange marriages. Shin didn't want that, so he ran away from his family and got as far away from them as possible."

There was silence as you explained why Shin was so afraid of the police. The tanuki feared going back to his homeland more than anything else, he feared coming face to face with his family, having to marry someone he didn't know, someone he didn't love, having to found and live with a family that would be created from scratch, a family that would be based on duty and obligation rather than love. You felt sorry for Shin, you'd been lucky enough to have a family who, even if they weren't related to you by blood, still loved you. Shin's family, on the other hand, only saw him as an object to be used as they saw fit. It was partly for this reason that you put up with his exuberant behavior and hyper-sensitivity, he was only looking for what he hadn't had for a long time.

"Have you known him long ?" Sun asked.

"Um... Since I moved into the apartment, he had arrived a few months before me if I remember correctly." You replied after thinking for a few seconds.

"You must be close then..." Moon sighed with an intonation you couldn't interpret.

"Eh.. Yes, sort of ?"

You saw Sun open his mouth to ask a question, but he seemed to change his mind, concentrating again on the road ahead. The silence that accompanied your statement made you wonder if you'd said something you shouldn't have. You started to open your mouth, ready to ask what was wrong, before pulling yourself together at the last second. You frowned, wondering why you suddenly cared what they were doing to Sun and Moon, you didn't even understand why you'd told them about Shin, it wasn't as if you'd been obliged to answer them, you'd just spoken... instinctively.

As you shook your face, trying to put your mind back on the right track, your gaze came to rest on a sign outside whose name you knew, and as you looked closely, the street you were crossing seemed familiar, but in a bad way, chills running up your spine. Then you remembered that Moon and Sun had said you were supposed to visit a bar that Jenna Royn frequented...

"I didn't think to ask before... But what's the name of the bar we're going to inspect ?"

"The bar's called 'The Horned Goat'." Sun began.

"Holy shit..." You sighed, coming to take your face in your hands with a sigh that was as annoyed as it was worried.

"Watch your language, Kitten." Moon declared slightly mockingly.

A growl left your lips as the tension that was beginning to run through your body only increased with the reproach and nickname. You glared at the back of Moon's face enough for him to feel it before hissing :

"For the umpteenth time, don't call me that. And I can swear all I want knowing now of the shit we're going to get into, and especially me."

"Does this bar have such a bad reputation with the Fantastics ?" Sun asked, turning to you. "The bar has already had a few offences and problems with the law, like complaints but nothing too aggravating or that could be dangerous or suspicious. What's more, internet reviews are more than favorable."

"Give me a break." You declared with a dry laugh. "Firstly, the internet reviews are definitely wrong. The entire clientele of 'The Horned Goat' are Fantastics, and generally Fantastics don't leave comments on review sites, they go by word of mouth. There may be a few humans and animatronics from time to time, but you have to be brave to enter this building where other customers silently threaten you as soon as you set foot inside. Secondly, this 'bar' is more than a bar. It's where Fantastics with an unreliable profile hang out. And last but not least, this... filthy place is a kind of dating site for Fantastics."

"Well, it's a bit like most of the other suspicious and backward bars there are in this town." Sun replied with a touch of amusement.

"Maybe it is. But this is on another level, since the owner of this bar is Douglas Mushy. A satyr, he's in his thirties and is the very cliché of what Greek mythology thought Satyrs were. He's a matchmaker as soon as you set foot in his establishment and aren't already in a relationship. If you pay him a substantial sum, he won't hesitate to use his spellbinding magic to manipulate other people's feelings, for example, to make someone who doesn't normally like you fall in love with you... He's simply sickening. And I suppose he must have other crimes under his belt but not that I'm aware of."

"I understand better why some of the complaints were reported as 'sentimental manipulation'. Several investigations were opened but were unsuccessful for lack of evidence. If magic was involved, I understand better why." Moon declared.

"Yeah, Satyr magic is more or less powerful depending on the individual and lasts for more or less time. From a few hours to a year for the most powerful. The problem is that by the time the Satyr magic wears off, it may already be too late for some victims who have unwittingly found themselves invested in their couple, some having given away all their money, now being entirely dependent on the other and so on... The Fantastic Government is trying to take measures to combat this kind of crime, such as special listening and support units for victims, but to really prevent this kind of deviance we need to be able to investigate and have the evidence to charge and punish the culprits."

Your statement was accompanied by a heavy silence. So many problems and misunderstandings could have been solved if only Fantastics, Humans and Sci-Fi had all been able to put aside what made them different, but perhaps there were too many peoples, too many things to accept and too many differences to put up with... You hoped things would change, you'd told DB, things had to change, but it wasn't up to you to push for change, it certainly wasn't you who was going to make things change, the Fantastics didn't like the Shapeshifters, and you suspected that humans would accept them even less once they realized they could be everything and anything at once.

"We've arrived." Moon declared.

You brought your mind back to reality, something you'd been having to do a bit too much for your taste lately, focusing on the bright neon sign that projected too much light to be legal and announced the name 'The Horned Goat', accompanied by the bar's logo, which represented the head of a goat sporting huge, twisted horns. Given the bar's popularity, parking had been compulsory, and even so Moon had to search for a few minutes before finally finding an available space. Just as the two detectives were about to leave the car, you stopped them, grabbing their shoulders before asking in a slightly ashamed voice :

"You... Couldn't have perfumed something like that by any chance ? Even one of those little fir trees you hang in the car would do."

"N-No..." Sun sighed. "We don't usually wear perfume. And I don't think Moon is anything that scents in his car..."

"No, I don't have anything like that. But why would you need perfume ?" Moon replied before turning in your direction.

"To try and hide my scent. If I walk into this bar, reputed to serve as a meeting place, smelling... Well, like myself, the other Fantastics might think I'm looking for a partner. Especially as we're going to Douglas's bar... Tsk. If I'd known we were coming here in particular I'd have asked Shin to lend me one of his clothes just to get his scent on me so I'd be left alone."

You heard Sun take a slightly wheezing breath, which made you frown, not only because the animatronic clearly didn't need to breathe, but also because the noise he had made seemed almost annoying. Your (e/c) orb slid over to Moon, whose optics had begun to glow a little brighter, illuminating the dark interior of the car. You stared at the two metal policemen for several long seconds, watching them glance in your direction before quickly looking away. You snapped your fingers in their direction, forcing their attentions towards you before crossing your arms and saying :

"Well, what's the matter ? I've got the impression that you've been troubled by something for some time now, but you don't dare ask. So what is it, because now you're seriously starting to piss me off."

"It's a... A personal question, and we know you want to keep your life private, so we thought it best not to ask." Moon declared.

"Huh ? So... You consult my personal police file to find out where I live, as well as to learn other personal information. You take the liberty of coming to my front door, opening it and entering without my permission. You've already asked me personal questions before, and what's more, you've done worse than what I've already mentioned, and asking me a personal question now makes you have a problem with your conscience ? You know, for supposedly intelligent creatures, you really are stupid." You sighed with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

"We... don't have any arguments to use." Sun replied, pursing his lips.

Sun's animatronic rays had retracted into his skull a little more with each new argument you'd added to their list of things they'd done that he wasn't responsible for. Sun certainly had a few more on his list because of the episode when he'd insisted on offering you ice cream, but Moon felt just as guilty in view of the way he'd grabbed his nightcap and pulled it slightly in front of his face. Seeing them do this, noting their little mimicry, you couldn't help but wonder if you'd never noticed their habit before or if they'd simply not done it in front of you before.

"And so... what is this famous personal question ?" You said, tilting your face.

"Are you and Shin... together ?"

"Wait... Together ? Like, as a couple ?" You sigh with an almost surprised expression.

You saw the two animatronics nodding affirmatively, and let a small "o" appear on your lips before slowly pursing your lips together, trying to hold back the laughter that appeared in the back of your throat before finally a sneer left your lips. You lowered your face, resting your arm on the chair in front of you and resting your forehead against your arm, shaking your head as you continued to laugh uncontrollably. You now understood a little better the reaction they'd had when they'd caught you having a friendly fight with Shin. After several short, hard breaths of laughter, you looked up at the two animatronics, wiping away a small tear that had escaped your eye.

"Oh my... I know Shin's desperate to find someone, but not so desperate as to choose me as a partner."

"You're not lovers ?" Sun asked, as if to make sure she'd understood your answer.

"Hell no ! Shin, at best, I think of him as a big brother, stupid, super sensitive, caring and stupid."

"You said stupid twice." Moon corrected you.

"That was on purpose."

"Why would he be desperate to pick you ?" Sun asked, frowning.

"Despite everything, he's a good person. He's kind and emphatic and sometimes his stupidity is his charm. He deserves someone who can understand him and give him back what he's given. And I can't do that... I barely tolerate him as a neighbor, if I had to share my life with him you'd probably have me arrested for murder." You joked.

You saw Moon roll his eyes as Sun let a little laughter leave his lips, and you could suddenly feel the strange tension between you fading. You hummed slightly before the two animatronics finally decided to leave the car, you following their movements. Even several yards away from the bar, you could smell the alcohol and the various magical creatures wafting up to your nostrils, making you wince. You inhaled deeply before exhaling loudly through your nostrils, trying to calm yourself and prepare for the mental and sensory torture you were about to undergo.

"Some times I envy you not having a sense of smell." You declared in the direction of Sun and Moon.

"We do have a sense of smell. It's just not as well developed as yours. I think it's more or less comparable to that of humans." Moon interjects.

"Oh? I didn't know." You exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

As you slowly digested this new information, you approached the bar, your gaze lingering on the front and outside of the bar and the queue out front, stretching out to the parking lots, many Fantastics waiting for the bouncer to finally let them in. You felt more like you were standing in front of the entrance to a nightclub or private club than in front of a simple bar, and you knew that nothing good would be waiting for you once inside this bar like no other.

Chapter Text

You stood still for a few seconds in front of the bar, analyzing everything that was there, your nose prickling from the concentration of Fantastique smells, you let your gaze slide over the queue, trying to associate the smells with the faces, but being still far enough away, the smells were too mixed up to be associated with anyone. When you saw Sun, who was a little ahead of you in the company of Moon, turn towards you to signal you to follow them, you decided to move forward. The two policemen immediately began to move forward alongside the line of customers waiting their turn.

You saw many of the Fantastics turn in the direction of the two animatronics to look at them with curiosity or anger, and one of the customers even decided to approach Sun and Moon to tell them to get in line like everyone else. Moon had turned to the Fantastic, a Skinwalker gorilla, to look at him with a coldness that managed to calm the great ape down quickly, but to put on a brave face you saw Moon flash his police badge at the Fantastic, showing it long enough and saying he was police strong enough for several Fantastics in the crowd to start murmuring as a faint smell of fear began to waft through the air.

As you continued to make your way along the queue, the eyes that had been on the two policemen now turned to you as you followed close behind. You could feel even more animosity emanating from the Fantastics as they saw you, one of their own, in the company of the police. The hair on the back of your neck stood on end as you had to restrain yourself from responding to silent threats with growls or defiant glances. You knew that provoking a fight here and now in front of the bar, even if it might be fun, was not a good thing for your investigation, especially as it would be more than cliché.

You reached into your pocket and pulled out your consultant's badge to hang it prominently on your sweater. You pulled your sweater up as high as you could, tucking the sleeves into your gloves to make sure it didn't ride up, making sure you didn't have a single inch of skin visible apart from your face so as not to risk coming into contact with Fantastics whose nature you'd never copied before, and in these kinds of crowded places it was very easy to meet new creatures.

Arriving at the entrance to the bar, you faced the bouncers, one of whom was a bull Skinwalker, his huge pointed horns and tail clearly visible as he took in every customer who came his way from above. The other guard was a goblin, and though very small in stature, you could tell from his shark-like teeth and the unsteady gleam in his eye that he was ready to pounce on anyone who dared to enter without his permission. Both looked in your direction, the Skinwalker letting a menacing sigh leave his nostrils while the goblin growled slightly in Sun and Moon's direction.

"To get in you'd have to stand in line, like everyone else." Declared the bull.

"Unless we're police and have immediate authorization to come and talk to your boss." Sun replied, pulling out his badge and a document whose contents you were unable to make out.

You saw the goblin leap forward, grabbing the document in his hands before beginning to read the lines, wrinkling his nose, his eyes darting up at the three of you from time to time, sickeningly strange noises leaving his lips as he ground his teeth, making you wince. He finally growled, handing the document back to Sun, who almost had to crouch down to retrieve it. Just as you thought the two bouncers would let you in, the goblin let a mocking chuckle leave his lips before saying in his squeaky voice:

"Sorry for you, the boss isn't in tonight."

"Really ? Who owns the white Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing registered to Douglas Mushy that's parked in the reserved parking lot ?" Moon asked seriously, but you could detect a touch of mockery in his voice.

The two Fantastics froze, the goblin seeming to blush slightly at his lie, before finally the Skinwalker decided to step aside, giving way to you inside the bar. The two animatronics thanked the bouncers before stepping forward, pushing open the heavy metal door whose handle was a long bar located right in the middle of the door. All the smells you'd smelled outside hit you to the power of ten, making you wrinkle your nose as you held back a retch, you much preferred the smell of garbage cans to a bunch of sweaty, alcoholic Fantastics.

You weren't wrong when you said that this bar was more like a club. The main room was huge, the floor was black plastic, leaving no room for dirt or suspicious marks, the walls must surely have been greyish-white, but you couldn't tell exactly since the light was subdued and the sheer number of silhouettes in front of you blocked your view almost entirely. Dozens and dozens of Fantastics stood here and there on the 'dance floor', and you could see them moving more or less in tune with the music, which was playing far too loudly to be reasonable. Running the length of two sections of wall was the actual bar, behind which dozens of waiters and waitresses were handing out drinks to customers who hurried off to disappear into the crowd once more.

Your gaze continued to scan the room, trying to make out the smallest details despite the room's poor lighting conditions, with the few color-changing spotlights unable to remain fixed in the same spot. Your gaze was drawn to a staircase leading to an upper floor. Like the entrance to the bar, the staircase was guarded by bouncers, but only a few people seemed to be present on the upper floor, leading you to conclude that this must be the VIP area. Because of the constant movement of the crowd, you couldn't exactly focus your gaze on anyone or anything, and you could slowly feel a headache beginning to appear as all your senses were assaulted from all sides, even though you were entirely human in appearance.

Feeling a hand on your shoulder, you flinched slightly, your pupils shrinking to slits before you realized it was Moon's hand, your body relaxing again as your pupils returned to a more or less normal size. The animatronic had lowered its reddened optics in your direction, seeming silently to ask if everything was all right and if you'd noticed anything. You shook your face before motioning to Moon and Sun, who were also very close to you, to bend over, which they quickly did.

"Sorry, guys, but I can't do anything right now. My senses are confused by everything that's going on." You shouted lightly to make yourself heard over the music.

You saw Sun and Moon exchange a glance before Sun straightened up, his expression now extremely serious as Moon leaned directly against your ear, his artificial breath crashing against your ear and neck making you shiver slightly, his deep, low voice echoing over the music to say :

"Don't worry, Sun and I are doing a vital signs scan and facial recognition. Being on file we'll be able to find Douglas Mushy very easily."

"A-All right." You reply.

When Moon turned his attention back to the crowd of customers, you raised one of your hands to your ear, rubbing it gently to try and erase not only the sensation of the nocturnal animatronic's breath, but also the strange vibration Moon's low baritone voice had caused. Shaking your face slightly, noting with your gesture that Moon's hand had remained on your shoulder, you looked down at the huge metal hand. His hand occupied your entire shoulder, his fingers creasing the garment beneath. You began to observe the knuckles of the animatronic's hand, starting from the tips of his fingers which, buried in your sweater, were barely visible, before following the succession of knuckles and phalanges before stopping at his wrist, his arm disappearing from your view.

Unconsciously, you began to lift your gloved hand towards Moon's. As your fingertips barely grazed Moon's, you felt Moon's hand gently close over your shoulder, startling you again as you suddenly lowered your hand, hoping Moon hadn't surprised you. Your eyes looked around in panic before finally landing on Moon, who had lowered his facial disk in your direction, her glowing rubies resting on you. Under the embarrassment of your action and the pressure of Moon's gaze, you felt a hint of pink come to color your cheeks, and you were grateful that the lights were so subdued and ever-changing, as it helped to conceal some of the fire in your face. Your heart was beating wildly, and you sincerely hoped that the Moon animatronic wouldn't ask you for an explanation, as you couldn't understand what had possessed you to try and touch him.

"We've spotted Douglas Mushy." Moon sighed, leaning towards you.

You couldn't hold back a small sigh of relief from your lips as Moon straightened up, watching in a particular direction of the crowd, his attention away from you and what you'd almost done. Your mind was entirely unsettled, and you knew, with your Shapeshifter condition, that you couldn't afford right now, in this room full of supernatural creatures, not to be focused and careful about who you might potentially touch.

When you touched a magical creature for the first time, the 'First Contact' as you liked to call it, was always followed a few minutes later by the 'First Shifter'. The first time you transformed yourself into a new magical creature was always difficult, the transformation was painful and lasted much longer than the following times, as your body, in order to integrate the new data it had just copied, needed to engrave it into every fiber, every cell of your body, which, in a certain sense, led to a reaction similar to that of werewolves on the night of a full moon. The more different the creature you were about to transform into was from your 'human body', the greater the pain, and this took magic into account.

You raised one of your hands to your lips, biting down brutally on your thumb hard enough that you could feel your fangs through your glove, and hard enough that a jolt of pain shot through your arm, making you wince slightly but bringing your mind back to reality. You couldn't risk revealing to all those Fantastics that you were one of the magical creatures they feared and hated most. You couldn't risk letting Moon and Sun discover that you were a monster...

You looked up at Moon and Sun, seeing Sun make a few hand movements in Moon's direction, who nodded in response, and the two animatronics began to move forward into the crowd. Sun took the lead, glancing in your direction to make sure you were following, while Moon slipped in more or less behind you to guide you through the crowd using their statures. Which you did, following in the footsteps of the two animatronics, taking advantage of their animatronic build and the gap they made in the crowd as they moved forward to avoid as much contact as possible. You could feel the eyes on you as you moved between the bodies moving to the beat of the music, some curious, others more aggressive to see you in the company of animatronics.

As you passed a group of Skinwalkers, you saw, out of the corner of your eye, one of them start to stretch out his hand in your direction, ready to call out to you, probably to talk to you. You intended simply to ignore him and avoid his hand, but an arm quickly wrapped around your shoulder, pulling you against a metal body. You turned your head to the right, looking up at Moon. You were pressed against the animatronic's side, his arm sliding up your back before his hand rested mole-like against your shoulder, his fingers entirely relaxed. Moon, whose gaze was initially directed at the Skinwalker who'd tried to touch you, leaned towards you, his eyes shining with a mixture of apology and annoyance. He leaned towards you and whispered :

"Sorry for the proximity, but this way no one will bother you."

"It's actually you who's bothering me." You sighed in response, a blank expression on your face.

You weren't sure whether Moon had heard your answer, for you saw him frown, his pupils glowing slightly, while you preferred to turn your face back towards Sun, who had started to move slightly away from you. You reached out with your hand, taking Moon's arm from your shoulder, and set off after Sun, not even waiting for Moon to follow and help you through the crowd, preferring to face the Fantastic crowd rather than the animatronic. You, who had just managed to regain your focus on your investigation, Moon came out of nowhere to help you, even though you didn't need his help. You raised your hand to your lips once more, this time biting into your index finger to try and calm your heart, which had quickened slightly at the nocturnal animatronic's gesture, and your frustration, which was directed at yourself as you found yourself unable to concentrate properly.

You saw Sun stop in front of you, which made you stop in turn, Moon appearing shortly afterwards to take his place next to Sun, who was facing Douglas Mushy. The satyr must have been in his late thirties, his short dark-blond hair barely combed, giving him the look of someone just out of bed, his slightly pointed and hairy ears sporting hairs of a similar color to his hair. His face was quite angular, his chin adorned with a small goatee, and his thick, bushy eyebrows were slightly arched above his almost golden-yellow eyes with deep-black horizontal pupils. Douglas wore a black shirt that was far too open and, in addition to showing off the gold necklace on his neck, revealed the fur patch on his chest. With that, he wore off-white shorts that revealed his goat's feet, whose blond fur looked more groomed than his hair, his feet ending in gleaming black hooves.

"Animatronics ? You're very brave to come here. But who am I to refuse customers ?" Douglas laughed.

"We're not customers, Mister Mushy." Sun replied, holding out his police badge. "We're from the police and we'd like to ask you a few questions."

You saw the satyr freeze, his pupils dilating widely as the two Fantastics accompanying him, a fairy to his right and a mermaid to his left, began whispering in Douglas's ear, shocked and almost frightened expressions on their faces. After a few seconds' absence, the Fantastique quickly wrapped his arms around the waists of the two women accompanying him, a small smile returning slightly to his lips as he looked up at Sun and Moon, the surprise having disappeared to be replaced by an expression of satisfaction.

"Police officers, I'm sorry but I think you're supposed to contact me before you come to question me for I don't know what other crimes you're going to accuse me of."

"Oh, but Mister Douglas. That's what we've done, and on several occasions. But it seems you're too busy to answer your phone. So we got the DA's approval to come and see you and even search your bar if need be." Moon replied with a wry smile that revealed his sharp teeth.

The satyr froze again, seemingly unable to control his feelings and expressions, you saw his hands close a little too firmly on the waists of the two Fantastics on either side of him, you saw them wince slightly before seeing the fairy push the satyr's hand away, allowing Douglas to get back on his feet, once again putting his satisfied, superior expression back on his face. He released the two women beside him, before waving his hands dramatically and saying :

"My apologies gentlemen, you must understand I'm a busy man. But now that you're here, I'm ready to... What do we have here ?!"

Douglas was interrupted mid-sentence as his gaze landed on you, you saw his pupils dilate once more, as he let an admiring whistle leave his lips. The Fantastic lifted one of his hooves and swiftly struck the ground several times, his goat's tail wagging. You let a disgusted expression appear on your face as you rolled your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest. After his demonstration of wonder, he grinned in your direction, even winking at you and making you gag.

"A lovely specimen of Cat-Walker we have here. You're really beautiful, I'd love to see what you look like with your little ears and tail, would you show me..."

"The only thing you're going to see of me will be my claws as they rip off your goatee and shove it down your throat and choke you with it..." You growled, your eyes reduced to two tiny slits.

Your threat seemed to catch everyone beside you off guard, Sun and Moon had lowered their facial disks towards you, but you didn't even give them a glance, keeping your gaze fixed on the satyr in front of you, your (e/c) eyes fixed in his. You hadn't let your feline attributes make their appearance, because you knew that would have satisfied Douglas. You didn't even adopt a threatening stance, you didn't growl at him, you just looked at him, like a fighting dog would look at his opponent before pouncing on him. You knew this was the best way to intimidate an opponent, at least  that's what you'd learned on the streets of the Miracle District.

And it seemed to work, for you saw the two Fantastics in Douglas's company back away slightly, looking at you with wide eyes, while a hint of the scent of fear wafted through the air. The satyr also seemed surprised by your repartee, you saw his eyes scan your silhouette from top to bottom, his eyes stopping on your consultant card which made him frown, an expression of disgust appearing on his lips before he let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Whoua whoua... You're more like a tiger than a cat, calm down. I was merely paying you a compliment and making an innocent suggestion. But now that I see your police card, I understand better... You're a sellout, aren't you ? Betraying your own kind won't keep you awake at night, you..."

"You'd better keep your language appropriate when talking to our consultant." Moon declared with a slight growl. "Contempt of an officer can be punishable by imprisonment, and if it would make it easier for us to interrogate you, it would still be best to avoid it."

"Now, Mr. Mushy, if you'd like to find a room where we can have a quiet chat, we'd be very grateful." Sun added with a coldness that troubled you.

You heard the satyr strike the floor very aggressively before finally nodding, inviting you to follow him as he apologized to the two women accompanying him, letting go of their waists. As the satyr turned on them, you saw the two women show expressions of disgust and annoyance, letting you know that they were only in the company of the bar owner to take advantage of his fame and potentially his money. You let a wry smile appear on your lips, at least Douglas hadn't bewitched them with his magic, no need to create false feelings when everything was already false.

You followed Moon and Sun, following the satyr through the bar as he headed for the VIP area. After giving instructions to the two Fantastics guarding the entrance to the staircase, you saw one of them disappear upstairs while the other let you through, Douglas taking you to the upper floor, which was already much less busy with customers. The room upstairs had a much calmer atmosphere, with a private bar just as large as the one downstairs, complete with armchairs and furniture that looked to be worth a small fortune. Some of the VIP clients seated in these armchairs looked in your direction before starting to murmur things you couldn't hear over the loud music.

As you crossed the living room, you saw a flash of white light move quickly out of the corner of your eye, you turned your head trying to spot the thing that had moved quickly between the feet of the furniture and the customers disappearing into a corridor on the other side of the room. Even though your curiosity wanted you to poke around and find out what the creature you'd seen was, Douglas led you into another room, opening a door and ushering you into some kind of office. The music was already much less important, and the smells had diminished, leaving only that of Douglas, who must surely have frequented this room.

The satyr took a seat behind the wooden desk in the room, beckoning Sun and Moon to settle into the armchairs opposite him. There were only two chairs, and you saw Douglas look in your direction with an expression of mock apology. You saw Sun and Moon exchange glances, Sun ready to give up his seat, but you'd already turned your back and started exploring the office, a smirk on your lips as you set about making Douglas regret his decision to let you snoop around. The satyr turned his attention back to Sun and Moon, resting both hands on his desk and crossing his goat legs before saying :

"So why exactly did you want to see me ?"

"We're investigating the disappearance of Jenna Royn, we discovered when we checked her bank accounts that she came here regularly, we'd like to know if you had any information about her. Perhaps the last time you saw her, someone she used to chat with..." Sun asked.

"Gentlemen, I'll be frank with you. I have no idea who you're talking about. Do you know how many people come to my bar every night ? Over a thousand Fantastics come into my bar every night ! So you'll understand that I don't bother to look or take an interest in the customers' lives. Besides, this isn't the only bar I have to manage, I'm not only in this one."

You looked slightly in Douglas Mushy's direction, rolling your eyes and letting an expression of disgust appear on your lips at the man's behavior. You turned your attention back to the desk, examining what was there. There were a number of books on the shelves, but he didn't seem to be using them, the dust having accumulated on the spines of the books and on the shelves themselves, proving to you that Douglas was not a cultured Fantastic like Monsieur Botzaris was. There were a few knick-knacks scattered here and there, posters and other photos of his bar or of half-naked Fantastic men and women that made you wrinkle your nose even more.

You then noticed on a shelf the presence of a fine mark in the dust, barely a few centimetres wide, and you frowned, the traces that had been left in the dust were similar to those of something, in this case a book, that was usually removed and placed on the shelf. However, as you looked at the books opposite the marks, you noticed that none of them matched the size of the marks. But some of the books had less dust on them, as if you'd put your hands on them to hold them in place and prevent them from shifting when you removed a book next to them. You grabbed one of the less dusty books, lifting it up to your face to sniff lightly, the slight smell of satyr on the cover confirming your suspicions. You looked down at Douglas, realizing that the book could be with him, or that he'd simply got rid of it.

In the corner of your eye, a small white silhouette appeared in the doorway that had been opened. A small, relatively round head appeared through the door, the creature, which you assumed to be a small robot, was barely 30 cm tall, wore a strange hat on its head, its eyes were simple round black, while its mouth was split into a huge, almost frightening smile. He had a big pink nose and a few other small details of the same color on his face. You couldn't see his body hidden behind the door, but he seemed to be holding something like cymbals in his hands.

The little animatronic looked quickly in Douglas's direction, and as he was about to leave the room, seeing that the satyr was busy, his eyes met yours. You froze and he froze too, the two of you silently analyzing and observing each other. You saw his gaze go to the book you were holding close to your face, then to the shelf where the book would normally be, and you almost saw him frown. You let a thin line form on your lips and decided to return his questioning gaze by pointing to the door through which he had begun to enter unannounced. Finally, you saw him back away slowly, and you turned your face away too, pretending you hadn't seen anything.

"I'm also the owner of this bar, not a waiter or a bartender. So if you want to know if this... Jenna's been here lately, why don't you talk to the waiters ? You've already lost me a good part of my clientele anyway."

Douglas's voice made you turn your head in his direction again, the satyr seemed to have finished with Sun and Moon, you could tell from his expression that he was getting annoyed, his goat hooves lightly tapping the ground periodically. After a few seconds you looked towards the door again, the little animatronic having disappeared, you blinked before shaking your face. Sun and Moon exchanged glances, the two animatronics clearly not satisfied with their discussions with the satyr, but had to give up. The Moon animatronic, however, let a smile appear on his lips as he said :

"Very well, we'll accept your offer and interrogate your employees."

"And here's the police number. If you ever have any new information about Jenna Royn contact us." Sun added as she stood up, dropping a card on Douglas's desk, sliding it in his direction.

"Yeah yeah. I'll do that." Declared the satyr, retrieving the card with an expression of annoyance.

Moon and Sun headed for the exit, Sun waving at you and inviting you to pass in front of him, which you quickly did, leaving Douglas's office without looking in the Fantastique's direction. Arriving in the corridor, at a safe distance from the satyr's office so as not to risk being overheard, but still far from the din resounding downstairs, Moon stopped and turned to you and Sun, sighing :

"I'm sure he knows things about Jenna but simply refuses to say them. I doubt very much that the waiters will be of any more help to us, but we can try anyway."

"I couldn't tell you if he was lying, he didn't particularly smell of fear and with the amount of perfume he had on him, not even an insect would dare approach him." You sighed.

Sun poussa shook his facial disk in turn, muttering something about a "deplorable individual", which made you laugh slightly. You didn't immediately dare tell them about the notebook, fearing that you might be overheard, and if the notebook was still in Douglas's possession you didn't want him to be able to get rid of it... That is, if he hadn't already. Given the marks, it could have been a few days or just a few hours. You decided to start by chatting to the bar staff in the VIP area. Sun and Moon approached the counter and started chatting with the bartenders behind it. You preferred not to interfere and question people yourself, as many of the customers weren't entirely in their right frame of mind, and you didn't want to risk straying too far from the two animatronics, which were a good deterrent against these Fantastics. Not that you were afraid of a fight, you just didn't want to risk your cover.

As you leaned against the counter, lost in thought, listening distractedly to the two detectives who had begun to interrogate yet another employee who strangely knew nothing about Jenna, your gaze was once again drawn to the silhouette of the little animatronics you'd noticed twice before. Except that this time you could clearly make out its body, the little animatronic resembled a kind of Drider, with a small spider-like body and three pairs of legs, which made it look more like an insect than a spider, but it didn't matter. The funny little robot had two hands, which this time were empty.

You frowned as you watched the little metal creature flail about under a group of customers' tables, his movements frantic and aggressive as he moved along the floor, waving its empty hands in the direction of the customers at the table. Looking in the direction of the customers, you saw one of them, a Skinwalker zebra with a black-and-white striped tail and ears, leaning towards the little animatronic, threatening to kick him, which the robot quickly dodged as he continued to shake. The customers around the table let their laughter leave their lips as they continued to jostle the little animatronic. Then you saw that the arachnoid animatronic's cymbals were lying on the table between their glasses.

Your expression changed from one of incomprehension to one of anger, as the Fantastics surrounding the table had stolen the cymbals from the bizarre little animatronic and were now having fun mocking him, refusing to give him back what belonged to him. A small growl left your lips as you watched the zebra Skinwalker try to kick the animatronic again, this time the little robot jumped on his leg, but the Skinwalker shook his leg violently, sending the little robot tumbling a little further to the floor. Not holding on any longer, you looked in the direction of Moon and Sun, seeing that the two animatronics were so busy that they couldn't simply turn to face you and prevent you from leaving, you stood up.

You felt a look coming your way, but ignored it, heading straight for the table of Fantastics who were taking the liberty of attacking someone smaller than themselves. As you moved forward, you withdrew your consultant's card, plunging it into your pocket, as you didn't want the police to be blamed for what you might have done. As you indirectly approached him, you saw the little arachnoid animatronic looking in your direction, his face tilted sideways in suspicion. You looked at him for a few seconds, then at his cymbals before winking at him, which made the little metal creature frown.

Your mind went to work trying to find a way to retrieve the cymbals from the animatronic without directly endangering yourself. If there had been fewer people around the table you could easily have snatched the little musical instruments, but there were more than three of them and you couldn't afford a direct confirmation, especially as by the time you reached the height of the table you could smell alcohol wafting through the air, making you wrinkle your nose in disgust. An opportunity suddenly appeared in the form of a customer, a vampire, who was passing right by the table where the Fantastics were sitting with the cymbals in their possession.

A wry smile appeared on your face, and you moved so that you were slightly in the path of the vampire carrying the alcoholic beverages. And as the vampire passed you, you moved one of your legs, not enough to be directly noticeable, but enough to cause the advancing Supernatural to stumble slightly, the drinks tipping over and spilling most of them onto the table where the Fantastics were having fun persecuting the little animatronic. A series of grunts and shrieks followed, and you took a small step to the side, seeing the zebra Skinwalker and one of his comrades, a troll, rise to their feet, grabbing the customer you'd tripped and threatening him violently.

A small grimace contorted your lips as you partially apologized for getting the customer into trouble, but you reassured yourself that it wasn't as bad as all that, since the people who came here, and more importantly, who had access to the VIP area, were not 'good' people. As the tension began to build between the three of them, the vampire starting to get slightly annoyed as he apologized to the others, you passed them once more, this time pretending to be pushed by them because of their agitation. You deliberately stumbled towards the table, your hands resting on the wood between the glasses of alcohol and conveniently right next to the cymbals. You turned towards the three Fantastics who had 'jostled' you to say :

"Hey ! Watch what you're doing !"

You then straightened up, letting your hands discreetly grab the cymbals while everyone was more or less focused on the other three Fantastics who were now almost starting to fight, violent and a little too aggressive movements starting to be exchanged. Cymbals in hand, you quickly moved away from the table, quickly looking for the little animatronic you quickly spotted. You gave him a big smile, lifting the cymbals to show them to him, and saw him jump up quickly before hurrying to follow you into a quieter corner of the bar. Once you were sure you were far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the other Fantastics, you crouched down in front of the little arachnoid animatronic, handing him back his cymbals.

The mini animatronic moved closer to you, quickly retrieving his cymbals from your hands as if he feared you'd change your mind and take them away again. You saw him grip his cymbals tightly, banging them together before looking up at you, he banged his cymbals together twice, as if telling you something. You tilted your head to one side, raising an eyebrow as he repeated the gesture several times, trying to understand what the little metal creature was trying to tell you. Finally you understood a small "o" forming on your lips as the "Thank you" that seemed to resonate through the cymbal blasts was heard.

"You're welcome, little metal beast. But you'd better get out of here before someone decides to take your cymbals again."

The little animatronic nodded, striking his cymbals once more, before quickly scurrying off, his six metal legs making him disappear at the end of one of the corridors you were standing in. You stood up, let out a small sigh and slipped your hands into your pockets, heading back towards the main hall with the intention of joining Sun and Moon. You saw a Fantastique being sent tumbling over the protective barrier that protected the VIP area of the dance floor below, landing on the crowd. Your pupils dilated as a series of screams and grunts were heard. Quickly, the Fantastic who'd been thrown off, who was in fact the vampire you'd tripped, leapt up from the dance floor below, clawing at the barrier like a wild beast before pouncing on the zebra Skinwalker who was surely the one who'd pushed him off.

It didn't take much for things to get out of hand, and the cries of surprise quickly turned into growls of rage or squeals of pain. You let a small grimace appear on your lips, not knowing whether to be proud of managing to start a bar brawl or feel guilty. The two bouncers protecting the VIP area were quickly overtaken as several Fantastics stormed the upper floor. Finding you near the stairs, the Fantastics, under the influence of alcohol and simple anger, who climbed the steps immediately turned towards you. You barely had time to partially transform, narrowly dodging the dwarf who had thrown himself at you, his body crashing heavily against the wall.

You jumped quickly and easily over the now unconscious dwarf, moving away from the bulk of the Fantastic crowd who were climbing the steps towards the VIP area, and into the VIP area yourself, heading back towards the bar, where you had last seen Moon and Sun. The music continued to play, but now bodies were no longer moving to the beat of the music, but rather to the rhythm of the blows. Grunts and other exclamations punctuated the ambient din from time to time, almost covering the noise of the music. You had pressed your ears against your skull not only to muffle the noise but also to prevent anyone from grabbing them, and for the same reason, you had wrapped your tail around one of your legs.

Your heart was racing, and it was now even harder to avoid hitting the Fantastics, their movements even more unpredictable now that they'd all decided to fight. You saw a siren suddenly appear in front of you, her gaze scanning around before coming to rest on you, you saw her lips curl up, an inaudible growl leaving her lips before she pounced on you, reaching out her clawed hands in your direction. You reacted instantly, grabbing one of the people closest to you by the back collar of his clothing and pushing him sharply in the direction of the siren, the two of them colliding brutally, as you took advantage of their confusion to quickly move past them.

After dodging several stray blows and avoiding being jostled by several Fantastics who had been pushed more or less violently, you finally reached the bar counter. You quickly jumped over the counter, using your hands to support yourself before swinging your legs over, landing behind the counter and immediately crouching down, startling the bartenders and the few waiters who'd had time to take refuge. You immediately raised your hands in their direction to let them know that you were clean and not here to fight. You straightened up, your tail whipping through the air as you tried to catch sight of the two detectives. Silently cursing, you couldn't understand how you could have lost two such large animatronics...

Your heart sank at the thought that they might have been attacked, but you tried to reassure yourself that they were powerful and imposing enough to defend themselves... You clicked your tongue, your ears twitching several times against your skull in annoyance. You didn't see why you cared about them, it was Sun and Moon who had wanted to come to the "The Horned Hoat", it wasn't your fault they got hurt. What's more, they were members of the Technological People, and Sun himself had said that it would take more than that to hurt them... But with the number of Fantastics present and their lack of decency and control, you couldn't help but doubt the safety of the two animatronics.

You bit your lower lip, guilt slowly beginning to gnaw at your insides, knowing full well that you were the main cause of this general brawl. You felt a lump form in the pit of your stomach as your breathing quickened a little more, the same feeling of anguish and despair you felt every time you did something hoping to do good only to see things get worse, kicking in. You lowered your eyes to your hands, watching them tremble slightly as, once again, you could only see that your very existence was the source of unhappiness... You felt overwhelmed, not only because all your senses were being assaulted, the noise, the smell, everything blending together to create a blurred, suffocating flood of information, but also because you realized once again that you didn't deserve the trust and sympathy of others, least of all the two Detectives.

You closed your eyes for a second, taking a jerky breath as your hands closed into fists in an attempt to calm yourself, before finally letting out a sigh. Raising yourself up to look over the counter once more, you placed your hands roughly on the counter before jumping up, bringing yourself to your feet to try and spot the two animatronics in the crowd once more. Seeing that they were clearly no longer in the VIP area, you jumped off the counter, moving closer to the security barrier to observe the commotion below.

You saw transformed Skinwalkers biting each other, Fairies flying uncontrollably, while each Fantastic, in his own way, seemed to have lost control of himself. You couldn't help but feel disappointed and despair at seeing your own community like this, too much of you understood why humans hated you so much, you were like wild beasts, you were monsters...

Still not seeing the two metal policemen, part of you began to think that maybe they'd just gone without you. Seeing that things were getting out of hand and you simply weren't at their side, leaving was the most logical thing they could have done rather than risk getting hurt waiting for you. If that was the case, you clearly couldn't blame them; in this mass of unleashed Supernaturals, you were just another Fantastic and responsible for all this chaos. Your heart sank slightly at the thought of Sun and Moon abandoning you, but you told yourself that in their place you'd have abandoned yourself too...

A shiver ran down your spine just in time to warn you and allow you to turn your face and dodge a punch delivered directly to the back of your skull. You looked up to see the Fantastic you'd used as a shield against the mermaid who'd tried to attack you. He had several claw marks on his face and body, but not deep enough to worry about his prognosis. What's more, the fiery gleam in his eyes confirmed that he wasn't ready to retreat just yet. Having been used as cannon fodder clearly didn't sit well with him, and you could see the anger and desire for revenge in his eyes. The Fantastic, who was a hybrid between a troll and an elf, stepped menacingly in your direction, his fists clenching along his body.

You grimaced with a sigh, the hybrid didn't seem to appreciate your action and lunged at you again, fist outstretched towards your nose, you managed to take a step to the side, his blow grazing a few strands of your hair. You took another small step backwards away from him, staying close to the fence to keep an eye on what was happening below, hoping to find the two detectives. The hybrid opened and closed his hands, letting a smile of annoyance appear on his lips as he returned the charge on you. He tried again to hit you with his fist, this time aiming for your stomach. You deflected his blow using one of your hands, pushing his arm back at wrist level just enough so that he didn't hit you, though you could clearly feel that he had more Troll than Elf blood from the strength in his arm.

He wasted no time in following up with another series of punches, which you more or less narrowly avoided, your agility and the speed you had with your smaller frame keeping you more or less safe. You certainly didn't want to get hit, as he'd be capable of breaking a rib with his strength, and you didn't want to end up like the barrier he'd accidentally hit, which had ended up slightly deformed. As you got to your feet after bending to avoid his hand that tried to grab you by the throat, you saw his fist come for your face once again, and with a hiss you pivoted on one of your legs in profile to face him, your back pressing against the barrier you were standing next to.

The Fantastic, who was determined to finish you off, seized the opportunity to pounce on you, both hands reaching for your throat. You barely caught his wrists, blocking both hands centimetres from your already bruised throat. Your heart throbbed in your throat as your breath caught in your chest, and you gritted your teeth, fighting with all your might against those hands that were trying to break your neck. Your ears lay back against your skull, while your pupils were now reduced to two slits, watching the hybrid's hands move a little closer to you.

You drew back as far as you could, tilting your head back to gain a few centimetres as you felt the strength in your hands begin to desert you, the grips of your gloved fingers slipping slightly as panic began to overcome you. Not only because you were potentially going to get killed again, but also because you still hadn't found Moon and Sun. You hoped they'd at least left the bar and would call for reinforcements to avoid serious injury or death. You closed your eyes, trying to concentrate on saving your miserable existence.

Chapter Text

"Y/N!"

You suddenly opened your eyes as you heard that voice you now knew too well echoing even over the din of the crowd and the music. Looking at the crowd, which was upside down due to the position you were in, you saw the tall figure of Sun, and right next to him was that of Moon. The two detectives two or three meters away and below you were being jostled by the crowd, but their metal bodies and stature enabled them to remain relatively still in this tide of bodies. The two animatronics were looking in your direction, worried and shocked expressions on their facial disks as they took note of the situations you were in.

You could see the panic and worry in their red and black eyes respectively, you could see that they were desperate not to be able to help you, not to be able to reach you to help you. In spite of the situation, in spite of the noise, in spite of the danger, you couldn't help but feel a touch of warmth rise once again in the hollows of your heart. Once again, they were worried about you. They had waited for you, they had looked for you and they had found you. You, who had told yourself that they had left, that it was the best thing they could have done, were happy and relieved to see them. The first hint of a smile began to appear on your lips, but was quickly cut short as you felt the hybrid continue to rage against you.

Your ears laid back against your skull, your tail whipped through the air before a growl finally left your lips, your fangs uncovered in its direction as your pupils narrowed to slits. You reacted immediately, lifting both your legs, bending them, leaving only the barrier behind you and the hybrid's strangling hands for support, before thrusting them straight into the hybrid's stomach. You weren't extremely strong, but the blow took the half-Troll half-Elf's breath away, making him step back and forcing him to release you for a few seconds. In one movement you pivoted on yourself, grabbing your police consultant card from your pocket and bringing it to your lips, catching it between your teeth before you turned completely and suddenly, clutching the barrier.

Your feline body contracted, settling on itself as you balanced on the safety barrier and looked in the direction of Moon and Sun, who were still staring at you. You heard the Fantastic rushing at you again, hands outstretched and ready to break you now that you were in such vulnerable form. You met the eyes of the two metal detectives, your heart missing a beat as you released the tension you'd built up in your body, your feline hind legs making you leap straight towards Sun and Moon as the hybrid's hand passed just inches from your tail. As your body slowly tumbled towards the two animatronics, but above all towards the crowd, you prayed that the two policemen would have the reflex to catch you before you hit the ground, as you were likely to be trampled and injured by the crowd's agitation. You closed your eyes, thinking : "Please... catch me."

As the wind caressed your fur and the sounds echoed in your ears, you suddenly felt everything stop. Two hands stopping your fall as delicately as possible, wrapping themselves around your feline waist, metal fingers digging lightly into your fur as you felt yourself being pulled and pressed against clothes, the sensation then prompting you to open your eyes. You met the incandescent rubies of Moon, whose facial disk had been lowered in your direction, and a smile of relief appeared on his lips, furtively uncovering his sharp teeth before he straightened up again. One of his hands moved, slipping under your hind legs and hindquarters, careful not to pull the hairs of your tail to support you, while the other wrapped around your shoulders, pressing you firmly against him as you watched him exchange words with Sun who, after looking in your direction, turned towards the exit.

You couldn't hear what Moon was saying to Sun, you couldn't even hear the music any more, the only thing you could hear was the beat of your heart echoing in your ears. They'd caught you, as if they'd read your mind they'd caught up with you and once again they were protecting you, Moon keeping you firmly against him as he moved through the crowd following Sun who was clearing the way. Were you relieved ? Shocked ? Troubled ? Happy ? You weren't used to it, you'd never felt like this before and it scared you not to understand.

When you saw movement in your peripheral vision, you snapped out of your thoughts, looking at Sun's back, which was directly in front of you, and at the figure charging towards the daytime animatronic. A small mewl, muffled by the card you were still holding between your fangs, left your lips as you saw a Skinwalker lion preparing to pounce on him, but your concern was quickly erased as you saw it almost easily grab the lion by the mane, pushing him to the ground before kicking him in the paws, forcing the lion to the ground, the beast uttering a grunt of pain. Sun set off again as if nothing had happened, the lion remaining on the ground with his tail between his paws.

Your consultant's card almost flew out of your mouth, your confusion replaced by shock. You managed to catch it with your paws and grasp it once more in your mouth as you felt Moon lower his eyes to yours, sensing your agitation. You knew they were strong, you'd seen it and you knew it, but it impressed you every time, they were so out of their league. But it was even more impressive to see one show so much power while the other held you so delicately in his hands, his fingers barely caressing your fur, making you almost shiver as you almost felt the urge to purr making an appearance in the hollow of your ribcage.

You were frightened. "That's it." you thought, trying to justify the troubled feelings you were experiencing. You were totally and utterly frightened and unsettled by these two animatronics, and indirectly by all the other animatronics if they were all like this. They were monsters of metal and electricity. You couldn't understand why humans feared fantasy creatures more than Animatronics... Humans were completely insane.

Lost in your thoughts, and incidentally in your feelings, you didn't realize you were outside until Moon loosened his grip on you, barely pulling you away from his torso. You tilted your head back, raising your muzzle towards Moon and then turning it towards Sun, who was standing right next to his brother. The two animatronics had stopped, looking towards the bar, standing several meters from the entrance to the parking lot. You followed their gazes to see several Fantastics running out of 'The Horned Goat' while others, in search of sensations, entered.

You heard Sun sigh, which drew your attention to him once more, and saw the solar animatronic lift one of his hands and pass it over his facial disk, its rays waving thoughtfully from right to left. After this, Sun blinked, turning from Moon to look down at you, who were still in the arms of the other detective. At the same time, your attention was diverted by the sensation of Moon's fingers lightly brushing against your fur, making you shiver as your ears twitched slightly against your skull under the slightly unpleasant sensation. You looked up at the Moon animatronic, frowning at him with your feline eyebrows as you wagged your tail to let him know it wasn't pleasant.

Sun's hand then appeared in your field of vision, removing your consultant's card, which you still held between your fangs. Grateful for this, you opened and closed your mouth several times, wiggling your whiskers and lower jaw to relax it. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sun slip your consultant's card into his pocket, his gaze still fixed on you as you felt him scan you up and down, surely to make sure you were all right. As you lifted one of your front paws to rub your muzzle, trying to remove the odors that seemed to have crept in, Moon's voice rang out to ask :

"Are you all right, Kitten ?"

A meow accompanied by a small growl of annoyance left your feline muzzle at the nickname. You rested the paw you'd lifted, pulling out your claws to plant them just barely in the sleeve of Moon's jacket, sending him a message. You saw a small mocking smile appear on Moon's lips, his red orbs sparkling with amusement but also relief that you were well enough to be frustrated. As Moon moved his hands underneath you, his fingers indirectly caressing your black-streaked gray fur, you realized you were still in the detective's arms. And this even though you were now out of danger, and could resume your human form without fear.

You wriggled into Moon's arms, forcing him to release you as you leapt from his arms, landing on the concrete floor. You shook your fur as if trying to rid yourself of dirt and odors before finally recovering your human form. You straightened up, looking in the direction of the two metal policemen with a small grimace of annoyance as you said to them, pointing to the bar :

"Instead of calling me by annoying nicknames shouldn't you be contacting your colleagues about this instead ? The wild beasts serving as Fantastics inside are probably likely to do quite a bit of damage."

"Don't worry. We've already contacted the police. They should be here any minute. We've even asked for an ambulance to come just in case." Sun replied.

"I'm not worried. Seeing that asshole Mushy's property get trashed isn't something unpleasant to see. And the vast majority of those inside deserve what's coming to them..." You sigh, frowning, before finally lowering your eyes. "I'm sorry... It's my fault."

"How could it be your fault ?" Sun questioned, stepping closer to you.

"I got distracted by something, pulled away from you, bumped into someone who himself bumped into someone else and things went downhill from there..."

"It was an accident. Besides, this is a bar, so customers should expect to be pushed around. You don't have to worry about that." Sun continued with a reassuring smile, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You looked at the animatronic's hand before moving up to look at his smile and his eyes, which were set on you and shining with gentleness, comfort and sincerity, there wasn't an ounce of reproach, anger, hatred or disgust in his obsidian-colored optics. There was none of that, none of what you usually saw in other people's eyes. Sun's rays flashed around his skull quickly and encouragingly, and you saw Moon move his facial disk slightly, the tassel of his cap twitching as his expression was neutral and calm, more or less mirroring the feelings you saw in Sun.

Suddenly your attention was diverted by the sirens and flashing lights of the police and ambulance. Red and blue flashing and changing lights illuminated the parking lot and the surrounding area, while the noise caused many Fantastics to flee the bar in fear of the police. You watched as the lights drew reflections and shadows on the facial disks of the two detectives you were accompanying. You felt once again that this world of doing good was not for you, for too many reasons. You didn't deserve this treatment, you didn't deserve Moon and Sun's kindness. You stepped back, dislodging Sun's hand who immediately turned in your direction as you took another step backwards, finding yourself slightly hidden in the shadows of the cars parked in the parking lot.

"There are far too many accidents caused by me..."

You didn't wait for a reply from the two animatronics, who frowned, calling your name as you turned on your heels, moving slightly away from them and into the parking lot. You saw the two detectives make a move to follow you, but their police colleagues who had just arrived called out to them, grabbing the attention of the two animatronics just enough to pull you away. You didn't leave the parking lot, you'd have liked to leave and go home to rest and not have to think about anything, but you still had some information to give them about the missing notebook in Douglas's office. Besides, you knew that if you did that you'd worry them again, and you didn't want to cause them any more trouble today.

While the police were clearing out the bar, arresting the more aggressive Fantastics and helping to treat the few injured there were, you wandered around the parking lot, trying to distract yourself in any way you could. You started by counting the cars, then tried to memorize the first letters of the license plates in a line, even tried to predict which car would leave, letting an exclamation of surprise and shock leave your lips when you succeeded once. Eventually, you adopted your feline form, climbing onto the roof of one car before moving from one to the next, forcing your mind to focus on something other than your feelings and the thoughts racing between your ears. You'd never been very good with feelings, whether other people's or your own, they were too complicated to understand and you didn't want to understand them.

As you leapt onto a new car, you heard similar sounds of rapid footsteps. You froze, your ears twitching as you looked again for the sound without success, and shook your head, thinking that perhaps it was a distant sound distorted by the surrounding noise. You resumed your journey, jumping onto the roof of a blue car, sliding down the windscreen, leaving a few paw prints in the process, before jumping onto the car opposite, a grey pick-up. You climbed onto the roof before jumping into the rear trailer, the smell of animals and hay making you realize that the vehicle belonged to a farmer, or at least a farm animal owner. You saw a small chicken feather in the rear bucket and decided to be silly, so you played with it, lifting it with one paw, letting it fall back and jumping on it, repeating the process several times, forgetting your human side.

As you jumped onto the feather once more, dropping onto your side to push it into the air with your front paws, you heard the sound of rapid footsteps again, this time much closer to you, which immediately made you stand up to look over the back of the pick-up, your fur bristling in threat and warning. You looked towards the asphalt, your feline eyebrows furrowing as your tail wagged in annoyance, the sound had once again stopped, you shook your head violently, letting your fur regain its usual appearance. You looked in the direction of the bar to see that the police were beginning to scatter, the law cars leaving the parking lot as Fantastics were arrested and taken to the police, you tried to see Sun and Moon but quickly gave up, not wanting to think again just yet.

You let out a sigh, having lost all interest in continuing to play with the feather you jumped onto the roof of the next vehicle, and so on until you found a car covered in dust, you placed yourself on the hood of the car being careful not to leave too many pawprints as you began to rub one of your front paws in the dust, writing with clumsy movements: "Clean me up !" You couldn't help but giggle cat-like at your own stupidity, but you also winced as you smelled the dust that had accumulated under your paws, particularly the one you'd written with. You jumped to the ground, landing on the asphalt. You began by rubbing your paws, spreading your feline fingers to remove the dust from between your pads.

The same sound that seemed to be chasing you was heard again before a car not far from where you were standing jumped out as if someone had just climbed on it. Seriously starting to get annoyed, you let an angry growl leave your lips, before moving cautiously towards the car. You had your claws out, your ears laid back against your skull as your fur once again stood up on your spine, you approached the car, starting to circle it slowly, examining and sniffing the air carefully to try and see if it was a Fantastique trying to mock you, but all you could smell were exhaust pipes and hot asphalt. As you began to lean in close to look under the car, footsteps were heard coming towards you, and you immediately stood up to see Sun and Moon coming towards you, their optics shining in the darkness.

"What are you doing Kitten ?" Sun asked with a smile, looking at the car you were standing next to and raising an eyebrow.

It didn't take much more than the nickname to raise the level of annoyance you felt towards them because of everything they were putting you through. You feinted in Sun's direction before immediately turning back to the car, quickly lying down on the ground to look underneath and see that there was nothing there. You squinted, puckering up your muzzle before making a little pout, moving away from the car to change back into your human form. You shook your hands together to remove the dust before doing the same to your clothes. You then turned to the two animatronics, placing one of your hands on your hips as you pointed the index finger of your other hand in their direction.

"If you keep calling me that, I'll end up having fun coming up with nicknames for you too. And if I call you by what you are, it's likely to be something like 'iron soldier' 'tin can' or simply 'metal', I can come up with more if you like ?" You declared with a haughty tone.

Moon let a laugh leave his lips, his red eyes lighting up with an amused gleam, replacing the hint of concern you almost thought you saw in his optics when you first opened your mouth. But you quickly dismissed this idea, telling yourself that you were probably imagining things. After all, his eyes were made of metal and you don't know what else, so you told yourself that you probably couldn't read anything in them. The two animatronics turned towards where their car had been parked, passing you as you looked back in the direction of the car you'd seen move without explanation. Sun's hand coming to rest against your shoulder as he spoke made you snarl again :

"Let's go. Kitten."

You dug both hands into your pockets, letting several small, barely audible insults leave your lips, and when the two animatronics looked in your direction to reproach you for your language you gave them an innocent smile, grimacing at their backs immediately after they turned around again. Arriving in front of the car you let out a sigh, slightly feeling the fatigue of today's events beginning to weigh on your shoulders, but you still had things to say to the two animatronics so reaching for the wrist of the car door you decided to tell them about that famous little absent book.

"Hey, in Mushy's office, I noticed that there was some kind of little book missing from one of the shelves. It could be nothing at all but I found it suspicious since it seemed to be the only book he used and..."

You didn't finish your sentence, your whole body suddenly turning in a defensive stance as the sound of footsteps was heard once again, close and fast, Sun and Moon had also turned their facial discs in the direction of the sound when they saw your sudden reaction, their weapons immediately drawn and aimed at the figure who charged in your direction. Just as quickly, however, you abandoned your threatening stance as you saw the little cymbal-wielding animatronic appear from beneath the cars standing a little way off. He moved closer to you until he stopped at your feet, and you tilted your head to the side with your eyebrows furrowed, watching him with a certain curiosity as he banged his cymbals against each other, his wide eyes glinting at you as if he were waiting for you to say something.

"Huh... Hey ?" You say with a quizzical grimace.

Sun, who was closest to you, looked in the direction of the animatronic before looking back at you, and you saw him raise his weapon slightly so that it was no longer pointed at the metal spider. The solar animatronic replaced his weapon in its holster before crossing his arms over his torso, his eyebrows furrowed and his rays waving rapidly. Moon, on the other side of the car, circled around, his weapon already stowed, as he saw that Sun had judged the threat to be null and void and that you had started talking to the newcomer. The nocturnal animatronic took up position beside you, one hand in his jacket pocket and the other falling down his body as he asked, keeping his rubies fixed on the unknown animatronic :

"Do you know him ?"

"No and yes. I mean... I don't know if it can be called 'knowing someone' if you've exchanged less than three sentences with him."

You didn't understand why the little animatronic had started following you like that, but come to think of it you'd been in your animal form almost entirely after leaving the bar, so maybe he hadn't recognized you and had preferred to observe you for a while to see if you were the person who'd helped him retrieve his musical instruments. And the question of why he hadn't approached you as soon as he'd seen it was you could be summed up in two words, 'Moon' and 'Sun'. From the little emotion you could see in his face and the way he was looking at the two animatronics next to you, it seemed he would have preferred to talk to you alone, but he quickly adapted to the situation as you saw him move again. The little animatronic grabbed his two cymbals with one of his hands, moving closer to you before reaching out with the other, grabbing the bottom of your pants and pulling them slightly.

"You... want me to follow you ?" You asked, confirming what you'd been thinking.

The metal beast let go of your pants, grabbing his two cymbals to make them ring again with more power as he shook his head almost frantically. He turned, moving a few meters away from you before stopping, sounding his cymbals again, once more urging you to follow. You looked in the direction of Sun, then Moon, who was still analyzing the little metal creature, but whose attention turned to you as you took a step towards the little animatronic. You heard Moon sigh as Sun clicked his tongue.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to follow strangers ?" Sun said, uncrossing his arms.

You stopped and looked in the direction of the two animatronics you were accompanying, letting a wry smile appear on your lips as you saw a new expression somewhere between reproach and concern on their facial disks. You shrugged, turning back to the little arachnoid animatronics and waving your hand over your shoulder at Sun and Moon, saying :

"Yes, but foster mom didn't raise a coward."

Seeing you follow, the little arachnoid animatronic clapped its cymbals in delight, starting to walk quickly as you let a small exclamation leave your lips, starting to chase after it. Exclamations also left Moon's and Sun's voiceboxes as they began to chase after you in turn, an amused chuckle leaving your lips. The little metal creature quickly crossed the parking lot, slipping between the legs of the few people who were still there, including policemen and customers who left with grim expressions on their faces.

Once out of the parking lot, the animatronic you'd been following closely entered the adjacent street, covering it for just a few meters to skirt the entire length of the building that made up the bar before entering a small alley. You followed, slowing your pace when you saw that the metal spider had stopped in front of the wall of a new building almost adjacent to the bar. You moved closer to the metal creature, seeing it turn in your direction as it struck its cymbals. You looked up at the wall once you were next to the iron spider. The wall was a dead end, with an air duct a little higher up and a few vulgar or stupid tags drawn on the wall, but nothing in particular. You lowered your eyes, turning around to observe the alleyway, which was just as banal as any other you'd ever wandered through, even if there was a greater quantity of garbage cans filled with bottles of beer or other alcoholic beverages.

You saw Sun and Moon appear at the entrance to the alleyway, joining you quickly as you leaned towards the arachnoid animatronic. You crouched at its height, resting one of your arms on one of your legs, your hand falling to the ground as you rested your elbow on the knee of your other leg, resting your cheek on the inside of your hand, your face tilted slightly to the side as your eyes locked on the little animatronic. Reaching out with your other hand, you flicked the little animatronic's hat as it tried to bang its cymbals on your finger, but managed to pull it back in time. Looking at the little metal spider with a little frown.

"I hope you didn't make me follow you just to see an alley full of garbage..."

The little robot shook his head, his smile returning even wider to his lips, shifted slightly to the side to look at Moon and then Sun before looking back at you, tapping his cymbals almost quizzically. You tilted your head back slightly to see the two animatronic policemen standing just behind you, lifted your hand that was holding your face to wave it over your shoulder at the two metal policemen, looking at the little animatronic and huffing :

"Them ? If you're asking me if they're with me, then yes, even if I'm the one accompanying them. If... you need to show me something can they come ?"

The little animatronic clapped its cymbals together before turning to the wall, where you watched in surprise as it began to climb as if unaffected by gravity, walking vertically against the wall with its many legs which, now that you looked at them closely, seemed to be equipped with suction cups. He advanced up the wall to the air vent, and after moving his two cymbals in one hand, he opened the vent, leaving the plate that closed it dangling in the air. You then saw him go inside, disappearing for a few seconds before his little round head with the hat reappeared, watching you from above as the sound of his cymbals was heard again.

"He seems so determined that I should follow him... If I transform I can easily get into this ducts."

"That's risking following him alone. Since we clearly can't get inside, it may take us a while to find another entrance..." Moon sighed not far from you.

"It's a good thing you can't get inside. The opposite would have worried me and I almost wondered if the first time you chased me you didn't let me get away on purpose with all the gizmos you're made of and capable of doing." You replied, still looking at the little metal creature.

"This is no time for jokes. And no, we didn't let you get away." Sun declared with a sigh, moving away slightly as if to inspect the surroundings.

"I'm not joking. But then... you're indirectly admitting that I was good enough to lose you ?" You say, turning to the two animatronics.

Sun, who had wandered off, turned in your direction, shaking his face in despair, his rays twitching slightly to follow the movement of his facial disk. The nocturnal animatronic standing closer to you had crossed his arms over his metal torso, his eyebrows furrowing over his red eyes that had been reduced to mere dots. You let out a sigh, turning around once more to meet the gaze of the little animatronic who tilted his head to one side. You saw no ill intent in his eyes, nor did your instincts warn you against him, so your curiosity only got the better of you, driving you to want to know what the animatronic was desperately trying to show you. You looked back at Moon and Sun and said :

"The point is, if I have to run away, I can. Besides, I'm as big as he is in my cat form, so I could defend myself easily."

"That's why you almost got asphyxiated a few minutes ago." Moon sighed with a grunt and a grimace.

"That... That wasn't the same context. Plus the key word here it 'almost'. It didn't happen."

You blinked in their direction, waiting at least for their permission, and when you heard the two animatronics sigh, you took that as a yes. Without waiting another minute you transformed, shaking your feline fur as you looked up at the little arachnoid animatronic who struck his cymbals almost happily. You frowned slightly as you saw that the entrance to the air duct was higher than you'd thought and began to prepare to leap. You knew you'd probably have to climb the wall to reach it, it wasn't necessarily complicated, but it's a bit of a technical acrobatic feat. Just as you were about to jump, you heard mechanical noises coming towards you, and turned your head to see Moon leaning towards you with both hands outstretched, his cap falling back on one shoulder to accompany the movement of his face, which he tilted to one side.

"Let me help you."

You looked at his hands for a few seconds before raising your feline eyes to his face, your ears twitching slightly before you finally let out a small feline-like sigh, stepping forward to place yourself between Moon's two hands. The nocturnal animatronic wrapped his fingers around your feline waist, lifting you very easily as you didn't even bother to hold your body, letting your limbs go limp, with only your tail wagging. Moon lifted you to the height of his facial disc, watching you for a few seconds that lasted too long for your liking, before finally turning you towards the wall, lifting you as high as possible to get you closer to the air vent. You then used Moon's hands as support to leap up and reach the vent. The little metal creature sounded its cymbals before spinning around and stepping into the darkened duct.

"We'll try to find another way in. Take care, Kitten." Sun said.

You let a long, noisy, unpolished mewl leave your lips, your tail wagging in annoyance as you began to follow the arachnoid animatronic. You bent forward slightly, your ears lying back on your skull as your pupils dilated almost completely to compensate for the sudden darkness. The little animatronic in front of you made sure not to move too fast, making sure you followed him at every junction as you continued to progress through this metal labyrinth. You could hear your footsteps and those of the animatronic in front of you echoing all around you, making it hard to tell whether the place he was leading you to was dangerous or not.

Finally, after what seemed like more than two minutes, you saw a light appear at the end of the vent, and the animatronic in front of you struck his cymbals with a flourish before suddenly running down the shaft. Had you been in your human form, you would surely have let an exclamation leave your lips. You decided to follow as quickly as possible, unable to run in the narrow tunnel you were in. The light drew closer until finally you found yourself outside, your body leaving the conduit only for you to feel a hand, a huge hand, close around your waist and silhouette. A mewl of surprise and distress left your muzzle as you were lifted for the umpteenth time that day.

You didn't have much time to analyze the room you were in, as your feline muzzle was placed in front of the faces of a new. His face was round, his metal skin a perfect white, His eyebrows were a flashy blue, and his cheeks looked like little pompoms. On his chin, where the blue line imitated a goatee, he wore the same hat as the little arachnoid animatronic, but with an almost phosphorescent green headset. The strange animatronic holding you bore a striking resemblance to the little animatronic you'd followed here a few minutes ago. At least, its face was very similar to that of the arachnoid animatronic, but its body was quite different.

His body was very human, with a more or less normal, tube-shaped neck connecting his head to his body, and a broad metal torso clothed in a white shirt open at the front, beneath which was a tight black T-shirt. Like the little metal creature, he had extra limbs, for with his pair of legs dressed in a black suit, and his pair of arms, he possessed a second pair of arms. It was the first pair of arms, the taller one, that held you, its two hands wrapping themselves entirely around your body in both length and circumference. And as you looked down towards the ground, you realized that you were standing very high, too high, the animatronic must easily have been 13-14 feet tall...

You could almost feel your fur losing its color as your heart began to pound in your throat. You'd said you'd be okay against the little animatronic, but now that the little animatronic had suddenly become a metal giant you didn't really know where to stand, your tail folding slightly between your paws. You felt the huge animatronic lower you slightly as it raised another one of its hands in the direction of your skull, and watched in horror as the hand moved ever closer to your feline face, powerless to do anything about it. But instead of crushing the bones of your skull as you'd imagined, the new hand delicately landed between your ears, or rather one finger of the huge hand, gently stroking your fur as the animatronic let his big smile spread even wider across his lips, tilting his face sideways innocently, his eyes sparkling.

You felt your mind suddenly empty as the only thing you could concentrate on was the animatronic's smile and the constant way he was stroking you, his big fingers rubbing your fur with delicacy despite the strength he must surely have had given the size of his metal limbs. Your gaze finally left the metal stranger's face as the unmistakable sound of cymbals rang out. You tilted your head to one side, the animatronic holding you continuing to caress you, suddenly watching as the small arachnoid animatronic appeared on the metal giant's shoulder, its two cymbals banging against each other repeatedly. The metal spider had a big smile on his lips, his eyes crinkled with amusement.

You clearly didn't know how to react, so you simply blinked, letting your gaze alternate between the giant, humanoid version of the little animatronic you'd followed so far, and the little metal creature. You didn't sense any ill intent on their part, at least from the way the giant held you, and continued to stroke you, his smile and the happy, amused mood of his mini version you didn't think your life was at risk, but your dignity totally was if you continued to let yourself be treated like a house cat. You lifted one of your front paws to place it against the metal giant's hand before he could stroke you again, a little mewl leaving your lips to accompany your gesture and try to make your intention clear.

You saw the metal giant freeze, his smile flickering slightly before sudden realization seemed to hit him, an expression of guilt appearing on his face as the hand that had been caressing you withdrew. You saw him bring his hand close to his chest, almost where the human heart would normally be, resting it against his torso before beginning to describe a complete turn. You tilted your head, now even more perturbed. The animatronic then bent down to place you gently on the ground, and you sat on the ground, your face tilted back to look at the metal giant who folded his hands towards him, a small, embarrassed expression on his face as he repeated the gesture he'd just made. The little arachnoid animatronic climbed down from his giant twin's shoulder to stand beside you, banging his cymbals encouragingly.

You looked in his direction before finally transforming back into a human, your ears and tail still visible. Your gaze left the two animatronics to observe the room you were in. The room was huge, but then, it had to be to accommodate such a large animatronic. The floor was made of non-slip plastic that squeaked under your shoes, and the lights in the room were very subdued, illuminating the off-white walls. The room was full of supplies and decorations, with hundreds of vinyl records hanging on the walls, posters of famous and popular music groups, and several glass cabinets and other storage units displaying such items, along with radios, microphones and various other music collectibles.

Then there were large red leather armchairs in a corner of the room, serving as a small lounge area. Right next to this little relaxation area were several types of instrument, linked, or not, to slaps that were as big as you were. But the most important area in this room, which now that you looked at it closely resembled a warehouse, was a mixing desk. You could see the imposing, complex mixing desk illuminated by a bright white light, allowing you to see every button and other little switch used to modify and remix the music being played.

Your attention turned back to the two animatronics as you watched the metal giant wave his hands in your direction. You watched as he made precise, calculated movements, the little animatronic punctuating his giant version's movements with little cymbal noises. Looking more closely at the animatronics, you realized that he was certainly a musician and even a dj by the looks of the equipment, and you immediately made the connection with the music you'd heard inside the 'The Horned Goat'. You hadn't thought about it on the way in, but you hadn't actually seen any djs inside the bar, and that was a strange thing for such a popular bar.

"Y-You're the one managing the music in the bar next door ?" You asked, pointing your finger in the direction of the giant and then in the direction of the bar's approximate location.

You saw the animatronic start to make new hand movements, and then you realized from the repetition of certain gestures that the metal DJ was probably mute. You let a small "o" form on your lips before your ears laid back slightly against your skull, as you were unfortunately unable to understand what he was firing at you. Seeing your ears fall back against your skull and your apologetic little pout, the animatronic stopped, letting a new smile appear on its lips, and gave you a thumbs-up, pointing at you before giving another thumbs-up, letting you know that your deduction was right. You wagged your tail slightly, relieved that he wasn't angry with you for not understanding. Another question appeared in your mind and you asked it :

"Why don't you work in the bar ?"

You saw the dj bring a hand up to his face, his index finger hitting his chin as if he were thinking of the best way to explain his situation. After a few seconds you saw him wave his hands in the direction of his body and face before he hid his face with two of his hands while the other two drew a cross before pointing a hand in the direction of your cat ears. At the same time, you saw the little arachnoid animatronic hide his face with his cymbals before looking up at you with a smile on his face, waving his cymbals at you. Your tail and ears twitched as you took another look at the animatronic and its mini version, finally snapping your fingers as if beginning to understand their explanation.

"Is it because you're animatronics ?"

The little animatronic thumped its cymbals, waving rapidly as it spun around you, while the dj gave a thumbs-up with all his hands, his face flashing a new smile. Your tail hit the ground as a slight hint of annoyance appeared in your heart, your eyebrows furrowing as you went on to say :

"So... You're the dj at 'The Horned Goat' but Douglas Mushy doesn't want you to perform in the bar because you're animatronics and his clientele and composed almost entirely of Fantastic ?"

With another positive response from the two animatronics you were facing, you let a sigh leave your lips, your tail hitting the floor a little harder as your eyebrows furrowed ever more.

"The more I hear about that man, the more I hate him." You growled silently.

As you lifted your face ready to ask the DJ and his miniature version a new question, you heard a door suddenly open and turned your head to the other side of the hangar to see the silhouettes of Sun and Moon appear, pistols in hand, ready to take aim. Their eyes immediately fell on you and the two other animatronics beside you. You tilted your face back to see the giant animatronic's expression change to one of surprise as they raised their four hands in the air to show off, while the smaller animatronic sounded his cymbals joyfully.

You had almost forgotten Sun and Moon, so captivated and confused were you by the two unknown animatronics. You raised one of your hands, waving it in the direction of the two detectives. Sun's rays made a complete circle around his skull, his expression doubtful. Moon lowered his weapon as he saw the metal giant beside you waving his hands in the same way as you, you saw him sigh as he resumed a more respectful stance, you saw him replace his cap properly on his head, pushing the pompom back over his shoulder. Seeing the two metal policemen approaching, you stood up, turning to face them.

"What did I tell you, I got away with it." You declared with a teasing smile.

"Looks like you did." Moon sighed in reply.

You saw Sun and Moon move to your side, watching silently as you intertwined fingers behind your back as you swayed from one foot to the other, your gaze settling on the four animatronics surrounding you as your lips drew a finished line. You thought Sun and Moon were big, but in comparison, they were quite reasonable in size when standing up to the metal giants. Seeing the little metal animatronic stir before climbing onto the shoulder of his giant friend, you remembered why you were there. You looked in his direction, pointing and saying :

"Oh, by the way, why did you want me to come here, you little metal creature ?"

The metal spider struck his cymbals, before moving quickly down the front dj's body to disappear into a corner of the hangar. The metal giant watched him walk away before turning his attention back to you, his eyes going to Sun and Moon with an amused little smile. He began to wave his hands once more before stopping, surely remembering that you didn't understand, and you saw a small pout appear on his lips as your ears fell back slightly against your skull, your tail almost tucking between your legs in guilt at not being able to understand. And as the iron giant began to make movements for you to understand Sun next to you intervened.

"What are you trying to say ? Were you talking about something y/n was looking for ?"

The animatronic stopped, almost blinking with his hands, before he began to move them again, pointing at Sun with his large hands, a smile beginning to appear on his lips. Sun finally nodded before replying :

"Yes, my colleague and I can read sign language. We can do the translation if you like ?"

"Are you able to understand what he's saying ?" You say, looking at Sun, your ears perking up high on your skull.

"We have a program that allows us to understand all languages." Moon replies, lowering his facial disk towards you.

You bit your lower lip and nodded, letting your gaze return to the giant, who was grinning with a smile that revealed all his perfect teeth. He clapped his hands in delight before beginning to speak again, using his hands. Sun told you that the foreign animatronic had agreed to let him do the translation for you, and you replied with a simple "ok", watching as the animatronic began to speak again with his hands, Sun and even Moon nodding to confirm that they still understood what the metal giant meant. When DJ pointed at you, you saw both animatronics simultaneously turn their faces in your direction, their optics fixed on you as they frowned. You took a reflex step backwards, raising your hands in the air as a sign of peace, and breathed out :

"I didn't do anything !?"

"He says you helped his little brother in the bar isn't that the case ?" Moon questioned.

"Ah ? The little animatronic is his little brother ? Er... All I did was help him get his cymbals. It was nothing extraordinary." You reply.

You saw the giant shake his face disapprovingly before waving again in the direction of the two detectives. Sun hummed for a few seconds, looking at Moon and then at you, a strange emotion on his face as he heaved a sigh. Before the walking Sun had time to say anything, you saw the little arachnoid animatronic come running back, quickly climbing onto his big brother's shoulder, his cymbals pressed together and something jammed in between. You tilted your head and watched as the giant reached out his hand towards you, the little animatronic reaching forward to the other's hand and waving his cymbals in a way that invited you to stretch out your hands, which you did with a slight touch of curiosity.

You saw the little animatronic separate its cymbals and something fell immediately into your hands. You caught it easily, blinking as your pupils dilated to see that it was a small notebook. The cover was black, there was no writing on the rib nor on the front cover, you quickly opened the little book, glancing over the various writings inside but unable to read, you then looked up, your tail wagging slightly in excitement as you looked at the metal giant and his mini copy and then at Sun and Moon.

"The mysterious notebook !"

Chapter Text

"This is what I was talking to you about before the little metal creature appeared !" You say, waving the notebook in Moon and Sun's direction.

You saw the two animatronics approaching you, leaning over the notebook you'd opened, inside you could see several lists of symbols supposedly letters in another you couldn't quite decipher, accompanied by numbers and other little bits of information you couldn't quite decipher. Raising your eyes to the giant and his little companion, you handed the notebook to Moon and Sun, who seemed rather intrigued by its contents, moved closer to the enormous animatronic once more, tilting your face to the side, your ears and tail wagging slightly as you stared at them, your eyes returning to the metal spider.

"How did you know we were looking for the notebook ? And where did you find it ?"

The concerner rattled his cymbals together, turning to his brother who nodded before starting to wave in your direction. You called out to Sun and Moon, asking them to translate for you. After a few moments, Moon nodded, waving the notebook in his hand in your direction and then that of the two unknown animatronics, before saying :

"He says his little brother saw you watching where the notebook was, then when you were in the parking lot he heard you talking about it."

"As for where he found it, one of the bouncers went into Douglas Mushy's office just before us and threw it out the window, he just picked it up." Sun continued.

You clicked your tongue, your tail whipping lightly in the air as your hatred for the satyr only increased. As you continued to look at the two animatronics you couldn't help but feel guilty, it certainly wasn't you who made them work without allowing them to have the recognition of customers but it was still a Fantastic and you were one too. You clenched your hands, grinding your teeth slightly, until a hand came to rest between your ears. You met the dj's dark eyes and he gave you a big smile, his fingers almost pleasantly scratching behind your ears, almost making you purr. You cleared your throat, pursing your lips as you felt a little red staining your cheeks, the only people who'd never managed to make you purr were your adoptive family and Mr. Botzaris. You stepped back slightly to move his hand away from your skull with a small smile and a wave of your hand in the direction of the notebook Moon was holding.

"Thank you very much for the notebook. It will help us a lot."

After another series of signs punctuated by the cymbals of the dj's mini version, Sun translated.

"He tells you there's no need to thank him since the notebook is there to thank you for helping Mini Music Man."

"Mini Music Man ? Is that what the little animatronic is called ?" You then added in the giant's direction. "Oh, and what's your name ?"

Seeing Mini Music Man nod as he struck the cymbals, you concluded that the answer was yes. You then saw the metal giant waving in your direction, looked to Moon and Sun to translate but both shook their face discs, Sun informing you that the animatronic wanted you to try and guess on your own. You made a small pout before turning to the last stranger, watching him make slow, precise gestures before pointing to the turntables behind him and then to Mini Music Man. You tried out a few word combinations before finally finding the right one.

"DJ Music Man ?"

The reaction of the two Music Man brothers made you realize that you'd been right. You let a small laugh leave your lips as you realized that you'd been unconsciously calling DJ by his name ever since you'd realized he was the bar's dj. After that, Moon and Sun started asking DJ and Mini Music Man questions, asking the two musicians if they had any information about Jenna Royn. Unfortunately, DJ told them he never went into the bar. Mini Music Man, on the other hand, only went in to make sure that the clappers were working properly and that there were no sound diffusion problems, and he wasn't in the habit of lingering too long at the risk of being jostled by the customers in the bar. After a few gestures and a sorry expression on your face, you heard Sun reply :

"There's no need to apologize. The notebook already means a lot to our investigation. Thank you for answering our questions."

DJ shook his face with a big smile on his lips before giving a thumbs-up. Moon approached the giant, handing him his police card and asking him to contact them if he or his little brother had any new information. You wondered for a second how the two animatronics were going to get in touch with Sun or Moon, since they didn't seem to have a telephone or even a computer to contact them by e-mail, but you told yourself that they were animatronics and surely had a solution, since DJ grabbed the card while Mimi Music Man played his cymbals.

As Moon and Sun wished DJ and Mini Music Man a good evening, they turned on their heels and headed for the door they had entered. DJ once again placed his huge hand on your head, and you rolled your eyes slightly as the metal giant held Mini Music Man out to you so that the little animatronic could pat you gently on the head. Eventually, you pulled away to catch up with Moon and Sun, and turned to DJ, watching him make a particular sign in your direction, a sign which you imitated and which made the two musicians smile.

As you left the hangar, you made your tail and ears disappear. As you reached the outside, you noticed that it was now well into the night, the air had cooled slightly and the ambient noise, though still present, had largely subsided. The two metal policemen continued on their way, bypassing part of the hangar and the entire bar to reach the The Horned Goat' parking lot once again. The parking lot was now almost entirely deserted, as was the bar itself, but you could still see lights streaming in from the windows, probably from those who had stayed to see and repair the damage. You let a wry smile form on your lips as you prayed that the bar wouldn't be able to open for several days.

Arriving at Moon's car, you settled into your usual seat, sniffing the car's scent to which you were now almost accustomed. You let a small sigh of comfort leave your lips before resting your skull against the car window. The nocturnal animatronic started the car as you watched Sun retrieve the notebook from his brother's hands and begin to read its contents. You were curious to know what might be in the book, its mysterious and illegible contents making you think it must be something important, but you hadn't consulted it long enough to get a clear idea. You opened your mouth ready to ask Sun what he was reading, but Moon's voice cut you off :

"Why didn't you tell us you'd helped someone ?"

"Why should I ? It's not like I saved his life or anything, I just got his cymbals back."

"Huh... Tell me y/n when you said you got distracted by something, this something it's Mimi Music Man isn't it ?" Moon continued.

"Yeah and ?" You replied with a shrug, looking out the window.

"You deliberately bumped into someone didn't you ? You did it to get the cymbals back ?" Sun suddenly interjects, turning her facial disk toward you. "You lied to us."

You let a mocking sigh leave your lips, rolling your eyes slightly before looking in Sun's direction with an almost exasperated expression. Sun's serious gaze, however, made you turn your eyes once more, a new little ball of guilt forming in the pit of your stomach. You put your hand on the armrest of the door and rested your chin in the palm of your hand, your nose still pointing outwards, leaving only your eyes to turn to the daytime detective as you mockingly responded to his statement.

"Yep. This isn't the first and probably won't be the last time I lie to you. You got a problem with that ?"

"It wasn't entirely a reproach, Kitten.... "

One let a growl somewhere between disgust and annoyance leave your lips as you heard the nickname once more, interrupting Sun in his sentence as you turned to him a new expression of pure despair on your face. Both animatronics let a little laughter leave their voiceboxes at your too honest and instantaneous reaction. Sun shook his face to regain his seriousness, a smile on his lips as he kept his eyes fixed on you, continuing to shake the little notebook lightly.

"Just a clarification. You could have just told us you caused a commotion to help someone..."

"Tch. Why ? What would it matter, the conclusion was the same, in the end a fight to break out. Whether you have a lie, half the story, or the truth the result always remains the same. The process doesn't matter, only the repercussions." You sigh with a certain bitterness.

"I don't like to contradict you Kitten but the process is something important." Moon intervenes. "For example, in mathematics, the search for the result is sometimes more important than the result itself, because it proves that you have at least looked and that you didn't get the right result by pure chance. And even if the result is wrong, you can say that you at least tried."

"Why the hell are you talking to me about mathematics ? The only thing I know is the table of 2 and that a 1 has more value the more 0s there are behind it."

You replied with a little grimace, your gaze meeting Moon's in the car's interner rearview mirror. Moon let out an amused sigh as Sun let a genuine laugh leave his lips, his rays making several complete turns around his face plate. You couldn't help but look in Sun's direction, perhaps the first time you'd heard Sun laugh like that, it was warm and almost pleasant to your ears, reminding you of the sound of the wind blowing through the branches of trees in springtime, carrying the scent of flowers and making you shiver as it caressed your skin. You felt a real shiver run up your spine, and you snorted slightly, feeling your heart pound and your face flush without explanation. You clutched your garment at your heart, staring into space for a moment, Sun's voice echoing to draw you out of your thoughts.

"Your level of impertinence is as frightening as your tenacity..."

"It's not impertinence it's the truth ! We were talking about something and now he's talking to me about math ! I dropped out of school precisely because of that, not to be lectured with metaphors and other crazy comparisons." You replied, a small smile involuntarily spreading across your lips.

"Okay, okay... For example, the police would just take the facts, the things they saw at the scene of a crime, and arrest the first people who came along, without looking to see if the person was really guilty or if the innocent would go to prison. For example, someone who behaved suspiciously and ended up at a murder scene..." Moon sighed.

"Oh... you do so enjoy reminding me of my mistake, don't you."

"All that to say that some accidents are sometimes beneficial. You helped Mimi Music Man, sure it started the fight, but thanks to that we got this little notebook that looks precious." Sun continues.

"You, finding yourself at that crime scene was an accident, us seeing you as a murderer was also an accident. But it was a good accident because we got to know you." Moon concluded.

Your heart stopped beating slightly before leaping into your throat, the sound of your blood rushing through your veins echoing in your ears. You knew that the two of them were talking strictly professionally and logically, and that they were happy to have met you because it had enabled them to make progress on the investigation, but you couldn't help feeling a touch of joy form in the hollow of your heart, a gentle sensation of warmth starting from the pit of your stomach and pouring through your whole body. You lifted one of your hands to see it trembling slightly, biting your lower lip, bringing your thumb to your teeth to nibble your fingernail even through your glove as your pupils dilated.

Once again, that feeling that you couldn't explain to yourself and that annoyed you, you clicked your tongue in annoyance, looking up at Moon and Sun, your pupils narrowing again as you blamed them for your misguided thoughts and feelings. You let a low growl leave your lips, turning your face away to rest your forehead against the glass and try to calm the fire that seemed to be rising in your cheeks.

"Cut the stupid bullshit ! Moon, concentrate on the road ! And Sun, go stick your big nose back in the notebook and tell us what's inside ! Since you seem to be able to read whatever language is inside."

"It's Greek." Sun declared.

A laugh left the voiceboxes of both animatronics, but the discussion stopped there and you were grateful. With a little pout on your face, you looked out again, a small smile slowly appearing on your lips. You couldn't help but be touched by their attention, yet you understood that they were trying to cheer you up, trying to reassure you and erase your guilt for having caused a bar brawl. It was stupid, but it worked. The car drove silently across town to your neighborhood. You thanked the two animatronic detectives before rushing into your building, the door closing behind you.

                                    ~❂✯☾~

As you entered the police station you greeted the policemen at reception as well as those in the offices, the more you frequented the place the more you noticed that the policemen got used to your presence and greeted you, even taking news from you. Today none of the Glamrocks were there, but as you passed Freddy's desk you saw that he'd carefully left a little post-it note, and glancing down you saw your name in capital letters. You picked up the sticky note and read Freddy's greetings to you and the others, wishing you a good day and good luck. You tilted your head, not understanding why you'd need courage, but you put the post-it down again, grabbing a pen to write back thank you, with a small question mark in brackets.

You then set off in the direction of the office where Sun and Moon were, and after a few knocks on the door you heard Moon invite you in. You pushed the door open, stepping inside to see Sun settled behind a computer, his lips pursed together as Moon stood in front of the blackboard, his arms crossed and his expression almost one of annoyance on his lips. You felt your heart flutter slightly when you saw them, but you quickly caught yourself. You tilted your head to one side, crossing your arms behind your back as you stepped a little further into the room and asked :

"So what's going on ?"

"The 'Observation Marbles' we sent for analysis came back with the results. But they're not good." Sun replied with a smile before looking up at you.

You saw Sun beckon you over, and moved closer to him, pulling up a chair to sit next to him as he turned the computer in your direction. On the screen was a paused video, and you could make out the image of the interior of Abigael Fynch's factory. You frowned slightly as the solar animatronic pressed the play button. The video began to scroll, and you saw Abigael Fynch suddenly appear in the factory's storage warehouse, crossing the Observation Marbles' field very quickly and darting between the storage shelves, where you could no longer see her. Suddenly the video stopped, you frowned, and after several long seconds the video resumed. You could now see the shelves overturned, and had no idea that Abigael's body lay beneath them.

"Many of the Marbles that have been sent for analysis show 'registration defects'. And have even undergone it twice at different intervals." Sun sighed. "Only this recording has one defect."

"It's almost as if the recordings have been corrupted by something passing through." Moon asked, turning to you. "But it's not just a simple recording error, is it ?"

You brought a hand to your face, shaking it slightly to answer Moon's question. If it had been a recording defect only one or at worst two marbles would have had the defect, but not all, and even if they had all been corrupted the defect would have appeared at the same time. Why, then, were the Observation Marbles recordings corrupted one after the other ? As Moon put it, it was almost as if something or someone was walking past, making one outward journey, explaining the first recording defect, and a return journey, justifying the second defect in the videos. And only one video, the one in which Abigael Fynch was killed, showed a single error, since the thing that had caused the bug hadn't had to keep going.

Your hand moved, your thumbnail getting caught between your teeth as you tried to think of something that might be powerful enough to hack an Observation Marble. Marbles were a hard thing to corrupt, requiring a significant amount of pure, raw magic to do so, which was why they were both expensive and valuable, as they were a reliable and very difficult medium to compromise. You quickly eliminated numerous magical objects and creatures with powers not strong enough to alter Observation Marbles. Suddenly, you released your thumb and a small "No, that's not possible..." left your lips.

You thought you heard Moon ask what wasn't possible, but you ignored him, standing up and moving towards the window as your feline attributes unconsciously kicked in, your tail wagging as your ears twitched. There was no way that the creature you were thinking of could be responsible for the various murders, yet everything fitted together and made them so much more explicable. Whether it was the extraordinary power that had enabled the murderer to lift a piece of furniture that even a centaur was incapable of lifting, the absence of any trace on the roof of the building from which Arnold Wilson had been pushed and the door that was still closed according to the concierge and now the Marbles corrupted by magic.

"A mage. The murderer is a mage." You declared, looking up at Moon and Sun.

"A wizard ? But I thought it was one of the Fantastic species that disappeared long before the Great Revelation ?" Said Sun, turning in her chair to face you.

"It was ! But all the murders have their inexplicable and mysterious parameters and I have no other explanation !"

You turned towards the cupboard where you'd seen Sun put away the books you'd brought home last time. You opened the drawers on the fly, rummaging through the documents until you finally found what you were looking for. You took the books out of the cupboard, dropping them heavily on the table before opening them and quickly turning the pages to the one dedicated to Witches and Wizards. You turned the book towards the two animatronics that had come close together.

"Mages, or Magics, were called by several names according to their powers, first there were the Enchanters who were the 'weakest', then there were the Magicians/Magicians, and finally the Wizards/Witches. I say weak but it wasn't the case, even the weakest Mages were more powerful than a Fairy. As their name suggests, 'Magics' are creatures composed almost entirely of magic. They were able to concentrate and consume the magic inside them, as well as that around them, in order to use it. They were the most powerful of the Fantastics, except that their power was also their greatest weakness. It was very difficult for them to give birth, as the magic appeared as soon as the fetus began to form, and unfortunately the fetus was generally too weak to withstand the high concentration of magic. To have a better chance of withstanding the magic, both parents had to be Mages, but even this was no guarantee. Then there were the Witch Hunts, the plague and all that. Certainly, these events affected all existing species, but for the Mages, who were already few in number, it was one more factor in their slow extinction. Magics have been considered extinct since the 19th century..."

Those information was not written in the book, it was Mr. Botzaris who had taught it to you, it was his knowledge and the decades of research he had carried out to try to understand the Fantastics and the Humans so as to be able to bring them closer together. Before the Great Revelation, the Fantastics didn't attach much importance to the history of their species, and even less to that of other species, and by the time the Fantastics had finally decided to collect the past, it was partly too late for the Magics.

"Do you think the murderer might be a Mage ?" Moon asked.

"I don't... I just don't know. The problem is that they're supposed to be missing. But the more I think about these murders, the more they make sense if he's a Mage."

You then explained to the two detectives the connections you saw between the murders and a Mage, taking the time to make them understand that magic for a Mage was as simple as swimming for a Siren. You yourself were still finding it hard to believe what you were saying. Why would a creature potentially the only representative of its species go out into the streets to kill other Fantastics ? It was illogical and utterly impossible, but your instincts told you it was the right answer, the solution to all these mysterious murders. The problem was that Sun and Moon couldn't help you clarify your feelings, they didn't know enough about magical creatures and magicians to do that. Suddenly, the face of Mr. Botzaris came to mind, and you bit your lower lip before asking Moon and Sun :

"I know someone who could confirm or contradict my words... And before you do any thinking, no, it's not someone suspicious."

"Who is it ?" Sun asked.

"Ezekiel Botzaris. That's his name. You can look at your files if you don't believe me."

"We do believe you. We just wanted to know who he was to you." Moon corrected with a small wave of his hand.

"Oh... He's the owner of the apartment I live in. He used to be a teacher, in fact he still teaches from time to time, and he's the president of an association that seeks to improve relations between Fantastics and Humans. He's respectable and has never done anything illegal in his life." You reply, tilting your head to one side.

"Do you think he could help us with this case ?" Moon asked.

"Yes, but we'll have to tell him every detail of the case. I know the police usually tried to keep investigations as secret as possible."

"An exception can be made if it's to enable us to make progress on the investigation." Sun replied with a small smile. "You can use the phone in the office to contact him."

"Thank you." You sighed.

Without wasting any more time, you left the room you were in to go to the offices shared by the police officers. You went to the landline telephone hanging on the walls in a corner of the police station, and had to think for a few seconds before dialing Mr. Botzaris' number. You heard the phone ring three times before the harpy's voice answered. You exchanged a few formalities with him before informing him of your presence at the police station, vaguely explaining the situation before asking him if he could come to the station to help with an investigation. Your former teacher was surprised at first, but eventually agreed, and told you he'd be there in just under half an hour.

You returned to the office, informing Moon and Sun of the impending arrival of the owner of your apartment. They nodded and told you to go and inform reception so that they could let Mr. Botzaris in without any problem. You let a small "okidoki" leave your lips before heading back to the police station entrance, informing the policemen behind the information counter of your former teacher's imminent arrival, asking them to redirect him to the offices so that you, Sun and Moon could have a chat with him. Once you'd passed on the information, you returned to the two animatronics to resume the search with them, settling down in the room with them, answering their questions and intervening from time to time to give your opinion.

After more than half an hour, you left the room once again, deciding to wait for Botzaris with a quick trip to the kitchen, deciding that you'd spared the police's supply of sweets for too long. You settled yourself on the counter with a jar of sweets in your hands as you wiggled your feet in the air, your tail and your feline ears always foreboding as you listened to what was going on in the office, watching the policemen come and go, some entering the kitchen to make themselves a coffee, giving you a little glance sometimes amused, sometimes desperate. One of them took the time to chat with you while he finished his coffee before leaving, taking a few sweets from the jar you'd claimed as your own and saying that if you ate too many you'd get cavities.

Eventually, you saw the silhouette of Botzaris appear at the entrance to the corridor, his serene gaze scanning the room until it came to rest on you. You waved your hand in his direction, putting the jar of sweets back in its place after grabbing a few more to slip into your sweater pocket. You climbed down from your perch, wiping the counter where you'd been sitting with a paper towel to make sure you hadn't left any fur on it, before moving closer to him. You saw the gray-haired harpy sigh, one of his clawed hands pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses as you moved closer to him. He looked you in the eye before pointing to your sweater pocket and your hand coming out of it, holding a piece of candy and bringing it to your lips, saying :

"It's not hygienic to do that y/n."

"It's okay, I washed this sweater not long ago. And it's not the first time I've done it I've never died from it."

"You certainly won't die from it, but I don't want you to get sick from something so stupid."

You rolled your eyes slightly, earning a reproachful look from the harpy. You waved good-bye, leaving the kitchen and heading back towards the office where Sun and Moon were. Your gaze lingered for a few seconds on Vanessa as she emerged from her office, the blonde greeting you with a nod before doing the same for Mr. Botzaris, who returned the gesture with a smile. You began to reach out towards the office door, stopping when you heard the bird man laugh slightly, and turned to him, raising an eyebrow as if to ask what was so funny. The harpy shook his face before answering, indicating the police station with a wave of his hand, the few feathers in it waving :

"I never thought I'd come to the police station at your request. Usually when I come it's to pick you up after you've done something stupid again."

"You've only come to pick me up three times, and that was really only when I was younger and didn't know how to fend for myself. That was a long time ago."

"I know. You grew up too fast..." Botzaris sighed with a smile on his lips.

"Why are you springing this on me now old bird ? I don't think it's time for nostalgia. More, I prefer to be an adult, I don't need to depend on others anymore."

You stuck out your tongue slightly in his direction and without waiting for an answer, you knocked on the door before opening it. You stepped inside, inviting Mr Botzaris to do the same, before closing the door behind you. You saw Sun and Moon rise respectfully after their gaze had been directed at your former teacher, and you saw the grey-haired man approach them to extend one of his clawed hands in their direction in a polite manner, a smile on his lips as he said :

"Good morning, I'm Ezekiel Botzaris, delighted to make your acquaintance gentlemen. I don't know if there's much I could do for your investigation, but I'll help you in any way I can."

"Pleased to meet you too Mr. Botzaris. I'm Moon and this is my colleague Sun. y/n told us that you could certainly assist us, so we have every confidence in you."

You saw Botzaris shake hands with the nocturnal detective before turning to Sun, who also exchanged a handshake with the harpy who let a small laugh leave his lips, his chocolate-colored eyes turning to you as you came to reclaim your previous seat on the chair right next to Sun's, before turning back to the two animatronics.

"I was curious to know who managed to get y/n to cooperate with the police, so it seems to be you. I don't know whether to congratulate you or feel sorry for you, so I think I'll do both."

"We accept your congratulations and your sympathy." Sun replied with an amused chuckle.

"We're doing pretty well keeping Kitten under control." Moon added with a chuckle, his optics sliding in your direction.

"Hey ?! Don't talk about me like I'm not here ! Are you here to solve this case or to make small talk ?" You hissed offended.

Your tail wagged, hitting the table lightly in annoyance as your ears laid back against your skull, a little red from embarrassment appearing on your cheeks as you made a little pout. The other three people in the room let a little laughter leave their lips before Moon finally invited Mr. Botzaris to take a seat on one of the many chairs around the table. You left it to the two metal detectives to explain the situation to the harpy, leaving them to decide what they could and should say to your former teacher, intervening only intermittently to provide clarification when the subject concerned the Fantastic part of the investigation. Mr. Botzaris remained silent for the most part, listening and asking questions only when he felt it was necessary.

"I have an idea of what the murderer might be like as a magical creature. But I'd rather have your opinion, Mr. Botzaris, lest I'm wrong and my resonance is inappropriate." You say after the explanations are over.

"Huh... May I read the documents again ?" Mr. Botzaris asked in the direction of Moon and Sun.

"Take your time." Moon replied, handing the investigation reports to the harpy.

Mr. Botzaris, who had settled down on one side of the table, was facing Moon and Sun, who were themselves consulting documents, in particular the little notebook you'd collected thanks to Mini Music Man. As for you, you were cross-legged on the table between the rights, within easy reach of everyone so that you could respond to each of them without having to move every time. You leaned towards Sun and Moon, who asked you if the series of numbers at the top of each page, and sometimes double-page spreads, corresponded to anything you knew. As you read the numerous number sequences, you noticed a paterne, and repetitions in the inscriptions.

The numbers were presented as dates with a sequence of digits between slashes, but they couldn't be normal dates because the digits didn't correspond exactly with those found in calendars, notably because some had '-' and the first two digits ended with what could have been a 0 if its shape hadn't been too rounded, making it look more like an 'O'. You stopped on a page where it said '-2O/06O/23' and before letting a little laugh leave your lips, you said :

"These are dates written in moon numbers. It's what the Fantastics used to use, and many old Supernaturals still do, even if most of them have abandoned this method because it was complicated and the general convention was used by all. The 'O' here represents the full moon. The first number gives the day of the month, if there's a '-', it means the day is before the full moon, and if there's nothing, it means the day is after the full moon. The second number gives the number of moons that have passed, i.e. the month, and the last gives the year. So in this case, we have the date corresponding to 2 days before the June full moon for the year 2023."

"The full moon was on June 4, so does that mean that the date written down is June 2 ?" Sun asked, raising her obsidian optics to you.

"Yep." You replied with a little shake of your head. "Douglas probably used this not because he was old school, but because he must have suspected that someone without knowledge of this way of counting days would be unable to figure it out."

"So you were actually listening to me when I was teaching you." Mr. Botzaris suddenly declared.

You turned your head in the direction of the harpy who was looking at you with amusement over his glasses, your ears twitching slightly before lying down along your skull, as you stuck out your tongue in his direction.

"Yes, unfortunately I was sometimes obliged to listen to your lessons because I was so bored. And instead of listening to me, shouldn't you be reading your documents ? Unless you're a bad student ?"

"To tell the truth, I've already finished my research and have already reached my conclusion." Botzaris replied with an amused, mocking smile in your direction.

You let a small "Oh..." leave your lips, as Sun asked the Fantastic to explain which creature he suspected of being responsible for the various murders. Just as you had done, Botzaris began by explaining the inconsistencies between the various crimes before associating them with the creature's magical abilities. The harpy had been more gifted than you, for he had even drawn up a list of potential spells that could have been used for the various crimes. At the end, he looked up at you and said, with a grim expression on his face :

"You thought the creature was a Mage, didn't you ?"

"Yes, that's what I thought, at least what my instincts tell me to believe."

"I've come to the same conclusion. Only a Magic could be capable of generating such a large amount of magic with this power." Botzaris declared, running a hand through his grey hair.

"Why would he do that ?" You asked. "If he were one of the last of his kind, if he made himself known to the government or whatever, he'd be an international jewel ! He'd have the money, the status, the protection, everything that could make him happy."

"Before they know their rarity and power all creatures are weak and ignorant. It is therefore easy for someone who is ignorant to allow himself to be corrupted by choosing the path that seems easiest to follow. A word from someone else is enough to divert his judgment and manipulate the ignorant into believing in something he shouldn't have." Botzaris replied.

You understood his implication perfectly, if it hadn't been for him and the Heartons who had helped you understand and develop your Shapeshifter abilities you'd probably have believed all your life that you were stealing other people's feelings and memories, you'd have hated yourself more than you already did and you'd probably even have been a more fundamentally unstable person. You'd grit your teeth, your ears lying lightly against your skull at the thought that, perhaps, the one and only Mage was someone bad. You sincerely hoped deep down that it wouldn't be the case and that the Magician would be forced to obey, but you weren't too hopeful either, few Fantastics could boast of being able to stand on an equal footing with Magics.

"So it would be a Mage ?" Sun asked, as if to confirm your words.

"It would also explain why, when we visited Jenna Royn's apartment, you were injured by that trap you'd failed to detect... The magic was that of a Mage." Moon declared, looking in your direction.

"Injured ? Trap ? y/n why don't I know about this ?" Botzaris asked, frowning in your direction.

You'd used hand signals and all sorts of other movements to try and tell Moon to keep quiet on the subject, but it had been useless. You let your arms fall limply to your knees, bending cross-legged, your lips drawing a thin line as your ears fell to either side of your skull. You looked down at your tail, which you had curled up to rest on your lap, wagging your fingers lightly, hoping the harpy would forget you if you didn't answer. You could feel your former teacher's chocolate eyes growing heavier as he called your name once more, making you feel like a child who'd done something stupid they didn't want to admit.

"You didn't know about it probably because I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hear you breaking my ears.... But it... It was nothing serious I assure you !" You groan, looking in Botzaris's direction with a small smile.

"I read in the report that one of the investigators had been injured, but I didn't think it was you..." Sighed the harpy, bringing one of his hooked hands up to his face.

"I assure you, it wasn't very serious. Well, it could have been, but Sun and Moon were there ! They helped me and Sun even drove me to the hospital. I've still got some medicine to prove it." You declared, waving your hand in the direction of the two detectives.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I know y/n isn't perfect, but there are a few of us who don't want to see them go so soon..." Says Botzaris with a smile after another sigh.

"No need to thank us. We've only done our duty. Besides, it's kind of our fault they found themselves in this situation." Sun replied.

"Huh ? Looks like you've found people who like to take the blame as much as you do, y/n." Botzaris added, joking in your direction.

"It's simply the truth. They are our partner in this investigation." Moon declared. "We care about their well-being too."

The silence that settled over the room after Moon's words was awkward. You had turned your attention in the direction of the two animatronics, tilting your face slightly to the side, your ears following suit. You saw Moon quickly turn his back to face the boards again, grabbing a pen to write down the new information you'd just shared. As for Sun, he looked down at the documents in front of him, grasping them between his large metal hands to reorganize them. Hearing a chuckle leave Mr. Botzaris's lips, you turned towards him, only to see his expression become more neutral, his eyes resting on the two animatronics as his gaze sparkled with curiosity, his fingers intertwining in the way you'd come to expect when he began to study a subject of particular interest to him.

Finally, your former teacher sighed and asked Moon and Sun if they still needed him, after the two metal policemen had replied that he could leave if he wished, since he had already helped them amply. You watched your teacher get up after reorganizing the documents entrusted to him, placing them carefully next to Sun's computer before he turned to you. You saw him reach out in your direction, placing his clawed hand on the top of your head between your ears, stroking your hair gently. You let a sound somewhere between a laugh and a small sigh leave your lips at his little token of affection.

"It looks like you've still got some work to do, and I need to run a few errands, so don't hesitate to give me a call if you want me to pick you up."

"Don't worry sir, we'll take care of getting them home."

"Um... I want them back at the apartment by midnight." Botzaris declared with a laugh. "And you can simply Ezekiel. Only y/n have the bad habit of calling me Mr. Botzaris like that." 

"Hey, I'll be home any time I want. I'm not 16 anymore !" You declared as your teacher's hand left your mane.

Mr. Botzaris let a laugh leave his lips before wishing the three of you good evening as you left the office. Sun and Moon smiled in your former teacher's direction, wishing him a good evening, before plunging back into the little notebook. As you approached the window, watching your former teacher get into his car, you saw him look up in your direction, having surely sensed your gaze upon him. You made him smile at you, before waving his hand in your direction, a gesture you returned with a little eye-roll. Once the harpy had gone, you turned to the two detectives, moving closer to where they were standing before asking :

"So did you manage to get any interesting information from the notebook ?"

"As well as the dates, there are a lot of names that make an appearance, and some that come up quite often..." Sun began, tapping a page of the notebook with one of her fingers.

"So the things written in what you tell me is Greek are names ?"

"Yes. And the name Jenna Royn makes its appearance several times." Moon declared.

"Really ? And Douglas Mushy dared to say he didn't know her.... What a bastard." You growled lightly. "But what the hell does Jenna's name have to do with Douglas's notebook ?"

"In our opinion, this notebook would be a book of accounts. Every day, when at least one sale has been made, the name of the buyer and the amount he paid are recorded." Moon continued.

"Sale ? You don't really think Douglas Mushy would be the famous supplier of Fairy Dust with whom Jenna was dealing, do you ? Really... I wouldn't put it past him." You hissed.

"That's what we think, the sums are quite large and the frequency and quantities of purchases are also quite irregular for most of the buyers which would make you think of dealers. There are also a few personal buyers, but one in particular intrigues us..."

"Who ?" You asked as you came to sit on the table.

"Silvio Notaga, when his name appears, it's always at the top of the page. What's strange is that the sum of money next to his name is quite different from the other sums in the notebook. Not only is there a little symbol in front of the sum, a sort of little arrow, but where the others make fairly irregular expenditures, and not every month, here the sums exchanged are very regular, to the nearest cent, and the date often seems to be the same to within a day when there's a gap."

"Silvio Notaga ? His name rings a bell... It's probably a fantastic one." You declared, tilting your face sideways.

"Um... Let me do a little research."

You saw Sun immediately turn to his computer to type on his keyboard, you remained silent for a few seconds leaving Sun time to search the internet, you tried to remember where you'd heard the name but you couldn't do it. Finally, after several minutes of searching the database and the Internet for information about the man named Silvio, Sun turned his computer slightly so that you could also see what had been displayed on the screen.

"Nothing in the police database, but there are several newspaper articles and even scientific journals about him. Silvio Notaga is the owner of a major pharmaceutical company, he's a former scientist/pharmacist himself but retired after having an accident. You're right y/n, we're talking about a Fantastic, an elf to be precise."

"Oh, I remember now, I used to hear about him from time to time on the streets, many Fantastics in need of care went to his pharmacies only because the owner is a Fantastic. Rumor has it that Silvio is trying to develop a number of drugs more suited to Supernaturals. He's not the only one to develop specialized medicines, but as he's a Fantastic and has done well in life, he's a darling of the Fantastic People." You say, frowning slightly. "Do you think he buys Fairy Dust from Douglas?"

"It's possible. But the arrow next to the expenses makes me think it's an exchange of money. That maybe, it was Douglas Mushy who gave him money..." Moon declared.

"So I guess tomorrow we'll be heading over to Silvio's to pay him a little visit ?"

Chapter Text

You had to tilt your head all the way back to be able to see the top of the building from the ground. The mirrored glass that made up almost the entire building reflected the morning sunlight, making all the smaller, less sophisticated buildings in the vicinity almost unnoticeable. On the wall of the building you were facing was the company logo, a strange long leaf that could almost pass for an elf's pointed ear, and its name, 'Elvolution'. You had to admit it, Silvio Notaga had made a success of his life, far better than too many in your community, including yourself.

As Moon and Sun moved towards the double doors that served as the entrance, you followed them silently, your hands plunging into your pockets as you couldn't help but shiver without feeling cold. A light wind had been blowing for several weeks, and the leaves of the few trees scattered here and there were beginning to take on more orange hues, signalling that autumn and its companion winter would soon be making their appearance. You shook yourself slightly as if you'd been in animal form, quickly catching up with the two animatronics as they entered the huge building.

The interior was exactly what you'd expected, a strange mix of modern and rustic. The furniture behind which the hosts and hostesses stood was made of rough-hewn wood of changing colors. On either side of this room, which served as a waiting and redirection area, were plants, real plants, exotic or not, but all carefully tended. You could see many people coming and going between the various elevators and rooms spread out on the first floor. You could see and smell the members of the three Communities, but you noticed that there were more Fantastics than usual, probably because the owner was a Supernatural and favored his fellow creatures above all others.

"We'll have to report our arrival at the front desk." Moon declared as he began to make his way towards a host.

"Surprising that such a great man could agree to receive you from one day to the next." You said, pivoting on yourself to take another look at the room, which was just enormous. "It usually takes weeks to get an appointment with a company boss. Especially if it's the police, they'll do anything to avoid justice at the risk of exposing their dirty little secret..."

"You watch too many movies, Kitten." Sun replied with an almost amused sigh.

"Tell me it's not the truth in this case. Movies are somehow based on reality."

"It's not, entirely, the truth. Some bosses are like in the movies, but most aren't. They know they can get into trouble by refusing an immediate interview with the police, especially as it casts even more suspicion on them." Sun continued.

Arriving in front of one of the reception staff, you decided to save your repartee for later, leaving it to the two policemen to inform reception of their appointment with Silvio Notaga. The animatronic behind the counter immediately nodded, confirming that Mr. Notaga was ready to receive you. He then invited you to take the direction of a private elevator, instructing you to go to the top floor where someone would immediately receive you and take you to Silvio. So you made your way to the elevator, and once inside, as the doors closed behind you, you turned to the Sun and Moon and said:

"So what I was saying wasn't entirely untrue. Have you ever had a case like this ?"

"I don't think we've ever had cases this complex and critical, but we have worked on a few investigations that made the headlines for a while. It wasn't in this town, though." Sun replied, looking down at you.

"Huh ? Come to think of it, I never asked you where you worked before you came here and destroyed the quiet life I had." You say with a chuckle.

"We worked in a town further west from here, we were born there and grew up there, we took our police diploma in that same town and practiced there for three years before being transferred to a new town, much further north in the country where we stayed for a year before coming here." Says Moon.

"Damn... Wasn't it hard to change environment so much ?" You asked, genuinely curious.

"It was an experience, we got to meet lots of people, and it gave us a chance to see how the police work elsewhere." Sun replied with a smile in your direction. "Wouldn't you like to travel ?"

"Nah. I don't... I don't really like change." You sigh.

Feeling the elevator stop you turned towards the doors to see them open onto a new room. It was a new waiting room, very similar to the one a few floors down, but smaller in size. There was also a little more decoration, with forest and nature-themed paintings, decorative objects in the shape of animals or medical objects, the last two side by side making you feel slightly uncomfortable, but you quickly pulled yourself together, following the two detectives out of the elevator and into the small room. Barely had you taken a few steps when a young woman dressed in a suit came towards you. The young satyr gave you a polite smile, welcoming you before asking you to follow her to Mr. Notaga's office.

The satyr took you through a long corridor filled with doors, but devoid of life, until you came to a glass door that was decorated to prevent you from seeing clearly inside. Your guide knocked on the door three times before finally opening it for you, inviting you to enter first before she followed you inside the office, closing the door behind her. Your attention was immediately drawn to the two people in the room, rather than to the décor and the office itself, for even though the air seemed fresh thanks to the open windows, you couldn't help but feel uneasy, the air having a smell that seemed almost dark. And the presence of the two men in the room made you shiver slightly with discomfort.

The first person, the one whose presence was the most imposing, was Silvio, the man seated behind his desk, a warm, charming smile on his lips, so natural you almost wanted to believe it, but your instincts told you otherwise. The elf was in his forties according to his file, but you could clearly have given him your age with his physique, his skin was pale, his face long and angular but this gave him a severe air counterbalanced by his smile which revealed perfect white teeth. His hair was grayish-blond, making his mane almost white. His hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, letting strands fall here and there from his face. His eyes were such a clear blue that they seemed almost transparent, like diamonds. Mr. Notaga wore a silvery-blue suit that matched his mane, decorated with jewels on the collar and first buttons, and a white shirt, but you couldn't see the rest of his body hidden behind his desk and computer screen. 

The other person in the room was the least imposing, yet you couldn't help but be intrigued by him, his gaze serious and detached, his expression entirely neutral. The young man's hair was brown, turning slightly red. His eyes were a light green, but not exactly like Vanessa's, his had that slight yellow touch, making them an almost electric green. He was also wearing a suit, but his was more classic, the only thing you noticed was the necklace on his neck, which disappeared into his shirt, which was zipped all the way up. What surprised you most was the fact that he was human, you'd think Silvio, being a Fantastic, would have kept more Fantastics on his side. He was standing next to Silvio, his hands crossed behind his back almost like a bodyguard.

As you met his gaze you saw a touch of curiosity emerge in him, as he began to detail you in turn, you felt slightly uncomfortable, there was something very mechanical and scientific about the way his gaze analyzed you, making you wonder if he wasn't a scientist working for Silvio, which would also explain the slight dark circles you saw under his eyes. Your attention was drawn back to Silvio Notaga as he rose to walk around the desk and towards you, his smile still on his lips as he extended his hand in Moon's direction for a handshake.

"Hello, sorry if I had to keep you waiting a little longer than necessary, I had an unexpected call. Would you like something to drink perhaps ?" Silvio asked.

"Thank you for seeing us Mr. Notaga, and we didn't have to wait for you all so there's no need to apologize. And I'm going to decline your offer of a drink." Moon replied.

"So will I." Sun declared, shaking hands with the elf.

When Silvio held out his hand in your direction, you stretched out yours ready to shake his hand, but stopped short, your pupils dilating as your gaze fell on his hand, which no longer had any flesh and blood in it. His right hand was robotic, a high-tech prosthesis that mimicked a human hand to perfection, except for the different colors of metal and the protruding knuckles. You saw Silvio's fingers curl slightly as you looked up into his face, which showed a small, embarrassed expression, his other hand coming to rest in front of his lips as he coughed slightly. You took a small step backwards, your hands falling back along your body, letting a falsely guilty and embarrassed expression appear on your lips as you breathed out:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"That's all right. Many people are surprised by my prosthesis, especially the members of my Community." He declared with a chuckle. "Even though it's attached to my arm this prosthesis manages to surprise me myself. Anyway. What do the police want to ask me ? I hope it's nothing serious ?"

You saw Silvio turn towards the satyr in the room, no one wanting a drink, he asked the woman to take her leave before turning to the three of you and inviting you to take a seat in the armchairs that had been set up opposite to his. As you took your place in the chair at the far right of the desk, the one almost hidden behind it, you once again felt the gaze of the human with the red mane weighing down on you. You looked in his direction, this time supporting his gaze, because if you'd allowed him to observe you once, you didn't want to give him the opportunity to do so any longer. Your head movement drew Sun's attention, who also looked in the young man's direction, prompting Mr. Nogata to make the introductions.

"This is Nyl McElonson, my assistant. I hope you don't mind if he's here so he can answer your questions because I have to admit I don't do everything myself."

"No, that's not a problem." Sun declared. "We don't have an awful lot of questions for you."

"Very well then, how can I help you ?" Mr. Nogata asked.

"Do you usually frequent the bar 'The Horned Goat'?" Moon asked with a small wave of his hand.

"Yes, I do frequent this bar quite regularly. I usually go there to relax, but I also like to meet some of my more important Fantastique clients there. The atmosphere is certainly... peculiar, but when the customers are Supernaturals it immediately makes them more confident, and it's a particularly well-known place in our Community." The elf replied with a small smile and a shake of the head.

"Um... Do you know Douglas Mushy personally ?" Sun asked in turn.

"Yes I know Douglas, but I wouldn't say personally though. He and I have a regular purchasing contract together. His bar uses a lot of food coloring and other fancy products, like artificial flavors, to make its alcoholic beverages. And my company is licensed to produce this kind of product, notably created from plants and other natural ingredients, for incorporation into medicinal preparations, so I sell him the raw products. Amusing, isn't it ? I never thought I'd be able to do this kind of transaction, but since the dyes are produced by a separate branch of my company, I can afford to sell to private individuals." Silvio Notaga replied with a laugh.

Silvio then turned to Nyl, asking him to collect several documents to give to Moon and Sun. As the human left the room, his gaze finally leaving you, you let a small sigh leave your lips. Moon, Sun and the elf continued to discuss things you couldn't really understand and didn't really want to, your gaze discreetly roving over the room which was rather luxurious and sophisticated, there were diplomas and paintings which seemed to be quite rare and important, hanging on the walls, Japanese-inspired vases displayed on a shelf in the company of wooden carvings surely the work of a well-known and prestigious elf given the golden touches in the carvings. The furniture was all wood, and even the wastepaper basket not far from you was made of wood and looked like it was worth a fortune.

As you were about to continue your inspection of the room, your gaze came to rest on a document that had been thrown into the garbage can and which appeared to be recent, since it was on top of the pile. The document was crumpled and slightly torn, but you could make out a few words, including the name 'Nimth Landfill'. You knew this dump, which was run by a family of dwarves who used to salvage and repair anything that was thrown away, then resell it at a reasonable price, but they also left the dump open for anyone who wanted to salvage what was considered garbage by others. It was there, in fact, that you had recovered your precious armchair.

Frowning slightly, you couldn't help wondering what kind of material a pharmaceutical company as large as Elvolution would throw away. You pressed your lips together, curiosity driving you to want to know more. You glanced furtively in the direction of the three other people in the room, and slowly wiggled one of your legs, deliberately knocking the garbage can with the toe of your shoe, spilling the wastepaper basket and its contents onto the floor. The noise attracted the attention of the two animatronics and the Fantastic, all three frowning for different reasons. You placed a hand before your lips with an expression of embarrassment and total awkwardness, lowered your eyes, casting small glances in the direction of Silvio and the two detectives as if you were unable to look them in the eye.

"I... I'm so sorry ! I'll pick that up right now !" You exclaimed.

"That's okay, don't bother I'll get someone to do it." Silvio replied with a smile and a wave of his robotic hand.

"No, I insist it's my fault I'm really, really sorry..."

You got up from your chair, immediately bending over to put the garbage can back in place before grabbing the documents that had fallen out of it and putting them back inside the garbage can. You heard Silvio insist that you shouldn't be bothered with something so trivial, but you didn't listen to him, continuing to pick up the documents and put them back in the wastepaper basket. When your hand came to rest on top of the document bearing the name of the dump, you grabbed it, but didn't put it back in the garbage can. Hiding by the desk, you discreetly brought it closer to you, you hadn't seen a camera in the room, but to be on the safe side, you made sure to position your body so that no one could see your hands.

You grabbed more documents, making a small pile in front of you, one of your hands reaching for the document you were interested in and slipping it into your pocket, while the other continued to gather the papers into a pile. Once you'd secured the discharge document, you grabbed the pile of papers with both hands and tossed them into the garbage can, giving the impression that no document had been removed from the wastepaper basket. You then straightened up, apologizing once again with an embarrassed expression as Silvio tried to reassure you once more. After a few seconds, Moon redirected the discussion back to the subject they had originally come to broach, and you saw Sun, who was closest to you, give you a sidelong glance, as if to say he knew you'd done something.

Eventually, Nyl reappeared in the room with a stack of documents, which he handed to the two animatronics you were accompanying. Sun and Moon picked up the documents and read them quickly, all the while continuing to ask Silvio Notaga questions, which he answered cheerfully. Nyl, who had remained mostly silent, also spoke up to clarify some information. The human with the slightly russet mane seemed calm, a little less jovial than his boss, but nothing seemed to reveal anything bad about him. However, you couldn't help disliking them, whether it was Nyl or Silvio, your instincts, though not entirely active, remained awake in a corner of your mind, like a tiger watching from afar for something they considered a potential threat.

"I sincerely hope you can make progress with your investigation, gentlemen." Silvio Notaga then declared when Sun and Moon had finished asking him questions, a smile that could almost seem mocking. "If you still have questions, don't hesitate to contact me again, I'll do my best to answer and help you."

"Thank you for your time. We certainly won't hesitate to come back to you if we find anything." Sun replied with a smile.

When you saw Sun and Moon stand up, you did the same, gently pushing back the chair you'd been sitting on almost as if you were afraid of knocking over the garbage can again. Raising your eyes ready to turn towards the door, you met Silvio's and Nyl's, who was posed and weighing heavily. Turning on your heels, Moon, Sun and you were almost out of his office when Silvio suddenly said :

"Oh, before you go. I have a few things to give you Mx. y/n. I know I'm not supposed to do this since you're a consultant on duty but the Fantastics have to stick together so I'm taking the liberty anyway."

You frowned, an expression of surprise on your lips as you tried to hide the disgust and the long shiver of worry that ran down your spine. You saw Silvio give Nyl a small card before the young man approached you and the two animatronics who had also stopped, their presence at your side greatly reassured you and you could see from the corner of their eyes that they were slightly annoyed by Silvio's behavior. Nyl arrived in front of you and held out his hand, giving you a card which you didn't hesitate to grab, your gloved hand coming to pull the card from his hands. You lifted the card and looked quickly to see that it was a card for a medical practice, with the names of the practice and the doctors who worked there, the address and the telephone number of the clinic.

"If you ever need a consultation or prescription, this doctor is a Fantastic and works with my company. As I know it's difficult to find doctors who understand Fantastics, I always take the liberty of recommending the best care for my fellow Supernaturals." Mr. Nogata said with a smile.

"Thank you." You say simply, slipping the little card into your pocket, the fakest smile you could have placed on your lips.

You saw Moon and Sun look in your direction before beckoning you to exit first, which you did. Once out of the room, Nyl closed the door behind you, and the satyr who had guided you there accompanied you once more to the elevator. Unlike when you went upstairs, the journey to the first floor was made in silence, your hands plunging into your pockets, one of them firmly holding the document that mentioned the landfill. You left the building in silence, and it was only when you were back in the car that you sighed. Taking the card you'd been given by Silvio from your jeans pocket, you lifted it up to your face to inspect it, sniffed at it, folded it over several times, and even tear off a small angle to make sure the card had no trace of magic on it. Once reassured, you looked up at the two animatronics who had turned to watch you examine the piece of paper silently.

"I want to rip this piece of paper to shreds and throw it out the window once the car's running, but I'm thinking maybe you want it ? And throwing it out the window wouldn't be very good for the environment." You say, handing the card to the two animatronics.

"We're going to keep, you never know, we might get some information concerning 'Elvolution' and its boss by searching on the side of this clinic." Moon declared, grabbing the card to look at it.

"You don't like him either, do you ?" You asked with a sneer.

"No. There's something disturbing about him, and despite the fact that he has the documents to prove it, I highly doubt that the payments he's received from Douglas are only for 'food supplement' type products." Said Sun, frowning.

"There are other things that also make us question what was really exchanged between the two. Like, for example, why would this kind of payment, normally legal, end up in a notebook that records the mysterious sales Douglas makes ?" Moon added.

"What do you think Douglas is buying, then ?" You asked.

"Probably Fairy Dust." Sun replied. "That would be the most logical conclusion. Douglas certainly doesn't produce this kind of drug on his own, drugs are hard to produce, especially Fairy Dust, but if he has it produced by a pharmaceutical company the task is greatly facilitated."

"If this is about drugs, what's it got to do with Arnold Wilson ? And the others who were murdered, for that matter ?" you asked.

"As far as Arnold was concerned, he'd probably found out about the trafficking through Hikaku and Jenna, who were both his employees, and was probably threatening to tell the police. As for the other murders... the leads are still too vague for us to say anything. But we can always base our investigations on potential large-scale drug trafficking." Says Moon.

"So, we've got new information that leads us to uncover all sorts of conspiracies, but nothing that brings us closer to the theory that the murders were carried out to create a revolt among the Fantastics ? Maybe my theory was wrong..."

"With the information we have now it would seem that we're moving a little further away from that theory indeed, but until we have all the evidence in front of us nothing is certain yet. By the way, what happened in Silvio Notaga's office to make you behave like this ?" Sun finally asked.

"Oh, for two reasons. The first because it's better to be underestimated than overestimated, it gives you a strategic advantage. Secondly, it was also because of this !"

You let a smile appear on your lips before dipping your hand into your pocket to pull out the document you'd retrieved from the wastepaper basket. You unfolded the document quickly, smoothing it with your hand against your thigh, before finally bringing it up to your face, you began by quickly reading the first lines of the document, trying to find a particular context but it was only an informative letter announcing the dumping of several materials and other scientific components, however you didn't see any further details about what was to be dumped which made you frown. You didn't know whether there had been another document accompanying this one that you hadn't found, or whether the details had been deliberately concealed. You handed the document to the two detectives and asked :

"Is it normal that there's no mention of the items that need to be disposed of ? To me, the logical thing to do would be to specify what equipment must be thrown away and why ?"

"Um... In official documents like these, the norm would normally be to specify the contents in detail, but perhaps this is just a confirmation document, hence the absence of a descriptive list." Moon replied, reading the document.

"Why did you steal this document ?" Sun questioned, turning to face you, his rays flitting around his facial disk.

"It's in the trash, so technically I didn't steal it, I recovered it. And I've always been told that to get to know someone you have to look at their trash."

"Were you raised by a family of rats or something ?" Moon asked with an amused laugh. 

"No. But sometimes I think it would have been better. Anyway. The company that has to get rid of the equipment is a sub-branch of the Elvolution company, isn't it ?"

"Um... Yep." Sun replied after searching the internet. "This sub-branch is in charge of doing allergy tests and other tests before drugs are submitted to the doctors' commission for review. The company 'Elvolution' has many more sub-branches than we could have imagined and many don't even display the name of the main company, you have to check the legal notices to see that the company belongs to Elvolution."

"According to the date, the material should be deposited at the dump this Saturday..." You sigh, squinting slightly.

"Yes, but the time isn't specified." Moon declared. "Don't tell me it's your idea to actually go rummaging through their garbage ? "

"You bet your ass I will ! I want to see what kind of materials Elvolution intends to get rid of." You say. "I don't like that elf, and I didn't like the human with him either. My instinct was to be wary of them. His smile was what bothered me most."

"Why particularly his smile ?" Moon asked, his eyebrows furrowing above his red eyes, handing you back the document you'd stolen.

"Because it's easier to hide a knife in your back when you've got a smile on your lips." You reply, retrieving the paper to look at it again.

The two animatronics remained silent after your statement, and finally Moon started his car, taking it out of the parking lot reserved for Elvolution, into traffic and away from the building. You watched the building until it disappeared from your field of vision, then lowered your eyes once more to the document, letting your gloved fingers rub the paper as you reread the lines once more. You had that feeling of worry and uncertainty that made your stomach turn slightly. You'd known when you signed that contract with the police that you were getting yourself into a dangerous story, but the more you dug, the more you felt you were uncovering, and you feared the conclusion.

Between this potential drug deal on a grand scale, the murders for the moment still classified without motive, the fact that a Mage was responsible for said murders, and Jenna's disappearance, things were getting darker and darker and your leads more and more restricted. Part of you seriously hoped that your initial theory was wrong, because the more you thought about it, the more you feared that the mysterious murderer, the Magician, was behind it all. If a Magician, the last of his kind, decided to wage war against humans, many Fantastics would blindly side with him, whether out of hatred for humans, or out of stupid compassion for this creature who was the last of his kind.

You let a sigh leave your lips, a headache appearing as you lifted your hand to massage the bridge of your nose in an attempt to ease the pain. You began by silently observing the outside world, your mind going back and forth on the matter despite the fact that you were trying not to think about it. You looked back at Moon and Sun, both of whom seemed as pensive as you, the rays around Sun's skull bobbing up and down randomly and irregularly, while Moon's hands were firmly clasped on the car's steering wheel, his eyebrows furrowed over his eyes. You hummed for a few seconds before saying :

"Say, the police do get a break now and then, don't they ?"

"Hmm ? Normally yes, like everyone else. Unless there's an emergency." Sun replied, looking towards you.

"How about a coffee ? I know a Café not too far from here that serves excellent coffee, if not the best in town."

"Why not." Moon sighed after a short silence and a sigh.

"Good ! Take a right at the next intersection !" You say, clapping your hands with a smile on your lips.

You showed Moon the way, making him drive for a few more minutes before telling him to park on a street so you could continue on foot. Moon complied, and you found yourselves walking along the sidewalk, the two animatronics following you. You turned towards them, walking backwards with your hands in your pockets, and couldn't help but let out a laugh as you watched them, so used to being the one following them that it amused you. The two animatronics raised an eyebrow at you, silently questioning what was amusing you. You shook your face, your hair waving slightly from side to side, a smile still on your lips as you turned again, deciding to keep your amusement a secret. As you turned, you saw, furtively, a strange smile forming on the lips of the two detectives, their optics on you shining with a strange gleam.

Your heart skipped a beat at the sight of their smiles, and you swallowed the air almost hard as you tried to breathe normally. You heard Moon and Sun let small, almost inaudible laughs leave their lips, but you didn't question them, not only because you hadn't answered their question, but also because you were still slightly confused by what you were feeling. Your face at cheek level had begun to warm slightly as your heart continued to beat a little faster, you blinked bringing one of your hands to your cheeks to rub them lightly and try to replace the sensation with another. Finally, you looked up at the street, seeing the sign you were looking for appear.

"There it is !" you said, indicating the café.

"'The Lucky' ? Isn't that where you used to work ?" Moon questioned.

"Yep !"

"So you've been bragging about your old workplace." Moon sighed with a mocking chuckle.

"What ? You thought I was going to brag about the competition ?" You replied with a teasing smile.

You pushed open the first door giving access to the inside of 'The Lucky', inviting Sun and Moon to follow you which they both did, you told them to be careful not to let the cats out before entering the cat bar. As it wasn't as late as the other times you'd been there, there were a few more customers. Hearing the door open and seeing you, the cats who weren't deeply asleep or occupied by other customers rushed in your direction, meowing wildly. You immediately crouched down to stroke each cat and wish them good morning, especially Paprika who began to climb up your leg, forcing you to lift him between your arms to carry him and let him rub against your face, purring.

You turned to Moon and Sun, who had started looking at all the cats at your feet before raising their eyes to you. You watched the cats sniff and observe the two animatronics with a certain curiosity. You beckoned them forward towards the counter so they could make their choices, which the two animatronics did, surprising a few little felines who'd let themselves be intrigued a little too much. You let a laugh leave your lips at the reaction of the cats, clicking your tongue to call out their names before telling them that all was well. You approached the counter after the two detectives, greeting the clerk who was someone you'd worked with a few times but didn't get any closer. After taking your usual order, along with whatever Moon and Sun had ordered, you asked your former colleague :

"Is Otis in the kitchen ?"

"Yep, he's preparing another table's order, do you want me to let him know you're here ?" Asked the employee.

"Nah, let him if he's busy. Besides, don't tell him I placed the order, he might want to come and give me a free order or something. You know what he's like..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell him. Your order will be ready in a while... Anyway, you know the rest."

"Yeah, thanks !"

You waved your hand in your colleague's direction, lightly shaking Paprika who was in your arms and mewling in complaint. You sighed happily in his direction before joining the two metal policemen at a table framed by two-seater armchairs, Sun and Moon settling into one while you took your place in the other, a few cats coming to sit next to you while Paprika hogged the seat on your lap. You saw the cats come to inspect the two animatronics once more, and let a laugh leave your lips before saying :

"They're curious to know why you're here with me. I usually come alone, so this intrigues them."

"Can you understand them ?" Moon asked, pausing as he reached out to pet one of the cats.

"I'm half cat, remember ? I can pretty much understand them, they don't really have the ability to form complete sentences like we do, but there are a few words that are recognizable when they meow. But most of the time they talk with body language, which anyone who's a little observant can understand." You say, letting your ears and tail make their appearance.

One of the cats next to you started playing with your own tail, which you wagged a little more to distract him, while Paprika meowed and wagged even more in your lap, his purring sounding to you like a car engine. You lifted him up, rubbing your nose against his before giving him a kiss on the top of his head to satisfy his request for affection. You saw the two detectives show slightly puzzled and surprised expressions at your sudden displays of affection for the cats, their expressions quickly changing to amused smiles as one of the cats, a big ginger tomcat, jumped onto Moon's lap to settle down and fall asleep almost immediately.

"That's Turmeric." You say, pointing to the cat on Moon's legs. "He's a chubby cat, one of the most sociable in the café, he likes a good scratch behind the ears."

You saw Moon look in your direction and then at Turmeric on his lap, he reached out one of his hands, coming to gently stroke the tomcat's fur before coming to scratch behind his ears, the cat immediately starting to purr. You let a small laugh leave your lips before looking in the direction of Sun, who caught your eye, looking towards the ground and asking :

"What's the name of the one who's looking at me like I've done something horrible ?"

You leaned over slightly, looking under the table to see that Chili, a small grey and white cat, had her attention fixed on Sun, her pupils dilated as her tail twitched just a little. A new chuckle left your lips as you clicked your tongue, attracting Chili's attention as she looked up at you, you said "hop" and she quickly climbed up onto the armchair, stepping on Sun's lap before climbing up onto the table to sit down. Once in front of you, you whistled, and Chili immediately responded with a meow.

"Her name is Chili, she's quite teasing and greedy, she's used to begging for extra sweets. And she likes it when you whistle, I wouldn't know why."

As a few cats came and went, Sun and Moon asked you who they were, so you told them the name of every cat in the bar and a little anecdote about each one. The two animatronics had slowly become surrounded by cats, if not more than you and you were their favorite human, the felines coming to sleep beside them and begging for a few caresses. You made a little pout, jokingly calling your furry comrades traitors, but tried to reassure yourself that it must be because the two animatronics were giving off warmth, the approaching autumn refreshing the air. You finally managed to introduce the last cat, none other than Paprika.

"He's the youngest, he's boisterous and greedy and..." You put your hands on the ginger cat's ears before continuing. "He's a bit stupid, but don't tell him or he'll sulk."

You heard the two animatronics let a laugh leave their lips as you removed your hands from Paprika's ears and he looked up at you, meowing his big eyes watching you intently as you went back to stroking him. Too focused on the big kitten to whom you had silently started talking as if to a baby, it was only when you saw a metal hand come to place a tray with your orders on it that you raised your eyes to meet those of Otis, who let an electronic growl leave his lips as he said :

"If you don't want me to know you're here, you'll have to teach the cats not to meow so loudly, but you'll also have to remember not to take the same order every time."

"Huh ? Didn't the fact that there were drinks and pastries as well make you say it probably wasn't me ?" You asked, tilting your head to one side.

"Tch. If it hadn't been for the cats and Lili's insistence on retrieving the order before I left the kitchen I'd almost have believed it, Pipsqueak."

You saw Lili, who was further back behind the counter, articulate a little "Sorry, I tried", you rolled your eyes before focusing again on Otis who, after looking longingly in your direction, turned his face in the direction of Moon and Sun. You saw the old robot look them up and down, the two detectives remaining silent at being scrutinized so intensely and with so little concealment. You let a small smile leave your lips before waving your hand in front of Otis's face, diverting his attention from the two poor animatronics you'd brought with you.

"Not because you're old that you're allowed to second-guess people like that Otis, it's rude." You say with a chuckle.

"Look in the mirror before you talk stray cat. You don't have to teach me any manners..."  Otis paused, glancing again at the two metal policemen. "Are they the two cops who put you away ?"

"Yeah. Otis, meet Detective Sun and Detective Moon. How'd you know ?" You say, reaching for what you ordered.

"Good morning, sir." The two detectives said at the same time.

"Yep. Good morning to you too." Otis replied in their directions before turning to you again. "I'm old not stupid. I've never seen you set foot in here with anyone but your shadow so I connected the dots."

"Huh huh... I didn't want to bother you Otis." You say after a mouthful of your pastry.

"If you don't want to bother me, don't come. It's like a vacation for me when you're not in my feet." 

The old robot then turned on his heels with a grunt, entering the kitchen again and disappearing, you let an amused laugh leave your lips, Otis was angry with you at the moment, but more because you'd tried to hide your presence than because you were teasing him. You turned to Sun and Moon, nodding in the direction of the kitchen before saying with a chuckle :

"Sorry about Otis, he's a bit of a grump but he's a nice guy at heart. And he's not very good with customers, which is why he spends most of his time in the kitchen."

"The more we meet the people around you, the more we wonder about you." Moon replied with a chuckle, his hand reaching out to caress Chili, who decided to play with his fingers.

"Hope never to meet the others then." You sighed teasingly. "You probably risk overheating your little processors."

You heard Moon click his tongue as Sun rolled his eyes at your comment. So you continued silently eating the pastries you'd ordered. Sun had opted for a classic sweet pastry, a millefeuille, so you weren't surprised, while Moon had chosen a lemon meringue pie. You'd particularly expected Sun's choice, since you knew he liked sweet things, while Moon's was more of a discovery, but his choice matched his personality. You let a sigh leave your nostrils before shaking your face at your reflection, concentrating on finishing your pastry.

Your gaze then lingered on the room, which had filled up a little more, with Lili behind the counter looking slightly overwhelmed between customers taking their orders, those waiting to pay and those still waiting for their orders. You frowned before grabbing the last piece of pastry you had left with your fingers, pushing it into your mouth as you stood up, lifting Paprika, and turning to Moon, who was closest, handing him Paprika, which mewed slightly. Moon, surprised, gently picked up the big kitten as you left the table, passing by Lili and telling her you'd taken care of the orders that were already ready, she breathed a sigh of relief, giving you a discreet thank-you.

You quickly rushed into the kitchen, making your feline attributes disappear, Otis looking at you with surprise as you washed your hands before retrieving the trays he'd already prepared to see you leave the kitchen with. As you passed Lili, she gestured to you to indicate which table the order belonged to, and you winked at her, thanking her before depositing the order at the table, wishing them 'bon appétit' before returning to the kitchen. You helped out for just a few minutes until the peak of the crowd had subsided enough for Lili to manage the rest on her own, then returned to Sun, Moon, and Paprika, who had decided to settle for Sun's lap, rising to join you again as you sat back down in your place with a little sigh.

"I'm sorry. I know I probably shouldn't have done that, for several reasons." You say, looking up at the two animatronics.

"You're forgiven. As long as we're not on duty it's not inconvenient and you didn't take any longer than necessary. Besides, they needed help. That's nice of you." Sun replied with a small smile.

"Nah... I'm just giving back to Otis. Working at 'The Lucky' is what allowed me to live after I left my adoptive family, and Otis always made sure to help all his employees, so if I can give back even half of what he did for me then I do." You reply, waving one of your hands."This place is special to me."

You saw the two animatronics watching you silently, their optics analyzing your expression, which had become slightly wistful. You cleared your throat and shook your face, erasing your pensive expression to finish your drink, feeling your ears redden slightly under the intensity of Moon and Sun's gazes. You were about to get up, ready to join Lili in paying, but you saw Otis leave the kitchen, the old robot approaching your table, beckoning you to push aside to make room for him to sit down, which you did, listening as the old robot squeaked slightly as he settled into the armchair beside you. You saw him look in your direction, his expressionless facial expression directed at you.

"Thank you for your help. I hope you weren't planning on paying. It's on me, the boss."

"Otis... At least let me pay for them." You say with a sigh and a shake of your head in the direction of Sun and Moon.

"Nah, it's on the house for them too." Otis grinned with a laugh. "Besides, it doesn't look like they were going to let you pay for them either, Cat."

"That's true..." Sun sighed, slightly embarrassed. "But we can't accept your offer."

"We really insist on..." Moon began, before being interrupted by Otis.

"Shut up you stupid blue bloods. Saw it as my way of thanking you for giving them a second chance. They're a good person who deserves a better life than the one they're leading."

"Hey, stop with the rusty old spitch. Between you and Botzaris I don't know which is more embarrassing... Geez. You're making me regret bringing you new customers." You hissed, rapping your fingernails on the table with an expression of annoyance.

"Yeah yeah. Now that that's been said and done now get the hell out of my coffee, you're hogging all the cats' attention."

With nothing more to say, Otis rose and headed back to the kitchen, where he disappeared once more. You then raised apologetic eyes to the two detectives, who laughed at your embarrassed expression. Finally, you got up and left the cat bar to head for Moon's car, and as you moved forward you froze slightly, realizing that the two animatronics hadn't complained about you going to the rubbish dump to find out what Silvio Notaga's company was going to throw away. Moon and Sun stopped and turned to you, silently questioning you.

"Why didn't I hear you forbidding me to go to the dump ?" You asked.

"We trust your instincts, so of course we're coming with you." Sun exclaimed, his rays waving around this skull.

"We trust you, after all you're our colleague."

Chapter Text

The wind was harsh, ruffling your hair from side to side as you waited alone at the top of a building adjacent to Nimth Landfill for several hours now. The coolness of the night that was beginning to set in almost made you shiver, but your fur, since you had decided to take on your feline form, kept you warm. You'd arrived at the building early in the morning, a little before the official opening of the landfill, and brought along a few things, a bottle of water and several light meals, so you could get through the day without having to move from the roof of the building, which gave you a perfect view of the landfill entrance. Your eyes, reduced to slits, attentively watched the comings and goings of people entering the dump, scanning the cars to try and spot one with a pharmaceutical company logo.

The vibration reverberating in the wall you were standing on and also in your body made you turn your head towards your phone, which you had put down not far from you, the screen lighting up to reveal a message notification from Moon. You let a feline sigh leave your nostrils before straightening up, partially transforming yourself to grasp the phone between your two hands, unlocking it to open the conversation with the nocturnal animatronic he'd started at least a few hours ago when the two detectives had had to leave for an emergency, leaving you alone to keep watch.

- "If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to contact us." -

You rolled your eyes at Moon's message, switching off your phone to place it once more on the edge of the building with a sigh. You swung your legs over, bending over to rest your elbows on your knees and then resting your face in your hands. The two animatronics had been contacted by the police station to help manage a robbery in a remote part of town. The two metal policemen responded almost immediately to the call for reinforcements, but not without hesitation to leave you alone. So you urged them to leave, telling them you wouldn't do anything, or at least if you did intend to do something you'd let them know first. You didn't understand how Moon could still be wasting his time sending you this kind of message when he was supposedly busy.

Sun and Moon had arrived at the same time as you at the building where you'd decided to set up shop so as to be able to observe the dump and the customers, and they'd also stayed with you for most of the day, setting up the three of you so as to keep a constant eye on the dump. As you sat there, you chatted about everything and anything, drowning out the distant noise of the cars below and the machines working inside the landfill. It was a mundane and pointless conversation, but it allowed you to learn a little more about the two animatronics.

It wasn't that you wanted to learn more than they did, but things had to be fair, they'd met important people in your life, and you had to be something of an equal in terms of information. 

So you asked them questions about their science-fiction culture, who and what their parents were like, where they'd 'grown up', and you used these words rather loosely since you'd indirectly been entitled to the 'Science and Life of Animatronics' course you had voluntarily missed while in junior high school. They taught you that, to age, Animatronics, which were Artificial Intelligences placed in receptacles, simply had to change bodies. You also learned that their personality wasn't something they were born with, but rather a parameter that changed with time and experience, almost like other living beings.

It had all been... pleasantly instructive. Yeah, not pleasantly enjoyable. You'd gotten to know your colleagues, you'd learned that Sun was the older of the two, by just a few seconds according to Moon, but that didn't stop the walking sun from bragging about it. Their parents were both animatronics, their mother having worked in the police force and passed on to them her passion for justice. They'd asked you questions about your own life, but you didn't really have anything interesting to talk about, or you just didn't want to talk about it. At least not in front of the two detectives who would probably add more crimes to your criminal record.

You were also able to tease them a little, the rubbish dump in front of you being a perfect catalyst for all the jokes and other cliché mockery that crossed your mind, such as asking them if for them seeing all those electronic machines at the dump was more like a horror movie or a graveyard. In any case, even if what you had exchanged didn't exactly advance your investigation, it did help you avoid the boredom of waiting for something to happen and nothing to happen in the end.

And now that the two animatronics were no longer there for you to keep them company, you were feeling lonely. The distant sounds of the city couldn't drown out the silence buzzing in your ears nor the strange emptiness that had formed in the hollow of your heart. It was strange, you'd always been inhabited by solitude, you'd always sought isolation and silence, you'd conditioned yourself to the absence of company because of your condition as a Shapeshifter, but now you almost missed the two animatronics. And you knew it was a bad feeling, the beginning of an attachment that you shouldn't have, that you couldn't have, Moon and Sun were colleagues only for a time, only for the duration of the investigation, which as long as it seemed was bound to end one day, like the contract that tied you to the two detectives.

You shook your face, pulling yourself out of your thoughts, your ears twitching in a single movement with a slight crinkle before they returned to their original position on the top of your skull, while your tail, which had curled slightly, fell back down onto the low wall beside you. You scanned the landfill once more, letting a sigh of annoyance and boredom leave your lips as you realized that there wasn't much time left before closing time and that you still hadn't seen anything resembling medical equipment being thrown away, perhaps the medical materials had been thrown elsewhere, or maybe even Silvio Notaga had noticed that you'd stolen the document and had had the date of the equipment's disposal moved. You shuddered slightly at this last thought, your stomach turning in on itself.

When you saw two of the dwarves in charge of the dump come up to the wire gate to close it, you let out a sigh of disappointment. You'd done the right thing in pushing Moon and Sun to help manage the heist, if they'd stayed with you, it would have been a waste of time for them, and a waste of time for you too, as you hadn't seen anything that might have interested you. You got up from the edge of the building, starting to pick up your belongings that you'd scattered across the roof and placed them carelessly in your bag, which you threw over your shoulder. You picked up your phone, stopping for a second to start typing a message to send to Moon, telling him you'd come home since you hadn't seen anything. As your finger was just above the send button, your gaze fell one last time on the discharge and you frowned.

The ambient light had dimmed considerably, but the streetlamps framing the dump were bright enough for you to see that the two dwarves were still standing by the wire gate, as if guarding the entrance, waiting for something. They seemed to be talking to each other, but you couldn't tell what they were saying, their expressions unreadable because you were standing too far away. Your tail wagged slightly as your ears twitched, your instinct telling you to wait, to watch, to be patient a little longer. You let your bag slip from your shoulder, your finger abandoning the send button to embrace your phone and place it back on the edge of the wall, your eyes dilating to adjust to the darkness. You waited a few more minutes before finally seeing a van arrive.

It was a classic black van, with no logo and an illegible license plate, not only because you were so far away, but also because the lettering was too faded to be legal. You tried to reach for your phone to take some pictures, but in the dark the sensors couldn't focus, so everything looked like a big pile of dark pixels. You swore silently, watching as the two dwarves opened the gate to the rubbish dump, approaching the van to exchange a few words with the people in the car before motioning for the van to move forward, which it did. Your nails dug into the concrete you'd been leaning on, your heart pounding in your chest as your instincts and logic told you there was something suspicious about the van arriving after the landfill had closed.

Your eyes followed the van as it drove deeper into the landfill, coming to a particular pile of garbage. There was a certain organization in the different piles of garbage, the one next to which the van stopped seemed to be dedicated to household appliances, you could make out washing machines and other types of oven. Your gaze focused on the two people leaving the van, you didn't want to rely on clichés, but they clearly didn't look like scientists, not good ones at any rate. You couldn't see it clearly, but one seemed taller than the other, and more bearded too, while the second was slightly punier, with blond hair. The two dwarves had left their post at the entrance, closing the fence behind the car to head back towards the depths of the dump where you knew their repair warehouse was.

The two men who had left the van had approached the rear of the van to open the double doors, revealing the numerous items of equipment inside. You then watched as the two men removed each piece of equipment one by one and threw it on the household equipment pile. You could see a lot of scientific machines, microscopes, centrifuges, things that reminded you of printers. Gradually, the truck became almost entirely empty, and one of the men, the blond man, grabbed what looked like a garbage bag. You made him grab the bag along with everything else with little care, but he didn't go and throw it away with the rest. The blond turned towards his comrade, who grabbed a strange pile of fabric, the two of them wandering through the rubbish dump to reach a new pile of garbage that seemed to bring together all kinds of unsalvageable waste.

The bearded man who wasn't carrying the bag approached the pile of garbage, and you saw him start to rummage through the garbage, lifting up several layers of dirt before giving way to his colleague who was carrying the bag. You saw him put the garbage bag on the ground for a few seconds, and then you thought you saw the garbage bag make a barely perceptible movement. You weren't sure whether it was your imagination, a movement caused by the wind or a possible displacement caused by the two men standing next to the bag, but you didn't have the chance to wonder for very long. The blond man kicked the garbage bag violently, pushing it into the void created by his comrade in the garbage. The bearded man then began to cover the bag with the surrounding garbage he'd moved, so that when the two men set off again, the rubbish bag he'd brought along was now invisible, hidden behind all the other garbage.

You stood still for long minutes, your eyes following the two men as they continued to empty their van of the little material that remained. When they had finished, you saw them return to their vehicle and head for the gate, thus leaving the dump. You sniffled slightly, lifting one of your hands to rub your nose as your (e/c) orbs came to rest once more on the spot where that strange garbage bag had been buried, your curiosity and instinct wanting you to go and check what was in the bag so he'd have to hide it like that. Biting your lower lip, you looked down at your phone for a few seconds before quickly grabbing it. You erased the previous message you'd sent Moon, completely changing the content.

- "A van, not badly registered and with no logo, arrived after closing time. Two men were clearing out some medical supplies, including a garbage bag. I'm going to search the garbage bag. I'll be careful. If you don't hear from me in ten minutes, I'm in trouble" -

You sent the message, not waiting for an answer that was unlikely to be positive, you switched off your phone and placed it in your bag, which you abandoned on the roof, as you yourself started to descend the fire escape, putting on your feline form to go faster. Arriving in the alley, you reverted to your human form, moving closer to the edge of the building to contemplate the street leading to the dump. Once you were sure the van was gone, you pulled the hood of your sweater down over your head, concealing your face and hair before sprinting towards the dump. However, you decided to avoid the main gate, skirting the metal fence for several meters before stopping and looking towards the top of the fence, which was several meters high.

Your logic urged you to change your appearance entirely, and your instinct said the same humming softly in the background. You'd been to this dump before, and it was run by Fantastics, so you didn't want to risk the dwarves being able to track you down by your scent. You'd adopted this tactic many a time when you were younger and still finding it difficult to steal unnoticed, or when you knew you were stealing something belonging to a Supernatural. This technique had always worked for you, in fact it was the only advantage you had in being a Shapeshifter. You couldn't help wondering why you hadn't used this technique to escape from Sun and Moon, but you pushed the thought away, shaking your face to concentrate once more on the task in front of you.

After a final inspection of your surroundings, you closed your eyes, feeling the long, characteristic shudder that accompanied your change spread through your body as you adopted your new Skinwalker form. You were still a feline, since that was a species you were used to, but the size of your animal form had changed greatly. You had let only the ears and tail of your new form modify your human appearance, the ears well hidden inside your hood while your tail now sported black spots on a tawny and slightly white background. You could smell your own scent changing, which reassured you and allowed you to turn with determination towards the fence.

You stretched out your hands, gripping the mesh before quickly climbing up and over the fence, letting yourself fall silently to the other side. You immediately dashed towards a pile of garbage, hiding behind it for a second to watch for the slightest noise and make sure that no one inside or outside the dump had seen you. You shivered again, but this time not from the cold. Your heart pounded in your chest, your breathing, that's you tried to regulate, faster and deeper, adrenalin pushing your senses to extremes as you relied a little more on your instincts to decide what to do.

After a few more seconds of confirming that the way was still clear, you made your way into the rubbish dump, heading in the direction of the rubbish bag, your steps silent as you advanced rapidly, always keeping to the shadows and cover of the garbage. Your hearing was slightly impaired by your hood, but your sense of smell was confused by all the smells there were, whether of rubble and other waste, or of the various people who had passed through there in the previous days. You relied mainly on your eyes, and luckily your new form was also nyctalopic, so you didn't have too much trouble seeing where you were going.

After several minutes of cautious walking, you finally arrived at the pile of garbage where the two men had thrown the garbage bag. You let a sigh leave your lips as you began to climb over the garbage, wincing slightly as you felt the various discarded objects move beneath your feet, creaking or making slight noises that might attract the attention of anyone who got a little too close. You stopped, your heart racing as your eyes took in the horizon before coming to rest once more where the garbage bag had been buried, under a strange fabric with a variegated pattern and an ugly wooden sculpture whose shape you were unable to determine. You slowly closed the distance between yourself and the garbage bag, and a few yards away, before you'd moved a muscle, the smell hit you head-on.

The smell of decomposition, of blood and, in general, of death, managed to find its way to your nostrils despite the surrounding odors. You felt bile rising in your throat, a sudden nausea taking hold of you, threatening to make you lose your balance and vomit everything you'd ingested since morning. You lifted one of your sleeves to your face, a stifled squeak leaving your lips as you felt your eyes sting, a few tears appearing at the corners of your eyes. You hoped it wasn't the contents of the bag that smelled that way, but your instincts immediately contradicted you. You grit your teeth, trying to swallow the bitter taste in your mouth, before plunging your trembling hands into the garbage, slowly beginning to remove it one by one.

You worked slowly, pausing to put your face to your shoulder, coughing silently into your clothes and blinking to try to calm your nausea and the feeling of panic that took hold of you more and more with each layer of garbage you removed. Finally, your gloved hand came to rest on the garbage bag, and you stopped. Now the smell of death and decay was accompanied by that of chemicals and bleach, but there was something behind it, an acrid, diluted odor that made the hairs on your tail stand on end and forced your ears back against your skull, a smell that was both familiar and foreign to you. Your fingers forced your mind not to think too hard as you suddenly reached out with both hands, grabbing the rather heavy bag, pulling it towards you and using one of your fingers to tear the bag open.

Your heart suddenly stopped at the sight of the corpses of small creatures that were partially beginning to decompose. Bodies of rats and mice that weren't really rats and mice. You stumbled slightly sideways, bending double, your hands digging into the detritus as your nausea took hold of you once again, causing you to choke on what was a mixture of saliva and bile, tears escaping from your eyes as your mind refused to accept the fact that you had before you a dozen bodies of Skinwalkers rats. Your logic screamed at you that this was impossible, that Skinwalkers couldn't retain their animal form after death, but along with the smell of putrefaction came the characteristic odor of Skinwalkers and human.

A stifled squeak left your lips as you managed to turn your attention back to the garbage bag and its contents. The corpses had been carelessly tossed together, various wounds smearing their variegated furs, scalpel marks exposing organs, puncture marks on areas that had been shaved, their eyes bulging as they contemplated the infinite emptiness of death. They floated in a liquid, a mixture of blood and bleach used to mitigate odor. Some of those who had died earlier had begun to decompose, their bodies displaying the characteristic swelling of internal putrefaction. The creatures had disarticulated limbs or crushed skulls, but you didn't know whether this was what had caused their death or whether it was due to the lack of care given to their remains.

You couldn't think straight, long shivers running through your body as your eyes remained fixed on the butchery. Your skull felt like it was about to explode, your heartbeat echoing in your ears. You felt your vision darken, forcing you to close your hands into fists, nails digging into your skin through your gloves to keep you conscious as the sensations in the rest of your body seemed to fade. You'd seen dead bodies before, but not in such condition, not in such proportion, because even if what you saw looked like rodents, they weren't just rats, they were people. Beings with a family, a life... You stopped your breathing from faltering, inhaling noisily through your mouth, forcing your mind and logic aside, letting your instincts take over, letting them take the initiative in pushing you to want to leave immediately to warn someone, to warn Sun and Moon.

You started to push off on your trembling legs, ready to take off running, but you stopped again, your breath disappearing again as you saw one of the Skinwalkers in the bag, one of the more puny rats, make an almost imperceptible movement of an inspiration. Your hands immediately plunged into the garbage bag, ignoring the sensation of stiffening bodies, the cold sickening liquid that filled the bag and seeped through your gloves, the smell that would follow you for weeks, concentrating solely on the little Skinwalker. Your two hands closed around him, gently removing him from this macabre pool.

Your hands brought the little creature to your ear, and you turned your face to press your ear against its body, stopping your breathing for a second to allow yourself to hear better. A sigh of relief, surprise and hope left your lips as you heard a slight breathing and a tiny heartbeat. It wasn't much, it was faint, but he was still alive. You pressed the Rat-Walker against your neck, folding your sweater slightly over him to try and keep him warm, wrapping your hands around his body to hold him firmly and gently as you rose to your feet. You lowered your eyes in the direction of the other remains, feeling guilty for leaving them here, but with no other option. You climbed down from the pile of detritus, slipping slightly, using your tail to balance yourself while your two hands were busy keeping the survivor warm.

At the bottom, you took one last look around yourself before heading back towards the fence. You crossed the dump, this time with urgency, your senses watching for the slightest noise as your mind focused on the life you held in your hands. You didn't know how long the Skinwalker Rat was going to be able to stay alive, you weren't a doctor but you knew from the coldness of his body that he was hypothermic, which is why you were trying to keep him warm, you suspected that his wounds weren't making his condition any better and that being locked in a bag full of other corpses, bleach and other chemicals hadn't made his breathing any easier.

Footsteps were heard several meters away, behind a pile of electronic detritus. You froze, your eyes widely dilated to compensate for the lack of light, panicking as you searched for a place to hide, but you'd been caught in a pincer movement, too close to the metal fence, a wall of garbage you clearly couldn't climb noiselessly behind. A silent insult left your lips as you considered scaling the fence, but with the rat with you you'd have to do it much more carefully so as not to risk dropping it or injuring it in any way.

"Hey you ?!"

Your face turned sharply in the direction of the two dwarves who had appeared at the other end of the pile of garbage, their flashlights shining down on you, blinding you. You let a growl leave your lips, turning your face away as your fight-or-flight instinct took over as you saw the two Supernaturals darting in your direction. You delicately but swiftly grabbed the little Skinwalker rat, holding it delicately to your wrist, pinning it with your hand as you suddenly decided to take on your full form, the mottled fur covering your entire body. You lowered your muzzle towards the rat, opening your mouth wide before gently closing it around the little creature's body as you lifted it into your mouth.

In a flash you sprinted towards the fence, and with a leap you leapt over it to more than half its height, your large claws and paws gripping the metal as you pulled yourself up to the top of the metalized fence before leaping off the other side, landing nimbly on the concrete floor as you took particular care that your fangs didn't injure the rat you were holding, All your concentration went into the pressure you exerted with your mouth, which was, in proportion to your size, one of the most powerful in the animal kingdom. Wasting no time, you immediately took off running through the darkened streets of the city, while you could hear the dwarves shouting incomprehensible words that sounded like: "Contact them."

Your paws pounded the ground as you entered a new street, your ears pressed against your skull to keep the wind from whistling inside. Your breathing was heavy and deep, and you could feel your breath reverberating lightly against the Skinwalker's fur that you still held in your mouth even as you tried to breathe through your nostrils, forcing yourself to ignore the foul blow you had against your tongue from the rat's fur, soaked with the filth in which it had bathed. Your mind had set a goal, a destination, the hospital.

The rat needed immediate attention, and even though it would have been all the easier for you to return to the building where your belongings were to call an ambulance, you didn't want to risk staying near the dump and the dwarves. If you'd been trapped on the roof, you clearly wouldn't have been able to do anything to defend yourself other than flee and abandon the Skinwalkers, and that wasn't an option you wanted to take. You furtively lowered your eyes in the direction of the little rodent, the guilt of agitating this poor, already martyred creature wrapping itself around your throat and heart. Judging that you were now far enough away from the dump, you paused slightly on the sidewalk to make sure he was still alive, releasing him from your jaws to place him gently between your two front paws, which you folded against you as you lay back slightly on the ground.

Car headlights appeared at the other end of the alleyway, and at first you paid them no attention, having already passed a few cars which didn't seem to be much interested in the enormous feline you were, wandering the streets in the middle of the night. But when the noise of the engine suddenly intensified, the headlights shining dangerously bright in your direction, you had no option but to look up, only to see the van of the two men who had gotten rid of the medical supplies and Skinwalker's body bag and were heading in your direction. You grabbed the unconscious creature between your jaws once more with terror, leaping backwards, your body much heavier than you were used to, causing you to stumble slightly as the car's wheels screeched on the asphalt, the vehicle jolting violently as it climbed part way up the sidewalk, coming to rest where you had been standing just a few seconds ago.

The car then abruptly started moving again, reversing as the passenger window, the one closest to you, suddenly lowered. You got back on your feet suddenly, jumping out of the way of the window that had started to open as you took off running again, your heart beating even faster and your breathing now uncontrolled as the drivers of the van had clearly just tried to ram you. You crossed the street to the other side, leaving a considerable distance between you and the car as you passed behind it and headed off in the direction of where the car had come from, giving yourself more time by forcing the car to make a U-turn.

You crossed the street quickly, setting off for a new fork in the road as you once again heard the vehicle's engine roar and tires screech against the concrete, the van immediately setting off in pursuit. The headlights came on far too quickly in the street you'd started sprinting down, but this time you anticipated the movement, taking an almost 90° turn into an alleyway where the car wouldn't be able to follow you. You continued to run down the alley, your breathing heavy as you had more strength in your cat form, but it was harder to cope with the endurance.

You stopped as you entered a new street, straightening up as your muzzle swiveled from right to left to find your way back to the path you'd lost trying to escape from the van, you cut across the road once more, setting off along the street now that you'd managed to reposition yourself in relation to the nearest hospital. You had time to cross two more streets, every sound you heard making you before the van suddenly reappeared in front of you, cutting you off at an angle. The passenger window was now fully down, the man's face behind it, the blond man, contorted in disgust as you saw him lift something out of the car, a metallic reflex glinting in the darkness as you suddenly leaned forward, jumping out to disappear into an adjacent alleyway, the crack of a rifle shot echoing through the street and into your ears.

A sound somewhere between a grunt and a squeak of pain left your throat, muffled by the little creature you still held between your jaws, as the sharp, burning sensation of a fresh wound suddenly sprang up in the part of your back just before the pelvis. Luckily, the bullet had probably only grazed your skin, but that didn't stop you from disappearing into the alley, hearing the car speeding off again in who knows what direction to try and block your path again. You'd given up on the road to the hospital, the two men in the van seemed to have understood that this was your objective, which enabled them to more or less predict which way you were going, and even if you were progressing little by little it wasn't fast enough, and you could feel the little Skinwalker getting weaker and weaker.

You decided to retrace your steps on some block of flats, abandoning the hospital for the second place where you could find safety : the police station. Ten minutes had now passed, the two animatronics had surely started looking for you and you knew they would probably have warned the Glamrocks and the police station in general of the situation. Panic was beginning to set in and you were slowly running out of steam, just as time was running out for the dying little creature, but you held on to the hope that Sun and Moon represented. Like a shadow you crossed new streets, and narrow lanes, watching for the van whose peculiar engine noise you had now more or less picked up, managing to distinguish it from the other noises of innocent cars.

Arriving in a district where the spaces between the different buildings were now greatly diminished, you abandoned your animal form, concealing yourself between some garbage cans as you once again carefully examined the little Skinwalker. He seemed even weaker than before, his irregular breathing and heartbeat almost imperceptible under your fingers, and this only reinforced your state of panic. You pressed the little Rat-Walker against you, rubbing its brown fur with your hands to give it some form of comfort as you murmured :

"Just a little longer, please, hold on..."

You pressed him into the hollow of your neck, pulling your hood against him to keep him a little warmer as you climbed the steps of a fire escape, arriving on a rooftop with an unobstructed view, you watched the streets below for several long seconds before finally deciding to leap onto the adjacent building, continuing in this way for long minutes, taking advantage of the discretion and safety that rooftops offered you. As you landed on a new roof, your gaze wandered to a street ahead, drawn by a black vehicle. You immediately bent down, hiding your silhouette behind one of the low walls that formed the edge of the building, fingers gently scratching the Rat-Walker's fur as your ears lay back against your skull.

You watched the car pass through several streets on either side of the building you were in, a slight growl leaving your lips as you couldn't help revealing your slightly sharper-than-normal canines. You let the van disappear, waiting another minute for safety before finally setting off again, from rooftop to rooftop, when you finally reached buildings whose distance you couldn't easily leap over you climbed down, doing a bit of climbing this time as you couldn't find any fire escapes, After making sure that the little rat was safely and comfortably ensconced in the hollow of your neck, you used windowsills and gutters to climb back down to solid ground, letting yourself fall for the last few metres, taking care to bend your legs to cushion the shock of the fall.

After a deep breath, you took off running again, abandoning your current appearance for that of Cat-Walker, to enable you to sprint to the police station, which was now not far away. You could see some police lights in the distance, cars leaving the parking lot, and you ran past them, crossing the entrance quickly to reach the waiting room. You decided to ignore the reception desk, running all the way inside the police station to reach the office where a few people turned towards you as they saw you enter in a panic, breathing heavily.

"Y/N !" Monty's voice exclaimed. "Where the fuck have you been ?! We all started to..."

You ignored Monty to focus on Freddy, who had immediately lunged in your direction upon seeing your condition. You met his gaze and as you saw him stretch out his big metal paws in your direction you revealed the little Skinwalker rat, catching it with your trembling hands to show it delicately to Freddy, your voice rising hoarse and your words interspersed with your jerky breathing :

"Freddy he's dying ! Call an ambulance... It's not just a rat, I promise ! It's a Skinwalker. I... found it in the dump with... There were others. Skinwalkers rats. They were in a garbage bag thrown into a pile of garbage near the south side of the dump, on top of some loose trash, but they were... They were dead. I picked this one up, I wanted to take it to hospital but some men, they were the ones who threw the bag away, they attacked me and I panicked..."

"Calm down y/n..." Freddy sighed softly, placing his hands on your shoulders.

"Call the paramedics immediately." Vanessa's voice, which you hadn't noticed coming your way, suddenly ordered. "Freddy is in charge of first aid. Elyose take someone with you and go to the dump to inspect and bring back the trash bag from there. And someone, please let Sun and Moon know they're with us at the police station."

Your eyes met Vanessa's apple-green ones, and she gave you a reassuring shake of the head before turning away, continuing to give instructions. Your attention suddenly returned to Freddy, whose hands had gently closed over yours, urging you to hand over the little creature. You slowly loosened your grip on the little survivor's body, handing him over to Freddy, who grinned at you before immediately turning to take up a position on one of the desks, while other policemen brought him the necessary first-aid equipment.

You remained frozen in place for long minutes, your mind struggling to assimilate the fact that you were safe again, that the Skinwalker rat was in good hands and now had a chance of survival. You breathed deeply, your inhalation causing your body to tremble slightly as you looked down at your gloved hands. Your hands were wet, clammy, soaked with the sickeningly viscous liquid in which the little Supernatural and all his other dead comrades had been bathed. You felt yourself turn pale as you revisited the image of all the corpses in the bag. Suddenly, you became aware of the taste in your mouth, that of the young Skinwalker rat's fur, stained with the taste of death and putrefaction.

Your nausea made you move abruptly, and you dashed towards the police station's toilets, pushing the door brutally open without worrying whether or not there might be someone behind it. In one swift movement, you removed your gloves and sweater, tossing them carelessly into the corner of the room, finding yourself wearing only a tank top as you entered one of the toilets, your nausea finally getting the better of you. After flushing the toilet, you simply sat down on the floor, the cleanliness and hygiene of the floor not being your first concern at that precise moment, you tilted your head back and rested it against one of the walls separating the different toilets, closing your eyelids as you could see the light from the lamp above you filtering through your eyelids.

The sounds were distant and muffled as you concentrated on your breathing and the beating of your heart, which was slowly beginning to return to a normal rhythm. As the panic and adrenalin faded you began to realize how tired you were, your muscles aching and the burn pulsing along the bullet cut you'd received, your hands were sore too, you knew it was because you'd been running on concrete too long and too fast, and you'd probably injured yourself with broken glass without realizing it. A squeak left your lips as you shifted slightly to try and find a more comfortable position, the urge to sleep like this and here slowly creeping into your mind. But you didn't, the distant sound of an ambulance siren keeping your mind out of unconsciousness.

You listened to the siren as if it were a melody, your eyelids still closed. The sound of the toilet door opening abruptly made you frown slightly before you heard hurried footsteps entering the toilet before stopping for a few seconds. The two pairs of footsteps then approached the toilet you were standing in, before a light knock sounded on the wooden door. You opened your eyes with difficulty, seeing through the small gap beneath the door two shadows of pairs of shoes.

"y/n ? Are you in there ?"

"Are you okay ?"

Moon and Sun's voices made you straighten your face, your eyes opening a little wider as you watched one of the shadows under the door stir. You let a sigh leave your lips, if the situation had been any different you would have told them that they already knew perfectly well it was you and that you were indeed there thanks to their strange scanner. But you said nothing. With a grimace and a superhuman effort, you managed to get to your feet, helping yourself to the walls of the toilet. You turned towards the door, opening it with a flick of your wrist, even though you hadn't bothered to lock it behind you.

You then came face to face with the facial disks of the two detectives, their expressions dark and distorted with worry. You started to open your mouth to say something, but Sun, who was slightly closer to you, didn't give you the chance, his hands plunging in your direction to pull you sharply towards him. You found your face pressed against his tie, his hands wrapped around your shoulders and slightly under your arms as your body was held firmly against that of Sun's animatronic. A sigh left your lips as you immediately relaxed into Sun's warm, delicate embrace, your eyelids closing once more.

"We were so worried... We went back to the roof and found all your stuff intact, so we assumed you'd left in a hurry. And when we saw the ambulance outside the police station, we thought the worst." Sun murmured in your ear, his arms tightening slightly around you.

"I'm... I'm fine." You finish by saying, pushing Sun away slightly.

"I don't call the wounds on your hands and the cut on your back 'fine', y/n." Moon sighed, placing his hand on your shoulder.

You blinked before looking down at your hands, you hadn't really been paying attention, you'd noticed a slight pain but you hadn't noticed the damage, your palms were skinned, blood had leaked from the few deepest cuts and slightly stained the rest of your hands. You shook your face, letting a new little "It's nothing" leave your lips before turning to one of the sinks there. You gently turned on the water before plunging your hands underneath, grimacing slightly as you began to rub your hands together to remove the dirt that had probably embedded itself in the wounds. You then held out your hands ready to use the handwash, but a hand much larger than yours closed around your wrist, preventing you from using the product. You first observed the long, dark-blue fingers before looking up to meet Moon's reddened eyes in the mirror just above the washbasins.

"Your wounds need disinfecting, not just washing." Moon declared.

"That's what I've always done." You sigh, trying to free your wrist without success.

"That was before you met us. Now we're here, we're not going to leave you without care." Sun continued, placing his hand on the shoulder of the hand Moon wasn't holding.

"There are more urgent things to deal with than simple cuts !"

You had raised your voice slightly your eyes shifting from Moon to Sun who didn't move, holding your gaze. Finally, you let out a sigh, leaning forward to rest your forehead against the edge of the washbasin, the coldness of the surface contrasting with your forehead which felt like it was on fire, your heart having started beating a little faster again. Moon had let go of your wrist to gently grasp your hands, which had begun to tremble, and Sun had decided to place his hand between your shoulders, away from the wound in your lower back. You took up what you'd been saying more softly, your voice barely audible :

"They were people... A bag full of people, Skinwalkers, dead. They were in their animal forms and I don't understand why, it's impossible but it was... I've seen dead people before, but not like this, not in these conditions. If it wasn't for the smell of magical creatures you'd think they were rats, I thought so at first, but they were Skinwalkers..."

"We know you're worried, but everything's fine now. The police are taking care of the rest. You've already done more than you should have, thanks to you at least one of the Skinwalkers could be saved." Moon added gently, tugging lightly on your hands to encourage you to stand up.

"Now you need some care, so come on." Sun declared, giving you a gentle push.

Under the urging of the two animatronics you began to leave the bathroom, Moon lingering slightly, picking up your things that you'd carelessly thrown to the floor and lifting them up as you began to fold them, stopping you only to look over your shoulder at him, shaking your face slightly.

"You can throw it all away. Even when washed, these clothes will retain the smell of death..."

You saw Moon glance down at your clothes before nodding slightly, placing the clothes in the garbage can before exiting the restroom. You crossed the police station, letting them guide you to the office you used to occupy. Once inside, Moon made you sit on the edge of the table, Sun leaving the room momentarily to retrieve a first-aid kit, from what he'd told Moon. You looked down at your hands, which you had placed in your lap, folding your fingers slightly towards your palm before wincing as you felt the scratches sting slightly. You felt Moon's hand gently slide against one of yours, its strange pads barely brushing your scratched skin to come to rest against your fingers and encourage them to stay open.

You looked up at Moon, crescendoing his gaze before seeing his other hand reach out towards your face, his fingers gently touching your cheek before his fingers slid against your skin, his hand cupping your cheek. His thumb delicately caressed the skin just below your eye as you closed your eyes, the gentle contact allowing you to relax a little more, though it also reinforced your fatigue, pushing you to press the weight of your face a little more against Moon's hand, whose eyes hadn't left your face.

"We're sorry we weren't with you."

Chapter Text

You opened your eyes with a heavy sigh of exasperation, meeting Moon's red eyes for a few seconds before straightening up. You pushed his hand away from your face, lightly rubbing your eyes to try and dissipate the fatigue as you said :

"I'm really not in the mood to argue with your superhero complex or whatever shit you've got going on that's screwing up your little metal brain."

"Your sly tongue is still there, that's reassuring to know." Moon chuckled lightly.

"My best quality as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, don't try too hard to find out who's to blame for my injuries, I'm a walking bad luck charm, it was bound to happen." You sighed, turning your head towards the board where the various clues were displayed.

"A bad luck charm ? I don't believe in luck or bad luck, and I believe even less in fate."

"I don't know either, but it's just an observation. Bad things always happen when I'm around... A real black cat." You say, trying to turn your confession into a joke.

"If you were really bad luck, the Skinwalker wouldn't have been alive." Moon declared, his husky voice dropping another few octaves.

"Who said he was going to survive ?" You asked, looking back in Moon's direction. "He may have been taken to hospital, but there's no guarantee he'll pull through. He wasn't well."

"We can only hope he'll get better and even if he unfortunately doesn't make it, it wouldn't be your fault, you did everything you could to give him a chance to go on living." Moon declared with a smile.

It wasn't much, but hearing Moon say that you'd done everything you could made you feel good, knowing that it wasn't your fault reassured you, taking some of that invisible, indefinable weight off your heart. You'd heard these kinds of words before, but hearing them from Moon's mouth gave them a different kind of sincerity that you couldn't quite explain. Moon's hand came to rest on your face again, the feeling in the depths of your heart rising once more because of his words and attention, but this time you were too exhausted to try to face them or find a logical reason and explanation. So you gave free rein to this strange feeling, closing your eyes once again with a sigh. You felt Moon's other hand come up to the other side of your face, and you didn't bother to open your eyes, feeling his fingers push back the few strands of your hair that had lingered in front of your face.

It was only when you heard the door open that you re-opened your eyes to see, over Moon's shoulder, Sun holding a first-aid kit in his hands. The animatronic sun looked in the direction of your face, held by Moon, at first with surprise, but his expression changed to a raised eyebrow and a small, amused smile on his lips. You hummed lightly and pushed Moon away again, while a touch of red colored your cheeks under the embarrassment of the situation. You heard Moon cough slightly, you couldn't understand how this was possible, since the nocturnal animatronic had no lungs, as he lifted one of his hands to his nightcap and pulled it slightly over his eyes before turning his back, giving way to Sun.

The brightly-colored detective approached the table where you were sitting, setting the kit down beside you before opening it and rummaging around inside, pulling out all the materials needed to treat your wounds. You then saw Sun look up at you with a gentle smile and a wink, one of his hands outstretched in your direction, as if to say "Give me your hand". You rolled your eyes, lifting one of your hands to place it in his, realizing once again how big their hands were compared to yours. Palm turned upwards, Sun began to apply disinfectant, which made you wince slightly as you felt it react to your few scratches.

After carefully and repeatedly cleaning your wound, Sun began to bandage your hand, turning it palm down so as to place the bandage correctly around your hand. As Sun placed his hand under yours, your gaze fell on his bright orange pads, reminiscent of orange-scented jelly beans. Instinctively, you gently pinched one of the pads at the tip of one of his fingers between your thumb and forefinger. You went on like this for several seconds, not noticing that Sun had skipped all movement, her dark optics lowered towards you.

"Pads..." you sighed unconsciously.

"Huh? What did you say ?" Sun then questioned, a touch of amusement in his voice.

You then immediately stopped all movement, releasing Sun's pad as you looked up at him. You held his gaze for a few seconds before looking down to see that your bandage was half-done. You clear your throat before answering :

"N-No, it's nothing..."

"Did you say 'pads' ?" Sun says, tilting his face as his rays make a complete circle around his facial disc.

"Why are you asking me if you heard what I said ?!" You exclaimed, feeling a new wave of red coming to color your cheeks.

"Just to see if you had the courage to repeat what you said." Sun declared with a teasing smile. "So what's wrong with my pads ?"

"Um... It's just that... They remind me of a cat's." you murmured, turning your face away.

Your gaze fell on Moon, who had taken up residence in a corner of the room, and you saw him silently chuckling as Sun's snigger echoed almost in your ear. You turned towards him again as you felt his hands start to move once more, finishing bandaging your first hand before turning to your other hand to start disinfecting it before bandaging it in the same way as the other. Once both hands were perfectly bandaged, you lifted them, shaking them slightly to test the bandages, which weren't disturbing.

When you saw Sun reach out towards one of your hands, you initially thought he wanted to make a small correction to the bandage, so you innocently gave him your hand. You saw Sun grin at you before bringing your hand up to his face, which he tilted slightly, his lips making delicate contact with your bandaged palm. You froze, your pupils dilating as your heart missed a beat. You watched as Sun looked up at you before straightening up, a smile on his lips as he said in a singsong voice :

"A kiss to heal faster ! Now, your other hand."

"The fuck ?! You take me for a child ! And even as a child I knew that... kissing a wound certainly didn't make it any better." You exclaimed, bringing your hand towards you as if Sun had burned you.

"Are you sure it doesn't make you feel better ?" Sun asked with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

"Y-Yeah, I'm sure !" You say.

You saw Sun make a little pout almost as if he were offended, while Moon let a sound between a sneer and a sigh leave his lips. Sun quickly pulled himself together, however, asking you to turn around so he could tend to the wound on your back. You grunted slightly, mumbling incomprehensible words as you tried to calm your new peak of embarrassment. You were clearly too tired to deal with this sort of thing, so you complied, pivoting on yourself to sit cross-legged on the table. You knew the bullet had poked a hole in your sweater, you'd seen it when you took off your sweater, and you suspected the same was true of your tank top, which was probably how the two animatronics had noticed your wound.

"Sorry Kitten, I'm forced to lift your garment." Says Sun, meeting your gaze over your shoulder.

"Hm. Yes, I know, it's no big deal." You reply.

You then felt Sun gently lift your tank top, exposing the whole of your lower back as you reached for your garment to hold it allowing Sun to have both hands free to work. You heard Moon's movement and watched him approach until he disappeared from your field of vision, passing behind your back. All you could hear was the sound of the machinery that made up the two animatronics. Then you felt a finger delicately resting under the long cut, lightly caressing your skin, reddened by the lesion just above.

"What exactly happened when you got attacked and chased ? Because this is a gunshot wound." Moon declared, as you felt his finger move slightly.

"A little after the dump closed, a van arrived, two men threw away some equipment and the garbage bag that intrigued me and in which I found the dead Supernaturals. After entering the dump and retrieving the Skinwalker, I tried to sneak out, but carrying the rat made it difficult. I was spotted by the dwarves leaving the dump, and I think they're working with the ones who got rid of the Skinwalkers' remains, since they opened the gates for them. Anyway. I ran off in the direction of the hospital, except that the two men in the van chased me by car, first trying to run me over and then one of them shooting me. I don't know if the neighbors heard the shot as their gun seemed to have a silencer, and even if I heard it perfectly if it wasn't for a keen ear, the noise must surely have gone unnoticed."

"You could have been seriously hurt..." Sun murmured, his voicebox crackling slightly.

"I wasn't. Now could you do what you need to do a little faster because I won't lie, I'm getting cold."

You weren't lying entirely, you could feel a little draught creeping in through the half-open window, but you also didn't feel like having to listen to either of the animatronics worry about you, you were still standing on your own two feet, you considered yourself lucky that your bad luck hadn't played a nastier trick on you. A squeak of pain left your lips as you felt an otherwise cold cotton pad of disinfectant come to rest against one end of the wound. The cut wasn't deep, but the speed and heat of the bullet had slightly burned your skin, making it sensitive. You heard Sun apologize, saying that it would probably hurt a little throughout the disinfection process, and you nodded, saying it wasn't serious.

Sun carefully disinfected the cut, and you grimaced slightly, clenching your teeth so as not to make too much noise and make the two animatronics feel guilty. After cleaning the wound, Sun applied a bandage to it, pressing gently so that the bandage held but not pressing directly on the wound. You could feel his fingers delicately brushing your skin, making you shiver slightly as your back was exposed. After a few seconds, Sun remained motionless, and you looked over your shoulder, glancing menacingly at the solar animatronic as you murmured :

"Don't even think of giving that wound a 'magic kiss' if you don't want me to make you swallow your own rays..."

"N-No no that wasn't my intention !" Sun exclaimed with a nervous chuckle.

Sun then moved away, a little pink coloring his spiraling cheekbones, allowing you to loosen your tank top, the garment once again concealing your back and the wound. You then turned towards the two animatronics, letting your legs fall back into the void as you lifted one of your hands to your eyes, rubbing them lightly to try and dissipate the fatigue without success as a few seconds later you almost yawned until your jaw dropped. You heard a rustle of clothes before feeling something drape over your shoulders. You looked up to see Moon in front of you, his hands moving away from your shoulders, over which he had draped his long black jacket. You watched Moon for a few seconds, crossing his reddened orbs. It was strange to see him without his jacket, and you couldn't help wondering what Sun must look like if he was wearing one.

"We wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Moon sighed.

"Let's go, we'll drop you at home." Sun added with a smile as she turned on her heel.

"Thanks." You replied to the two.

Both replied "You're welcome" simultaneously before leaving the room, you following a little more slowly. You passed through the police station, whose previous agitation had largely subsided, and saw Monty make a little military salute in your direction, which you returned with a small wave of your hand, before finally making your way back outside. You were grateful to Moon for his jacket, because as soon as you stepped outside you felt the bite of the cold. Normally the temperature would have been more bearable, but after all that had happened in just a few hours your body was too strained to maintain your body temperature. You pulled Moon's jacket tighter around you, tucking your arms into the sleeves which were far too big, pulling the collar up to your face to lightly cover your nose. You weren't surprised to smell lavender again, but this time not mint but something fruitier, a scent that reminded you of the wild berries you'd eaten as a child.

Once inside the car, you breathed a small sigh of relief, the interior having a slightly more pleasant temperature than the exterior. As you entered, you noticed that your belongings, which you'd left on the roof, were there on the back seat. You made yourself as comfortable as possible in the back seat, pressing yourself lightly against the door so you could rest your body and succumb a little to your fatigue. You closed your eyes, letting your mind drift. You didn't really fall asleep, just dozed off until you felt the car stop, prompting you to return to a state of consciousness. You looked up to see the entrance to your apartment, before turning to the two detectives, and started to take off Moon's jacket to give it back to him, but the darker of the two brothers shook his facial disk, making the pompom on the end of his cap jiggle.

"Keep it to get you to your apartment, a sudden change in temperature is likely to make you sick." 

"Okey... I'll give it back to you after I've washed it. Thanks again. Have a nice evening." You sighed as you opened the car door.

"Good night and sweet dreams Kitten." Sun declared with a small smile.

"Nighty night." Moon replied.

You then left the car, grabbing your belongings and returning to the comfort of your apartment, listening to the two metal policemen's car start up again and take to the streets of the city. You climbed the stairs to your apartment a little more slowly than usual. Once in front of the door, you took your key, which you had decided not to hide in the alley adjacent to your home this time, since you hadn't intended to transform yourself, out of your bag before entering your house. The air inside your home was cold after you'd spent a full day outside. You set your bag down on your dining table, put off packing everything inside until tomorrow and headed for your bedroom.

You dragged your feet to your bed and sat down heavily, removing your shoes and throwing them carelessly into the corner of the room before looking down at the Moon jacket you were wearing. You hesitated a few seconds to remove it before deciding against it, the garment was far too comfortable and warm against your skin, and although you were going to get under your covers, you didn't want to wait for your bed and blankets to warm up thanks to your body temperature. So you lay back in bed, Moon's jacket wrapped tightly around you. As soon as you put your face on your pillow, you felt yourself drifting off into the world of the unconscious.

                                    ~❂✯☾~

Waking up the next morning was difficult, and you spent several minutes awake in bed, staring at the emptiness of your ceiling, trying to remember everything that had happened last night and why you'd found yourself snuggled up in Moon's jacket. After you'd managed to put the events in a logical chronological order, you got up from your bed, letting a sigh of pain leave your lips as you felt the wound in your back being pulled as you stood up. After carefully removing Moon's jacket and hanging it on one of the towel racks, you looked down at your tank top. With the hole in its back, there was nothing you could do with it but cut it up to make rags to clean your house.

You let out a sigh, placing the tank top on your dirty laundry basket before looking down at your bandages. You began by undoing those on your hands, inspecting the wounds lightly, strangely enough, the hand Sun had kissed was less painful than the other... You shook your face, pushed away the stupid idea that had crossed your mind and turned towards the sink to brush your teeth. Once you'd finished, you removed the bandage from your back before stepping into the shower. You were careful not to apply too much pressure to your wounds before stepping out of the shower and putting on new clothes. After your shower, you went to the kitchen to prepare yourself a breakfast while putting away yesterday's belongings.

You hadn't received any calls or messages from the two animatronics, but you wanted to know about the Skinwalker and what had been found at the dump. You wanted to go straight to the police station, but you looked at your unbandaged hands and you knew that if you went that way you'd probably push one or other of the two animatronics to redo your bandages, and you certainly didn't want to waste their time. It was already hard enough for you to come to terms with what had happened last night, so you didn't want to owe them any more.

You knew it was going to be complicated and you risked explaining to him what had happened to you, but you could count on him to redo your bandages, he'd always done it when you were younger. You were also going to take advantage of your visit to the harpy to ask him if you could use his washing machine to wash the jacket Moon had lent you. You wanted to give it back to him as soon as possible, and above all to make sure it was perfectly clean after you'd slept in it. You could feel your cheeks redden at the mere idea of the animatronic learning that you'd practically cuddled his garment to sleep. You didn't want to admit it either, but the smell of the jacket had soothed you, making you sleep strangely better and more soundly than usual.

Shaking your face to get you out of your thoughts and avoid embarrassing yourself further with all that had happened. You grabbed a few things, including the bandages you hadn't used last time and your wallet to pay for the bus journey, since a complete transformation was currently out of the question with your injuries, before heading down the steps to Botzaris's apartment. You waited a few seconds before finally hearing the harpy's clawed paws echoing on the floor and seeing the door open on the Supernatural's silhouette.

"Oh ? Good morning y/n, I didn't expect to see you so early in the morning. What can I do for you ?"

"Good morning Botzaris, I'd like to ask you a small favor..." You say, pursing your lips together.

"Huh ? What favor ?"

"Well I'd have some clothes to wash so I wanted to know if I could borrow your machine and I also wanted to ask if you could help me make some bandages."

"Yes I can do both. But I'm hoping to get a reasonable explanation for why bandaging is useful."

The man's voice had sounded gentle but you knew that behind his sweet words lurked an imminent threat of 'this had better be a good explanation because otherwise I'll be lecturing you for hours'. You nodded, entering the harpy's apartment after he'd invited you inside, closing the door behind you. You decided to start with the laundry, as you didn't want to run a machine just for one item of clothing, so you'd brought along a few of your own. And as you stood in the small laundry room in Mr. Botzaris's apartment, starting the settings for the washing machine, you heard your teacher ask :

"Doesn't this jacket belong to one of the two policemen you work with ?"

"Yeah... Your eyes are always so sharp, aren't they ? This is Moon's jacket. He lent it to me last night because I didn't have my sweater."

"I'm a harpy, I'd like to remind you."

"I would have hoped that with old age and your need to wear glasses you would have been a little less observant."

"My presbyopia prevents me from seeing clearly, not from being observant." Botzaris declared with a little disapproving tone. "In any case, it was a thoughtful gesture on his part."

"Wasn't it..." You sighed slightly pensively as you watched the washing machine start up.

Once it had started, you turned towards your former teacher, who waved a hand in the direction of his living room, inviting you to settle down so that he could start bandaging you. After taking a seat on the sofa opposite him, the harpy began by disinfecting your hands once more, before wrapping them once more in your bandages. Leaving the Supernatural to work on your wounds, you gave him the explanation you'd promised him for your injuries. You also wanted his opinion on the Skinwalker you'd found. Botzaris was, as usual, silent during your account, but you could see his expression and the way his clawed hands had stopped while he applied your bandages. When he had finished rectifying the wound on your back, you turned to him, seeking his gaze as you murmured :

"I really don't know what to make of it and what to think... Those creatures in that bag were something I'd never smelled before, they had all kinds of scents on them, Skinwalker rats in particular, but there were human scents too. And I couldn't tell if it was their smell or the smell of scientists experimenting on them."

"I couldn't tell you either. You're the only one who could smell what they were. But if the police manage to recover the corpses and the young Skinwalker you saved wakes up, maybe you'll get some answers. For now, let's give it some time." Botzaris replied, placing his hand reassuringly on your shoulder, a small smile on his lips." You've done the right thing in saving this young Supernatural."

"Yeap. Thanks for the bandages Mr. Botzaris."

"You're welcome. You know I'll always be here if you need anything, including taking care of yourself. After all, I've been doing it since you were a little child, and it looks like I'll be doing it for a while."

You let a little laugh leave your lips as you felt Botzaris' hand come to rest on the top of your head and ruffle your hair. Afterwards, the harpy offered you a cup of tea until the machine finished and you could put the clothes in the dryer. The two of you talked about lighter subjects, you checking up on the other tenants and neighbors you hadn't necessarily had the chance to meet. Botzaris was the neighborhood's reliable source, and many people came to him for advice or to ask him to help them in one way or another, and the harpy was always happy to do so. He was a trustworthy person, and the neighborhood's Supernaturals were grateful to him, thanking him in one way or another, like today when he shared a piece of carrot cake he'd received after helping one of the neighborhood's old centaurs, who'd never learned to read or write, to write a letter to her family who lived far away.

When the clothes were washed and dry, you left Botzaris' house, going back upstairs only to leave your clothes in a corner of the entrance to your apartment, before finally leaving the Miracle District for the city and the police station. You hadn't bothered to announce your arrival to Moon and Sun, knowing that the two animatronics would surely try to dissuade you by telling you to rest first. As you entered the police station, everything seemed normal. You greeted the policeman at the reception desk, who was not busy, before heading towards the offices.

You looked around the room for Sun and Moon, or the Glamrocks. When you didn't see the former, you thought they were probably in the private office, while the latter were probably on patrol. You walked into the office past a small group of three policemen, who murmured slightly as you passed. You frowned slightly, but paid no further attention to their words, these were the few policemen who still didn't have you in their hearts, even after all this time, and whose words towards you no longer seemed even remotely offensive. Just as you were about to knock on the office door, a policeman walked past you, jostling you roughly and deliberately on the shoulder. You turned sharply in his direction, hissing :

"Hey ! Watch it, asshole."

The policeman who had jostled you suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning to face you. You frowned, letting an expression of disgust and annoyance appear on your face as you recognized Ynos, one of the policemen who hated you, and one of the humans who made it even more difficult for you to deal with their kind. The young man must have been five or six years older than you, blond around the edges, his hair cut short in a brush, and small piercings decorating his ears. If he hadn't been wearing a police uniform and carrying police baggage, you might have mistaken him for one of those actors who played the role of dumb jock in equally dumb and clichéd teen movies. Ynos took a step in your direction, slightly threatening you with his height and the few extra centimetres he had on you.

"Be careful how you address me, Fantastic... You don't have the authority to talk to me like that, especially after wasting an entire police station's time by sending us to check out a dump where there was nothing at all."

"What ?" You sighed, slightly taken aback by Ynos' words.

"Oh, you didn't know ?" Replied the mocking policeman. "We went to the dump and there was nothing there at all. No medical supplies, no bag supposedly full of rat remains that were actually Skinwalkers."

"Nah... I..." You began, only to be interrupted by Ynos again.

"You're just a liar. And in real life... Even if there really had been a bag full of Fantastics in that dump, that would have been one less monster." Ynos whispered so that only you could hear.

Your dismay suddenly turned to anger, and you balled your hands into fists, heedless of the pain it caused to your already wounded palms. A slight growl began to echo in the back of your throat as you took a menacing step towards the policeman, your lips curling slightly to reveal your fangs as you partially transformed, your tail almost whipping noisily through the air behind you. You could put up with being insulted, and belittled, and called names, but you couldn't stand the idea of innocent people who had died in conditions that had clearly not been pleasant being called monsters. Ynos didn't seem fazed by your intimidation either, as he raised his finger to your face and said :

"And you should be one of those monsters. You've wasted all our time with your stupid story. You clearly don't belong on the force, freak."

"And I don't think that's for you to decide, Ynos. " Vanessa's voice then suddenly declared.

You turned tautly towards Vanessa, who was in the company of Sun and Moon, who had surely just left Vanessa's office. You met the two detectives' respective black and red eyes, hoping to find some comfort in them, but seeing their indecipherable expressions you felt your heart miss a beat. Your pupils dilated before shrinking abruptly as you lowered your eyes to the ground. They must have thought you'd lied and that the whole thing had been something you'd made up just to waste their time. You'd been prepared to disappoint them one day or another, but you hadn't expected it to be like this, not for something that for once wasn't a lie. You clenched your teeth and fists a little more, your ears lying broadly against your skull as your tail curled lightly against your leg, even though you'd prepared yourself it was still painful, much more than you'd expected and you didn't know why.

The policeman next to you faced Vanessa, Sun and Moon, bowing slightly as a mark of respect to his superiors. The station manager approached the two of you, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing furtively in your direction before focusing on the policeman standing next to you.

"The idea of integrating y/n as a consultant was proposed by Inspectors Moon and Sun, a vote was taken on their integration and it came out mostly positive, but at the end of the day I'm the one who authorized y/n's integration into the police force. So I don't think you're in a position to question my decision, nor those of the Inspectors, nor of the majority of your colleagues."

"I wasn't questioning your decision Vanessa. I just wanted to inform y/n that their scene yesterday had inconvenienced the precinct unnecessarily when we could have been dealing with other, more important matters." Ynos declared.

"I didn't lie. I know I'm not 'reliable' that I'm not a 'human', but I wouldn't lie about things like that. I wouldn't play something as sensitive as people's lives. I'm not lying... I promise." You sighed coldly, looking at Ynos and then Vanessa, before lowering your eyes, your voice dropping in volume as you spoke.

"We know, Kitten. And we believe you." Sun intervenes gently.

You cast your eyes back in Sun's direction to see that his expression had suddenly softened as he looked at you, his black eyes shining as his rays made little movements from right to left. You then looked in Moon's direction to see him smile reassuringly and shake his head, his gaze then falling heavily on Ynos, a spark of anger appearing in his red pupils reduced to two tiny dots. You saw Sun do the same, his rays stopping abruptly as his gaze took on an ominous seriousness.

"And we're not the only ones, since Vanessa asked to have the dump inspected the evening before." Moon added.

"I had it confirmed last night by the doctors who treated the young Skinwalker that he was a Fantastic. Not only by a nurse who turned out to be a member of the Fantastic people, but also after DNA and blood tests were carried out so that we could give the injured young man a transfusion." Vanessa declared. "I've also asked for CCTV footage from the areas adjacent to the dump, showing a stolen van similar to the description given by y/n driving to the dump, leaving it before returning much later in the night and driving off again without returning."

"Patience is one of the police's most important qualities, you shouldn't close a case until you've obtained all the evidence." Sun declared almost bitterly.

"It seems you clearly lack this quality Ynos, perhaps you don't belong among the police." Moon added, his voice slightly scolding.

You saw Ynos' expression suddenly deteriorate as Moon turned his own words against him. The policeman looked down, his fists clenching as his arms fell to his sides. You heard the human apologize slightly to his superior, Vanessa asking him to come and see her in her office later, before the blonde nodded in your direction, wishing Moon and Sun a good day before heading back to her office. Ynos looked towards you, clicking his tongue, before turning his back and heading back the way he'd come. You followed his gaze for a few seconds, letting a small growl resound in your chest, before looking again at the two animatronics now facing you.

"You shouldn't be here. You're hurt." Sun finally sighed, crossing her arms over her metal torso.

"They're just scratches. And I wanted to know if the police had managed to recover the other Skinwalkers. But I've had my answer..." You hissed with slight bitterness.

"Let's go into the study for a more quiet chat." Moon intervenes.

The lunar animatronic waved his hand in the direction of the private office before taking the lead. You followed, leaving Sun to close the door behind you as you placed your bag on the table. You rummaged through your belongings before taking out the jacket Moon had lent you, which you had carefully folded so as not to crease it during transport. You held the garment out to its owner with a shake of your head.

"Thanks again for the jacket. As promised, I washed it."

"You didn't have to go out of your way just for that. I have others." Moon replied with an amused smile.

You had indeed noticed, but Moon had put on another jacket almost perfectly similar to the one he had lent you, the only thing perhaps different being the buttons and the shape of the collar. Moon thanked you for the jacket, placing it on one of the chairs as you closed your bag, leaving it on the table.

"I didn't feel obliged and I didn't mind, I had to go and see Mr. Botzaris to have my bandages redone anyway." You say.

"He seems to know his stuff." Says Sun with a small movement of his hand in the direction of the bandages on your hands.

"He was forced to learn because of all the people who came to him for help. Me first."

You stretched one of your hands towards the other, delicately rubbing with your fingertips the bandage that was almost as perfect as the one Sun had made for you the evening before, a thoughtful smile on your lips. A heavy silence settled over the room, barely disturbed by the sound of Sun's footsteps as he moved a little further into the room to open the window and let the outside air in. Finally, you were the one who disturbed the silence by asking :

"Nothing was found at the dump ? Not even the scientific equipment ?"

"Nothing." Sun confirmed with a sigh, turning to you. "But that doesn't mean there hadn't been things. As Vanessa said, the roadside cameras installed around the dump were able to spot the van coming and going several times. Between the time we thought you were in trouble and your arrival at the police station, they had plenty of time to go to the dump and collect everything. Similarly, the owners of the dump were not at all cooperative and denied most of the accusations made against them."

"I don't know if the whole family is concerned. This dump is a family affair, as always with the dwarfs, last night I remember seeing two of the sons. Maybe the other members don't know." You say, frowning slightly.

"That's a possibility to consider." Moon said, crossing his arms.

"And the Rat-Walker, how is he ?" You asked, raising your eyes to look at Sun and then Moon.

"He's been taken in by the hospital and put under surveillance because of his critical condition. The problem is that since he's in his animal form, it's difficult to administer the appropriate care and to locate any other potential injuries he might have. The hospital doctors had to call in veterinary surgeons to make sure they didn't do anything wrong. What's more, he's in a coma at the moment, so the police are unable to find out who he is, or to trace his family. Freddy has decided to stay by his side, as he doesn't want the boy to wake up alone." Moon explained.

"I'm not surprised about Freddy. He's always had a special sensitivity to children." You say with a sad little smile on your lips.

You looked down at your hands, feeling a touch of disappointment as you realized that everything you'd done had been for nothing. All the equipment had been salvaged, the bodies of the Skinwalker rats had been recovered, and you preferred not to even think about what those men were going to do with them now. If they'd been able to dump your people in a rubbish dump without any scruples, they'd surely have found a new place and a new way of disposing of the corpses. And while you'd managed to save the Skinwalker, there was no guarantee that he'd ever wake up again, and with the bad luck you'd brought in your wake, you feared the outcome.

"I'm sorry. For not being able to do... better. " You murmured, shaking your face, your ears drooping mole-like along your skull.

"Kitten." Sun said suddenly in an authoritative voice.

You looked up at Sun, whose expression had become serious and authoritative again, and saw Sun suddenly and abruptly approach you, making you flinch slightly. You saw Sun's hand suddenly rise to rest between your ears, his hand gently caressing your hair, as you raised your eyes to stare at him, your pupils dilating much more than normal. Sun kept his eyes fixed on you, his gaze holding yours as his hand continued to caress the top of your head. Then you felt his fingers delicately scratch behind one of your feline ears, and you couldn't control the sound, somewhere between a whimper and a purr, that left your lips.

You suddenly and abruptly placed your hand over your lips, your ears perking up straight on your skull as your eyes narrowed before dilating again. Embarrassment slowly made its way to your face as your heart gradually accelerated. Sun froze too, his dark eyes dilating almost as much as yours as his hand locked against your cat's ear. You saw pink slowly color the cheekbones of his facial disk, while he himself didn't seem to understand what had just happened. Feeling the animatronic's fingers twitch slightly against your fur, you pushed Sun away abruptly, retreating until you jostled the table behind you, which you caught.

"D-Don't... Don't ever do that again." You growled breathlessly. "Ears are... sensitive."

"S-sorry ! I didn't... know !" Sun squeaked, looking down at his hand.

You swallowed your saliva, taking a breath as you felt the hairs on your tail bristle slightly as you felt your ears heat up. You weren't lying, your ears were sensitive, but especially when it came to the caresses behind your ears. It was a gesture that drew heavily on the feline part of your being, and one that you only allowed your family to do. It was only the Heartons and Mr. Botzaris to whom you'd ever allowed this kind of small token of affection, and that was only when you were younger, and for you this kind of affection was unimportant. You hadn't imagined that Sun would decide to do this so suddenly. But one thing was certain, you'd rather die than admit out loud that Sun's gesture had been pleasant.

You shook your face, making your feline attributes disappear, mumbling words only you could understand as you tried to put your mind back on the right track, calming your heart and breathing in the process. You looked up only to find that Sun had turned away from you, his back to you as you watched his rays spin uncontrollably around his face before stopping and moving back the other way. As for Moon, he was looking in your direction, an expression that was both intrigued and teasing. You heard him chuckle as you met his gaze, watching him raise one of his hands to his lips before huffing :

"Definitely, the nickname 'Kitten', suits you."

"Oh shut up... Moony. Don't be so smug about it." You replied, still a little embarrassed by the situation.

"Moony ?" Moon asked.

"It's childish, easy to remember and ridiculous. It suits you perfectly. And it'll be Sunny for Sun. I'm too lazy to waste time trying to think of a nickname for you." you hiss.

"Fine by me." Moon laughed, raising both hands in a sign of peace.

You saw Moon shake his face before heaving a sigh, both his arms falling back along his body as he moved closer to the table, his hands closing around the jacket they'd hung on the chair. He then raised his eyes to yours, his expression serious, yet calm and reassuring as he said :

"What Sun meant was that you don't need to feel guilty for not doing more or doing better. The evidence that you're not lying is there. And even if there hadn't been, Sun and I would have believed you."

"You believe it a little too much for my taste. It's frightening and stupid." You reply slightly sarcastically.

"Maybe it is. But that's the way things are." Added Sun, who had recovered from his emotions.

You looked over your shoulder at the walking sun, who gave you a small smile. You rolled your eyes almost in annoyance before letting a small smile split your lips. Finally, you turned towards the board displaying all the clues and leads you'd found and added. But now you had nothing but more questions and problems. You saw Sun move to your left and Moon to your right, both animatronics looking in the same direction as you. You let out a sigh, tilting your face slightly to one side as you asked in a questioning voice :

"What do we do now ?"

"Now that you've confirmed that there's something strange going on in his company, we'd like to look further into Silvio Notaga. But we don't have enough evidence against him. The only thing we have to link him to this whole affair is that his name appears in a notebook belonging to Douglas Mushy." Sun replied.

"A notebook you didn't obtain legally and that didn't prove that it come from Douglas." You say mockingly. "I warned you that working with me would be no picnic."

"Admittedly it's not full proof, but it's already a clue to point us in the right direction. We know from Hikaku Hajimata that Jenna Royn was trafficking drugs. She didn't produce the drugs herself, but bought them in large quantities and then sold them to Arnold Wilson's company." Moon continued, after giving you a reproachful look.

"We also know from her bank account statement that Jenna frequently and very regularly visits 'The Horned Goat'. A bar with a more than suspicious reputation, with a history of trouble with the police. With this, we can already do something. We can't attack Silvio Notaga directly, but we can at least look into Douglas Mushy and his bars to try and confirm his involvement in drug trafficking." Moon continued.

"Then we can find a way to prove, one way or another, that Silvio is linked to drug trafficking. And find out what's really going on inside the walls of his company, and why dead Skinwalkers have been found in the garbage his company throws away. It's like dominoes, all you have to do is drop the first one and all the others will fall." Sun declared.

"Hmm... If you can't cut off a snake's head, you cut off its tail." You sighed with a small smile.

You heard Moon chuckle slightly at your comparison before approaching the broad. The nocturnal animatronic then began to add information, and you saw Sun step forward to do the same, rummaging through the files you had to start hanging photos and other results you'd obtained. You stood still for a few seconds, watching as the two animatronics added what they wanted to the board before finally standing up, you approached the board and saw Sun looking in your direction with a smile before seeing a pen being placed at your face. Turning your face towards Moon, who was the one handing you the erasable felt-tip pen, you made the animatronic raise an eyebrow in your direction before waving the pen lightly.

You let a smile appear on your lips before retrieving the pen from between Moon's fingers, you removed the cap with your teeth, keeping the cap wedged between your canines as you lifted the pen to the height of the board and began to write on it yourself the information you considered important from the point of view of a member of the Fantastic Community. You added a note next to Moon's and Sun's, occasionally watching the two animatronics do the same as the three of you found yourselves stepping on each other's toes or getting in each other's way, well, especially Sun and Moon, since they were the same height and all you had to do was bend slightly to stop disturbing them.

After several minutes, Sun and Moon stepped back to lean against the table again, and you added one last piece of information to the board before closing the felt-tip pen, placing it on its reserved spot before taking a step back, coming to stand between Moon and Sun as you looked once more at the board, which now bore your every idea, suspicion, information and hope. You may have been up against the wall, but you had a plan for getting to the end of this case.

Chapter Text

"I was wondering why I didn't see you as often as usual at your apartment, but it's because you often go out with his two animatronics, isn't it ?" Says Shin beside you.

"No Shin, I don't 'go out' with them more often. I'm working." You answer with a sigh.

"It's all the same. As long as it gets you out of the house, it's dating them."

"How are you always employed with this kind of thinking and the biggest mystery in the world." You sneered.

You heard the tanuki let an offended little gasp leave his lips as you stepped into one of the supermarket's new shelves, pushing a cart ahead of you. You looked down at the few shopping lists in your hands, rereading them once more to make sure you hadn't missed anything. Shin quickly caught up with you, himself consulting the shopping lists in his hands. Today was the day when many stores were displaying promotions on a wide variety of products. This kind of opportunity allowed you and many others in your neighborhood to take advantage of products you wouldn't normally be able to buy.

However, not everyone was free that day, such as Mr. Botzaris, so you and Shin, who were free that day, offered to do the shopping for the few residents of your building who weren't available to take advantage of the promotions. When you got to the meat department, you noticed that the various products on offer had been greatly reduced, as the other customers who had gone before you had taken full advantage of the promotions. You checked the lists once again before starting to pick up the various delicatessen products you needed, Shin placing the cart he was pushing next to yours. You consulted the various expiration dates, dividing up the packets of meats according to those you knew would consume the meat the quickest. When you couldn't find anything on the list of Miss Symda, a vampire who lived on the fourth floor, you turned to Shin and asked :

"Hey, do I take anything to replace the 'beef heart' Symda asked for, or do I take nothing ?"

"Um... I think if you take chicken hearts instead it's fine with her, as long as it's something with a little more blood than normal. She doesn't like pork though."

"Noted."

So you picked up a beef heart replacement that the vampire had asked for before continuing into the produce department to pick up the other ingredients on the various lists. In the end, you found yourself with two rather full carts, but you'd already carefully separated the different products into bags to match the respective lists of the other inhabitants of your building. Once at the checkout, you also paid separately, using the money the building's inhabitants gave you, collecting the change to give back to their owners along with their shopping. Finally, after several long hours, you left the supermarket, putting all your purchases in the boot of Shin's car.

The journey back to your building was fairly quick, albeit with a little fuss as Shin insisted on listening to his music, which clearly wasn't your style, but you stopped the debate when the tanuki reminded you that it was his car. With a victorious smile on his lips, he deliberately turned the volume up higher than necessary, while you made a sulky little pout with your arms crossed over your lips. Arriving at the apartment, Shin parked his car closest to the entrance so you could get there and back quickly and drop off the various shopping bags inside the building. You approached Mr. Botzaris' apartment, Shin putting down the bags he was carrying in front of the door to fetch others, while you took out the keys to Mr. Botzaris' home.

After opening the door, you ushered into the harpy's apartment the various shopping bags that weren't going to be picked up by their owners straight away, even putting the fresh ones in your former teacher's fridge to make sure they didn't defrost. As always, Mr. Botzaris had insisted that you use his apartment to store the shopping bags while waiting for the building's inhabitants, most of whom were working, to return. Those you were helping had no problem leaving their keys with you, however, neither you nor Shin wanted the responsibility, you didn't want to risk losing the keys, and being almost identical you'd somehow confuse them. So placing the groceries in one apartment was the most practical solution. You could have done it in your own apartment or in Shin's, but that would have required you to climb seven flights of stairs with several bags of groceries, and all at once, and by temporarily occupying Mr. Botzaris's apartment, the building's inhabitants would only have to collect their groceries on the way home.

Once the bags of those who weren't at home had been stored in the apartment of the building's owner, you and Shin took charge of distributing the bags to the few residents who were there, but who either had difficulty getting around or were ill. You saw Shin grab two bags, and at first you thought he was being hard-working and kind by leaving you only one bag, but then you realized it was for Mrs. Hiorse's groceries, a nature nymph who lived one floor below you. You insulted Shin as you retrieved the bag, the tanuki giggling as you disappeared down the stairs. After climbing several flights of stairs, passing Shin on the way as he knocked on the door of one of the residents, you arrived at Mrs. Hiorse's door. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal the figure of the little old lady.

"Hello, Mrs. Hiorse, how are you ? I've brought your groceries."

"I'm fine, thank you, and you ? Come on in." Says the old woman, pushing herself out of the way as she invites you in.

You entered her apartment, which was almost exactly the same as yours except for a few details. You put the lady's shopping bag on her table, taking out the receipt and the change that was left behind, before turning to the nymph. You didn't know if she'd always been small or if she'd grown small with age, but Mrs. Hiorse was much older than you. Her perfect white hair, her dark eyes disappearing behind her eyelids, her face wrinkled and her lips stretched into a small smile.

"I'm fine too. So about your shopping, it was everything you asked for on the list. You gave way too much money, by the way, so here's the rest." You say, handing her back the small handkerchief in which she had placed the money.

"Very well, then. So there was that pot of ice cream I asked for ?"

"Oh, yes." You dip your hand into the course bag to pull out the tub of ice cream. "By the way, you should put it in the fridge so it doesn't melt too much."

You watch as the nymph picks up what she has in her hands to retrieve the tub of ice from between your hands before handing it back to you, a teasing, amused little smile on her lips as you try to work out what she's doing.

"This is for you and Shin. To thank you for doing the shopping for me every time without ever expecting anything in return or taking advantage of the situation. I've already told you to take a little something to nibble on or to please yourself, but you don't listen to me so this time I'm not giving you the chance to refuse." Declared the nymph.

"Mrs. Hiorse, I can't accept and I'm sure Shin would say the same." You say, shaking your face slightly.

"Tut tut. Take this ice cream. I don't eat that stuff anyway, lactose isn't good for my digestion."

"Thanks a lot." You say with a little sigh.

You helped the nymph put away her few groceries to relieve her aching hip before finally leaving her apartment, the ice cream tub she'd given you in hand as you joined Shin at Mr. Botzaris' apartment, passing one of the building's residents who'd returned earlier and had already collected his groceries from Shin. You opened the door to the harpy's apartment, finding Shin sitting at the kitchen table, finishing putting the few fresh groceries back into the fridge. You placed the ice cream tub on the table and said :

"You know, when Mrs. Hiorse gave me that tub of ice cream to share between the two of us, I really wanted to take it home and eat it on my own, just because you made me go all the way up to the sixth floor..."

"What ? She gave us her ice cream ?" Shin asked, poking his head out of the fridge.

"Uh-huh. She said it was to thank us."

"That's nice of her, I'll come by and thank her next time." Said Shin. "And it's nice of you to share with me too despite the betrayal I've given you."

"Yes, you'd better be grateful. We should leave some of the ice for Mr. Botzaris, to thank him for letting us crash in his apartment." You declared.

"I was thinking the same thing. I get some bowls and spoons and then you put the ice cream in the fridge so it doesn't melt any more ?"

"Yeap."

You indicated to Shin which bowls to take before serving each of you ice cream, once finished you left the rest of the jar for Mr. Botzaris, placing it in his fridge which was currently well stocked. Shin and you sat down on the sofa, bowls of ice cream in hand, while you turned on the small television to watch one of the movies currently on. You chatted lightly during your movie session, each in turn opening the door for the other residents of the building who had come to collect their groceries and thanking you profusely. Night had begun to fall and just as you and Shin had given up watching the TV program to do a spot of cleaning in your former teacher's apartment, Shin washing the dishes and you sweeping up, you heard the tanuki calling you into the kitchen.

"So... Are you really going to tell me that you didn't get a little closer to your two policemen there ?" Said Shin as you reached his height, continuing to sweep the floor absent-mindedly.

"You called me just for that ?! And why are you suddenly rethinking this ?" You hissed, rolling your eyes.

"Yes and dunno, it just popped into my head all of a sudden. So ? Like you're just co-workers ?" Shin insisted, pulling his hands out of the water.

"I don't really know. Basically, I work with them because I got caught hanging around a dead body and they found out I'd been stealing. It was either that or go to jail. But I don't know if the exchanges we have can be classified solely as 'colleague', you know. It's weird."

"Really ? I was also wondering how you got mixed up with the police, but I didn't dare ask for fear of getting caught up in your crazy schemes. You should have chosen prison though, I'd have taken good care of your couch."

"Asshole." You sigh as Shin continues to pick at your sofa.

"And yeah I know what you mean. Like subconsciously there are more personal topics that sometimes enter the conversation." Shin continued, starting to wipe the plates.

"Huh. Yes, that and other little details like that make me think that it's not the same as with the other colleagues I had before when I worked at 'The Lucky'."

"Ha ? But what kind of 'little details' y/n ?" Asked Shin.

You stopped sweeping for a few seconds, resting your chin on the top of the broom handle and humming slightly as you tried to find the best way to explain all the interactions you'd had with the two animatronics. You started cleaning again and began to recount a little of everything, stopping every now and then to wave the broom thoughtfully as you tried to find words for your feelings and sensations so that Shin could understand them. You didn't know how to interpret them yourself, so you didn't know if Shin could do anything for you.

Finally you turned to Shin, who was leaning against the counter with his arms folded across his chest, his lips stretched into a thin line, his eyebrows furrowed over his amber eyes. You saw the tanuki lift one of his hands and wave it about as if he were about to say something, his eyelids closing exaggeratedly before he finally opened his eyelids again, his two hands pressing together as he placed the side of his fingers against his lips and began to say :

"They know where you live and take the time to pick you up and drop you off every time."

"They read it in my criminal file." You corrected, waving your index finger. "And that's because they didn't want me to keep traveling by bus illegally.

"They defended you to their colleagues who work with the police and, by the way, they were the ones who suggested that you work with the police."

"There was a misunderstanding that day and yes, a member in the Fantastic Community was imperative to them for this investigation."

"So one of them took you out for ice cream... And pay!" Shin exclaimed.

"Because I'd just had my throat crushed and was hungry, yep." You replied, frowning. "Sun is stupid. I could pay for myself."

"They took care of your wounds."

"Yes ! As if I were incapable of doing it myself. Besides, they were just scratches." You exclaimed with an annoyed sigh.

"One of them lent you his clothes..." Shin articulated slowly.

"I don't know if a handkerchief counts as clothing, but yes it was because there was Fairy Powder involved. And the jacket was because my sweater went out of order and I was cold."

"They call you by your nicknames!" Shin exclaimed.

"And I don't like it."

You heard Shin take a long, deep breath before heaving a sigh, both his hands coming to rest against his face as he began muttering words you didn't understand. As you blinked and went to put the broom away in its usual place, you heard Shin coming towards you, urging you to turn towards him. The tanuki put his hands on your shoulders, an annoyed smile on his lips as you saw one of his eyebrows twitch above his eyes.

"y/n. Dear, sweet y/n. Know that half of what I've quoted are enough reason for me to marry someone."

"You have very low standards." You replied with a mocking sneer and a raised eyebrow.

"And you have no standards at all !" Shin exclaimed, throwing his hands to the sky.

Shin let a small squeak of despair leave his lips, you let an amused laugh leave your lips as you moved closer to him, gently patting his back in an attempt to comfort him. Shin managed to regain his composure in the face of your unbearable personality, and you heard him heave another sigh before resuming once more, this time much calmer, an almost tender smile on his lips.

"To answer your previous questions, yes, their actions are more than just those of colleges. If I dare say they're friends, very, very close friends. They'd almost make me jealous with the speed with which they've managed to get so close to you." Sighed the tanuki.

"Friends ? Friends ? Really ? You think they see me as their friend ?" You questioned. "I don't know, I think it's... weird."

"Maybe it's weird for you, but it's not necessarily weird for them. What I mean is, even if you don't imagine having friends, they don't necessarily think the same as you." Shin says, placing his hand on the top of your head.

"Um..."

"At least that's how I felt when I met him at your apartment. It's not every day I see animatronics worried about a Fantastic like they were worried about you."

"They thought we were fighting for real."

"Understandable. In real life, I could say they were worried more than 'just friends'. But I don't know your relationship well enough to say that. Besides. I'm afraid you'll decide to shove the broomstick in my mouth and out the other end if I go a little deeper with my explanations."

"Please. No violence in my apartment and not with my poor broom. He's done nothing to you to deserve such a fate." Botzaris's voice said suddenly.

In one motion, you and Shin turned to face Mr. Botzaris, who had appeared in the kitchen. You'd hardly heard him, so absorbed were you in your conversation. You greeted the harpy, informing him that his groceries had already been put away by you. Mr. Botzaris thanked you, and Shin took his leave, wishing you a pleasant evening, going back ti his apartment now that everyone had collected their groceries and the owner had returned.

"So, how did the meeting go with the other members of your association ?" You asked after Mr. Botzaris had settled down at his dining table with tea in hand.

"It went very well. We discussed several topics concerning laws and actions to improve relations with humans. In fact, we're planning a demonstration of some kind in a few weeks' time."

"A demonstration ?" you asked.

"I use the word demonstration because that's what it will legally be, but I and others see it as a parade. In order to accept ourselves fully, humans have the right to see what we really look like, just as we need the right to be ourselves. Each of us, in our own way, will do what we do best. The Fairies will perform their magic tricks, the Skinwalkers will transform... We're going to show the humans that what they fear can also be something beautiful."

"Sounds pretty good, maybe I'll come and see and wish you well if I don't find myself embroiled by Sun and Moon in a new investigation." You say with a chuckle.

"I'd like that. But, knowing that you're with them both makes me happy too." Mr. Botzaris replies with a mysterious smile.

"Why's that ? Why the smirk ?!" You exclaimed, amused and intrigued.

"That's my secret."

You rolled your eyes slightly at the harpy's statement, eventually looking at the clock, deciding it was time for you to go home too. You collected your own purchases that you'd decided to leave at your former teacher's, before finally heading for the exit door and as you left his apartment you stopped, only putting your face through the doorframe to say to him :

"Oh ! There's some ice cream in the fridge for you Mr. Botzaris."

You heard the harpy let out an amused sigh before replying :

"Thanks y/n."

                                     ~❂✯☾~

The call you received from Sun and Moon in the morning had disturbed you slightly, but it had allowed you to prepare yourself mentally and physically, unlike last time. Sun's animatronics had warned you that you'd be going undercover to Douglas Mushy's other bar this evening, but you couldn't go back to 'The Horned Goat', Douglas frequented the bar too much, and the bouncers and staff might recognize you. You weren't sure you'd find the information you were looking for, but knowing Douglas, his other bar certainly wasn't clean, and that was better than nothing.

You had tried to find an outfit that might have been more appropriate for a cover, the problem was, you couldn't afford to expose too much of your skin at the risk of touching someone else. You ended up with a sweater, a little newer and a little more sophisticated than the ones you usually wore, and decided to embellish the thing with jewelry, both your own and some you'd borrowed from Shin, who had a stash of jewelry he kept preciously for his dates, but which he'd graciously agreed to lend you. You'd also picked up a new pair of gloves, one slightly thinner and more ornate, and you'd styled your hair as best you could. Your shoes and jeans remained basically the same, but you already looked less like someone who was there to pick pockets or try to drown their depression in alcohol.

On the minutes before 8pm, you received a message from Moon saying they'd be at your place soon. You gave them a brief reply, picking up the little bag you had containing your few belongings since, with all the jewelry you were wearing, it would be impossible to completely transform yourself, before leaving your apartment to wait for them outside your house. After just a few minutes, you saw Moon's car approach and stop, and wasted no time opening the door to start sliding inside before stopping as you began to sit down. You inhaled deeply several times, sniffing the smell of new and immaculate plastic before finally entering, looking in the direction of the two animatronics to confirm what you'd thought when you saw Sun behind the wheel.

"So Sunny got his car back ?" You say, putting on your seatbelt.

"Yeah ! How'd you know ?" Sun asked as he looked at you in the rearview mirror, his spokes twitching slightly in curiosity and amusement.

"I can't smell myself. The smell of new and clean are a good indicator too. Plus it's you driving and not Moon. In truth I should have guessed when I saw that it was Moony who sent me a message."

"'Your scent'?" Moon then questioned, turning his facial disc slightly towards you, one of his eyebrows raised while the other was frowned over one of his optics.

You froze again, blinking as you recalled your own words. Your lips stretched into a thin line as you searched for the right words to explain your words without sounding stupid and, above all, weird. In the meantime, Sun had started the car, taking it out into traffic, the scenery outside passing by more or less quickly. You hummed for a few seconds before replying to the nocturnal animatronic and indirectly to his brother, who had started casting sidelong glances in your direction through the rear-view mirror.

"Uh... By dint of being in your car, my scent has ended up lingering slightly in the air and... permeating slightly into the armchairs. It's like... Like with clothes, or the sheets on a bed or the cushions on an armchair, the more you use them, the more they take on your scent. I know it sounds disgusting when you say it like that and I'm aware of it, but I'm really sorry, there's nothing I can do about it. It's kind of natural and the same for everyone except animatronics, because well, you don't really have a smell..."

"Kitten, stop explaining. It wasn't a reproach, just a question out of pure curiosity. We may not be experts when it comes to Fantastics and Humans, but we do know a little about how flesh bodies work, and we know that body odor isn't something you can control." Sun says with a chuckle, his rays making a full circle.

"Besides, we had a few guesses, we're good detectives and we listen when explanations about the importance of the Supernatural's sense of smell are given." Moon declared with an amused, mocking laugh.

"Humph... If you knew, why are you making me talk about this, it's a sensitive subject." You hissed disdainfully.

"Just because it's fun to tease you." Moon sighed.

You clicked your tongue, muttering a few insults at the two animatronics, who only giggled silently. After that, the two animatronics dropped their teasing, leaving you to calm down as you blushed slightly under the embarrassment of the situation. You hadn't really paid much attention when you got into the car, but they weren't dressed exactly as usual, which was logical since they wanted to be undercover. You had a little trouble discerning their clothes in the confinement of the car, so you made a mental note to yourself to look when you got to the bar. After several long minutes of mostly silent driving, except for the two animatronics who, as you approached the bar, began to explain to you how to proceed, you saw your destination appear.

'The Pan Flute' was much smaller and less popular than 'The Horned Goat', probably because it had just opened and was little-known, but it was crowded all the same. You could see people coming in and out Fantastics, members of the Science Fiction Community, even Humans. Unlike Douglas's other bar, 'The Pan Flute' was right in the middle of town. The bar was smaller in size, but still substantial. The exterior façade was made of wood, and even the sign was made of thick, dark wood, making a drastic change in style compared to the other bar. There were a few lights here and there to illuminate the whole, but they were pleasant and almost warm, giving the whole place a pleasant ambience. You couldn't help but wonder if Douglas was really the owner of this establishment.

Sun, looking for a place to stop, had to pass the bar, giving you a better view of the building. But what caught your eye was the alleyway beside the bar. The alleyway was rather basic, there was nothing dark or ominous about it, quite the opposite, in fact. Street lamps lit up the cobbled path, and from the little glimpse you had had, there didn't even seem to be any garbage cans or abandoned garbage. What did catch your attention was the fact that you saw several people rushing inside, but you didn't have time to get a clear and complete view of the alley as Sun's car kept moving.

Eventually, Sun managed to find a space in an adjacent alleyway, allowing you to leave the car at last. As soon as you set foot on the sidewalk, your gaze immediately turned to the two animatronics to allow you to detail their clothing, and no sooner had you done so than you felt your breath catch in your throat as your heart missed a beat. You averted your eyes slightly at first, not really daring to detail them any longer for fear that the two animatronics would notice your fixed gaze on them. But unconsciously, your (e/c) orbs were moving inexorably towards them.

Moon had kept his white shirt, but had swapped his long jacket for a dark-blue suit vest, the bottom of which was embroidered in silver to imitate stars. The buttons were the same color as the embroidery, making a little reminder of the color accentuated by a few rings and a bracelet he wore on his right wrist. He wasn't wearing a crave, having left his shirt a little more open, allowing a slight view of his metal torso just below. His pants were an inky-blue, almost black suit, his outfit finished off with his usual shoes, and his night cap had been replaced by a more classic black one that went well with his ensemble.

Sun had decided to wear a black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, although he seemed to have forgotten to button the first and last buttons. His pants were also black, but with light gray stripes, and on his feet, converse shoes gave him a more relaxed look. Sun wasn't wearing any jewelry, but his colorful skin more than made up for it. There was, however, a touch of gold on his machete buttons and a bit of red on his arms in the form of sleeve elastic he wore on either side in the middle of his biceps, giving his ensemble a classier rather than more relaxed look.

They were... beautiful. That was the only thought that crossed your mind as you looked at them before you suddenly felt yourself blushing under the embarrassment and awkwardness of your own inner declaration. You bit your inner cheek to try and calm and reason with yourself, they were your colleagues, policemen and animatronics to boot, you couldn't, you didn't want to find them handsome. But as much as you tried to convince yourself otherwise, you only reinforced your initial thought, your eyes returning again and again to the two of them as you tried desperately to keep them away from the two detectives. Finally, you let out a sigh, abandoning the idea of fighting yourself by admitting that, even if they were your colleagues, there was nothing wrong with finding them sublime.

"Are you all right, Kitten ?" Sun sighed, waving her hand lightly in front of your face. "You look lost..."

"Huh ? Yeah. I'm fine. I was just wondering if it was appropriate for me to tell you that you look good. Your outfits are gorgeous." You say with a sigh, tilting your face slightly to the side.

You were too tired of trying to figure out everything that was going on in your head and heart to care any longer, so you'd opted to simply say what you were thinking. That way you didn't have to worry about it, and Sun and Moon could do what they wanted with your words. You saw Sun's face almost lose all its color before suddenly regaining it, his mouth opening and closing without a sound escaping him, while Moon froze completely, his red pupils dilating so clearly that his sclera became almost invisible.

At first you thought it was the sound of a car engine, but then you realized that the noises were coming from the two animatronics. You blinked, frowning slightly as you continued to observe the two animatronics, trying to understand what was causing their processors to overheat so much. Moon had raised his hand to grab his cap, pulling it slightly in front of his face as dark pink colored his cheeks, highlighting his freckles. The same pink was to be found on Sun's facial disk, whose rays had begun to make several turns, so quickly that you could almost feel the wind created by the movement caressing your face. Your eyebrows furrowed even more as you realized they were both embarrassed by your compliment.

"What ?! I... I mean thank you. I... We weren't expecting this kind of compliment from you."

"Me neither, Sunny. Me neither." You reply, your lips forming a thin line.

"You're beautiful too." Moon added softly.

"Please. Spare me the polite compliments." You sighed, rolling your eyes

"It's not a polite compliment." Moon replied more firmly.

You cast a septic glance in Moon's direction before rolling your eyes again. You shoved your hands into your pockets before turning on your heels, stepping out onto the sidewalk to head for the bar, not even waiting for instructions from the two animatronics. You heard Sun lock his car before the two of them trotted off to catch up with you, starting to walk a few centimetres behind you. After crossing the street and seeing the bar appear, you parted as you'd agreed earlier. As you and Moon stood a little further down an alley, you saw Sun step forward, giving you one last glance in your direction before entering the bar. You let a few minutes pass, allowing other customers to enter and exit, before stepping out of the gloom of the alleyway you were in.

"Be careful." Moon sighed in a barely audible voice.

You glanced over your shoulder in the direction of the nocturnal animatronic, in the darkness only his eyes seeming visible, his red optics projecting reflections of light on the features of his facial disk and reverberating off his jewelry. You let a small smile appear on your lips as you shook your face, wondering whether he was telling you to be careful not to cause another fight, or asking you to look out for yourself. You crossed the road quickly, stopping on the other side, and moved towards the bar, and once again your gaze was drawn to the adjacent alleyway, though this time you saw no one there, making you frown before resuming your journey. You pushed open the bar door, the warm air of the interior meeting the skin of your face as the smells filled your nostrils.

The interior was similar in appearance to the exterior, with wood for most of the furniture, a single floor but enough room to accommodate a good number of customers, and even a few real plants here and there for decoration. Your gaze roamed the room, observing and detailing the customers here and there, and you also spotted Sun at a table a little further down the room. His obsidian eyes met yours for a fraction of a second before you turned your attention back to the bar. You approached it, deciding that the best way to go unnoticed and blend in was to order a drink. You opted for one of the non-alcoholic drinks, watching the bartender prepare your beverage with ease but also to make sure that nothing amusing was slipped into your drink without your knowledge, which wasn't the case.

After paying for your drink, which was far too expensive for what it really was, you wandered around the bar, pretending to be looking for a suitable seat, letting your ears wander from right to left, lingering in particular beside the Fantastic groups. After several attempts, which only gave you details of the life of a young man about to be married, that of working colleagues and that of a couple on a date, you turned towards the counter, your gaze stopping on a harpy.

The woman's hair was a mauve too flashy to be natural, but the few feathers visible on her arms were a soft violet almost tending towards pink. She must have been in her late thirties, her hair tied back in a dishevelled bun, her jewelry quite extravagant, just like the dress she was wearing, which could almost have led you to believe that she had come here on a date, but seeing no one at her side, and smelling the strong odour of alcohol coming off the harpy, you understood that she was only here to enjoy the drink and the effects it had. What also surprised you was the way she held her bag tightly against her body. You understood her fears, but her instinctive and unconscious way of holding her bag was like someone who possessed something precious, and this was something you'd learned to recognize after years of stealing.

You decided to come and sit next to her, your instinct telling you that she was the kind of person who had information on every good deal, even illegal ones, even those involving drugs. As you took your place beside her, you saw her glance in your direction out of the corner of her eye, her inspiration deepening a little as she analyzed you, so you let her, taking a sip of your drink before setting the glass down on the counter, letting your finger trace the rim of the glass to make it vibrate slightly. You gave the harpy time to acclimatize to your presence before finally sighing and saying:

"I like this bar, but it's not as good as 'The Horned Goat'."

"Huh ? Did you frequent 'The Horned Goat' too ?" Asked the harpy, her attention drawn by your words.

"Not regularly, but I liked to go there once in a while. There's this little atmosphere there that you clearly don't find here. I take it from your question that you used to go there too ?"

"Uh-oh. Of course, I'm even one of their most loyal customers. And yes, I agree with you. Over there, we could be ourselves." The harpy sighed with a small, almost disappointed smile.

"I don't doubt your words. Douglas Mushy must have been ecstatic to have such an important-looking and distinguished client as you." You say with a flattering smile.

"No, I wouldn't say that, but... Yes, it's true that I was rather well known." Says the harpy with exaggeration.

"A real shame what happened, I know the bar has reopened but... If the police came once who's to say they won't be back." You murmured, leaning towards the woman.

"That's right ! It's worrying. That's why I come here, it's not the same but there's less risk."

You let a little silence settle between the two of you, lifted your glass finishing its contents before looking at the glass pensively letting your finger once again follow the rim of the glass making it sing once more. You then paused, letting another sigh leave your lips before murmuring, casting a knowing glance in the harpy's direction :

"The only problem is that I used to get my supplies there... Now I'm going to have to find a new place to trade, and prices as good as what Mr. Mushy was offering aren't easy to find..."

"Oh... I understand your situation." Replied the harpy, coming to place a hand before her lips with an expression of understanding.

You saw the harpy glance discreetly from right to left before moving slightly closer to you, beckoning you with one of her clawed fingers to do the same. You blinked for a second with a false expression of surprise before leaning in her direction. You saw her tuck a lock of hair back behind one of her ears before she gently tapped her bag with a proud smile, slightly uncovering her perfect teeth as she almost whispered in your ear.

"You may not know this since you don't come here often, but Douglas Mushy doesn't just sell his products at 'The Horned Goat'. There's a small business here too, it's on a smaller scale but it's been gaining in popularity since the accident with the police at his other bar."

"Really ? But I didn't notice anything special when I came in, do I need a special invitation or a secret code ?" you asked.

"Oh no, nothing like that my dear. If you want access to the 'real' bar, you should go into the alley next door. Simply being a Fantastic will allow you to enter without any problem." Says the harpy with a wink.

"Hm... In that case, maybe I'll go and have a look. It's a shame, though, I'd have liked to share it with some of my friends, but I doubt they'll be allowed in. They sorely miss the magic." You sighed as you shook your face, coming to sit properly in your chair with a small expression of disappointment.

"It seems to me that as long as your friends are wearing your perfume, so that the other, more... reciting, know that they're with you, your friends can come in. They may not be well received though. This is a Pro-Fantasy bar, but everyone knows that some of us have affinities with other communities. I myself once brought a pretty human back with me."

"I can't thank you enough for your information and advice, Mrs. They are, truly, invaluable to me." You sigh, a Cheshire smile appearing on your lips.

The harpy let a laugh leave her lips before gently and playfully jostling your shoulder, waving her clawed hand in your direction and telling you that it was nothing, that she was only helping a member of her Community and that it was nothing. After that you took your leave of the harpy's company, gloating inwardly as you finished the last of your drink, setting the glass down on the counter as you turned towards the exit. As you crossed the bar, your gaze sought out the two detectives, finding Sun in the company of several people, the animatronic chatting happily and almost noisily with the group of different species. Moon was a little harder to find, the animatronic having settled down at a table in the corner of the room where the people you called 'old drinkers' were sitting, due to their hollow features and the fact that alcohol didn't seem to have any effect on them.

Once outside, you weren't sure whether the two animatronics had noticed your disappearance, so you took out your phone and sent them a message, pretending to have gone outside for some fresh air. You watched for a few seconds as the heat of your breath condensed before quickly disappearing. You took a few steps, slipping your phone into your pocket before walking off discreetly in the direction of the alley next to the bar, observing once again as you passed by, seeing two people at the other end of the alley, both starting to engage. You went over to the next building, leaned against it and waited to see these same people emerge, since they could only emerge.

After several seconds, soon approaching a minute, you discreetly looked back into the alley to see that no one was there. You frowned slightly, your curiosity becoming more and more intrigued. As footsteps sounded not far from you, you turned your head and looked over your shoulder to see Moon coming towards you from the bar. The animatronic had dug his hands into his pockets, his expression almost calm and relaxed, as he moved towards you, leaning against the walls beside you, using one of his legs to lean against the wall. You saw him look in your direction before saying :

"And so why did you come out so suddenly ?"

"Huh ? Didn't you read my message ?" You say, tilting your face slightly sideways.

"Message ?" Moon replied, frowning.

You saw the nocturnal animatronic lower his eyes, taking his phone out of one of his pockets before examining his messages. You heard him let out a short "Oh." from his voicebox before looking in the direction of the alleyway you were standing beside. You shook your face slightly, thinking that Moon must have seen you coming out and decided to follow you. You asked him if he'd noticed anything in particular or obtained any interesting information, and he explained that he'd spotted several people on drugs, some of them was on 'Fairy Dust' . You frowned, starting to articulate how he was able to spot a drug addict and, above all, to know what kind of drugs they had consumed, but you were interrupted by the door of the bar opening on the silhouette of the walking sun.

Sun ran a hand over his face, even though you couldn't hear him you were sure he'd sighed. After the sun's rays had circled his face a few times, Sun lifted his facial disk and scanned his surroundings before stopping to look at you and Moon. As the animatronic drew closer, you noticed the paper napkin he was holding in one hand. When Sun reached you, he let out another loud sigh from his voice box before sighing :

"Sorry I'm late, I got held up by another one of the customers who absolutely had to give me her number."

Your eyes darted back to the paper napkin he held in his hand, now that Sun came closer to you could clearly make out the numbers and the name that had been written quickly and clumsily on the paper napkin. Sun looked down at the piece of paper before stuffing it into one of his pockets. You couldn't help but grit your teeth slightly, feeling a touch of annoyance form in the pit of your heart for some inexplicable reason at the gesture. You shook your face to clear your head, turning once more towards the alley to peer inside.

"So, why did you come out of the bar you learned something interesting ?"

"Seriously ?! Didn't you read the message I took the trouble to write and send you ?" You hissed, turning to Sun.

"You sent a message ?" Sun asked.

"Why do you have a phone if you don't use it ! If you didn't check my message how did you know I was out ?"

"We watched you and saw you come out." Said Sun, tilting his facial disk.

"I told you I wasn't going to do anything without talking to you. You didn't have to watch me like this." You sighed, folding his arms. "Hence my message."

"It's not because we're afraid you'll do something that we've kept an eye on you, but because we're afraid something will happen to you." Moon replied.

"Something will happen to me ? The only thing that could have happened to me is if I'd been hit on."

A silence accompanied your statement, Sun and Moon looked at each other slightly before lowering their eyes simultaneously, averting their facial discs. You shook your face, unsettled by the behavior of the two animatronics, you didn't really know how to interpret their action, feeling both overwhelmed by their protective attitude, but also a little touched, even if you still found it stupid since there was no direct risk for you in this bar, except as you'd said if someone approached you to chat, but you were in a bar, that was something to be expected. Maybe they were just worried, since you'd recently been injured and your last visit to a bar hadn't ended so well.

"Anyway, whatever. I had a chat with a customer. She said the entrance to the 'real' bar was this alleyway." You say, taking another look at the back alley.

"Um... Let's go." Moon declared.

You let the lunar animatronic take the lead, following suit as Sun took one last look around before following you into the alley. As you'd noticed, the little pedestrian street was almost empty, a few streetlamps here and there lighting up the cobbled path to the other end of the alley, which opened onto a new main street, drawing your shadows in a grotesque, misshapen fashion as you went deeper and deeper into it. There was some garbage, which was unfortunately something normal, as well as a little moss in the wettest places.

You began to think this woman was pulling your leg until you reached the halfway point inside the alley. There, set in the shadow of two streetlamps, was another alleyway you'd been unable to notice until you'd passed it, due to an optical effect that gave the strange impression that the alleyway was just a straight line. Nothing more suspicious than the one you were currently standing in, an alleyway that ran parallel to the first and into the darkness. Dimly lit wall lamps illuminated the path as it progressed until it stopped before a heavy metal door guarded by a man whose build seemed even more accentuated by the alley's narrowness.

In front of the man guarding the door were two people, and you could hear their voices reverberating back to you as the two newcomers asked to enter. As the guard told them that only Fantastics could enter. You saw the guard lean towards them, his nostrils flaring as he took several deep breaths, then you saw him turn towards the door to strike a blow, asking those behind the door to open it. The metal door swung open with a muffled creak, revealing the interior of a corridor with stairs leading down into a basement as dark as the alley you were standing in. You saw the two customers disappear down the stairs before the door closed behind them once more.

"Looks like the entrance is going to be more complicated than expected." Sun declares beside you.

"Ugh... We'll get through, I know how to get you in. But it's kind of awkward."

Chapter Text

You ran one of your hands over your face, letting a growl leave your lips as you thought back to the harpy's words, which you had deliberately decided to put aside so as not to have to consider what you were going to have to do to allow Sun and Moon to enter with you. In the back of your mind, you'd hoped to find another way in, but the secret room seemed to be in the basement and you doubted you'd find another way in other than that damned door, if only to dig a hole underneath it.

You bit your lower lip, almost swallowing it, as you heaved another sigh and looked up at the two animatronics who, after you'd said you knew how to get in, had lowered their eyes in your direction, silently questioning you. You let a squeak of embarrassment leave your lips as you decided to release your poor lip, which had now lost all its color. After a few seconds' thought, you moved slightly away from the alleyway that housed the door to make sure that the man standing in front of the door didn't see you.

You brought one of your hands to your lips, closing your teeth on the fabric of your glove before removing it, using your other hand to unzip your sweater, exposing your entire neck and shoulder area. Pulling off your other glove before stuffing them into your pocket, you rolled up your sleeves and began lightly rubbing your wrists together, muttering and growling all manner of insults and curses.

"What are you doing ?" Moon finally asks, watching you flail about.

"To get in you have to be a Fantastic, he checks if you're a Fantastic by smell. I asked the charming drugged harpy at the bar how to get someone in who wasn't Fantastic. And she replied... Ha ha... She replied that as long as you... 'wore' my scent, you could get in without a problem, but that inside would be a different story."

"So you intend to..." Sun began, his eyebrows furrowing slightly above his eyes as his expression changed slightly.

"Put my scent on you yeah. Now don't ask any questions don't look at me, don't talk to me, don't do anything. It's embarrassing enough for me as it is... I never imagined I'd ever do this." You sigh, turning your face sideways.

You could feel a deep red color your cheeks before running down your neck, and you were almost starting to feel hot in your sweater. Actually, your stress and embarrassment was an advantage, as it greatly increased your blood circulation and your general temperature, which in turn influenced your smell. You gently continued to rub your hands against your wrists before stopping, shaking your hands for a few seconds, hoping that the friction had helped to reinforce your smell a little more. You clicked your tongue before humming for a few seconds, inhaling deeply to try and calm your heart rate, but without really succeeding.

Turning to Sun, who was closest to you, you reached out with your hands and gently grabbed his collar, asking him to bend over, which he did immediately, his facial disk facing yours before you turned your face away. You brought your hands to the collar of his shirt, rubbing your wrists against his clothes, taking particular care not to touch his skin so as not to directly apply your scent to him. After a few seconds you stopped, leaning against his neck, feeling Sun flinch slightly at your action as you sniffed Sun.

Unfortunately, this was not enough to make the guard believe that Sun and Moon were really with you. You took a step back, looking at Sun, who had remained bent over, before letting your eyes slide in the direction of Moon, who had simply crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes following your every move. You let out a nervous sigh, running one of your hands through your hair as a laugh both despairing and almost amused at the situation left your lips. You saw Sun's rays retract slightly into his facial disc before waving from right to left as the animatronic continued to stare at you with his big black eyes, a touch of pink coloring his cheeks.

"y-y/n ?" Sun asked softly.

"Tell me, was the person who gave you the number a Fantastic or not ?"

"I... What ? Why do you ask ?" Sun replied with a totally bewildered expression.

"Because if you're planning on going out with her you would have to wait until next week because you might stink like me for a while and she might definitely not appreciate you going on a date with her with someone else's scent on you !" You giggled nervously.

You brought both hands up to your neck, rubbing vigorously at the nape of your neck, particularly below your ears and around your jugular vein, scratching your skin with your fingernails. You then placed both hands almost abruptly on Sun's shoulders, startling the animatronic once more, rubbing your fingers against his clothing, working your way up to his collar, even lightly scratching your nails against his shoulders, taking care not to damage his clothes, making sure the animatronic was clearly wearing your scent.

You brought your face close to his neck again, inhaling deeply before sighing, smelling your scent clearly present on Sun. With this proximity and position you could feel the animatronic's artificial breath crashing against your skin, which made you shiver slightly, your breath catching slightly in your face. You stepped back, taking a big step backwards as you gestured towards Sun so that he could stand up, which the animatronic did, bringing one of his hands to his face as he coughed slightly, his eyes looking away from you and you were grateful.

Turning to Moon, who uncrossed his arms, you took another jerky breath before bringing your hands to your neck, once again rubbing and scratching your skin. You then moved closer to Moon, who was wearing a reserved and slightly embarrassed expression, and looked up at him, asking him to bend over, which the nocturnal animatronic silently did, his arms linking behind his back in gentlemanly fashion.

"I'm sorry." You sighed, starting to rub your hands over Moon's shoulders.

"Why is that ?" Moon asked, turning his facial disk slightly toward you.

"Because people, the Fantastics, are likely to look at you curiously and strangely, because some might even come and ask you embarrassing questions, because there's a possibility that people will sniff you inappropriately if you walk the streets and that perhaps, if there are dogs who don't particularly like cats, they're highly likely to bark at you and even chase you." You reply, once again rubbing your hands against the skin of your neck.

"It's not as bad as all that... "Moon continued with a shrug.

"Seriously... are you incapable of putting two and two together or what ? It's serious ! For a Fantastics to put their scent on an object or another person is to mark their territory, it's to make others understand that this thing, or this person belongs to them. People will think... We're together." You sigh, your voice going through different emotions.

"We understood exactly what you meant from the moment you said it was a sensitive subject." Moon added. "My words weren't said unconsciously."

"And what's wrong with that ?" Sun asked, a small smile on his lips as his cheeks were still slightly colored pink. "Wrong with people thinking we're together ? "

"Everything." You replied, your breath slightly short. "Everything's wrong with it."

You removed your hands from Moon's shoulders before taking a step back, you pulled up your sweater but didn't put your gloves back on immediately, you removed the earrings you'd put on in addition to the one you usually wore, placing them carefully in your bag before revealing your tail and ears. Immediately you grabbed your tail, blew into your hand to moisten it before stroking your fur a few times, then lifted your hand towards Moon's torso which was next to you, then blew your fur which had remained in your hand onto Moon watching the grey hairs clinging to his clothes.

"That should complete the deception." You say.

You looked up at Moon to see that his gaze was on your face, a pensive, almost disappointed expression on his face. You blinked, feeling your heart sink into your heels at his gaze, which you held for a second before deciding to ignore it and turn to Sun, preparing another small tuft of fur. But Sun's expression was just as unsettling, a nervous little smile on his lips as he seemed to have been hurt by your words, and you couldn't understand why. They had nothing to gain by being associated with you in any way.

You wouldn't lie to yourself, you felt your heart pounding in your chest at their words and their trust. You were rarely lucky enough to hear that people, non-Supernaturals, were comfortable in your presence despite the fact that you weren't 'normal', it was nice and it only reinforced the feeling of comfort and warmth you felt in the presence of the two animatronics. But your mind was all too quick to remind you of reality : you couldn't be associated with them, it was for their own good. You shook your face, blowing away the tuft of hair on Sun before turning towards the guarded door, putting your gloves back on your hands as you said :

"Shall we ?"

"Yes." Both animatronics replied at the same time.

You slipped your hands into your pockets before stepping forward, appearing in the field of vision of the gatekeeper, who immediately looked up at Sun, Moon and you. You heard him let out a heavy sigh of menace through his nostrils, his two arms, with a circumference as wide as your skull, crossing over his torso as he stepped in front of the door. As the scent of Skinwalkers hippopotamus hit your nostrils, you felt a shiver run down your spine. Hippos were far from being the gentle, cute animals many people imagined them to be. In fact, they were one of the deadliest animals in Africa, due to their strength, speed and huge fangs. If this man transformed and decided to attack you, in this narrow alleyway where you have no escape, you'd simply be blown to bits. You swallowed your fear, burying it deep inside you so as not to let an ounce of it show. You stopped in front of the guard, looking up at him and saying:

"I'd like to get in please."

"Only Fantastics can enter."

"I'm not a Supernatural to you perhaps ?" You reply, wiggling your ears and whipping the air with your tail.

"They're not Fantastics." Replied the Skinwalker, not even looking in your direction, his gaze fixed on Moon and Sun.

"They're with me."

You heard the Skinwalker let out a sigh before stepping forward in Sun and Moon's direction, even though he was as tall and wide as an ice-cream cabinet he was still smaller than the two animatronics. Sun and Moon didn't move an inch, leaving the hippopotamus man to bend over the two animatronics and sniff them loudly and inappropriately. A growl of anger and annoyance left his lips as he continued sniffing the two detectives, fearing that if he continued he'd realize that your scent was too strong and too recent.

"Hey ! Keep your nose to yourself. They're mine." you hissed with a feline growl echoing in your throat.

You saw the Skinwalker pull away from Moon and Sun before looking in your direction and rolling his eyes, an expression of disgust on his face as he drummed heavily on the door once more, demanding whoever was behind it to open it. The metal door creaked open for you, and you stepped forward into the darkened staircase as Sun and Moon followed close behind, the Fantastic behind the door, a rather small Drider, watching you pass in the company of the two animatronics, his gaze lingering on the two detectives before returning to you as you descended, his voice murmuring bitterly : "Steaeledblood."

You paid him no heed, continuing down the wooden steps which creaked slightly under your weight before almost screaming under Sun and Moon's. The dark brick walls reminded you of the castles you'd seen in books or documentaries on the Middle Ages. The green flames of the torches confirmed immediately that they had been lit and produced by magic. The smell of dampness mingled with that of the creatures who had passed through here before you. The further down you went, the warmer the air became, and the more uncomfortable you felt with the smells of smoke and alcohol wafting through the air.

"What did he mean by 'Steaeledblood' ?" Moon then asked from behind you, his voice echoing lightly against the walls.

"It's an extremely derogatory name, an insult, employed by the Fantastics to describe Fantastics who associate themselves with creatures other than Supernaturals. It's a play on words between 'steal', 'steel'." You reply.

"Did he call you that because of us ?" Sun asked.

"Because of the fact that I'm passing you off as my companions, and letting you into this place reserved only for the Fantastic Community. Don't mind it. I think I'm going to be called that a lot tonight. And you might not be treated too well either."

"We'd better not get separated, then." Moon sighed, his hand resting on your shoulder.

You looked at his hand for a few seconds before humming a reply, the stairs you were descending finally coming to an end to give way to a corridor that widened as it went before opening out into an enormous hexagonal-shaped room. The walls were of stone and strange stone representations, surely what could be likened to gargoyles, decorated the heights of the wall. The floor was made of wood, with large pieces of varying-colored wood interlocking to create a strange fresco. In addition to the corridor you had entered, two other corridors, separated by a wall, appeared, leading to new rooms. The place itself reminded you of a cult, which was much more in keeping with Douglas's style.

The secret bar was much fuller than you'd expected. As you entered the main room, many eyes turned to your little group and murmurs and unwelcoming expressions were directed at you, but you didn't actually see anyone trying to come up to you to complain. The incident at 'The Horned Goat' had surely dissuaded the more aggressive from provoking another brawl at the risk of seeing their new private place invaded by the police.

You began to make your way into the room, only to be stopped by a hand that had slid against yours, long fingers intertwining. You looked up at Sun, who gave you an apologetic smile before accompanying it with a wink. You felt your other hand being lifted, but unlike Sun, Moon decided that intertwining his arm with yours was a more respectable solution, which wasn't necessarily so, since it brought you inexorably closer to him than necessary. You could have complained, but you understood their gesture : things in this confined space could quickly turn sour, and you could only count on the three of you to defend yourselves.

You tightened your grip on the two animatronics, and had to admit that their presence was a great comfort to you. You gave the two metal policemen a little wave to tell them to take the lead, and now that you'd entered, you were going to do what you did best, which was to let your ears hang low. You then felt the two animatronics move forward, you following their movement while concentrating on the surrounding noises and conversations. The problem was, with Sun and Moon by your side, conversations quickly died down to whispers about you, and you realized that searching the place for any interesting information was going to prove complicated, at least until you were no longer the head of the place.

It was a more or less complicated deal, with the two animatronics occasionally having to loosen or tighten their grip on you, either to slip through the crowd or to avoid objects. You crossed a new corridor leading to the bar, which had been laid out like a real bar but in a much more luxurious and sophisticated way, with large dark leather sofas on which Fantastic couples were seated, embracing and displaying their affection a little too much for you to feel comfortable. As you moved into a new room, which resembled a miniature casino with all sorts of games of dice and chance, the two animatronics stopped slightly, before moving on to a smaller, more open corner of the gambling room.

You then saw Sun suddenly lean towards you, his hand sliding against your cheek, his fingers delicately grasping your face, his thumb stopping just in front of your feline ear, while his other fingers slipped behind without touching it. Sun then lowered his facial plate in front of your face, moving slowly towards your neck. You felt your heart miss a beat as your breath caught in your chest and embarrassment suddenly flushed your face. You felt Sun's breath linger against your skin for a few seconds, then travel up to your ear, where he whispered, barely audibly :

"Several people are drugged here and there in the bar, or have traces of Fairy Dust on them. We've managed to pinpoint where the drugs seem to be exchanged by analyzing the comings and goings of various customers to find out when and where they ended up with drugs on them."

"O-Ok..." You can barely breathe.

Sun moved away, his hand leaving your face to fall back down his body as he made sure next to Moon that no one had heard what you'd exchanged. You saw the solar animatronic then look down at you again as you turned your face away to avoid meeting his eyes. You took a slightly jerky breath, your emotions suddenly falling back from their equally abrupt ascent, noting then that you had unconsciously gripped Moon's arm with more force than necessary, you gradually relaxed your grip, not wanting your realization to be noticed and hoping that with all that was going on around you Moon hadn't even noticed the change in pressure. Sun's sudden closeness caught you off guard, and for a moment you thought he was going to kiss you. But you quickly pushed this stupid, fleeting idea back into the recesses of your mind, blaming it all on the couple you'd seen a few minutes before and the tense atmosphere in the room.

"Your heart rate's elevated, are you okay ?" Moon asked, his eyebrows furrowed in your direction.

"Yes. Just nervous. I thought you were going to tell me something bad." You replied, avoiding Moon's gaze as well.

"Are you sure ? We can leave if..."

"I'm OK. And no, we're not leaving until we get what we came for." You reply, finally managing to look the two animatronics in the eye, your voice ringing with determination.

The two detectives nodded, smiles appearing on their facial disks as Sun intertwined his fingers with yours once more, his pads pressing pleasantly against your palm. Moon and Sun moved on through the crowd, which was now more or less accustomed to your presence, and soon after you entered you noticed a couple appearing who attracted just as much attention as you did, but you didn't know why, but you assumed one of them had to be human. You crossed the main room once more, the two of you guiding you towards the room housing the bar.

Once back in the bar, you went to the far end of the room, where there was a door you'd initially thought only led to the toilet. You'd noticed that Moon and Sun had taken an interest in the door, but when you saw them leave, you figured it was probably nothing. Now that Moon was pushing open the door, inviting you in with Sun in tow, you realized that the two animatronics had decided to save the most promising place for last. There was indeed a toilet, but it was just another door leading to a new sanitary room.

In addition to the door leading to the toilet, there was a new door, much more refined and sophisticated than the others in the bar. The door was made of wood and decorated with an engraving of a satyr playing his pan flute, accentuated by a touch of gold which was also found on the door handle, which strangely resembled the curling horns of a billy goat. On the handle hung a sign that clearly contrasted with the design of the door in its rusticity and simplicity, you even begin to wonder if it wasn't the sign that should have been on the toilet door. The little sign was facing the busy side, and you turned your ear to it as your ears twitched at the sound of the voices behind it.

"There are three people." Moon said softly, his gaze fixed on the door. "Fantastics. A Satyr who isn't Douglas, and two creatures I can't define with to my scanner."

"The door's too thick for me to hear anything." You say.

"We can't either." Sun added. "But from what we can see, there's an exchange of money for what is more than likely drugs."

"We'll just have to wait in that case."

You let go off the holds Sun and Moon had on you as you turned to observe the rest of what was surely some kind of waiting room. The place was more or less circular, with pictures of forest landscapes straight out of fairy tales decorating the walls here and there. There was a small pedestal on which stood a statuette of a little angel holding a bouquet of flowers. Some of the flowers had tiny pearls in them to imitate the pistils of a real flower, and you raised your hand to gently caress the tiny pearls that were barely hanging on the statuette. You pursed your lips together, your thieving instincts telling you to pick up those shiny little pearls.

"Pspspsps..."

You turned your face sharply in Sun and Moon's direction, your pupils dilating widely at the sound, while your ears perked up on the top of your skull, twitching several times before stopping as you saw the surprised expressions of the two animatronics change to one of amusement. Your expression immediately changed from attentive and curious to embarrassed and sulky as you realized that the sound had been made by one of the two animatronics. You grunted slightly as you walked back towards them, threatening them with one of your index fingers as you hissed through your teeth :

"Don't do that again !"

"Why, it was rather effective in diverting your attention from that poor statue." Moon declared with a chuckle.

"You know you have some very 'feline' little habits, and it looks like 'pspsps' is one of them." Sun added, bringing one of his hands to his lips.

"That... That's not true. I don't have 'feline habits'. It's just that the sound surprised me, I thought something was going on." You say with a little pout.

"You have a tendency to always want to be up high. When your attention is drawn to something you stare at it and your pupils dilate. You like delicacies..." Moon began to list.

"Stop stop stop. Y-You'd better shut up if you don't want me to scratch your face out of sheer 'feline habit'." You sighed, your tail lightly whipping the air behind you.

Moon and Sun let their laughter leave their voiceboxes at your threat, and the solar animatronic even raised his hands in the air in surrender. You glared at them once more before turning your back once more, your ears resting against your skull as you tried to calm yourself, your eyes drooping to your hands which you opened and closed a few times before letting out a small sigh. It was one thing to know you had cat habits, after all, you'd woken up curled up in a ball too many times to admit otherwise, but it was quite another to be called out in this way, all the more so by Moon and Sun.

You were embarrassed, but you were also saddened by the fact that your habits were so animalistic, even though you weren't really a Cat-Walker. It was one of the things that separated you, Fantastic and especially those with animalistic attributes, a little more from humans, because despite the fact that you weren't animals, that you weren't driven by primitive instinct, part of you remained that of a wild creature. Wolves would still like to howl, birds would still fly and you, Fantastics, would continue to be as you are without ever being able to do anything about it, and this was frightening because not everyone could accept these little traits, not everyone would appreciate it when their companion asked them to scratch them behind the ear because it felt good.

Well, some did, but that was the weird part of the human population, and in your opinion, the best part. You let a little noise between a laugh and a sigh leave your lips, coming out of your far too troubled and scattered thoughts, even though you had to be serious and focused. The door you were standing in front of opened after the sound of a bolt being removed. The two people inside, a female vampire and a nymph, stepped out of the room, looking in your direction and then in Moon and Sun's with astonishment. They quickly looked away, leaving the waiting room in murmurs.

Hoofbeats sounded before the satyr who had been in the room with the two Fantastics appeared in the doorway. His brown hair was medium-length and curly, and his horns were very prominent, extending over several dozen centimetres on either side of his skull. He wore small, round, gold-rimmed glasses, and his clothes reminded you of a notary or banker from a bygone era. His clothes reminded you of a notary, or a banker from a bygone era. A cigarette odor accompanied the musky satyr's, and you were able to smell him despite the cologne he had sprayed on him. The satyr approached the door, probably whistling to change the sign on the door, but when he saw Moon and Sun he froze, his goat tail wagging in fear. You could have said curiosity, but his scent told you otherwise.

"O-Oh ? Animatronics ? How..."

The satyr didn't finish his sentence, sniffing the air slightly before his gaze then turned to you as you moved closer to Sun and Moon, placing yourself beside them with a small smile on your lips. The satyr took a small step backwards before pulling himself together, and you saw him straighten up, correctly fitting his suit over his torso as the typically commercial smile of a salesman played across his lips, revealing his perfect white teeth. He placed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose before saying :

"Well, it's not every day I see animatronics in the company of a Fantastique, but customers are still customers. What can I do for you ?"

"Well, we've come because we've heard that this is the best place to get Fairy Dust." Sun declared with a smile.

"Fairy Dust ? But it doesn't work on Science Fiction." Replied the satyr with an expression of confusion.

"It's obviously not for us." Moon replied with a low, amused laugh. "We wanted to offer some to our lover here."

You keep your tail from wagging just barely, the fur on your tail bristling slightly. It was one thing to pretend you were Sun and Moon's lover, but quite another to hear it said out loud. You felt Moon's hand come to rest on your shoulder, his fingers lightly squeezing your shoulder encouragingly. Gritting your teeth, you decided to play along, understanding that your dignity had been so trampled on that nothing would be salvageable. You lifted your own hand, placing it on Moon's hand, which you felt twitch slightly as you reached out with your other hand, intertwining your fingers with Sun's once again.

"A friend of mine once told me about this particular drug and its effects. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided I wanted to try it. And my darlings decided to accompany me to make sure I took only the best qualities, but also to make sure I was okay. I told them I could go on my own, but they insisted on accompanying me. They're a bit overprotective."

You uttered the last sentence with an amused grimace before letting a laugh leave your lips. The satyr seemed slightly taken aback, his gaze shifting from you to the two animatronics before returning to you with an embarrassed but understanding smile. He pushed himself away from the door, inviting you into the office with a wave of his hands and a smile, which you did without waiting, you releasing your grip on the two animatronics only to settle into the armchairs opposite the desk.

The room was quite large but almost entirely empty, with only the desk behind which the satyr sat down, several chairs to accommodate the number of people entering and different models to suit the different species of Fantastic who might have come to buy something other than alcoholic beverages. You took your place between Moon and Sun, your gaze roving around the room trying to find something in particular, but apart from two small shelves and a single door, you found nothing suspicious. The smell inside the room was overpowering, that of various Fantastics, but also that of cigarettes, the same kind that stuck to the satyr's clothes and stung your nose, making you want to sneeze.

"So, this will be the first time you've consumed Fairy Dust, is it ?" The satyr asked in your direction.

"Oh... Yes." You replied, nodding in the satyr's direction.

"Good. So I suppose you want to start with a small dose to see if our product is right for you, to get a feel for what Fairy Dust can do ?"

"Yes, we want to make sure your merchandise is of the highest quality. We know that there are counter ways and derivatives of Fairy Dust on the market that don't have the same efficacy and don't have the same purity." Sun replied.

"I can assure you gentlemen that the Fairy Dust we sell is of the highest quality. We have it produced by specialists to guarantee its magic content and purity. Our motto is to serve only the best to our customers."

"You have it produced ? You mean you have it made by a third party and didn't produce it yourself ?" Moon declared with a slight growl.

"How can that guarantee the quality of the product you're selling us ? The producer could very well dilute the preparations and sell it to you as if it were pure Fairy Dust." Sun added.

You saw the satyr's confident expression melt slightly as you met Moon's gaze. You saw him lick his lips to moisten them as he seemed to search for words. Sun next to you moved too, crossing his arms over his chest as he placed one of his legs over the other, his gaze also weighing on the poor satyr who was beginning to sink deeper and deeper into his chair, his ears falling further and further down his skull under the pressure. You blinked for a second, trying to understand why the two animatronics were reacting so suddenly, and when you suddenly understood their objective you let a discreet little smile appear on your face.

You let a deliberately audible chuckle leave your lips as you simultaneously reached out with both hands and placed them on the thighs of the two animatronics, patting them lightly before looking alternately in their direction and saying :

"Calm down, you're making the gentleman nervous. I'm sure he has an explanation. You said you were having it produced by specialists, didn't you ? That's interesting, does that mean scientists have prepared the Dust ?"

The satyr seemed reassured by your sudden intervention, his ears twitching as Moon and Sun abandoned their threatening postures. You saw him nod quickly, his smile once again appearing on your lips as he resumed his speech.

"Y-Yes, that's exactly it. We could produce Fairy Dust ourselves, but there are risks, both for employees and consumers, since we don't have the right equipment. Going through scientists guarantees us good production regularity and consistent purity with each new production batch."

"So where is the laboratory where Fairy Dust is developed ?" Sun asked.

"I... I'm sorry Sir, I can't divulge this information, but I understand how important it is for us to remain... discreet." Stammered the satyr. "But I can assure you that everything is produced locally, we don't import the Dust. With police checks anyway that would be impossible for us."

You saw Sun and Moon look in your direction as if they were really deciding the pros and cons as you looked back in the satyr's direction to give him a smile which he nervously returned. Finally Sun nodded, uncrossing his arms from his torso to lean towards the satyr, a more neutral, less threatening expression on his face.

"We'll try your wares."

"Glad to hear it gentlemen." The satyr exclaimed as he stood up, clapping his hands before looking in your direction to add: "I'm sure you'll like it and won't want to go without Fairy Dust."

You watched as the satyr made his way towards the only room in the room, reached into the collar of his shirt and pulled out a key, quickly opening the door before slipping inside, closing the door behind him with a clang. You let a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl leave your lips, you knew it wasn't in the habit of dealers to warn customers about the risks of their drug, but Fairy Powder was extremely addictive and could create behavioral disorders and cause death in one way or another. You felt Sun lean against you, both his hands closing on the armrest of your chair, which drew your attention back to him.

"There's a hidden room next door." Sun murmured. "Next to the two shelves."

"What ? How do you know ?"

"We have heat vision. And there's a heat source behind that wall." Sun continued, pointing to the wall opposite the door behind which the satyr had disappeared.

"He's coming back."

Sun moved away from you, once again sitting upright in his chair and looking in the direction of the desk, his face taking on a neutral expression. A few seconds after Moon's statement, you saw the door open again, the key clicking against the satyr's silhouette. In one hand, the Fantastic held a small wooden tray containing a pink velvet cushion, and on top of this cushion rested a small black opaque fabric bag. You felt as if you were witnessing the transport of a precious diamond, and you couldn't help but wonder if this was an exaggeration, especially considering what was actually in the bag.

The satyr locked the door behind him before heading back towards the office, placing the small tray gently on the table before settling back into his chair and moving closer to his desk, where he opened a drawer to take out a pair of plastic gloves. After slipping on the gloves, the Fantastique pulled the tray towards him, grabbing the small black bag and carefully opening it to reveal a small resealable plastic bag containing the little pink powder. The satyr grinned in your direction before pushing the tray towards you.

"You can inspect the merchandise if you like, but I'd ask you not to open it. The low price for this quantity and quality is usually $100."

Sun pulled the tray toward inspecting the small bag without touching it before handing it to Moon, who did the same before passing the tray to you. You felt Moon's fingers brush yours, his fingers holding contact for a second as his gaze silently told you to be careful. You nodded imperceptibly before gently removing the tray from your hands, observing the powder inside the sachet, careful not to breathe despite the fact that the sachet seemed hermetically sealed. You then placed the tray back on the table, shaking your head. You didn't really know how to react now, you had to find an excuse to refuse the purchase, you started to open your mouth, ready to argue about the price but there was no time to express yourself, Sun putting a hand on your shoulder and saying.

"That sounds like a good product." Sun declared, grinning at you. "We're buying."

"Very well, gentlemen. Regarding payment, I hope you know that we don't take checkbooks or credit cards." The satyr immediately declared with a small grimace as he looked at the two animatronics.

"That's not a problem." Moon intervened immediately.

The nocturnal animatronic plunged one of his hands into one of his trouser pockets to pull out his wallet, and you watched with curiosity then horror as the animatronic pulled a wad of bills from his pocket. You saw Moon grab a few bills, place them on the table and push them towards the Fantastic, who picked them up with a big smile on his face and began to count them once more, making sure that the requested sum was indeed there. Once counted, the satyr nodded, grabbing the money and slipping it into one of the desk drawers before grinning at you, closing the little black bag before holding it out in your direction. You left it to Sun to retrieve the bag, his long fingers closing delicately around the small bag of drugs as he tucked it away in one of his pockets. You heard Moon click his tongue before saying :

"Could we test the product now ? We want to make sure that Fairy Dust has the promised effect."

"Er... Yes. There are rooms available for that if you like. It's on the other side of the..." Began the satyr.

"No. We want to stay here, your office is quieter and with our animatronic conditions we don't want to attract any more attention than we have to." Interjected Moon with a wave of his hand.

"It'll be easier for us to make our views known. And maybe even buy some Fairy Dust directly, if our love is satisfied." Sun added, reaching out to grab your hand.

You looked in Sun's direction with a smile that you hoped seemed filled with love, but as you met Sun's gaze you managed to make it clear with your eyes that while you'd managed to improvise a little at first, their interpretation was now something you couldn't keep up with. Sun reassuringly tightened his hand around yours, you inwardly let a cry echo in your mind, your face blushing slightly at the gesture. You decided to use your embarrassment to your advantage, turning towards the Fantastic with a small smile and puppy-dog eyes, your ears lying slightly against your skull to accentuate your pleading expression.

"Please. You can do that for us can't you ?"

"I... Can't really do that... There's the storeroom and..."

Moon plunged his hand into his pocket again, pulling out his wad of bills again, which he didn't even bother to look at or count before tossing in the satyr's direction. The Fantastic clumsily caught up the small bundle of money, his glasses nearly falling off his nose as he looked up confusedly at Moon. The lunar animatronic leaned over, tapping one of his fingers on the desk as he looked into the satyr's eyes, a serious expression forming on his face as his reddened eyes painted almost ominous shadows and reflections on the Fantastic's silhouette.

"Think of this as compensation for the inconvenience. It's up to you to decide whether you want to inform your colleagues of the fact that we've rented the room for a few minutes or whether you want to keep it all a secret and converse the money for yourself."

The satyr immediately froze, his ears twitching as you could hear the gears of his mind working at full speed, Moon's suggestion slowly changing his mind. You made his hand close over the money a little more firmly, a broad smile splitting his lips as he took the bills and slipped them into one of his pockets. He then straightened up, putting his glasses back on and putting his suit back on properly, his hooves lightly tapping the ground in contentment.

"Would half an hour suit you ?" Asked the satyr.

"Fifteen minutes will be enough." Sun replied with a smile.

"As you wish."

"Oh, one last thing !" You exclaimed in the satyr's direction. "May we smoke ? If I'm allowed a good time, it would only be fair to my dear ones to be able to do the same."

"You know what they say, the customer is king !" The satyr exclaimed with a laugh and a little bow.

The Fantastic then strode towards the door, whistling lightly, his tail wagging briskly to signal his contentment. He left the room, closing the door gently behind him and leaving the 'occupy' sign hanging. You remained motionless for a few seconds before standing up, moving quickly towards the door to make sure the satyr had left, before turning to Moon and Sun and murmuring :

"I can't hear him anymore."

"He's gone. We've got the field clear for about fifteen minutes." Sun added, leaving his chair and moving closer to the wall behind which the secret room was located.

"You could have told me you were planning to buy Fairy Dust." You hissed with a slight touch of reproach. "Besides, why did you do that ? And where did you get all that money ?"

"This is police money from a specially dedicated stockpile for this kind of scenario. It's used for infiltration or hostage-taking for ransom." Moon replied. "We hadn't intended to buy it at first, but hearing the Fantastic say that it was made by scientists to ensure that the quality of the Dust was consistent, we thought that taking a sample to compare with the drug we'd recovered from Hikaku might enable us to link the two and confirm that it's the same producer."

"That makes more sense." You answer, nodding.

"Besides, you're pretty good at acting and improvisation." Moon added with a chuckle, moving closer to where Sun was standing.

"Well, what can I say ? I've got years of stealing ahead of me." you replied with a chuckle. "So what's in this secret room ?"

"We can't really say. The heat from the lamp isn't powerful enough to warm the surrounding objects, but I'd say the room isn't very big." Sun declared as she knocked on the wall, listening to the sound resonate.

Humming a reply, you stood by the door, resting your back against the wood, deciding to guard the entrance to make sure no one else came this way, since there wasn't much you could do to help them at the moment. Your gaze wandered to the door in which the satyr had disappeared, you suspected it was the storage area where the Fairy Dust was kept, but you asked the two animatronics for confirmation. Moon confirmed your deduction, explaining that the room wasn't large either, and that the lights were very bright and powerful to keep the room as dry as possible and prevent the drug from degrading.

You weren't bothered by the lack of security on the room containing the drugs, not only because if there were thieves they'd be able to get in here, but also to get out of the room with the drugs on them. Likewise, the best defense against the Fantastics was scent : if someone managed to get in and out, their scent would remain, unless they had planned ahead and were able to conceal their scent, and that was unlikely. You turned your attention back to the two animatronics who had continued to examine the wall in front of the secret room. Sun and Moon were extremely focused, their eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the wall and the two pieces of furniture beside it. Your gaze was on them, but your ears were on the door, twitching at the slightest noise you could detect.

You then saw Sun leaning against the side of one of the two shelves, his finger lightly following the edge of the cabinet, his gaze then following the edge to the bottom of the cabinet before he slipped his fingers behind the cabinet, pulling it out with ease, You weren't sure whether this was due to his strength or to the fact that the cupboard wasn't heavy, but he bent down and, humming for a few seconds as he observed a small hole in the wall, he pushed the cupboard a little further open, revealing the outline of a door anchored in the wall. There was no handle, so the door could only be opened with the key that matched the lock. You heard Sun sigh before saying :

"A lock."

"Tsk. The key's probably with the satyr." Moon declared, frowning.

"Keep an eye on the door." You declared, pushing yourself away from the door. "This door won't stay closed for long."

Chapter Text

You saw the two animatronics looking in your direction as you approached the lock, closing one eye and peering inside to see if the door mechanism was too difficult to pick. Seeing that it was the kind of lock you could open with just two or three objects, you stood up, turning towards the desk to take your place behind it. You quickly opened the drawers, rummaging through them with some caution so as not to be noticed by the Fantastic to whom the desk belonged. After finding nothing but useless documents and other trinkets, you found a lighter which you placed on the desk in search of something you could use. Your hand finally came to rest on a stack of documents held together by a paperclip. You let a Cheshire smile appear on your lips as you quickly removed the paper clip.

Sun had left his post beside the secret room to go to the front of the door, keeping an eye on the outside, but you could still feel his gaze on you. Kneeling down, you leaned over and looked back at the lock, your hands carefully unfolding the paperclip into a straight wire, which you bent in half before twisting on itself to make it stronger. You then looked up at Moon beside you, holding out one of your hands and asking him, almost amused :

"Do you have a bank card ? Or something like that. And don't worry, I'm not planning to steal it."

You saw Moon frown before reaching into his pocket to pull out his driver's license and hand it to you. You let a chuckle leave your lips as you realized that even while undercover, the nocturnal animatronic had kept his license on him and you had an idea that Sun was the same. You retrieved the card from between his fingers, slipping it into the small gap between the door and the wall, sliding the card a little under the lock until you touched the latch bolt. You then inserted your little improvised hook inside the door, slowly starting to move what was inside the lock, listening to the noises of your every movement as you tried to work as quickly as possible.

"Do you know how to pick locks ?" Moon asked.

"Um... Yes, Moony. I'm a thief, remember." You murmured distractedly.

"It doesn't say on your record that you were arrested for burglary." Said Sun from across the room.

"Probably because I've never been caught." You sigh in amusement.

"Kitten..." Moon grumbled beside you.

"What ? You asked the question. Besides, to tell the truth, I've only done it once or twice. Most of the time I did it to help out neighbors who'd lost their key and didn't want to tell the owner of their building at the risk of having to pay. They wanted to make sure they hadn't lost their key in an obvious place before having to make a duplicate."

You frowned a little more, concentrating fully on the lock and asking the two animatronics to stop asking questions. You heard several little clunks of mechanisms before feeling Moon's license, on which you had continued to exert pressure, slide upwards, you let a smile appear on your lips, you pushed the card a little more, withdrawing your hook from the lock to put your little finger on it and pull the door in your direction while pressing on the latchbolt with the card, forcing the door open. You straightened up, your tail wagging in satisfaction as you turned towards Moon and Sun, saying :

"Voilà !"

The two animatronics rolled their eyes, but the smile on their lips let you know they were proud of you. You moved away from the new door, looking into the room without entering. As Sun had said, the place was cramped, a tiny storage room with a table and documents on it, and cardboard boxes underneath, some closed, some not. The light was a single bulb hanging from the ceiling, the wires of which were falling insecurely. You moved away from the room and came back to the door where Sun was standing, who looked at you curiously before you said :

"I'd better not enter the room or touch anything so as not to risk leaving my scent on it. You'd better be careful too, since... Well, you know."

"Yes, I understand." Sun replied with a nod.

You watched as the animatronic joined Moon, who had already entered the room, so as not to waste any time. You looked in the direction of the door for a few seconds, focusing all your attention on it, then took the risk of moving away quickly to grab the lighter you'd placed on the desk. You then quickly reached under the desk, grabbing the garbage can underneath to lift it up and bring it with you to the door. Slipping the lighter into your poacher, you began to rummage through the garbage, which included scraps of paper and cigarette packets. You picked up several cigarette butts from the bottom, selecting those with the most material left to burn. You jammed them between your fingers before lighting them.

Watching the lighter ignite the cigarettes, you blew on it to reinforce the combustion before lightly waving your hands. Slowly, a light smoke began to escape from the butts, the smell of cigarettes filling your nostrils and easily giving you a headache. But you put up with the unpleasant sensation, waving your hands to keep the burning going and force the smell to cover what was in the room. Your scent on Sun and Moon wasn't strong enough to remain on objects or even in the air, but you preferred to make sure it was concealed, especially when it came to the inside of the secret room, to ensure your scent was unrecognizable and undetectable.

You could hear Sun and Moon exchanging a few directions and other instructions, but they were whispered too low for you to hear, and you were too focused on your own task to worry about them. You froze as you heard heavy footsteps behind the door, the smell of cigarettes preventing you from knowing what species it might be, but when you heard the sound of two pairs of hooves you knew it was a centaur. You heard the Fantastic mutter a few insults, complaining that the room was busy and that he hoped there'd be some Fairy Dust left for him before moving off again. You let out a sigh, before holding back a slight cough from the smoke. You then saw the two animatronics emerge from the room, dark expressions on their facial disks.

"Didn't you find anything ?" You asked, tilting your face slightly.

"No, we found something. A different kind of notebook but in this one there's a list of numbers accompanied by basic information like age, sex, height, weight..." Sun replied, raising his eyes in your direction and frowning at the shenanigans you were up to.

"You mean there's a list cataloguing... people ? Why aren't there any names ? Is it a customer list ?" You questioned.

"I doubt it..." Moon declared darkly. "We've taken photos. We're going back to the police station to discuss it... calmly."

"Okey. I'm making it my business to close the door again." You sigh.

You abandoned your post by the front door, leaving Moon and Sun to take over as you moved into the room with your cigarette butts still in hand, waving them around to keep the scent going as you approached the secret room, puffing on the butts once more, forcing them to use up the smokes they had left inside the room. Even after the two animatronics had gone inside, the secret office seemed untouched. You made sure the cigarettes were extinguished before throwing them in the garbage can. You retrieved Moon's license, which you had slipped into your pocket along with your makeshift hook. With the door open, you used the card to press the latch bolt, pushing the door gently back into its frame, then withdrew the card, letting a small click sound before inserting the hook inside the lock to block the door.

"The satyr returns." Sun sighed urgently.

"Shit !"

You quickly grabbed the lighter and placed it back in the drawer where you'd found it, while the makeshift hook and Moon's license were tucked away in your pockets before turning to Sun and Moon. You moved closer to them, running your hands through your hair, ruffling it deliberately, and ruffling your clothes as well. You then turned to your tail, grabbing it before wrapping your hand around it to push the fur in the other direction, you shivered at the unpleasant sensation, but it was necessary to ruffle your fur. You almost tore your gloves from your hands to join the mess in your pockets. You then abruptly approached Sun, who was closest to you, and looked in the direction of the door from which the footsteps were approaching. You looked urgently in the direction of the animatronic Sun, hissing :

"Pick me up."

"W-What ?"

"Pick me up !" You repeated, grabbing his clothes with both hands.

With one swift movement Sun closed his hands around your waist lifting you easily, despite his action his expression was just as surprised as Moon's who was standing next to him. You wiggled your legs, changing position and forcing the animatronic to hold you bridal style, sliding one of his hands under your knees and the other behind your back. You then quickly wrapped your arms around his neck, snuggling your face against his neck as you closed your eyes, letting your ears and tail fall back into place. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door, the satyr's voice echoing out to ask :

"Dear customers ? The fifteen minutes are up."

"You may enter." Moon declared with one last glance in your direction.

Seeing the door handle jiggle, you closed your eyes tightening your grip on Sun, whose arms closed a little more on you in response. You heard the door open, the Fantastic taking a few steps inside before stopping. You had to control yourself completely to keep your ears from twitching at the slightest sound the satyr made, forcing your eyes to remain fixed beneath your eyelids. You felt the satyr's gaze settle on you before his voice rose almost joyfully :

"Well, gentlemen ? Your beloved seems deeply asleep, so may I conclude that they enjoyed our product ?"

"Indeed, the Fairy Dust you were producing is satisfactory. We'll be back to see you very soon." Moon replied.

You then felt a hand come to rest on the top of your head, fingers delicately intertwining in your hair before sliding against your ears to gently brush them. You let a small sigh leave your lips, barely moving to pretend you were stirring in your sleep before stopping yourself from moving again. Moon let a raucous laugh leave his lips before continuing :

"We'll be taking our leave. Thank you again, sir."

"You're welcome, dear customers. We look forward to seeing you again."

You then felt Sun turn around and start walking towards the exit of the room. You kept your eyes firmly closed until you heard the door close behind Sun and Moon, then discreetly opened one of your eyes, peering over the shoulder of the solar animatronic to see Moon standing not far behind you, as well as close to the room you'd just left, the centaur you'd heard earlier still waiting by. The Fantastic Equine looked in your direction with surprise before quickly shaking his head and entering the room, the door closing behind him. You let a small sigh leave your lips, closing your eyelids again, you could very well signal to the animatronic that he could get down on the floor, but it was safer to play along until you were away from the bar. Besides, Sun's body against yours was pleasantly warm, comforting and calming, and you were feeling tired so if Sun wasn't the one insisting on putting you down you wouldn't say anything to him.

You felt Sun cross the bar, the noise had faded as the number of customers had surely diminished as the night wore on, you didn't know exactly what time it was but you assumed it was already the following day. As you felt Sun starting to climb the stairs, you opened one eye, seeing the corridor you'd entered pass behind you. You met Moon's gaze as he continued to move along behind his brother, and when his rubies landed on you you saw a teasing smile appear on his lips as he reached out with one of his hands to pull back the few strands of hair that had lingered in front of your face, blowing out a barely audible breath :

"You're not very good at playing the drug addict if you keep looking at me."

You glared at him, before moving your face just off Sun's neck to stick your tongue out at the nocturnal animatronic. You heard Moon grunt before feeling Sun giggle against you, his fingers digging slightly deeper into your clothes and skin without hurting. As you saw the end of the staircase approaching, you closed your eyes again, leaving the two animatronics to deal with the Drider and Skinwalker outside the bar. Once again, you could feel the bad vibes emanating from the two Fantastics. You kept your eyes closed, tracking Sun's movement, his and Moon's footsteps echoing in the alley as you crossed. When you reached the main street, you re-opened your eyes, observing the bar that concealed the secret bar, which had now closed its doors. You were waiting to ask the two animatronics a question, but were interrupted when you heard voices echoing a little further away.

You saw Sun and Moon exchange glances before continuing forward, but this time much more silently. The two animatronics advanced to the end of the alley where two people were standing in the now almost deserted street. Hiding at the corner of the wall you couldn't see them, but from their voices you knew they were a young man and a young woman, and from their smell you knew that one of them was a Fantastique, a Skinwalker bird, though you couldn't tell which. You shifted your position from looking over Sun's shoulder to facing forward, ears perked up on your skull as you tried to decipher the words being exchanged further on.

"I-I told you this was a bad idea ! We could have gotten hurt, captured or even worse !" The boy sighed, his voice trembling.

"I don't care ! I'm willing to do anything to find out where Rory is, even if it means having him attacked by Fantastics !" Replied the female voice in return, irritation and anger clearly present in her voice.

"I'm worried about Rory too, Fio. But what we did was stupid ! You saw how they'd look at you, one more minute in that place and they'd probably have killed you !" Resumed the boy.

"Yes, and maybe that's what I wanted ! Then we'd know what they did to Rory ! This fucking bar was the last place Rory told us about before he disappeared. So they must surely know something."

"We don't know anything maybe Rory just left ?!"

"Without telling us anything ?! Do you really believe in what you're saying Hugo ?"

The first-named Hugo remained silent, the smell of fear and Skinwalker gently titillating your nostrils, making you realize that the young boy was the Skinwalker and by elimination that the girl was human. You then thought back to the couple who had drawn the crowd's attention when you were inside the bar. You hadn't been able to distinguish them clearly, but now that you could hear their voices, you could easily tell that the two of them weren't adults yet, they must not even have come of age. You unconsciously dug your fingers into Sun's clothes, and had to hold back a small growl from leaving your throat. This bar was certainly not a respectable place, but not to care if it was a child entering their establishment was something you found unforgivable.

You weren't the only one to have made this connection, as you did, you felt Sun's fingers close around you, his fingers digging lightly into your flesh, enough for you to feel the pressure but not enough to hurt. You looked up at Sun, seeing him display an expression you'd never seen him display before, one of pure disgust and anger, his eyebrows furrowed above his dark eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. Moon had moved slightly forward, abandoning the position he'd had behind Sun and you to stand beside you, his expression a little calmer, but the grimace he was showing slightly exposed his teeth, almost animal-like.

"I shouldn't have agreed to help you get into that bar..." Hugo declared. 

"You're such a chicken !"

You heard the two youngsters start bickering rather loudly and in a way that didn't seem very friendly to you before suddenly the boy's silhouette appeared in front of you, the young Fantastic landing on his backside as he had just been pushed. You saw him wince in pain before shaking his face to recover from his fall, his eyes opening again to look in the direction of his comrade with an angry expression, but he quickly froze, his eyes slowly turning in your direction before his face followed suit.

He had almost orange red hair with a few darker streaks here and there, his eyes were a very dark brown and he sported a few freckles on his cheeks and neck, he also had a bit of acne which reinforced his childish look and made estimating his age a little more complicated. But with the little bard and moustache they had, you assumed he must be just over seventeen. Hugo's face slowly decomposed, his pupils dilating as his eyes moved from you to the two animatronics.

His friend, surely seeing the sudden change in his friend's behavior, stepped forward to slightly enter your field of vision. Her hair was boyish-blond, her eyes were light green and her skin slightly mixed-race, at least that's what you concluded, but the half-light made it all the more difficult to see. The girl looked a few years younger than her comrade, but her more angular features could be deceptive. Like her friend Fantastic, you saw an expression of fear flash across Fio's face. You could only understand the two youngsters' fear of coming face to face with two animatronics, one of them carrying a Fantastic in his arms. You let a small, amused smile form on your face before lifting one of your hands and waving to the two youngsters.

Fio was the first to react, dashing towards Hugo, grabbing the young Fantastic by the arm and lifting him to his feet. Hugo let a strange bird-like cry leave his lips, his animal attractions making a slight appearance as his arms turned into wings and his feathery tail protruded from beneath his clothes. You then watched as the two youngsters fled down the street, crossing the road quickly, the Skinwalker stumbling and letting one of his feathers fly away, carried by the wind. Seeing one of the Skinwalker's feathers come closer to you and Sun, you lifted one of your hands, grasping the feather with an amused smile. You wedged it between your forefinger and middle finger, lifting it up to your face and saying :

"They seemed to have interesting things to say. One of their friends seems to have disappeared. Why didn't you question them ?"

"We've seen their faces and their names. We'll be able to find them easily and those even if they're not in the police database." Moon replied, shaking his facial disk.

"Well enough. Shall I continue playing druggie or do you want to put me down ?" You then asked, looking at Sun.

"You can keep playing the druggie. It's... I don't mind carrying you. It's like carrying a kitten." Sun sighed, grinning in your direction, a hint of red coloring his cheeks.

"Ha ha ha... Very funny Sunny." You replied, rolling your eyes.

"But maybe you want me to put you down ?" Sun asked again, his smile slightly valiant.

You remained silent for a few seconds, seeming to ponder his words. Where your dignity was telling you to accept and ask him to put you down, something deep inside you was telling you to stay in his arms. It was like a little whisper in your ear, barely understandable but there all the same, a breeze that barely moved the leaves on the trees but was gentle enough to make you shiver. Even your instincts seemed to have fallen silent, not reacting, taking a rest even though they knew you were safe and sound in the animatronic's arms. But above all there was this strange sensation in your heart, an inexplicable sensation of warmth that seemed to alter your breathing, disturbing but not painful, even almost pleasant.

"Nah, I'm tired of walking. And... You're hot." You finally reply, barely audibly.

You abandoned the feather, letting it float away in the wind before folding your arms against you, closing your eyes and burying your face between you and Sun so that he wouldn't notice the embarrassment that largely colored your cheeks. You weren't sure whether the two animatronics had heard your last words, but a small laugh left their voiceboxes before you felt Sun start walking again, his mechanical hands still clasped around your silhouette.

As you let the two animatronics walk back to the car, you tried to understand what could be happening to you, but you couldn't think of any particular explanation. You wondered if you'd been ill, or if you'd eaten something rotten, you even wondered if you'd accidentally inhaled particles of Fairy Dust. But you weren't feeling ill, you'd been eating as usual and you'd been careful to stay away from the drug, so it couldn't have been any of those three reasons. The only plausible explanation left was that winter would soon be setting in and your instinct was to get closer to sources of warmth. You hummed lightly, feeling your consciousness slip into unconsciousness, and tried to resist, but before you knew it you'd already slipped into the arms of Morpheus.

You woke up as suddenly as you had fallen asleep, blinking to try and understand where you were before recognizing the interior of Sun's car. You shook your face slightly as you saw that the car had stopped in the police station parking lot, the absence of engine noise having undoubtedly disturbed your sleep. You looked up at the two animatronics to see that Moon had turned in your direction, an amused smile on his lips as Sun pulled the key out of the ignition.

"You woke up just in time." Moon said with a chuckle before saying with a little more seriousness. "We hesitated to take you home, but we needed to discuss what we found urgently."

"No, it's fine. It's just a... A small catnap. I'm not that tired." You reply, laughing lightly at your little joke.

You heard Sun laugh softly as Moon simply rolled his eyes. The three of you then left the car for the police station, and as you walked, you tried to remember the moment when Sun had put you in the car, he must have done it, since he was the one who had carried you, and had taken care to put on your seatbelt, making sure it didn't cut you. But you couldn't remember regaining any consciousness at that moment, or even when the car had started. You'd slept more than soundly and it troubled you greatly, you rarely managed to sleep in the presence of other people, apart from your family, but you hadn't slept in their company for years. Not only that, but you'd even fallen asleep in Sun's arms.

You felt a new wave of embarrassment wash over you, causing you to lift your hands and rub them over your face. You'd let your guard down, and that was a bad thing. Your lack of vigilance could have put you in danger, you could have put the two animatronics in danger too, if you'd been attacked, if it had been people you didn't trust... But perhaps it was because you trusted Sun and Moon that you allowed yourself not to be on the alert. Did you trust them ? You didn't remember when you'd started to trust them, you didn't know when you'd allowed yourself to trust them !

As you entered the police station you let an indescribable noise leave your lips, deciding that it was too complicated to think about such things right now, especially as you were getting hungry. In the shared offices you saw a few policemen scattered here and there, noting in particular the presence of Roxy who, being busy chatting with someone, made a little military salute in your direction. You returned the gesture with an amused smile before turning to the two animatronics walking in front of you and saying :

"I'll go and see if there's anything in the fridge I can pick up for myself."

"Don't take something if you know it belongs to someone." Sun sighed.

"In that case, I'll just pretend I don't know it belongs to anyone." You replied with a mocking sneer.

"Kitten..." Moon grumbled, glancing over his shoulder in your direction.

You ignored the reproachful gaze of the nocturnal animatronic and turned on your heels to rush into the police station kitchen. As you entered the kitchen, you made your feline features disappear so as not to risk getting fur everywhere. You opened the fridge, shivering slightly as you felt the cold crash against your face, but you continued your quest for something to eat after eliminating anything that looked like it belonged to anyone. You set your sights on a peach that had been left in the bottom of the fridge, and judging by the fact that the fruit had begun to age, it didn't seem to belong to anyone. Your gaze fell on a bag bearing the name Ynos and you were tempted to hide it in a corner of the fridge just to confuse the policeman, but you decided against it. After washing the peach, you went to pick up some sweets just to make sure you had enough sugar in your blood, then left the kitchen.

"Yo kitty cat !" Roxy declared as you walked past her.

"Yo the she-wolf." You replied with your mouth half full. "How's it going ?"

"Good good. But where are you going ? The exit and the other way."

"Ah. I'm going to join Sunny and Moony. We've still got stuff to talk about."

"Sunny and Moony ? Are those nicknames ? You gave Moon and Sun nicknames ?" Roxy began to giggle.

"Yeap. They both passed the word around to call me 'Kitten'. I had to come up with something in return."

"Not very original I'd say. As much for you as for them. But anyway. Who am I to decide what goes on between you !"

You saw the metal she-wolf start to laugh almost uncontrollably, one of her clawed paws lifting in the direction of her muzzle while the other came to rest on one of her hips. You frowned, tilting your face as you tried to understand what was happening to her. Seeing you questioning her face, she shook her head, telling you it was no big deal. You rolled your eyes and wished her a good evening, biting into your peach before turning on your heels. As you arrived at the office door, you heard a noise in the doorway, so you peered in out of curiosity to see that Monty had just returned from patrol. Then you suddenly heard Roxy's voice exclaim :

"Monty ! Get your metal butt over here, I've got a new bet to make with you ! And this one promises to be fun."

You frowned at the animatronic's words before deciding to simply push your curiosity aside as you pushed the door to the private office open. Sun and Moon were already seated next to each other, both standing leaning over several documents they had laid out in front of them. Their expressions were once again solemn and somber as they began to converse almost silently. You advanced into the room, climbing onto the table before sitting down to face them, leaning over the documents they were looking at. You held out your hand hesitantly, observing the reaction of the two animatronics as they looked in your direction before nodding.

You grabbed one of the sheets of paper, turning it in your direction before lifting it up to the light for a better look. The document was a photo of the famous notebook that Moon and Sun had had access to at the bar and that you hadn't been able to consult. As they'd told you, the prints bore something resembling a list, and the notebook had been divided into seven columns. In the first column was a date written in Fantastic style, using the moon as a marker. In the second column, the word 'male' or  'female' was written in the next columns, along with age, height and weight. The last column was the strangest, since the only thing on it were little notches, on the page you were holding, every line had a notch. You put down the document you'd finished reading to grab another, finding the same paterne on it, finally after three documents studied in silence you felt a slight shiver of anguish run up your spine.

"Why is there all this strange information ? I feel like I'm looking at some kind of survey or medical document and if... it's not a client list, don't tell me it's some kind of people directory ?"

"A medical document, yes. But it also looks like the kind of list farmers make before sending their animals to slaughter." Moon sighed.

"No names, just important physical characteristics, a date perhaps signaling the day of arrival, and finally the check mark.... To indicate that the merchandise has been distributed." Sun finished in a somber voice.

You saw Sun push one of the sheets in your direction and lift it, the document was almost the same, only here, the page wasn't entirely full, only three quarters was complete, and of the three quarters of people listed, only the top half had a notch next to their information, the others had none. Between the group with a notch and those without was a blank line in which only a date had been entered, a date that would surely serve to confirm the day on which the merchandise, or its people, had been sold. You looked down at your half-eaten peach, your appetite suddenly suppressed. You put your fruit down on the table beside you and looked up at the two animatronics, not even daring to formulate what your mind had concluded.

"It's human trafficking, or Fantastics." You sighed.

"Yes." Both animatronics replied darkly at the same time.

"Oh... That's all we needed to complete the panoply of crimes and horrors linked to this investigation." You declared with a nervous laugh.

You saw Sun let out a sigh before turning his back, the animatronic turned on his heels and headed for a corner of the table where a mug, probably containing coffee, stood. You saw Sun suddenly catch the cup in one of his hands, but before he could bring it to his lips, the glass shattered into pieces. You flinched at the sudden noise, looking in Sun's direction with dilated pupils as the solar animatronic let a series of insults leave his lips at the now shattered glass and the coffee that had dripped onto his hand and the floor. Moon had turned his head in his brother's direction, before heaving a sigh and saying :

"Sun..."

"I'm sorry. I'll clean it up."

Sun looked in your direction, his pupils dilating in surprise and fear at his sudden lack of composure, and he smiled in your direction, articulating a small apology before heaving another sigh and leaving the room. You looked in the direction of Moon, who met your gaze and held it for a second, before lowering it once more to the documents in front of him. The nocturnal animatronic sat down on the nearest chair, resting his elbow on the table before resting his hand against his forehead to support his facial disk.

You remained motionless and silent, unsure of what to do now that you found yourself with a new piece of information on your hands in need of a clue to illuminate your trail. As Sun re-entered the room with a mop and some cleaning materials to clean up the mess he'd made, you tilted your head slightly to one side, observing the animatronic's much slower, jerky movements. Even Moon seemed suddenly tired after hearing this news, and both detectives seemed to have lost their determination and motivation. You had to admit you were tired too, feeling more and more as if you were going round in circles, repeating the same actions and disappointments over and over again.

After Sun had finished cleaning up the broken glass and spilt coffee, you saw him return to Moon and sit down next to his brother. You saw him reach for another stack of the notebook photos he'd printed. The solar animatronic was reading silently, but you could see him open and close his hand uncomfortably, his gaze drifting to his hand several times before he finally raised his hand to face level, his other hand rubbing his fingers. You tilted your head before asking Sun :

"Anything wrong ?"

"Er... I think I've got a piece of glass stuck in one of my joints." Sun replied.

"Huh ? Stop rubbing or you'll get the piece of glass in even more." You say before stepping forward on the table towards Sun.

You moved closer to the animatronic, pushing its left hand away and grabbing hsi other hand to pull it in your direction. You began by examining his hand, pressing lightly on his fingers to expose his plastic knuckles, observing whether or not you could see a piece of glass. Luckily, his cup was made of white glass and contrasted sharply with the black of his knuckles, so you managed to spot the small piece of glass stuck in the knuckle of his ring finger. The piece barely protruded, and you could see that it had sunk into Sun's skin from the friction.

"You know how to take care of a wound, but something as basic as not touching a splinter is something that seems to escape you." You say slightly mockingly, looking up at Sun.

"I... I've never had this kind of problem, I'm a member of the Science-Fiction Community, splinters aren't the kind of thing we're usually affected by..." Sun replied, his voice squeaking slightly.

"It's got to be your first time." You replied, looking down again at Sun's hand. "Usually I could have used honey or a needle to remove it, but I doubt the first method would work on animatronics and I don't have the equipment for the second... We'll have to make do without."

You raised your eyes to Sun for a second before finally lowering them again to his hand, gently pinching the plastic around where the glass splinter was, pushing on the plastic to make the glass splinter stand out a little more. You then lifted your hand, removing your glove with your teeth, before delicately grasping the piece of glass with your fingertips, taking care not to cut yourself, as you didn't want to risk Sun reproaching you for having hurt yourself through her fault.

You proceeded slowly, occasionally releasing the plastic from Sun's hand. Just as you had almost finished extracting the piece of glass from Sun's hand, you gave a sharp tug, making it leave the animatronic's hand for good. Sun brought his hand towards him, opening and closing it as a small smile formed on his lips now that the splinter was no longer in his way. You lifted the piece of glass and looked at it by the light of the lamp for a few seconds, letting an amused chuckle leave your lips. Sun looked up at you, tilting his facial disk as his rays made several turns around his face.

"What are you laughing at ?"

"Huh ? It's not much, but I find it reassuring to see that you can get frustrated and upset over this investigation. Since we started working together I've never seen you react dramatically despite all the problems, inconsistencies and mysteries with this case. I've certainly seen you get a bit annoyed, but... not to the point of breaking a glass. You're usually so stoic and impassive. What I mean is, it's kind of... reassuring to see that you're frustrated too. I keep going through all sorts of emotions and if it wasn't for the contract, the generous pay you were paying me, and your determination to keep going I'd probably have told you to fuck off before I gave up."

You looked down, reaching out with one hand to grab Sun's, placing the glass splinter you'd just removed in the palm of his hand before releasing it. You tilted your head back before tilting your face to one side to look out, the stars shining softly as the city lights made the small points of light almost disappear in the immensity of the dark sky. You knew your words were coming out of nowhere and that it wasn't your habit to talk about your emotions, but it was the truth, plus you were slowly beginning to accept that the more time you spent with these two members of the Science-Fiction Community, the weirder you became.

"We're constantly frustrated, believe me." Moon declared. "The only difference is that we were entered to hide our frustration and anger."

"Yeah. If we show our emotions to victims, culprits or anyone else, it could affect our image and the progress of the investigation. We have to remain calm and serious for everyone's sake, and above all to keep the investigation moving forward. But sometimes it's just unbearable." Sun added as he went to throw the small shard of glass into the garbage can.

"It's understandable." You sighed with a little nod.

"We... We should show you our feelings more often if it makes you feel better ?" Sun continued, his statement sounding like a question.

"Yeah ? That'd be cool. You know, just to know I'm not the only one freaking out when I find a bag full of dead bodies." You say, half amused, half serious.

"You weren't the only one freaking out. We were worried too at the time. But we were most worried about you, Kitten." Moon declared, looking in your direction.

You didn't know how to respond to the animatronic's words, so you simply turned your face away, folding your legs towards you to rest your face on them and try to hide the red that had come to color your cheeks. You knew they'd been worried about you, their reactions had spoken for them, but it did something to you to hear it, reinforcing the little ball of warmth in the pit of your stomach that involuntarily stretched the corners of your lips into a little smile. You let out a sigh, blowing the air through your nostrils before jokingly saying :

"No need to worry about me. Have you forgotten ? I've still got a few lives left in me."

"We'd rather you didn't lose any on our watch." Said Sun, frowning, but his smile on his lips conveying his amusement.

"No promises from me." You paused for a moment before resuming more seriously. "But all kidding aside, we've got a new notebook with information but no more usable than that to understand the mess this town's in."

"Well, we'll have to do some research... A new notebook ? Wait a minute !" Sun suddenly exclaimed.

You saw the solar animatronic suddenly move off in the direction of the furniture in the office, Moon and you exchanged a glance before you suddenly saw a gleam of understanding cross Moon's eyes as he began to rummage through the documents in front of him, selecting some and pushing the others into a small pile on the corner of the table. Sun then suddenly stood up, holding the notebook you'd retrieved from DJ and Mimi Music Man. Sun returned to Moon's side, opened the notebook and began to turn the pages rapidly, stopping on one that bore the name of Silvio Notaga and the payment Douglas Mushy had supposedly made to him to buy fantasy ingredients from the company Silvio owned.

You saw Moon start to search through the documents in front of him before grabbing a sheet of paper and placing it right next to the notebook. Sun put a finger on the date when the captured people were exchanged and the date when Silvio received his payment. You tilted your head, taking a few seconds to read the dates since you were upside down. Sun tapped his fingers on the various documents before withdrawing his hands, turning the pages of the notebook as Moon began to search through the documents again. The two repeated the same action several times before Moon finally breathed out :

"The dates coincide."

"Silvio Notaga is involved in the traffic, he's the buyer." Sun added with a sigh.

"But why does he..."

You didn't finish your sentence, raising your eyes to meet Sun and Moon's as your face slowly lost its color as you thought back to the Skinwalkers rats you'd found in the bag at the dump. You held out one of your hands towards the documents, Sun and Moon silently letting you retrieve them. You reread the documents, reading the descriptions of the various exchanged people, again associating the dates with the different pieces of information you had in front of you. Finally, you let out a sigh, looking the two animatronics in the eye before speaking again.

"Fairy Dust is a drug produced with derivatives of magic... It's called that because before, Fantastics looking for drugs would collect the powder produced by fairy wings, prepare it in a particular way and turn it into a drug, which used to be quite a business for fairies. Afterwards, methods evolved and manufacturers took the magic directly, using crystals or other objects with a channeling effect for the magic. Once again, this was a way of making a bit of money, selling the magic we possessed. Then the drug makers would make powder out of the magic by whatever amount of manipulation. That was when the Fantastics were still in hiding, but now with technology and the fact that we need to hide less, the manufacturing methods must have greatly evolved, whether to condense the magic or extract it..."

"Do you think that people who abduct and sell the victims are siphoning off their magic to be able to produce Fairy Dust ?" Sun asked.

"I don't know. It's just a theory. In the days before the Great Revelation, siphoning off magic wasn't lethal. But nowadays who knows what science is capable of."

"The abductees could also be drug testers." Moon added.

"Some people suffer cardiac arrest when they take too many drugs. That doesn't explain, however, why the Skinwalkers reverted to their animal form after they died." Sun says, frowning.

"And if their magics had been removed entirely, they wouldn't have been in their second form either." You added. "Without magic, a Skinwalker is just a human."

"Let's put that information aside for now and concentrate on the people who were taken." Sun continued.

You saw the animatronic take the small packet of drugs out of its pocket and place it on the table at a safe distance from you. You saw the two animatronics let their eyes roam over the table, once again analyzing everything on it and all the invisible information that had been said. Sun's hand rose once more to tap the sheet of paper on which were the names of the latest victims of trafficking, those who hadn't yet been sold and sent off to undergo you-know-what treatment, which surely wasn't pleasant considering the state in which you'd found the Skinwalkers Rats. After a long silence, disturbed only by your breathing and the sound of mechanisms escaping from the two animatronics, Sun finally broke the silence after shaking his face disc.

"We have enough evidence to arrest Douglas Mushy with the infiltration we've done, but we don't have any against Silvio Notaga. Despite the fact that the dates coincide, Mister Notaga has documents attesting to the fact that Douglas bought him material for his cocktail preparations."

"We have two choices. We can arrest Douglas now and blow up his drug and human trafficking to prevent him from continuing. But that means we won't be able to try and gather more evidence against Silvio Notaga and where he's taking and what he's doing on the people he's bought. The second option is to let Douglas's market continue to run for a while to monitor their actions and hope to find new evidence that might allow us to indict Silvio in this human trafficking and drug manufacturing case." Moon declared.

The silence that fell over you was even heavier than the previous one. You understood the difficulty of the situation: the first choice meant you'd lose the chance to investigate Silvio's actions and intentions. This would mean you'd have nothing to link Silvio to Douglas, and the former would get off scot-free without having to face justice and the consequences of his monstrous actions. The second option meant that you still had a chance of arresting Silvio, but at the expense of arresting the owner of the pharmaceutical company you'd be abandoning the few people who hadn't yet been sent to their demise. But the first choice didn't mean that Silvio wouldn't find a new way to procure new subjects for you-know-what project he had, and the second choices wouldn't get you the evidence you wanted and needed. It was a tough choice, but it had to be made. Moon and Sun exchanged a look before sighing and saying synchronously :

"We make the decision to intervene."

Chapter Text

"We take the decision to intervene."

"We're losing a chance to investigate Silvio, but we can't endanger innocent lives any longer, either because of human trafficking or Fairy Dust." Sun continued.

"We can also hope that when Silvio sees his partners arrested, he make a mistake that we can use against him, or at least that he decides to put his plans on hold for a while." Moon adds. "We still have a chance of stopping him thanks to the murders, but also by finding Jenna Royn and hoping that the Fantastic you saved from the landfill will wake up."

You nodded silently, understanding their logic and accepting their decision without question, since you would have chosen that option too. You still had some clues to exploit if you used them well. For the moment, you hadn't heard anything from Double B, but you knew that he and his group were still looking, you'd come across one of his informants in the streets, who'd silently greeted you with a nod. And the Skinwalker Rat was still in a coma, Freddy having decided to take charge of the boy, visiting him almost every day at the hospital so that, if he woke up, he wouldn't find himself alone in an unknown place.

"I think if we do a raid and arrest the junkies and other dealers who come to the bar for supplies we'll have evidence against Douglas and his different establishments. We can also ask DJ and Mini Music Man as witnesses. We couldn't before as we had no support to back up our theories but now that we have images we'll be able to put pressure on the prosecutors."

"And if we arrest Douglas and his employees we'll be able to interrogate them and offer them a reduced sentence in exchange for information about their drug producer and thus obtain evidence against Silvio." Moon sighed, looking down at the notebook.

"I think you've come up with the best possible solution, Detectives." You declared with a smile.

"We hope so. We'll have to discuss it with Vanessa and the other police stations to be able to plan the intervention, which could take several days. I believe Vanessa is in the office tonight, so I'll go and consult her immediately and let her know what we've found so far." Sun says with determination before looking in your direction. "Moon, will you take care of dropping them off at their place ?"

"Alright." Moon replied, standing up.

You saw Sun reach into his pocket and pull out his keys before tossing them to Moon, who caught them in mid-air without looking. Sun smiled in your direction before wishing you good evening and good night, and then you saw him retrieve the few documents from the desk before quickly leaving the room. Moon quickly put away what was left before turning to you and nodding, inviting you to follow him. You tilted your face as you struggled to understand how you'd gone from discussing the case to Moon suddenly taking you home. But you obeyed Moon, getting down from the table to follow his lead and head for the police station. As you arrived outside you said :

"Moon, you don't have to bother dropping me off, I can walk. Sun will probably need you to explain the situation to Vanessa."

"Sun is perfectly capable of looking after himself. And I don't intend to let you walk home alone at night, and on foot at that." Moon replied, opening the car.

"Moony. I've been walking these night streets alone since before I was old enough. I've never been afraid of the night, or the creatures it harbors. I take no risks. In truth, I may be the scariest thing walking these streets." You laughed lightly as you began to open the rear door.

"You know you can sit on the front passenger side ?"

You stopped and looked in the direction of Moon, who had tilted his facial disk slightly, the cap he had on his head making a slight movement, it was strange to see him dressed like that, and you couldn't help thinking that you had a small preference for when he wore his night cap, it was certainly a strange sartorial attraction but it was even more unsettling when he wasn't wearing it. You shook your face slightly to concentrate on Moon's question. You weren't really sure whether to accept his offer to take the front seat or turn it down, you'd got used to the bench seat, but it was true that you liked the front seat, it allowed you to see the scenery go by a little better.

With a little "okey" you closed the rear door before walking around the car, listening to Moon settle in behind the wheel. As you sat down, you noticed that the front seats were a little bigger than the back ones, which had surely been adapted to the morphology of the two animatronics. You felt like a child sitting in an adult chair, and couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the thought before taking the belt and buckling it. Once you'd done that, Moon nodded his agreement before starting the car to drive it out of the parking lot. And as the vehicle you were in pulled out, Moon decided to respond to your earlier statement.

"I doubt you're the scariest creature running these streets Kitten."

"Believe me, I am ! Even werewolves on a full moon night are scared of me." You say with exaggeration.

"A little ball of fur that purr and hisses ? That's very scary..." Moon chuckles, letting his eyes slide furtively in your direction.

"Keep laughing at me, one day you'll see how terrifying I can be."

"Huh huh. Sure. If you must know, I'm more afraid of Mr Botzaris. He made us promise to drop you off at respectable times and we've far exceeded them."

"Mr Botzaris? Are you serious ? Nah. He's far too nice a person, the worst thing he can do to you is lecture you but even that he'll never do in shouting or anger. I don't think I've ever seen him get angry once in my life." You say with a nostalgic smile.

"And what happened to make him so angry ?"

"I was young and stupid, well I still am a bit, but I was a lot more stupid back then. There was a game that Fantastics kids often played, the object of which was to go under a car. I wasn't around enough to know the exact rules of the game, especially the one that specified that the car had to be stationary. Remember when I told you that I probably lost a life because of a car ? It's probably because of that one time. I slipped under a car as it was moving, luckily it had just started so it wasn't going fast and I managed to get between the four wheels safely thanks to my animal form. However, the noise, movement and all that went with it terrorized me, and I remained paralyzed with fear on the road. And if the first car wasn't going fast, that wasn't the case with the other cars coming up behind. If it hadn't been for Mr Botzaris, who was passing by at the same time to take me off the road, I'd have been finished."

"You really are someone who likes to get into trouble." Moon sighed."

"Or is it trouble that likes me a little too much." You replied, looking in the direction of the animatronic. "After that, he took me back to my adoptive parents before lecturing me, this time he was really pissed off. When I was little, I was angry at him for shouting at me after that traumatic ordeal, but then I realized it was only because he'd been worried about me that he'd pushed me around like that."

"You're close to him, aren't you ?" Moon asked, his question sounding like an affirmation.

"Yeah. I owe him a lot. He's a bit... like a second father to me. But don't tell him I said that, he'd be too pleased."

Moon let a small laugh leave his lips, one of his hands leaving the steering wheel for a second as he placed his hand where the heart would normally be, making you promise not to say anything. The drive home continued in a slight silence, barely interrupted by your voices, you watching the lights go by as Moon continued to drive. Slowly you heard Moon begin to hum a little melody, and you began to listen to the lullaby attentively, the rhythm unfamiliar to you and the words unknown, making you wonder if it wasn't a song Moon was making up as he went along. As we pulled up in front of your house, Moon stopped humming, and you couldn't help but feel disappointed, you'd have liked to hear a bit more of his lullaby. The nocturnal animatronic parked at the foot of your building, turning to you and saying :

"You probably won't need to come in tomorrow, we're going to take care of the paperwork and I doubt you'll want to come and help us fill out dozens of documents."

"Yeap, thanks for sparing me this chore. If you need me, you know how to reach me. Good evening Moony."

"Good night to you too Kitten." Moon sighed as you left the car.

You rolled your eyes at the nickname, yet couldn't help smiling slightly. You closed the car door before setting off again in the direction of your apartment building. You climbed the stairs to the seventh floor, opened the front door with a sigh, stepped into the hallway of your house, leaving the few things you had with you on your coffee table before falling back into your armchair, closed your eyes for a second and let a heavy sigh leave your lips. As you heard your stomach rumble slightly, reminding you that you were hungry, you let a growl leave your lips, burying your face in your sofa. Just as you found the courage to get up and go to your kitchen to get something to eat, you heard knocks against your door.

You frowned, finding it strange that someone should be knocking at this hour. You deviated from your initial trajectory, letting your cat ears and tail appear as you cautiously moved towards the door. Your ears twitched as you made your way towards the door, and you sniffed the air deeply, immediately recognizing a familiar scent. You abandoned your wary stance and moved closer to the door, opening it to the silhouette of Shin. The tanuki had his ears and tail out and was holding plates of pasta with bolognese sauce. You saw Shin smile at you, then lift the plates and say :

"3am meal delivery !"

"What the hell are you doing here at this hour ?" You asked, frowning and crossing your arms over your chest.

"Well... Like I said, I'm bringing your lunch. You could at least say thank you. A little gratitude, you rude bastard." Shin sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Okey okey, thanks. But why aren't you sleeping yet and why haven't you eaten yer ? Aren't you working tomorrow... I mean today ?" You reply, pushing yourself away from the door to let Shin in.

"I'm off this week. I had a movie and series night, and this is my second meal."

Shin entered your apartment as you closed the door behind him. You walked into the living room, where Shin had placed the plates on the coffee table, to fetch forks from the kitchen. You settled down on your sofa, grabbing the remote control before turning on the TV, flipping through the channels before finally settling on a film that had already started, but it was more fun trying to understand the story without having seen the beginning than having it all served up on a platter. Shin settled into the armchair beside you, handing you the fork he'd retrieved for you. You picked up your plates and began to eat, at first silently. After a few mouthfuls of food, you turned to Shin and said :

"You tried to watch a horror movie by yourself and now you're scared, right ?"

"Yes." Shin squeaked, looking down at his plate.
You let a laugh leave your lips, listening to the Tanuki continue to squeak as you continued to eat the evening slowly slipping away while you were in the Tanuki's company, the sun eventually slowly making its appearance outside, the first reasons for daylight filtering through your windows as you went to bed yourselves.

                                     ~❂✯☾~

You'd been waiting for the call from the two animatronics almost impatiently, yesterday had been a long and boring day, sure you'd had things to do like cleaning and your laundry and all the other chores there were in your house, but as their names suggested they were chores. There was Shin, who spent a good part of the day with you after sleeping on your couch because he was too scared to go home, but it wasn't the same thing, although it was entertaining to make fun of the Fantastic. You'd have liked to know how the plan to bring down Douglas Mushy and his various establishments was going, but you hadn't dared disturb the two animatronics, so you'd bitten your tail to calm your impatience.

When the bus pulled up in front of the stop nearest the police station, you dashed into the city streets almost impatiently. You quickly crossed the streets, entering the police station and greeting the few policemen who were present and tolerant of your presence, you began to approach the desk where Sun and Moon usually sat, knocking on it a few times without hearing any response. You reached for the door handle to see that the room was completely empty. You closed the door before turning to one of the nearest policemen to ask where Moon and Sun were. The policeman blinked before pointing to the meeting room and saying :

"Inspectors Sun and Moon are inside with other members of the precinct."

"Oh. Okey. Thanks." You reply.

You looked in the direction of the meeting room, it was the forbidden room, the room in which you'd never had a chance to glimpse what was inside. You moved towards the door, the glass was cloudy but you could see several silhouettes inside, muffled voices were also audible but what they were saying was totally unknown to you. You shifted your weight from one leg to the other, not really knowing what to do. Sun had called you to join them immediately, but he and Moon now seemed busy. You started to turn on your heels, deciding to go and kill time in the police station kitchen, but the door suddenly opened behind you.

You turned to see Chica grinning at you, her strange teeth visible in her beak. Behind her you could see the other Glamrocks as well as several other police officers from the station, including Sun and Moon and Vanessa, who were standing in front of a large spreadsheet on which information was being projected. They were all more or less looking in your direction, Vanessa having stopped the explanations she seemed to be giving. You felt slightly embarrassed to suddenly be the focus of so much attention after having interrupted the Commissioner.

"You're just in time y/n ! Why didn't you knock ?" Chica said with a chuckle.

"Er... Dunno ? This is the meeting room. I thought I wasn't allowed inside." You reply, slightly unsettled.

"But yes, you can go in silly, you're working with us now !" Chica declared, grabbing your hand to pull you into the room.

You pressed your lips together and entered the room quickly, taking a seat at the far end under the gaze of the other people in the room. The meeting room was much larger than you'd expected, with tables and chairs arranged perpendicularly to the board, stretching right to the back of the room. The walls were devoid of decoration and there were no windows, giving the room a confined, closed-in atmosphere, emphasizing that everything that went on in this room had to remain secret. As you advanced into the room, you noticed the presence of policemen you didn't know, having never seen their faces at the station before.

You took a seat next to Roxy, who had waved her hand in your direction to guide you. As you took your place in the chair, which was more comfortable than you'd expected, the metal she-wolf let a small mocking smile appear on her muzzle at your embarrassment. You showed her your tongue as you pulled the skin under your eye, making her giggle silently as Vanessa began to explain again. You began to listen attentively to the information being given by the curator, looking at every document and every image that appeared on the board where the pictures were projected.

You then tilted your face as Sun and Moon took over the explanations from Vanessa, giving details of important people to be apprehended. Their expressions were serious and you could hear in their voices that they were determined to make this mission a success. As you watched them give the instructions, you remembered that, technically speaking and relying on the hierarchy, the two animatronics were just below Vanessa, something you tended to forget as you spent so much time in their company. Of course, this didn't change the way you behaved with them, but it could have changed the way they behaved with you. They could have been stricter and more distant, forcing you to show them more respect, the respect they deserved for their status.

Their hierarchical position was one more thing that made you realize that you were in completely different worlds, and that made you feel strangely isolated. Situated at the very back of the room, you were so far away from the two detectives you worked for, the rows of policemen separating you, reminding you that Sun and Moon weren't as close to you as you might have thought. When you looked at all these people, all these humans and animatronics, dressed in their police uniforms, ready to fight for justice, you couldn't help but feel uneasy, feel that your place was clearly not among them.

"The police stations of the South and West Quarters will also assist us during interventions."

Your attention returned almost immediately to Vanessa as you watched her indicate two groups of policemen with a small movement. You then understood why you hadn't recognized all the policemen in the room. You took a second to look at the strangers in a little more detail, sniffing the air more deeply to see if there were any Fantastics among them, but apart from the scent of a werewolf, which surely belonged to the companion of one of the policemen in the room, you detected no Supernaturals, making you feel even more alone once again.

"We're dividing the teams into two groups, one to arrest all the customers and employees of the bar 'La The Pan Flute' and the other to be deployed at 'The Horned Goat'. Since we're the ones with the best local knowledge, you'll be assisting your colleagues in the other districts as best you can. This intervention is very important. We're counting on you." Vanessa declared, placing both hands on the table and letting her gaze roam over the assembly.

You listened to the various police officers in the room respond positively and decisively, making you feel slightly taken aback. You remained silent, lowering your eyes to your hands which you plunged into your pocket to take out your consultant's card, letting your gloved fingertips graze the plastic which had been slightly damaged from the times you'd held the card a little too tightly between your fangs. You let a small sigh leave your lips, your enthusiasm of this morning having slightly dampened, but it was a good thing, you needed your reminder shot to bring you back to your place and remind you that you were working for them and not with them.

"y/n ?"

Suddenly hearing your name being called you raised your eyes looking first in the direction of Roxy who was standing next to you to see the she-wolf shake her face, her dense mane waving with her gesture. She then moved her muzzle towards the front of the room, to see that Moon, Sun and Vanessa were looking in your direction, causing the eyes of the other policemen in the room to turn to you in curiosity. You blinked for a few seconds, before raising a hand to point at yourself and make sure it was you they were calling. You saw Moon let a big, half-amused, half-mocking smile appear on his face, revealing his sharp teeth, while Sun nodded his facial disk, his rays making several complete turns in amusement.

"Y-Yes ?" you sighed with some hesitation.

"Would you please step forward." Vanessa asked, raising an eyebrow at you.

You blinked again, totally unsettled at suddenly being called out at what seemed such a critical and important moment. You shoved your hands into your pockets and stood up, pushing back your chair before moving towards the front of the room where Vanessa, Sun and Moon were sitting. You could feel the stares of everyone in the room weighing on you, despite the fact that you were in no danger, being the center of attention of so many people once again made you feel cornered, made you feel like the criminal you were. You had to fight against your instinct to adopt your semi-animal form for greater safety and comfort.

You stopped in front of Vanessa, looking at her with your pupils slightly dilated, silently questioning your sudden interpellation. For a fraction of a second, the superintendent let a small, almost reassuring smile appear on her lips, before turning back to the police officers in the room to resume her speech :

"As you know, we're going to be working in bars frequented mainly by Fantastics. I know that each of us has already had at least one encounter with a Supernatural and that procedures have prepared you for this kind of intervention, but I would ask you to listen carefully to the advice and warnings that our consultant here is going to give you concerning members of the Fantastic Community."

You then saw Vanessa turn to you, giving way slightly to the center of attention, her green eyes weighing intensely on you, while her words sounded like a totally foreign language to your ears, you understood her words but not their meaning. You looked furtively in the direction of Moon and Sun, who must have understood that you were slightly lost in the face of all that was happening, for you felt Moon's animatronic move closer to you before placing a hand on your shoulder, making you turn your face slightly in his direction, while Sun, who had also moved closer to where you were standing, said :

"Could you tell us the best ways we can limit the risks and injuries for both us police officers and those we're going to apprehend. We need your knowledge and help as a Fantastic y/n."

"Oh..." you murmured.

You turned your head in the direction of all the policemen looking at you, now that you were facing them and could see their eyes you could see that they didn't see you as a thief, that they didn't see you for all the crimes you'd committed. You saw curiosity, concentration, determination, some were confused like you by what was happening but you didn't see anyone looking at you like the disappointment you thought you were in their eyes. They looked at you as if you were their colleague, someone they worked with and would work with again. The Glamrocks who were there gave you little signs of encouragement, each in his own way. You looked back at the two detectives you were working for, not knowing how or why you were standing next to them, but they needed you, and you suddenly felt less alone in helping them. 

"Each Fantastique has its own characteristics and therefore its own sensitive points, but we can make a few generalizations. Supernaturals rely heavily on the sense of smell, so using products to destabilize the sense of smell could be an option, such as pepper, vinegar or tear gas. Then, during the intervention, you'll be faced with two major reactions: flight or fight. For most Fantastics, these are natural reactions, and both will be amplified by the environment and the various stupefying products consumed by the customers of the two bars. Supernaturals rarely carry firearms and prefer to fight using their abilities, so police officers entering the bars will need to be physically prepared to fight. As for those posted outside, they'll have to react quickly to prevent customers from fleeing."

You then continued to give rather general explanations, giving a certain order of priority as to who to arrest first, who to be most wary of. As you spoke, some of the police officers raised their hands, surprising you slightly as you watched in dismay as Vanessa invited you to give the floor to those who wished to speak. You then found yourself answering questions about other creatures and how to master them as quickly as possible without hurting them. It was strangely amusing for you to find yourself in the position of a teacher, you'd never imagined you'd one day find yourself teaching police officers anything, especially with your case full to bursting, well, only some of the police officers in the room knew about your 'activities' which had earned you your place as consultant, but those who knew you didn't seem to care anymore, and you were grateful to them.

"Oh... one last thing, if you're going to catch a Fantastic, make sure you hold it somewhere close to the heart, whether it's in the torso or in the back." You said with a pensive expression.

"At heart level ?" Moon questions from beside you.

"Yeah. You can hold the clothes, for example, between the two shoulder blades where the heart is when the person turns both of us." You explained, turning to Moon.

"But, why, at heart level ?" Sun continued.

"Because the heart is the center of magic. When a Fantastics transforms, it's always around the heart that the transformation takes place. From the outside in, and the heart is the last thing to transform. It's a bit difficult to explain, but for example, if I'm standing here and I transform..."

You raised one of your hands and placed it where your heart was. Then you looked up at Sun and Moon, turning slightly towards the two who had asked the question, but making sure that the other people in the room could still see to understand your explanation. You drew a circle with your hand around your heart, repeating :

"My body will change around my heart. And the heart, no matter how the Fantastic takes on the appearance of a larger or smaller creature, will remain in the same place. After that, of course, it's only for a few seconds, since gravity will force the Fantastic to the ground, or conversely, to stand because of the enlargement of its limbs, but this gives you an idea of where the Fantastic will stand when it changes appearance, and makes it easier for you to catch it."

There were also other complications regarding physical transformations, but these were things these policemen didn't necessarily need to know, such as how when you transformed into a four-legged animal it was more practical to raise yourself slightly on your hind legs before becoming human again to avoid ending up on all fours in human form. This was really only for reasons of dignity, but it had its uses from time to time. Unfortunately, dignity couldn't be preserved for everyone, so you had a touch of sympathy for all the snake Skinwalkers and those who transformed into animals of an aquatic nature. Shaking your face slightly to snap out of your thoughts, you looked in Vanessa's direction, tilting your face slightly before asking:

"Vanessa, do I have permission to transform for a demonstration ?"

You saw the superintendent raise an eyebrow in your direction, an expression of surprise flashing in her eyes. She probably didn't expect you to ask permission to do anything, after all, you were you and you had a bad habit of not following the rules, especially if it meant you could annoy someone in the process. At the moment you knew you probably didn't need to ask her permission, since it was she herself who had asked you to do this impromptu lesson, but it was still a mark of respect, and finding yourself in front of police teams from other neighborhoods you thought it good to show them that even if you were a Fantastique you were capable of knowing when to control yourself. You saw the blonde nod in your direction.

You let a smile appear on your lips before turning to Sun, who was closest to you. You stepped right in front of the animatronic, who looked down at you, his black orbs shining with curiosity as his rays moved slightly from right to left. You lifted one of your hands before holding it out in Sun's direction, who blinked for a second before lifting one of his hands, closing it around your wrist rather firmly but without force. You met the daytime detective's gaze, satisfied that the animatronic had understood what you wanted from him without even having to ask, and turned slightly in the direction of the small crowd in the room.

"If you hold a Fantastic capable of transformation in this way without putting anti-magic handcuffs on him, he'll be able to escape from you this way..." you began.

You then looked in Sun's direction, giving him a teasing smile and a wink before suddenly transforming completely. Your transformation took place very quickly, far too quickly for Sun to react by closing the grip his hand was exerting on yours. You hit the ground with a sound muffled by your paw pads, lifted your muzzle towards the animatronic that was helping you demonstrate, looking slightly in the direction of the other policemen before taking a few steps backwards, jumping slightly before resuming your human appearance. You turned back to Sun and the crowd, listening to the few discussions that were exchanged before asking Sun to help you again.

"If you hold a Fantastic at its heart, you'll have a better chance of catching it, since you'll be able to predict its position even after the transformation.

This time you guided the animatronic, inviting its hand to lightly grasp your clothes, a little below your collar just above where your heart was. Once you were sure that Sun was holding you, you transformed a second time, this time, despite the fact that your form was changing, since Sun had his hand placed where he knew you would be, his hand closed around your torso, and you felt his other hand quickly join the hand that was holding you, to support you and avoid compressing your ribcage too much. You could feel your body dangling in the air, your tail wagging slightly, as Sun looked at you almost with amusement. You rolled your eyes in your animal form, waving lightly between Sun's hands to encourage him to put you down, which the animatronic did after letting out a little: "Okey, okey."

After recovering your communicative appearance, you continued to answer a few questions, and when finally no more hands were raised, you let Vanessa take over and continue with the final clarifications she wanted to share as you returned to the back of the room, Roxy seizing the opportunity to place her hand on your head and tousle your hair as she wished you congratulations. You pushed her metal paw away, grimacing in her direction, murmuring a few little exclamations in her direction as she giggled softly.

Finally the meeting came to an end, and you listened to all the policemen push back their chairs, chatting amongst themselves as they left the meeting room. You saw two policemen, probably the commissioners or inspectors from the other two stations who had joined you to help with the intervention, leave, chatting with Vanessa. It had been almost two weeks since you'd seen the metal bear, and you couldn't help but feel a touch of joy at seeing him there. As you approached Freddy, who had been chatting with another policeman, he turned to you, a smile appearing on his muzzle. Even though he was made of metal and couldn't really be tired, you couldn't help but read in his eyes and in the way his smile seemed to spread a little less than usual a touch of worry and fatigue.

"Hello Freddy. Haven't seen you in a while, are you well ?" you asked.

"I'm doing pretty well y/n and how are you ? The others told me how well you'd helped this week, I'm proud to see that things are moving forward with your investigation. I also wanted to congratulate you on your presentation today, it was clear and I'm sure it will help many of the police officers who were there. I learned a few things myself thanks to you."

"Thanks Freddy Bear. And I'm doing pretty well too." You paused for a moment before resuming in a weaker voice. "The others also told me that you'd decided to stay by the side of the Fantastic that was found in the dump, how's little Skinwalker ?"

"I couldn't say he's doing well, but he's not getting any worse at the moment. He's still in a coma and the doctors and vets in charge of his care have mixed reviews." Freddy replied with a small sigh, his smile saddening slightly.

"I see. If I may say so, you look tired." You say, tilting slightly, your lips pressing together. "That's odd for an animatronic."

"You're not the first to tell me that." The metal bear sighed with a chuckle. "I volunteered to look after the young Fantastic. I couldn't help but be worried, if those who did him know he's still alive and there's a chance he could speak against them, I'm afraid they'll come and get him to finish him off. So I stay on guard more often than I should to make sure nothing happens to him."

You blinked at Freddy's words, sending shivers down your spine. True, you hadn't thought of the possibility, but the two men who'd chased you in the truck and shot at you were surely looking for the rat and for you, or at least for the you you'd shown them that night. You felt a little bitter taste invade your mouth, as you sincerely hoped you hadn't caused any problems for Skinwalkers with the same transformation as you. You knew that the one whose appearance you'd copied wouldn't have to fear reprisals since he was no longer of this world, but in their madness there was a risk that they'd attack innocent people. You preferred to tell yourself that if they didn't want to attract any more police attention than necessary, they wouldn't do anything in haste. Silvio didn't strike you as someone who would do things without covering his tracks.

"You should ask other policemen to help you and take over from time to time to give you a rest." You say, looking up at Freddy.

"Ah ah... I know that, but you know how I am."

"Yes, a real papa bear." You sighed.

Freddy let a guilty chuckle leave his lips before looking behind you and waving his hand slightly in the direction he was looking. You pivoted to see Sun and Moon responding to Freddy's greeting. You saw the nocturnal detective wave his face at you, inviting you to follow him once you'd finished your conversation with Freddy. After that, the two animatronic brothers left the room, probably on their way to the office where you usually worked. You exchanged a few more banalities with Freddy and the other Glamrocks, who had joined you, before finally deciding to join the two detectives. As you left, you heard Roxy giggle once more, before she and Chica started telling Freddy that they had interesting things to tell him.

Leaving the meeting room, you took a short detour to the kitchen to rehydrate, and when you reached the shared offices you saw Ynos sitting at one of the desks, talking to another policeman. You'd thought it strange not to have seen him in the meeting room, as he must surely have been assigned to another mission during the meeting, but the idea that he'd been sidelined for this mission due to his intolerance of the Fantastics gave you a touch of satisfaction. Of course, the people who frequented Douglas's bars were far from being the best-behaved, but confronting them with a policeman who was showing them animosity was surely not a good idea, as it would be like throwing gasoline on the flames. You were relieved that Vanessa had taken the trouble to choose policemen with a neutral and even welcoming attitude towards Supernaturals. Or perhaps it was Moon and Sun who had suggested this to the commissioner.

"You could have warned me that you were going to make me intervene in front of a whole lot of unknown policemen." You declared as you entered the office where Sun and Moon were sitting.

"Why that's ? I think you did very well." Sun declared with an almost curious expression.

"Well, I don't like to be in the limelight without a minimum of mental preparation. The more I would have made an effort to dress a little more presentable." You reply with a touch of sarcasm.

"You're not going to tell me you're afraid of the stage ? The first time we summoned you to the police station, you climbed over the desks in the common room and exclaimed that we should question one of the suspects again." Moon declared with a mocking chuckle and a raised eyebrow.

"Dear Moony, there's a difference between deciding to be the center of attention and finding yourself being the center of attention."

Moon rolled his eyes, a small chuckle leaving Sun's lips as you strode into the room, took your usual cross-legged place on the table, tilted your face to the side before resuming a little more seriously :

"So... How are things going to work out for me ? You and Vanessa talked about how things are going to work out for the police, but I don't fall into that category."

"We asked you to come precisely for that, and to get people to know you, but the last reason was more of a last-minute addition." Sun declared, lightly waving one of her hands.

"You'll be with Sun and me. We're going to be deployed at 'The Horned Goat' since Douglas is more likely to be there than at his other bar, and he's the one we want to stop first." Says Moon.

"You'll only be there as an observer, we don't want you to get hurt trying to help us, but your presence could come in handy if there's trouble with any  Fantastics, last-minute advice is never refused." Sun continued earnestly.

"Um... Okey. Just so you know, I know how to defend myself. I'm not the most skilled fighter, but I do have some basic self-defense. Well, not real self-defense, more the kind of self-defense you learn on the street." You say, raising one of your index fingers slightly, a curious expression on your lips.

"Mr Botzaris taught you how to defend yourself, too, on top of everything else ?" Sun asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What ? No ! Mr Botzaris is a pacifist, he's hardly disgusted to see a child squabbling. Nah, my adoptive parents taught me that." You replied, shaking your face, a chuckle leaving your lips.

You saw a strange, almost curious and intrigued expression appear on the faces of the two animatronics, you almost expected them to ask you questions but they didn't, so you shrugged, classifying their expressions as simple surprise. You preferred to tell them that it was really just the basics and that you were actually better at running than fighting, and that even if you did fight, it was more in the manner of an animal than anything else. After the two policemen had confirmed with great insistence that you wouldn't have to do anything, they began to explain to you in a little more detail how an intervention would be carried out. You'd listened to them during the general operation, but certain police terms and other deployment techniques had escaped you, so you didn't refuse another explanation, although all you were going to do was stand aside.

"That should be all we have to say. There'll be another debriefing a few hours before the operation in two days' time, but in the meantime you're free to go. Even though we're going to ask you to avoid doing anything that might make you get sick, hurt yourself or cause you to lose another life." Said Sun, her final precaution delivered with a touch of humor.

"Yeah yeah. No promises." You reply as you stand up, slipping your hands into your pockets. "See you then."

"Huh ? Where are you going ?" Sun questioned, raising another eyebrow.

You turned slightly towards the solar animatronic, looking at him as if he'd just told you the sky was red. You blinked before pointing to the door with one of your hands, waving it at him as if to make him understand that there weren't many options you could choose from.

"Uh, my place ? You've just told me that you don't need me for several days so, unlike you, I'm not planning to spend my life at the police station. I need the comfort of my sofa."

"We plan to drop you at home." Moon declared with a laugh. "We're going home too."

"Ah, my apologies... I had no idea. You spend so much time at the police station that sometimes I wonder if you bother to go home once in a while." You replied with a touch of amusement.

"Yes, we go home, we need to recharge and relax all the same." Sun said almost with a pout.

"Hey, when I arrive at the station you're there, sometimes when I leave the station you're still there. You must understand that I've been wondering if you're not addicted to your job."

"We're not workaholics." Moon sighed, crossing his arms.

"I'll bet you two fresh fish you're not able to prove to me that you're not workaholic." You say with a teasing smile, crossing your arms over your chest to mimic Moon's posture. "How much time do you spend at home compared to how much time working over the course of a week ? And no lies. I'm ready to go and get in trouble with Vanessa just to find out how many hours you work."

You saw Sun start to open his mouth ready to answer your question before closing his mouth with a small smack, her lips pressing together as a little pink came to color his cheeks, his rays retracting slightly into his skull. You let your eyes slide back to Moon, whose pupils dilated as he looked at you, before he looked away, his arms dropping from their crossed position on his chest as one of his hands lifted to tug lightly at his nightcap. You let a small, victorious smile appear on your lips, knowing that you'd already made your point.

"Well ?"

"Eighty-eight hours on, eighty off a week. There's only an eight-hour difference it's not much." Sun tried to justify himself.

"That's still more working hours. How many vacation days do you take a year ?"

"N-not very many..." Moon confessed.

"And you're still trying to tell me you're not workaholics.... Pathetic." You sighed with a small, judgmental expression.

You saw the expressions of the two animatronics change to guilty ones of your own. You remained silent for a few seconds before letting a small laugh leave your lips, one of your hands lifting to the level of your lips. Sun and Moon looked in your direction, their eyes settling on you for a second before smiles played across their lips. You watched as Sun's rays twitched around his facial disk, while Moon sighed and shook his face, his teeth visible behind his smile. Finally, you saw the two animatronics collect their belongings, beckoning you to follow them as they prepared to leave the room.

You stood up on the table and walked to the edge, ready to jump to the floor, but then you saw Moon standing in front of you, a teasing little smile appearing on my lips. You frowned for a fraction of a second, questioning his intentions, before you saw him back away slightly, lifting his hands in your direction and winking at you. You tilted your face slightly in confusion as he invited you to jump, offering to catch up. You hesitated for a second, watching Moon curiously. And as Moon began to lower his hands, surely thinking he'd overstepped the mark by the apologetic expression on his face, you jumped.

A surprised expression crossed Moon's face as he quickly raised his arms, catching you between his arms and pressing you against him. You looked up at Moon, whose pupils had dilated, and blinked, holding his gaze for a second as you felt the mechanisms inside his body begin to vibrate against you. The nocturnal animatronic's face took on a slight red hue, even visible on the dark side of his face. A few long seconds of silence later, Moon put you down with a sigh, telling you to be careful. You rolled your eyes, wanting to retort that it was he who had invited you to jump, but decided to keep it to yourself since you were the one who had kept him waiting.

However, even if Moon hadn't caught you, the fall certainly wouldn't have been painful, and you were prepared to land just in case, but from the way Moon looked at you, you had the impression that he'd caught you as if you'd jumped off the seventh floor of a building. You shook your face, looking up to see Sun looking in your direction with shared emotions drawn on his face disc before finally turning your back to leave the room, Moon behind him and you following the two animatronics.

You wished Chica and Monty, who were still at the station, a pleasant evening before heading out into the parking lot. When the slightly colder air outside met your skin, you shivered with happiness. As someone who loved autumn and winter, you found it easier to keep warm than to protect yourself from the sun and heat, the fur of your animal form being a distinct advantage in cold weather. You watched your breath condense before disappearing, your gaze darting to Moon and Sun, trying to see if such a phenomenon happened to them too, despite the fact that they weren't exactly breathing. You saw Moon take out his keys to unlock his car and allow you to get in.

After the final safety checks, Moon drove the car out of the parking lot. You watched the outside scenery go by, strangely enough this evening there were a few more people than usual, perhaps because it wasn't quite as late as usual, despite the fact that it was still a little too early for passers-by to go home. You watched the different passers-by, the different communities. Finally, you turned your eyes towards the two animatronics, observing their backs and the back of their facial disks.

"Moony ? Sunny ? What am I to you ?"

Chapter Text

"What ?" Sun questioned, turning slightly in your direction to look at you.

Moon had simply looked up, meeting your gaze in the rear-view mirror with a frown, still concerned about the road but letting you know that your question had intrigued him as well. You looked down at your gloved hands, pressing your fingers together, before looking up again at the two detectives.

"What I mean by that is, I've known you and you've known me for a little while now. So I was wondering, how do you regard me ? Am I a colleague, an assistant, a whatever ?"

"Why this sudden question ?" Sun asked with a slight touch of incomprehension in her voice.

"I... I don't know. It's just a question I've been asking myself." You sighed. "I don't have a huge entourage so usually it's not easy to categorize them but with you I can't."

"You categorize people ?" Moon declared, blinking.

"Yes. Everyone does that. When you decide to consider someone a 'colleague' or a 'friend' or a 'stranger' that's categorizing them. So I was wondering what category you'd put me in."

"That's a bit of a complicated question to answer..." Sun murmured, lowering his facial disc and frowning.

You hummed in agreement with Sun's statement, and it was precisely because you yourself couldn't answer it that you asked the two animatronics for their opinions. The question of what they meant to you had been stuck in the back of your mind ever since the conversation you'd had with Shin about the relationship between Sun, Moon and yourself. As the silence continued, you couldn't help but frown, feeling a slight ball of apprehension form in the pit of your stomach. You understood that the two detectives were unable to answer your rather strange question, but part of you wished they had so that you could know where your feelings lay. You had hoped that, by hearing their answers, you would be able to understand why you felt the way you did by being by their side, and perhaps find a solution to the different feelings you couldn't control or understand.

"Well..." Sun began, immediately drawing your attention. "Shall we say that we see you as our friend ? Right, Moon ?"

"Yes. That wasn't the case when we first met you, but things have changed a lot since then. If at first we only considered you a troublemaker, then you've become our colleague and... I guess friend is the right word to describe what you are to us." Moon declared.

You watched Moon's fingers open and close around the steering wheel almost anxiously as Sun began to stare at the road ahead, his body strangely stiff as his rays moved in a totally random and irregular fashion. Why were they nervous telling you this ? It wasn't a big deal. But why was your heart beating so fast if hearing them say they considered you their friend wasn't important ? You bit your lower lip, feeling the beginnings of a genuine smile start to form on your face, your breath coming softly as the warm sensation once again rose in the pit of your heart.

You lifted one of your gloved hands, grabbing your sweater at your heart, trying to contain this sensation you were almost getting used to, and which was pleasing you more and more despite yourself. This feeling was euphoric and refreshing, it was almost like when you were flying or playing fight with Shin, it was joy, happiness. You were happy to hear them say they considered you their friend. You couldn't deny it now, it was the answer you'd wanted to hear. Deep down you'd hoped they'd respond in kind, even though you tried to dismiss the thought. You couldn't understand why being their colleague hadn't been enough for you, but the question didn't arise now that you were friends.

But strangely enough, even though you felt a certain satisfaction in knowing that Sun and Moon saw you as one of their friends, there was also a touch of disappointment tugging at the heartstrings. It was a tiny twinge that definitely didn't diminish your happiness, but you felt it all the same for unknown reasons. Did you want to be something other than their friends ? What other possibility was there ? Better friends ? It was certainly more than being friends, but that wasn't what was bothering you either. At least, when you thought about it, trying to compare the two categories, you didn't feel there was that much difference.

You shook your face, trying to get rid of the feeling, almost snorting like an animal trying to remove dirt from its fur. It was surely just another trick played by your heart, perhaps because you would have liked to know what they thought of you, but you couldn't blame the two animatronics, you were the one who was incapable of understanding your own feelings and what was going on in your mind. Sometimes you wondered if it was the same for everyone else, or if it was only you who was having these strange inner debates trying to interpret your feelings. But even if you were the only one, you once again blamed your condition as a Shapeshifter for preventing you from acting and living like any other normal Fantastic.

"You didn't know what category we were in before, but now that we've told you we consider you our friend, do you consider us as such, or..." Sun asked, the sound escaping his voicebox weak to the point where he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Well... At first, I didn't see it as such. You know, when we first met you chased me for over half an hour ! I saw you as a pain in the ass. But the situation has changed and thanks to you I've been able to keep one of my lives, so I think I can say I see you as my friends too." You declared, waving one of your hands, more or less echoing Moon's wording to tease him.

"We chased you because you stole !" Sun exclaimed, turning to you, an amused smile on his lips.

"Huh ! No, you didn't ! You didn't know I'd stolen until you stopped me !" You retorted, sticking your tongue out at Sun.

"Maybe, but you shouldn't have run. Only the guilty party flees from the police. Besides, you were seen near Arnold Wilson's body, and you were weird enough to talk to him." Moon declared, meeting your gaze in the rearview mirror, a smile drawn across his face.

"Oh, you stopped me because I was running ? I hope joggers don't cross your path too often."

"Kitten, you weren't running. You scampered off with your tail between your legs after you saw us. And you looked suspicious." Said Sun, raising an eyebrow in your direction.

"So because I'm a Fantastic I'm suspicious. I see what you're like. I'd been arrested because of prejudice, arrested because of discrimination." You hiccuped falsely dramatically, placing a hand over your heart. "You hurt my feelings."

You closed your eyes pretending to wipe away a small tear before opening only one eye in the direction of Sun, who was still looking in your direction. The solar animatronic let out a laugh from his vocal box, his rays whirling around his facial disk so much so that from your position on the back seat you could almost feel the draft he was producing. Moon was more discreet in his amusement, preferring to concentrate on the road by letting a simple sigh leave his lips, shaking his facial disk, making his pompom shake. You also let a smile appear on your lips, abandoning your dramatic posture and letting a light laugh escape your lips.

The streets seemed to go by faster than usual, and the Miracle District soon came into view. It had been a while since you'd simply wandered the streets of your District, and you were used to checking in with the inhabitants of the buildings surrounding yours in this way, chatting with whoever wanted to and if you felt like it. After the car stopped, you left the passenger compartment, closing the door before turning to the front window and gently knocking on it to encourage Moon to open it. Once he did, Sun asking if everything was all right, you let a teasing smile appear on your lips before saying :

"I just wanted to remind you that you owe me two fresh fish ! Bye."

With that you turned on your heels, not even waiting for their reply, giggling slightly as you disappeared inside your building. That evening you fell asleep to the thought that Sun and Moon considered you their friend, though they weren't your friends like Shin was, or even the Glamrocks with whom you had a certain level of camaraderie, they were a different kind of friend altogether.

                                     ~❂✯☾~

It was a little before midnight when Moon's car pulled up in front of your house, the two animatronics inside had swapped their usual skilful attire for something a little more serious. They'd donned dark-colored vests emblazoned with the word 'police', and the jackets were probably bulletproof or made of Kevlar to resist claws and fangs. Their ties had been removed, Moon had taken off his jacket and Sun had abandoned his suspenders, even in the back of the car you could clearly make out their pistols strapped to their belts, ready to be used in case of uncontrollable danger.

You'd been driving for several minutes in the direction of 'The Horned Goat'. The intervention and arrests were due to take place at half-past midnight, and most of the police had to move silently, so they gradually arrived in civilian cars, parking close to the bars and waiting for the signal to be given by Vanessa, who had herself deployed on the 'The Pan Flute'. The rest of the intervening police would arrive after the start of the intervention with the police cars.

Your eyes were lowered to the two items resting on your lap, your fingers absent-mindedly playing with the walkie-talkie and armband that the two animatronics had entrusted to you as soon as you entered the car. The walkie-talkie was dedicated to you personally, and had been set to a particular frequency so that anyone who needed your advice on the Fantastics could contact you immediately during the operation. You could also communicate directly if necessary with Vanessa and Moon and Sun, who themselves owned the little communication devices.

The armband was a simple strip of floaty yellow cloth on which was written police. You'd been introduced as a police officer, but the two animatronics wanted to make sure that you were clearly distinguishable from the rest of the crowd, should you accidentally get too close to the intervention zone. If the walkie-talkie was cumbersome for you if you needed to transform, since you couldn't wear it, the armband was actually more practical, being made of tight-fitting fabric if you put it on your arm over your clothes you'd have no problem transforming, and when you retransformed it would still be there.

You looked up at the two animatronics, their expression even more serious and stoic than usual. Moon was holding the wheel so tightly that if he'd been made of flesh his knuckles would have turned white, but here you could just hear his knuckles squeaking with every movement he made. As for Sun, his rays were slightly retracted into his skull, and his usually keen eyes remained fixed on a distant point, far ahead on the road. The atmosphere in the car was perhaps a little too serious for your taste, you weren't taking part in the operation, you were just supporting it, but you couldn't help feeling slightly anxious about the situation.

You'd never been involved in this kind of intervention before, and you'd never have imagined yourself on the side of the police since you were more the sort of person who got arrested, but you were worried about the people you knew who were involved, the Glamrocks, even Vanessa and the few other policemen you got on with a bit, and especially Sun and Moon. You fidgeted slightly in the back seat, your hands slowly opening and closing as you tried to relax, but seeing the two detectives so anxious didn't help the situation. You looked up at them, deciding to break the heavy silence between you.

"Sunny ? Can you give me your girlfriend's number ? That way, in case you have to give up, I can tell her your last words." You say with a slight mockery, trying to hide your hesitation.

"Huh ? My... My girlfriend's number ? What girlfriend ? I don't have a girlfriend." Sun declared, looking in your direction with dilated pupils and furrowed brows.

"What ? But when we infiltrated the 'Pan Flute' one of the bar patrons gave you her number. She'd written it on a tissue." You reply, tilting your face sideways.

"But I never called her back ! What made you think I was going out with a complete stranger who gave me her number ?"

"Dude... You put the handkerchief away in your pocket without saying anything more ! Why did you keep the handkerchief if you weren't going to call her back later ?" You exclaimed with a small movement of your hands in Sun's direction to back up your words.

"I wasn't planning to throw the handkerchief with her personal number in the garbage can near a bar without making sure no one could read her number. I may not have been interested in her, but I didn't want anyone with bad intentions to be able to get her number." Sun replied, frowning as if his reaction was the most logical in the world.

"You... You could have just torn the handkerchief in that case, you idiot ! Or wet it to erase the number entirely !"

"If I'd torn the paper we could have pieced it back together. And I didn't have any water on me to wet the napkin." Sun replied, almost amused.

"No, no sane person would waste their time piecing together the torn pieces of a napkin just to see if there was a number on it. And no need for water, you could have just spat on the number. Gosh... I don't know if you're too smart to remember the basics or if I should invite you to take a course in the streets of the Miracles District."

"We don't have any saliva." Moon interjects with a little eyebrow raise in your direction after meeting your gaze in the internal rearview mirror. "Well, we can't exactly call it saliva."

"Ah... That's an unexpected and bizarre discovery."

Your gaze shifted from one animatronic to another with a troubled, yet curious expression. Part of you wanted to ask them how they swallowed food if they didn't really have saliva to help prevent it from getting stuck in the long mechanical arm that served as their neck. There was also the question of digestion : was everything they ate thrown back 'whole' after chewing, or was it blended in their bellies, or perhaps burnt ? You shook your face, pushing your questions about animatronic anatomy into a corner of your mind for later. You looked up again at Sun, who was blinking in your direction, hiw obsidian optics fixed on you, a smile on his lips as his rays flitted back and forth in an intrigued manner.

"Anyway... Forget what I said, I don't look stupid now for believing all this time that you'd found yourself a girlfriend." You sigh, crossing your arms over your chest with a pouty expression on your lips.

"Nah, I can confirm that I'm not currently dating anyone. I can take Moon as my witness."

"The witness agrees with the words of the accused." Moon declared amusedly.

"Besides, I'd never date someone I'd met while undercover. I'd have a hard time explaining to them why my name and all the information I gave them about my identity that night were false." Sun continued.

You could feel your heart beating slightly faster, a small, imperceptible sigh of relief leaving your lips as Sun confirmed once again that he had no one in his life. You didn't know why believing that Sun was in a relationship had disturbed you so much that you brought it up again at that very moment. The animatronic could do whatever he wanted with his personal life, after all. They'd accepted you as their friend, but you had no special place in his life that would allow you to judge the people he dated. You waved your hands lightly, absent-mindedly playing with the objects in your lap to try and get your thoughts back in place.

"But why are we talking about this anyway ?" Moon asked, making you freeze as he asked the question you'd rather not answer.

"D-Dunno... It's just that seeing you all tense up started to stress me out so, I said the first thing that popped into my head, and since we're going to a bar, admittedly not the same one but a bar nonetheless so I thought back to that. I also intended to tease Sun a bit about the fact that he's someone in his life and he shouldn't die because of it."

"Hmm... It looks more like we're going to tease you about jumping to conclusions without asking the concern first." Moon laughed.

You rolled your eyes at Moon's comment, seeing a mocking grimace waving one of your hands as if you were making it talk to imitate Moon. Sun, who was still turned towards you, let an amused laugh leave his voice box before denouncing your mockery to Moon, causing the nocturnal animatronic to look at you reproachfully in the rear-view mirror, you averted your eyes feigning innocence. After Moon turned back to the road, you stuck your tongue out at Sun, glaring at him for ditching on you. Sun continued to chuckle softly before heaving a small sigh, looking you in the eye with a little more seriousness as he said :

"Sorry if I'm a bit more tense than usual, but even after several years in the police we're still apprehensive about large-scale interventions, especially when the stakes are so high."

"We don't intend to die. Even if Sun doesn't have a girlfriend." Moon sighed, both seriously and mockingly. "We're animatronics, so it's very difficult to take us down."

"Do you promise ?" You asked.

"Yes, we promise." Moon declared, giving you a small smile.

"We promise." Sun replied.

You watched as the animatronic Sun gave you a smile and a wink before he turned again to look at the road, positioning his facial disk correctly in relation to his body in the armchair. You couldn't help blushing slightly as your heart began to beat a little faster at their promise to return safely from the operation. You didn't like the fact that you cared so much about them that you made them promise to come back alive, but you liked the fact that they promised and tried to reassure you. You, who didn't want to get attached to either of them in any way, were now embarrassed by your own thoughts. But it's good, you knew you couldn't get any more attached, you knew that after this intervention it would only be a matter of time before your investigation was over, no more crime would be on your record and you could get on with your life. That's nice...

"Good. Because you still owe me two fresh fish from the fishmonger." You declared, looking out of the window and letting a teasing smile appear on your lips.

You heard the two animatronics let little exclamations leave their lips before silence fell to us between you, the bar 'The Horned Goat' slowly making its appearance in the distance. The anxiety hadn't gone away, but it had been assuaged for all three of you. As you approached the bar, Sun's walkie-talkie crackled, Vanessa's voice echoing to ask where everyone was, you heard several policemen answering the chief commissioner one by one. Having parked their car only a few steps from the bar's parking lot, you watched the two detectives undo their belts, securing their weapons and all the equipment they had at their waists one last time.

As for you, you slipped your armband over your arm before looking up at the two animatronics who had been watching you to make sure you were ready too, and with a little shake of the head Sun and Moon ended up responding positively to Vanessa. After a few seconds of silence, Vanessa's voice rang out again, announcing the start of the intervention. Sun and Moon looked in your direction with seriousness, their voices echoing at the same time as they said :

"Be careful Kitten."

You then watched the two animatronics exit the car in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, the doors closing behind them as you found yourself alone. You continued to follow their movement through the window for a moment, watching other policemen join them as they moved rapidly towards the bar. You took a short, jerky breath, closing your eyes before stepping out of the car yourself, walkie-talkie in hand. The night air was chilly, and soon sounds of commotion could be heard as customers waiting their turn to enter the bar saw policemen appearing out of nowhere.

You stepped out onto the asphalt, numerous police sirens sounding in the adjacent alleyways as you approached the bar, causing panic to spread through the crowd as screams began to be heard. As you spun around, looking for a high vantage point, your gaze came to rest on a tall tree standing a little way off. A car was parked just below. You trotted off in the direction of the car, ignoring the din of the panic-stricken crowd, which began to grow louder and louder as the police continued to arrive in ever-greater numbers.

You quickly climbed onto the hood of the car, letting your feline attributes show before climbing onto the roof of the vehicle. You slipped the walkie-talkie into your sweater pocket, raising your face in the direction of one of the lowest branches just under a metre above you. You bent your legs, your ears lying back against your skull as your tail twitched imperceptibly before you leapt up. Your hands closed on the branch, you swung your legs to rest on the trunk before managing to hoist your whole body onto the branch, you straightened up in search of a new branch to support your weight. You continued to climb until you reached the maximum height where the branches could still support your weight. You'd managed to climb rather quickly, though not as gracefully and briskly as in your feline form.

Once you'd settled on the branch, you let your gaze wander back to the bar, once again looking for the two animatronics you'd been eyeing. Unfortunately, you didn't see them, probably because they'd already entered the building to apprehend the most important suspects. Your gaze wandered over the whole parking lot, watching the Fantastics panic and the policemen try to contain them as best they could. You could see some were already handcuffed, while others were surrendering peacefully, but the majority opted to flee. Despite the sheer number of policemen, you could still see some Supernaturals managing to get away, especially those who could fly, such as Fairies and other Skinwalkers birds.

It was a strange sight to see, and you weren't sure where to focus your attention as there was so much movement everywhere. The tension was mounting and you could see everyone's movements becoming a little more violent, and you winced slightly, the hairs on your tail bristling as you watched a Skinwalker dog bite one of the policemen who was trying to stop him. Two other officers had to come to his aid to push the Skinwalker to the ground and finally restrain him. You decided to concentrate on the attacks and reprisals that were the most dangerous, supervising things from afar and judging the situation to see if you should intervene by telling the policemen to abort the idea of catching this particular Supernatural. You heard a crackling sound beside you, turning your attention fully to the walkie-talkie which, after a few seconds, let out the voice of a policeman you didn't know :

-"Consultant ?"-

"Yes ?" You reply, slightly unsettled that someone is actually calling you.

- "One of the policemen with us was bitten by a vampire, and is afraid of becoming one himself, is there really a risk ?"-

"No, there's no risk of him becoming a vampire." you sighed, holding back a mocking sigh. "Only werewolves transmit lycanthropy with a single bite. The process of turning someone into a vampire is long and requires very particular parameters, making it almost impossible to change. But make sure the bitten policeman hasn't lost too much blood. It's also a good idea to take care of his wound to avoid the smell of blood disturbing the other Fantastics."

-" Okay. Thank you." -

You thought you heard the policeman murmur some words to his wounded colleague before the communication was interrupted. Vampirise had not been considered actively transmissible for centuries. The process consisted of rituals that had to be performed over several weeks without ever going wrong, and you still had to be able to accept the Vampirise gene into your body, because as with organ transplants, the recipient's antibodies generally eliminated the Vampirise gene. For hundreds of years, there had been no recorded cases of humans being transformed into vampires, so the vampire condition was no longer even considered transmissible.

You turned your attention back to the parking lot, where the number of visitors had greatly diminished, and the Fantastics, who had been arrested and immobilized with anti-magic handcuffs, had been placed near a police car under the watchful eye of several armed guards. As you heard the sound of a body hitting the ground, you looked down to see a policeman grappling with an elf. The poor human had been pushed to the ground, but you could see him slowly regaining the upper hand, elves weren't physically very powerful. What worried you, however, was the weasel you saw closing in on the policeman's weapon, who, busy fending off the other supernatural, failed to see that his weapon was about to be stolen.

You abandoned the walkie-talkie for a moment, transforming in the bat of an eyelash as you darted the length of the branch before leaping into the void. You landed on the ground, giving your feline body a few seconds to recover from your fall before charging towards the distressed policeman. Sun and Moon had told you not to intervene, but you couldn't risk letting a Fantastic take the policeman's gun, not only because he might decide to use it, but also because the policeman might get into trouble if he announced he'd lost his pistol.

You slipped quickly and easily between the legs of the few people who got in your way, finally reaching the weasel who had managed to detach the holster holding the gun to the policeman's waist. A growl left your lips as you pounced on the weasel, the Skinwalker mustelid quickly turning its muzzle in your direction as you closed your jaws around the skin of its neck. You weren't afraid of touching the Skinwalker, since at the moment, with his fur and yours, you couldn't suffer direct contact of your skin against his, so your Shapeshifter condition was unlikely to be activated.

You turned your head sharply, your teeth still sinking into the weasel's fur before letting go, throwing the Skinwalker a little further away, effectively distancing it from the policeman's weapon. After landing heavily on the ground with an ungraceful roll, you saw the weasel straighten up and look in your direction, surprise turning to anger, before he began to make what sounded like growling noises in your direction.

You wiggled your ears, turning your muzzle slowly towards the weasel as your tail twitched slightly. You kicked the pistol, which had begun to slip out of its holster, with your hind leg, placing it once again correctly in its pouch, ignoring the pistol's owner and the elf who were still struggling with each other. Your eyes remained on the weasel, watching him demonstrate his aggression before pouncing on you. But where the Skinwalker made the mistake of remaining in his animal form, you did not. You transformed back, your human hand closing easily around the weasel's head without him being able to bite you before you brutally tackled him to the ground, a squeak of pain leaving the mustelid's muzzle.

At the same time, you saw the policeman manage to knock the elf to the ground, grabbing both his hands and putting them behind his back to handcuff him. The policeman looked in your direction, lowering his eyes in the direction of the weasel, who had finally stopped moving because of the pain, before moving back up to your armband and finally looking you in the eye with a nod of thanks. You gave it back to him before lifting the Skinwalker weasel and holding it out to the policeman, who picked it up with a confused expression. Once you'd done that, you transformed again, heading back towards the tree you'd been stationed in to regain your position, grabbing the walkie-talkie once your hands had reverted to human form to check you hadn't received any calls.

Slowly, all around the bar, things began to calm down, the Fantastics were now far fewer in number and a good number of them had been arrested. You concentrated on the entrance for several minutes, seeing several policemen go in before coming out with Fantastics handcuffed beside them, your tail wagging in anxiety at not seeing the two animatronics come out. For what seemed like an eternity, you saw no sign of the two detectives, almost making you want to climb down the tree and see for yourself what was going on. Your heart almost began to pound in your ears, your fingers digging into the bark of the branch you were resting on, when you heard Sun's voice echo through the walkie-talkie, saying :

-"The main criminals inside 'The Horned Goat' have been arrested."-

A smile appeared on your lips as you heard the news, and it only widened even more as you saw the silhouette of Sun and Moon leave the bar through the main door. Sun had put a hand on Douglas Mushy's shoulder, the handcuffed satyr moving forward with an angry expression on his face, while Moon was holding up another Fantastic whose species you couldn't tell from a distance, but who must surely have been Douglas's colleague. You grabbed your communication device and slipped it into your pocket before descending a few branches to a height from which it was respectable for you to leap before straightening up. Heart pounding with adrenalin and relief, you wanted to join them in a run, but decided against it, preferring to slip your hands into your pockets with a small smile on your lips, trying to control your strange flood of emotion.

You crossed the parking lot once more, the silence of the noise having disappeared to make way for the silence of the night, the police sirens having ceased to sound, leaving only the lights of the various cars active, painting the surroundings in changing colors. You could hear orders and instructions being given over the walkie-talkie, Vanessa in turn announcing that her side was now clear too, asking everyone to give her a quick report to get an idea of casualties and incidents. But you only listened to the reports with one ear, your eyes fixed on Moon, Sun, Douglas and the other Fantastique at their side. When you were still some ten meters away from the two animatronics, you suddenly saw Douglas start to stir, struggling out of Sun's grasp as he tried to escape.

"I won't talk ! I promise I won't talk ! I promise !" Douglas then suddenly shouted with almost panic and desperation, his eyes looking in the direction of the city. "I won't tell the police anything ! I... Please ! I won't talk !"

You felt a shiver run down your spine, a sudden sense of immediate danger, springing up in the pit of your heart, your breathing faltering as a frightening foreboding of death made itself felt. You spun around with a frown, starting to turn your head in the direction of where Douglas was looking, trying to determine the cause of your instincts suddenly entering a state of extreme danger, only to stop when you heard screams of agony. You turned your face sharply in the direction of Douglas and the other Fantastic, who was being held down by Moon, who had bent double under the pain, a pain for which there was no explanation. Confusion and distress appeared on the faces of the two animatronics as the Fantastics they were holding continued to writhe in pain, letting blood-curdling screams escape their lips.

You saw Douglas and the other Fantastic begin to convulse, Sun and Moon being forced to help the two Supernaturals by laying them on the parking lot floor as their screams continued to echo, drawing the attention of everyone in the parking lot. Your hands left your pockets as you dashed towards Sun and Moon, and as soon as you reached them you saw them look in your direction with incomprehension and dismay. You saw them start to articulate words that you didn't listen to, preferring instead to lean towards Douglas who continued to convulse, foam forming in the corner of his lips as his eyes seemed ready to burst out of their sockets. Your gaze was drawn to a reddish glow beneath Douglas's clothes, and you reached out with one of your hands, grabbing his shirt to pull it off and expose the Fantastic's torso.

You saw a red bioluminescent symbol inked into the Fantastic's flesh at the level of his heart. The symbol was a complex mix of arabesques and strokes intertwined to form a vague diamond shape, with the bottom point broadly elongated. The light emanating from the symbol seemed to pulse in time with Douglas's heartbeat, growing ever more intense. You turned to the other Fantastic, tearing off his clothes to reveal the same symbol on his torso. You bent over Douglas to grab his collar violently, forcing his face in your direction, forcing his glassy eyes to focus on you as you could slowly see his life begin to slip away.

"You idiot ! You signed a Protection Pact ! Did you really think that whoever was using you was going to let you live ?!" You shouted at Douglas.

Then you heard Sun and Moon's walkie-talkie start to crackle, and Vanessa's voice, panicked and distressed, began to resound, announcing that several of the Fantastics who had been apprehended at "The Pan Flute" had suddenly collapsed. Your face turned back to Sun and Moon, who had been looking in your direction for an explanation. Your gaze roamed the parking lot, suddenly taking in the presence of the humans there and the potential risk posed by the magic currently attacking some of the employees of the two bars owned by Douglas. You jumped to your feet, almost snatching a walkie-talkie from Sun's hands.

"Vanessa ! Don't touch the Fantastics who've collapsed, don't let the other humans on your team near them or touch them ! Those Fantastics are being poisoned by magic and I don't know if you other humans would be able to handle that much magic !"

- "Okay..." - Vanessa replied, communication cutting off for a few seconds before the commissioner resumed. -"What can we do to help them ?"-

You blinked at her question, your breathing sharp with adrenaline and your heart pounding in your ears as a heavy silence settled in. You looked in the direction of Sun and Moon, whose eyes were full of expectation and determination to do everything in their power to help the dying Fantastics. Your eyes (e/c) fell on the two Fantastics at your feet, their hands twitching uncontrollably and brutally to the point where his fingernails had ended up digging into his flesh, allowing a few drops of blood to appear, Douglas's horns creaking against the ground with every mouve that ran through his body. You met Douglas's gaze, which seemed to look in your direction as if begging you to help him, but you knew it was already too late and that all he could see now was emptiness. You raised your face again to the two detectives, solemnly shaking your face in the negative before replying to Vanessa :

"There's nothing we can do. Even if there were a Supernatural powerful enough to stop the magic, the 'poison' has already been injected. We can only hope... that their suffering ends as soon as possible."

A silence accompanied your statement, and as you handed Sun back his walkie-talkie, you took a small step backwards, away from the two Fantastics whose erratic movement had begun to stop slightly, and turned your back, not wishing to see Douglas and the other Fantastics breathe their last breathe. Even if he wasn't a good person, the satyr, like the other Fantastics in the various bars, didn't deserve to die like this. Finally, after several tens of seconds, you heard Moon advancing towards the two Supernaturals. You looked over your shoulder, watching the nocturnal animatronic place his hand on their windpipes before heaving a sigh and shaking his facial disk.

You heard Moon announce the time of death as he stood up, Sun contacting Vanessa on her walkie-talkie as police officers approached with sheets to camouflage the bodies. They looked in your direction cautiously, questioning you silently, and you lowered your eyes to the two corpses, the symbol that had appeared on their torsos having ceased to glow, the reddish glow emanating from it diminishing until it disappeared as if it had never existed. You nodded in their direction to let them know they could come, but asked them to be careful anyway, for safety's sake.

Things proceeded very slowly, the bodies were moved, the Fantastics who'd been arrested were driven to the police car before being taken to different police stations to be taken into custody, while the two bars were surrounded by police gangs classifying the areas as off-limits, policemen standing guard to make sure no one came into either bar to try and remove evidence. You moved away, positioning yourself at one end of the parking lot under the tree in which you'd stood an hour earlier, to contemplate the sky which had begun to display the colors of the day, some birds more early than others beginning to sing clearly now that the sound of the police sirens had stopped.

A bitter taste lingered on your tongue, as Sun and Moon had decided to intervene in Douglas's bars not only to free the people who had been captured for sale, but also to interrogate Douglas and his high-ranking employees. Although Vanessa had succeeded in obtaining the slaves' rental and sent a team to free them immediately, they had been locked up in containers placed in a disused factory in the industrial district, and even though treating them in pitiful conditions was alive and well, things weren't quite so positive. At least not for your investigation, since your most essential witnesses were now all dead. You gritted your teeth, your tail whipping the air behind you in frustration and anger.

You were now more than sure that a Magician was behind the murders, only a magical creature with so much magic was capable of creating protection pacts, and on so many people. But what frustrated you the most was that the said Mage must have been present to know that he had to trigger his protection spell, you could have found him and had him arrested, or at least you could have obtained a sample of his scent so you could have tracked him down and recognized him if you came face to face with him. Even though part of you was trying to resonate with the idea that if he'd been clever enough to evade you all this time, he'd surely have thought of concealing his scent, guilt gnawed at you all the same. The list of the dead only continued to grow as you progressed on this cursed affair, and you wondered how many more would lose their lives before you put an end to this massacre.

And with that a feeling of worry had begun to grow in the pit of your stomach, with the death of Douglas who was a Fantastic and one of the biggest suppliers of 'Fairies Dust' two things were to be feared. The anger of the Supernaturals leaving would put the satyr's death on the back of the police, and would only reinforce the gulf between your Community and the other two, but you also knew that many Fantastics addicted to the drug would find themselves without supplier and without their necessary dose which would make them go wild.

You crouch down, placing your hands over your face as your tail falls inertly to the ground. You should have considered this option, you should have taken into account the existence of the Mage, you simply shouldn't have let yourself get distracted and forget such an important parameter as this kind of Fantastic. You couldn't blame Sun and Moon for taking the decision to intervene, they'd only opted for the most logical and fairest solution. You were the Fantastic, you should have been the one to ring the alarm bells to remind them of what a Mage was capable of, you should have known that Silvio wouldn't let his pawns speak so easily against him. You were beginning to have doubts about Jenna Royn's status, and with the way the elf at the head of Elvolution always seemed to be one step ahead, you were beginning to think she might already be dead.

Then you suddenly felt a hand on your skull, making you jump as a hiss almost left your lips. But you quickly suppressed the sound as you met Sun's gaze, his hand carefully resting against your hair to caress the top of your head, taking care not to touch your ears. You couldn't help letting an amused sigh leave your lips, he was making the effort even at a time like this not to touch your ears as you'd asked. Sun gave you a small smile, his dark eyes shining with a touch of disappointment and sadness as he said :

"We're off, Kitten, are you coming ?"

"Aren't you going to inspect the inside of the bars ?" You asked.

"Nah, not right now anyway. Vanessa wants us all to go home and get some rest, and the bars will be secured so no one else can get inside the buildings. We'll continue the investigation later."

You nodded, waiting for the animatronic to remove his hand from your skull before standing up, making your feline attractions disappear too, before following him in the direction of where the car had been parked. You made out Moon's silhouette leaning against the car, his eyes turning pensively in the direction of the bar. Seeing you and Sun getting closer, the animatronic turned in your direction, a smile also appearing on his lips as he slightly uncovered his sharp teeth, even though frustration was clearly visible in his red optics.

You watched Moon open the car door to get inside, Sun going around to do the same. You tilted your head to one side, a slightly relieved smile appearing on your lips. Things may not have been what you'd hoped, but at least nothing had happened to them. There were also only a few injuries among the policemen, and if you forgot to take Douglas and the few others into account, none of the Fantastics had been killed. You shook your face to get out of your thoughts before opening the rear door and sliding into the back seat. After fastening your seatbelt, the lunar animatronic started the car, taking it out of its parking place. You passed 'The Horned Goat' and its now completely empty and inaccessible parking lot.

"Douglas and the other Fantastics who worked alongside him probably had compromising information, so Silvio and the mage who works for him made them sign a protection pact."

"You mentioned that earlier. What's a 'protection pact' ?" Moon asked.

"Contrary to what the name might lead you to believe it's not something positive, here, 'protection' has more the meaning of obedience and submission. A pact of protection allows one person to ensure that another is totally at their service and mercy, the pact guarantees that the contracting party is obliged to do everything in their power to 'protect' their contractor, whether it's protecting them physically or protecting their identity or other secrets."

"Sounds more like some kind of pact to turn someone into a slave." Sun sighed.

"That's kind of the case, but a slavery pact is slightly different in that the contracting party, the slave, doesn't have complete control over his actions. A pact of protection leaves its contracting party free to move and think, the only thing being that certain subjects and actions are forbidden. Normally, the pact is only triggered if the contracting party breaks his promise, but sometimes, if the contractor decides that the contracting party is about to break his promise, he can trigger the activation of the pact. A protection pact is one of the most vicious and dangerous pacts in existence, requiring a great deal of magic to create, and generally requiring complete trust in the person signing the contract, as the counterparty never knows when the contractor might turn against them."

"Is death always the consequence of breaking the pact ?" Moon asked.

"No, but the consequences aren't usually pleasant, it's a punishment and a deterrent." You replied with a smile before saying with a little more sadness. "I'm sorry I didn't anticipate this kind of eventuality."

"Don't be y/n, no one could have expected this kind of drama. But despite the fact that what happened was horrible, the more drastic Silvio's reactions become, the closer we are to finding out what's going on."

Chapter Text

"Um... I don't know if knowing that a psychopath is being pushed into a corner is anything positive." You sigh, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Probably not, but with the fear of being found out, he's bound to slip up eventually." Sun declares, glancing furtively in your direction.

"For the time being, we can take comfort in the fact that, with Douglas's traffic dropping, Silvio will be forced to keep a low profile for a while. This will give us more time to continue investigating the murders." Moon added.

You hummed for a few seconds, letting your eyes take in the scenery, pushing all your thoughts to the back of your mind, trying to clear your head so you don't feel like you've hit a dead end again. Police investigations seemed so simple when they were described in books or depicted in films, a few clues were enough to find the criminal and arrest him, and it was all the more complicated now that you were facing a Machiavellian genius like Silvio who had a Mage on his side.

But strangely enough, if where you were ready to give up yet again, Sun and Moon didn't seem determined to give up just yet. You could see it in their expressions, in the way they were deep in thought, analyzing once again everything you'd already discovered. You let a small smile appear on your lips as you let a sigh leave your lips, if it had been anyone other than the two of them this case would have been abandoned long ago, if it had been up to you, if you had the means, you would have grabbed everything and everyone you loved and left this town that seemed to be reporting more and more of the inter-species war. Unfortunately, you couldn't, so you could only hope that the investigation by the two detectives you were accompanying was finally moving in the right direction.

Moon's car pulled up in front of your apartment and you asked the two animatronics why he wasn't going back to the police station with you, but they told you that for the next few days they were only going to be questioning the people who had been arrested, asking them about their drug use and whether they had any idea where the drugs and people-trafficking that had taken place in the bar had come from. The other people to be questioned were the few victims who had been rescued, to find out if they had any idea where they were being sent, who had kidnapped them and what they were being exchanged for. It was a time-consuming operation with a lot of paperwork, so the two animatronics didn't particularly need your services, but they promised to get back to you if they had any new information or if they needed your services.

The next few days were a particular bore for you, with all sorts of things to do at home, but you couldn't concentrate on any of them, your mind constantly returning to what had happened to Douglas, to the mysterious Mage and to the investigation in general. You were constantly exchanging with the two animatronics to keep abreast of what was going on at the station, what the drug-using culprits were saying, what the victims had suffered, but Sun and Moon were busier than usual and didn't have the time to explain everything that was being reported in detail, and you didn't want to barge into the station knowing that your presence might be more of a nuisance than anything else for them.

So you couldn't stand all the questions and other information rattling around in your mind any longer, and you decided to write them down. At first, you criticized Sun for writing on paper despite his infinite memory, but now that you were putting everything that came into your head on a blank piece of paper, you understood that it gave you more room in your mind to think about other things and so on. In particular, you had been concentrating on the Fantastic side of things, and this had prompted you to do something you hadn't done for years : study. You pulled out all the old books you'd left behind, and reread every page of every book except the three at the police station.

You'd also started asking your old teacher for advice and information, finding yourself once again, now many years older, at Mr Botzaris' kitchen table, books open in front of you, the harpy sitting across from you explaining a particular subject or, on the contrary, giving a general explanation to help you understand better. The difference between the 'you of today' and the 'you of many years ago' was that you were now genuinely interested in what the Fantastic was telling you, and you kept asking him questions again and again until you were sure you'd understood every aspect, to the point where it was Mr Botzaris who was almost tired of having to answer you.

"They've really managed to change you." Mr Botzaris suddenly declared after answering one of your questions about magic.

"Hm ? What are you talking about ?" You asked, resting your hand on the book in front of you.

"About Sun and Moon. If it weren't for them and their investigation, I'd never have seen you voluntarily come to me to find out more and more about the Supernatural and the magic within us."

Even though the harpy's words bore no trace of reproach or criticism, you couldn't help but wince slightly. You looked down at the book open in front of you, a new one lent to you by Mr Botzaris and dedicated in particular to magic and the creatures who were able to manipulate and use it. You reached out and grabbed a page marker, which was just a piece of paper on which you'd scribbled various bits of information that you'd have to transcribe later, before looking up at your former teacher. Botzaris was looking at you through his glasses, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement and joy as you heaved a sigh, thinking back to your behavior and temperament when you were younger.

"I'm... I'm sorry." You sighed, lifting one of your hands to rub the back of your neck. "For everything. Not paying more attention to what you were telling me in your classes, not taking your advice seriously or generally for behaving like a real insufferable brat."

"Because you no longer behave like a real insufferable brat ?" Mr Botzaris declared with an amused chuckle.

You made a little pout in his direction before sticking out your tongue, Mr Botzaris raised an eyebrow in your direction, as if to say that what you'd just done was just more proof of what he was saying. You let a feline growl leave your lips as you rolled your eyes, a hint of embarrassment appearing on your cheeks. The harpy let another laugh leave his lips before rising to his stove to retrieve his teapot, which had begun to whistle, announcing that the water was boiling. Mr Botzaris retrieved the cups he'd prepared and placed them where you'd sat, while you cleared away the various books and pieces of paper on the table. Once the tea was served, the Fantastic resumed his position opposite you, lifting the cup between his clawed, hooked hands and blowing lightly on it.

"It wasn't your fault, you didn't have a goal to push you to study or to simply want to learn more. It's more up to me to make excuses for not being able to provide you with that objective. All I wanted was for you to learn as quickly as possible to control yourself so that you didn't have to suffer, I should have understood that you were still a child after all. Sometimes I think... If I'd done things differently, if we'd handed you over to the proper authorities to take care of you, you might have had a better life."

"Mr Botzaris... Your intentions were good. I don't blame you for that. I could never blame you, or the Heartons, or Otis and all the others who, in one way or another, made me grow up." You replied slightly surprised by your former teacher's sudden confession. "You're not responsible for what I am, you've only reacted accordingly in the way you deemed most appropriate. Even though I wasn't always very grateful for what you did for me when I was younger, now I see that it has greatly helped me build who I am today. "

You saw Botzaris blink, a smile that you could only describe as paternal appearing on his face, the few tiny wrinkles on the corners of his eyes pulling slightly. He held out one of his hands in your direction, placing it on the top of your head to gently tousle your hair. You let a small laugh leave your lips, closing your eyes for a second and letting your feline features show. Botzaris's hand immediately began to scratch behind your ear, a little purr leaving the hollow of your throat almost immediately. You weren't ashamed of Botzaris, he was your family, so the strange sensation wasn't even there. 

It wasn't that you weren't comfortable with the two animatronics, on the contrary you were perhaps a little too comfortable in their presence for your taste, it was just that... it just wasn't the same and you couldn't explain why, it was just the way it was. You frowned slightly, snapping out of your thoughts as you opened one eye to look in the direction of Mr Botzaris, a small amused smile appearing on your lips as you breathed out in a purring voice :

"And... it also helped me develop my thieving skills, but I don't think you want to hear that."

You felt Botzaris's hand stop before you felt his fingers pinch the tip of your ear, making you squeal slightly in pain as you looked up with kittenish eyes at the harpy, whom you gave a reproachful look before he sighed, a new smile on his lips as his hand left the top of your skull after a last comforting pat. He leaned back in his chair, looking at you before saying in a sincere voice :

"You're a good person y/n, and as much as your words make me happy, I have to admit my mistakes where they are."

"Well, it's only you who sees your faults ! I personally don't see any." You replied, before taking a sip of your tea.

You slightly regretted your decision, spitting the boiling drink back into the cup after burning your tongue. Botzaris let a frank laugh leave his lips as you stuck out your tongue, trying to relieve the pain with the fresh air, a few tears rolling down the corners of your eyes. The harpy in his great generosity fetched an ice cube from his fridge to give to you and help soothe the burn. As you shivered slightly at the feel of the ice cube melting against your tongue, you saw Botzaris drinking his tea more delicately, avoiding making the same mistake as you. He looked up at you again, waving one of his hands, the feathers on his forearms twitching as he moved in your direction.

"I'm glad you've finally managed to find a goal."

"Thanks, I guess ?" You declared, tilting your face slightly to the side.

Botzaris let an amused chuckle leave his lips as he finished drinking his cup of tea, while you began yours with a little more care this time. The two of you continued to talk for several more minutes, abandoning the subject matter of your books for more personal and less serious discussions. Your empty cup ended up next to Mr Botzaris's, only the faint smell of the infusion wafting through the warm, soft air of the room.

"So your event will be held at the end of next week ?" he asked, after your former teacher had mentioned his association.

"Yes, we'll be doing it on Sunday evening to allow as many people as possible to be able to attend and participate."

"What streets are you planning to march in ? How long do you plan to demonstrate ?"

"Well, we're planning to pass through the street..."

Mr Botzaris didn't have time to finish his sentence, as your phone, which you'd brought with you just in case, began to ring, the melody you'd chosen especially for Moon echoing through the apartment. You looked in the direction of the Fantastic facing you, the harpy letting a laugh leave his lips before making a movement with his hand, inviting you to answer. You silently thanked him before quickly picking up the phone, standing up and answering the call. You listened to Sun's voice on the other side of the phone, the animatronic greeting you cheerfully and asking about you, and after some banality exchanged Sun asked you to come to the police station to assist them once more.

You couldn't help but let a smile appear on your lips, nodding as if Sun could see you, quickly catching up with his and answering that you'd arrive as soon as possible. After Sun had said "See you in a minute", you hung up, turning towards Botzaris, a small, mixed expression appearing on your lips as you took in the mess on the dining table. The harpy let an amused sigh leave his lips as he shook his face slightly, then you saw him look up at you and say:

"Come on. Don't keep your two detectives waiting. I'll put these things away. You can pick them up later."

"Thank you very much, Mr Botzaris !" You sighed with a smile. "And sorry to leave you like this."

"Not at all. And that's okay, more important things are calling you."

"I promise to come back and finish our discussion later." You say.

"With pleasure."

You thanked the harpy once again, grabbing one of the books into which you'd slipped all the blank sheets of paper on which you'd scribbled all sorts of information and drawings. You placed the whole thing in your bag with your other belongings before slinging your bag over your shoulders and heading for the door of the Fantastic's apartment. As you passed the door, you stopped, turning to put your head through the doorway and say :

"See you later, Mr Botzaris!"

"See you later, take care y/n."

With another small smile on your lips you closed the door behind you, leaving your apartment to gain the streets of the Miracles District. You partially transformed yourself before starting to run, crossing the various streets and alleys that separated you from the nearest bus stop. You had to wait about ten minutes for your bus to arrive, usually you thought of yourself as someone who could contain your impatience, but this time the journey seemed horribly long. Your fingers tapped your knee to the rhythm of a song you'd heard on the radio and which had stuck in your head as you looked outside, watching the now more than familiar landscape go by.

You were happy to feel useful again after spending so much time with nothing to do but ask for news, you were also looking forward to sharing the results of your research with the two detectives, but above all, you were happy to be able to see the two animatronics in person. As much time as you'd spent researching the case, you'd also spent thinking about the two animatronics. This had been inevitable for you, after all, they were the main investigators, and you were merely assisting them, but you had begun to think about them, more than necessary. You realized that you missed their simple presence, but it wasn't the same sensation as when you ran out of food or water. It wasn't as sharp and unpleasant, no, it was more discreet, more tolerable, but present all the same, a little discomfort in your chest that became more pronounced when you thought a little harder about Moon and Sun and your heart rate quickened slightly.

It was just one more of those sensations you were discovering, or feeling, because of those two animatronics, even though you'd managed to understand it quickly enough since it wasn't the first time you'd missed someone. You often tried not to think about them, but the Heartons had a special place in your heart, they were your family and more often than not, you missed them. You knew that their door would always be open to you and that you missed them enormously, but you preferred not to go and see them, you didn't want to cause another accident.

Your fingers stopped moving momentarily as you traced back through your memories, before you stopped yourself, deciding not to complicate your mind with what you'd felt in the past and concentrate on what you were feeling now. You missed Sun and Moon, and part of you still hoped this was only the case because you associated them with the current investigation, but the other part, the part that worked on instinct and was unfortunately more often right, told you it wasn't that simple. Yes, you wanted to continue the investigation, but even if nothing was said, it would be fine with you if you found yourself sitting in a room plunged into silence, because you simply wanted to be in their company. Was it because they were your 'friends' ? You always struggled with that word, it didn't exactly sound right. But when you thought about it, you didn't miss the two detectives in exactly the same way as you missed your family.

You blinked and sighed, not understanding how the Human, Fantastics and Science Fiction species could cope with so much feeling and emotion, all trying to explore space or the depths of the oceans, or even trying to understand magic, but for you, the most mysterious and incomprehensible thing remained feelings. Lost in your reflections, you almost missed your bus stop, letting an insult leave your lips as you asked the bus driver to stop. Your lack of attention drew a few reproachful glances from the driver and others on the bus, but you didn't care, leaving the bus quickly to take to the streets of the district that housed the police station.

You pushed open the police station door and greeted the policemen at reception. One of them, with whom you got on well, even remarked that he hadn't seen you hanging around the station for several days. You jokingly replied that you'd been laid off because you'd been up to no good again. Strangely enough, they didn't believe you, now that you'd been working with Sun and Moon for several months and your reputation as a delinquent had slowly faded, you'd lost your notoriety, which was a little disappointing.

After wishing them a good day, you set off inside the police station until you reached the communal offices. You were surprised to see that there were far more policemen than usual, but the atmosphere in the room was far too friendly for anything serious to have happened. A few months ago, the sight of police time would have been one of your worst nightmares, you thought, letting a chuckle leave your lips. You moved forward between the various employees, greeting everyone a little as you tried to reach the lair of the two animatronics. Just as you'd almost escaped the crowd of policemen, your gaze was caught by a huge silhouette emerging from one of the interrogation rooms, and you couldn't miss it, for the silhouette of this animatronic dominated even that of its fellow creatures in the room.

You blinked, surprised to see him here. You opened the door of the room you were standing next to, placing your bag inside a little carelessly before suddenly transforming yourself. The few people next to you looked in your direction, slightly unsettled to see you suddenly disappear, without realizing that you had already slipped between their feet to reach the other side of the room without needing to elbow or apologize. You got to the other side of the room much more quickly and found a small corner to clear, meowing loudly enough for the people standing nearby to notice your presence before reverting to your human form. At the same time, you heard the sound of cymbals, which only piqued your curiosity even more. You turned your gaze in the direction of the metal giant and his mini version, who were also staring in your direction, a huge smile on their lips.

"DJ ! And Mini ! What are you doing here ?" You asked, moving closer to them.

You saw DJ waving his hand as Mini Music Man rattled his cymbals. You tilted your head to one side with an embarrassed expression. You opened your mouth ready to rephrase your question so that they could answer yes or no and you could understand them, but you didn't need to do all that because Sun suddenly appeared, leaving the interrogation room from which DJ and Mini had just emerged, only adding to your confusion. The animatronic Sun looked down in your direction, a smile appearing on his lips to reveal perfect teeth and slightly sharper canines as his rays made several complete turns around his skull. You couldn't help feeling your heart skip a beat as you met Sun's gaze, suddenly feeling the corner of your lips stretch into a small, uncontrolled smile.

"Hello Kitten. DJ and Mini Music Man are here because they were questioned after the arrests earlier this week." Sun replied, coming to stand next to the other two animatronics.

"Questioned ? But... They didn't do anything in this story. On the contrary, you could say they're victims." You sighed, slightly unsettled by Sun's words.

"We know that perfectly well. But we had no other choice. All the bar staff have been arrested, and Mini Music Man and DJ were among them." Sun declared, shaking his head slightly, a small, slightly guilty expression on his facial disc.

"Oh... I see."

You looked up at DJ and Mini for a few seconds, watching the two animatronics, slowly feeling a touch of guilt and sadness rise in the pit of your stomach as the two musicians were arrested for several days and interrogated even though they were innocent. And then the realization that they were now both unemployed struck you, now that Douglas had died and the two bars, having been involved in various crimes, had seen their doors closed, probably permanently, the two animatronics could no longer exercise their professions. This was all the more worrying as both were living in the warehouse next door to the bar, and you hoped they hadn't been evicted from their homes. It wasn't your fault directly, you hadn't been the one to arrest them, or even Douglas to employ them, but indirectly, you wondered if your bad luck hadn't indirectly affected them.

"A-Are you all right ? I mean, are... Are you going to be all right ? Now that the bar's closed, how are you going to work? What about...? Has the warehouse where you set up shop been raided ? Where are you going to live ?"

You saw the two metal musicians looking curiously in your direction as Sun froze, the three of them trying to process your sudden flood of questions. After a few moments, DJ began to wave his hands, a small smile grimacing on his lips, and you turned to Sun for an explanation, but DJ stopped waving. You heard footsteps behind you, but didn't immediately turn around. You felt a hand on your shoulder, making you jump a little.

You tilted your head back, coming face to face with Moon's facial disk, the animatronic had tilted his face just above yours, his red optics plunging into your eyes as he watched you with a raised smile, a small mocking smirk on his lips. The pom-pom of his nightcap fell slightly in your direction, making you want to reach out and play with it, your playful kitten side speaking slightly. But you put off the idea sooner, confused by Moon's proximity to you. Not only was his face in front of yours, but his torso was pressed lightly against your back, at least at the level of your shoulder blades, your clothes were touching his torso. You could feel the warmth emanating from his metal torso through the thickness of your sweater, caressing your skin, the slightest vibration created by his mechanics reverberating through your body.

"For a criminal, you sure worry a lot about other people." Moon declared, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm not perfect, but I'm not heartless either." You sighed, frowning. "I never wanted to drag innocent people into these stories."

"Hmm... DJ and Mini Music Man won't have any trouble. The converted warehouse they live in won't be closed for investigation either, it wasn't legally part of the bar and therefore doesn't need to be searched, I've just checked with Vanessa. They will, however, have to look for new work, but DJs and other sound engineers are wanted so I have no doubt they'll soon find something to occupy themselves with."

"Oh..." You declared with a surprised and relieved expression.

Moon hissed lightly through his teeth as he rolled his eyes in amusement, you felt his hand on your shoulder move, coming to rest at the back of your neck, his fingers brushing your skin as they slipped lightly between your hair, as he pushed lightly on your skull forcing your face back into its usual position and releasing the pressure that had begun to build in your neck. You blinked slightly, a small "Ah" leaving your lips as you faced DJ, Mini and Sun again. You felt Moon's fingers leave your skin, unable to stop yourself shivering as you felt his thumb caress the back of your neck, the nocturnal animatronic bellowing :

"Look ahead, you're going to strain your neck."

"You're the one who went behind my back to talk to me." You replied, wrinkling your nose and trying to ignore the shivering and pounding of your heart.

Moon hummed a reply before moving to stand next to you, his arm lightly touching yours as you were forced to maintain a certain proximity so as not to disturb the other policemen coming and going in the large room. Sun had regained his smile, nodding in your direction as if to reassure you and approve Moon's words, about what ? You didn't know, but his smile managed to relax you, erasing the guilt you'd previously felt. It was noisy all around you, but your attention was focused entirely on the two detectives, your heart was beating slightly faster than necessary and the sensation that spread from your heart to the pit of your stomach was very slightly more pronounced than usual, you were happy to see them again at last.

After a few seconds of silence, you turned your attention back to DJ and Mini Music Man. You blinked as DJ looked between Sun, Moon and you, and you saw him bring one of his fingers to his cheek to pat it as if he were thinking before suddenly snapping the fingers of one of his hands, his smile that had momentarily faded coming back even wider. You saw him turn to Mini, the two of them seemingly exchanging information as you watched the little metal creature freeze before clanging his cymbals repeatedly, nodding. DJ turned towards you, reaching out his hand to pat the top of your head, Mini Music Man climbing onto his partner's hand to do the same with you.

"DJ ? Mini ?" You asked, not understanding the sudden gesture of the animatronic and his mini version.

You saw DJ's other hands waving to allow him to make another sign, but you could only see half of what he was saying, because of his other hand and Mini who kept ruffling your hair, and you couldn't understand anything you were seeing. You let a little confused pout appear on your lips. You then suddenly heard a strange noise leave Moon's and Sun's voiceboxes simultaneously, and you looked in Sun's direction to see him looking in DJ's direction, his pupils dilated, his rays spinning around his face disc at such a speed that you could see their images spinning in the other direction. His cheeks were so flushed that if you hadn't seen him, you'd almost have thought Sun was blood orange.

Seeing such a major reaction, you squinted in Moon's direction to find the nocturnal animatronic in a similar state of shock and embarrassment. Moon had raised one of his hands to lip level, his palm pressing against his chin and lips as his fingers fanned out over the rest of his face, trying but failing to hide the red that colored his facial disk, bringing out his freckles on the lighter side of his face and almost illuminating the darker side. You slowly saw his other hand grasp the brim of his nightcap. You frowned, lifting both hands to catch DJ's wrist and stop his movement, also managing to pull Mini slightly away from the top of your skull, to allow you to look at him with a frown.

"What did you say to them to make them overheat like that ? This is the first time I've seen them like this.... Are you all right ?"

Your last question had been addressed to Sun and Moon but they didn't answer you, you simply saw DJ thumbing his four hands in the air as Mini Music Man struck his cymbals. You didn't understand most of what he was saying, but you understood that he was addressing Moon, Sun and you, as he pointed at you with his different hands. You then saw Moon suddenly become agitated, starting to open his mouth to say something, but he stopped himself and began to express himself in sign language in response to DJ.

You saw DJ's smile fade to a new expression of surprise before he placed one of his hands over his mouth before moving it to rest on his chest at heart level and writing circles. It was one of the signs you understood that meant 'sorry', but you couldn't understand why DJ was apologizing. You let out an increasingly annoyed sigh at being sidelined, you didn't blame DJ because he couldn't speak, but Moon and Sun were supposed to be your translators and they clearly weren't doing their job. At any rate, Moon, Sun still seemed to be unable to function, his two hands raised to hide his face.

"Guys, I'm feeling a bit left out here..." You say, crossing your arms over your chest, a little pout on your face.

You saw Moon looking in your direction, his pupils shifting from you to DJ to Sun, who, hearing your voice, had snapped out of your trance-like state. After calming down, his rays had finally decided not to move as his optics looked in your direction, a guilty little grimace appearing on the face of the animatronic Sun. Moon, too, had managed to overcome his embarrassment, the flush in his cheeks having largely subsided and his hand relinquishing the firm grip it had on his nightcap. After an exchange of glances with Sun, Moon raised one of his hands to his lips, coughing slightly before clearing his throat, even though he didn't technically need to do this since he was an animatronic.

"Sorry Kitten, DJ just surprised us by telling us we were... handsome." Moon declared, looking away.

You blinked, a grimace of utter incomprehension appearing on your face before you let out a half-amused, half-desperate sigh. You looked in the direction of Moon and Sun before shaking your face, a mocking chuckle leaving your lips. It was funny to see them react like that to a simple compliment, for animatronics, for such intelligent, serious and relentless detectives it's funny to see them lose all their imagery at the mere words 'you're handsome', but you remembered that you'd got a similar reaction from them the time you yourself had complimented their physical appearance.

"Sunny, Moony, you're far too sensitive."

"W-We're not more sensitive than normal, everyone would react the same way when receiving this kind of compliment."

"No." You replied almost immediately and seriously.

"How can you be so sure of that ?" Sun asked, frowning. "If I suddenly told you that you're cute."

You blinked looking in Sun's direction, raising an eyebrow. Letting a small smile appear on your face, you lifted one of your hands, doing as Moon did a few seconds ago by clearing your throat in preparation for acting. You straightened up slightly before tilting your face to the side with a fake, flattering smile, closing your eyes and almost manga-like saying :

"Thank you very much !"

You then suddenly abandoned your false expression, letting your shoulders drop, your hands slipping into your pockets as your face regained its mocking expression. The surprised expressions of the animatronics facing you didn't go unnoticed, making you chuckle inwardly as you showed them your acting skills. You'd often had to lie and pretend to get out of a tight spot, and this was an important quality for a thief, as it enabled you to change your profile and adapt to the person facing you from whom you wanted to steal something. Besides, you were constantly lying about who you really were, so it wasn't any harder than that.

"How can you react so calmly to a compliment ?" Sun sighed, almost confused.

"Simply because I'm used to being exposed to four kinds of compliments. That of friends and family, that of old people who come and pinch your cheeks when complimenting you, that of those who tell you out of politeness and street harassment."

"So you've never taken the compliments people pay you as something sincere ?" Moon questioned.

"Nope. I'm not stupid enough to fall for mere words. As they say, believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear." You replied, shaking your face slightly.

"That's a sad way to think." Sun declared almost with an expression of disappointment.

"I grew up in the Miracle District, and that's the kind of thinking that keeps us alive and out of trouble." You sigh with a shrug.

"So... If we give you compliments you don't consider them sincere ?" Sun asked.

"That would depend on the situation. I'd consider your compliments friendly and simply polite. Like that time at the bar."

Silence settled over your little group, but it was hardly noticeable because of the ambient din. Your gaze was caught by DJ who, after an awkward grimace in the direction of two metal detectives, turned to smile at you, shrugging slightly as if to say that he too was lost. Mini Music Man had tilted his head to one side as he continued to look at you, and you made him strike his cymbals, prompting DJ to extend his arm so that Mini was facing you. The little animatronic shifted and climbed onto your shoulder, and you were slightly surprised to feel his full weight on you, but you didn't flinch, he was much lighter than you'd expected.

After passing his cymbals into one of his hands, his other hand came to caress the top of your head. You giggled lightly as you felt Mini rub his cheek against yours, a sincere laugh leaving your lips as the little animatronic seemed to understand that you trusted actions more than words. You'd always been more the type to prove to those you loved that you loved them through actions, however small, rather than simply telling them. Not that you were incapable of telling them, it was just that it was strange to you. Words could be misleading and people could interpret what you said in the way that suited them best, but it was harder with actions. It was also easier to make someone understand that you didn't like them by growling and scratching than to waste your time explaining it to them.

After a few seconds you raised your hand to pat Mini's skull as he did yours, surprising the little animatronic by imitating his gesture. DJ left a big smile on his face before shaking his head in amusement, then moved his hands once more, communicating with Moon and Sun who translated his gestures for you, the metal giant saying it was time for him and his Mini version to go home. After saying good-bye and wishing them luck for the future, DJ patted you on the head one last time, the two musicians left the police station. You turned back to Sun and Moon, who had stood motionless near the interrogation room after waving goodbye to DJ and Mini Music Man.

"And so ? What's the news on the case ?"

"Oh yes, that's right." Sun said, seeming to snap out of her thoughts. "Let's go into the study so we can talk more quietly."

"All right."

You then saw the Moon turn their backs and walk into the crowd in the police station, you looked at the crowd and suddenly the idea of having to struggle to make your way between the various policemen put you off. Once again, you considered the option of transforming yourself to get between their feet, but when you saw Sun turn his back, a new idea suddenly crossed your mind. You called the name of the animatronic Sun, who turned in your direction, stopping to question you silently with his eyes, his rays waving a little. After making sure you had his attention, you transformed, adopting your feline form to approach the detective. Sun froze for a second in surprise, allowing you to curl up before jumping off.

Sun reacted automatically, his arms closing around your feline form as his fingers dug into your gray fur. Sun looked down at you, her dark pupils dilated in surprise as you wriggled between his hands, reaching for his shoulder with your front paws, clawing in and out almost childlike. Sun blinked for a second, his eyebrows furrowing, before he finally understood, lifting you to his shoulder and releasing his grip on your feline body. You immediately climbed onto the animatronic's shoulder and settled in.

Sun's shoulder was wide enough to allow you to lie on it in your feline form, which you did to keep your balance more easily and avoid having to pull out your claws and damaging the animatronic's clothes. Sun turned his facial disk in your direction, and you saw his rays start to move slightly before stopping, Sun having forced his rays not to move so as not to hinder you or risk hurting you. You lowered your muzzle towards the animatronic, staring into its eyes as you heard it laugh softly.

"Are you comfortable ?"

You let a purring mewl leave your muzzle, another laugh leaving Sun's voice box as he shook his facial disc once more, his movement slightly agitating his metal body and you with it. Sun then set off through the crowd as you perched comfortably on his shoulder, not having to worry about anyone stepping on your tail or falling off because of you. What's more, with Sun's size, it was easy for the other policemen to give way to him, casting curious glances as they saw you perched on his shoulder.

You let your eyes roam up and down the office, perched as you were on the animatronic's shoulder, seeing the precinct as you'd never seen it before. Everything suddenly seemed so small, even the other animatronics and the people who, when you were in human form, were taller than you. You couldn't help being amused by the situation, your tail wagging lightly against Sun's back as he glanced in your direction before letting a small laugh leave his lips.

"Sun !"

As Sun stopped, you turned your head in the direction of Monty, who was approaching you both. The metal crocodile was holding several documents in his hands, and while Sun could see other people moving out of his way because of his size, Monty was making his way thanks to his imposing stature. Monty stopped in front of Sun, his muzzle lowered in the direction of the documents, and as he raised his head and opened his mouth to say something, his gaze fell on you, who quickly blinked in his direction, wiggling your ears as if in silent greeting. Monty blinked, a grimace distorting his face, before he finally rolled his eyes, lifting the documents in his hand and handing them to the detective on whose shoulder you were standing.

"Eug... Here are the documents you asked for."

Sun reached out, retrieving the documents Monty had given him to leaf through quickly, nodding. He then looked up at his alligator colleague with a smile and a small nod.

"Thanks a lot Monty."

The concerner let a heavy sigh leave his nostrils as he nodded, his eyes landing on you. You saw a mocking smile appear on his metal muzzle, revealing his perfectly aligned white teeth, before he started to lift one of his big metal hands in your direction, his index finger and thumb stretched out towards your whiskers, ready to pull on them. You raised one of your paws ready to strike him if he dared touch your whiskers, but before your paw had time to strike Monty or Monty had time to touch you Sun took a small step backwards. Both you and Monty looked in Sun's direction with the same surprised expression.

You blinked as Sun grinned in Monty's direction, his rays twitching slightly as he moved from right to left. You frowned feline-like, your raised paw coming to rest again on Sun's shoulder as you tried to figure out why the animatronic was annoyed, because even though he had a smile on his face, you knew from all your contact with him that the jerky movements of his rays meant that something was bothering Sun.

"Don't bother them, Monty, or they'll fall off." Sun said.

"Tch... What are they doing in their animal form ? Vanessa said no transforming in the police station." Monty sighed with a mocking look in your direction.

Your ears laid back against your skull as you fur bristled slightly, wagging your tail in a mock display of anger. Monty let a mocking laugh leave his muzzle, a flicker of mockery in his eyes as you playfully deified each other with your gaze. You then saw Sun's hand rise in your direction, coming to rest between your ears to pat your skull very gently, your ears immediately returning to their original position as the walking sun looked at you out of the corner of his eye. You saw a smile form on Sun's lips before he winked at you, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He then turned his attention back to Monty, saying teasingly:

"Well, Vanessa's not exactly here to see them. Besides, they're with me, I gave them permission. Do you have anything to say about that, Agent Montgomery ?"

You saw Monty's pupils dilate in surprise. You felt your lips stretch into a smile at Sun's abuse of authority, which was all in jest and playfulness, but which brought you a certain satisfaction and a new form of amusement. You stuck your tongue out at Monty, your tail curling as you once again lay comfortably against Sun's shoulder, almost like a cat's villain in a cartoon. Monty blinked before a light laugh left his voice box, then raised his hands in the air to show his defeat.

"Okay okay Inspector, I'm going. See you later."

At his words Monty turned on his heels, continuing to laugh lightly as his tail wagged behind him. Sun looked in your direction before letting a laugh leave his lips, heading back towards the private office. As you entered the room, you motioned to Sun to retrieve your bag from the doorway, indicating it with one of your paws and a mewl. Once inside the office you saw Moon look up in your direction, his eyebrows furrowing over his optics as he saw you perched on one of Sun's shoulders. Sun's animatronics moved closer to the table before stopping, allowing you to leap from his shoulder directly onto the table. Once on the table, you resumed your human appearance, crossing your legs cross-legged almost immediately as you looked in Sun's direction, a sincere smile on your lips as you said :

"Thanks for sticking up for me. It was fun to see Monty capitulate, usually he'd have tested me until duty called."

"You're welcome Kitten. If he bothers you again next time don't hesitate to come to us."

"May I ask what happened ?" Moon asked.

"Nothing important. We just taught Monty a lesson." Sun replied.

You felt the solar animatronic's gaze slide over to you, his eyes meeting yours before he let a small laugh accompanied by a smile appear on his lips, a new hint of red lightly coloring his cheeks. Moon let out a small, half-amused, half-exasperated sigh before rolling his eyes. Unable to hold Sun's gaze, you looked away, pretending to look at the information board, feeling your heart miss a beat and your face color ever so slightly. Eventually, you got over your emotions enough to ask :

"So what's the news ?"

"Yes. Thanks to the testimony of DJ, Mini and some other employee of 'The Horned Goat' we've been able to confirm that the notebook Mini Music Man gave us belonged to Douglas." Moon began.

"This means we'll be able to investigate Silvio Notaga and his companies much more openly. Likewise we'll be able to arrest and track down all the biggest buyers of 'Fairy Dusk' who are surely mostly dealers like Jenna Royn." Sun continued, placing the documents Monty had given him on the table.

"This is... That's great !" You declared.

"And that's not all. The victims who were kidnapped and rescued were also interviewed, and profiles were drawn up to determine the criteria on which the victims were selected." Moon continued with a little more seriousness.

"Contrary to what we thought, the victims are not..."

Sun didn't finish his sentence as several knocks were heard on the office door before it opened on the silhouette of a human policeman, drawing the attention of all three of you. The policeman grinned in your direction before saying :

"Sorry to interrupt, but this is to let you know that the photographer has arrived and everything is ready."

Chapter Text

"Oh. Thank you. We'll be there in a few moments." Moon replied.

You had tilted your head in curiosity, your eyebrows furrowing slightly above your eyes as you watched the policeman nod before closing the door and leaving the three of you again. You then turned almost instantly in the direction of the two metal detectives and asked :

"What's going on ? Why is there a photographer ?"

"Every year police station takes a photo of all its employees." Sun replied with a smile.

"Why ?" You asked.

"So we can have a souvenir and discuss it in later years." Moon sighed. "Every year things change, some policemen have left, others have arrived. Looking at the photos from before, we remember the cases we had and solved, the moments we had... It's basically a photo like anyone would do, but here with all the precinct employees."

"That explains why there are all these people at the police station !" You exclaimed. "Is it really everyone ?"

"Unfortunately not. Vanessa tried to bring in as many people as possible, but the police just can't stop working. Vanessa made sure that everyone who didn't show up in last year's photo was there this time. She rotates them every year." Sun declared.

"We should get going so we don't keep the others waiting any longer." Moon interjected.

"Yes." Sun replied.

You saw the two animatronics head for the door and leave, hesitating for a second before following them silently. The shared offices were now almost entirely empty, except for a few stragglers like Moon and Sun who, like the two animatronics, were heading for the exit. You passed the entrance where there were only two policemen, as opposed to the usual four, one of them joking with Sun and Moon and telling them to "say Cheese". When you arrived outside the police station, you saw that all the station's employees had gathered in front of the entrance to their place of work, conversations swapping places to create a light hubbub, you could hear laughter here and there as everyone tried to find their place following the directions of Vanessa and the photographer.

As Moon and Sun set off towards the rest of the station to take their places, your curiosity led you to the place where the equipment for the shot was located. The photographer had set up all his equipment in front of the crowd of policemen, and on the floor were several dark plastic crates, some open, some not. There were a few cables here and there and even some lamps, probably for lighting if the weather had been bad, but today was a beautiful day, the sky blue with a few lazy clouds here and there of immaculate white. Your gaze fell on the camera, and it only took one look for you to realize that it was worth a fortune. The camera camera with a lens as long as your forearm, had been placed on a tripod, the height closely adjusted and the distance calculated to allow you to take a picture of everyone, including the police station behind.

"It's a beautiful camera isn't it ?"

You turned your attention to the photographer you'd been unconsciously ignoring. The man who had spoken to you was a Kitsune, his almond-shaped eyes delicately and carefully made up, the same care given to his hair and varnished nails. His clothes were slightly off-beat and much more colorful than you'd expect from a photographer, but you weren't any more surprised than that. Kitsunes had long been known for seducing humans, and whether good or bad, Kitsunes attached importance to their looks, and this was even more true today. You hummed for a few seconds, nodding as you crossed your arms behind your back.

"Yeah. I think I stole a model like that a few years ago. After I sold it, I had enough money to eat for a little over a month." You reply with an admiring click of your tongue.

You made the Kitsune freeze in surprise, his pupils dilating slightly, if his tail had been out, he'd surely have wagged it in anguish. You could read in his eyes all the questions running through his mind, but you understood his astonishment. The poor guy had probably mistaken you for a police employee, or at least someone actively working alongside them like a secretary or similar. He certainly wasn't expecting to be conversing with a criminal currently employed as a consultant. You let an amused, mocking laugh leave your lips before waving one of your gloved hands at the kitsune, dipping your other hand into your pocket.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning to steal your equipment, not went we're in the presence of an entire police station."

"Well, thank you for that." Declared the kitsune with a small sigh of relief.

"I don't think you need to thank me for that." You say jokingly.

"Probably." Replied the kitsune before looking towards and giving a little nod in the direction of the group of policemen. "Why don't you go and take a seat with the others for the photo ?"

"Er... I'm not exactly form the police. I don't think I belong in their picture. I'm there simply as a spectator. I also don't want my soul sucked into your machine."

You heard the kitsune sigh in amusement at your last comment and the stupid superstition. This superstition came from the fact that, long before the Great Revelation, most Fantastics who were photographed were killed by humans, the photo condemned them to death, and somehow 'stole' their souls. You saw the photographer look at you out of the corner of his eye before turning to face the group of policemen who had finally set up in such a way that they could all appear in the photo.

Your gaze wandered over each of the policemen, seeing Roxy, Chica and Monty. Freddy's absence didn't surprise you, knowing how much the metal bear cared about the state of the Skinwalker rat who'd you rescued him from the dump. Vanessa was completely to the right of the group of policemen, the Glamrocks were a little to the left of the middle, placed behind due to their great size, while Sun and Moon were at the far left. Behind them, the police station seemed to stand tall and proud, the entrance proudly highlighted and illuminated by the afternoon sun. You let your eyes drift back to the two inspectors you were working with, your gaze immediately growing colored in their optics. You then saw Sun wave his hands in your direction, as if to tell you to come over, while exclaiming :

"What are you doing, Kitten ? Hurry up !"

"What ?" You sighed in confusion.

"Don't come here, we're waiting for you." Moon added with a smile.

"Why ?"

"For the photo, silly !" Sun said with a chuckle.

"What ?!" You repeated. "But I..."

"Stop asking questions for once and come on." Moon growled lightly.

"y/n Hearton, will you please hurry up and stop wasting everyone's time." Vanessa's voice suddenly intervened.

You blinked, your orbs (e/c) shifting from Moon and Sun to Vanessa. You met the apple-green gaze of the commissioner, who had raised an eyebrow in your direction, ready to continue her reproaches if you didn't get moving immediately. The blonde didn't have to repeat herself twice, you looked in the direction of the kitsune who had let an amused smile appear on his lips before quickly crossing the distance that separated you from the group of policemen, some of whom giggled amiably while others simply smiled at you.

You made your way to stand in front of Sun and Moon, not really knowing what to do. With your size, you should have been in the front rows, but you didn't really want to be alone. Nor did you want to impose yourself on a photo where you didn't belong. You heard Moon chuckle, his red eyes drooping in your direction before his facial disk did the same, a broad smile forming on his lips as he huffed with mockery and curiosity :

"How come you immediately obey Vanessa when we don't ?"

"Well, I must admit I'm genuinely terrified of that woman. I once saw her punch an ogre in the face with her bare fist ! She's the kind of human described in stories for young Fantastics who refuses to obey. I tease her and disobey here and there, but I'm not going to push my luck too far."

"So... You're not afraid of us ?" Sun questioned as she lowered his face towards you, his rays making a full circle.

"I'm not now." You replied.

"Were you afraid of us before ?" Sun continued, tilting her facial disk.

"Yes, but not for long. When you chased me the first time I was afraid you'd shoot me with your guns, and when you'd arrested me I was afraid you'd send me to prison for something I hadn't done." You admitted with a grimace.

You saw Sun and Moon blink at your honesty before exchanging a look of agreement. You heard the photographer ask everyone to look in his direction as he was about to take the photo, and you turned to face the photographer. You couldn't really see him and he couldn't see you, and that suited you just fine, so you let a little sigh leave your lips. You then suddenly felt hands close around your waist, your pupils dilating immediately as a very feline sound of surprise left your lips as you felt yourself being lifted off the ground, your tail and ears appearing in self-defense reflex. In the blink of an eye, you found yourself installed high up on the shoulders of the two animatronic detectives.

You lowered your dilated pupils towards Sun and Moon, the two animatronics having pressed their shoulders, Sun's right shoulder and Moon's left, together, leaving no space between them and allowing you to sit on both their shoulders at the same time, putting you right between them. Their hands were wrapped around your legs at knee and thigh level, Sun on your left and Moon on your right holding your respective legs on either side. You found yourself much higher than the rest of the group, and if you'd been hidden earlier, you were no longer hidden now that you towered above everyone else. A few policemen in front of and beside you were looking curiously in your direction, while your attention was entirely and completely on Moon and Sun.

You could feel your cat ears twitching and your cheeks warming, your heart drumming in your chest as the two detectives stared at your face, smiles on their lips that only added to your embarrassment and turmoil of emotions. Their optics shone with many emotions, amusement, malice, joy and others you couldn't decipher. You could hear their mechanisms vibrating, sounding like a light, pleasant humming in your ears. Your hands, which had instinctively come to grip their shoulders when Moon and Sun had lifted you, closed a little tighter against their clothes as you held back from purring in response, your tail wagging slightly. You opened your mouth to find yourself suddenly at a loss for words, your throat knotting as your breaths and heart continued to flicker in irregular rhythms. You heard, and felt, Moon giggle, softly against and beneath you, making you focus your attention on him and note his spiraling cheekbones slightly flushed.

"Kitten, don't think you're hiding from the camera." Moon purred, winking.

"You belong in that photo just as much as we do Kitten !" Sun exclaimed. "After all, you work with the police, you're our consultant and our friend !"

You turned to Sun as he spoke, watching the solar animatronic grin radiantly in your direction, his beams around his facial disk making several full turns and hus cheeks tinged pink. You could almost hear your heart beating in your ears, so much so that you almost missed the photographer, who once again demanded everyone's attention for the photo. You looked towards the camera, your heart still pounding in your chest, your hands closed on the clothes of your two detectives a little more, the two animatronics responding by tightening their grip on your legs their metal fingers digging lightly into your skin in an almost pleasurable way. Then, just before the photo was taken, you let a sincere smile appear on your face, your tail wagging slightly in delight.

You heard the photographer's camera make several little clicks, signaling that they were taking several photos, before finally the kitsune straightened up, grinning in your direction and saying that everything was fine. Immediately, the policemen began chatting amongst themselves, abandoning the formation they'd taken for the photo, some dispersing to head back towards the police station, while others, surely in charge of the patrol, headed for the parking lot where their car was parked. You waved your tail, lowering your eyes to Moon and Sun who looked up at you, both flashing you a smile before you felt their hands move slightly around your waist to help you off their shoulders.

"Thanks." You sighed once your feet were back on the ground.

"No need to thank us Kitten." Sun replied with another smile.

"Now we should seriously discuss everything we've been able to get from interviewing the victims. And the other good news that's come our way." Moon declared.

"Humph. I've also been doing some research of my own regarding the Fantastics charged in this case, thanks to Mr Botzaris I've been able to establish a few theories and made some discoveries that might be of interest to the investigation."

You headed back inside the police station, your heart still beating a little faster than normal but slowly calming down. Before disappearing inside the building, your gaze lingered for a second on the photographer who was chatting with Vanessa. You managed to pick up a small fragment of their conversation, the kitsune announcing that the photos would be ready within a few days, next week at the latest. Now that the photo had been taken, the police station had regained its usual calm, and you entered the office once more, immediately going to take your place on the table while you grabbed your bag that Sun had placed on the table. After grabbing the book inside and placing it on the table in front of you, you looked up at the two animatronics, waiting for them to pick up where you left off.

You saw Sun approach a stack of files that had been set up on the table a little further away, grab the pile of documents before returning to you, pulling out the nearest chair before sitting down on the chair closest to you. You then saw them open each folder he had taken, revealing the first page which was a document containing general information about people, each folder being dedicated to one person. The facial expressions of the two animatronics had once again become serious, and while Sun continued with the folders, Moon turned to the board on which no new information seemed to have been added.

Intrigued by the files, you grabbed one of the presentation cards of one of the victims who'd been kidnapped. At first glance, nothing in particular caught your attention, until you came to the section on the victim's species. You frowned as you read that the victim was human. You immediately put the document back in its respective folder and grabbed another information sheet, ignoring all the information to go straight to the species. Like the first person, the second victim to be saved was a human, and so were the third and fourth and all the other victims who had been saved.

"All the people who were kidnapped are... humans ?" You asked, looking up at Sun.

"Yes, it would seem so." Sun replied, absent-mindedly playing with the corner of a folder. "The victims were questioned to see if they had anything in common or if they knew each other before they were kidnapped, but none of them knew each other personally."

"We did, however, manage to establish two points in common between the various victims. The first point, as you've seen, is that all the kidnapped people are human, and the second point is that in one way or another these people are alone." Moon declared.

"What do you mean by 'alone' ?"

"What we mean is that these people had no one to report their disappearances. The victims are either homeless, orphans, people living alone with little or no family." Sun continued. "With this kind of profile, even if they disappeared no one cared about their sudden disappearance, where no one was even aware they existed in the first place."

"You said there were orphans ? But the people in charge of the orphans, or the adults in charge of them, must have been aware of the children's absence, right ?" You asked, slightly unsettled.

"Most of the children who disappeared were entering their teens, and according to the orphanages we contacted, the youngsters who went missing were used to running away or disappearing for several days at a time. So they didn't bother to report the young victims missing." Growled Sun, his hands balled into fists and hos eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"Do you remember the two young people we saw in front of 'The Pan Flute' ?" Moon questioned, turning to you. "Hugo and Fio ? Their friend who'd disappeared was called Rory and we were able to talk to him. He used not to go back to the orphanage at night and was trying to find work so he could leave as soon as possible. One day, a man gave him a prospectus for a job offer and he went along. Arriving at the bar he was attacked and restrained by a group of Fantastics before being transported to the old factory with the other victims."

"All the victims described more or less similar stories, only the place and time of the job interview changed each time. The method remained the same, someone would approach them with flyers for a more-than-interesting job and then they'd be abducted." Sun added.

"The leaflet distributors are probably Fantastics at recognizing by smell whether the victim was human or not, whether they had family ect.... Someone who has family or is close to many people tends to have a very mixed body odor due to the proximity and different interactions with those close to them. It's quite difficult to detect, but not impossible if you take the time and have a keen nose. You should try looking for the leaflet distributors, I'm sure they were bar staff, or customers who frequented the bars regularly. Douglas certainly wouldn't waste time researching and hiring employees for this. Look for employees with unexplained promotions. Think about interviewing all colleagues, jealousy and money are often the motives that drive us to denounce even people we consider our friends. Oh, and you can narrow down the field of search for leaflet distributors to Fantastics with a good sense of smell, eliminating Elves, Nymphs, Bird-walkers and Vampires, who have a good sense of smell but only for blood. Also eliminate Fantastics with disturbing or frightening appearances, such as Trolls, Naga, Minotaurs, etc. Humans tend to be suspicious and not pay attention to what these kinds of Supernaturals say."

"I'm going to ask some policemen to take charge of this research." Sun declared. "If the leaflet distributors were customers they may not have been paid but surely got discounts and free drinks. Surely the employees were made aware of this through messages, notes or in some other way that would allow all employees to be aware of it."

You heard Moon hum slightly, before turning to the board displaying all the information you'd gathered. The animatronic Moon grabbed a rag to erase the theory you'd previously written about the kidnap victims being Fantastics whose magic was then extracted to produce Fairy Dust. Sun caught your eye again, making you look at him as he handed you the photocopies of the notebook he and Moon had made when you infiltrated The Pan Flute. You felt a small ball of embarrassment form in the pit of your stomach as you thought about what you'd had to do to get the two animatronics inside the secret bar, but you quickly pushed it aside to concentrate on Sun. With his index finger, the solar detective pointed out the various items of information he'd written on the documents, associating the details of the latest victims found with those written in the notebook, confirming that Douglas had indeed been involved in human trafficking.

"And the other victims, those who unfortunately could not yet be found, can we find out if they were human or not ?" You asked.

"We can't. But from the information in the notebook and the lack of specifications regarding the species of the victims, we think they were all human." Sun replied.

"But... The Skinwalkers I found at the dump ? Surely they were victims kidnapped by Douglas before being sold to Silvio ?"

"Um... There's a probability that Mr Notaga is abducting Fantastics through other intermediaries. He certainly doesn't do it himself so as not to get his hands dirty, plus he can easily get rid of those he uses, cutting off any connections linking them to him." Moon declared, writing the word 'victims' accompanied by a question mark on the blackboard.

"Maybe." Sun sighed, tapping his chin with his index finger before turning to you. "Is there something special about rat skinwalkers ? Does turning into rats, animals often used in laboratories, affect anything ?"

"Not really. Skinwalkers are the species most frequently encountered in the Fantastic community, the species which, during the period when Fantastic were still hiding, concealed themselves most easily. Similarly, the genes responsible for the Skinwalkers condition are dominant, even in the face of other Fantastic genes. Rats are one of the most common Walkers. But finding so many of them dead was really strange, and they didn't even seem to be from the same family."

You let a sigh leave your lips, your ears lying lightly against your skull as your tail struck the table, causing some of the documents on the table to move. You tried to think of a reason why Humans and Fantastics could be abducted, if it had only been one species or the other you could have come up with a logical explanation, Fantastics were used to extract magic while Humans alone were surely killed or tortured for pleasure, you knew there were also some crazies who consumed human meat or illegally harvested human blood but the profiles didn't entirely match, it was like animal meat, normally only the best specimens were bred and consumed.

But here there were humans and Fantastics, Fantastics who were all Rat-walkers. You couldn't help but think back to those poor Fantastics, and how they had strangely retained their animal appearance even after death, something that had greatly disturbed you and that kept running through your mind. You had tried to do some research, consulting all sorts of books and encyclopedias to try and find cases of 'post-mortem no-transformation', but you hadn't found any. You were almost beginning to doubt what you'd seen, but the DNA tests had confirmed that the youngster you'd saved had been a Skinwalker, and the smell of Skinwalkers had been too much to bear, sure, it'd been mixed in, but it was still there to confirm that they were Skinwalkers and not just lab rats.

Your tail suddenly froze, a horrible thought slowly beginning to creep into your mind as you revisited the images of the Skinwalkers' corpses, the smell of Fantastic and human intermingled on the bodies, almost disappearing behind the odors of death and decomposition. None of the Fantastics capable of transforming while dying retained their second form, the magic left their bodies at the same time as their last breath, it was an inevitable law of nature. It was one of the things that had confused humans for years, when they'd only thought of hitting an animal with their car, or after tracking down and kill a wild animal they'd find themselves with a dead human on their hands, unable to explain to the authorities how they'd managed to confuse a human with an animal.

So if these rats had originally been Skinwalkers, they wouldn't have kept their animal forms. After doing your research, you had concluded that even if all their magic had been extracted, they would still have recovered their human physical appearance, and if they weren't rats either, then that could only mean one thing... that they were humans. No, that was an unlikely theory, given that it was impossible to naturally transmit a Fantastics condition, apart from that of werewolves, and the rats you'd seen were clearly a long way from being lycanthropes. But the more you thought about it, the more your instincts were screaming at you that you were on the right track, on the trail to follow and explore, that magic wasn't the only thing to use.

"...tten ? Kitten ?" Sun's voice beside you suddenly declared.

You turned your face sharply in his direction, your sudden movement slightly startling the solar animatronic whose pupils dilated and the rays surrounding his facial disk made several small movements. You also noticed Moon's presence on the other side of the table, right next to you. He'd moved closer, his eyebrows furrowed over his red eyes, one of his hands outstretched as if trying to reach out and pull you out of your thoughts. You saw Moon let his arm fall along his body before placing one of his hands on the table, his mechanical fingers clicking lightly against the wood as he tilted his facial disk, the pompom of his bonnet falling from his shoulder as he asked :

"You were thinking about something. What is it ?"

"I... No. It's probably nothing. It's mostly impossible" You sigh with a nervous chuckle.

"It's certainly not nothing, seeing how your tail fur has bristled." Sun declared with a small movement of his hand in the direction of your tail.

You looked down at your tail, noting how, with your mixture of fear and anger, your hair had bristled to the point where your tail seemed to have doubled in size. You gritted your teeth, grabbing your tail between your two hands to bring it back in front of you and smooth your fur, forcing it to recover its usual look more quickly. You hated so much the fact that you were unable to hide your feelings when you were in your full or half-feline form. It was one of the qualities and faults of animals, they couldn't lie about how they felt. You saw Moon's hand move to rest against your knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It doesn't matter if it's impossible or not, you've thought of something and we want to know what it is." Moon declared, his hand remaining on your knee.

"You know I think about a lot of things. Does that mean I have to tell you everything that's on my mind ? If so I'd probably never stop talking since you know I'm constantly thinking. But if you're interested right now, I'm thinking I'm a bit hungry." You say teasingly and mockingly, your eyes lowering to Moon's hand furtively before raising them to meet Moon's red optics again.

"Kitten..." Moon grumbled.

"Okey okey..."

You looked down at your tail, which you still held in your hands, your gloved fingers playing absentmindedly with your fur as you tried to find the right words to describe what you'd been thinking.

"I was wondering if the Skinwalker rats I saw at the dump weren't human."

"Why's that ?" Sun asked seriously.

"When I opened the bag that contained the corpses I smelled Fantastic and human, I first concluded that it must be the smell of the scientists who had worked on the poor creatures. But now that you've discovered that the kidnap victims were all humans, I couldn't help thinking about those dead Skinwalkers and why they hadn't reverted to their true appearance. It's impossible for Skinwalkers to die in their animal form and yet they did, but if they were humans who had been altered to be transformed into Skinwalkers then it's possible they'd die in their animal form."

"Are you thinking genetic modification ?" Sun questioned.

"Yes, no, maybe, I don't know." You replied, shaking your face. "I know it's possible to extract magic and use it in as many ways as possible, so maybe it's possible to transfer it from a being with magic to one without. From Fantastic to Human. The transformation of Skinwalkers is activated by magic, so if we genetically modified a human with Skinwalker DNA and then injected it with magic, the transformation would surely be triggered."

"Hmm... If we follow your theory, there's no need for any major genetic modification, a simple blood transfusion should do the trick. Given that the body only triggers a self-defense reaction if the blood type is different, as long as the donor's type matches that of the transfuser, then no matter what the species, Human or Fantastic, the blood will be accepted by the body." Moon declared, taking his hand off your knee and bringing it to his face thoughtfully.

"y/n, do you think it's possible for a human to turn into Skinwalkers because of a blood transfusion ?" Sun questioned.

"I... It might be. But I think you'd need to transfuse a lot of blood, not only to give the organs time to adapt to the blood, but also to distribute it throughout the body. It would also require an enormous amount of magic and a creature capable of transmitting it throughout a body." You replied, looking in Sun's direction.

"A creature like a Mage ?" Sun asked.

"Yes, but Fairies and some other supernatural creatures could certainly be capable of it, albeit less easily and on a smaller scale. Some supernaturals with metamorphic abilities are unable to transform themselves, for a variety of reasons, but more often than not it's because the 'sick' one doesn't have enough magic in them or has his 'magic channels' blocked. Generally in these cases, the patient's family calls in a 'Healer', a magical creature capable of manipulating magic to diffuse it in the patient's body, or to give him a bit of magic or to help him unblock magic channels. I know that Humans aren't physically capable of containing magic, but if we give them a transfusion of Fantastic blood, blood capable of carrying magic it's highly likely that it's possible."

"So, the probability of Silvio Notaga having Humans kidnapped in order to genetically modify them and turn them into Fantastics is high ?" Moon asked, turning back to the clue board.

You hummed an affirmative response, Sun nodding in the direction of his brother, who approached the board again and began to erase the various pieces of information it contained that were now wrong, replacing them with your new theories. You lowered your eyes in the direction of the files scattered all around you, letting your gaze linger on the various files of the people who had been kidnapped before sliding down to the notebook containing the physical descriptions of all the people who had been kidnapped. Your mind wandered to the little survivor Freddy was probably looking after at the moment, he too was surely an orphan and had no one to care for him.

You suddenly associated this list with the corpses of the rat-mutated humans you'd discovered. Those you had seen were only a fraction of all those who had surely undergone the magical modification experiments. Your heart squeezed slightly as you realized that all the nameless people on this list were surely already dead. Your tail rolled back slightly as your ears fell lightly against your skull. You no longer had any hope for them, being transformed by force had surely not spared them. You reached out with your hand and stroked your fingertips over a photocopy of the pages of the notebook listing the victims.

"The first transformation is always the hardest." You sighed. "But it must have been fatal for all those people. I don't know how the one in hospital survived, maybe he had a bit of Fantastic gebe which enabled him to survive. But even if that's the case, they got rid of him..."

"Maybe it wasn't the result they expected. Or they probably didn't pay attention to his vital signs. Or maybe when they checked his condition his heart was really stopped. There have already been cases where the heart has restarted on its own after a few moments of inactivity. We can't know what happened until the youngster wakes up. He could be a very important witness in our investigation." Sun declared.

"We'll have to ask Freddy to take extremely good care of him." Said Moon with an amused smile.

"I don't even think you need to ask him that." You reply with an amused chuckle.

"You're probably right." Moon added in your direction.

"You said you had some information to share with us too, didn't you ?" Sun then asked, his rays making a full circle.

"Oh yes, I do !"

You grabbed your notebook from the table, Sun beside you retrieved all the files, making sure that each document had been filed in its corresponding folder before placing it all in a stack of folders again and stowing it in one of the many drawers in the room. You placed the notebook on the table, opening it to a double-page spread which had been filled with information about Silvio Notaga. Thanks to a resident of the Miracles District who collected all newspapers about Fantastics, you had managed to find extracts dedicated to him. And in addition to studying with Mr Botzaris, you roamed the streets of the district, letting your big feline ears wander here and there to gather gossip and other stories about the Elvolution boss.

"I've done my research on Silvio. There's nothing out of the ordinary about his story. Being an elf, he grew up rather quietly, his family wasn't rich but they didn't live in the Miracles District either. He left high school with very good results and entered a prestigious university to study pharmaceutical development. He graduated and started working at the pharmaceutical company 'Jebz' as a scientist, and it was there that he had the accident that cost him his arm. There are lots of theories and stories about how he lost his arm, but one of them came up most often."

"And what rumor is that ?" Moon asked, raising an eyebrow in your direction, a smile on his lips at your dramatic pause.

"From what I hear, Silvio was working on a very important project with several other colleagues of his who were humans. Silvio was at the head of his research groups despite the fact that he was young and had just joined the pharmaceutical company 'Jebz'. His colleagues were extremely jealous of him, not only because the newcomer found himself in charge of them, but also because he was an Elf, and the humans who worked with him thought that, being a Fantastic, he had an easier time understanding and learning. One day, while they were all working on the project in the development laboratory, an extremely corrosive and dangerous chemical substance was used. Every precaution was taken to ensure that no accidents occurred, but Silvio's colleagues, jealous and spiteful, deliberately spilled the toxic product on Silvio. The substance gnawed into Silvio's arm, and the doctors were unable to save his arm and had to amputate it."

"If the colleagues were suspected of having deliberately assaulted Silvio, an investigation must surely have been opened, and what's more, the media must surely have reported it. Why isn't there more information about this incident on the internet ?" Sun declared with a wave of his hands and a frown.

"An investigation was opened, but there wasn't enough evidence to accuse the colleagues, there were no cameras or witnesses outside five who were in the laboratory. Plus, Silvio's fellow human beings all pleaded accident, and an error on Silvio's part. The investigation was dropped, and the matter was reportedly hushed up by Jebz, who didn't want to see their reputation tarnished. The media and other tech news sites didn't talk about it much, but in the Fantastics this affair caused a stir and the small paper newspapers made a living out of it for several weeks." You reply.

"Did you manage to get the names of Silvio's colleagues at the time ?" Sun asked.

"Nah, sorry."

"That's okay. Since the police have started investigating their names and testimony must surely be mentioned somewhere so I'll ask someone to consult the archives and bring out the investigation for us." Moon said as he rose to leave the room.

You decided to remain silent, waiting for Moon to return so you could continue your conversation. You exchanged a glance with Sun as if to ask him if he agreed, and saw the animatronic give you a smile accompanied by a small nod of his facial disk. After a few minutes' silence, Sun got up and walked around the table to the board displaying the clues. After picking up the towel and pen Moon had placed on the table, you saw Sun begin to erase information, notably that concerning Douglas and the two bars, replacing it with other information, notably that Douglas and other employees had died from a spell. After a few more minutes, Moon re-entered the office, taking the seat next to you that Sun had vacated and saying :

"I've asked Monty to dig out the file and do some research on Silvio's four colleagues. He'll come and tell us what he finds when he's finished. You can pick up where you left off Kitten."

"The rest of the rumors I heard about Silvio were, for the most part, just there to add fuel to the fire or exaggerate the benevolence and goodness of this psychopath. The other information I have is about the Mage who's probably working on Silvio's behalf."

"We're listening." Sun declared, moving closer to the table where you were seated.

"Mr Botzaris has helped me enormously with his research and according to him, the Mage should be about fifty years old and my age."

"Why exactly ?" Moon asked.

"Well, Mages have a life expectancy similar to that of humans, but as they age their bodies weaken, making it harder for them to contain and control their magic. Given the spells we've already seen, the Mage must surely be at the peak of his powers. And he's probably no younger than I am, because the year after I was born, the mandatory species test was introduced. If he'd been born after me, the government and others would have known he was a Mage from the moment he was born."

You remembered very well the time when Mr Botzaris had explained to you what this law was all about, it had been put in place to keep track of and monitor the population of the various Supernatural species. You also remembered how your teacher had told you that you were lucky to have been born just before this law, because if you'd been born a few years later your Shapeshifter nature couldn't have been kept secret, and if the scientists hadn't tried to study you to understand how you functioned your other Fantastic companions certainly wouldn't have let you live a quiet life. You could feel your tail twitch at the thought that all the Shapeshifters who had the misfortune to be born after you were suffering because of their mere existence, which they hadn't even asked for.

"I know it's not much, but it's the only conclusion we could come to that we were sure of." You sighed, your tail wagging slightly in frustration.

"Hmm... It's great to be able to restrict the possibilities to a certain age group. We can also assume it's someone who's close to Silvio but at the same time doesn't find himself as exposed to the media and such as he is." Sun declared.

"It's probably one of Silvio's employees or associates, so we'll have to investigate those close to him and his family." Moon continued.

"Probably yes..." you sighed, losing yourself slightly in thought. "By the way, here's the spell the Mage used to get rid of Douglas and the other Fantastics involved in the case."

You turned the pages of the book in which you'd written all the information you'd deemed useful onto a double page on which you'd redrawn the symbol that had appeared on the torso of the victims of the protection spell. In addition to the drawing, the rest of the two pages had been filled with various information concerning the application and use of the spell. Moon retrieved the notebook first, reading the contents you'd written in a few seconds, before passing the little book to Sun, who scanned it just as quickly before handing it back to you, nodding. Biting your lip for a second, you looked down at your gloved hands, then gently removed your gloves before sighing and looking back up at Moon and Sun.

"If I touch someone, one of the people we suspect of being the Mage, I'll be able to tell if they're a Mage or not." You say, lifting your ungloved hand.

"What do you mean ?" Sun asked, his voice suddenly dropping a few octaves as he darkened his brows.

"If the Mage hides the scent of his true nature with magic, he's bound to be covered or surrounded by a significant amount of magic. So even if I'm unable to use magic like a Fairy or others, I'm still able to feel it. If I have direct contact with his skin, I'll be able to detect the magic and confirm whether he's a magician or not. All Fantastics are capable of doing this, but the magic has to be powerful or present in large quantities, and you also have to be careful because sometimes the magical reaction is very discreet."

You could feel your stomach turning in on itself at your new lie, your bottom lip slipping between your teeth as you bit down a little too hard. Feeling your ears and feline tail begin to twitch you quickly made them disappear, not wanting the two animatronics to notice your distress and anxiety at your message. It was all a lie. If the Mage was concealing his scent, he was also capable of concealing his magic. Of course, a little magic would linger on him, but it wouldn't be enough for you to feel it, only a Fairy or another creature capable of manipulating magic could do so, and that creature might still believe that it was merely a residue of the magic to be found in every Fantastic.

No, if you were able to know who the Mage was simply by touching him, it was because you were a Shapeshifter. Even if he hid his true nature behind his magic, you'd still be able to perceive what he really was, because your body and the magic inside you would immediately copy what he was. You didn't want to lie to Sun and Moon, but you didn't want to tell them the truth either, you were too afraid of the way they would look at you. You were their friend and all this time you'd been lying to them, all this time you could have helped them with your ability to become all kinds of Supernatural creatures, but you'd never done it just because you were selfish and scared.

"Well, that's an advantage that could help us a lot. But we're still not going to ask to touch every suspect we have. We'll narrow down the list of potential culprits first and then see if we don't have many suspects left if we ask you to help us." Moon declared.

You hummed a reply, lowering your face in the direction of your glove, which you retrieved and slipped back on. A few strands of your hair fell into your field of vision, and you tried to blow them away without success, deciding to leave them as they were and concentrate on your glove. As you finished sliding your fingers into their dedicated place, you felt a hand delicately remove the hair that had fallen in front of your face and move it out of your eyes and out of your field of vision. You blinked, your (e/c) eyes turning towards Moon's hand before turning your face towards him. His eyes were on your face, his hand still holding your wild locks out of your field of vision. You could slowly feel your heart begin to beat at his simple but thoughtful gesture.

"Uh..." you began to articulate, your glove now forgotten.

"Oh ! I'm sorry..."

Moon didn't have time to finish his sentence before the office door flew open on Monty's silhouette. The door slamming against the wall startled you, Moon's hand immediately releasing your few locks as you found yourself completely transformed, your fur ruffled and your pupils dilated. Sun had also flinched, but you weren't sure whether it was Monty's sudden entrance or your and Moon's frightened reactions that had startled him. Monty, who had raised his metal muzzle in your direction, blinked his red optics at the three of you as he raised an eyebrow.

"Monty... Please knock next time." Sun asked with a sigh as his beams made a small movement.

"Yeah yeah." Monty replied, stepping into the room before placing a document on the table and saying. "I went through the old files and this is what I got."

After calming your heart, you changed back, becoming fully human again, as you looked in the direction of the documents Monty had pushed in your direction. You saw Sun bend over slightly to pick up the documents and read them before handing them to you. You handed them to Moon, who began by shaking his facial disk and motioning for you to read them first, but you told him he could read faster than you, so you preferred to let him consult the documents first. Once Moon had familiarized himself with the document he handed it to you and as you began to read you heard Monty say :

"Todd M. Phillips, Jaime Hoban, Hana A. Vazquez and Martin Kinnison were all humans who worked for Jebz's pharmaceutical company. The company went bankrupt some ten years after the investigation into the accident in their loco."

"Why 'were' ?" Moon asked, frowning.

"Because they're all dead."

Chapter Text

"What do you mean they're all dead ?" Moon asked, frowning.

"Well, they're all dead." Monty replied with a shrug. "Todd M. Phillips was in a car accident and didn't survive his injuries. Jaime Hoban overdosed on drugs. Hana A. Vazquez was killed by a thief who broke into her home and Martin Kinnison went into cardiac arrest."

A slight silence settled over the room as the news settled in your minds. The four colleagues of Silvio Notaga who had been suspected of causing the accident that cost him his arm were all dead. You could have understood if one or two had died, the car accident being the most reasonable of all the deaths Monty had cited, but here all four were dead and the causes of death seemed so exaggerated that you found it hard to believe. You lowered your eyes in the direction of the document Monty had given you, which you hadn't had a chance to read in its entirety, resting it on the table before saying in a sombre voice :

"This is all too weird, even for me."

"Yes. Indeed, it's more than suspicious that the people who were accused of causing Silvio's accident are all dead." Sun declared before turning to Monty. "Monty, would you be so kind as to research their deaths and see if they had any previous history relating to the cause of death ? Like heart problems, addiction, etc."

"I've already beaten you to it. Jaime Hoban used to smoke, but there was no information to suggest that he used drugs, so this was probably his first time using, hence the overdose. For his part, Martin Kinnison had begun medication for heart problems some months before his death, but according to his medical records his condition was not so dramatic as to cause cardiac arrest. For the other two, we can only say that it was bad luck."

"It's not bad luck when it's a deranged psychopath." You sigh, folding your arms across your chest.

"And we agree with you." Says Moon. "There are too many coincidences linked to Silvio Notaga. He probably killed his former colleagues in revenge for making him lose his arm without suffering the consequences."

"Is there any other information about these four people and their deaths ?" Sun asked Monty.

The solar animatronic invited Monty to take a seat with you, as the discussion might linger longer than expected. The metal crocodile settled into one of the chairs at the table, facing you slightly as he reached for the documents he'd given you. According to Monty's research, Hana A. Vazquez had been the first to die. Given the circumstances of her death, the poor woman had been stabbed in her own home, an investigation had been opened. According to the clues that had been found, a thief had returned to her home late in the evening. The thief had started to search the house to steal the goods, but had been surprised by Hana, who had woken up when she heard the noise. The panic-stricken thief grabbed an kitchen knife and stabbed her before leaving, supposedly without taking anything. As you listened to Monty's explanation, you couldn't help but frown.

"You know, usually, if a thief gets caught in the act, he's more likely to run away than murder the person he's robbing. You know, it's better to get caught for stealing than for murder. What's more, I find it odd that the thief didn't take anything even though he'd already started searching the house. If I'd been in his place, as soon as I'd found something of value I'd have slipped it into my pocket or my bag to make sure I still came away with something. This is just my opinion, I don't know if all thieves think like me, but it's always good to be clear."

"Hearing you say things like that makes me question perfectly whether it was a good idea to have you work with us." Sun joked, an amused smile on his lips as one of his eyebrows was raised in your direction. "I also wonder if there might be more on your criminal record..."

"Hey, as long as I didn't get arrested that means I might not have. So keep your suspicions to yourself and concentrate on the matter at hand." You sigh with a little pout and an exaggerated hand movement in Sun's direction towards the documents on the table.

"But what you say is true, recorded cases of robbery degenerating into murder often take place when the thief finds himself threatened in one way or another by the victim he was trying to rob and fails to flee." Intervene Moon to bring you back into the investigation.

"Reopening an investigation would probably be a waste of time, any possible clues there might have been have been erased long ago. The house where the victim lived was bought up and destroyed shortly afterwards, the family reclaiming the property and dividing it up. Finding anything useful is almost impossible." Monty said with a sigh.

Jaime Hoban was the second victim, found in the study of his apartment. His contracted pupils, bluish lips and fingernails, the foam at the edge of his mouth and the opioid sachets found beside him were enough evidence to confirm the cause of his death. Sun suggested that a third party had probably entered his apartment to administer the injection, but the absence of any signs of struggle or forced entry meant that the police were unable to open an investigation. The third member of the group of scientists to lose his life was Todd M. Phillips, who had crashed his car on his way home from work. As he was the most unbreakable of the group, there was a high probability that it was a real accident, but an equally high probability that it was murder. Martin Kinnison, for his part, had died of cardiac arrest. According to the autopsy, his heart had simply given out because he had taken too much medication, the idea of suicide was considered but rejected, as Martin did not seem to be showing any signs of depression or malaise.

From your point of view, the four deaths were more than suspicious, but they occurred at very different times. There were almost 7 years between the first and the last death, the most recent being a few years ago. The police at the time had only considered revenge for the murder of Hana A. Vazquez, but Silvio was cleared at the time thanks to his missing arm and an alibi provided by his neighbors, who confirmed that they had not seen her leave his house all evening. You couldn't help wondering what species his neighbors belonged to, as there was a strong chance that those who had provided him with an alibi were Fantastics who had supported his cause and the injustice that had befallen Silvio Notaga. In conclusion, he had not been a suspect in the other murders, not only because the case surrounding the circumstances of Silvio's accident had been forgotten, but also because the deaths were more or less explicable.

After Monty's explanation, you were left alone to continue your research, as the crocodile had to go out on patrol. The new information you had obtained about Silvio's former colleagues was added to your table, which had been largely emptied of all your clues and other information that was no longer useful to you or had come to nothing. But this meant you could start afresh and concentrate, now that the human traffic had been stopped, solely on the case of Silvio and all the murders associated with him, as well as the strange experiments he seemed to be carrying out on humans. You hummed for a few seconds before saying :

"So Silvio murdered his former colleagues to exact his revenge."

"It would seem so. If it turns out that his former colleagues really did spill acid and corrosive products on him, and that these same colleagues, despite their guilt, found themselves totally innocent, it's a safe bet that this has given Silvio an anger and disgust towards humans." Moon replied.

"Losing his arm, the company he works for covering it up, the police not looking hard enough, the people responsible for his accident going unpunished... Silvio probably blamed all these mistakes on Humans." You sigh, shaking your face. "There's a good chance that Silvio Notaga has a hidden hatred of humans. More often than not, we associate an entire species with the mistakes of a single individual."

You let a sigh leave your lips, you know all too well the feeling of being rejected and hated for things you didn't even do, but this didn't just apply to Fantastics, Humans and Science-Fiction were also concerned, each in their own way suffering prejudice and criticism from one another. You couldn't say that you approved of Silvio's actions, killing all those people was certainly not the solution, but you could understand his feeling of anger and despair at losing a part of himself because of a few and seeing those same people go on living as if they hadn't destroyed your life.

You clenched your hands into fists. Revenge was one thing, but what you didn't understand was why he continued his killing spree. Those who had wronged him were dead, the company that had abandoned him no longer existed, and he himself had managed to obtain everything he could have, be it power, wealth, notoriety, Silvio had it all, so why try to transform humans into the supernatural, was this the way to continue his revenge ? To get rid of humans in a cruel and disturbing way ? Or was it something simpler, perhaps losing his arm had affected him more than you could imagine and he was trying to turn all humans into Fantastics so that Supernaturals would no longer have to feel different and rejected. If that was the case, it was a good intention that had been turned into something horrible.

As you replayed your first meeting with Silvio in your mind, trying to remember details that might have been significant, you suddenly remembered the strange assistant who had stood at Silvio's side. You couldn't remember his name exactly, but you did remember that he had intrigued you. And now that you thought back to Silvio's deep-seated hatred of humans, your surprise at seeing this human as the elf's assistant was all the more valid. You hadn't paid much attention to him because he had seemed to you to be just another high-ranking scientist, but the more you thought about it, the more intrigued you became, and you didn't hesitate to share your thoughts with Moon and Sun.

"Sunny, Moony, do you remember the man who was with Silvio when we questioned him about Jenna Royn ? His assistant, he had slightly red hair."

"Nyl McElonson ?" Sun asked.

"Yes ! Did you do any research on him ?"

"We did, yes, but nothing in particular about him seemed to be important apart from the fact that he's a direct assistant to Silvio. Nyl McElonson is a human who was born and raised in the neighboring town, where he studied pharmaceuticals before moving to our town to work for the Elvolution company. According to our research, he was a good student, shy and reserved. He has no social networks, no streaming subscriptions, and has never caused any trouble in the eyes of the law. If it weren't for his birth certificate and active bank account, you'd think he didn't exist, so inconspicuous was he." Moon said, coming over and grabbing his chin as if he were thinking.

"Damn... You don't do your research by halves." you say, frowning.

"Every detail is important in an investigation, even the everyday ones." Moon replied.

"Hmm... Nyl's profile might fit that of the Mage. He's a bit older than me, he's inconspicuous and above all I find it far too strange that a human should find himself working so close to Silvio, who doesn't like humans."

"Large companies generally have benefits if they decide to hire a certain number of employees Human, Fantastic or Science-Fiction, there is a minimum to reach and this limit increases with the number of employees. For example, if a company has ten employees, it must have a minimum of two members of each species. The remaining four employees can be selected by the boss without restriction. Silvio may have to hire a minimum number of humans to take advantage of these benefits, but it's true that he's not obliged to hire a human and put him in a high position." Sun declared with a sigh.

"Consulting his file again might be a good initiative." Moon sighed.

The Lunar animatronic then stood up, retrieving one of the laptops in the room and switching it on. You heard Moon's fingers strike the keyboard rapidly, the clatter echoing through the now very quiet office. You had your suspicions about Nyl, but you wondered why your instincts hadn't reacted to his presence the first time. You had certainly been disturbed by his presence, but this had been more due to the fact that he was human and in the company of Silvio, who had made you feel uncomfortable and in danger. You heard Moon humming for a few seconds before stepping back in his chair, one of his hands resting on the computer's touchpad while the other fell back along his body.

"According to his medical records and the routine tests he underwent, Nyl has been confirmed as human." Moon sighed.

"So we can eliminate him from the Mage suspect list potentially?" Sun asked, his beams twitching slightly.

"Yes, there's the signature of the doctor in charge of the analyses, I think..."

Moon didn't finish his sentence, frowning as he straightened in his chair, leaning towards the computer before starting to type on the keyboard again. You blinked in his direction, looking at Sun, who shrugged before looking at Moon again with curiosity. A mocking sigh left Moon's lips, making you turn your head in the direction of the detective who had looked up at his brother to ask :

"Do you remember the name of the doctor whose card Silvio gave Kitten ?"

"Wait." Sun replied immediately. "I kept the card."

You saw Sun rise to his feet and head for one of the many drawers in the room, rummaging through the files and other clues he'd accumulated there to pull out a small plastic pouch containing the small business card Silvio had given you. Sun approached the table again, taking a seat on the chair before handing you the card to pass to Moon, who was on the other side of the table. The nocturnal animatronic retrieved the small pouch, opening it to take out the card, and you saw his red eyes scanning the card, the light from his LEDs drawing colored reflections on the map as he murmured :

"Doctor Randal C. Lugo."

"Don't leave us in the dark Moony. What does this doctor have to do with Nyl ?" You asked, tilting your face sideways.

"Well, this doctor is Nyl's attending physician." Moon replied.

"Why would a Fantastic be the attending physician for a human ?" You questioned.

"That's a good question, but it's not particularly a problem. Employees in the healthcare field are used to treating all kinds of patients by now. What's worrying here is that this doctor is working with Silvio." Moon declared.

"Wouldn't Doctor Randal be the doctor who carried out the analyses and confirmed Nyl's species affiliation?" Sun sighed, his question sounding more like an affirmation.

"That's him." Moon confirmed, a smile forming on her lips, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Do you think it's possible that Nyl's medical records are fake ?"

"We're not sure, but the probability isn't zero either." Sun declared. "Given the ease with which he seems to be able to conceal everything he does it wouldn't be surprising if he had corrupt doctors in his employ to cover up this or that problem."

"So, Nyl moves to the top of our list of suspects for the position of Mage." You say.

You saw the two animatronics nod, turned into a cat, you went to the edge of the table, jumped to the floor and turned back into a human. You grabbed the felt-tip pen that the two animatronics had used earlier to add further information to your clue board. You wrote Nyl's name followed by a question mark next to the information you'd gathered about the Mage before putting down the felt-tip and turning to the two detectives, who began chatting, once again sorting out the information you had in your hands.

Double B still hadn't given you any news, you'd met a few of his informants, but they'd all told you they were still looking for traces of Jenna Royn, he'd managed to trace some of her movements, but they still needed a little time to find out where the elf was hiding. In addition to inspecting Douglas's two bars, you now had to pay a visit to the doctor, who seemed more than involved in Silvio's schemes. And you still had to elucidate the reasons behind the murders of Arnold Wilson, Jyseral Klain and Abigael Fynch, which was what originally led you to start this investigation. Your theories about the three murders still hadn't evolved, but the idea that Silvio had had them killed simply to start a rebellion had slowly faded, the elf was far too calculating to have such a simple objective.

"We'll start by searching the bars, maybe we'll find some evidence there that might allow us to charge Silvio directly." Sun declared, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then we'll see what we can do about the initial murders, and if any new information, either from Double B, or from the young boy in hospital, comes to light." Moon added.

"Should we leave now ?" Sun asked, looking in your direction. "Noon shouldn't be long, so maybe if you want to have lunch before you go. We don't exactly need to eat so for us it's not a problem."

"No it's fine, we can go now, I was at Mr Botzaris before joining you and we nibbled while chatting." You reply.

"All right, then. Let's go. We'll drop you home afterwards so you can eat properly." Sun says firmly.

You rolled your eyes slightly at Sun's words, a small smile appearing on your lips at the same time as you were touched by his attention. As you left the police station and made your way to Sun's car, you tried to reassure the two animatronics that you'd eaten enough cookies and other sweets not to need to eat for a long time, but this wasn't enough to satisfy Moon and Sun, even though what you said was true. Mr. Botzaris had a habit of always putting out cookies or little cakes, you don't know whether this was because he was half-bird and tended to nibble sooner than eat a full meal.

Sun drove his car to 'The Pan Flute', you had decided to start at this bar, since it was here that you had found the information about the kidnappings and the victims. You arrived in front of the bar, which had now been barricaded by the police, the doors taped shut with police tape, the windows blocked with garbage bags to prevent anyone from seeing inside. It was an almost satisfying sight to see, but you couldn't help thinking back to Douglas and the tragic, miserable end he and his colleagues had suffered. Sun parked his car in one of the spare spaces in the alley before the three of you set off towards the entrance to the underground bar.

As you entered the alleyway, you saw that tape had also been installed at the entrance to the corridor leading to the door of the bar, while the door itself was guarded by a policeman. Sun lifted the tape, allowing you and Moon to slip underneath. Seeing you approach, the policeman immediately straightened up, one of his hands resting on his gun, while the other immediately rose from its position to reach out towards Moon, who greeted him with a handshake. The policeman then looked in your direction, his hand reaching out towards you, before stopping as his pupils dilated slightly, a small smile appearing on your lips.

"You're the one who helped me during the intervention !"

You tilted your head to one side, watching the policeman for a few seconds, before your mind finally clicked and you managed to associate the face of the policeman in front of you with the one who had found himself in the clutches of an elf and nearly had his gun stolen by a Skinwalker. You let a teasing little smile appear on your lips as you looked back down at his hand resting on the holster of his pistol. You looked up at him and said :

"No chance of you losing your gun this time, is there ?"

"Yeah... I didn't have time to thank you last time, so better late than never, so thanks. You saved me a lot of trouble." Said the policeman, lifting his hand to rub the back of his neck under the embarrassment.

"You're welcome." You say with a little nonchalant movement of your shoulders.

Beside you you saw Moon raise an eyebrow, silently questioning you as Sun joined you with a smile on his lips as he in turn greeted the policeman. The policeman gave you an overview of what had happened during the few days the surveillance had been in place. In the evening, the rounds and the number of policemen present must have been slightly increased, given that a few curious people were hanging around the bar, probably trying to get inside to see if there was any leftover Fairy Dust they could get their hands on. However, the police had carefully emptied everything so that there was not a single trace of drugs left inside. All that remained now were the documents and anything else that could potentially serve as a clue.

The policeman then gave you a whole set of keys, and let you pass, telling you that he'd stay outside and call him if you needed anything. Entering the bar again was strange, especially as the atmosphere was now much more relaxed and calm than the first time. The corridor lights that had been magically switched on last time were now off, and as you walked along the corridor and stairs in the half-light, you partially transformed yourself, allowing your eyes to see slightly brighter in the gloom. The smell of wood and wet was still present as you descended the stairs, which creaked under your weight. Your gaze lingered on the walls and the mysterious ambience of this place. If it hadn't been for Douglas and his irrational need to make everything he touched into something illegal, this building could have been a beautiful place.

"Do you know the policeman who was guarding the entrance ?" Sun's voice asked, echoing up the stairs.

"Not really, no. I just gave him a little help during the intervention." You replied.

"What exactly happened ?" Moon asked.

You hummed for a few seconds before explaining what had happened to you outside while he had been busy apprehending Douglas inside the bar. When you reached the bottom of the stairs, you stopped. The various rooms had been plunged into half-light too, and it was even a little too dark for your cat's-eye vision, which needed a little light to function. You squinted, looking around before your gaze settled on the two animatronics whose eyes were giving off a slight glow. You knew this was the case with Moon, his red optics more often than not drawing red reflections on what he was looking at, but it was also the case with Sun. His eyes gave off a little white glow, which was probably the case all the time, but being whitish, the light from his eyes was much less visible.

You heard Sun move, your ears turning to follow the sound of his confident footsteps as he advanced into the room to get closer to one of the sections of wall there was. After warning you that he'd found the light switch, allowing you to close your eyes for a second and avoid being blinded by the sudden change in brightness, you opened your eyes again, observing the main room of the bar now perfectly clear to your eyes. The place was a bit of a mess, furniture had been hastily pushed around or knocked over, and some had even been broken, probably because of the Fantastic reloaders' haste to leave the bar to avoid arrest.

"We thought we told you to stay back." Moon sighed.

"You told me to intervene only if the situation called for it. And it did." You replied, turning to Moon with a mocking smile on your lips. "You're not going to reproach me for that, I hope ?"

"No. You did the right thing." Sun replied with a half-amused, half-despairing sigh. "We just want you to be careful."

"I'm always careful."

"About as careful as a kitten playing near a flame." Moon sneered.

"Hm... Touché. But the worst thing that happened to me was a few burnt hairs and whiskers though." You say, turning back to the inside of the kosher bar.

You heard a sigh of exasperation leave the vocal box of the two animatronics, making you chuckle softly. As you progressed deeper inside the bar towards where you'd first found the desk, you could see that the damage was a little more extensive than you'd expected, the bar had simply been ransacked, bottles and glasses broken, alcohol and other contents spilled on the floor and now dried, sticking to your shoes even as you tried to be careful not to step in them. There were scratches and other marks on the floor and some corners of the walls. You finally reached the corridor leading to the room where the drug purchases were made.

Your attention turned to the little angel statuette that had stood by the door last time. The poor little cherub had met his end, having grown to the ground and now reduced to a mess almost unrecognizable from any part of its body. If you hadn't known he was holding a bouquet of flowers, you'd never have guessed what he looked like or what he was doing. You bit your lower lip, your gaze roving over the remaining pieces of the statue in search of the little pearls you'd seen last time, hoping that in the panic no one had thought to pick them up.

"Are you seriously doing what I think you're doing ?" Moon asked.

"Totally !" You replied, your tail wagging mischievously.

Sun placed his hand in the small of your back, pushing you slightly forward and away from the remains of the little angel statue. You let little squeaks of disappointment and frustration leave your lips, but couldn't resist the pressure of Sun's hand. His hand was so large that it took up almost the entire space on your back, and you let a small sigh leave your lips, feeling the warmth of Sun's hand seep through your clothes and onto your skin, making you shiver slightly. You wagged your ears and tail, trying to hide your fur, which had bristled slightly.

Once in front of the door of the office where you'd exchanged money for drugs, Sun removed his hand from your back, plunging that same hand into his pocket to take out the keys the policeman had given him to enter, you saw him observe the door lock for a few seconds before selecting the appropriate key and opening the door. The three of you entered the office, the smell of cigarettes still present but much more faint than the first time, confirming that nobody had been in here.

Sun immediately headed for the room on the right where the Fairy Dust had been stored, while Moon went to the other side, near the cupboards that housed the secret passage leading to the room where the documents and diary containing the list of trafficking victims were kept. As Sun opened the door, you began to rummage through the drawers, taking out the documents and other garbage to see if there was anything of interest. You glanced in Moon's direction as he pushed the cupboard open, showing the knobless door behind. You heard the click of a door opening before hearing Sun call you by the nickname they both used for you, you looked in his direction only to see him grin at you and throw the keys in your direction.

"All the drugs have been removed, but you'd better not come poking around here. I'm still going to check this room again in case there's anything the other cops haven't noticed."

"OK." you sighed.

Turning to Moon, who was looking in your direction, you twirled the keys you had and nimbly caught them around your index finger, letting the metal ring that held them all together slide around your finger, making the little pieces of metal jingle slightly before tossing them in Moon's direction, who caught them in turn, a smile on his lips. Moon turned to open the door as you left the office, having found nothing of interest. You moved closer to Moon, who at the same time pushed the door open, leaving the keys on the door so that it wouldn't accidentally close behind you. This time, since there was nothing to fear, you entered the room, which was a little larger once inside, the little corridor in front of the door giving way to a small room, from the few vague memories you had of having seen the room from afar, there was some cardboard that had been moved, but nothing very different.

Moon's footsteps made the floor creak as he moved towards the small table that served as his desk, and you immediately saw his hand reach for a notebook on the table, lifting it to open it quickly and then holding it out in your direction. You retrieved the little booklet, opening it to find that it was a directory of victims. Now that you had it in your hands, its weight seemed even heavier because of all the lives destroyed and sacrificed it contained. You closed the book, letting your gloved fingers caress the cover for a few seconds before placing it on the desk outside to it take with you later.

You returned to Moon's side, who had grabbed one of the boxes lying on the floor to open it and start rummaging around inside, lifting each document it contained to examine it before setting it down on a small pile of documents you assumed were useless. You did as he did, grabbing one of the boxes and pulling it towards you before sitting down on the floor with your back against one of the room's walls, paying no attention to the dust everywhere. You opened the box and began to read the documents, making sure there was no important information inside. After a few minutes of searching, Sun finally joined you, the solar animatronic immediately retrieving a pile of documents lying around to follow in the footsteps of his brother and you.

The two animatronics progressed much more quickly than you, needing only a glance to scan the contents of the documents, most of which were, as you'd read, simple accounting documents that you found hard to understand. After the umpteenth document, you wagged your tail in frustration, feeling a spider's web tangle in your fur, which made you growl slightly in frustration. You put down the document you were reading to grab your tail and pull the web out of your tail, then shaking your fur to remove the dust that had accumulated.

"How did Vanessa know where the kidnap victims were ?" You asked.

"Before the victims of the Mage's spell died, Vanessa had them empty their pockets and unlock their phones. One of them had coordinates entered on the GPS. The location was too bizarre not to be suspicious, so she immediately sent a policeman to check and the victims were found just like that." Sun replies, furtively looking up at you.

"All the people who were in direct contact with the victims died, whether they were the ones doing the false interviews, the transporters or those in charge of looking after the kidnapped people. The police were contacted after the intervention for unexplained deaths. They were employees who weren't there that day." Moon added.

"So there were more people under the protection pact..." You sighed.

"I think I might have found something." Sun declared suddenly.

You turned in the direction of the solar animatronic, watching Sun pick up a rather battered red binder between his two hands as its rays flashed around his facial disc. Sun walked over to the desk, where Moon quickly cleared away the documents and allowed Sun to put the binder down. You got up from the floor and walked over to the two animatronics, standing next to them as they looked at the binder Sun had found, inside which were several plastic sleeves holding various documents.

Sun grabbed the contents of one of the pouches and spread them out on the table. The product was not specified, but the weight and total value gave no indication that it was anything illegal, such as Fairy Dust. What's more, the absence of a name on the document, either that of the sender or that of the receiver, made it impossible to link anyone to anything. At the bottom of some documents, additional information was written in pen, such as : 'defective goods' 'quota not filled' 'supplement to be collected on next delivery'. The words, mysterious and devoid of context, made it impossible to know exactly what goods they referred to, which could very well apply to drugs as much as to the humans who had been kidnapped.

With each delivery note came a small piece of paper, sometimes a piece of paper napkin, sometimes a post-it note, or simply a corner of a document that had been torn and clumsily inscribed with an address of some kind. Each time, the address was different, and not all of them had exact coordinates; some bore only numbers, surely representing longitude and latitude, others only names of districts or streets, and still others provided only vague indications similar to those given by people wanting to make an appointment to chat.

Last but not least, the other two documents were sometimes accompanied by a rectangular piece of paper, always the same size and always inscribed with information that had been computer-printed, making it impossible to determine who had written it. On these little documents, which might seem innocuous and innocent, were selection criteria for the next victims, as well as the reward for meeting the selection criteria. With each little instruction that appeared, you could feel the fur on your tail bristle, as if you were reading someone's shopping list asking for very specific ingredients. The 'subjects', which was the word used to describe the kidnap victims, were asked to be selected to be 'younger', 'more athletic', or to have more 'female' or 'male' subjects. The rewards were in the form of kilograms.

"That's disgusting..." You murmured, more to yourself than to the two animatronics you were accompanying.

"Indeed." Sun sighed. "The coordinates are probably rendezvous points for where the kidnappers are exchanged for the drugs."

"You think Douglas was changing the rendezvous points with each transaction ?" You asked, frowning slightly, your ears twitching.

"Seeing how and what the exchange rentals were written on, I doubt it was Douglas making them change. They were probably meeting points fixed at the last minute." Moon replied. "I think it was more Silvio Notaga who asked for their meeting point to be postponed each time to make sure he didn't leave a trail and get caught by the police by being in the same place twice.

"Douglas wasn't as meticulous, with all the compromising documents he leaves behind, I think he was a little too confident in himself and his ability to escape police radar. And it would seem that Silvio was well aware of this, since he made sure not to leave a trace. Whether it was using block letters or getting rid of compromising witnesses." Sun continued.

You hummed a reply as you watched Sun retrieve the papers he'd taken out and place them back in the plastic pouch, turning the various pages of the binder to arrive at the last one. On the document confirming the delivery there was no indication, nor was there any particular request concerning the profile of the victims, and you didn't know whether these last points were something positive or not. The fact that Silvio was testing on groups of people with distinct physical characteristics meant that there were more or less successes, but this didn't mean that the 'best' subjects were alive, it simply meant that the results obtained were more conclusive and brought him a little closer to his final goal.

"We've managed to locate some of the meeting points using the coordinates, but some of the place names are completely unknown to us. Perhaps these are places that only the Fantastics frequent ? Kitten, can you take a look ?" Moon asked, looking down at you.

"Sure." You replied. "Show me."

You saw Sun immediately close the binder to turn it around and place it correctly in your direction before opening it again, starting at the beginning and stopping on the pages where the note about the exchange locations gave them some trouble. Many of the names, though strange like 'The Siren Pond' were familiar to you as they were nicknames given to places frequented by Fantastics, similar to the 'The Miracles District', the real name of the District wasn't that at all, but the Fantastics had christened it that way and it was now the name everyone, even non-Fantastics, used to talk about where you lived. As Sun turned the pages, you tried to describe to them as best you could which place was associated with the nicknames used in the coordinates, your tail and ears continuing to wag as you pondered.

Sometimes, unfortunately, you had no idea what the note was talking about, they were probably nicknames used by older Fantastics, or, on the contrary, brand new names you hadn't yet had the opportunity to meet or get to know. The last page also had a very particular name, but this one was different from the others. You picked up the small piece of white paper with the words 'The Wolf's Den' on it, turning it over to see if there was any pressure before looking up at the two animatronic detectives who continued to watch you silently. You handed the small piece of paper back to Sun, allowing him to put it away carefully as you said :

"Do you have a map of the city or something ? It'll be easier for me to show you roughly than to try and explain where the place is, since it's a lost corner in the middle of the forest."

You immediately saw Moon reach into his pocket and pull out his phone, and for a few seconds he tapped on the touchpad before finally holding out his phone in your direction. On the screen was a map of the city, and you thanked Moon, picking up his phone carefully between your two hands before zooming in on the northern part of the city where the Fushi Forest was located. You let your eyes roam over the map, looking for the main road that ran through the forest, then followed a few small forest roads that ended quickly, arriving at the end of one of the roads you put your finger on the map making it zoom in on a particular area of the forest, wagging your tail in satisfaction. You then turned the phone towards Sun and Moon, giving the owner back his property.

"'The Wolf's Den' is the name the Fantastics give to a kind of cave they have somewhere in this area of the forest. It's a kind of tourist spot that the Fantastics frequent a lot, especially when they have children, there are stories and even a lullaby about this place."

"I doubt a human-drug exchange would take place in a popular tourist spot." Sun declared with a sigh.

"Well, by day, sure. But at night people, even Fantastic ones, avoid the forest, there are plenty of wild beasts, not to mention the fact that this place is called 'The Wolf's Den' because werewolves used to perform their transformation rituals there, long before the Great Revelation but some rumors say that some lycanthropes still hang out there. What's more, there's a little nook a little further away from 'The Wolf's Den' that Fantastics generally avoid unless they're thrill-seeking youngsters. It's called 'The Wolf's Prison'. It's where drug dealers, drug addicts and other social outcasts congregate."

"Do you think there could still be traces of the exchange that was made ?" Moon asked.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Smells linger longer in the forest than in the city because of the earth and moss, but if there's been a lot of traffic or heavy rain, there might not be any traces left. It's been a month since the exchange, so if there are any odors left, they'll probably be faint. But I know there are a few forest rangers who inspect the area out of habit to make sure no one's lighting a fire or leaving too much garbage lying around, so maybe they'll have seen or heard something." You reply, tilting your face.

"We'll think about it. Sometimes it's in the least unexpected people and places that we find answers." Sun declares with a teasing smile in your direction.

You blinked, tilting your face slightly as you wagged your tail, you couldn't help thinking that the 'unexpected people' he was talking about were you. You weren't sure whether it was a compliment or an insult, but you decided it was better to think of it as something positive, plus the way Sun was looking at you and smiling told you he wasn't saying it in a bad way. You felt a touch of red color your cheeks as you decided to stick your tongue out at Sun to hide the effect his smile was having on you.

You heard the two animatronics giggle before closing the binder, placing it on a corner of the table as each returned to their pile of documents to continue your research. After finishing their own part of the research, the two animatronics joined you to help you finish your seemingly endless pile of documents. Moon sat next to you, his back resting on the wall, while Sun sat opposite you. With their help, you unwillingly let your attention wander a little, feeling your mind wander to focus on everything but the documents in front of you.

You examined the floor, trying to guess what kind of wood it was, then looked at the piles of documents and cardboard, wondering how many trees had been cut down to create all this. Your attention then turned to the two animatronics as you wondered about them. Unconsciously, your gaze was drawn to the tassel of Moon's cap, which was dangling in the air as the nocturnal detective bent over to read a document. You reached out your hand and pushed the little pompom with one of your fingertips, watching it wiggle, which only made you want to make it wiggle even more, your tail wagging in sync.

You heard one of the two animatronics clear its throat, which made you look up, you immediately met Moon's gaze, the animatronic had pressed hid facial disk against hid arm, his face resting partially on hid raised knee, his hand holding a document without the empty space. You could only see his eyes and eyebrows, but in his flushed optics you could clearly read amusement and a hint of something else. You saw his eyes droop and followed his gaze to see that your hand had caught the pompom of his cap. You pulled your hand back almost abruptly, as if the contact had burned you, feeling a mixture of guilt and embarrassment at having touched the animatronic in this way, well, it wasn't exactly him, but he wore his cap so often that it almost did.

"No other documents seem to contain information critical to the investigation." Sun declared, coughing slightly to try and hide his laughter.

"Y-Yeah... Thanks for helping me with my share. I'm clearly more of a hands-on person than a paper-pusher." You say, trying to change the subject, your ears lying back against your skull.

"Uh-huh." Moon sighed, looking in your direction with a mocking chuckle.

"Don't say a word." You sighed, knowing full well that they were going to tease you in one way or another.

The two detectives continued to laugh not so discreetly at your embarrassment as the three of you stood up, tidying up the documents you'd been rummaging through. Sun informed you that now that you'd got what you were looking for, the police would come and take care of the rest, and get rid of any unhelpful documents. So you left the room and the building, binder and notebook in hand. The policeman on duty greeted you as you left, wishing you a good day. Clue in hand, you crossed the street ready to return to your car, until suddenly an all-too-familiar voice sounded in your feline ears, calling your name. You turned sharply in the direction of the voice, watching the figure move quickly along the sidewalk in your direction. You said under your breath :

"Amelya ?"

Chapter Text

You watched with a touch of surprise and dismay as the woman approached you and, indirectly, Moon and Sun. She was a small, slightly chubby woman, her skin a soft brown, reminding you of hot chocolate, her hair a thick mane of untameable curls, a brown tending towards russet that gave the impression of dancing flames when the sun illuminated her hair. Her hair surrounded her round face, and her dark yellow eyes were fixed on you. You could see a smile forming on her lips as she stopped in front of you, small dark circles forming at the corners of her eyes and on her cheekbones.

Amelya wore a loose-fitting mustard-yellow shirt, the pants she wore were 'elephant leg', the kind worn by disco dancers, her shoes were sneakers in a color very similar to that of her top. A silver necklace adorned the nape of her neck, while a ring adorned the ring finger of her left hand. You knew she only wore her engagement ring and necklace, which she'd inherited from her mother and passed down through the generations of her family, when she had important appointments and was sure she wasn't going to change.

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips as seeing such a familiar and comforting face again after so long made you feel melancholy and reminded you of your childhood, your tail and ears that you hadn't thought to make disappear wagging at the same time. However, the feelings were accompanied by a guilt that suddenly gripped you in the gut, turning it inside out just enough to stifle your positive feeling and make you take a small step backwards, your ears drooping slightly. You looked over Amelya's shoulder, wanting to make sure that she was alone and that finding yourself in her company, even if only for a moment, wouldn't cause her any problems. You looked down again at Amelya when you realized she was quite alone.

"What are you doing here ?" You asked in a slightly anxious voice.

Amelya didn't answer your question, you simply saw her blink before reaching out her hands towards your face, coming to catch your cheeks between her two hands as she forced you to lean in her direction, her yellowed eyes plunging into yours. Her hands holding your face were calloused, damaged by years of hard work, yet their softness and warmth were incomparable. You blinked, continuing to hold Amelya's gaze, trying to understand what she was trying to do, her tender smile still on her lips. Then her expression changed suddenly, much too quickly for you to react.

Her forehead collided sharply with yours, a squeak of pain leaving your lips as she released you. You staggered backwards before crouching down, both hands coming up to rest on your now aching forehead, groans and squeaks of pain leaving your lips. The fur on your tail bristled as the woman's action surprised you. As for your ears, they lay flat against your skull from the pain, but you could hear the noises, Amelya's annoyed sigh and the sound of Sun's and Moon's mechanisms as their footsteps approached you. You felt a large hand come to rest on your shoulder, making you turn your face slightly towards Sun, whose pupils were dilated, his rays making jerky, random movements because of his concern.

"Are you all right ?" Sun asked gently.

You nodded, blinking away the few tears that had appeared from the blow you'd just taken to the forehead. With one hand still resting on your head, you stood up, your tail wagging from side to side as you didn't know what emotion to feel. You looked again in the direction of Amelya, whose eyes had landed on Sun and Moon, her expression clearly flabbergasted by the two animatronics standing beside you, who had immediately moved closer to you after she had headbutted you. Feeling you watching her, Amelya turned her attention back to you, her brows furrowing over her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What was that for ?!" You hissed.

"I don't remember giving you permission to call me by my first name. I'm not one of your classmates or I don't know who else." Amelya replied.

"But..."

"No 'but'. At the end of the day I'm still your mother."

"Could you at least avoid smashing your forehead against mine ? It hurts ! And my skull isn't as hard as yours, Mama !" You exclaimed, lightly massaging your forehead.

"Yes, it is. Stubborn as you are."

You heard Amelya let out a sigh before approaching you again, you glared at her, folding your other arm against you as you kept your other hand firmly pressed against your aching forehead. You heard Amelya click her tongue before grabbing your wrists and pulling you into her arms, her embrace firm and awkward but just as full of affection and tenderness. You let out a firm sigh before returning the hug, just for a moment allowing yourself to be as close to her as you had been before. After a few seconds that seemed too long and at the same time not long enough, she pulled you away.

Her hands reached up again to grab your face, making you tilt your head as she examined your forehead to make sure her blow hadn't really hurt you. Once she'd inspected your forehead, her hands went to your ears, smoothing the fur on them as well as your hair, before doing the same with your tail. You let out a small, half-amused, half-embarrassed sigh, letting her continue with a small smile on your lips and a very light, barely audible purr reverberating in your chest. Amelya finished by arranging your clothes neatly around your shoulders. She then stepped back, inspecting you from head to toe with a little shake of her head before nodding in satisfaction, her amber gaze then meeting your eyes (e/c) as she said :

"It would be nice if you made the introductions."

You blinked, suddenly remembering that you simply hadn't bumped into Amelya on the street and that you were currently accompanied. You turned towards the two animatronics who had decided to remain silent, observing your interaction with the woman. You cleared your throat, feeling slightly embarrassed for having let yourself be distracted and for having shown the part of you that was only vulnerable with your family. You looked through Sun's and then Moon's eyes, trying to read their emotion to see if they were going to laugh at you or make a remark, but you saw none of that on their facial disks. It was simply and genuinely curiosity, and you could also detect a touch of amusement, but also embarrassment and joy. Even if you couldn't explain the last two, it was apparent in the way Sun's rays swirled around her skull, and for Moon in the way his dilated pupils shone.

"Mama, this is Sun and Moon. Sun and Moon this is Amelya Hearton. My adoptive mother." You finally say.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss." Moon declares, extending his hand in Amelya's direction.

"Ah ah ah ! Likewise Detectives." Amelya replied with a laugh, shaking the hand Sun held out to her after she had greeted Moon.

"How do you know they're police ?" You questioned, tilting your face.

"I've got eyes to see their badges and weapons. Besides Ezekiel informed me what had happened to you after you caused trouble, again, and got arrested, again." Amelya sighed in your direction with a look of reproach.

"Mr. Botzaris is nothing but a snitch ! I asked him not to tell you."

"And if it wasn't for him, I'd never have heard from my first child." Amelya replied bluntly. "You refuse to come home and when we call you, you don't answer or you only say half the things."

You felt your pupils dilate before suddenly narrowing, your tail slipping lightly between your legs as your ears fell back along your skull. You turned your face away, lowering your eyes in the direction of your hands, which had closed into fists. You could feel your heart drumming in your throat and ears, guilt and sadness leaving a bitter taste in your mouth. You knew that your behavior was disrespectful and cruel towards the people who had raised you, but you had found no other way to protect them than to stay away from them.

"I don't want to be a burden on you." You said, your tail whipping the air in anger at yourself.

"y/n. You'll never be a burden to us. Whether you like it or not, until the end, we're your parents."

At the same time as Amelya uttered the words you'd heard all too often from her and her husband, she reached out and grabbed your hands, her fingers forcing your hands open to prevent you from hurting yourself. One of her hands then came to rest against one of your cheeks, making you look in her direction as she fixed her eyes once more in yours, giving you a motherly smile. You could feel all your feelings stirring inside you, as much as you were happy to see your Mama the sadness was there, you couldn't help thinking back to everything that had happened while you were growing up under their watchful eye. You bit your lower lip, trying to erase the tingling sensation that was appearing in your eyes.

"Don't blame y/n too much Miss." Sun suddenly intervenes. "We depend enormously on their assistance for the investigation we're carrying out, and it takes up an enormous amount of their time.

You turned towards Sun, blinking slightly in his direction, before seeing him wink in your direction, a small worried smile on his lips. Moon also flashed a polite smile in your mother's direction, but when his gaze landed on you you could read a touch of sadness. You felt Amelya's hand leave your cheek, which made you look in her direction, and you saw her raise a questioning eyebrow, her eyes shifting from you to the two detectives as she tried to understand what was going on between you. You let a small laugh leave your lips before sighing :

"Don't listen to them, they're just trying to keep me out of trouble."

"I hear that. And that's very kind of you gentlemen, but I know what goes on in my kid's mind and I knows what they're like." Amelya replied before turning to you. "Maybe I should bang your head a little harder, just to make sure what I'm saying gets into your skull..."

"No !" You exclaimed.

Quickly placing your hand on your forehead, whose pain had finally subsided, you moved quickly away from your Mama, slipping behind Moon's silhouette to use it as a protective shield. You felt Moon stiffen slightly as he felt you clutch his jacket while you hid behind him, still glaring at your mother with a small pout on your lips. Amelya's thunderous laugh echoed even above the ambient sounds of the city. Sun looked in your direction, an eyebrow raised but a smile still on your lips as his gaze passed from your Mama to you. After her laughter had died down, Amelya gave a small, amused smile, her amber eyes watching you hide behind Moon as a smile played across her lips, and you saw her observe the two animatronic detectives once more, a pensive expression that you knew all too well plastered on her face.

"Tell me, have you had lunch yet ?" Amelya asked, tilting her face.

"No... we've decided to carry out a little investigation, so we haven't had time to settle down for lunch yet." Sun replied with an embarrassed grimace.

Amelya looked down at her hand, where an old watch lay, a gift your Papa had given her long before he started taking care of you. The leather was worn and you wondered how this watch was still able to tell the exact time after all the knocks it had received, and which was visible on the dial by small cracks and other scratches. You saw your Mama frowning as if to reproach you, you felt Moon look at you slightly confused as you hid further behind him, not wanting to incur the wrath of your adoptive mother. Having grown up with her, you knew she was very strict about meals, and this was because your Dad had often skipped meals to concentrate on work.

"I'd have blamed you for not eating if it had been any other time, but I'll let you off this time because I haven't eaten yet myself, and this gives me a golden opportunity." Amelya declared.

"Would you have reproached strangers ?!" You sighed as you finally stopped hiding behind Moon, seeing that your Mama wasn't planning to bump your head again.

"If strangers deserve reproach then yes. But that's not the point, they're not strangers if they're with you." Amelya sighed.

"Just because I'm in someone's company doesn't mean that..."

You didn't finish your sentence, the look on your mother's face, her raised eyebrow and the little shake of the head she made in Moon's direction letting you know that if you said one more word she'd be happy to remind you that you'd taken shelter behind one of the two animatronics a few seconds ago and that she'd make the whole thing more than extremely embarrassing. You closed your mouth with a snap, your tail and ears twitching slightly as your cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. The longer the conversation went on, the more you felt the shame coming over you, you had an image to maintain in front of the two animatronics, but you couldn't do that with her, she still treated you like a child and her affection was uncompromising to the point of being frightening. Amelya clicked her tongue before resuming :

"Anyway. What do you say we have dinner at home ?"

After a brief silence your reply sounded at the same time as Sun's and Moon's, the two animatronics exchanging a glance before both looking in your direction almost with surprise. If you had answered your Mama with a firm and direct "Hell no!", the two detectives had tried to be more polite by refusing with various excuses such as they couldn't accept, and they didn't want to disturb. Your lips stretched into a fine line as your eyes darted once more to Amelya, the little woman blinking at the three of you, you'd expected her to be annoyed by your refusals but you slowly saw an almost tender smile come over her lips, her eyes sparkling with the same sweetness as when you were little and she'd see you manage to do new things. You heard your Mama laugh softly before clearing her throat, her gaze first landing on you.

"You, you don't have the right to refuse, it wasn't an invitation for you, it was an order."

You then saw her turn to the two animatronics next to you, Sun's rays twitching slightly almost uncontrollably while Moon seemed a little more stoic, you could see from the way he had a polite little smile on his lips that he had a backup plan to be able to refuse your Mama's offer once again. You shook your face, a small pained expression on your lips as you knew that in a few moments all his hopes would be crushed to dust. Amelya gave them a small smile in return before continuing.

"As for you, it's an invitation, but it could well become an order if your answer displeases me."

You saw Sun's rays stop abruptly as Moon's smile faded to a small expression of surprise as his red pupils dilated. You couldn't help but snicker at their reactions; you'd told them you'd prefer to be raised by rats, but as affectionate and caring as your Mama was, she was even more stubborn and determined than you, and many were fooled by her delicate, passive appearance, but this Skinwalker Ewe knew how to make herself respected and obeyed. After laughing at the reaction of the two animatronics, you decided to come to their rescue, not wanting to leave them to face your adoptive mother alone.

"Mama... You're making them uncomfortable. Besides, you know I can't..." You began, emphasizing the 'can't' before your mother interrupted you by shaking her face.

"y/n. It would make me extremely happy if you came, you miss your Dad a lot too, he'd be delighted to see you again after all this time. Besides, you don't have to worry about Cassie. She's at school, so there's no risk." Your Mama said with a sad little smile.

You remained silent, lowering your eyes to your hands, your ears drooping slightly against the side of your skull as your tail tucked a little between your legs. You felt guilty avoiding the little girl as if she had the plague, she was a lovely child and full of life, but it was only because you knew it was better for her, you were far too dangerous for her and you couldn't afford to stay by her side. You shook your face, looking up at your Mama, you missed your Papa too, and you knew Amelya wouldn't let you go so easily so with a sigh of resignation you breathed :

"You know very well I can't fight you."

"I know that, my little Furball. Now, what do your friends say, it would please me if they could accompany you too." Said your Mama who, after looking at you, let her eyes slide in the direction of Moon and Sun.

You turned towards the two animatronics, who looked at you not knowing exactly what answer to give. You shook your head with a sorry expression on your lips, telling them to accept her proposal if they didn't want to hear Amelya harping on it. After the two metal policemen had agreed, your mother clapped her hands in satisfaction. You returned her hug shyly before feeling her grab your face to place another kiss on your forehead before releasing you. You watched as she placed her bag back on her shoulder and walked away, saying :

"You know the way home, don't be too late. And you'd better come, remember, I know where you live."

You then watched your Mama walk away with a satisfied, happy gait, making you giggle softly before you rolled your eyes with a sigh, your tail wagging slightly as you thoughtfully. Of all the people you could have come across, you'd never have imagined you'd meet your Mama, and with one last little glance in her direction and a small sigh you turned to the two animatronics, taking a small breath. The two detectives had watched Amelya walk away before turning their attention back to you, their expressions so full of emotion that it was almost impossible to know exactly what they were feeling, you could see a touch of amusement, surprise, incomprehension and also curiosity. You lifted one of your gloved hands and ran it through your hair with a small, sheepish smile, looking away from the two animatronics as you spoke.

"Sorry about Mama. She tends not to realize when she's putting people in difficult positions. Don't mind her."

"It's true that she's quite a character... But we likes her." Moon declared with an amused chuckle.

"I understand a little better where your character comes from." Sun declared with a chuckle as he came to rest the tip of his index finger on your forehead. "Are you hurt ?"

"Huh ? No, it's okay, it's more surprising than it is painful, and besides, I'm used to it." You reply, squinting slightly to look at Sun.

You heard the diurnal animatronic hum before you felt his thumb gently rub your forehead as if he were trying to erase the pain or test it. After a few seconds of concentrating on your forehead, he lowered his eyes to yours, his obsidian-colored optics supporting your gaze, before his hand left your forehead, a touch of pink coloring his cheeks as his rays made several complete turns. A small silence settled between you for a few seconds, you swayed from one foot to the other before finally pulling yourself together, clearing your throat before finally saying :

"Well... Don't feel obliged to come and eat, I'll make some excuse... Or I'll just tell her it wasn't polite of her to insist like that. She won't hold it against you... Well, maybe a little, but whatever. I'd better go if I don't want her to come and rip my whiskers off in my sleep."

"W-Wait Kitten. We..." Moon declared without managing to finish his sentence, one of his hands rising to play with the pompom on his bonnet.

"What Moon means is that we want..." Sun tried to continue, with no more success than his brother, his rays waving randomly and jerkily as he was unable to hold your gaze.

"You what ? I haven't learned to read minds yet, let alone those of Animatronics. You're going to have to express yourself better than that if you want me to know what you want."

You heard Moon take a deep breath, red staining even the darkest part of his face, his hand abandoning the tassel of his bonnet you saw the blushed optics of the nocturnal animatronic staring you in the eye as he said :

"We want to accept your mother's invitation."

"Oh well, come if you like." Yu replied with a shrug.

"Why aren't you more surprised than that ?" Sun asked, almost confused by your lack of reaction.

"I suspected you meant that. After all, what else could you possibly want ? I'm not stupid, you know."

"W-Why did you make us say it if you knew what we were going to ask you ?" Moon exclaimed, even more embarrassed.

"Think of it as payback for the time you made me explain the concept of smell to the Fantastics." You sighed, your ears twitching with mischief.

You heard Moon grunt, lifting one of his hands to his face to pull his cap down over his face and try to hide his embarrassment, while Sun looked down at his hands, which he began to wriggle against each other, his rays twitching, the whole making him look like a child who'd just done something stupid. You let a little laugh leave your lips, your tail wagging in the process. After the two had recovered, you turned in the direction of the car, the two detectives quickly following. You slipped your hands into your pockets, your mind drifting back to all you'd experienced while at the Heartons', both the good and the bad memories, trying to prepare yourself mentally for the wave of memories that would wash over you when you set foot in their apartments again.

You were also thinking about how you'd come to have to bring the two animatronics to the place where you'd grown up. You'd never brought anyone back to the Hearton household ; sure, there was Mr. Botzaris, but he'd known the Heartons before you'd even appeared in their lives, so you didn't count him. You'd never brought any friends to your old home, for the few people you'd considered friends when you were younger. You'd never been the type to get attached, being a Shapeshifter having made you afraid of the slightest physical contact and indirectly afraid that once they understood what you really were, others would abandon you, as was often the case when a Fantastic found himself facing a Shapeshifter.

Lost in your thoughts, you suddenly saw Sun's face in front of yours, his long nose almost touching yours as his eyes looked into yours. Your pupils dilated in surprise as Sun grinned at having finally captured your attention. The sudden proximity of his face to yours made you blush, and you could almost feel his mechanical breath crashing against your cheeks and lips, making your heart beat at an abnormal rate. You saw Sun's expression flicker, his smile disappearing for a few microseconds to be replaced by a more serious expression, his lips spacing out as if he were about to say something, but with no sound leaving his lips. The fur on your tail bristled, and you lifted one of your hands to place it right in the middle of Sun's face, pushing his face away.

"If you need to talk you don't have to do it so close." you hissed.

Sun, who still had your hand on his face, lowered one of his eyes in your direction, the other closed because one of your fingers wasn't far away, the animatronic had bent over slightly so that he could be at your height, both his hands raised as if he'd wanted to remove your  from his facial disk but had decided against it, his hands remaining locked in the air. As he stared at you, you saw a small smile appear on Sun's lips, a touch of amusement shining in his eyes as you held his gaze, your tail wagging in annoyance and your ears twitching.

As you pressed a little harder on the animatronic's face, you couldn't help noticing that the texture of his face wasn't exactly what you'd expected. With your gloves on, you couldn't tell exactly how similar your skin was to his, but there didn't seem to be that much difference. You couldn't help but wonder if his whole body was made up of the same texture, your gaze settling on the rays around his skull which, as if he'd sensed your attention directed at them, Sun moved his rays with a questioning smile on his face.

"Well... We got to the car and you seemed elsewhere. It was the only way I could get your attention." Sun replied, pointing at the car over his shoulder, beside which Moon stood looking at you with a touch of amusement.

"I'm sure there were other ways." You replied, your hand leaving Sun's face to pinch one of his cheeks.

"What if I told you we tried but it didn't work ?" Sun replied with an amused laugh as he watched you pinch his cheek as if he were a child.

You stopped yourself, a small pout appearing on your lips as you released Sun's cheek, backing away and turning your face away, you heard the daytime detective giggling not far from you, the animatronic straightening up to look down at you, one of his hands lifting to try and hide his smile and the blush on his cheeks. Your tail whipped the air behind you one last time before you made your feline attributes disappear, returning to the car to open the door and step inside without saying anything more. After a few seconds, the two front doors opened, letting the two animatronics inside. Moon, who had kept the clues you'd collected with him, gave them to you to place beside you in the back seat. Your gaze lingered on the binder containing information on the various meeting places, and you hummed for a few seconds before finally turning to the two detectives.

"Sunny or Moony, could you lend me a notebook and pen, please ?"

"Yes, of course. May I ask why ?" Questioned the nocturnal animatronic.

You then saw Moon reach into one of his pockets before handing you the pen you'd asked for. He then turned to Sun, who had started the car and driven it away from the spot where it had been parked. Moon plunged his hand into one of Sun's pockets after Sun had indicated where the notebook was. Moon, having retrieved the notebook, turned to you to hand it over. You thanked them before answering Moon's question.

"I just want to write down the names of places I don't know. My parents will probably be able to help us, they know the town a bit better than I do and being older they probably know what it means." You replied, turning the first few pages.

The two animatronics hummed a reply as Sun drove off into traffic, and you gave him the address of where the Heartons lived while continuing to write down the information you needed. It only took a few minutes, after which you closed the binder, putting the notebook and pen down beside you as you concentrated on the road, watching the landscape go by. Your Papa and your Mama also lived in the Miracle District, but they lived on the other side of the District, so you were both far away and at the same time not. The Miracle District extended and could have been considered a mini-city within the city itself, it was a whole ecosystem that liked, more often than not, to think that the rules established in the rest of the city didn't apply here.

When you arrived near your parents' apartment, you began to give directions as to the quickest and most convenient way to reach it. Eventually you arrived at a small parking lot reserved for the building's inhabitants, and you pointed Sun to a particular parking space, knowing which of the building's inhabitants owned the space and knowing that he wouldn't mind if you stayed in his place for a few hours. After returning the pen and notebook to their respective owners, you took a breath before pushing the car door open, stepping into the parking lot where you used to play as a child.

You closed the door behind you, raising your face in the direction of the building, letting your memories once again occupy your thoughts. You could almost hear your laughter and tears echoing in your ears, the various discussions you'd had with the other kids in the neighborhood, the neighbors in the building or those next door. Some of these memories were sweet, others more sour to digest; you felt so many positive and negative things that you didn't know exactly what to feel, except deep nostalgia. A hand on your shoulder startled you slightly as you snapped out of your thoughts, and you turned to see Moon looking in your direction with a small expression.

"We wanted to ask you if you were comfortable with us accompanying you to your parents' house ? If you'd rather go alone, we don't mind, just let us know." Moon sighed, tilting his face sideways, the pompom of his bonnet falling from his shoulder.

"What ? No, no, I don't mind. It was Mama who invited you anyway, so I couldn't stop you from coming even if I wanted to. And even if you didn't want to come I think she'd probably nag you until you finally agreed. She's just like that."

"Are you sure ?" Sun asked, stepping to the other side of you.

"If I hadn't wanted you here, don't worry I'd have made that clear to you. Besides, don't you think it's a bit late to be worrying about this ? You're already here, you might as well stay." You replied with a smile, shaking your face.

"We just wanted to drop you off." Sun said with a sheepish, embarrassed smile.

"You're real gentlemen." You say with a laugh. "On a more serious note, I should be the one to ask if you're sure you want to come Mama and Papa are... peculiar."

"Yes, we're sure." Moon replied with a smile. "We're curious to learn more about you."

You blinked at Moon's words, were they curious ? Did they want to learn more about you ? You didn't know if it was a good thing they wanted to learn more about you, being police detectives you knew that if they looked hard enough they'd quickly be able to tell something was wrong with you, this fact was frightening, you feared their reactions once they knew what kind of watch you really were. However, another part of you couldn't help but be pleased to know that they were a little interested in you, your heart beating a little faster as a smile threatened to appear on your face. You bit your lower lip, slipping your hands into your pockets before moving towards the building, turning your back on the two animatronics to try and hide your embarrassment as you huffed :

"I hope you don't regret your decision. Come on, let's not keep Mama waiting any longer."

You heard the two detectives quickly follow in your footsteps, Sun almost hastily closing to his car as you entered the building. You silently climbed the stairs to the floor where your parents' apartment was located. The building you were in was, strangely enough, in worse condition than the one you were in, not because it was older - quite the contrary - but because, unlike Mr. Botzaris, who took the time to consult his tenants to find out what needed repair, the owner of this building cared little about the building and its inhabitants. All he cared about was being paid the rent on time, which for some of the building's inhabitants could prove complicated by their irregular income. Arriving at the door leading to your parents' apartment, you began to raise your hand to knock before stopping yourself, turning to the two animatronics and saying :

"Quick rundown with us going inside, Mama will probably serve you a huge plate of food, and she'll expect you to finish it, all of it, before serving you another plate, with equally substantial quantities. If you don't manage to finish your plate, she'll probably get worried, asking if the meal wasn't good and blah blah blah... Don't mind her. Papa and I will be there to contain her. If you don't like something don't force yourself to eat to please her either."

You paused for a moment, giving Sun and Moon time to direct the instructions you'd just given them. The two animatronics looked in your direction curiously, a touch of amusement on their lips as they exchanged a glance before nodding. Satisfied, you resumed your instructions.

"Dad is different, but just as embarrassing in his own way. If they ask you any embarrassing questions you'd rather not answer, let me know and I'll take care of him. He's a clumsy, happy idiot. Ah... Papa's also physically peculiar, like a... You'll see for yourself." You declared, frowning.

This time you didn't give the two animatronics time to say anything, because you knew that with the enigmatic description you'd just given they'd want to know more, and you just didn't feel like answering their questions when it was so much simpler to show them. What's more, you wanted to see their reaction to your Papa and his strange appearance. Like many Fantastics, your adoptive father had an unflattering physique in the eyes of both humans and other Fantastics, and you wanted to see how they would react to a creature as strange as your Papa. You knocked on the door a few times, listening to the silence behind the door before heavy footsteps were heard, the door flying open a few seconds later only for you to be pulled out and lifted into a bone-shattering embrace.

A squeak left your lips as you felt all the air in your lungs escape, the huge scaled arms around you quickly releasing you to breathe. You felt hands slip under your arms to lift you as if you were a child, your nose coming face to face with a long, reptilian-looking snout. You looked up into Papa's eyes, meeting his bright yellow ones with their usually slit pupils, now so dilated that they seemed round. Your adoptive father belonged to an ancient species called Dragonborn, literally he was the direct descendant of the Dragons. Dragons had existed a very long time ago, almost right after the dinosaurs, but had quickly become extinct, leaving behind a species more or less resembling them, the Dragonborn.

Your Papa was big, not as tall as Sun and Moon, but big enough that he had to lift you up to face him. His skin was covered with a thick layer of grayish-red scales, with a few small black ones here and there, while the inside of his limbs, throat and belly were a pale beige. His body was extremely muscular, his reptilian scales and skin moving with every little movement he made, you could feel his clawed fingers digging into the skin of your armpits, but his claws, which he always took the time to cut, didn't hurt you in the least.

But the most distinctive thing about him was his face, his head a strange cross between a crocodile's snout and a snake's, his nostrils to the side accompanied by several small pores housing his Jacobson's organ. He also had two pairs of horns, but like his claws, he trimmed them so they couldn't hurt anyone inadvertently. Fangs protruded from his mouth on either side, long and so thin that they seemed almost transparent. You felt your father's breath come crashing down on your face, pushing back a few strands of your hair and making you blink gently before you met his dilated pupils again so that you could see tears forming in them.

"Papa... You're not going to cry, are you ?" You sighed with a small, amused and desperate sigh.

"My little Furball... it's been so long since I've seen you, I feel like you've grown up again. You'll end up being as big as me !" Your father replied in his deep, resonant voice, a purring sound leaving his ribcage.

"That's not going to happen." You sighed, tilting your head back.

Then you heard the sound of something hitting the wall, you looked over your Papa's shoulder to see his long, broad tail wagging almost dog-like, watching as his tail threatened dangerously to knock over one of the objects lying on a small piece of furniture inside. You saw a grimace strike your adoptive father's shoulder as he hissed through clenched teeth and in a low voice :

"Papa ! Be careful with your tail ! If you break something, Mama will be furious."

"I know... it's just that I'm so happy to see you."

"Okey okey... But could you please calm down, and put me down ? Because... This is really, really embarrassing right now..." You say, nodding in the direction of Moon and Sun.

Your father blinked, looking over your shoulder to finally take in the presence of the two animatronics who wished him good morning simultaneously, Sun and Moon's voices mingling with each other and resonating almost noisily against the silence that had settled in the building's corridor. Your father made an apologetic face in your direction and that of Moon and Sun, then laid you gently on the floor, his big scaly hands arranging your clothes on your shoulders before he turned to the two detectives who were with you, holding out one of his hands to them as he had to raise his muzzle slightly to look at them, a movement you were used to making but which seemed strange when your father, big as he was, did it.

"Good morning gentlemen, please excuse my rudeness." Said your Dad after clearing his throat.

You turned slightly towards the two animatronics, silently observing their reaction as your father extended his enormous paw in their direction. You then immediately saw Sun reach out his own hand, grabbing your Papa's as a big smile played across his lips, his rays making several complete circles around his facial disk. Without hesitation, Moon grabbed the Dragonborn's hand after Sun had let go. You saw your Papa turn his muzzle in your direction, the surprised expression on his reptilian face almost comical, as you let a proud, satisfied smile appear on your face, your heart beating slightly faster.

"Don't worry about it Sir we understand your enthusiasm." Moon replied with an amused smile in your Dad's direction.

"No need to call me Sir you can simply call me Sacha." Said the Dragonborn as he began to back away from the entrance corridor. "Enter then. Watch your head as you go through the door. When my wife told me y/n was coming to accompany, I didn't believe her. Even more so when she told me you were animatronics who worked for the police. She  also told me you were huge, but I thought maybe she was exaggerating - from the looks of her, everyone seems huge to her..."

Before your father had time to continue speaking, you caught his tail with both hands before pulling it back sharply, causing your father to hiss in surprise, a crocodile-like hiss, his snout turning in your direction as he looked at you with his big reptilian eyes, his tail wagging in your hand. You let his tail drop heavily to the ground before saying :

"Papa, stop talking and start moving faster. They won't be able to get into the path with you."

"Yes, yes." Your father replied with a small sigh.

You watched the Dragonborn maneuver slowly down the small corridor, folding its tail against itself as it turned his back on the entrance, moving a little further inside the apartment. You turned to Sun and Moon, giving them an apologetic look as you beckoned them to follow Sacha, and once the two animatronics had entered you closed the door, letting your gaze linger on the corridor walls, a small smile forming on your lips. No sooner had you entered the room than you could smell the food being prepared, making your mouth water. At the end of the hallway was the living room, which doubled as the dining room. The place was spacious enough to accommodate Sun and Moon, but your mother had probably had the furniture moved to make more room. You heard your mother tell your father, and indirectly the three of you, that she'd be down in a moment to finish preparing something.

The living room had been pushed back into a corner of the room to make room for the dining table and surrounding chairs, and your father had moved into the living room, inviting the two animatronics to take a seat on one of the many armchairs. The smile that had appeared on your face vanished when you saw the sofa, your heart missing a beat as you balled your hands into fists, the memories of the evening of the accident coming flooding back, so vivid that you could still hear the little girl's screams ringing in your ears. Your Papa must have taken note of your expression, because you heard his footsteps getting closer before he came towards you, his hand resting on the top of your head as his tail wrapped around your waist, urging you forward to the armchairs.

You looked over at Sasha, who grinned broadly, revealing his many sets of teeth, making him look more frightening than anything else, which made you wince slightly before laughing softly. Your father made you sit on the largest sofa before moving to the one opposite. You found yourself sitting next to Sun, who was sitting next to Moon, looking at the two animatronics beside you. Moon had crossed his legs over each other in a more relaxed way, while Sun had put his hands on his lap like a little boy, his rays waving slightly, a smile on his lips.

The two detectives were looking in your direction with amusement and curiosity, and your Papa was watching you too, his eyes sparkling with a gleam similar to the one you saw in your mother's eyes when she had an idea, good or bad. You found yourself the center of attention, and if the three of them were counting on you to get the conversation going, then nothing was likely to be said this afternoon. Just as things were starting to get awkward, your mother appeared, a big, satisfied smile on her lips as she carried a tray of glasses and drinks. Your father stood up immediately, grabbing the tray from your Mama's hands and pressing his muzzle into your mother's hair, one of his many tokens of affection.

"Sorry I'm late." Says your mother as she comes to sit on the last chair to be delivered. "I'm really glad you could make it."

"No need to apologize for that, Miss." Sun replied.

"We should thank you for offering us to come." Moon added.

"No need to call me Madame, Amelya will be just fine !" Said your mother as she bent down to start serving the drinks. "What would you like to drink ?"

After choosing from the drinks your mother had brought, Sun and Moon were served their drinks, and you took their glasses and passed them to them, the two animatronics thanking you and your mother. After everyone had had their drink, you saw your father take a sip from his glass, placing it on the table before turning to the two animatronics, indicating the three of you with his hand, tilting his big head to one side and saying :

"And so, gentlemen..."

"Sun and Moon." Moon intervenes.

"If we're going to call you by your first names we want you to do the same for us." Sun added.

"Ah ah very well. So can we know exactly how the three of you met ? If it's not intrusive to ask, of course. Ezekiel, who I believe has already met you, explained the situation in broad terms, but it's always interesting to know the details." Says your Papa.

The conversation then began gently in this way, Sun and Moon telling how they'd arrested you on suspicion of murder and how you'd ended up working together. You intervened from time to time, giving your point of view of the situation with a light chuckle, your Papa and Mama asking questions and their laughter echoing around the apartment, putting a smile on your face as you couldn't help but smile, your feelings of nostalgia and sadness replaced by the sweetness and light of the moment. After a while, your mom clapped her hands, stood up and said :

"Well, maybe it's time to go and eat, otherwise we might have to eat our lunch tonight."

Sacha got up and followed Amelya into the kitchen, while you invited Sun and Moon over to the dining table, a smile on your lips, your eyes sparkling with anticipation as you watched them sit down and said :

"I hope you're ready to try Mama's famous couscous."

Chapter Text

After the two animatronics had settled at the table, you slipped away towards the kitchen to help your parents bring everything back to the table. On your way back to fetch a bottle of water, your gaze fell on a plate your mother had set aside, the steaming meal carefully spread across it. You lowered your hands to your gloves again, feeling an ache in your heart as you turned on your heels once more, heading back into the dining room, a touch of guilt having formed in the pit of your stomach, almost cutting off your appetite.

You took your place at the table, sitting between your Papa, who was at the end of the table, and Moon, your Mama opposite you and Sun on the other side of the table, facing your Dad. You could still hear them talking, your father asking the two animatronics questions about their work as policemen. The Dragonborn had always been fascinated by films noirs and other cinematographic works depicting the adventures of policemen and detectives, and he was also a fervent reader of trillers, the small collection of books under the television set belonging entirely to him. When you were a child, you remembered borrowing his books several times without authorization, and reading them in secret at night instead of sleeping, spending hours and hours turning the pages without resting until you had some idea of who the culprit might be.

That's why you didn't like coming to the Hearton house, as much as you had good memories of it, the bad were there too. Like the claw marks on the table where Sun was sitting. Admittedly, the marks weren't visible because of the tablecloth that concealed them, but you knew they were there, reminding you of one of your first transformations, the pain you'd felt and the panic you'd read on your parents' faces when they saw you change. Coming here was an emotional roller-coaster, mentally and physically exhausting.

A full plate in front of you snapped you out of your thoughts, and you looked up, thinking at first that it was your father, but you were surprised to see Moon's hand retreat, the nocturnal animatronic grinning in your direction. You couldn't help but smile back, your mind slowly leaving the haze of your memories to focus on the present, the people around the table and the delicately scented plate in front of you.

Your gaze scanned the delicious couscous on your plate, the semolina had been cooked to perfection, you knew it just by looking at it, the cubed vegetables had been cooked in a sauce seasoned with different spices that pleasantly titillated your nostrils. Then there was the meat, which varied according to what your mother had in her fridge, and this time she'd opted for chicken. You knew it wasn't the real couscous recipe, but it was the one you knew and liked best. You reached for your fork, grabbing a bite from your plate and bringing it to your lips, humming with happiness before swallowing, looking up at your Mama to say :

"It's been so long since I've eaten one of your couscous."

"The number of times you've helped me make it, you know the recipe no one's stopping you from making it again." Amelya replies, pointing at you with her fork.

"It just doesn't taste the same when you make it for just one person." You replied with a chuckle, bringing a new fork of food to your lips.

"Well, who told you to make it for yourself ? You can make it for the two youngsters..."

Your father didn't have time to finish his sentence as a yelp of pain left his muzzle, his fork almost escaping from his hand as he began to lift it to his mouth. You saw Sun and Moon look in Sacha's direction with surprise, not understanding his reaction, while your Papa looked in your Mama's direction with a little pout on his reptilian muzzle. You saw your mother give him a big eye to encourage him to be quiet, before looking in your direction and winking at you. You blinked before silently thanking her, even before he'd finished his sentence you knew your father was going to say something that would embarrass you, probably asking why you hadn't decided to cook couscous for Sun and Moon. Your Mama liked to tease you, but she could read the mood very well and, above all, she knew you. Amelya surely understood that the relationship between you and the two animatronics was something special that you yourself didn't understand.

Sure, you were friends, even now that sounded strange, but not so close that you'd invite them to eat at your place, that'd probably be weird. Anyway, Shin used to come and eat at your place and share his meal with you, just as Mr. Botzaris sometimes prepared meals for you and neighbors sometimes gave you leftovers when they made more food than they needed. Was this really odd, or was it because it was Sun and Moon that you found it odd ? You saw your father raise one of his big paws to his muzzle, coughing slightly as he looked at your Mama and then at you, before saying :

"Sorry, I bumped into the table. What I meant was, you can cook for the two or three neighbors you have, can't you ?"

"Um hum... Nice catch Papa." You murmured amusedly in Sacha's direction.

The Dragonborn made a small face in your direction before accompanying it with a small smile, his tail under the table wagging slightly to hit the floor in pride at having caught his near-miss. You looked in the direction of the two animatronics, both of them looking in your direction with raised eyebrows, small, troubled and curious smiles on their facial disks. You shook your head with a grimace, letting them know that it was nothing special and not to pay any attention to your Papa's nonsense. You heard Moon let out an amused sigh, while Sun let a small laugh leave his lips, your grimace having surely been understood by the two detectives.

The meal continued with some light conversation, your mother worrying, as you'd expected, about whether the meal was to Sun's liking and Moon, who had been full of praise for your mother's cooking. It was your parents in particular who asked the questions, but the two policemen also took the liberty of questioning their parents, generally asking them for information that wasn't extremely personal, but which also had nothing to do with anything at all. You were extremely touched by the delicacy and care that the two animatronics brought to their questions, always looking in your direction to question you silently and to find out if they weren't getting into delicate territory. None of them had yet broached the subject you feared most - yourself - but you knew it was coming. And you thought it was when your Dad looked up at the two animatronics, but his question was quite different.

"Tell me Moon, why are you wearing that strange hat on your head ? Oh, you don't have to answer if it's a disturbing question."

This time you were the one who reacted more quickly than your mother, your foot rising up to come and brutally crush your father's tail which was under the table next to you. A pathetic squeak of pain left Sacha's lips as he lifted both hands to grab his muzzle, small tears beginning to form in his eyes, his dilated pupils turning towards you as he yelped softly :

"Why did you do that ?! You know my tail is fragile..."

"I know your tail is your weak spot and its exactly why I did what I did. Just like you, who thinks that asking someone a question can be sensitive but still finds a way to ask it anyway." You growled.

"Sometimes you're too much like your mother..." Sighed your Papa.

You rolled your eyes in his direction, your mother giggling slightly as she patted her husband's arm in an attempt to comfort him. Sometimes you couldn't help wondering how the two of them put up with each other. They were so different, and yet they seemed so much alike. Shaking your head, you turned to Moon next to you, who had been watching your little exchange with a troubled expression, an expression that was also on Sun's face, although from the way his beams were waving you knew he was amused by the situation.

"Don't feel obliged to answer his question. Dad tends to be a little loose-lipped." You hissed, glaring at Dad again.

"Oh, it's okay, I don't mind talking about it." Moon replied with a small smile.

"What ? If you don't mind talking about it why didn't you want to tell me when I asked you about it ?" You asked, frowning in Moon's direction.

"Well... We'd just started working with you, we still saw you as a delinquent at the time, we didn't know you well enough to answer that kind of question." Moon declared with a wry smile.

"Because you know my parents well enough for that ? You met like... Not even two hours !"

"They were very polite. Unlike someone when we first met." Sun interjects, waving his index finger.

"Fuck it ! I've been arrested what did you expect ? I wasn't planning to treat you like royalty, and even then, I'd have thought more about emptying your pockets." You huffed with a pout.

You heard your parents laughing, your Mama with her thunderous laugh, while your Papa had a more discreet but whistling laugh. Sun and Moon let their amusement show too, but a little more shyly, and you eventually joined them, your sulky face giving way to a small smile. Moon ended up answering the question Sacha had asked him, and indirectly the first personal question you'd asked him. The nightcap he was wearing was a gift his parents had given him when he was a child, and he hadn't parted with it since.

"I'm impressed that he's in such perfect condition after all these years." Said your father, observing the cap on Moon's head.

"Moon always takes special care if his bonnet, it's like another limb to him !" Said Sun, his rays twitching.

"I must admit that our parents, seeing how attached I was to the bonnet, made a little reserve to make sure I kept the same one. They give me a new bonnet every time the current one starts to wear out." Moon added with a small smile, his eyes lost in his memories.

"Ah I know how your parents must have felt seeing you love the present so much ! We did the same for y/n !" Says your Dad. "When they were still a tiny ball of fur they had a little stuffed animal in the shape of (favorite animal) that they took everywhere with them."

"Papa ! Stop there, please !" You say, putting both hands on the table.

"I'm sure we have pictures somewhere." Amelya added.

"Mama not you either !"

"I'll be right back !" Sacha declared, rising from the table.

You heaved a sigh as your father rose to disappear into the corridors of their apartments, you lifted both hands intertwining your fingers before coming to rest your forehead on them, letting despair wash over you as your mother continued to recount your misadventures and the two animatronics laughed softly. You could feel your face turning a darker shade of red with each new story told about you. As you heard your father's heavy footsteps return, you looked up only to see him holding in his large hands a stuffed toy that seemed so small in his possession. He came and sat down in his place, a smile on his muzzle as he held out the stuffed toy in your direction.

You hesitated for a second, but when you saw the big eyes your father was giving you, you couldn't help but let out a sigh and catch the little (f/a) in your hands. The years and the play sessions you'd had with it hadn't spared it, he was missing an eye and the foam inside had eventually stunted, so that the little plushie no longer fit exactly in his original position. You could remember the many hours of play you'd spent with this little cuddly toy. A small smile slowly appeared on your lips as you recalled your innocence and carefree spirit. You saw Moon's hand appear in your field of vision, the nocturnal animatronic's index finger resting on the top of your little plushie's skull to stroke it gently. You looked in Moon's direction before handing him the plush and saying :

"Don't worry, (plushie's name) won't bite. But I will, if you make the slightest comment."

"(Plush name)? That's a cute name." Sun declared.

You let a growl leave your lips as you rolled your eyes, Moon gently retrieving the little plush, his blushed optics shifting from you to the plush with a small smile on his lips before he leaned over to Sun who in turn touched the little plush gently, beginning how adorable your former stuffed friend was. You shook your face and looked in the direction of your parents, who were watching the three of you with little smiles on their lips. As you met their eyes, you heard them chuckle before seeing your Papa rise to stand next to Sun and Moon showing the photos, which had suddenly appeared in his big, scaly hands. You felt the color drain from your face as he held out the photos to show them to the two detectives.

"Here they are when they were little ! They took their stuffed animals with them everywhere in the house. Even when they turned into kitten, they'd try to pull the stuffed toy with their tiny little mouth and paws !" Declared your father with a big smile on his face.

"Papa!" You groan with embarrassment.

With emotion you let your tail and ears appear before coming to rest your forehead against the table, your hands coming to rest over your skull and ears as you wished you could disappear, your tail wagging vigorously. You knew which picture your father was showing them, the one of you in your feline form, but when you were much smaller, you were playing on the sofa, all claws and fangs out, fur bristling, attacking your stuffed animal as if it were the worst opponent you'd ever faced. You knew you looked exactly like those stupid cats you saw on the Internet and everyone else looked at.

"You were so adorable when you were just a little fur ball... Sometimes I wish you hadn't grown up. Remember how you liked to sleep on my arm at night ?" Your Papa says in your direction.

If you didn't answer, your mother did and let a laugh leave her lips. You looked in her direction, begging her not to say anything more, but that didn't stop her. She waved her hand before adding after your father, looking at Sun and Moon :

"I couldn't sleep at night because of them two ! They purred so loudly I felt like I had a steam locomotive in the room with me !"

You heard your father laugh, his laughter mingling with your mother's as Sun and Moon smiled, probably trying to imagine what a Dragonborn and a purring Skinwalker Cat must sound like. Yes, you remembered, it's a distant memory, but one that's well engraved in your mind. Your father and you often played fight when you were smaller, after you'd fought when you were exhausted - well, especially you, since your dad only pretended to be tired - and you used his arm as a pillow, even though it was covered in scaly skin. For a long time, his arm had been your favorite headrest, especially in summer when his body temperature was naturally cooler. You couldn't help but let out an amused sigh, raising your eyes to look in the direction of your adoptive parents, a grateful, sincere smile on your lips.

"You were cute when you were little." Moon then sighed as he waved the photo in his hand, his smile letting you know that his words were deliberately meant to tease you.

"I said if you said anything I'd bite you !" You declared, your ears perking up against your skull as you glared at the animatronic.

"Sorry, Kitten, but it's the truth ! You were so little... I think I could have held you in one hand !" Sun added, a big smile on his lips as his rays flashed around his facial disk.

"Oh my god ! Shut up !" You hissed, trying to hide behind your hands.

You heard the two animatronics continue to giggle softly, exchanging the few photos your father had brought back to show them, which you didn't even want to know about, preferring to spare yourself the embarrassment. When you didn't hear your parents say anything, you raised your nose slightly, observing the silent exchange taking place between your two parents. Your Papa looking at your Mama with dilated eyes and a confused expression, while she herself blinked as if trying to communicate in Morse code. You frowned, wiggling your ears slightly, which drew the attention of both of them to you, allowing you to question them silently. Your father looked away with a cough, concentrating again on the two detectives, while your mother gave you a small smile, shaking her face.

"Yes, they were really quite adorable as children." Your Mama sighed as she came to rest one of her hands on one of her cheeks. "I don't know what we missed in their upbringing to make them like that when they grew up."

"I'd rather have been raised by rats..." you murmured, knowing perfectly well that everyone in the room could hear you.

You heard your mother gasp before she and you began to bicker in a friendly manner, your father reassuring the two animatronics by telling them not to mind the two of you and that it was your habit. With the meal now over, you left the table, clearing everything away. Despite your mother's complaints and refusals, Sun and Moon insisted on helping you, the two of them ending up in the kitchen after deciding to help with the dishes. Sun dipped his hands in the water, Moon wiped the plates before handing them to you to put away. Your mother and father had moved to the other side of the room so they could continue chatting with you. After placing a glass back in its usual place, you often took out the small piece of paper you'd slipped into your pocket. Taking it out immediately, you unfolded it before giving it to your parents, saying :

"Say, do you know any of those names ?

You saw your father grasp the document delicately between his fingers, lifting it to the height of his face before handing it to your mother, who read it in turn. After a few seconds, the two of them began to explain where this or that place was, giving more or less precise locations as well as additional information, such as the fact that some of the places listed on the document were not exactly the same as before. Sun and Moon, who had finished the dishes, sat next to you, who had leaned against the counter near the sink, both listening attentively to your parents' explanations. When the two Fantastics had finished, you turned your head in the direction of the two animatronics, silently assuring yourself that they had memorized everything, Sun and Moon nodding to confirm that they had.

"When Amelya and I were younger, we visited several of these places. They were popular places in our day. Are you planning to visit any of these places ?" Sacha declared.

"Yes, but it's not for tourism." You replied, shaking your face slightly. "Besides, can you always go to 'the wolf's den'?"

"As far as I know. We went there a few months ago with Cassie." replied your Mama.

"You took her there ? There are lots of Fantastics going to the lair, wasn't it risky ?" You asked, your voice suddenly worried.

"It was. But we took our precautions. Besides, how could we not take her to the wolf's den. It's a place all Fantastics must visit at least once." Declared your Papa.

"We can't keep her locked up at home either. The doctors said it might help her to socialize with other Fantastics in small doses. Besides, she has the right to live like everyone else." Your Mama added with a sad yet comforting smile in your direction.

You lowered your eyes, lifting one of your hands to rub your arm, your ears falling back slightly along your skull as your tail instinctively slid between your legs, guilt once again wrapping itself around your throat. You breathed a little apology in your parents' direction, knowing that they were perfectly right; you knew that Cassie simply couldn't live forever cooped up in the apartment, which was very small for a child of her age. As your fingers dug painfully into your arm, you suddenly felt the sleeve of your sweater being pulled, you blinked, your attention on Sun's fingers which had come to pull on the sleeve of the sweater with the hand you'd lifted, his gesture forcing you to release the grip you were exerting on yourself.

You began to look up at Sun, only to turn your head towards Moon, who had moved a little closer to you, enough for his presence and body heat to be felt even through your sweater. You blinked slightly, a little confused by what was happening, until you saw the two animatronics lower their eyes towards you before nodding simultaneously in the direction of your parents. You followed their gaze, meeting the comforting smiles of your Mama and Papa. You saw your Papa move closer, putting his big paw between your ears and ruffling your hair.

"She misses you very much, you know. You don't have to be afraid to come home once in a while, she's doing better thanks to you. I know you don't think it's much, but the money you send every month goes a long way to helping with her treatment." Sighed your father.

"So please come a little more often, so we can at least thank you with a meal." Added your mother.

You lifted your hand to rub your nose and breathed a little 'Ok', your father stroking your ears before pushing his hand away with yours, feeling embarrassed by the situation. A little squeak left your father's lips as he pretended to cry, making your mother laugh and the two animatronics still beside you, whose presence at that moment brought you a certain comfort. If it hadn't been for their simple intervention, you'd have spiraled into guilt once again, and your parents' words would have sounded useless. You looked up at the two detectives, meeting first Sun's gaze, then Moon's, before silently uttering a small thank-you.

Your mother diverted the conversation to a lighter, less emotional subject, asking the two animatronics accompanying you if they'd like a coffee. After the two had agreed, your mother prepared the hot drink, inviting you back into the living room to have a drink and end your meeting on a more positive note, for after noting the time you realized it was well past time for you to leave. As the other four continued their conversation, you held out your hand, attracting the attention of Sun, who was standing next to you. You saw the animatronic Sun turn his attention entirely to you, his rays waving curiously. Not wanting to draw attention to yourself, you waved your hands, asking him to lend you his notebook and pen once again.

Sun immediately smiled at you before taking the notebook out of his pocket, also discreetly removing the pen from Moon's pocket and passing it to you. You thanked him silently before opening the little notebook and lifting out the pen, placing the lead on the paper without writing anything down. You wanted to write so much that you knew it wouldn't fit on a single page, but at the same time you didn't know exactly what to write. After several seconds' thought, you decided to go for something simple, remembering one of the messages your mother had sent you to keep you up to date with Cassie's progress, whether it was with her illness or at school. You wrote: 'Hey little sister. Mama tells me you're doing great at school and that you're one of the best students in your class. Keep up the good work. I'm so proud of you.' With that you drew the head of a little cat at the bottom of your message. The little drawing wasn't particularly cute, but you knew she liked it when you drew silly little doodles.

Finally it was time to say goodbye, and Sasha greeted Sun and Moon with a big pat on the back, a wide grin on his face, a seemingly endless laugh leaving his lips as his tail wagged. Your mother was more discreet, politely shaking their hands before escorting you to the door with your father behind her. Standing opposite the two of them, you held out your hand and the small piece of paper on which you'd written your note to Cassie, giving it to Amelya who picked it up, blinking before raising her eyes to you with a small smile. You slipped your hands into the pockets of your sweater and breathed out:

"Tell her I'll come and see her one of these days."

"That's good to hear." Declared your Papa.

You nodded slightly before looking up to see your Papa opening arms, inviting you into a hug, you rolled your eyes before moving in their direction, letting your Papa's arms close around you and your Mama joining in your cuddle. You felt your Papa rub his scaly muzzle against your cheek with a little purr, while your Mama began to scratch one of your ears. You let a small laugh leave your lips before purring back before finally releasing them and blowing a timid little "I love you". Your adoptive parents smiled back at you, your father's tail almost knocking over one of the vases in the hallway, earning him a dark look from Amelya.

"We love you too, Furball. Feel free to come home anytime." Said your Papa.

"And you're welcome too !" Declared your Mama in the direction of Sun and Moon who were standing a little further behind you. "Even if y/n don't come with you, you're welcome to come along, it would even be the best solution if you want to learn more about them without them complaining."

"Thank you so much. It was really a pleasure to meet you." Moon replied with an amused smile and a small nod.

"It's a tempting offer, but if we do that they might resent us." Sun added, his rays waving rapidly.

"You can be sure of that." You replied, your tail lightly whipping the air.

After waving your hands one last time in the direction of your parents, you turned your backs, descending the stairs as you heard the door close behind you. As Sun and Moon began to descend the stairs, you sat down on the safety railings, beginning to let yourself slide gently down. You knew that bends were difficult to maneuver, being almost at right angles, but you had years of experience ahead of you. As you slid past them, the two animatronics stopped, and you stuck out your tongue at them before sliding faster down the stairs. You nearly toppled over at the third turn, but managed to catch yourself, and the rest of your descent went smoothly.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, you looked down the spiral staircase, seeing no sign of the two animatronics, and decided to head outside. Once out in the open you took a deep breath, closing your eyes for a few seconds to try and sort out what you were thinking and feeling. You tilted your head back, looking up at the sky and the sun, which had moved on without a care in the world. You walked into the parking lot, but not towards Sun's car, wagging your tail, you walked into the little patch of garden there was, your steps sinking slightly into the grass and other weeds, your gaze scanning the bushes of wild plants there. With winter approaching, they seemed to be starting to tire, but there was still a little time before the first snow, so you knew you still had a chance of finding some ripe ones.

As you continued to watch the bushes for brambles, you remembered the too many times you'd left your parents' apartment late at night or early in the morning just to make sure you could eat a few blackberries. And you weren't the only one to do this, the few other kids in the building did it too, so you'd sometimes find yourself in a group looking for the berries, sharing your find if there weren't many or bickering to see who'd get the last one. The children's faces were blurred in your mind, and you don't even think you bothered to ask their names. You just knew that somewhere there were children with whom you had eaten blackberries as a child.

Your gaze then came to rest on an imposing bramble bush, which took up a large part of the small courtyard, and you knew that the adults didn't touch it, knowing that it was the children's favorite bush because of the fruit it bore. A smile appeared on your face as you saw that the bush was still bearing some fruit, some of which was even beginning to rot on the ground. You wondered if there were any children left in the building who wouldn't have eaten the berries before they were ripe. You reached out and plucked one of the berry, holding the berry between your fingers and thinking that the berries hadn't been washed, but you quickly dismissed this grown-up thought, as you'd eaten them when you were little and it hadn't killed you.

You tossed the blackberry into your mouth, savoring the sweet taste of nostalgia and childhood. As you picked more blackberries, you heard the two animatronics leaving the building. You started to stand up to wave to them and show them where you were, but you almost immediately met their gaze, which made you roll your eyes. You tended to forget the multitudes of gadgets and other military functions they had programmed into their bodies. Letting them approach, you continued to pick the blackberries, eating them absent-mindedly. Your ears twitched as Sun and Moon leaned over the bush behind you to observe you.

"What are you eating ?" Sun asked.

"Wild blackberries." You replied before looking up at the two animatronics.

"Why am I not surprised." Moon sighed, laughing.

"Because by now you've gotten to know me." You held out your hand, in which were blackberries, to the two of them. "Did you want some ?"

You watched as Sun and Moon exchanged glances before finally reaching out to retrieve a small blackberry each, you watched them eat the blackberries with a small smile on your lips as you bent down again to retrieve more berries. Continuing to chew them, you could feel the weight of the two detectives' eyes weighing on you, occasionally raising your hand to offer them a few blackberries, which they silently accepted. Grabbing one of the branches to move it, your gloves protecting you from the thorns if you didn't press too hard, so as to have easier access to other fruits, you said without looking up :

"Go ahead and ask me your questions. I know you have some, but you're hesitating to ask them."

"Looks like you've gotten to know us too." Moon sighed.

"Can't say I haven't."

"Um... Who's Cassie ? We've made some deductions, but it's always better to ask than to imagine."

You froze slightly; you couldn't say you hadn't expected this question, but it was always difficult to answer without feeling your emotions overwhelm you. You tightened your grip on the branch, reaching out with your other hand to grab the berries and bring them to your mouth before swallowing them almost whole.

"She is Amelya and Sacha's daughter. Their real child and incidentally my little sister."

"Um... We see. She's been ill. Is it okay for us to ask what's wrong with her ?" Sun asked in a small voice.

You stopped yourself completely, yes, they had the right to ask that question - the only problem was how you were going to answer them. The disease attacking the poor child was as difficult to understand as it was to treat. But above all, you didn't feel capable of answering them, because as much as you loved Cassie with all your heart, she was always a sensitive subject for you. Her illness made you hate yourself even more, hate even more deeply the fact that you were a Shapeshifter, an aberration a mixture of magic, everything and nothing. She was so innocent and fragile, and yet she suffered just as much, much more compared to you, and yet you still found a way to feel sorry for yourself... You found a way to be the thing that could make her suffer even more.

"Her illness and call it 'Rusteater'." You began. "It's a degenerative disease that only affects Fantastics from inter-species crossbreeding. In some cases, cross-breeding between different species poses no problem, in others it causes what Cassie has. The Rusteater causes its some kind of allergy to magic, so you'll understand why it's a dramatic thing for a Fantastic. Cassie is almost allergic to her parents, to all the Fantastics who surround her and live... to herself. She was diagnosed as a baby, shortly after she was born. When Papa touched her for the first time her skin turned red before starting to bleed, as if she'd been skinned alive."

You paused for a moment, your mind filling with images of the little creature she still was, screaming at the top of her lungs after touching her daddy with her little hand, how her hand had started to bleed even though she'd just been born and had been perfectly healthy just a few seconds before. You remember the despair and terror you saw on your adoptive father's face when he was forced to entrust his baby to the human doctors and nurses who were there. It had been confusion for several hours, your parents devastated at not being able to spend the first moments of their children's lives with her, you waiting outside the hospital, wondering what new misfortune you had brought to those around you. You took a jerky breath bringing a new blackberry to your lips, letting the sour taste try to divert your attention without much success.

"After a few tests, the doctors have diagnosed Rusteater. There are no real treatments in existence, only drugs to ease the pain and trying to condition the patient to magic. A bit like real allergy cases, we give the body a small dose of magic each time to try and get it used to it. Sacha and Amelya went to the hospital every day, staying with their baby for short periods to try and acclimatize Cassie'd body to their magic. Cassie... Cassie spent almost three years in hospital before she was stable enough to bear the presence of her own parents. And then... Then she had to acclimatize to the presence of me, who was still living with the Heartons. The problem was that it was more complicated than with Sasha and Amelya, since I wasn't of the same blood, so sometimes just being near her caused her to have fits."

You remembered how, just as you entered the hospital room, you saw Cassie's little body start to tremble with the coughing fits that took hold of her, as if the mere smell of you was enough to make her suffer. You saw again the expressions of the nurses panicking as they asked you to leave, of your Papa and Mama as they watched their child suffer because of you, you saw your face again, the reflection of your expression through the glass as you watched the little life you seemed to be slowly destroying. The guilt was there, it always was. You were destroying a family, your presence separating parents from their one and only child. You remembered that it was at that moment that you had begun to firmly believe that your existence, your condition as a Shapeshifter, was causing the misfortune of those around you.

"After about a year and a half, it finally got better. We could stay in the same room without Cassie suffering, so she came to live at the apartment. But I always had to be careful not to touch her. She was so small but intelligent and affectionate. I always had to be careful not to let her get too close to me so I started to be home less often, to give my parents the space and opportunity to be able to look after her without having to worry about me. What's more, the Heartons' financial situation wasn't stable with all the care they'd had to pay for Cassie when she was in hospital, and I knew my presence was getting in the way. So I started stealing, just to say I didn't need to come home to eat, and I started not just coming home. Sleeping here and there. There was Mr. Botzaris, who let me spend the evenings at his place, but I didn't want to overdo it either, so I sometimes slept outside. Hey ! some corners weren't so bad, plus by turning into a cat I could sleep just about anywhere."

You let a nervous laugh leave your lips at your last sentence, shaking your face. The evenings you'd spent out and about had brought you into contact with a few people whose situations were worse than yours, because unlike you, who could go back to the Heartons if things got too difficult, they had nowhere to go back to. In winter, they'd talk late into the night around a fire, you'd never learn their names, they'd tell you that you didn't need to know them, that it was better this way, so as not to get attached and feel guilty for having the things they didn't have. It was also easier not to worry about what you could have done to help them when you heard they'd died.

"When I must have been 15 or 16, I came home, I was tired and so fixated on myself that I forgot about Cassie. I forgot how she was, how she didn't understand and above all how I was a danger to her. Everything happened so fast, I settled down on the sofa and she... She was so happy to see me again that she threw herself on top of me to give me a hug. It was just a hug, she didn't even touch much of my skin directly, I was already used to covering myself up. But just touching, this innocent and affectionate gesture was too much... Her skin started to burn, she screamed and cried. She was just a child, and suffering from something I could never understand. The worst part... The worst part was that there was nothing we could do. Neither Sacha, nor Amelya, they knew that if they touched her it would only make her reaction worse, they couldn't even comfort her, they just had to stand there and watch their child suffer and scream in pain... Because of me..."

Was there anything else you wanted to say ? Did you have nothing more to say ? You didn't know, your voice had simply broken, your vision blurred because it was unable to concentrate on anything, seeing images from the past, but also because something else was preventing you from seeing, burning eyes rolling down your cheeks. Ah... You couldn't even remember if you'd cried the night of the incident, you couldn't even remember what you'd done except run out of the apartment and building, promising never to return.

You then felt something close firmly around one of your wrists, forcing your eyes to focus again as your mind finally caught the pain of your hand that had wrapped itself far too tightly around the bramble branch for your gloves to protect your skin from the thorns inside. You let go of the branch, feeling the same hand that held your wrist tugging at you, forcing you from your crouched position to stand awkwardly. Other hands, too numerous to belong to just one person, closed in around your waist and legs, dislodging you from behind your bramble bush and lifting you over it onto the concrete floor of the parking lot. But the hands didn't let go; on the contrary, they tightened, pulling you in once more to engulf you in a strong, warm and comforting embrace.

There was too much noise in your ears, little mechanical hums, like the whirring of a metal creature. The sound resonated in both your feline ears so loud and close that you couldn't even hear your own thoughts, which was strangely pleasant. Just as pleasant as the warmth that protected you were the arms, torsos and bodies that held you, cuddled you and gave you the comfort you needed. The scent of lavender and lemon filled your nostrils, the perfume wasn't overpowering but your nose was buried in clothes, the same clothes your hands had clutched, their clothes. You'd almost forgotten you were talking to them, you'd forgotten they were there. Moon and Sun. Sun and Moon.

"It wasn't your fault. It never was, and it never will be." Moon whispered in your ear.

"You were as innocent and young as Cassie." Sun whispered in your other ear.

You'd heard those words before, but why did they seem to have more impact when it was the two animatronics saying them ? Was it because they were strangers to the whole thing and you knew their opinion wasn't biased by feelings and the relationship they had with you, maybe it was for some other reason you didn't understand. You could feel all your emotional turmoil slowly subsiding, your heart recovering a calmer rhythm, your eyelids remaining closed as you took a jerky but deep breath. You felt a hand come to rest on the small of your back, drawing circles as another stroked your hair. How you knew that the hand on your head belonged to Sun and the one on your back was Moon's without even seeing them was what made you open your eyes.

You loosened your grip, the two detectives taking this as a sign that they could release you slightly without moving away. You kept your face down in shame at having cried like that, lifting your painless hand to try your tears and lightly rub your eyes. You heard Moon click his tongue before feeling his hand grab the sleeve of your sweater, pulling your hand away from your face and eyes. Sun grabbed your chin with one of his hands, forcing your face to turn towards him as he lifted his hand to wipe away your tears with the tip of his thumb, his finger lightly brushing your skin and calming the irritation you'd caused by rubbing, his eyes were fixed on your face with a small, indecipherable expression on his facial disk. You turned your face away, stepping back to turn your back on them as you breathed out:

"Don't look at me like that... It's embarrassing."

"You don't have to be embarrassed. It's okay to cry." Sun declared.

"Sometimes it's better to let your emotions speak than to keep everything inside." Rejoined Moon.

"Not when you're an adult." You mumbled.

"Yes, even when you're an adult. For example Sun crying the other one because he stubbed his little toe in a piece of furniture." Moon continued with a chuckle.

"Hey. You promised you wouldn't talk about it !" Sun exclaimed with an audible pout in his voice. "But... it's true."

You couldn't help but laugh lightly at their nonsense, easing your heart slightly. You turned to them, lowering your hands to your gloves before raising your eyes to them both, a small smile on your lips as you breathed :

"Thank you."

Chapter Text

You could feel a touch of impatience stirring inside you as you watched the landscape unfold through the window of Moon's car. You looked distractedly in the direction of the two animatronics in the front seats, exchanging a few words about the best way to reach the Fushi Forest. Sun and Moon had come to collect you from your apartment this morning, and had decided that, as they had no further leads to explore, going to the last place where human trafficking had taken place was not a waste of time.

Your attention lingered on the two animatronics a little more than it should have, their words still ringing distantly in your ears as you recalled what had happened the last time you saw each other. Your personal life was something you rarely talked about because you didn't want to and because there were very few people around you, even Shin wasn't aware of everything that had happened before you arrived at the apartment, he knew you had some complication with your family but you'd never told him about Cassie or her illness. And you preferred not to tell him, Shin was too sensitive and you feared he'd start questioning all his love affairs if he learned you were part of a family that knew the risks of inter-species cross-breeding. He'd also probably feel guilty about telling you about all his love affairs, understanding that it was a sensitive subject for you.

Botzaris was bound to know. Otis you weren't sure, he and Botzaris were close but you didn't know exactly how close. The old robot knew your family but you weren't sure if he knew all the problems and stories there were, he never let on and you were grateful for that, you didn't want him to feel sorry for you. You hated being pitied. Then there was Double B, he was a complete mystery to you, the Skinwalker had surely done his research on you the moment you'd saved his daughter, and deep inside you a little voice whispered that he must have known you were a Shapeshifter, but he'd never said anything about it. You didn't know if it was his way of thanking you or if he really didn't know, but you weren't going to ask. Then there were the Glamrocks and, incidentally, Vanessa. Being from the police and having known you since you were a little kid, they were aware of your family situation, but certainly not all of it.

But now there was Moon and Sun who knew about Cassie, what you'd done to her, and what you'd been through. They'd seen you at your most vulnerable, seen one of your most horrible emotional scars, and one of your darkest secrets, and you'd expected them to feel sorry for you, to change the way they treated you. But that hadn't happened. You hadn't seen the pity, the sadness in their eyes, they hadn't tried to reassure you with grandiose speeches, to tell you that you didn't have to run away from your family ? Nothing like you'd expected. They'd simply understood and accepted, their words had been simple and reassuring, they'd even seemed happy, and as strange as that might be given the situation and the story you'd told them, you'd understood that they were glad you'd confided in them, that you'd told them about that part of your life.

You weren't embarrassed or disgusted at having shown your weaknesses and wounds. You felt relieved and reassured, as if a weight had been lifted from your shoulders and one of the many chains that bound your heart had been loosened, allowing you to feel again. You still felt a little sad and guilty for everything that had happened, but the pain was no longer as vivid. You didn't understand why, it was just the way it was and you didn't want to question it, you didn't want to understand, you just wanted to accept the relief. In your eyes, the reaction and words of the two animatronics had been similar to if you had shown them the most horrible of your scars and instead of looking at it and questioning it, they had simply kissed it.

You felt your face redden at the thought, and let an embarrassed sigh leave your lips as you raised a hand to your face, trying to calm yourself and erase the images you had in your head, little flashbacks of Sun kissing your palms to make them heal faster, or how the two animatronics had taken you in their arms to comfort you coming back into your memory. You felt the red of your cheeks darken even more, your brain reliving all the little details and other attention the two animatronics had given you, before starting to invent scenarios that didn't exist and would surely never happen. Then you began to think that you must be touch starved, that years spent avoiding the slightest contact with anyone were beginning to take their toll, making your heart beat much faster than it should at the mere thought of a hug and stretching your lips into a stupid smile.

"You okay back there ?"Sun's voice interrupted then suddenly, the animatronic turned in your direction.

"Y-Yeah... Why do you ask ?" You asked, trying to regain control of your emotions.

"You're strangely silent. And you've begun to stir slightly." Sun continued, a smile on his lips as his rays stirred with curiosity.

"Ah. It's nothing, really. I was just thinking about too many things at once and it made me think of stupid things." You replied, shaking your face as you looked again in the direction of the window to hide your embarrassment.

"Hmm... You're strange, you know that ?" Moon sighed, glancing in your direction through the rear-view mirror.

"Hey ! That's my line !"

You heard the two animatronics chuckle slightly as you rolled your eyes at them, your gaze finally stopping on the end. The further you followed the main road, the further away you got from the town, the buildings had gradually diminished in size and number before giving way to houses that were becoming more and more isolated. As when you'd first visited the Klains, nature began to reclaim its rights, but this time the change was grandiose. The trees had become immense, measuring over 30 metres in height, almost making some of the city's buildings green with envy, and the density of ferns and other thorny bushes was also increasing, almost making it impossible to see between the pine trunks. Grasses and other wildflowers were appearing on the edges of the road, giving a touch of color here and there on this expanse of green.

From time to time you could see other little paths appearing, some of them dirt roads, others concrete paths leading to other towns, other places. In the distance, you saw a sign appear, and you rolled down your window, straightening up in your seat to put your face slightly outwards, letting the wind whip your face, the smell of moss, grass and forest filling your nostrils and making your heart beat slightly with happiness. You passed the signpost quickly, its inscription indicating that you were now in the Fushi Forest. Your smile widened a little as the wind continued to ruffle your hair, making it fly from side to side across your face. You knew it was a very canine thing to put your head out the window to enjoy the outside air, but you couldn't resist it, you were a Fantastic who lived mainly in the city, the call of nature was irresistible to you.

The temperature outside was cool but pleasant, and with the sun already out, its rays warmed the air enough for autumn not to be too noticeable. You heard Moon and Sun lowering their windowpane too, Sun even putting his hand out into the wind, making it move as if following an invisible wave. His childish gesture made you laugh slightly, and Sun, hearing you, met your gaze in the rearview mirror, smiling and winking at you. The car drove on for several long minutes, and by the time you could no longer feel the tip of your nose, you had finally tucked your head inside, keeping your chin against the door to look out and continue to enjoy the air and the view.

Every now and then, a car would pull up to the side of the road beside a small path leading slightly into the forest, where there was a small kiosk with picnic tables, benches and sometimes even dedicated spots for lighting fires and barbecues. You remembered the time Amelya and Sacha took you to the 'Wolf's Den'. The first time, you visited the den in the morning, then at lunchtime you settled into one of the kiosks in the forest, you couldn't remember exactly where it was but you'd always remember the kebabs you cooked over the fire. You could feel your saliva rising to your mouth at the memory. It was such a shame you were there to work, you would have loved to have been able to share a similar experience with the two animatronics.

"Oh, that's where we have to go." You suddenly declared.

A sign appeared at the side of the road, an old wooden sign faded by the weather and the years, the writing and drawings on it barely visible, 'Wolf's Den' written in black, on the side a crude, cartoonish drawing of a red-eyed werewolf standing in front of the forest under a full moon. Sun slowed the car down, taking it onto a smaller tarmac road. You drove through the forest for about ten minutes before arriving at a dirt parking area. The place was empty except for a few cars, but that was to be expected, as it was usually frequented by families on vacations or weekends. No sooner had Moon parked the car than you opened the door to step outside.

You moved to the far end of the parking lot where a dirt path, perfectly designed after years of being frequented by visitors, wound its way through gnarled trunks and bushes. You could smell a multitude of scents and perfumes wafting through the air, those of the Fantastic who had passed this way, of nature, and even of the surrounding animals. You couldn't help but let your ears and tail twitch, your tail wagging slightly as your ears swiveled in all directions before settling on a distant noise that suddenly captured your attention. You heard Sun and Moon's footsteps approaching you after hearing the Lunar detective close his car.

"Are you sure you're really a cat, the way you're wagging your tail you'd think you were a dog." Moon sighed teasingly.

"Shut up. If I were a dog, I'd have sprinted and you'd have had to chase me. I've got a modicum of self-control." You huffed as you looked in Moon's direction, your ears lying lightly against your skull.

You heard the two animatronics chuckle slightly before they started to move into the forest, passing you by. You wasted no time, catching them before passing them again, you turned in their direction, walking backwards with your hands behind your back, childishly sticking your tongue out at them, squinting in a mocking grimace. Where Moon rolled his eyes, but still had an amused smile on his lips, Sun returned your grimace, sticking out his long, orange tongue in your direction. You froze slightly, blinking as you realized that both animatronics had tongues. You didn't know why this seemed strange, you'd never wondered if they had one or not.

"Why do you have a tongue ?" You huffed, venting your surprise.

"Why not ?" Sun replied.

"But more importantly, why ?" You insisted. "It's not like you need it to talk."

"There... There are several reasons. Notably to swallow, and there are... other reasons. Animatronics kiss the same way humans do, and Fantastic... I guess you know what I mean."

There was no mistaking Moon's intonation and expression, and you felt the blush creep up your cheeks. You didn't know whether to be embarrassed or offended by Moon's latest comment. Yes, you knew, you'd indulged Shin's passion for drama many times, and there was no drama without romance, and no romance with at least a kiss, so you weren't incapable of understanding, it was just that your mind tended to forget this sentimental, emotional side of life. So you let a little disgusted expression, hoping to hide your embarrassment, appear on your lips before turning your back on the two Detectives.

Silence settled between the three of you as you continued to move forward, surrounded by the sounds of nature. Now that you were in the forest, birdsong was much more present, and you could even hear the beating of their wings between the branches. The wind was barely blowing, stopped by the branches, foliage and trunks of the various trees, creating a little melody that was barely audible if you weren't paying attention. Your footsteps could also be heard, the few dead leaves crunching against the earth and the small pebbles under your shoes. All of which created a soft, calm atmosphere. With each step you couldn't help but inhale deeply, trying to engrave every smell, every sensation in your mind.

Just as you were about halfway along, the path to the wolf's den being indicated by white paint marks on the trees, marks which looked an awful lot like claw marks, you heard noise coming from the bushes. You stopped, your ears and tail twitching as you tried to work out what it was. You knew there were no big predators in this part of the forest, but it was always better to be cautious. Seeing you stop so abruptly, the two animatronics who had been walking towards you also froze, their hands moving towards their pistols as they came to stand beside you, their hands resting reassuringly and protectively on your shoulders. You sniffed the air a few times, listening to the creature continue to advance through the bushes before finally relaxing, letting a small smile appear on your lips as a few seconds later a deer emerged from the bushes.

You watched as the doe crossed the path, a little way ahead of you, its steps elegant and dignified. Her muzzle turned in your direction as she watched you with his big, dark brown eyes, judging whether you represented a direct threat to her. Her ears and bushy tail twitched before she turned his head in the direction of the bush from which she had just emerged. The foliage stirred once more, this time revealing a smaller form, that of a fawn. The fawn approached the doe cautiously, coming to stand beside it. The fawn looked in your direction almost curiously, his hooves stopping for a second on the earthen floor. The doe bent down, seemingly attracting the fawn's attention, who turned his attention back to her, before finally the two set off back into the forest, disappearing again between the trees on the other side of the path.

You let out a sigh, realizing that you'd been unconsciously holding your breath at the sight. It had only been a fawn and a doe, but you couldn't help being impressed and moved by their appearance and interaction. You felt Moon and Sun's hands leave your shoulders, their large, warm hands still seemingly resting against you. They weren't really in any danger, but they had reassured you and were ready to protect you. You let a small laugh leave your lips, tilting your head back before looking at Sun and Moon, both of whom had tilted their heads in your direction as you watched them :

"They were beautiful, weren't they ?"

"Yes, they were." Sun sighed.

"I think it's the first time we've been this close to wild animals." Moon added.

"Really ? You've never come across deer before ?"

"Yes, but we usually only see them near roads, and like I said, not this close." Sun replied, her rays twitching. "Have you ever seen any other wild animals ?"

"Yes, I have. In the few times Papa's taken me to the forest, I've seen deer, a fox, rabbits and birds. Strangely, Dragonborns have a strange connection with nature, so it's easier for him to get close to wild animals." You replyed.

The two animatronics hummed softly as you started moving forward again, Sun asking you a few questions about Dragonborns and their peculiarities. Dragonborns were one of the oldest races of Fantastics, and despite their name they couldn't exactly breathe fire, they could, but they had to consume a huge quantity of liquid containing gas to do so. As a child, your Dad often drank entire bottles of soft drink just so he could impress you by spitting out a few flames. He'd started restricting himself after Mama had given him a hard time about accidentally burning down one of the curtains. As Sun and Moon recounted this misadventure, they both couldn't help but chuckle, Moon saying that he was strangely unsurprised.

Finally, after a long trek through the forest, following the winding path between the bushes and trees, you came to a large, open clearing, grass and other wild grasses growing predominantly with a few trees and bushes here and there. The forest encircled the area, giving it a mysterious, supernatural feel. But above all, in one corner of the clearing, hidden between the trees, was a mass of dark rocks on which moss, creepers and other tenacious plants had grown. The rocks had been dug out, a cave sinking inside, plunging into darkness.

As you approached the cave entrance, the walls had been polished by the years and the hands that touched them. The cave went on for a few meters, but it was broad daylight and with your cat-like vision, you could see the bottom of the cave, and the walls bore large werewolf claw marks. For the rest of you Fantastics, and particularly for lycanthropes whose ancestors had undergone their transformation in this cave, you took a step inside, humming for a second as you recalled the words of the song associated with this place.

"If you want to go were all the Werewolves go, follow their step into the depths.
Walking in-between, trees, grass and vines, you gonna find the wolf's den.
Who would be fearless enough, to enter the darkness."

You moved deeper into the cave, letting your fingers follow the rock face, feeling the various claw marks here and there, reminiscent of werewolves' struggle to keep control of themselves during transformation, to fight pain and their instincts. You could smell the visitors who had come before you, but you could still smell behind it all the blood and fear of the first creatures to have frequented this cave. The silence was almost solemn, and you couldn't help shivering at the strange sense of calm and peace that pervaded you despite the significance of the place. You continued your song, your voice reverberating against the rock walls, giving it a mysterious sound.

"Shinning teeth and claws, under the full moon they will glow. 
Don't try to fight yourself, just belive in what you feel.
You know the true, lie within you."

You reached the back of the cave, placing one of your hands on the wall with the most claw marks. You let your fingers run over one of the marks following it until it disappeared, replaced by another, before turning back to the cave entrance where Sun and Moon were standing, their optics seeming to shine brighter than normal while you were in the darkness. You walked slowly towards them, smiling in amusement at their troubled expressions. You winked at them as you recited the last verse of the nursery rhyme.

"Touch their mark, and feel the spark.
But careful you little lamb, when you enter the wolf den.
And don't forget before you go, to howl deep and low !"

You looked at Sun and Moon before placing your hands on either side of your mouth, letting a wolf-like howl leave your lips before it quickly turned into a laugh, your howl reverberating against the cave walls before finally falling silent. You turned to them with a smile on your lips as they continued with an indecipherable expression. Their silence made you feel a touch of guilt; it was true that you'd come here to investigate, not for you to play childish tricks. You lifted one of your hands to rub the back of your neck with a sheepish expression as you said :

"Sorry I got distracted."

"Wha... No, no it's okay, don't worry. We're just a bit impressed. We didn't know this place had a song like that." Sun declared, his pupils dilated and curiosity present in his eyes.

"Oh... If it's an song that adults tell children to explain the history of this place. Besides, legend has it that if you're brave enough to go and touch the claw marks at the bottom of the cave you'll be protected by the spirits of the werewolves who've been in this cave."

"Is howling also part of the legend ?" Moon questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeap ! To have the protection of the spirits you mustn't forget to pay homage to them by howling like a wolf."

"What if we forget to howl ?" Sun asked, almost invested in your story.

"Well... There are two versions. A 'softer' one, which says the werewolf spirits simply won't give you their protection. And there's the one that says that if by some misfortune you forget to howl you'll be cursed by the spirits." You replied with a shrug, a mysterious smile on your lips.

You saw Sun's rays freeze slightly before making tiny movements, his pupils shrinking a little. You let a laugh leave your lips at Sun's reaction, Moon simply rolling his eyes with a small sneer on his lips. You lifted your hand to pat Sun's shoulder in a reassuring gesture, telling him that this was just a legend through and through, and that ghosts and other spirits were something that didn't really exist, even if you Supernaturals did. You saw the animatronic breathe a sigh of relief, which only added to your amusement. You didn't know that Sun was afraid of ghost stories, a detective like him who was used to dealing with all manner of real-life criminals and horrors. As you beckoned the two animatronics to follow you and lead them to 'the wolf's prison'.

The clearing in which the den was located was quickly left, and you headed straight into the forest. This time there was no clear path to guide you, and you walked right over the moss and dead leaves, muffling the sound of your footsteps. You gave way to concentration, your senses on the lookout for the slightest noise, because if you came across anyone, it certainly wasn't a tourist. Admittedly, the 'Wolf's Prison' was mostly frequented at night, but caution was still the order of the day. The further you went, the more nature took over, and you had to zigzag between thorny bushes and tree stumps. The direction of 'the wolf's prison' was rather vague, after all, if it had been precise, even the police would have known about it and made frequent visits. So you relied on a sign here and there, a claw mark on the bark, a broken branch, the smell of Fantastics.

As you rounded a new tree, you felt a little shiver run down your spine, turning your head to look around before finally letting your eyes linger on the right, where the feeling of discomfort and unease was most present. You waved to Moon and Sun, your tail wagging as you crossed another bush. You then came to a new pile of stone. Where the other cave in a clearing was brightly lit, this one was hidden under dense trees and branches, plunging the place into penumbra despite the sun shining brightly. This rocky mass didn't feature a cave, but a cavity that only went down two or three meters, and at its entrance were bars made of metal, silver to be precise.

There was no door, no key, no way of getting in or out. Even the worst criminals wouldn't dare touch the bar of the prison that held the most dangerous werewolf that ever lived. You stepped forward to face the cave, Moon and Sun at your side, keeping a safe distance from the bars. Your eyes scanned the interior, observing the gloom with a certain apprehension; spirits didn't exist, but this werewolf had been so monstrous and disturbing that you all feared he was the exception to the rule.

In addition to the walls that had been scratched again and again, as if his prisoner had tried to dig into the stone walls to escape his prison, you could see red stains. The walls and floor stained with blood that had long since dried up and not had the chance to be washed away by sun and rain. The blood that had soaked the rock on the floor was especially present at the entrance, also splattering the silver bars, the blood having rusted some of the bars, a reminder of the few who had unwittingly got a little too close to the prisoner's cage and were unfortunately caught. The bars, though made of silver, had spaces wide enough for hands to reach through and grab those who got too close.

A long shiver of horror ran down your spine, causing you to take a single small step backwards and collide with Moon and Sun, who looked up at you with puzzled and worried expressions on their facial disks, their hands resting on your lower back to support you and prevent you from stumbling back further. You saw the two animatronics look back in the direction of the stone and silver prison, trying to see what had happened.

"Gévaudan." You sighed. "That was the nickname the people of the time gave to the werewolf who was locked up here."

"What had he done to be locked up like that and in this place ?" Sun asked.

"He was a monster. A real monster. He attacked humans, and even the other Fantastics who lived in the villages and forests there were at that time. He killed as many people as he gave birth to new werewolves. And all those new werewolves he'd transformed and didn't take the time to learn how to control, in turn started attacking everything in sight, creating more collateral death. Faced with the chaos he was causing, threatening the safety of Humans as much as the secrecy of Supernaturals, a great gathering of Fantastics took place and the decision was made to stop him. All manner of Supernaturals gathered to confront Gévaudan, and another massacre ensued, but in the end the Fantastics succeeded in making Gévaudan retreat. He took refuge in this cave, where dwarves and fairies immediately joined forces to block the entrance and lock up Gévaudan."

"Did the Fantastics then kill him ?" Moon asked, lowering his red optics towards you.

"Unfortunately not. The horrors caused by de Gévaudan didn't stop there. The Fantastics didn't want to kill him directly, they wanted him to suffer and pay for his crimes, so they wanted to let him die of hunger and thirst. What they hadn't counted on was that some of them would have gotten closer to Gévaudan's prison... Gévaudan's brother paid him a visit, wanting to talk to his brother and ask him to explain his behavior. Gévaudan waited until his brother was close enough to his cage to catch him, killed him and tore his own brother's body to shreds to pass through the bars of the cage and use him as food. There are other cases similar to this one, of idiots who got close to his cage or simply supporters of his cause who brought him food or sacrificed themselves to allow Gévaudan to survive."

"How long did Gévaudan survive in his prison ?" Sun asked, looking grim.

"Three months. Gévaudan took three months before he finally died. Since no one could get near his cage to kill him with a silver bullet without risking death, and poison didn't work on werewolves, the Fantastics decided to guard his prison to make sure he couldn't attack anyone."

You heaved a sigh, looking once more inside the cave, there was no trace of Gévaudan left, decomposition having done its work to erase any trace of his existence, yet his crimes had left a red mark on history, as much for the Fantastiques as for the Humans. You let a thin line draw across your lips, a small, pensive expression on your lips as you shook your face. A small murmur left your lips inaudibly:

"Certainly times I think humans are right to be scared by us."

"That can be said for any Community. There are horrible cases of Humans slaughtering people, and not all Animatronics are saints too." Sun sighed.

You looked slightly surprised in his direction, your words not really meant to be heard. Sun smiled in your direction, his rays waving slightly, and you couldn't help but smile back. You then suddenly felt a hand rest on your skull between your ears, making you jump, and you looked in Moon's direction, his expression calm but his lips stretched into a small smile, all the same visible as his touch lingered against your hair and fur.

"Come on, we should seriously start investigating." Moon declared.

You nodded, the dark thoughts in your mind quickly fading away to make way for the seriousness you needed for the investigation. You once again asked the detectives to follow you, as discussions and other exchanges weren't usually held exactly in front of 'the wolf's prison' but normally a little further on. You followed the trail where there were the most scents, bringing you to a small corner where the ground was rockier and there were far fewer bushes. Despite the environment, the amount of scent - some more repulsive than others - was strong enough to sting your nostrils, making you lift one of your hands to rub your nose.

"Are you able to smell anything ?" Sun asked from beside you.

"Just give me a minute while I get used to all the smells and sort it out. You should be happy not to smell all that... I don't know what's worse, the smell of urine or that of an orc who hasn't had a shower..."

Sun grimaced beside you, patting your back reassuringly before moving away from you. The two detectives began to inspect the surroundings, their eyes scanning every nook and cranny as you tried to sort out what was reaching your nostrils. You saw Moon stop as he reached behind a bush, pulled out plastic gloves and put them on. You saw him bend over, followed by a clicking sound, before he straightened up, brown backpack in hand. You saw him carefully open the bag before taking out what looked like a syringe with a needle. He looked up at you and at Sun, who had stopped to look at his brother.

"Is it the same product in all the syringes ?" Sun asked.

"I'd say not. It seems someone had fun testing all kinds of drugs on him to see if they worked."

Moon placed the bag back on the floor with a small sigh before starting to search again. Every now and then he and Sun seemed to find things that might have been interesting if you weren't already on an investigation. The two animatronics continued searching, not asking you any questions so as not to rush you, while you continued sniffing the air like a hound dog. Finally, you sighed and said :

"So... I can smell a few humans but I can't exactly tell when it's from since I don't know if it's rained in the meantime and that's what makes the smells fade more easily."

"It rained four times after the exchange took place. There were eleven people, four women and seven men." Sun replied, looking in your direction.

"Okey okey... So their scent must be pretty faint." You sigh, closing your eyes. "I smell a group of goblins, Skinwalkers... I think I smell something, humans but there aren't that many of them... Maybe three..."

"Whooo whooo...."

When the hoot sounded you turned your head sharply in the direction of the sound, your ears lying back against your skull, your tail whipping the air behind you as you bent slightly as if preparing to pounce. Your gaze came to rest on an owl standing on one of the branches of one of the trees surrounding you, its gaze fixed on you, its large, deep orange eyes staring intently at you. Owls were extremely silent animals during their flight, so you probably hadn't heard it approach, and with the multitude of scents around and the fact that you were trying to concentrate, you hadn't paid much attention. You frowned slightly, a small growl echoing in your throat as you asked Moon and Sun :

"Do you know how long she's been here ?"

"If you mean the owl, since 1 minute and 36 seconds ago." Sun replied, frowning in turn.

You saw the two animatronics staring at the female owl, your sudden attention and aggression making them realize that the owl facing you was no mere owl. Its scent was muskier and wilder than normal, the trace of 'humanity' in its odor almost absent, but you were sure it was a Skinwalker. You saw the owl shaking its face, the tufts of feathers on the top of its head twitching slightly with its very animalistic movement. Your silence confirmed the suspicions of the two animatronics who approached you very slowly, their attention directed towards the Skinwalker who continued to observe you. You couldn't understand why she hadn't taken off the instant she realized you'd noticed her presence.

"She doesn't seem to be working for anyone." Moon said right beside you.

"If she did, she'd have run away, and above all she wouldn't have made her presence known." Sun added, his voice full of seriousness.

"The possibility that it was a trap can't be dismissed." Moon continued.

"True. I can't detect any other presence in the vicinity, not even that of animals, but caution is called for."

"Nah. I think it's just curiosity." You say, your tail wagging slightly.

"Why would that Skinwalker be interested in what we're doing?" Sun questioned, looking in your direction.

"There's only one way to find out..."

Very slowly you wiggled your feet, removing your shoes one after the other, using your other foot for each one. Then you gently bent over, taking your eyes off the supernatural and knowing that Moon and Sun were keeping an eye on her, you lifted your shoes one in each hand, your sock-clad feet landing on the cold, damp ground. You raised both hands in the direction of each animatronic, inviting them to grab your shoes. You saw their confused expressions at first, your gaze alternately crossing their eyes. You weren't sure what the Skinwalker's mental state was, or how many words she was capable of understanding, so you preferred to play it safe and not alarm her. As you felt the animatronics grab your shoes, you let a smile appear on your lips and tilted your head, so that you could look at them both at the same time.

"I'm sure your aim is better than mine. Just make sure you don't knock her out."

Both animatronics blinked before nodding off the facial disk in one motion. You turned your attention back to the owl, tension suddenly rising all around you. You moved your legs slightly, preparing to run. The first of your shoes whizzed through the air at such a speed that you could hardly see it yourself. The Skinwalker saw the object being hurled in her direction and began to spread her wings to flee, but the shoe struck her square in the chest before her talons had even lifted off the branch. The shock caused the owl to lose her balance, knocking her off the branch. As she tumbled, the Skinwalker tried to regain control of her body, her wings flapping as if to help her regain her balance and fly away. At that moment, your second shoes, thrown with the same power and precision, caught the owl in the pit of its stomach, preventing it from regaining its senses.

Leaning on your legs, you lunged forward, transforming in the same movement to land on the ground in your feline form, rushing towards where the owl continued to fall, gaining momentum. By the time the Skinwalker had managed to regain her stability, it was already too late. Thanks to your light run, which had given you momentum and speed, you only had to settle back a little on your hind legs before pouncing, easily reaching the owl's height. But before your feline body had time to touch the other Skinwalker's feathers, you transformed back into a human. You hadn't touched an Owl-Walker yet, and you didn't want to undergo your first transformation here, in the presence of Moon and Sun. One of your gloved hands closed around one of the Skinwalker's wings, stopping her for good as you both fell back towards the ground.

You landed nimbly on the ground, bending your legs slightly to cushion the impact. The owl began to flap her wings in your hands, her talons waving dangerously in your direction as she tumbled and rattled her beak in panic and threat. Her movements prompted you to grasp both her wings between your fingers, locking them behind her back like a chicken to prevent her from struggling and also from being able to injure you with her claws and beak. A satisfied smile appeared on your lips, your tail and ears wagging in contentment as you lifted the owl woman to face level at arm's length to keep a safe distance between your face and her talons. You then met the Owl-Walker's gaze, her bright orange eyes boring into yours, the glint of humanity shining in her eyes confirming once again that this was indeed a Fantastic and not a mere animal.

"Hey. Calm down. We don't want to hurt you. We just want to ask you some questions." You say in the direction of the beast.

The owl in your hands as you spoke began to stop struggling, you saw its talons twitch, its clawed fingers twitching in a way similar to the hand of someone thinking. His pupils narrowed before dilating again, his face tilting slightly to one side. You couldn't help letting a small sigh of relief leave your lips as you saw that the Skinwalker hadn't lost her head yet and was still able to understand your words. You heard Sun and Moon moving about, which drew your attention to them; the two animatronics had wandered off into the forest surrounding you, leaving you alone to deal with the Skinwalker.

"Who ho ?"

You looked down again at the owl woman whose hoot had sounded strangely like a question. You blinked, tilting your head as you tried to decipher whatever question she was trying to ask. Unfortunately, if you were more or less able to understand cats and the few other animals whose shape you were able to take thanks to your Skinwalker transformations, the owl was impossible for you to understand, so you could only guess at what she was trying to tell you. So you asked yourself what a Skinwalker who had returned to the wild could possibly be asking you. You hummed for a few seconds before finally clicking, shaking your face before saying:

"No, we're not here to take you back. We just want to know if you have any information about the humans who pass through here."

You pointed to where you were standing, pivoting slightly on your feet to show the place to the owl you were still holding in one hand. The bird of prey seemed to look at the area you were in before looking back at you, another characteristic owl call leaving its beak. You felt the owl woman flap her wings between your fingers, making you nod gently in understanding. You bent down, placing the Skinwalker on the ground, your hands slowly loosening her wings as you kept your eyes fixed intently on the Supernatural, keeping an eye on her all the same should she decide to betray you and flee. The bird waved its wings as if to relax them a little after you'd held them in that unpleasant position. Hearing the footsteps of the two Detectives coming back towards you, the owl raised its head in their direction a certain apprehension appearing in its eyes.

"What do you know about the humans who've been here?" You declared, drawing the Skinwalker's attention back to you.

The owl looked up at you, her talons stamping on the ground beneath her. You then saw her contours begin to blur, some feather beginning to fall from its wings as small sounds of pain escaped it. You rose to your feet, taking a step back to give the Skinwalker room to retransform. Unlike you, her transformation was slow and slightly painful, proof that this Skinwalker had spent far too long in her animal form. After almost thirty seconds of transformation, a woman with a more or less human silhouette stood before you.

The Skinwalker was back in her half-form, her arms having turned into feather-covered wings, her tail had been preserved, her bird-like attributes would normally have ended there, but her feet were misshapen, her toes with hooked claws and blackened nails on which a few scales could be seen. You saw the woman flap her wings to reveal her face, her cheekbones prominent, her face angular, her nose hooked. Her dark brown hair, lightly streaked with black and red, was long and messy, falling to her shoulders and around her face. Her clothes were in no better condition, torn and dirty and barely covering her body. The Skinwalker waggled her face in a very animalistic way, making even more hair fall in front of her wide, exorbitant deep orange eyes, which she turned towards you.

"Whooo... Don't like human form. Force me into human form." Skinwalker sighed, her voice broken and shrill after years of not using it.

"I'm sorry. But we need to know what you saw about these humans." You reply.

"H-Humans? Humans not come here... Not alone."

"Yes, they were with Fantastics. What happened?"

"Three Humans come accompany two Fantastics. Humans get scared. Two more Fantastics meet Fantastics and Humans. New Fantastic examine Humans say 'are good'. All leave together afterwards."

"They all went back together ? Which way ?" You asked.

The owl woman shook her head once more, waving her wings before spinning slightly, looking around as if searching for a landmark. Finally, she stopped, shaking her head before lifting one of her clawed feet and pointing in the direction between two large trees, waving her wings. She let several hooting sounds leave her lips, her eyes remaining fixed in the direction she was pointing for a long moment. You felt Moon come up behind you, leaning against you to whisper in your ear :

"If we follow the direction she's pointing to, after about a kilometer we'll come to a small camping area that's been closed down because the area was dangerous."

And as Moon straightened up, you felt Sun lean in, whispering in the other ear:

"We think the three humans who were brought here were just examples, 'samples'. The exchange probably took place in the old camping area. The humans were probably placed in a van for transport and to facilitate the exchange and avoid having to move the humans too much, we assume that the two Fantastics who came to examine the humans then left with the van containing the victims."

You shook your head before moving away slightly, wiggling your feline ears, your neck and face having begun to warm slightly. The breath of the animatronics had been hot in the hollow of your ears, and being particularly sensitive to the movement of the ai. You had to fight your own reflexes not to wiggle them beforehand and risk banging your ears against Sun or Moon's face discs, which would have been too embarrassing and would only have shown them the strange effect they had on you. Hearing a feather rustle, you redirected your attention to the Skinwalker who had turned towards you again. You saw her shake her body unnaturally before saying :

"Two Fantastics were wearing white coats with logos on the back.

"A logo on their white coats ? Do you remember the logo ? Could you draw what the logo looked like ?" You pressed lightly.

The birdwoman nodded both positively and negatively, and you saw her walk with an awkward right-hand gait to a small patch of ground, passing Sun and Moon who had moved aside to make way for her. The Skinwalker stretched out her foot, scraping dirt from the ground, before drawing the symbol she'd seen in the earth with one of her hooked toenails. You could hear her making all sorts of strange sounds as she waved her wings and tail, pausing for a second to tilt her head before starting to draw in the earth again. When she had finished, she moved away, looking in your direction with her big orange eyes. You met Moon's and Sun's gaze, before the three of you moved in unison towards the symbol that had been drawn on the ground.

You blinked before frowning, and almost abruptly turned your face towards the owl woman, causing her to flinch slightly as she curled in on herself. You raised your hands in a gesture of peace, saying sorry for startling her, before pointing to the logo she'd drawn on the floor and asking in an unsettled voice :

"Are you sure it was that logo you saw ?"

The Skinwalker nodded with small movements, another small sound leaving her lips as she waved her wings and plumage. You clicked your tongue, lowering your eyes once more to the logo on the ground before looking in the direction of Sun and Moon with a small expression that immediately made them realize that things were getting complicated once again. Your ears and cat tail twitched with frustration and a touch of dismay.

"Remember when I told you that Abigael Fynch, the fairy who got killed in her factory and one of the first victims, owned an illegal cosmetic surgery business for Fantastique ? Well that." You point to the drawing on the floor. "That's her symbol."

Chapter Text

"You mean the logo for her surgery practice ?" Sun questioned.

"Yeap. I never thought I'd see that in a place like this." You sighed, leaning over to look at the design etched on the floor once more and make sure you weren't mistaken.

"Could you tell us more about his illegal surgery business?" Moon asked.

"The trouble is, I don't know any more than that myself..."

Hearing the owl woman fidget uncomfortably a little further away from you, you looked up at her, your tail twitching slightly as your ears perked up on the top of your head. Her attention had turned to the forest and you could read in her orange eyes the need to return to nature and reclaim the form she had decided to be her primary form. You turned your eyes (e/c) in the direction of the two detectives you were accompanying, giving them a small nod in the direction of the Skinwalker, asking them if they had any further questions and if you could let her go. The two animatronics nodded in your direction in agreement, even though you could see a touch of curiosity and confusion in their eyes.

"Hey." you said, drawing the owl woman's attention. "Thanks for helping us out. You can go now."

"Whoo... Hooo..." The Skinwalker sighed, an expression that might have been closer to a smile appearing on her face.

Unlike her transformation into a human, which had taken several seconds, her metamorphosis into an owl took place extremely quickly and painlessly, her roughly human form giving way to an entirely animal one. You saw the owl flap its wings, ready to fly off and disappear into the forest, but you drew its attention again with a high-pitched whistle, making it turn its beak and big orange eyes towards you. You held her gaze before saying :

"You had to be careful. Not everyone who comes here enjoys being watched, and if it had been anyone other than us you could have been killed. I know you can't control your instincts, but if you want to observe your fellow creatures you'd better find somewhere else. This place isn't safe."

The Skinwalker hooted as if in response to your advice, before suddenly taking to the air with a slight rustle of feathers, disappearing between the branches and trees of the Fushi forest. You didn't know whether her deranged mind had understood your words and intended to apply your warning, you hoped for her own good, but nothing was guaranteed and in the end there was nothing else you could do to help her. Your gaze remained fixed on the spot where the Skinwalker had disappeared for a few seconds before you let out a sigh, shaking your face, your ears following suit, as you turned back to the two animatronic detectives, your eyes sliding to the symbol drawn in the earth as you drew closer.

"Do you want to take a photo or something ?" You suggested, indicating the drawing with your hand.

"We've already taken some memorable photos." Sun replied, coming to tap one of his fingers right next to one of his optics.

"Okay. We'd better not leave a trace." You sighed.

You bent down, starting to reach out for a pile of leaves to erase the drawing, but a large hand caught your wrist, preventing you from touching the debris and other dead leaves on the ground. You turned your head slightly to see that Moon was leaning against you, his torso pressing lightly against your back as he reached out to stop you touching whatever was lying on the forest floor. You blinked, focusing your attention on Moon's facial disk as he stooped to look at you with a reproachful expression. His face was only a few centimetres from yours, the pompom of his bonnet falling between you and almost caressing your cheek, the fur of his pompom tickling your skin and sending a shiver down your spine.

"Don't touch the ground here, it's dirty, we don't know what might be there."

"But... I've got gloves." You answer with a little gasp.

"They're not gloves suitable for this sort of thing. Bacteria or whatever else the junkies who come here consume could get into the fibers of your gloves and touch your skin." Moon declared.

You simply blinked at his explanation, your expression saying you didn't care about that sort of thing, which made Moon let out a deep, heavy sigh. His mechanical breath came to crash against the skin of your face and neck, making your heart beat a little faster, which already seemed to be ringing a little too loudly in your ears as your face flushed. Moon's hand released yours, and you began to let a victorious smile appear on your lips as you thought he'd decided to give up and let you do as you pleased, but your victory was short-lived as you felt Moon's arms close around you, slipping down your back and under your legs as he suddenly lifted you up.

A small sound, a strange noise somewhere between a mewl and a gasp, left your lips in surprise. You felt Moon freeze against you, his red pupils dilating in your direction, and you abruptly placed both hands over your lips, your ears falling back on either side of your skull as your tail stopped moving altogether. You held Moon's gaze just long enough for the crimson of your cheeks to deepen before you thought of turning your face away, trying to preserve what little dignity you had left. But perhaps your gesture only made your embarrassment worse, for you met Sun's eyes. The diurnal animatronic gazed in your direction with wide pupils, a smile on his lips as his rays flashed rapidly around his facial disk.

Your hands left your lips to hide your face behind your hands, letting an embarrassed gibberish sound leave your lips as you curled into yourself, feeling Moon's arms follow your movements to make sure you didn't fall. You felt Moon's body tremble slightly against you, a slight whirring sound echoing in his ribcage as you almost heard him purr in amusement - or so you assumed, which made your ears press against the back of your skull, the tip of your tail twitching sharply. A small laugh eventually escaped Moon's voice box, as Sun's voice sounded a little closer after you heard his footsteps approaching.

"That was cute..."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up..." You hissed, without even giving him time to finish his word.

"What ?" Moon said, almost mocking you. "Perhaps you're embarrassed Kitten ?"

"I said shut up. And let go of me. Put me down." You continued, starting to squirm.

"Wait, wait." Sun intervened.

You heard Sun moving a little faster towards where Moon was standing with you in his arms. The sound of dead leaves being crushed by Sun's footsteps finally stopped where your feet had been. You felt Sun's hand grab your ankle, making you immediately pull your hands away from your face to look up at the animatronic with dilated pupils. Sun, seeing you looking in his direction, looked up, grinning in your direction, his rays making a full circle as he lifted one of your shoes into your field of vision, shaking it slightly before slipping it onto your foot after inspecting the sole of your foot and the sock covering it to make sure you hadn't hurt yourself.

You could feel your heart racing, your mouth opening slightly as if to say something without any sound escaping you. You closed your mouth again, letting a small pout form on your lips as you turned your face towards Moon, nestling your face against his clothes to make sure neither he nor Sun could see any more of the embarrassment the two of them were managing to put you in. Didn't the two detectives realize how they were making you feel ? They were investigating all kinds of murders and crimes and solving riddles all the time, yet they seemed unable to perceive your troubled emotions, you thought it ironic, but the proverbial cobbler was always the worst-shod. Likewise, these were your own emotions, and you yourself were unable to put your finger on what they were, this strange feeling you'd never felt before...

"Do you hurt anywhere ?"

Your tail and ears twitched as you snapped out of your thoughts, lifting your face to Sun who had been the one to ask the question, his fingers still wrapped around your ankle his eyes continuing to scan your feet and leg for the slightest sign of injury. You wiggled your feet and toes lightly before shaking your face to confirm that all was well. You were about to open your mouth to verbally confirm to him that you were in great shape but you decided to joke a little, to try and divert the conversation and also to try and regain control of your own heart.

"Yes." You sighed with false desperation. "My dignity has been critically wounded..."

"You never had too much dignity in the first place." Moon declared with a mocking laugh.

You suddenly stopped being dramatic, turning your face towards Moon to glare at him, and raised one of your hands to strike the nocturnal animatronic across his torso, sticking your tongue out in his direction. Moon let an amused smile appear on his lips, pretending that the blow had really hurt him. Sun raised his obsidian eyes in your direction, clicking his tongue reproachfuly at you and Moon as your nonsense made you move. Sun finished putting your shoe on your first foot with almost too perfect laces before putting on your other shoe, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he said perhaps more to himself than to you:

"You shouldn't have taken your shoes off, you could have hurt yourself walking on the floor."

"Hey, what did you want me to do ? I didn't have any other option. I wasn't going to tell you to throw rocks at her, it might hurt her." You replied with a slight shrug.

"You could have explained your plan beforehand. We could have found an alternative." Moon interjects.

"I wasn't sure if she was still 'human' enough to understand. I wasn't even sure if she was still capable of turning into a human." You confessed. "It was true all or nothing, we had a bit of luck."

You saw Sun pause momentarily at your words, his eyes looking up at you for a fraction of a second before lowering his eyes again to the laces of your shoe, quickly finishing it before releasing your foot. You felt Moon let your legs slip from his arm, helping you back onto your feet, his hands remaining on your waist until he was sure you were standing on your own before finally releasing you entirely. You looked down at your converse shoes, realizing that their laces were perfectly tied, the threads and loops of equal length on each foot. The realization made you chuckle slightly, and you wiggled your feet slightly before looking up at the two animatronics staring in your direction with small, serious expressions.

"What happened to that Skinwalker ?" Sun then asked, looking in the direction of the fort, where the owl woman had last been seen.

"She's 'regressed'." You began to explain with a small sigh. "Sometimes, when human life is too hard or something happens that makes you lose the desire to continue to exist as a 'human', Skinwalkers decide to take on their animal form for a prolonged period, sometimes permanently. The problem is that, by forgetting too much about our true nature, and ignoring what makes us not animals in the strict sense of the word, we end up forgetting who we really are, and the human part of us fades into non-existence, leaving only our animal selves."

"You mean some Skinwalkers turn into animals if they stay in their animal form for too long ?" Sun sighed with a touch of anxiety in his voice.

"Yes and no. Some people spend years in their animal form, but always retain their humanity. The 'regression' usually occurs when our human part suffers a big emotional shock and we lose the will to go on living, bearing the emotions and complications of existence as humans, and the solution of simply relying on our animal part becomes our deliverance. Animals don't feel regret, doubt or hesitation; they live for survival. But 'regression' is a process that takes time; we have to give up everything that brings us closer and reminds us of our humanity over a long period of time. Sometimes just spending a little time in our animal form caring about nothing but living allows us to calm down, mourn and even strangely regain a taste for our humanity."

"We... understand." Moon says, lowering his eyes slightly. "You think this owl woman is going to transform permanently ?"

"To tell the truth ? I wouldn't know. The fact that she doesn't like her human form might suggest that she doesn't want to go back to her humanity, but the fact that she still goes to places visited by other Fantastics, and that she still remembers things as banal as a logo on the back of clothes, might suggest that she's not ready to give up her humanity entirely, and that she's still conscious enough to notice that something wasn't quite right. I'd say it's 50/50. It's entirely up to her."

"Doesn't that family seek her out ?" Sun asked. "Surely they've reported her missing."

"Most certainly. But if her family is made up of Fantastics, they probably know it's a waste of time trying to find her." You say, shaking your face.

"Why ?" Moon questioned, frowning in your direction.

"Because there's no task more complicated than finding a Fantastic who's turned into an animal and decided to disappear. You can recognize a human, you can ask people if they've seen this person, you can put out an APB, you can follow a trail and so on... But an animal is more complicated. People pay less attention, especially if the Skinwalker doesn't want to be found. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack." You replied, shaking your face with a bitter smile.

Your ears twitched slightly as you let out your umpteenth sigh of the day. Stepping forward now that your feet were clad in your shoes, you reached over the drawing, quickly erasing it before covering the spot with dead leaves and other forest waste, leaving no trace. You then looked up at the two animatronics, slightly confused that you hadn't heard them say anything. Then your eyes fell on their grim, saddened expressions, their eyes lowered to the ground, Sun's rays retracted slightly into her skull as Moon clenched her fists.

You felt her heart clench, your breathing becoming difficult as you understood that your words had saddened them. You hadn't taken into account that you were talking to Sun and Moon; for you, a regressed Fantastic was something 'normal', not necessarily a pleasant subject, but for you it was the same as watching the news and seeing bad news. However, that wasn't the case for Moon and Sun. They were detectives, and part of their job was to find and help people in distress, so telling them there was nothing they could do was like telling them they were useless. You didn't like seeing them either, because you knew what they were capable of, and you were perfectly aware that it was their empathy that was doing the talking. Your ears that had fallen from your skull straightened slightly, your tail uncoiling from your leg as you hummed for a second before saying slightly mockingly :

"So I hope you understand that it was only because I wanted you to that you managed to find me the first time."

You immediately saw their attention return to you, Sun frowning as Moon raised an eyebrow in your direction, a small grimace appearing on his lips as he let a slight growl of menace leave his lips. You let a wry smile appear on your lips, your tail wagging in satisfaction at having succeeded in diverting their attention, your heart relieved to no longer see them in this saddened state and even though you knew your provocation would cause you reproach it was a small price to pay.

"Think again. We'd have found you, even if we'd had to turn this town upside down." Moon declared, coming towards you almost menacingly.

You rolled your eyes as you crossed your arms over your chest, continuing to defy him, your ears set high on your skull as your tail wagged in amusement. You saw the animatronic reach out his hand in your direction, then felt his index finger and thumb close over one of your feline ears, pinching it slightly enough to be unpleasant but not painful. You hissed lightly in his direction, pushing his hand away to cover your ear, a little pout in his direction as your tail whipped the air in annoyance. You felt Sun come up beside you, and you glared at him, daring him to do the same as his brother. Sun raised his hands slightly in the air as a sign of peace, smiling in your direction before saying with a smile :

"We'll always find you Kitten."

You didn't know why, but his words made you shiver slightly. You didn't know whether it was a threat or a promise, but his words made your heart beat faster in a positive way. For the time being, your life and income were stable enough to ensure that you wouldn't need to fly again, and even when you stopped working with the two animatronics, you'd have a few months of peace and quiet. You felt a touch of sadness and apprehension about what would happen next, but you still had time to think about it. As Sun and Moon turned on their heels to head back towards the wolf's den, you shook your head, quickly following in their footsteps.

As you made your way through the forest once more, you heard the two animatronics talking to each other, saying that they'd have to inform the forest rangers and ask for more frequent checks in the 'wolf's prison' area, to eliminate any drug dealing or other illegal transactions that might be taking place in this part of the forest. You knew that criminals would find other places and other ways to trade, but this would be one less corrupt place on the map, and all the more so in a tourist and historical area.

"Getting back to Abigael Fynch's illegal business, you said you didn't know any more ?" Moon asked, looking over his shoulder in your direction.

"Yeah. Even though there's an awful lot of rumor out there about these illegal surgeries very few Fantastics are actually aware of the truth. To tell you the truth, I don't think her entreprise even had a name. I've only seen the logo once, and that's because I stole someone's wallet and there was a little card inside with the logo, the name 'Abigael', a date and a sum far too large to be a simple cosmetic purchase. Abigael kept everything to do with her illegal business a secret, even within the Fantastic community, so it was understandable that she feared a backlash."

"What kind of backlash could she suffer ?" Sun questioned, his rays twitching.

"Think about it. Abigael was a fairy, proud of it and promoted her products as 'enhancing people's true beauty'." You say, recalling the ads you'd seen for her beauty products. "But for Supernaturals it was a message interpreted in a way that said 'hey, you're Fantastique assume'. So understand that if the Supernaturals learned that behind this façade she was running a plastic surgery practice to make the Fantastics more human..."

You didn't finish your sentence, leaving it hanging and clicking your tongue. You heard Sun humming for a long time, nodding his face before continuing where you left off with small hand movements :

"It would be a big blow to her image and she'd lose the support of Fantastique supporters for the idea she represented. I suppose the vast majority of Fantastics would rather buy her cosmetics than competing brands that weren't produced by a company created by a Fantastic."

"Huh huh !" You confirmed with a shake of your head. "But what I find odd is the fact that her firm is still running. I thought that since she'd died, her surgery business would have stopped."

"Hmm... It is strange, isn't it ? If her illegal activity has managed to escape police and control for all this time, it must be a very small business with very few employees, maybe a dozen doctors and nurses and a few more people to manage the appointments. So, at most, twenty or so employees. That would mean that she alone managed most of the other jobs that this kind of practice would normally have..." Moon declared.

"You're right on this point, logic would have it that with the death of their boss, the one who ensured the smooth running and logistics, and moreover the invisibility of the illegal firm, their operations would have to cease, or at least for some time, to allow a replacement to be found for Abigael Fynch. But that's not the case, and what's more, instead of simply continuing the surgeries on the Fantastics, the doctors who worked for her find themselves performing experiments on humans now." Sun continued.

"So that means that someone within the very team in charge of illegal surgeries immediately took over control after Abigael's death and radically changed the areas of activity of the former team that dealt with cosmetic surgeries." Moon finished.

You simply nodded, listening to their explanations, as they began to discuss the research they could do to try and find out a little more about the company Abigael was hiding. You knew that there wasn't much you could do to help them other than keep your ears to the ground to try and hear something interesting, but that was purely down to luck, and the rumours about the fairy were now only about her death. Sun and Moon were going to have to do the research you couldn't do by studying bank accounts, employee lists and all the paperwork that goes with the privileges and disadvantages of being the owner of a company, looking for the slightest suspicious trace.

"Um... I think it might be a good idea to visit Abigael Fynch's private residence." Moon suddenly declared. "The police have searched her office at the company, and her workplace since that's where she died, and even though her house has been inspected we haven't previously considered that the murder might have taken place because of more personal criteria such as her being a Fantastic..."

"Or that she owns an illegal Fantastic cosmetic surgery business. Personally, I'd have put all the information concerning said business somewhere other than where routine checks might occur. Her home is probably the best place to hide compromising documents. And now that we have our own Fantastic on our side we may have a better chance of finding something than the previous teams did." Sun sighs, looking in your direction almost amused.

"What do you take me for ? Your police's cat/Fantastic ?"

"No, you're too ill-educated for that." Moon sighed with a sneer.

"Ah ah ah. Very funny." You growled, rolling your eyes.

"You're our consultant, our colleague and our friend too." Said Sun with a smile turning his facial disk entirely towards you.

You didn't understand why Sun had mentioned the last point, but it made you smile slightly, while at the same time giving you that little twinge of sadness once again, but this time it seemed a little more pronounced than the first time they'd mentioned the fact that you were. You shook your head, your ears twitching slightly with the movement as you drew closer to the two animatronics, placing yourself between them to walk beside them for a few seconds before quickly taking a few steps forward, turning towards them and letting a mischievous little smile form on your lips as you said:

"Hey Moony, if I'm that ill-educated... Then it wouldn't be surprising if I decided to transform and run away, would it ?"

You didn't wait for their reply, turning on your heels as you transformed simultaneously, your four feline paws touching the earthen floor as you sprinted along the forest path. You could feel every little rock under your paw pads as you accelerated, claws out for added grip, your muscles rolling beneath your gray fur. You let your adrenaline rush, feeling the wind catch in your whiskers and fur. Not wanting to rush back to where the two animatronics had parked their car, you turned off slightly and went deeper into the forest. You passed a few bushes and roots, slipping under or leaping over them, before finally jumping onto a tree with thick, rough bark. You pulled yourself up easily, landing on one of the largest branches, your heart pounding in your ribcage and your breathing slightly ragged.

You rested there for a few minutes, catching your breath, before moving up the branch to get closer to its thinner end, which reached out and intertwined with the branches of the other trees. You pushed yourself down before jumping onto another branch, continuing to follow the path at a distance but staying close by so as not to get lost, but also so as not to worry Moon or Sun. You couldn't see them exactly, but you had no doubt that they were aware of you, with all the gizmos and other mechanisms that made them up. There were already a few more cars than this morning, but you hadn't seen any more people on the path, but the forest was so big you might not have come across them.

You decided to settle down on one of the branches of one of the pine trees that lined the path, waiting for the two animatronics. You stretched out on one of the branches, crossing your front legs in front of you to rest your chin on them, while letting one of your back legs fall into the void, the other supporting you as your tail wagged in the air. You closed your eyes, letting your heart settle once more after all your acrobatics between the branches. You took a deep breath, inhaling the forest air and all the smells it had to offer. Even though you had closed your eyelids, your ears remained alert, listening to the sounds around you. After a few minutes, you heard footsteps approaching, which you immediately recognized as belonging to the two detectives.

You opened one eye, looking in their direction before straightening up on the branch, stretching out and letting your claws dig into the bark of the tree before sitting down, watching Sun and Moon come closer, chatting amongst themselves. Eventually their eyes came to rest on you, a small smile forming on Sun's lips, his spokes twitching to confirm his amusement, while Moon rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lips was raised enough to show the beginnings of a smile. Moon took the car key out of his long jacket before heading off in the direction of his vehicle, while Sun came to stand under the branch you were standing on, his facial disk turning towards you, his rays surrounding his face continuing to shake as he said :

"Come on Kitten, don't tell me you're stuck up there and were waiting for us to arrive to help you down the tree."

Your ears laid back against your skull, your tail wagging rapidly as your muzzle displayed a very human expression of annoyance. Sun chuckled softly before lifting his hands in your direction, clapping as he invited you to jump. You tilted your face to one side, hesitating for a second after Sun's mockery, part of you simply wanting to prove to him that you were capable of fending for yourself, but the part of you that wanted him to catch you was stronger. You stood up, leaning over the void towards Sun, who still had his attention fixed on you, before letting go.

You only felt yourself fall for a few seconds, Sun's hands closing almost instantly on your little feline figure, his hands closing firmly but gently just below your armpits. Sun looked down at you, giving you a smile and a wink, before setting you down on the floor, moving away just far enough to give you room to change back. You regained your full human form this time, shaking your face slightly as you ran a hand through your hair to make sure there were no leaves or twigs stuck in it.

Sun and you joined Moon in the car for the ride back to town, a comfortable silence settling between you as each of you seemed occupied with your own thoughts, thinking about what might happen next.

                                      ~❂✯☾~

"Freddy !" You exclaimed as you saw the metal bear in the police station.

Freddy, who had started to enter the Commissariat, turned in your direction, a big smile on his metal muzzle as he stopped to give you time to join him. As you reached him, he stretched out his big paw to rest it on your head and gently ruffle your hair. You hadn't seen the animatronic for a while now, having heard from him only through the others who came across him from time to time or exchanged messages with him. Freddy seemed better than the last time you'd seen him, his eyes shining a little brighter as his posture became confident again.

"Hello y/n, how are you ?"

"I'm fine as always. And Freddy, how are you and young Skinwalker Rat ?" You asked.

"Ah... I'm fine too. As for the young boy, he's getting better and better, the doctors are seeing a clear improvement in his health, he's even shown some signs of waking up, but he's still too weak to last more than a few minutes." Freddy replied.

"That's a good thing. I'm glad to hear he now has a real chance to pull through."

"So am I, so am I. And thanks to what you've found out about your investigation, we've been able to start looking for potential profiles that might be similar to the young boy's at the various orphanages that have reported disappearances. For the moment, as he still hasn't regained his human appearance, we can only speculate and theorize, but answers won't be long in coming."

You nodded, sincerely hoping that the young Skinwalker could wake up, change back and tell you everything he knew. He was the sole survivor of Silvio's experiments, the only one to have made the journey to where the experiments were being carried out and the only one to have left the laboratory. He was the key to the mystery surrounding the disappearances, and if he could talk, only two mysteries would remain: why Silvio had killed Arnold Wilson, Jyseral Klain and Abigael Fynch eliminated, and the identity of the Magician who worked for him. One way or another, the three would eventually be linked, and that would allow you to bring Silvio down for all his crimes.

You and Freddy walked side by side through the police station corridor to the offices. As you entered the common room, you saw that a good number of police officers had gathered near the wall next to the door leading to Vanessa's office. You blinked, looking in Freddy's direction to question him silently, and the metal bear shrugged slightly before making his way towards the group who were chatting a little noisily but happily. With too many people in front of you to see what was catching their attention, you decided to ask one of the policemen who was starting to walk away with a thin cardboard pouch in his hand.

"Hey Jack, what brought you all together like this? Coupons for free donuts ?" Asked jokingly.

"Ah ah ah... You like eating those donuts as much as we do so don't criticize us. And no, the photo we did the other day and arrive, Vanessa had one framed and everyone is entitled to a copy as a souvenir." Replied the policeman, waving the pouch in his hand.

"Oh... Okey thanks."

"You're welcome."

Jack the policeman saluted Freddy before heading back to his office, you turned to the crowd, you wanted to see the photo but that could wait until later when there would be less people. You took a small step backwards, starting to walk away in the direction of the office you usually occupied. Freddy looked down at you, his round metal ears twitching as he asked:

"Don't you want a copy of the photo back ?"

"Um... Nah. Maybe if there's one left at the end, but I'd rather leave the copies for those who actually work here. I'll have a look at it later. Besides, being in the picture is more than enough for me already."

"I'm sure Vanessa took you into account when she ordered the number of copies of the photo." Freddy says with a small smile.

"That'll be the surprise !" You replied, waving goodbye in his direction.

Freddy shook his muzzle lightly, a smile on his lips before he started chatting to a few other policemen as you walked quickly through the shared offices, knocking on the office door before entering. You closed the door behind you, turning to greet the two animatronics, but froze when you saw Sun quickly tidy up what was in front of him. You then saw the solar animatronic raise both hands to his face, its rays rapidly moving around his skull. You blinked, looking in the direction of Moon, who was standing not far from Sun. Moon's face was lowered, one hand placed in front of his face and eyes, while his other hand was resting against the table, his finger striking the wood lightly and quickly. In addition to their strange behavior you could hear their mechanism whirring a little louder than usual and, you could swear, see a little steam escaping from their knuckles at the neck.

"Is something wrong ?" You finally asked, moving closer to them.

"N-No. No problem !" Sun almost exclaimed.

You heard Moon's finger knocking on the door a little faster, which only increased your curiosity, surprise and suspicion. Now that you'd stepped into the room, you could see that what you'd thought were documents between the two animatronics were in fact the same kind of cardboard sleeve that housed the police station's group photo. There were two of them, you began to question the number wondering why they each had a photo since they both lived under the same roof but you mentally shook yourself, they could very well have wanted a copy, after all they both worked for the police, they weren't a single entity.

"Have you got your copies of the group photo back yet ? So what's the photo like ? Does anyone have their eyes closed or make a weird face that I can have fun criticizing ? I didn't have time to see the one posted in the common offices." You asked, coming to sit on the table.

"Take a look if you like..." Moon said.

You saw him turn to the folders between him and Sun and start rummaging through them, revealing that there were not just two folders containing the photo, but three. As Moon reached for one of the pockets, you heard Sun whisper something like: "Don't take the wrong picture." To which Moon replied with a weak "I know." After a few seconds, Moon lifted one of the cardboard sleeves from its little pile and held it out to you. You took it from his hand and thanked him, noting how neither Moon nor Sun had yet dared to look at you, which made you feel strangely uncomfortable.

You hummed suspiciously, finally lowering your eyes to the photo, which you gently removed from its protective sleeve. Gently, you grabbed a corner of the photograph so that you could see the faces of all the policemen who had been present for the photo, immortalized forever on paper. All the faces were smiling, their eyes directed towards the camera, giving the impression that they were all looking at you at that very moment. After inspecting everyone's expressions, especially the Glamrocks, Monty and Roxy, who were displaying expressions a little too proud and satisfied for mere policemen taking a group photo, your gaze finally came to rest on Sun, Moon and you.

Your miniature version, frozen forever in ink, looked back at you, a big smile on their lips as tjeir eyes sparkled in a way you'd never seen before. You found this strange, even wondering if it was really you in the photo and not someone completely different who had taken on your features. You'd never known you were capable of smiling like that, of showing such joy and happiness. You let your eyes glide from your face to Sun and Moon's, who were both beside and below you, the two animatronics holding you on their shoulders, wrapping their hands around your legs to make sure you didn't fall. They were smiling, both with expressions that brought a strange feeling to the pit of your stomach, the sensation rising up into your cheeks to make them blush slightly.

Even hiding behind some of their colleagues, the two animatronics seemed to stand out from the crowd, perhaps because of their size, or their rather peculiar physique, but they were beautiful. Yeah. It was weird, you had to admit to yourself, but you thought they were handsome. Even more than all those celebrities and other stars you saw on TV receiving awards and compliments on their beauty, you wouldn't swap them for Sun or Moon for anything in the world. Your own thoughts made you laugh softly, one of your gloved hands lifting to try to hide your smile but also the red embarrassment that colored your cheeks. You let the thumb of your other hand caress the edge of the photo as if it were something precious. After a few more seconds, you finally stopped contemplating the photo, slipping it back into its sleeve and handing it back to Moon.

"What are you doing ?" Moon asked, finally meeting your eyes.

"I'm giving you back the photo." You say, faculty question.

"This one and for you." Intervenes Sun his rays twitching slightly.

"Huh ?"

"We knew you wouldn't dare go and get your copy of the photo yourself so when we got ours back we also took the one intended for you." Moon said with a smile in your direction, gently pushing back the cardboard sleeve you'd started to hold out to him.

"Oh... How did you know that..."

You didn't finish your sentence as the look the two animatronics gave you told you they'd clearly anticipated your reactions, you wouldn't be surprised if they were even able to tell exactly what kind of excuse you could use to justify not getting your copy of the photo back. You closed your mouth, feeling your embarrassment take hold of you once again as your fingers began to play absentmindedly with the edge of the photo, a little pout on your lips as you cleared your throat to say :

"What I mean is... Imagine if I'd gone to pick one up. We would have ended up with an extra copy of the picture."

"Well, I think whoever was in charge of distributing the photos would have warned you that we'd already picked up one of the copies for you." Sun says.

"And, worst case scenario, we'd simply have had to return the extra photo." Moon continued.

"But the question doesn't even arise since you did exactly as we predicted." Sun finished with a smirk.

"Oh... so now you're feeling confident eh ? Since you're so sure of yourself, now maybe you can tell me what embarrassed you so much before I arrived ?" You replied, folding your arms across your chest.

You made the smug expressions of the two detectives fade away abruptly, their pupils dilating widely to almost make the whites of their eyes disappear, well also the black of one of Moon's eyes. Silence fell between you as you wiggled your fingers, waiting almost impatiently for their response when you'd managed to turn the situation to your advantage. They'd wanted to tease and embarrass you so now it was your turn to play with them a little.

"Well ?" You insisted. "What is it I'm still waiting for an answer to."

You saw them turn their facial disks away, their cheeks decorated with a spiral pattern taking on shades of crimson that continued to darken the longer you looked at them. Their lack of response was a victory in itself, after all you'd managed to stop them in their teasing, but you wanted to prove to them that as much as they were able to read you and predict your actions you could also do the same, they weren't the only ones who knew you, you too had ended up learning more about them. Your eyes then fell on the photo sleeves between them, the smile that appeared on your lips, mirroring the one the two had displayed a few moments ago.

"Do you know because of the photos ? Maybe you don't have exactly the same one as me and there's something embarrassing to see on your copy ?" You asked.

You heard Sun let a slightly glitched electronic sound leave his voice box as he placed his hand on the two photo copies, pulling them towards him before lifting and rearranging them, his long fingers doing so in an almost wrong-right manner as Moon placed his hand in front as if to prevent you from being able to reach out and snatch the photos from their hands. You let a chuckle leave your lips as their reactions only confirmed your theory; if your tail had been out it would have wagged in satisfaction. You saw Moon move his hand to place it over his face before heaving a sigh, raising dilated pupils in your direction before sighing:

"Y-You're right. It's because of the photos. The photographer took several shots and on one of them... Well, let's just say it wasn't flattering for Sun and me. Vanessa found it amusing and had that photo printed to give to us as well."

"Vanessa ? Vanessa did this ? I don't believe you. Vanessa's not the kind of person to play this kind of joke. Even if her life depended on it I'm sure she couldn't get her frowning eyebrows off her face." You declared, denying Sun's words.

"Vanessa's not as strict and uptight as you think." Sun interjects. "She's quite relaxed when she's not working. I think for one Halloween she had put colored streaks in her hair."

"Hush !" You hissed. "Don't talk nonsense, we don't know what ancestral, demonic creature you can conjure up by saying things that make no sense."

"We're serious, though." Moon added with a chuckle amused by your reaction.

"All right, then. Let's say it's true. I want to see the photo. I want to see what kind of face you were making for you to have that kind of reaction."

"No."

Sun's response was immediate, causing you to tip your head back with a grunt, your hands closing around the ankles of your crossed legs. You looked again at the two animatronics, rocking back and forth like a child who had just been refused chocolate. Your eyes were fixed on the sleeves that held the presumably embarrassing photos, and you pressed your lips together in a thin line, your curiosity gnawing at your insides as your imagination worked and made you see all sorts of strange expressions on the animatronics' facial discs.

"Come on..." You begged. "It's not as if this will destroy your reputation ! I promise not to tease you too much !"

"Nah. We won't show it to you. To do so would be to forsake our dignity." Said Moon.

"What dignity ? You never had any !" You exclaimed, reusing the very words Moon had used against you last time.

"Don't try to turn the conversation to your advantage." Sun sighed.

"Sunny, Moony... The conversation is already to my advantage. Now show me that picture. I don't intend to give up until I've seen it !"

"Tell you what Kitten, let's make a deal. If you promise to keep your curiosity under control and stop asking us to show you the photo, in exchange, before we drop you off at your place we'll treat you to a cake in one of the best patisseries in town." Sun suddenly declared.

"Cake ?"

Chapter Text

"Yes. A whole cake. Like these display in the pastry shop windows." Moon continued on Sun's pitch. 

"Hmm... That's an appetizing idea you're proposing. But are you trying to bribe me into silence ? Is this some kind of bribe you're offering me ?" You questioned an amused smile on your lips. 

"We're going to say yes, sort of." Sun replied, making a confused little movement with his facial disk. 

"That's not very professional of you detectives. Staying too long in my company is starting to tip you over to the wrong side of legality." You teased. 

"As a certain someone I know would say, nothing is illegal if no one knows about it." Moon sighed, smirking in your direction. 

You let a fake little gasp of surprise leave your lips, coming to place a hand over your heart as if you were shocked by his words and as if you didn't know who the 'certain someone' was. Moon let a little snigger leave his lips, Sun rolling his eyes at your nonsense but the rays surrounding his facial disk moving quickly enough to reveal his amusement. You put yourself at their proposal : you could accept their bribe or continue to pester them until they finally gave in and showed you their copy of the photo. Your curiosity and your greed were at war, but your impertinence found a common ground. You'd accept their proposal, you'd have a cake and you'd stop asking them to show you the photo... But that didn't mean you couldn't try to take a look at it later. 

"Deal !" You exclaimed. "But then... Where are we going today ?" 

"We're going to Abigael Fynch's home to see if we can find any information relating to her illegal business or any contact she may have had with Silvio Notaga." Sun replied. 

"We did some research to see if there was any link between the three different victims and Mr. Notaga, but we couldn't find anything. Even among themselves, the different victims had no contact or particular links." Moon declared. 

"But it was a predictable element, I doubt Silvio would have let his guard down so easily as to let it be known that he had met one of the victims. He probably made the exchanges between himself and the victims through intermediaries." Sun continued. 

"Pawns he could get rid of." Sighed the nocturnal animatronic. 

"I think this guy's on another level of paranoia and mental derangement." You mumbled if you couldn't help it. 

Despite the fact that your words had been spoken just for you, you saw the two animatronics nod as if to say that they both agreed with you. After a moment, the two animatronics told you to get your things ready to leave, as they'd be dropping you off immediately afterwards. You hummed lightly, nodding even though you didn't have much to bring with you other than the photo you'd just picked up. Your gaze lingered on the photo sleeves of the two animatronics, watching as Moon retrieved them and carefully placed them under his arm. You let a little pout form on your face, and Sun, seeing your expression, frowned suspiciously until you gave him an innocent smile.

You then quickly left the office and headed for the exit. As you passed through the shared offices, you saw Freddy in the company of Chica, and greeted the metal chick with a wave of the hand, which she happily returned. Freddy lifted his photo pouch and waved it in your direction, silently asking if you'd got yours back. You lifted the pouch in your hand, giving him a smile and a thumbs-up as you pointed to Sun and Moon walking in front of you. You winked at Freddy who let an almost tender smile spread across his metal muzzle. 

You didn't have time to exchange more with the metal bear as you left the building, but his expression, Chica's amused smile and the elbow she'd given Freddy when you'd started to turn your back made you wonder. But you didn't have time to dwell on her questions as the three of you found yourselves in the car. You'd hoped Sun would put the photos he and Moon had received in the back seat, but unfortunately he didn't. The animatronic decided to put them in the glove compartment, away from you and your curious little eyes. As for you, you set your photo down beside you, letting your eyes linger on the cardboard sleeve, your gloved fingers gently brushing the way the photo was protected. 

As the car driven by Sun began to move off, easing into traffic, the two detectives began to explain to you what their colleagues who had previously been on the case had found, the location of the victim's home and other additional information that was more or less useful to you. Where Jyseral Klain had set up home close to the forest and relatively far from the hustle and bustle of the city, Abigael Fynch had not. The fairy had set up home in a building that, given its height and width, could have been likened to a penthouse. The building was right in the center of town, where the luxury stores and Michelin-starred restaurants that tourists usually frequented were located. 

As you got out of the car and approached the building, you felt almost intimidated. It was the kind of place that, as a part-time thief, you'd learned to avoid from afar if you weren't perfectly equipped. The automatic double doors opened as you approached, revealing the luxurious interior. The floor was paved with white tiles and the walls with a white and beige ivory pattern. Unlike the other white walls you knew, there wasn't a single trace of mold or suspicious liquid. Before entering the corridor, Sun stopped to talk to the receptionist, since there was obviously a receptionist and even a janitor in this kind of place, obtaining the key to Abigael's apartment. As you entered the elevator, you leaned against one of the walls, turning to the two detectives to ask : 

"I wanted to know, did Abigael Fynch's family come to collect her things ? I know she had a sister and a half-brother. It's been a while now since she passed away, I'd have thought there'd be nothing left in her apartment."

"When the death was announced, her sister actually wanted to recover her belongings, but this was impossible as the investigation was still ongoing. After the conclusion of the accident was announced, we offered them to come and collect the belongings, but they refused." Moon replied, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"Did they ? But in that case, the building should have got rid of whatever was in the apartment, shouldn't it ? Since there's nobody left inside."

"Normally, yes. But the sister has continued to pay the rental fees for the apartment." Sun declared. 

"What ? Why should she ? It doesn't make sense. I know her family has money to spend, but to keep renting an empty apartment..." 

"After you joined the investigation, we informed the families of Abigael Fynch and Jyseral Klain that the case had been reopened. The Fynch family didn't reply. But when we sent them a message about our intention to visit the apartment, they replied as follows."

You saw Sun reach into his pocket to pull out his phone, and he tapped on the screen for a few seconds before finally turning the screen in your direction. You looked down to see an open e-mail conversation, the first addressed to Abigael's sister and the second a reply from said sister. Her message was simple and brief, but mysterious enough. "I give you permission. Please find the truth." the e-mail was then signed by the sister's name. You frowned slightly. 

"Her sister must have really loved her to have kept renting her apartment for so long, hoping that the police wouldn't decide to investigate again." You say. "But most of all I think her sister must know something since she asked you to find out the truth."

"We think so too, but we can't question her sister directly, since she moved abroad shortly after the first investigation concluded that the accident had occurred." Sun declared, shaking his facial disk before looking up at you. 

"She moved ? Now that's suspicious." You sighed. 

"Strange isn't it. Moreover, another thing we can consider strange is the fact that if she knew there was something suspicious about her sister's death, and was aware of the illegal activities Abigael Fynch was carrying out, she wouldn't have told the police or even hired a private detective. She didn't lack the means, since she could rent this kind of luxury apartment." Moon continued. 

"Do you think... she would have run away ?" You asked, confused. 

"It would seem that she was afraid of getting too close to what had happened to her sister." Moon said. 

"Or that she felt threatened and feared for her life." Sun replied with a sombre expression. 

The sound of the elevator doors opening caught the attention of all three of you, and you stepped out first into the small waiting room in front of the apartment door. Sun then took out the electronic key he'd picked up at reception. He placed it in front of the digital scanner and the door unlocked with a small electronic noise. Sun opened the door and just as you were about to step inside, Sun's hand closed around your forearm. You looked up at the animatronic Sun, raising an eyebrow in his direction. He shook his face, his rays around his face in an almost disapproving motion.

"We won't make the same mistake twice." Sun declared. 

"Hey. I'll be careful."

"So would we." Moon replied from behind you. 

Sun pushed you back slightly before stepping in front, Moon nodded for you to follow Sun, which you did, rolling your eyes slightly before Moon followed suit closing the door behind you. The front door opened directly into the living room, which was wide and spacious not only because of its size, but also because of the lack of furniture, but that was to be expected from a fairy. With their fast-moving wings creating numerous air currents and vibrations, fairies had to be careful of their surroundings to avoid injuring themselves or breaking something. The room was decorated in a simple yet sophisticated manner, with light-coloured wooden furniture, vases containing now-wilted flowers, and small decorative trinkets that seemed to have more or less value, in general the most classic apartments. 

You stopped slightly as you moved into the living room, it was light but you could feel remnants of magic here and there, weak and clearly non-lethal. However, your stop had caused the two animatronics to stop and look in your direction with concern, their metal hands resting on their weapons in preparation for intervention, you rolled your eyes and shook your face before slipping your hands into your pockets to continue exploring the fairy's apartment. There was a large, fully-equipped kitchen, a bathroom that could be used as a swimming pool due to the size of the bathtub, and two bedrooms, one unoccupied and the other belonging to Abigael. The decor was the same, but you could tell by the smell that one was in use and the other was not. 

The more you continued to explore and inspect, using only your senses, as Sun and Moon looked at you intensely every time you got close to something. Senses you'd honed by letting some of your feline attributes show. There was magic on certain objects, especially those placed high up, a jewelry box, a book, a closed compartment on a piece of furniture hung on a wall, a vase placed over there. But nothing that seemed extremely important, especially as there was nothing you couldn't open. You let a small smile appear on your lips, your tail and ears wagging slightly as your initial idea for finding information changed slightly. 

"Did you feel something ?" Sun asked as you returned to the living room. 

"Um... Not really, and that's what's so strange. If a fairy lived here, there should be a lot more magic left over, especially as no one has been here. But above all, Abigael is a fairy who loves and protects everything that belongs to her with the ferocity of a Dragonborn, so I find it odd that there isn't more protection on her things."

"What do you mean by that ?" Moon questioned. 

"What I mean is, there are a few valuable objects here and there, so why didn't she protect them with her magic ? It's true that magic isn't eternal, but the residue should have been stronger than that, especially... if the magic that covered these objects hadn't been altered." You replied, looking at the two animatronics to make them understand your implication, the tip of your tail wagging like a snake's. 

"Did someone else come before us to search the belongings ?" Sun declared, frowning.

"That's what I think. And given that we have a Mage in this case it wouldn't be surprising if he came to inspect. But I could also be wrong after all the apartment and already well secured."

"We'll have to ask reception if anyone suspicious has set foot in the building before and after the police inspections." Said Sun. 

"You can just concentrate on the after. The Mage wouldn't have gone before the police - that would have been too suspicious. Besides, if he thought, as I did, that Abigael would have protected her precious information with magic, then he was sure that the human or animatronic police wouldn't be able to find anything." 

"So... It means we're too late. Once again."

You saw Moon grit his teeth in an angry grimace, exposing his sharp teeth as his fingers closed into fists. You pressed your lips together with amusement, letting your eyes slide back to Sun, whose rays had partially retracted into his skull, his expression dark and disappointed. You let a chuckle leave your lips, drawing the attention of the two detectives. You raised your eyes to them, meeting their colored optics as you crossed your arms over your chest, a knowing smile on your lips. You let another laugh leave your lips before moving towards the two standing more or less close to each other. You patted their arms gently before lifting one of your hands, your index finger raised. 

"I never said we couldn't find anything, I said someone had come to search the apartment not. And I'm sure the Mage didn't find anything, nothing important anyway."

"Could you explain a little better what you have in mind Kitten ?" Moon sighed. 

"If we think back to what happened in Jenna Royn's apartment, how a trap was set to kill the elf if she returned home, probably because she had information about Arnold Wilson and incidentally Silvio Notaga. So why hadn't another kind of trap spell been installed in this apartment too huh ?" You asked.

"Hmm... If there's nothing to find, why waste time setting up a trap ?" Said Sun. 

"Exactly ! Someone would need to be eliminated if they knew something or were likely to discover something. But by coming to Abigael's apartment in search of information, it proves that this person doesn't know anything and therefore doesn't represent a direct threat. And since there's nothing to discover, no spell is necessary."

"But if it's possible that the Mage hasn't found any information and it's still in the apartment, where is that information ?" Moon asked. "If they're not concealed by magic, then that means they're where there's no trace of magic."

"Bingo Sherlock !" You say, your ears perking up straight on your skull. "Abigael was a clever fairy and extremely far-sighted, I've got to hand it to her. To make sure her enemies, inevitably Fantastics, didn't find the nasty little compromising files she was hiding she hid them where Fantastics wouldn't think to look. If you want to hide something from a Fantastic, hide it where a Human would." You declared with a smile and a snap of your fingers.

You made the two animatronics blink before nodding in agreement with your theory, smiles appearing on their facial disks. The two of you began to inspect Abigael Fynch's apartment once again, this time looking for hiding places whose logic was more 'human'. The place shouldn't be too high up, not too obvious, but at the same time not so hidden as to be suspicious. Your attention was eventually drawn to a potpourri in the unused bedroom of the fairy's apartment. With your tail wagging in curiosity, you lifted the small, closed jar. It was strange to find this kind of perfumery in an unused room, even if it meant that the smell of the closed room wasn't unpleasant, but it was still strange that it was closed. 

"Moony, Sunny, I think I've found something !" You say, heading down the corridor. 

After reassuring them for the umpteenth time, the two animatronics finally let you inspect the apartment on your own, so that you could cover more surface area and search in different places each time. You lifted the lid of the jar, the scent of flowers of all kinds filling your nostrils almost to the point of blocking your olfactory sense. Hearing the animatronics' footsteps, you looked up to see them enter the room and stand beside you, wondering what you'd found. You moved closer to the bed before spilling the contents of the jar onto the bed. You reached out but ran your fingers inside the various flowers to spread them out on the bed and try to see something. 

You saw the two animatronics join you in searching through the dried petals and plant remains, and finally you felt something under your fingers, something that wasn't dried plants. You pushed aside a few petals and finally saw a USB key between the potpourri ingredients. You grabbed the USB key, lifting it towards the two animatronics before handing it to Sun, who was closest to you, a smile on your lips. You saw Sun lower his eyes in the direction of the key, his hand lifting to retrieve it from between his fingers, his long fingers brushing your hand and making you shiver imperceptibly despite the fact that your skin wasn't in direct contact with his. You heard Moon chuckle before he huffed :

"I must admit Kitten, that was well thought out. You really should have considered a career in policing sooner."

"Nah thanks. I'll leave that for you. After all, I wouldn't want to steal your job." You replied with a shrug and an impertinent smile. 

Moon clicked his tongue as he rolled his eyes, Sun giggling lightly. You held out your hands, retrieving the potpourri you'd spilled on the bed, placing them back in the jar and placing the jar back on the cabinet beside the bed as if nothing had ever been touched. Despite finding the key, you inspected the apartment one last time to make sure you hadn't missed anything. Finally you left the building, going to the reception desk to drop off the apartment key, and Sun and Moon asked to retrieve the video recordings from the entrance and elevator cameras after asking them if the employees had seen anyone suspicious. Unfortunately, the affair had been going on for some time, so the employees couldn't remember everyone who had been in the building. 

"If the Magician was able to enter the building without suspecting anyone, it's because someone inside the building helped him by pretending to receive visitors." Sun declared as he exited the building, video recordings in his hand. 

"Not necessarily." You replied. "Press any bell button in a building and someone's bound to open the door. There's always someone waiting for someone else. I think it's possible to do the same thing with this kind of guarded building, you just have to be a little more convincing and know how to improvise. All he had to do was come in and say he had an appointment or something."

"It sounds suspiciously like something you'd have done before." Moon declared with a slight growl.

"Sounds suspiciously like you might be right." You replied with a smile.

"You little..." Moon grumbled.

You chuckled lightly, dodging Moon's hand which had begun to reach for one of your feline ears. You swatted his hand with your tail quickly before making it disappear so as not to suffer Moon's retaliation, but also because you'd arrived at the car. Once settled in and buckled up, Sun started driving again towards the part of town you were more accustomed to frequenting. You leaned against the door, resting your face lightly against the window as the steady sound of the car gently relaxed you. It was strange how you'd got used to driving the two animatronics and how being with them in the car allowed you to relax. Maybe it was the fact that you'd gotten to know them, or maybe it was the fact that your scent had settled into the car, mingling with that which seemed to emanate from Moon and Sun, giving you the feeling of being in a safe place, of being at home. 

You quickly shook your face to clear your head, letting your gaze linger on the cityscape. After a while, Sun's car left the main street and turned into one of the smaller streets, before finally stopping in the parking lot of a small patisserie. You blinked as the two animatronics got out of the car, beckoning you to follow them. You knew they'd actually keep their word about the cake, but you hadn't expected them to keep their promise on the day. Almost stumbling out of the car after them, you entered the patisserie, your eyes immediately sparkling as you saw all the pastries and other small cakes on display.

"So, what are you planning to choose ?" Moon asked, pausing in front the glass where the whole cakes were on display.

"I can't decide." you sighed.

Your gaze lingered on all the cakes on display, trying to imagine their taste and texture in your mouth. You heard Sun giggle beside you before leaning over to you, pointing her mechanical finger at the different cakes and describing what they were made of and how they tasted. You weren't surprised that Sun was the one with a little more knowledge of sweet pastries, since you knew that Moon had a preference for tart desserts. You were even more indecisive after listening to Sun's explanations, biting your lower lip you finally let out a sigh, tilting your head back to look at the two animatronics.

"Why don't you choose for me ?" You asked. "I can't choose just one of the cakes. It was just me I'd take everything in the window."

You grinned at the two detectives, it was partly true, you couldn't choose but also a small part of you felt slightly guilty about making them buy a cake just for you, even though you'd promised in exchange not to question them about the photo, you thought it was a rather unfair bargain, especially knowing your personality, the two of them should well suspect that you wouldn't let the matter be forgotten so easily. You saw Sun and Moon exchange a glance before placing his index finger on your forehead and saying :

"Do you trust us ?

"Yep. Plus everything looks good, so whatever you choose I won't be disappointed but I will be surprised." You reply with a shrug.

"Alright then. Come on Kitten." Moon declared, stepping away from the glass. "Might as well push the surprise to the limit, don't you think ?"

You saw Sun wink at you as he headed for the counter, Moon heading for the exit of the patisserie. You followed the nocturnal animatronic outside, leaning against one of the walls near the entrance and the glass windows that let you see inside the patisserie. You couldn't help but press your lips together, your eyes peering inside to see Sun chatting with one of the bakery's employees, pointing in the direction of the cakes on display. As the employee approached the glass to retrieve the cake Sun had asked for, a large metal hand moved in front of your eyes, blocking your view. 

"Naughty kitty. You wanted us to surprise you. Now we're surprising you all the way. So don't try to catch a glimpse of the cake we've chosen for you." Moon sighed with a click of his tongue.

"Moony..." You groaned in an almost sulky, exaggerated way.

You heard the animatronic hum in amusement, but his hand didn't move from your face. You sighed, deciding not to fight the animatronic, for one thing you knew you wouldn't be able to push him away if he really didn't want to, and two, his hand was warm and pleasant against your face, almost making you doze off. You let out a small sigh of amusement, lifting one of your hands to reach between your fingers for one of the strange little pads Moon had on his fingertips. The detective's hand was so large that even when pressed against your face, his fingertips protruded into the void.

"Why do you have pads ?" You asked, lightly pinching Moon's little pads between your fingers.

"They're sensitive. They make it easier for us to detect textures, temperatures and other kinds of parameters." Moon replied.

"Doesn't your skin do that already ?" You continued, letting your fingers close around one of Moon's fingers, even through your gloves you could feel the silicone-like texture of Moon's 'skin'.

"Yes, but the pads are even more sensitive. The same way your fingertips are more sensitive than the rest of your hand."

"Oh..."

"They're also good for distracting inquisitive kittens." Moon almost purred.

You stopped yourself, realizing that you hadn't stopped pinching and pressing on his little pads with your fingers, having completely forgotten about Sun and the cake. You grabbed Moon's hand by the wrist, forcing his hand away from your face as you raised your face to him, glaring at him. The animatronic grinned mockingly back at you before turning his attention to Sun, who pushed the bakery door open, the chime above tinkling lightly. The walking Sun held an opaque-walled box in his hand, the cake inside completely hidden from you.

"We can go now." Sun declared cheerfully.

You set off towards the car, your attention more than ever directed to the box containing the cake. Sun placed the cake in the back seat to make sure it didn't suffer too much in transit, and even though the outside temperature was low enough that the cake wouldn't melt, the air-conditioning was still switched on. As the car started moving again, a light conversation amplified the car's interior, your attention and more precisely your sense of smell remained focused on the cake. 

"Coconut." you declared. 

"What ?" Sun questioned. 

"The cake. It's got coconut in it and... White chocolate ?" You continued, closing your eyes to try and detect every last ingredient inside. 

"Hey, that's cheating !" Sun exclaimed, looking at you through the rearview mirror. 

"I can't control what I smell, can I ?" You replied in return, an amused smile on your lips. "Besides, I'd like to point out that you practically hired me for my sense of smell. So don't complain if I use it."

You heard Moon chuckle before suddenly feeling the outside air caress your face, sending a few strands of your hair flying in all directions. You blinked, looking in the direction of Moon who, sitting in front of you, had opened his window. Sun did the same, allowing the outside air to rush into the car, carrying with it the tantalizing smell of the cake's ingredients. You let out a sigh and muttered a little "You're no fun." to the two animatronics, who pretended not to have heard you, but the smiles on their facial disks told you otherwise.

You turned towards your own window, deciding to open it wide, letting the wind whip across your face as you pointed your nose outside, closing your eyes to enjoy the freshness of the air. You could tell by the smell in the air that it wouldn't be long before the snow began to make its appearance, and you couldn't wait to see the city covered in the white blanket of snow. You knew it wouldn't last long, the heat of the asphalt and the surrounding dirt of the city would eventually get the better of snow, but you knew that when the snow fell you'd have a few hours to enjoy all the little white flakes. It also meant that the month of December was about to begin and Christmas was just around the corner. 

For you, Christmas wasn't really about the presents, but rather about the atmosphere and the moments shared between the various inhabitants of the Miracles District. You used to celebrate Christmas in the streets, fires lit here and there, food cooked in makeshift barbecues, everyone bringing what they had and what they could to share with those who didn't, so that everyone was somehow in each other's company and not left alone at Christmas. Your gaze fell on the two animatronics; you didn't know if they were the kind of people who celebrated Christmas with their families, or if they celebrated Christmas at all. 

"Huh? Where are we going ?" You asked, noticing that you were in the Miracles District but not on the way to your house.

"We're going to take a little detour before dropping you off at your place." Moon replied. "We have another promise to keep."

You tilted your face sideways, your cat ears surely twitching if they'd been there. It wasn't until you saw the 'Fischer et Son' fishmonger's appear that you connected the dots, remembering the bet you'd made with the two animatronics about their work and rest times. 

"Guys." you began, slightly embarrassed. "Did you know I was joking when I made that bet ?!"

"Maybe. But we took it seriously." Moon replied as he got out of the now parked car.

You blinked as you watched in despair as Sun left his seat in turn. After a few seconds of reflection, during which you questioned your entire existence and your words, wondering if you'd said anything else that might earn you surprises from the animatronics, you finally got out of the car. Entering the fishmonger's, you saw that Sun and Moon were already deep in discussion with Martin Fischer. The fishmonger looked up in your direction, a smile barely visible behind his moustache appearing on his lips as he nodded in your direction. 

"Huh. Looks like you got caught in one of those nets you couldn't escape from, right Wet Cat." Old Merman chuckled. 

"You can say it Martin." You replied with a sigh, raising your hands in the air in defeat. 

The fishmonger let another laugh leave his lips as he finished preparing the fish in front of him, cleaning the fish that had been carefully cut up before wrapping it in specially designed paper. He placed the package next to a similar one on the counter. Martin removed his gloves, taking care not to get wet, before placing the two fish in a plastic bag which he handed to Moon in exchange for the money. Martin put the money back in his case, looking up in your direction before saying : 

"If the fish is for you, I suppose you know how to prepare it, don't you ? I've already cleaned it, so no bones or scales. Cook it well with a squeeze of lemon to remove the raw taste."

"Yeah yeah. I know. Thanks Martin." 

The old merman let a laugh leave his lips before waving you out of his fishmonger's since it was now time for him to close and you were his last customers. The two of you met again in the streets of the Miracles District to set off again. You slipped your hands into your pockets with a pouty expression on your lips as you walked behind the two animatronics, your gaze lingering on their backs and then on the fresh fish Moon was carrying in the bag. 

"Are you sulking ?" Sun then asked, looking in your direction over his shoulder. 

"No." You replied a little too quickly and with a little too much embarrassment to be true. 

You heard the two detectives giggle softly as you entered the car again. Moon decided to entrust you with the fish you'd won, placing them carefully on your lap to prevent the fishy smell from wafting too far into the back seat of Sun's car. With your hands firmly gripping the bag, you felt like a Dragon guarding his treasure. The smell of fresh fish and the idea of being able to eat cake made you salivate slightly, your eyes moving from one to the other with a certain impatience. But the more you looked at the food, the more you realized that it was far too much for you. After all, it was a whole cake, and the fish chosen by the two animatronics weren't little sardines. Even if you ate over several days, it would still be too much, but at the same time you couldn't help being grateful to the two animatronics and feeling a touch of guilt.

As Sun parked in front of your apartment, you decided that you simply couldn't let them go like that without thanking them in some way; you didn't like receiving kindness without giving it back, especially when it came to Sun and Moon. So you didn't move from the back seat, letting the silence settle in the car until the two animatronics turned their facial disks almost simultaneously in your direction, expressions of both bewilderment and curiosity on their faces. You raised your index finger in their direction, pointing at one then the other, your eyes following the movement of your hand.

"Come and eat with me tonight." You said, your phrase sounding like a question and a command at the same time.

"What ?" Moon questioned, frowning slightly, a smile on his lips as if he hadn't understood.

"You're coming home for dinner tonight." You repeated more slowly but more firmly.

"Kitten..." Sun began to articulate, before you interrupted by shaking your face.

"Don't argue. I'm not giving you a choice. You're coming. There's too much for me to eat all by myself. So please come eat with me."

You opened the car door on your side without stepping out, nodding in the direction of the two animatronics to encourage them to do the same. You saw the two exchange a glance before Moon finally sighed, getting out of the car before being followed by Sun, a small smile on the corner of their lips. You stepped out of the car to see Sun open the rear door opposite yours and retrieve the cake, while Moon held out his hand in the direction of the bag containing the fish with a small smile.

"You can look awfully like your mother when you want to." Moon sighed with a light, rumbling laugh.

"You can imagine, she's the one who raised me." You replied.

You bent down to retrieve the key to your apartment, which you had slipped into the rear door of the car. After some time, and following a suggestion from Sun, you stopped hiding the keys to your apartment in the alley adjacent to your apartment, leaving them in the car or entrusting them to one of the two animatronics to keep for you. Having collected your keys, you made your way towards your apartment, glancing over your shoulders to make sure that the Detectives were still following you; the fact that they were carrying the cake and the fish respectively reassured you that they simply couldn't refuse your invitation any longer.

You climbed the steps to your house a little faster than usual to make sure you could open the door before the two animatronics reached the end of the stairs. Once you'd opened the door to your home, you took off your shoes, pushing them into the corner of the entrance hallway before stepping into your small apartment, leaving the door wide open for the two animatronics you saw appear at the top of the stairs. You headed for your kitchen, opening your fridge to push in the various ingredients and leftovers, making room for Sun to put the cake away, while Moon put the fish on the counter.

You then turned towards the two animatronics, watching their slightly embarrassed expressions as they both stood in your little kitchen as if they didn't know what to do with themselves. Sun was wriggling his hands together, his rays making rapid, random movements, while Moon kept one hand on the fridge after closing the door, his red pupils reflecting on the white floor tiles he seemed so interested in looking at. You let a laugh leave your lips, shaking your face in amusement as you breathed out :

"You can make yourself at home you know. It's not like this is the first time you've come to my place."

"True, but still..." Sun almost squeaked, raising her big black eyes in your direction.

"Go and make yourself comfortable in the living room if you like, you can turn on the television or whatever." You declared, rolling your eyes. "I'll start preparing the fish."

You left the kitchen, giving the two animatronics room to relax as you went to change in your bedroom. Abandoning your sweater for a large T-shirt, you swapped your jeans for a pair of jogging pants, leaving the gloves you always wore outdoors in a corner of your room before heading back to the kitchen. You were only partly surprised to see that the two animatronics hadn't moved from the kitchen - well, they'd moved, but they were still in your workspace, Sun washing his hands while Moon seemed to be returning from hanging up his jacket in the hall, the sleeves of his white shirt now neatly rolled up.

"What the hell are you still doing in my kitchen ?" Questioned as you crossed your arms over your chest.

"We're going to help you cook." Sun replied cheerfully, grinning in your direction.

"No, no and no. It's out of the question. When we invite someone to eat, it's not so they can help us make dinner."

"Come on Kitten, at least let us do that." Said Moon. "We're just not going to be able to stand by and do nothing while you do everything."

"It makes us feel bad." Sun added with a little pout.

"And you're going to make me feel even worse if you help me even though I wanted to make dinner to thank you." You sighed, looking away slightly embarrassed.

You moved towards the sink that Sun had abandoned to wipe his hands, opening the water and slipping your hands under the cold water, while the silence that had settled between you only reinforced your embarrassment, the red that colored your cheeks could be seen in your ears and on the back of your neck. Once you'd washed your hands, you turned to fetch a piece of paper towel, but didn't have time to go far as a piece of paper towel appeared in front of your face. Your gaze traveled up the paper towel, stopping for a few seconds on Sun's hands before returning to Sun's face. The solar animatronic had tilted his face to one side, a smile on his lips as his rays waved curiously.

"Thank us ? Thank us for what ?" Sun asked.

You didn't answer, preferring to bite your lower lip as you retrieved the piece of paper towel from Sun's hands before turning to the bag containing the fresh fish. You carefully unwrapped the pieces of fish, inspecting Martin's impeccable workmanship as you tried to decide how best to prepare the fish with the ingredients you had in your cupboards. You didn't have time to think too much, however, as Sun's voice rose again, saying :

"For the fish and the cake ? You want to thank us for that ?"

"If so, you don't need to do that." Declared Moon, who in turn had turned to the sink to wash his hands. "You got them both fair and square."

You turned to Moon, raising an eyebrow in his direction with a small septic expression on your lips.

"One is the price of a bet, and the other and basically a bribe. I don't call that 'fair and square'." You replied, lifting your fingers as you listed how you'd gotten the cake and the fish.

"Well, in a way it's still something you got." Sun interjects, raising his index finger in the air and waving it around.

"Even so. I don't like being indebted." You replied, humming slightly as you began rummaging through one of your cupboards.

"Indebted ?" Moon sighed, frowning. "Why would you be indebted to us for something you've earned ?" 

"Well..." you began to articulate, not understanding exactly how this conversation had started and where it was going. "Growing up in the Miracle District teaches you that being indebted to someone can cause you much bigger problems than the favor the other person did you. Besides..."

You paused, reaching for the bag in which you'd stored your stale bread with a view to turning it into French Toast, taking it out and placing it on the counter in front of you as you decided that it now had a completely different purpose. You turned back to Sun and Moon, sighing as you saw that they were still looking at you, waiting for you to continue explaining why you wanted to thank them so much when all they'd done was keep their promises. You lifted one of your hands that now had no gloves, looking at the drawings inside your palm as you continued.

"Besides, I just don't like receiving something without being able to give anything in return. I feel like I have to depend on others, like I'm an embarrassment to them. And I don't like that."

"Why do you think like that ?" Sun asked almost with incredulity in her voice. "I mean, I can understand that it's hard for you to agree to trust if someone you don't know offers to help you or give you something. But I suppose, your family and the people around you that you trust have already given you things without you expecting anything in return haven't they ?"

"Hmm... Yeah." You reply, slightly confused. 

"Then you know that some people sincerely don't expect anything in return when they do something for you." Sun continued. 

"Don't you think it's the same for us ? Or... Do you think we'll ever ask you to do the same for us ?" Moon questioned. 

"I don't... I don't know."

You'd given your answer after a few seconds of silence, your fingers coming together distractedly as you didn't know exactly what to say. The hopeful part of you was telling you that these were your friends and you knew them well enough to know that this was clearly not the sort of thing they were capable of doing. But the fearful part of you, the part that preferred to lurk in the shadows and told you to be wary even of the air you breathed, made you think that even if they were your friends, they might one day ask you to do something you weren't ready to do or sacrifice. You knew better than anyone how easy it was to lie and hide things even from people you cared about. And you were afraid of the pain and grief that discovering the truth might cause, for others as much as for yourself.

"Well. Looks like we'll just have to wait and see whether or not we're going to ask you for something in exchange for this cake and its fish." Sun suddenly declared, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

You looked up to see the diurnal animatronic shaking his face dramatically and exaggeratedly, an almost vexed smile on his lips. Moon beside you rolled his eyes at Sun's choreography, a smile on his lips as his ruby-colored eyes landed on you, seeming to burn holes in your soul. 

"Perhaps then you'll understand that our intentions are genuine and that we don't intend to ask for something in exchange for something we've promised." Moon continued with a touch of mockery in his voice. "Who would ask for something when they've lost a bet or offered a bribe ? They'd be shooting themselves in the foot." 

But despite their expressions, you caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a touch of sadness in their eyes. But this flicker quickly disappeared as Moon turned to the fish you'd begun to unwrap. You saw him pick up the pieces of fish delicately and place them on a plate before tossing the wrapping  into the garbage can under your sink. As for Sun, he took the pieces of stale bread out of their storage and placed them on the counter before turning to you to ask :

"You're planning to make fish fingers, aren't you ? Do you have a mixer or a grater so I can make breadcrumbs with the bread ?"

You blinked, pointing confusedly at one of the overhead cupboards with one of your fingers, listening to Sun thank you before fetching the small hand mixer you owned. You frowned, a tearless expression forming on your face as you tried to express the wave of emotions that had washed over you in a matter of seconds. Were you confused, relieved or touched ? You couldn't really tell, but your heart started beating faster. It was true, you were going to have to stay by their side a little longer to confirm and reassure yourself that they were exactly as they were.

Chapter Text

"You make me change mood as quickly as I metamorphose." You sigh with a touch of mockery and desperation. "And yes, I was going to make fish sticks."

You heard the two animatronics giggle as they glanced quickly in your direction, Sun, who had retrieved your little hand blender, grabbing the bread to start blending it into breadcrumbs, Moon starting to arrange the fish pieces on a plate so he could roll them in the breadcrumbs. You turned to your fridge, opening the door to go back in and get some eggs for the breadcrumbs and some vegetables you had, deciding that baking them was the best accompaniment you could have. You put everything on the counter, before picking up seasonings such as salt and pepper, as well as oil for frying.

Moon, who was standing next to you, grabbed the eggs you'd made available, picking up a small bowl he'd placed on top of the crockery and dexterously cracking the eggs with one hand. When Sun had finished preparing the breadcrumbs, he retrieved another plate and placed the ready-to-use breadcrumbs on it, placing the small hand blender in the sink for later cleaning. He turned to you, wiping his hands on the kitchen towel on your work counter.

"What do you usually fry in ?"

"Left-hand cupboard, it's an old pot without a lid." You replied, frowning. "But I thought I told you not to help me."

"Too late. We've already started." Moon replied without even looking in your direction as he began to roll the fish in the eggs.

You heaved a sigh, watching the two animatronics move and bustle about your kitchen, which seemed so small compared to the two of them. While Sun stood in front of your stove to heat the oil to just the right temperature to fry the fish, Moon, now that he'd finished dipping the fish in the eggs, carefully rolled them in breadcrumbs and placed them within reach of Sun. You continued to watch them for a few seconds, watching Sun carefully pick up the pieces of fish and place them in the oil, which immediately began to crackle, the smell of oil and cooking fish now wafting through your little apartment.

The two animatronics were clearly good at cooking, they seemed at ease and only needed to see two ingredients to understand what you were planning. They'd clearly make good husbands. You thought before suddenly regretting the thought as you felt your face flush and your heart miss a beat. You decided this was your cue to start cooking and stop spying on the Detectives. After retrieving your chopping board and a knife, and turning on your oven to preheat it, you set about slicing your vegetables into more or less even rounds, arranging them in a baking tray before setting about preparing a seasoning of salt, pepper, oil and herbes de Provence.

As you set about pouring your seasoning over your raw vegetables Moon appeared beside you and with the back of a spoon helped you spread the sauce evenly over the vegetables. Once you'd finished, you opened the oven, Moon grabbing the tray to push it inside as you closed the oven door, setting the temperature and timer to give the vegetables time to cook thoroughly. You straightened up to see that Sun had almost finished with the breaded fish. You turned back to your fridge, deciding that you'd need a salad to go with it, and that a lemon cream would go well with the fish. You placed all the ingredients you needed on the counter, deciding to start with your lemon curd. Just as you had begun to pierce the juice of the little yellow fruit into a little crème fraîche you heard Sun ask you :

"Where do you keep the vinegar ?"

"In the cupboard just above." You said, pointing to the cupboard you were standing under. "I'll grab it for you."

"No don't worry, don't bother."

You felt Sun suddenly towering over you, his body barely brushing your back as he reached into the cupboard above you, opening it to retrieve the vinegar. Your whole body froze, your motion to shake the crème fraîche and mix it with the lemon coming to a halt as you found yourself hyper-aware of Sun's proximity to you, his body heat flowing through his clothes and yours, leaving an almost burning sensation on your back. After what seemed like an eternity, Sun closed the cupboard, moving away to stand on the counter and start preparing the dressing, his presence still lingering against you as you finally managed to catch your breath, your heart beating to the rhythm of the drums.

When the salad was finally dressed, the vegetables cooked and the fish fried, you set the table with the help of the two animatronics, even after you'd told them not to. You began to eat almost silently, the silence broken only by the sound of cutlery clattering against plates. At the first bite of fish, you couldn't help but let a little hum of satisfaction leave your lips. The fish was delicious, worthless to say of good quality, but the taste was different from usual. It wasn't the first time you'd had this kind of meal, but you couldn't deny that everything seemed tastier and simply better.

"It's very good." Moon said.

"Yeah." Sun added with a nod, bringing a butcher of vegetables to his lips.

"Well, fortunately. Since you helped me cook, if it wasn't good, it would have been your fault." You sighed teasingly.

Your teasing words were what got the conversation started, a playful shuffle taking place between the three of you as you continued to eat. Even after you'd emptied your plates, you lingered at the table, simply continuing to chat, as much as you wanted to discover and eat the cake Sun had chosen, you didn't want the evening to end so quickly, but you knew you simply couldn't keep them at home all evening. So after clearing the table and keeping the two animatronics away from your dishes, you brought the box containing the cake to the table, along with some cutlery. As you took a seat on one of the chairs at your dining table, folding your legs to sit cross-legged, you couldn't help teasing the two, asking :

"Do I have your permission to look at the cake now ?"

"Yes, yes you can now." Moon replied with an amused grunt.

You wasted no more time, eagerly opening the box, your eyes shining with curiosity but also hunger. You let a little o form on your lips as you admired the cake, almost drooling over it. The cake was covered with grated coconut on top and slivered almond on the side, there were little whipped cream decorations on top here and there, if the visual was rather simple the smell of white chocolate and coconut was simply intoxicating, almost making you purr as you already imagined the taste of the cake on your tongue.

"Are you just going to look at it, or are you ever going to eat it ?" Sun asked from beside you, coming to press his index finger against your cheek.

"Food is first savored with the eyes and nose, dear." You replied in return, before thrusting the knife in Sun's direction and adding: "And I'd rather you cut it, I wouldn't be able to stab someone properly even if I had instructions and the victim was tied up and unconscious."

Your comparison didn't seem to please the two detectives, who glared at you as you gave them your most innocent smile. Sun decided to cut the cake, giving you the first slice. Politeness would have dictated that you wait for the others to be served, but you couldn't take it any longer, any more and you'd end up eating your own tongue. The first bite was decisive; it was the one that gave you the taste for every bite that followed. The taste was even better than you had expected, you let a purr leave your lips, closing your eyes as you savored the texture and taste, the pastry that made up the cake was moist, the cream inside the cake that covered it was fresh and the taste of white chocolate perfectly balanced with that of coconut.

"Looks like you made a good choice." Moon chuckled in Sun direction.

You looked up at Moon, meeting his eyes as they rested on you. You simply nodded, a small smile on your lips as you continued to devour your slice of cake. The two detectives tried to make small talk with you, but you were too absorbed in your food to give them your undivided attention, even as the two began to tease you, Sun holding out his hand in the direction of your plate as if he were going to steal your piece of cake, only for you to glare at him, hands protectively placed on either side of your plate. You knew it was only in jest, so you partially played along, knowing they weren't really going to try to take your piece of cake.

"I'm glad to see my cake selection managed to satisfy your taste buds, but don't eat the whole cake at once, you might get a tummy ache." Sun declared. 

"Huh huh. I wasn't planning on eating the whole thing either." You hissed. "There's way too much for me. I'll probably give a slice to Shin and one of my downstairs neighbors, she gave me fruit last time and I know she has a little boy. Oh, and to Mr. Botzaris too, I know he doesn't necessarily like pastries but I'll give him a little slice anyway. After that, I'll definitely keep the rest just for myself."

As you brought another spoonful of cake to your lips you felt a hand reach out in your direction, pushing a few strands of your hair back behind your ear so naturally that it took you a second to realize it wasn't natural. Your spoonful of cake stopped a few centimetres from your mouth, your mouth remaining open as your eyes slid towards Moon's hand, which the animatronic had brought towards him after rearranging your hair. His expression was calm and neutral, a smile on my lips slightly uncovering his sharp teeth, that is, until your surprised gaze met his and he suddenly seemed to realize the gesture he'd just made.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Moon stammered. "I... I didn't want your hair to fall into your eyes... or your food."

You didn't know exactly how to react to his actions and words, you were embarrassed that was more than certain, not least by the fact that you hadn't realized how close the animatronic's hand was against your face. You weren't in the habit of letting your concentration and guard drop so low, except when you were tired, but that wasn't the case at the moment, so perhaps it was simply that the cake had taken up all your concentration. What's more, it was Moon and Sun, and you knew you had nothing to fear from them, but you hoped it would only happen when you were next to them. If it had been anyone else, another fantastic creature, one that your Skinwalker genes hadn't registered, the situation would have been complicated.

"Oh... Oh. It's ok. I just... didn't expect that. Thanks." You finally replied.

You glanced in Moon's direction furtively, not exactly able to bear the pressure of his optics for too long, preferring to concentrate on the cake in front of you, not only because your slice was half eaten but also because it was a good distraction from the awkward situation that had just arisen. Even so, you still thanked Moon; his gesture hadn't been made with malicious intent, it hadn't been because he was trying to tease you or anything like that. You could tell by the way he looked at you, the gentle gleam in his eyes and the sincere smile on his lips that he really wanted to help you. So even though your heart was pounding like you'd just run through the entire Miracle District, you were grateful for the gentle gesture.

As you finished eating in a slight silence, you could feel Moon and Sun fidgeting slightly in their chairs, letting you know that they'd been embarrassed by the situation as much as you had, which made you laugh softly as you looked in their direction. When the two looked at you with wide, questioning eyes, you shook your head, keeping the reasons for your amusement to yourself, causing the two animatronics to sigh, barely audible. After finishing your slice of cake, you being the last to finish, you stood up, retrieving the plates and placing them in your sink, formally forbidding the two Detectives to go near them. They tried to argue, but you emerged victorious.

"I think it's time for us to go." Sun said after looking at his phone. 

You looked towards the window, night had fallen and the stars had made their appearance. You hummed lightly and nodded, thinking you hadn't noticed the time passing. You began to walk Sun and Moon towards the door of your apartment, and as you made your way down the corridor, your gaze came to rest on your keys and the small, empty cupboard in the hallway. Then you suddenly remembered that you'd said that after getting a picture frame you were going to put the photo of the police station at your entrance. You'd completely forgotten about the photo, too preoccupied with Sun, Moon and the food.

"Crap. I forgot my copy of the photo into your car." You say, looking at Sun and Moon. "Do you mind if I walk you downstairs ?"

"Not at all." Sun replies, laughing and shaking his face as if your question is stupid.

"Than... Wait two seconds !"

You didn't give the two animatronics time to question you, spreading out in the direction of your kitchen, looking at the clock as you passed to make sure it wasn't too late or too early. Once in the room, you quickly took out the cake you'd put away in the fridge, awkwardly cut a slice, grabbed a small bowl and placed it inside, before returning to Moon and Sun, who questioned you with their eyes. You let a little laugh appear on your lips before jokingly saying :

"It's to give me courage when I go back up the stairs in a moment."

"Very funny. It's for Mr. Botzaris isn't it." Moon declared.

"Yeap. If I'm going to go up and down these stairs, I might as well multi-task."

Sun rolled his eyes as Moon simply shook his facial disk, but the two animatronics said nothing more, opening the door to your apartment to leave, even closing the door behind you. You went down the stairs, discussing what was going to happen next with the investigation, the two animatronics telling you they were going to examine what was on the USB key you'd found that evening, which didn't surprise you. Once downstairs, you decided to pick up your photo first, as you were going to have a chat with Botzaris if he gave you the chance. You left the building and as you stepped outside, you stopped and looked up at the night sky, your breath now drawing large clouds of smoke as you felt the cold bite your skin.

"Something wrong ?" Moon asked, looking in your direction.

"Nah. It should be snowing soon. By tomorrow or the next day maybe." You replied, letting a smile form on your lips.

"How could you possibly know that ?" Sun chuckled softly.

"Fantastic stuff again." You sighed, shrugging your shoulders.

You heard the two animatronics sigh in amusement and looked down again at the two detectives before moving closer to their car. You saw Moon open the rear door to retrieve the photo and hand it to you with a smile. You thanked him, retrieving the pouch with your hand that wasn't holding the bowl containing the cake. Sun walked past you and put his hand on the small of your back, making you turn around and look in the direction of the apartment. You looked over your shoulders in his direction, questioning him with your eyes. 

"You'd better hurry home, it's too cold outside and you're not covered up enough." Sun declared. 

"Yeah yeah. Good night."

"Good night Kitten." Sun replied. 

"And sweet dreams." Moon added. 

You rolled your eyes as you headed back towards your building, stopping on the doorstep, turning to see the two animatronics' car start up and begin to pull away from the parking lot, shaking your head with a smile on your lips as you entered the building. You moved towards Botzaris' door, tucking the photo pouch under your arm, then leaned in close, trying to see if you could hear any noises inside the apartment as you heard the sound of cups and cutlery banging against each other, you lifted your hand to knock gently on the door. The noises stopped before giving way to footsteps before the door opened on Mr. Botzaris, who looked at you without being too surprised.

"Good evening y/n."

"Good evening Mr. Botzaris, I hope I'm not disturbing you ?" You asked. "I brought you some cake."

"Not at all. And where did you get this kind of cake ? You didn't steal it, did you ?" The harpi asked, pushing aside to let you in. 

After a little pout at his last comment, you entered Botzaris' apartment and thanked him. Walking over to his dining table, you saw that there were several documents spread out on the table, your curiosity prompting you to take a quick look at them, but you forced yourself not to do so for too long, so as not to be too indiscreet. You placed the bowl containing the slice of cake you'd prepared for him on a small corner of the table that wasn't occupied by papers, right next to a cup of tea that was now empty. You also placed the folder containing the photo on the table, taking a seat on one of the available chairs. Mr. Botzaris soon joined you, taking a seat opposite you, retrieving the spoon he'd used in his tea and placing it in the bowl containing the cake. 

"And so, where did this cake come from ?" 

"Sun and Moon gave it to me. We made a deal."

"I think Double B's bad influence is starting to rub off on you." Botzaris sighed with an amused sneer.

"Hey. They're the ones who offered a deal I couldn't refuse." You replied, crossing your arms over your chest.

Mr. Botzaris let a laugh leave his lips before taking a bite of the cake, you saw him freeze, his pupils dilating slightly before he nodded in your direction. You let a smile appear on your lips as you began to explain what had happened to make you end up with a whole cake. Mr Botzaris let his interest show when you told him about the photo, then you handed him the copy of the photo you'd received, giving him the chance to look at it - unlike the two animatronics you had nothing to hide. After several minutes observing the photo in silence, Botzaris finally held it out to you again, a smile on his lips as he looked at you over the top of his glasses. 

"It's really a beautiful photo. I hope you'll treasure it."

"Yeah... I need to find a frame for it first and then decide where to put it." You reply. 

You picked up the photo, letting your eyes linger over it before finally putting it back in its pouch, deciding not to let your thoughts wander too long. You raised your (e/c) eyes in the direction of your former teacher before waving your hands over all the documents that were now tucked away in a corner of the table. You inclined your head before asking :

"So we're all set for tomorrow ? Not too stressed ?" 

"Yes, everything's normally ready. These are just the documents I want to make sure I have with me in case anyone decides to give us a hard time." Replied the harpy.

"I hope all goes well and that the anti-fantasy extremists don't spoil the mood." You sighed with a frustrated pout.

You still remembered last year, when some Humans didn't particularly like the Fantastics displaying their magic and power, and had fun throwing rotting fruit and vegetables at the parade participants. There were also a few 'innovations', with some throwing pet food or even toys. No major problems had arisen, but there had been a few casualties, among those taking part in the parade, those trying to spoil it, and even those who were just watching. You clicked your tongue as you thought about what had happened. If you'd been Mr. Botzaris, you wouldn't have even considered the idea of doing this kind of thing again.

"Even if that's the case, we'll make sure everything is so extraordinary that people can only remember the good things that happened during the parade." Botzaris replied with a smile and a wink.

"Hmm... You're far too optimistic."

"It's you who's not optimistic enough."

"Probably. Besides, I'm sorry but I don't know if I'll be able to come and see you." You said, lowering your eyes to your hands. "We've found a new clue for the investigation. Moon and Sun will probably spend the night deciphering the clue so they can call me first thing in the morning."

"Well, as I said, I didn't expect you to have to come. I told you to come if you could and if you wanted to I never gave you any obligation." Botzaris said with a laugh. 

"I know, but still..." You began to mumble. 

"But I know perfectly well how to manage without you." Declared the harpy, his laughter intensifying. 

"I know." You replied with a whimper.

Your expression only deepened the harpy's laughter as he reached out and ruffled your hair, and you let him, looking slightly sideways. Looking at the time, you decided to let the harpy rest, despite the fact that the parade he'd organized under the guise of a demonstration wouldn't take place until the afternoon, and you knew he'd have a lot of work to do in the morning with his other association colleagues to make sure everything went smoothly. You apologized to your former teacher, who wished you well, and picked up the folder containing the photo from the police station before going back up to your apartment.

You entered your apartment, noting the silence compared to when Moon and Sun were there, and suddenly your living space seemed quite empty, even the air seemed colder. You shook your face to get these ideas out of your head, you'd almost always lived like this, it wasn't now that you were going to start complaining about loneliness and silence, besides what did you want, for Sun and Moon to come and live with you? This thought made you freeze slightly, your eyes lowering to the ground as flashes of impossible, non-existent scenarios sprang to the back of your mind, making your heart beat faster.

"Get a hold of yourself y/n... It's never going to happen. Get a grip." You sighed to yourself.

Where would you have room to leave Sun and Moon, they were huge, your poor sofa and even your bed couldn't accommodate them. You let a little laugh leave your lips, imagining how the two animatronics would try to sleep on your bed, which was too small for them. Would they sleep more with their feet in the air or with their facial discs in the air ? You liked to think it was the latter, it was more fun to visualize their facial disks sticking out of the bed. But clearly that wasn't going to be possible. If you really wanted company a fish would be fine. The kind of goldfish that looked ridiculous with their big eyes, you mentally apologized to all the wide-eyed Skinwalker goldfish. You chuckled softly at the son of your thoughts before lifting both hands to your face to rub your eyes and finally snap out of it.

You set the photograph down on the dining table, turning to the dishes as you made up your mind to do them, humming a melody from who knows where. Once you'd finished, you set off for your room, taking the photo with you and deciding to store it somewhere where you were sure it wouldn't be damaged or forgotten. You slipped the photo, still protected by the cardboard sleeve, into one of the cardboard boxes in your wardrobe, where your other study books were kept. Once you'd tidied up, you grabbed your home clothes, disappearing into the bathroom for a relaxing shower before finally making your way to the comfort of your bed.

As you slipped under the covers, your gaze stopped where you'd put the photo. Your gaze remained fixed on it for a long time, your hands playing absent-mindedly with your blanket as you finally decided to get up. You went back to where you'd put the photo to get it, all for this. You couldn't help but reproach yourself as you slid back under the covers, leaning your back against the headboard of your bed, your hands lifting the cardboard sleeve to take out the photo. You pushed back the now empty folder, lifting the photo to the height of your face and looking at it again.

You admired every detail of the photo again, letting your eyes linger on the two animatronics carrying you in the picture, their expressions, their smiles, their eyes seeming to look directly at you. You could feel a slight flutter in the pit of your stomach, your face coloring slightly as you bit your lip to keep from smiling. Finally, you let the smile appear on your lips and reached out, placing the photo and cardboard sleeve on the bedside table beside you. You turned off the lamp that had been lit, slipping completely under the covers.

As your eyes adjusted to the half-light, you looked up at the ceiling before looking back down at the photo. The image was now impossible to see, only the contours of the paper were visible, but you seemed to be able to visualize the tiniest details. You finally closed your eyes, telling yourself that once you'd found a card for the photo you might finally put it in your room.

                                     ~❂✯☾~

You were partially awakened by the ringing of your phone, and groaned slightly, untangling your limbs from the blanket as you emerged from the dream you'd just had, which bore an uncanny resemblance to Hansel and Grethel, with your house made almost entirely of cake. You lifted your hand to wipe away the little saliva that had escaped with the back of your hand, a touch of embarrassment coloring your cheeks, you were happy to be living alone, yeah definitely. You grabbed your phone, which continued to ring beside you, after clearing your throat so as not to sound too sleepy you picked up and immediately activated the speaker. 

"Yeah ?" 

- "Hello Kitten... Did you just wake up ?"- Moon's voice from the other side of the phone. 

"No..." 

- "That's not what your voice and the mark on your face tell me." 

You immediately lifted your hand to come and rub your cheek which had been resting on your pillow trying to feel if you really had a mark before stopping yourself as you heard Moon's amused laughter from the other side of the phone, remembering that the animatronic wasn't here and couldn't see you. Your cheeks flushed red as you realized you'd been fooled by Moon's ruse, something that probably wouldn't have happened if you'd been awake. 

"Now, you're going to tell me what you want or I'm going to hang up on you." You threatened. 

- "All right, all right. We've managed to access the contents of the USB key. And what's on it is pretty disturbing. We want you to come down to the station and see for yourself."-

"Okay. I'll be there in half an hour." You replied, starting to straighten up and stretch. 

- "Do you want one of us to pick you up ?"-

"No, it's okay, there's a bus coming through in a little while. I'll hang up, see you in a bit."

- "Okay. Take care. See you in a minute, Kitten."-

You hung up after that, feeling your heart beating slightly in your chest, all he'd done was say goodbye so you didn't really know why hearing him tell you to take care was putting you in such a state. Jumping out of bed, you headed for the bathroom to freshen up and do whatever you needed to do before going out. You left your apartment, stopping under the bus stop. As you'd told the animatronic, public transport was soon in sight. 

The journey was quick and you entered the police station a little earlier than you'd estimated, after a quick hello to the few policemen present you headed for the kitchen deciding that you were going to steal some sweets so that your stomach, empty because you hadn't had time to eat breakfast, didn't start screaming as you found yourself in the office in the presence of Sun and Moon, you'd already made a fool of yourself enough for this morning.

Arriving in the kitchen of the police station, you made your way to the candy jar, a purr of contentment leaving your lips as you saw that the sweets inside the jar were your favorites. It had been several times now that every time you came to the police station you found the jar always full of sweets, and every time it was your favorite, you found it strange, wondering if the others no longer ate the sweets or if you were just lucky, but you weren't going to complain. As you put a handful of sweets in your pocket, one of the policewomen entered the small kitchen, her gaze settling on you and the sweets, she let a laugh leave her lips as she said :

"I can understand why they refilled the candy jar. It's because you were coming today."

"Huh?  Who ?" You questioned, tilting your head slightly, your words slightly distorted from the candy in your mouth. 

"Sun and Moon ! I've noticed they've been paying a lot of attention to the candy stash lately. Before, like everyone else, they used to help fill the jar from time to time, but for the past few months, let's just say that the rest of us don't even have to worry about filling the jar." Declared the policewoman, who had started to make herself a cup of coffee. 

"Oh... Okey." 

You looked down at the candy in your hand, the same strange feeling that had been haunting you lately making an appearance in the hollow of your heart. You began to roll one of the candies between your fingers, repeating the policewoman's words in your mind. The two animatronics filled the jar with sweets each time you came over, and you were touched by the gesture, a smile beginning to tug at the corner of your lips, before you mentally smacked yourself. No, they couldn't be doing this just for you, they were probably doing it so you wouldn't eat all the candy in the reserve. But why didn't they fill the jar when you weren't there, that made more sense... You felt your cheeks flush as you admitted that they were indeed doing it for you, your heart pounding in your ears. 

The policewoman left with her coffee and you stood motionless in the kitchen for a few minutes, trying to calm everything that had been disturbing you. Finally, you set off in the direction of the room you occupied with the two detectives. You knocked on the door, waiting a few seconds before entering. Sun and Moon were sitting on the table with their computer in front of them, along with several documents and a cup of coffee. Hearing the knock on the door, they turned in your direction, Sun smiling happily, his rays making little movements, Moon smiling too, but his welcoming smile turned into a mocking one, probably because he remembered how he'd teased you this morning. 

Stepping into the room, trying to maintain your dignity, you climbed onto the table, taking out a new sweet and slipping it into your mouth before moving closer to where the two animatronics were, sitting cross-legged opposite them. You met their gazes before lowering your eyes to the documents in front of them and the computer, you pushed the candy you had into one of your cheeks so you could express yourself without stammering :

"So... What's the news ?" 

"Well, for a start, you weren't lying when you said that the Fairies were very possessive. The USB key was password-protected." Sun declared. 

"Which reinforced our suspicion that Abigael clearly didn't want us to find and see the contents of that key." Moon continued. 

"After finding that her password was 'Abigael, la plus belle'..." 

You couldn't help but chuckle softly at the password, stopping Sun, who had started to explain and rolled his eyes at your amusement at something so simple. You raised your hand, waving it slightly as if trying to diffuse the situation, and said :

"Fairies are narcissists, but they can clearly afford to be, Fairies are all endowed with great beauty. Just like the Elves. Many actors and actresses renowned for their beauty belonged to one of these species. But we're straying from the subject. What was interesting about the USB ?"

"Abigael Fynch kept a kind of... diary. On the key is a multitude of folders containing videos sorted by date. Each video lasts about five minutes, ten for the longer ones." Sun declared with a small movement of his hand in the direction of the computer.

"Some of them are completely useless, talking only about personal content and not related to what we're interested in. But the ones about her company are more than interesting. You should take a look. We've already sorted out the videos and passages we're going to use for the survey." 

Moon leaned over, lifted the computer and turned it towards you, pressing the middle bar with a heavy 'click', the black screen lighting up immediately to make way for Abigael Fynch's face. The fairy was seated in an office chair, the background of her apartment slightly blurred by the camera's focus on her face. Your attention was entirely focused on the video  playing in front of you, analyzing every movement the fairy made, whether with her hands or even her wings. 

The first videos showed a younger version of Abigael, perhaps a few years older, probably when she'd started her illegal surgery business. Abigael explained how she'd come up with the idea of opening her business, how she'd gone about creating it and how she'd managed to keep her diary. It seems that in the early days of her business, there had been a few 'accidents', from disfigurement to death, and the problems had weighed heavily on her conscience, unable to confide in anyone, the video diary had appeared, giving her a kind of comfort. You couldn't help but roll your eyes, if all this had really made her feel guilty she should have stopped immediately and denounced herself to the police, but never mind. 

As the videos continued, you turned into a cat, your cross-legged sitting position not comfortable enough to hold for too long. Paws tucked under you, tail wagging slightly, you continued to watch. Abigael's confidence had grown with each video, as she talked a little more about her illegal surgery business for Fantastics, which was kept nameless for safety's sake. Sometimes names were mentioned, whether customers or employees, and you knew that Sun and Moon had already taken note of these names to do their research. 

You couldn't help but be grateful that Sun and Moon had compiled what was important, you didn't even want to imagine the torture they must have gone through watching almost three years of video with Abigael. When you heard the name of Dr. Kim Arnada, the woman in charge of the operations, your attention was drawn back to her, your ears twitching slightly as Abigael's somber, overwhelmed expression made you frown.

"Now that Kim's dead... That idiot. I always told her that just because she was a Gargoyle didn't mean she was indestructible. That combined with her bad habit of looking at her phone while driving, of course she was in a car accident..." 

Abigael in the video heaved a sigh, running both hands over her face, a long silence accompanying the statement as the fairy remained like this for several minutes, her hands then lightly rubbing her eyes as a small sob left her lips. You could understand how hard it was for Abigael to lose someone she'd worked with for so many years, but something told you there might even be more to it than that. After a few more minutes, Abigael seemed to collect herself, straightening up and fighting back the last of her tears before continuing:

"Luckily... Doctor Kim had started training an apprentice, a newly graduated doctor. She selected him herself, he has the necessary skills, was completely in agreement with the idea of surgery and even assisted Doctor Kim during a few operations. I'll make him the proposal in a while."

The video paused again to give way to a new sequence, the same Abigael, looking less tired than in the previous video, began to speak again, explaining the changes that had taken place during the break her company had taken while she found a new surgeon to replace Kim Arnada. 

"Randal's first operation will take place tomorrow. I sincerely hope Kim's apprentice is up to the job, as I clearly don't know who I'd have to turn to if I needed a new doctor."

Immediately one of your front paws lifted up to strike the space bar, pausing the video as you straightened up, stepping back slightly so that you could resume your semi-human appearance, you looked up at Moon and Sun with furrowed brows as an expression somewhere between shock and confusion played across your lips. 

"Randal ? Randal as in Doctor Randal C. Lugo, the doctor who confirmed that Nyl McElonson was human ? The same doctor so kindly advised by Silvio Notaga ?" You asked. 

You heard Moon hum positively as Sun reached for the computer and tapped away rapidly with his long, metal fingers. He then turned the electronic device towards you again, telling you to take a look. You did so immediately, seeing various official documents on display, including doctorates in medicine and surgery in the name of Randal C. Lugo, then a different internship agreement in which Dr. Randal found himself under the tutelage of Dr. Kim Arnada, before ending up partnering with her in a medical practice for a short time, since Kim died soon afterwards. 

"This is shit..." You sighed, resting the computer in front of Sun. "You think he's been planning this for a long time ?" 

"It all fits together a little too well to be coincidence. The fact that Doctor Randal worked alongside Doctor Kim as Abigael's surgeon, the fact that he's now working with Silvio, that he's Nyl's doctor... We think... that Silvio Notaga planned all this a long time ago." Moon declared. 

"You should watch the rest of the videos." Sun interjected, pushing the computer towards you for the umpteenth time.

You turned your attention back to Abigael's videos; the fairy had recovered some of her vitality, her expression less somber compared to the previous videos. Abigael was talking about Randal's successful operations and how he was the perfect replacement for Kim Arnada in her role as surgeon. But things didn't stop there. You don't know exactly how much time had passed between the last video and the one you saw playing in front of you, but you reckoned it was at least one or two years, given Abigael's slightly more aged features. The fairy wore a somber, almost annoyed expression, her carefully manicured nails clicking on the furniture in front of her.

"Randal... Randal started having stupid ideas." Abigael from the video began to articulate. "Today, after an operation on a fairy to remove her wings, we had our usual debriefing meeting and that's when, with little hesitation, he proposed the idea of doing surgeries on Humans. Operations to transform Humans into Fantastic. We were all a little shocked by his proposal, but I quickly brought him back to reality by telling him it wasn't possible. I thought he was going to give up on the idea, but after the others had left he came to see me again to continue debating his idea with me, just when he thought that with magic and science combined we could surely develop something extraordinary, innovative and never seen before."

Abigael's recording let out a huge sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as she waved her wings to position them more comfortably in the armchair. Her expression was somber, as if the mere thought of what Randal had told her made her furious. She lowered her eyes before looking at the camera again and resuming : 

"I had to set him straight. I told him it was unnatural, that it was impossible to do that and that he should forget the whole thing. I even threatened him that if he ever spoke to me about it again, I'd fire him and find someone to replace him... I may have been a bit hard on him, but I had to get his ideas out of his head for his own good..." 

The video then stopped on the screen in front of you as no more videos played, you heard Sun say it was one of the last videos Abigael had made before she was murdered and you felt your blood race. Your heart began to pound in your chest, resonating all the way to your ears, which lay lightly against your skull. You could feel fear coursing through your veins, the same kind of fear you hadn't felt since you were little, the kind of anguish that paralyzed your body and made you feel small, helpless and lost. 

Things were getting worse and worse, getting darker and darker, despite all the discoveries you were making, despite all the efforts you were making, you always seemed to be late compared to Silvio. How long had he been planning all this ? Ten years, twenty years, maybe even more ? Your instincts told you that Doctor Kim Arnada hadn't just crashed her car because of her bad driving habits. She'd been eliminated to make way for Randal, who himself had surely been set up by Silvio, perhaps, surely to try and win Abigael over to the cause who, following her refusal, had been eliminated. How many people had died because of him for his project, his cause, his desire for revenge...

"You... You think we can stop him ?" You sighed, your voice so weak you thought you hadn't even asked the question.

You raised your eyes in the direction of Moon and Sun, you knew you were a coward, your tail would surely have slipped between your legs if you hadn't been sitting down, you knew you were a pessimist too, asking this question was to reveal your insecurities and doubts about your ability, about their ability to stop a man who had been manipulating and scheming for years, lurking in the shadows like the most terrifying, disgusting monster waiting for the right moment to strike at the right victims and always get away with it. You felt bad, you felt guilty for doubting again and again, not about yourself, you had long ago lost hope in yourself, but you felt guilty about Sun and Moon, about your colleagues and friends... 

"Yes, we'll get there." Sun declared with a nod. 

You looked up slightly at the solar animatronic, watching as he put on a thoughtful expression, his rays moving gently in a regular motion, his lips pressed into a small pout, but he finally nodded. His rays moved in a full circle as he looked up at you, a big smile revealing his little vampire fangs. You saw him reach out and stroke the tip of your tail closest to him, smoothing your unconsciously bristly fur back into place. Sun looked you in the eye and said :

"Things aren't easy, and they'll probably never be easy. Especially when you're dealing with someone like Silvio. But we'll get there."

Moon nodded, the tassel of his cap twitching with the same movement. His fingers grasped a few documents Moon had in front of him as he stood up to go and hang them on the bulletin board in the office. You watched Moon add some information in felt-tip pen to the board, feeling Sun's hand continue to play with your tail as it wiggled lightly between his fingers. Moon finally replaced the cork on the marker, turning to you and pointing over his shoulder to the board with her thumb, a confident smile similar to Sun's on his lips.

"Every clue and a step forward brings us closer to him. Even if it takes us a while, we'll get him eventually and he'll pay for everything he's done. No one is invincible, and as long as we don't give up, there's hope. No one is invincible."

You lowered your eyes and shook your head a little, your bottom lip catching between your teeth. You didn't understand how they always managed to be so brave and optimistic, you didn't understand how they always managed to calm and reassure you with simple words of encouragement, you didn't understand why they made your heart beat that way, you didn't understand how they made you feel and it was extremely frustrating. You tried to wag your tail in annoyance but couldn't, Sun still holding it in one of his hands. You looked down at how his thumb continued to stroke your fur, you could and should have said something to Sun but decided not to. Letting out a little sigh, you said :

"Sorry, guys. For doubting. Again."

"That's all right, Kitten. As we've already told you, it's hard to be in the police when you're just starting out and you're not used to it. What's more, you've started your career in the police with an investigation that would make even the most experienced detective cringe."

"Thanks for the reassurance." You replied in the direction of the two detectives. 

You heard Sun laugh softly before tapping the tip of your tail gently and then releasing it. You brought your tail towards you, placing it in your lap as the remaining warmth of Sun's hand lingered lightly on it. Moon took his place next to his brother, the two of them going through and analyzing all sorts of documents, trying to classify all the elements of the investigation in chronological order, you helping them with the events linked to the Fantastics.

You were so absorbed in your research that you didn't notice the hours passing until suddenly a policeman entered the office without knocking, the door slamming against the wall. In the same movement, you raised your eyes in his direction, seeing the policeman's panicked, stressed expression.

"Inspectors, we need help in the Western Quarter. A demonstration has gone wrong and several fights have broken out." Declared the police officer. "We need help." 

You saw Sun and Moon get up quickly to grab their things while you stood frozen, your heart having stopped beating in your chest. The Western Quarter, the demonstration, it was Mr. Botzaris leaving to organize it, and he was present in the parade. You'd had a bad feeling the other day when you'd talked to him, you knew things wouldn't go as well as he'd wanted, it was never the case when Fantastic and Humans mixed. You suddenly got up from the table, stumbling slightly as you grabbed the sleeve of Sun who was closest to you, looking at him with worried eyes:

"Mr. Botzaris... He's in the parade ! Can I come with you. Please."

You saw Sun blink before looking in Moon's direction, the two of them remaining silent for a few seconds, probably weighing up the pros and cons. Finally Moon nodded slightly before returning to look for his belongings, Sun placing one of his hands behind your back pushed you forward towards the exit. In a few minutes, the two policemen were ready to leave the station in a police car, activating the flashing lights and the police alarm, slipping more eagerly than usual into the traffic. 

The journey seemed extremely long, allowing your anxiety to grow ever greater, influencing your breathing and the pounding of your heart. You knew you'd arrived when you saw a large number of passers-by and residents gathering, even with the police sirens on you could hear the din of the crowd, there were already numerous police cars stopped all over the place, policemen trying to contain and calm the crowd, you even saw ambulances and fire trucks in changing light, making your mind sink ever deeper into a state of panic. 

No sooner had the police car you were in stopped than you opened the door and dashed outside. You heard Sun and Moon calling your name, which made you momentarily stop and look in their direction. Voices mingled with smells as you elbowed your way through the crowd trying to find Mr. Botzaris, taking care not to come into direct skin-to-skin contact. You didn't trust your nose, as the smells of various Fantastics, fear, exhaust fumes and everything else around you made it impossible to detect your former teacher's.  

You were counting bits and pieces of conversation, bits and pieces of explanations about what had happened, how the situation had suddenly degenerated after someone had been attacked. People had been hurt, some rather badly, because of the panic. You tried to spot familiar faces and silhouettes, whether Botzaris' or those of colleagues you'd met before. Still seeing no one, you could feel your body begin to tremble. Your voice rose above the crowd, calling Botzaris's name with a touch of dispatch and concern. As you pushed deeper into the tide of bodies, you passed a policeman, the words that echoed through his walkie-talkie making you freeze. 

"Someone's dead."

You rushed forward to where the most policemen were in the center of the panicked, terrorized crowd. The closer you got, the more you felt your stomach churn, your heart beat like it was going to leave your ribcage through your throat. You tried to reassure yourself that it was all right, that you were worrying too much for too little... Until it all stopped. The sound faded from your ears and was replaced by a deafening silence, the movements of the crowd seeming to slow down as your eyes remained fixed on a feather on the ground. A long, ash-gray feather. One of Botzaris's. It lay crushed under the shoes of someone standing near an area the police had begun to cordon off. 

You didn't care about the crowd, you didn't care about touching anyone, you pushed your legs forward, turning into a cat, slipping between the feet and hooves of the crowd, not caring if you scratched or knocked them over. The crowd had been pushed back by the police, who were trying to keep the too curious away, trying to spare the more sensitive from the sight of a body lying motionless on the ground in its own blood. A voice called out to you, trying to stop you, but you'd already moved towards Botzaris.

You felt your body regain its humanity, partially human, appearance as you moved forward slowly, too slowly, your legs trembling under your own weight, your breath quick but non-existent, your heart beating to remind you that you were alive. You moved closer to your former teacher, who was lying on the ground, his face turned slightly sideways, one of his hands resting on the ground, clawed and half transformed into one of his wings. His other hand was on his belly, a dark red liquid, frightening, agonizing, staining his skin, his feathers and his clothes. Why was there blood, so much blood, too much blood, dripping to the ground around your former teacher... 

"Botzaris..." You sighed, your voice broken in a way you'd never heard before.

A smile that was far from happy came to your lips, and you called his name again, but he continued to stay still. You felt your legs give way beneath you, making you fall to your knees in front of Mr. Botzaris. You reached out a hand towards his, which rested against the asphalt, gently touching the inside of his palm, seeking the familiar, reassuring touch of his clawed hand against yours, like when you were little and scared. 

"Botzaris.... Mr. Botzaris..." 

You tried to close your fingers against his hand, wanting to invite him to do the same, wanting him to reciprocate the gesture, but he remained motionless, his hand cold as it had never been before. You didn't know when they'd started, but the hot, burning, painful tears had started rolling down your face, falling onto your clothes, onto the floor, mixing with the blood that didn't seem to want to fade and remained as red as ever. You felt your body trembling, your vision blurring as the world around you seemed to flicker, to disappear. All you could hear was your breathing, nothing but your own.

You were alone.

"No no no... Botzaris... You can't..."

He wasn't there anymore. 

"You... You can't leave me... I'm not ready..."

Botzaris was no longer there. 

"You can't leave! There... There are still people who need you... They still need you..." 

The air around you had grown cold, but it wasn't as icy as what was in your heart. 

"I still need you."

Slowly, the snow began to fall, white flakes crashing down wherever they could, promising in time to cover everything in a pure, immaculate white cloak. A cry left your lips as you came to rest your forehead against your former teacher's chest. Sob after sob you continued to beg, praying to you-know-what to spare Botzaris even though you knew it was too late. 

"Please, please... Please Botzaris... Please." 

You'd always loved the snow, but today, for the first time, you didn't watch it fall. Too busy mourning the father you'd lost.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so... So, so, so sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Chapter Text

"They're still not answering." Moon sighed, taking his phone away from his ear.

The nocturnal animatronic turned to Sun, who was settled in one of the chairs at their table, his hands resting on their glass table, the fingers of one of his hand anxiously tapping the surface, leaving a noisy clatter echoing throughout their dining room. Moon stepped forward, setting his phone down on the table before turning back to the bay window he had in their apartment, which opened onto a small balcony outside. The snow had not stopped since the death of Mr. Botzaris, and both the floor of their balcony and the balustrade were covered with a small layer of white snow. 

Sun's rays retracted almost entirely into his facial disc as he remembered all too well what had happened just under two days ago. Moon's expression was just as overwhelmed as his own, trying to figure out what more they could have done for you. They'd been busy trying to manage the panicked crowd, directing the wounded towards the fire department and other ambulances that had arrived. They'd let you go looking for him, they knew you were worried, they knew he meant a lot to you, they shouldn't have let you go alone. One of them should have been there to support you, not to let you see Mr. Botzaris like that. 

They'd heard too late on the walkie-talkie that one of the demonstrators, a harpy, had been stabbed and didn't survive. It couldn't have been Ezekiel Botzaris, it could have been him. So they had both gone to where the victim had been and found you already leaning over your former teacher, begging him to stay with an expression and a voice they wished they'd never heard, never saw. Sun and Moon had seen you cry before, when they'd met your family, when you'd explained about your little sister and her illness. They'd hated seeing you cry there, it had upset them, but hearing your voice so shaky as you called out the name of someone who wasn't coming back, the despair and agony of losing Botzaris, had simply broken their mechanical hearts in pieces. 

Moon looked down at his hand, he had been the first to react, although he would have liked to let you mourn Botzaris' death, they couldn't let you near the body, it was a crime, a murder, maybe there were clues to be found to stop whoever had done this to Botzaris. Moon had put a hand on your shoulder, not seeing you react, he had delicately grabbed you, sliding his hand against yours which was holding Botzaris's to make you let go. He wouldn't have flinched if you'd decided to dig your claws into his skin to try and contain your grief, but you didn't react, your gaze remaining fixed on Botzaris, tears that didn't seem to want to stop rolling down your cheeks. 

Sun then approached Moon, who lifted you into his arms. The solar animatronic reached into his pocket, grabbed a handkerchief and immediately grabbed your other hand, the one you'd placed against Botzaris' chest, which was stained with blood. He began to clean your hand, wiping it carefully, removing all traces of blood as he raised his eyes to you, looking at you with all the compassion and sadness in the world. Sun then left the blood-stained handkerchief on the floor, his hand grasping yours to give it a gentle squeeze, his other hand rising to wipe away your tears. After exchanging a few words, Moon had turned on his heels, leaving Sun to clear the situation as Moon lead you away from the sad spectacle, keeping you close to him in the hope that his presence could give you some comfort. 

"We should go and see them. We can't leave them alone..." Sun sighed, disturbing the silence and their recollection of the last day.

They hadn't wanted to leave you alone, but they'd had to keep helping to manage the situation, and they didn't know if you wanted them either. All they wanted was to be able to stay with you, hold you in their arms and not let go until you calmed down even if just a little. They wanted to give you all their support, their affections, their love... But they didn't know if they were welcome or if you preferred to be left alone to digest your feelings and your grief. Everyone was different when it came to dealing with the disappearance of a loved one, and they didn't know which gesture brought you the most comfort. 

"Let's go." Moon declared. 

Even though their consciences told them this might not be what you wanted, they simply couldn't leave you alone any longer. They needed to know you were still here, you were safe. Sun rose from the dining table, grabbing the keys to Moon's car before leaving their shared apartment. No shirt, no badge, no police uniform, Sun wore a simple white tee-shirt, a yellow sweater and blue jeans, while Moon wore a long-sleeved tee-shirt, a long black hoodie and black jeans. Their shoes were similar, sneakers, except for the different colors and patterns. They slipped outside, the cold having almost no effect on their metal body. 

The journey to your apartment was long and slow, slowed by the snow that continued to fall softly. Sun, who was behind the wheel, had his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles almost squeaked when he released the pressure of his fingers. Moon had simply closed his fists, holding back his concern, both trying not to affect the other with their moods, but it was difficult, you were too important to them not to notice the brother's distress. 

Sun parked the car a little carelessly, not caring whether he occupied one or two parking spaces. They got out of the car all at once, heading for the building without even taking the time to lock the car. Moon entered the building first, keeping the door open for Sun before turning to the stairs to climb upstairs. Their eyes fell on the door of the apartment occupied by Mr. Botzaris. He hadn't known the harpy long, but from what they'd seen of the few interactions they'd had with him, they knew he'd been a good man. 

The silence as the two detectives climbed the stairs was mournful and heavy, usually they could always hear one resident or another stirring in their apartment, but that wasn't the case today. When they finally reached your floor, Moon remembered how he'd brought you back to your apartment, how he'd taken your keys, opened the door and put you in bed under the covers. The nocturnal animatronic stayed by your side for a few hours, listening to you sob without stopping. It had tried to talk to you, but you hadn't responded. One of his hands had found its way to your shoulder to try to reassure you, but part of him felt guilty and felt as if he were taking advantage of your distress. 

Moon had left you after you seemed to have fallen asleep from exhaustion. But now they were both there for you today. Sun moved towards the door of your apartment and knocked lightly on it, waiting for a reaction that didn't come, even after several minutes. Sun repeated the action after looking anxiously in Moon's direction, both letting their sensors try to perceive any presence behind your door. They both heard noise coming from the apartment next door before seeing the door open on Shin, the Tanuki.

The Fantastic's expression was sombre, his eyes were narrow and reddened by tears, his ears, hidden by his messy hair, fell back along his skull, while his tail was almost tucked between his legs. His usual teasing, playful air had been replaced by that of fatigue and sorrow. His gaze fell on Sun and Moon before he stepped completely out of his apartment, saying in a husky voice :

"They're not here. Not since early yesterday morning. Yesterday, before they left and before... I heard about Botzaris, I heard several loud noises coming from their apartment before I heard the door open. I went out of my apartment to see what was happening to them, but when I got to the door they was already gone. The door to their apartment was open and... there were bloody paw prints in the corridor..."

Moon and Sun froze when they heard you'd been hurt. Sun's rays abruptly retracted into his facial disk as he felt his circuitry start to crackle, imagining all the kinds of wounds you could have inflicted, whether intentionally or not, to make tracks visible on the floor. Moon, for his part, felt himself wobbling slightly, having to put one of his hands against the wall to keep his balance, the guilt of having left you alone gnawing at his insides when, if he'd stayed longer, he could have prevented it. But they were both blaming themselves for not coming to see you sooner...

As Shin watched the two animatronics note their reactions, he felt his heart clench. He knew it was hard for you, but he wished he could tell you it was just as hard for the others to watch you go off the rails like that. Shin shook his face, lifting a hand to run it over his face before slipping it between his hair, pushing it away from his eyes, before dipping his hand into his trouser pocket to pull out some keys, which he handed to Sun as he approached the Detectives. 

"I took the liberty of entering their home to find out what had happened. Their apartment was trashed, there was fur here and there as if they'd ripped it off, and their bathroom mirror had been smashed. There was blood on the mirror and all over the bathroom and living room. I think it was breaking the mirror that hurt them. I... tried to clean up and put some order back. I cleaned up the blood in the hallway and stairs, so as not to panic the other residents and... Also to try and keep my mind occupied." 

Shin's last words had been breathed out with a small sob that he tried vainly to conceal. Sun moved closer to Shin, putting a hand on his shoulder to try and give him some comfort, and the tanuki looked up at the detective, giving him a small smile before lifting one of his hands to discreetly wipe away the few tears that had escaped. The Fantastic calmed himself by inhaling several times, wagging his tail gently before looking back in the direction of your apartment with a sigh.

"We were all very attached to Mr. Botzaris. But for y/n... It's even harder to... To deal with the death of him..."

"Do you have any idea where they might have gone ?" Moon then asked, his voice leaving his voice box giving the impression that he had a tight throat. 

"I... I don't really know. But since they wete in their animal form, I think their instinct was probably to go somewhere familiar and where they could feel safe." Shin said, shaking his head, his ears twitching from the movement. 

Moon and Sun exchanged glances, both trying to guess where you might have taken refuge. The first place that came to mind was your parents, Amelya and Sacha, but the two detectives quickly dismissed the idea, knowing that you were a little uncomfortable going to your parents' house because of your little sister's illness. Even in your distressed state, they knew you wouldn't dare create more problems for those you loved. You certainly hadn't been to Double B's, and you definitely wouldn't be at the police station. It was a place where you now felt comfortable staying, but you didn't seem to feel entirely at ease. That left only one option. Moon's optics crossed Sun's, the two not even needing to exchange words to understand each other. Moon nodded in Sun's direction, the two brothers having made the same deduction. 

"Okey. Thanks, Shin. Take care." Declared the nocturnal detective. 

"I didn't do anything to receive thanks... Well, thanks. Take care of yourself too and... Please find them." Shin replied with a small shake of his head. 

As the tanuki returned to his apartment, the two animatronics once again descended the steps of your building, leaving to join the car and set off on the road again. Shin approached the window, watching the two metal policemen get into their car and set off in search of you. Despite his grief at Botzaris' death, and his concern for you, the tanuki couldn't help smiling when he saw how dedicated Sun and Moon were to you. Shin had talked to you too many times, he'd listened to you talk about Moon and Sun for too many hours not to understand what was going on. He also knew you too well, and he understood your feelings better than even you could seem to. And even if he didn't know Sun and Moon directly, the way they reacted to each other and, above all, the glint in their eyes told him there was much more between you. What Shin didn't know was whether the three of you were too obvious, too stubborn or simply too stupid to realize it. 

The journey may have been shorter, but both Sun and Moon were much more anxious. In your state of sadness and despair, you'd hurt yourself before fleeing without a care in the world, and without informing anyone. If you weren't where they hoped to find you, you could be anywhere, as you yourself had said, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. And that was the scariest part: something could happen to you and they couldn't do anything to help... They both sincerely hoped you'd be where they thought you were... The car driven by Moon finally came to a stop in one of the alley's empty squares, and the two of them left the car, crossing the street until they arrived in front of the doors of 'The Lucky'.

Moon pushed open the door where the bell tinkled softly, entering first the nocturnal detective was quickly followed by his brother. The inside of the cat bar was warm and welcoming, compared to the outside, where a few customers were already seated at tables drinking hot beverages with little treats on the side, not paying them too much attention. The bar's cats were off everywhere, some looking towards them as if remembering the two animatronics, but one of the cat trees was a little busier than the others. Numerous small felines were sleeping on it or even on the ground in front of one of the apparently occupied hiding places. Moon let his gaze linger on the group of felines before turning to Sun, who approached the counter behind which stood an employee, a Cyclops, who gave them a big, welcoming smile and asked :

"Hello, have you made your choice yet, or would you like some advice ?" 

"I'm sorry we're not exactly here to order. Is Otis here ? We'd love to talk to him." Sun asked with an apologetic smile but a rather urgent intonation. 

The waiter blinked his one eye, understanding the urgency of the situation before asking them to wait a few seconds, disappearing into the kitchen before returning not even a few seconds later, followed by Otis. The old robot lifted his eyelidless eyes in the direction of Sun and Moon, a sound similar to pressurized air being released leaving his body as he moved slowly towards them. Before either of the detectives had time to say anything, the robot breathed out in a husky, electronic voice that sounded even more tired than usual :

"I was wondering when you'd arrive. They're in one of the hiding places in the cat tree at the back."

Otis turned his head in the direction of the tree in front of which the two animatronics had noticed an abnormal concentration of cats, Sun and Moon following his gaze to watch the abnormal gathering of cats he had already noticed a moment ago. Otis moved towards the tree, gently shooing away the cats that had started to get into his feet, before stopping and looking at the hole you'd dug yourself in. A mixture of fur of different colors was visible from the outside, and some shiny eyes were also looking in the direction of the three robots, but none of them had the characteristic color that yours possessed. 

"They were on the porch of the store yesterday morning, they must have spent the night outside, their fur was wet and they were freezing. I let them in and they immediately hid in there, and the other cats haven't left their alone since. They knew they were in trouble." Otis shook his head with a sigh before continuing. "I wondered what could have happened to put them in such a state, but I learned about Ezekiel and I understand better now."

Otis bent down, grabbing one of the cats in front of the den you'd hidden in, and gently lifted the black cat, stroking it with his metal hands, the little predator purring under the caresses of the old robot, who let a new sound similar to a sigh escape him. With his hand that wasn't holding the cat, he pointed to the cat tree and said : 

"If you can get them out of there... I tried to get them to talk to me, or at least eat a little, but they wouldn't budge."

"Thanks, Otis." Moon declared, his eyes fixed on the spot where you'd apparently taken refuge. 

The old robot let a sound similar to a sigh leave his voice box before walking away, returning to the kitchen with one last glance in the direction of Moon, Sun and you. Sun moved towards the little den, bending down to look inside, seeing a mixture of fur of many colors, not sure which was yours. He then slid to the ground, folding his long legs cross-legged as he decided to settle on the ground. After a few seconds of reflexion and a quick glance in Moon's direction, Sun reached out with a slightly trembling hand, blindly and gently stroking the fur of the cat you'd snuggled up to. A little purring meow answered him, and Sun delicately grabbed the little feline, pulling it out of hiding to see that it was Pepper. The kitty looked up at Sun, letting another meow leave her mouth as the solar animatronic set her down.

Moon also took his place next to Sun, sitting on his knees so as not to impede traffic, since he was on the side of the tables. The nocturnal animatronic gently kept the other curious cats at bay to give Sun time to bring you out of your lair. Distractedly caressing Pepper, who had decided to settle down on his legs. Sun grabbed another cat to bring him out of hiding, making sure to give him plenty of caresses to apologize for the disturbance. 

If they'd had hearts of their own, similar to those of humans and Fantastics, Sun and Moon's hearts would surely have been beating like drums. They tried to keep their usual calm and composure, but it was more difficult than usual. They'd been through all kinds of scenes in their careers as policemen, they'd been prepared for all kinds of situations, but not that of seeing a loved one fall apart like that. It was strange for them, when they'd first met you they'd said they couldn't get any closer to you than as a colleague, not only because they shouldn't have, but also because you weren't too open to the idea. 

But they'd been wrong, little by little they'd discovered facets of you they'd never hoped to have even glimpsed. They'd discovered that your detachment and bravado didn't prevent you from being thoughtful and caring, you were kind but not naive either, you were independent, and courageous perhaps even more so than some of the colleagues they'd worked with. You were also horribly adorable, the little habits you had unconsciously, the expressions you displayed, the way you spoke, the way you interacted with them... They couldn't do without you, you'd brought a new flavor to their work, to their lives. It may be selfish of them, but they couldn't let you go. 

Sun then felt his fingers brush against a fur and he felt his circuits sizzle, and he knew immediately that it was your fur. Then he felt a small wet muzzle touch one of his fingers, and Sun leaned over to look inside, seeing a pair of green eyes staring back at him with dilated pupils. Crescendoing the animatronic, Paprika let a sad little mewl leave his muzzle, looking in the direction of the other grey-furred feline he'd snuggled up to before lightly licking the fur between the other feline's ears. Sun reached out his hand towards the ginger cat, gently grabbing it to pull it out of hiding, leaving only you in your feline form rolled into a ball inside. 

"Hey little guy..." Moon sighed as Sun grabbed Paprika. 

The little lion let out a small purr from his ribcage as he felt Moon's hand caress his skull after Sun had dislodged him from your den. After a few seconds, Paprika stirred in Sun's hands, trying to get the animatronic to let go and return to your side. Sun let a chuckle leave his lips as he shook his face disc, placing the ginger cat between himself and Moon, Moon holding out one of his hands to come and place it in front of Paprika to stop him returning to the hideout. 

"We want to help them too."

Paprika seemed to look at the two animatronics, his eyes carrying that glint of sadness and worry, letting a little purring meow leave his muzzle as the cat finally pulled away slightly. Taking a seat on one of the chairs a little further away, Paprika stretched out with his muzzle turned towards the two detectives, as if he'd understood but still wanted to make sure you'd be all right. With only you left in the den, Moon moved closer to Sun, pulling Pepper off his lap so that he too could catch a glimpse of you through the small round opening in the hideout.

You were lying there in the darkness, only the slight movement of the fur on your side indicating that you were still breathing. Your back was turned towards the entrance, your muzzle invisible to them, only one of your ears protruding above the other pressed against the ground. You didn't look like anything they were used to seeing, your usually silky, perfectly smooth fur was a mess and had lost its shine, despite the fact that the other cats had surely tried to tame your fur by licking it. Your physical state only reflected your mental state, broken and in mourning. 

Moon stretched out his hand in your direction, stopping a few centimetres from your fur, hesitating momentarily before finally letting his fingers delicately brush your fur in a gentle caress, trying to see if this triggered a reaction from you. You remained totally motionless, as if you were dead, your ears not even twitching to let them know you'd noticed their presence. Sun's hand also came to rest against your fur, his fingers sinking between the hairs and gently scratching your fur. For long minutes, the two animatronics stayed just that, their hands brushing your fur gently, comfortingly, no words needing to be exchanged. Moon and Sun simply wanted you to understand that they were there and weren't going to leave you. 

They were scared, Sun and Moon were scared of losing you. They remembered the words you'd spoken to them when you'd gone to the wolf's den and met that Skinwalker owl. How some Fantastics let themselves be consumed by human emotions to the point of not wanting to feel anything anymore, preferring to give way only to their animal side so they wouldn't have to suffer. They didn't want that... They didn't want to lose you like this, to lose you in such a way that they knew they'd been unable to save what made you you, unique and irreplaceable...

Your ear twitched slightly, a barely perceptible movement, but the two animatronics noticed it all the same, their attention entirely and solely directed at you. Moon had stopped his caress slightly, his hand resting flat against your side, feeling your ribcage rise and fall as he felt the beat of your heart against his fingertips. Sun's fingers moved upwards, brushing your fur against the back of your ear as it moved, trying to catch your attention again. Sun's rays were moving at the same rhythm as an anxious heartbeat, waiting for a new reaction from you. 

It was long minutes of observing only the slightest reaction from you, a twitch of the ear, a deeper breath than the others, a little shiver running through your fur and making your hair move. After that, you stopped reacting for several long minutes, before finally sitting up a little on your elbows and slowly turning your head in their direction, your eyes meeting theirs after what seemed like an eternity. The cats couldn't exactly cry, but you could. The fur under your eyes was wet with tears, their course visible as they followed the length of your nose before disappearing. You had scratches and irritation marks on the corners of your eyes that you had rubbed, and even in your feline form they were clearly visible that you were tired. 

And then there were your eyes, your eyes in which they could have spent hours trying to read your emotions, your thoughts, your secrets, trying to understand you, to find out more about you. Your eyes filled with sadness, pain, shining with tears that seemed about to escape from your orbs. Sun and Moon could feel their circuits electrify, the cold of the outside world settling into their components as you watched them, your eyes pleading for the pain to stop, for them to tell you that all this was just a bad dream and that you were going to wake up to find Mr. Botzaris in top form. Sun let a pained grimace appear on his face, feeling his own mechanical tears begin to sting his eyes.

The solar animatronic reached out his hand towards you, letting his thumb gently wipe the tears from your fur. His other fingers began to scratch your fur, holding you gently but firmly, not wanting to let go. Moon moved his hand from your side to your shoulder, where he exerted a gentle pressure before moving up against your cheek, where he placed his hand symmetrically with Sun's, catching the tears that had escaped from your eyes once again. The mix of emotions in your eyes changed a little, a touch of relief appearing between sorrow and grief at seeing the two animatronics. 

You blinked very slowly in their direction, a few tears sliding down your fur. As you opened your eyes again to gaze at Sun and Moon, the two detectives felt you move slightly, pressing your feline face against their hands, your nose touching the pad of Moon's palm and then Sun's, as if to thank them, to signal that you recognized them and were grateful, closing your eyelids once more to let yourself go to their touch. A faint, barely audible purr left your ribcage, the broken, irregular vibration quickly stopping as you opened your tired eyes again. Sun and Moon let small, saddened smiles appear on their lips, their but still stroking and caressing your fur to bring you the comfort they couldn't give with words.

They didn't know how long they'd been like this, sitting on the floor of the cat bar, cuddling you gently, and they didn't care either. You were the only thing they cared about. Every move you made was progress, turning a little more towards them, moving closer to the entrance of your hiding place, keeping your eyes open a little longer, looking at them a little longer with those dilated pupils filled with complex, intertwining emotions. Your movements also allowed the two animatronics to take note of your physical state, trying to see if you'd been hurt and where. They hadn't had a chance to look at your hands, but for the moment, apart from the scratches on the corners of your eyes, you had no more injuries.

Seeing you straighten up inside the little den, Moon and Sun moved their hands away, leaving you room to get on with difficulty, and they could see the slight trembling of your limbs and muscles after not using them. Very gently you slid out of the den, allowing Moon and Sun to finally see you fully and completely. Your fur was in disarray, rebellious spikes here and there where the other cats had licked you, the fur on your bushy tail was matted, while your front paws bore a few traces of dried blood that your feline friends hadn't managed to remove despite their attention. The two detectives left you to your own devices, willing you to face their direction, but keeping their hands ready to react should you falter.

You sat down in front of where you'd been sheltering, head down, ears drooping as you were once again lost in your own mind, thinking of things they couldn't see or know, but which surely weren't pleasant. Your breathing was still a little jerky, but it had regained a certain depth, your sides stirring slightly more under your fur. Sun and Moon then saw a tear come crashing to the ground in front of your paws, their pupils dilating as they watched you lift one of your little front paws to gently wipe it from the ground. 

You raised your eyes to the two animatronics, looking at Sun then Moon, then Moon and Sun, your tail twitching. Their respective red and black optics had been fixed on you, your movements, your reactions, and seeing you hold their gaze the two detectives stepped back, giving you the space you needed to return. Unlike the other times when they'd seen you change so quickly and easily that they'd almost had trouble registering the transformation even with their sensors and other electronics, this time they saw a certain difficulty. In a matter of seconds, you found yourself facing them, your legs more or less folded under you, your hands clenched into fists on the ground.

The haze that had been suffocating your mind had vanished a little more. You gently wiggled your fingers, slowly unfolding them to place your hands flat on the ground in front of you. You took a long, jerky breath, blinking over your burning eyes. The pain was still there, and you knew it wouldn't go away so quickly, that it would remain as sharp and strong for a long time to come. The wound of his disappearance would continue to bleed and might not heal entirely, but you had thoses littles glimmers of hope, these little embers in the darkness that kept you from losing yourself entirely, from drowning in your feelings and emotions. 

You lifted your head slightly, your eyes (e/c) meeting brilliant optics, eyes with black and red plums that shone with the same color as the embers that kept you from forgetting. You could see their eyes never detaching from yours, waiting, hoping, reassuring... You blinked again slowly, tilting your head slightly as you felt a new tear bead on the corner of your eye, forcing a small smile to stretch your lips, trying to chase away some of the sadness and grief, trying to show them that you were grateful, that you were grateful to them for being there for you in spite of everything.

You didn't have time to blink before you felt hands closing around you to pull you forward, causing you to fall straight into their arms, which closed around you and wouldn't let go. Their presence seemed to be all around you, drowning you in a soft, pleasant sensation of warmth that dispelled some of the coldness that had settled in your bones, skin and heart. You blinked, seeing a blurred mix of clothes in front of you become even blurrier as tears filled your eyes once more. You lifted your hands clutching their clothes, moving ever closer to them as you buried your face between their shoulders letting another sob escape you.

It was painful and difficult, but always a little less so now that you weren't alone, now that you were in Moon and Sun's arms, now that you could feel their hands drawing circles on your back or gently caressing your hair, carefully untangling it. You continued to cry a little, each tear, each sob, each caress, each pressure exerted by their hands helping to calm the storm in your heart. They didn't need words, you didn't need to hear anything, you just wanted them to keep on being there.

When you began to tire, the tears becoming less regular until you had none left, you began to try to pull away, trying to untangle your legs without succeeding. You felt one of the two animatronics remove his hands from your back, before feeling yourself being gently lifted onto your two legs, which seemed to be made of cotton. You then saw Moon standing in front of you, taking off the sweater he'd been wearing and wrapping it around your shoulders, wrapping you in the garment that had kepy his body heat. One of Moon's hands reached for the hood, pulling it lightly down your neck to make sure you were warm before his hand pushed back the hair that had lingered on your face, his eyes searching yours before he turned away.

Your feet suddenly left the ground as you were lifted as if you weighed nothing. You turned your head in the direction of your wearer, seeing Sun looking in your direction with an expression divided by many feelings. Your hands unconsciously gripped Sun's clothes, not wanting to let go of the feeling of comfort and warmth. You felt his hands press where he was holding you, at your shoulder and knee, before he started to move. You tried to stand more or less upright but couldn't quite manage it, so you put your face against Sun's shoulder, blinking as Sun led you out of 'The Lucky'. 

The cold outside bit into your skin slightly, making you freeze in Sun's arms before curling up a little more against him. The white blanket covering everything made you realize that winter had really begun to set in. Blurred memories of when you'd run away came flooding back; you'd run for miles in the snow, but it was as if your body and mind hadn't registered any of it, too busy holding in the grief. You'd then snuggled up among the cats in the bar, so that you didn't notice the coldness of the outside world.

You pulled Moon's sweater tighter around you before burying your face against Sun's chest, trying to hide the tip of your nose from the cold, closing your eyes as the scent of floral laundry and warm sand wafted up your nostrils. You felt Sun open the car door before you felt him gently drop you into the back seat, and you began to cover your eyes, your hand reflexively reaching for the seatbelt only to realize that the animatronic had put you in the middle seat, and that Sun had decided to sit right next to you. You blinked as the animatronic retrieved your belt for you before putting on his own.

Your attention was diverted by Moon, who entered the car at the same moment, settling himself behind the steering wheel before starting off after fastening his seatbelt and looking in your direction and Sun's in the rear-view mirror. The solar detective turned to you, giving you a small smile as he breathed out in a whisper :

"You can sleep the rest of the way if you like..."

You suddenly felt your blood freeze in your veins, the fingers of the hand that had been resting on your thigh digging into your flesh as images of your apartment came to mind. You felt your heart pounding in your throat as you felt panic and sadness sweep over you again. You weren't ready, you couldn't bear the thought of going home, walking past his door and knowing that he'd never be on the other side again, that he'd never be waiting for you with a hot cup of tea. You felt the tears welling up in your eyes again, fingers digging dangerously into your skin, trying to divert your attention from the pain with another type of pain. 

Suddenly, Sun's hand came to grip yours, forcing you to release your grip, forcing the physical pain to stop. The blood on your hands had largely dried up, staining your hands with a mixture of blood and foul, distorted wounds. You didn't even remember the pain you'd felt when you'd hurt yourself, only your reflection in the mirror, your expression of sadness and despair that you didn't deserve to be able to feel, knowing that you were the monster who'd caused Botzaris' death because of your selfishness... You knew what you were, the misfortune you represented, and you had dared to be close to him, to depend on him...

Sun's fingers lifted your hand, turning your palm upwards, his thumb sliding against your skin, caressing the wounds in and on your hand, gently stifling the pain. You tried to pull your hand away, not wanting to soil Sun's hand with your cursed and tainted blood, but the animatronic intertwined his fingers with yours, stopping your hand from moving away from yours as you no longer had the strength to fight or resist. A pathetic little squeak left your lips as you shook your face, your voice ringing falsely in your ears as you said :

"No... Please... I don't... I don't want to go home. I can't..."

"Hey... It's okay. We understand. We're not going to your place." Sun said beside you.

You felt the animatronic's other hand, the one that wasn't holding yours, reach for your face, sliding against your cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears as he invited you to rest your head on his shoulder, which you did without really resisting. You didn't know where they were taking you, but you trusted them, you knew they wouldn't take you back to your apartment. You closed your eyes, trying to regain your composure, listening to the sounds of the car and the outside world, before finally noticing the clattering and clanking of mechanisms coming from Sun's body. You moved a little closer to Sun, your other hand gripping his shirt around his waist as you concentrated solely on the animatronic mechanisms.

You could feel your mind going from conscious to unconscious, your body needing rest but not really allowing it, as it had since you'd accepted that Ezekiel Botzaris wasn't coming back. You could feel the car's movements, hear Sun and Moon talking, but couldn't understand what they were saying. When the car finally stopped whirring, you barely opened your eyelids, watching as Sun took you in his arms again to lead you out of the car. In your groggy state, you looked around distractedly, at the snow-covered trees, at the buildings with lights on here and there, at a landscape you didn't recognize at all. Your mind and instincts told you that you were far from the Miracle District, but you couldn't say where.

As Moon closed the car and took the lead, Sun leaned towards you, you looked up at him and he grinned at you, his rays waving slightly from right to left as you closed your eyes again, resting your face against his chest. You felt the animatronic start to walk off in the direction of one of the largest buildings in the district. Feeling the temperature rise again, you realized you'd entered the building, the footsteps of the two metal detectives echoing down the entrance corridor. You blinked as you heard a high-pitched ping, and saw that Sun and Moon were standing in front of an elevator whose doors quickly opened to allow the two animatronics to enter.

The sensation of the elevator moving made you open your eyes slightly in surprise, your more instinctive side not liking the sensation and the feeling of being locked in, but the presence of the two animatronics meant you weren't too worried. You let out a small sigh, however, as the machine stopped and opened onto a fairly empty but well-kept corridor. The walls were painted a very light blue, almost white, and the floor was made of dark parquet with the occasional abstract pattern. Moon stepped into your field of vision, advancing to a door on which was a pretty little plaque with E2 written on it. Seeing him take out a key and open the door, your mind let you know that you were in their home.

Moon opened the door before letting Sun, who was still holding on to you, in before the nocturnal animatronic closed the door behind him as he entered. Your mind was a little too muddled to pay much attention to the decor or the exact layout of the place, the walls were painted light grey with a few white and black details here and there, the furniture was new, or rather well-maintained and the smell was so different from the place you considered your home. And you liked this difference, you currently needed to get your mind away from anything that reminded you of your old teacher, even if part of you resented wanting to forget him and put him aside.

"Can you walk ?"

You blinked out of your thoughts to look at the solar animatronic who had lowered his facial disk towards you, concerned about your physical state. You hesitated for a few seconds before answering in a hoarse, slightly broken voice :

"Yes, I think."

Sun nodded at your answer before gently letting go of your legs, allowing you to put your feet back on the ground. The ground beneath your bare feet, since you'd left home with nothing but the jeans and now crumpled sweater you were wearing. You felt your legs tremble slightly, but Sun kept his hands on your waist, until after shifting your weight to one leg and then the other, you were able to hold on without too much difficulty. Sun then leaned over you, grabbing both your hands and examining them lightly. Moon, who had disappeared into the corridors of the house, appeared again. You saw him looking in your direction, coming up to pat the top of your head before turning to say :

"The bathroom's ready."

Sun looked at his brother, thanking him before turning to you, lowering his eyes to your hands, which he caught in his own before saying :

"We're going to have to disinfect all this. But first we have to clean everything. Moon has prepared a hot bath, it'll do you good after being in the snow."

You looked down at your hands, understanding the solar animatronic's logic. You nodded absent-mindedly, letting a small "ok" leave your lips as you followed the animatronic to a door, which it pushed open to let you into a large, stylish bathroom. The walls were tiled in black, and the furniture was concrete grey, with engravings inside accentuated by black paint. There were several storage units here and there, a basket in which dirty laundry would surely be stored, and grey carpets with a white pattern strategically placed around them. The white washbasin was topped by a mirror in which you saw your reflection before quickly averting your gaze to the centerpiece of the bathroom, the bathtub. 

The bathtub was enormous, easily the size of two classic bathtubs fused together, almost giving the impression of a mini-pool. The tub had been carefully filled with water, steam rising gently before disappearing, warming the air in the room. Several shower products and soaps had been placed on the rim, along with shower flowers in various colors. And on the small cabinet beside the tub was a neatly folded white towel. Your attention turned to Sun as he approached the tub, pointing to the faucet there and saying:

"Hot water is on the left and cold water on the right. If you want another towel there are some in the two cabinets by the sink. Don't worry about your clothes and just put them on the hamper. And if you need anything else don't hesitate to call us." 

"Oh... Oh yeah. Okey." You reply slightly confused. 

"And take as long as you need."

Sun looked in your direction, giving you a small smile, his rays waving gently before he turned in the direction of the bathroom door. The animatronic paused for a second before closing the door behind him, leaving you alone with your thoughts. You froze for several long seconds, knowing what you had to do but not entirely sure of yourself. You lifted your arm slightly to your nose, grimacing slightly as you realized you reeked of wet, badly dried cat. You moved towards the bathtub, looking at the still, perfectly clear water, and reached out to touch the surface of the water with your fingertips, quickly withdrawing them in the face of the high temperature. But you eventually brought your hand back to touch the water again, this time savouring its gentle warmth. 

You then straightened up, removing your clothes with a touch of embarrassment and awkwardness, placing them on the laundry basket as Sun had said, before heading back towards the bath. You began by slipping one of your feet into the water, whistling slightly at the sudden contact of the warm water against your skin, before finally feeling the warmth creep into your bones. You entered the tub entirely, your breathing quickening as you got used to the temperature before finally sighing and closing your eyes. You leaned back against the edge of the tub, stretching out your legs to take up as much room as possible, but even so, there was still room for one more person. Tilting your head back, you let it rest on the edge, your eyes absent-mindedly watching the ceiling, the light reflecting off the tiles. 

You closed your eyes, letting yourself marinate in the silence and warmth of the moment, feeling every muscle in your body relax, slowly removing at least the physical pain since the pain in your heart was still there. Mr. Botzaris was dead. He'd been killed during his demonstration. He wasn't coming back, not ever. You let a little sob leave your lips, trying to stifle it by biting your lower lip. You lifted one of your hands to wipe away the tears that had escaped from your closed eyelids, feeling the warm bath water running over the scratches on the corners of your eyes that you'd inflicted on yourself when you thought you didn't deserve the right to cry for him. 

The silence of the room was disturbed only by the sound of your tears hitting the surface of the water, every breath, every heartbeat was painful and difficult, but the gentle warmth that surrounded you made it all more bearable, gave you the impression that the world wasn't about to come crashing down on you, that you weren't all alone. You opened your eyes again, blinking slowly, straightening your skull to look towards the bathroom and all the products and other objects that had been installed there especially for you. You let a small smile appear on your lips, reaching out your hand you grabbed one of the products there and quickly read what was written on it before uncorking it, sniffing lightly at the smell. You repeated the action with the other products, each of which was strangely familiar and comforting, probably because you'd already smelled them on Sun and Moon. 

You finally settled on one of them, the scent sweet but slightly minty, pleasant to your nostrils and not too insistent. You began to soap yourself up, gently rubbing your skin to clean it, taking care with your hands, which were wounded. Then you began to wash your hair with one of the products on hand, Sun and Moon not having any shampoo as they didn't physically need it, you stopped suddenly as you realized you didn't have a change of clothes or any clothes at all. You certainly couldn't put yours back on, they were dirty and probably smelled of wet cat.

You rinsed your hair, taking care not to get any product in your eyes as you tried to find a solution. You considered talking to Moon and Sun about it, but embarrassment made you put off the idea, but you were going to have to put something on your back, you couldn't stay naked or even in a towel, and staying cooped up in the bathroom wasn't conceivable. The idea of taking on your feline appearance flickered through your mind, an option that was extremely tempting until you heard the light, timid and almost inaudible knocking on the bathroom door before Moon's voice called out : 

"y/n?" 

"Huh... Yeah ?" You answer softly. 

"Sun forgot to give you clean clothes before you went into the bathroom... Can I open the door to drop them off ? I'm not... I'm not going in... I just want to drop them by the door." 

"Ah...yes you can." You replied after a few seconds of silence. 

You looked in the direction of the door, sinking a little deeper into the water, leaving only your nose sticking out to allow you to breathe. You saw the door open ever so slightly before Moon's hand reached out to place a basket containing a pile of clothes. Once the basket was in place, the door closed almost abruptly with a small slam, which made you laugh softly. Just as you were about to resume your bath, Moon's voice came through the door again, weaker and more hesitant than the first time. 

"Kitten... We're sorry .... We didn't have any clothes in your size, so we gave you some of our clothes so you could choose what you'd rather wear... They're all clean and we didn't wear them that much... Sorry."

You tilted your face, staring at where Moon was probably behind the door, you couldn't see him but you imagined his expression, how he'd avoid looking you in the eye if you faced him, the way his hands were probably playing with the pom-pom on his hat, the traces of redness on his cheekbones... You let a small laugh leave your lips, a smile stretching the corner of your lips as the bath water gently rippled around you, making little ripples that gently washed against the edge of the tub. 

"It's okay Moony. I'm the one who should be sorry for bothering you like this. I'm the one who's... crashing into your apartment." 

"You're not crashing y/n. We invited you, so don't feel guilty about anything."

You let a nervous, sad little laugh leave your lips before murmuring to yourself: 

"But I'm guilty of so many things..."

Only silence answered you, Moon having surely returned to his occupations. You stayed in the water for a few more minutes before finally stepping out, letting the water you'd soaked in drain away as you took the time to dry off. The towel was extremely soft against your skin, giving you the impression of wiping yourself with velvet. You paid attention to your hands, which were now cleaned of dirt and dried blood and had started to bleed again, and you didn't want to dirty the two detectives' towels with your blood. 

You then approached the basket containing a whole pile of clothes, lifted the basket and brought it close to the washbasin where you set it down before starting to lift the clothes inside. There were all kinds of clothes, long sleeves, short sleeves, shirts... Ect. You decided on a green, half-long-sleeved T-shirt, as the collar was slightly tighter, preventing the garment from falling over your shoulders. The sleeves, even though they were medium-length, fell down to your wrists, making them long and wide. The T-shirt then fell just a little above your thighs. Strangely enough, the waistband of the pants wasn't quite so different from your; the two animatronics had very slim waists that would make any model envious. You found a kind of jogging suit, and rolled up the legs, which were far too long.

Once dressed, you placed the basket containing your clean clothes on top of the basket containing your dirty clothes, after dropping in the towel you'd been using. Once you'd done that, you headed for the bathroom door, pausing for a few seconds in hesitation before finally deciding to leave. Arriving in the corridor, you looked to your left, seeing the hallway extend into other doors behind which you didn't know what lay ahead. You turned your head to the right, where you could hear the sounds and voices of Moon and Sun, before moving on.

You came to the end of the corridor and entered the large, fully-equipped living room where Sun was standing, immediately turning his face in your direction to give you a smile. Moon, on the other hand, was in the visible kitchen/dining room, separated only by a small dividing wall on which were some decorations. Moon, who seemed to be busy cutting things you couldn't see, the pompom of his beanie twitching with every movement, he raised his red optics in your direction, looking you up and down before giving you a small smile and then returning his attention to what was in front of him.

"Come here. I'll take care of your wounds." Sun declared, drawing your attention in his direction. 

You turned your attention back to Sun, who had indicated the large armchair in the living room with a small shake of his head as he turned to retrieve what seemed to you to be a first-aid kit. You then settled into the armchair, feeling your body sink slightly into the leather-like material. You followed Sun with your eyes, watching him take out everything he needed and place it on the coffee table behind him before he knelt down in front of you. His attention turned entirely to your hands, and he grabbed one, your left hand, its pads pressing gently against your skin, lifting it gently to examine it visually first. You could see his brows furrow as he turned and turned your hand, his expression darkening slightly, and his rays retracting into his facial disc. Silently making you understand his sadness and regret. 

"I'll disinfect the wounds. It might sting a bit." Sun said, briefly looking up at you. 

You hummed a reply, watching the animatronic retrieve the disinfectant to soak a conton before coming to carry the product and press it onto your wounds. The first few seconds were unpleasant, but eventually the sensation gave way to one of numbness. You blinked, feeling your eyes getting heavier and heavier, and eventually closed your eyes, concentrating solely on Sun's care. You almost started to doze off, until you felt a hand brush against your hair, making you jump slightly. 

You turned your head to see Moon watching you, his pupils dilated by your reaction, his hands, one of which was holding a small towel, raised in the air as a sign of peace. You blinked as you felt your tense body relax again, and looked down at Sun, who had just finished poking your left hand and was now tending to your right's. The animatronic's lips were pinched together, his movements frozen as he must have thought he'd hurt you. You opened your mouth and breathed out :

"It's okay, Sun, I was just surprised by Moon." 

"Oh... Okey." Sun the animatronic replied before continuing his ministrations.

"Sorry about that Kitten." Moon declared. "Your hair's wet and you don't want to catch a cold. Let me help you dry it."

You let a long "o" leave your lips at Moon's explanation before finally bowing your head, giving Moon the chance to wipe your hair with the towel. The nocturnal animatronic delicately placed the small towel on the top of your head before very delicately drying your locks, from time to time you could feel his long fingers slipping into your hair to untangle it and make drying easier. You could once again feel yourself vacillating between consciousness and consciousness, your body numb with fatigue while your mind found some respite thanks to the attention of the two animatronics. 

"Here we go. Disinfected and bandaged !" Sun said. 

You opened your eyes again, blinking several times as you saw Sun straighten up, his beams making several turns around his facial disk. You looked down to see that both your hands, from wrist to fingertips, were now perfectly bandaged. You moved your hands gently, testing the bandage and finding that it was exactly the same as when you were wearing your gloves. No longer feeling Moon's hands against your hair, you tilted your head back, realizing that he was no longer there, but that your hair was now dry and styled. As Sun stood up to put away all the equipment he'd used, you heard Moon come back into the salon. 

"I know you're tired Kitten, but you should eat something before you rest. I've made some soup, which will warm you up a bit and help you regain your strength." Moon declared, moving closer to the armchair. 

You hummed for a few seconds, watching Sun, who beckoned you into the kitchen. You rose from the sofa, following Moon into the kitchen where cutlery and bowls had already been set out. Moon pulled out the chair at the end of the table, inviting you to take a seat as he lifted the lid of the pot in the middle of the table. The scent that wafted through the air reached your nostrils, the warm, rich smell of different vegetables and spices, as well as chicken. It was a pleasant scent that made you smile a little, reminding you of the winter days when in the Miracle District you'd help prepare food before going to share a meal with your neighbors. 

Moon served the soup, filling each bowl before placing them in the different place, pushing your share in front of you and telling you to be careful as it's still a little hot. Sun soon joined you, settling on your left, while Moon moved to your right. You lifted a spoonful of soup to your lips, blowing on it before finally eating it. The taste was similar to the smell, rich, delicious and comforting. You let out a small sigh before looking up at Moon and saying :

"It's really delicious Moon." 

"Glad to hear it Kitten." Moon replied. 

You continued to eat in a certain silence, and although you found the meal delicious, you ate less than half of what you were usually able to eat. You put the spoon down beside your bowl, feeling a touch of guilt gnawing at your insides as you felt you weren't respecting the two animatronics. You began to plunge your nails into your flesh once more before being stopped by Moon's hand.

"If you're not hungry anymore, it's okay. You've already eaten a little and that's what counts."

"Come on, I'll show you the bedroom so you can get some rest." Sun declared, pushing back his chair.

The solar animatronic grinned at you and nodded, inviting you to follow him to one of the doors you'd seen at the end of the corridor. He opened the door to let you in if you wanted, saying that they'd already set out extra blankets and pillows if you needed them. Sun then left you, heading back to the living room. You stood still in front of the bedroom door for a few seconds before turning around and heading back into the kitchen where Sun and Moon were. Seeing you return, they both made surprised expressions on their faces. Before they could articulate anything, you breathed out :

"Thank you. Sincerely."

Chapter Text

You woke up completely in the dark, your heart racing, cold sweat running down your forehead, lost between the tears that had rolled down your cheeks in your sleep. You began to sit up, your breathing jerky and irregular as you no longer understood where you were. Your hands gripped the blankets beneath you as you began to pull yourself free, trying to get up to flee, away from here, away from the fact that Botzaris was dead.

Even in your dreams, it came back to haunt you, but this time it was you who had killed him. Standing in front of him, watching him smile, laugh, breathe, live, you'd said something to him, but you hadn't understood what you'd said, your voice too distorted and dark, as if someone had put a filter on it. You saw Mr. Botzaris looking in your direction, his smile fading from his lips and the life fading from his eyes. You looked down at the blood dripping from a wound, covering the ground at his feet and yours. You stood still, watching the harpy bleed to death. You lifted a hand to see it smeared with blood, and it was as if the blood had begun to come from your own hands, continuing to grow the pool at your feet. The blood at your feet ended up forming a lake, a perfect mirror that reflected your eyes, the eyes of the monster of misfortune that you were.

As panic continued to grip you as you remembered your nightmare, you noticed that the darkness you were in wasn't quite so dark. You blinked and saw a multitude of tiny points of light on the bedroom ceiling. Stars in the night sky. Like real stars, their glow seemed to change slightly from one to the next. Certain groups of stars joined to form milky ways. Slowly, your attention focused entirely on the stars, and you felt your hands stop clutching the blankets as your breath hitched.

You were at Sun and Moon's home, the two animatronic detectives. They'd picked you up at 'The Lucky' earlier in the day. You were safe here. You looked down at your hands, seeing not blood but the bandages Sun had placed on your wounds. You gently closed your fingers, which were still trembling a little, before stretching them out towards the blanket, feeling the soft material beneath your fingers. The scent of the room was familiar, one of lavender with a hint of mint. You'd thought to yourself last night that maybe this was Moon's room you were occupying, but now you were almost sure.

Gently you pushed back the covers, placing your feet in the air before placing them on the cold floor, which sent a long shiver down your spine. After giving your feet time to stand the cold, you got up and headed for the door, needing a glass of water and a handkerchief. You opened the door discreetly, not wanting to wake up any of the animatronics whose apartment you occupied. You groped your way to the kitchen, letting one of your hands follow one of the walls as you had to partially transform yourself to see roughly where you were heading.

Once in the kitchen, you tried to find a glass but couldn't, and you didn't have the courage to go through their stuff so you drank the water from the tap. As you stood up, you heard footsteps echoing through the apartment, and a light at the end of the corridor came on. You wiped the water from your chin just before you saw Moon and then Sun arrive in the kitchen, their facial discs turning immediately towards you who were still hidden in the kitchen gloom. Their expressions were worried and almost... Afraid ? Sun, whose rays had retracted a little into his facial disk, repositioned herself correctly.

"Are you all right, Kitten ?" Moon asked, stepping into the kitchen.

"Y-Yeah Yeah... Sorry if I awaked you up." You replied, turning your face away slightly.

"You didn't wake us Kitten. Besides, it's not like we really need to sleep." Sun declared. "What happened ?" 

"It's... It's nothing. I just... I just had a nightmare." 

You turned your head slightly embarrassed to reveal to them that even at your age you'd found a way to be scared of a simple nightmare. You crossed your arms over your chest, your cat ears lying back against your skull as your tail slid lightly between your legs. You saw the two animatronics exchange a glance, which made you want to disappear in shame. Surely they wouldn't laugh at you openly, but you knew they must find you ridiculous and childish. You heard Moon move closer before you saw his hand appear in your field of vision. You looked up at him, his reddened optics shining softly in the half-light, drawing reflections and creating new shadows. 

"Are you all right ? Do you want to talk about it maybe ?" 

You lowered your eyes to his hand, hesitating for a second, not sure if you wanted to talk about it or not. It was a horrible nightmare, one whose flashes came back to you from time to time and made you think you'd never be able to forget it. But you looked up at Moon again before finally reaching out to put your hand in his, his metal skin strangely warm against yours. Moon pulled you gently in his direction, forcing you out of the kitchen as he led you to the sofa in the living room, leaving the lights off so as not to strain your eyes. You settled down on the larger sofa, Moon taking your right as his hand stayed on yours. You heard Sun, who had entered the kitchen after you and Moon had left, stir. After a few seconds you saw him return with a cup to the living room. 

"Milk with a little vanilla sugar to help relax your heart." 

The smell of warm milk and vanilla filled your nostrils, the scent sweet and pleasant as the daytime animatronic handed you the cup after coming to settle on your left on the sofa. You retrieved the cup, Moon finally letting go of your hand to allow you to hold it with both hands, feeling the warmth of the liquid pick up through the ceramic and into your fingers. You raised the cup to your lips, hearing Sun tell you to be careful as it was still hot. You blew on the contents of the cup before taking a sip. It's true that the milk was hot, but not to the point of burning, and there was something very pleasant about the warmth. You closed your eyes, the two animatronics remaining silent beside you, giving you the time you needed while being there for when you needed it. 

"It's stupid really..." You finally gasp. "It's just a nightmare. Being afraid of a nightmare... " 

"Maybe it's just a nightmare, but it still managed to put you in that state, so it's not as stupid as that to be afraid of it, or to feel bad about it." Sun replies beside you. 

"Do you really think so ?" You asked, looking towards Sun. "Have you ever been scared by a nightmare ?" 

"Well... We're animatronics. We're incapable of having nightmares, well, we can't dream in general." Moon replied, shaking his face disc slightly with a small smile in your direction. 

"Oh..." You sigh, lowering your eyes again. "I wish I'd been unable to have nightmares."

"It's not as pleasant as all that, you know." Sun replied, tilting his head back. "Not being able to dream certainly means not having bad dreams, but it also means not being able to dream good things." 

"Sleeping just to say you're asleep isn't much fun." Moon added. "Sometimes we'd like to be able to imagine incredible, extraordinary things, so we can talk about them in the morning. Whether it's to laugh about it or to be reassured."

You raised the cup of hot milk to your lips, listening to their reasons. It was true that, despite the nightmares, it was sometimes pleasant to have dreams, giving you a reason to wake up in a good mood or to sleep at night in the hope of continuing that pleasant dream. You remained silent for a few seconds before raising your eyes to the two animatronics, looking at them in turn before saying : 

"But if you're not able to dream, how can you understand and say it's okay to have a nightmare ?" 

"Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean you shouldn't care. If it's affecting you, it means that for you this thing is important and we should pay attention to it." Sun replied with a smile. 

You lowered your eyes to the contents of the mug, watching the liquid stir gently as you moved it. The animatronic's words had touched you in a way you hadn't expected, not only because of your nightmare but also because of who you were. They gave you hope that they might be able to understand and accept you if you ever confessed to them what an anomaly you were. You began to open your mouth, closing it again, hesitating, before finally telling them about your dream.

You described everything you'd seen in your dream, every detail even the most morbid, every thing you'd felt. With each detail you could feel the two animatronics drawing closer to you, their reassuring presence, while your distress returned a little as you set about describing the dream. Sun had withdrawn the cup from your hand, seeing them trembling, his own hands replacing the cup holding your hands, his long fingers almost completely engulfing your hand. Moon had lifted one of his hands and slipped his fingers into your hair, caressing the top of your head between your ears, it was pleasant. 

As you spoke, you shifted your position, bringing your legs towards you, you began to relax, leaning a little more against Moon's shoulder, fingers playing absentmindedly with the pads of his hand, pinching them gently or letting your fingers press on them. You explained how guilty you felt about Botzaris' death, feeling your voice break slightly and your heart clench in your chest. You let a small sob leave your lips trying to lift one of your hands to wipe away your tears only to be stopped by Sun, as Moon came to collect your tears with his fingertips.

"You're not responsible for his death Kitten. The only person to blame is the one with his blood on their hands. Even if you'd been the only person there we'd be sure it wouldn't have been you. You're too nice for that." Moon sighed, resting his chin on the top of your head. 

"How could you know ? You don't know me..." You sighed, unable to stop yourself before. 

"Outch... It still hurts a little to hear you say that, after all we've known each other for several months and I think we know you more than you think. For example, your favorite color is the (f/c)." Sun says with a little pout before turning into a chuckle.

"We also know your favorite dishes, your favorite desserts... Apart from that, as a matter of habit you tend to like sitting up high. Just like a cat." Moon added with a chuckle that reverberated in his ribcage. 

"When you're thinking deeply, you stare into space and jump easily in those moments. You love sweets. As for your character, you're emphatic." Continued the solar animatronic, as he leaned a little closer against you. 

"You act like you only care about only yourself, but deep down you care about other people and try to help them in your own way, while still pretending not to." Says Moon, wrapping his arms lightly around your waist. 

"Okey. Okey. Stop it it's okay, I get it. You know me a little. No need to list everything I do like this. It's embarrassing." You finally say, rolling your eyes.

The two animatronics let out a laught, their movement shaking you slightly. You moved, throwing your arms over Sun's shoulders, pushing your back against Moon's torso. You felt the two animatronics move too, shifting their long legs to make them more comfortable. You tilted your head to one side, seeing your reflection in the television in the dim light coming from outside. You hadn't understood how you'd come to cuddle like this, you lying between the two animatronics, turning towards Sun who had his hands wrapped around your chest and his face resting on your stomach. Moon was in closest contact with the couch, his facial disk resting against the top of your skull between your ears, his arms encircling your waist. Your legs were intertwined in ways you couldn't quite work out yourself, but all you knew was that your tail was lost in the shuffle and your fur wasn't pulled, so you didn't mind. 

"Anyway..." Moon sighed, his breath caressing your ear. "It was a horrible nightmare. But luckily here's what it was just a nightmare."

"We know it's hard Kitten, accepting that Botzaris won't be coming back. And it always will be a little, even after months, years. But the pain will eventually change." Sun says, looking into your eyes. 

"It will leave a scar forever, but it will remind you of how important he had been to you, it will help you never forget him." Moon concluded. 

The silence that followed their declaration was disturbed only by the few sobs that left your lips. You let your hands close around Sun's clothes, feeling the two animatronics tighten their embrace around you, pulling you two gently closer as you once again felt yourself slipping into sadness. You closed your eyes, listening to the silence of the night and the sounds of mechanisms coming from the two animatronics. But this time you weren't alone, you didn't have to fight, Sun and Moon were there. Yes, they were there with you. 

                                     ~❂✯☾~

You woke up once again confused and slightly disoriented, but not in the same way as last night. You didn't remember going back to the room the two animatronics lent you to sleep in, but you found yourself under the carefully installed blankets with the curtains drawn just enough so that the daylight wouldn't bother you if you decided to sleep any longer. You lay there for a few seconds, your eyes gazing up at the few phosphorescent stars still visible on the ceiling. The last thing you remembered was cuddling Sun and Moon on the sofa, crying, listening to them comfort you, then nothing. You'd probably fallen asleep and one or other of the Detectives had brought you back to the bedroom.

You rolled onto your stomach, stretching like a cat, before making your tail and ears disappear as you rose from the bed. You walked over to the curtains in the room and drew them. You blinked rapidly, at first blinded by the outside light. You blinked several times as your vision adjusted to the brightness before you could finally look outside. The sun was shining high in the sky, letting you know that the morning was already well advanced. The snow covering the ground and the surrounding buildings and objects reflected the light in all directions. 

The floor where Moon and Sun's apartment was located must have been quite high up, as you had a pretty good view of the whole surrounding area, from the other buildings, the streets and the leafless trees here and there. You could see little dots moving through the snow more or less quickly, people braving or taking advantage of the new snow, perfectly protected by warm clothing. You could also see some children playing in groups in the snow in the sort of small park that was further away, the youngsters catching the snow to throw it at their friends and opponents for the game.

You stood there for a few minutes, contemplating the lives of the passers-by, trying to imagine where they were going and who they might be joining. Finally, you pushed yourself away from the window, your breath having left a trace of mist on the glass. You turned in the direction of the bedroom, deciding to take a closer look. In addition to the huge bed - you hadn't noticed before how huge it was, but now you did - there was a dark wooden desk on which pens and other useful equipment were neatly arranged, along with small pencil pots and other storage. The chair in the office looked horribly uncomfortable, almost like the one in the interrogation room at the police station. There was also a wardrobe, which was large and had a large mirror inlaid on one of its doors. 

The room was almost the same size as your living room at home, and the ceiling was also higher than normal, but this was surely to accommodate the two animatronics and their tall statures. Having finished inspecting the room, you decided to return to the living room. As you entered the hallway, you noted the door directly opposite yours: if you were in Moon's room, it must have been Sun's. This thought made you wonder where you were. This thought made you wonder where Moon slept, since you'd taken over his room, and surely the bed in Sun's room was similar in size to Moon's, so even if it was wide enough for four of you to sleep on, you weren't sure it could accommodate two animatronics. 

With this thought in the back of your mind, you made your way along the corridor, where there were a few frames containing newspaper articles about a case that had been solved. There were no names mentioned, but if these newspapers were there, it was surely because they had contributed to solving the case. There were also a few frames containing photos. It's the same kind of photo you took at the police station. You looked at the different photos, searching for Sun and Moon each time. It was strange, the two animatronics were more or less the same, but you could notice some differences. Sun, for example, had less rays around his facial disk on the photo than as you knew him, and Moon on one of them had both eyes with the same color sclera. 

You continued along the corridor before finally entering the living room. You frowned as you realized you hadn't seen the photo you'd taken with the Glamrocks, Vanessa and the rest of the precinct. A noise in the kitchen drew your attention and you turned your head in Sun's direction. The animatronic was standing by the stove, busy cracking eggs into a frying pan and cooking them, the crackle and smell making your mouth water as you approached the kitchen. Sun then looked up in your direction, grinning as she said : 

"Hello Kitten. How are you feeling ?" 

"Let's just say I'm okay." You replied.

"Well, breakfast will be ready in a moment. If you want to watch TV or something while you wait don't hesitate make yourself at home."

You nodded, letting a small 'ok thanks' leave your lips. You then decided to continue your exploration, continuing with the living room. Like the rest of the apartment, everything seemed big to you : there was a huge TV, a coffee table you could use as a dining table, a few pieces of furniture here and there to decorate or hold vases in which were magnificent paper flowers. You had to get close to them to realize that the plants were made of paper, they were so well and carefully made that you had initially thought they were real. On one of the living room walls, between two cupboards, you saw new photo frames. Your curiosity was aroused, so you decided to take a closer look. 

Two of the frames featured photos of Sun and Moon, newly graduated from the police academy, both with big smiles on their lips, they looked... Young in the photo. It was strange, but that's how you felt when you looked at them in this picture. Another photo was of their family, and you were surprised to see that their father was a human. They had already told you that their mother was an animatronic who had herself worked as a policewoman, and you had always assumed that their father was also an animatronic, but it seems you were wrong. Their father was a man in his forties, with long hair tied back in a ponytail, a slight beard a few days old, and a smile that reminded you very much of Sun's. Moon and Sun's mother were the two of them. Moon and Sun's mother resembled them physically, with a flat, round face and a sort of halo above her head. She was tall, like her two boys, and had a calmer smile, but just as affectionate as her husband. 

As you continued to look at the different photos, your gaze finally came to rest on the one you hadn't seen with the others earlier, the one you'd taken at the police station. A small smile appeared on your face as you couldn't help wondering why it was here and not with the others. You looked at the photo again, each policeman putting a name to their face, trying to remember an exchange you'd had with them. The photo was almost exactly the same as the one you'd taken, but you couldn't help feeling that something wasn't quite so identical. You looked at each person in the photo again, comparing it mentally with the one you had. It wasn't until you looked back at Sun, Moon and yourself that you noticed a difference. 

The two animatronics weren't looking at the photographer and indirectly straight ahead, they were looking in the direction of you in the photo. You tilted your head to one side, squinting a little more to be sure of what you were seeing, but it wasn't your mind that was making you imagine things. Sun and Moon were indeed looking at you, their smiles slightly different from the one on your copy of the snapshot. You could once again feel that soft warm sensation rising in the pit of your stomach, it was weaker than the times before your heart still heavy with grief but it was still a pleasant sensation. 

"What attracted your curiosity ?"

You couldn't help but startle, and turned towards Sun who was standing next to you, to look at him with dilated pupils before finally making a pout in his direction, remembering how they'd told you that you were easily surprised when you were lost in thought or too concentrated. You heard Sun laugh softly as you turned back to the photos and said :

"Sorry. I shouldn't have looked." 

"Don't be ! If we didn't want people to look at our photos we wouldn't have put them up in the living room."

You saw Sun raise his obsidian-colored eyes in the direction of the photos, the calm smile on his lips flickering slightly as his eyes focused on one photo in particular before you saw him blush slightly. The animatronic raised one of his hands, coughing slightly as if to clear his throat, before turning his facial disk, beckoning you with his hands to follow him. 

"The... The breakfast is ready. We should eat it before it gets cold."

You hummed a reply, letting your eyes linger on their photos before finally following the daytime detective to the dining table where he had already placed two plates each containing two fried eggs and five slices of beacon. There were also glasses on the table, as well as milk and juice if you wanted them. As you approached the table and saw that there was only place setting for two, you asked :

"Isn't Moon here ?" 

"Oh, no, Moon had to go to the police station. He should be back in the afternoon." Sun replied as you took a seat on one of the chairs.

You nodded, looking down at the food on your plate, feeling a new wave of sadness and guilt catch in your throat. Moon had surely gone back to the police station to continue the investigation you'd been working on for months now. It seemed so far away... unimportant. Why should you care about these people, they were dead, they weren't going to come just because you found the people who'd killed them. Besides, you were fighting an elusive, unstoppable man. Why were you so sure that Silvio was the culprit anyway ? It could even be that he had nothing to do with it... 

And Sun... Sun was obliged to stay here to watch over you and prevent you from sinking back into your thoughts, your doubts, your guilt, your fears. And the fact that Sun was here, babysitting you when he could be with his brother, doing what they needed to do, what they wanted to do, only made you feel more guilty. You bit your tongue, swallowing your tears as you grabbed the fork that was next to you, trying desperately not to start crying again, hiding your feelings from Sun, not wanting to burden him with it. 

You grabbed a piece of egg and brought it to your lips, the soft, warm texture against your tongue allowing you a few seconds of respite from your own mind. You concentrated on your meal, the food was delicious you knew, but you didn't have the heart to savor it fully, a touch of bitterness lingering in the back of your throat every time you swallowed. You hadn't eaten even a quarter of what Sun had put on your plate and you were already full, but you couldn't find the courage to stop yourself, you didn't want to seem ungrateful to those Sun had taken the time to do for you. You didn't want to spoile all the efforts they'd made to comfort you last night, and before. 

"... ten. y/n." Sun's voice suddenly sighed, his hand coming to grasp yours, which was holding the fork. 

You almost jumped, looking up at Sun who blinked rapidly before looking down at your hand. You followed his gaze, noticing that you'd tightened your fingers a little too much around the fork and that your finger wounds had started to bleed again, slightly staining the bandages. The poor piece of bacon beneath your fork was also suffering from your carelessness, the tines of your fork having pierced it on both sides. You released the utensil slightly, letting it fall back rather noisily against your plate before the silence settled heavy and stifling.

"I know I'm not as good a cook as Moon, but you could just tell me if my bacon wasn't to your taste. I admit myself they're a little overcooked..." 

"No, Sun, it's not your cooking's fault..." you began to articulate before Sun stopped you. 

"I know, I know. I was just pulling your leg. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do." Sun let out a nervous laugh before looking up at you. "Something's wrong."

It was a statement, an invitation to talk about it, to confide in you. You turned your face away, feeling a tide of emotion rise and stir within you, feeling as if your mind were a mere ship lost in the storm that was your emotions, sailing aimlessly, having even given up hope of not sinking. And this despite the fact that headlights were shining in front of you to guide you, to help you. You heard the sound of a chair being pulled out, feeling Sun move, but you didn't dare look at him, not wanting him to see the tears filling your eyes. 

You felt a hand, warm and broad, come to grip your chin, padded fingers grabbing your chin to force you to lift your face and look in Sun's direction. The animatronic Sun was kneeling beside you, one of his hands resting on the side of the chair while his facial disk was slightly towards you. The animatronic had a serious, calm expression, his eyes, two dark pools glistening with gentleness and affection scanning your face before stopping at your eyes. You bit your lower lip, closing your eyes as you thought he would resent you for continuing to lose yourself and mope, even though the evening before they had wasted their time comforting you. 

You felt his other hand come up to rest against your cheek, his thumb gently moving up to brush your lower eyelid before picking up the tear that had started to bead in the corner of your eye, wiping it away very gently, as if you were made of glass and if he touched you a little too roughly he could break you. You opened your eyes again as you felt him repeat the operation with your other eye. Seeing you looking at him, Sun let a small smile appear on his lips as he said: 

"You don't have to be afraid to cry in front of me. In front of us. You know that, Kitten." 

"I... I shouldn't. You... You comforted me the other night and before that too..." You sighed, teeth clenched. 

"Yes and ? We've only comforted you twice y/n. This... It's nothing, really. We're ready to comfort you ten times, a hundred times, as many times as you need as many times as you want. It's not a problem. All we want is for you to feel better." 

"What if I never get better ? What if... what if I'm broken beyond repair ? What if I'm something that doesn't deserve to get better ?" You sighed in Sun's direction, your throat tightening as you couldn't help letting some of your hatred for your Shapeshifter nature creep into your voice. 

"In that case... In that case we'll just have to stay by your side and make sure that if you're not well, everything around you is. That way your heart won't be so heavy, and even if you 'don't get better' you have a chance of continuing to be happy." Answered Sun his sunbeams around his facial disc waving from right to left before stopping when his eyes plunged into yours. 

"You'd waste your time on me ? Even though you've got more important things to do ?" You murmured so faintly that you weren't sure Sun could hear you. 

"It's not about wasting time, it's about taking time away for Kitten. Time doesn't matter here, you're far more valuable than seconds lined up one behind the other. All we care about is you."

You kept your eyes fixed on Sun, seeing the daytime detective give you a small smile as he reached out to grab your face, his thumbs once again wiping away the tears that had started to flow again. Was it really okay for you to monopolize their time ? Your heart drummed in your chest, your breathing faltering as you questioned yourself again. Did you deserve their time, their attention, did you deserve them at all ? Sun and Moon were important, they were important to the town, to its people... Could you really steal from them like that ? Could you really be so selfish as to divert them from their duty for your own comfort ?

You looked at Sun, still kneeling in front of you, his hands seemingly chasing away the cold that had crept under your skin, brushing against your skin in the most comforting and pleasant way. His eyes, black and shining like a starry night, always fixed on you, you could have drowned in his eyes. You'd never wanted to be the center of other people's attention, it was dangerous and frightening, a risk to yourself, to your secret, your true nature. You didn't deserve attention, you were better off forgotten, abandoned and alone... But them... Them. These two animatronics made you want so many things you'd promised yourself you wouldn't want, that you'd always told yourself you didn't deserve. They managed to make you feel deserving of other people's care, attention, time and... and love. 

You lifted your hands, reaching out to touch Sun's facial disk, your bandaged fingers stopping just a few centimetres from his cheeks, a last trace of doubt and hesitation in your eyes before finally grabbing Sun's face. You touched him, you touched him and all was well. You were fine and he was fine. The animatronic leaned into your touch as you pulled him to you, your hands letting go of his face wrapping around his neck as you slid off the chair you'd been sitting on, coming to nestle your face against his shoulder, slightly muffling your sobs against his clothes. 

Sun wrapped his arms around your torso, pulling you closer to him by pulling you onto his lap as he sat on the floor, his long legs crossed as he settled you into the little hollow formed between his bent legs. Once settled, one of his hands remained wrapped around your middle as the other came to rest against your hair, gently caressing it. The touch made you twitch gently as you instinctively adopted your half-form, your feline ears appearing on the top of your head as your tail curled around your leg. This was the form in which you felt most vulnerable, not physically speaking, but emotionally. You were half and half. Human and animal. It was in this form that you were the epinome of 'Fantastic'. 

"There, there... It's all right, Kitten. I'm here." Sun sighed softly against you. 

Sun's hand had stopped for a second after you changed before resuming his caresses, his fingers brushing the fur around your ears, his fingertips scratching your skin delicately as he continued to whisper comforting words to you. You began to clutch his clothes periodically, releasing them only to clutch them again, basking in the comfort and warmth of his presence as you gave free rein to your feelings.

You remained like this, sitting on the dining room floor for long minutes that turned into an hour before you finally disengaged yourself from Sun slowly, the animatronic letting you do so while helping you untangle yourself from his legs before you both stood up again. You rubbed your nose and eyes with the back of your hand, glancing discreetly in Sun's direction as he stretched, draping his arms over his facial disc before turning to face you. One of his hands rested on your shoulder, swiveling you towards him, his other hand resting against one of your cheeks to make sure he had your attention. 

"I know it's hard and some times it'll be harder and some times a little less, but as many times as you break down, as many times as you need, we'll be there for you OK y/n ?"

You nodded gently, your ears following the movement of your skull slightly, his words this time anchoring themselves firmly in your mind and heart. You were still a ship lost in the storm, still tossed by waves and wind, but you hadn't sunk and the lighthouse in the distance still shone, to guide you back to the right path. As Sun turned, you reached out and caught his little finger, causing him to stop before turning slightly towards you, giving you an interrogated little smile.

"Thanks Sunny." You sighed, giving him a small smile, looking into his eyes.

"You don't have to thank me for that. It's... natural to do so."

"I still want to thank you." You reply, shaking your face.

"All right, then. I accept your thanks. But now... How about watching a movie ? Or a cartoon ? I'd love to watch the one with the mommy cat and her three kittens who get thrown out by his evil butler who wants to send them to Timbuktu." Sun said, tapping his chin with the index finger of the hand you weren't holding. 

You let go of his hand, letting a chuckle leave your lips at his suggestion, then looked up at Sun, your tail wagging in mock annoyance as your ears twitched softly. Sun blinked before shrugging his shoulders innocently, as if he hadn't just suggested the film because you were half-cat. Sun told you to go and settle down in the armchair in the living room, and invited you to start looking for what you wanted to watch. You left the kitchen, letting Sun clear the plates as you went, as he'd asked, to settle into the sofa, making your feline attributes disappear. 

You grabbed the remote control for their TV, which was far more technologically advanced than yours, and had to spend several minutes deciphering the writing on the remote and rummaging through the menus before you managed to do something productive and opened the application showing the films. You spent a few seconds searching, typing into the search bar the name of the movie Sun wanted to watch, deciding to give in to him this time but also because you didn't know what you wanted to watch. 

It wasn't long before Sun joined you on the sofa, settling down next to you as you launched the film before handing him the remote control, preferring to let the animatronics manage their little technological jewel. The cartoon began to play and you found yourself strangely absorbed, forgetting your problems just for the duration of the film, returning to the days of your childhood and the little carefree days you'd had. You found yourself smiling at some of the scenes, enjoying the music and other childish songs being sung. But if you were invested in the film Sun was even more so, you could feel him shaking his face disc to the rhythm of the songs as his foot tapped in time to the beat, making you laugh slightly.

You'd glance in its direction from time to time, raising an eyebrow, and the animatronic would only respond with a smile, sometimes singing even louder. You watched the film, then another, then another without even realizing it. Sun got up between films to get something to nibble on, and came back with some salted popcorn and different little sweets, which you began to nibble on almost mechanically while watching the film. You even ended up with a soft drink in your hand at one point, probably brought to you by Sun, but you didn't even notice.

Continuing to chew popcorn, you rested your head against Sun's shoulder, one of your hands absent-mindedly playing with his paw pads, while your other hand fetched another handful of popcorn and brought it to your lips. You had moved closer to Sun during the films, the food placed between you being the main factor in your migration, but also because you had at one point wanted to feel his presence close to yours, a silent reminder that he was there. Sun didn't seem bothered by your touch, letting you lean back and play with your hand without flinching. He even wiggled his fingers a few times when you stopped crushing his paw pads, as if to ask you to continue.

Feeling Sun stir beside you, you let your eyes slide from the TV in front of you to the animatronics. The solar detective had picked up his phone at some point, exchanging messages with you don't know who exactly, but it was probably important. You saw him tapping away on his phone with one hand, giving a new answer to his correspondent as you turned your attention back to the film. You didn't have time to immerse yourself in it for very long, as Sun next to you addressed you. 

"Hey Kitten. Moon said he had to go by your apartment. He offered to pick up a few things for you if you wanted."

"Oh... Hmm... Yeah, I'd like that. My phone, I think it might be in my room, but I can't remember exactly where I put it, sorry. Oh, and my toothbrush." You say, feeling slightly embarrassed to bring up the fact that you hadn't brushed your teeth.

"Okay, I'll tell him that. And do you want him to bring you back some clothes ? We don't mind lending you ours at all, but maybe you'd be more comfortable in your own clothes ?" Sun suggested, looking in your direction while typing on his electronic keyboard.

"Ah ! Yes... Yes, that too." You replied quickly, concentrating again on the popcorn packet. 

Feeling even more embarrassed that you hadn't mentioned clothes, you lowered your eyes in the direction of the clothes you were wearing, which were Sun's and Moon's. You rather liked wearing their clothes, the pieces of fabric were wide and comfortable and it smelled a bit like them, pleasant and comforting. But it was true that you weren't going to be able to make a life in their clothes, even if you would have liked to. Sun then sent the message to Moon, concentrating again on the film. 

"Good. What do you say I go and start cooking ? Moon should be back in a little under an hour and noon will be coming soon."

"I'm not really that hungry." You reply softly. 

"That's understandable, but I'm still going to prepare something a little more substantial to eat than sweets."

You hummed a reply, detaching your hand from Sun's and moving away from him to make room for him to get up, which the animatronic did very slowly, almost as if reluctantly. Once Sun had left the sofa, you sat down in his place, taking advantage of the hollow he'd formed with his weight in the armchair and the warmth he'd accumulated there. You continued to watch the film that had been shown, but you weren't quite as invested, and you'd finished the popcorn. You paused the film, got up with the now empty bowl and headed for the kitchen.

Sun had put on an apron and was currently cutting up pieces of chicken cutlet. When he saw you enter the kitchen, he looked up at you, giving you a smile before concentrating again on his cutting. You approached the sink, placing the empty bowl inside. You looked at the bandages on your hands; you didn't want to get them wet, but you also didn't want to leave a simple bowl in the sink to give Sun more work. Your gaze then fell on a pair of pink plastic gloves lying not far from the sink. You turned to Sun and asked :

"Sunny, can I borrow these gloves to wash the dishes ?"

"Oh yeah sure. They're Moon's." Sun replied. 

"Aren't you supposed to be waterproof ?" 

"Yes, we are. But he doesn't like washing up without gloves, he thinks it's disgusting." Sun said, looking over his shoulder in your direction with an amused expression.

You let a small laugh leave your lips before finally grabbing the gloves to put them on and wash the bowl and the few other utensils in the sink. Sun tried to tell you that you didn't need to do it, but you'd already started, so he finally let you. You wiped up the utensils before asking Sun where to put them, which you did, following his instructions. By the time you'd finished, you weren't in the mood to continue watching the film, so you turned off the TV and returned to the kitchen where Sun was standing.

"Sun ? Can I borrow the bathroom to take a shower ?" you asked, almost embarrassed and hesitant. 

"Kitten." Sun paused raising his eyes to you looking at you with an almost hurt expression. "We told you to make yourself at home. So you don't need to ask me about things like that."

You hummed again, before thanking Sun as you spun around and headed for the bathroom. You heard Sun give you the locations of some things you might need, which he'd probably put away since the day before. You arrived in the bathroom, closing the door behind you, and looked down at the T-shirt you were wearing. You'd found a way to get yourself wet by washing only a few played, and you'd also gotten the bandages wet, even with the gloves you'd worn to keep the bandages from getting wet. Letting out a sigh, you began by picking up a towel and then some clothes, placing them at your side before concentrating on your hands.

The bandages were so well made that you had trouble undoing them, and had to use your teeth to finally manage to remove them, placing the bandages in the little garbage can in the bathroom. You inspected your hands, looking at the many small cuts and bruises they contained. After only a day's care, the wounds were already looking better. You took off the clothes you were wearing, folding them as best you could before placing them in the dirty clothes basket and finally stepping into the shower. You played with the tap for several seconds before finding the right temperature. 

You enjoyed the shower for long minutes, letting the water remove the perspiration and anguish from your skin. You left the shower after massaging your tired muscles with soap. Some of your wounds were covered by the water, so you were careful to wipe them off, not only to avoid hurting yourself, but also to avoid getting your blood on the towel. You grabbed the clothes you'd selected from all those lent to you by the two animatronics, this time a 'Nasa' T-shirt and shorts that you could use as leggings. You then left the bathroom, making sure it was as spotless as when you'd entered. 

As you walked along the corridor, you heard two voices, Moon's letting you know that the nocturnal animatronic had already arrived. Stumbling into the living room, you saw Moon standing there, the animatronic having removed his jacket, placing it on the back of the armchair as he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt. Moving closer, you saw that the first-aid box had already been placed open on the coffee table. You blinked, raising your eyes in the direction of Moon, whose scarlet pupils were fixed on you, and as he met your gaze he gave you a smile before saying :

"Good afternoon Kitten. How are you ?" 

"I'm... better." You replied after a little hesitation. "And you Moony ?" 

"I'm fine thanks for asking. Now, come over here so I can redo your bandages." 

"You've only just arrived..." You sighed, obeying the animatronic all the same. 

Moon laughed softly as he sat down on the coffee table, letting you take your place opposite him on the armchair. Once seated cross-legged, the animatronic picked up one of your hands with one of his own, beginning by examining your wounds and noting their evolution before disinfecting them one by one. Part of you wanted to ask Moon what he'd done at the police station, wanted to ask him if the investigation had progressed, if... If the police knew any more about what had happened with Mr. Botzaris. But you knew you weren't ready to hear that, not yet. You still needed time to put everything back in place, you wouldn't be able to do it perfectly but just enough not to collapse entirely again. 

You watched Moon start to wrap your hands with your bandage as carefully as was possible. You could hear Sun in the kitchen stirring the contents of the pots, his voice calling out to you that lunch would soon be close. You could feel your heart beating gently in your chest, not because it had to, but because you wanted it to keep beating, because of them. You could only be grateful to them as they both gently helped you heal your wounds.