"Are you sure? In there?" Rikky thought to himself, examining the thing in front of him which claimed to be a bar. One of the windows was boarded up and the roof looked ready to blow off, but the soft hubbub from inside indicated that there was activity within.
"Yes. Definitely. She's in there," said a voice in his head, "I mean I could give you specifics, where she is sitting, what she's doing, but that would mean going inside her head and I thought the whole point in you coming was..."
"... not to get the information through psychic means. To ask her to explain. Right. You'll stick with me though, yeah?"
"Always", said the voice, warmly.
"Right."
Rikky took a deep breath and strode into the bar, on the lookout for a lady with memorable pink hair.
"Yes. Definitely. She's in there," said a voice in his head, "I mean I could give you specifics, where she is sitting, what she's doing, but that would mean going inside her head and I thought the whole point in you coming was..."
"... not to get the information through psychic means. To ask her to explain. Right. You'll stick with me though, yeah?"
"Always", said the voice, warmly.
"Right."
Rikky took a deep breath and strode into the bar, on the lookout for a lady with memorable pink hair.
The "Can O' Beans" bar had a name that was perhaps too fitting. It was hard to say how much of its smutz was just posturing and decor, and how much actually held the place together.
Margot sat sullen at her table, nursing a crappy beer. She was eyeing up the bartender. He had something wrong with him. Probably a vampire but the smell of smoke made it hard to say for sure. She didn't notice a newcomer. She'd been too busy ignoring the rest of the patrons pointedly so they would stop trying to talk to her.
Margot sat sullen at her table, nursing a crappy beer. She was eyeing up the bartender. He had something wrong with him. Probably a vampire but the smell of smoke made it hard to say for sure. She didn't notice a newcomer. She'd been too busy ignoring the rest of the patrons pointedly so they would stop trying to talk to her.
The man who sidled up to her was definitely not human, but she wouldn't need her nose to tell her that this time. She had seen him turn into a giant goat, after all. Rikky was dressed in his familiarly flamboyant clothing, a paisley shirt and coloured glasses, but his expression was anything but bright. He caught her attention with an expression that was piercing.
"Margot, isn't it? We need to talk."
"Margot, isn't it? We need to talk."
Margot snapped out of her staring and blinked in surprise, before letting out a strained sigh.
"Hey. Can it wait? I'm kind of busy believe it or not."
"Hey. Can it wait? I'm kind of busy believe it or not."
"No", Rikky said firmly, sitting down opposite her. "Cos I need to tell you about my friend Terrance. Sweet kid. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Trusting, kind. Happens to be a dog some of the time. And a while ago I came this close to losing him 'cos he got savaged by some rogue werewolf. I hear...", he said darkly, leaning forward and lowering his voice, "... that it was pink. But I suppose you don't know anything about giant pink wolves?"
A frown contorted on Margot's face, ever so slightly. Her grip on the beer bottle tightened.
"Giant pink wolves huh. Maybe your friend Terrance needs to get his eyes checked. Or maybe he's been hitting the bottle or the needle too hard."
She shrugged.
"Giant pink wolves huh. Maybe your friend Terrance needs to get his eyes checked. Or maybe he's been hitting the bottle or the needle too hard."
She shrugged.
"Let's stop playing games", Rikky said cooly, "I know you did it. I just want to know why. You never seemed like the kind to try to murder an innocent kid in cold blood. Have you got a grudge with his pack? Are you having trouble keeping it together when you're a wolf? Whatever it is, it needs to stop. I'd kinda like it to stop because I've helped you fix the problem. But there are other people who will make it stop in less friendly ways, yeah?"
"Oh, it's like that." She huffed again.
"I almost want them to try. It would be an easy lunch. If these anonymous people who you totally aren't affiliated with want to try out their less friendly methods, they better hope they have a little magic voice looking out for them like Terrance did. Or they might not be as lucky."
She shoved the bitter beverage away from her. She didn't particularly enjoy it anyway.
"As far as helping me out, it's not really something you can fix. Some things go above a social worker's pay grade. If you're really curious, it wasn't anything your friend did. Or anything any of his friends did. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's all."
"I almost want them to try. It would be an easy lunch. If these anonymous people who you totally aren't affiliated with want to try out their less friendly methods, they better hope they have a little magic voice looking out for them like Terrance did. Or they might not be as lucky."
She shoved the bitter beverage away from her. She didn't particularly enjoy it anyway.
"As far as helping me out, it's not really something you can fix. Some things go above a social worker's pay grade. If you're really curious, it wasn't anything your friend did. Or anything any of his friends did. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's all."
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