"Alright," Mr. Erin declared. "Our first priority is to gather info. We'll need to be stealthy, blend in, and not draw attention unless absolutely necessary. Is everyone clear?"

Mr. Xan shrugged.

"Sasha?"

She put away her commpad, Cici's messages disappearing.

"Yeah. Crystal."

As much as she wanted to keep reassuring the fox, it was time to focus up again. Having settled into a temporary room in the nearby city of Ursa, they had two days remaining to figure out why the Comet Man was there. If he was there at all. And to figure out what would happen when the two days were up. Despite Elisia giving them coordinates and a date, she hadn't exactly left them with any explanations. The fact that Iris was around was a good sign, at least. Now it was time to do some digging.

"Should we split up? Cover more ground?" Sasha asked.

"Are you trying to get stabbed, Panther? That's how you get stabbed."

"I'm not helpless, Mr. Xan."

"That's not what he means, Sasha," Mr. Erin came in. "We are in enemy territory. Splitting up guarantees we're easier to pick off."

"But we draw more attention bunched together don't we?" She poked at her ears. "We don't exactly blend in, y'know."

"Way ahead of you, Ms. Panther. Mush head."

Mr. Xan pulled a jacket from behind his back. It had skulls along its sleeve and a brown hood. Sasha stared from it to the smirking panda.

"You can't be serious."

He whipped out another, the latter a solid gray.

"They will help us blend in, Sasha." Mr. Erin took the second. "Too many may recognize us otherwise."

She groaned. "Cripes."

***

Though Sasha was fine with helmets and even the occasional sweater, she'd always had a certain dislike for hooded jackets. They always brushed up against her ears, especially the ones mass-sold in AIC space. Mr. Xan's hoodies were no different. Every twitch was akin to having her ears pulled back by one of her denmates. At the very least, he didn't make her wear shades. She would have rather worn a blindfold.

"So how do we get information, anyway?" Sasha asked. "Do we just ask around or..."

"Patience, Sasha," Mr. Erin said.

"What we're looking for is a guy," Mr. Xan came in.

"A guy?"

"No, a 'guy'. There's always one somewhere. Someone with an ear to the ground."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

She looked on confused.

"He means an informant," Mr. Erin explained. "Like Dyre. Most aren't as big or well-financed as her, but they're no less useful. The only issue is how hard they can be to find."

Sasha nodded, scanning around the streets.

Like most big cities she'd seen, Ursa was a maze of sapient races and buildings so tall they touched the clouds. As she expected, there weren't any other fur-covered races mingling about. Unless the butterfly kheprians counted. For the vast majority, it was a combination of humans, athians, and the occasional outlier here and there. It was one of those outliers that especially piqued Sasha's interest. A man with thick limbs and sharp horns growing from his head. He had a scar across his cheek.

"Is that a guy?" Sasha asked.

They both looked at him, the man sitting at a table with a small group. Two humans and a hexigian. They were all huddled by what looked to be a lounge of some sorts. The horned man slid something over, the hexigian taking it and leading the others away.

"That would be a guy, yes," Mr. Erin said.

The man sat back, picking up his drink and taking a sip. They all moved to meet him, crossing with another crowd to avoid being too obvious.

Upon closer inspection, the horned man did seem familiar. At least in the sense that Sasha could recall seeing people like him before. Bullimians, Mr. Erin called them. She tried to get a whiff of his scent as they approached only to recoil, instead smelling the many drink around her. Gah. What the heck? It was like they were holding skunks swimming in grape juice. She covered her nose, hanging back a bit behind everyone else.

The horned man continued sipping even as the trio came to his table. Neither liason spoke up, though. Not until he finally put the drink down, letting out a loud belch.

"Whatdya want?" he asked, his voice a gruff monotone.

Sasha grimaced, but her liaisons kept their blank expressions. Interrogation never was her strongest skill. Mr. Erin wordlessly pulled out Elisia's card, sliding it forward. The bullimian caught it, narrowing at the date.

"Dyre send you?" he muttered.

"Came on our own," Mr. Xan said. "Heard there was something big happening soon."

"Huh. That so?"

The bullimian flipped the card over.

"You know?" asked Mr. Erin.

"Never said that."

"But you do. And you'll tell us."

The horned man slid the card back. "And why would I ever do that?"

They stared at the man. He stared back. Sasha continued to dream of better smells, trying to will her nostrils shut. How could these people- Mr. Xan nudged her.

"Chets. Now."

She blinked. Was she supposed to bring money? Cripes! No one had told her- She fumbled for her commpad, but Mr. Erin stopped her with a hand.

"I got it," he said.

He reached in his pocket, coming out with a small wad of chets. She'd almost forgotten the funds came in paper form, Mr. Erin sliding them over and the horned man grabbing them without looking. His voice lowered, the bullimian setting his drink aside.

"A rally," he said. "A pretty big one. Got runners from all over the cosmos coming."

"Lead by who?" Mr. Erin asked.

"Dunno. Some big shot from Earth. Likes to call himself the Light Binder or some crap."

Sasha's ears twitched. So he is here! The urge for payback rose exponentially, almost overpowering the stench in her nose. This was it. This was their chance. As soon as he was out of the picture, Iris would have no problem coming back with her. And she'd take too much pleasure turning his face into a punching bag. She tried to keep her purrs quiet.

"Any idea where we can find him?" Mr. Xan asked.

"Can't help ya' there. You're better off waiting like everyone else. That man loves to disappear."

The horned man sat back, his voice returning to normal.

"Now, if you're not here to buy, you can all get lost. I don't sell to kids."

He looked at Sasha, though she ignored the insult. She was too busy plotting revenge.

With a mutual nod, both her liaisons drew away, Sasha trailing behind them. It was only seconds after they left, that another group appeared at the bullimian's table. His tone was just as inviting towards them.