Sam and Chip choked on their ka-pi as Sela smiled pleasantly, whiskers twitching. "Oh! Hello, I'm Sela and these are my friends," he said, extending a paw. "Nice to meet you."

The black otter accepted his paw and they shook hands.

"Also, you're sitting in our friend’s seat," Sela continued.

"Sela," Sam said.

"If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get that cloak? Did a raven give it to you?"

"Sela," Chip said.

The black otter grinned. "Sela, your brain is as thick as your muscles, isn't it?"

He blinked, taken aback. "I'm sorry, what..."

Sam and Chip groaned, slumping back in the booth. The serving mouse arrived with a tray heaped tall with fish, and placed it in front of the black otter. "Your order, milady druid," he said.

Sela tipped his head. "You're a druid! You must know our friend River, she's a raven about this high, black feathers... black and blue bow..." Sela looked to the otter’s sleek black fur, and her dark silk bow. "Just like yours, in fact! Is it a druid thing?"

The black otter giggled.

"Sela," Chip said, "she's playing you."

"No she's not, she's a perfectly nice otter." Sela gestured broadly with a paw, and then paused. "Wait." He squinted, taking his time to look over the newcomer.

"Black bow with blue... cloak with a cowl… is River in trouble? Is she having problems? In the bathroom? Do I need to get her out?"

Sam cackled, laughing in little wheezing breaths until she fell out of the booth with a thud. Chip groaned, dropping his head to the table.

“River is fine,” said the black otter evasively, and Sela nodded, apparently satisfied by that answer.

"What's your name, by the way?" he asked.

Sam slowly picked herself up from the floor as the black otter giggled. Chip reached out to hold Sela’s face in his paws.

"Sela, you beautiful, beautiful otter," he said, "that is River."

Sela looked to River, then back to Chip, who slouched back in his seat. Sam had lapsed back into laughter.

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"Nuh uh," Sela said. "River is a corvid, this is clearly a black river otter from the river otter tribe of..."

Sela looked to her bow, then to her cloak, then back to Sam and Chip.

"No..."

"It is me," River said. "You might be beautiful, but damn, are you something else." River waved a paw in Sela’s face as she shoved down a handful of sweet rolls. Even by otter standards, she seemed rather gaunt.

"Umm, if I may ask, you uh... you look a little bit different," Chip said.

"Chip! That’s not something you say to a lady, especially a druid," Sam shot back.

"It's okay." River shrugged. "Making the transformation, it takes a lot of" – she gestured to the plate, piled high with sweet rolls, and swallowed down another two before finishing her thought – “energy.”

"That's fascinating," Sam said. "You can change forms like that? I have so many questions."

Chip stroked his soul patch.

"If you can turn into an otter, what else can you turn into? Is there a limitation? Do you need to eat a lot of food? How long can you stay transformed?"

"Those are all trade secrets, Chip. It would be like me asking you the best way to serve or sell fish-on-a-stick, or asking Sam what the secret sauce is, or asking Sela… well, any question, really."

"Hey!"

Sam and Chip chuckled, bumping into each other awkwardly. They both blushed, and fell into another bout of giggles.

"Speaking of, I heard a rumor that the beavers are doing their own cooking competition this weekend," River said, finishing the plate.

Sam brought her knees up to her chest. Her eyes were locked on the plate.

"It was like a snake devouring an egg," she said.

River burped. "What? It took a lot of energy to do this!"

"So many sweet rolls…"

"Oooh! Another competition?" Chip leaned forward eagerly "We could use this as a trial run. I know enough beavers that I could find out where this competition is."

"It's on some ship with a complicated name," River said.

Sela and Chip groaned.

"What? What did I say?"

Sam unclenched her body, allowing her knees to drop. "You're probably talking about the CEBOB ship. It's got the only sanctioned casino we run on the water," she said. "Entry is for beavers and otters only."

"That's... an interesting rule... but I can get in now, right?" River said.

"I mean, yeah, but then you'd learn some otter and beaver trade secrets. I've heard that the food is amazing, though," Sam said.

"There's a policy of whatever happens on the ship stays on the ship,” Chip mused, “but I guess a friendly competition..."

"We should do it. I'll be the muscle," Sela said.

The table was quiet for a brief minute as the serving mouse came and grabbed the empty plate.

"HEY WAIT A MINUTE! You guys all assumed that already, huh..."

"How many days did you say again, River? And can you keep this transformation up long enough for a competition...?" Chip said.

"Indefinitely, as long as I get to eat from time to time," River said. "And the competition should be in about three days."

"Okay, so you'll all come meet my raft tomorrow, and we'll practice with Uncle Stone and..."

Chip explained his plan, bringing in conspiracy, and the group resolved to have a big dinner the next day at Chip’s house.