James shifted her tail out of the way and flopped down on the couch. She pulled off her hat and set it beside her as it was uncomfortable. She had considered changing back immediately, but Paul looked like he needed to talk.

She understood. The police were sniffing for her, and somehow, they had found a connection between her and Paul. She glanced over at Paul, who sat beside her, looking down at his hands. He looked like he was trying not to hyperventilate. For some reason, the run-in with the officer had utterly freaked him out.

They sat there silently for a few minutes before Paul finally spoke up. "Did you do it?"

"Kill people? No. Hurt people. Not really. I did threaten a girl with a bunny, though," James said casually, remembering her fight with the girl in the hotel. "I guess I did sick a tiny bird on them too."

"This isn't funny," Paul said, turning his head to look at her. "I lied to the police. You lied to the police. They arrived at my door only a few hours after," he paused and gestured to the television, "that."

"Trust me," James said, gesturing to herself. "I am the last person who thinks this is funny. You think that was bad? Try having people try to murder you every few hours. I'm unsure how I'm even a functional person right now."

"James. I just can't handle this kind of thing. I just play cards and live off a stipend," Paul said, looking back at his hands. "I'm sorry, but I can't be seen with you. It's not a lot, but this is all I have."

"I-I didn't know it would come to this," James said, feeling guilty. "I didn't mean to drag you into this. I just... don't have anywhere else I can go..."

"I'm sure the police would understand if you just turned yourself in," Paul said hopefully.

"Your faith in our justice system is inspiring," James said. "But I would rather not spend the next twenty years in jail while they sort it out."

"You can't stay here. Can't you go back to Ravenwood?" Paul asked, sounding slightly exasperated.

James just stared at Paul for a few seconds before Paul looked away.

"Sorry, stupid question," Paul whispered.

"Yeah, they're probably tearing my apartment apart as we speak," James said, shaking her head. "I'm broke, homeless, and wanted."

"You're broke?" Paul said, looking up again. "I thought you were on vacation."

" I was on vacation. But yeah, let me just go ahead and use credit cards when my face is plastered all over the evening news," James said bitterly before sighing heavily. "Paul, you're kind of my only hope here."

Paul sat silently next to the fox girl for a few minutes before he, too, sighed and stood up. "Fine, you can stay the night. We can figure this out in the morning."

"Thanks-" James started but was cut off by Paul.

"But on one condition," Paul said. "You can't look like yourself."

"You're joking?" James said, glaring at him. "I really don't want to-."

"I don't care," Paul said, cutting off James again. "If anyone finds out you're here. I am super fucked. Okay."

"Yeah, like it's a bed of roses for me," James said accusingly. "I've had people attack me repeatedly for the last few days. Don't talk to me about fucked."

Paul laughed. "You don't get it. You're still here. I don't know how or why. But I'm not some movie hero, James. You said you outran a 'Ninja Assassin.' Well, I would just straight up fucking die."

James bit back on her retort and looked at Paul. His face was paler than it had been earlier that evening. Was he scared? Of course he was. She was scared, so it made sense that he would be, but she wasn't that scared.

"Right, sorry," James said, rubbing the back of her head but brushing past her ear on the way, which flicked at the disturbance. She could suffer with it a little bit. Paul was doing a lot for her. "You're right. Thanks."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She realized that something had happened to her. She didn't feel as afraid as she rightfully should. She had been like Paul after being mugged and the first monster fight. But now, the horror of that event seemed minor. She wasn't sure when things had gone from horrible to manageable.

"You... said something about a card... to keep me from being controlled?" James asked, and Paul simply nodded.

Another round of Wandering Pixies and Pyx's Rewind followed. Paul had found her an Equipment Card simply called "Loyalty," which she played before the fake Puppeteer card and once became the fox girl. But soon, Paul retreated to his bedroom.

James found a comfortable position as she lay on the couch. She was largely safe and wasn't technically trapped in this form anymore. She felt better knowing she could change back if she wanted to.

Still, things were going to be difficult moving forward, and she began to mentally plan for what could happen from there. Eventually, she ended up dozing off to sleep.

----------------------------------------

James' ear twitched as she heard noises around her. Her head was hazy even as she tried to make out the words spoken a few feet away. The gentle monster known as sleep had an iron grip on her, and she ignored it.

But her respite back to dreamland was short-lived. About a half hour later, she felt something poke her in the cheek.

James' ears folded back as she attempted to leap to her feet. In a show of impressive coordination and grace, she rolled off the front of the couch and onto her face. She could hear someone giggling nearby even as she struggled to climb to her feet.

"You didn't say she was cute," said a light voice filled with humor and the source of the giggling. "You also didn't say she was a she."

James pried open her eyes long enough to see a dark-haired, honey-skinned woman leaning on the back of the couch, looking down at her. "Mornin'."

"Who..." James said, looking around, slightly bewildered, still trying to get her bearings.

"Bel," Paul said, walking up behind her. He was already dressed and looked better than the previous night. "I thought we were going to let her sleep."

"It's almost noon, and her ears were twitching," the woman said, turning back to Paul, "I couldn't help it."

"Paul," James said as she finally shed the veil of slumber that had hung over her mind and focused. "Who is this?"

"This is... my Girlfriend," Paul said slightly shyly. "Isabella."

"Hey there, you must be the 'old friend' crashing at his place," Isabella said as she moved around the couch, took a seat where James had been lying, and put her hands on her legs. "So what's with the fluffy tail?"

"Wha-" James said, a bit overwhelmed by this girl. She quickly took stock and realized her Kitsen features were on display. She shook her head, and her ears folded back as she turned to glare at Paul.

"I forgot she was coming over," Paul said, instantly defensive. "It was a busy night."

"I... uhm. It's cosplay," James tried as she moved back onto the couch. She would have to try to keep her ears from doing whatever they wanted. That response got a laugh from Isabella.

"It looks great! So what's your name," she said, leaning forward towards James.

"J-James," James said, leaning back as the strange woman advanced on her.

"Well, nice to meet you," Isabella said. "That's an odd name for a girl."

"Y-yeah," James said, realizing she probably should come up with a fake name if she were spending any time looking like this.

"So, did you fall asleep in your cosplay?" Isabella said. "I didn't miss a con, did I?"

"Ah, no?" James said, actually uncertain. "Can I get some space?"

"Oh, sorry," the dark-haired woman said as she exited James' personal space. "Just never met one of Paul's old friends before. If I didn't know better, I would think he was cheating on me."

"I... ah... I'm not... I wasn't... you don't?" James said, her head figuratively spinning. This woman needed to consider some decaf. Speaking of, she could use a cup.

Isabella laughed again and grinned. "If he had balls big enough to introduce me to the woman he's cheating with me on, I probably wouldn't have survived our first night together."

"What?" James said, looking at Isabella in confusion as her mind caught up with that statement. The thought made her stick out her tongue in disgust. "Ew, gross. It's way too early for this, and I need coffee."

"It's almost noon," Isabella said cheerily. "You were sleeping the day away."

James got up and looked at Paul. "Got coffee?"

"Yeah, got a single-serve machine," Paul said, gesturing toward the rather obvious kitchen area.

James nodded and walked that way, her tail swishing behind her. But she hadn't made it halfway to the kitchen before Isabella got up and followed behind her.

"So, how does this work?" Isabella asked.

"How does what-?" James started to say before Isabella's hand clamped down around James' tail and yanked. James' felt a spike of pain travel up her tail, her spine, and finally out of her mouth. "Gaaaah!"

Isabella let go in surprise as James yelled, and her back arched from the sudden pain. James twisted around and batted at the woman's hands before kneeling and nursing her tail. She couldn't help but scowl at the woman. She also knew she had blown her cover in record time.

"Are you okay?" Isabella asked reflexively before adding. "I-It's real?"

"Yeah," James said, tears in the corner of her eyes. "It's real. Did you have to grab it so hard?"

"You're an actual fox person?" Isabella asked, looking down at James in bewilderment.