Chapter 21

Before opening the clinic for the day, Lennard brought out the small rack from under the reception desk and set the vials of the healing potion Harlow had brewed the previous day into their wooden slots.

"Here we go," Lennard said to Harlow. "These are going to sell well today, I can feel it." He then stepped outside to the courtyard to sip his tea before patients started arriving.

Harlow shook his head and watched Lennard step outside. Lennard had woken him up early that morning, anticipating a heavier traffic of injured people for the harvest festival. Harlow was now able to do most of what Lennard could do, at least in theory. But knew his job would still be more fetching and cleaning than anything.

"If it gets too busy, you can take care of the small stuff: cuts, dislocations, and so on. But we can't have you playing doctor just yet," Lennard had told him.

Harlow knew Lennard was right, but he had been working with Lennard for the past two harvest festivals and hadn't really noticed much of an uptick in patients. He did hope the potions sold well, though. He was happy he had been able to create them and to have something he had done bring in some money."

Lennard stepped out into the brisk morning air and inhaled deeply. This was his alone time, his chance to enjoy the day before having to do any actual work. He usually stayed in the lab and drank his tea, but since Maka and his mother were still in the recovery room, he decided to let them sleep. He was also usually gassy in the mornings and decided to spare them the discomfort.

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As predicted, a large number of patients came in that morning. Most had simple cuts or bruises, but there were a few more involved cases.

There were two broken bones: one foot that had gotten caught under a cart's wheel, and the other arm of a boy who had gotten too close to a man practicing with a wooden sword. The child was lucky that it was not a real sword, or he would have lost his arm.

There was also a woman who had dropped a large kettle of hot jam on herself. Lennard humorously whispered to Harlow, "That was a sticky situation." And an older gentleman who had chopped off a finger with his axe.

Harlow was able to treat some of the patients who came in on his own, while Lennard dealt with the more serious injuries. Harlow felt that he would have been fine working on the more serious injuries as well, but he understood their need for secrecy.

Neither of them wanted to have to make excuses, and allowing people to learn the truth was out of the question. So it was better for everyone if Lennard dealt with the more involved cases.

There was also a difference between knowing what to do and actually having done it. Harlow had the knowledge, but he didn't have the experience of dealing with a lot of injuries. He knew that this wasn't the time to start gaining that experience.

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Shortly after midday, a special visitor entered the clinic. Both Lennard and Harlow looked up as the bell rang out. "Crossman!" Lennard bellowed, a bit too loudly.

"Fatso!" came the reply from the Tanuk'isan. "Are you ready?"

Harlow wasn't sure exactly what Crossman was talking about. He looked at Lennard with curious eyes.

"What's that?" Lennard replied, just as curious as Harlow.

The chubby Tanuk'isan bounced over to Lennard, who had stepped out of the lab. "Ready to party!"

A look of surprise washed over Lennard's face before turning once again to curiosity. "Party, Crossman? What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember? Has your brain turned to fat too?" Crossman asked before bouncing up onto Lennard's shoulder. He then leaned in and whispered into his ear.

The look of confusion quickly became a look of embarrassment and the skin under his gray fur became noticeably pink.

"Oh, uh hum," Lennard cleared his throat. "You do know, I mean I was, but, but now." His words came out tangled.

"But it is festival, and you already paid!" Crossman threw his arms into the air and spoke loudly from Lennard's shoulder.

Harlow was completely confused now, and the patients were looking their way as well. Lennard beckoned Harlow to follow him, then put on a large smile and waved to the patients, “Be right back everyone, just a little personal matter I need to tend to.”

He and Crossman exited the clinic through the back door, Harlow a step behind. He closed the door as he exited the building.

"Crossman, you can't just bring stuff like that up in public," Lennard said in a loud whisper.

"What stuff?" Crossman said jokingly and slid from Lennard's shoulder. He inflated his sack and landed on it skillfully, without so much as an extra bounce. "I was just reminding you of your plans for this evening."

That caught Harlow's attention, and he looked up at Lennard with a side-cocked head. "Plans?"

“Uhhh…” Lennard let out an exasperated sigh. His hand moved to cover his eyes and he shook his head slightly.

“I may have… scheduled… a meeting tonight… with Venestra, right?”

Crossman’s face took on a devilish grin and he said in a seductive tone, “Unless you would rather I stepped in.”

It took a few moments for Harlow to really understand what was going on. He remembered Lennard mentioning this Venestra before, but he had no clue as to whom he was referring to.

The implications were startling to Harlow to say the least. “Did Crossman just say he would take their place? Was Venestra a sex worker? Did this mean Crossman wanted Lennard? Had they done things before? Did she work for Crossman? Was Crossman a…?” Harlow’s mind was churning.

Harlow didn’t really know the term for someone who ran a, “sex-market?” He didn’t know what even to call that type of establishment.

The tension was palpable and Crossman seemed to be basking in it. He bounced merrily up and down, running his small hands over Lennard’s arm. “Well?”

Lennard looked at Harlow, who was obviously lost in thought, trying to figure out just what Crossman was talking about. He knew this was going to take some explaining and an uncomfortable conversation.

“Settle down, Crossman. Let me talk to Harlow for a minute,” Lennard said with regret. “He doesn’t know about your backroom establishment.”

“So, Harlow. My love. Life-bonded,” Lennard stalled, trying to come up with the proper way to come out with the unusual and somewhat embarrassing information. “I guess you didn’t know much about my, uh… after-hours activities from before?”

He wrung his hands in front of his belly, finally placing one on Harlow’s shoulder before proceeding. “It’s like this. I’ve been alone all my life, as you well know, but males have certain needs.” He bobbed his head a little towards the bouncing Tanuk’isan.

“Crossman here caters to clients, usually males like myself, who enjoy having those needs met by another person… sometimes.”

“I have a brothel in back of my store!” Crossman practically screamed with excitement. “Lennard here is one of my best customers!” He said, clapping Lennard’s arm.

Lennard, if possible, turned ever redder in the cheeks, which Harlow found greatly amusing. A crooked smile turned his lip upward.

"Brothel," Harlow asked aloud. "That's what you call a place where... ladies, err, I mean I guess guys too?" He had explored enough of Lennard's memories that he had an idea of what happened in such establishments. He hadn't paid much attention to the details though, so was a little foggy on things like the vocabulary people used.

"Yes!" Crossman cut in again. "I call them my girls, but I think the term is 'hookies.'"

Lennard looked up to the sky and muttered something under his breath before continuing. "Yes, well, I paid for the pleasurable services offered from time to time and had made an arrangement to meet up with someone this evening. I mean I did, before we..."

Harlow chuckled and cut Lennard off. The pieces finally fell into place. "So you were supposed to be with this… Venestra? Was that her name? But now Crossman wants to take her place. But you're conflicted because you're with me now?"

"Yes, Venestra. And yeah, that pretty much sums it up," Lennard said dryly.

"But if you wanna join in too, we could all three have a good time!" Crossman said as he bounced over to Harlow. "We already touched tails, remember?"

Harlow definitely remembered. It was the first time he had shared his tail with anyone from another species. It wasn't an unpleasant experience, but it wasn't like sharing with another Canursid.

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"Honestly, Harlow, there's no need. I'm much more content being with you than I have ever been with anyone else," Lennard said, looking him in the eyes. "You are all I need."

Harlow felt the same way, but he also knew this was something Lennard had enjoyed and didn't want to take that away from him. It was also a new and exciting experience that he could have.

He didn't necessarily find other people unattractive now. He just didn't have the same sexual thoughts or desires for them that he used to. But if it were a circumstance that involved Lennard as well… He thought to himself. Maybe with Crossman, and his magical sack… There were some interesting possibilities that passed through Harlow's mind.

He looked back at Lennard, who was looking at him with a mix of fear and curiosity. Harlow broadened his smile and turned to Crossman. "So, do you have any special tricks you can do with your sack?"

Lennard's eyes bulged as he realized what Harlow was implying. He looked from Harlow to Crossman, whose eyes bulged as well, but not from shock. They were bulging with elation and surprise.

"My sack can do many wonderful things for you two!" Crossman said with enthusiasm.

"Then I guess it's a date," Harlow said, smiling at the bouncing Tanuk’isan.

Lennard smiled a little too, but he was still feeling shaky. He had been embarrassed, intrigued, and then completely shocked by Harlow's suggestion. Now, it seemed that they were both going to mess around with Crossman tonight, and his sack that could do wonderful things? He had never really thought about that aspect of being with Crossman before, even though this was not the first time he had offered.

"Okay, big boys, I'll see you after the fireworks," Crossman said with a huge smile. "Be clean!" He waved goodbye and bounced off joyfully.

Lennard continued to stare at Harlow until Crossman was out of earshot. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I mean, the sack thing. I never thought about that before, but..."

Harlow chuckled and gave Lennard a hug. "No one will ever mean anything more to me than you, but this is something I've never done before. I'm kinda excited. I wouldn't do it without you there though."

Lennard returned the embrace. "You surprise me, cub."

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The afternoon brought with it another slew of patients. Luckily, nothing major since Maka still occupied the recovery bed. Throughout the day, Lennard had checked in on him. It looked like his focus was returning somewhat. However, there was still something that tickled Lennard's mind about the boy's state. It felt as though he were missing something, something vital to his recovery.

He was still unable to talk properly, but that could come with time. It was true that recovery from injuries like this could take a long time, and in some cases the issues were permanent. He hoped that wouldn't be the case for Maka, but the continued inability to focus or communicate was worrisome.

Luckily, the interior of the wound had stopped draining and Lennard had been able to close up the area with the bore hole. Maka would probably always have a tender spot there, but it was better than being dead or suffering more brain damage.

Mika stopped in as well, accompanied by her brothers. She asked politely if she could check on Maka. Lennard walked her in and explained to Jenba how Mika had brought him in, telling her that she had saved his life. He left out the part where it was because he was showing off for her that he fell in the first place.

Jenba hugged Mika and let her talk to her son. She took advantage of Mika's presence to step outside for some air. "Jenba, this is Niko and Neko," Lennard said. "Although I'm sure you already know who they are."

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Ansong," Neko said, bowing.

"We're sorry to hear about Maka," Niko added, kissing her hand.

"Boys, so formal," Jenba said. "We've known each other for years."

They both laughed and apologized. Jenba then excused herself to use the restroom. That seemed to be the cue they had been waiting for. Niko took Lennard by the arm and guided him into the lab, while Neko went to get Harlow.

"Tails," they said in unison.

Lennard smiled and Harlow agreed, guiding his tail next to Lennard's. He felt the twins both join in the connection. He knew exactly what they wanted, and he had a good idea why. So Harlow pulled them all into his mindscape immediately.

Harlow remembered that the last time he had been here, he had transformed the area into a jungle vista with Lennard's familiar tub at the center. The tub would still be filled with Lennard's memories, if he were not mistaken.

However, he wasn't sure if Lennard would want to have those accessible to the twins. Also, if he were honest with himself, he felt a little selfish and didn't want to share those parts of his lover with anyone else. So without a moment's hesitation, he changed the scene back to its original form, the surrounding area from his physical eyes.

They all came into being instantaneously, their consciousnesses now appearing as fully formed avatars. They each still had a glow behind them, representing their auras, but the avatars could now intermingle and articulate.

The thread that connected them to Harlow glowed brightly and another attached to Lennard as well. The bond between the two brothers was visible and bright, almost matching the one Lennard and Harlow shared.

The twins looked around in awe. Their avatars' eyes widened in amazement.

"Holy shit!" Neko exclaimed.

"Shitty hole," Niko followed.

They both chuckled. "Backward phrasing."

"This place is amazing," Neko said.

"Beyond amazing," Niko said, seemingly awestruck.

Lennard and Harlow just looked at the twins and smiled. Harlow, still feeling the weird sense of displacement from seeing the world from his physical point of view, decided it was time to change the scenery.

"I think I can do better than this," he said nonchalantly. With a quick mental push, he changed the surroundings. The colors blurred and swirled around for a moment, then tables and chairs formed, the walls became solid, and glasses of mead appeared before them.

They looked around and found themselves in The Soft Underside club. The room was decorated with candles and chandeliers which hung high above. Multiple table sets surrounded them, but they remained slightly blurry.

Harlow had taken his memory of eating with Crossman and Lennard the other day and morphed it into this place. He purposefully blurred the area around the central circular table, so as not to draw attention away from the four participants.

“Care for a seat?” Harlow asked as his avatar moved to sit in one of the ornate chairs. He was quite pleased with the way the place had turned out, since he had only been in there once. He saw some details that were not quite right, but close enough for the time being.

They all sat down around the table and took a sip of the mead which had appeared before them.

"Not bad," Lennard said. "I could get used to this." He drained his glass, and it automatically refilled itself.

"I doubt you'll get a buzz from drinking here though," Neko chuckled.

"Unless Harlow wants you to," Niko added.

Harlow thought about that for a moment and decided he probably could make that happen if he wanted. He decided to keep that information to himself for now, though.

The next while was spent informing the twins of the way Harlow was able to control his mindscape now. The twins were veritable fountains of useful information, even if they were a bit jealous of how fast Harlow’s mindscape had evolved.

Their own psychic area was still more complete and functional, but it had taken them years to learn and develop it to the point it was at now. Harlow, on the other hand, had only known about this ability for a few days and could already do most of the things they were able to do.

After a bit of gloating from Harlow and envy from the twins, the subject turned to Mika and Maka. The twins knew of the love interest between them, and they had been planning to have a conversation with Jenba and Kyaro about it. The timing of this accident was very unfortunate.

“But you two haven’t told Mika about The Bonding right?” Lennard asked.

“No.” Niko answered. “”We have made sure to be very diligent about keeping that information from her. We want to figure out how to make this work for her in the best way possible.”

“So you aren’t even sure if Maka will make a proper recovery, Lennard?” Neko asked next.

Lennard wished he could deliver better information to the twins, and to the Ansong’s for that matter. “Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to look inside and see how much damage has been done.”

A pregnant pause filled the place. Each one of them considered the situation on their own. The circumstances had left all of them wondering about what would happen, both to Maka and Mika, but also about their own circumstances.

“But what if there is?” Niko asked suddenly, breaking the silence. They all turned to look at him. “I mean, what are we doing right now? We’re basically looking at each other’s consciousness. This is how we see ourselves, the way we think and communicate. It isn’t a direct way of looking at the physical damage, but Harlow would be able to see how much of Maka’s brain is still functioning, right?”

"Me?" Harlow asked, startled. "Why me?"

"It's obvious," Neko said. "This is your ability. Lennard can't do it, and we can only manifest this between ourselves."

"He's right, love," Lennard said. "It would have to be you. And I think this is another one of those times where the benefit outweighs the consequence, like with Marney."

The twins raised their eyebrows in question. Lennard explained what they had done with Marney and what they had discovered.

"But her mother goes to church every week?" Niko asked.

"Unfortunately," Lennard replied.

The twins shook their heads in disbelief that the woman wouldn't believe her own daughter.

The four of them went silent for a moment before returning to the subject at hand.

"You'll need a moment to join tails, but it shouldn't take more than a second or two to establish the link and find out what's going on in there, right?" Lennard asked his lover.

Harlow was taken aback by the question and had to think for a moment. "Uh, yeah, I guess, but I don’t know if I can do this without you there. I mean you have always been with me, and I kind of feel like it takes both of us" he finally replied.

"How much do you know about the bonding ritual?" Neko asked.

"Really? You want to just tell him that way rather than talk to Kyaro?" Niko scolded his brother.

"I mean, we could still talk to them, but it give him the chance to make his own choice and..." Neke stuttered.

Lennard stepped in. "We don't even know if he's awake in there yet. Let's not start planning his mating already."

The twins nodded, but gave each other a side glance. They would have to discuss this matter later. They rarely disagreed on anything, but this was one of those times.

Neko believed that they should hurry up and get Maka, or someone else, to perform the bonding ritual with Mika. Niko was more hesitant. He agreed that the bonding needed to be completed soon, but he wanted to take a more cautious approach and make sure that all parties were in agreement.

The four friends sat and sipped their mead for a time. The atmosphere was somewhat tense, given all the possible outcomes they had been discussing.

Harlow was scared to join with Maka, not because he feared what he might find in the boy's mind, but because he and Maka would forever have a shared experience of combining tails.

Harlow had avoided touching people's tails as well as his own for so long that the thought still felt awkward to him. In the past week, he had connected with more people than he thought he would in his entire life. He had even allowed a person of another species to touch his tail.

With each consecutive person he connected with, the sacredness of his tail seemed to lessen. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He had always been taught to keep his tail to himself and to never touch anyone else's tail without permission.

"But aren't those tenets of the Ailuropoda?" he thought to himself. "Aren't I already living my life in opposition to them? Do I really want to base my life on old traditions and values?"

As if his thoughts had been spoken aloud, his three companions looked at him and smiled.

"You do realize we're all in your mind's creation, right?" Neko said with a smile.

"So whatever you're thinking about, we hear as well," Niko finished, his smile broadening.

Lennard chuckled and reached for his partner's hand. "I didn't know that either, so we're both learning something new. But those questions you just asked, you're on the right track. We all have to pretend to follow along with what the black and whites say is right, but we obviously don't fit into their structure, so we've chosen to lead our lives the way we see fit."

"We," Neko said, waving around to the three of them sitting at the table with Harlow. "Believe that as long as we are good people and care for others, we shouldn't need a religion to tell us how to live."

"If people need to be told how to be good to one another, then are they really good in the first place?" Niko added.

Harlow nodded. He had been coming to the same conclusion for a while now, but he had never associated it with religion. He hadn't been raised with any religion, and his home had been devoid of anything spiritual or life-affirming. But for this one point, he was suddenly grateful that he hadn't. It couldn't make up for the neglectful childhood he had experienced, but at least something useful had come from his father's miserable existence.

"So then connecting tails with people isn't as bad as I was led to think?" Harlow asked.

All three of them chuckled. Lennard turned to look at Harlow and told him, "Look at us here now. It's because we are able to use our tails and our gifts. The Ailuropoda try to keep people from learning of and using these gifts because if people did, they wouldn't need the church anymore."

Neko added, "So while we have to be careful with who we connect with, the connection itself is never a bad thing."

Niko finished, "Also, the more we connect with people, the more we are able to open their minds to the truth."

It all began to make sense to Harlow now. The twins had always been kind to him and helped him when he was younger. It explained why Lennard had chosen to perform the bonding ceremony on him, since his father couldn't. He could understand now why Lennard had freely offered his tail to Crossman, and why it was so important for them all to use their abilities to help people. It was the right thing to do. It wasn't something they learned from going to church; it was just them being good people.

As if his new mindset influenced the mindscape, the details of their surroundings became clearer and brighter. Harlow felt as if he had finally opened up fully to the connection and allowed the way Lennard and the twins remembered The Soft Underside to influence the area.

It finally wasn't just his place anymore, but theirs as well. They were a part of his true family, and their love influenced him and his ability.

As the changes flashed through the mindscape, the occupants all stared open-mouthed at the detail and clarity of the space. The room was exactly as they knew it to be in the real world, and they could all feel their part in contributing to its makeover.

The connection hadn't just opened up for Harlow, but for the twins and Lennard as well. They had all connected multiple times before, but those were mere glimpses of each other compared to what they felt now.

"This is how it feels between us," Neko said solemnly to his twin.

"I didn't think this would be possible between anyone else," Niko added.

The string that had connected them all before was gone. In its place, a thick strand of light formed. But it wasn't visible in the normal sense; it was felt more than seen. There was no longer a need for a visual connection between them. Their souls were bound.

Harlow looked at the people here, who he counted as family now. "Okay, let's figure out how to get us close to Maka without being seen. We'll need a distraction for his family so I can connect to his tail." He told them.