Try as they might, there was not a single inn open for them to stay at. "That king." Twibright looked around as they approached another closed shop. Their doors and windows boarded up, the creatures inside all having either left the town or were hiding within. She couldn't tell by looking at it. Either way, not open for them to enter. "There's not a single place to stay the night."

Watcher nodded his agreement. "Not a single place out here. But, I am quite certain we can find a place elsewhere." He looked back over his shoulder, towards the stalls that appeared to be closing for the night. "If we act quickly."

Twibright trotted along at his side, hooves clopping softly on the cobblestone. "The king isn't going to be happy if we're found sneaking in somewhere."

"I have no intention." He brought Twibright back to the skunk who was quite busy putting her merchandise away. "Excuse me."

"What's that?" She turned on him, eyes narrowing. "You two again. Look, I've got to get these things packed up before dark. If you want something, speak up already!"

Twibright pricked an ear, getting what Watcher meant without saying it. "We're new in town, as we said before, and we have no place to stay the night. We tried looking for a place, but they're all closed."

Her ears flicked back as her tail flagged. "Oh no. I've only got so much room." She waved them away. "Go on now, try the other shops. Someone else will take you in, surely."

Watcher didn't move from her stall. "Unfortunately, we have attempted, ma'am. We will abide the rules you set for us. Is this a matter of payment?"

She looked them over, considering. "I'd be setting myself up for theft. No offense, but you're strangers."

Watcher turned to Twibright. "I suppose I should have thought of that."

Twibright shoved him with a hoof. "We are not thieves." She pointed at herself. "I'm Twibright, it's nice to meet you."

"Names are cheap." Her eyes narrowed a little further, but a sigh escaped her. "You make it hard to stay suspicious at. That's a foul trick you have there, small horse." She reached to ruffle the top of Twibright's head. "I swear. You two get my place torn apart and you can look forward to a life behind bars." She stood upright, gathering up the last of her things. "My name's Lulu, by the way, since you were so kind to offer yours." Her tail swished a little slower, calmer now as she got things in order. "If you want to stay with me, you can, but there isn't much room."

Lulu hauled her bag of things onto her back, leaving very little behind in the stand. "Not large, but it's a home. Keeps the wind out, and the ruffians. All I asked of it."

Watcher walked along at her side, Twibright not far away. They were getting looks from other creatures, but fewer than before, and not as many eyes remained for long. Each pair that lingered would turn away before long, each set finding something else to be doing.

"You two are so new." She snorted as she worked a key into a door. "Not good at hiding it either. People will give you looks. Give one back, or ignore it." With a shove of her rounded form, she battered the door free of its stuck point and revealed the way inside. "My home is yours, while it lasts."

Twibright stepped inside, taking the small but lived-in place in with wide eyes. The walls had a coat of paint that looked to have seen better days, but was holding up well for its age. Hanging on the walls were little things she had gotten from who knows where. Little pictures and keepsakes. The ceiling was high enough for Watcher, though the furniture would be less than accommodating.

Lulu hummed softly to herself, hanging her bag beside the door as she kicked her boots off. "Ah dang, I forgot to go over an important bit." She battered the door shut with a strong swipe of her thick tail. "If you want this tail, you ask first. I'm not interested in being forced, and I'm strong enough to throw the two of you out at the same time if I have to."

Watcher waved a hand gently. "Not interested."

Lulu gave him a confused look. "Not interested? You sure?" She cocked her head to the side, ears perked curiously.

Twibright looked between the two with even more confusion. "I thought, from what you just said, you wouldn't want him to be interested."

Lulu threw up a hand at that, the other busy locking her door. "I said I wasn't interested in being forced. I wouldn't mind a little fun with a fox built the way he is. But don't worry, little horse." She bent down to pat Twibright on the cheek. "If that's all you got, I can make it feel good."

Twibright wasn't entirely sure what that meant either. "Are you, um, propositioning me?"

Lulu moved through the living room to a half kitchen where she got to work. "If you want it to be. I prefer males, but females can be fun too. You have four legs, so that's a bit different. Little pony, you still have the same things in the same places, right?" Her eyes raked over Twibright, as if trying to see through her for those bits.

Watcher cleared his throat, stepping in front of Twibright. "We aren't interested in your body."

"You have the meanest way of putting things." Lulu turned her eyes to what she was preparing. "You should learn from your friend. She puts out a much nicer feel to her." She waved them away. "If you aren't interested in having some fun, then go ahead and wait until I'm done in here." She poured a bit of oil into a pan. "I'll make it worth your while, but no, not like that."

Twibright peeked out from behind Watcher. "Being nice is a, well, nice thing to be. You haven't given me any reason not to be, Miss Lulu." She rubbed at her cheek with a hoof. "You are a little forward. I'm not used to the speed things move at around here."

Lulu's laughter was light and airy, like she was used to it. "Yes, well, when you have days like the one I've had, you don't let an opportunity slip by." She turned a black ear towards Twibright as she cooked. "When any day could be your last, you take what you can and hold it tight. The way it's always been. Life is a short, bright, bloody affair. Waiting for something's a good way to never get it."

Watcher nodded, his tail swishing gently as he did. "We do agree, in that respect. It's good to take what opportunities you have." He paused a moment before adding, "When you're certain of the consequences."

Twibright gave Watcher's tail a little bat. "Which you can never be entirely certain of, but taking precautions can still be advantageous. Lulu, do you mind if we ask some questions?"

"Sure, why not? If you want my life story though, I'm afraid it isn't all that interesting." She turned the stove off and scooped out a helping of her food for each of them. It seemed she had quickly prepared some sort of long noodles with a tomato'sh sauce for all of them. "Just surviving in this city I call home."

Watcher accepted the offered food as he mused on that. Twibright had brought up a good point, but he wasn't sure where to take the conversation next. "I'd like to know if there has been anything unusual happening recently."

Lulu laughed, body jiggling with the sound that echoed. Someone thumped from above them. "Oops, neighbors don't like loud noises. Anyway, a day without something unusual is barely a day." She pointed at Twibright. "Why, today a quadruped person wandered up and said hello in a nice way."

Twibright gave her an annoyed huff, then ate some of her noodles. "Mmm, you're good at making pasta."

"Thank you, you're so polite. I have to ask what your favorite foods are." She waved her fork at Twibright. "If I have the things, I'll make it for you come the morning, you sweet little thing. Now, you have more questions than that, I imagine."

Watcher cleared his throat, trying the noodles with some relish. "What about something unusual that isn't a daily occurrence? Something that would shake up this world, and the way it functions."

Lulu chewed on her lip for a bit while she ate, thinking that one through. "That's an awfully big question." She swayed her equally large tail, clearly musing on it. "Let's see. The biggest thing that comes to mind are the new laws the king slapped down. Worst big of hogwash I've seen out of her yet."

Twibright slurped down some of the noodles, leaving her snout dotted with red splotches. "If she is a she, why is she a king? Shouldn't she be a queen?"

Lulu rolled her eyes. "That's a question I've asked many times. The only thing anyone will tell you, though, is that she claims its part of the old ways. If you ask me, she's just an entitled royal brat." She glanced away. "Not that you heard that particular part from me. I like my head attached, kindly. Don't go making that less likely."

Twibright nodded, returning to her food. "I like my head attached too. I wouldn't dream of it."

Watcher ate quietly as he watched the two. "Any idea what prompted these new laws? Did something happen to the king, or around them perhaps?"

"Not that I know." Lulu waved a fork at him. "You'd think she was influenced by something." She shrugged. "But who knows what goes on in her head. She's been a strange one for a long time, but this is a new low for her." She tapped at the ground. "Murder was already a crime most kinda just accepted, but she made it official! Kill someone, right in the street. Not a crime." She folded her arms under her chest. "That's no way to have things."

Twibright blinked. "Wait, you can just kill someone in the streets now and get away with it? Isn't that dangerous?"

Lulu scoffed. "You think?" She shook her head slowly. "Ugh. If I saw a blade on either of you, I wouldn't be risking this. Please don't make me regret it." She tilted her plate, gobbling up what was left of her share. "I don't want to die tonight."

Watcher nodded along, though he was taking note of another thing she said. "You said murder had always been something of a gray area before? It was wrong, but not illegal? How has that changed things?"

"It means people that like killing don't wait in dark alleys at night anymore." She pointed firmly at her door. "It means everyone's locks were replaced with higher quality iron. It means you stick to the places you know, and the people you know." She barked into laughter. "It means you don't go taking in strangers."

Lulu grabbed Twibright suddenly, hauling Twi up into her lap for full body pets. "But, I was blinded by cuteness. If you do kill me, put that on my tombstone at least."

Twibright yelped as she was grabbed, but didn't fight it. Her body shivered with tingling sensations. "That tickles!"

Lulu stopped for a moment, letting Twi breathe. The petting resumed the moment Twibright seemed settled. "You don't get pet often, I gather. Pity, such a cute little thing should have an easy time getting company."

Watcher leaned a cheek on a fist, his elbow firmly propped against her table as he watched Twibright's body wriggle in Lulu's lap. "What other laws did she pass that strike you as unusual, even for her?"

"Well," Lulu said as she gave Twibright's side a particularly rough rub, "there were plenty. She made some laws about the way people should look and talk, but that's always been a thing with her. She gets fashion twitches and shares it with us. If you're not in her view, no big deal. But if she happens to wander past and you don't match, you're in for a world of hurt. A very short world of hurt. There's a reason people take off running if they spot her cart."

Watcher nodded along with her. "Anything else?"

Lulu's eyes widened with a thought. "Ah, yeah. She's trying to enforce the law against magic now. Never has before. But today I saw someone dragged off for using it. You two don't use magic, do you?"

Twibright dropped a noodle she had been floating. "No magic?"

Author's Note

Sit down. We'll hang around this world a bit this time. Still curious if folks have a world they want visited.

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