Chapter I: A Walk (Tycho)

I pushed open the door to my one room apartment, the shouts of the other tenants fading into background noise as the latch closed behind me. Without a spare thought I latched all the other locks, each one giving a solid click to let me know they were doing their job. A shuddering sigh escaped me as I rested my head against the door as the last lock clicked into place. A sorrowful meow echoed through the room, and I felt the tiniest smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

“Yeah, I’m back, Umbra. I managed to get you a can today. I know that you usually like to share what I’ve got, but today is your day. It is your birthday, after all.” I pushed away from the door, quickly stooping down to get closer to my cat. Her sightless milky white eyes stared out at me, seeming to gaze at me without seeing. Her whiskers twitched slightly as I held out my hand to her, and after a quick sniff she began rubbing herself against my hand. After a few quick scratches under her chin, I scooped her up into my arms, cradling her as gently as I could.

Her purring as I held her sent a spark of warmth into my chest, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling a smile that she’d never see. “I had the interview today. I think things went pretty well, actually.” Umbra curled up on the table as I put her down, her ears twitching to and fro as I spoke. “The interviewer didn’t seem to really dislike me, but I’m thinking that I answered all the questions well.” The can of cat food, the first one I’d been able to afford in weeks, was soon open and the food was in a shallow bowl.

I put the bowl on the table, sliding it just a bit so that Umbra could hear the slight scraping sound. She silently padded over to the bowl, and soon she was eating. I gently ran a hand along her back, smoothing her midnight black fur. “Umbra, I saw Perseus again, today. I know what you’re thinking, I shouldn’t keep going there... But I can’t help it.” Umbra stopped eating as I spoke, instead sitting there and cocking her head at me. “No matter what he does, and what he says, he’ll always be my brother.” Umbra let out a low meow her sadness apparent despite the fact that there were no words. “I know. I miss who he used to be. Back before mom died and dad left, we were always laughing and having fun together. But now...” Umbra took a few steps closer, and then she laid down next to my arm, her weight gently resting against me as she purred softly. “Now I’ve got you, and I’m slowly building up some bits. Maybe soon I’ll be able to get us something real to eat on a regular basis. Or, maybe, if I get really lucky, I’ll land this job and we’ll be able to afford a new apartment.”

After finishing my meal, a few scraps I had gotten together on the walk from the interview home, and making sure that Umbra was fully fed, I got the small bag of bits that I had been saving, and I counted out what I had saved up over the past year. “Well, Umbra, if this one doesn’t work we’ll be back to where we started. Four hundred and seven bits, and the shit hole around us.” She let out another meow, and I frowned. “We’ve made it this far. We’ll make it another winter if we have to.”

I reclined on my mattress, my arm serving as a resting place for Umbra’s head as she slept beside me. The events of the day ran through my mind over and over...

After finishing at the club, and with nothing left to do for the day, I decided that I’d see if I could buy a small can of cat food for Umbra. It was an innocent enough thing to do, and it didn’t even take that long to accomplish. After I finished with my purchasing, though, I found myself looking down the street towards the richest district in Canterlot. I knew what would be waiting for me if I went down that way, but... I hoped that things would go different this time.

A rapid burst of air escaped me as I felt the fist connect with my gut. Chilling laughter seemed to come from all sides as my vision narrowed, and I fell to my knees. Voices came from all sides as I tried to crawl away, but a violent force dragged me back to where I had fallen, a sharp pain flaring along my side as another blunt force collided with me. A set of hands grasped at me for a moment, before finding purchase and hauling me to my feet. The eyes I found myself staring into were nearly the same shade of green as my own, reflecting back my own ragged appearance.

“What have I told you, whelp? Canterlot’s upper districts are for the elite, not some ragged beggar without a place to call home!” His voice, despite the familiarity, was so chillingly different from how I remembered it. Gone was the faint accent that had once colored his voice, and, in its place, was the forced accent of old Canterlot. “I’ve told you a million times if I’ve told you once. You. Have. No. Place. Here.” With a grunt of exertion he tossed me back several feet, my body reeling backwards for a moment before my balance failed me, and I landed on my ass.

The jeering laughter resumed as I slowly made my way to my feet, the aching in my body forcing a slight limp into my movements. A new voice cut in, this one with a far thicker accent. “Perhaps, love, we might make an example of him? Show him how we must really treat his manner of scum?” She looked between myself and the man who had thrown me.

“No, Tam Tam. There’s no need. He’s learned his lesson. And this time, he knows, I won’t welcome him back. Not again. Not after what he did. And besides, the guardsmen might not be able to... look the other way if I went too far. I don’t want anything to jeopardize our trip to Firefly Island next month.”

I felt proud that I didn’t cry, but I felt my insides crumble just a bit at his harsh tones, and it was with a heavily burdened heart that I did venture back into Canterlot proper, each step filled with echoes of the mocking laughter. Minutes had turned to hours, and soon I was back in the poorer areas of Canterlot. While no one could claim that the city was poor, there were areas that harkened back to when Equestria was not quite so civilized and decent. Funnily enough, for those without the means, Equestria was still not quite so civilized and decent.

The change from the lower class neighborhood to the area where I lived was almost immediately apparent, as not only the architecture changed, but so did the manner of people wandering the streets. Unicorns, despite their prevalence throughout the rest of Canterlot, were in amazingly short supply within the shabby rundown areas in the city. Pegasi, too, were a rare sight. I always felt an outsider because of that, my well maintained horn acting as the only sign of who I was within the community.

Even with the advantages of magic, I found myself to be in the bottom one percent of even the poorest community in the city. I had, literally, everything I owned in a single shoebox inside of the hole-in-the-wall apartment I called home. As I reveled in my own misery Umbra stood, without a sound, from her place at my side, and she silently moved a few steps from the mattress, her ears frantically twitching as she stood in place. When her ears abruptly snapped back on her head, and she let out a hiss, I knew something was happening. The only times she did that was when something was in the apartment, or someone new was in the building.

I sat up on the mattress, looking around the room to see if something was there. Several moments passed in tense silence, and then a series of knocks sounded at my door. I felt a tiny stab of panic as I tried to think of all the possible reasons someone might be coming to my apartment. When no good reason presented itself I found myself at a loss. There were any number of ways to react to the situation, but not one seemed palatable. When the knocks sounded once again, I stood up, taking a few steps towards the door.

“Who is it?”

“Steel Bolt.” The voice was gruff and had all the grace of a two legged manticore. Combined with the thick Manehattan accent, and I had a bit of trouble making out all the words; “You interviewed for my employer a few hours ago. She wants to talk to you.” After a moment of hesitation on my part, the voice continued. “Something about hiring you, or something.”

I felt my heart skip a beat at that mention, and without a thought I went to the door, unlocking all the locks faster than I thought was possible. Once the last one yielded to my flying fingers I threw open the door, my eyes wide. For several long seconds I just looked at the wall of man before me. His arms were as thick as tree trunks, and he looked like he ate nails for breakfast. Without milk, of course. Needless to say, I was speechless. Not about his appearance, but the fact that I recognized him from the club I interviewed at. “She... She wants to what?”

The bouncer, for that’s what he was, rolled his eyes. “She. Wants. To. Talk. To. You.” He spoke louder than before, hoping that his meaning would be clearer with increased volume.

“We... We are talking about Vinyl Scratch, right? Owner and head DJ at Canterlot’s own Club Exotica?”

After rolling his eyes once again Steel spoke. “Yes. She had free time after you left, so she reviewed your paperwork. Now she wants to see you.”

“I need a few... Um... I’d invite you in, but... Just, uh... Just wait here, okay? I’ll just... Wait?” The bouncer sighed and nodded. I closed the door, whirling in place with the motion. I looked at Umbra, my smile wider than it’s been in weeks. Maybe even months. I knelt down next to her, quickly calming her down as she still had her fur standing on end. “I’m going out, again, princess. You stay here, and watch things while I’m out, okay? Make sure to maintain order over your domain.” After she let out a soft meow and went over to my mattress she curled up on it, her ears pointing in my direction. After changing into my best clothing, I gave Umbra one last scratch under her chin before heading back out into the hall. “I’m ready, Steel.”

He just grunted, but there was a tiny smile on his face. He led the way out of the building, and soon we were back on the streets of the city. “She’s cute. How old?” I looked over at the bouncer for a moment, and he had a smile on his face. Despite his hard gaze, there was only kindness present there. “Your cat. She’s beautiful.” I raised an eyebrow as we continued walking, and he offered a small shrug. “I’m a cat person.”

“Oh. Yeah, Umbra is four. She’s been blind her whole life. I found her when I moved... When I got my current living arrangement.” As we transitioned from the poorest section to the second poorest I could already see the tension in Steel’s body begin to relax. “She doesn’t let that stop her from hunting, though. I’ve watched her sit in one place for hours just to pounce on a single rodent that happens to wander into the apartment.”

“Is she magic touched?”

“Yeah. She understands me, and she can even offer up some basic communication back. Just meows, but often very pointed and inflected meows.”

“More than I can say for my own. I love my cat to death, but... After having one that’s touched it’s just... It’s not the same.” I nodded, and the rest of the walk passed in silence as we slowly moved from one district of Canterlot to the next. As we grew nearer to our destination I could already feel my gut tighten as nervousness gripped at me. Vinyl Scratch was one of the most aloof and mysterious people within the city, her appearances outside of her club limited to just a few times a year. Rumor had it that she would often venture out of Canterlot to do business, but I doubted the veracity of such claims.

When we reached the club we went around to the back, and the slight nervousness that gripped me before paled in comparison to what I was feeling at that moment. Steel opened the back door without hesitation, and I followed just behind him as he walked through the backworks of the club, each step taking me further from the perceived safety of the outside world. Each person we passed seemed to stare at me as I walked, and I could see the judgment in their eyes. My slightly ragged clothes and appearance was clearly more noticeable than I had hoped, and I could feel my feet grow heavier as I walked. Finally, after what felt like an eternity we stopped before a set of double doors.

“I’ll go see if Ms. Scratch is ready for you.” He pointed at a chair. “You can sit there. Try and relax, though. She’s not going to bite your head off.” I looked at the chair for a moment before I looked at the vanishing figure of Steel Bolt. The double doors closed silently, the well oiled hinges swinging without even the faintest sound. I’d never thought myself claustrophobic, but, in that room, without another soul around, and my life hanging in the balance, I felt as if the walls were closing in around me. My breathing quickened and I could feel my heart beating in my chest. With a conscious and focused effort I started going through the meditation techniques I’d been working on.

By the time the door opened I was in almost complete control of my breathing and heartbeat, each one slowed to a reasonable level, and with it my nervousness began to fade. “She’s ready to see you, Orion.” He stepped to the side, gesturing with an arm towards the interior of the room. “Best not to keep her waiting.” I offered a shaky nod as I stood and went to the door. The room was only dimly lit, and as I walked in the doors closed behind me, sealing me in with the DJ.

I looked around the room for a few moments, taking in the walls covered in magazine covers, each one from a different music periodical. Scattered amongst the covers were some gold and silver records, even a few platinum ones. At the end of the long room, though, was the main feature. A bank of windows, going from wall to wall, sitting just behind the desk. The chair was rotated to face away from me, but I suspected that the woman in question was seated in it. I shuffled a bit closer, my previous calm vanishing as I approached. I stopped walking when I was several steps away from the desk, and then I just waited.

It wasn’t long before the woman spoke. “Afternoon, Orion. I’m pretty sure that you’re wondering why you’re getting a second interview so shortly after the first.” She didn’t wait for a response before she continued. “Honestly, it was kind of a random thing. I usually get at least five applications to work here a week. Seems that I’ve got a good rep for running my club. But what the applicants don’t understand is how and why I hire people.” She stood from her chair and walked to the massive windows. “Most people would call my hiring plan random. I disagree. I’ve got a ninety-eight percent retention rate. Before you ask, the one that quit just couldn’t stand my music. Great friend of mine, but she can’t stand my music.”

I remained silent as she spoke, my eyes following her movements as she paced before the window. “But you... You’re not the same as all the other applicants. When I read over your long form application some things just seemed to stick out. Your residence, for one.”

“I can’t afford anywhere else.” I slapped a hand over my mouth, both amazed and outraged at my outburst. “I mean, it’s a strict financially oriented solution to --”

“You’re poor. I get it. No need to be ashamed, Orion.” She laughed softly as she gestured towards the walls. “All you see here? That’s the grand total of my wealth. When I started, I was just like you. I had a dream, a talent, and that’s about it. I scrounged together every bit I could, and I made ends meet however I could. Then, one day, I got my break. Seven years ago, it was. Best set I ever played.” She finally turned to look at me, her eyes hidden behind a pair of deep purple sunglasses. “Now, I think, is the time for your break.”

She strode over to her desk, and she shuffled around some papers. “Now, you applied for some menial task, really, I can’t remember what it was. You’re not getting that job.” I felt my shoulders slump at her words.

Was she really getting my hopes up just to crush them?

“You’re getting a different job. It says on here that you’ve got a knack for reading people. Your special talent?”

At the mention of my talent I couldn’t help but avert my gaze. “Yeah. If I spend just a bit of time with someone I get the ability to know most of their basic reactions. Angry, happy, sad, scared. Even if they try and hide it, I can pick up on it. After an hour of one on one contact and conversation the other party will be hard pressed to hide anything from me.”

“And that’s just what I need.” I looked back at her, surprise written plainly on my face. “I don’t exactly make it well known, but I’m not as popular as I once was. My music is... Stale. The crowd still enjoys it, but the love, the beat, is gone. The dancing is mechanical, now.” She motions for me to come around the desk as she heads back to the window. I walk beside her, keeping a bit of distance between us. “I used to be able to play the crowd like I play my music. They’d dance the dance I wanted, and they’d love every second of it.”

I looked through the window, marveling at the view offered up. From up here she could look at almost every part of her club. The stage where she performed was just below the windows, and the rest of the club was sprawled out around. The bar had several people behind it, restocking the shelves, and some other people were walking around making sure that everything would be ready for the club to open in a few hours. “I don’t know what changed, but I can’t seem to stop it. Each week my revenue goes down, and I soon won’t be able to pay myself. I’m already earning just a fifty bits a week for myself.”

“Why --”

“You’re my best candidate yet. You’ve got the talent, the personality, everything.” She seemed to hesitate for a moment before she continued. “If you’re willing to start today, I’ll give you fifty bits a week pay.”

“Twenty five. You need to eat too.”

Her laughter sounded like music, a gentle sound that soothed all the tension in the room. “Man, Orion, that’s touching and all, but I don’t think you get it. I’m still really rich. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. I just like to know that I’m making a profit here because it’s insurance for when something does happen.”

I hung my head for a moment before I looked over at Vinyl, her expression almost seeming eager. I could see the hope in her eyes as she looked at me, and I could almost feel the lie she was telling me. What she was lying about, I couldn’t say, but there was one there. “Alright, I’ll start today. But I’m still insisting on twenty five per week.”

Her eyes widened, and then she let a smile come to her face as she turned away from me to head to her desk. I saw the relief in her features as she turned, and I knew I had made the right decision. “You’ve got a deal, Orion. We’ll be opening in about two hours, so if you want to head home and then come back, that’s fine by me. If you want to stay, and familiarize yourself with the place, that’s fine too.” She opened up a few drawers in the desk before she pulled out a tag with a small cry of success. “And this is yours.” She turned towards me, and held out a fancy looking keyring with a few plastic cards on it. “These cards give you access to all the rooms in the building, and will only work for you, so you don’t have to worry if you lose them. Just, uh... Don’t lose them. They’re a pain to replace.”

I took the keyring from my new manager, and I let a smile come to my face. Before I could say anything, though, she dropped another item in my hands, this time a bag of bits, the unmistakable sound of rattling currency music to my ears. “Consider this your up front pay for the week. Plus one hundred percent for a hiring bonus.” The smile on her face was genuine, and even her eyes shared in the smile. “Feed yourself and Umbra, Orion.” She let out a laugh at my expression. “Steel told me. I like to learn about my workers, Orion. Even the newest ones.”

I only smiled before I started walking back towards the double doors I had come in. Before I reached the door I turned back to look towards Vinyl once again. She was looking down into her club as I looked back at her. “Thank you, Ms. Scratch. You have no idea what this means for me.”

She looked over her shoulder for a moment, her smile growing wider. “Vinyl, Orion. Just call me Vinyl.”

The door closed behind me with the same silence as before, and when I looked into the room I had returned to I saw Steel Bolt sitting on the chair I had been in earlier, a smile on his face. “She was right. You weren’t a hard sell at all.” I raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled. “She knew that you’d take the job. I thought you’d take a bit longer to agree, since it’s not quite an orthodox position.” He shrugged before he stood. “Guess I owe her a beer. Now, you gonna head home, or do you want a quick tour?”

“I’ll have the tour. I want to get to know the place where I’ll be working for the foreseeable future.” Steel only nodded and then we were off. Most of the back workings of the club were simple, and most of the doors were labeled with their purpose. A few of the doors had names on them, rather than functions, and when I asked about them I was informed that Club Exotica also employed no small number of dancers to further entice the customers into paying even more. I met a few of said female dancers, and they were all surprisingly pleasant, offering up congratulations on my new job, as well as trying to flirt with me some. I knew it was their job to do so, so they weren’t that hard to brush off.

The main floor of the club was remarkably simple to understand, having already seen it from above, but when out on the floor itself it was a bit hard to keep track of everything. With the overhead lights on, Steel told me that the club looked totally different from when it was in full swing. Pun intended. The tour of the floor led me to meeting the trio of bartenders, and they were all smiles to see me. Steel was good friends with all three, and soon the five of us were talking as if we’d known each other for years.

After talking for the better part of an hour, Steel led me away from the bar, and towards the entrance hall. There he quickly introduced me to all the bouncers, and they were just as friendly as the bartenders, despite their tough appearance. Steel joked around with them for a few minutes before we finally went back into the club where he led me up to the stage. The tour of the stage was the most boring part, right up until he led me to the slightly elevated section where all of the DJ equipment was. From what I could see Vinyl had full control over just about every aspect of the club from this single point. There were controls for the lights, the other various visual effects, not to mention all the musical controls. There were tons of notes scattered around the station too, some with incomprehensible scrawl on them, and others with more technical writings on them.

Once we finished on the stage Steel led me into the back once again where he showed me a last few rooms before we ended where we began. He walked into Vinyl’s office without knocking, and then he led me over to the window once again. I noted with curiosity that Vinyl was absent, and Steel just shrugged it off, insisting that she came and went as she pleased.

“This, Orion, is where you’ll be working from. You’ll have a direct radio link to both Vinyl and me and the other bouncers. If you spot trouble, let me or any of us know, and we’ll sort it out.”

“What about the link with Vinyl? What’s that one for?”

“That’s so you can help me with my tunes.” I turned to see Vinyl walking towards me, her attire different from what she’d been wearing earlier. While before she had on a pair of tight fitting jeans and a t shirt, she now had on a tight fitting cropped tank top, and a pair of low sitting, loose fitting white jeans. I could make out the top part of her cutie mark on her leg, but I averted my eyes before she could spot me checking her out. “You might not know much about the music I play, but I’m hoping that your ability to read people will let me better pick and mix music to please the crowd. We’ll be opening in about half an hour, so if you want to just relax before we start, that’s fine by me. I need to go finish prepping my magic station. Steel, seven o’clock sharp, you know the drill. And make damn sure you ID everyone. I’m not having a repeat of last month.”

“Right, Vinyl. I already talked with the boys about it, and I’ve taken extra precautions.”

“Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a DJ booth to take care of.”

I watched her walk out, and once the door closed behind her I heard Steel chuckle behind me. I felt my cheeks grow warmer at his laughter, but I didn’t look at him, as I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I’d been ogling my new manager. He walked off, mentioning that he was going to get my supplies, and I just nodded, my gaze now looking out into the slowly dimming club. The neon lights scattered about the room were already glowing in their various shades and hues, and the overhead lights were slowly fading to a much more subdued level.

In my mind I began breaking up the whole club into sections so that I could switch my view from one area to another in a methodical fashion in order to best keep track of the crowds. I looked down onto the stage for a moment, and I noticed as Vinyl was chatting with a few of the scantily clad dancers. Whatever they were talking about, it was clearly a topic they were enjoying as they kept laughing and smiling. After only a few moments the conversation broke up, and Vinyl walked over to her booth, one hand running across the knobs, dials and sliders as if caressing a lover.

I averted my gaze away from her so that I could see about preparing myself for my job, but without any equipment, or a crowd to monitor, I found myself at a distinct disadvantage. My gaze wandered once again to the DJ down at her booth, and I simply couldn’t look away from her. She moved with a casual grace from one task to another, her eyes occasionally closing as she simply felt her booth, taking in the mood of the room. I knew that I shouldn’t look, since she’s my boss, but there was a part of me telling me that it was okay.

“So, Orion, you ready?”

Steel’s voice snapped my attention away from Vinyl, and I looked back at him, my cheeks warm. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m good to go.”

Steel approached me before he looked out over the club. “This club... It’s her life, Orion. She’s looking to you to help her out quite a bit.” He held out a pair of walkie talkies, each one with a label on it.

I looked at the two radios in my hands, each one clearly labeled and marked. The thumping of the bass echoed through the entire building, and the speakers up in the office let me have a direct link to just what Vinyl was playing. The surging throngs of people seemed to undulate in time with the beats of the music, and so far Vinyl seemed to be doing a solid job of holding the crowd in her musical grasp. Still, I could see some small pockets beginning to show just a small bit of hesitance with the music, and the number of people roaming off the dance floor was slowly growing. I focused my attention on the rest of the crowd, and soon I had a vague idea of what might get some of those people more interested in the music, and, maybe, even draw some back.

I grabbed the radio that would allow me to talk to Vinyl, and I brought it to my mouth before I pressed the transmit button. “Vinyl, some of the people are getting a bit bored with what you’ve got on right now. Try something a bit slower in beat, but with a happy tune to it.”

“Thanks, Orion. I’ll see what I can do.” There was a measure of tension in her voice, and I glanced down at her from my perch to see her rummage through the cabinets for a moment before she pulled out a new record. With practiced ease she swapped out one of the records for a new one, the music shifting smoothly from the previous beat to a new one. The change in music prompted an immediate reaction from the crowd, and I felt proud of myself that the reaction was so overwhelmingly positive.

The crowd on the dance floor gradually thickened as the new style of music thumped out of the myriad speakers. Much to my satisfaction I even observed some of the people who left the dance floor returning. Content with how things were on the dance floor I shifted my gaze to the other parts of the club. Nothing of great interest was happening elsewhere, so I just settled myself into a slow rhythm, my gaze flicking from one area to the next every so often. In order to keep myself alert, though, I randomized where I would look next, and how often I would shift my gaze.

Eventually I spotted some signs that led me to believe something was going to happen at the bar, so I let out a call to the bouncers, identifying the man in question, as well as his drunken friends. Within moments and there were two bouncers at the bar, and just a couple minutes later I saw the offending parties being forcibly removed from the club. A small smile tugged at my mouth, and with that minor crisis averted, I fell back into my groove. Minutes turned to hours, and soon the activity in the club was winding down. The radio in my left hand crackled to life, and I heard some background noise coming from it for a moment before a voice finally sounded out. “Orion, great job tonight. Wait in my office, I’ll be up in a few.”

I let out a sigh as I put the two radios down on the desk Vinyl had in her office. I stood from the chair I’d been in, and I let out a groan as my joints popped in a symphony of crackles and snaps. I didn’t know quite how long it would be until Vinyl arrived up in her office, so I simply looked out onto the thinning crowd of party goers. With the club officially closed the lights were slowly coming on, driving out the partiers and allowing the clean up crews to start their laborious task. Just as I turned away from the window to look around Vinyl’s office, she burst through the doors, her attire even more ragged than when she had left it earlier.

I fought down the urge to ogle her once again, and she just walked around her desk before throwing herself into her chair. It rolled back several feet before stopping, and I was forced to step out of the way of it. “Man, Orion, that was great! I talked to the bartenders, and the ticketers. We’re up from the projected numbers! For the first time in months we’re actually meeting projected profit margins.” She leaned back in the chair for a moment, her hands coming up to her face. When she pulled her hands away, there was a massive smile on her face. “If you can do that every night you work, we might just be able to see about getting you a raise. Hell, maybe I can start paying myself a salary again.”

“Glad I could help, Ms. Scra --”

“By the Creator, man, Vinyl! I swear, you’re doing the same thing every new hire does. This isn’t some stuffy law firm, or some shit.” She turned in the chair to look at me, her glasses floating up above her horn. Her eyes shined with mirth as she spoke, and it came out in her words. “This is a club, and I’m not going to be your manager. I’m going to be your occasionally hard assed friend.”

I shook my head slowly as I let a smile come to my face. “Fine, Vinyl. Have it your way.”

“I will.”

“Good. Now, what days do I work? We never really covered that.”

She stopped reclining for a moment as she moved over to her desk. After rummaging through some papers she finally threw her hands up in the air, along with several papers she’d been holding. “Fuck if I know... I wrote it down somewhere, but I can’t find it now. How about, um... Every day we’re open? We’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Every other day we open up at seven, and close at two the next morning. Fridays we’re open till three, and Saturdays till four. And, so you know, all drinks you might want are on the house. No need for you to sit up here all serious like the whole time.” A wide grin appeared on her face as she leaned forward in the chair. “Maybe I’ll ask one of the dancers to come up and keep you company?”

I felt my cheeks grow warm, and I averted my gaze, much to Vinyl’s amusement. I laughed a bit myself, but when I looked back at her she just started laughing even harder. “No, ah, that’s not really necessary. I like to keep work and pleasure apart. At least, when I do work...”

“Aw, what fun is that?” I only shrugged, and she smiled once again as she settled more comfortably into the chair. “Still, I guess I can understand that. I love what I do, and I can’t think of a single thing that I’d rather have than this club, and my tunes.” After a moment of silence she stands from her chair, her arms flying up over her head as she stretched and let out a colossal yawn. “Jeez, I’m beat. Feel free to laugh at the pun.”

I shook my head as I started for the door. “Not even a chuckle, Vinyl.”

“Where're you going?” I looked at her, my confusion apparent. “You don’t have to leave just yet. I mean, come on. It’s your first day. At least share a drink with me, or something, to celebrate?”

I shook my head, but I let a smile dominate my features. “Not tonight, Vinyl. Is that a standing offer, though?” She gave a quick nod, and I gave her a thumbs up. “I’m going to hold you to that one, Vinyl. Now, though, I have to get home. Umbra’s probably worried about me by now.” With a shouted good night from her door, I made my way through the halls of the club, the other workers giving me smiles and congratulations on the good job. Seemed that word around here spreads fast, and everyone already knew about me, and what I was adding to Club Exotica.

When I finally emerged from the bowels of the club I glanced skywards, the bright light of Luna’s moon offering more than enough light to see and navigate by. The pouch of bits soon found its way into my hand, and I weighed it delicately, almost like I was afraid that if I was too rough with it the money would somehow be devalued. As I walked the streets of the city I marveled at how different it looked from the slums I called home. Here everything was properly maintained, and the streetlights were not only illuminated, but they looked like the ornate pieces of art that they were. As I headed for home, I found that I was looking at things in a vastly different light, metaphorically and literally, from when I was heading to the club.

I had a future, now. I had an income, and that meant that I could finally start putting aside to get Umbra and I a new place to call home. Somewhere that wasn’t the shittiest part of the city would be a good start, and then I’d take it from there. I amused myself with random fantasies of getting a new house for most of the rest of the trip back to my home, and when I stood before it, finally home after leaving nearly half a day ago, I found myself truly disgusted with my living arrangements. Rather than dwell on it, though, I simply lowered my gaze and started climbing the stairs to my apartment.

When I reached my room, and I opened the locks with my key, I was immediately greeted by Umbra’s hissing. I closed the door as Umbra continued hissing, and once the door was closed behind me I lowered myself to one knee, and I held out a hand towards her. “I’m home, princess.” Her hissing cut off abruptly, and then she moved from atop my mattress, her slow approach towards me as much due to her blindness as honest surprise. When she was just a few feet from my hand she plopped down, and then pointed at me with a paw, and then the clock just after. “I haven’t had a curfew in years, Umbra.” I moved a bit closer to her, and she nipped at my hand before pointing her head away from me.

“I know I left on your birthday, Umbra, but I have good news.” I put the bag of bits on the floor between her and I, making sure to rattle it just enough so she’d know where it was. “I've got a job. And now we can finally start really saving for a new place to live.” I pulled out a small item from my pant pocket, holding it out towards Umbra. “And, as a small present for your birthday, I went by an over night market, and I got you something.” Umbra moved to my hand and she gingerly sniffed the package before she pulled the wrapped fish from my hand. I just moved over to my bed as she enjoyed her salmon, and within minutes I had changed, and she had eaten the whole filet.

As I reclined on the mattress Umbra assumed her usual position, lazily curled up right next to my hand. I scratched her head softly, enjoying the warmth of her presence, and the sound of her purring. “Happy birthday, Umbra. I promise you that by this time next year we’ll be living somewhere new. Somewhere pleasant.”

Author's Note

Thus concludes the first step on Orion's long and winding journey. Where will it end, you ask? You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?

This is, kind of, an intro of sorts. The next chapter will not resume directly where this one left off, nor will it cover the next day. It will, in fact, be taking place several weeks in the future. Just thought I'd make that clear.