Werewolves have quite good hearing. As such, there is usually no reason to turn the volu up on this or any device too much. In quiet places, only one or two touches above muted is fine.
However, the last ti I was playing ’dia’ on sothing other than the setup in my apartnt, the video had terrible audio quality. So, I bumped that up to account for making sense of the distortion.
Almost all the way. Which ans that, because of that past failure to rember to turn it back down... Kyrie’s teasing voice filled the space around us with little chance of going unheard.
"Alright, Princess. Since you seem to need a tutorial on making my bed after you sleep in it..."
The phone slid right out of my hand - and I fumbled my first three catches. Once I secured it, I began desperately trying to tap the pause button before she says anything else *incriminating*. But I accidentally restart it twice.
> I did not need to hear her saying that title *that way* three tis... No, this man did not need to either. <
"That sounded like Kyrie Voss. The Ricoat Alpha. And..."
"I don’t know what you think you just heard. However, I can assure you that-"
"Ma’am. I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot here."
Rick held up both hands in a gesture of surrender, all but daring to take advantage of the mont. Though his lips twitched. With an infuriating amusent in his eyes.
"No. It sounds like we are *about* to. There is absolutely nothing going on between myself and anyone. Especially not..."
I point at the now silenced phone clutched against my chest. Holding tight to the aluminum casing like it might start playing again on its own if I do not.
Were that stupid, silly, sick wolf actually here I would... I would...
> No, I don’t actually know - Yes, I’m panicking again! <
"I will pay for every drink you’ve had tonight and every drink you plan to have for the next month if you forget whatever you think you just heard."
The hunter who only a minute ago had turned defensive and threatening to the werewolf I am, now leaned back in his chair. Completely replaced by soone who looked like he was trying very, very hard not to laugh at .
"Easy there. I’m not looking to blackmail anybody, especially not soone who has any kind of connection to our local leadership."
"What do you an *connected*? We have a professional arrangent involving... mutual assistance with... business matters!"
My phone is shoved back in my pocket before I turn to the side and close my eyes. My voice pitched really high just now. The back of my skull - and therefore my neck, ears, and probably my cheeks - all feel like it must be as red as the eye watering hot sauce I can sll from that table over there.
By the Goddesses, this body... never would I have gotten away with lying about my dalliances if it was the one my fox shifter self had taken on. Vrika eyes as I clench and unclench my fists in the mindscape.
Not because I took on my old human form again, but surely with the sorts of impressions and ’clips’ it sends... because it feels I am trying to deceive myself. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared so much with the spirit about how my interactions with those won often went.
> Then you wouldn’t be able to point out all the ways these have been different. Just... shush! <
When I open my eyes, I see Rick finishing a long sip of his final beer. The glass thuds on the thin pub-style table before he exhales heavily.
"Look, I apologize for coming at you sideways like that. In my line of work, when new faces show up around the sa ti trouble starts brewing, you tend to assu the worst."
I slowly sat back down... or rather, hopped back up on the seat - so there was nothing especially slow about it other than the initial reluctant step that way.
"No apology necessary. There is still a part of thinking that you reaching out to all of a sudden ans you are involved in their movents as well, you know."
"I am a community liaison, like I said. Among other things. So, reaching out and testing the waters with people is what I do. Especially when they show up at my establishnt."
Ah. That does explain more of his confidence in this location. Not just an old haunt he hangs out at, but the proprietor himself. Well, at least that ans I don’t need to actually buy any of his drinks.
"You said you’d been ’attacked’ yourself. Is this related to the current escalation between your old pack and... new friend?"
I hesitated to agree, even though he probably wasn’t wrong. The first ti after my clinic visit I can’t entirely be sure... as I didn’t get to question him much before Kyrie showed up. But the last ti?
"Rogues claiming to work for Chad Duskpaw."
"Yeah, we’ve got a file on him. He’s been recruiting heavily through private ssages these last months. Snapping up almost every desperate or aggressive mber of your kind that has been tossed out or left their territory for their own reasons. Promising protection in exchange for... services."
I thought about the silver poisoning imdiately. About the Whitecrest potentially being set up... and although I couldn’t entirely connect it to Chad considering all of it felt like a coup and he would have no claim...
"Services like kidnapping and sabotage?"
"You know sothing specific."
"Perhaps. But I’m afraid that I will have to ask you not to question on sothing which I am not at liberty to speak on."
Tapping his fingers on the table as I stared him down, I raised an eyebrow when he took out his phone. Looking quite identical to mine, minus the blue fox sticker on the back.
"I hear things from hunters that don’t always make it to the forum. You’ve got access to a figure I can’t touch unless I want burned."
My phone chid as a notification with the hunter’s app symbol about a contact being shared, questioning if I wanted to add it, appeared on the screen. Giving him another look, he raps his knuckles on the table.
"You hear anything helpful about Chad making moves you can share, you call or text . I find out where he and his new ’pack’ is holed up or what he’s planning next, I call you."
The way he said the organizational term made my eyes narrow. A gathering of rogues is not usually terd that way in this profession, because while one might be more dominant than the others they usually don’t consider that their Alpha.
> Just like I don’t think the humans I am adding to the system interface’s ’pack roster’ should call that... <
"Why? I don’t think I’ve done anything to earn an ounce of trust from you."
"Call it a hunch, call it whatever you want. But a direct line to the leadership could an whatever I tell you doesn’t get intercepted by the people I don’t want it to."
"People... like?"
"Luca Stroman. Victoria Whitecrest. Or worst of all, Claire Thomsson."
My cheek twitched. He seems so confident, so... *in the middle* of all of this. But does he really think there are things I can hide on this phone from that ’tech witch’? One of the very people who monitors all ’secure’ communications?
> Maybe her BoundaryKeeper persona is more of a secret than anyone told . The other hunters... don’t know the identity. Shouldn’t she have told to keep extra quiet about it?!
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