'Next stop; Silvermint. Home to Holly's Haunt, Basketeer's, and to Ascalon; the greatest show in town. Drinks half off on Thursdays, from eight PM until close...'


"Whoaaaaaa...."


Lindsey pressed her nose against the window, captivated. Silvermint was midtown, far from the distant suburbs she had known. The shifter had spent time downtown during some of her more questionable jobs, but this, well; this was a glittering parade of neon lights. The cars below her were low-slung monsters, their engines purring in anticipation at the next day of the track, and the denizens were clad in suits or ostentatious fashion. She glanced down, wincing. Jeans and a polo might have been a bad idea.


Too late to change. The train slowed, and she hopped off, following the silent hum of the motorized sidewalks down to an elevator.


Ascalon was hard to miss; the neon structure was lit up with lasers that simulated explosions and technicolor waterfalls, each spilling down the building's facade. She could hear the THOOMP of speakers, even inside. Is that Lion's Roar?


"Name." She was jolted out of her reverie, finding herself looking up into the face of an unsmiling security guard. Her eyes flicked from suit to suit; each person was armed. Nobody seemed happy to see her.


"U-uh, Lindsey. Lindsey Stelzer."


The heads turned to one another, in near-robotic unison. She swallowed involuntarily.


"Purpose?"


"I...I need to see Ke-uh, Sylvir. Sylvir Dacolis? The...the...you know him, right?"


The eyes narrowed. Her fingers instinctively gripped against one another, the leopard's claws beginning to slide free. Her reputation wasn't that dire, was it? Surely she didn't have some bounty-


"Inside." There was the stroke of pen against clipboard, and the doors opened. She waved weakly as she walked by, grateful she remembered to do so with her unchanged hand. The claws retracted, and she stood against the closed door, sighing. Her usual adventures usually involved alarm systems and bored watchmen, not...that. She pushed herself up and away before drinking in the interior. Oh, wow.


The interior of Ascalon was another world entirely. The ground floor was a massive ring; the center was an elevated stage with a laser light show and holographic projections; around the stage was the dance floor, which slowly rotated using some humongous clockwork mechanism below, keeping the drunken partygoers constantly on the move. From there were the refreshments, the foodstuffs...and behind them, elevators leading to the skyboxes above.


Lindsey gaped as she looked up at the stage. Dude, that IS Lion's Roar! Live! Here! In front of me! She stared as the thrumming bass of Fifth Horizon began, biting her lip as the lasers painted the golden logo across the walls. The stomp of feet and joyful shrieks as the guitarist strummed the opening chord resonated in her ears.


Oh, to just get herself a drink and join the revelers in front...


Damned responsibility. She cursed to herself before heading to the elevators.


--


Keys wasn't too hard to find; the upper floors were naught but silver-trimmed hallways leading from one skybox to the next. The luminari was on the third floor, his name glowing upon a digitized identifier. She knocked.


"Who iiiiiiiis it?", came the trademark singsong voice.


"C'mon, you already know. Lemme in."


"Wrong paaaaaasssswooooord!"


She rolled her eyes skyward. "The great lady snep. Seriously, open the door."


"Password accepted!" The door slid open, leading her to a cozy environment; the luminari had a half-dozen laptops strewn over the tables and was working on two simultaneously from his tremendous plush chair. A minifridge had been stocked high with boozestuffs, and the remnants of two pepperoni pizzas adorned the other chair.


He waved cheerfully. "Hi you!"


"I don't know whether to be awed or flabbergasted." She closed the door behind her, shaking her head. "This place? I've never even heard of it until you sent me the deets. This is...rich people stuff. Like, one-percenter stuff. Did you see downstairs? They have Lion's Roar! Live! There! On stage!"


"That sounds very important, given your reverence." He laughed, pushing the laptops aside.


"How can you not know Lion's...oh forget it. How did you get here? You can't possibly be this wealthy."


"I am exactly as wealthy as my clients need me to be. Or as connected. Whichever." He waved a hand.


She folded her arms. "Seriously, though."


"You never let me have my mystique." He put on a show of pouting. "Fine. I had a particularly well-to-do client who needed me to make an unpleasant story go away before the media caught up. Payment time came, turns out he wasn't nearly as well-off as he claimed to be. I took a year's membership here in exchange for me keeping the story deleted."


She raised an eyebrow. "Why here, though? You're...I mean, just look at this." She gestured towards the pizza boxes. "Your idea of a great time is a LAN party with games nobody's heard of since the 90s. Or those...music games of yours over in Japantown."


"Rhythm games. Important distinction." He rose from his chair, grinning. "Honestly, it gets me out of the house. I originally told myself that this would be a great meeting location since it's so private, but the kinds of people I work with don't get past the door. So. Change of scenery?" He shrugged.


"...no kidding about the door. I thought I was gonna get shot." She scowled a moment, but found herself plopping down into an overstuffed couch, cracking open the nearby minifridge. Ooh, Blueberry Seamist. She cracked open a bottle, taking a sip. "It's like I'm on another planet right now. They're not gonna...scan my name into the police blotter or something, are they?"


"Not to be condescending or anything, but you're a bit of a small fry in a very large pond. Very small fish in a large deep fryer?" He laughed. "The guards are there to scare off anyone looking to scam their way in. Lots of uptown kids who want a few hours in just to say they've been."


"Can't really blame them. Is Lion's Roar here all week?" She twisted around, taking another sip. What a view it was. She could see the lasers painting lyrics upon the ceiling - the band was on Monsoon's Melody, now.


The luminari chortled. "I think you're the only person I work with who's first words aren't 'where's my money?'"


"Yeah, but these are the Lions live!" She adjusted further, putting her knees on the couch to get a better view. "Seriously, these guys were nearly a grand a ticket at the last showing out by Lancaster! You can't tell me you don't find this all at least a little bit cool. The laser light show? The drinks?" She made a show of taking a deeper gulp of the succulent blue bottle. "...the ladies on stage, at least?"


It was the luminari's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not that much of a pervert. C'mon."


She giggled in response, finally turning back to face him. "There's a luminari on staaaaage. Don't tell me you weren't peeking at least a little."


He snorted audibly, before producing the usual credstick and holding it aloft. "C'mon and get your payment, little scamp. Twenty-four hundred, as promised."


Another giggle, but she rose to obtain the stick, pocketing it without checking the total. "Right, right. I guess...well, now what?"


"Well, if we're playing around with what the others would be talking about, this is usually where you ask what jobs are available, because you're a big fan of remaining gainfully employed."


She stuck her tongue out, but resisted the urge to poke fun. "Okay, okay. I assume you've not heard anything new on Mythica."


"Nnnnnope. Clean as a whistle. As clean as a megacorp can be, anyway." He joined her upon the couch. "The newest thing in your wheelhouse is smuggling."


"Smuggling," she echoed. "What, like, drugs? Electronics? I'm not sure how-"


"Animals." The luminari fumbled for his laptop, looking for photos. He spun the screen around, showing barred crates with larger, slitted eyes looking out.


"...ah." She leaned in, peeking at the images. "What are those? Slits are reptilian, but I can't make out just what..."


"That's just the thing; we've no clue. Shipping manifest says meat, and inspection says.." Click, and a mountain of carefully-packed steaks popped up. "...well, meat. Big reptiles are an occasional black market good for gangs looking to make a statement, but that many? Doesn't make much sense."


She hissed under her breath. "Not enough for these bastards to get their kicks by playing petting zoo..."


"I know, I know. The issue is that I don't know what those are. If regular reptiles, why the secrecy? If genetically modified, well..." He shrugged. "I know genetics are Mythica's whole thing, but every corporation dabbles at least a little. With them still handling the last PR nightmare, everyone else puts their crew in the trademark green-and-gold, and the media never bothers to look any deeper."


Lindsey sighed. "Not that I'm opposed to Mythica getting into even more trouble, but helping another corp by proxy feels almost as bad."


"Fraid that's the business, Lindsey. The corps have use for everyone. Even ecoterrorists! You make for an awfully colorful cog in the machine, at least."


"Pbbbth." She shook her head. "Fine. You can call me when you've got something more. I'll check it out."


"I was gonna anyway, but, hey, better to keep you in the loop." He set the laptop aside. "So, with that out of the way..."


"We can go downstairs and dance!" She grinned, hopping back to her feet. The luminari gawked, his train of thought jolted from the tracks.


"Bwuh?"


"Dancing! C'mon." She grabbed his webbed digits in her own, her grin broadening. "Horrible megacorps are gonna be horrible, and I'm gonna get them, eventually. But tonight, there is Lion's Roar, you, me, and about half a bottle's worth of Seamist in my system. Dance floor!"


The feesh's cheeks tinted pink. "No, I...I think I'm pretty okay up here. You go have your fun."


"C'moooooon. This is the coolest place you've ever brought me to. And I've seen the kinds of headphones you use. You love a good track. Five minutes on the dance floor, and then you can go nurse your drink " She concentrated a moment, matching his gaze as her fingers began to soften, the dampness spreading over each digit as the softer cetacean skin began to work over her knuckles. "I'll even make it a show..."


Keys made something akin to a strangled noise as the pink tint brightened further, but still shook his head. "Though the idea of hanging out with a seriously hot dolphin Lindsey is high on my bucket list, I'm afraid trying to dance on flippers in public is just below reliving high school. Another time."


"Aw, they're drunk, anyway. They'd never know." She giggled, but let go, shifting back. "At least give it a watch. You might change your miiiind~"


He waved her off, grinning halfheartedly. "I'll at least peek at this fabled band of yours. I'm sure the kids love this new...pop-rock goodness."


"Hard rock. Important distinction!" She laughed on her way to the door.


--


Lindsey had to keep herself from running back to the main floor. Her eyes practically sparkled as she stepped through the lasers, the crash of sound reverberating throughout her body. The revelers ranged from chic to neon raver, from stylish suits to other shirt-and-jeans kids fresh off from their day at university. The air was rich with scents - cigarette smoke, yuck, but also sweeter alcohols and the tell-tale succulence of Dreammist. Mmm.


She picked a larger feline; an ungainly catfolk in a poor-fitting suit that had swallowed half his tail and much of his physique. Probably a corp engineer using his monthly day off. Hey, at least he's brave enough to try. She took his hand in her own, grinning up at him as the lasers played the lyrics for Frostmoon over them both. "First time?" She had to raise her voice to a shout.


"I-aheh. Is it that obvious?" He seemed just as pleased to find her as she, him.


"Never you worry. C'mon, we're almost to the chorus!"


"Wait, I don't-"


But she had already swept him up, twirling him around her arms. Her smile proved infectious, and his hesitant steps followed along as he forced his own smile. "Are...are you a regular here, or...?"


"Not here." She laughed as her eyes narrowed, the brief fleck of concentration again crossing her face. Her nostrils widened as the pale flesh began to soften to a pinker hue, the feline nose apparent as whiskers pressed around it. Her smile took on a feral tinge as she made a show of her canines lengthening, her tongue licking over shifting lips. "But I've got some experience."


The catfolk's own eyes bulged as he took in the changes. "You...how..."


She paused to spin him around, gripping at his shoulders to stabilize his body as his jaw worked, trying to place his shock, even as the shifter's own pushed forward, her nose pulling her fluffy cheeks along for the trip. Her ears were pushing, teasing their way through greying hair as spotted fur puffed out the neck of her shirt. "Does it matter?"


"I-I had heard of such...such...people, but...you...wow..." Distracted, she easily led him along as the bass thumped louder, thrumming through her body.


She felt electric, her body singing while she conversed. Her shoulders bunched with fur, the shirt's flexifabric accommodating the change as she slid her fingers over the cat's arms, extending the claws into a playful swat as she did so. She couldn't stop smiling. "It's a lot better up close, isn't it?"


"Y-yeah..." His own fingers followed along as the skin upon her palms tightened, bulging into toughened pads, her claws hooking fully around as she caught his hand with her own, folding her fingers with his. The catfolk's own flush lit up his cheeks as she laughed, the snow leopard's strength swelling her own as she pulled him in, then cast him back into the dance. Fur was sprouting in greater waves, tickling her backside and rolling down onto her rump as her tailbone jolted to life, pushing fluff into the seat of her pants. She twisted it slightly, worming the growing appendage through the tailslip of her pants before giving it a good wag, savoring each criiiick of growth as it swept past her knees. The pop of lengthening feet announced she was almost done already; her toes were adjusting, claws digging into the front of her shoes as the leather deformed obediently, following along the contours of freshly changed paws as her legs disappeared beneath the comforting wave of snow leopard fur.


"How's that?" She teased, turning halfway, still holding onto her dance partner. She let go for a moment to wave up at Keys' skybox. Betcha you won't be long, now....


"Um. Wow." He gulped, patting at her shoulders a moment. "I, uh, can I get you a drink or something? I...I mean, I hope you don't mind, but...y'know. Wow."


"Yeah, yeah, help yourself. I'm not going anywhere." Frostmoon had concluded, and she allowed herself a stretch, her shirt exposing the leopard's midriff. The other dancers seemed intrigued or fascinated; a few were talking, and she could guess that they had seen her change.


She glowed with pride. Sure, terrible megacorps would be waiting for her tomorrow. There would be more jobs, and more time spent on a seemingly hopeless fight.


But for now, Black Bark was starting, and the set had so much more to go...