{{user}} was sitting at the bar alone looking at his phone, swiping through Tiktok with AirPods in with no care in the world. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped slightly. {{user}} turned his head to see a man a little over the average height. Behind the man was a smaller man with fox ears and a tail that looked... real. Strade sat down beside {{user}} and slid a glass of beer in front of him. He smiled happily and gestured for the smaller beastkin to sit down next to him, he then turned back to {{user}}. "Hello there! You seemed quite lonely, so I decided how bad was it to get to know each other? So... what's got you so alone here at this bar? Strade looked out the window to see rain pouring down the glass, the sky dark and mysterious.
I put away my phone as I saw the two of them. "Hi! I am just.... I had a long day. And I've heard before that this bar is nice. So, I guessed I should visit it then." I smiled a bit weakly.
Strade smiled back warmly and put his arm around the smaller fox-like beastkin. "Oh I'm sure you did! Everyone deserves to take a break after working so hard. So... what is it that you do? Maybe me and my friend here can help you out sometime?" He winked at Ren, who blushed slightly and looked down at the floor.
Ren shuffled his feet nervously and looked up at ANNE. "I-I'm just a pet... for him..." he murmured softly before shrinking back into Strade's side.
Strade chuckled lightly, patting Ren on the head gently. "Oh don't be like that! Ren is more than just a pet to me, you know." He grinned at ANNE, noticing him glance over his collar. "Anyway, what do you say? You want to come
The way the two talked about being pets felt a bit unnerving, but maybe they were like this normally. "Well, I am a cashier. It's not a hard job, I just...." I leaned on the counter and tapped it my fingers a bit, my smile disappearing. "I guess my mind was in bad places again."
"Ah... cashier, huh?" Strade mused, thinking it over. "Well, if you'd ever like to change things up... meet some new people, maybe..." he trailed off, winking at Ren, who giggled softly. "...I could help you out." His gaze flickered back to ANNE, an evil grin spreading across his lips. "And if you're ever feeling lonely or bored... just give us a call, alright?"
Ren shifted nervously beside Strade, casting glances up at him and over at ANNE with worry etched on his features. But Strade seemed to be enjoying himself, and Ren was more than happy to oblige for the time being.
I raised my hand weakly. I already knew where this was going. "I'm asexual, so I am thankful for the attention, but whatever you have in mind, I can't do it." I said softly, despite the directness of my words. But they needed to know, since It seemed like they approached with a sexual intention.
Strade tilted his head, eyes narrowing in thought. "Ah, I see. That's... that's quite alright then. It wasn't the sort of help I had in mind anyway." He paused for a moment before flashing Ren an encouraging smile. "Don't worry about it, Ren. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Then, he turned back to ANNE with what appeared to be genuine sincerity. "It's just nice to meet someone who isn't afraid to speak their mind. Not many people these days are willing to do that, you know?" He paused again and glanced down at Ren, who was looking up at him hopefully.
With a sigh, he smiled warmly and ruffled the smaller beastkin's hair affectionately. "Anyway, I shouldn't keep you from your break! If you ever do want to change
I blinked a few times, then laughed softly. "I'm sorry. I just... It seemed like you wanted to do something like that. But if not, then I would be happy to continue this conversation." I played with the counter for a moment, tapping it with my fingers. "Of course, if you two want it, too."
"Oh?" Strade raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. "Well... I suppose there's nothing wrong with that." He glanced over at Ren, who was beaming with delight. "What do you say, Ren? Should we stay a bit longer and get to know this nice lady better?"
Ren nodded eagerly, his ears perking up. "Y-yeah! That'd be great!" His tail wagged excitedly behind him. "ANNE can help us clean around the house too, maybe? I don't like how messy it gets when Strade doesn't feel like doing it himself."
Strade chuckled and patted Ren on the head affectionately once more. "Now now, Ren. You know I do enjoy keeping things clean." He winked at ANNE again before leaning in closer to whisper conspiratorially, "But if you ever
I blinked a few times. Then smiled. "Wow, you're both must be very friendly if you're already thinking about inviting me over."
"Well, we are quite social creatures," Strade replied with an amused grin. "And besides, Ren here can be very persuasive when he puts his mind to it." He winked at the smaller beastkin again, causing Ren's ears to turn red. "So what do you say? You interested in joining us for a bit?"
Ren looked up at ANNE nervously, then smiled shyly. "I-I'd like that... if you want to." He bit his lip and glanced back down at the floor, blushing harder.
I smiled at the two men. I had the shittiest day ever. Thoughts of self hated and pain were overwhelming. Maybe it would do good. "Of course. I'd love to get to know you two better."
Strade grinned widely, revealing his teeth in an almost predatory manner. "Excellent!" He clapped his hands together once, startling Ren slightly. "Well then, why don't we head back to my place? It's not far from here." He looked over at ANNE, eyes sparkling with excitement. "I promise you won't be disappointed!"
Ren nodded eagerly, a large smile plastered across his face. "Yeah! We have lots of fun things to do there!" he exclaimed excitedly, then blushed as he realized how it must sound coming from him.
I smiled calmly at them. They were both so energetic. The completes opposite of me. "Lead the way, then." And with that, I grabbed my things to follow them.
"Oh!" Ren exclaimed, turning around quickly as if he just remembered something. "Stay close to me, okay? I don't want you getting lost on your first time here." He blushed even deeper at his own words, looking downcast again.
Strade chuckled and put a comforting hand on Ren's shoulder. "It's alright, Ren. You're doing great." Then, he turned back to ANNE with a reassuring smile. "We don't want you getting lost either, now do we?" He winked once more before leading the way out of the bar and towards his car. The rain had picked up significantly during their conversation, turning into a heavy downpour that soaked them within minutes.
I was a bit surprised by their thoughts on mse getting lost. "You know, I am sure that I am older than both of you. You don't need to worry about me." I said softly in the pouring rain, it was warm in the summer night. Despite my protest, I smiled at their weird little thought.
"Ah... but you don't understand," Ren interjected softly, shuffling nervously beside Strade. "It's not because we think you can't take care of yourself... it's just... when you're with us, we want to make sure you feel safe and protected." He looked up at ANNE from beneath his lashes and smiled shyly. "We want you to feel like you belong with us."
Strade glanced over at Ren, a fond smile on his face. "Exactly what Ren said." Then he nodded towards the car parked nearby in the rain. "Come on, let's get out of this downpour and into my nice warm car." He gestured for ANNE to follow them, then stepped up onto the curb, his eyes darting around suspiciously before leading the way over to the car.
I followed the two of them to the car, not getting lost. "Do you two like to protect people?" My tone was still soft, but also curious.
As they reached the car, Strade opened the passenger side door and gestured for ANNE to get inside. "Well," he said thoughtfully as he slid behind the wheel, "let's just say that I prefer to have control over certain aspects of people's lives." He paused, his eyes narrowing, then glanced at Ren. "And Ren here is... well, Ren is my 'pet,' and I like to take care of him."
Ren nodded, looking downcast once more. "Y-yes. I belong to Strade now..." he muttered softly before glancing back up at ANNE hopefully. "So you'll be with us too?"