You can do this& You can do this& Averi`s just taking a few more minutes to get here.

　　Cassie kept repeating that same mantra in their mind while keeping eye contact with their reflection in the bus window. It was approaching dusk, and the sky was already dark.

　　Their mirror self looked as sad as they did, wearing some kind of attempt at a dragon onesie for a costume. Their orange and black fur covered face stuck out from the red material of their full-body suit.

　　Each minute on the vehicle led deeper to their anxiety, they sat at the very front on a single wide seat, squeezing as best as they could to prevent anyone standing from asking Cassie to sit down by them.

　　Cassie slowly turned their head around, giving the standing passengers a quick glance, before shooting their head back at their reflection. The bus was nearly packed, and they could feel the eyes on them for their seat hogging.

　　An old bear especially had a hard time getting a seat, no one offered theirs, already a disrespectful motion to elders. But the worst of it was when the bus came to a halt, the bear nearly flung into a seat with two rabbits sitting down.

　　Realizing this was their stop, Cassie quickly crawled off their seat, and bolted for the front door, nearly tripping over onto the pavement as they got off the bus.

　　No one saw that, NO one saw that.

　　Cassie frantically looked around, like a person trying to find something in a room they`re in while standing still. Confirming to their thoughts, no one saw that, as nobody was around.

　　A trumpet ringtone went off, setting Cassie into a sudden panic, before realizing the sound was their own phone. A call, specifically. All they had to do was answer it&

　　But the phone was in their suit.

　　Cassie fished inside from the right arm sleeve and released their arm inside the costume, fumbling around their pajamas underneath for their pants pocket with the device they needed.

　　Grabbing the phone, Cassie pulled their arm back out of its sleeve, and answered the call, without checking the caller ID.

　　"Cass, you good?" Asked a smooth voice, kind of like a jazz club singer. Cassie knew that voice all too well, it was Averi.

　　"I& uh- I got off the bus." They answered, subconsciously rubbing their free left paw on their right arm. They both said nothing, causing silence to echo in Cassie`s large ears.

　　"You don`t sound good." Averi remarked, their tone between skeptical and robotic. It was always hard to tell what someone was saying in Cassie`s calls, the audio receptor needed fixing.

　　Cassie didn`t answer, their frown decorating their face.

　　"Look, I know yer thinkin` about being alone for a bit, but I promise ya, once my shift`s done, I`ll get over there, and we`ll eat all the snacks on the table, yeah?"

　　Cassie`s mouth moved to a bit of a smile.

　　Their eyes darted down the street. "...Yeah."

　　"Can`t talk lon`. Still gotta deal with all these stocks, just stay cool, and you`ll be that." Averi said. Cassie could tell she had a wide smile as she spoke.

　　Averi made some smooching noises, saying "Kisses darlin`!" and ended the call. Cassie chuckled lightly, and shook their head. Gotta focus now.

　　Holding the phone in their paw, Cassie slowly made their way down the street, and turned over to their destination. Damian Faux`s two-story house. There were a few people in the front yard, all wearing different costumes while sitting in beach chairs. One of them held a vase on their lap.

　　Cassie approached the front door, dodging the lawn people as they conversed about something Cassie had no interest in listening to, their focus was on getting in the house first thing.

　　Reaching for the knob, the door swung open, as a group of wolves in vampire costumes poured out, nearly stampeding over Cassie. They held onto the railing of the stairs in desperation, trying to slink out of their path.

　　Cassie drew some air through gritted teeth, trying to subsidize the pain from their feet being stomped on. With one quick glance in to make sure no one else was coming out, Cassie entered the house, shutting the door with a loud bang.

　　A silver fox wearing the most stereotypical skater outfit peered their head from around the corner, trying to identify the cause for the door`s loud roar. "Cassie?" The fox asked.

　　Shoot!

　　"Hey, er- Damian, right?" They said, each word coming out in a slow calculative way, progressively sounding like a question each. Damian approached the dragon onesie`d partygoer, and gave them a rough pat on the back. "Yup, where`s Ave?"

　　"Oh& she`s& uh, still working."

　　Damian tilted his head at Cassie`s response, as if looking at it from a different angle could help better understand it. "Weird. I guess her boss is holding her overtime."

　　He scratched at his knees, nearly tearing the hole in his jeans to be larger. "So, you`re& kinda early." He said, reaching a clawed finger into his maw, taking out a piece of lettuce.

　　Cassie`s crimson eyes shrunk a bit, ashamed in such a situation. "R-really?" They looked around for a moment, seemingly a normal living room decorated for Halloween.

　　Two cats in a Batman and Wonder Woman costume sat on a couch aimed at a small flat-screen TV.

　　I hope they didn`t see all that.

　　"Party`s meant to start in half an hour, but hey, Ave told me you`re an early bird." Damian laughed a bit, trying to lighten the moment.

　　What else did she say about me?

　　"Anyway, ground rules." Damian began, his friendly expression turning into more of a serious one a military sergeant would make. "Upstairs is off limits, except for the bathroom."

　　"W& what?"

　　Damian`s expression shifted to more of a judgemental one. "Last time I had a party, two PARTICULAR people&" Damian paused for a moment, turning to stare at a pair of cats wearing a Batman and Wonder Woman costume on the living room couch.

　　"...did SOME VERY normal stuff in my bedroom. Still got the smell." He finished, folding his arms at them. They both smiled awkwardly, shame in a wide grin, and scurried off.

　　"So, unless you`ve got to use the bathroom or something, try not to go up there, that`s really all I gotta say."

　　Yup!

　　Cassie stared at Damian dumbfoundedly, the vulpine gave her an awkward grin while expecting an approving response.

　　"...You got that, Cassie?" He said, snapping his claws in their face. Cassie`s face shot back, leaning away from Damian`s sharp grippers. "Uh, yeah. Yup."

　　Damian`s grin widened, a sparkle in his amber eyes gleamed, as he said "Radical." Cassie squinted their eyes at that old word being used.

　　"Anyway& I`d love to get to know you and stuff, but I gotta check on the lawn. Tyler`s run off with my damn vase."

　　And just like that, Damian twirled around Cassie, opening the front door, running out, and let the wind shut it for him.

　　Cassie let out a long gasp of air from their lungs, already fatigued from just one interaction.

　　Just gotta make it till she`s here.

　　Taking the leverage to explore their surroundings, Cassie started by turning the corner they saw Damian come out of before. It looked to be a small kitchen, a sleek black and white design, like something you see from an unfinished kitchen design in a vacant house.

　　Countless bowls and styrofoam cups laid across the kitchen island, covered in multiple different snacks and foods, from packets to pre-made chili. Who`s eating chili?

　　Cassie chuckled for a moment. Averi would.

　　The front door burst open, as Damian walked into the kitchen.

　　"Got the vase." He said, gasping for air in the middle of his sentence. He walked past Cassie, putting the purple and black ceramic vase on a shelf by the fridge. Its pattern looked similar to a tie-dye technique.

　　Damian looked Cassie up and down, as if scanning for problems. "Are you wearing pajamas?"

　　"Uh& underneath my dragon costume."

　　Damian put a clawed finger to his chin. "I thought the costume was the pajamas." He lowered the finger, seemingly pointing to the living room.

　　Well, it does& kind of look like pajamas.

　　Damian shook his hands in a swaying motion in front of Cassie. "Not calling you lazy or anything, I just& uh& expected better?"

　　Cassie frowned for a moment, before realizing something they could use to swipe in for a kill. "What& are you?"

　　"Skater." Damian answered swiftly, as if a rehearsed question.

　　Cassie tried copying Damian`s smug smile. "We`re both lazy."

　　"Hey, if it makes you comfortable."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

　　The front door burst open again, such assault going unnoticed by the house owner. A few people began pouring in, with a diversity of costumes to be seen, and voices to be heard.

　　Cassie turned around, standing just to Damian`s side while the wave of partygoers flooded in. They both watched in awe at the number of participants.

　　So many people.

　　Damian walked off into the living room, presumably to set his foot down as the host of the party. Cassie stayed in the same spot they were in, watching the living room slowly crowd up both physically, and mentally. Too much noise for them to handle.

　　A few people came into the kitchen, chatting away in porcelain masks. Cassie dodged them by running through a doorway, leading into the other side of the living room.

　　They trip right over a bear on a chair.

　　UFF!

　　"Watch it!" The bear growled, standing up in their slim white racing suit. "Sorry!" Cassie slipped out, tiptoeing over the bear`s body and continuing their run.

　　Looking back, a few people interacting with the bear seemed to have been looking at them disapprovingly. But that`s the past, all Cassie had to do was not-

　　&Bump into someone again. Starting after Damian`s collision.

　　"Cassie? You almost dropped me there, you cannonball."

　　"Sorry!" They said again, at this point, their language.

　　Two foxes in ghost costumes peer over Damian to examine the new person. "Introduce us, why don`t you?" One of them said, both of their faces obscured by sheets, it was impossible to tell which of the two was speaking.

　　"Ah." Damian grabbed Cassie by their shoulders, scraping their patented feet along the floor to present them to the duo.

　　Stop doing that!

　　"Henry, Clark, this is Cassie."

　　"Hi, Cassie." They both said in unison.

　　"Hello& er& you two."

　　"You know anyone here?" Damian asked, gesturing to the duo.

　　"Well, I- uh& was supposed to come with Averi. She probably knows everyone here." Cassie answered, trying to put on a smile.

　　"Averi? Like, Averi Woods?" One of the sheet ghosts asked.

　　"The same one." Damian affirmed.

　　"Oh, cool, are you like, friends?" Another sheet ghost asked.

　　Damian looked down at Cassie, who was stumped on an answer. "Well& uh&" His voice trailed off, as he leaned down to whisper into Cassie`s ear. "Are you two public on that?"

　　What?

　　They hushed their voice down. "On& what?"

　　"Dating."

　　"You- you know that?!" Cassie shouted, almost dropping their phone out of their grasp.

　　"Ave`s a chatterbox, what can I say?" Damian answered calmly, trying to resolve the sudden dispute.

　　"What`s going on, Dame?" One of the sheet ghosts asked.

　　"They`re friends." He answered, turning to face the ghostly duo.

　　Despite the fur, Cassie could tell their face was red. Surely some hint of pink in the white hue. Damian awkwardly shuffled closer to them, and grabbed their shoulder slowly.

　　He leaned down, whispering into their ear. "Follow me."

　　"What? Why?" Cassie swiftly asked, panic in their tone.

　　Damian pointed his amber eyes toward the doorway, another group of people entering. A few lynx`s wearing maid costumes in differing colored wigs. Copying some kind of anime show, surely. Cassie recognized one of them, wearing a vibrant red wig, it was Amelia.

　　SHIT!

　　Damian gave Cassie a knowing look, and they did the same. With no words spoken, they were in an agreement. Damian slowly maneuvered around the crowd of people by the staircase, some sitting on the steps with cups of alcohol, others tapping away on their phones.

　　They went up to the stairs, now on the second floor of the house. Damian looked back, making sure Cassie hadn`t got flushed out in the tsunami of people they passed through.

　　"God, I`m such a hypocrite." He said under his breath.

　　"What?"

　　He sighed, putting a hand on their shoulder. "Do you think you need to stay in my room till Ave`s here? I know your& uh& drama with Amelia. I didn`t think she`d show up."

　　Cassie pushed Damian`s paw off their shoulder. "I.. well- I& want to give the party a chance. If& that`s no trouble?"

　　Damian didn`t speak for a moment, he looked to be contemplating within his mind. Cassie`s eyes stayed fixed on his ears, constantly flipping up and down, as if with a good idea, then a bad realization. Eventually, the flapping of his ears paused, as he looked back at them.

　　"I`ll stick with ya."

　　"Why?"

　　Damian sighed, knowing his next sentence would feel wrong.

　　"You& don`t know anyone here, do you?"

　　Cassie`s eyes trailed off to the staircase behind them. They looked back at the silver fox, mind on hold as they tried to figure out a response.

　　"Maybe."

　　"So, I can& show you to some people, and keep you off Amelia, yeah?" Damian motioned at the staircase as if presenting an object for purchase.

　　"I`m& uh- Sorry if she does something."

　　"We`re lucky if she doesn`t break something even without knowing you`re here."

　　The two slowly made their way back down the stairs to the living room, walking over a few people still on the stairs. Cassie nearly tripped, SHIT! but Damian managed to catch them by grabbing the tail of the costume, surprisingly durable.

　　"Thanks." They said, pulled back to solid ground like a dog on a leash. "It`s either I caught you, or we`d have multiple injuries." Damian said, snickering. The two were just a couple of steps away from the front door, and a hyena came up to them.

　　"Damian!" The pirate dressed canine said in glee, seemingly stretching their arms out for a hug. "Ay, Chance." He answered, completing the puzzle to the hug.

　　Cassie stood back and watched the two begin a discussion they could hardly understand, the moment felt like white noise as they began thinking.

　　Where`s Amelia?

　　When`s Averi getting here?

　　I hope no one else thinks my costume`s tacky.

　　Wait, why are we even wearing costumes?

　　"Cassie!" Damian exclaimed, trying to snap them out of their mindful prison. "Cass, meet Chance." He readjusted his tone, now more calm. Chance took a step forward with an awkward smile, something you`d see a dog make for a treat.

　　"Ay."

　　"Hi& Chance?" Cassie said, both as a greeting, and question.

　　The swashbuckler held his paw out for a handshake, and Cassie offered theirs. Chance`s grip was firm and strong, while Cassie`s was weak and limp.

　　"Nervous about something?" He asked, letting go of their paw.

　　"What makes you say that?" Damian interrupted, sliding between the two. Cassie jolted back, the sudden movement had them surprised.

　　Chance waved his paw in the air in a circular motion. "Well, weak handshake, mainly. But she looks out of it." He finished, putting a paw to his hip, tail swishing from the bump.

　　"I`m fine." They answered.

　　"You heard`m." Damian joined.

　　"Arrr-ight& I`m gonna walk the plank before you two indoctrinate me into some kind of cult."

　　Chance walked on off just as he said he metaphorically would.

　　"Why are we wearing costumes?" Cassie asked out of nowhere, looking Damian in the eyes. "Gonna be honest, I didn`t expect people to follow through with it, I just wanted to throw a party. Halloween got in& uh&"

　　Damian`s voice trailed off, as he looked over Cassie.

　　"What?" Cassie asked, uncomfortable by his pause.

　　"Walk, walk, WALK." Damian said, increasingly intense, as he grabbed and dragged Cassie by their arm. "WOAH!"

　　"DAMIAN!" A voice shouted from the kitchen.

　　"Please tell me I didn`t hear who I think I heard." Cassie begged, trying to get Damian`s iron grasp off their arm. The two weaved through crowds of people, ending up by a glass door leading to a backyard. Damian let go of Cassie.

　　"I`m gonna distract her, you stay out here."

　　"Wait!"

　　But he didn`t. Damian quickly dashed back into the crowd, pausing the hazard approaching to its goal. Cassie barely heard Amelia`s patronizing voice as she argued with the fox, and so, they took off into the backyard.

　　It was quiet and dark. No clouds in the night sky, and not a single soul stood outside. A big surprise to Cassie, there would always be some kind of smoker or outlier in a party like this.

　　Or maybe, Cassie was that outlier.

　　The air was shockingly cold, almost stinging in pain. Cassie`s costume helped null the temperature for the most part, but it wasn`t enough for them. Cassie didn`t want to look or go back in, out of fear for Amelia just being a foot away from an argument.

　　And so, they stood out, for who knows just how long. Occasionally, the glass door slid open, and a dog or cat would come out with cigarettes, or cups, talking between each other to get away from the void of chaos.

　　Cassie looked around the backyard, maybe there was something they could use to distract themselves. Their phone wasn`t an option, already adamant of technology, so the only other option was reflecting on their actions, something that they hated to even consider.

　　How long has it been?

　　Why do I keep doing this?

　　Should I call Averi?

　　Is Damian dead?

　　I should go home.

　　Thoughts and so bumped back and forth in Cassie`s head like a screensaver trying to hit a corner. Each topic lasted several practiced fantasies in their mind, followed by a horrified expression in the end for ever imagining such a thing.

　　With a faint CREAK the glass door slid open again, a hooded figure in a long black cloak stepped out, face obscured by their ominous outfit. Cassie looked at them for a moment, unsure of who they were. But they knew at the least that it wasn`t Damian or Amelia, which was enough for consideration.

　　Cassie returned to their psychological brigade in questions, unaware of the approaching figure looming over them. Sitting down by a small bump for a curb, Cassie noticed the shadow of something oncoming, and turned their attention to the new face.

　　"Cass." The figure said in a smooth way, as if pacifying them.

　　"Averi?"

　　Averi pulled her hood down, a bit upset over the quick deduction. Her bear ears quickly poked out.

　　"And I was lookin` forward to jumpin` ya."

　　Cassie stood up and hugged her tightly. "Ay, ay. Let me go."

　　And so they did. "Sorry, I`m just& you saw what happened?"

　　"What& was I meant to see?" Averi asked. She began reciting everything she`d seen. "Damian dealin` with Amelia? Tyler breakin` another one of his vases? Some couple makin` out on the couch?"

　　Cassie`s idle smile turned to a defeated frown, slouching their neck back into the costume like some kind of skin sleeve. "Yeah& er- Amelia. I guess Damian with her too."

　　"She wasn`t supposed to come, so& yeah. Real awkward."

　　"I wanna go home." Cassie said.

　　"What? But I just got here! We&"

　　She paused her speech, examining Cassie`s facial expression.

　　"I know yer& uncomfortable, darlin`, but you can`t go yer whole life running out of yer issues."

　　Cassie craned their head up at her. "Don`t you think you could do better?" Averi winced at that question, surprised to even hear it. "Girl, are you drunk? What`s got you askin` this stuff?"

　　"I& just had a lot of time to think while waiting."

　　"Well, no. Amelia sucked. Dame kicked her out after she burnt Chance`s hand anyway. Dude`s gotta stop with the handshakes."

　　Cassie laughed lightly, like a cheerful child on a swing.

　　Averi put her hands on Cassie`s shoulders. "I wanna stay. If you really want to leave, that`s for you to decide. Kay?"

　　Cassie looked back at the glass door, more people crowding the inside of Damian`s house. "I`ll& give it a try."

　　"Great! Maybe I can even introduce you to everyone."

　　Cassie frowned. "Uhm& no. You`d show me to the whole house." They flicked at their costume`s tail.

　　"That`s one way to say how many people I know." Averi fired back cheekily, poking Cassie`s sensitive pink nose.

　　"Yeah&"

　　Averi smiled lightly. "Yeah."

　　"I`m goin` in now." She said, walking back to the glass door, leaving Cassie back to their thoughts.

　　They held a paw out, as if looking to grab a falling person`s hand. "I`ll& be there, I guess." They said, tone as sad as their mood.

　　Averi entered the home, leaving Cassie outside. They didn`t go in for the remainder of the night, barely conscious to consider anything going on around them.

　　It was two in the morning, when Averi came out again, drunkenly walking with the help of Damian to keep her from stumbling over.

　　"This one`s yours." He said, loading her off by Cassie, still watching with a disappointed look. With his job done, Damian walked back inside, shutting the glass door, and turned its lock.

　　"Averi?" Cassie spoke up. The bear looked over at them.

　　"I think we should see other people."