Just read a fic where someone was just chilling on their partner's lap, and immediately I realized the devastating missed opportunity of having Haru just cuddling up on Legoshi's lap during the random domestic scenes of them in the living room in Wet Your Palate. I can try to add it into some other fic, but I don't know where it would easily fit.
Tomodachi life screenshot dump because school has been kicking my ass lately and I haven't been able to sit down and draw at all. Take this as the kids' official (unofficial) gajinkas (jablinskis).
Today, Louis intentionally called off work for first time in his life. Normally, he considered his work duties as serious as a heart attack (thanks, Dad). But his work meant absolutely nothing if innocent animals were dying. Sure, animals died all the time. But it wasn’t normally his fault. And the longer he waited to do something about it, the higher the chance more would die.
He grabbed his laptop and opened the Predation Positive Forum. Louis started with the most active threads. Two hours in, he finally found a post which appeared to be linked to the cult. It was a thread titled “The Art of Giving,” which had been posted three weeks ago.
We are all connected by the sacred circle of life and death. The mind forgets, but the flesh remembers. To truly give yourself is to transcend. Connecting through the act of consumption, breaking down the barriers of life itself, brings the highest form of enlightenment. To consume is to honor the sanctity of this connection. Through this union, we may all flourish in that which lies beyond.
Louis hated how this flowery, dangerous bullshit twisted his own opinion against him. Consumption could bring transcendence. Through life! Through becoming closer in the rest of your life together! Not whatever this suicidal drivel was spouting.
He scrolled through the replies, finding more of the same poetic language, more talk of transcendence and enlightenment. And at the center of it all, a user named SacrimentalClover.
He clicked on the username. The account was three months old. She had posted hundreds of times, always with the same cryptic, spiritual tone. She referred to herself as “special” in seventeen different posts. As “chosen” in nine. As “the voice of the sacred cycle” in four.
More disturbing were the comments in response to the news of the ‘Final Feast’. While most users expressed shock and horror, Clover had written: The first petal has fallen. The cycle continues.
Louis’ stomach turned as he read. This wasn’t just some edgy troll looking for attention. This had to be the user behind the cult.
He scrolled further, looking for any personal information. There was nothing obvious, not even any hint in her profile picture (which was an unhelpful image of a trampled clover field). However, there was a pattern to her posting times: between 11 PM and 2 AM, and between 1 PM and 3 PM.
That was something, at least. A window when she might be active.
Louis sat back, rubbing his eyes.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” he muttered.
Louis scrolled through his contacts until he found the entry he was looking for.
The line rang three times before a voice answered, high and cautious. “Yeah?”
“It’s Louis.”
A pause. Then, “Holy shit. I thought you—“
“Reformed,” Louis cut in. “Or trying to be.” He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. “I need your help.”
Another pause, longer this time. Louis could practically hear the way the otter considered the pros and cons.
“I’m out of that life,” Chrone finally said. “I’ve got a legitimate tech job now. Benefits and everything.”
“I’m not asking you to hack a bank,” Louis replied. “Just one user on a forum. IP address, location, whatever you can find.”
“That’s still—“
“I’ll pay you triple your old rate,” Louis interrupted. “Half now, half when you deliver.”
“Which forum?”
“Predation Positive.”
Chrone hissed through his teeth. “That’s a hornet’s nest. Officials must be surveying everything as we speak.”
“That’s why I’m calling you and not some amateur. I need this done now.”
“What’s the username?”
“SacrimentalClover.”
A keyboard clacked on the other end of the line. “Give me a minute.”
Louis waited, listening to the rapid-fire typing and the occasional muttered curse.
“It took effort, but I’m in,” Chrome finally said. “She’s using a rotating proxy and VPN, but her email was leaked in a data breach last year."
“Which means?”
“Which means I could backtrace her IP using her email provider.” Typing. “Got it. IP address traces back to... huh. That’s weird. It’s coming from an abandoned textile factory about twenty miles outside the city. About a mile of empty fields in every direction.”
Louis felt a chill run down his spine. An abandoned factory. It was the perfect place to operate an illegal cult unnoticed. The news had said the ‘Final Feast’ had happened in a remote location as well. What if they had buildings all around the outskirts of the city?
“Can you get me an exact address?”
“Yeah, hang on.” More typing. “Sending it to your phone now. Along with a map of the area and the best route to get there.”
“Thanks,” Louis said, already mentally formulating an attack plan. “The money’s in your account.”
“Wait!” Chrone’s voice sharpened. “Whatever you’re planning to do with this info... be careful, okay? The animals on that forum, they’re not playing games. They’re the real deal.”
“I know. That’s why I called you.”
Louis hung up before Chrone could caution him further. Dropping the phone onto the table, he turned back to his laptop.
He couldn’t risk going alone. Confronting a group of fanatics who had already killed dozens of animals by himself would be suicide. He needed backup who could handle themself in a fight and wouldn’t hesitate if things got messy.
Legoshi would be the obvious choice. But involving him meant putting him in danger. His actions had caused enough harm already. He wasn’t about to add Legoshi to the list of casualties. Besides, Legoshi would be too soft. Too merciful. Too...Legoshi.
Louis sighed, running a hand through the fur between his antlers. If only he could use the Shishigumi. They’d be enough carnivore power to storm the building and leave enough fear in their wake to ensure no one ever tried this shit again. But the Shishigumi were still in jail, serving life sentences for their various crimes. If he put enough arm grease into it, he might be able to get them out, but that would take time, something he did not have at the moment.
Which left him with exactly one option: hiring outside help. Someone who knew how to handle themself, wouldn’t ask questions, and wouldn’t hold back if things went south.
Louis started searching, scanning shady job listings. Legitimate services would pose too many questions and would muddle the affair with a moral code. Finally, a listing caught his eye. “Strength for Hire. Discretion Guaranteed. Available ASAP.”
The only contact information was an email address. Louis composed a brief message: “Need immediate protection for a dangerous meeting. Cash payment. Today.” He included his phone number and sent it off, then sat back to wait.
Three minutes later, his phone buzzed with a response: “Name the time and place. Half payment upfront. Hyena. Experienced.”
Louis smiled grimly. A hyena. Perfect. Strong, vicious when necessary, and known for their loyalty to whoever was paying them. He replied with the meeting address, a location a mile away from the factory.
The reply came almost instantly. “See you there.”
Louis closed his laptop and stood, stretching his back. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it would have to do. SacrimentalClover had killed too many animals already. Louis wasn’t about to give her the chance to kill any more.
He changed into a solid black outfit that would blend in with the darkness. The hoodie was Legoshi’s, so the hood was large enough to cover Louis’ antlers. He grabbed the gun he kept beneath a loose floorboard in the laundry room. Haru had given him an earful when she found its original hiding place at the back of the closet. He checked the chamber before tucking it into the oversized hoodie’s single front pocket.
Next, he penned a note explaining that he had to attend an all-night event for the Horns Conglomerate.
His phone buzzed with a text. “Money received. On my way. ETA 30 minutes.”
Louis checked the time. Legoshi would be home any minute. He needed to go now if he wanted to avoid explanations.
Legoshi stepped out of the elevator, relieved to finally be home after his double shift. He had wanted to keep an eye on Louis, but his boss had roped him into covering for someone with the promise of a hefty bonus. It had been too good to turn down. He was looking forward to collapsing on the couch with Louis and Haru, maybe ordering takeout.
However, as soon as he spotted Louis in the hallway, dressed in Legoshi’s hoodie—oversized on the deer—he knew something was wrong.
Louis froze when he saw him.
"Going somewhere?" Legosi asked in a forced casual tone.
Louis didn’t miss a beat. "An all-night event. The board’s been on my ass about the new SynthMeat rollout."
Legoshi frowned. This had to be an excuse. Louis would have mentioned this meeting earlier if it were real. Besides, he would never be going to work in that hoodie. "I thought you called in sick.”
Louis’ face didn’t waver. "Event’s too important to miss."
Legoshi’s gaze lingered on the way his fingers drummed against his thigh.
“You sure you’re okay?”
Louis moved past him, pressing the elevator call button. "Never better." The elevator doors opened, and Louis stepped in, turning to face Legoshi. "Don’t wait up."
Legoshi entered the elevator. "I’ll walk you down."
Louis’ tail flicked in irritation, but he didn’t argue.
They rode the elevator in silence. When they stepped out, Legoshi didn’t follow him toward the exit. Instead, he leaned against the wall, watching as Louis strode toward the waiting car.
"Don’t you usually walk?" Legoshi called after him.
Louis paused, glancing back. "It’s safer at night. Besides, company’s paying. Might as well."
He just slid into the backseat and shut the door. The car pulled away from the curb.
Legoshi waited until it was out of sight, then flagged down a taxi. "Follow that black sedan," he told the driver. "And keep your distance."
The taxi lurched forward.
It was wrong to follow him like this. Louis would be furious if he found out Legoshi was tracking him, believing he couldn’t take care of himself.
But if he really was going to confront the cult, then letting him do so alone was unthinkable. Louis was strong and smarter than pretty much anyone Legoshi had ever met, but he was still an herbivore facing a horde of animals who had already killed. Louis would be mad. But at least he’d be alive to be mad, which was more than Legoshi could guarantee if he stayed home pretending everything was fine.
Small Teddy + Jack art dump I drew a while back but never posted. I was gonna wait until I'm done with the new chapter to post this since the epilogue will be reintroducing Teddy and Jack to the story, but I figured I might as well post it meanwhile so people can have an idea.
