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Three furry creatures come out from the kitchen area and look up at me with varying levels of curiosity.
One is a chinchilla, an adorable rodent who isn’t what he seems. From our last encounter, I know that this is a domovoi, a rare type of Cognizant that are extremely powerful in their limited domain. His name is Fluffster, probably on account of all that fluff.
Hi, Bailey, he says as a voice in my head. Good to see you again.
Smiling, I return the greeting and examine the second creature, a cat of the Persian variety. Though she’s not a Cognizant of any kind, there’s a royal air about her, and the kind of evil intelligence in her eyes that makes me want to avoid getting on her bad side.
The third animal is another chinchilla, which prompts me to ask, “You got another pet?”
Ariel rolls her eyes. “We didn’t. That’s Kit.”
“Oh, hi, Kit.” Kit is a shapeshifter, and a powerful one at that—so much so she’s on the New York Council. She can obviously be any creature crazy humans keep as pets, be it a chinchilla, or a dog, or a hippo.
I’m not a pet, Fluffster says in my mind, managing to “sound” grumpy.
“Sorry.” I do my best to keep a straight face. “I meant ‘another pet besides the cat.’”
The cat gives me a look that seems to say, “In reality, they’re all my pets.”
The extra chinchilla shimmers and transforms into Kit’s petite, anime-like blonde form. “I’m here to keep Fluffster company,” she says with a wink.
“Don’t ask,” Ariel whispers. “They’re friends with disturbing benefits.”
I don’t actually see a problem with such an arrangement—apart from this being potentially bad for Kit’s sex addiction. Ariel is a product of a world where anyone enjoying intimacy always looks humanoid, so I can’t blame her for the bias. We’re more open-minded on Gomorrah. Besides shapeshifters—who are rare—we’ve got a plethora of weres, and other Cognizant regularly hook up with them in various forms.
“What brings you here?” Kit asks and turns herself into Felix. “If it’s to see the technomancer, he’s busy with someone else at the moment.”
“His girlfriend,” Ariel clarifies conspiratorially. “I’m still getting used to the idea of him having one.”
Not liking the look Kit gives me, I say, “Felix and I are just friends.” Her expression doesn’t change, so I add, “Not the kind of friends you and Fluffster are.”
“That’s good to know,” says an unfamiliar female voice.
A beet-red Felix and a tiny young woman step into the living room. She looks familiar—this is the girl I’ve seen him defend from pucks in his dream, I realize.
“Maya, this is Bailey,” Felix says. “We go way back.”
Maya extends her hand to me, and I have no choice but to shake it, making a mental note to sanitize soon.
She peers at me through her glasses. “Felix said you took video game courses together, but he never mentioned how pretty you are.”
I grin at her. “Thanks. Video game development is why I’m here, actually. Felix, can you help me add levels and features to a VR game?”
“Why?” he asks.
“What are you up to?” Kit inquires.
More questions follow from everyone except the cat, and bit by bit, I bring them up to speed about my mom, Valerian, and the deal we made. To avoid talking about my plan to gain power, I just tell them that Valerian will help me in exchange for some services that include the game.
“Valerian is ambitious,” Kit says when I finish. “Releasing his VR headset and applying to be on the Council at the same time? I have no idea how he’s juggling it all.”
I frown. “He applied to be on the Council?”
“Wants to replace Hekima,” Kit says, her face turning into the late illusionist’s grandfatherly visage. “Will likely succeed, too. His predecessor proved just how powerful their kind can be—a boon to the Council.”
“I still can’t believe I took classes taught by someone capable of all those murders,” Maya mutters. “He seemed so nice.”
She took classes with Hekima?
Oh yeah, that’s right. He taught something called Orientation here on Earth—a sort of school for the young Cognizant.
This Maya must not just look like a teen—she is one. I hope Felix knows what he’s doing.
Felix directs a guilty look at Ariel. “A chance to work on VR. Maybe I could—”
“No,” she says sternly. “We need you.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Felix can’t help you,” Maya says with a little too much eagerness. “His other friend from Gomorrah has dibs.”
Is she jealous of me? If so, why? Her boyfriend is roommates with Ariel and Princess Peach—both more attractive than I am.
Deciding to ignore her, I look at Felix skeptically. “You have other friends on Gomorrah?”
“Itzel,” Kit explains and turns into the person in question: a round-cheeked young gnome with a goofy smile. In the real world, that smile would be hidden by a mask, since Itzel, like all of her kind, suffers from breathing issues.
