You have heard a lot about the Circle since you first moved here. Eight beings of untold power that govern the city and keep the peace. Your coworker likes to joke about them, mentioning that, “You better not step out of line, or the Circle will swoop down and get you.” You always laugh along with them when they say this to you, but there is an unpleasant edge to their laughter, as if it might not be a joke at all.

This is Nimue's Bar.

Kaia is, to put it shortly, bored out of her skull. One of the patrons, a slight young man with shaggy hair by the name of Aiden, made the mistake of engaging Dirk in a conversation about shifter rights. They had a friendly disagreement, and decided to talk it out.

That had been four hours ago. The way they are arguing is completely friendly, but it is the unbearable kind of argument where both people believe almost exactly the same thing, but somehow manage to keep the argument alive.

“I understand what you're saying, believe me,” Dirk says, crossing his arms and leaning against the bar. Kaia knows that he is particularly relaxed right now because he hasn't bothered to morph his fluffy tail; it pokes out of his pants and between his legs, twitching occasionally. “I've been fighting for shifter rights since the day I was born. But violent revolution isn't going to get anyone anywhere.”

“I respect your opinion, Dirk, but I have to disagree.” The smaller shifter gestures with a hand covered in thick fur. The hair rises and falls in time with his breath. “You and I both know that going hybrid is a crucial part of our culture. The fact that the Circle has banned that cannot just be taken lying down. I go hybrid in public, sure, but that's not nearly enough anymore.”

Kaia coughs as loudly as she can, and treats Dirk to her most severe glare. He cringes guiltily, and gestures helplessly at at Aiden. “Maybe we could continue this discussion when I'm off the clock? I've only got half an hour left. Hell, I'll buy you a drink.”

“Sure,” Aiden says with a wink, “I'd like that.” He strolls off to one of the corner booths, fur on his arms swishing back and forth.

“I think I'm in love,” Dirk says under his breath. “Takes a lot of guts strolling around public like that.”

“Says the man with a tail sticking out of his pants,” Kaia says pointedly. “I thought you were too afraid to go hybrid.”

Dirk winces. “Let's focus on the present right now. What should I do?”

“I don't know, have some meaningless, emotionless sex to remind yourself why life is pain?”

Dirk stops staring after Aiden and plops himself down on the stool across from her. “All right, it's time for us to talk.”

“I hate talking,” Kaia mutters.

Dirk's stool squeaks under him as he shifts his considerable weight. “Would it be easier if I was a cat?”

Kaia shuts her eyes and massages her eyelids. “No, Dirk, it would not be easier if you were a cat.”

There is a soft popping sound from next to her. “Too late, I'm a cat now.”

With a sigh, Kaia reaches out and scratches Dirk's head. “Sorry,” she murmurs. “I just had a bad night after I left you guys. I really wanted some sort of connection, but in the end I couldn't even get that.”

Dirk rubs against her hand and transforms back into human form. “I'm sorry.”

“It's fine,” Kaia says shortly. “I'll figure it out one day. Just like you should figure out your tail.”

Dirk shrugs guiltily and tries to hide the tail protruding from his pants. “Come on, K, it's Nimue's. You know she lets people do whatever she wants here. While we're in here, we don't have to give a rat's ass about the Circle. I'll grow a tail if I want, I'm just going to keep myself confined to human or cat form when I'm outside. It's not like anyone—“

The door to the bar swings open, and silence falls like a brick dropped from a tenth story window. The group of Bleeders in the corner dissolve into smoke, flowing in a plume out the open window. Ernie looks around wildly, nearly impaling another patron with his horns, but freezes when he sees who is in the doorway. Dirk's tail shoots back between his legs faster than Kaia would have believed possible. Aiden does not retract his fur, but he shrinks so far into the corner of the booth that he practically disappears into the red leather. All eyes are on the man in the doorway.

He wears the uniform of a policeman, and sports an official-looking crew cut as well. A comically large deputies badge is pinned to his chest, and the muscles in his arms rival those of Dirk's. He is smiling, and his teeth are perfectly white and straight. His face is covered by a pair of black sunglasses, despite the fact that it is well after midnight. Behind the lenses flicker two points of orange light, the only clue that he is no mere policeman out for a nighttime stroll. The only clue that regular humans would pick up on, that is. To everyone in the bar, his presence hits them like the waves of heat off a furnace.

“Nice place you have here,” he says, grinning at everyone in the bar and staring at them one by one. A drop of sweat slides down Kaia's neck when their eyes meet. She glances at Dirk, and he is shaking, well-aware of how close to disaster he just came. He'll be no help right now.

“Sir,” she says, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking. “I'm sure that the Circle is aware of how Nimue feels about them moving in on her territory.”

“See, I'm not moving in on anyone's territory,” the man says, sauntering across the bar. His cowboy boots click loudly against the floor. “I'm just here for a drink.” He sits down at one of the bar stools and raps his knuckles on the bar. “Y'all can feel free to clear out,” the officer says casually, without looking behind him. There is a massive scraping of chairs as everyone fights to get to the door first. Within the space of ten seconds, the area is completely empty, save for Kaia and Dirk.

The officer waves a hand. “Get me whatever's most popular here. Whatever it is that the locals like to drink.” Kaia nods fervently, and grabs a bottle at random, pouring a generous measure of alcohol and shoving it toward him. He takes it and raises it to his lips, then stops. “It seems someone decided to stay.”

Kaia notices for the first time that Aiden has not left the bar, and is instead standing in front of his booth. His knees are shaking, but he holds firm. “I know who you are.”

The officer takes a drink and smacks his lips. “I'd be surprised if you didn't.”

Aiden takes a step forward. “What you're doing with shifters is wrong. We deserve better than—“

The officer snaps his fingers, and Aiden's voice abruptly cuts off. He clutches at his throat and opens his mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. It is as if he is a character on television, and the volume has been muted. The officer snaps his fingers again, and Aiden's eyes roll up in his head. He teeters on the spot before listing to the ground, hitting his head against the side of the booth and leaving behind a smear of blood.

“Dirk, make sure he's ok,” Kaia says. The officer nods encouragingly at him, grin never leaving his face. After a moment of hesitation, Dirk grabs a first aid kit from below the bar and rushes across the room to kneel beside Aiden, shedding a trail of gray hair in his wake. The officer does not look away from Kaia's face the entire time.

“Now that everyone is out of the way, it's time for us to have a little chat.” He leans in toward her, and Kaia can smell the stench of ash radiating off his body. “It's nice to finally meet you in person, Kaia Sommers.”