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Dirk's alarm only manages to play the opening chords of a guitar solo before Dirk swats the snooze button, knocking several action figures off his bedside table with his massive hand. He repeats this process ten minutes later, then again ten minutes after that. On the fourth ring, he rubs his eyes and rouses himself from bed. As usual, he somehow has pitched his covers off while sleeping, and they have joined the piles of clothes on his floor. He makes a promise to himself that he will pick at least some of it up tonight.

Dirk stumbles into his kitchen and grabs the half-eaten pizza that he left on the counter yesterday morning. It's cold, but he has come to rather enjoy cold pizza over the years. Honestly, who has time to turn the microwave on?

After finishing the pizza, Dirk yawns luxuriously and changes into a cat. He trots across the room and squeezes his bulk through the cat flap in his door. He is usually late enough that he has to take his truck, but he has always preferred to go to work in cat form. It means that he can take all the shortcuts, and maybe find some extra breakfast in the form of a mouse or some trash. He never turns up his nose at a bit of free food.

Of course, there are a few downsides.

Dirk takes his usual nighttime route, which involves a dozen different alleys and at least two fire escapes. He inches carefully around each corner, looking both ways before scampering to the next hiding spot. Tonight is relatively quiet, and he sees few other animals roaming the streets.

There is one close call where he comes around a corner and finds himself face-to-face with a small tabby cat. He spring backward, hissing and spitting, then realizes that the cat has no artificial markings on it. No crescents, no circles, and no lines. Just an ordinary stray cat. Dirk considers apologizing, but it has already sprinted off into the night.

When he gets to the bar, Dirk hauls himself through the open window rather than entering through the front door. Kaia is already there, polishing the bar with the sort of fervor that Dirk wishes he possessed. He springs up onto the end of the bar and curls up into a ball, keeping one watchful eye on the room.

“Evening, Dirk,” Kaia murmurs. “Good to see you.”

Dirk smiles, because this is the place where he can feel safe.