He didn't bother with headphones in his apartment and let his stereo run with the Bluetooth on his phone while he showered the rough night away. His playlist continued on the phone's speaker once he started heading down the stairs that led to the entrance to the apartment complex. This was a typical indication for the other tenants that he was coming or leaving and most didn't seem to mind as they were busy with their own lives to care. 

Conri let his music carry him down the flights of stairs until he heard a pair of voices by the front doors. One he recognized instantly as the complex owner, Euginia Kast, but he couldn't point out the second, it was new, and it filled his ears with curiosity. He stopped himself at the top of the last set and paused his music to get a better idea of the scene below. 

"You're lucky I saw you, I advise folks not parking near that area of the street. There have been quite a number of Scars tagging everything from buildings, cars, and everything else in between. I'd hate for your truck to be vandalized." Euginia explained with a serious tone that filled Conri's stomach with a sinking sensation.

"Scars? Are they local thugs?" The second voice was soft, deep, and filled with curiosity.

Conri felt his stomach drop receiving confirmation about what they were discussing; he leaned over the railing to get a better look. The newcomer's face was foreign, but their clothing was similar to their mailman, Ruchi. Ruchi was a stout man with tanned freckled skin and jet-black hair neatly kept under his hat. This man was three times Ruchi's height, pale pink skinned and had tawny orange hair tied in the back that poked out the back of his hat. Conri caught a glimpse of their profile as they continued to listen to his landlord, noting a sturdy stomach that puffed against their polo shirt and full sideburns. 

"To put it simply, yes. Copper Scars and they're easily recognizable since everyone in their group flaunts some sort of copper jewelry." she continued. "They've been a growing problem in our community and things seem to keep escalating. I get enough complaints about them during community hall meetings." 

"I see," this new mailman started to look a bit concerned. "I appreciate the warning, I'm afraid the post office didn't fill me in on all of the details involving Ruchi's routes. I'll keep my eyes open." 

Conri had to catch himself before falling down, his ears rushed with heat listening to them discuss the Copper Scars. This new guy was going to have to learn eventually, so it was good it was now and through Euginia of all people. She is well respected in the community and represented their city district during town hall meetings; her talent for understanding people is unmatched, but she never abuses that power. He moved his attention to her to find her staring up at the new mailman, but her eyes seemed to be focusing just a few centimeters above their head. Conri instinctively recognized what she was looking for, their constellation. 

Similar to zodiac signs and horoscopes, Euigina's specialty was divination magic focusing on planets and stars, except she reads personal constellation. Everyone, young or old, human or fae, had the same five star constellation that orbited above their head and though the stars were the same, it was their alignments that she focused on. The look of calm on her face was a bit worrisome because she was good at hiding whether or not someone's intentions were off due to their alignment: he hoped she didn't find anything wrong. 

Their conversation went on for a few more minutes as they discussed things like street cleaning, how to reach her in an emergency, and a general advice about their district. They thanked her before finally heading out and she let out a sigh, her posture relaxing as she started to turn back to her room that sat across from the tennant's mailboxes. Conri took this cue to finally descend down the last flight of stairs while his stomach still felt heavy. 

"Good Morning Mrs. Kast," He said as casually as he could, slowing down to make sure she heard him. He noted her cloud of white hair was covering her antlers today while the rest was loosely tied behind her with a thick black cord. "You feeling alright?"

"Ah and a good morning to you too." she turned and leaned her slim figure against the door frame of her apartment. "Just a bit tired is all. I've spent the past two nights dealing with the city. Promise me you won't get into politics, ok?" her laugh was airy and she certainly looked tired, but her skin still glowed a warm golden brown like a sunset in the fall. 

"You can trust me, I'm not built for politics." Conri gave her a reassuring smile. "Did you want me to bring you back anything from work today?"

She shook her head. "No thank you, just be safe out there. I'm a little anxious after hearing some things the past couple of days in the office." she started frowning. "Speaking of work, you best be off, your rent isn't going to pay itself."

They exchanged a shared chuckle before going their separate ways, her apartment door shut as he went outside to be greeted with the beginnings of another day. The sun had crept out further while cars and pedestrians were starting to fill the streets with the sound of morning commutes. He raised his arms to the sky, stretching his body and allowing a sensation to softly vibrate through him. It could be chilling at times while others were like an adrenaline rush as his body altered itself: he had gotten faster at shifting which helped his self confidence, even if in his new form, the world could still present itself only in shades of gray. In the past his sight would reset with a few blinks, but after an uncomfortable encounter with his ex's family, it was becoming more difficult to regain control.

Conri would practice a grounding technique to note any continued progression of color loss: five red things he could see, then four blue, three green, etc. This morning he was able to make it down to one, so the bleeding had seemed to slow for now. 

Taking his canine form into the nearest bike lane he took off on a jog on all fours. Out of habit, Conri glanced at his hunched-over form and took note of his new features in passing windows: larger ears that stuck up at an angle, sharper pointed eyes, a rich coat of forest green fur with talon-like claws on his elongated hands, and digitigrade legs. Conri's grandmother would often refer to him as a Barghast, a monstrous dog from folklore that's often associated with death. Conri never took his grandmother's words seriously since they were biased superstitions and because he's never killed or been involved with someone's death. 

While in this form, at least in the city, he would often just be called a hound. Since the world around him was filled with diverse creatures, their established government relied on a simplistic style of classification. Specifics were reserved for medical facilities, if you worked directly for or in the government or the census.

Conri always saw different kinds of citizens during his commute: shifters taking to the sky, mages on broomsticks or familiars, vampires traveling through shadows, even humans taking public transportation. The world was nearly fully awake now and Conri started to feel his anxieties relax as he focused on getting to work. He rounded another corner until his protruding nose caught the scent of of one of his favorite things. Freshly brewed coffee. In this form he could easily tell from this distance that this was the Open Field brand, specifically their light roast blend, and the more he inhaled the more delighted he felt. Coming to a stop at the edge of a square two floored building made of cream colored bricks and a dark brown sign that hung above the door. 

The Drip.