“Iris? It’s me.” Zayzann muttered from behind the closed door. “I've brought you something to eat. May I enter?”
“Yeah, come on in. Let me find a good place to stop.”
“I reheated the leftover sesame noodles and made you a scrambled egg.” Zayzann slid the ceramic plate onto the sewing table with a gentle nudge. “There’s more eggs, if you want any.”
“Thanks, Zay. This is plenty.” Iris took a bite out of a tiny forkful of noodles and egg. “You’re becoming quite the accomplished chef with those eggs.”
The compliment was appreciated but it felt hollow to Zayzann, who was still wrangling with unresolved feelings from last night. He’d spent the vast majority of the late hours alone in the spare room, trying to decide what to do. Zayzann craved acceptance from his watch-mate, but he kept aggravating things by butting heads with her ideas. He knew that she was doing her best to meet everyone’s needs, but he wished she would prioritize his above the archfiend’s more often.
Zayzann recalled the fishing village where he matured and remembered how difficult it had been to secure a watch-mate who met his needs. Most of the adult Paxoram were unsuitable for one reason or another, leaving him to spend the dangerous nights alone and vulnerable to predators. He noticed a distressing trend emerge as well during the last few years. It was becoming more common on Zhalterra for nesting pairs and watch-mates to drift apart from differences of values and opinions. He didn’t want the same thing to happen to him and his new watch-mate.
He had no way of knowing that Iris was more adaptable and accepting of his dissenting opinions. She had taken his needs into consideration and tried to accommodate him, and that was the end of it. Iris hadn’t given the disagreement a single thought since then, having simply moved on to the next challenge of many that appeared at her feet. At present, making Byxx and Zayzann some comfortable clothing was at the top of her list, so she toiled away in the spare room.
Thinking that Iris was stewing on some unspoken resentment, Zayzann cowed and scraped to try and win any scrap of affection he could. Making meals for her was a good start. Zayzann remembered wise words from one of the village elders on how to attract and keep a watch-mate. Food and affection were great inducements, as were gifts and acts of service. Try as he might, however, Iris hadn’t shown the desired reaction to his attempts since the conversation last night.
Zayzann eyed Iris intently as she alternated between adjusting pins on the fabric edges and taking bites from the noodles and egg lunch. A barely audible low-pitched rumble vibrated from Zayzann’s throat pouch, but it was lost amid the whirring of the sewing machine. He wanted so desperately for her to look his way, though he was unsure of how to garner Iris’s interest. Was now a good time to tell her about his newfound abilities, or was it better to wait?
She looks busy… Zayzann tented his brows as he continued to dwell in a state of anxiety.
“There, all done.” Iris grinned as she proudly lifted another completed shirt for Zayzann. “What do you think? Doesn’t this look great? It even has button-up vents for your wings. Plus, the fabric is stretchy. Here, try it on, I wanna see the fit.”
Zayzann clasped the finished garment in his slender, feathered hands. He whipped off the black V-neck T-Shirt he was wearing and slid gracefully into his new clothing. The charcoal gray fabric had a silky, lush drape to it, which contrasted beautifully with his vibrant, sapphire blue down feathers. Great care had been taken to ensure a tailored fit, with plenty of room to maneuver into and out of the shirt. Zayzann smirked as the realization set in.
She made mine first…
Byxx had only the single pair of tailored pants and an ad-hoc shirt to wear, while Zayzann now had three shirts and the pair of modified cargo pants. He tried to contain his joy at recognizing what he thought was blatant favoritism, but his crest of cranial feathers raised, nonetheless. He praised the new shirt enthusiastically, gushing over how comfortable and well-sewn it was. Iris mirrored his excitement and seemed pleased at how well Howard’s old shirt fit him with the fancy vents added in. Seeing her smile caused his throat to flush warm once more.
There’s still hope.
“That looks amazing, Zay.” Iris praised while rising from her swivel chair. She was giddy with excitement, and pressed a cool hand against his tensed back as she approached the door. “Come on, let’s show the others.”
The living room was a quiet flurry of independent activity, as Byxx feverishly typed into the new phone and Khazmine was hunched over, looking something up on Iris’s aged laptop. The archfiend and the Augment were situated surprisingly close to each other, with Byxx splayed out on the couch with one leg draped over the back of it, and Khazmine perched on the stool like a gargoyle, with herself and the laptop plugged into the baseboard wall socket. Neither one of them appeared to notice Iris and Zayzann enter the living room, as they were equally absorbed in their immediate tasks.
“Champion, ask him which rule set he intends for us to use.” Khazmine requested as she covered her chin with a free hand in a contemplative gesture. “The most recent version appears to be several years old. I do not want to learn archaic rules, if possible.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah.” Byxx mumbled back with his eyes still glued to the new phone. “He says that’s fine. You find the right ones?”
“Ackno—Indeed.” Khazmine corrected herself. “Downloading now… Oh, mistress. I didn’t see you there.”
“Hey guys, check this out.” Iris motioned for Zayzann to enter the living room, and he stepped lightly to show off the new shirt. “Doesn’t he look stunning?”
“Fine job, Iris.” Khazmine praised. “It suits him well.”
“Do you need any clothes, Khazmine?” Iris asked.
Khazmine politely declined, stating that she could simply borrow Iris’s clothes, if that was agreeable.
“Huh. Not bad, Blue.” Byxx finally looked up from the phone. “Hey, do you have time for mine today?”
“I think so.” Iris contemplated. “I’ll use this one and the next shirt I make for you as patterns for making more much quicker in the future, too. That said, can I borrow you for a minute, Byxx? I need to take a few more measurements, and it’s easier if I have you right next to the sewing table with all my notes.”
“Sure. Happy to help.” Byxx jaunted from his reclining position and strode behind Iris with a swaying spaded tail. “Shirt on or off?”
The sounds of their conversation faded as they entered the spare room, leaving Khazmine and Zayzann alone in the hauntingly silent living room. Khazmine’s eyes were transfixed on the laptop screen, where she was absorbing the complicated rules of play for the game that she and the others were endeavoring to learn. She paid little attention to Zayzann, prompting him to initiate conversation.
“Khazmine…” Zayzann ventured. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Mm-hmm.” Khazmine grunted without taking her eyes off the screen. She remained fixated on whatever she was reading, with her eyes tracing over each line with great interest. “What is it?”
“What do women like?” Zayzann choked out his question with as much bravery as he could muster.
This line of inquiry received a surprised response from the contorted Khazmine, whose brows narrowed inquisitively, and her head tilted to one side at his question. She opened her mouth to respond but found herself at a loss for words, then shook her head reflexively to clear her mind. Khazmine hadn’t expected the proud Paxoram to ask her for such advice, which left her visibly confused.
“Oh, little bird, I am probably not the best person to ask.” Khazmine admitted awkwardly yet compassionately as she closed the laptop. “If I had to guess, I’d say it would depend on the person… Why do you ask? Is it… Is it Iris?”
“Yes, well, sort of.” Zayzann waivered. “I want her to be able to depend on me more. Share her burdens. That sort of thing. Does that make sense?”
“I suppose the best thing you can do is master your abilities and use them to help out.” Khazmine advised. She craned her head to listen silently for a moment before proceeding to rise from her stool and produce a rumpled white envelope from within her hooded bolero jacket. “Miss Iris needs all the help we can give her.”
“What is this?” Zayzann reached for the envelope but stopped when Khazmine’s shoulders rose mechanically at his overly enthusiastic approach. “Where did you get it?”
“This was adhered to the door when we returned from the marketplace in the city.” Khazmine explained. “I snatched it before Iris and the clever human came into the apartment. It’s a letter from the woman, Debra Rozniak. She writes to inform Iris that it is approaching the time to renew her lease on this dwelling, and that the cost to stay here is increasing.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It means that it will be that much harder for mistress to afford this apartment without aid.” Khazmine elaborated. “We must all find a way to do our part to help offset costs. If you are sincere in your desire to help, find a way to make life easier for her. Be creative. As long as you do not draw attention to yourself, nothing is off limits…”
Khazmine paused to allow her advice to sink in.
“W-we’re still allies, yes?” Zayzann stammered and drew back his fluffy ears. He bowed his head low and peered up at Khazmine with a submissive posture.
“Confirmed.” Khazmine replied honestly. “What is it?”
Zayzann glanced around before silently staring back at Khazmine and narrowing his eyes with great concentration. His feathers retracted with amazing speed, receding beneath the swaths of human skin he’d practiced shifting into. Zayzann altered his arms, legs, head, and tail in unison, giving him a handsome appearance amid his now oversized clothing. His wings shrank in tandem, sinking into his backside while leaving smooth, exposed shoulder blades that could be seen through his shirt vents. Zayzann grappled with the waistline of his enormous cargo pants to keep them from dropping, just as he achieved the perfect transformation.
Byxx watched in frozen horror behind Zayzann as he transformed, eventually drawing the attention of Khazmine when Zayzann shrunk enough out of the way for him to be seen. He stood ramrod still, stricken with surprise at the display taking place mere feet away from him. Zayzann failed to notice Byxx’s presence, but Khazmine’s eyes went wide as she silently entreated him to leave with rapid eye movements. Both Byxx and Khazmine could hear the soft footfalls of the approaching Iris, and they needed a distraction immediately.
“Wait, Iris!” Byxx bellowed, startling Zayzann and Khazmine with his forcefulness. “What about my pants? I can’t just go around without them.”
“Oh, uh, yeah. I can take measurements for those too if you’d like.”
“Yes, please.” Byxx struggled to discourage Iris from entering the living room. “‘Seize the day’ and all that.”
Startled and exhausted, Zayzann dropped to his knees, exhaling ragged breaths through human nostrils as he looked up at Khazmine with pained eyes and a clenched jaw.
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