The day went by smoothly until short before quitting time they got a call from Hardigan who reported a bug. Hardigan wasn't the easiest customer to deal with but he usually saw reason and was fair so neither Ben nor Anya had the urge to just leave it till the next day and antagonizing their customer.
They were still debugging when Cian entered the lair. "We need to leave for the gathering… we have to help set up everything before our guests arrive…" He looked confused at the two developers who were still deeply involved in their work.
"Hardigan reported a bug on his prod… we still try to find out what is going wrong." Ben waved him off "Go without us… we join when we are done." He added but Cian groaned "Is this you trying to get out of that gathering, Bennet?" Cian said in dangerously calm voice and even used his full name "You know it is important we show numbers and unity as long as everyone is riled because of Puck." He reminded his friend.
"Not trying to get fucking out…" Ben replied with a slight growl and Anya looked up at Cian "We have a real bug on prod." She said "…not the 'wrong shade of grey' kind." She added and Cian believed her. "I hate doing this to you but any chance you can manage this alone without staying too late, Anya?" Cian wanted to know "I really need you there, Ben." He looked at the shifter again "Alanis couldn't get out of her shift at the hospital and Hanson just called - he is stuck in traffic down from his construction gig."
Ben and Anya shared a glance and the latter gave a small nod. "Can do." She confirmed. Ben was kind of top five if they would care to apply a hierarchy. He was considered snarky and sometimes an ass but he was trusted too and his opinion was valued in general - as long as it had nothing to do with women - plus he was not useless in a fight.
Ben kissed her cheek "Just mail and run if you don't want to call him later, ok?" he suggested which made Anya chuckle "Will do."
"Thank you…" Cian said to Anya and added "Don't stay too long… the world won't end if you can't solve it today." He gave her an encouraging smile and left with Ben.
One and a half hour later Anya finally knew what went wrong, had several options to fix it and found herself between stages five - 'Oh I see!' and six 'How did that ever work?' of debugging.
It was the moment Hardigan choose to call. Anya debated for a second if she should just ignore him but since she would have to consult him which option to fix he would prefer anyways, she answered the call.
Another hour later, Anya was riled because she suffered a case of imposter syndrome due to the stupidity of the bug. But she had managed to implement the fix, deployed it, confirmed it working and finally made her way to the gathering.



The atmosphere at the gathering was a more on the relaxed side. Their guests where three cat shifters on their way through who simply were curious about Pucks methods to get more in touch with their beasts. They were also curious how the tribe worked, with their multitude of different shifters and non-existent hierarchy in general - and of course how a fox shifter became the leader.
One of the shifters, a women in her mid-thirties with a royal kind of demeanor, was particular interested in Ben all of a sudden and approached him after everyone mingled when the general introductions had been done.
"So you are a snow leopard too?" she addressed him and gave a small smile, her voice seductive "So rare to meet another one." She sat down at the picnic table Ben had retreated to and basically claimed for himself and put down her plate and beer to sit next to him.
"I… guess so…" Ben answered reluctant, looking at the dark blond woman skeptical and insecure. Without Hanson or Anya there and Cian busy entertaining guests, he just wanted to keep to himself. Cian had stressed the point hard to keep them - and the clowder they belong to - on their good side so he didn't want to risk offending someone unintentional or cause a fight with fellow Tribe mates over some bullshit. He had gotten himself something from the BBQ grill and a soft drink and kept an eye on his phone in case Anya texted. He contemplated looking for Cian and telling him he'd head back to the office now the official part was over, when this woman decided to 'grace' him with her presence.
"I'm Belinda. Belinda de Santi. I didn't catch your name before." She introduced herself again in her silky voice because Ben made no move to take the interaction further. She held out her hand to him in a way one would think she assumed a hand kiss.
"Ben Logan." Ben awkwardly shook the offered hand not realizing what she had expected. Belinda, confused for a second, chuckled about what she thought was Ben's simple-mindedness. She could work on that with him as well as on his peculiar sense of styling.
"It's a pleasure…" she slid closer to him, nearly touching him with her shoulder now "So tell me… what can two snow leopards do around here to have a good time?" he looked at him with a smile.
Ben frowned slightly. Did she try to flirt or hit on him? "Well we have some nightclubs around like the 'Madnights' which your friend and you may enjoy…" he answered and really hoped she meant one of the two other guys she came with was a snow leopard too and she meant him she wanted to have fun with.
Belinda gave a light laugh "Oh silly…" she looked at him amused "I meant us two snow leopards…" she lightly touched his upper arm "You are more on the shy side, am I right? Don't be…" she added because Ben didn't answer and looked quite shocked.
Feverishly he looked for a graceful way to end this but didn't find one and just pulled away from her touch, halfway standing up "Listen, Belinda… I'm not interested, ok? And I'm not available." he looked at her.
Belinda pouted. "Aw… don't be so mean to me…" she looked at him, crossing her arms before her chest mockingly continuing pouting "… Cian promised you are all hospitable and welcoming." She added.
Ben froze for a second. Something in her voice made him believe that if he wouldn't play along for the reminder of the gathering, she would cause trouble. He had promised Cian and he loved the Tribe - their community so he forced himself to sit back down, grabbing his drink. He should have gone for a beer even if that meant Anya and him had to walk home.
"That's better…" Belinda smiled and put her arm around his shoulders for a moment "About that club you mentioned…" she started again and Ben just prayed for either Anya to turn up or a rampaging beast crashing the party or some other emergency. Anything would do including a meteoroid smashing him.



When Anya arrived at the park Cian chose to held the gathering BBQ, she was still a little stressed out. She knew she was good at her job but still her self-esteem and confidence wasn't actually high which led to customer talks where she sometimes inadvertently doubt her skills afterwards - like the one with Hardigan today. Usually Ben was there to scold her and kick her ass about it afterwards.
She was greeted friendly by various people while she was looking for her mate. Finally she saw him sitting with a woman she couldn't place - but then again they sat with their backs to Anya at a picnic table. Paper plates and the leftovers on it indicated they had eaten together.
What made Anya frown was, that the woman was quite touchy with Ben - her hand occasional on his arm - and sat really close to him. Was this woman trying to hit on Ben? Anya knew her mate well enough to see how uncomfortable this made him. He was tense, shoulders stiff. For a second she wondered why he didn't give that woman a piece of his mind and get out of the situation but put that thought aside for later. Now she needed to rescue her mate!

When Anya reached them she put her arms around Ben from behind "Hey Benji…" she kissed his cheek and slipped beside her mate, one arm still around Ben's neck. Smiling Anya now looked at the woman who glared daggers back at her.
"You must be…?" the woman started. Her voice was quite icy when she took Anya in. She was clearly a shifter - having those golden eyes and the moving tattoo.
"Oh sorry, how rude of me…" Anya's voice dripped from sweetness, feeling Ben relaxing under her light embrace. "I'm Anya… Hi."
"Belinda." the woman pressed through her teeth clearly looking for a way to tell Anya to piss off without using those exact words.
"My mate Anya…" Ben laid emphasis on the word mate so maybe Belinda would eventually stop annoying him "Belinda is one of the visiting shifters, love." Ben added which made Anya understand why he just endured this behavior. She would have to have a word with Cian later about him forcing Ben into this.
Belinda bit back what she planned to say. She didn't want to antagonize her prospective mate in insulting his soon to be ex-girlfriend in front of him.
"Did Hardigan give you a bloody hard time?" Ben asked his mate, more comfortable now she was around. "You look exhausted…" he added.
"Nah - he was ok. Just the usual after debugging self-doubt and I'm fucking tired after this day… and hungry." She smiled at Ben and he was only too happy to take the offered way out of Belinda's presence "Then what about you just sit down for a while and I get you a steak and a drink…" he kissed her cheek and didn't even wait for her to agree and already getting up and away from Belinda's touch.
"Thank you! You are the best!" Anya smiled. Ben basically bolted and Anya knew he would take his time before coming back but that was fine by her. She wasn't that hungry and mostly exaggerated to give Ben a breather.
"If you really like him you'd release him from whatever obligation you hold onto him so he can be with a shifter. Snow leopards like him and me are very rare - he can't waste himself to a puny human." Belinda sneered in a cold voice when Ben was out of earshot.
"What the hell?" Anya blurted out "It is his fucking decision with whom he chooses to be!" she replied angry. She couldn't believe what she just heard and focused on Belinda deciding for Ben as the thing that pissed her off the most from what that women just said.
Belinda huffed a laugh "You really think he is with you because this is what? Some romance fantasy of a wild beast finding his human princess?" she waved it off "He feels obligated by something you have done for him, obviously." She looked at Anya "I would be a suitable mate for him. Not a foul mouth and a bad influence like you. He could thrive with me." She stood up and left a bewildered Anya alone.
Was this Belinda right? Not that she believed for a second that Ben would prefer Belinda over her but did he feel obligated to Anya in some way? Anya thought back to the events which brought Ben and her to be together. She did save his life when she jumped after him into the river because she knew he couldn't swim. And it had indeed been her who first admitted her feelings after she brought him back into balance. Still… he would have turned her down if he wouldn't have felt the same… right? Anya felt tears build up but bit them back. She blamed her day for even thinking about this instead of just dismissing it for the bullshit it was.