Heat. Sand. Dirt. Smoke. The usual things that you would find in the Outskirts, far from New Eridu. For anybody traveling from the big city to that dry land, all those things would be uncomfortable and annoying, but for the people living in the different settlements, they felt as natural as breathing. Sure, life in the Outskirts was hard, but all of them enjoyed the freedom of living in such a place, as well as the danger that came with it.

That was true for the Sons of Calydon, one of the bike gangs that ruled in the area. And “rule” is quite an accurate word, as their leader, Ceaser King, recently claimed the title of Overlord: the maximum responsibility position in that place, making sure that everybody living in the Outskirts would have their provisions for their daily lives and that the other bike gangs would have their fair share of work. Not everything could be perfect, and Ceaser knew she still had to learn a lot, but she was not scared of anything, not even of her old rivals.

Old faces would appear now and then in their settlement, but one that the Sons of Calydon saw with more frequency was Pulchra, a mercenary that previously worked for The Vanquishers during the last Tour de Inferno. Even if back then she was considered an enemy, after the competition was over, she frequently offered her services to the new Overlord to stabilize the situation in the area, partly out of her own volition, but she had some push from of the members of Caesar’s gang: Burnice. The most enthusiastic (and sometimes crazy) bartender took a special interest in the half-cat woman, and whenever they met, Burnice insisted Pulchra about joining them. Even though she gave quite an opposition, the therian ended up agreeing to help the gang and to live in the settlement… although she didn’t expect to share a living place with the bartender. Contrary to her fist impressions, their cohabitation was rather peaceful, except for one little thing: Burnice’s insistence in touching Pulchra’s tail. The therian couldn’t understand at first why she was so interested in doing so, but one day, she obliged out of curiosity. The woman felt incredibly happy and, contrary to her usual enthusiasm, she caressed Pulchra’s tail with care and grace, enjoying the fluffy sensation. For the therian, it felt comfortable, so they agreed to do that sometimes. And with time, they felt comfortable living together, happy with each other’s company.

One day, Pulchra came back from one of her assignments and was talking to a group of people in the settlement. As she walked by, Burnice noticed her roommate and, just like a hunter lurking their prey, she tried to sneak behind her and grab her tail… only to end up falling on the ground as Pulchra swayed her tail away.

-Ouch, why did you do that?- complained Burnice.

-You should work harder if you want to catch me off-guard- mocked Pulchra.

Anybody would believe they didn’t get along, but that was far from the truth. As time passed, they got to learn more about each other and some feelings were born between them. It was new for Pulchra, as she never felt that connection with anybody before, and that made her show a new softer, but joking side that only Burnice could see and appreciate.

-Come on, I can’t help it! Your tail is so fluffy! Please, let me!- begged Burnice.

-You know the rules, only at home- answered Pulchra with a smile.

Later that day, the two women had dinner at their place and sat down. Burnice was bouncing on her seat, awaiting for the prize she had been waiting for the whole day. As always, Pulchra rested her tail on the couch and Burnice proceeded to touch it, her face changing to pure bliss. Pulchra loved seeing that expression on her face, but this time, she unconsciously approached one of her fingers to her friend’s face. It was barely a second, but as she skimmed her cheek, Burnice jumped back wide-opened.

-Nah, nah, you know the rules: no touching- said Burnice with a joking tone.

It was right. As they met, Pulchra learned that Burnice was more sensitive than normal to physical contact, making her avoid it as much as possible. She respected that at first, but as time passed, the therian longed to get closer to her friend, even if it was just a little. Seeing that reaction once again, she turned a bit sad.

-You know… it’s not fair...- said Pulchra.

-What do you mean?- asked Burnice.

-I mean, you know how mercenaries work, right? You ask for something, you give something. All this time, you’ve been touching my tail as you pleased. I didn’t care before, but now… it’s not fair that I can’t even touch you at all- explained Pulchra.

Hearing that, Burnice showed a face that Pulchra had never seen before: she was sad. Was that something that the bartender could actually feel? The therian was surprised to see her partner do that.

-You know… I… I’m aware… Don’t believe I don’t know I’m selfish for asking you this and not letting you touch me…- said Burnice. -It’s just… you know… when something touches my skin, it’s too… intense… more than my clumsy head can manage… Me touching things? That’s more manageable, and truth is, your tail is so soft that it makes me feel calm… But I just don’t know what to do…

At that moment, Pulchra realized Burnice had been worried about that for quite a while. It’s not that she didn’t know her partner cared about things more than anybody actually believed, but she didn’t realized how important this topic was for Burnice as well.

-Wow, I’m… I’m sorry for bringing this up- said Pulchra.

-No, you’re right! It’s not fair for you- complained Burnice. -We’re living together, you let me do this… It’s only fair that you could touch me as well, but honestly, I’m lost regarding this.

At least Pulchra was sure it was not a nitpicking thing: Burnice actually wanted to get rid of her problem, but the therian knew the only thing Burnice was good at thinking was Nitro-fuel combinations. When it came to solve other problems, they mostly ended up with the bartender causing an even bigger problem to solve. The therian hummed, thinking about a possible solution, something to help her partner, and something clicked her mind.

-Well, how about… doing some training?- asked Pulchra.

-Hey, you ain’t thinking about putting a leash on me, right?- asked Burnice jokingly.

-Trust me: between us both, your mind is the dirtier one- joked Pulchra. -No, I mean, before actually going into the Hollows and fighting ether monsters and bandits, we had to learn some basic things first, right? You know, going slowly… Why don’t we do that? We can start with something really simple that may not trigger your brain, and work on that. What do you think?

It was then that Burnice hummed, thinking about her partner’s proposal. Her eyes showed a bit of worrying and fear, but deep inside, she knew it wasn’t a bad plan.

-OK… if we were to do that… how would we start?- asked Burnice.

-Mmm… I guess the simplest thing would be… holding hands- answered Pulchra.

Then, Pulchra rested her left hand on the space between her and Burnice, right where her tail was a few minutes before. Burnice looked at it a bit anxiously, her heart beating fast. She was scared of that loud sensation in her head when someone touched her, and still, she actually wanted to try. Then, she looked at Pulchra: her gentle smile calmed her down. She always felt comfortable and safe around her, why would it be such a problem to hold hands? With that thought in her mind, Burnice approached her right hand slowly to Pulchra’s and, in a fit, she grabbed it.

It was there. The tingling in her head. It was not as loud as other times, but it was there. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to push that sensation away. Pulchra observed her partner and knew it was hard for her, but at the same time, she appreciated her efforts.

-OK, listen to me. Try to take deep breaths, OK?- said Pulchra. -Don’t try to push that thing away. It won’t leave as long as you pay attention. You know it’s there, right? So now, try to focus on other thing. Your hand. What are you actually feeling in your hand?

-Well… I can feel… your pads… they’re squishy, but a bit dry- said Burnice nervously.

-Not that, I mean, what do you feel when I touch it?- asked Pulchra.

-Oh… I… it’s… warm… like your heat is transferring to my hand… and your fur… it tickles a bit- said Burnice.

-Are those actually bad sensations?- kept asking Pulchra.

-Eeeh… No, they… they ain’t bad, just… it feels warmer and more ticklish? I mean, you know when you touch a kettle and for a few seconds, it’s warm, but too long and you get burned? It’s not that much, but it’s like it’s building up… and my head tries to say I’ll get burned if I don’t run away- explains Burnice.

-OK… if you think it’s enough, we can finish now- said Pulchra.

-Mmm… Just a few… more seconds- murmured Burnice.

Both of them remained like that for a few extra seconds until Burnice released Pulchra’s hand. The therian looked at her hand briefly: even if she didn’t say anything, she felt happy for having that brief moment with Burnice. She look at her partner, who took deep breaths to calm down.

-Was it… too intense?- asked Pulchra worried.

-Not too much actually. It was better than I thought- answered Burnice with a smile. -I think it will go better tomorrow.

Pulchra gasped, her eyes wide-open, when she heard that.

-Tomorrow? So you really want to… keep doing this? It’s OK, I don’t want to push you...- said Pulchra.

-Hey, look at the kitty with that softie side- joked Burnice. -Actually, I liked it a bit. I’m sure I will get this mastered in no time!

Hearing that, Pulchra sighed in relief. She felt much calmer knowing that Burnice was confident to keep going with that training.