Daily Life with Furry Girls

*Guy and the girls enjoy a couple of days in the city

*

'Hairless apes.' said Mami and nodded at the stages of human evolution exhibition at the city museum. 'Of course.' she looked back at Guy and grinned. 'I'll never get that image out of my head now.'

'Better be careful I don't go all "Ooh! Ooh! Ah! Ah!" at you.' Guy said and swung his arm as he crouched.

Cani chuckled but Feli shushed him. 'We're guests here, behave.' she said, glancing at the other visitors who watched the group and chuckled.

'Well, we're a walking zoo anyway.' said Ara.

Feli rolled her eyes. 'Which is what we're not supposed to represent.'

Guy chuckled. 'Don't worry, most people have seen worse.' he said and walked with them to the next display of the history of mankind.

When they walked out of the museum much later the girls remarked how similar their evolution had been.

'It probably has to do with the links between our dimensions.' Guy said. 'If our worlds had evolved more differently a link might not have been created, or it's the link that enabled each of our worlds to be influenced by one another. There's no definite answer yet.'

'And who knows how many links there exists in space.' Ara said. 'Although it looks like even if they could be found, it's going to be hard to find out how to get to the other side if there's no signal from the other side to listen to.'

'Well, there's still plenty of links on the known worlds to explore, so there's no rush to search for them in space.' said Feli.

'Let's search for lunch instead.' said Cani who felt her stomach grumble.

They found a stall which sold a variety of bread and while Guy bought their lunch the girls sat down at a group of benches with a small fountain next to them. They had barely sat down when an elderly chap shuffled by and stopped, opened the plastic bag he had with him and tossed a few pieces of bread in front of Avia.

Avia blinked and looked at the man who smiled at her. 'What's this?' she asked.

He held up one hand. 'It's all I can give you.' the man rasped. 'You're a big bird, but the other birds want some bread too.' He continued his slow walk to another bench, sat down and tossed more pieces of bread at the birds that came up to him.

Avia looked at the bread on the ground, then turned to the other girls who tried to hold back their laughter.

'Well, you do look hungry.' Mami said, making Cani snort and laugh.

Guy walked up to the laughing girls and looked at Avia who gestured they were nuts.

Ara spotted a cat while they were eating, sneaking up on a single bird who was struggling with a large piece of bread. She gave Avia a nod and gestured at the cat. Avia put aside her sandwich, rose up silently and moved behind the cat. It was swaying its tail low, tensed, then got a tap on its back. It jumped up in surprise, saw Avia looming over it and shot away as fast as it ever could.

The others chuckled when Avia returned with a smirk.

After lunch they visited the observation deck of the tallest skyscraper in the city. There were four storeys in use, two lower storeys which had floor to ceiling windows while the two top storeys had two chest high glass barriers where the visitors were open to the wind.

Guy saw Cani keeping away from the edge. Her ears were flat and her tail tucked between her legs. 'Don't worry.' he said and held her hand. 'You're safe here.'

She smiled and leaned against him, relaxing a little. 'Thanks.'

'Be it in water or in the air, I'm at your side.' he said.

She squeezed his hand once and they watched the seemingly endless view of the landscape. A cry from a little boy startled them. He ran after a drawing that had been caught by a gust of wind and blew it towards the barrier. Feli reacted at once and grabbed at it but missed. Avia held up her wing but the paper slipped away.

'My drawing!' cried the boy as he ran right at the barrier, his father shouting for him to stop as he chased after him.

There was nothing to stop the drawing from going over the edge until Cani jumped at it and snatched it just in time. The boy ran up to her and she handed his drawing of a dog and a cat.

He smiled bright and hugged her. 'You saved Minny and Max.' he said and held his drawing tight as he showed it to her. 'They are our pets.'

His father ruffled his hair and gave Cani a nod. 'Arigatou.' he said. 'He's so proud of it. It would break his heart to lose it.'

'Put it away safely,' Cani said to the boy. 'otherwise it might blow away again.'

He nodded and put it under his shirt. He gave her another hug before he and his father went back to his mother.

Guy smiled at Cani. 'That was a good catch.' he said.

Cani moved her eyes to look at him. 'Guy?' she asked.

'Yes?'

'Get me away from here before I wet my jeans.' she said. 'I'm too terrified to move.'

Guy chuckled and put his arm around her back, walking her away from the edge while her legs trembled and her knees almost buckled. 'Let's go back down again.' he said and Cani nodded quickly.

By the time they were down at the street Cani had relaxed again but she kept her arm around Guy's. 'Just in case the memory scares me again.' she said with a little smirk.

Guy smiled and stroked her arm. 'Good idea.' he said.

'Next time I get to be scared.' chuckled Ara.

'I didn't think anything would scare you.' said Mami.

'I did have that nightmare after watching that nature documentary where that wasp stung spiders to lay her eggs in their body.' Ara said and shivered.

'Unless we make contact with a world where those wasps became the dominant species, I don't think you have anything to be scared of.' said Guy.

'Damn.' Ara said. 'Then I'll have to make up something for you to protect me from.'

'Just let me know when you thought of something.' chuckled Guy.

'So, what's next?' asked Mami.

Feli took the folded itinerary out of her skirt pocket and checked it. 'A tour of the city facilities.' she said.

An older man welcomed the group as they arrived at the visitor's centre at he city's water utility.

'My name's Wilhelm.' he said. 'I've been asked to show you around since I know most of the history of the city and have worked here since I was little. I'm retired now but I still give tours once in a while.'

He showed everyone the water pumps and the filters before the water got pumped in large raised spheres and distributed from there to one part of the city while the other parts were serviced by their own independent utilities.

He also showed a model of the sewage treatment plants saying it smelled better than the real thing for sensitive noses. He explained how the early industrial versions were replaced by ecological methods and the waste was recycled for other uses, returning almost pure water back into the environment.

He also talked about how the period of packaging more daily items like food increased the amount of garbage so much that it was quickly abandoned for the ancient method where all people brought their own containers to store their groceries in. He asked about how it was handled on the other worlds and engaged everyone in the discussion.

At the end of the tour he got hugs from all the girls and Guy shook his hand as he thanked him for the tour.

'I've seen a few things during school, but I still learned a lot today.' he said. 'I'll have a talk with the editor of one of the magazines I write for to come back and interview you for a complete article, if that's all right with you.'

Wilhelm nodded and smiled. 'I'd like that.' he said. 'I've got a lot of photos from the old days which I can show you.'

The girls waved goodbye when they left and Feli looked up at the sky. 'Getting dark.' she said.

'Anything you girls want to do?' Guy asked.

'Dinner.' said Ara. 'I'm beginning to get hungry again.'

'All right then.' Guy said. 'Let's see if we can find something on our way to the apartment.'

They were walking along a small street when the scent of grilled meat and steamed vegetables floated through the air.

'This!' said Cani, sniffing the air. 'This smells so good.'

'Indeed.' said Guy. 'Let's see where it comes from.'

They followed the scent around the street corner and arrived at a small restaurant called Klara. It was a small restaurant with one table and two chairs in front. Laughter accompanied the smells coming from inside.

'Would there be room for us?' asked Mami as she peered through the open door. 'It looks full.'

A chubby middle aged woman in dress and apron came out. 'Hello there.' she said. 'Were you looking for a bite to eat?'

'We were lured by the wonderful scent.' Feli said. 'But it looks like you won't have room for us.'

'What are you talking about?' the woman chuckled. 'We'll just scoot a little and you'll fit right in.'

She beckoned them inside and had the guests help in making a bit more room to accommodate the new guests. Tables were pushed together and a makeshift bench was made of sturdy crates and thick pillows for Ara.

'That's better.' the woman said. 'You're our first otherspecies guests so it's kind of a celebration.'

'None have been here before?' Guy asked. 'But you're close enough to the IPA.'

She nodded. 'True, but our restaurant is a small one and it's mostly local people around here who come to eat and drink.'

'Ah.' Guy said. 'I see.'

'Let me pour you an appetizer while you take a look at the menu.' she said and handed the menus to the group.

'You'll love Klara's home made wine.' said a middle aged man. 'It's the best appetizer in the city. But also a secret.'

'Oh, she's Klara?' asked Mami.

The man nodded. 'She took over the restaurant from her parents.' he said. 'They named it after her.'

When Klara returned she gave them all a glass. 'To your health' she said.

'To our gracious host.' said Guy and the girls and he took a drink.

'Ohh, this is good indeed.' said Mami.

'Thank you.' said Klara. 'Have you any idea what you'd like to eat?'

'It all looks so good.' said Cani. 'It's hard to choose.'

'I agree.' said Ara.

'Well, how about I make something of everything?' Klara said. 'Then you won't have to choose and you can ask for whatever you like more.'

'Please don't trouble yourself.' said Guy.

Klara chuckled. 'No trouble. she said. 'It makes it even simpler to cook for you all.'

She collected the menus and went back to the kitchen and returned soon with bread and condiments, then later after that with chopped vegetables, a couple of small bowls with salad, and at the next round a selection of grilled bits of meat and fried potatoes.

The girls and Guy enjoyed the meal and Klara returned quickly with extras when they were requested. They spoke with Klara and the other guests about food, growing up and living in the city and before they knew it it had become very late.

Feli looked at the pile of dishes on the table as Klara started to bring them to the kitchen. 'Let me help.' she said and collected the small bowls.

'Don't worry.' said Klara. 'I'll manage.'

Feli shook her head. 'That would take a lot of time on your own.' she said. 'We have experience in this. I don't want to have you keeping up all night.'

Klara wanted to protest but Guy put his hand on her arm. 'She won't let you do it all alone, trust me.' he said with a warm smile. 'We're going to help.'

Klara looked on with delight as the girls took care of cleaning up and she only needed to point out what to go where while she and Guy put the tables and chairs back.

When it was all done she nodded in satisfaction. 'That was very efficient.' she said. 'Thank you.'

'It comes naturally when you live in a larger household.' said Feli.

Klara hugged everyone after Guy settled the bill with her and gave them a bottle of her wine as a parting gift.

The night air was refreshingly cool and the city was mostly quiet, the dimmed orange street lights giving everything a soothing glow. The girls and Guy strolled along in silence, enjoying the night side of the city and Ara and Avia held Guy's hands until they reached the apartment.

The wind had died down and the girls looked out over the city from the balcony before going to sleep.

'It looks a little like star light reflected on a sea.' said Cani who held on to Guy. 'Mostly dark with just a few bright points.'

Mami looked up. 'I think the stars at home are brighter, although this is very nice too.'

Guy smiled softly. 'Well, they still don't compare to the beautiful and bright stars that I know.'

'And which are those?' asked Cani.

'You girls, of course.'

Cani put her arms around his neck and smiled. 'Flatterer.'

He smiled. 'Of course.'

Cani chuckled and kissed him deep, pressing her body against his, then pulled back and took his hand. 'Let's see if you can produce more stars for us again.' she said and pulled him back inside while the other girls followed quickly.

The next day started off with a visit to the city's traffic control site. Cani likened it to a simulation game and the department chief had to admit most of the controllers started off with simulation games and still played them in their spare time.

Afterwards they took a tour of the canals with a small boat, admiring the big ships passing by on the wide canals and enjoying the romantic atmosphere of the smaller ones with a lot of green on the banks, tree branches growing overhead and many patches of flowers.

Cani spotted the branches of a cherry tree and stood up to pluck some of the dark red cherries.

'Careful!' said Feli when the shallow boat rocked.

Cani tried to balance herself but she flailed her arms when she lost it. Feli grabbed Cani by her hips but that resulted in falling overboard with Cani.

A moment later they surfaced and shook their heads. Feli frowned at the grinning Cani while the others laughed.

'Hey!' said Feli. 'Not funny!'

'Sorry, it just is.' said Guy and sniggered as he held out his hand. 'Here.'

Feli looked at Cani who winked, then both grabbed his hand and pulled him overboard. They grinned at each other until they both cried out and splashed their arms under water. Guy resurfaced and smiled deviously at Feli and Cani.

'Guy!' said Feli. 'We're in public!'

Cani chuckled. 'Indeed!' she said and splashed Guy. 'You can only do those things where we can't be seen!'

'That's not what I meant!' said Feli.

'But you wouldn't mind it.' said Mami with a smirk as she leaned on the side of the boat.

'Shut up.' said Feli with a flustered look and splashed Mami.

Mami laughed, splashed her back and soon people were shaking their heads at the sight of the group acting like little kids fighting with water.

'That was fun.' said Cani when they were drying themselves in the sun on a couple of benches.

'You're just lucky it's a warm and sunny day.' said Feli. 'And that we have no plans for the afternoon.'

When they were mostly dry they went further for a walk and checked out various tourist spots. It was at a small square where Feli spotted a familiar porcupine in a group of three.

She walked up to them and smiled when she saw Osgar with Jasna next to him. 'Hello.' she said. 'How are you two doing?'

Jasna smiled and glanced at Osgar. 'Very good.' she said. 'And we have something amazing to show you.'

Osgar held up a device that looked like a round pencil sharpener for very large pencils.

'What's this?' Cani asked.

'While I was busy rounding off his quills, Osgar made notes on how I did it and how to do it best without damaging the tip.' Jasna said. 'Then he spent all night tinkering and came up with this electric filing device. It will round off quills in seconds, saving so much time. I did the rest of his quills with it to test it and just look.' Osgar turned around and Jasna stroked his back. 'No worries about stabbing someone again as long as the tips are maintained.'

Osgar turned back and smiled. 'So now I'm showing it to my friends and colleagues and they're interested in getting one.' he said. 'I'm redesigning it and we're talking with a company who's interested in manufacturing it.'

'That's great news!' Feli said.

He nodded and glanced at Jasna.

'So, is there more good news?' asked Cani, leaning closer to him and smirking.

He coughed and cleared his throat. 'Ehmm.. Well..'

Jasna took his arm in hers. 'You guessed it, we're dating now.' she said, smiling brightly.

'Congratulations!' Feli said and hugged the both of them, which made Osgar still nervous.

'He'll get used to it.' said Jasna and grinned. 'He's getting regular mandatory hugs now.'

The girls said their goodbyes and the group went further, exploring a few small side streets and on occasion taking pictures and having them taken by other people.

They were just looking at a rack of large shirts outside a small clothing shop when they heard a familiar voice coming out the door.

'Hey, you guys!' said Minou when she walked out of the shop followed by a photographer and a feline woman. 'What are you doing here?'

'We're just looking around.' said Feli who received the first hug. 'What are you doing here?'

'Oh, I just love shopping for clothes at original small places.' she said. 'I think they have more interesting things than big name boutiques.' She gestured at the two felines behind her. 'And they are here to do a little piece on me for the local newspaper.' She twirled around once in her short mint green dress with white pockets, collar and hems, then took Guy's hands in hers and leaned close to him. 'So, what do you think?'

Guy blushed and cleared his throat. 'I, think you look good in it.'

She smiled and gave him a kiss. 'Thank you.'

'Hang on, is he the one?' asked the feline woman.

Minou grinned. 'Who knows?' she said.

'Who are you?' asked the feline of Guy and showed her press card. 'How do you know miss Minou?'

'I'm the host to these guests from the IPA.' said Guy and gestured at the girls. 'And miss Minou is a former classmate of Feli here.'

'Ah.' the feline said. 'Then it can't be you. The guy miss Minou likes has to be someone famous.'

Feli wanted to protest but Minou shook her head and gave her a wink. Feli sighed and nodded.

'Well, I have to go since there's another interview next.' Minou said. 'Will I see you later?'

'I'm afraid not.' Feli said. 'We'll be going home after tonight.'

Minou looked a little sad. 'That's a shame.' she said. 'Maybe we'll meet again when I'm around though. I'll be sure to keep an eye out on how you're doing.' She gave a wink and blew a kiss to Guy and went on her way followed by the felines.

Cani nudged Guy. 'What's with you and attracting all kinds of female beings?'

'I have no idea.' Guy said and chuckled. 'I was never this popular before.'

'Well, whatever it is, keep it under control.' said Mami and took his arm. 'Before we have to move to a bigger place.'

After a visit to a supermarket for groceries they went back to the apartment and made dinner there. They had barely settled on the futons together to watch a movie when the doorbell rang.

Guy got up and opened the door to find miss Tesha with another woman in a dark grey skirt suit.

'Guy, this is miss Chihiro.' miss Tesha said. 'She's from the Commission of Otherspecies Welfare. She's come to inspect if the girls are treated well by you.'