Comfort
The bat sat down at the bar. He took a deep drink of the rum in his glass, that cool burn of the alcohol helped to wake him up.
Jimmy had been away from Corpus Christi; he'd only just got back to his old stomping ground. Nothing, it seemed, could seem to keep this 35-year-old vampire bat away from this glittering city by the bay.
The bat was decked in a leather vest, one of the few things that could really fit on a creature with long winged arms like his. That damn membrane made most shirts just impossible to wear.
His pointy bat ears twitched as soft, soothing country music played, some somber song about going home. The Lord sure knew how to stick that knife in.
He chuckled darkly at the thought.
With the vest, he also wore a sensible pair of denim jeans that went to his ankles. On his feet, the bat wore flip flops, just what anyone wore under the sun out here on the Coastal Bend.
The bat's ears swiveled then when he thought he heard footsteps approaching. He turned to look, his bright red eyes squinting as he checked the scene.
Not many other patrons, not in a little dive like this.
He did not at once see who was walking up, then the bat heard the bar stool next to him squeak as someone had taken a seat.
Jimmy turned to his opposite side and had to blink at the sight of a small, cute white and black dog-like person sitting at the bar with him.
The little dog's bushy tail wagged with excitement as they sat and waited for someone to come to them.
The bartender, an old, grizzled badger with a bushy mustache came up, "Hey kid, I don't know what frickin' school trip ya wondered from, but this bar don't serve minors!"
The dog-like person's tail stopped wagging, then they shouted in a very feminine, if somewhat scratchy Cajun accent, "Hey! I'm a fuckin' adult! I'm goddamn 30 years old, my people just don't get any bigger than this, okay? In fact, I'm considered kinda tall for aardies."
The badger scoffed, "Aardies, alright, but if you don't show me an ID, you can understand if I don't feel inclined to believe ya, kid."
The small aardwolf nodded, "Yeah, alright asshole." She took out her wallet which was bigger than her own paw, she pulled out her driver's license then showed it to him, "Here, and make sure ya clean it fer me, after you shove it up your ass!"
The badger took the license and he quickly read the name, then birth date. There it read: Krystal Raye, aardwolf, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, year 1993. He nodded, "Alright, it's legit, sorry for the misunderstanding, Ms. Raye. You know you can't be too careful with dumb kids always tryin' to sneak a drink. Tell me what ya want and, first drink's on the house, what do ya say?"
Krystal grinned with her pointy little carnivore teeth shining in the light, "Okay, hit me with the best rum ya have. This little body can take it!" She proudly pounded her small feminine chest under the black death metal band shirt that she wore.
The badger nodded, "Rum it is, I'll get that for you, Ms. Raye."
She waved him off cutely as her mood swung back into cheerfulness again, "Gah, ya don't have to call me Miss. You'll make me feel like an old maid! It's Krystal, or Krys, or That Bitch." She giggled with that tomboyish rasp at the last name, brushing back some of her wild untamed white bangs that hung over her wild violet eyes set in a pretty black mask-like mark over an equally pretty black muzzle.
Jimmy looked at the little hyena girl, eyes trailing her small body, making a note of her curves visible even under the thick black jeans that covered her bottom half to her feet, completely bare, just her little foot paws kicking at midair while she sat there.
The badger answered back, "Okay, Krystal, I'll remember that." He turned to fetch some rum for her. He looked to the bat, "And you sir, would you like another rum yourself?"
The bat shook his head, "Nah, I'm fine." He held up his glass.
The bartender shrugged, "Okay!"
Krystal looked at the tall bat then while he was distracted. She'd of course noticed him checking her out, and she just returned the favor, looking up and down before he looked right at her.
He smirked playfully, "Howdy!"
She fired back, "Howdy yerself, ya great big gargoyle lookin'"
Clink!
Her playful insult was interrupted by the sound of the glass being placed on the bar counter for her.
The badger looked between the two of them, "Here's your drink, Krystal. And like I said, first one's free, but anymore, and I'm chargin' alright?"
She signaled OK to the bartender, "Got it!"
The bartender then turned his back.
Krystal picked up her glass of rum. She took a small sip and was already hit by the hard liquor. She took another bigger drink of it, "Goddamn, that hits the spot."
After she got her drink, Krystal looked back over at the bat.
Jimmy had been watching her.
The two made a quick wordless agreement then got up from their seats.
Then the vampire bat and the aardwolf were both sharing a quiet booth in a corner of the bar.
Krystal had opted to sit on the same side with the big bat and already the affectionate little thing was snuggled against the larger, warmer mammal.
Jimmy chuckled, "So, your name's Krystal?"
The aardy nodded, "That's right, Krystal Raye! A native of New Orleans, hon. I grew up there, then I told my mom I liked eatin' cunt and I had ta find myself a new place, and Texas was just the next place over."
The bat laughed, "So ya left a homophobic family life an' chose to live in one of the most backwards-assed states in the country? Good job!"
Krystal scoffed, "Sure, the assholes might be bigger in Texas, but then so are the dicks." She nudged him playfully.
Jimmy drank his second rum, "I can agree on that for sure, mine is plenty big." He offered a friendly hand, "Name's Jimmy, Jimmy Lee Darrell."
Krys giggled with the blush of drunkenness coloring her little muzzle, "You couldn't have picked a more Hick-soundin' name, huh?"
The bat grinned with his fangs glistening in the light, "Well, like you, I'm not originally from Texas, I'm more Tex-Mex. My real name's Jaime Rodriguez, but uh, I guess I wanted a fresh start after I left my home in Matamoros."
