Melody nudged open the apartment door and apathetically tossed the groceries on the kitchen counter. She sprawled onto her sofa and threw her hand over her eyes.

She didn't feel like moving. It had been two weeks since she moved into town and her social life was non-existent. Everybody at work was a mindless wage slave, the people in her apartments never acknowledged her, and the local club scene was more into punk rock than anything she was interested in. She hadn't even seen another mouse since she'd moved into town.

"Sigh...Maybe I should just head back home. Sure, the job's nice, but what good is it if I've got no one to share my off hours with?" Melody dragged herself from the couch and busied herself with putting away the groceries. That quick chore done, she flipped on the TV, but there was nothing interesting on this time of day. She stretched back over her head and flipped open her notebook. The cooling fan blew in her ear as she lifted it over her head and propped it up on her chest. After finding nothing in her mailbox other than spam and three notes from her mother, she flipped to the local social page in one last, desperate attempt to find SOMETHING to do in this town.

Melody caught the notebook as it slid off her chest, it's precarious balance upset by her sudden start. There, in the middle of the page, was an ad that was exactly what she'd been looking for. 'Feel like a rat lost in a maze? Looking for some company to chew the fat? Come to the first weekly Meet and Squeak at Pandah's Public house. Rodents only! RSVP at 555-XXXX.'

Melody was worried for a moment. This seemed too good to be true, and she has always been shy about going to a strange new place. However, she was desperate for some kind of companionship. She reached into her hand bag and drew out her cell.

***

Melody stood on the corner, looking across the street at the Pandah Pub. She was nervous. She had been standing there for ten minutes trying to build up the courage to go in. Every two minutes, she managed to convince herself to cross the street, only to retreat again as soon as the light changed back. She knew she wasn't going to be able to go in. She might as well turn around and go home.

That's what she told herself every time. But then, the image of that lonely little apartment came back to her mind, the email-box filled with notes from mom, the empty message box on her phone. She finally got up the courage to go ahead. It was her last chance to find any kind of life in this town.

No sooner had her hand touched the door handle than the door opened. In the entrance way, there stood a tall, grey mouse woman. Something about her captivated Melody. She had sparkling grey eyes that shone like glass beads. The cut-off shirt and Daisy-Dukes she wore revealed not only a trim, curvy figure, but an intricate pattern of lines etched into her grey fur. There was something...enchanting...about this figure, as if she didn't entirely 'belong' to this world: like she'd come out of a fairy tale.

"Hello, there!" She said with a cheery quip. "I'm Mousie. Welcome to my Meet and Squeak! C'mon in!"

Melody was caught off-guard by her forwardness. "Oh..okay. Hi...my name is...Melody."

"Oh, Melody! We were expecting you! C'mon, lets get you introduced to everybody!" As the hostess leaned forward and guided Melody through the door, she looked the mouse over. "my, your a cutey, aren't you!" She squeaked as her eyes fell on Melody's feet. "Oh! I LOVE your shoes!" Melody blushed, both at the flattery and at the approval of her style.

Mousie led Melody into the common room. "Hey, everybody! This is Melody! She just moved into town! Let's make her feel welcome!"

Melody stared as a chorus of greetings rose toward her. The room was filled with rodents of all kinds: mice, rats, rabbits, otters, there was even a Raichu in the crowd! Melody had never seen so many rodents in one place before, and all of them seemed eager to get to know her! Even as she watched, several tables were motioning her to empty seats. A tear came to Melody's eye.

She turned to the hostess and saw her beaming at her. Melody could feel her throat closing with emotion. She managed to squeak out a quiet, 'Thank you,' before she rushed off to choose a seat.

She didn't hear Mousie say, 'Your welcome,' as she turned to return to her post at the door.
_________________________________________________________________

Characters (From left to right by group)
Melody  hentairo
Mousie  malkanis

Scythe  scytherat
Eluna  elunaodis

Dewey Teagarden  chromatophore
Dusty  Mink_Luv

Pandah  howareyougentlemen

Molly  koyote
Marihim  roshiyu

Shalya  ssn_inc
Charollete  koyote

Krista
Roshiyu
Sally

Milky
Connie-May

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