(This is what happens when there is a tie - I get to play with BOTH words ^^)

“If you get him down as fast as you can that would be great!” Gray said as I started to climb up the ladder. I paused and looked back at him, giving a little shrug.

“I don't know how fast this will be, just give me time -”

“But there's nothing wrong with him! He's just panicking, you can calm him down quickly! We don't want to lose valuable work time here!”

That all these furs didn't seem to know what they were doing did not surprise me anymore but it still confused the living hell out of me. It was not something I was going to question Gray directly, partly because again I was surrounded by furs and partly because I was a lot more interested in talking to Dodger at this point. If he and I were going through the same thing...

“Well?”

“Give – give us an hour, alright? I...need to make sure....”

“Fine.” Gray said shortly. I turned back to the ladder to hide my scowl and climbed the rest of the way up.

This loft was a lot more cramped than I thought it would be; I found myself having to stay on all fours because of how low the ceiling was and even lengthwise there wasn't a lot of space. If would have only taken four or five crawls to get over to where Dodger was, cross-legged and staring at me. I glanced back at the opening to the loft – judging from the chatter down there the crowd wasn't dispersing anytime soon – and then edged closer to the other wolf.

“No closer.”

I stopped. Dodger hadn't shouted this time, instead he sounded...almost defeated. I could sort of see things from his point of view; without this interruption my confusion and disgust may have turned into frustration and sadness but it was beginning to dawn on me what a big deal this was for me. I – I wasn't the only one. Rather, I wasn't the only wolf! If I could just understand what the hell had happened seemingly overnight then -

“One of...”

Dodger was blushing now. At first I thought it best to avoid eye contact myself but that just elevated the sense of awkwardness that was in that cramped loft. I wanted him to go on but if I said anything he might not speak.

I really didn't know how to handle this. Chances were neither did he, but eventually he did start speaking again much to my private relief;

“One of the bears....he wears leather.”

“That...isn't part of the dress code is it?”

“Under his pants.”

There was no need to ask how he knew that.

“It felt so...bad against his nose. I had to have my head in the toilet. Was only there in the first place because some meerkat had farted his way all throughout his talking about how the Geezers made this comeback win against the Jalapeños in my office. I don't even give a shit about sport for crying out loud! I had to excuse myself and was retching in there when he just...came barging in....he didn't...he didn't -”

“- Seem to notice that you were there?”

Dodger nodded. I opened my mouth to add to that but he started speaking before I could say anything; “those pants were so damn tight and his....farts were so – so fucking loud and the leather just grinded against my nose. Just the thought of that makes me wanna throw up again. I think I could even see the outline of his...his butt as he pulled his pants down but then it was all dark in that toilet seat and when the farting started I think it must have just hung around inside that toilet and I was there having to smell it all with the weight of this goddamn bear on me and having to take those farts right up the nose through that – that leather and I think the smell sank into the leather as well and – and the FEEL of that leather, just thinking about it...fuck, I already said that didn't I<?”

“It's fine.”

“It's far from fine though, I don't want to have to sniff farts for the rest of my life!”

“Neither do I, trust me!”

Dodger stared at the ground, twiddling his thumbs. He was still very much distressed but being able to talk to me about what the leather-clad bear had done to him seemed to calm him down just a bit.

“I mean...who next? There are 64 other furs on this floor and – and a lot more out there in the city and town and cars...and – hell, even the security guard! They have a new security guard now, he's this huge gator! I don't even want to imagine how bad his farts would be -”

A small groan escaped me as he said that, and for a moment my nose could smell everything wrong about that gator again, musk and farts and all. Dodger shut up immediately and looked my way.

“I...have I spoken too much -”

“N-no, not at all! It's just...that gator...”

A) Benefit

B) Climbing

C) Bandit

D) Eating