Part 2 to the previous upload 'Warcat: Creating the Costume'. Here we see Thea a few days after arriving in Neolythia and trying to get use to the place. Meeting a co-worker at the Neolythian Museum of History, her boss and her first official outing as Warcat.

As always, enjoy and tune in next week for the start of a three parter that's important.

---

Thea had only been in this city for a couple of days and had already gotten lost several times. She grumbled as she gave her phone a whack again, then glanced around, trying to figure out just where the hell she was, but all she saw were the towering skyscrapers, the bustle of people going to work, or something else. It was no help at all, even the street sign wasn’t that much of a help if she couldn’t get the damn map app to unfreeze!

A moment later, her face split into a grin as the app worked again, only to see ‘GPS Signal lost’ flashed on the screen. ‘How the hell does that happen in the middle of a damn city?!’ she thought, the smile faded into a frown as she held the phone up. She lowered her arms not long after and sighed in frustration as she pocketed it as she headed towards a nearby store.

Ten minutes later, she walked with a spring in her step as she went over the directions again in her head, as she hoped she memorised it well enough. Though ever since leaving the store, there was a nagging feeling of being watched, maybe even followed. She brushed it off at first as slight paranoia of being in a new city, but after a few turns along the path, the feeling persisted. Her brow furrowed before darting down a side street and hoped that she could get a look at whoever was following her.

The bustling of the city was muffled slightly in this street. Only a person or two down here at the moment, not facing her at the moment. But Thea tried her best to pick up on any footsteps behind her. After a glance to make sure the others were still busy, she bowed her head slightly as she felt one of her ears starting to change and shift. As her sense of hearing became greater, the sounds of the city came in much louder, yet after a moment, she could hear faint footsteps behind her. With her suspicions confirmed, she changed her ear back to normal and waited until the footsteps got closer.

NOW!

Thea spun around with the phone up, prepared to record whoever it was… only to be greeted by the empty street. ‘What the hell?!’ she thought, eyes darted around to locate any places they could have hidden. Other than a few piles that dotted the street, there was no place, even the piles were not big enough to hide anyone. Maybe she was just imagining it, but that didn’t sit right with her. She was sure she was being followed by someone! ‘Well someone or something,’ she thought as she wondered just what was at play in this city. More alert now, she backtracked to continue on her way towards her destination.


The Neolythian Museum of History was as large and impressive as what she could see from the outside and through the lobby. But she thought it didn’t hold a candle to the one in London, though didn’t know if that was just an opinion or national pride. ‘Probably a bit of both,’ Thea thought with a shrug as she walked around the room as she waited for whoever the receptionist went to fetch.

The minutes dragged on as the Shiba Inu wandered a bit, before stopping and craning her head upwards to get a better look at the plane hanging several feet above her head. Brow furrowed slightly as she tried to recall just where she had seen this before. As she stared at it, another train of thought hit her. ‘I wonder if I could reach it if I just changed….’

“Ah, I see you are interested in this Hell-lance replica.”

The voice startled her and snapped her out of her thoughts as she realised there was a person next to her. Glancing sidewards she saw a mink standing there, standing at least about a foot or so taller than her. His grey fur was professionally combed under the white shirt, dark blue vest, and jeans he wore. His hair was black, his brown eyes looked at her. She thought she could detect almost a spark in them before she turned her attention back to the plane.

“Yeah, was trying to figure out where I’ve seen this model before,” she replied. She paused a bit. “I could be wrong, but I think it’s the one that flew non-stop over the Atlantic.”

The mink smirked a little as he nodded, “And you’d be right. It was an impressive achievement. I don’t think anyone could forget what he said when he made the trip.”

“Yeah,” Thea said before she looked back towards him fully, “Wasn’t it something like ‘See, told you lot I could do it!’”

“Close was more ‘And you bastards didn’t believe I could do it!’”

“Oh right, right. Sorry, I must still have the watered-down version they taught us in school stuck in my head.”

The mink just shrugged. “It’s alright. Most people know that version anyway, so I’m used to hearing it being quoted.”

“Are you a historian?”

“No, actually,” he replied and straightened his vest, “I’m one of the tour guides here. Ramón Espejo at your service.” He gave a small bow and a little smirk.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Thea,” she answered in response. A few seconds passed as she realised and quickly said, “Thea Sauril, sorry.”

“It’s OK.” he waved his hand slightly as he stood straight again. “You’re the new transfer from Albion, right?”

“I am,” she nodded, “J..just not from the museum in London. I worked in another city.”

He held up his hand. “No need to explain. I know there is more over there.”

“Oh good, sorry, I've just been asked what it’s like working in that one.”

“Understandable. Though I’m surprised you’d come in today, you haven’t been here long, have you?”

Thea shook her head, “Less than a week, a couple of days really. Just wanted to come here and at least get the lay of the land, so to speak. You never are prepared for how big cities like this one can be.”

“Too true there. I still get lost sometimes in this city,” he laughed. Thea smiled.

“Anyway, I shouldn’t be that surprised if a tour guide was the one to show me around.”

“Well, since you came in early, it kinda surprised us. I was just the one least busy. I’m sure Miss Khelri would be here personally to greet you, but she’s wrapped up in something.”

“Oh,” Thea replied, as she looked down slightly. She knew that a ‘Saika Khelri’ was the head of the historians for the museum, but that was the only thing she knew. Most other information was not hidden exactly, just there wasn’t much known about her. “I would've liked to have met her.”

“She’s often busy. Sometimes I think if it’s nothing to do with work she will not talk to anyone at work. I can’t say for sure about her personal life. She hardly interacts with us outside of work.”

“Maybe she likes to keep work separate from her personal life?”

Ramón just shrugged as he started on the tour. “Yeah, but I don’t lose sleep over it. Anyway, how about we go check out the exhibits, then we could swing by the employees' lounge, eh?”

“Well, whatever you think is best. I don’t want to get lost around here.”

“Smart move, though there are maps. Best to memorise the locations where you’d be working. That’s my advice.”

Thea nodded. “I will remember that.”

“But if you get lost, seek me out and I’ll help you,” the mink replied as he turned to head down a hallway, Thea following closely. “Anyway, it’s roughly easy either way. All you have to do is find the Celtic section and….”


It seems that Thea would meet her boss today after all. After about an hour on the tour, another member of the staff approached them. Ramón had instantly taken her towards the office in question, saying something about ‘She’s a busy woman. I’m surprised she wants to meet you today. But don’t worry, you will be surprised as well.’ She figured that last remark had something to do with the job. The mink stood off to the side as she pushed the door open, though he didn’t follow her in.

The office was cramped and not cramped at the same time. Maps hung on the wall of the ancient world. Texts lined shelves, charts, and artefacts were placed in orderly positions, and books were opened on some tables. A statue of a kitsune warrior stood behind the main desk of the room and a person was hunched over on the other side. Their back turned to her as they checked out something back there.

The floor creaked, alerting the woman, as Thea watched her straighten up. Her face twisted itself into one of shock when she noticed two horns sticking out of the dull red hair. The shock only increased as the woman turned around fully to face her. Dark blue eyes peered over the rims of the glasses perched on her snout. Purple scales covered most of what she could see, while dark bluish-grey ran from the chin down her neck, presumably continuing down past the suit she wore. Even though she lacked wings and was only about 5 feet or so, Thea knew that there was no mistaking it. Her new boss was a dragon!

“You’re not supposed to be here until the 14th,” the dragon said after a few moments of studying the new arrival in her office. The younger woman couldn’t help but feel like she was shrinking under such an intense gaze.

“A...ah yeah… I want… ahem… I wanted to memorise my way here and get a layout general idea… I mean an idea of the general layout,” she replied, almost feeling herself sweat.

Saika gave a huff before she turned her attention back to the papers in front of her, allowing an uncomfortable silence to hang in the air. “You’re smart, I’ll give you that. Good track record from your old place of employment,” she stated as Thea realised it must be paperwork on her.

“I... I try to work hard.”

There was no response, just a nod as she peered through the papers, “And someone who has a great interest in the Amulet of Sekhmet, it would seem. Though I find it interesting besides a guard, you were the only one left in the building when it was stolen.”

The canine’s eyes bulged as she finally took notice of the newspaper mixed in with everything. “M...Miss Khelri...”

A hand shot up to silence her. Once she shut her muzzle, the dragoness leaned forward a bit more, her hands clasped in front of her. “I’m not accusing you of being part of what happened. But as the only one close enough, you must know something.”

“Sorry ma’am, all I know was what I told the police. Someone shoved me into that storage closet. Most I heard was just noise from whatever was going on.”

“Humph, yes, I read, a ‘guardian of the amulet’ I believe they referred to. If this ‘guardian’ is true, it failed at its job,” Saika said as, for a moment, Thea tried to make herself small. “A priceless artefact now lost… Guess it’s kind of fitting, given what little is known about it.”

“I... I do agree there, ma’am,” she squeaked out before trying to compose herself.

“But enough of that,” the dragon dismissed as leaned forward, “If you are as good as these papers say, then having you on board will be a great asset.”

“I… I’ll do my best. You can count on that, Miss Khelri,” Thea replied with a bow.

A nod was the reply as the older woman turned her attention back to her work, pushing aside the papers to focus on what was underneath. Taking the hint, the canine turned and headed out of the office as a grinning Ramón greeted her. She said nothing at first, the two just walking in silence for a bit until she came to a stop and turned to face him. “Why didn’t you tell me she was a dragon?!” she demanded in a hushed tone, not wanting to draw attention.

“That look, of course. Heh, never gets old.”

“B...but I thought they never left their country.”

“And yet, you have proof sitting in that office,” he replied, gesturing back down the way they came.

Thea’s brow furrowed as she looked back the way they came before looking back at him. “But what about the… um...”

“From what I’ve heard, it's mostly a common misconception. They do prefer to stay in their country, yes. But the paranoia and xenophobia is mostly from their government,” the mink explained as he walked again with Thea behind him. They kept mostly silent as she thought about it.

It didn’t take long until they were again standing in front of the Hell-lance. “Well, I hope this little tour helped you a bit,” Ramón spoke up.

“Oh, it did. At least I won’t get lost on my first day.”

“But the second day is different, huh?” he laughed as Thea chuckled slightly.

“M...maybe...” she replied as she glanced back towards the plane.

“So, when do you start?”

“Oh, the Fourteenth.”

“Hopefully it will be a slow day. But should you need help or get lost, just ask someone for me and I’d be more than happy to help if I can,” he said with a bow.

“T..thank you… I’ll see you then, hopefully.”

“Take care, Thea.”

She gave him a wave before she turned around and headed out to begin the journey back to the apartment. Though she might pick something up on the way back.



Shoving the door open with her shoulder, Thea stepped over the threshold, two bags clutched in her hands as she let out a sigh. “Why couldn’t we find one that was on the first floor?” she mumbled as she nudged the door closed with her foot. Though she should count herself lucky that there was something for rent at all, even if it meant it was small, almost a one-room apartment. The only thing that was closed off was the bathroom just off to the side of the door. After she made sure the door was locked, she made her way down the short ‘hallway’, passing by the small kitchen before getting to the living room/bedroom. Placing the bags on the cheap, fold-out table, she rubbed her face a bit.

After turning the TV that sat on the counter that served as the dining room table, she turned her attention back to unpacking the bags. “We still have no leads on the mysterious deaths that have sprung up yet” This caused Thea to lift her head as she watched the press conference. A honey badger-rough collie hybrid stood in front of the steps of the police HQ. The reporters cried out, all trying to get her attention, until she pointed to one off-screen.

“Chief Faircross, what do you say about the rumours that these deaths are being done by one of the nut cases that think they’re a ‘super-villain’?”

“We are exploring all angles. We aren’t ruling out that possibility.”

“Would this be one of the two that appeared so far then?”

“No,” Faircross replied as she shook her head. “The one called Elementala has been locked up for a month now. The other hasn’t been seen since the bank robbery. We are thinking this might be a new one.”

“Chief, do you really buy into any of this?”

The hybrid looked directly at the reporter. “Whether they are the real deal, if they are just a criminal, or if they indeed have powers. I vow this city will remain safe under my watch. I have the utmost confidence in our police force. We will not let these people scare us. We will still do our jobs!”

The scene cut back to the news anchor as Thea watched for a few more minutes before she got up to fix something for dinner. She was glad that she could find a fridge on the first day for cheap. The washing machine was still needed, but she should have that soon. She hoped it would be quick since she wasn’t too comfortable going to the laundromat. But that was something she didn’t need to worry about right now, as she sat back down and flipped through and see what else was on.

Hours passed as she felt a touch restless, whether it was because she still had a bit of jet lag or the fact some jerk in the building was blasting away music at bloody midnight of all times she couldn’t tell. Add in the fact she can’t put a pillow over her head cause she just had one, which made it much worse. She considered changing and going to get them to shut up before she brushed the idea aside. Well, most of it. Changing sounded like a good idea. Maybe a quick trip into the city, which shouldn’t be too hard if she kept to the rooftops and the alleyways.

Getting up and putting the inflatable mattress up against the wall, she was soon the lioness again and dressed in the outfit she made back home. Being careful to not awaken the neighbours below her, she made her way to the window that took up a fair bit of the wall. She was lucky that it offered a great view… of the brick wall of the next building. There wasn’t much room in the small alleyway below but it should serve as she slid the window open, just barely fitting through but being careful as she extended the claws on one hand to keep her grip around one brick as she closed the window to just a crack.

She leaped from the wall to the one over, aiming higher as she did. She repeated this a few more times until she stood on the roof of the neighbouring building. She stretched and felt a few bones pop before letting out a sigh with closed eyes. They opened as she started, as she figured that maybe an hour should do before she came back.



The night was mostly quiet, well as quiet as an ocean port city can be, with the faint smell of the ocean becoming a bit more notable as the breeze blew it more inland. The city was beautiful in its own right; she thought as she sat down on the roof of what she thought was a store. Didn’t bother her at the moment. She leaned back, looked up at what stars she could see in the night sky, and watched as a few dark wisps of clouds floated by.

After a few minutes, she pushed herself up and stretched as she decided it was probably best to head back. She decided, though, to just have a look at the street below, to find some markings that would help her identify it should she ever decide to come back and continue her little exploration.

Or she would have if the sight of two people walking down the street didn’t catch her attention. As she crouched down to avoid detection, her eyes remained fixed on them, a rabbit if she could tell just from the shape of the ears. The other could be an otter, she wasn’t entirely sure. Thea wondered just why someone would be walking at this time before she figured it could be something like they were coming from a pub, (bar she reminded herself she wasn’t back home) or a party. The bag over their shoulder seemed to suggest a party until she saw something clutched in one of their hands that made her more alert. There was no denying it when both stepped into the light and made their way towards a car. The rabbit was holding a crowbar! Her ears fell back against her skull and her face twisted into a silent snarl as she moved swiftly and silently from the roof.


While across the street Viden was kneeling as he put the coat hanger down next to the crowbar and his bag that lay beside him. The rabbit scratched the back of his head just as he tried to work out what went wrong. Might be the car’s brand, as he never tried breaking into this one before. With a shake of his head, spoke to his companion, “Hey Jon. What do you think?”

“I do not know, never heard of this brand being hard to crack into,” the otter replied in a Southern American accent. “So beats me.”
Viden just sighed as he shook his head. “Shit, no good… Ok, there might be something in the bag that may help. Get it,” he ordered.
After several minutes, the rabbit frowned as he heard nothing or receive anything from Jon. “Ok, Jon, stop screwing around. Last score for the night and we can get out of here!”
Still, nothing as he let out a frustrated growl, “You know what, fuck you!” He reached down to give it another try before he felt his back brush something. As his ears shot up, he rose as he turned around and came face to face with sandy fur-covered abs. His mind went blank for a second before he let out a startled yelp as he scooted backwards, before looking the lioness in the eyes. His eyes darted to see that Jon was gone. He could see his retreating form down the street.
‘Shit!’




Thea watched the rabbit with her arms across her chest, her face, and her body language giving off the vibe of ‘Just go home’ towards the smaller mammal. The rabbit appeared to get the message as he reached for his stuff before his hand gripped the crowbar as he swung it with as much force as he could, the metal bar coming into contact with her leg as the lioness’s eyes went wide as the pain shot up through her leg. Though to her it was less the pain and more the thought this scrawny-looking fellow attempted this, she still felt it as she stood there for a few seconds.

The rabbit took this as his chance as he gathered up his gear before high-tailing it as fast as he could. He didn’t even pause to see if he was being followed by the weirdly dressed lioness. Though he didn’t get far when he skidded to a halt as she dropped in front of him, her face now morphed into a snarl. The tail lashed out like a whip as she spun around, giving him barely enough time to react. The blow sprawled him out on the ground as he quickly brought one arm up to brace his fall.


As he groaned, the feline reached down, gripped the front of his shirt, and hurled him back onto his feet. She watched him as he shook his head to dispense with the headache she was sure he’d have before feeling his feet kick her in the gut. But her grip remained, any sign that it hurt didn’t make it through, as she pushed him towards a nearby car. When she had backed him up to the car, she raised her fist and jabbed forward. With panic thinking, he moved his head to the left as the fist cracked the glass where it made contact. Thea just stared at the spot, not thinking until she felt the rabbit drive his knee into her stomach. The top loop of the chain helped the impact. Then he did it again and again.


She let go of him as she took a step back, that last blow earning a grunt from her as she felt the blows add up. Viden took his chance as he scrambled back to the crowbar and swung it once he got close enough to her again. She jumped back as he swiped it at her midsection. He figured that if he just continued to hit her, it might get her to back off. At least it would if she stood still. The lioness spun around and hit him in the face with a backhand. Though the blow shook his entire being, the rabbit was still in the fight as he brought the crowbar down into a swooping arch.

For the next few minutes, this is how it was, hit, dodge, parry, gain distance before closing in again. The two weren’t stopping even if he felt winded after a few blows to his chest and gut, but he kept on fighting. He had to win. He had the lioness on the ropes! Well, at least he thought he did. He saw her snarl drop more and more as he continued to land blows when he could, trying to aim for where he had hit before. With one last swing, he missed as she jumped out of the way and the already cracked passenger window of the car shattered; the alarm shrieking into the otherwise quiet air. Both combatants froze as they looked towards the car. The rabbit was the first to recover, as he used this much-needed distraction to slip away.

After a few seconds, Thea whipped her head around as she remembered the thief, but saw only an empty street. She glanced up and down but couldn’t see him, but she didn’t wait or try to go looking as panic set in. She ran back to the building across the street, scrambled up the side of it, and took off across the rooftops. It took her a bit due to the fact she had to backtrack a few times before she eventually slid down the wall of the alleyway. She gripped the bricks with her claws while she opened the window to her apartment and slipped in.

After removing her outfit and stashing it away, she was back to being her normal self as she pulled on some pyjamas. But just a slight movement caused her to wince as she felt some of the pain from being kneed in the stomach. “Ok… Try not to get hit too much…. Got it…” she groaned as she took something for the pain before heading back to her bed.

After she made sure the window was closed and locked, mostly a reflex, she crawled into bed. The Shiba Inu got comfy, pulled the blanket up, and slowly tried to get some sleep. With a promise to herself, she’ll think more about tonight and just why she was so aggressive when she woke up.