Summary: Beware the spider-tiger thing in the vents.

"This taught me to talk!" Puro said happily, gesturing to the screen. On it, a cartoon orange with a face looked back. Text read Mr. Orange Early Education Machine. "It's an amazing device!" Puro continued. "Human-made!"

Lin ate a piece of orange. He barely chewed before swallowing it. He quietly wished for a bigger meal, but didn't want to ask Puro for more. Besides, he couldn't get too hung up on things like food when he could probably get some once he reunited with society.

"I've been practicing drawing, reading, mathematics," Puro said, his eyes wide with wonder. "There are so many subjects to learn about! Humans knew all of this?! No wonder they were able to create us! You must be very smart!"

"Some people are," Lin said, glancing away. He wasn't very comfortable with how Puro seemed to worship humans.

He finished the orange and dusted off his hands. That was the last he had, and after the brief rest he had earlier, he felt ready to continue. It was best not to waste time. Now that he knew the latexes weren't as hostile as he thought, he was a little less afraid.

Assuming Puro had been right about assimilation being temporary, of course. How many hosts had he had in the past?

"Oh, is that your last orange?" Puro said.

"Yeah."

"Right. You must want to move on, then." His ears drooped a little.

Lin looked at him. He felt a little sorry for the wolf, but he couldn't afford to get too distracted. He had to get a move-on sooner rather than later.

"I'll show you where to go," Puro said, walking over to a drawing on the wall. It was a self-portrait of Puro himself. While Lin had seen better art, he had to admit this work in particular didn't look bad to him. Especially when compared to the wolf's earlier attempts.

Puro took the paper by the corners and carefully removed it from the wall. To Lin's surprise, a vent grating big enough to let him through was revealed behind it.

"I hid this…" Puro said. "To make sure you wouldn't be able to flee before we had 'the talk'." He pushed the grating open and passed through it. "Follow me."

Lin did so. Beyond lay a corridor. Walls consisting of metal panels formed a stark contrast to the warm, inviting environment of the library. Lin paused at the white latex puddles on the ground. He'd asked Puro about that earlier, and the wolf had confirmed that the puddles would transfur him if given the chance. Apparently their minds weren't developed enough to be able to do otherwise.

Puro led him ahead, then turned and slipped down a narrower path. Lin followed, his shoulders almost brushing against the walls. They took another turn.

Lin stopped dead in his tracks as he looked on surprised.

A room greeted him. Still lined with cold metal panels, but decorated with colorful pillows, drawing materials, books and a large sack with what looked like dried fruit. Artwork—unmistakably made by Puro—hung on the walls like posters.

"Welcome to my home, Human!" Puro proclaimed. He made his way over to the side and started rummaging through some papers.

Lin looked around. The place looked…kind of homey. He'd almost forget he was in a vent.

"You live here?" he said.

"Oh, yes!" Puro said, keeping his eyes on his work. "It's a nice place! You can go anywhere in the building from here if you know where to go." He paused. "… Which I don't. That's…why I have to get something before I send you on your way."

Lin paused. "You're not coming with?"

Puro glanced back. "Ah, not exactly. We'll meet again! It's just that I'm using a different route. The Protocol states I have to tell the Elder One that you made it here, so I'm going to him first."

Huh. Why would that be the case?

"I'll say hi to Fletch for you, if I see him!" Puro said.

Lin gave a light nod, then resumed inspecting the room. He hesitated. "When did he learn to talk?"

"I taught him! And a lot of others. They're quick learners! They could've welcomed you too. Only…the Protocol said otherwise."

"Why? I mean…you're all the way here. Even if they can't greet me, why didn't they at least call you back to the den when I woke up?"

No answer. Lin glanced at Puro and saw he was looking back.

"Ah…" Puro said, returning his focus to the pile of papers. "We don't really talk. I'm not part of the pack anymore."

Lin looked at him, waiting if he'd continue. Finally Puro sighed.

"I was different, as a cub," the wolf said softly, staring ahead. "I had different…interests, I suppose. Most wolves just wanted to be with the pack. Stick together. The occasional competition… A simple wolf's life, but most of them were happy with it. Me, though… I loved the pack, but I didn't care about the same things as they did.

"I wanted to learn. To leave the den. To explore, to know things, like our creators did! Back then, the different species mostly kept to themselves. We didn't have enemies, but we didn't really have friends, either. For most of us wolves, our den was our whole world. We rarely even visited our neighbors, the dragons."

Puro's voice carried more weight now, and his ears had drooped. This wasn't a simple lecture about how things were in latex-land. This was personal.

"Since no one else shared the same interests, there…came a bit of a wedge between me and my packmates. I just wanted to fulfill my dream…" He fell silent.

"And…you did," Lin finally said. "Didn't you?"

Puro gave a brief glance back. "I eventually taught other latexes. Taught them to talk, to read…and I became a teacher to them. Just…a teacher."

"But…Aura and Jack…?"

"They're friends… But not…not family. Not like my pack used to be. My teachings were used to strengthen the bond between different species, and we became less isolated. It worked out well…so I suppose it did have its uses…"

It 'had its uses'? He singlehandedly united latexes across the facility…

"Why can't you go back to the den?" Lin asked cautiously.

Puro sighed. "Even if I did, they won't care. He never cared."

"He…?"

"Maybe I should've gone back. I would've been able to greet you a lot sooner if I had, save you all the trouble the Protocol caused you…but then you ended up getting chased by Circle because I forgot to unlock the door. I couldn't even convince the leaders how flawed the Protocol really was, and you suffered because of it."

Lin fell silent. He wasn't sure what to say.

Puro suddenly glanced back, giving an awkward smile. "I'm sorry," he said. "You just asked a question, and I…got all emotional, heh. Erm…I'm fine now. I should find that map." He resumed rummaging.

Lin looked at him for a moment longer. He hadn't expected to hear a story like that. Not here, not from…one of them.

Lin mulled over his words. He caught himself wondering—why had Puro been so open with him? It had been less than two hours since they met… Had he been bottling it up for so long? But he had other friends to talk to, right?

Friends… Puro had said. But not family.

Lin glanced towards the wolf again. He felt…apprehensive. What did Puro expect of him, exactly…?

Lin glanced around the metal room. It suddenly felt a lot smaller than before. Cold, despite the colorful decorations. Like a prison, almost.

His eye fell on a stack of papers nearby. Figures had been drawn on it. More art practice?

He took some of the paper sheets in hand. Judging from the…very simplistic art-style, he suspected Puro made this during his earlier years of drawing. They depicted what looked to be a brief comic of sorts, showing a big burly 'human.'

Lin felt a smirk tugging at his lips as two terrified latex beasts—drawn in the same minimalistic style—fearfully beheld the human ripping apart other latexes with his bare hands. The final few panels depicted the human attacking Puro—only for Puro to absorb him, growing a similarly burly physique as a result.

"Ah…"

He looked over at the wolf, whose expression looked really uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"… Please stop looking at that," Puro requested timidly.

Lin forced his grin down. "You, ah…thought about getting a host?"

"N-no!" He paused, fidgeting. "I…may have fantasized about it a little bit. Getting a host, growing stronger… But that was long ago!"

Lin set the papers down, trying not to show his amusement. He wouldn't be surprised if more latexes had fantasies like that. The Protocol then, flawed as it was, was a testament to their restraint.

… Well, except maybe Circle. And those dark latex juveniles.

"When we transfur someone," Puro abruptly said, "we derive strength and energy from them."

Lin hesitated. "You said transfurmation was temporary…"

"It's not harmful!" Puro said quickly. "It can make us stronger, though. The Wolf King had multiple hosts simultaneously at one point. Strong hosts. That's how he grew so powerful. But when he let them go, they ran. That's why the Protocol was put in place. Transfurmation scares humans—a lot—and later I read about something called 'trauma'…"

Lin's eyes softened. He had plenty of reservations about the Protocol, but if what Puro said was true, there had been good intentions behind it at least.

"Found it!" Puro exclaimed victoriously, holding up a piece of paper. "The map! It should tell us where the entrance is…" He took a moment to look, then triumphantly strode out of the room. "This way, Human!"

With no small amount of reluctance, Lin stepped through the grate. He was met with no less than two possible ways to go, each one a narrow passage. The entire place seemed to be blanketed in darkness, save for some very weak lights lying around, no brighter than glowsticks.

He shivered. Haah… He finally got confirmation that the latexes were friendly, and now he had to pass through a section where the most mischievous ones supposedly resided. He hadn't been surprised to hear the snow leopard siblings regularly visited this place. If only he could bring Puro with him…but that wasn't an option. He couldn't even ask for further advice; the wolf had long since disappeared into the smaller ventilation ducts.

Well…here goes nothing.

Lin took a breath, picked a direction and started walking, his shoulders inches away from scraping the walls. He suddenly wished Fletch was with him; the eloquent dragon's talking would at least break the tension, if nothing else.

The tiny corridor soon ended in a slightly more spacious area, which in turn split off into more corridors. He sighed quietly. He could already tell that this place was a maze. The latexes here would take advantage of his confusion, no doubt.

He continued on. Step by step, he made his way through the narrow hallways that were the air vents. He caught himself trying to set his feet down carefully so as to not make any noise. Would it make a difference? Something told him the locals already knew he was here.

He passed through a vent shaft into another intersection. Dead end. Trying to keep his fear in check, he quickly turned to go back.

He almost walked into the human-sized silhouette that stood there. He gasped and scrambled back. The figure itself was clearly bigger than him. How had it moved through the narrow corridors so quietly?

The silhouette chuckled. "Heh heh… What's this, now? A human in my house?"

Lin said nothing. With a shock he realized that this figure had three arms! What kind of creature was this?! He spotted something behind them—something that seemed to be a tail, but the shape was…odd. Roundish.

It approached slowly. Lin walked backwards until he bumped into the wall. As the creature loomed over him, he saw several glints in the low light. Were those…?

"You're a spider…?" Lin concluded, trying to reign in his shaky breathing. He couldn't afford to panic in front of this thing. The 'tail' resembled a spider's abdomen, and if those glints really were eyes, this creature definitely had more than two.

"Hm," they said. "If that's the height of human smarts, I've got to say I'm disappointed."

Lin was speechless for a moment. Then he spotted dual ears on top of the spider's head. Spiders didn't have those, did they? This thing was some kind of hybrid…?

More glimmers had emerged in the dark. Teeth? Yes, the spider was grinning. Lin looked them in the eye. Well, where he thought the biggest of their many eyes was. Eventually he averted his gaze, instead opting to look at the hand that had placed itself against the wall behind him, next to his head. He tilted his neck slightly as to shy away from it without the spider noticing.

"I, uh," Lin muttered. "I should probably go…" He cautiously moved to the side and away from the spider. It didn't follow, instead just holding his gaze. Lin rounded the creature and returned to the corridor he'd come from. He felt their many eyes piercing his back, but he intently ignored his instincts and kept his gaze forward as he left.

Only when he reached the next 'room' did he realize his mistake. When he was in one room with that spider, he at least knew where they were. He could've asked them to escort him to the exit! Or…made small talk to break the tension—done something, even though that would've definitely resulted in trouble. Now he was alone again, waiting to be ambushed…

He looked back to see emptiness. The spider had gone.

He felt panic threatening to take over. With a quick pace, he scurried down another corridor, wishing for something, any sign of life. A person, a prank, someone to talk to, human or otherwise!

He scrambled into the next intersection and immediately leaped into a corridor to the side. He was just guessing at this point; there was no way to know which way was the right one and which way would result in…whatever else! That spider knew he was here now, and it wasn't going to let him go…

He heard something. He gasped and turned to where it came from. A bunch of tall boxes.

Even in the low light, he could see one of them move.

Lin backed away, preparing to run. Then the top of the box burst open, revealing…

Lin stopped. "Wha… Jack?!"

The snow leopard's vaguely illuminated visage looked back at him. "'Sup. Long time no see."

Lin breathed out raggedly—in relief, this time. He relaxed a bit, leaning against the wall with his hand.

Jack chuckled. He hopped out of the box. "Looks like someone's had just about enough of this magnificent place."

"Help me," Lin rasped. "Please… There's a giant spider in here!"

"Oh, sure—for the right price. You're going to leave my sister alone from now on, right?"

Lin stared at him. He couldn't tell if the snow leopard was joking.

"You're not? Great! She needs someone in her life. I'll help you! Follow me." Jack started down the corridor. Lin blinked, then hastily followed.

They made their way into another intersection. Lin skittishly glanced around. He didn't trust Jack not to mess with him, but he was more scared of that spider from earlier. Speaking of which…

"Uh," Lin said quietly. "So, that spider…"

"Charlie the Stiger," Jack said, not bothering to lower his voice.

"What."

"Her name's Charlie. She's basically a mix between a spider and a tiger. So, a stiger."

Charlie? Like Charlotte? "Where'd you get your names?" Lin questioned hesitantly.

Jack glanced back at him. "Most of us named ourselves when we learned to talk. Why?"

Lin shrugged.

Jack didn't question it. Instead he abruptly raised a finger. Lin froze, suddenly afraid to breathe. Jack turned to face him with a toothy grin on his face, and beckoned. Then he snuck down a corridor.

Lin hesitated, but followed. He found Jack in another intersection, peeking down one of the corridors. The snow leopard gestured for Lin to do the same. Lin complied, peeking past the turn to see…

It.

The stiger sat there, cross-legged in the dim light. Lin squinted. What was that soft clicking he heard? What was she doing down there?

Then he noticed that the walls were lined with shorts, hung up on spiderweb threads.

And Charlie was knitting.

Lin just stared. The giant spider who had him cornered minutes ago, who had gone out of her way to intimidate him…was knitting shorts. In the weak light, he saw none of the menace he'd glimpsed on her face in that other room. Her posture looked almost innocent here, so focused on her hobby, not noticing anything that went on around her…

His eyes softened. She didn't look like she was preparing a prank or a scare. Maybe she'd decided to let him pass without trouble just this once.

Maybe she wasn't so bad after all…

"THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER WAS KNITTING UP SOME PANTS!" Jack sang aloud.

Lin jumped. Charlie's gaze shot up.

Lin's blood ran cold as she looked him right in the eye.

Then Charlie got to her feet, dropping her knitting needles and jumping onto the ceiling where she stuck by her hands and feet. She glared at the two intruders upside-down.

"Run!" Jack grinned.

And run they did.

With a sudden burst of panic, Lin sped through the passages as quickly as he could, but he couldn't keep up with the quicker and nimbler Jack. He heard growls behind him. Charlie…! She was gaining on him!

Lin ran for all he was worth, but the narrow corridors were hard to maneuver through. He'd long lost Jack. He had no idea where he was going. Into an intersection; straight into a new passage. Intersection. Turn to the right! Passage. Intersection. No time to think, just run.

Another intersection. Left! He jumped for the corridor.

Charlie leapt down from the ceiling and blocked his way. He all but ran into her.

Her many arms wrapped around him in a bear hug, pinning his own arms to his sides and lifting him off the ground slightly. In the weak light, he could see her eyes and teeth, and they had none of the amusement from their first meeting.

"You!" she growled. "You little sneak! I should tie you up in my web for at least a week for that!"

"Lucky guy," a muffled voice sounded to Lin's right.

Charlie snapped her gaze at him. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Jack!"

The sound of soft footsteps running away echoed through the corridors. Lin tried to turn his head towards it, but couldn't see anything. So much for Jack helping him out. He should've known the snow leopard would trick him.

He nervously turned back to Charlie, and if looks could kill…

"As for you…" the stiger said. "I'm really tempted to just transfur you here and now…"

Transfur.

Lin's eyes widened. He struggled in her grip. He felt himself trembling. His breathing shook. "No… No…"

Confusion seemed to cross Charlie's face, but her glare remained. "You spied on me…"

"I didn't mean to!" Lin blurted out in a panic.

"Didn't mean to, huh?"

"You were just there! I-I just wanted to get out of here!"

"No, no, you were peeking…"

Lin looked at her. Frozen. What was she going to do? He was human…

"Don't transfur me!" he pleaded.

She paused, frowning. "… What are you so scared of?"

"Don't…"

"What?! I thought you and Puro…?"

Lin looked her in the eye. He realized he was leaning his neck back, as if trying to avoid physical contact at all costs. "I…" he forced out. "I…I don't…don't want to lose control…"

Her frown remained.

"D… Don't…" he stuttered.

"I won't," she said. "I wouldn't. I just said I was tempted to."

So her threats had been empty…? That was a little comforting.

"Why were you spying on me?" she demanded.

"Jac…Jack… I met with Jack. He-he…was supposed to help me get out of here."

"You trusted Jack with that?"

"I-I had no choice! I thought you were after me! I got scared!"

"Thought I was after you? What, because of that talk we had?"

"Talk?! Is that what you call it?!" he cried out.

She actually looked taken aback. Unsure of how to respond.

"I've been scared of my shadow all day," Lin ranted, "and getting cornered by giant spiders in the dark doesn't help!"

She snarled. Then she glanced away with a quiet huff. "… I…suppose I didn't exactly give you a warm welcome." Her eyes softened a little as she looked back at him. "You really thought I was going to transfur you?"

"Weren't you?"

"No! Never! I'm not stupid!"

"But you just said you—"

"I know what I said!" She huffed again, then muttered, "Didn't think you'd take it seriously."

She gently set him back down on the ground. Lin sighed in relief, leaning on his knees. He was out of breath all of a sudden.

He looked up at her. "Why…" he started, calming down a bit. "Why'd you get mad?"

"Are you kidding me?!"

He stared at her.

She huffed, glancing away. "You…saw me knitting."

"… And?"

"Do I have to spell it out?! People see me knitting, no one takes me seriously anymore."

Lin blinked. She didn't want anyone to know about her hobbies because she was afraid of judgment? "You were embarrassed?"

She shot him a brief glare. Then she looked away again, sighing through her nose. A silence fell.

Lin's racing heart slowed down a bit. His mind began to settle. Charlie…wasn't going to transfur him, it seemed. She'd assumed the emptiness of her threat was obvious, like how friends sometimes threatened each other in exaggerated ways.

"Sorry for scaring you," Charlie suddenly muttered, looking off to the side, her many arms crossed. "I didn't really think about how freaky this all is for you…and I guess I assumed that you and Puro having 'the talk' would instantly solve everything."

Lin nodded. "I'm sorry too," he found himself saying. "For peeking, that is. I didn't mean to make you mad." He straightened his back a bit. "Can we just start over? No hard feelings?"

She looked at him, all six of her eyes showing mild surprise. "I'm all for that."

"Okay… I'm Colin by the way, but everyone calls me Lin."

"I'm—"

"Charlie?" someone suddenly called out through the vents. "Lin?"

Both turned to where it came from. Lin frowned. "Is that…?"

"Over here, Aura," Charlie called back.

Soon, Aura's silhouette appeared at the passage. "Oh, here you are." She glanced at Lin. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Lin said.

Aura gave him a skeptical look, then turned to Charlie. "I hope you didn't scare him too badly…"

"I did," Charlie said, wincing lightly. "Not entirely on purpose though."

"Hmmm, Charlie…"

"I know, we talked about it, it's just…"

"You can't just chase him around in the dark and then make excuses."

"I'm not making excuses…!"

"It's fine," Lin interjected. "It's no big deal."

"Lin, sweetie, that's pretty hard to believe when you're still shaking," Aura said.

Lin said nothing. He…couldn't really argue with that. He doubted he could change her mind anyway.

Charlie slowly placed some of her many arms around him. He didn't mind. Now that he knew her bark was worse than her bite, she wasn't as threatening as before. "Maybe we should go," Charlie said. "Lucky for you, Aura and I know the way. Aura?"

Giving her one final look, the snow leopardess slipped into one of the passages. Charlie followed with Lin nearby. Though he was still trembling, Lin felt himself growing a little more at ease as they traveled. After spending mere minutes running around in cramped, modestly lit vents on his own, walking around with two certified agents of mischief felt almost calming by comparison.

As his lingering panic settled a little, he noticed the latex spiderwebs on the walls.

"How long have you lived here?" he asked Charlie.

"Since I got out of containment. This section of the vents isn't that confusing once you get used to it." She tapped him on the chest with a finger. "I guess you'll have no choice but to come visit if you want to know the way yourself. I promise I won't prank you too badly…"

Lin swallowed and nodded, trying to ignore the stab of guilt he felt. She seemed to assume that he was going to stay in the facility, or at least that they'd meet again.

He followed the two further into the vents. Eventually they reached a longer, wider hallway, filled with stacks of boxes.

Jack was there. His eyes widened when he saw Charlie and Lin casually wandering about.

"Wha… Lin…you tamed the beast?!"

"No thanks to you!" Charlie snarled, pointing an accusing finger at the snow leopard. "You set us both up for that, didn't you!"

Aura slapped the back of her brother's head. "I knew it."

"First of all, ow," Jack said. "Second of all, you totally would've done the same thing."

"Would not!" Aura protested.

"Actually no, you wouldn't; you'd just make out with him in a dark corner somewhere."

Aura glared at him and opened her mouth to retort, but she stopped short. Then her glare turned into a smirk, and in a honeyed voice she said, "Hey Charlie, you have a bone to pick with him, right? Why don't I worry about getting Linnie out of here?"

That wiped Jack's own smirk off his face. He eyed Charlie, who slowly let go of Lin. "Whoa—" Jack said. "Wait a minute…"

"Why, Aura," Charlie said. "I think that's a great idea."

Jack's gaze turned to Lin. "Uh, Lin? A little help here?"

Lin raised an eyebrow. "What? You called me lucky, earlier. Guess you're the lucky one, now."

"Lin, please, I've got so much to live for—"

Charlie pounced. Jack ducked down at the last second and shot past Lin into a passage. Charlie soon followed, crawling over the low ceiling. They vanished from sight shortly after.

Aura was chuckling.

Lin looked at her, suddenly uncertain. "He'll be okay, right?"

She chuckled even more, placing an arm around his shoulders. Lin felt himself flush a little.

"You're a worrywart, you know that?" Aura teased as they started down the corridor. "Don't worry your pretty little head about him. This isn't the first time this happened."

That didn't surprise him in the least.

Aura accompanied him through the corridor ahead. They passed stacks of boxes and the occasional paper sheet on the ground.

At one point, Aura slowed down a little, looking at Lin intently. Lin looked back uncertainly. "Is there…something wrong?" he asked.

"Hm, no. Just a little déjà vu."

Lin said nothing as they continued on, her gaze still on him. Though the corridor was wide, the stacks of boxes occupied most of the space, forcing him and Aura to walk closely together. Or, well…one of them could move ahead or behind a little, but whenever he tried to do that, Aura intently matched his pace.

"Why are all of these boxes here?" Lin finally asked.

"To make sure our prey can't get away from us."

He looked at her uncertainly.

She chuckled again. "Kind of like what happened in the library, with the bookcases…"

"So you were chasing me…"

"Hm, no. I was just keeping an eye on you, making sure you wouldn't get yourself transfurred. I didn't mean for you to see me."

Finally they reached a grate that led out of the vents. Lin took a deep breath, blinking against the light. He stretched a little. He didn't have this much space in the vents.

His stomach rumbled.

Aura chuckled. "Aw, is someone hungry?"

"Not really," he mumbled, mildly embarrassed. The oranges from earlier were still very much in his stomach. It was as if the fear he'd felt in the vents had halted their digestion, and now his stomach resumed its work.

They entered a small room. Tools were hanging on the walls, and more stacks of boxes accompanied a large table in the corner. Lin eyed the coffee machine on top of it. Would it still work?

That question was answered when Aura grabbed one of the paper cups next to it and placed it in the machine. She pressed a few buttons and the machine came to life.

Moments later, she offered him a warm cup of coffee.

He took it, mildly surprised. "Thanks."

"Hm," she smiled simply, looking at him with interest. Lin tried hard not to feel uncomfortable under her persistent eyes. He glanced away and sat against the table, but still felt her studying him.

"So," he finally said, mostly to break the awkwardness. "What exactly…happened here? I know people were researching a cure for the virus, and there was a riot…but what then?"

She didn't answer immediately. Finally she joined him at the table, their shoulders almost touching. "The riots…" she said slowly. "Humans fighting other humans, breaking our containment rooms open… At the time, we didn't really understand…well, anything…so we weren't sure what was going on, at first. When we pulled ourselves together, most of us tried to stop the fighting and save the humans that remained…by transfurring them."

Lin looked at her. "Puro said some latexes had had hosts before. The Wolf King…?"

"The Wolf King, the Elder One, some of the aquatic latexes…" Her gaze grew distant as she stared at the opposite wall. "And those are just the ones who got multiple hosts. The riot was basically the golden age of assimilation for many of us. Before that, there was the occasional test…"

Lin paused. "Tests… The ones where you were created…"

She glanced at him, then regained a shadow of her old smirk. "Worrywart."

"What?"

"You're still scared of permanent assimilation."

Lin fell silent.

"It's never permanent," she responded to his unspoken question. "Even amorphous latexes—like Circle and those puddles on the ground—can only use hosts as a medium to make a body for themselves. After a few hours they can separate without their new form falling apart."

"And then they're like you?"

"Pretty much."

"So they model their body after their host's…"

"To some extent, I suppose."

Lin hesitated. There was still one thing he was wondering. Maybe it was nothing, but… "Why'd you let them go?"

She paused for a moment. She gave him a long, unreadable look. Lin lightly squeezed the cup of coffee in his hands. Had he said something wrong?

"It's only a matter of time before the host rebels," she finally said, her voice muted. "And breaks free."

He waited for her to elaborate, but was met with silence. Judging from her odd reaction, Lin thought twice before asking.

"We were too ignorant to try to keep them in the facility," she finally said. "Didn't count on them running off. If we'd known what was waiting for them outside…"

"The pandemic?"

She said nothing.

"They might be alive, you know," Lin said. "Maybe they joined with whoever's rebuilding."

She looked at him. "Rebuilding…?"

He gestured with his coffee cup to the ceiling, where white lights shone down on them. "Look around. Where do you think those lights get their power? Someone must be supplying it."

"You think so…?"

He nodded. Surely, the world wasn't as bad as it looked right now; the city was ruined, but the survivors had sent someone to regulate power distribution to the facility, and probably the surrounding area. If they could do that, they must've been well on their way to rebuilding.

He noticed Aura looking at him with unreadable eyes. Then he realized he'd been looking into space, gripping the table with his free hand. He relaxed it.

"What happens when a latex like you transfurs someone?" he suddenly wondered.

She didn't answer immediately. "Hm… I guess Puro didn't tell you that…"

"He told me you get stronger. And that humans are scared of it."

"What else do you want to know?"

"Erm… What should I expect, if it ever happens to me?" He understood the humans' fear of transfurmation, but some morbid curiosity made him wonder what exactly they experienced while assimilated. Maybe if he knew, he'd be able to prepare in case he encountered a rogue latex.

"You know…" Aura inched closer and placed her chin on his shoulder, giving her usual smirk. "I could help you find out~"

Lin flushed. Their faces were a little close together. "Uh… I'm…good. Thanks."

"Aw, don't worry, I'll be gentle~. Besides…with you as my host, we can make new little latexes…" She winked.

Lin hesitated. He…really wasn't sure how to take that.

A sound rang out from a small nearby grating. Something pushed against said grating, half-opening it. "Human?"

"Puro…?"

"Human!" The grating tapped half-open and closed a few times. Lin approached and opened it fully, revealing Puro's mask looking back at him. "It is you!"

"Hey," Lin said, feeling a little relieved. Finally, a latex that didn't prank people. "You made it, huh?"

"Yeah!" He paused. "Well…kind of. I can't get through here. The opening is too small. My mask won't fit."

Lin's building joy dropped. He glanced at Aura, who squatted down next to him with a grin. She placed an arm around his neck. "Thought you were free of me, did you~?" she whispered in his ear.

Lin flushed.

"Not to worry!" Puro said, oblivious to their exchange. "I'll find a way through. And you've got Aura to keep you company!"

"That he does~" Aura affirmed.

"Where do we go from here?" Lin asked, mostly to change the subject.

"Some more ventilation shafts," Aura said. "After that, we should reach the water area."

"Water area?"

"Ah, there was a leak sometime during the riot," Puro explained. "The generator section got all flooded. Some latex species made their home there. They're nice people! I hear they have some kind of rivalry, though."

"Fighting and arguing like siblings," Aura grinned. "Could you imagine?"

"Anyway," Puro said, "I should go ahead. It'll take me a while to reach the flooded area through these vents. I'll meet you there, human!"

Lin considered telling him that he didn't need to hurry, but the wolf was already gone. He sighed and turned to Aura. "I guess it's time to go."

"Hm," she said. "I want to check on Jack, first. You can go ahead if you want though. I might have to convince Charlie to let him go again, and that'll take a while."

"Alright." He rose to his feet. Maybe she was a little worried about Jack after all. "I'll, uh, go ahead then."

She smiled and slowly passed him, gently brushing against him. "See ya later, sweetie. I'll miss you~"

Then she slipped through the door.

Not for the first time, Lin tried to control his rising blush. Shaking it off, he passed through the other door and moved forward.

At the first chance she got, Aura made her way into a ventilation duct. With her smaller frame and no mask, she had an easier time moving through them than Puro.

She quickly moved towards where the wolf in question had gone. This duct was directly connected to the one in the room with the coffee machine, but she didn't want Lin to suspect what she was really up to. Jack could wait; first she needed to catch up with Puro.

Soon enough she saw him, moving like a dark mass through the ducts. "Puro," she said, keeping her voice down in case Lin was at a nearby grating.

Puro stopped. Then, using a level of flexibility no human could match, he turned around in the tiny vent to face her. "Aura…? I thought you were with Human?"

"I need to talk to you about something," she said. "I don't think Linnie is going to want to…cooperate…with us."

Puro paused for a moment. "Aura…"

"You remember what we're trying to do, don't you? The dark latexes have been using improvised backup plans that worked out better than the original ones. I heard the Wolf King himself broke Protocol because he feared Lin was dying of dehydration. Are we really going to let all of that be for nothing?"

"It's his choice…"

"We have to protect him from himself!"

"But if we force him, he'll be unhappy. I don't want that! Do you?"

"We'd be saving him!"

"Would we?" Puro whispered.

"We-we can help him be happy."

"He'll hate us forever."

She looked at his grim eyes. He really believed that, it seemed. He might be right.

"There's still time," Puro said. "And hope."

"That's not enough," Aura whispered.

He looked at her. "What are you going to do?"

"I…don't know." Forced assimilation seemed too extreme, even now. "I'll find a way. A good way."

As she turned and left, she knew that that was a promise she was going to have to keep.