Hello!

It has been way too long since I've uploaded!

I sincerely apologize, but as of now I can be available to update stories. Unfortunately, for those of you who were here for my Warrior's fic, Broken, I regret to inform you I am discontinuing that series. Looking at that, I am baffled I ever wrote such a monstrosity, and I refuse to look at it again.

Additionally, I have been hooked on Beastars, a wonderful anime/manga series I recommend everyone (over the age of 15) try out! There is no explicit part of either the anime or the manga, but is certainly not kid friendly. I will be shifting my focus on FFN to fics on that topic. I'm not sure if any Warriors fics are underway.

Update: I have an AO3 account! Be sure to follow if you'd like - my tag is Cober_1. I will be uploading everything I write for this on there.

Anyway - thank you for your understanding, and I apologize for the inconvenience. Also - there are spoilers in this! If you've only watched the anime, or haven't finished the Tem's Murder Arc, I would strongly recommend not reading this. (That was not a spoiler, by the way! Tem is a minor character).

Fair warning: adult themes are present in this fic, such as violence, alcoholism, addiction, seduction, and suicide, though no NSFW content will be published. If you cannot handle mature themes, do not read this fic. Keep your health a priority. Call a hotline or reach out to local resources. You have help all around you.

Without further ado, I present to you:

Recalibrate

"I want you to see what kind of animal is given life from a carnivore and herbivore's love."

Yafya's words ran another lap in Legosi's mind as the wolf and horse pair entered the second mask party, this time the wolf in a white tuxedo and a giraffe mask, and the horse in a red-velvet suit and a tiger mask.

After being shot by Melon, his mother's supernatural visitation, and walking from where he'd been hospitalized, Yafya had been reluctant to give the young wolf another chance at erasing his criminal record. The results of the previous excursion cost him thousands of dollars (since he'd paid the medical bill in full) and many hours of precious time. In the end, it was Yafya's theory that the time it took for Legosi to recover (even though it was much sooner than expected) was enough for Melon to reorganize himself and be more at ease to show his face in the place where he'd been sponsoring the previous mask parties. It also went without saying that Melon likely thought Legosi to be dead. Thus, after many pleas from Legosi, Yafya consented, suggesting they split up earlier to avoid suspicion from Melon. He'd be a lot more watchful now.

They separated, Legosi once again roaming the middle of the floor, in the entangled mob of animals. Legosi had seen the gazelle-leopard hybrid and even talked to him, confided in him the secret only he, Jack, and his grandpa knew about his reptilian heritage. Embarrassment still boiled in his veins at his foolishness: he'd almost died because-

"Oof!"

The animal who ran into him fell backward, drink spilling and glass shattering on the black and white tile floor. A small circle of chattering and catcalling animals enveloped in a circle around them, as if morphing and adapting subconsciously to the accident in their drunkenness.

"Erm, excuse me," Legosi yelped, slowly edging around the small animal in an okapi mask. No, no, no! I'm already drawing attention to myself! He glanced about, vision darting this way and that. No one around him seemed to care about the accident, so he relaxed slightly, recalling when Yafya had slammed him into the wall the last time they were here. It only caught animals' attention for a second.

"Oh, no, it's fine," the small herbivore chuckled, pulling themself off the floor. "I shouldn't've fallen, I shouldn't've." The animal's head stopped moving for a moment when their mask faced him, making Legosi freeze. "Ah, giraffe!" the face behind the mask roared animatedly, clapping their hands inappropriately loudly. "I love giraffes! They're such fine creatures! Say," the animal added, turning slightly and cocking their hip towards Legosi. "You wouldn't happen to be… taken, would you?" they asked, sliding towards the wolf as their tone lilted. "I know a good place where we can-"

The animal's voice faded as Legosi caught the animal's individual scent, storing it in his scent vault as his nose sniffed through the mask. Female dwarf rabbit, 137 centimeters tall, and no more than 20 centimeters wide, mostly tan with white patches, no older than 27, Legosi observed with his eyes shut. Bigger than Haru. Haru is smaller than most dwarf rabbit's, though-

"What do you say?" The she-rabbit's suddenly closer voice snapped him out of his analysis, and he found that he was looking down at her now, the female now uncomfortably close to his pelvis, reminding him terribly of when Haru misunderstood Legosi's intents in the greenroom at Cherryton. She reached out her small hand, laying it on his left thigh. "Let's get away from all this, shall we?"

Legosi clenched his jaw, fists instinctively balling up as his upper body recoiled away from her. Haru wasn't ever like this! He thought, millions of different thoughts bouncing around in his mind as a warm sensation raced within him upon her contact. Wait, when we first met at school...

"Heh, erm, excuse me," he chuckled nervously, clearing his throat and putting his giant hand on the rabbit's okapi mask. "I must be going. I-I have errands, to… run." He gently pushed her back, skirting around her and raising his hand when he turned his back on her. "Bye! H-have a good night," he waved, leaving the rabbit frozen in the middle of the floor.

Legosi inhaled, holding his breath. I just reacted like I did with Haru when she tried to approach me like that first… why did my herbivore fetish have to crop up now…? He pointed his nose around him, scanning his surroundings for a place to blend in. Better than the last time a girl tried to ask me out in this dump, though.

He nearly tripped over another animal - a mongoose, from the looks of it - and walked in between what seemed to be a tense interaction (by the looks he got from the two males involved) before finally finding a place to seat himself. He placed himself on a worn, round and red seat, laying his elbows and interlocking his fingers subconsciously on the cutting-board counter in front of him. He closed his eyes in thought, taking another deep breath, this time letting it out slowly. Why am I such a pervert? My body wanted to go with that she-rabbit… why did Melon have to hide here of all places? Ugh.

His brooding was interrupted by the sound of scraping and a cool, solid sensation on his hand, causing Legosi to open his eyes. A glass had been slid to him, filled to the brim with what seemed to be cherry chuhai. His eyes widened marginally as he registered his surroundings - animals everywhere, leaning on each other, singing songs together while lifting their glasses, a man polishing the dishes, the potent stench of alcohol.

A bar?

He took a look in front of him, now noticing the wall of barrels, taps of alcohol and the glasses that were used to serve the beverages. Of course there was a bar in a sensual, intramural species mask party. Legosi briefly remembered the female wolf and zebra that were seated next to him the first time he infiltrated the party - it would make sense to suppress carnivores' instincts with a sedative such as alcohol, or else that interaction would have gone much more poorly. He also remembered the last time he saw the liquor in front of him - he'd declined it at the rice-cake party on top of the Hidden Condo. Now that he thought of it, it was no wonder that Melon hid here. He turned his head right, away from the singing animals, to find several female cheetahs chattering away to who must be the bartender, who had been polishing the glasses and plates.

A second and more careful look at the bartender revealed that he was a massive gray wolf, with a cold, stern, steel gray-eyed leer. The muscular arms he used to polish the glasses were crossed upon his broad chest, and his ears were pricked at attention, listening to what the cheetahs had to say. He also noticed the bartender kept himself trimmed, much like how Gouhin had cut Legosi's hair during training. The most notable quality that stuck out to Legosi the most was the lack of a mask.

"You know what, you're right! We definitely need to confront him about our wages - right, ladies?" one of the cheetahs mrrowed to the others. A chorus of agreement escaped from the others, and the cheetah who seemed to be the ringleader nodded in her chameleon mask. "Thanks, Gloomy! I think we need to pay that con artist tiger a visit! If it means anything," she added, lifting her shoulder, "I think the rumors about your last career are bogus. I think you'd have made a better therapist." Laughing, the coalition stood up from their seats and made their way to the exit.

The bartender - named Gloomy, apparently - didn't even blink as the cheetahs left. He promptly returned to his duty, walking to the small mountain of dishes behind him that piled up and needed washing.

Legosi's gaze fixated on the other gray wolf, mouth slightly agape. He didn't even respond to them, or say any words, Legosi pondered. How…?

"You aren't drinking."

Legosi's eyes widened when Gloomy spoke to him. His nearly-lifeless gaze pierced through his mask, as if he wasn't wearing a mask, and he was making eye contact instead.

"U-uh, sorry, I don't really… drink," Legosi stuttered breathlessly, breaking eye contact and looking down at his chuhai.

Gloomy's eyes narrowed as he polished the last dish and placed the dishes on their respective dish stacks. "How old are you?" he rumbled lowly when he finished, turning around evenly and crossing his pinstripe-suit covered arms again.

Don't give away any information that might be used to track you in the future, Yafya had said. Who we're dealing with will remember this information and use it against you if they feel so inclined.

"Eighteen."

Crap!

Gloomy nodded slowly, turning to the barrels once more. Within a split second, he snatched the chuhai and replaced it with a glass of water.

Legosi stared at his glass of water in shock, mouth falling open wider. "Uhm, th-thank you," he thanked, and, refusing to be rude and reject a second drink, took an obligatory sip. It tasted clearer than the water back at Cherryton school - though he wondered how he remembered what the water tasted like.

Gloomy stood still, as if at attention and expectant of something to happen. When Legosi noticed the quiet tension, he looked up from the water, meeting the older wolf's look with a hesitant one of his own, though he knew he couldn't see it.

After a moment of silence from the two, Gloomy blinked. "What are you doing here?" he spoke flatly.

"Huh?"

"You're clearly not here for any sort of debauchery," he explained, maintaining his monotonous vocal patterns. "Your slouch and rejection of that rabbit suggests so, at least," he added, unfolding his arms and placing them straight at his sides. "Which was a good choice, by the way - that rabbit would have robbed you blind of all your yen before you even slept with her."

Legosi blinked in shock, lacing his fingers together and squeezing them.

"And you don't drink alcohol." He turned away from Legosi and filled a glass with soka, placing it in the hands of an already drunk looking rhino with a mouse mask ("That's your last drink, Shosa"). "What are you doing here?" he repeated, leaning his bulky body on the counter in front of Legosi and putting his face closer to his.

Legosi took a draught of air to his lungs, unaware that he'd been holding his breath. Had he been caught trying to find Melon that quickly? Would he warn Melon if he told the truth? Would he believe a lie? Should he take one for the team so Yafya would at least get away? He found himself lost in his eyes, trying to study every fiber of their color and shape.

Gloomy frowned, slowly taking himself off the counter. "Whatever your intentions are, you are too young to be here. You should leave." Gloomy began to pace away, turning toward the group of singing animals silently.

"W-wait!" Legosi abruptly called, coughing when Gloomy turned. "H-how'd you do that? With the cheetahs. You said nothing, but they thanked you for your... help." He flung his hand hopelessly to where the cheetahs had been just moments earlier, staring expectantly at Gloomy.

Gloomy blinked, arms still at his side. "Listening," he answered promptly. "Listening to drunk animals is how you deal with them. Listening, not trying to help them, but just lending your ear to their woes." He looked past Legosi. "There's not an animal that comes to these parties that doesn't have an otherwise inescapable issue - internal or external. They'll party all night if it means a temporary escape to their misery." He took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "You'll find that listening is the key to communication in the outside world, as well." He rubbed his head. "You seem to be a good listener already, kid - I haven't talked without being interrupted in a while. Heh, it's probably because you're not drunk..."

Legosi absorbed that information, tucking it into a pocket in his mind. I'd better try that on Haru one day.

"You know, I could ask you what you're doing here," Legosi found himself saying, turning his head. "You wouldn't look like a bartender to me if I never saw you here. What are you, really?"

Gloomy's eye-brow rose, and Legosi freezed at his question, mouth ajar. He closed it with his hands and covered his face in embarrassment. What the…?

"You were paying attention, then," Gloomy rumbled, folding his arms again as his small pupils met his eye contact. "Why do you-" he started aggressively. Something made Gloomy stop his words, making his features droop into a darker countenance as he let out a breath. "...I was a model and an actor for fifteen years before the media blew up about carnivore violence. Predation became a politicized term, and I was fired shortly after." Gloomy sighed lightly, the sound almost purring from deep within his chest. "They replaced me for a two-bit gazelle actor for the sake of their herbivore empowerment." He scoffed at the words, unfolding his arms when a sleuth of customers emerged from the crowd in the middle. He quickly put his bartender face back on and began serving those who came.

Legosi had unknowingly gripped his hands tighter as the older wolf spoke. Recognizing this when Gloomy went away, he unlatched his fingers and let out a breath, quickly slipping the glass to the opening in his mask to drink.

Model…

Actor…

He put the glass down harder than he needed to by accident, shocking himself and causing some of the newcomers to jump and stare at Legosi.

Say, Legosi… what is your family structure?

The memory of Gouhin appeared to him vaguely, a lifetime ago's conversation.

When I was 12, my mom passed away and my dad ran away. I was raised by my grandpa. Just us… all alone…

But really... I don't have any fond memories with him.

Legosi folded his fingers together again, looking down into his glass. Could this be…?

No, of course it couldn't. Legosi took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in an attempt to sooth the adrenaline that had seeped into his nerves. It couldn't possibly be, it couldn't possibly be-

"Kid."

Legosi, snapped his head up, neck suddenly sore from carrying the weight of the giraffe mask. "U-um..." he took up the cup and took another drink of water, finishing the rest down in one gulp.

Gloomy just stood in front of him, folding his arms and staring down through Legosi's mask and into his actual eyes, likely waiting for a response.

I'm-

"Were you married to Leano-chan until she killed herself?" he spouted, unable to contain the question any longer. His eyes, though he knew Gloomy couldn't see them, hardened, and his fist clenched itself underneath the counter. Faces started turning from the song and usual banter of the bar.

Sorry-

Gloomy stepped back, eyes widening in genuine shock as his arms released themselves from his chest. He quickly stared the other animals down, making them all look away uncomfortably. "...Who are you?" He quietly snarled, bending over slightly and taking off his gloves, stuffing them in his back pocket.

The adrenaline came back, any effort to stomp it out vanquished as it filled his blood, filled his mind - he was, for a moment, conscious of every beat of his heart, his arteries, carrying out the adrenaline through his body.

Grandpa.

The empty glass in his hand shattered.

Hardly noticing and hardly caring, he stood up straight past his usual hunch, standing taller than Gloomy by about an inch or two.

175 centimeters tall, 30 centimeters wide, bite strength = 400 kilograms, he calculated. Would go for the legs first, since I'm taller, but since he's behind a counter, it's likely he'll spring at me.

More animals began to pause their hedonism and to look to the sudden commotion at the counter.

Suddenly forgetting about Melon, Yafya, and his criminal record and the mission, he reached behind his blackish mask and unzipped it from the bottom up, casting it off to the side. His vision blurred a little as more adrenaline made its way to his head, making him look down at Gloomy and narrow his eyes angrily, pupils shrinking beyond their normal size.

"Remember me?"