It was fitting that a girl like this lived in the Edge, a place adorned and embedded with glass all over the place. She wasn’t that much shorter than me, but she was fragile, like spun sugar. So you’ll excuse me if I found it kind of hilarious that she was puffin’ up at me like she was fixin’ to slap a hoe. Like…calm down Stay Puft™. I’m here to talk at with you, not throw some fists.

But at least she didn’t turn away--and the bite in her wasn’t something I could scoff at, either. At least there was that.

*Why? Because last time he turned into that ugly mutant beast, he tried to eat my face, that's why. What's it got to do with you?*

I snorted. “What’s it got to do with--I just said why, what the hell,” I blurted, livid that she would still call him a monster to my face. Was the bitch not paying attention? The fuck? “That’s my brother you’re talking about,” I growled, and Chico hopped down from my back, settling down nicely on the ground as a fat little skunk to watch this shit show go down.


“You think I’m just gonna you slide with calling him something he’s not?” My voice raised half an octave and I don’t wanna talk about it. “We’d been together since I was born ‘n shit. I used to jump up and down on his ass by day and lay down with him and suck on his kneecaps at night. I used to tease him, pull shit pranks on him, chase him all through the Foothills and be all kinds of an asshole to him-- but dammit he was my Bro and he made sure I ate all the nasty healthy stuff and went to bed with me in the dark and took care of me when Ma was too busy to do it. He was that kind of Bro.” It was weird being this angry while thinking about all those warm times, back when we were both such children and nothing really mattered anyway. My too-small tail lashed and Chico was having a great old time. “I’d done all kinds of things to him but he’s got a kind of love that ain’t in everyone,” I said, saying sweet words about my Bro in a harsh voice, “And in all the time I’ve known him he might’ve whimpered or pussed out of a dare, but he ain’t ever, ever, ever attack someone on purpose. So fucking forgive me if I see someone running around claiming he’s a monster when he’s anything but.”


I shrugged wildly. “Besides--if he was such a threat, why didn’t he attack us on the Steppe?” I mean, I admit; it’s not like that new monster form was easy on the eyes. I could see how someone would be afraid of it at first. But this girl walking around thinking something without looking where she was going wasn’t gonna cut it. Not when it came to my Bro.


"talk"