Everyday Life with Bubbles

Author's Note: The Toofyverse (Toofy, Drachne, etc.) tends to be serious, dramatic, with long and complicated storylines.

"Everyday Life with Bubbles" is based in the same world, but from the perspective of a nobody. And nothing big will ever happen.

This one is sex-light, and a bit of a tease. Enjoy!

---

Bubbles was standing in line for the best fish seller in the entire capital city. She wasn't the only neko, not even close to it, even though the merchant hadn't had a chance to skin or gut any of them yet.

A white salamander was at the front of the line, their grumpiness making everyone give them a wide berth.

Bubbles tried to recount the fistful of silver she was tightly clutching, glaring around at the other catgirls who might try and pinch it. She wasn't very good at counting money, but it was important.

The best fish here, was two gold each. That was well outside what Bubbles could ever really hope to afford. But the midfish only cost an exorbitant amount of silver, about nine pieces each.

Bubbles struggled with the tiles versus coins aspect of coinage. Tiles were worth more, but she was never quite sure about the exchange rate. She had one tile, and six coins. She was hoping that was enough for a midfish, but she really just couldn't remember.

"I like this one, too."

The catgirl flicked her eyes over to the new arrival, squealed and ran. It was a tall neko, with long flowing black hair and silver catgirl ears. But what Bubbles instantly recognised were the eyes.

Most nekos were born with golden eyes, marking out their magical ability. Halfborns sometimes had eyes from their mongrel breeding. Bubbles' own eyes were closer to a pale yellow than gold. However, there was only one neko with red eyes.

The fucking empress who had eaten the heart of a motherfucking demon and stolen its soul.

Bubbles tail dropped between her legs as she sprinted into the closest alley, and she heard a distant tinkling on the ground. She leaned against a wall and frantically counted her coins again.

She moaned as she realised she'd dropped the tile. No way she'd afford a midfish now. The silver would be long gone by the time she got back to it, and there was no way in the void she was going to try before the empress was gone.

She stuffed her coins into her bra, and slid down the wall to sit and pout.

To the people of this city, Bubbles was a street kitty. It wasn't a term of endearment. She was a neko who couldn't afford a place to live, or chose not to live indoors. Someone who probably worked for one of the street gangs, or begged, or stole, or all three.

Bubbles wasn't really sure how she felt about the title. She did know that it sucked, because now she couldn't afford her fish, which had been going to be her highlight for the day, so now she was trying not to cry.

Trying, and not succeeding.

One of the other nekos at the stall had smelled like they were in heat, which was probably why she was feeling so emotional and not just quiet and glum. Nekos tended to sync their cycles, which probably meant that Bubbles was going to be horny as fuck by the end of the day.

It was rude to go out in public when in heat, because it caused crap like this. However, it wasn't like Bubbles hadn't done it once or twice. Either because she hadn't realised, or because she was on the prowl.

However, Bubbles didn't tend to go into heat regularly.

She was old enough, however she was a virgin. She hadn't chosen a master, and she wanted her first time to be with the person she never wanted to ever leave.

She'd tried prowling for males, but it didn't work out that well for her. As a street kitty, it wasn't like she was anyone's first choice. Which meant she'd met a lot of jerks.

She wasn't interested in someone who just wanted to use her as tilled soil.

Bubbles sniffled, thinking about the fish she wanted, and now couldn't have. Even the midfish was better than most others. She could maybe afford one crappy secondfish from one of the other stallholders, but that wasn't what she wanted.

She wanted his midfish.

She rolled her jaw stubbornly. She didn't really like stealing. Most nekos were good at it, because they could use their magic to disappear, or they could outsprint a horse.

She was too clumsy to run, and too dumb to use her magic properly. Being caught stealing by the guards had taught her that she was a terrible thief.

Also, she did not have a spanking fetish. Not even a little.

She winced, remembering how she'd been left unable to sit down for a week last time. The guards went easy on her, by not tossing her in a prison cell, but they certainly left their reminder behind.

She didn't have the silver for midfish. She didn't have the skill to steal midfish. She wanted her fucking midfish.

That really only left Bubbles with one choice.

Convince someone else to help her pull off a heist.

---

Her tummy was beyond grumbling by the time the jerk she was waiting for finally turned up for his shift at the restaurant.

Bubbles didn't have a lot of friends, and there was no one she could hire to help her filch her midfish. Which meant she had to deal with one of the jerks who always tried to get inside her pants.

He was fun, when he wasn't trying to convince her to give up her cherry to him.

She liked drinking with him, and playing games in the street with him. They'd scammed a few people together when they were young and reckless, after Bubbles had got her hands on some loaded dice.

After the guards had beaten them for that, Jackie had the dice turned into earrings for her. She kept them safe in her little alcove above the baker's shop, where she slept, with the rest of her treasures.

He paused as he was walking by her, tying his apron around his waist, "Eh... Bubbles? Don't usually see you here, this early, kit. What's up?"

"Call her a kit, again."

He shrugged, "Well, you're in a bad mood, and I'm running late. I'll talk to you later, sexy."

"Wait!" Bubbles said and pawed at one of her ears and sighed. "She... She needs a favour. She... Wants something."

The human's brown eyes lit up, and he smirked, "Oh? This sounds fun."

"She's not fucking you." Bubbles glared and sighed. She took one quick look around the room and then whispered, "There's something she needs stolen. She can't afford it."

Jackie sat down beside her at the table, grinning, "Well, things just got exciting. What do you want, sexy?"

"Fish. Specifically, Rogar's midfish." She whispered nervously.

He drummed his fingers on the tabletop, "Ah. Yeah, that shit's expensive. But he does always have a ton of street cats lining up to buy even his leftovers."

"That's secondfish. She wants midfish." Bubbles correct him with irritation. Stupid human unable to tell the difference between leftovers and mid-quality product.

Jackie shrugged, "Sure. Uh... I'm a bit busy, as much fun as it sounds. I really need to work, today. Flat broke. But there is someone I know who might make a deal with you, but you won't like it."

"She wants it." Bubbles moaned desperately, sticking out her bottom lip.

He nodded and patted her head, "I hear you, Bub. I hear you... Anyways, Veronique would be up for it, I think."

She hissed at him for touching her head, for treating her like he owned her. Yet, that was the way he always treated her. It was annoying as crap, but he was still a decent enough friend so she tolerated it. Barely.

Bubbles then processed what he had said and muttered slowly, "Veronique? You mean... Oh, gods. He doesn't mean Veron, does he?"

"Oh, he does." Jackie chuckled and stood up, "She's hanging out down the Quarter, or has been most mornings. But not a lot of clients. She'll probably ask for something in kind, though."

"Veron wants to fuck her almost as bad as the Jackie does!" Bubbles moaned loudly, ears going flat, "Damn crossdresser is going to at least demand a blowjob."

Jackie shrugged, "Ever given one?"

"You know fucking well that Bubbles hasn't even kissed anyone because you're all jerks." She stuck her nose in the air.

The human was unconcerned, "Remain untouched, or get your fish, sexy. I need to get to the kitchen. Love you, Bub."

"Fuck you." She muttered angrily as he moved away.

The catgirl sat there for a minute, strongly considering going back to her alcove and sulking for the rest of the day. If anyone could sulk and refuse to do something, it was a neko.

The bakery would just be throwing out the loaves from the day before, and the owner generally tossed a piece of sugarloaf up to her if he could spare it.

She could suck on that and cry as she mourned the fish she wouldn't be eating because she was a klutz and the empress was fucking scary.

Bubbles slammed a hand on the table in irritation and walked out of the tavern.

---

The Quarter, as it was locally called, was not quite the seediest part of the city, but it certainly wasn't anywhere you went without knowing how to deal with a cutpurse.

There were more whorehouses than houses, and more gang enforcers than there were guards. You were stepping into a place that had its own laws, and its own ever-shifting borders between the faceless corruptions that enforced them.

Bubbles walked with her tail uncomfortably curled in so tight it was rubbing on her girl bits. Her ears were constantly on the swivel, and she was counting the coins pressed into her bra. The thieves here were good.

"Hey, kitty, looking for a good time?" An elf, with a face like a tauran sat on it, approached her, putting a hand to her elbow. Bubbles pulled away with an angry hiss.

She hated the Quarter. Way too many whores, with way too low standards. But... Everyone just wants to put something in their stomach.

She spotted Veron easily enough.

The guy had used to corner her in the tavern, most nights. He'd even walked in on her in the lady's room a couple dozen times. She half-suspected he had a peeing fetish by the way he'd cornered her when she was midstream.

However, she wasn't sure when, but recently Veron had decided he could get more clients if he wore a skirt and called himself Veronique. It wasn't a lifestyle choice, it was an economic one.

Bubbles approached slowly, glaring at the halforc. His skin was a dirty orange, and his blonde beard looked as spiky as she remembered it from when he tried to steal a kiss from her.

He spotted her immediately, lighting up, "Oh, kitty! Here, kitty kitty!"

"Fuck you, Ver." She moaned, approaching him, "You know she hates your fucking guts."

He chuckled and tried to kiss her cheek, so she swatted his face with enough force to hurt her elbow.

Veron rubbed the red handprint on his face, "Aw. So, why is the little kitty in this part of town?"

"I want some midfish. And it fucking looks like you're the only fucking way I'm going to fucking get it." Bubbles pouted.

The prostitute nodded, "Ah, Rogar's. He's popular."

"Bubbles had saved up." She pouted, and tried not to burst into tears, "But then... Then empress turned up, and she ran, and she dropped her fucking silver tile."

Veron winced, "Oh. You were there when the demon cat teased her archivist. Heard about that. Have you ever met Millie, Bubbly?"

"Don't call her that. And no." Bubbles sneered.

He shrugged, "Well, how about you put your hands up my skirt and play with what you find, and I'll buy you the fish? I've been doing good business since the change."

"She knows he doesn't actually like wearing skirts. And she's going to fucking touch him when the void fucking freezes." Bubbles glared at him.

Veron shrugged, "Well... I s'pose I won't be helping you then, Bubbly."

"She won't jack him." Bubbles said, crossing her arms fiercely. Her ears flattened and she barely choked down a furball, "But... She... Will negotiate."

He eyed her and smiled slowly, "Oh. That's new. How long did you have to save up for the fish, before the accident?"

"Two months." Her bottom lip quivered, and she sniffled.

He scratched at his chin, thinking, "Well then. I suppose I've got the advantage, Bubbly. That feels a bit weird. Don't worry, I have as much interest in watching you cry as I do in watching the moon fall. I love you, kitty."

"Fuck him." She sniffled, barely keeping it together.

Veron looked around, "Look... I don't actually have the silver available. Or I'd pay for your fish, meself. I wouldn't normally suggest it, but I've got a well paying client with a very specific fetish."

"Bubbles not sleeping with anyone." She stamped her foot, "Why that so hard for everyone to get?"

Veron held up his hands, "Just... Hear me out. They'll pay you a gold piece. A whole gold piece."

Her mouth instantly watered as she imagined everything she could buy for that. She'd be able to get at least half a dozen midfish, if her counting was right.

"She's listening. She's not happy, but she's listening."

He grinned, "The client... Is specific. They want virgin, neko, women, to jill in front of them. Which, as you can imagine, is pretty damn hard."

"How tell virgin?" Bubbles screwed up her nose, "Easy to smash stupid hymen."

"Succubus handservant." Veron shrugged, "No idea if it's a myth or not, but they're supposed to be able to smell it. A few people have tried to rip the client off. Hasn't worked, so far."

She nodded slowly and glared, "And how does Ver know that Bubbles is still virgin?"

"Oh, everyone knows that, Bubbly." He laughed at her.

She hissed at him, and then sighed heavily, "Fine. She'll... She'll do it."

"So... What do I get?"

Bubbles winced. Silver wasn't what Veron was after. The offcolour bastard wanted to bed her, one way or another. Jackie's suggestion was the most surefire way of making him play along, but she really didn't want to go that far.

She pawed at an ear, "If... If she does something... It has to be afterwards. So that succugirl not make mistake and say Bubbles not allowed."

"Deal." He nodded, "So... What did you have in mind, kitty?"

Her shoulders drooped, and she bit her lip, "She... She'll... Do the same for Ver."

"I don't have a watching fetish, sorry, Bubbly." He shook his head, "But... Because I'd never want you to hate me... How about a real kiss?"

"Her first kiss? He'd steal it?" She moaned, looking at him wide-eyed.

Veron smiled at her, "I love you, Bubbly. So... Yeah. I would love to be your first kiss, to show you how sweet it should be. It's still less than what you expected, isn't it?"

"Yes." She glumly agreed.

The neko kicked at the ground, thinking hard, "How much silver is Bubbles' kiss worth? Can she pay him off, instead?"

"I'd never pay to do anything to you, Bubbles." He said with a voice she had to admit was at least a little bit charming. "Tell you what, I'll sweeten the deal. I'll take us out to drinks, first. My tab. So you can get plastered, if you don't want to remember it."

"He'd take advantage." She narrowed her eyes.

Veron stared at her, "Fuck, you have a low opinion of me. I mean... Wow. I've never, not once, done something like that."

"He tried to kiss her when she was pissing!"

He blinked, "Ah. I guess it is deserved. Well... Don't get plastered, then? You can choose the tavern and the drinks."

She nodded and flattened her ears, "Fine. He gets her first kiss. Jerk. We go to Elza's Botanica, after. Now, can Bubbles meet the client and get this over with? She's hungry."

---

The client was a rich one.

The ones with the weird fetishes always were. You didn't get bored enough to have incredibly specific needs unless you got a lot of sex. Paid for a lot, and got little love.

Well, that's what Bubbles assumed, anyways. Not like she was ever going to find out first-hand.

This client lived in a freakishly large house. Bubbles had never been allowed in a big house before, but the servant's entrance opened into a hallway that was larger than the entire bakery.

She was escorted by a half-elven handmaiden up three flights of stairs, and down another massive hallway, to a pair of doors that was twice her height and had pretty pictures carved into them by fire.

Bubbles eyes nearly popped out of her head as she saw the artist's name inscribed on them. "Were... Were these really made by -"

"Meerakeilian. She was quite the well known artist, once. Before she became a member of the House of Sai." The handmaiden nodded, "It's hard to source her work, these days. His lordship had the doorway constructed to fit these, which were originally created to adorn the palace."

She swallowed nervously, and whispered, "Empress know?"

"If she did, I expect we'd all be dead. Discretion is part of your service here, cat." The woman said coldly.

Bubbles nodded silently.

The elf knocked politely on the doors, "Before we enter, know that his lordship isn't interested in conversation. If he asks you a question, don't answer. Just nod your head. You are here, to provide a service. The only sounds he needs to hear are your moans. Clear?"

Again, she nodded.

A loud, arrogant, and deep voice thundered from inside the mysterious room. Just one word. "Enter."

The elf turned the knocker and swung open one of the doors, nodding at Bubbles. The neko felt her tail curl inwards and she tip-toed inside, only to have the elf slam the door behind her.

Leaving her alone, scared, and confused.

The room she found herself in was enormous. Three of the walls were lined with enormous glass windows, and the fourth was also glass - but it was coloured glass.

Bubbles felt her jaw drop open in astonishment as she stared at the intricately decorated scene in front of her. The reds and blues painted stripes of colour around the room, but it was the focus that captured the nekos attention.

She found herself stepping towards it, despite herself.

Two hands came down onto her shoulders, making her yowl in surprise and fear. The human chuckled softly, "It gets everyone, the first time they see it. Nekos, especially. It... Its something special, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly, wanting to reach out and touch it. "How... How did he get it?"

"Its a copy." He replied, still leaning on her shoulders, "The original is in a place they found in the nekan desert. Underground, long since buried by history. I had them send me drawings, and worked with the Glass Guild to recreate it, here."

Bubbles shook off her shock, remembering she wasn't supposed to speak. As beautiful as this thing was, she was here to get paid so she could get her fish.

The man rested his chin on her forehead, "I lose myself, sometimes. In the romance of it all. Imagining a life like that one. Perhaps it's a fantasy of mine. What was the world like, when it was a drake that was the dragonking? When they married a human queen? Nekos as the bodyguards, employing their magic to hunt down all threats to the royal family. A different world, a different time."

She said nothing.

He lowered his hands, going under her armpits to gently hug her, "Ah, but that's the art lover in me. You're not here for that. You probably don't give a flying shit. Thankyou, for indulging me. I suppose some things were explained to you by Veronique?"

She gave a small nod.

He let go of her and walked over to his desk, leaning on the edge of it, "I confess, I'm probably not that nice an individual. What I really want, is to be a neko's chosen master. I want to be the first one inside her, the last one... But roleplaying it doesn't work for me. And no cat has ever chosen me. Apparently I smell funny."

She very nearly nodded. He did smell strange. Despite his calm and charming appearance, she smelled traces of his self-loathing beneath it. More than that, he smelled like... She wasn't quite sure how to describe it.

Sort of like fish that had to be eaten, or it was going to rot. He smelled like he was a moment away from his soul rotting. It wasn't unpleasant, but it smelled like it was about to become unpleasant.