Utterly Mad

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Elsewhere, above and in front of King's Court, Catnip's new friend Minx was performing her weekly meeting with cousin. She did this, meeting out front with the soothsayer, because King wouldn't be seen doing it himself. Secretly, he put great stock in the "horoscopes" cousin gave out in exchange for scraps, peyote, or "smash." It wasn't that cousin was as mad as a shit house rat. It also wasn't that things like horoscopes, fortune telling, and other such nonsense was for old women and fools. It wasn't even that cousin wasn't exactly human, in fact being as far as one can get from human. Cousin was after all, a coyote. It was that King could not risk seeing cousin in person for all those reasons and more, and king wasn't the only one. Minx was only one of the many proxies in town who brought offerings to the animal on behalf of their well to do employers.

"Whatsa doin today cousin?" Minx said in her slight rez accent. She willed the bionic in her face shift her features. Altering them until she took on the most pleasing visage to the old scavenger; that of a female coyote, and a right pretty one at that if cousin was to be believed. As her face settled, cousin emerged from his little tent panting at the late summer heat. The bionic was a rarity, and one that made her one of King's most popular girls.

"Minxy is here!" He said, then asked, "Minxy comes to smash with cousin?"

Minx smirked at that. She would no more lay with cousin than she would with a regular dog. Cousin knew it too, but asked anyway. Cousin thought himself a real charmer. "No cousin sei, I'm here for you know who. Maybe if what you tell me is favourable, he will let you sneak into the kennels again."

He gave her a knowing dog grin and said "Minxy always say no, but cousin knows. Cousin sees it in the moon and stars. What do you being for cousin? Water from rocks? Soda from fountains?" It was the start, and Minx was familiar with this part. He was beginning "the babble." The inane chatter before his mind could reach into that place where his horoscopes were kept. As always, Minx sat cross-legged before him and allowed her mind to wander in the direction of the events that led her to this.