tryin. Kory clapped again, but Samaki waved him off. “Nah, I’m no good. There’s another level where you just hear them under the pad. That’s insane. I can’t react fast enough. Kasim can’t even do the hard ones on that mode.”
“Over the music, you mean?”
Samaki nodded. “Yeah, music’s goin’ and you hear scratchings under the buttons.” He panted. “You wanna give it a try?”
“Is there a setting for ‘blind and deaf?”
Samaki laughed. “I’ll put it on training mode.”
“Well… okay.” Kory didn’t want to look clumsy in front of Samaki, but he didn’t want to reject the fox’s offer, either. He walked up to the pad where the fox was selecting a training mode, and said, “I’m gonna suck at this.” Should he take his shirt off? He wasn’t in as good shape as Samaki. He hesitated, then left it on.
“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Samaki said. “Just have fun.” He showed Kory the controls and padded back to the couch to collapse.
The animated fox showed Kory the basic moves and let Kory practice them, then gave him a choice of training songs. Kory picked one, and the fox clapped his paws and said, “Let’s pounce!”
The first mouse danced out slowly, and as he got under one of the buttons, the fox said, “Now, POUNCE!” Kory got both paws on the pad, and the mouse squeaked and disappeared. Another came out, and he slipped, but caught it on the second pad. By the end of the song, he felt more confident, and when he was done, the animated fox on screen and black fox on the couch clapped together. Kory saw from the stats that he’d gotten 27 of 30 mice.
“Not bad for my first time,” he said, delighted that he hadn’t embarrassed himself.
“Pretty good,” Samaki said. “Do another?”
“Nah. I’m gonna quit while I’m ahead.” Kory chuckled. “It’s fun, though.”
“Yeah.” The black fox eyed the screen. “Mind if I do one more?”
“Go ahead.” Kory enjoyed watching Samaki jump around, tail flowing behind him, springing fluidly back and forth around the pad. His decision colored everything in a new light. It was okay to stare at Samaki’s arms and wonder how the fluffy chest would feel. It felt dangerous in an exciting way, wrong only in that they would be in trouble if they got caught. His fur tingled as his gaze traveled downward to the fox’s tail, the firm lines of his rear and legs underneath it. Maybe he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. He kept his eyes up, on Samaki’s back and arms, while the fox finished the song.
“Sorry,” Samaki said as he slipped his shirt back on. “That’s the only-video game we have.”
“It’s okay,” Kory said. “We don’t have to play anything.”
“Great.” The black fox wagged his tail and grinned. “Let me put on some music. Some quieter music.”
Kory sat on the couch, curling his tail around beside his leg. He was starting to get nervous again, because he knew Samaki would sit down in a minute and the kitchen was right there, the door still open to it. He didn’t feel private enough to be comfortable, but he felt like he wanted to talk to Samaki, at least try to reverse some of the image he’d presented the previous weekend. That would be hard with his mother still cleaning up upstairs. She could probably hear them as well as he could hear her. Better, with her larger ears.
Samaki plopped down beside him as the room filled with quiet classical music. “One of my dad’s,” he said. “Just wanted something kinda quiet.” His tail came to rest between the two of them, resting on top of the otter’s tail. Kory twitched his tail against the soft fur, his heart beating a little faster.
“That’s nice,” he said. “I know nothing about classical.”
“It’s Bach.” Samaki shrugged and grinned. “That’s about all the more I know.”
“It’s nice,” Kory repeated. “So do you usually come down here to talk on the phone?”
“Nah. Reception sucks. I sit in the bedroom, up
“Over the music, you mean?”
Samaki nodded. “Yeah, music’s goin’ and you hear scratchings under the buttons.” He panted. “You wanna give it a try?”
“Is there a setting for ‘blind and deaf?”
Samaki laughed. “I’ll put it on training mode.”
“Well… okay.” Kory didn’t want to look clumsy in front of Samaki, but he didn’t want to reject the fox’s offer, either. He walked up to the pad where the fox was selecting a training mode, and said, “I’m gonna suck at this.” Should he take his shirt off? He wasn’t in as good shape as Samaki. He hesitated, then left it on.
“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Samaki said. “Just have fun.” He showed Kory the controls and padded back to the couch to collapse.
The animated fox showed Kory the basic moves and let Kory practice them, then gave him a choice of training songs. Kory picked one, and the fox clapped his paws and said, “Let’s pounce!”
The first mouse danced out slowly, and as he got under one of the buttons, the fox said, “Now, POUNCE!” Kory got both paws on the pad, and the mouse squeaked and disappeared. Another came out, and he slipped, but caught it on the second pad. By the end of the song, he felt more confident, and when he was done, the animated fox on screen and black fox on the couch clapped together. Kory saw from the stats that he’d gotten 27 of 30 mice.
“Not bad for my first time,” he said, delighted that he hadn’t embarrassed himself.
“Pretty good,” Samaki said. “Do another?”
“Nah. I’m gonna quit while I’m ahead.” Kory chuckled. “It’s fun, though.”
“Yeah.” The black fox eyed the screen. “Mind if I do one more?”
“Go ahead.” Kory enjoyed watching Samaki jump around, tail flowing behind him, springing fluidly back and forth around the pad. His decision colored everything in a new light. It was okay to stare at Samaki’s arms and wonder how the fluffy chest would feel. It felt dangerous in an exciting way, wrong only in that they would be in trouble if they got caught. His fur tingled as his gaze traveled downward to the fox’s tail, the firm lines of his rear and legs underneath it. Maybe he wasn’t quite ready for that yet. He kept his eyes up, on Samaki’s back and arms, while the fox finished the song.
“Sorry,” Samaki said as he slipped his shirt back on. “That’s the only-video game we have.”
“It’s okay,” Kory said. “We don’t have to play anything.”
“Great.” The black fox wagged his tail and grinned. “Let me put on some music. Some quieter music.”
Kory sat on the couch, curling his tail around beside his leg. He was starting to get nervous again, because he knew Samaki would sit down in a minute and the kitchen was right there, the door still open to it. He didn’t feel private enough to be comfortable, but he felt like he wanted to talk to Samaki, at least try to reverse some of the image he’d presented the previous weekend. That would be hard with his mother still cleaning up upstairs. She could probably hear them as well as he could hear her. Better, with her larger ears.
Samaki plopped down beside him as the room filled with quiet classical music. “One of my dad’s,” he said. “Just wanted something kinda quiet.” His tail came to rest between the two of them, resting on top of the otter’s tail. Kory twitched his tail against the soft fur, his heart beating a little faster.
“That’s nice,” he said. “I know nothing about classical.”
“It’s Bach.” Samaki shrugged and grinned. “That’s about all the more I know.”
“It’s nice,” Kory repeated. “So do you usually come down here to talk on the phone?”
“Nah. Reception sucks. I sit in the bedroom, up
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