[Skeetzybug]

It was getting colder. There was a certain mist-like quality to the city this time of year, the moisture from the frequent rainfall clinging to the walls and the pavement alike. Breath puffed up from the crowds of people as they passed each other in the streets, eyes down and business their own as they hurried back to the warmth of their home. Eris liked it that way - no looks, no questions. It made up for the penetrating chill.

It was  a few blocks yet until she'd reach her own place of living. The closer she got, the emptier the streets became. She kept her head down, chin tucked into the collar of her jacket, but her eyes never stopped moving. She wasn't being followed, for which she was grateful. It was always a good day when she could go straight back without complication. Too often she found herself taking extra turns, detours and circling back, just in case. It was rare that anyone was actually tailing her, for one reason or another, but she could never be too careful.

After all, it wasn't just her own neck on the line anymore.

[Skeetzybug]

The building was in abandon, with shattered glass and boarded windows. She glanced discreetly around as she entered, making sure that no one had taken notice. The door shut behind her, and the air went quiet as she waited a few more heartbeats for any sign of movement. Good - she was alone.

She ruffled her ashy hair, running gloved fingers through the strands as she entered the stairwell and began her trek upwards. That alone was enough to warm her up. It was a respite she was thankful for, despite how temporary it may be. As she reached the top floor, she kept going, up one more small flight, until she reached an exit. With a quiet grunt, she pushed the heavy door open, the old metal groaning as she exited onto the rooftop.  The cold rushed up to meet her again, and she winced in response. Ah, well. Small sacrifices.

[Skeetzybug]

She walked forward, brittle leaves crunching underfoot where they'd fallen from their vines and branches. The garden was unkept, save for by those few that came here, and the colder weather was already starting to take its toll on the plants. The bare branches of one of the small trees swayed in the fading evening light, casting shadows along the edges of the building. Her gaze crossed over the entire garden, seeking, but finding nothing. Sighing quietly to herself, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder and circled around.

"Sure is cold out here..." she said to herself, eyes traveling upwards. There was the slightest crackle of leaves behind her. "I'd sure want to go inside if I were out here." The snap of a twig, something shifting under foot. "Sure would..." With a loud scattering of plant matter and a rumbling growl, something pounced. Eris turned to match it, arms reaching out and catching her partner under their armpits, swinging them around as yelped. The pair tumbled over, Eris too small to lift the beast shifter for long, and she couldn't help a small laugh. She gazed up at the pile of warm brown and dusky black, and a pair of amber eyes looked brightly back in response.

[Skeetzybug]

"You're back," Crow practically purred, not even beginning to remove herself from on top of Eris. "Finally. I thought you were gonna be gone all day."

"Nah," Eris said, a gentle smile still touching the edge of her lips. "Just a small run, I told you." She reached out, ruffling Crow's dark hair, who leaned closer in response. It was a comfort. She'd grown to dislike leaving Crow alone, and all the anxiety that came with it. She was never sure if she'd return to find her missing.

"I know," Crow said, finally pulling away and sitting back so that Eris could sit up all the way. "But you were taking forever. I was starting to get worried." Crow wasn't keen on being left behind, either. That was no secret. Still, it was safer than Crow going with her during the day. Between the claws, ear, fur, quills, and eyes, Crow was not a subtle shapeshifter. It was better than she stay here, hidden, where no one could find her, and no one could hurt her... but it was still a relief to be with her again.

[Skeetzybug]

"You're always worried," Eris observed, reaching out gently to touch her fingertip to Crow's nose. The shifter wrinkled it in response, but there was a smile there, and a fondness in the eyes that couldn't be hidden. "It's your specialty." With a snort, Crow moved to lick Eris' finger, but it was swiftly withdrawn. Nice try.

"One of us has to worry," She huffed, shaking her head and flicking her single beastly ear. "And you certainly don't." Eris shrugged at that, and Crow responded with a very obvious eyeroll. With a final sigh, she pushed off from the ground, standing upright and glancing around. Eris followed suit, getting to her feet and brushing off her increasingly ragged jacket.

[Skeetzybug]

"Any trouble today?" She asked, though the fact that Crow was here alone was proof against it. Her partner shook their head, shifting on their mismatched feet and whipping their long tail around behind them.

"All quiet," she responded, rolling her shoulders in that almost itchy way that she did. Even with it getting colder, Crow fought every shred of clothing that Eris tried to put on her. The fact that she'd managed to get the shifter into the long-sleeved shirt in the first place was a practical miracle. Still, the last thing they needed to deal with was getting sick. There was more than enough on their plates already...

"Good," Eris finally replied, her own breath puffing out in a small white cloud. The reached forward, laying a hand on Crow's shoulder and squeezing gently. "Throw the rest of your clothes on and we'll go home." Crow groaned, visibly sagging from the thought.

[Skeetzybug]

"Do I have to?" She whined, giving her most pitiful expression towards her partner. "Can't we just stay up here for a little while longer?" Truthfully, Eris wasn't keen on the thought. It was getting darker, and the cold would only keep setting in - but she'd be damned if Crow didn't have a way with those stupid puppy eyes. Ugh. Two could play, though.

"Alright," she said, shrugging casually. "You can stay up here if you want, but I'm going to go lie down." She turned, waving her hand as if in farewell. Crow stood still behind her, and a few heartbeats passed as Eris' heavy shoes crunched down on the leaf litter once more. Finally, a growl and a loud sigh as her partner relented.

[Skeetzybug]

"Fine, fine, I'm going," Crow grumbled, trudging over to the small bench near the door. She crouched down, brushing away branches and a weathered old quilt before pulling out a large and rusty tin box. She flipped off the lid with a clang, and Eris waited patiently as the shifted wiggled into the thick, covering clothes she hated. Personally, she didn't understand what bothered Crow about them so much. There was a certain security from having that much cover, she felt - but then, maybe she'd feel differently if she had that much fur, too.

Finally dressed, Crow gathered up the tin box, the few other possession inside shifting around, before flipping up her hood and giving a nod at Eris. Giving a reassuring smile in return, Eris opened the door to the stairwell and led the way down. She exited the building first, careful glances checking for any attention once more before ushering her partner out after her. They trudged along on the street, side by side, pressed gently together at the arm. It wasn't a long ways, just a few blocks, but it gave a sense of security, to know with physical surety that the other person was there. It was something they hadn't always had.

The sun was vanishing over the horizon for good as they arrived at the building they were staying at, which looked almost as shabby as the one they'd left. Two flights, four doors down, on the left. She sighed, another blanket of comfort settling over her as she entered the small space that was more like a large hotel room than an actual apartment. It was ragged and drafty and had a couple leaks, but it was home. Through all this shit, it was home.

[Skeetzybug]

Crow wasted no time in removing every layer of clothing she'd just placed upon her body as soon as the door was closed and locked behind them. The shirt came off with the hoodie, and she stretched in relief as her fur unruffled and her quills had room to adjust. She reached a clawed hand up to scratch at the scruff around her jaw, and practically purred at the feeling of being unrestrained by garments.

"I don't know how you do it all the time," she said, humming gently to herself as she kicked off the ill-fitting pants to leave only her boxer shorts.  "Clothes are the worst."

"I could say the same to you," Eris responded, slipping gloves from her hands and kicking shoes off her feet. "It's freezing outside, and you were only in those." Crow didn't seem bothered, continuing to hum and run fingers through her fur to fluff it out. Eris couldn't help a soft chuckle. Some things never changed.

[Skeetzybug]

Letting her jacket fall on the ground, Eris moved onto the bed with a quiet sigh. She closed her eyes and buried her face in the old blankets, which smelled mainly of dust and old fur, but she didn't care. She was just grateful to be back and safe again, and the quiet shifting of Crow in the room behind her made everything right. Her fingers dug into the covers, taking a moment to try and get her mind to settle. Too often it seemed that her brain was going a mile a minute, and the rest of her couldn't keep up. She let out another sigh, louder this time as she shifted her head to the side and opened her eyes again.

Even in the low light of the room, she could catch the distinct shape of her partner standing in front of the room's old mirror. Eris just watched as they ran claws through hair, their ear twitching gently and their tail arched behind them. She let her breathing even and her heartbeat slow, and her thoughts finally began to settle. There was a shift of amber in the mirror, and even from her place strewn on the bed, she could tell Crow was looking back at her. She smiled, just a little, before burying her face back in the bed once more.