After the gamble, we were promptly dressed in our new attire. My stupid feathers kept getting in the way of my pants. Each time I was startled, they just fanned out, shredding the fabric again, much to the annoyance of the staff. My blushes only became warmer. 


I shot a helpless glance at Kae, only for her to wink and giggle at my plight. Other members of the staff (some of which I recognised as my colleagues) didn’t hide their irritation at my embarrassment. 


Fair enough; they still had to stay in this hell hole while I escaped for virtually no cost. Well, except for my humanity. A little prick to my conscience at her kindness. 


Another set of clothes came in. This time bigger to fit all my feathers. While wearing the smaller T-shirt and jeans, I felt a pinch from my lower back - someone just plucked out my bright blue feathers. Ouch. 


As much as I wanted to call them out, I honestly was still overwhelmed with my newer body. Even just being taller and bigger in size was quite a shift - especially after being a smaller lady for the past half a year. And then there’s the feathers. Thick, sensitive and colorful. It was no wonder why the peacock would have these for mating purposes. 


But for a boring guy like me, I stuck out as a sore thumb within the room of people. That reminded me, I haven’t seen any form of avian anthros aside from me. Huh, must be one of a kind I supposed. 


Once I wore my belt and new jeans, my tail feathers snuck through the wide hole, allowing me to fan it out easily. Ugh… why did they have to do that all the time? 


After that fiasco, Kae informed me that she wanted to return and grab her belongings. Her voice  was slightly softer than before and her body was shivering when I tapped on her shoulders. A little concerning. 


Passing her my phone, I stepped aside to give her some space. She did mention about bad blood between her and her father during the gamble. Something about not being ‘macho’ enough. 


I still remembered his thin frame like a twig with that soft spoken voice. He certainly wasn’t ‘macho’. But I mean, she was pretty damn hot as a woman even from a side glance - she fitted into the vixen role well.


Soon, she returned my phone, “Alright done. So how’s the pants, Riley?”


I rolled my eyes, “Troublesome. For once these damn feathers finally stop fanning out. Couldn’t you just turn me ba-” I stopped myself, she had already done too much for me, “Sorry if I was too harsh.”  

Walking towards the lift, she giggled, “Oh I don’t mind the small things but where’s the fun in making you a human once again?”


“Yeah, understood,” I said, remembering my debt owed to her. Not only did she make me back as a man, she also freed me from this cage. Not too sure what I could do to pay her back. 


“I mean I clearly told you why you’re a peacock…” 


“Ya, ya, I get it. Don’t need to shove it in my face.” 


Arriving on the ground level, everyone’s gaze shifted to us. My feathers fanned out from the attention. Fuck, I didn’t think it would be this eye-catching. But a nice bonus was watching the security guards, Jerrod and his brother in complete shock. 


Enough time for me to flip them off. 


Grabbing my access card, I walked forward and flipped my talons off, tossing my employment card simultaneously, “Oh and fuck you guys, have fun slaving away at this company!” 

“Wait… how?” Jerrod asked, before giving me a shit-eating grin, “Nice feathers, bird brain.” 


“Call me whatever the fuck you want, I’m out!” Those words escaped my mou-beak, quickly catching up to Kae outside. 


“Felt nice?” She nudged against my arm. 


“Amazing. Shitty bastard got all handsy with my breasts,” I vented. God, just thinking about them only pissed me off further. 


She nodded, “At least you’re out now,” Even under the shade, sweat dripped from my feathers. Ugh, how was I going to shower with these as my feathers now? 


Once the taxi arrived, I instructed the driver on the various locations, explaining the situation. His eyes widened a little before rolling them, “So you want me to wait there for how long?”


“Won’t be long at all. Just five to ten minutes,” 


He clicked his tongue, “Fine. Only if you pay extra.” 


“Thanks man, I owe you one.” 


“Then you better not drop any of your shitty feathers or fur on my car,” He chuckled, watching my face turn pale, “It’s fine. I’m just joking around.” 


Once the taxi began to move, I glanced back at Kae. She looked much paler than before… Right, she was probably nervous about meeting back like this, “Kae, are you nervous about it?” 


“A little,” She shrugged. 


“Well I’m here if you need me,” I said, “I mean it.” 


“Thanks but I probably need space for today.” 


I nodded. 


The rest of the trip was quiet. Kae returned back home and when she returned to the taxi, she carried her luggage, her eyes brimming with tears. Shouts chased the driving car as the man hollered, “-ngers. We are never your family and you will never see us ever again while you’ll rot on the streets like the vixen you chose to be!” 

As she sobbed in the back, both of us didn’t utter a single word. 


Returning back to my much smaller apartment under the evening sun, she hung her head low. Her tail barely moved, her eyes comparable to a dead fish. Felt horrible seeing her like this. 


“Didn’t think you'd stay here,” She suddenly spoke out as I opened my door. Her nose was twitching and sniffing around, akin to a dog trying to scout out the area.  


Stepping into my home, I gulped, “What’s that supposed to mean?” 


“I don’t know. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong. Just unexpected…”


Turning on my bright lights, my place was rather vacant. Didn’t have any fancy television or equipment. A comfy sofa laid in the middle of the living  room, some chairs along with a table and a discounted rug I bought on sale. For someone as rich as her, she probably wasn’t used to how bare bones it was, “Right, the budget's been tight.” 


“Oh not that,” She wiped a tear off her eyes, “I mean how cozy it was. Was assuming it would be… colder.” 


“Ah…” 


An awkward silence emerged. Her eyes welled up tears again. Whatever happened in her home must’ve been terrible. I gestured around my apartment showing her the various rooms. The standard bathroom, my own personal room (insisting that she should stay there for the night) and storeroom. 


“Thanks… I just…” She croaked, tugging her luggage into my room, “Need… some space…” 


I nodded, grabbing some items from my wardrobe (a spare blanket and my clothes) and moving them to the living hall. Honestly, this worked. I slept on my sofa sometimes after work, doomscrolling till slumber caught me. 


Once out, she tucked into my bed, she whimpered and curled into a ball of floof, shivering in the process. If only I could help her… but this wasn’t my place to judge. I closed the door softly, stripping my shirt down.


Ruffling against my feathers, it tickled even with my sharp nails digging into them. Felt amazing not having breasts all the time (as much as I played with them when I was horny). Heading towards my washroom, my mirror reflected a fully male peacock, my tail feathers rose up right behind me. 


Damn. I looked better than expected. Sure, it wasn’t my original body but it was much much better than being Riley. I flexed my muscles, seeing their small bulge gave me unbounded euphoria. 

Stretching my neck in different angles, the blue feathers sparkled under the light. I’ll admit it, they were growing on me. The blue front feathers contrasted well with my emerald tail feathers. If they didn’t catch everyone’s attention, I might actually like them. 


Over the next hour, I explored my body. My feathers were like hair - each pluck stung me like how duct tape would rip out body hair. At least, they dropped less than individual hair strands. 


My feet and hands were interestingly talons. Much rougher than my human hands, the pain receptors dulled down. Lost about two digits down at my toes at the exchange of my sharp claws. 


Lastly, my nether regions were fully functional. I… did some experimentation and the results turned out positive. Afterwards, I asked Kae if she wanted dinner but she shook her head, still sobbing under my blanket - now fully covered with orange fur. 


And so I ate some Chinese takeout (apparently I still had teeth, hidden beneath my silver beak) and showered (soap went down fine but with how thick my feathers were, it was hard to wash out the grime between them). 


When I changed however, I noted some problems. For one my human male shirts were… tight. Like a size smaller than they should be around my chest. Similarly, my pants were too long, almost hitting my talons. And the next was how my tail feathers were stuck inside my pants, straining my back. I tried shifting it but the same problem was present.


Eventually, I just cut a hole for them to escape. Better than them ripping my pants out. But that reminded me to buy new clothes for tomorrow. Can’t be walking around with a butt flap for all to gawk, could I? 


Before I slept, I snuck into my room, seeing her tears and snot piled up in the trash while she murmured something under her breath. As one last act of kindness, I tucked her into my blanket. And under my breath, I muttered out a ‘goodnight, Kae’.


I woke up to the smell of fried eggs. Eggs that I didn’t have. I rubbed against my eyes, carefully adjusting to my talons, “Kae?” 


“Good morning, Ryan,” She smiled, glancing at me. Her face brightened up while she was still wearing the same dress as before, “Just made breakfast for us.” 


“Nice. Are you-.” 


“Yeah about yesterday…” She served the eggs onto the plate. 


“We can forget about it if you don’t want to.” 


“No, no, I want to tell you. Just so that we’re on the same page.” 


Nodding along, my tail feathers fanned out grogglily. Ah, just seeing my newer body woke me up from my drowsiness. Still a little shocked to see sharp talons instead of softer human fingers whenever I moved my arms. 


Right. This was me now. 


A little unease crept behind my shoulders. Was it strange that I felt so normal about it? The first time I changed, I was panicking and sobbing my eyes out, trying to snap out of this nightmare. 


My feathers rose. Now? I… I didn’t know it was normal to just feel like myself again. Yes, I wasn’t human and bright colors never suited me but I didn’t mind? Splashing my head with water, an accidental squawk escaped. 


Why was I even questioning myself? I prefer this body to ‘Riley’ and so be it. There was no need to overthink these things. 


After changing into another set of clothes (cut a little hole in my shorts), I walked out, peeking at her expression. She wasn’t crying any longer but she wasn’t teasing me like yesterday. Well before the incident that was. 


I grabbed a seat opposite to her, “So erm, what did you want to say?” I scratched against my neck, wincing a little from my nails digging too deep into my feathers, “I’m there if you… want to say it.” 


“Yeah…” She cleared her throat, her knife cutting her fried sausage into smaller pieces, “It sounds so stupid now that I think about it.” 


“Can’t be that stupid if you were crying the whole day, right?”  


“No but,” She sighed, “Ughhh, it's just so frustrating.” 


“I’m sure it was.” 


Swallowing her food, she continued, “Basically I always wanted this. I always wanted to be a vixen since high school. Something about how sexy and feminine felt right to me and I wanted that.” 


“But as you could tell from our first encounter, I was a man. A man that always got scolded by Dad for being too ‘sissy’ and shit. Not going to go into the details for now but let’s just say he wasn’t the happiest when he found me crossdressing.” 


I nodded, “Right and him seeing you like this.” 


“He…” Her voice softened, “well… hated it. Hated what I am. And we’ve burned bridges.” 


Silence filled the room. Her body shook slightly, trembled like a lone branch against the wind, “I… mean… I expected this and I wanted this but… kinda feel stupid for even believing that there’s a sliver of hope. That he accepts me.” 


I stood up, before stopping myself. I owed her so much and yet I was helpless in her plight. What could I even do here? Like watching your hero crumble before your eyes and yet you’re too powerless to do anything. Hell, just a day before, I was trying to kill her in a gamble. 


“I…Is… there anything I could do for you?” I returned to my seat.   


Stabbing the yolk in her eggs, she shook her head, wiping her tears, “Nah, it’s cool. I’m feeling much better after all of that. You know, it’s funny how memories work. They stay dormant usually until an incident happens before they,” She snapped her fingers, “Explode one by one in your mind.” 


“That’s fair.” 


“What about you, Ryan? Any sad tragic story to share?” She sipped on coffee, raising her eyebrows, “I mean that’s if you’re comfortable to share of course.” 


I shrugged. Thinking back on my life as a whole, I didn’t think I had anything as bad as her. Maybe a couple accidents here and there but nothing as traumatising as her, except for that damn gamble I had with him. 


Taking another bite of the eggs, my eyes twitched, still thinking of the right words to say, “Well, I guess losing that damn bet counts.” 


“What bet?” 


“I betted against the owner in some weird game he created. Lost it all and had to fall into his debt as a worker there. And that’s when you saw me.”  


“Oh shit. So that’s why yo-” 


“Yeah why I was down there to begin with. But hey at least you got me out of that shit hole,” I winked at her, “So I owe you this much.” 


She cleared her throat, her tail’s swishing went up by a notch. Cute moments like this almost made me forget how scary she was playing. Shivers rushed through my spine recalling her sharp words and gaze. Why did she even save me there? 


I leaned forward, continuing my meal. Nerves were acting up as I thought outloud, “No offence but why didn’t you turn me into a bitch? I still don’t get that last part.” 


“I could have.” 


“Then why didn’t you?” 


She sipped on her coffee, her tongue reaching out to take little sips from it, “Well I needed a house to crash and…” 


“And?” I stopped myself, “Sorry if I was going too far.”  


“Loosen up, alright, I told you it's fine,” She chuckled, “Like I said, I respected you and thought you might be a decent roommate. Although, you’re a little dumb for a college graduate.” 


“Wait, yo-” 


“Yeah, yeah, I saw it,” She chuckled, “Shouldn’t you be getting a job around now? What are you? Like 27?” 


I closed my eyes, refusing to look at her. While my tail feathers widened and fanned out in full, I just felt like I had been shot. 27? I looked like 27? A bright red blush surfaced. I just graduated college this year alone and here she was saying I looked like 27? 


“I…I’m 23.” 


“Yikes… didn’t think you were my age.” 


“Your age?” 


“Unfortunately,” She collected the empty plates up, and placed them within the sink. As water flowed through her fur, she continued, “But that’s besides the point, what’s up with you?” 


“Do you really want to know?” I hesitated. 


“Since we’re living together, might as well.” 


I raised my talons up, sighing, “I mean I was a card counter before all of this happened and made a quick buck here and there. Was making around 3k a month? Life’s not bad when you’re hopping around casinos and exploiting them.” 


“Damn, that’s actually not bad.” 


“But probably won’t be doing that now. After all, I have no money to bet now.” 


“That reminds me,” She turned around and handed me her phone. Forms occupied her browser in multiple tabs. Ugh. Just looking at the paperwork was enough to make me sick, “We have to do that soon.” 


“Figures.” 


“And um about us,” Her tail slowed down, “So what’s the plan moving forward?” 


“Sorry?” 


“Like what’s the sleeping situation like or any rules that you want to say?” 


Going silent, I thought about it for a good minute or so. Didn’t have the chance to tell her yesterday but yeah probably should set down some guidelines. But to be honest, if I did get hired, we probably won’t be seeing each other that often. 


“Right now, I’m just thinking of finding a job. Like you’re probably already ha-” 


“By the way, I’m not working.” 


“What?” 


“Like until the ten grand runs out, I’m not looking for a job. You know, the one I won from you,” She continued, “And like, I kinda did earn 45 grand already but I saved you out of there so I kinda deserve this little vacation as well, don’t you think?” 


“Right, right. Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable.” 


“You know what, just think of me as a stay at home wife or something. I’ll just handle the chores while you work somewhere.” 


“Wait, you probably don’t have to do that.”


“Why not?” 


“Because you saved me twice,” My tail feathers dropped, “I’ll just handle it once I return. You don’t have to lif-” 


“Nonsense,” She shook her head, “I’ll be bored to tears if I had nothing to do. Besides, this is our house.”    


“If you insist,” I nodded along before we started the long list of bothersome tasks. From going to town council, explaining to their staff of our new bodies, updating our identification pictures and doing so so so many fucking forms to buying our newer set of clothes and other ‘amenities’ from a pet store. Like a brush for Kae’s fur or seeds as my snacks. 


People’s gazes naturally were pulled towards us, gossiping about our presence. My bright feathers especially didn’t help in the crowds of people. Kae didn’t mind, in fact she winked at a couple of them, playing the role of a succubus. 


Hell, I fell for it. Once but the six breasts as her rack were equally as captivating to the male gaze as my feathers were to the general public. Still I abhor the image of me wearing those bras around with their um sizes. 


Wrapping back in my apartment, I finished it, informing her of all of the dos and don’t in my house. Nothing too major. Just act like a normal person and do whatever feels the best. I owed that much to her anyway. She nodded along, allowing me to finally melt on my sofa. Ugh. 


Days passed by. While I kept sending out applications for a job, Kae kept to her word, doing my chores and laundry, otherwise she curled up into a ball of fluff and just relaxed. I envied her. Imagine not needing to work… 


By the second day, I had interviews lined up. The second that an interviewer had to ask about my status as an anthro - asking if I was tied down to any company or under influence from them - I immediately knew I was getting rejected. They were just looking for a reason to reject me in the most polite resignation method. 


Something like, “I’m so sorry to say this but you do not fit within our company’s culture” before rejecting me. 


Dragging my feet back home, it was draining to keep getting rejected. Over and over again. Society was cruel like that; anthros were oftentimes related with sex work or manual labour, both industry that I wasn’t interested in. 
 
Opening the door, Kae was watching videos on her phone, giggling. Her ears shot up, spotting my drained face, “Damn, you alright, Ryan?” 


“What d-?” I stopped myself, “Just tired from the rejections,” I took off my suit, brushing against her tail for comfort, “Don’t even know how you’ll get a job out there once your money runs dry.” 


“There’s always sex work.” 


I blushed up immediately, almost spitting out, “Are you serious?” 


“Obviously not,” She rolled her eyes, “But you’ll probably have better luck tomorrow. Dinner’s on the table by the way.” 


“Thanks.”


And that’s another debt added to my list.  


Picking up my utensils, I supposed it could be worse. Being alone and eating cup noodles as a broke college kid was worse. Unfortunately common before I counted cards. Those days were much much darker with how lonely I was. 


I supposed I was the only one to blame. One moment I’m cramming for my finals, trying to cruise past my semester and the next moment, I was in an empty apartment crying in the corner. Too ashamed to even talk to friends. They all were in their stable jobs while I… I’m too far behind. 


My thoughts were interrupted by a couple taps on my shoulders. Kae wore a guilty expression,  asking, “I…I’m sorry for this.” 


“For what?” Guilt churned in my gut. Please don’t say those words. 


“Changing you into an anthro,” She clamped against her muzzle, “I mean I never expected you to suffer this much after the change. Just thought it was fun to knock you down a peg or two.” 


Fuck. What do I say to this? She genuinely appeared sorry for her act with her muzzle hanging low and her tail slowing down to a halt. If there was anything I could do now, it was to relieve her of this shit feeling.  


“It’s not so bad,” I fanned my feathers out, “Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be back as a human man but… you did save me and I definitely enjoy this body much more,” I stretched my collar down, revealing my blue chest, “So thank you for all of this, Kae. I mean it.” 


“But aren’t you struggling so much now..?” 


“Not my first time, you know.” 


A sudden knock startled both of us. What was that? The letter box was downstairs and it didn’t look like Kae bought anything either. I got up and peeked through the peephole before immediately folding my feathers up. Shit. 


“...who is outside?” 


“My dad…” My eyes widened as my body tensed up. He was standing there with a cheery expression, carrying a small bag within his hands. Oh fuck, how do I even tell him this? 


“Ryan, I can see the lights from outside. Open up, alright?” He knocked again. My eyes scanned the room, littered with feathers and fur on the ground. With my eyes darting to the vacuum cleaner, Kae quickly followed my panicked expression. The vacuum roared to life, prompting him to say, “Come on, I’m not Ma, Ryan. I won’t nag at your messy place.” 


Kae quickly wrapped it up, turning it off once the bulk of fur and feathers were gone. My father knocked again, “Seriously, let me in, alright?” 


“Errr, fine!” I opened the door, positioning myself right behind it. Gave me more time to think of an explanation. He scanned the room, noticing my unfinished food on the table.  


Placing his gift onto the table, he continued, “See this wasn’t so hard, w-” He blinked a couple times at Kae, “Oh… Ryan, you never told me you got a girl over! Didn’t think you’re into the anth-” He stopped once again, coming face to face with my embarrassed expression, “And who might you be?” 


“Pa… it's me,” My feathers fanned once again. Sweat piling up around my neck. 


He shook his head, “Sorry, sorry but… what the hell is this?” 


“I mean…” I returned back to my seat and continued eating, “Yeah it's hard to explain this.” 


Suddenly, he stroked against my face with each feather riffling against his wrinkled hands. His eyes now bulging outwards, turning to face me, “Ryan, tell me the truth. Are you in debt? Signed into some contract? Does it hurt in any way?”


I nudged his arms away, “No, I just…alright it's a lot to explain but no, I’m fine. Ok, I lost my job and stuff but it's nothing much.”


“You lost your job?” 


Ah, whatever. If I told him the full truth, he would probably have a heart attack right here on the spot, “Basically, my colleague,” I eyed her, “And I was caught in some lab accident with nanomachines. It's completely our fault but yes because of this we were both fired and now she’s staying here for now.” 


He stepped back, still stunned at my answer but less shocked. My father sat beside me, taking in a few deep breaths, “But you’re completely fine right?” 


“Yes. A little weird around the places but I am completely fine. Right, Kae?” 


She nodded, “Yep. The fur’s a little thicker but yeah nothing too crazy.” 


He rubbed against his temples between his eyes, “Thank God, it was just an accident,” Raising his voice by a few decibels, “But this is completely unacceptable of that company. Seriously, why did they fire you after that accident? They should be compensating you, making sure you guys receive the treatment to go back to nor-” 


“Sir, I think there’s no way back,” Her tail froze, “It's permanent, they said.” 


Pulling out his phone, he dialed the police only for me to stop him. His veins were on the verge of bursting, “Ok ok calm down, Dad. They already compensated us.”


“Good fucking grief,” He placed his phone down, “They better!”  


I continued my dinner with my father crossing his arms. His wrinkles revealed themselves as he crossed his leg. Thinking back on the convo I had with Kae about her family, a little worry sprouted from my heart. 


“Ryan, what’s wrong?” 


“It’s nothing…”  


“Just say, Pa is by your side, alright? No matter what.” 


I asked, “But are you not mad at me? For becoming an anthro?” 


Dad just shrugged, “If you’re fine, then I’m fine. You do look better than you were as a human,” He chuckled, “Especially with those feathers.” 


“Then what’s wi-” 


“Society cares. And from what I know you could only turn into one if you had signed into a contract. Illegal practice but shady companies get away with it,” He continued, “I mean what’s important is that you’re safe.” 


“Right.” 


“On that note, why didn’t you tell us? Ma’s worried sick about you.” 


I swallowed down my guilt and shame. Couldn’t contact them due to my contract and plus, I was a woman, “Work’s been busy.” 


“And look what happened to you.” 


“Right.” 


He sighed once again, “See, this is why I keep telling you there’s more to life th-” 


“Pa, could we not? Like I’ve just changed into this peacock.” 


“Oh right, sorry,” He passed me a small bag, “Brought you your favourite dessert. Thought you might want it. Mooncakes from that stall.” 


Another prick stung my conscience. And here I was lying to his face while he traveled all the way here to see me, delivering me what I wanted, “Thanks Pa.” 


“Ryan… you sure you’re fine?” 


I stretched my body, “Yeah, it feels weird but no pain anyway.” 


“Even the feathers?” 


I nodded. 


“That’s good. On that note,” He winked at me before pulling me closer till he whispered, “Seems like you got quite a catch, son.” 


My tail feathers shot up, fanning out immediately, “Pa!” I couldn’t fathom dating her now, especially with how many things I owe her. 


“Hey, I would be interested too,” He raised three fingers on both sides, signalling the number of breasts Kae had. But within the embarrassment, a simple sorrow rose. That I had turned into a woman before after losing in a bet. 


Sorrow urged me to embrace tightly around my smaller father. He wrapped his hands around my wider shoulders, unable to see my tears welling up, “Just keep trying and I’m sure you’ll get a job soon enough, alright?”


“Yes.” 


“Alright then I got to go,” He glanced at his watch, “Ma is going to kill me if I don’t return for dinner in time,” Sending him outside, he winked once more, “Call us if you need any help. We’re always there!” 


“Right! Thanks Pa!” 


As I waved at him from the complex, I returned back to my apartment. 


“Damn, wish I had a Dad like yours,” Kae pouted. 


I chuckled, packing the dirty plates up, “Yeah, he really is the best.” 


The night wrapped up quickly after as I prepared for the next day. The tears I held back finally were released once in the dead of night. I wiped my tears away. Ah, I’m really a shit child, aren’t I? 


Another set of interviews lined up, back to back one another and another set of rejections came true. Didn’t think it was going to be magically easier but I had more confidence. More gusto in how I portrayed myself. 


But by four in the afternoon, my resolve waivered. This was the last interview of the week and here I was getting rejected from everything. If this didn’t go through… I’ll have to repeat the same process again for next week… 


“Ryan Feng, please come in,” A burly man stepped outside, his specs unable to hide his irritation.


I rose to my feet, reaching my talons out to shake with his hand, “Good evening, sir.” 


He ignored my gesture, bringing me back into his office, “Right, let’s begin.” 


The questions were all standard - most asking about me while some catered towards the technical sides. It was smooth sailing till the same dreaded final question, asking if I was chained down by any company. 


My feathers stiffened. Really? Again? No. I couldn’t give up here. 


“No, I am not,” My eyes stared down at him, “But if I may add.” 


“Yes?” 


My research on the company swirled. Opportunity flickered before my eyes, “I noticed that the company doesn’t have a mascot, even though it's catered towards the younger generation.” 


He raised an eyebrow, snorting, “As if we didn’t already know that,” He aligned the documents up, “Alright, I heard enough.” 


“But the solution’s right in front of you, no?” 


“Sorry?” 


“I could be your mascot,” Pointing at myself, I fanned my feathers completely, blocking out the view of the door behind me, “Just think about it. During road shows, a simple fan of my feathers would be enough to catch everyone’s eyes.” 


“Interesting. So what about your role here?” 


“This is just an add on responsibility,” I leaned backwards, “So I’ll be at roadshows or at marketing events as part of my job here.” 


“Then the wages?” 


“Exactly the same. I just have more work to do here.” 


He scratched against his chin. I could already see his thoughts whirling. The money he would save without needing to design some mascot costume weighing against the existence of an anthro in the company. He chuckled, “I like your guts, Ryan. Alright, it's a deal,” He reached his hand out, “You’re hired.” 


Politely smiling, I shook his hand with a courteous bow. 


Returning back from that interview, everyone could see my feathers completely fanned out. I didn’t care about their eyes - just fucking relief that I got the job.