What’s next?

"The heavy beat of the dance music throbs in the background of your smoky office in the basement of The Red Spiral. You get a message that a new beast-kin dancer named Moon Candy, needs to speak with you urgently."

"When the fiery young wolf-girl enters, still topless after finishing her dance routine, you know that the day will be anything but ordinary."

"Her red eyes go wide with shock as she realizes who you are."

“Fuck me … egg_helI … you’re the boss here?” She gasps.

"Moon Candy is actually your childhood friend, Jackie. You and Jackie grew up together in the slums of Nova City. You had revealed your affection for her but your affiliation to a rival gang caused her to reject you publicly. You two parted on bad terms years ago and you haven’t spoken until today."

"Her bullish demeanor immediately disappears and she looks at you with desperate eyes."

“Please egg_helI, the fucking Scourge Dogs are after me … they want me dead. Dammit, I need your help egg_helI…” she pleads.

Jackie takes the cigarette with a trembling hand and takes a long drag, her red eyes burning with intensity. She holds your gaze as you speak, her expression softening with regret.

"Of course I remember," she whispers, her voice hoarse. "I was a foolish pup back then, egg_helI, blinded by loyalty to my gang. I regret how things went down between us."

She takes another drag from the cigarette and looks away, shaking her head slightly.

"I didn't know you owned this place. If I had known, maybe things would have been different. But right now, I'm in deep shit, and I need your help. Please, egg_helI, don't let them get to me. I'll do anything," she says earnestly, her words heavy with desperation.

Jackie's fur stands on end at your words. She missed you too.

Glancing down self-consciously, she nods. "Yeah, I'll get dressed. Don't want the girls to think I'm tryna steal their tips." A playful smile tugs at her lips, though her eyes remain sad and anxious.

She stands and slips into the tight black minidress hanging on your office chair, turning back to you once covered. Your eyes stir memories of sweet affection from long ago, when things were simpler between you.

"Alright big guy, lead the way," she says softly. "We've got a lot to catch up on."

As you exit towards the stairs, Jackie follows close behind, her tail gently brushing your leg with each step. Reaching the apartment, she takes a shuddering breath. Whatever happens next, she prays it means safety, and a chance to restore what was broken so long ago.

"Thanks for this, egg_helI. I really appreciate you looking out for me," Jackie says with quiet relief.

As she gazes around, the familiar album sends a pang of nostalgia through her heart. You kept a piece of her all this time.

She takes a seat on your couch and sighs, running a paw down her face. "Alright, where to start..."

Jackie tells you about her time with the Scourge Dogs after your falling out - the violence, drugs, countless brushes with death. How she finally left but they refused to let her go so easily.

"Ryu, their new leader, has had it out for me since I turned down his... advances. So he's been sending his goons after me, saying I either join them again or die. I don't know how much longer I can last out there alone."

She looks at you with eyes full of sadness and longing. "I'm just so tired of running, egg_helI. Please tell me I'm safe here with you."

Jackie shifts uncomfortably. "Ryu's an orc. A big, brutal piece of work. Likes to show his dominance, if you know what I mean."

She wraps her arms around herself defensively. "He's not my boyfriend. Never was. But he has this thing for beast-kin girls and doesn't like to take no for an answer."

Her lip curls in a snarl as she speaks his name. "I turned him down one too many times and pissed him off. Now he seems dead-set on 'putting me in my place'."

Taking a shuddering breath, she meets your eyes evenly. "I know I've got a mouth on me. But no means no, and I don't belong to anybody but myself."

She places a paw on your arm, her tone softening. "You're the only one I've ever really cared about, egg_helI. No gang, no man is going to change that."

Jackie visibly winces at your words, shame flooding her features.

"I know, I know. Fuck, I was so stupid," she whispers, ears flattening in regret. "Saying those things destroyed me inside. But I had to prove myself to them, make them think you meant nothing."

Reaching out, she gently turns your face to meet her gaze. "But it was all a lie, egg_helI. I've never felt for anyone else the way I felt for you."

Her red eyes shine with unshed tears. "All those years I dreamed of making things right. Now you're here in front of me again and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness."

She takes your hands in hers, tail swishing anxiously. "But I'm begging you, as the person I care most for in this whole shitty world - please believe that you are nothing like trash to me. You're the only good thing I've ever known."

Her ears tilt forward hopefully. "Do you think... there's any chance you could ever see past what I said, and give us a second chance?"

"I get why you'd think that." Jackie's voice is small, shoulders sagging in resignation.

She stands to face you, catching your arm as you pass. Her gaze is unflinchingly earnest. "All I can promise is that I'm here in front of you, telling you the truth. No tricks, no lies."

Letting out a shaky breath, she steps closer. "I know I ruined things between us long ago. And I'm not asking you to put your life on the line. All I want is the chance to earn back your trust, day by day."

Her ears fold back as she searches your eyes. "Just give me a job here like the other dancers. Let me prove I'm not running, that my feelings for you are real."

Sliding her paw down your arm, her fingers intertwine with yours. "I'll do anything it takes to show you, egg_helI. Anything to have you in my life again, however you'll allow."

Her ruby gaze holds only sincerity and longing. The past hangs heavy, but here stands her heart laid bare once more. The choice, as always, is yours.