The year is 2011<br/>The earth has changed<br/>There is a story you know, this is not that story<br/>This is the story of before<br/><br/>Dust floated through the air of the taxi cabin, lit and revealed by the setting sun shining through the car windows, dyeing the interior a deep red-orange. The gentle hum of the engine mixed with the sound of passing cars and rubber wheels on wet asphalt, adding a surreal sensation to dusk. At least, these were the feelings of the Kitsune named Meguri Kobayashi, on her way from the airport to downtown Avalon. She curled her only tail into her lap, staring at the letters in her hand. They were an exchange between her and a man named Arthur Dent, who apparently owned a shelter for transhumans here in Avalon City. Mother had brought her into contact with him, said he’d give her the facilities she needed for her research. The degree she scored during her recent graduation meant she had free pick of any company, but she’d rather not have to follow stifling company policies that crushed transhuman freedom.<br/><br/>The taxi hit a small bump in the road, jostling the foxwoman’s cargo, causing the three residents of the two cages to wake and start complaining. Attention torn from the letters in her hand, Meguri looked at young Cheshire cats who were now grumbling at one another. Whisper, Mort and Shade, gifted to her by her mother when she started her university education. Taking care of three kittens as demanding as those three while studying had proven a trail, but the luck they supplied in return for her affection had allowed her to score top ranks on pretty much every exam. Stress had never really been an issue thanks to them; things always went her way on important days like today. Meguri was a bit concerned for her safety however, three Cheshire cats were a king’s ransom worth killing for, and she wasn’t really used to other transhumans save from her kin. Blessing after blessing had been heaped upon her life by her mother, those transhumans that struggle to even survive would certainly have nothing but spite and hate for her.<br/><br/>While the kitsune mused on this and more, her taxi left the highway, leaving behind the glass cloud scrapers and instead moving to worn roads and worn buildings. Downtown Avalon was old, a pre-war city ruin left behind by humanity in favor of the grand city centers constructed after the war. Like rats after scraps, transhumanity settled in as humanity packed up and left, quickly outnumbering the remaining humans. The end result was a community unique to the world, where transhumanity could just be itself even if it was a miserable, hostile existence filled with poverty. Meguri on the other hand had enjoyed a privileged life due to her heritage. Downtown Avalon was home to transhumans, but it wasn’t Meguri’s home. Watching those dark brick houses pass by, Meguri was continuously reminded of the fact that she was out of place here.<br/><br/>The sun had turned in a red sliver when the taxi slowed and stopped at a large, red brick warehouse situated next to a canal. A short conversation with the driver as he unloaded Meguri’s bags and possessions revealed that yes; the warehouse was in fact Arthur’s Rest shelter and not some shady criminal hangout. Hesitantly Meguri knocked on the double door leading in, pushing it open after a lack of response. Chaos waited her immediately beyond. Carrying the cages with the three Cheshire brothers in them inside, Meguri tried to draw the attention of someone, anyone in order to gain some direction. Everyone was occupied in some way, working on cleaning the dining hall, carting food in or just moving things around. Every person in the room seemed to loom over her, dwarfing her in size. “Hello?!” She tried to talk to one of the smaller people in the room, a toad of a man, literally, who was going over a checklist, only to have stumbled in the way of an ogre with a bloody apron carrying a large basket with offal.<b> “S’rry miss”</b>he boomed as the cage containing Mort and Shade clattered on the floor, the door flinging open and the two terrified cats instantly scurried off between the legs of the many people at work in the hall.<i>“Mort, Shade!”</i>She called out impotently after the two feline brothers.<br/><br/>Of course, they were already gone, and Whisper was muttering agitated in his cage while Meguri stood there, tears in her eyes. For the first time in her long while, luck seemed to have utterly failed her. She felt lost and without support, unable to reach out to these strange people too busy to even talk to her. Her throat and heart hurt, a stinging pain as she stood there listlessly, trying not to break down crying.<br/><br/>This wasn’t how things were supposed to go!<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>