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For a change, the night on the city was actually nice, a gentle cold breeze hitting my face as I walked down the street, a shining moon above me. Quite beautiful, and uncommon as well, usually the smog didn't let the light of the stars hit the pavement and the weather went from raging heat to freezing your balls, but tonight the world seemed to be kinder to us. Not like it mattered, I wasn't going to have a walk at the park or read a book by the balcony, I was going to the bar, same as usual, there's things that never change.
Walking in and taking a seat at my stool I called the bartender and asked for my poison, which he delivered quickly, being one of the usuals in this establishment came with its perks. Expecting another typical night of drinking quietly until I couldn't stay on my seat, I was surprised when he started a conversation with me.
“So, you're a detective eh?”
“What gave it away, the outfit or the drinking problem?” I chuckled, taking a sip from my glass.
“It was Anne Fritzgerald,” he replied, “daughter of my cousin, you helped find her didn't you?”
I recognized the name immediately, an 8 year old girl who had gone missing, been kidnapped by her step father who wanted ransom money, had to break his skull with my brass knuckles to make sure she went back to her mother safely. I shrugged as a reply, knocking back the drink and putting the glass back in the counter.
“It was just my job, I don't need thank yous.”
“It'd be wrong to not at least give you a drink on the house,” he said, as he filled my glass again and slid it back to me. I didn't reply, just nodded and started drinking.
“So, is it a good gig? Being a detective and all,” he asked after a moment of silence.
“It pays the bills and gets me free whiskey, so good enough I'd say.”
“What made you decide to be one? Read too many comics as a kid?”
The question made me think, when did I decide to be one? It had been years now, it felt as if I had been one my entire life, but no, I wasn't always a detective, I wasn't even human back then.
It was another pleasant night, with a cold breeze and the moon shining in the sky, but it didn't reach us. We were on our apartment, no windows to let us see the outside, but we didn't need them, we had each other after all.
I laid my canine head on her thighs as she pet the spot behind my ears, her touch lulling me to sleep, until her voice made me open my eyes again.
“So now that we know that you can pass as human, what do you want to be?”
As always, she spoke softly, every word that came out of her mouth felt like music to my ears. It took me a moment to process the question.
“Well,” I began, "it's a bit embarrassing, but I've always wanted to be a private eye.”
“Really?” She replied, “is that why you kept looking at that trenchcoat when shopping?”
I blushed slightly, she knew how to read me well, I hadn't even noticed I had eyed it that much.
“Yes, kind of,” I continued, “the aesthetic is nice, but that's not the only thing I like about it. I want to help people, always have.”
“You want to help humans?”
Her question sounded surprised, but still soft, as if she simply hadn't considered the idea. It was fair, she came from somewhere else after all.
“Yes,” I replied, “I know humans aren't perfect creatures, but I still want to help them, I want to live alongside them as well. It would be nice, to save someone and have them tell you ‘thank you! You're a good man’.”
My tail wagged at simply considering the idea, Darkness took my head in her hands and made me look at her.
“Even after everything, you still love humans, don't you?” she kissed my nose, the room felt as a part of paradise for a moment, “you're a kind soul Detective.”
“Detective? Detective!” the bartender snapped his fingers at me, causing me to flinch and forcing me back to the present.
“Uh, sorry,” I mumbled, thinking of the memory I had been forced to remembered. I took my glass and downed it in two gulps, hissing as I slammed it hard on the counter.
“It's because I'm a lost cause,” I finally answered, “might as well help others if you can't help yourself, right?”
He didn't reply, seeming worried with what I had said, I didn't blame him.
“Make the next one a double, thank you.”