Vivienne pulled out her organizer and put a check next to 'wax kitchen - top floor'. Some things she could hire a mundane work crew to do but others just needed a boggan's personal touch. She smiled at the clean and shiny floor.

The noise at the door made her look up. "Careful! I just waxed the floor!" she called out.

Lorraine, Andrea and Jessie entered the kitchen. The sidhe looked annoyed but satisfied while Andrea's pooka tail dragged wearily on the ground. The Garou smirked and looked quite pleased with herself.

Vivienne looked at the group, her eyebrows raised. "I thought you'd be in meetings all day."

Lorraine pulled out a chair and Andrea collapsed in it. "Today was finally not the day when some people did not listen to reason," she said. "So the meeting was not adjourned early."

"Sit down, dears, and have some tea." Vivienne bustled over to the stove.

Jessie poked her nose in the refrigerator. "No, thanky. Ah'm hankering fer a little snack."

From the next room came the sound of a happy chirp and small feet scampering on the floor. A damp otter appeared at the door and chirped again. Toby scrambled over to Andrea, stood on his hind legs, and put a nose on her lap.

Andrea managed a smile and patted his head. "Look who's not been in the tub again."

"Bet he's been in the tub all mornin'," Jessie remarked.

Vivienne sighed at the otter tracks on her nice clean floor. "I swear the water bill has doubled since he's come to stay."

Toby rolled over. Andrea bent down and started tickling his belly. They both made delighted sounds. "Not worth every penny," Andrea chuckled.

"AH-HA!" Jessie gleefully pulled out a package. "Hot dawgs! Hebrew National!"

"And then there's the grocery bill," Vivienne commented.

Jessie looked up. "Ah could eat out more..."

"NO!" everyone but Andrea said.

"We can't afford it," Andrea said firmly. "We couldn't afford it if you were a whole pack of Jessies."

The room fell silent for a long moment, as everyone considered the image of an entire pack of Jessies.

The lupus herself shrugged. "Okay." She took a plate, placed a couple of hot dogs on it and started out of the room.

"Aren't you going to cook them?" Vivienne asked.

Jessie smiled broadly. "Feelin' kinda wolvish today. Better eat somethin' kinda raw or else Ah'll just get all four legged on you."

"No bun?"

"Of course not. It's Friday."

Jessie hummed a cheerful tune as she went into the main living area.

Maria was seated on one of the many sofas that circled the room. She had her notebook in her lap and was scribbling intensely. A row of freshly sharpened pencils was laid out in front of her.

The Garou plopped herself across the room on another couch. "Designin' somethin' new?" Jessie asked between bites.

Maria grunted and waved at her vaguely, then cursed colorfully. The Etherite tossed a pencil with a broken point on the table and took up a fresh one. She bent over her calculations again.

Jessie shrugged and put the plate with the second hot dog on her own coffee table. She collected one of her 'Dog World' magazines and opened it up to the photo spread.

Like a periscope, Toby popped his head up from beneath the coffee table. He wiggled his whispers briefly then quickly put his claws up on the table. Jessie peeked over the top of her magazine to see the otter snatch the last hot dog from her plate.

"YOU THIEVIN' WEASEL!" she cried as Toby vanished beneath the table. With a single bounce she leaped over the table, shifted to her birth form and landed on the other side, just in time to see the otter disappearing under the sofa she'd just vacated.

The sound of Toby loudly savoring the stolen sausage emanated from below. Butt in the air, nose and paws under couch, Jessie dug hopelessly, trying to retrieve her purloined snack.

*ROWF! ROWF! ROWF! ROWF!*

Under the sofa Toby chattered contemptuously, just out of reach of the lupus's paws. In the darkness he smacked his lips and chewed noisily. He trilled in victory as Jessie's paws slid out and away - then scree'd in panic as Crinos claws appeared on either of the couch.

Now in full battle form, Jessie roared in triumph as she lifted the sofa high into the air. But there was no otter beneath her; only a partially chewed hot dog. She made a confused canine noise in her throat. Unseen above her, a terrified otter clung tightly to the back fabric of the couch with all four sets of claws.

"Jessie!"

The Garou turned to see Vivienne standing with her hands on her hips. She spoke firmly but calmly. "Put the sofa down now - gently, if you please."

The Garou bowed her head and whined an apology. She carefully lowered the sofa back to the floor. Toby reappeared with the hot dog clamped firmly in his mouth, scrambled between the boggan's legs and headed for the door.

"Young man!" Vivienne huffed as the otter skittered towards the kitchen.

A moment later a big shaggy dog blew past her at high speed.

Maria cursed and tossed another broken pencil onto her table.

Toby was moving as fast as his short legs could carry him when he hit the freshly waxed kitchen floor. He dropped to his belly and slid gracefully, tobogganing under the table. Andrea and Lorraine lifted their feet as he passed by.

Jessie came running in at full tilt. Her paws found no purchase on the slippery floor. She skidded ungracefully, her legs and tail flailing wildly. She slammed loudly into a kitchen cabinet. The door popped opened up and cooking pots came clattering out.

Toby dropped the sausage long enough to chirp and chitter at the disgraced lupus.

Amid the scattered cookware Jessie shook her shaggy fur all over. She trained an eye on the otter, and growled softly. Quickly Toby took his stolen snack and high-tailed it out of the room. Jessie followed more slowly - every other step a slippery grab for purchase.

Lorraine watched them exit and shook her head. "Those two."

Andrea giggled. "Looks like not fun."

Lorraine turned back to Andrea but only caught a glimpse of russet fur vanishing beneath the table. "Not you too!"

A fox chased a dog out of the room - an obvious reversal of the natural order.

Vivienne hurried into the room and looked at the disorder with dismay. She scanned the room and looked at the Sidhe in concern. "Where's Lady Andrea?"

Lorraine crossed her arms and put on her best poker face. "They go-um that-a-way," she said, and pointed out the door like an Indian in an old Western.

"Oh, lord," the boggan remarked and took off after them.

Lorraine smiled. "I've always wanted to do that."

The rooftop atrium was a place of quiet. Protected from foul weather by glass, potted plants of all kinds flourished year-round in their clay containers. Vines ran up along the walls and across the ceiling on wires, and a small fountain burbled merrily on the eastward side.

It was a good place to hide if you were built small and close to the ground.

Toby darted behind a pot and wove his way deep into the flowers. Jessie arrived in a quick trot. She paused and snuffled the floor. She put her head up and turned at the soft skittering noise behind her. A fox raced between her stiff legs and shot into the room.

Jessie turned her head back and let out a confused woof. Andrea bounced around the room - scurrying under the beds and between the larger plants.

*smack*smack*smack*

With a leap Jessie lunged into the geraniums. Toby let out a shriek as his hiding place was upturned. Flowers, potting soil, and containers scattered and shattered. Toby picked up his ill-gotten gains and slipped behind a couple of large palm plants. Jessie nosed her way forward but could not move the heavy plants. Toby trilled happily as Jessie dug fruitlessly. He looked up just in time to see Andrea bounce over the heavy container. He dodged sideways as Andrea pounced and she just barely missed him.

Vivienne arrived at the same time. Her hands went to her face. "My flowers!" she cried out.

Jessie looked up suddenly. She found herself surrounded by fragments of clay, mounds of dirt, and spilled plants. Toby took advantage of distraction and darted past Vivienne, leaving a trail of muddy paw prints. Then Andrea dashed out of the foliage and zipped past too. Jessie looked at Vivienne, the flowers and the departing fox. She wagged her tail and 'oofed' an apology - and ran after them.

"Well!" Vivienne huffed. She grabbed a broom.

Toby headed for the living room. Once again he wiggled under a sofa. Hot on his heels came Andrea. She stuck her head under the furniture and nipped Toby in the tail. He yelped and slipped out to see Jessie scampering into the room. Quickly he went under another couch; Andrea just a few steps behind. Vivienne came into the room with a broom in her grasp. She eyed the room like a ninja, then headed for the canine.

Maria cursed and tossed another pencil on the table. "How can I get any work done!" she complained and stalked out of the room.

Unable to hide, Toby was forced out into the open. With one last morsel still in his jaws he scrambled around the living room. Close on his heels was Andrea, followed by Jessie with Vivienne coming up from behind.

The Etherite reentered the room with a sinister glowing cylinder in her hand. It whirred ominously. "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"

Toby skidded to a stop. Andrea could not stop in time and bumped into him. Jessie flailed with legs and tail but cascaded into the pair. Vivienne made up the caboose and plowed into the tumbled trio making a quartet.

Maria snorted. She shook her head at the pileup at her feet, walked around them, and returned to her couch.

Toby turned his head around, looked Jessie in the eye and gulped down the last of the stolen hot dog. Jessie turned to Vivienne and gave her face a wet lick. "Oh... you kids," the boggan said with a smile. She gave Jessie a good scratching while Toby and Andrea bounded out of the room.

"Help me clean up?" Vivienne asked the lupus.

"Woof!" Jessie wagged her tail. They left Maria alone and headed back for the roof to begin putting things in order.

*snap* Another pencil lead broke.

-fin

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