'Ready, my beloved mistresses?' chuckled Guy as he stood ready to leave, wearing an oversized red collar with a large tag with his name hanging from it, and big round ears and a thick tail in a similar colour to his dark blonde hair.

The girls came up to him, each carrying a thick red leash. 'Who's ready for walkies?' said Cani with the enthusiastic tone reserved for precious pets. 'Who's a good boy wanting to go walking now?'

He sniggered and wiggled his behind to wag his tail. 'You better have some treats on you.'

Though they didn't have to dress up because Uncle explained the situation when they returned to the neighbourhood, they still wanted to do something without changing much, and the idea to reverse the master and his pets perception was born.

Down at the closed off street decorated with masks, flags, and strings of coloured lights, kids and adults dressed as one of their foreign neighbourhood members played games on the street or at one of the stalls, or had a bite to eat or drink. They cheered at the gang as they stepped out of the building, and the gang waved and called out to their neighbours and the visitors who wanted to participate in the carnival with the special dress theme.

'What do we do first?' asked Avia.

'I want to check on Auntie and Uncle first.' said Guy. 'I have no specific plans after that.'

'We'll just see what comes up then.' said Feli, and the gang headed for the store.

***

A woman in a tight grey mouse costume at the side of a stall selling sausages in a bun, looked over her shoulder at the gang walking down the street. 'Finally they left their place.' said miss Chihiro, pushing back one of the ears flopping down against her forehead. 'Time to work, mister Purfries.'

'Let's follow them discreetly then.' said the black feline dressed as a white feline similar to Feli, and pulled up his hood with white ears.

Miss Chihiro stepped forward and bounced back against mister Purfries, who quickly grabbed her. She looked down. 'Would you mind taking your foot from my tail?'

He lifted it at once. 'My apologies. I hadn't noticed.'

'That's quit all right. If it had been areal one, I would have noticed myself.' She pat his hands at her stomach quickly. 'You can let go of me as well.'

He let go and cleared his throat. 'We'd better hurry before we lose sight of them.'

***

Auntie and Uncle manned their colourful stall with candy and ice cream, and they waved at the gang when they saw them in the crowd filling the busy street. Cani looked over the stall decorated as if it was made of candy and licked her lips. 'How much for the whole thing?'

Auntie giggled. 'I don't think it'll taste as good as it looks.'

'But it contains plenty of fibre.' said Mami. 'Good for your digestion.'

Cani stuck her tongue out to her. 'I thought you were the wood nibbling species here.'

Uncle laughed and leaned forward. 'How about a compromise with a nice ice cream cone?'

Guy regaled Auntie and Uncle with their adventure at the tribe in the new dimension while the girls enjoyed their ice cream and took a first look around. 'Pierre asked me to say goodbye for now to everyone. He will visit here again, but he doesn't know when as long as there's no stable transfer between here and there.'

Uncle leaned on the counter. 'I can imagining doing the same if I were him. Can't leave a sweet woman behind when you find one.' he said, and pulled Auntie close for a quick hug in his arm.

She gave him a kiss on his cheek. 'And she'll be even sweeter after these words if you fetch a new box of strawberries and a couple of melons.' she chuckled.

'We're going to tour the festival. Let me know if you need a hand.' said Guy, and strolled with the girls along the games alternating with the stalls selling masks, wigs, animal ears, hats, snacks, quick meals, and hot and cold beverages, stopping inevitably by each one to load up on something to snack and take along to drink while saying hi to the familiar faces of friends.

***

Miss Chihiro and mister Purfries tried to walk as casually and inconspicuous as possible after them at a short distance through the crowd. It worked reasonably well despite some glances at him from people who wondered if they really saw a feline in a cat costume and why a feline would do that in the first place, and others being distracted by the tightness of her costume around certain parts of her body before walking into people or more painful immovable objects.

The sight of the girls nibbling and the various scents of edibles drifting through the street took its toll on miss Chihiro's stomach, and she coughed quickly when it rumbled for attention to cover up the sound. She averted her eyes in embarrassment when mister Purfries pricked up his ears.

'Do you want to take a quick bite?' he asked. 'I could eat something myself.'

She cleared her throat again. 'We don't have the budget for extras like that. We'll have our potato salad when we return home.' she said, and quickly moved on.

Mister Purfries glanced longingly at the short, dried sausages in various rich flavours and scents hanging at the butcher's stall, then followed her.

***

The gang stood at the bakery's stall while Cani wagged her tail at the carnival themed cookies in various animal shapes and flavours. Feli rolled her eyes. 'You're already like this after only a short time without any access to cookies?'

'But these are special festival cookies baked only in these days.' she said while calculating how many she'd need to reach satisfaction even after the carnival ended. 'I dread to imagine realising we missed out on these if we arrived a few days later.'

Anna chuckled. 'I think we could bake an exclusive batch if that was the case.'

Cani looked at her with big eyes. 'I love you girls.'

'But seeing you are now here,' said Michelle with a playful smirk. 'how about going around with samples for us like you did before? I'm sure dad will be grateful for your promotion again in his usual way.'

Cani put her hand on Guy's shoulder. 'Although it pains me to be separated from my beloved one, I can't ignore a plea for help in these circumstances.'

Guy laughed while Mami shook her head. 'More like a plea for help with these baked incentives.'

Anna leaned closer to Cani as she smirked at Guy. 'And while you're busy, can we have the leash for this pet?'

Cani clutched it to her chast. 'Nope! Our pet. You may play occasionally, but he's ours. And you have work to do.'

Guy sniggered and shook his head while Anna and Michelle put up a fake pout, and kissed Cani. 'Have fun roaming around, my little black beauty. But don't bankrupt mister Glanburry by extorting too many cookies in payment.'

'Of course I will.' she said and stuck out her tongue, and went with Michelle to the shop for an apron and the samples.

Mister Hornbach walked up to Ara. 'Ara? Do you have a moment?'

'Sure.'

'We'd like to put up a few strings of lights on the trampoline poles around them, and we could use some of your flexible and tough threads. Can you help out?'

She looked at the poles for the safety nets at the end of the streets. 'Yeah, I can do that. Shouldn't take long.' she said, and kissed Guy. 'Don't be lonely without me for a while.'

He put up a sad expression. 'Of course I'll be a little lonely when one of the most beautiful creatures in existence leaves me.'

She blushed and gave him a playful punch against his chest. 'Just man up, lover.' she said, and followed a softly chuckling mister Glanburry with a light spring in her step.

Children from the local school approached Avia, and one of the girls tugged gently on her wing. 'Can you come with us? Our friends would like to meet you after we told them about you.'

Avia looked up at Guy. 'I guess I have somewhere to go as well.' she said, and kissed him quickly. 'I'll return when I can.'

Guy stroked her cheek. 'Have fun, sweetie. I'll miss you too.' he said, and she looked back once with a light blush as she followed the children.

Feli and Mami took his arms in theirs. 'Looks like we're the only bodyguards left after those three have been taken out.' said Mami.

'I'm sure they'll return with a vengeance later, so we should make use of this time as best as we can.' said Feli.

Guy looked at the decoration of cups, mugs, and glasses on top of the coffee shop's stall. 'How about going for a drink then? Fun makes thirsty.'

***

Miss Chihiro and mister Purfries watched the gang going separate ways, walked closer to the bakery's stall, and looked left and right. 'Shall we split up as well?' he asked.

'We have no choice.' miss Chihiro said. 'I'll follow the three, you follow the canine. I don't think the other two will cause trouble now.'

She was about to walk away when the smell of freshly baked goods stimulated her stomach in an audible manner. 'Sounds like someone has the munchies.' giggled Anna behind her.

Miss Chihiro glanced at her with a red face. 'I, I'm not! I just drank too much water earlier.'

'Hang on, aren't you the couple renting the place from Fazima now?

Miss Chihiro cleared her throat. 'We're not really a cou-' she began, but Anna ducked under the counter.

She stood up again with a small weaved basket filled with cookies and held it out to miss Chihiro. 'Here, a gift to say welcome to the neighbourhood.'

It took miss Chihiro aback. 'Ehm, thank you?'

Anna smiled cheerfully. 'This is a wonderful place so I'm sure you'll feel at home very soon. If you need anything or have any questions, you can always come by one of the shops here.'

Before Miss Chihiro could say anything, a family with two kids arrived and Anna tended to them again. She and mister Purfries stared at the cookies, and both their stomachs expressed their interests simultaneously. She held out the basket to him. 'Here.'

He shook his head and pushed it back to her. 'I can't be so impolite to take this from you when it's better that you have them.'

She pushed again. 'Nonono, you're clearly more in need of them.'

He opened his mouth but their stomachs told them to settle things at once. He coughed politely, and took a handful of cookies from the basket. 'I'll take these.' he said and gestured behind him. 'I will follow Cani now.'

Miss Chihiro grumbled inwardly at the lack of funds they had to deal with, but smiled a little at mister Purfries's back as he walked away, leaving her with most of the cookies and glad she had a real gentleman as partner in their mission. She bit on one cookie as she followed Feli, Mami, and Guy, and remarked she hadn't had such a tasty one in a long time.

***

It was at dusk when Cani, Avia, and Ara caught up again with the others at the coffee shop, and enjoyed a drink on the candle lit terrace and the familiar coloured webbing decorating the street. Miss Chihiro stood at the side, half hidden by several large potted plants marking the edge of the terrace.

'Good evening, miss.' startled a man's voice behind her. 'Are you waiting for someone?'

She spun around and nearly fell into the plant behind her. 'Ah. Yes, I am.' she said to the tall man with short beard in tight shirt and jeans.

He gestured at the terrace. 'How about I invite you for a drink while you wait? It'll make the time pass quicker.'

The way his eyes lingered at her costume stretching around her chest and hips clearly gave his intentions away at her. 'I'm not interested right now.'

He gave her his best practised charming smile. 'Just a drink and a talk wouldn't hurt. It wouldn't be polite to keep a beautiful lady waiting just like that.'

She was about to give him an earful when a heavy, furred hand landed on the man's shoulder. 'It's even more impolite to pressure ladies into something they don't want.'

The man looked back over his shoulder with hidden irritation behind his smile, and lost his will at mister Purfries's stern gaze. He pointed down the street. 'I'm glad you're here already. I will be going then. I promised to be home when it became dark.'

Mister Purfries watched him for a moment as he hurried along the street, and turned to miss Chihiro. 'Are you all right, miss Chihiro?'

She sighed a little and plucked at her chest. 'I might have known this thing would cause trouble.'

'I did offer you this feline costume.'

'Yeah, but you can't fit at all in this one. You would look even worse than I do now.'

He shook his head. 'I'm not familiar with human culture, but I'm sure you look charming all the same, miss Chihiro.'

She faced the plants quickly. 'Yes, you do have more to learn about humans indeed when you're mistaken like that.' she said as she blushed and peered at the gang. 'What did you see as you followed Cani?'

He moved a little closer to her back to follow her gaze over her shoulder. 'She exhibited cheerfulness as she went around offering the people samples of the bakery. She also took time to play with children and talk to vendors and entertainers. I believe she promoted very well.'

'No misbehaviour?'

'None that I could see. How were the others?'

'Nothing strange or inappropriate as they played games and talked to many people who asked for a photo opportunity.'

'Maybe they restrained themselves because of all the people out on the street.'

She hummed softly. 'Perhaps.'

A group of people passed by, and one of them carrying a bag over his shoulder bumped unknowingly against mister Purfries's back, who bumped against miss Chihiro's back, and who fell with her upper body between the plants while he grabbed her quickly around her waist. She gave a startled mister Backster in front of her an embarrassed grin. 'Sorry. Didn't mean to drop in like that.'

He chuckled. 'That's all right. Something startles me almost every day in my business. I'm glad this isn't one of the things were I need to pick up shards.' He looked thoughtful at her for a moment. 'Say, are you the one who rents the Fazima apartment now?'

She nodded, and he took her hand and shook it. 'Welcome! I hope you'll like it here as much as everyone here does.' he pulled her from between the plants. 'Come have a drink.'

She glanced back at mister Purfries peeking through the plants. 'That would be nice, but we didn't bring our wallets and-'

He moved her to a chair and sat her down. 'Don't worry, it's on the house.' he said and beckoned mister Purfries. 'It's not often we see new people moving in, so a little celebration is in order. I have an excellent red wine to relax by in the early evening.'

She looked a little overwhelmed up at him. 'Just one glass then, thank you.'

Mister Backster returned quickly with two glasses. 'To your health and a great stay.' he said, and miss Chihiro and mister Purfries toasted to that.

***

Guy and his girls spent some time at the coffee shop, and as mister Backster kept topping off their glasses occasionally, miss Chihiro noticed the consequence of being a light drinker. When the time came when the targets of their observation left, she sighed a little in relief. 'Time to return home.'

They finished the last of their wine, said their thanks and goodbyes to mister Backster, and mister Purfries supported miss Chihiro by her arm while they walked carefully to the apartment.

They stepped into the empty place with two futons and a desk light in between in front of the heater, a folding chair to the side next to suitcases with their clothes, and a small corner kitchen. She sighed. 'I'll be glad when we can afford some furniture.'

Mister Purfries helped her to the chair. 'It couldn't be helped that we had to choose between enough food and furniture. Maybe when you receive the next funds from the Commission of Otherspecies Welfare or I mine from the Felines Against Genetic Atrophy.'

She nodded listlessly from tiredness creeping up on her mind. 'Hopefully.' She pushed herself up. 'I need a shower before I crawl into bed.'

Mister Purfries helped her to the bathroom which was barely lit with one softly humming light on the side wall, then returned to the living room, undressed, and looked for something to wear the next day. A jar of claw care lotion fell out of his suitcase when he pulled out a white dress shirt, and it rolled behind an empty cardboard box in the dark corner. He went over and noticed several small and curved hairy legs on the jar as he reached out to it.

Miss Chihiro took a deep breath after she freed herself from the confines of her costume and gazed at her reflection in the mirror of the medicine cabinet while she leaned on the sink. 'That was not a very good impression to make on a colleague.' she muttered, and opened the cabinet without thinking because she always kept the cotton pads to wipe her face in it at home. She certainly did not expect the black and brown creature with eight hairy legs on the empty shelf in front of her.

They both cried out in surprise. Miss Chihiro bolted out the bathroom just as mister Purfries bolted away from the corner, and crashed into each other. She held on tight to him as she pointed back. 'Spider! Huge!'

He held on tight to her as he pointed back at the corner. 'More spider! Also big!'

Afraid to move, they stared at each other's adversary for a while until he squinted at the spider on the shelf. 'It's not moving, I think.'

She looked back only long enough to see. 'Maybe it's dead after being locked in the cabinet for so long.'

He gestured with his head to the windowsill. 'I'll grab my mobile to make light.'

'Okay.' she said, but didn't let go of him.

They moved together to the window, quickly picked up the phone, and moved with some hesitation to the bathroom door. Mister Purfries turned on the flashlight option and shone it at the spider. Four tiny beads reflected the light between the front legs. 'We'll need to look closer.' Miss Chihiro nodded silently, and after a few moments they took a step into the bathroom.

Moving slowly sideways towards the spider while it sat motionless, they came close enough for them to notice something grey sticking to the side of the spider's abdomen. They moved more to the side. 'Is that a tag?' asked miss Chihiro.

Mister Purfries moved his phone up and down and sideways for better light. 'I believe it is.'

Mover closer again, their knees almost gave way in relief when it was indeed a tag from a toy company, and laughed. Miss Chihiro let go of him and picked up the scary toy. She stroked its body and legs. 'It even looks cute now.' she giggled. 'What you saw is probably one as well.'

'Yeah. Let's check.' he said.

She still held on to his arm as they cautiously moved to the corner though, and both sighed again in relief when the red-grey spider turned out to be another toy. They chuckled as they looked the spiders over. 'I remember now that Fazima said her daughter sometimes played here while it stood empty. I guess she forgot these. I didn't think you were afraid of spiders though.'

Mister Purfries hummed and nodded. 'I had some scares as a kitten involving a couple of spiders running loose in my room. Ever since then I'm not fond of them.'

She stroked their abdomen. 'I think they would be less scary when they'd be as soft as this. Your white front is also just as soft as this.'

He chuckled. 'It is?'

'Yea-' she began, then realised the situation they were in at the same time as he did.

He spun around at once. 'My sincere apologies, miss Chihiro! It is very unbecoming of me to not have noticed our state of undress earlier.'

'That's all right!' she said as she hurried into the bathroom. 'It's also my fault to behave in such an indecent manner.' She closed the door. 'It was an unfortunate accident. That's all.'

A shower later, she crawled into her futon while he went to the bathroom and both avoided looking at each other, and they eventually fell asleep when tiredness won over trying not to think of what had happened.

***

Soothing morning light persuaded miss Chihiro to wake up, but she couldn't quite convince herself to open her eyes. She rolled over on her other side and snuggled her face into her soft pillow.

A short snooze and persistent memories of the evening before demanding her attention coerced her into opening her eyes and waking up completely. She blushed as she looked at mister Purfries sleeping face, then even more as she lay with her head on his lower arm. She sat up flustered at once and hurried into the bathroom. Mister Purfries glanced at the door, and rubbed the sleep from his face while banishing certain images from his mind.

Miss Chihiro took a deep breath to put her mind in serious gear before she stepped out of the bathroom, and looked at mister Purfries for a moment. 'Good morning, mister Purfries.'

He gave her a polite nod while he quickly brushed his white front. 'Good morning, miss Chihiro. I turned on the hot water for tea. It should be ready soon.'

'Thank you.' she said, and finished her morning routine while he used the bathroom.

By the time the tea was ready, mister Purfries stepped out of the bathroom and joined her for a breakfast of plain bread with a little of the potato salad meant for the evening before. She noticed the small basket from the bakery under the chair, took it, and held it out to him. 'I just remembered I had saved two because I didn't want to selfishly eat the last ones.'

He smiled as he took one of the chocolate covered cookies depicting a black cat. 'Thank you.'

She took a bite from hers and looked up through the window at the two top floors of the office building across the street. 'We'll expose the truth that different species can't really live together with their different cultures soon enough.'

***

Mami noticed Cani staring down through the window in the morning, and moved next to her to have a look. 'Did you see something interesting?'

Cani gestured to the building across the street. 'I'm not sure. When we went to bed yesterday, I thought I saw a woman and a black feline dancing naked at one of the apartments there.'

Mami looked over the building. 'Well, nothing to see here now.'

Cani shrugged. 'Maybe I just imagined it while I was looking forward to crawling into bed. I even thought the woman was familiar somehow but I don't know anyone with a black feline for a lover.'

Mami walked away again. 'I doubt anyone would be shameless enough to dance naked at their window for anyone outside to see anyway.'

Cani nodded a little and followed Mami. 'True.'