Mercy wasn't a big fan of the cold, particularly after her conversion made her ears more sensitive to it. So she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to warm up with a nice bowl of soup. She didn't end up going to the chili cookoff alone, though not with Zach. Rather unfairly, winter break was already over and Zach was back to studying. Rather, Mercy was saddled with what might be jokingly referred to as Animalia's next criminal charity case.
Missy and Duke didn't have the look of hardened criminals. Mercy would be surprised if the two of them had any criminal record at all. They seem more like a pair of idealists who tried to thwart a crime in progress and didn't think of what they'd do after. Stealing a car from thieves didn't really put them in the right. Mercy wasn't even sure if the car was worth more or less than the jewels the thieves were stealing. But while the FBI were still working things out, Missy and Duke couldn't leave the city. So Mercy just decided to show them around as long as they were here.
"So the BARA House is a recent addition to Animalia," said Mercy, "It's meant to be a fraternity for gay men who become Animalians. And no, not all of them became bears. They're showing a lot more variety than their counterpart, the ROSE House. Of course, a good percentage of the ROSE House were trans-women who didn't want to become herms."
"I notice they've got a few little lizards here," said Duke, noticing the ROSE members carrying them.
"Well, they're whiptails, as in they can lay eggs without male assistance. Or with assistance if they want it. Don't ask me how that particularly works," said Mercy.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not a lesbian," said Missy, looking around at the well-built members of BARA.
"Really? Right in front of me?" asked Duke.
"Don't say you haven't been looking at their boobs," said Missy.
"At least I try to be discreet about it," said Duke.
Mercy rolled her eyes. These two were hardly the Bonnie and Clyde of this generation. She couldn't imagine them facing any real jail time or even a steep fine for their GTA.
As if reading her thoughts, Missy asked, "So, how long do you think we'll be in police custody?"
"You're just barely in custody," said Mercy, "They just need to clear up the matter with those real thieves."
"But what if they come after us?" asked Duke, "Won't we have to go into witness protection?"
Mercy gave an amused snort. "Unless they're part of some big crime syndicate, which is highly unlikely, I doubt you'll have to go into witness protection. At most, they probably have a fence for selling the jewels to. They'd hardly be a criminal organization if they get carjacked by you two," she said.
"Hey, maybe we could be big threats," said Missy, sounding insulted.
"Sure thing," said Mercy, a little condescendingly. They were a cute pair, but they about as likely to be crime-busters as they were hardened criminals. Still, they weren't constantly bringing up Mercy's criminal past, which was a nice change of pace for her.