Jay's nose twitched as he watched the noble and the rat king stare at each other in a silent bout of posturing nonsense. There was no question who held the power; even dressed like an average traveler Lord Fyre stood out. He was too clean. His back was too straight and his movements too fluid. There weren't the rough edges of calluses rubbing in or the tired slope of too long in the sun. It was clear to every person in the room: he didn’t fit in.

That wasn’t Jay’s problem though. His problem was that odd-smelling drink. The mug was still on the table untouched. He didn't think Lord Fyre was going to reach for it again but it was hard to be sure. He wished the meeting would end soon so they could leave. The stress was unbelievable. He hadn’t realized not listening would be so hard.

This conversation was really none of his business. It shouldn't be. He was being paid to keep his nose out, and that was exactly what he'd been planning on doing.

If pinning his ears back would help he would keep them back all day. Unfortunately that only made him look angry and didn’t stop the words from flowing in.

If anything ever happened to him Ken would be considered an orphan. Right now they dodged it by pretending that their father was still alive, but if Jay got hurt or couldn’t make it home then that lie would fall apart in a second. And every word he was not hearing convinced him even more that it was better to be a dog than an orphan.

He couldn't help what he heard, right? He didn't have to spread gossip about it. He didn't have to say a word. He just had to make sure Ken was safe. This one job and then he’d go back to his hospital work and cleaning the church. There wasn’t anything bad about that.

"Ain’t nothing you can do if I say no." The rat had broken first.

Lord Fyre's grip shifted and he was manipulating Jay on his lap like Jay was a puppet instead of a dog. Jay found himself pressed against the noble's chest, his front legs held by strong hands that were holding firm.

Jay made a silent note to himself never to get in a fight with the man. The grip was loose enough it didn’t bruise or anything, but Lord Fyre was strong.

Slowly, the lord lifted one of Jay's paws into the air. Feeling a bit silly, Jay waved the paw. "I could kill you and put someone else in charge of the poor little tykes. Someone who understands." That paw lowered and Lord Fyre raised the other one. Jay shifted and looked at the paw, then licked the noble's fingers holding his leg in place. "Awww, look at that." The grin was obvious in the tone. "The option on this paw: I could kill you and every other rug-rat without a home until there's no thief left to be a threat to my city."

He didn’t actually mean that, did he? Jay’s heart was beating so loudly he thought it might pop out of his chest. That had to be a bluff. Purges were ancient history—a method only used when disease had spread and healing wasn’t possible. According to his mother, no one had done that in a century or more.

Lord Fyre lowered Jay’s paws and wrapped his arms around Jay's chest, clutching him like a doll. The grip wasn't tight, and most of Jay's weight was still on his back legs. Jay turned his head to lick the lord's chin as if it might force another option to fall out. "So hard to choose, isn't it? It would take a lot of resources to feed and house all the orphans out there, and it could be years before they're useful. We can't ask children to go to war, after all, even against monsters. Then again, as you said, the King's Parade will be coming within the year. The stench of rotting bodies is sure to make many of our respected elite uncomfortable."

Lord Fyre reached for the cup again. Jay couldn't bump the table still clutched to the noble's chest. Almost without thinking he reached out and grabbed a mouthful of the lord's sleeve between his teeth.

"Anubis?" the nobleman asked, attention on Jay for a brief moment.

That was a mistake. Any man who could sacrifice children…

Jay let go of the sleeve and squirmed as much as he could. Standing on his back legs was awkward, and he wasn't exactly stable. Lord Fyre's thighs were strong, but they were still flesh and flesh moved. If Lord Fyre would just put him down and he could think properly this wouldn’t be so uncomfortable.

"I wonder," the lord hummed. He reached out for the mug again, letting his fingers dance along the rim, and then laughed. He didn't pick it up. Instead he pulled his hand back and gave a good, satisfying scratch to the underside of Jay's chin. Lord Fyre leaned forward and pressed against Jay’s back so closely Jay had to move with him. Jay’s front paws were able to find a place on the table, and he found himself staring at the monster who was salvation to so many starving homeless. It was an awful practice, but Jay knew some didn't have a choice. He worked hard to make sure he and Ken were never within that grasp. How many couldn't avoid it? Would a new rat be better or worse?

He wasn’t really in a position to influence that choice. And yet he just did.

"Did you really think poison would work on me?" Lord Fyre asked.

“Poison? I don't know nothing about poison," the man yelped, startling back from the table and looking fearfully at his own drink.

Lord Fyre shifted back and let Jay stay perched up on the table. "And yet you're sweating, won't look at me, and this—" Jay's gaze was drawn to the ring Lord Fyre tapped against the wood "—tells me what's in this glass isn't tea. Could be ale, could be water." He slid the mug across the table. "Why don't you try a sip and let me know?"

The man growled, pushing himself back in his chair and slamming an open palm against the table. The settings rattled, and Jay backed off the table before he fell. "I ain't got nothing to prove!"

The lord scooped Jay up, rubbing his nose against the dog's cheek. Jay's tongue immediately came out to try and lick the face so close to his. Then he almost wet himself remembering this was a lord and licking his face was far from appropriate. How many times had he done that today? Barkley was going to fry his bits for dinner! "I guess Anubis here is just jealous then. A bit peeved he's not getting all the attention. And that mug is full of innocent ale. He really is a cheeky little thing, isn't he? Maybe there's wine in the mug. Some little lady trying to please me. Sure you won't try a sip? If it's whiskey you might not get another chance. Anubis really is beautiful, isn't he?"

"Oh, give up on the damn dog," the rat lord sneered. "It's a mutt from your kennels. Probably couldn’t tell tea from piss."

"The ring tells me it’s not tea, not the dog. Take a sip and prove it wrong," Lord Fyre dared. "At worst you might get a little sick and need a visit to the healers. The church still heals anyone for free, right? Oh, wait. Aren't they struggling because they're underhanded? Too many workers stolen from their ranks for better-paying street work. That's too bad. Some more hands could definitely take the strain off the priests and healers."

The church didn't train for free, though. Did the lord not realize that? Jay and Ken had to work because they couldn't pay the fees. If they were that shorthanded then they should lower the price of their education.

Jay waited to see if the street thug would give in to Lord Fyre's baiting. If he didn't then they might go back to negotiating, and if he did the street rat might be dead. Jay had never actually seen someone poisoned before.

The man was pale. Lord Fyre was backing him into a corner and Jay wasn't supposed to be listening.

Jay wanted it over. He wanted to go home. He wanted to get himself and Ken out of the city and to someplace where getting recruited into the guard was nothing more than a bad dream. Except out there were monsters and raiders and brutes just waiting for people to beat up for fun. Age was just a technicality, after all. Both Jay and Ken were orphans.

"I ain't trying to poison you," the rat muttered, sitting back down. "I'll bite. We'll stay out of your way. But you got to give me time. A year, right? We'll be off the streets then."

"No, not in a year," Lord Fyre growled. "Now. You start directing them to the guardhouses and churches if you don’t have room, and we'll assign them where there's the most need." He gathered Jay up into his arms, a grip that was much more secure than Captain Barkley's earlier hold. The lord had gathered Jay up with an arm under his butt and the second under Jay's chest. It wasn't very comfortable, but at least he wasn't struggling to breathe this time. "I hope this is the last time I see you," Lord Fyre said idly. "Next time I might just pour that drink down your throat myself."