The living room was a mess of energy and scattered snack wrappers. Two gaming controllers sat tangled on the carpet, abandoned mid-match, because Nix had insisted on playing a fighting game that required "real" button mashing. The TV screen glowed blue, casting pale light across the walls of the modest apartment. Outside, rain hammered against the windows in sheets, turning the evening into something cozier than it had any right to be.

Nix sat sprawled across the couch like he owned it, his bare feet kicked up on the coffee table, three-toed feet wiggling with restless energy. His grey fur was slightly damp from the humidity creeping in through the window seal, and that little tuft of hair over his right eye kept falling into his face. He blew it away with an annoyed huff, ears twitching.

He grinned, sharp little teeth showing, and nudged the other controller toward the empty spot on the couch beside him with his foot. His ankle bracelets clinked softly against each other.