Tanya
tried her very best to look like she belonged. Something told her she
wasn't doing a very good job. This was her first dinner party, and
based upon the outfits of those around her, her personal income was
something like one tenth what the next wealthiest person made. A
friend of hers, Lia, had invited her. The much better-off business
associate insisted that it would be a fantastic networking
opportunity. So she'd picked her most professional and elegant
evening gown, did her makeup just r

Triana
fluttered amid the branches of her home tree. It was an unpleasant
time of year to be a fairy. The flowers that littered the branches
during the spring and summer had come and gone. It left her a little
bit hungry, but more than that, it left her bored and lonely. The
other fairies all liked to head further south to find warmer, more
flourishing climates at his time of year. Triana didn’t like that
idea. There was always a mad rush to find a nice tree to spend the
winter, and that was a

A
little creature buzzed through the air, darting carefully between the
unseen corners that make up most
of a city. There were alleys and rooftops, rain gutters and storm
drains. All sorts of places few people ever looked. Normally she
didn’t hang out in the city, but her belly was rumbling. It was a
special kind of hunger. She could easily get a snack, but she’d
eaten quite a bit already and it hadn’t done much good. This wasn’t
about nutrition. This was about feeling full.
And that wou

He
wiped the sweat from the afternoon jog from his forehead and trotted
toward the butcher shop. Several long hours of exercise—a whole
week’s worth, since he wouldn’t get another chance until the
following weekend—had left him ravenous. Some nice lean chicken,
something thin that would grill up quick, was just what the doctor
ordered. Protein to help build some muscle.
As
he turned the corner, he found a curious sight. A woman was standing
in front of the shop, picket sign in hand. The

Ticca
wiped the sweat from her brow as she marched along the hallway of her
apartment building. The days had been muggy, the sort of weather that
made her tentacles stick together in positively unruly ways no matter
how she tried to tame them. She didn’t know how other squids could
stand to compete weather like this. All that sprinting and jumping.
Even if it meant a refreshing dip in some ink every now and then, it
must have been unbearable. Not that she’s have considered being a
part of an

Diana
and Louisa stumbled into a dark apartment, giggling like school
girls.
“I
swear I don’t normally drink that much,” Louisa said with a slur.
“I’m
a bad influence on people,” Diana said.
She
wasn’t any more sober than Louisa, but she was maintaining a little
better. It took some fumbling, but she eventually found the light
switch. The lights clicked on to reveal a small but gorgeously
decorated little place.
“Tada!”
Diana said. “Make yourself at home. If you’re still l

The sun was slipping from the sky over a sleepy little mountain town. It was the sort of place where nothing ever happened. Just a point on the map for travelers to stop for the night on the way to more interesting destinations. The only businesses of note were the obligatory tavern, a gem shop for the local miners to trade their ore, and a blacksmith. It didn't even have a local town watch. The only defense against bandits was provided by a rather elderly watchman who patrolled the road between