>>58130295
”Hey, Henry?”
>”Like I said, call me Hal, okay?” The zoroark reminded you. ”Everyone at the plant does.”
“Right, sorry, Hal.” You answered.
“I can see you again.”
>His invisibility wasn’t perfect.
>Looking hard enough, you could see something in the light wasn’t quite right.
>Most people would write it off as a mirage.
>It reminded you of seeing fake water on hot road.
>That was when he wasn’t tired.
>Now you could faintly see the outline of the dark-type.
>Light bent at wrong angles and half-shadows appeared where his invisibility should have erased them.
>He was lucky you were in the alley.
>Hal scurried to the darkest alcove and relaxed his concentration.
>The nearby discolored, well-worn dumpster kept him hidden, but sweetened the air with a pungent foulness.
>You wondered if his sense of smell was heightened like yours.
>In that moment, you could have done without it.
>He was supremely uncomfortable.
>Hal gulped air like a drowning man and played with his shirt buttons again.
>Part of his discomfort was no doubt the extreme effort it took to maintain the cloak.
“Hey, you made it further this time.” You congratulated.
>The fox said nothing, remaining doubled over in exhaustion.
>You kept watch while he recuperated.
>Foot traffic was light on the sidewalks. You didn’t expect anyone to walk through.
>There was an old and scuffed metal door nearby.
>A backdoor to some antiques shop.
>Perhaps that raised his anxiety.
“Hey, nobody’s behind that door.” You assured him, sensing nobody on the other side.
“Cashier’s bored and at the front register. You’re good.”
>Hal gave you a thumbs up.
>Oh, he did have thumbs, you realized.
>Didn’t look like it back at the junkyard.
>Man, that’s convenient.
>You waggled your “thumbs”.
>Wasn’t the best term for them.
>Looked the same as the other two digits on your paw-hand, just with a little extra wiggle-room.
>And that was a godsend.
>Made grabbing most things possible with one paw.