“Blood, Magic, and a Concubine”

All kinds of folks make their way to Underbelly. The downtrodden and the runaway, the freaks, the monsters, all those things you thought were figments of your ancestor’s imaginations. Underbelly is a true melting pot, a place where all kinds can mix. It’s only a mile or so beneath your feet. It’s not Hell, not by a long shot. Except that once you’re in Underbelly, you better learn the rules and mind your nose. If you don’t, you won’t survive long.

Of course, some people bend the rules a bit and stick their nose where it doesn’t belong. I suppose you could say I’m one of those.

I’ve made mistakes, though. Last year with Manny the Goon is a prime example. I should’ve done something to stop him, but figured it wasn’t really any of my business. It would be his own damn fault if an Enforcer found out.

You want to know what Manny did? Well, like many folks in Underbelly, he got a craving for flesh. Some like to eat it. Others like to wear it. Others have different cravings.

It wasn’t quite a year past when I saw him up Topside. He was canoodling with a human woman named Sin. Seriously, that was her name, although I doubt her birth parents imparted that gem on her. I’m not a voyeur, so don’t get any ideas. I was on a job, saw them together one night, and followed them out of professional curiosity. Honest.

I could see why Manny liked this one, though. Curves you wouldn’t believe; smooth, pale and warm blooded. Nice stuff if you’re into that sort of thing. Humans I mean. I’ve been a bit of a dabbler from time to time. Hell, I’m human after all. I understood Manny’s desires. I don’t make carousing with other humans a habit, though. They can be bad for your health.

Craziest thing about Sin was that she didn’t seem to mind Manny’s differences. Let me tell you, that guy had a whole lot of differences—like scales and a paunch. And he was cold-blooded. Literally. I mean, he’s a nice enough guy, but he’s friggin’ reptilian.

The way I figure it, enough money and a human would do any damn thing you want, even pretend to love you. Manny wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough though, so this chick must’ve actually dug him.

At the time, I figured she was one of those Fringer chicks. You know, girls who understand just a smattering of the strange that lurks all around them, the dark “otherness” that that lives right under their feet, the kind of girl that wants to experience the danger of damnation and death while remaining a Topsider living in the sunshine, eating omelets on Sunday mornings.

She sure had the look of a Fringer about her. She had the dyed black hair with streaks of powder blue scattered throughout, tattoos across most of her smooth flesh, and pierced nipples you could see through her barely-there white blouse. She had that wild look in her eyes too, the look that tells you she’s seen some real bad shit, but just close enough to want some more without actually living it.

There are loads of Fringers out there, and the Enforcers hate every damned one of them. They don’t want Fringers to stir up trouble for folks in Underbelly, although the folks in Underbelly are usually the ones that do most of the stirring. Trouble comes in all forms.

What Manny was doing, frolicking with a human, was sure to cause trouble. It wasn’t as if he was killing anyone, but if the Enforcers caught him, they would skin his scaly ass and make a new pair of Goon-skin boots. It’s one of the rules: don’t mess with the humans that live Topside unless it’s an absolute necessity. Even then, you better not let an Enforcer see it or hear about it. Getting one’s rocks off didn’t seem like a necessity, but I liked Manny well enough. I may be many things, not all of them good, not all of them bad, but one thing I’m not is a snitch. I let Manny be.

I hate when things come back to bite me in the ass.

Less than a year after I saw him with Sin, Manny the Goon walked into my little office on the corner of Killington and Arch sporting a stitched-up gash across his face and one of his scaly arms in a sling. I figured the Enforcers had caught up with him. I was wrong. It would have been easier if it were Enforcers.

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