Supposed To

Chapter One: A Tail of Two Jobs

Yanking the hood down with a bang she shuffled towards the driver's side door of her car, it had taken a bit of work, but her transport was finally ready for the trip to the clinic. Today was a Tuesday so Micheal would want most of the big weekly cleaning tasks done like cleaning kennels. Kali was hoping she would be assigned to do it, it was mind-numbing work but relaxing in its monotony.

She could always turn it off completely, but when in public it wouldn't be that hard to get caught. The small clinic was only ten minutes out from her home in Bushwick, so it didn't take her long to arrive. Stepping into the still-freezing building she began turning on lights, before making a beeline to the coffee machine.

There the container of creamer was practically empty and although Ka-li preferred her coffee sweetened she would take free caffeine any way she could get it. Leaving the pot to fill up, she started to open the exam rooms, Micheal should be in soon.

The door swung open, Micheal waving a hand as he panted dashing to clock in before he was officially late. Snorting at the common, but no less amusing scene, in front of her she turned to the computer.

Nursing her mug of bean juice she browsed the list of appointments. Seeing the angry red 119 at the bottom she mentally prepared herself for the whirlwind of 119 animals passing through their small clinic. Why did Barb have to overbook them every Tuesday?

As forecasted the day passed in a blur of feathers, fur, yowls, howls, concerned owners, and cleaning. Each room had to be sterilized before the next patient could be seen.

Blowing her bangs from her face she turned the key: starting the ignition and her journey home. Because of the early start to her day, she'd get home by three which means she could have an early dinner, get some stuff done, and have a few hours to spare to get a good nap in. Getting some rest was important for her second job her needing a functioning brain and all.

Pulling into her parking space at the apartment building she headed upstairs. She smirked as she punched in the code and heard the tell-tale scrambling of paws on the hardwood. The door swung open to show her fluff ball nowhere in sight, her smirk turned into a full grin as she dropped her bag on the table and shucked her shoes off. 

"Hmm, I wonder where my lil' Twangerine could be?" At the nickname, she heard a snarl come from her right and watched as a giant German Shepard barreled toward her. She crouched down, as the dog leaped right over her spinning around to continue his playful snarl, walking over to nudge her thigh. 

"I know you hate that nickname, sorry buddy. I am exhausted and didn't feel like scouring the entire apartment for you. You've been getting so good at hiding." Under the praise and pets, Twain puffed out his chest and let out a doggy grin. Man, she loved Twain, the day he was left at the clinic was one of her favorite memories even if the thought of the emaciated puppy shivering in a cardboard box broke her heart. 

She had been training him since she took him home, he was eager to please and so very smart. It had only been a year and he could already take care of himself and follow her commands. He still messed up when he got excited, and she still had some commands she needed to introduce, but he was just a puppy and doing amazing. Crouching in her crumpled scrubs she continued giving him belly scratches contemplating what she was hungry for.  

She ended up with some simple ramen and hard-boiled eggs, Twain enjoyed his own dinner beside her chair. 

"Did you want to cuddle with me or do you want to go out?" She asked while putting her dishes away, including the dog bowl Twain had brought over clenched between his teeth. 

The sharp bark and almost insulted look on his face had her releasing her own bark of laughter. "Of course, how dare ask my loyal knight to do anything but guard his queen." 

Tucked under her covers with Twain curled around her feet his snout facing the door, Ka-Li soon drifted off to sleep. Hot doggy breath on her face woke her up a couple of hours later. 

"Thanks, Bud." she grunted out, pulling herself out of the bed she crouched down to remove a shoe box from under her bed. Box in hand she headed towards the bathroom for a quick shower before she put on her uniform. 

This outfit she enjoyed putting on much more than the formless scrubs she wore to the clinic. There were more fitted scrubs she could buy or she could alter them herself but she had neither the money nor the energy for such a venture.  

After taking a shower she slid on the grey pants and coat as well as the black face mask and gloves, the job required anonymity. Heading towards the window she shot a text to Intuition, they'd make sure to erase any traces from security cameras. Of course, she sent two-thirds of his cut as well.

It didn't pay to be stingy with your allies who were the tanks for any sort of snooping that would jeopardize a high-risk, high-return career such as hers. Of course, you shouldn't be stupid either that's why she didn't send him the entire payment in one go. 

She took the time while she waited for a response to review the details of the job making sure there wasn't anything she has missed or had suddenly been added. Clients occasionally waited to provide details that would make the job more difficult until after the job had been accepted. A real douche move. One that once reported to the company would have the client permanently blacklisted.

A buzz and glance at her phone let her know the job was accepted, as always. Tossing the phone onto the couch and a simple "stay" command to a puppy-eyed Twain she slid the window open and made her way down the fire escape into the alley.

Time to get to work.