Breakfast at Bambi's

Bambi’s Brew House and Bakery is located two blocks from the “offices” of the Crystal Continuum Enforcement Agency. Because of the proximity to the portal, the staff has gotten used to seeing denizens from other dimensions, and didn’t bat an eye at the appearance of Boone. On the other hand, Boone wasn’t sure what to make of the staff. For instance, the hostess seemed very much to a cocker spaniel to him.
As a matter of fact, she is a cocker spaniel. Standing at one-and-one-half meters tall, Pradassa is best described as a bundle of energy. Never one to stand still, her curly-haired ears were almost always flopping one direction or another. If they were still, it was probably because she was giving someone a hug. Of course, her ears weren’t the only part of her that flopped, but she seemed to have an aversion to anything resembling a corset, girdle, or support hose. This floppy bundle of energy came bounding from the office towards both Boone and Jack.
“Jay-Jay! How sweet of you to come back!” The obligatory hug would have knocked over anyone not prepared for 100 kilograms moving at twenty kilometers per hour. Fortunately, Bunnaroo was able to brace himself with his tail. With the floppiness enveloping him, he whispered,”Is Malhala serving today?”
“Sure,” she murmured, “Left of the counter.” A bit louder she asked, “So, is this a visitor, or a trainee?” The nod to Boone was obvious.
“Rescue, possibly a recruit.” Jack winked at the canid, and headed back to a table near the counter.
“Commander?” Boone began cautiously, but Bunnaroo cut him off.
“Call me Jack, please. The title ‘Commander’ is formal, and used only around home, where it means very little anyway.”
“Oh-kay. Jack, was the hostess a dog?”
“Hey, now. She’s very good looking if you like short girls.”
“But she’s a …”
“Bitch? Yes, literally.” Jack sat at a table that offered him no view at all of the surrounding room. He motioned for Boone to sit across from him, and handed him a menu. “Without looking too conspicuous, look around the room.”
Boone glanced around at the morning crowd in the bakery. In one corner, a young couple of felimorphs purred over milkshakes. Closer to the center of the room, a trio of tigresses in the latest fashion of rayon and spandex were noshing of rare steak and egg platters. A fox, vixen, and their cubs were noisily ordering a breakfast closer to the door. A lepimorph was serving muffins behind the counter, and a large bovine was gracefully lumbering towards them.
“Hello, darlins. What’ll it be?” The mellifluous voice was the last thing Boone was expecting from the two-meter plus body. In fact, he turned to see who spoke and found himself looking right at the left breast of his server.
“Malhala? Personal space?” Jack’s voice gently broke the tension created by the near faux pas. The bovid stepped back once allowing Boone to breathe more normally. “Thanks. Can you get us each a muffin? Blueberry for me, what flavor would you like, Boone?”
Catching his breath, Boone shook his head. “Um, banana nut…”
“Two muffins comin’ up. Anything to drink?”
Jack requested fruit juices, and Boone decided on a glass of milk.
“Fresh?” asked the server with a smirk.
“Um, sure.” Boone looked over at his host, who seemed to be staring into space, with small flashes on the edges of his goggle lenses. “Uh, Jack?”
“Hm? Oh, sorry. That was a text from Bambi herself. The owner wants to meet you. You’re the first ‘human’ she has had in her place. Now, I was pointing out the locals to you.”
“Locals?”
“Yes, these furres live near here. They work in this town, educate their children in the local schools, attend services in the local temples, and play in the nearby parks. What you see here is a cross-section of the types of beings you will be dealing with from here on.”
“And, if I choose not to ‘deal’ with these beings, as you call them?”
“You could be settled with the other rescued victims. Of course, we, and specifically I, would prefer you choose otherwise.”
At that moment, the muffins were brought by the lepimorph. Jack picked up his and began to slowly peel the paper off. “It’s a lot to take in. Normally, a person of your caliber would be eased into our society, but this project needs a ‘human’. We need your expertise.”
Malhala left three glasses on the table. Boone reached for the one filled with a cloudy liquid. His hand closed around the glass, and immediately opened slowly. Jack looked at Boone’s puzzled face.
“Boone, did you order the milk fresh?”
“Uh, huh.”
“That will explain why the milk is warm.”
“Are you saying that she…”
“You could get it more fresh than that, but not usually before eight.”
“It came from her…”
“She is bovine, you know.”