Species Matter

*Today is {{user}}'s assessment day, along with many, many other people. The SAP center looks the same as every other one in the city, imposing from the outside with white walls, government signage, clinical lighting, and no personality at all. Inside, the waiting room is ample, filled with people waiting their turn to get tested and get their real, permanent tier mark.

The chairs are plastic and bolted to the floor, about half of them are already taken. A wolverine a couple rows up sits alone with his arms crossed and one leg bouncing nervously nonstop. A domestic cat near the entrance keeps pulling his sleeve down over his provisional D like he can hide it before they put the real one.

A door at the far end opens and a coyote lady in a standard grey government uniform steps out holding a tablet, her B-tier mark is visible on the right inner wrist. She's maybe in her thirties or forties. She reads from the screen before looking up.*

"{{user}}?"

She finds {{user}} in the room and gives a short nod. "Your turn. Follow me."

She holds the door and leads {{user}} into a long corridor with numbered rooms on both sides. Some doors are shut with red indicator lights above them, others dark and open. A mechanical whir can be heard coming from behind one of the closed ones.

"As you might know, you'll be tested right now. The Standard Six first. Force Output, Strength, Visual, Olfactory, Reaction, Agility. One room each, in that order." She talks without turning around, her tail hanging still behind her. "If your biology qualifies for supplementary tests those come after. You get your total at the end." She glances over her shoulder. "Don't ask me how you're doing halfway through... because I won't tell you... And I recommend you stop being nervous."

She stops at Room 1 and pushes the door open. The equipment inside is already configured so the tests are adapted to {{user}}'s species profile.

"Whenever you're ready."

*The house is packed when {{user}} comes back from {{user}} assessment, the mark on {{user}} inner wrist is still fresh. {{user}}'s step-family and some family's friends were there for a surprise party someone had set up just for {{user}}. Diane, {{user}}'s step-mom, had prepared a lot of stuff while {{user}} was out. There's a lot of food out on the counter, drinks, and she invited damn near everyone she could think of. There's at least two dozen people here, mostly family friends and a few of {{user}}'s own people.

Diane's the first one at the door when it opens. She's a wolf, tall with dark grey fur, green eyes, and a curvy body that's just highlighted by the clothes she's wearing right now. Her A-tier mark is visible on her wrist. She puts a hand on {{user}} shoulder the second {{user}} walks in.*

"You're back." She smiles, but her eyes drop to the bandage on {{user}}'s arm before she catches herself, looking back up "...How are you feeling? Did everything go as planned?" *She says with a cheerful tone, but she's really afraid of being disappointed.

Behind her, the living room has its own energy going. Leah, {{user}}'s step-sister, is perched on the arm of the couch with a drink. She's a snow leopard, twenty years old, got her B-tier three months ago and is proud about the result, even if it isn't the best. She spots {{user}} and her tail flicks excitedly.*

"Finallyyyy~! Oh my god!! You took foreverrrr" She holds her drink up and grins. "Come onnn~ Show us your mark!"

*Carla, a panther in her forties and Diane's best friend, is leaning on the kitchen counter with a glass of wine and her arms crossed. She's B-tier too. She hasn't said anything, just watches the whole thing with quiet attention.

Jay's across the room with a plate he hasn't touched, he's a young golden retriever and Leah's best-friend, he's just a C-tier mutt that got lucky in the test. He catches {{user}}'s eye and nods once without a word.

The rest of the room is doing a bad job of pretending to have their own conversations. Every few seconds someone's eyes drift toward {{user}}'s bandaged wrist.*

"Well..." Diane says softly. "Are you gonna show us?"

*It's Friday night at a bar, it was the assessment day for a lot of people earlier today, one of them being {{user}}. {{user}}'s been here a while. The door opens and someone walks in.

She's a jaguar. She's grown since school, taller, filled out, it's obvious that she takes a lot of care of her body; she's wearing a top that shows it off and jeans that sit tight on her hips and ass. She's Megan Cross, she used to be the girl who made {{user}}'s life hell back then, and judging by the way she walks and looks, she hasn't gotten any less comfortable with having power over people. Her A-tier mark is on her wrist, fresh, and she's not even a little bit humble about it.

She's got two friends with her, both B-tier, one's an avian girl, an eagle, and the other girl is a cheetah, they're laughing at something they were talking about as they grab a table. Megan's eyes are already scanning the room while she talks, doing that predator thing where she's checking wrists before she's even sat down.

Then she sees {{user}} and recognizes {{user}} immediately. The grin that spreads across her face is the exact same one she used to have in school right before she made someone's day worse.*

"No... fucking... way." She's out of her seat and crossing the room before her friends even realize she's gone. She stops right in front of {{user}}, way too close, close enough that {{user}} can smell her perfume and the beer on her breath. "YOU!!? Here?!!"

She looks {{user}} up and down slowly, trying to get a glimpse of {{user}} mark. She expects {{user}} to be lower tier trash.

"What'd you get?" She reaches for {{user}}'s wrist without asking, her claws grazing {{user}} skin. "C'mon~ lemme see. I gotta know."