{"sf1_id":1998140,"sf2_id":"rnaWKJ5e","title":"Chapter 13: Of Dogs and Rabbits","author":"HeatherOBunn","words":18821,"posted_at":"2023-06-06T15:34:00.000Z","tags":["Bobcat","Cat","Chapter","Detective","Doe","Dog","Drunk","Fanatic","Ferret","Hare","Kinky","Murder","Novel","Predator/Prey","Rabbit","Romance","Squirrel","Teasing","Thriller","chihuahua","dating","tom"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1998140-chapter-13-of-dogs-and-rabbits","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rnaWKJ5e","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/7a/30/7a30b78d-0163-48b5-9d23-136011a1be4f","description":"#13 of The Murderess of Maplesburg: Disappearing like Rabbits\n\nWhen Ellie and Jason, private detectives, are asked to find a missing teenage rabbit, they soon become embroiled in a string of grizzly murders. Will they be able to navigate the barriers erected by the hostile police chief and catch the murderess before she strikes again?","content":"Chapter 13: Of Dogs and Rabbits  \nJason looked at Ellie in disbelief, \"What do you mean the suspect is dead? How?\"  \n\"Tom said they found him this morning. He had hanged himself in his cell overnight.\"  \nJason shook his head, stunned, \"How could they let something like that happen? Did  \nFitzie say anything else?\"  \n\"No, he didn't want to talk long in case someone overheard him talking to me. He agreed  \nto come to the Indian restaurant this evening. We're meeting him at six thirty.\"  \nJason nodded dumbly and sat at his desk. After he had recovered from the shock, he  \nwent and filled his mug with coffee at Mole's Mugs and grabbed the daily Maplesburg Gazette at  \na shop on the way back. He spent the rest of the morning reading.  \nAround noon, a female dachshund in a pinstripe black jacket--a Mrs. Olivia Clark--  \ncame to the office to hire them to find out whether her husband was cheating on her. Jason  \ndidn't much enjoy this kind of marital strife case, but they paid the bills. Her husband was a  \nScottish terrier named Reginald. In the picture she provided, he was wearing a grayish green  \ntweed jacket, and she was wearing a long, flowing white dress. He worked at Garmann Brothers  \nBank downtown and had been working late hours recently. They accepted the case.  \nThe rest of the day was uneventful. At six, they left to meet Fitzie at the Indian  \nrestaurant. The restaurant was located on the first floor of an old five-story warehouse that had  \nbeen renovated for apartments. The sign above the door said India Palace and featured a  \npainting of Ganesha. Inside, there were several rectangular, wooden tables with two to six  \nwooden seats a piece; around half of them were occupied with a wide assortment of species.  \nThe walls were painted and orangey gold whilst the floor was varnished wood. Broad cone-  \nshaped lamps hung from the unfinished ceiling and lit the restaurant with a soft, warm glow. The  \nrich scent of spices including turmeric, fenugreek, and cardamom filled the restaurant. Jason  \nscanned the room for Fitzie, but it appeared the ferret was yet to arrive.  \nThey were greeted by a tufted titmouse in a red bowtie, \"Good evening, folks. How  \nmany?\" she peeped.  \n\"Three, our friend should be joining us shortly,\" Jason answered.  \nShe bobbed her head and led them to a table with four seats. Jason and Ellie sat next to  \neach other, leaving the other side for Fitzie. Jason scanned the menu while he waited for Fitzie  \nto arrive, deciding on the chicken tikka masala as his entrée. Fitzie arrived several minutes later.  \nJason saw the hob, who was wearing a heather gray dress shirt, enter the restaurant and  \nwaved him over.  \n\"Hi, Fitzie, glad you could make it. Things must be a mess over there right now,  \nconsidering what happened.\"  \n\"You could say that,\" Fitzie replied. He pulled out the chair and sat across from Jason.  \n\"How are the two of you though? It's good to see you looking well again, Brown.\"  \nJason flicked his ears embarrassedly, \"I'm fine.\"  \n\"I took good care of him,\" Ellie quipped. \"And I'm fine too.\" She paused. \"I'm, uh, really  \nsorry I got you in trouble Monday,\" she murmured.  \nFitzie blinked, \"So that was you? A little heads-up next time, Ellie, and I'll bring my  \nearplugs.\"  \n\"Lily let you have it then, huh?\" Jason asked.  \n\"She certainly let my ears have it, but there's not really a whole lot else she can do. She  \ndoesn't have the authority to fire me, and I made it clear a long time ago that I wasn't interested  \nin sparring with her or whatever it is she does with people at the gym when they piss her off.\"  \n\"That's something she does regularly, is it?\" Ellie asked uncomfortably.  \nFitzie shrugged, \"Maybe. I don't know how many people take her up on it. Apparently,  \nsome poor sap did this morning because she couldn't stop gloating about it, even after she  \nfound out what happened to the skunk.\"  \nEllie's ears went red, and she looked down at her hands on the table, \"That was me,\"  \nshe muttered.  \nFitzie started and then looked embarrassed. \"Yikes! I'm sorry, Ellie. I didn't mean, er, are  \nyou okay?\"  \n\"Nothing serious, but you were right. I was a sap to take that jerk up on her challenge,\"  \nshe said miserably.  \nJason put his right arm across her back and stroked her a few times. Ellie reached down  \nwith her right hand to give his hand a squeeze.  \nTheir waiter, a gray squirrel in a black vest, stepped up to their table, \"I see you're all  \nhere now. Are you ready to order yet?\"  \n\"I haven't looked yet,\" Fitzie answered.  \nThe squirrel gave him an annoyed look, \"I'll come back in a minute.\" He stalked away.  \n\"I guess I'd better decide.\" Fitzie scanned the menu. \"What are you getting, Jason?\"  \n\"Chicken tikka masala.\"  \n\"I'll get something a bit different then, so we can try both, maybe the pork vindaloo.\" He  \nglanced at Ellie. \"Uh, sorry, Ellie, I guess I'm excluding you again.\"  \nEllie put on a tone of mock exasperation, \"The things I put up with being friends with  \nobligate carnivores!\" She smirked, \"As long as there's something I can order on the menu, that's  \nall I ask for.\"  \nJason waved to the waiter, and he stalked back over. Jason ordered the chicken tikka  \nmasala whilst Fitzie ordered the vindaloo and Ellie the chana saag; they also ordered some roti  \nto share. Once the waiter had left, Jason turned the conversation back to the matter at hand.  \n\"So you're sure the suspect committed suicide, right? How'd he manage to hang  \nhimself?\"  \nFitzie nodded, \"It was definitely suicide. He tore his uniform into strips, used it to make a  \nrope, and hanged himself from the bunk.\"  \n\"And where were the guards while all of this was going on?\" Ellie inquired.  \nFitzie shrugged, \"Schulz said there would be an internal investigation, but that's it. I don't  \nknow who was on duty.\"  \n\"What's she doing about the case? It'll be even harder to identify the skunk's accomplice  \nnow that he's dead.\"  \nFitzie gave her a confused look, \"What accomplice?\"  \n\"Jason and I think he had to have an accomplice. He was seen at a nearby gas station a  \nshort time after he was supposed to have confronted Danny. Officer Schulz seemed to agree.\"  \nEllie frowned. \"Unless that was another thing she was leading me on about.\"  \n\"Well, she didn't say anything about it to me.\"  \n\"There's not much more we can do on the case either way,\" Jason added. \"Mrs. Planter  \nasked us to stop investigating and leave it to the police.\"  \nFitzie blinked, \"Why was that?\"  \n\"Lily,\" Jason replied perfunctorily.  \nFitzie gave Ellie an understanding look, \"I see why you were upset enough to want to  \nhave it out with her.\"  \n\"That was part of it anyway,\" Ellie grumbled.  \n\"There was another reason?\" Jason asked, confused.  \n\"She also said some nasty things about you, Jason,\" Ellie replied indignantly.  \nJason felt his ears get hot, \"You were trying to defend me? Ellie, please don't put  \nyourself at risk like that on my behalf! Lily can say what she wants. If you'd been seriously  \ninjured, I'd never have forgiven myself!\"  \n\"I'm not going to let some jerk just talk shit about my partner!\" Ellie protested. \"But I  \npromise not to do something that stupid again.\"  \n\"What was it that happened if you don't mind saying?\" Fitzie put in. \"Schulz always  \nleaves it vague.\"  \nEllie sighed resignedly, \"Okay, it's going to sound pretty stupid, but it was just a glorified  \ngame of tag. There was an obstacle course, and I was supposed to touch a few posts while she  \ntried to catch me. I didn't realize catching was going to involve slamming into the floor, but the  \nobject wasn't even to fight. If I could have stayed away from her, I would have been fine.\"  \nJason exchanged an awkward glance with Fitzie before responding, \"That's actually  \npretty disturbing, Ellie. She was simulating hunting you. She could have easily gotten carried  \naway and really hurt you. That's something they teach predators from preschool; your instincts  \ncan kick in and cause you to lose control.\"  \nEllie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, \"Oh.\"  \nJason leaned over to hug her with his right arm and nuzzle her between the ears, \"I'm so  \nglad you weren't seriously injured.\"  \n\"I'm glad too,\" Fitzie added. \"It sounds scary; I wouldn't want Schulz trying to jump on  \nme.\"  \nEllie pushed Jason away, \"I'm not a scared little bunny! I can take care of myself, even  \nwith nasty bobcats!\"  \n\"Sorry,\" Fitzie added quickly. \"That's not what I meant.\"  \n\"You know I know better than to think you can't take care of yourself, Ellie,\" Jason  \ninsisted. \"That doesn't mean I wouldn't be upset if you were injured, just like you would be if I  \nwere.\"  \n\"I know, Jason. I guess I'm still embarrassed about the whole thing. It was humiliating.\"  \n\"Let's talk about something else then,\" Jason suggested.  \n\"Right,\" Ellie said, brightening up. \"I didn't tell you this yet, Tom, but I actually convinced  \nJason to go speed dating with me tonight.\"  \nFitzie blinked, \"Oh? Where is it?\"  \n\"It's at the new brewery in West downtown,\" Ellie answered. \"Maybe you should come  \nwith us, Tom.\"  \nFitzie frowned, \"I don't know about-\"  \n\"Come on, Tom,\" Ellie drawled. \"It'll be fun! Like I told Jason, even if you don't meet  \nanyone nice, you might at least meet a weirdo we can laugh about after.\"  \nFitzie didn't look convinced. Jason gave him a pleading look. Anything that divided Ellie's  \nattention from trying to find him a date would be welcome.  \n\"Okay,\" Fitzie sighed.  \n\"Yes!\" Ellie exclaimed triumphantly. \"When you meet your future wives, you can tell them  \nit was all thanks to me.\" She grinned.  \nFitzie gave Jason a look as if to say, \"You'd better be grateful for this.\"  \nThey were spared from Ellie's self-aggrandizing speculations about her role in finding  \nthem partners by the return of the waiter. The squirrel set their entrées, rice, and roti on the  \ntable and left without a word.  \n\"He's kind of rude,\" Fitzie noted.  \n\"It's not the most pleasant job in the world,\" Ellie responded. \"People can be really nasty,  \nand sometimes that's preferable to the people who are really inappropriate. Maybe he's having  \na bad time today.\"  \nJason enjoyed both the chicken tikka masala and the vindaloo, and the others appeared  \nto enjoy their food as well.  \n\"This was a good choice of restaurant, Ellie,\" Fitzie commented when they had finished  \neating. \"Now I feel even worse about Miniati's.\"  \n\"Don't worry about it,\" she replied.  \nThe waiter returned to the table. \"How many checks will that be?\" he inquired.  \n\"One; I'll handle it,\" Ellie replied.  \nThe waiter scanned her left hand, \"Have a good night, folks,\" he said and left.  \n\"Thanks, Ellie,\" said Fitzie.  \n\"No problem. You paid last time, and I picked the restaurant. Jason, however, is turning  \ninto a real moocher,\" she teased. \"This isn't the first time I've paid for his meals in a week. At  \nleast he paid to get me drunk on Monday, so that's something.\"  \n\"I could hardly buy my own food when you were ready to tackle me if I tried to leave,\"  \nJason reminded.  \n\"Wait, what?\" Fitzie interjected.  \n\"I'll have to tell you the whole story sometime,\" Jason explained. \"But Ellie is adamant  \nthat her patients submit to her ministrations.\"  \n\"You know you enjoyed it,\" Ellie teased. \"But we should get going so that we aren't late  \nfor the speed dating.\"  \nThe sun was dipping below the tops of the high-rises as they walked to the brewery. The  \nbustle of traffic and pedestrians had slowed down, and they had the sun-warmed sidewalk  \nmostly to themselves, allowing them to walk three abreast with Ellie in the middle. When they  \narrived at the brewery, Ellie hopped forward to get the door, and Fitzie stepped up behind her.  \n\"It smells like we're about to walk into a burrow of rabbits,\" Fitzie commented as she was  \nopening the door.  \n\"Gee, thanks, Tom,\" Ellie replied sarcastically. \"I just took a bath this morning.\"  \nThey stepped inside, and Jason noticed that Fitzie was right: the smell of rabbits was  \nvery strong. He glanced around: nearly everyone present was either a rabbit or a hare. Ellie  \ndidn't seem to notice and proceeded to a small table where a white hare in a black sports jacket  \nwas handing out name tags with numbers.  \n\"We're here for the speed dating,\" she stated, indicating herself, Jason, and Fitzie.  \nThe hare gave Jason and Fitzie a funny look before sliding forward three name tags.  \n\"Alright, you can write your name, and then the number tells you where to start in the rotation.  \nYours is the even one,\" he told Ellie.  \nFitzie had been scanning the room since they arrived. He nudged Jason, \"I think I'm  \ngoing to pass on the speed dating after all. Want to come get a drink at the bar and check in  \nwith Ellie when she's done?\"  \nFitzie walked away, and Jason started to follow him, but Ellie seized him by the arm.  \n\"Where do you think you're going?\" she scolded.  \n\"I was going to the bar with Fitzie.\"  \n\"Tom can be a stick in the mud if he wants, but we're still doing the speed dating.\"  \n\"Ellie,\" he intoned under his breath. \"Almost everyone here is a rabbit. I don't think  \nthere's another cat in the whole place.\"  \nEllie glanced around as if just noticing, \"That's odd, but maybe another kitty will come in  \nlater. Besides you said you'd do this with me.\" She picked up his name tag, which she had  \nalready written his name on, and led him by the arm over to the tables with numbered stools.  \nShe stopped at the stool marked 27, \"This is your spot.\" She left him and went to find her  \nown spot.  \nJason glanced at the men seated to either side of his spot: the one to the left was a  \nbrown and white rabbit wearing a black fedora, and the other was a gray and white rabbit  \nwearing a light green vest. No one was seated across from him yet, and he hoped that there  \nwould be too few women for him to have a date for the first round. However, after a few  \nminutes, a grey and white rabbit in a sleeveless pink dress sat across from him. He smiled  \nawkwardly at her, and her green eyes went wide, her expression becoming very nervous if not  \nfearful. Off to a great start. The white hare at the front stood up and addressed those in  \nattendance.  \n\"Thank you, everyone, for coming. How this is going to work is simple: each rotation will  \nbe for five minutes, and at the end, guys will move to the next odd number unless you're at the  \nend, in which case you go back to one. There are pieces of paper and pencils on the tables for  \nyou to share your information. Is everyone clear?\"  \nNo one responded.  \n\"Alright then, the first five-minute rotation starts now.\"  \nJason looked back to the rabbit across from him, \"I'm Jason.\"  \n\"B-betsy.\"  \n\"Nice to meet you.\"  \nShe just looked at him nervously.  \n\"Ahem, this is probably a dumb question, but do you know why almost everyone here is  \na rabbit or hare?\"  \nShe looked confused, \"Didn't you see the flyers? It's being sponsored by the  \nLagomorphic Society.\"  \nJason sighed. Well, that explains it, a club for lagomorphs. \"My friend looked at the flyer.  \nShe didn't say who it was sponsored by.\"  \n\"Who's your friend?\"  \nJason scanned the room until he spotted Ellie. He pointed, \"White rabbit with brown  \nsplotches in a yellow tank top.\"  \nBetsy turned to look then looked back at him, \"So you aren't trying to catch a rabbit?\"  \nCatch? \"Uh, no, I assume you didn't come here wanting to date a cat either.\"  \nShe shook her head vigorously.  \nWell, at least she's certain about that. \"So, uh, do you want to talk about anything else?  \nHave you, uh, read any good books I should check out?\"  \n\"I'd prefer not to,\" she murmured.  \nThey sat in awkward silence for the next couple minutes until the white hare told them to  \nmove. Jason walked a few paces to the next seat and sat across from a white rabbit in a sky  \nblue t-shirt.  \nShe gave him an annoyed look, \"Great, a cat with a thing for rabbits. I'm not interested,  \nsorry,\" she announced bluntly.  \nJason sighed and rolled his eyes, \"I'm not interested in rabbits either. I didn't know it was  \ngoing to be all lagomorphs. My friend asked me to come, and she didn't say that.\"  \nShe sniffed and looked at him skeptically. Jason didn't feel like engaging her further, so  \nhe just waited until it was time to move again.  \nThis time he sat across from a black rabbit with a white spot covering her nose. She was  \nwearing a black denim jacket and had small circular silver earrings all the way up her ears  \nexcept at the very bottom where each ear had an earring that appeared to be shaped like a  \nrabbit's skull. Her hazel eyes went wide as he sat down. Great, another scared one.  \n\"I'm Jason,\" he introduced himself.  \n\"Rachel, it's nice to meet you!\" her voice quavered slightly but she sounded more excited  \nthan afraid.  \nJason smiled amiably, \"It's nice to meet you too.\"  \nShe leaned forward, \"Could you open your mouth?\"  \nConfused, \"What?\"  \nShe demonstrated, opening her mouth wide to show from her large incisors to her back  \nmolars. \"Like that.\"  \n\"Uh, okay.\" He opened his mouth.  \nShe scrambled up onto the table and reached for his mouth. He jerked his head back  \nand snapped his mouth shut.  \n\"What are you doing?!\" he asked incredulously.  \n\"I want to touch your teeth.\"  \n\"No!\"  \nShe frowned and got off of the table and back into her chair. Her eyes drifted down to his  \nhands on the table. \"How about your claws? Can I touch those?\"  \nJason sighed, exasperated. I hope you think this is funny, Ellie. \"Alright.\" He extended  \nthe claws on his right hand and held it out across the table.  \nShe ran her finger over his curved claws, giving a little shudder. She lifted up one of his  \nfingers to feel the claw's tip.  \n\"Ouch!\" she pulled her hand away and sucked her finger. \"They're so sharp!\"  \n\"Yeah, they are,\" he muttered, deadpan.  \nShe removed her finger from her mouth and stared at him intently, hazel eyes boring into  \nhim. He began to feel more than a little uncomfortable. She grabbed a slip of paper and pencil  \noff of the table and jotted down her number. She slid it over to him.  \n\"Call me,\" she requested earnestly.  \nJason accepted the piece of paper even though he had no intention of calling her.  \nFinally, the white hare told them to move, and he gratefully moved to the next stool. During the  \nnext few rounds, he was paired with two more rabbits and a hare. The hare was friendly, but  \nthey were all clearly uninterested, which was probably better than the alternative if the black  \nrabbit was anything to go by. Subsequently, he found himself seated across from Ellie.  \n\"So are you having fun?\" she inquired cheerfully.  \n\"No, everyone is wondering what I'm doing here, especially me; it's incredibly awkward.\"  \nEllie seemed unfazed. \"I take it you haven't exchanged any numbers then,\" she teased.  \n\"Actually, I did get one.\" He showed her the slip of paper.  \nEllie grinned wide with amused titillation, \"Really? Who from?\"  \nJason motioned with his head, \"The black rabbit in the denim jacket. She seemed very  \ninterested; although, I'm not sure whether she wanted to date me or jump in my mouth.\"  \nEllie's expression shifted to one of bewilderment, \"Jump in your mouth? What do you  \nmean?\"  \n\"She asked me to open my mouth, climbed up on the table, and tried to stick her hand  \nin.\"  \n\"Did you let her?\"  \n\"Of course not!\" He paused awkwardly. \"I did let her feel my claws though.\"  \n\"How did she react to that?\"  \n\"Excited.\"  \nEllie smirked, \"See, I told you you'd at least meet some weirdos. Maybe you should give  \nher a call just to see what it's like.\"  \nSarcastic, \"Right.\" He sighed. \"So have you met anyone interesting?\"  \nEllie nodded, \"A couple guys.\"  \n\"I'm glad it's going well for you at least.\"  \nThe white hare announced it was time to move.  \nHe got up. \"See you later.\"  \nThe next seat was at another table. When he found it, he was surprised to find himself  \nacross from a light brown chihuahua in a red blouse, who he hadn't spotted before.  \nShe grinned, \"I'm Rosa. Did you come here not knowing it was going to be all rabbits  \ntoo?\"  \n\"I'm Jason, and yes, I didn't know.\"  \n\"It's nice to meet another carnivore. What do you do?\"  \n\"I'm a private investigator. How about you?\"  \n\"I work in marketing, but private investigator sounds interesting! What do you  \ninvestigate?\"  \n\"Missing people, missing things, what people are up to.\"  \n\"Have you had any interesting cases lately?\"  \n\"You could say that, but I can't give you the specifics. We have to keep our clients'  \ninformation confidential.\"  \n\"I understand.\" She gave him an appraising look over. \"I like the stripes by the way.\"  \nJason smiled at the compliment, \"Thanks, it was my friend who told me I should show  \nthem off.\"  \nThe chihuahua looked around, \"Are they here?\"  \n\"Yeah, she's over there in the yellow tank top,\" he gestured with a wave of his hand.  \n\"Oh! A rabbit, I guess that explains how you ended up here.\"  \n\"I still have to ask her about that. I assume she just didn't notice who was sponsoring the  \nevent on the flyer.\"  \n\"So it's just a coincidence then?\" She smirked. \"Imagine if it had been the other way  \naround, a bunch of cats. She probably would have been out of here in a flash.\"  \n\"Ellie would have been fine,\" Jason objected.  \nThe chihuahua blinked, \"If you say so. Half of the rabbits I've talked to this evening have  \nbeen nervous enough across from one dog.\"  \n\"Some of them have been nervous across from me too, but Ellie isn't like that. She  \ndoesn't let people intimidate her. This morning, she took on a bobcat.\"  \n\"Who won?\"  \nJason frowned, \"Well, the bobcat, I guess, but that wasn't my point.\"  \nThe chihuahua frowned back, \"Look, I don't want to insult your friend. I don't know why  \nwe're even talking about her.\"  \nJason felt his ears getting warm. \"Sorry,\" he murmured.  \n\"Right, so, uh, outside of work, what do you do?\"  \n\"I usually just listen to music or read. How about you?\"  \n\"I like to go for walks and bike rides, and sometimes I paint.\"  \nThe white hare announced that it was time to move spots.  \n\"Were you going to give me your number?\" she asked.  \n\"Do you want it?\"  \n\"Yes.\"  \n\"Okay.\" He grabbed a slip of paper and pencil and wrote it down.  \n\"Thanks,\" she said as he slid the paper to her. She smiled, \"See you around, I hope.\"  \n\"Yeah, it was nice to meet you. See you.\" The grey rabbit in the green vest was waiting  \nimpatiently for Jason to move. \"Sorry,\" Jason muttered as he hurried to the next spot.  \nAfter talking to several more uninterested rabbits and hares, Jason met Ellie and Fitzie  \nat the bar.  \n\"So how did that go?\" Fitzie asked as he approached.  \n\"It was a bunch of rabbits and hares at an event sponsored by the Lagomorphic Society,  \nno less. They weren't interested.\"  \n\"The Lagomorphic Society, huh? I wondered why the turnout was like it was,\" Ellie  \ncommented. \"But it's not totally true that no one was interested. Tell Tom about your admirer.\"  \nJason sighed, \"There was one rabbit who was interested, especially in my teeth and  \nclaws. She tried to stick her hand in my mouth, and then after I refused to allow that, I had to let  \nher touch my claws. She gave me her number.\"  \nEllie snickered, and Fitzie gave him a sympathetic look.  \n\"Were you literally the only person who wasn't a lagomorph?\" he asked.  \n\"Well, there was a chihuahua also, but as far as I know, she was the only other.\"  \n\"How was she,\" Ellie inquired. \"Too smelly for you?\"  \n\"I didn't notice any smell. She seemed nice enough. She asked for my number, and I  \ngave it to her.\"  \n\"Really?! Ha! So I was doubly right! You found a date and met a weirdo,\" Ellie  \ncongratulated herself.  \nJason rolled his eyes. \"So how did it go for you?\"  \n\"Like I said, I met a couple of interesting guys, one rabbit and one hare. I got a bunch of  \nnumbers, but those are the only two I'll consider calling.\"  \n\"Did you meet your own weirdo?\" Fitzie asked.  \nEllie smirked, \"None as weird as Jason's admirer maybe, but there were a few. There  \nwas the guy who wouldn't shut up about some cartoon he watches. Then there was the guy who  \nseemed to think I was going to come back to his house and fuck him after talking for five  \nminutes, and finally, there was the guy in the fedora who wanted to warn me about the imminent  \nreturn of Cthulhu.\"  \n\"Well, I'm glad you had a good time. Since we're here, do you want to get a drink, Ellie?  \nWould you like another Fitzie? I'll pay.\"  \nFitzie nodded, \"If you're paying, then sure. I'll have another IPA.\"  \nEllie studied the list of beers on tap, \"I'll try the saison. Make sure you tell them who it's  \nfor this time.\"  \nJason waved over the bartender, a black rat. \"Hi, can we get the saison for her, another  \nIPA for him, and the chocolate stout for me?\"  \nJason noticed that the rat did indeed bring Ellie and Fitzie smaller glasses than him.  \nAfter the rat had scanned his hand, they moved to a table, which was empty now that most of  \nthe speed daters had left. Ellie sat to Jason's right, and Fitzie sat across from her; they all  \nenjoyed their beer in silent camaraderie for a couple minutes.  \n\"So how are you liking yours, Ellie?\" Jason asked.  \n\"It's interesting, fruity and a bit sour.\"  \n\"I noticed you avoided the high alcohol content ones this time.\"  \n\"Yes, I didn't want to make you drive me home again.\"  \n\"Even so, I'd watch your tail around this one on the way back, Fitzie.\"  \nFitzie gave him a puzzled look, \"Why?\"  \n\"In case she decides it's her new toy.\"  \n\"I wouldn't do that to Tom!\" Ellie responded indignantly.  \n\"You wouldn't?\" Jason replied dubiously.  \nEllie leaned over and snatched his tail, pulling the end up above the table. \"No! I save  \nthat kind of torment for you!\" She waved his tail at Fitzie. \"Caught by his tail again! I bet  \nchopping it off is sounding better and better.\"  \nFitzie smiled awkwardly.  \nJason tried to yank his tail away, but Ellie wouldn't let go.  \n\"It's mine now, Jason. If you ask nicely, I'll let you take it home with you tonight.\" She  \ntook a gulp of her beer, still holding his tail tightly in her other hand.  \nFitzie was giving the two of them an amused look, and Jason was becoming increasingly  \nembarrassed.  \n\"Ellie,\" he muttered under his breath. \"This is embarrassing. We're in a brewpub full of  \npeople!\"  \n\"You shouldn't have brought it up then,\" she replied placidly.  \nFitzie snickered.  \nJason frowned, \"Don't encourage her.\" He glanced around the brewpub and saw a few  \npeople staring. He looked down at the table, his ears hot. \"People are staring,\" he whispered.  \n\"I don't care. Do you care, Tom?\"  \nFitzie shook his head, grinning wide, \"You should lead him out by it.\"  \nEllie winked, \"I can see we think alike, Tom.\"  \n\"Gee, thanks, Fitzie,\" Jason grumbled.  \nJason tried to ignore the stares whilst they finished their beer. When they were done,  \nEllie hopped down from her stool, still keeping a firm hold on his tail. She gave it a gentle yank.  \n\"Come on now, kitty! It's time to go home,\" she announced for more than his and Fitzie's  \nbenefit.  \nUsing his tail like a leash, she walked in front and led him to the door. Jason could feel  \nthe other patrons' eyes boring into him as they walked out, and he kept his gaze on the floor.  \nFitzie walked behind, shaking with silent mirth.  \nAfter they stepped outside, Fitzie burst into a raucous chortle, \"Bwahahaha! Oh, Zeus!  \nYou should have looked at the expressions, Jason. You might have sprouted a second head!\"  \nEllie nodded and giggled, \"Heeheehee, I thought some of their eyes would pop out of  \ntheir heads.\"  \nJason tried to yank his tail away again and winced as he pulled it against Ellie's tight  \ngrip.  \n\"Now don't hurt yourself, silly kitty!\" Ellie scolded. She moved in next to his left side so  \nthat she could wrap his tail around in front of her and reached her right arm around his back.  \n\"That's better. Now, let's get going.\"  \nJason had a hard time staying upset with Ellie, especially with her affectionately stroking  \nhis back as they walked. After a few minutes he reached his own left arm around her shoulders.  \nFitzie walked a few paces behind as they strolled through the darkening twilight. The yellow light  \nof tall street lamps illuminated the sidewalk, and the temperature was beginning to drop though  \nJason could still feel heat radiating from the blacktop when they crossed the street. When they  \nhad neared the office, Fitzie stepped up in front of them.  \n\"Goodnight, Brown, Ellie. See you around.\"  \n\"Goodnight, Tom.\"  \n\"Bye, Fitzie.\"  \nThe ferret waved and hurried off across the street to the left. Jason and Ellie continued  \nonward, shortly arriving back at their office building.  \n\"Goodnight, Ellie,\" Jason said and started for his car.  \nEllie didn't let go.  \n\"Uh, can I have my tail back now?\"  \nEllie crossed her arms, still holding his tail, \"Are you going to ask nicely?\"  \n\"Please?\"  \n\"Please may I,\" Ellie enunciated.  \nJason sighed exasperatedly. \"Please may I have my tail back?\"  \nEllie brushed the end of his tail against her chin with a thoughtful expression, \"Hmm, no.\"  \nJason frowned, \"Then what-\"  \n\"You can borrow my kitty tail for the night though.\"  \nJason rolled his eyes, \"Okay, may I borrow your cat tail?\"  \nEllie smiled, \"Yes.\" She let go, and he pulled it back. \"Take good care of it!\" she quipped.  \nShe turned and headed to the elevator to collect her things.  \nJason watched her go before turning back to his dark blue sedan. He climbed into the  \ncar, turned on the Classical music radio station, and began his drive home. Ellie certainly did  \nher best to aggravate him at times: forcing him to go speed dating even after it was clear he was  \nthe only cat present, embarrassing him in public, restraining him when he wanted to go home.  \nBut on the other hand, she brought him to her home when he made himself ill. On the other  \nhand, she trusted him even knowing why he dropped out of the police academy. On the other  \nhand, she turned to him for comfort when other friends upset her and adversaries hurt her.  \nJason sighed; it was a complicated relationship, but he couldn't deny the affection he felt for his  \npartner. He couldn't deny the contentment he'd felt walking with arms around each other even if  \nshe had still been messing with his tail.  \nJason arrived home and proceeded up to his bedroom to groom himself. After he had  \nfinished licking his fur, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. The bottle of rosemary-  \nscented shampoo he had given Ellie was still on the side of the tub. He picked it up to return it to  \nthe cabinet under the sink, but on impulse, he opened the top to smell the fragrant liquid. He  \ndrew on his memory of how the shampoo had smelled when mixed with Ellie's warm rabbit  \nscent. He caught himself and blushed, ears getting warm: imagining Ellie's smell was a bit  \nweird. But she complimented my smell the other day. Maybe it was okay to like the way his  \npartner smelled; it certainly seemed better than the opposite. Jason used his catnip flavored  \ntoothpaste and went back to the bedroom.  \nWhile the downstairs was floored with wood, the upstairs, excluding the white tile floored  \nbathroom, was carpeted with thick royal blue carpet. The walls of Jason's bedroom were  \npainted white, and his bed covers were charcoal gray. He climbed into bed and clicked on the  \nstainless-steel reading lamp that was clipped to the maple headboard. He propped up one of his  \ngray pillows and lifted the book he was reading off of the maple nightstand. The book was a  \npaperback copy of Aldous Huxley's The Devils of Loudun. Jason enjoyed the thorough manner  \nin which Huxley expounded on his ideas even if he found some of them to be quite dubious.  \nAfter he had finished a chapter, Jason replaced the book and turned out the light. He  \npushed the top blanket to the end of his bed and slid under the two lighter sheets. He turned  \nonto his right side, facing the middle of the large bed, and pulled the extra pillow to his chest. As  \nhe drifted into restful sleep, he sleepily imagined that he was holding Ellie and nuzzled the top of  \nthe pillow. He could almost imagine he smelled her warm rabbit scent mixed with the rosemary  \nshampoo.  \n\\* \\* \\*  \nThe next day, they began work on the case brought to them by the dachshund. There  \nwas a café a little ways down on the opposite side of the street from Garmann Brothers Bank,  \nand Jason and Ellie took turns pretending to write, Ellie with a keyboard accessory for her tablet  \nand Jason with his old laptop that he brought from home, while keeping an eye on the entrance  \nof the bank. Jason took the first watch, and Ellie received an email from him informing her that  \nthe Scottish terrier had entered the bank a little before nine. Ellie's shift started at one in the  \nafternoon. She had slept in in case she had to watch late and had donned a simple black t-shirt  \nto make her less conspicuous. When she arrived at the café, Jason wasn't there. She checked  \nher email and saw that Jason had informed her that the terrier had exited the bank, and he was  \nfollowing him. About half an hour later, she received another email stating that the terrier had  \ngone to a sub shop for lunch and was headed back toward the bank. A short while later, Ellie  \nsaw the terrier, who was wearing a light gray jacket and green tie, enter the bank and sent an  \nemail back to Jason to confirm.  \nPromptly, at five in the afternoon, the terrier exited the bank. Not exactly working late.  \nEllie shoved her tablet into her satchel, left the café, and followed him at a discrete distance.  \nThe bustle of people leaving work made it easy for Ellie to hide the fact she was following the  \ndog but also made it so she had to be careful not to lose him. She almost lost him once when he  \ndashed across the street in the last few seconds of the crosswalk and Ellie had to wait for the  \nsignal to change. Fortunately, he maintained his course, and Ellie was able to catch back up.  \nAfter walking several blocks, the terrier entered a bar. The sign above the window read Goat's  \nBlood Pub and depicted a glass of red liquid next to a goat's severed head. Charming.  \nEllie entered the bar and scanned the room. Inside, the bar was dimly lit with red lights.  \nHigh, black painted round tables surrounded by tall black chairs were strewn about the room.  \nThe place smelled strongly of cheap liquor and faintly of stale vomit, and the floor was sticky.  \nShe spotted the Scottish terrier alone at a table near the back. She ordered a margarita at the  \nbar and went to sit at a small table in the middle of the room, facing just to the left of the terrier  \nso that she could see him in her peripheral vision when she looked forward. Ellie sipped her  \ndrink slowly. She noticed that the terrier had already downed one ale and started another.  \nMaybe he's not cheating. Maybe he's an alcoholic. However, she assumed the dachshund  \nwould have been able to tell if her husband came home plastered every night.  \nShe had been watching about five minutes, when a gray squirrel in a blue flat cap sat  \nacross from her.  \n\"What's a beautiful lady like you doing in a dive like this?\" he asked in a gravelly, high-  \npitched voice.  \nEllie smiled politely, \"I don't know; it has a sort of ambiance to it, don't you think?\"  \nThe squirrel cackled at her remark, \"Heheheh, 'ambiance' that's good. Want me to get  \nyou another of those?\" he asked, indicating her margarita.  \n\"No thanks; I've just started this one.\" She glanced over his head to check that the terrier  \nwas still there and alone.  \nThe squirrel looked around behind him and turned back, \"Something interesting going on  \nback there?\"  \n\"I'm, uh, just seeing if my boyfriend is on his way back.\"  \nThe squirrel turned around again then turned back with a grin, \"I don't see him.\" He got  \nup and moved to the chair just to her right, scooting it as close as possible before sitting down.  \nHe put his left arm around her shoulders. \"What do you say we get out of this dump, and go  \nback to my place for some, heh, calisthenics.\"  \nEllie didn't want to get thrown out or draw attention to herself, so she turned to him  \ncalmly. \"Look,\" she murmured. \"I'm not trying to find a date right now, so why don't you go find  \nsomeone else to bother?\"  \nHe reached his left forearm up to stroke her face, and she leaned her head away from  \nhis hand.  \n\"Come on, baby; I promise you'll have a great time. I know how to please a woman.\"  \nEllie noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and darted her eyes over to see his  \nfree hand moving quickly away from her drink. Fucking rapist piece of shit!  \nEllie forced a smile to hide her rage, and tried to speak cheerfully, \"If you're as  \nexperienced as you say, then maybe I should take you up on the offer. Just let me finish my  \ndrink.\" She lifted the glass and dumped it in his lap.  \nHe jumped as the liquid splashed over him and snarled, \"What the fuck?! You bitch!\"  \nEllie gave him a death stare. \"If I weren't too busy, I'd break your neck and stuff you in a  \ngarbage can,\" she whispered. \"Now fuck off, and don't let me see you ever again. Or you'll wish  \nI hadn't.\"  \nHe gave her a fearful look, jumped out of his seat, and scurried out of the bar. Ellie  \nshook her head in disgust. She glanced back toward the terrier: he was still by himself. She took  \nout her tablet and emailed Jason, updating him and requesting that he join her to prevent more  \nunwanted attention. After ten minutes, Jason arrived and sat across from her. He was wearing a  \ndark gray dress shirt, apparently having a similar idea as Ellie on inconspicuous attire.  \n\"I see he's still by himself,\" he murmured.  \n\"And on his third beer,\" she noted. \"Do you think it's possible his wife forgot to mention  \nhe comes home shit-faced?\"  \n\"I doubt it. Maybe he has a high tolerance.\"  \nFinally, after a few more minutes, the terrier was joined by a black cat in a close-fitting,  \nshort black dress. Ellie took out her tablet and pretended to be showing Jason something as she  \nsnapped a few pictures.  \n\"Well, he is at least meeting someone,\" she murmured.  \nThe terrier slammed back his last beer, and he and the cat left the bar. Jason and Ellie  \nfollowed them. The sidewalks were still fairly busy, again making it easy for them to follow  \nunnoticed. After just a few blocks, the cat and dog entered the front of a run-down hotel. Ellie  \npulled out her tablet and quickly snapped a couple pictures of them at the front desk through the  \nglass front door before slipping back to the side of the door with Jason.  \n\"I'd say that's pretty unambiguous,\" she concluded.  \n\"We should try to get more evidence if we can. Let's get a room and see if we can get a  \nrecording of them, uh, you know.\"  \nHe opened the door, and they walked inside. The terrier and black cat were headed into  \nthe elevator. The doors closed behind them, and Ellie kept her eyes on the lights above the  \ndoors to see which floor they went to: they stopped on 4. Jason approached the front desk,  \nwhich a male opossum in a white dress shirt and black bow tie was standing behind.  \n\"We'd like a room,\" Jason told him.  \n\"No problem, one bed or two?\"  \n\"One.\"  \nThe opossum smirked, \"Cats ain't too picky, huh? Couple in before you was a cat and  \ndog, but cat and rabbit might take the cake.\"  \nJason smiled embarrassedly, \"Heh, well, uh-\"  \nEllie stepped up and put her left arm around him, \"It's his first time with a rabbit. He's a  \nlittle nervous he won't be able to keep up,\" she joked.  \nThe opossum's eyes bulged, and he burst into a raucous laugh, \"Ahahahahahaha!\" After  \nhe had settled down, he wiped his eyes and took out the scanner. He scanned Jason's left  \nhand. \"Okay, your room is five oh seven.\"  \n\"Thank you,\" Ellie replied.  \nThey headed for the elevators.  \n\"Good luck, man!\" the opossum yelled.  \nEllie noticed Jason's ears twitch. She pushed the button for the elevator. Inside the  \nelevator, Ellie hit the 4 and 5 buttons.  \n\"Their room is on level four,\" she explained.  \nJason nodded perfunctorily, avoiding her eyes.  \nEllie smirked. \"You know, if you want, we can spend the night in the room you paid for,  \njump on the bed and make some noises in case the guy at the desk gets curious.\"  \n\"The room probably has bedbugs or fleas,\" he muttered.  \nEllie gave a snort of amusement. The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, and  \nthey got out. The dirty green carpet and tan walls of the hallway stretched both to the left and  \nright. The entire place had the odor of mould and old cigarette smoke.  \n\"I'll try this way,\" Ellie told him, starting down the hall to the right.  \nJason went the other way, and Ellie went from room to room listening at the door for  \noccupants: most of the rooms seemed to be empty. In one room, she thought she heard the  \nhigh-pitched voices of some type of small rodent, and in another, she heard the clamorous  \nvoices of multiple canines but no cat. She reached the end of the hall without luck and turned  \nback to go find Jason. As she was walking back the way she'd come, he peeked around a  \ncorner up the hall and waved for her to come. Ellie hastened up the hall and found Jason  \nstanding by room 403. He nodded to the door, and Ellie listened: she heard the yappy voice of a  \nsmall dog and the smooth trill of a cat in conversation. They were talking softly, but Ellie's keen  \nears allowed her to hear their conversation.  \n\"So Reggie, I hear you've been a bad dog lately, hmm?\" the cat purred.  \n\"Yes, Lucy, I've been a very bad dog!\" the dog yapped excitedly.  \n\"As you know, bad dogs have to be punished.\"  \nEllie smirked. She leaned away from the door and whispered to Jason, \"Sounds like our  \nterrier is about to get punished.\"  \nJason blinked, looking confused, \"I didn't think it sounded like they were arguing,\" he  \nwhispered back.  \nSuddenly, there was the sharp smacking sound followed by a high-pitched yip. Jason  \nstarted and jerked his head toward the door. The first smack was followed by a series of smacks  \nand snaps, each punctuated with another yip.  \nEllie grinned amusedly at Jason, \"Punished,\" she whispered.  \nShe took out her tablet, positioned its microphone at the crack under the door, and then  \ncrouched beside it while it recorded. They stayed still to allow it to capture the noises from the  \nroom as the beating continued. At length, the smacking and yipping stopped, and the couple  \nbegan talking again. This time their voices were louder, more excited, and Ellie was able to hear  \nthem even without her ear to the door.  \n\"How do you like my claws, Reggie?\" the cat purred.  \n\"They're lovely, Lucy!\" the dog whined.  \n\"Good, I've been sharpening them just in case I met a bad dog like you.\"  \nThis was followed by a loud yipe, which was then repeated several more times as the  \ncat presumably scratched or sunk her claws into the dog.  \nEllie paused the tablet's recording and stood up. Jason was staring at the door,  \nflabbergasted. She poked him, and he started and turned his head to look at her.  \n\"Sounds like some pretty hard stuff,\" she whispered.  \nJason nodded, looking disturbed, \"Do you think that's what that black rabbit wanted me  \nto do to her?\"  \nEllie shrugged. \"I think we have enough,\" she stated.  \nShe spun around and accidentally whacked her right elbow into the door. The room on  \nthe other side went silent. Ellie froze, and made eye contact with Jason, mortified. The door flew  \nopen to reveal the black cat, green eyes wide and face twisted into a scowl.  \n\"What are you two doing out here?!\" she hissed. Her eyes went to Ellie's tablet, still open  \nto the recording program, and her ears lay back. She lunged for Ellie, \"You're a dead rabbit!\"  \nEllie dodged away, and Jason jumped between them.  \n\"Hold on! I know what it looks like, but we were collecting evidence for Reginald's wife.\"  \nThe cat stared at him, \"His wife?\" she hissed.  \nEllie pulled the photo Mrs. Clark had given them out of her satchel and held it out for the  \ncat to see. The cat examined the picture briefly. Her ears lay back again, and Ellie prepared to  \ndodge away. However, the cat spun around and slammed the door behind her as she stalked  \nangrily back into the room.  \n\"You're married?!\" her ferocious yowl blasted through the closed door.  \n\"Kitten, I can explain!\" the dog whined. \"I-I'm going to, to leave my wife! I love you!\"  \nThere was a loud hiss followed by the dog yelping and howling in pain and terror.  \nJason stared at the door in horror, \"Fangs of Cerberus!\" he gasped. \"Should we call the  \npolice?\"  \nEllie shrugged. \"He was a bad dog, and now he's being punished. That's what he  \nwanted, isn't it?\"  \nJason looked at her in disbelief.  \n\"We can let the guy at the front desk handle it,\" she amended.  \nThey went back downstairs, and Ellie stepped up to the front desk.  \n\"Wore him out already?!\" the opossum gasped.  \n\"Not quite,\" she replied nonchalantly. \"But I think you should check on the couple in four  \noh three. I think one of them might be ripping the other's pelt off.\"  \nThe opossum frowned worriedly and hastened to the elevator.  \nEllie turned to Jason, \"See, he'll take care of it,\" she assured him calmly. \"Let's go.\"  \nThey headed back to the office to call Mrs. Clark and give her the bad news.  \n\\* \\* \\*  \nJack tromped angrily down the dark sidewalk. He was angry that he had wasted his  \nrohypnol on that cunt rabbit, but he was even more angry at himself for being frightened by her  \nidle threats. He should have known there was no way she'd actually have the guts to attack him.  \nHowever, she was easily twice his size, and her threats had scared him enough that he had  \nspent the next couple hours hiding down an alley in case she changed her mind and decided to  \ncome after him. He kicked an empty beer can out into the street. He'd get more drugs and find a  \nless attentive victim. Maybe he'd try another rabbit, a stupider looking one. He grinned viciously  \nas he imagined leading the stupefied bunny back to his apartment where she wouldn't be able  \nto resist, where he could do anything he wanted to her. He was so lost in reverie that he didn't  \neven see the wolverine until he bumped into him.  \n\"Watch it, you stupid fuck!\" Jack growled.  \nHis head exploded with pain as a heavy fist slammed into it, knocking him senseless.  \nWhen he regained his consciousness in the brightly lit room of stone and concrete that smelled  \nof antiseptic, he soon wished he hadn't.  \n\\* \\* \\*  \nJason stepped through his front door into his living room and proceeded to the stairs to  \nput his laptop back in his room. He had let Ellie make the call to Mrs. Clark, but he had still been  \nable to hear her howling from across the room. He felt horrible for the dog having her life turned  \nupside-down by her husband's infidelity, all because he wanted to be tortured by a feline  \nmistress. Jason didn't really get the desire to be tortured by someone, but if anything, he  \nunderstood the desire to do the torturing even less. Why would it please you to see someone  \nyou cared about in pain? He found the idea that the black rabbit from the speed dating might  \nhave wanted him to similarly hurt her highly disturbing. He almost wanted to call her in hopes of  \nfinding out that wasn't the case, but he decided he should just leave it. If that's what she  \nwanted, it seemed there were cats out there willing to provide it; although, maybe the problem  \nwas finding a cat willing to date a rabbit to start with.  \nJason slipped his laptop case under his bed and went back downstairs to the kitchen to  \nfix dinner. He sliced up a couple chicken filets and sautéed them in Roman dressing. When the  \nmeat was finished cooking, he dumped it onto a white plate, grabbed a fork from the silverware  \ndrawer, and took it over to his rectangular, oak dining table, which had four matching oak chairs.  \nHe sat at the end facing away from the kitchen while he quickly ate his food. When he was  \ndone, he drank a glass of water and then washed all of the dishes and utensils he had just used  \nand put them in the drying rack. While he was drying his hands on the red and white striped  \nkitchen towel, his phone rang. He hurried out to the living room to answer it.  \n\"Hello? This is Jason Brown.\"  \n\"Hi, Jason! This is Rosa, the chihuahua you met yesterday.\"  \n\"Hi, Rosa. How are you?\"  \n\"I'm great, Jason. Anyway, I'm calling because I'd like to meet you again sometime soon.  \nMaybe for dinner tomorrow?\"  \n\"Sure, that works for me. Did you have someplace in mind?\"  \n\"Yeah, there's a romantic Roman restaurant in downtown called Miniati's. Have you  \nbeen there?\"  \n\"I have; it's good.\" As long as you aren't a herbivore.  \n\"Cool. Why don't we meet there around, say, six o'clock?\"  \n\"That works for me. Should I make reservations?\"  \n\"If you want, thanks.\"  \n\"Alright, then I'll see you then, Rosa. Have a good night.\"  \n\"You too, Jason. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Bye for now.\" The  \nother end hung up and Jason set down the phone.  \nEllie certainly would be excited to hear that he had a date, and he was at least cautiously  \noptimistic himself. Rosa had seemed friendly enough yesterday, and she was pretty, as far as  \ndogs went anyway. He didn't think Ellie was right about him pining over Lily: particularly after  \nwhat she had done to Ellie, Jason felt like he barely knew the bobcat anymore. However, it  \nwould still be good to be in a relationship again. It would be good to have someone to confide in  \nand to go out with, someone besides Ellie anyway. As much as he cared for his friend and  \npartner, she wasn't someone he could have a romantic relationship with: she was a rabbit after  \nall.  \nJason went to his bedroom to groom himself and then to the bathroom to brush his  \nteeth. After reading another chapter of The Devils of Loudun, he lay down and hugged his extra  \npillow. The idea of his date tomorrow filled him with nervous anticipation, and it was sometime  \nbefore he was able to settle his mind and fall asleep.  \n\\* \\* \\*  \nJason's alarm woke him at 6:00. He jumped out of bed and stepped over to his closet to  \nget dressed. Remembering Ellie's recommendation about showing off his stripes, he donned a  \nwhite shirt collar and maroon and gold striped tie. Then he went downstairs for a leisurely  \nbreakfast of coffee, turkey link sausage, and whole wheat toast. After going back upstairs to  \nbrush his teeth, he snagged his phone off of the tv stand and headed to work, arriving before  \neight. He checked the answering machine: there were no messages. He took the mug he kept  \nat work to grab another cup of coffee and the daily Maplesburg Gazette, returning to work by  \n8:30. Ellie had yet to arrive. He sat reading until, a little after nine, she came in wearing one of  \nher button up short-sleeved blouses, this one light blue.  \n\"Good morning, Ellie,\" he greeted her as she stepped through the door.  \n\"Good morning, Jason. No disasters yet this morning, I hope.\"  \n\"No anything so far, but I do have some news for you. The chihuahua I talked to the  \nother day called me last night. She and I are going to dinner this evening.\"  \nEllie grinned. \"That's fantastic, Jason! And just think, I had to practically drag you to the  \nspeed dating. How are you ever going to repay me?\"  \nJason rolled his eyes. \"I don't know. Clean your apartment like you didn't want me to do  \nbefore?\"  \n\"That'd be a start,\" she quipped. She went to sit at her desk. \"You know, if I called one of  \nthe guys I met, we could go together, make it a double date.\"  \nJason frowned. \"I don't know about that, Ellie. They wouldn't know each other, so they'd  \neach be meeting three new people while we'd only be meeting two. I think that would make it  \npretty awkward. Besides, she wanted to go to Miniati's, so we'd have to change the venue.\"  \n\"I guess you're right, but you have to introduce me to her soon.\"  \n\"That's assuming the date goes well,\" Jason reminded.  \n\"How could it not go well? She clearly knows a handsome kitty when she sees one, and  \nif you gave her your number, then I assume you thought she seemed nice.\"  \n\"I just hope I don't bore her,\" Jason admitted.  \n\"Just tell her all about the carnivore cults; that should lead to a lively discussion.\"  \n\"Or she'll think I'm a nutter like the guy who tried to warn you about Cthulhu.\"  \n\"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to think of a topic, or you can let her pick one. Either way,  \nI'm sure she'll be thrilled to have made such a catch.\"  \nJason felt his ears getting warm and resisted the urge to flick them, which would give  \naway his embarrassment. He let his tail flip behind his desk instead. Being a dog's catch had  \nsome implications he didn't care to think about.  \n\"We'll see how it goes,\" he concluded noncommittally.  \nThe rest of the day was fairly uneventful. No one called or came to the office with a case.  \nAfter lunch Ellie informed Jason that she had gone ahead and called the hare she'd met to set  \nup her own date.  \n\"We're going to an Ethiopian restaurant. Then there was a movie in theaters that he  \nthought I'd like to see, so we are also going to that,\" she told him.  \n\"Sounds like fun. How did you decide who to call first?\"  \n\"I flipped a coin.\"  \nJason smirked, \"Well, I hope you like the lucky hare. If he doesn't like you, there's  \nsomething wrong with him. You're brilliant.\"  \nEllie smiled, \"I'm glad you think so, Jason. Sometimes I think I'm an idiot. Most rabbits  \nwould have the good sense to stay away from an angry bobcat for example.\"  \n\"What Lily did was inexcusable,\" Jason countered. \"Being smaller than someone doesn't  \nmake it wrong to stand up for yourself or your convictions.\"  \n\"Being in the right might be a small consolation if I were bleeding out on the floor, but I'm  \nglad I have your support, Jason.\"  \n\"Always, Ellie. You'll always have my support,\" he averred.  \nEllie smirked, \"That turned into an awfully serious conversation, but you'll always have  \nmy support too, Jason. That's what friends and partners are for.\"  \nAt half past five, they headed out of the office to their respective dates.  \n\"Good luck!\" Ellie called as they went their separate ways.  \n\"Good luck to you too!\" Jason called back.  \nWhen Jason arrived at Miniati's he was greeted by the same whippet as the previous  \nweek.  \n\"I have a reservation for two under the name Brown,\" Jason told him.  \nThe whippet nodded, \"Your table is ready. Your rabbit friend won't be joining you tonight,  \nI assume.\"  \n\"No, she won't. I'm expecting a chihuahua. Is she here?\"  \n\"Not yet, sir.\"  \nThe whippet directed him to his table, and Jason sat to wait for Rosa. He guessed that  \nshe was right about the restaurant being a romantic setting with its soft lighting and candles at  \nthe mahogany tables. After a short while, Jason saw the whippet leading Rosa back to the table.  \nShe was wearing a short, sleeveless red dress with a ruffled bottom and carrying a brown tote  \npurse. He waved, and she waved back. The whippet left, and she sat down across from him.  \n\"Hey, it's great to see you again!\" she greeted happily.  \n\"It's nice to see you too. How have you been today?\"  \n\"Anxious. I half expected that you wouldn't show up.\"  \nJason couldn't think what he might have said to make her think he wouldn't come, so he  \nassumed it was just general nerves. \"Well, we're both here now, so we don't have to worry  \nabout that anymore.\"  \n\"Yeah, so how about you? How was your day?\"  \n\"Work was slow, no new cases today.\"  \n\"Were you nervous about our date?\"  \n\"A little, but I never thought you wouldn't come.\"  \n\"Well, that's obvious. A dog wouldn't run away from a cat; that'd be absurd.\"  \nJason blinked. \"I guess so.\" He decided not to bring up any examples of when that might  \nvery well happen; though, he found the statement particularly silly coming from a dog who was  \nsmaller than he was. \"So, uh, have you come here many times?\"  \n\"Quite a few times. It's a little pricey, but the food is delicious. And I love the atmosphere.  \nYou?\"  \n\"I've been here several times with my friend Fitzie. It's one of his favorites. Although, the  \nlast time we made the mistake of inviting Ellie. She's a rabbit, and it turns out there isn't a single  \nsuitable item on the menu. The craziest part was that, when she asked if they could make her  \nanything, they just brought her a plate of raw carrots!\"  \n\"Rabbits eat carrots, don't they?\"  \n\"Well, yes, but you don't go to a Roman restaurant to get raw vegetables you can buy at  \nthe store. I thought it was pretty unreasonable for them not to try to make her something.\"  \n\"If you ask me, it's unreasonable to show up at a restaurant and expect them to make  \nyou something that's not on the menu.\"  \nJason frowned, \"Well, maybe, but it was Fitzie who wanted to come here, and we didn't  \nrealize they wouldn't have anything. It wasn't Ellie's fault.\"  \n\"It must be tough having a herbivore for a friend, always having to check whether you  \ncan go someplace and tiptoeing around the fact that they'd be on the table if it weren't for the  \nscientific miracle of lab-grown meat.\"  \nJason felt a bit sick to his stomach. He'd never once viewed Ellie as a potential meal,  \nand the suggestion that it was something you had to actively avoid was very disturbing. \"We've  \nhad it for nearly three centuries though!\" he protested. \"Don't you think we've gotten to the point  \nwhere that's not how most people think?\"  \nRosa shrugged, \"Instinct is instinct. I'm sure you had plenty of instruction when you were  \nyoung on how to control those instincts. I know I did, but that doesn't mean they went away.  \nMaybe you're better at burying them than most people, but if you were starving, do you really  \nthink they wouldn't take over?\"  \n\"If it were Ellie, I wouldn't let them! I'd rather die.\"  \n\"Well, I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't be willing to die for your friend. That's  \nup to you, but I wouldn't be ready to sacrifice my life for a rabbit.\"  \nJason didn't know how to respond further. He thought it was time to get off of this  \ndisturbing topic, and he definitely wasn't going to include this conversation in the details when  \nEllie wanted to know how his date had gone. Fortunately, he was rescued by the waiter, a stoat  \nin a long mauve vest.  \n\"Are you ready to order?\" she asked.  \n\"Sorry, I'm going to need a few more minutes,\" Jason answered.  \n\"Can I get you anything to drink besides water?\"  \n\"I'll have your cabernet sauvignon,\" Rosa replied.  \n\"I'll have a glass of that as well, thanks,\" Jason added.  \nHe spent the next few minutes looking at the menu. He finally decided on the lasagna.  \nWhen the stoat returned, he ordered that while Rosa ordered the chicken parmesan.  \n\"So why don't you tell me something fun about yourself?\" Rosa suggested. \"Like, what  \nwas the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?\"  \nI'm definitely not ready to tell her about why I dropped out of the police academy yet. It's  \nfar from a 'fun' story anyway. He tried to think of something else. \"Okay, uh, this was back when  \nI was in grade school. We were studying river ecosystems in science class, and we took a trip  \ndown to the river to see it firsthand. Anyway, I got too close to the edge, and the bank gave way.  \nWhen I fell in the water, I thought I was going to drown. I was yowling and thrashing around, and  \nMr. Greenwald, our teacher who was a red squirrel, had to jump in and pull me out. The thing  \nwas that the water was hardly moving and only as high as my knees, which became obvious  \nwhen he jumped in, so everyone laughed.\"  \n\"I take it you're not fond of water.\"  \n\"I hate getting wet,\" he confirmed.  \n\"I suppose you wash yourself with your tongue then.\"  \n\"Uh, yeah, that's right,\" he admitted a bit nervously.  \n\"I think that's pretty typical for cats. I like a nice soak in the tub myself.\"  \nJason smiled in relief. \"I'm glad that doesn't bother you. When Ellie found out, she was  \nso horrified that she made me take a shower immediately. It was terrible.\"  \nRosa gave him a confused look, \"How did she do that?\"  \n\"Well, I was staying in her apartment at the time. She only had to drag me from the  \nbedroom to the bathroom.\"  \nRosa's eyes widened, \"Oh?\"  \n\"Ah, okay, I see how that sounds. Uh, it's a bit of an embarrassing story as well actually.  \nSee, last week I was working on a case, and I worked myself to exhaustion. Fitzie and Ellie had  \nto drag me to her place to recover.\"  \n\"So then she took advantage of your incapacitated state to give you a shower? That  \nseems kind of mean.\"  \n\"Er, no, I was pretty well by the time she made me take a shower. I could have resisted,  \nbut I didn't want to fight about it.\"  \nRosa shook her head, \"I see why you went with the story about falling in the river. If I'd  \nlet a rabbit less than half my size put me through something I hated, I wouldn't want to tell  \nanyone about it either.\"  \nJason felt his ears getting hot and flicked them. He hadn't intended that to be the  \nembarrassing part of the story. The waiter returned with their wine, so he let it end there, taking  \na sip of his. Rosa sipped hers too.  \n\"It's only fair that I tell you at least one embarrassing story after you told both of those.  \nLet's see. Uh, okay, when I was in grade school, I liked to eat my pencils. Then I'd get in trouble  \nfor not having any, so I started stealing other students' pencils during recess. Our teacher, Mrs.  \nBlaker, got suspicious about all of the pencils going missing and set up a camera to record the  \nroom. Then she played the tape for the whole class. I was mortified.\"  \n\"I can imagine. That sounds like an awful experience. She could have reviewed the tape  \nherself and talked to you in private instead of resorting to public shaming.\"  \n\"It taught me a lesson though. I didn't eat anyone's pencils after that. Anyway, I don't  \nthink it even comes close to your story, so I guess you win.\"  \nJason wasn't sure it was a contest he'd wanted to win. \"You said you work in marketing,  \nright? What for?\"  \n\"Buukomart, you know, the supermarket. I don't expect you to be interested, so you don't  \nneed to pretend to be. It'd be weird if you were, honestly.\"  \n\"Erhem, right.\" With that topic exhausted, Jason wasn't sure what to bring up next.  \nMaybe he should take Ellie's advice and bring up the carnivore cults, but after her comments on  \ninstincts and tiptoeing around herbivores, he didn't think Rosa would be very receptive. She'd  \nprobably consider it prey hysteria.  \nThe waiter brought their dinners, so Jason pretended to be very intent on his in hopes  \nthat she'd bring up a new topic. However, Rosa seemed content to eat in silence.  \n\"Are you enjoying yours?\" he asked after they'd been eating a few minutes.  \nRosa swallowed a bite, \"It's delicious as always. How about yours?\"  \n\"It's excellent.\" Another topic exhausted.  \nThey ate quietly a few more minutes before Jason tried again.  \n\"Have you, uh, dated a cat before?\"  \n\"No, I dated a fox once, but otherwise I've always dated canines. Have you dated a dog  \nbefore?\"  \nJason shook his head, \"No, my last girlfriend was a bobcat, and before that there were  \njust a couple of cats I dated briefly in high school.\"  \n\"I'm a huge change for you then, huh?\" She grinned. \"We'll be figuring out how this cat  \nand dog thing works together. It's kind of exciting.\"  \nJason smiled too, \"Yeah, I guess it is.\"  \nJason decided that if she was comfortable eating in silence, he wouldn't try to force  \nconversation again. He focused on his food but occasionally looked up to see how his date was  \nfaring. He noticed that she cut her food into dainty bites and seemed to enjoy each thoroughly. It  \nwas very different from his admittedly limited experiences with other dogs, who he had observed  \ntended to wolf down their food.  \nWhen they had finished eating, the stoat returned to collect their plates. \"Would you like  \nany dessert?\" she inquired.  \n\"I'll have the vanilla cake,\" Rosa answered.  \nThe stoat looked at Jason.  \n\"Uh, none for me, thanks.\"  \nThe stoat left, and Rosa frowned at him.  \n\"Now I'm going to feel like a pig eating cake in front of you.\"  \n\"Sorry, I never eat dessert,\" Jason explained. \"Don't worry about it. I'm used to Ellie  \neating sweet stuff in front of me all the time.\"  \nThe stoat returned with Rosa's cake, and left again.  \n\"Are you sure you don't want some?\" Rosa asked.  \n\"No thanks. Cats can't really taste sweetness, so I wouldn't really enjoy it.\"  \n\"I didn't know that! It's awful that you miss out on so many foods!\"  \nJason shrugged, \"It's not really good for us anyway, so I guess it just removes the  \ntemptation to eat what we shouldn't.\"  \n\"I guess,\" Rosa answered skeptically. She ate a bite of her cake.  \nWhile Rosa was still enjoying her cake, the stoat returned with the bill. Jason tried not to  \ngrimace at the price. I should have skipped the wine.  \nHe looked at Rosa. \"Did you want to split the bill?\"  \n\"You can take care of it.\"  \nJason frowned, \"I think it would be more fair if we split it,\" he amended.  \n\"Okay.\"  \n\"We'd like to split the bill,\" Jason told the stoat when she returned.  \nShe punched a few buttons then scanned each of their left hands. \"Have a good night.  \nHope to see you back again soon,\" she stated before taking Rosa's empty cake plate and  \nleaving.  \nI guess the date is over. Jason scooted out his chair, and looked at Rosa, \"Well, uh, it's  \nbeen-\"  \n\"Why don't you come back to my house for a little while?\" Rosa suggested.  \nJason's eyes went wide, and his ears felt warm. \"Uh, well uh, I don't know if-\"  \n\"Relax, kitty cat. I'm not going to bite you, and I wasn't suggesting we have sex yet  \neither. I thought it would be nice to chat more in a more private setting.\"  \nJason felt a wave of relief, \"Okay, that would be nice.\"  \nShe pulled a pen and scrap of paper out her tote and wrote down her address. \"In case,  \nwe get separated during the drive,\" she stated as she slid it to him.  \nHe took the paper, and they both stood up. He followed her out to the door.  \n\"My car is right over there,\" she told him, nodding down the street to the right.  \n\"My office is close, so I walked over. You can go ahead, and I'll be behind you in a few  \nminutes.\"  \n\"Okay, see you when you get there then.\" She turned and trotted to her car.  \nJason started the other way back to the office building. The sun was partially obscured  \nby clouds as it dipped below the rooftops, and there were dark clouds moving in from the North.  \nJason frowned at the clouds worriedly. The forecast this morning had said there was a chance  \nof severe thunderstorms tonight. The loud thunder always stressed him out. He returned to the  \nparking garage, put the address into his GPS, and drove to Rosa's house.  \nRosa's house was constructed of red bricks and had a forest green front door and roof,  \nwhich appeared to be painted metal. When Jason pulled into the driveway, he thought the  \nhouse looked rather large. At the door he soon realized that the house was indeed not  \nconstructed for a person of his size: he had to jump to reach the doorbell. Is this the right place?  \nRosa answered the door, still wearing the red dress.  \n\"Your house is so big!\" Jason commented.  \n\"Yeah, it's suitable for a much larger dog. It's good for when my other dog friends visit.  \nThey don't have to worry about hitting their heads on the doorways.\"  \nShe led him into the entryway. Wood stairs extended upward to the right, and the floor  \nwas also made of varnished wood.  \n\"There's a bathroom to the left if you need it,\" she told him.  \nHe shook his head.  \n\"The living room is back this way then.\" She led him through a short hall straight back  \nfrom the entryway.  \nAt the end there were three doorways. The doorway to the left led to the black tile  \nfloored kitchen while the one straight ahead held a long dining table with eight chairs, and the  \ndoorway to the right led to the red-violet carpeted living room. Rosa led him into the living room  \nand sat on the large dark brown sofa. There were a few other mismatched pieces of furniture of  \nvarious sizes spread around the room including a small light blue armchair, a large purple  \nrecliner, and a dark walnut rocking chair. The walls were painted dark gray with windows along  \nthe left and back sides, and the room was lit primarily by a dome-shaped light fixture in the  \nmiddle of the white ceiling; though, there were also tall stainless-steel lamps with gray shades  \nstanding by the armchair and recliner. Rosa patted the cushion next to her, and Jason followed  \nher over to jump up onto the couch.  \n\"You must like to entertain,\" he remarked.  \nRosa nodded, \"I like to hang out with my friends on the weekends. We take turns  \nhosting. I'll have to introduce you to them before too long.\" She smirked, \"They're going to be  \npretty surprised when they find out I'm dating a cat.\"  \nBeing in a room with a bunch of surprised dogs, some of whom would undoubtedly be  \nmuch larger than him if the size of the furniture was anything to go by, was not something Jason  \nwas looking forward to.  \n\"Ellie told me I'd have to introduce you to her soon too.\"  \n\"Fair enough,\" Rosa replied. \"What about your other friends? I know you mentioned at  \nleast one other. What are they?\"  \n\"Fitzie is a ferret, and he's about it actually. I've never had a big group of friends that I  \nhung out with.\"  \n\"At least, of two friends, one of them is another carnivore,\" Rosa commented.  \nJason blinked, \"Why does that matter?\"  \n\"It would just be weird if you spent all your time with a bunch of herbivores.\"  \nJason frowned, \"Why?\"  \n\"It would be like, like you were ashamed to be a carnivore and were overcompensating  \nfor it.\"  \nJason didn't see how that would be the case. It wasn't like he went out trying to make  \nfriends of particular species. He made friends with the people around him who he found he  \nconnected with. It's definitely a good thing I didn't bring up the carnivore cults. Rosa might have  \ntaken his assertion that they existed as some kind of self-loathing.  \n\"If all or most of your friends are dogs, what does that mean? That you're really proud to  \nbe a dog?\"  \n\"I am. Aren't you proud to be a cat?\"  \n\"I'm comfortable with it. But then if you date a cat, does that mean you're less proud to  \nbe a dog?\"  \nRosa frowned, \"No, but that's just one cat among many friends. It would be different if  \nevery one of my friends were a cat.\"  \n\"Then it would suggest you were ashamed to be a dog and would rather be a cat?\"  \n\"Yeah.\"  \nJason shook his head, \"I guess we just fundamentally disagree on what your friends say  \nabout you.\"  \n\"So then you think that a cat with a dozen rabbit friends and no others isn't ashamed to  \nbe a cat and doesn't wish they were a rabbit?\"  \n\"I wouldn't make that assumption, no.\"  \nRosa grinned, \"I knew that dating a cat would mean getting to know someone with  \ndifferent perspectives, but I didn't think we'd have such different perspectives when it came to  \nprey. It's really interesting!\"  \nJason was less happy that they disagreed on what he viewed as basic principles of  \ninterspecies friendships, but he guessed that it was good that Rosa viewed it more as a point of  \ninterest than a reason for animosity.  \n\"So what else did you want to talk about?\" Jason asked.  \n\"How about your past relationships? Were any of them serious?\"  \n\"The one with the bobcat was very serious. I thought it was going to last the rest of my  \nlife until it didn't. She ended it, but it was my fault too.\"  \n\"Ouch, it must have been hard breaking up with someone who you were that committed  \nto,\" she replied sympathetically.  \nJason nodded.  \n\"Have you ever thought about trying to get back together with her?\"  \n\"I used to wish I could, but that was a long time ago. I still see her occasionally, but I feel  \nlike I hardly know her anymore.\"  \n\"How long ago was it that you broke up with her?\"  \n\"Uh, it must be over five years now.\"  \nSurprised, \"Five years! Didn't you say that was your last relationship?\"  \n\"Uh, yeah, it was,\" he admitted.  \n\"So all this time you've been doing what? Just keeping busy with work? Moping about  \nyour breakup?\"  \n\"Focusing on work. If you ask Ellie, she'll probably tell you it's the moping.\"  \n\"Maybe 'Ellie' is right. I've had some bad breakups, but none kept me from looking for a  \nnew partner for more than a few months.\"  \n\"It's a little hypocritical coming from Ellie. I can't remember her having more than a  \ncouple of brief relationships the entire time I've known her.\"  \n\"How long has that been?\"  \n\"Five years, almost exactly.\"  \n\"Also five years? Before or after you broke up with the bobcat?\"  \n\"A little while after.\"  \n\"And Ellie is, uh, just your friend?\"  \n\"She's also my business partner. She's the reason I decided to become a private  \ninvestigator actually.\"  \n\"Which means you're with her several hours, what, five days a week?\"  \nHe nodded. Then he remembered his and Ellie's plans and amended it. \"I guess it might  \nactually be six days a week going forward. Ellie and I decided it might be nice to meet up on  \nSaturdays to do some non-work related stuff.\"  \nRosa looked at him silently for a few seconds. \"So the rabbit who you'd be willing to die  \nfor, who you bring up at every turn, who you'll let torment you, who you spend more waking  \nhours with than most married couples probably spend together, is just your friend and business  \npartner.\" She punctuated her summary with a dubious look.  \nJason shifted uncomfortably under her prying gaze. \"I, uh, don't know what you want me  \nto say. We're close friends.\"  \n\"So the two of you have never had sex, huh?\" she asked bluntly.  \n\"No! I'm not attracted to rabbits!\"  \nShe nodded, seeming satisfied. \"It sounds like she's lucky to have you as a friend. If you  \never care about me that much, I'll know we have something special.\"  \nJason almost protested that he was the lucky one to have Ellie as a friend, but he  \nrealized that wouldn't exactly reassure Rosa that he wasn't in love with Ellie. Which he wasn't.  \nRight? He suddenly felt the need to reassure himself. He looked at Rosa: she was an attractive  \ndog, someone he could easily see himself in a romantic relationship with. He leaned toward her  \nand rubbed his cheek against hers.  \n\"Oh, so that's the cheeking thing cats do when they like you!\" she said, sounding  \npleased. She leaned toward him, nuzzled his left ear, and then gave it a lick.  \nThe lick sent tingles down his left side, and her tongue left a wet, slimy feeling. Jason  \nresisted the urge to wipe it off.  \nShe ran a hand down his chest. \"You're so sleek, and your fur is so soft,\" she  \ncomplimented. She wrapped her right arm around his back and laid her head on his shoulder.  \n\"You smell nice too.\"  \nJason breathed her scent and immediately wished he hadn't. Though it was masked by  \nsome floral fragrance, he could still smell her underlying dog smell, a sickly musk that reminded  \nhim of damp dirty laundry. He held back a gag: it wasn't her fault she smelled like a dog. At least  \nshe hasn't smeared anything gross on herself. He put his left arm around her and tried to enjoy  \nher closeness and warmth. It was easier when it was someone he was more comfortable  \naround, like Ellie.  \nRosa sat up and slid off the couch. \"Let me just take this awkward thing off.\" She turned  \nher back toward him. \"Can you get the zipper?\"  \nHe unzipped the back, and she pulled the dress down and stepped out of it before  \nclimbing back onto the couch.  \nShe narrowed her eyes and grinned, \"Now where were we, kitty cat?\"  \nShe grabbed his tie and pulled him down onto his back before lying beside him, facing  \nhim on her side. Still holding his tie, she scooted forward until her mouth was level with his ear.  \nShe reached her arms up to hold his head between her hands and began to gently gnaw and  \nlick his left ear. He grimaced as his ear was soaked with her drool. He tried to sit up to pull his  \nhead away, but she held it firmly.  \n\"Don't be scared, kitty cat. I won't bite you,\" she crooned.  \nJason was afraid to use force to get away with her teeth around his ear, so he endured  \nthe unpleasant experience. After what seemed like several minutes, she rolled herself so that  \nshe was partly on top of him with her chest against his left shoulder. She licked him from his  \nnose up between his eyes then smiled down at him while rubbing his cheeks with her hands.  \n\"I like you, kitty cat. Will you be my kitty cat?\" she murmured.  \n\"Well, uh, I, um-\"  \n\"Shh, just say, 'Yes,'.\"  \n\"I, uh, have to use the bathroom,\" he lied.  \nShe let him go and sat up. \"Don't be long. I'll be waiting for your answer.\"  \nJason hurried out into the entryway and headed for the front door. He'd made a mistake  \ntrying to date a dog: they were too smelly and far too drooly. He stood on his tiptoes to reach  \nthe handle and pulled open the door.  \nCRACK-BOOM! Lightning turned the darkness into blinding light and thunder shook the  \nsky, immediately followed by a deluge of rain. Jason jumped, slammed the door, and dashed  \nback to the living room, looking for a place to hide.  \n\"Oh no! Did the thunder scare you?\" Rosa asked, concerned. She slid off the couch and  \nran up to wrap her arms around him. \"Poor kitty cat. Come back to the couch. I'll protect you.\"  \nShe led him back up onto the couch, where she lay him on his back and lay beside him,  \nholding his head against her chest. She stroked his head with her left hand while holding it with  \nher right arm. There was another close explosion of thunder, and he started.  \n\"Shh, you're okay. I've got you.\" She nuzzled him between the ears.  \nThe rain pounded against the metal roof, and the booming and rumbling continued.  \nThere didn't seem to be much sign of the storm letting up. Jason didn't want to go outside in the  \nstorm, but he also didn't want to stay.  \nRosa seemed to sense his distress and tried to comfort him, \"Don't worry, kitty cat. I  \nwon't make you go out in the storm. You can sleep on my couch if you need to.\"  \nAt length, her stroking and the sound of her gentle breathing did begin to soothe Jason's  \nnerves. He even realized that he didn't notice her smell as much as he had at first. Maybe he  \nhad been too hasty to dismiss her. She was obviously quite attracted to him, and he could ask  \nher not to put his ear in her mouth again. He turned his head to nuzzle her chest then leaned his  \nhead back to look up at her. She was smiling at him affectionately, her brown eyes half closed.  \n\"Are you feeling better now?\" she asked.  \n\"Yes, thank you.\"  \nShe sat up, and he sat up too.  \n\"So have you decided on your answer?\" she inquired.  \n\"To what?\"  \n\"Whether you'll be my kitty cat.\"  \n\"For a while at least, to see where our relationship leads.\"  \n\"Good, then I'd like you to hold me now.\" She nodded toward the end of the couch.  \n\"Lean against the arm.\"  \nHe scooted to the end of the couch and turned to sit with his back against the arm of the  \ncouch. She followed him over, squeezed in between his legs, and sat back with her head  \nagainst his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and she sighed contentedly and closed her  \neyes. It had been a long time since Jason had held someone so intimately. He watched her  \nchest rise and fall and took in the comforting warmth of her body pressed against his. Warm  \naffection for the dog began to rise in his chest, and he hugged her closer. She sighed happily,  \nand he bent his head down to wash the top of her head, licking between and around her ears  \nbefore grooming the ears themselves. As he washed, he began to purr contentedly.  \nShe opened her eyes, \"I never thought I'd have a cat purr for me. I'm glad I met you,  \nJason.\"  \nShe closed her eyes again, settled back even more contentedly, and reached her right  \nhand up and grasped his left hand. After Jason had finished washing the top of her head, he  \nsniffed her: she smelled more familiar now infused with part of his own scent. Her chest was  \nrising and falling rhythmically, and he couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep. He watched her a  \nwhile longer then closed his own eyes, just focusing on her warmth and closeness.  \nHe wasn't sure whether he fell asleep or not, but he suddenly noticed that the sounds of  \nthe storm had stopped. He nuzzled Rosa's head.  \n\"Rosa, the storm has stopped. I think I should be heading home,\" he murmured.  \nShe opened her eyes. \"What was that?\" she asked sleepily.  \n\"The storm's over. I should go home.\"  \nShe nodded, \"Alright.\"  \nShe put her hands on his legs and pushed herself up to get her feet underneath her. She  \nstood and stretched. Jason couldn't help but notice the close view it gave him of her butt.  \nShe turned her head to look at him slyly, \"Maybe next time, kitty cat,\" she teased.  \nShe hopped off of the couch, and Jason turned to slide off himself. She led him to the  \nfront door then turned and took him by the arms.  \n\"Thanks so much for coming, Jason. I can't wait to see you again!\" She licked him on the  \nnose.  \nJason rubbed his cheek against hers. \"I'll be looking forward to our next date too.\"  \nShe let go of him and turned to open the door, standing on tiptoes to reach the handle.  \nJason stepped out into the cool, cloudy night. Only the light from the doorway and a  \nneighbor's porch light lit the wet driveway.  \nHe turned to wave before heading to his car at the end of the driveway, \"Goodnight,  \nRosa.\"  \n\"Goodnight, Jason.\"  \nAs he backed the car out of the driveway, he could see Rosa still watching, silhouetted  \nin the doorway. Tomorrow he was hanging out with Ellie, and he was glad that he would be able  \nto tell her his date had gone well.  \n\\* \\* \\*  \nThe hare, Harvey, was already waiting when Ellie arrived at the Ethiopian restaurant. He  \nhad the typical brown and white fur and black-tipped ears and was wearing a gray blazer. She  \nnoticed that there were already a pair of salads at the table.  \n\"Hi, have you been here long?\" she asked.  \nHe glanced at his wristwatch, \"Twelve minutes.\"  \n\"Sorry, I see you ordered us salads.\"  \nHe bobbed his head, \"I went ahead and ordered our meals as well. We don't want to be  \nlate for the movie.\"  \nEllie blinked. She tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice, \"What did you order?\"  \n\"The atkilt and the shiro. If you don't like one, I'll eat that one, or we can share because  \nyou eat it with the injera.\"  \n\"Yes, I'm aware. I've been here before.\" She sat across from him in the green painted  \naluminum chair at the small maple table, placing her satchel in her lap.  \nThe small restaurant was brightly lit by two large bay windows out onto the sidewalk and  \nby bright lights in blue broad cone-shaped fixtures that hung from the white ceiling. The walls  \nwere also painted white and the floor was worn and sandy colored wood. The dining area  \ncontained a couple other small tables and two larger tables; all but one small table were  \noccupied. Ellie took a bite of her salad, which was lettuce and carrots with some sweet, citrusy  \nvinaigrette.  \n\"So remind me, you work for a bank, right?\" she asked.  \n\"Garmann Brothers, yes.\"  \n\"Garmann Brothers! You wouldn't be interested in meeting a cat who'll really sink her  \nclaws into you, would you?\"  \nHe looked at her aghast. \"Pits of Tartarus, no! Why would you even ask that?!\"  \nEllie grinned, \"Just a bit of a joke, sorry.\"  \nHe stared at her disapprovingly, \"There's nothing funny about getting ripped to shreds by  \na cat.\"  \nEllie frowned, \"I wasn't suggesting 'ripped to shreds', but whatever.\" She ate another bite  \nof salad. \"So, what movie are we going to?\"  \n\"I want it to be a surprise.\"  \n\"Surprises are fun, but I don't see what the difference is going to be if you tell me now or  \nif I hear you say, 'Two for Such-and-such.' at the ticket counter.\"  \n\"Fine, we're going to A Summertime Fancy.\"  \n\"What's that?\"  \n\"If you've never heard of it, then that can be the surprise.\"  \nEllie hoped it would be a good surprise, but the banal title wasn't promising. \"Okay, uh,  \ndo you listen to any podcasts?\"  \n\"Podcasts?\"  \n\"I'll take that as a no. A podcast is a recorded discussion. It's often audio only. You can  \nfind people who discuss all kinds of interesting things. My favorite is Cat and Mouse Cast.\"  \n\"Interesting,\" he said with obvious disinterest.  \nEllie frowned. She'd remembered him being more conversable at the speed dating. \"Do  \nyou like to read then? Anything I should check out?\"  \n\"Peter Pan,\" he answered emphatically. \"I've read it a dozen times, and I find more  \nwisdom in it every time.\"  \nTalk about red flags. Maybe he was nice despite being certifiable. Ellie decided it was  \ntime to take her own advice. Bringing up the carnivore cults has to lead to some interesting  \nconversation, and if the guy who thinks an incoherent mess is an endless fount of wisdom thinks  \nI'm nuts, it's no real loss. \"Have you ever heard about the carnivore cults who kidnap prey to kill  \nand eat them?\"  \nHe sniffed contemptuously. \"Yes, a disgusting fabrication. To think some prey still hate  \nour predator brethren so much that they'll invent horrific stories to smear them. You know  \nthey're nonsense, I trust.\"  \n\"Well, I don't want to disagree with your sentiment, but it was my friend, a cat, who told  \nme that they do exist. He said he studied the evidence, and it's overwhelming.\"  \nHarvey scoffed, \"His Majesty says they don't exist. Your friend must be mistaken.\"  \n\"So what happened to all the prey who have gone missing?\"  \n\"They may very well have been murdered, but no one eats anyone anymore. That would  \nbe absurd.\"  \n\"Irrational people exist though. What makes you think something being absurd stops  \nirrational people from doing it?\"  \nHe frowned grumpily. \"Very well, it may happen very rarely, but it's not being carried out  \nby any organized cults. His Majesty says so, and he would know.\"  \n\"Don't you think it's possible the King could be lying?\"  \nHarvey's eyes went wide.  \n\"I'm not saying he'd do it for nefarious reasons,\" she added quickly. \"But maybe he'd lie  \nif he thought the truth would cause public panic.\"  \n\"His Majesty wouldn't lie!\" he insisted furiously.  \nEllie decided the discussion wasn't going to get any further. \"You have a lot of respect  \nfor the King, huh?\"  \nHarvey nodded fervently. \"His Majesty is Vulpineva. We'd be lost without his guidance.\"  \n\"I've always been under the impression that our elected representatives actually decided  \npolicy.\"  \n\"But His Majesty guides them! They may respond to the whims of the day, but His  \nMajesty sees the context of history and ensures that Vulpineva doesn't stray from its path.\"  \nThe waiter, a fox squirrel in a short-sleeve button-up black blouse printed with red roses,  \nstepped up to their table and set down their dishes. \"Enjoy your meal!\"  \nEllie took a break from conversation with the nutty hare to eat. At least what he ordered  \nis good. She still would have liked to be able to make her own choice.  \nAfter they'd been eating a few minutes, Harvey spoke again, \"So one of your friends is a  \ncat, yes? That's very good; His Majesty encourages that sort of thing, showing by example that  \nwe're a united people.\"  \nEllie thought it was a strange way to look at things, but she guessed it was better than  \nthe opposite. \"So do you have predator friends then?\"  \nHe nodded, \"Several, we're a very diverse group at Garmann Brothers, and we all go out  \nfor drinks once a month. I have great rapport with almost everyone at the bank.\"  \n\"Sounds nice. Jason (That's his name.) and I are meeting to hang out tomorrow and just  \ndo whatever: go for a walk, play cards, share a meal, cuddle up to watch a movie, whatever we  \nwant.\"  \nHarvey was nodding approvingly but froze when she said 'cuddle.' \"The two of you  \ncuddle?!\"  \nEllie blinked. \"It's only friendly; you don't need to be jealous or anything.\"  \nHe shook his head, \"His Majesty says friendships between predators and prey should be  \nrespectful not fetishistic.\"  \nEllie gawked at him, \"It's not fetishistic!\" she shot back indignantly. \"But even if it were,  \nit's none of the King's business!\"  \nHarvey stared at her in horror, \"The moral purity of Vulpineva is nothing but His  \nMajesty's business.\"  \nThis guy is a total wacko. Ellie looked away from him and went back to eating grumpily.  \nShe really didn't want to go to the movie with him at this point and hoped he'd get the hint that  \nthe date wasn't going well. However, he apparently didn't get the hint because once they'd  \nfinished eating and he'd insisted on paying the full bill, which Ellie was fine with considering she  \nhadn't even been allowed to order, he looked at his watch.  \n\"If we leave now, we should arrive in time for the start of the movie,\" he declared.  \n\"I think I'd rather go home,\" Ellie told him bluntly.  \nHe looked at her in shock, \"W-why?!\"  \n\"Well for one, you called my affection for my friend fetishistic. That was pretty gross,\" she  \nreprimanded.  \nHis expression shifted from shock to desperate contrition. \"I'm sorry! If you say there's  \nnothing improper, then I believe you! Please come to the movie with me. You'll love it, I promise!  \nOr let me know how I can make it up to you!\"  \nEllie grimaced: his pathetic pleading made her feel rather sorry for him. He's such a  \nfanatic on so many weird issues that he probably never makes it all the way through a date. She  \nsighed frustratedly, \"Okay, I'll go to the movie.\"  \n\"Thank you!\" He took her right hand and kissed it.  \nEllie rolled her eyes. The movie had better be good, or she was never calling him again.  \nRealistically, that was the case even if it were a masterpiece. He led her outside and nodded to  \nthe black sedan just outside of the restaurant.  \n\"Here's my car. Where's yours?\"  \n\"My office is in downtown. I just walked over. I can go get mine and meet you at the  \ntheater if it's too far to walk.\"  \nHe frowned and looked at his watch, \"There's no time for that. You'll have to ride with  \nme.\"  \nEllie frowned, \"I'd rather drive myself. I'll make it quick if I need to.\"  \nHe shook his head, \"We have to leave now, or we'll be late.\"  \nEllie sighed exasperatedly, \"Fine.\"  \nHe unlocked the car, and she climbed into the passenger's seat. His car was heavily  \nscented by pine air fresheners. Ellie wrinkled her nose; she hoped the drive was short.  \nAs with the rest of the date, Ellie was disappointed. They got onto 275 and drove South  \nfor twenty minutes before exiting in what appeared to be farmland. On the desolate two-lane  \nroad through the fields, there was a gas station and, for some reason, a movie theater. The sign  \nout front read Jewel Cinema.  \n\"Wasn't there a closer theater we could have gone to?\" she complained.  \n\"This is the only theater it was showing at in the entire duchy,\" he explained.  \nShe climbed out of the car, taking her bag, and he led her inside. The theater was run  \ndown and dingy. The red carpet was worn and the movie posters faded. Several of the lights  \nabove the ticket and snack counter were burned out. A weasel in an ill-fitting maroon jacket with  \nbrass buttons was standing boredly behind the counter. No other patrons were present.  \n\"Two for A Summertime Fancy,\" Harvey enunciated.  \nThe weasel listlessly scanned his hand and handed him their tickets. Ellie followed  \nHarvey back to the theater, which seemed to be one of only two. The room was already dark,  \nbut the light of the screen showed that there was no one else present. At least we can sit  \nwherever we want. They sat next to each other in the middle of the empty theater. Ellie noticed  \nholes in the vinyl covered cushions of the seats. Even the screen looked dirty. There didn't  \nseem to be much point in turning off her tablet, but she did it anyway.  \nAfter a few minutes, an ad for the local chiropractor started playing. Then it played again.  \nAnd again. And yet again. Is this the only ad they could get?! Ellie felt like her brain was being  \nmicrowaved. How many times do we have to watch this? The answer was six. Ellie almost  \ncheered with relief as the movie's title flashed on the screen. The film began abruptly: a young  \nwhite female rabbit in fancy dress was twirling through a field of red clover whilst a young gray  \nmale rabbit in overalls watched her, chewing on the leaves. They fall in love. Their parents  \ndisapprove and try to stop them. Against all odds, they get together, but then one of them dies,  \nEllie silently predicted. The film proved to be incredibly slow, but every minute made Ellie more  \nconfident that the movie was following this hackneyed romance plot. She started to doze off.  \nShe gave Harvey a sidelong glance: he was watching the movie intently. I guess leaving isn't an  \noption. Ellie closed her eyes.  \nThe next thing she knew, Harvey was shaking her shoulder.  \n\"Ellie! Are you okay?!\"  \nShe opened her eyes: the screen was black, and the lights were on. \"Which of them  \ndied?\" she asked.  \nHarvey sniffed, and Ellie noticed that there were tears glistening in his eyes. \"They both  \ndid,\" he answered thickly.  \nDamn, I got that part wrong. \"Well, I guess it's time to head back then. I'll give you the  \naddress of my office.\"  \n\"How much of it did you see?\" he asked peevishly.  \n\"I don't know; maybe half an hour. I couldn't get into it.\"  \nHe glared at her angrily, \"It was beautiful! How could you not enjoy it?!\"  \n\"I'm not really into romances to start with. If you'd let me know what it was, I could have  \nsuggested we go see something a little more intense.\"  \nHe turned and stalked out of the theater. Ellie followed him. He proceeded outside and  \nclimbed into his car. It was raining heavily with the occasional distant flash of lightning and  \nboom of thunder. Ellie dashed through the downpour and tried to open the passenger door, but  \nit was locked.  \n\"Hey, you need to unlock the door,\" she yelled.  \nHe gave her a contemptuous look, started the car, and began to drive away. Ellie had to  \njump back to save her feet from the wheels. She watched flabbergasted as he pulled out onto  \nthe street and disappeared into the darkness. Already thoroughly soaked, Ellie stumbled back  \ninto the theater in shock. How was she going to get home now? She slumped onto the floor and  \npulled out her tablet to call Jason. She only got his voicemail. Of course since he never has his  \nphone on him.  \n\"Hi, Jason. This is Ellie. I'm stranded at a movie theater in the middle of nowhere. It's  \ncalled Jewel Cinema. It's about twenty minutes South on two seventy-five, maybe longer with  \nyou driving. When you get this, please come pick me up. Thanks.\" She hung up the call.  \nThe weasel was staring at her boredly. \"We're closing in ten minutes,\" he informed her  \nlethargically.  \n\"Does that mean I can't stay inside?\"  \nHe nodded slowly. Shit. After ten minutes, the weasel shut off the lights above the  \ncounter and sluggishly dragged himself over to look down at Ellie.  \n\"You need to leave now,\" he muttered.  \n\"It's cold and raining outside!\" Ellie protested.  \nThe weasel shrugged, \"Sit under the overhang.\"  \nEllie got up and pushed out the door. She guessed she was fortunate that there at least  \nwas an overhang between the door and the parking lot where she could avoid most of the rain,  \nbut the sidewalk underneath was still wet from some rain blowing in. Ellie crouched in the most  \nprotected corner, clutching her satchel. The weasel shut off the rest of the lights and came  \noutside to lock the door. He glanced at Ellie, shrugged, and proceeded to his car. Ellie watched  \nas he drove away. She was all alone. The only light aside from the flashes of lightning was from  \nthe gas station at least half a mile away. She was wet, cold, and alone in the dark. She shivered  \nas a gust of wind sprayed her with rain. Should she try to make it to the gas station? Should she  \ntry to flag someone down on the road? Either could be dangerous. Who knew who she might  \nmeet wandering around in the middle of nowhere at night? Most likely no one. But still she felt  \nhorribly exposed. Anyone might creep up on her in the darkness. Her heart pumped rapidly, and  \nher eyes darted around the darkness, trying to make out any approaching danger. It's no use  \nscaring yourself! she silently scolded. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. Jason would  \nget her message and be here to get her. Ellie waited for what seemed like half an hour. She  \npulled out her tablet and dialed Jason again: she still got his voicemail.  \n\"Hi Jason. It's Ellie. Please listen to my first message. I need you to come pick me up.  \nThanks.\" She hung up. Maybe I should call Joe. She dialed his number.  \nHe picked it up, \"Ellie? What do you want?\"  \n\"Joe! I'm stranded at a theater in the middle of nowhere! Can you come pick me up?\"  \nThere was a pause. \"I'm sorry, El. You know I don't have a car.\"  \n\"Can you try to get someone who does to help?\"  \n\"Why don't you get the cat to help?\" he grumbled.  \n\"I already tried him. Twice!\"  \n\"So much for being able to rely on him, eh? Promise you'll take my advice and stop  \nspending time with that monster outside of work, and I'll find someone to come get you.\"  \n\"Fuck you, Joe!\" She hung up. Who else? Tom? She only had Tom's work number; he  \nprobably wouldn't get her message until Monday. It seemed she'd just have to wait and keep  \ntrying Jason.  \nEllie tried Jason thrice more as she waited. She kept checking the time on her tablet. An  \nhour rolled by. Then two. Then three. Finally, the rain stopped. It might make sense to head for  \nthe gas station now. Ellie decided to wait just a little bit longer before she made the trek. About  \nten minutes later the ringtone started playing. She opened it: it was Jason's number.  \nShe answered it, \"Jason?!\"  \n\"Ellie! I just got your messages! I looked up the address, and I'm on my way! Are you  \nalright?\"  \n\"Cold and wet, but otherwise I'm fine.\"  \n\"I'll try to be as quick as I can. Just hold tight.\" The line hung up.  \nEllie breathed a sigh of relief; Jason was on his way.  \nHe must have driven faster than usual because it was only fifteen minutes before his car  \npulled into the parking lot. He climbed out, and Ellie ran to him to wrap him in a hug. He hugged  \nher back tightly.  \n\"What happened?\" he asked. \"I don't see your car. Was it stolen?\"  \n\"It's still at the office. My date abandoned me because I didn't like the movie!\"  \n\"He what?!\" Jason hugged her tighter. \"I'd like to give him a few things to think about!  \nLike whether the claws on my right hand are sharper than the ones on my left!\"  \n\"He's not worth it, Jason. He turned out to be a complete wacko.\"  \nEllie broke away and went to retrieve her bag before climbing into the car with Jason.  \nThe glowing blue numbers of the clock on the dashboard read 12:30.  \n\"Should I take you to get your car or just take you straight home?\" Jason asked.  \n\"You know, technically it's already Saturday. Why don't you just take me home with you  \nsince it's so late?\"  \n\"Uh, okay.\"  \nJason cranked up the heat in the car to help Ellie dry off and began the drive to his  \nhouse. The warmth made Ellie sleepy, but she didn't allow herself to fall asleep.  \n\"Thanks so much for coming to get me, Jason. I don't know what I would have done.\"  \n\"I'm just sorry it took me so long. I ended up staying with Rosa longer than I expected.  \nEllie grinned, \"Does that mean the date went well?\"  \n\"Yes, you could say that.\"  \n\"I'm so pleased, Jason! Someone as nice as you shouldn't be alone!\"  \n\"As long as I have you, I'll never be alone, Ellie.\"  \nEllie felt the warm glow of affection in her chest, \"That's sweet, Jason, but you know  \nwhat I mean, someone to love. Our relationship is special, but you should have someone to  \nlove, not just your friend and partner.\"  \nJason didn't respond further. Ellie turned to watch him. In the dim light, his expression  \nwas hard to make out, but he seemed to be contemplating something. She reached over to  \nstroke his back.  \n\"But you're right, even if you don't have someone to love, you'll always have me.\"  \nWhen they arrived at Jason's house, Ellie followed him inside.  \n\"I'll get blankets for the futon. There should be new toothbrushes behind the mirror in the  \nbathroom. Are you going to take a shower?\" he asked.  \n\"It's a little late to shower, but I do want to brush my teeth, thanks.\"  \nEllie headed upstairs to the bathroom, opened a new toothbrush, and brushed her teeth.  \nThe toothpaste tasted weird; she looked at the tube. Catnip flavored? Hopefully, Jason didn't try  \nto eat it. She removed her light blue blouse and dropped it in the white wicker clothes hamper.  \nJason likes doing laundry. He'll take care of it. She headed back downstairs and found that  \nJason had laid down the back of the futon and was putting sheets on it.  \n\"What about a pillow?\" she asked.  \n\"Sorry, I didn't have an extra one.\"  \n\"That's okay. You weren't planning for me to spend the night.\"  \nAfter he finished making the bed, Jason turned to her. \"It's late. I'm going to turn in. See  \nyou in the morning, Ellie.\"  \nEllie nodded, \"Sweet dreams, and thank you again!\"  \nJason went upstairs. Ellie located the switch, turned out the light, and crawled onto the  \nfuton. It was comfortable enough, but she would have been more comfortable with a pillow. She  \nlistened as Jason brushed his teeth. Then the lights went out upstairs. As Ellie's eyes adjusted,  \nshe was able to see by the blue glowing clock of the DVD player. At length, the sounds from  \nupstairs ceased, suggesting that Jason had gone to sleep.  \nEllie closed her own eyes to try to fall asleep, but she couldn't seem to get comfortable.  \nA gurgle from her gut reminded her that she hadn't passed her caecotrophs. Shit. Maybe she  \nshould have had Jason take her home, but it was too late to think about that now. She was just  \nglad Jason's bedroom was upstairs where her movements would be less likely to disturb him.  \nShe slipped off of the futon and crept to the kitchen. There was a plate in the drying rack; she  \ngrabbed it and snuck upstairs to the bathroom. On the way, she stopped to peer into Jason's  \nbedroom. He seemed to be asleep. Is he holding something? She squinted. He did have a  \nsecond pillow! Stingy cat! She continued to the bathroom. After she completed the messy meal,  \nshe washed her hands and the plate thoroughly in the bathroom sink. Then she brushed her  \nteeth again and gargled with water; Jason didn't seem to have mouthwash. Finally, she took the  \nplate back to the kitchen and washed it again with dish soap. She still wasn't sure Jason would  \never want to use the plate again. She considered dropping it on the floor to break it, but then  \nJason would wonder what she had been doing with it in the first place. She slipped it back into  \nthe drying rack. What Jason didn't know wouldn't hurt him.  \nThat being taken care of, Ellie decided to slip upstairs and try to steal the extra pillow.  \nShe crept up the stairs and into Jason's bedroom. She examined the cat further. He had both  \narms wrapped around the pillow with one end tucked under his chin. However, he seemed to be  \nholding it loosely. On the other hand, he was facing the middle of the large bed; Ellie would  \nhave to climb onto it to reach the pillow. She eased herself up onto the bed. The springs  \ncreaked, and she froze. Jason didn't stir. She slowly crawled across the bed and stopped  \nbeside the sleeping cat. He still didn't move. She grabbed the bottom of the pillow and slowly  \npulled it out of his arms. The pillow came free, and Jason's arms collapsed into the space where  \nit had been. Ellie held the pillow, watching to see if Jason had been awoken: he didn't stir. She  \ngrinned. Now she just needed to slip off of the bed and back downstairs.  \nShe looked at the large bed: there was plenty of room for both of them, and she was  \ntired. She'd had enough sneaking through the house. She put the pillow at the head of the bed  \nand crawled up to slide under the blankets. She lay on her back and turned her head to look at  \nthe sleeping cat; he was going to get a bit of a surprise in the morning. She turned her head  \nback, closed her eyes, and snuggled deeper into the blankets. The pillow smelled strongly of  \ncat. Even on Jason, the cat smell was usually moderate, but in the pillow, it was strong enough  \nthat Ellie could detect a certain tanginess to the odor. She was unsure whether she should be  \ndisturbed. Probably just from him holding it all the time. The scent itself didn't bother her, so she  \nsettled her mind to allow sleep to take her.  \nEllie was awoken by the feeling of a hand running across her chest. She opened her  \neyes and saw Jason reaching over her. His eyes were still closed, and he seemed to still be half  \nasleep. Before she could slip away, his hand found her far side, and he pulled her across the  \nbed, slipping her over his other arm, and hugged her against him tightly. Now I'm the pillow, I  \nguess. She could either wake him up or allow it. She decided to see if she could get  \ncomfortable. The main issue was his right forearm under her back. She turned onto her side  \nwith her back to his chest and adjusted his arm so that it was below her ribs. Jason hugged her  \ncloser and sighed contentedly. It was a bit more intimate than Ellie had been with the cat before,  \nbut the warmth of his body pressed against hers and the firm hold of his arms gave Ellie a  \nserene sense of security. Ellie snuggled her head under his chin and breathed deeply, taking in  \nhis familiar scent. Enveloped in his warm embrace and comforting scent, Ellie allowed the  \nrhythm of his gentle breathing to lull her to sleep.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"The Murderess of Maplesburg: Disappearing like Rabbits","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1997784-chapter-12-entertaining.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1998176-chapter-14-timothy-and-suzie.json"}}