FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Leo awoke at the sound of an alarm going off. He took a stretch and quickly turned off the alarm. A content feeling settled over him. Full of energy and also drawn into the comfort of his bed.

With some effort, Leo pulled himself up. Missy lay by him, on her chest, tangled up in sheets. Memories from last night came back to roost in his mind. Save for when he fell asleep. He looked to his phone, unsure of how he failed to beat the alarm. Leo shook his head and set aside those thoughts.

“Morning already?” Missy said. She flipped onto her back, furthering the mess of sheets.

“I’ll have my shower than you can head in.”

“Counter offer. You lay back down and we forget about this whole morning thing.”

Tempting, but he couldn’t. “Sorry, someone has to pay for the Skittles around here.”

“Man, those should be free.” Missy grabbed his side of the sheets and pulled them up and over herself.

Seeing as how his sheets were commandeered, Leo headed off to start the day, giving Missy a parting look before slipping into the bathroom.

After the routine clean and more than a few thoughts to what transpired the night before, Leo stepped out of the bathroom and heard a clattering. Peering into the kitchen, he found Missy half-way in the fridge.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

Missy sluggishly pulled herself out, setting a jug of juice down on the counter.

“Oh, yeah, just dandy. Getting myself started on the morning.”

Leo wondered if he should ask her anything about last night. Missy yawned and pulled a glass out of the cupboard, nearly nodding off as she did.

“You need a hand there?” he asked.

“I’m just pouring juice, alright? Not rocket… Science.”

“Only wondering. You look out of it.”

“Yeah, still trying to get over the whole ‘new day’ thing.”

“Maybe we should get you an alarm clock too. Get you more in the habit of consistent sleep.”

Missy waved him off. “Go. Go get in your monkey suit and get to work.” It was then that Leo realized she still hadn’t bothered covering her bottom. No use in telling her about it now.

Leo did as he was commanded, suiting himself up for the day. He looked to the bed briefly, feeling a tinge of desire to settle back in. That could come later. A pull of the tie finished off his suit.

Back in the kitchen, Missy had set out a glass of juice for Leo. She gave him a nod from her seat.

“Have a good day,” she said with a yawn, flashing her large maw.

“Thanks. You have a great day too,” Leo replied.

The man quickly downed his faux-breakfast and set the glass in the sink. Worries about last night came back. He had a clue what had happened. Should he ask? Leo glanced to Missy, who’s eyes were half-lidded. Not like she could even give a conscious answer if she wanted to.

“See you soon,” Leo said.

The man went through the front door and locked it behind him.

_

Work progressed as per usual for Leo. Though it almost felt strange to work at all. The Halloween party felt like a whole week in itself. Then it had disappeared faster than he realized.

A quiet phone ringing caught his attention. Leo didn’t recognize the number, but it could have been anything, so he answered it.

“Hello?” Leo said.

“Leo?” the other side asked.

The voice, the intonation. It sounded like Missy, but something was off. Like it was lacking a specific warmth. That couldn’t have been her.

“May I ask who this is?” Leo replied.

“Oh, wow! It’s actually you. How are you? It’s me, Mia.”

“Mia? Ah, I’m fine, thanks.”

“You don’t remember, do you? I thought you would, but I guess it’s been a while.”

“I’m sorry, a little fuzzy there.”

“Remember? Waaay back when? Back in the small town we had, like, this rag tag group of runts and I’d drag you along adventures with us. Oh! I always had this whole rain get-up. Just so I could walk around but didn’t muck up my clothes. I looked like a rubber duck heh. We, uh, used to be pretty close until your family moved.”

A vague image of a girl came to his mind, nestled between other images of friends, or was that Missy? A scarce few scenarios dredged up from a corner of his thoughts, flashes of yellow. Missy brought her name up before but his own recollections were lacking.

“Oh, right, Mia,” Leo replied. “I think I remember you, yeah.”

“I guess things change. Been too long to remember a girl like me." Her saying that made him wince. "I'm so sorry, I'm just, like, I don't even know where to– it sounds like you, but–” she chuckled “–somehow it doesn’t, too.”

“Nothing for you to be sorry about. If anything I hope you don't take it personal, I struggle to recall pretty much anything from back then. That’s going on… what, twenty years now?”

“Don’t remind me. Life just never stops.”

There was a ringing from the next cubicle over.

“Oh, shit, you're working aren't you? Of course you are --I'm so stupid-- my bad, I jumped the gun like an idiot.”

“Woah, hey, it's all good. Yeah, I'm a little into work at the moment but I can call you back in a few hours, sound good?” Leo eyed the clock on his computer.

“Definitely! Bye for now.”

The line dropped. That was the Mia that Missy mentioned, right? The old roommate. The one who knocked back drinks, and likely could be attributed to a slew of random habits Missy had. An old friend of his too, apparently. Were it not for that, he might not have entertained the idea of them talking.

Leo kept eyeing the clock as he worked.

_

Leo redialed the number from his contacts. It near instantly picked up.

“Mia?” Leo said. His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“Leo? Hey, again. Sorry I stomped in on work like that.”

“No worries. How are you?”

“I’m hanging. Best I can be at my age, really. Rung you up since I found your number. Gosh, I can’t believe it’s you after all this time.”

“I can hardly believe it myself,” Leo replied. “What’re you up to these days?”

“Nothing too cool. Just some human relations stuff. Keeps me sane talking to other people, you know?”

“I can understand the feeling, yeah.” Almost.

“So what about you? I mean, I don’t wanna pry and all, just… Kinda crazy how your whole family up and left. All mysterious and stuff, you know?”

“I guess, yeah. I’m an internet domain manager.”

“I’m not even gonna begin to ask what that means.” Mia laughed.

“All that matters is that it pays the bills.”

“Yeah, no, I get what you mean. It can be hard out there. Especially if you’ve got people to support.”

“You dealing with that?” he asked. That would be some vague sign of responsibility.

“Not at the moment, nah. Just figured you might is all.”

“I can’t say I really do. Work takes up more time than relationships right now.”

“Ugh, I am the same way. Almost drives me crazy, but I’m keeping on.”

“So, you still hanging around the old town?” Leo asked.

“Close, not far, but close. Had to get into the city to really spread my wings, ya know? How about you? I figured you were long gone.”

“I guess I’m somewhat close too. A bit of a drive but not far.”

“Hey, that’s perfect then. We should hook up some time to catch up. Talk about stuff.”

“I guess being in HR you want more of the face to face, right?”

“Yeah. Phones just don’t have that kinda connection, you know?”

“I think I could fit it in my schedule. How about the 23rd?”

“Perfect! Should have the whole week off.”

“Alright, any ideas for a hang out?”

“Starbucks, easily. I’ll buy.”

Leo chuckled. “Alright then, just let me know which one. See you then?”

“Absolutely! See ya.”

“Bye.”

There was a pause, some fumbling in the background, and then the line dropped. Leo set his phone down. Another tie to his past, another tie to Missy. Not that he could trust that tie to Missy just yet. Not everything felt quite right with this. For now, it was just catching up with an estranged old friend.

_

“I’m back!” Leo said.

Missy tottered out of the kitchen partition. Leo stared at her. A cutesy ponytail adorned her head, clearing her face from that curly hair. Though a few strands loosely lay about, giving her a bit of a ditzy look. An apron adorned her, and fortunately there were regular clothes under that.

“Welcome back!” Missy said, immediately bringing him in for a hug. Leo gave her a pat. She retreated back to the oven, where a pan sat cooking.

“You’re trying more cooking?” Leo asked.

“Sure am.”

“Scrambled eggs?” Leo loosened his tie.

“Yeah. More an omelet, I guess. I mean, I was gonna go with French toast, but then I saw we didn’t have cinnamon. Plus, it’s like, European? Ew? So I’m just doing scrambled eggs.”

Hearing Missy’s voice was comforting after speaking to Mia. Their intonation was near exact, just with some slight difference Leo couldn’t place. He was half-worried Missy might bring up her vocal doppelganger, but it never came. She continued to flip her little culinary creation, which seemed to have chopped up hot dogs scattered inside. Something new, he supposed.

“I’m gonna take a shower. You need to use the bathroom?” Leo asked.

“Hold on there, buddy. I made two of these. You’re gonna have one and you’re gonna tell me how good it is.”

“I mean, I’ve eaten your cooking before.”

“And this is something new! So we’re sitting down and eating. What kinda sweat do you work up at work anyways?”

“Not like it’s just for sweat.” Leo took a seat. “Feeling clean is important too.”

“Well your insides are gonna feel clean after this healthy meal.”

“Might wanna rephrase that one.”

“I’m not and I won’t.”

“Fair enough.”

It wasn’t strange to see Missy cook, but there was something different about her demeanor this time around. More focused, more fluid. She was really trying this time. Not just a fun thing for her to try.

Before long, Missy was placing plates on the table and settled in to her seat.

“Dig in at any time,” Missy said.

“I do need a fork,” Leo replied.

Missy’s eyes widened briefly. “Oh, you men are so fussy. ‘Ooh, I need a fork.’ Just use your man-hands.” She got up, procured forks for them, and sat down. “OK, now you can enjoy it!”

Still Missy on the inside, despite her new looks. And her new energy for cooking. Leo began cutting into the meal. It was a little messy, with the hot dog chunks not quite sticking to the egg, but by no means unappealing.

“Is this a reward for me?” Leo asked.

“Reward?”

“Like a treat.”

“No, I just wanted to make something. I knew you were coming home soon, and there was nothing to watch. I got better rewards than some egg hot dog meal.”

Leo took a bite and nodded.

“You added some spices too, huh?”

“You know, just tossed in whatever looked good.”

“I think you added a bit too much salt.”

“So it’s not a tablespoon?”

Leo raised his eyebrows. “Cooking rocks this well would be a feat, honestly. It’s good, though. It’s properly fluffy.”

“Just you wait, I’ll get even better at it.”

Missy eventually took to her own part of the meal. It was just a simple hair change, and still, Missy looked so different. Of course he had to wonder what brought all of this on. Just a new quirky thing to try? An extension of Halloween’s revelations? Whatever the answer, Leo found it to be an enjoyable change.

“You’re staring at me again. I know, I know. You’re thinking, ‘gosh, how did I get so lucky to have a friend like her,’ right?”

“Maybe. I was more thinking what was up with the whole ponytail.” Leo pointed his fork at her.

“It gets in the way of cooking. And doing other stuff.”

“Where’d you get a hairband anyways?”

“I bought them with some other clothes a while back, just never had a reason to try them out.”

“You’re gonna try pigtails next?”

“No way, I’m not twelve. Or nine.”

“It fits you. I like it.”

Missy’s smile widened a little too far, but she kept her mouth shut.

Pulling himself away from the cute haircut, Leo’s thought returned to Mia, trying to place her in his scattered memories. As he thought more and more, it was hard to remember specifics of her. All he knew is that she existed. Sometimes. Didn’t Missy sound like her back then too?

“You’re staring again. Something on your mind, handyman?”

“I’m not sure if I prefer that or lion,” Leo said. He didn’t want to lie now. Missy didn’t deserve to be so obfuscated from reality. At the same time, Mia herself was a bad influence to be sure. Right, she was the one Missy said knocked back a few rounds. That was the last thing she needed, to be reminded of that.

“So? You gonna spill the beans or am I gonna have to waterboard ya?”

“Just thinking about Thanksgiving still.” He quickly held up a hand. “Not worried about you, just wondering about traffic and when I’ll get there.” A half-truth would have to do. Until he knew more, or remembered more, about the distant friend. Was that right, though? Missy was an adult. She didn’t need to be coddled. Maybe his desired version of Missy did.

“You want me to cook something to bring to them?” Missy cleared her throat. “Something lovely for the family. Straight from your beloved,” she said, in that ridiculous haughty voice from before.

“I already told you not to do that. And no, I’m not bringing up my supposed girlfriend to them. I have enough trouble explaining my job to them, explaining a relationship would somehow be even more of a headache.”

“They’re gonna ask, though!” Missy said, still using that ridiculous voice.

Leo furrowed his brow.

“Right, sorry,” she said normally.

“I’ll just have to deal with it.”

“How are your parents going to take it? You stopped being a bachelor and you don’t wanna talk about it?”

“Not sure I’d call myself a ‘bachelor’ but whatever.” Leo took another bite. “Maybe you could try some vegetables in here next time.”

“I’m saving that for when we have a garden and we eat our big brain foods. Or something like that. Whatever you said.”

“That sounds just about what I said, yeah.”

Thanksgiving seemed to be getting worse by the second. Dealing with another past friend, probing parents, and worrying about Missy. Curiosity was in the process of killing, stuffing, and mounting the cat, and still he marched onward to satiating it. What did he really hope to get out of it? Some way to tame Missy? Would it really make things any better between them?

The woman was currently tousling with her ponytail, running it around her spindly fingers. If anything it might make the situation more tense between them. Knowing what kind of beast she was might paint over the increasingly casual image he had of her. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. Whatever the outcome, Missy was Missy.

“You did a great job with these,” Leo said.

“Yeah?”

“What, you think I’m lying?”

“I know you’re not a liar. Not a good one, anyways. I was juuust thinking.” Missy’s eyes looked upward. “Y’know, special occasion and all.”

“Oh? Some kind of cryptid holiday?”

“Cryptids share the same holidays as humans do, don’t be ridiculous.”

“I figured you’d have some kind of special spooky day.”

“Yeah, well, you guys stole Halloween from us, so that’s off the table.” Missy shook her head. “No, what I’m talking about is something super special!” She leaned forward. “Your birthday.”

“You remembered?”

“I knew it was in October, but the party happened and you sneaked it by!”

“Not something I really like to celebrate.” Leo shrugged and took another bite.

“We’re gonna make it something to celebrate. You’re gonna want to, because Missy is here and ready to make everything better.” Missy immediately got up and ran into her room, then before Leo could even think, she was already back at the table with a box. “You’re gonna love it.”

It wasn’t a gift wrapped box, rather just a moving box that had been hastily taped up along the top. Leo looked between her and the box. She set it down and nodded, tapping on it in the process. Leo raised his eyebrows and smiled. Awfully nice of her.

Leo carefully pried the box open, pulled out the scattered packing paper inside, and retrieved the prize within. It was a jacket. One that he had actually seen before on the list of purchases Missy made. A simple thing, but polite nonetheless.

“Check out the front!” Missy said.

Leo flipped the thing around to him. Embroidered on one side was “5.56” in white. He chuckled and shook his head, then draped it over himself. Wait, embroidered?

“You embroidered this all by yourself?”

“Yeah, I know, it took forever to do it. Had to take measurements on you, go through your clothes, make some guesses, but there it is! It’s your bullet size for your favorite gun!”

Leo drew Missy into a hug, holding up the gift to be admired with his free arm. She froze for a moment, then quickly returned the favor. They pulled away, leaving her looking at the ground, then back up at him. Leo quickly slipped on his gift, noticing the scent of fabric cleaner.

“I wasn’t sure if like, Navy Blue was your thing, but…”

“It is now.” Leo nodded. “Not sure I can exactly wear this out in the city, though.”

“Whaaat? Why not?”

“Might look a little weird if I’m walking around with a caliber on my chest.”

“Psh, like they’d even know what it is.” Missy got up and circled around him. “Maybe I coulda added more. Hard to work on a single spool, ya know?”

“I didn’t even realize I had any.”

“It’s almost spooky what you’ve got hidden away in your home, huh?” Missy rounded to his side. “Downright scary.”

“Easy now, just got this jacket. Don’t want to have to use the lint roller on it.”

“As if. Every thread has got my fur in it, forever.”

“I think that’s true of all my clothes.” He ran his fingers over her addition and then settled an arm around her shoulders. Her usual gloating was quite apt for once, and even exciting for Leo. She was diving into something new, just for someone else. “This is quality stuff. How’d you get so good at this?”

“Boredom, and uh, I guess, you know, way back home.”

“Your mom?”

“Yeah.” Missy nodded. “My mom. Loved all of that stuff. Especially for dolls. A lot easier when I had tinier hands. Pure skill like this never leaves.” She touched the embroidery gently. “So how old are you anyways? Not 56, right? Woulda been perfect if you were.”

“And you would be, what, 1,056?”

“Something like that. Just a few more centuries left on the clock.”

“Better draft up your bucket list.”

Leo noticed that the jacket actually had a hint of her smell underneath the laundry detergent.

“Better toss this in the wash,” Leo said.

“I thought you’d wanna wear your gift the whole day.”

Leo’s mind was already awash with reflexive excuses that he calmly tuned out. Not a chance he wasn’t taking this opportunity to encourage her. He eventually nodded.

“That’s better,” Missy said.

“Got anything else planned that I should be aware of?” Leo asked.

“Just dinner. Dinner made by me.” She wiggled and smiled.

“You got a recipe?”

“I got a recipe, don’t you worry your little head.”

“So were the eggs the palate teaser?”

“Yes, indeed, Monsieur. That was the entrée.”

“Easy now, no French in this house, Missy.”

“Darn. I’ll have to look up other fancy words.”

Leo chuckled. “Alright, do you need any help?”

“No, no, no, it’s your birthday. Was. Whatever. I’m doing it by myself. Now go and–” she briefly looked away “–do your favorite things and get excited for the big meal.”

Leo was about to protest, instead pulling himself back. She was doing her best to leave him to his own devices, rather than pull him along to try and impress him with the idyllic wife display. He nodded and retreated to the hallway. To be so carefree while Missy did something for him felt curious.

Was this all just for his paved over birthday? Did it really matter in the end? The little work desk where he stored all of his hooks sat ready to be used. He walked over to it and began idly fiddling with a few of them. There was an urge to go check on Missy that he couldn’t quite smother.

Leo kept picturing that cute ponytail. Was that for him? Or just the cooking? Leo prodded at a hook end. Just a little change in appearance for his sake. And he liked it, and she liked that he liked it. He knew, of course, that on some level, she liked him. Now he couldn’t doubt that he liked her either.

This would have been pointless months ago, perhaps, but now they were in a curious holding pattern of a relationship. Like one of them was waiting for the other to slip. He adjusted one of the hooks on his plastic fish. Either physically or mentally. Something had to give eventually.

There was the off-chance that this was still all a sort of ploy. But to think of Missy like that wasn’t fair. He couldn’t peer inside her mind, nor could he ask so simply. He would just have to accept that she was trying.

Leo stewed more as he fiddled with his hobby. In a way it felt selfish to sit here and not be there to watch Missy, but she needed her room to grow. She should be allowed to do things without his constant approval. Then he needed a reason to be out there, with something they could both enjoy. That should be easy.

As casually as he could, Leo headed back out into the living room and sat down on the couch. He glanced over at Missy, who’s ears didn’t so much as twitch in his direction. She had a hard, concentrated look on her face as she poked at a piece of meat.

Leo fished for the remote as he watched her, then turned on the television. This would be his recommended viewing for a change. If she could easily wrangle him into watching schlock, he could do the same to her, just with something a little more technical. Something like “How it’s made”? Better not jump the gun. She could graduate to that later.

Bypassing all the usual junk for free viewing, Leo continued to subtly glance at Missy. There was some clear awkwardness with the tools she was using, and yet she maintained her composure throughout. There wasn’t a cross word or a clatter of kitchenware. The only thing that faltered was her expression, which wavered from stoic to cautiously optimistic.

Leo landed on something nature related. Documentary, perfect. Might even be nice to eat dinner over, or maybe the dining table? Think about that later. He hit play on the television and was treated to the delicate orchestral of the program. Missy finally perked up from her position and tottered over to the couch, plopping down.

“I thought you’d be in Fort Knox, checking the guns,” Missy said.

“Commanding Officer called me off. Plus, I figured, birthday, might as well kick back, right?”

“You’re not a kick back guy.”

“Just because I can’t compete with you doesn’t mean I’m not.”

“Welllllll, alrighty,” she said. “What’re we watchin’?”

“First, how about you tell me what’s for dinner?”

“Whatever I found in the fridge. It’s goin’ in a blender.”

“C’mon now.”

“Ya know, I looked through the fridge, saw the deer head, then set that aside. Picked up the flank steak instead.”

“Careful with that deer head, it’s either dinner or next year’s Halloween decoration.”

“Please tell me you’re never gonna actually put a whole ass deer in there.” Missy opened her mouth and gagged.

“Alright, maybe a whole ass deer is gross, but I’d go for something more choice. Pheasant would be choice eating. If we go hunting we could go for more turkey sized prey.” He outlined the potential chunk of meat with his hands.

“Alright, OK.” Missy shook her head. “Anyways, potato mash to go with and some broccoli.”

“You’re fine with broccoli?”

“I’m not 12. I eat my veggies.”

“Fair enough.” Leo nodded to the television. “We’re watching nature documentaries.”

“Did you say it like that just to sound boring?”

“Maybe a little. Would you prefer nature expedition?”

“That’s more exciting, I guess.”

“C’mon, tuning into your wild side as you cook? You’ll love it”

“And yooou could tune into dry facts.”

“If by dry facts you mean watching cutthroat nature survival and the animals that struggle through it, sure. Dry.”

Missy squinted at him. “Hmm,” she loudly hummed. “I feel like you’re doing something here. Some mind trickery afoot.”

_

Their television time continued simply. The documentary focused on deep forests and ranged from the large mammalians to the tiniest insects. Fortunate that he didn’t pick something ocean related, or Missy might’ve tried to prompt him with a scare or two. Missy bounced back and forth between banter with Leo and doting over her cooking. Leo promised himself not to interfere, but he didn’t need to. The aroma that came from the kitchen was consistently delicious. A lot of practice must’ve gone into it. Perhaps she was just good at it?

“Dinner is served! Buon appetito!” Missy suddenly called out.

“I didn’t know you spoke any Italian,” Leo replied. For a little joke, her accent was suspiciously convincing, although with the vocal mimicry he guessed he shouldn’t be surprised. He stood up and went to admire Missy’s handiwork.

“I’m just full’a surprises, huh? That and you said no French.” Missy produced a knife and set it on a plate, next to a hunk of steak. “Go on, slice in. You’ll see it’s perfecta-mundo.” She tilted her head. “I think that’s not French.”

Leo quickly sliced and peered inside the meal. There was a tinge of pink surrounded by a circle of brown, perhaps cooked a tiny bit too long. Nothing that would bother him.

“This is pretty fantastic. You also learn this from mom?” Leo asked.

“I can’t just steal all my amazing talents from back home. Gotta grow my own. ‘Sides, I think she tried to make me vegan for a while anyways.”

“Vegan? I’m not sure what’s more weird, trying to make a… girl like you dependent on vegetables, or trying to imagine what it was that suddenly changed her mind.”

“Hmhm, I guess ‘cause despite all the fruits n’ veggies n’ whatever else, I’d still uh, y’know, snatch some small critters.” Missy shrugged. “I guess she got the hint and finally cooked stuff for me. Better than dragging in the roadkill, right?”

“Good point, yeah.” He stabbed the knife into the portion he cut.

“Ah, ah, ah! You wait until we sit down to eat!” Missy said.

Leo let out an exaggerated sigh and set the knife down

“So uh, you gonna eat over here or back at the couch?”

Leo glanced at the television, which was currently playing nighttime footage of animal foraging.

“Back at the couch.”

Leo and Missy settled into their familiar spots on the couch, food set out in front of them. He quickly noted that she had a few less florets of broccoli than he did.

“So, we gonna say grace?” she asked.

“Don’t joke about that, I’ll make you say everything you’re thankful for.”

“Psh, easy. I thank cows,” Missy pointed to her plate, “and I thank you for giving me the place to crash. What about you, huh?”

Leo nodded. “Going to have agree with the cows, for the gifts, and for my fairly blessed life.”

“Alright, now you can eat. Dig in and let me know how it tastes.”

As with every meal she cooked, Missy stared on from the corner of his eye as Leo took his first bite. Poor woman was trying so hard and it took him every fiber of his being not to gush over. The cooking was right on the money, and she even used the right amount of spice. He might’ve prepared it differently, but no doubt it was a great change of pace to get a serious dinner prepared by someone else. Especially from Missy of all people.

“No words,” Missy said. She held a finger to her mouth. “You gotta make a sound on how good it is.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. There would always be some silly caveat. He leaned over to her and let out a groaning delight. Missy gently nudged him back into place and shook her head.

“I’ll let that slide for your birthday,” Missy said.

“You were the one who asked,” Leo replied.

Missy tended to her meal soon after, tearing into it easily. Maybe there was a little less fervor to her eating. Leo couldn’t quite tell. He might’ve torn into it himself if he had the canines for it.

“It’s kinda weird thinking about hunting like that,” Missy said. The screen showed a lion carefully stalking prey.

“What do you mean?” Leo asked.

“Just like, waiting and hunting something down. Wouldn’t that be super scary?”

“I mean, look who’s talking. Skilled grouse hunter over here.”

“Well, I guess! But it’s not like I just decided to do that. I was just – bam – doing it. I didn’t stalk it down.”

“Animals have instincts like that too. I doubt a lion spends much time fretting over it.”

“Uh, what about you? I know you been hunting. Is it spooky?”

“Sorta. More exciting, I guess.” Leo watched Missy’s reaction. No negative response. “It’s an adrenaline kind of thing. Though I really prefer to hunt to eat.”

“Not because it’s cool?” Missy asked.

“Feels weird to kill something for sport only. No offense to the guys who do it.”

“It’s not like they can hear you. What about fishing? Isn’t that kinda the same?”

“Nah. Fish can get away pretty unscathed with the right handling.”

“Plus, I’m sure swimmy fish aren’t as smart as a deer. I’m guessing that’s what you’d hunt anyways.”

“Not about how smart they are. Everything’s got a part to play in nature. If I’m messing with it severely, I don’t want it going to waste.”

“You really are a regal lion, Leo,” Missy said with a cheeky smile. She cleared her throat and straightened her expression. “But uh, no, that’s super cool. I always thought hunting guys did that stuff for manly points.” She quickly shoved another bite of meat into her mouth.

“Certainly high on the ‘makes me feel manly’ list, but believe me, the guys who do it only for the bragging rights aren’t really appreciating the whole thing.”

“The whole nature part, right?”

“Right. Sitting there, taking in the sights, seeing things in their natural habitat, how they interact with others, group numbers. Heck, there’s even the gear if you want to go that way.”

“I bet they’re like car guys, right? Going on about their new mumbo jumbo.”

“Can be. Sometimes. Two sides to every coin.” He took another bite. “But yeah, pretty much.”

“What about, like, a lion? Would you hunt one of those just ‘cause?” Missy asked.

Leo paused and said, “Not sure how I feel about that one. I guess it’s somewhat different for special prey like that.”

“Wouldn’t want to hunt your own kind, huh?”

“That, I suppose, and also that it’s sort of a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I guess if I was rich enough and had all the expertise to go with, I might look into it.” Leo leaned back into the couch.

“Consider it after dinner,” Missy said. “No need for a new rug right now.”

“Alright. I’m guessing you wouldn’t want to hunt either?”

“A little unfair, don’tcha think? At least the way hunters do it nowadays.”

“You mean the hunters having the advantage? Still a lot of skill that goes into it. I think you’re underestimating what millions of years of evolution can do, and what only 20 years of hunting experience can mess up.”

“Sipping some water while some fat guy dressed up in mud colors eyes you up. It’s not like a lion where they gotta walk toward you quietly.” Missy set down her silverware and mimed crawling forward. “Inch by inch, quietly, slowly. Until you snatch your food.” She let out a low growl, approaching the timbre of a lion. She might’ve lacked the weight for the more imposing depth.

Leo quickly imagined her example, although instead of a lion, it was just her. She would be creeping along, making odd sounds from all sorts of animals. Waiting for her prey to slip up. Was that how she worked?

“I can definitely see a disparity in sportsmanship, yeah, but it’s more of a case by case thing.” He nodded his head from side to side. “And lions are more ambush kind of hunters, not stalkers.”

“Got it.” Missy mimed writing. “Leo. Not. Stalker. There we go!”

Their conversation continued to bounce back and forth as they ate and watched. Leo quickly noted how the banter had settled to a low simmer. Not every sentence was punctuated with a smirk or a bad euphemism. Just their back and forth. Leo had hardly even noticed when he had finished eating, still simply chatting away as the documentary rolled on.

“How much do you think this guy gets paid just to talk over this? You think it’d be a lot? I could do that, no problem.”

“He probably gets paid a lot, but not just because of the narration,” Leo replied. “The guy actually goes there, you know? He’s knowledgeable about these things.”

“There’s alllllways that one little thing. I get so close to finding the perfect job and ‘oh no, I gotta learn about animals too.’ “

“Not the hardest undertaking for a job. I’m sure you could get it done. The research, that is. No menial labor involved, anyways.”

“Hey, now, I’ve gotten super good at menial labor. That’s like my thing. Once I start working out, there’s no menial job I can’t do.”

Leo realized that nighttime had crept upon them quick, with only the light of the TV to illuminate the room. As he chattered with Missy, he found himself looking at the way her hair glimmered under the sparse glow of the television, and the way the rest of her body blended into the dark. The night stalking image he had of her before mixed in with her amicable, goofy demeanor. There really was nothing like her.

Missy eventually noticed him looking at her all too intently. Their gaze at one another wavered and they defaulted to look at the television screen.

“I’d give ya a cake, but the recipe for that was way too long and no way I’d be done before you got home,” Missy said.

“The steak was way more than enough. We could make a cake another day, if you like.”

“Alright, just no sprinkles. Even if it’s for you, we can’t have sprinkles.”

“S’alright, I’m no big fan of sprinkles myself.”

“Oh, thank God.”

The documentary rolled over the rest of Africa and its large wild animals. Missy appeared to falter first, then quickly got into it. Her eyes would widen as she saw the beasts barrel onto the screen.

“Dude, I thought hippos were just water cows,” she said.

“You’re thinking of manatees. Hippos are mean bulldozers. Probably the most deadly land animal,” Leo replied.

“No, that would be me.”

“The jury is still out on that one.”

“I don’t thin– Jesus, look at the blood on that thing.”

Missy ate up every minute of it. It wasn’t even an exaggeration to say she was on the edge of her seat. She strained the cushion she was on leaning forward. Occasionally she’d reel herself back when the action died down, and repeat the process slowly all over again.

The documentary flipped over to the cackling, bone crunching hyenas. Missy was quick to try and imitate one’s laughter. She tried it again and looked to Leo for approval. He raised an eyebrow, only for her to awkwardly laugh herself.

“Aw, man, they eat bones? You think I could do that?” she asked.

“I don’t think so. Your teeth aren’t really made for crushing. Plus you’d complain about the taste.”

The screen switched to them devouring a carcass, with red caked around their mouths.

“That’s soooo… metal though! You know?”

“I mean, thinking about it, they really do it because they’re scavengers, right?”

“And scavengers can be cool! Living in a brutal world, gotta take what you can.”

A wild wolficus probably was some kind of scavenger to a certain degree, too. Definitely didn’t have the musculature for a one-on-one for most groups of prey. Assuming that extended to the males as well. Could have not. The dimorphism could have been more akin to humans.

Thinking back to the lion’s growl from Missy, she would definitely be an ambusher as well. If she, or any of her species, could draw in a single creature with a noise, the claws could be the defining strike to end it all. Might’ve been why she enjoyed putting on funny voices.

The film came to a slow end, and Missy clapped, saying, “Damn, that was cool. Kinda happy none of that is in America.”

“You appreciate bears a little more now, huh?”

“Bears are nothing now. A hippo could eat a bear, goddamn.” She shook her head. “Yeah, no, I’m not scared of bears anymore.”

“So, ready to head off to bed?” Leo turned off the television.

Missy blinked. “Hey, that’s up to you. Your birthday after all.”

“Yeah, I think that’s enough celebration for me tonight.” He stood up as Missy did.

“OK, gotcha. I know you didn’t ask for it, and uh, you don’t like celebrating it, but I hope you still liked it.”

“Don’t second guess yourself, it was great. The gift, the food, the movie, all of it was great.”

“You picked the movie.”

“And I enjoyed having you here to watch it with.” Leo shrugged.

“Then I’m happy.”

Missy pulled him into the hug this time. Leo returned the favor easily. They then slowly pulled from one another, put up their plates, said their goodnights, and rescinded back into their rooms. Leo took off his jacket, placed a hanger in it, and hung it up. He gave the embroidery one last touch and headed for bed.

Resting in bed felt odd to Leo. There was something missing that he quickly realized. He looked to his open door, but there wasn’t a hint of Missy slinking through. His gaze lingered a little longer before turning away. A part of him joked that he should bet on whether or not she approached him.

Leo waited on that. And waited. Not a creak, a peep, or a scratch. The realization was calming. A coincidence, it could’ve been, sure. Now, however, he wanted to give her as much goodwill as he could. She could control herself if need be. At least to the point of physically holding back. He relaxed into bed, briefly wondering if she close his door. Nah.

Leo closed his eyes.