"You made this?" Zenesha asked, poking at the burger and fries in front of her.
"Of course. Your wolf girl is very good at cooking and has decided to grace you with her abilities." Laura said next to her, hand on her hips and chest puffed out, clearly full of pride.
"I know you can make some good soup, but I'm surprised you can do more than roast simple meat. Are you sure you're a vagabond?"
"It's not like I spent every waking second out in the red zones." Laura pouted, upset that Zenesha still hasn't taken a bite. "I know how to cook."
Seeing the pouting Laura, a weird feeling shot through the fox. She wasn't sure what it was, but it made her want to eat the woman's food and praise her for it. Grabbing the burger first, she lifted the sandwich to her mouth before taking a large bite. She chewed it for a few seconds before swallowing.
"This is really good. Wonderfully done Lola."
"Lola?"
"Oh, I'm sorry; just kind of slipped out. I meant Laura." Zenesha hastily explained by correcting herself.
Laura for her part just smiled. "Was that a nickname? That's so cute."
"Who cares! Your food is good, let's move on!" Zenesha said blushing.
"I wanna hear you say it again." Laura said her own tail wagging behind her. "Please."
"... Let's just eat… Lola."
With a satisfied smile, Laura sat down in her own seat and started eating. She looked at the blushing Zenesha and was secretly happy they were alone in the dining hall. This view was for her eyes only and she didn't care to share.
=======
Once they finished eating the two of them went their separate ways again. Laura was going to meet the next person on her list, the Condor woman with the blonde hair and blue eyes. This will be the last person she meets with for the day so she can get back to taking care of Zenesha. Which also included learning more about her job unfortunately.
"Come in." A voice rang out from behind the door after Laura knocked on it.
Opening the door, she found a woman on her knees looking through one of the many stacks of documents on the office floor. It was messier than even Zenesha's office. It was still a bright room, with yellow painted walls, and yellow cushioned seating. Her desk and coffee table were made from white wood, making the place feel even brighter.
Looking up from her crouched position she noticed Laura and quickly stood. "Oh, hello, we meet again it seems." The woman said, sticking out her hand. "Queen Zenesha seems to trust you… a lot."
"Our circumstances kind of demands it." Laura answered simply.
"I see." The both of them stopped shaking hands, as the woman turned around planning to offer Laura a seat and realized she had no space. "Do you mind standing for our conversation? Or even sitting on the floor? I seem to have run out of sitting space."
"I see that." Said the wolf woman. "Anyway, I'm just trying to meet each of the Condors individually and ask their opinion on the traitor."
"Oh that? You should ask Rachel about that. It's her job to protect our southwestern borders."
"Rachel is…?"
"She's the cat Arves."
"The other Condor then. So, you're accusing her?"
"What? No, I'm just saying there might be something she and her people overlooked, and you can figure out how people from the White Ashes even got through. I'm sure she's absolutely distraught over this incident."
"A lot of trust in her I see."
"We trust each other with our lives. I don't think any of us are traitors." The Condor said seriously. "I understand you're just doing your job ma'am, but we aren't the culprits."
"Noted. Thank you for speaking with me so frankly." Laura said.
"Of course, I'm happy to be of help." The blond said with a smile. "I know things are… strained between us, but I hope you can get along with us well in the future."
"... Me too." Laura said. So long as they stayed useful for Zenesha, she would like to get along with them. People that like you are easier to control. "I should get going, I have other stuff to do."
"Then have a good day ma'am."
Laura simply nodded in response before turning and walking towards the door. When she opened the door to leave, a young man carrying some documents was standing there, one hand raised as if they were about to knock. It was the same person from earlier who gave the other Condor tea.
"Sorry ma'am." The younger man said, stepping to the side.
"Yeah…." Responded the wolf woman as she stepped past him, her instincts telling her something was off. Not dangerous, just weird.
She let them pass without issue and watched as they handed the blond Condor the documents in his hands. She then turned around making a mental note to keep a close eye on that person. She'll need to look into who they were and inform Zenesha about them later.
=======
"Why do you want to sleep in my bed so badly?" Zenesha asked Laura.
"Because I want to. Do I really need a reason?" Laura responded, tilting her head.
"... Why do you play these games with me?" The fox eventually asked a little sulky after staring at Laura for a while. "I know what you are already. I know you don't truly care."
"... I care more than you know Zenesha." Laura answered. "Though you don't have to believe me right now."
She stepped closer to the fox who was sitting on her bed and placed her hand atop her head. Like usual the fox woman's face didn't change, but the way her ears and tail reacted gave away her true emotions. Laura smiled at this.
"Well princess, what can I do to make you feel better?" Laura asked
"What do you mean 'to make me feel better;' I'm fine."
"Yeah, yeah. Want some ice cream?"
"... I would, thank you."
Laura smirked. Pulling her hand away she turned towards the bedroom door to leave. The entire floor was for private use for Zenesha and family, so it was only her and the fox. Meaning she could walk out in just her sleep wear. As she left the room a sudden thought crossed her mind.
'Wasn't there something important I wanted to tell her?'
=-=-=-=
Zenesha watched the annoying wolf leave the room, and once she was gone, she used both her hands to slap her cheeks. She then proceeded to faceplant into her bed and groan. What was she doing? What was actually wrong with her?
'Why am I getting close to Laura? She's a creature from the void, once she finishes here, she'll move on, and I'll never see her again.'
If she was as smart as she thought she was, she would keep the void wolf at arm's length. Instead, she lets the woman spoil her like they were… like they were….
"Ahhhhhh!" Zenesha screamed frustrated and flustered, her bed muffling the sound. She was unwilling to finish the thought.
"What does she even hope to achieve by flirting with me?" She muttered. "It can't be because she likes me… right?"
The fox rolled around on her bed, her thoughts muddled and confused. She wishes for the impossible, while denying the very thing she wished for.
After a few minutes the sound of the door opening could be heard. The Ice Princess quickly sat up and straightened her hair moments before a smiling wolf walked into the room holding two bowls of vanilla ice cream.
"Hey there cutie, got an ice-cold treat for my Ice Princess."
Zenesha rolled her eyes at the dumb wolf. She reached out to take one of the bowls presented to her and smiled at Laura. At least she tried to, Laura didn't seem to notice much to her disappointment. She did know Laura used her tail to find out her mood most of the time and she would just have to be satisfied with that.
"Thanks…" The fox paused before muttering, "Lola."
"You're welcome, my cute fox." The wolf responded as she ate her own bowl of ice cream. "There was only vanilla in your fridge though."
"Would you like other flavors?"
"Not really. I just love cherry ice cream, with bits of cherry in it."
"I'll be sure to order some for next time then."
"Thanks babe."
"...." Zenesha glared at Laura, but the wolf was oblivious as she continued eating her ice cream. "You're welcome, you dumb wolf."
"Wait, huh? What did I do?!" Laura asked bewildered.
Zenesha shrugged and put a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. Laura flirted too easily, and it was making it hard for the fox to separate herself from the woman emotionally. She wished Laura treated her indifferently so when she eventually left it wouldn't hurt as much.
The two of them continued to eat their ice cream in comfortable silence. After a few minutes both bowls were empty, Laura grabbed them and left the room again to wash them. Zenesha was once again alone and had laid down in her bed staring up at the ceiling thinking about her time with Laura.
'The real shift in her attitude happened after I discovered her identity.' She thought.
Sure, Laura teased her before that, but she wasn't out right flirting till after that incident. Did Laura like her? Or did she just find her more amusing? The fox woman couldn't be sure and it frustrated her.
Closing her eyes Zenesha decided to head to bed first. A little while later she heard the door open again, along with the soft padding of Laura's paws walking across the floor. The sound of Laura walking stopped near the foot of her bed, however.
Zenesha kept her eyes closed, waiting to see what Laura had planned. Soon enough she heard her walk away and climb into her own sleeping bag on the floor. Zenesha felt both relieved and disappointed at this wondering what the wolf might have done. It took a long time before she could fall asleep.