FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hi,

after a little while of inactivity, I've finally found the time to finish another piece. To be fair, I'm still not quite happy with every detail, but fixing this would probably take another month at the moment, so I'm just happy to get it out there, for the better ot the worse is yet to discover. Hope you like it, but in any case, I would be happy to hear your feedback. As usual: Any references to actual events, people, etc., as unlikely as they might be, are purely coincidental and will be removed for a sufficient reason.

So... All that's left is to do then is to leave the story as is for you. So enjoy, overthink, or unleash hell upon my creation as you wish, but most importantly: have fun and see you around.

---

Years had passed and life had moved on for Seth. While the leopard stared at the tons of figures and spreadsheets on his screen, stocks and interest rates swooshing along, he felt a certain desire to return to the easy days. His time at university now almost seemed like a distant relatives' story, impossibly far away to ever feel this freedom again. Now a click was enough to spend a thousand dollars, another click to sell something, a constant game against chance, predictions and assumptions.

Little did he matter, just the numbers he produced, huge fishes in the investment sector or every day people, all were relying on his judgement now, sacrificing their money into the ever hungry beast that was an economy. It stole his life, sold his house and had forced him into a small, overpriced apartment. He was great at his job, but the time alone with his computer only further pulled him out of reality, away from his dreams. 'Hi, I'm Seth, 35 and a successful banker,' was probably the worst sentence to start a conversation and the required amount of stern professionalism for his job didn't exactly help either. Finally he stood up, closed his laptop and left the tiny cell he called his office.

On the way out, Seth noticed the usual look of one of the SMs, staff management in official terms, but the colloquial acronym was simply too fitting for their commonly shared attitude of torturing people with paperwork. The rather young, tricoloured rabbit paused her conversation and when she assumed he wouldn't watch her in the reflective windows, gave him a longing, almost sultry look. She was new to her job, barely out of training, but did an outstanding job preparing her climb of the ladder. It was not like he hated the thought of being desired up to some degree, neither did he hold anything against her personally, quite the opposite actually, but the years of manipulation and lies that came naturally in his industry taught him caution. Especially the age difference highly increased the likelihood of an inconvenient outcome. Yet he couldn't resist to playfully flick his tail in her general direction, catching a startled grasp and the sound of a falling pen. The laughter of her neighbours desk didn't help her composure either.

On his ride home in his vastly overpriced car, the blue pickup sadly had to pass for a more expensive looking SUV for presentational purposes, he remembered the small cottage he used to live in before... this. Judy had spent the best part of his life with him there, but their final decision to part ways probably had benefited them in the long run, would he else have dragged her in the tiresome abyss he was in right now otherwise. A sudden honk startled the leopard back into reality as he noted blocking the now green traffic light for quite some time now. Eventually he arrived at the skyscraper, drove into the underground car park and made his way towards the elevator. An uninspired cooking session was followed by a dreamless, short sleep before it was time to work for his horrendous rent again. A few hours passed fending off angry customers who blamed him for their terrible life choices, until lunch break came, though it really couldn't be called that way. Seth tiredly leaned back, almost breathing himself into the soft padding of his chair as he kept watching the rolling figures on his screen for a moment, but as there was no apparent emergency for the time being, he snug out of his office and headed for the cafeteria, a rare pleasure these days when he normally just had time for his heated up leftovers.

When he returned to his office though, the door was halfway open and light was burning again. The distinct memory of having it switched off demanded some caution, only to find a well-known lagomorph leisurely sitting in his visitors chair and staring into one of the magazines he kept in his office. Purely for the impression to care of course, to care for the boring gossip that the top one-thousand produced in their every day life by their sheer existence. Even if many stated otherwise, image and outward perception were the main selling point in this industry and a few faked details that broke the stern image greatly helped his contracts. And now it provided a pleasant distraction to quietly sneak closer, dampening his steps as good as possible, an almost impossible task in these shoes, and only when he placed his paws a little roughly on her backrest, she spun around.

"Good afternoon Ms. Tarson. What brings me the pleasure of your presence?" he smiled while she hastily put away the magazine, yet she wasn't quick enough to hide the article about just another famous actor who had ended up in a fervent affair going public. "I... uh... there are some important documents that arrived and... and they still need your signature. And I j-just preferred to deliver them in person..." she muttered and blushed about the lack of an explanation. "Thank you very much," he kindly replied and walked around his desk to pick up the single, suspiciously thin envelope she had apparently brought, "but that's what the mail boxes are for and it doesn't explain why you had to wait for my return either."

He slowly took a seat and gave his nervous colleague a meaningful look, that notwithstanding his relaxed manner, seemed to make things even worse. The young woman stayed quiet for a moment, the gears in her head almost visibly turning before shakily standing up. Seth hadn't noticed before, but when she leaned forwards, her blouse hung unusually loose, presenting way more cleavage than would be professionally adequate.

With a strange mix of frustration and exhaustion Seth turned his look away from her and back onto his screen with the numbers running by. He heard her stumbling closer, caught glimpses of the act that probably should've looked gracile, but the trembling in her steps ruined the performance a bit. The leopard tapped his keyboard absently, drumming a staccato rhythm that didn't pass her unnoticed, "so you caught me, you know, staring." "Obviously, but it's not like that's illegal, Ms. Tarson." He sounded a bit rougher than intended, but was too distracted from replying to his customer's mail.

This scenario only had so many outcomes and none of them seemed particularly interesting nor reasonable to risk, so he tried the cold-hearted method of rejection to keep her off. Her soft paws actually retreated from his desk for a moment where they had started running along the edge seductively, "Miss Tarson. And... do you mind? I mean..." Her approach became harder to ignore by the minute as his tactic sadly didn't seem to work out, making him grow restless. "I-I'm sorry, but would you mind a coffee? Tomorrow maybe?"

"And then what?" Seth suddenly replied, his suspicions giving his words an unsettlingly mocking undertone. "I don't know. I just-" "You just saw a chance to get a boost for your career and took it? Come on, you're not the first and you're definitely not going to be the last to make me an impure offer." Her blank stare of disbelieve seemed almost genuine when she backed off, "I never meant to... T-this is a misunderstanding." "Then you probably don't mind me informing Amanda about this incident? Oh I'm sure she will understand your genuine interest and we'll both have a good chuckle about it, don't you think?" he asked, the mention of her boss and the head of her department had the desired effect, stopping her in her tracks until her crimson blush even peeked through her spotted cheeks.

Despite he knew the head of department personally, the leopard was quite aware of the gruesome stories surrounding her persona. She seemed to watch every angle of the building and every slightest violation of a rule of conduct, even a wrong word could lead to immediate dismissal. So dropping her name - even worse, her first name - was like a death sentence. For someone in Tarson's position it could mean the sudden end of her career, not just in this company. The lagomorph's desperate look spoke volumes about the bearing of this threat, her muttering probably expressing some level of objection, he wouldn't understand, he got something wrong, whatever. In the end it didn't matter. "Look, if you intend to earn money with your body, oh, there are way more lucrative ways. And I'm afraid you might have to consider these options rather sooner than later."

This apparently was finally enough as she rushed out of his office, granting him the desperately awaited silence. He sank back into his chair, considered his options for a moment, but he wouldn't punish her for her silly game. No one deserved that, at least not for this minor incident. He was too occupied at the moment anyway.

When Seth returned home later, worn out again by the thought-heavy drive, he started to realise that something had to change about his current situation. Being surrounded by rubber stamps both literally and figuratively all day had its price and as much as he enjoyed his job, this constant game about responsibility and chance, only few would actually understand the extent it took. The loneliness was devastating at times. Seth even started questioning whether his judgement this afternoon had been right, the memory went more and more cloudy by the minute and he felt it growing more and more impossible to evaluate his actions any more, the room for interpretation constantly gowing. Unproductive hours followed waging options and possibilities, but eventually an idea started to crystallise. He needed a vacation or potentially a change in employment entirely, as much as at this point in time, the potential wage wouldn't matter, losing the next few years in isolation would. A sudden urge became clearer the longer he followed this line of thought. he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something kept drawing him back home. Not this boring mess of glass and steel, not these blank desserts of concrete and pavement, just... home.

A short yet determined mail to Ms. Amanda Shepard, a rather polite yet clearly dissatisfied reply about his spontaneity later and off he was for the two weeks coming. An adequate room was as easy to come by and before he had even fully realised what was going on, his luggage lay packed and ready on Seth's bed. "What am I even doing here?" he chuckled, but it was too late to shy out now, so into his car they went. He thought about calling Judy for a second to inform her that he would soon be around again, but quickly decided otherwise. They had met last around two years ago, a weird, short conversation at the main station when she was just about to catch a train, so it would probably be a bit invasive announcing his arrival just out of the blue.

One last look back up at his window made the reasonable part of his head question the decision for a last second before he started the engine. Hours later, the first lights of his home town came into sight, not quite a small city, but by far not the monster he had been rotting away lately either. Eyes almost too heavy to keep open, the leopard drove the last few kilometres and when he parked and got out of the car, every muscle refused to work properly, providing a rather cheap entertainment for everyone lucky enough to watch the lurching, groaning figure straying through the chilly night. As a matter of fact, the coming minutes turned into a blur of images, short flashes of a kind smirk from the establishment's owner being the only real memory he had left when he finally sunk into the fluffy pillows. Seth felt the warm dullness soak into him, felt the pleasant loss of control, when surreal scenes marked the beginning of a direly needed slumber.

With the rays of sunlight came the next morning and also the necessity to lift the heavy head and stretch the ruined body. When Seth tiredly peeked out of the window, he spotted his car haphazardly driven across three of the intended spaces that it almost was a miracle he had missed the set of bollards. "Risk assessment isn't exactly your profession, isn't it?" he groaned, "could've gotten yourself killed yesterday. Would've made life a little easier at least." Breakfast eventually helped against the raging headache and after a few cups of tea, he finally felt ready to start his day. Sadly he had to realise, that he had spent the night and morning in the same crumpled up suit and immediately felt sorry for everyone else around to witness him in such a condition, but it couldn't be helped right now. Back at the room he took the shower which importance had significantly grown over night as a final step of recovery. Deciding for rather informal clothing for the time being, he packed his hiking boots and drove out to the well known trails in the mountains he had walked and climbed so many times. Maybe it was pure nostalgia, but reliving the old memories kept bringing up new, while birds chirped in the bright blue sky and rays of lights danced on his spots.

A cool yet convenient breeze quickened his pace and after hours of aimless walking he eventually reached the bench he had once brought... her. Echoes appeared of this night and the many more that had followed, but this delightful smile of hers, the almost infantile astonishment she had had that chilly evening, still had a special place in his heart. Just the fact, that his former home, the cosy hut at the tree's brink, sat pity and neglected just as he had left it stung painfully in his heart. "The necessity of progress, a mere rejection our past," he noted distractedly as he stared at the dirty windows, saw reflections of the past, both of them just standing there, the only part of his life he wouldn't easily accept losing.

The leopard had just dialled in her number, the well-known metal song striking like a lightning when suddenly firing off right next to him. Seth blinked for a moment, before he went on a search for this pesky device, only to find it right below the planks in a patch of grass. "Some things never change," he smirked, breaking off the call and staring at the display of her left behind smartphone.

Yet her address, for cases like this written onto the plain black background image, had been changed since then. He had always deemed this behaviour risky, presenting this sensitive data as publicly, but Judy had simply chided him for his paranoia, that luckily had never proven necessary and now it even had the benefit of providing an easy excuse to pay her a visit.

With a sudden excitement he made his way towards the new home, somewhere within the more scenic, southern part of the city, mostly medium sized houses, complete with garden and the most necessary luxuries. Construction had begun just about when he had left, so it took a little longer to find the desired destination. Walking through the anfractuous roads, he realised, that he frankly had no idea what he even did here, what on earth he even expected. A new beginning, a second chance? Impossible. But what else? What kept drawing him back here? Just to visit an old friend, an old love? In that case, why didn't he call her beforehand?

At some point he simply gave up the worries and decided to just go for it. Eventually he turned into the final road, looking out for the desired number. Just a few metres left, just... a ball bounced out of the door next to him and onto the street, closely followed by a short, orange flash.

For a moment he smirked over the clumsy creature that stumbled behind the yellow sphere until he noticed the car. The driver hit their brake, honked like crazy yet the heavy lump of steel, howling like a wounded animal from the stress, wouldn't stop. Mercilessly it came rushing towards the tiger cub, inching closer and closer while latter one refused to notice. Instinctively Seth lunged forwards. Reaching out for the tiny arms, he barely caught the child and pulled them back before the black metal wall passed by just an inch in front of its screaming snout. Carried on by the sheer velocity, the car took a few metres to stop down the road and after a moment of silence, Seth let go of the small, struggling creature, who immediately stumbled up to the now flattened ball, picked it up from the street and ran inside without a further word. "Oh my god, are... are they alright?" came from the driver, while a rather chunky husky stepped out on the street and walked over, "Is everything ok?" "Nothing to worry about probably. The ball didn't make it out alive, but it could be worse," Seth replied, but still kept wondering of what he just witnessed. Despite his figure the other one was quite caring, but what followed simply went past Seth as his own questions were suddenly answered, or rather the answers he had suspected became undeniable reality.

The cub reappeared from the door again, this time on the arm of his adult version (if you were to ignore the gender), latter one far more worried than the first. The leopard watched her and the driver exchange the usual words, expressions and assertions, a few gestures towards himself, but all he could think of was how similar Judy and her son were. Her son... that had a strange sound as he once had expected it might be his, too, but fate - or rather he - had decided otherwise.

Eventually the husky left and Judy passed a look to her other visitor, only to nearly drop her precious package while her eyes widened, "I suppose I have to thank... you... You? But... you-" "Hi, Judy," Seth smiled and waved with her smartphone, "still a bit messy, aren't we?" Slowly she set the child down and approached him, silent and confused but primarily happy. After a moment of polite, insecure distance, she eventually lunged forwards into his open arms and embraced him tightly, cutting off his breaths in her firm grip. After she had let go to the reminding, over-exaggerated gagging he let out, she smirked back, her fangs glistening in the sun, "What are you doing here? I thought you were tired of us underclass, on to bigger goals, bigger deals." "Sometimes things change unexpectedly. Do you... have time for my invasion right now? It has been a little... spontaneous after all." "Don't you worry. Just the usual madness, but I'll be fine," she grinned and waved him inside, "do you want a coffee or something? Anything? - not now, John ? Just make yourself comfortable. I'll... I'll be right there."

He slowly entered, curious but also a little nervous about what to find. Luckily there were no surprises, just an ordinary interior; maybe a little more colourful than necessary, "A nice upgrade from your flat, isn't it?" "Yeah..." Judy mumbled while rushing through the house, back and forth, carrying, tidying, all while her tail swished busily behind her. Little John just nonchalantly climbed on his chair at the kitchen counter, apparently used to the chaos, but there was system in the flurry. It was a spectacle to watch in fact and somewhere in between even a cup of tea appeared on the table, together with a short wave for him to sit down, before she returned to her work. Seth reluctantly followed her offer and after she had cared for her son, Judy finally took the chair in front of him. "So... you're here." "For the time being, yes." "Already regretting your choice?"

He chuckled as a response and watched her for a moment, "Let's just say that I was curious about the chaos I left at my escape, but all I find is the good my absence had planted." She just put up her beautiful smile that had always managed to melt his heart, before she eventually replied, "we had a wonderful time without such would have been impossible. Wait... were you actually worried about me?" Seth stared into his cup for a moment, but he was unable to hide the sheepish grin, slowly turning into laughter and he eventually had to confess, "maybe a little bit. But," he looked around, "my worries have been ungrounded. You're living your dream, that's what-" Seth stopped when the child stood in front of him, cocking his head slightly and putting up a begging smile, "... that's what you've always wanted?" Raised arms stretched up for him, but he just couldn't make sense of the performance.

"Go ahead," Judy eventually grinned at his puzzled look, "he won't bite," "Go ahead with what? Black tea definitely isn't the right treat for a cub and-" Judy's boisterous laughter cut his sentence, suddenly making him feel rather silly. It took her a moment to calm down, but eventually she showed mercy, "You're supposed to pick them up. Nothing more, nothing less. It's no rocket science." "For a parent maybe, but understanding these little creatures is way harder than getting into the minds of the most deceitful bankers and consultants."

After a considerable amount of hesitation, Seth finally reached down and slung his arms rather clumsily around the little body. "Ok... brace yourself, I guess?" he tried preparing for what was to come, but at some point there was no time left to stall and so he picked him up and placed him on his lap. Unable able to suppress the thought about the absurdity of it all, he barely felt their weight, the tiny body not even close to covering his broad chest. "At least try to smile a little. It can't be that bad, can it?" came a friendly mock from the other side of the table while he still worked on situating John on his leg. "Not at all, just- Hey! Careful with these, fella!" he snarled when the small tiger dug their pointy claws into his shoulder to pull themselves further upwards.

Starting for a moment, they watched him nervously and slowly began retreating and was just about to climb off him again, when he reached out for him again. "Sorry, little one. Didn't mean to." John kept the heedful look, but returned to climbing the leopard's chest, carefully at least, all while Judy watched him curiously. The way she looked over the edge of her cup surely had something truly majestic if only Seth weren't on the other end. An awkward silence filed the room while his shoulders had to serve as a playground, until he asked, "And the rest? You're alright so far?" "More or less. Everything tends to the casual chaos, but there's order hidden in the frenzy." "Anything I can help you with?" he offered while his guest shakily stood stood up on his neck, still supported by his raised hand and head. "I'll survive, but thank you. Talon and I made it until now, so it's highly unlikely for us to fail at this point." "Talon?" "My dear husband and father of this wonderful creature, that - Watch out!"

One small step missed his shoulder and the adventurer was just about to fall when Seth barely reached behind his back and gripped him with the other hand, too. "Woah. Not so fast," he chuckled and lifted him over his head again, "you alright?" He placed the panting lump back on his lap again and gave them a good inspection. A short nod was the closest to an answer he got, but through the little trembling it was probably about the maximum they were capable of right now. The leopard tilted his head and grinned playfully, much to their entertainment when they sank against his chest and arms, apparently done climbing for the time being. "So... you intend to stay there?" He nodded into his pullover and sunk a bit deeper into Seth's careful grip. It took a good minute, before Seth's look turned towards the other one present again.

"Can I keep him?" he asked Judy, a content, begging look in his eyes. "I'm afraid my darling might have just a tiny issue with this, but there's a convenient way to get some of your own, you know?" "Would you mind providing practical assistance?" he replied suggestively and watched in bliss as her look turned more reproachful by the second until he couldn't restrain his laughter any more. "You... You are the worst," Judy chided, nodding towards the orange fluff in his arms, "there's a special place in hell for your kind. You're lucky little John has already given up on your rude jabbering." "A wise choice indeed," he replied and started gently swaying his fluffy guest as Judy leaned forwards and ran her hand suavely along the purring boy, "come on, let's get him upstairs. Talon's going to return in about an hour and I still want to spend some time with you alone without risking to wake him up." The regret for that that statement came immediately when she noticed his sly, knowing grin. "Not in that sense you horny kitty. Now get moving before I make you."

He still chuckled a little, but at least was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. A few minutes later, the boy was in his bed for a short nap. Judy stayed a bit longer at her side, almost forgetting about her visitor while she got lost in the heart-warming smile. "Whatever draws us to these fragile beings, merely practical in any way, yet beautiful in their own right," the leopard eventually whispered and ran his paw gently over Judy's back, "I'll give you two a moment." He quietly left the room and waited outside for her return. Eventually she appeared and closed the door behind herself carefully.

"You'd be a great father," she commented while the two headed downstairs again, "Hey, don't you dare to laugh. I'm serious." "As am I and as much as I am afraid of it, it would be the greatest honour of my life, but it sadly takes two and well... latter part is difficult." "For a handsome charmer like you?" Seth smirked weakly yet shook his head as they reached the staircase.

"What could I offer? A steady income at best, but anything else..." he sighed while walking down the stars, occasionally looking back to his host," I get eaten up by my job, leaving almost no room for anyone else, not to mention a proper relationship." Suddenly the leopard noticed her worried look. Despite the rather amused undertone he had woven into his words, she apparently didn't take it as light-hearted as him, "What you have to offer, Seth? We spent four years together, every single minute neither of us was occupied in their studies or job, and I have enjoyed every bit of it." "Before I made a run for it at the first opportunity. I've changed, Judy, to the better or worse depends on the perspective, but I'm far from the one who left you by now, even further from the one you knew." "First of all, you didn't leave me. Not even close. We sat down like the adults we were - and are to this day by the way - and we made that decision together. Whatever blame you are about to assign to yourself, don't dishonour what we have with your self inflicted grief," Judy reached out for him and firmly gripped his shoulder once back in the kitchen," Just try. As my former philosophy teacher had probably said: If you're too afraid to burn, you'll never feel the fire's warmth." "Yet is it worth the risk, knowing you'll end up charred either way?"

He snarled and turned around as her claws went into the grip. When he looked down at her, Judy's stare burnt in determination until he sighed and loosened her grasp. "Ok, I'm sorry. You're not here to play my psychiatrist all day." "No, sweetheart, I _am_your psychiatrist, you just refused to visit me for a few years. I can't believe I am saying this right now, but... go outside, meet people and one day you'll find someone for whatever you intend to spend the plentiful years you have left with. Just... promise me to try, ok? You almost made me propose to you, so do something with your life. It still hurts to see you suffer, you know?" Seth squeezed her paw a little and passed her a short grin, "I will, I promise. But wait... you almost proposed to me?" "That's not the point here." "I know, I just wanted to stress it." Her reproachful look gave him a feeling of remorse for a moment actually, before she inhaled audibly and retreated her fingers from his.

Suddenly the leopard's gaze stuck to the interesting collection of CD's on a shelf nearby. It presented a gruesome mix of brutal heavy metal - definitely Judy's influence ?, Viennese classic from different eras, modern and original interpretations, and probably the most disgusting schlager music imaginable. He could almost smell Judy blush at his inspection, but she luckily decided not to stop him. Eventually he turned around, the only actually listenable music of the bunch in his hand. "You're serious?" he snickered and waved 'modern smooth jazz' in front of her face, "have you forgotten every single of my instructions? Nothing against a few sonatas and stuff, but... how would you dance to anything else in there?" "So you want to dance? Or do you just want to measure my pulse again to indulge in your absurd fantasies?" she asked, with careful... consideration in there maybe? "Afraid to make a fool of yourself? But no, I have no reason forchecking on your health. The 90 bpm you had when we held hands are a bit raised, but I will happily credit it on my astonishing presence," Seth murmured in response while looking for a player to put the music on.

All the sudden an electric guitar cut through their air as Judy's smartphone started blasting in Seth's pocket. When he yanked it out, the adrenaline rush sent it flying across the room and while she picked it out of the flower pot, the tigress gave him a deep, meaningful look. "Who on earths picks such a terrible ring tone, seriously? What does Talon think of it? But considering your collection, I should expect not as much of a fight in that regard," Seth eventually panted. "Oh, you can ask him yourself," she replied and showed him the display, "but as you failed to convince me otherwise so has he, but married me anyway. Something you made a run for..."

His fierce protest was duteously ignored while Judy started chatting with her husband and so for the upcoming minutes there was nothing left to do but to await her return. Somewhere in between he heard an excited squeak, yet when she returned, something seemed to bother her, a question she wasn't fond of asking.

But eventually she decided to give it a go, "I hate to bother you, Seth, but... would you take care of John for tonight? I would ask someone else and it's probably just a precaution, but-" "Sure, it's not like I have anything better to do. So much for our dance, but... What's the problem?" He earned a grateful smile, right before Judy burst into excitement and almost knocked him over with an exuberant hug. "He's got the table! He has actually done it!" she yelled into her helpless victim's sensitive ear before rushing upstairs.

"I'll be right back!" came her distant call that barely provided an explanation of what had just happened. Whatever it was, the likely preparations took surprisingly long, but eventually she returned in long, flowing dress. The bordeaux silk fit perfectly and left no doubt's around what perfection lay below it while the wearer trembled in anticipation. "So you're heading out?" Seth noted in maybe a tad more awe than he would voluntarily admit. "To the 'black mountain lodge'. The best restaurant in town with months worth of waitlists just for one evening," she nodded and pressed him close once again, "and this absolutemiracle of a husband managed to spontaneously got us in! Do I look alright?" She sadly had to release him though Seth wouldn't have minded her embrace a bit longer as he nodded and waved her off, "more than adequate. But hurry now, you stupid kitten. My replacement awaits you."

His humorous remark didn't fail to widen her smile - how this was even possible was beyond him. "The little one will probably stay asleep till we return, so don't you worry about too much of a job. Thank you so much again," she finally chirped, bounced off and slammed the door into frame behind her. For a moment he remembered knowing the owner, a stubborn elk that still owed him a huge favour worth multiple reservations, but why ruin the mood. He has had his chance already.

"Jealous me," Seth chuckled, "though he's still a lucky b-... person?" The leopard startled when he heard a quiet rustle behind his back, barely audible through the dissipating engine sound from outside. Through the banister peeked two green eyes, a small orange furred paw clinging to the wooden bars. Someone apparently had woken up from all the excitement.

"Hi, John," he whispered, "I'm afraid tonight will have to do without your parents. Would you go to bed on your own again?" The glowing pair of eyes shook for a moment. "Anything I can do?" he tried again and eventually was rewarded with a short nod, "ok, but I have no idea what to do, so please... forgive me potential mistakes, alright? I talk to much, don't I?" Whether they completely understood him or not was a little unclear - seriously, how do parent's work this kind of magic - but suddenly the two eyes disappeared and small steps made their way down the remaining stairs. "Oh... no. The... bed is... upstairs. You can't just..." he groaned, but all of his attempts failed until the small creature stood right in front of him, the well-known 'raise-your-arms-until-he-picks-you-up'-gesture staring invitingly up to him. This time he was prepared and complied and just headed for the staircase when his protégé pulled his ear towards the living room. "Whatever you want there, little one. This is definitely not your bedroom."

With a few gestures and some murmured words they eventually managed to move him to an armchair, them onto his lap and a book in his hands. It actually took him a few minutes to get used to reading aloud again, but in his opinion it wasn't the worst possible at least and John didn't seem to mind anyway. Yet most of the effort was pointless as they were already yawning once he began reading and only a few pages into the book he was snoring soundly. Seth kept reading for a while as the story turned out a lot more captivating than expected, but it didn't fail it's effect on himself and soon he followed suit.

Eventually his ears tickled, keys jingling form the door. Their lock didn't seem well oiled when it shrieked painfully loudly in the silence as the latch was retreated. Two voices added to the mix and soon Seth could make out steps entering, Judy's whispers rather dominant in the soundscape. A different voice replied, deeper, not as deep as expected, but definitely not hers either. Just before he wanted to get up, he remembered the weight in his arms. A look on his watch indicated it was well past midnight so it felt a little rude to wake him up, but eventually he would have to anyway. Luckily, his sheer movement had done a lot of the job for him so just a careful nudge was enough for him to open his eyes, looking up tiredly. In the dim light of the reading lamp he looked quite fascinating and Seth almost forgot his environment until someone cleared his throat right next to him.

John's look turned behind his shoulder and suddenly all tiredness was blown away, at least when they jumped up, dropped out of his arms and ran for the figure hidden from his sight. "Dad!" he giggled and was answered with a happy grunt when the leopard turned around. Tall and slender towered another tiger behind him, currently more bothered with his son, which didn't stop him from passing Seth a suspicious gaze anyway. Seth couldn't blame him as he imagined looking rather uncanny in the twilight, especially considering that the other one's child had spent hours in this stranger's arms. But this circumstance didn't last for long when Judy flicked the light switch and bathed the room in a stinging bright light. He blinked a few times and when he had finally managed to stand up as well, his eyes had not fully adapted to the new environment. "Had a good sleep?" Judy asked and joined her husband, who still seemed to keep his caution up. "Seth, this is Talon; Talon, this is Seth. He was kind enough to take care of our son for the evening, meaning you can stop worrying now. Sooo... I'll get the little one upstairs - again ? and myself out of this marvellous yet uncomfortable cage of a dress."

She bailed him out with a kiss before making her way towards the stairs and snickering from the two confused stares that followed her. But soon with no target to follow they turned towards each other. "As if I would have trust issues..." Talon commented, his antipathy slowly starting to crumble and eventually after the usual banter he actually turned out to be rather friendly. When Judy returned from upstairs they had already gone through countless stories that would better have stayed untold until Judy actually regretted to have left them alone. After a delightfully eventful night, darkness outside eventually faded and Seth had to return to his hotel. His hosts had an increasingly hard time to stay awake as well and craved some shared rest. A quick goodbye, a short, purely platonic, kiss for Judy and off he was into the freezing night.

As morning was too close, the leopard had expected his slumber to last a little longer but his phone decided differently. A few messages acted as preparation and as the grand finale the smartphone fired off. As pleasant as his ring tone was, a wonderful flow of piano chords dragged along by the violin-viola-duet melody, as dire was it's meaning as someone on the other end of the line seemed to have an important issue to be dealt with.

"Mornin'," he grunted into the microphone, "what's the deal, Amanda?" A deep sigh was the only response, before named one started, "Good afternoon, Mr. Austin. As troublesome as this might sound to you, your vacation now has a sudden end." "Oh, Ms. Shepard, is it that serious?" "I'm afraid it is." He grunted and rose from the blanket's sweet embrace, rubbing the tired eyes. "Just get back here, Seth. Next time you need a vacation, you'll sadly have to stick to the official channels." "You just can't live without me, can you?" She chuckled and replied, "not with the open projects and contracts you've conveniently left out in your mail. And... the other issue."

Latter remark had a surprisingly refreshing effect so he tried to investigate further, "What other issue?" "Fascinating. You didn't notice. I'll expect you tomorrow. Seth, you gotta solve this in person." And with that the call ended. No further explanation, just the final blip. After a "breakfast", he first sent a longer text to Judy and Talon, declaring his early leave. They had probably scheduled another date, the memories in that regard contained major inconsistencies and holes, and they probably should know about his departure.

An hour later, he sat in his car, the room was paid for and eventually it was time to cancel his adventure before it had really started. He had to agree with Amanda as it was partially his own fault for this to happen, but it didn't feel right anyway. Sadly living in a world of at least almost euclidean geometry meant, that the way back would take as long as the first, but it couldn't be helped. But this time he had had some rest at least and so it would be a little less of a life risk. Eventually he arrived back in concrete hell, back at his new and current address and the only thing left to do was to prepare for tomorrow, to look through the market's status quo again, read some mails and similar stuff that immediately brought him back to work mode, crudely similar to a switch flipped on.

The next day came as expected. The smell of coffee, the stressful drive to work, business as usual, until Seth entered the office floor. Ms. Shepard caught him right in front ofhis roomand guided him inside immediately, "So Mr. Austin. Now that you've recovered from that terrible flue that kept you off work... it's time to talk about Miss Tarson. What on earth have you done?" The leopard returned her stare blankly. Whatever it was, it must've really upset her and as close as they were to a friendship, it would be foolish to push his luck and deny it. "We had a short... incident, I was a bit indignant and she left. Not that big of a deal..."

"Not that big of a deal, Seth? She came to methat day, close to tears, asked, no, begged me not to fire her for... something. She was willing to hand in her notice if it, whatever 'it' might be,wouldn't mean further consequences, brought the papers and everything. This 'not that big of a deal' almost scared off one of the most promising ladies I ever had the pleasure to work with, so if you don't get this issue fixed," Amanda gave him a vicious, meaningful gaze, "there's hell to pay."

In all the years, Seth had learnt that most of this was a bluff, but the sheer fact, that she deemed it necessary to use it against him posed a serious issue. She could not fire him nor do anything else given his so far reasonable behaviour, but their good relationship was far to valueable of a price to pay. Yet there was still hope as she handed him the mentioned documents and left his office, a very puzzled leopard in her wake. Eventually he turned towardsthe pile of neglected work, filling out files and reports and calling back panicking customers, to assure them that their funds didn't collapse into bankruptcy. Hours passed and once it was time for a break he was just about to head for the cafeteria, but instead decided to attend to the more private matters on his to-do list.

The - very legally ? obtained documents in hand, he called the elevator, the door opened and there she was, unaware of his presence until he stood in front of her. She probably hoped to remain unseen behind his back, but the leopard could hear her nervously fondling with the hem of her jacket, could hear her pathetically suppressed breaths. She didn't even raise her voice when herhandbag accidentality swung lightly against him.

Eventually he turned around as if he had just noticed her presence focussing her in the otherwise empty elevator. "Ms. Tarson," he started softly yet determined, "there's something we have to talk about rather sooner than later, so would you mind joining me for lunch?" He had to admit, it looked cute how her ears twitched at that statement. Her demeanour showed obviously how uncomfortable she felt right now and as expected, sheeventually declined, "I would rather not. This issue is going to sort sort itself out on it's own anyway." "I would prefer it not doing this, at least not in that way," Seth replied and waved with her dismissal.

"... You ... shouldn't have these documents." "Well, here we are because some people don't want you to quit, including myself, and they assume it a waste of talent to let you go. I would never forgive myself driving you to such a decision, so again, shouldn't we exchange this stifling elevator for a comfortable place in the cafeteria? In any case," he reached her the documents, earning theirfirst eye contact for today, "I'd prefer you to hear me out first before you hand them in again."

An insecure, questioning look up at him was all the answer the leopard would get, a mix of fear, confusion and suspicion, but at least he didn't seem to have messed up completely this time. "I take that as a 'yes'. So," conveniently the door opened at his gesture, "shall we?" It took the Seth yet anothermotivating wave to make her move, but eventually she followed him quietly. the leopard felt the judging gaze of colleagues on them, their... encounter had apparently gained publicity, but he didn't bother, Ms. Tarson all the more. Only when the unlike couple had their meals and had chosen a quiet place ? partially thanks to his intimidating nature scaring off approaching employees ? she dared to lok up again,"You... wanted to talk?" "Indeed. Starting with our conversation. I should have never reacted like that. All circumstances aside, all the stress, the usual excuses. None of them is even close to sufficient to explain nor apologise my actions. I can only ask for your forgiveness and... damn it... I'm sorry, ok?" He looked her in the eyes and finally the fear was gone. Whatever she had expected, this was definitely not it. "Are you alright?" he chuckled as she watched him in suspicionashis demeanour shifted.

"I... am I still fired?" she asked shyly, but obviously relieved. "Only if you want to. Amanda does not want to let you go and neither do I," Seth smiled in response, but the news seemed to be more overwhelming than he had expected, "but I'll give you time on your own to consider." Yet when he got up there was the traceof a question, a short move of her paw, but it was gone as soonas it had come.

She must've already assumed him gone, judging by her startled gaspwhen he put his tabletdown again, this time right next to her and took the respective seat. "What is it, Ms. Tarson? I know, I'm the one who threatened to get you fired for nothing, but I am also the only one who can answer your questions that seem to bother you in that regard." She didn't protest against his presence nor did he get an answer so he simply turned towards eating his lunch until she would say something. In the end it took her ten minutes of lackadaisical poking in her salad to raise her voice again, "What if I were to repeat my offer?" "As I said, it's not illegal." "Obviously, but would you consider it?"

He could hear her heartbeat almost double while he took his time for an answer. "As long as you don't hold that... incident against me, I'd love to. Who could say 'no' to some pleasant chatter." He relieved smile she gave him made him question his judgement, whether he had made the right decision, but there was no way out of it now. He just suspected to have sparked hopes he couldn't fulfil, but for the time being she smirked widely and returned to her lunch, this time with the appropriate appetite.

Conversation ceased and eventually she stood up once finished, muttered something and loped off. It was a bit frustrating as he had hoped for a more in-depth conversation about just everything, but it was probably best to let her go for the time being. Laterhe would receive a mail containing a date,time and address andSeth deeply worried it might be hers.

Two days later, he arrived at the location, three dimensions fitting, just the fourth five minutes further than intended. Dim light was burning inside despite the bright day and once he rang the doorbell, a noisy, panicked shadow rushed back and forth until Ms. Tarson answered the door, "Uh... hi. I... come in and... make yourself comfortable, I don't know." "A tad too much effort for a common coffee, don't you think?" he commented while entering and taking a short look at her outfit. Her expensive looking skirt and blouse combination would even count as overdressed at work, the perfume unusually present, the make-up decent but clearly visible. He even felt bad for his comparably pathetic jeans and t-shirt. "You're late. I thought you wouldn't come any more," she hastily commented. Why on earth was she so nervous? "I might be a terrible colleague, but I am reliable at least. But thanks for waiting. You-"

Even Seth startled when he saw the living room, a small table arranged in the middle, half covered in petals and candles. "Yeah, I kinda got carried away," the rabbit blushed when she noticed his stare, "but I like it. Do... you?" "It's not like I don't appreciate the effort you put into this, but it's just a coffee, isn't it?... isn't it?" "Probably.," she eventually muttered and waved him onto his seat, "but that doesn't mean it can't be special." Yep, he had definitely raised hopes. It was not like he could blame his host for any of it, but whatever she assumed would make this whole thing a lot more difficult, "We both know that I'm not here for a coffee, nor any other alibi drink. So let's cut to the chase. You, darling, are looking for something else and I am not sure whether I can grant you this particular wish," he sighed and reached out for her, "you see-" He didn't even have to continue his sentence. Realisation seemed to strike and it took only seconds to turn her into an emotional wreck. Painfully reminding of the incident that had started this chaos, her shoulders dropped, not to mention her mood, and when she raised her voice again, bitterness dripped from every syllable, "I know. I'm painfully aware of our differences in... more than just one way, b-but it doesn't have to last, I mean... is it... wrong to want you?"

The desperation in those words left a nasty feeling in Seth's stomach, demanding a decision between rhyme and reason. Could the immorality of affirming that young woman's feelings really outweigh the callousness of not doing it? Yet after a moment to consider he moved closer, felt her shrug back in his embrace. Her surprised gasp was cut off by a passionate kiss for her small figure to melt away in and when they parted again, she was speechless for a moment. He know he couldn't turn back now, the risk of this biting both of them in the tail immense, but it was probably the right decision to make, regardless of what might follow. "It's not wrong, it's you," he eventually took over kindly while caressing those invitingly twitching, tricoloured ears," Ellie, today's about you. So don't be afraid of me nor yourself nor anyone's pesky assumptions, OK? So, about that coffee..."

Hours later he woke up again. The new environment was confusing to say the least, especially once he remembered where he was and why he found himself partially around, partially on top of her bare form, the bunny's mind still in the distant realms of slumber. He rubbed his eyes with the minimal amount of movement possible and finally managed to roll off her. Ellie groaned a bit in her sleep, apparently noticing the lack of his weight, but luckily it wasn't enough to disturb her too much.

With a last, appreciating look, he pulled up the blanket and covered her appropriately, before rising from the mattress. A few taps (and unlocking her phone with her beautiful, resting face) set an alarm for tomorrow and he considered taking a photo of the cute scene when he picked up his scattered clothes, but this moment was probably better to stay off record - not to mention the creepy factor of having photos of a sleeping stranger on your smartphone, even with the best intentions. As quietly as possible, he left the room to pick up the rest of his garments and only when he had the door sufficiently closed, he dared to switch on the light. Soon he was dressed again and snug out into the night, desperately hoping that this would end well.

The next morning at work he just noticed her briefly passing by and they exchanged a short smile, but apparently Amanda's instinct had struck once again when she entered his office soon after, without knocking of course, "I see you have solved your issue with Ms. Tarson. Though I didn't mean to choose such a... personal approach right away." He blinked at her for a moment, but failed to find a reason for her bright mood. But despite her sudden intrusion, he suavely put away the documents and offered her a chair, "You know that I'm a professional. I would never-" "without a good reason" "take such steps. Despite your assumptions, it doesn't require sane adults to fix all of their problems on such a corporal level. We talked about it, I explained my ungrounded motives and in the end, she understood my point-" "After you've hammered it into her for long enough." Seth stopped at her last remark.

Somewhere in this sly grin had to lay the answer to this interrogation, but as usual she was a lot harder to read than others. "Is there a question in there, Ms. Shepard?" he eventually asked and her grin widened. Apparently he had hit the right spot. "Mr. Austin. It's not like I disapprove relationships between colleagues as long as they don't interfere with the tasks at hand. So I have no idea why you feel the necessity to hide such an involvement. And don't even try to deny it. These looks you two shared speak volumes that you have seen a lot more of each other than meets the eye," the panther replied with a sudden professionalism and slowly took a seat in front of him. "Still not the question you're about to ask. Or do you want me to retire early on my own to save a little paperwork and are just too polite to request it? In this case we can surely come to the point rather than beating around the bush." "Of course not. I've never been afraid of getting my paws dirty and will definitely not start worrying about such nullities just for the fragile soul of an appreciated colleague."

The room was once again filled with silence while both watched the other other one motionless. "It would be a pleasure to me. Friday 8pm?" the leopard finally smiled and looked into those deep, yellow eyes with the same poker face. If she wanted to play this game, he would beware to stop her, "There's a wonderful concert in the palace. A collection of Vivaldi's less famous yet riotous pieces" A short wink told him that he was on the right track, but she would not just yet give an answer. "Yet a more permanent installment like this would of course raise questions about your neutrality in staff concerns, for you could hardly judge my actions objectively any more, but looking at your decisions lately I guess it's too late for that either way." "I'll see you there, Seth. Be punctual." "Always." Sharing a last grin, she stood up and headed for the entrance. What an interesting development indeed.