The pen dipped down and flew an elegant curve above the paper for a second, before it passed the last centimetre and placed Seth’s signature onto the surface. “Aaand… done,” named one grinned at his vis-à-vis, then reached them the documents. The leopard was merely gifted a short nod, then they immediately skittered out of the room without a word. Whatever was as important about a minor receipt, the cougar seemed pretty eager to leave as swiftly as manners allowed for, likely a result of his incident with Ms. Tarson. Rumours were quick to spread and although they had settled that issue once and for all, it had left him with an unpleasant reputation among newer employees. 

He chuckled and reached out for the parcel on his desk, only to scowl at the sender: some startup-tech… thing on the decline. He had strongly advised against any investment, but now his higher ups had decided to launch an IT-security cooperation with them, being pretty much their only customer over the last years. Seth didn’t even have to open the cardboard box to know that it was electronic waste; at least that’s what the experts said. He frankly had no idea about this novel nonsense. “Multi-factor-authentication,” he laughed before stashing it away in his filing cabinet never to touch it again, “The only factor I need is my head.”

 With his motivation at a barely surprising low, he soon decided for an early lunch break, but made it only halfway through the foyer before a voice called after him, “Seth! Seth, wait a second!” He hesitantly turned around and was nearly bowled over by an approaching rabbit, “Oh, it’s good to see you. Have you seen Ama-… Ms. Shepard? She’s just… disappeared… again.” “First of all: good morning Ms. Tarson,” Seth started happily while she caught her breath again, then thought for a moment, “well, I don’t know where she is, but have you tried B1.32? Why are you looking for her by the way?” Seth smirked down at her, then noticed the short looks she passed behind herself and eventually spotted a similarly restless wolfess looking peculiarly out of place. “Yep, another applicant. I know, it’s a little cruel to send them unprepared l, but… it’s still my job after all,” Ellie commented, then hastily pulled out her smartphone when it started chiming. “Oh, sorry, I…” she muttered and cleared her throat, “hell, I’m late already. Could you…?” 

Her stress was quite entertaining, but he just patted her shoulder encouragingly, “always stealing my break, aren’t you? But alright… go ahead. I take it from here.” The other one looked a little concerned when her former guide smiled briefly, then rushed off somewhere else, however Seth gave her little time to wonder as he approached. “If you would you please follow me, Ms…?” he stated and waved her over as he turned towards the staircase in the back of the hall. “Sarah Whitaker. A pleasure to meet you.” “Welcome at Sentra Investment, Ms. Whitaker. How’s the traffic today?” he replied and reached out his paw without slowing down his pace. He wouldn’t give up too much of his break just for another case one in a row, “Seth Austin, the pleasure is all mine.” The wolfess nodded, but still seemed to feel a little uncomfortable and had all reason to do so as well. She was just like the rest, young, little practice in their field, so scared of failure that they didn’t even properly try. 

“What is the matter?” he asked nonetheless after passing the first, key card protected door, “a little intimidating, isn’t it?” Wasting time was unpleasant enough on its own, but wasting it without conversation would have been even worse. It didn’t fail its effect, but strangely only drew the first genuine chuckle from the canine, “Oh… no. No, it’s… nothing along these lines. Don’t take it personal, but compared to my last firm, it’s refreshingly moderate. It’s just… everything else.” She didn’t miss his curious gaze, but looked away when guessing the next question. “This isn’t part of the job interview, is it?” she finally asked two corners later and was visibly relieved when he declined, “no, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t be interested anyway.. I-… wait here for a second.” Seth swiftly pushed open the door he’d been looking for, then frowned at the emptiness behind and closed it again, “Please excuse the circumstances, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding about the time of your arrival. Just enjoy the tour in the meantime.” He had no idea how often he had had to make up this excuse already ? and sadly it didn’t get any more convincing either, so only a minutes of heading to the next alternative passed until Ms. Whitaker started again, “It isn’t encouraging when even you already welcome applicants with this attitude, you know?” 

She sighed deeply, then looked up again when he opened another door, “at least leave the amused undertone. I am late already; as much know myself.” “Latter point can hardly be your fault and for former one I can only beg your pardon. We’ve just had too many by now and only a handful of them had a real chance in the first place.” Seth hesitated for a moment, then continued in a little lower voice, “doesn’t mean that I don’t consider you one of them.” Her grateful smile faltered just briefly when he pushed open another door and this time, it revealed a panther happily stretching in an armchair. The two entering was merely commented with a groggy blink and Amanda even refused to stand up when Seth started introducing the wolfess, “Ms. Shepard, you have a visitor. Ms. Whitaker-” “I know, Miss Sarah Whitaker, unsolicited application as a ‘secretary in legal or staff department’. We had an interview scheduled about twenty minutes ago, so I have to apologise for my absence. Thank you Seth, I take it from here.” Finally, the yellow eyes flicked open and fixed their visitors as she rose from her seat and straightened her back to loom over her potential employee. Well, ‘loom over’ wasn’t exactly precise, the two reaching about the same height, Ms. Whitaker seemed totally unprepared however for the absolute presence that Amanda was. “May I take the chance to remind you of tonight then? Just to prevent absence from striking again,” the leopard eventually commented when he had almost left, but she barely paid attention, being too distracted by her analysis. Oh, he didn’t envy that wolf, but at the very least she was the first in a long time who actually stood a chance.

Just twenty more minutes later when Seth returned from his break did he meet Ms. Whitaker in front of the building ,when she stuffed her smartphone back into her pocket, a strange frown covering her muzzle. Seth nodded kinndly when he passed, heard her follow him soon after though. “Mr. Austin? Do you have a minute?” she asked hastily and adjusted her pace to slip past the revolving door, then kept a polite distance when he didn’t react immediately, too distracted by the upcoming meeting.. “Technically not,” he finally responded at the other end of the hall, only barely registering how ill-mannered he was right now, ”but if you don’t mind talking on the way, we could manage. Moreover it can’t hurt if you get to know the building a little better. I trust got what you wanted?” Now she looked genuinely angry and even more eager to follow him, if still a little reluctantly. “Ms. Shepard rejected my application after the first few minutes, so no, but what kind of person is this? The way how she said it, though… I have the right qualifications, it’s just not fair!”

 “Quite the character, isn’t she?” Seth grinned, only further fuelling her fury when he swiped his key card over the elevator panel and the door slid open, “However Amanda usually doesn’t reject applications that bluntly. Have you upset her?” The she-wolf just stared at him blankly before slowly shaking her head. “Apply again then. ‘Secretary’, wasn’t it? She wants you, try something higher next time, something… in sales maybe, accounting if it fits your CV?” the leopard concluded and inspected the files she held tight to her chest while the elevator started moving, “An MBA? Oh my, of course she rejected you. Did you seriously spend four and a half years at university just to end up in front of someone else’s desk? Don’t get me wrong, it’s an important job, but it’s nothing that would require such qualifications.” “Not really, but it was urgent at that time and-” “And you are willing to make the same mistake again? Well, then even I can’t help you. In any other case though, go there and tell her what you told me,” he stated, “You have potential if Amanda thinks so, but you’ll have to commit to it.” The door slid open again and the leopard stepped out, this time without her following. Ms. Whitaker was frozen in place, deeply lost in her thoughts and just looking up when he gave his final opinion, “Whatever happened at your previous firm… I have no right to judge, but here this attitude has no future. Just the attitude, not yourself. I’d be happy to have you on our team.” The elevator’s doors closed again and he let them. She would find the way, whatever that would be, on her own, now that she was within the restricted area. It wasn’t exactly up to security standards, but what harm could she do?

The rest of the day went by as per usual and so 8 pm approached without the slightest hint of stress. Seth was well in time, so he had to wait a little as expected, but finally a voice chimed through the palace’s entrance hall, “Who are you waiting for, Mr. Austin?” When he looked around to investigate, he indeed spotted the other feline sauntering closer while seeming to do her best to avoid approaching him directly. “For no one, Ms. Shepard, what a coincidence to meet you here,” he smiled, then closed in himself to greet her, “I couldn’t even imagine someone voluntarily attending a concert with me. I am a very picky critic, you see.” Amanda wore a pleasantly harmonious combination of black, tight trousers and a white blouse perfectly framed by a royal blue cardigan and decorated by a long, golden necklace. As in turn was her right, she did an inspection as well, of his dark grey suit, a deep emerald green tie accompanied by a shirt in a slightly lighter hue. “A slightly deprecated outfit, don’t you think?” she commented as she ran a finger along said tie, however without a hint of accusation, so the leopard just smiled and extended his elbow for her to hook under, “it is a special occasion after all.” “What a gentleman,” Amanda grinned moments later and took the offer, then softly dragged him towards the entrance though. “As you’re not in a particular hurry and I haven’t spotted a blemish in your marvellous outfit, I take it that you arrived well?” he asked if only a little uncomfortable with the guidance. Sweet was the sound of her laugh as the grip on his arm did not lighten, but was merely expanded by a soft pad, “Obviously, but it’s kind of you to ask anyway. Now… As you didn’t try to slow me down or hesitated when spotting the ticket inspector, I take it that you know the seat numbers, moreover have the tickets?” “Obviously.” “Splendid,” she just grinned in response. 

The respective seats were soon to be found and the conductor didn’t make them wait unreasonably, yet not long after the first movement, he felt a little more of her weigh down against his shoulder, “the first violins drag a little, don’t they?” “It’s rather the rest picking up speed a little. The celli do notice though and adapt to the best of their ability. I’m sure after the break at the third movement, they will improve. Oh, the adagio is wonderful nonetheless.” An annoyed shush somewhere behind then interrupted his quiet comment, the weight on his arm did not decrease however, rather did Amanda sink even further into her seat. “It occurs to me that you’re not interested in the performance,” he finally concluded once the first yawn escaped her lips and even more disgruntled stares latched onto them from time to time, “and they just have finished the second movement, the highlight of this composition.” “If that’s the highlight, I don’t-” An almost furious hiss intervened immediately and she returned it gladly, kept silent up to the break though, if a tad grumpily. “At the risk of repeating myself, but you didn’t seem to enjoy the performance, did you?” Seth asked once they were back outside and politely smiled back at a couple still upset about their disturbance. “No, I did not. To be frank, I had hoped for more… entertainment,” she sighed before a short chuckle made her slow her guidance a little, “I’m sorry, Mr. Austin, but I apparently overestimated my taste for this style of music.” 

The two had reached the middle of the hall when Amanda paused again, this time turning towards the leopard and fixing him intently with those expressive yellow eyes, “I would endure the rest of it if you wanted, but I can’t guarantee for me to leave it uncommented.” “In any other case I would be worried about you, Ms. Shepard,” he replied and continued further towards the exit, this time dragging the surprised panther along, “however your suffer is not mandatory to earn my admiration. A difference in interests is quite tolerable for me.” A smile briefly passed her muzzle before he continued, “that doesn’t remotely answer the question what to do next though.” “What would you suggest then?” “Oh, we could definitely visit an establishment with music a little more to your liking, I suppose?” The offer was well received judging by how her ears perked up at that statement, “what about the ‘Equinox’ then? Not far from, but a remarkable sense of rhythm on that DJ I can tell you.” Now this earned her an attentive stare from the leopard when he headed the right direction after just a moment of consideration. Maybe the occasional lunch with Ellie had their benefits after all. “Just out of curiosity,” he then continued though and briefly looked down at the panther before dodging a street light, “how did you discover this particular establishment? It’s not common for our range of age to know such venturous places and as it’s rather newly founded, this knowledge can most certainly not result from a wild youth either.” 

“For someone ‘our age’ you know the way there pretty well,” she laughed while her elbow to his side took the leopard’s breath for a second, “Just get rid of this jacket and tie before we get there or they won’t even serve us.” The panther suddenly clung to his arm and slowed him to a halt, then pulled down the gratuitous piece of clothing and spend a good minute messing up his shirt and neatly groomed fur a little. In the meantime, he watched her with a nonchalant, if a little bewildered, stare, being overwhelmed by the sudden, brazen attention as her paws went over him swiftly, pulling, prodding and wrinkling whereever she deemed it necessary. “Now you look somewhat presentable again, don’t you think?” “No, now I look ridiculous; like I don’t know my manners anymore.” “As I said. Quite fitting,” she smirked and proceeded down the street without a further word. Flicking her tail playfully behind herself, she launched his expensive jacket into the air for him to catch before repeating her treatment with herself. “My car is somewhere along the way, we can drop them off there,” she stated when he had closed in, looking genuinely confused by now. His escort didn’t seem to care a whole lot and just beamed up at him, strangely relieved in a way now that her fur was as unordered as his and her outfit had a few more flaws. 

“Was it that terrible?” he asked. “Not even remotely as unpleasant as when you messed with my personnel decision. Don’t even try to deny it, I know you’ve set her up to it,” Amanda scowled playfully for a moment and just kept walking. Twenty minutes later, they had reached their destination: an old machinery hall, green neon lights shining over a rusty entrance. The two parallel arches, broken up by a stylised sun in the middle frowned down at them with EDM booming from the entrance, that only further emphasised his fear of what was to come: the youth. Messy and uncontrolled, hormone driven most of the time they ravaged down town and turned every park into a drug laboratory. Most of what they consumed there was going to inflict enough neurological damage until they had reached adulthood, that they wouldn’t even have the capacity left to comprehend their actions. “Wonderful, isn’t it?” Amanda chuckled as if she had read his thoughts and clenched onto his arm, “Let’s dive right in.” And so she dragged the leopard forwards into the blueish flickering hell.

Seth had to blink a few times when he entered, both from the lighting and the… smell. Lizards, felines, bovines, avians, canines, a whole mass of bodies sitting around tables, breaking down the dance floor or populating the bar and the moment his toes touched the ground, he raised the average age by about ten years with some of the patrons definitely not allowed to be here. Amanda immediately noticed and pulled him along until she had found a table in the back, a little off the music and musk, secluded, but not really private. On the way they passed by at least two couples getting touchy in the semi-shadow where they thought his keen eyes couldn’t spot them. One of them was more of a scaly coil in fact and he couldn’t even be sure how many were involved there with all these moving parts. If this philistine generation were the future of society, it would be a grim one indeed. Once they were on their respective seats though, a keen waiter was already on his way, navigating elegantly around the crowd.

 “Hey, what can I do for you guys?” the sheep beamed loud enough to penetrate the noise as he arrived, before his gaze fell onto Amanda, “You look like the Mojito-type and you… pal… oof, I have no idea. What would you like?” “How kind of you telling me that I don’t belong here. Would it be too much to ask for a tea? An orange juice possibly?” he leopard stated politely while inspecting the unreasonable disappointment it caused in his vis-à-vis to not properly read a total stranger. However Amanda stepped in before it became too uncomfortable, “Oh come on, Seth! He takes a Wodka-O. Strong. Gotta have some fun after all!” The waiter smiled briefly at the display, then headed for the bar again, but something seemed to strike him, even more than the tall leopard staring after him. “Who is this person and where does he get the right for this audacity? He can’t just place an order for-” “Seth,” she interrupted and placed a padded finger on his lips, “we are here to enjoy the evening and you have agreed to this or rather in legal terms: ‘conduct implying an intent’, so you’re stuck with me for a while, might as well enjoy it. Or should we start analysing stock development and plan our investment strategy over a fine glass of sparkling water?” 

“I do enjoy it, but I’m not entirely comfortable in such an establishment. And while I might not always like perfect order and tiresome formalities, this environment is a mess,” he scoffed, but actually managed to release a bit of tension and calm his nerves until he eventually stopped trying to track the abundance of movement in the corner of his eyes. The panther meanwhile took his paws, feeling his pulse slow, then grinned widely, “great, now… you wait here while I swiftly refresh myself. Make sure to leave a proper tip.” Grinning once again, she nodded towards the approaching waiter, before rising from her seat and soon she disappeared between two drunk fools, seeming strangely natural in this environment. “So… a Mojito and a Skrewdriver. That would be,” the sheep thought for a second before he was handed two notes. “It’s twelve eighty, but keep the rest,” Seth half grumbled, then spotted the puzzled look the other one passed him, “Oh, pardon my rudeness, I meant no offence. Thank you.” 

An apologetic smile was finally enough to lighten the mood again and the sheep placed down the drinks and stashed away the money, but then turned his gaze to the leopard again, “Just curious… are you a colleague of Ellie’s? Ellie Tarson?” That got Seth’s attention and he leaned back a little to study the sheep’s face, much to their unrest, “I am indeed, which begs the question how you know or why you’d ask.” “Just… curious,” he chuckled nervously and turned around, just throwing another strangely concerned look over his shoulder once he had reached the bar and started serving another client. “Well, Ms. Tarson, you’re up for an explanation,” the leopard finally mumbled and listened to the music for a moment, peeked into the flickering darkness, how the group pulsed with the beat. Just when he placed his drink against his lips did a high pitch ring run through the shape while it bumped painfully against his teeth and spilled a small amount of the mixture onto his face. “You mustn’t start without me, Seth?” a well known voice giggled as she lifted her glass away again and took the first sip, “now… what were you discussing with this handsome young fellow? Weren’t you pleased with his service?” “I’m afraid word about Ms. Tarson and me has spread further than anticipated, although this individual seems to have a more direct insight into the matter I imagine,” he smirked as he cleaned his face, then tried his drink as well. His delighted surprise was well received on her part. “Let’s enjoy the evening then, shall we?”

For the next… whatever hours drink after drink died under their careful watch, the friendly stranger making sure they always were provided with enough. It didn’t pass Seth unnoticed however, that they got that tiny bit more visits than the rest. “Let’s show these amateurs what one can do on the dance floor!” the panther suddenly stated and rose back on her legs ? if a little shakily ? and walked over to grab his paw. In turn, he violently shook his head and resisted her increasingly determined drag, “I haven’t in years, least of which to… this music.” “It has rhythm, it has a hint of a melody, I’m sure you’ll come up with something?” Her yellow eyes were almost mystical in the flickering twilight, how she hypnotised him, blinking multiple times, then locking onto his ear and forcing him to meet her demand, “you signed the contract, remember? And I will be sure to remind you of it.” Another glistening set of fangs joined in when he smiled with a certain rise in his heartbeat, “As long as you don’t mind your toes getting flattened, I’m… not opposed to comply.” 

He felt a deep purr run through her body when he rose and pulled her close before they headed for the pulsing mass. Somewhere along the way, she pulled his reluctant fingers to her hip so that once they had reached their desired location, no further adjustment was required. It did indeed catch a few looks when they started stepping into a quick discofox base step. “Come on, a little more creative please?” the panther called through the jungle of voices and despite even then Seth caught only fragments, her eyes were telling enough. So on he went, barely returning to the basics anymore. A spin here, a drop there and eventually a smile snug into her muzzle when his half forgotten lessons slowly returned and he managed to coax the first mistake out of her for a change; a minor misstep, but it was a fascinating detail to see her at her limit despite how inconspicuous it was. From there on, he went easier on both of them. Next song, next style. They circled through his entire repertoire, even teaching her a thing or two and during one of the more close figures, he even imagined spotting a certain sparkle in her eyes before he had to push her back into a pirouette again.

“Not so rusty after all, aren’t you?” Amanda finally panted when they dropped on their seats again and she sank against his heaving shoulder. “We were rather out of place,” he laughed between breaths, “How can care this little?” “I simply… don’t. This is our night and I won’t let some almost-grown-ups’ opinions weigh me down. And neither should you.” The leopard smiled when he noticed a brazen paw on his thigh, “thank you for forcing me.” “However your suffer is not mandatory to earn my admiration,” she replied as she leaned a little further until toppling over and laying down across his lap in a barely comfortable posture. “Who are you and what have you done to Amanda Shepard?” Seth in turn grumbled, slowly reaching for his drink as if it would make the formerly rational feline, now sprawling on his legs, disappear. “Come on, Seth, It’s been one hell of a night, a drink too much possibly, the usual,” she grinned wearily, then pulled herself upright again when she spotted his genuine discomfort, “would you mind if we headed outside? I feel watched by the sheep.” “He did so occasionally throughout the evening in fact. We will probably have to conduct an interrogation on Ms. Tarson if we want an answer to this question.” After a moment though, Seth carefully put an arm around her and lifted her onto her feet while emptying his glass with the other paw. The gesture earned him another amused smile from her, but he couldn’t care less, now that he had the chance to escape this place.

When the cold, outside air flowed into his shirt again, it presented both a pleasant lack of smell, but also soon left him slightly shivering until he wished they hadn’t left the jackets. However it did wake Amanda up a little, not reducing the clingy part, but at least helping the weight it meant. “How do we get home now? It’s about an hour and a half for me without a vehicle and for you it might be an hour on top based on my educated guess,” Seth eventually noted once his head has cleared up a little, “and any motorised vehicle is definitely not an option given our state.” “You know what taxis or buses are for, don’t you?” the panther yawned besides him and leaned a bit closer, then straightening her back until she looked somewhat serious again, “Is there something I need to know though? Another leak of information I am currently unaware of? I’m not drunk enough yet to just give strangers my address after all.” “Well… I must admit,” he started, pausing for a second to not make it sound too inappropriate, “that I’ve developed a certain interest in you over the years and… it’s hard to keep such secrets if one knows where to look for them.” “So you searched through my letters when no one looked.” 

For a moment, Seth frowned about the insinuation before responding, “I wouldn’t call it actively searching, rather inspecting what lay clearly on display. Again, I… was interested.” “I like you too,” she smiled and patted his shoulder, leaving that statement hang there for the time being. It came with an unpleasant silence on his part though until she luckily moved on, “back to the problem of getting home. According to my educated guess, your flat should be along the way. We could share a cab, for I know how nasty public transport can get around this time of day.” “I’d be happy to invite you,” he smiled a little worried, but she didn’t complain when he took out his smartphone to call the local service. 

The respective car arrived soon after, the driver surprisingly unperturbed when the two felines sat on the rear bench and Seth barely fit in place in the admittedly small space. In fact, he wouldn’t even have needed the seat belt by how much he had to bend his back and tuck the knees to his chest to sit down, however calling a bigger cab would have been even worse with another few minutes out in the cold, so he took it with as much dignity as once could bear from it. “To the central station please,” he grunted and had to strictly lock out the giggling panther for the time being or else he would have taken a bite from the headrest shoved into his face, “and then could you take my… jolly companion to wherever she wants to go?” 

The fox behind the wheel just nodded before closing the sliding window to give them a bit of privacy and only a minute later, the leopard felt Amanda take advantage of it when leaning against his huddled figure. “Thank you for the evening, even for the concert,” she purred when strapping herself to the middle seat, “next time we will find a more appropriately sized taxi.” “Considering my current state, I would most certainly-” he started, but a determined grip suddenly clamped down his muzzle, “what is it, Seth? I’m none of your business partners. Would it really hurt to let go a little?” Seth looked at her for a moment, saw the genuine worry in her eyes, tried to grasp this quiet voice that had indeed taken hold of him for the last hours, but it wasn’t until minutes later that he came to a conclusion. 

Taking hold of her paws, he softly pulled her in again as far as the seat belt allowed for and smiled when he noticed her heart picking up pace, “I’m sorry, I… I’m afraid I’m not used to this anymore; all those people dashing about, watching, judging. I think it’s just been a while.” A short giggle made its way up her throat as her eyes started to sparkle. He gave her a confused look, which even worsened it until the panther in his arms broke into a heartfelt laughter. “What is it?” he tried, but she just waved him off and kept almost choking on her words when she tried to respond, “You… ha… you took all this time to prepare and then… whew… you are dead serious, my lord, and then… I mean. Just look at you.” The sound of a rusty hinge escaped her lips along with the faint smell of whisky when she pointed along his curled up figure and he couldn’t help but join in imagining how it looked from her perspective. “So there will be a next time?” he asked once he had somewhat calmed down again. “Of course there will be,” she smiled in response. As if to assure him, her fingers now ran over to his thighs and she moved closer than the seat belt was intended to. Though as uncomfortable as he thought it must feel with those straps cutting into her skin, he greatly enjoyed the closeness it meant as a pleasant warmth spread through his body. Maybe it was this warmth, maybe she felt similar, but until the taxi driver stopped and opened the sliding window again to signal them that they had arrived, she stayed by his side.

 “I’m afraid I have to leave or this will be a very costly time to spend,” he grinned while unlocking his seat belt and pushing the door open to exit. “It would be worth it,” came the response into his chest, she released him though and moved back onto her seat, brushing softly along his tail both as a permission to leave but also as a last, sorrow gesture. Once Seth had closed the door, he walked up to the front to pay for the ride as promised, but the driver engaged the engine even before he had the chance to take out his card. Just an extended tongue from the back seat passed him when the cab took off and left out into the night. “Making it hard to be kind, don’t you?” he chuckled as he watched it lunge from street light to streetlight until disappearing around a corner.

The weekend passed without anything of significance, but as soon as he had the chance the next Monday, he headed for Amanda’s office. Arriving there however, he noticed her voice already piercing through the door. Her word flow didn’t even falter when Seth knocked and only on the second try did she call him in. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Ms. Shepard, but I-” he stopped when he spotted the unlucky colleague getting lectured; a well known rabbit sitting right in front of her desk and looking as miserable as could be expected in this situation with a red hue on her cheeks faintly visible through her short fur. She didn’t even look up when Amanda beamed at him in a sudden shift of mood, “Ah, Seth. Good to see you. We just had a very insightful discussion about last Friday. Apparently Miss Tarson knows quite a lot about it; and similarly do half of the juniors in her department as of now. She was just about to share her most valuable insight with me, so feel free to join us. She’s quite the storyteller.” Ellie’s gaze only flickered up briefly when the leopard stepped up to Amanda’s desk and took the other visitor’s chair, “Well, now you got me interested.” “I j-just told a friend about my j-job and,” she suddenly muttered while kneading her paws, “and h-he recognised you, Ms. Shepard, Mr. A-austin. That’s all I know and that’s all I told my colleagues about.” 

“Oh, there used to be a little more details in the conversation I caught you in,” Amanda smiled archly yet with a certain melody to tell her she was just out of danger for now. The tricoloured rabbit didn’t catch onto the queue though and her ears even flicked in panic when she continued, “OK, he described you two dancing… closely. He said it was quite the sight-” She bit her lip, before her eyes widened and he stared up at the leopard. “His w-words not… not m-mine!” “And why do your colleagues need to know about this and the rest of your friends observations? Worse enough he told you about it.” “I don’t k-know Ms. Shepard. I-it just came up so…” Amanda glanced at her nonchalantly while leaning back a little and passing her subject a curious look, “Listen, Miss Tarson, all I ask from you is to show a little respect for our privacy. Have your office chatter, I rely enough on it to find out what’s going on in this company, but I don’t want half the building to hear stories about me ‘finally getting her temper properly cooled’.” “I-I never said-” 

“Of course you didn’t, but that’s what happens if you spread information like this.” The rabbit’s ears dropped even further until Amanda intently placed her paw in front of her, ”next time, think about the consequences and if you continue to feel the urge to talk about something, address Seth or me directly. So… I don’t want to keep you from your duties for any longer. You’re dismissed, Miss Tarson.”

“Did you have to be as harsh with her?” Seth asked once she had skittered out of the room, “it’s just a bit of chatter after all.” “One that severely undermines my authority, not to mention how rude it is in general to expose other’s private lives,” she sighed. Leaning back, she thoroughly locked at him, read him in return, then thought for a moment, “on the other hand it’s to be expected if we move on like this. I can hardly keep it a secret that I like you, Seth.” The panther spun a pen between her fingers before grinning and launching it at him with a flick of her wrist. He barely caught it in front of his chest and placed it back onto her desk. “Speaking of. I came here for a reason after all,” the leopard smiled, “When do we move on? Tomorrow? 7 pm?” “Something specific on your mind?” “Nothing in particular,” he replied, unable to hide the sheepish grin of dishonesty from his muzzle, and rose from his chair. For a second, he thought that Amanda would stop him, but she just nodded in agreement and playfully waved him a short goodbye.

The date ? although he didn’t call it that ? went well. The short visit at a local street food truck was well received, a mild horror movie later where he frequently latched onto her paw even better and it eventually turned into an unofficial schedule of two appointments ? better term ? per week and although they never crossed the line of that day again, there was one he looked particularly forward to. And finally it was there. Seth beamed when they met this evening. Buried deep under a black winter jacket and uncomfortably teetering on ice skates, the panther stumbled his way and already looked miserable enough not even on the designated surface. “You absolutely terrible person,” Amanda groaned when she nearly tripped over her own shoes, barely caught her balance, and instead knocked a friendly cardboard display to the ground. “So you don’t like it?” “I’ve never tried, but even my fertile imagination couldn’t come up with a means of transport more frustrating.” 

She stumbled again, this time dropping against him with a furious snarl and looking dangerously ready to claw him to pieces. “You just came up with this so I could cling onto you for two hours for a change, didn’t you?” Amanda frowned into his dark blue hoodie, let him lift her onto her feet though and even stayed quiet when being mostly dragged to the lane. “It’s easy to learn. The speed actually helps you staying upright,” Seth just chuckled, then stepped onto the ice, forcing her to tag along. The first blade made contact with the surface and she tested her stand thoroughly before tightening her grip to his chest and putting on the next one. With a certain caution, she took a step, then another, but then made the mistake of letting go. Her unbalance struck immediately and a panicked gasp was all that escaped her muzzle before slamming face down onto the floor, just barely catching herself with trembling arms. “That’s it, no, I’m out,” she grumbled, then felt strong paws all the sudden gripping under her arms and pulling her back upright. 

“Are you sure?” Seth meanwhile laughed as he started pulling the shivering figure further out from the edge. He saw her trying to stop multiple times, but without any experience eventually had to give up and play along in this cruel game about her pride while others dashed past them, greatly enjoying the show. In the arena’s unpopulated centre, the grip was finally released “Now… how do you intend to get back to the entrance?” came his comment while he retreated to a safe distance and watched her stumble back and forth to turn around and face him. “Get me off here! This isn’t funny!” she begged in her struggle for balance, but he wouldn’t give in. “Make me.” 

Now that was enough to finally light her fire. Her eyes threatened to melt the entire place as she started stepping his way. One centimetre at a time, every movement a fight to stay upright, but she was definitely approaching. “See, it isn’t th-” “Oh snuff it. If I ever get out of here, you’re fired,” she snarled and finally made the last step and determinedly held onto him again, now that she had made the first metre on her own. “That means, that we still have an hour and fifty minutes left to enjoy ourselves,” Seth just nuzzled into her ear as he returned the hug, “So you can walk now, but it’s time to get skating.” The fury immediately was replaced by fear as soon as he shifted his paws to hers and started moving backwards, pulling her behind like a sleigh. “Seth! No, no, no, no, you will stop immediately!” 

“Try to push yourself forwards. Angle your boot and push and don’t worry, I’m here to catch you.” The panther indeed tried in the dim hope of stopping this torture and actually managed to get a bit of momentum before her hind paws slipped from underneath her again. “It’s alright. You’re quite talented for your first time,” Seth noted while watching his back to stay clear of any obstacles, “but we have to make a turn now or else we will run out of space pretty soon. Lean to your left a little.” To focussed on coordination, she followed suit without a comment, but didn’t look happy in the slightest when he picked up a little pace to pull them into the stream of the others.

For the first round, it didn’t improve in the slightest and she slipped every few metres, dragged along until she had regained her balance, but after the second one it somewhat stabilised, even enough that Seth let go of one of her paws and moved to her side to face upfront again. By the fifth round however, she started steering towards the exit again ? to the best of her abilities. “Seth! Please stop. Please, I… I need a break,” she stuttered and once they had reached the door, slumped against the frame and panted for a second. “Is everything alright?” Seth asked, but was only met with a tired nod. “Well, you most certainly don’t seem like it.” Another minute passed while she intently kept his attention off herself before she raised her gaze again and slumped over to a bench, waving him along. “Don’t you worry, I’m alright, and if you ever do that again, I will keep my word,” she stated once they had sat down, then put up a warm look that pierced deep into his heart, “but I like you, so I will let you slip on this one.” 

“And how glad I am that I won you over,” Seth smiled back, “so you want to return to the arena now?” Amanda grinned as well, revealing her sharp fangs only briefly, then continued, “lord, no. My legs are trembling, you blind cat. I would be pleased if it was just from excitement, but I genuinely need a break. We’ll wreck ourselves again soon enough, don’t you worry.” The leopard just kept beaming and softly traced a claw along her arm while he playfully flicked his tail against her back. When the second stoke went a little harder she latched onto it and pulled until he let out an angry yelp, “Ouch, so hard to control these things. I’m terribly sorry, Amanda.” “You’d be a lot sorrier if I did what is appropriate right now.” “Then we should get moving again, shouldn’t we? It would be a shame to waste the little time I have left to live as dronish as you are.” This shot a certain stiffness through her spine, all the way down her tail, not out of anger, no. Something else went to work in her head, sped up her heartbeat and blinking frequency. Had he hit a competitive nerve in her or was this terribly cagey panther just uncomfortable? “What is it? Afraid to be reminded of it?” 

“Quite audacious, aren’t we, mister? But oh well, then let’s not waste your precious time anymore, shall we?” she just huffed as she rose from her seat and moved over to the arena’s entrance again, “Now are you coming or what?”

The way she clung to him now was different, lighter, more independent, almost as if to prove something. Of course, she sometimes still need his support for to stay upright, but still tried to rely on it as little as possible. Something definitely was bothering her and stuck to her even until they were outside again two hours later. Oh sure, she had had her fun, laughing even when she fell from time to time, but this lingering feeling remained; some oddity she tried to hide deep inside with little success. “So you enjoyed it?” Seth finally asked when they were back in his car, “You’re not quite certain of that yourself though, am I right?” The leopard fixed his seat belt and started the engine, then waited for her to strap in herself before heading for a restaurant nearby. After all, his stomach was thoroughly complaining by now. 

“I am happy. I liked it. Just don’t expect me to be all jittery about it,” she chuckled and roughly patted his shoulder when he had passed the exit and steered onto the main road, “thank you for the wonderful time.” “I’m glad to share.” “I’ve noticed,” she chuckled, vividly remembering the tall feline skate circles back and forth around her during their occasional breaks. Eventually, Seth felt her head rest against his shoulder while his eyes stayed locked on the road ahead, but it didn’t keep him from putting an arm around her. It earned him a pleased hum and a soft purr when he brazenly moved upwards to fondle with her ear. “You are so beautiful, Amanda,” Seth suddenly muttered quietly, more instinctively, mostly subconsciously, and he only realised when she replied, “And you are a licentious, sappy tomcat I came to like more than I would willingly admit; at least in front of other employees.” 

“Considering you don’t admit a whole lot about yourself, this is hardly a compliment,” Seth smiled and returned the hum. “If you fished a little less for it,” Amanda growled a minute later, a playful undertone sneaking into the words, “you’d be very pleased about the results.” “Have I already mentioned your sharp mind?” he continued and averted his look from the traffic for a second to gently nuzzle her forehead, “Not to mention this delightful sound you make every time I do this.” The grip around her ear tightened a little and the satisfied purr grew deeper every time he kneaded the soft skin.

“Oh stop it already,” she eventually moaned about ten minutes later and pulled herself away a little when he steered the car on the restaurant’s car park. It definitely was to his disapproval, but he also had to agree that it was probably wiser to have full control over the car again for this manoeuvre. Until they sat on their table however, she kept close to his side and he was happy to do her the same favour. 

Time flew past and when it turned midnight, they eventually were convinced by the staff to pay and leave. Even without any drink, Seth heavily leaned onto his companion by now, tired and sore from the day, but happy. Mostly at least. Memories of Judy and him had repeatedly snuck up into his subconsciousness, causing sadness and pain every time they hit before he could suppress them again for the sake of the wonderful woman before him. The past weeks… it felt like the same all over again. An occasional tear could be wiped away easily or gushed forth in the next laughter, but the feeling stuck with him, a dagger to his heart. 

“You better drive me home,” he stated and roughly, if unintentionally, pushed her against the driver’s seat’s door and dropped the keys into her waiting palm. The leopard then moved over to her former side and slumped in as quickly as he could open the door before she had a chance to change her mind. Once his seat belt was in place however, he looked out her window and still saw her standing there, inert at first, then her door started moving and she slipped in too; hesitantly at that. Only when she was locked into position as well did she raise her voice again, “what do you think about us, Seth? Not your ‘what a great time we had’, you know…?” Seth considered for a moment, then reached for her paw and although she tried to pull it away, latched onto it determinedly. “At the moment, I think of us as very close friends,” he said as he watched her face turn to stone and felt the rational part of him take over again, “on the best way to become so much more, but right now, I would be a fool if I claimed there would be more. I simply… don’t know you well enough. Yet, for sure, but it’s… complicated.”

 Now she faced him again, a red hue sneaking into the corners of her eyes, “Well, I’m a fool then. I love you, Seth. And at the very least I believe to know enough already.” “How could you? You don’t even know that I’ve lost someone already. I felt… reminded of her throughout the evening, thought of her while looking at you. And there’s-” “We all have our stories, don’t think that I didn’t notice. I have mine, you have yours as well I’m sure, but I love this version of you. With all your distractions and… notions. At our age it would also be naive to think that I could become the first one in your life.” 

Seth smiled briefly, feeling his own eyes moisten up as well while he felt her padded fingers run over his paw. His head started lagging behind and before he realised, he leaned against her, shaking in the battle against the pain again. This wasn’t Judy, yet she felt so devilishly familiar. Even this comparison wasn’t fair for either of them. One he had intentionally given up for his career and the other should not have to live up to set standards, regardless how easily she might do so. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve any of this,” he finally snorted, wiped his eyes and returned to the other side of the car, “I know I should feel different already, these perfect one and a half months… you’re all I ever wanted if I think about it, but… bloody hell, I honestly wish I c-could love you right now.” 

To his surprise however, her paw stayed against his cheek and slowly stroked the soft fur, explored the spots, “You eventually will; and if not, well then it’s simply not meant to be. Until then, I’ll wait, right here by your side.” The leopard nodded slightly and whimpered into her palm while the emotions ebbed off, then reached for it, carefully cupping her paws in his before pulling it off his face and sandwiching it with the other in his lap. He felt her fingers twitch in the warm encasing, almost cute how much smaller they were in comparison, then started smiling weakly again, “I think we should get going now. They’ll close the gates on us soon.” Amanda silently agreed by pulling herself reluctantly from his grasp. For a moment, she looked at her paw as if he had left any signs, traced a padded finger across the surface, then gripped onto the wheel and started the engine.

Throughout the ride home, the panther kept looking over to him, but was quick to turn away those beautiful, yellow eyes away whenever he stirred up from his half-slumber. Eventually, he felt the car decelerate, but when it didn’t pick up speed again as it had done before, looked at her again. They apparently had pulled up in front of their destination, a two story house with, judging by the little details he could make out in the night with an extensive garden and an expensive architecture. “What a cute little kitty,” came her comment while Amanda grinned at him and opened her seatbelt, “would you like a cookie?” “Would you take me all the way home, mom? You wouldn’t even have to head back afterwards.” A soft tickle on her arm cut off the immediate answer, but eventually, she fended him off and kicked open the door, “it’s not a good idea, Seth. Tempting for sure, but you should get certain of your feelings first.” “Oh, this is not what I-” 

“Of course not, but if I lose a little more self control, we might find ourselves jumping the gun if you don’t snooze off in time.” This drew a growling chuckle from him until he felt a painful pinch on his ear, blowing off his tiredness within seconds, “Can I trust you to get home safe?” “Of course, of course, just… give me a moment,“ he muttered when the pain got… uncomfortable and straightened out his back to stretch pleasurably. “Alright, then get out and bid me farewell properly,” she demanded and finally let go of his ear for him to leave the car and meet her back at the bonnet. There she stood in the dark, childishly waiting for him to join her like on her first date. 

Another groan, then he did so if a little slowly. “Hey there,” Seth grinned as he finally stepped up to the panther and pulled her close, “Good night, Amanda. See you tomorrow and until then, try not to think too much about me.” “Won’t be hard,” she giggled, then clung to his chest as well. Standing there, delving in each others warmth and affection, they spent a good five minutes while their tails curled and danced around each other before Amanda pulled herself away again, “see you tomorrow.” A tender kiss was placed on his chest and she turned around, the leopard smiling behind her, how her steps went lithe and elegant. Even when she had walked up the narrow gravel path and unlocked her front door, he didn’t avert his gaze. Oh how foolish she was just openly dialling in the access code for the admittedly high-class alarm system. Amanda just briefly smiled over her shoulder before slipping inside.

More… appointments followed throughout the months coming, a little less frequent than the first at that, the rest without any more prominent disruptions of the usual as well until one day, a surprise awaited him when he walked through the revolving door at the entrance of the Sentra-complex, noticing a lone wolfess standing in the hall. He approached just when she looked up from a document, apparently in desperate search of something. “Ms. Whitaker, what a pleasant surprise,” he called over to get her attention, “I see you have reconsidered your application.” 

She passed him a blink, then locked her eyes back on the paper though. When the leopard approached, he spotted the headline of an email print with the official logo on it. “You aren’t lost again, are you?” Ms. Whitaker barely reacted, but it was rather obvious just little amusing the thought was to her. Eventually she shook her head and looked up at him, “I’m just a little early. And as long as your instructor is on time, I should be fine.” “Nervous?” “Just a little bit.” He threw another look on her documents, then sighed when he saw the name of the person she was awaiting, “I’m afraid you won’t be fine then. Terence Sedara… He drove off the moment I arrived, a personal emergency I’m afraid. But I take it you are in sales now?” “Yes, couldn’t believe it myself,” she smiled and folded the document between her fingers, “but now, well, it’s supposed to be my first day after all; shouldn’t be my first day off as well, if possible.” 

Seth considered for a second, then pulled out his smartphone to call Terence when the wolfess’ fired up instead and he spotted her instructor’s name on the display before she stepped away a little to have some privacy. Oh lord, he really had to stop spying on people; at least until he knew enough about them to know when to look away. She chatted for a minute or two and Seth was about to head out to meet his own appointments when she returned with a certain… concern. She looked down with a strange, frustrated frown before she started, “He’s not going to return for three hours minimum, so yeah. He just recommended looking for someone else if I didn’t want to wait; any idea other then to just go back home?” 

“I have an hour or two if I move a few phone calls. And although you’ll probably work in a slightly different area, the necessary meet and greet will surely be possible, a short stop in IT to get you an, how do they call it… SSO-account… And once I run out of time, we can just drop you off somewhere you like and pretend you do something worthwhile until Terence arrives. Does this sound like a plan?” He beamed down at her, but the wolf merely returned a mild mix of gratitude and curiosity, “What makes you give up your time so willingly on me? Is there anything I need to be concerned about?” “Connections are power,” he stated with a sly smile while waving her to follow him to the elevators, “and who knows where you’ll end up; an early investment, let compound interest work its magic for my future benefit… Or to be honest, it’s way more enticing to have an hour off duty than to rattle through a metric ton of numbers, not to mention the people I have to explain it all to. Have I ? by the way ? told you already what a great choice you made with this job?”

In the end, Seth only had about forty minutes before his own appointments became too urgent to ignore, but Ms. Whitaker got along pretty well from the get-go and by the time he had to return to his office, she was on the good side of half of the department. Just after lunch though, the next distraction came up, Amanda elegantly swaying over to him and starting to push his notes and equipment across the desk to take a seat. Seth was just alert enough to catch a cup serving as pencil holder, then placed it intently back where it belonged. 

In turn, Amanda merely grinned at the leopard’s frown, then planted herself onto the admittedly needlessly wide space, “How are you, Mr. Austin? Could I interest you in lunch break?” “Of course, but could I interest you in supper later on?” he heard himself ask almost too quickly in return while reaching for her paw and tickling the soft pads underneath. He was just about to curse his fluttering heart speaking up what it had known for the last week, then spotted the delighted smile it had earned. She hadn’t quite missed his unrest at that statement however. “Supper you say,” arose her question almost immediately and she leaned down to him, “Where exactly?” There it was; the most important point of all.

 Seth thought for a moment, fought down the different voiced in his head and finally came to a conclusion, “Of course I can’t possibly compete with this delightful cutlet we had the last time, but… my stew is somewhat acceptable too in my humble opinion.” Her eyes widened, lit on fire by sudden realisation until he continued, “I mean… if you’re preoccupied we can just postpone, but-” “No, no, no, I… look forward to it. Just give me the time and I will take it for you,” she hastily intervened, slipped from her seat to stand next to him and wrap her arms around his neck, “should I bring anything? A drink? A dessert?” 

Seth noticed the excited tremble that ran through her figure now despite her calm demeanour, even worsening to his level when he took hold of her arms and nuzzled them softly, “your presence will suffice.” After a moment of pleasant silence, he finally rose from his seat, moving his paws further up her arms until he brushed along her neck and further down her back to pull her close. Feeling her respond to his pleased purr, he finally reached up again, cupped her cheeks with his paws and made her look him into the eyes, “I love you, Amanda; and I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” 

“Believe me, it was worth it.”