CHAPTER 268: CHAPTER 268 - SLEEPY FOX, STUBBORN WOMAN, HUNGRY PRINCESS

"I tried calling, but her phone went right to voicemail. Her tracker isn’t active and-"

He said all of this in such a rush that I don’t think he was prepared for me to swing the sheet towards his face in frustration. But the damned wolf just backed off and continued talking after it slapped him.

"The security logs show her leaving the tower before midnight, but she never checked in at her apartment. And someone erased her movement history for the past twelve hours. I know it’s unlikely you know anything, but please, if you’ve heard from her since then..."

I held my face in my hand as he continued to blabber so coherently. I know his type. They are very useful, but in a crisis sometimes they get so hung up on performing the ’checklist’ response that they lose sight of the unfolding nature of an event.

Mentally pulling up my system map, I see that sure enough, Claire’s dot was still glowing steadily in my living room. On the couch where I left her after she asked if she could skip traveling back last night.

This morning. Whatever, I’m not awake.

We should have known she had deeper plans. Why didn’t we react to that grin of hers?

Vrika whines, but even if it doesn’t know why we failed to notice... I do. The plotting assistant distracted me right after asking. With some photos of Kyrie Voss, middle school age and up.

I’m not even sure I actually *agreed* to her request, I just sort of hummed and nodded while a slideshow was playing. Then she was curled asleep on the couch already by the time it all finished.

Like some sort of Alpha powered hypnosis, weaponized specifically for me. A person who appreciates photography and... was trying really hard to tell myself not to enjoy seeing what her white hair used to look like with more length to it.

"She’s fine. She’s right where she should be."

My voice comes out flat. Because I really don’t want to deal with this. Him, her, or my thoughts about Kyrie Voss.

"What do you mean?"

I backed off down the entryway and pointed toward the living room, where Claire was sprawled in an impressively ungraceful position for someone that probably *planned* to have him act like this.

Snoring softly with her face smashed against a throw pillow. One arm and one leg hanging off the side and the other foot propped on the armrest. I gestured at him, something like permission to enter, and he did.

The blonde man stared, blinked the orange of his wolf away, then looked back at me with an expression of pure relief and exasperation. A look that I was not in any mood to appreciate for the ’sleeping beauty’ it was felt for.

"She just fell asleep here."

He mumbled weakly. But I was too tired for diplomacy. Even for arrogant anger. I was already walking back toward my bedroom.

"Lock the door on your way out. Carry her off and do whatever you want to her - or don’t. I don’t care. Just don’t be here when I get up or soil my couch."

Well, look at that. I found the anger after all.

⧖ ☾ ❄ ☽ ⧖

Three days of goddesses blessed quiet later, only leaving my apartment once an afternoon to jog to the store and walk back with groceries, I’d managed to work through most of the tutorial videos without wanting to throw something at the monitor.

The gesture controls had become second nature quickly enough. As well as learning to pause and start that function with the ’Lodestar’ helper so that I didn’t accidentally do things I didn’t want.

You are never going to let that go, are you? I did not intend to click on that link. Nor did I intend to watch those scantily clad women undulate on the screen for so long.

In the middle of practicing what the internet called [editorial poses] that weren’t actually useful for what I’d be officially doing - but felt like fun body movement practice after repeating [commercial poses] for so long - my phone buzzed with a text from Anise.

A: [Mind if I stop by this evening? Want to see how you’re preparing. I’ll bring dinner?]

C: [That would be fine. Around 7 will work for me if it works for you.]

Looking around the apartment after I type it, I nod to myself. That would give me time to clean up. There are... a lot of clothes just laying around from ’costume’ changes.

I knew I should have bought some of those clothes racks. I could have gotten someone else to put them together if I was so worried about that part cutting into my time.

My wolf barks you in an ’I told you so’ way, even though it had... not said quite that. It just suggested Kyrie was more than capable of helping me with anything I needed. Which is-

Well, genuinely that should have gotten me to a ’hire somebody’ answer, but it did not. All I could think of was that I wouldn’t be the one to break and call or text first. Not after her little challenge when she dropped me off the other day.

As my device went off in my hand again and I saw that it was ’only’ Anise responding, I shunted away the disappointment that my chain of thoughts helped bring to me.

A: [Perfect. I’ll bring Thai food from a pretty reputable place. I’m confident you’ll like it.]

⧖ ☾ ❄ ☽ ⧖

When Anise arrived clutching two large bags that smelled incredible, she stopped short in my living room doorway and dropped one of them. Too late for me to catch. Luckily it was already low to the ground!

"Holy shit. What is all this?"

The monitor on its stand was displaying a reference image of a model in a magazine’s pose while the lecturer was droning on in the background because I forgot to pause. The gesture camera picked up my hand motion as I moved around her and stood in the region it was aimed at.

My makeshift studio lighting setup had grown each day - knowing I needed to get used to it as much as possible. So, I’ve been practically living under a combination of hot lamps and reflective surfaces I’d cobbled together from what could be delivered to my door immediately.

But they created surprisingly professional-looking shadows, so it was worth it. Especially when I was using the webcam to record myself for review.

"It’s what I put together for research. You said this was a significant opportunity and I’d prefer not to disappoint."

Honestly, I would have hated to show up and be told I wasn’t doing well enough if I just relied on the interview success alone. I’d been told by etiquette teachers and academics that I had a solid grasp only to be embarrassed outside of that safer environment one too many times.

"Yes, I did, but..."

She picked back up the one bag and set all the food down on the kitchen island before walking over. I knew she was going to want to talk about it... but I really wish we could just eat first.

I waited because I knew she was coming... I should have just eaten a single entree at least.