19 Her Name (4)

When the newcomer was about to touch her, Iris snapped at his fingers. He was quick to retrieve his hand, and she lay down her head on Kyro's arm, watching his friend with a smirk. Only she and Kyro knew that her teeth were on the useless side, not yet sharp enough to deal any damage.

From this vantage point, she could also take a better look at this 'friend' that had barge into Kyro's house. The newcomer was blonde-haired and youthful-looking. She might have mistaken him for a high schooler if they had met on a street. His skin was fairer than hers, without a single blemish, and he was dressed in a bright orange T-shirt and shorts.

"You taught this, didn't you?" the guy complained as he fell back on the bed. With his hands behind the head, he looked up at Kyro. "I thought we were friends. Why are you sabotaging my chances?"

"Why would you tell somebody that you have a fennec?" Kyro asked, and Iris looked up at him, not really following the conversation. When did he find out about this?

The guy on the bed sat up and took out his phone. Having opened his gallery, he swept through dozens of photos before stopping on one with a young woman, some twenty-two, sitting with a yorkie in her lap. They looked nice together, but Iris didn't follow. Again.

"And? She has a Yorkshire Terrier. That's not a fennec."

"That's not the point!" the newcomer shouted out, jumping from the bed and pushing through Kyro into the living room. He glanced around it before catching sight of the black furball. The cat meowed like crazy upon being lifted up without warning, but the newcomer didn't seem to mind.

He brought the cat over, holding it with its back to himself. Iris could finally see the monster in length, while it was not sitting or curled up sleeping, and the cat was gigantic. It was freakin' long, the tail alone being the size of Iris.

"See? All my pets are as huge and majestic as this beast of yours. For that girl, I need something special, something cute and adorable! That's where you come in, getting yourself an adorable little critter right when I could use one!"

'Little critter?' Iris screeched. Was that man an idiot or what? He wanted to use her as a tool to get a girl, yet he didn't even bother to watch his language. Did he really think she was just going to smile and pose for him after being called a 'critter'?!

Kyro caressed her head, clearly trying to calm her. "You'll not be winning any favors with shouting at it when I said it doesn't like loud noises. And you better put Lucy down. He's used to your type of crazy, but you better not test him."

As if only now realizing that he was still holding a loudly complaining cat, the newcomer changed his hold and gathered the cat in his hands. "Sorry about that, Lucy. I was just making a point, you won't mind, right?"

The cat jumped out of his hands with a loud meow and glared at him upon landing on the ground. Kyro smiled at that and moved to sit on the sofa. "If I were you, I'd watch my shoes. He seems to be in a vengeful mood."

"I was just making a point…" the newcomer whispered to himself, but did bring his shoes closer to the main area so he could see them from the sofa. Iris wondered if he had once already suffered under Lucy's hands. Maybe that cat wasn't that bad. It at least had good sense.

"So what's up? Why did you really come here?" Kyro asked, letting Iris go. She sniffed around the sofa, but since it smelled like nothing but cleaning products, she soon lost interest and found a comfortable spot to lie down.

The friend came back with a six-pack of beer, which he placed on the coffee table, and dropped down on the sofa with a can in hand. "Just wanted out of the house. The old man is pissed again."

"What's it this time?" Kyro asked, also picking up a can and taking a sip.

"Hell if I know, something about the last deal we secured. I didn't stick around to hear it all," the guy said, waving his arm as if it wasn't of any importance. Iris was intrigued by what could be troubling him, but she wasn't in a position to ask more. "Did you get the new game I told you about?"

"I did, just one thing, who is it this time in your apartment that's keeping you out?"

For the first time, the friend froze. His hand stopped midway to his lips, and he looked almost sheepish when he turned to Kyro. "Sheila."

To Iris, that name meant nothing, but Kyro choked on his drink. He jumped to toward the cabinets and got out some napkins and cleaned himself up. "You can't mea—"

The guy on the sofa seemed ready to dig himself a hole and disappear in it forever. When he spoke up, his voice held so much misery, it sounded as if he regretted even having been born. "Yes, I do mean her, the walking tits from the HR Department. And yes, it was a fucking mistake. Now give me the damn game."

He brought the beer can up and gulped it all down in one breath. When he looked around, his eyes were crazed, and Kyro just silently passed him the controller while also taking one out for himself.

They then proceeded to waste the night away while drinking and playing games. Iris watched them from the side, sometimes napping, sometimes listening to their banter. They didn't talk much besides what was happening in the game, but she still learned that they worked in the same company and were somewhere at its top, making decisions and stuff. The friend, who she learned was named Gale, mentioned something about their last deal being unfavorably seen by the board.

It wasn't much information, but she learned that the two were real friends. Best proof of that was how they were insulting each other throughout the game yet neither felt insulted. She envied them that, since all of her friends were gone. Maybe they didn't even exist in this reality.

During pauses between matches or bosses or whatever else they were playing at the moment, they'd check up on her. And in time, she allowed Gale to pet her and took a photo with him. The poor guy needed some serious cheering up after what had happened with the witch from the HR Department, even if it was mostly him being stupid.