Iris stood frozen in her spot, unable to process what had just happened. The man, the stranger, the eye candy had just bent down and told her she was beautiful. And the voice… the voice! It had been low, personal, full of genuine wonder.
Her mind had short-circuited then, losing its ability to produce intelligent thoughts. She didn't know how to react, what to say. He-he… He thought she was beautiful? It wasn't like nobody had ever complimented her before, but not... not like this. Straight to her face and with such a fascinated expression.
Did he have no shame? People didn't do that!
Gaah! She wanted to… to… She didn't know! That crazy man, why would he say such a thing? And straight to her face? Arghrh!
Why was the room so hot all of a sudden? She needed air, fresh, clean air. She went to the balcony doors and raised her head up, where almost a meter away was the handle. But by then, her attention was no longer on it.
For the first time, she saw how she really looked. 'This is no fox body! What are these ears?' No normal animal would have such big ears, they were almost the size of her whole body!
But… she couldn't deny that she looked cute. All small animals are adorable, but she looked like a plush toy even more than most. Someone must have certainly created her in the image of what would look the most lovely.
She scoffed at that thought. Somewhere in the depths of her memory, there was a picture of an animal that looked similar to her current appearance. It was some kind of desert dweller if she recalled correctly.
And it was damn cute. Just like the reflection in the glass door. For a time, Iris stared at it, disappointment and annoyance warring within her. It wasn't her the man had complimented, but this little thing she saw now. At the moment, she possessed its body, and it was certainly lovely, but it wasn't her. Not really.
Although she couldn't claim any part in creating her original human body, at least she had lived in it for twenty-four years. But this? A day, and not even a full one. She'd changed into this animal around eleven o'clock, that was about the time she had fallen asleep in class.
When the man returned to the room, having left at some point, she didn't even look his way. Instead, she curled up by the window and closed her eyes. When he opened the balcony's door, she scoffed and pointedly turned her head away.
She wasn't going to be tricked by him. Not again. Her fragile heart couldn't take it.
Just as she thought that, his hand descended on her neck and he gently brushed her coat. "What's wrong?" he asked in a gentle voice, sitting down by her side. Iris shivered at his touch, but refused to get up. That would be the same as admitting that he had power over her!
"Are you missing your owner? You must be stressed in these unfamiliar surroundings. I just read that your kind isn't fond of moving about and get easily depressed upon being taken from home. I'm sorry about this," he told her, his fingers softly passing over her neck, back, then the tail. "I'm doing my best to find your wayward owner, but there are no missing posts online. Our only hope is Gale with all his connections."
'Sure, sure!' Iris agreed, finally unable to endure it. She rushed to her feet and away from him, then dived under the bed. There, in the dark, she could finally take in a shuddering breath. 'That bastard, does he want me to die from embarrassment?!'