Jake and Mary seemed quite keen on disappearing as soon as we got back to base, but Lala was faster. In her hands she held a large, gift wrapped present with a bow on top.
'To Celebrate Your Mating' The label read. The two thanked her profusely and then ran off to somewhere private while the rest of us gave our mission summaries to Lala so she could write the official reports.
"I heard the good news. Will you all be remaining one team, or would you like to split?" Narishma came to greet us as we were headed to the elevator.
"One team is the perfect size I think" Karl decided after looking around for objections.
"If we'd split into smaller teams we'd have to band together anyhow to take on the missions that are popping up, so we might as well stay as is, our composition works well as is."
"The perimeter wall is looking pretty fancy" I decided a change of topics was in order.
"Right? They wanted it to look like one piece white marble. The outer shell should be raised within the next day or two, then the internal structure of the city wall is to follow before we start on above ground construction. The first storage and receiving bunkers are already formed, just waiting on entry roads."
This is happening quickly. I guess that's what happens when you've got a hundred or more Earth Mages to throw at a project.
Lala grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards the elevator, obviously done listening to the conversation.
"I'll get you those reports in the morning Ari" she waved as the elevator door closed to the sound of Karl's laughter.
Back in our room, Lala finally relaxed. "It's so good to have you back. With all the construction it's so noisy here and there's nobody to talk to because everyone is busy."
I pull Lala into a big hug "Sorry we have to keep leaving you behind, but unless you're up for combat missions it's likely safest that you stay here."
"I'm definitely happier here than on a battlefield, or locked in a single room again it's just, you know."
Yes, I do know. Bunnies are social creatures, and mine is lonely.
"How about we watch a movie before bed? Put on something comfortable and I'll pick us out something to watch?"
Lala cheers and heads to the closet, returning naked with a huge black shirt in hand, struggling to find the bottom in all the fabric.
"Where did you find that Lala? It's enormous."
"Oh, it's Karls. They're like dresses and super soft, so they're perfect to sleep in." She's right, it is Karl's it still smells like him. Like he was the last person to wear it in fact.
"Lala, did you filch that out of his laundry?"
"Of course not, that would be rude. I asked him to take it off and give it to me."
Well, that's not the answer I was expecting. But, whatever makes her happy I guess.
I settled on watching Van Helsing. For some reason I love werewolf and vampire movies, despite being a Lycan myself. I suppose it's a bit like watching a comedy. Lala thought it was hilarious, having never seen any of Earth's supernatural themed movies yet, mostly watching Disney movies and Anime in her spare time.
"Oh, he turns into Alpha Petros" Lala cheers at the first transformation scene. I'm going to have to remember that one, to tease him with later. The huge gray lycan forms really do look like his transformation.
As the movie ends, I'm barely keeping my eyes open, and Lala is already a step ahead of me, curled up into a ball under the blankets, only her exposed ears seemingly keeping her from rolling away. She looks much happier now, I've got to dedicate more time to my friend.
Come to think of it, it's not even been a month since we found her as a slave, locked in a bedroom in a destroyed castle. A room where she was forbidden to leave for years at a time.
It's a wonder she's adapting this well. I ring up Karl and explain my concerns for Lala's well being, unsure how much empathy the big biker will actually have. But he surprises me, telling me to take a couple days just for us, to help Lala get used to this world, its rules and orders us to make some new friends.
I fall asleep trying to make a plan for the morning.
I awaken groggily to the feeling of bare skin on skin. It's too early. Not that I'm sure what time it is, but the garden lights in my window aren't on yet, so it's been less than 10 hours to the scheduled sunrise.
But what is this feeling?
Then I recall, I only wore a night gown to bed, it must have ridden up and the bunny is cuddled against me. I fade back to sleep.
The next time my eyes open to being entirely too warm in bed. Still cuddled tight to Lala it seems, but maybe I can shuffle the blanket down to let some cool air in.
That's when I realize something is wrong, I can't move properly.
Pulling down the blanket a bit with my toes to expose my head and shoulders, I realize the issue. Somehow Lala has ended up inside my night gown, wrapped around me like a baby Koala, her arms are through my short sleeves, and her head is on my cleavage. How did she even end up in this position?
She's making happy sleeping noises though, maybe just 10 more minutes.
Now my phone alarm is ringing, why must everything try to wake me up today? Lala is wriggling, trying to escape my night gown, but just getting herself even more entangled. I manage to roll us on our side and stop the alarm, seeing that it's the lunch alarm I've set to avoid missing meals.
"Morning Kat" Lala mumbles sleepily. "What time is it, I had the best dream of being cuddled on a cloud. It was so warm I never wanted to wake up. By the way, how do I escape this thing? Even my old master never managed to bind me this effectively."
That's the point when she realized exactly what was going on and wriggled down my body, slowly extricating herself from my clothing.
"We should sleep like that more often, it's really comfy." Oh yeah, Lala has no sense of personal space.
Now that I'm free, I quickly grab a soft black cotton Calvin Klein bralette and panty set and find a short sleeved flowy black tunic top and some artfully ripped jeans. Now to resist the temptation to wear my boots. I'm so not a shoe person, comfortable boots are my everyday wear, but maybe some flats would do fine today, we're not going out anyhow.
There they are, black flats. Not perfect, but they'll do. Lala has picked a light pink tshirt with jean shorts and converse. We're definitely not in work mode today.
Pulling Lala along, I decide that lunch on our floor defeats the purpose of our day off. Our team is currently the only ones on this floor. The other students transferred to rooms nearer to their teams or work stations.
"How about we go visit the Pub?" I suggest "It should have plenty of people to see, new foods to try, and neither of us have been there yet." Lala looks a bit leery of the idea, but lets me drag her along anyhow.