As the girl picked up Tucker and stroked his amazingly soft fur, he noticed a sinner on a nearby roof aiming a gun at Clara.
Tucker yelped cutely, trying to alert her. Clara glanced back, her eyes narrowing as she summoned a spear out of thin air and threw it at the demon with deadly precision.
The spear struck the shooter, who toppled off the roof. Clara looked down at Tucker and smiled. "Thanks for the warning, little guy," she said, scratching him behind his ears. Tucker yipped again, wanting to walk away quickly, but Clara scooped him back up.
"You're coming home with me," she declared, stroking Tucker's fur as she walked.
Tucker noticed that many demons greeted Clara respectfully, though he also saw fear in their eyes. This girl had some serious background. He also recalled the spear she threw—it had an angelic tipped. Interesting.
As Clara continued to stroke Tucker, getting just the right spot behind his ear, he couldn't help but purr and bark cutely.
Soon, she approached a large warehouse-looking building and walked up to one of the many gates that circled the building.
She pressed a code into a metal keypad, which opened up to reveal an extravagantly decorated hall." Yep, definitely rich."
She carried Tucker up the stairs, and though no one was in sight, he could sense a few people in the building.
Clara took Tucker to her room, which was quite large and spacious and filled with all types of documents, weapons, anime posters, and various trinkets. She placed him on her bed and began playing with him, talking to him as if he could understand.
"Who's a good boy?" Clara cooed, scratching behind Tucker's chin. "You are, yes you are! I can't believe I found such a cute little fox wandering around. What were you doing out there, hmm?"
Tucker yipped, which meant, "Trying to avoid this exact situation, thank you very much." But Clara just giggled and kept petting him.
Suddenly, her phone rang, and the playful woman from before disappeared.
She went into business mode, talking to her sister about some orders for the Overlords Sir Pentious, Glitchus, Ragamuffin, and Maybebaby.
As she walked to her desk, doing work, Tucker sat on the bed and sighed. He needed to improve this transformation spell.
He had created it many years ago and had forgotten that it had the side effect of preventing him from turning back for 24 hours.
Not only that but his powers were limited in this form. That's why he hadn't immediately teleported away. But for now, it seemed this girl named Clara was somewhat nice, if a bit hard on the fur.
Clara soon finished her call, her serious look disappearing as she sighed. "Looks like this week's gonna be long," she muttered. She then went over to Tucker and picked him up.
"I really need a bath, and so do you, little guy." Tucker froze. A bath? He immediately tried to run away, but it was too late. Clara's grip tightened, and she smiled, but it wasn't an angelic one. "We need to wash you, who knows what could have gotten stuck in your coat."
Tucker yipped in protest, but what he was really saying was, "How dare you? I brush myself at least twice a day; my coat is immaculate." But of course, his yips fell on deaf ears. His nails dug into the door, scattering splinters as he yelled for help, but there was no escape. She dragged him into the bathroom.
The bathroom was spacious and Japanese-style, with steam everywhere. Tucker stopped his protest for a moment, hit with a sense of nostalgia.
He noticed a pair of shorts and a crop top hit the floor. Wait, she was also taking a shower? Tucker yipped again, trying to escape, but Clara entered with a towel covering her lithe body and a mischievous grin plastered on her face.
She began chasing Tucker down to wash him. How did things end up like this, he wondered.
Suddenly, a beam of light struck the wall. Tucker, who was running, paused and followed the light. He scoffed, thinking, "Really, you think I'm some sort of cat... hey, where are you going?" He immediately chased the laser before ending up at Clara's feet.
She looked down on him in victory and picked him up, dragging him into the bath.
"Come on, you adorable little furball. It's just a bath," Clara teased, as she set Tucker in the large, warm tub. Tucker's ears flattened, and he gave her the most pitiful look he could muster. "Don't give me that look," she said, laughing. "You'll be squeaky clean in no time."
She gently poured water over his fur, and Tucker yipped indignantly. "Cuuuuuuurse you, Clara....vile Claraaaaaaaaaa," he thought, but all she heard was more cute yipping.
-----
Clara hummed a tune as she lathered him up with soap, making sure to clean every inch of his fur.
"You know, I think you're the cutest fox I've ever seen," Clara said, rinsing the soap off. "I should give you a name. How about... Fluffy? Naruto!!...No...No, that's too generic. Maybe... Sparky? Because you're so lively."
Tucker yipped again, trying to tell her his name was Tucker, but she just giggled. "Sparky it is then," she declared, rubbing him dry with a towel. "Now, don't you feel better?"
Tucker sighed, resigned to his fate as 'Sparky' for the time being. Clara picked him up and carried him back to her room, setting him on the bed. "All right, Sparky. You stay here while I get dressed."
She walked over to her closet and started picking out clothes. Tucker, now clean and slightly damp, sat on the bed and watched her. "Great, now I'm a clean, slightly damp, very annoyed fox," he thought.
As Clara got dressed, she kept glancing back at Tucker. "You know, Sparky, I think we're going to be great friends," she said, pulling on a fresh outfit. "I don't usually take in strays, but there's something special about you."
Tucker yipped again, this time more softly. "Maybe this won't be so bad," he thought. "At least she's nice, and I have a warm place to stay for now."
Clara finished dressing and walked back over to the bed, scooping Tucker up in her arms. "Let's go get something to eat, Sparky. I'm starving, and I'm sure you are too."
As they headed downstairs, Tucker couldn't help but feel a little better about his situation.
Sure, he was stuck in this small fox form for the next 24 hours, but at least he had a new friend. And who knows? Maybe Clara could help him find his way in this city.