"W—What?! M—... in... Absolutely not!" Ruby’s mind short-circuited. She flushed red as a beet, shaking her hands in front of her face in protest.
Since she carried traces of feline characteristics alongside her human traits, she had studied cats’ behaviors in her free ti. Being in heat ant they were biologically in mating season. But the idea of having children had never even occurred to her until now!
Yet Anya’s question had opened the floodgates. Now, nurous thoughts raced through Ruby’s mind. Each one involved Michael and was more embarrassing than the last!
"C—Calm down." Anya hadn’t expected to overwhelm Ruby.
"Don’t forget, we aren’t cats... We only share certain traits with them. For us felines, being in heat basically ans you’re passionately in love with soone. That tingling warmness that drives you crazy when you think about or are near them can actually be useful for coming to terms with your real emotions."
Ruby breathed slowly. "R—Really?! There’s no mistaking it?"
Anya heaved a sigh.
"Being in heat can be triggered by several factors. Love is a complicated matter... But simply put, if you feel at peace when you are with him, then you have your answer."
Ruby’s tail straightened.
"This basically seals the deal!" She retorted.
From the very first mont Michael rescued her from the underground tunnels, she had felt the most at peace with him. Her feelings, which bordered closely on obsession, beca more evident when the discrepancy against her kind had started.
During this period, she felt like she couldn’t trust anyone except Michael.
Crouching, she buried her face in her knees, tail wrapping around her like a blanket.
"Then what am I supposed to do?! Confronting him straight away will just distract him from dealing with the cultists, yet now that I have these thoughts, it will be so embarrassing to act normal!"
"Co on, it’s not going to be that awkward." Anya giggled. "What could have happened to make you act so shy now?"
Ruby begged to disagree. "On more than one occasion, I’ve declared I will marry him. I have mixed my scent with his more tis than I can count. There have been tis when I lay atop him while he was shirtless, licking him all over to heal him. Almost extorted him for headpats. In tis of anxiety, I have disregarded his personal space and wrapped myself around him in an embrace, unwilling to let go."
Anya choked, unsure if she was supposed to be shocked or outraged. "O—Okay, that is... honestly much worse than I expected. So you’re telling you did all this with him and only just now realized your true feelings?!"
The strear massaged her temples. "Girl, I’m sorry if I’m being too blunt, but I think you’re an airhead."
Ruby’s ears flattened.
"All evidence points to that conclusion." She agreed in a timid voice, not finding the strength to disagree.
Her unwillingness to argue only fueled the ntal pressure Anya was under.
"Okay, this is my advice..."
Ruby imdiately straightened, her eyes sparking with determination to focus on the next words.
"Don’t change your behavior. With your mindset adjusted, you’ll be able to see this from a new perspective. Since you love him, I will assu that Michael surely cares for you. Once you deem the mont right, confess to him without beating around the bush. It’s better to get it over with in one motion."
Ruby’s fists clenched. "Are you sure this is how it’s supposed to be? What if I make a blunder and he never looks at the sa way?"
Anya shrugged. "Listen, it’s either this or live with the burden of your emotions until the end of ti. The fact that he hasn’t tried to distance himself from you despite your closeness ans he clearly feels sothing for you. As long as you’re sincere, things should be alright."
Exhaling slowly, Ruby nodded, a faint smile forming. Love, emotions as a whole, were scary. Yet also bittersweet. She had never felt butterflies in her stomach until now.
Anya was relieved that her words had resonated with her feline friend. After a mont of silence, she spoke tiredly.
"Now, with the love lessons over, please... let rest. My mind is so exhausted I’m seeing several of you."
After thanking Anya for her consultation, Ruby proceeded to the lower floor, where Michael was assessing the damage to the building with the rest of the crew.
By all accounts, it had been a miracle. While the cultists had destroyed the goods and severely damaged the storeroom, the overall infrastructure was intact.
There were no recorded deaths among the felines. Zachary had been the only injured one, but with tily assistance, even he had made complete recovery.
On top of that, due to the shock the poor boy had experienced, he didn’t seem to rember the explosion. He only recalled that he had been sent to retrieve a few supplies before his mory abruptly cut off. Since it was deed that forgetting the incident would be more beneficial for Zachary, this was considered good news.
In a weird twist of fate, the incident had increased the exposure of the soup kitchen. Cyberfang’s body was too large to fit in the structure’s narrow corridors, so the chanical beast waited outside, both acting as an unintentional advertisent for the charity and a show of force for anyone who might get any funny ideas about launching another attack.
"There isn’t much else we can do." Victoria exclaid. "At least you two managed to get so leads while we just wandered aimlessly."
Claire agreed. "We can co back sotis, but for now it would be wiser to go and interrogate the cultists you’ve caught."
A frown twisted into Ava’s face. "Monsters that dare bring harm to children... I’ll make sure they pay for this!"
The longer they delayed, the worse things could get. The crew hurried toward the bureau of the local authorities, eager to search for answers.
Michael noticed that Ruby was trailing at the back of the group.
"Is sothing wrong?" He asked, slowing down to match her pace.
After a second of hesitation, she extended her trembling hand.
"Um... do you think you can hold my hand?" She gulped audibly.
’She must still be shaken by the sight of her tornted kin.’ Michael thought, pulling her closer.
"No need to ask. Know that you can talk with about anything if you wish." He reassured, with a warm smile that was sadly obscured by the mask.
In her entire life, Ruby had never felt so glad that her face was hidden. Otherwise, Michael would have realized sothing was wrong, since her face had never been so flushed before.
Anya’s words constantly replayed in Ruby’s mind, causing her to imagine nurous scenarios with Michael, each one wilder than the last, further fueling the burning sensation in her soul.
"O—Of course I know." She answered shyly, leaning closer to his sturdy fra.
The crew didn’t notice anything amiss. Ruby tended to be closer than normal, a trait of her feline nature, or so they assud.
It didn’t take long to reach the apprehended cultists, who had been chained and prepared for questioning.
Fulfilling Devil’s request, Michael allowed him to assu his true form, tasking him with the interrogation.
"Wakey, wakey, poor bastards." Devil taunted, throwing a cold bucket over their heads.
He flexed his claws.
"There are two ways this can proceed. First, I torture you and you reveal all you know, or second, you reveal all you know and then I torture you."
Devil laughed.
"See? I’m generous enough to give you a choice."
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