Wake Up Call (8)
Wake Up Call (8)
In the end, she was forced to walk while carrying the opportunistic child. The girl was small, but she certainly didn't lack the ability to make use of her age and cuteness.
'Evil!' Iris murmured to herself, finally understanding Kyro's inability to refuse the puppy look. Who could say no to those shining little eyes?
When she ventured outside, the street was empty, and Iris ran out as fast as she could with her backpack. Mila made a distressed sound, though, and she had to slow down. The little girl clawed at her fur to get a good grip, and Iris winced in pain when she pulled on the hairs.
'I don't want to go bald yet…'
Iris didn't dare to pick up speed from then on. Not that it was necessary. They were outside, so she walked into some less traveled roads where people wouldn't pay so much attention to the spectacle of a fennec carrying a weasel.
By the time they reached her hiding place in the abandoned construction site, it was evening, and Iris was dead tired. The girl hadn't touched the ground once. When Iris sprawled onto the ground to regain feeling in her body, Mila sniffed at her and stepped off.
At first, she was reluctant to walk farther away, but in a few minutes of nothing happening her courage grew. She began exploring the whole unfinished room, running back and forth around it. Then, out of nowhere, she started jumping, twisting, and attempting backflips.
For a good while, Iris just stared at her in bewilderment. What in the world was that? It looked amusing, but…
'Or is there no but?' She suddenly realized that the girl was probably just playing around. Her cage had been too small for a lot of movement, and for most of the day they had slept and walked, so Mila should have been bursting with energy.
Shaking her head with a smile, Iris surveyed their surroundings to make sure that there was no one around, then changed in a corner. Her movements were so swift that in some thirty seconds she was dressed and ready. The clothes were a bit dirty from lying on the ground, but it wasn't too bad.
"Mila, Mila, come." When Iris finished and called for the girl, she realized that Mila was frozen in place, staring at her like she'd seen a ghost. "Have you never seen anyone change forms before?"
Iris crouched down to not stand in the clouds when compared to the little weasel and extended her hand to it. "Do you want to learn to do it at will too? I can teach you."
The girl stood up on her back legs, revealing her white underbelly, and tilted her head to the side. It was so adorable Iris wanted to just snatch her away and never let go. How could this level of cuteness be legal!
She took a few steps closer with her hand still extended. "I'm Iris. We've met before, at your home." This didn't go well with the girl. She instantly went back on all four and prepared to run. "Wait! I won't bring you back. I swe— promise!"
It was hard to say how many words a three-year old knew, so Iris made a quick decision to use the more common ones. And it worked. The little girl stopped and gave her chance to talk more.
"It's cold here so I'm going to my place. Do you want to be warm too?" It wasn't freezing outside, but the temperature was dropping swiftly. They'd certainly catch a sickness if they stayed in the empty construction site, let alone that they might meet some unfriendly people in there once the night settled.
After a little consideration, Mila chose to jump on the extended hand. Iris smiled at her and left the unfinished building while marveling at the softness of the girl's fur. It complimented her adorable appearance to perfection.
Although Iris said that she was going home, she didn't think that'd be a good idea. The fact that Tyler had found her the moment she went shopping was always at the back of her mind. Thus, she found a hotel nearby and got a room there. Once inside, she decided that she was sick and tired of the radio silence.
Taking out her phone, she dialed Elise's number. Unlike the men, she shouldn't be followed by anyone, since the two of them had little to no connection. It was expecting a lot that the woman would really go out of her way to help Iris, but she was hoping that her favor would be returned in this case.
To her surprise, Elise was more than accommodating. She instantly agreed and told her that she would speak with Kyro or Gale as soon as possible. Happy with these news, Iris thanked her and went to sleep with Mila resting on the other pillow
-
Gale had just went to sleep when his phone rang. He looked at the time and cursed the person who couldn't wait for the morning. It was one day he returned home earlier and they just had to get a hold of him at three in the morning? Sometimes, he really wondered why he ever thought being a businessman would be fun.
Lily opened her sleep-heavy eyes by his side, and Gale grabbed the phone from the bedside table. "Sleep," he told his sister and stood up to go speak in the next room.
Lily was acting a bit clingy by refusing to sleep by herself lately, but he couldn't refuse her when they had spent almost no time together for the last half a month. He was just too busy to return home earlier than midnight and had to leave early the next day.
"What happened?" he asked the caller. He'd seen it was Elise, but Mark probably had wanted her to relay something. It was unusual, but not impossible.
"It's not about the company," she said right away, puzzling him.
What the hell did she need at three in the morning then? If it was a night rendezvous, he had other commitments, like getting a good night's sleep for once. "As lovely as you are, I'll have to refuse."
"Pig," Elise told him without a second's hesitation. When he rolled his eyes at her childish insult, she added, "Iris contacted me. She said that she wants to talk to Kyro."
'Iris?' Gale was a little surprised—that girl was growing up fast. She actually didn't go straight for him or Kyro, but found a person not obviously connected to them. Maybe there was still chance for her to learn to do well in society.
"Tell her to wait. I know her status and it's fine. Kyro's busy."
"That sounds like an excuse," Elise told him in an accusing voice.
It was, partially, but he wasn't going to admit it. Iris was really fine. He had people around her that reported all that she did, and with whom in particular she kept on meeting up. "Go to sleep. Everything's under control. I'll get in contact with her myself in a few days."
"I'll tell her to be wary; you're being evasive. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Gale looked out the window and shook his head. Women and their rash decisions… He was almost certain that Elise was going to try doing something to help Iris. He sighed and walked back to his room. Why did everyone keep on trying to make his load heavier?