Mature Content Warning: A little foul language and lots of cuteness

Author's Note: So, we have reached the end of chapter 20 and most of the major protagonist related players in this volume have been revealed. We are at roughly the halfway point now. Yay.

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Chapter 20.3: Business Fox

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A little time had passed since Ashton’s true nature had been revealed. Since then they had spent their time on the company dime discussing recent events.

Ashton sighed softly then shook her head. “You must think I’m weird.”

Scott shook his head. “Nah, I can see how it would be difficult to maintain your human identity when you are not physically human anymore.”

She sniffled a little then looked at him. “You’re really understanding. Thank you.”

“Sure, everyone has their secrets. It can be nerve-wracking to have them revealed, you know.” he said.

Ashton smiled softly at him. “You’re always so nice to everyone. I really appreciate that.”

“It’s mostly a work thing. I’m actually a bit of an asshole.” he said lightly.

She snorted at him then chuckled. “I find that hard to believe. An asshole wouldn’t put on bunny ears just to cheer up a lost child who was crying.”

“The little brat wouldn’t shut up. It was just a public service.” remarked Scott.

In truth, he frequently did things like that, but he never made a big deal out of them. He just wanted to get through his work day and make his escape.

“Right.” Ashton rolled her eyes then smiled. “You’re always so friendly with everyone. I can see why the rest of the girls gossip about you.”

“What lies do they tell?” he asked curiously.

Ashton placed her hand to her lips then giggled. “I’m not sure you want to know. They think I don’t hear them, but they talk loud and I could hear a lot of what they said even before I had the furry ears.”

“You’re right. I probably don’t want to know. Bored people talk a lot of shit.”

“Language mister!” Ashton chided Scott then shook her finger.

“English, I think.” he replied casually.

She opened one eye wide and squinted at him with the other. “I think you know what I mean.”

“People often make that mistake about me. It’s alright.” he said.

Ashton grinned at him. “You’re good at playing dumb, huh?”

“Yep, it’s my passion.” replied Scott.

They both shared a laugh then sighed. Ashton asked, “What now?”

“Hmm?” asked Scott.

She glanced over at him. “What do we do now? I mean... are you going to tell anyone?”

Scott placed a hand to his chin then lightly stroked it. “I dunno. I could make a lot of money on the live-action hentai circuit if I sell you off.”

Ashton made a squawking noise then pushed at him. Scott glanced at her then smirked in amusement. “I thought you were a fox, not a chicken.”

“You’re not selling me into porn!” she said.

Scott blinked at her. “You act like I was being serious.”

She laughed nervously at him then looked away. She had taken the bait a little too well. “Well, you never know nowadays. Did you know that slavery was a thing in the dream world?”

Scott smiled pleasantly. “Really?”

Ashton hugged herself tightly. “Yeah, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. What if someone kidnapped me and sold me to a pervert?”

“Yeah, people who own slaves are the worst.” said Scott casually.

“Right! Who could do such a thing?” said Ashton.

“A real asshole, I think. Probably some fat bastard who couldn’t get a girl to touch him with a ten foot pole.” said Scott cheerfully.

Ashton laughed lightly then leaned against him. “Yeah, he would have to be a total scumbag.”

Scott slipped his arm around her waist then leaned his head atop hers. What a fun conversation they were having at the moment.

The kitsune’s cheeks reddened and her tail flicked over to curl around his waist a bit. “This is nice.”

“Yeah, it is. Every guy should have a horny fox-girl as his boss. There would be fewer people taking sick days.”

“No kidding.” she said with a soft laugh. Her blush deepened however, “Horny fox-girl... I’m not that bad am I?”

“Nah, I’m sure you just shoved your nose in my butt-crack to see if we were related.” replied Scott.

Ashton made another squawking noise. “See if I ever do it again!”

Scott reached up and casually started to stroke her hair. Her ears flattened immediately and she closed her eyes.

A moment later her ears perked upward again and her eyes opened. “Hey, no fair doing that.”

Scott kept petting her for a moment and she released a low-growl. He grinned at her and she immediately lunged forward.

“D-don’t do things like that. It’s hard enough to control myself as it is.” said Ashton before she nuzzled his ear with her nose.

“Am I really so irresistible? This is news to me.” asked Scott.

Ashton chuckled softly then gently licked his cheek. “I don’t know why, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I mean... I’ve always thought highly of you for your work ethic, but since my change... I just can’t stop.”

“Any idea why?” he asked curiously.

“Dunno...” She pressed against him then rubbed her cheek against his. “I blame your cologne, though.”

Scott blinked. He only recently made an effort to even bother with using deodorant on a frequent basis much less cologne. “My cologne?”

“Yeah... It’s so.... Mmmm.” Ashton wrapped her arms around him then nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

Suspicions flared after she admitted that. “Speaking of cologne, what perfume is it that you’re wearing?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing today. I got a late start and just threw on a little deodorant. Why?” she asked in a sleepy tone of voice.

“You smell nice. I just wondered about it.” he said.

Ashton giggled gently then blushed light and said, “That’s probably just me. Sorry, but my new race sort of has this strange side-effect.”

“Side-effect?” asked Scott.

“Yeah... It’s embarrassing, though.” she said.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “How so?”

“You’re really going to make me say it?” she asked him, her nostrils slightly flared.

“Yep.” said Scott.

Ashton looked down then fidgeted a little. “Well, according to the lore or whatever... I sort of get excited when I’m around someone I feel really comfortable with...”

Scott nodded. “Ah, so basically, when you get horny you give off strong pheromones?”

She turned around and pushed at him. “Hey, you don’t have to say it like that!”

“Sorry, when you get around me you get horny and give off strong pheromones.” he corrected.

She opened her mouth then closed it and made a soft whining noise. “You...”

Scott patted her on the head and she closed her eyes again. Her fluffy tail started to wag slightly, but once again she opened her eyes then made a huffing sound.

“Why do you keep doing that?” she asked.

“Why do you keep enjoying it?” asked Scott.

She growled lightly, but made no effort to pull away. After a few minutes passed, she sighed gently then leaned against him once more. Scott moved to pet her again and she growled at him.

“Do it and lose your fingers.” she said casually.

Scott quirked an eyebrow then smiled at her. “You bite me and I’ll bite you back.”

She flashed her cute pearlescent fangs at him. “One of us has a better bite than the other.”

Scott chuckled softly then said, “Yes, one of us definitely has better fangs than the other.”

She eyed him carefully for a moment. Something about the way he had said that made her curious.

There was a short lull in the conversation. The lull became an awkward silence as neither of them spoke for a time

“So, how long you been like this?” asked Scott after the silence had become too great.

“I’m not sure really. I think it was a day or two before the last time we spoke on the phone.” she said thoughtfully.

“So, a bit over a week?” he asked.

“Yeah, probably. I spend so much time in that other world that I lose track here some times.” she admitted.

“I can understand that.” he said.

Ashton sighed loudly. “I dunno. I just feel more alive there. Before I found out that the race change was real in this world too, I ran everywhere I could in the dream world.”

“Oh? So you did a lot of exploring?”

“Yeah, who wouldn’t? I spent more time wandering around and checking out the towns and things than anything else.” she said.

“I’ve spent most of my time fighting and developing my combat skills.” said Scott. He had not done much exploring yet, as he intended to be strong enough to survive that world easier before he wandered around.

Ashton looked at him strangely for a minute then shook her head. “I don’t see it. You’re not aggressive like that.”

“Oh? I’m not aggressive?” asked Scott curiously.

“No... I mean, you’re such a funny guy and sweet... You wouldn’t hurt anyone.” she said.

Scott glanced at her for a moment then said, “People are often different than we think they are.”

It was true. Originally, he had thought of Ashton as a sort of sorority girl who had sexed her way through life. After spending actual time with her in the last hour or so he had realized that many of her supposedly predatory practices were just the actions of a young woman who was trying to be friendly with her co-workers and staff members.

“Not you, even if you ended up being an aggressive guy who fights things... I would never believe that you would hurt anyone for no good reason.” she said gently.

Scott could not understand where that sentiment came from. “How could you think that? You barely know me.”

Ashton smiled lightly then shook her head. “Would it be weird to admit that I pay extra attention to you throughout the day?”

“No, but I would like to know why.” he said.

“Well, you make working here tolerable for everyone. You always do or say something that uplifts the spirits of everyone here even though I’ve seen your expression change when you thought that no one was looking.” said Ashton.

“You’re onto my act, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah, you do your best to make everyone else feel more at ease but you always have a sad expression when they turn away.” she said.

Scott rubbed his chin for a moment. “So, I have a fox girl stalker. My life-long ambition of living in an anime series has begun to come to fruition.”

Ashton made a cute little *snerking* noise then looked at him. “You like anime...?”

“I like a lot of things.” he said casually.

“Am I one of those things?” she asked him with a flutter of her eyelashes.

“Down girl.” said Scott before he patted her on the head.

Ashton pouted at him. “I’m not asking if you’ve fallen hopelessly in love with me or anything, you know.”

“I never hated you, if that makes you happy.” said Scott.

“That’s not much of an answer.” she said.

“I don’t really know you like that.” he said.

She sighed softly then nodded. “I know. That’s what makes this weird. It’s not like I’m ready to confess my undying love or something, but I have never been able to just talk with a guy like this.”

“Maybe it’s the company you keep? What about that guy you’re engaged to?” he asked.

Ashton’s ears flicked back and she growled in a low and aggressive manner. “That jerk? He cheated on me with a pretzel whore.”

“Pretzel whore? It’s rude, but I really want to hear about It.” said Scott.

“I don’t really want to talk about it. Can you just accept that he cheated on me with a teenage bimbo who spends all day putting cheese on pretzels?” she asked.

“Sure, if it will bother you too much.” he said.

They were quiet for a moment then Ashton looked to the side. “Who’s Sonja.”

Scott blinked then looked over to the girl. Her cheeks were flush and she held a lot of tension in her shoulders.

“She’s complicated.” he said in response.

“Are you dating or something?” she asked him in a tight voice.

Scott was silent for a moment. He was uncertain how to answer that.

Ashton turned to look at him, and he saw a slight shimmer in her eyes. Her expression was a strange mixture of hopeful and fearful that caused him to want to pet her again.

“Sonja is a very important person to me. Someone I enjoy having in my life. We spend a lot of time together and she has dealt with a lot of serious crap in her life so I refuse to hurt her.” he said finally. They were not actually dating or anything, though they did sleep in the same bed a lot.

She hiccuped softly then looked down. “I... See.”

“Do you? Because I am not really sure what we are, either.” he said. It was even true. They had never really discussed anything about actual relationships, and technically she was still married to the ass who had captured her. She had shown clear interest in him, but only as far as sex and snuggling. They had not discussed long term relationship stuff at all.

She sighed softly and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. However, she blinked twice then looked up at Scott when she felt his hand clasp hers. “Huh?”

“I’m not really good with relationships, or even with understanding another person’s feelings. Honestly, I generally I don’t give a damn about how someone else is feeling most of the time.” he said.

She blinked again then looked down at his hand. His words and his actions did not sync up well. “I...”

Scott sighed then slipped his arms around her and placed his chin atop her head. “I’m not someone to cry over Ashton.”

She looked into his eyes then bit her lower lip. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Ever since I changed, my emotions have been out of whack.”

“Hey, smiling might help a little.” said Scott softly.

She sighed loudly then shook her head. “I won’t ever smile again. It’s hard to be happy when I’ve dealt with this alone.”

Scott squeezed her hands lightly then nodded. He spoke to her in a soft and sincere tone of voice. “I’m sure it has been rough for you. At least you have an incredibly hot guy to tell these things to now.”

Ashton snorted loudly then found that she could not fight down the laugh that bubbled up inside of her. Had he really just said that?

“Liar. I see a smile already.” said Scott in a tone of smug self-satisfaction.

She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Are you for real? No one can be such a good guy.”

“I once threw a fish at an old lady for grabbing the last loaf of bread on the shelf when she already had four in her cart.” said Scott randomly.

She blinked then snorted. She shared a bright and surprised smile with them then asked, “What in the world brought that up?”

“Would a good guy hit an old lady with a fish?” he asked her lightly.

“You’re making that up!” she exclaimed.

Scott laughed lightly. “Actually, I’m a pretty bad guy. I even made a really nice girl cry recently.”

“Oh, who?” she asked curiously.

Scott slipped his index finger along her cheek and swept up a small bit of her tears. He inspected his finger for a moment then looked to her. “I wonder.”

She blinked once and then her nostrils flared slightly. Her ears folded back and she looked away as her face began to redden. He had caught her completely off guard with that maneuver.

“I’ve never enjoyed crying so much, before.” she said softly.

Scott replied, “Careful. I’ll start to think that you’re a masochist.”

“Oh, you!” she snapped out. Ashton turned quickly then pushed him with greater force than before. She almost succeeded in knocking him off the desk this time.

“So cute, yet so violent.” said Scott.

She crossed her arms over her chest then made a huffing noise. “I haven’t shown you how violent I can be, yet.”

“Shouldn’t I get dinner and a movie first at least?” asked Scott.

She blinked once then her face turned bright red. For a moment, Scott thought that she might spontaneously combust.

He was saved from another feminine outcry by the sound of his shitty little cellphone ringing. He whipped it out and noticed that Shara had sent him a text message with a photo attachment.

“Who is it?” asked Ashton.

“Shara just sent me a message with a photo.”

“Shara? She’s friends with you and Sonja right?” asked Ashton carefully.

“Yeah, I didn’t recognize her when we first met here at work, but it turns out that she and I are actually childhood friends.” said Scott.

Ashton frowned cutely then made a low frustrated whine. Why were things turning out this way?

Scott ignored her puppy-like whine and clicked on the attachment labeled Come home soon.

His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when he saw what the picture actually was. He had not realized what Shara had planned when she suggested that he let her take Sonja around town while he worked.

“What are you staring at so intensely?” asked Ashton. She looked over his shoulder and her eyes nearly bulged out just before her ears and fluffy tail flew up into the air.

On screen was an image of Sonja and Shara wearing lacy lingerie. The design was exactly the same save for the color. Shara's outfit was bright red. Sonja wore a lacy pink and white version. The nearly matching outfits were designed with a heart-shaped cut out that showcased their cleavage spectacularly. They had stretched out on his bed amid a pile of rose petals.

Sonja was lying atop Shara while they both faced the camera. Scott's childhood friend had her arms wrapped around Sonja's waist. She held the Valkyrie in a soft, and provocative pose.

The deadliness of the image was increased greatly by the fact that a single strand of hair had crossed Sonja's face only to end up entrapped by her lips. Her expression was that of a cute and innocent girl who needed someone to hold her close and make the bad things disappear. That expression spoke volumes about what the girls had intended with this little stunt.

A low whine followed by a defeated whimper echoed through the room. Scott absent-mindedly reached over and stroked Ashton’s hair.

Ashton did not try to bite him. At this point she was simply glad to know that he had still acknowledged her existence. She also wanted to know where they had gotten those outfits. They were amazing!

“Ashton... Can I go home early?” asked Scott. He wanted to see what else the girls had been up to today. He was both excited and slightly terrified to discover what was going on.

“Sure... but can I come with you?” she asked.

Scott blinked at her. “You saw this and wanted to go to my house?”

She nodded. “Yeah... I want to know where they got those outfits.”

Scott’s left eyebrow rose into the air. He was not certain if he believed her answer, but it did not really matter. This could go badly, quite quickly, but he was far too curious not to let it happen. Either way, work had nothing on his home life right now.