Lisa was sitting on her living room couch alone, a cosy fire providing some much-needed warmth on an unnaturally cool May evening. The Sun had already set, there wasn't a single noise outside, save for the soft chirping of crickets. Of the many things she liked about her residence, the distance from all the other houses certainly was one of them.

She was watching a series she used to like before the original writers dropped it. The change in quality sure was an indication of that.

“Three awards, my fuckin’ arse!” Lisa said in frustration at an egregiously melodramatic and unrealistic scene, turning off the TV. She then checked her phone, only to get a warning that its battery was below ten percent. She dismissed the warning, put one finger at its charging port, and powered up her electric magic. A steady, but mild stream of electricity began flowing into her phone. She stood up, absentmindedly went to the kitchen, and began filling the kettle with tap water.

As she prepared, she turned around and spotted Solomon’s notebook on the kitchen table a short distance away.

“Ah great, Rox left it here. Bet she’s real happy ‘bout that…” Lisa understood how important hobbies could be for people, but she could never quite get why Solomon’s was whatever modern art piece she was working on. She paid no mind to it, she was just happy that her girlfriend was happy.

She turned on the kettle, in which the water soon started to boil. While still charging her phone, she made herself a cup of tea. She kept enough water in the kettle for another, knowing that Solomon would be back soon.

She sat back down on the couch, enjoying the silence after the travesty she had just witnessed. Taking a sip, she paused and perked her ears. Sure enough, the silence was broken by the sound of the high-pitched buzz of a mosquito. Her eyes darted around the room until she finally spotted the little pest as it landed on her right hand.

“Why you little…” Brilliant blue arcs jumped around her entire arm, one hitting the insect with enough voltage to completely vaporise it. A smug smile stretched across her face, thoroughly satisfied. The many uses of her magic, although mostly the powering of electronics, certainly made her life easier.

Lisa sniffed the air and could already tell that Solomon was close to her house. Her scent was unmistakable, the exorbitantly overpriced flower-scented shampoo she used only made it easier to differentiate her. There was one more thing she noticed over the weeks, specifically around her hands. It was subtle, even a wolf would have a hard time picking up on it unless in direct proximity, but her hands… They had a very, very faint smell of sulphur. Like most felines, Solomon made sure that she was clean all the time, but no matter how many times she washed her hands or showered, she never could quite get rid of it. Lisa just didn’t have the heart to tell her that, she wasn’t even sure if she knew. Ever since she noticed it, however, she could sniff it out from much farther away if she needed to.

As if on cue, her front door then opened.

“Bonsoir, Lisa.” Said the cat as she stepped in, wearing her flower-pattern dress and red scarf with gloves to go along with the rest of her outfit. Lisa leaned back on the couch to hide her excited, wagging tail.

“‘Sup, Rox?” Lisa said cordially. “Had fun at Thali’s?”

“Oh, you know.” Solomon waved. “The usual. Had a good talk.” She looked around, scratching the back of her head.

“Forgot somethin’?” Lisa asked, already knowing the answer.

Solomon looked as if she just saw something much worse than a ghost, then quickly relaxed and laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah… Have you seen my notebook?” The cat asked.

“It’s in the kitchen.” Lisa responded candidly. “How do you even come up with those symbols?” She chuckled.

“Simple, really.” Solomon was halfway to the kitchen already. “Creativity.” She retrieved and pocketed her notebook, then went back to the living room and sat down next to Lisa, who put an arm around her.

“As long as it makes you happy, Rox.” Lisa sniffed the air again and raised an eyebrow at Solomon, catching the aroma of whisky. “Thought you said you weren’t much of a drinker?”

“Well…” The cat sighed. “Thalia said she could use it to calm her nerves and offered me some. You have to try new things sometimes! Even if you regret it...” She shuddered. “It’s as if I was drinking acid without immunity.”

“S’pose you’d like some tea after that?” Lisa chuckled, taking Solomon’s hand in hers.

“Oh, I’d love that, please.” The cat said after a moment of concern, due to her magic. “I’ll go take a shower.” She announced.

“You do that, dear.” Lisa petted her head and stood up to make her a cup. In the meantime, Solomon went to the bathroom.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Lisa felt incredibly grateful to have Solomon. Sure, she may have had a few partners before, but she felt like things didn’t click quite as much. She had thought that Thalia would finally be the one for quite some time, but it all ended up the same.

Solomon, however, she knew. She just knew that she was the one. She liked just about everything about the cat. From her decidedly short stature to her anxious, yet honest personality, her accent… It was all so alluring and cute to her.

Pouring the boiling water into a cup, she shed a single tear. “After all these years…”

She went up to the first floor and put the cup on the railing. Not the safest place, but she figured Solomon would notice it there easily enough. She then went to her room and changed into her pyjamas, which definitely was a change in her wardrobe. She put on a pair of blue, baggy trousers and a shirt that Solomon got her around a week before. It was all black, save for the simple white outline of an almost empty battery with text below it reading “Recharge Needed”. She thought it was extremely cheesy, but loved it nonetheless.

Lisa then lay down in her bed. That queen-sized bed of hers, would be justified once again. She couldn’t wait to have Solomon move in…

It took the cat way longer to dry herself than to finish showering, something that Lisa was used to. She heard the bathroom door open, followed by the distinct clink of a spoon in a teacup. Solomon then walked into her room, wearing but a white shirt and black underwear, holding the cup in one hand.

Lisa smiled as the cat gulped down the tea.

“I really needed that…” Solomon sighed, her tail swaying.

“The shower or the tea?” Lisa teased as Solomon put the cup on the nightstand.

“Both, actually.” The cat briefly left the room and returned with her phone and notebook, which she also put on the nightstand before she lay down next to Lisa.

“Excited for the trip next week, Rox?” Lisa asked as Solomon looked at her hands. She did that often, Lisa felt like Solomon never quite got over her magic. Or at least not as easily as she did.

“You bet!” Solomon said excitedly, briefly looking away from her hands.

“Relax, Rox.” Lisa hugged the feline tightly. She could hear her stifle a gasp before she returned the hug. This magic of hers… Acid. Lisa may not have seen what it can do, but Solomon has told her enough about it. The sheer pain and suffering she could inflict…

“‘Cept she won’t.” Lisa felt like Solomon was more scared of her power than she was. If anything, the feeling should have been mutual. Lisa trusted Solomon not to use her magic on her as much as she trusted her not to shock her. She knew that neither of those would happen.

“I can hardly believe our schedules finally lined up.” Lisa stated, gently petting Solomon’s back. “Seriously, Yaro goes back home every month and this is the first time we could actually do this! Like come on, we’ve been planning a trip like this for like, a year now?”

“That long?” Solomon questioned. “Can’t you just take a few days off like I did?”

“Now to be fair…” Lisa yawned. “We were quite busy with some other things these last few months.”

Their heartfelt moment was broken by the sound of a notification coming from Solomon’s phone. A distinct one that she had set specifically for one person.

Annoyed, Solomon turned around in bed and picked up her phone to look at the message.

“Merde…” She sighed. Lisa may not have spoken French, but she’s come to understand what made Solomon say that in particular.

“What is it this time?” Lisa asked, more upset than concerned.

“Shaquia wants me to come in tomorrow.” Solomon put down her phone. “She says it’s important.”

“You’re joking, right?” Lisa complained. “You were there this week already! I’m tellin’ ya, they’re getting way too daft now.”

“Too bad, I guess.” Solomon shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to make it quick.”

And that, that was the one thing Lisa didn’t quite like about Solomon. To some people, she just couldn’t say no. She really wanted to have a few words with Shaquia, but Solomon insisted that she didn’t.

“Well, Adelar’s not gonna like me mucking about with my schedule to spend my days off with you. I can tell that already.” Lisa scoffed. She then hugged Solomon from behind, which made her calm down significantly.

“What are they even researching with you?” Lisa questioned, more quietly. “There’s only so much you can find out about magical acid!”

“You’d be surprised.” Solomon giggled.

“Am I glad those twats ain’t so curious about electricity.” Lisa remarked. “Still, promise you’ll be safe, Rox. If something happens to you, I will go and…” Lisa paused and furrowed her eyebrows. “Have a word with them, shall we say.”

“It’ll be fine, Lisa.” Solomon turned around and embraced the wolf. Lisa wasn’t so sure for how long it’d be fine, but the hug reassured her enough for the time being.

“At least those lunatics are keeping quiet.” Lisa stated, thinking back to the incident. She had no regrets, she would do everything all over again if needed to. “It’s been what, two months? Do they at least have plans for them?”

“Plans? They sure have those.” Solomon scoffed. “They have way too many and don’t know which will work for sure.”

“I thought these guys were professionals.” The wolf remarked. “Whatever… Just be safe.”

“I will!” Solomon affirmed, like she always did. “I know a thing or two now. I can protect myself if I need to.” She said in a tone that Lisa found a little strange, as if she had some regrets, or perhaps doubts about it. “I really hope you won’t have to do that.”

“And I believe that.” Lisa then caressed the cat’s face and gave her a kiss. “Goodnight, Roxy.”

“Goodnight!” Solomon said as she closed her eyes and purred softly.

“This… This makes it all worth it.”