Phoenix Maplewood smile without a reason why

The brittleness of her act dialed back when he answered in kind, and faded almost entirely when he offered a compliment and an appreciative glance. (Always the best way to her heart.) She preened for him, of course, stretching to show the plush, padded curve of her chest and belly, and the long, sineous lines of her powerful legs. She did look terrific, thank-you-very-much.

"You look tired," she said when her leg started to twinge from the strain of her posing. Discreetly, she tried to work it back into a comfortable position. Spolier alert: there wasn't one. "I hope that's not because of me." The statement was more reproval than contrition.

How was she going to work off this debt? They knew where she lived even if they did not yet have her name. Her leg showed no signs of improvement, and she was reliant on them for food and shelter. It left her feeling a bit overwhelmed, but she refused to show it while Aditya laid across from her, possibly watching her face for signs of weakness. "Thank you," she forced herself to say, taking the rabbit between her paws and peeling back the fur of its belly with gentle precision. She was not going to get blood on her newly-cleaned pelt.