"It's nothing like it" Sandy shook her head in frustration- "I've just had a bad luck in my past, 's all" This wasn't exactly a response Mei wanted to hear. "Sandy- could you elaborate it a bit more? You know- the devil lies in details and in that sensitive matter it goes double, if not.. " The tense look in the young squirrel's face didn't match the sleepy Friday evening atmosphere of common customers in this Diner. And talking about her block in her intimate life was the last thing she was expecting, when her boss invited her for a dessert. But still, she understood that Mei surely was interested in helping her out several times in the past, and over the years Mei became more than a boss. To be honest, she was the closest thing to a friend, and that's the only reason why she hadn't snapped-out at Mei when she started poking into private affairs. It was obvious that Mei won't settle for the vague answers, she realized. Sandy remembered, that she complained about "half-assed" reports of her subordinates on regular basis, after all. But this is something entirely different- she's supposed to talk about her reluctance to seek out the company of males for...Sandy gulped. "Are you with me, Sandy?" The question and patient expression of Mei's face managed to bring her back to this embarrassing conversation she's yet to conclude. Somehow. Sandy reluctantly muttered: "Yeah- Guess I better get it over with, I'd still love to go for a Friday run before sunset." A mild sigh escaped Mei's mouth- "Honey-You did a great job suppressing that sexual frustration of yours so-far by running and who knows what, but trust me- there are viable ways to face such issue". The word "sexual frustration" struck Sandy like a blow from a cattle prod, instantaneously made her look around, scanning if anybody caught any word of their conversation."One doesn't need to have the psychology degree to figure out this won't be the place where I'm gonna get that confession. Without letting that ghost out, the second phase would be pointless" Mei thought to herself. Little known fact was, that this seemingly cold, rational cat has doctorate in the field of Psychological screening, Biochemistry, and she was a distinguished agent in the service in the ministry of internal affairs. No affairs were necessary to keep her libido alive, though. "I know a place, where we can enjoy a decent craft beer" Mei sad, while putting a few dollars underneath her dinner plate- "but you know the price" -she smiled gently at her most-trusted employee. -

For Mei, all started as a fascination to comprehend the behavioral motives of people. Since she turned 14, she was interested reading the fundamental concepts of Philosophical principles and by the time of her high school graduation she developed a crush. Surprisingly, it wasn't a passion for finding a love companionship simply because it contradicted her scientific religion- the bio psychological studies in particular, which included exploitation of inherent sexuality as a catalyst instead of an inhibitor.

At the age of 29, with two degrees she was drafted by NatSec into their ranks. A job that is hardly to be refused, but after a couple of years it turned out to be nothing more than glorified profiling of people she never saw or had the chance to monitor from up close. Normally it would be impossible to leave that sort of organization, but at time she was transferred to newly-created independent affiliate- the Agency. The knowledge and experience accumulated paid in full the day she was given the task she's given by her current employers. A small profile of hand-picked operatives, all under her overwatch, in terms of study and evaluation, of course. As any other Chief of operations in the department of the Agency, Mei was well aware of the history of agents which served under her, and as the routine commanded, she had to build up the psychological profile, which included scanning their private life, their habits even when they were off-duty, and assess the sustainability of the lives they were waging, and if things fell out of ordinary, to assess the hazards of turning the agents unpredictable.

The regular mandatory training in psychological screening of her low-ranks was necessary to tell people in her position how to do a job properly, however it was pointless for her. She dealt with more than a dozen of people in the span of past 5 years. Thing is- the vast majority were the male agents, and due to their IIP-"Initiation Integrity Process", they were subjected to identify with their drives, emotional as well as sexual. Seemingly a job she had hoped for ages, but nothing in this world is ideal, and then it didn't take long for her to figure out the bad side of this job. Problem is- ironically -emotional. After a while, Mei identified with subjects as her "family" .She preferred to help them to overcome any eventual weavers if possible, however, she had to report few individuals "unsustainable", when they deemed necessary. There were several cases in the past, and she felt sorry to do what was inevitable, but the commitment to perform her duties was still her top priority.

That was the harshest rule of the Agency, but she knew what was expected of her, and her subordinates, as well. And now she has to deal with her- Sandra Cheeks. A promising prodigy in the Agency, was pushed into the roster, without Mei's initial approval. She had her doubts about female agents on a general basis, simply because she had not underwent IIP part of her male counterparts, simply because someone at PR department branded this as "outdated" and "not in accordance with sexual politeness" of the Agency. They weren't aware how destructive the unresolved bio psychological drives can become. She voiced her arguments to the top brass, but changed little.

She was instructed to enlist her as a "conditional agent" and screen her as any other member of a team. The initial reservation for this girl disappeared after couple of encounters with her in person- she was highly intelligent, unnaturally observant individual, with apparent predispositions for this line of work, and with a few successful assignments she proved to be a welcome asset in the "family". One might say, things worked out almost perfect. But-nothing in this world is ideal. After close supervision of her psychological profile, she also turned to be a brittle in a nature, with certain unpredictability in her behavioral pattern, and over time, her swing of mood started to become Mei's concern. The inspection of her file with her name didn't bring her any cause, although certain parts of her life resembled the life of her own. That was one another reason Mei felt determined to help her, slowly uncovering her "inner" demons. She would hate to see her down-fall, and if her assumptions are correct- the missing piece of puzzle must be in the part of her life, which is usually hidden not just to the PR team, but even to this squirrel. But Mei was well aware, how delicate is going to be to break through the barrier of her prudeness. And such task can be only achieved by becoming a person she can trust, one help at a time.. Despite the full year of patient friendly overseeing, things weren't going exactly as Mei hoped for. The behavior of Sandy started to trouble her considerably, and several mission reports of her sudden outbursts showed that certain measures need to be taken to prevent the increased probability for failure. She really cared about her and reporting her "unsuitable" would be her biggest defeat and also a loss of an agent, and a friend at the same time.

Luckily, a couple of weeks ago, on a mutual run-in along the river, Mei desperately brought up the sensitive topic of male relationship into the light, to probe for a probable case of her imbalance. Sandy finally noted her open disinterest towards any relationship in general. A well-known symptom that its exactly sexual life that invokes unbalance and emotional stress. And then, two days ago, the confidential report landed on her table, clearly stating Sandy's gross misconduct in the line of duty. Normally Mei wouldn't think twice to file a dismissal for an Agent, but she couldn't force herself to do so. Things need to be resolved quickly- to help her the way she felt But that would mean jeopardize her career, step out of her own comfort zone, and what mattered the most- to sacrifice part of her own private life- a secret she would never willingly give up -but desperate times ask for desperate measures, and that girl deserves a chance. -

The bartender wasn't interested in the story of these two female strangers; he paid more attention to the local pool contest of two patrons, and small crowd of folks cheering their favorites. All he noticed was the fact that the quiet cat lady ordered several rounds of his finest beer for her furry-tailed squirrel friend, which got already mildly buzzed. This bar wasn't exactly a sought after destination for a lesbian couples, but who knows- maybe he'll change his opinion towards gay couples, depending on tip.

With each round of the beer, Sandy felt less and less humiliated to share this ridiculous story with Mei- Gosh- many other girls had the exact same issue with their boyfriends. It's no big deal she lost any appreciation for an intercourse- it became mundane routine with no satisfaction for her, and later on it started to bother her. As expected, he openly admitted to cheat on her and blamed her for that, so at the end she had no problem phasing him out of her life in exchange. No big deal. Why was she so interested in that after all ?! She peered at Mei, trying to see through the expression on her face, but she could see the same caring eyes of her and her hands, holding a glass, still half-full of gin and tonic. She wasn't talking at all, only nodded a few times. Whether this was her way how to flirt with her, or just a weak attempt to make her feel better, she knew that it would be for the best to ask her what her true angle is.

Sandy straightened-up on a bar chair, and started talking with the serious tone in her voice: "Mei, look! I can't express how much your friendship means for me and with all the respect for your feelings, you better let me know what that recent interest in me means, because-"

"Because you wish to know whether we're friends or there's more to it. I suppose I've involved in your feelings more than usual" -Mai replied out of the blue, with a small chuckle at the corners of her lips and slight blush on her cheeks. She leaned towards Sandy, softly touched her right hand and with stoical tone of her voice she continued-"Although it's flattering, I assure you it's not my intent to court you, although I am concerned about you. Partly your superior, but more importantly as a friend." The Sandy's facial expression was clear that Mei's answer made this squirrel look somewhat relieved, but still confused about what will follow.

"You shared enough of your private story with me, and I am grateful for your trust. Guess it's up to me to share a routine, which is part of my own life" Mei asked, while sipping the rest of her drink and waving at bartender to catch his attention. After paying the bill and handing out a decent tip, she stood up and turned towards the squirrel: "I can also take you home, too" There's not much known about Mei's personal life and it was a known fact she never let anyone to see more than the professional leader part of her, Sandy thought. Not until now- she could swear, that it must have been the effect of those beers, which sparked sheer curiosity for the mysterious life of her mysterious boss.