Having a roommate wasn't something Zara thought she would ever deal with. Roommates weren't great, even during her time at OWCA Pet Store, or in training. Even when she and her nestmates were together, they all kept to themselves. Everyone split up after hatching. Zara was okay with that. She was a solitary creature, perfectly willing to keep going without anyone else.

She was taken in by OWCA before long. Zara couldn't remember exactly how long it was between hatching and being recruited, she had been so young. Training had been easy too, Zara just had to be careful with her bite. The wrong move would take out an agent. Because of that possibility, Zara was left alone from everyone.

She figured when she was assigned a nemesis, she would be left alone in a sideroom at her new owner's house. Zara had grown up in a way that was isolated, distant from so many others. The idea of being close to someone hadn't occurred to her. Not many people wanted a snake, much less to sleep in the same room.

Reese Martin was apparently used to sleeping in the same space as something dangerous. Or worse, sleeping beside Zara made her feel safe.

Zara was woken up by the tiny human. Usually, Zara pretended to sleep in. The heat lamp was always great in the morning, perfectly for slowly waking up. Besides, she wouldn't be called in for work until 8. Schedules were really important to her day-to-day agent stuff.

Reese ran her hand down Zara's back. The cobra hissed, curling tighter on Reese's arm.

"Well I would go see the boys...but they're going out to Mt Rushmore for Candace's birthday." Reese explained, adding signs. She had gotten good at signing what she spoke. "They would've left by now."

"REESE!" Mr Martin called out. Not that Zara could hear it, obviously. There was a small vibration in the air that she felt.

Reese glared towards the door. Zara wondered if the child would actually snap back this time. Instead, the girl took a long calming breath. She braced herself, squaring back her shoulders into a position of calm Zara had only seen from adults twice her age. The girl carefully unwrapped Zara from her arm.

With her snake taken down, Reese moved the top back on the cage. She left it open.

'So you can come and go' Reese signed to her. 'Pretty sure you're the reason we don't have rats anymore. Bye Z.'

The human girl grabbed her suitcase, walking out the door.

Zara watched her go with only the softest hiss goodbye.

==W&R==

Zara didn't get why Major Monogram had such trouble with the tech. Carl usually sent her the report on a communicator anyway. Whatever Monogram never managed to give in the report, Carl sent over on her comm.

"Good morning Agent Long S." Monogram greeted. Zara stared at the major. "There's been- Carl, are you sure she can hear me?"

Zara could feel the reply, though not what that reply was. She assumed it was a confirmation.

"It doesn't feel like she can hear me." Monogram countered.

Zara hissed, impatient.

Monogram jumped back. "Right! There's been suspicious behavior with Daisy Mason. She's bought all the bells and whistles...no literally, she's bought all of them in Danville. Go find out what she's planning, and put a stop to it."

With a nod, Zara slid off her chair then off towards the exit.

"Carl. Carl I don't know if she heard." Monogram explained.

"She knows her mission, sir." Carl replied.

==W&R==

Daisy Mason was the head of a CEO of Company for Ash. Zara didn't really understand it. They made a lot of gemstones, or something.

They usually fought in Mason's office. The room was usually cast in soft blues and grays. Or Zara assumed. She was colorblind. She could see some of the blues though. And usually, she could see Mason. It worked out for Zara's work schedule.

Zara slid into the CEO's office. A trap fell over her head. She hissed. Another lobster trap, really?

Mason sneered when she walked into Zara's line of sight. Mason was a tall woman, though it's hard to say if that was genetics or her three inch heels. Her hair was a dark grey bun behind her head. She was heavyset, wearing old yet fabulous clothes that were form fitting. She seemed to be going with her usual gray upper shirt, and her darker grey skirt.

Or maybe it wasn't grey? Zara had trouble with that part of her reports. She could recall one report saying her hair was actually brown. Right. Brown.

"Agent Salazara the Cobra. I see you arrived one minute early to our appointment." Mason complained. Zara glared. "You know how important my schedule is, Salazara. Now I have to rework my whole day around this." Mason pulled out a day planner, grabbing a pen from her desk.

Zara let out a sigh. It sounded like a hiss, like it always sounded.

There was a minute of silence. Mason stood back up, lowering her pen and day planner on the ground. "Okay...okay...all caught up again. Now." She turned to the lobster cage where the cobra was impatiently waiting. "Were you sent the memo about our meeting today?"

Zara could only nod.

"Good, good. So you know that I had my underlings purchase all the bells and whistles in town." Mason explained. "You see, we're trying to sell a new product. Sales are...not as great as I would like."

The cobra wanted to fast forward this conversation. Unfortunately, she could not. Even though she'd heard this line of dialogue before. Every. Single. Time.

"Then I came up with a revolutionary idea! A revolutionary idea for a revolutionary product!" Mason walked over to a box she tucked into the middle of the room. She pulled off the tarp.

The tarp revealed a set of vests. The vests were covered in all the purchased items. They were noisy, each turn making Zara feel the shaking.

"I call these the-" Mason turned around. "Oh right, you can hear me. I have to face you. I'll start again." She cleared her throat. She raised the bell vest up high. "I call these: Pavlov Handlers! I will have my underlings where these, then go out into the world praising my product! Before long, people will begin associating the sounds with my amazing product! Just like the original Pavlov!"

Zara rolled her eyes.

The CEO dropped the vest back into the box. She walked up to Zara's lobster cage, smiling wide. She checked her watch.

"It's time! I can show you what my product is!" Mason rushed over to another box, right behind the first box. She pulled off another tarp, pulling out a smaller box. "Here we have it!"

It was...it was literally just a shoe. One that smelled like moldy cheese. But it was covered with emeralds. Like, big emeralds on the toe of the shoe. Smaller emeralds trailed from the gem to the heel of the shoe.

"I called them 'Emerald Heels!" Mason explained in cheer. She hugged the shoe to her chest. "I don't understand why people don't like it." She cooed over the shoe, cradling to it like it was a small child. "You're precious. Yes you are, yes you are." Her watch beeped. "Cooing time over." She put the shoe back in it's box. "Now I have to get my underlings together. Oh I can't...they're having company-ordered break time right now. Well we'll just have to wait!"

Zara took the tip of her tail. She plucked off her hat, searching for something to get her out of the cage. She'd used a laser pointer last time, and she'd forgotten to recharge it.

==W&R==

Ten minutes later, Zara found a way out of the cage.

There was a small boomerang in her hat. She pulled it out, throwing it through the holes in the cage. The boomerang zoomed around the room before hitting the rope holding the cage together.

Mason yelped. "Ah! You escaped twenty seconds too early! My schedule- it's ruined!"

Zara hopped out of the cage. She rushed over to the box of vests. Using her body, she made a quick whiplash against the side of the box. The box was shoved through a window in Mason's office. The box was shoved out the window, falling down onto the streets below.

"No!" Mason shrieked.

Zara ignored the shrieking. She attacked the next box, smashing it with her tail. The box exploded, sending shoes everywhere. One hit Daisy Mason right in the face.

Mason pulled the shoe off her nose. "Oh. Now I see why people won't buy it. Until our next meeting, Agent Salazara the Cobra!"

She rolled her eyes again, slithering away from the business the way she'd come.

==W&R==

She came home at her usual time. She settled herself in her and Reese's room. For a long while, Zara waited. To her disappointment, Reese never came home.

Oh.

Right.

She went somewhere else today.

Zara had the room to herself, just like she'd always wanted.

...huh.

Much lonelier than she expected...

It wasn't until that night around 7 did Zara smell someone else come in the house. She slithered to the bedroom door, sneaking out to see who it was.

Mr Martin was home. He tilted back a can to pour it's contents into his mouth. Whatever was in there smelled foul. It was a familiar scent. Zara had seen it labelled as 'beer'. Whenever he drank it, his speech became more slurred. Zara found it harder to read his lips but it wasn't impossible.

"Finally. Some peace and quiet in my own house." Mr Martin noted, staggering over towards the living room.

Zara had to move fast to catch his words. She kept herself out of his sight. Something easy in the darkened light of the house, and his already inebriated state.

"Stupid kid...why the hell do I gotta watch her, it's not my job to do that. Her mother wanted the whole year. But the first holiday, all a sudden I gotta watch her brat?" Mr Martin grabbed another can. He popped it open, quickly taking a large gulp. "Unbelievable."

Yes. Unbelievable indeed.

Zara wanted to hiss. She wanted to use her bite on this man. It was only her training that kept her from lashing out. Though it sounded as Reese had another home to live in, Zara would much prefer that house for her to this one.

But...but Zara didn't want to be alone in this house. Not without Reese.

==W&R==

AN: This was late- sorry. I was celebrating a birthday yesterday, and forgot to publish this chapter. I wanted to give Zara her own little arc too. There wasn't anything I could think to do for Candace Loses Her Head, so we get Zara's work day. Hope y'all like it.

Thanks to avert 1523 for favoriting!