"Listening."
"Boss, we've set up surveillance. But it seems there's no one at home."
"What do you mean, no one?" Louis was astonished. "Danika definitely goes to school; they wouldn't leave until the end of the school year."
Utamaro snorted, "Maybe his wife had a falling out with him and moved out, taking their daughter with her."
"That would explain the director's mood swings, but not why he went to the black market."
"Unless the cause of the quarrel was there," the wolf concluded. Judging by the background noise, he was either at the train station or the metro station.
"Understood. We can contact the police to find out if they've been informed of the death."
"Yes, Louis-san. Takari used to be a cop; he'll have connections, for sure."
"Excellent. Because if they've gone missing too, the situation could be much worse than we imagine."
"Boss?"
Louis paused, choosing his words carefully. "I… don't know how to explain, but it seems that before Gon's death, he was in despair. Such despair that it can't be explained by a simple family quarrel. And if my worst suspicions are confirmed, not even a police operation can resolve it."
"I see. You think they've been kidnapped?"
"Yes. Utamaro, get any possible information on Tracy and Danika Gon's current whereabouts. And I'll try to approach this from another angle."
"Understood, boss. I'll call you as soon as I dig up something. Please, if you're heading to the school, don't leave the Cherriton area just yet; I've already sent Mitsuie to replace me."
"Who's that?"
"The white marten, you saw her in the office."
"White wolf, a bear, now the white marten… what strange fixations," the deer muttered. Laughter echoed through the speaker. "It just happened, Louis-san. Pure coincidence. I'll send you her personal number now."
"Understood. Thank you, Utamaro. Talk to you later," Louis thanked and disconnected. He opened his contact list and dialed another number. He waited through several long rings before someone finally answered.
"M-m-mlouis…"
"Hey. Are you sleeping?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Where are you right now?"
"…In the attic… couldn't make it home, I'm completely exhausted, I think. Barely slept last night."
"I see. Listen… you mentioned you picked up the director's broken phone."
"Yeah. But I don't know what to do with it; it's got a bullet crack in it's lower part. Can't connect it anywhere, and the charging port is all messed up."
Louis shook his head. "Then why did you take it?"
"Don't know. Probably not much use to the police; thought maybe… I don't know," Legoshi repeated helplessly. The deer spoke up, "I'll be there in a little over an hour. I have an idea. So, you have another hour to sleep."
"M… 'kay."
Judging by the voice, the wolf was already asleep, somehow managing to answer calls in his unconscious state. With an annoyed snort, the deer ended the call and headed to his car. Since his injury, he sometimes used a small two-seater "kusari", light and powerful, with an automatic transmission. Only when he wasn't accompanied by security, of course. The sleek, dark purple, "night" colored car was perhaps the only major expense the wealthy heir allowed himself – and that only because the security often attracted more attention than it protected him. Besides, the idea of constantly being surrounded by bodyguards didn't appeal to him.
Right now, however, he wasn't coming from the Horns office building but from a small suburban area, from one of their numerous enterprises where Louis had gone for a sudden anonymous inspection. And he was satisfied, although his disguise – casual clothes and slightly altered behavior – hadn't worked; they recognized the deer within about five minutes. Perhaps he did it to distract himself; there were still negotiations with the board of the Academy looming ahead, but they would surely agree. They had to agree.
Louis didn't want the school where he had once been a local star to change drastically. Become safer – perhaps, but not at the cost of segregation. It seemed that since last year, Gon had managed to hire a psychologist, using development funds, but none of their close-knit group had met this specialist yet. Moreover, in the event of the director's premature departure, as the deer had managed to find out, there were several equally legitimate procedures.
The first and most frequently used was something like a closed vote by the teaching staff, resulting in the selection of a new director, and later, through the prefecture, the new head of the school was confirmed by all necessary procedures. The second was the transfer of the director from less prestigious comprehensive schools, where young management specialists were recruited on the spot. And the third was the appointment of an official directly belonging to the structure of the Ministry of Education. Louis couldn't influence any of these options – legally, at least – so all he could do was wait.
The car swiftly climbed a small incline leading to the school gates. Opposite was a small parking lot for staff and parents occasionally visiting students. The deer left the "kusari" in its designated spot marked by a special sign and stepped out into the drizzling rain. Frankly, he was irritated by the so-called privilege, but the location was too convenient to give up. An unfamiliar security guard was already at the gate. Louis couldn't recall there ever being security at the school, but the tall coyote possessed all the signs of a legitimate guard. Uniform, badge, even a holster with a taser on the side. He stood under the stone arch of the gate, glowering alternately at the rain and the approaching visitor.
"Your pass," the coyote grumbled.
"I don't have one. Yet," Louis shrugged.
"From Monday, passes will be mandatory for everyone, sir. Get yours sorted, or from next week, you'll simply be denied entry. For now, at least tell me your position. Or are you a student here?"
"Not anymore. I'm Louis, the drama club director. Lots of security guys now?"
"Not allowed to disclose," the coyote dryly repeated. "Even to teachers."
"I see. Well, can you at least tell me your name?"
"Rigvard."
"Not local?" Louis smirked as he walked under the arch. The coyote shrugged.
"My father's from the continent, somewhere west. Please, go ahead."
"Okay."
Louis didn't intend to push, but making useful connections never hurt. Especially now, when it was entirely unclear how to get Sisu out of the school. It seemed that the only loophole Pina had was now closed, as well as strolling in the rain. Although the latter had already attracted unwanted attention, so it was time to start thinking about legalizing her presence in the terrestrial world.
Actually, it should have been done as soon as she appeared here. Louis mentally cursed himself for his foolishness, but the feeling of frustration barely touched his scarred soul, hardened by life's hardships.
Later.
The club was silent. Those who were studying were still in class, and both Tsu and Eri didn't have keys anyway, so animals were upstairs. Louis's conclusions were slightly shaken by Legoshi, who peeked around the corner with a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. His eyes were still sleepy, but his ears perked up, apparently reacting to the sound of the door. He waved his hand, and Louis smiled.
"Hey, buddy. Decided to skip the morning dog breath?"
Legoshi nodded affirmatively and continued brushing his teeth. It wasn't the most unique sight, but Louis was always fascinated by wolf teeth. Although Juno didn't shy away from showing her own, she wasn't behaving as carefree and relaxed as before, probably because of the burden of responsibility that had fallen on her shoulders. Perhaps it was worth appointing Eri as the head of the dance team – she may not have compared in confidence or skill level with Shiira, but she far surpassed the cheetah in inventiveness.
The wolf disappeared into the bathroom to finish his morning routine. His fur on the muzzle was slightly dampened and ruffled when he returned, which amused the deer even more.
However, this time Louis held back. He just nodded briefly.
"Let's go. How do you even have a toothbrush and toothpaste here?"
"Brought them when it became clear we'd sometimes stay here on duty," Legoshi replied sheepishly, heading for the stairs. Louis grumbled at his back,
"You'd sleep better more often if you were this foresighted."
"I… don't wake up very well in the mornings, you know that. And I slept poorly yesterday and the day before yesterday – the day before yesterday, that very night, I was also watching over Bill."
"I'm still wondering how you ended up having to watch over Bill…"
"So Melon wouldn't do it," Legoshi muttered hoarsely. "Although he did help Bill…"
"Melon? Helping someone?" Louis sarcastically asked, following him up. "Next thing you'll tell me – he sings in the church choir?"
"That's what Bill said."
"What happened to our tiger…"
"Not to him," Legoshi suddenly hesitated as he reached the top of the stairs and stopped, turning his head. Louis stared into his usually calm eyes, now touched with concern. The wolf spoke slowly,
"Els was attacked. Injured. She's in a very bad state, some kind of mental trauma. Bill… went off the rails, got into several fights on the black market, got seriously injured too. But I don't think he'd want to know that I told you."
"I see…" Louis swallowed, feeling a rising dark anger – and a slight fear. "Poor Els… Do you think these cases are somehow connected?"
"I think at the beginning of the week, two tigers ended up in the criminal district, knowing nothing about it, and attempted to dispense justice. One was lucky to survive, the other wasn't," Legoshi unexpectedly replied harshly, looking nothing like his usual self. "Gouhin forbid us… to investigate."
"Nevertheless, you took the phone."
"It's useless. And it will… serve as a reminder. Of what not to do. Let's go upstairs." Waiting for them upstairs was Sisu, immediately discarding her headphones and leaping towards the deer – compared to others, she was hesitant to hug him right away.
"Louis! Hi! Cool… sweater, huh?"
"Hello, Sisu. I'm not always in a costume, as you can see. How are you feeling? Didn't catch a cold after the walk with Pina? Because he, it seems to me, is a bit sniffly," the deer added cheerfully. The dragoness proudly replied:
"I don't know what 'catching a cold' means. I've never been sick in my life, except for a very rare upset stomach… well, and… died once…"
"Let's not talk about deaths," sighed Legoshi, not so adept at acting. He approached the box and took a small package from it, which, however, didn't fit well in his pocket. Unwrapping the layers of paper and polyethylene one by one, he revealed a sad sight to their eyes – an expensive smartphone, pierced like a wolf said, with a bullet just below, cracks spreading from the bottom on the screen, as if the device miraculously held together in one piece. Traces of blood were clearly visible on the back cover, partially washed away by the downpour that night.
"What's this?" curiously, Sisu poked her head between their shoulders. Louis replied with heavy irony:
"Evidence, taken from the scene of the murder."
"Someone… died?" she asked quietly. The deer completely forgot that they hadn't told Sisu yet. He clasped his head and quietly spoke:
"I'm sorry. We didn't want to spoil your mood, but the school director, Gon, died on Tuesday. The police are investigating his death, but from this… piece of iron and plastic, it's unlikely we can extract anything."
"Oh… I'm so sorry, Louis. And Legoshi. Don't worry about my mood, you can always share anything with me, we'll go through both trouble and joy together. After all, we're friends," sighed Sisu, lowering her eyes. Then, perking up, she asked:
"What's that you have in your hands? Is it a phone?"
"Yes. It doesn't look like yours, but yours is only for emergencies. Plus, Eri came up with something… Legoshi, by the way, haven't you been initiated yet?"
"I was sleeping. What's that?"
"The serval from the club created our common chat on Telegrawr yesterday. I mean, for the keepers of Sisu's secret."
Legoshi flattened his ears:
"Telegrawr… is that a messenger?"
"Alas, finally found who would hate it more than me," Louis chuckled. "I have it installed for business purposes… but you need to download it too. I refuse to suffer alone."
The wolf became even more subdued:
"Okay, Louis. If you want."
"Haru is also there," Louis tried to cheer him up, but seemingly in vain. Then, he finally decided to say what had been itching in his mind for over an hour:
"You know… we're not experts in electronics, right? I know you're pretty good with electricity and wires, Legoshi, but more delicate manipulations are beyond your expertise. And mine, actually, too."
"So what are you suggesting?"
"To show these remnants to Gadzmir. The porcupine is a homegrown hacker, so let him work on his reputation. He probably won't be able to turn it on, but maybe the phone's memory has been preserved… at least partially."
"Louis, I wouldn't want to read the director's personal messages."
"Even if it helps us track down those bastards who killed him?" Louis snapped. His friend didn't reply, just turned his head aside. The deer sighed, scratching his temple:
"I understand. You respect Gouhin too much and don't want to go against his word. Okay, then give me the phone. I'll take care of it myself."
"I won't let you go this time," Legoshi pressed the phone to his chest, looking at it sideways. Sisu became curious:
"Won't let you go this time? What happened last time?"
"Last time he turned the black market upside down!"
"Look who's talking," Louis mocked, tilting his horns in a derisive gesture. Then he sat on the crate and sighed, lowering his head.
"Legoshi… I understand you. And I understand the reluctance to get involved in troubles to avoid hurting Haru. But if my suspicions about Director Gon are correct… not only our peaceful lives are at stake. The whole school is in danger. Yes, we can step aside, I'll go back to the conglomerate, you — to the noodle shop, or we stay. But if we stay — we find out what threatens us with Gon's murder and, if necessary, we fight. Can you retreat peacefully knowing that?"
Legoshi growled. Quietly, barely audible, but the fur on his neck stood on end. He did it not towards the deer; his head was turned towards a small skylight, yet Louis still felt how his herbivore instincts momentarily flared up in a semblance of panic. He said, "That's what I thought."
"I… will fight, Louis. If needed," Legoshi said in a low and still growling voice, wrapping up the mangled phone and placing it on the crate. Sisu chimed in, "And me. I won't allow danger to threaten your home."
"It's… not exactly a home, but you're out of the question," the noble deer cut her off. "We can't allow danger to threaten you. It's a deadlock that automatically excludes your participation."
"Make me," Sisu squinted, starting to get angry. The deer unexpectedly straightened up, and, awkwardly stumbling, he hugged the dragoness around the neck. He said, muffled by her mane:
"Sisudatu, I promise you, we will avoid fighting and shedding blood to the last. If there's anyone to fight. Initially, I intended to find out if my suspicions were justified, and you started an unnecessary drama…"
"It's a drama club, after all," came the quiet voice of the wolf from behind. He tried to hug both of them, failed, and in the end, Sisu enveloped them in huge, warm, faintly smelling of violets hugs.
"Very funny," grumbled Louis. "Do you have Gadzmir's number? Although why am I asking you… Juno probably has it."
"Let's wait. It's not even noon yet, lessons are still going on," said Legoshi, freeing himself. "Maybe we should do something with Sisu in the meantime?"
"I'm already good at reading," she said embarrassedly.
"Well… then it's time to start 'Pygmalion.'"
"We've already read it with Juno!"
Louis raised an eyebrow. "You guys… are fast."
"Maybe something… about dragons?" Legoshi suggested, softly and sadly smiling. His heart was torn between the inspiring presence of Sisu and the grim events of the past few days. The deer shook his head:
"I never really got into that. My father didn't allow it."
"Your father didn't allow you to read fairy tales?"
"Fairy tales — sometimes, in childhood… but not fantasy movies."
Sisu, after a pause, realized:
"Wait… you said you have something about dragons?"
"You have a laptop with internet, and you still haven't looked it up?!"
"Uh… no."
"And you haven't watched any movies at all?"
"But you don't have… dragons," she objected, her tail flicking in confusion. Louis chuckled, "That doesn't stop us from imagining them. Not as beautiful and graceful as you, though…"
"Dragonheart," Legoshi confidently interjected. He glanced at the deer, "We should start with that, right? Start with something good?"
"I… haven't watched any," the businessman replied, looking away in turn.
"Was your father that strict?!"
"You have no idea. So, until Juno arrives, we have a little time to eradicate my cultural illiteracy, so to speak."
The three animals stood on the porch of the drama club, exchanging brief glances. And similarly brief phrases. Louis smoked, trying to blow the smoke away, the porcupine with spikes dyed bright yellow on his head, wearing a black aggressive spiky jacket over his school polo, mournfully inspected the device he held in his hands — or rather, what was left of it.
"What do you even find in this old, decrepit building, Legoshi-san?" he asked. The wolf shrugged,
"I guess it's my second home. I still have to keep an eye on the club's equipment, so I sometimes spend the night here."
"They should pay you extra for that," Gadzmir snorted, then turned to Louis, pointing to shattered device: "Louis-san, it's terrible. As bad as it can be, I'm telling you as an animal who has been working as a repairman in my uncle's service center for three years already."
"Three?"
"Yeah, since fourteen."
"That's where you learned so much about computers," Legoshi said respectfully; the deer merely nodded,
"We know everything is bad. The problem is not restoring it to working condition, but retrieving any data."
"Is that… the director's one?" the hedgehog asked after a pause. They exchanged glances; Louis nodded silently.
"The smartphone is dead. Listen, even if it weren't dead, most of the data on it is encrypted. You can simply connect it to a computer and try to read the messages, but without the password, you'll only see gibberish. It's about our world's broadcasting and info exchanging protocols…"
"Gadzmir, I already knew that. But if you can manage to extract even something…"
"The only hope is if they installed the memory chip in the form of a standard card. In theory, since it's an expensive smartphone, there should be upgrade capability. Or if it has a separate slot for a card here, near the battery," he tapped with a short claw on the broken phone's chassis, shaking his head. "But even then, they could have gotten wet, it's a clear case of drowning."
"Drowning?"
"That's what phones that have been dropped in water are called in service slang."
"This one… was in heavy rain."
"Small difference. You're lucky it didn't explode from such damage; lion batteries can do that."
"What?" Legoshi asked. Lion batteries? Gadzmir waved his hand,
"Forget it. Lithium-ion, their official abbreviation is no fun."
Louis, extinguishing his cigarette against the railing and sending it flying, said thoughtfully,
"That's why we need a real wizard to do this."
"Why?" the high school rebel asked immediately.
"To help the police get to the truth. Death on the black market… not something that enhances public reputation. And Gon would never do such a thing on his own. Something forced him."
"Something very bad," added Legoshi. Gadzmir sighed, scratching his chin,
"Alright, guys. If you're not getting me involved in any crime — I'm already at risk of getting kicked out — then I can take this corpse over the weekend, try to extract the memory and clean the contact pads. But if it's not a card there but a chip, we'll need a donor… in case the chip itself isn't water-damaged."
"I called you from my number before," Louis nodded. "If anything, don't hesitate to bother me."
"Okay, Louis-san."
Gadzmir stepped off the porch and walked into the rain, stuffing the bundle into his pocket and carelessly whistling. Louis turned around, opening the door, and heard the wolf's concerned voice:
"He does realize that hacking into other people's phones is actually illegal, right?"
"Most likely. But I'll never cease to be amazed by your naivety, though, as well as admire it."
They dove back into the club's door, but on this path, the deer and the wolf parted ways — Legoshi went upstairs, while Louis decided to check out the president's office, which Juno ruled over. The she-wolf had her own orders here — the small room was now meticulously organized, though a casual visitor wouldn't likely notice the connection between the various interior items at first glance, but it was there. At least in Juno's mind.
The black ficus nestled comfortably next to cardboard boxes storing old printouts, an old battered textbook with an illegible title neatly propped up a legless cabinet, several old club awards and a volleyball that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere sat on a shelf, and amidst all this, the president of the drama club proudly sat amidst the chaos of scattered papers, office supplies, and a small bronze paperweight that no one had ever used in their memory. Juno melancholically flipped through a collection of Shaw's plays, though her thoughts were far from here. She didn't even react to the door opening. Louis knocked on the already open door, tilting his head slightly:
"May I?"
"Oh… yes, of course," Juno snapped out of her trance, a shadow of a smile gracing her lips. "Here, trying to come up with something interesting for Liza's role. But it's not working. I guess my brain just isn't wired for creative improvisation."
"Don't say that."
Hobbling slightly, a fact only noticeable after careful observation, Louis approached her from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders. The she-wolf sighed:
"I… I'm trying to be useful. Instead, anything related to dances is invented by Eri, Pina handles our scenes, and I try to be everywhere and end up messing everything up. Barely holding the club documentation"
"I dumped a bunch of stuff on you; I should be the one to take the heat," the deer retorted. He felt the tension in her body and began slowly massaging her shoulders with his fingers. Unprofessionally, as he knew, yet Juno responded with a grateful, indistinct sound:
"M-m-m…"
"Does the world seem a little brighter now?"
"Yeah… a little. Hug me," she unexpectedly asked. Smiling, he leaned down and embraced her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder — luckily, the low back of the cheap chair allowed for such closeness. Juno gratefully rubbed her cheek against his and said:
"Simple hugs are brilliant in their simplicity. A little therapy with hugs — and the bad mood blows away like a gust of wind."
"It varies from person to person," he replied quietly. "I, for one, am not very tactile."
"Right. Good ol' brooding Louis, wary of the whole world. I thought you buried him somewhere in the school park?"
"We all need a fresh start sometimes. But not all animals understand that they'll have to start fresh themselves."
"Profound. Sometimes I feel like a fool next to you," she said abstractly. Louis snorted:
"Your average grade is two points higher than mine when I was going for Beastars."
With a barely perceptible movement, Juno shook her head, running her fingers over his hand:
"And what's the use? Gon is gone, there's no one to represent the school at the education committee meeting…"
"Ju… I could use some connections myself, but I don't have a teaching degree."
She glanced to the right:
"Ju? Something new."
"I've always been bad with friendly abbreviations. Just like with love. Just like with friendship or love in general."
"No, I like it. So how should I call you then?"
"Louis," he shrugged. "I always thought that was concise enough."
"Did you even have any nicknames in elementary school?"
"Well…"
"Another secret from your dark past?" she smiled and kissed him on the corner of his lips. The deer hesitated:
"I… was homeschooled."
Juno chuckled incredulously:
"And did you have all those… governesses, private tutors, piano teachers?"
Louis suppressed a laugh and asked with a grimace on his face, finally releasing her:
"Piano?"
"Well, like in a stereotypical rich family. Piano, grand piano, harpsichord. Maybe even a whole organ!"
"Almighty Rex… no, the organ is for vampire operettas."
"Oh, come on. Imagine — huge pipes, keys in four rows, and a small figure of a deer with a giant shadow on the wall, madly playing the melody, dramatically raising its hands up, ha-ha-ha!" she laughed heartily. Louis crossed his arms over his chest and sat on the edge of the table, and Juno immediately leaned her chin on her palms, looking at him with a smile so saccharine that the deer averted his gaze. He said, clearing his throat:
"No way. Besides, my father was never bothered about music. Like me. He believed that studying economics was more important…"
"And did it? Did it really come in handy?"
"I think so. I still have an interest in business; otherwise, in the first few months after Oguma's death, the conglomerate could have simply gone bankrupt," Louis nodded. She said thoughtfully:
"I see…"
"Yes. Perhaps I should be grateful for such education. But for some reason, I don't feel this gratitude."
"During his lifetime, you… hated him."
Louis smirked painfully:
"I almost shot him. When I needed confirmation for my application to leave Cherryton Academy."
Juno gasped:
"You threatened your father with a gun?"
"At that moment, he was a superintendent to me, a jailer, but not a father," Louis sighed. "An animal that raised an heir to itself. And yet, before his death, he managed to apologize… as best he could. So, I hold no grudge… but we didn't become close."
"My parents aren't that driven," she smiled as if guilty. "Just ordinary wolves, dad's an accountant, mom's an assistant at a transportation firm. She's very kind and funny, dad tries to seem strict, but I figured out when I was twelve that he's a complete slacker."
The deer let out a quiet chuckle and said:
"I'd like to meet them."
Juno looked up at him with round eyes, then jumped up and almost barked with joy:
"Are you serious?!"
"Quiet, quiet," Louis raised his hands in a defensive gesture, laughing. "I'm not… oh, damn, that sounded very cliché. And with only one meaning — like, I want to meet my girlfriend's parents."
"What did you mean then?" she raised an eyebrow, feeling a light shadow of dissapointment.
"Rather, get to know them better, understand what kind of animals they are. Maybe see what real parents should be like."
"They're a pair of sweet homebodies," Juno rolled her eyes. "You won't even realize they're carnivores, usually only prairie dogs or hamsters behave like that. But I'll definitely introduce you to my parents."
"They might have a heart attack. Maybe we shouldn't?"
"Well… Legoshi would fit them better, but now I'm not set on 'the perfect couple of gray wolves,'" and she stuck her tongue out at him. Louis snorted:
"I'm fine with that. Oh, by the way…"
"What?"
He pulled out a colorful rectangular package with a bright label from his pocket and handed it to Juno. She licked her lips and snatched the treat from his hands, quickly touching the deer's lips with hers instead of saying "thank you," then complained:
"You spoil me with these little things. Where did you even find them? I thought they stopped making 'Rabies' with salted caramel altogether."
"No, there are still some places. But it's not enough."
"What do you mean?"
"I… I feel like I'm not doing enough. I could console myself by thinking that I'm giving you time to deal with important things, but… " Louis felt, for the first time in a long while, that it was difficult for him to speak, but he still managed to push the words out into the world: "But we – we're important too. Probably, more important than anything else. I hardly know anything about you, except for some trivialities…"
And he found himself nose to nose with the impulsive she-wolf. Despite her lightning-fast leap towards him, she kissed Louis very gently and smoothly, and he responded by embracing Juno around the waist. She whispered softly, looking straight into his eyes, big, beautiful, and so attractive:
"You have no idea how much I needed to hear that… maybe even I didn't. What do you want to know?"
The deer spoke with a smirk:
"Everything. But I won't remember everything at once, so I'll have to piece it together in my head bit by bit. I admire you, your determination, your desire to achieve, your intelligence, wild beauty, and strength… but what do you usually think about? What do you want, what do you dream of?"
"Uh…" she exhaled softly. Her tail wagged furiously, Juno mentally scolded it, but of course, it led to nothing. The deer's fingers felt the movement of her tail and slowly traced along her back, causing the girl to melt in his arms. She even allowed herself to dig her claws into him a little. "What… do I dream of?"
"That's the first thing. If there's any way I can help…"
"I… honestly, I've never told anyone about this."
Louis silently and earnestly gazed into her eyes. He rarely – no, what the heck, he never in his life felt such warmth in his chest, as if his heart not only pumped blood through itself but also bathed in it from the outside. However, the feeling was incredibly pleasant and exciting.
Juno took his slight nod as a request to continue and hesitated even more, turning away:
"Promise you won't laugh?"
"I will. And more than once. I've had enough of that pompous idiot I was in high school. But not about others' dreams. Especially not about yours," Louis warmly and encouragingly said. Juno took a deep breath and blurted out:
"I want to fly!"
"Excuse me? Like a bird?"
"No, dummy… well, I mean, if it was possible, then like a bird, but I want to become a pilot. And fly something weird, like vintage open-cockpit planes or seaplanes…"
The deer looked at her in surprise. He said:
"I couldn't even imagine…"
"Honestly, I didn't think about it in childhood. But then, in high school, I realized that I envy birds a lot, and, in general, any flying animals," she awkwardly shrugged. Louis smiled in response:
"It's a wonderful dream, Ju. So, do you want to apply to aviation school after high school? Or would courses at a flight school be more suitable for that?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe college first, then courses, during which time I'll manage to save up enough by working part-time… and you?"
"What about me?"
"Do you dream of something? I've never asked either," Juno said guiltily, stroking his shoulders. Smiling, he ironically replied:
"I'm afraid I'm fond of building castles in the air."
"Something so unattainable?"
"How to say… I want security for everyone. I want us to fully understand ourselves, to learn to heal everything that harms us and predict any natural disasters. To accept ourselves and our essence, whether herbivorous or carnivorous, it doesn't matter. We all equally need security, and whether it's the herbivore lobby of the official government or illegal meat smuggling channels – they all equally harm society."
Juno looked at him with glassy eyes, then quietly and amazedly said:
"Wow."
"Yeah," Louis said, scratching his nose embarrassedly. "A fool and a dreamer, yeah."
"No… I mean, it's so unlike the Louis the public sees… you dream of universal justice? Of equality?"
"I want everyone to be able to be Pina."
"Ew!"
"No, not that much Pina," he laughed. "In the sense of having the opportunity to admire beauty – without fear, without society's condemnation. To learn not only in biology classes, but also in society, how different we are. You know… how much I like carnivores."
The grey wolf looked embarrassed.
"Well… now my dreams seem so… petty."
"Pfft!"
"Hey! Stop blowing in my face!"
"Okay, okay, sorry… it's just, what's the use of thinking about the common good and not doing anything about it? Yours at least seem realistic."
"But you have Horns…"
"Do I?"
"Oh, come on, stop mocking at me!" she laughed though, not being able to maintain that furious tone.
"The conglomerate only seems like an invincible giant," the deer said with a sigh. "But it's a detail in a much larger machine that can only minimally influence the world. And I'm… just a grain of sand."
"A grain of sand in a very cute sweater," Juno teased, tugging at the knitted neckline with her claw. "You look good in casual clothes."
"Wool suits me," he replied arrogantly. "But the fur is one special classy fashion. Especially grey and wolfish."
"Sweettalker…"
"Come here," Louis said with a chuckle. They pressed against each other in a lingering kiss, her gaze gradually clouded with sensual haze, and her breathing quickened. Then the moment of pleasure was interrupted, and she looked at him. Tears unexpectedly welled up in the corner of Juno's eyes – they seemed to be tears of joy, yet at the same time, tinged with something older, less bright. She whispered:
"Then… after our last date in school, a year ago… after the kiss, I cried into my pillow for three nights in a row. And I gnawed it out of anger. I thought if I had been a little more persistent…"
"I don't think it would have helped," Louis shook his head. "We needed to go through exactly that path to meet here. But from here on out…"
"…from here, we'll walk together."
"Yes. Chase our own stars."
"I'll settle for the school star in disability retirement," Juno chuckled, and he pursed his lips.
"Hey, only other cripples can joke about cripples!"
"Well… you don't have a leg, I don't have a heart. It's a fair play, no discussion allowed."
"That's not true. That's me who doesn't have a heart," the deer disagreed, to which the girl simply took his hand and pressed it closely under her chest. The sensation of its rapid and passionate beating through the thin fabric and fur made Louis swallow the lump in his throat. She said softly:
"You will. I'll give you mine. Already given."
Blinking several times, clearing the moisture gathering in his eyes, and sealing shut the desire to say something, he pulled Juno closer to him.