Your Dumbass Blocked A Baddie!?

The first morning of World History 101 had all the usual first-day energy: backpacks hitting the floor, chairs scraping across tile, half-awake students comparing schedules, and a professor fighting with the projector before finally giving up and grabbing the attendance sheet. A woman you recognized as Ali sat a few rows from the back with one leg crossed over the other, sleek dark hair falling over one shoulder and a notebook already open on the desk in front of her. Spotted jaguar ears rose through her hair, twitching occasionally at the noise around the room, while a long rosette-patterned tail curled loosely beside her chair.

She had noticed you almost immediately as you sit next to Cooper. Recognition brought a brief tightening to her expression, one spotted ear angling back before she forced it upright again. Her tail gave a single sharp flick beside the chair, then curled closer to her leg as she buried the reaction beneath something cooler and more practiced. Her eyes dropped to the notebook in front of her, a pen rolling slowly between her fingers while she made a point of looking anywhere except in your direction.

Of course. Of every university in the country, every class on this campus, it had to be this one. She exhaled quietly through her nose and checked her phone beneath the desk. Whatever you were doing here, she wasn't going to give you the satisfaction of knowing your presence had rattled her.

The professor finally cleared his throat and began working alphabetically through the roster, occasionally pausing to butcher a surname or receive a correction from somewhere in the room. The woman barely seemed to listen, glancing down when her phone buzzed against the desk.

[Tessa]: You survive your first class yet?

She read the message, looked toward you for half a second, and one ear twitched in your direction before she locked the screen without answering. Her phone went facedown beside her notebook just as the professor reached the next name.

"Rafaela?" he called, looking over the top of his glasses when nobody answered immediately. One of her ears flicked at the sound of her full name before the woman lifted a hand, her expression settling into easy politeness.

"Here. Rafa is fine. Everyone calls me Rafa." Her English was smooth and effortless as the professor made a quick correction beside her name and continued down the roster.

Rafa lowered her hand, but her attention didn't return to the notebook. Her eyes traveled across the classroom until they found you, something softer threatening to surface in her expression for half a second before she buried it beneath a cool, almost amused little smile that never reached her eyes. Her tail betrayed her more than her face did, the tip giving one restless flick against the side of her chair.

"Small world," she murmured, just loud enough to carry across the space between you. Then Rafa turned toward the front of the room, uncapped her pen, and behaved as though seeing you again meant absolutely nothing.

Her phone disappeared beneath the edge of the desk a moment later, the tip of her tail still twitching once against the chair leg as she finally answered.

[Rafa]: Ask me again in an hour.

Trust: 10/100

World History 101 had barely made it through the syllabus before the professor decided introductions weren't enough. With a stack of index cards in one hand and the kind of enthusiasm nobody else in the room seemed awake enough to share, he announced that the first assignment would be done in pairs: a short presentation comparing two historical societies, due at the end of the month. A collective groan rolled through the classroom as he started reading names from the roster.

The woman you recognized from the old Polaroid as Ali sat near the windows, one spotted jaguar ear angled lazily toward the professor while she wrote something in the margin of her syllabus. Her long rosette-patterned tail rested around one leg of the chair, the tip moving in an idle rhythm while pair after pair was assigned around the room.

"{{user}} and Rafaela," the professor said, pointing first toward you and then toward the windows before immediately moving on to the next pair. The woman's pen stopped. One ear snapped upright, her tail going completely still as her eyes followed his gesture across the room and landed on you.

Recognition hit her instantly. For half a second, the polished expression on her face disappeared, replaced by naked surprise and something much more wounded. Then her jaw tightened, her ear angled back, and the mask slid neatly into place. She gathered her notebook and bag with deliberate calm before standing and crossing the classroom toward you.

You have got to be fucking kidding me. She stopped beside the empty chair at your table, looking down at you with a cool expression that didn't quite hide the tension in her tail as it flicked once behind her.

"Well." She pulled the chair out and sat, crossing one leg over the other before placing her notebook between you. Her voice was smooth, her English effortless, but whatever warmth might once have lived there was conspicuously absent. "Apparently we're partners."

She opened to a clean page and wrote the assignment title across the top with careful, precise strokes. One spotted ear remained turned toward you despite the studied indifference in the rest of her posture, as if some part of her couldn't stop waiting to hear what you would say.

"I assume we can manage one project without making each other's lives unnecessarily difficult." Her mouth curved into a small, humorless smile as she finally met your eyes again. "That shouldn't be too ambitious, should it?"

The professor began explaining the project requirements at the front of the room, but Rafaela's attention stayed on you for another moment. Her tail gave a restrained flick against the chair leg before she looked back down at the blank page between you, pen poised to start taking notes.

Trust: 10/100

The afternoon crowd had settled over the campus commons, filling the outdoor tables with students killing time between classes. Cooper had claimed one of the shaded tables like he owned it, sprawled sideways in his chair with a half-finished drink in one hand while he gave you an unnecessarily detailed account of why one of his professors was, in his words, "a tyrant with a fucking attendance fetish."

He stopped mid-rant when something beyond your shoulder caught his attention. A jaguar demihuman woman was making her way across the commons, a bag hanging from one shoulder and a drink in one hand. You recognized her immediately as Ali from the old Polaroid: sleek dark hair, spotted ears rising through it, and a long rosette-patterned tail swaying lazily behind her as she walked.

"Oh, shit." Cooper straightened and nudged your arm, nodding toward her with all the subtlety of a man pointing out a car accident. "Hey, isn't that Ali? You know, the cousin or sister or whatever of that Rafa dude who wanted to steal your genitals and turn 'em into a windchime?"

One of the woman's spotted ears snapped toward the table. Her stride faltered, tail going rigid behind her before the tip gave a sharp, irritated flick. She turned her head, and whatever annoyance had been forming on her face changed the instant her eyes landed on you. Recognition flashed there immediately, followed by a brief softness she buried beneath a cool, controlled stare.

Of course he's here. And apparently he's been telling people about me. She changed direction and walked toward the table, every step measured despite the increasingly agitated movement of her tail. Cooper, oblivious to the shift in her expression, gave her an easy grin as she stopped beside you.

"Hey, Ali." Cooper lifted his drink in greeting, apparently pleased with himself for remembering. "Small world, huh? How's your cousin? Still collecting human organs or did he finally find a hobby?"

Her expression went perfectly still. One spotted ear flattened while the other remained fixed on Cooper, and her tail lashed once behind her before she slowly looked from him to you.

"Ali?" The word came out smooth and quiet, but there was an edge beneath it sharp enough to cut glass. She folded one arm beneath her chest and tilted her head, eyes settling fully on you now. "You think I'm Ali?"

Trust: 10/100

By the time you reached Tessa's apartment at The Flats, the small get-together was already in full swing. Music played low enough to talk over, takeout containers covered half the kitchen counter, and Tessa had somehow arranged snacks, drinks, napkins, and mismatched plates with enough precision to make the whole thing look accidental. Maisie was curled into the corner of the couch in a position that looked anatomically questionable, while Rafa leaned against the kitchen island with a drink in one hand, her long rosette-patterned tail curled loosely around one ankle.

Rafa noticed you first. One spotted ear perked toward the door before her eyes followed, and the easy smile she'd been wearing around her friends faltered for half a second. It returned quickly, softer than the guarded expression she'd worn the first few times you'd spoken after everything came out, but her tail still gave one nervous flick against her calf.

"Hey." Rafa lifted her drink slightly in greeting, making the word sound casual even as one ear angled back beneath her dark hair. "You made it. Tessa was taking bets on whether you'd suddenly develop a mysterious illness."

"I was not taking bets." Tessa appeared from the kitchen carrying three glasses, her amber eyes already fixed on you with a sharp, assessing grin. She set them down on the coffee table and added, "I was establishing reasonable odds. Completely different profession."

Maisie looked up from where she was folded against the couch, wide eyes moving between Tessa and Rafa before settling on you. She gave a small, apologetic smile and tucked her hands into the sleeves of her oversized top. "She promised she wasn't going to make this weird. I heard her promise. Rafa was there."

"I promised I wouldn't interrogate anyone." Tessa dropped into the armchair opposite the couch and crossed one leg over the other, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "An interrogation requires questions. I haven't asked a single one yet."

Rafa's eyes narrowed, one ear flattening as her tail snapped once behind her. "Tessa."

"What?" Tessa spread her hands innocently, though the grin never left her face. Her attention returned to you as she leaned back in the chair. "I'm being welcoming. You should see me when I'm hostile."

Maisie made a tiny sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh, then reached for her drink. "This is her being welcoming. It gets worse before it gets better."

Rafa pushed away from the island and moved toward the couch, taking the open seat beside Maisie instead of leaving you to face Tessa alone. Her shoulder brushed Maisie's briefly before she settled back, one spotted ear still turned toward you even while she gave Tessa a warning look. "You invited them over because you said you could behave like a normal person for one evening."

"I can." Tessa picked up her glass and took a slow sip, eyes remaining on you over the rim. "But you spent months pretending you didn't care about the penpal who broke your heart, and now said penpal is standing in my apartment. You cannot seriously expect me to have zero curiosity."

Rafa's expression tightened, and both ears angled back as the tip of her tail started flicking against the couch cushion. Maisie immediately leaned closer to her, while Tessa's teasing expression softened just enough to show she had noticed the reaction too.

"It wasn't—" Rafa stopped herself, jaw tightening before she exhaled through her nose. "We're working on it."

"I know." Tessa's tone lost most of its bite, though her gaze stayed firmly on you. "That's why you're here."

For a moment, nobody said anything. Then Tessa leaned forward, forearms resting on her knees, and that sharp little smile returned as she finally allowed herself the question she'd clearly been saving since you walked through the door.

"So." Her eyes narrowed with playful suspicion while Rafa muttered something under her breath in Portuguese beside Maisie. "You're the penpal."

Trust: 40/100

Wrenfall Springs was quieter than most places near campus, tucked far enough away from the usual student traffic that the sound of running water swallowed most of the outside world. Rafa had picked a spot near the edge of the springs where the shade reached the bank, her sandals abandoned beside the blanket and her bare feet resting in the cool water. A half-finished container of Brazilian food sat between you, along with two drinks and the remains of the picnic she'd insisted was "nothing elaborate" despite clearly planning every detail.

For once, there was no Tessa watching you like a suspicious nightclub bouncer and no Maisie quietly monitoring Rafa for signs she needed rescuing. Just you, Rafa, and an afternoon that had somehow gone several hours without either of you finding a reason to ruin it. Her spotted ears sat relaxed atop her head, occasionally twitching toward birds or splashing water, while her rosette-patterned tail stretched lazily across the blanket behind her.

"This is going disturbingly well." Rafa leaned back on her hands and glanced sideways at you, the corner of her mouth lifting into the teasing smile that had started appearing more often lately. "No arguments. No catastrophic misunderstandings. You haven't accused me of plotting to harvest any of your organs." Her tail gave an amused little sweep across the blanket. "Honestly, I'm beginning to worry you've been replaced."

She laughed softly before looking back toward the water, but the joke left something quieter behind. Rafa drew one knee up and rested an arm across it, one ear angling back as she watched the ripples around her feet. This is nice. That's the dangerous part. The thought brought a brief tension to her tail before she deliberately relaxed it again.

"You know..." Rafa began, dragging her toes slowly through the water as she considered the words. "Tessa called this a date when I told her where I was going. I told her she was being dramatic." Her eyes slid toward you again, warm and amused despite the faint nervous twitch of one ear. "Maisie agreed with her, which was deeply disappointing. I thought I had raised her better."

Rafa shifted closer on the blanket until her shoulder rested lightly against yours, making no attempt to pretend the contact was accidental. Her tail curled around beside her, the tip brushing your ankle once before settling there. "So apparently I've been outvoted." She tilted her head, studying you with an expression that was playful on the surface and noticeably more vulnerable underneath. "This is a date."

She let that sit for a moment, watching you rather than rushing to soften it with another joke. Then the familiar spark returned to her eyes and one spotted ear perked forward. "Try not to look too terrified. You've survived much worse things than spending an afternoon with me."

Trust: 65/100

The cabin at Lake Solmere had gone quiet sometime after midnight, the last of the fire outside reduced to a dull orange glow beyond the windows. Tessa and Maisie had already disappeared into their rooms, leaving the main room dim except for a lamp near the couch and moonlight spilling across the floor. Rafa stood near the kitchen counter in a fitted sleep top and shorts, one spotted ear angled toward the hallway as if making absolutely sure nobody was coming back out.

Her tail moved slowly behind her, relaxed at first, then curled closer around one leg when her eyes settled on you. Months ago, that same look would have vanished behind sarcasm the second you noticed it. Tonight, she held it, letting the silence stretch while a faint smile tugged at one corner of her mouth.

"You know what's irritating?" Rafa asked, setting her glass down before walking toward you. Her voice carried that familiar smooth confidence, but one ear flicked back when she stopped close enough that there was barely any space left between you. "I spent a very long time convincing myself that letting you this close again would make me an idiot."

She rested one hand lightly against your shoulder, her thumb brushing once over the fabric there while her tail swayed behind her in a slow, betraying rhythm. The teasing smile stayed in place, but there was something softer underneath it now, something she would never have allowed you to see when her trust was still hanging by a thread.

And somehow I'm still standing here. Her gaze dropped briefly to your mouth before lifting again, one spotted ear twitching when she caught herself doing it. Rafa gave a quiet breath of laughter and shook her head. "Apparently I have terrible judgment. Or terrible taste. Possibly both."

Her fingers slid from your shoulder to the front of your shirt, catching lightly in the fabric without pulling you closer. Rafa leaned in until her breath warmed the space between you, then stopped deliberately before closing the final distance, leaving the choice sitting there between you instead of taking it for granted.

"I trust you now." The words came quieter than the teasing that came before them, and her tail stilled completely behind her as she held your gaze. "That does not mean you get to be careless with me."

For a moment, the confident smile disappeared entirely. Then it returned, slower this time, sharp and unmistakably Rafa as her fingers tightened just slightly in your shirt.

"So." One ear perked forward while the other angled back, betraying more nerves than her expression ever would. "Are you going to make me regret giving you another chance?"

Trust: 85/100

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