Emma was standing right in front of my desk.
Green hair, half-lidded eyes, that perpetual look like she'd just woken up from a nap she didn't want to end.
I jerked in my chair.
"Jesus…" I muttered. "Fuck… Emma, hey. You scared me."
"I know," she said flatly.
"How did the anime convention go?"
"Uh… good." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yours?"
"Still sad that my battery died." She shrugged, shoulders barely moving. "I wanted that prize."
"Yeah. I wish I'd given you my phone. You could maybe win it."
"Mm." She nodded once, then planted both hands on my desk and leaned forward, turning her body toward me. "How's Kim?"
"The cat?" I asked. "It's Mik now. We changed her name. And, oh boy, she is naughty. Always running around, doing stuff. She actually ruined the single couch with her claws."
"Naughty?" Emma asked, one eyebrow lifting a fraction. "She is the laziest. Are you sure?"
