001

Lulu sniffed out the box before Azura finished walking into the room. Her head tilted sharp, ears snapping upright. "Hey! Whatcha got there Zu?" Two quick hops, and she was looking.

"You'd make a better dog than bunny." Azura didn't blink.

"Should I be insulted?" Eavesdropping ears from the kitchen chimed in.

"Yes." Another cold reply.

"Is that why your skin is blue? Makes sense to me." Lulu giggled at her own joke. "Eh Kiana?" Silence from the kitchen. "Kiana? Huh. I guess she was." Her ears swiveled toward the kitchen.

"Wow Lulu. You're worse than me. Forget about my box—"

Azura's hair fluttered as Lulu spun—twice, for dramatic effect. "Whoa! What is all of this stuff? Looks like you're organizing. Lets see." Lulu missed the smug grin, hands already rummaging through Azura's box. "Stapler. Rulers. Mouse trap. Pencils and sharpener. Books. A piece of paper... Forks?" She paused, leaning closer. "Ewwwww. Something gross dried on this one."

"Blood."

Lulu's head perked up. "Oh~?" Her tail started vibrating before she could finish the word.

She glanced at the paper—a list—and the gears started turning. Suddenly she tossed a book aside. She mouthed the title: Superstructures and Matter Stability Across Extreme Scales. "This is it! The book!" Her voice cracked. "The one that almost~ crushed me!"

Lulu grabbed it. "You're not so scary noooow... arrre~ ya book." She bonked it off her forehead like a headbutt. She grinned, shameless.

Azura shook her head with a sigh. "The games are returning."

Azura's lips curved—slow, deliberate. "And I'm going to broadcast them live."