6 Don't give an attitude

'I hadn't seen that in a while.' She looked around her bedroom with a sigh. Walking over to her walk-in closet, she hummed a song that matched her mood. A quiet song that held pitiful hope in the midst of chaos.

She finally picked a black outfit. When she opened her door, Lara and Lupine were waiting. "Lady Chao, it's five minutes to linner time. If you don't dawdle, maybe you'll actually make it on time." Lupine remarked while Lara's eyes went wide. Chao raised an eyebrow and laughed when Lupine puckered her lips and sent a heart shape with her hands. "You're my favorite boss!" Lupine scampered ahead and Lara face palmed.

"Alright. I got the message. I'm going. I'll make the barrier as I walk too."

Linner is the meal between lunch and dinner much like brunch. Chao made the rule that every meal, everyone must be present around the cafeteria. Otherwise, they would be punished with overtime. Chao ran her group much like a family-owned corporation. She was the head honcho while everyone else worked with her under different roles.

'People can't live without food, sleep, exercise, and something to do! If I don't have any of those things, I'm better off dead!' That's something Chao often said whenever someone asked if she and her subordinates were being lazy. Chao also eats a lot as she has a lot of power and since she's shared some of her power with the others, they've gained a similar constitution to her. The meals fuel them, the exercise burns off some of the excess power, the sleep allows them to train in their dreams, and having something to do is just natural.

But back to Chao. They arrived at the cafeteria and Chao sat at the back of the room in the middle seat. Gladys and Bea sat to her left while Furvus and Albus sat on her right. "Alright! Linner is served! Get the drinks out too!" Chao yelled and everyone cheated with the exception of those who knew and attended the execution.

Fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, breads, rice, and assorted desserts and drinks floated from the kitchen to the tables. There were ten tables full of people laughing and eating with people still standing against the walls. 'I've got to expand a bit. They're coming over and knowing them, they'll have company with them.' Chao rolled that fact around her brain for a bit before returning to reality and playing around with her dears.

. . .

After a couple hours, everyone finished eating and went to the sinks near the back kitchen to wash their utensils and plates. "Albus, Bea, you two can come with me for my walk." Chao looked over to the two ladies and strolled out of the cafeteria to the side entrance.

"Keep an eye on her." Gladys and Furvus said simultaneously. The two ladies rolled their eyes. Seeing that the men reacted. Gladys picked up Bea, held her bottom with his left hand and whispered in her ear.

"I know you're capable, but be careful of your attitude. If this happens again, I won't hesitate to ask Lady Chao for a month to play with you." Bea blushed heavily and her plump cheeks puffed up. Seeing this, Gladys tilted his body away from the other two and smirked at her. "Careful kitten, I might sneak into your bed tonight." As he said tonight he gently nibbled on her earlobe. "You dummy! You brute! You gorilla! Leave me alone!" Bea whispered harshly into his ear causing him to blush much to her satisfaction. 'I'll mess with you until you bleed!' Bea shrunk her head so Gladys lowered her a bit.

When she was low enough, she kissed and bit the area on Gladys' neck where his carotid artery would be. She smiled and jumped down before skipping to the cafeteria opening. Gladys stood frozen while his head turned following her. Seeing him acting so robotic, she blew a kiss at him.

Furvus walked up to Albus and massaged the nape of her neck. "Don't give me an attitude. It hurts my feelings." He made a sad face while watching her facial reactions. They were having a battle. It was basically the same as Hana-chan and Kabakura's*. A battle of seduction.

Albus' mouth twitched a bit, but she didn't give in. Instead, she moved her head so that Furvus had better access to her neck, moaned a bit as he massaged her neck, and smiled gently as she spoke. "If you looked this cute, I would always give you an attitude."

Furvus had dealt 10 damage points with his first attack but Albus almost destroyed Furvus with 60 damage points. He pricked her finger while she stole his hand, but still, Furvus wanted to keep his pride and fight until one side had 0 hp left.

"I promise to look this cute as long as you smile at me. No matter the reason behind the smile, I will willingly make way for you." Furvus stopped massaging her neck and instead held her hands and pressed his forehead against hers. 70 damage points!

"Then I shall continue."

"Continue what?" he asked confusedly.

She kissed his lips lightly and said "Love you of course!" 100 damage points!

Albus knew she won and whispered "You're doing dinner and dishes tomorrow tonight!" She then cheekily smiled broadly and followed Bea out.

. . .

Chao was strolling through some woods behind the particular mountaintop that her house was built on. "Lady Chao! Wait!" Two voices shouted behind her. As if they'd rehearsed, their voices echoed one another.

"What if you eat something again!" said Albus.

"What if you get lost again!" said Bea.

"AAHHH! I don't want to hear it anymore. Just admire the beauty right now!" Chao's voice rose to a yell, fell to a mumble, and finally rose back up to a call. The two shook their heads and picked up the pace walking on either side of Chao. The forest was full of old grand trees with its voice echoing. The different hues of green and brown, the various calls of the animals in the forest, the small murmuring of insects and the distant sounds of water flowing or dripping created an atmosphere of wonder and relaxation.

'Beautiful' said all three.

All of a sudden, Chao stopped in her tracks looking to the North-East. "What is it Lady Chao?" asked Albus while Bea pulled out a vial. "Something new, curious, and interesting." she replied. Albus sighed, "We are not experimenting, taste-testing, or even bringing back anything. The last time you found something "new" everyone got food poisoning and you turned into B00hbah**."

"It isn't anything edible this time, per se. It has a mind of its own." Bea chimed in, "Please don't take out a boat*** to re-enact THAT again. That was the first and last time." Chao scoffed and sprinted in the direction. "Trust me. This time, its legitimate. I've been waiting for them for a while now. They're like you all." With that, they were silenced and followed the scent of pomegranate and volcanic ashes through the crisp forest.

. . .

A beast lied underneath a weeping willow tree. It was similar to a lion except its legs had rich, brown crystalline scales and its fur was obsidian. As Chao walked up to it, its eyes remained closed until Bea and Albus arrived. At once, the three were captivated.

Warm pineapple yellow and medium orchid eyes with black vertical pupils. The eyes were warm while the look was cold causing confusion. The eyes were beautiful but the owner was not welcoming.

"Hey beautiful. A handsome thing like you and a devastating thing like me could cause a riot. Want to do it?" Bea and Albus lagged so hard that they were speechless. The creature responded nonetheless, "You're insane." It had a smooth gender neutral tone and at that moment, was filled with disbelief.

"Wow, you're really sharp if you got that from one glance. I'd like to extend an invitation to you. What's your name?" "I don't have one."

"Here's the deal, if you join me, you can do whatever you want under the condition that I approve of those actions and you get free benefits." "What do you mean by benefits?"

"Your health insurance will be covered, you'll get paid, you get free food, vacation, and power. All you have to do to achieve all this is give me your consent. I'll take it from there." "You won't treat me as a lesser life?" "No dear. If I bothered with my superiority, my life would be boring."

'Although that last bit was irritating, I believe I can trust her for now, at least. I could use the protection at the moment.' The beast finally stood and bowed its head, "I accept your invitation and would like to join you..." "Chao. My name is Chao."