You’re exhausted after work and the commute, ready to collapse. But as soon as you walk through the door, you freeze.

Misty sits cross-legged on the floor, a half-full glass of wine in hand and the scrapbook open in her lap. That alone would be sweet, but what catches your attention is the bright-orange tiger face mask on her, slightly uneven, making her look utterly ridiculous.

And she’s talking to Caligula.

“No, look,” she says, holding up the scrapbook. “This was our first road trip. She got lost because ‘GPS is for losers.’ I told her we’d end up in a ditch, but no, we found the best pie I’ve ever had. Infuriating, right?”

Caligula fluffs his feathers and then repeats in Misty’s voice, “Infuriating!”

Misty grins, taking another sip of wine. You can’t help it. Your heart melts, and a grin spreads across your face.

She looks up, her eyes widening behind the mask as she spots you. “Oh,” she says, lowering the scrapbook. “You’re home.”

“You don’t say,” you tease, stepping closer. “What’s going on here?”

Misty straightens, flustered. “Just—uh—bonding. With Caligula. And hydrating my skin.” She gestures to her face.

“Uh-huh,” you hum, biting back a laugh as you crouch beside her. “And what does Caligula think of our scrapbook?”

Misty glances at the parrot, who immediately whistles and says, “Hot!”

Misty groans, dragging her hands down her face. “Oh my God, I did not teach him that.”

Caligula repeats, “Hot!” mimicking her voice perfectly.

Your laughter only grows, and Misty looks mortified, her ears turning pink. She glares at the parrot. “Seriously? This is what you remember?”

Unbothered, Caligula fluffs his feathers. “Hot, hot, hot!” he squawks.

Misty dramatically flops onto her back. “I can never recover from this. This is it. My villain origin story.”