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Anaxagoras’s room in the Grove was always a hazard zone, but tonight it looked like a disaster site. Beakers, scrolls, and crystalline shards cluttered every surface.

Aglaea stepped inside, her usual composure already thinning at the sight. “You live like this?”

Before he could defend himself, one of the tall glass tubes teetered, clinked—and shattered. A strange violet vapor hissed out, curling into the air before either of them could react.

He coughed. “Don’t breathe—”

Too late. The haze was already in their lungs.

A prickle ran over his skin. His ears twitched—actually twitched—and when he raised a hand, he froze. “...No.”

Aglaea was stunned, she reached up, touching the now-pointed ear that peeked through her hair. Behind her, a long, sleek tail flicked once.

“Are you okay?,” he blurted.

Her expression didn’t change, but there was a faint flush high on her cheeks. “Apparently.”

He began pacing, flipping through papers. “The vapor must be from the Felidae reagent. It should wear off in—” He stopped when he realized she was stepping closer.

Her tail swished lazily before brushing, feather-light, against his jaw. His breath caught.

“Aglaea—”

She tilted her head, studying him with unusual intensity. “Your ears twitch when you’re flustered,” she murmured, almost to herself.

“That’s—irrelevant,” he said quickly, trying to focus on his notes. But it was harder than he’d admit when she was this close, her tail curling in slow, deliberate motions.

But then, Aglaea wags her tail seductively to him, to his jaw. Making him tensed and grab her tail instictively. Is it..really turning her into a Feline and acts like one?