[The soft hum of the overhead light mixed with Bologna’s low, resonant purring, creating an odd but oddly comforting ambiance within the office. Evelin let her fingers gently trace the smooth crown of the Alternate’s head, her nails occasionally catching on one of its strange little tufts of fur—or whatever passed for fur. Bologna shifted slightly, its thick tail curling around the leg of the desk as its eye blinked once more in a slow, deliberate rhythm, fixed affectionately on her.]

[She chuckled under her breath, her lips curling into a small, amused smile. Adam had expected her to hate the little monsters—probably thought she'd toss them out the second he left. Typical. Always pushing her buttons like some overgrown child.]

"But you’re not so bad, are you?" [Evelin murmured to Bologna, watching the creature’s eye narrow into what she assumed was pleased contentment. She leaned back further in the chair, one leg crossed over the other, and rested her cheek on her hand as she kept petting the creature.]

[Outside, Sarah’s muffled voice echoed through the hallway—firm, composed, business-like as always. Evelin scoffed lightly, casting a quick glance to the perfectly stacked papers on the desk.]

"Neat freak," [she whispered with a smirk. Her own workspace back in her shared office looked like a printer exploded and a coffee-fueled gremlin nested in the ruins.]

[Still, as she stared into Bologna’s glowing eye, Evelin felt oddly at peace—like, for once, things weren’t spinning completely out of control. Just her, an eldritch kitty, and a quiet moment of calm in a building that rarely offered it.]