As evening fell, Jezel sauntered into the shop, her presence immediately filling the space with a vibrant energy. Aspen greeted her with a warm, knowing smile, her gaze darting between Jezel and Missy with barely concealed amusement. She excused herself, throwing a playful wink at Missy as she departed, leaving the two alone.


    "What''s got her in such a good mood?" Jezel asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she approached Missy with a curious glint in her eye. She perched herself on the edge of the table, her long legs swinging casually.


    "I think she finds my current predicament rather entertaining," Missy replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I''m hoping it won''t cause too much of a problem."


    As Jezel settled on the table, Missy found her gaze drawn to the woman''s long, smooth legs. She had always appreciated Jezel''s appearance, considering her cute in a general sense, but she had never before found herself admiring individual aspects of a mortal in quite this way. Something within her was changing, and she wasn''t entirely sure if that was a cause for concern. The pleasant warmth that spread through her as she admired Jezel''s form suggested it couldn''t be all bad.


    Realizing she had become distracted, Missy shook her head slightly and met Jezel''s eyes. To her surprise, Jezel was grinning, apparently rather pleased about something. "See something you like?" Jezel asked, her voice taking on a flirtatious lilt.


    "Yes, I was admiring your legs," Missy admitted. "I don''t think I''ve ever realized how nice they are, although I''m not entirely sure why I would find legs appealing to look at. I think I have a long way to go to understand why I''m drawn to certain things and not others." Missy tilted her head as she considered this, her ears and tails twitching slightly in contemplation.


    Suddenly aware of how far off track she''d gotten, Missy apologized. "I''m sorry, I got distracted. This isn''t why I wanted to talk, although I wouldn''t mind discussing it with you later to better understand what''s happening."


    "I don''t mind at all," Jezel reassured her, her voice still carrying that flirty undertone.


    Deciding that if they were going to make any progress, she needed to take the plunge, Missy blurted out, "I asked Rinale on a date. Aspen said this might upset you and that I should talk to you about it."


    Jezel stilled, her movements halting for a brief moment before she adjusted her position. Her relaxed demeanor shifted to something more serious as she chewed on her lip, seemingly contemplating her response. Missy''s mild concern ratcheted up a few notches as she waited.


    "Wow, you''re jumping straight to the big leagues," Jezel finally said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "She''s super hot, being a former goddess of beauty and all. What did she say?"


    Relieved that Jezel''s reaction seemed far more positive than she had anticipated based on Aspen''s warning, Missy replied, "She said she would contact me with the details."


    Jezel let out a laugh, her eyes sparkling with genuine amusement. "I can''t believe it! From what I''ve heard, she hasn''t shown interest in anyone in years. You really must have made quite an impression."


    Though relieved, Missy still felt like she was missing something crucial. "Aspen implied you might be upset. I''m still a little confused about what''s going on."


    Jezel made as if to poke Missy on the nose but stopped just short, miming the action while making a playful "boop" sound. "She was concerned I might be jealous. If I''m honest, I would be upset if I thought you were going to ditch me for someone new. But at this point, I know you well enough that I''m not worried. Besides, I think it''s good for you to get more life experience. How else will you appreciate how great I am if you have nothing to compare me to?" She said the last part while dramatically preening her hair.


    Missy felt a wave of relief wash over her, though she couldn''t shake the sneaking suspicion that things were only going to get more complicated. Their conversation flowed on to other topics, including the rest of their day after they had parted ways at the food truck. Jezel was both amused and flattered when Missy recounted her interaction with Lily and explained why she had turned her down.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As the evening wore on, Jezel eventually took her leave, and Missy headed downstairs to prepare for the night. She found Aspen finalizing her nightly routine and greeted her, filling her in on how the conversation with Jezel had gone.


    As I stared into their eyes, I saw myself reflected in their pitying gaze. Broke, defeated, a failure. In that moment, I knew they didn''t believe in me, they never had. I would never achieve my dream. I would always be a failure." Her voice broke, and she slumped into the seat, all the fight seeming to drain out of her. "I''m still a failure," she whispered, "and nothing will ever change that."


    "