@brainchi1d said: “why are you here?”
in her territory, he is unsure and wrong-footed : he had been from the moment he stepped in here, some stupid prairie gazelle hesitating at the mouth of the lion’s cave. (cave? den? whatever.) said lion eyes him like she’s thinking of unsheathing those claws and slicing him up, and it may have been alpha who cut up her face, but topher feels like he’d prefer getting away with a few scars than whatever claire saunders looks like she wants to do to him.
he holds up his hands in a joking surrender, white flag raised. “just came to, uh, check on you. see how you’re doing after. all of that.” all of that could mean anything -- her attacking him in his bed, her realization of who/what she really is, the ensuing crisis. even topher’s not really sure what he means when he says it. he laughs high and nervous, pinned in the gaze of those lioness eyes. “i can, uh, leave if you’re busy.” despite the fact that her office is empty, no bland-eyed dolls watching him make a fool of himself, more than usual. “really. just some friendly, ah, coworker-ly concern.”