**The Next Morning:**

  Tiffany lazily slapped at the buzzing tablet blasting *Welcome to the Jungle* set as her wake-up call. The guitar rift gradually getting faster and louder stiring her to sit up, she grunted, stretching her upper torso and twisting to flex her arms and core, hands in the air as she yawned. Lying back down, she stretched and cracked every part of her toned, well-chiseled 5'1" frame, her frizzy bush of red hair looking like she'd stuck her finger in a power outlet.

  She reached over grabbing her tablet, shuffling through the apps to tap the digital assistant icon, which activated her drone. Pulling the covers to the side, she swung her legs off the bed and sat there for a moment.

  A few moments later, her little friend flew by and hovered a few feet in front of her. She wouldn’t have spent the money herself, but it was a gift from a personal friend for helping with security detail on a job a while back. Wherever she was stationed, he came with her.

  He was a neat little droid that hovered and flew using a magnetic field. He also came with fan blade attachments as a backup in case the magnetic fields weren’t usable. It was rare for him to be unable to use the magnets to move and hover around, so the fans were more of a contingency.

  She had picked a male voice in the settings, thinking it would be nice to have a guy to talk to on long missions. His presence and voice were soothing when she needed someone to talk to. He provided comfort, especially since she usually worked alone. Sometimes Franze would tag along, but he typically stayed at his own place and worked from afar, handling communications. Command, for some reason, hadn’t pulled him from the field despite his nearing retirement—maybe they thought it’d hurt his feelings, or perhaps they were just hoping he’d get himself killed to avoid paying retirement benefits. Tiffany scoffed at the idea, shuddering at the thought of the organization stooping that low.

  The little droid hovered in front of her face until he spoke, snapping her out of her daydream as her eyes refocused.

  “Morning, Mum! It’s a fine day outside!” he said in a stiff, dignified British accent. Her eyes half-open, she yawned again, covering her mouth with a hand.

  “Morning, Jarvis...” Jarvis’s LED faceplate, recessed on his discus-shaped frame, lit up with colored lights, forming a happy LED smile that moved as he spoke.

  “And a glorious one it is, Mum!”

  “Jarvis, could you tone down the excitement just a tad? Oh, while you’re buzzing about, could you put the kettle on as well, please?”

  “Right away, Mum! Never fear, madam; I am on the case!” Jarvis exclaimed excitedly as he floated off to the kitchen, humming whimsically.

  She rocked herself off the bed groggily and headed to the bathroom.

  “Sometimes I wonder how I put up with someone so cheerful all the freaking time,” she grumbled, sighing as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

  Minutes later, she passed Jarvis, who was still humming cheerfully as he worked the stove and prepped a large bowl with a handle that she dubbed her *morning coffee mug*. Heading to her corner, she stretched and bent in ways that would make a contortionist flinch in pain as she tried to loosen the tension from the job and surgery the day before. It left her feeling as though she’d been run over by a space freighter. She started her usual morning routine with sit-ups and vertical push-ups, working through the stiffness and pain. After a few sets of a couple hundred reps, the whistling of the kettle broke her focus.

  “Jarvis, could you turn the stove down, please?”

  "Right away, Mum," he called back to her, clasping her laundry in his two clamp hands.

  She returned to her routine as Jarvis bobbed about the apartment, tidying and humming happily. As Tiffany finished up, Jarvis hovered next to her with a colorful smile and a clean towel in hand. She accepted it with a smile and a nod, wiping the glistening sweat from her chiseled body and damp hair. Handing the towel back to Jarvis, she watched as he cheerfully floated off to deposit it in the hamper.

  Heading into the kitchen, Tiffany poured the hot water into her oversized coffee mug, large enough to hold the entire pot, where a lemongrass-flavored tea ball had already been waiting. She set the empty pot back on the stove and left the tea to steep on the kitchen table.

  She opened one of the cabinets and retrieved a large platter, big enough to hold a full-sized turkey, setting it on the counter next to a polished chrome appliance about half the size of a conventional oven. The hyper warmer was substantial by humanoid counter-appliance standards, but it didn’t look out of place in her kitchen.

  Meanwhile, Jarvis busied himself setting the table for two, thoughtfully moving one of the chairs back so Tiffany could sit comfortably and enjoy her morning.

  At the corner of the kitchen stood two large steel boxes, towering over a standard refrigerator. The first was a single-door unit stocked with drinks and regular food, kept ready for any human visitors. The second was double the size, polished to a mirror-like shine, and adorned with stainless steel rivets. This imposing unit resembled a walk-in freezer, complete with a massive chrome handle and a control pad displaying lights and letters in an alien language, likely indicating the storage unit’s status and contents.

  She placed her thumb on the pad, and a green light beeped before the mechanism let out a heavy *thunk*. She opened the door and browsed the selection. Hanging from the top of the unit were large slabs of freshly hunted meat, unprepared and eerily the size of small humans. Her eyes took inventory, then went to the bottom shelf where smaller slabs of cut and prepped meat, still the size of large whole chickens, sat in packaging.

  She grabbed two in each hand, cheerfully spun on one foot, and gently nudged the door closed with the other. She carefully unpacked the slabs of meat and laid them into the chrome trays of the hyper warmer on the counter, setting the dials to bring it to life with a low, airy hum.

  Once the hyper warmer started its cycle, warming the meat to an optimal internal temperature while simultaneously searing the outsides, Tiffany walked to the bathroom, stripping off her morning attire en route to the shower. Jarvis trailed behind her, dutifully picking up the garments she shed.

  She showered off the morning sweat, singing a beautiful tune in an unknown dialect. When she finished and opened the shower door, Jarvis was there, floating with a clean towel in hand and a warm, colorful smile. "Another towel for m'lady of the house?"

  She smiled back and thanked him with a nod. Jarvis returned the nod before floating back to the kitchen to do some more prep work, humming as he bobbed and weaved about.

  Tiffany dried off and wrapped the towel around her pale, freckled, well-chiseled, petite body. She strolled back to the kitchen until the polite *ding* of the hyper warmer caught her attention. It sent a river of drool down her face and made her eyes start to dilate. Jarvis, with a dish towel in hand, wiped the drool from her cheek and gave her a cheerful, gentle *boop* on the nose with the towel clamped in his hand, snapping her back to reality as her eyes refocused.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  She powered down the hyper warmer, pulled a slab of meat out of the tray, and closed it back up. Closing her eyes to concentrate, her small, dainty hands grew, shifting to their original clawed size. She extended her claws and began slicing each slab into small cubes until a mountain of dripping, red, warm meat piled high on the platter. Closing her eyes again, her hands shifted back to their human form. She began licking the juices from her fingers, only to feel a clamp tapping her shoulder with an *ahem* as Jarvis handed her the same towel he’d just used to clean her mouth.

  "Manners, Mum," he said in a somewhat serious tone.

  She rolled her eyes and cleaned her hands in a begrudging manner.

  Turning back to the tray of pure bliss, she gripped the sides of the massive platter as if it were her lifeline and gingerly carried it to the table, setting it next to her coffee mug.

  Tiffany removed her towel, laying it on the chair beside her before sitting down on the linoleum floor in front of the table. Shifting into her Lupus form, the towering wolf hunched over the kitchen table like an adult seated at a small child's play table.

  Jarvis, hovering in the center of the table in front of her, lifted his tiny plastic mug, a miniature version of Tiffany’s oversized one. He raised it toward her.

  She daintily grabbed the handle on her mug with two clawed fingers and returned the gesture. Both grinned widely as their mugs clinked together.

  "Cheers, Mum," Jarvis said, taking an imaginary sip from his mug. Tiffany, in turn, sipped her tea as well.

  "Jarvis?"

  "Yes, Mum?" He replied as she stared into her tea, shyly circling the rim of the mug with a clawed finger.

  "Thank you for taking care of me and being my friend," she said, closing her eyes and taking a gulp before setting the mug back down. A single tear rolled down her red, furry cheek.

  For once, Jarvis’s faceplate displayed a rare, serious expression. He wiped the tear from her cheek with his clamp, then gently bumped his faceplate against her snout.

  "Mum, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, stop all this and eat your breakfast before it gets cold."

  She sniffled, sat upright, and extended a claw to skewer a chunk of the warm, dripping meat. Taking small bites, she savored the taste. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, and her bushy tail swished back and forth excitedly as she quickly forgot her brief moment of sadness and enjoyed her quiet breakfast.

  *I say, one thing that always seems to perk up the missus is a hot meal,* Jarvis thought to himself, trying not to chuckle as he watched his friend attempt to eat in as ladylike a manner as she could manage.

  "So, what are the plans today, Mum? I see you’re still on duty..." Jarvis asked conversationally as he picked up in the kitchen. Tiffany, now in her human form, was in the bedroom getting ready for her morning and mid-day activities before the evening ahead.

  "Yeah, the job’s not done yet. I have to go buy a new outfit for tonight." Jarvis paused for a moment before floating into the bedroom, looking Tiff up and down while cleaning her mug with a dish rag.

  "Oh? A new outfit, you say? Pray tell, madam, finally bringing a gentleman back home, are we?" Tiffany blushed beet red at the suggestion, shaking her head vigorously to rid herself of the thought.

  "No, Jarvis! This is strictly work-related!" "But if something came from it, I wouldn't be opposed to it" she muttered under her breath.

  "Pardon, Mum?"

  "Nothing, Jarvis. I need to pick out a nice outfit to blend in at a party tonight. I've been assigned to keep tabs on someone to make sure nothing bad happens to them, that's all."

  "Well, I'm still rooting for you, Mum. I was always told there's someone for everyone out there, and you certainly deserve it."

  "That sounds more like someone's rotting their circuits away on Earth internet garbage to me," Tiffany retorted. Jarvis's tubular telescopic arms drooped at his sides, his disced body slumping as he continued to clutch the mug and rag in each clamp.

  "Oh, don't give me the pouty face," Tiffany quipped, sticking her tongue out at him. His LED display scrunched into a sad face, pixels flickering like tears.

  "Mum, with all due respect, I know you're in high demand for the dangerous cases, but even you need a break. And though I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything, I don't believe I can be the friend you need sometimes. You need... someone more carbon-based."

  Jarvis scratched his gunmetal grey lid with a clamp hand, mimicking the gesture of someone scratching their head as he searched for the right words—despite being a floating disc with an LED faceplate.

  Tiffany slipped into her favorite pair of black studded baggy Trippy pants, a red skateboard tank top, and matching Vens sneakers before heading out for the day. She patted Jarvis’s lid affectionately.

  "I appreciate your concern; really, if the mission is a success, I'll put in a request to take some time off."

  A mischievous smile crept across Jarvis's LED screen. "I'll hold you to it, Mum. A change of scenery, perhaps?"

  "What? Not fond of our moderately sized living space that I can't stand straight up in unless I'm the size of a Pharose?" she teased, playfully rubbing his lid.

  "Oh, you like being that size, and you know it. Plus, your human form looks pretty; I believe the locals would say *sexy*, perhaps?" he retorted, sticking out a digital tongue at her in a teasing manner.

  She put a fist to her mouth to stifle a laugh, shaking her head. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe we're all overdue for a vacation." She paused for a moment before leaving, noticing Jarvis heading back to his dock, anticipating her departure. "Hey, Jarvis?"

  Jarvis turned around, his faceplate lighting up with question marks, looking puzzled.

  "Yes, Mum?"

  "Do you really think I'm pretty?" Jarvis's side panels flashed a rosy red for a brief moment before returning to their normal black, then quickly lit up into a bright smile.

  "Miss Tiffany, whether original equipment or aftermarket, you are the most beautiful creature I've ever had the pleasure to serve in my cycle," he said, giving her a courtesy bow. They both smiled as they parted ways, Jarvis waving a clamp goodbye before returning to his dock to power down.