Turning to her side, Rayna picked up one of the creatures and felt for its paw before pressing it gently.
As it turned out, the creatures did have claws, but they were retractable ones.
Rayna played with their claws for a brief moment before commenting, “It's just like a cat's claws.”
Fluffy gazed at Rayna and purred before leaning forward to lick her hand. It then rubbed its head against her palm.
“Its fur is quite smooth.” Rayna petted Fluffy and noted that its fur felt comfortable to the touch. “Are they noisy at night?” Rayna asked Robin.
Rayna thought for a moment before answering Rayna, “Sometimes. They seem to be very sensitive to the environment. A little movement is enough to alert them. They're kind of like dogs.”
“Is that so?” Rayna picked Fluffy up and placed it on her lap. Fluffy immediately curled up on her lap without making a fuss.
At that sight, Furry also leaped onto Rayna's lap and cuddled up next to Fluffy.
Curtis was greeted by the heartwarming scene upon return. Halting at the doorway, he shot the two creatures a cold look before advancing into the room.
Upon seeing Curtis enter the room, Robin quickly shot up from the couch and stood to the side.
Rayna looked at Robin before following his line of sight to look at Curtis. “Are you done with the call?”
“Mm-hmm,” Curtis hummed in response as his gaze fell onto the two creatures. “Why did you bring them here?” he asked Rayna with a gentle tone.
“They came here on their own,” Rayna replied without giving it much thought. “Robin told me that they have claws. I didn't even notice that before this. I only found out just now that they have retractable cat-like claws.”
“They're probably felines, but as for what species they are, I couldn't find anything on the internet.” Curtis picked up a mug and poured himself some water before taking a sip to soothe his throat.
A crease formed between Rayna's brows when she heard what Curtis had said. She lowered her head to look at the two creatures. “Could you fellas be rare exotic animals? How can there be absolutely no information about you?”
As soon as Rayna finished speaking, Furry stood up from her lap and sniffed the area near Rayna's mouth and nose.
“Does my breath smell?” Rayna furrowed her brows in confusion when she saw Furry raising its head and sniffing her breath. Cupping her hand around her mouth, Rayna huffed out a breath and sniffed. “No, it doesn't. What are you sniffing at, Furry?”
Rayna touched the tip of Furry's nose affectionately. In response, the creature lay back down on her lap.
“Oh, by the way, Cassidy said that she had prepared some medications for me.” Rayna turned to Curtis. “She said that we can try it out.”
“Let's go take a look.” Curtis placed the mug on the table and got up. When he saw that Rayna remained on the couch, he asked, “Are you not coming?”
“I'll pass. It's not like I can see clearly. I wouldn't be able to see anything even if I go. I might as well stay here and play with these two,” Rayna stated lightly.
Hearing that, Curtis did not insist that she come along. “I'll go have a look.”
“Okay,” Rayna replied. With that, he turned to leave the room once again.
Robin stood aside wordlessly, keeping his head lowered. When Rayna saw that, she asked, “Why aren't you following him?”
“I'm not familiar with the herbs Ms. Cassidy uses. A lot of the herbs she has here are rare, and I can't even tell what they are. There's no point in me going.” Robin smiled sheepishly as he scratched his head.
Upon noticing how he was constantly staring at the two creatures on her lap, Rayna could not help asking, “Why do you look so worried?”
Robin froze momentarily when he heard the question before answering, “They have claws...”
Rayna detected a hint of abnormality in Robin's tone. “Is it really only because of the claws?” Rayna probed gently.
She did not think so.
“If you dare lie to my face, I'll report you to Curtis when he comes back. Then you'll be in trouble.” Rayna feigned a serious look as she glanced at Robin. “Think carefully, Mr. Yeast.”
Rayna's serious face was a rare sight to behold. Panicking, Robin furrowed his brows hesitantly, clearly troubled.
Upon hearing Robin's sigh, Rayna lowered her gaze to play with the two creatures on her lap instead of staring at the man.
“Mr. Faymon said that these two have an unidentified origin. Besides... one of them has a microchip. Mr. Faymon suspected that they have been intentionally planted by your side by someone.” Taking a deep breath, Robin told Rayna everything in one breath. He would turn to look at the door from time to time, fearing that Curtis would return.
When Rayna heard Robin's answer, she said, “This does sound like something he would say, but, microchip, you say? Is that true?”
“It is. I've already taken a photo of it and verified it with a reliable source. My informant told me that most people will implant a microchip beneath their pets' skin with the intention of tracking them.” As he spoke, Robin tossed a careful look at Rayna. He patted his chest and sighed in relief after seeing her calm expression. Good. She doesn't seem upset.
Rayna began feeling around the two creatures' bodies, but without knowing the location of the microchip, she could not find anything. When Robin saw what she was doing, he figured that she was trying to look for the microchip. Just as he was about to step forward and help her, he caught sight of Curtis returning.
“What's wrong?” Curtis shot Robin a sharp glare.
Stepping aside, Robin admitted with a soft voice, “Mrs. Faymon asked me about the two creatures. I told her about the microchip.”
Curtis' expression darkened immediately at those words. He turned to Robin and shot the latter a stern glare.
“Don't intimidate Mr. Yeast all the time,” Rayna said when she vaguely saw that Curtis was glaring at Robin. “I was the one who forced him to tell me. It's not his fault.”
Seeing that Rayna was defending him, Robin cast a grateful look at the woman.
“Cassidy said that we'll have to wait until the afternoon before the medicine is ready.” As he spoke, Curtis bent down and tried to shoo the two creatures away but was stopped by Rayna.
“What are you doing? They're comfortable lying here.” Rayna glared at Curtis and warned, “They're just two small animals. No matter how capable they are, they can't possibly outsmart human beings, can they? Why can't you accept them?”
“It's not that I won't accept them. It's just that—” Curtis attempted to explain in a soft voice when he noticed Rayna's annoyance.
“You're worried that they'll accidentally hurt me, right?” Rayna cut him off before he could finish his sentence.
“They're animals, after all. They don't know how to control themselves,” Curtis quickly explained.
Yet, his mind wandered back to what had happened when Rayna was trapped in the living room of the mansion two days ago.
Subconsciously, Curtis believed that the two creatures had something to do with the thing inside Rayna's body. Alas, he had no solid proof, so his thoughts were merely baseless speculations.
Rayna was rendered speechless. She didn't know how to refute his statement, so she changed the subject. “Did you see what those herbs look like?”
Curtis took a seat across from Rayna and crossed his legs. He was about to glare at the two creatures to make them leave when Rayna's question interrupted him.
“Everything's inside the cauldron. There's not much to be seen. Most of them had already dissolved.” Curtis remembered the list of herbs that he had gotten from Cassidy a moment ago. He quickly handed the list to Robin. “Look up the names and effects of the herbs on this list and then inform me afterward.”
Taking the slip of paper from Curtis, Robin hummed in response and turned to leave the room.
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