"I'd rather love you, then serve you" (Katemau)

chapter 9 "surprise project"

3rd pov 

Katelyn's eyes twitched while the sun lightly kissed her face, allowing her to know it was daytime. She has not slept throughout the night, only occasionally closing her eyes to rest them. Laurence slept the whole time,  disappointing Katelyn in a way. As she stood up to stretch, a bird chirped at her, landing on a desk beside her. Katelyn had always loved nature, and even with her fierce personality and is easily angered, she had a soft spot for the beautiful animals and wildlife around her. She smiled at the bird, giving her appreciation as it stared at her. The bird tilted its head and chirped a few times, it jumped around the desk while Katelyn watched. It was a beautiful blue jay, its black streaks covered its eyes, with its blue feathers and sharp head form helped her identify it was a male.

The bird gave its final chirps before flying away, making Katelyn feel relaxed seeing the creature. She turned around and found Aphmau moving around in her bed,  seeming to begin to wake up. She slowly walked up to Aphmau while the sleeping woman slowly rose up from her bed, rubbing her eyes in the process. Katelyn grabbed some water nearby before fully walking up to Aphmau, but by the time she got to her, Aphmau was fully sitting up and sleepily looking around. 

“Morning sleepy head,”  Katelyn said, smiling seeing her now awake. 

“Good morning.. Why is Laurence there?” she asked, sleepily looking at him. 

“He stayed up all night making sure you were okay. After all, you did disappear last night.” Katelyn explained, giving her the cup of water she was holding.

A small blush appeared on Aphmau’s face as she turned to look at Laurence. “ Was it only him?” 

Katelyn raised her eyebrow, confused at the sudden facial change. 

“Uh.. yeah. Are you feeling okay?” She asked, not fully understanding the moment. 

“Oh.. yeah I'm good,” Aphmau responded, lowering her eyes slightly from Laurence. 

A hint of disappointment flashed on Aphmau’s face. Her cheeks slowly calmed as Katelyn watched her take deep breaths. Katelyn curiously watched, unsure how to react seeing Aphmau’s sudden reactions. As a past soldier of Okasis, she was trained to see any cracks through any soldier's face, helping her manipulate and win any situation. Yet even with this experience, she could not pinpoint the reasoning or the feelings Aphmau was having, making her feel useless to the situation once more.

“So um.. When do you want me to find Emmalyn? If you're still tired you can stay here.” Katelyn asked, wanting to be of use. 

“Oh no. I-I can go find her!” Aphmau responded, taken out of her thoughts.

Katelyn's eyes softened as she watched Aphmau get out of her bed hastily. She went to her little drawer next to her bed and grabbed her hair brush.

“Can you let Laurence sleep for a little? I don't want to wake him up if he stayed up for so long..” Aphmau asked, looking away while she put away her brush. 

“Of course. Do you want me to accompany you?” Katelyn asked, watching her move around. 

“Only if you want to. You seem a little tired too.” Aphmau mentioned looking at her dead in the eyes. 

Katelyn's eyes widened before she realized what she meant. She currently had her hair slightly tangled due to her moving around in the chair at times, but her eye bags were very noticeable. With a sigh she closed her eyes and rubbed them, showing signs of exhaustion. 

“No I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep well last night. You scared me and Zoey so it's natural for us to get worried.”Katelyn explained, trying to let Laurence keep the credit.