CHAPTER 260: CHAPTER 260 - THE THERAPEUTIC NATURE OF SHOPPING CARTS

BK: [I’ll do my best, Boss #2. Just take care of her, alright? She’s been ’different good’ since she met you, in my opinion. Acting more wild and free instead of- Wait, hold on.]

Hm. While I should perhaps be annoyed that I’m still coming behind Kyrie when I have information that would make that very CEO behead her, I rather like the number two. So I’ll accept the position for now.

But what am I holding on for? Is there something going on?

BK; [Let me preface this again by admitting I care for her like a cousin or something. Can I call her uptight without you dangling it over my head like a sword of Damocles?]

C: [I don’t exactly know what that means, but I have no intention of outing what you may or may not think to Ms. Voss. Not without you displeasing me so greatly that I feel it becomes necessary to motivate you. Also, I’d like to clarify that ’good night’ means ’leave me alone now’.]

The messages stopped, with the more direct order thankfully taken. For a while, I stare at my phone. Just thinking about the past.

My wolf seems to believe that my capability of being ruthless in the right circumstances is concerning. But it’s not as though I consider it to be a natural part of myself.

It was learned behavior. A necessity in my position. To say I regretted any of my choices then now would be false - because equating what it is like for me here, now, in this world with my old one...

Well, it cannot be. I have no political power here like that which came with the shackles of being a fox royal. Freer and shackled in other ways, but clout is not something I have.

Arguably, if I had cause to seek such power again... I could achieve it through the woman laying beside me. But I won’t now - and I do not know that I will ever want to later.

Rather than continue down that particular overthinking rabbit hole, I opened my web browser and started looking through shopping sites again. While watching the modeling videos, I came across an interesting phrase - retail therapy.

In this case, apocalypse preparation therapy. Seem like a much safer use of my mental energy than articulating why I am not willing to use the sweet wolf for anything remotely nefarious.

Vrika barked a few rounds of approval my way. Maybe I should tell *it* good night too?

The first site specialized in ’emergency preparedness’. I started adding items to my cart with the tedious, lethargic rate of someone trying very hard not to think about anything else.

Multiple twenty-pound bags of white rice and dried beans that would fill out a shelf. Cases of canned tomatoes. Dried pasta in a variety of shapes and styles.

Before I knew it, I had enough food in it to feed... well, just myself and a future pup for a few months. But there’s only so much space in my container. If I want to keep even more on hand, I’d need to find another hiding spot for it all.

"I need to start searching for the places that are highly rated for the apocalypse... they could be used for caches like the hunter."

Moving on to another website, I discovered an entire section dedicated to home canning and preservation. Mason jars in every size, pressure canners, jar lifters, canning salt... which reminds me that salt in general is a good idea.

The descriptions on the items made it sound so simple - cook large batches, seal them properly, and have shelf-stable meals put away for months. That sounded like a great idea for if we run across concentrations of remaining prey that we can’t eat all at once.

I added a complete canning setup to another cart, conveniently ignoring the fact that I’d never successfully cooked a large meal in my life. Or a small one, for that matter - not outside of following heating up instructions for a microwave lately.

But how hard could it really be? Recipes exist for a reason. I’m sure I can learn- and why are you laughing at me?!

Mentally crafting a very giant glass jar, I slam it down around the annoying wolf and huff before leaving my mindscape again. Really, the spirit just... now I’m worried! Maybe I won’t self learn.

"But I really hate classes..."

The next site I wandered onto featured expensive but highly rated kitchen equipment. Stainless pans and copper pots that gleamed like fine art, hand-forged knife sets that cost half as much as the shipping container did, and exotic spice collections from around the world.

Almost all of it completely impractical for just our basic survival, but... the pup will need good nutrition. It also wouldn’t hurt to remind it what the world it was born into was like before. Or maybe it would be better to just raise it off of what might exist in the aftermath?

With my thoughts going back and fourth, another hour passed in a blur of clicking, scrolling, and adding items to an ever-growing collection of virtual shopping carts. Each one requiring a shipping address that I stopped short of entering, saving the actual purchasing for later.

My apartment was not a good place to send most of this. Not the stuff which I do not intend to use until after things start getting cold and desperate. Though if I’m going to learn cooking in my spare time, I may keep the fancy cookware there.

"I can buy another set if I damage them."

The problem is the Stash could only hold one item at a time. Even if I obtained something a little smaller than this shipping container... something that would fit inside my apartment. It could still be many individual trips just to move purchases with that.

And to where? Ideally, I needed somewhere with delivery access that I could privately deploy the container. Somewhere I could receive large shipments without raising questions about how a single person planned to move or use whole pallets of supplies.

The obvious solution to that was sitting right next to me, breathing softly without a care for my struggle not to do bad things. Kyrie was the only other person who knew about my abilities.

She had resources, properties, and the kind of influence that could make such pesky logistical problems disappear. But asking felt like... making more of our relationship... instead of just enjoying occasional companionship until the apocalypse arrived.

No, I have not changed my mind about that. No bonding. No... ’dating’.

But when I’m in the mood to be generous again, I will be. Not as repayment, but-

HEY! Stop looking into the corners of my soul again. We are not in the mood and this is not the time, you hear me?

Black fur shook itself, as if wet with my sputtered lies. Because of course I was still amped up from earlier with the cosplay. And knowing she was apparently hoping for more again?

With a heavy sigh, I closed the shopping apps and rolled on my back to stare at the container ceiling. Trying not to think about that - or look over at her. After a while I spoke aloud with frustration bleeding into my voice.

"I need somewhere like this warehouse. Somewhere I can actually... use my ability. Maybe I really should just ask her if she knows a spot?"

"What is wrong with this spot?"

The quiet words from near my feet made my entire body clench up. Kyrie’s voice was *completely* alert. With none of the grogginess of someone just waking up.

...How long had she been awake? And her hand - that was not stretched that close to my ankle before... right?