Mature Content Warning: A foxgirl who just can't help herself.

Author's Note: So, we see a little more about daily life and such. In case you haven't realized it, this chapter is mostly about Scott and Ashton.

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Chapter 20.2: Business Fox

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The chill of despair and unending evil slithered through his body like a horrific serpent. Scott gazed upon the Archer’s sign and fought down the involuntary shudder that he felt every time he came to work. This place, it was a fountain of evil. Nothing good and pure could come from such a place.

Scott sighed loudly then walked into the building. Life had been so much better when he had been free of the place, but now he just knew that he was going to have a horrible day.

Erin ran over to him the moment he entered. “Scott! You’re alive.”

“Yeah, it seems so. I’d hate to think that I died and this is my eternal reward.” he said.

She laughed loudly then grinned. “I know, right.... Are you taking over? Please say, yes?”

“Sorry, I’m working with Ashton today.” he said.

“Huh? Why?” Erin stared at Scott suspiciously. She could have understood a cashier shift, or even cart attendant. He had even pulled hardlines now and then or worked in the backroom. He had never come in specifically to spend his entire shift working with the boss before. This had to be good!

“I don’t know. She wanted me to come in, but said the front-end was covered.” said Scott.

“Yeah, by me. Bigness did not come in again today.” said Erin.

“Why? She sick?” asked Scott.

“Nah, she found a job over at Rooster Doodles that pays fifty cent more an hour and she doesn’t have to deal with customers.” said Erin.

“Ah, good for her.” said Scott. It was nice to know that someone had made it out of this hell alive.

“Scott!” called Ashton.

He turned to see the store manager waving spastically at him while she wore a bright and overly cheerful smile. “Hey.” said Scott.

Ashton practically sprinted to their location then greeted him once more, her smile even brighter than before. “Hii--iii” she said in a soft and somewhat sultry tone.

“Yeah, hi again...” replied Scott in a slightly disturbed tone of voice.

Erin’s left eyebrow rose into the air. A slight smirk crossed her lips. Oh, there was something good going on here. She could just feel it.

The store manager gripped her clipboard tight and held it to her chest. “So, you’re mine today, Huh?”

“Yep, do with me what you will.” said Scott with as much cheer as he could muster while he was at work.

Ashton’s eyes widened and her nostrils flared. She responded with a throaty laugh, “Oh, I think I will.”

Erin glanced over at the dollar item shelf nearby and saw Kenna motioning for her to come over. She walked over to the pharmacy clerk and the blond girl pulled her around the corner.

“What’s going on over there?” Kenna asked curiously.

“Beats me, but it is definitely weird.” said Erin.

The girls blinked then repositioned themselves so that they could look around the end of the shelf. They bore witness to

Scott backing away from Ashton a little while the store manager leaned forward to invade his personal space.

Their heads tilted slightly in perfect synchronization. Both of them acquired an expression of wide-eyed surprise when Ashton started to sniff at him.

Scott laughed nervously then raised his hands as though he intended to fend her off. However, to the surprise of everyone but the culprit, Ashton reached up and took his hands in hers.

“Come on, Scott. Let’s get you on the clock. I have need of your services.” said Ashton, before she pulled on him with greater strength than her frame should allow.

He looked around wild-eyed for a moment as she dragged him off. What exactly had he gotten himself into?

Kenna and Erin blinked in unison then turned their heads to look at each other. Still in perfect synch they both said, “Did I just see that?” followed by a strange mutual sigh and another perfectly synchronized statement, “I just saw that...”

“Hey, Kenna. What are you doing here anyway?” asked Erin.

The pharmacy clerk laughed a little then shook her head. “Oh, no reason. I’m just on lunch.”

Erin smirked lightly. “Right, it had nothing to do with Scott coming in to work today.”

Kenna flashed her engagement ring at Erin then snorted. “No, that’s not the reason. I’m just taking lunch.”

“He didn’t even bring you a sandwich, huh?” asked Erin. Her smirk shifted into a knowing grin when Kenna winced.

Kenna frowned at her then sighed. “No he didn’t.”

While the engaged girl continued to lament her lack of a free lunch, Scott was currently in a decidedly more interesting situation.

Ashton wiggled her posterior slightly while she reached under her desk to get the pen that she had dropped. After a while she sighed gently then pulled her arm back and looked up at Scott hopefully. “I can’t reach it, can you help me?”

“Sure...” said Scott.

Ashton moved to the side a little then looked at him expectantly. Scott knelt down and noted that she was far too close to him and the button-down top that she wore no longer buttoned all the way to the top.

He spared a quick glance at the heavenly valley that was presented. It would be rude not to look, right?

Scott felt a little uncomfortable in the position, but she really wanted her pen back and he was on the clock. He had no issue with staring at boss cleavage while being paid to do it, though he did wonder at her motivation for acting like this.

As he leaned forward a strange scent caught his attention. He blinked twice then struggle not to look at her again. A quick glance might be considered polite, but openly staring would be rude.

Scott leaned down then stretched his hand under the desk. He could not quite reach the pen so he was forced to lean down further. Eventually, he had his head on the floor but his butt was up in the air like Ashton’s had been earlier. He could feel the pen, but he could not quite reach it yet.

Suddenly he heard a loud sniffing noise and felt pressure against the crack of his ass. His eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, he pulled back then looked toward the origin of the strange sensation. He witnessed Ashton making a concerted effort to continue to nuzzle her nose into a place that no sane person would nuzzle with their nose.

Scott casually said, “Are you digging for gold in an oil well?”

Ashton made a strange*yip* noise then pulled her head back and stared at him with a mortified expression. “Did I really just...?”

“Yep.” said Scott.

She leaned back and sat on her heels. “I’m sorry... I...” she began to say. However, that wonderful scent began to influence her once more. She began to pant a little then swallowed hard. She glanced down at Scott’s manly posterior then shook her head to try and clear her senses.

He sat up then turned toward her. He started to ask her what was wrong, but the scent of her strange perfume entered his awareness once more. It was a tantalizing aroma that made him start to feel strange. There was also another subtle scent underneath it that he began to notice that smelled vaguely like a puppy.

Ashton looked at Scott and her lips parted. Her eyes narrowed gently and her breathing began to come in short pants. “S-sorry...”

Her eyes widened once more when she felt her body begin to change. “No, no.... not now!”

She reached for the top of her head, but it was too late. Cute little triangular ears had already risen up and fluffy tail had hopped out of the back of her pants.

“No-ooo.” she wailed loudly then wrapped her arms tightly around her body and looked away.

Scott was a bit surprised by her sudden change to say the least, but he quickly moved past it. He had a certain secret of his own anyway, and after spending time dealing with rapid body changes he was not as shocked by her transformation as someone else might be.

He reached out and placed a hand to her shoulder. “You alright, Ashton?”

She blinked softly then turned to look at him with a wide-eyed expression of surprise. “Huh?”

Scott squeezed her shoulder gently. “You seem upset, so I figured I’d ask.”

“You’re not... You’re not freaking out at all about me?” she asked. How could he not be freaking out right now? She had a tail and fox ears!

“Should I be?” he asked gently.

Her eyes began to shimmer softly then she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. Scott knelt on the floor for a while as the fox girl held him tight and cried gently. Somehow, he had asked the exact right question.

Scott blinked when he felt something soft and wet begin to caress the side of his neck. Ashton whimpered cutely then gently licked him once more before she pressed her nose against his ear before she made a soft little whine.

He found his hand rising up of its own will. He placed it gently on the back of her head then lightly caressed her there. She whimpered once more and he slowly began to stroke her hair.

Her tail shifted from side to side for a moment before she released a soft sigh and snuggled into him. She had finally found the thing she had wanted for days, a place to feel safe and warm again, someone who she could trust.

Scott continued to softly stroke her hair but his eyes darted to the left and then back to the right before they settled into a position that allowed him to gaze straight ahead. How did he get himself into situations like this?