Mimi left the SFPA counter feeling like she was in a trance, the tigress unable to process what had just happened. She was elated, almost wondering if this was some sort of divine intervention, just moments ago she had been fearful that her career as a space going researcher might be over. But it also scared her a little, fearful this was simply some cruel twist of fate and the 'other shoe' was about to drop at any moment. This felt too easy not to be illegal somehow, and it was hard to trust pure luck while out in the black. Luck, good luck at least, was something experienced space hands learned never to rely on. If you were counting on 'good luck' to survive in the black, you were never going to make it. Yet none was stopping Mimi as she headed towards the door, her heart was racing and her body feeling hot, primed for a flight or fight never instinct she started speed walking towards the exit. She was moving so quickly she almost bounced off one of the sliding glass doors when they didn't open wide enough, quickly enough.
Once the couple had made it to the street, she began walking even faster. Mimi didn't seem to care about her rudeness as she pushed her way through the crowd, which was thicker than ever as the day began winding down and folks started heading home. At the end of the street she turned left rather than right, away from the spaceport, even though their ship was where they needed to go next. Despite heading off with a full head of steam like a woman on a mission, Mimi wasn't entirely sure where she was going. She took another left at the next intersection, leading them even farther away from their destination. She then took another right and then another left, while her confused boyfriend curiously followed her.
"Mimi, why are we running?" Damien finally asked when they were about a mile from the SFPA.
Mimi didn't know the answer to his question. She just knew she was full of energy and a need to do... something. It didn't even have to be productive, she had to keep her feet moving. So, instead of answering his question, she came to a sudden stop and whirled around, planting a big kiss on her boyfriend's lips.
She had taken Damien by surprise, wasn't she still angry with him? His eyes grew large and round with shock while he stupidly stood there as if he didn't know how to kiss a girl. Yet, one of Damien's best qualities was his ability to just go with a flow. After only a brief moment of confusion he responded in kind and soon the couple engaged in a full blown make out session right on the street. Their lips mashed together, tongues dancing in each other's mouths, enveloped in each other's arms. Mimi even started running her paws up and down the folf's muscular back. The way she always did when she was feeling needy. It was how most of their sex started and Damien was starting to get a little flustered, usually neither he nor Mimi wasn't for these big displays of public affection.
They continued kissing until an APD patrol car followed by two ambulances and a fire truck went whizzing by. They watched the fleet of emergency vehicles race by, heading towards the street they would have walked down had Mimi taken the more direct route to the spaceport. Normally, Mimi and Damien might discuss where they had been going or why they were heading there, but presently they were too caught up in each other to concern themselves with that. "I guess we need to renew the ship's tags more often!" Damien laughed.
Mimi also laughed, joining the folf's mirth, but she wiggled free of Damien's arms before he could kiss her again. It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss him, she was just worried they'd start making love right on the spot if she didn't stop him! But the good feelings lingered, her frustrations with him having disappeared in the face of their good fortune. Biting her lower lip, the tigress looked around, only now realizing they were standing right in front of the main gate to Washington Park: the pride of Armstrong. The iron wrought fence stood tall and proud above their heads, back lit by the slowly setting sun.
"Come on, we've got some time... let's do a little sightseeing." It was an innocent sounding proposition, but Damien could tell by the tone in her voice and scent in the air that Mimi wasn't going to be settling for some sightseeing like a common tourist: she had some other ideas in mind. His heart began to race, and he wondered if he dared to hope what those plans might be?
Washington Park was one of Armstrong's most famous attractions, stretching out like a great green blanket in the middle of the city, a fusion of nature and urban. Of course the park, being the pride of the city, was filled with manicured lawns and meticulously pruned bushes. Ornate statues stood beside grand fountains to showcase the wealth and power of Armstrong, and a massive public golf course stood in the center of it all. However, Mimi most appreciated the park for its softer side. Playgrounds where families could enjoy a peaceful afternoon out in nature, small duck ponds where you could watch birds come in for a drink or simply to rest their wings. Some parts had even been left wild, filled with tall, untamed trees that had been untouched for hundreds of years and stretched into the sky almost as tall as the skyscrapers that filled the city. Washington Park was the only spot in the entire planet she could think of that made her question her lifelong commitment to the black. Often, when stuck on planet for any period of time, she'd make a point to come here; reminiscing over pleasant memories of better times while trying to make new ones.
Today, Mimi wasn't there to feed the ducks or relive her childhood by jumping in the nearby swing set. Instead, she took her boyfriend firmly by the hand and guided him past happy families playing on the playground, young couples on their first date, and starstruck tourists that stared with open mouths up at the sky. It seemed it was only with a degree of separation from the city could you understand how large it was. The white tigress headed up the trail as the crowd of people around them slowly thinned out, under the cover of the tall, grand trees that had once covered the entire planet. She kept hopefully checking over her shoulder and once she was confident they were alone turned to face her boyfriend. Damien stared at her, his eyes wide open in curiosity and hope. She winked, shot him a flirty smile, and then placed both of her paws against his chest and shoved him through a tall, wild looking hedge. He yelped, tumbling backwards, landing painfully ass first and missing a mud puddle by just inches.
"Easy!" Damien protested loudly, indignantly pointing towards the mud puddle that he had fallen in. Spacesuits were expensive! It wasn't the type of thing you wanted to drag through the mud like a common soccer uniform. Mimi was unconcerned with his objections, however. She stepped through the hedge, joining him in what was about to come to their not so private love nest, wearing an almost predatory smile.
"What we're about to do is very illegal." The tigress spoke authoritatively, despite her voice never rising above a whisper. "So unless you're looking to get arrested, I suggest you shut up."
Damien opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but remained quiet. He wondered, as he often did, how Mimi could so easily control him. How she could be so stern, so blunt yet sound so loving and caring. Finally, the folf simply nodded his head in stunned agreement.
"Good boy." Mimi said with a smile on her face. "Now get that space suit off!"
