Page 15 of Testing the Kot'oll Officer

Maybe deep down, I've never thought of Julie as someone who may be planning to hurt me, so my subconscious didn't feel the need to remain alert. As I dress, my mind keeps drifting back to her sleeping form, how peaceful she looked curled against me. How right it felt.

Focus, Vatok. You have a job to do.

I'm about to head out when I pause and look at the envelope again. Maybe I should leave her my number, just in case she needs her "mate" to bail her out. However, I doubt I can do much when I am at work. I scribble my number regardless.

She's still quiet in her room, which may or may not be good news.

I stand at her door, my hand on the knob, torn between leaving quietly and checking on her one last time. Professional instincts tell me to go, but something else, something more personal, makes me hesitate.

Finally, I crack the door open just enough to peek inside. The morning light filters through her curtains, casting a soft glow on her sleeping form. Her hair is spread across the pillow, and her breathing is deep and peaceful. For a moment, I allow myself to imagine what it would be like to wake up to this sight every morning, not as part of some pretense, but as her real mate.

The thought catches me off guard. Why have I started thinking like this?

I shake my head and close the door softly. Those aren't appropriate thoughts. She asked for help from me, not to be my mate. I was the one who showed up and was handy for her to get away from the creeper.

Speaking of which, if I run into that annoying creeper again, I'll beat him up. I can grab the tentacles with one hand, and punchhis gut with the other, all while I twist both of his hands with my remaining two hands.

But I'm a police officer and shouldn't do that, even when my shift is over, that's not how the rules go in the city.

I shake my head as if that'll help clear my mind. It's time to go if I don't want to end up late.

The morning air is crisp as I step outside Julie's apartment building. The city is just beginning to wake up, with various species starting their daily commutes. I check my location - I'm about fifteen minutes further from the station than usual. Nothing too bad, but I'll need to drive faster.

As I drive to work, my mind keeps wandering back to last night. The way she felt in my arms, her scent, her laugh...

I almost bump into another spaceship when it stops for a signal, which my driving panel screams at me and the auto system halts the spaceship on my behalf.

I groan and shake my head. This isn't like me at all. I'm usually hyper-aware of my surroundings and I've never driven like this.

It must be Julie's fault, her bad driving skill is getting to me.

Speaking of which, since I drove her back, or say, she drove my spaceship back to her place, and I'm driving it away, she'll be left with nothing to drive to places... I shrug. There's a high chance she can summon hers back to her apartment anyway. She maynot have the best parking skills, but she should be good enough for the basic operations.

At the station, I change into my uniform, carefully adjusting each sleeve over my four arms. The silver fabric feels cool against my skin, helping to ground me back in reality. Officer Vatok, traffic department. That's who I need to be right now.

"You're looking different today," Zrek, a fellow team member comments as he passes by my locker. His antennae twitch with curiosity. "Something happened?"

"Just a long night." I try to keep my voice neutral. The last thing I need is workplace gossip.

"Must have been some night. You're actually smiling."

Am I? I quickly school my features back to their usual professional expression. "Just focused on today's patrol route."

But as I head out to my assigned sector, Julie's words from last night echo in my head: "My mate." Even though it was part of our pretense, something about how she said it felt... real.

I shake my head again. I have tickets to write and traffic to direct. This isn't the time for daydreaming about a human bartender who's only pretending to be interested in me.

Right?

The morning drags on as I settle into my usual routine. Monitor traffic flow, note violations, and maintain order. Tasks usually require my full attention, but today my mind keeps drifting.

I'm in my patrol vehicle, parked strategically at an intersection known for speeders when a flashy sports model zooms past. The scanner shows it's going well above the limit. I activate my lights and pursue, but my thoughts are elsewhere. Would Julie like this kind of high-speed chase? Would she laugh at how serious I get about traffic violations?

I shake my head. Focus.

The speeder pulls over without incident. As I approach the vehicle, in it is a Zylaxian, their crystalline form shimmering in the morning light.

"License and registration," I say, my voice carrying the authority that comes naturally after years on the job.

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