You don't get to choose who comes through the door while you're on duty. Tried to do a lot of build-up in this one.
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Hazel's doom walks through the door, hips lightly swaying from side to side. Long, graceful legs carry a feline woman towards the desk. Blonde, statuesque, and covered in cream-colored fur bordering on white. She's like an angel, but for Hazel, she looks more like the angel of death at the moment. Her nostrils quiver simply upon seeing the new entry, and she tries not to think about what the hair and dander will be doing to her soon. It's bad enough putting up with the bouquet on the counter.
Getting hired into a desk job is already a bit demeaning for a dragoness. Topping eight foot tall, Hazel is a proud example of a ruby-red fire-breathing terror. Often angry, highly powerful, and preferring to always be on the top of every situation. Her allergies are one of the few things that can actually undercut her, and she keeps them firmly under control by use of medication and any alternatives she can find. Sadly, none are in reach.
So it is that the scaled, curvy beast with slitted eyes and a menacing visage is approached by the pampered feline. Her keen predatory senses quickly detect the presence of the newcomer. The smell is a familiar one, and Hazel knows well that the scent is followed shortly by other sensations in her nostrils. If she hurries, perhaps she can route this visitor to the proper floor before things get out of hand...
"Hello, how can I help you?" Her deep voice is out of place being polite, but that's what fits the bill.
"I'm looking for John McLellan?" Hazel inwardly frowns, not immediately knowing the name. At least it starts with an 'M', and she quickly flips through the file on her desk to the letter. Her nostrils flare up, and she covers the end of her snout with one hand, trying to be discreet about the motion and make it look thoughtful instead of protective.
Despite the attempt, it's impossible to stop air from getting between her fingers. The yellow-eyed woman attentively keeps her eyes fixed on the red scaled woman flipping through the Rolodex. While it's easy to notice a twitch of the dragon's nares, she doesn't pay it any mind. Hazel moves her hand, trying to relieve the slight tingle starting up in her snout before it gets too far. She's in the right section, but she doesn't see 'McLellan' along the 'Mc's. "Could you spell that for me?"
"M, C, L, E, L, L, A, N." replies the cat, who stands in place, tail languidly swaying behind her. Hazel knows the movement is stirring the air while adding ever more dander to the mix. It would be in her best interest not to get this feline excited or upset... She snuffs and rubs her palm against the end of her snout. The itch is getting deeper, and it's distracting her from the search. She passed the 'Le'... And going back, she doesn't see the name.
The dragoness is starting to get flustered for more than one reason. At least the kitty seems patient and is easy on the eyes, because she's certainly not easy on the nose. Hazel rubs her snout into her hand again, and feels her nostrils widen up behind them, an itch sparking to life inside her. Her hand wanders away from her face as her eyes flutter slightly, jaw opening slightly. "Hh..aah..." No, gotta fight it... Her eyes lid halfway, and she flaps her hand, trying to get fresh air to blow past her nose. "Hhh.."
A light and dismissive shaking of her head force the tingling to recede momentarily, only to flare back to life. Hazel's mouth drops open, and she inhales deeply, squeezing her eyes shut and lifting her head. "Aahhh.. hhh..." "Are you alright?" The dragoness snaps her mouth shut. "I'm fine. I just..." Her eyes flutter and she gasps, mouth opening for air as her head bobs upwards.
The dragon woman snorts, trying to clear her nostrils of cat dander. She's successful, initially. "Nothing, nevermind. I thought..." That she might have to sneeze, but she closes her mouth before she finishes that sentence, and rubs her snout into her palm. "I can't find John. Do you have any other information about him? Do you know what floor he works on?"
"He's on the thirteenth floor, I think." "Alright, I'll dial their reception. Please wait a moment." The red-scaled clerk picks up the phone as she twitches her nostrils back and forth as if trying to dodge the cat hair floating about. She can see a few strands in the air, which is making the job of forgetting the feline is there impossible.
Keeping herself busy while the phone is being dialed, the feline leans down, prompting the dragoness to glance up, taking what eyeful of cleavage she can while it lasts. A minor solace in a world of torture. "Hey, what kind of flowers are these?" Her pink nose is held steady just above the blossoms in the vase. Steady, except for a flare as she inhales, and a twitch to one side... then a twitch to the other. Hazel feels heat begin to rush into her cheeks. Please, could you STOP reminding her how badly she needs to sneeze?
It's made all the worse as the cat pulls back, eyes fluttering, expressing changing a desperate, gaspy breakdown of resistance. "Nya...ah...AAAAh...AHHHHCHHOOOOOO!" A blustery sneeze bursts from the feline, who covers her mouth a moment too late, only after she's sneezed onto the bouquet. A few petals go flying, but the more important effect is the nearly invisible burst of pollen blown off the blossoms.
Pollen, while she would never admit to the fact, also happens to be one of Hazel's allergens. She bucks her head back in surprise, one of the petals coming to rest on the end of her snout. Her mouth cracks open as a breath is pulled in against her will, slipping between her jagged teeth as her chest nudges out ever so slightly. The dragoness shakes her head, throwing the flower piece aside and trying to regain her composure. She forces her teeth together, opening her eyes to see the cat rubbing her nose... which makes her own nostrils remember how much they tickle and tingle, causing her breath to hitch and her mouth to open again. "HAAah..."
"HAAAHh..HAAAAHHHhh..." Hazel scrunches up the end of her snout, trying to forcing her nostrils closed and the itch out of her system. "HAAAHHHh...AAAAAHHH..." Her eyes close again, and she starts shaking her head back and forth, which doesn't seem to help. She clenches her teeth, but each breath breaks her mouth open no matter how tightly she does so. "AAAAAAAAAHH....AAAAAAAAAHHHhhhh..."
She shakes her head, trying to get herself under control. In her intense effort, the dragoness realizes her fingernails have dug into the desk. Snout twitching, she lowers her head with a wary sigh as the itch starts to fade away. Her eyes open to the dreaded sight of a bouquet and a cat, then dart to the Rolodex. She needs to get this kitty out of here. The feline is looking all too amused by now, having gone so far as to grin at the dragon's plight. "Do you need to sneeze?" Hazel's nostrils fidget at only the reminder of the idea, making her next breath a shaky one. "N-hh-no, be q-quiehh... ehh... quiet." she snaps back in a decidedly impolite and breathy manner.
She tugs her fingers out of the counter and flips through the directory, finding no sign of the requested name. Could it be a cruel prank? A spelling error? It gets harder and harder to look as Hazel's eyes slowly fall shut, the volume of her breath rising. "HHh... Hhhh... hhHHHhh..... HAAah... HAAAAHhh..." She doesn't see 'McLellan' anywhere, but she's fairly certain she sees cat hairs on the end of her snout. Her head lifts dramatically with a loud "HAAAAAAAAAHHHHhhhh...!" and she freezes, mouth wide open as she tries to pacify her nostrils with the air closer to the ceiling. In reality, she knows hair and dander will just be falling deeper into her nose, but she can fight it off for a moment... Slowly, the dragoness lowers her head, trying not to look at the grinning feline, who wisely and warily steps out of the way.
The dragoness flips upwards, realizing how an error could exist. 'McLeelan, John'... right there. "AHhhh... hh... HHHhh.... Hhhhe's on..." Hazel rubs her hand against her snout again, snorting to try and get the pollen and dander away from her. She turns to face the front again and tries to get a word in, but her breath won't cooperate anymore. The cat gets an astonishing view of her teeth as her mouth opens wide, a long, shaky breath making the bouquet shake in place with the force of wind. "HHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHhhhhhhhh..." No, no... Hazel lowers her gaze, slowly closing her mouth and gritting her teeth. "He's on fluhh... fluhh..."
The feline staring at her, waiting for a response is waving her tail with either anxiety or anticipation, unknowingly filling the air with more of Hazel's worst allergen. The dragoness blinks and tries to catch her breath... "FFluhh...hH..HHUHHhh... HUHHHHh..." A useless effort. It's coming out now, and she can't hold it back any longer. Her nails dig into the desk again as she braces. "HHHUHHHH... HHHAAAAAAAHHHHHh..." Her nostrils flare out, trying to catch any sort of fresh air to relieve herself, but only feline hairs and the subtle scent of flowers are there to greet her. "HHHHHAAAAAAAAAHHHHHh... HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHhhh..." Her chest stretches out her shirt as she inhales to full capacity, mouth hanging open. "HAAAH...HAAAHHH...!!"
"HHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH HHHHHHHCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Nobody sneezes like a dragoness. Hazel buckles forwards in her seat, a bright explosion of fire bursting out of her mouth as the tickling, tingling sensation in her snout finally gets the better of her. Not only is the floor scorched all the way to the door, but part of the desk is blown to ashes, along with a fair degree of the top quarter of her clothing.
The dragoness opens her eyes, which have to refocus on the situation in front of her. No more flowers, at least... only a vase with charred stems sticking out of it. The feline seems elated to the point of giggling, swishing her tail back and forth with unbridled amusement. Hazel doesn't give her the satisfaction of any response, turning to the Rolodex again and then back to her. "He's on fluhhh..." The itch is back. Hazel goes wide-eyed with shock as she starts to lose control for the second time. "FFLUHHhhh...floor fffuhh.." Her eyes flutter, her breath hitches wildly... "HHUUHHh... HHUUHHH... HHUUUUHHHHH...!!"
"HHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The desk is ruined, a large hole blown through the front of it. Fire still lingers, eating away at what remains. Hazel's top has become decidedly V-cut in the front, showing a fair share of the top of her chest. Lifting her snout into the air, she makes an uncharacteristically desparate-sounding sniff, sighing in relief when she finds the air is clear of irritants. The cat waiting for directions appears thrilled to have withnessed such an event, if vaguely anxious about it happening again. The smile on her face betrays the nervous excitement, earning an annoyed snort from the dragoness. "Floor four."
Hazel examines the damage that's been done as the feline leaves, briefly glancing after the furred woman and watching her go. Her eyes come back to the desk, or what remains. The front piece is completely gone now, leaving just two sides that kept enough of their legs to stay standing. A broken vase is scattered amongst ashes, and scorch marks lead towards the door. There's no second-guessing that a dragon did this. She examines herself and her newly low-cut shirt, which looks more like the top to a dress, showing a fair amount of her healthy bust. A brief smirk comes to her face as well. She rather likes the new look of this place, at least.
