Hei Long raised an eyebrow, leaning just slightly closer:
"What was that?"
Bai Luoluo glared at him out of the corner of her eye:
"I said thank you, alright?! Don't make me say it twice, jerk."
Hei Long grinned a little, not smugly, but softly:
"You're welcome."
The Shadowstripe Fox yipped softly and curled around her feet, already forming a bond.
Mu Qianxue looked incredibly pleased:
"Now that's what I like to see. Good job, both of you."
As Bai Luoluo left the ring, cradling the fox in her arms, she refused to meet Hei Long's gaze again.
But the little smile tugging at her lips was unmistakable.
Mu Qianxue clapped her hands together as she leaned on a rock:
"Alright, little ones. Now that you've all bonded with your beasts—or whatever counts for that in some of your cases"—
Mu Qianxue glanced briefly at Lin Fan:
"It's time to move to Stage Two: combat synergy."
Mu Qianxue explained:
