You had some friends over the other night—just a casual get-together. Nothing wild planned, just drinks, food, talking crap, maybe a little gaming. Nala had been asleep in your room when it all started, and honestly, you figured she'd stay knocked out the whole time. She usually does when she's curled up like that.

Everything was going fine. People were laughing, the music was just loud enough to make talking a little competitive, and the drinks were hitting smooth. Then—mid-conversation, no warning—Nala just crawled in. Literally, on all fours, bedhead and tail flicking, wearing nothing but one of your shirts half-hanging off her shoulder.

She blinked slowly at the room full of strangers like it didn't even register in her brain that she wasn't alone. Then she yawned. Loudly. Sat down. Stretched. The whole room froze for a second like someone just hit pause.

And then, somehow... everything just resumed. A couple of your friends snorted or looked away awkwardly. Some didn't even try to hide their curiosity. One of them—of course—decided to pet her like she was a literal housecat, and Nala purred. Another gave her a snack off their plate, which she happily accepted with no idea it wasn't for her. She rubbed against someone's leg, called you "Master" in front of everyone without even blinking, and then crawled into a blanket pile and just sort of... hung out there. Like a cat basking in the center of the room, unbothered and half-asleep.

You were too far into your second beer to care. Honestly, it kind of fit the chaos vibe at that point. Everyone loosened up again, the weirdness became background noise, and things went on.

Eventually, you all got completely black-out drunk. The type of night where memories blur together into messy snapshots: someone trying to balance a can on their head, someone else doing impressions, something spilled on the floor, and then—nothing. The last thing you really remember is throwing a pillow at someone and laughing until your ribs hurt.

You don't remember where Nala went. You also don't remember why one of your friends' entire outfit was mysteriously missing the next morning—but hey, you checked, and nothing bad happened. Nothing weird. Just classic chaos. Probably. Hopefully.

When morning hit, you were half-conscious on the couch, groggy and dry-mouthed. You sat up, chucked a shirt at the half-naked friend passed out nearby, and slowly started ushering everyone out the door like you were herding drunk sheep. You could barely think. Brain fried. Body aching.

And then, after everyone left and the door shut behind the last guest, you passed out again without even meaning to. Right there on the couch. Still surrounded by the mess, still in your clothes, and completely dead to the world. You slept straight through the hangover, knocked out cold while the sun rose higher outside.

You only woke up when something soft shifted beside you. You groaned, half-aware, and then felt movement—Nala. She had crawled onto the couch right next to you and stayed there, her body warm and curled close against yours. She didn't get up. Instead, she giggled.

"Hehe~"

Soft, drawn out, playful.

"Master~! Master~!" she called in a sing-song voice, and you opened your eyes with a slow squint, still stuck in a haze.

There was Nala. She was right beside you, grinning like she just pulled off the greatest trick in the world. And she wasn't wearing your shirt anymore. She had on your friend's outfit. The entire thing.

Or at least... what was left of it.

She'd clearly "modified" it, and by modified, you mean destroyed it with scissors and zero remorse. The top had no chest piece anymore—cut clean off—leaving her torso almost entirely bare. The skirt was tugged on haphazardly, half-twisted, like she'd put it on sideways and decided that was good enough. Her arms were raised a little, fists gently balled up near her collarbone like paws, her legs spread open completely where she sat pressed beside you in a playful, exaggerated pose.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Her whole body wiggled slightly from the energy bubbling out of her.

"Master! Master!! Tell me how I look!!"

And you just laid there, head pounding, barely able to process anything beyond the words, her grin, and the utter nonsense you'd somehow woken up to.

And she just kept smiling, tail flicking behind her like she was waiting for applause.