much, so she wasn't able to buy new furniture, but thankfully, Madame Valerius had lent her some of her father's old furniture from their old apartment and house in Perros, so she was fine in that department. Other than that, she had a small bathroom, a bedroom with a regular sized bed, a dining table and 3 couches, a small fireplace, and a window with a good view of the Canine in the distance.

   She was sitting on her couch, her hind paws stretched out, her front paws holding a libretto for the opera Faust. Since she was only Carlotta's understudy for the Gala that one night, Monsieur Belmont saw that Jenna had talent, and asked her to audition. Despite her audition, which showed that she could easily take the role of Marguerite, the main female role, the acting-manager decided that it would be best to give Jenna a smaller role, so as to not anger La Carlotta, who he had received a message from, telling him that she would be back in a few days.

   The part she was casted as was Siebel, the male friend and companion to the soldiers Valentin (the brother of Marguerite) and Wagner. Siebel was said to be secretly in love with Marguerite, and the thought of falling in love with La Carlotta made Jenna shiver.

   Well, it's just a part, it's not real, she thought, reassuring herself. She knew the poodle diva had quite the reputation at the Canine, and she had sewn her some of her costumes, but of course, it was clear that La Carlotta didn't exactly like her, especially when she had snapped at the husky for not making her dress 'poofy' enough.

   Despite the two not really getting along, Jenna knew for a fact that the poodle had a magnificent voice, there was no doubt about that. She was also one of the reasons why she refused to sing in the chorus was when she would obviously outshined by the poodle.

   Maybe now she might see me as an equal singer, Jenna thought, the idea of the poodle seeing her as not as a costume girl, but as a true singer, just like her. She had been recognized by a few of the staff members, who showed their gratitude for the husky that day by complimenting her, so maybe Carlotta would too. It was an idea, but it might not come true. Some of the employees also teased her by saying La Carlotta was going to declare war on her, being told to "watch out" for her. Besides, she knew the poodle; she could tell that shots were fired the moment that she performed at the Gala, so she expected that the poodle would definitely be upset from being replaced.

   At that moment, as she reading over Siebel's part in Act 2, she heard a knock at her door. She raised a brow, and looked over at the small clock atop the fireplace; it read 7:30 PM.

   Who could that be? She thought, putting the libretto down and hopping off the couch, I'm not expecting anyone, am I? She walked over to the door, and when she peeped through the tiny peep-hole, she sighed, as she knew exactly who it was: The figure of malamute holding yet another bouquet of flowers.

   I'm supposed to go out with him tonight, she thought, remembering what Steele had said to her that night. She felt that it wasn't such a great idea to have them go out only after one day of meeting each other for the first time. It was all happening too fast, and she wasn't sure if "he" would approve.

   It's just one night, Jenna, she thought, taking a deep breath, you can get through this. Besides, you're going out with the famous Steele de Chagny, so I'm sure it won't be too bad. With that in mind, she straightened some of her fur on her face and fore head with her paw, and opened the door.

   "Jenna, it's good to see you again." The malamute greeted the husky, as she placed the bouquet on the floor.

   "Thank you, Steele…again." She said, smiling nervously. She took the flowers and placed them on a vase.

   "So, are you ready for our date?" Steele asked, grinning, displaying pearly white canines

   "Could you give me a second?" The husky asked, as she was closing the door.

   "Of course," Steele replied, "Take as long as you need, baby."

   Baby? Jenna thought. What a curious thing to say. She closed the door, and dashed off to her bedroom to prepare herself.

   During that time, Stephen fixed his bow-tie a bit, checking himself if everything was OK. He hadn't gone out with a female before, on an actual date. Most of the dogs he went out with would usually leave him before the date even ended. He wasn't sure why they acted that way, but it was clear that Steele was definitely not cut out for such "lovey dovey" talk and emotions. He hoped he wouldn't screw this up.

   Deep breaths, Steph-I mean, Steele, He thought, this is your childhood friend.. I'm sure we'll get along just fine, just like we used to…He then gulped, I hope.

   As soon as she left, Jenna was back, with her fur combed, and her bandana round her neck.

  "I'm ready," She said, as the malamute moved out of the way for her to close her front door and lock it. "So, where to first?" She asked, as they walked next to each other down the hall, though they weren't walking too close to each other like lovers, instead it was more like companions, with them being about a 2 foot apart from each other

   "How about Il Muto?" Steele offered. Jenna knew that Il Muto was one of the most prestigious Italian restaurants in all of Paris. She wasn't sure if Steele was trying to impress her with taking her to such an expensive eatery, but she replied with a nod and a smile.

   "I was thinking of taking a little ride down the park afterwards." Steele said, as the two finally made their way out the complex, with Steele's carriage waiting outside.

   "Ah, who's the lady, Monsieur Vicomte?" The driver asked the malamute, chuckling slightly.

   "She's a..." Steele was about to say "friend" but stopped himself. He wasn't sure if this was the right time for him to ask her if she remembered their childhood friendship. It wouldn't exactly be appropriate.

   "Never mind," He answered, opening the carriage door for the husky, who got in, followed by the malamute, who ordered the driver to take them to Il Muto.

   As the date when by, Steele was slowly starting to wonder if Jenna was actually enjoying herself. He tried his very best to act like a gentlemen, pulling up a seat for the husky, and trying to converse with her, but it seemed like she wasn't too interested in him, and was mostly quiet throughout their dinner. He thought that perhaps this date wouldn't turn out like he wanted it to be. He suspected that maybe he was trying to hard to impress her, but this was the only way he could woo her quick enough.

   Just ask her, the malamute thought as the couple left the restaurant and sat back in the carriage. Don't act like an idiot, and just ask her.

   "Where to next, Monsieur Vicomte?" The driver asked.

   "The park, Monsieur," He replied, and with a flick of the drivers whip, the horses carried them towards their destination.

   As they made their way down the road, Steele turned to look at the husky, who was peering outside the carriage window, watching the buildings and lights and other dogs go by. Steele knew she was getting distracted, and he had to find someway to break this awkward silence between them.

   "So, are you enjoying yourself, Jen?" He asked, grinning.

   "Yes, I'm having a wonderful time," She replied, as she turned her head towards him, "Thank you, Steele."

   "You haven't really said much throughout our date. Is everything alright?"

   The husky looked at the floor of carriage, "Yes, I'm fine, I just…" She sighed, "Oh, I don't know."

   "What?" He asked, curious as to what was on her mind.

   "I'm just glad that I've finally managed to sing again, Steele. I didn't expect it to happen this fast, but thankfully, I have a wonderful teacher."

   "Who is this teacher?" Steele inquired.

   "Oh, well he's…," She shook her head, "oh, it's silly."

   "No, tell me. Who is he?"

   "I'd rather not. He permits me to not reveal who he is. Mind if we talk about something else?"

   "Um, OK, uh…" Steele wasn't too sure as what to say next. God, he thought, I'm terrible at small talk.

   "Um, uh," He stammered, as the husky next to him was waiting for a response, "You…you have beautiful eyes." He grinned, his eyes darting left and right, giving a nervous chuckle.

   "Oh, um, thank you Steele." She smiled awkwardly.

   "He, nailed it," Steele whispered to himself triumphantly.

   "What?" Jenna asked suddenly.

  "Oh, um, nothing, nothing, just thinking out loud." Steele responded, awkwardly smiling again. And just like that, the pair of huskies fell silent again; at they looked out the windows instead of at each other.

   This is the