The mention of Lawson caused her upper lip to curl into a snarl.  Chryseum didn’t like the woman, didn’t trust her one bit.  The petite golden-eyed woman was extremely protective of her other half and would go to great lengths to ensure his safety and security even if her actions affected her own safety and security.<br/><br/>Still, she had to smile when he warned her against his stink.  He did stink but not in a foul way.  Neb just smelled like someone who had been sweating.  It was a scent Chrys liked.  It was a scent of which she wanted more.  She felt rather than saw his attention shift to the table.  Figuring out his thoughts wasn’t hard at all, not when they had been together for so long.  Plus, there was that one morning when the cafeteria had been deserted that they used the tables like their own personal playground.<br/><br/>Her cheeks grew warm as he nuzzled against her, her eyes closing slowly.  She could feel him inhaling against her skin and it sent a wave of goosebumps down her arms.  It was soothing to her soul.  Her left hand left his forearm to drop to his thigh, resting about midway as the fingers curled to squeeze the muscle.  The feel of his lips on the side of her neck caused her head to duck as she tried to use her cheek to nudge him upwards so their lips could meet.  Successful in what she wanted, Chrys dragged her lips across his cheek to find his mouth, letting their lips just barely touch.  She wanted him; she knew he’d be able to smell her desire.<br/><br/>Just as she was about to push her tray away and pull Nebula to his feet to yank him back to his room, a man dressed in camouflage pants and an olive green t-shirt walked by the table, pounding on it twice with a closed fist.  There were two similarly dressed men on either side of him.  Those two were younger than the man in the front who appeared to be in his early thirties.  “Fucking freaks,” growled the threesome’s leader as he slammed an open hand down on the table hard enough to make the trays jump, the plates jumping and clattering.  “Goddamn science experiments and they want us to trust you.”  His eyes narrowed in utter disdain as he glowered at the young couple.  “We’d be doing the world a favor if we just put you down like the dogs you are.”<br/><br/>Whatever mood had been building between Chryseum and Nebula disappeared into thin air.  The female half of the pair rested her forehead against her partner’s cheek as her anger began to spike.  She knew Neb would be able to sense the rage building inside her.  Out of the two of them, she was quicker to anger, quicker to use her fists, quicker to end an attack before it grew out of control.  Chrys took a deep breath before turning her head slowly to glare at the men.  Her upper lip curled into a snarl that showed her teeth as a low warning growl rumbled in the back of her throat.  If he wanted to call her a dog then she would show him her lupine side.<br/><br/>She peeled herself away from her man and got to her feet soon.  The tension in the air was palpable and felt as it could be cut with a knife.  The powder keg only needed one small spark to explode.