[IC] St. Sappho Academy, Medieval Magic Academy (Invite Only)

[Pyromania99]

Lunalel Lightsword

Luna felt slightly relieved at Sorcha's reply but still just shook her head. "I don't think Ladies would have scars from mistakes in combat, Sorcha." She poked the dragon's forehead and giggled slightly. "If by 'taking my armor off' you are insinuating something. . . You'll have to try a different approach, 'Teasing Queen of Perversion'." It was a somewhat lame play on the dragon's beloved title, but hopefully it'd make Sorcha realize Luna was trying to be a bit more friendly and open.

Eith

"Hmmm, no pack as of no. . . So do what you want. Just help me if I need it, ok?" Eith said, confused on what she'd even really need a servant for. It was like a familiar, but probably a lot less restrictive. Not that Eith really knew what being a familiar meant. Just that Caras got one and that slightly irked the Shellagh. "So, I'll collect you when I need you?"

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Livia Fiore, Ritsa~

Ritsa snuggled against both the bear and Fia - the foreign kid seemed to at least enjoy the situation. After a few moments when Fia finally asked her to let go though, Ritsa did without hesitation. Hug achieved! All was right in the world. She stepped backwards, spinning around and holding the bear in her arms, squeezing it tightly. She had made a new friend, hadn't she? Mommy would be so proud! Such a pretty little friend she also had.

"A-ah!" For a second Ritsa looked surprised. She looked over at Fia, frowning suddenly as she contemplated something. She needed to give a gift here too, right? That's how these things worked, didn't it? But what could she give? She didn't have anything aside form her beautiful fins.

!!

Solution.

Holding the teddy bear in one arm, Ritsa reached behind her with the other. She grabbed one of the spiny fins on her tail and pulled. Surprisingly the thing popped off rather easily. Ritsa then shoved it into Fia's hands whether she wanted it or not. It was about the size of her palm, slightly wet but it was blue in color.

"For you. Hydra fin!" She grinned at Fia, as if that was an item that someone should be grateful to receive. Livia blinked at that. Fia may not entire understand what a Hydra fin could be used for - it was definitely not something someone could get their hands on every day.

"Hey, Rits-"

Before any of them could say anything though, a void caught Ritsa's attention. Oh, that was mommy! Ritsa spun around - and the sight made the kids eyes go wide.

~Gwynn, Livia, Ritsa~

Oh good, Maoin seemed at least fairly normal. Looked like she was taking care of herself. When Maoin grabbed her hand, it caused Gwynn to frown in uncertainty as she was tugged along. Not that she disliked it, but it was just...odd, after what happened, even if it only happened barely a handful of weeks ago. The fact that Moain seemed to at least wanted to keep things as they were was...well, reassuring to Gwynn at least. It made her feel better, anyways.

She did seem a bit angry though, which she could very well understand. At least she had found Ritsa.

"Hey, Rits-" Before she could finish the sentence, Maoin slammed her fist right into her face - and it definitely wasn't the same force that the kitten had previously been capable of. The blond reeled backwards, having not expected the act. She stumbled backwards, right onto her butt.

Before Gwynn could respond, there was the sound of a something hissing. Ritsa dropped the teddy bear that Fia had given her, and in an inhuman display of agility and athletics placed herself between Maoin and Gwynn - on all fours. Unlike before, the girls friendly demeanor was completely gone. Instead, it was replaced with sheer anger. The girls serpent like tail swished violently behind her, mono-colored white eyes glared up at Moain.

The most notable difference however, was the childs teeth. Her mouth was full of incredibly sharp, pointed teeth that made it almost impossible for her to close her mouth completely. It had the effect of turning her mouth into a ghoulish grin as she hissed at the kitten. She looked ready to pounce on Maoin, and from her body language she didn't look like she was going to simply aggressively hug the kitten.

"Ritsa, no!" Gwynn managed to get to her feet as she rubbed her nose. The young pirate reached out, hand grabbing Ritsa's tail as she yanked it backwards, causing the young Hydra to hiss slightly in surprise as she was now the one sitting on her rear. "Ritsa, it's fine...she's a friend and I totally deserved that." Ritsa tilted her head up to Gwynn, clear white eyes looking at her inquisitively before she blinked...and her eyes turned back to what they were normally and the girls teeth seemed to retract before she looked back over at Maoin.

"...Friend?"

"Yes. Maoin, Ritsa. Ritsa, Maoin." Gwynn sighed. "Maoin, Ritsa isn't mine, but I was asked to look after her by...a friend." Ritsa tilted her head as she looked at Maoin, seemingly trying to process this. "I...I guess we need to talk, then..." Gwynn rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Friend? but...hurt mommy."

"Try not to think about it too hard, Ritsa." Gwynn said, patting the kid on the head who proceeded to look at Maoin with a bit of confusion.

~Miren~

"E-erm, okay?" Miren wasn't too sure about this at all. No pack? Collect her when she was needed? She hadn't a clue as to what Eith was even talking about, as usual. With a small sigh, the rabbit reached up and stroked her ears gently. Ah dear, she was getting a small bit of a headache from this, wasn't she? Poor little bun-bunny, yep. "I-I'll be here or downstairs usually..."

~Sorcha~

"H-how rude! I am not a pervert, you prudish knight of infinite silliness!" She retorted with a small fake-offended scoff. "Scars, eh?" She commented quietly, in a bit more serious manner. "...you know I am currently scaleless, yes?" Sorcha continued. "Scars are nothing to be ashamed of, Luna...I'm never going to heal completely from being scaleless, you know. At least not some time anyways." She shook her head.

"But I suppose that wouldn't really convince you that I think you look fine the way you are, hm?" Sorcha laughed. "So...the festival. You don't have to wear a dress but I want you to wear something other than that armor...do you think you can manage that, at least? I'll dress up just for you too, you know!~"

~Fox~

"Hmm, I'll see what I can do, master." She said, hopping off the chair. "With your permission then, I'll go and see if I can find this Gwynn and observe her, hm? It would be best simply to see what exactly is going on with them. It would be absolutely silly to go in there and get found out because I don't have enough information."

[Roleplayer001]

The mage listened to the fox's logic. On one hand this was likely a partial ruse as the fox would likely go do something else. On the other hand, Selvina did understand the logic. After a few moments she seemed to make up her mind. "Alright - I'll give you two and a half hours out there before I summon you back." It wasn't so much out of distrust - it certainly was - but also in case something bad happened to the fox so she could be returned back into safe hands.

"... spend those last thirty minutes on yourself though ..." A small pouch of coins was tossed to the familiar. "If you finish early grab yourself something and get me some decent coffee. I need to catch up on my studies." Of course, the familiar likely had objectives of her own though. And since Lady Gwynn would likely be at dinner it would be a good time to see her personality.

Maoin looked in the same direction that Lady Gwynn had been just in time to hop backwards and start drawing her sword as some terrifying and hungry beast was about to eat her - the cat found herself grateful when her former mistress grabbed the tail and pulled it down 'elegantly'.

The kitten let out a sigh of relief as they were introduced to what was likely to be a fairly rough relationship ... and she honestly felt a little bad. Not about what Ritsa did but ... while Lady Gwynn had certainly deserved that hit and the initial rush of adrenaline was heavenly ... her tail and ears dropped just slightly as she saw the bruising on her old mistress' face. Yes, the noble had deserved it. But she just wasn't a violent person.

Maoin went up and collected the teddy bear in a few moments and brushed off the dirt as she walked, delivering it to Ritsa with a smile. "Sorry if I made you panic, Ritsa. Anyways, you dropped this." The kitten felt a little jealousy in herself as she watched the other girl being pet, but shook it off as she looked back towards the lady who summoned her.

"Lady Gwynn, I think it would be best to eat over our conversation. Perhaps we could eat somewhere decent or I could cook something ... and Ritsa could either come with us or spend time with her new friend? She'd probably be safe with the Headmistress. And she seems pretty strong as well." Of course the cat could understand if Lady Gwynn needed to watch the child, but Maoin would prefer a bit more privacy. She hadn't meant to offer to cook for the noble, but she hadn't done it in a long time and it would give they wouldn't have any interruptions.

Fia let out a breath of relief as the hug was finally released, then surprised as a 'hydra fin' was placed into her hands rather forcefully and the girl ran off. After blinking at it a few times she simply seemed confused. Truthfully though, she was simply glad the other girl wouldn't be bothering them anymore - she wasn't evil or anything, but Livia would feel some combination of annoyance and jealousy wash over the Crimosn haired girl. Finally she spoke. "... strange ..." For a second it seemed as if the phoenix wanted to elaborate, but as she looked down at the fin she simply nodded.

Well, at least her and Livia would be spending the rest of the day together, wouldn't they? Alone, hopefully. The crimson haired girl gave the headmistress a smile and she grabbed onto the older woman's hand. "... Livia ... you pick ...!" Despite her quiet voice, the girl's tone made obvious she would be happy for the Headmistress to pick whatever stall would be their next activity together.

[Pyromania99]

Lunalel Lightsword

"Something that's not a dress? I suppose I could manage that perhaps." Luna looked as if a thought came over her and then she nudged the dragon's shoulder a little more on the irritated side than not. "Why didn't you mention that before? That whole ill-fated conversation could have been skipped." Though she figured she knew the dragon just wanted to tease her some. "Well, regardless, I suppose we should look into it tomorrow. It's but senseless worry for the moment." Luna said. "What to do until it's time to turn in. I've barely had the time to do anything relaxing. I'm sure that goes for you as well."

Eith

"Understood. For now though. . ." Eith finished her food quickly and walked over to where she had been prior making just enough room so the bunny could join her on it. She patted it continuously as if saying, "Come join me." Her head began nodding as she continued. "For now. . . Bonding." It seemed innocent enough at least. The hound only had pure intentions to be fair.

Kozue Komichi

While the headmistress of the academy told her there was nothing to do about White Fox. . . Kozue thought otherwise. So she asked around. . . Students, teachers. . . Well, honestly, it seemed like a festival was being set up for. The priestess was unsure of where to check but many students and teachers mentioned a name. Aetheria. "Aetheria. . . She's a teacher. . . Medicine and Healing?" She was worried, but there was little else to go on at the moment. "It's my only option now I should think." After plenty of questions and getting slightly lost in this vast city of an Academy. . . "There." This was supposedly the place where the woman was suppose to be. Finally nodding to herself, she tapped on the door, "Is this the residence of Aetheria? I come to request your aid."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Livia Fiore~

Well, at least simply from seeing Ritsa and Gwynn she could assume their little task had gone well enough. With a quiet hum, Livia looked down at Fia. She wanted her to pick now? Well then...she supposed she should then. Now what would be good for this? With a small pause Livia looked over the festival grounds. With a small smile, she found something that at least she could have a little fun with Fia with.

"I think I know what we can do...come along, Fia dear." Livia said, pulling the girls hand lightly.

~Gwynn, Ritsa~

"Err...right." Gywnn said with a sigh. She cast a glance over to Livia who simply watched silently, seemingly more interested in handling Fia then talking to her at the moment. "I got time, soo...sure, yeah." Although, she wasn't entirely sure by what Maoin had in mind when she said 'Decent'. She hadn't been to a 'Decent' place to eat in awhile. Well, actually, no, being treated to a feast at the Atlantean Palace by Eva was definitely a little more than 'decent'. She had to wonder what Maoin would have thought of that, heh.

"I don't think I'm going to be getting rid of Ritsa, though." Ritsa by now had stood up, gratefully accepting the teddy bear from Maoin and was now staring wide eyed up at the kitten. She had never seen someone with ears like a cat before! She was so cute, she wanted to play with them! "So we'll probably have to go together."

~Miren~

B-bonding?

The bunny swallowed, nervously fidgeting in her seat. Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Bonding? How exactly were they going to 'bond'? Many thoughts went through the rabbits head, and none of them particularly ended well for her and her cute bunny-buns. S-still, she sort of...had too, didn't she? And Eith might just decide to come over here and do it anyways and that might make the hound upset which would be doubly bad for her.

Welp, might as well placate the hungry beastie, no? Miren hesitantly hopped out of her seat, taking unsure steps towards the hound.

"B-bonding?" She asked a few steps away.

~Sorcha~

"Haha, but it's so fun to bother you." Sorcha said with a light chuckle. "And heh, Maoin has bee taking very good care of me. To say she's good at what she does in an understatement. To be honest though, I am rather tired. I wouldn't mind just sitting here with you for a bit, Luna."

~Fox~

Two and a half hours? She'd be working on a time crunch then.

"Two and a half hours? Master must want to overwork me." She said with a small sigh. "But alright, I'll do it. Not that I have anything better to do anyways since I doubt you'll just let me go and do whatever I wish." She picked up the bag of coins, though it wasn't like she was going to use them. Stealing something she wanted would be easy enough without getting caught. Not like anyone was going to seriously punish an adorable fox. All she'd have to do is stare wide-eyed at them and then she'd get away without a hitch.

"Alright, alright." Decent coffee, eh? Heh, she already had an idea of what she could get with that. "Try not to summon me when I am in the middle of something, however. It could look fairly suspicious..." With that, the fox left. Immediately after leaving Sel's room though, she turned right into her fox form and dashed away.

[Roleplayer001]

As the fox left, the mage offered a silent prayer that nothing too bad would happen. With a sigh, she returned back to her studies with a smile. It was good to be back and reading once again, wasn't it?

As Kouze knocked on the door to the two story building Aetheria forced herself to walk downstairs. The building itself was larger than the average teacher's apartment due to the necessity of being able to store the sick children and familiars the campus caused. Downstairs there was a rather large resting dorm with beds separated by curtains, a few private rooms for the more well off or longer term patients, two rooms for treatment and an office to receive patients. Upstairs was her own personal suite and the lab that went along with it. There was also a basement that contained ways to confine more troublesome patients.

Various rooms were crowded into the excess space in case she received servants or a familiar in the future and while Livia had been bugging her to at least get an assistant, but no one qualified had really come up yet.

Aetheria opened the door to a woman dressed in strange clothing in front of her. After hearing their question though it was rather apparent that they were newer to campus. "Yes, I am indeed Aetheria. What aid do you require? If we need privacy for this conversation however, it is probably best for us to head to one of the examination rooms." If Kouze assented, the white mage would guide them to a small room with a chair and a padded table along with several cabinets full of supplies. "So tell me - what troubles you?" It was rather apparent that the woman was looking over her patient as if trying to figure it out for herself, but the patient would hopefully save her a little guesswork.

Maoin was a little surprised by how happy the ocean girl seemed, but she was largely focused on Lady Gwynn. It was expected that her former mistress would want a to watch over the child although a little privacy would have been nice. "I'll lead us to a tavern then." The cat would find herself offering to hold her lady's hand but would walk towards their objective either way. Why would she cook when she had the night off?

They ended up arriving at the Four Dragons - the tavern that they had met at just before things fell apart between them - and Maoin directed them to a relatively quiet table in a corner of the room. Tazia seemed a little surprised to see them there together but didn't question anything as she quickly took their orders and left.

"... so ... how have things been for you?" The cat gave Lady Gwynn a weak smile, although there was a little pain in her eyes. "... seems like it was quite the training session, wasn't it? Those don't usually last a couple of weeks."

Fia smiled as the two headed out together, the crimson haired girl grabbing the hand of the mage as they headed into a large purple tent with a conical point at the top. As they came in, the pair of them would notice that there were various bones and orbs and other implements of fortune telling lying around the tent. Fia squeezed Livia's hand nervously as an older woman looked towards them with somewhat wild eyes.

"You there! Welcome, to Megulda's Mysticism. I can see you fortune and future for both of you!" The woman waved a single hand in front of herself slowly as if trying to read the air. "For three measly florins, I can read how the fates themselves have devised your strings! My lady, please sit down and let me read your fate!"

She was gesturing to Livia, likely because the shorter Fia had been a little harder to notice and the younger girl was good at not being seen despite her exotic hair.

[Pyromania99]

Lunalel Lightsword

"Ahh, yes. Let us just sit here for now. Perhaps I can tell you the details of what happened?" Luna asked as she took a seat, motioning for the dragon to sit next to her on the bed. "A lot happened and it's a bit interesting."

Eith

"Bonding." Eith nodded, slightly irritated by the bunny's hesitation. She stood and grabbed the bunny's hand and pulled her into the seat. "I can tell you are afraid. There's no need." Eith patted Miren's head and put her arms around her. She was definitely warm to the touch, Miren would notice. Eith rubbed her cheek against the bunny's. "Servant or not, still friends. . . Aren't we? Friends don't hurt friends." She had to ask. She thought of the bunny as a friend, but she wanted to make sure the bunny felt the same.

Kozue Komichi

"Yes, privacy would be best." Kozue stated, following the girl without so much as looking around though taking note of the teacher trying to take note of the Priestess' current status. "Yes, I. . . have a spirit inside me. The short of it is that she used the last of her energy to help me save my 'sister' from possession by the spirit's sister. Yet, the evil one goes albeit on a leash and this one is all but lost." Kozue looked to choose her words carefully here. "At the very least, I'd like for this spirit, the White Fox, to be able to live inside me. I don't think we could bring her body back after all, so whatever I can do for her I would like to."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Livia Fiore~

A fortune teller? Oho, now that would be funny. Livia smiled at the eccentric fortune teller, taking a seat where she had been instructed too.

"Please do," Livia said with a small smile. "I am curious to know what the 'fates' have decided for me." It would be utter bullshit, but even if it wasn't it wasn't like she was one to let something as silly and ambiguous as 'fate' direct her actions anyways. She placed the money on the fortune tellers table, and waited for her to do whatever it was she needed too.

~Gwynn, Ritsa~

The four dragons, eh? It had been a few weeks and...well, a lot had objectively happened in those weeks. Gwynn gave a friendly hello to Tazia as Ritsa took a seat next to Gwynn, and ordered a giant pile of seafood from them.

"Haha, things 'ave been pretty great actually." Gwynn said with a grin. "Got my own ship - thanks to Livia. All I had to do was a small errand for her. Got a pretty great crew, too! Had to heh, knock 'em around once or twice since they weren't exactly keen on takin' orders from a kid." She leaned on the table removing the hat from her head and hanging it up on the side of her chair. "Ran into this little troublemaker on that errand too." She said, pulling on one of Ritsa's fins, earning a wide-eyed look from the hydra. "Nearly took an arm off the first time I met her. Also almost ate half the crew, too. So that's fun."

She supposed she could go into more detail about it, but that was the general gist of things.

"So, what've you been up to?" Gwynn asked, taking a good look at the kitten. Specifically, the collar worn around her former familiars neck. "Looks like, you've been busy, eh?" She didn't want to comment on it, though.

~Miren~

"F-friends?" They were...friends? Miren hadn't even considered the thought. Hadn't even crossed her little bunny brain. She hadn't thought Eith thought of her like that. She just thought the hound thought she looked like a tasty little afternoon snack. Friends, though? W-well, if the warmness of the hound was anything to go by then she certainly was affectionate and she didn't exactly mind it. "R-really? I-I thought you just _{wanted to eat me...}"

[Roleplayer001]

Aetheria nodded as she listened to the other woman's explanation. So she was willingly possessed, then? That was ... odd, at a minimum. And probably not likely to turn out perfectly in the long term as well. The white mage motioned for the other woman to remain there as she headed up to her study where she grabbed a book and returned downstairs to the foreign woman. "I'm going to have to do my own little checkup here." The mage placed the book on a nearby table before pulling a small pillow from one of the cabinets and setting it down on the examination table. "Take your robes off and lay down here. I'm going to ask you a few questions and it is for your own good if you answer them honestly. Legally, I cannot disclose anything you tell me to another."

As if impatient the mage waited for the other woman to lay down and picked up a pad as she was clearly in thought. Normally she would have asked about payment up front, but Aetheria was granted a small stipend per case dealt with from the school that would barely cover expenses. However, there were several interesting research opportunities here as well.

A few seconds after a cursory look over her patient - there were some bruises that indicated that there had recently been a fight, possibly the one they had been discussing - Aetheria lifted her quill and asked her first question. "Do you have a name?" It was almost a joke for the mage at this point to never be told the name of her patients as if it didn't matter.

Maoin's ears stood attentively as Lady Gwynn let loose her own tale, a small but somewhat pained smile crossing her face as the other woman spoke. It was a good thing to see that her former mistress was doing at least decently for herself ... but the cat was concerned that Livia was taking advantage of her. There was also a small pain in her chest that she didn't want to admit to that seemed to well up that the kitten forced herself to push down and ignore.

Of course, the cat wanted to hear more details. But she would understand if after their previous confrontation the other woman didn't want to trust her with any details that would make her upset. Still, Maoin wished that after a year Lady Gwynn would be willing to share a bit more. "I'm glad you were able to find companions for your trip." A bit formal even for herself, but the cat did wonder what this 'crew' was like exactly. Ritsa seemed nice enough, although if the girl was angered it was entirely possible that she would only injure her Lady in the long run.

And for herself? Lady Gwynn hadn't exactly given out the longest description, so maybe a more serious discussion would take place later? "When Livia sh-" Maoin shook her head. It was probably best to skip over the bad parts. "After a couple of days, the dragon Lady Sorcha nearly broke my body in something she called training." The cat remembered the first day of utter brutality and spoke with an almost wistful smile at the memory and fingers delivering quote marks for the final word. "We decided to pursue this silly noble who insisted on being a pirate ... and as we headed towards Gibraltar she let me learn under her in exchange for some servitude." Perhaps it wasn't best to let Lady Gwynn know what they had been after during that trip. Still though ... "As we stopped in Toulouse she asked if I wanted to serve under her ..."

The cat shook her head. That was a lie. She returned to speaking as if a little embarrassed. "... really, I broke down in a clothing store and after she found me in an alley she sort of just claimed me as she locked this collar around my neck. There wasn't any asking involved." For a second the black haired girl tugged on the collar as if to draw attention to it as a story prop. "Well, I guess I'm Lady Sorcha's property now." For a second Maoin's eyes drifted over Lady Gwynn somewhat wistfully, but the cat forced herself to look away. Why was she doing that?

Either way, it was quite clear she was willing to elaborate but Maoin cut herself off and instead forced herself to give out a small laugh as she looked at Lady Gwynn as she took a swig of her drink and spoke in a more genuine jovial tone that hopefully the noble would appreciate. "I'm officially part of dragon's hoard, I guess? Some day a brave hero will loot me as treasure according to all the stories!"

"Ah, I see the doubt in your eyes! But I, the Mystic Megulda, have true power!" The woman reached forward and grabbed Livia's hand, closing her eyes and moving her head as if focusing in something in the distance. A frown creased her face as she ran her palms over Livia's middle finger. "You are quite the hardworking employee ... no, a student of magic!" It wasn't exactly false. "One day you will head out to Western France as ... a court mage! Yes, and the lord who hires you will eventually fall deeply in love with you! After a long struggle with a nefarious power that seeks to bring the court to ruin, he will propose marriage to you and you will live a long and happy life! You will have three hardworking sons, and two studious and most blessed daughters."

The fortune teller's eyes opened. "See? Megulda knows all! But the fates of the young are so much more interesting, are they not? Perhaps you would be willing to pay for her fortune to be told, so she may be warned of the trials she may face?" Fia just stared on in utter disbelief.

[Pyromania99]

Eith

"If I wanted to eat you I would have just done it. . ." Eith said going silent as if thinking. "Even if I want to I promised not to harm humans and you're human. . ." The Shellagh looked up at the bunny ears slightly before speaking again. "enough." She just pulled the bunny closer. Skinship increased the bonds between Shellagh. . . Sort of. Everyone slept together, ate together, hunted together. . . Really, they sort of did everything together. She didn't have many or any plans after this, so she was content to just doing this for a bit.

Kozue Komichi

Kozue was beginning to think that this was a bad idea, but consented to taking part if her outer clothes off revealing her chest being bound by a wrap of cloth. It didn't seem overly tight at least. "Kozue Komichi." Nothing more than necessary at the moment. This woman seemed odd to Kozue. Though she still didn't understand why the woman wouldn't be able to disclose information, "legally."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Livia Fiore~

"Student hasn't been used to describe me in quite some time, 'Megulda'." Livia said with a light chuckle. Oh this was grand. She was trying her best to try and not burst out into laughter. No sense in embarrassing the poor obviously fake oracle. Not when she could possibly get a little more entertainment out of it with Fia. "But by all means," She handed the woman some more money. "Do tell little Fia's here 'fate'. I am quite interested in what this mystical force has in store for her." She had to resist adding 'so I can prove it wrong' to that, but it definitely still sounded like a challenge.

~Gwynn, Ritsa~

"Hah!" Gwynn laughed. "I'd still love to meet this dragon of yours at some point. Sounds like she'd be a fun challenge, aye?" Gwynn grinned as the kitten finished her tale. Gwynn might have been a bit upset if the kitten had been forced by someone less than savory to be their familiar, but...well, she had asked Livia to look after her and this dragon seemed to be doing some good for Moain. "Not sure about the hero bit, though." Gwynn said with a laugh. "I'm more lovable rogue." According to herself, at least. Though, being a bloody hero sounded pretty nice.

"Glad to see you're doing well, though." Gwynn continued, giving the kitten a small smile. "Looks like that dragon put ya through the wringer though...I'm kinda curious to see what ya can do."

~Miren~

The rabbit said nothing, merely let herself be snuggled. She had nothing to say, though it was more like she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She hadn't actually been this close to anyone before, let alone someone like Eith. It was a mix of both terrifying and oddly comforting. So she sat there, trying to relax her muscles and not try to be overly mean to Eith.

[Roleplayer001]

The white mage proceeded to run her hands a few inches above the other woman's body then proceeding to close her eyes and mutter a few words under her breath as a spell was weaved together. It was mostly to examine what was underneath ... it was rather apparent that the spirit was so weak at this point that it wouldn't be able to draw sufficient power from Kouze so long as she proceeded to follow any sort of normal schedule. "How physically active are you on the average day, Kouze?" It was possible that if Kouze forced herself to remain in bed for a few days that the spirit would be able to pick up on the excess energy caused by her restlessness.

In truth however there was a very possible cure for this entire ailment. "And if I could possibly get her back to a physical body, how long would you be willing to spend doing so?" Or rather what would she be willing to do.

Maoin simply found herself a little confused by Lady Gwynn calling herself a 'loveable rouge' rather than a 'hero' ... did that mean she intended to get her back? The cat wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that. She gave the other woman a critical look but decided that she likely hadn't expanded on that for a reason. Whatever her former lady's reasoning was, she wasn't likely to say anything. "I'm sure Lady Sorcha would enjoy a sparring match with you, but I honestly don't think you would get very far. I could arrange something for you if you'd like." So long as Lady Sorcha didn't get one of her fits, of course. Maoin's ears dropped as she realized that happening at the wrong moment could be the death of her.

"Well my tounge is as skilled as it's always been." The cat replied to Lady Gywnn's statement without really thinking, then her face became incredibly blushed as she looked over at Ritsa and covered her mouth. There is a childe here you idiot.

Fia didn't approach the table, but instead gave Livia a speculative look for a few seconds. "Come on, see your future." The crimson haired girl approached but did not sit down and instead simply turned to the headmistress and wondered why they were wasting money on this.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Gwynn, Ritsa~

"Aha, I bet..." Gwynn said with a small bit of obvious discomfort as she couldn't manage to look the kitten in the eye. Not that she was embarrassed about such things, but she was trying not to think of that. She shook her head with a small frown. Ritsa simply sat idly next to Gwynn, arms reaching over the table and staring intently at the kitten. Specifically - her ears. "And hey, if I can knock some sense into a Hydra, I can handle this dragon of yours, heh! " Granted that Hydra was a kid and probably didn't have a whole lot other than size going for it. With a sigh the young pirate leaned back in her seat, resting one of her boots on the table. "Well, I could get one or two good shots in anyways, I'm sure."

Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure what else she could talk about here.

~Livia Fiore~

"Come on, dear." Livia said with an encouraging smile. "Afraid of the future, perhaps?" She continued with small smile. "Never be afraid of what is to come, Fia. The future is hardly set in stone and anyone can easily change their fate with a little luck and effort..." The headmistress pat Fia on the head again. "Or maybe you think this is a waste of time like me, hmm? Fate reading such as this is hardly ever accurate..." She gave the madam a challenging smirk.

[Roleplayer001]

Maoin's embarrassment disappeared as she watched Lady Gwynn's obvious discomfort. Wasn't that the sort of teasing her former mistress had always appreciated? The black haired girls ears dropped a bit lower as she wondered what went wrong there. Aside from Lady Gwynn seeming to forget any level of formality as she set her foot on the table, of course.

The fish arrived as a welcome distraction though, and while Maoin found herself eating it with a little enthusiasm she was intrigued by the way Ritsa utterly devoured it. The girl seemed to watch her with wide eyes rather constantly although Maoin wondered what the dark skinned girl was thinking about.

Towards the end of the meal music started to play and a few couples moved off towards the dance floor. Lady Gwynn would physically see Maoin fidget a bit in her chair as it was clear she was thinking about something. Should I ... she's not my mistress anymore but ... A deep hurt filled her stomach as she thought about letting the opportunity go to waste. And besides, she wasn't Lady Gwynn's servant anymore, was she?

The kitten stood from her stool, walked around the table to her former mistress' side, gulped, looked at the ceiling, blushed, then gave herself a quick mental pep talk. Maoin mentally kicked herself as she imagined this being a lot easier and wondered what was running through Lady Gwynn's brain as she watched what was likely a very obvious and horrendously embarrassing mental process.

Hadn't her teacher said she needed to be more confident though?

Imagining Lady Sorcha being upset with her made it a bit easier as the cat regained her confidence and extended a hand towards the other woman despite the slight blush still running across her cheeks. "I'd like to dance with you." Maoin's ears stood assertively as she spoke with a steady voice that even surprised herself.

Fia looked upwards towards Livia as she made her comments towards the old mystic. The crimson haired girl seemed to agree, but the fortune teller let out a sigh as she looked towards the two of them. "The student is right, of course. Just because you are the headmistress of the academy doesn't mean one should ever stop learning ... and in truth, that was simply a performance." The mystic didn't seem to need to clarify that as she slapped the crystal ball off the table where it landed on the carpet that acted as the floor to the tent.

She pulled out a small chest and raised her hands upwards, at which point the sounds of locks going off would click in succession. A half deck of cards were placed face down in front of Fia slowly as the mystic let out a sigh. "I agree one can certainly change the future however. That is what these silly cards are claimed to do, at least. Most of the time they are drawn only by the desperate, but if the fate they declare is so easily changed there is nothing to fear. So you won't be afraid to draw Megulda's cards, will you?" The old lady let a slight smile cross her face - the friendly sort that one gave a child that was explaining something you already understood and it was directed at both of them.

The sudden performance was starting to get to Fia. It was utterly convincing to the Phoenix who took another step towards Livia's back. The slightly ruffled head of crimson hair looked up towards the headmistress for assistance, however. The headmistress would know the truth of such things, right?

”I work my body every day, so fairly active I suppose.” Kozue answered, looking the teacher over a bit.  ”I’m unsure if you could get her back to a body, but if she agreed and it were possible, I’d spend the rest of my days doing so.”  She said with confidence.  One thing she had was conviction and she meant what she said.
 
”That’s exactly as I thought.”  The healer was of course responding to both of the girl’s inquires when she said that however.  ”The healing method may fracture the memories of the white fox however - I am not certain how such a spirit would react to my materials - is the risk worth it to you?”  Aetheria gave the other woman a very serious look.  
 
”She brought my sister back wholly intact.  If I do anything less, then I failed her.”  Kozue answered.  She wouldn’t even care if she lost herself to give the fox a body at this point.  ”Is that not possible?”
 
”I … I am unsure.  You would have to stay here for what could be a very long time as I perform various experiments on you.  I haven’t dealt with something like this before, but maybe with enough time I can formulate a method so everyone walks out in the best condition possible.”  The white mage felt a little ashamed that as one of the world’s leading medicine technicians that she wasn’t exactly sure what the outcome would be.  ”I’m going to need for you to tell me everything you knew about the white fox however.  Everything is critical to my possibility of success.”
 
”. . .”  Kozue was silent.  She wasn’t really going anywhere so it was easy enough to stay.  She didn’t exactly want to be examined like some exotic animal for so long. . . But she had little choice in the matter.  ”I don’t understand how that much can help, but I’m not going anywhere for a while. I’ve my duty to keep an eye on the Black Fox, so I suppose I’ll be in your care.  What exactly do you want to know?”
 
Aetheria chuckled.  ”Quite a bit, but I can come by and visit for that while I do a little preliminary research.  As for you - you are staying here in bedrest for the next few days.  I know it’ll be frustrating, but I hope a little excess energy in your system might be enough to make the spirit of the white fox responsive again to make treatment easier for the both of us.”  The white mage handed the robes back to Kouze and led her out of the surgery room and into one of the private rooms.  ”I know it’ll be annoying … if there’s something small I can do to make you relax more, please ask.”  She wasn’t an endless bounty of money, after all.
 
”No.  This room feels wrong.  Would there be a better place to reside?”  A stuffy room like this definitely was not the type of place that someone that enjoyed being outside would stand.  ”Perhaps I could ‘relax’ at the lake?  Your headmistress mentioned it may have healing properties I desired.”
 
The white mage rubbed her chin for a moment as she thought.  ”She’s possibly correct.  The waters of the Undine would likely help heal you if you laid in them and relaxed for long periods of time.”  The woman figured out what bothered her.  ”My only concern is that Livia is the one who suggested it, then.”
 
”Concern?  What of it?”  Kozue asked.  She had suspicions herself, but she wanted the word of mouth from this woman.  ”Does she mean to do harm?”
 
Aetheria shrugged.  ”I have no idea, but if that white fox is holy or divine in any way I can be fairly certain the headmistress wouldn’t enjoy its growth on campus - it’s your judgement about where you wish to rest, of course, but that is my only concern.”  Her own building was largely proof against spirits entering from the outside - due to the healing processes required within - and all of Katherine’s dolls weren’t allowed in either.  She hoped the conversation between them had at least some privacy.
 
”She seemed fairly cryptic about that earlier.”  Kozue mentioned.  It was a bit late, and she’d rather sleep with a roof over her head.  ”I see.  Regardless, this is the only room available then?  If so, I will gratefully take it.”  The room felt a bit odd, but it wasn’t the worst in the world.  
 
”Well please do make yourself at home.  These rooms are generally intended for longer term patients so they may have some comforts, but I’m sure nothing can match the feeling of home where you come from.”  Aetheria gave Kozue a small smile.  ”Just try and relax.  Also I’m just a little curious … how are you speaking fluent french?”
 
”How are you sure you do not speak fluent Japanese?”
 
Aetheria seemed to ponder that for a moment before replying.  ”I mean, it’s just that I’ve never left france in my entire life.  I also know Latin, but our current grammatical structure suggests that we are indeed speaking French.”
 
”It matters not, I imagine.  If you want me to rest, allow me to do so.”  Kozue said, voicing for the woman to leave now.  
 
The white mage nodded - that was true enough - but perhaps this was a clue to her case in as of itself?  Or maybe it was the spirits allowing the other woman to be lazy and avoid learning more things?  Either way, Aetheria let the door close behind her as she head upstairs to her own bedroom.
 
Kozue laid in the bed provided for her.  She had little else to do for now, she needed to go around tomorrow to get accustomed to the place so it would be best to rest now, regardless of how uncomfortable she felt here.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Gwynn, Ritsa~

Dance? Dance with the kitten? This was...giving Gwynn an awful feeling of Deja-vu. Not the good kind either. Gwynn slurped down a piece of fish, trying to hide her hesitation. This...was not how she saw today going at all. Still, looking at Maoin and knowing full well that she was a terrible human being for putting the both of this situation to begin with...well, the kitten maybe deserved this much, didn't she? Alternatively...maybe she shouldn't? No need to open old wounds and all that.

But

maybe just once...

Gwynn pulled her foot off the table, sighing heavily before standing up. She gave the Kitten a small smile.

"Well, how can I say no to a cute kitten like you?" She gave the kitten a pat on the head, taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor. Ritsa was happy enough to sit where she was. After they were gone though, a certain black fox hopped up on the table like it owned the place, moving over to the scraps left over on Maoins and Gwynn's plate and started eating.

Oho...how fun~

Ritsa simply stared at it wide eyed like she did with everything else.

"...even think about touching me and I'll bite you, brat."

~Livia Fiore~

Oho, things had just gotten interesting, no?

"My...seems like you may not be all talk after all." Livia chuckled. "Go on, Fia dear. Choose some cards. You have nothing to fear, dear." She placed a hand on Fia's back. "I'll be here, dear. No need to hesitate." This would be interesting, and quite fun regardless whatever the outcome was.

~Mugi, Lyssa, Ayumi~

Cynthia had decided to walk Mugi home. Mugi said it was fine, but the maid insisted. She couldn’t help but blush a bit, but agreed. When they eventually reached her current living condition of Lyssa’s dorm she turned to the maid. ”I can make it from here. Thanks for walking me out here, Cynthia.” She felt a little bold and gave her lover a kiss on the cheek before turning quickly and heading towards the entrance of the dorm building before turning back, waving.

"I-it was no trouble…" Cynthia replied, blushing a bit from the kiss. Ugh, she was a grown woman she shouldn't be this…flustered. She gave Mugi a brief wave before turning and heading back to the Headmistress' house. She had work she should catch up on.

Well, it was time to finally get back “home.” If one could call someone else’s dorm room a home. Well, she was still out wasn’t she? The Yuki-Onna’s not heard anything yet about Lyssa. As she reached the door to Lyssa’s room, she looked at it for a few seconds. She thought there was noise on the other side. . . But there shouldn’t be. She checked the door and it was definitely unlocked. She opened the door carefully, ”Tadaima. . .”

"Waaah, these are really tight. You know how to tie rope really well, Ayumi, eheh!"

Upon entering, Mugi would notice that Lyssa was definitely not alone.

"Urf, I'm not sure I can untie them! A-ack! Wait, stop moving! Eep!"

The demon was currently lying on top of a human. The human of which, was currently tied up in a very precarious fashion with arms behind her back and legs tied together. The demon was current lying on top of her, face buried right in the humans chest.

"…Hey hey, can I use you as a pillow tonight?" Lyssa said, lifting her head off of the humans chest.

"Heh, I mean, you can use me anyway you want, pink."

"O-oh?~" She giggled, just now noticing Mugi. "OH hey Mugi!" Quickly, Lyssa got up and gave her roommate a grin. "I'm baaack!~" There was a red flash of energy as the bindings on Ayumi disappeared. "And I brought a friend!~ Ayumi, Mugi, Mugi, Ayumi." The ninja didn't seem too intent on moving from her spot from the floor.

Mugi wasn’t sure how she should reply to the situation. She had a slight feeling of disgust mixed with curiosity as to what the hell they were doing. Really, she had half a mind to leave and ask Cynthia if she could stay the night. Still, she’d trying toughing it out for the night. ”Ayumi? It’s nice to meet you. Would you happen to be Japanese? That’s what your name sounds.” If so, there was someone that could speak her native language with her.

Ayumi got up from the floor, grinning at Mugi.

"Sorta. It's a long story, but my ancestors are from Japan." She replied with a shrug. "Never thought I'd meet someone from there all the way out here, though."

"Yep, she is!" Lyssa chimed in. "She's gonna be staying with me for a bit, too. She doesn't have anywhere else to stay for the moment at least." A sudden look of surprise crossed the demons face. "Ack, that means it's gonna be a bit cramped in here, doesn't it?" Her room wasn't exactly large to begin with, plus with the stacks of books and other things everywhere. "Ahh…I'm gonna have to tidy up a bit…" Lyssa sighed.

”Oh, I can help. It’s the least I can do for taking residence here. I’ve probably made my fair share of this. . .” Actually, most of this was still Lyssa’s mess. Mugi was typically out appealing to a certain maid. ”Well, it’s the least I can do for staying here.” She said, moving to pick up some books.

"Ack! Nononono!" Lyssa dashed over to the pile of books Mugi had picked up, deciding to pick them up herself. "I-I got it! Heh, I'll clean up tomorrow. It'll be clean before ya know it!"

Ayumi simply tilted her head, a small smirk forming on the ninja's lips as Lyssa seemed very protective of that particular stack Mugi had gotten.

”Lyssa, calm yourself. I know what kind of books you have at this point.” Mugi said putting her hands on her hips. ”It’s hard to take some of these names in any other way. ‘How I Had a Child with My Female Lover’ by Sabine Laurent.” The Yuki-Onna said picking up yet another book with the title. ”I’ve been here a while. It’s not all too surprising I figure it out. And now your new friend knows too I guess.” Mugi added, considering if her actions were good or not.

Hearing the name of the book title, Ayumi couldn't help but to laugh.

"Woooow, Lyssa. I knew you were into some pretty kinky stuff but that's pretty bad, and that's coming from me."

"I-it's not that bad!" Lyssa said, flailing her arms in a slightly childish fashion.

"So you have worse, then?"

"T-that's not what I meant!" The demon puffed out her cheeks and swiped the book from Mugi. "I'll clean it up myself! Later! Tomorrow!" She seemed oddly insistent on cleaning her room up herself, at least.

Mugi sighed, “Its not like you have an observation journal on who you would do things to.” That would be obnoxious to have.

"O-of course noooot~" Lyssa replied with a pout. Why would she ever have something like that? She totally didn't have something like that hidden around here at all! "That'd be devilishly evil! I am not devilishly evil! Devilishly adorable definitely but not evil!"

“How suspici…” Mugi started to say when she picked up a book written on its cover, "Lyssa's Book of School "Fun" Partners.” Something which needed her undivided attention. So she snapped her fingers, freezing Lyssa’s feet in place. She needed to read this. Was this some sort of writing she came up with?

No, rather, something much more devilishly evil. “Lyssa, I'm sorry, but this is what I've been training with Cynthia for.” She turned to a page titled “Luna” and cleared her throat.

"Luna - Now that's a Knight I'd love to have a bit of fun with! She could tie me up any time she wants too! Got a nice chest too, perfect for sleeping on! I should know, we took a bath together. Such a cute butt I wanna grope, too. It's hard to resist just giving it a nice slap whenever I see her, but she'd probably kill me if I did."

Lyssa simply rubbed the side of her cheek with a finger with a small laugh. Welp, as long as Luna didn't suddenly pop out of nowhere this wasn't likely to leave the room. The resident ninja couldn't help but to badly stifle laughter as Mugi continued.

"Maybe could take a page from my mom's playbook and borrow that spell of hers. You know, that spell. Wonder if I used it and one of Lust's spells on Luna she'd want to have a bit of fun! I wouldn't mind a bit of rough treatment from her if she wanted to tie me up and ravage me on the bed or something. Heck, I wouldn't mind her taking me right in the classroom, outside, or even at the lake. Exhibitionism for the win, heh!~ I know Katherine's got dolls everywhere if what my mom says is true, so she'd definitely be watching."

By now Lyssa had simply accepted her fate. No sense in getting worked up over it. Meanwhile, Ayumi had managed to get her giggles under control and was simply giving Lyssa a fairly suggestive look. She had probably had similar thoughts about Luna.

"Wonder if she wouldn't mind it either. You know those knight types are really all secretly huge masochists and tend to be really, really, dirty under that shiny armor, heh! Someone should clean her up a bit. Bet she wouldn't mind letting an adorable little demon use her tail on her girly bits either! Maybe use small bits of my magic for a bit more fun, heh! "

"Okay that's enough!" Lyssa finally spoke up, crackles of red energy breaking the ice that was trying to hold her in place. She bolted over to Mugi, making a grab for the book before any more could be read.

“. . .” Mugi went silent and just looked Lyssa in the eyes, almost morbid. “Lyssa?”

“Yeeeeees?”

“I saw my name in there.” The Yuki-Onna said, somewhat worried for herself.

"Oho, you did?" Lyssa took a step back, holding the book behind her. "Annnd if I said it was just detailing the ways I could cuddle you without getting frostbite?"

“I would say I want to trust you as a friend, and I don't think you would want to lie to a friend that can give you ‘frostbite’ at a glance.” She said with a smile albeit with a hint of dread behind it.

A small shiver went up Lyssa's spine.

"E-eh? I-I mean you can read it if you want." Lyssa said, fidgeting nervously. "B-but…I-it's just something I do in my spare time for giggles!"

Mugi walked over to Lyssa and took the book out of her hands, turning to the page titled “Mugi” and began to read. "Mugi - Cuddly, but cold! So adorable and a pair of boobs that'd make my mom jealous, heh! I just wanna spend all day getting lost in that. I wonder if she tastes like ice-cream? Shaved ice? Heh, I could probably live on that if she did! So innocent and pure, too! I just wanna do so many devilish things to her. Haha, I think my mom's rubbing off on me a bit, tsk. Ah well, it'll be fun anyways.

I bet she makes the cutest noises. I’d really love to know what sort of cute sounds she'd make. I bet they're the cutest moans."

”. . .” Mugi went silent again thinking of her words. Well, it wasn’t that bad if one considered Lyssa did this to everyone. Even so, it made her feel weird thinking she’d slept in the same room as this person for so long. ”Oh my, this page feels like it’s falling out.” Mugi said as she ripped that specific page out of the book and the set book itself down. She made a blade of ice over her hand and cut the page in half with a half-decent smile on her face. ”Oh my, it’s unreadable now. Guess we’ll never know what was on that page. Oh well, it’s nothing I need to worry about I think. We’re just friends right, Lyssa?”

"O-of course! Friends! Like always!" Lyssa frowned, dejectedly looking towards the ground as she fidgeted nervously. Ayumi simply looked at Mugi with a frown. Well, knowing Lyssa's preferences would have been hilarious…the ninja couldn't help but to feel that the Yuki-Onna was being needlessly cruel about it.

Mugi. . . Realized she did something bad. Didn’t she? Her smile faded as she looked at the book, grabbing it and handing it back to Lyssa. ”I’m. . . I’m sorry. I went too far there, didn’t I? I’m a terrible friend, aren’t I?” The Yuki-Onna didn’t really understand what she did wrong, but she didn’t need the two frowns in the room to tell her she did. At the time, it felt like an equal exchange. She destroys the page and they all pretend it never existed.

"W-wha? NO no!" Lyssa said quickly. "I-I shouldn't do things like that! It's bad to do that, isn't it? I-It was my bad!" She picked up the book from the floor, looking at it with a small smile. "I-It's fine, really, Mugi!" Ayumi simply watched silently, sighing a bit as she leaned on one of the bed posts on the room. This felt awfully familiar to her. She remembered a slightly similar exchange between her and Kouze some time ago about her…love of ropes and knots.

"A-anyways, I-I really would prefer cleaning this mess up myself. It's mine after all, so I should clean it."

”No, let me help!” Mugi said, picking up some books around her and putting them in a stack. Whatever happened, she wanted to redeem herself. ”I’m going to help, but none of that nonsense before. No making fun of, or questioning what you have.” She seemed determined to help one way or the other. She was a freeloader anyway. What was she to do to in return anyway?

"O-okay…" Lyssa pat herself on the cheeks, before her usual smile returned in a matter of seconds. "Right then, Ayumi get the broom, Mugi take those books and shove 'em in the corner, this place is gonna be spotless by the end of tonight!"

”Understood!” Mugi said as she started to move the books. During her work she remembered something. ”Oh, Lyssa! Guess what? I’m going out with someone now!”

"Oh?!" Lyssa said, turning her head towards Mugi. "That's great, Mugi!" Lyssa giggled. "Who is it? Wait wait wait, lemme guess lemme guess! Is iiiit…well, it's obviously not me." Lyssa said with a giggle. "Hrm…Luna? Gwynn! No, Selvina! Wait wait wait…" Lyssa hopped closer to Mugi with a grin. "It's Cynthia, isn't it?"

”Gaaahhhhhhh!!! How’d you know!” Mugi said almost slapping Lyssa on the shoulder out of glee. To be fair, she’s been trying at it for a while now. Thinking now though. ”Actually, this is for your own good, but burn the page about me and if you have one about her, burn that as well. You know how she can get.” She was over it now, but Lyssa would be in a tight spot if the maid ever figured out that book existed and she was in it. Probably.

"Ah." Lyssa looked at the book that she was still holding in her arms. "Aha, you're probably right…hehe…" Lyssa chuckled coyly. "I can do better than burning, yep!" She flipped to a page in the book, ripping out another page and retrieving the remains of Mugi's before holding them in her hands…a flash of red energy, and the pages were completely destroyed beyond recognition.

"Annnd done, heh!~"

”Good, good. I would hate to see something bad happen to you Lyssa.” Mugi said with a 100% happy smile. ”Just remember not to touch her okay?” She added moving back to her book moving job. She trusted Lyssa though.

[Roleplayer001]

Maoin sensed Lady Gwynn's hesitation after she asked, and prepared herself for a no. As her former mistress spoke up and patted her on the head though and took charge, the cat's demeanor shifted immediately as a smile crossed her face and her ears perked upwards. The two of them danced for a couple of minutes to a high paced happy tune with many spins and a lot of movement, the two using the other to steady themselves as they went around and around again in circles. The kitten was a natural dancer with her sense of balance, but her lady had fought in the past and had her own ways to avoid falling over. When all was said and done, the cat was breathing heavily and somewhat dizzy from the entire affair, still holding onto her partner for support and laughing at the silliness of it all. Lady Gwynn probably wasn't doing much better.

The next song though was far slower - the tune was a familiar one - the one that had been played when she had confessed. Her feet started naturally moving to the tune before she realized what it was, but when she finally realized what was bothering her the ears dropped low and her cheeks started to feel wet.

Lady Gwynn would feel a slight thump in her chest as the kitten pulled herself closer for this one. She probably shouldn't say what she was thinking. It was a horrible idea. She'd think she hadn't done any progress, she wouldn't want her back, she'd only be left once again, she was supposed to belong to another. And yet she said it anyways.

"I really missed you." It would be apparent to the other woman that the kitten was trying to be strong, but a slight shaking would reveal that she was sobbing a little.

Fia nodded towards the headmistress and approached the table as Livia gave her a slight nudge forwards, looking at the cards themselves. The crimson haired girl reached her hands out as if awaiting instruction. "Reach your hand out and draw whatever you like."

With a nervous gulp the girl found herself drawing three cards. "Flip them over in whatever order you like, dearie." The Mystic gave Fia an encouraging smile, but the phoenix only felt creeped out as she flipped over a the first card. On it was a picture of a beautifully encrusted magnifying glass. "In the near future I sense you will stumble across a valuable item. The next card, though."

Fia flipped the next card, revealing the scales of justice being held by a figure that was half angelic and half demonic. The girl looked up the voice that responded. "A being in another world will find interest in you, but I don't think you'll be friends." The voice made it obvious that things would be rather hostile, and responding to Fia's look of fear the woman tapped her foot impatiently.

Fia turned the next card to show some sort of fairy ... a nymph? The crimson haired girl looked upwards towards the older lady who couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. "You may find yourself wanting to experience new things soon ... at least I hope they aren't old friends." The girl simply seemed confused, cocking her head.

"Well unless you wish to play ma'am, then I advise you leave me to my silliness. All the fates can be avoided, and this is hardly accurate anyways."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Gwynn, Ritsa~

Unfortunately for Maoin, Gwynn couldn't relax or have as much fun with it as she likely would have hoped. She managed to keep it to herself for the most part, but any smiles or giggling would have likely been forced. Still, Gwynn let the kitten enjoy herself. There was no need for her to say or do anything to ruin her fun. Just...this last once and she'd hopefully never do this again.

Then she had to go and say something stupid again.

Gwynn sighed, pulling the Kitten close.

"That's...not good, Maoin." Gwynn frowned. Her words weren't harsh, though, merely disappointed. Mostly in herself. "I thought I told you to stop that. You have another master now, anyways." Gywnn stopped moving, holding the kitten at arms length away and unable to look at her directly. "You shouldn't miss me of all peopl-" Before she could say anything else, something odd happened. Gwynn found her shoulder being pulled on, forcefully turning her away from the kitten and facing towards another direction.

The next thing she knew, was the feeling of her lips on someone else's. The kiss definitely lasted longer than a few seconds, and from the look of things Gwynn definitely wasn't about to say no to whatever was happening until the person who had interrupted their conversation did so herself.

"That uh...uh, hi?" Gwynn stumbled a few steps backwards, giving the fox-eared girl in question a critical look. Not that she minded being kissed by a cute girl, this was more than a little odd - and definitely put Gwynn a bit on edge.

"Ha, I swear you two are about to make me vomit." The fox in question huffed.

"What?"

"But now that I have your attention, Gwynn."

"Uh, how do you-"

"Know your name? I do my research, little human."

"R-right...can I help you? Or you just wanna come back to my place?"

"Hahaha, never on your life you miserable excuse for a human. I'm just here because my master wants a word with you."

"Erm...okay?"

"More specifically, she would be very much interested in going on a date."

~Livia Fiore~

Interesting, to say the least. She could tell from simply looking this...person, whoever she was just wasn't full of utter bull. Whatever those fates were they may very well be happening sometime soon. Livia frowned, holding a hand to her chin as she placed a hand on Fia's head. "My those certainly are...interesting things you've divined." Livia said with a chuckle. "But I suppose we'll be taking our leave now." That said, she was definitely curious about these cards of this womans.

She wondered if there would be a way to acquire them for herself? A thought for later.

"Thank you for the entertainment. Fia dear, let us be on our way."

[Roleplayer001]

Maoin’s ears dropped further as her m- Lady Gwynn berated her, though she was happy that she was at least allowed to be in close.  She was upset she had disappointed Lady Gwynn, she knew she had another master, and maybe she shouldn’t miss her of all people.  But the cat knew the truth that existed in her stomach: she still loved Lady Gwynn.

Lady Gwynn would a hand grab her butt as Maoin used her other one to push her head down for a kiss.  Her hands were positioned in the exact manner her former mistress liked, and despite it probably not being necessary her blood was boiling.
 
As soon as that affair was finished after a few seconds, the cat hissed at the other woman before speaking.  ”Well if your master wants a date, then I’m sure the coward can show up themselves.  Now stop being rude and interrupting our dance.”  The cat saw the dance still going around them though and others staring at them however, and needed to think of a way to not awkwardly get them off the dance floor or get this woman to bugger off.
 
Gwynn, had not expected another kiss so soon. Especially from Maoin this time, with the kitten suddenly getting quite aggressive.
 
"Heh," The fox grinned, flashing the Kitten a set of sharp canine teeth. "Coward? No, my master is simply busy…unlike you, cat. Perhaps you should return to the dragon you cower beneath, hmm?~" She chuckled darkly before turning her head back towards Gwynn.
 
"Hey now, that was uncalled for." Gwynn said with a frown
 
"But it’s the truth, isn't it?" The fox replied with a confident smirk. "And this is hardly a dance any more, cat. If you couldn't tell your partner wasn't even enjoying themselves."
 
"T-that’s-!" Gwynn wanted to deny it, she honestly did, but she couldn't find the words to do so. Not that the fox gave her a chance.
 
"Tsk, I don't have much time left, but she would like to meet you tomorrow afternoon after classes."
 
Maoin gave the fox a dangerous look.  If the fox had been a bit less aggressive, the kitten would have probably felt guilty about Lady Sorcha.  But … but had Lady Gwynn really not been having a good time?  She looked up towards her former mistress.
 
She was probably just tripping over her words, right?  She seemed like she was into the kiss at least.  ”I hope you don’t flash your teeth like that when your head is in your master’s crotch.  I think the tongue is a far more effective weapon.”
 
"Eeeeh? My master doesn't know the pleasure, nor will she ever." The fox gave Maoin a dangerous look. "But perhaps this little kitten would like to be hunted by a fox?" With a small roll of her eyes and a look over to Gwynn, the fox continued. "Not that it's any of your business anyways, you washed up familiar. Will you go or not, human? My master will likely send me again should you decline. Might as well make this easier on the both of us.
 
Maoin at this point started to lean forward a bit, but decided not to fight at the fox’s eye roll.  Was she going to tell the fox to be quiet and shut up?  For a second the familiar considered doing so, but despite her attitude problems the black eared thing was likely just following the orders of whatever cowardly master she stood beside.
 
Letting out a sigh she looked towards Lady Gwynn with a slight grin - not a hostile one, but simply one that had a little confidence behind it.  Her prior mistress wasn’t the sort to admire someone who would send their familiar to speak for them anyways, right?
 
Gwynn frowned, unsure of what to do here. On one hand, Maoin. On the other hand…she kinda wanted to meet this person just so she could see who exactly had the audacity to call her out like this.

"…where exactly would she want to meet?"
 
Maoin’s face dropped a little bit as Lady Gwynn showed her interest, but she forced the smile to stay on her face.  ”And perhaps the name of your mistress would be appreciated as well.”
 
"Selvina Maegirpris Zaberuch or something." Fox said with a small smile. "I do believe you may know someone with a similar name already though…"
 
The kitten’s ears perked up in complete confusion.  What?  Was that … Swen’s sister?  Did the Prince even have a sister?  She’d done research on the family, of course.  Perhaps they were just posing as one of the family members?
 
For a few seconds Maoin debated what to do before giving Lady Gwynn a smile, grabbing her hand with a slight squeeze, and shaking her head slightly.  The fox’s ears would pick up on anything spoken, but hopefully the communication would be subtle enough that after a year her former owner would be able to figure out that this wasn’t a good idea.
 
Something was going on here, and Gwynn didn't like it. She didn't need Maoin to tell her that. Gwynn pulled her hand away from the Kitten, taking an aggressive step towards the fox. She knew that name, certainly. It had been the name of the guy she had previously been engaged to.

Did he have a sister or something? Either way, this was shady as hell.

"That so, fox?" Gwynn replied. "Aye, I know someone by that name…and he's a he and I don't think he has any sisters so who exactly is this person?"

"That is the name they wish to introduce themselves under, and that is all I can say." The fox replied with an impatient frown. "Will you meet or not? I only have so long to myself after this. Thirty minutes to be exact, so don't waste my time."
 
Maoin frowned slightly as her hand was pulled away, but let out a sigh of relief as Lady Gwynn didn’t fall for the trap.  Her ears were a little down, but she decided to let her lady finish the conversation at this point.
 
On one hand, this still had fishy written all over it. On another hand, she legitimately liked Swen and this might be bad for him as well as her and his family. If someone was going around pretending to be them for whatever reason…she should at least do something about it, right?

Besides, Swen might be in trouble, and aside from Luna and Lyssa, Swen was the only other person she sort of remotely liked here.

"Alright, where will we be meeting then?" Gwynn asked.

"There's a fountain in a square not far from here."

"…that one, eh? I know of it." That was too much of a coincidence. "Alright, I'll go tomorrow."

"Oh good, I might actually be able to get that coffee my master wanted now. I'll be leaving then. Bye, and try not to have a heart attack you failure of a kitten. Sigh…such an overworked fox I am…" With that, the Fox poofed back into her fox form, trotting off the stage and out the doors before anyone could stop her.
 
Maoin let out a sigh of relief as the fox left, looking over at Lady Gwynn with some concern.  The fountain had been the place they met originally … perhaps this was some sort of secret message?  Looking back up towards her lady she gave her a smile which gradually dropped into a frown.  ”... strange …”  By this point the two of them had largely moved off the stage, and the kitten let out a slight sigh as she placed her hands into the other ladies.
 
”I …”  Maoin really wanted to finish their original conversation, but a simple look at Lady Gwynn suggested that she was probably about to implode from all the drama.  ”... you look stressed, and I do have the night off.”  The kitten followed the sigh with a slightly seductive wink as she pulled the other woman closer.  ”This tongue hasn’t lapped anything tasty in quite a while either.  Maybe we can benefit each other?”  The cat took one of her hands and placed it against Lady Gwynn’s neck, trailing them down her chest and stomach and stopping right at the line of her pants.
 
Gwynn blinked, definitely not minding the touch. Seeing the kitten as aggressive as this was…well, it would have been honestly refreshing before all of this happened really, but…Gywnn had something else she had to do. Stressed? Maybe. Honestly, she was just tired though. Gwynn couldn't help but to instinctively reach behind Maoin's head, giving her a few soft pats before pushing her away.

"Sorry, Maoin…" Gwynn said, looking over to Ritsa who was holding a plate in front of her. "But I should get home…I am tired and I uh, still gotta make sure Ritsa is alright." With a frown, Gwynn started to leave.
 
Maoin grabbed Lady Gwynn’s wrist after a moment.  She was a little surprised that she was being so responsible, but she needed to know something.  ”I - I don’t know when I’ll have time off again, but could we spend some more time together?”  She really didn’t want to sound desperate, and she knew that the noblewoman would have likely been perfectly happy to have her disappear off the face of the world.  But they still had things to talk about and …
 
The kitten gulped, a little apprehensive about the move she just made.
 
Gwynn pulled her wrist roughly out of Maoin's grasp.

"…Maybe sometime tomorrow or the next day." Gwynn said with a sigh, though she didn't turn to face Maoin. "I've gotta meet Livia soon though..." Gwynn walked back over to the table, retrieving her hat and patting Ritsa on the head.
 
Gwynn thought about mentioning the festival, but decided against it.
 
Unfortunately, that was one of Maoin’s first thoughts as soon as she recovered from Lady Gwynn jerking her wrist away.  ”I’m not sure if I’ll have those days off, but how about the festival?  Could I have you for it?”  No self respecting master would force their familiar to work on the night of a celebration, after all.
 
“Maybe." Gwynn replied simply, turning to Ritsa who was hanging onto Gwynn's pants now. The poor thing looked like it was about to fall asleep.
 
Maoin watched Lady Gwynn leave, a frown creasing across her face as she did so.  What … what had she done wrong?  She’d done everything she liked, hadn’t she?  It wasn’t a no, was it?  But …
 
… when Maoin returned back to Luna’s place, she saw the two of them sleeping on the bed together.  This was really the first time she thought about Sorcha again, wasn’t it?  Hadn’t she promised to dance with her … she hadn’t thought of the dragon the entire time she spent with Lady Gwynn, had she?  Guilt washed over the cat as she realized that when she had been thinking of her mistress, it wasn’t her face that popped into her mind.
 
And she deserved better, didn’t she?  Wasn’t she supposed to be a servant of the top class, completely and utterly dedicated?
 
The kitten gulped and hoped the dragon didn’t see her pour a generous amount of drink into a glass as she stood in the kitchen area.

[Pyromania99]

Lunalel Lightsword and Maoin

Maoin snuck into Luna’s apartment, finding her way deeper in. The kitten gulped and hoped the dragon didn’t see her pour a generous amount of drink into a glass as she stood in the kitchen area.

While the Dragon hadn’t noticed, a certain Knightess did. She hadn’t been able to sleep knowing that the cat was to return, but she hadn’t. So when she finally did, Luna escaped the clutches of her bed and more specifically the dragon that inhabited it. ”Maoin.” She mentioned softly, moving close to her. With a smile she pointed to the door, suggesting they talk somewhere where they could speak more openly without waking the slumbering dragon.

The kitten looked towards Luna with a little bit of surprise, but nodded as she realized it wasn’t likely she would be getting out of this. She had already poured the mug though, so Maoin headed outside along with Luna and seemed content to follow her for the time being.

Luna lead the cat to an open balcony area not too far away. It was cool, but not chilly out at this time. ”I thought something might have happened. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Luna said as she leaned against the railing nearby. ”Considering how late it is, and the fact you poured yourself something, it doesn’t seem too good now.”

”E-everything is fine!” The cat lied, partially to herself. Maoin could be deceptive for her owner, but lacked the ability to do anything for herself. Like most things in her life. The kitten sat on the balcony edge, allowing her tail to provide a sense of balance at giving some satisfaction to her cat instincts. ”I was just out, because y’know. Lady Sorcha wanted me gone and all.” It hurt a little bit to say it, but it was true, wasn’t it? The dragon didn’t want her around. Lady Gwynn never wanted to see her again, did she? For all her bravado in the bar, she was still rejected. The cat’s ears noticeably dropped and she shivered slightly as a cold fall breeze went by, the kitten taking a sip of the ale to help warm herself.

”Sorcha didn’t want you gone, exactly. She just probably didn’t want to show you the side of her that was a bit softer. You know how she is with her pride.” Luna said as she took the alcohol out of Maoin’s hands and took a sip of it before returning it. ”Heh, the strong stuff? Not exactly something to drink right before bed. Unless you drink a lot of it.” She added, looking the cat over. ”So, nothing’s bothering you? I’ve spent a lot of years around adolescents that try to hold up, albeit most of them were males and humans. Regardless, is it only about Sorcha then?”

”... in … in a way I guess …?” It was rather apparent that the kitten was trying to justify that, but then she shook her head a moment later and curled her knees up to her chest. Then she looked away from Lady Lightsword, but as she spoke about her new owner it was clear she believed it all. ”... Lady Sorcha’s strong, unstoppable, powerful, beautiful and a force of personality that demands and gathers the respect of everyone. She’s a patient and great teacher and is extremely passionate and caring.” The kitten spoke softly as she continued however, head tilting more downwards. ”I look up to her … despite being injured she still lives day to day. If she was any less prideful everyone would consider her annoyingly modest. I’m sure every servant she has had in all these years has felt honored to be by her side. And they should be.”

”And you’re good at compliments.” It was cute in it’s own way. Luna couldn’t help but pet the cat’s head a bit. She ruffled her hair a bit before releasing and continuing. ”Even so, she’s not completely unstoppable. After all, the only reason she became my familiar is because I bested her in combat. Well, I may say that, but I think we both knocked each other out in the end with a few broken bones on my part.” It was painful and scary, but Luna couldn’t help but laugh looking back on it. ”As much as you spend your breath on complimenting Sorcha and mentioning her best parts, I think you’re looking past someone else a bit.”

The cat simply seemed confused after she enjoyed the pets, raising an eyebrow at the other girl as she turned her head. Was … was she supposed to be complimenting Luna as well?

”You don’t have much self-esteem do you?” Luna asked, bluntly but jokingly.

The cat remained silent, sipping more of the ale as her eyes watered slightly and her head tilted downwards. ”... uh …” Either way of answering that question would sound silly of course. She had a lot of self doubt, but saying ‘I have no self esteem’ simply sounded dumb. And saying yes … she had as much self esteem as she deserved, right? Trying to make herself think of how the answer the question made her want to run away and hide, but unless she planned on spending the night on the streets that wasn’t much of an option.

”I’ll take that as a yes?” Luna asked, but took it as the answer regardless. Well, it was quite obvious to anyone that spoke to her for more than a few minutes. She petted the cat’s head when she noticed a tear down the side of her face. ”I don’t know what you’ll think coming from me, but I think you should have a bit more confidence in yourself. You put up with Sorcha’s attitude and went under her wing so you’ve definitely have patience.” Luna half wished Sorcha was there at the moment to poke fun at her, but this conversation wouldn’t be had if she were here, would it?

The kitten shifted somewhat uncomfortably. ”No, she’s just generous. I broke down in the middle of a store and sprinted off. Lady Sorcha found me crying in some destitute alleyway and sort of just claimed me by locking this collar around my neck.” Maoin chuckled a bit as she tugged on the collar around her neck. ”There wasn’t a lot of asking involved. She has enough pity to not let a silly cat run off and hurt herself whether or not she wants to.”

”I’m probably going to have a little talk with Sorcha sometime, doesn’t seem she told me all about her adventure.” Luna said considering what she might ask at a later date. ”Well, I’ll goad it out sometime.” Luna took the mug out of Maoin’s hands again and took a drink before handing it back again. ”Either way, I think we’re a little off track.” Luna sort of lost what they were talking about. ”Right, your good points. You’re a hard-worker aren’t you?”

”Y-your place is still dusty. I should have cleaned it.” The kitten said this and took a small swig. ”And I should have come back earlier to give Lady Sorcha an extra massage - I know after a long day her shoulders ache quite a bit. She probably isn’t going to sleep as well because of me.” She took another swing of the drink, coughed slightly, then offered it back to Lady Lightsword as she sat on the balcony edge.

”Hehe. You can be funny when you want too.” Luna said before taking another drink, holding on to it since the cat gave it over. ”It’s hard to expect something clean when you get back, eat a bit and then get ordered to leave. And Sorcha’ll just have to live without a message for the night.” She took another drink. There wasn’t much left in this. She offered it back to the cat in case she wanted the last bit, since she poured it anyhow.

The cat finished the drink wish a single thing, keeping it for herself as she’d need to wash it later. ”... I … I guess you're right.” It seemed like she was somewhat convinced on that point, but not the entire conversation. ”Still though, she could have done better than a simple hard working cat with too many emotions.”

”Perhaps, perhaps not. She might have took you in for that, she may have also brought you in since you’re kind of cute.” Like a little sister, or, a little sister that was always down on herself. Luna couldn’t help but pet her head as she said it either. ”I’m not going to tell you to not do what you do. If you want to work for Sorcha, there’s worse you could work for. Just have a little confidence in yourself. You can talk to me if you have problems.”

Maoin leaned into the petting, letting out a few soft mews as she enjoyed the affection. She couldn’t deny being the softest, most adorable kitten ever now could she? As it came to an end though and Luna continued talking her expression dropped as if a heavy weight was dropped on her chest. ”... I …” It was apparent the cat certainly had something to talk about as she gulped, but remained silent in the moment. She still felt horrible, and lifted her knees up to her chest and put her face against them as a few soft sobs forced themselves out. ”... I know …”

As the moment turned somber, Luna sat down next to the cat looking at her. Sometimes one just needed to cry before they could feel better. She patted the cat’s head lightly, enough to comfort. ”I’m not going to force you to talk if you don’t want, but I find that going to bed like this tends to make you feel bad in the morning.” She hoped Maoin would talk to her, but there was nothing to be done if she didn’t.

The cat was a little surprised as Luna sat down next to her, but found herself enjoying the company. For a few moments the kitten remained still until her head turned towards the knightess, eyes watering slightly as soon as they were wiped off. ”C-can you promise not to tell her anything?” The girl’s wide eyes looked deep into those of Lady Luna with the desperation of someone who needed to get something off their chest.

Luna smiled, happy that the cat was ready to talk. ”Yes, I promise. So long as no one was murdered at least.” There was little to no reason for that to happen. ”I don’t lie about this kind of thing.”

Maoin’s ears rose slightly, but then fell as she thought more about what she was going to say. It almost seemed to physically hurt her to finally say what she meant to. ”I’m not loyal.” None of the other characteristics could make up for that in a servant - ever.

”Do tell.” Luna said, questioningly looking at the cat. That wasn’t very much. There had to be a story of sorts to this right?

”I … I …” She gave Lady Luna a good, hard look. Could she really trust her? It took the cat a bit to collect herself as she forced herself to remain looking in the girl’s direction and start speaking. ”... I’m afraid that I’m just going to be one in a long line of servants. I’m not really going to make a difference for her - she’s already practically perfect, and there’s nothing I can do to really make her life better. I miss the familiar bond a bit … it’s just comforting, is all. Helps you get through the work day when you can feel them throughout it.” The kitten paused for a moment, catching her breath as she spoke sadly and with a great deal of shame. Though she transferred over to a slight chuckle as she spoke of the next topic. ”... I like getting physical affection - pets and sex and just laying around for a while … I don’t know if I’m supposed to beg or something. I guess she’d at least find it cute.”

”S-s-sex?” Luna said, innocently. Wait, this cat seemed really young didn’t she? ”I-I-I don’t kn-know about that. . .” Luna really didn’t see what this had to do with loyalty yet really. ”Did you go and. . . That. . . With someone or something? I mean, it’s immoral to do . . . that. . . With someone you’re not ‘with’ but. . .” She really had no idea what to say. This really was the last thing she thought this would be about. Actually, was she just focusing on something here?

The kitten blinked at Lady Luna as she stammered out her response and blushed in return. Suddenly, she felt bad for disappointing the girl and rather than teasing her simply leaned backwards apologetically as her hands moved back and forth as if trying to wave away a misconception. ”I-I wasn’t with any-one and I’ve only ever done it with L-lady Gwynn! W-we weren’t together but I was her familiar at the t-time a-and as a servant t-that’s sometimes a s-service or a r-reward!”

”W-w-wait! Service or reward!? S-s-s. . . That!?” Luna wondered if she was just weird for thinking that was odd. ”People do things like that with their familiars? Is that normal?” Luna’s head was spinning. She could be handling the situation better.

”I-I think so?” The cat had been told it was. In fact, she had been told it was almost expected. But now she was doubting herself. ”M-maybe it’s just like an Irish thing to do that with one’s owner?” Her face was flushed a bit as she continued. ”I-I mean it’s fine and all if you don’t Lady Lightsword! You don’t have to! I-It’s good for a Lady to maintain herself for marriage sometimes, right? L-learn together rather than bringing outside experience in!?”

Luna was blushing from ear to ear. This kind of talk was easily taboo in her house. ”I don’t. . . I’ll discreetly bring this up with Sorcha later. I won’t mention you don’t worry. It was time to pass by this topic. ”And please, just call me Luna. I’m not your master exactly.” That was a good way to change topic. ”How does THAT relate to you not being loyal?”

The cat’s ears dropped as the blush filled conversation came to an end. ”I … I just think a good servant wouldn’t mind those things. It’s not my point to be bothered by them, you know?” For a couple of seconds the girl sighed as her mind drifted to the real problem.

She curled her legs closer. ”... but I tried to take my mis- Lady Gwynn home - and …” She supposed she should start from the beginning. ”... when I left this place I happened to run into Lady Gwynn near the festival.” Her eyes looked up towards those of Luna.

Well, Luna could sort of put two and two together out of that. ”Ahh, so. . . I see. . .You were wanting to . . . Right. . . So, I mean. . .” Words Luna, use words. ”So, were you wanting to go be her familiar then?”

The kitten curled up a bit more, mumbling some incoherent response. Her voice choked up a bit as her ears went completely flat and she turned her head to be buried her head into her knees. ”Y-yeah.” The voice was barely audible and filled with shame.

Everything came out.

The cat told Luna how she had tried to kill herself that night when her confession was shot down.
How upset she was.
How small she felt.
The next day she was abandoned.
Livia told her the truth - she wasn’t worth anything and only thought of her mistress as some storybook hero.
How depressed she was.
How the dragon held her and trained her, trying to make her strong. How they decided to go after her lady.
But she wasn’t strong.
She just cried.
How she broke down in the store, screaming about just wanting to be a pet.
She was ready to give up.
But she was claimed.
And now she couldn’t tell everything to her own teacher.
How she suffered nightmares for the hundreds of ways in which Lady Gwynn could have died because she didn’t - hadn’t said anything.
And how horrible she felt.
Sorcha deserved better.

How they met up in the street, staring.
She felt petrified.
How she socked Lady Gwynn across the face.
She felt guilty.
How they went to the bar, and described their own adventures.
And how she imagined being ‘rescued’.
How the two of them danced in circles over and over again, her heart being happy once more.
Another confession.
A slight interruption, where she pretended to be tough, strong, aggressive. Everything Lady Gwynn wanted.
Her blood boiled.
Her asking Lady Gwynn to go home.
And how she was rejected, again.

”I Love Her!” The kitten’s voice was quivering by the time her tale ended. ”She abandoned me the first time I made a drunken mistake. I served her loyally for an entire year.” The cat seemed enraged. ”I wish I had just acted differently when I was with her. I wish I wasn’t me, a-”

Throughout the whole story, Luna felt like she was going to break herself. It was all too sad. By the end, it was too much. With teary eyes, the Knightess threw her arms around the cat and pulled her close. ”No.” Luna wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t quite in the state Maoin was in, but she was feeling pretty emotional too. ”You did nothing wrong. It’s an odd situation and if you’re at fault, Gwynn is at the least as much at fault as you.” She kept a firm grip on the cat. It always felt her feel better when her family held her like this during bad times. ”Acting is just that. It would change nothing.”

Maoin resisted the hug for half a second. She wasn’t-

Then she exploded into tears, gripping onto Luna like she was the last thing in the world. She hardly knew the woman, really. She’d run into her once while trying to get Lady Gwynn to class. ”Th-then I’d just change myself! Who needs silly dresses and makeup anyways!?” That had been one of the things that had irritated her mistress to no end. She’d had this conversation before but Lady Luna would understand at least. She didn’t care about those things either.

”She didn’t even want me back in Ireland. She just chose me randomly. She never thought of me as anything more than a cute, innocent cat to be protected. And - and she abandons me in the night? Her pet? Who fucking does that!?” Anger entered the girl’s voice as one of her hands pounded against Luna in frustration. ”I would die for her! I STILL would die for her! I don’t care if she needs to beat me to get her frustration out, I don’t care if I’ll never touch the land again, I don’t care if she doesn’t pet me or love me or get close to me.” Of course, she did care. ”I-I just want her to want me back!”

Luna was silent as Maoin let it all out. She couldn’t understand how Maoin was so adamant about wanting to be with Gwynn. ”I don’t understand how you can still want to be with her after all of this. You’re a strange cat, you know that?” If that were Luna, she’d want to look away and have nothing to do with them ever again. . . After socking them in the face a few times at least. ”Yet, I don’t think your problem is loyalty. . . You know?” She added followed by a few sniffs of her nose. ”Or, probably just too loyal to the wrong person.”

The cat nodded. ”I know. I should despise her. That’s what someone strong would do. But I don’t.” For a few seconds she remained buried against Lady Luna, as if doing so would make all of her problems go away and that the brave knightess would protect her from all these feelings.

”I’m not going to tell you what to feel. But, as it is now, you’re part of our family here. Sorcha is a little rough about it, but I think we’re both on your side.” She released her grasp on the cat a bit. ”You’re free to do what you want but that means you need to make your own decisions. If you want to stay Sorcha’s servant that’s fine. If you want to go back to Gwynn, as much as I dislike that thought right now, that’s your decision if she’d take you back.” She made her position on the matter obvious, but it wasn’t her decision.

The kitten nodded - she hated making decisions. And besides, it wasn’t up to her to choose who she belonged to. ”No. I-I’m sorry, but I belong to Lady Sorcha now.” The cat tugged a bit on her collar. ”I’m her property. It’s not my decision to make.” Luna would likely realize that there wasn’t a point in arguing this part as Maoin said it as if it were the divine will of god.

Luna looked distraught at Maoin’s insistence that she was Sorcha’s property. ”You’re a living, breathing being. . . I don’t know what happened, but you obviously have feelings too. You’re not some object.” The Knightess closed her eyes and took a breath. ”Sorry. It just runs wrongly in my head, that way of thinking.”

The kitten gave Lady Lightsword a look of understanding. ”... yeah … Lady Gwynn would probably agree with you there at least.” She wondered how someone wouldn’t want to be someone’s loyal pet either, but humans and many familiars were strange to her.

The cat took a hand and pushed herself upwards so that she was looking Luna in the eyes. ”Please don’t tell Lady Sorcha any of this. S-she deserves better than this. I-I’ll get used to it, alright?” It was obvious it was physically painful to the cat to imagine a life without belonging to Lady Gwynn, but she had promised to serve Lady Sorcha until she rested in the ground. And so she would.

Luna scratched her head a little bit. ”I don’t think Sorcha would be too mad if you just talked to her about it you know.” Sorcha wasn’t some heartless monster. Well, most the time at least. Not since she had first laid eyes on the dragon. ”Well, as long as I don’t think it’ll cause any major issues with anyone, my lips are shut.”

The kitten nodded, seeming satisfied as she fell into Luna again, cuddling close to her as suddenly the night air seemed a bit cold. ”Sorry for bothering you with all of this.”

”What have been telling you?” Luna asked as she stood herself, and pet the cat’s head a bit. ”So long as you’re here with us, you’re family to me. This isn’t a bother at all. Now, let’s get to bed. I still have class in the morning. Can you take my spot for one night. Sometimes Sorcha can be a bit difficult to escape in the mornings.”

Luna wouldn’t find the cat responding to her however as she continued to lean against Lady Lightsword breathing softly against her chest. It seemed she had already gone to bed before Luna even entered the house.

Luna sighed. Of course, she drank a lot if she went to a tavern earlier as well. ”Not like I’ve never picked up and carried a grown man. I had some help, but Maoin should be lighter anyhow.” Luna picked the cat up in a princess carry and made her way back into her room, setting Maoin in her old spot. The cat would have to take her spot for one night. Still, Sorcha would do bad things to her if she weren’t next to her completely. . . Plus, she had something to talk to the dragon about before she headed off to class.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Gwynn, Ritsa~

As soon as she was able too, Gywnn left the tavern with Ritsa in tow. The pirate said nothing, only walked quietly as she made her way quickly to her dorm she hadn't seen in weeks. It'd be odd coming back, but she'd try not to think about it. Ritsa was happy enough just to be moving again, walking alongside Gwynn with a wonder-filled grin as usual at the various sights and people at the school but said nothing, content to let her mind wander as she walked alongside Gwynn.

Eventually the two made their way back to Gwynn's dorm. The pirate tossed her hat onto the table where a note was. She didn't even have to look at it to make a guess as to who it was from. She walked over, picking it up and looked over it with a frown. Yep, Maoin. With a sigh, Gwynn ripped the letter in half before tossing it into the trash, not wanting to deal with it or think about it. She plopped down on the bed, as she kicked off her boots and buried her face in the pillow.

Ugh, of course she'd run into Maoin on her first day back and it'd completely ruin her mood.

"GAH!" Suddenly there was the feeling of a certain hydra flopping onto her instead of the bed. "Do I look like a bed or something brat?" Gwynn said with a frown, turning her head to look at the Hydra.

"Yes!" It caused Gwynn to stare for a bit before sighing and roughly shoving Ritsa off and sitting up as she reached out and pulled on one of the Hydra's fins.

"Fine, but try not to break any of my bones this time, alright?" Ritsa simply grinned and latched onto Gwynn, earning a sigh from the girl.

---

The next morning came swiftly enough. It was odd, not waking up to the rocking of a ship. She had gotten used to it in her week or so at sea, and was already missing it. Ugh, land just wasn't really for her at all, was it? At least Ritsa laying on top of her was familiar enough to bring the young pirate some sort of familiarity. She really hated this place, honestly. With a yawn, she opened one of her eyes and was greeted by the brightly smiling Ritsa who was straddling her chest.

"You're too young to be doing that." Gwynn said with a frown, only earning a brighter smile from Ritsa whose tail started to wag at seeing that she was now awake. She didn't seem to have any intention of moving though. "Get off." Gwynn pushed the Hydra off of her, earning a small giggle from the girl as she fell onto the bed and Gwynn sat up, rubbing her face with another yawn as Ritsa hopped off the bed and started running across the room. Gwynn stood up, walking over to the table and pouring a shot of alcohol before drinking it. She could get breakfast later. For now, she had to meet with the Headmistress. After classes, she was supposed to meet with this supposed sister of Swens anyways.

"Alright, lets get going." Gwynn said, picking up her hat. "Headmistress wants to meet ya, I'm sure."

~Livia Fiore~

Like always, Livia was in her office doing her usual work with Fia. Cynthia was attending to things in the office. Cleaning, pouring and brewing tea, taking care of Livia's schedule and making sure everything was in order. At the moment she was reading some report of something happening over in Ireland. Something about a series of rough seas or something. Unusual, but nothing entirely out of the ordinary. Probably would pass fairly quickly...

It was about that time Gwynn barged in, followed by Ritsa running in ahead of her.

"Well, hello Gwynn." Livia amicably greeted as she walked in.

"Hey, Livia." Gwynn returned the greeting as Ritsa hopped into a couch.

"You look like you could use a break, dear." Livia chuckled, motioning for Cynthia to pour some tea for the both of them.

"Last uh, last night didn't go so well is all." Gwynn said with a shake of her head. "But uh, that's not why I'm here so lets get this over with."

"Well, have a seat then. Lets talk about your recent adventures."

~Sorcha~

As soon as Maoin woke up, the first thing she'd notice was that her head was buried in something incredibly pleasant and soft, with something hugging her quite tightly. A few seconds later, she'd likely realize it was the dragon that was currently nuzzling the kitten in a slightly affectionate manner.

~Fox~

After the events of last night, Fox had told Sel that Gwynn agreed to meet her at the fountain. Messing with them was just too easy, wasn't it? With a chuckle to herself, the fox walked around Sel's apartment. She liked to be awake when everyone else was sleeping, after all. Made for some fun times, especially if she could get her hands on some ink. Now the question was whether or not Sel was actually awake.

The fox yawned, turning her head towards her so called 'master'. It was almost time for their 'classes' wasn't it? Fox had to wonder if she could have the time off while Sel was at those classes of hers.

~Miren~

At first, Miren had been absolutely terrified of these developments. Even more so when the hound had decided to stay over and...share the bed with her. That said, after a few minutes of getting her nerves calmed down and her naturally nervousness under control, Miren had to admit it was surprisingly nice. No one had ever actually hugged her quite like Eith had - in fact, she tended to be quite jumpy, especially with hugs. When morning came, Oddly enough Miren didn't want to leave, instead she simply snuggled closer to Eith...but then she remembered she had work to do. Or at least, she couldn't spend all day in bed like this.

With a yawn, she wiggled her way out of Eith's grasp and hopped out of bed, getting dressed in her usual clothing before heading to the kitchen. Eith was probably hungry and she should set up the bookstore to make sure it was open...

~Lyssa~

After spending almost most of the night cleaning, Lyssa's room was looking surprisingly spotless. There were still dozens of books laying around of various natures, but instead of being scattered all over the floor they had been stacked into neat piles. Lyssa's clothes had been folded and were soon to be washed, the floor was swept and stacked into the closet. With Mugi's and Ayumi's help things had gone surprisingly well, considering Lyssa had absolutely no idea how to clean.

She would have probably just shoved everything into the closet if she did it on her own.

That said, the demon was exhausted from the cleaning and she was now cuddling Ayumi on the bottom bunk of the bed. Not that the Ninja currently minded it. She had decided to let Mugi use the top bunk herself. She didn't seem intent on going to classes.