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Stupid! I was so... stupid! Yeah, it was a good way to make some extra credits on the side, but... There I sat, on the sidelines, to the right of the grazing table, crystal tablet in paw. The suit felt bulky around me, yet tight at the same time, and I knew I looked absolutely atrocious in it. Though, maybe the tightness was from my chest instead.

The lilting music drifted through the night air around us, even as the light snow fell down through the air. Torches, heat stones built into the cobblestones, and a few open cooking fires warmed the entire square to the point where the falling snow was nothing more than a momentary wetness against everyone present. Close to a hundred people gently swayed to the music in front of me, holding each other close and snuggling as they moved in slow rotation and rhythm. A plethora of males and females of all species and shape, all in formal clothing. Leather and fur outdoor winter suits and dressings were everywhere, giving a two piece and long pants garb for the males, and a v-neck blouse and knee skirt look for the females. At least, by design. I'd seen plenty of swapping abound by people I knew to actually be male or female, yet wearing the opposite outfit. That was fine too. Didn't matter for the pictures, either.

Our first adult dance. Parents wanted mana pictures of their kids, and paid good credits for it. I... Well, obviously, I didn't have a trial mate or date even for the dance, and I had the expertise to operate a very fancy enchanted devices for mana image taking. That put me in the prime opportunity to earn some credits on the side for spending. But I forgot that... she... was going to be here.

I'd gotten at least six shots of every pair on my list already. Now... My scanner locked onto Ahrianis again in the middle of the crowd while I leaned back idly on the bench. The displays popped up via projected illusions right in front of my eyes, displayed across the contact glasses I wore. Magical corrective lenses, of course, for a small blurring issue I had when I was younger, that was patched out of me already. I kept the lenses though, and played with the enchantments on them myself to be a small, illusionary display for my equipment.

My vision zoomed in on her. Ahri. She smiled softly as she swayed, snuggling tight to a large male Vulkus. Which said something, given she was a rather large Vulkus female already. Her fur and hair were as white as the snow that fell around us, which showed the warm blush on her cheeks all the better. Bright silver eyes were locked with his as she moved, and I knew if the area were any darker, their glow would be seen. She was a vita-enhanced barrier guard in training, and had alchemical augmentation done to her. Her eyes would never be blue again, but I guessed it was a small price to pay for the ability to dead lift a tram carriage. At least once her training was done... It didn't matter though. I thought she was gorgeous regardless.

Snap. Another silent image of her was taken, adding to the nine I already had of just her. I exhaled, sighing as I lifted my crystal tablet up again and looked over all the images on the screen. Hundreds of pictures now, but the most recent ones were immediately my favorites. But this was as close as I could get to her. Now an ache went through my chest, as she danced with the big Vulkus male.

Vikhor. Aspiring guard captain and noble Vulkus blood. Big, black and gray Vulkus with blue-gray eyes. Father was an Alpha, but he didn't luck out there. Alpha mutations were a lot less rare now, but still not common. We were all eleven now, and used to go to the same basic school. This was the last time we'd be together as an academic group, but I wasn't really... here. Not really. This wasn't my thing, and I originally wasn't even going to come if not for the credits opportunity. I knew Ahri had been swooning over Vik for a while, and asked him out. They were both prominent noble blood. Both were confident and charming, seemed to know exactly what they wanted in life, and were practically meant for each other. In fact, after the dance, they'd probably slip away like everyone else and lose their virginities together too. They were made for each other, practically. And I'd drop off my pictures, get paid, and quietly go back home early.

I turned off the lenses and exhaled softly, pressure in my chest feeling like it could break my ribs now. This just wasn't my world. Everyone here was so wistful, idealistic, and romantic, in every meaning of the word. Most clearly saw it as the last time we'd formally all be together again, despite groups and mates having already clearly been formed outside of school. This was a romantic, sorrowful goodbye to this stage of our lives. Me? Good riddance.

I'd probably never see Ahri again after this. She, I'd miss. But seeing her was a double-edged sword, so... it would be better off that way. I was just tormenting myself. Instead, I was set to join the academy, with honors, and I'd throw myself into my studies and work there. That was my real passion. Something I was actually good at and useful with. Useful. It's how I'd met her, after all.

I'd tutored her in math. She just... asked me out of the blue at the start of term three years ago. I have no idea why. Yeah, I was really good at it, but she couldn't have known that. It was the start of the term. She said that math wasn't her strength at all, and asked if I could tutor her. I'm from nobility too, but... small scale stuff compared to her. Our clan barely survived the attack on Talgrand during the Shattering, and only had three families left in it. Plus, she was the most gorgeous girl in class. At least to me, anyway.

A pretty noble girl with a massive clan backing coming up and asking me for help? A runty little Keld noble wannabe with the second from smallest clan in Koramir? Of course, I stammered out a yes, which only seemed to amuse her. At first, I worried that it was a prank or joke, but... nope. That night I was in her clan mansion, with us being waited on by half a dozen servants and teaching her mid-level arithmetic. Her parents welcomed me openly even, and were just as... normal as she was, it felt like. They acted like normal people, not powerful and important nobles.

Stupid me. I fell hard for her over the years. We grew into friends, and I helped around the mansion more than once on construction and mechanical alchemy projects. It was my... specialization. My talent. We'd occasionally hang out outside of tutoring too, even though I was always... awkward around her and stiff. But she never seemed to mind, and always encouraged me when I said anything.

Sighing, I slipped out of my memories and glanced to my left again. Two Illan girls, Vitra and Lethis, were sharing a seat and in the middle of making out with each other. Vitra had pure white fur and shockingly blue hair, obviously dyed. If I recalled, her eyes were equally blue. Lethis was brown-furred and a little smaller in build, with dark gray splotches here and there all over her. Her hair was dyed a darker pink in color, and she had brown eyes. Why they decided to sit _right next to me_on the bench was beyond me. They were the fiery, rebel type, so I could only assume this was to make fun of me and try to get a reaction. I rolled my eyes and turned the other way instead, grabbing my glass of berry punch from the grazing table and taking another big gulp. The music was stopping, and the warmth of the fluid heated me and steeled my nerves a bit as everyone moved off the dance floor. I could face any amount of ridicule now that attention was pulled off dancing, and even the faint traces of alcohol in the punch helped insulate me against the cold and commentary.

"No! Yeah, I know you're bored. You said that. But this dance means a lot to me, and I want to stay until the end." My ears perked up as I picked up Ahri's voice, and my eyes snapped to her again as she headed for the grazing table with Vikhor, and two other couples, in tow. Surri and Pathon, his hulking Vulkus guard buddies, and Myna and Lyna, the Jakatar twins that were their dates. I... didn't know which was which, admittedly. Nor did I really care, as they tended to be... chilly at best to me, on a good day.

Vikhor sighed, wrinkling his muzzle as he gave her waist a squeeze. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just... this is a little puppish, isn't it? My parents are having a _much_better party back at our mansion the six of us can go to. Right now, even! There's dancing there, too. And better music and drinks. And actual food for supper!"

I almost heard Surri's stomach rumble from where I sat, and he looked wistful at that. "Mmm, supper would be nice..."

Ahri pulled away from Vikhor however and frowned. "No. There's time for that later! We can go there after the dance. This is our last chance to be with our school group, Vik. Just... relax for a bit longer, okay?"

He huffed at that, moving a paw out to her, but she stepped back again and shook her head. There was a back and forth between them after that was hard to track, with both of them curling their lips up for a moment, before she turned away and walked starkly towards the public bathing house off to the side instead, probably to touch herself up a bit. Or cool off, given she looked a little miffed.

Thankfully, I was largely ignored. Vikhor stalked over to the table instead, demeanor and stance changing entirely as he slammed his paws down onto the surface of it. "Gah! Guess we have to stick around this lame-ass dance even longer. Tch." He took a moment after to fill up another glass of punch from the bowl before downing the whole thing in one go. Yikes!

Surri slipped away from... one of the twins, and grabbed a plate of crackers, cheeses, and meats from the table instead, while Pathon moved up and gave Vikhor a swat to the shoulder. "Dude, relax. It's another hour at best, then we can go to the real party. Plus, it's worth it if you get her moaning under you tonight, right? Real fine Vulkus bitch, there!" I tensed at that, then again when the twin Jakatar actually giggled at the comment.

"Oh, I think she's looking forward to it, too. She talks a lot about joining the guard with you, and raising a family together with both of you being honored guard captains..." I really should have figured out ways to tell the twins apart, but I guess it didn't matter if I didn't see them ever again after tonight. They seemed to know Ahri, though, if they knew her life goals. She... glowed almost when gushing about joining the guard.

Vikhor gave a smirk to them at that, then nodded. "Fuck yeah. Though she's gonna be kept too round with pup to do any more stupid guard training, I think. I'm the Alpha, and I'll be the one to take care of her. I hear she's a good cook, though! So that's a plus..." I felt my neck bristle at that, but looked down and away. She'd wanted to be a guard for... as long as I knew her. Her father was a guard captain, and she idolized him. This male was...

To my surprise, Surri gave a low chuckle at that. "Nah. My mah's a guard too, and she does just fine, even when she was pregnant with my little bro. Those vita augments are amazing!"

Pathon snorted, then whacked him lightly in his stomach before smirking. "Guess you're one to talk to there. On 'overly large' fighting styles, that is." Both twins giggled again, but Vikhor huffed once more.

"No way. She's going to be for breeding and housework. My mother's the same way, and it's what Vulkus do." He glared down at the table with that, and Surri frowned slowly.

"Uh, ain't she... That's what she does though. She's a cook. She... likes it, I thought..." he questioned.

"Uh... and? What difference does that make?" Vikhor frowned to him instead, and I rolled my eyes. It was sometimes... exasperating listening to how idiotic they were. But they were the better ones. He was the one she liked.

There was a long pause, and I almost felt the air chill around me as Vikhor turned fully towards me instead. "Eh? The fuck was that look about, Twig? Listening in on your betters?" I froze, eyes widening at that and turning to look at him as he stomped past Surri and towered over me. Oh shit...

"A-Ah, no, I w-wasn't..." I jerked instead as his lower left paw lifted and stomped down right next to where I sat, shaking the entire bench! My tails puffed up behind me, and I shrank down immediately.

The two Illan's jumped with a start at the sudden shaking, then both shot him a glare. "Hey! Watch it!"

Vikhor glared back to them for a moment until they fell silent, then turned his gaze back to me. "O-Oh, I w-wasn't... Speak up, Twig! What are you even _doing_here? Hoping to mooch off table scraps because your parents are too poor to feed you?"

I swallowed the tension in my throat, shaking now and flattening myself back on the bench. "N-No, I was... p-pictures! P-Paid for p-p... p-pictures of couples..." Pathon gave an amused sneer as he walked up next to Vikhor, before laughing.

"P-P-Pictures! Timid Twig, at his best..." He spat idly after he reached us, and I winced as I felt something wet and slimy hit my lower right paw. Coming here was a mistake...

I gave a startled yelp instead as Vikhor suddenly reached down and tore my crystal tablet from my paws, sending a lance of pain through my left one. Wincing, I grabbed it with the other, feeling the sharp throbbing burn along my pad under it. The big Vulkus didn't seem to care, and instead swept through all of my images, scrutinizing glare on his expression.

"Damn. Hate to say it, but you got some good shots. Guess you'll have a use in the future after all. Recording all the memories for people that you'll never have." I winced at that, and Pathon laughed again.

"Careful! You'll ruin all his thoughts he probably touches himself to at night. He might cry again..." The Vulkus grinned after, and the twins giggled again as a wave of nausea washed over me.

"Heee. Touch himself..." The one giggled after chirping it out, then they both did. Surri frowned over at the four of them instead, but didn't say anything. Wait...

My blood froze as Vikhor got to all the lone images of Ahri, and his eyes narrowed. "The fuck?! Wait, why do you have so many images of _my_bitch? Are you...? Hah! Hahaha! Does little Twig's little twiggy stir to her? Hah! That's... almost adorable..." He shifted to a lower growl after, and I swallowed, shrinking down and shivering again as he leaned further down towards me on the bench.

He growled low, fur bristling a little before smirking instead. "A loser like you doesn't stand a chance, Twig. Go ahead and take pictures. It's all you're going to get of her. In fact, go ahead and touch yourself to them tonight, while you know I'm getting my dick wet inside of her instead... It'll be her job from now on, after all."

I shivered, feeling that cold ache warp in my chest, ears lowering. "B-But... s-she w-w-wants to b-be a guard..." I don't know why I said it. Maybe I knew I'd already lost. Maybe I could never live with myself if I left tonight without saying anything at all. She was a... friend to me. At least I thought she was. Hoped she was. She didn't deserve... that line of thinking. And maybe if he heard it...

His eyes narrowed at that again, instead. "Cute. Good thing I don't care what she thinks she wants. She'll be my bitch soon enough. A Vulkus Alpha decides what's good for the pack! A little prissy Keld like you wouldn't know an Alpha if one walked up and kicked your face in. Which I should, for that comment!" I winced again as he raised the paw on the bench and kicked it into the backrest instead. Both Illan flailed, then hopped off the bench instead, now openly glaring at him again. Oh Gods, I was dead...

"Uh, Vik..." Surri muttered.

Vikhor huffed, however. "Shut it. No, you don't even get to touch yourself to her tonight now. Here, have your pictures back..." My eyes widened as he rotated slightly, then brought the crystal tablet down on his knee instead with both paws. No! It fractured, sparking with mana energy as it fragmented into two. They were still sparking as he dumped both into my lap, the screen flickering now before red flashes of error messages popped up all over it. No... My mom had gotten that for me as a gift for graduating... I stared at it in my paws, my blood now covering one of the halves of it, and felt the warm heat drift into my cheeks instead, my vision starting to get blurry. That was...

"Vik!" Surri repeated.

The Vulkus stood up again with a huff, then looked towards his friend, just in time to widen his eyes. Ahri was standing there again, staring at him and looking... seething. "What the fuck are you doing?!" I'd never heard her... really angry before, and her shout and expression made me jump again, before I quickly tried to wipe at my cheeks. Crying was bad enough. But crying in front of _her_was something out of my nightmares...

"W-Whoa! It was just... playing, Babe! He's fine! I just... he had a bunch of creepy-ass images of you and..." Vikhor held both paws up and took a step back away from her as she stalked up, shoving past the twins and Pathon. I yelped again, tucking my legs up just in time as, to my shock, she fluidly stepped into a swing and flat out decked Vikhor right in the muzzle! My eyes widened as I watched her lay him out onto the cobblestone with one hit, both Illan girls yelping and hopping onto the bench to avoid him landing on them. He hit hard, air leaving him as his heavy body crashed into the stone, blood now oozing from his nose and muzzle. The screaming started a split second later as he partly curled up against himself, clutching at his face as more blood hit the cobblestones.

"Whoa! You cunt!" Pathon snarled it out, grabbing Ahri's left arm from behind and pulling her backwards a second later. I curled my legs away entirely, barely avoiding Lethis suddenly diving past me, turning and twisting sideways in midair before driving both of her lower paws right into Pathon's gut. He winced, doubling over instantly as she kicked off his stomach, and Vitra flipped over her, driving her lower paws into his face instead as he lowered it.

He went sailing backwards and crashed into the grazing table instead. The wood buckled and splintered under his impact and weight, crashing down around him to the sounds of shattering glass as plates and glasses alike broke underneath and against him. Surri managed to snag a second plate off the table just in time, then gave a skeptical stare down at the groaning Vulkus at his paws now, before shrugging and taking another cracker.

"Whoa! Hey, hey!" Two male guards, one Vulkus and one Keld, rushed up at the sudden bout of violence. "Break it up, guys! This is a dance, not the sparring arena!" The Vulkus barked out orders while the Keld hauled both Vikhor and Pathon to their paws again. Ahri had already turned away however and frowned, suddenly leaning down and pulling me gently back up into a sitting position by my shoulders. I wiped at my cheeks again, and only succeeded in getting smeared blood on my left one. Tch.

The Keld guard frowned. "You're injured. Did they do this?" he asked almost instantly. I winced again, shrinking down and away from him. Oh shit! Did I...? If I told the truth, they'd kill me! This was...

Ahri's frown shifted into a glare as she looked away from me and to Vikhor instead. "They did. I watched them do it, and break his crystal tablet." Vikhor gave a low growl to her, which she returned even louder. To my surprise, he actually pulled back a little, before the guard jerked him straight again. What was she... doing? She had adored Vikhor! Why was she ruining her chances with him over_me_?!

"I-It's... It... It's o-okay. I mean... I-I... It w-wasn't..." I'd rolled my eyes at him, and he'd seen my creepy pictures. Just saying that out loud though in front of everyone...

"No, it's not okay, Kouta. You don't deserve to be treated like this." She frowned down at me after, then slowly shook her head. "In fact, I'm taking you back to the mansion. You need to get that paw looked at, okay? We have medical staff..." Both Illan girls looked to her curiously, then to me as well as my ears flattened even more against my head.

"B-But... the d-dance is i-important to... y-you!" I exclaimed. I'd heard her say it herself!

She relaxed a bit at that, then softly smiled, shaking her head. "I don't have a date to dance with anymore. While I want to be a mother and have an Alpha in the future, I'm not going to be with someone who doesn't respect me." She'd... heard what he'd said...?

Vikhor snarled at that. "You cunt! That's your fucking place!" That the Vulkus guard snorted to, though.

"With a shitty outlook like that, I'd say getting punched in the face is the least of your problems. You're both under arrest for disrupting the peace, and can cool your heads in the holding cell for the night..." With that, he grabbed both Vikhor and Pathon and hauled them away from the rest of us.

Struggling against him, Vikhor gave a snarl before shouting, "You fuck! You know who my father is, don't you?! Let go of me!" I winced as the large guard spun with that, leg stomping down and suddenly crashing into Vikhor's knees, dropping the Vulkus male once again to the cobblestones with a much harder crash than Ahri had given him.

"Yeah, I know who he is. And I know he'd be ashamed of your behavior tonight. This bullshit isn't put up with anymore, pup. You're under arrest!" Ahri helped me up to my paws with that, then slid in front of me as Vikhor lashed out with his legs, only to take the Keld guard's stun rod right to the side of the skull an instant later. Oh, shit! With a crack of blue energy, he collapsed like a wet sack of rocks, unmoving now as the Vulkus guard hauled him up and slung his unconscious body over his shoulder with minimal effort. Pathon, probably wisely, immediately let himself be bound by the other guard.

The Keld nodded to Ahri, with that. "We'll be by later tonight to do a simple report, Ahrianis. Just need a statement from you. But go take care of him, first..." Figured they'd know who Ahri was, anyway.

She nodded, and we watched the two haul Vikhor and Pathon away before she turned and smiled softly to me again. "That... wasn't your fault, Kou. If anything, thank you. He showed who he really was there..." She looked sad at that for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. Surri shook his too as he walked up next to the twins.

"I'm sorry too. They were way out of line there... This was supposed to be a fun evening..." He frowned down at my paws, as I shivered there and clutched what was left of my crystal tablet. I didn't even... The twins shied away from him at the same time, but he didn't even seem to notice.

"Uh... right. That was really uncool. We're just gonna go home. See you later, Ahri," one of them stated. She lifted an eyebrow to the two, but they quickly moved away from us, as if afraid to be seen near us by the crowd that had formed to watch the violence. Figures. Not that I blamed them, really.

Ahri shook her head, then smiled to the two Illan instead. "Thanks for your help too. Do uh, you three want to go to the mansion with us? My parents are throwing a party too, at least." They both perked at the offer, then smiled to each other instead.

"Actually, that does sound kind of cool. Beats sticking around here, with assholes assaulting us..." Vitra rolled her eyes at that, and Lethis snickered, nuzzling her on the cheek. Well, they were more assaulting me, but... Surri nodded as well, giving a softer smile to Ahri, who grinned back.

"Then it's settled! Let's go, guys!" she exclaimed, then grabbed me and hauled me along after her towards the familiar mansion just up the hill.

---

Brushing my black bangs aside, I looked at myself in the mirror of the downstairs bathing room. Short, messy hair as usual, but I hadn't been expecting socialization tonight. Not that combing helped me much. My fur was mostly black too, though I also had dark gray and blue-gray splotches here and there, including a prominent blue-gray one over my left eye. Grayish blue shading was natural for Keld, which always surprised people. Rare, but normal. My eyes were a surprisingly dark shade of blue as well, and flitted over my form nervously.

My paw was wrapped in bandages now. The pad had gotten gashed pretty good, and I'd probably have to go into the hospital tomorrow to get it restored. Otherwise, it would scar, undoubtedly. Guess I should have purchased one of those edge guards after all. My thoughts shifted a bit melancholy again as I remembered my destroyed crystal tablet, and I sighed, staring into my own eyes in the mirror. Why had I mouthed off against him? Stupid! I... had wanted to protect her, which was laughable. Ahri didn't need my protection. Instead, I'd only gotten my tablet broken.

Stepping away from the mirror, I shook my head before turning and walking out into the large living room once again. The party was still going strong, with all sorts of people in the living room, great hall, and dining hall areas. Thankfully, the back corner of the living room had a nice collection of couches around a tea table, set up, which was nice and quiet in comparison. Surri, Vitra, and Lethis were on one side, with the girls snuggling against each other and Surri at the other end. I'd never really paid much attention to the large, well-built brown Vulkus. His longer, black hair was done up with a simple, low ponytail, and he was relaxed back with practiced posture, reclining on the couch as his green eyes lingered curiously over to the two Illan. Ahri, and her mother, Nolla, were on the other couch, relaxing and chatting with each other as I came back up. Her mother was really pretty too. Definitely where Ahri got her white fur and hair from, though her eyes were a light purple in color instead. The blue must have come from her father. Still, I thought Ahri was prettier by far.

Both of them perked up as I was spotted, and Ahri smiled and patted the cushion next to her. Hesitantly, I sat down there instead and returned a timid smile her way. Her mother grinned to me, then nodded as I did. "You clean up nicely, Kou. You should dress nice more often. You're a very handsome young male." I flushed at that and wiggled, feeling my tails puff a little as I looked down at the table instead of meeting her gaze. Ahri snickered at that, but nodded, to my surprise.

"Very handsome, you're right! I didn't even realize, Kou!" Now she was just teasing me... A Vulkus like Vikhor was 'handsome'. That's why she'd picked him. Well, that and a dozen other positive attributes I lacked.

My muzzle scrunched up a little, and then my nose wiggled. "Um, I'm not... t-that good looking. I mean... I don't..." I awkwardly trailed off, with Ahri waiting patiently for me to finish for several seconds before smiling more softly again.

"Relax, Kou. You've had a long evening. Just rest for the rest of the night, okay? We can take it easy..." She always was so patient with me, even when I blundered over my words. I really did relax, then give a little nod to her before looking down to the broken tablet sitting on the tea table. One half was covered in my dried blood now, but at least it had stopped sparking.

Surri sighed as he looked to it, too. "Sorry about your tablet and pictures. You're probably not gonna get paid now either..." That was... My eyes locked onto the corner of the bloodied tablet part, and I leaned down and pushed the underside of it in for a moment. Thankfully there wasn't any blood on the corner, and I slid the memory crystal out of it afterwards.

"Um, a-actually, there's no memory on the tablet itself. It's just a... device to view things. Everything's on the memory crystal here..." I held the stick up to the light and looked it over, finding it entirely undamaged, and relaxed.

Nolla perked at that, then to my surprise, reached to the other end-table next to her and slid out another crystal tablet. "So, you could use this one to view the pictures? If I recall, we ordered some from you, too..." Oh, right. I nodded to her and she slid the tablet over, even as Ahri groaned.

"Mom! I don't want those pictures of me and Vikhor. That was our first, and last date..." She scrunched her muzzle up in disgust after, and I shot her a curious look until Nolla giggled and nodded.

"I know. I was hoping they could be edited so we could see just you. Or maybe take some new ones of you in your pretty dress..." she suggested. Oh! That I could do. Not that that totally didn't give me an excuse to stare at Ahri more.

Plugging the crystal in, I winced as it immediately popped up the last image that was on display. One of just Ahri smiling and standing to the warm torchlight backdrop. Nolla perked in surprise, but Ahri actually flushed a little, examining the picture curiously as I tried my best to crawl inside of myself and die in the dark.

"S-Sorry! T-Those were j-just... that..." I tried reaching for the tablet, but Nolla had already slid forward and grabbed her tablet again, then panned back and looked over all the images I'd taken already of just Ahri. Oh Gods beyond!

Her grin widened as she slowly shifted through each of the solo shots, even as Ahri herself turned brighter and brighter red watching. "My! Thankfully, you seem to have a lot of pictures of Ahri here by herself already! And some of these are really nicely done! Did you even touch up this one already?" she asked. I died a little more as she brought up the one I'd been playing with in the downtime, focus-shifted to Ahri and the lighting adjusted to warm her tones more. Vitra and Lethis grinned across from us, shifting to looking mirthfully at me instead, and I sank down against the couch.

Her mother seemed amused yet oddly pleased. "Well, we'll definitely pay you for these. You can delete the ones of Vikhor of course. He won't be welcome here again... Though Ahri told me what you said to him! I very much approve. I'm glad Ahri has such a good friend who respects her so much." Ahri glanced my way at that, and I quickly glued my eyes to the table again, feeling that burning heat lighting up my entire face. Why? Why couldn't I just crawl somewhere dark and hide for a while?!

The Vulkus girl perked a moment later, with all four of her ears lifting as she glanced out into the great hall again. Huh? Slowly, a soft smile played across her muzzle, and she looked back to me with that, still flushed. "Actually... this is a party, and there's no reason the night has to end on such a sour note. Kouta... would you... honor me by dancing with me? I'd very much like to dance, still..." I froze, the silence after her request feeling like it washed over me like an avalanche. She... what? I stared at her in shock, and her grin widened a little. I couldn't even... fathom what she'd just said, fully.

She didn't look offended as I froze. Instead, her blush just increased a bit, and she held both her paws out towards me, pads up. She... I swallowed, but the knot in my throat refused to be so much as budged. I was in dumb shock, but... I had never been able to deny anything Ahri had ever asked for. Ever. Perhaps that contributed to my jerky, shivering lifting of my arms, and placing of my paws against her own.

A grin, and she stood, maybe a bit too fast, gently pulling me up to my paws again as she did. Hers were... warm in my own, and her fingers grasped gently with my own as she stepped past me, then backwards, pulling me into the great hall, where other couples were already dancing and swaying to the music. To my lack of surprise, Nolla snapped up her tablet again with a grin, and flicked to the mana flash function instead, lifting it to track the two of us and undoubtedly get more shots. Was this... Was this even real?!

My parents had always pushed me. When they saw my knack for knowledge, magic, and alchemy, they'd pushed particularly hard for my education and academic pursuits. They weren't unkind or unloving. But they were quite strict and always encouraged me to do my absolute best. Now, I was particularly grateful in that my mother had forced me to learn basic dancing.

Instead, my body moved automatically, off muscle memory alone. The moment was frozen for me, with everything else bleeding away as Ahri pressed herself up against me, gently holding each other. My body was lanky, and not very strong, but I was also lithe and quite flexible. My movements were smooth and swaying, in time with her own, even as my arms shook almost uncontrollably at her touch.

I was scared witless and impossibly excited at the same time, the world around us becoming dark. She was the only thing present now, smiling softly to me as we moved to the wafting melody around us. Her smile widened, and flush grew as she pulled me a little closer, apparently pleasantly surprised by... something.

Her paws slid over my arms, stilling them slowly. "Shh. You're doing amazing, Kou. Just relax... and thank you for this..." Her voice was a whisper, and I felt my cheeks heat up again as we swayed. She stepped back, spinning gently against my arm before stepping forward again, grinning now instead. The band's song lightened up into a faster pace, with the dancers following along, and I heard her giggle as she spun again, rotating twice as I lifted her paw up over her, twirling her there.

The music crashed down after, into a gentle thrum, and she fell against me equally suddenly. My eyes widened as she fully pressed into me, with her muzzle dipping softly to tuck under my chin. Something in me... stirred at that, my arms sliding around her back to hold her close to my chest as we swayed and rotated to the song. Her warmth radiated out into my chest, and my eyes closed as I held her there. No, please, let me be stuck in this moment forever, if anyone was watching and feeling generous.

But all things end, and so did the song. She didn't immediately step away from me, though, and instead looked up into my eyes as I froze there again. I was holding her to me. Had she suddenly noticed...? No growls or punches came, however. Instead, she gave a flushed smile up to me. "Mmm, that was amazing, Kou. You're... a much better dancer. Could we... maybe keep going?" she asked gently, searching my expression as she did. Ah!

"O-Of course, Ahri! Um, w-we can g-go as long a-as you want..." It came out as a quick, stuttering rush, and I winced, cursing my voice again as I did. It became a jumbled mess with a stutter on top whenever I got so much as uneasy, which meant pretty much constantly. She'd never teased me about it though, thankfully.

Instead, she grinned. "Dangerous words, Kou. Very dangerous. Let's see how well you can keep up then..." I paused at that, the sudden mirthful tone of her voice causing my unease to grow. Well, another thing I might live to regret. What else was new? I was determined to enjoy this regret as long as I could, regardless...

---

Oh, ye Gods beyond and within! I couldn't feel my poor legs! My lower paws may as well have been in some dark, distant abyss, far away from me and cold and numb. Well, maybe not that bad, but I still ached uncomfortably. Ahri was a little irked at me for dancing with her until my left leg gave out, but it was _so_worth it! For one, her mom had gotten dozens of pictures of us, to augment my memory of this amazing night. For two, Ahri's pleasure appeared to outweigh the negative, and after she'd recovered from being annoyed at my lack of self-control, she'd pounced me again and insisted on personally helping me to the upstairs bathing area instead, to soak my legs.

Of course, I hadn't put two and two together and realized I'd have to be naked for it until it was much too late. Clothing inside of buildings in Koramir was entirely optional of course, and in our own small manor, I usually walked around the upper, family only area in just a pair of pajama shorts. Now, though...

Heat burned in my cheeks as I sat, completely nude, in the nice, bubbly water. It felt amazing on my muscles, but I was also naked! Ahri being right in the same room didn't help at all, as she'd returned with a rolling cart of food for us both. I was kind of curious where Surri, Vitra, and Lethis were at this point, but couldn't find my courage to even talk, knowing I'd just be a stammering mess.

"Mmm, that was amazing, Kou. I can't thank you enough! I love to dance, and you're beyond a satisfactory partner! I guess Keld grace isn't just a bragging point." She shot me a wink over her shoulder, and I squirmed, getting her to giggle again. "Relax, Kou. I mean, really. You were amazing and... I had a ton of fun. It... completely turned my night around. I mean it..." That at least made me happy. If I was able to cheer her up after the flop her date had turned out to be.

I looked up at her as she sat down on the edge of the inset bathing pool, and smiled more softly to me. She looked deep in thought for another long moment before giving a little sigh after. "Vikhor... wasn't turning out at all like I'd hoped. It wasn't just what he did to you. He wasn't a very good dancer. He didn't want to be there. Pretty sure he just wanted to haul me back to his mansion for sex... and I'd already all but decided not to go..." My ears slowly lowered a bit at that, and she gave another smile my way and nodded.

"I'd gotten that feeling long before he said it outright to you. I'm... glad for what you said though. It keeps playing over and over in my mind, and I can't stop thinking about it..." I tilted my head to that, then frowned.

"W-What, me b-being stupid a-and making him m-mad...?" I asked, ears flattening back.

She perked, then smiled again at that, shaking her head. "No, Kou. You were absolutely terrified, but you still verbally spoke up for me. I don't think you even knew I was there, either." I slowly shook my head to that, and she smiled wider. "See? We've been friends for three years now, and I'm so glad I asked you to be my tutor. You... respect me, and care about me. That's... so valuable to me. I'm glad to be your friend..."

My cheeks flushed again, and her smile shifted to a smirk instead. Uh oh. "And you take such lovely pictures of me. Those eye lenses of yours are quite useful. Though..." Please no... Sadly, she continued. "I find myself very, very curious as to why you did..."

Freezing yet again, I shrank a little in the pool, ears drooping, even as my cheeks blazed red in the dim bathing room light. How did I...? There was no way I could answer that! Her smirk shifted to an almost devious grin, however, eyes eagerly looking me over now. It made me want to squirm, if I wasn't frozen in absolute horror.

Thoughts slowly bled out of my head as instead, she shifted her paws up, then behind her. Three quick, deft motions later, and her formal blouse loosened around her torso. My eyes widened to full size, and I literally couldn't tear my head or gaze away as she lowered it carefully off her chest, folding it without even looking in her lap. There was nothing underneath it, and her budding breasts were right there on display in front of me, with two hard nipples poking out of her white fur as little pink nubs.

"Mmm, I think I have my answer..." She sounded amused, setting her top aside instead of covering herself up again, then moving her paws down to the waistline of her skirt. Ah! I managed a shiver, but my traitorous body refused to respond otherwise, jaw hanging loose as she unhooked the front clasp and opened her skirt up, revealing only panties underneath it. My eyes traced every shape in the front of the panties, her developing spade clearly visible in the fabric. To my further shock, the center of the swelling was darkened... and growing slowly outwards. She was...

Her thumbs hooked the sides of her panties, and I jolted myself, giving a spasm and causing her to squeak in surprise. "W-W-Wait! Y-You d-don't... Ahri, y-you ah... d-don't h-have to..." My voice was as big a mess as I thought it would be, but her paw slid forward and gently pressed down on my muzzle, silencing me regardless.

She looked... surprisingly serious as she studied me. My eyes lifted to meet with hers, and I hesitantly locked with her gaze in return. It was tempting to stare at her breasts some more but... that was rude, wasn't it? That and she seemed... Her ears lifted slowly, and her smile returned just as gradually. "You're... something else, Kou. Most males would be... enthusiastic at a female stripping in front of them, you know..." My ears lowered a little at that, and I looked away from her to the side.

"Ahri... I'm n-not... Y-You're... I m-m-mean... you're... g-gorgeous. J-Just... I d-don't..." It was barely a whisper, and I wasn't sure of myself getting anything at all out if I spoke up.

Her paw clamped down on my muzzle again, and she shifted to an outright frown, causing me to freeze again. "Don't you dare say you don't deserve it or aren't worthy. We Vulkus females are the ones who do the hunting. I decide when my quarry is worthy or not. I... know you don't think highly of yourself, Kou. But let me think highly of you, for you. Okay? But also relax..." I lifted my gaze to her again at that, ears lifting a bit too... at least until she suddenly slid her panties off too.

Having stood again to do so at the same time, where her face had been was suddenly a pristine view of her lightly swollen spade instead. My eyes shot open to full size as I locked onto it, two tails puffing up suddenly behind me despite being wet. Her own started to sway behind her, and her smirk returned as she dropped her panties into her clothing pile, then actually just stood there, legs slightly parted to give me the perfect view of herself. Three lightly puffed lips, skin flushed red under her fur. A thin, slick stream of fluids slid down and out from the center, and her scents suddenly hit me at the same time, causing me to shiver. I didn't even have pheromone detection for Vulkus, but she still smelled... lovely. Her own eyes shifted downwards after, and her grin widened as she locked with my groin under the water. Ah!

Entirely out of my sheath, I was rock hard, with soft spines wiggling lightly along my tip and base of my shaft. Both my paws snapped inwards to cover myself, but she just licked her lips and stepped into the water instead, left arm tugging the food tray down the ramp with her. It was the perfect height to be at exact water level with the tray of food, and she slid it over to where I was before gently lowering herself and sitting down right next to me instead, between the tray and I.

"Mmm, relax, Kou. You're... very nicely sized, and also nice to look at. A very honest compliment that you liked what you saw from me, too..." That was... one way of looking at it!

Ahri was sitting next to me in the bath. Naked. We were both naked. My mind wasn't keeping up, and further ground to a halt as she relaxed against my side, then set her head on my shoulder instead. There was... I paused at that, but she didn't do anything further. I blinked once, feeling my heart hammering in my chest, but she just rested there against me, breathing softly.

A little smile, and her eyes opened again to look into mine. "I... I'm not going to do anything that you don't want me to, Kou. Don't worry..."

I was... so confused now. Even more so as she lifted the food tray and grabbed a sandwich from it. "W-What... W-What's... g-going on...?" I asked. It was all I could process, mind screaming in panic and shock still.

After taking a bite of her sandwich, Ahri slowly frowned, looking pensive for a moment before shifting a bit sad instead. "I... I'm sorry, Kouta. Before today, I never even... fathomed that you saw me as anything more than a friend. You've... been my best friend for years even. Maybe that blinded me? Part of me... taking you for granted even. And I'm sorry for that. Tonight was a double eye-opener for me..." It felt both terrifying and relieving to hear final, full confirmation that she knew my little secret. I exhaled softly as I watched her now, shoulder to shoulder with me. I only just noticed how absolutely alone we were, despite this being a bathing area used by her entire family privately. Nobody had even so much as peeked in. Not a single servant, either.

She gave a little sigh after, ears lowering again. "I understand if that upsets you. It wasn't my intention to... put you through any of that. Watching me dance with that ass must have been horrible..." I winced lightly at the image again, and she took another bite, slowly chewing as she thought to herself. Her ears perked up a moment later, and she smiled, suddenly shifting her sandwich over towards me instead!

My eyes widened, heat flushing back into my cheeks, and I took a few sniffs. Fried synthetic megama meat, cut into disks, with cheese and a mustard dressing, it smelled like! Tentatively, I let her keep holding it, and instead snuck a bite off the other corner, which she watched with increased interest, blushing a little herself.

"Um, right! Like I was saying, it wasn't my intention. I've... never considered you... like that, though, before tonight. And..." She trailed off, causing me to look back to her curiously as I chewed the tasty morsels in my mouth. She was watching me intently, and nodded after I swallowed. Huh? "And I... think I might be interested too. In at least giving... us... a try..." I spasmed at that, throat tensing as my eyes shot wide. She grinned of course. Was that... a joke? Was she serious?!

My mouth dropped open again, and her eyes slipped down to it for a moment before lidding. Uh... Nothing responded, even as she gently leaned in now. I gave a little shivering jolt as her nose bumped against mine, her close enough to smell the flowery scent coming off her fur. My heart hammered in my chest again, and her paw set the sandwich back down on the tray as she turned fully to face me.

I went rigid as her lips gently pressed to my own. Everything went blank, the warmth flushing between us as she softly kissed me. Her right paw brushed over my cheek, and I gave a start, heat threatening to wash me away, even as my paws found her sides. This was... A part of me, deep down, was starving. A quiet, forgotten, malnourished mote in my soul twisted, then writhed, as if a delicious four-course supper was suddenly placed before it.

Ahri shivered as I suddenly felt myself pushing back into the kiss. Her breasts pressed into my chest as she sank against me, my arms wrapping around her back. Heat bloomed everywhere she touched me, like a current of magic running between our fur and skin, and she groaned into my touch on her back, tail wagging furiously over the surface of the water.

Her own arms slid around my neck, pulling me tight into the kiss, as the tip of her tongue slid against my snout. I opened, and she entered eagerly, her own slick tongue dancing and sliding over my own. I gave a throb in the water, and suddenly I was glad she wasn't on my lap! My paws stroked over her back, through her soft fur, and I couldn't get enough of her. I'd never known anything like this at all. Not just the burning intimacy and sudden desire, but... the desire at all. She wanted me I suddenly realized! Someone actually... wanted... me. At all. Part of me still waited for the punch line...

Gently, her paw stroked over my cheek, feeling over the wetness on my fur, before she slowly pulled back and looked me in the eyes again. "Kou... are you okay?"

Yes! I couldn't nod fast enough. "Y-Yes! I... R-Really okay..." She smiled softly at that, then grinned, turning pink again.

"I'm glad. We... have all the time in the world to talk about things and adjust to... us. This. There's no rush, and we can go at your pace. I... Thank you, for giving me a chance despite me being... foolish for so many years. We can do anything you want to... keep your interest..." Her eyes lidded a little at the last bit, and I swallowed, shivering again before slowly shaking my head.

"Y-You... a-already have m-my interest, Ahri. Y-You don't have t-to do..." She cut me off with a nuzzle, and then grinned fully.

"You're definitely not a normal guy. Mmm... I think I rather like that. Though we both might change our minds when my first heat rolls around... You can't even get me pregnant... yet... so all the better." Her impishness was becoming readily apparent again as I felt my mind wobble with that new alluded suggestion, entire face burning now.

I didn't get a chance to respond that time, however. My eyes flicked past her instead, catching the slightest movement of Nolla peeking around the side of the doorway. She froze as I spotted her, then perked her ears up, looking surprised instead. Ahri perked too, turning around to glance at her mother, flushing a little pink as she did. Stepping out fully and into the room, Nolla gave me a nod, then smile.

"Not how I... expected to find you two. None of the ways, actually. Regardless, just wanted to let you know that I spoke to your father, Ahri, and he wants to talk to you both after Kou gets done washing up. He's waiting in the study..." W-What? Oh... Uh oh. Ahri tilted her head curiously, but I shivered and froze on the spot. I was so dead...