FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Taking another sip of my chocolate, frosted milkshake, I set it back down on the café table next to me, then returned my attention to the illusionary display drifting in front of me, over my lap. I was on the top floor of the café terrace, back corner booth where almost nobody ever came by, minus the occasional waitress offering a refill. The booth offered a nice, cushiony spot to sit with my legs stretched out, tablet in my lap and projecting my diagram above it as I worked. Plus, the open-air magical canopy gave me quite the view of Koramir's valley, and a nicely chill breeze drifting past on occasion, mixing with the warmer café air. I was... a bit weird for a Keld. Didn't mind the cold in the slightest. Preferred it, even. Maybe it was because I grew up in Koramir. My fur was heavier than the average Keld, I knew.

The café also offered connection to Kaldar's magical database network. A lot of people worked here for a change of pace, or because their own living area was too small. In my case, it was whenever Mom told me to go out and get some fresh air and chased me out of my room. I didn't really get it, because I'd just come here and do the exact same thing I was doing there, but eh.

Sliding three more gears in place along the extension arm, I watched the base rotor animate on the display, giving the gripping, fully jointed arm the ability to rotate around at the very bottom now, too. My tongue clicked, and I grinned, looking to my right to check the power readouts. Still well within energy usage, resistance strain, and heat generation thresholds. My two tails gave a happy little bob in place behind me. So far, so good! Zooming in on the crystal board inside the image, I double-checked my instructions written there for the movement, then mapped it to the grid I was using before. Point after point, it synced with the nerve readings in my arm, and my smile widened as I shifted to the right, watching the design doing the same. If this worked out... and I could actually convince the design office to actually look_at it, this would mean an entirely new interface for nervous system control of prosthetic limbs! We could use an enchantment band to interface, instead of those crude, semi-organic mesh splices they used now. Grown from the person's tissue or not, there was still a good five to six percent chance of rejection syndrome, and a nasty hospital visit... Of course, I suppose it could also be used to mimic control of a limb that _wasn't severed, like I was doing right now... but I wasn't entirely sure of how useful that would be. Hmm.

Movement to my left caught my eye, and my ear flicked on that side. I glanced over the table curiously, anticipating either Cirita, my usual waitress, returning, or maybe someone actually coming up here to take a table. Most of the patrons stayed in the lower levels, where it was a bit warmer. My eyes widened instead as the hulking form of Surri greeted me instead, lumbering closer and now towering over the height of the table. My ears flattened as I frowned, tails ducking for cover to my side instead as I hastily swept a paw over my tablet and shut off the display. Oh shit! What was... he doing here?

To my surprise, he looked just as surprised at my reaction, and stopped, holding both his paws up at face level. "Whoa! Uh, peace? I just... Not going to do anything. I come in peace!"

"I come in peace!" was chirped, in a slightly amused, slightly mocking way a moment later. Uh... what? Vitra's head suddenly popped up above the edge of the table as she plopped down on the opposite booth, then smirked up at Surri. "You're so bumbling. It's kinda adorable..."

He huffed at that and rolled his eyes, lowering his arms and crossing them defensively over his chest. "I'm not... I just don't want to give the wrong impression! I don't... want to be associated with what those assholes did..." He didn't...? Lethis popping up between Vitra and Surri as he sat down too no longer surprised me. Well, any more than any of them showing up here did, anyway.

Swallowing uneasily, I asked, "W-What... W-What are y-you guys d-doing here, t-then?"

Vitra lifted an eyebrow to me, but Lethis cut in first, vaguely gesturing with a head nod off the side of the balcony. "We were bored and spotted you from the ground, and decided to visit. Unless you meant, what are we doing together? If so, well, Vitra and I are a thing, obviously, and Surri's pretty cool. Hit it off well with him at your girl's party. Much better than those other two..."

My eyes widened drastically, cheeks flaring red at that suggestion. "M-My... M... N-No! Ahri a-and I a-aren't..." She kissed me though... What... did we even call that?!

Vitra smirked towards me at that. "Uh huh. She might not have been yours at the start of the night, but we saw you two dancing... I mean, don't get me wrong. Damn improvement from what she started with! You seem... okay. Which is obviously far better than fuckface. Heh! Or maybe smashedface is more appropriate..." She burst into snickers after, and Lethis grinned to her before nodding and glancing back to me.

"Yup! You're nice. Like Surri, you were the only two guys we met that night who didn't try to butt in and hit on the two kissing girls. And we happen to have obvious evidence that you like girls!" I huffed at that and turned away, finding myself shifting more defensive than nervous now, my two tail tips giving a little, agitated flick.

"I-It's not... tch. Y-You're both p-pretty. J-Just... it's r-rude to... I'd... r-rather be r-r-respectful of you..." Lethis perked at that, looking curiously at me, even as Vitra looked a bit surprised too. I exhaled, then shrugged idly. "T-That and... J-Just figured y-you were t-t-teasing me and t-trying to g-get a reaction..."

That they both frowned at, but Surri gave a sigh and slowly shook his head. "I know you get teased a lot, Kouta. It... It feels like it was my fault for not standing up and saying something sooner... but I figured... I guess I just knew I'd be the target if I did, instead. I'm sorry..."

My gaze shifted to him instead, ear flicking again. That was... He was... I guess you could consider him a little overweight, but was that any reason to tease him? It wasn't in my opinion, but... I suppose in my opinion, nobody should be teasing _anyone_in the first place. I shook my head instead, relaxing a little. "It's... Okay, S-Surri. What were y-you even... d-doing with them?"

Lethis tilted her head at that. "Didn't you know? Pathon's his cousin. Not that you could probably tell that just by how they act, I guess... Asshole..." She scowled after, and Surri gave a gentle chuckle, resting his arms on the table.

"He... is, sadly. His dad keeps suggesting we hang out, as if hoping I can somehow magically stop him from acting like he does. Like he listens to me... I'm just an awkward tag-along in most cases. I don't think Lyna even looked at me the entire night..." Huh? Oh, right, they'd shown up with the Jakatar twins as dates.

That only seemed to make Vitra pissed, though. She gave him a scowl before snorting. "Guess that makes her the tag-along instead. Vapid cunts. They don't have a whole spine, even combined. Just go along with what's cool and popular... You're better off without her." Whoa!

His surprise slowly shifted to a softer smile as he nodded her way. "I... know I am, yeah. Guess a part of me is just... a little lonely is all. Heh, or maybe it's just the frothing male hormones you mentioned earlier." She perked at that, shifting surprisingly quickly to a smirk again.

"Hah! That was to smashedface, and you know it. Still, I wouldn't worry. You're a chill dude. I'm sure there's girls out there that would be all over ya!" She nodded twice after, and he chuckled again. Lethis shot her a look, though, and their eyes met for a long moment. It was a very strange phenomenon to witness. It felt like they somehow had an entire conversation back and forth in an instant, over several nose twitches and rapid-fire eye shifts. Then, suddenly, they both smirked to each other, and a deep sense of unease settled into my head. Though, perhaps not for myself...

"Trust me. Not holding my breath. Though, speaking of girls being all over, have you heard from Ahri yet?" Surri questioned.

My ears lifted momentarily at that as I glanced his way, until I fully processed the question and they sank again. Sighing, I shook my head, instead. "No. N-Not since that night. The t-two clans are still in renegotiations, t-though..." It had been three days now since I woke up in the hospital, and life... moved on. Obviously, I'd gone longer without contact with Ahri in the past, but this time it felt... distinctly more stressful. It felt like nothing had really been settled or finalized with her or her father, and I was left kind of just... drifting.

Vitra actually growled a little at that, gritting her teeth. "Fuck that shit! Is Clan Rhagane seriously trying to negotiate her into the alliance still?!" My ears lowered a bit more, and I gave a weak shrug. Lethis frowned too, then slowly shook her head.

"She should get a say in it. Vikhor is their main heir, and if she's not interested in him, she shouldn't be forced into tying the alliance... If so, what's the hold up?"

I gave another shrug at that. "All I k-know is w-what they t-told my m-mother. That t-they had to finish n-negotiations with C-Clan Rhagane before they c-could get to us. Mom t-thinks L-Lord Thromar d-doesn't want to l-lose face w-with a non-blood a-alliance, but..."

Vitra's paws slammed down on the table, and I gave a little jump, eyes widening slightly. "Then he should have taught his fuckwad son not to be an asshole!"

There was a light and awkward cough, and all four of us turned and looked at Cirita walking up. Whenever I came here and she was working, she was always the one waiting on me. I kind of just assumed the café had patron assignments for clan nobles, despite how much I disliked that. Ciri was a fourteen or so year old Keld. I was terrible at guessing ages though. Her fur was light tan, mostly, but she had a lighter, cream chest and paws. And stomach and groin I assumed, but I'd never seen her naked, obviously. Her hair was auburn, and she had alert, green eyes. She gave me a smile and wave, then glanced curiously at the other three before nodding. "Um, welcome! Would you like to order something? I wasn't aware that Lord Kouta had guests. My apologies..." Tch. Lethis looked as awkward as Vitra looked entirely unfazed and still pissed. Surri perked, however.

"Oh! Could we? We haven't had lunch yet. Uh, though I don't know the prices for anything..." He glanced at the two Illan with that, who both nodded. Ah, right.

Sighing, I shook my head and glanced to Ciri myself. "Um, a-actually, I should probably eat t-too. You c-can just put them on m-my tab, too..." All three of them snapped to looking at me in surprise, but Ciri smiled and gave a little bow.

"Of course! Here are some menus then, and I'll be back in a few minutes!" She set four down on the table for us, and I gave her a smile and nod back.

"And j-just Kouta! Again!" I called out after her as she padded away. Not that it ever changed her sticking 'lord' in front of my name. Two years of knowing her and she still acted like she was walking on eggshells around me. It kind of made me sad, because she treated my parents like normal. Had they... warned her or something about my... issues?

I gave a little sigh, then looked back across the table, in time to see Surri fidget a little. "Dude... You don't... have to pay for us. I mean, we barely know you. Not that you're... I mean, you seem like a great guy and I personally would like to change that... but..." Huh?

I tilted my head to him curiously at that. "Change... that?"

Vitra shot me a skeptical stare instead. "He means be your friend. You're kinda a dork, aren't you? Heh... Ow!" Lethis whacked her in the shoulder at that and shot her a glare, even as my ears dropped. My friend...?

"I... g-guess I'm a dork, y-yeah. That's what most of t-the kids call me, anyway. I... S-Sorry. Just s-surprised. Ahri is... r-really my only f-friend..." My eyes drifted down into my lap at that, and my thumb stroked over the surface of my tablet. Would... developing things like this get me friends? I kind of doubted it. At least not... any friends that I really wanted. Buying friendship was a hollow, disgusting thing. But some days, it felt like it was my only hope there...

The familiar awkward silence drifted over us, and I sighed again before glancing there way. Vitra had her ears flattened down and had lowered herself so her muzzle was barely visible over the table, even as Lethis frowned over at her. Surri winced though, then slid his paw idly over the menu on the table before giving a softer smile, instead.

"Well, I don't have very many friends either... so I'd gladly welcome another! If you don't mind me lumbering about. From what I saw yesterday, I think I'd rather like having you as a friend. If you want, of course..." He gave a sharp nod my way, even as my eyes widened a little. That was... Well, it was indeed kind of lumbering, but... I could relate there, being not the most eloquent speaker myself.

Relaxing a little, I gave a small nod, unsure of what to say. "I... I'm not sure... i-if I'll be very entertaining, but... if y-you want to be my friend..."

"You worry too much, Kouta. But I think I could tell that before." Lethis smiled after and gave me a more confident nod. "We'll be your friends too! So long as you don't mind two loudmouth, flirty Illan. And one who frequently shoves her paw into her muzzle..." She smirked to Vitra, who rolled her eyes and gave a smaller little huff under the table.

"I... yeah. Look, I just... tch..." She gave me a frustrated glare, and I shrank back a bit until she bristled and flailed at me instead. "S-Stop! Look, I'm sorry, okay? Yeah, I can be stupid sometimes. But... you're a good guy, yeah. Fine, I suppose we can be friends with you too." She crossed her arms over her chest after, and Lethis snickered and nodded along, smiling to me instead.

Surri grinned at the two of them, then nodded twice. "Guess that settles it, then! We're stuck together from now on. Now we just gotta get Ahri rescued from the clutches of the evil alliance negotiations." Pfft.

I relaxed a little again, shifting a bit amused instead at all the theatrics. This wasn't... unpleasant, at least. I gave him a little smile. "What, so she c-can be sucked into the a-alliance negotiations with u-us instead?" A bit ironic, no?

Lethis perked sharply at that, eyes widening as she slid up a little on the table. "Ooooh, seriously?! Spill! All the juicy secrets!" I was taken aback by her sudden interest and demand, and Vitra slapped herself on the forehead after. Uh...

Another, amused cough this time, resounded to our right, and we all glanced back at Ciri again, who was now standing there with an order pad. Oh, right... Knew I'd forgotten about something...

---

And nervous again. I fidgeted with my tails, once again in my formal suit as I slowly walked up the long, looming walk towards Clan Trilian's mansion. This time, however, Mom and Dad were requested too, and walking ahead of me. The two guards posted at the main door gave a nod, opening it for us as we headed inside. Why was it always two guards? Was it a symmetry thing? Now, when I'm in charge, I was tempted to post two guards to a door, but insist they both stand to one side of it, right next to each other. I wonder how many people would freak out over it.

The great hall was pretty empty this time around, though there was soft music playing. A Jakatar servant greeted us immediately with a little bow, then lead us further in and to the right, swinging into the living room area where the couches and tea table was set up from before. I tensed up as we walked, eyes widening and immediately noting people were already there.

Lord Yohkanis, Nolla, and Ahri were sitting to one side of the tea table on the couch. On the other... There was an immensely large, brown and white furred Vulkus, built like a rock. His hair was just as brown, and the white was primarily along his chest that I could see, though also his paws. Piercing green eyes locked onto us as we headed towards them, and I felt an extra potent shiver go through me. An Alpha mutation... Next to him sat Vikhor, and my jaw clenched. That must mean this was Lord Thromar.

Two servants were in the middle of moving a third couch over, facing the other two and the tea table, and I was so distracted watching them for a moment that I almost didn't see the person standing instead, idly leaning against the wall between the two couches. My eyes widened fully as I took in the absolutely massive Vulkus. He was even larger than Lord Thromar, towering over me even while leaning back like he was. Solid black fur and hair, he had frosty blue eyes that were casually looking us over as we waited for the sofa. He was big, even for an Alpha mutation, and wearing rather rugged looking armor instead of a suit like we were. He looked... remarkably out-of-place. Wait... no, I did recognize him! That was Kormir, one of the two rulers of Kaldar, and all of Koramir! What was he doing here?!

"Ah, welcome! Welcome. It's nice to see you all again, and thank you for coming despite the short notice." Lord Yohkanis stood momentarily; long enough to gesture us into the sofa once it was properly in place. He nodded slowly after, then sat back down. "And apologies for the delay in general for notice from us. Dealing with this stubborn old Vulkus has taken a bit of time."

With that, he smirked over to Lord Thromar, who grinned back to him and nodded. "Hey, what would you do without it to spice up your day? Besides, you're right. I'm rather old fashioned, and maybe it's behind the times, but I like to do important business face-to-face. Shake someone's paw when we settle a deal. And this is a very important deal..." Right. Clan alliances.

Apart from his initial glance at me, Vikhor had returned his gaze to the tea table between the couches, and looked uneasy at best to be here. Similar to me this time. Ahri however... Our eyes locked, and I saw her entire body tense, paws clenching against the cushion under her. Heat drifted into my cheeks, and I suddenly found myself rather wishing I was over there, sitting next to her instead. But... that would probably get me in a lot of trouble, so...

Nolla gave a softer smile to me, then shifted her paw to the side and set it on Ahri's knee, giving her daughter a gentle squeeze. The young Vulkus relaxed a little at that and exhaled, sinking back against the couch instead, though remained looking at me. Yohkanis reclined back himself, then gestured forward to the tea table, which had quite a lot of papers strewn over it, I noticed.

"That's why we're here, after all. I believe everyone knows Lord Thromar, and his son and heir, Vikhor. I'll also introduce Lady Vivira and Lord Perix, and their son and heir, Kouta. Further, Grand Guard Kormir is presiding as a witness to any signings." Kormir gave a nod to us as he was introduced, as did Thromar. After, Yohkanis glanced back to the large Vulkus across from him. Presiding over, or making sure no arguments turned nasty with an Alpha...? "Though we already explained things in missive to you. Due to the events of four days ago, our terms and conditions of the alliance must be renegotiated." His mechanical arm relaxed against his stomach, and he gestured to Thromar with his right, after.

The large Vulkus sat up with that and gave a single, strong nod. "And that's why we're here. Renegotiating. After what happened at the dance, it was the second time I've had to discipline my son, Vikhor, and a pattern has been brought to my attention. What happened, I place solely on my shoulders. I've come to realize there are lessons I've failed to teach him that are desperately needed."

I glanced to Yohkanis, but he was just watching and listening, with a neutral expression. If it bothered Thromar, he didn't let it show. "That said, while we have a lot of businesses and contacts in common, in as large of an alliance as this, a blood link is traditionally used. My biggest intent of coming here today was to formally apologize for the incident, and attempt to smooth over relations again, in particular, with Miss Ahrianis. Vikhor will be having both personal discipline from myself, and therapy." I felt myself tense at that. I figured that's what they were trying to do. But Ahri...

Her eyes shifted to Vikhor for a moment, expression blank, before returning to Thromar instead, who was giving her a relaxed smile. Nolla reached to her other side and slid her tablet up onto her lap again a moment later, before absently flicking through a few screens. "You mean, smooth over relations between Ahri and Vikhor, I assume. You did read our missive, didn't you?" she asked. There was a slight touch of annoyance to her tone, and a flickering smirk played at Yohkanis' muzzle.

Thromar tensed for a moment, then nodded. "I did, yes. But I couldn't just let things stand as they were, with no effort to try to mend things for my son, you must realize. I've... made a grave error in not talking to him about things sooner."

Sliding his right paw up and under his chin, Yohkanis paused for a moment before shaking his head. Admittedly, this back and forth between the two was immensely intimidating to me. Neither were even directing their focus at me, and I was still shivering occasionally. Now I was glad we stopped by the hospital before this and got me a low-dosage tranquilizer! "While that may be so, I can't place all of the blame on you, old friend. Your son is_old enough to make decisions for himself. As is Ahri. You also know it's not _just because of his behavior."

He leaned back after and relaxed again, and I gave another shiver. This wasn't going to end well, I didn't think. If the ire was shifted to me, maybe I could... try... I stared blankly afterwards at Nolla as she flicked through more images, having brought them up on illusionary image in front of her instead of just on the tablet. Shot after shot she cycled through, all taken of Ahri and I dancing together that night. What... Was she really looking at those right now?!

Thromar slowly lifted an eyebrow as he watched. That was the thing with illusion panels. They were translucent. He could see the images right through the panel, albeit inverted. She _had_to realize that! "Mmm, don't mind me. Just deciding which of these to touch up and turn into physicals. Kouta's image editing skill and rates are really quite nice, I must say. Oh, how's this one?" She passed an extra-large image to Yohkanis, blown up, of Ahri and I, with her head tucked under my chin and nuzzling against my neck.

Giving another nervous shiver, I looked back over at the other couch, just in time to see Vikhor tense, claws digging into the cushion under him and teeth starting to bare as he stared at the image. His gaze shot to me after, and I gave a little jolt, at least until his father suddenly set a large paw down on his knee. There was a tense moment as he looked up at him, then swallowed and snapped his vision back down to the tea table instead, shaking there.

Finally, Thromar sighed and nodded slowly. "Point made. Ahrianis?" He glanced to her after, and she gave a little start, looking away from the images and now flushed slightly. She locked eyes with him for a long moment before exhaling and slowly shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Lord Thromar. You say you blame yourself, but I'm also to blame. I'm the one who changed my mind, after all. Vikhor's behavior was partly to blame for it, but... he also brought to light something else that night when he targeted Kouta. That... was the first time I realized that he had feelings for me. I was... foolish before, and never realized." My eyes widened a little as I looked back to Ahri, and she smiled gently, locking our gazes together before nodding.

"Kouta's been my best friend for three years now. He respects me, and has always encouraged me to excel, even in areas outside what he was tutoring me in. My feelings for him changed that night, when I suddenly realized... exactly how much he felt for me. I'm kicking myself for not realizing it sooner and making him wait. If I had known... I'm sorry, but I never would have asked Vikhor to the dance. I'd have gone with Kouta instead..."

All I could do was stare at her in shock. Her tail started to wag slightly behind her as she lidded her eyes a bit to me, and I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as best I could. She really... She wanted to be with me instead of Vikhor, despite... everything he could give her and do for her. Nolla smiled almost proudly as she continued absently cycling through images, sounding quite pleased with what her daughter was saying now. Vikhor however, was staring at Ahri in shock, almost looking horrified.

His father stared at Ahri for a long moment before slowly nodding again, and giving a little smile. "Well said, Lady Ahrianis. I... figured this would be the outcome, but of course I can't say I'm not disappointed. Still, you're an immensely strong female, and that I have to respect to the upmost. To be honest, your relationship with Kouta reminds me a bit of Vikhor's mother and I..." Eh? I didn't feel anything like Thromar at all, in my opinion.

I didn't get the chance to process it, however, as a jolt went through me instead. Nolla had been scrolling the entire time, then froze, eyes widening a little as it shifted to an entirely differently lit image on her screen. Ahri and I in the bath, water up to our waists. She was pressed entirely against me, with just her back shown and chest covered by mine, with our muzzles together and lips connected tight. Aaaaaahhhhhh! I stared in horror, as did Vikhor for assumedly an entirely different reason.

"Oops! I didn't even remember I took that one! Sorry! Don't mind me..." Nolla quickly assured, smiling again after and swiping the images the other directly. Why?! This was... Aaaaahhh! My mind whirled and I felt chilled now, which shifted to confusion as Thromar smirked instead.

"Or maybe more than a bit like Renis and I." Vikhor shifted his look of horror and shock to his father with that one, and got a chuckle in return before he nodded. "What, I never told you about how your mother and I met? Shameful! She was quite the firecracker in her youth! Really into quite a few sports, including discus throwing. You should ask her about it sometime..." My ears perked at that, and I looked back to him as he relaxed back again.

It took him a moment, but he slowly nodded, then continued. "She was quite good and practiced a lot. We'd never really spoken much before, but I was there when she was taking dares from some of the other pups during break. Doing spinning throws of various objects to see how far she could launch them. Stupid pup stuff..." That sounded... like a good way for someone to get hurt...

He laughed then, glancing over at my expression before nodding. "Exactly. We were pretty stupid. Regardless, she eventually took the dare of tossing one of the gym sandbags. Don't even remember who suggested it now. What I do remember quite vividly is that it got hooked on her claw when she flung it, spinning her around another time before releasing it. Sideways, right into my chest. Didn't feel so hot." Everyone collectively winced at that, and he chuckled again.

"Pity she couldn't make it tonight. She would have blushed. For such a firecracker, she felt terrible, and suddenly I'd never seen such a sweet and caring girl, nursing me back to health in the hospital. We really hit it off after that. Of course, I shifted Alpha that summer, and that threw everything for a loop. But she... actually stepped up and asked to be my First. The rest is history..."

Vikhor still was staring at him in surprise, though. "She really...? But every time you two..."

Thromar grinned to him at that, then nodded. "Yup. That's possibly the biggest lesson I should have taught you. I can already tell that Kouta fully understands it. The most important thing for any relationship is having love and respect for your partners. Good communication is second most important. You see your mother and I enjoying ourselves, yes, but what you don't fully understand is that she enjoys being submissive. She's an immensely strong female who I love and respect dearly, and she willingly gives herself to me like she does, because she prefers it that way and enjoys it the most. I adore catering to her, and am willing to give her anything that makes her happy. There's nothing more... amazing, and special, than an independent, strong mate giving themselves to you of their own accord. It means they love and respect you back, and trust you irrefutably."

For a moment, he just stared at his dad, before his expression actually softened a little and he sank back down onto the couch again. It was strange, watching him like that. We were eleven still. That meant we had, on average, four more years before we were considered adults and fully mature. At least for Vulkus and Keld. Vikhor didn't strike me as very introspective, but now... it looked like he'd come to a big, regretful realization.

Slowly, Thromar nodded to him. "We'll talk more about this later, Son. I... had to put in the attempt, regardless. I'm sad that it's not going to work out in your favor this time, but maybe... giving you time to grow some more is exactly what you need. I deeply respect Ahrianis' wishes. We'll move forward with the alliance without her bound to it..." My eyes widened at that, as did hers, but he turned and smiled to Yohkanis instead, then gave a nod, which they shared.

"Does the discussed deals work for you, then, or would you like to amend?" Yohkanis asked, waving his right paw over the mass of papers on the tea table. Oh. I suddenly realized they'd been at this a while before we showed up. Kormir perked, then leaned off the wall, standing now as he watched the two with more interest.

Thromar nodded to that. "No amendments are needed. Vikhor and Ahrianis will simply be withdrawn."

Kormir nodded to that, next. "Alright, then. I hereby witness a clan alliance signing, joining Clan Trilian and Clan Rhagane." He gestured to the table, and both Vulkus heads nodded to him, then reached forward and pressed their thumbs into the paper on the top at the same time. It was rather fancy looking, with embossed trim around the edges, so I assumed that was the main sheet of the contract.

There was a flash of magic, and both of their Essence Signatures appeared at the bottom of the sheet an instant later. Kormir grinned, stepping forward with that and giving a nod. "Thank you. Morrigan and I both heavily support working together, and we fully encourage alliances instead of bickering. I'm glad we were able to get through that without any arguments..."

Nolla smirked at that. "Sometimes it helps to show a bit of fur..." Yohkanis snorted, then covered his muzzle with a paw as he held back a laugh at that, even as Ahri perked, then huffed at her mom.

"My fur, you mean?! Tch... We didn't even have sex yet!" Why?! Why was that an important detail?!

Face burning again, I scrunched my muzzle up and sank down into the couch a bit, causing my Dad to grin and pat my knee. Thromar chuckled however, then nodded to Ahri. "Best get on that, then! Just a rule of paw, but I think it's best to get a little experience first before your Estrus hits and you both go crazy with it."

She tilted her head to that, four ears lifting up all at once. "Oh, huh. I never thought about that. Good idea!" She grinned my way instead, and I gave a weak groan, sinking lower yet.

"Seriously? Do you have to talk about this now?!" Vikhor asked, staring at Ahri with a mixture of pleading and frustration. Tch. Something, something, paw off to the thoughts while I get my dick wet? No, I shouldn't be spiteful... Plus I'd probably vomit in my mouth saying that out loud.

Yohkanis gave a little chuckle at that, then glanced over at us fully, instead. "That out of the way, have you given any more thought to my offer to you, Lady Vivira?" Oh!

Mother, who'd been stoic and simply relaxed there while watching the preceding, glanced his way at that, then slowly nodded. "I have. Unfortunately, I have to say that currently, there's no way that our clan can move forward and support an alliance of this caliber, with your Clan." Ah! I frowned to her at that, and Yohkanis perked, sitting up and looking fully at her now instead.

"I... assume you're speaking about the size of your clan, and holdings?" he asked, shifting to more serious as she nodded again.

"We used to be one of the strongest in Keldonia, yes. But... eight years ago, during the Shattering, we lost almost everything. Our lands and property were taken or destroyed by the corruption, and are still lost. Most of our capital was lost. But by far the worst, only eleven of us made it through the first wave, and siege of Talgrand. We even lost our Reinita. Our pridemate and Kouta's second mother..." She paused at that, sighing after and lowering her head for a moment. Everyone else in the room lowered their gaze a bit too. Even Vikhar, who wore a deep frown now.

Mom Rini. I remembered her. Sort of. I was only three at the time. There was a difference between remembering, and really comprehending what was going on in said memories. I was too young to really figure out that she was gone forever, or where she went, or why. I didn't know why the monsters were attacking us or that we had to run away. It wasn't until I was older that I fully came to terms with her being gone, and by then, she'd been dead for years. There was a disconnect there, somewhere.

Kormir slowly nodded. "You have my deepest sympathies, Lady Vivira. The Shattering was truly a horrible time."

Mom nodded back to him at that. "It was. It left us with very little when we finally arrived here in Kaldar. I was tempted to simply dissolve the clan, but... we held on and kept going. Even recovered a little, to some degree. But there wasn't much call for our specialization obviously, with the restrictions on elective procedures and alchemy afterwards. We're... nowhere near at a point where we could be in an alliance with Clan Trilian."

Ahri frowned to her, then glanced to her father instead, who slowly nodded once more. "I understand. Is that the end of discussions, or...?" Oh, shit. Could I... even be with Ahri if we weren't in an alliance?!

She reclined back again before shaking her head instead. "No, it's not. It's been a long time coming, but... I've come to the realization that we've only been deluding ourselves. If you'll still have us, I'd like to instead talk about a merger." Merger...? We were going to be part of Clan Trilian instead?

Yohkanis perked his ears up at that, but maintained is serious, lightly frowning expression. "You've considered this a lot, then? We still will have you, and I'll gladly bring you into the fold with a blessing to Ahri and Kouta, but this is a very big deal. We'll have a lot to negotiate, and you'll need to contact the other families."

"I'm aware. But this is how I wish to proceed. It's in our clan's best interest at this point. I'll make the arrangements with the other families, and you bring forth any requests and statements?" Mother had shifted back to a 'professional' stance, which I'd often seen.

Standing at that, Yohkanis stepped towards us, with Mom following suit and meeting him with a paw shake. "Very well, then. I'll start making the arrangements. All of you, however, feel free to enjoy the hospitality here for the rest of the night. Please..." Thromar moved in with that to also shake his paw, then Mom's, and I slowly stood up too. Were we going to stay then or...?

Ahri bolted around behind Thromar a moment later and all but tackled me instead, toppling us over backwards and back onto the couch! My eyes widened as she landed on my lap with a leg to each side of my waist, and suddenly my muzzle was covered in the wonderful scents and sensations of hers. After my muffled yelp of surprise, I shivered, then let the sensations melt over me as my arms slid around her back and pulled her close. This was... real. It was actually... She was... actually doing this right in front of every single person in the room... ah!

She perked, looking confused for a second as I pulled back and hastily looked about. She smirked a second later after she realized my hesitation, of course. Like the giant brat she was. Most of the room was looking amused, minus Vikhor who was watching with all four ears sunk as far as they could go. I... kind of felt bad for him now.

Nolla, however, was beaming and snapped another picture. "I know, dear. You've been waiting for days for that. But please take it upstairs if you could, to either the bathing hall or your room. I'm sure we'll be here a while..." Was she actually giving us the go ahead to...?

I'd not even completed the thought before Ahri was up and off me again, then pulling me back to my paws. "Right! I mean, he could probably spend the night anyway, couldn't he?" Uhhh!

Her mom grinned, then put a paw to Ahri's muzzle instead. "We'll think about it, okay? Now shoo. We'll be up in a little while though, as a warning. We have to talk to Kouta too..." Wait, talk to me?!

"Uh, a-about what...?" I hesitantly asked.

Ahri saluted, however, instead. "Can do! Come on, Kouta! We need to talk too!" I wasn't actually given a say in the matter as she grabbed my paw and simply pulled me along after her towards the main stairs, with the sensation of a half dozen eyes at least on our backs as we went. This was... okay! I guess this was a thing now...

---

I'd been in Ahri's room easily a hundred or more times. Her colors were very 'light blue', and accented with the white paneling and silver trim of the walls. She had a rather large, very poofy bed that was quite comfortable, as well as a lot of traditional female things. A big dresser thingy with mirrors and lots of alchemical powders and creams for things that were both strange and otherrealmly to me. Walk in closet with a ton of clothes and paw adornments. Jewelry. Full body mirror. Weapon's rack and weight system. Oh, wait, that's where the not-normally-feminine stuff started. Which was a bit mistaken really in labeling, given plenty of females were guards and did physical things.

This time however, Ahri and I were both on the bed, and snuggled up together. She had her muzzle tucked under mine, and was using both paws to gently play with one of my own, her tail lightly thumping the mattress behind her. Silly me. Actually... talking. Right, she said that. Why had I thought otherwise?

"I'm still sorry we couldn't... actually talk things over a lot sooner than this. It feels sort of like we got started with something amazing, then had to shelve it for four days..." She sighed after, then gave a little nuzzle and lick to the front of my neck, getting me to shiver. That sounded familiar, actually. And really, other than our position, this... actually was pretty normal. I'd been here dozens of times before, talking something through with her.

I nuzzled back against her forehead, and felt her smile in return against my neck. "Ahri, it's okay. I don't mind waiting, especially for you. It's..."

"Because you've waited for years already, for the 'prettiest, most wonderful Vulkus girl', right?" She looked back up to me at that, smirk suddenly playing over her muzzle. Uh... what?

I blanked, that sounding so oddly familiar yet... Would I ever have the balls to say that to her?! Her smirk widened into an impish grin, and she nuzzled me again after. "I should get another memory scan done and show you everything you told me while high as a kite on sedatives. I... never even knew how much you felt for me! And I do want to make it all up to you... To return your feelings fully." Oh Gods, what had I said to her?!

She seemed happy, though. Maybe I hadn't made a complete idiot of myself? Instead, I found her gently kissing me again, and returned it, free paw sliding over her back and getting her to shiver against me. She was amazing, and gorgeous, and I wanted to just stay here with her forever. This kiss was slow and gentle, and it felt like her feelings were boiling over and out of her, and into me instead as she pressed closer. I was totally sunk. I'd never be able to go back to just my fantasies after this.

She broke it off into a grin, then bumped noses with me. "You mentioned wanting to be a father too. I'm definitely holding you to that one..." Aaaaaahhh! I shuddered, swallowing nervously, and she giggled. And I was nice and stiff now. Of course. Pressed right up against me, she had to have felt it! But she didn't say anything...

Flushed with heat still, I sighed, then slowly nodded. "I... admit it's been one of my fantasies with you for a long time. B-But it's just a fantasy! I'm not in any rush, a-and you don't even have to consider it if you don't wa-"

She stopped me there with a paw touch to my muzzle. "Mmm, I'm not in any rush either, but I want a lot of pups, just so you know. Don't worry. You're gonna be really busy breeding me eventually." I shot right past shiver and into 'tremble' with that one, and gave a throb in my pants again. Her grin widened. Yup, she knew about it...

Audible pawsteps stopped our further discussion, and my ears perked up as I looked up and over Ahri's head. That was faster than I thought it would be! They must have rushed. Probably worried we'd dive for getting more... intimate. Ahri perked, then glanced over her shoulder as both sets of our parents slipped into the room. She rotated in my arms after, shifting her back to me instead so she could look fully towards them as both her parents sat down on the sofa against the wall her door was on.

"Admittedly, I was expecting something else. I'm both surprised and proud of your restraint." Yohkanis gave a nod to us with that, a faint smile playing at his muzzle, which widened as Nolla snuggled into his side.

Dad snorted at that, hopping up next to Mom as she sat down on the other end of the bed from us. "They don't really need to restrain themselves, but yeah. Both are good kids."

Nolla nodded in agreement to that. "We did warn them we'd be up in a bit. A very little bit, given how fast you shot through the polite chatter to get up here..." She gave her mate a teasing wink, and he huffed at that. Heh, I thought they were early...

He collected himself before nodding. "Yes, I know. My daughter is growing up, and while this is a big step, I agree that we couldn't ask for a better male for her to have chosen for it. But... that's not actually what we wanted to talk to you about, Kouta." Huh?

"Um, did I do something w-wrong?" Nervousness spiked in me again at that, but he quickly held his paw up to me instead.

"No. I did. I wanted to apologize for both being unnecessarily antagonistic towards you that night, and for accidentally dropping you down the stairs. It... I felt terrible about it all afterwards, and then you turned around and didn't even press for anything..." He looked outright sad as he said it, and I frowned lightly.

"It... was an accident. Just a mistake, and I don't think that you should be punished for a mistake. I'd... rather try to get along, I guess?" It sounded better in my head, but he relaxed a little at that, and slowly smiled towards me.

There was a long pause before he nodded again. "Thank you, Kouta. But I'm not going to just let it go either. I'd like to work with you as the clan merger goes through. Both as my new, future son, and as a highly intelligent male with a lot of good ideas. Your parents have been talking about how smart you are..." Ugh! Of course, they had... I glared over at them, but Mom just smirked and nodded.

"It's true. Your professors spoke quite highly of you, and you saw your graduation report. Honors in four categories is nothing to sneeze at, Kouta." I still had trouble believing it myself. I didn't think I'd done that well!

Nolla nodded too, ganging up on me now. "We want a good relationship with you, but you're also highly intelligent and would do quite well here, with our resources available to you. Further, we'd like to sponsor you through the Academy, as well, next Fall." Ah! Sponsor?!

My eyes widened. I'd been... sort of tentatively considering going myself. I managed to qualify for a base program track set, thanks to my grades in basic school, but the waiting list for the Academy was staggeringly massive. It was currently Koramir's only location for higher scientific learning, after all. If they sponsored me, though... "You... want to... sponsor me? Is this for a specific track, or...?" There had to be conditions!

Chuckling, Yohkanis nodded to me. "Your parents explained your interest in mechanical alchemy and magic. Particularly of the transmutation kind, which would be very well suited for our clan as well. If you do accept, I'd also like to put you into engineering and pure alchemy tracks on top of that. It... will be difficult, doing four at once. But I have every bit of confidence in you that you can succeed." Four? Four tracks at the same time?! My eyes widened at that, as did Ahri's.

"T-That's way too much, Dad! At best, he'll have zero free time outside of sleeping and eating! What about... our relationship?! You said..."

"Ahri..." her father started to interrupt, before, surprisingly, mine scrunched his muzzle up too. That gave Lord Yohkanis pause as he looked their way again, causing Dad to shake his head slowly.

"I can see what you're doing. Heir material or not, isn't that a _bit_hypocritical of you?" he questioned. Heir material?! Yohkanis wanted me as...?! Mom cringed at Dad's words, then looked over at him, eyes widening in horror.

Nolla sighed at that, however, then slowly nodded. "Our intention was to make Kouta co-heir alongside Ahri. It's no secret she holds little interest in the position. But... I think I agree with Lord Perix, dear. Three tracks at once would be much more manageable. Especially if we move back the engineering track to take off-season over the Spring and Summer instead. That way he'd still get four tracks in, but not all at once..." She glanced to her mate with that, and he paused, giving a little frown as I almost saw the gears whirling behind his scarily intense eyes.

Dad nodded again to that, gesturing to the side towards us with a paw. "That sounds much more reasonable. If we're going to move him into the upper dorms and expect him to also have a social life and new mate at the same time, it stands to reason dumping a crushing level of school work on him would be counterproductive to that. I think it would be healthier for their relationship, overall!" He grinned over at me with that, and I felt my cheeks heat up again, suddenly very aware of Ahri still snuggled up against me.

"Perhaps also get a standard set of therapy sessions mixed in for new couples, too." Mom looked back over to Lord Yohkanis as she suggested it with a nod. "Their relationship is obviously very important, and some check-ins with a therapist would be of benefit. Those are pretty standard these days for any new mateship starting off..." Oh, right.

Ahri's father finally relented with a nod, eyes locking onto me again instead. "That... sounds reasonable indeed. I mean, I only have two academy tracks myself, even. Perhaps I was getting ahead of myself. And yes, the focus will definitely be on providing every resource you need to succeed, Kouta. This isn't a test. We want you to get through all of this. And Ahri can finally have me off her back about learning about clan matters." He smirked at that last bit, even as Ahri grimaced and huffed, looking away from him again. Oh boy...

She sighed, then slowly nodded, tucking herself back against me. "I know I don't exactly have much interest. Calling it a co-heir seems kind of insulting to Kouta, given he'll basically be the one in charge. Especially of all the day to day stuff. But... thank you, Dad. Mom. I... really wish I'd gone with Kouta before now..." Her expression sagged again, and I frowned, pulling her close to me and resting my chin on top of her head. She sagged, then sunk back into me with a shiver, seemingly drinking in the closeness. Dad grinned again.

"We'll make sure you two are on point, don't worry! Plus, you have until Fall to build up your relationship even more! I wouldn't worry too much about it, Ahri." She relaxed and returned his smile, and Nolla gave a giggle from the sofa.

"Finally, I can relax a bit. All the times you started on about a boy, or Vikhor recently, right _to_Kouta at the dining table... I felt like smacking my forehead into the wall, seeing the poor boy wilt!" Ah! And Ahri was back to cringing almost immediately... Her mother continued, however, unfazed. "But you'll have plenty of time to make it up to him! Oh, speaking of which, are you staying the night tonight, Kouta?" How were those two topics related?!

My cheeks flared up, as did Ahri's, but Mom chuckled and nodded. "I don't mind him spending the night. We have more things to discuss about the transition for the merger anyway, no?" Oh, right. It was agreed on now, but the details were probably...

Lord Yohkanis nodded slowly to that, then stood again, with Nolla moving with him. "Yes. It should be a gentle transition, but would you mind if we moved this to my office so we could call the two other families?" Mom perked to that, but shook her head, and he glanced our way instead. "Alright, then. You're not needed for this step, Ahri, so feel free to stay here and talk things over more with Kouta."

It was her turn to perk and nod, but Dad just pouted. "I was a little sad they were actually just talking. Hmph..." Ahri flushed again at that, but I rolled my eyes and gave her another squeeze around the waist.

"Dad, we're moving at her pace. Relax..."

He chuckled and waved a paw my way, of course. "I'm just teasing, Kou. But you'd better let us be there for your first! It's tradition!" I rolled my eyes at that, as Yohkanis blanched and Nolla snickered, then nodded furiously. Of course, she'd want to be there.

Mom smiled but slowly shook her head to Dad. "Dear. Merger. Stop teasing the kids..."

"Tch... fiiiine." He grumbled the entire time she lifted him up and carried him out of the room. "I mean, it's all you. I'm just gonna be sitting on your lap looking the height of adorably handsome, again..." I snickered, watching them go and his muttering trailing off as they went down the hall, followed by an amused looking Yohkanis and Nolla. Of course...

Ahri waited a moment before sagging against me and groaning. "I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to your dad. My dad now...? Lord Perix! He's so disarmingly warm and naughty at the same time..."

I snorted to that, easing back and loosening my grip on her waist as she rotated herself around and snuggled up against my chest again. "That's Dad. He's always been like that. I'm... glad he's looking out for me though, as usual." Four tracks... Yikes. That would have been... extreme.

"Yeah. Dad can bet a bit overzealous sometimes. Thankfully he changed his mind. I was already there for the meeting before this one, and was glad he told those speciesist council assholes where to shove it... They wanted a lot more from you..." She gave a low growl afterwards, and I frowned.

"Because I'm a Keld, and this is primarily a Vulkus clan? That..." I paused and slowly shook my head, but Ahri sighed and nodded.

It took her a moment to compose herself, but she finally relaxed and exhaled softly. "They're stuck in their ways. They wanted to hold four tracks plus off-season tracks over your head, limiting us to just a 'trial' mateship unless you pulled off all five years of training and passed. On your own. Like I'm some sort of prize or something to them..." I winced at that, and she gave another huffing growl. "Dad was pissed and outright threatened to report them to Grand Mage Morrigan for it. They backed down _fast_then! Hah!" Yeah, that would have been... She would have tore the council to shreds over a move like that. Her entire stance was pro-species-equality, after all, which she was adamant about, given we were all sort of stuck together in one huge super-city now.

"Kinda wish he would have anyway, but... no, it's good there's no drama over all this. Plus they backed down, at least..." I sighed after, and she nuzzled up under my chin again, smiling once more.

"Yup! We get a full mateship. I want to commit to you fully, Kouta. I want... to show you that I'm serious! Especially after... being so clueless..." She scowled, but I headed it off this time with a soft nuzzle to her forehead until she relaxed again.

I held her closer, and she shivered, sliding her left leg up over my lap and nuzzling my neck. "I'm okay, Ahri. One day at a time. We can talk all you need to about anything. That much hasn't changed at all. We're still best friends underneath, right?"

A grin. "You're still a sweetheart, yes. Mmm, now ­_my_sweetheart..." My cheeks flushed, but she giggled and gave my neck a soft kiss, keeping her head tucked under my chin. It was a rather submissive gesture, which felt odd coming from Ahri, who was usually boisterous and dominant. "Mmm, Kouta..." Her nuzzles grew softer, and I kept her pulled close as both of us relaxed again into each other. This... had turned out so much better than I'd hoped. I smiled and held her gently to me as we both snuggled against her pillows.