[b]Kazelia![/b]

“Now, of course I don’t want to cause a diplomatic incident with the mighty and august Protectorate,” Rita says, so smug that you’re smothered in the purr she’s only barely suppressing. “So I’d be happy to let you [i]and[/i] your ‘consort’ go with only a minor concession.” You feel the flustered shiver run through Kyouko from her tail to her head, and intuit the twitch twitch of her fuzzy ears. “So go ahead and admit that cats rule and foxes, in fact, drool.”

“Hrrrrmph,” Kyouko snoots through a mouthful of Rita’s crocheted socks. “Nffff!”

“Don’t they teach you e-heh-low-kyu-shun in the archipelago?” Rita says in her snootiest fox impression. “Speak clearly, your grace! Use your words, not your vixenish wiles!”

Kyouko’s fingers are intertwined with yours, her left hand holding your right, and she gives you an excited squeeze. You squeeze back. You can’t see Rita, being faced away from her, tied back to back with Kyouko, but the energy in the room is electric and exciting and... warm. Because everyone in the room knows that the silly rivalries are silly, that if feelings get hurt there’ll be honest apologies, and that you are safer here than you could possibly have imagined...

And that’s when the door opens.

***

[b]Alina![/b]

Your escape was daring and perilous, the two of you ducking into shadows and crawling past sentries, not to mention doing your best not to attract any attention between Shazari’s mansion (she has a [i]mansion[/i], and a Jedadi tent complex inside its [i]courtyard[/i]) and the House of Hospitality.

Rhyza stole a hooded cloak for you, and kept one possessive hand on your shoulder as she guided you through the streets, softly rubbing you through the linen. Only that cloak stood between you and an undignified reveal! Luckily, it seemed like nobody was out on the streets tonight, but you were sure you’d just [i]die[/i] of embarrassment if the wind blew the cloak back in the middle of the street.

But no. You clambered into the House of Hospitality using a side window, and crept over to Rita’s room. You’re not going to let your great-grandma see you like this, and borrowing some of your girlfriend’s clothes is much better. Besides, if Rita’s in, you could introduce her to Rhyza, maybe the three of you could hang out and play games tonight, like spin the bottle, or eating Konkon pocky, or “captives’ charades,” the game of muffled explanations...

The lights are on, and you hear Rita inside. Thank goodness! You open the door, dramatically throw back the cloak, and sigh with relief. Then you notice that Kazelia, Kyouko and Rita are all staring at you. Your girlfriend’s eyes are stuck on your top, and she is going as red as an apple, her tail bushing up and her eyes going as big as if she had just seen a mouse.

And that’s when Rhyza prods you forward. “Brought you another prisoner, your highness,” she says. “She’s an excellent dancer, and wonderful at... singing.”

R-Rhyza!!!

***

[b]Adila![/b]

“Once you break something, you can’t go back and unbreak it?” That, from a young goblin bravo, his hair styled upwards and his mustache expertly curled, wearing a suit best described as “pocketwatch chic.”

“Perhaps not,” the Clockmaster of the Golden Hour says, mildly. They’re one of the milder, more mainstream Igniters, the kind of Igniter who tries to help others find enlightenment too. “But you can use the moment of its wholeness inside you to turn the wheel and make it whole once more. You cannot erase the moment in which it shattered, but it may not be broken forever.”

The goblin rebuked, the Clockmaster turns back to you. Their hair is silver and glowing faintly in the moonlight, and the pale, luminous light of the clocks. “I am listening,” they say, softly. “Please share what you have seen.”

And with that invitation, you don’t just have their ear. Every Igniter in the plaza is paying attention to you, waiting to see if you make an insightful observation that they can meditate over for a fashionable period of time or an inane “baby’s first timepiece” commentary on impermanence. But the Clockmaster’s smile is gentle and inviting as they wait and listen.