[b]Yue![/b]

Cyanis swallowed. "I - okay. Okay. Fine. I'll do my best too, just..."

Fox magic comes easily to foxes. They don't need to chant or wave their hands or perform rituals because being a fox is magical enough by itself. Where a human might need to spend a whole summer perfecting the exact hand gesture needed to perform a single spell, magic spoils foxes rotten - presumably because it, too, is a sucker for cute little triangles. So all a fox needs in order to do magic is wishes, their own or someone else's. They can just take that wish and think about how happy they'd be if it came true until magic relents and gives in.

But even easy things can be done with great effort and concentration if it's important enough. So Cyanis screws up her eyes and wishes as hard as her little foxy heart allows - and with a flash of teal fire the same colour as her eyes, it does.

Hyra of the Wolves stands here again, with blade and bow and brilliant strength. Hair of silver and eyes of red and might of heroines, reflexively stepping out in front of Yue in a guardian posture. Even as she does so, she takes Yue by the hand. "How long do I have?" she asks.

"I think - just while the full moon is in the sky," said Cyanis meekly.

"That'll be enough," she said. Her eyes fall back onto Yue, and a smile fills her lips. "Stay behind me, okay? I won't let you get cursed too."

*

The whispers of the world rise into crescendo. Light and darkness separate like oil and water, detaching and running in radiant and sombre channels towards she of midnight. And there she arises amidst the enraptured voices of the forest, bow in hand, arrow already streaking out like the first ray of dawn.

It soars through the air and penetrates the red string that bound Chen to Cyanis. Immediately the fox's magic dissipates - with a snap and burst of radiant light Chen is back in her normal clothes. 

Princess Yin slams the base of the bow into the ground, and gives a brief wave. "Hey, Chen," she said. "Your mom sent me to help you. We're to capture Yue for the Campaign and use the exchange as an opportunity to ambush Qiu." 

Her pose is confident even to the point of laziness, but cautious - extremely aware of both Rose and Hyra's positions, stance leaving her ready to block a strike coming from either direction. 

[Declining this would be missing an opportunity to further your destiny]