Of course Rose knew from the moment that Keron said it that the wolf was her friend, Yue. Admittedly, up until that moment, Rose had been tilting her head just the littlest bit to see through her gold-beaded hair, just out of the corner of her eye, wondering why Yue’s girlfriend Hyra was coming out to fight for her. But the Countess would never be fooled by appearances! That meant that, somehow, amazingly, unbelievably, Yue was a wolf now! Maybe being a wolf was contagious. Many other sorts of curses were, when hearts got all tangled up and tied tight together. (She shivers and bites down on the showy knot in one of her silk scarves, tied between her full lips. For display, not use; Rose is demonstrating her self-control today.) But that meant that she’s besties with a fox [i]and[/i] a wolf, which makes her such a lucky girl! They’re noble creatures, after all. Yes, even the wonderful wish-granting foxes, even if they are sneaky and tricky and get good girls in trouble sometimes!

Besides, now that she knows what she’s supposed to be looking for, peering between her braids all gleaming in the sunlight? Of course that’s Yue. Yue doesn’t care about being cool, the way princesses and monsters do, the way that Hyra does. Like Rose herself, Yue is blissfully willing to toss aside her dignity in order to be joyful. Watch the way that she dashes gleefully across the field, so quick that Rose can’t keep up and avoid getting in trouble at the same time! Instead of being caught moving her head, Rose stares carefully at Tianic and waits, and— there she goes!

(Something buried under silk sashes and perfumes stirs briefly, wiggles in its shining chains, and chuckles to itself. The first point to Yue the Sun Farmer. [i]Well done.[/i] A blow only to defeat a Squire, but that in and of itself is incredible growth for a herder of sun-grazing sheeps.)

When Tianic hits Yue in the side with that broad sweep? Rose jerks her head up and lets out a garbled gasp! So teenie-tiny that doubtless Yue can’t even hear it, but Rose still feels the guiding smack of the crop against her lovely cheek for being caught at all. It hasn’t even left her rump before she’s dutifully back in position, as still as your average non-ambulatory piece of furniture, but don’t be fooled, she’s looking desperately out of the corner of her eye, and... Yue’s okay! Her veil flutters ever-so-slightly as she lets out the tiniest, most controlled sigh of relief, and the crop does not come down again, because it might have just been the wind, after all, and everyone is clapping so loudly, and Rose is doing such a good job keeping her back steady, even if she’s got her own cushion of sorts squished up against her knees.

But it’s just getting harder and harder. It’s taking all of her focus and determination to stay still and quiet, a pretty little trophy, because, oh, if she’d just been a little better or smarter or usefuller, then maybe the Countess would have let her cheer Yue on! If only she was dancing on the wall right now with the colors of Yue of the Terraced Lake and Squire Tianic of the Sky Castle fluttering from her sleeves, free to cry out and move, move, lose herself in the dance, step by step on that narrow arena wall, to let Yue know that she was appreciated! Her heart hammers against her knees, desperate to break free and wave at Yue and scream for her to win, or at the very least, to show the whole Sky Castle her very best!

Round and round and round Yue goes, having stolen her opponent’s sword, but that’s when there’s a gasp and the audience turns its attention, for just a moment, up! And Rose glances away from the perpendicular arena, just before the magical moment when Yue the Wolf becomes Yue the Sword Maiden, and just imagine how surprised she’ll be!

But that’s when Chen comes down. For her. For [i]her.[/i] She feels Karon remove those feet from her back as if they’re happening on the other side of the Sunshards. Chen plummets through the air, dress swirling magnificently all about her, hair played with by the envious fingers of the wind, free in a way that little Rose could only dream of earning, and that for the better, because she would probably stumble right off that sword, and then where would she be?

Chen comes down before her helpless girlfriend, the picture of grace and poise, compared to which the whole world might as well be made entirely of a pack of wild Yues, exuberant and careless and happily clumsy. She reaches down and tilts Rose’s dainty chin up with one finger, the delicate silk of the veil pooling on Chen’s palm, and sees a slave-girl exploding with joy as radiant as the sun, as free as Yue down below in this moment to simply revel in the compliment, the attention, the yearning, the being wanted, and all the scenarios and ideas and guiltily desired betrayals go out of her silly little head all at once and all that is left is: [i]”CHNN!!!”[/i]

She belts out her girlfriend’s name at the top of her lungs, around that expensive and oversized knot, beaming and wide-eyed and smiling, helplessly smiling; not even Keron’s most terrible threats of discipline could stop her, not even she herself could stop the way her face melts into delight.

And then—

A candle finally snuffs out.

Chen gets to see that sudden awareness fill Rose’s eyes, gets to see those huge round dark circles narrow into slits, gets to see that joyous innocence get swallowed by centuries of experience and self-control and hurt and denial, and when Rose from the River looks her in the eye, it’s suddenly like a bird being hypnotized by a snake, isn’t it? All of that strength and power and attention suddenly focused to a razor point.

And Chen gets a front row seat to Rose from the River considering her position, considering changing her shape, considering bursting out of her pretty silks and ropes, considering becoming again that terrible monk of battle and war. Rose’s expression melts into sheepish half-irony, but she can’t hide the sincerity and desire underneath it: to get to stay Rose, simply Rose, for now, for as long as Chen will let her be.

She wiggles her shoulders to devastating effect, showing off how [i]tightly[/i] her arms are bound behind her, how [i]valiantly[/i] her top struggles to contain her, and widens her eyes quite deliberately, hamming it up, and that smile, if anything, is even sharper and freer because of the secret the two of them share.

“Chnn,” she [i]moans.[/i] “Pllsss, savf muh, sayf yuuh [i]Russ[/i]~” Yours. [i]Yours.[/i] Are you paying attention, Chen? She’ll feel guilty for this later. She’ll struggle with the Way and how she wants, so much, to be allowed to swoon into your arms instead. But right now, she wants you, she wants to be [i]yours[/i], and as long as that’s true, she doesn’t care whether you win or lose. Might even sabotage you, if you let her. You look so [i]cute[/i] wiggling and blushing, after all.

You’re allowed to blush right now, by the way, and stare, and shamelessly ogle. Encouraged, even. Why do you think she’s wiggling helplessly for you, silly girl? What’s a prize without being admired and shown off?

[Rose happily gives her girlfriend that String and then counter-volleys with an [b]11[/b] Entice broadside right to the face.]