And once again the world has come back together. It's no fluke, this time. Whatever force tries to break you into three different stories, be it Qiu's blade or simple time and distance, cannot maintain its hold in the face of such harmony. These are not independent moments existing in parallel; they are [i]one[/i] moment. One dance. And the partners switch as naturally as rhythm. 

Cyanis is squealing through her gag as she is dragged along by Yue, Princess Jessic in hot pursuit. It's not how you might dream a dragon chase might go; there are no snapping fangs or fiery breath. Jessic may be a dragon, after all, but she is a person as well and people use their mouths for eating, talking, kissing, and sometimes holding swords as Yue has demonstrated. You don't just go biting strangers! And so Jessic's pursuit is more catlike than anything, bursts of lightning speed followed by swipe-blows with dragon murder-mittens that bat the poor fluffy tails of girl wolves and fox girls about as she follows so close behind, distracted only by the sudden and unconscionable spillage of her secret notebooks across the floor.

And then in the next moment Yue is racing between the whirl of scattering guards, cast aside by the wroth of the Rose from the River. And that, Rose, is when you find yourself face to face with Princess Jessic; your mistress' mistress. She is momentum furious and focused, secure in her own power - and blind to yours. She has seen you soft, but has not seen you sharp. She is a Princess, one of the greatest dangers of this surface world, but she has no handmaiden here to shield her - as you are here to shield Chen. 

And Chen, you do need shielding, as an arrow soars through the air inches away from your leaping. The only reason it doesn't hit you is because it was not intended for you - but the only reason it wasn't intended for you was that it was intended for Hyra, who has run and dived mid-air to take cover behind you. The Maiden of Wolves grins up at you. "Hey. I'm Hyra. Nice to meet you." And then she's off a-scampering with a speed to match that of Yue, a speed that takes time as a wolf to truly understand. She's quite cravenly left you facing down an determined Countess Keron, armed with greatbow and naginata. The Countess draws another heavy arrow, and aims it at you as her guards form a shieldwall around her.

And then, Yue, for a moment you're running alongside Hyra. She grins at you as she goes, feet flashing across the floor, as you rush together for the end of the hall. It's such a grin, too. You know this is her moment, still, but she's not using it to fight Keron, or continue her game of wits, or to defeat a hundred guards, or anything else that seems obvious. She's still got something else in mind. She's got her own story, told to the beat of her own secret ideal, and you somehow know all the important parts while knowing none of the specifics. And right now that story tells her to run alongside you - leaning down as she does to take the protesting and gagged Cyanis from you and heft her over one shoulder with strong arms. 

And [i]oh[/i]. Maybe her plan has her carrying you the same way? Or perhaps a different way?