[i]Distract them.[/i]

What that is supposed to mean is Rose from the River using her peerless swordplay, her power and prowess as a paragon of the Burrows and their craftsmanship, to hold an army at bay. But what it could also mean, now, is Rosepetal dancing, drawing all eyes to her, unapproachable but desired, barely out of reach, leading an entire army away with a shimmy and a prance. And what it means right here, right now, for the battle of Chen and Hyra…

Rosepetal kneels on the earth, knees carefully apart, skirt hiking up to a scandalous degree, and then pats her knees. Yes, see? She’s getting your attention, Katherine Isabella Fluffybiscuits, champion of Hyra the Wolf Princess, devourer of whatever you like, a foe who cannot— who [i]cannot[/i]— be defeated by force of arms. That’s right, Katherine. Not even Rose from the River in her prime could do that. There is no way to defeat you with the art of the sword.

But look! Rosepetal reaches up and begins stroking her hair. Such soft, gentle, languorous strokes! Imagine how that would look, Katherine, or better yet, imagine how that would feel, those fingers running up your back to the base of your floofy tail! How those clever fingers could wub you just [i]right[/i] behind your perky triangles! See, in the twist of her wrist, the promise of floofing your fluff, of digging her fingers in and really fluffing your floof all over! How she flutters her lashes and conveys, through little more than a soulful look, how empty her lap is without a brave, courageous, and renowned vixen there to spoil! That’s right, Katherine, she doesn’t just want you, she [i]needs[/i] you.

And so slowly, so slowly, you advance, tail wagging, hiding behind little clumps of leafs and then scampering close, wiggling and bouncing, only to poumce! Leap, little vixen, and be swept up into her arms! She presents her face and allows you to lick, her fingers rubbing up and down your sides as her mistress goes to face your mistress’s mistress (which, we can all agree, is quite a lot of mistresses). Don’t worry, little fox, dearest Katherine, you don’t have to worry about that fight! Chen of the Northern Wind has sacrificed her most beloved of girlfriends just to keep you— yes, you— at bay long enough for her to duel without you tangling her shoelaces and tugging at her skirt. After all, how could she be expected to fight Hyra [i]and[/i] keep from stepping on your luxuriously soft tail, o most talented of narrators? And if she did that, then she would lose the duel by default, and never get the chance to show Hyra what her swordplay looks like when her heart is free and her maid outfit is so cute and she has a girlfriend to watch and cheer for her with adoring glances and eager nods and muffled squeaks! She would have to toss down her sword and surrender to Hyra for cutie crimes, or else face the wrath of Yue the Sun Farmer, and that’s even worse, oh yes it is, oh yes it is! So knead away, lick and drool, that’s what the apron is for! Scrabble your precious little pawsies against her buttons as you streeeeetch up to her face, and wrap your tail around her wrists, and—

“…[i]mmmmff???[/i]”

Wait, little— dear little Katherine, there must have been some misunderstanding! You’re a silly pet, not— and her elbows, too? Katherine, please, how is she supposed to indulge you with her arms stuck like this, without anyone to pull them apart for her, and— and, oh, you’re slithering out of her lap? You’re headbutting her thigh and trying to get her to put her legs together? Oh! Oh! Yue!! What did you teach this wily little vixen?! Has she been this cunning the whole time? Don’t just giggle and play innocent! That exaggerated show of innocence fools no one, and— and— eeeep!

Down Rosepetal tumbles onto the soft grass, and up Katherine Isabella Fluffybiscuits hops onto her, radiating smugness as she flops down on Rosepetal, using her chest as a pillow, and begins kneading her apron with the indolent pride of a silly pet who has bested an even sillier pet! Rose reaches up as best she can to keep giving victorious Katherine awkward scritchies, and the delighted, smug purr radiates through both of them as Rosepetal, blissfully happy in her continued and yearned-for and completely safe humiliation, turns her head on the grass to watch Hyra and her wonderful, sweet-hearted Chen from an awkward angle indeed.

[Rosepetal really should have known better than to roll a [b]5[/b] on such an important Entice if she didn’t want to end up all tied up and helpless again~]