[b]Fengye![/b] The Maid trips. It’s a flailing, undignified trip, and the noise she makes while she goes down is ridiculous. She lies on the ground a moment longer than really might be called for, wriggling and muttering to herself and drumming her feet on the ground. When she rises, she refuses to look you in the eyes. Her cheeks are flushed, and her energy is like a crow that is considering whether it must fly away from an approaching traveler. “I do not need your admiration,” she hisses. “Idiot! Fool! Witlack! My tenacity is as overwhelming, as potent as the rest of me! You have no right over me, as if I were some new creation spun out of formless chaos!” She scuffs one foot on the ground and works an errant lock of hair back behind her ear, apparently lecturing the trees somewhere off by the side of your head. And just like that, things start clicking into place. The person she is now wars against the leviathan in her past, and compliments, honeyed poison, and saying things quite unbecoming of both of you will give you power over her. It puts you at terrible risk, spiritually. Especially if you forget that she is a devil, once a tyrant of tyrants. But consider also how enjoyable it would be to wind her around your little finger. Maybe the noises she would make would even be worth the risk to your soul… [hr] [b]Kalaya![/b] Petony checks the knots on the impressively tied (and purring) N’yari warrior herself, before giving her a mighty smack on the rear to get her moving (which elicits a muffled— not a growl, more of a squeal). “That was excellent not-swordplay,” she says, grinning, following behind the (intentionally slowing down?) catgirl. “Who taught you how to fight like that? Clever and dirty— just like me!” Who did teach you, Kalaya? Or was this spur-of-the-moment, the inspiration of some small god who favored your thoughts? Tell her some of how you trained to become a knight of the Flower Kingdoms. (And, just as importantly: do you lead Machi on a leash, or do you take Petony’s place in encouraging her to keep moving with smacks to her rump? Either way, the N’yari warrior will appreciate it, I promise. You’ve won that right.) [hr] [b]Lotus![/b] You are [i]such[/i] a bad girl. What were you expecting? For Han to roll on top of you? For Han to wake you up with kisses? For Han to say that she has a clever plan for smuggling you out, but you’ll need a change of clothes, so that you can stammer and blush when you see your disguise, but it’s the only way, and Han will dress up too, just a pair of sensual performers on their way to Golden Chrysanth, and maybe Han would do feats of strength to match your feats of… Your indulgent fantasy fizzles in the face of not having a particular talent. Feats of walking on water, maybe, but that would blow your cover, and who would pay to see that, anyway? And why would you need to dress in revealing outfits to walk on water? It makes no internal sense. You wanted to wriggle up against Han and drape one arm back up and over her head, her hair, and bring the strong, pretty, thoughtful, kind, amazing girl in for selfish awful kisses you don’t deserve. But you knew that you didn’t deserve them, especially after how you stole one from her on the barge, and so you made a prim little noise and slipped out of bed, which was the most difficult thing in the whole entire world and you deserve a prize. A tribute, maybe. “Didn’t try to force kisses out of someone who didn’t want to kiss her.” …on second thought, skip the tribute. Skip breakfast. Skip everything. You don’t have the strength to insist on her leaving you behind, like you deserve, and so you selfishly accept her help… Climbing out the window?? [hr] [b]Piripiri! Giriel![/b] With one step, you are on one side of the river. With the next, you are on the other. The Golden Banneret hums [i]Homecoming[/i], a traditional children’s song in Hymair— [i]we’ll hang wreaths from the windows, when we’re home, when we’re home. we’ll sweep out the corners, when we’re home, when we’re home…[/i] She turns her face up to the sky, to the sunlight shining through the clouds, and feels joy at being down here in the world with the two of you. You’ll be on the two lovebirds soon.