It is later now! Not a crazy amount later? But later enough for there to be tea, and brownies, and for everybody who needs it to do a little bit of calming down from all the freaking out about who cut what in half or who said what bad word or even really silly stuff like which mountain was secretly a nine-tailed fox in disguise.

And of course, Yue insisted on providing the tea and snacks herself. After that big whoopsie whuh whoah with the crystal boat-monster/monster-boat (which by the way these people are being super sweeties about, even though a lot of them are obviously pretty upset)? Well, let's just say this'd be a real quick crash course in discovering who the real monsters are if she made 'em cook their own food as guests. 

So with apologies to any sheepboys who were looking forward to showing off their culliminary (?) arts, that's the story of how everybody in spite of everything wound up seated together around a big blue table with big blue chairs with steaming mugs of crystal clear steaming white tea and very [i]very[/i] faded little plates with a brownie each on them, facing a slender girl in the blossom of her youth (we think?) as she awkwardly arranges all of her swords on an empty seat next to her and plays with her mess of soft brown hair to cover up the fact that she's not entirely sure how to start talking again.

"So. Um. Uh?"

Bella lifts a hand to cut her off. She still has one fluffy ear bent toward the space where not twenty minutes ago there had been a picturesque little mountain, as if by straining her thoughts on it she could listen in on the shouted conversation between foxgirls. But her golden eyes are locked on Yue, and every muscle in her body save that ear are tensed and ready for battle. She hasn't so much as touched her tea or her brownie, though she hasn't been able to keep herself from occasionally giving them an appreciative sniff.

"I want you to explain to me what the fuck,"

Yue whimpers.

"...Is happening," Bella continues over her, though through a wince now, "For starters, is this even Gaia? We [i]did[/i] make it, right?"

"Uh," ums Yue, "Lemme check something real quick. Kay?"

And so saying, she pulls out a weird little pink and white rectangle and taps at it with her fingertip for a period of twenty to thirty-one seconds, give or take, before suddenly looking up with a very bright smile on her face.

"Yup! You're using a super duper old word for it? Like, I dunno if even the First Princess called it that but yeah! Yeppers! Welcome to Earth! You guys tourists, then? That's pretty funny. I kinda thought, especially after somethin' that happened a bit and a half ago, that anybody who came outta space was gonna be these, like, suuuuuuper spooky conquering monsters come to eat us. But you like brownies! You're, like, Burrower cosplayers? That's neato! I think I like you 'cause you've all got nice smiles. Well, except for you Ms. Catgirl."

"Bella."

"Oh, sorry! I mean I'm sure you have a very nice smile! You just haven't been usin' it. I'm super sorry about your boat. I promise though, ok? Before you're finished with your vacation I'm gonna figure out how to put it back together again. Oh! I bet Sis'd know! Yeah ok yeah! I'll call her in just a little bit and we'll get you all patched up! She's a Princess too y'know, and a whiz with machines! That's worth a smile, right? C'mon, don't let your tea get cold!"

Bella frowns more deeply than ever, but she does pick up her cup and take a long, slow sip. Her eyes widen in surprise. What she tastes reminds her of nothing so much as a certain floral wine she was once partial to a very, very long time ago. The flavor here is a little more subtle, but it's bright and full of tasting notes like a whole chorus of flowers, and the trees around them, and the grasses beneath them. It's also lighter than anything she's ever drank before, including water. Swallowing almost feels like being cleansed, not that that makes any sense.

Quickly, she takes a second sip. And then a gulp. And before she knows it, she's drained her whole cup. Yue just laughs and starts a new one steeping for her. Bella's cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"...You [i]are[/i] royalty, then. That simplifies things a lot. We'll take tea with you, Highness, but--"

"Oh, haha, no. No, silly! I told you, didn't I? I'm just Yue. I'm not a Princess, I'm a sun farmer. Like, I thought about Princessin' for a bit? But the whole swords and adventures thing is really more of a hobby for me."

"You were disinherited, then?" Bella continues without slipping a beat, "I'm very sorry. We'll discuss it with your sister in that case. We just need someone with connections to your Empress."

"Huh?"

"Listen," says Bella as she pinches her nose between two claws, "We have come a very long way. Across the entire galaxy, in fact. And before we've got any time for leisure we need an audience with your Empress so we can deliver the message we were tasked with. Now. Can you get us an audience or can't you?"

"Ok see you keep using that word but like... I dunno how to say this? The only Empresses I've ever known are a) fictional and b) like, super, [i]mega[/i] evil? 'Empress' is a word you put in stories so the kids know it's ok when she gets punched in the face, y'know? Like granted they tend to also make 'em kinda hot? So it's, I get bein' a fan and all but unless you know how to jump into a manga you're not gonna find any here."

"Your 'First Princess' then! Would you quit fucking around and- FOR GODS' SAKES KID WOULD YOU QUIT SQUEAKING! IT'S JUST A WORD, GROW UP!"

So hey! Hi! All you other peeps. Enjoying the brownies? I bet you are~! Here's what I think's worth knowing about your dessert while these two sillyheads sort a couple of minor differences out.

So, like, first of all? These things are so fudgey it should be illegal. They are denser than the core of a star. I mean not really? For one thing they're not hot and for another thing you can just eat 'em and for a third thing they are literally brownies? So they're soft right? But just soooooo packed with gooey chocolatey goodness that it doesn't feel like it's ok to be eating them, even though Yue insisted that it was. Well, if you believe in that sorta thing anyway. But I'm getting off track. The point is, if you're a fan of a more open and cakey brownie then I'm super sorry about that. But I'd bet you a tail that you're gonna be a convert by the time you're finished with this one.

'Cause the second thing is, that density is mostly carrying flavor. The chocolate is [i]dark[/i], but somehow it's also [i]smooth[/i] and not even the teeniest bit bitter despite not being milky or overly sweet. It's enough that when you bite into the part where she's stuffed chili you're not even overwhelmed by the heat because it plays so well with the ooey gooey fudgey kablooey that's dancin' all over your tongue, even though the heat is so strong it nearly knocks Bella out of her seat when she finally gets un-mad enough to try eating hers. Poor thing, is she sensitive? 

Well anyway, third thing is surprise! There's nuts in there too! And those provide just such a pleasant crunch that it probably awakens somethin' primal and real and huntery inside of you, just like it does for me! But it's also got a bit of a cooling effect, if that makes any sense? Like, a nut's just earthy right? So you can't taste earth and fire at the same time, unless you eat a volcano. Which is not the same thing as a lava cake! Even though they sound very similar!

Anyway the last thing you're gonna notice, fans of foreign food that you are, is that what you're eating is empty calories. And what I mean is, there's something you're [i]not[/i] findin' in there, no matter how hard you look. Yue doesn't cook with heavy metals or highly processed industrial chemicals, see? And I know that's really strange for you! But it does something to the flavor to not use 'em, and you're maybe seeing for the first time how that might be true. 

'Cause, like, to be clear? There's no nutritional value in here for you mighty biomantically engineered space cats. That's the slang term for cool people by the way, not Bella specifically. And it's an old term for sure, but you guys seem like you, well never mind. The point is, this brownie right? It should feel like nothing but empty air to you. But there's something about it, something very deeply magical, and it makes you feel [i]full[/i] instead. And not just full, but content! So enjoy it, ok? I think Yue's just about got her talkin' feet back under here.

"Right, sorry, I didn't realize how far away you're from. I guess there's all kindsa different places and I shouldn't'a gone and assumed like that. Y'know they say when you assume that you... well anyway. This is a bit of a history lesson but maybe it'll clear some stuff up?

"So once upon a time, there were ten suns. And that's--"

"...The curse of Apollo!" Bella gasps and covers her mouth to keep from showing her clenched teeth.

"Er... sure? Well, that's too many suns. So all the people went underground, right? To beat the heat. And they built giant cities down there and basically ran things like normal. But eventually a brave and beautiful Princess was like, 'That's too many suns'. So she took up her bow and arrows and she shot them out of the sky."

Yue pauses for a moment and covers her ears, to allow for any catgirls present to use their choice of swear words. But maybe the idea of killing a star with an arrow doesn't sound weird to you guys anymore after watching a sillyhead kill your monster-boat/boat-monster? I dunno. Either way the moment passes to nothing but silence, and she lowers her hands again and moves on.

"You passed them on the way down, I'm sure. All those glowy chunks floatin' around the upper atmosphere? Yeah, suns. So she, pew, pew, pew! Crack! Sun Sounds! Aiyeee, probably, I dunno I wasn't there, and down they went. One, two, three, all the way up to nine! And the tenth sun, knowing what was good for it, up and set in a hurry. So the First Princess called it good and left things at that. 

"But the Burrowers, right? They see the planet cooling down and come up to the surface for the first time in, like, ever. And they see this dry, blackened nothingburger of a planet and go, 'eh, pass'. So they took all of their stuff and they built these huge space elevators, and from there they built a bunch of ships and they sailed away, and as far as I'm aware they all died out there somewhere. Or maybe not? Did you see anybody like that while you were passin' through? Big, weird masks? Always commandin' demons? And talkin' about, like, finance and marketing or whatever? No? Oh well. 

"So they leave, right? But that means they missed the rains. They missed the rivers startin' to flow again, the trees and the flowers growin' back, the skyfish flitting through the clouds... and of course, they missed the Sunshards. And whoever's got one of [i]those[/i] gets to be a Princess, see?"

Yue pauses for a moment to pass around second cups of tea. This one is different, bein' a puh'er and all, and tastes kinda like dirt but in a really good way? It's weird but don't knock it. And to go along with that she opens up a bag and fishes out a bundle of little skewers stuck through blocks of crystalized sugar with fresh fruit in the middle. They are, unfortunately, strawberries and not shanzai like they oughta be but even so, though you don't and can't know this, you're holding in your hands now Yue's actual dessert specialty. Her favorite treat.

It means she really, like [i]really[/i] likes you! I hope that comes through!

"And then yadda yadda yadda a whole buncha stuff happened but that's the important bit. So, like, the way it's structured is you've got Guards, right? And their job is to be kinda like a knight sorta deal? Getting in the way and harassing and kidnapping, but like, in a sexy way. And above them, kinda, you've got the Baronesses, who mostly are there to be pretty and convince everybody to engage in honorable sword duels and they're really good at that so it's a neato line of work. And then you've got handmaidens, then princesses,"

"And they're the ones in charge?"

"Then queens..."

"Oh, so we need to see the Queen, then."

"Oh, no, sorry, Queens are pretty much retired Princesses. They don't do much but everybody respects 'em. Some know a lot though, so Iono. Anyway after queens there's Countesses..."

"Countesses outrank Queens?" says Bella, now with her hands clenched on both of her temples.

"And then at the top there's Princesses!"

"But you already said!"

"No I said [i]princesses.[/i] And now you understand why I got confused, right? Because it sounded like your girl said she was--"

"Princess Redana." Bella half snarls-half groans.

"See right no, but obviously not? 'Cause if she was a Princess she'd have blocked my-- w-well anyway like you said you're not from around here. It's my mistake. So sorry! You see how your choice of wording mighta been clearer?"

"Mmmgh. So there's nine pr--PRincesses, then."

"Uh, no just seven I think. Princess Qiu's got three sunshards 'cause she's kinda the best at swords. She was up to four for a little bit but she got fox heisted so I'm sure we're back at seven. Unless I'm bad at math, which is always possible."

"Is... is this 'Qiu' in charge, then?"

"Hm? No, I shouldn't think so. Like if the civil service told her to knock somethin' off she'd go and do it real quick. But she's a good girl so they don't fuss with her mostly. And that's all, like, food distribution and housing maintenance and work allocation stuff mostly, lotta boring decrees that keep everybody moving while the Princesses fight each other to see who gets to kiss whomst. Easy, right?"

"I," says Bella, "Need wine."

"Oh! Uh, sure. Well, um, j-just one more time so we're all crystal comfy cozy clear and all, I'm Yue! Just Yue, y'know? Some people call me the Demon Swordswoman, but please don't be one of them 'cause it's really embarrassing. But mostly what I do is farm sunshine! Which is good for all sortsa things but mostly people just use it to watch tv and... oh I'm ramblin' somethin' extra, aren't I?

"Uh, yeah. So you're... no don't tell me! princess alpha omega Redanny? Right? And you're... oh goshies, nobody's said [i]your[/i] name, Big Snake Lady Who Wants Sword Lessons. And you over there? Sheepy? Sheepy McLionKissies? Help me out! Why don't you guys tell me what [i]you're[/i] all about? I'd love to help you deliver your message if I can! Consider it an apology for the whole, uh, misunderstanding with the lake earlier!"