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Zoltan Palace, Grand River Tribe.
September 10th, calendar year 1524.

Matoimaru paced briskly back and forth within the confines of her large office that she shared with Shizuku, a look of frustration unusual for the cold and commanding silver wolf painted on her face, as her wolf-like tail swished side-to-side sharply. Her blood red eyes began to glow brightly, as she suddenly picked up a book laying on her desk, and threw it hard at the stone wall encasing her office. A loud thump was heard, as the book’s leather covers split apart into a few pieces, and its paper pages crumpled under the force of the impact. The Chieftess began to breathe heavily, letting out a low growl, as her eyes slowly returned to normal, and she calmed her demeanor enough to where her frustration was merely subtly evident on her demeanor.

“…Why does this one’s body wish to worry and care so much for that odd girl…” Matoimaru spoke to herself in a low, quiet tone.

“…This one does not understand her body’s desire for rebelling against her mind, all over a small fox…”

“…Shizuku is merely an assistant from which this one should keep a distance with, in order to avoid getting her caught up in any potential unsavory affairs that could affect this one in the future.”

“…And yet whenever the assassin this one sent to trail Shizuku gave her a report that he had to save the fox from being kidnapped, and used by men within a drug house that she frequented…”

“…This one’s body yearned for the ability to physically care for Shizuku, and to become close to that odd girl…”

“…Ugh…”

“…It’s not as if this one doesn’t enjoy Shizuku’s company, it’s just that this one can’t afford to get too close to others, given her current position as Chieftess within a volatile political environment,” Matoimaru stopped pacing, breathing in and out to help calm herself further, before suddenly walking out of her room, and towards the room of the fox.

After a few minutes of walking, Matoimaru arrived at Shizuku’s room, knocking twice before quickly entering without announcing herself. Shizuku was visibly startled by this, looking up from the book she was reading while sitting in bed, and nervously greeted the silver wolf, as she closed the door behind her, emitting a heavy aura.

“…G-Good Evening, Master…”

Matoimaru glared at the small fox as she greeted her Chieftess, replying in a harsh and stern tone, while crossing her arms defensively.

“…This one abolished the barbaric act of slavery when the war ended. Let go of your past, and engage the present.”

This statement visibly angered Shizuku, who displayed her displeasure for only a moment, before biting her lip and hiding it under a veil of politeness, before replying.

“How can I be of service to you, Chieftess?”

The silver wolf sighed, lightening her aura a bit, before speaking.

“…Do you mind telling this one how her own mind and body are constantly at odds with how to act around you?”

Shizuku stared at her interlocutor with a look of surprise.

“…W-With all due respect, I-I’m not really sure how you expect me to know what’s happening inside of your body…” The fox replied nervously.

Matoimaru mused for a moment, before responding.

“…It is because you are the only one who has ever caused this one’s body and mind to fight over how to treat someone else, which has caused her a lot of stress and confusion over the past few days…”

“…I-I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I can be of any help to you with this matt—” Shizuku’s reply was interrupted by the large silver wolf walking authoritatively across her room towards her, and suddenly climbing up onto the fox’s bed, looming over her small and dainty body. Now emitting a heavier aura, Matoimaru spoke to Shizuku angrily, her blood-red eyes beginning to glow brightly.

“…Explain what you are doing to this one’s body to cause it to rebel against all common sense, and want to care for you and worry about you…”

“…This one does not wish for this internal conflict to continue, as it will only continue to eat away at her mental state like it has the past few days…”

The silver wolf’s bright red gaze met the deep blue gaze of the brunette fox, who was now visibly blushing heavily, as her heart raced upon feeling the dominating aura the wolf emitted. Noticing this, as well as the heavy breathing of the small fox, Matoimaru’s mind began to become clouded with alien feelings of desire for Shizuku. The large wolf quickly snapped herself out of these alluring emotions, and pushed herself off of the fox’s bed, quickly leaving her room without uttering a word. After navigating the maze of hallways that made up the palace, Matoimaru eventually found herself in front of the door to her mother’s office, which she promptly knocked on, before letting herself in, closing the door behind her. The Chieftess sighed, decompressing herself, lest she let out the same heavy aura on her own mother, who was sitting at her desk, as she did onto Shizuku, before speaking.

“…Mother, this one has something to ask you…”

“What is it, dear?” Zara looked up at her daughter, with a subtle hint of worry in her eyes.

“Why does this one’s body and mind fight over how to act around Shizuku?” Matoimaru asked.

“…This one’s mind wishes to keep a distance between herself and Shizuku, however this one’s body wishes to be closer to Shizuku, caring and worrying for her.”

The dark red wolf looked at her daughter with a surprised expression for a moment, before a knowing smile appeared on her face, and she replied.

“…Well, I do believe that it is good for someone in your position to have at least one person other than their family to be close to…”

Matoimaru mused at this advice for a moment as Zara continued.

“…Perhaps trying to bridge the gap between the both of you, instead of pushing her away, would be the best solution to your problem. It is quite obvious to me that Shizuku wishes to help you to the best of her abilities.”

The silver wolf’s tail swished back and forth steadily, as the Chieftess was deep in thought.

“…How does this one ‘bridge that gap’, as you say?” She asked.

“That is something which I believe would be best for you to try and figure out on your own. Do some research, and try out some different methods, until you find something that works,” her mother advised.

Matoimaru’s tail slowed to an idle swish, as an aura of determination suddenly surrounded the Chieftess, before she walked out of the room with a confident stride unlike how she had entered before.

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Zoltan Palace, Grand River Tribe.
September 11th, calendar year 1524.

With a determined aura surrounding her, Matoimaru sat in her office, looking over a paper in her hand while humming to herself mindlessly. This is suddenly interrupted by Shizuku entering their office, and curtsying to the Chieftess.

“…Good morning, Chieftess,” the brunette fox greeted. Matoimaru broke her focus from the paper that she was holding, and put it all onto Shizuku, who was surprised at the silver wolf suddenly paying attention to her.

“…Good morning, Shizuku. Please refer to the this one by her first name from now on,” Matoimaru put on an unusually welcoming demeanor as she called the fox by her first name for the first time.

“…Ah…So-Someone with as lowly status as me couldn’t possibly disrespect you by calling you anything other than your honorifics…” Shizuku replied nervously.

Matoimaru’s demeanor suddenly turned a bit cold and authoritarian, before speaking.

“…Are you telling this one that you are denying a request from your superior?”

“Ah, no, of course not, M-Matoimaru…” Shizuku replied, panicked.

The silver wolf smiled proudly, quickly returning her attention to the work that she was previously doing before the brunette fox entered the room. Shizuku looked on at the odd behavior of her Chieftess with bewilderment, before swiftly grabbing a stack of papers from her desk, and slipping out of the office, walking down the hallway towards Zara‘s office. Arriving at her destination, the small fox knocked on the large door, before opening it and entering the room, showing adequate respect to the one who occupied it, then closing the door behind her.

“…An unexpected visit. How may I help you, Shizuku?” Zara inquired, leading the brunette fox to sigh, before replying.

“…Matoimaru has been acting a bit…strange lately—If I am allowed to say such a thing…”

“…How so?” Zara questioned, looking intently at the small fox who spoke to her.

“Ah, well I guess for starters; yesterday she came into my room, and demanded to know why her body was in conflict with her mind over how to act around me…Or something of the like. Then just this morning, she suddenly asked me to refer to her by her first name, after she had called me by mine for the first time. When I refused, citing my lowly status as a commoner, she suddenly got quite cold with me, and asked if I was disobeying a direct order from my superior, which I also immediately denied, then addressed her by her first name.”

“…Th-This isn’t to say that Matoimaru is a-a bad person or anything like that. A-As much as this sounds like I’m complaining about her, I’m just worried if something happened to her that I’m not aware of that might trigger her sudden change in behavior!”

A dejected look overtakes Zara’s demeanor, as she hangs her head low, massaging her temples, and sighing. The dark red wolf then raised her head before speaking.

“…That is…”

“…A-Actually, I’m sorry for my daughter’s rudeness…”

Shizuku waved her hands back and forth frantically, with a humble expression on her face.

“Oh, no, no! It’s fine, really! I just didn’t know if there was something going on that I didn’t know about, honest.”

Zara sighed once again, a slight smile appearing on her face.

“…Haaaaaah…”

“…I’m really glad my daughter has someone as patient as you to be by her side during these troubling times…”

“…I guess with that being said, what I believe to be happening, is that originally, Maru wanted to put distance between herself and you, due to her position as Chieftess, and the potential danger, it could bring anyone she got close to. However, my daughter is also probably experiencing a pull towards you in order to be closer, and eventually become friends with you, which is resulting in the conflict.”

“…Due to Matoimaru’s rather…isolated upbringing, things, like friendship and casual socialization, with others, were never her strong suit…”

“…So if you could, please just… bear with her unorthodox attempts to navigate through trying to build a friendship that she’s never been able to have before, I’m sure that my daughter would be absolutely over the moon for you eventually.”

A warm smile slowly grew on Shizuku’s face, as she listened intently to Zara’s explanation of Matoimaru’s reasonings.

“I will happily accept the role of being her first friend.”

“…To be honest with you, I’ve also been experiencing a sort-of similar pull towards her, that I’ve also been having a sort of internal conflict with, due to my lowly status as a commoner, and her high status, as a Chieftess.”

“…I also never really knew how to act on it, because of how cold she treats everyone around her besides her parents.”

Zara’s smile widens, as she puts her hands together.

“…I can understand that…”

“…Thanks for taking up this role with my daughter, by the way…”

“…I know that you’ve been looking for an opportunity to get closer to her, so I’m hoping this’ll get you what you need in order to settle your personal obligations with Maru, then be able to stand next to her of your own volition.”

“I cannot promise anything, but I shall try my best if it is for Matoimaru…” Shizuku bowed respectfully.

“…Oh yeah, do you have any suggestions on how I can get the ball rolling, so to speak?”

“Yeah,” Zara replied.

“See if you can make a move to ask Maru out to do something together as friends. That way she will not have to engage in the conflict of her own volition, of which she is quite frankly, too timid to do, and rather play to her more reserved social side, making the conflict come to her. I guarantee that she will not want to turn this down.”

“…I’ll see what I can do, sounds like a great plan!” Shizuku remarked, before quickly leaving the room.

A few hours later, Shizuku is ready to enact their plan. Still unsure of whether or not it’ll work out in the end, the small fox is visibly nervous, with her tail swishing briskly back and forth. She slowly brought her hand up to the door leading into the office that she and Maru share, before taking a deep breath and sighing. She then opened the door slowly, stepping inside only to be surprised by the slight smile that the silver-haired wolf greets her with.

“…U-Umm, Matoimaru…” Shizuku spoke, her voice laced with nervousness.

“…D-Do you think we could…t-take a break from work, and get some lunch together, a-as friends?”

The small fox avoided Matoimaru’s gaze out of fear of her rejection, but instead, a bright smile displayed itself upon the normally cold and authoritarian wolf, her voice also having more energy than normal.

“Of course! This one would love to accompany you as a friend!”

The Chieftess suddenly stopped what she was doing, and stood, walking towards Shizuku, before taking her hand, and leading her down the hallway with a confident stride.

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Music for this portion of the post: Gute Nacht (Winterreise) — Schubert (https://youtu.be/UE3bxY-oT3U?si=r7q_hwObf1OoZ05D)

Zoltan Opera House, Grand River Tribe.
March 20th, calendar year 1525.

Matoimaru and Shizuku sat upon a luxurious red velvet couch, placed in a high balcony overlooking a large opera house that was currently hosting an operatic performance. Matoimaru was wearing her signature formal dark green and brown military dress uniform, reserved specifically for ornate events such as this, and Shizuku was wearing her dark blue and black knee-high formal dress that she wore to the former’s coronation ceremony. There were roughly a dozen other balconies strewn about the tall opera house, however, the one that they were in was the highest of them all, denoting the importance of whoever inhabited it. Each of these balconies were filled with either a wealthy couple or a wealthy family of high status, but neither Shizuku, nor Matoimaru paid much attention to these people. As the opera played out, Maru found herself looking at the stage with a distant gaze, her mind seemingly elsewhere than what was the main attraction of the evening. The wolf was then suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, when she heard the excited voice of her friend calling out to her.

“Maru, Maru! Look, the lead tenor is gathering all of the other singers at center stage! I think the finale is near!”

Maru studied Shizu’s happy face, as it was completely entranced by the performance in front of them. A warm smile arose upon the wolf’s face, as she made a mental note of how seeing the fox be genuinely happy makes she herself feel warm and happy inside. As the final act at the opera began, Maru reached out her large left hand, and completely enveloped Shizu’s dainty right hand within its grasp. The small fox then looked over at the large wolf, only to find that the latter was paying more attention to her than the actual performance they were there to see. She then felt her face become a bit red, before she feigned a small coughing fit, turning away from the wolf in order to cover her blushing face from her friend’s gaze. Shizu’s mind became confused as to why such an innocently friendly gesture would make her feel this nervous, but she quickly composed herself, and refocused her attention back at the opera at hand, which Maru was also doing at this point.

The opera performance kept their attention for a handful more minutes, until it ended, in which case the full opera house erupted in applause from the audience, including Shizuku and Matoimaru. Once the applause finished, the opera house the audience murmured loudly amongst themselves, to which the wolf and the fox were escorted from their balcony through a hidden passageway within the opera house in order to avoid unwanted attention,
and slipped through a side door and onto an opulent carriage. The carriage set off, as Shizu began to speak with a warm smile.

“It feels so nice to actually have… *yawn*…Mmmm excuse me… experienced an opera after so many years of wanting to see one…”

“…Well this one is glad that you were finally able to see one…” Maru smiled.

“This one shall take you to one again whenever you wish to go once more…”

Shizu’s smile brightened, who was visibly very tired, despite her joyful and energized outward demeanor.

“…You will?! Thank you so much, Maru! Hehe…”

“Of course…” The wolf studied the warm and radiant demeanor surrounding the visibly tired fox, who yawned.

“…This one is happy that you are able to smile of your own accord, instead of out of necessity as is typical while we work.”

Shizu felt herself blushing at this gesture of care, quickly turning her head away from Maru in order to look out the carriage window at the starry night downtown sky, before speaking nervously.

“I-I wanted to become an opera singer myself when I was little, but now my throat and lungs are too messed up to be able to handle the strenuous use that operatic singing requires.”

“…That’s unfortunate. Would love to see you be able to perform someday…” The wolf mused.

“…Do you know how to play the piano?”

“…It’s been a while since I was last able to play one, but yeah, one of my previous guardians taught me how to play a few pieces,” Shizu replied, still looking out the window, as she slowly nodded in and out of consciousness.

“That’s great! We should move a piano in your room, so that you can practice it again. It will be nice to hear you perform, and show up all of those rich ladies that give you sh*t about your status,” Maru looked to Shizu for a response, but found the fox peacefully asleep with the subtle movement of the carriage over the cobblestone road.

A few minutes later, the carriage arrived at the Zoltan Palace, where Matoimaru poked Shizuku’s cheek in an attempt to wake the sleeping fox.

“…Shizu…”

“…You have to get up, we are back at the palace.”

“…As much as this one would love to let you sleep here, we must at least return to a proper bedroom.”

Shizu’s face twitched, as she slowly awoke, visibly still halfway between the realms of consciousness.

“…Come on, this one shall escort you to her room, as it is closer to this entrance than your room is…”

The large wolf grasped the slender arms of the small fox, and helped her to her feet, allowing the latter to use the former’s body as a support, as they “gracefully” made their way out of the carriage, and into the palace. After slowly navigating through the seemingly endless hallways of the palace, the duo came upon a large dark wooden door that was more ornate than the others. After pushing it open, Maru led Shizu over to her large, soft bed that was adorned with even softer, white linens, before having the tired fox sit down on the edge of the bed. The brunette fox then kicked off her black heels, with the large wolf using her brown leather boots to push them off to the side, while watching her friend’s body sway back and forth as she nodded in and out of consciousness.

“…You could not possibly fall asleep comfortably while wearing such a stifling dress…” Matoimaru remarked, before proceeding to take off the gold jewelry which adorned the fox’s ears, neck, and wrists, as well as remove her glasses, placing them all on a nightstand that was easily within reach of the bed. As Shizu continued to fight against the siren’s call of slumber, the wolf suddenly walked into her closet, returning a minute later with a small, white nightgown, laying it beside the sleepy fox as she spoke to her.

“…Put your arms up, this one shall lend you comfortable clothes for the night from when she was younger…”

Shizu did as she was instructed, slowly lifting up her arms, as Maru removed her black opera gloves, revealing the fox’s slender and pale arms that were covered in marks and scars of various ages and shapes. The wolf’s gaze turned to concern, as she lifted off the small fox’s formal dress, and found similar scars, marks, and other imperfections along the entirety of her friend’s upper body.

“…Poor girl has more scars than a seasoned veteran who just got called up for his third deployment…”

Maru helped Shizu don the white nightgown, before the latter finally collapsed backwards, still nodding in and out of consciousness, but not having enough strength to keep herself upright. Seeming this, the large wolf adjusted the small fox in her bed, so that she was laying more comfortably, and enveloped by the white linens of the foreign bed. Maru sat at the edge of her bed, studying the fox as she laid there, before turning her attention to the door, and slowly standing up from the bed. This attempt to leave was thwarted, when she felt Shizu grab onto her long, dark green uniform coat as if to hold her in place.

“…No…” The small fox muttered, tears forming in her eyes, as her face was overtaken by a pitiful expression.

“…Please don’t go…”

“…I don’t want to be alone again…”

Tears began to roll down Shizuku’s face, as Maru looked on with a continued somber expression, outstretching her arm which the fox was grabbing onto, and wiped away the tears trailing down her face.

“…Alright…” The wolf replied, still caressing the small fox’s face, wiping it free of tears.

“…This one needs to change into some more comfortable clothing in order to properly join you in bed, so please bear with her for a moment…” Maru slowly slinked out of Shizu’s grasp, and stood up, walking towards her closet. A minute later, she emerged wearing a set of baggy black pants, and a worn grey shirt. She then climbed into bed, laying down to the left of the fox, who suddenly wrapped both of her small arms around the larger right forearm of the wolf, clutching it to her chest. A look of surprise flashed upon Maru’s face, before it was quickly overtaken by a slight smile, as the wolf adjusted her body to be directly facing Shizu, before using her free arm to wrap around the fox’s dainty body, pulling it against hers in an embrace. The silver-haired wolf felt the brunette fox’s heart beating swiftly, as her breathing was also a bit labored, seemingly fighting back her own emotions.

“…Shizu…” Maru softly coaxed with her husky feminine voice.

“…This one knows that you’ve been through a lot, so there is no need to keep it all in…”

A few moments after she said this, the wolf felt Shizu’s head bury itself into her collarbone, as well as the voice of the latter, broken and cracking through tears.

“…I-I’m sorry for…”

“…not being strong enough…”

“…not being worthy enough…”

“…to stand by your side…”

“…”

“…A-And that my…”

“…past and its scars on my b-body are…”

“…too u-unsightly for you to like me…”

The large wolf moved her left hand up and down the fox’s back, trying to comfort her friend, as extreme emotions of pity, and care washed over Maru. Seemingly moving on its own, her head slowly leaned forward, and she planted a light kiss atop Shizu’s head. She then nuzzled her own face into the fox’s head, and spoke in the same soft and comforting, yet husky voice from before.

“…That is just simply not true…”

“…You are very, very strong, Shizu…”

“…And this one enjoys being around you for who you are right now—Not who you were before, or who you could be in the future…”

After a few more minutes, the fox’s sobbing grew softer and softer, until it was completely replaced by the peaceful sound of her steady breathing, seemingly finally heeding the siren’s call of unconsciousness. The warm smile on Maru’s face grew a bit, as the wolf noticed Shizu finally succumb to slumber, before she herself closed her eyes, and joined her friend in her quest for unconsciousness.

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Music for this portion of the post: A Warm Place In Winter — Doug Hammer (https://youtu.be/iWvF-GHy344?si=Q2Vg_Ij-fBx915Qn)

Zoltan Palace, Grand River Tribe.
March 21st, calendar year 1525.

As the late morning sun danced upon the top of the window, Shizu slowly regained consciousness from the grips of slumber. She gathered her bearings, and yawned, before realizing that her intake of breath through her mouth was stifled, due to the fact that the lower half of her face was currently nestled within the adequately padded chest of a certain large, silver-haired wolf. Pulling her face out of the admittedly comfortable, yet very embarrassing position, she also realized that this same wolf had her large arm completely wrapped around the fox’s small and slender torso, holding her body in a perpetual embrace with the much larger body of the former. Shizu began to blush heavily, her mind spinning with thoughts as waves of embarrassment crashed into the fox. Her heart also began to race, as she realized that she was holding the other wolf’s arm hostage within her own grasp, clutching it to her chest. The fox internally panicked, as she suddenly pushed herself away from Maru, creating a slight amount of distance between the two, before raising the latter from her slumber as well.

“…Good morning, Shizu…” The husky, feminine voice of the wolf greeted, her tone rather hoarse from just waking up. A warm smile also danced across her face as she looked down at the now very embarrassed fox, who noticed that she was no longer within her own domain.

“…G-Good m-morning uhh…M-Maru…”

“…Umm…Mi-Might I ask, uhh…wha-what happened la-last night…”

“…umm…f-for me to uhh…e-end up in bed with you?”

Maru seemed a bit confused by Shizu’s embarrassment momentarily, before returning to a warm expression as if she herself was not embarrassed at all to have slept in the same bed as her friend, while cuddling her.

“…You had become extremely tired from the late night at the opera, so this one had guided you to her own room, as it was much closer to the palace entrance we came in from, than your room was.”

“…This one was also about to take her leave, when you were suddenly overcome with emotions, yearning for this one’s presence, so she decided to stay with you in order to comfort you through whatever you were dealing with at the time. By the time you had fallen asleep, this one was already too tired to do much of anything else, so she joined you in your quest of slumber.”

Some rather lewd visualizations of the pair played within Shizu’s mind for a few moments, before she quickly pushed them away via shaking her head back and forth a few times, then clearing her throat, realizing that the innocently warm embrace and smile of the wolf in front of her, could not possibly mean to do any of those actions that her mind wandered on about. Maru tilted her head slightly in confusion, causing Shizu to giggle a bit, and her complexion to return almost completely to its normal, fair state. Feeling rather comfortable in whatever she was wearing, she looked down, and saw that her clothes had been completely changed from what she had on at the opera, meaning that Maru saw all of the scars, blemishes, and imperfections on her body. A sudden wave of melancholy washed over her, as her face dropped to a near-expressionless neutral, before the small fox suddenly wrapped her arms around the large wolf, pulling herself in for a tight embrace.

“…Thank you…for staying by my side…” Shizu spoke, her voice soft and full of emotion.

“…and not abandoning me…”

Maru was stunned by this sudden action by her friend, her face displaying this surprise for a few moments, before it was overtaken by a warm smile, and a reciprocal embrace.

“…This one promises to never abandon you…” The wolf’s voice was soft and reassuring, as her head tilted downwards seemingly all on its own, before planting a small kiss onto the fox’s forehead.

Shizu’s face becomes red once again, as familiar feelings of embarrassment wash over her. She suddenly buried her face into Maru’s adequately padded chest once again, hiding her embarrassment from the wolf that held her close. The fox could hear the large wolf’s heartbeat quicken a bit, but not beat as fast as her own was.

“…You seem to be paying more attention to this one’s chest than a new male recruit does…” Maru teased, chuckling softly.

“…Only fair that I get to admire what I don’t have…” Shizu quickly replied, leading to a more hearty laugh from the wolf.

“Hahaha… Why don’t you just make yourself at home down there…” Maru teased further.

“…Maybe I will if you keep being this risqué and flirty with me…” Shizu teased as well, arising a confused head-tilt and complimenting vexed expression from the wolf.

“…This one is unsure what those two terms mean…” Maru stated, confused.

“…Are you joking?” Shizu’s tone switched to a more sincere, but still light-hearted one.

“This one is most serious, due to her previous disinterest in anything ‘love’, and ‘romance’, stemming from their lack of cohesion with her own duties as a military commander, nor a Chieftess,” the wolf replied.

“…Oh, I see…” Shizu’s voice trailed off, seemingly thinking of how to explain this concept in the least embarrassing way possible, as she tilted her head back up to look at Maru, her blushing expression reduced to a subtle tinge on her cheeks.

“…Umm… So I guess the easiest way to explain this is that…”

“…being ‘flirty’ or ‘risqué’ in your actions is something you would do if you wish to…c-court someone you like…”

“Hmm…” Maru mused for a few moments, before the warm and sincere smile returned to her face.

“…Well this one enjoys being around you, does that count?” Her tone portrayed the oddly innocent, child-like curiosity that resided within the Pureblood, her mind always on the hunt for more knowledge.

“…I uhh…” Shizu hesitated for a moment, her heart aching for her to say something that didn’t make sense to her.

“…Maru…” The fox sighed.

“…Why don’t you do some research on that by reading some romance novels, as I cannot tell you what you, yourself are feeling on the inside…”

“…Ack…” Shizu’s mind wandered, not vocalizing her thoughts aloud.

“…Why does my heart ache like this woman is playing with it?”

“…Maybe I should also do some research, because I’m also just as clueless as to what’s really going on with my heart, and why it aches, longing for Maru’s attention…”

Shizu was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, as Maru began to speak.

“Sounds like a good plan… Do you have any recommendations of specific novels for this one to read?”

A sly smile appeared in Shizu’s face, hidden from the wolf’s bright red gaze.

“…O-Only if you give me another k-kiss as payment…”

The smile on Maru’s face widened a bit, as her head leaned forward, seemingly obeying the small fox’s command, before planting another light kiss on her friend’s forehead.

“…It seems you are weak to this one’s attention…” The wolf teased.

“H-Hey! Teasing costs an extra kiss!” Shizu jokingly pouted, before a light kiss was planted upon her forehead for the third time.

“…It seems as if this one was correct in her assumption…” Maru remarked slyly, as both women began to giggle and laugh about it.

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Zoltan Palace, Grand River Tribe.
March 25th, calendar year 1525.

Matoimaru and Shizuku dutifully work within their office, before suddenly being interrupted by the doors to their office flying open, revealing Rosetta standing confidently in a light pink, modest long dress. Her light pink eyes scanned the room, and sparkled with life once they landed upon a certain brunette fox, completely ignoring the certain Pureblood that also inhabited the room.

“Shizuuuuuuu~!” Rosetta’s voice called out with joy upon seeing her friend, who she then ran towards. Shizu stood up, and walked out from behind her desk, only to be smothered by the gleeful embrace of the blonde wolf.

“Oh my gosh I missed you so muuuuuuch~!!” Rosetta tightened her hold on the slender fox, rubbing her cheek against her friend’s.

“…Ah…Rosetta, please… You’re gonna snap me in half…” Shizu attempted to pry the seemingly magnetic wolf off of her, before feeling a familiar heavy aura emanating from a few meters away. Rosetta’s blonde wolf-like ears folded flat on her head, before she became visibly frightened of the aura exuding from Matoimaru, who was also now letting out a low growl. Shizuku did not seem bothered by the aura, as she was now able to free herself from the other wolf’s grasp, taking the latter’s hand in its stead, before speaking in a serious tone.

“…Maru…” Her voice mimicked that of one scolding a misbehaving pet.

“…That’s enough, she’s my friend…”

The large wolf suppressed her aura, as well as her growling, before letting out a cold reprisal, turning her head away from the pair.

“…Fine…”

Shizuku then tightened her grip on Rosetta’s hand, before leading the latter out of the office, and into the hallway, seemingly for some alone-time to try and catch up with her friend that she has not seen in the past six months.

“How can you withstand such a powerful aura like that, and even command the Chieftess~?” The blonde wolf asked with a sly expression towards the end, as they stopped a few feet away from the office door.

“…Eh, we just became close friends, is all…” Shizu replied nonchalantly.

“…Being holed up in the palace together for an entire winter, we had to get at least a bit closer to each other, right?”

“Mmm… I dunno~” Rosetta’s demeanor was overtaken by smugness.

“…That aura was rather possessive in nature…”

“…You sure there’s nothing else going on between you two~?”

Shizu blushed, turning away from her friend before speaking.

“I-It’s nothing like that!”

“Rosettaaaa~!”

The blonde wolf let out a hearty laugh at her friend’s nervousness at the mere mention of her and the Chieftess being more than just friends.

“I dunno~” Rosetta teased.

“…It seems like the Chieftess was very unwilling to let you out of her sight with another woman~”

“Oh put a sock in it, will ya?!” The brunette fox pouted, visibly annoyed, with her blushing reduced to a tinge on her cheeks. Rosetta laughed further, before toning down her teasing a bit.

“…I guess those rumors that y’all two have incredible chemistry together are true…”

“…I could definitely see you two as a great couple!”

“…Are you sure?” Shizu tilted her head, confused.

“Yeah!” The blonde wolf exclaimed.

“Women are the best, anyways! Men are greasy and just want you for your beauty and your skills in bed.”

The fox’s expression became smug, turning the tables on Rosetta as she spoke.

“It seems you tick both of those boxes just fine~”

“H-Hey!” Rosetta put on a playfully annoyed expression, before laughing heartily with Shizu for more than a few moments.

“Hey Shizu, you wanna join me out in the palace garden for lunch? We can pick up something from the kitchen along the way.”

“Of course!” Shizu’s face lit up with joy.

“We haven't hung out since you left for the winter last year, so I would love the chance to catch up with you!”

Rosetta’s face matched her friend’s joyful expression, as she led her first towards the kitchen, then to the palace garden. After this journey was completed, the pair sat across each other at a metal table, each munching on their choice of sandwich. In between bites, they began to talk, starting with the brunette fox asking a question.

“…Hey Rosetta, did you get the invitation we sent out to the banquet in a couple of weeks? All of the new nobles will be there, including a lot of other wealthy folks.”

Rosetta looked up from her plate, with a bit of spicy aioli clinging to the edge of her mouth.

“Mmm… Yeah, I did. ‘Twas why I traveled here in the first place!”

“But I dunno what to wear, nor which cute girl to seduce once I get there…”

“Hahaha! You scandalous wolf…” Shizu chuckled.

“…Why don’t we go dress shopping together sometime?”

Rosetta’s face brightens up with joy, as she finishes chewing another bite of her sandwich, drinking some water before speaking.

“Oh my gosh yes gurl!!!!! I would love to~!!!”

The fox smiled radiantly in return, giggling a bit at her silly and carefree demeanor.

“Great! Now I can make sure you do not buy anything too revealing…”

“Wha—! I would never!” The blonde wolf pouted.

“I’m disappointed that you even think I would do such a thing…”

“…But you would, wouldn’t you?~” Shizu replied with a smug expression.

“…Yeah…” Rosetta admitted in a defeated tone, before both women began to laugh. They both then indulged in their meals fully, not leaving much room for conversation, until they had both finished their sandwiches. Roetta’s mouth was covered in crumbs and aioli sauce, prompting Shizu to lean forwards, and wipe it clean with a handkerchief, before speaking.

“For being a noblewoman, you sure do eat sloppily…”

“Whaaaaaaat~?” Rosetta complained sarcastically.

“It takes a lot of energy to stare at cute girls all day…”

“…Yeah, sure it does…” The brunette fox sarcastically remarked, before continuing in a more soft and shy tone.

“…Hey, Rosetta?”

“…You mind if we talk more about something that’s been bothering me over a bottle of wine this evening?”

“…Oh~? What seems to be on your mind, Shizu?” The wolf’s ears perked up.

“Ehh… I-It’s something that I’d rather discuss with a bit of social lubricant in me first…”

“Fair enough. I’ll come to your room this evening then, I’m assuming?” Rosetta asked.

Shizu nodded in reply, as they both continued down conversation-street, on topics that the small fox could not really remember come evening-time, where the pair sat in the former’s bed in nightgowns, sipping on some expensive wine in silver goblets.

“This wine is really good, I might have to just stay here more often if it means I can drink stuff like this more!” Rosetta remarked, pouring herself another helping of wine.

“…As long as it means that you’ll stick with me, then I’m more than willing to bribe you with wine…” Shizu’s voice echoed a more somber and distant tone.

Rosetta turned her head, and gazed at the rather distant expression of her friend, before speaking.

“Shizu…”

“…What’s on your mind, girl?”

The brunette fox swirled around her wine, before taking a sip of it, and sighing.

“…A lot of things, really…”

“…But one thing in particular, I have an issue with being there in the state that it is, which is Maru.”

The blonde wolf’s gaze turned from concerned, to confused.

“…I’m not really sure what you mean…”

“I guess…” Shizu began.

“…So you know how Maru and I are friends, right?”

“Right,” Rosetta nodded, before her interlocutor continued.

“…Well lately…”

“She’s been doing things with me that might go beyond friendship. St-Stuff that my body oddly desires to do with her…”

“…Stuff like sleeping together, cuddling, flirting with me, kissing my forehead, saying some very honest, yet oddly risqué stuff to me, and other just stuff like that.”

“…She’s flirting with you?” Rosetta questions.

“…Yeah…” The fox’s voice trailed off.

“…But it’s strange, because she doesn’t know what love and romance even entail…”

“…”

“…It’s all just…”

“…oddly frustrating? If that makes sense…”

“…It feels as if she’s playing with my heart by saying and doing all these things to me, and yet not following through with more, but it’s not as if it’s really her fault either, because she never really had the need, or want to understand love and romance until now…”

“…But I also don’t know why my heart is aching like this as well…”

“…It shouldn’t be…”

“…I mean…we’re both women, and she’s the damn Chieftess, for the Gods’ sake, and I’m just a lowly commoner—A prior slave…”

“Haaaaaaaaah…”

“…I just…”

“…I dunno what, or how to feel about her…”

A silence fell between the pair, as they idly sipped their wine, seemingly both deep in thought about what Shizuku had just said. After a handful of seconds, Rosetta then broke this silence by speaking.

“…Do you actually like doing these things with her?”

“Yeah…” Shizu replied.

“It does make me feel oddly warm, and comfortable inside—Something I’ve never really experienced before…”

“…Like with you, it is a sense of comfort, but I don’t get that…warmth… if that makes sense…”

“Even when we share skinship with one another, that feeling of warmth is just temporary, and doesn’t linger for days upon days, like it does whenever Maru and I just simply cuddle and fall asleep together…”

Rosetta’s eyes widen a bit, as a look of shock flashes on her face, before mellowing out a bit while speaking.

“…Holy sh*t, it all makes sense now…”

“…So that’s why you’re able to seemingly control her…”

“…and why her aura’s nature is so possessive of you…”

“…I’m not sure I’m following…” Shizuku tilted her head in confusion.

The blonde wolf stared at her friend for a moment, before sighing in annoyance.

“Haaaaaaaah…”

“She’s in love with you, you dense fox!”

“…Me?” Shizu asked, still utterly confused.

“Noooo, the cup of wine you’re holding… Yes, you!” Rosetta fired back, making no attempts to hide her annoyance at her friend.

“But I—” Shizu’s attempt to protest was quickly interrupted by the blonde wolf, who continued speaking.

“A-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta! Listen, girl, she loves you, she just doesn’t know how to express it yet.”

“…And I’m pretty damn sure you’re in love with her too!”

“I—No no no no no no…” The fox denied once more, her demeanor becoming more embarrassed.

“L-Love? Me, her?”

“No no no no no!”

“S-She’s the Chieftess, a-and I’m just some commoner that just so happens to be near her…”

“N-Not to mention the fact that same-sex relationships are heavily taboo here…”

“Shizu, don’t even try to play that card after we’ve shared intimacy multiple times…” Rosetta’s voice grew more annoyed.

“Intimacy is different, Rosetta,” Shizu’s voice became more stern.

“Because intimacy doesn’t involve a lasting relationship with the goddamn Chieftess…”

“Okay, but still, you shouldn’t be denying your…fe……lik…thi…”

Without warning, reality itself seemed to fade away from Shizuku, as an intense ringing overtook her hearing, and her gaze turned distant, with her vision being overtaken by an intense blur. Pulsating feelings of pins and needles overtook her body, as all of her joints seemingly locked in place, preventing her from moving them. The fox’s breathing became more labored, her sense of direction and balance was completely turned upside down, as she felt herself falling down into the world infinitely. Every second passed as slowly as a year, before her senses slowly returned to her amid a pulsing headache.

“Shizu!” Rosetta’s voice echoed seemingly from all around her, as it slowly came back into focus.

“Shizu, are you okay?!”

One she regained majority control of her own body, Shizu looked at the still somewhat spinning and blurred image of her friend’s concerned face.

“…Yeah…” Shizuku spoke in a weak voice, her head still pulsing in pain.

“…Just…”

“…G-Give me one of those small…packets in the drawer of my nightstand…”

Rosetta leaned over Shizu’s body, and reached into her nightstand’s drawer, pulling out a small paper packet of an unknown green powder. The fox then took this packet, and dumped it into her mostly full goblet of wine, before chugging it, having a small coughing fit afterwards. After a few moments her senses stabilized, and she was able to speak relatively normally, with a subtle hint of anxiety painting her words.

“Sorry, I’m better now…”

“…It’s just…”

“…Something that happens whenever I go too long without my painkillers…”

Rosetta’s demeanor becomes serious, in stark contrast to her usual teasing, and sarcastic self.

“Shizuku… You’re probably addicted to those painkillers…”

“Yeah… You’re probably right…” The fox sighed, seemingly unbothered by this notion.

“…Compared to anything else I could’ve gotten through my two decades in the underworld, only having these minor inconveniences is something I’ll take over the alternatives.”

“Lover’s Pox ran rampant throughout the places I went, and with the things that were done to me. It’s a complete miracle that I never got it, or anything else that wasn’t treatable due to how many different people took advantage of my body,” her voice attempted to joke, but pain was evident behind those words. As if noticing this, Rosetta leaned over, and wrapped her arms around Shizu’s torso, speaking in a sorrowful tone.

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve gone through…”

The fox sighed, as she patted the wolf’s head.

“It is what it is…”

“…As long as I have the support system that I currently do, I should keep on existing just fine…”