The right thing would be honesty. Complete and without a single thing left out. Tell her about the pregnancy. Explain the system and all I’ve learned through it.
And let her decide how she felt about protecting a transmigrated fox princess carrying a jerk wolf’s probably magically altered beast child like one of the most nonsensical ’surrogacies’ that has ever existed.
The smart thing would be careful questioning. Find out exactly what she knew, what she’d said to whom, and how much political damage her denial of my pregnancy had cause. Before revealing anything that could make it any worse for either of us.
> Both seem like very solid options. You don’t have to keep pointing that out to . <
What I would actually do was avoid the whole ss entirely by focusing on sothing safer. Like how I ignored her original offer for dinner earlier. Well, that’s certainly not happening tonight or any day soon!
Vrika huffed in my mindscape as I typed on the phone, unimpressed with my emotional cowardice. But I was already taking the path that let respond to her and keep a connection without addressing any of the very important, terrifying topics.
C: [I’m not in the mood to share a al tonight. Perhaps another ti.]
Thumb hovering over the send button, I wondered about the tone she would read this with. The few tis I tried to say it out lout was like I was admitting I didn’t really want space from her at all.
Which was... uncomfortably close to the truth. Because thinking about being in the sa location as her makes want to either continue that ’ga of chicken’ or perhaps just make her stay still so I can rest on her chest again.
> Either way, it seems like I want there to be exactly zero distance. There, happy? <
"Fine. We’ll let her read into it what she wants. At least it’s being sowhat honest about sothing."
Makes feel better about hiding the rest. I hit send before I could second-guess myself further. Then imdiately started typing again, because there was another ssage that deserved a response.
C: [And yes, you can keep an eye out for trouble. I’ll allow it. But ask first before-]
"No, that’s no good. I can’t let on that I know she knows sothing."
I erased the line I’d started and just sent only the shorter, unconditioned permission. Which felt like a big, massive, stupid blunder. As much of a mistake as still avoiding the bigger conversation lurking beneath everything else probably was.
⧖ ☾ ❄ ☽ ⧖
After a very hot then very cold shower, I emptied everything from the boutique onto the new white bedspread. A muted half rainbow of fabric and possibilities arced across the queen-sized bed.
Glossy blouses and tees in varied jewel and pastel tones, tailored pants and shorts in different cuts, and of course that spectacular red dress with a side slit and a cross strap detail at the top of it... all of it purchased with my own money.
> Well, that hunter’s money. We can consider it an inheritance. <
"Now, which of these says ’unbothered’ while also suggesting ’don’t test ’?"
I held up a burgundy dress shirt against myself in the full-length mirror, then discarded it onto the growing pile of ’maybes’. Finally, I settled on an erald green dress caught the apartnt’s lighting and practically shimred with its brocade threading.
Fabric that would drape and flow like the silks I’d grown up wearing, but with a modern wrap design by this world’s fashion standards. The v-neck was bold without being overly scandalous and the ruffled skirting would let move freely if I needed to run.
> Or shift, if things went very badly. <
Dark gray fleece tights felt a bit tight against my skin as I pulled them on, but they added warmth and a sophisticated edge that toned down any potential for the dress to seem too bold or seductive - at least according to what I thought of myself in the lovely closet door mirror.
"Perfect."
As much as I loved them, the cheap blue hair ties I’d been wearing almost everywhere would clash terribly with the green. So instead, I selected a pair of the simple black elastic bands.
"Take note, wolf. Sotis the best choice is to let a specific piece of the outfit be the star."
Black leather ankle boots completed the ensemble. A sleek design that Anise asked to try on and I couldn’t help myself but to add it to my purchases. She is very good at her job, in many ways.
I looked at myself all together in the mirror again. Twin-tails perfectly positioned, erald fabric eye catching without being gaudy. It feels a little more calm than dangerous, but that’s fine too.
"What matters is that I don’t look easily intimidated by this hunter."
Vrika sent back approval - my wolf could sense my mood was still running hot from everything that had happened, but it seed to like anything better than watching feel down.
> Keep sharp. We’re going to walk into a eting with a mysterious stranger who’s been tracking my every move. But we won’t co off like so frightened rogue hiding in the shadows. <
I grabbed my black clutch and phone. The essentials that I had on hand, with so of the money I had left but definitely not all of it. My other preparations would have to wait until after I retrieved those crypto storage devices.
"Ti to go collect my things, then see what this BoundaryKeeper looks like. I bet it’s soone unexpectedly handso that will think too much of sothing I do or say."
A construction site I’d passed near the financial district would work for what I need to do. I’d already seen other containers and heavy equipnt so it wouldn’t look out of place at a glance.
Most importantly - workers were long gone by this hour. I could slip in sowhere away from any surveillance, deploy the container behind one of those massive excavators, grab what I needed... and be out before anyone was the wiser.
> Perfect plan. What could go wrong?
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