{lisa}
Five days remained until the Lunar Festival.
By now, all sorts of rumors had slowly spread through the capital. People said nim were forming gangs to hurt innocent kitsune. People said more nim assassins were hiding in the shadows. So people even said lisa herself was here alongside the queen of Syux for no other reason than to try to establish her dominance.
And through it all, lisa and Rakia kept working.
"Right, right, right, no, left!" Rakia instructed as lisa helped hang so items up.
The festival preparation area was chaos. Beautiful, organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless. Kitsune perforrs stretched and practiced routines while others painted massive backdrops. The air slled like paint, sweat, and that weird incense kitsune loved that made everything feel slightly fuzzy.
"Higher! No, lower! Perfect!" Rakia bounced on her toes. "Oh, this is going to be MAGNIFICENT!"
lisa’s arms burned from holding up the heavy silk banner for the past ten minutes.
"Can I put this down yet?"
"Almost! Just need to... there!" Rakia clapped her hands. "You can let go now."
lisa dropped her arms with a groan. The banner, depicting nim and kitsune dancing together under a full moon, rippled in the breeze coming through the open pavilion.
"It’s beautiful," one of the other perforrs said. She was a stunning kitsune with silver hair and exquisite breasts. "Very symbolic."
"Symbolic my ass," another perforr laughed. "Rakia just wanted an excuse to paint naked people."
"Art doesn’t need excuses!" Rakia declared, grabbing lisa’s hand. "Co on, we need to check the stage setup."
[This girl has more energy than Isabella after discovering a new spell. How is that even possible?]
The main stage was massive, easily three tis the size of anything lisa had seen in Syux. Workers hamred platforms into place while others tested the magical lighting systems that would illuminate the performances.
"So," Rakia said, watching lisa watch the dancers rehearse, "what’s your background in performance?"
"My what now?"
"Performance! Dancing, singing, acting?"
"Oh. None."
Rakia stopped walking so suddenly that lisa nearly crashed into her.
"None? NONE?!"
"I an, I’ve been in so fights that probably looked choreographed?"
"Fighting is not dancing!"
"Well, arguably, they’re both about movent and timing—"
"NOPE! They are NOT the sa!" Rakia grabbed lisa’s shoulders. "How can you perform at the festival if you can’t dance?"
"I thought I was just going to stand there and look pretty while you did all the actual performing."
Rakia’s eyes went wide with horror.
"Just... stand there? Look pretty? JUST STAND THERE?!"
"Is that not the plan?"
"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Rakia started pacing in circles around lisa. "You’re the symbol of nim-kitsune unity! You need to MOVE! To EXPRESS! To make people FEEL things!"
"I make people feel things. Usually it’s arousal or annoyance, but—"
"Not those kinds of feelings!" Rakia paused. "Well, actually, arousal could work. We could do sothing with that."
"Please don’t make seduce the entire audience."
"Why not? You’re nim! It’s literally your thing!"
"That’s... kinda racist."
"Is it racist if it’s true?" Rakia tilted her head. "Besides, I’ve seen how you move. You have natural grace."
"I really don’t."
"Nonsense! Everyone is a dancer! They just need to find their rhythm." Rakia grabbed lisa’s hands and pulled her into a spin. "See? You’re already moving!"
"This is just spinning!"
"All dance is just movent with intention!" Rakia dipped her dramatically, and lisa’s face went red as she found herself staring up at the kitsune’s grinning face. "And you, my dear, have SUCH interesting intentions."
[Why does everyone in this country have to be so forward?]
"Rakia! Stop molesting our guest!" One of the silver-haired perforrs called out.
"It’s not molesting if she likes it!" Rakia called back, pulling lisa upright.
"I never said I liked it!"
"Your tail says otherwise."
lisa looked back to see her tail was indeed raised and the heart-shaped tip was twitching slightly.
[Traitor!]
"That’s just... biological responses. ans nothing."
"Mm-hmm." Rakia’s grin was insufferable. "Co on, let at least teach you so basic steps. The festival is in five days!"
"Can’t I just—"
"No standing still! We’re creating ART!"
---
Three hours later, lisa stumbled out of the rehearsal pavilion feeling like she’d been through a particularly aggressive washing machine. Rakia had tried to teach her at least six different dance styles, each more complicated than the last.
[I’m going to die. The festival hasn’t even started and that girl is going to kill with choreography.]
The sun was setting, painting the palace grounds in shades of gold and orange. lisa made her way back toward the guest quarters, her legs protesting with every step.
She found Armia sitting alone in one of the gardens, staring at nothing in particular.
"Hey," lisa said, collapsing onto the bench beside her. "You look about as happy as I feel."
Armia glanced at her.
"Rough day?"
"Rakia tried to teach to dance. I think I pulled muscles I didn’t know existed." lisa stretched, her back popping. "What about you? You’ve been weird lately."
"I’m not weird."
"You’re sitting alone in a garden looking like soone kicked your puppy. That’s pretty weird for you."
Armia was quiet for a mont.
"Can I ask you sothing?"
"Sure."
"What do you... like about ?"
lisa blinked.
"That’s a loaded question."
"Just answer it."
"Well..." lisa considered. "Your cock is pretty great."
"lisa!"
"What? It is! It’s like... proportionally huge. The first ti I saw it I thought ’how does she walk with that thing?’"
Armia’s face was burning red.
"That’s not what I ant."
"I know." lisa’s voice softened. "You want a real answer?"
"Please."
lisa turned to face her properly.
"I like that you’re trying to be sothing more than what people expect. That takes guts. Most people just accept the box they’re put in, but you looked at yours and said ’fuck that, I’m making my own box.’"
"But what if I’m doing it wrong?"
"There is no wrong. That’s the whole point." lisa reached out and took Armia’s hand. "You’re strong and elegant and smart and you care so much about everything. Even when you’re trying to act all stern and proper, I can see how much you care."
"Really?"
"Really. Plus you look incredible in a dress. Like, seriously, your legs in that gown at the gala? I thought I was going to pass out."
Armia laughed despite herself.
"You’re terrible."
"I’m telling you the truth," lisa squeezed her hand. "And since we’re being honest? Your cock really is amazing. Like, scientifically impressive. I’ve done asurents."
"You have not!"
"In my head! It’s at least—"
"Stop!"
"What? I’m just appreciating your assets!" lisa grinned. "All of them. The physical ones and the personality ones."
"You can’t just... jump between heartfelt and horny like that."
"Watch . It’s called range." lisa stood up, pulling Armia with her. "Co on. Let’s go find the others before Isabella does sothing that causes an international incident."
"She wouldn’t."
"She absolutely would. Yesterday she tried to sell wands to a shop and when they refused because of , she threatened to ’make their dicks explode with magic.’"
"She WHAT?"
"Yeah, Kimiko had to drag her out." lisa started walking, Armia’s hand still in hers. "Co on."
They walked through the palace grounds as the last rays of sunlight faded away. Despite everything, the rumors, the assassination attempts, the constant chaos, lisa felt oddly at peace.
[Five more days. Just need to survive five more days and then we can go ho.]
Though part of her wondered if, after all this, Syux would even feel like ho anymore.
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