"We won’t have a lot of ti before soone cos by," Kir warned as they neared his house. "If we’re really unlucky, it’ll be soone from Heaven’s Embassy.
As they crossed the alleyway, however, a feeling of mana tickled his senses. "Wait here, sothing’s up." He lowered Amarena to the ground and she started moaning as he stepped past...
At the back of the alleyway, signs of battle were everywhere, and the backdoor to the basent had been ripped from its hinges.
"Mosh!" Kir rushed down to find Moshui sitting at her worktable, sipping a cup of tea and sporting a black eye.
"Oh hey, Kir!"
"What the hell happened up there?"
"Oh, well, these people showed up saying they had work for , but I told them to check in at my office and they didn’t like that." Moshui was in her office only once a week, but her assistants were, and they mostly passed orders onto Goro when they weren’t experinting with Programmable Magic scripts. "So then they got mad and broke in, and things got a bit ’hairy’ when I hit one with a wrench. They were trying to drag away when then this giant lady showed up and started laying in with the magic. I think I recognized her from your class or sothing. Emmy sothing."
"Encke?" Kir asked. "What was she doing here?"
"Dunno. Oh, and Kordia is upstairs with her boyfriend Casshern or sothing. They ca by after Es ran off." Moshui sipped her tea.
Kir turned to climb up through the trapdoor, but then Moshui called out.
"Oh! I got a souvenir from one of the attackers. Have you ever seen anything like this?" She held up a hand that was pure white, except for where its knuckles were sead with gold. "It’s mana structure is losing integrity fast, but it’s got a fascinating blend of-"
Kir instantly recognized it as similar to the limbs of the angels who had put on a show of intimidation behind the Emissary. Only it wasn’t a "substance" coating the bodypart like he thought, the hand was entirely made of it, and little gold wires were sticking out from where there should have been a wrist.
"Mosh, that’s a hand. Hide it and co upstairs. There’s a lot that’s going on we need to discuss. You might have to leave the city."
"What?!"
She started complaining vociferously, even as she followed Kir upstairs.
Kordia and Kassin were seated at his table, and they looked up as he arrived, only to walk past them and open the door.
"Professor, what is going- Brigit?! Darlae?!" Kordia stood up as everyone filed into the house. She almost called out Amarena’s na too.
Azalee descended from Bowbo to let the latter sidle sideways through the door, before becoming the last one inside as Darlae closed the door. Bowbo lay Amarena ontop of the icebox at Darlae’s direction.
"How’s the soundproofing on this place?" Darlae asked. "I need to get Brigit into a bed."
"About to get better," Kir replied. He went to the kitchen and pulled a panel of the wall. Behind it was a script for external sound reduction that just needed mana to work. He pumped it full, which would give him them at least a day of cover, before putting the panel back on. "Bed’s upstairs."
As Darlae charged upstairs with Brigit in her arms, Kassin finally found his voice.
"What on Ayther is going on here?" He looked around incredulously. "Is that a demon? Wait, two demons?"
Kir cleared his throat. "Prince Kassin, I apologize for not being here to receive you properly."
"We only ca by because Moshui was in trouble, but it was all sorted by the ti we arrived," Kordia explained.
"Thank you for visiting and looking after Moshui, Highnesses. I’d be happy to explain things, but if you remain here you’ll be drawn into sothing that may cause significant political harm to your position."
"Let judge what is-" Kassin started, only to get interrupted by everyone talking at once.
"What do you an Moshui might have to leave the city? Why is everyone here?" "I can’t leave the city! All my stuff is here!" "I gotta pee..." "I’m not getting left behind while you go gallivanting off." "What about my staff?" "Bowbo not like yelling..." "I gotta pee!" "And then there’s this weird finger-business-"
The cacophony of questions and complaints rose and rose, until suddenly Azalee - who Kir could now see was missing a hand - unleashed an ear-piercing "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Everybody except Moshui and the troll covered their ears, and Amarena burst out of unconsciousness and took a fighting stance, one hand going to her hips, looking for swords that were currently with Darlae.
The shriek stopped as abruptly as it began, and Azalee looked down bashfully. "I gotta pee."
"I’ll show her," Moshui said, showing Azalee to the only toilet in the house, which was in a closet at the back of the living room/dining area.
The entire room was quiet until Azalee was inside the closet. As soon as the door closed, Amarena raised her voice.
"Where are my swords? Where am I? What’s going on here, Kordia? Where’s Kir?"
"You’re in Norneau, and Darlae has your swords," Kir started to answer.
Amarena snarled, "Who the fuck are you? I asked her."
"Amarena, this is Professor Kiryu Nasumi," Kordia said. "Don’t you recognize him?"
"I’ve never t this dog in my life, so bring Kir. I don’t have ti for stupid gas."
"Why do you need Kir so badly?" Kordia’s ears and tails flicked in frustration.
"Because if I don’t bring him to Icegart within three days, everyone will die!"
Kir saw the desperation in Rena’s eyes. Anger, too, but far more controlled than she’d been when they first t. Sothing was going on, and with everything moving so fast...
He needed to take control of the situation.
"Kordia," Kir raised his voice. "Please get Prince Kassin out of here so we can talk."
"I’m not going anywhere!" Kassin protested. "Why do you know a demoness, Kordia?"
"Because we’re friends!" Kordia’s voice ca out amplified, laced with mana. It reverberated into the house as Kir’s soundproofing kept the noise inside. "And because there’s a lot more going on than you’re ready for, so decide what you want, because if I let you stay, then you’re going to be in danger up to your neck!"
There was a frustration behind Kordia’s eyes that Kir hadn’t seen in a long ti. She was holding back tears.
"I just... want to be with you..." Kassin said, his face a mask of embarrassnt and emotions as his orange fox ears lay back shafully. "I want to know all about you..."
"Why?" Kordia asked. "We’re engaged. You don’t have to do anything other than wait for to graduate."
"Because..." Kassin looked around the room bashfully, then steeled himself. "Because I love you."
Kordia tensed all the way up her ears. "Do you even know what love is? Do you even know who it is you say you love?"
"I... I just do! From the day we first t, I’ve liked you... and the more we’ve talked, the more I just... I want to know! N-not because we’re engaged..." Kassin looked down. "I know you’re stronger than ... but please..."
Kordia looked to Kir, one tear escaping her efforts and rolling down her right cheek. Kir realized then that he’d trapped her in an impossible decision. Destroy Kassin’s trust, or let him in.
He made his decision, and reached up, wiping the tear away. At that mont, Kassin looked up, and a look of horror twisted his face.
"You don’t have to choose," Kir said, then reached with his other hand, pulling the ring off his finger. As his glamour fell away, Kassin’s face turned from horror to surprise.
"What... what is this... You’re the demon they made a statue of at the Academy. You’re supposed to be dead!"
Kordia turned. "Kassin, this is Kir... he’s-"
"He’s a demon, and he’s teaching at the Academy?!"
"There are three demons in this room, Princeling," Amarena growled and crossed her arms. "None of us are killing you, so do us the favor of trusting your experience and not to whatever prejudices were put in your head." She turned to Kir. "Why didn’t you tell you were in disguise?"
"It’s not like you were conscious until just now. Kordia tried to give you hints."
Kassin eyed the door, but Bowbo was very much in the way and so with a bit of a shudder the foxkin steeled himself. He almost jumped when Kordia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Kassin... there’s a lot I need to tell you..." She guided him to sit once more, sitting across from him as she reached out and held his hand. She looked at Amarena, eyeing her injury, and then to Kir, who nodded.
"We’ll make ti," Kir turned to Amarena. "I know you’re tough, but do you want to have Kordia take a look at you?"
"I’m fine."
"I can heal you while you tell us what’s going on..."
"I need to get back to Isegart, and I need Kir with to help stop the Duke of Pride before he destroys it... The Order won’t survive much longer..."
"It’ll survive long enough to let heal you," Kordia snapped, "Now co here."
"I’ll go," Kir said, in case there was any doubt. "I’ll need to bring Moshui with , and that girl and the demon won’t be safe, even here... so they might as well co with." If the Isegartians accepted Amarena - who was not the easiest to get along with - then they would doubtless accept Azalee and Bowbo. At least, that was what Kir inferred.
"I can protect them if we save Icegart. But we need to move fast," Amarena said as she reluctantly gave Kordia her hand. "My teacher... she’s done sothing to herself... I need to make sure she survives."
Slipping into a slightly more foxish form, Kordia called up her six fox fires and drained four of them into Amarena as she soothed away her pain and greatly reduced the scar on her chest.
Appearing from the stairs, Darlae said, "I won’t leave Brigit here alone, so we’ll have to catch up when you get back, son." She finished her descent and looked up at Kir. "Gods, you’ve gotten taller again."
"I’ve got so much to tell you..."
"Save it for later. You need to get to the Guild soon, before they lock it down. That’s the only way you’ll be able to teleport within riding range of Icegart."
"Actually... I have another way." Kir looked at Kassin. "And if you’re coming with, it’ll give Kordia plenty of ti to tell you what’s really going on."
"What way?" Amarena asked, her voice a bit strained from the healing.
Kir slipped on his glamour ring and gave her a wolfish grin.
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