Lolo arrived with Ulana a little late for lunch but all dressed up. Ulana had done Lolo's hair and make-up to perfection and helped her pick out a deep purple, floor-length, V-neck dress that wrapped around her waist to tie at her hip where her sword belt rested. Even Lolo's brothers couldn't find anything about her appearance to make fun of, and Ulana was positively tickled to see that most of the (admittedly female-starved) lion soldiers gawked as Lolo walked by.

Huo Lohse sat at a small table with Ulana to eat quickly, so they could head into town.

"Girl, you are stunning! Those girls will take one look at you and realize they aren't even in the same league with you," Ulana whispered to Lolo.

Lolo grinned. "Well, that was the general idea. Thanks for your help, Ulana."

"Are you excited for your 'date'?"

"It will be fun! We were supposed to learn about Lion Tribe art and acting. I didn't think I would get to actually be an actor," Lolo laughed.

"Do it well! I expect many an encore with each trip into town, and I want to hear all about it tonight. I won't be following you around the entire time."

Lolo nodded and stood up to leave.

Fortus took this as his cue and seemed to appear out of nowhere. "You ready?"

"Mn! Let's go!" Once outside, Lolo took Fortus's arm. "We passed through the city on our way here to the palace, right?"

"Sort of. If you took the main road, you kind of skirted the edge of it."

"Oh," Lolo nodded. Fortus seemed uncomfortable. He was struggling to make eye contact or come up with things to talk about. "So! What do you have in mind for this afternoon?"

"Well, uh, walk around, show you some murals, see whatever interests you, and go to dinner."

"Can we go somewhere with live entertainment for dinner? I want to watch a play."

"Sure! There's this tavern my father and I have been to a few times. They have a storyteller that likes to narrate while other people act out the story. Sometimes they call people up from the audience to participate in the plays. It makes it more fun to watch because of the amateurs."

"How cool! That sounds perfect. Do you and your dad go to town together often?"

"Not so much since I got old enough to go by myself. But sometimes we go for special occasions or when the city holds a festival or something."

"Are you nervous about showing me around?"

"No."

"Are you feeling anxious about being on a date with me?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You're tense."

"No, I'm not."

"Then why is my hand changing colors?"

"Huh?"

Lolo gestured to where she was holding onto Fortus's elbow. Without realizing it, Fortus had been crushing her hand against his side.

"Oh! Sorry, Lolo."

She just laughed. "Did my brothers give you a hard time after I left training this morning?"

"Actually, nearly all the guys warned me not to screw this up with you today." He shook his head, chuckling softly to himself.

"Is that why you're so tense?"

"Well, it didn't help."

Lolo laughed again. "Are you anxious about pulling this whole fake relationship thing off?"

"A little," he admitted finally.

This time, Lolo stopped to look Fortus in the eyes. "Don't be. Follow my lead and let your natural reactions show. We are just going to have some fun today. The rest will come on its own."

Fortus took a deep breath, and Lolo indicated for Fortus to bend down a little. Confused, he followed instructions, and Lolo got up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. A bashful grin spread across Fortus's face, and Lolo laced her fingers through his.

"Much better," she said.

There was so much to see in the city, and Lolo's wonder and excitement brought out her inner child as she dragged Fortus along behind her. The streets were crowded and lined with stalls full of every imaginable thing and some things Lolo had never imagined before. The colors, the smells, the sounds were all wildly stimulating. While Lolo drank it all in, Fortus enjoyed watching her bounce around from stall to stall pointing out the things that caught her eye.

"Oo! What's that sound?" Lolo stopped as they rounded a corner.

"Over here." Fortus pulled Lolo into a building and climbed some stairs up to a small balcony. They scanned the crowded street below.

"There!" Lolo pointed out a group of three men performing stunts to music played on a strange string instrument she'd never seen before. "Can we go watch?"

Fortus smiled and nodded.

The performers must have been good, because Fortus and Lolo couldn't get close enough for Lolo to see anything through the crowd.

"Here, Lolo," Fortus said, crouching down. "Climb on!"

Lolo wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up on his back. With her face right next to his, Fortus could smell her hair and hear her happy laughter while she watched the performance.

When the show was over, Lolo expected Fortus to set her back down, but instead, he hoisted her up a little higher on his back and carried her through the street. She rested her chin on her fist at his shoulder and turned to look at him.

"What did you think?" she asked.

"Of the street performers?"

"Mm-hm."

"They were good, but you were even more fun to watch. It's been a long time since I've seen someone get so excited over a simple street show."

Lolo laughed and kissed his cheek again, nuzzling playfully into his neck.

Fortus couldn't help but grin again. He could get used to this and didn't feel like he was pretending anymore.

"Who is this?" A group of four girls emerged from the crowd. Lolo looked up to see that they were all tall, pretty, and well-dressed, but Lolo sensed a predatory hostility from them. What's more, Fortus tensed as soon as he saw them.

"This is my girlfriend."

"Hey, babe, are these some of your friends?" Lolo asked in a falsely sweet voice, tightening her arms around his neck and letting her lips brush against his ear as though subconsciously staking her claim.

Fortus turned his face to look at Lolo and grinned to see the protectiveness and undeniable mischief there. He was suddenly quite thrilled to have her in his corner. "Do you want to meet them?"

"Of course I do! Set me down." Once her feet touched the ground, Lolo grabbed Fortus's hand and smiled at the girls. "My name is Huo Lohse Lang. I'm the daughter of the Wolf Tribe leader, so you can call me 'princess', and if we get to be friends, you can call me Lolo. I'm here with the training exchange this summer. Fortus is showing me around your quaint little town today. Who are you?"

Rather than respond, the girls crossed their arms and stepped back to size Lolo up.

Now that she'd bared her fangs, Lolo looked innocently up at Fortus. "Did I say something wrong?"

Fortus gave her an apologetic smile tinted by his amusement. "No Lolo, I think they are just surprised to be meeting a princess."

"There you two are!" Ulana suddenly appeared dragging a grumpy Standig behind her. "What have you two lovebirds been up to this afternoon?"

"Just exploring the streets for the most part. Fortus was introducing me to some of his friends." Lolo indicated the lionesses with a gesture that invited Ulana to join in the fun.

"Oh!" Ulana took the hint and turned to face the girls. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Ulana Zugeer from the Phoenix Tribe, and this," Ulana pulled Standig forward another couple of steps, "is Standig Tragen. He's the Bear Tribe leader's brother."

Being a part of this conversation, clearly, was not Standig's idea. He merely nodded in acknowledgement to the four girls and tried not to make eye contact with Fortus or Lolo.

While Ulana made the introductions and Standig did his best to ignore everyone, Lolo tugged on Fortus's sleeve to get him to lean down so she could whisper something in his ear, her cheek pressed against his, one of her hands resting gently on the side of his neck. Whatever she said, Fortus stood up grinning from ear-to-ear. He pulled Lolo into a hug and kissed her forehead, offending the girls with this display of affection.

"Let's go, Lolo. I have some things I want to show you before dinner tonight," Fortus said, finding her hand.

Lolo nodded to the girls with an "it was nice meeting you" and gave Ulana a sly smile as she followed Fortus through the crowd.

Ulana stood next to the girls to watch Lolo and Fortus leave. "Aren't they just the cutest couple?" she sighed.

The girl closest to Ulana turned to ask her some questions. "How long have they been dating?"

"At least since last summer," Ulana replied. "They got really close during the exchange last year."

"How serious are they?"

Ulana smiled dreamily. "Well, they haven't told me anything specifically, but I'm hoping that in a couple of years, after Lolo graduates the exchange, we'll get to see some little lion-wolf babies running around. They really are so sweet together."

"How so?"

"They were friends first. Fortus is super protective of her, and Lolo is warm and affectionate. They have a lot in common, and they work really well together. Fortus is a great leader, Lolo is a people person, so they compliment each other super well. It doesn't hurt that they look good together too." Ulana dropped her voice. "Between you and me, Fortus got the better end of the deal. Lolo is a princess and a prodigy. She entered the exchange two years early! Everyone adores her, and she is gorgeous. All the guys at the exchange are hoping their relationship falls apart so they can get a chance with her. Isn't that right, Standig?"

"What?" Standig's resentment at having to talk about this at all seemed to confirm Ulana's assertion.

"Isn't it true that everyone loves Lolo?"

Standig just glared at Ulana.

"Well? She is your best friend, Standig," Ulana pressed.

Standig huffed. "Yes. Lolo has a talent for making friends."

Ulana smiled and turned back to whisper conspiratorially, "close friends." Having placed a final nail in the proverbial coffin, Ulana winked and grabbed Standig's arm to walk away.

***

Fortus took Lolo to the square near the city center to show her the giant fountain in the middle of it. The fountain was a pretty simple cascade spilling out of a basin into a giant pool that could pass for a moderate pond in terms of its size. What made this fountain interesting was the structure upon which the basin was built-- an elaborate arrangement of stone statues featuring a mix of soldiers and townsfolk working together harmoniously to lift the basin high into the air.

"Your tribe is very militant," Lolo observed.

"I suppose that's true. The military serves as a backbone to our society, providing order, structure, and opportunities for social advancement. Citizens are expected to cooperate with the military."

"I guess that's why the artist of this fountain named it 'Cooperation'."

"Where do you see that?"

"This plaque down here on the side of the pool."

"Huh. I'd never noticed that before," Fortus shrugged.

Lolo climbed onto the polished stone edge of the circular pool and put her arms out to the sides to keep her balance as she carefully walked the perimeter.

Fortus grabbed her hand to steady her. "Be careful, Lolo. It can get slippery up there, and your dress is long enough that you might trip."

Lolo turned to look at Fortus and grinned. "Are you worried?"

"Uh," Fortus released her hand and backtracked. "Nope."

Lolo turned back to continue her stroll and pretended to lose her balance.

Fortus swept her off the pool edge and into his arms before he had time to realize that she was just teasing him.

Lolo's face was triumphant. "Not worried, huh?"

Fortus knew he'd been had and set her down, a little embarrassed. Before he could stand up straight again, Lolo's arms wrapped around his neck.

"I think it's cute that you worry about me." She kissed his forehead before releasing him.

Fortus stood up with that adorable, just-been-kissed grin on his face. "Should we find the tavern? It's a popular attraction, so if we want good seats, we should get there early. It's already approaching sunset."

Lolo nodded and laced her fingers through his.

The tavern wasn't far from the square, only a couple of blocks to the east. Fortus was right, though. It was a popular location.

"Where do you want to sit, Lolo?"

"Somewhere with a good view."

"Ok. Rephrase: balcony or floor?"

"Um, floor."

They found a table front and center near the stage. As they sat and chatted, Haowan and Zhongyan appeared at an adjacent table.

"Hey!" Lolo greeted her brothers. "How did you find this place?"

"We asked around for recommendations. This tavern came up a few times, so we figured that we would check it out," Zhongyan said.

"We promise we weren't following you," Haowan added with a wink.

Lolo rolled her eyes. "Fortus tells me that the storyteller here likes calling up audience members to act out his narrations. Just be warned."

"Really?!" Zhongyan grinned. "That's epic."

"Heck! I'll volunteer," Haowan readily agreed. Both boys enjoyed goofing off in the spotlight.

Servers started appearing to take orders.

"Well, what a handsome couple!" the waiter exclaimed.

Lolo grinned and took Fortus's hand from across the table. "Thank you!"

Behind her, Haowan sniggered.

"Haowan, what are you laughing at?" She shot him a dirty look.

"Nothing.... Nothing."

"Who's that?" the waiter asked.

"One of my brothers."

The waiter smiled. "Excellent. Well, what can I get for you?"