We reach a door near the end of the hall that Alice opens and before she steps through she looks back at me, “This is where you will be getting ready today,” she then turns and looks into the door and continues talking to someone in the room, “Thank you again for coming to help today as well.”

I follow her into the room and spot Emilia sitting in an armchair, she smiles gently at me before responding to Alice, “I’m always happy to help.” She then looks over to me and says, “Good morning Lily.”

“Ah the two of you are already acquainted I see,” Alice nods her head, “That saves us sometime. Emilia agreed to help you get dressed and to do your makeup.”

I take a look around the rest room and it is painted in a soft shade of green. Against the left wall is a large desk with a variety of containers in front of its large mirror. There is a chair and a few stools of varying height in front of the desk, and nearby a dress stand stands empty.

On the opposite wall there is a fireplace with a small table with multiple chairs set up around it. About three-quarters of the way back the room there is a large privacy screen that covers up most of the room behind it, with an opening near the left wall.

“I see,” I nod my head, and from behind the chair I catch sight of white ear tips peeking around the side. “Hello Talia,” I call out and the ears quickly stand up straight before moving all the way behind the chair.

“As shy as ever,” Shiva laughs, “What an amazing coincidence though, you can introduce them today.”

“I don’t even know if they will be staying for the painting, but if they are we will see what happens.”

“Should we have her bathe before we begin?” Emilia asks as she stands and stretches slightly.

“If that would make it easier we can do so,” Alice nods her head in response.

“If that’s what the two of you want I don’t mind,” I tell them.

“We have plenty of time,” Emilia looks me up and down, “So we might as well start with a blank slate then.”

“Alright,” Alice nods and turns to me and indicates with her arm to the opening in the privacy screen, “If you would step around you will find a bath that you can use.”

“I would appreciate it if a small fire were to be lit in the meantime,” I request as I walk around the screen.

I take a quick look around before I start to undress. There is a bath situated near the right side of the room, and a small standing rack with towels hanging from it stands next to it. Nearby there is a small empty basket on the ground, presumably for dirty clothes. I fold up my dress and lay it in the box followed by my bra, stockings, and panties.

I step over to the tub and fill it, thankfully it doesn’t take long and I slip into the warmth of the water. With Shiva having wandered off somewhere I listen in to the conversation on the other side of the screen.

“She met with Maya when she was shopping apparently,” Emilia explains, “Maya introduced us later.” She pauses and I hear footsteps walking to the opening in the screen. Then both her and Alice walk around the screen and she continues, “Though that wasn’t our first meeting.”

“I thought we agreed to not talk about that,” I squint at her, “and why are you two over here?”

“Don’t fret over it,” she responds with a smile, “and it will go faster if we help.”

“I thought we had plenty of time,” I say sarcastically.

Alice walks over to the bath and places a bar of soap and a small bottle onto the edge and she says, “Emilia has assured me that these scents are not strong enough to cause you any discomfort.”

I check them quickly. They smell weakly of roses, and I nod my head to her and say, “These smell fine.”

“I’m glad,” she responds with a softy smile before she steps back.

“Though I am quite used to perfumes and soaps,” I laugh slightly, “Your nose eventually learns to ignore them if you live in a coven.”

“Ah, I hadn’t considered that,” Emilia murmurs as she moves over of the tub.

“Although anytime that I’m away for a while it does take some time to readjust,” I add on, “So I still appreciate it.”

I sink slightly farther into the tub letting the water pass my shoulders, while pressing my back into the sloped side. Emilia kneels down in beside the tub and she reaches into the water and starts to wet my hair.

“You have very lovely hair,” she tells me as she runs her fingers through it.

“Thank you,” I mutter quietly.

She reaches around, grabs the small bottle, and Alice steps around the screen disappearing out of sight. I catch Talia peeking around the screen after a moment and she almost immediately ducks back around it, followed by the sounds of quick steps to the other side of the room and by the time my hair has been lathered I hear some light snoring.

“She is fascinated by you,” Emilia whispers quietly as she begins to wash my hair, “She constantly wants to know about you, but she refuses to approach you at the same time.”

“It is understandable,” I shrug slightly as I begin to wash my body, “Being like us makes you wary of people, even if they are similar to you.”

“It’s still absolutely horrible,” She responds, her voice is slightly strained and her hands pause, “It isn’t like you can control your coloring, but they still attack you for existing.”

I needn’t ask who they are. “You’ve done plenty well to protect her,” I reassure her.

“I fear that I’ve made her more distant from others though,” she sighs, “I’m always telling her to be careful of others.”

After a moment of silence I catch the faint scent of smoke and I shake my head. I understand that she is just venting her frustration and concerns to someone that understands her child's struggle. and she might not even desire a response but I offer her my opinion, “It is fine to be cold and distant. It makes you less reliant on others and when you are inevitably disappointed it doesn't sting as much.”

I pause for a moment and try to organize my thoughts better before I continue, "I know it sounds awful to think that way, especially for a child, but-" I stop with a sigh and shake my head. I don't know what to say to comfort her, and I'm not even sure I am qualified to do so.

Alice steps back around the screen and sits down on the side of the tub before looking looking away, “I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but would it be rude of me to interject?”

“I consider you to be a close friend,” Emilia tells her as she continues moving her hands to my hair floating on the water, “I am always willing to listen to anything you have to say.”

“I believe,” Alice begins in a quiet voice that only the two of would be able to hear, “that Talia will be fine, the fact that she even shows interest in another individual is a clear sign that her wounds aren't permanent yet.” She pauses and she runs her fingers around the top of the water creating small ripples across the surface, “And if nothing else you have a specimen of a fine young lady in front of you to prove that fact as well.”

I frown and Emilia begins to rub the base of my ears gently, “I’m not sure I’m a good point of comparison. Definitely not if you want her to grow up as a fine young lady.”

“And what makes you decide that?” She asks sounding genuinely curious.

I tilt my head back and look up at her as she looks down at me.

…

…

“You know who I am,” I tell her, and I look over to Alice, “And I’m sure the rest of the council has confirmed it by now.”

Emilia doesn’t say anything and Alice responds after a moment, “Ranarre Cin.”

“That’s right,” I smile bitterly to myself, “I've solved so many of my problems with blood. I am a Death’s Lily after all.” My name weighs heavier on me without the thrill of the hunt or adrenaline from a life and death situation hanging over me.

Emilia removes her hands from my head and I hear rustling from behind me, I lean forward feeling irritated with myself and before I can sit up out of the water a set of arms wraps around my shoulders drawing me into softness and warmth.

I twist around to get a look and Emilia has laid a towel across her chest and is gently embracing me, “Why are you hugging me?”

“Because there isn’t anyone else here to do so,” she responds immediately and tightens around me. We just stay like that in silence for a few moments before she continues, “Though don’t think this means that I approve of you flirting with Maya as much as you do.”

“I do not flirt,” I protest.

Emilia raises an eyebrow at me, takes a deep breath and shakes her head as if in disbelief, “Those little sidelong glances that you throw,” I try to speak up but she continues in a confidant voice, “The way you push your breasts up, that devilish smile that all Succubae seem to have mastered, the way you twist your hips with your tails up when you walk away emphasizing your butt,” at this point I can feel myself growing red and she starts to dry the top of my head, “When you are listening you tilt your head and flutter your eyelashes, you purse your lips as if inviting a kiss, you flirt with everything that you have, even your scent.”

“Flirting with my scent doesn’t even make sense,” I complain while twisting back around to the front and resting back into Emilia, “It isn’t like I can control it.”

“Elsie has theorized,” Alice cuts in, clearly holding back laughter, “That Succubae constantly release pheromones, generally causing them to smell appealing to potential partners.”

“And all I get to hear about after you visit,” Emilia continues, “Is how she wants you to visit more, and what would look good on you.”

“Her as well,” I murmur to myself and suppress a shudder that wants to run up my spine.

“You have other people that want you to visit more often?” she asks in a dangerous tone while squeezing the tip of my ear.

“No,” I respond with a sigh, “Well maybe Mama. Although I still haven’t received any letters in reply from her,” I say in a low voice before continuing normally, “It seems that it is an accepted pastime to try and get me into a variety of clothes.”

Emilia shifts off to the side, I hear the water stir slightly, and then she begins to gently wash my face.

“Does that happen often?” Alice continues with the topic.

“My sisters’ favorite game is to hide any of the clothes that I might pick and replace them with their own choices,” I roll my shoulders slightly, “And Mama brings me different things that she wants me to wear.”

“Oh my!” Emilia sounds surprised, and she gently runs the tip of her thumb across one of the birthmarks on my cheeks, “Who is your Sumi?”

“I don’t know,” I shrug while tilting my head, “Why do you ask?”

“Were you not just talking about your mother?” Alice asks sounding mildly confused

“I refer to my adoptive mother as Mama,” I explain, “I don’t know anything about my birth mother; which is what Sumi refers to, or so I’ve been told.”

Emilia looks at me in a state of semi shock and strokes my cheek again, “These are called bloodline marks.”

“I believe that I have heard about them but I don’t recall having ever seen anyone with them,” Alice leans in to get a closer look at my face.

“I would be surprised if you had,” Emilia responds, “There are only eight or so clans that are still able to claim that heritage, and most of them live deep in the Hulminster Rill, and not every child will have them either.”

“They are that rare huh?” I question with a yawn, “Master told me it was my whiskers on top of having white tails that drew the stares, so I started to cover them when I was quite young and it just stuck with me.”

“It is understandable that it would draw stares,” Emilia nods her head then she smiles slightly, “These are a sign that a very powerful clan broke that awful tradition. You don’t have clue as to your clan?”

“No, there wasn’t anything left with my coven.”

...

“Stand up and drain the tub,” Emilia instructs as she sighs and lets go of me.

I reach forward and gently tug at the chain pulling the plug. I sit for a moment while listening to the water rush down the drain before I stand up. I can feel the water pull my tails down away from my back as I stand, but almost immediately a towel is wrapped around me and Emilia begins to dry me off.

“Once we finish up over here,” Emilia pats me down, “I think we will start with your hair.”

“Whatever you want,” I nod.

After a few minutes I am as dry as I am going to be and Emilia is leading me back around to the front of the room while humming to herself. She steps over to the chair, pulls it out, and indicates that I should sit. As I am sitting down I watch in the mirror as she gathers up my hair and drapes it around the chair before she steps off to the side, pulls another chair closer, and sits in it herself.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Alice says and Emilia nods her head. Alice then walks over to the fireplace and picks up a set of needles and thread out of a chair before sitting in it. As I turn my gaze back towards Emilia I catch a glimpse of Talia sleeping in the armchair next to the fire.

There is a gentle tugging at the edge of my hair and I refocus my attention. Emilia has gotten a hold of a comb and gently runs it through my hair while untangling the ends with her fingers.