Smiling softly when Tola finally made it back to the house after the date, Sora had to tell Emilia and, surprisingly, Wendy not to pounce on the woman or hover too close to the window—after all, she had a spy chakram already above the house, peering down on them.

They jumped onto the sofa, Sora expanding her personal TV to show the real-life romantic drama playing out; Mofupsi brought over the popcorn as White walked Tola up to the door.

“Are they going to kiss?” her daughter whispered, leaning forward with a hard swallow and big eyes. “They’re going to kiss, aren’t they—they always kiss in the shows!”

“Shhh,” Sora giggled, tossing some popcorn at her enthralled daughter. “No talking during the movie.”

“Mom! Turn it up, and don’t waste food… It’s happening!”

Sora had her chakram zoom in on the pair as they stopped just shy of the doorsteps leading up to their house. No one breathed as they faced each other, and Tola’s tails twisted when White drew her attention to the colorful planets overhead.

“I can’t say I’ve had a more enjoyable day, Tola. It wasn’t hard or stressful… Hmm. How long do you think we should exploit Lady Sora for these days of bliss?”

“Hmm-hmm.” Tola sighed, vision drifting from the sky to her date’s gentle face. “Maybe a little bit longer. Do you think they’re watching us at this moment?”

“Busted!” Emilia cried. “We have to deny everything!”

Wendy snickered. “I mean, it’s kind of a given, but yeah, maybe we shouldn’t butt in like this; it does kind of take away from their magic.”

“Like someone reading someone’s diary,” Emilia shot back, not missing an opportunity to flip it around on her mother.

Sora forced a laugh and closed the portal.

“Wah! Mom! I didn’t mean…”

“We can ask her how it was,” Sora said, motioning to the stairs. “Why don’t you go get ready for bed; you can ask her all your questions tonight in bed with her. Right?”

Her daughter’s glare lifted in an instant. “Oh. Oh! Yeah! I get to ask her loads of fun things. Hehe. Okay. But why do I need to get ready now?” she groaned.

“So you don’t get spoilers!”

“Ah! Okay. Okay. That makes sense,” she hummed. “And… Don’t look at my diary!”

Emilia pinched her ear before running upstairs, making Sora chuckle; it didn’t actually hurt since she was made of tough stuff, but she still faked it for the girl.

Settling in, Sora sat back in the following silence, waiting for them to come inside, and Wendy pointed to their matching collars, making Sora nod. It was quite the story; Tola and White, one held back from romance by duty, and the other losing faith in the very concept, to find one another after ages alone.

They deserve to be happy…

Tola walked through the door, closed it, and leaned against the wood; they waited for her to gather herself, yet, by the spiritual vibes Sora got from the aquamarine-haired woman, there was a peace in her soul.

“I wish the night were longer,” she whispered, running her fingers through her long hair before pausing against her folded-down left ear. “Would you even like it if I waited for you? Hmm.”

Unable to hear what transpired outside due to the magical dampener that cut off all sound once an area was shut, Sora’s mind spun circles around the question.

Walking into the room, she put her purse on the counter and slipped off her platform heels. “Thank you for waiting… Is Lady Emilia asleep already?”

Wendy shook her head, bushy brown tail waving back and forth. “She’s getting ready for bed. Tired?”

“Exhausted,” she laughed, tails drooping a bit. “Then again, I’ve never felt more alive… It’s a totally different experience, living without my abilities or being able to sense all the troubles happening within the Realm. Thank you for this night, Sora.”

Sora stretched her three tails out. “Don’t think that’s the only night. I’ve taken off the week to spend time with Emi and give you a chance to be together; you’ve earned it, heh, by far, given that intense aura White has… It’s really sweet how dedicated you are.”

Tola’s eyes fell, despite her small smile, and she moved to sit in an armchair. “I… never thought how visceral and pulling a kiss can be…”

She pressed her fingers against her lips, tails pausing as if reexperiencing the moment.

“What if… I’m only doing this out of duty to support White?”

Sora blinked, looking at Wendy and Mofupsi. “What do you mean—don’t you feel butterflies when you kiss?”

Wendy shifted to lean against the side of the sofa. “Yeah. Wasn’t this test run, living as a human and without the ability to influence each other—well, other than physical stuff, which, heh, is very important—but, uh… What’s going on, Tola?”

Mofupsi puffed out a stream of her pipe, wearing a knowing smirk. “You two wouldn’t understand what it is like for a woman like Tola. For nearly thirty thousand years, all she has done is think of others… Is she even capable of selfish desire?”

“That’s mean,” Sora growled before realizing the far older and more experienced woman hit the nail on the head as Tola sighed, staring at the floor. “You… don’t love him?”

Wendy swapped to her back, lifting her tail up between her legs to watch it sweep left and right. “Mmh. More complicated than that, I think, Sora.”

“It’s not, though,” Sora argued, pulling from media and everything else she’d learned in her life—not that it was a drop in the bucket compared to these two ancient vulpes—but she did come from an environment that was soaked in the concept of love. “Love’s not something ethereal—it’s real—an action. It is selfish, but it’s not… What did you mean when you said that thing about him waiting for you?”

Tola chuckled to herself. “I suppose you weren’t watching after all. I’m… confused, so I told White that after we danced. I feel…” She breathed and shook her head, rubbing between her eyes before holding a hand against her breast. “I can’t explain it… Calm, anxious, worried, sure, fearful… I don’t want to hurt White. He told me that I’d waited for him… and he’d wait for me.”

Sora’s heart fluttered at the phrase, and she got up to rub Tola’s back, seeing bewildered tears coming from her eyes. “It hurts but feels good?”

“It’s… quite frustrating,” she laughed, sniffing back her tears. “It made my chest burn to hear that, and I don’t know what to do about it. What am I supposed to do? I did this to show White his aura could be overcome, but… I’m not sure what is affecting me, the lingering effects of his aura, or something else… It all feels beyond words, but… I don’t know.”

Wendy giggled, getting up to pat her on the shoulder and go upstairs to likely warn Emilia about the development. “Don’t get it twisted; you’ve got it bad for him, and that’s proof. That’s so sweet of him to say he’d wait for you… Gah! Now I’m getting hot!”

Sora sat beside Tola and held her hand as the woman tried to regain control of her emotions. “That’s what this week is for. Spend time with him—past Thursday—he sounds like he’s made up his mind about things already, and he trusts you, which means…”

Tola wiped at her eyes, accepting the box of tissues Mofupsi teleported in front of them. “Which means… he’s waiting for me to trust myself.”

“What a man, hmm?” Mofupsi mused. “Either way, you have proven through trial by fire, that he is not so irresistible… or is he? Hehe.”

“Moppy,” Sora scowled at her maid-sister. “Basically, you’ve awakened the emotion inside of him, and he’s mature enough to accept your feelings for him, either as friends or something more. Now, he’s following your tails.”

She gave an internal cheer at getting a blush out of the woman, no doubt imagining herself leading the man with their swaying motions.

“I… have a lot to sort through.”

Sora lifted an eyebrow. “Are you… sure you want to sleep with Emilia tonight, or… your own private bed?”

Tola forced a smile. “Mmh-hmm-hmm. I… believe myself capable of handling my emotions, but… I may have different thoughts during the night.”

“Hehe. Much different thoughts,” Mofupsi snickered, causing the woman’s thighs to tighten. “Naughty vulpes. You can’t hide behind magic anymore, Tola. Perhaps it would be best not to be endlessly fidgeting during the night?”

Releasing the tension with a slow release of air, Tola stood and turned to Sora to embrace her. “I keep saying it, but… thank you. I’ll take a bath before heading to bed, which… should help.”

“Mhmm.” Sora mused, catching the meaning. “I’ll stay with Emi while you ‘cool off’ and get things sorted. You must have a lot of, eh-heh, things going through your body, so don’t worry about needing to use the restroom in the middle of the night.”

“Will I need to?” Tola asked, seemingly totally oblivious to the context.

Mofupsi took out her pipe to gesture it at her former colleague. “Just trust her on it. Have a nice hot bath to cool yourself down.”

Sora let her go, hearing Wendy and Emilia engage the woman in the hallway; the hard part was over, and now came the sprint. She didn’t expect it to take long for Tola to realize what it was she wanted.

Her daughter and sister entered the girl’s room to finish preparing, talking about how red and flustered Tola’s face was; Sora sat back, biding her own turn while deep in thought.

“Ever the dutiful one,” Mofupsi breathed. “I couldn’t have ever imagined Tola doubting if she wishes to return to the council; all of her ideals are conflicting.”

“Such is life, I guess,” Sora mumbled, lying back on one of their sofas. “Huu-haaa. Has she ever done anything selfish?”

“Tola? Haha! No. Not in the over seven thousand years I’ve known the woman,” Mofupsi said, glancing toward the ceiling. “To me, she’s exhausting, constantly pining over others to see that their needs are satisfied.”

“Says my willing slave and maid,” Sora shot back.

“Humph. I am as selfish as they come, Mistress. Just because I choose to direct it in a specific direction does not make it any different, and I am of no delusions otherwise.”

“Uh-huh. Not all flowers bloom… but it’s magical when you do see one unfolding its petals,” she whispered, closing her eyes; it would be nice if that happened to her one day.

I have literally eternity—not to mention a daughter to take care of… but does that mean Emi will have a real relationship before I do? No! No! No! Let’s just not think about that… Yeah. Best we don’t think about that.

“Dirty thoughts, Mistress?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Not particularly. It just seemed appropriate to the look on your face.”

“Oh, shut up. We aren’t all licentious foxes like you.”

Mofupsi nudged her head to the side. “I indulge from time to time when the itch dictates. Are we not all creatures of nature?”

“Some more than others…”

Getting up, Sora waved her off. “Don’t wait up for me… Shut up!” she added at the smirk the woman gave her. “Freaking deviant—and who’s the teenage girl?”

“Aren’t we all young at heart? You made me immortal, after all. If you are feeling hot, your slave is here for you. Haha.”

Sora rolled her eyes. “Slave and sister… literally by our very essence! Gross.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“Was not! Was it?” she questioned herself at the top of the stairs. “Stop confusing me!”

“Are we not vulpes? Tell the pup goodnight from her auntie maid! I’ll be slaving away in the kitchen tomorrow, Dear.”

Shaking her head, Sora let the whole conversation die in her mind, entering Emilia’s room; her daughter was in her giant walk-in closet, trying to figure out what pajamas to wear to accommodate what level of ‘comfy’ she wanted.

“Have a good chat with Moppy and Tola?” Wendy asked.

“Define good.”

Emilia’s copper hair bounced a little as she poked her head out of the closet. “What’s wrong with Tola—we’re still sleep buddies?”

“Yup! She’s just cooling off. Haha. You know how intense that date must have been, right?”

“They kissed! Like, oh my gosh—Auntie spoiled it for me—I’m so mad!”

Wendy shook her head, stiff fingers weaving in front of her throat. “She’s really not,” her sister mouthed as Emilia’s face steamed.

“It’s like! Wow! It was their first big date, and they kissed! I bet they held hands and talked about the food they like—we should set up a barbecue and invite everyone, Mom! Please! It’s vacation week!”

“Haha!” Glad to have her daughter ground her, Sora nodded. “Absolutely! We’ll have to call your Auntie Kari and see if she’ll do some hunting for us to get the meat. I’m sure she’d love to do that, and maybe we can get her on the grill.”

“I’ll show her how to flip burgers,” Emilia huffed with pride. “Oh, and, umm… what about Auntie Eyia and Jin?”

“Hmm. We’ll see,” Sora sighed. “Your aunties have a kind of… feud going on, but we got eternity to work it out. Right?”

“I guess…”

Wendy stretched her arm across her chest. “Mmmgm. Why don’t we have it on different days? We can invite Tola and White to attend. Give them a chance to act more like a couple?”

Sora’s mouth drew in. “Hmm. Maybe. We’ll see how things work out; I’ll see about setting things up tomorrow. Friday and Saturday should be enough development time for them. Don’t spill it, Emi!”

“Me? I’m so good at keeping secrets—I surprised you for your birthday!”

“True. True.” Wendy slunk out to get ready herself, yawning. “Vixxy should be done with his private training with the other two tomorrow. They want to make some gains while we’re being lazy.”

“Ooh! Yes! Vixxy fluff!” Emilia cheered, jumping into bed.

Sora tucked her in, but naturally, being the ‘rebellious’ girl she was, she swatted her hand away.

“Mom! I’m almost thirteen. I can do all of this myself.”

“Hmm-hmm. Of course. Are you too old for kisses?”

“No! You’re never too old for kisses,” she huffed as if it were obvious. “Oh, umm… What about butterfly kisses?” her daughter mumbled, sinking deeper into her bed.

Sora’s smile felt a tad, recalling asking her dad the same thing when she was a little girl; honestly, Emilia was a bit old for some of the antics she got up to, but she really wasn’t, considering she was older in some ways and not in others due to how she was born.

“Butterfly kisses,” she whispered, leaning closer to blink eyelashes together and look into her happy blue eyes. “And a kiss on the forehead for sweet dreams. Good night.”

“Night… Is Tola going to be okay?” she asked as Sora moved to the door.

“Yeah. She’ll be just fine. Normal girl stuff. We need to give her room to figure things out. Kay?”

“Kay… Thanks, Mom. You’re the best… except for when your not.”

“Sorry! I know I crossed the line. How long are you going to be mad at me for?”

“One month!” she sniffed, turning over in her bed to stick her tails out and shoo her away. “I love you, but you’re the worst!”

“Haha. Got it. Will setting up a barbecue help my case?”

“A little.”

“Noted. Good night, My Little Princess.”

Shutting the door, Sora rubbed her forehead. Was reading her diary worth it?

“Hmm.”

Going to bed, she chuckled. Totally worth it. My girl’s so cute.