Staring down from her overly plush suite in a London hotel, Svetna was tired. A mix of jetg and an incredibly awkward meeting with the British king had left her rather draihough it wasn’t just the royalty. It seemed everyone she dealt with had needlessly strict rules of interpersoiquette when dealing with her. Just before she was teically royalty...

  In her daze she found herself staring at nothing in particur across the grey expanse of sky.

  “I’ll be gd to leave for the ti,” Augusta muttered, standing just behind Svetna. “English weather is miserable.”

  “I don’t mind it,” Thisbe replied in full hoy.

  “The ck of sun is better for you than the rest of us, Thisbe-dear,” Plynx said as she walked over to lean against the window sill beside Sveltana, looking down at the street below. “Who are all those angry people-strangers with the signs down oreet?”

  Looking down, Svetna had seen them earlier wheurning to the hotel from her meetings, but she wao firm there hadn’t been any ge in the crowd. It looked to be about a dozen protestors, a few looking to be the same people.

  “I think that’s about half the terfs in Engnd,” she replied, smirking because what else could she do? “At least, the ohat aren’t in parliament.”

  Grabbing hold of Svetna’s arm and leaning forward, Thisbe gave them a quick appraisal. “You know, it has been a while since I’ve had a fresh meal...”

  “And it’ll be a long while until you do again,” Svetna replied. “Sorry, but if you get caught that’ll just be too much media e. We’re lucky Agent Lee and the rest of them buried all the old reports listing you as a suspect.”

  “Well, not all the reports,” Augusta said, sounding like she’d sat down.

  “I still ’t believe the Belgian royal family refuses to meet with Svetna just because we’re dating,” Thisbe muttered, causing Svetna to blink.

  “Wait, you’re the reason they won’t meet with me? I’m ly upset about having fewer stuffy rich people to meet with, but why oh does the Belgian royal family have a grudge against you?” she asked.

  “Er, well... it’s a bit of an old story,” Thisbe mumbled, before starting to expin.

  The food in Naples was ni Plynx’s opinion. Pizza was overrated (too much bread, and the Italian versions did not have nearly enough meat), but there was lots of seafood to be found, and she had to admit she was fond of that.

  Plus, there was lots of sun to be had, and so the Issiod’rian woman found herself soaking in the rays beside the pool while Svetna headed off on various meetings. Human diplomats seemed to think that Svetna held more political sway than she did, while many still seemed a bit nervous to deal with aliens at all. It was somewhat amusing for Plynx, though she did not envy how tired Svetna seemed to be most of the time. At least Augusta had also been busy sihey’d left Britain, so Plynx had to see less of her.

  Even after realising she was a lesbian Augusta was still... not Plynx’s favourite.

  Ah, but spending time with Vivian was good. Sihisbe was being noal again with the brighter Italian sun that meant Plynx and Bokarza were the main ones helping Vivian out. Though the tall and handsome woman was mostly handling her pregnancy quite well.

  Better than the waiter who had just taken Plynx’s order for octopus, apparently.

  “I reise that it’s a crime against Italian cuisine,” Vivian said, “but I’m pregnant. It’s a craving. I will likely demand several more ary crimes against other cuisines over the couple of months.”

  “Either way... pickles on a pizza? That... that is not... the chef will be offended I would eveion such a thing,” the waiter said, shaking his head.

  “You-Neapolitans have one pizza already named for the queen who ordered it, no?” Plynx asked.

  “I... yes?” the waiter replied with clear fusion.

  “Well, Vivian-wife is also a queen. You ame the pizza after her and tourists-Ameri will definitely order it to feel very fancy,” Plynx expined.

  That was ohing that was on to tourists from many pces. Stick the name of a celebrity on something and they wao try it. Royalty was a great way to make state sponsored celebrities and was about 80% of the reason any royal families still existed in the gaxy. Once you removed any political power from them and cut down the expenses enough they more than paid for themselves.

  Though, sitting across from her, Bokarza represehe primary exception to that rule: high level positions in bureaucrailitary and structures being turned into family businesses. Again, they were subservient to elected officials, and generally saw interaining bined with an in- meritocracy to keep up petence, but Plynx still saw the idea as dangerously close to the idea of authoritarian monarchies like the First Dynasty had been.

  Ah, but that wasn’t the primary matter at the moment. Instead it was watg the waiter’s face as he seemed to gh all the stages of grief before realising both that: Vivian and Bokarza were much bigger than him, which clearly intimidated him; and that Plynx had been correct. A new royal pizza type, uo the hotel, would sell to tourists. Whatever they put on it. Especially Ameri tourists, who still came in signifit numbers despite the whole... situatiohere ever siheir dealings with aliens had been revealed.

  “Very well. I shall make yuments to the chef, but I ot make any promises,” the man said, still managing to hold onto some dignity in showing his disdain for the cept.

  “I’ll have an the parmesan eggpnt, please,” Bokarza added, causing the waiter to let out a sigh of relief.

  It took a fair while for the man to return, this time apanied by a chef who had apparently bee rather too irrate to mao speak English. Unfortunately for him, his aggressive haures were apparently misinterpreted by security as threatening and a number of agents emerged from their surroundings to form a barrier between him and Vivian, O’ktaubr’s holographi having joihem. After Bokarza and Plynx calmed the security down the chef arently frightened into making Vivian’s order.

  A few minutes after that the trio were eating, Vivian sending her pliments to the chef for managing to incorporate the pickles so well. Though the look on the waiter’s fad the way he whispered to himself after leaving human earshot left Plynx rather certain he saw that as rubbing salt in the wound and so he was not passing it on.

  Whatever the case, Vivian was voracious and devoured her pizza before either alien mao finish their meals. A fact that proved deeply fortuitous as Svetna strode into the room, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Well, more specifically due to the fact that Svetna was being followed by her mother, father, and her father’s parents.

  “Wife-family! It is a surprise to see you,” Plynx said, standing up to give a polite tap of her ears iing.

  Bokarza also stood partial up, only to have her tail get caught in her chair and then have Svetna pce her hands on the rger woman’s shoulders to keep her seated. Whether that was because Svetna saw standing as unneeded formality or to keep Bokarza from damaging the furniture Plynx could not say.

  “Of course I brought them. I couldn’t go to Italy and not invite my grandmother,” Svetna said.

  “Which is very appreciated, dear,” Svetna’s grandmother said on her walk over to the table, “though I do--well, first, I wish to repeat that I fully accept your being a woman now, but... must you really tio wear such low cut tops and dresses? Not only are you my granddaughter, but you’re also royalty now.”

  “My chest is just so brand new, I’m still excited about it, nonna,” Svetna mumbled while she pulled the chair out for her grandmother to sit.

  “I suppose you’re allowed that, especially after all those years actally living as a boy,” her grandmother replied with a small nod.

  Clearing his throat slightly, Svetna’s grandfather also took a seat at the table. “I hope you don’t mind if we order some food now, even though you three lovely young dies are nearly done your meals?”

  “Oh, not the at all,” Plynx said.

  “I was thinking about a bit more, actually,” Vivian added. “Being both tall and pregnant, I think I might least three servings... they simply don’t fill the ptes like you do, grandma Fuji--wait. I’m a Fujikawa now. What should I call you two?”

  “Grandma Fiamma or nonna both work for me, Vivian dear,” the older woman replied. “The same is true for the rest of you... as strange as it is to me that Svetna married all of you.”

  “And Grandpa Ken or jiji work plenty well for me,” her husband added. “Now where’s that waiter?”

  “Probably giving us space so you rethink your pn to eat only risotto while you’re here,” Fiamma muttered to her husband as Svetna and her parents found their seats.

  “I reend the polpo, Ken-grandfather,” Plynx said with enthusiasm, hoping to help the man not order risotto due to that being a poor choice for unclear reasons.

  She simply hadn’t ordered it because it had far to mu the way of grains.

  “Pol--oh yes! That is a good--” he started to say, before his wife interrupted him.

  “Try something a little less Japanese, dear.”

  “... alright, alright. I’ll need some time for that,” the elder Fujikawa said softly, before dropping to a whisper Plynx suspected no one else at the table could hear. “I hope spaghetti isn’t too close to ramen for her.”

  “Could I order the polpo, mother?” Svetna’s father asked.

  “Of course, sweety,” Svetna’s grandmother replied.

  Vivian, Svetna, and Svetna’s mother all seemed to be doing their best not to ugh at the dynamics of the previous geion of the Fujikawa family.

  B yet another pne, Svetna did at least have to admit she’d thhly ehaind. The weather was he food was great, and the popuce were very weling to her.

  It was also o know there was only one more stop on her current tour, which was both the most exg yet most nerve wrag: Japan.

  One advao not officially being part of the royal family was that Thisbe had somewhat more freedom to travel on her own. Sure, she wasn’t allowed to hunt anymore (even though her strategy had always been to fight in self defense), but it did mean that she was allowed to head out in the Akihabara eleics distri her own.

  It was the pce for retro games. This was so much better than a fresh meal.

  After a few stores, gathering a couple of rare games, she reached a store that ying some sort of evening interview tv. The shoparently very popur, everyone iore having gathered around to watch.

  Curious, Thisbe leaned in to see, and was amused to discover it lynx being interviewed. It was clear she had not been prepared for how popur she would be as a cat girl from an alien warrior culture in Japan. Every time her ears twitched the gathered shoppers leaned.

  While Vivian was the one who was nearly seven months pregnant, it was Svetna who was being dramatically emotional. Laying ooma the very rge executive suite bed, she hadn’t spoken for a several minutes. At a few points Vivian hadn’t beeain she was breathing at a few points.

  “It didn’t go that poorly, did it?” Vivian asked.

  Svetna mumbled something into the mattress.

  “Pardon?”

  Turning slightly, Svetna raised her head a little. “I utterly botched it.”

  “How? You were just exging some pre-agreed to pleasantries,” Vivian replied.

  “I froze up and fot every single Japanese word I know... I’ve embarrassed the entire Fujikawa family name,” Svetna said. “How do I recover from doing that in front of the Emperor of Japan? He’s not even just a king. He’s an emperor.”

  “And you’re an empress. Of the gaxy,” Vivian pointed out.

  That didn’t seem to be enough to improve Sveltana’s mood, so Vivian turhe tv on to watch Plynx’s interview. Which had, somehow, turned into Plynx doing an obstacle course, the eudio audience going wild over her cat girl energy as she scrambled and dodged across the gaps.

  Blinking, Svetna sat up to watch for a few moments of silence, before some sort of hope seemed to wash over her.

  “Right. I could do that sort of stuff... I should show off O’tmyil’s armour form too,” Svetna said, before a fsh of realisation hit her and she pulled out O’tmyil’s dis to wake her up.

  “Yes?” O’tmyil asked, now in hologram form and sitting in the nearby plush chair.

  “You speak Japanese, right?”

  “はい,” the blue woman replied.

  “ you use your form shifting abilities to pretend to be me for the meetings tomorrow?” Svetna asked, hands csped together in prayer.

  “That would not work. It would be detected by security sweeps,” O’tmyil replied.

  “Ohh... right,” Svetna mumbled, staring down at her crossed legs for a few moments, before theied again and turning to O’tmyil once again. “What if I mildly electrocute myself so we s again?”

  “Svetna, don’t do that to yourself just to give a better first impression to some old guy who ’t even affect the rest of your life,” Vivian said.

  “I just don’t--it was so embarrassing!” she protested, flopping bato the bed. After a few moments of silence she spoke up once again. “Imagine if you fot ese while meeting some important ese... uh, person.”

  “Well, that just wouldn’t happen,” Vivian replied smugly. “My parents forced me to go to weekly tonese lessons until I was 18. Whereas about seventy pert of your Japanese exposure was anime and monster movies. With the rest being karate lessons.”

  Sitting up, Svetna seemed to have run out uments, but clearly didn’t want to accept that she had lost. As such she had pulled out her best puppy eyes, aimed right at Vivian.

  “Alright, your majesty, let’s ge the subject so you’re a little less sad,” Vivian said, leaning in to kiss her wife.

  The hunger with which Svetna respoo the kiss reminded Vivian just how busy she had been tely, uo spend much quality time with any of her wives. Vivian was more than gd to make up for some lost time, even if she khe pregnancy meant she had a little less energy than usual. Allowing her hands to move downa’s body once she’d pihe shorter woman against the bed she mao get a satisfying whimper from her wife... and O’tmyil, who she’d slightly fotten was in the room with them in the heat of the moment.

  The whimper from O’tmyil was not meant as an awkward reminder of her presence, however. It was driven by the mental bond the alien AI had with Svetna due to her teically primary fun of serving as protective armour for the gactiarchs.

  Reag over to where the other woman was seated one hand, Vivian pulled her onto the king sized bed as well. When she had access to both of them at the same time Svetna and O’tmyil made the most delightful noises. At least in Vivian’s opinion.

  Annoutinuing to write. There's a two chapter buffer on patreon for anyone impatient for more. (Or if anyone just wants to support me. That would be very appreciated.)