As they had expected, Cassia was the first to step out of the carriage, assisted by one of the two men who had been riding up on the driver's box. Though he was dressed in a manner that could have blended into nearly any crowd, God's Eye revealed him to be one of soldiers brought along by Brandis. Cassia was dressed in a brown traveling dress, elegant but still simple, and, Fenrir noted, leaving her with enough freedom of movement to fight if necessary. She was followed by a girl with cat ears and a matching tail, in pants as opposed to a skirt, who gazed around her in an almost childlike manner at the estate and its surroundings.

  The two in the driver's box, with help from Cassia, soon had another woman comfortably arranged on a stretcher, this one a fox-woman. The care that was taken with her combined with her limpness had Fenrir immediately convinced that she was either sleeping or in a coma. As Brandis and America emerged from the manor and hurried to meet the newcomers, Katari addressed Fenrir.

  "The woman in brown is Miss Cassia; the two other women are sves we rescued during our assault on the svers in the capital."

  "Any reason why the fox woman seems to be unconscious?"

  "She was pced into an enchanted sleep. Without knowing the trigger required to awaken her, there was nothing that could be done."

  "I see." Fenrir surveyed the scene a few seconds more, greetings now being exchanged between the humans, then made up his mind. "Come, no point in putting the meeting off."

  Together they made their way out to the group at the carriage. Cassia's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline at the sight of Fenrir, but seeing Katari walking at his side and Safara reclining comfortably in his arms seemed to assuage her concerns for the moment.

  "Ah, hello," America said, turning to Fenrir as he approached. "Miss Cassia, this is Ser Fenrir. He helped us with the assault on this manor, and he's the master of Katari, Kira and Chellise. The one he's holding is Lady Safara. Thankfully we were able to find and rescue her before she became entirely lost to us, and thanks in part to Ser Fenrir's care, she's recovering from her ordeal quickly. Ser Fenrir, Lady Safara, this is Miss Cree. She has been helping us with dismantling the svers and is the one who wrote the message we received yesterday."

  "Ah, so you're the mysterious patron behind our Dark-race friends," smiled Cassia, "not to mention America's nighttime visitor of several weeks ago, or I miss my guess."

  "Guilty as charged," Fenrir smiled in return, inclining his head. "I've heard quite a bit about you from my girls; it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."

  "Likewise. I'd like to hear all about how you came to be here, but shall we take this inside first?"

  They all did as suggested, though when Fenrir looked at Cassia's two companions, he got a niggling feeling that there was something he ought to be remembering. Shrugging internally, he put it aside for ter.

  It being almost lunchtime, they all settled down with another of the estate cook's delicious meals before them. Once everyone had taken the first edge off their hunger, Cassia began asking questions, and between Brandis, America, and the two succubi who had chosen to join them for the meal, she was soon up to date on everything that had occurred since they had left the capital. In the presence of so many strangers, the cat-girl clung close to Cassia, but the fox-woman -or kitsune, as his companions informed him- was pced in one of the guest rooms, with a guard before the door just as a precaution.

  "America, why do you call him Ser Fenrir? Is he a knight of some sort?" Cassia asked. The conversation had splintered into separate smaller ones once everyone had finished updating everyone else.

  "I don't actually know," America admitted. "I started addressing him with the honorific because it didn't feel right not to." She gave Fenrir a little sidelong gnce, but he pretended to be unaware of their discussion, instead nodding along to Chellise's description of the gear she and Kira had gathered together.

  "He does have an undeniable air of authority," Cassia nodded. "I don't suppose he ever specified where he's from?"

  America shook her head. "No, all he would say is that wherever it is, it is far from here. He also called it his former homend, so I assume he doesn't intend to return."

  "Interesting." Cassia looked across the table at the form of the direwolf. "And he said the reason he is here is because of Lady Safara?"

  "Yes. I see no reason not to believe him though, he clearly cares a lot about her. You should have seen him when he confronted Lord Murtell. He was terrifying."

  "But he stopped when you asked him to." The statement was almost a question.

  "Yes. I didn't think he would, to be honest."

  "Hmm." Cassia took a moment to think that over, and when she spoke again, it was to change the subject.

  After lunch, Brandis took his leave first, saying he needed to get back to work and waving America off when she offered to join him. "No, no need. Get Cassia settled in first."

  As he left the room, Cassia fixed Fenrir with a penetrating look. "You seem to be quite worldly-wise, and my instincts say you're not a bad person. Tell me, what do you know about sleeping enchantments?"

  Fenrir shrugged. "Not much, only that-" He broke off as a memory rose unbidden in his mind, almost as if some third party had summoned it. "I assume this is about the kitsune?"

  Cassia nodded. "I suppose you've heard about her condition from your companions, then. Do you know if there is anything we can do, or failing that, do you have any leads on where we might learn more about her ailment?"

  "May I have a look at her?"

  "Certainly, if you think it would help." Cassia rose and led the way to where the kitsune still slept peacefully.

  As he followed the brown-haired woman, Fenrir was thinking. He had a suspicion as to what might prove the trigger that would awaken the cursed fox-woman, but there was little chance of him being permitted to pursue it. He decided not to mention it and instead see what God's Eye could tell him.

  Saeko ItsumiFemale KitsuneSage Lvl 43 – Elementalist Lvl 12Status: Unconscious (Mindbound)Abilities: Meditate, Restore, Fortify, Appraise, Lesser Summon Fire, Lesser Summon WaterKinks/Fetishes:prefers her partners to be sure of themselves, but not unkind – enjoys shibari, and to a lesser extent, other types of bondageDisposition Towards User:N/A

  'Mindbound, eh? It's looking more and more as though my suspicion is correct,' Fenrir thought. 'She's a Sage like Safara, but a higher level. I have to wonder what exactly Elementalist is, though.'

  He looked her over. She had a well proportioned body with full breasts and pleasantly wide hips, but it was her face that caught and held the eye. It was absolutely fwless, long shes sweeping a porcein cheek, her mouth small but perfectly formed, her brows straight and uniform. 'The very definition of the cool beauty,' Fenrir mused. 'If I hadn't seen a goddess with my own eyes, I'd be tempted to call her one.' He moved on to her straight bck hair, rge pointed ears poking through the locks at the top of her head, and then all the way down to where the ends of the raven strands were again parted, this time by two thick and very fluffy tails of the same color.

  Spoiler

  (Image by Ramachiru)

  [colpse]Aware that Cassia was watching him expectantly, he straightened and shrugged. "I'm afraid I can't be of much help at the moment. There is one thing I could try, but- no, best to wait. If you run out of other options, then we can revisit it."

  "What is it you have in mind?" Cassia asked. Her force of personality was such that despite her being considerably shorter than him, Fenrir felt as though she matched him in stature.

  "Just a hunch. It would be intensely personal, so I hesitate to pursue it considering she's unconscious and can't consent to the procedure."

  "I... see," Cassia said. "It may be worth it anyway. If we can't do anything for her, she may as well be dead. Worse, perhaps, since her soul is still trapped in her body. I know that if I were in such a state, I would want my friends to do whatever was necessary to save me, even if under normal circumstances I might be uncomfortable with it."

  "That does not mean she feels the same," Katari spoke up, "but I trust my lord."

  While she spoke, Fenrir's eyes fell on the cat-girl still following Cassia around. Her bold orange eyes looked out from under pronounced brows and made for what would have been a strong and decisive gaze, had the passive and empty light in them not ruined the effect. A cute button nose and slender jawline complemented her somewhat messy jet-bck hair, cut just long enough to brush her shoulders. Her ears were catlike, the right one tipped with white, as was her tail. Her figure was slender and girlish, but Fenrir could see she had a wiry strength which was belied by her short frame.

  Spoiler

  (Image by Sverhnova)

  [colpse]She met his eyes squarely without a hint of fear or hesitance. In fact, muted curiosity was the only emotion Fenrir could discern in her face. God's Eye brought up several very interesting details.

  TsavaniFemale CatfolkAssassin Lvl 26Status: Withdrawn (Traumatized)Abilities: Shroud, AcrobaticsKinks/Fetishes:--------- – ---------Disposition Towards User:wonders if his fur is soft – thinks his smile is nice

  'Huh. I've never seen something bnked out like that before- wait, no, I have. Violetta had that too, but hers was an ability. Tsavani here is what, twenty-four? Must be her traumatized state that has God's Eye making her seem almost like a child.' His eyes widened. 'Speaking of children...'

  Stepping forward to stand before the catfolk, Fenrir took a knee to bring their faces closer to level. Tsavani did not flinch or retreat, instead simply standing there observing him with that same muted curiosity. Cassia broke off what she had been saying to observe the proceedings. Fenrir could feel her readiness to step in if she thought it necessary, but for the present she seemed content to await developments.

  Reaching into his pouch, Fenrir found the battered old doll Marstolle had given him and pulled it out. Holding it out to her, he examined her face closely. Her eyes wandered over the toy, but she showed no other reaction for so long that Fenrir began to think he was mistaken. But just as he was about to give up and put the doll away again, he noticed tears building in the catfolk's eyes. Her expression did not change, but the tears overflowed and streamed down her cheeks unchecked. Trembling hands slowly reached out for the doll and taking it, crushed it to her chest with a broken sob.

  Following instinct, Fenrir wrapped the cat-girl in a hug, and with the contact, the dam broke, and she sobbed her heart out into Fenrir's shoulder, still holding the tattered doll close. He made no effort to stem her tears, only gently stroking her hair and waiting for her to cry herself out.

  It took a long time. Even after her sobs quieted, Tsavani made no move to leave Fenrir's embrace. After several minutes, he made to pull back, but she grabbed at him and whispered, "Just a little longer. Please."

  When she finally did pull away, her eyes had lost the vacant light. In its pce was defiance, shaky and hiding some other emotion beneath it, but still present. "Where did you get this?" she asked him, indicating her doll.

  "I was given it, with the instruction that I would know what to do with it when the right time came."

  "...Do you know my cn?"

  "Afraid not. You're the first catfolk I've ever seen."

  "Then who gave Tessy to you?"

  Fenrir shook his head in amusement. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

  Her eyes narrowed, and Fenrir suddenly realized what the emotion hiding behind her pique was. It was embarrassment.

  "I would say it's a good thing he had it. I was worried it would take you years to come out of your shell," Cassia said warmly.

  Tsavani colored, and muttered, "Thanks for taking care of me."

  Safara, whom Fenrir had ended up not carrying from the dining room to the guest suite where they now stood, stepped forward. "Where are you from?" she asked with a gentle smile.

  Tsavani hesitated.

  "It's fine, you can tell her," Fenrir said. "She won't betray your secret. No one here will, and if they do, they'll answer to me."

  "...I used to live in a small vilge near the Kharos mountains."

  Fenrir cocked his head. "Used to?"

  "I left home two years ago."

  Seeing her obvious reluctance to eborate, Fenrir straightened and turned to the rest of the room. "Well, Tsavani's reawakening aside, I don't think there's much I can do for the kitsune. I got distracted earlier, but would you be willing to teach me this afternoon, Katari?" Internally, he thought, 'If Miss Cassia can't find any way to help her before we leave, I might test my theory, but I'll let her do what she can first. That expert her letter mentioned may be able to undo the spell, in which case I won't need to do anything, but I'd prefer to avoid Citrinas getting involved, so if the expert can't do anything I'll go ahead and try to wake her myself.'

  "Of course, my lord," Katari responded, giving him a slight bow.

  "In that case, I'll take my leave. Did you want to come along, Safara, or would you rather stay here for the present?"

  "I'd like to come along, if you don't mind." Safara stepped forward, ready to be picked up.

  "If I did, I wouldn't have offered." Reaching out, he scooped the elf into his arms again and turned to leave, pausing only long enough to tell Kira and Chellise, "The same goes for you. Stay or follow, whatever you wish."

  "Sure, I'll come along," Kira said. "Even if I can't practice myself anymore, I can still learn something from watching you train."

  "Me too," Chellise chimed in.

  "Excellent, then let's go." Fenrir gave the two humans one st nod, then again turned to leave the room. As he did, however, he was surprised to hear Tsavani follow him to the door, staying well within arm's reach. He cocked an eye at her. "Anything I can do for you?"

  "Can I come along too?" Once again the cat-girl showed a prickly, almost defiant exterior, underneath which another emotion lurked, almost but not entirely hidden.

  "Certainly, if you want to," Fenrir shrugged. He gnced at Cassia, but she didn't seem to mind the cat-girl suddenly choosing to follow him around instead of herself, only giving him a slight shrug and the hint of a smile.

  He didn't miss how close Tsavani stayed to him as the party made its way out to the courtyard which had hosted his sparring match with Myrina the day before. Curious, he canvassed her with God's Eye again.

  TsavaniFemale CatfolkAssassin Lvl 26Status: UneasyAbilities: Shroud, AcrobaticsKinks/Fetishes:wants to feel in control during sex - has very recently developed a preference for fur as opposed to bare skinDisposition Towards User:feels he is a safe haven, though she is not sure why - is curious about who he is, and why even Light-races seem to respect him

  'That's quite a change from half an hour ago. Still, it means she's on the road to recovery at least, so it can only be a good thing. Also, 'has very recently developed a preference for fur'? I wonder what could have inspired that.' He smirked internally. 'It's a good thing the castle back home is so big, because if my family keeps growing at this rate, anything smaller would have us overflowing it before long.'

  Once out in the courtyard, Fenrir deposited Safara on the same bench as before. Kira, Chellise, and Tsavani also took a seat, ready to watch him train. He and Katari walked out into the courtyard where they would have plenty of open space.

  For the next quarter hour or so, Katari put Fenrir through various exercises to see what progress he had made since she had st seen him. He hadn't stopped training just because they had become separated, but there was only so much one could do alone. Without a sparring partner, too much practice would only serve to reinforce his errors since he wasn't being punished for them. She was satisfied with his progress, and they moved on to sparring. As always, her technical skill eclipsed his, but he was able to keep up due to his greater strength and speed.

  After another half hour, Katari stepped back, panting. "You have improved more than I would have expected, my lord."

  "But?"

  "There is little more I can teach you. There is still benefit to be gained by sparring, but you now know almost all I do in the use of polearms."

  "Hmm. It'd be good to have some skill in every commonpce weapon, so why don't we devote some time to practicing with swords, daggers, and bows from now on? I should probably learn how to handle a shield as well, and learn how to defend against magic."

  "I cannot help you much with the st one, but I agree, it would be wise to train with every weapon you may expect to encounter. Being skilled in the art of swordpy makes facing a swordsman easier even if you yourself are not wielding a sword."

  "Because I know not only what he wants to do, but all the methods he can use to do it," Fenrir nodded. "Alright, we'll do that from now on. I'll figure out the magic ter."

  He gnced towards the bench, where a lively conversation was taking pce. Kira and Chellise had fully accepted Safara by this time and now the three of them were attempting to pull Tsavani out of her shell and into the circle, with mixed success. As his ears caught a fragment of conversation, he smirked. Kira's strategy seemed to be to talk about him and let the cat-girl's curiosity do the rest of the work. He was gd, however; Tsavani needed to feel safe and among friends, and his girls' behavior was doing a lot to help with that. His smile still lingering about his lips, the direwolf turned his attention back to Katari and they recommenced sparring, this time with swords.

  TheBestofSome