Major Thread Fortuna Vitrea Est

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii was aware of the fact he was decently good-looking in the eyes of the public. Not that he heard it too often, but the amount of beasts, foxes and not, female and sometimes male, who told him so, was enough to believe it was the case. That however have only once before caused such heated reaction from anyone. And even then, the waitress in front of him was behaving in a way Kaii had no experience with. It was true that he had, in general, not too much experience in such matters. Still, he was, to say the least, confused with her words and act alike.

"Don't worry." He settled on calm, accepting tone, for the lack of better option. "We all happen to say words too hastily. I am honoured however for your trust in my touch." The only thing Kaii knew for sure was that he wished not to be rude. Emotions of each' beast were strongly engrained in the way their body reacted. And while the marble fox achieved level of control over it, even he knew that strong instincts were hard to overcome. Thus there was no need to cause harm with unbecoming words.

Kaii did put his own plate of cake into her paws, as per his previous words, while turning to his two friends who were enjoying the cake. Just in time to notice duke Talinn getting to them. "Your Grace." He stated giving a saikeirei bow to his benefactor. "A likewise pleasure to see you and to know your condition is getting better. I too hope you are enjoying the party. Even despite the apparent turbulences and the usual games." The todd got up and examined the Duke while Silvertongue was giving him a slice of cake. Per his words, it was indeed in the colours of his dynasty.

The conclusion struck Kaii like a thunderbolt. This cake was meant to get to him! It all made sense now! The vixen by Kaii's side mistakenly gave the cake to him. Albeit the two were not similar at all, neither in fur, markings nor clothing. That's aside the obvious age difference. He leaned to the server vixen and whispered into her ear the truth. "Miss, if you were to give the cake to the minister... that would be the fox on the wheelchair. Duke Talinn Ryalor. I appreciate your goodwill in giving it to me, it is flattering. Still, I will leave to you that information. If you wish to keep that little blunder between us, I for sure won't tell anybeast." Then he leaned back, letting her to decide what to do with his observation.

Now, Kaii focused fully on his friends and their attempt to share the news. While he wished to say it for them in order to help, he knew it was very important for them to say it themselves. He addressed the Duke first. "Please your Grace, give them a moment. It is of great importance to the two." Then he moved behind them and put his paws on their shoulders, softening his voice into kind warmth. "Be not afraid, gather your strength and let the words flow. You two have my support." He then took a step back, ending by the waitress again while giving encouraging smiles to them.

@Mina Rose Brewer @Talinn Ryalor @SwifttailTheFox @Silvertongue Songfox

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo let out a shallow whimper. He used to be very strongly affected by the idea of being a masculine, strong todd. Came with the fact it was seen as a good thing among the criminal gang he was running with. At the same time, over recent years, he saw the flaws of it, in huge part thanks to his interest in anarchist matters. The idea of drawing confidence from masculinity was still something that held some control over him, but he knew that it was, just an idea. More of a social construct really. After taking a moment to swallow hard, he pulled himself up to her so that he could whisper into her ear.

"Make me unrecognisable. I trust ya. And ye're the one am okay with tryin' to break 'em shackles of social expectations stuck in me head."

With that he leaned back into the chair. He wasn't fond of this, but safety was better than notions that were made to limit a beast.

@Marianna Furotazzi

 

[Marie "Whisper" Deftclaw]

As soon as the first screams and sound of fighting started, Whisper scrambled to hide behind one part of the curtain. Sitting there in fetal position, tail curled around themselves protectively, silently crying in fear for their own life. They were in no way a fighter and their weak, tiny body could be possibly broken with a strong hit to her back. They were very fragile and thus, being a coward was the only option to survive. Even if Whisper constantly loathed themselves for this inability to do anything while good beasts were fighting for their life. Truly a pathetic picture of a useless beast.

When another beast run into them, they did only let out a sharp whimper, they didn't talk. In fact they couldn't talk, nor even lift their head. Whisper was too terrified. If that was the murderer they only hoped for swift death, no matter how scared of it this fox was.

Hearing instead a question, inquiry into their wellness at that, the fox couldn't still speak as they were trying to contain impending total breakdown into tears. The only reaction they could do was to slowly raise the head, showing their eyes filled with tears, fear and hopelessness.

@Caden S. Freemont

 

[Alwyn Ryalor]

Alwyn watched with a smile as the vixen carefully helped to take care of Finnian, and then made her departure, where his gaze lingered on her a bit longer than was customary. A good vixen, and one he might be interested in for more than just an occasional night of fun, too, given her caring and gentle character, though he was aware of his family’s and own propensity to go for vixens who tended to be a bit...formidable...given his father’s choice, his dead uncle’s choice, and, although Caden was certainly not a vixen or even a female and he had no idea how the dandy relationships worked, Daniil’s choice. He wondered if this was a subtle means of rebellion for the males of the family who rarely directly confronted their superiors, instead choosing to continuously marry or fall in love with partners who were not exactly the most aristocratic and cultured individuals their parents might wish for.

I wonder what that says about our family...perhaps...one day I will seek out the consultation of one of those new psy-chai-a-trists about it.

Turning his attention to Finnian, he knelt down towards the precious kit, and smiled.

“Aye, you may be right.” He gave the kit another pat on his head-he could not seemingly resist the headpatting “...At your age, that might seem strange, but, in a few years, you will understand more. Besides, not all femmes are too bad, nay? You and your friend Cricket, for example.”

Although I wish I could give him some sort of guidance on what a healthy relationship looks like. I had Annabelle before her disappearance and death, but we were so young, and, well, our family and extended family’s relationships are not exactly normal…

He gave Finnian a nod as he suggested he was hungry and was about to laugh at the suggestion that he could just eat cake when the chandelier started to drop and was arrested with a rather loud clattering of the various crystals. Instinctively, he grabbed Finnian with both his arms, his polearm clattering to the ground, and dove in to the center of his formation that likewise instinctually closed around them with a literal wall of steel to keep him safe if this was a prelude to an attack. After a few tense moments, though, nothing seemed to happen. Putting Finnian back on the ground, he whispered to him.

“Just stay here for a moment, Finn.”

Standing up, he peered over to the stage. Asta-Caden’s daughter looked like she was quivering in fear, and he could already spot Daniil running over to the grab her and take her off the stage. Cursing under his breath and knowing he owed Caden, he gave Finn another headpat as he quickly spoke.

“I need to go get someone, maybe a new friend for you, you just stay here where it is safe, okay?”

Alwyn stood up, retrieved his polearm, then talked to his Sergeant, Oscar, one of the many stoats whose family had been in the Guard for centuries when it was much more literally Stoatorian.

“Oscar, guard him with your life.”

“Sir! As commanded sir!”

Hurrying over to the stage, he reached it about the same time as Daniil did, enough to hear his words. He, too, glanced up, but carefully used the shade of his helmet and a few tricks to clear his eyes enough to see the body above.

Kitsune...what the 'Gates are the Mom’s beasts and the Umsmudgables doing? Of course such an event would invite assassins, but to make their disposal so risky and obvious?

“Guardsbeast Daniil!” He not-quite-shouted at his cousin to get his attention as he made it onto the stage at the same time. “I admire your dedication to protecting a charge, but its execution leads something to be desired. We never protect alone if we can help it-it is much easier to overwhelm just one of us-much harder to do so with twelve. Come back to the formation and bring her with you-she’ll be much safer there than trying to push through alone into the Atrium amongst a bunch of unknown beasts and an unclear situation. We will then figure out the best way to extract if necessary.”

@Caden S. Freemont @Dusk Rainblade @FinnianBrightfur

 

[Talinn Ryalor]

Talinn was in an unusually good mood as he listened to the three foxes formerly assigned to him-it was rare to have beasts actually be happy and show genuine concern for him. Perhaps this was a reward from the Kitsune for his attempting to be a better beast after his experience in the afterlife. He still had much, much work to do that on that account, but he was slowly, painfully doing so. He knew what Silvertongue, Silvie were going to tell him, and he could simply state that it was already known as a show of his prescience, but, on the other paw, listening to them graciously and then regally considering the information and graciously accepting it could perhaps be more useful to him and endear them further to him. He decided to go with the latter option. Besides, it was an opportunity to gently mentor Silvertongue on an aspect of leadership.

“You have my permission, Silvertongue,” he said gently “being able to say difficult things, especially your superiors when you have been given leave to speak, is an important element of learning to command, which I am sure you will need under Captain Gyles.”

@Mina Rose Brewer @Silvertongue Songfox @SwifttailTheFox @Kaii Nashirou

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn seemed somewhat evasive when Alwyn knelt down. The kit was normally quite attentive when others were speaking to him, especially adults. It seemed like something else was troubling him.

Why was Alwyn taking such interest in him? He always spoke so... caringly. No, more than that! Nurturingly! Finn didn't like it! He was a decorated war veteran! He didn't need any of this NURTURING stuff! In any case, Finn knew that Alwyn meant well, and he didn't want to be disrespectful. Finn lent Alwyn his ear, tail swishing idly behind him as he listened.

"...Besides, not all femmes are too bad, nay? You and your friend Cricket, for example!"

Finn's ears snapped back against his head to hide the flush, and he frowned. "It's not like that!" he retorted angrily. "She's just..." he hesitated, searching for the right words. None came to him though, and he began to get flustered. "We're not... it's just..." he stammered, before being yanked into the security detail.

While the interruption mercifully broke the attention away from him and Cricket, the safety bubble of the guard was beginning to chafe Finn's independent spirit.

"Gauh... Alwyn!" he protested, standing up to smooth out the rumples in his coat. The fox, however, had quickly gone off to see about some other beast, and left him alone. Frustrated with being treated like a little kit, the gears began turning in his head.

He was going to misbehave.

Sullenly, Finn watched the guardbeast assigned to him out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't keep watch forever, now could he? Finn just had to wait for the right moment. Several opportunities arised, but each seemed too risky in the moment. Testing the waters, Finn casually lingered closer to a buffet table to see if his charge would follow.

Sensing the right moment, Finn slipped away. His years living on the street instantly kicked in -- and he effortlessly swam through the dense crowd of beasts like a fish. Not a single misstep, or a single jostle. He was gone without a trace! His fur bristled with excitement, and a mischievious grin of delight spread over his muzzle. Ooooh. Oh he'd done it! He'd gotten away with it! THIS IS WHAT IT MEANT TO FEEL ALIIIIVE!!! But it wouldn't be too long before the Stoatie figured out he was missing. Finn reckoned he only had a few precious seconds to get as much distance as he could. Gracefully, the kit made his way through the crowds -- right until he noticed a particular gecko crawling out from under a table.

The stakes just rose even higher. Finn froze for a second, and his eyebrows pinched together as he remembered her anguished cries. He still felt awful about that. A lump formed in his throat, but he swallowed it down. No, now wouldn't do any good to dwell on the past. How did Alwyn do it so smoothly?

Drawing up to the trio, he casually leaned on a nearby table. Flashing a wry grin, he greeted them. "Heeey Cricket! Funny finding you here!" The table, however, was one of those high round three legged tables, and not meant for leaning on. It wobbled precariously, and Finn quickly grabbed it to keep it from tipping over. A tall necked glass of champagne nearly toppled off, but his paws reached out in a flash, and set it back upright.

"W-whoops! Heh heh..."

 

[Mina Rose Brewer]

Mina Rose's eyes widened as the handsome 'minister' who had embraced her moments before quietly and considerately set the record straight. She blushed, as much at the kindness he showed her in minimizing her humiliation as at that humiliation itself. Still, she could tell that there was some big announcement in progress, something earth-shattering to these beasts - and Mina Rose had a magnetic attraction to gossip. Not that she necessarily spread it; she just loved to know everything about everyone. If it occasionally came in handy to know something she probably shouldn't, well, that was just a peripheral benefit.

Carefully the vixen placed the plated and untouched slice of cake, plus the accompanying fork, into the true minister's lap. "Fer ya, Min'ster," she murmured, pulling back swiftly and looking to the other foxes with interest. Whatever they had to say, it was going to be juicy, she could tell.

~~~

Marianna didn't need any encouragement; the moment that Ivo gave his permission, she grabbed a large brush and started applying powder liberally to his face. Contour was next, lifting the angle of his jawline, highlighting his cheekbones and adding blush to his cheeks; then she went in with eyeliner, mascara, and a rich purple eyeshadow, applying each carefully, making sure to give neat wing-tips with her brush. "Wait here," she urged. "I'll be right back." She scurried off to the coatroom, returning swiftly with not only a gorgeous lavender waistcoat and a pink stole, but with a gray wig cut in a bob that she'd apparently lifted from somewhere. "Put this on," she urged, passing him the coat and stole, then focused on properly affixing the wig, passing his ears through slits. She looked over him critically before adding, "Right, almost forgot. Purse your lips." She took out another small tin and, with a tiny, bristly brush, carefully applied a layer of crimson to his lips. "There," she declared, pulling away and examining her work. "Completely unrecognizable. Also, if you're going to speak, focus more on softening your tone and less on pitching your voice up. Males especially tend to read soft-spoken as feminine even if the pitch is lower."

She started gathering up her cosmetics, glancing about the room. "Where is this informant of yours anyway?"

~~~

Daniil started at Alwyn's admonishment, his ears flattening at the criticism. Alwyn was correct, it wasn't proper protocol; indeed, it was a failure that had led to several near miss attempts on the life of Alwyn and his siblings while Daniil had been charged with their protection. "Sorry sir," he replied automatically, his tail tucking between his legs. He glanced to Asta apologetically, explaining, "This is my cousin Alwyn. He's safe to be around, I promise. Right now we need to protect you until Caden gets back."

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue took a deep breath, reflecting on this moment and regaining his courage. Even if all else failed, Kaii was there to support him, and he would be a powerful ally in the days, months... even years to come. He grasped Swifttail’s paw in his own, before addressing Talinn. “Captain- I mean, Duke Talinn. Over the course of our time together on the Hide… Swifttail and I… we’ve fallen in love with each other, and… well, I fully intend to be in a relationship with him, publicly, regardless of whether or not it will be fully accepted or understood. Our emotions are something we can’t deny, and I can’t in good conscience hide it for any longer.”

Having said his piece, he stood with baited breath, squeezing Swifttail’s paw tightly for comfort.

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo really went through all five stages of grief in one minute. He denied that it was in any way hurting his pride, but such a lie angered him. Thus he tried to explain to himself that it was necessary. Inability to avoid it made him depressed and finally, a longer moment after Marianna was done, he just sighed with acceptance. He knew of some todds and vixens that were born the other way around, yet acted in the way they've desired to be. He wasn't at all one of them, but there was no shame in it. Bravery even to fight against the establishment, something that deeply resonated with his beliefs. He was fighting for his freedom, and social norms were also a thing he should be unbothered with,

Thus he followed her advice. He wasn't horrible with voice acting, but doing effeminate voice was the first for him. It took him a moment to finally realise one thing. His memory was good, he remembered a lot of Marianna's mannerisms and little things she did. That is what he could take from. And thus, with a smile, he mimicked her timbre of voice, also putting more care to his articulation than usual. "Thank you. I think he moved to the auditorium now. Still, am grateful, though I hope you're fine with being seen courting another vixen in public." He moved and left a peck on her cheek. There was now new playfulness in his movements, one that came from being still young and rather mischievous when given a chance.

@Marianna Furotazzi

 

[Matisse Dubois]

With Caden and Daniil swiftly on the move, Matisse thought it prudent to at least show willing; it was not difficult considering he was already concerned with what was taking place. He followed the two onto the stage as they saw to Asta, scanning the scene above with arched brows. Impactful, if obvious. Considering the proliferation of Rangeblades posted up top, he presumed anything untoward would be duly dealt with. The deeper question was why and how this had come to pass. Still, his duty was not to go chasing other assassins and neither did he as yet feel inclined to risk his life on the protection of Caden.

A todd decked out in all the finery of a soldier was on the scene moments later castigating the grey todd for the situation he had just been thrust into. Matisse could have laughed at the beast’s poor luck. He was not in such a generous mood as to defend him for the fact he had been given mere seconds to respond: instead he turned his head lest the amusement be detected before his expression could master it. In doing so he thought for an instant he recognised a flash of red fur in the crowd. It was there and gone in an instant, however, and so too was his focus on the matter. His focus returned to the confident fox, feeling a pang of simultaneous resentment and….something else he could not place. The life of a guard was supposed to have been his own, all those seasons back. It was like looking at a mirror of a future which could never have been his own.

“Ser, if I might be so bold,” the sable interjected politely as he approached the guards, ears flattening amidst the noise of the spectacle, “ - I work for M.A.U.L by and by, here at the grace of the Duchess – the situation is rather quite clear if you look up. Most of what is happening here right now is panic. If you and your guards are needed for more than organising beasts, I would be more than happy to escort the performers towards the safer occupied areas of the building.” It was not an entirely selfless suggestion: Matisse was keen to find a reason to get closer to Dusk and seek her instructions.

@Daniil Ryalor @Alwyn Ryalor @Asta Dalgaard

 

[Cricket]

As the room’s energy took a turn for the chaotic, Cricket, who had been too far under the table to understand why, watched on in confusion as the arctic vixen tried to restore order in the general vicinity before accepting the older todd’s request. She was hard-pressed not to pull faces at the vixen, settling instead for smug victory in the face of the room’s disquiet.

Unblinking eyes turned to the Ironclaw as she began to creep out from her hiding space. Cricket was well aware she was severely underdressed for such an occasion: it had hardly mattered when she had imagined herself in hiding the entire night. Now out and standing in a room of smartly-dressed adults of all shapes, sizes and ranks she felt especially vulnerable and so more defensive. Her tail curled a little tighter, eyeing Jeshal warily.

“Wha’, somebeast’s dead?” she asked, unable to disguise a tinge of excitement before she remembered herself. “I wouldn’t know much about fancy parties, but if they all get like this I might like ‘em.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as she leaned up towards the todd. “Why did you vouch for me, anyways?”

Before she could receive her answer another beast joined the conversation and Cricket’s reaction was immediate. “Finn?!” There was still so much she wanted to ask about his adventures – or misadventures. There was relief, excitement, a certain amount of respect for this todd’s seemingly impossible way of navigating the dangerous world around him.

In the end she settled for cuffing him about the ears before pulling him into a quick embrace. “You moron! You nearly died again an’ this is how you come say hello?! Idiot. I was worried sick about you, you know. You should see what’s left of that house – well what ain’t left. You’re goin’ to end up in history books, you are! How are you feeling?”

Turning to grin up at her elders, still wary of the arctic vixen, she slung an arm about Finnian’s shoulders and nodded to Jeshal in the way she believed these hoity-toity types tended to when making formal introductions. “Oh! Here, this is my ol’ mate Finn, he went ta sea and nearly burned half the Slups down. Finn, this is..” Her snout wrinkled in a moment of recall. As yet she had failed to fully register his gauntleted paw. “Jeshal. He’s makin’ sure this lot don’t kick me out unfairly.”

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail’s paw tightened around Silvertongue’s in an answering squeeze, the earlier glow of the cake and the crowd still clinging faintly to him, but already paling under the weight of the moment. The sweet richness in his mouth seemed to curdle, not from any fault in the confection but from the churn of his own nerves.

He swallowed, glanced sidelong at Silvie, then back toward Talinn. "Aye. We thought it right to tell ye’ direct-like, sir."

Only as the words left him did the realization bloom in his mind... Had he just called the Duke 'mate' earlier!? Oh, gates! The memory made the tips of his ears burn hot. The great hall suddenly felt close, the press of beasts and the height of the chandelier weighing down on him. For a heartbeat, the festive din of the party faded to a distant hum, leaving only the sharp awareness of the Duke’s gaze.

He held it as best he could, tail stilling behind him, fighting the small but stubborn urge to shrink under the stare of one of the most powerful beasts in the Imperium. Swifttail fought the urge to shrink beneath it, tail stilling behind him.

But in that moment felt the solid, grounding presence of Kaii standing just behind his shoulder. The marble fox’s earlier words of support came back to him, steadying his breath. They weren’t alone in this; they had a truly loyal friend at their back, who had literally fought to near death for them back on Urk. The spiral ebbed as the room shifted back to normal, but he still bit his lip at the imposing figure of Minister of Innovation and Duke of Westisle, somehow still towering over them even in his wheelchair.

 

[Jeshal the Ironclaw]

Saved from deciding whether to lie to the gecko, Jeshal watched with amusement as a young fox, friends with this Cricket, approached and attempted to impress her. Whether it worked or not didn't seem to matter, for the two embraced. Jeshal kept half an ear on them for a moment as he glanced around again, eyeing the motions of authorities and nobles alike. He caught sight of Talinn speaking to the vixen he believed to be Mina Rose and felt his hackles rise. It really was like seeing a young, innocent version of Tanya, like the vision he had first seen of his wife those many years ago. Not in an attraction way, for even then he had felt differently about Tox. He supposed it was a newfound instinct of an uncle, prickling at the further influence of Ryalors.

He pushed his attention back to the dynamic youngsters, offering a friendly salute to Finn with his claw touching the brim of his cavalier.

"Well met, matey. Burnt the Slups, did ye? Caught a rumour of that 'longside a whiff to my snout," he said with a grin. "Love to hear the tale behind it."

@FinnianBrightfur @Cricket ​

 

[Minerva]

@Jeshal the Ironclaw @FinnianBrightfur @Cricket

Unfortunately for the trio. Now, after managing the crowd into being at ease, Minerva could return to them. She did catch some of what was said and while she couldn't care less for the other apparent crimes of the fox kit that came in, she still had to solve this matter before going anywhere further. A bit of action did energise her though and she was now slightly less grumpy as a result. Only a bit though.

"Kit." The Arctic fox looked at the fancy looking fox kit, thinking how they would survive a week in her homeland. "What is your name. Show your invitation or tell me who is your ward here." She asked, rather calmly, before turning to Jeshal and Cricket. "If you claim full responsibility for her actions, I have no problem." Minerva explained, knowing that since the place was already compromised, this was the best she could do.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii was standing behind his friends, fully smiling, even slightly showing his teeth like he rarely did, but it was warranted this time. He didn't want to interrupt the two lovebirds in their moment. Instead choosing to observe them while standing by the vixen waitress. Since he was the one knowing about the little secret of her mishap, seeing her blush he assumed she felt bad for the whole thing and while he still had some lingering confusion about her statements, he decided that showing to her they were equal was a good way to communicate that no harm was done. Thus, while still observing and awaiting his friends coming out, he found a moment to lean in and introduce himself.

Yet before he could speak, Silvertongue and Swifttail did it. They publicly admitted their love. Kaii beamed with pride, his tail slowly wagging behind him. He took the step to stand by their side, while turning to the wheelchair-bound Duke.

"Your Grace. I trust you have good conscience in matters as such. Please, do me, and them a favour and grant them your kago." Kaii proposed. Knowing that the Duke operating on the code meant that he would most likely understand how important this was, needing more than just his approval.

Kaii was also prepared, to add a few words on his own, but the ones of the Duke were most important here. He just wanted to offer his stalwart support for two foxes that were in love, because that was in his mind what true friends should do.

@Silvertongue Songfox @SwifttailTheFox @Talinn Ryalor @Mina Rose Brewer

 

[Marianna Furotazzi]

Marianna blushed as Ivo kissed her cheek, not wanting to inform him that she'd managed to make him into a rather attractive vixen. She didn't think what remained of his masculine pride would take it well - though then again, he'd surprised her thus far. "Well," she admitted, "it wouldn't be the first time." She blushed a bit as she offered Ivo a paw up, explaining, "I've courted a few vixens - and even a ferret jill once. Granted, we weren't public," she allowed, "but the Imperium is changing. For example." She nodded toward a section of the room where two todds were holding paws, speaking to an older todd in a wheelchair. "Falun is the same way," she added. "He's not picky about his partners, though he does prefer males, it seems; I think he gets along with their temperament better. Needless to say, given the more traditional attitude among some criminal syndicates, we don't go advertising our proclivities freely." She squeezed Ivo's paw as she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "This does give me some ideas, though - and I already know your size."

~~~

Mina Rose's eyes widened as, whatever she'd expected, it was entirely defied. There were todds who actually did that? She'd overheard table gossip once, from a sailor who was talking about a far away island with a population of solely males, and to which other males who didn't fit in would flee in order to be free. The things he'd described happening there had made Mina blush crimson and gave her some very interesting dreams for about a week. I'm gonna have them dreams again t'night, ain't I?

She didn't know what a koto was, or why one would be given to the beasts, but Mina Rose was extremely interested in seeing it delivered. She knelt, very slowly picking up the fallen platter of cake, most of which had survived the fall just fine. She rose, engrossed in the proceedings, and absent-mindedly began picking off pieces of floor cake and dropping it in her mouth as she watched. She wondered how the todds had come to find each other; surely admitting such took bravery, and even more to risk confessing attraction to a beast who might not reciprocate. Granted, she'd lived on an island with one other fox family, so it had been something of a foregone conclusion that she'd wind up dating Geremy, but still, she could imagine the difficulties of trying to find a mate being exponentially harder with this extra dimension to consider.

 

[Kal Goldtail]

@Izakis @Liza Fairpaw

Kal's instinct was to turn her head way from a fellow undressing femme, but then she started considering if that even was not modest in any way, besides matching the social expectations placed by mammals. Her thoughts ran in a quite dumb direction, considered the situation she was in.

"Oh, right on." She snapped out of her thoughts and moved towards the dead beast with decent amount of confidence and grace. She didn't spare them much look, as she would rather make sure that Liza is also saved. Would be nice to not lose her ticket to avoid questioning by other forces at play here, especially now that there were more and more beasts arriving on the catwalk. She sighed, hoping an opportunity to slip away will arise - though being caught during escape wouldn't exactly help her case. Small part of her wondered if they should be doing that and not, well, chasing the culprit or at least assisting the others with knowledge of beast's whereabouts, but who was she to judge. Seemed like sailor life was easier than being a Smudgie. And probably more organized.

 

[Ivo Suresight]

Ivo giggled, perhaps in a bit exaggerated way at Marianna's words. In particular the last part. Taking her paw he explained to her with a leisure smile. "Oh I know. I may seem sheltered to you, but hard not to be in comparison with your tastes." He gave her a knowing wink before continuing in the softest matter possible to him. His natural pitch being high-baritone was serviceable for his needs as he deemed. "Good amount of hooks and secrets I hold over beasts come from their fears about their lovers. Many times, those are like them two." He pointed at the two foxes Marianna nodded at earlier. "I have seen and heard a lot, maybe not tried as much as you did, but give me some slack for being a youngling." He chuckled before moving over closer to gather Marianna into his embrace, despite the difficulty his costume gave combined with the pain he still felt in his back.

"As for your ideas... I can indulge you maybe. This isn't really my thing buuut we can... compromise." He kissed her and added. "For tonight, have your fun with your new mistress, Iva." Letting go of her, he did a courtesy while holding the stole. Since this whole thing was already happening, Ivo just decided to have as much fun with it as possible.

 

[Izakis]

Izakis could only be grateful she had experience with holding others in ropes. In this case, it was actually quite a boon in safeguarding the two other femmes as they were getting to the corpse. There was a lot of unease with her coming from hearing the combat nearby, but it was somehow manageable by the thought she was doing something right, actively helping even. She never considered herself a brave beast, but she realised that her desire to help was much stronger than her cowardice.

The skink decided to focus at the vixen, now climbing to get to the corpse and how good they were at it. She herself knew there was no chance to do that, being not very strong overall. Still, Izakis couldn't help but admire. The body, finesse and the conviction at the same time.

That conviction was infectious. Izakis really started feeling part of the team. Thus she turned to the Smudgie with newfound fire in her eyes. "What now? I ssssuppose we cannot run now, but I am at your orders." She declared resolutely.

@Liza Fairpaw @Kal Goldtail

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Before Finn could register what was happening, the gecko had tussled his head and thrown her arms around him. Finn let out a burst of laughter as he staggered back a step, returning the embrace simply to keep from falling over. He reveled sheepishly in the playful scolding, tail picking up a gentle wag behind him. Haltingly, he opened his mouth to say something rather heartfelt -- but before he could, Cricket slung her arm around him and started making introductions.

"Awh Cricket, don't tell 'em about..." he said, ears flashing hot red. But it was too late, the proverbial beans had been spilled! Finn was normally a responsible little kit, and was mortified that he'd put so many at risk. Not to mention, the bad light it cast on the Hide and it's crew! The shame was his to bear though, and it was Cricket's perogative to remind him of it.

There was an old seabeast Finn's father knew -- long gone now. Grandfatherly type that was a stickler for pawshakes, who would tickle Finn's ribs if he didn't offer a proper one whenever they met. Jeshal seemed to be that type. Attempting a smile, Finn stepped forward and stuck his paw out to Jesh for a shake. "Pleased to meet you!" -- His prosthetic certainly caught him off guard, and Finn tried not to stare.

"Well met, matey. Burnt the Slups, did ye? Caught a rumour of that 'longside a whiff to my snout. Love to hear the tale behind it."

"O-oh, yeah. That... that was me..." he said, ears folding back. Every time he told the story, he felt even stupider. "I was looking for Cricket and... thought... fireworks'd help..." he explained, voice trailing off into a mumble. The humiliation was a little more than he could endure.

Finn offered a smile to Minerva, though it faded as she began interrogating them. Oh cripes, now he was gonna get thrown out? The fox's guilty conscience was in such a state that he assumed she was addressing him. Full responsibility for his actions? Aye, he could do that.

Gesturing over to Alwyn, Finn answered the first part of Minerva's question. "Oh... 'm with him..." he said, swallowing nervously. Tipping his head down shamefully, his shoulders slumped with contrition. "It was all my fault... it was really stupid, 'n Alwyn got burned try'na save me, and I scared everyone half to death. 'm really sorry Cricket."

@Jeshal the Ironclaw
@Cricket
@Minerva