Goodnight Sweet Prince [Sousuke]

[Sagasu Yume]

Was that a cat?

Sounded like a cat

But I don’t smell a cat

Their curiosity would be answered within moments as Sousuke returned with a feline creature in his arms. By the conversation she over heard there were more than one but they must have been left outside. At first she didn’t know how to react, cats and dogs had a natural dislike of each other, but her interest in the new species urged her forward. Initially the fox held the same interest, however once the creature was revealed he scurried against the wall to put as much distance between him and the Lyron as possible.

Are they mechanical like Kitchenzilla? Or are they organic metal? I suppose it goes without saying that I’m a bit of a dog person myself, though perhaps… more dog than person. Yes, that was a joke. Regardless, I spent some time around Nekozuka Kimi and became a little more comfortable with felines.

Yume remembered that so-called circus well as she tended to a few patients that were affected by their neurotic stunts. Taking a few cautious steps forward, glancing between mother and cub, she came to stand next to Sousuke with her hand hovering in the air, unsure if she wanted to pet the baby Lyron or not. Inch by inch, she would lower her hand pulling back a little afraid if it swatted and the continuing forward again slowly. Eventually her digits would safely touch down on the cub head and softly stroke from between its eyes to its ears, focusing to control her natural flight reaction to such obvious predators.

It would make sense that they follow you. If you’ve been able to best Maximus then that would naturally instate you as the pride leader. You’re very gentle with small animals. I could only imagine how you would be with kits… er… children.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke could see that Yume was at odds with herself. More than likely due to her heritage more than anything else. He watched as CuRua scurried off. "Careful CuRua don't go too far. Maximus can open a door. Usually ... it gets very loud but he gets annoyed quickly and sometimes bats the knob off."<i></i> Sousuke warned. He didn't want to see CuRua run into a full on panic like the time he met a clay familiar. "CuRua come back. Infinite isn't a threat."<i></i> Sousuke would sigh and bounce the kitten on his knee, playfully of course. Yume inquired if they were organic metal. Sousuke would nod his head. "Infinite's skin has yet to truly harden."<i></i> The little cub would let out a cry as if to challenge the statement.

When Yume patted the cub, there was a sort of content meow coming out. The cry was one of a slight metallic nature. On the other side of the glass wall Zero looked like she was about to pounce through the glass, but she didn't. It was probably due to Sousuke giving the adult Lyron a very reassuring look. The Lyron's paws skidded down the glass and the creature merely looked back. A sort of 'sad kid' look came from the adult creature as she realized that Yume would bring no harm to the youth. In fact it almost seemed that the Lyron was interested in Yume too ... since she detected some sort of animal quality about the female too. When Yume spoke of the engagement with Maximus, the Steward would merely shrug. "I did bash ... Zero in the head too with the pommel of a sword... and I didn't slay Maximus I..."<i></i> Sousuke stopped as he watched the door knob begin turning. This was the door that Zero was on the other side of. "This is ... did Maximus teach her or did she teach him?"<i></i> He watched as the fiddling of the knob continued. It would take her some time to get past the knob, and not break it. Zero knew better than to break knobs.

When Yume spoke of Sousuke and children, Sousuke paused for a moment. "I've only ever dealt with teenagers... no true small children. Well... you could include Number Seven's child form, but that really doesn't count. On Okibi's birthday I had to handle her new puppies ... Zen and Peaches who I call Griefer and Lady. That was an interesting ... time because Griefer was ... biting at my ankles, and then I placed him in soapy water and managed to ... well groom him. I think he grew terrifed because Kitchy was still in her metal form, even now he's afraid of her..."<i></i> As Sousuke finished his sentence, the door knob turned and very slowly Zero entered the room. The lioness looked at Yume, at first it seemed like she was going to enter, but then she slowly backed away.

 

[Sagasu Yume]

The fox would scamper back under the threat of running into a larger Lyron, crawling under the Stewards chair for a measure of safety as he wasn’t as interested in them as Yume. The Inuzuka visibly relaxed as the cub responded with what she would assume to be purring. She considered asking to hold Infinite but by the uneasiness of Zero, she thought better of it. Her free hand rested on Sousuke’s shoulder to reassure her that he was close and that she would be safe.

That’s more interaction than I’ve had. I’ve seen my younger cousins but I’ve never cared for them. The closest I’ve come to caring for a child is in the maternity and pediatric wards. I’m good at keeping them calm but I’m certain that has a lot to do with CuRua letting them pet him.

The sound of the door opening would frighten Yume a little and she would shuffle behind the Steward, not even trying to hide the look of terror. As her affinity was with smaller canines, they had a habit of running and hiding to fight another day than confront obviously larger predators head on. Her fear turned to perplexity as the lyroness backed away slowly. Stepping out from behind Sousuke, Yume took a couple of steps toward Zero and held out her hand. Making sure to be fluid in her motions, she settled down onto her knees in an nonthreatening pose and spoke in hushed words. She didn’t know how much the creatures could understand of common words but her tone would be enough to convey her meaning.

Hello Zero. I’m Sagasu Yume, a fox maiden of the Inuzuka clan. Don’t be afraid. I would like to meet you. Please come and say hello.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Zero seemed to be just as fearful of Yume as Yume was afraid of her. The large cat had once engaged other 'human' females. Three of them being Okibi, Chiyoko, and Mako. In the case of Mako, the poor Lyron was challenged and shouted, harshly, only then to have Sousuke have a verbal disagreement with his grandmother. The Lyron never forgot the stinging feeling it had when Mako proceeded to poke her with the end of a lit cigarette. The Lyron was afraid of fire, and even that sent it into a sort of fearful frenzy. It took Sousuke three hours to comfort it and undo the damage using some of his blacksmith tools. That of course led to the creature trusting Sousuke even more. Okibi of course was loud and always with Tama who had a very fascinated and experimental look in his eyes. So, it was understandable why the female creature was hesitant at best in front of human females.

"It's okay Zero. Yume won't be loud or harsh."<i></i> Sousuke reassured him. The Steward placed Infinite down. The cub rolled about on the floor and belly crawled her way to CuRua who was hiding under the chair. The baby Lyron let out several mewling noises and sought to investigate this new furry creature which was about the same size. There was no malice or foul intentions, just merely child-like light heard adventuring.

Zero took a step forward, but then took two steps back. "It's okay girl. Come forward."<i></i> It took some more coaxing to get the creature to come forward. Seeing those as her infant was working towards CuRua and not running back to her, it was a sign of sorts. The Lyron made a slow progression forward. Metallic paws meeting the floor tiles. Very soft sounding 'clanks' coming. Upon reaching Yume the creature would sniff her hand, and then with her nose she would meet Yume's hand. Yume would feel the pelt, well it wasn't so much a pelt as it was hardened steel. Finding Yume's touch pleasant the Lyron would then slowly pull back and sit down. It was now her turn to observe Yume. No doubt this was something she picked up from Sousuke. Afterall, the longer you lived with someone the more of their characteristics would be picked up. "Fascinating. I think this is the most pleasant encounter with a female possible. No rivalry. No absolute fear. Nothing just simple pleasantries."<i></i>

 

[Sagasu Yume]

For every inch that Infinite crawled toward CuRua, the further back he scooted; still not certain how comfortable he was with a creature that would eventually grow to be larger than him. If the lyrons grew similar to most large felines, in only a matter of weeks the cub would be double the size of the fennec fox while maintaining the playful attitude. There was no telling the amount of unintentional damage it could inflict.

It’s very kind of you but I must decline. I really must. Nothing against you. I’m certain that you’re a fine… gah

Either the cub didn’t understand the fox or chose to ignore him as she came within reaching distance and pounced on the Reynard, paws enveloping him as she inspected and sniffed, eventually venturing a lick which CuRua simply sat and tolerated. From the corner of her eye, Yume watched the exchange and suppressed a chuckle. It was good for CuRua to meet new people and take a break from being so stuffy. At the Stewards prompting, Zero eventually made her way forward and allowed the curious Inuzuka to touch her… Fur? Coat? Case? The two would separate after a moment and regard the other as they observed as many details as possible. The moment Sousuke finished his remarks, Yume did something that might appear as peculiar, but she was curious how Zero would respond.

First she crawled forward and sniffed at the lyroness, getting an understanding of how she smelt and adding it to her olfactory memories for future use. In a fluid motion, she would roll onto her back and expose her belly and throat. She wasn’t entirely okay with submitting to the creature, but she wanted to convey that she was in no wise a threat. As quick as she had exposed herself, she returned to an upright position, crossing her legs with a gentle smile.

I’m supposing that the women she has had the pleasure of meeting have been too frenetic for one of such a tortured past? A shame, really. It would be unfathomable to treat a rape victim with such disrespect, so why should an animal be denied the same privilege?

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Infinite pawed at CuRua playfully, but showing most interestingly a sort of vivid interest in the fox. The cub seemed to have inherited the obersation quality from Sousuke as the cub pawed at the fox. The Lyron cub would again give CuRua another lick for good measure. "New friend. New body. Like Infinite. What is this fluffy stuff? Feel nice." The cub would speak in the tongue of the beasts. The language was very child-like but the fact that the Lyron said its own name and said it without fault was something surprising. "Are you super-wee-ror? I want to be super-wee-ror."

Zero watched strangely as Yume laid down and exposed her belly and throat. The Lyroness would turn to Sousuke with a strange look which was perhaps confusion. The creature would strangely reach out and paw at Yume's leg. Upon making contact with the pant leg she would draw her paw back and then paw at Sousuke's pant leg. They felt the same, yet Zero had expected something different. It was a pleasant surprise though as the Lyron was making the general conclusion that Yume was alot like Sousuke ... save for when he was not in his armour of court. The Lyron would turn her head hearing the cub attempt conversation. "Do you ... Do you ..." There was hesitation present. "Do you have steel skin underneath like the Purple Pride Lead? His confuses me. Sometimes it is grey. Sometimes white. Sometimes black." The Lyron would look to Sousuke. "He's alot smaller without his fur. He's ... ... uhm ... ... he's not so scary. Not like Kravick. He tries to shine our coats which is really weird... is that normal? I don't think he realizes we can clean ourselves... but it's not a bad thing. Maximus doesn't like it but Maximus is ... well he's a male, and therefore too headstrong - he doesn't like being on the reciving end ofa helping hand. That one those is a ... different from most males, he smells like us, but isn't one of us. " It was random conversation, but conversation nonetheless.

Sousuke would say nothing as Zero was quietly making conversation the Steward wasn't capable of understanding beast speak like Tama was of course. "I've done my best to care for them. It has been an experience ... but one worthwhile. A little confusing sometimes ... but well ... I don't think having a lion follow you around daily for a few hours is ... a common occurrence."<i></i>

 

[Sagasu Yume]

Perplexed by the cub, the fox would do his best to be courteous, still not certain how much he cared for his proximity to the feline. Infinite’s gentle curiosity calmed him some and he did his best not to sound pious in his reply.

It’s called fur. It’s like your metal case… no… it’s not like that at all. It keeps me warm. I do not know if I am superiour but I think that I am more educated than most animals. You must be learning from Sousuke.

The touch of Zero’s paw to her leg made Yume tense up a little, resisting the urge to flee and simply letting the lyroness investigate as she needed. The tinny voice would resonate in growls that were almost like a different dialect to Yume but she was able to understand well enough.

I do not. I am just a human. I am able to turn into a fox and sometimes my fox can turn into a boy, but we do not have steel skin like Sousuke, your Purple Pride Lead. I know he shines his own steel coat. He must think that you need the same care that it does.

I know you can’t speak to them, but I could translate for you, if you have any questions. They’re really appreciative of your care. Zero mentioned that you shine their coat? They are felines, they will clean themselves; all the same, just a little different for them. Not bad. Maximus might be tetchier about it but most males are headstrong when it comes to assistance from others.

I have CuRua follow me around regularly, though I suppose it is considered normal for my entire family so it’s a flawed comparison. I don’t see the problem with it unless it is impeding your work. It would seem that you both are slightly confused by the other.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke looked at Zero, then at Yume. It seemed that they were conversing with each other. The two exchanged small growls. No snarls, just growls. The Steward wondered if the two of them were going to be ... okay. He was, however, most surprised by the conversation. Yume would then turn to Sousuke and discuss with him what they had discussed. Sousuke blinked several times. "Oh."<i></i> He would say first of all. The Steward would look at Zero and for a moment his eyes would drift to the side. "It's true that they are all cats.. but I thought I was being considerate ... given that I'm not quite sure of their biology."<i></i> At the mention of Maximus being touchy about it, it did occur to the Steward that the male Lyron seemed to want to go last, instead of first, and he always seemed a bit moodier when Sousuke tried tidying his mane.

Yume spoke of how she had CuRua with her most, if not all the time. The Steward eyed the fox as Infinite was now trying to play with the fox. The cub placed her paw on top of his, and expected him to place his on top of hers next, and then she would go, and he would go and so on and so on. "Sousuke? Oh you mean ... Red as Daddy calls him. Red made a neat new red coat. Daddy thinks he's trying to be like us." The cub explained.

Little one. Come here. You don't know where he's been... Zero would call out to her cub in a concerned tone. The Lyron made a mewling noise and then made her way back to her mother. The two seemed to have a disagreement of sorts, but Zero merely nipped Infnite around the next and carried her away. Before making their departure, Zero would turn to Yume and speak to her in a series of muffled words. "I've ... no offense Fox-girl or to your friend ... but I think I'm going to retire for the afternoon. My little one needs a nap. I would very much like to see you again. You're very decent, for a human."

Sousuke would scratch his head as Zero made her exit. It was certainly a quiet exit. "Okay then. That was her probably having her fill of something new. Zero seems to not like having something new everyday... she does tend to sleep alot."<i></i> Sousuke spoke. "It's not that they're impeding my work, but people don't really react well to such things. I noticed that both you and CuRua were both apprehensive of this meeting. I would be so too ... but then again I'd be more fascinated by them really. Speaking of which ... you both are okay? You're operating at functional levels? I should have realized that this too might have been slightly overwhelming for you."<i></i>

 

[Sagasu Yume]

Both the Inuzuka and her companion held their tongue at Zero's remark, understanding that it was simply a mother's worry rather than sincere concern. Yume offered the lyrons a nod of her head and curtsied politely.

No offence taken, Zero. I would be pleased to meet you again. The more people I meet, the more I wonder if decency is a trait of intelligence or whether it's primal and most humans have forgotten

Clammouring to her feet, Yume rose to stand next to Sousuke, letting her hand rest on the back of his neck as her fingers caressed his skin gently. Her face was peaceful with a gentle smile that told him all he would need to know: She was well and happy.

You were being very considerate and they appreciate that. They just found it strange. She was a little defensive of Infinite but I hope CuRua didn't take it to heart. As we're tentatively curious around cats, I can only assume that the curiosity is reciprocated. I find them quite fascinating, and we are both fine. It wasn't overwhelming but we're often uncertain how felines will react to us. Like CuRua, my instincts compare to smaller canines in the sense that I would rather be cautious than run head long into a fight as a wolf might.

I should be getting home though. I'd hate to keep you occupied longer than you'd prefer. I'm sure you have things to do.

Her excuse to leave was flimsy at best and her tone would tell that she was simply worried that she would wear out her welcome. One arm would drape over his shoulders as she brushed his cheek tenderly with the back of her other hand. A grin would spread over her cheeks and her index finger would make contact with his nose as she giggled.

Boop. Hee hee... sorry. That was childish.

Leaning over, she would kiss the tip of his nose in apology, hesitating for a moment as she enjoys the dizzy feeling she gets when she's so near to him. She kept the distance static as she hovered for a second, her mind already having processed multiple possibilities. Was she being over bearing? What if the Steward didn't like all the affections? Would he see the change in her demeanour as off-putting? What if he pushed her away? What if he didn't? None of the questions changed what she was going to do, but she thought them all the same. The second passed and she let her lips press forward and seal a kiss to her beau once more.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

It would seem that Yume's encounter with Zero was ... for the better really. Sousuke had his reservations, but she was smiling. He listened to her intently as she spoke of how Zero reacted with CuRua over the cub. Sousuke would nod his head. "Perhaps the motherly inclination is ... stronger in her than I had originally thought. Most curious, but then again I lack experience in this field..."<i></i> Sousuke would curiously look at Yume as she had tapped him on the nose. "...Boop...?"<i></i>He would inquire. It was something child-like... but it wasn't unwelcomed. The gesture that followed was a kiss. There was certainly a lot of those today, not that Sousuke minded. Yume would seem to pause for a moment as if she had something hang over her. She would then kiss him once more. A small smile would grace Sousuke's face.

"I wouldn't want to keep you away from your duties either... but... we should go out to dinner sometime?"<i></i> He would then inquire. "I can cook for you, or we can go out ... just ... well you know how my cooking tastes."<i></i> Sousuke had once read that the quickest way to an individual's heart was not through the chest, but apparently the stomach? Well. It made sense. The heart wasn't that far away from the stomach in contrast to something like ... one's foot. "I would like for you to ... meet my parents. I've met Shinji, and ... certainly I have more family than just Okibi."<i></i> Sousuke tried explaining things. "Well... maybe not my grandmother, Mako, but ... she's ... well she's you've seen what she's like given my ... surprise birthday party."<i></i> Sousuke was hesitant. Okibi and Mako didn't get along at all. Granted that Mako had Okibi subjected to Battlecraft. Sousuke too was subjected to that exam... but he took his 'failure' better than his ward had. "Are you free ... next Tuesday? Monday I'm ... a bit preoccupied."<i></i>

 

[Sagasu Yume]

His smile wouldn’t be lost on the turquoise haired woman who returned it with her own beaming grin.

I would like that very much. I’m not busy on Tuesday in the least. I wouldn’t mind either option personally. Practice makes perfection so if you’d like to cook for me or with me, I would gladly accept; and I would love to meet your family. I’ve heard of them, and I did see them at your birthday, but we weren’t formally introduced. I don’t believe your grandmother approved of Shinji very much so I’m not entirely certain what she would think of me being related to him

She didn’t think to ask what he was busy with on Monday, assuming that it was probably political affairs or something he was developing in Keystone. It would be rude to pry into his personal life in such a way, especially when it seemed reluctant to even mention that he was going to be busy. Taking his hand in hers, she gives it a little squeeze and brings it to her lips to kiss the tops of his fingers as she looks up at him.

Tuesday then, it’s a date… a real date, not just a cooking lesson.

Pirouetting on one foot, she turns and collects the containers from their lunch, stowing them away to take home and wash. Her steps had become lighter and her smile was to the point of being infectious, the jubilation evident each time she looked up to steal a glance at the Steward. Finishing the cleanup, she scoops up her fox into her arms and wraps him around her shoulders, rubbing their cheeks together in a form of greeting. Dancing to the doorway, she stops and looks back to Sousuke, her cheeks tinged pink as she chews on her lip a little. Her heart was fluttering from the prospect of their relationship advancing towards proper courtship and she wondered for a moment if Shuu was right, that he would accept her vixen side as well when he met her. She hoped that the older woman knew what she was talking about, but for now she would keep things simple... and civilized. She wouldn't introduce her other nature to him until she understood it better.

I look forward to getting to know you better, Sousuke-kun

With that, she was out the door, practically skipping the whole way home.


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