"Now then, let me explain the game that we will be singing. I will start and you will match my melody. Then we will go back and forth singing whatever lyrics we feel matches the tune. The more ridiculous the better. Keep in mind the goal is to render your fellow singers incapable of continuing as they are laughing too hard. At some point let's also have our patrons come up with verses."
"Have you played this game before?" I ask him.
"A few times while I was still an active adventurer. It was a great way to relax and unwind. Do you think that you are up to it?" he asks me, and I hear the slightest hint of worry in his voice. I would make that worry go away as quick and as well as I was able to.
"Do you think that I look too proper for such a game?" I ask him. I put on one of my shorter dresses, but my hair was in an up-do. Cat reaches up and pulls the pin out of my hair, having my hair cascade down over my shoulders and down my back.
"Perfect." he says and hands my hairpin to Kay, who was standing behind me.
Kay looks at the hairpin and spins his hair and sticks the pin in it, which causes both me and Cat to laugh. I am sure that Emmelina would be more than happy to fix it for him. Hmm, the hairpin does look good in his hair. The deep blue was a nice contrast to his lighter hair color.
"Shall we?" I ask Cat and we swing by my room to grab my lute then make our way to the piano. When people see what we are up to they begin to cheer, which lifts my own spirits. Oh this was really going to be great fun.
"Do you want to just start on our own, or do you want someone to shout out something for us to sing about?" Cat asks me.
"I will simply follow your lead. Whatever you think is best, I feel that I will be able to match."
"Oh, I am taking that as a personal challenge."
We grin at each other, Cat sits at the piano, and I lean a bit against it. It would look seductive if I was older. But I am not so I think I just look small and cute. Cat begins to play, and I match the melody. Vita hears what he is playing and already starts laughing. When she started clapping as well, I knew that I was in for it. But I won't allow myself to be in over my head. My good sir Cat, I do believe in this musical challenge I shall best you!
Cat sings first ♪.
"You know I have some great friends, they're really rather fun.
There has been no competition, that I haven't won.
Though I am really great at this, and people call me a winner,
I don't feel like I have won, until they buy me dinner."
I glance over at Cat and let the music go a repetition before I jump in.
"I have this kitty friend of mine, who ladies think is a catch.
Tonight to have lot of fun, he challenged me to this match.
Something that he doesn't know, of me is I'm great at competition.
Hopefully after I win at this, I'll make Kay talk and we'll have to listen!"
Kay hearing his name shouts out "Hey" but then realizes that by calling out his name I was adding him to the game.
"I know I'm bad at singing, but I have a lot of heart.
Go ahead and ask Ami here, she sees it in my art.
Yes I know I'm cute, and that I'm really quite a talker.
But at least I'm not Vita as I do not have a stalker."
Vita hearing her name grins cheerfully as she joins in.
"Look at all my silly friends, I think they are all looney.
if you watch their antics, you'd think they howl at the mooney.
But we have a lot of fun, and they let me give them color.
But I'm not as good as Emmie, at acting like a mother."
Emmelina looks rather startled at having been called out but decides to switch to legs and jumps up onto a table. It takes the music going an extra repetition before she jumps in. "Although I seem really gentle, there is something which I'm best.
let's ask my clever friends, and put them to the test."
She pauses and people shout out things like she is sweet, a good listener and other compliments.
"Aww thanks you are all so sweet but don’t think I’m a nooby.
I’m sure you all cheer for me, because I have the biggest boobies!"
That got everyone laughing and joking. They were thinking about doing a verse about Hillie, but she was upstairs passed out in bed as she was working in the morning and wanted to be fresh and ready. Weekend mornings could be exceptionally busy. Vita was going to be helping out for the end of her shift. I was going to offer but was told that I should be making sure to get plenty of sleep before I return to work in full.
At the end of the night, I couldn't help but agree with them. I had so much fun laughing, eating and drinking with everyone last night, although my drinks were non-alcoholic. Kay though did not take such precautions as he happily guzzled down the drinks the patrons purchased for him. I laugh to myself remembering the moment his consciousness vacated him. He gave one shout of ‘goodnight’ and passed out right into a bowl of stew.
Apparently having fun could make you feel really tired. Truth to tell this was mayhaps the best way for me to have learned that. Vita had emphasized multiple times that having fun was the best way to ensure that others were having fun.
I flop in bed for the night and allow thoughts to race through my head. What did it mean that I was fully a fox now? I suppose it meant that I had to be even more careful about hiding my identity. But why were foxes so hated?
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'I've heard this story.'
'...'
'You aren't the only captive?'
'Because you are handsome?'
'...'
'I'm sorry. I will try to laugh more, okay?'
'Is that why I never really looked like I had wolf features.'
'But people have forgotten that foxes exist and they believe unicorns, dragons and phoenix to have all gone extinct, or never have been real to begin with.'
'How do you know all of this?'
'Of course. And thank you for answering my question.'
I feel the connection end there. He seemed particularly lucid today. I wonder what determines how... stable he is. And how is it that he is always able to hear my thoughts. It has only been to my benefit thus far, so I am not going to spend my time worrying about that.
There are a great many other things that I need to worry about. But I do believe that I shall get some sleep tonight before I concern myself with such manner of thoughts.
I feel as though it shall take a great amount of time before I am able to drift off to sleep, but that seems to not be the case at all as I fall asleep quicker than I believe I ever have.
When I awake in the morning I feel as though my head is trying to determine whether it shall hurt or not. I am most assuredly grateful when it decides not to hurt. After the last week and a half I had forgotten that soul shattering pain was not a standard part of life. I make my way to the kitchen to speak with George, hoping that the kitchen would be empty for me to be able to speak with him.
It seems as though luck is on my side as I see only George when I enter the kitchen.
"Good morning George." I say in greeting.
"Morning." he replies. I wonder if has always been so stoic and a man of so few words.
"I have a request George, and I do believe that I need your assistance with it."
"Okay." he says and seems to be waiting for me to tell him what it is that I was needing his help with.
When I tell him what I wish to do he lets me know that it is a good idea. We get to work right away. I was determined to try to keep this a surprise from everyone. I understand that it is quite the task to do so.
What we decided to cook was a nice roast and cake. I knew the roast was going to take all day, but George assured me that he would keep both the roast and the cake hidden from the others in one of the ovens. I express my gratitude towards him. I did wish that I was able to hug him as that was how I had learned to express affection, but he let me know he understood.
Although we did not speak much during the time that we were cooking together, we still had a good time with one another. George was a very patient teacher and let me know that I was a very fast learner. I felt my cheeks flush at his praise. Though I attempted to not be a proud person, it still felt undeniably nice to be praised.
When everything was baking or simmering George assured me that he would make sure they did not burn and sent me on my way. I wanted to stay for the length of it but we both knew that would be rather suspicious. I leave the kitchen and decide to track someone down in order to find out what my tasks for the day were. The first person that I ran into was Vita.
"Hello!" I tell her brightly, and she wraps me in a hug and gives me a kiss on the cheek.
"Now that is how you tell someone good morning."
"No Vita, that is how you tell someone good morning." Cat says, walking up to the both of us.
"You are with me today and tomorrow. No complaints. I know that you want to get back to a normal routine, but we need to get you caught up in your classes, at least in the lectures. There is very little that we can do about your physical training."
"That isn't entirely true." Vita chips in. "Alice swung by and said that she would do some night lessons with our sweet little Ami here tonight and tomorrow. She added that she had had more than enough time to sleep, and it was time to work out your body. She said that ‘all that sleep better not have made you too sloppy.’"
"So affectionate." Cat says and rolls his eyes.
"That is Alice's form of affection."
"In other words, she still feels guilty about Ami's poisoning as well huh?" Cat asked, as though he was confirming something that had been on his mind.
"Obviously." Vita states. "Is it just me or does something smell extra tasty today. Hmm, I wonder what that wonderful bear could be up to?" she says, but then shrugs her shoulders and goes off who knows where. Vita is rather exceptional at that. Seemingly disappearing off into the unknown only to show up behind you when you are clearly not anticipating her to be there. Gasp, was Vita an assassin class?
"Alright, let's go over those lessons. Your room or mine?" Cat asks.
"While I am not uncomfortable in your room, I prefer mine. I have smells in there that are soothing, and I believe there may even be a scented candle that promotes study. No, I know that there is. Nila sent me one in her last care package. I just received it last night. Fortuitous timing is it not."
I was glad that neither Nila nor Momma knew what had happened to me. I should truly bring Kay and Cat to meet my family when we had our break in a few months time. I planned to work very hard until then so that I could enjoy myself in the hot springs to the greatest extent possible.
"I stink, duly noted. Go ahead up and I'll be up once I grab my notes." He says with a smile, which is good as I know that he was only teasing me.
"Alright. I shall wait for you."
"Should I invite Kay to join?" Cat asks.
"If he wishes to, but I do not want him to feel as though his notes and explanations were unsatisfactory. Additionally, after last night I am quite certain that waking him will be impossible."
"I'll just tell him that I wanted to be sure you knew the material to my high standards."
"Haha! I thought that I heard my name. I was passing by and then thought, oh self, Ami is awake and alive and we have to spend more time with her. There are so many hours that we haven't spent together and that will not do. Best friends have to spend all of the time together. Especially when you never know when one of you is going to keel over and drop dead. Not that I want to think about death. I don't want to invite him here. He is not a welcome guest. I know that we invite anyone in, but I think that he should leave us alone for the time being. By the way does anyone know why my head is doing this thumping pulsing thing?"
Between Kay and Zayne how are there words left for anyone else.
"So, what are we doing?" Kay asked.
"Extra studying. Care to join."
"Oh, what's that, Emmie is calling."
"I am?" Emmelina says, coming into view. Where is everyone coming from? "I thought that I was joining in." she says, entering the room and sitting comfortably down on the bed beside me.
"I get Ami's other side!" Kay shouts and flops onto the bed.
"Fine, and take this Kay it should help with your aching head." Cat said, as passes a small vial to Kay, then grabbing his notes, sticking them in his mouth, turning into his beast form and jumping into my lap. I take his notes from his mouth and hold them in front of us. "I win. I get her lap."