Roses and Violets: Blood is red, the sky is purple.

"Did you exchange contact information?" Qana spread butter on his pancakes, then drizzled honey on top.

"Yeah." I tossed a handful of blueberries into my mouth, mumbling through the fruit, feeling my ears droop.

"What do you two talk about?" Qana cut his pancakes with a motion as fluid as a sword strike, dividing the entire stack into two perfect halves without a single crumb falling.

"I'm not telling you." I crunched on the raspberries, the tiny nuts* cracking between my teeth.

"Rebellious phase," Qana remarked as he speared half a pancake with his fork and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Have you exchanged private photos yet?"

"What's a private photo?" I sniffed at the blackcurrants, cautiously trying one.

"Well..." Qana's right ear twitched. "Just make sure you never send them first."

"Alright... I guess?" I shrugged, popping the last blackberry into my mouth--Rationalism, if I ever got sick of the food synthesizer, what would I do?

"Has he invited you to the ball?" Qana asked after finishing the other half of his pancakes.

"A ball?" My ears definitely didn't twitch just now.

"Yeah, the big crisis in paradise." Qana licked the honey off his knife, speaking in a mocking tone.

"I'm starting to miss the perpetually grumpy you." I downed the rest of my oatmeal soy milk, grumbling softly.

"Careful what you wish for." Qana pointed his knife at me, one side of his mouth curling up to reveal a canine tooth.

I huffed, leaning back in my chair as I wiped my mouth with a napkin.

"A grand ball to close the preliminaries, open to everyone." Qana took a sip from his mug, tilting his head as he reached for the sugar jar. "Note, I said everyone." He shook the glass jar, poured out some brown sugar, and stirred it with a teaspoon. "Almost every important faction from Gaia and the Lunar will be attending, not just the representatives invited to watch the competition--like the Lunar Government and the Nine Archdukes' delegations."

"Pimping..." I muttered under my breath. Qana raised an eyebrow, his mug frozen just before his lips, but he didn't say anything.

"Anyway..." He cleared his throat and took a sip of tea before continuing. "This is one of the few events where young male and female wolves are allowed to attend together, so it's an important... social opportunity for members of each faction." Qana set his empty mug down on the table. "I think you understand."

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Pimping," I repeated, still convinced of my point.

"You're too cynical." Qana grinned, showing more teeth this time. "Not everyone enjoys the same 'privilege' as you."

"Seriously?" I tilted my head, giving the sword master a helpless shrug, palms up. "Enjoy?" To emphasize my point, I slowly tilted my head the other way, folding down one ear. "Privilege?"

"Don't take out your frustration on me," Qana waved a hand dismissively. "He might just not have invited you yet."

"For Rationalism's sake, I'm not!" I bared my canines in defense. "And it's your dumb comments that are making me angry!"

"You've been bristling since I first mentioned the ball." Qana pointed out matter-of-factly.

I sighed, relaxing my body and smoothing down my fur.

"And you could always invite him. Is this about shy modesty or something to do with self-identity?" Qana raised an eyebrow at me. "Like a certain role you're playing?"

"I'd rather scour the internet for a bunch of unreliable and dubious anonymous advice than discuss this with you." I pressed my hands against my ears and laid my head on the table.

"Your loss." Qana made a "suit yourself" gesture. "Not everyone is as open-minded as I am."

I wrapped my arms around my head, letting out a low growl.

"Do you think I should invite him?" I finally asked, my throat vibrating in resonance with the wooden table.

"I can't see any reason not to," Qana replied.

"But I don't want to go to the ball... It sounds like a big social event full of people." I muttered. "I hate big social events full of people."

"Then don't go." Qana responded, as if it was the simplest thing in the world--well, wasn't it?

"But what if Aether's waiting for me to invite him?" I sat up from the table, rubbing my eyes.

"Here's some advice from someone who's been there," Qana folded his hands together, resting his arms on the edge of the table. "Be clear about your feelings and listen to his. Honesty is almost always the best strategy." Qana had switched to that gentle tone again. "You two are psychics, this should be a lot easier."

I exhaled through my nose, nodding as I leaned back in my chair. A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Is that what you did?" I asked Qana quietly.

"Yes." He nodded. "I was also fortunate to have a wise and understanding wolf willing to listen to my feelings."

That was so sappy it was almost gross. I never would have guessed Master Willow would appreciate that kind of wolf. But seriously, how did they even get together in the first place? I never thought I was the gossiping type.

I shook my head, forcing myself to focus and not get lost in random thoughts. This was time-sensitive; I had to decide what to do.

I propped my elbows on the table, clasping my hands together as I rested my chin on my knuckles, weighing the pros and cons of each option.

Just then, as if it were some kind of omen, the automatic door slid open, and three wolves from the Nyx faction walked in. They chatted happily with each other, their white teeth always gleaming against their jet-black fur, and I could even see the laughter in those yellow eyes.

That... deep laughter.

"I'll be back before midnight." I stood up, making my decision.

"In fact," Qana smiled as he looked into my eyes. "I'll be sleeping in the room attached to the conference room tonight." His smile widened. "Big days are always busy, you know what I mean?"

"No idea." My ears definitely didn't perk up, and they definitely weren't getting warm.

"After watching him for a month, I think I can safely say he's a decent guy." Qana shrugged. "Probably won't do anything too inappropriate."

"I still don't know what you're talking about." I tucked my tail and turned to leave, but Qana gently pulled me back by the collar.

"But that doesn't mean I won't worry." Qana said quietly, and I felt his consciousness circle suddenly expand, enveloping us both and setting up a barrier. "If anything happens, contact me immediately, okay?"

He demonstrated a directional wave, and I recognized the pattern of Qana's pulse, understanding that it was a psychic communication signal for long-distance contact. I nodded, indicating I understood.

"I'll show up right away and skin him alive." He gave me a smile that showed both his canines--kind of scary.

"Not funny." I grumbled, gently pushing him away. "You're being weird."

Qana spread his hands, not denying it.

"Just a reminder, don't mention anything related to psychic abilities. Unlike others, the Nyx faction remembers anything to do with psychics very clearly--they obviously take their duties very seriously. If you trigger his 'awakening,' it could cause unnecessary trouble." He released the consciousness circle.

"Oh..." I murmured. Qana had never clearly explained what conditions were required for a psychic to awaken, or why I had been able to use Domination, a relatively advanced psychic power, since I could remember.

"Alright, alright, enough lecturing. Otherwise, you'll lose the 'experience' of it all." Qana stood up, patting my arm. "I trust you can take care of yourself. Like I said before, just be an ignorant little pup for now." He adjusted his clothes and sword, glancing around the room. "Now go and cause some trouble."

I nodded a farewell to the master, heading toward the automatic door to leave the dining hall. Meanwhile, I was mulling over the wording of the ball invitation, lightly swaying my tail.