Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE PREVIEW PICTURE! IT BELONGS TO Rinmarugames AND PrinceofRedRoses ON DEVIANTART! I also do not own any of the characters. All I own is the storyline.
"Uh…hey." Natsuki leaned up against the table with one hand, trying to look as relaxed and nonchalant as possible.
Wow, great start, Natsuki. Utterly brilliant.
The woman put down the mug of whatever she was drinking—probably some type of wine, she looked far too sophisticated to settle for the typical ale the regulars got—and looked up. Natsuki caught her breath a little, anxiously biting her lip.
On closer inspection, she was younger than she had looked from a distance. She had a wide-eyed, youthful look to her face, despite the refined look of her clothing. Her features were soft and rounded and her skin was smooth and polished, not worn by age even slightly by any wrinkles or moles.
In fact, she looked about the same age as Natsuki herself. Well, the same age in elf years, anyway. Which, given their incredibly weird aging scale, meant she was probably…roughly 150.
"O—oh, hello." Her voice was soft and timid, like she was worried she would offend someone if she spoke too loud. There was the slightest hint of puzzlement in those lovely lilac eyes, like she couldn't quite believe someone was talking to her.
She's probably not used to being approached by peasants, but she's trying to be polite. Natsuki bristled, suddenly feeling even more embarrassed.
"I haven't seen you around before," Natsuki said, struggling to keep her voice from shaking as she steadily held a cheerful grin. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Okay, so far so good. I haven't said anything profoundly stupid yet.
She shook her head, smiling meekly. "Oh, no, I'm just passing through. I've been roaming for a while now."
Natsuki raised her eyebrows, curiosity piqued. "Oh, really? Where are you from?" The elf girl seemed to squirm uncomfortably at this, abruptly refusing to meet her eyes.
Oh god, I fucked up, I fucked up. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Natsuki wanted to smack herself.
"I—if that's not a personal question or anything," she added quickly. "I know that's kinda—well, you know, not everyone wants to share that or whatever. You're just, uh…you're just a lot more nicely-dressed than the people I usually see in town is all, so I was kind of curious. We don't usually get anyone that fancy."
To Natsuki's relief, the elf girl seemed to perk up slightly at the compliment. "Oh, no, no, it's not personal at all!" she assured her quickly. "I come from Elthyria."
Elthyria…well, that would explain a lot. The neighboring kingdom of Elthyria was known for its fog-covered, mystical landscape and the reserved and mysterious elf population, always sweeping soundlessly about in long, flowing robes and giving off an aura of intimidation to any strangers in the land who ventured a little closer than they'd like.
Everyone knew the elves of Elthyria were not ones to be messed with. But this one…
She seemed…different, somehow. Different from all the tales and legends labeling the elves as daunting, cold, and distant.
"I guess I do stick out a bit, don't I?" The elf girl looked down and gave her flowing blue dress an uncertain look, and Natsuki instantly felt a bit guilty.
"Hey, it's not a bad thing!" she assured her quickly. "I think you look nice!"
"R—really?" The elf girl blushed deeply, smiling shyly. "W—well, thank you."
Something in Natsuki's heart seemed to flutter, and she immediately chastised herself. Oh my god, stop being an idiot!
"Can, I, um…" Natsuki bit her lip. "Can I ask what your name is?"
You look famous. I've probably heard of you. Natsuki thought better than to actually say it. She figured it was less insulting to pretend she had been living under a rock and had no idea who this lady was than to say she looked familiar and Natsuki just couldn't quite recognize her.
She was probably some stately well-known noblewoman who everyone and their mother knew about, and as of right now Natsuki had to admit she hadn't the faintest clue who she could be. Best not to make that known.
"Oh, sure, of course!" The elf girl nodded eagerly. "I am Princess Yurimira of Northern Elthyria."
Princess! Natsuki's eyes widened. So I was right.
The weight of the title came crashing down on her in full force, reminding her why she had been so hesitant to talk to this elven lady in the first place. She ducked into a hasty bow, hoping her nervousness didn't make her movements too sloppy and uncoordinated. "Y—your majesty—"
"Oh no, you don't need to do that." The elven girl waved her hand dismissively, face flushing with embarrassment as she hastily looked away. "I've never much liked those…formal titles. They…other me, in a way. They make me feel different. Like everyone's keeping me at a distance. And I feel alone. N—not that you knew!" she added hurriedly as Natsuki opened her mouth to apologize. "I know you were just trying to address me properly and not be disrespectful. But please don't worry yourself over it. I prefer to just be called Yuri."
"Okay…Yuri," Natsuki said, testing the name out. It felt like too short and simple a name for a princess, but it set her mind at ease. The fact that the violet-haired girl seemed to want to treat her as an equal was already making Natsuki feel more relaxed.
"So how did someone like you you come to be in a dumpy little village like Shimmercross, out of anyone's way?" Natsuki smiled teasingly, hoping the words had not come across too harsh.
"Oh, well…" Yuri fiddled with her hair anxiously, as if the question had caught her off-guard. "When I came of age, my parents sent me off to travel around the kingdom and get acquainted with the land I'll be ruling over and my future subjects. And the neighboring kingdoms as well, so I could meet up with some foreign diplomats. I've been roaming Elthyria and the surrounding lands for the last year or so, and I guess my path led me into your village."
"Wow." Natsuki's eyes widened. Being asked by her parents to travel all around and explore the furthest corners of the land, all while probably getting free room and board wherever she went on account of being a wealthy princess? It sounded perfect.
Worlds above having to scrounge together a collection of measly wages just to struggle to get from one small village to the next, anyway. Natsuki wasn't even sure she'd even make it as far as the nearest big city in her lifetime, with her financial luck.
"Well…how's it been?" she asked.
"Well…" Yuri looked away, anxiously twirling some long hair between her fingers again. "It's been…kind of scary. Being in all these new places, being around so many strangers…it's a lot to take in. I think unfamiliar situations are always a little scary to me." She smiled weakly. "Just…being around a lot of people in general is kind of scary. There weren't a whole lot of people in my castle growing up, just my parents and the servants and I. These bustling cities and towns I've been going through are…definitely not what I've always been used to."
"Oh." Natsuki's shoulders sagged with disappointment. Yuri didn't sound nearly as enthused about her travels as Natsuki was hoping. "But I mean…it's kind of exciting, right? Seeing all these new places?"
"Well, I do get to see places that I've only ever read about in my books, which is an amazing experience." Yuri's smile widened. "I get to experience all these settings in a completely new way that's much different than anything I've felt or encountered before. So that at least has been wonderful. But the problem is that when I've had my fill of a place or it's completely exhausted me, I can't just close a book and return to the comfort of my room." She chuckled, and Natsuki smiled.
"Would you like to sit down?" Yuri pulled out the stool next to her. "I don't imagine it's comfortable, standing there like that. I just ordered some lunch, and I wouldn't mind sharing some if you'd like. Th—that is!" She cut herself off suddenly, looking embarrassed. "I—if you don't have any work you need to get back to…"
Natsuki apprehensively glanced back and forth between Sayori, still standing behind the bar, and the stool. The peach-haired girl grinned widely at her, gesturing almost aggressively for her to sit down.
"Eh, I'm off for a little while," she said with a shrug. She sat down and scooted in, resting her arms on the wood of the table as she let out a breath.
"So Yuri…what's it like to be a princess? I've always wondered if your life is as perfect as the fairy tales make it out to be." She turned and gave the elf girl a wry smile. "It seems like it would be nice, though, being important like that from the moment you're born. Never really feeling invisible or unnoticed, like you're just some nobody who could disappear into any crowd and no one would realize they were gone."
"I'm more alone than you might think." Yuri smiled sadly. Natsuki perked up, interest piqued again.
"Spending my childhood shut away in my castle, well…I was lonely a lot of the time. My parents always seemed to be too busy with their royal duties to make time for me, and the servants had this…formal relationship with me, always keeping me at arm's length. Like they felt like they couldn't get too close to me. Most of the time, I had to rely on my books to keep me company. The characters in them were my best friends growing up. Even now…" She looked away. "Even now, being out in the world, it hasn't gotten a whole lot better. I'm so unfamiliar with people that it's hard to talk to them. And I feel that because of my position, others find me too intimidating to approach and speak with. And in a twist of irony, I suppose, I'm also too daunted to approach them as well because I feel they'll be on their guard around me. It's very lonely."
Natsuki was suddenly very glad she had swallowed up her fear and gone and talked to Yuri.
"Wow." Natsuki furrowed her brow in sympathy. "I had no idea princesses have to go through that. I'm sorry that kind of thing happens to you, Yuri. I know all about loneliness, believe me."
"Wh—what am I saying?" Yuri rapidly tried to hide her blush behind a curtain of purple hair. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to complain so much! Please don't think I'm that negative of a person! I'm sorry, we just met, I know you don't want to hear about all of my problems." She let out what sounded like an anxious whimper. "Not like I have many grounds to complain, anyhow. I know I was born into more privilege than most, and I'm very fortunate to have ended up in that position. I've always been well-cared for, and I always have gold coins to spend on my travels and enough to eat. My life is secure, if nothing else. I should be more grateful for that."
"Ah, don't worry about it." Natsuki waved a hand dismissively. "We all need to vent sometimes. And hey, just because you're rich doesn't mean your life is all happy and perfect all the time. You can still be sad about stuff, or feel alone. Don't let anyone tell you you can't have problems or that you're not allowed to feel bad sometimes just because of where you happened to be born! You can't help that! Everyone's suffering is valid." Natsuki reached out and put a hand on Yuri's briefly, giving her a look that was almost stern.
"And that's coming from someone who's basically been living off of pennies for the last several month," she added teasingly.
Yuri smiled softly. "Thank you, that…that means a lot. But I don't…I don't feel I deserve such kind words from someone whose name I don't even know. May I ask your name?"
Natsuki's chest warmed unexpectedly at the small gesture. So this elven princess, who was probably far more important than she would ever be in her life, wanted to know who she was as well.
"Oh, it's Natsuki. Just Natsuki." She grinned wryly. "No fancy titles there, unfortunately."
"Believe me, they're not worth the distress."
Yuri laughed again. Natsuki found that she was becoming fonder and fonder of that laugh. It was as timid and subdued as her personality, but had almost a soft musical cadence woven in, like someone gently plucking at the strings of a harp or quietly playing the flute.
"Well, Natsuki, I don't believe I properly answered your question. I guess I don't really know how to, since I have nothing to compare being a princess to. But it's…strange, at times, knowing one day I'll be responsible for the lives of so many people I'll never even meet. Sometimes it makes me so anxious I can barely hold myself together, but…" She took a breath. "I'm determined to be the best possible ruler I can one day and do anything I need to to keep all my people happy. I only want the best for everyone in my care."
"That's…" Natsuki smiled wistfully. "That's really noble of you. I think Northern Elthyria is lucky to have you as their princess."
"D—don't say things like that!" Yuri blushed, looking away and starting to fiddle with her hair again. "I—I'm sure anyone else in my position would feel the same. Anyway…" She turned back and gave Natsuki a small smile. "Enough about my story. I think I'd like to hear yours. After all, it's not every day you get to meet a half-faerie."
"O—oh…" Natsuki grabbed a clump of bright pink hair and looked disparagingly at it. During her conversation with Yuri, she had forgotten for a second about the blaring marker that was attached to her wherever she went.
She wasn't used to people taking an interest in her fae roots, unless it was to make a derogatory comment. People either ignored it completely, seeming too uncomfortable to ask, or openly mocked her about it.
"I—I'm sorry!" Yuri's eyes widened guiltily. "I didn't mean it in a derisive or insulting way, I promise. I'm so sorry if it came across as racist in some fashion. I'm merely curious as to where you're from. I haven't met very many half-fair folk on my travels. I understand they're not a race that typically likes to marry outside their own people, so meeting someone who came from such a marriage seems to me like it would be an interesting and enriching experience."
Upon seeing Natsuki's bewildered expression, Yuri buried her face in her hands. "Oh, I made it worse, didn't I?"
Natsuki snapped out of her surprised daze, blinking a few times. "No, no!" she said quickly. "It's not an offensive thing to notice or anything. I'm just not really used to being asked about it. People either don't care, or knowing I'm a half-blood is enough for them to want me gone and they really don't care about the specifics of it." She laughed dryly. Yuri looked up and gave her a sympathetic look.
"Anyways, I'm not really used to sharing, but I don't mind or anything," Natsuki went on.
In fact, if she was honest, she relished the opportunity to talk about herself. It wasn't an opportunity she got very often, except sometimes with Sayori. People in general didn't seem to much care about the personal life of the odd, short half-faerie girl who did nothing but do odd jobs and pick fights with strangers.
"I grew up in the Emerald Glades, the faerie realm" she said. "My mom was a faerie, my dad was a human. My mom, she…she died when I was really little, though, so I don't remember much about her. The other faeries let us stay there after that because of dad's marriage link to mom and because I was half-faerie, but I don't think either of us were ever that welcome there. You'd be surprised how mean pretty little pink-winged faeries can be."
"Oh, Natsuki. I'm sorry."
Natsuki automatically bristled at the pity laced into her voice, but something about how soft and sincere it sounded quelled her annoyance.
"Yeah, it wasn't fun," she admitted, laughing sardonically again. "Kids at school would always pick on me, call me 'half-breed' and 'wingless' and stuff like that. As if I was any happier about that stuff than they were!" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I'd say it was cool, growing up in a fairy realm in the middle of this lush forest where I got to see magic all the time, buuuuut no one there really seemed to like me, which put a damper on the whole experience."
"So how did you end up here, then?" Yuri asked. "The Emerald Glades are at least three weeks' travel from here, if I'm not mistaken."
"Ah, we're getting there!" Natsuki chuckled. "So I was always nagging my dad and trying to get him to move, right? You'd think it would be easy. He got his fair share of nasty looks and shit-talking behind his back, what with being the only human and all. But nope, he was too busy blowing our money on his dumb expensive magical fae liquor and trying to sleep with every faerie lady in the realm to be concerned about any of my issues."
"But I found a way to get by. I didn't really have friends, so I spent a lot of time alone in the forest, picking cute flowers and befriending wildcats." She grinned proudly as Yuri's eyes widened at the mention of wildcats. "Or baking cupcakes with what little stuff we had in the house to try and win the neighbors over. Or watching people do magic. From a distance, anyway."
"Do you not have any of your own?" Yuri asked.
"Nope!" Natsuki grinned, shrugging. "Seriously, can you believe that? I just have to inherit the flashy, garish hair but I don't get any of the good stuff."
"Well…I think your hair is pretty," Yuri offered shyly. "I've always thought faerie hair was beautiful. And yours is an especially nice shade. It…it reminds me of hydrangeas."
Despite herself, Natsuki felt her cheeks start to grow red-hot. "Th—thanks."
"But I am truly sorry for what you experienced," Yuri added. "No one deserves to feel alone."
"Eh. I managed." Natsuki shrugged, trying her best to downplay the whole affair. "Some of the people I brought cupcakes to started to like me a bit more, so that was something, I guess. And my dad was easy enough to avoid until…well…"
She went quiet for a few seconds, and Yuri tentatively reached over and put a hand on top of hers.
"Until what?"
Natsuki took a deep breath. When she stopped and thought about it, she realized she hadn't talked about this to anyone before. Not even Sayori.
Well, now's as good a time as any.
It would be nice to get it off her chest, she supposed.
"So…remember how my dad kept trying to seduce every faerie lady he could find? Well…you can probably guess he didn't have much luck. Most faeries think humans are really gross and ugly." She laughed softly. "So…he got rejected a lot. And trust me, most of the time it wasn't too pretty. And he just got so…so angry about it. There was no one else in the village who he really had any power over, so he took it all out on me." She took another breath. "When he got turned down, he'd buy a lunch of liquor and start downing it until he was super, super drunk. And then he'd come storming into my room and yell at me for ages. Just start belittling me for whatever he could think of."
Upon seeing Yuri's horrified expression, she waved a hand dismissively. "That I could stomach. A loud voice is just a loud voice. Anyhow, I'd just yell right back until he stopped. Spent years doing that. Why do you think I'm so loud?" She grinned widely before her expression darkened again.
"But I dunno…once I reached a certain age, like maybe 10 or so, I guess I started standing up for myself a little more forcefully than I used to. I'd throw his insults right back at him. I'd completely had it with his stupid bullying by that point. Just telling him to leave me alone wasn't enough anymore. Maybe…" Natsuki hesitated slightly, worrying how the next part would make her sound.
"Maybe it's fucked up, but I wanted him to suffer like I did. I wanted him to feel the same pain I'd felt all those years. So I started digging into him the same way he was doing to me. But he…he didn't like that I was really fighting back for the first time. He didn't like that one bit. So he…" She took another breath. "He started to hit me. Punch me, kick me, slam me against walls and choke me…" She shuddered at the memory. "I guess he knew a 10-year-old kid couldn't put up much of a physical fight, even if I could put up a verbal one."
Yuri's eyes darkened, and her hands slowly curled into fists, fingernails working on the wood like claws. "He wouldn't…"
"He did," Natsuki growled. "He took all his anger out on me because I was the only one in the whole village who…couldn't really fight back. Who never had any way of truly coming out on top. And he wanted to keep it that way in any way that he could. I think…I think he just wanted to feel like he was in control of someone."
"Couldn't you tell someone?" Yuri asked, eyes steadily growing wider and wider with horror.
Natsuki scoffed. "Like who? Even the leaders of the village disliked us for being part-human. If I told anyone, all that would happen is I'd become the newest gossip of the realm. 'Oh, did you hear? The half-breed's father beats her! Humans really are disgusting, aren't they?' But no one would actually try and do anything to stop it. That's way too much effort to put in for a half-human." She stuck out her tongue in mock disgust. "Not like they'd want to do anything to stop it, anyway. Not when it was basically confirming everything they already believed about humans."
"I can't believe them," Yuri hissed, fists tightening. "They'd just leave you to suffer? What horrible people!"
"Yeah, I grew up not expecting much help from them," Natsuki admitted. "But the yelling and the insults, that…that I could take. I learned how to stomach it. But once he started beating me…" She started down at the table. "Just…ugh, I really hate admitting this. It makes me look like such a wimp. You won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, will you?"
It seemed odd to Natsuki, being so readily vulnerable and revealing such a humiliating part of her life to a near-stranger. But something about Yuri's presence made her feel so comfortable and at ease that letting such painful things out to her felt more like a soothing relief than anything, like cold water running over a burn would.
Yuri shook her head vigorously. "Of course not, Natsuki!"
"Okay, well…" Natsuki kept her eyes fixed on the table. "It kind of scared me. I fought back the best I could and I managed to defend myself before he did anything too serious, but…I always kind of worried he was going to lose control and go all-out and…well, kill me. I didn't feel safe anymore, as much as I hated admitting to myself that he had the power to do that if he wanted to."
"Oh, Natsuki…" Yuri placed a hand on her shoulder, gazing into her eyes sympathetically. Natsuki felt her skin warm pleasantly at the elven girl's touch, but her face also began to flush with embarrassment.
"Well, I knew I had to get out of there," Natsuki said nonchalantly, eager to get off of the topic of her being a weakling. "When I was 12, I started working all kinds of odd jobs to earn money. It wasn't easy to find anyone in town who really wanted to hire me, but I was willing to take practically anything for a handful of gold or silver coins. It took a long-ass time, but eventually I scrounged up enough money to buy the supplies to travel on the road for a little while and have enough to scrape by for a few days in the first town I arrived in. And—oh!"
She was abruptly distracted by Sayori skipping to their table, carrying an enormous wooden platter of bread loaves and roast meat. "Ah! The food's here!" Yuri said brightly.
"You ladies enjoyyyyy!" Sayori singsonged. She shot Natsuki a lingering smirk, and she glared at her friend in return.
"Want anything to drink, Natsuki?" Although Sayori had on her best, friendly customer voice, her smirk only widened as she looked down at her friend.
"Uh…sure. Just get me an ale." Natsuki was intent on sending Sayori away as soon as possible, before Yuri made the connection between her presence and the peach-haired girl's simpering expression.
To Natsuki's relief, Sayori turned and danced away without another word, humming a tune to herself.
Natsuki let her eyes trail hungrily over the crisp, fragrant loaves of bread, the enormous roast chicken, and the tavern's signature mutton leg wrapped tightly in freshly-cooked bacon. The last item was a staple dish of rowdy dwarves and bellowing workmen alike, but it was hardly the thing she would have expected a princess of high standing to order for lunch. Natsuki was certainly not one to judge, though.
"Whoa." She felt her mouth start to water. "That's a lot of food."
"Oh, I always order more than I need so I have some left over to take for the road," Yuri admitted. "But I'm more than happy to share. I can get some for my travels later."
"Hey, I'm not gonna say no to that." Natsuki hurriedly picked up the enormous bacon-mutton-leg and sunk her teeth into the greasy delight.
"That's one of the perks of working here," she said between mouthfuls. "Free lunch!"
Yuri smiled as she began daintily slicing herself a piece of roast chicken with the (otherwise rarely used) silverware that had been provided.
"So anyway…you were saying you gathered enough materials to make it to the next town over and spend a few days there," Yuri prompted.
"Oh! Right!" Natsuki continued the story in between ongoing eager bites. "Well, I worked my ass off and finally got all the money I needed to make it on my own, and I ran away. I mean, I'll be honest…it kind of sucked leaving the magical faerie forest, as you could guess. Especially since it was all I had ever known. But I needed to get away."
Yuri nodded. "I understand completely."
"So I kind of just traveled along the road until the next town, and then I stopped and tried to find work. I ended up doing a series of odd jobs again to get by because no one seemed to want to hire me for long. Some rumor going around about faeries being fickle or cruel, or always playing tricks."
She let out a frustrated groan as she continued chewing a large bite of bacon.
"Well, I didn't really like the instability of having to job-hop all the time, and people in that town were kind of dicks anyway. So I saved up my money again and I kept going. But it was the same thing, every single town. No one wanted to hire me for long and no one seemed to like or trust me much. So I kept moving around. And then I stumbled on Shimmercross." Natsuki grinned wryly. "It might seem weird, but this barmaid job is the longest one I've ever had. It finally feels like I'm one step closer to doing what I actually wanted to do," she added.
"Oh? What's that?" Yuri regarded her curiously.
"I want to open my own bakery!" Natsuki explained excitedly. "Baking was always kind of my sanctuary growing up, especially since there often wasn't a lot else to do at home. It's always so much fun to put a bunch of love into making something awesome that you can eat! It really allows for a lot of freedom and creativity if you know what the hell you're doing. And I want people to pay me to do it!" She cackled maniacally, rubbing her hands together.
"Oh, you're a baker!" Yuri regarded her curiously. "Is any of this bread yours, then?"
"Maybe." Natsuki shrugged. "When there's a bit of a lull at the bar, I like to go in the back and help the cooks with the baking, so it's possible. Is it good?"
Yuri picked up the nearest flour-dusted loaf and took a bite of the end, the end crackling pleasantly as she bit into it. She chewed for a few moments before nodding thoughtfully. "It's excellent."
"Then yes, yes it is." Natsuki smirked.
Yuri raised her eyebrows, confused for a second before smiling slyly back. "Devious, Natsuki."
"Well, what can I say?" Her smirk widened. "This place's bread game would be nothing without my help!"
Yuri picked up the loaf and took another bite. "So, other than truly incredible bread, what's your favorite thing to bake?"
"Oh, that would have to be cupcakes!" Natsuki answered giddily. "There's just so much you can do with that cute little swirl of icing on the top! All different types of textures, all different colors or mixes of colors, all kinds of sprinkles and stuff to decorate with…there's just a lot you can do. And if you're feeling adventurous, you can even try making them into some crazy shape!" She grinned. "And there's also a lot of freedom in how big or small you want to make them, or how many you want. So you can't go wrong with cupcakes, really."
"It sounds very enjoyable." Yuri nodded, smiling. She cleared her throat, looking suddenly self-conscious. "Well, Natsuki…I wish you only the best of luck starting your bakery. I'm sure it will be a lovely place. And I am truly sorry that so many people you've met have had such unfortunate misgivings about faeries."
"Ah, don't apologize for that." Natsuki waved a hand, laughing nonchalantly. "It's just life, you know? Anyhow, when they all come crawling to my bakery to grovel on their knees for my baked goods, I'll have the last laugh!" She cackled again, eyes shining mischievously.
"I'm sure you will!" Yuri agreed. "With the vigor and passion of someone like you, I can't see you doing anything but succeeding."
"Thank you, I'm glad you think so!" Natsuki puffed her chest out, swelling with pride.
"Well, Natsuki…" Yuri looked her up and down, as if making a final assessment. "You seem to be a very determined, interesting, competent, and kind young lady, and it seems you have a lot going for you. It's certainly been a pleasure to make your acquaintance! But…" The elven girl fidgeted slightly, looking suddenly uncomfortable. Natsuki felt her stomach drop, sensing something very unpleasant was about to happen. Oh no…
"There is one more thing I've found myself growing curious about. I—if it would be all right for me to ask…" She trailed off, playing nervously with a strand of hair.
"No, no, go ahead!" Natsuki waved a hand dismissively, smiling broadly to try to cover up her clenching stomach. "Ask away. I don't mind sharing."
"W—well…" Yuri still wouldn't meet her eyes. "I—I'm sure you're aware that half-faeries are rather rare, as far as mixed-races go. I've always heard the fae tend to prefer to marry only within their own race, to keep faerie bloodlines pure and to make them unique and distinct from other races. So I can't help but wonder…would you perhaps be willing to share the story of how your parents met? And came to have a child together?"
At hearing her request, Natsuki let out an almost-involuntary scoff. "Sure, but it's not nearly as romantic as you're probably hoping, I'll tell you that."
Yuri's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly tried to conceal herself behind a curtain of purple hair again. "I—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to touch on a sore place for you. If it's something you're unhappy or uncomfortable discussing, you certainly don't have to."
Natsuki shrugged. She had to admit, there were certainly worse things Yuri could have asked about. Something insensitive or offensive to faeries, namely, although Natsuki noticed Yuri had been doing a pretty good job skirting around saying anything like that so far.
Miraculously, unlike most people Natsuki met, it was almost like Yuri didn't have any preconceived notions about faeries that affected how she treated them—even if only a little bit. The only other person Natsuki had ever met like that was Sayori.
It was a refreshing change of pace. Something that made Natsuki much more comfortable than she probably should've been sharing the more personal parts of her life with this near-stranger.
"No, it's all right," she said. Her smile shrunk slightly, but she kept it on. "It's not a big deal to share it or anything. It doesn't bother me. Just…just don't get your hopes up, is all."
HELLO FRIENDS, HERE IS PART 2
Sorry for the slight wait!
This story definitely dun getting finished, but it just took a bit to figure how to divide it all up. Also, I keep remembering all these scenes I originally planned to have in the story and then forgot about and having to add them in XD
ANYWAYS NOW WE GET TO THE GOOD STUFF
HELL YEAH, NATSUKI X YURI FLUFF BITCHES
This is mostly going to be a "talking" fic, if you couldn't already tell. Not a whole lot of action, just a bunch of Nat and Yuri talking about their respective fantasy AU lives and being cute. If that tickles your fancy, you've come to the right place!
They're mostly just sharing their backstories here, but don't worry, they're gonna bond hella over that!
(Yes I did use a fantasy village name generator to come up with Shimmercross, I'm sorry)
Before you get on my case like "wot, Natsuki so OOC here, why no tsundere enough?" I…honestly don't think she has much reason to get defensive and be tsundere, since Yuri is being super careful to be sensitive and not say something offensive. Also, I generally see Natsuki as being more insecure and defensive when she feels attacked rather than just plain mean. Sure, she has a short fuse, but Yuri doesn't really hit any of her pressure points here, luckily. That, and the two main things that set her off are feeling like she's being talked down to or feeling like her interests are being insulted, neither of which Yuri does. So thus, not much in the way of tsuntsun here! It also helps that Yuri is a powerful princess who it would be a bad idea to be openly rude to and Natsuki is inclined to be a bit nicer and less abrasive than usual because of her hopeless lesbian crush XD (Anyhow this Natsuki is more based off of Act 4 Natsuki, who was a little less rude and abrasive anyway.) But don't worry, I still did my best to make Natsuki the lovely insecure, strong-willed, energetic, and slightly-socially-oblivious cupcake we all know and love!
Also Sayori and her shit-giving ways continue to be one of my favorite aspects of writing this XD Best Girl is also Best Troll!
Stay tuned for Part 3, otherwise known as Be Prepared To Hate Natsuki's Dad Even More Than You Already Do! Coming soon to a account near you!