Fairy Adventure

by Magnafeana

Join Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of Fairy Tail as they not only take on new challenges but watch as their kids take on new adventures and face new challenges! Join Luna, Nashi, and the upcoming generation of Mages on Fairy Tail and more for their never-ending adventure!

91. Adventure 091

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail, any work professionally associated with it, nor any pop culture or classical references. All original plots and characters are mine.

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In a land far, far away lies the kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with Magic found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most, Magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, Magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore. But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name...is Fairy Tail.

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LAST TIME, on Fairy Adventure, Tesla and Jaxton got into a little rut in their relationship once Tesla found out her boyfriend was also her spy on New Year's Eve. Maybe his New Year's resolution could be to knock it off. Anyway, after Jaxton explained what he could, their relationship was still looking a little rocky. Hearing Nashi and her family were in trouble, Tesla decided to set aside her lover's quarrel to team up with Gary and Kyler and use her Anti-Ether powers for good to stop her good friend and her family from becoming pawns in Invel's delusions. I wish I could say, "all's well that ends well", but our heroes had to broker a deal that would get them all home in one piece—a deal that only Nashi and Gary knew about. Still, after Luna helped open her eyes, Tesla and Jaxton slowly got back on the right track. But even when with them made for each other, they still have a long way to go with Jaxton's secrets and Tesla's father, the Cerberus Hunter, free from jail.

"Happy Heart's Day, Jang-ta."

"Happy Heart's Day. I love you."

Trust and communication are the foundations of any good relationship. But it can't hurt when other naughty factors come into play, can it, you two?

---

Chibi-Nashi appears with a wave and a grin. "Hi, everyone! Ready for more Fairy Tail! To keep those eyes of your protected, make sure you read in a well-lit area or with the lights on! This episode will feature some strong language, and our featured couple isn't that great at keeping their hands to themselves, so it's just a fair warning!" She winks. "See you guys at the end of the episode and welcome the Bái Láng Arc!"

---

If you had asked Tesla if she ever thought she would be on a private jet at any point of her life…well, she would say "yes", actually, of course I'm marrying rich.

But if you had asked her if she thought it would be because of Jaxton…

For the dozenth time, she sighed as she stretched herself like a happy house cat on the mattress. The bed had been spacious with pillows that might have some of her drool on it, but to be fair, they were soft and silky and how could she resist them. Steely-grays swept over the stateroom of the jet. It was small and private, and she adored it all the same.

"You're awake."

Her smile increased when Jaxton came onto the bed to draw her into a smothering embrace and give her a kiss on her cheek. "Mmm," she hummed as she slid lazy nails down his arms. "I know the flight's only a few hours, but you took me out with that last orgasm before we had to leave MagiaLand."

"Then, I'm doing my job right." Jaxton softly kissed her lips, and she eagerly reciprocated. After he pulled away, he searched her eyes. "And you're sure you want to come home with me?"

"Nope. This is an elaborate plot for me to meet up with my sugar daddy and ditch you." Tesla rolled her eyes underneath Jaxton's flat stare. "Look, I might've had some…slight reservations—"

"You kicked me and tried to run away."

Tesla held up a finger. "To be fair, I'm about to meet one of the five political families of an entire nation," she reasoned. "It is very natural for me to be nervous."

"You said I would never take you alive and then tried to convince reception to get you a taxi."

"Anxiety drives me to do drastic things," Tesla chalked it up to. "I didn't even get far. One look from you, and his jockstrap melted, and he stopped helping me." She frowned. "That makes me so worried, though, if I was being kidnapped…"

Jaxton sighed and let his head drop onto her breasts.

Tesla gave him languid scratches across his back. "Jang-ta, I'm nervous, but I'm honored you're bringing me back to your home," she mollified. "I'm not dating you because you're fun and a phase and I'm not serious." She snorted. "I would not do half the things I do with you if I wasn't serious. I'm horny, but even when I was with someone else, I never let them—"

"Skip it."

Tesla smiled when Jaxton held her tauter. "It's normal for people to want to meet their partner's parents," she told him. She added a little quieter, "And it's normal for me to want to get answers too."

Jaxton fell silent for a few moments, then he murmured, "Will you run away if you don't like the answers?"

Tesla opened her mouth—

"Never mind. I don't want the answer." Jaxton nuzzled her deeply. "I don't care."

Tesla laughed. "What, if I want to run, you'll chase me down to the ends of the earth?"

"Exactly."

"It's so telling that I'm into that," Tesla moaned, shivering. "I loved it when we'd go camping and you'd hunt me down. I mean, ew, the outdoors but still. Barbaric but erotic. Have mercy…"

Jaxton's rumble of a chuckle vibrated against her skin. "I'm glad my interests don't terrify you."

"Are you kidding? You're practically the perfect Dom I've always wanted!" Tesla sighed dreamily. "If only you could stop stalking me for a living…"

Jaxton sighed too. "I know, baby girl." He hoisted himself off her with love in his eyes. "One day, when the world is a lot fairer, no one will need to be watched."

"I can't wait for that day," Tesla said. Steely-grays captured darkness in a heated battle. "I can't wait until I'm in a room with you alone either."

Jaxton tensed, but those dark eyes steeped with lust as he gazed at her. "The only people who have been in my house are workers and my family. You're the first outsider to step inside my house, and especially you'll be the first woman who's been inside my bedroom. Not even my mother or Weiwei go into my room."

Tesla's lust was wrapped with pride and honor hearing such words. But then confusion set those emotions asunder. "Your parents don't allow guests in their house?"

"My house. Not my parents' house."

Her eyes rounded. "You have your own house? Since when?" Her nose wrinkled when Jaxton said nothing, only held her stare, and she grumbled, "A saner human being would've been fed up their boyfriend has this double life he can't talk about for reasons. I mean, I'm friggen crazy, so you're very lucky about that."

"I don't like that I've had to lie to you," Jaxton rumbled. "It's why I'm bringing you home to change that."

Tesla eyed him. "I understand you have your secrets, but after I see your home, you won't have to lie to me about yourself, right? Outside your job?"

"Correct."

"I suppose you should be grateful then that you give good head and feed me so I put up with this." Tesla cupped his cheek. "I hope you plan to grovel to me once all this is done." She watched as he took her hand to kiss her palm, and her breath quickened when he offered her fingers a soft bite.

"I have many ways to make this up to you, baby girl," Jaxton promised her. "I know I haven't won your forgiveness completely, but I'll earn it back." He kissed her wrist, then down her arm and her shoulder, then neck and chin until he hovered over her lips. "May I kiss you?"

"I don't know," Tesla whispered back. "Will kissing me lead to something?"

"If you'd like. But we'll be warned in the next twenty minutes we have to get to our seats so we can land."

Tesla hummed. "Does that mean nothing will happen?" She raked her fingers through his hair. "Won't you touch me?"

Jaxton's breathing became labored, but he kept his cool and teased her with a light stroke of a finger on her throat. "I'm not going to fuck you." Calm words. "I won't let you cum." His finger started at the swell of a breast, but he stopped short of her nipple and listened closely if she whined. She did not. "Do you still want me to touch you?"

"Yes," Tesla breathed. "Please."

"Get on all fours."

The second Jaxton lifted off her, she was quick and eager to do so. Her body hummed, ready and willing, but her eyes went to the window of the jet only to widen. "Oh my…"

She felt like she was looking at a place that existed in her dizziest daydreams. Winter had strapped onto the greens of the land like flesh, though you could still see patches of emeralds and jades and olives with crystal blue water was painted in globs and curves, almost as though a child had a hand in making this land with unsteady fingers that could only make curves. The mountains had grown into their elderly forms, with only a few mountains that razed the sunken clouds. Ravines and gorges attracted those curving rivers and lakes, but the sandstone pillars that stood immovable looked unreal. Even from their height, you could see the people of this province had been careful in their home planning and had built houses and transportation into nature out of courtesy and respect.

She had never seen anything like this.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is Sīchóu Province—alternatively romanized as Szuchou—one of the thirteen provinces of Zhōnguá with a population of 70 million and 23 districts. Its name is derived from the word "silk" due to it being prosperous for its silk exports as it is the only home to a rare magical silkworm breed. The Sī people speak a unique form of Zhōnguánese called Szuchounese. It is said Báihǔ, the Ancient White Tiger of the West, protects this land. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"This is your home?" she asked Jaxton. "Jang-ta… It's beautiful…"

"Thank you." Jaxton rested his chin on her shoulder, eyes soft as he took in the grandeur of his homeland. "I hope you like it." His tone dropped when Tesla shuddered and bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. He saw her eyes flutter shut in bliss, but he drew his hand away. "Keep your eyes open," he commanded, albeit soft-spoken.

Tesla whimpered, but her eyes opened, half-lidded, as she fell into his touch. "J-Jang-ta…."

"Shhh…" Jaxton kissed her temple and whispered against her skin, "Look at my home." His nostrils flared when she shuddered and crippled her sob. "The Sīchóu Province welcomes you, tián xīn."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

•

Itsu datte kimi no sono-te wa

Itsu demo sekai o kae reru yo

Tsudzukete ku koto yamecha dame datte

Kon'na mon janaidaro? Susume!

Mukuwarenai sono doryoku wa `kabe' o `tobira' ni kaerukara

Kowagarazu ni sa~a nokku shite

It will be OK

Let's go sonosakihe!

•

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Tesla could not help but be in complete awe during the drive. A black SUV had come for them at the Sky Port. She had remained close to Jaxton, though she had yet to grasp the dialect he was using as he spoke to the driver and the guard who had come along. But that did not matter once they were loaded into the Lacrima vehicle and headed off a private drive.

"Wow…" Tesla's eyes sparkled in disbelief and childish wonder. "Your homeland is so beautiful…"

No matter how much she said it, it would never diminish the sincerity of her words. The drive took them through a city that was high-tech and no one could state otherwise. Historical Zhōnguá met with modern-day with burnt umber tiled woods and traditional window carvings and the bridges aglow with dragonized yellows and reds, yet the skyscrapers and sleek buildings of today's world were lit up in their hues of blues and yellows.

A Lacrima-Vision billboard strapped to one skyscraper had a Zhōnguánese commercial for a new superhero movie about to come out while others painted the news with the devastation in Valchestria and the fool of a president in the USM to simple soda and beauty product commercial. The residents were just as fabulous as the city they lived in with fashion beyond words. Some had twisted traditional wear with a touch of sin, while others had strutted through the bustling city in bold animal print with a mask on. A citizen with cornrows and a Valenciaga sweatshirt offered a bro-hug to a few friends he was meeting up. Two girls dressed in baggy jean jackets and outrageously cut pants looked like they were filming for social media. A local MgRonalds had its fill of customers swarming for their lunch hour.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« Xiùhuā is the capital of Sīchóu and is one of the most populated cities in western Zhōnguá. It serves as the primary economic, commercial, and cultural hub for western Zhōnguá with a number of high-ranking universities. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"And you came to Fiore over living in this?" Tesla gawked. She had swapped out her traditional jogging suit she normally wore for flights for something more up-to-date. She had opted for some thermal yet sleek pants, thigh-high boots, and a plump jacket. Her twists had been bunched up into a faux ballerina bun. "I love Fiore, but look at this place!"

"This place never had you."

Tesla chuckled. "I know you mean that because you were sent to be my Guardian Angel, but that's still romantic to hear."

"Because I mean it." Jaxton had changed out of his own comfy clothes and looked nothing less than an important official with his topcoat, slacks, and sweater. He did not care that a thin partition separated them from the driver and guard. He held her in his arms and dropped his chin on her shoulder as his eyes skimmed the city. "My mission was to go to you, yes, but I stayed because of you. Because I love you."

Tesla rubbed his jaw as she hummed. "Your sweet words make me awfully nervous about what I'm going to learn on this trip." She crossed her legs. "And they do nothing to help me with my little problem."

"I'll fix it after I show you my house," Jaxton promised her as he buried his nose in her neck. "As much as I dislike it, there are certain rules we have to follow."

"You told me." Tesla heavily sighed. "Like separate bedrooms unless we're bound by the law."

"You'll have my room." Jaxton left nothing for an argument to be started. "I'll be taking the guest room." He kissed her cheek. "I know it isn't ideal, but we have to respect some of the rules of the compound, even in my home." He growled out those last words.

Tesla patted him to soothe him. "I don't mind following the rules when I'm trying to get on your family's good side." A beat. "Do you think they'll like me?"

"Most of my family will definitely like you," Jaxton said with certainty. "Many of them don't leave Zhōnguá, so they'll be very curious about you and your experiences. My father isn't someone who talks, but he's curious about you. And my mother…" He let her go to turn her so darkness and steely-grays connected. "My mother is someone of principles. She and I don't see eye-to-eye on many things. I was silent before because I thought being silent was the only way to live happily with my family, but that's changed."

He took her hands into his. "Since I joined Fairy Tail and befriended Gary… Since I've had the honor of being your boyfriend… I realized silence does nothing. My mother didn't expect me to speak against her after all these years. In truth, she wrongfully blames you and my move to Fiore for my change." He shook his head. "But I'm finished abiding by her strict principles. So, if she says something—"

"Kill her with kindness." Tesla feigned innocence when Jaxton raised an eyebrow. "What? You already warned me about her. I'm not going to be that girlfriend that stresses herself out to please my boyfriend's mom. I'm sorry, but stress is not good for the skin." She shrugged. "If she decides to try to bait me with pettiness, I'll kill her with kindness."

Jaxton smiled as he raised her hands and kissed her knuckles. "That's my girl."

"Yeah, you're damn right that's your girl," Tesla muttered, amused. "You're throwing me to the wolves."

Jaxton's lips twitched. "Not yet." He grew thoughtful. "But maybe soon."

"Whatever." Tesla yawned and stole back her hand to fan her mouth. "How long does it take to get to your compound again?"

"A few hours. We live a little off-the-grid." Jaxton swept Tesla under his arm. "Do you want us to stop here for lunch first, or are you okay with the drive?"

"Can we stop for lunch and a bathroom break?"

"Of course." Jaxton abandoned her to knock on the partition. Once it came down a few inches, he spoke in the dialect of this land and got confirmation before the partition rolled up, and he cuddled with Tesla once more.

She yawned again. "Thank you."

"It's no problem." Jaxton feathered her side. "I already made sure my house had everything you need, but if you think of anything else, just let me know."

"Mmkay." Tesla nuzzled under his jaw. "I might take a short nap, but I really want to get back to reading the Xiānxiá story I picked up in Al—at the library." She caught her slip-up and prayed Jaxton had not noticed. She smiled when Jaxton snorted. "Don't hate on my love for danmei. It's so good!" She looked up at him. "Is some of it true?"

Jaxton chuckled, but he offered nothing more.

After a quick pit stop, Tesla felt sheepish she had gotten MgRonald's in a new foreign country, but with Jaxton's assurance she would predominantly eat traditional dishes of the province, it eased her guilt. Jaxton kept a dozing Tesla close as he worked on his L-Pad. She had braved staying awake a half an hour after she finished eating to pop in her earbuds and read her novel until she passed out. Jaxton had bookmarked her spot and plucked her earbuds but keeping his eyes on his work and not on her proved to be a difficult task.

She's so strong and beautiful. Jaxton's heart sighed. When I built my home, I never imagined sharing it with someone. He kissed her temple. Please don't leave me when you learn the truth, he wanted to beseech. Please accept me.

His ear twitched, and he dug out his Compact to see the white king chess piece calling him. He swiped to answer. "Is this an emergency?" He tried to keep his voice calm, but his irritation bled through regardless. "I thought my vacation time was approved."

"It is," Checkmate soothed with thinly veiled amusement. "I didn't mean to disturb you on your vacation time, but this isn't about work. This is more of a personal call and a warning."

"All right then."

Checkmate sighed. "Pandemonium is hurrying to catch up to Cajun who will be will be in touching down in Zhōnguá in a few hours."

Jaxton gripped his Compact. "Cajun isn't allowed on the compound's property."

"I'm well-aware, and both of them are old enough to respect the rules. But Cajun will find you if you decide to leave the compound. They aren't permitted to say anything of what they are, but I wanted you aware, so you know how to handle Cajun."

"I understand. Is that all?"

A long pause. "That's all. Enjoy your vacation and be good to your Chosen." The call ended.

Jaxton let the Compact sit on the seat. I don't mind Marlow coming. I trust her. But Cajun… His lips curled, but with Tesla close, he restrained himself. I don't trust him. And for just a moment, the darkness in his eyes flickered for a yellow-amber.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

•

Fairy Adventure 091

•

The Compound

•

コンパウンドの紹介。秘密の表面を傷つける.

•

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Tesla woke up when she heard muffled murmurs and doors closing. A little groggy and chilly, she gave a nice yawn and stretched. As she blinked away the bleariness, Jaxton opened the door to her side and murmured, "I'm sorry. Did we wake you?"

"It's fine." A little more awake and alert, she sent him a lazy smile. "Are we here at the compound?"

"Yes." Jaxton's jaw locked. "However, I had planned to take the car all the way to my house. My mother gave instructions against it." A terse breath. "If I want to take the car, it can only be driven to the zhèng-fáng or we can use the traditional methods of getting to the house."

Tesla plastered her hands on his cheeks to keep him calm. "Kill her with kindness," she reminded. "It's fine. If she wants to play this game, we'll play along—for now. Now." She retracted her hand. "Are you going to help me out?"

Jaxton was graceful as he escorted her out of the car and did a quick sweep to make sure he had not left anything in the car. Tesla, on the other hand, saw her breath form before her and took it all in. They had driven to a higher point than she had anticipated as snow walked among the earth with trees in masses. The paifang they had stopped before was glazed and grand, and snow crusted the sweeping roofs. The gate had traditional Zhōnguánese painted in beautiful calligraphy on the front, and two Shíshī (stone lion dogs) defended this compound.

"Wow…" Tesla sucked in air, but she coughed a little.

Jaxton was instantly at her side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You warned me the air was a little thinner than Fiore." Tesla thanked him for her gloves and slipped them on. "So. This is the compound." She looked at the calligraphy on the arching gateway:

德宗

"Te Zōng," Tesla said aloud. "I like the name."

Jaxton smiled. "I'm glad it suits you."

"Shishu."

Jaxton's smile dropped, and Tesla frowned when his handsome face became a cool mask. The guard they had traveled with cloaked in black bowed low to the couple and spoke in Szuchounese, "We have arranged your transportation."

"Thank you." Jaxton kissed Tesla's hand. "They have everything ready for us to go to my house. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I am."

Jaxton nodded and led her away from the car. Her eyes passed over the archway and lingered over the guardian statues before she let her gaze stray. Her eyebrows rose. "Wow. When you said 'traditional', I guess I should have thought of this."

A Heihe horse—a strong and hardy breed, these horses—had been led out of the stables and looked docile and obedient. Coat a clean chestnut and jaw loose, the horse was rigged to a traditional two-wheel carriage that looked like it had been polished for the journey. The horse snorted upon Jaxton's arrival and looked generally relaxed when it sniffed his hand and took to his strokes of its snouts.

"This is Fengfeng," Jaxton explained to Tesla, "one of my horses. I guess my mother had a feeling I'd still want to go to my house and made sure one of my horses was brought down."

"We'll swing back to the fact you have horses once we're there," Tesla muttered. "Because, boy, you have a lot of explaining to do." She nearly jumped when she noticed the driver of the carriage was standing at the side of the carriage. He did not look all that friendly with protective gear that covered from his nose down to his neck, and he lined his clothing with black-dyed furs. His silver eyes stayed on Tesla, and she mustered a smile and offered a kind Zhōnguánese greeting. "Hello."

He nodded back, but he offered no greeting in return.

Jaxton's eyes flickered over to the driver and introduced, "Tesla, this is Huang Chun. He's from my house." He nodded at Huang Chun and spoke in Szuchounese, "Is everything prepared? Have all surprises from my mother been found and eliminated?"

Huang Chun nodded.

"Very good." Jaxton turned to Tesla. "Are you ready to see the house?"

Tesla smiled. "Yes, because I'm freezing my tits off. Oh!" She shot Huang Chun a rueful look and apologized in Zhōnguánese, "I'm sorry."

"Say what you would like," Jaxton encouraged as he helped her up the steps and into the carriage. "I love your mouth, and I want you to speak freely."

Tesla shot him a dubious look as they settled in the two-seat carriage. "Really?"

Jaxton chuckled. "Vulgarity is prohibited inside the main residential area of the compound," he admitted. "My mother can control physical restrictions, but she can't constrain verbal restrictions. And even if she tried"—he grinned—"she can't break down my wards. So, don't hold anything back. I love you speak your mind." Whatever he said to the driver in Szuchounese had Huang Chun nod and get Fengfeng the horse into a nice walk.

"Can you tell me a little more about the compound now that we're here?" Tesla asked, curious. "Or are things still kept under wraps?"

Jaxton laid his arm across the back of the seat and let their knees touch. "Now that we're here and underneath the wards, I can speak more about the compound," he explained. "Te Zōng is protected by multiple enchantments. It helps deter people from strolling onto the property or hunting and keeps us from prying ears or any scrying." He pointed out the carved window to show Tesla the rolling mountain ranges. "A little past that will be Giltena and Wu Xing lies to the high north of that."

"And you own all of that?" Tesla gasped. She would clutch her pearls if she had any.

"I only own my home and the surrounding property," Jaxton clarified. "The compound is my mother's jurisdiction."

Tesla twisted to look up at him. "And will everything the light touches be yours one day?" She grinned cheekily when Jaxton quirked an eyebrow. "What? I'm just doing my due diligence as a gold digger and figuring out how much acreage you have."

Jaxton snorted and scrubbed his cheek. "In older times, the eldest of a family would inherit the rights to the land," he told her. "But Weiwei…" He shook his head. "My parents and I are at a standstill. My mother won't be dying anytime soon, but it was always assumed if she passed, I would get the compound and be the head of the Yang family."

"Not Weiwei?"

"No." Something in Jaxton's face darkened. "It could never be Weiwei."

Tesla sensed it was not the time to ask about his older sister. "So, since things have changed…do you want to inherit the compound?"

"When I was younger, I would have," Jaxton confessed. "I was neutral about inheriting it, but my parents groomed me to take over both the compound and other things. But now…" He threaded his hand with hers and let her catch his burning gaze. "I found someone precious to me and learned how to want something for myself." His other hand came up to thumb her bottom lip.

Tesla felt her heart quicken. "And now?"

"Now?" Jaxton dipped his head as his lips brushed hers. "I want you." His lips pressed—

"Nope." Tesla slapped a hand on Jaxton's mouth and did not care how his eyes spoke of his disappointment. "Your words do things to me, Jang-ta, make no mistake," she assured him, "but you can want me and still want your inheritance."

Jaxton pulled away from her to run agitated fingers through his hair. "It's a lot for me to consider," he confessed to her. "There are many angles I have to approach before I can confidently want my birthright."

Tesla patted his thigh and offered him a soft beam. "Well, you're young and sweet. You still have a lot of time to figure things out."

"Yeah…" Jaxton's eyes strayed to the scenery. "I am young…"

A comfortable silence with whistling winds piled between them. Tesla did not mind. To be honest, she longed to put in her earbuds and play her traditional Zhōnguánese music playlist and take a bunch of photos and compare them to the addictive Z-Dramas she had been binging but enjoying the moment and just being in the moment felt a lot better. The trail they followed was a beaten path clear of snow, but they had not passed by many houses. The occasional shed popped up, and she witnessed some wildlife migrating in their own herds, but the scenery looked like something out of a fairy tale.

Come to think of it, she was itching to listen to the Narnia soundtrack….

She bounced in her seat when she noticed they were approaching another archway that had the calligraphy 白狼派 in gold. "Are we getting close?"

"Very." Jaxton pointed at the paifang. "The gateway marks the beginning of my territory within the compound. Once you're settled, I'll give you a tour."

Tesla squealed. "I hit the jackpot with boyfriends," she cheered, giddy. "I can't wait to tell Dante and Juli—…" Her smile faltered into an uncertain frown.

"Have you talked to her lately?" Jaxton asked.

Tesla rubbed her thighs. "Not really," she confessed. "I just…" She sighed. "I don't know. It's just…weird, y'know? I mean, I know she's my friend, and she wasn't doing anything malicious, and, well, if I can forgive you and Zelda, I should be able to forgive her, but…" She closed her eyes.

"She was your first female friend," Jaxton recalled. "Your relationship with her is different. It feels like a different type of betrayal."

Tesla turned away from him as though ashamed.

"Take your time," Jaxton soothed. "I'm not judging you, baby girl." He wrapped his arm around her waist and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "I'm here for you. And Julia is here for you too."

Tesla let out a draining exhale. "I know. Thank you." Her eyes fluttered open when Jaxton pressed a kiss against her hairline. She watched as they passed through the gateway, but her body flinched. "Ow…"

Jaxton was instantly concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Tesla pressed a hand against her stomach when the cramp flared and died in only a few seconds. "Just a cramp…"

Jaxton's brow furrowed until he understood. "The wards," he realized. "Now that you actively use Anti-Ether, my wards can't affect you. The discomfort you felt was my wards doubling down to try to place some sort of effect on you. I've had only a few guests experience it." He massaged her abdomen with a heated hand. "Better?"

"Much." Tesla shot him a questioning gaze. "There are others out there besides Hunters who can't feel Magic?"

Jaxton nodded. "Magic is tied to Earth Land's Ether Core. A Wizard's Spirit is powered through a facilitated connection to that Ether Core—to the Ether in nature. But there are a few out there that don't get their powers from the Ether Core. They can't be affected by Magic or even your Anti-Ether."

"Even me?" Tesla was furthered surprised. "Seriously?" She realized it. "Oh, but I guess that makes sense. My powers are still connected to the Ether Core here." Her mind churned as she remembered Kyler and Nashi. Kyler told me about Agents, but… He was never affected by me. And he says he and Nashi share a blood connection. Are their powers not from Earth Land then? What about the Leviathan metal chains and stuff? And then… Her mind flashed to Luna. Her… I wonder…

Jaxton's territory was not as open as the residential area of the compound. When Tesla had caught a glimpse of the compound, it had been cleared of trees, but as they delved deeper into Jaxton's land, coniferous trees populated the trail and offered unnecessary shade. But steely-grays lingered when she caught sight of littering sheds, a few stone trails, and talismans that hung off the trees. But soon she saw something that intrigued her deeply.

"Statues?"

Jaxton turned his head and caught a canine statue. The wolf was in the same pose as a male guardian lion-dog with one paw on an embroidered ball. "Guardians, yes."

"Not lions?"

"No." Jaxton shook his head. "Like at the main part of the compound, I have a statue before my house of Báihǔ. I just have different guardians."

Tesla hummed, curious but sated for now. Her eyes sparkled as she looked around, and she drummed her fingers on her thighs. "Is your house traditional too?"

Jaxton nodded. "Yes. All the houses in the compound are traditional, but they have modern upgrades. My mother learned some earthly tethers can't be avoided." His lips quirked. "But Weiwei told me it's because our mother likes her mixer too much to give it up."

Tesla snickered. "I can understand that. Whisks are great for the small stuff, but I'm all for my mixer I got for Christmas. Which, by the way, thank you."

"It's nothing."

Tesla wanted to say no, it's not 'nothing', but she gaped when she saw an elaborate gate revealed itself with doors larger than life. The symbol of the White Tiger of the West sealed the doors shut. "Holy…"

The gateway doors opened without any prompting, and Huang Chun led Fengfeng right inside.

Right about now, Tesla very much wished she had chaise lounge to faint on.

The doors had opened up to a small concrete terrace infused with ginkgo trees that had succumbed to winter's touch. Stones had lined the edge of the terrace to show misting dark blue waters that had lanterns sailing along with the soft current. A grand bridge kept together the terrace and the main house, and the main house was a doozy. Stones lined the bottom of the house as it stood on a stone platform, but it had been painstakingly built with dried-up soil-brick and traditional wooden panels and columns and carvings and windows. The sweeping roof tiles had been spared from winter's touch as stone carvings railed it and the corners turned into a ridiculous curl upwards. Most of the house had been chopped into layered stories, and a sizable tower overlooked the property, but another bridge had been built out to a private abode that sat on the water and looked locked down to anyone.

And if that was not enough, Tesla was shocked by the…company.

On the verandas of Jaxton's home, dozens of people had lined up in black long-sleeve robes that had a white embroidered symbol circled on the left part of their chest. No two people looked the same. Aberrants and Chimaera and a sprinkle of people with no extra limbs or fur had all bowed, quiet and respectful.

This was…not what she was expecting.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Bái Láng Zhuāngyuán or Bái Láng Estate. Jaxton's entire territory within Te Zōng is named Bái Láng Fēng or Bái Láng Peak. Within his territory, he has 25 people who care for his estate and live on his property. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Huang Chun stopped the carriage and dismounted, but Jaxton waited for Tesla's jaw to pick up from the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I mean…" Tesla stopped herself and regrouped her thoughts. Ever-so-slowly, she reached out a hand and pressed open air.

Jaxton tilted his head. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure I wasn't transmigrated into a Zhōnguánese novel or drama," Tesla told him like that was normal.

Jaxton smiled at how dead serious she sounded. "You haven't been transported into a novel, lacrimagame, the past, or another world," he confirmed for her. "This is just my house. Gary has his own property on Caracole Island similar to this size."

"That is not normal." Tesla gestured to all around him. "This is not – normal," she had to stress. "Please tell me what is happening?"

Jaxton got out of the carriage first before he extended a hand to her. "I told you I'd answer all of your questions, but I need you to be patient with me a little longer. There's a lot I have to tell you, and I don't want to overwhelm you."

Tesla took his hand with a crazed look in her eye. "The fuck you mean you didn't want to 'overwhelm' me when this is very much overwhelming. I am being hyper-whelmed. Hyper-whelmed, Jang-ta, extraordinarily so." She got to the ground as her stare darted around. "And Gary's been here before?"

"No." Jaxton snorted. "He stays at the main house." His eyebrow twitched as he remembered Gary's tantrum about not being invited onto Jaxton's property. The little shit made me want to throw him outside to the Wilds. He's lucky my mother adores him. He noticed Tesla getting twitchy. "Breathe, baby girl, breathe."

"Shut up."

"But—"

"Shhhh…! Shh-shh-shh, just shut up. Shut up. Be quiet." Tesla tried to take this all in. "You chose to live in an—admittedly nice—apartment over this?" She gestured wildly around them. "This?"

Jaxton opened his mouth—

"You know what? It doesn't matter." Tesla took a deep breath. "I'm calm. This is fine. You own a goddamn mansion, but it's fine." She offered her hand back to him. "Take me inside before I faint." She growled when he laughed at her. "Who gave you the right to laugh at my freak out, you ass?"

"I'm sorry." Jaxton quieted his laughter for a genuine grin, amusement dancing in the darkness of his eyes. "I just love everything about you. You're full of surprises. That mouth of yours…" His eyes dropped precariously to her lips.

Tesla snapped her fingers at him to bring his eyes back up to hers. "Hey. Keep Little Jax under – control." She dropped her hand as she strutted away.

"I'm trying," Jaxton mumbled as his eyes fell onto the curve of her backside. "I'm really trying." His eyes drifted to the observant Huang Chun and said in Szuchounese, "Report back to my mother I will not come to the main house at dinner. I will see her tomorrow. She is not to enter my property unless she wants to insult me."

Huang Chun nodded and got back into the driver's bench of the carriage.

Tesla had crossed the bridge by her lonesome as she mouthed wow a dozen times. When she got to the veranda and the main doors to the house were upon her, she swept her stare over the servants that had come out to greet her and felt awkward as they still bowed in her presence. In Zhōnguánese, she assured them, "You don't have to bow to me. Thank you, though, for the gesture, and it's nice to meet you."

Her smile dimmed when they remained in their positions. Is it because I'm not speaking their dialect?

Jaxton called from behind Tesla, "You may rise and relax."

That perplexed Tesla when they responded to the Minstrish words and straightened, eyes bright and curious, and a few passed shy smiles. "Wait…" She felt Jaxton take his place at her side. "Minstrish is spoken here?"

"Yes." Jaxton nodded to the servants, who slipped away with a few interested glances back at Tesla. "Not all of them are from Zhōnguá. Most of them came from bad situations around the world on some assignments I had taken. I offered them sanctuary here. They can speak Zhōnguánese and Szuchounese, but they all voted and agreed to speak Minstrish to help with their skills." He gestured to the doors. "Are you ready to see my home?"

"Lord, help me, because I don't know if I have the mental strength for all these surprises," Tesla muttered.

Jaxton laughed, but he took her hand and guided her. He slid open one of the doors for her and nudged her inside. She blinked when she saw a Cipanguese genkan had made its way into such a traditional home with shoes neatly lines up. "I didn't think Zhōnguánese houses had these?"

"They don't, but I like them." Jaxton and she sat on a step to take off their shoes once the front door slid closed and locked. "My house is mainly traditional. All the rooms are south-facing, and I made sure the spiritual flow of the house is at its peak. But when I saw other parts of the world and their architecture, I adopted it into my home."

"Can you do that?"

"My mother might not like it, but she can't say much about it," Jaxton told her. He lined up her boots and his with the other shoes before he slipped house slippers onto her feet, then his own. And off into the house they went.

Dark stained hardwood floor lived throughout the house and the walls a brilliant sandy white. The center courtyard tied in the entire house with its misting pond and looming ginkgo tree that had a stone bench beneath, but this was not a stereotypical siheyaun. Western architecture had influenced with the varying platformed levels of the house and the asymmetrical take on the home. The gardens that caressed other parts of the house had been dashed with bonsai trees and bushes and outlined with stone. A few bridged pavilions had hung off the main part of the house, though the curtains were let down, so it was anyone's guess as to what the pavilions were used for.

Either way, Tesla would need to sit down soon.

"Where's your room?" Tesla asked. "The zhèng-fáng, right?"

"Right. We're coming up to my wing." Both boarded the next platformed level of the house when they came to stylistic sliding doors. Jaxton opened them before stepping aside and gesturing to the inside. "After you."

Tesla was slow to enter, like a cat checking out its new surroundings and looking for a place to hide if things were too uncomfortable. The bedroom was not just a bedroom but a wing, and that was a notable difference. Lower than the first of the floor, a westernized living room with an expansive fur carpet with a large LV and had an entire glass wall that showed its own small courtyard. But as she got to the actual bed-chamber, she had to stop and gawk. "Oh, dear god."

An intricate wooden bedframe with red tassels and tied-back curtains took up the most space and was dressed to the nines in pillows and a comforter that looked like it should be part of a museum. The high dressers and cabinets looked like they had been hand-crafted from trees raised for this purpose. An ornate rug tucked itself underneath the bed while a furred rug kept close to the antique fireplace, a rare addition to a traditional Zhōnguánese bed-chamber. To the right, a circled archway showed a master bath that had been completely westernized with a glass-door shower, a tub built for relaxation, and even a vanity had been put in place.

"I…" Tesla stumbled. "I… I need to sit."

Jaxton hurried to help Tesla sit at one of the accent chairs near the hearth and knelt at her side. "Do you want me to make you tea?"

"I just…" Tesla took a look around and pointed. "I have questions."

"I know."

"I…" Tesla worked her mouth. "Can I ask them now?"

"You can."

"Okay." Tesla sunk into her silence. "Okay, so…" She crossed her legs and turned to him. "Here's the thing. I'm piecing together that this is your house."

Jaxton nodded. "It is."

"And you said you lived here before you came on that Sky Boat with me to Fiore when I was a child."

Jaxton nodded again. "I did."

"And again this – is – your – house – since – before – then."

"It is."

Tesla nodded. "What I'm trying to understand is that it makes no fucking sense that your parents would send a very young child to live in a house like this by himself in the middle of the woods."

"No, it doesn't make sense," Jaxton agreed with her.

Tesla slowly rubbed down her face, wide-eyed. "Jang-ta, I am going to ask you a question, okay?"

"Okay."

"And I won't judge you."

"All right."

"But this is now a need-to-know basis."

"I understand."

Tesla had to brace herself. "How old are you?"

Jaxton blinked like he was slowly registering the question. Then his eyes cast to the side, and he mumbled, "I don't want to say."

Sir, now is not the time to play cute! Tesla wanted to cry. But she did her best to remain calm and not shake him down senselessly for the answer that could abate her insanity—or add onto it. "Is this one of those things you are going to tell me during my stay here?"

Jaxton shifted and, for the first time in their relationship ever, he looked genuinely uncomfortable. "Yes," he answered, though he sounded reluctant. "As I said before, there is a lot about this place, my family, and myself that I have to explain to you. I know it's unfair of me to make you wait, but I do want to tell you. I want to be honest. But I don't want to overwhelm you with all the information at once."

"Oh, yes, yes, you said that and I am very overwhelmed, mmm-hmm, yep." Tesla had to give him a short nod and a tight-lipped smile that looked more like a very sour grimace. "Just tell me one thing, okay? Just this one thing."

Jaxton warily nodded his consent.

"Are you a vampire?"

"No."

Tesla whooshed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god." She fanned herself. "I mean you're pale and broody, so all that plus this made me start thinking of Dawn, and I was starting to get nervous I was in some creepy relationship with some old ass vampire." But her laughter died when she saw Jaxton's hurt. "What? What did I say?"

"Nothing."

Tesla did not believe that. "Bullshit. What did I say?" When he got up, she tried again, "Jang-ta—"

"It's nothing, Tesla," Jaxton tried to assure, though he would not look at her. "Are you tired? Do you want to take a nap?"

"Yes, I'm a little tired." Tesla stood up to hug him from behind. "But I'm trying to ask my boyfriend what's wrong, and I won't let go until I have an answer."

Silence.

Tesla's heart plummeted. Did my words really hurt him? But… What did I say that was wrong?

"Come here." Jaxton unraveled Tesla from behind him to guide her to his bed. He sat down and it looked like he was gesturing for her to sit beside him, but she fell into his lap instead, and he looked a little more relaxed to touch her. "I…" He swallowed. "I just…wish I knew the deal breakers."

Tesla arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean? What deal breakers?"

Jaxton sighed and dropped his head onto her shoulder. "Deal breakers we never discussed before," he murmured to her.

"Is this about the age thing?" Tesla realized.

Jaxton nodded.

"Jang-ta, the second you told me 'I can't answer that' when we talked on New Year's Day is when I started putting together you're not nineteen. This was all confirmation."

Jaxton pulled up his head to look at her in childish confusion, adult guilt, and surprise. "You did?"

"I might not be smart, but shit didn't add up," Tesla told him with a long sigh. "I started taking in everything you didn't say and compared it to everything you did say. It made more sense to me that you weren't nineteen." She played with his hair that settled at his nape. "I admit. I freaked out a lot when I came up with the conclusion. It kept me up at night about not knowing how old you actually are. I was too afraid you'd figure out what was going on, so I had to internalize a lot of my freak-out."

"I'm sorry," Jaxton murmured, sincere and upset.

Tesla shook her head, but she did not try to comfort him on this. "A, um, friend had told me Wizards can live long lives. Some Wizards could still look young and still be, like, eighty years old or something, depending on how often they used their Magic and the type of Magic. And he might also be very old in my eyes, but he's probably very young for his kind."

"His kind?"

Tesla nodded, but she did not divulge any further.

Jaxton's hands roamed her back as he placed his thoughts. "Age wasn't a subject broadly spoken about long ago," he said quietly. "Wizards and other races could live hundreds of years and look young to the average person. Something about their Spirits dampened time's effect on them physically, but they aged mentally. Things have changed now. Many of those races don't exist."

"How come?" Tesla blinked as something came to her. "I've never actually noticed magical races disappearing. I don't think they even taught that in history classes."

"It's not necessary for Spiritless to understand certain events," Jaxton told her, "but your history books do twist how certain events happened." His hands settled on her waist. "But that's for another time."

Tesla did not want to argue that. Instead, she murmured, "I'm a little afraid of the answers I'll hear during this trip."

"I know." Jaxton tightened his hold on her, though it was more to bring himself comfort than anything else.

"But… I will listen," Tesla made clear as she shifted on his lap. "If there's one thing I have yet to stop doing, it's trying to figure out the why behind everything. Why did my sperm donor decide I was his type? Why I had a shit childhood? Why I have these powers? I'd give anything to understand that. And if you're going to give me answers—any answers—I have to know."

She offered a pitiful laugh. "All those dramas I watch, it's like the lead never wants to hear an explanation from a misunderstanding. They just…run away and assume things." Her smile turned depressive. "I wish I had that luxury to just run away and feel so confident that I'm right about everything, but I… I can't. I can't let it go. I don't… I don't…" Her eyes stung. "I don't understand why the Hell this had to happen to me, and I keep losing my mind trying to figure out why like I need some sick sense of closure that all this happened to me for a reason."

"There's nothing wrong with closure and nothing wrong with wanting to understand, baby girl," Jaxton soothed. "Acceptance and self-forgiveness aren't easy pills to swallow. It takes time for that to happen."

Teary steely-grays clung to darkness.

"What if it never happens?" Tesla asked him, miserable. "Doctor Orr is great, but I feel like complete shit I can't stop wanting a reason all this happens. I know I have a good family and good friends and a good life now. I know that. I know there wasn't a sound reason why all that happened to me, but…" She ducked her head and let her forehead bump his as she shuddered an exhale. "I'm sorry," she rasped. "I promise I'll be less weepy." She shot him a feeble smile. "You still owe me answers."

"And you'll get them," Jaxton promised her. He kissed her nose. "Do you want to lie down? What do you need from me right now?"

"Nothing. And everything." Tesla pulled away to blink and keep back any tears. "I don't even know. I don't want to think about this while we're here. I just want to enjoy being in your homeland and let that overwhelm me, not all my other problems."

Jaxton studied her. "Wherever you are, your past follows you in ways you might not know. Your 'problems' never disappear moving from place to place." His eyes flickered. "I learned that the hard way. And I accepted that I can't outrun or move away from my past."

"It's unfair," Tesla whispered.

"The world was built on unfair," Jaxton said. "But the world gave us methods to combat that unfairness. Whatever you need, so be it. Even while we're here, if you feel overwhelmed or need to take a break or need to be away from me, I won't ask questions."

Tesla caressed his cheek and murmured, "Thank you." She smiled sweetly. "How old are you?"

Jaxton sighed and fell back on the bed to pull her with him. "I don't want to say."

"Thirty," Tesla confidently guessed. "You're thirty, aren't you?" She gasped. "Oh my god, no wonder you didn't date me until I was an adult." Her nose wrinkled. "Have I been groomed for an older man?" She laughed when Jaxton growled at her and flipped them over so he pinned her beneath him. She gave him a rakish once-over that spelled what she wanted. "You look good for an old man," she teased. "And you don't even need the fun stuff for us to get freaky, Cialis."

"I'm not old," Jaxton told her, determined. "I am young."

Tesla chuckled and patted his cheek. "You keep trying to convince yourself while I tease the shit out of you that you're probably an old man." She gasped. "Wait. And Weiwei is your older sister, right? Is she actually older than you?"

"Yes, she is." Jaxton narrowed his eyes when Tesla looked like she was plotting. "She won't tell you how old she is either."

"Where is your driver's license?" Tesla demanded.

Jaxton raised an eyebrow. "You've seen my driver's license with the birthdate. The day and the month are correct, but the year isn't."

"How can you falsify legal documentation of your own birthday?" Tesla wanted to know. "That has to be some sort of crime."

Jaxton shrugged. "I have connections and an agreement in place."

Tesla narrowed her eyes at him as she tried to figure out another strategy. "Does Gary know how old you are?"

Jaxton hesitated.

"A-ha!" The second Tesla moved to find her Compact, Jaxton had toppled her and refused to lift off from her. She struggled and raked her nails down his back and bucked like frenzied prey desperate to escape the clutches of a predator. "Let me go…!" Tesla half-snarled-half-whined.

Jaxton purred in her ear, "Never."

Her snarls and spitting cycled into a groan and weak protests when his heated kiss trained her jawline and throat. Her thrashing turned to wreathes when his hand crept under her shirt for his fingers to dance along the side of her breast, and her hands held him steady as though she were pleading for more.

But of course Jaxton did not give in. He pulled away with those eyes of his calm as ever even though he looked at her like she was the only person who existed. "If you're upset with me, I understand," he told her against her breathless pants and erratic heartbeat. He did not care to adjust the bulge in his pants.

"Well, you know what they say. You either get out your emotions by a nice long fight or a nice hard fuck." Tesla made her intentions clear when she touched him. "I don't want to fight." But the lust that clouded her and bound her skittered away for doubt. "Oh, but the rules…"

"The rules of the compound state nightly bed-sharing is forbidden." Jaxton ground against her and was fixated when her face relaxed in pure bliss. "But it says nothing else that affects what's happening now." He drew back a little to let her mind clear from his ministrations. "But we can stop—"

Tesla snapped at him, "This isn't the time to leave me high-and-dry." Her bravado faltered underneath the warning in his eyes. She recognized the switch as her body went pliant automatically. His eyes showed dominance, and she craved for him to exercise it. An apologetic whimper passed through her lips as she dropped her gaze, though her eyes closed when his face came closer and he pressed against her, cheek to cheek.

"You're the first person to ever lay in this bed with me." Words collected and calm, but they were beautifully assertive. "I never thought I'd share this bed with anyone, but you've given me the honor to have you here in this bed with me. This is something I'll remember." His nose dipped to her neck, but she stilled, willing, waiting. "It's been seven hours since I could taste you."

Her back arched as the sting and aftercare of pleasure bunched up in her thighs and spread in a heated pandemic amongst her flesh. His touch was fire, and his words were heavy-handed with control, but her skin demanded more. Lips parted, but she restrained herself to be silent when his teeth dug into her neck. Silence was not the key to submission, but she knew him—her lover, her partner, her Male. This was her retribution. Her cries were his music, and she shunned him. She spurned him to show her lines would not curve.

His teeth buried into her flesh harder as his own retribution.

The cry came out before she could stop it as she gasped, "Jang-ta…"

He let her go and offered her a lengthy lick and kiss to show his approval in her submission. She had bended for him. "I will show you the compound and introduce as my partner to my family." These words were riddled in justified certainty. This would happen. His orders, his lines, she obedient, her curves. He kept straight; she bended—it was their willing push and pull. "But I promised you the first time you came was on my bed. If you're too tired, tell me now."

An out. He would stay straight, but for this, he would bend for her—his lover, his partner, his Female.

She was quick in her reply. "I'm green."

"And if you're not? Recite to me the colors."

"Green if I'm okay. Yellow if I need a break. Red if we need to stop." The answer of an eager student hungry for praise.

His approval adopted the form of burning kisses to her neck, and his fingers lightly tease the side of her breast. "That's my good girl," he rumbled, tone laden with Nature's intent. "You'll get answers. But for now, I'd like to touch you. Will you let me touch you?"

Tesla thickly swallowed. "Yes." Pure pleasure tingled from the top of her head to the tips of her toes when Jaxton's touch intensified.

Jaxton simpered when her strangled whines came out. "That's my good girl."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

And then…

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Tesla felt a little silly as she put on her thermal leggings, a comfy t-shirt, and a cardigan while Jaxton looked like he stepped out of a movie with his Zhongshan suit that graced him with an emerald-blue combined with accents of red. The symbol of Báihǔ was embroidered in white to signify he was under the protection of the White Tiger of the West. Even his hair had been jelled to look like he was a dapper official rather than a simple Mage of a reckless guild.

As he adjusted his watch in the bathroom, Tesla could not help but ask, "Are you sure I'm not underdressed? I mean, I packed nice clothes too."

"You need to wear practical clothing while we explore." Jaxton straightened out his cuffs as his eyes clashed with hers in the mirror to display his intentions. "Because once you wear the qipao fitted for you for our celebrations, there's nothing between us."

Tesla knew she looked affected when Jaxton's lips twitched and had half a mind to flip him off…if she was not so sore and already recovering. "I can't believe my Anti-Ether lets me have a leg-up on my recovery time." She yawned, fanning her mouth. "And you're sure it's okay for me to change at your parents' house tomorrow?"

"I'll be changing there too. It's fine. I already had our celebration outfits sent to their house to be ready for us for tomorrow and the final day of Zhōnguánese New Year." Jaxton turned to her and drank all of her in. "Huang Chun will be taking us around the compound, so there's no need for you to dress formally."

Tesla quirked an eyebrow and pointed at his suit. "And that is…?"

"A formality," Jaxton chuckled as he strolled to her. "You saw the people who worked here wore traditional robes. That was a formality. I told them they could wear their normal clothes, but to honor you, they wore the traditional robes we have to wear on compound property. If they aren't training, normally, we wear sweatpants, jeans, or whatever we buy when we go down the mountain."

Tesla raised both eyebrows now as she welcomed him into her arms. "Wow. And you're sure I haven't been transmigrated into some period drama?"

"No." Jaxton pecked her lips. "But my mother is strict in certain traditions. Our family might have modern-day appliances and fixtures, but when it comes to relationships and even clothing, she prefers we stick to tradition while we're in the compound. Outside of the compound, we have values to uphold, but the rules are looser." His hands curved her backside as he pressed against her.

Tesla let him put her onto the counter and wrapped her legs around him as she considered the weight of his words. "And how old is your mama?" She grinned when Jaxton sent her a sour look. "Honey, you are very fortunate I am an abnormal person with this level of trauma that I'm not running away screaming you're some dirty old man who preys on innocent little ladies like me."

"I'm not old." To others, Jaxton sounded a tad assertive, but Tesla heard that petulant pout. "My father is old."

Tesla, still curious because—no, she had a right to be curious without needing justification. "Is this something like dog years where, like, your actual age is the equivalent to nineteen in human years?" The excitement on her face grew when Jaxton gave her a hard stare. "Please, please, I'll forgive you for everything—everything, Jang-ta—if you tell me—!"

"I'm not a werewolf."

Tesla scowled. "Dammit."

"Do you even know what a werewolf looks like outside Wolf Teen and Dawn?" Jaxton stressed when Tesla looked ready to answer.

She pouted. He stole her thunder with that. Damn him. "Well, my paranormal shifter romance books tell me they're hot which…"—her stare dragged over every inch of him—"you're pretty fucking hot."

Jaxton shook his head in part amusement and part exasperation. "I would scold you and take you over my knee if you didn't stroke my ego so blatantly."

"Why wait?" A different sort of excitement went through Tesla as she perked. "I'm in no hurry."

Jaxton looked like he seriously considered the offer. "I would like to, but we have obligations." He looked between his legs with sheer hunger. "But soon, I'll have you crying my name again," he promised with a heated reverence.

"Promises, promises," Tesla purred. Her arousal turned into wide-eyed shock. "And you were a virgin for how many years until me?"

Jaxton sighed as he lifted her into his arms and carried her. "We need to go."

Tesla clung to him, but she was still gaping. "Oh my god, you're a unicorn." She stuck out her bottom lip as she smiled. "Aw…! You waited I don't know how many years until you had sex with someone? Aw…!" She stroked his nape. "You're such a sweet boy, Jang-ta." she cooed. "Look at you, valuing your purity. You're so cute and precious! Just aw…!"

Jaxton's cheeks heated, and the tips of his ears turned pink. "Tesla…"

She giggled. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'll stop now. You can put me down." Once he stopped and settled her to his feet, she beamed when she saw his flushed cheeks and the adorable abashment stained across his face. "I'm totally going to keep grilling you about the age thing, but," she added when he looked exasperated, "I think it's ridiculously romantic you waited, you know that? Thanks for letting me be the first you trusted with your body, Jang-ta. I mean that."

"I had a lot of fear about intimacy growing up," Jaxton confessed. "My parents are very much in love, but…" He sighed. "They made me feel terrible about wanting someone or wanting any sort of pleasure. They were never sex-positive with Weiwei, but it was…worse for me."

Tesla's eyebrows slammed together. "That's fucked up."

"It is," Jaxton agreed. "When I moved into my own land on the compound and had my own resources, I started liking my body more. I had to raise myself to be more sex-positive like you."

Tesla offered a teasing smile. "And then you got into BDSM."

Jaxton smiled back. "I did. I was worried about it for a while. Not because of the media portrayal, but because I wasn't sure I would ever find someone I could like romantically and physically enough for it." He kissed her forehead. "And then I found you."

"That would be so sweet if I didn't know that you already knew I was a sub prior to this relationship," Tesla laughed. She took his hand and swung it as they continued to walk away from the master wing. "I still can't believe you knew everything about me, but you couldn't even work up the courage to ask me out properly." She bumped his shoulder. "And that you asked Gary for help."

Jaxton scowled. "He's lying if he ever tells you that you should thank him for our relationship," he told her. "He should be thanking me for teaching him how to be a dom."

Tesla threw back her head in a disbelieving laugh. "Oh, I need to tell Nashi this!" she howled. "They both have us to thank for their kinkiness! I love it! Oh!" She slapped his arm when an idea came to her. "We should totally milk this and get a free dinner and drinks. And we can toast to be sex-positive! It's genius!"

"Only you would think of something like that," Jaxton said dryly.

"Hey." Tesla shrugged. "The heart wants what the heart wants."

Jaxton snorted. "Right. The heart." But he smiled to himself when Tesla swung their hands like they were children. "I'm happy you like Nashi and Gary. I always had a feeling you would like Nashi." His smile turned into another scowl. "But Gary was defensive about her when I mentioned getting to know her."

"I can see that." Truthfully, Tesla had two versions of Gary in her mind. She saw him as Skade and how bloodthirsty he had become, and then she saw the puppy-aura Gary. I don't know how Nashi doesn't get whiplash from that man. Oi ve. Her mouth moved before she could think. "If Gary knows so much about you, does that mean you know—?" She caught herself before she could continue. Shit. "What I mean is…" Desperate in trying to rectify her mistake, she blurted, "How come you trust Gary so much with all of your secrets?"

Jaxton cocked his head. "I didn't, originally." He took her bait and accepted her way out. "When I met him, I thought he was an annoying little pissant. I still think that now."

"How did you two meet?" Tesla wondered. "Through Fairy Tail?"

"A mutual acquaintance."

Tesla understood though she was a little saddened. "Is it something you can't tell me about?"

"I can't." Jaxton squeezed her hand as he murmured, "I want to apologize, but—"

"No, I understand," Tesla sighed. "You'd be sorry that I feel hurt you can't lie, but you're not sorry that you have to keep things a secret." She shot him a weak smile. "It's okay. It stings a little, sure, but I'm sure there's a lot you know that's way beyond my pay grade." The look in his eye—the one that told her he did feel remorseful—made her nudge his shoulder. "You met through a mutual acquaintance…?"

Jaxton cleared his throat. "Yeah. I met him once he…returned to Fiore," he said carefully. "I didn't understand why the acquaintance wanted us to meet, but they had made it clear to me I was to play nice around him and help him." Darkness softened. "Like you, the monsters in his closet were haunting him day in and day out. The acquaintance wanted to take their time to approach him once he settled at home, but there was a breaking point. I was the only friend of theirs stationed in Fiore, and they thought I could help."

"With what?" Tesla answered it herself. "You said you had trauma training or something like that, right?"

Jaxton nodded. "I don't have the temperament to be a psychologist, but I've had long dealings with people who carry scars," he explained. "She—the acquaintance—thought it would be a good idea if I stuck around Gary in the event of any signs of him relapsing and help along with his other needs. I was adamant you came first, but she promised me I'd only meet with him infrequently." He rolled a shoulder. "I said I'd meet him. If I didn't like him, then I wouldn't do it."

"Cold," Tesla mumbled.

"I don't like children." Jaxton was honest about that. "I'm neutral around them, to begin with, and I'll make sure a child is healthy and rescue them if there's any danger, but I tend to stay away from children. He was around thirteen when I met him."

"Which he would still be a child in whatever era system you use for your age," Tesla filled in. She wanted to press again about his age, but she held back. For now.

Jaxton nodded. "Yes." He kissed her cheek and breathed, "Thank you." Both knew what the gratitude was for. He pulled back and went on: "When I met him, he was painting. I didn't want to disturb him, and I was a little awkward since I didn't know what to say. I just sat there and watched him." He guided her down to the entryway, but both sat on the steps and dared not reach for their shoes.

"And then what happened?" Tesla prompted.

"He spoke to me first. He asked if I was the friend she told him about, and he said he wasn't going to do 'it' again." Jaxton's expression told of his sadness. "He was insistent he didn't mean to get to his breaking point. I could tell he was keeping a lot inside. It made sense he was coming apart, and I understand why she wanted me to meet him."

"Because you could sympathize with him?" Tesla guessed.

"No." Darkness clashed with steely-grays. "Because I didn't."He elaborated, "I told you I don't have the temperament to be a psychologist, and I mean that. Outside of you and Weiwei, tears…annoy me."

That startled Tesla. "What?"

Jaxton tried it a different way. "I've always understood when there's a time to cry and a time to move on. I can grieve, but I can't cry. Some people need to cry if a horrible event happens. That doesn't bother me."

"Okay…" Still, caution rooted inside Tesla. "So, then, what did you do? I mean, he was thirteen. Even I consider thirteen still a child, and children cry."

"Yeah, I know." Jaxton shook his head as though agitated. "But I guess there are types of tears that annoy me. Whenever tears are being used as a weapon or being cried about because you pity yourself over actions you caused that harmed something or someone else, I can't stand it."

That made Tesla relax. "That makes more sense."

"The tears he cried were understandable, but when he started speaking about something else, I got irritated," Jaxton confessed. "I heard every word he said. From what our acquaintance had told me, his family was delicate around him. If she thought he needed delicacy, Gary and I would have never met. The second he cried himself out, I asked him if he was done and if he planned to keep crying or do something about it."

Her eyebrows rose. "Woah… Heavy and harsh…"

Jaxton had no remorse. "I understood he lost a part of himself. The monsters he was facing… I understood him mourning a part of himself. And I stood by him when he needed to grieve. But he also lost something else that he could recover and could protect. I understood why I was brought in, and I did what I had to do to get him on the right track." His nose scrunched up. "Unfortunately for me, the more I worked with him, the more his irritating personality came out." His lips curled. "But I respect Nashi and our mutual acquaintance enough to not kill him."

Tesla chuckled and rubbed Jaxton's chest. "Easy there, Papa Bear," she soothed. "Here I thought Gary was your best friend."

"He is. That's why I want to kill him." Jaxton's sneer turned into a fond grin. "He might annoy me, but I've watched him grow in strides. Because of him, I joined Fairy Tail. Initially, I didn't want to do it. It felt like a betrayal to my home for reasons you'll learn," he added when he saw the questions in Tesla's eyes. "And you were my priority. I didn't have the luxury of obligating the rules Fioren Guilds set for the Wizards, but Master Erza was willing to work with me. Since then, Gary's been a great friend to me."

His face dropped into murder. "But I wouldn't mind taking him out for the shit he pulls. I had to hear him nagging me constantly, calling me 'old man'. And it was worse when I accidentally told him about you." He rolled his eyes. "Nashi is very fortunate I let him live as long as he did. I was this close"—he held up his thumb and pointer finger millimeters apart—"to burying him six-feet under."

"I'll have to tell her to send you a thank you note for you being so generous in letting your best friend live out his days," Tesla quipped, sarcastic. Jaxton snorted while she simpered. "I understand you have to watch me," she told him as she knocked their knees together, "but now that I know the truth and I feel like I'm a little more trustworthy with my powers somewhat since, like, no telling when I'll pop off apparently…" She stopped for a beat to give him a smile that meant she was teasing. "I don't mind you hanging out with Gary more often."

Jaxton scowled. Though to Tesla, he looked like a little kid who had been told he had to eat all his peas. "I don't want to hang out with him more often."

"Don't be so tsundere," Tesla cooed. "I know you wouldn't mind it." She snickered when Jaxton huffed, though his ears were red. "Well, I would very grateful if you could distract Gary for a few hours, so Nashi and I could hang out for a little whenever he gets back to Fiore. You'd be doing Nashi and I a very big favor if you could. She's still very new to the BDSM scene and has a lot of questions for me."

Jaxton perked, but he tried to look nonchalant (Tesla swore she saw a happy wagging tail). "So, I'd be doing you a favor if I put up with him for longer amounts of time?"

Tesla nodded, all serous. "Oh, yes, very much so."

"I'll consider it," Jaxton supposed, tone casual. "Only if it means that much to you."

"It very much does." Tesla made a show of kissing his cheek and rubbing against him. "Thank you for being my strong man and doing this teensy favor for me." She smiled when he kissed her hair and preened under her touch. Why are men such silly creatures? She felt him shift her as his touch offered a level of intimacy she craved. Her hand shamelessly dropped down, and she hummed, tilting her head so he could kiss her neck. "Don't we have to take a tour? You're becoming obsessed with me, Jang-ta."

"I'm always obsessed with you," Jaxton rumbled as he jerked. "Seeing red against your skin tomorrow is going to drive me insane."

"Yeah?" Tesla made the first move as she straddled his lap and kissed him deeply. "Are you going to try to sneak away with me, lift up my dress, and have me for a quicky before your parents notice we're gone? Because that'd be awfully naughty of you to do when I'm trying to make a good impression."

"I won't touch you on their property. I'll respect my mother's rules," Jaxton swore before he offered a soft bite on her shoulder that had her shiver. "But you do things to me I never felt before." His hands could not get enough of her as they roamed her backside freely. "You make me lose control in ways I thought I had trained myself for," he whispered into her flesh.

Tesla hummed her amusement. "Dante used to be worried you fell in love with my pussy, and I just fell in love with your dick considering we can't stop groping each other for five minutes." She felt his grin press against her skin.

"I remember that," he chuckled. "You have a very devoted friend in him. He asked me if I would still be with you if I couldn't have sex with you for a week when we were three months in."

"Did you tell him we agreed on no sex when I was experiencing the joys and pains of not becoming a mom several days a month?"

"I did, but he didn't like that answer."

Tesla cackled. "I can see his face now. He asked me the same thing, and I told him that too. We're sex-positive and heavily kinky, but that doesn't mean we don't love each other." She drew back for him to cradle his chin with a hand. "Just means we're obsessed with each other. Like a beautiful poison." She took a beat to think. "Or it means we're major sex addicts and we should see a counselor."

Jaxton laughed. He held her against him as he got up, only to gently deposit her back onto the step. "Huang Chun is waiting for us. We need to get on with the tour." Like she was glass, his hands were careful to take off her slippers and put on her boots for her. "You are a dangerous woman, baby girl. I have zero self-control with you."

Tesla sat back and watched him to drawl, "I could bring up that now that I'm in your house, it's pretty much our duty to christen each and every room…" She smirked when Jaxton looked like he was hanging on by a thread, and she offered an innocent shrug. "But I won't." She put a hand to his chest when he rose to cover her. Her hand could not actually hold him back, but he still stopped. He bended. "Ah-ah-ah… We have a tour, remember?" Her hand up to press against his cheek, then his temple, then comb through his hair. "We don't have time. And I wouldn't want Huang Chun to think I turned you into a horny dog who shirked his duties."

"Dogs hump legs," Jaxton rumbled as his chest vibrated. "I don't do that."

"No." Steely-grays and darkness locked in hunger. Tesla had the grenade to detonate them, and she decided to rip off the pin as she whispered, "You rip off my panties and make me beg for you to fuck me over and over again until I can only remember your name."

Jaxton flashed his teeth the moment he saw Tesla's curve, and the restraint snapped. "I need to have you." And he descended—

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

Both looked murderous at the intrusion, and Jaxton snapped in Szuchounese, "What?"

Silence.

"Huang Chun." Jaxton sat back on his heels and clenched his fists as though that was the only way to keep himself from touching her. "We need to leave for the tour of the compound."

Tesla wanted to say several things, but she knew if she had little self-control left, one word from her would make Jaxton drop his propriety, and they would never leave. "Then, we better get going." She added to ease Jaxton's tension, "Don't let go of me for a second, bub. You're going to need to keep your hands on me before I go crazy and attack you."

Relief and eagerness lit up in Jaxton's eyes as he chuckled. He took her hand and kissed her palm. "Noted."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"I feel like I'm in a period drama."

Tesla was ooh-ing and aah-ing as Huang Chun steered Fengfeng the horse this way and that to guide the carriage amongst the shoveled-out trails. The curtain had dropped to act as a divider between the couple and the observant Huang Chun, but the carved windows showed enough for Jaxton to point out whatever they stumbled upon. Even though Tesla had playfully put up a fight, she ended up on his lap as she took in the expanse of territory.

"You are not in a period drama," Jaxton assured her.

"It just feels so surreal," Tesla told him, bouncing a bit. "And, like, the pavilions, the traditional buildings…" She laughed to herself. "This just reminds me of the wǔxiá, xiānxiá, and xuánhuàn books I read. Oh, oh! This totally could be a setting from—"

"Tesla."

"What…!" Tesla whined. "It totally does! And all the names are so regal too! I feel like I am living in a cultivation sect."

"It's because you are."

"And I—" Tesla swung big eyes at him. "What?"

Jaxton laughed as he rubbed her lower back and called to Huang in Szuchounese, "Head towards Plum Blossom Pavilion." He knew Huang would follow these instructions, so he paid attention to the wide-eyed Tesla who looked like her world was on its axis. "This is something that cannot leave this compound," he warned her. "No one here knows Magic doesn't affect you, so we need to keep the illusion up."

Tesla nodded. "I understand. Anything I learn become secrets I take to my grave."

Jaxton kissed her chin as his gratitude. "As you know, Wizardry is broken down into Mage Magic, Magicianry, Alchemy, Alkahestry, and Wiccanry." When Tesla confirmed that she did know this, he went on: "But Zhōnguá practices Magic through Cultivation. It's an art that my home is justly proud about. What do you know about Cultivation?"

"I feel like anything I say is going to be wrong since all I know from it is basic research and boy's love novels," Tesla said dryly. However, she later frowned. "But I do know that Cultivation now is a spiritual art, but it's not really practiced."

"It's not practiced how it was in Ancient Zhōnguánese times," Jaxton explained. "Cultivation schools today help Spiritless practice spiritual cleansing and controlling, but they don't have a Qi Core or Spiritual Core—which is similar to a Magic Spirit. But some of what you read and watch can be accurate, depending on what it is. Cultivators increase their qi through medication, magical training, and martial arts, and it is true that Cultivators do help with ghosts and Dark Creatures…"

"But this is a lesson that not everything I read and watch is accurate?" Tesla guessed.

Jaxton nodded. "There's a lot more to Cultivation and a lot more that I can explain, but since you can't become a Cultivator, I can't explain everything."

Tesla understood. "You said the wards help protect this compound and with the memories and everything. So, I guess it's safe for me to say that Cultivation practicing is a secret to the world since all those articles I read say it hasn't been practiced since ancient times?"

"You'd be right."

The carriage stopped.

Tesla shot Jaxton a confused look. "Why are we…?"

"I want to show you something."

They had been carriage to leave the carriage with Huang Chun on standby as he fed horse Fengfeng some well-earned treats. Tesla was stunned when she saw a stoned path crowded with plum blossom trees that bloomed their healthy fuchsia and crimson flowers beneath the chill of winter and on their overarching branches. Steely-grays were wide and mystified seeing these weeping trees looked so comfortable in stale months.

But when she diverted her gaze from the trees, she settled them on the crowning pavilion they were approaching with its own veranda and stone lanterns that came to life when Jaxton had gotten too close. Now that it was winter, the windows had been put up to shun winter's touch from the inside.

The urge to pull out her Compact and take pictures was strong.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« Méihuā Tíng (Lit. Plum Blossom Pavilion) is named due to the successful introduction of plum blossoms in this area of the compound. It is one of the 22 pavilions with the compound. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Jaxton led Tesla up the stone steps, but they did not enter the pavilion just yet. Instead, they rounded the veranda to get to the opposing side—

Tesla gasped. "Oh my god…"

A valley had expanded before them to show that winter could be just as beautiful as it was cruel. Barren trees interlaced with coniferous across the highs and lows of the hills and the mountains, while an uncertain river provided a necessary boundary. A traditional stone bridge had been painstakingly built for travel across the river poised with talismans and stone lanterns. Native deer could be seen digging out their meal and keeping an ear open for the weighty paws of their predators. Towers and other pavilions stood out amongst the white with their brazen reds and stained browns, and a messenger hawk cawed as it left one of the towers with its destination in mind.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« Dì Sān Zhǎo Jiāng (Lit. Third Claw River) which resides in Lǎohǔ De Hūxī Gǔ (Lit. Tiger's Breath Valley). Legend says that Báihǔ created Sīchóu, which is why he is the Guardian of Western Zhōnguá. With his mighty breath, he created this valley, and he used his claws to make rivers for the early residents of this great land. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

"And I'm not—"

"You have not been transmigrated into any sort of Zhōnguánese entertainment."

"Just checking." Tesla held onto the stone railing as she gathered as much as she could of this picturesque view. "Your home is beautiful, Jang-ta."

Jaxton caged her in his arms, but his eyes gleamed at seeing his home and looked proud she liked it. "Thank you." He embraced her and kissed below her ear. "In our beliefs, Báihǔ created the entire west, but Sīchóu was the first place he built. He breathed life into our land and provided us with the power of Cultivation. To the east is Qīnglóng, the Azure Dragon. To the north is Xuánwǔ, the Black Tortoise. To the south is Zhūquè, the Vermillion Bird. And Xu Wing has the Yellow Dragon Guardian, Huánglóng."

"The Four Holy Beasts or the Four Guardian Spirits," Tesla remembered. She shot a pleased Jaxton a rueful smile. "I wanted to maybe impress you a tiny bit with my research into your homeland."

"You're impressive enough that you can speak Zhōnguánese almost like a native," Jaxton lightly praised. He nuzzled his chin to her shoulder when she thumbed his hands. "Cultivation Factions existed in Ancient Zhōnguá once upon a time under each of the guardians. Wu Xing is an autonomous state within Zhōnguá, but it used to be a province." His tone darkened. "However, the Second Demon War that had eradicated most magical species like the Fae and slaughtered powerful Magics had come for the factions. They all fell except for the Te Sect."

"That's terrible," Tesla whispered. She could not imagine the pain and grief.

"Some Cultivators from the four other factions had survived, but they had used up their spiritual energy to the point where they became Spiritless. Legend says the Guardian Spirits fought in the war, but they had been heavily wounded to the point where they had to return to the Spirit Realm," Jaxton narrated. "The Te Sect was on the brink of collapse. My mother tells me it was sheer luck that our faction survived."

"What happened?"

"My mother told me that the Demons and rogue Dragons and Black Gods that had been attacking suddenly stopped and disappeared."

Tesla shot Jaxton a disbelieving look. "No way."

"How the Demon War ended doesn't make sense in any version any culture told," Jaxton told her. "It's a mystery, but one thing that adds up is that the forces we were fighting against disappeared after massacring millions." He closed his eyes when Tesla kissed the corner of his mouth. "My grandmother had told me, though, she believed that Dàniáng was the one to have saved us."

Tesla's brow furrowed. "I've never heard of that word."

"It's Ancient Zhōnguánese," Jaxton informed. "Dàniáng means 'Great Mother' in Minstrish. Her name bounces around, and she's nothing more than a myth. But my grandmother swore up and down Dàniáng had come down and saved us all."

Tesla tried to make sense of this. "So then… Is…Dàniáng"—she stressed the morae to make sure she got it right—"considered a goddess?"

"My grandmother insisted Dàniáng wasn't a goddess, but something else," Jaxton said. "Before she ascended, she kept insisting Dàniáng was real." He shrugged. "My mother never believed in it, and I only knew my grandmother for a short while, so I never got to ask all the questions I wanted. Weiwei never liked our grandmother since she always told Weiwei the Cultivation Path she chose would be her downfall."

That astonished Tesla. "Weiwei's a Cultivator? And hold on. This means you're a Cultivator too, right?" At Jaxton's sigh, she sheepishly brought up, "I know you told me you wanted to break all this in and not overload me with information, but…"

"You deserve answers," Jaxton murmured. "Weiwei is no longer a Cultivator, but, yes, I technically am a Cultivator. But I practice a different path than anyone here." He stopped Tesla before she could press. "Weiwei not being a Cultivator anymore is the reason the compound would fall into my hands, but it's her story to tell how she lost her powers."

"I respect that," Tesla was quick to say. "I'm just curious what you practice."

Jaxton tried to word it properly. "I can't tell you everything since it's our way," he admitted, "but being able to travel through reflections is part of my Cultivation. When I immigrated to Fiore on my assignment, because Cultivation is thought to have died in the Demon War, I registered as a Mage. And while Misses Fernandes is my Guild Master, all she is aware of is that I'm not truly a Mage."

It hit Tesla. "That's why you never wanted to be an S-Class Mage…"

"I've never been a Mage and my position in Fairy Tail might have been temporary if you had decided to move countries."

Tesla gaped. "If I went to an international university, you would have uprooted your entire life for that?"

"Yes." Jaxton sounded like this was a small matter unworthy of thinking of. "My superior pays for any necessary relocation, and I'm already used to traveling."

A pit settled in Tesla's stomach like a large rock. "So, when I did my Andüsan and Ishgaran music tours for my orchestra and you and my mom or you and Dante dropped me off at the Sky Port…"

Jaxton confirmed, "Yes. I dropped you off, but I had a flight routed. I had tried to advocate it might not be necessary, but my superior made the case in point of another…incident. So, I was stationed in every city your orchestra toured in."

Tesla felt a thick wad of spit was stuck in her throat no matter how much she swallowed. "What about when my mom and my cousin Diego took me to Sin?"

"I was there too."

Distance. She needed distance, but Jaxton kept her within his arms. "That's… That's a…a lot…to take in. I mean." She waved a haphazard hand around this entire valley and pavilion. "I don't know if I really have the right to keep getting panicky over this when you pretty much confirmed you are way older than me, Cultivation is alive and well—you know, actual twists in our love story…"

"It's not easy to know," Jaxton sympathized. "It's not fair. There is no right or wrong processing methods or what to process and what to not. Take your time with what you need to figure out."

Tesla offered a weak laugh. "You're always so logical. I kind of hate it." She stayed put in his hold and stopped trying to get out, however. "Can we move on from this? Please? Distract me or something. More about what happened with the Demon War, maybe?"

"Once my grandmother passed, my mother took on the title 'Grandmaster' of Te," Jaxton continued in soothing tones, obliging her request. "But before that, they worked together to scrounge up anyone who had a Qi Core and was willing to become a Cultivator.

"Wu Xing had survived the Second Demon War, but with the world a mess, it tried to annex itself from Zhōnguá and that's why it's an autonomous state. From what I understand, they practice some sort of combination of Cultivation, pure Magic, and Alchemy, but it's been a while since I've visited there, and my mother isn't on good terms with the chief," Jaxton explained.

"So, Te was all that remained. Without the masters and grandmasters from the other factions and without anyone hearing the call of one of the Guardians, we couldn't practice Cultivation from that Guardian. The reason why the Yang bloodline is one of the five political families of Zhōnguá is because of Cultivation." He suddenly stilled.

Tesla frowned. "What is it?"

"I'm remembering some of my grandmother's stories," Jaxton told her. "She mentioned Anti-Ether before. People like you who were born with Anti-Ether existed in the Second Demon War, but they disappeared afterward."

Tesla's eyes widened. "Really? I… I have my own people? My own kind?"

"Yes, but…" Jaxton's brow wrinkled. "Records of Anti-Ether wielders are few and far between. Andüsa is where I know Anti-Ether originated from, but those who remain kill anyone who comes too close to the territory. I wish I knew more for you, but my grandmother mentioned them in her stories. I wish I could remember what she all said."

"It's enough that you remembered this much," Tesla said. "What did she call me? What did she call my people?"

"Shēnghuóhuī," Jaxton said. "It's Ancient Zhōnguánese for 'One who lives in the Gray'. Yin and Yang represented darkness and light, black and white. Anti-Ether is that in between. It's not black or white. It's gray."

"Shēng…"

"Shēnghuóhuī."

"Shēnghuóhuī," Tesla repeated. "It's neat that Anti-Ether stretches to ole folktales, but I wish I had more information about it." She looked at her palms and made chains wrap around her fingers without a thought. "Like why I have it in the first place?"

"It's taught to anyone who practices Magic that the stronger the Magic, the choosier it is with its host."

Tesla cocked her head as she dismissed her chains. "That's a thing?"

Jaxton nodded. "The Spirit of your power requires intense mental and physical ability, and Spirits are fickle things," he explained. "Some of my guildmates are figuring out that, unless they use their gifts, their powers will take over their bodies and destroy them. Depending on the temperament of that person's Spirit of Power, the power might wait until it feels its wielder has matured enough."

"I wish there was solid reasoning why people have the powers they have," Tesla grumbled.

"Different cultures say different things," Jaxton remarked. "In Zhōnguá, the Guardians help decide which path a potential Cultivator should take. As to why they choose, I don't know."

"If only you had a Sorting Hat," Tesla joked. "Everything would be so much easier."

Jaxton smiled. "Maybe."

Tesla let her shoulders sag as she exhaled. "Well. Today has been a healthy dose of information overload." The joke barely hid her exhaustion, but she knew Jaxton sensed her mood. "Not that I'm not grateful. I am grateful for being here—"

"I understand, baby girl," Jaxton soothed and kissed her cheek. "We still have more of the compound to explore, but that can be saved for a separate day. You had a long day. We're only on the thirteenth day of Zhōnguánese New Year." He pulled away to take her hand. "On the thirteenth day of our lunar celebration, my mother has the entire compound fast, so we won't be attending dinner there. Since Weiwei isn't part of the faction anymore and I broke off, we'll be having dinner with her and her fiancé in the city. And tomorrow, per my tradition with Weiwei, we'll be doing some shopping."

Tesla beamed. "Really?"

Jaxton nodded. "Weiwei and I have our own traditions since Weiwei isn't allowed to participate in Te traditions, and I won't participate without her. Tomorrow, we'll prep for the lantern festival on the final day, go shopping, make our jiaozi, and we have a special surprise for you and her fiancé. We'll have dinner with my parents tomorrow night, and we'll participate in the family ceremony." He caught Tesla's nerves and squeezed her hand. "My mother let Gary participate. My father assured me you can participate."

"If you're sure," Tesla sang with a note of nervousness. "I don't want to impose too much."

Jaxton guided her down the steps and back down the plum blossom-laden stone path. "My father understands your importance to me. My mother…"

"I know, I know. I'll kill her with kindness." She smiled at Huang Chun and said in Zhōnguánese, "Thank you for waiting."

Huang Chun nodded at her, but he still said nothing.

Jaxton helped Tesla inside before he climbed in and kept her on his lap with his greedy hold on her. Huang Chun wordlessly got Fengfeng to start pulling the carriage down the pathway. Jaxton nuzzled under Tesla's jaw and murmured, "Thank you for coming and for listening. If you'd rather go back to my house and sleep, you can."

Tesla shook her head. "No, I'm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." She squeezed him with a little giggle when he nipped her skin playfully. "I'm less overwhelmed and more whelmed now. And I'm dying to see Weiwei and meet her fiancé. Say… How old is—?"

"Tesla."

"Wait, wait, I was going to say how old is Weiwei's fiancé?"

"He's twenty-nine and Spiritless," Jaxton told her. "So, when I say his age, I mean it."

Tesla sighed in relief. "Thank god for that. I was worried I'd have more twists to compartmentalize." She rocked against him and let her hand trail down his arm. "Hey, Jang-ta?"

"Mmm?"

"My book say Cultivation strengthens the longevity of the Cultivator, so it makes sense why you're as old as you are…however old that may be—"

"Tesla."

"But if Weiwei isn't a Cultivator," Tesla continued, "does that mean she's going to…?" She did not dare finish the sentence.

Jaxton let out a loud sigh. "Weiwei's situation is complicated. She's not a Cultivator, no, and my mother publicly banished her from Te Zōng among other things. But that happened a while ago. Weiwei won't lose her longevity, but I can't disclose to you why. That's for her to tell you."

"Right. I understand," Tesla promised him, voice quiet. "I just, you know…"

Jaxton hummed. "Weiwei would be happy to hear you're worried about her. She knows I was going to break you into our culture, so you're free to discuss this with her so long as you can set up proper barriers. I'm unsure what she'll share with you, but she already adores you." A beat. "However, because her fiancé is Spiritless—"

"I won't say a word with him around," Tesla vowed. She smooched his temple and pitched her tone low as she said, "Thank you for trusting me with this. You didn't have to. Now that I'm just scratching the surface, you really didn't have to tell me any of this. And I understand why you couldn't. I understand the reason for your secrets. I'm sorry for strong-arming you into telling me."

"I thought about telling you many times," Jaxton murmured. "I had to think about it long and hard. A coworker of mine proved to be a great lending ear." He pulled away so intense darkness connected intimately with soft steely-grays. "I love you. We both agreed about honesty and transparency when we said we wanted to be official. I know how many times you'd been lied to, and when you told me you wouldn't be with me if we had something built off lies…"

"Some secrets are worth protecting, Jang-ta," Tesla assured.

"Some, maybe, but that's if those secrets involve someone else," Jaxton reasoned. "I… I want you to love all of me…"

That was when Tesla felt it. She could feel his hands shaking. Worry fluttered in her chest when he stole back his gaze. "Jang-ta?" He still would not look at her, so she tipped his chin up. "Hey… Hey, it's okay. I do love all of you. If this is about the age thing, I'm sorry I pushed—"

"No." Jaxton cast his eyes to the side. "No, it isn't that. It's just…"

Seeing how unraveled he had become rattled Tesla. But it was not unsettling or unattractive to her. No, her concern worsened when she felt him twitch and could feel his anxiety.

"I want you to love all of me, but I'm afraid," he confessed in a pained whisper. "You might not want to be with me when you figure out that I'm not…normal."

Tesla shook her head and soothed, "I respect your culture and your age, Jang-ta. Those aren't deal-breakers. Do I have to adjust to them? Yes. But we can take that one day at a time. How I feel about you hasn't changed."

"That's just the culture on my mother's side that Weiwei and I share," Jaxton told her, ashamed. "But my father… We aren't…" He swallowed as he lowered his lashes. "I know I have to tell you. I want you to love all of me. And I want to tell you everything. I just…don't want you to leave." He closed his eyes. "And I can't ask you to stay. I can't. I want it to be your decision if you stay or leave, and I'll respect your choice."

"Jang-ta, I'm not—"

"Please don't say anything," Jaxton whispered, beseeching. "Don't… Don't give me hope or make a promise like that until you know the whole truth. I'll believe whatever you say afterwards, but for now, don't say anything."

Tesla's jaw tightened. So, this is what it feels like. She took a breath. I know it hurt him when I doubted him and our relationship and his love for me. So, this is what it feels like when someone you love doubts you. She kept her sadness in check. He sounds so broken…like he really thinks I'll leave. I just want to comfort him, but he doesn't want it. I…hate this. And I put him through this for weeks.

"I…won't say anything now," Tesla reluctantly agreed as she shielded away her hurt.

Jaxton both relaxed and tensed at her words as he settled in her embrace. "Thank you," he whispered against her.

"Just don't pull away from me," Tesla asked of him. "Okay? Is it okay if you stay with me until you're ready to tell me?"

"Yes. I'd like that very much."

Tesla felt some of her sadness alleviate. "Thank you," she breathed. "I don't know what time it is, but can we go back to your house for a little while until dinner with Weiwei and her fiancé? I know I can't say anything, but…"—she settled him under her jaw—"I want to show you exactly why I said, 'yes' to going out with you that day."

"Tesla—"

"I know you prefer if you were the giver, but please." Tesla strained to keep the desperation out of her voice. "I need to do this."

Jaxton fell silent for so long, Tesla felt her hope dwindle and hurt took up space. Then, he mumbled a small, "Okay."

She could breathe again as she kissed his hair. "Thank you," she whispered. She rubbed his back as he took comfort in her hug. "Thank you for letting me have the honor of showing you how much you mean to me, Jang-ta. I'll treasure this."

Jaxton's silent reply was holding onto her tighter.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

That night...

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Xiùhuā looked like it had turned into New Azalea City, but it multiplied the activity by one thousand, but the city showed how different it was from how western cultures celebrated the nightlife. Back in Fiore, it was common to wear your best outside, bring your friends, and you might do a bar crawl, dance until it hurt, and vaguely find your way back home. But the nightlife in Zhōnguá—for the most part—was not involved with furniture-less smoke-machine-filled bars. Instead, it brought along a different type of weird. Xiùhuā offered elegance for most of its establishments, but the bar streets had a touch of exoticism that you might not find anywhere else with techno bars and car bars and disco bars.

A black SUV stopped at a valet service. Jaxton got out from the front first in his Zhongshan suit and handed his keys to the valet with a few words. He went to the passenger's side and opened it before he offered a hand.

A red high heel came out first as a silk-gloved hand slipped into his. A saucy smirk. "Nǐ zài kànzhe wǒ jiù xiàng xiǎng chī wǒ yīyàng, Yang Jang-ta."

Jaxton did not care how blatant his look of hunger was. His nostrils flared, and there was that stir in his pants, but he would not take his eyes off her for a second. He made a show of kissing the back of her hand and rumbled, "Nà shìyīnwèi nǐ kàn qǐlái hé kànqǐlái yīyàng měiwèi, tián xīn."

A throaty chuckle. "You have me there."

Tesla stepped to him and felt every bit as desired as he made her feel in her tight qipao that blazed emerald-blue and red against the dark brown of her flesh. The split placed on her thigh was high enough to tease any onlookers into leering, and her red heels looked like they could put someone down on their knees. She had let her twists flow down her shoulders, and she was thrilled she could finally wear the red trench coat her cousin Diego had gifted her as an inside Carmen Sandiego joke.

She kept her mirth to humming when Jaxton pulled her against him and let his hands wander her curves. "Jang-ta, you're getting handsy, dearie."

"Weiwei told me Sīchóu has gotten progressive since I left," Jaxton murmured. "And it doesn't help that you look like a wet dream come true."

"I love how we just boost each other's ego. Couple goals." Tesla pulled away, but she made sure their fingers intertwined. She looked at their destination. "This is it? Oh, sorry. Should I switch to Zhōnguánese for here? And for Weiwei's fiancé?"

"You can, but a lot of Zhōnguánese people like testing their Minstrish, and Weiwei's fiancé speaks Arafushā and Minstrish," Jaxton reminded her. He escorted her away from the car and paid the valet, who hurried to get to the SUV. Two guards dressed in all black suits bowed in respect as they pulled open the doors. "Welcome to the Blue Monkey."

Tesla was immersed in a sultry beat as Jaxton guided her inside. A second set of guards greeted them with bows and the hostesses bowed, but they did not stop the couple from striding inside. The establishment was bathed in a hypnotic red light. Traditional paper lanterns with their honorary tassels were the source of light as they clung to the stealing while the bar had red lanterns attached to its sweeping roof. The walls had been traditionally painted to show the forces of nature as an ode to Báihǔ, the protector of these great lands. Leather seating was popular with western accents, and it was clear many foreigners flocked to this spot. The dishes were heavily Ishgaran and even USM-based with larger burgers, and some of the staff looked like they had come from the west too.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Blue Monkey, a popular restaurant with natives and foreigners because of its diverse menu. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Jaxton guided Tesla up the steps and onto a platform where it seemed like higher class parties sat. Curtains closed around them to hide their actions with the waiters coming and going with dishes and drinks. Jaxton found their curtains and pulled it back for Tesla to enter. A circular booth waited with curve leather booth seats on either side to make it convenient for anyone to get out at any time.

Weiwei brightened seeing Tesla. She had dressed in the stately emerald-blue and red, but she had opted out of a qipao and went with a westerner look with her blouse and high-rise pants. "Tesla! Welcome to Zhōnguá!"

"Thank you!" Tesla laughed as they hugged. "I'm happy to be here!"

Weiwei whispered to her, "We have a lot to talk about."

"Yes, we do," Tesla whispered back.

Weiwei pulled back with a wide beam. "Welcome to the family!" she cheered. Her eyes shot to her younger brother and passed him an absent wave. "Oh. You're here too."

"I'm surprised you're here considering your track record of getting lost and kidnapped," Jaxton shot back.

Weiwei hummed a not-so-pleasant hum. "You know it's funny. How old were you when you got the hang of chopsticks?"

Jaxton scowled while Tesla snickered and looked beyond Weiwei at a gentle giant of a man with a thick beard and cleaned-up well in a red and blue suit and thick-rimmed glasses. She shot him a winsome smile as she extended a hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Tesla Greer."

He gingerly shook her hand with a shy smile. "Nice to meet you as well." While his voice was a panty-dropping low, he made it sound adorably flustered. "Elijah Shadid." He dropped her hand, but he looked nervous shaking Jaxton's hand. "It's nice to see you again, Jang-ta."

Jaxton offered him a firm grip. "You too." He helped Tesla out of her coat and collected her gloves for her. As he hung up her coat before his own, he asked Elijah, "How's work?"

"It's fine," Elijah replied. "The holidays always bring in the weirdest cases."

Tesla scooted into her and Jaxton's booth seat and asked, "What do you do?" She blinked in surprise when Elijah ducked his head and looked embarrassed. Wow, he's cute.

Weiwei clung to Elijah's arm, giddy. "You'll never guess it! He's a toy surgeon!"

Elijah tried to hide his abashment as he mumbled his whine, "Weiwei…"

"I love telling people, though!" Weiwei told him cheerily. "Isn't it so cute?"

"I've never heard of a toy surgeon, but it does seem cute," Tesla provided honestly. She welcomed Jaxton's touch when he slid into the booth. As the waiter came and Jaxton ordered their drinks, she asked, "What does being a toy surgeon require?"

Elijah explained shyly, "I'm just a toy repairman. People bring me their toys, and I fix them. I started doing it as something on the side when I was in secondary school, but it turned into a bigger thing than I anticipated, and now I do it full-time."

"It's so cute…!" Weiwei crooned as she rubbed Elijah's arm. "I met him when I needed to get one of my stuffed animals repaired!" She nudged him with a playful grin. "I think I gave him a heart attack."

"You did," Jaxton grunted. "Because he saw you get kidnapped right in front of him."

Weiwei waved a hand. "Yes, but you got me back, and I got my man, so it all works out."

Jaxton growled while Elijah tried to appeal to his fiancé, "But Weiwei, you shouldn't be getting kidnapped in the first place."

"Well, now, I get kidnapped a lot less with you around," she shamelessly purred. "Everyone thinks my future hubby is this dangerous, violent big guy, but I get to see how cute and adorable my kitten is!"

Jaxton (nose wrinkled) and Tesla (highly amused) had question marks going off as they echoed, 'Kitten'?

Elijah covered his face in his dying embarrassment as Weiwei preened. "Ya Raby…" he bemoaned. "Weiwei… We talked about this."

Weiwei pouted. "What? It's just my little brother and his girlfriend," she reasoned. "And I'm so proud of my kitten." She teased him in a coo, "Don't tell me my kitten's getting even more blushy?"

Tesla watched, amazed, while Jaxton looked disgruntled and thought respectively, Aw, they're adorable! / Why the Hell was she born before me?

Weiwei decided to have pity on her fiancé as she turned enthusiastically to Jaxton and Tesla while Elijah shakily sipped his drink. The poor thing. "When did you guys get in? How was the flight?" She shot Jaxton a sly look. "How many rules did you break?"

"We got in around lunch time," Tesla remembered. She thanked the waitress as she came back with their drinks. She waited for Jaxton to give her hers when he inserted a Magic straw to check their drinks. "The flight was fine, but sis, your home is beautiful!"

"Thank you." Weiwei puffed her chest in pride. "I love visiting here whenever I can!" She rubbed Elijah's arm. "Kitten"—Elijah looked like he wanted to hide his face again—"and I are thinking about moving back to his home country in Alakitasia or moving to Ishgar."

"Where do you live, Elijah?" Tesla asked as she quietly accepted her checked drink.

"Bulukiya," he answered after calming himself down. "We're not sure if it's the best place to go, though. Alvarez is in negotiations with Bulukiya to absorb it into the empire." He shook his head in disbelief. "It makes me wonder when the ISAC will come out."

Tesla's brow furrowed. "That what?"

"The International Statutory Audit Counsel," Elijah elaborated. "They aren't that well known since they work behind the scenes, but they monitor international affairs regarding country and state absorption, annexation, and trade. The Alvarez Empire has been on the ISAC's radar for a long time since most of Alakitasia is being absorbed into the empire, but without probable cause, they can't intervene." He added in a mumble, "I wish they would though."

Weiwei shot her fiancé a sympathetic look. "It's been hard for Elijah to go home," she explained to the couple. "We're experiencing difficulties with his family."

Jaxton tipped up his chin. "They support the absorption?"

"Yeah." Elijah nodded as he stirred his drink. "My family listened to the speech King Ajeel gave about finding the true heirs to the late Emperor, so they want our country to be lost in the empire since they've always supported the Emperor. We have a president of our home, but all they want is for Emperor Zeref's family to be back on the thrown."

Weiwei offered soothing coos to a distressed Elijah while Jaxton noticed Tesla looked more interested in her drink.

"It's a hard time right now," Weiwei told Jaxton and Tesla. "The last time we visited his family, it ended in a fight. I'd love to move to Bulukiya—we both would—but with negotiations in place with the Alvarez Empire, we just aren't sure. Neither one of us wants to live in the empire."

"Understandable," Tesla muttered. "It's a poisoned paradise—at least that's what people say." She quickly sipped her drink before she added, "But if you can't move to Bulukiya, where in Ishgar would you live? Would you come to Fiore?"

"No." Jaxton was the one to shut that down. "Anywhere but Fiore."

Weiwei cackled. "Don't be such a bitchy baby, bitch baby."

"I'm not putting up with you getting kidnapped or wandering off and terrifying Elijah," Jaxton grunted as he clutched his drink. "Move somewhere else."

Elijah nervously stepped in before Weiwei fired something back. "We were considering moving to Pergrande," he explained while Jaxton and Weiwei glared at each other. "I, um…" He colored as he fiddled with his drink. "I have an opportunity there to be an apprentice to a toymaker."

Tesla clapped her hands. "That sounds exciting!" she cheered. "I think that'd be an amazing opportunity for you."

To his credit, while Elijah did flush, his smile was sweet and boyishly charming. "Thank you," he appreciated. "Weiwei can transfer to the Crocus Clinic in Pergrande since she has a contact there, so that might be our move after the wedding."

"Sometimes, I regret being a pharmacist so much," Weiwei cursed. "I'm specialized enough that I can make a smooth transfer, but if I get any more specialized, I want to make sure it's at a hospital I don't mind being at for the rest of my life."

Tesla grimaced. "Yikes. Hopefully, you'll like the Pergrande Crocus Clinic then."

"As long as my kitten is happy, then I'm happy," Weiwei decided while Elijah looked like he wanted to die, Tesla grinned, and Jaxton rolled his eyes. She reached across the table to grab Tesla's hands. "And if my brother does something stupid, I can un-invite him and set you up with someone who is actually a gentleman."

Jaxton growled, "Watch it."

Tesla offered a light laugh, but she could feel the tension Jaxton gave off and slid a hand onto his thigh. "I think I'll be okay," she promised. "Thanks for inviting me. I've only been to destination weddings in Sin, but this is the first time I'll have a destination wedding in the US. I can't wait! Oh, where are you guys going to honeymoon?"

"I want to take my kitten to these islands off of Melandia," Weiwei said while Elijah looked resigned that this evening his overzealous fiancé would continue to use that name. "Depending if I decide to become an Apothecary again, we'd be on our honeymoon for two weeks."

Jaxton must have known Tesla was going to question for he explained, "An Apothecary is similar to Herbalists and Pharmacists rolled into one and offer medication consultations."

"I dabbled in it when I was younger," Weiwei told Tesla with a meaningful look, "so it won't be too hard for me to do it again."

Understanding burst into Tesla's eyes as she nodded. "I see…"

"Why not stick to being an Apothecary in Pergrande?" Jaxton asked her.

Weiwei shrugged. "I might," she considered, "but it depends how big of a need for an Apothecary there is there. Crocus Clinic will pay me a lot of money to be a Clinical Oncology Pharmacist since the branch I'd transfer to has been searching for a replacement, but an Apothecary lets me set up my own business. Either way, I'd help people, but being an Apothecary allows me a lot more freedom."

"You'd be perfect in whatever you want to do, sweetheart," Elijah shyly complimented.

"Aw…!" Weiwei cooed as she rubbed her cheek against her fiancé, much to his happiness and embarrassment. "My kitten is too cute! I love it when you praise me!"

The waitress came back with a round of appetizers and small plates with the promise their entrees would be out soon enough. As Jaxton and Elijah got plates for themselves and their partners, Tesla grinned and asked her boyfriend, "You knew what I'd want? My, my, aren't you presumptuous?" She bit back a whimper when Jaxton offered a slow, burning touch on her thigh when his hand slipped between her qipao's slit.

Jaxton quietly said, "And you love it."

Tesla flushed, but she could not offer an argument. She was a sucker for this side of him.

Dim sun dressed up, seared big-eye tuna, and wings had been their appetizers tonight. While Jaxton might have grumbled, Tesla thought it sweet when Elijah was fretting over Weiwei and embarrassedly accepted when she wanted to feed him. It was clear as day how crazy he was about her, even if it was amusing such a hulking man with that much muscle was so shy in comparison to his loud and proud fiancé.

Fate works in mysterious ways.

By the time the appetizers were finished and Jaxton and Weiwei were revving up for another sibling battle, Tesla excused herself for the ladies' room and left the privacy of their curtained nook. Jaxton was right that the waiters were eager to use Minstrish and looked satisfied with themselves when they gave her directions to the bathroom. After doing her business and washing her hands, she had to smile.

I must be batshit insane for smiling like a psycho that my boyfriend is possibly a hundred years old or more. She vividly remembered his trembling and the fear lacing his words as she finished drying her hands. He just sounded so scared… Is what he has to tell me that bad? She looked at herself in the mirror and could see the worry she felt. I'd like to think I'm handling this well. To be fair, I have a month and a half to adapt to the idea. Things might pop up, but I feel like I've adjusted. She frowned. Well, if he's not a werewolf… Maybe's he an Elf? She crossed that out as she strutted it away. No, I doubt it. Elves can't throw it back like that. And the only Elves I've seen were in that stupid long ass series he loves so much.

She came out of the bathroom and went to round the corner when she bumped into someone. An apologetic smile was already on her lips. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking."

A deep grin. "That's all right with me, Cher."

Tesla had to take a step back to look up to this man. His magenta eyes were…unsettling. Looking like he belonged in some speakeasy, he blocked her path back to the main hall of the restaurant with what Tesla supposed was a charming grin and a not-right aura about him.

Tesla was immediately on the offensive as she willed her power to surface beneath her skin. "Let me through," she commanded. Now was not the time for niceties and playing cute when something about this man rubbed her all sorts of wrong.

His grin broadened. He had tried to make it friendly, but it made Tesla itch with agitation. "Don't be like that, Shar," he said in that cunning accent. "I just wanted to the pauvre bête of the rougarou blanc." He loomed over her with his hands in his pockets. "Now I have. You a sight for sore eyes, Shar."

Tesla did not back down and kept her eyes pinned on him. Just keep him occupied until someone sees what's going on. Wait for a distraction. "Your thick accent isn't hitting the buttons you want, darlin'. Step aside." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't like asking predators twice."

He offered her a mocking pout. "Don't call me such dirty words, Shar. Makin' the heart break." His hand moved—

Tesla involuntarily flinched.

His mocking pout faded into a hardness when he cataloged her flinch. He rumbled darkly, "That rougarou blanc beatin' you, Shar?" Those magentas swirled violently. "He touched you wrong?"

"What?" Tesla was torn between confusion, irritation, and minor fear when she saw his eyes. Is he a Wizard? His eyes… "Who are you talking about?" She shook her head. "Never mind, forget, just let me pass."

"You flinched, Shar." Magenta Eyes invaded her space with danger around him and growled, "I knew that mutt hadn't changed. He hurt you, Shar, that's why you flinched?"

Tesla snarled, "I flinched because some unknown man is cornering me!" Her chains itched to come out, but she held it in. I don't want to cause a scene when I'm not in my own country. I don't want to get Jang-ta in trouble, but this fucker doesn't look like he's going to leave me alone. "Get out of my space and get the Hell away from me!" She held up a warning finger when his hand reached for her and growled murderously, "Touch me, and I will make sure you're on the ground, asshole."

"Has he been hurtin' ya, Shar?" Magenta Eyes needed to know. "You can tell me. I know the mutt has a track record."

Tesla screwed up her face in rage. "If you mean my boyfriend, no, he hasn't—"

"Get – away – from her."

Magenta Eyes and Tesla looked back to see Jaxton had stormed into the hallway, furious. Tesla was not one to particularly like a damsel in distress story, but at this moment, she felt relieved. "Jang-ta…" she breathed. She wanted to go to him, but two things stopped her. Magenta Eyes still divided them as her first barrier, but her second barrier was herself. She could not move.

Because her boyfriend always had eyes like the night.

He never had yellow-amber eyes.

"No…" Tesla shook her head, confused. "I'm s-sorry… I thought you were my boyfriend, but apparently, I was wrong…"

Magenta Eyes cackled, which made Tesla flinch. "Shar, don't tell me you don't even recognize the great rougarou blanc, oui?" he crooned with a vile mischief. "You never got to see the Devil's glow in them eyes of his?" He tutted as he faced an enraged Jaxton. "Tsk, tsk, now, rougarou blanc. Not telling your pauvre bête what you are?" He took a step towards Jaxton. "A monster? Or a Devil?"

"Get the fuck away from her, Beau," Jaxton snarled lowly as those yellow-ambers twisted to slits and he flexed and clenched his hands. "You have no right here."

Beau cocked his head as his refusal. "But you had da right to cut up ya own amie, didn'tcha, rougarou blanc?" Blatant hatred festered through that lilting drawl of his.

Tesla's mind was spent today on accepting things as they were, and she stumbled back. Maybe she should focus on this Beau character more, and how he still had her cornered, but her mind had hyper focused, and nothing she did could pull it away. Jang-ta has dark eyes… He doesn't have yellow eyes. I know he doesn't have yellow eyes. So that's…? That's not him then… That's not my boyfriend…

"Let the girl go, Cajun," came a furious snap.

Hard yellow-greens for eyes, a thick black woman dressed in pleather pants and jacket and a skull choker had come up behind Jaxton. You could feel her vexation as she glowered at Beau/Cajun with eyes that said he would pay retribution for his actions. "I told you if you approached her, I would deal with you myself," she hissed quietly. "Come quietly, or I will make you."

Beau turned his stare onto her, frustrated. "Marlow, ma chérie, he hurt you—"

"A long time ago under different circumstances," Marlow snapped. "You need to drop it and let it go like we all have." Yellow-greens glowed in threat. "Do not make me make you drop it, Cajun. Let's go."

Beau clenched his jaw, but he spat at Jaxton, "I'm coming for you, rougarou blanc."

"You step on my territory, I will rip you apart like you were nothing, Cajun," Jaxton snarled as he made a show of his teeth. "Don't challenge me in my own home." He added in a lower tone with open animosity, "She will never care about you."

Beau offered a hissing, "And she'll leave you once she finds out what sort of monster you are."

Jaxton might have been quick, but Marlow was quicker when she grabbed Beau and tore him away before Jaxton could retaliate. "We're leaving." Tone like flint. Her eyes flashed to Tesla and settled on her for a brief few seconds with a flicker of pity before going to Jaxton. "I'm sorry. He escaped me." She pinned her aggression onto a frustrated Beau. "He won't again."

Jaxton's jaw locked, but he gave her a slight nod that he received her words. Whether he believed her was her interpretation.

Marlow fisted Beau's vest as she stormed away with him tripping to keep up with her angered strides.

And that left Jaxton and Tesla alone.

Jaxton closed his eyes to suck in cleansing breaths and released them. Upon the fifth one, he opened his eyes for them to be pitch-black like they had always been. The tension coiled in his body clung to him like gum at the bottom of your shoe, but he was as calm and controlled as he could manage as long as he kept breathing and focusing. But there was someone who needed more attention to him, and fear gripped him when he slowly looked over at Tesla.

Tesla looked positively numb.

Jaxton, pained, tried to explain, "Tesla—"

"I can't."

Emotionless steely-grays connected with fearful darkness.

"I'm overwhelmed," Tesla whispered. "I don't know what's going on. I can't."

Jaxton pressed his eyes shut when the pain spasmed in his heart. "I—"

"I need answers."

His eyes snapped open when she offered him a vague gesture. He offered her a nod. "You deserve them."

"I deserve them," Tesla echoed as she stepped towards him. "I'm overwhelmed and I deserve answers, but we've done this before. This is just like New Year's Eve." Shaking, she took his hands into her own as she tried to pull herself out of the numbness cocooning her to make everything more bearable—to make everything make sense. "I'm not going to drink for the rest of the night," she airily decided. "I'm going to sit down, and I'm going to think. I need to think. But I'm not going to leave you because neither one of us can go through that. Are you nervous right now?"

"Very much," Jaxton confessed.

"Good." Tesla offered absent nods. "Good, good, yes, you'll be the nervous one. I'll be the calm one since you're nervous. I'm calm." Some of the life returned to those steely-grays. "We need to talk," she told him. "I deserve answers but not right now. I remember I told you not even hours ago that I would listen to you and love you. That hasn't changed." A genuine calm and collectedness settled over her as she squeezed his hands. "We'll talk. You'll talk. And I'll listen to you. Because that's what I need to be doing, right? I need to listen and understand. I'm going to do that. But right now, I need to sit and eat."

Jaxton nodded as he rooted around for his voice. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Tesla hugged him as her hands gripped his hair. "I'll listen," she promised him and herself. "We need to eat and then go back to your house and sleep on this. But I'll listen. I'm going to be calmer this time because we did this a month and a half ago and it was bullshit."

Jaxton embraced her fiercely. "Thank you for listening."

Tesla deeply inhaled as she pulled away, stricken. "I can't go through this again," she rasped. "But we need to go sit and eat and then go to bed. I can't drink like last time."

"You won't drink," Jaxton assured her, on edge. "Are you okay if I touch you?"

"I'm always okay with that. I'm not worried about that," Tesla dismissed. "I just don't want this to be like last time."

Jaxton quickly shook his head. "It won't be," he swore to her. "We won't go through that again. We'll talk. I promise you." As Tesla nodded along, he found a bit of peace when he could not see a trace of fear in her eyes. "Do you need a minute alone before we go back there?"

Tesla barked a humorless laugh. "Ha! No, I'm okay, but thank you. It's rude if we take too long, and I don't want to give Elijah the wrong impression of me."

"Weiwei will understand—"

"No, I know she will," Tesla cut him off with the shake of her head. "But you know me." Her smile looked like it could turn into a frown at any minute with her quivering lips. "I just…need to hold onto things that make sense. Dinner with Weiwei and Elijah make the most sense right now." She caught his uncertainty and added, "Being with you makes sense. There's just…a lot that I need to still know, apparently. Like that man, for example. I promise I'll listen; I just…"

Jaxton rubbed a hand down her back. "We'll go back to the table."

"Don't pull away," Tesla added. "I won't pull away. You don't pull away either. We literally just took the right steps forward. I don't want to go back."

Jaxton took hold of her hand and kissed her cheek. "I won't let go." When she swallowed, he asked her, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I'm ready."

Jaxton was careful to guide Tesla out of the hallway, and neither cared if a few looked at them with their certainty the pair had snuck off for something naughty. Now was not the time to bother and save face. He made sure to help her up the steps of the platform and peeled back the curtain. Weiwei offered a pensive smile upon their routine while Elijah looked ridiculously flustered as though Weiwei had managed to thoroughly embarrass him in their absence.

"You two took your time," Weiwei teased with worry and questioning in her eyes. "No need to hurry back." She shot Elijah a grin. "I wouldn't have minded some alone time with my kitten."

"Don't be gross, Weiwei," Jaxton grumbled as he wrapped an arm around Tesla. He gave her a slight shake of his head before he drawled, "Elijah, if Weiwei is blackmailing you, you can tell me, and I'll help you leave."

Weiwei rolled her eyes while Elijah sputtered. "Says the one with a pole in his room," she shot back. "How are those calisthenics going for you?"

As Jaxton and Weiwei with Elijah trying his best to play peacemaker between them, Tesla half-listened as she took absent bites of her food, and her eyes cursed with the thousand-yard stare. She vaguely felt Jaxton thumbing her side as her silent support, but she did what she could to manage a vague smile.

I'm going to keep calm and listen this time, she told herself. I'll listen. Inhale. Exhale. One breath at a time. She fished for her clutch just to make sure she had her emergency inhaler when she noticed her Compact had lit up. Frowning, she looked to see she had missed a call from Dante. Why was he calling me? She dismissed it. I'll call him back later. Emergency inhaler found, she closed her clutch and could breathe a little easier.

But it was strange, you see.

The call she missed… It happened at the exact same time Tesla had seen Jaxton had yellow-amber eyes.

---

sugu ni aitai noni aenai

kimi ni sotto chikazuite yuku

honto no koto kikutte kowai keredo

tashikame ni yuku yo

aitai noni aenai

hibi mo zutto kimi no tame ni waratta no

"arigatou" tte saigo datta tte

kaomisete baby

---

TO BE CONTINUED…

We've seen Beau and Marlow—if those are their real names—but what was up with them? I wonder what other secrets Jaxton has been hiding all this time. Guess we'll have to find out on the next Fairy Adventure!

---

PYUUUUUUU…

Nighttime in Zhōnguá had a certain peace to it. Some would argue Báihǔ walked his territory of the west during the night, so it made sense for everything to be calm and quiet. The stars in these skies burned a little brighter as they clumped together and broke off before rejoining their group. The compound had blown out the lanterns; however, those who had night duty had taken their shifts. Wards or not, it was essential that they were prepared for anything.

A mountain lion had come down to prey upon a sleeping doe with precise paws and hungry eyes. A few owls had soared as they had won a few weak mice for dinner tonight. The river gurgled and grumbled. There was never rest for a river, as cruel as that was.

Jaxton stood before the doors to his wing. His hair was messy, and he had ditched his suit in favor of some shorts and nothing else. No matter how much he wanted to go inside, he restrained himself and turned away with a clenched jaw. His steps were forced. He had to push himself through the motions to distance himself from the wing, but his ears pricked. His Compact lit up, and he did not even check it when he answered.

"Did he hurt her?"

"No," Jaxton growled back.

A sigh of relief. "I'd like to think he wouldn't hurt her," came soothe. "But I know you and Cajun aren't on the best terms."

"Because he's a fucker who thinks he's acting chivalrous, but he's pissing everyone off with his attitude," Jaxton hissed. "None of us can change the past, and I regret what I did. But she and I have moved past it. He doesn't want to move on because he wants her."

A long quiet. "Are you going to fight him?" A little worry was threaded into the question.

Jaxton rounded the corner to the entranceway, but he paced it rather than slip on shoes and leave. "He's not stupid enough to come onto compound soil without pissing off Immortal Yang and making my mother fight him." His lips curled into a sneer. "But if he's stupid enough to try something again tomorrow, I will."

"I wish you wouldn't fight him," came small confession.

Jaxton ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to fight either." Though Beau/Cajun's declaration of challenge made every part of his body ache. Every muscle had been poised to meet his challenge with a perfect effort. "But I will if he steps out of line. He's been gunning for me for a long time." He heard the disappointment in the silence. "You're young. You don't understand."

"Just because I'm younger than all of you doesn't mean I don't sympathize," came sharp rebuke. "I know what's like to have to fight. You taught me that, remember, Old Man?"

Jaxton growled. "You forget yourself."

"No, I don't," came scathing retort. "I wasn't around back then. I get that. But you're the one that taught me that if a fight is going to hurt the one precious to me, I shouldn't fight at all. That's dishonoring them."

Jaxton wanted to gnash his teeth and hang up, but he did not. His anger broke for a half-hearted chuckle. "Maybe you do learn things, pissant."

An open groan. "You're so mean to me…!" came childish whine. "Haven't I earned something better than 'pissant'? And you still owe me—!"

"I don't owe you a damn thing after buying you that lingerie set for your partners, so shut the fuck up," Jaxton retorted. He leaped down to the floor and opened up the door. Huang Chun was waiting for him and bowed in respect. "Remember. Little steps. Check-in. Use your bond to your advantage if she isn't comfortable vocalizing."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." You could hear a giddy grin. "I'm lucky enough she likes calling me 'Master'. It feels so sweet when she says that to me! The other day, she sent me a video—!"

"I don't want to hear it."

"Killjoy," came mumble. "You're the dirty old man who somehow doesn't care enough to hang up the Com before you have sex."

Jaxton offered a sharklike smirk as he treaded barefoot down the bridge with Huang Chun silently following him. The cold, the winter—none of it bothered his skin. "And this dirty old man taught you everything you know, pissant. Your partner should be happy you learned to please her because of me. Or should I tell her about—?"

A cleared throat. "Anyways, what are you going to do with Cajun in the area?"

"Marlow said she'd keep a closer eye on him. I trust her. But if he slipped away from her hold once, he'll try it again." Jaxton clutched his Compact as War wrangled his eyes. "In the meantime, Weiwei has a few tricks to keep him away. I'll let Tesla know she's free to use her powers on him as she pleases."

"I understand. Let me know—"

"Don't offer your help," Jaxton cut the caller off. "Not right now. Focus on your assignment right now. That's the most important thing for you now right now is to gain her trust and make sure she can control her powers. I need you to focus."

"She's never going to trust me." A sad murmur. "Not after what I did to her."

Jaxton softened as he came to the terrace and went straight for the front doors. They parted as though recognizing he was in no mood to stop his stride. "She trusts the human side of you," he reminded in a kind. "She has resentment against you, but she's mourning a part of herself she thought she lost. Keep showing her that, while she might have lost something, she gained something too."

A long sigh. "I will."

Jaxton stopped outside the front doors. A mist had kicked up. Winter's breath clung to the awaiting forest, but that did not matter to Jaxton. His eyes took hold of a shadow that moved through winter's breath with confident steps. "I'll call you later."

"Okay… What are you going to do?"

Yellow-ambers glowed through winter's breath as the imposing shadow dared not step any close, a sign of respect. Such a gaze spoke of Summons.

Jaxton's darkness brightened until he met those yellow-ambers with his own and responded with his Call. "My father's here. We're going for a run. I'll talk to you later, Morningstar." And he ended the call.

°•°•°•°

The Compact showed the call had ended before it blinked back a happy lock screen of a beaming Nashi with her nose wrinkled and eyes closed as he kissed her temple as a slight photo bomb. He thumbed the lock screen with those lighthearted memories bringing back summer to his everlasting winter.

A howl cried out in the distance in victory of caught prey.

A heavy, shoulder-sagging sigh. "Just be careful, Old Man." Ceruleans glinted as they looked up at the moon as more howls in the distance drummed up their responding Call.

Gary sat in the comfort of his bedroom in a home that would be his until the deadline of the start of summer. A home absent of his summer. His PAL on his bedside tray as he stumbled over his work, but his shoulders hunched as his hands took up his keyboard. Another sigh and he got back to work on his deep dive about the Sanctuary.

Don't make me worry about you, Bái Láng.

---

Voices of Characters in Order of Appearance

— • — • — • —

Tesla Greer / Hylia Lynk – Galena White

Jang-ta "Jaxton" Yang – Eddy Yeong

Checkmate – Jeannie Tirado

Weiwei Yang – Suzie Yeung

Elijah Shadid – Keith Silverstein

Beau / "Bastien" / Cajun – Tony Daniels

Marlow / "Jean" / Pandemonium – Amber Riley

Gary Fullbuster / Morningstar – Griffin Burns

• — • — •

Additional Voices

Opening Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Description Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Closing Narrator – Melissa Fahn

— • — • — • —

⌜OPENING SONG

⟪ HANDS ⟫

BLUE ENCOUNT

Lyrics by

Junichi Tanabe⌟

•

⌜ENDING SONG

⟪ Long-Distance Train ⟫

Aoi Yamazaki

Lyrics by

Aoi Yamazaki⌟

---

Chibi-Luna beams. "Good day, class! Welcome back from break!"

"Good day, teacher!" the class hollers back. "What's our Fairy Lesson for today?"

"Well…" Chibi-Luna wriggles as she pulls down a map to show all of Earth Land. "Today, we'll be learning about Guardian Spirits!" she cheers. "Guardian Spirits can be used interchangeably with God Spirits, but it's like the square and the rectangle. All God Spirits are Guardian Spirits, but not all Guardian Spirits are God Spirits."

She points at the great continent of Sela connected to Giltena and Ishgar. "As Mister Yang told us, different cultures celebrate different Guardian Spirits. Sela is a very spiritual region, to be honest, and many monks live in Sela. The two other Devils who killed for their powers live in Sela as monks!"

A hand goes up. "Teacher! Didn't we learn about Guardian Spirits in Fiore?"

"You're absolutely right!" Chibi-Luna yanks down a map of Fiore and circles Margaret Town. "Nayda and Erion are the Guardian Spirits or God Spirits of Margaret Town." She goes to the Boundary Forest. "And Gale met the Guardian Spirit of the Boundary Forest named Tāne. Not every place has a Guardian Spirit. In fact, after the Second Demon War, many Spirits took their leave from Earth Land and stayed in the Spirit Realm, so their tales might have been forgotten. But as you can see, some Spirits still protect their land and all who live in it."

Another hand goes up as a student questions, "What happened to the Guardian Spirit of the Boundary Forest, Teacher?"

"I'm not sure," Chibi-Luna replies thoughtfully. "Hopefully, we'll learn through in another episode about Tāne and why it called specifically to Gale." She shrugs and beams. "Well, that's it for our Fairy Lesson!"

The students whine, "But, Teacher…! We have questions about Sela!"

"Yeah, and what exactly is Mister Yang if he's not a werewolf?" a student demands to know.

Chibi-Luna giggles and winks. "And you'll get your answers soon. Mister Yang makes good on his word," she promises her students. "Next time, on Fairy Adventure: COLORS!"

---

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

TRANSLATIONS

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Zhōnguánese → Fioren-Minstrish

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

tián xīn

Sweetheart

• — • — •

zhèng-fáng

"Main house" or main estate

*This can also mean the "main wing" of a house

• — • — •

Te Zōng

Virtue Sect

*This word can mean "inner power", "morality", or other synonymous words depending on the region and religion.

• — • — •

Shishu

Master

• — • — •

Nǐ zài kànzhe wǒ jiù xiàng xiǎng chī wǒ yīyàng, Yang Jang-ta.

You look at me like you want to eat me, Jaxton Yang.

• — • — •

Nà shìyīnwèi nǐ kàn qǐlái hé kànqǐlái yīyàng měiwèi, tián xīn.

That's because you look just as beautiful as you look delicious, sweetheart.

• — • — •