"You do realize clan leader that once you sign that parchment, you will never be rid of us?" Mimi carefully sits by his side, trying to avoid the sharp corners of the desk.
Chen and Dumplin immediately flank her, making the space behind the desk rather tight, but the family did not notice. Mimi nuzzles their noses with her own before resuming her attention to the treaty.
"I suppose that will be a sacrifice for the greater good," Lan Xichen looks upon his pregnant wife with adoration before kissing her forehead ribbon and gently stroking her tails.
"Ohh, get a room!" Wei Wuxian yells before yelping as Lan Zhan clutches his knee tightly.
"Are you alright?" Lan Sizhui asks innocently from beside Lan Zhan, followed by Lan Jingyi looking over from beside him, with his eyes raised.
Master Wei swallows his complaint.
They have all gathered in the library apart from Lord Qiren, who was still convalescing. Truthfully, Lan Xichen wanted the treaty signed between the Gusu sect clan and the Feng Clan before his uncle finally awoke. After discussing it thoroughly with his brother, it was decided that accepting the jorogumo and the Feng clan was only fitting after their sacrifices dealing with the nag. Besides, it was his wife's family, after all.
"You owe me a cart of chickens," Qiaolian whispers to Daiyu.
"I don't owe you anything," Daiyu whispers as she smiles at the couple.
"I said she would become pregnant right after the wedding," Qiaolian whispers, nudging the jorogumo in the side.
"And I said it would be after the new moon," Daiyu whispers back, pinching her wife in the side.
"I remember it being the new moon," Ying grins at Qiaolian, putting her hands up and miming Mameki.
Qiaolian looks at her horrified, before muttering, "Traitor!"
Chuckling to herself, Ying high fives with Daiyu over Qiaolian's lap. The fox spirit sat quietly before she let out a loud huff causing Lan Zhan to look back at her with annoyance. Daiyu shrugs at him with an expression that said, see, I have mine, and you have yours.
When all the acquired signatures on the parchment had been filled, Qiaolian lets out a whoop. Lan Xichen squints at the fox spirit but does not say anything.
"I also thought," Lan Xichen says, "Since we are all here that we can go ahead and fill out the official adoption papers for Chen and Dumplin."
Dumplin and Chen look up at the clan leader and beam.
"Really?" Dumplin asks with excitement.
Nudging her in the side, Chen says, "Weren't you paying attention? Of course, we are getting adopted. Mimi is our mom, so that would pretty much mean . . ."
A bubble of happiness arises in Lan Xichen's heart, "You may call me father if you wish. Or continue to call me uncle. Whatever you are comfortable with."
The clan leader is tackled by the young fox spirits. Dumplin begins to shine with red foxfire. Lan Xichen tries not to flinch as the entire child blazes with the deep red fire.
Pitying the clan leader, Mimi laughs and takes Dumplin in her arms, chiming, "You have your foxfire!"
"You are going to really need to childproof now, Zewu-Jun," Master Wei giggles, staring at the slight panic in the clan leader's face as he realizes what a small child could do with balls of fire.
"This means you should be able to harness your fox form!" Qiaolian says excitedly, switching to her fox form and bounds over to Mimi and Dumplin in a single stride.
Wei Wuxian immediately hides behind Lan Zhan. Lan Jingy and Lan Sizhui try to comfort the black-cloaked cultivator to no avail.
Qiaolian licks Dumplin's cheek affectionately and wags her hundreds of tails in an eerily similar manner to a lap dog.
"HanGuang Jun," Lan Sizhui whispers to Lan Zhan, who inclines his head to the young cultivator, "do you think if we ask nicely the Lady Feng will let us pet her?"
Daiyu and Ying mosey over to wear Lan Zhan is "protecting" Wei Wuxian. He nods at the two spirits.
"I can ask her for you if you like," Daiyu smiles toothily at the young cultivators, and they bow to her.
"Two jars of Emperors Smile if Dumplin gets it in her first try," Daiyu whispers to Lan Zhan.
Wei Wuxian immediately perks up and says, "Take the bet, Lan Zhan."
Lan Zhan looks between his cultivation partner and the grinning jorogumo before nodding.
"Three jars if her coloring takes after Lady Gusu," Lan Zhan adds, and Ying puts her hands over her face in delight.
Daiyu clicks her mandibles in thought, "Three jars and three rules that may be broken at any given time in the future."
"Three more jars, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying eagerly peeks around Lan Zhan and is ready to make the deal.
"Rules?" Lan Zhan narrows his eyes.
"You've met my wife, correct?" Daiyu pouts.
Lan Zhan contemplates this and looks at the littlest kitsune, "Deal."
"Do you think you can do it?" Chen asks her littlest sister, "You just have to concentrate!"
"Not that we are going to pressure you to do it, of course," Mimi says sternly to Chen, who pouts.
"You may take as much time as you like," Lan Xichen says, looking in the direction of his brother and the two spirits with suspicion.
Dumplin closes her eyes, and everyone in the room leans forward eagerly.
As Daiyu predicted, Dumplin shifts into her fox form on her first try, her natural aptitude for shapeshifting, giving her an edge for finding her fox form. A little fox cub stood there with her sister Mimi's dark coloring.
"We won, Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian says, using his cultivation partner's shoulder as a makeshift drum.
Letting out a light barking laugh, Ying leans toward Daiyu, "Well, fox spirit coloring is a mystery to us all," Ying strokes her single white tail, "I had such beautiful white fur."
"I will deliver the jars to you this evening," Daiyu sulks at Lan Zhan as she pats Ying on the shoulder sympathetically.
"Why don't we take this event outside?" the clan leader says reasonably, as he eyes the excited Golden Phoenix bouncing around the numerous bookshelves with trepidation.
The clan leader helps his wife to her feet as the wriggling fox cub comically bounces around her eldest sister like a little black ball of fur nipping her ankles. As they move outside, Dumplin clumsily throws herself towards Wei Wuxian, who lets out a little eeping noise before Lan Zhan reaches down to pick her up. Dumplin nuzzles Lan Zhan's nose with her own before licking his cheek.
"You know . . ." Wei Wuxian says, hesitantly moving closer, "Dumplin is about the size of your rabbits Lan Zhan."
A fond smile appears on Lan Zhan's face as he puts Dumplin in Wei Wuxian's arms.
"You drop her. I will bite you," Mimi threatens the skittish cultivator, letting out a fox growl as Lan Xichen nods his acceptance of this from behind her, touching his sword.
Wei Wuxian realizes quickly that every fox spirit in the room is watching him closely. Dumplin licks his hand and whines. Trembling, he looks down and softens at the big emerald puppy eyes.
"You are a cute little thing," Wei Wuxian grins as she nuzzles his nose with her own.
Lan Zhan wraps an arm around his cultivation partner and scratches the cub behind the ears, "No bunnies."
Nodding adorably, Dumplin wriggles to be let down. Wei Wuxian begrudgingly puts her down but leans into his cultivation partner. Dumplin runs to Mimi as Mimi shifts into her fox form to join her family. She grabs Dumplin by the scruff of her neck. Then trots over to Qiaolian, who is wriggling her many tails for Chen to play with. Chen decides the young cultivators are better playthings and chases a laughing Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui. Qiaolian is stretched out with Ying and Daiyu lying beside her, comfortably enjoying the kitsune's warmth.
"You know," Master Wei walks to Lan Xichen's side, with Lan Zhan's arm still gripped around his waist, "I think you may have made a good decision with this Lady Gusu."
Lan Xichen smiles as he studies the odd sight before him, "I think you may be right, Master Wei."
"What are you doing?" Lan Xichen says, gazing in amusement at the woman lying on the library floor.
"Waiting for the tide to come in," Mimi says quietly, enjoying the temporary silence of the library.
"May I join you?"
Mimi doesn't say anything as he lies down beside her. They don't speak. Out of reflex, Mimi lays her head down on Lan Xichen's stomach and grabs his hand.
"I thought you would be at the celebration at the Feng Clan," Lan Xichen says quietly.
"There were so many people. I just needed to get away. Chen and Dumplin are spending time with Ying. She is still kind of awkward around them without being a parasol."
"Have I mentioned yet that your family is a little unorthodox?" Lan Xichen watches her open one eye.
"But you agreed to marry into it, to be fair," Mimi retorts.
He lays a gentle hand on her stomach, "I did."
They lay there in comfortable silence for several moments.
She looks over at the clan leader, who has his eyes closed, "Are you happy?"
The hand she is holding escapes her own to run a finger down her cheek, "I am very content."
"Are you happy?" Lan Xichen moves a little, trying to get comfortable on the library floor.
"I don't believe that one can be completely happy," Mimi says as she watches Lan Xichen kiss her knuckles, "But I am very content."
The two lay beside each other in the dark library—the smell of old books wafting in the air.