I was still deeply engrossed in the book I had picked out when I heard the door creak open and I peeked my head over the couch to see who it was. Much as I expected, August strode through, a confident, relaxed smile on her face.

"Looks like your meeting went well," I observed, earning another smile from my curious host.

"Quite well," she agreed, still not venturing any further information as she leaned over the couch to better study the book in my hands. "Ah, studying up on me, are we? How delightfully bold of you."

Despite her somewhat admonishing tone, her playful grin told me I wasn't in any sort of real trouble. And if I was, hey, she left me alone in a library. What was I gonna do? "You're the one who said I'd find something that would 'catch my eye'."

Her grin widened and became more predatory. "So I've caught your eye, have I?"

Uh-oh. Walked straight into that one. What I wanted to do was very gently remind her that we're not a couple. What I actually said was, "You cut a very…interesting figure. One I can't help but be intrigued by."

Needless to say, I was surprised and confused at the words that had just left my lips. I didn't mean to say that…right? But it didn't feel like a mistake, either. So why'd I say it? For a half second, I had a sudden paranoid thought that the potion she gave me was some sort of love potion meant to crumble my defenses.

August must've likewise noticed the sudden fear in my eyes as she took a seat on the couch next to me. "Do not worry," she soothed as she draped her arm across my shoulders and leaned in close, her voice barely above a whisper. "What I gave you was to heal your body and your body alone. I would not tamper with your will nor your heart." Her reassurance seemed sincere, and for a moment, I felt relief. "When you break, I want it to be natural, to let you succumb to the truth as I already know it." Oh.

Her violet eyes gazed into mine, peering, searching until she found what she'd been looking for. "Ah," she softly gasped. "And there is the first crack in your wall. How much longer will it be before the whole thing comes tumbling down…"

"Longer if you keep being weird about it," I quipped as I scooted away from her, trying to get some distance between us, no matter how small. "Coming on a bit strong, here…"

Her eyes sparkled with delight as I moved away, and her smile grew wider. "And that scares you?"

"N-no," I bravely stammered. "Just…makes me uncomfortable."

The answer seemed to catch her off guard, and she paused in her advance for a moment. I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she tried to process this new information. Eventually, she gave me a curious look, her smile now one of bemused fascination. "Fascinating," she finally declared. "You desire companionship, and yet you keep it at arm's length when it is offered to you?"

"What are you talking about?" I tried to feign confusion, but that question hit shockingly close to the mark. Witch she may be, but I didn't know she had added psychic to her repertoire as well. Just how did she figure that out? Lucky guess?

She shook her head as she clucked disapprovingly. "Don't try to hide it, my familiar," she purred as she began to slowly slink towards me. "I know your thoughts. Mostly because you were rambling when we found you."

"I…I was?" I asked as I backed away, still trying to keep space between us. Not there was really anywhere for me to back away to on a couch, but still, I tried.

Her eyes lit up as she nodded. "Oh yes," she confirmed with glee, "You wouldn't stop talking for the first six or seven hours. Mostly incoherent ramblings, or the same phrase over and over again, but as you started to warm up, you would make the most delightful whimpers when I tried to pull away."

Maybe death would have been the better, less mortifyingly embarrassing option. "I did what?!"

She giggled, soft and musical as she leaned in close, reaching out with a gloved hand to gently stroke my cheek. "It was quite endearing really," she mused, "You kept saying you weren't ready to be alone again. Are you saying you are perfectly fine with being alone?"

"That's not-" I sighed and closed my eyes as I grabbed her hand and moved it away from me. This was a lot of information for me to sort through after nearly being dead. "Look, it's been a long day, and I'm going to need to sleep on this before we even think about continuing this conversation. So if you don't mind…"

Her smile wavered for a moment, and I found myself surprised at such a reaction. She'd been so pleased at my resistance up until now, I wondered why she'd taken offense this time. "Of course," she bowed her head slightly. "If you'll follow me."

As I gathered my crutches, I looked down at the book still clutched tightly in my hand. "Uh…is it alright if I take this with me?"

"How else are you going to know me otherwise?" she replied, some of that playful smile returning.

I sighed and tucked the book under my arm. "I was thinking the old fashioned way: talking to you, spending time with you, meaningful interactions together, that sort of thing."

"And the crack grows wider," she teased.

"Stop that," I ordered, much to her amusement.

"As fun as it would be to watch you struggle against fate a little longer, you need your rest. Now come, let's get you into bed…"

I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. When I awoke, I found myself feeling a lot better than I had yesterday, and a lot more refreshed. It's amazing what a good night's sleep will do for you. I threw off the fur covers and sat upright before I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I imagined it was going to be difficult to sleep with this boot on at some point, but for now, the sheer exhaustion has overwhelmed any sort of discomfort or awkwardness.

As I stretched, I took another look around the room and my eyes fell on the book I'd borrowed from August's library. Almost immediately, my mind flashed back to that uncomfortable conversation from last night, and the realization that I had to do some serious soul-searching before the next time we saw each other. Which meant I didn't have a lot of time.

I sighed heavily as I fell back on the bed, staring off into the middle distance as I tried to process what she'd told me and what I was really feeling. First thing's first, was August telling the truth? After giving it some thought, I determined that she was, in all likelihood, being honest. While I could see her perhaps omitting something from the record for her benefit, she's been forthcoming and honest about everything else. Perhaps a little too forthcoming, but I'd get to that in a minute.

So, if she's right, and I did say that, then what did I mean by it? Was I just craving the warmth provided by August, or was I craving genuine companionship? I tried to remember the last time I went on a date, let alone had a long-term relationship. The past few years had been a whirlwind of battles, reports, and the general insanity that came with running Azur Lane. It felt like I'd really never gotten a chance to really even begin trying to find someone to spend time with, and as of late, it had begun to bother me. I kept wanting to try and start a relationship with someone, yet things kept getting in the way. Perhaps that was my deepest regret, and when faced with the finality of death, I wanted something, anything that gave me some small measure of companionship.

Or maybe I was just cold and desperately needed her literal, physical warmth, I don't know. But one thing I did know for certain is that she wasn't wrong last night. She was practically throwing herself at me and here I was trying to fight her off. I've got the time, I've got a woman who's interested, and, I'll admit, was very interesting herself, so what's the hold up?

Honestly, the big issue was this idea of me becoming "her familiar". I'm not one for being some sort of pet or submissive in a relationship. Not knocking anyone who's into that sort of thing, but I prefer a bit more give and take from both parties. On the other hand, she did seem to enjoy it when I pushed back or resisted her, for the most part. I wondered how she would take it if I took a more direct approach, myself?

Now that I had a plan, I swiftly got to my feet. Almost immediately, I remembered the pain that came when I did this yesterday and braced myself for that same sharp, searing feeling. Only it never came. Only a dull ache that immediately subsided when I shifted my weight to my other foot.

"Impossible," I muttered to myself as I gently put weight back on the broken leg. "This…this can't be real…" There's no way, no way at all that the pain would be gone that quickly. Unless… No.

August was really a witch.

I slowly sat back down on the bed as I tried to process this revelation, to try and find some way around it, but in the end, I couldn't. Every single kansen who's treated humans for injuries has flat out stated that it's impossible to speed up recovery for people. The body takes time to knit things back together. And yet, here I was, with a leg feeling like it'd been broken two weeks ago, let alone two days.

As I was going through this quandary, there was a knock on the door. "Are you awake, Commander?" August's muffled voice came from the other side.

"Yeah," I called out as I made sure I was decent for her. "C'mon in."

The door swung open and August strode in, that confident, almost-but-not-quite haughty smile on her face and a garment bag in her hand. "Good morning, dear William," she purred as her eyes went to my injured leg and the boot that was still on it. "How is your wound?"

"Much better, I think," I answered honestly. "I just…it's healed so much that I'm worried that it hasn't really healed, if that makes any sense."

"It makes perfect sense," She smiled as she hung the garment bag on the coat rack by the door. "You're worried that the potion is more of a pain relief than actually mending your injuries. Given your skepticism thus far, I think that would be a perfectly normal reaction. As she talked, she walked over and knelt in front of me her hand on the release straps of the boot. "May I?"

"Yeah, go ahead," I nodded, wondering just what it was going to look like when she took everything off.

With great care and deft fingers, she removed the plastic boot and set it aside before she began unwrapping the bandage beneath it. As my bare skin was exposed to air again, I let out a soft sigh of relief, which prompted a giggle from August.

Very gingerly, she began to turn my leg this way and that, all while gently pressing on certain points. "Oh, I see what you mean," she said, still probing.

I felt an odd mix of relief and concern at that statement; relief in that I didn't have to worry about August really being an ancient, powerful witch, and concern "So it's not healing quickly?"

"Quite the opposite," she answered with a shake of her head. "It's healing much faster than I had anticipated. Perhaps the potion was more powerful than I had realized…"

Oh, great, so even she doesn't know how all-powerful she is. "Does this mean there could be any sort of…unforseen side effects?"

"It is always a possibility," she admitted as she began to re-wrap the leg, then stopped. "Before I put this back on, I presume you will want a shower?"

"That would be wonderful," I smiled warmly. That smile quickly died, however, when I started thinking about the logistics of taking a shower with a broken leg. "Although that will prove to be difficult…"

"Would you like some assistance?" she asked, a playful, seductive glint in her eye.

"Ah, no no," I chuckled nervously. That would almost certainly lead to things that would only complicate matters. "I think I'll be okay once I'm in there, but getting in and out could be tricky."

August pondered the problem for a moment, then answered, "There should be a mat on the floor so you do not slip, and I could bring in a chair for you to dry off in."

"That'd be wonderful, thanks," I smiled as I got to my feet.

"Of course," she bowed her head as she stood with me, reaching out to help keep me balanced. "And when you're done, I managed to procure some new clothes for you. It's not quite a naval uniform, but given…recent developments, I think you will find it appropriate."

Given her strangely cryptic comment, I suddenly eyed the garment back a growing amount of suspicion and concern. "Thanks…" I muttered. "I guess I'll take a look at it once I'm done. Now, to get the bandage and boot back on, I just do what you did, but in reverse?"

"Correct," she nodded. "Anything else before I leave you to prepare?"

"Think I'm good for now."

She smiled, "Then I will be waiting just outside your door when you're finished. Until then."

Fortunately, showering wasn't as difficult or as complicated as I'd feared, and I was in and out in relatively good time. As I limped over to the garment bag, I wondered what August meant by "recent developments"? Was she taking this "familiar" thing too far and making me dress up like a cat? I seriously hoped not.

As I unzipped it, my fears were allayed as I was greeted by the site of what looked like a pair of grey coveralls at first glance. But the more I looked at it, the more I recognized the pockets, zippers and fasteners were more in keeping with a pilot's flight suit. So that's what she meant by "recent developments". When I began to pull the suit out of the garment bag, I noticed there were only two identical patches, one on each arm. It was a crown of laurel with the Iron Blood eagle in the center, all in gold, set against a black background. Some sort of pilot corps insignia, or just denoting the wearer was part of the Iron Blood? I made it a mental note to ask August once I'd stepped out, along with a request for a cane.

After I'd zipped up the flight suit, gotten my boots on(one regular, one the strange plastic brace), and grabbed one of the crutches to use a makeshift cane, I hobbled to the door and swung it open. I poked my head out and saw August patiently waiting for me, leaning against the wall to my right.

"I trust everything went well?" she asked as she pushed off the wall and stood upright.

"Yes, thank you," I smiled as I stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind me. "The chair was very helpful. And thank you for the flight suit, by the way, it's surprisingly comfortable. Just one quick question."

"Of course," she answered with a warm smile.

"What're the patches on either arm for?"

"Those are rank insignia," she explained. "We don't have any human naval aviators, so I had to use the insignia for our air corps. Congratulations, Field Marshal."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise at rather prestigious rank she bestowed upon me. "That was…very generous of you," I said, "I appreciate the gesture."

She smiled again, although this one had less warmth to it. "In the event we leave the castle, or other uninvited guests show up, I would not want to see you harassed or otherwise accosted by those who do not know your status."

"Status meaning…as your familiar?" I ventured.

Her smile turned positively wicked as her eyes flashed. "No, as the Commander of Azur Lane," she grinned, "but I do so love where you were going…"

I could not believe I walked into her trap like that. "Oh, goddammit," I muttered under my breath.

"Do not feel ashamed," she soothed. "After all, it's inevitable that your resistance will break and you will be mine, body and soul."

It would seem she's over whatever bothered her last night, but it didn't seem like now would be good time to revisit that conversation. Unless…

"Think you got what it takes?" I challenged her with a grin that looked more confident than I felt.

Her eyes lit up and a broad smile threatened to split her face. "Oh ho, what's this?" she chuckled as she eyed me up. "Such a fight in you this morning!"

"Yeah, well, I had time to think things over about what you said yesterday," I shrugged, "and you're right, I do want companionship. I want to be with someone who understands me, who comforts me, who completes me. But I want to do it on my own terms. I don't want to be anyone's pet."

At this point, her eyes were so alight with eager anticipation you could've turned out the lights and watched them shine in the darkness. "There you are," she cryptically sighed. "Such resistance, such defiance. Excellent! So you wish to know me better, then? To find out who I am, to be lured deeper and deeper inside until there is no hope of escape, trapped in my loving embrace?"

"I want to know the real you," I declared, "But as my own person with my own free will."

August took a step towards me, her hungry eyes boring into my very soul as she leaned close. "Very well then, William Brown. I accept your challenge. I look forward to watching you crumble…"

A/N-Oh ho, the plot thickens! Will our hero be up to the challenge or will he wind up as AvP's pet human forever? Until next time, fair winds and following seas!