I don't own digimon.

Story 81

Advent with the Arcana's

Queen Victoria paced back and forth on one of her castle's many balconies. While our dear black cat had taken to the task of ruling quite well, that didn't make the job easy. Especially when your skills are mostly focused in the realm of fighting. Yet for the occasion, Victoria had chosen to go with one of her winter ballgowns. Done up in violet, white faux fur meant to provide some warmth. Not that they actually do that. No, that would be the anti-icing wards embedded within the fabric. Violet peep toe mary janes. The finishing touch was her wedding armband. The perfect symbol of her marriage.

"Uh… not to be a bother, but must I stand around while you pretend to be introspective?" a voice called out and cut off this moment to set the scene. Spinning around, the black cat took in the pair of maids that were facing the door. A magenta-colored fire elemental, she was adorned in a victorian-style floor length maid dress. Done up the traditional black color, the material shined in the light of the Brankan morning. Finishing off the look was a pair of bright pink embers serving as her eyes. Beside her was a nekoroid. Done up in hot pink plating, her screen proudly displayed a set of orange facial features. Dressed much like her companion, the only real difference was her having a brazier at her side.

"Of course not, Honey and Syrup. You can chat freely and move about, if you want." Victoria announced, waiting a moment for her two maids to approach. "Anything that you want to talk about?"

Honey and Syrup looked at each other. While technically their mistress's former archnemesis, that didn't change the fact that they were devoted to taking care of her highness. Even if their mistress didn't really need that help in the first place. No, they were here for appearance-sake and nothing else. Like it was when their predecessors took their mantle.

"Not really. Just got bored standing in front of the door." Honey announced and Syrup nodded in agreement. While the cold branakan air was generally not what one thought of when you pondered Advent and the winter season. But, this was what her highness wanted right now after her charity fight. While the pair hadn't been told what the outcome was, it was clear that I had gotten the upper hand. In retrospect, perhaps it would've been a good idea to ban healing spells next time around. Oh well. Something to consider next year. Though, having her face Alice and Elena would be hilarious. Especially since they're adventurers now and not whatever the fuck they were during the middle of Cho & Me.

"Dear, your royal advisor and most of her family have arrived." a voice announced and the doors opened up. Kuro walked out, dressed in a cross between a gothic ballgown and something festive. The main dress had been done up in black, with someone going through the trouble of adding a green and red tree pattern to the skirt. A set of black lace sleeves cover her arms, leaving her massive paws exposed for all to see. Moving up to her display, that proudly showed off pink features. Nothing in the way of a crown, but only because it looked silly with the cat ears. Totally not because neither woman really saw a point to wearing it. Instead, a gray armband inset with amethysts served as the symbol of their relationship.

"Okay." Victoria answered and spun around. Motioning for her maids to follow, she made quick time over to her spouse. Reaching out to Kuro's paw, the nekoroid accepted the gesture and grabbed hold. Squeezing tight, the couple made their way into the castle proper. A relatively modest building in comparison to that of the Villa the black cat and priestess had traded up from here, it was perhaps brimming with more activity than their former abode. Goes without saying, though. You don't expect one person to be able too take care of a massive place… right? That's just common sense. Oh right. The hallway. Done up with pale white walls and brown hardwood floors, there's something quaint to this part of the castle. Paintings of sceneries have been intermixed with that of more abstract art, but nothing in the way of portraits of the queen and/or her family. While likely in a different part of the castle, that still made this omission all the odder. Oh well. Not the end of the world as the group reached the stairway. Continuing the hallway's design downwards, there was also the opposite wing that they hadn't traveled through. Looking to be more of the same, there is little use in focu-

"Ms Chouko, you know how your mothers feels about you running in the halls." a voice called out, bringing with it with the sound of footsteps. In the distance, a woman was heading for the group. Dressed in a gorgeous violet and gray ballgown, a set of heeled pumps were on full display here. Done up purple with a gray underside, they distracted little from the pink cat tail that flicked about and the cat ears set within locks of pinkish black hair. Purple eyes stare out, while a set of black cat earrings bounce with each step. The finishing touch were the puff sleeves on her shoulders.

A little pink dragon flew beside her, trying their hardest to get their mistress to slow down. A futile effort. Especially with the prospect of getting to see your cousins. That trumped everything else here. Though, the small purple dress and kitten heels on their lower claws all the cuter.

"Good morning, Chouko." Victoria greeted and watched her daughter come to a stop in front of them. Letting go of Kuro's paw, she pulled Chouko in for a hug. Kuro joined the pair and did her utmost to not accidentally squeeze her wife and daughter too much. "How did you sleep?"

Chouko cracked a smile as the embrace ended.

"Quite well, actually." Chouko answered and looked over to her companion. Waiting a moment for the drake to reach them, that got her a look. Responding with a chuckle, that only served to make them speed up. Closing the distance, they took a seat on Chouko's shoulder. Shifting their attention to Victoria, it took everything in the black cat's power to not laugh. "Minus my lady-in-waiting getting on me for being too excited. I'm surprised yours isn't doing the same."

Victoria shrugged.

"Probably down below talking with Talia." Victoria answered and got a chuckle from Chouko. Taking the lead down the stairs, Kuro and Chouko followed right behind. As for Honey and Syrup, they took up the rear and were waiting for an opportunity to break off. While best to stay by her highness at all times, she was about to be met with a large enough entourage that it wasn't an issue. As was the nature of this place. Thankfully, they didn't need to wait long. Getting off the steps at the next landing. Waving to their queen, that got them a chuckle from Victoria.

"Cowards." Victoria joked, still taking the time to wave back. Then it's back to heading to the ground floor. Making quick time to the bottom, the sounds of gowns rustling and heels clicking against whatever material used echoed about.

Compared to the hallway and stairs they had just left, this new hallway was a lot more charming. A regal green carpet met that of intricate wallpapers, counterbalanced by that of tasteful benches and tables with flower pots put upon them.

"So… how did your battle with Chaos go?" Chouko inquired and watched her mother's spin around to meet her gaze.

"Quite well. It's been far too long since I've gotten to fight someone on my level." Victoria answered and spun back around. I'll have to agree with her here. Kind of hard to justify even letting loose. Threat or not, the age of running around and fighting people is long gone. Which isn't a bad thing, mind you. It's actually kind of nice not having to worry about various factions attempting to reduce you to a pu-

Before I could finish that thought, Victoria and company reached the entrance area. A relatively large room, time had been taken to get it into the advent spirit. Even if the white walls and yellow almost birch hardwood floors didn't quite get the message and were content on remaining their usual selves. Thankfully, the decorations had gotten that same message loud and clear. Strands of colored lights met that of garlands, providing pleasing patterns while breaking up the white to more manageable levels. An Advent tree decorated with lights and ornaments had been set up in the far left corner, fake gifts put in for good measure just to sell the illusion. In the opposite corner, someone had gone through the trouble of setting up a reading nook. For when you want to show your advent spirit by way of telling stories to children. Even if Advent was usually more about celebrating through fighting than anything that could be put into words. Brought us nicely to Talia and her entourage here. Adorned in the same gown from the earlier meeting, she looked to be in good spirits. Especially while holding the gloved hand of the woman beside her. Dressed in an indigo ballgown with gold accents, a mix of purple and yellow petticoats served to poof the dress out. Indigo puff sleeves sit proudly on her shoulders, going well with the short pastel yellow gloves on her hands (but not so much her pale gray . Gold platform pumps cover her feet, giving a peek at the woman's yellow and indigo stockings. A whip hung to the woman's side, her right hand in use to get it to stop swaying. Four wedding rings hung there, a sign of her achievements. Much like the butterfly choker around her neck. Moving up to her head, a set of beautiful gray eyes stare out. Locks of black hair had been tied into a bun, tied together with a coat of indigo to her lips.

"It's good to see you, Kathy." Victoria greeted as she curtsied. Kathy did the same, her partner/main wife not that far behind. Absolutely gorgeous in every sense of the word, the temptation to be a touch jealous is very much there.

"Indeed. It's been a bit since I've traveled here. Sorry about that." Kathy cooed as she let go of Talia's hand. Stepping off to the side, that brought the couple's other wives their way. Starting with the left woman, she had gone for a strange cross between a kimono and a ballgown. The titular dress was done up in crimson with a pattern of wings. Bloused sleeves attached the dress lead down to her hands which remain bare. Minus the four wedding rings that are situated on her right hand, of course. A massive white obi hung around her waist, likely being used to hold the sparse number of petticoats together. Heeled oak geta peek out from under the hem of the dress, tabi socks serving to protect her feet from the cold. How well exactly, I can't quite say. As for her face, red eyes were framed by short magenta locks of hair. Said hair had forgone a more elegant look to instead fall down almost to her obi. Taking the time to curtsey, it was Kuro who curtsied back.

Moving onto her companion, we are met with a woman dressed in a black cherry lolita ballroom coord. Think of a gown, but done up in a lolita coord. Decorated with a pattern of bullets and halos, it screamed pastel goth in every sense of the word. Bright pink neck warmers were just visible, leading right into chunky black cherry peep toe heels. As for hands, those were covered in short light pink gloves. A purse in the shape of a cat's head hung proudly at her side, done up black cherry like everything else here. As for the head, that was where things got kind of interesting. Brown eyes stare out, complimented perfectly by black cherry lipstick and some pink blush. A pair of massive bushy twin tails bounced about with each breath, dyed black cherry but the brown was peeking through in spots. Trying to maintain the illusion of regality, I like to think she was doing quite well here.

"It's good to see you both, Ririsu, Hikari." Victoria greeted as she and her own entourage curtsied. Afterwards, Ririsu and Hikari did the same. Even as a man approached, dressed in an indigo and cyan ballroom gown, it's crystal clear whose child this is. The tapping of platform mary jane heels echo forth, making their brown eyes and reddish black hair all the more noticeable.

"Ken Jr!" Chouko announced, rushing over to the man. Lifting him up for a hug, the man accepted the gesture.

"It's nice to see you, Chouko." Ken Jr greeted as the embrace ended. Stepping back, the pair took the time to curtsey. Cracking smiles right after, that was Chouko's cue to take her place beside Ken Jr.

"Are you the only kid to come?" Chouko inquired and watched her friend nod. As much as she wanted to see Ken Jr's other siblings, that was probably for the best. Especially considering how much of a theoretical mess a family like this could get. And for the two of you who are curious, no comment. That's a can of worms I don't feel like touching for the foreseeable future.

"MIRA should be here as well. Jestery just needed to take the time to go and pick her up." Talia explained and fished a pocket watch out of her dress pocket. Looking it over, she let the timekeeping device return to its spot. "Now where could Diana be?"
Right on cue, Diana teleported in. Still dressed in her bustle, the timekeeper looked divine. Vee stood beside her, trying their hardest to not be spotted. Or at least would've, if not for Diana pulling him forward for everyone to see.

"Been a while." Victoria greeted and was treated to a look from Vee. Perfectly understandable after what had happened all those years ago. Bending down to meet the tiny drake's gaze, the black cat was given a glare for her troubles. Standing back up, she oddly held in a chuckle.

"Just because you're dressed all different doesn't mean I don't have my eye on you." Vee muttered, catching a chuckle from Kathy of all people. Shooting her a look for good measure, Kathy shot them a look back.

"I promise you that you don't need to do that." Kathy explained and watched Diana scoop Vee up. Holding them close to her chest, Vee's cheeks turned light blue. Looking around for somewhere to hide, they found no such options. "I trust that the dining hall is ready for us to wait in?"

Victoria looked in the direction of the dining hall. Catching a flashed thumbs-up, her attention turned back to Kathy and company.

"Go on ahead." Victoria announced and watched her advisor and her family headed in that direction. Chouko followed right behind, giving her mothers a wave. Getting a wave back, the couple turned their attention back to the entrance area. One would've expected Kain and Cora to be not that far behind, but neither person had made themselves kn-

"Boo." a voice announced and the couple spun around. Jestery was standing before them, quite proud of that prank. Getting a chuckle from her mothers, that was MIRA's cue to circle around and hug Kuro.

"Welcome home, dear." Victoria greeted and embraced her daughter. Lasting only a moment, that was good enough for the jester. Especially as she moved to her other mother. The perfect opportunity for MIRA to get a hug from Victoria here.

"Thanks, Momma Kitty." Jestery cooed and smoothed out her gown. Unchanged from the last appearance, it sparkled in the light of the entrance hall.

"We heard about you new job. We're quite proud of you." Kuro added, Jestery's face glowing light gray. Lasting only a second, her gaze swiveled away. Muttering escaped her lips, purposefully obscured so that I couldn't hear it. Not that I care.

Turning back around, Jestery met her mom's gazes. Wiping away the tears, a smile formed on her face.

"Thanks…" Jestery cooed, the sound of spike pumps echoing across the floor. Twirling around to face the person, a smile formed on her face. A woman, she was adorned in a gray ballgown with white lace. The aforementioned spike pumps are on full display, lace bracelets just visible here. Locks of auburn hair tied into a bun poked out from behind, making her reddish orange eyes all the more striking. "Hi Cora!"

Running over, the jester scooped her daughter up. After all they had been through, it's so weird to see them together. Especially considering all it took together.

"Hi… mom." Cora muttered, the word foreign and yet familiar at the same time. Especially as her mother set her down. Stepping out of the way, a sigh escaped the duchess's lips. "Have you remembered to sleep?"
Jestery stared down at the floor. The answer is no, for the record. Not that I quite know if you can hear me on this end.

"Jestery don't need the reminder. She got an hour, maybe two in the last couple days. Damn back-to-back arcs." the jester muttered and watched Cora raise an eyebrow. Definitely not the answer she wanted to hear here. Even if it wasn't her fault that 'Germinacide' took nearly a dozen parts to resolve, only for it lead into yet another multi-part affair. Oh well. It's done and that's all that matters.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Cora remarked as MIRA ran over. Jumping up to get a better chance at a hug, the duchess managed to scoop her up. Holding her close, the embrace that followed was sweet and cute. Setting MIRA back down, that just left one more person to arrive. Thankfully, the family didn't need to wait long.

"Sorry that I'm possibly late. I had to be certain that I grabbed everything." a voice called out, bringing nothing in the way of footsteps. Instead, it was the light rustling of skirts that gave away the approach. Beyond hearing the person talk. A bright orange ballgown was on full display, white accents and lace serving to differentiate it from Jestery's gown. Heeled mary janes done up in pale orange peek out from underneath the hem of the dress. Orange puff sleeves lead perfectly into patterned lace opera gloves stretching almost all the way up to meet them. A wedding band hung near their finger, a reminder for a certain jester to make hers appear as well.

As for the face, locks of jet black hair hung down in anticipation of being done up while a pair of blue eyes were bouncing about in search of their beloved. Yet, all of that paled in comparison to the sack they were carrying on their back.

"KAIN!" Jestery screeched as she floated over to her husband. Wedding band is now visible, they're a cute couple. Even if this is the first time in a long while since they've shared a scene together. Not that this fact is stopping Jestery from scooping her spouse up and holding him like he was her bride. Probably was at some point, now that I think about it. Whispering between each other, it looks as if a weight has been lifted from the jester's back. Setting Kain back down, her attention shifted to her mother.

"That's everyone now." Victoria cooed and shifted her attention in the direction of their destination. Walking gracefully, Kuro and company followed right behind. "So how have you been, Kain?"

Kain chuckled.

"Quite well, actually." the rogue remarked as Jestery reached out. Letting her grab hold of his free hand, Kain took the time to squeeze. Nothing too hard. Just enough that his spouse would get the feedback she desired. Letting go as they reached the entrance to the Dining Hall, one could make out Talia and everyone else seated at a singular table. The longest that this particular part of the castle had to offer, it was held in by ancient yet well preserved oak floors met by that of tall marble walls. Done up in a gorgeous shade of green, it made things pop that much more. Not that such details really mattered here. No, the focus would be on food, stories and maybe even some light combat. Probably not in that order.

"Victoria, where do you want me to set down the sack?" Kain remarked and watched Victoria point to a spot near the back. Heading over, care was taken to maintain a ladylike grace. For now, the black cat's attention shifted to Cora.

"Any funny stories from school?" Victoria inquired, Cora choosing now of all times to look away. Did she even have any stories that could be told here? While it was an open secret that she was technically a duchess, that wasn't really a title one really flaunted. Especially when her duties were not even focused on ruling to begin with. No, that was handled by the various towns and regions. A far better solution than that of having a royal family member do that. Especially with the nature of most of this family to be the prototypical jock rather than that of the nerd. For now, the duchess shoved those thoughts away. There was little use in thinking about that.

"Someone tried to pass themselves off as the Drama Professor, only for the actual drama professor - a gelatinous cube, to put them in their place. I guess that could be considered funny?"

Victoria shrugged and sat down at the table. Smoothing out the skirts and petticoats, Kuro sat down beside her. While unable to eat, it would be wrong to not have her here. Yeah. That was totally it and not that her majesty liked having her wife close. When the news initially came in for the order, I flew out with Ai and Cho to just check. Yes, I'm technically no longer related to our dear black cat. But I am still the closest thing to her. Minus the whole being 'mute' mess. The visit sucked. While the chat was good, just seeing her strapped to a machine was the absolute worst. For all that the black cat fought through - time, space, the order and even forces somehow stronger than that, she would not be granted a happy ending. So she and Kuro took matters into their own hands. While the decision was seen as oddly controversial initially (Nekoroids were still kind of a new idea), it worked out in the end.

"Wasn't there that time that someone tried to assassinate you with a carrot?" Kuro announced and watched her wife's expression shift. Staring down at the table, it would still be a couple minutes before their food would arrive. Even then, there was still the matter of dishing it out to everyone. Nonetheless, she split her attention between Kuro and Cora here.

"Yeah. It was funny for about five seconds. Then it was just an annoying fight to deal with. You would think that they have more of a strategy than 'throw even more carrots'." Victoria muttered and caught a chuckle from Talia. Shooting the lady gunner a look, that only served to make her laugh even harder here. "Care to divulge anything of note, my dear advisor?"

Talia stopped laughing. Letting out a sigh, her gaze shifted to Jestery. While this information had been gone over a couple times already, Talia walked right into this one. No use in withholding it.

"Jestery is of the belief that some kind of entity will attempt to pierce through the Alternate Worlds itself and attempt to destroy Neo Digia." Jestery explained and silence fell over the room. Looking among each other their attention turned to that of the jester.

"Let me guess, someone has found a way to kill people that we thought were unkillable?" Cora inquired and watched her mother nod. That was a joke. Not a very funny joke, but still a joke nonetheless.

"Yes, actually. Whoever was responsible for this killed a version of the author left behind in Hunters of all places. Considering that my boss was just here, it's not out of the realm of possibilities that he's their main target and we're just bait." Jestery continued and got a nod from Cora and Victoria here. The latter's full attention was on her here.

"Is there anything that you think I should do here or is it best to wait and see?" Victoria whispered and Jestery stared down at the table. The sound of footsteps was now finally coming though, signaling the arrival of the food.

"Wait and see. Momma Kitty will very likely know when they're here, if they do manage to pierce through, of course." Jestery answered as the food was set down on the table. Spread out in such a way that it allowed for everyone to get a little bit of something, that brought with it a curtsey.

"You are dismissed for the night. We'll clean up for you. Do have a wonderful Advent." Victoria cooed and watched her employees head off to get changed and then head home. Shifting her attention back to her family and friends. "Bon Appetit."

With that, the Arcanas dug in. Which is also my cue to bid adieu. Tempting as it would be to find out what's in those gifts, I have a feeling they are for another night. Nor would they help in the grand scheme of things. Have a happy advent and in turn a good new year's…

Wait.

This is going out in May of all times? Someone hit me…

Author's Note:

So yeah. Plans very much changed by Germinacide. Additional diary Entries should be up in the next couple days.