Krystal watched as a tan female fennec walked into the recreation room and sat down on the couch across from her and Fox.
"Welcome aboard the Great Fox." Fox greeted, "My name is Fox McCloud and this is Krystal."
"My name is Fara Phoenix." she replied, "Though Katt's friends keep referring to me as 'Desert Vixen'. Please never refer to me as 'Desert Vixen'. Just call me Fara."
"Is there a story behind the nickname?" Fox asked.
"It's a long story best forgotten." Fara insisted.
Krystal watched the fennec vixen with uncertainty. Maybe it was just the subtle ways culture can influence body language, but something was making it hard for her to trust Fara.
"So, is Krystal a new teammate or..." inquired Fara.
"Right now, I'm just giving Krystal a little tour of the Lylat System." Fox explained, "It's a long story."
"I came here, both to learn about the people and to serve as an ambassador to my people." Krystal elaborated, "I hope to get a good idea of the peoples and cultures before returning to my village on Cerinia."
"So, tell us a little more about yourself." Fox asked Fara.
"I'm the daughter of the founder, president, and CEO of the Corneria Space Dynamics Company. I'm currently on the run from Katt's friends. There's not much to it. What about you guys?"
"I'm a warrior and priestess." Krystal told Fara.
"I'm the leader of the current Team Star Fox." Fox explained, "And, to be honest, I could use a little help with the tour I'm giving Krystal. She could learn a bit from other points of view that aren't Katt's friends or Falco."
"I could help." Fara assured Fox, "On the condition you never reveal my location to Katt's friends."
"Like I would be that cruel."
The pair laughed.
"You can hide out here for a while." Fox offered, "There's a guest room down the hall labeled 'guest room'. There's also a bathroom, also appropriately labeled."
"I can't thank you enough." Fara told Fox, surprising her with a big hug. Krystal was unsure of the sign of affection.
"So, where's Krystal staying?" Falco asked as he walked into the room.
"My room." Fox told him, "Before you say anything, I've already spent a few weeks with her. She's more trustworthy than the bulk of the people you've invited over."
"So I know a few 'unique' individuals."
"They're thieves, arsonists, and vandals." Fox countered, "Krystal's an experienced warrior and even she doesn't have their body count. Heck, combined, we don't have their average body count."
"Just remember you have a room." Falco grumbled, "It was hard enough cleaning up the stains Slippy and 'Amanda' left."
"Just remember to keep all this a secret from Katt and her friends." Fox ordered, "Last thing we need is them trying to influence Krystal."
Falco left in a huff, leaving the three foxes alone. Fox sighed, grabbed a book on space combat, and sat down. Krystal sat down next to him and curiously looked at what Fox was reading. Fara couldn't help but notice their body language. Perhaps Falco wasn't kidding.
After a while, Fox got tired and left the room. She excused himself and walked to the bathroom, grabbing a bathrobe from her room along the way. Making sure it was unoccupied, she locked the door behind her and got naked. She removed the bandages on her chest, freeing her breasts.
"Definitely not good." Fox muttered to herself, "Good thing only Krystal knows."
Fox hurriedly washed and dried herself before reapplying the bandages and put on the bathrobe. Fox then returned to her room and closed the door. She sat on her bed and began thinking. How long could she keep her changes a secret? What if she had to go to the hospital or was wounded on the battlefield? What if her voice changed to match? How would she explain it? How could she explain it?
And what about the markings? They were subtle, but noticeable if one looked hard enough. She'd probably just pass it off as a Cerinian thing. Fox did spend a few weeks stranded on the planet and knew better that to displease a society's entire military. It's not like Lylatian cultures didn't have their quirks.
Before long, Fox began to feel strange. Attributing it to her body's radical changes, she ignored it until she passed out on the bed.
Meanwhile, Krystal spent the time reading the book on space combat. She was intrigued by the idea of controlling a metal bird as it caused mass destruction against her foes. Apparently, this was how Fox fought most of her foes. Since she taught Fox how to fight with the staff, Fox would return the favor and teach Krystal how to pilot an Arwing.
Her attention then turned to Fara. What if Fara wanted Fox to teach her too? Would Fox teach them both or would Krystal have a competitor? That wouldn't be a problem if she were allowed to end their contest with a swift staff swing to the kneecaps.
Krystal shook her head. She was here to learn about the people and Fara was going to give her a lesson or two. If would be best to save the staff-related ideas for if Fara did turn out to be a competitor.
Suddenly, a strange feeling overcame Krystal.
"It's getting late." Krystal told Fara as she excused herself, "I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night."
Krystal returned to Fox's room to find her passed out on the bed. As Krystal approached Fox, the strange feeling became stronger. Krystal closed the door before moving Fox's sleeping body to a better position. She then stripped down to her undergarments, crawled into bed, and turned off the light. Krystal didn't know what was responsible for the strange feeling. All she knew was she had to be here.