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Mission No. 42

Cerinia
Altaira Valley

"Pentagaze"

ㅤ⦲ㅤ

Three weeks had passed since the village accepted Fox and Krystal into the fold. All through the valley there was a growing buzz of excitement, for tomorrow was the day of the summer festival. The whole village bustled with Cerinians making preparations for the event: they gathered food and cooked treats, pitched silken pavilions, and decorated the eaves of buildings with chains of flowers, brightly-colored tapestries, and reed lanterns.

Krystal had never seen a festival before, but if the collective anticipation of the village was any indication, it was probably a day worth remembering. Out of all their numerous birthdays and yearly events, this coming festival was their favorite; it commemorated the day when, eight years ago, Mother Namah and the other elders led the sisters out of the wasteland and into the safety of Altaira Valley. They remembered that day through celebrations and festivities, praying the village would last many more years to come.

This anticipation was the electric charge that put a spring in Krystal's step. The vixen skipped along the forest path carrying a yoke over her shoulders. The hollow, dried bunches of gourds hanging from either end swung and clunked together like windchimes. The weathered dirt trail passed swiftly beneath her feet, and overhead the amethyst ceiling of leaves and blossoms drifted by as well.

Eventually she came upon the stream which split the valley in two. On the other side of the rushing water the trees thinned out before stopping at the edge of a field, beyond which stretched rolling plains, hills, and farmlands where they grew their crops. The stream essentially separated the village from the open countryside nestled in the valley, representing the farthest from her sisters Krystal usually ventured. Yet, at the same time, that was where Fox lived; beneath the empty ceiling of sky.

Krystal paused on the bank and set her yoke down, taking a moment to hike up the hem of her white work robe around her knees. Then she waded into the deepest portion of the stream, lowering the gourds to fill them.

By now she had been training as a Kaitaki for three weeks. She had no idea that disciplining the mind required such a strenuous physical routine; Mother Namah put her through a well-balanced program of education, meditation, and stress-relieving postures and stretches—along with manual labor.

When the bundles of dried gourds were nearly filled, Krystal heard a loud splash reach her ears. Going on the alert, she looked up from the stream and turned her head in the direction of the noise. She concentrated, separating the sounds of the breeze moving through the leaves, the gurgling water at her feet, and a waterfall that must've been nearby. Her patience was rewarded, as the sound was followed by subsequent smaller splashes.

Curious, she waded to the opposite side of the bank and carefully set the yoke of gourds down. Whatever it was hid further upstream, but the creek disappeared around a bend. Steeling her resolve, she crept up the bank to investigate.

On the other side of the incline she found a waterfall tumbling into a large pool. White foam and bubbles clouded the base of the fall, while ripples warped the reflection of the sky and treetops near its edges. The pool was deep enough to swim in and looked quite inviting.

And apparently, someone else felt the same way.

When she saw him, Krystal let out a quiet "Eep!" and hid herself behind a tree. Timidly, she peeked out again and saw that he hadn't heard her; most likely due to the roaring of the fall.

There, in the deepest portion of the pool, swam Fox. With rapt attention, Krystal watched as he broke the surface and gasped for air. The young todd climbed out of the deep end and stood beneath the gentle fall, letting the water crash down on his head and shoulders like a natural shower. Rays of speckled light descended from the treetops, lighting the fox's fur so that it burned like golden fire. It was such a beautiful, warm coat, she thought, and such a contrast to the cool pelts of her fellow sisters. But at the moment, that was all he was dressed in, for his tunic, shendyt, and undergarments hung on a branch by the side of the pool.

Krystal continued to watch him bathe from behind her tree, his back turned to her as he brushed his grown-out silver hair and matted down his fur in the shower. Like her, Fox had been training, but his regiment was much more physical. Every day he spent a few hours with the wine-colored vixen—Kaia, she believed her name was. They would exercise and practice sparring together, and one of Krystal's favorite pastimes was secretly watching the two from a distance. She'd started sneaking glimpses at Fox whenever he removed his tunic on a hot day and grew agitated when the dark-furred vixen similarly dressed-down around him.

Why did Fox object to being unclothed around Krystal, but not that other girl? Secretly she wished she was the one training beside Fox, and not that stranger. Was it because she was weak and didn't know how to fight? Oh, why wouldn't Namah train her to fight like Fox so she could spar with him instead?!

Regardless, Fox's work and perseverance paid off, and Krystal marveled at the result. Everywhere it seemed his muscles were more pronounced. Now his body reminded her of the stones lining the streets, or even the statues her sisters carved from rock. She'd seen him undressed before, but never felt like paying him this much attention. Was he always shaped like this?

Looking at Fox now, she remembered all the times he'd held her in his arms: carrying her in the labs, catching her when she fell, and tightly encircling her that one night to chase away her tears. She longed for their feeling of warmth and protection again—a feeling she'd missed ever since Namah separated them. How heightened would those feelings be now that he was stronger? What would it feel like to be held in those arms right now, this instant?

Fox's tail flicked in the water, exposing his funny-looking hindquarters for a moment and making Krystal giggle. His poor tail was no longer full and fluffy, but soaked and drooping from the water that weighed it down—but the laugh caught in her throat when Fox turned to wash his back in the fall, now exposing his front to her. Her spying was even more dangerous now, as there was a chance he might look up and notice her. Though try as she might, she couldn't look away; it was the same curiosity she felt when looking into Fox's deepest secrets. There was an excitement attached to it, and an intimacy in being invited into the places only he knew.

Sheepishly she stared between his legs, surprised when her breath caught in her chest and her pulse began to race at the sight that greeted her. Her heart beat faster and faster in her ears, thundering so loud it drowned out the waterfall. This was what Fox guarded so closely to himself: his weakness. It was a mystery she didn't understand, driving home how the two of them were different on so many levels.

Then to her astonishment, Krystal discovered a warmth growing inside of her; an unbidden itch in her lap. She reached a hand down to search beneath the folds of her robes and was shocked when her touch further stoked the fire that burned there, causing the flame to spread. If only she could wade out into the water to be with him now…

A wave of shame and anxiousness swept over her. This wasn't right, she thought; she wasn't supposed to see him like this. He'd always avoided letting her see him unclothed, and likewise objected to seeing her in the same state. What would he do now if he caught her watching him? Would he be angry? Upset? Or just embarrassed in the usual way, which she thought was so cute?

But it was more than Fox's reaction she feared. Namah and the others had strictly spoken against this very thing, even if they struggled to explain to her why. They warned against people like Fox; especially how dangerous they could be. She was never to trust herself around him when either of them were unclothed and vulnerable, for there was no telling what he would do. They claimed if he saw her in a similar state, he might end up hurting her in the same way she could lose control of her powers if not properly trained.

Dejectedly, Krystal snuck back down the stream bank and took hold of the water yoke. She sat down on the moss, wrapping her arms around her knees and struggling with the questions that swirled in her head, and the sensations her body felt.

This was wrong. These feelings she had… all wrong. Dangerous. She wasn't ever supposed to be alone with Fox; this meeting was nothing but a chance coincidence. A test for her, even. But… could she stay true to her promise and her training?

ㅤ⦲ㅤ

Unaware of the vixen spying on him, Fox continued bathing and whistling pleasantly to himself. In just a few moments he had washed off all the sweat beading his fur. During the morning he'd worked out and practiced sparring with Kaia, then slaved away for Itoro, completing menial tasks around his house that had piled up since he grew too old to do them himself. Now that someone capable lived with Itoro, it was like a cork in a dam had come loose, and Fox found himself confronted with a backlog of work to do.

The shower left him feeling refreshed after a long day. The water wasn't hot and relaxing, but it sure beat coming home from sitting on his butt in a cockpit all day and showering in his cramped quarters. There was something exciting about bathing in the wild, as if reconnecting with a primal ancestor from a millennia ago.

Fox climbed back onto the shore and shivered in the cold air, tying his unruly hair into a short ponytail. He dried off before replacing his shendyt and draping his tunic over his shoulder. Feeling rejuvenated, he marched over the bank with a spring in his step; the path back to Itoro's house wasn't too far downstream.

…But when he crested the bank, he happened upon a young Cerinian crouching on the opposite side.

"Uhhh, oha?" he called, using the Cerinian word for hello.

Startled, the vixen launched to her feet. She spun around when she heard him, revealing herself to be none other than Krystal. A horrified expression covered her face. She stumbled backwards and tripped over her water yoke, falling tail-first into the stream. She yipped in surprise and sent up a large splash when she landed.

Fox dropped his tunic and towel on the shore, then raced into the creek after her. He found the struggling vixen's hand and helped pull her up. "I-I'm so sorry!" he blurted. "I didn't mean to frighten you! I didn't know you were there—"

When he lifted her from the water, they both stumbled and Krystal ended up falling against him. She clung to him for support, and Fox instinctively put his arms around her to keep her steady. In that same moment, their breaths caught and they fell silent, the only sounds left being the babbling stream and the water dripping from them. In the meantime, Fox felt the girl's heart pounding through her soaked clothes against his own chest. There was no way a speed like that could be healthy…

Cheeks flushing, Krystal tore herself away, putting some distance between herself and Fox. She made for a pitiful sight; her hair matted down and her translucent white robes soaked through and tightly plastered to her fur. Fox had to avert his gaze from her chest to keep from staring.

He reached back and grabbed his towel from the bank, offering it to Krystal, but the vixen shrank back. She breathed heavily after the mishap, water dripping from her tufts of hair as she stared guiltily up at him—yet she avoided his gaze whenever he looked her in the eye.

"What's the matter?"

"W-We're not supposed to be alone together," she gasped in Cornerian, voice trembling beyond her control.

"It's fine," he assured her, "no one's going to see us if we say hi for a few minutes."

"But we might get caught!"

Fox sighed. "Krystal, don't worry about it. It's not like they have eyes everywhere. You can relax once in a while—especially out here, with me."

She looked down at their reflections in the water, frowning.

"Besides," he laughed, "what are they going to do if they find us? Punish you?"

Her eyes flicked up at him for a second before retreating. "It's not me that I'm worried about…"

Fox fell silent; he saw what she meant. Perhaps he would be disciplined for meeting with her. Though he considered the worst the elders would do was further restrict Krystal's movements and keep each of them under constant guard, it would still be unbearable if they could never sneak away to see each other like this again.

He decided to change the subject, joking, "I see someone finally convinced you to wear clothes."

Krystal looked down at her soaked work outfit. "Yes. I think I understand why people observe such a custom. I… feel embarrassed if everyone else wears something, yet I do not; especially people who look like me. And… I think I understand what you said to me when you first tried to explain it. I know the differences between men and women now."

Fox gulped. "You… do?"

"Mhm." Krystal shrunk back almost imperceptibly, wringing her hands together. "They say people like you are more dangerous. That you want things from me, and I should stay away from you."

Fox's brow furrowed when he realized Namah and the other elders had been filling Krystal's head with such unfounded fears. But more than mere anger, he also felt disappointment for her. When they'd travelled together before, it was frustrating teaching Krystal Lylatian cultural norms—but he admired how she took nothing for granted, questioning and re-evaluating everything he tried to tell her. Only… now she had that spirit broken. She was finally giving in and conforming like everyone else, losing part of what made her so unique to him.

…But at the same time, he remembered how easy it was to seize her up in his arms and kiss her when he had the chance—whether she had wanted him to, or not. And when he carried her light body away from the shores of paradise. And when he shoved food down her throat.

An immense guilt began to weigh on his shoulders, and he wondered if Namah was right about it.

"And… do you believe what they say? About me, I mean."

She looked up into his eyes for the first time, but didn't know how to answer. It seemed she could face him, or speak to him—but not both at once.

When the silence dragged on and she still didn't answer, Fox scratched the back of his head. "Say, I uh… wanted to thank you for everything you've done to help me. Thanks for bringing me food when I was hungry, and thanks for standing up for me in the Matron's Hall. Seems like whenever I needed you most, you were always there for me."

"I could say the same about you; whenever I needed someone most, even if I didn't understand why, you were right there." She shifted on her feet. "I… I wish I could be there for you more. That day in the garden, I was there, watching you. I saw you grieving for Vixy, but… I didn't have the courage to join you. I gave up on her ever coming back a long time ago, so… in my heart I already knew." She looked away. "She was the only person who ever showed me love. Well, until I met you…"

Fox glanced away as well, feeling slightly embarrassed by the revelation. Then he bent down and caught the yoke of gourds before it floated too far downstream, refilling it for her. He lifted it up, now dripping water. "Here, let me help you with this."

Krystal bowed her head and let him replace the stick over her shoulders. Then he helped her paws find the ropes above the gourds—but when their hands touched, a shock seemed to jump between them. Unbidden, their minds brushed against one another, and Fox felt how fast Krystal's heart still beat, even after all this time. For a moment they looked up at one another, speechless.

But as abruptly as the connection started, the vixen broke it off again. She cast her gaze aside, spun, and jumped through the water. As fast as she could, she climbed onto the opposite bank and raced back towards the Cerinian village, though Fox noticed her looking over her shoulder worriedly as water sloshed haphazardly from the gourds.

Fox wanted to call after her—maybe even to apologize, but no words came to his mouth. He looked down at his fingers, curling them open and closed. Had his touch really made her run off like that? She'd never acted this way towards him before—usually he was the bashful one, and she had no shame or self-consciousness around him…

Shaking his head, the vulpine tossed his towel and tunic over his shoulder and waded back towards the path.

ㅤ⦲ㅤ

When Krystal had put a safe distance between herself and Fox, she stopped to hide behind a tree and catch her breath. She dropped the yoke and looked down at her hands, surprised to find them shaking. In fact, gentle tremors seemed to run through her whole frame. While she gasped for breath, she asked herself, how could Fox possibly make her feel like this? How could someone make her feel both safe and frightened at the same time?

A paw grabbed her arm, and she cried out in surprise. Māra circled around the tree, revealing herself to Krystal. The turquoise-furred vixen placed a finger to her lips, shushing her before Fox could hear. Her grip around Krystal's wrist was iron-tight, and her expression was just as stern.

"You were alone with the Lylatian!" she hissed in a whisper.

"I'm sorry!" Krystal whimpered. "I didn't know he was there! I was just fetching water and he happened to be close by!"

"But why were you spying on him? Hasn't our mother taught you manners? Violating someone's privacy is the same as trespassing in their mind!"

At the mention of spying, however, Krystal's ears gradually perked. "Wait… what were you doing here?"

Māra blinked. "What? What do you mean?"

Krystal wrenched her arm free. "Did you come all the way out here just to spy on me?"

"I—"

"How long have you been following me around like this?!" she demanded.

Her attendant shrank back; the tables finally turning. "Krystal! I'm only doing my duty to the village. You are new here, and the elders are… worried about you."

Krystal stepped uncomfortably close to Māra, her face mere inches from hers. The turquoise-furred vixen backed up against the tree, suddenly fearful of her wrath.

"The elders put you up to this, didn't they?"

"N-No!"

Realization struck Krystal's face. "This isn't even the first time you've spied on me, is it? It was you who betrayed me to the elders earlier! You warned them when I snuck away to feed Fox and escape with him!"

Māra stared at Krystal with trembling eyes, then let her chin sink to her chest before nodding. Krystal backed away, looking at the other vixen in a new light. She wasn't her friend or attendant: she was an informant; a spy; a warden; even one of those white-clad Watchers in her nightmares.

"Then none of it was real," Krystal murmured. "All the attention and care you gave me was fake. You never meant it; you were just following orders."

Māra looked up, her usually sweet face contorting in anguish. "I-I'm sorry Krystal! I was just doing what Mother Namah asked me to! I didn't want to spy on you and make reports behind your back—but I did want to be friends with you, and I still do! Please, please forgive me for spying on you. I promise I won't do it again!"

Krystal's eyes narrowed and she looked upon her with skepticism. "How do I know you won't report my meeting with Fox as soon as I turn my back?"

"I meant what I said! I'll never betray you again. I-If you don't believe me, then see for yourself. Look inside my heart; I'm inviting you in."

She raised her eyebrows. "You really trust me inside your head?"

Māra took Krystal's paws in her own. "The only way we can move on is if we trust each other. So please, see for yourself that what I say is true!"

Krystal felt hesitant; Fox had never liked her digging into his thoughts, and Namah had scolded her whenever she tried looking into hers. It even made Māra uncomfortable whenever she'd merely search inside her head for a Cerinian word she didn't know—and now she knew why. She was worried Krystal might discover she was spying on her. But if she was pleading with her this much…

Krystal entwined her fingers with Māra's and closed her eyes. She reached out with her thoughts until the tendrils came in contact with a second consciousness. Her mind dipped forward, overlapping slightly with Māra's. On the top layer, she felt thousands of tiny voices all speaking at once: the anxieties and worries that plagued the poor girl. But beneath that bubbling surface, she felt a tense struggle between two louder voices: one was the girl's duty to Namah and the elders, and the other her love for Krystal. It wasn't as clear cut as Māra had claimed; she still held reservations about keeping Krystal's secret, but at least she knew her devotion was genuine.

Krystal was about to surface when she noticed a second current buried beneath the others. Curious, she dove deeper and was surrounded by a concentration of images and memories. Each one was a short vignette focused on her and Fox—almost as if Māra was obsessed with the two. Repeated questions rang out in her ears, causing the images to rearrange themselves and fall into place like a giant puzzle, but no pattern seemed to fit. Time and time again, Māra's unconsciousness asked, why were she and Fox so close?

Krystal snapped herself back out of Māra's mind, opening her eyes. She let go of the other vixen's hands and let hers drop to her side. She took in a deep breath and sighed slowly.

"You see?" Māra asked hopefully. "I've been telling the truth!"

"Not quite," Krystal stated.

The other Cerinian's face turned worried.

"You lied about wanting to spy on Fox and me. You weren't just doing it for Namah; you were doing it for yourself. Why are you so curious about us?"

Biting her lip, Māra looked over Krystal's shoulder, as if making sure Fox was nowhere around. Then she took Krystal's hand again and led her back towards the village. "Come! They'll be suspicious if we stay out here too long. But once we get a moment alone, I think both of us have questions the other holds the answers to…"

ㅤ⦲ㅤ

Once the sun set behind the mountains, Itoro called on Fox to help him prepare supper. The two stood side-by-side in the kitchenette, slicing vegetables he'd picked from the Cerinian's garden. Try as he might, Fox's thoughts were not concentrated on the task in front of him; they were squarely focused elsewhere.

The todd cursed when he accidentally nicked himself with the blade.

Itoro smirked. 'You seem quite distracted today. Anything bothering you?'

Fox checked his wounded finger, then sucked on it. 'Itoro, I'm worried I'm… in love with someone.'

'Dear me, whoever could that be?' he absently answered.

'I'll give you three guesses.'

'Let me see… is it that fiery blacksmith you spar with every day?'

Fox chuckled and shook his head. 'No, I don't think I'm her type.'

'Then is it Mother Namah?'

"Ick."

'Well that rules out most of the people you've met in the village. That leaves only…' he gasped, 'me?!'

"ICK!"

'Wrong again, eh? Usually the third time's the charm. Well, please allow an old man another. Your object of affection wouldn't happen to be the young Cerinian girl you brought with you, hmm? Krystal, I believe her name was?'

'Yeah, she's… she's the one.'

'And you come to me for advice because…?'

'Because you're the only person I can talk to. This isn't something I can just tell Namah, or she'd never let me see Krystal again. All the friends and adults I'd normally talk to are lightyears away, or… dead.'

Itoro huffed. 'Well, I'm glad to know you're scraping the bottom of the barrel.'

'That's not what I meant! Besides, you're much older than me. You lived before the holocaust thing; before Namah split everyone up. You remember what normal life was like on Cerinia. I bet you've loved people before, haven't you? You've got experience.'

The elder's knife paused in his hand, and a slight grin tugged at the side of his mouth. He sighed, looking up to gaze out the window at the fading purple and pink sunset. 'Yes, I did love someone once—many years ago. I'd almost forgotten what it was like…' Then he tapped a bony finger on Fox's chest. 'That is, until I met you. You've reminded me what life used to be like, with your youthfulness and energy—not to mention your naivete. So let's start with the basics. Have you ever been in love before?'

Fox nodded. 'When I was fifteen, my father and I rescued the daughter of a business magnate, and we fell in love. But… I don't know how real it was. She was a bit older, and I wonder if I just needed someone to help me cope with the death of my mom. And on her end, her dad was out of the picture. In fact, I don't think I was really the one she was interested in, either. I made some pretty big mistakes, and the whole thing went up in flames—which is one of the reasons I'm scared now.'

Itoro scratched the white tuft of fur dangling from his chin. 'Hmm… Scared you will make the same mistakes with Krystal?'

'I can't keep anything from her; she can read my mind at will! She can see all my secrets and faults, and the things I worry about. If we get any closer, she'll probably run from me faster than Fara did…'

'And yet you've been traveling across the stars with this girl for… how long, exactly?'

'Oh, uh… almost a month now?'

Itoro looked at Fox, raising an eyebrow. 'You mean to tell me, after all that time a mind-reader was cooped up with you, exposed to your every thought and secret monster, she's still with you?'

Fox stopped in his proverbial tracks, blinking. 'Well… oh. Yeah.'

The old Cerinian fizzed. 'Then it sounds like she has come to accept you for who you are. She has seen your faults and judged you to be a decent person regardless of them.'

Fox sighed. 'I don't know. It's just that she's perfect in every way, and I'm so… not that. I don't want her to be the one making all the sacrifices and looking the other way, accepting me for who I am when my job is so much easier.'

'Well then, Fox, here's what you're to do. Learn from your mistakes with your past love. Change those things about yourself that you don't like. Even if Krystal has come to accept your faults, work hard to change them anyway. Do it not because you need to, but because you want to: for her sake.'

Fox looked down at his hands, thinking over Itoro's words. He began to nod. 'You know, I think I might just try that. Thanks Itoro, for—'

But at that moment a furious hissing sound came from the pot sitting over the stove.

"Oh kanga!" Itoro exclaimed. 'The water's boiling over!'

ㅤ⦲ㅤ

When Māra and Krystal returned to the orphans' cottage they shared with several other Cerinians, they struggled to find time alone together. It wasn't until the sun began to set that they were able to snag some privacy again. Once they finished their chores and supper, they locked themselves inside the bathroom, intent on following up on their earlier conversation.

Along the walls of the private room hung shelves of multicolored soaps, bath oils, and delicious-scented perfumes that Krystal had come to love so much. Candles made from sweet-smelling beeswax lit the room in soft light, some of their flames diverging from the usual orange to purples, blues, and greens. And beneath a raised window in the far wall sat a large wooden bathtub, from which steam rose and curled into alluring eddies, filling the room with a warm, moist shroud.

Sighing in relief, Krystal slowly lowered herself into a wooden bathtub, sitting near the back and gratefully stretching her legs. The hot water soothed her aching muscles, while beads of condensation formed on her shoulders and back in the humid room. Māra sat outside the tub, preparing a selection of her favorite soaps and oils. Krystal glanced sideways at the different bars she sorted through, eying them carefully.

"Māra… have you ever accidentally eaten soap?"

She handed her one. "No, can't say that I have. Why?"

The vixen blushed and looked down at the water. "N-No reason…"

While Krystal lathered the bar in her hands, Māra poured a bucket of warm water over her shoulders and set to work on her back. The two washed in silence for a minute till Krystal couldn't hold it in any longer. "Alright: why are you so interested in me and Fox?"

The hands kneading Krystal's shoulder stopped for a moment. "I'm… curious about you two. You're quite mysterious, and different. I've never seen anyone like you in the village before."

"Is it because we're from Lylat?"

"That's… part of it. But mostly it's Fox. He is a man, you know. The only people I've seen like him are the young boys in the village and that old one who lives in the hills."

Krystal nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, he is quite different, isn't he?" She couldn't help but remember what Fox looked like while bathing under the waterfall.

"Cover your eyes," Māra instructed before upending a smaller bucket over her head. She began washing her hair with some of the sweet-smelling oils before she continued. "It's more than just being different. A man is someone you can love."

"Love?" Krystal asked. "But I don't just love him; I love you too, and the other sisters we share the house with. I love the fruit you grow here, and I love the beautiful robes you weave, and taking baths like this, and so much more!"

Māra emitted a frustrated humph as she worked on a tangled knot in Krystal's hair. "Yes, but it's not the same. It's hard because our word for love is used in so many different ways. For instance, the love you have for a type of fruit isn't the same as the love you have for me—at least I hope it's not!"

"Of course not, silly! I love you more than fruit."

"And… the love you have for me is less than the love you have for Fox, isn't it?"

Krystal felt rather put on the spot; she didn't want to hurt Māra's feelings. "Well, y-yes, I guess so…"

Māra continued carefully brushing her fingers through Krystal's hair. "Don't worry, it's nothing to be ashamed of admitting. It's just a different type of love, right?"

Krystal's ears flattened. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to remember what Fox's arms felt like earlier that day when he held her. "Yes, it's-it's… oh, I don't know how to explain it! How do you know all of these things so well?"

Her attendant's voice lowered. "While serving in the Matrons' Hall, I hear the elders talking from time-to-time; the ones who were there before the Anomie. Mingling with men was commonplace back then, and the elders loved them in a different way than they loved each other. Out of everyone, they would choose to love a single mate for life: a person they'd love more than anyone else. Together they shared their deepest secrets and worries, but also their deepest joys. They described it as becoming one…"

"That's… that's exactly how I feel about Fox. I trust him with everything I have—and I wish he'd trust me the same way, but he doesn't. Something's holding him back."

"That's the reason I was so curious about you and him," Māra admitted. "I knew the two of you had that special love together—the love the elders only whisper about. I… I just wanted to know what it was like, since I've only ever heard about it and never experienced it myself."

Krystal thought hard for a moment, soaking in the warmth of the water. "You're right… but I'm worried he doesn't love me in the same way." She twisted around in the tub and sprang to her feet, water cascading off her shining fur. "Can you help me? You seem to know so much more about this thing than I do!"

Māra was taken aback by Krystal's forwardness, her eyes widening in surprise. "H-Help with what?"

"Help me understand!" She bent down, clasping Māra's hands in her own. "Why does my heart beat whenever he's near? Why can I endlessly stare at his body from afar, yet I can't even look him in the eye when he's close? Why do I want to feel his touch again? And most of all, what am I supposed to do with these feelings I have?"

Her attendant looked overwhelmed by all her demands, but eventually a determined look grew on her face. She rose to her feet and squeezed Krystal's hands. "Alright, I'll do all I can to help you. Tomorrow is the day of the festival; if you truly love him, you should spend as much time together as you can. But there's something else you need to know about love and boys—and it may get a little, um, g-gross…!"

ㅤ⧬ㅤ

Millions of miles across the stars, Slippy knocked on an office room door. It opened to reveal a tall, greasy-furred stoat with a sleeked-back coat. His eyes lit up when he recognized the frog, and he immediately extended his hand. "Well, greetings, Mr. Toad! Come in, come in. You must be excited today, aren't you?"

"Thank you sir, I am!"

Slippy accepted the handshake and stepped inside the office. The stoat sat down behind his desk, gesturing for Slippy to sit in the chair across from him.

"Welcome to the Cornerian Security Agency division of Dawson McLean Solutions! I am Slint Owens, chief supervisor of this division. It's an honor having a former Star Fox member working alongside us here."

Former… Slippy repeated to himself. He'd been working at Dawson McLean for three weeks now, effortlessly surprising his superiors with his skills and quickly moving up the ranks. It was this kind of dedication and achievement that had landed his very first contracting job with the CSA: Corneria's primary intelligence organization.

While Slippy seated himself, the stoat continued sifting through papers and desk drawers for something. "Soon you'll learn not all wars are fought on the battlefield or from a cockpit. Increasingly, they are fought through cyberspace, and your presence here lends credence to that fact. But I imagine it wasn't an easy choice. If I may inquire, what motivated you to hang up your wings for a desk job like this?"

Slippy shrugged, fidgeting nervously. "Well, in Star Fox, I specialized as the team's mechanic. I was a great engineer, but there were only so many problems I could fix physically. I kept running into stuff caused by software issues, so I taught myself a few coding languages. After the war I turned my attention to cybersecurity and I guess I just excelled at it. I always like challenging myself."

"You certainly do; that's why you're here! Now, I'm just making sure all of your paperwork is in order. Let's see…" Owens mumbled to himself, "Resumé and application… check. Entrance exam… check. Polygraph screening… check. Identification documents and vaccinations… all in order! Well sir, you are almost ready to start work. First, I need you to sign an NDA along with some other legal waivers. Most if not everything that comes across your desk will be highly classified, and carries severe criminal punishments if you were to reveal them to anyone. We value freedom of speech and information, but the government must balance those values with the public's safety. If you see anything or are asked to do something that goes against your conscience, please come see me or another one of your supervisors about it."

"Y-Yes Mr. Owens!"

The stoat smiled. "Please, just call me Slint. Is Slippy alright?"

"Oh, yeah, of course."

"Splendid!"

Slippy took a moment to skim and sign each of the documents in turn, realizing this must have been what it was like for Fox when he accepted contracts. In a way he felt like a freelance mercenary himself; selling his services to the government like Fox used to—only Slippy would soar over data streams and striped landscapes of spreadsheets, checking for leaks in firewalls instead of fuel systems.

Once he finished signing the documents, Slint again shook his hand and officially welcomed him aboard the team. Then he led Slippy outside and showed him around Dawson McLean's offices nestled within the larger Cornerian Security Agency's building.

"The Cornerian Security Agency is a relatively new group," Slint explained as he walked Slippy past each of the divisions. "In fact, their entire existence has been kept secret for nineteen years! Originally, it formed to counter threats from pirates, the black market, and the rest of the criminal underworld, specifically specializing in surveillance. Then leading up to and during the Lylat Wars, it spied on Andross and Venomian sympathizers under the directive of Project Stratum. Once the war ended, the biggest threats became insurgents and terrorists within our own communities, and that is where Stratum's gaze falls upon now."

While Slint talked, Slippy gawked at the rows upon rows of computer monitors and data towers being poured over by CSA employees—employees like himself now. It was overwhelming trying to take it all in at once.

"Unfortunately, surveillance is a messy business. Our job is to balance privacy concerns with the ultimate safety of the public. It is a big responsibility thrust upon our shoulders, but one we are worthy of. As technology progressed, dutiful citizens and concerned politicians legislated protections of privacy, as they should. But some of these laws prove… detrimental to our efforts, to say the least.

"To stay within the law while still promoting the safety of the entire Lylat, Corneria initiated the Pentagaze program. Since it's technically illegal to collect information from Cornerian citizens, we've made an agreement with four other planets to do so instead. Corneria, Aquas, Fichina, Papetoon, and Zoness all collect data from one another's populace and share it with each other for counter-intelligence operations. Since red tape prevents us from collecting data from Cornerian companies, we contract Papetoon to do it; and since Papetoon's laws do not allow them to survey their own citizens, they in return contract us to do so. See how it works?"

"Wow, that sounds… rather convoluted," Slippy admitted.

"Isn't it? Red tape is such a hindrance, but without it bureaucracy wouldn't function."

Slint gave the frog a quick tour of the rest of the building's facilities, including the spacious cafeteria, gym, and lounge. In the main entrance hall they passed by a display of large, blocky letters that a crew was currently taking down.

"What's that?" Slippy asked.

"Oh, that." Slint laughed. "That was the CSA's old motto before it was changed recently. It used to read, 'Don't Be Evil,' but of course that's kind of corny for a motto, so they're axing it."

But as they walked past, the work crew had only taken away the first four letters on the stand, inadvertently leaving the last six characters behind for the moment.