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Mission No. 17

Venom
Hotel Nolda Penthouse

"Escapism"

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Completely oblivious to Fox and Krystal's unease, Mrs. de Pon dragged her two guests to the dinner party. A short trip down the hall and one elevator ride later, they stepped out into a spacious penthouse ballroom that stretched the entire length of the building. Besides some private rooms and kitchens by the elevator, every inch of the surrounding walls and crowning ceiling were made from thick glass panes, providing an unobstructed view of the city around them. Here on the 20th floor they could look out over Ambrosia's rooftops to Venom's dark, churning storms far in the distance. It felt like standing on the edge of a precipice overlooking a violent sea, all while nestled safely in the arms of a luxuriant hotel. Through the roof above they could see the underside of Ambrosia's glass dome, which reflected the many city lights back down at them like stars, even when the noxious clouds never parted to the sky above.

The penthouse itself was prepared like a ballroom, with dinner tables set up by the windows and a polished central floor for dancing. On one side a Venomian band performed classical music, while a sculptured fountain poured water into a pond at the center of the dance floor—an interesting hazard, to say the least. Finally, walls of green hedges divided the penthouse into multiple sections for dining, dancing, card games, and city-viewing.

While Fox certainly admired the opulent setup, the contrast it made to the slums from earlier and the churning clouds outside gave him disdain for all of the partygoers. In his mind, they were frivolously celebrating in the eye of the storm, while everyone around them had to suffer its full force. It seemed like no one was aware they partied atop a divided city whose occupants were on the brink of war, and whose people might starve while they stuffed their bellies with excessive delicacies.

…Then again, was he any better? Escaping to the sleepy Cornerian west coast and locking himself in his lavish mansion while the rest of the system festered?

It didn't help that Fox never much liked dinner parties and balls to begin with; they always felt so stilted to him. Each one he attended cast him into an alien world that he felt like he didn't belong or fit into. He hated being forced to talk to people he couldn't relate to and observe customs he didn't know.

Then again, when he noticed the awed expression on Krystal's face, he realized he had nothing to complain about. No matter how awkward the party would be for him, it would feel ten times as strange to her; after all, this was her first time experiencing an upper-class party. If he felt uneasy about the whole ordeal, Krystal would absorb his nervous spirit telepathically and end up feeling the same way, meaning he had to put on a positive outlook for her sake as well.

That last point was rather tough, as Fox felt too anxious to enjoy anything about the party. He kept glancing around at all the Space Dynamics families, wondering if any of them were involved with the Cerinians and Section 9.

A turquoise-skinned frog caught sight of their group, waving them over to her table; it was Beltino's wife and Slippy's mother, Mrs. Toad.

"There you are!" she called in a sing-song voice. "I saved you some seats!"

Krystal grabbed Fox's hand, stopping him from going to the table.

'Fox, what do I do?!' her panicked thoughts came. 'They're going to catch me, I just know it!'

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. 'Relax, you'll be fine!'

'But I can't speak Cornerian, much less Eladardian! I don't know what to say or how to talk to these people, nor what they want to talk about. What do I do if they ask me questions?'

'Just don't say anything. I'll do all the talking, and if you need to say something in Eladardian, well… make up random words. I'm sure they won't know the difference.'

Ms. Sōzōshī sat next to Mrs. Toad, while Krystal and Fox sat in the empty chairs beside the tanuki. Several more empty place settings remained around the table, and Fox couldn't help but wonder which members of the Space Dynamics family would be joining them.

"Good evening, Ms. Tiana," Fox greeted the woman when he sat down.

The frog's eyes sparkled at him. "Well Fox McCloud, I didn't expect to meet you here!"

"Yes, it is strange we all ran into each other in a place like this," he admitted. Then, wetting his lips, he asked, "Uh, will your husband be attending tonight?"

She sighed. "Unfortunately not. Beltino had some trouble at work and couldn't make it. Ms. Marjorie is tied up as well, and sends her apologies—but at least we have your company as consolation, young man. As for this gorgeous vixen accompanying you, I don't believe we've ever met. Would you introduce us?"

"Certainly. Mrs. Tiana Toad, I'd like you to meet Krystal."

"Oh… just 'Krystal', is it?" she winked.

Fox stuttered for a moment, realizing he'd never pressed the Cerinian for her last name.

"Well in that case, just call me Tiana, darling!"

Krystal stared at the frog blankly, unsure of how to respond.

Fox rushed to intervene when the awkward silence dragged on. "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am, you see—"

But Mrs. de Pon quickly talked over him without noticing. "Tiana dear, you must be patient! Ms. Krystal can't speak a word of Cornerian. She's a princess from an isolated Eladardian tribe that only recently opened their kingdom to outsiders—and our very own Fox McCloud is escorting her!"

The frog's mouth formed an 'O' in wonderment. "Wow… a real live princess in this day and age?! You don't see many of them around Lylat anymore! How exciting—and delightfully retro!"

But Ms. Sōzōshī lowered her voice darkly. "Shhh! Don't say P-R-I-N-C-E-S-S too loudly! There's a power struggle in her tribe's family, and her uncle is out to kill her! Fox isn't escorting her for any old reason; he's secretly her bodyguard!"

"Oh my, how chivalrous! And dare I say… romantic?"

Fox felt relieved, sighing internally; he couldn't have spun his yarn any more convincingly than the gossiping tanuki had—in fact, she'd slightly embellished it on her own.

"But what of young Ms. Phoenix?" the frog gasped, eyebrows lifting in concern.

"Didn't you know, Tiana dear? They broke up!"

"No, this is the first I've heard of it! I must not have been keeping my ear close enough to the grapevine. I thought for sure you two would announce your engagement after the war! Oh you poor thing…"

Fox bristled at the mention of Fara, completely having forgotten about their breakup during his recent adventure. The only thing worse than suffering a traumatic experience was all the forced words of comfort from well-wishers. He was surprised they'd only been separated for two days and yet everyone seemed to know about it.

"Still," Ms. Tiana said, "it's good to see you keeping company with someone else! I hope you're making Krystal feel just as welcome here as she does in Eladard's sector!"

"Don't worry; Fox is seeing to that," Mrs. de Pon said, causing his cheeks to flush.

Mrs. Toad pouted. "But, is there no way to talk to her, then? How do you manage, Fox?"

Fox opened his mouth to answer, but the tanuki couldn't resist and giggled. "Oh, I don't think the two of them need to talk much at all. Besides, there are other ways of… communicating between two young ones." And she winked, prompting Fox to blush even harder—and he was beginning to feel tired of the whole thing.

"I happened to pick up a little Eladardian during the war. Came from joint missions in cooperation with Eladard's forces," Fox lied.

"Well didn't that come in handy? I wish I could understand what she was saying. Oh!" she reached for her purse, "I have a translator app on my phone—"

Fox raised his hand. "Th-that won't be necessary! I can translate if you want to talk to her."

"Splendid! But what to start with… Ah! Would you tell her I think she's beautiful?"

Fox swallowed, caught off guard by the request.

"Uh, sure…"

He turned to Krystal and stumbled through the few Eladardian words he had picked up, filling in the gap with completely made up ones.

'She said she thinks you're… beautiful,' Fox thought to her.

'Beautiful?'

'Yeah, you know: like your dress.'

'Oh… no one's ever said that to me. I don't know what I'm supposed to say back.'

'Just make up some random "Eladardian" words and I'll think of something…'

Krystal did her best to oblige, awkwardly stumbling through a series of fabricated words and syllables—whatever came into her head first.

"Well, what did she say?!" Ms. Tiana asked, waiting breathlessly with the tanuki. The pair completely bought it.

Fox swallowed. "Uh, she said she thinks you're beautiful too—and she likes your dress!"

The frog laughed and lay a hand on her bosom. "Ohh, how sweet of her!"

"She really appreciates the dress you gave her too, Ms. Sōzōshī," Fox added, "though she's not used to modern Cornerian garments."

"Well I'm glad it fits her so nicely! The darling can keep it; I can't see anyone else looking more perfect in that dress than she does. Speaking of which; ask her what the clothes from her kingdom are like! You know; what do their women wear?"

"Okay…"

Fox turned back to Krystal, spouting more made-up gibberish.

'What did she ask?'

'She wanted to know what your people's clothes are like.'

'Well how am I supposed to know?! You're the one who made up that story!'

'Alright-alright, you don't have to shout! Just say something to me.'

Once they had exchanged some more nonsense, Fox "interpreted".

"Well, they're very different from modern Cornerian clothes, but they do resemble some historical ones. The women wear… uh, silk wraps. C-colorful ones with beads!"

"Oh, I wasn't aware the climate on Eladard was so hot. Is it a tropical island, then?" Ms. Tiana asked.

"Well n-no, that's just in the summer. In winter they wear… heavier robes."

"Amazing that people still dress like that—it must be so cute! I can picture her wearing a lovely blue robe right now. Oh you must have her pick one out and send it to me once you get the chance—I'd love to surprise my Yaru!"

Before they could pester Krystal with more questions, Venomian servants brought the first course to their table. The women's attention immediately shifted to their delectable food, making Fox feel grateful he didn't have to play interpreter anymore. It had been several hours since his and Krystal's last meal, and Fox already felt hungry again; Venomian food was flavorful but didn't tend to fill the stomach for very long. So, he ravenously dug in.

'Um, Fox?'

The young mercenary looked over, seeing Krystal stare at her salad in confusion.

'How do I eat this?'

'With your fork, see?' He discretely waved his utensil—just enough to catch her eye and no one else's. 'Stab the food and lift it to your mouth—don't use your fingers!'

Krystal gripped her fork awkwardly with her whole fist, her hesitation and clumsiness beginning to draw the eyes of the two other women.

'Here, watch how I hold it, and you'll be fine.'

The vixen observed Fox for a few moments, watching as he ate a lettuce leaf and a cucumber slice. Gingerly she tried to mirror him, correcting her grip on the fork. She ended up chasing a tomato around her plate, the vegetable squeezing out from beneath the metal prongs each time she stabbed at it. Growing frustrated, she furrowed her brow and stabbed harder, only to give up when the tomato still eluded her and toss it into her mouth with her fingers.

She chewed for a moment, eyebrows lifting at the juicy taste. Her chewing slowed, however, when she noticed the two hostesses staring at her.

'Why are they looking at me? What did I do?'

'I said not to use your fingers.'

'That's stupid! I just want to eat, and this metal thing isn't helping.'

Fox realized they looked suspicious, so he laughed awkwardly and scratched behind his neck. "Uh, you'll have to forgive Krystal; her people don't use utensils."

"Oh my, not even chopsticks?"

"No, just their fingers most of the time." Out of the ladies' view he gave Krystal a stink eye, who in turn stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, in time I'm sure she'll learn. Don't feel embarrassed, dear!"

The waiters brought the main course next: a slice of synthetic sirloin steak, Zonessian kani butterflied on the shell, and steamed asparagus. Once again, Fox quickly dug in, but as before he looked over to see Krystal merely staring at her plate.

'Need help?'

'I don't think I can eat this.'

'Here, you'll need a knife this time, and even I don't think I could gracefully piece that kani…'

Fox scooted Krystal's plate over, taking his fork and knife to slice the steak for her. While he worked away at the vixen's meal, Mrs. de Pon and Mrs. Toad peered mirthfully around Krystal's shoulder.

"Aw, isn't that sweet? I wish my Beltino would do that for me…"

But Krystal still frowned at the amount of food sitting on her plate. 'No, Fox, it's not that. I don't think I can eat it. It's… it's too much! I'll just get sick again.'

'You won't, I promise. By now your stomach should accept solid food again, and that soup you had earlier won't be enough to keep you going. You need to eat more. Here…'

Fox stabbed a piece of steak and lifted it up. With the women peering over her shoulder, Krystal knew she had to accept, so she leaned forward and took the bite.

The women giggled together, elbowing one another.

"Goodness gracious, he practically fawns over the darling!"

"Tiana dear, she is a princess. She has him wrapped around her little finger!"

Of course from their angle they couldn't see Krystal's face contorting as she struggled to swallow.

"I hope the girl doesn't order him around too much! There better be a hefty reward waiting for our mercenary at the end of this."

Ms. Sōzōshī glanced at the vulpine couple, then leaned in to whisper in her friend's ear. Of course, the loud tanuki was terrible at using an inside voice, much less a whisper, so Fox heard most of her words.

"I wouldn't worry about that, Tiana. Wait till you hear what I caught them doing in the shower when I walked in accidentally…"

Fox's face blanched. Oh no, not Slippy's mom! Please tell anyone but Slippy's mom! He wanted so bad to correct the tanuki, but he knew she'd never believe him, and perhaps her assumptions were good for cover—

'Alright Fox, I think I got the hang of this. Here—'

The todd blinked, finding a piece of steak dangling between his eyes.

'What—?'

The vixen deadpanned at him over her fork. 'If I have to eat, you have to eat.'

'Krystal, I'm fine. You don't have to—'

"Ahhh," the vixen sang aloud, hanging her jaw open for him to mimic.

The two women sighed together, their hearts melting at the sight. Ears flattening, Fox gave in and opened his mouth, letting Krystal feed him back.

'This is my way of thanking you for feeding me earlier today,' she told him, stabbing a scrumptious piece of fluffed kani for Fox next.

'Well…' He smiled at her. 'Thanks, Krystal.'

Suddenly Mrs. de Pon noticed someone over Fox's shoulder.

"Oh, Yaru darling, you finally came! Please sit down honey, your food is waiting for you!"

Freezing with the piece of kani and Krystal's fork still in his mouth, Fox anxiously turned around. To his horror, he saw the short Yaru de Pon standing behind him—the CEO of Space Dynamics—only to find a look of shock on his face. He followed his eyesight to Krystal, sitting on Fox's other side.

Shit, he knows…

"Y-Yaru dear, it's rude to stare!" Mrs. de Pon chided him, laughing awkwardly.

The male tanuki blinked, looking at Krystal suspiciously. "F-forgive me, but is the blue fur… natural?"

His wife's mouth dropped open. "Yaru! I'm glad she can't understand you! You know it's not polite to ask a woman if her fur is dyed!" She leaned closer to Fox, lowering her voice. "Is it?"

Fox laughed. "Well, uh, don't tell her I told you this, but yes, it is dyed. It's… how the royal family differentiates themselves from the lower classes."

"Well what's the matter, Yaru?" Ms. Tiana asked. "Haven't you ever seen dyed fur before? Hehe, you look like you've seen a ghost!"

The tanuki lowered himself into the empty chair beside Fox, still staring. "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult the young lady. I only… I thought I'd seen her somewhere before."

"It's all the rage among young people these days!" Mrs. Toad said, shaking her head. "They all want to stand out and look bright and flashy, though many of the shades they choose are downright garish. They have no sense of color! Of course it looks wonderful on Ms. Krystal—especially with that dress! But you know what I mean, Fox."

"Oh yeah, I met a cat during the war who dyed her fur hot pink! Even matched the color on her fighter, and both looked ugly as sin." She tried to flirt with me and make my best friend jealous, too, he thought about adding.

"And your white hair is most tasteful. It is dyed, yes?"

He cringed. "Um, yeah. Just dye." Let's leave it at that.

The two hostesses fell to babbling about fur dyes and makeup, while Fox, Krystal, and Yaru became silent. They returned to their meal, with Krystal forcing herself to eat—but Fox caught the tanuki glancing at the Cerinian out of the corner of his eye.

Well, the todd realized it was now or never; here was the head of Space Dynamics. If anyone could give him the answers he needed, it was him.

'Krystal, I need you to do something for me.'

'What?'

'I need you to read Mr. de Pon's mind.'

Her eyes widened. 'Fox, I can't do that.'

'Why not? You read mine all the time—without permission, I might add!'

'I know, but… I don't like doing it. It's not pleasant. It makes me feel strange—like lifting a rock I know I'm going to find gross things under.'

'Then why do you read mine? Do I not make you feel the same way?'

She glanced at him. 'No, you don't. It's just… different with you. Easier.'

'Can't you make just one exception? We need to know about you, and what he wants to do with the Cerinians—'

But Krystal grabbed his hand and squeezed it under the table. She clenched her eyes shut, grimacing—as if trying to calm herself.

'Please Fox. Please don't make me do it. Don't be like them…'

Seeing her face bear such discomfort gave Fox second thoughts about his request. On the one hand her refusal frustrated him, but on the other, if she wanted to she could easily lie about what she found in de Pon's head. She could make up a list of awful things he planned to do to her, and Fox would be none the wiser. Whatever her reason for refusing, it genuinely had to be unpleasant for her, and Fox felt sorry about pressing her so hard.

'Alright. Guess I'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way…'

"So, Mr. de Pon," he began, not looking up from his food, "you seemed pretty surprised to see Krystal."

"Hm? Oh, yes, quite so."

"Did you think she was Cerinian?"

The tanuki's fork screeched loudly against his plate. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean by that." He coughed into his fist. "Is that the name of her tribe?"

Fox laughed quietly, lowering his voice. "It's alright Mr. de Pon, you don't have to keep them a secret from me. I'm in talks with Beltino for a job in the labs, and he happened to mention them."

He blinked. "Beltino… told you?!"

"Well, yeah, you know how he is. He tends to get excited and… overshares." Ugh, was he really throwing Slippy's dad under the bus for this? If he got him fired over this lie…

The tanuki glanced left and right, noting the others at the table. "Really Fox, we shouldn't be discussing this in front of—"

"It's fine, it's fine. Krystal can't speak Cornerian, and Mrs. Toad and your wife seem sufficiently occupied. No one will hear us."

Yaru's alarm began to fade again. "In that case, yes Fox, she does look uncannily like a Cerinian."

"It's the fur, right?"

"And the eyes, yes."

Fox forked some asparagus into his mouth, considering the best method of approach. He had to tread carefully here without arousing too much suspicion. Let's see…

"It's a shame about the Cerinians," he said nonchalantly, pretending to be more focused on his meal, "—that they have to be locked up, I mean."

"Yes. A shame."

"Of course, they have good reason to be, considering their danger and all."

"Which is why we do it."

"I hope you can find a good use for them—right? Just like many of Andross's other experiments."

De Pon wiped his mouth with his napkin, peering over it at Fox, as if deciding how much he could tell him, and how much he already knew. "Yes, perhaps we can."

Fox was beginning to feel frustrated by the CEO's vague answers; each one he had to wheedle out of him with flagrantly-leading questions, and even then his answers were as short as himself. But he had to know…

"Maybe one day, you might find a way to rehabilitate them and release them into society? They can't all be as dangerous as—" he almost mentioned the escaped Cerinian, but caught himself, "—as all that."

Shit. You're tipping your hand…

De Pon raised his wine glass to his lips. "Perhaps one day."

The todd couldn't hide his frustration now, inadvertently taking it out on the steak he was slicing. He gnashed his teeth behind his closed lips, sawing a little too zealously.

"…But for the present, Fox," he added, "they are all dangerous. Every single one." His eyes seemed to sparkle over his wineglass. "There are no safe Cerinians."

A chill ran up Fox's spine, and he glanced back at Krystal. The vixen was still picking at her food, but she drank much more than she ate. She seemed oblivious to de Pon's words, as well as the todd's thoughts. Was what he said true about her?

Fox inhaled a breath to ask a question, but before he could get it off his tongue Yaru raised his hand. "Please, no more of this discussion. Such serious topics aren't for dinner, and my mind has been racing non-stop with worries about the upcoming merger."

Fox felt a tingle in his mind—Krystal mentally tugging on his brain's 'sleeve', as it were.

'Did you find out what you wanted?' she asked.

The todd jumped when he heard her voice again, now feeling more offset by it after what de Pon had said. "Er, yes."

The tanuki looked up. "Excuse me, did you say something?"

Blinking, Fox realized his mistake. "Oh no, just thinking out loud! Sorry sir."

Speaking with his thoughts this time, he answered Krystal. 'I found out all I could.'

She pushed her food around half-heartedly, not bothering to eat further. 'Well come on then, let's get out of here!'

There was nothing else Fox wanted to do more… but he saw that damn photo materializing in his head again: the one that had started it all.

'Hold on, I just… there's something else I need to ask him.'

'Please, can we just go? I can't stand this any longer.'

'Hush!'

Fox turned back to de Pon again. "S-sorry for focusing on this so much, but it is important to me. I… heard a rumor about my mother. It could've been from a long time ago, but it's been eating away at me. Tell me… did my mother have any involvement with Andross?"

The tanuki sipped his wine stoically, then set the glass down.

"None." And he returned to his meal.

Fox exhaled—but it was no sigh of relief.

"…That is to say, your mother had no more involvement with Andross than the thousands of others who perished that day."

He trailed off, staring out the window in the direction of Andross's former stronghold. "But I have to believe, Fox, that all their deaths back then weren't for nothing…"

Suddenly the music from the orchestra notably changed; it became much livelier with more prevalent brass instruments and a faster rhythm. Everywhere in the penthouse, couples rose from their tables and stepped onto the ballroom floor to dance.

"Good evening Miss," a voice said behind the pair of foxes. "Would you like to dance?"

Fox turned to find a tall lion standing behind Krystal, looking at her expectantly. She blinked, staring up at him in surprise.

Another man approached, offering his hand. "May I have this dance, ma'am?" And yet a third approached, craning his neck over his competitors' shoulders.

Ms. Sōzōshī laughed. "Well goodness my dear, they're practically lining up for you! You have the pick of the most handsome men in the room."

Krystal glanced between them apprehensively. 'Fox, what do they want from me?'

'They want to dance with you.'

'"Dance"? What do you mean? Who are they?'

If he didn't do something fast, Fox realized, things were about to get awkward. The todd swallowed, glancing between the mysterious Cerinian, her suitors, and the other couples dancing on the floor.

Fuck it.

Downing the last of his wine, he abruptly launched up from his chair and cut between the other men and Krystal.

"Sorry, they don't dance where she's from. I'd hate for her to step on your toes, fellas."

"I don't care if she steps on my toes," the one in the back said hopefully.

"Not until after I've taught her to dance first," Fox growled back.

Fox helped Krystal out of her chair, then took her hand and led her to the center of the penthouse. The blue-furred vixen paused on the edge of the dancefloor, staring wide-eyed at the polished wood surface, dazzling chandelier, and the other brilliantly-arrayed couples spinning arm-in-arm.

'That's dancing?'

'Yep.'

'I don't understand. How do they know what to do?'

'They don't.'

'Then—?'

'Hey, I don't understand it either. You just… follow your instincts.'

Fox led Krystal onto the ballroom floor, the vixen taking slow, timid steps. He placed one paw on the small of her back while taking her hand in his other.

Krystal narrowed her eyes suspiciously at his touch. 'What are you doing?'

'It's just what you're supposed to do…' he grumbled, ears folding back.

The vixen slowly rested her free paw on the small of Fox's back as well. His whiskers twitched and he guided her hand to his shoulder instead. 'No, your hand goes here.'

'Well that's not where you're touching.'

'Do you know how to dance?'

Krystal rolled her eyes. 'Fine. Now what, genius?'

He shrugged. 'You just listen to the music, find a rhythm, and move to it. Just shuffle where I shuffle, okay?'

'Whatever.'

Fox had always hated dancing, but he hated it even more now that his life depended on it. Of course he'd had his fair share of it at the Academy prom and the dozens of formal parties he was invited to after the war, but any skills he had he owed to Fara's tutelage. She had always tried to teach him to lead, but once they got out on the floor he always seemed to shift the control back to her. Now however, he was stuck in the position with no one else to take the reins for him.

Feeling on edge, Fox led the vixen around in a tight circle, taking it slow. For the first few minutes he was unable to relax, feeling self-conscious and afraid. He glanced about the room, scanning the faces of all who watched. Were they suspicious of their dancing? Did any of them see through Krystal's disguise? What if soldiers from the lab showed up to collect them?

It didn't help that Krystal kept stepping on him and jabbing his shoes with hers. He reluctantly had to shift his focus from the dinner guests to his movements and try to guide the vixen's steps. More and more he became conscious of her touch on his shoulder, her paw holding his, and his own hand cupping her back. They stood only a foot apart, and that gap seemed to naturally close the more they danced. Fox found himself staring down at the vixen's face, which bobbed so close he could feel her breath on his neck.

Krystal trusted his lead more over time, relaxing her grip on him and breathing easier when he never led her astray. His words proved true; the instincts came naturally, and soon their movements flowed in time with the music. For a moment everyone else in the penthouse seemed to disappear around them—the guests from Space Dynamics, the hotel staff, the Venomian orchestra, and all thought of lab security—till Fox only saw Krystal in his arms. Whenever they spun, her dress shimmered like blue stars in the light of the crystal chandelier.

Fox swallowed. 'You're uh… getting better at this. I can't feel your shoes poking me anymore.'

'Oh, I just took them off; I thought it would hurt less for you.'

Fox glanced behind them, noticing the vixen's matching blue heels left nearby.

'What? Why did you do that?!'

'Why would anyone wear those wobbly things?! I'd like to see you try.'

The todd felt self-conscious again now that his partner was barefoot on the dancefloor, but ultimately he knew it didn't matter; it wasn't like anyone cared.

'Fox… why did all those men want to dance with me? Do they really enjoy this that much?'

'Oh, uh… they think you're pretty and want to be close to you. They want to get to know you.'

'Oh.'

Krystal thought pensively for a second, flowing together with Fox over the course of their next several steps. For the first time she made the connection that almost every pair on the dancefloor consisted of a man and a woman like them.

'Fox… why did you want to dance with me?'

'I was worried about you if you went off alone with them. One of them might have found you out.'

'Then, is that it? You don't enjoy dancing like them?'

'No, not really.'

'Then why are we doing it?'

'No, I—' He stared down into her eyes, catching himself. 'I do enjoy it.'

Her cerulean embers smoldered back up at him. 'Then, do you think I'm pretty, like they do?'

His heart stopped. He didn't want to admit this, but… 'Yes.'

'Why didn't you say that before? You didn't want to tell me that, and your thoughts hesitated.'

The todd began to grind his teeth, fighting himself. 'Look, we have more important things to talk about.'

She pouted at his avoidance, but decided to let it go. 'It's that man you talked to, isn't it? What did he say?'

'It's… hard to tell. I made a bunch of assumptions, but he didn't bother to correct any of them. I… I think you may be right. They don't plan on releasing you or any of the others from the lab.'

'Well, are you satisfied? Will you believe me now?'

'Okay, I was wrong. But… there were some things he said…'

'Like what?'

Fox nearly told her about the dangerous threat every Cerinians posed, but he thought better of it. If what Yaru said was true…

He shook his head. 'Nothing. Let's… let's leave here and see if we can rent a ship. I'm not turning you over.'

The Cerinian sighed, her shaky breath telling of the pent-up anxiety she'd been holding in. 'Thank you.'

She leaned against Fox, resting her head beneath his.

'Krystal…?'

'I'm sorry, I saw some of the other women doing this. I felt like doing it, too. Is it wrong?'

He gulped but didn't answer.

'I think I understand why people dance, now. I used to feel so different than everyone else, but now I feel the same. Maybe it's this dress, maybe it's the dance… maybe it's having you. But I feel like I belong now.'

Part of Fox wanted to lean his head against hers, smelling her hair and holding her close while they embraced. All the memories of the labs and Venomian tattoos vanished for a second, leaving only a simple blue vixen in a matching blue dress, and for a moment that's all she was—and that's all he wanted her to be.

But just as quickly the moment faded.

No. Stop lying to yourself. It'll never work. This will never work…

Krystal suddenly released him, backing away to clutch her stomach. "Urgh…"

He held her at arm's length, brow creasing with worry. "You okay? What's wrong?"

'That meal. It's moving…'

Fox swiveled his head, spotting the restrooms. Immediately he whisked her off across the floor.

'Alright, come with me. Geez, I'm sorry. Hold it in just a bit longer…'

Fox burst the door open to the unisex bathroom, and Krystal immediately fell to her knees in front of the toilet, vomiting. The todd locked the door behind them, grimacing as he heard her retching.

The vixen clutched the side of the bowl, reeling. 'Ugh, why is my body like this? Why can't I eat anything at all?!'

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd be ready for it by now. I-I shouldn't have made you eat that food. I was wrong."

'I never want to eat again…'

His brow furrowed. "Don't say that!" he snapped, more aggressively than he meant to. "We just need to get you accustomed to it slower."

'Please, can we just go?'

He nodded. "Yeah… yeah, we'll go. Get a drink from the tap real quick and rinse your mouth out. Then we'll make a break for it."

The pair of foxes slipped out of the bathroom, trying to leave unnoticed. Unfortunately they had to pass by Ms. Sōzōshī's table to reach the elevator, but oddly enough, her husband was gone, his place empty except for his tablet and wallet.

Fox pivoted in the direction of the table. 'Wait a minute, I have an idea.'

Ms. Sōzōshī and Ms. Tiana looked up to see them, just having finished their ice cream and cake. "There you two are! We loved watching you dance! For someone who's never done it before, Ms. Krystal is a natural!"

"But we lost sight of you towards the end," Slippy's mom pouted. "Where did you go?"

"Ah, yes, we had to make a pitstop by the restrooms. Krystal… got sick."

The tanuki covered a paw over her mouth. "Oh goodness, the poor girl does look pale. Was something wrong with her food?" She gasped, lowering her voice. "Do you think it might be poison?!"

"No-no, probably not! But she's feeling terribly ill, and I think we should get back to our room."

"That is a pity! I really wanted to stay and chat with you longer."

"I know, but we really should be going. Er, where's Mr. de Pon?"

"Yaru? Oh, he had to excuse himself to take a call."

Shit: that could mean only one thing. Well, it was now or never…

While the tanuki and frog pestered Fox about Krystal's condition, he circled 'round them back to his seat, grabbing his own wallet. He glanced over at Krystal, who stood with a hand over her stomach.

'Krystal, cause a distraction!'

'What?'

'I need you to knock that glass over to get their attention!'

'Why?'

'Just do it!'

Glancing around, the vixen batted a glass of wine over the table ledge. It would have looked purely intentional to anyone watching her, but the two women were too focused on Fox. As soon as they heard the glass shatter, however, they spun around to see what had happened.

"Oh dear, she spilled a glass!"

"It's alright, the poor thing's sick."

"Tsk tsk, and on her new dress, too!"

Krystal hurriedly wiped at the wine on the hem of her skirt, ears flattened in embarrassment. 'This better be worth it…'

Once all eyes were on the vixen, Fox discretely palmed de Pon's wallet, fishing through it below the table till he found and withdrew his personal authenticator from the keychain. He slipped the thumb-sized device out and shoved it into his pocket, then replaced the CEO's wallet where he'd found it, pretending to have grabbed it rather than his own by mistake.

'What was that you put in your pocket?'

'This could be our ticket out of here; if there's a lock on my ship, it'll release it!'

Fox took Krystal's hand and ushered her out. He bowed his head and nodded to their hostesses while backing away from the table. "Yes-yes, thank you so much for the dinner! Yes, I'm sure Krystal will be fine, but she needs some rest. Of course we'll have breakfast with you first thing tomorrow morning!"

The two foxes wove through the rest of the dinner guests towards the back where the elevators, private rooms, and kitchens lay. Fox's pulse was thundering in his chest, knowing it was only a few more steps to the safety of the elevator car, and they'd be free at last. The doors were in sight, just opening to release a few new guests.

…But the crowd parted in front of them to reveal a short tanuki standing in their path.

Fox and Krystal abruptly screeched to a halt, staring down at the man in surprise.

"Oh, Mr. de Pon!"

The tanuki raised his eyes to him. "You seem to be in an awful hurry, Fox McCloud."

"Yes, the food didn't agree with Krystal, and we thought we'd return to our room before she got sick again."

"I'm sorry, but I must speak with you in private for a time. We can use this room here. I'd… rather my wife didn't have to see this part."

"Perhaps some other time?" Fox smiled awkwardly. "We really should be going—"

A shadow fell over the two foxes, and they felt heavy breathing on the backs of their necks. They glanced over their shoulders to see a suited bear and bison standing behind them, glaring. They bore no identifying insignia, but Fox realized who they were at once: Space Dynamics' private security.

'Fox, what do we do?' Krystal asked.

'Right now? Whatever the little man says.'

De Pon opened the door to the private dining room, two more guards inside preemptively pulling the shades down.

"I'm afraid your little charade is over. Please, step inside so we can chat…"