I liked everyone we had invited, with the possible exception of the fox. (For the time being, at least.) Normally, I was happy to spend time with them. I enjoyed it!

  Yet knowing that the whole event was organized so Alys and I could ‘be more social’ just made me feel… awkward.

  Was I supposed to do something special? Be more outgoing, somehow? I had no idea how to go about that. Furthermore, any past examples I had of similar events were useless. I didn’t think anyone would appreciate it if I defaulted to the ‘sociable’ behavior I’d witnessed and been forced to engage in back in the Autumn Court.

  At least the first part of our evening was easy and pleasant. Nasha chattered away for a while, filling the room with a tale of some interesting animal she’d seen during one of her trips outside town. Then, once we were all properly seated and the dinner began, I didn’t have to worry about talking.

  All conversation fell away in favor of eating.

  I could proudly say that I was only getting better at cooking. Everyone’s appreciation was plain in how quickly the food disappeared. True, seeing as we had a draconian, a fox, a beagle, and a lynx among us, our group was heavily skewed towards species that appreciated meat.

  Even my own preferences had shifted to align more closely with Alys’. I knew Kiri had a healthy appreciation for meat dishes, too. The fox’s plate was actually balanced rather well, though I suspected this was due to his love of cooking and a professional desire to try everything.

  Then, of course, there was Martha. The minotaur wasn’t a total herbivore. She did prefer the vegetable-based dishes, however, and she managed to match our pace all on her own when it came to demolishing them.

  I deeply appreciated that. I also appreciated her praise of our cooking, even if I was rather surprised that she took to the spicier fare with such gusto. The minotaur’s eyes did water a little when she tasted the dishes I’d included especially for Alys, but she pushed through, and even went in for more.

  The easy flow of silence, with only the occasional comment on a particular dish, did have to end eventually. And, with the food eradicated, conversation slowly picked up again.

  Feeling the same odd tension slip into my back and shoulders, I stood, whispering to Alys that I would collect the dishes. She rose with a nod and encouraged everyone to follow her into the living room. But as she went, she gave me a look over her shoulder.

  I knew she wouldn’t let me separate myself from the group for too long.

  Everyone moved away from the table to find more comfortable seats in the sitting area, which we’d arranged particularly for the evening. We had a few chairs with extra padding and a sinfully comfortable pair of sofas, all of which Alys had actually crafted for the other half of our home.

  My dragoness had gone out of her way to acquire some kind of extremely soft fabric, as well as feathers and down, for this project. She’d done it all with Kiri’s assistance and had managed to keep it a secret from me. It was one of the surprises she’d prepared to make things cozier for me and any guests we might have.

  Alys herself didn’t plan to make use of the seating. Outside of her napping nooks and nests, my dragoness had a preference for firmer furniture.

  It had been a bit of a hassle to move everything into the seating area, but it was well worth the effort. I returned from stacking the dirty dishes in time to watch Nasha collapse onto the sofa, giggling at how comfortable it was. Martha was lounging happily on the other sofa, while Ritsu had chosen the chair next to Kiri’s. I noted that even the Winter fae’s lips were twitching into a smile as she settled back against the cushions.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you two: how are your language lessons going?” my dragoness asked Nasha and Pen, settling on the floor with her back to Martha’s sofa.

  “Going good.” The lynx purred as she sat down next to Nasha with exaggerated care, placing her hands in her lap like she was worried her claws might pop out on their own and damage the sofa.

  Nasha beamed. “It really is! We can hold a conversation just fine in either language now!” She shot Kiri an amused look. “Kiri’s actually better at Pen’s language than I am, though. She’s been a huge help!”

  “It is nothing,” Kiri said hastily. “I simply have some insight into the language, due to all the familiars I have and the similarities between how different animals communicate…”

  Suddenly, the Winter fae froze. Her eyes widened into a look that might have been horror.

  “I didn’t mean to imply your race is equivalent to regular beasts, or —”

  “Is fine.” Pen purred again and waved negligently, cutting off Kiri’s building panic.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Nasha, meanwhile, looked sad at Kiri’s reaction. The beagle’s face cleared up quickly, but I was once again reminded of how observant she could be when she was so inclined. She’d obviously noticed some of what Kiri was feeling around Pen, even if I wasn’t sure she knew the source of the Winter fae’s guilt.

  “I am curious.” Ritsu’s voice broke the brief awkward silence, successfully drawing attention away from Kiri. “Do not take this the wrong way please, dear cus- lady beagle, but it is somewhat unusual to see your kind out on the frontier. What brought you here?”

  “Hmmm? Oh! Well, I guess you could say it’s a family thing,” Nasha said brightly, apparently not bothered by the question.

  It was a valid inquiry. Beagles were not a beastfolk breed you normally saw in rougher settlements. They were city-dwellers, by and large. From what I knew, the majority were disinclined to engage in direct combat, preferring professions that allowed them to make full use of their exceptional sense of smell.

  “A family thing?” I chimed in as I moved fully into the room, both genuinely curious and trying to engage more. Settling on the floor next to Alys, I put my arm around her waist and pulled her closer so she could rest her head on my shoulder.

  “Awww, you two are so cute together! I knew there was a spark between you the first time you met.” Nasha grinned proudly, squirming a little so she could mirror us by laying her head on Pen’s shoulder. “And yep! Most of my family prefer to stick to wilder places.”

  Martha laughed. “I can understand that. There’s not much excitement in larger settlements. Or much work,” she grumbled, crossing her arms. “Unless you want to be bored, you have few options.”

  “Mmm.” Nasha nodded. “We do have some distant cousins that make perfumes, I think, but most of my family prefer being on the frontier. Trackers, hunters, messengers between settlements and the like. Some never stay in one place for long, always chasing the latest settlement drive, like my uncles. That’s why I know how to do so many things!”

  Nasha’s pride was plainly on display, and with good reason. From what I knew, she played more than a few roles in our fair town. She approached any new arrivals, joined hunters on occasion, and was often sent out as a scout. I knew she had even carried messages to other settlements a few times. I’d seen her in combat, too, where she never failed to impress.

  “Isn’t that dangerous?” Ritsu asked, his ears flicking. “Not that I can comment, but always moving from one new settlement to another…”

  “Mmm.” This time, Nasha’s tone was more subdued. “I had four uncles and three aunties, originally. Two of my uncles… Well, we never found out what happened to them.”

  Her eternally drooping ears somehow drooped further for a moment. Then Pen hugged the beagle to herself, and Nasha brightened up at the lynx’s gesture of affection.

  “But! It’s important to do what makes you happy!” Nasha sunnily declared, even if her enthusiasm sounded a little forced to me. “And I definitely had an interesting childhood.”

  “Did you grow up in a more recently settled town, then?” Alys asked eagerly. “What was that like? It wasn’t… lonely, was it? Were there enough kids around for you to make friends?”

  For a moment, I was surprised by the earnestness in Alys’ tone. Then I winced.

  Ahhhh… I get it now.

  Swiftband was developing into a lovely little town, but as far as I knew, Hagmar and Nelaeryn were the first expecting couple. I hoped that things would change by the time Alys and I had children. Companionship was important, even if I had never experienced much of it.

  Apparently, my dragoness shared my concerns.

  “It was fine,” Nasha replied. “I had friends, but I also spent a lot of time playing and training with my siblings. Coming here was the first time I had a room to myself, actually! That was nice! Well, it’s nicer now that I’m sharing, but…”

  She flushed and glanced at the lynx, whose expression shifted to pure feline smugness.

  “You have a lot of siblings, then?” I prompted, trying to rescue the beagle.

  “Yes!” Her voice squeaked, and she tried again. “I mean, yes. So. Many. Siblings.”

  Her eyes trailed off into the distance, looking a little empty before she focused in on me again. “It was nice, but there’s a reason we all scattered to different towns. Only Yors followed me here. We all wanted a bit of space. Anyway, what were your childhoods like?”

  Nasha’s question was perfectly innocent, but I still froze until Alys took my hand and squeezed it. A glance at Kiri revealed she was also on the verge of panic, even if her relatively expressionless mien hid it.

  Thankfully, neither of us had to be the first to answer the question.

  “Ehhh, it was fine. Trained. Fought a little. I was a bit of a wild heifer, though.” Martha laughed again. “I got into all sorts of mischief. I wanted to be a member of the town guard from the start, so I’d go looking for trouble I could rescue people from. This one time, I actually managed to bustle my way into a thief guild meeting…”

  The tale of childish bravado, completely devoid of any sense of self-preservation, was amusing. Yet I couldn’t really listen as Martha shared about getting rescued by her own parents. I was too busy trying to come up with something I could share about my childhood without outright lying or giving myself away.

  “What about you, fox? You are far from home, but what was that home like?” Martha asked when her tale was done, turning everyone’s eyes to Ritsu.

  “Lovely, and rather warm, unlike these parts,” the fox said dryly. “I have a large family, too. I am the youngest of nine siblings! One for each tail, my mother used to say. My home’s a center of trade, which is how I ended up with a passion for cooking.”

  A fond smile flickered across his features. “I was surrounded by so many different spices and perishable goods from so many different places, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity on how it all tasted! I gave no end of trouble to the maids and servants looking after us. I kept sneaking away and getting into my parents’ warehouses. They eventually just let me find some people to teach me how to cook, and now here I am!”

  I narrowed my eyes at the fox, picking apart his words. He apparently possessed, or used to possess, some wealth and standing. Whether that was merely confined to the level of wealthy merchants or if he’d come from nobility was a different question.

  Pen, meanwhile, was nodding with an air of solemn melancholy. “Having lots of siblings is good. Miss mine…”

  That silenced all of us for a moment. I spotted a bit of panic dancing in Nasha’s eyes as she scrambled to distract her paramour from this sad subject.

  Unfortunately, those chocolate brown eyes of hers settled on me.

  “What about you, Thorn? I mean, what was your childhood like?”

  It took all my effort not to grit my teeth and glare at Nasha. I was fond of the beagle, but that didn’t mean I was particularly happy about her throwing me under a speeding carriage!