Time stood still with baited breath, the moment perfect. Everything was on the precipice, just waiting for things to fall forward. And suddenly, a thousand neatly stacked wine glasses shattered in his mind. It left him reeling, disoriented as he pulled back. Cecil frowned at the fox, frustrated that it ruined a perfectly beautiful moment just before the kiss happened. Did that thing know what was happening? With its cuteness, of course she would fall for it, but the total interruption of perhaps the most amazing thing that ever happened to him was too much for Cecil to bear.

He rose a hand and waved off the apology, turning his attention to cleaning up their picnic. There was just no way he was going to attempt this now that it was ruined. Cecil sensed her eyes on him and turned to look at her with haunted eyes. How he wanted to just take her in his arms, and kiss her. How would she react? It was not a proper way to express himself, it was desperate, and he was not that desperate… yet. There was a slight poof, Nelanna’s tap was not necessary as he was already starring with a mixture of hatred and surprise.

That fox had shifted his form, and he was good. Almost too good. From the color scheme, to the fox ears, the regal stature, and mischievous smirk. Somewhere deep inside, he wanted to give the guy a mock clap. “Congratulations, you can do what I can. Now do me a favor and skedattle.” What could he do against that guy, anyway? “Pleasure to meet you, Kohaku, I’m Cecil. Now if you don’t mind, we were in the middle of something.” Cecil scrunched his eyes closed, unintentionally looking quite pained. He didn’t know what to do, couldn’t say anything. If he got up to walk, he might hurt her. But he couldn’t stay, that felt suddenly wrong, especially with his rising anger, an anger he was unfamiliar with.

What to do? What to do? When he finally reopened his eyes, Cecil began to gather the empty platters. They were stacked with unusual loudness as he struggled to contain his raging emotions. The dishes were the recipients of his glares as he all but shoved them into the basket. With a huge inhale and loud exhale, Cecil stood to lean on the railing, broodily glaring out upon the park.

    After introducing himself, Kohaku bowed respectfully towards Nelanna, his fox ears twitching as he stood up straight again. Nelanna watched with wide eyes, surprise taking her voice for a few moments. But she finally managed to find it again, and she smiled sheepishly, “Uh, well, I’m Nelanna. It’s- it’s a pleasure to meet you, K-Kohaku.” Why was she stuttering? Was she that surprised to see her adorable nine-tailed fox suddenly turn into a man? Kohaku smirked and stepped closer, took her hand in one of his own and lifted it to his lips. “The pleasure is all mine, Master.” He kissed her hand softly, sweetly, his eyes only leaving hers for a brief moment to glance at Cecil.

“Master?” Nelanna repeated. She pulled her hand away and pressed it against her chest, clasping it within her other hand protectively, all the while raising a brow with confusion. Nothing seemed to be making any sense all of a sudden. A fox turning into a man, him calling her Master, and now Cecil seemed rather upset out of nowhere. Oh yes, she had noticed his drastic mood change. Nelanna couldn’t help but glance at him multiple times whilst Kohaku demanded her attention, and she felt her heart squeeze at Cecil’s obvious anger. However, she was too oblivious to understand just what had caused it. He was in a good mood only moments before. Did he feel like his gift to her was ruined when Kohaku showed? Somehow, the kiss didn’t even come to mind.

She frowned at Cecil, wanting so desperately to reach out and comfort him, to fix whatever she had done that upset him. Assuming it was her, that is. But, she reluctantly looked back at Kohaku, deciding she should deal with him first so that she could speak with Cecil alone afterwards. “Yes,” Kohaku said, a smirk plastered on his face. “A nine-tailed fox such as I can have Masters, which makes us their humble familiars.”

“But, why me?” Nelanna asked. It didn’t make any sense to her. What was so special about her that made him wish to be her familiar? And at her question, Kohaku’s smirk grew, “Why not you? You have good heart, one that’s filled with love for others rather than yourself. You are humble, and compassionate. You are perfect for the master all nine-tailed foxes dream of having.” Nelanna remained quite for the time being. How could he tell all of that? Could nine-tailed foxes see into people’s hearts? No, that couldn’t be it. Perhaps he was carefully watching her interactions with Cecil? Or, perhaps, he had seen her elsewhere before? What if he had been watching her for a long while? Part of her almost felt frightened by the thought, but then she remembered he was actually a fox, not a man whom was stalking her. Right? Besides, how else does one find out what kind of heart a person has besides watching them?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kohaku suddenly extended a hand towards her, and said, “Nelanna, I can be very useful to you, and I would very much like you to take me as your loyal familiar. If you will have me, that is.” She looked down at his hand briefly, then looked over at Cecil. She needed to get this over with so she could comfort him. Besides, having a familiar would be very helpful, especially in battle.

“Very well,” she replied, looking back at Kohaku. In response, he took her hand and pulled her close, practically pressing her against him. “Then allow me to make it official,” he muttered. Before she could change her mind or protest for being so close -for she was suddenly very uncomfortable- he gently pressed his lips against hers.

Cecil gritted his teeth as he listened, rolled his eyes when she was behind him. By the lords above, he knew how adorable Nelanna was when stuttering, usually slightly flustered with the barest hints of blush coloring her cheeks. It was all he could do to bottle up any reaction as Kohaku listed the surface of her traits. She was not just the perfect master, but the perfect mate for Cecil. Never before had anyone made him pause as she did.

Carefully, he peeked back at the stupid fox, that angry glare plastered over his features. “If you’ll have me.” That line alone boiled Cecil’s heart in heated disdain, making him more volatile than ever before in his life. But he saw the fox pull Cecil’s chosen close and the fae was instantly moving. Too late to stop it from happening, Cecil pulled the fox off of Nelanna, gripped his clothing to hold him still. Proverbial fire burned in his eyes as Cecil pulled back his fist and punched Kohaku in the jaw.

”You stinking pile of manure! Can’t you see how uncomfortable you’re making Nelanna? Gods! Foxes are so damned inconsiderate. If you touch her like that one more time, I’ll gut you as the sorry sack of fish that you are.” Cecil was very animated. While mentally he screamed his frustrations at Kohaku, the fae bore down on him. A wild gesture toward Nelanna, jabbing a finger harshly into the fox’s chest, nose inches from the other’s face. He meant every word, and loathed the stupid “familiar” for not respecting her space, and stealing the perfect moment, ruining the mood.

    Nelanna had a small idea as what to expect when she agreed for Kohaku to be her familiar, but a kiss wasn’t it. She was shocked as he pulled her in and gently pressed his lips to hers. So shocked in fact, that she had frozen up. Her eyes were wide the entire three seconds the kiss lasted, until Cecil forcefully pulled them apart. She stumbled back with a yip of surprise. But seeing him look so angry and pull Kohaku away from her made her heart thump. Was he being protective? Or just angry at Kohaku for kissing her out of nowhere?

Then her feelings changed to concern, with a little bit of fright mixed in when Cecil punched Kohaku in the jaw. “Cecil!” She gasped, covering her lips with a hand. However, Kohaku’s reaction was quite surprising. He didn’t seem phased at all from being punched, the one spot on his jaw red. Surely it would leave a bruise. All he did was rub it gently a little, before his lips took on a smirk, his eyes looking at Cecil with…was that pleasure? He heard every threatening word Cecil said, but didn’t seem to care. “My, my. Such hostile words. It seems your temper is a little on the short side,” said Kohaku, playfully patting Cecil’s shoulder with that smirk of his. “But don’t get the wrong idea, dream boy. I would never force myself on a woman.”

“What?” Nelanna asked, walking up to Cecil and grabbing onto one of his arms as if she were a frightened child. Though she didn’t mind being kissed, doing it without her permission always frightened her. She felt violated. Besides, she was disappointed it wasn’t Cecil that had kissed her. But she knew Cecil would protect her. The punch was enough proof. However, despite her sudden fright she was more curious as to what Kohaku had meant. ‘Such hostile words’? But Cecil couldn’t speak.

“Yes,” Kohaku suddenly said, stepping away from Cecil and straightening his kimono a little. “Though he can’t actually speak, it seems your boy is capable of speaking to me through his psyche. But never mind that. I must apologize for kissing you so suddenly, Nelanna.” He bowed apologetically with sincerity in his voice, his ears drooping a little. “I was under the impression that I had your permission to be your familiar.”

Nelanna raised a brow, feeling confused and looked up at Cecil for a moment to see his reaction. First of all, she was surprised to find that he was capable of speaking to another with his mind. Whatever curse was put on him that kept him from using his voice to speak, apparently it had a loop hole, and didn’t keep him from speaking with thoughts. Perhaps if she learned how to use a telepathy spell they could speak to each other! Unless he was using a different kind of spell. Then, what Kohaku said finally started to sink in.

She looked back at Kohaku, “I gave you permission to be my familiar. But that didn’t mean you could kiss me.” Her voice was hard, and she pulled Cecil’s arm closer to her, unknowingly pressing it between her ample bosoms. Boy was she oblivious.

“I see. I should have explained it before acting,” said Kohaku. “For us nine-tailed foxes, a kiss is how to seal a contract between us and whom ever takes us as their familiar. It’s unfortunate, and causes a lot of misunderstandings such as this one. But there is no other way for it to be done. Not for us foxes, that is.” It all came together as he explained it all, and Nelanna smiled a little. “O-oh, I see. Then I suppose I did give you permission, didn’t I?” She giggled sheepishly, feeling quite foolish all of a sudden.

“Yes, well, it seems that I was also wrong in not asking for dream boy’s permission. And I must apologize to him as well,” Kohaku smirked and faced Cecil, bowing apologetically with a hand over his heart. Though the whole thing didn’t seem as sincere as his apology to Nelanna. “Please, forgive me. I had no intention of upsetting anyone.”

Kohaku toyed with the fae, with his smirk, the shrugging off the threat as if it were made idly. The fae yanked his shoulder out from the fox’s hand. ’Forcing yourself if exactly what you did, lowlife.’ Even with Nelanna now on his arm, Cecil was still quite prickly. Yet, it was oddly comforting, maybe a swelling of pride, that she clung to him for obvious protection.

The fox dared do what Cecil never did. He waited, judged each moment carefully, acted with tact and strategy. Cecil rolled his eyes. ’It’s called “commune with beasts.” Guess who’s the beast.’ As Nelanna gripped tighter, his free hand lifted to pat the back of her hand reassuringly. Unfortunately, the stress and tension had his mind far from where his arm was located on her anatomy… Regretfully.

Once more, Cecil rolled his eyes. He knew of the nine tailed foxes, and their sealing of the pact. A long time ago, a fox took fancy of a woman, knowing the laws against such a union set by Oberon. So, he found a loophole, and declared himself her familiar. The fox managed to convince the woman to kiss him to seal their deal. Thus, it became a rule over one nine-tail’s desire to make her his own. For now, Cecil held his tongue.

Eyes narrowed as the fox returned his attention to Cecil. ’It’s Cecil. And you knew damn well what you were doing, jumping in her lap like that. You’re lucky I’m twice the man Oberon could only dream of being. He’d have cursed you long ago.’ It was something he had vowed to never do, to not curse anything with half a mind to consequences. Living under his father’s rule, and now his curses, brought to light a new appreciation for the power. He was quite grateful he had not yet even played with the power, even in experimentation. ’Just keep your lips off of her in the future. Oh, and stay out of my way.’

    The reactions Kohaku got from Cecil were very pleasing to the sly fox. His ears swiveled as he chuckled lightly, that same smirk plastered on his handsome features, listening to Cecil’s threatening words. “I am grateful to hear you accept my apology,” Kohaku replied, his nine tails swaying just a little. He knew Cecil really hadn’t, but Nelanna didn’t really need to know that. In fact, he fancied the idea of her believing he and Cecil could get along. And though it wasn’t true now, he actually thought they might be able to later on. He’d surely get bored with teasing him eventually.

But then, the idea of those two getting along someday quickly depleted as Cecil slipped a name. A very familiar name. Oberon. That fairy king was the father of dream boy? That didn’t fair well with the fox, for like the fairy king he had lived a very, very long life, and he knew of the king and his reputation. His smirk fell as his expression hardened, and instantly he reached out and gently grabbed hold of Nelanna. “Master, I hesitate to say this, for I see how important this person is to you, but I must ask you to stay away from Cecil,” he gently yet swiftly pulled Nelanna away from Cecil and to his own side, holding her against him protectively with his hand on her shoulder. “Kohaku, what ever do you think you’re saying?” Replied Nelanna, her big turquoise eyes looking up at him with confusion, and a bit of fright. “As I recall, Cecil wasn’t the one whom had forced a kiss upon me. He’s always been gentle with me and respectful of my wishes.”

“This person is not whom you think. Cecil is the child of Oberon, a very cruel and abusive man,” Kohaku explained, but this was not news to Nelanna’s ears. The only thing that was new to her was the name Oberon. That must be the name of the fairy king. “I already know that Cecil is the son of the fairy king,” Nelanna tried to argue, but what she heard next was completely new to her, shocking, rather. “Son?” The fox repeated, sparing a glance down at her before he looked back at Cecil. “Oberon has no son. He has a daughter, by the name of Jade. Cecil lied to you.”

Nelanna became speechless, for finding words to reply to such an accusation was very difficult to find. But she looked back up at Kohaku and spoke anyway, her expression hardening, “Y-you must be mistaken.”

“I assure you, Nelanna, I am not mistaken. Though, I can see how he has fooled you so. The child of Oberon bears a unique ability to change not only her appearance, but her sex as well. Jade has given herself this appearance to fool you,” Kohaku went on. Though he wished to keep Nelanna away from Cecil, he surprisingly didn’t enjoy attempting it, for he knew it was probably hurting her to doubt the person she cared so much for. In fact, it truly was hurting her. And though she was very stubborn, the fox had managed to slip doubt into her mind.

She looked up at Cecil, eyes begging him to be telling the truth. “Cecil,” she began, her voice quiet and wavering, full of desperation. “Tell me it’s not true?” What mattered to her was not if he was actually male or female, nor what he looked like, but the possibility that he might have lied to her, tricked her. It made her wonder just how much of everything he had “said” and done was actually true. Was he fooling her this whole time? Was…was she in love with a lie?

Cecil glared at Kohaku, growing more frustrated by the minute with the creature. To lie to her like that was unthinkable! And to make matters worse, Kohaku was taking the wrong impression from the slip of Oberon's name. Although, it was almost humorous to see the fox believe he had the one up on the fairy with information. Nelanna was already aware of who Oberon was as the fairy king, his relationship to Cecil, and what he was capable of, what the man did.

This time, it was his turn to smirk as she explained it to him, which faded with narrowed eyes. He wouldn't! But he did, and Cecil felt trapped. She tried to defend him, but Kohaku was adament. Yet, Cecil couldn't agree with either of them. While much of what the fox said was true, the reasoning and the lies was not. Kohaku didn't know anything about his life, and Cecil imagined that most of the information the fairy realm did have came from Oberon. When she turned to him, the wavering in her voice broke his heart.

All he could offer was a pitiful shrug. Cecil hadn't lied to her, but he couldn't tell one now and give her what she wanted. Then he remembered the first drawing he had done in that kitchen of hers. In a rush he went to his pack and pulled out a stack of drawings he had done over their time together. Not all of them were there, but enough were, and the one in particular he needed was. Leafing through the pages, he grabbed the one he wanted, but put it off to the side before showing it. From his pack, a fresh page and charcoal pencils were withdrawn, and Cecil drew with feverish speed.

When he was ready, he folded the fresh page in half. The side he showed her had two foxes, one of them in a circle and a line dashed through it. Cecil pointed to both foxes, then at Kohaku, who was both correct and wrong simultaneously. Then he showed her the picture of himself as a child with the broken wing, sobbing into his mother's shoulder with her tender, loving smile. It was the long hair which he pointed to, which Kohaku tried to brush off as many fae, male and female alike, had long hair. Finally, Cecil showed the second half of the new picture of himself, mouth open, and music notes to represent sound. 'I don't trust you to tell her the truth, but I never lied. I can explain when I can speak again. He cursed me with the inability to speak or write.'

Forunately, Nelanna told Kohaku that Cecil had showed his true gender from day one, but she had just misunderstood. It was she who naturally assumed he was always male, and Cecil did not hide anything from her. She accepted the promise that if and when his speech will come back, Cecil would explain everything. Until then, Nelanna avoided the subject.