Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Side A: Stelle 

As breathtaking as the Luofu architecture was, and as lively as its streets were, there was only so many times Stelle could wander those endless roads in one day. “Why did they leave and not say anything to me?” She thought as she remembered just finding a note from March 7th and Dan Heng that morning. The lack of an invite didn’t hurt at all…

She tried not to dwell on it, and just focused on taking in all the sights she could while the sun went down over that artificial planetary ship. Seeing it from outside, on the Express, was nothing compared to seeing the love and culture that went into the inside. During the Ambrosial Arbor incident there wasn’t a large amount of time to admire all the lovely things about it, especially not after- “No Stelle, don’t think about that…” She mumbled to herself, a hand running through her hair tiredly.

If she kept walking she wouldn’t be able to let her thoughts wander to that day, or so she liked to tell herself. She distracted herself by buying a few snacks to eat while she watched the day end over the Jade Gate. Seeing all the star skiffs coming and going at all hours was strangely relaxing.

As she pulled out her phone to bug a few others, it rumbled in her hand. “Hmm? Is this spam?” She nearly went to delete it, if only for the clickbait within, but something kept her from hitting that button.

She had heard about what ghosts are, but she had never seen them herself. As the streets slowly emptied, and the sky darkened, she could see how people could think of places as ‘haunted’. Things could be downright eerie at night in some corners of the Luofu.

Pulling up that message again she typed in her response.

Stelle sighed and shook her head. “What am I doing with my life? Am I this bored?” She knew the answer to that question. It had been at least two weeks since they had resolved the Ambrosial Arbor incident, and they didn’t appear to be moving on anytime soon.

Thankfully, she was already near Aurum Alley. She could smell the street food on offer, tempting her and her wallet. “I’ll grab dinner to go…” Her feet led her towards her destination.

Besides the crowds that were there at all hours, it was one of her favorite locations she had found on the Luofu. It was a quick detour before she was continuing on her way, her eyes scanning the street for the redhead in the picture. She finally spotted her near the Star Skiffs, staring out at the foggy expanse past the docks.

A flicker of mischief in her urged her on, sneaking up behind the woman. “Boo.” She leaned back to avoid the panicked flailing hands. She felt supremely smug as this girl, Guinaifen according to her message, glared at her. “Just setting the mood.” Stelle simply said, biting into one of the pieces of meat on a skewer, one of two she carried.

She could tell from the way the girl’s eyes darted towards it that she could get a little more information. “Tell me which friends in particular you got my number from, and more details, and I’ll let you have this.” She said, eating as Guinaifen hardly thought about it, pulling out her phone.

“It was my bestie Sushang, she got it from a guy named Dan Heng a little while ago, said you might be able to provide some muscle if need be?” Gui’s hands reached for that skewer hungrily, and Stelle decided to be nice and let her have it.

“I’ll have to remember to ‘thank’ Dan Heng for that somehow. I’m strong enough to hit things, and to be honest I’m bored right now. So what is it you need me to do?” Stelle asked, finishing off her dinner and tossing the stick into the trash. Part of her was tempted to throw it into the void below but… that felt uncivilized on such a clean ship. She was glad she had pressed the Merchant’s guild to finally install some trash cans in the first place; the fact she could barely find any anywhere when she arrived was still saddening to her.

“Right right, check this out!” Guinaifen said after gluttonously downing half of her skewer. She held up her phone and shoved it in Stelle’s face. “Totally spooky!”

Stelle watched that video with growing interest, if for the appreciation of that pretty area she had every intention of exploring on her own as well. “Fyxestroll Gardens… Doesn’t ring any bells, but it's a big ship.” She assumed the other girl was the ‘bestie’ she mentioned. “I mean, sure there were some strange lights, but video editing is a thing. Within this month I’ve seen a giant tree grow, horrible abominations, and even one of my close friends part a big sea. I mean, I’ll come along for some fun, but spooky is a high bar for me. That long title in your post could use some work also, just saying.” Stelle said as she paused a few times.

Guinaifen looked at her curiously, as if she was trying to figure out if Stelle was lying while also having a perfect poker face. “A fair point…”

“Who are those other ladies that came?” Stelle said as she looked at that very unique Foxian. “Who has paw print eyes? Kind of adorable.” She handed the phone back and folded her arms.

“That is the strange thing! It wasn’t the Cloud Knights, or the Realm-Keeping Commission that came to deal with this, they were Judges from the Ten-Lords Commission!” Guinaifen said excitedly, getting uncomfortably close.

“Personal space. Who are the Ten-Lords Commission?” Stelle asked, gently pushing the girl a few inches back.

“How long have you been here? They’re only the most mysterious and creepy group on the Luofu! Not much is known about them, they appear and disappear like ghosts themselves, but if they went there then something big is going on. They do not go places without good reason. You believe it's still clickbait?” Guinaifen asked smugly.

“I guess not… I doubt you hired actors for this, they looked pretty official, and I’m sure you aren’t dumb enough to impersonate officials here. I’ve only been here a bit over three weeks, and I’ve seen first hand how seriously they take things, I’m not looking to get on their bad side.” Sure, she knew she had a bit of wiggle room there to get away with a few minor things, but it wasn’t like she tried to look for trouble.

“I’m a streamer, not a criminal, I wouldn’t survive in jail… But… I need that content. It was soon after that video that we got kicked out by those Judges, but they seemed to be up to something when I left, I think they’re catching those ghosts! I have to go back, and I want you to join me in exploring it. Got free time?” It was almost amusing to Stelle, how excitable this girl was.

“Just how much Could I get away with? I mean… It isn’t like I was warned away from there, only she was. Some harmless peeking should be fine.” She thought as she looked around. “So how are we getting there?” Was her answer.

“Oh I already called for a ride, it should be here- Wow that was perfect timing.” Guinaifen said as a Star Skiff pulled up at that dock, ringing a bell at them.

“Looking for a ‘Little Gui’?” They heard a guy shout from the Skiff.

“And there is our ride, let's get going before it gets too late.”

Stelle relaxed on the Skiff, taking in the sights and the cool evening air. “Here we are, Fyxestroll Gardens.” Stelle hopped off the Skiff and onto the small dock, admiring the scenery as Guinaifen paid the ferry fee. It was honestly beautiful, these floating islands that were covered in dense green scenery. It was, admittedly, creepy there though with the dark skies. It was as if there was a blanket high above, smothering all below in an eerie green glow.

“Creepy right?” Guinaifen said as that Ferry took off again, stopping next to Stelle.

“Really? Maybe a little, but it's also really pretty. If it turns out to be nothing, I might have a new spot to wander around in.” There was not enough nature on the Luofu from what she had seen, so this was a good change. The smell of plants, and the wet mist in the air, was a bit intoxicating to her senses. “So is it just a garden?”

“No, it is more of a Foxian memorial place.” Off to her side, Stelle saw Guinaifen pull up her phone again. “Ahem… Fyxestroll Garden was originally a garden delve constructed by a Foxian craft master. It was a place for their kin to rest, write poems, and feast... et cetera et cetera. It's said the elite pilots of the Foxians were almost wiped out in the Denizens of Abundance Wars thirty years ago. People went to the Foxian Tomb in Fyxestroll Garden to grieve for those departed... Because of this, Fyxestroll Garden rarely saw visitors and was bereft of joy. Over time, Fyxestroll Garden became full of flickering ghostly flames, and weeping lamentations echoed through the air. The rumor that the garden was haunted spread like wildfire among Xianzhou Luofu residents.” Gui sounded far too smug for Stelle to take.

“There is no way you wrote that.” She walked down that path as Gui whined behind her.

“Is it that easy to tell? I had that storyteller Mr Xiyan write it… figured it would work as a good introduction for the video.”

“I’ve seen your post, That doesn’t sound like you at all.” Stelle held up her phone. “That and you were reading from your phone.” It was Stelle’s turn to be smug.

As they continued down the path, hitting a large plaza, Stelle had to stop and see all the eerie beauty. “I kind of wish I could have come here before it was creepy, it's still pretty.”

“I suppose it is. Keep your eyes peeled for those ghosts, and the Ten-Lords Commission members… I really don’t want to get in trouble or deported somewhere…” Guinaifen grumbled.

Stelle was at least observant enough to start leading them down paths that weren’t being watched by uniformed guards that were armed to the teeth. They were certainly not the uniforms she was familiar with, so she knew Gui wasn’t exactly lying. “Then why would you come back and risk that?”

“For content of course. I’m not out to be another boring adult! I’m going to follow my dreams even if it kills me!”

Stelle rolled her eyes and shushed the excitable streamer. “If you yell you’ll get us caught. Also, don’t rush off to an early death, you never know what the world will throw at you.” She said, keeping an eye on their surroundings. She clicked her tongue as she saw paths guarded in every direction.  “This better be worth it…” She grumbled, not even paying attention to the creepiness of the place anymore.

Behind her, Guinaifen steadily shook more and more as genuine fear seemed to fill her. After a good 10 minutes of walking through those gardens, they were left without paths forward besides into those guards. Unfortunately their split second of hesitation was enough for them to be spotted. Before they knew it a small whistle was blown, and multiple of those guards converged on their location.

“Halt!”

“H-Hey what’s up guys? Hear me out here…” Guinaifen started, but was cut off by the angry voice of that guard.

“You’re under arrest! State your name and Business! ” The guard was aggressive in sending multiple Auramatons at them that didn’t look friendly in the least.

Stelle pulled out her bat almost on reflex in seeing one of those robots coming her way. Her mind stung with the memories of fighting the corrupted versions of them, the Abundance even infecting them. She tried to parry the blades of the ones that came at her. At least that is what she saw as they charged at her. She was nearly on auto pilot as she began to crush one robot after the other, making sloppy mistakes as Guinaifen barely dodged her own attackers, forcing Stelle to devote effort to protecting her as well “I guess I was called as the muscle, what else is new…” She thought as she locked weapons with an even larger Auramaton that looked distinctly female.

“Suspicious individuals in redistricted areas are to be detained first, and interrogated later, no exceptions. Release your weapon.” The semi-intelligent voice didn’t help Stelle see it as anything different than the ones she was familiar with. She almost didn’t even notice the tingling shock that came from those blades each time they clashed, but it had begun to make her feel numb.

“Since when are you in charge of Fyxestroll Gardens?!” Guinaifen protested weakly, all but staying behind Stelle for her protection.

The waves of guards and Auramatons wore her down over the span of two minutes, enough for a slip up to happen. Her vision kept flickering, the blades being swung at her occasionally appearing more like blunt weapons that crackled with electricity. That flickering in her head was enough for one ‘blade’ to be swung towards her head.

“Stand down. These two are not your enemies.” It was a calm and near emotionless voice, but it was authoritative in a way that reminded Stelle of a few others. It was enough to get that Auramaton to stop swinging its weapon at her a foot away from it.

Stelle let her bat fade away to wherever it went when she was done with it, taking deep breaths as her vision stabilized. “So they weren’t blades? Dumb brain…” She didn’t need any help to feel crazy those days.

Guinaifen leaned up to Stelle and whispered. “Look at her! She isn’t even looking at us, and she is as pale as a ghost!” Her ‘whisper’ was loud enough to appear to amuse the white haired woman in front of them. Along the white haired woman, was one with darker hair and a stiff expression. Standing behind that woman was the Foxian girl that Stelle had seen in the video.

“As a member of the Ten-Lords commission, you may as well consider us as among the dead. I am a Judge, Alias: Hanya. I am responsible for the four duties of Detention, Incarceration, Interrogation, and Punishment. As such, I know a few things about you two.” Hanya said, turning towards Guinaifen with a blank expression on her face. “Guinaifen, an Outworlder, unemployed. The day before yesterday, you and a member of the Cloud Knights entered Fyxestroll Gardens.”

Stelle almost laughed at seeing how offended Gui looked at that comment. “Unemployed?! I’m self-employed! I’m a street performer, as well as a Streamer! It's a legit operation!” Her complaints were entirely ignored, letting her fold her arms in an amusing pout.

Hanya next turned to Stelle, her expression still betraying nothing. “As for this one: Stelle, a Nameless of the Astral Express, you were deeply involved in solving the Ambrosial Arbor incident two weeks ago. You are an honored guest of the Seat of Divine Foresight, and a known friend of the Xianzhou Alliance.” It was a far more positive review than Guinaifen, but Stelle relaxed a bit as at least her good deeds were acknowledged.

“Nice to meet you.” Stelle said, straightening herself up a bit as she felt the last bit of adrenaline fade from her. “What was that? Why did I see…” It was a bit worrying, but she shoved that issue aside to deal with later.

The dark haired woman stepped up next. “I am Xueyi, also in the position of Judge.” Xueyi looked behind her and Hanya, at that Foxian.

“H-Hello, I am Huohuo, I am also a Judge in training, of the Ten-Lords Commission. So you are the Nameless I heard of?” Huohuo looked interested in continuing, but stopped, clearing her throat while stepping back.

Xueyi stared down at the tiny judge. “Huohuo, you’ve long since earned the position of a full Judge, have more confidence.” It was a gentle scolding, but it made Huohuo look down regardless.

Stelle cracked a smile at Huohuo, getting a closer look at the unique eyes she saw in the video. “Pretty.” She thought and put a hand on her hip with confidence. “You may also know me by another name… have you ever heard of the Galactic Baseballer?” Stelle asked smugly, getting at least a tiny giggle from Huohuo. Her gaze turned to the flaming tail behind her.

Hanya looked like she wanted to reply to that, but refrained. Her cold gaze turned back to Guinaifen. “You and the Cloud-Knight Sushang were evacuated from Fyxestroll gardens and told it was too dangerous to return. Why have you come back here?”

“W-well… I was honestly looking for some content… for my c-channel? People are always looking for spooky things, and I know I saw ghosts the other night, I couldn’t not try and get some video of them.” Guinaifen winced at the glare from Xueyi.

“You were already told that there are no ghosts on the Xianzhou, it is a ridiculous superstition that only breeds panic. As a resident on the Luofu, you have a responsibility to not disrupt the public order.” Xueyi harshly reprimanded her, Gui wincing with each sentence.

“But I saw them! They were balls of creepy fire that even talked! Most of it was ghostly nonsense about death, but I heard it!” Guinaifen said defensively, folding her arms as her stubbornness only increased.

“Miss Guinaifen, It is difficult to explain, but what you saw were not ghosts. Please do not spread rumors and legends from your home world that may cause panic.” Huohuo stepped forward to try her hand at dissuading Guinaifen.

“If they weren’t ghosts, then what the heck are they? They sure looked ghostly to me. They would almost certainly be considered ghosts to my viewers.” Stelle steadily got more nervous as she watched Guinaifen potentially dig her own grave.

“As we said, they are not ghosts, they are roaming energy parasites that have long since been contained by the Ten-Lords Commission. They are called Heliobi, and they are extremely dangerous.” Huohuo even started to sound frustrated as she was forced to go in circles with Gui, the other two more monitoring her.

“I c-can’t believe that!” She grumbled, looking like she came to an epiphany. “I see, I see… So Heliobi is another word for Ghosts on the Luofu!” Even Stelle was getting annoyed at how hard headed Guinaifen was being. She pledged to prank Dan Heng the next chance she got for, indirectly, giving her number to a crazy lady. She had to admit Gui was at least entertaining.

Even Huohuo, the most amicable of the judges Stelle met there, appeared to be getting frustrated. “Maybe… I should just let Mr Tail out…” Huohuo looked behind her, poking at the flaming green tail attached to her. It also had some sort of talisman on it now that Stelle got a better look.

“Mr… Tail?” Gui was just as confused as Stelle herself as they exchanged looks.

“I heard ya! I heard ya! What am I her pet?” That tail separated from Huohuo, that flame taking the form of a fox-like floating orb of about the same size. “Like the brat said, I’m a Heliobus! We’re not ghosts, so scram!” He shouted, his voice rough and even more frustrated than Xueyi sounded.

Guinaifen stood stock still as she stared at Mr Tail, her lips flapping for a few moments before she cowered behind Stelle. “It-It-Its A GHOOOOOST!” Stelle felt the second hand embarrassment, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“…She came all the way here to find ghosts, and then screams when she thinks she found one…” Even Hanya shared in that feeling of exasperation from the sound of it, the closest to a sigh Stelle had heard so far.

Guinaifen steadily regained her nerve as she stepped forward. “H-Hello Mr Tail? C-could I maybe ask a few questions? A little interview?”

Mr Tail growled at her for a moment. “I’m not here to talk nonsense with you! I said, Scram, you idiotic girl!”

Stelle couldn’t resist the tiny smile that crossed her face. “What a rude ghost…” Even she felt like stirring the pot once in a while, the chance was there.

“I already told you I’m not a ghost! There are no ghosts! If I have to repeat myself again then I’ll eat every one of you brats!” Stelle regretted nothing, even as Mr Tail snapped at them.

“It-its okay! He says that all the time! Mr Tail is a vegetarian!” Huohuo added, trying to bring the tempers back down. Stelle at least appreciated it, snickering as she tried to imagine this strange Not-ghost eating anything green at all, well, anything that wasn’t his apparent Host.

“I still have some questions, more of them now even, like if these… Heliobi are so dangerous, what is a judge doing carrying one around on her backside?” It was a final straw for Xueyi at least as she folded her arms.

“We’re done here. Judge Huohuo, please escort them out and see that they make it onto a transport back. Ridiculous…” Xueyi calmed just a bit as Hanya put a hand on her shoulder.

“Y-yes Ma’am! Let's get going you two, it really is too dangerous for you here, even for you Miss Stelle.” Huohuo told them, trying to shepard them back the way they came.

“Even me? I mean… I did help fight a Lord Ravager herself two weeks ago, I’m no slouch in a fight.” Stelle felt just the tiny bit offended, but she could tell Huohuo wasn’t trying to demean her.

“The one in the reports? Phantylia? She a-also is a Heliobi. Heliobi are immoral non-physical beings who possess their victims entirely, infiltrating their nervous system, making them see whatever they want... do what ever they want. They eventually drain them to death, feeding on the emotions of their host. When they’re done, not even a body is left usually as it combusts, like dried firewood. There isn’t much that can be done to resist being possessed, even you could be!” Huohuo urged them towards the exit, with Mr Tail returning to being well… her tail.

Those words stuck in Stelle, her mind flashing her bits of that day as she closed her eyes. It explained way too much about what happened with Dan Shu after that fight, as well as…

Stelle covered her mouth as she swore she could still hear that snap echo in her ears, the same one that had haunted her dreams since. She pushed the nausea down and gulped down a few breaths. “T-Tingyun…” She mumbled, trying to collect herself. It was a rare burst of emotions from the stoic Trailblazer. “Guinaifen, we need to go, Huohuo is right. I-I’ve seen it happen. Your channel isn’t worth your life.” She said with such urgency that the others stared at her for a few moments.

“I’m glad you understand the seriousness of the matter, further explanations can wait until you both are safely away from here. Please, for your own safety, do not come back here unless otherwise informed.” Hanya said, calming Xueyi with a patient look.

Guinaifen looked unsure of it all, but finally backed down once even Stelle became that serious, or even ill looking. Huohuo also looked at her in worry before moving ahead of them. “Let's go, I know a quick route back to the dock.”

Stelle followed behind the Judge as her mind couldn’t help but think about past events, the pain of those memories feeling fresh that day as she found the answers she was looking for. “Tingyun… we won’t ever find her… I’m sorry…”

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Guinaifen held them up a bit, walking slowly, all but dragging her heels. “Could maybe Mr Tail come back out so I can ask him some questions on the way? Is he coming along too?”

Huohuo sighed and didn’t bother looking back. “Miss Guinaifen, I am on official duty right now. I’ll leave you two my number when we reach the docks, and I can answer any questions you have that do not violate my own oaths of secrecy. He Is trapped in my tail so…” It was a fair compromise.

“…For now, one of these days I’ll make you break this seal!” Mr Tail growled out from behind her.

Huohuo sighed and shook her head, looking genuinely annoyed with the Heliobus. “Do you think I Like spending time with you?” It was the most sassy they had heard her so far. Being honest, Stelle liked it, it fit.

Stelle saw Guinaifen regain that mischievous look on her face, stepping back to whisper at Stelle. “I just need a picture of Mr Tail, I already have a title ready for my post. Demonic fire and despair at Fyxestroll Gardens~ Innocent Foxian child possessed! The views are going to roll right in!”

She sighed and looked back at Gui as she walked. “If you keep pissing them off you’ll end up with a few centuries in jail… fair warning, I will sell you out for a plea bargain if need be.” Stelle was quiet for a moment. “I wouldn’t be so sure about her being a child, being a judge doesn’t sound like a position that is quick to get to at all, let's show some respect. If I’ve learned anything these past two weeks… it's that no one is as they seem. I got some good advice from someone; assume everyone you meet here is decades older than you.” Stelle noticed the folded ears of Huohuo at least flick, probably hearing their words.

As they continued down an unfamiliar path, the air steadily grew chilly, and more ominous. Stelle looked closer at Huohuo as she noticed her starting to shake. “Are you alright, Your Honor?” Stelle asked, sounding a bit stiff.

“P-please, you can just call me Huohuo, Judge Hanya and Judge Xueyi are far more worthy of being referred to like that, and have been at it a lot longer. Urggh… it's so quiet, it feels creepier somehow…” Hearing it, Stelle felt It was a rather… familiar flavor of self-deprecation.

Stelle thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but tried to not let her own paranoia increase. Stelle smirked as she tried to not let the immediate question of just how long Huohuo had been a judge come out of her mouth. It wasn’t really the time for her to fulfill her curiosity.

“Eh?! Ah! G-GHOOOST!” Guinaifen suddenly started screaming behind them, and her running footsteps went off to the side down another path. It was loud enough to startle Huohuo, who screamed right back.

“Where?! Miss Guinaifen?! You need to come back here!” Huohuo shouted as she started to go in the direction where they heard Guinaifen flee to. Before Huohuo got more than a few steps she turned to Stelle. “Miss Stelle, you need to go back to the docks and call for a transport, I’ll bring Miss Guinaifen back!”

In just a few moments, Stelle found herself alone there, just hearing the silence start to fill in the gaps left behind by the other two. “No no no… not again… Dammit!” She shouted as she couldn’t help but imagine either of those two women dead on the ground like… She shook her head to dispel the thought before sprinting down that path.

To her confusion, it led to what seemed to be a dead end, other than an eerie mirror. She started into it, looking behind it even. It appeared almost like a normal mirror, but the moment she turned away, out of the corner of the eye she saw her reflection stop matching her movements. In a single moment, something reached out and nearly pulled her arm out of her socket as she flew through that mirror.

Her head felt fuzzy as she looked around. While the landscape looked similar… She didn’t remember hallways or all the doors. “No no no…” It felt almost like those Foxian illusion shows she had heard of, but far more all encompassing. She laid there for a moment as she tried to suppress the welling emotions inside herself.

“Good fucking job Stelle… you are left out of sight for ten fucking seconds and you cause even More trouble…” She complained aloud, following that endless hallway. Every so often she would see little paper dolls, or talismans. “Huohuo? Guinaifen?”

It was hard to tell just how long she had been walking, but the bleak and seemingly endless series of turns and doors quickly began to wear down her nerves. The first embers of frustration appeared, making her try and think of ways to bash down these doors. “Haa… am I only able to hit stuff? Think you dumbass…” She mumbled at herself, freezing as she heard a disembodied giggle. “Who’s there?” It didn’t sound like either Guinaifen or Huohuo’s voice.

“Well, this is a treat~ Don’t you smell delectable?” A light sniffling sound echoed as well. “Wait… I know this scent… the stories have been passed around, whispered through the wind. You are quite the powerful mortal, one of the ones who drove off Phantylia herself! Oh my, this has to be a treat… How do you taste?” That voice steadily got more excited as Stelle looked around.

Before she knew it there were more of those Auramatons around her, flooding in front a few doors. It was almost automatic, how she began to swing her bat, crushing them left and right. They weren’t the strongest, and thankfully there were not many of them. What they were though was distracting.

“Just a single bite~ Let me taste you! Let me savor you!” It yelled nearly in her ear. Stelle turned just in time to feel a foreign substance enter her body, flowing through it in moments, setting her nerves on fire. “Oh you Are an interesting one! I’m unsure if you even Are a mortal… Just what is this at your core? A sun? I-It burns~”

“Of course…” Her mind couldn’t help but flash her images of the last time she saw someone get possessed. “Better me than those two.”

“What is this relief? Not worried for yourself? What makes you so… detached? It's almost as if you don’t care what happens to your body… Did I strike a nerve?” The voice asked from within Stelle’s head now.

“What in the hell do you even want? Who are you?” Stelle hissed, holding her head as she swore she saw tiny flames around her. “Get out of my body you damn Heliobus!” It felt invasive, a violation on the deepest level.

“Ah ah ah~ Just wait a moment and hear me out. I am Cirrus, a Heliobus as you guessed. As for what I want, it is quite simple. I want Out of this place… Yes I feel your question, I didn’t make this maze, I’m just as trapped in it as you are. I propose a deal~ You help me, and I help you, then we both can leave this maz- Ow ow ow~ Someone is feisty! You can’t get rid of me that easily, I’m here whether you like it or not, and you already know that there isn’t a single thing you can do about it…” It felt like an inner heat inside of Stelle as that bit of bubbling rage in her gut sought an escape.

“…Fine, don’t have much of a choice. Lets just find Guinaifen, find Huohuo, and then get the hell out of this creepy maze.” Stelle sighed and looked up at that illusionary sky, fighting off her own emotions that Cirrus was currently feasting on.

“I wonder, could a Stellaron destroy a Heliobus?” It wouldn’t be her worst idea.

Chapter Text

Side A: Stelle

“Come on, you’re so tense~ Once we’re out of this maze I’ll be right out of your hair, literally. I want to get out of here just as much as you… hear me out?” Cirrus said in her head as Stelle stomped through the halls, but felt like she was no closer to finding a way out. Ignoring Cirrus had worked for a few minutes, but it was feeling just a bit hopeless.

“…I’m listening.” She finally said, stopping her marching.

“Finally, a stubborn one you are. So, you, your friends, and I, are all stuck in this place. This place is referred to in the Xianzhou as a ‘ghost-lock’. No amount of walking is going to get us out, we’d just be going in a circle. What we have to do is figure out a way to break the cycle, which we may be able to do with some of those talismans the little cowardly judge left behind.” Cirrus told her, an illusion of them flying ahead of her. She only knew it was an illusion after she tried to hit them with a bat, phasing directly through.

Stelle glared at him. “Don’t talk about her like that, even I can tell she works hard.”

“Whatever, I honestly don't really care about her. All you need to do is work with me. I’ll help you get out of this maze that Furynox has created, and You will help me escape from the Ten-Lord Commission’s Judges. Sounds fair?”

She didn’t bother answering, her eyes scanning for those talismans. They were small, but rather distinctive. “Heh, they’re a bit cute.” She thought as she held on to those bunny shaped pieces of enchanted paper. “So who is Furynox?” She asked as the path changed with each doorway she passed that had the talismans attached.

“Furynox is another Heliobus within the garden, one that has grown powerful enough to exert control over a wide area. They are simple minded, but strong.” Cirrus sighed as Stelle appeared to be trying to ignore her. “You know, I dislike being disregarded like this.” They said as Stelle felt some resistance from her body to walking.

To her further horror, the Talismans on the ground and elsewhere began to fly around, the room filling with them. “I can make you see whatever I like.” Cirrus said as those talismans returned to normal. “You can trust me, I want out of here also… we can be useful to each other, and then go our separate ways.” Stelle sighed yet again as she forced herself along, her mood steadily dropping more and more.

“I just want to get those two out of here and safe. Forgive me if I’m not much of a fan of Heliobi after Phantylia…”

“Well, that explains a lot, yes, but keep in mind not all of us are like her. She Is an Emanator of Destruction, and worships Nanook. Most of us have been locked away for who knows how many thousands of years and just want to indulge ourselves in our own ways.”

“How comforting… a bunch of selfish not-ghosts.” She grumbled as she passed through another puzzle, resisting the urge to bash down doors like a barbarian with her bat. Thankfully, Cirrus stopped responding for a while, only highlighting a few things, rather helpfully she admits, on their path.

“Wait. There is a Judge up ahead, do you remember our deal?” Cirrus asked as Stelle saw a hint of green around the corner into the next little plaza.

“I do… scared of her or something?” Stelle asked, her voice laced with sass.

“Of that coward? Her fear, while it smells delightful, isn’t exactly what I expected to find in a judge, it's pathetic…” They complained in her ear.

“Oh lay off. You just be quiet until we’re out, after that feel free to float off into space for all I care.” Stelle got no response as she nearly jogged over. “Finally, a living person… Wait, that Is you right?” Stelle asked as she saw Huohuo nearly jump at her voice, turning around as Mr Tail even turned to look at her. “Yup, that is you.” She cracked a smile for the first time in a while.

“Yes! Another soul! It has been too creepy here…” Huohuo complained as she stared up at Stelle nervously. “Please, do you know the way out? Or where Guinaifen is?” Smashing Stelle’s hope about the Judge knowing the way out.

Mr Tail floated around into her face. “You’re a Judge of the Ten-Lords commission! Stop asking for help from people so much! It's pathetic!” He growled at her. Huohuo glared at him… a pout in reality.

“We both know I’m not cut out for this! I thought if I stuck around the commission long enough I’d get used to all the creepy stuff, but it hasn’t happened yet… I swear I’m going to put in my resignation this time!” She complained.

Stelle stepped back to watch for a few moments. It was admittedly entertaining… but it wasn’t very helpful.

“Ugh… you’re pathetic! A judge that gets caught in a trap like this… Useless Brat. Just how long have you been saying you’ll resign?” Tail snapped at her, though Stelle was getting the sense this was normal behavior between them.

“You talk tough all day long, and let both of us get stuck in this trap, who’s the useless brat now?!” Huohuo sighed, waving Mr Tail off to the side to look at Stelle again. “So do you have any idea where she is? Or a hint about how to get out? Please take me with you…”

Stelle went to respond, but felt strange. “She probably already got eaten by a Heliobus. ‘Mr Tail’ is right, this is pathetic.” ‘Stelle’ said, unable to cover her mouth.

Inside, Stelle was a mess, hearing Cirrus in the back of her mind “Funnily enough, the Larynx is the easiest muscle for us Heliobi to control~ Ahh such sweet sorrow. ” Stelle felt that rage begin to bubble up again.

Huohuo winced at those harsh words, biting her lip.

Mr Tail got in her face. “Back off! Only I get to tell this brat off!”

Stelle held up her hands to try and gesture to her mouth, but found resistance in it. “How pathetic, a judge and her ‘tail’ are both useless? Asking a civilian for help out of a trap? How the hell you became a judge is the biggest mystery here. Brat is right, are you a child? I’m leaving, and you’re staying here.” Stelle was forced to say, finally covering her mouth.

It was a bit late though as her forced words seemed to hit a critical spot in Huohuo’s psyche, her eyes welling up as she bit her lip to not cry out. Her eyes were staring at the ground. “M-maybe you’re right…”

“Listen you bi- Wait… I know that smell! Cirrus you wretch! Get out here so I can eat you!” Mr Tail yelled at Stelle, indirectly at Cirrus inside of her. That floating eyeball that was Cirrus appeared in the air, floating in front of them all.

“Ahhh such sweet emotions~ between this useless judge’s fear and sorrow, and my current host’s anger and frustration, it blends together in such a delightful melody of flavors~ Ow ow!” Cirrus suddenly shouted, brought out of their bragging from the internal heat of Stelle rising. “Oh calm yourself! I’m done messing with you two, let's continue.”

Stelle finally felt the resistance in her movements fade, giving her some more freedom. “Little bastard… Just wait until I figure out how to burn you out of me…” Stelle growled and moved her attention to Huohuo. She didn’t know what would be polite at that moment, but she still put a hand on the girl’s slightly trembling shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to say any of that…” Stelle tried to say, stopping as Huohuo shook her head.

Mr Tail looked at her, almost like he wanted to say something, but as he heard Stelle he appeared to think better of it, nodding.

“I-I know… you only said it because you were being possessed, it just… hit some sore spots. I can tell you wouldn’t say anything like that… I heard you stand up for me with Guinaifen just before all this…” Huohuo started to calm down a bit, putting a hand on Stelle’s that was still on her shoulder. “I appreciated it… even if it's true I’m useless…”

“And I meant every word. Let's find a way out eh? It has been getting frustrating just hearing this… asshole of a Heliobus in my ear… How do you stand it?” Stelle quietly asked. She looked down at Huohuo with a strange look in her eye. “You aren’t useless. From what I’ve seen you are the only one, who’s opinion actually matters, who thinks that. I don’t think that.”

“It's a bit different for me, the connection isn’t as strong since he was kept contained in my tail. Oh! Here, hold onto this, stick it onto your clothes, it will help suppress that Heliobus until we can expel it.” Huohuo said, holding out one of her paper talismans.

Stelle took that, sticking it against her skirt and sighing. “Yeah, I feel a bit better… those things were useful honestly, wouldn’t have found my way here without them.” Stelle said, ignoring the two Heliobus bickering above their heads as they walked.

“They were? I’m g-glad… I was unsure if anyone would even see them. I think we’re getting closer to an exit, I can at least feel it some… I think…” Huohuo, while unsure, was more sure than Stelle at the very least.

The silence seemed to grow as they continued on, with Cirrus and Tail glaring at each other. “So… how Did you and ‘Mr Tail’ meet?” Stelle asked curiously.

Huohuo slumped a bit as she thought about the past. “Just something stupid when I was a child… One day I saw a little ember on the ground that looked like it would go out…” She looked up at Stelle with a hint of embarrassment. “Then… as stupid as I was back- like the idiot I am I thought I’d put it on my tail. Don’t ask me why… I can’t even remember how I thought that would turn out.” She covered her face with a sigh.

Stelle couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. “Eh, I’m sure most people are dumb when they’re kids.” She said, wondering just how true it was, considering her lack of personal experience in that department.

Huohuo looked like she wanted to ask a question about it, but held off. “Well… once I did that, next thing I knew… Mr Tail tried to eat me! He already ate my tail by the time Madam Hanya arrived! If she was just a bit later It would have been all over…” Huohuo complained. “Ever since that day everything just went downhill…” There appeared a lot under the surface she wasn’t saying, but Stelle wasn’t going to pry, not when she saw the depressed look on the girl’s face.

“You did admit to being a dumbass, don’t blame me for that. If you just let me eat you from the start you wouldn’t have had to deal with all that! Don’t blame me for everything!” Mr Tail snapped back.

Stelle felt worried as she saw a familiar expression on Huohuo’s face. “…Whatever. So… Some time after that, I got sent to the Ten-Lords commission. Why they thought it was a good idea to tap a Heliophobe to catch Heliobi was a good idea I don’t even know, but it's dumb… And that is how I got here.”

“So that is how you became the tail of a guard dog? How the mighty have fallen… Pathetic~” Cirrus commented. “The largest fragment of Ignamar the great, and this is what you’re reduced to. Hey little Judge, do you know Why all us Heliobi are gathering in this garden in the first place?”

“Blind dates and drinks?” Huohuo said sarcastically.

“Trivia night? Bonfires?” Stelle had to add to it, bumping fists with Huohuo as they fell into sync.

Cirrus stared at them for a moment, before looking back at Mr Tail. “I take it back actually, sucks to be you, she is even more annoying than I thought, feel free to eat this tall brat also, she is too spicy for me.” Stelle rolled her eyes at the Heliobi’s comments.

“Oh shut up!” Mr Tail growled.

“Whatever… So, this garden is where the General of the Luofu and the great Ignamar fought a glorious battle! It was a long and hard clash, mountains torn to rumble, storms churned from each blow. It was exhilarating~ Not many Heliobi still possess memories of that time. Alas, the Great Ignamar was defeated by trickery of the Xianzhou, scattering his fragments, most of which were sealed away into those ‘furnaces’ they used to siphon energy from us. A thoroughly barbaric act…” Cirrus said.

Huohuo rolled her eyes. “There is a Lot more than that. Also, in the records, Ignamar was soundly beaten by the General at the time! Are you all trying to take revenge?”

“Of course your records are going to flatter your own… Some of them might feel bitter about it, seething from a 1000 year old grudge, but most of us just want to feel that excitement again, and fight in glorious combat yet again! We’ll see if the General of the current day can match up!”

“So you Do have grudges. Seriously, why did you all challenge them in the first place?” Stelle asked, shaking her head at Cirrus. She felt his slow siphoning of her energy, yet if it didn’t seem to wear on her much.

“We Heliobi used to be far more… pure beings. You physical beings possess things we did not, namely, emotions. Emotions are to us like fine wine is to you physical beings~ They’re addicting, but since we first had a taste we lost the chance to ever return to our pure pasts of being star fire existing free in the galaxy…”

“Whatever… as long as you get out of my body when we get out of here…” Stelle was growing tired of that entire day. “Glad I ate before I came here…”

“I hate puzzles… if I never have to see another puzzle again, it would be too soon…” Stelle quietly complained as they neared a dead end. At the very end was a mirror, not unlike the one that pulled her into that maze hell in the first place.

“Is this the end? Finally…” Huohuo groaned, all but rushing towards that mirror.

“That voice -ohuo is that you? This way!” Came from the mirror.

“Madam Xueyi?! Oh thank goodness… But is it actually?” Huohuo asked, looking up at Stelle when she caught up.

“Huohuo are you in there? Finally I found you… a strange force has enveloped the garden, Hanya will be coming with backup, but we need you over here.” Xueyi said.

“B-but we haven’t even found Miss Guinaifen yet! Is she out there?” Huohuo asked, the worry clear in her voice.

Stelle felt her gut clench as she was reminded of that. “I hope she is okay…” And because her brain was rude, it repeated the horrible mental images of what happened to the last person she saw possessed by a Heliobus… that wasn’t Huohuo of course. Compared to Phantylia, Mr Tail seemed downright harmless.

“I understand your concern, but the priority right now is on getting you and Stelle out of there to deal with the current situation. We can worry about Guinaifen after that. We are not giving up on her, but we need to prioritize.” Xueyi told Huohuo, calming her down from her initial panic. “Go ahead and pass through the mirror.”

Stelle held a hand out, keeping Huohuo from going through. “One moment, sorry.” Stelle said, sticking her head through the mirror with little hesitation. “It's safe, there is something on the other side.” She ignored the looks she got from Huohuo, following her through the mirror. “Ah… I hate this place… I hate it so much. If you don’t eat this ‘Furynox’ Mr Tail, I’m doing it, I don’t even care if I have to figure out how.” Stelle complained, hitting her head lightly on a tree.

They wandered over to at least one of the three mirrors that were in their new area. At least the surroundings were different, this time they were on a floating island. “Least there is fresh air…”

“Huohuo? Come to big sister Xueyi!” The mirror shouted at them when they got close. Stelle looked at Huohuo, able to see the shiver that went through Huohuo.

“That is Not Madam Xueyi… So I guess only one of these will be the real one?” Huohuo pondered, passing over another one that called her a brat, before standing in front of the third.

“Huohuo? Why have you not come through yet? Did something happen?” Xueyi asked with clear concern in her cold voice.

“Madam Xueyi! There are multiple mirrors now, and two of them were imitating you…”

“I see… You’ll need to decipher which one is the real me. Ask them questions only I would know, the Heliobi that control that illusion cannot have every answer. There will likely be multiple mirrors, as I doubt it will release with just one…” Xueyi said patiently.

“But what if I can’t tell the difference?” Huohuo sounded like the pressure was finally getting to her, her shoulders shaking under that pressure.

“My sister and I trust you entirely, you need to trust yourself as well. You know me well, I have confidence in you.” It was surprisingly nice compared to how she talked to Stelle and Guinaifen, but she felt like she could understand the difference in behavior.

“Okay… Let's keep going, Stelle?” Through the mirrors they went again.

As expected, three more mirrors were around. Thankfully, it was easy enough for Huohuo to see through the more fake mirrors.

The two fakes were obvious, yet they needed to be sure. “Okay, I need to ask you some questions first. What is your relationship with Madam Hanya?” It was the question she had asked the other two.

“Hanya is my younger twin sister, but that alone cannot prove who I am.” Xueyi sounded far more reasonable in that mirror.

“They’re twins? They look nothing alike…” Stelle wondered to herself, getting a snort from Mr Tail at least.

“How did I manage to become a Judge of the Ten Lords Commission?” Huohuo asked, seeming to not know the answer to that herself.

“By Decree of the Ten Lords: Spiritfarer Huohuo is skilled and diligent, capable and worthy of officialdom. She is hereby promoted to the position of Judge. I still remember the exact decree that came for your promotion, and I’ve had no reason to question it since.” Xueyi sounded undeniably proud, the ice from her voice gone entirely while she reflected on that.

Stelle smiled as she could tell the history between Huohuo and those apparent sisters. Huohuo seemed close to tears as she passed through. “T-Thank you, Madam Xueyi…” It was better than crying from sadness.

Once again… Stelle hit her forehead on a tree they passed yet again as they entered yet another circle of mirrors. “I am getting really tired of this… Yup, I’m going to be the first person to go crazy and eat a Heliobus in retaliation… You hear me Furynox!? I’ll stick a fork in you soon!” Stelle yelled into the void, venting her frustrations.

“Ha! I would pay to see that! At least your brat has guts Cirrus!” Mr Tail laughed, but in less of a mocking way than Stelle thought he would. Even Huohuo cracked a smile at that.

“Bleh… she is starting to give me indigestion though, way too spicy… I’m leaving as soon as I can…” Cirrus complained.

Huohuo shook her head with a smile on her face and approached the first mirror. “Alright Madam Xueyi, same as before… What do you think about me?” After the last mirror Huohuo looked far more confident.

“She will be expelled after tonight’s operation. She is not fit for her job at the Ten-Lords commission.” Another obvious fake…

“Really? I don’t even need to write a resignation?” Huohuo asked, sounding strangely hopeful. She waved Mr Tail off before he started. “Yeah yeah, I know it's fake, let me dream…” It had long since gotten repetitive, but Stelle was glad to see Huohuo slowly gaining confidence during it all. It became less amusing when the third mirror was yet another fake when exposed to further questioning.

“None of these are real… None of these are Madam Xueyi! She’s always known I’ve been a bit scared and timid, but she has never told me off for it… even if it caused trouble…” Huohuo sounded longing.

“No one but you has cared about how frail you are, they knew who they were promoting and still did anyway… As long as you don’t slow me down too much, then I guess I don’t care how much of a coward you are either…” Mr Tail said. It was a backhanded compliment, but a rather warm compliment all the same.

“Well… dammit…” Stelle complained, looking around. “Anyone see another mirror? Maybe the trick is to go backward?” Stelle commented as they gathered in the center.

“Maybe… Heliobi aren’t omnipotent, they can’t keep extending an illusion forever.” Her eyes widened as she looked behind Stelle. In the distance was a small island with another mirror. “But how do we get there?”

Stelle moved towards that ledge and thought about it. “Can’t extend it forever huh?” She went to put her foot in the air when Huohuo pulled her arm.

“H-hey! We’re not that desperate yet!” Huohuo scolded, but stopped as Stelle brought her foot down in the air. It was a solid surface somehow… but it was still nerve wrecking. “I see…”

“I mean, I figured even if I fell, we’re still in an illusion, and going down would still be extending the illusion massively if he didn’t add a bottom. This works also though.” That did not get Stelle any better looks from Huohuo, just a bit of worry. Stelle ignored it as best she could and steadily walked, fearlessly even, towards that island.

“Brave or stupid, I can’t even tell… Considering how you two get along I’m leaning towards stupid.” Mr Tail said, laughing at Huohuo’s glare. Huohuo followed behind Stelle, though at a slower pace.

Stelle finally stepped on solid ground and held a hand out behind her. “Just in case this Furynox takes my threat seriously and drops the bridge.” Stelle said, taking Huohuo’s hand when the Judge got close enough. It was surprisingly warm.

Finally they stood in front of another mirror. “Hurry Huohuo! I can hear you a lot more clearly, it must be the last mirror. Ask me your questions.” Xueyi spoke from the mirror as they approached. Indeed, it sounded like she was on the other side of a door now rather than down a long hallway.

“What… What do you think about my personality? About me being a coward?” Huohuo asked, seeming a bit worn down, or even nervous, now that they knew it was likely the real Xueyi.

“Huohuo… A Judge is not a soldier, there is more to consider than just courage. All of us Judges, you included, have our own talents that compliment the whole. It was the decree of the Ten-Lords that you were to be promoted to your position, the swiftest promotion in Luofu history at that, there is meaning behind that even if you do not see it.” Xueyi sounded both firm and caring, it warmed Stelle’s heart hearing it. Seeing Huohuo’s ears perk up at the comment also brought as much of a smile to Stelle’s face as she felt possible with how hard it was to move her face most days..

“M-Madam Xueyi…” Huohuo started, taking a deep breath before speaking up, looking more determined. “What do you think about Tail?” She continued with her questions.

“The Heliobus that consumed and has become your tail is merely a sealed Heliobus, an advantage you possess that no one else does. It is part of the whole that makes you Huohuo.” Even Stelle could tell just how from the heart the real Xueyi’s words were, and she was still learning emotions.

No reply was needed as Huohuo walked through that mirror. Stelle followed behind, closing her eyes.

It was fresh and misty air that greeted them as they emerged, back where Stelle first entered the mirror. “Oh sweet Luofu, this place is creepy but I missed it…” Stelle sighed. “We’re back right?”

Xueyi looked exhausted as she stood before Huohuo, but relieved. “Good, you have returned safely. We’re not out of luck today. Did anything happen within?”

Stelle held up a hand. “I picked up an annoying parasite. Get out Cirrus, I kept up my end of the bargain.” Stelle growled, but felt Cirrus not yet stir.

“We’ll deal with that later, the current situation takes full priority. All of Fyxestroll Garden has been enveloped in a powerful illusion, one mighty enough to overwhelm almost all of our forces we have mustered here… Likely all but myself have been possessed.” Xueyi said, dismissing Cirrus for now. While Stelle could understand, it still annoyed her a bit.

“B-But what can I even do about this?! I’m not a fighter like you or Madam Hanya! When things get scary… I run and hide and let others handle it.” Huohuo said, panicking at hearing the news of their near total defeat there. The situation was unbelievably bad.

“Huohuo! You need to have confidence in yourself… If I cannot defeat this Heliobus, it will fall to you to do so. You have an advantage none of us possess. A Heliobus cannot possess someone already possessed, this is your absolute advantage as a Judge, it is why you were tapped to be in charge of this outbreak from the start.” Xueyi put a hand on Huohuo’s shoulder to get her to look her in the eyes.. 

“You are stronger than you think. Your spiritual abilities were exceptionally strong from the day I met you. Over the past 38 years you have been with the Commission, starting as a spiritfarer, you have only grown further. Among the judges, what you lack in physical capacity you more than make up for in spiritual techniques.” Xueyi had knelt leaned down, placing her other hand on Huohuo’s shoulder, sounding proud with every word.

“Is this what… a big sister sounds like? I knew she was way older~” She was feeling both touched for Huohuo, and a bit smug at her gut feeling. “From what I’ve seen, you don’t give yourself near enough credit. I say that as someone who fought alongside the General against Phantylia. I know it probably doesn’t mean as much, but… I believe in you.” Stelle said, forcing the stiffness of her face away to give her a smile, a genuine one.

“R-right… Right! I’ll try my best… Do we have a plan?” Huohuo asked.

On that note, a bit of Cirrus emerged from Stelle, manifesting among them. “Bleh… this ‘affection’ feels so sticky to the taste. I have a plan, hear me out.” Cirrus said, hiding a bit behind Stelle and Xueyi glared at them. “Furynox is strong, but they are an idiot, and easily provoked. Once I provoke them, it will be easy enough to break them. We Heliobi may be immortal, but we are made up of fragments that clump together. We don’t all like forming into one collective mass though. We each have our own personalities depending on what hosts were possessed, so driving a stake between these fragments of the whole can shatter them.”

Stelle tried to see through any tricks, but understanding motives was still something new to her. “Well… better than my plan. One question though, why would you betray your own kind?”

“Have you considered that I don’t want to be devoured by Furynox? Or that I dislike them more than I dislike you? Perhaps I want my own shot at fighting the general… Or maybe I’m hoping for any shot of going free when all is said and done? I just want to wander the universe as we did so long ago…” Cirrus finally ended. “Do we have a deal?”

Xueyi watched him for a few more moments. “I can only put in a request for it to be considered, in light of aid provided.”

Cirrus’s one eye narrowed a bit. “I suppose that is the best I’m going to get, you better keep your promise puppet Judge… Get me up to the pavilion up there, I’ll provoke Furynox, be ready for combat.”

“Furynox! I’ve come to bargain!” Cirrus shouted through Stelle’s mouth, overlooking all of Fyxestroll Garden from that pavilion.

It took only a few moments before they all heard a voice. “Oho? Cirrus, my old furnace mate, come to add your strength to my own? Together we may take on the General!”

“Before you duel the general, why don’t you fight me?”

“Why would I wish to fight my own kind at such a critical point? I’ve enslaved all of the Ten-Lord’s puppets within this garden, they are my playthings~ Soon, the Heliobi will have our rematch!” Furynox’s voice sounded as childish as Cirrus had said, but their power was undeniable.

“That rag tag bunch of grunts and foot soldiers? They’re nothing compared to myself. I’ve already secured the most powerful of pawns, one of those who drove off Phantylia herself!” If nothing else, Cirrus was good at playing that Heliobus like a fiddle, a bit too good.

“Phantylia… Her! The one who evaded capture, the one who has thrown her lot in with Destruction! That pawn, I want it! Give them to me!”

“Then send your pawns to find me, let them battle and we’ll see who deserves to stand above the other! If you win against my Queen with your Pawns, I’ll add to your strength before you take on the general. Deal?” Cirrus offered, the silence stretching out for a few long moments.

“Deal! Prepare yourself!” With that they all heard and saw the possessed Spiritfarers and Auramatons began to fan out.

Stelle coughed as she got control of her vocal cords back. “Yeah I need you out of me as soon as possible… So what is the plan? Beat things up? Because that is about the best I have.” She complained, holding her bat on her shoulder.

“First. Huohuo, hold onto this.” Xueyi said, pulling a jade gourd off of her belt. “This Is a Lunaumbra Gourd, a sacred tool created by the Artisanship Commission. With it you can capture Heliobi and their fragments, make sure you do this after fighting those possessed by Furynox.”

“So… We really will need to fight our friends?” Huohuo asked worriedly. If her ears were not already folded, it sounded as if they would be even more so.

“Yes, though we need to incapacitate them, I’ll be acting separately and will meet you at the Verdant Terrace so we can finish activating the Evil-binding Matrix. We’ll gather as many fragments as we can and meet there.” Xueyi said before turning to Stelle. “Name- Stelle…”

“I’ll look out for Huohuo, you can count on me.” Stelle said, tapping her bat on her shoulder.

“Thank you… Please have mercy on any possessed Spiritfarers, spare them if you safely can. All of us at the Ten-Lords commission must be ready to offer up our lives if need be for our tasks, no one will question your decisions on the battlefield.”

“Thankfully I use a blunt weapon, I should be able to knock them out without too much damage. Don’t worry, I’m not killing any of your friends.” Stelle declared, cracking a smile down at Huohuo, who immediately appeared relieved.

Xueyi turned to Huohuo again. “It's alright to feel fear, even I am afraid tonight, but believe in yourself as much as we believe in you.” She told her.

“E-Even you?”

“Against these beings who can infiltrate and make a mockery of our lives? Yes, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to work with my sister again, but we must press on regardless. I’ll meet you there, let's move.” Xueyi said, sprinting off in one direction to meet the tide of possessed enemies advancing on them from there.

Stelle looked like she wanted to say something as she put a hand on Huohuo’s shoulder. “Even I’m scared… I wonder if tonight will leave me with even more Heliobus specific trauma…”

Huohuo nodded. “So even you… You did look like you remembered something earlier tonight… right before I tried to escort you out.”

Stelle took a deep breath. “It… had to do with Phantylia…” She winced, biting her lip as those memories flooded back. “I may not have known her long… but I lost a friend to her, in a really cruel way. Seeing so many possessed around me, I keep t-thinking I’m seeing her again… I’m glad at least you cannot be possessed again. I don’t want anyone dying tonight.” Stelle admitted, her knuckles white as she gripped that bat.

“Right… I’m sorry for digging it up, no wonder you knew the danger of Heliobi… Let's all make it through the night!” Huohuo said, standing behind Stelle as they began their advance. “I’m counting on you also Mr Tail!”

“Yeah yeah, I can see your legs shaking, trying to act brave for the tall brat? Get your talismans out and remember your incantations! You only practiced them in front of the mirror a couple thousand times just this year.”

Stelle immediately imagined Huohuo posing in a mirror, cracking a smile to match the tiny laugh that slipped out.

“Go to sleep!” She shouted, striking one possessed Spiritfarer in the gut with her bat, knocking them out, as well as a floating green speck of fire. Each bit of Furynox that was knocked out of them was siphoned by that Gourd that Huohuo carried, all while she kept Stelle healed, reinforcing her toughness till blades would barely leave nicks on her.

“Go to sleep go to sleep go to sleep!” She was quite literally a berserker on that battlefield, far stronger and faster than she had a right to be. Dodging the blades of Auramatons, she smashed at least one Auramaton’s head clean off. She also was doing decent at keeping the possessed as far away from Huohuo as she could, taking a few extra hits to ensure that.

In return, Huohuo was getting more accurate in tossing her talismans, chanting her incantations even when nearly hysterical.

It was like pain wasn’t affecting her as her cool gaze moved to her next targets. They were nearly at the Verdant Terrace, the first little plaza Stelle had seen when she exited the Star Skiff to get there with Guinaifen. “We’re almost there! Final stretch!” The Gourd was packed full of those fragments, and it appeared Xueyi’s was as well as she ran towards their destination, pulling someone behind her. “They’ll all be a bit bruised, but I made sure to avoid hitting their heads as best I could. Your Auramatons are broken though.” Stelle said as they met up.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Guinaifen gasping for air behind Xueyi, so she was safe.

Huohuo looked up at her. “Do you have a grudge against robots also?” She asked carefully.

Stelle shrugged. “To be fair, they are something I can hit as hard as I want. But yes, after dealing with a hard headed robot named Svarog I may be seething with a grudge against critters of the mechanical variety…” When she noticed Xueyi looking at her very closely she looked away, remembering both how Xueyi acted, and that her footsteps sounded metallic. “I didn’t mean you!” The hard stare gave way to a very slight chuckle, enough that she was unsure she heard it.

“I appreciate your consideration for the lives of the Spiritfarers. Come, we’ll seal these fragments into the Evil-binding Matrix.” The group’s hurried steps reached a large almost shrine-like object that glowed in a sickly green hue. “Here, Huohuo, add these fragments to the matrix, and activate the incantation. It would take me several times longer to imbue it with the necessary spiritual power.” Xueyi told Huohuo, handing her her own gourd.

As Huohuo approached that matrix, Stelle, who was watching out for any approaching possessed aiming to disrupt them, saw Guinaifen out of the corner of her eye.

“Woah! So these are the Commission's sacred tools?” Guinaifen asked, though her gaze was a bit unfocused.

“Y-Yes, excuse me Miss Guinaifen! If you get too close to the matrix you may feel- Hey!” Huohuo shouted as she tried to step back, barely too slow to avoid both gourds being smacked from her hands and into the ground.

Stelle was quick to rush forward as she saw the possessed Guinaifen start to reach out at Huohuo. Stelle winced as she slammed her baseball bat into Guinaifen’s stomach only after she had struck. “Sorry Lil Gui!”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t in time to stop those fragments from escaping their shattered prison.

“Freeeee~ We’re freeee~” The mindless Fragments of Furynox seemed to want to converge again, but before that could happen Stelle felt like her chest was being ripped open.

With a silent scream and a pain intense enough to make her stop breathing for a good few seconds, Stelle collapsed to her knees while Cirrus flew out from inside of her.

They watched as that Heliobus flew high above them… and began to draw all the fragments into themselves, their form and visible power swelling with each one.

“Ahhh~ Thank you Your Honors, you truly helped me out, I never could have gathered so many fragments by myself so swiftly.” Cirrus’s gaze turned towards Stelle. “As for you, you aberration possessed by far worse than I, as promised I have left your body.” Cirrus declared as their power reformed them into a larger eyeball, but looking far more menacing as they stared them all down. The words they said to her surprisingly hurt worse than Cirrus pulling themselves from her chest.

“Let's play some more, shall we?” Cirrus asked as more possessed minions began to filter into the area to surround them.

It became chaotic as the assault began, one Stelle wasn’t sure she would survive… but she would do her best to make sure the two judges and Gui survived at the very least! It was getting too hectic as she darted around, blocking blows with her bat and smashing Auramatons, though she was steadily getting more sloppy.

“Stelle!” She heard Huohuo shout, only noticing a shadow too late above her. Something was being swung at her from behind, likely one of those bigger Auramatons.

She grit her teeth as she felt that familiar heat inside of herself. “War-Flaming Lance!” That bat dissolved away as she let that same feeling she got in Belabog fill her. She swung another weapon behind her, unleashing a wave of golden fire at the same time. The Auramaton behind her was knocked back, right before a large stab from the lance melted a hole in its chest.

A pulse of energy from her upheld lance appeared to gather attention to her from the enemies, several being siphoned away from the judges. The bursts of flame seemed to only singe the people, but did far worse to the machines there, ‘preserving’ life in its own way.

“Ha! So you’ve been touched by ‘preservation’ have you? And yet… you are not an Emanator, it makes no difference~” Cirrus mocked as their gaze gathered on them all once the minions were driven back. “Just… Give in already!” They shouted, an aura of darkness reaching out to envelop them all. Stelle yelped as she felt her feet start to leave the ground. She stabbed her lance into the ground to resist that pull, and saw Xueyi starting to float as well. It was like Cirrus was drawing them in…

Her lance was knocked loose, dissolving in her hands as her concentration faltered, feeling that intrusion in her mind.

“If you can’t win… You cheat!” Xueyi shouted, tossing one of her chained spears at Stelle, wrapping it around her leg while pinning herself to the ground as well, stopping Stelle feet away from the massive Heliobus. Stelle didn’t know what would happen if she made contact with Cirrus like that, if he was actually attempting to consume her like Tail had consumed Huohuo’s tail.

At the very least she could hear Mr Tail planning with Huohuo, but not make out details from the sound of rattling chains and wind. Inch by inch, those chains began to fail, getting closer to Cirrus.

She finally heard it, and even felt the tiny pulse of energy on her skin. Looking down she saw Mr Tail flying up to move right past her. “See you on the other side Huohuo!” He shouted. As he got near her she heard his voice low near her ear. “Look out for the brat… please…” With that… he vanished inside of Cirrus.

The effect was immediate, with Cirrus bulging out, small cracks forming. “Get out of me you little-!” It was a pressure from the inside. That appeared to be making the Heliobus crack.

“How do I TASTE?!” Mr Tail shouted, seeming to be bouncing around, putting the internal pressure on Cirrus.

“Are you insane?! Why would you help the mortals?!” Cirrus hissed, squirming in pain at whatever Tail was doing.

“I don’t need a reason to hate a Heliobus like you! You’re somehow more of a coward than the brat! Hey you brats! Get him while I have him here!”

From below, an array of green chains sprouted from thin air around Cirrus, wrapping him tightly, putting more pressure on him. Down below, Huohuo was exerting enough energy that it was visible on occasion, it was even almost pretty, her eyes glowing with it. Her spiritual techniques held Cirrus perfectly in place. It was also the fiercest Stelle had seen her look that night, looking every bit the Judge she was.

Stelle held up her lance again. That golden fire enveloped the Aeon granted weapon, even a few embers coming from her mouth with each heavy breath. “Lance… ABLAZE!” She threw that lance, the powerful symbol of acknowledgment from Qlipoth themself, dead center at Cirrus’s eye. “Please work… If anything could damage a Heliobus let it be this!”

Like popping a balloon, those flames of preservation, or perhaps something else, lapped at the edges of the hole it left in Cirrus, all before exploding into a million fragments of ghostly flame. The glow of possession faded away from those around them still standing, causing them to collapse.

Stelle herself fell to one knee as that fire receded from her eyes and breath, the lance already dismissed. “H-Huohuo?” she called out after seeing Xueyi slowly standing up. Not far away Huohuo was watching those falling flames with horror in her eyes instead of victory.

“T-Tail? Tail!” She called out futilely.

While Huohuo looked to be hurting emotionally, the stiff movements from Xueyi spoke of a greater need. Stelle stumbled over to offer a hand to Xueyi, helping her to her feet. “Are you alright? You are looking a bit beat up…”

“It's just a bit of damage, it's an artificial body, I can easily swap to another one.” Xueyi said, looking over at Huohuo with a complicated expression. “The Heliobus possessing her is gone, but seeing her like this I’m not sure if I should feel happy for her, or sad… Emotions have never been my area of expertise.” Her eyes turned back to Stelle. “Thank you for your assistance, the Ten-Lords Commission will not forget your aid. Reinforcements should soon be arriving, I’ll be fine till then.” Xueyi said, looking towards Huohuo worriedly.

“He c-can’t be gone… I can’t sense him anywhere…” Huohuo mumbled as Stelle knelt down next to her. “I k-know I complained about him… a l-lot… I had thought about how much better my life would be without him but… Why do I feel so empty?” Huohuo asked, tears in her eyes.

Stelle took a bit of a risk, and hugged the tiny woman. She felt her shirt get clenched as Huohuo let out her emotions one quiet sob at a time. “I don’t know… but I doubt he is gone, after all, Heliobi don’t die.” Stelle said, a hand rubbing Huohuo’s back like was done for her in the past. It was like her words flipped a switch in Huohuo though.

“Y-You’re right… there is still a chance we m-might find him… though maybe he would want to be free anyway…” Huohuo mumbled, separating herself from Stelle. “Thank you…”

“Any time. Let's go sit somewhere more comfortable, I think we both could use a rest.” Stelle winced as she stood back up, pulling Huohuo to her feet.

It was quiet between them as Stelle brought them to one of the pavilions off to the side, letting both of them get off their feet. Stelle watched as those reinforcements came, and began to gather up their unconscious. She frowned as she saw one more possessed person, a young-looking spiritfarer was put into a circle near that activated Matrix. “I have a feeling things aren’t over yet…” She said after a good ten minutes of catching her breath.

“Probably not, it's always something…” Huohuo mumbled, still appearing out of it.

Stelle typed in her phone for a few moments before holding it up. “I may not have known you very long, but I think we went through a lot tonight... If you ever need to talk, I’m a call away, and I do believe you promised your number earlier?” Stelle said teasingly, a feeling of success filling her when she at least got a smile from Huohuo.

Stelle laid back in her bed after a shower that felt like heaven after that night. After popping off a quick message about the night to Sushang, and a get-well-soon to Guinaifen, she felt nearly ready to sleep. “First things first…”

Chapter Text

Side B: Huohuo

Huohuo felt like her head was stuffed with straw. She only remembered feeling worse whenever she was sick, or extremely overworked. Remembering the previous night was difficult, so she pulled up her phone to at least check the time.

She nearly dropped her phone as that conversation refreshed in her mind. Scrolling up she at least remembered Stelle’s explanation of the Astral Express, but she was too tired to keep going. “More sleep? No… need to do stuff…” She grumbled, part of her brain thinking it was too quiet in that small house. Wandering into the kitchen, she checked her fridge, hoping food may wake her brain up more. “Hey Tail, you remember If I bought those eggs? Could have sworn I had some more… Tail?” She looked at her rear, finding just… nothing.

It took her brain a moment to remember the rest of the night. Suddenly she didn’t feel like having food… It was such a complicated feeling, a mixture of relief, but far too bitter. Her brain flashed her the images of the night before, seeing Tail sacrifice themselves, right before Cirrus exploded. “Tail… Where did you end up?” She just hoped they were alright…

She was broken out of her musing by the vibrations of her phone she placed on the counter. “Must be Madam Hanya, new job maybe?” Surely they could have gone a day without her, with all the clean up needing to be done after that mess of a night.

Before she knew it, Huohuo found herself quietly snickering to herself, half of a smile on her face. It took another thirty seconds before she realized what she agreed to. “Wait…” Being out near crowds had always been a bit of a weakness of hers, but she had already agreed to the meeting… At least she could put off the first question, she had no desire to figure out how she was feeling that morning. “Why did I agree to this so quickly?”

She just hoped she could work up the appetite to eat,  normally Tail would at least force her to eat something, caring in his own way. While going out in public like that was entirely nerve wrecking, just about everything felt like it would be that day. At least she would be with a new friend.

Her phone vibrated mere seconds after she turned off the screen. “Who now?”

Huohuo sighed, resting her forehead on the fridge door as she tried to get her head in gear. “I never do? That can’t be right…” First thing first, getting into clothes proper for an off-duty outing.

Huohuo smoothed her longer skirt down, and adjusted her top in the mirror. It felt strange not having to have the seal on her rear, considering it had been there for more of her life than not having it, having had Tail for more of her life also. That thought made her take one last look at her home before she closed the door. It felt far too lonely in there, too quiet. "Now I'll just get seen as the Foxian without a tail, rather than the Foxian who's tail is on fire..."

Thankfully, one trip through the Stellar Anchor and she felt at least a bit more alive. While she didn’t care to be in crowds, she still liked seeing her people happy and living their lives without fear, it meant she was doing her part.

The hustle and bustle of Aurum Alley, while full of life, was a bit rough on her. She walked through it all quickly and typed out a quick message to Stelle that she arrived, her eyes scanning the crowds for her.

“Yo.” She heard behind her, causing her to jump nearly up to Stelle’s height.

“Eep! P-please don’t sneak up behind me…” She nearly begged, a tiny whine in her throat as her heart slowly calmed down.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear.” Stelle said, looking ever so slightly guilty. “It's just a street over, if you want to stick close to me to not get lost. Didn’t expect it to be so crowded here this morning…” She mumbled.

Huohuo followed behind Stelle, observing her rather silent, and tall, friend. “H-how about you? Are you doing alright?” She asked, the sound nearly swallowed up by the rumble of the morning crowds.

Thankfully it really was not even a few minutes of a walk before Stelle held a door open for her. “I’m getting by.” Was all Stelle said, but Huohuo could see that Stelle was developing some dark circles that could match her own. Or did she also have them the night before? “I know I have trouble sleeping, is something also keeping her up at night?”

Stepping into the building, it was clear to see it was a small and cozy restaurant, the type of hole-in-the-wall places that spawn small legends, like the beloved hidden jewels of an area. With it being that small, there were not many tables, but also not many people. It must have been their lucky day as they took a table in the corner for themselves. “Cozy.”

Stelle had summed it up pretty well as they settled in across from each other. It took but a minute before a waitress came over. “Welcome to the Avian Nest, how are you ladies doing this morning? Anything I can get for you?” She asked, setting down two menus for them. With the pictures of the food on them, it nearly instantly made Huohuo hungry.

“Just some Citrax juice please.” Huohuo said, browsing through her menu. “Let's see… I suppose I’ll try these stuffed breakfast cakes?”

Stelle browsed over the menu, but she looked confused. “I’ll take some coffee and I’ll just get the same as her, I haven’t had any of this.” Stelle said, making her snap decision and handing the menu back.

“Very well, how do you take your coffee?” The waitress asked, only getting a look of confusion.

“What do you mean?”

The waitresses professional smile slipped a tiny bit before Huohuo chimed in. “She meant, do you want it sweetened, or cream added?” Huohuo got a look of appreciation from both of the others.

Stelle’s eyes widened. “It can come sweetened? Miss Himeko always has it really strong, and I got used to it. Just regular is fine.”

“Thank you, I’ll be back in a bit with those.”

Then it was back to just the two of them tucked into that cozy breakfast nook. “Hey Huohuo?”

“Hmm?”

“I got a text from Guinaifen saying something about a gathering back at the garden? Did you? I’d rather us not get in trouble… or if it's unsafe.” There was that look of sadness again, cracking through Stelle’s cold facade.

“Oh, yes, I was going to ask you about that also. Right after you invited me Madam Hanya told me that we’re putting together some sort of squad, but we’ll get more details in the afternoon. Personally… I’d feel a lot safer if you joined, b-but I’m not trying to pressure you or anything!” Huohuo quickly said, looking away.

“Since we’re going there, it's probably about… all that happened last night, so Heliobi. I don’t mind helping out. I honestly think we made a good team. I’ll handle the physical problems I can beat with my bat, and you can handle healing and spiritual stuff? I really appreciate you saving me, I owe you one. You’re fun to spend time with.” Stelle said, accepting the cup of coffee the waitress quietly sat down, setting Huohuo’s juice down as well. She didn’t appear like she wanted to interrupt them though. “Are you sure you’re doing okay?”

“Y-yeah, it's… just going to take some time to get used to things.” She sipped her juice and mulled over her words, while also hiding the blush from that last comment, not all that used to people being so nice. “I appreciate you keeping the enemies off of me, I’d have probably still been stuck in that maze without you. So, if this whole thing is about hunting down some Heliobi, I’d feel a lot more comfortable with you there.” She stared into her cup and thought about things. “Honestly, this is nice, being able to have a calm breakfast.”

Stelle smiled at her for a few moments, right before plates were set in front of them. On each one were essentially two thick and doughy pancakes. Slicing into one with her fork, purple and pink yam oozed out from them, filling their noses with a sweet and floral scent. Huohuo did the same with her own, smiling at the waitress. “Thank you, it looks amazing.” She said. Stelle’s eyes were locked on Huohuo’s ears that were lightly flapping in her joy as she took her first bite.

“You two enjoy, just ring the bell when you’re finished.” With another bow, the waitress left the duo to get cozy.

For a few minutes, the two were focused on the wonderful food in the comfortable atmosphere of that booth. “This place certainly was worth coming to, these are so good~” Huohuo said, already tearing through half of her food.

Stelle ate at a far more sedate pace, each sip of her coffee making her appear more attentive. “You know, as creepy as last night kind of was, I feel like in its prime, Fyxestroll Gardens was probably even more beautiful than it is now. Maybe once this problem is solved I’ll make walks there a regular thing. Frankly, it will be hard to leave the Luofu . I think I really like it here. It was a rough time, but now that I have the leave to really explore, its beautiful.”

“It is. Even if there are some darker spots, I don’t think even Madam Hanya has and she is… I’m pretty sure over a thousand?” Stelle didn’t look all too surprised.

“Like you heard me say last night, I just assume everyone is older than me, well… they probably are anyway. No wonder she was so patient with Guinaifen if she is that much older than her. Honestly, I kind of like Hanya, I can tell she has a kind side, even if she looks scary.” Stelle said, slowly eating her own pancakes, the tiniest smile on her face as she clearly enjoyed it.

“Madam Hanya is actually quite nice. Madam Xueyi can be harsher on me sometimes, but they both seem to take my limits into account.” Huohuo idly dragged a piece of pancake through the leaked jam, deep in thought. “In a way… they’re like the older sisters I didn’t have, or more… they’ve been there for me most of my life.”

“Good, I’m glad they’re looking out for you. I’ll join this squad, so I can look out for you also. Also by now I think it is my responsibility to make sure Gui doesn't get into any more trouble… Heliobi are dangerous, and I want to stop them.” Her fork clinked against her plate rather hard by the end, startling Huohuo.

“They are… By now my life could almost be defined by them. We can talk about them more later, if that is what the squad will be about.” She shook her head, trying to put the memories back in their box. “Could you tell me about that lance you used? I thought you used a bat? And what was that fire?”

Stelle gave an understanding nod before she set her fork down, her food already eaten. “I got it in Belabog, and I guess it is just a permanent thing I can do now. Shame I can’t control the giant robot that came with it anymore, that would be useful. I got it after… I suppose it was what you would call getting gazed at by an Aeon.” That raised Huohuo’s eyebrows.

“Belabog worships preservation and Qlipoth, and I guess THEY approved of me enough to let me use that. So… Belabog is a planet covered in ice and snow, frozen over for centuries, due to a Stellaron.” At that, Huohuo saw Stelle shut down. It was almost imperceivable how Stelle’s normally blank face became sadder, her eyes dropping to the table, their amber hue dulling.

Huohuo could just tell there was some history behind that, so she didn’t press. “So that lance is from Qlipoth? No wonder it was powerful…”

“It's a long story, if you have the time. You said we don’t need to be there till noon? Ah…” Stelle looked towards the rest of the restaurant that was steadily filling up.

Huohuo looked over as well and got the point. “I do want to hear it, but we should probably save it till later, so someone else can have our table.” It would be rude to loiter in such a small place after all. Still, Huohuo needed to finish her food.

Not long later Stelle hit that bell, pulling out a card, staring at Huohuo firmly, a silent war between them until Huohuo put her own wallet away. “I brought you here, so I’ll pay.” She smirked when she ‘won’, getting a giggle from Huohuo.

Once the bill was paid, and they were outside in that fresh air, Stelle stretched. Huohuo couldn’t help the tiny flush that hit her cheeks from glimpsing the hint of stomach when Stelle’s shirt rode up for a brief moment. “S-So, I’ll meet you at Fyxestroll Gardens in an hour or two? Madam Hanya should have more information there.” Huohuo felt reluctant to end things there… but she would see her later, so it wasn’t too bad.

“Got it, meet you then.” A wave and a cool smile later, and they were separated again.

Huohuo stood still for a moment, walking back to her home to change and prepare, and maybe even try and understand the way her heart had fluttered at that smile.

Huohuo tried to hold back her squeak at the feelings she got walking into Fyxestroll Garden again, the memories of the night before strong in the back of her mind. She adjusted the fresh, but stiff, uniform she had put on as she made her way to the location Hanya had specified. “Can this place stop giving me the creeps one day? How could Stelle possibly think its peaceful here?” She whined under her breath as she finally arrived under an overhang further inside.

“M-Madam Hanya?” She called out as she stepped past that screen. There was a desk with paperwork on it, as well as a mountain of scrolls off to the side, but no one was around.

Thinking about it, she should have really expected it. She squirmed away and flailed with a squeaky scream when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Eeep! Ahh ahh… It's you M-madam Hanya…” She got up, dusting herself off.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you would have heard me.” Hanya’s monotone voice told her, settling into the chair at that desk. “I’m glad you’re here early, I can explain things ahead of time.”

“My hearing can get muffled s-since my ears don’t stay up… apologies. I’m ready for duty.” She said, standing up a bit straighter in front of the desk, at least attempting to appear professional.

“You don’t need to apologize Huohuo, I’m the one who startled you.” Hanya straightened up the papers on her desk and looked up at her fellow Judge. “The Ten-Lords Commission has put forth a commendation to be awarded for your actions the prior night. As you know, with the Creation Furnace still under repair, many more Heliobi still remain freely roaming, and so The Ten-Lords have decreed for this task force to be created until the situation is resolved. It will last for however long it takes. Until further instruction, this will be your priority over all your other tasks.”

“C-commended? I put civilians in danger… I n-nearly got Madam Xueyi hurt as well… Waking up I had expected to be demoted, if only due to no longer having Mr T-Tail…” It was a complicated expression, but there was clear sadness in it.

“Huohuo, from what Xueyi has told me, you showed bravery and skill. This event would have happened regardless of any action of yours, and you rose to the task. You were never promoted due to hosting a Heliobus. It may be difficult for you to see, but in these 38 years you’ve proven your potential many times over, it was an investment in the Commission’s future. 

“That potential was there from the start, and your mastery over your considerable pool of energy has only increased. In two hundred years, I have a feeling you will truly be the expert in the commission in regards to spiritual techniques.” Hanya surprised Huohuo just by talking so much in praise, enough to make Huohuo feel guilty for thinking of her as the ‘rambling judge’ for so long.

“Since I sealed Tail into the form of your previous tail you’ve grown up to be a successful Judge the Commission, my sister, and myself, place great trust in. You may not acknowledge it, but just like my sister and I bring our own specialties to the Commission, you also have your own traits that make you a valuable member that I’ve been proud to see grow up. As such, I hope one day you will have the confidence you should.”

Hanya quietly sighed, setting her papers down for a moment. “Apologies, after last night I believe I’ll be a tad… protective over my sister and you for some time.” Hanya said, looking down at her paperwork by the end, as if it could hide some of the emotion in her near dead eyes. In all the time she had known Hanya, it was the biggest pep talk she attempted to give.

She could tell Hanya and Xueyi cared for her, but she didn’t know Hanya felt that strongly about it. She quickly wiped the tears in her eyes, standing up a bit straighter. “I’ll… do my best.” She couldn’t help the tiny smile on her face.

“Good. So…” Hanya rested her chin on her folded hands. “Did you enjoy breakfast with the trailblazer?” And like that, that smile was replaced with nervousness and the hint of a blush.

Chapter Text

Side B: Huohuo

Huohuo couldn’t help the tiny smile that appeared on her face when she saw Stelle making her way in Fyxestroll Garden. There was some distance across the place, but she must have been spotted also as Stelle waved at her.

She waved right back and settled into a chair. “This is going to be a long day…” She said as she awaited the others.

Despite being on guard, she nearly was spooked when she looked behind her. Guinaifen had been steadily creeping up behind her, but was grabbed by the collar by Stelle, who was looking into Gui’s eyes sternly. “I think we’ve all had enough fright for the week.” She said, letting go of Gui after ensuring she wouldn’t fall on her face.

“Awww you’re no fun…” Guinaifen complained, fixing her top where it was stretched. She visibly winced as she twisted her torso. “Just how did I get this bruise…” She muttered as she revealed her stomach. Guinaifen’s stomach was almost entirely bruised over.

“Baseball bat. You were possessed. Sorry.” Stelle simply said, appearing tired, even after the coffee she had earlier. It was a long night after all.

“You hit me with your baseball bat?! Ow.. No wonder I bruised so much… But better that than being possessed, sorry.” Luckily, she didn’t hold a grudge about it. When Sushang finally came into view, Guinaifen’s smile came back, waving at her best friend excitedly. “You missed all the fun last night!”

“Fun? From what I heard it sounded horrifying…” Sushang said as she walked up to Guinaifen, looking… less than pleased. Without much care for Gui’s easy going smile, she pulled at her friend’s cheeks until Guinaifen was whining.

“Am sowwie ow!” Gui whined. Eventually Sushang stopped, hugging her friend instead.

“Don’t scare me like that again… you could have died! I have no intention of making videos in your stead if you die like an idiot!” Sushang seemed genuinely worried, but eventually let go, trying to stealthily wipe her eyes. “Is it safe for us to be here like this?”

“I would guess so? We Were invited after all.” Guinaifen said.

“A-Ah, it is safe enough here. The Evil-binding Matrix is complete, and we’ve been sealing loose Heliobi within. Ones as strong as Cirrus are quite rare, and we would know if more of them were around. It really isn’t easy for them all to clump together, they basically have to give up individuality. Since they feed off emotions, they take on some of those aspects, and losing that built up individuality is a bit of a barrier. We can relax a little bit.” Huohuo said, appeasing the Streamer and the Knight’s fears.

“Okay, if a Judge says it is safe I’ll believe it. So what is going to happ- Where did your tail go?” Guinaifen asked, covering her mouth immediately as she saw the pain that appeared in their Foxian friend’s eyes.

Stelle lightly smacked the back of Guinaifen’s head, shooting Huohuo a look of concern.

Huohuo took a deep breath, trying to stop the pain from appearing in her eyes. Thankfully, Hanya appeared, placing a hand on her head. “This squad was ordered assembled by the Ten-Lords commission to deal with this Heliobi outbreak. They’ve weighed that the benefits will outweigh the risks. Cloud-Knight Sushang, while we have been granted custody of you by your squad, I’m not going to force you to risk your life on things outside of your skill set. If you wish to leave, please say so now.” Hanya said, standing impassively, towering over most of them, except Stelle, who was the tallest among them.

Sushang winced at being put on the spot, but shrugged. “Well, I can’t let my Guinaifen here charge into danger without me, so I’m in, M-Ma’am.” She added at the end.

“Good to hear it. While the direction this squad shall be going in will be decidedly in Guinaifen’s area of expertise, Judge Huohuo will be here as acting captain of this squad. This will be a dangerous mission to embark upon, but I have confidence in this assembled squad.” Hanya turned towards Huohuo, smiling at her. “You know what must be done. I’ll handle the paperwork when I am not occupied by my own duties, as such, I’ll return later.” Hanya said, giving Huohuo one last smile before vanishing with the Astral Anchor that had been set up conveniently nearby.

“Madam Hanya really works too hard… I think she gets less sleep than me…” Huohuo said worriedly, shaking her head to get her mind back on track.

Stelle tried, but couldn’t stop the tiny smile and giggle that slipped out as Huohuo’s ears momentarily wiggled around from the head shake.

Huohuo cleared her throat and started to pace nervously. “So, I’m not a social media person, or a social person honestly… So the plan is for you to handle that Guinaifen! As you pointed out, Heliobi do remind people enough about ghosts that it makes a good lead on when one might be around.”

“Wait… so that means?!” Guinaifen’s eyes lit up.

“We’re going to grow your channel so we can use it as a tip line for Heliobus incidents. Can we do that?”

“I don’t mind, I can even title it Ghost Hunting Squad! The team is assembled~ With each successful hunt, we’ll get some new material to use for posts, and we’ll rack up those subscribers in no time! Having a Judge with us will really give us some authenticity, and a bit of clout~”

“W-wait… Should I even appear in any of the videos? The Ten-Lords commission is supposed to stay out of the spotlight…” Huohuo looked worried.

Stelle tilted her head. “I mean, this entire thing is put together by them, so if they didn’t want you to appear, I don’t think they would have officially allowed this. Besides, you’re probably the cutest judge they have, so maybe they’re going for an image improvement?” Stelle suggested.

She seemed unaware of the effects those words had on Huohuo. The tiny Foxian had frozen up, blushing and squirming on the spot. “I’m just small… and now a Foxian with no tail…”

“There isn’t anything wrong with being small. You can’t help what happened, and there is nothing wrong with it.” Stelle tried to encourage her. Strangely enough, Huohuo felt it helping.

“Thanks… S-So! We’ll get hints from your channel about ghostly activity, investigate, and deal with it. The Ten-Lords commission gets the Heliobi problem under control, and you get help growing your channel.” She got a strangely mischievous look in her eyes as she looked at Guinaifen. “If we grow it enough, even Hanya won’t be able to call you unemployed again.”

The fact the others laughed at her joke made her feel a bit less awkward at least. “So! We have our heroine of the Ambrosial Arbor Incident, and a brave Cloud-Knight as the muscle, I’ll t-try and deal with the Heliobi themself, and we have Guinaifen as our social media manager.” Huohuo cleared her throat, she was not used to talking so much.

“Sounds like a plan Captain Huohuo!” Sushang said, leaning over Guinaifen’s shoulder to peer at the phone she was fiddling on.

“Already on it Captain Huohuo! I think I may have found a lead!” Guinaifen added.

Huohuo sighed, turning up to see Stelle smiling again. “We’ll follow your lead Captain Huohuo.” Huohuo smiled and slumped over in exasperation.

“What am I going to do with you all… Y-you don’t need to call me that. I’m not really used to group operations like this without Madam Hanya and Madam Xueyi… I’m sorry you didn’t get them, they would be more use-” Before Huohuo could finish her self-deprecating comment, she felt a tap on her slim shoulder.

She looked up at Stelle, right in time for Stelle to gently boop her nose. “You’ll do just fine, you can have more confidence. It may not mean much, but I believe in you.” Stelle quietly said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

In truth, it meant more than Stelle would think. “Thanks… I’ll do my best. I have some new Lunaumbra Gourds for capturing the Heliobi to replace the one Guinaifen broke.” Huohuo wondered if this was what having friends felt like…

“I was possessed! That isn’t fair…” Guinaifen protested, pouting at her. “Anyway… People are spotting the Dragon Lady in Aurum Alley.”

“That isn’t too unusual, Bailu goes there to get snacks when she escapes. They really make a kid work too hard… I know it's complicated, but still, I feel bad for her. She dragged me around the other day so she could try some new stalls.” Stelle added.

“Maybe, maybe, but were there always two of them?” Guinaifen asked smugly, holding up her phone.

Within the picture, someone had snagged a picture of two Bailu playing together. Besides the fact it was adorable, it was also worrying… The Dragon Lady was an important figure on the Luofu, especially for the Vidyadhara. To have someone that valuable to the ship be possessed was an emergency.

“There are not, so I think it is a good hint that a Heliobus is behind this. Before we go, I’d like to see if Cirrus can tell us anything about this particular Heliobus. Each one is a bit different.” Huohuo said, biting her lip as she thought.

“Would they bother even telling us anything? Aren’t they sealed?” Stelle asked. She didn’t look particularly happy about speaking to them…

“Unfortunately… they possessed a young Spiritfarer last night, and are burrowed deep in them. We can’t get them out without potentially killing the host. It's the same reason why Tail had to be sealed where he was, rather than extracted. If they would have, I’d probably have died when I was much younger.” Huohuo felt a stab in her heart as she mentioned Tail, it was a mess of complicated emotions…

“Either way, we know what Cirrus wants, so we might be able to manipulate them to give something up before we get this done.” Huohuo finished, directing them all to the Astral Anchor. “May as well save some time. There is one set up near the Verdant Terrace, just attune to this one, you’ve been authorized to use it.” Huohuo said, double checking the settings on the Anchor.

“Let's go bully us a Heliobus!” Guinaifen said, looking just a bit vengeful.

“Well well well, it's the loud coward, the short coward Judge, and the abomination.” Cirrus said, turning his possessed body to look at Sushang, not seeming to care enough to ask who she was. “Do you have a reason for disturbing me?”

Huohuo looked over when she saw Stelle flinch at his words, looking worried for a few moments before she was focused again. She turned back to Cirrus and glared, though she knew she was far from intimidating… except that one time.

“Can we destroy them already? Two sentences and I already hate them.” Sushang complained, cracking her knuckles.

“By all means try your hardest~ We Heliobi cannot die, this is an immutable fact.” Cirrus boasted.

Stelle stepped forward, crouching down a bit to look into their borrowed eyes. “We don’t need you to die, we just need you to hurt. I’m an ‘abomination’ after all, I’m sure I could come up with a few ways to make you regret that immortality..” She said all that with a monotone voice, her amber eyes ever so slightly glowing.

“S-Stelle! We can’t hurt the host… Otherwise I’d probably let you.” Huohuo added at the end.

“Yes, yes, so very scary~ Now get on with it, it may be boring here, but that is still preferable than being near you flesh bags.” Cirrus complained.

“Are you unhappy with how things turned out?” Huohuo asked, folding her arms.

“What are you even trying to ask me, Foxian runt? If you’re looking for your pathetic guard dog, he turned to ashes last night.” Mentioning Tail certainly was effective at hitting her in the chest. She tried to brush it aside.

“I don’t care about that, I have my body back entirely, and some privacy. Are you unhappy about the fact you’re stuck right here in this spot, unable to taste emotions, gasping for any attention, while the rest of your ‘furnace-mates’ are off running free?”

“Oh I see your angle, you think I’d betray my fellows just out of a petty reason like that?” Cirrus complained, glaring up at all of them. “I have a different condition. I came here for a fight with the General of the Luofu. If you bring him here, I’ll answer any question you may have.”

Huohuo’s eyes widened, mentally calculating the chances of pulling that off, and finding it not very high…

“Awww is the runt judge so low on the totem pole that even asking the General is too much?” Cirrus taunted smugly.

Stelle nudged Huohuo as she typed on her phone. “Hey Huohuo, he said he can make time soon, give him a few minutes. I think he wants to slack off a bit, but not my problem.” Stelle said, looking at Cirrus smugly.

Huohuo stared up at her in amazement. “You can just… message the General like that?” Huohuo asked, a bit of awe sneaking into her tone. “That was fast…”

“A lot of people message me, so I got used to typing fast. I fought with him, and he is honestly pretty fun to be around. I suppose we’re battle buddies? March 7th described it like that.” Stelle said, putting her phone away.

“Well then, let the games begin~ How convenient that he’ll be here just like that.” Cirrus’s smugness, didn’t last the hour.

Several hours, fights, interrogations, and chasing two tiny dragon girls through an illusionary maze later… Finally the Heliobi, Luxie, was sealed in the Gourd.

“I’m sorry about all this Bailu, you’re probably tired, make sure you eat plenty.” Stelle said, having crouched down as Bailu recovered from the possession.

“Y-yeah… I think that is enough playing for today… You don’t need to tell me how to take care of myself, I Am a doctor. Speaking of, Huohuo! Don’t forget your appointment later this month!” She told the Foxian before running off.

“Y-yes yes, I’ll be there.” Huohuo said, waving fondly as Bailu vanished back towards her home in the Alchemy Commission. “With how the previous month has gone, she surely has her work cut out for her. No wonder that Heliobus could prey on her that much. I’d be burnt out also…” Huohuo sighed, placing the Gourd on her belt and turning to look at her team.

“Good job today, we can meet the same time tomorrow.” Huohuo said, sitting next to Stelle on a nearby bench. It had been an exhausting day, putting it mildly.

Guinaifen was deep in her phone, typing away. “Sounds good, I’ll get this post written up, nix any personal details, and drum up some hype! This is going great~ Well, besides having to fight… I swallow swords, not fight with them…”

“Speaking of, better take the generals advice and return that sword, before Yanqing decides to chase you down for it. That kid treats his collection like his babies.” Stelle added, leaning back on the edge of that bench until her back cracked. “Ahh…”

 “Speaking of, I need to sharpen mine. I was not expecting to fight any Auramatons so soon.” Multiple stomachs growling reminded most of them of the late time as the artificial sun set. Sushang grabbed Guinaifen’s hand, tugging her along as she still worked on that post, ignoring her own hunger. “I’ll talk to you both tomorrow, I’ll make sure this one actually takes care of herself.” Sushang said, dragging her best friend away.

Stelle and Huohuo sat in that comfortable silence for a few more minutes, the air getting colder around them. They were already sitting a bit close together… Turning to face Stelle…

“Boop.” A finger to her nose, and one of those rare smiles of Stelle’s that sent flutters through her stomach, entirely unrelated to her hunger.

The thought of just how close Sushang and Guinaifen were was pushed from her mind. “Is that going to be your thing from now on?” Huohuo asked, a touch of fondness in her voice.

A simple nod from Stelle was all the answer needed for that. “All in all, it was a tiring but good day. I’m glad Bailu is safe now. It is… scary how easily they can take people over…” Stelle shook her head, seeming to try and banish whatever thoughts were rolling around in it. “Hey, Huohuo, want to-”

“Want to go get dinner? Ah- Sorry…” Huohuo said as they momentarily talked over each other. “I can pay you back for this morning, my treat.” Huohuo offered, taking her hat off and flicking her ears around. “This thing is way too tight sometimes…”

Stelle thought about it long enough that Huohuo felt ice leak into her chest, the feeling of rejection coming. Seeing Stelle get up also made her feel like she pushed a boundary. She blinked at the hand held out to her to help her off the bench. It took a lot of willpower just for her to grab that hand.

“Sure, food sounds great right now. So you can’t change your uniform or anything?” Stelle asked curiously, taking no effort to nearly lift Huohuo off the bench.

“Nope… Every Judge’s uniform is different, and they rarely will allow alterations. The Ten-Lords Commission is pretty strict like that… Speaking of, can we stop by my home so I can change out of it? Now that I’m off duty, I shouldn’t wander around in it.” Huohuo said, part of her regretting being forced to join such an organization, but she had regretted that for a few decades now.

“Sure, I do have to wonder how expensive real estate is here… If I had the cash, and wasn’t part of the Astral, I’d stay here in a heartbeat. It's grown on me.” Stelle said, walking with Huohuo towards an Astral Anchor.

Narrow two story homes filled both sides of the street that they teleported to the end of. “This is a peaceful looking neighborhood, a bit quiet.” Stelle mentioned.

Huohuo shrugged. “While we aren’t required to live here, members of the Ten-Lords Commission typically live in this area, and we’re quiet enough neighbors. At the very least I got a small price cut when I bought mine.” Huohuo said as she took Stelle down that long stretch of homes, a few people relaxing on their porches quietly waving.

“You own a home? Nice. Is it because it's close to work there or something? It is a nice looking neighborhood.” Stelle asked as they stopped in front of one home that Huohuo unlocked.

Huohuo winced at that question, looking around quickly. “I’d… not ask that. They really don’t like people prying, if someone heard you ask that it might make things… difficult, for both of us.” Huohuo admitted with a sigh. “Even if it is you. I’ll be right back.” Huohuo said, the door left open.

Huohuo hated the fact her work was so secretive sometimes, but it was just a fact of life on the Luofu. Quickly shedding that over decorated uniform, and threw on some simpler clothes. She gave her hair a once over, wondering if she could at least straighten it out, rather than how it flared out on all ends. Looking in the mirror, her eyes locked onto the large notch on her ear, wincing at the memory. She quickly turned away from the mirror and pocketed her phone and wallet.

Walking back downstairs, she was surprised to find Stelle still standing outside. “Stelle? I left it open so you could get out of the cold.” Huohuo told her, looking at her curiously as she locked the door behind her, all dressed for dinner. It was almost strange for her to not have a hat on still…

“Hmm? Oh, I’m not good with hints, or reading people… Something I learned in Belabog is that I run pretty hot, the cold there didn’t affect me much. See?” Stelle said, casually reaching over and putting a hand to Huohuo’s cheek.

She didn’t know what was warmer in that moment, Stelle’s touch, or herself as she turned as red as she ever had before. She didn’t know whether she regretted the comment that led to that moment or not, but Stelle was indeed incredibly hot to the touch. “Y-y-yeah, so you are…” She turned away, walking ahead of Stelle to try and pass her red cheeks off as being due to the cold.

It was quiet as they walked back to the Astral Anchor. “Did… I do something wrong?” Stelle questioned, her voice almost frail.

Huohuo looked back, turning around fully as she saw the downtrodden expression on her new friend’s face. “N-no! Sorry you just surprised me, b-but you didn’t do anything wrong…” Huohuo said, calming as she saw Stelle’s face return to her normal neutral expression.

“Okay, I didn’t want to ruin dinner before it even started… So where were we going to go?” Stelle asked, walking next to Huohuo as they continued once again.

“I was thinking we could see if we can find something new to eat in Aurum Alley? There has always been something I haven’t tried before there. I don’t go very often because… there are a lot of people usually.” She admitted. If her ears didn’t naturally fold down, they certainly would have.

“I had a feeling you don’t do well with crowds, I’m not too fond of them either. They do have good food there.” With a burst of blue light, they activated the Astral Anchors.

Two things were noticed the moment they both appeared in Aurum Alley. The ever present scent of the myriad food options mixed and melded into a wonderful combination that stirred both of their appetite.

The other thing that was first noticed was something less often heard there; the gentle sound of multiple instruments, blending together with the ambience of the crowds, rather than conflicting with it. It wasn’t as chaotic as either of them anticipated.

“This is kind of nice, shall we just go through different places, let our noses guide us?” Stelle asked, the tiniest of smiles being directed at Huohuo.

“That sounds like a good idea. U-um… could you lead? It can get kind of difficult to get through crowds.” Huohuo asked, having to glance up at most everyone. It was sadly one of the unfortunate side effects of having energy drained from her for most of her life, it did not help her grow very tall…

Despite the crowd, Huohuo found it easier to endure by walking near Stelle, being tall enough, and having a mysterious air that helped part the crowds. Stelle’s occasional nose twitch as she quite literally followed her nose was more than a little adorable. Huohuo sighed, shaking her head. “Just what am I thinking tonight?” She gently tugged Stelle off to the side.

Before Stelle could even attempt to pull out her wallet Huohuo grabbed her hand to stop her. “I said I was taking You out here. I hardly spend my paycheck most months, so I can at least buy us dinner.” Soon enough, both of them had their hands full. “Only thing I’ve really bought in the last decade that could be considered big was a better TV and sound system. So feel free to get what you want. I won’t go broke from food.”

They were lucky enough to find a bench in a less crowded part of Aurum Alley, which was more of a large street, with a view of the foggy expanse where Star Skiffs came and went. With the stars shining through the biodome of the ship, it made for a nice view as they ate. Huohuo didn’t mean to, and she wasn’t sure Stelle did either, but they sat rather close to each other, nearly touching despite the space on the bench, meeting in the middle.

Stelle appeared distracted, only taking slow bites from the large dumplings she had gotten, filled with a delightful scent of herbs and meat. “I kind of wish I had gotten those, that smells nice.” Huohuo commented as she ate her large plate of Luofu Stir Fry. Sure, she could find it in many places, and could make it herself, but there was something special about getting it there, and eating with someone, that made it taste better.

“You want to try one?” Stelle asked, tilting her head as she looked at her with those near glowing amber eyes. In the gentle lamps and starlight, Stelle looking at her like that did things to her she didn’t understand…

“N-No, I think I’ll end up full with just this, they give bigger portions with the stir-fry. I usually can’t eat much.” It was not a lie, even if sometimes she may just not be hungry for the day. It would take someone to remind her those days to actually eat before she passed out… “First time that happened Madam Hanya would hardly leave me alone…” It was thankfully a less common occurrence now.

“Well, we have plenty of time to come here again, we can swap next time.” Stelle looked into the sky as she nibbled at her last dumpling. “Hmm… stars are a bit dimmer here than on the Express, maybe I could show you the view there sometime? Almost all are welcome on the Astral Express, even if a few have been yelled at by Pom-Pom.” Stelle said fondly.

“That would be nice, I’d have to check if I’m allowed off-ship though… Foxians are allowed to leave the Xianzhou, but I’m not sure if the Commission rules let me.” Huohuo sighed as she felt stifled by her job. “Maybe I should resign…”

“I think that is the third time I’ve heard you say that. How come you don’t?” Stelle asked, genuine interest easy to see despite her usual monotone voice.

Huohuo felt conflicted… she didn’t want to complain too much, but really, there shouldn’t be a mood to ruin. “It's just dinner after work with a friend, can I stop being so anxious for once?” She thought, holding back a whine. “Well, I’m a b-bit scared of what the reaction would be from whoever deals with it… even more so than all the stuff work makes me deal with…”

“Even more than Heliobi?” Stelle quietly asked, keeping her voice low, just for the two of them.

“Y-yeah… To be honest, I’ve never heard of a judge resigning, so… I’m worried if I try I m-might just get locked up or something… like ‘you know too much!’… What do you think?” Huohuo asked. It was a worry that kept her up at night. She wasn’t dumb, she knew that things at the commission were on the shady side, and that Hanya and Xueyi have been slaves in all but name for nearly 2000 years… It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for them to have her executed if she tried to leave.

“I think that my bat is very durable, and my lance is very very sharp.” Stelle said quite firmly, that protective edge in her voice that had appeared when she fought Cirrus. It at least brought a smile to Huohuo’s face, a warmth in her chest.

“Thanks Stelle, I appreciate it. Lets hope it never comes to that…” Huohuo said, eating the last few bites of her food, setting the empty plate aside. An idle thought had her hand inching its way towards moving on top of Stelle’s own where it rested on the bench. She was brought back into reality by a loud noise from Stelle’s phone.

“Sorry, one moment.” Stelle said, checking her messages. Less than a minute later Stelle sighed. “Sorry, I forgot to tell them all I was staying out, they can get a little… protective, at the weirdest times. I don’t understand them…”

Huohuo felt her mood sink, even if she knew it was inevitable. “Makes sense. I had a lot of fun today, even if it was a bit freaky with the Heliobi. I’d love to do this again sometime, even if crowds make me anxious, it isn’t so bad with you there.” Huohuo admitted, her mind screaming at her for her words…

“Glad to hear it. Hmmm… maybe I should learn to cook finally… one day.” Stelle shrugged, standing up, grabbing their trash, and holding out a hand to help Huohuo up.

As much as her face burned, she still took that hand. Even if she braced herself, Stelle’s hand was far warmer than the cold evening air. It was almost too hot, but it was an addicting heat that she forced herself to let go of. “Talk to you later?” She asked, a hopeful tone to her voice.

“Of course, my phone is usually always on, feel free to call or message me, we’ll be seeing each other again tomorrow I think. Want me to walk you to the Anchor?” Stelle said, lingering there, appearing just as hesitant as Huohuo felt.

“Y-yeah, I’ll message you later, have a nice night Stelle. I’m going to let the food settle and relax some here for a little while longer.” Huohuo said, composing herself before that magnetic pull could influence her more. The urge to grasp Stelle’s sleeve to keep her there was at the forefront of her mind, but she resisted.

“Night night Huohuo, take care going home.” Stelle said, finally turning around to walk back to the Astral Anchor. With the trailblazer gone, Huohuo finally let out a quiet whine at the back of her throat, attempting to cool off and dispel the feelings she refused to name just yet.

Chapter Text

Side A: Stelle

Stelle double checked March 7th’s texts, and her replies. “Is she implying something? I should ask her…” Stelle wondered as she entered the familiar private code in the console, teleporting back to the Astral Express moments later.

Almost immediately, she found March 7th In front of her, her pink and blue eyes staring up at her with a strange excitement. “So~ have a good dinner?” She asked teasingly.

“Mhm, Aurum Alley was pretty nice today, even if Huohuo wouldn’t let me pay this time.” Stelle said, collapsing on one of the couches. “Tiring day… but one Heliobi bagged at least. Did Gui get that post done already?” She mostly asked herself the last question, not that that stopped March 7th.

“Yup, she posted it about two hours ago. So what really happened? Some cute pictures in the post though. Which one is Huohuo?” March asked, scrolling through the article as she sat next to Stelle.

Stelle pointed at her in the picture with a smile on her face, still a rarity. “There was a Heliobi possessing Bailu, luckily they weren’t all that malicious, so Bailu is okay.”

“Wait, that is Huohuo? You said she’s a Judge? She does look pretty professional, even if it seems out of place in a ghost channel. Did you have fun with her?” March asked, that teasing edge creeping back into her voice.

“She is a professional, saved me for sure the other night. She is also pretty reliable, supporting me in fights.” Stelle leaned her head back.

“She must be something to get you to smile like that, it’s cute~” March said, waving Dan Heng over, now back to his previous form after the chaos the past few weeks.

Dan Heng sat on the other side of March, looking nearly as tired as Stelle felt. “Indeed, this has to be the most you’ve smiled in a long while, I’m glad for it. You said she is a Judge? She must be quite capable. Has she been one for long?”

“Xueyi mentioned the other night that she has been with the Ten-Lords Commission for 38 years, but I doubt she started as a judge, so I’ll just guess at about eight years of being a Judge? I’d have to ask her, but she doesn’t like talking about work so I don’t want to bug her much.” Stelle caught Dan Heng’s eyes widening, an even rarer thing than when Stelle can smile.

“30 years to become a Judge? That is… unheard of. Capable indeed, hang onto a friend like her.” Dan Heng said. March 7th nodded along though her look of mischief didn’t go anywhere.

“Yes… friend. We sure that is what is going on? You two already seem pretty close, anything you wanna spill? So someone like her is your-” She was stopped by Dan Heng’s hand on her shoulder, a shake of his head.

Stelle herself felt confused. “Did I misunderstand? I thought we were friends at least…” The spike of sadness she felt was potent in a way Stelle could barely understand.

“That was not what she meant. I believe she was asking if you two are… closer companions than the term friend can describe? More than a friend?” Dan Heng himself seemed to put it in a strange clinical way that just confused Stelle more.

“More than friends? Isn’t that family?” Her genuine confusion was met by surprised stares, even from Dan Heng.

Dan Heng and March 7th shared looks, a silent conversation that Stelle wished she could understand. Facial expressions and signals from people were still hard for her to follow. “Ah, please pay it no mind. So, you’ve learned more about Heliobi?” Dan Heng asked, he seemed to regret the question a few seconds later, as did Stelle when her mood instantly dropped.

“Yeah… I kind of wish I didn’t, they seem so manipulative and dangerous, but at least I can help capture them. Phantylia is a Heliobus… so I guess that's why she didn’t really die.” It was not at all what was on Stelle’s mind, not entirely.

“So… what does that mean for T-Tingyun?” March asked worriedly, or more horrified as her mind likely raced with what this revelation could mean.

Stelle felt terrible as she knew she couldn’t avoid thinking about it again, a shitty way to end the night… “I think the Tingyun we knew… was taken over at some point. Looking back, she changed a bit… She stopped insisting she was a non-combatant to stay away from the field. I think… by the time she… by the time Phantylia finished her body off she was gone already. When a Heliobus leaves their host, often they combust like she did, leaving not even a body.” Stelle felt the dumplings in her stomach turn sour, her hand over her mouth.

“I’m pretty tired, so I’m going to head to bed. Have a good night you two.” It was not a good way to end the night, but her friends seemed to understand that, giving her that space.

“Okay… We’re here if you need us Stelle, my door is always open if you want to talk.” March 7th told her. “As is mine.” Dan Heng added, but Stelle had already gotten up and turned away from them, she could almost imagine the look in March 7th’s eyes at that moment. Truthfully, Stelle wished she could pass out and not dream for once, she just knew it wouldn’t be a fun night.

One hour, then two. Every time she told herself to stop looking at the time, she would take a peek at the clock by her bed. She had expected the usual array of nightmares, but with how her brain liked to repeat things she had gone through she did not expect to be unable to fall asleep at all from the anxiety of knowing what she would see.

“Dammit all…” She thought as each time she nearly fell asleep, she saw those ghostly flames of Phantylia rising from Tingyun’s corpse that had been turned into a puppet for the Lord Ravager’s amusement and usage. The sickening snap of Tingyun’s neck, combined with the distortion in her voice right before it, played on repeat in her head.

“Fuck…”

She held her phone and tried to at least get her mind off things, laying there in her memories was not helping. She had seen far too many people die in those two or so months of memories, not that she had many before she was wiped by Kafka if she is to be believed. She felt at least a bit of joy in seeing some videos of foxes in a snowy area of Xianzhou. One particular picture comment caught her eye.

With a smile blooming on her face she sent that picture to Huohuo.

It was an utterly adorable image that appeared in her head, Huohuo wrapped in a thick winter jacket and jumping into the snow like a fox. She felt even more content with the mental image as that jacket on Huohuo was replaced by one of Stelle’s hoodie sweaters. It would be rather oversized, but that made it feel cuter.

She didn’t put any thought into why her cheeks were warm, or the fluttering in her chest; it had become strangely common when interacting with Huohuo. She had an effect on Stelle that made her feel almost like a person. She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts, turning back to her phone.

It was hard to ignore the time on her phone steadily ticking up as a few hours vanished until well after midnight. She swore the buttons steadily became harder to push as her mind kept filling with those happy images. No neck snapping in her memories, just a wish for the future to see Huohuo bundled up in her sweater in the snow. She didn’t even notice herself falling asleep until she turned off.

Several hours later, she finally stirred from her rest. While she didn’t feel particularly well rested, she at least didn’t get any nightmares. As her memories cleared and she began to sit up, she looked at her phone that fell off her chest where it apparently rested for the night. She quickly shot off a ‘good morning’ text to Huohuo and tried to decipher her own typing from the night before..

“How did I even…? Whatever… Coffee, I need coffee.” She had to admit, she found herself looking forward to getting texts back from Huohuo. In her short memory it was hard to think of any other time she had wanted to communicate with a person that much. It felt strange how much Huohuo kept ending up in her thoughts, but it wasn’t a bad sort of strange.

Half awake and reeling from her uplifting chat the night before, she got dressed in the laziest outfit she could put together in her state.

Her slippers hitting the polished floor as she made her way to the dining car were some of the only sounds until she opened the door. For a moment she heard the conversation.

“-so cute seeing her like this, is this her first crush? I have to meet her one- Stelle!” March 7th yelped as she saw the subject of her sentence appear in her sleepy glory.

“Good morning Stelle. You just take a seat.” Himeko said, heading off towards where they knew she kept the Good coffee machine. Stelle didn’t need to be told twice as she all but collapsed into a chair, her head in her arms.

March 7th watched her as she ate her breakfast. Eventually Stelle looked back up at her, her amber eyes half glazed over in her nearly asleep state. In fact, she felt herself nod off for a few moments, right before she felt a cup get set down in front of her. “Here you are Stelle, you look like you could use it.” Himeko said, setting another cup down for herself.

One long sip of the still hot coffee later and Stelle already felt more refreshed. The deep, but bitter, taste of the coffee jolted her brain. “Mm… Thanks Mom…” Stelle mumbled, not even noticing the effects her words had. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Himeko wiping her eyes, but the dots just didn’t connect for her.

“Y-you’re welcome.” Himeko said, going back to her own coffee, looking deep in thought.

Stelle tilted her head curiously as she continued to drain her cup. It didn’t take long for her to pull out her phone for any reply. Yet again, that tiny smile appeared as she saw a reply.

While the smile was still on her face, there was a bit of confusion.

“Everything okay? Want me to grab you some breakfast? You’ll need more than coffee.” Himeko said, her voice sounding a bit rough for a moment, but she recovered from the tiny shock Stelle gave her.

“No thanks, I’m going to catch breakfast with Huohuo again. I feel like this might become a regular thing.” Stelle said, looking at that last message. “She must have loved that restaurant, she left one of Pom-Pom’s heart stickers in her last message.” Stelle didn’t notice the others at the table stiffening up at her saying that.

March 7th and Himeko exchanged mutually pleased looks, further confusing Stelle. “No fair, I can’t communicate telepathically yet.” Her brain’s slow activation triggered at least one memory. “Oh yes, where is Dan He- Got you!” Stelle said and got up from the table when Dan Heng entered the room. “I remember now, it was you who gave my number away to Sushang…” Stelle said, walking closer as Dan Heng pressed against the door, looking torn between running, and facing Stelle’s quiet wrath.

“Ah Stelle, forgive me, it was a spur of the moment idea, but it did come in handy.” Den Heng said, looking at her carefully. “…Before you kill me, let me say my final words…” He said with a nervous gulp.

“Go ahead.” Stelle said as she stared at him intently. With her blank face it was so hard to tell if she was angry or not.

“You will never find the Xianzhou trash cans, they are forever out of your reach…” With that… Stelle brought her hand down in a very light chop to his forehead. “Ow…”

“There, we’re even. I guess if you hadn’t I wouldn’t have met Huohuo or the others. I will find those cans one day… I had to convince the merchant guild to install some so I didn’t have to throw trash into the void. Am I just an idiot and just can’t find them?” She tried to hide from their looks of pity.

She graciously ignored the whispered comment about if she could consider just stopping being a ‘trash panda’, whatever that meant.

Eventually things descended back into peaceful breakfast chatter as Stelle focused on a second cup of coffee, occasionally checking her phone while pretending she didn’t notice the smirks on a few of their faces. It was like they all knew something she didn’t…

Finally, her phone pinged.

After sending her last confirmation, she set her phone back in her pocket. “Thanks for coffee, going to head out now, I don’t want her to have to wait in crowds.” She didn’t look back as she ran off to get fully changed to head back to the Luofu.

“They’re way too cute… I’m glad for her.” March 7th said as she continued eating her own breakfast.

“…She called me Mom, I’m keeping her. She has been a lot happier. This is a good change for her.” Himeko said, sipping her coffee.

Chapter Text

Side A: Stelle

Stelle couldn’t help but feel a delightful feeling of warmth in her when she rounded the corner of the street, and saw Huohuo standing near the Nesting Avian’s door. It was always a strange, yet welcome, sight when Huohuo was in something other than her uniform. She had a white sweater that almost looked hand knitted and cozy, as well as a longer skirt that appeared to make her taller somehow. “Ahh, that's it.”

“Morning Huohuo, you doing okay?” Stelle asked, accidentally spooking her despite trying to approach in her field of view. It didn’t stop Huohuo from nearly falling, until Stelle carefully caught her with one arm, and the phone she had been holding with the other hand. “That was close… Not used to heels?” Stelle asked and helped her to her feet again.

“S-Stelle… Is it that obvious?” She asked, seeming unable to look her in the eye. Noticing how flushed Huohuo’s face was made Stelle have to think.

“I guess it is pretty cold today, but she already has I sweater…” Part of her was tempted to offer her hoodie as well, but that would get pretty bulky. “Maybe a little, careful you don’t twist an ankle.” She appeared to think about her words for a few moments. “If you’re trying to look taller, I don’t see much of a need, there's nothing wrong with being short. The outfit is nice though, I’m feeling a little underdressed in comparison.” It was not even a conscious smile, but it represented her honest thoughts accurately. She herself was only in pants and a hoodie, not exactly fancy.

Huohuo only turned a brighter shade of red, stuttering under her breath for a few moments. While it was funny, it was a bit concerning to Stelle. “You okay?”

“Yeah… you just surprised me a bit. I’m not used to these, but I wanted to at least try them. Is it wrong to want to feel taller?” Huohuo asked as Stelle held open the door to the restaurant, letting Huohuo go inside before following.

“Whatever makes you more comfortable.” Stelle said as they took the same seats as last time. She thought about it for a few moments, trying to sort out what she was feeling in her heart. “Do you want my personal opinion?” Stelle asked, looking nervous.

It was quiet for a good few moments. Right as she went to speak, the waitress arrived. “Welcome back you two, always nice to see returning customers.” She said, her Foxian tail waving behind her. “What can I get you ladies today?”

Stelle cracked a smile at Huohuo before browsing through her menu for a few moments. While she was doing that, Huohuo spoke up. “I’ll take those stuffed breakfast cakes again, those were really good. Maybe some of your Greyfox Tea to drink?” She hardly needed to look at the menu except to check the drink options.

“I’ll take… this Fire Lily four egg omelet? How spicy is it? Oh and coffee again please.” Stelle said, handing her menu back.

“I’d say… 4 out of 10 for the heat?” She replied.

Stelle looked excited for some reason. “Is it possible to make that a 6?” She asked.

“That I can, extra spicy for you. As a suggestion, would you like to make your coffee iced to even it out?”

“Yes please, I haven’t tried it like that before.” New coffee options sounded enticing.

The waitress appeared almost smug, likely thinking she couldn’t handle the spice. “I’ll be right back, ring the bell if you need anything.”

Eventually it was back to the two of them, and Huohuo finally looked up to peek at Stelle. “Okay… w-what do you think?” Huohuo asked, finally answering the question asked before the waitress arrived.

Stelle closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts. “I think you’re pretty the way you are. Tall or small, you’re still Huohuo, the woman who saved my life on more than one occasion, that I enjoy spending time with.” Stelle said, a smile emerging that matched feelings Stelle just didn’t quite have a name for, but it was a nice and warm feeling, fluffy even.

Huohuo was quiet for a few minutes, enough that Stelle started to get worried. “Thank you, Stelle…” She had been looking down, so Stelle didn’t see the few tears that came out, but saw her wipe her eyes either way. “So… which cup of coffee will this be? I think we both slept bad.” Her little tired, yet teasing words hit her with more warmth than the spicy omelet likely would.

At that moment, the waitress came back and set both their plates of food down, as well as their drinks. “Thank you.” Stelle said as she took a sip of the chilled coffee. “This would be my third. I blame Himeko for getting me hooked on it. On my first sleepless night on the express, she gave some to me. You look pretty exhausted also, hope I didn’t keep you up last night with the texting… Sure you don’t want some coffee?”

“I was already awake, I’ve always had trouble sleeping, case in point.” She gestured to the dark circles that seemed permanently under her own eyes. It was only a bit less noticeable on Stelle due to not being as pale. “I’ve never been a fan of coffee, it makes me too jittery. Foxian tea is usually lower in caffeine, it is what I make at home.”

Stelle looked at her for a moment, sipping her coffee. “So… do Foxians get zoomies?” Stelle asked as she took her first bite of the crimson tinged omelet.

“That smells really hot… B-but… maybe on occasion? That is more for younger Foxians.” Huohuo said, cutting into her stuffed pancakes and getting that same adorable smile on her face as the smell from it hit them both as she did last time. It was peaceful for a few minutes as the two ate, Stelle feeling almost unaffected by the spice. Seeing Huohuo looking up on occasion at her, it felt like she was trying to say something…

“You want a bite?” She got to see first hand Huohuo’s conflicting thoughts on it. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Stelle added.

Eventually Huohuo seemed to give up. “I’ll try some… I’ll be fine!” She declared, puffing up and trying to appear tougher. Stelle could see she didn’t really want it, but there was a part of her that wanted to see her try the spice…

“Okay then~” Stelle scooped up a small forkful, with a nice coating of the thick red sauce that had been on top. Copying what she had seen on videos, she held the fork out for her to try.

“Eh?! U-Um…” Huohuo looked around for a moment, before pushing forward to take that bite. The redness on her face Stelle guessed was from the heat, but the faces she made as she ate even that made her smile. “Way too cute.”

“That is… painfully spicy…” Huohuo said as she took bites of her own food to drown it out. “How can you stand that? You want it hotter?” Huohuo asked in surprise as Stelle giggled as quietly as she could, though her smile made it clear she wasn’t laughing at her.

“I blame Mr Yang, he got me addicted to spicy stuff. I dunno…” Stelle thought about it as she ignored that pit of tingly magma that was the food, not feeling any pain from it. “Maybe it doesn’t hurt because I have a miniature sun inside of me…?” She wondered.

“Huh? A miniature sun?” Huohuo quietly asked, staring at Stelle curiously.

Stelle… froze up, her eyes wide as she realized something. “I… I didn’t mean to say that…” It was one of several times thinking out loud had gotten her into trouble. “I-I should go…” Stelle's eyes darted to the exit as the urge to flee hit her. As she was torn between the need to pay, and run, she felt a small and warm hand on her own.

“Hey hey hey… I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything. I’m not going to pry into things.” Her cheeks were bright red, and her ears flicked up and down as she looked away. “J-Just keep being Stelle…” Huohuo’s quiet voice hit her ears and slowly Stelle felt herself start to calm down.

Seeing as she was the only one panicking, Stelle hoped Huohuo didn’t put the pieces together… not so soon after the Ambrosial Arbor Incident. “Okay… I can do that…” She eventually muttered, taking deep breaths as she sipped her coffee. It hurt, that panic at the thought of if Huohuo found out about the Stellaron, if she lost one of the few people she truly enjoyed spending time with. “S-sorry…” When she still felt Huohuo’s hand on her own, she turned hers over to gently grasp it, calming at the feeling of touch, tuning back into the senses around her as best she could.

Looking up, Huohuo was red up to her ears. “You’re okay, I g-get panic attacks also… but I promise I won’t run if you ever want to t-tell me something… You’re Stelle, that is what matters…” Her words made Stelle think she had guessed, but at least she was kind enough to not say so.

“Is that what panic attacks are? Y-yeah, they happen sometimes… maybe a lot…” She nearly whispered the last part as she finally felt her heart slow to something under 100 beats per minute, eventually loosening her hold on Huohuo’s hand that she realized she was holding. “Sorry…”

“You don’t need to apologize, Stelle.” Huohuo said, only taking her hand back when she saw Stelle relax again.

“Right… right… Thanks Huohuo.” Stelle said, finishing off the last bit of her omelet as slowly as possible. Once she finished calming her heart, she thought of something that made it beat hard once again. Her eyes drifted to the quarter of the pancake left on Huohuo’s plate that she appeared to be struggling to finish. “Hey Huohuo~”

Following Stelle’s eyes, Huohuo shook her head with an exasperated sigh. “Did you want the rest or something?”

“Nope.” She had the smirk on her face that truly made her look mischievous. “Just a little. Can you feed me a bite?” Stelle knew she was pushing her luck, but it was worth it to see Huohuo’s face, the deliberation going on in her head. “If not that is fine, no pressure~”

Huohuo breathed deeply and cut off a piece. For a moment it seemed she was waiting for Stelle’s fork, but Stelle made no move yet.

Another quiet giggle from Huohuo filled Stelle’s stomach with a fluttering sensation entirely unrelated to the spicy food she ate, but one that was just as addicting by that point.

“S-Sure…” Huohuo said, looking at Stelle as she leaned forward slightly. With far more care than was needed, she brought the bite of the pancake, and its berry filling, over on her own fork, feeding Stelle the one bite she requested. By the end, both of their faces were bright crimson. Off to the side, Stelle caught the waitress trying to not watch, but smiling like she knew something they didn’t.

“T-Thanks… I’m ready to go if you are.” Stelle said, eventually meeting Huohuo’s gaze. “Why is it so hard to talk right now?”

“Yeah, it was good. I’m all ready for the day.” Huohuo said, straightening her outfit up after finishing her tea.

Tapping the bell on the table, the waitress appeared ready for them. When Huohuo tried to pull out her wallet at the same time as Stelle, they had a staring contest for all of two seconds. Stelle had a bit more experience in coolly staring someone down, and so Huohuo folded, letting Stelle pay.

“Mhm, that's what I thought~ I bite.” Stelle joked, before they headed for the door.

“Silly… Well, I need to head over to Fyxestroll Gardens early, get some paperwork done, you’re welcome to meet me there, the c-company could be nice…” Huohuo admitted with a sigh.

“Still scary there? Well, after everything, that is fair. I’ll meet you over there, I’ll just play on my phone for a while. See you soon.” Stelle said as Huohuo stayed put near that Astral Anchor, a curious look on her face.

“You wouldn’t Actually bite me, right?” Huohuo asked with a barely hidden laugh.

With one of those smiles that only Huohuo got out of her, she mimed biting with a laugh of her own. “Maybe, maybe not~ find out next time.” Stelle snickered to herself at Huohuo’s seemingly perpetually flushed cheeks.

“Y-yeah well… same goes for you at dinner!” She declared before vanishing through the Astral Anchor, likely back home. Stelle soon recovered from her giggles and took a ride through the teleporter as well.

As she meandered through the Gardens, Stelle tried to get her thoughts in order. For the past few weeks, she had experienced so many emotions that were new to her; Despair, grief, loss, desperation were but a few of them she learned to put a name to. There were even more swirling around in her head that she didn’t have a name for yet, but they felt far more comfortable than feeling like she was sinking.

Even if she had discussed her heaviest emotions with Tingyun, it didn’t magically cure them, especially not after losing her like she did.

The past few days were such a whirlwind of fresh experiences that she had to categorize, but she was fond of the ones she got near Huohuo in particular.

She felt the smile break on her face, one of the few ways she found she could force herself to properly smile, as she thought about Huohuo, their own time together.

Finally arriving in the back of the Gardens near where they typically met, she found it was still empty. “They really should make sure paperwork doesn’t fly away… good thing there isn’t much wind here.” She mumbled to herself as she moved past that, sitting down on the edge of that pavilion so she could stare out at the rest of the Garden in peace.

Taking in deep breaths, she tried to calm the maelstrom inside of her head with the cool scent of the area, the tranquil stillness that dominated the space despite the patrols around. She glared as she spotted Cirrus, still stuck within the binding circle on the ground, barely able to move. She felt bad for their host, and hoped they could save them eventually.

Her thoughts drifted back into her self analysis “Just what is this feeling I get from her? Why do none of these things have a manual… Was I just created… to hold a Stellaron? Am I even a person?” It was a thought on her mind often.

She didn’t know how long she zoned out for as she leaned back on her hands. Her quiet contemplation was broken as she felt something ice cold, even to her, touching her neck suddenly. “Eeep! What in the-” A shrill scream that was far unlike her came from her throat. She jumped up and swung around, stopping as she saw Huohuo barely holding in a laugh, a chilled can in her hands.

“Hehehe… Sorry, I couldn’t resist… Here, I got you a coffee, since you still seem tired.” She wasn’t wrong, it was canned and chilled coffee, but was probably good. She held that cold can and looked between it and Huohuo. “U-Um…”

“Let me thank you Huohuo. Come here so I can give my gratitude~” She smirked and held up the can, advancing on Huohuo. It was clear what she was planning to do…

A minute later, Guinaifen and Sushang got to witness Stelle chasing Huohuo around that pavilion with that can held out. “Surrender! I have the high ground!” Stelle declared as she stood up straight. That table, heavy with paperwork, stood between her and Huohuo, both of them grinning as they had their fun.

For each movement towards one side of the table, Stelle would move to match, locked in a stalemate. “Of course you do! You have a head of height over me!” Huohuo said as her eyes darted to their other two friends who both stood watching, each with a smile on their faces. Stelle and Huohuo both giggled rather adorably as the tension dissolved. “Truce?”

“Hmm… Normally I’d consult my war council… but very well, a truce. Next time I’ll just carry you around all day, I’m pretty sure I could bench five of you.” Stelle joked, holding her hands up in surrender, careful to not shake her can.

“I believe that entirely, I guess I am on the lighter side…” Huohuo looked curious at the prospect “Ack!” Until her thought process was interrupted by a cold boop to her nose from Stelle. “Okay, Okay, I deserved that.” She said as the two met up with the rest of the squad.

“Well that was adorable to watch.” Sushang noted, smirking at them.

“I feel like I should have recorded that for the channel, adorable was kind of an understatement. Don’t mind us, keep going~ Never a dull day with the Ghost Hunting Squad.” Guinaifen tried to encourage them, yelping when Stelle lightly chopped her on the head.

“We still calling it that?” Stelle asked.

“It's better than the Special Operations Team for the Heliobus Containment Breach Incident.” Guinaifen countered with a shrug, looking at Huohuo for support.

“You aren’t wrong… that one is a mouthful.” Huohuo admitted.

“Thank you dear Leader. So! The channel is going well, and we’re really climbing up in subscribers!” Guinaifen’s excited voice was almost too shrill for the area.

“How do you have this much energy?” Sushang complained, pulling up a chair to sit in.

“I get my energy from seeing those numbers go up like a rocket! Better than even the strongest coffee~”

Huohuo smiled at the scene, returning to her desk to actually dig into the mountain of paperwork. “Well, you’re all early, I’ll just get some of this done and we can get started in a bit.”

“Need any help?” Stelle asked, peering over the piles of scrolls, dense with words.

“I should be fine, I’m used to this amount. I swear the first few years of being a Judge was just learning how to do paperwork in the most efficient way… but, the quicker I got it done, the less Madam Hanya and Madam Xueyi had to do. They’re honestly fun to spend time with when we’re all together.

“The lady that looks like a corpse?! She seems half asleep… No offense…” Guinaifen held up her hands as Huohuo of all people mildly glared at her.

“You would be surprised. When it is just those two, they are like different people. As sisters, they’re inseparable. They have a really deep bond, even if they don’t talk about themselves much to me.” Huohuo’s hands didn’t stop moving as she filled out forms while reading them. “I’ll get this done soon enough, give me a half hour.”

It was not, in fact, just a half hour of paperwork. One hour later, the sound of the Astral Anchor receiving its next passenger alerted them all. “Good, you’re all here.” Hanya said as she carried an armful of papers. “There has been a development, and so I have a lead of my own for you.” She told them as she set her papers on the desk, taking the place of the work that was just done.

Huohuo looked slightly numb as she stared at the extra pile of paperwork, sighing under her breath.

“Yes, Madam Hanya?” Huohuo asked, standing before the desk with the others, having gotten up to stretch her legs. She didn’t seem to notice that Hanya had appropriated her desk, despite being designated as the leader, too used to following her senior’s command.

“The Ten-Lords commission was given a report on strange happenings within the Divination Commission. Normally, unless the situation is extreme or the Ten Sins have been broken, we are not meant to interfere with the divisions. Information points to a Heliobus being responsible for a shift within the Divination Commission that has disrupted the entire workflow.”

“Ooo that actually lines up perfectly with what I was going to suggest today! I got an inside source that described several members in a half awake daze, with even the Master Diviner being almost non-responsive!” Guinaifen added, filling in some missing information.

“That meshes with my own information, so we can safely assume a Heliobus is at the heart of this matter. If the Master Diviner is possessed… then it is indeed an extreme situation that could put the Luofu itself in jeopardy. Who was the source of your information?” Hanya asked.

“Oh, a member named Qingque, I see her around a lot, usually gambling in the Exalting Sanctum playing Celestial Jade. Sometimes she comes to watch me juggle in my shows. She sent me this information directly.”

“Well, her report of the situation is likely accurate, even if her reputation precedes her. Despite her reputation and record as a lazy member who is allergic to work, she has worked there for decades by this point. The Ten-Lords have already given their blessing to do as you must to solve this crisis. Good luck.” Hanya told them.

Stelle tilted her head, waiting a few moments for anything further, but Hanya didn’t appear to have anything more for them. “So, Captain Huohuo, what is the plan?” Stelle asked, turning to her.

“Even you’re still doing that…? Let's… go see if we can figure out which Heliobi were dealing with. I wish for us to try and talk to Cirrus again.” She suggested, their course decided.

“Lead the way Captain Huohuo~” Guinaifen said, smiling fondly as the group made their way to the Verdant Terrace. None of them minded Huohuo’s frustrated whine.

As expected, It couldn’t ever be easy for the squad… Cirrus had to be their usual asshole self and played word games with them, as well as sending puppets to fight them. Naturally, the small amounts of pawns he was able to use weren’t enough to beat the four of them.

“You’ve grown stronger, tall brat.” Cirrus scoffed at Stelle.

“I’m always training after all, a Trailblazer has to be at the top of their game every day. Now spill, which Heliobus is probably possessing the Master Diviner?” Stelle demanded, hitting her bat into her palm threateningly.

“Fine… you won this time. If I had to think of any of ours that would wish to infiltrate such a position, such a location… I can think of no other Heliobus except Keralum. They enjoy taunting mortals about the inevitable, breaking their minds with inescapable fate. A host like someone called the Master Diviner would be too tempting for them. Have fun, you Abomination you~” Cirrus taunted, clearly having seen how it hurt Stelle.

Stelle continued to walk away from them, only slightly flinching at being called that again. With some distance between the Heliobus, the group gathered around the Astral Anchor. “Stelle… are you okay?” Huohuo asked, all of them looking at her with varying levels of concern.

“Yeah, I just hate them… Let's go save Fu Xuan.” Stelle felt herself mentally shut down as she was transported to the Exalting Sanctum, near the Divination Commission. The experience doing nothing to improve her mood.

With the group gathered, they made their way to meet with Qingque. Luckily, Stelle had the foresight to message her ahead to get her to stay out of the Commission. “Good, here you are.”

“Wow, that was fast. So Stelle, can you tell me- Is that a Ten-Lord’s Judge?” Qingque asked with a wide eyed look.

“Y-Yes, I am Huohuo, a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission. We have some questions for you about the situation.” Huohuo said, stepping forward. Stelle stepped behind her to allow her to control the flow.

“It's the strangest thing, everyone in there is in a daze, including the Master Diviner! She wouldn’t respond to me, even though the Matrix was bugging out!” Qingque gestured wildly as they headed inside of the gate to the Division.

“Let's see what we’re working with… I’ve never even been here…” Sushang said.

It didn’t take long to see the problem that Qingque highlighted. Each member they found was standing in place, staring up at the Matrix of Prescience that had dimmed, its meticulously accurate moving parts shaking in place, shifting unpredictably. For such an advanced piece of technology to be on the verge of destruction was unacceptable.

Fu Xuan was standing directly under it, staring up in a trance. Nothing seemed to get her to respond in any meaningful way. “Maybe try the Harmonic Chime?” Huohuo suggested, looking towards Stelle, who had volunteered to carry their supplies.

Taking that chime out of its protective case, she gave it a few shakes. The delicate sound of the chime echoed out far louder than it had a right to. The effect was immediate though as Fu Xuan turned to look at them, pulled from her trance. Her head twisted fast enough that Stelle felt her heart ache from the similarities. “I can’t lose another one…” She thought as Fu Xuan advanced on them furiously.

“Idle chatter is not permitted in the Commission. Delicate calculations are ongoing, and I will not allow you to disturb them.” Her dull eyes turned to Huohuo. “Not even a Judge.”

“Master Diviner! You’re awake!” Qingque sounded ecstatic for a moment, until she saw the glare on her boss’s face.

“Qingque, I’ve long since grown tired of your insubordination! You slack off endlessly for decades, and now you violate our decrees by bringing outsiders? You are hereby expelled from the Divination Commission!” Fu Xuan’s expression shifted at that, almost in defiance of the Heliobi’s control. 

Qingque had started to smile in excitement at being ‘fired’, until the next words. “Furthermore, find your own place to live, we’re do-” She fully froze as the Heliobi attempted to speak through her, the resistance from Fu Xuan appearing too much to overcome without disrupting their whole control.

Eventually she shook her head with a growl. “Stubborn… It doesn’t matter. Leave! As for you outsiders, I cannot allow you to disrupt us!” Fu Xuan stared at them with as much anger as seemed possible. It was a stark contrast to Huohuo’s meek demeanor, despite the similar short height.

Guinaifen’s eyes widened. “Oooh, it was like that between them…” her gaze turned towards Qingque, who looked distinctly nervous, or even close to tears. “Hey hey, she isn’t herself right now. Relax. We’ll get her back.” Guinaifen put a hand on Qingque’s shoulder, calming the gambler down.

Stelle just had to wonder what was going on there, but was distracted as Fu Xuan turned towards her next. “What hope could you possibly have of helping here? Even if you helped vanquish Phantylia, you know it was a fluke… I’ve seen your future possibilities. How the Seat of Divine Foresight can still have you as a guest is beyond me. The only thing you’ll bring is destruction, we should have learned from the Ambrosial Arbor incident about the danger of Stellarons…” Fu Xuan, and hence Keralum, saw the way Stelle trembled, taking a step back.

She felt her heart beat uneasily at what Fu Xuan was saying. “W-What? Last time she told me I would… be able to help things… that it isn’t me…” She muttered, though it was picked up judging by Keralum’s smirk.

“Of course I was lying, we needed you to help clean up the mess after all. But now your purpose here is done. You, who carries the Cancer of Worlds inside of her, should leave Xianzhou, leave civilization, before you destroy everything around you… Monster.”

Stelle’s breathing was erratic as she looked between all her friends, turning towards Huohuo as she looked at her right back.

“Oh? Do they not know that you carry a Stellaron inside of yourself? That you may as well be one made flesh?” Fu Xuan turned towards Huohuo. “Or are you waiting to see this one die next? Surely you would have known better than to act like a person after witnessing Tingyun’s fate?” It was a blow to Stelle’s heart she couldn’t quite take..

She sank to her knees as she couldn’t help the tears that overflowed from her eyes, almost tuning out everything else while she saw the events of less than a month ago clearly in her head. All the worries pulled straight out of her mind, as if she was the one possessed instead.

She vaguely heard the others talking as she forced herself up on shaky legs. “Give… Fu Xuan back…” She fruitlessly demanded. She didn’t even hear the response, or the back and forth that happened.

Eventually, she at least saw things she could hit, Auramatons belonging to the Divination Commission charging at them. With far more force than needed, she swung her bat, knocking those Auramatons off of the platform in piecesl, down into the abyss below.

After that she tuned everything out, her nails digging into her palms till she felt at least some blood drip out, grounding her that little bit.

“Stelle, It's okay!” Huohuo tried to tell her, getting her to unclench her hands. In the background, the dissonance of Qingque forcing Fu Xuan’s mind awake pushed Keralum out of her body with a hiss.

“Do it… I’ve predicted this… the darkness of the seal…” Stelle unclipped the Lunaumbra Gourd from her belt, turning it towards the Heliobus with a blank expression on her face, sucking them into the containment vessel.

Fu Xuan was rubbing her head as Qingque fussed over her. “Oh Master Diviner you’re okay!” Qingque said, surprising them all by hugging Fu Xuan as she recovered.

“Q-Qingque! We’re in public…” Fu Xuan yelped, pushing her away with a surprising gentleness, looking around at all the others that were still recovering. Seeing only four others still looking at them, her eyes narrowed at them all. “Everything you may have heard and seen…” She started, eventually sighing. “Why does my head ache so?”

“Master Diviner, please get some rest, you were possessed by a Heliobus and likely have lost energy in the process. I recommend taking the rest of the day off…” Huohuo suggested, looking towards Qingque curiously.

“I’ll handle that, come on Master Diviner, let's get you-” Stelle tuned out as her mind couldn’t help but replay those words over and over. Combined with what she knew about Heliobi now… “Is that what Fu Xuan really thought? Did she lie to me that she trusted me?” It was too much that day. It became even more so as she remembered that her secret was now fully revealed. It only took vaguely imagining Huohuo’s scared face when she eventually realized that Stelle was a monster, for her to be prompted to leave.

She didn’t quite run, but it was a very fast, yet quiet walk away from the group. One last look back at the group, still distracted by the events that unfolded, and she hit the button on the Astral Anchor, vanishing on the spot. It was too much to deal with…

Chapter Text

Side B: Huohuo

Huohuo tried to dispel the mixed thoughts in her head. “Do other people see us like that? I mean… Focus!” She ran towards the nearest Astral Anchor, hoping her hunch was correct.

It was worrying just how urgent Stelle’s friends sounded, that they find her as soon as possible. “Did something happen in the past also?” She just hoped they didn’t mean anything extreme like her mind jumped to.

“Okay… Star Skiff docks facing the Jade Gate…” It was a location both had mentioned in the group chats, that they liked to sit and watch the world go by. “Please be there…” Huohuo muttered, feeling close to tears as she all but sprinted through the empty area. The fact it was always so empty was what made it a soothing spot for both of their troubled souls.

Her eyes scanned every inch she could see, running through those docks. Finally, in the distance, she saw someone sitting on a bench, staring up at the Star Skiffs zooming in and out of the Jade Gate. “Stelle!” She shouted as she sprinted to that bench, surprising even herself with how much she could ignore her legs and lungs burning when it was Stelle on the line.

Stelle’s eyes were dull, and she looked numb as she turned her head to see the inbound Huohuo missile. When Huohuo went to slow down… she tripped over a crack in the pavement, sending her nearly flying.

Stelle caught her easily, stopping her from hitting the bench head first. “Easy there, Huohuo.” Stelle said, helping her stand back up.

“Finally I found you… You just ran off after all that, we were worried… I was worried.” Huohuo said. She pointed to the other part of the bench. “Mind if… I sit… I haven’t ran that much in a while…” Stelle gave her a look that seemed to think she was being silly for even asking. Getting a nod, she all but collapsed into the seat.

Typing in a quick message on her phone, she let the others know Stelle was fine, that she found her. Stelle looked at her strangely, as if she wanted to add comments, but the energy just wasn’t there. “You… okay? I needed some air…”

“I should be asking you that… But I can guess why you ran off I think.” Huohuo started, reaching over to turn Stelle’s head to look at her when she began to turn away from Huohuo, as if afraid to see what might be in her eyes. “You are Not a monster, that Heliobus does not know what they are talking about. You’re no more a monster than me.” Stelle’s eyes just didn’t have that familiar amber light in them.

“I could be. How am I supposed to know if… I was made to contain the Stellaron, or I Am the Stellaron… I don’t even know who I am…” To Huohuo’s surprise, Stelle let herself fall over sideways, flopping her head in Huohuo’s lap like she was falling apart.

Almost unconsciously, Huohuo gently petted her surprisingly soft hair. “You are Not the Stellaron, you are Not a monster. You are Stelle, you’re someone so many people care about. I care about you…” She sighed a bit. “Just like T-Tail and me were separate beings, you’re separate from the Stellaron inside you. I don’t care about any of that… just keep being Stelle.” She tried to hold back the tears, but a few fell in Stelle’s hair anyway. “I’m here if you need to talk, I’m not going to judge you, I’m not going to run…”

It was quiet for a few minutes as Stelle appeared to mull over those words, but kept her head on Huohuo’s lap. “Two weeks ago… talking to Kafka during and after the incident, I learned about myself. I’m not sure I even count as a person. I was created, mainly for the purpose of containing a Stellaron, or merging, I don’t know… Either way, I can remember only as far back as two months ago… when I woke up at Herta space station.” Stelle’s fists clenched before she sighed, going back to limp.

“There weren’t many memories to forget before that. Technically, I’m like 6 or 7 months old… silly right?” Stelle’s tone didn’t sound like she was joking in any way, despite the bitter laugh that slipped out. Huohuo just let her speak, playing with her hair all the while as it appeared to at least help relax Stelle.

“I have to try so hard just to function like a person, it took Phantylia for me to be able to put a name to hatred as an emotion. No one takes how little I understand literally everything into account into plans, they just assume I can do things! I’m just strong and hit stuff, that is my role. I’m not exactly… useful right now, so what good am I?” She sounded destroyed, her sense of self on the verge of collapse.

“I’ve seen you plenty these past few days, you are more expressive than you realize. You may not have a name for some emotions, but they’re still there. They still make you, you. If… nothing else, I care about you more than I thought I would in such a tiny amount of time… a week to me is usually so… unimportant, I’ve gone through 53 years worth of them, but this week has felt so big to me, like months. I’m glad I met you, even if it wasn’t the best first meeting. Without you there, I’d probably have died in that maze or something.” Huohuo noticed how Stelle stiffened at that possibility.

Huohuo tried to think about what to say about the strange way Stelle framed the last part, but took things one step at a time. “Let's just get her on her feet again.”

“Huohuo… thanks…” She took a deep breath, sighing heavily, yet making no move to get up. Huohuo didn’t force her to get up either, she just watched the Jade Gate with her while playing with Stelle’s silky grey hair.

“I’ll tell you it all as many times as I have to. Let's just relax for the rest of today. I’ll make us dinner this time.” A plan formed in Huohuo’s mind, a grocery list mentally written. “We may need to stop at the market though… I know neither of us want to be in public right now…”

“True… but I can endure it I think, especially if I can try your cooking.” Stelle started to sound more like herself, the tension in her body relaxing.

“I’m not a fancy chef, but I’m not half bad. So…” Huohuo giggled at the thought. “Any plans of getting off my lap?” She teased.

“Mm… comfy…” Stelle’s quiet little laugh made Huohuo feel warmer than anything that day, despite the wind chill standing near the docks. “There's still stuff I want to… eventually talk about, but I don’t think I can yet… my brain is too tired today…”

“Take your time, I’m here to listen if you need me. This place is peaceful… We’ll go when you’re ready, no rush.” Huohuo said, taking full advantage of the moment to fluff Stelle’s hair. More of her brain processing power went into that by the second.

It was a quick in and out trip to those market stalls, Huohuo letting Stelle hold the bags like she insisted, while Huohuo half dragged her where they needed to go. Neither of them was at 100%, Stelle especially, but a nice and relaxing night would hopefully help.

It took Huohuo a while to get rid of the blush from her face just from holding Stelle’s hand like that, and the looks they gained doing so. Thankfully, holding hands like that let Huohuo take them both through the Astral Anchor, back to her neighborhood.

There were not many people out and about yet on her street, but a few that were watching took note of how the tiny Judge was dragging the semi-famous Nameless around towards her house. “Haa… the rumor mill is going to go crazier… you wouldn’t think so, but the Commission is the biggest center for gossip on the Luofu.” Huohuo half complained. She had heard a few of the rumors already about the two, and she found she wasn’t exactly disliking them.

After Stelle nearly saw it last time, Huohuo at least had cleaned up her home some. “Sorry if it's messy, I haven’t been spending much time here lately, except to sleep.” Huohuo finally let go of Stelle’s hand once they were inside. Stelle followed her silently, still very much out of it. “Wait here for a moment.” She told her, taking the bag of groceries, and setting them down in the kitchen.

Rushing off to a cabinet, she came back with a large and fluffy towel. “First thing first, take this. You go take a bath and relax, I’ll get dinner started. It's the first room on the left over there.”

That at least got Stelle’s attention. “Eh? But I didn’t bring any spare clothes…”

“I’d offer mine if they had a chance of fitting but… I know that I’m tiny. There is a cleaning machine for clothes in the corner of the entryway to the bathroom. Just throw your clothes in there and push the on button, they'll be done by the time you’re out. I think you’ll feel better after.” Huohuo ushered her towards that bathroom, looking determined that night.

“Okay, if you’re sure…” Stelle vanished into that bathroom, and Huohuo got to work.

After a long day like that, Huohuo didn’t have a gigantic amount of energy herself, so it would be something simple and filling, stir fry in this case. It wouldn’t be as tasty as in Aurum Alley, but Huohuo did like the idea of Stelle enjoying the food she makes. “Maybe I could make lunch boxes?”

The repetitive nature of cooking felt relaxing to her, normally it helped her wind down from a day of being scared half to death by a spirit, real or imagined. “I wonder if Tail is okay…”  

Normally there would at least be banter between them. It wasn’t fun staying there anymore, not without someone there with her. She yelped as she nearly let some of the food start to burn, catching the faint scents of it before it could truly burn. “Thank you Foxian nose…”

Plating up two servings, she placed a small device over each one, a dome forming to cover the food and hold in the heat. “That much technology just to freeze time and keep food warm in a tiny area…” It was silly when she thought about it.

As she was starting to make some tea, her phone pinged with a new message.

“What is with those two? It isn’t like I don’t want to be more familiar with them…” She shook her head, pulling up her messages again to at least get started letting Stelle’s other friends know about the situation.

Huohuo put her phone down and covered her face, her cheeks burning, feeling like a kettle that was steaming. At first she thought the sound of a kettle was from her head. “Oh, its ready.” She poured towards cups of tea at the table. Looking at it all, she realized that neither of them had the energy for a proper dinner at the table. “Guess it's okay to eat on the couch sometimes…”

As she cleaned up her little living room, she heard the bathroom door open. Poking her head around the corner she saw Stelle. “Hey Stelle, I figured we could- Ack!” She yelped, her face boiling yet again as Stelle emerged with steam still wisping off of her. What was the part that caused her critical damage was her lack of jacket and her usual shirt. Instead, she had on shorts that Huohuo didn’t know she had, likely worn under her skirt, as well as a sports bra.

Her eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the toned stomach and everything about it was causing her to malfunction. “Come on Huohuo you can do this!” She tried to keep her mouth from flapping open and closed, looking away from gawking at her friend. “F-Feel better?”

“A bit, it woke me up at least. You okay?” Stelle asked, ruffling the towel through her hair.

“I’m fin- Ehh gotta be gentle with your hair. Why don’t you go sit on the couch, I’ll help you dry it.” It was strangely cozy, once Huohuo got over seeing so much more of Stelle. “Calm down already… people work out in those! I should work out maybe…” her idle thoughts distracted her from all of the other feelings she was getting.

Bringing the food to the table in front of the couch, she settled them down, all but forcing Stelle to take the plate and eat while Huohuo finished drying Stelle’s hair. Stelle had set her shirt and jacket on the couch, looking exhausted. “Can I ask her to put it on? Ahhh… this is a lot…”

Sitting down next to Stelle, she tried to focus on eating her own food, but found it hard to focus for a while. She could feel the heat radiating off of Stelle, It was enough to make her want to just lean over… “M-maybe uh, haa… you could- you wanna watch a movie?” She eventually… gave up on forming the words, she would just have to get used to the fact that Stelle was attractive, it wasn’t something she had the capacity to deny.

“A movie sounds fine, something I can zone out in maybe? What do you usually watch? This is… a pretty good set up.” Stelle noted, looking around at the array of floating speakers, and the large screen on the wall.

Huohuo sighed, It was all admittedly expensive, but it had lasted nearly 10 years. “I got it for watching movies with… Tail. Lets see… the movies should be in the library on the tv, feel free to pick one.” Huohuo said, trying to focus on her food.

She hardly tasted it, she realized, after she set her plate down. “Calm down Huohuo… you’re 53 dammit!” She tried to hype herself up as she took the dishes back to the kitchen. Grabbing her favorite movie watching pillow and setting one of her thick blankets on the back of the couch, in case it was needed, she finally felt ready. She plopped back down and watched the selection that Stelle was browsing through.

“That is surprising, almost all of these are horror movies?” Stelle asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I-Is it? They’re for courage training… Not that it's very effective…” Huohuo admitted as her memories reminded her of all the nights she watched those with Tail. Even if they bickered a lot, he still cared about her, enough to save her…

“Huohuo?” Stelle said, and hand on the top of her head snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Sorry, I just watched those with Mr Tail, and it kinda reminded me of him…” Huohuo admitted, and even leaned into the hand ruffling her hair. “I don’t mind watching some of them with you though…”

Some of the normal Stelle appeared, as Stelle cracked a smile that seemed to always spell mischief. “With all of these… you’ve been watching for how many years? If they don’t work… You secretly like them, don’t you?” Stelle asked, giggling under her breath as Huohuo froze up.

“I mean… m-maybe a little… but only with someone! I can’t watch them alone…” Huohuo settled back into the couch with her pillow to hug.

“I’ve never watched any of this, for reasons you now know. Let's try… this one.” Stelle pressed play on the movie labeled ‘Nightmare on Aurum Alley’.

“W-wait I haven't watched that one yet… I hope I’ll be able to go back to the food stalls…” Huohuo quietly complained, half of her face hidden by that pillow.

“Perfect, it will be new for both of us. Well, if you get scared in the Alley I’ll just have to be there, won’t I?” Stelle said, settling into the couch. “Me dressed like this isn’t bothering you… right? It's just what I usually wear after a shower, or while working out, but that is on the express…”

“It's… fine, I don’t really min- Eep!” She hugged her pillow as the movie opened up to a bloody scream down a narrow alley. Stelle herself seemed distracted from the movie by the little yelps Huohuo would let out. Eventually though, even Stelle was engrossed in the movie, neither of them noticing themselves scooting closer together, till their arms were touching.

Huohuo peered over in the dark and saw Stelle stand up. “Hmm?” Then her vision was blacked out. Stelle had taken the blanket from the back of the couch, tossing it over her, and soon the two were curled up beneath it, feeling far more cozy than before. “Like this… it isn’t so scary…” With those blankets up to her chin, her pillow set aside, she felt almost relaxed, right until the next jump scare.

After watching the 2nd movie in that series after the first, finally Huohuo felt the first bits of exhaustion hit her like a truck. A blink later, and the movie was replaced by a quiet documentary at some point of the snowy areas on one of the other ships of the Xianzhou. Even half awake, she could tell that she was incredibly warm there, and that she hadn’t quite stayed where she was.

She felt the warmth of Stelle’s bare skin, her hand on her stomach,  leaning directly on Stelle. The thing that sent her heart beating further was the arm around her shoulders, hugging her into that warmth. It was getting steadily more difficult to call what she felt anything but what it was.

Looking upwards, she saw Stelle almost entirely asleep, her head bobbing lightly as she hugged Huohuo into herself. With the blanket wrapped around them, holding Stelle’s extra heat in, she felt almost too warm, right on the cusp, yet it was nice. Moving was too taxing, she felt too relaxed, too safe in Stelle’s arms, to dare try and get out of them.

Lulled by Stelle’s warmth and scent, accented by Huohuo’s own conditioner, she felt herself nodding off again. She felt confident no nightmares would reach her, not in that sanctuary, not where she felt safer than she ever had been. “I think… I think I might just love her…”

Chapter Text

Side B: Huohuo

The first sensations upon awakening were always slow, but not usually so… peaceful for her. No nightmares intruded, and the only real thing she could remember from the quickly fading dream was a feeling of pure safety and more that was held inside of her chest.

Not yet cracking open her eyes, Huohuo tried to hang onto the remnants of that nice dream, or the warm safety of it. As her awareness returned, she sadly lost grip on the dream, letting it go reluctantly, yet those other feelings remained.

One of her ears twitched as she identified one sound she heard throughout her dream, a soft beating sound that nearly lulled her back asleep. The comforting warmth was coming from where she was laying, as well as something resting around her back.

It was the scent that had grown more and more familiar that finally woke her up entirely. Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself resting on soft skin. Peeking upwards, she found Stelle asleep, her chin resting on the top of Huohuo’s head, while she laid face down on top of her. Somewhere in the night, they must have shuffled till they both were properly laying on the couch, cozy in their embrace.

Her own arms were resting around Stelle, just as Stelle had her arms wrapped entirely around her like a hug pillow. In the face of both her blossoming feelings for Stelle, and well… Stelle’s pretty face, it was both a victory and panic inducing laying there.

“Ahhh what do I do? I can’t move, but It’s comfy right here…” Stelle occupied all of her senses, all of which reminded her of the night before. “At least she is sleeping also, I guess we both needed it…” She reached out as much as she could for her phone, seeing it on the floor just out of reach.

Carefully stretching out, she was able to slide it with her finger tips. Just as she grasped it, Stelle’s arms hugged her tighter, pulling her back on top of her chest. It would have been more embarrassing, but neither of them were exactly well endowed on that front.

At least she was able to grab her phone to check the time. It was later than either of them seemed to sleep in towards, with Huohuo blowing past her usual start time by a good four hours. “That was a good sleep though, lets just… enjoy this for now…” As part of that, she held the phone out to show both of them, taking a quick picture. Looking at the picture brought all those shy feelings rushing back in. “This totally looks like we’re together…”

As she was examining that picture, and half debated deleting it, the phone vibrated in her hands as a new text came in. “Guinaifen?”

“Guinaifen! Ahh… I should take a page from Stelle’s book and bite her… Am I that obvious?” She wondered as she surrendered to that comfortable embrace. She was stuck there so… she decided to be a little more brave, cuddling up against Stelle more, and felt those arms hold her tighter. It was temporary comfort, but she could at least fool herself for a while that Stelle would feel that sort of way for her back. “She is still trying to figure out emotions, I don’t need to overwhelm her also…” She felt the comfort of the position, cuddled up under Stelle’s chin as she was, it began to lull her back into a half sleep, Stelle’s scent overwhelming her, letting her doze off oh so peacefully.

Huohuo’s eyes opened again after what felt like one cozy blink. She was still on Stelle, but felt hands delicately running through her hair, sending delightful shivers down her spine. Once she felt a few scratches at the base of her ears, the game was up. She let out an involuntary sigh of contentment, all but melting to the touch.

It felt like years since she felt a simple comfort like that, maybe not since she was a child, when she still had her actual tail. “M-Morning Stelle…” Huohuo mumbled, lifting her head and having her little heart instantly go up a few dozen beats per minute. That close to Stelle, she could see herself reflected in those warm amber eyes. Before her brain could give her any bright ideas, she sat up all the way, nearly falling off the couch if Stelle didn’t help steady her.

“E-Easy there, don’t want to crack your head.” Stelle said, helping them finally separate. Both of their faces were bright red by the time they were sitting side by side on that couch. Stelle appeared deep in thought, but when she turned to Huohuo she looked far more like her usual self compared to the day before. “Think it’s safe to say we both slept pretty well. I never sleep this much anymore.” Stelle said, throwing her shirt on finally and stretching.

Huohuo looked away from both acts, she already was near an overdose of Stelle just that morning. “Y-Yeah… Well, we both needed to catch up on sleep…” Huohuo said, getting up to go do her morning routine. “I’ll just make us breakfast here soon.”

She took that valuable time to straighten herself up mentally, till she could face Stelle again without imploding. Walking back out, she saw Stelle looking at a few pictures she had on the wall.

Wandering up to see which one she was looking at, Huohuo smiled fondly. There were more than a few of her with Hanya and Xueyi, including one of her in a very fancy and ceremonial robe. Seeing which one Stelle was looking at, Huohuo couldn’t help but explain. It was one of herself, a bit shorter than she was now, with Xueyi and Hanya pinning her Yin and Yang hair pin in place.

“Sometimes they seem more like family than my bosses… That was from my hair pinning ceremony on my 25th birthday.” Huohuo said, watching Stelle’s reaction.

“I think I’ve heard of that… I was helping Yukong and her daughter get along again, that term got brought up. What is a hair pinning ceremony?” Stelle asked, turning to look at Huohuo, genuine curiosity in her eyes.

“Oh, it is an old Foxian tradition. Normally, when a Foxian turns 25, their parents will have a special hairpin made for their child, one unique to them. Pinning it into their hair marks them as an adult in Foxian culture. It's one of the few alterations I can make to my uniform, wearing it. Almost all Foxians hang onto them, but not a lot make wearing it routine. They’re… special to the culture.” Huohuo felt her emotions grow in her chest, making her turn away from the picture to move to the kitchen.

She was thankful that Stelle didn’t ask the obvious questions, it felt nicer to think of it as a happier moment with her senior Judges, rather than why it was them there instead…

Almost automatically, she gathered things for an easy breakfast.

“Can I help?” Stelle asked, looking around the kitchen.

“Sure, think you could grab some of those eggs, crack them into a glass, and give them a scramble?” Huohuo asked, setting out for her own task.

“Can do.” Stelle looked strangely pleased by it, looking far happier that day, enough to wipe away any possible regrets about that night.

“Why am I thinking of it like that? It isn’t like we did… We just watched movies and c-cuddled…” She thought as she worked. It was soothing, the quiet sounds of the kitchen, until she looked over at Stelle.

“How in the… U-um… what happened?” Huohuo had to ask, looking at the glass where Stelle was supposed to have just scrambled some eggs. The only thing about eggs she could see were shell pieces lodged inside, somehow the entire thing turning a glowing purple.

Stelle had the self reflection to at least look embarrassed. “U-Um… I guess I forgot I don’t know how to cook… that for some reason this happens…” If Stelle had fox ears, they would have hung down further than Huohuo’s own, it was one thing that kept Huohuo from being upset at all. If anything, she was almost impressed.

“I don’t know how that could happen… Oh well.” Huohuo took that glass, testing the spoon within, finding it nearly stuck! It was like purple cement by that point! “This goes beyond bad at cooking!” It was comedic to her, honestly.

Looking up, she saw Stelle still looking dejected. With a gentle smile, Huohuo reached up to boop her nose, and reached up further to ruffle her grey hair. Stelle thankfully didn’t comment on the fact she had to stand on her toes to do that.

Giving up on the glass and fork, she set those aside for the trash later. “It's okay, I’ll finish this up.” It hurt to see Stelle looking down still, not saying a word. “Hey, I’ll teach you how to cook a little sometime, I’m not mad.” Finally content once she got half of a smile from her, she returned to cooking.

Breakfast was pretty quiet at first, as both were, for once, starving enough to grab seconds. “Hey Huohuo? Thanks, I… appreciate yesterday.” Stelle said, setting her fork down when she was done eating.

Huohuo smiled at her in return. “Any time. You feel better? I’ve had shut down days like that before, so I know they’re… bleh…” Huohuo didn’t know how to describe it except like that.

“Much better, or at least functional. Only time I’ve really felt like that before was… soon after getting to the Luofu. Tingyun helped me through it that time.” Stelle looked determined more than anything, not flinching at the memories or the name.

It took Huohuo a moment to connect the Tingyun Stelle had mentioned before in passing, with the Sky-Faring Commission’s ambassador that was lost in the Ambrosial Arbor incident. To say she was a beloved figure on the Luofu was an understatement. While she had never met the woman, she was one of the public faces of the ship, and she was admittedly beautiful. “Especially in comparison to me…” She quickly shook that thought out of her head.

“Well, I’m here if you ever want to talk about anything. Did something happen when you arrived?” Huohuo asked.

“Yeah… nearly got a repeat of my first true Trailblaze mission where we were falsely accused, and nearly arrested within a day of arrival. I was still… trying to learn how to be a person, and that betrayal… It left some marks. When it almost happened again I just kind of… shut down. It was a bit worse, but… I don’t really want to talk about that. It's a nice morning, I’ll focus on that.” Stelle said, giving Huohuo one of her rare smiles that were steadily becoming less rare, but still just as lovely in Huohuo’s eyes. “The offer is both ways, if you ever need to talk, my phone is always open for you. Me and my bat can back you up within minutes~”

If anything, she wanted her to smile more, to help make her smile. Huohuo felt that cozy heat in her chest at that offer, it was… strangely romantic, the offer to swoop in like a bat/lance wielding tactical weapon, not that Huohuo ever wanted to think of her like that.

“Thanks… Well, I wouldn’t mind another movie night sometime.” For the first time in a week, her house actually felt like a home. Huohuo peered at the time once they finished their very late breakfast. “It's already almost noon? Not used to mornings being this… relaxed.” Huohuo mentioned.

Stelle’s eyes widened. “Wait, really? Ah hell…” With great trepidation Stelle turned her phone back on, and sighed. “Nine missed calls, and 13 text messages? Latest one was… not long ago. Sorry to eat and run Huohuo, they need me back on the Express…” Huohuo just smiled at her.

“It's okay, I kept you long enough. I have to get some paperwork done anyway, gotta go earn that Judge salary.” Huohuo hopped up to prepare for the day as well.

“True, you’re no Qingque.” Stelle said, throwing on her jacket and putting the skirt on over her shorts, as per usual. “See me off?”

Huohuo followed her to the door, though they both moved reluctantly. Huohuo at the very least, didn’t feel like separating, but she couldn’t monopolize her… “The squad shouldn’t be meeting today, but my messages are definitely open. If I was sure I’d even get home at a reasonable hour, I’d offer to try and get dinner again, but maybe next time.”

“Hey, I got to eat your cooking, so that is better in my book. Was hard to taste though, might need to try it again~” Stelle stepped out of the door, looking back with what Huohuo thought was an affectionate grin. “I’ll see you soon, don’t wear yourself out at work.”

Eventually though, they had to go their separate ways for the day. “See you later, Stelle, be safe.” Huohuo said, leaning on her door frame as she watched Stelle walk, meeting her eyes a few times when she looked back.

Looking around the street, she caught the eyes of a few of her neighbors. She could only imagine the rumors that would now circulate… She wasn’t ignorant to the ways of the world at her age, even if her personal experience was nil… “I think we just made the rumor mill worse…” It would be a trial, that was for sure.

As she returned inside, and quietly screamed into her pillow, she didn’t know if she hated those rumors because they were false, or because she wished they were true.

Huohuo tried to keep her focus, but her paperwork was going at half speed as her mind kept repeating the night before. Despite there not being a meeting that day, her current ‘office’ was still Fyxestroll Gardens, and hence, where the majority of her paperwork was being redirected to.

Hearing the sound of the Astral Anchor activating, she took a guess. “Good afternoon, Madam Hanya.” Huohuo said without looking up from her paperwork, her ear twitching as she heard her footsteps.

“You as well Madam Huohuo.” That made Huohuo screech to a halt mentally. It was Hanya, but hearing that tone made her feel like a bit of a child again… “Two can play at it, I think it is past time you stop being so formal with me. We’re both Judges, and functionally of equal rank now.” Hanya was surprisingly smug that day.

“H-Hanya…” She whined, attempting to go back to her paperwork, but was now a bit distracted.

“Relax, please. How was your morning?” Hanya asked, moving to stare out at the gardens.

“It was… surprisingly nice, considering how most of yesterday went. Yeah, it was good.” Huohuo’s lips curled into a smile again as she went back to work.

“I’m glad, you seem a lot happier today.”

Huohuo couldn’t stop the smile on her face, thinking back to it all. “I am, I really am. I just need to catch up on this paperwork, it really never ends…” It didn’t fix everything, but it was something to think about besides missing Tail and hoping that they were okay.

“That it does not, not even after well over 1000 years.” Hanya said, letting Huohuo go back to her work, typing on her own phone.

Not even halfway done with her stack, Huohuo could tell her concentration was faltering, she had been at it for a few hours by that point. As if on cue, Hanya returned.

“Need a break?” She asked, giving her an out, one she happily took.

“Y-Yeah… The past few days have put me behind.” Huohuo let out a very quiet whine.

The sound of the Astral Anchor going off again caused her to look back to see who it was. “Madam Xueyi, it's nice to see you.” Huohuo said, smiling at her fellow judge. Seeing her outside of a mission was a sad rarity.

“You as well Madam Huohuo.” While Xueyi didn’t have the same ability to make expressions like Hanya, her tone more than made up for the sass.

“You also? Bullies… Did you two plot this? I get your point…” Huohuo sighed, standing up and stretching. Past a certain point, trying to write was useless. “I think I’m tapped for today… at least in paperwork.” The two sisters were looking at each other, before turning to her.

“Perfect. We’re going to spend time at my abode, we’d appreciate it if you join us.” Hanya said, smiling kindly at her.

In 38 years, it was not the first time she had been invited, and she had even accepted a handful of times. When those two were together, it was a special occasion for them, with Xueyi having to save up her ‘wake time’ till she could have some freedom. It honestly depressed Huohuo, the extent those two had accepted as normal being essentially slaves. She respected them all the more for their loyalty, despite by that point having every reason to hate it there.

No one could deny all three had important work to do, and the Luofu did not run off of good intentions… sometimes dark things needed doing, which was mostly Xueyi’s job. She had disclosed to her before that for every criminal she put away, she gained a generous half day of ‘wake span’ that she could use as she wished. As far as she knew, she herself was the only other Judge the two spent much time with.

“Sure, I appreciate it, M- Hanya, X-Xueyi.” She had to admit, spending some time with them sounded nice. Using their names for once at least made her fellow Judges happy.

The first time she saw it, Hanya’s home shocked her. Hanya looked like a neat and tidy individual on the outside, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Walking inside, she saw take out boxes everywhere, and a house in general needing major cleaning. It wasn’t her place to comment on it though, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Sorry, I’ve been too busy, too exhausted at night, to do much cleaning.” Hanya tried to excuse it, but sighed. The three made their way to the kitchen, setting down the food they had nabbed at Aurum Alley, none of them were up for cooking that night, especially when one of them couldn’t eat at all.

“I should learn how to make these…” Huohuo said as she bit into one of the food stand’s steamed meat buns. “They’re good, if only I could get them to give up their recipe…” Huohuo half plotted, just enjoying a nice meal after a day of work.

“Their recipe is their livelihood after all, but I’m sure if you try your hand at it, you’ll eventually figure it out. Was there a particular reason you wished to learn?” Hanya asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. “Maybe for a particular person?”

Xueyi was happy to add some blows to Huohuo when she froze up. “While I cannot eat them, if you seem to enjoy them so much, perhaps that person would? My sister tells me that you’re rather close with one of your new team mates?” Huohuo whined under her breath, lightly hitting her forehead to the table.

“Bullies… B-but… maybe. I like spending time with her, more than I have really with a-anyone in years. It just feels like we… connect. Even though I know people assume I’m younger just for being small, she's never once treated me like that, never looked down on me.” Huohuo set her food down as she submerged deep in thought.

“As she should. You may not be similar to others, or meet most’s typical beauty standards, but you’ve grown into a beautiful young woman in these decades I have known you. It may not seem like you’ve grown much, but when I first met you… you were at least a head shorter.” Hanya told her, ruffling her hair now that she didn’t have her hat on.

“We may technically just be fellow Judges on paper, but you are important to my sister and I. If you need to talk, we’re both here. You can rely on us. Well… My sister is more likely to be available.” Xueyi didn’t need to elaborate on that, even if it made all three of them more somber.

“Thank you, you two… You’re both… irreplaceable to me.” Huohuo finished her food, letting it sit as she thought about things. “Honestly… I don’t know what to do about it, whatever this is… Stelle is just…” She groaned under her breath. “Is it bad? That I just want to be near her s-so much? She's… warm, it's an a-addicting feeling…” Huohuo was finally letting herself ramble, to verbalize the things she had kept bottled up. “It's only been a week and I’m like this…”

“Love has no time table.” Hanya added, looking amused as she saw the way Huohuo stiffened up, like it was a forbidden word. “I think you know what those feelings are, but only you can decide what you want to do with them. We’ll support you.”

“Though if she, or anyone, ever hurts you…” Xueyi sounded quite protective, in a way that relaxed Huohuo.

“Thank you… I’ll need to t-think about it all…” She rested her chin on her palm, her elbow braced on the table in contemplation. “Now, if only I could find Tail already…” She muttered, her mind whirling at wherever he may have gone. Caught up in her head as she was, she did not catch Hanya and Xueyi sharing a worried look.

Special thanks to Partially_hydrated for this adorable fan art! <3 https://x.com/astralcacti/status/1806199106840207680 <3 A heckin good bean! I appreciate it so much ;w;

Chapter Text

Side A: Stelle

Even after several more ghost hunting adventures, after two weeks even, Stelle still couldn’t get memories to stop sticking in her mind. At least this time it was not the traumatic memories of the Ambrosial Arbor, but of Huohuo’s home, holding her in her arms, and sleeping the best she ever had in her short life.

“Just what do I even want?” It was a common question in her mind, and every time her first answer was that she wanted to experience that morning again, and again, and again. Waking up at her own pace, with that adorable Foxian woman in her arms, and both of their nightmares soothed for once. It was such a simple thing, yet it was one of the happiest memories she possessed. Just playing with Huohuo’s hair and ears to lull her back into a peaceful rest brought far too much elation to her for it to be anything except… addicting.

It was entirely preferable to the alternatives, but still maddening when she could not figure out a solution. “I feel like it wouldn’t go well if I just asked if I could hug her for a while…” Her pondering of questionable things to ask was interrupted by a knock at her door. “It's open.”

March 7th poked her head in Stelle’s room, and stared at Stelle and how she was laid out spread eagle on her face. “You… doing okay? Comfortable?”

“I dunno… just tired. A lot of Heliobi put away…” It was not a lie at all.

“True, you all have been putting out post after post. I think you’ll all break 500k subs here soon. You sure you aren’t overworking yourself?” March asked as she sat down on the edge of Stelle’s bed. “You’ve been leaving early, even earlier than when you go get breakfast with Huohuo. I heard you are helping Aurum Alley and their dispute with the IPC, are those connected?” March questioned, her brow furled in worry.

Stelle tilted her head as she sat up, looking at March curiously. “Yes? I was there, and they needed help. We aren’t at Herta’s, so there aren’t as many people needing me. I’m just finding ways to make myself useful.” Stelle felt genuinely confused.

March pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “You literally helped save the Xianzhou, you are allowed to have days off, to have fun…” March looked like she wanted to ask several more questions, but it had gotten a bit much. “Haa… maybe Huohuo can teach you how to have more fun… Either way, if you aren’t doing anything, I’d love for you to come shopping with me. There are a few things I want to get before we leave.”

That reminder, that eventually they would depart the Xianzhou… it hurt far too much. It must have shown on her face as March put a hand on her shoulder. “You two will figure something out.”

“Maybe, I doubt the Xianzhou would care for me to stay much longer. After all this, having another Stellaron so close is likely pushing their hospitality to a breaking point. I’ll come shopping, I think I want to find a gift for Huohuo.”

“Knew it~ You two are way too adorable… You know… I never got a clear answer on what happened the night you stayed over? Forgive me, you know I’m a bit of a gossip~” March said, standing up and holding out a hand to help Stelle onto her feet.

Accepting the help, Stelle stretched out, letting her back pop delightfully. “You didn’t? We watched movies, had some dinner, ended up cuddling on the couch, fell asleep there, there was some nice morning cuddling, and then I came back here.” As expected, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face by the end.

“Yup, precious. Come on, the market should be opening soon. I’m sure we can find something for you to get her, you’ll know her better than me.” March 7th told her, only waiting until she saw her standing up to leave the room.

It was loud in the markets, something that didn’t help Stelle’s headache, brought by her lingering exhaustion. Pushing her discomfort aside, she tried to focus on browsing the colorful market stalls. “So… you’re more familiar with gifts and stuff, what do you think would be a good gift? I’m a bit lost…” Stelle admitted.

“Well… it's a bit early for jewelry at least.” She said and appeared to be in her own thoughts, leaving Stelle with that confusing sentence. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You two haven’t known each other for too long, so something that can carry personal meaning to both of you. Got a picture?” March asked, seeing Stelle staring at a stall with an eclectic assortment of crafted goods.

“I do, we took one a few days ago, it should be perfect.”

“Oh that is adorable~ She is shorter than I expected.” March 7th said the last part under her breath, but Stelle heard her all the same.

“Don’t you tell her that, she is sensitive about her height. I’m a bit on the taller side, so honestly… it made it really nice to c-cuddle her…” She admitted, finally feeling the slightest bit self conscious. “So picture frame and…” Her eyes landed on another object that shimmered in the sun.

It was a small jade plant pot that would look perfect on Huohuo’s desk! “It's cute, it's perfect~” It was shaped like a fox curled around whatever was planted in the middle, she would just need some seeds, or get it started with a flower.

“Oooo good eye, you could put a nice colorful flower in there before giving it to her, it will liven things up. It also feels a bit romantic~” March teased, enjoying the pout that came from Stelle. “No need for that, you look ready to pull your bat on me-”

“You mean the Galactic Baseballer’s Galactic Bat of Destruction?” Stelle added with a proud smirk.

“That title gets longer and longer each time you use it… Sure that thing, no hitting me with it. That thing looks a bit pricey, but we could go to the botany center and see about getting something put into it before you go today.”

Stelle rapidly nodded her head, almost like a puppy with how excited she now was… It was a great change in energy compared to before. Unknown to Stelle, it was like a free romance novel in action for March 7th…

Stelle picked up the pot and held her card out to the shopkeeper, who looked on fondly at how excited Stelle was about it. Once that, and the photograph frame, were paid for, Stelle all but pulled March 7th along to the Astral Anchor.

“Hey hey hey no need to pull me… I swear, I should get Himeko to give you decaf coffee…” As if that could possibly stop Stelle while she was on a mission, or in chaos gremlin mode.

Arriving earlier than the others, hopefully, Stelle brought her lunch with her to Fyxestroll Gardens, as well as her gifts.

After flipping off Cirrus as per tradition, she nearly skipped while going through the gardens with her heart in the clouds. She didn’t even care that she got some strange looks from the guards there who she all but knew by name now. “I hope she’ll be happy with these.” There was just an urge in her to make Huohuo happy, to see that cute smile yet again. The thoughts were getting a bit much for her mind, which stopped as soon as she rounded the corner.

“Stelle? You’re here early.” Huohuo said, tiredly waving from her desk as she did paperwork. Stelle felt a smile emerge automatically when she saw her.

“Morning Huohuo, I thought no one would be here yet. How long have you been at this?” she asked as she saw the dark circles under Huohuo’s eyes, and her exhausted expression.

“Oh… what time is it… Oh near noon, so about 5 or 6 hours? I was really backed up with paperwork…” Her nose twitched, sniffing the air. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes darted to the take out box under one of Stelle’s arms.

Stelle grinned, setting a few things down on empty spots on that desk. “First, food. I bought extra just in case, you haven’t eaten yet right?” Stelle asked, sliding a box with one of Aurum Alley’s steamed buns, her gaze turning suspicious when Huohuo looked away.

“I haven’t had lunch yet, I appreciate it, I can go grab stuff though rather than take your’s…” Huohuo knew that wouldn’t fly when she felt her nose being booped yet again. “Yup, that is definitely a thing for you now.”

“What? You have a good nose for booping, small and cute, and you make silly expressions when I do.” Stelle said, pulling up a chair, further pushing that box to Huohuo. “I know you by now, you didn’t even eat breakfast, did you?” Stelle said, biting into her own meat bun, filling the pavilion they were in with the scent of slow cooked meat and sauce. “I should bring the guards around here food at some point… I hope they get lunch breaks…”

“I… didn’t, I kind of went straight here to get a jump on all this before our next meeting.” Huohuo gestured to the pile of paperwork she had completed over half of. “Some food would be a good idea I guess.” She looked to nearly reject the offered food, but gave up as Stelle stared at her firmly.

Once they were both eating, Stelle finally spoke up again. “You really need to take better care of yourself… you’re already skinny, and I bet you’ve even lost some weight. I can be observant sometimes, especially with the people I care about.” After saying that, Stelle had the decency to blush and look back at her food.

“Maybe a bit… T-Tail always had to bug me to eat breakfast. Maybe that is the real reason I’m short.” She half joked, finishing off her bun and setting the box aside. “Thank you, I needed that…” She looked to only realize how hungry she actually was once she had food in her hands, only making Stelle more worried.

“Then I’ll keep dragging you to breakfast to make sure you do, that or learn how to make you breakfast.” It was not even a joke in her mind, it was becoming a personal mission to her. “I know I’m pretty bad at taking care of myself also… so it's a bit hypocritical of me, I just worry.” Stelle sighed, shaking her head to clear out any sadder thoughts.

Pulling out two other boxes, one that was mostly wrapped in paper and kept strictly upright, and another that was far thinner, she set both down. “I got you something to make your work space better.” First was the thinner box that was put into gift wrapping.

“E-Eh? What are these for?” Huohuo asked, immediately flustered by the sudden gift giving.

“I felt like it, and you needed some life for your desk if you are going to come here so early for paperwork… I don’t mind at least coming to keep you company while you work, even if we aren’t meeting that day.” Stelle said and took their food boxes to the trash. While dumping the trash, she totally didn’t peek through that garbage can that she may have asked to be installed. 

Huohuo opened up that first gift, and inside was the group photo they took of the Ghost Hunting Squad. The picture frame even had little foxes running around the edges.

“T-this is sweet…” Huohuo said as she wiped her eyes, not seeming to expect the sudden gifts. She cleared off a small spot for it on her desk, smiling at it and all the nice memories it brought.

“Glad you like it~ Open the next one.” Stelle said, returning from her subtle trash diving. Alas, all she found was what she had put in there… Unless trash was left for at least a day, then it was not yet potentially treasure. Needless to say, grabbing her own trash out of there would make her an uncivilized dumpster diver, and not a treasure hunter.

Stelle found herself enjoying the changes in expressions Huohuo made as she unwrapped that last gift, revealing that cute little jade plant pot, with a plastic dome protecting a tiny flower planted within. Stelle spent nearly an hour picking out a plant that would fit such a tiny space, but still, she found one that the botanists there had been cultivating that they had named ‘Wispy Spirit’. The bulk of the flower was lovely shades of emerald green, with the edges of the petals, as well as the tips of them, being a refreshing silvery grey.

The moment she saw that flower, she had to get it for Huohuo, it reminded her too much of them. Judging by the look on Huohuo’s face, and the few tears she wiped away, Stelle was confident that Huohuo noticed that part. “S-Stelle… This…” It took longer for Huohuo to stop any tears from falling as she looked between the flower pot, and Stelle. “Thank you…” The smile she gave Stelle was all that was needed to make the search worth it, that addictingly cute smile.

Stelle held still as Huohuo reached across the table, booping her right back. “Glad you like it Huohuo.” Stelle said, sipping at the canned coffee she brought, and placed a can of Mung Bean Soda that she knew Huohuo liked near her. While it certainly was not to her own liking, she was glad it made Huohuo look happier.

“I’m fully energized to get this paperwork done~ maybe we can do- all do something today if nothing happens.” Stelle tilted her head when Huohuo changed her wording, but didn’t think too much about it. As long as she could spend some time with Huohuo, that was good enough for her.

“I look forward to it.”

Like a hurricane, Guinaifen came sprinting into Huohuo’s ‘office’, nearly knocking down papers with the wind she stirred up. Both Stelle and Huohuo were quick to keep the stacks of papers together, and looked like they might murder Gui for a brief moment. “S-Sorry… But check this out!” Before she could pull out what she had behind her back, Sushang followed her inside.

“I work out daily… and somehow she outran me? What bullshit is this?” She complained, stealing a chair to catch her breath. “Proceed…”

“I’m fueled by our growing number of subscribers! Eventually I’ll gain unlimited power and ascend into being the Aeon of social media!” The maniacal laughter from her got her at least a few looks, even from across the pond past their pavilion. Tampering her laugh down to a mildly evil cackle she pulled out a placard from behind her, holding it. “Tada! We hit 500k subscribers! I couldn’t have done this without any of you~ To celebrate I want to take you all out to dinner, my treat.” Guinaifen offered, grabbing a seat while cradling that subscriber placard.

“That is a big milestone. I wonder how many billions would be needed to create the path of social media?” Stelle pondered that as she drank coffee. “Dinner sounds great to me. Maybe after dinner you all could come to the Astral Express and we could watch some movies there?” That at least got most of their excitement going.

“Big dreams like being an Aeon will ruin your health… I doubt it is that simple. Though Stelle might be able to trailblaze the path of the trash panda. Yes, I saw you earlier, dork.” Huohuo teased, smirking as Stelle looked away.

Stelle took it a step further, standing on top of her chair dramatically, rolling with it. “I shall become the Aeon of the Trashcan, and liberate every trashcan in the universe of their treasure!” She declared with her own evil laughter.

Huohuo and Sushang looked at each other and couldn’t help but laugh. Their respective dorks were entirely in their natural habitat. “What are we going to do with you two… Well, I’m unsure if I could get onto the Express. I’d have to check if I’m allowed off ship without leave of absence. Despite them putting together this whole squad, they’re really really strict.”

Sushang looked at her for a moment. “So kind of like the laws preventing us Xianzhou Natives from leaving? There are minor exceptions, like visits, but somewhere close like the Astral Express near the ship should be fine, but that is the Cloud Knights and regular citizens… To most of us the Ten-Lords Commission is basically a black box we only know of. No, I’m not trying to pry into it.” Sushang held up a hand before Huohuo would panic at the worries.

“Good… We’re meant to be isolated from the other Commissions. For those on the Xianzhou who the dignity of a proper death has been denied, the Ten-Lords commission’s purpose is to become that death, to keep the life cycle flowing. In a way… no one here is immortal, Mara eventually strikes after all, and those that it strikes will be brought to the hall of karma. That is all I can say.” Huohuo was firm in that.

“Got it, message is clear, we’re dropping the topic.” Guinaifen said, shifting them well away from that line of discussion, she didn’t need to get deported after all. “So, there is a nice restaurant that has been getting great reviews, it's called The Coiled Dragon. It is still quite casual, so feel free to wear what you want.”

“Ooo I’ve heard of that place, it's a bit pricey though, sure you can pay for all of us?” Sushang asked worriedly, she knew how tight Guinaifen’s finances usually were from what she had told the others.

“Yup! I’m getting a good income now from the channel, it's only right I share that at least with dinner. There hasn’t been any new Heliobi sightings today anyway.” Guinaifen said, pacing around the Pavilion. Her gaze stopped at Huohuo’s two new gifts she had placed on her desk. “Oh? Where did these come from? That is a pretty flower.”

Sushang also noticed it, looking between Huohuo and Stelle as soon as she saw the flower color. “Well, well well~” Before they knew it, Stelle had her bat on her shoulder, staring at them with a blank look on her face. “I-I mean that is so cute, it really livens the place up.”

Huohuo gave Stelle an unamused look until she put her bat away. “Lance?” Huohuo shook her head, pouting further. “B-Bite?” The look from Huohuo was surprisingly potent in getting her under control..

“I’m about ready to bite you all if you all start a fight near my paperwork. I still got maybe an hour of this to go, when did you want to eat?” Huohuo asked as she smiled at Stelle, relieving the sting of that threat. Stelle did have to admit to herself that Huohuo biting might be kind of amusing.

“Oh maybe at about 5? We can all meet there before it gets too busy. I’d only really need a reservation on Fridays and Saturdays. Did we want to do anything after? It wouldn’t be the same without Huohuo after all, let's figure out something for all of us. I guess the Astral Express trip will have to wait.” Guinaifen said apologetically to Stelle.

Stelle turned towards Huohuo. “Well, you Do have the room and the TV set up, we could still watch some movies? Personally, I’d love to have another movie night.” Stelle said, unable to not smile as memories of that night came back. Seeing Huohuo growing deep red made Stelle think she was remembering as well.

“M-Me too… Sure, we can all go to my house after dinner. I picked up a few new movies to watch.” She had a hard time meeting Stelle’s eyes, taking little peeks up from her paperwork.

“Yay~ I’m excited.” Stelle said, almost rocking in her chair. It was a good change of pace for the normally stoic, yet silly, trailblazer.

“Well, feel free to hang out here if you want, just keep the noise to a minimum until I finish. It will be boring for you though here, I’ll meet you all at that restaurant.” Huohuo told them, dipping her brush back into the ink. “I could have sworn we were supposed to transition to paperless documents soon… has that been being pushed back by decades?” She complained under her breath.

The rows upon rows of scrolls, documents, and other things made it clear paper was there to stay for the time being.

Sushang and Guinaifen looked between Huohuo and Stelle and stood up. “Sure sure, we’ll meet you there. It's going to be a bit colder tonight, you should wear something warm, it's an open dining area.” Guinaifen warned, trotting off.

“See you then! I wonder what movies Huohuo likes?” Sushang pondered, following after Gui. Stelle made no move to get up, seeming content with the comfortable silence that grew between them. Both of them shared the space, keeping each other company while Huohuo worked.

Eventually though, they had to separate to go change, Stelle looking back almost longingly as Huohuo shooed her off with a laugh. “I’ll see you in like an hour Stelle, we have the whole night to do things.” Huohuo eased Stelle’s worries until she finally vanished in the Astral Anchor.

“I swear… that girl will be the death of me…” Stelle sadly could not see Huohuo erupt into a heavy blush as soon as she left, nor hear the whine of frustration, she let out.

Stelle adjusted her new outfit as she waited near the entrance of the Coiled Dragon, nearly bouncing on her heels. It was a simple outfit that felt almost too warm, consisting of tight black leggings that Stelle found she liked after trying them a few times, a comfortable shirt that was in Xianzhou style, and over that a large black and silver hoodie. “Guinaifen did say I could just dress comfortably…”

The hoodie felt like overkill for her though as she wondered if she would cook in it. She felt dry mouthed when she saw Huohuo arriving. She was just glad she skipped the heels this time, they always appeared to make Huohuo uncomfortable…

The night had not yet gotten cold, but the wind made Huohuo shiver regardless as her sleeveless top protected her none. “At least she grabbed leggings also with that skirt, it's too cold otherwise…” She had a hard time admitting it even to herself, but she really really liked seeing those leggings on Huohuo for reasons that she could not even begin to decipher. Letting the wind cool her much too warm face, she smiled at Huohuo. “Evening, guess we’re the first ones.” Stelle said, standing next to each other as they waited outside. 

Stelle made sure she could at least act as a windbreak for the Foxian. Part of her wanted to throw her sweater at Huohuo, but resisted… for now.

“Sorry I’m late you two! Had to make sure the funds hit my account. I also checked their menu, apparently they have their own version of Immortal’s Delight, but with a bit of alcohol, I think I’ll try that.”

Huohuo’s eyes widened, quite adorably. “I think I might also, that sounds good. I’m not usually one to drink alcohol, but I doubt there is much in it.”

“Hard to imagine you drinking, honestly. I mean, can you-” Guinaifen was stopped by a combined unamused stare from Huohuo and Stelle. Sushang even placed a hand on her shoulder while shaking her head.

“Guinaifen… I’m like twice as old as you, and over twice the age to be able to drink. I get enough of that literally everywhere… Don’t subject me to it in the group…” She sighed, forcing herself to take calming breaths.

“Sorry… It was a joke in poor taste… I’ll lay off those ones.” Guinaifen surrendered, looking properly chastised.

“You don’t need to explain yourself to us Huohuo, we understand. Let's just enjoy ourselves tonight.” Stelle told her. As smooth as she tried to be, she couldn’t help but stutter. “You look n-nice tonight, the outfit suits you.” The other two appeared happy to watch the drama unfold.

Huohuo eventually looked back up. “R-Really? So do you…”

“I’m wearing a hoodie though… not exactly nice looking. Thanks.” Stelle said, following Guinaifen as she led them inside, getting them a table. It was indeed an open pavilion restaurant, but it had enough braziers lit around the perimeter that it staved off at least some of the chill. Stelle still kept a careful eye on Huohuo for any shivering…

Small discussions occupied the table until a waitress came to get their order. With those placed, Guinaifen finally spoke up. “Seriously, thank you three for your help with all this, I’m steadily reaching my dream of making it big… The fact we’re doing good deeds while doing so makes me feel nice also.”

“Of course, I’m having an easier time not being afraid of all that spooky stuff near you all.” While Huohuo said that, her gaze turning towards Stelle made it clear who was the main contributor for that emotional support.

“I have a hard time getting scared anyway, and it helps me feel useful. We’re doing important work, I want to believe I’m making a difference, to prevent any further… incidents.” Stelle didn’t need to elaborate as they all avoided mentioning Heliobi out loud.

“So… Got any stories from the Astral Express?” Sushang asked.

“Oh I have some stories alright. Huohuo already got the full story from me, but let me tell you about a place called Belabog.” Stelle began, clearing her throat.

“Well, I haven’t heard the audio version, this should be fun.” Huohuo smiled at her, sending those familiar flutters through her that she had to fight off before beginning her story.

It thankfully didn’t take long before their food and drinks arrived, silencing them all for a few minutes at least, interrupting Stelle’s account of her journey through the underground. Stelle’s attentive eye did not miss the moment when a strong and chilly night time breeze blew through the place, shocking more than a few patrons. Stelle saw Huohuo shiver in her seat, and was already half taking her hoodie off, holding it out for Huohuo.

“I-Its fine, you’ll be cold if you do that…” Huohuo tried to decline, but eventually was forced to accept with Stelle’s insistence. Pulling that hoodie on, they all saw her sigh in relief, especially with the residual warmth it still held from Stelle.

“You know me, I run hot, I ran through Belabog’s permafrost wasteland dressed normally. The path of the Trailblaze does provide at least a little protection from the elements. It was nearly too warm with that thing on.” Stelle told her, nibbling at her food, pretending that she didn’t bring a hoodie on the hunch Huohuo would end up cold. “I’ll have to thank March for that advice I guess, how did she know?”

Guinaifen looked between them, and then at Sushang, smiling. So far it was a nice night. Sushang at least kept a hold of Guinaifen’s last brain cell after her 2nd Immortal’s Delight, Alcohol version. It wasn’t really enough to get drunk from even two, but Guinaifen didn’t need any help saying something that might get them thrown out.

“Just how are you holding it so well Huohuo?” Gui asked as she pouted at Sushang, who kept her from ordering a third. The massive amount of sugar and calories in it was a bigger threat than the alcohol…

Huohuo happily sipped her own 2nd helping of that particular drink, and acted hardly any different, besides looking less cold. “Because you’re buzzed on the atmosphere; you think it will make you drunk, so it is tricking your brain. This is pretty low alcohol content, it's just tasty to me. Two of these aren't going to do much for me.”

Stelle leaned on her palm, watching everything fondly, turning to look at Huohuo for a few moments, and then down to her cup. She didn’t need to even ask for her mind to be read.

Huohuo shook her head with an exasperated sigh, but the grin on her face showed her true feelings. She held out the drink, letting Stelle take a few sips from the straw. With it being so cold, and with alcohol in the mix, it was hard to tell just how red the two’s faces would naturally be. It was still fun for the other two, watching their friends dance around each other like that.

For everyone’s benefit, and their own health, those two resisted telling them to get a room.

“Here we are, shouldn’t be too messy… I think I've been spending too many hours at the ‘office’.” Huohuo opened her door, letting the trio of gremlins into her house.

At least her trash panda gremlin stuck near her. “Been a while since I’ve been here.” Stelle was quite content, and took note that Huohuo appeared very attached to her sweater, making no move to turn the heater on properly… “She can have it, it's illegally cute on her…” There was just something nice in seeing Huohuo in her hoodie, a sense of satisfaction that was hard to place.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about having a good movie set up…” Guinaifen said, looking around that living room at the levitating speakers that gave complete surround sound, as well as the big Holo-Tv taking up most of the wall.

“Sometimes being a Judge has its perks, like having money but no time to spend it almost ever. Feel free to browse my library, I added some new ones.” Huohuo settled onto the couch, looking at Stelle curiously. Stelle started making her way towards one of the arm chairs with a teasing grin on her face, but zoomed right back over to the couch when she saw Huohuo’s expression start to fall.

Tucked into the end of the couch, with Guinaifen on the other end. Huohuo took the spot closest to Stelle, and Sushang to Guinaifen. Due to the size of the couch though… It was a bit of a tight fit. Stelle didn’t really mind, she just felt happy being near Huohuo again. “I’m a simple lady with simple desires.” She thought as they all decided on a movie.

“So… You’re scared of ghosts and horror eh?” Guinaifen asked as she browsed those movies, finding that 90 percent of them were horror based.

“Ehh… maybe in person? It's easier to handle scary movies with other people.” Huohuo admitted, accidentally scooting closer to Stelle in the process of shrinking away. “Movies are… not bad.”

“I can understand that, I guess. You like the thrill, but only in a safe environment, it's the same reason people watch our content. So you actually like horror a bit?”

Huohuo was pouting at the accusations, but eventually nodded. “A little, I used to watch them more with Mr Tail. I just used to watch them to stop being scared of every little thing, but I guess along the way I just got… used to watching them. Well, better than the time he suggested ‘liquid courage’. I think even he felt bad for how that one ended up.” Huohuo half joked, settling in for a movie, throwing the blanket she kept there over all of them.

It only took a few initial jump scares for Huohuo to have scooted over enough that it was more comfortable for them both if Stelle put an arm around her instead. While they were both shy about it… it was nice, and kept Huohuo’s whimpers of fear at bay. “Night of the Feral Borisins. Hard to imagine a war like what happened with them…” Guinaifen mentioned.

“I was only in the Ten-Lords for 10 years, and only just had my hair pinning ceremony when that started up…” Huohuo mentioned. “It was a scary time for everyone.” Huohuo only cuddled closer with that discussion, though the bloodthirsty beasts on screen did not help her any.

“I was still in training during that, so I didn’t get sent out, but… of the Cloud Knights that were dispatched to help… not many came back. It doesn’t feel like all that long ago honestly, less than 50 years.” Sushang actually scooted closer to Guinaifen as she recalled details, letting Guinaifen hug her.

“I guess it is hard for me to get my head around it being a small amount of time… but I’m sorry any of that happened… Want me to pick a different movie?” Guinaifen asked, holding up the remote.

“No, it is fine, there is just some history with the Borisins. Let's continue?” Huohuo suggested, both of the pairs just full on cuddling by that point, enough that Huohuo was taking looks at Sushang and Guinaifen. Stelle even noticed the extra affection the two seemed to share.

“Maybe it is my turn to tease Guinaifen for a change?”

One movie turned into two, and even a third before they were all done for the night. Almost unconsciously, Stelle and Huohuo had steadily gotten closer, with Stelle’s arms around her as Huohuo was comfortable laying on Stelle as best she could as they shared the couch with the other two. Stelle and Guinaifen met each other’s eyes, and nodded, a temporary teasing truce, seeing as they both had enough ammunition for mutually assured destruction.

As the final movie credits rolled, people didn’t want to get up. Sushang had even fallen asleep on Guinaifen, having to be woken up. Instead of waking her with a kiss though, she held her nose shut till she woke up. “Wakey wakey, movie is over~” Guinaifen whispered to Sushang, getting her to at least sit up… right before she turned to flop on Guinaifen, dropping her entire weight on her.

“Too comfy, beds don’t talk…” Sushang sounded ready to fall back asleep. Guinaifen went red In the face, her teasing finally backfiring.

“J-Just get up so we can go home… if you get up I’ll let you stay the night at my place, I know it is a long trek to your’s.” Guinaifen negotiated her release, finally getting Sushang up and stretching. “Geez…” Guinaifen collected her belongings, giving the two a wave. “Thanks for the movie Huohuo, I had fun tonight. We should do this again sometime.” She said as she shuffled Sushang out of the door, herding her to the Astral Anchor.

“Those two are closer than I expected.” Stelle said and yawned, feeling the sleepiness spreading like a virus. That temptation to close her eyes and continue resting like that was heavy, and it didn’t feel like Huohuo was very ready to stop either.

Eventually Huohuo sighed. “I guess I should stop pinning you down…” Huohuo admitted, carefully sitting back up, or at least attempting to as Stelle kept hugging her sleepily.

“But you are comfy and huggable… but you’re right though…” Stelle let Huohuo go and stood up to stretch, taking out her phone. She was so tempted to tell them that she wanted to spend the night but… it felt like a step too far, rather than it accidentally happening.

“I-I liked it also…” Huohuo admitted, playing with the drawstrings of Stelle’s hoodie she still had on. Neither of them wanted the night to truly end, but… there would be other nights.

“As nice as you are to hug, I should make sure everything is alright on the express…” Stelle sighed, grabbing her few belongings around there, mostly her phone and wallet.

Huohuo coughed for a few moments after she said that, and Stelle had to wonder if it was connected. “Who am I kidding… I just don’t know what this is… I need to figure that out before anything else happens. Maybe March? No… she barely has more memories than me. Himeko mom maybe? ” She thought as she all but dragged herself towards the door.

Huohuo followed along, looking just a bit lost when the door was opened. “I’d love to do this again more, it was nice…” Stelle said. With how Huohuo was fidgeting, Stelle allowed herself to go with her instincts. It felt different hugging Huohuo so directly like that, but she felt warm inside when Huohuo eagerly returned that hug as tight as she could. “Talk to you later?”

“Yup, be safe getting back.” Huohuo said as both eventually let the other go.

“I’ll message you to let you know I do.” Stelle told her, halfway out of the door. “Have a nice night Huohuo.” Leaving felt… painfully irritating for reasons she didn’t understand. “I just don’t understand anything anymore… Why the hell do emotions not have a guide?!” Caught in her thoughts as she was, even her good hearing couldn’t catch whatever Huohuo had barely mumbled behind her. Looking back at her, Huohuo was looking away mostly, looking back up to wave at her. Like before, she waited until Stelle was at the Anchor before going back inside.

Opening her phone again, she composed two messages.

The second one took a lot more willpower to press, enough that she waited until after she grabbed a few things at her favorite little 24 hour store on the Luofu. Summoning more courage than she felt she needed when fighting a giant ass mech, she hit send.

Getting that emote back had to mean something good, right?

Chapter Text

Side A: Stelle

Days turned into a few weeks, and yet Stelle was no closer to an answer since the last time she left Huohuo’s home. Every time she had tried to find words to express how she felt, to ask anyone about it, they failed to come out. “Why is this so frustrating?” Taking a walk through the Luofu normally would have calmed her, but everything just reminded her of Huohuo there.

Turning around to find the nearest Astral Anchor, Stelle nearly stomped off in her daze, only stopping as her phone vibrated. “Who is it? Gui?”

“Wonder what she wants, I don’t think there was any Ghost Hunter news, otherwise she could just message the group…” It was a question that would get answered when she arrived, no point worrying about it till then. It was not the most important question bouncing in her brain that day.

One quick ride through the Astral Anchor, a ten minute walk, and she spotted Guinaifen standing near the entrance of the Coiled Dragon. It was odd to see her so anxious though, she was used to ‘Lil Gui’ being loud, proud, and confident. Finally Gui spotted her, straightening up when Stelle got near.

“Hey Stelle, thanks for coming on short notice…” Gui led them into the restaurant, getting them an isolated table to sit at.

“It isn’t a problem, I was wandering around anyway.” Stelle looked over the menu, peering up at her… it was hard for her to figure out who counted as a friend, especially as most just asked her to do things. “She does talk to me besides asking me for favors, so she is probably a friend…” Yet another thing she was insecure about.

“Doing what? Well, I guess there are nice places to just take walks around here.” Gui admitted, putting in an order for one of the alcoholic Immortal’s Delights. “Want one of those?” Gui asked and thought about it again. “Can you even have alcohol?”

“I was just getting air, puzzling things out in my head…” Stelle said, narrowing down what she wanted on the menu. “Dunno, I’m like 8 months old. I think I’d just confuse the law massively, and those are too sweet for me anyway.” The look she got from Guinaifen made her think that she thought she was kidding… Well, that was her problem.

“If you don’t want one, that is fine. Feel free to order what you want.” Gui really must have been nervous, she had none of her usual confidence and energy. When their drinks arrived, she slowly sipped that ultra sweet and incredibly calorie dense bubble tea. “So… what do you think about S-Sushang?”

“Hmm? What about her?” Stelle closed her eyes in thought as she sipped at the Grey Fox tea she had ordered… Huohuo ordered a lot of it, so she wanted to know how it was. “This… isn’t that bad, maybe because I’m used to bitter coffee.” She thought and looked into Gui’s shifty eyes. “Seriously, it doesn’t seem like you to be this… anxious, even out ghost hunting. Sushang has been reliable, and good company. She does keep you out of trouble a lot.”

“That… she does. She has stuck with me through literally everything. It is hilarious that she nearly arrested me when we met…” Gui snickered at the memory.

“Why does that not surprise me? Wait… how long is your criminal record?” Stelle just had to ask.

“Oh not that much…”

“So there is one?” Guinaifen half glared at her for that comment.

“There Was a minor… trespassing charge? It fell off after some community service. What is funny is that that time I just got lost and they didn’t believe me. Sushang nearly arrested me when we met since I was apparently in a restricted area of the docks…” Stelle just stared at her for a few more seconds, making her squirm. “I was trying to film ghosts at night! Apparently Sushang was a viewer and just escorted me from the area, and ever since she has been my best friend.” Gui’s smile was wide as she appeared to swim in happy memories.

“Yeah, you two certainly seem close. Guess you got lucky that she was a subscriber huh?”

“I really really did…” She said, all but laying her head on the table in exhaustion. “This time in the squad has honestly been great in both company and content. I’ve been getting to spend time with you all and have fun, and it still be ‘work’. Getting to spend this much time with Sushang has helped me puzzle myself out also…” Guinaifen took a big drink from her tea and whined. “I think… I think I’m ready to… admit I love her.” She mumbled, barely enough for Stelle to hear her.

“…Love? Like family?” That was the only context she could really figure out. “You both seem a bit too close to be ‘sister’-like. March is almost like a sister to me by this point, but I haven’t cuddled her… not like I have with you and Sushang… or with Huohuo…” The blush on her cheeks still confused her, but it was a happy memory.

“Family? No, of course not. Like… like a romantic partner… I kind of asked you since you are the calmest of us all, and you and Huohuo seem rather… close also.” Guinaifen accepted a plate with a large sandwich on it and occupied herself with that.

“I mean I feel like me and her are close also… even if I don’t know just how yet. I know I don’t feel ‘sisterly’ to her either, or even the same type of ‘love’ compared to March and the rest of the Astral Express family.” Stelle aggressively bit into a burger on her own. “Bailu did technically prescribe a burger that one time… truly the best doctor~”

“H-Huh? What do you mean? To be honest… Sushang and I thought you two were already dating and just hadn’t said anything. Are you… not?” Guinaifen asked, looking at Stelle rather intensely.

“Dating?” She was starting to grow annoyed with just about everything. “Like I said, I’m like 8 months old… I am still learning what emotions are which… there is no handy book that tells me what things feel like.” She kept her voice down, but her voice was still frustrated. “I don’t know what dating is, or whatever love you are mentioning, I only know it in the context of family… That at least was explained to me what they said I was part of the ‘family’.” That at least calmed her down, a smile on her face for a few moments, remembering when she felt fully accepted as part of the Astral Express.

“That changes things... Did you want me to explain it?” Guinaifen asked carefully, as if worried about pissing her off… Stelle did hit her with a bat before and all, possession aside.

“Yes please… I have been trying to figure some things out for weeks now… It is driving me absolutely insane…” Stelle took a big bite of her burger, as if that butter basted beef could banish that blockade in her brain.

“Oh geez… yeah I’ve been going crazy due to my own brain for a long while, so I can understand some of that.” Guinaifan admitted.

“At least you have admitted you are crazy~ Lil Gui Unhinged, the movie.”

“Sassy trash panda…”

“Oi, all kinds of treasure exists in the trash~ Even if there is only a 1 percent chance of something useful being in there, it is worth betting on that 1 percent!” She declared, quieting down as people looked their way.

“Yes yes you trash panda, so anyway… love. I guess if you only know it in the family sense… Romantic love is…” Guinaifen took a few sips to get her thoughts in order. “It is… a warmth inside of you when you think about them, just instantly improving your mood remembering their smile…” Guinaifen looked to be feeling that way at the moment, a content grin on her face.

“There is just a pull, a desire to be near them far more than anyone else, that being near them fills a void you didn’t know was there, and that you can feel when they aren’t around. There are so many things and feelings surrounding romantic love, far far more than can fit under just being a ‘friend’… Am I making any sense? I… get those feelings every time I’m near Sushang… thought I’d die when she started c-cuddling at that movie night…” Guinaifen’s ramble was interrupted as she saw Stelle freeze up, muttering under her breath as if she made some kind of break through.

“All that… So…” She cleared her tight throat with a gulp of tea, not even looking at Guinaifen, just at her own reflection in the tea’s surface. “That means… I l-love Huohuo? That… explains a lot…” She looked up at Guinaifen. “And what do I Do about this feeling? Is that what that ‘dating’ is for?”

Gui had the biggest smile on her face in seeing Stelle finally connect those last few dots. “I knew it~ So cuuuuute!” Once she got that energy out, in the form of a little wiggle in her seat, she got down to business. “Dating is acknowledging that mutual attraction, or maybe even just liking the other person, and exploring that romantic bond! Kissing, cuddling, going on nice dates, it really just depends on what you two like to do together.” Her rest face told Stelle that there was more about it that she wasn’t saying, but it wasn’t the time to dig into her answers. “What you should do is tell Huohuo how you feel… I can all but guarantee she will feel the same way! I’ve seen the way she looks at you~”

“What do you mean? Why the hell would she feel that way about Me?” She looked away with a frustrated expression. “I’m… barely a person, I’m just… something made to keep a Stellaron contained…” She said that last bit quietly, but she sounded close to tears.

“Oi.” Guinaifen actually was glaring at her. “Don’t talk about my friend that way… she isn’t some tool, she is a good person, and a good friend…” Guinaifen’s glare softened as she met Stelle’s eyes. “I’m not a big… philosophical word person… but there is a long line of people who will disagree with you, that care about you, like me…” Gui appeared to get choked up also, maybe not expecting that level of self deprecation from Stelle of all people.

“So… what about you? Are you going to tell Sushang how you feel?” Stelle eventually asked, finishing her food and tea. “I’m still… there is so much to do before even thinking about something personal and s-selfish for myself…”

“Stelle, do I need to call absolutely everyone we know to get it through your head that you… Grrrr…” Gui sighed. “It is not selfish to take care of yourself and your needs. By the Aeons, you are allowed to enjoy life! I… Stelle, finding love is a good thing, stop thinking about being ‘useful’ and start thinking about if being with Huohuo would make you happy. Would it?”

Stelle didn’t even have to think about it. “Y-Yes… I feel alive every time I’m near her, like… Its w-worth… existing, just to hold her again.” She whispered that last part, not noticing Gui’s eyes widening.

“Let's… go for a walk, this might be above my paygrade…” She carefully said, placing the credits down for the bill, and leading them out and into the streets. It was quiet for a good few minutes as they walked. Stelle tried to shake off the haze that threatened her again, yet her short and panicked breaths were hard to fight against.

Guinaifen got Stelle to sit on a bench with her in one of the quieter streets of the Luofu. “Stelle, you need to breathe. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to stir up any bad memories…”

Stelle shook her head. “It isn’t your fault, I’m just… getting used to everything still, it’s o-overwhelming sometimes…” She looked up at Guinaifen with near fear. “I should tell Huohuo? You think it would… go well? What about you? Going to tell Sushang?”

Relaxing on that bench and enjoying some sunlight, she patted Stelle’s knee. “Trust me, tell her. You know… I could have sworn I caught her looking at your butt a few times~ She blushes every time she is near you, it's pretty adorable.”

“Thanks Gui… Ugh, you called me here to help you, and here I am moping… I think you should tell Sushang also… you two are clearly close. My first clue I liked Huohuo was that hugging her was nice… that and cuddling… And you two were very much cuddling on the couch also.”

“T-That we were… It was really really nice… I have a few worries also on what might make it not work, but I shouldn’t dismiss it just because she’ll… massively outlive me.” Gui sighed. “Still, you helped more than you think. I’ll worry about the life span thing later, on the off chance she also likes me like that.”

“I still have to wonder if my own life span is different… It is hard to think of myself as human. Humans cannot contain the Cancer of all Worlds… Stuff to figure out I suppose. Are you going to be okay here? I think I’m going to head home for the day if we aren’t meeting.”

“That is a fair worry, not that I can pretend to know really anything about all that, I’m just a street performer and all…” Guinaifen looked up at Stelle worriedly. “Just take care of yourself, alright?”

“I will… Also you aren’t a street performer anymore, you’re a high subscriber streamer that shall become the Aeon of social media one day.” Stelle told her, reaching over to roughly ruffle that light red hair until Gui flailed to stop her. “Hehe… Sushang would be lucky to have you. Have a nice day Lil Gui, thanks for helping me puzzle some of this out…”

“Anytime friend. When you’re the Aeon of Trash Cans we can be allies~” Stelle snickered hearing that, heading towards the Astral Anchor.

It took only moments before her shoes hit the polished floor of the Parlor car of the Astral Express. Looking around she spotted something that put a smile on her face. It was a rare time she had ever seen Pom-Pom asleep.

Very quietly sneaking over to a cabinet, she pulled out a blanket, pulling it over to Pom-Pom. “Sleep well Pom-Pom, you work way too hard.” She sent off a quick message to Pom-Pom they could read when they woke up, and took a picture of the scene, posing for the camera.

“People don’t give them enough appreciation…” She thought as she moved towards the residential cars. Passing by March’s room she paused. “I think it is time to have that talk…” She muttered to herself before knocking on her door. “Are you in there March?”

“It's open!” Stelle didn’t need to hear anything else, opening the door and poking her head inside. “Hey March? Could I grab you? I want to talk to you and Mom.”

“Maybe I should also start calling her Mom? Guess it kind of is like that… But sure! Let's go.” It was just a tiny bit down the hall, and next Stelle was knocking on Himeko’s door. “Hey Moooom, can I talk to you?” It took a moment, but she jumped anyway when Himeko opened the door, looking at the two of them.

“What's the matter you two? I guess that title is sticking?” Himeko beckoned them into her neat and tidy room. The smell of bitter coffee was absolutely everywhere, but only one person in that room appeared to dislike it, March wrinkling her nose for a few moments. “Coffee?”

“Yup, It's either you or Kafka, and I like you better than her. I’ll take a cup.” Stelle said, taking a seat at the little table she had set up in the center of the room.

“I-I’ll pass on the coffee… Mom~” March 7th’s grin caused Himeko to shake her head with a smile.

“No take backs then.” Himeko said, looking strangely emotional as she started brewing two cups of coffee. “So, what did you wish to talk about?”

Stelle stiffened up, coming up with the words she needed. “I need relationship advice, and I figured you might be the best to ask about that…” That got the others to pause entirely.

“So… how come?” Himeko asked, a knowing smile on her face. Everyone in that room knew about Stelle and Huohuo, but there was something far more satisfying about potentially hearing it.

Stelle looked between the other two and sighed. “Going to make me say it? Fine… I… I love Huohuo…” Stelle finally admitted, collapsing with her chin on that table. “It took me forever to figure out what those feelings even were…”

Himeko sat down next to her, giving her a one armed hug. “I’m glad you figured that out, it was…”

“Painfully obvious, and really really cute…” March 7th added, sticking her tongue out when Himeko very lightly chopped her on the head.

“Are emotions still giving you trouble? Why didn’t you just ask me?” Himeko asked, retrieving both of their cups of coffee, and ignored March 7th’s glare at that cup. For some reason only Himeko and Stelle could stand the coffee Himeko made.

“They never stopped giving me trouble… People just don’t take into account that I don’t know these things… S-So I gave up trying to really ask questions…” Stelle admitted. Looking down into her coffee, she didn’t see the wince on both Himeko and March’s face.

She did stiffen up as she felt a hug on either side of her though. “Sorry Stelle… I never meant to give you the impression we didn’t care, but intentions mean little I suppose…” Himeko wiped her eyes as she hugged Stelle until she got a hug back. “I hadn’t wanted to pry, but maybe I should have, especially after what I heard happened when you all got to the Luofu.” When Himeko said that Stelle stiffened up, her head turned as much as it could to look at March 7th who was also hugging her.

March let go of her and fidgeted. “I couldn’t keep something like that a secret, I’d have to be the worst big sister ever to not get the others to also keep an eye out for you… When Tingyun told us I… had trouble believing it at first, but I still remember what you said after our first meeting with Yukong…”

“Oh… That…” Stelle was quiet for a few more moments, eventually hugging Himeko back. “It is still hard to cry even if I feel like I want to… but these past few weeks have been a lot better.” Stelle eventually separated from Himeko, grabbing her coffee again. “So y-yeah… It took Guinaifen explaining what romantic love was for me to get it. A selfish part of me wishes Huohuo would quit the Ten-Lords Commission, to join us here. Well, maybe that can happen one day…”

“If she ever wants to do that, the Astral Express welcomes all friendly passengers. I do hope to meet her eventually.” Himeko noted. “Were you wanting me to tell you if you should pursue her or not?”

“M-maybe a little… I’m trying to figure out what I should do now that I know this, if she maybe could feel the same.” Stelle turned as she heard March snort. “By the way, since when are you the older sister?”

“She sent you a Pom-Pom heart emoticon well before you figured this out, and from what you’ve told us… I may not really understand love yet either, never been in love like that, but even I can tell she probably likes you, especially if she likes girls. Since you admitted to being less than a year old, clearly I’m the older sister here~” March added.

“Those? Maybe… but that is just an emote… What if she doesn’t even like girls?”

“I think only you can decide what you want to do with your feelings. Love can be both liberating, and scary, but I think it is ultimately worth it, rather than worrying about whether you'd regret it later. The time for regrets is later down the road, for now… just enjoy life.” Himeko told her.

“I’m pretty sure she does, I doubt she would have cuddled with you that much if she wasn’t at least attracted to girls, or just you. Hmm… Hey Mom, you looked like you were thinking about someone yourself.” March pointed out, and shrunk back from the look she got. Himeko was still smiling, but it was a bit less kind.

“Let me keep my dumb fling to myself… Or I swear I’ll send you to bed without dinner my daughters…”

Neither March, nor Stelle were brave enough to test her on that…

Laying in bed after dinner, Stelle checked her phone, and felt a jolt of excitement go through her when she opened it. It was always nice to hear from the squad.

Stelle had a hard time holding in her giggles as she just imagined how red Huohuo probably was, how she likely was adorably pacing around her house. “Knowing her… Yup.” Her face was actually hurting from smiling as she read her new text.

She felt a sense of elation that filled her with warmth. “Geez… I’m like this after just a heart emoji? Why does she have to be so damn adorable? So this is love...” She rolled over, finishing her night off with a bit of quiet screaming into her pillow, as one does.

Chapter Text

Side B: Huohuo

Huohuo stumbled into her home, closing the door behind her as her energy rapidly failed her. The sleepless nights were taking their toll on her in a way that felt like her soul was being stretched thin.

“I should go eat…” She thought as she landed face first on her couch, mentally cataloging what she thought she might have in the fridge. “Get up… You didn’t eat today…” Trying to motivate herself was becoming progressively harder.

Feeling her phone vibrate, she nearly dropped it while pulling it out. “Hmm… Stelle?” There was that now familiar feeling of excitement and delight in seeing Stelle’s name pop up in her recent messages.

Huohuo let out a muffled whine into the couch cushions. On top of now feeling obligated to get up, she was reminded that the couch was nowhere near as comfortable without Stelle there… “Could you stop getting worked up over Stelle for five minutes?” She tried to tell herself as she attempted to stand up.

It shouldn’t have been as hard as it was to get to the kitchen, but once she finally was on her feet, her vision flickered for a few moments, nearly sending her to the floor. “Ugh… yup… skipped too many meals…” She tried to ignore that light headed buzzing at the back of her skull and browsed through her far too empty fridge, settling on a leftover box of take out from… the day before? “I should probably not be eating it if I don’t know when I got it…” As she opened it to reheat it, she resisted the urge to gag.

“Nope… no good…” Throwing the now sour smelling food into the garbage bin, she leaned on the counter, holding in the feelings bubbling inside of her that made tears prickle the corners of her eyes. “When did I last go grocery shopping?” The last time she could remember it was when she had brought Stelle back for the first time.

After sitting there for a few minutes, and feeling herself zone out, she gave up, letting her feet carry her up the stairs to her bedroom. With a wish for a pleasant sleep, she crawled into bed on top of the covers, and felt thankful as she felt her senses begin to drift away.

“Just! Give in!” Cirrus shouted, their shrill voice penetrating every inch of Fyxestroll Garden as a wave of energy spread from them. With horror, she saw Xueyi and Stelle being dragged into the air towards Cirrus, as if that eye was a mouth instead.

“If you can’t win… you cheat!” Xueyi shouted, her blade penetrating the ground, and the chains binding both her and Stelle for the moment, even as the pull on them increased in strength.

“M-Mr Tail! What can we- Ahhhh!” She shouted in white hot agony as it felt like her spine was pulled out. The seal on her tail was almost brute forced off, leading to Tail being siphoned directly out of her. Looking up, she looked on to see Cirrus nearly instantly absorb Mr Tail, not even a quick ‘You bastard’ escaping as the Heliobus she grew with for decades came apart like liquid. “Mr… Tail?”

It wasn’t the end of the horror as she saw the chain holding Stelle and Xueyi become knocked loose. Cirrus gained yet more power in absorbing Tail, enough to continue to pull them. “Yes! Come to me, pawn who banished Phantylia!” Huohuo couldn’t look away as she saw those two irreplaceable people be pulled inside the massive fireball that was Cirrus, and writhe silently within.

“Xueyi! S-Stelle! Let them go!” Huohuo shouted, but she could summon no energy in her exhausted body to cast the most basic of incantations, even as she saw the silhouettes of those two begin to blur and come apart. In moments, she saw Cirrus power up yet again, the presence of those two vanished from her senses. “S-Stelle? X-Xueyi?” She mumbled as her nightmare continued. Now she felt herself floating off the ground as well.

Getting closer and closer to Cirrus now, she felt a vast emptiness inside of herself, yet she couldn’t find any energy to cry out in fear. It was like it didn’t matter anymore as her mind grappled with the loss she felt. “Oh don’t worry, you’ll join them! You who are said to be the Judge with the most potential… it will belong to ME!” Just as she felt a burning sensation creep over her body, she was jolted awake.

Sitting up with a quiet scream, she felt drenched in sweat while her mind tried to figure out what was going on. Her eyes searched in the dark, latching onto every bit of color she could see. Her fingers felt the different fabrics of her bed and the clothes she hadn’t bothered taking off before falling asleep. It was enough for her to get one thought into her head.

“Just… a nightmare… Just a dream…” A few humorless laughs escaped before it morphed into a quiet sobbing, the pain inside of her chest nearly as bad as her mind, the mental image of Stelle vanishing from the world, quite literally, nearly making her sick.

Once those images returned from her nightmares, it was a losing battle that she fought as she got up with more energy than she had before, rushing to the bathroom.

Her body felt on fire as she failed to get anything up except bile, but it just hurt worse until her body stopped trying to tear itself apart.

She rested her cheek on the cool tile of the bathroom, looking up into the light she had reflexively turned on, she tried to come to her senses. The cold sweat and feeling ill didn’t help her mindset any. “S-Stelle… I c-can’t…” She tried to pull herself to her feet, each step back to her bedroom was planned out to get to her phone as fast as she could.

Grabbing it from her nightstand, she forced herself to rush back to the bathroom as another bout of nausea hit her. Avoiding throwing up took a good minute, but the reprieve it gave afterwards was enough to type up the shortest text she had ever sent to Stelle. Hitting the send button, she let her phone rest on the ground. “Stelle… I can’t…” She muttered, feeling weak in all ways, succumbing to that urge to see Stelle safe again.

She felt hazy, her mind barely picking up the sounds of movement down stairs, or the feet going up the stairs. “Huohuo…” She felt warmed by the touch on her shoulder. “Huohuo, What's wrong? A-are you okay” Stelle asked with extreme worry in her tone, a hand on her cheek next.

“N-Nightmare… I just…” She didn’t have the right words to give before she let herself lean against Stelle, her sobs escaping again, letting Stelle hold her.

As much as the mental image of her nightmare tried to win, every one of her other senses proved to her that Stelle was still alive, that she was uninjured, and she was right there holding her. She let Stelle’s scent fill her, comforting her mind. Lifting her head off Stelle’s chest, she looked up, meeting those eyes that offered no judgment, just worry and warmth.

“You don’t need to say, let's just get you cleaned up and comfortable.” Stelle said, going a step further and lifting Huohuo into her arms with ease. It certainly felt like enough to stop Huohuo’s heart with how fast it was set to beat. “First, I’ll do for you what you did for me. I’ll grab your clothes if you’ll point them out.” Stelle was in full on mission mode, but in the most caring of ways. It wasn’t far to her bedroom, yet Stelle seemed pretty set on carrying her.

Huohuo nodded, letting herself half check out and not think, trusting Stelle more than enough for that. “Just… a pair of my shorts is fine, and that hoodie…” She pointed at one drawer, and then across the room where Stelle’s hoodie was set aside on a desk chair.

“So that Is where it went…” Stelle noted, not getting upset at all, just fetching that and a longer pair of shorts. Placing those into Huohuo’s arms, she stood back up. “I’ll get a bath ready for you, you going to be alright by yourself?” Stelle asked worriedly, her hand idly brushing over one of Huohuo’s perpetually folded ears, smiling when Huohuo leaned into her touch.

“M-Mhm… Sorry for…” She was stopped by a finger booping her nose.

“No sorry, you didn’t do anything needing to say sorry, not even stealing my hoodie.” Stelle noted, running a hand through Huohuo’s messy hair one too short time. “Wait right here, I’ll be right back.”

With a nod that Stelle was attentive enough to watch for before leaving, she was out of the room, and the warmth went with it. Sitting on the edge of her bed, with new clothes in her arms, she realized just how gross she felt after all the sweating the nightmare caused, her uniform sticking to her skin uncomfortably. “A bath is a good idea…”

Returning not long later, she carefully picked Huohuo up again, able to tell that Huohuo was having too rough of a time to handle walking much. “Stelle… Thank you…” She muttered, the remnants of that nightmare fading away too slowly for her liking.

Stelle brought her to the downstairs bath and looked awkwardly around. “You want to take it from here?” Stelle said, helping her to her feet when Huohuo nodded. While she felt physically and mentally out of it, she still knew she wasn’t comfortable just yet for that much closeness. Cuddling did sound nice though after the bath.

Standing on shaky legs, she reached back and held Stelle’s hand for a few moments. “Can you… stay outside the door and t-talk?” She felt torn, she both didn’t want Stelle out of her sight much as she still remembered traces of her nightmare, but since having her in there was not an option for the time being, just hearing her would help keep her out of her own head.

“Y-Yeah, I won’t go anywhere.” Stelle looked torn before eventually reaching out and giving Huohuo a quick hug, her chin resting on her head.

“Thank you Stelle…” She nearly was going to apologize again, but was able to stop herself as she stepped back and set her change of clothes aside.

“No, thanks for trusting me, I’m glad.” Stelle said, finally exiting the room with one last worried look. She heard Stelle sit outside that door and lean against it. “I’m here when you need it Huohuo.”

Huohuo couldn’t help the smile that appeared upon hearing that. “Still, thanks…” She said as she stripped the sweat soaked uniform away, tossing it into the machine in the dressing area near the door. Slipping into the warm water, she couldn’t help but sigh in delight, her body finally shaking off some of her chills. “You got here really quickly.”

“I was already awake and browsing when it popped up. Rushed right over, you’ve never just sent a two word text before, not with the word ‘help’ being one of them. You feeling a little better?”

“Y-Yeah… just was a really really bad nightmare… Mostly…” She was painfully reminded that at least a third of her nightmare may as well be true.

“Mostly? Want to talk about it?” Stelle asked quietly, knowing that Huohuo’s hearing was good enough to hear her mumble outside the door. Huohuo let the gross feeling of the dream fade away bit by bit, until she could at least think about it without that same nausea.

“It was… about the night I lost Tail… Except we all lost.” It was the best way to describe it for her.

“O-Oh… Did we all…”

“Y-Yeah… Tail wasn’t able to disrupt Cirrus, and then Cirrus… got you and Xueyi…” Just repeating some of what happened was a bit much for her. She let half her head sink below the surface as she stared up at the bathroom lights.

“I won’t let that happen, even if I have to use the Stellaron to destroy Cirrus…” Stelle declared, and from her tone Huohuo knew she was not joking.

“Please try not to use that, we don’t know what it might do to you…” She took a deep breath as she washed. “I don’t think I could handle losing you also…” Admitting that made her feel more vulnerable than ever.

“I’m not going anywhere. I can’t lose you either… you’re too important t-to me…” It was quiet for a few minutes, though she could feel Stelle’s presence still, so she didn’t worry as she finished her bath. Drying off and getting into her shorts and Stelle’s Hoodie, she finally felt a bit safer. “It still has her scent, but maybe I should give it back eventually…” She thought as she opened the door, looking down to see Stelle sitting on the floor with that damn smile that got her every time right in the heart…

Huohuo allowed herself that bit of selfishness, not protesting Stelle lifting her into her arms like a princess. “Where to? Want to watch things to calm down?” Stelle asked, her face far too close to Huohuo’s for either of them to not be nervous wrecks.

With a nod from Huohuo, she brought her into the living room, seeming reluctant to let her go. “Yes please… I k-know it's selfish but… I don’t want to be alone tonight…” She looked away as she said it, but it didn’t stop Stelle from striding into the living room. She felt her heart nearly stop though as the briefest meeting of Stelle’s lips between her fox ears. Neither of them could say anything as they sat down next to each other.

Stelle at least raised an arm, a silent question in her gaze, matched with silent and unconditional affection. Huohuo just went with her heart that night, scooting over under that arm, sighing in comfort at the feeling of Stelle’s arm around her, the heat she gave off chasing away the last bits of her nightmares. “I’ll stay as long as you want me. I’m glad you trusted me enough to message me, but maybe no scary movies tonight though.” Stelle noted, browsing through the TV for something calming.

“You’re… reliable, I trust you.” Huohuo didn’t comment on the channels, but did stick to Stelle like glue, already feeling more sleepy. “This works, cute animals are never a bad option.” She said as the channel landed on a nature program about modern rabbits and their differences from the past. As they got comfortable, it felt as if there was something missing.

Pulling off the thick blanket that Huohuo kept on the back of the couch, she draped it over both of them, locking in that warmth. “There, cozy.” Stelle said as she kept that arm around Huohuo, hugging her as much as she comfortably could. “Did you get to eat much?”

Huohuo froze up for a moment before sighing. “I tried, but the leftovers I had were bad, didn’t have the energy to go out again…” It took negative one seconds before Stelle had her phone in her hands, swiping through the Cycrane delivery services.

“Good, some of these places are still open, late night feasting. Do those steamed buns from that food stand sound good to you?” Stelle asked, not noticing the red on Huohuo’s face from that phrasing.

“That sounds fine, I might be able to eat at least one. Maybe that and attempting to sleep again… think I’ll have to take a sick day if I still feel like this in the morning…” Huohuo admitted.

“If you aren’t feeling good then you should take a break. When was the last time you really took a vacation? I know right now it's been too busy for you to consider that…” Stelle asked, her golden eyes entirely focused on Huohuo who had turned to look up at her.

“Hmm…” She actually had to think about that, it was hard to get her mind wrapped around the years anymore. “Maybe 10 years? I know I haven’t since I became a Judge… it’s always way too busy to… Or it feels that way.” Huohuo said.

“Yup, you really need one, should I just smuggle you out on the Astral Express?” She teased, the hand around Huohuo moving to very lightly run through that fluffy green hair, still damp from her bath. “Should be about 20 minutes until some food gets here.” Stelle was being extra gentle that night, and Huohuo had to admit she liked it, she felt safe wrapped up in her arms and hoodie.

Huohuo blinked and thought about those first words. “I’ve mentioned for years apparently that I should resign… Maybe that is a change I could use after the Heliobi are rounded up. Well, I doubt I’d bring much to the table, so there wouldn’t be much merit in it for you all.” Huohuo soon let out a squeak of surprise as Stelle pulled her a bit closer, resting her cheek on Huohuo’s head.

“There would be all kinds of merit in it. Himeko and March 7th already want to meet you, and I think you’d get along with the rest. The Astral Express accepts all passengers through the stars. No more being mean to yourself, or I’ll bite.” She teased.

“You and your biting I swear…” Huohuo couldn’t help but smile at Stelle just being… Stelle, a dorky girl that Huohuo was… “Dammit… This is unfair…” She thought as she just soaked in the affection while she could, her mind reminding her that the Astral Express would eventually move on. On the other hand, her brain was finally realizing that they couldn’t be closer together at the moment even if they tried, and it felt unbelievably lovely.

A knock at the door served to separate them at light speed, Huohuo nearly falling over. “I-I’ll get it…” Stelle said, looking red in the face as she moved to the door, leaving Huohuo to collect her heart from where it nearly beat out of her chest.

“Get a hold of yourself Huohuo!” Forcing herself to calm down was not exactly working, sadly. Looking back over the couch, she saw Stelle carrying a small box.

“Foods here.” Stelle said, slipping back around the couch. “Want me to grab some plates first? Or we say ‘screw it, its 1 in the morning?’” Stelle asked in a tone that felt more like they were breaking some taboo.

“Screw it, it is.” She said and took some napkins as a ‘plate’ to hold a meat bun. It wasn’t a healthy meal, but considering she realized it had been more than too long since she ate made it taste all the better.

“I don’t know why, but hearing you say that is way too amusing, you don’t really curse at all so that might be it. These are good.” Stelle seemed to stuff her mouth before she could say much more, it was enough for Huohuo to know that Stelle was just as nervous as she was.

Just that knowledge helped her keep in mind that both of them wanted this contact, both were just as new to it, that Stelle really dropped everyone to come help her through the night. “She is way too good for me…” She thought and barely noticed she had finished both of her meat buns, and yet a third was placed in her hands.

“I had dinner on the Astral, and you still look hungry.” Stelle said, putting her arm back on the couch, leaving that spot open for Huohuo to go back to when she was ready. It took a few moments of looking between the bun and Stelle before she finally accepted it. It felt like too much kindness to her but… maybe she was allowed some of that kindness. Either way, she didn’t have it in her to reject it with Stelle looking at her with those hopeful and caring eyes.

“T-Thank you…” Huohuo finished her food in record time, scooting right back into a spot she was coming to love, half wrapped in Stelle’s arms. The only thing at that moment she regretted was the couch not being wide enough for all that much cuddling.

That documentary was gone in a few long blinks as she let herself stay huddled in that comfortable nook. “Hey Huohuo, you awake?” Stelle asked quietly.

“Mmmhmm… not for long…” She mumbled, forcing her eyes open, finding Stelle looking amused, the affection written on her face. It felt like a treat every time, seeing that smile of Stelle’s. “If only I could wake up to that smile every time.” She thought, not having the energy to ignore what she wanted.

“If we fall asleep like this we’ll both end up with sore necks. Want me to bring you to your bed?” Judging by the fact Stelle didn’t react in any visible way to asking that question of her, Huohuo knew she meant nothing else by it, yet it was still sending her heart beat up. She gave a few nods. “Does she even know what innuendo or anything of that nature even is? That is… a rabbit hole I shouldn’t poke my head in. ”

Being wrapped into that blanket and lifted up sent her sleepily giggling. Getting carried like that by Stelle was honestly something she felt she could get used to. Stelle didn’t appear to pay much attention to her room itself, besides the messy bed. “Do you have some spare sheets? Those are probably still a bit sweaty. I’d say just keep using this blanket.”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll grab them, set me down?” Huohuo felt immediately cold as soon as she stepped away from Stelle, but it didn’t take long for her to change the sheets with Stelle helping on the other side of the bed. Huohuo flopped limply on one side of the bed, barely slipping back under that blanket, looking up at Stelle curiously.

“You going to be alright?” Stelle asked, confusing Huohuo. “I mean, if I’m going to sleep on the couch-” Huohuo lifted the blanket on the other side of the bed, and patted them pointedly.

“I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch. If you want to t-that is fine, but I’m okay sharing the bed with you, it's not too different from sharing the couch by this point honestly...” She tried to brush it off, but her face was too red for that. Her heart sang though as Stelle slipped under the blanket, joining Huohuo in that cocoon that grew warmer by the moment.

The two had trouble with words at that point, their gazes eventually meeting, a silent question asked by both them and their hearts. Ever so carefully, they drew closer, until Stelle could entirely hug her from behind and against herself. It just… felt right, being held in those strong arms. “T-Thank you, Stelle. You’re way too good to me…”

In response, Stelle hugged her tighter, letting her arm be used as a pillow for the Foxian. Huohuo’s ears twitched as she felt the faintest brush of air from Stelle’s breath touching them. “I’m nowhere near as good as you deserve. I l-like this.”

“Me to… good night Stelle.” Huohuo said, touching a button near her headboard that turned off the lights. Even with it being dark, and bits and pieces of her nightmare floating through her mind, Huohuo felt more safe and content than she had ever felt, if only for that brief time they would share.

“Night night Huohuo, only good dreams allowed.” It took getting used to, feeling Stelle’s breath behind her, yet it was a powerful reminder that for the moment she was not alone, and that was enough. The gentle kiss to the top of her head still sent her heart into a tail-spin, even with how tired she was. “Sorry…”

Huohuo shook her head, scooting back more till they were flush together. “Don’t be, I l-like it…” Huohuo felt herself drifting off again, it was just too comfortable for her to resist, and also let her be a bit more honest with herself. “Maybe this was a dream after the nightmare… I can’t let that nightmare come true, I’ll hope for the best with tomorrow.” She hoped it wasn’t just a dream, she felt like she was this close to blurting out the feelings she was starting to accept, that she was too afraid to even think about too much. For that night though, no worries or nightmares were allowed, just nice dreams.

Much earlier that very night, not long after the group had separated, Huohuo lingered in Fyxestroll Gardens, at the Verdant terrace. “Lets just get some answers, he’s been at least somewhat cooperative now… If I lay out my bait then that should hopefully get them to give me something.” It was a rough plan, but if she was honest with herself, she was getting desperate.

It had been weeks now of hunting Heliobi and shoving them into containment, yet none of them even knew where Tail was. “I’m… I’m not alright… I need those answers…” It had been weeks of barely sleeping, and not wanting to even eat, and it was wearing her down to dust.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the cowardly little Judge. Where are your big friends?” Cirrus asked as she walked over to them. While Cirrus was bound in seals, they could at least use their spiritfarer vessel to perceive their surroundings, even if movement itself was impossible besides speech.

“It's just me for tonight. I have some questions to ask you.” Huohuo said, puffing out her chest and putting her shoulders back to get as much height as she could… which still wasn’t much. There wasn’t a point in addressing Cirrus’s insults, it was small compared to the worry that had eaten away at her since that fateful night.

“Let me guess, about your guard dog’s tail? You are so obvious~ How long has it been since he went poof?” Cirrus’s possessed jaw snapped shut as Huohuo held a hand up in a hand sign.

“I only want to hear the answer to my questions, or I’ll just keep you silenced for good. If you tell me what I want to know I’ll at least loosen the seal that keeps you from moving at all.” A small pulse of her spiritual energy let the seal slacken again.

“Well well, you’ve gotten bolder, maybe that annoying tall brat is a good influence after all. Are you sure you can make that deal?” Cirrus asked with mild disbelief.

“I’m very familiar with the Evil-Binding Matrix that has you sealed, I helped design most of it over the years after all. Currently I have 25 of 29 seals active, letting you only move your head to talk, see, hear, and smell. Only the barest traces of emotions really can filter through, but If you help me then I’ll release one more of those to allow you to move in a small area, and allow more emotions through. This operation was left up to my discretion, so it is in my authority to do this.” Huohuo still felt her heart pounding as she laid out her cards.

“Well then~ That, I can work with. I may have heard some whispers around, in the same way I heard of Phantylia’s defeat. I want your word that after I tell you what I know you’ll remove that seal tonight.” Cirrus’s counter offer was still a bit risky, but it was one Huohuo was too desperate to side step.

“Fine. If you give me solid information I’ll do that, but if the information turns out to be bad, then I’m putting it right back on, along with all the others.” Huohuo folded her arms while looking down at him.

“Excellent. I heard of a heliobus that has been keeping very quiet at the docks, hoping to catch a ride off the Luofu. You’ve appeared able to sense Heliobi with a degree of consistency and resistance to our emotion sensing, so you might sense them if you surprise them. If you bring more people, well… if I was in their shoes I’d bolt to a new hiding place, you’ll likely get one shot.” Cirrus was being… strangely forthcoming Huohuo found.

It was suspicious and the manipulation was clear as day, but… it was way too tempting all the same. “I don’t know what games you are trying to play, but I’ll make sure there is hell to pay if you’re lying.” As scary as Huohuo tried to be though…

“Oh I’m so scared~ You think acting tough is going to get you anywhere? I’ve already sensed what is in that head of yours. It’s way too easy to tell what you think even without sensing much…” Cirrus’s host starred up into Huohuo’s eyes, making her feel strangely small… “The cloying scent of love… bleh, it's way too sweet for me. You really think that tall brat, or anyone really, is going to care to look at you that way? I’m not even talking about how you look like a kid either, why would she want to spend time around someone so pathetically scared? Why would your ‘Tail’ care to return to being attached to someone like that either?” Huohuo desperately resisted the hurt in her chest at having those insecurities torn through.

“I’ve been hearing that most of my life, you think I care if you repeat it? I’m over twice the age of an adult, even if I’m not happy with it, by definition this is an adult body. I trust Stelle and her opinions a lot more than you.” Huohuo said, her mask of stern indifference cracking far too easily.

“Trying to get love from a shell of a person, how adorable… Well, you have your information, now hold up your end of the deal.” Cirrus was far too smug for Huohuo’s liking, but a deal is a deal… With a wave of a hand sign, she made contact with that array of barriers around him, adjusting just one more.

“There, you can move about three meters in each direction, like a fish in a bowl. Have fun swimming.” Huohuo replied and started to walk away.

“Take care that your pathetic cowardice doesn’t nearly get the Stellaron girl killed again, Maybe I should have feasted on her a bit longer. Well, there is always the future, not like you can get rid of me~”

Huohuo ignored the taunt, but it still echoed through her brain as she vanished through the Astral Anchor. She was far too exhausted both physically and mentally… but she had a start.

The next morning was frustrating to Huohuo in a number of ways, most of which involved how much her heart still pounded just feeling Stelle’s warmth, as well as two other things, hugged against her. Overnight, Stelle appeared to wrap around her further, keeping her safe from the world.

It was incredibly comfortable, but bad for her heart. She didn’t want it to stop, but she could tell Stelle was awake from the gentle petting of her hair and ears. It was a lovely way to wake up, feeling strangely intimate, but nice.

“Morning Huohuo, sleep well?” Stelle nearly whispered, her breath tickling Huohuo’s ear enough to make it flick a few times.

“Yeah… really well. You really are just the best sleep aid…” Huohuo joked, resting a hand on the arm still holding her around the middle.

“Does that make you the best pillow for hugging? At the very least, one of the cutest.” Stelle was getting good at saying things that made Huohuo’s pulse go up without even stuttering much anymore.

“If it makes you happy, sure. Flatterer.” Huohuo said with sleep still nipping at her heels, making her yawn.

“Its objectively true. When you yawn your ears do a few little flaps, it's adorable.” Stelle said as she very reluctantly let go, to both of their displeasure.

“S-Still debatable… but I’m glad you think so…” Huohuo had to clear her throat before continuing. “We slept in a bit late, didn't we?” Huohuo sat up with a stretch, still feeling the residual warmth on the back of the hoodie she wore, which once again carried Stelle’s scent quite strongly. Should she eventually give it back? Probably. Did she want to if she wasn’t asked? Not a chance.

“Totally worth it-” Stelle’s face froze as she looked at her texts. “Woops… guess they noticed me leaving in the middle of the night without a word… I need to put out this fire...” Stelle looked surprisingly guilty. She looked at Huohuo, seeming torn.

“Go ahead, I hogged you for the night. Really… Thanks again, it helped… Text you later?” Huohuo asked, catching Stelle’s golden eyes for a few moments. “I’m feeling a lot better.” It was enough to at least appease Stelle for now.

“Definitely. Feel free to call on me again if you need me, or to hang out.” Stelle said, brushing her hair into at least a presentable mess with her fingers. Her grip lingered on the door frame as she cast one longing glance back at Huohuo. “See you later! Make sure you eat!”

“Bye bye, be safe Stelle.” Huohuo said, flopping back into bed to try and gain some semblance of sanity. “Love you…” She whispered out, though it was after she heard her front door close. “What am I going to do… let's just check Cirrus’s information first today…” Sorting out her feelings had to come after business was concluded, and preferably getting to at least know Mr Tail was alright. If she could get that information, even if Mr Tail wanted to leave the Xianzhou, she was prepared to let him go, knowing that would break numerous regulations.

“Let's just get today done, and maybe figure out a way to tell her…” She couldn’t take the back and forth anymore, she wanted a solid answer on what they were together, if there even was a ‘together’ with her. “In due time… be patient…” As much as she told herself that, it was easier said than done.

“…Let's just hope I don’t get bitten.” Huohuo ignored the part of her brain that told her that the biting might be fun. “Pretending to exit chats is way too easy, at least I can make sure they’re okay this way…” She thought, still chuckling to herself about the multiple mental images that conversation spawned as she watched the rest unfold for a few more moments.

She looked around those empty dock yards, and tried to open her senses to any hints of Heliobi. It usually required far too much concentration to pull off, and opening up her spiritual sense like that always gave her a headache… But she was rewarded with a small response of some sort. “I wish I could at least sort out all the different spiritual beings… I don’t need any different demons or anything to go along with the Heliobi.”

Letting the headache fade away as she walked, she started to get closer to where the source was. “M-Mr Tail? Please… if you’re around, please just show me you’re okay?” She called out, desperation in her voice. Maybe if he was hiding at her favorite spot it was a sign that things might be looking up? She at least felt a sense of being stared at… right before an impact on her back that knocked her to the ground, sending the phone in her hands out of her reach.

It was a familiar feeling, but not ever to that degree, the drain on her stamina as she felt the fire of a Heliobus burn through her body again. Whoever it was, it was not Tail!

“L-Let me… go…” She felt a sinking sense of dread as her senses began to blink out one by one, a dark void surrounding her as she lost connection to her physical body. “This isn’t good… Out of contact for five minutes and I’m the one who gets possessed… I warned them to be careful and yet I couldn’t even remember that without Tail I can be possessed again… A fitting end I guess, for a monster…” She felt her thoughts leave her as the darkness consumed all.

Chapter Text

Side B: Huohuo

That black void was suffocating, enough that Huohuo tried to flail her limbs, to feel anything around her, but her half conscious mind could put together the information. “Trapped in an Illusion… I can't feel my body.” It was a worst case scenario.

That worst case scenario only got worse, as an illusionary environment filled her view like she was opening up her eyes. Even knowing she was in an illusion didn’t help the feeling of horror she got as she realized where she was. “No… That is… way too cruel…” She mumbled to herself as the simple dwelling she was in. Even decades later, it felt etched into her memory, right down to the small carvings in the wall she had done when she was far younger.

At the state of disrepair of her room, the things torn up or thrown, she could guess a few things. Looking backwards confirmed it. While ‘Tail’ was attached, they were not actually there… but it was after she had been bound to Tail.

“No no no…” Her heart pounded far differently than when Stelle was with her, it was pure terror running through her veins. She winced as she sat up, finding her much too small limbs covered in bruises. Moving over to test the door to the room, she found it was locked. “Of course it is… This sneaky Heliobus…” She thought as she still felt a presence sifting through her mind.

As much as she tried to stop, she couldn’t help but remember things she had long since buried, and the Heliobus was plucking them right from her head!

Before any words could be formed to yell at the Heliobus that was around, she heard stomping footsteps on the other side of the door that were rapidly approaching.

Scrambling to the back of the room, Huohuo felt like a child again, huddled in the corner as a nightmare came to life.

The door was thrown open, and Huohuo stared up at the tall woman that glared at her coldly, her green hair matching her own in color, but lacking the white flaring at the ends. “M-Mother…” Huohuo muttered, feeling so small, mentally and physically. It was like she was back to how she looked at 15. It took just a year after Huohuo got possessed for her mother to have had enough of her.

“Don’t call me that, damn Monster. Puppeting my daughter’s body around like that… Why haven’t you died yet?” Her mother growled out, stepping towards her, leaving Huohuo no room to get away.

“I’m… I’m not a monster… I’m still Huohuo!” She hardly got her words out before pain erupted on her face, a slap of both palm and nails that left her cheek bleeding and her head impacting the wall.

“I said stop it… I’ll get you out of there yet…” Her mother said coldly, reaching down to grab Huohuo by the hair with all the delicacy of pulling up weeds.

“Ow ow ow! P-please stop!” Huohuo cried out, her own memories being replayed in painful detail, down to the last scratch on her cheek. When she started to resist, to pull back despite the pain it was causing.

“Little demon!” Her mother shouted, reaching out again and grabbed Huohuo’s ear this time, the large earring that Huohuo was told was a family heirloom, that hurt so much to get her ear pierced enough for… The shriek of pain she let out as it was torn out of her ear was agonizing.

A shoe to the gut pushed her back against the wall and knocked the wind out of her hard enough that her vision went black for a few moments. It was enough for her to be dragged with far less resistance in her by her mother, still gripping her by her hair. The agony on her scalp was nothing compared to her now torn ear, the wound weeping a surprising amount of blood down her head for such a tiny bit of ear.

Her panic started again as she felt herself slide over the tile, into the bathroom. “Apologize…” Her mother said, looking down at her like she was scum.

“M-M… I-I’m sorry… please, don’t…” Huohuo looked between her mother, and the full bathtub next to them where she had been dragged, her head still firmly gripped by her scalp.

“Apologize to my daughter in the netherworld.” The words were lifted once again right out of her mind, as was what happened next. Huohuo’s gasp didn’t help her any as her head was pushed under the water. All that was in her mind was panic and struggling against that grip that held her in the water, her lungs rapidly beginning to burn.

It was hard to tell just how long it was taking, but she felt the spots in her vision growing darker as moving became near impossible, her body screaming for oxygen.

One long blink, and she felt herself pushed further into the water, her perspective shifting to the outdoors  near the family’s modest country home. Just as she was shoved in the water, it matched up with how she was thrown forward into the grass hard enough to roll.

While she could breathe again, the pain was still everywhere. Doing her best to stand up, the best she managed was sitting up on her knees. Looking backwards, she found her mother herding her sisters back into the house.

“Big sister!” “Mom, what are you doing?!”

“That Thing isn’t your sister…” Her urged at least them behind her back as she turned back to face Huohuo. “What are you waiting for? Go! Let the Ten-Lords commission have you… I told them that night that they should have sealed you from the start, or at least taken you off my hands. If this was her fate… then I wish I didn’t birth her!” The venom felt so potent to Huohuo’s ears, an echo of the past nearly word for word. It wasn’t just the words that were replayed. 

Seeing her siblings look at her in such suspicion, it killed her inside. To see the girls she always cherished, that looked up to her, to have them look at her with such fear and sadness.

Remembering the events leading to it after her near death experience in the bathtub didn’t help her any. She unconsciously did Something when she was about to die to freak her mother out more… but it kept her from hitting her nearly as often. What it didn’t do though was get her to feed her more. “Maybe that is part of why I’m short…” It was just another negative thing to throw onto the pile.

“I’m not a monster… I’m not! I’m Huohuo! I h-hate you… I hate you Mom!” She shouted right back at her mother, the sobs long since exhausted from her, leaving just the tears running down her face. She remembered the actual words she had told her mother in that same spot. Seeing her mother also crying, it was hard to connect it to hate, because she knew she was herself. Before she got possessed she was distant, but not cold at all. After that fateful night happened, it never felt like she was being looked at even like a person.

In her mother’s eyes she was just a demon that had taken possession of her daughter’s body, and was puppeting it around in front of her eyes, reminding her that she hadn’t been able to protect her daughter and that she couldn’t even put her to rest properly to start grieving. Thinking about it like that, both the first time, and the present time, it led to the same words. “If this is how it is, I wish you hadn’t either… I-I’m sorry…” She didn’t even know if her mother had heard her, or what she was sorry for, but it had begun to deviate from her memories for a few moments.

The first change was no Hanya appearing, having been sent to pick her up. That night and for a while after, she had to keep Hanya from having her mother arrested for child abuse. Huohuo just wanted to move on, and find at least one place she belonged.

Looking back around again, she was somewhere new, outside of her own memories. She was back in Fyxestroll Garden, backed up to the edge of a cliff overlooking the seemingly infinite void below the entire place. Hearing movement behind her, she nearly pleaded to The Remembrance to take her memories away. It was an event that hadn’t happened, but it was one of the more painful scenarios she had tried to prepare herself for.

In front of her were Guinaifen, Sushang, and… Stelle. “No… Please… Heliobus, just stop it...” She clenched her eyes shut as if she could just wake up. “I d-don’t care if you want my body… just don’t do it, please…” She could easily guess what things an illusion might tell her. Even if they were illusions, it made them feel no less real to her heart and soul.

She could nearly feel the sadistic malice of the Heliobus seeping into the air. “Its funny, what do we really need you here for ‘Captain’ Huohuo? We haven’t exactly run into dangerous Heliobi that we really needed you for, and with these gourds, do we really need you here?” Guinaifen asked, her voice nothing like its normal fun tone that could energize a room. “You know, the views in our videos always are higher when you don’t show up on screen, I guess everyone thinks you look out of place also.” It felt entirely out of character for Guinaifen, which let Huohuo hold onto that thought, of it all not being real, for dear life.

Sushang looked down at her through guarded eyes, like she looked at any other enemies she had been trained to fight. “What were the Ten-Lords thinking by making you a judge?” She said coldly. “Someone touched by a Heliobus is tainted, a stain that will never vanish. If you cared about the people around you…” Huohuo couldn’t just ignore the words she heard, feeling like they may as well be stabbing her. “You would finish the job your ‘Tail’ started, and just keep backing up right there.” That level of callousness had never once come from Sushang, but it was cold comfort.

Looking up, she pleaded to any Aeon that may listen, to keep that Heliobus from doing what she knew they would do next. She could endure Guinaifen and Sushang, if painfully, but she felt like she might break if Stelle told her to go die also.

“A little time away from the pack and you turn right back into a sniveling coward crying on the ground. This entire Heliobi business could have been wrapped up ages ago, but our dead weight can’t even find our Heliobi, instead we have to rely on Guinaifen and rumors for that.” Huohuo felt her vision wavering, nearly giving up the fight right then and there, if she faded away then… maybe that was for the best.

“Can’t just give up… Stelle is outside of this hell, not this fake!” She thought, summoning enough energy and frustration to stare into the illusionary Stelle’s eyes. She wasn’t able to match those cold eyes to  the warm golden amber that the real Stelle had, the eyes that entranced her since day one with each other.

“Oh I see how it is…” the fake Stelle’s laughs were not the comforting sound they should be, it all felt so utterly wrong. “You really- you thought I’d go for someone like-” The fake Stelle’s mouth froze up, along with the rest of it.

“Stelle would never say that… How dare you use her face like this!” She shouted at the fake Stelle, not flinching as ‘Stelle’s bat was swung at her. Instead of hitting her in the head, the bat fell to the ground while its owner was tackled by something.

Huohuo looked at the apparition sadly, a choked laugh coming from her throat. “Of course… I finally found you in an illusion… Mr Tail, I wish they didn’t even seal you. Hanya should have just let you finish… If that happened I wonder how much pain that could have saved for everyone.” Mr Tail floated in front of her eyes, his usual fox-like form standing in front of her and holding off the fake Stelle’s bat.

“Don’t you start with that brat! I’m here…” He huffed. “Worrying about what could have been doesn’t do anything worth a damn! Snap out of it, Huohuo!”

“I just want it to stop… Get out of my head…” There was nothing around she could trust to tell what was reality or not, she felt as if she was a mouse at the mercy of a cat, being slapped around…

It started slow, but she felt a warmth around her, enough that it surprised her. “Stelle’s warmth… I know this…” She focused on that, and even the hints of her scent that slipped past the Heliobi’s prison. “Stelle…” Tiny splashes of liquid on her face, seeping through into that prison in her mind.

Soft whispers gradually began to pierce through the gloom, the entire illusionary area ripping at the seams as Mr Tail fought for dominance. When that voice began to sound like actual words, she couldn’t help but listen.

“Please Huohuo, wake up… You’re stronger than that Heliobus. I don’t know if you can even hear me, but I’m right here, we’ll get through this!” Huohuo felt her throat close up as she heard Stelle’s voice, finally feeling like it was being whispered directly into her ear.

“I noticed a long while ago… how similar we are in so many ways, including how we think. Don’t listen to anything that Heliobus throws at you, it is wrong. You are loved by so many… we all need you, I need you…” Stelle’s voice was mixed in with cries of her own. “If it meant waking you up, I’d fight who ever I need to fight, even the world. You’re the bravest woman I know, one Heliobus is not enough to take you down. Just… I’m begging you, wake up… I can’t do this without you… I only recently figured out what ‘Love’ even is, and- I love you Huohuo! Just come back to me…” It was desperate pleading, but Huohuo could feel the Heliobus’s grip on her being pushed away.

Mr Tail was working from the inside of that illusion, and the words coming from the outside from Stelle helped as well… It wouldn’t be possible to motivate her more than she was at that moment at just three little words. “She loves me?” It stuck in her mind like a contradiction with reality. “I… we’ll figure that out when I’m out… I’m not going to be scared of these feelings anymore. Just you wait till I get out of here Stelle!” She shouted, finally feeling that Heliobus detach from her, taking a chunk of energy with it.

That illusionary inner world was finally calm, reduced to a single long road from Aurum street. “There… get out of here you trash!” Mr Tail shouted. He finally turned to look at her.

“Is it really you?” Huohuo asked, her voice a saddened whisper, as if expecting the worst.

“It's me, Br- Huohuo.” He looked at her more seriously, or even nervously. “You really need to wake up, the others are worried sick out there, especially your tall brat, Stelle. She was in a rage,  can you believe she tried to slap me? Ha! She even slapped that demon Judge with the white hair! It was hilarious.” He looked at her smugly, pushing her down that illusionary road. 

“We both heard what she said out there, I’ll give you a day before I give you grief about it. Let's go home.” He finished, finally seeing Huohuo smile far more than he had seen her.

“I’m ready, I swear this time I’ll resign for sure…” She complained.

“Sure you will… brat, sure you will.”

The sun was nearly over the horizon as Huohuo felt all of her body again, her eyes snapping open. She met Stelle’s eyes, and could see the love that was written there, no judgment, just genuine care that melted her to her core.

Leaning up, she hugged Stelle tightly, fighting off the sobs that threatened to break free. Leaning back from Stelle, she leaned forward until she could press their foreheads together. “I could hear a bit inside of there… but, could you say it again?” Huohuo asked, not needing to elaborate..

Stelle booped their noses together, making Huohuo giggle the tiniest bit. “I love you, Huohuo, you taught me what that even is…” 

“I love you, t-too… I’m sorry I worried you. I’m not going anywhere, we’ll be okay…” Both of their tears were freely flowing as they stared into each other’s eyes, moving ever so closer. That magnetic pull they had been feeling for weeks for each other had only grown stronger and stronger.

Sushang and Guinaifen were almost huddled together, watching fondly, letting them have their moment.

Huohuo’s heart was pounding, and then felt like it exploded as someone cleared their throat, interrupting that near kiss.

Hanya looked apologetic at the very least. “I’ve received word that Cirrus has slipped out of part of their seal, and has begun absorbing all of the Heliobi we have collected. Apologies for interrupting, I’m afraid time is of the essence.” Hanya looked genuinely apologetic, but there was a smile for the two of them, along with a red hand print on her face. There were still things to wrap up, and Huohuo was driven now to put Cirrus away for good.

Chapter Text

Side A: Stelle

Entertaining herself by shaking the Lunaumbra Gourd, Stelle grew ever more worried waiting for Huohuo to respond to her message. “Think the Heliobi can feel this?” Stelle asked her two fellow squad members, who looked at her quite unamused.

“I hope not… this one wasn’t all that bad, the person was worse…” Guinaifen looked back over her shoulder at where the Realm Keeping Commission was closing off the ‘haunted’ house, and also hauling away the scam artist who had attempted to use the story of a ghost to drive off the proper deed owners.

“On that I can agree… Hopefully they throw the book at them. Sure, there is a bit of… difference in the treatment of long life species, and short life species, but that makes it that much worse that they were trying to screw over that family! Property is really expensive on the Luofu, but there is no reason to ever go to extremes for it.” Sushang added, glaring at the man being led away.

Stelle on the other hand was hardly paying attention to it, just looking down at her phone in worry. “She still hasn’t messaged me back…” She had entirely brain dumped the previous mission as her anxiety just grew.

“I mean, you sent it five minutes ago, she might just be busy?” Guinaifen said, but it didn’t make any difference in Stelle’s worry.

“I don’t know… it took a few hours to deal with this Heliobus, she said it would be a quick check.” Stelle typed up another text and put her phone away. “Let's go back to Fyxestroll Gardens first, I asked Hanya to meet us there. I have a bad feeling about this and I’m not going to play games with her safety.” Stelle said, sounding deathly serious.

“If you’re sure, you know her a lot more than us I think.” Sushang said, though there was some suspicion in her remark, not that Stelle picked up on it properly.

“Lead the way Co-Captain Stelle!” Guinaifen just had to chime in, it failed to get Stelle’s attention in the least as she quickly walked to the nearest Astral Anchor.

Sitting around at their ‘headquarters’ for their squad, Stelle paced around waiting. It had only taken five minutes before Hanya arrived, but it felt like such a long time. “I’ve consulted the Spiritfarers that were assigned here the night before, and one admitted that they saw Huohuo speaking with Cirrus before leaving for the night. It is strange, she was not missing this morning?” Hanya asked. While she sounded cold as usual, there was certainly underlying worry in her voice.

“No, we had messaged her before leaving for our Heliobi hunting mission, and she had admitted she was going to check a lead she said she found on Tail. Last night… Is Cirrus the reason she had such a horrible nightmare?” Stelle connected that dot, how Cirrus was key in Huohuo’s nightmare.

“Nightmare? Did something happen last night?” Hanya asked. “She allowed you three to go alone while she checked this lead?”

“She claimed she would meet us there, but she didn’t show up. We were in that illusion for a few hours longer than we thought, even if time flowed faster in there.” Stelle looked progressively more worried. “Yes, she asked for help late last night. I think she’ll forgive me talking about it since this is an emergency; she had a bad enough nightmare that I found her puking and hardly able to walk. I stayed with her for the night and helped her like she helped me before… She seemed like she had been doing better this morning.” Stelle bit her thumb in a rare show of emotion.

“She has been more and more worried about Tail by the day, and she even admitted skipping meals and losing sleep.” That comment from Stelle strangely made Hanya look mildly guilty, but Stelle put that away for later.

“Has she done anything else? You know her in ways we do not, has she disclosed anything that may be a clue?” Hanya asked.

Stelle didn’t even bother hiding how true that statement was. “I guess I do, she has been feeling like she was… slowing us down, even if that isn’t true. I swear I’m really going to have to go through with biting her after she is safe…”

“Putting that biting aside, her conversation with Cirrus, and her worries you mentioned lead me to only one source.” Hanya actually looked worried. “Please do not do anything you will regret.”

Her face was getting progressively more agitated. “Sounds like we need to pay Cirrus a visit, doesn’t it? If it helps Huohuo, I’ll regret nothing.” Stelle asked, already moving towards the Astral Anchor, her eyes glowing golden ever so slightly.

It was a very short trip to the Verdant Terrace, but Stelle was already nearly sprinting towards Cirrus before the others could get steady on their feet.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the Abomination~ How can I help you today?” Cirrus asked, sounding more smug than usual, the malicious intentions seeming to ooze from their voice.

“Where is she…” Stelle asked, a trace of desperation in her voice.

“Where is who? I’m a Heliobi, not a mind reader~ Why would you even assume I’m responsible?”

The pavement in front of Cirrus exploded as her bat impacted it, being pulled out and swung so fast Cirrus didn’t have time to even move their vessel back a step. Her bat was already glowing, traces of yellow flames seeping from her mouth.

“Where did you send Huohuo? Tell me Now. I’m not going to play word games with you…” She demanded, towering over Cirrus with her bat on her shoulder. Even for an immortal Heliobus, she painted a very intimidating picture.

“You wouldn’t hurt this vessel~ I know that for a fact. You really want to know? We had a productive conversation last night, so I told her about a Heliobus that had been in hiding~ It isn’t my problem if she assumed it was her pet.” That was enough to get Stelle to run even hotter, the air around her nearly having a heat haze.

“Where. Did. She. Go?” The spot on her bat where she gripped had even begun to look red hot, but it bothered Stelle none.

“Temper temper~ At the docks, there is a Heliobus I knew of, though if it has been this long… It is already too late for that idiotic ‘Judge’~ I don’t need to lift a finger, her own fears will do her in instead, a poetic end.” Cirrus’s vessel still started to sweat with Stelle that close. “Y-You think you scare me? I’m still immortal, there isn’t anything you can do to me~”

“Are you sure about that?” Stelle asked, reaching out and placing a hand on Cirrus’s vessel’s head. While it didn’t burn the host, she could tell by the way Cirrus writhed that a bit of that energy in her was leaking out. “I’ll make it my personal mission to teach you that being immortal may not be such a good thing. Let me promise you something…” She let go of them, crouching down to stare into their eyes.

“You should hope she is alright… because if she is hurt in any way, I will make you wish you were not immortal. Not even Aeons are truly immortal… If I have to, I’ll use my Stellaron to test if it's possible to kill a Heliobus with it, or at least make you suffer for as long as I can make you. Do Not fuck with me.” She stood back up when she saw actual fear in Cirrus’s eyes.

“Stelle, you need to calm yourself.” Hanya said, reaching over to put a hand on Stelle’s shoulder, but backing off with a hiss. The tips of her fingers were reddened just getting near her.

Stelle took a deep breath. “You’re right, sorry Hanya.” Turning back to Cirrus. “Even if she believed your lie, that won’t save you at all, nothing will if something happened to her. On that I swear…” Stelle nearly sprinted back to the Astral Anchor. “I’m going on ahead! I bet she is near where I was last time, at the Star Skiff docks at Cloudford! There is an isolated area with a nice bench, you can see it from the anchor!” Without waiting for the others, she rapidly activated the Astral Anchor.

Stelle knew she was being somewhat hasty, but her mind- no, her soul, told her that there was no time to waste. “I don’t even care what this Stellaron is anymore, if I have to use it to save her I’ll do it…” She never felt this strongly about another person in her 8 or so months of life, and she would be damned if she lost someone who already meant far too much to her.

Her own nightmares felt like they were becoming real as she spotted a figure collapsed on the ground, her sprinting getting faster until she could kneel down by Huohuo in worry. “Huohuo! Wake up! Shit shit shit…” She pulled out her phone and sent out a mass message to the others, throwing a pin with her location for good measure. Checking her pulse, she still felt at least that, but it was faint…

Pulling off the talisman Huohuo had given her off her own clothes, she placed it on Huohuo. When the talisman burned away to embers, she knew something was very wrong.

She couldn’t stop her breaths from coming in panicked huffs as she saw flashes of Tingyun’s body laying on the ground, the life inside of her snuffed out by Phantylia.

It didn’t take long before Hanya and the others arrived, though she barely paid it any mind, except for Hanya. “Hanya! What is going on, why won’t she wake up?” Stelle asked, everything about her screaming panic.

Sushang pulled out her phone as she arrived. “Should I call the Alchemy Commission?! Surely they can help, right?”

Hanya sat down to check Huohuo’s condition, and even her tired face looked more grave. “This is not good… There is a Heliobus infesting her, and it is feeding on her power to keep her isolated in her own mind. Not even the harmonic chime can get us into such an isolated illusion… She has co-existed with Tail inside of her for so long that her mind is well adapted to Heliobi, but it appears to have made her vulnerable to other Heliobi with Tail no longer within her.” Hanya looked absolutely torn.

“What are you saying?” Stelle asked, her tone still on the edge of full blown panic, or fury, perhaps both.

“I’m saying that this is beyond the scope of my abilities, as well as the Alchemy Commission.” Hanya took a deep breath before looking up at them all. “I am suspending the Heliobi containment squad’s activities until further notice. Without Huohuo as a cornerstone, it is too dangerous for all of you to continue. I’ll be taking Huohuo back to the Ten-Lords Commission, perhaps they can find a way to free her mind.”

Stelle’s panic turned fully into fury. “I don’t give a damn about continuing the squad, I care about Huohuo! Does the Ten-Lords Commission have the means you know of to extract the Heliobi from her safely? Cirrus still is possessing that Spiritfarer after all…” Stelle looked into Hanya’s eyes.

“That… is a good point, we can’t just leave Huohuo like this and go our separate ways!” Guinaifen added, her hand having gripped on Sushang’s tightly, neither of the two seeming to realize it.

“I may just be a Cloud Knight, I do not know these spiritual matters at all, but I cannot just abandon a comrade to her fate.” Sushang said, adding to the chorus.

“Hanya, I need you to be honest with me, do you think the Ten-Lords Commission can actually fix this? That they can save her life? Because I’ll be damned if I let her become some sacrifice…” Stelle hissed out and picked up Huohuo as she knelt there, holding her close.

Hanya looked torn, but the worry in her eyes seemed to outweigh anything. “No. I do have one potential solution… If a stronger Heliobus attempted to possess her at the same time, they could drive out this current one. That is the one solution I currently see.”

“What, like Mr Tail? This wouldn’t have happened if we knew where he was in the first pla-” Stelle stopped her shouting and looked at Hanya who had stood up. “Hanya…”

“Please Stelle, calm yourself. I… know where ‘Tail’ is.” Hanya said, looking the slightest bit ashamed.

Stelle placed Huohuo down with the utmost gentleness as she stood up, looking at Hanya with a blank expression, watching as she pulled a Lunaumbra Gourd off of her belt. “I’ve had possession of him since that night.” Hanya could see the flare of rage in Stelle’s eyes.

From the gourd, a wisp exited it, forming into a familiar figure. “I heard you all dammit…” Mr Tail growled out, yet his stare moved down to Huohuo, clear worry in his eyes.

It was an immediate reaction as Stelle lashed out, one palm striking Hanya in the face, hard enough to turn her head and send her stumbling. That hand at least attempted to slap Mr Tail, though it barely moved him.“You mean to tell me… that all of this time, all this fucking time… Huohuo has been running around searching everywhere, skipping meals, not sleeping, because you two hid this from her?!” Stelle shouted, her eyes glowing gold as hints of golden fire came from her mouth.

Hanya, to her credit, did not show any anger at being hit, but continued. “All free-roaming Heliobi are to be sealed, I was following protocol, but… You are right, I should have told her.” Hanya admitted, looking just as worried. “If I knew she was going to those extremes, if it was weighing this much on her…” Hindsight was always clear though, that thought coming far too late.

“Calm down! It was my idea in the first place.” Mr Tail admitted, making him the target for Stelle’s glare that anyone there could admit was absolutely terrifying on the normally stoic seeming woman. “Listen, when I first met the brat I… my consciousness was nearly split into pieces, I didn’t even notice what had happened until I had consumed the br- Huohuo’s original tail. By that point, this… Judge, had already arrived and sealed me into the form of the tail I consumed.” Mr Tail was strangely forthcoming, but it was clear he was also worried.

“For decades she ranted about me, claiming I ruined her life and all that! After Cirrus popped I was left in almost the same state, but I figured since I had escaped I may as well give the brat what she wanted and leave her alone, and that is where This demo- Judge came in.” He looked at Hanya, gesturing in her direction.

“It sounds… far more petty now, but I was pissed at always being treated like that! I figured I’d give the brat her space, and I’d get to hear her regrets when I wasn’t there to back her up anymore. Clearly that didn’t turn out so well… but I couldn’t communicate outside of that Gourd at all. I didn’t… know- Was she looking for me that much?” Tail seemed in disbelief as he looked at Stelle.

“She doesn’t talk about it much, but I can tell it has been eating at her for weeks now. Not a day goes by where she hasn’t tried to look for you. If you can save her though… I don’t care about the past. Just… save her…” Stelle’s tears were freely running as she collapsed down next to Huohuo again, pulling her into her arms.

Hanya turned to Tail. “Well, Tail, I cannot let you go entirely free, but you have a choice to make.”

“You want me to dive in there right? So what will that mean?” He asked, still sounding annoyed.

“It would mean a return to your and Huohuo’s status as Heliobus and Host. I suppose if you don’t there is not much I can do… but she just might be able to.” Hanya gestured to Stelle who was still quietly crying. It was clear to anyone that Stelle cared about Huohuo as much as anyone there. It was also a very subtle threat.

“I have made thousands of regrets in these nearly two thousand years, I ask you not as a Judge, but as someone who cares for Huohuo, please save her. After this I’m… not worthy of it, but she is the closest I’ve ever had to a… daughter. Whether it be her or my sister, I cannot bear to see either of them like this…” Hanya admitted, her sad eyes showing a vulnerability that none of them had ever seen.

“So you all want me to force that Heliobus out of her? That’s easy! It's better than staying in that gourd at least!” Mr Tail said as he flew down towards Huohuo, looking at Stelle first. “I’m… sorry she went through all of this, I’ll get her on her feet. In I go.” Mr Tail dove inside of Huohuo, their spectral form being absorbed.

Now all they could do was wait. Stelle held Huohuo all the tighter as she felt Huohuo twitch. “Huohuo… Even if I’ve only known you around two months… I know that isn’t a long time to you, but that is a good portion of my life so far. You brightened my life in a way I didn’t know was p-possible… I need you in it…” Stelle’s tears seemed to fall endlessly, her eyes more lost than ever.

“You are strong… and braver than anyone I know, even if you don’t see it. Since meeting you I’ve felt like I’ve been… finally alive, and not just some Thing for people to use.” She cleared her throat of a sob that had tried to start. “I noticed a long while ago… how similar we are in so many ways, including how we think. Don’t listen to anything that Heliobus throws at you, it is Wrong. You are loved by so many, we all need you. I need you…”

The others could only watch for the time being, almost afraid of interrupting that moment, their own anxiety keeping conversation down. All Guinaifen and Sushang had room to do was hold hands tightly, kneeling down near Huohuo also.

A few more minutes passed, and Stelle swore she could feel Huohuo getting colder, driving her panic up further. “If it meant waking you up, I’d fight whoever I need to fight, even the world. You’re the bravest woman I know, one Heliobus is not enough to take you down! Just… I’m begging you, wake up…” Stelle cried, hugging Huohuo as tight as she dared. Not a single person there could have gotten her to give up.

Her next words got looks of surprise though. “I can’t do this without you… I only recently figured out what ‘Love’ even is, and- I love you Huohuo! Just come back to me… Don’t leave me here!” Stelle sobbed our pleadingly, those feelings finally being pushed out in the desperate hope she could be heard, that she could rouse her love from her sleep.

“S-Stelle…” Sushang whispered as she watched, her own tears falling as well. There were so many violent emotions in Stelle’s words, sounding truly from the heart.

Hanya and Guinaifen were silent, but shared a look of worry and potential grief.

There was a shift in Huohuo’s condition as her form glowed in Stelle’s arms. “No no no no…” She desperately pleaded as she saw Tingyun’s body catching fire on repeat in her mind. Her heart nearly stopped, as that glow came off of her, forming into a Heliobus that looked exhausted. It didn’t get a chance to say a word before Hanya’s gourd sucked them inside.

Stelle finally felt a degree of hope as Huohuo moved more, her breathing picking up, and her heart rate returning to normal levels. “Please… wake up…” Stelle pleaded, watching her eyes, as exhausted as Huohuo looked. When those eyes began to crack open, Stelle’s smile bloomed into something beautiful to everyone there.

Huohuo leaned in closer to her hug, pressing her forehead against Stelle’s with affection of her own in her eyes, tears freely falling from both of them now. “S-Stelle… I could hear you I-in there… but could you p-please say it again?” Huohuo nearly begged, her normally folded ears lifting, as if to hear her better.

“I love you, Huohuo… You are the one who taught me what that even is, that it is something that I’m a-allowed to feel.” Stelle pressed her forehead right back, and even booped their noses together, both of them grinning like joyful dorks.

“I love you, t-too… I’m sorry I worried you. I’m not going anywhere, we’ll be okay…” Stelle didn’t even know what was happening anymore, except she was filled with joy beyond measure, beyond what she had experienced in all her short life. 

Their noses had moved past each other, their lips inching closer together as Stelle followed her heart. Just feeling their breath mixing was making Stelle strangely light headed.

She nearly felt like using her bat again as she heard Hanya clear her throat. Resisting the urge to get upset, she pulled her head back reluctantly, the moment fully interrupted. The look she gave Hanya was clear frustration.

Hanya looked apologetic at the very least as she held up her phone. “I’ve received word that Cirrus has slipped out of part of their seal, and has begun absorbing all of the Heliobi we have collected. Apologies for interrupting, I’m afraid time is of the essence.” Hanya looked genuinely apologetic, but there was a smile for the two of them, along with a red handprint on her face.

Stelle looked apologetic as she held Huohuo to her feet. “You feeling okay?” Stelle asked, still holding onto one of her hands for dear life.

“Just a bit tired… I have maybe half of my energy left, so I can’t offer a lot of support, but I’ll do my best!” Huohuo looked as determined as Stelle.

“That is enough, because I’m feeling fucking invincible right now. Let's get going, I have some promises to keep today…” Stelle’s grin was downright feral as the Stellaron inside of her burned.

“Does that include the promise to bite her?” Guinaifen ‘helpfully’ brought up, making Stelle nearly collapse in a laugh, and Huohuo nearly gave herself whiplash as she turned to look at Guinaifen so fast.

“Eh?! That was real?” Huohuo asked, looking up at Stelle.

Stelle just smiled at her oh so lovingly. “I’ll be gentle, for you at least.” Squeezing Huohuo’s hand she reached over to first give her another hug, kissing between those fox ears, recharging herself. “As for Cirrus… I will not be gentle, I’m going to keep my promise and make them regret the day they came into existence.”

Everyone there could certainly believe her on that front. She pulled out her phone with a devious grin on her face. “I think the General will want in one this one. If Cirrus wants a showdown, they’re getting one.”

Returning to Fyxestroll Gardens again, Stelle felt energy flooding her body. “Just what is the Stellaron doing to me? Whatever… I’m not feeling any actual will from it. Maybe I really am the Stellaron… It doesn’t matter right now.” Not even that worry could ruin her mood, that protective feeling in her chest. “If this power is the Stellaron, I’ll make it my own…”

No words needed to be exchanged as she looked at the others in the squad, and then at the General as he arrived.

“Thanks for getting here so quickly General, if Cirrus wants a fight that bad… Well, either way I’m also fighting them. I have a personal score to settle.” Stelle said.

The General looked down at where she was holding Huohuo’s hand, a knowing smile on his face. “Very well, it will be a pleasure to fight at your side again. After Phantylia, Cirrus does not stand a chance. You’ve grown.” He noted, making her blink in confusion.

“Have I?”

“You’re stronger, I can feel it. Emotions can help fuel strength, and I see you may have plenty of motivation.” He said as he began to walk towards where Cirrus was likely waiting.

“I do. I’m not going to be destroying Cirrus out of hate, but so that they can never hurt the ones I love ever again, I’m going all out on this.” Stelle looked apologetic as she had to let go of Huohuo’s hand. “Let's finish them off, Huohuo.” Exchanging a look of longing with her, they all proceeded forward.

The atmosphere in Fyxestroll Gardens was more sinister, Heliobi from all over were being siphoned towards the center. “Oh Cirrus! I’ve come to keep my word!” She said as she took a look at them. 

She could see their Host off to the side near the Evil-Binding Matrix’s core, making her feel more at ease, she wouldn’t have to worry about hurting the Spiritfarer child. Once again, the giant form of Cirrus as a giant eye floated above them.

“How surprising, so you found the guard dog’s tail after all~ You think that will help you? I’ll be sure to devour both ‘Tail’ and that Judge before the night’s end. Thanks to you all gathering these other Heliobi here, and the flaws in that seal, I’m stronger than ever. Welcome General, it's time for us to have that battle! I will not accept no as an answer!”

It was not the flowing energy from the general that drew Cirrus’s attention, but the glowing aura from Stelle this time. “You think your fight is just with the general? I told you that I will keep my word. By the night’s end, we’ll find out if a Stellaron can destroy a Heliobus or not. Send armies, send elites, send Emanators and even Aeons at me. To protect her… I’ll crush them all!” She roared, her voice echoing through the gardens.

It was not her voice that startled everyone, but a feeling in everyone's gut, like something was examining their very souls. “A glance…?” Cirrus mumbled as everyone looked upwards.

In Stelle and everyone’s mind’s eye, a regal centaur of blue and purple stood proudly, its bow held with determination. It pulled back on that bow, firing Something.

From the sky, what appeared like a massive arrow penetrated straight through the canopy of the Luofu for but a moment, impacting the ground in front of them with a cataclysmic shock wave. While that hole closed up quickly, the dust lingered.

“Stelle!” Huohuo called out in panic, blindly stepping through the dust, before finally finding her. Stelle smiled as she felt Huohuo’s arms wrap around her from behind. “I love you… so don’t you dare die.” Huohuo told her as they cherished that soft moment in the cloaking dust.

“I will, that I promise. After this… we’ll have all the time in the world for Us.” Stelle said, placing a hand on Huohuo’s own. She took a deep breath as Huohuo stepped back with the others. 

With that rush of happiness flowing in her veins, she hardened her resolve. “So, that is Lan… I guess he approves.” Stelle said as she pulled something from the ground. Making sure Huohuo and everyone was a good distance away, she made a wide sweep with that object.

The dust that filled the area was blown away with winds strong enough to send a few of them stumbling backwards. In Stelle’s hands was something that could almost be mistaken for an arrow of massive proportions. The metal ‘shaft’ of unknown material was half her height, and the long ‘tip’ was even longer than Stelle was tall. The wind wrapping around that blade melded with the power roiling off of Stelle. “Cirrus, tonight I swear that I will Hunt you!”

Stelle looked several times more intimidating with that arrow that appeared more like a greatsword, it made Sushang’s look like a dagger in comparison, yet it felt regal rather than brutish.

“An arrow from Lan… Well, today is just full of excitement. It doesn’t appear to be THEIR true Lux-Arrow, or the Luofu may have been destroyed, but it Is certainly something. You appear to have been given a trial, Will you rise to the occasion, Stelle?” The General asked as he held his Guan Dao at the ready, lightning beginning to crackle off of him.

“Trial or not, nothing will stop me from killing Cirrus. Let's see if this makes it easier… If I had a credit for every time an Aeon threw a weapon at me, I’d have two credits. It's not a lot, but it is incredible that it happened twice~” Stelle wouldn’t waste much more time.

Cirrus as well didn’t waste time, their form shifting as the last of the Heliobi in Fyxestroll Gardens, besides tail, was pulled within them. A body formed around that eyeball, a towering giant of spectral energy with claws long and sharp, that bounded into the air, walking on it. “So THEY decided to intervene? Useless!”

They looked similar to a violet tiger with a singular eye that bathed the area in malice. As if to match them, Jing Yuan as well rose in the air with the Lightning Lord appearing behind them matching his movements.

In that sky, giants would soon clash, and yet Stelle still commanded just as much attention as the wind carried her upwards, that massive weapon looking right at home in her hands. “I’d apologize for getting between you two, but I won’t, you are My prey tonight Cirrus.” Glowing golden lines had begun to spread out from Stelle’s chest, running down her arms almost like tattoos, spreading slowly to the rest of her body. She made just as an imposing sight as both the giants like that.

Looking back down below, Stelle smiled at Huohuo, her confidence refreshed, reaffirming what she was fighting for. The heat of the Stellaron let out a steady glow from under her shirt, but not appearing to cause Stelle damage for the time being. “I’ll do what I must, I’ll make this Stellaron mine if it means keeping Huohuo safe. We’ll call this a truce, okay Stellaron? ” She thought to herself, wondering still if how familiar that rush of power felt meant it was cooperating, or if the Stellaron was a part of her.

For that night, it did not matter to her, it was power she could use, and use it she would. Despite being smaller, she possessed speed to match the General’s Spirit’s swing, a burst of energy coming from her blade in a wide yellow arc, impacting Cirrus before they could dodge.

Stelle had no doubt as they all began to move through that sky, that if they were still on the ground it would have resulted in the destruction of the Gardens. Darting in and out of range, Stelle countered Cirrus’s claws, with the General following up her attacks, helping her keep Cirrus in check.

“They are no Ignamar, but this is nothing to scoff at. I suppose you are a worthy opponent for now!” The General shouted as their spirit’s lightning blade clashed with Cirrus over and over, each impact between them sending shock waves in every direction, scattering the mists that cloaked the void down below.

While Cirrus was locked in a clash with Jing Yuan’s weapon, Stelle circled around, aiming a strike into the neck of the tiger that Cirrus took the form of. They howled in agony as part of their neck was cut, hissing as it sealed right back up, their benefit in not being a physical being. “But they certainly felt pain just then!”

Even though it healed, Stelle could tell it was taking energy to hold that form, and even more to absorb the damage coming from the general and her that was beyond mere physical weapons. Each of Jing Yuan’s blows was packed with the energy of the Lightning Lord, striking deep in Cirrus even if they did not have a true body.

Stelle’s own blows were packing just as much of a punch as she felt the Stellaron truly fueling her like a near bottomless well. Part of her knew that her own body likely had a limit, she felt it burning away inside of her, but she put that thought aside as the mixture of Stellaron energy and slicing wind left thousands of cuts on Cirrus with each blow of the miniature Lux-Arrow.

Fun was not quite what she would describe it as, but there was a certain satisfaction in cutting into Cirrus over and over, hunting them down like the plague they were. “This is for Huohuo!” She shouted as she flew upwards under Cirrus’s belly, slicing upwards with all her might.

This time that wind blade made its way through their middle, bisecting the colossal spectral tiger. While the front half reformed into a smaller tiger, the other portion scattered like embers. “How’s that feel?!” Stelle moved with the General, their blows impacting both of their now smaller claws.

“Dammit! Leave already you pest!” Cirrus shouted as they seemed to put all their effort in swatting Stelle downwards, though it left their claws shattered and a strike from the General cut deep into them.

Stelle’s vision blacked out for just a moment as she impacted the ground harder than she ever had before. She took gasping breaths as she had to wait for wounds she couldn’t identify to heal. “That is at least some ribs… guess the Stellaron helps on this front…” She lost some time while healing, but it was greatly sped up as Huohuo appeared in her vision, her tears falling on Stelle’s face like a warm rain while she helped heal her.

“Stelle! Please, you’re being too risky!” Huohuo had to flinch backwards at how hot Stelle’s skin was. “You can’t fight like this for much longer…” Huohuo looked worried sick, and Stelle hated that she couldn’t hug her at that moment.

Sitting up once she felt she was able, Stelle pushed herself to her feet. “Let's wrap this up then. The General did say this is an arrow, right?” Stelle asked as Huohuo got some distance while Stelle prepared.

High above, the General’s Lightning Lord continued to clash with Cirrus, his tiger form being shaved thinner and thinner each time a blow got through, or lightning coursed through them.

Stelle looked at the arrow in her hands and felt the winds swirl around her again. “This is strangely easy… I suppose the lance was also easy to use. Do weapons Aeon’s give come with automatic instructions?” She thought as she floated into the air again. Holding that arrow up like a javelin, she let it float off her palm and begin to spin.

Drawing the palm ‘holding’ it back, she prepared herself, taking aim. She poured as much wind as she could produce with the new power she was drawing from, as well as amplifying it as it resonated with the Stellaron, until it was a mere blur. “Cirrus… I don’t care if you’re immortal, Die.” She growled out, launched that arrow upwards nearly as fast as it came down to her.

Cirrus had finally begun to realize that Stelle had never gone back up there, the worry of that created an opening for Jing Yuan to cut deeply through the center of Cirrus’s tiger head, right before that arrow came from below and deep into their core, blowing through the bulk of their body.

“B-But, I’m… Heliobi… can’t die!” Cirrus let out his last shout as the energy drained from their ruined form.

Stelle watched with satisfaction as Cirrus’s body crumbled, that spectral form fading to embers that rained down. She had to wonder if she had managed to kill Cirrus, but at least the crisis seemed over, with no more enemies appearing to get in her way. “I’m… gonna nap…” She mumbled as she lowered to the ground, collapsing to her knees as she caught her breath.

Those glowing veins receded slowly on her, the heat dying, leaving a deep exhaustion that threatened to knock her right out.

“Stelle!” Huohuo of course was on her within moments, wrapped around Stelle’s neck as Stelle nearly collapsed. “Just t-take it easy… how do you feel?” Huohuo asked worriedly as she got Stelle to roll over and lay on her back while Huohuo checked her over for further injuries.

“Just… really tired… but I think I did it…” She mumbled as she caught her breath, every cell in her body seeming to cry out in slowly fading agony. “I don’t think I’m d-dying… Just stay…” Stelle would have been happy to hold Huohuo’s hand, but she got one better as her head was lifted up enough for Huohuo to let Stelle use her lap as a pillow. To her tired everything, it felt like heaven.

They were left alone for a minute as the others gathered around, but let the two be in their own little world. Seeing Huohuo’s smiling face above her made that entire day worth it, just enjoying looking into those beautiful and unique eyes. “Love you…”

Huohuo smiled wider and it was beautiful to her. “Love you, too, no more dying for either of us.” Huohuo reached down, poking Stelle’s nose. “Boop.” Huohuo’s quiet laugh was matched by the giggle from Stelle.

“Well, this really has been an eventful night. Sorry to spoil the moment.” The General said as he walked up, seeming to have given up on the two getting up on their own. “I’m unsure, but I believe you may have succeeded at your hunt, I felt that Heliobi, Cirrus, shatter. While their essence is immortal, It seems brute force can at least destroy the current form of them. We’ll have to make a note about that.” Jing Yuan held out a hand to help Stelle up.

Stelle looked apologetically up at Huohuo before letting the General pull her to her feet. “Dizzy… That was certainly one of the fights of all time… I didn’t think we’d fight side by side again. You think I carried my weight this time?” Stelle asked as she let Huohuo support her. “Honestly, as long as Cirrus themselves aren't a thing anymore, I’ll be content with that. If they reform, I doubt they’ll be Cirrus again… I’ll leave all of that stuff to the Ten-Lords Commission.” Stelle smiled at Huohuo again, letting one hand brush through her hair.

“As someone who has also received a gaze from Lan, it was an honor to fight with you again. Also, congratulations.” He said as he looked between those two before he turned back to the others. “I think I shall take my leave now, I agree on letting the proper Commission handle the rest of this. Farewell. I think I’ll need to put out some fires and stifle any panic” Jing Yuan said as he made his way to the Astral Anchor.

“Thanks for the help General, I appreciate it!” Stelle forced herself to shout. Waving behind himself at her, he vanished into the Astral Anchor.

It was quiet for a few moments as the others gathered around them. “I wonder if I could learn to make cool exits like that?” Stelle idly wondered.

“Just be Stelle… I think you’re plenty cool already. Besides, he has somewhere around 700 years of practice on you.” Huohuo said as she turned to the others. “Thank you all, for saving me.” Huohuo told them.

“I’m glad you’re alright Huohuo, please never scare us like that again…” Sushang was breathing a sigh of relief as she looked between Stelle and Huohuo. “So… how long has this been brewing~”

Guinaifen sighed. “For way too long… let's leave them alone for tonight though. You two sure you’re okay?” She asked worriedly.

“I’ve learned that I have a lot to learn… and that I should reserve Stellaron usage for emergencies only. That was exhausting…” Stelle said as she moved Huohuo in front of her so she could hug her better. The quick kiss between her fox ears was enough to turn Huohuo into an adorable tomato. “Always wanted to do this~ Can I walk you home?” Stelle asked as she just enjoyed giving unreserved love to her Foxian. Knowing what love was now let her unleash it like a broken dam.

“Before you two run off.” Hanya kept them all from dispersing for the moment. “I… apologize, to both of you, for keeping the information about Tail quiet. It seems I underestimated how much it was affecting you Huohuo, I hope you’ll forgive me…” Hanya bowed her head, turning to look at Stelle. “I’ll echo the concern for your health. The Astral Express seems knowledgeable about Stellarons, so please consult with them about this development in your potential… usage of it. I would also advise keeping quiet the fact you can do so. My own lips are sealed on the matter.”

Huohuo looked up at Hanya with a complicated mixture of emotions, taking a moment to think before speaking. “I won’t sugarcoat it… You and Tail hurt me. I’m just going to be happy we all made it out of this… I do wish you would have told me about Tail though, Just… don’t keep something like that from me again…” Huohuo looked more upset than angry. “We can discuss things more tomorrow, but I am about to pass out also… I haven’t felt this drained in ages.”

“Need more to carry you?” Stelle offered immediately, getting a tiny laugh from Huohuo that made Stelle’s stomach flutter. “Adorable~”

“You can barely walk either! Haa… what am I going to do with you?” Huohuo just seemed to be done that day. “I’ll talk to you all tomorrow, maybe it won’t feel like a fever dream…” Huohuo finally got Stelle to let go, settling for holding her hand.

“And there they go, off in their own little world already.” Guinaifen added, getting a nod from Sushang.

“… It was about time.” Hanya, of all people, said while smiling at the pair. “Go get some rest, both of you.”

They didn’t need to be told twice as they helped lug each other to the Astral Anchor. Once they teleported, it was finally just the two of them, technically three now. “You know, you’re awfully quiet Tail.” Stelle said as they moved down the street to Huohuo’s home.

“Like I told the brat, I’ll give you two a break for today, don’t get used to it.” Mr Tail said, back to being Huohuo’s fluffy flaming tail. As much as Stelle wanted to bury her face in Huohuo’s tail, it became more awkward with it being sentient…

It truly was a tragedy that Tail took away that fluffy potential from Huohuo…

“How generous of you. Hey Huohuo, could I talk to Mr Tail alone for a moment.” Stelle asked as they made it to her door.

“Huh? I suppose… though they can’t get far from me, so I’ll just cover my ears on the other side of the door for a minute, that's fine?” Huohuo asked, unlocking her door.

“That is perfect, just a few things I need to talk about. First though…” Stelle leaned in, both of them melting against each other for a few happy moments. Stelle had to snicker at home Huohuo stiffened up when she kissed her forehead this time. “S-So… we… you and I, I don’t k-know terms and stuff yet… Is this that ‘dating’ thing?”

It was Stelle’s turn to blush as Huohuo giggled, looking up at her from where she hugged her. “If you want It to be. I m-mean… if we both feel that way… I w-want to…” She progressively got more and more shy as she continued until she just smiled shyly at her, out of words.

“I want to. I’m still fuzzy on… literally all of it, but I just… want to be with you. It is freeing to have a word for things now… Anyway, I’ll let you two catch up tonight, I’ll need to check with Welt about the you-know-what…” She took a few calming breaths, staring down into her eyes. “L-Love you Huohuo, sleep well please? I can be over here again if need be.” One more kiss to those fox ears before she let her go.

“I love you too, Stelle. You get some sleep also, you really look like you could use some rest, I’m worried about you using that ever again… but we can talk about that some other time. Night night Stelle, you two can have your talk, but first…” Huohuo surprised Stelle, turning back around to lean up, kissing her cheek sweetly before slipping in the door, Tail detaching and staying outside.

“You two are going to make me sick with all this sappy stuff, aren’t you?” Tail complained as he stared Stelle down.

“I have very mixed feelings about you right now… but… thank you for saving Huohuo, by this point… I’m not sure I could have even survived losing her, not anymore. At the same time, if you hurt her like that again, well… I now know I can kill a Heliobus, probably.” She quietly threatened with a smile.

“Yeah yeah yeah, I’ll apologize…” Mr Tail finally looked properly guilty as he looked away. “Was it true, what you had said? That she hasn’t been eating or sleeping? That she was looking for me that hard?” He seemed reluctant to ask.

“Yes, these past few weeks I can tell she has lost some weight, and she has been… frantic in finding you. If you care about her at all, don’t ever do that to her again, and help me help her. I need sleep also…” She told him. “Goodnight Tail, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other I think.”

He didn’t reply at first, but she could tell he was at least reflecting, she just hoped it became a lesson for him that he would remember. “Considering you two now have that gross love stuff going on, I guess we will be. Dammit… I’ll have to invest in some headphones, or Huohuo will. Thanks for err… taking care of her… Arghhh I’m not good at this stuff!” Mr Tail seemed to reach his limit, zooming back through the door which opened back up.

“You two are done? Want to get breakfast tomorrow?” Huohuo asked, holding back on hugging Stelle again, neither of them likely to let go if she did. If Stelle didn’t need to see Welt she would have loved to stay the night.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll message you good night, don’t let Tail bully you.” It was hard for both of them to just go separate ways for even the night, not when everything was so fresh.

Walking to the Astral Anchor, she checked her phone. “T-twenty seven missed calls? Messages also, guess it is time for fight round 2…” She braced herself for the noise of the Express before confirming her destination.

Sure enough, the moment she landed in the car, everyone there was all over her. “Stelle! There you are! What in the world happened?” Himeko asked. Her and the others looked none too pleased.

“It was… a long story, wait, how did you know something happened?” Stelle asked.

“Because something flew at the Luofu, and soon after that we detected Stellaron activity! It isn’t hard to connect the dots!” March 7th said.

“I’m incredibly exhausted… Could I give you the short version? Welt, could you check the Stellaron? I… I guess I ended up using some of it, but it was odd… I’m entirely fine though, I promise.” Stelle said as she fell onto the couch.

“You used the Stellaron? How? I need details. You sure you are alright?” Welt asked.

“I’ll summarize… but first, the biggest news~” Stelle surprised them all with a big smile clear on her face.

“Bigger than using the Stellaron?” Himeko asked, having sat down next to Stelle, checking her over for injuries.

“To me at least. So in all the drama of today… I had finally told Huohuo that I l-love her… and now we’re dating...” The silence was deafening in the train as they looked at her with varying degrees of surprise.

March 7th broke the silence by standing up, raising her arms into the sky, and sighing loudly. “Finally! Thank the Aeons!”

“Awww… I’m proud of you Stelle, that is a big step. Now you really have to get her on the Express. You had said she wanted to leave the Ten-Lords Commission, right?” Himeko asked, the wheels in her mind seeming to be turning already. “March, you can name the operation, we need a plan.”

“E-Eh?” Stelle looked confused.

“Yay! Operation ‘Steal the Green Floof!’ begins!” What followed was a night of interrogation and celebration. There was still much to unpack for the Astral Express family, but for at least one night, they all could smile, Stelle finally included.

Chapter Text

Side C: Stelle & Huohuo

Huohuo leaned back against the door tiredly as she idly touched her forehead, where she had felt Stelle kiss, unable to stop smiling about it. “Looks like I missed a lot…”

“That you did… It isn’t the same here without you, I missed you.” Huohuo admitted, grinning at Tail when he let out fake noises of disgust. Wandering over to the living room couch, she let herself flop on top of it, turning over so she could still see Tail as he hovered around.

“Yeah yeah yeah… glad you’re okay also… don’t get used to hearing that though!” Tail complained, but Huohuo knew him enough by now to tell if he was actually angry, or was just being himself. “Huh, haven’t seen you this happy in ages. So, How did a brat like you get a girlfriend?” Mr Tail asked, watching as Huohuo’s ears flapped up and down in happiness.

“Honestly? I don’t know… I guess we just… clicked? We can understand each other, and she has been supporting me since that night. We support each other.” Huohuo rolled on her face, looking too excited to sleep. “Heh~ Stelle is my girlfriend~”

“Whatever… if you’re happy about it then good.” Mr Tail looked thoughtful for a few moments.“Though if you don’t eat like you told them you would, she seems the type to run right back over here with food.” He told her, laughing as she groaned into the couch cushions.

“Just… give me 10 minutes to process everything…” Huohuo half complained, not seeming to care as Mr Tail floated over enough to ‘sit’ on her back.

“Fine, fine, but if you don’t get back up I’ll throw on a scary movie at max volume.” He threatened.

“Bully…” She complained, but nothing could stop her good mood. Having Tail there even just being his usual self cheered her up more than anything. They didn’t even need to wait the 10 minutes she wanted as a knock came from the door.

“Was I right on the money? If that is her then you owe me some new movies!” Mr Tail declared with a cackle. There was lost time for them both to make up for.

“I doubt it, she better be home getting some rest also…” Huohuo said with a yawn. Opening the door, she was greeted with a Cycrane on the ground on top of a small box.

“Delivery from Aurum Alley Complete. How would you rate my service?” The robotic voice asked, but there was something judgemental about its eyes. With it standing on top of what she assumed to be food, she cautiously answered. “F-Five Stars?” It was enough for the crane, the strangely menacing aura about it vanishing as it flew away.

Taking that box inside, she could already smell the food. “You were only half right, it’s from Stelle.” Huohuo said, forgoing the kitchen table, bringing the box of food back to the living room. “Eating here is becoming a bad habit, oh well…” With a spread of way too much food in front of her, she finally felt just how hungry she was. “I swear that woman… she is way too good for me…” Huohuo said as she dug in, but not before handing Tail the remote for the TV.

“Stop being so hard on yourself and just be happy she knows you well enough to know you wouldn’t have gotten up to eat. Is there even any food in the house?” Mr Tail grumbled as he ran through the movies. “Oho you grabbed some new ones. I guess that is the nice thing about being in a cramped gourd for 2 months, so many new movies to watch already.”

Huohuo didn’t bother answering that yet as she ate as much as she could pack into her tiny stomach. She knew she had lost some weight, and it was best to Try and correct that as soon as possible. “Starving myself is never a good thing…”

Her musing and munching was interrupted by her phone buzzing with a new text. Wiping her hands clean, she checked who it was. “Ah… guess Xueyi found out…”

“What's with the goofy smile on your face?” Tail asked.

“Just Xueyi and Hanya being a bit more… personal than I’m used to, but maybe it was me that was keeping that distance…” Huohuo wondered as she went back to her food, only jumping at the first horror scene once. “Maybe we should have waited for the horror movies until after I was done eating…” She set her burger down. “Actually, I’m full anyway, do you want any?” Huohuo asked curiously, holding up that burger.

“Bah, your mortal food never tastes that good to me, pass.” He said as he got settled on the top of the couch, his usual little perch, like nothing had changed over the past few months. It felt finally… normal.

Putting the rest of the food back in the fridge, Huohuo hurried back over and flopped back down. “This is strangely nice… it's familiar.” She appeared to look for the right words, judging by how her ears wobbled back and forth. “I missed you, even if you’re a jerk a lot. I missed just getting to watch movies with you, I’m really glad you’re back…” Huohuo sounded sleepy, and a bit emotional as she relaxed on that couch.

“Yeah yeah yeah… Eesh you got sappy. I told you I ain’t saying it again…” Huohuo could tell he cared, she long since deciphered Tail-speak. “You think it's a smart idea to watch this before bed though?” He told her after another half hour of the movie, and yet the most reaction it got from Huohuo was a jolt at the jump scares.

“Honestly? Probably not, but it is a bit better than the memories that dumb Heliobus made me remember.” She said as she couldn’t help but trace the large notch ripped from her ear.

“About that… I didn’t see any of them by the time I joined you there… What did they make you see? It was just a Heliobus illusion after all.”

“I could feel it pulling from my memory, so I think they led me into creating my own nightmare. It was just some stuff before we got along more. You always ask why I bothered joining the Commission if I’m so scared but… I didn’t get a choice but to join, my ‘mother’ gave me to them, I had nowhere else to go. It was better than being with her anyway…” It was suddenly heavy as that movie ended with the promise of a sequel.

“…Was it because of me?” Tail had to ask, ignoring Huohuo’s sigh.

“It doesn’t matter really. Its in the past.” Huohuo tried to look away from Tail, but she felt his gaze. “Pushy… Please don’t do this tonight. I had mostly forgotten about all she did, or atleast blocked it out. It isn’t your fault, or mine… It was her fault, and hers alone.”

It was quiet for a moment as Huohuo pushed down those emotions again, she felt too exhausted to feel much that night. “Sorry for prying about it. If it helps… you’ve grown a lot since then. In just these few months you somehow went from screaming at every scare to just a flinch. That tall brat seems good for you, keep her around.” He sighed, sounding genuinely guilty for ruining the mood, helping move some things back into place. “Now, time for you to go the fuck to sleep.” He told her, head-butting her until she stood up shakily.

“Fiiine… I’m up… Guess the couch would just hurt my neck anyway…” Huohuo said, dragging that blanket along with her as she turned the lights off, Mr Tail lighting up the rooms enough that she didn’t care about that dark.

Crawling into her bed, she grinned like a dork as she could still catch the mixed scent of her and Stelle. “I wonder if Stelle knows how important… smells are to Foxians? Whatever… sleep sounds… Stelle…” She mumbled as she appeared to pass out within moments of getting comfortable.

Tail shook his head as he watched. “I swear… what am I going to do with you brat?” He complained as he pulled the blankets over her properly before settling down for the night, and what passed for ‘sleep’ for Heliobus.

Stelle resisted the urge to sway in exhaustion where she sat as Welt checked over the device in his hand, connected by a small probe stuck to the top of her chest.

Welt was making several different faces at the screen, analyzing the strange string of data she was providing. “Well, the Stellaron has certainly integrated within you more, I doubt it would be possible to ever safely remove it. Whatever happened tonight appeared enough to degrade the seal I had placed on it. At the same time, I don’t know if that is a good thing or bad thing. 

“Either way, you are showing no signs of Fragmentum Corrosion, nor do I detect any of the typical radiation that is emitted by Stellarons that causes Corrosion. My hypothesis is that actively using it like you had caused it to begin to emit the signals we detected from here.” Welt closed down the device and sighed.

“I suppose Kafka did say my body was created to be able to safely hold a Stellaron, so that still tracks. Hey Welt… are you sure I’m n-not just the Stellaron itself? Using it started to feel just as easy as breathing. Unlike the other ones we’ve found, I’ve felt no actual will from it.  A-Am I the will of this Stellaron?” Stelle asked worriedly, clenching the couch cushions as Welt finished up his testing.

Welt stopped, looking her dead in the eyes. “I think speculation like that will help us none. You are Stelle, a member of the Astral Express family, that is never changing. Whatever happens in the future, we’ll handle it together.” He said, putting a hand on her shoulder as he stood up. “For now though, you should go to rest. Before I go, I want you to promise me you will not try and use the Stellaron unless absolutely required, we just do not know enough to say it is safe yet.” He said as he packed the device back up..

“Thanks Dad… I’ll try to be safe. I don’t plan on using it if I don’t have to, too tiring. If I have to use it for Huohuo’s sake again, or all of our sake, I will.” Her words stopped him in his tracks, and she swore she saw his shoulders tremble for a moment.

“Good, see you in the morning Stelle.” With that she finally could relax again as he seemed to rush out of the room.

She should have seen it coming, but Himeko was quick to take Welt’s spot, shoving a plate into her hands with a meat heavy sandwich on it. “Eat, you probably burned through a week’s worth of energy just tonight.” Himeko ordered, ruffling her hair.

“Thanks Mom, I feel like I did…” Stelle barely tasted the food she ate fast enough, hearing Himeko quietly laugh to herself as she sat down next to Stelle.

“I’ll echo what Welt said, never forget that you are one of us, alright? Next time there is a big battle like that, call us.” Stelle set the now empty plate aside, and surprised Himeko by hugging her.

It felt very different to Stelle compared to hugging Huohuo, as she was strongly hugged back. “Maybe this is what having a mom feels like? It's… nice…” She swore she felt a few tears of her own as she let go. “Y-Yeah, I’ll try and rely on you all more…”

“Good, you better… Go ahead and head to bed, I’ll take this to the kitchen.” She said, ruffling Stelle’s hair for a few moments. “Good night Stelle, get some sleep, you earned it.”

Stelle sat there for a few moments, trying to get used to all that had happened that day. Eventually though she forced herself up, knowing that if she didn’t she would end up sleeping on that couch. “Bed sounds good… Breakfast with Huohuo tomorrow~” it was a lovely thought to fill her mind as she got ready for bed, passing out nearly as soon as her head touched her pillow.

It took a while, but now Stelle found herself truly regretting not taking March up on her offer to buy some more outfits. “What to wear… Do I Need to wear this jacket each time?” She caved and sent a quick message. Less than a minute later there was a knock at her door. “It's open!”

March entered, taking a look at Stelle’s wardrobe, almost all tossed on her bed. “Let me guess, outfit troubles?” The look on Stelle’s face must have been slightly pitiful as she nodded, enough that March all but flew over to hug her. “Oh you look cute in all of these, but I guess you want to look extra good now? I can’t claim to know what dating is like, I only have maybe a year’s worth more memories than you, but Huohuo doesn’t sound like the type of person who cares what you wear.”

“I know b-but… You’re right, I’ll save dressing up special for a date.” She caved, laying out some of her usual clothes to wear, it was familiar and comfortable. “Makes more sense that she changes her outfit more, that uniform is more what she Has to wear for work. If she wears those leggings again though… I don't even know what they do to me, but they’re doing something…” She said and lightly tapped her forehead against her wardrobe.

“Oh my… Well, that is between you two cuties. Don’t keep her waiting too long now.” March 7th said as she ruffled Stelle’s hair.

With her mind a bit more at ease, she threw on her clothes for the day and got ready. Heading out into the Parlor car, she saw most of them gathered. “Good morning Stelle, how are you feeling?” Welt asked, setting some papers down at the coffee table.

“Sore, like I massively over did a workout… ended up having to skip that this morning.” Stelle said, peeking at the time once more.

Welt and Himeko smiled knowingly. “Go on, we know you have a date to keep.” Himeko said, sipping her coffee.

“T-This one isn’t a date, just breakfast… But I do want to ask her on one soon enough. Gotta go!” With that she zipped off before more questions could be asked.

She was still about 15 minutes early, but that bothered her none, it let her ease her nervousness. At least twice in five minutes she heard someone mention the ghost hunting squad and her name in awe. Waving at those people got her some cheerful reactions before they moved on.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten here this early? It feels awkward just stan-” Her thoughts froze as she finally spotted Huohuo pushing her way through the relatively thin crowds. Her previous sweater was really nice, but there was something about seeing Huohuo in Stelle’s hoodie that was satisfying on a strange level. One level of that was that she looked absolutely adorable in it with how oversized it was on her. It acted more like a skirt, nearly matching the length of the skirt she had on. “She also wore those with it? That is… too strong…” She thought as she saw those tight black leggings on Huohuo again. “M-Morning Huohuo, sleep well? You look nice.” Stelle said as Huohuo sped up till they stood in front of each other.

Exchanging a quick hug, they had to resist holding hands as they made their way inside the restaurant. Their usual Foxian waitress was there, and she did a double take as she saw them, smiling wide. She gestured to their usual seats in the back and let them go get settled. “I love this place, it's nice and cozy.” Huohuo said as they scooted into their booth.

Unlike before, they sat on the same side, so they could sit shoulder to shoulder. Just that bit of contact was enough to hold them over for now. “You look nice also S-Stelle… I slept better than I thought. How about you? How do you feel?” She asked, clear concerned in her voice, even if they both knew it wasn’t the place to ask specific questions.

The question had to wait though as the Waitress returned “Welcome back ladies, you’re becoming quite the regulars here. What can we get for you today?”

“I’ll take that herb encrusted steak and eggs, that sounds good right now. Also some coffee please, I don’t know how I forgot to get a cup before I left…” Stelle admitted.

“Because you were too excited? N-Not that I was any better… Erm…” Huohuo’s ears flicked around for a moment as she cleared her throat, leaning forward so she could see the Waitress better.

“You want your regular?” The Waitress asked, surprising Huohuo, who nodded all the same.

“Yes please, they’re just too good to pass up. I’ll also take this ‘Mini Immortal Mocha’ also.” Huohuo said, passing her menu to Stelle, who passed both to the Waitress.

It was only when she noticed the waitresses’ amused smile that Huohuo realized she had grasped Stelle’s hand on the table almost without thinking. The waitress looked between them curiously, raising an eyebrow. It was a silent question, but one that Stelle nodded to without hesitation, turning her hand over to hold own Huohuo’s better.

“Be back with your food and drinks ladies~” Not 10 seconds after she left did Huohuo’s face turn bright red as her ear twitched.

“I can hear all the way in the kitchen s-so… to quote ‘I knew it~ They’re so cute, You owe me 20 credits Yun’. I assume that is the cook… Are we that obvious- Did we look like that before?” Huohuo asked, her flushed cheeks soon being gently poked by Stelle as she smiled at her.

“Adorable… It might also have to do with you wearing a hoodie that is more my size. Am I ever going to get that back?” She asked with zero seriousness, just resting her head on her palm and staring into those paw print eyes.

The look Huohuo gave was one that was oh so smug “What Hoodie?” Huohuo said with as straight a face as she could manage before she dissolved into giggling a few seconds later. “Well… I might need to give it back sometimes. Did you ever learn how… sensitive Foxian noses are?”

“I would guess better than regular humans, or at least more than me. I can get other hoodies, you can rotate them if you want. Getting to see you in them is good for my heart.” Stelle said, speaking quietly, knowing that at that distance Huohuo would easily hear her.

“Our sense of smell or better than our hearing and sight, s-so… scents can be even more meaningful than even seeing things. If you wore a hoodie then you leave your scent on it… a-and the scent of someone we love can be comforting…” Huohuo looked steadily more red, looking away, almost seeming to wait for Stelle to be offended.

Of course Stelle took that in stride. “I had a feeling it was like that. I was reading on couple stuff when I was going to sleep, and that is common even among humans. If it makes you happy then I’ll ‘recharge’ the hoodie as much as you need, I think you look even more adorable in them.

“T-tell me if I’m being too… much, I’m still learning. I’m finally starting to learn how to act like a person, now to learn how to be my best for you...” Stelle was surprisingly verbose when she wanted to, or in this case, when she was nervous enough.

“I’m still learning also, I’ve never d-dated anyone either. You’ll never be too much… Ahh this is taking getting used to, but I’m happier for it.” Huohuo leaned on Stelle, resting her head on her upper shoulder, and inconspicuously hugging that arm to herself.

“I love that I can just… say all this now.” It was like Stelle had been unleashed, her smile able to form as easily as anyone else’s, all the bubbly emotions she was feeling were clear to see at a glance.

Huohuo loved seeing Stelle finally able to express herself, and to get to see that happiness up close. “Me too…”

It was a peaceful morning in Fyxestroll Gardens, a welcome contrast to the mess that was the night before. After breakfast, and a quick stop back at Huohuo’s home for her to change to her uniform, those two now strolled through those quiet gardens, admiring the scenery.

“It might be a bit unprofessional to hold hands at work… but I think they can forgive me for this.” Huohuo said as she avoided the eyes of a few of the wandering guards and Spiritfarers.

“I’ve seen a few smile at us actually.” Stelle clutched Huohuo’s smaller hand tightly as they walked. Their intertwined fingers still made both their hearts lightly pound, but it was still just as comfortable. No longer having to hold back their affections for the other was a new experience, but a cherished one.

Making it to the back of the Gardens, to their office area, Stelle saw that the grey and green flower in Huohuo’s gift was finally taking to the pot and growing bigger, seeming to stay in that blooming state for longer. “I suppose if this was a fairy tale, the flower would have bloomed after last night, but I guess that is on me, I wanted it to look pretty right away.” Stelle noted.

“That would have been a fun coincidence, you already did challenge someone for my sake after all…” Huohuo cleared her throat, finally having to let go of Stelle’s hand and move to her desk. “Sadly, paperwork never ends. You sure you want to just hang out here with me for that?” Huohuo asked as she got right to work, her years of experience clear with how she could process her paperwork while chatting.

“Yup, I’ll be quiet for you, it's honestly peaceful here now.” Stelle said as she relaxed on a bench near the fence keeping them from falling over the edge and into the water. It was indeed quite serene, for all of 15 minutes when Sushang and Guinaifen arrived, chatting loudly.

“Ha~ I told you neither of them would take a day off, you owe me an Immortal’s Delight.” Guinaifen declared smugly, ignoring Sushang’s slight pout. Both of them couldn’t ignore the look Huohuo gave them. Her growing confidence came with the ability to stare into their souls, or it felt like it at least. She held a finger to her lips in a ‘Hush’ gesture before returning to her paperwork.

Stelle snickered quietly to herself as those two came to sit down with her. “You got in trouble~” Stelle was amused for all of five seconds before Huohuo looked at her as well, making her stiffen up and look away.

“Sorry, almost done with the important paperwork. It's a miracle there were no deaths yesterday with how things went. Cirrus didn’t get a chance to possess any of the guards or Spiritfarers, but a few were knocked out by debris flung around. Nothing serious, but it looks like they’ll be on medical leave for a week or so. Just drafting up a schedule for the remaining people…” Huohuo’s pen was writing with practiced speed, flying over the scrolls, which she rolled up and set aside. “Okay, important stuff taken care of…”

Stelle just watched fondly, resting her chin on her palms as she saw Huohuo being so… professional. Each little ear twitch just felt precious. It was hard for Stelle to keep what she felt contained, love felt a whole lot better than emptiness, she was finding.

“You know, you keep staring like that, and she might get some ideas in her head~” Guinaifen teased, not that it was effective as Stelle hopped up, wandering over towards Huohuo behind the desk.

Huohuo squeaked as Stelle carefully leaned on her, hugging her from behind, very gently kissing her head between her ears so she could appreciate the ear flapping Huohuo often did when she was happy. “But I like looking at my cute girlfriend~” Stelle grinned widely, feeling one of Huohuo’s hands resting on her own.

If she was aiming to make Huohuo blush, she succeeded, but she did not deny even a single one of Stelle’s words. “G-Geez… what would we say if Hanya were to walk in on this?” Huohuo asked as her attempts at doing more paperwork were disrupted.

“You call me?” Hanya asked, having quietly appeared out of the Astral Anchor, barely peeking into that side of the partition when she seemed to hear that. “I was surprised none of you wanted a day off. Stelle, could I speak with you in private?” Hanya asked. While she didn’t seem upset, she could have an even more blank expression than Stelle used to have.

Huohuo looked up and met Stelle’s ever so slightly scared eyes. Stelle let go of Huohuo reluctantly before following Hanya.

“There isn’t any issue, I just want to talk, you don’t need to be so nervous.” Hanya tried to reassure the group as she led Stelle to a more isolated area.

“You… sure I didn’t do something wrong? Did someone get mad at me for using that Lux Arrow thing as a weapon?” That just got her a strange look, like she was being silly.

“No, I just wanted to thank you again. I know much of it was partially my own fault, the fact it nearly lost me the girl I love as a daughter is… haunting. I’m glad she will have a reliable partner by her side, it is relieving to not need worry about that. I know how determined you are now.” She got an amused look on her face. “Determination enough to risk a few decades in the Shackling Prison for striking a Judge.” Even she had to let out a small laugh at the look of apprehension on Stelle’s face. “I’m not making you apologize for that.”

“I doubt it needs to be said but… I think any parental figure has to say it once, if you ever hurt her, keep in mind I Am partially in charge of the Shackling Prison.” It didn’t feel very threatening to Stelle, but she took it plenty seriously.

“She is the best thing that has happened to me in my short life. If I ever hurt her, I’ll throw Myself into the Shackling Prison.” Stelle said, leaning on one of the walkway pillars.

“I’ve never actually asked that, you already know Huohuo is in her 50s, but what about you?” Hanya asked curiously, observing her more closely.

“Lets see… we’ve been on the Luofu for about three months now… about 9 or so months old?” There was silence between them both, like Hanya was waiting for Stelle to call it a joke.

“Oh dear… I suppose I may end up having to arrest my own daughter… Joking.” She held up a hand as Stelle’s posture tensed up immediately. “Apologies, I’m not very good with socializing unless it is with my sister or Huohuo.”

“I can relate, don’t worry. I think I’m learning how to translate Judge.” Stelle joked.

“That will be useful, for now… let's get you back to the others. We aren’t paying you to chat with me after all.” She teased and began to lead them back to the group.

“You aren’t paying us at all…”

Hanya stopped walking, nearly stumbling as Stelle bumped into her back. “Did… that entirely slip my mind? I blame the wine of oblivion. Each of you was intended to be paid on a per-Heliobi basis, I had even written the checks. I must have forgotten to actually hand them over, apologies.

“Well, I think you all can be dismissed for the day, you all need more rest I wager, Huohuo especially. As much as she claims to dislike being a Judge, she puts her all into her work. She really needs to take some of her years of leave she accumulated.”

“Oh I can tell, I wonder how long she has been wearing herself out like that. Speaking of, would it be possible to get Huohuo permission to visit the Astral Express? I want to show her it.” At Stelle’s question, Hanya just blinked in confusion.

“There is nothing stopping her from visiting. I ask that before any potential vacation time that you all wait just a bit longer. There are not many Heliobi left to collect, and the training for dealing with them is still being distributed. When it comes to dealing with Heliobi, Huohuo is our best Judge. For now, I hope you enjoy yourselves.” With that, Hanya pushed her ahead of herself. “I’ll need to return to work myself, please make sure she actually rests.”

“You got it Ma’am.” Stelle said, heading back to the rest of the squad. All eyes were on her as she appeared. “I live after talking to your ghost Mom.” Stelle said as she returned to her proper spot, hugging Huohuo and enjoying those cute ear twitches up close.

“You get the shovel talk?” Guinaifen saw the look on Stelle’s face, and predicted her next question. “It's where a parent basically threatens to bury their child’s partner if they ever hurt them, it is a tale as old as time.”

“Shovel? I think I got the Shackling Prison talk.” Stelle snorted in amusement at the concept. “On another note, we’ll all be paid soon according to Hanya.” She explained, smiling down as Huohuo hugged her arms around her, both of them seeming content with how Stelle had draped herself like a cat on her.

“Pay? I figured since they have temporary usage of me I’d be getting my regular Cloud Knight salary, not that I’m going to turn down more credits.” Sushang said as she watched the cute chaos.

“I thought my payment was you all literally helping me grow my channel to the insane population it's gotten to. I guess like my bestie said… I’m not going to complain about growing my savings.” Guinaifen said, sitting down with Sushang and boldly laying down with her head in her friend’s lap.

Stelle was happy to see Guinaifen making some progress herself, and that Sushang was also comfortable enough to play with her hair.

“I literally work here, I’m unsure if I even get that money since this is my job in the first place. You three though certainly deserve it, risking your lives when you don’t need to- Eeep!” Huohuo jolted in her chair as Stelle lightly nipped at her ear.

“And that is all my promises kept. If you think we were ever going to let just you risk your life without help… I think I’ve shown how far I’ll go on that topic.” Stelle said, kissing her head one last time before letting her go. “Either way, we’re dismissed for the day, paperwork can wait~”

“So… are you two going to always act this adorably lovey dovey? Because that would probably help content-” Guinaifen’s mouth was covered by Sushang who looked plenty amused herself.

“As long as you two are happy, and not dancing around each other anymore. That was painful to watch. Adorable, but painful.” Sushang said, pushing Guinaifen slowly off her lap till she sat back up. “If we’re free to go, want to go find something to do Gui?”

Guinaifen quickly typed a text out before putting her phone away. “Always bestie~ I hear there is a new Immersia Play at the Exalted Sanctum, want to check it out?” With those two vanishing into the Astral Anchor, like they couldn’t wait to give them space, it was just the two of them again… and a few guards in the distance.

“So what even is Immersia? I only know its something Foxians run as a show.” Stelle asked as she carefully took Huohuo’s brush out of her hands, setting it aside. “Hanya was right, you are a bit of a workaholic~ Tail, help me here?”

“Up you go! Time to clock out!” Mr Tail laughed.

Huohuo steadily whined as Mr Tail, still attached to her rear, gently lifted her into the air where she hung limply. “Bullies. Maybe I am a workaholic… Want to hang out later? Unless you wanted to go try Immersia Plays? As for what Immersia is, it is an old Foxian tradition, we can make deep illusions with pheromones. The traditional version isn’t very practiced anymore, as it has faded over the years or been integrated into technology.”

“Wait, Foxians have pheromone magic stuff? Can you use it?” Stelle asked excitedly. The look on her face must have been amusing as Huohuo had to resist laughing too much.

Huohuo cleared her throat as she was placed back on the ground. “I’ve never really tried, it takes some studying to use, it's really more of an art form. Maybe I’ll grab a book on it, but just relaxing with you at home sounds great. Meet you there in a little bit?”

“Relaxing it is, I’m not one for crowds either. I’ll go take care of a few things and meet you there.” Stelle said, rushing off to the Astral Anchor.

“We sure She doesn’t have a tail? If she does I’m pretty sure it would be wagging.” Mr Tail joked as he pulled her away from that desk. “We both know you don’t want to do more paperwork, just get some grocery shopping done and then go home.” For a moment he stopped tugging on her, letting out a sigh “… I’ve become a dad… Dammit, I blame you brat.”

“You know what? That is fair.” Huohuo snickered as she left Fyxestroll Gardens.

Huohuo felt a burst of energy as she put the finishing touches on the night; she made a nice dinner once she got confirmation on when Stelle would arrive, and set about finally cleaning things up. “I swear I’m not going to be like Hanya and leave it messy- That isn’t fair… she is even busier than me.” Huohuo immediately corrected herself as she put the trash away. “Should I hide the trash can?” She pondered.

“Why would you do that?”

“Let's just say Stelle has a… reputation as a trash panda. Personally, I think it is kind of cute…” Huohuo admitted, deciding to leave the can there by the door for now. Heading back inside, she made sure the snacks she prepared were also covered and set aside.

“You’re really going all out for this, you two are just watching a movie right? Going to light some candles next?” He teased, watching her get red right up to her ears.

“I w-wasn’t even thinking about anything like that!”

“Hmmmm? I was just thinking you would want to still see, but not ruin the movie experience~ What were You thinking about eh? A little hot wax?” He circled around her like he was making up for lost time.

“Taaaaaail… Why are you like this?” She complained as she lightly hit her head on the wall. “And now that is going to be stuck in my head…”

“Why am I like this? It’s my job to mess with you brat. You were a loner for decades, so I have a whole new avenue of things to poke at~” Seeing as Huohuo was still pouting, he relented. “Fiiine, I’ll keep it to a minimum. Don’t go sulking… Believe it or not, I’m glad you found her. You’ve… grown since I’ve been gone, more than the past few decades at least.” He growled as he floated around her. “If you repeat any of this to anyone I’m eating them, that is all the sappy stuff you get from me.”

It was enough for Huohuo who shook her head with a smile. “I appreciate it, it might be more interesting for you now. I’m still trying to decide what I want to do about Himeko’s offer.” She admitted, leaning against the door as she checked her phone.

She whined under her breath while rereading it. “I want to go… but would the Commission even let me go?” It was a terrible feeling, being trapped by circumstances beyond her control for so long. She knew though that the Commission is not where she wanted to spend her life, wasting away the decades while barely feeling like she was living.

She jumped as her ears picked up the sound of footsteps… and then something was being moved around right outside the door. With her scent recognition, she didn’t need to see them to know who it was. 

“Evening Stelle-” Opening up the door, she smiled up at her girlfriend… who was subtly peering through that trash can she hadn’t yet wheeled into its place for pick up. “Why am I surprised that I’m not surprised?” Stelle dropped the lid back down with a nervous, or even guilty look on her face.

Huohuo couldn’t help but snicker. “Dork. Come on inside, I made dinner- I guess there will be leftovers.” Huohuo said as Stelle held up a few bags of food as well.

“I wasn’t sure if you had eaten yet, and like hell am I letting you miss more meals.” Stelle said set her shoes next to Huohuo’s own by the door, and set her bags on the kitchen counters. “I don’t think we’re going hungry tonight.” She turned and pointed at Mr Tail who was floating around. “I leave it to you to make sure she doesn’t skip meals when I’m not around.”

“E-Eh? That isn’t necessary!” Huohuo complained as she made sure everything was set up and ready to eat.

To Huohuo’s surprise, Mr Tail sarcastically saluted. “Even if I have to drag her to the kitchen.”

“You two are going to be the death of me… We’re eating at the table this time, I have snacks already in the living room. See? I’m not starving~” Huohuo said as they both filled up plates.

“We’re quite literally trying to keep you alive, I’m a little protective of you.” Stelle pretended to pout, surprising Huohuo by lightly running a foot over her own. A ticklish sensation for both of them. “This is pretty good, I’m glad I’m in the mood to taste it this time.”

“I’m glad you like it Stelle…” Huohuo said, her nerves gradually reducing the longer the two of them got to enjoy the food. After a few plates, Stelle took a deep and relieved breath.

“You’re done?” She asked as she saw Stelle finish her plate, and not move to add any more.

“Yup, for now, thanks for dinner d-dear. Now we have the whole night to ourselves, and Tail.” Both of them steadily got more nervous as dinner wrapped up.

“You nearly forgot me, didn’t you?” Tail asked grumpily, shrinking away from that patting Huohuo tried to do.

“Of course I didn’t…” Stelle pouted, helping put away the leftovers, despite Huohuo trying to stop her. “Cuddle time?”

Huohuo took one last look around, and made sure things were properly in the fridge. “Cuddle time. Mr. Tail gets to choose the movie though, I promised.”

“It's the least ya could do If I have to listen to you too being gross with each other. I’m kind of stuck with you.” Mr Tail snarked, though it was hard for either of them to take his complaints seriously.

Migrating to the living room, Stelle pondered for a moment. Placing one of the pillows close to the end, she laid down across the entire couch and looked up at Huohuo with a loving smile. “Let there be cuddling.” Stelle said.

Huohuo looked at the couch, and the obvious outcome. “Are you going to be comfortable like t-that?” Huohuo asked as she carefully laid herself down on top of Stelle like they had done when they fell asleep there the first time, sinking into the warmth, especially as Stelle began to fiddle with her hair. “Isn’t it heavy to have me on you l-like this?”

“You weigh almost nothing, something we need to fix. You're just like the universe’s cutest weighted blanket.” Stelle said as the two of them got nice and cozy while Mr Tail put on a movie. “I honestly l-love this, it's comfortable…” Stelle said as Huohuo got comfortable against her.

“I-If you say so… I like it also…” She calmed down within a minute as the sensations of warmth from Stelle, and her scent, made it just about the best spot there for her to let the stress of the day vanish. Every time the movie would make Huohuo shrink back or jump, Stelle was there to help with the hypnotic petting of her hair and scratching of her ears. It was small and simple affections, but it still felt near perfect.

After one longer movie, Stelle frowned. “I should probably ask to be sure, but did you want me to spend the night? We do seem to sleep better like that.”

“Yes.” Huohuo’s reply was immediate, followed by her curling up and letting out a sigh. “I-If you want… I do sleep better like that… Its n-nice. Don’t feel like you have to though…” Huohuo was just hugged all the more.

“Being serious, I’m going to need those headphones or a longer tether to leave the room if you two are going to get up to… couple stuff that you physical beings do.” Mr Tail said without a hint of his sass, which let Huohuo know it was an actual concern for him.

“T-TAIL! I-I Ste- Auuuuuuu…” Huohuo whined into Stelle’s shoulder as she felt like her face would explode. What was a shock though was Stelle’s blank and confused look.

“Couple stuff? Like what? We’re already cuddling and all.” Stelle asked quite seriously. She pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over both of them to really make it cozy as she held her phone out, taking a quick picture of the two of them. “Let me tell Himeko I’m staying the night. Maybe she knows…”

Mr Tail rolled off the top of the couch, despite being able to float, and laid laughing on the floor, completely unable to tell Stelle the answer. Huohuo was nearly out of commission, so Stelle could tell she wasn’t going to get an answer from her for the moment, even if her embarrassed face was adorable.

Stelle stared at her phone as Huohuo finally relaxed again. “Himeko says Hi. Hey Huohuo?” Stelle stared into her eyes innocently while Huohuo was comfortable with Stelle playing with her hair, their faces inches apart. “What does Himeko mean by The Tal-” Huohuo covered Stelle’s mouth before she could finish, which she was confident would have sent her into an early grave from blushing.

“You don- Oh this is gold…” Mr Tail snickered from his spot, but shut up as Huohuo glared at him while Huohuo held a hand over Stelle’s mouth.

“Stelle… L-lets just watch the movie please… I really can’t answer that q-question, especially not while on top of you…” Huohuo accepted Stelle’s peck on her forehead as a reply, the two getting comfortable once again.

“So… I guess we know who the top is.” Mr Tail just had to add some spice to go along with his one last stirring of the pot.

“TAIL!”

Chapter Text

Side C: Stelle and Huohuo

Guinaifen’s joy was felt contagious as the group gathered at Stelle and Huohuo’s favorite relaxation area, the Cloudford docks. “You said you had big news to share Gui?” Stelle asked as she sat on the bench there, letting the cool breeze wash over her. Next to her, Huohuo was doing similar, looking like she might end up napping, especially as Stelle kept an arm around her while idly fiddling with a floppy fox ear.

“Sorry, was distracted by you two being sweeter than an Immortal’s Delight… Anyway!” Guinaifen pulled out a placard from her bag. “Gold subscriber button! Congrats everyone, we’ve reached 1 million subscribers!” Their small chorus of applause quietly echoed in the empty dockyard.

“So, I’ve been gathering up questions into a list from our followers, and picked out the best ones. Instead of a Heliobus hunt today, I want to answer these questions with you all. Is that okay?” Guinaifen asked as she saw them on the bench, looking at the gold placard in the light.

“I don’t mind.” Stelle said and leaned back on that bench till her back popped. “Ahh…”

“As long as they don’t ask things I can’t answer, t-then I don’t mind… I think people are too afraid of the Ten-Lords Commission to ask deep stuff about us.” Huohuo was on board, looking a bit concerned at the loud crack from her girlfriend’s back.

“I don’t mind, I assume you’re giving some announcements to them also? As long as none of them pry into the Cloud Knight’s business then I see no issue.” Sushang asked, standing up to stretch.

“I filtered questions out that were inappropriate, or too prying, so we should be good. I’ll go ahead and get started, okay?”

“Wait, you’re doing it live right now?” Huohuo froze up, only relaxing when Stelle held her hand, even if it still just made her blush.

“Yeah? The area is perfect for it, good lighting, we’re relaxed, and no one to interrupt us. Okay, starting now~.” Guinaifen said as she started up her stream on her phone. Seeming to give it a minute to really start up and draw people in, Guinaifen turned the camera to herself. “Hey Guilings~ It's your girl Lil Gui here with a surprise special stream for you all~” She cleared her throat. “First of all, thank you all for your support in getting this channel to 1 million subscribers, I am just… blown away by it all… and I wouldn’t have gotten there without the rest of the Ghost Hunting Squad!”

Guinaifen turned the camera to the group of three who sat stiffly on the bench. Stelle and Huohuo both had stiffened up, neither being exactly comfortable being the focus of the videos.

“Stelle, the first question is your’s, step on over here~” Guinaifen all but pulled her up so there was a nice background of the Jade gate. “Now viewers, I’ve been paying attention this entire time, and I’ve been noting down the best questions from my forum threads, so the first one is for Stelle here.” She cleared her throat and turned the camera back to Stelle.

“O-okay… Let's get to it then. Thanks all for supporting Lil Gui.” Stelle looked into the camera, slowly relaxing with her normal stoic look.

“First question that came from multiple people, ‘Is the hot grey haired lady single?’. Well Stelle?” Guinaifen repeated, the camera completely focused on her.

Hearing that question, her eyes darted to the side. “U-um, okay…” Was heard off to the side as Stelle gestured at Huohuo. Huohuo appearing in the shot was unexpected, and the comments blew up as Stelle hugged Huohuo from behind like she liked to do, resting her chin on her head after kissing between those fox ears until they flapped.

Huohuo was red to her ears, but a smile was still blooming on her face. Stelle smiled wide for the first time for the camera as she answered. “Nope. I’m dating this adorable woman named Huohuo, you might have heard of her by now~” Their combined joy spread to Gui and Sushang.

“They are utterly adorable together, by the end of each day I feel like I might get cavities from the cute!” Guinaifen said, playing it up for the camera. “Okay all you, settle down… chat rules are still in effect. After another minute or so of following the scrolling comments, Guinaifen shook her head in exasperation. 

“Now for the next question. We already got the answer for that question with Huohuo, so now… You all have been asking me from the start if Sushang or I are single, today I’ll answer that as well~”

Guinaifen looked at Sushang with a mischievous grin, moving over to Sushang… she sat right down in her lap and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. Sushang seemed unsurprised, shaking her head in amusement before returning the gesture.

“We aren’t~ Sushang is more than my bestie now, she is my girlfriend~” Guinaifen was extremely excited to announce that, kicking her legs from her perch.

“One of us had to ask eventually, sorry Gui, us Natives don’t exactly move at your pace. Yup, I finally hooked up with our resident chaos gremlin, Lil Gui.” Sushang seemed quite proud of that fact, placing a hand on Gui’s face to gently push her off with a smile on her face.

“Betrayal… Okay Guilings, we got time for some more questions. Next question comes from ClamClouderKnight26-”

The list of questions took over an hour to get through, and they all felt their energy drain by the end.

“Ah that was fun~ Seriously, thanks for putting up with all my crap for so long…” Guinaifen said as she sat with the tired group on the bench.

“Happy to help. These past two months have been… certainly life altering, I think we’ve all come a long way.” Stelle said and looked over and into Huohuo’s eyes where they leaned against each other. “I gotta admit, part of me wishes I could stay on the Luofu forever, I like it here. Sure, I could see potential abuses of some of the rules… but I’ve not seen any of that actually happen while I’ve been here.” Stelle admitted.

“I can understand that… The Ten-Lords Commission is kind of the dark side of the Luofu, so I know plenty about it. I think the Astral Express would miss you too much though.” Huohuo said, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand.

“You’re right, I gotta keep trailblazing. Glad the Astral transport network works cross system…” She said as she mentally calculated her credits.

“Don’t go bankrupt on my account Stelle, we do still have our phones.” Huohuo said as she started to hop up, squeaking as Stelle pulled her onto her lap and hugged her a bit more. “Stelleeeee…” She half whined.

“You’re huggable though, I gotta smuggle you onto the Astral Express~” Stelle said, giggling as she rested her chin on Huohuo’s shoulder.

“You’re both dorks, but adorable together. So, dinner? My treat.” Guinaifen offered a good way to wrap up their success.

“That sounds like a plan to me.” Stelle lifted Huohuo into her arms princess style and stood up, enjoying the blush on Huohuo’s face. “Too cute…” Stelle set her on her feet and endured the pout.

It didn’t take too long for the group to make their way to their now regular restaurant, the Coiled Dragon. With food and appetizers ordered, and drinks arriving, they all settled in. Stelle took a sip of Huohuo’s Immortal’s Delight and frowned. “Maybe it's too sweet for me. I wonder if it could be mixed with coffee to balance that out?” Stelle pondered.

“There is some of that in the Mini Immortal I get at the Nesting Avian, not a lot though, caffeine is not very good for us Foxians. It's something common enough that that waitress puts in coffee without caffeine for me, I’d feel a lot worse if she hadn’t.”

“Noted, I’ll keep Himeko’s coffee far away from you.” Stelle said as she intertwined their fingers affectionately. Across the table Sushang and Guinaifen were acting similarly.

“Does this count as a double date?” Guinaifen asked as she rested her head on Sushang’s shoulder, leaning into any affection given.

“I suppose it would. So… your plan go well then Lil Gui?” Stelle asked, sipping at her own drink.

“I’d say so~ We just had a few things to work out.” Sushang added. “We both felt like this for a while and… the future worries can be left for the future.” As she said that Huohuo looked strangely sad.

“I think I get it… It is a bit of a common woe on the Xianzhou. I think it is brave of you both…” Huohuo sipped at her drink, unable to hide the look of worry on her face.

Stelle on the other hand seemed confused. “Can someone fill me in? I’m confused…”

“You and Guinaifen are human. Even with the best technology, the lifespan of a human is only 100 or so years. Foxians like me can live to around 300 years, and a Xianzhou native…” Huohuo said, looking up at Sushang.

“I’ll probably live to around 900 or more years, depending on whenever I either get killed as a Cloud Knight, or I get struck by Mara. I’m 136 right now, so that is a long time away, but… It can make relationships outside of other natives difficult eventually.” Sushang clenched Guinaifen’s hand, looking equally worried, yet also determined. “We decided that This was worth that risk, to find some happiness.”

“I’m glad you two are handling that together. I’m not even sure… Do I count as human? I’m not exactly normal… I think and look like this at 9 months old. I probably can go either way, either That Thing lowers my lifespan, or maybe raises it? Like you said, worries for the future, let's leave the sadder discussions for now.” Stelle swirled her drink before draining it.

It was a bit of a downturn of the mood, but it recovered as their food arrived. Now that none of them were struggling for money at all, it was fun to try new menu items. It was just a small fraction of the peace the four of them earned.

A few days later, in the markets of the Luofu.

“So March, you think these are going to be good?” Stelle asked, holding the bouquet of flowers in her hands like they were more fragile than glass.

“Lilies? I think they fit well, and we both know she’ll say yes even if you turned up with a garbage can, or would that be what she shows up with?” March 7th teased, poking Stelle’s cheek playfully, nearly getting her finger bit.

“…Maybe. I can’t think of a time when I’d ever turn her down… This is all really new…” Stelle complained as she paid for her bouquet of flowers.

“It may be new, but I think you’re doing really well all the same. You’ve been working hard to get things ready, but I think this is all I can really do to assist. Now go get her~” March 7th said as they moved to the nearest Astral Anchor. “I’ll meet you back at the Express later, have fun!” March vanished first, leaving Stelle there to get her thoughts in order.

A few deep breaths and button presses later, and within a few moments she stood on the road where Huohuo’s home was on. By that point she could sleepwalk to the place, and was surprised she hadn’t yet . “I wish we could cuddle together every time…” Those nights that both of them were finally able to sleep without disruptions or nightmares. There were so many unknowns in the future that it was hard for Stelle to predict whatever would come next, but she wanted Huohuo by her side for it, all of it.

Finally she stood in front of Huohuo’s door, but she also met eyes with one of her neighbors a house over. When they gave her a friendly wave, and a thumbs up, Stelle remembered the flowers she was holding. Rubbing her head as the nerves took over, she returned the wave.

“Okay…” A few gentle knocks never felt so hard, yet now she just had to wait. “Why am I scared?! She is already my girlfriend, she is the nicest girl I know, of course she wouldn’t turn me down, right?” Her thinking time ended as the door opened.

Both of them were red in the face as Stelle stood there, holding out the flowers. “A-afternoon Huohuo… Do you want to go on a d-date tonight?”

Huohuo’s face was as red as Stelle’s as she accepted the bouquet of flowers, her lips unable to not turn up into a smile at the cute gesture. “Of course I will! Should I dress nice? Where are we going?”

“I don’t mind however fancy it is, you look cute in a-anything. It is on the Astral Express actually, a nice dinner in the starlight… does that sound good to you Huohuo?”

Huohuo carefully set those flowers on the table near the door before moving back over to hug Stelle properly. “That sounds great! I think I might have the outfit for this, I want to make a good impression on your family…”

“Well, I’ll go get things prepared, how about around… 8?” Stelle asked, returning that hug quite happily, nuzzling into her hair just a bit.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll see you then! You’ll text me the code for the express? I’m looking forward to finally going there. Maybe I should have asked Hanya way earlier if I was allowed. We could have had even more sleepovers or something. I-I’ll go get ready also, love you S-Stelle, see you then.” Huohuo’s ears flapped as she felt the familiar kiss near them, a gesture that she had come to really appreciate. “Why is it that you like to k-kiss right there? Not that I’m complaining…”

Stelle leaned back, looking deep in thought. “It just felt… right? The first time I did that my mind was everywhere, I wanted to do something to help you, I just went with my gut…” Stelle cleared her throat, giving Huohuo a slightly awkward grin. “When you’re happy your ears flap some, and when I saw they did that when I k-kissed your head It became… I like seeing you happy. S-sorry if I’m not making sens-”

Her ramble was cut off as Huohuo leaned up to kiss her cheek. “Point made…” Stelle took some deep breaths as she took a few steps out fo the doorway. “Love you, too. See you then Huohuo.” Stelle gave one last wave, with Huohuo watching at the doorway until she vanished.

Closing the door behind her and flopping on the couch, she quietly whined.

“You going to scream in that exact same spot every tuesday?” Mr Tail asked as he detached from her, floating back in the air. “Don’t you have a date to dress for?”

“Were you listening that e-entire time?” Huohuo asked with a quiet whine. “Are you always listening…? I h-have time for a quick scream… Not really a bad scream, just… how is she so cool, and cute, and dorky? Why the hell would she want someone like me?”

“Oi, thought you were done with talking down to yourself? Don’t make me call her right back over here~ It is my job to smack talk you!” He laughed as Huohuo quietly flailed. “After decades attached to someone, I can tune just about anything out, I ain't listening all the time kid.” He tried to do damage control, avoiding the few pillows thrown at him.

Stelle double and triple checked each prepared dish, covered by the time dilation food domes she bought, and had them set up and ready to bring out into the Parlor car. Straightening up the crisp black dress suit she had picked out with March, she prepared her heart…

“Stelle, you need to settle down… it may be a technical first date, but it isn’t like this is your first time meeting her, or being alone with her. Just… enjoy your time together, you got this…” Stelle thought to herself, trying to get her growing panic under control.

She nearly jumped into the ceiling as she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Hey hey hey, you need to breathe Stelle… Why are you so nervous now? You’ve worked for this moment, you already are dating her even.” Himeko said, turning Stelle around to face her as Stelle narrowly avoided hyperventilating.

“But… what if I end up screwing it up because I don’t know how to act like… a person…” Her downturned chin was turned up by Himeko as she stared into Stelle’s amber gold eyes.

“There is no acting like a person, you Are a person. Your training with me paid off, March got some surprises for you all, Pom-Pom even fiddled with the lights to make it more romantic, and Dan Heng set up some music. You’re going to have a lovely night, now get out there so you can greet your girlfriend.” Himeko said and gently moved Stelle out of the kitchen, towards the Parlor car where her date would take place, and where their Astral Anchor was located.

“As much as I’d like to meet her, the others agreed with me that we’d let you two have your night in peace, at least for your date. Sometime tonight I’d like to make an appearance, just text me when you both are finishing up.”

“Thanks Mom… I’ll thank everyone later, you all are the best…” Stelle said, surprising Himeko again with a hug before hurrying towards the Parlor.

“Don’t let Pom-Pom catch you running in those shoes! Even I can’t stop them if they make you clean the floor!”

Stelle chuckled as she tried to imagine that. “Just what do Himeko and Welt see that would make Pom Pom terrifying? Even if he is angry he still looks cute.” Thinking of them brought back their conversation the day before.

“Pom-Pom knows that you’ve been having a lot of fun on the Luofu, but the Astral Express will need to move on very soon. This is a train powered by continuing to trailblaze, if we don’t keep moving we’ll end up stuck.” Even Pom-Pom was reluctant to say more, seeing the sorrowful look on Stelle’s face, but someone had to be the bearer of bad news.

“Pom-Pom suggests saving your credits from now on for long range Astral Anchor network uses. Once we’re out of system… It will be a while before we’re back, and those costs can add up. Pom-Pom will set aside some funds for that if it will cheer you up?” They offered, patting Stelle’s knee comfortingly.

“You’re… right. I’ve been keeping us all here, haven’t I? I didn’t exactly expect to fall in l-love on the Luofu.” Stelle said as she rested her head in her hands, sitting at the couch.

“Pom-Pom is just glad you are looking much better than you did when we arrived. Pom-Pom wants you to keep smiling… the Astral Express wouldn’t be the same without you anymore…”

That was enough for Stelle to reach down, scoop Pom-Pom up, and hug them. “I guess I probably worried you also, didn’t know you heard about all that… stuff when we got here.” When they started to lightly flail, Stelle set them back on their little feet. “Hmm… surprisingly soft, no wonder March likes to dress you up.”

“Ack! You better not be thinking of putting more outfits on Pom-Pom! Frilly things get in the way of my cleaning!” And with that, Pom-Pom was gone. While Stelle could hold in her laughs at Pom-Pom’s antics, she couldn’t hide that smile that was non-existent before her time on the Luofu, before Huohuo entered her life.

It was hard to keep that eventual parting from her mind, but she was determined to make this a wonderful night for both of them. It wasn’t time to part yet anyway, any tears could wait!

“I hope she likes this suit…” She had to admit, she liked the way it made her feel, better than any of the dresses she really tried. Stepping into the parlor, it was clear that work had been done when she wasn’t looking. All the lights were dimmed, except near one table that was moved near a viewing window. Soft instrumental music echoed nicely through the cabin, quiet enough to not be a distraction, and hopefully not too loud for Huohuo either.

“They really added candles also?” She shook her head with a smile, it was so… wonderfully extra, but at the same time entirely on brand for the Astral Express. It was worth them not letting her in there for over an hour. As she took deep breaths to prepare herself she heard the distinctive low pitch hum of the Astral Anchor activating.

Turning around, she instantly straightened up, her eyes taking in the beautiful form of her girlfriend. Huohuo arrived with her yin-yang hair pin proudly displayed still, and a breathtaking lilac Cheongsam that hugged her in a way that made Stelle’s stomach do flips.

While her uniform also fit, it was meant for functionality and professionalism, but this made her look beautiful in a way all her own.

“W-Wow…” Stelle tried to get her mind in working order, but Huohuo had thrown her one hell of a wrench. Huohuo’s cute smile and blush as she approached did not help it. “You look beautiful tonight…”

Stelle was not the only one having an internal gay panic as Huohuo couldn’t help but enjoy just how well a fitted suit looked on Stelle. She realized a dress wouldn’t have had the same impact. “You look n-nice also…” Huohuo’s ears flapped a few times as she looked around at the romantic parlor cabin, a look of awe blooming on her face as she looked out the window. “Wow… you were not kidding about the view…” Huohuo said before turning back to her girlfriend.

“This view blows me away every time, and the starry sky out of the window is nice also~” Stelle said, brushing aside a strand of hair as she gently cupped Huohuo’s cheek, just taking in the moment. Huohuo held her hand there for a moment.

“G-Geez… flatterer…” Huohuo mumbled with a big dorky smile on her face.

“Not if it’s true~ Anyway… shall we sit down?” Stelle asked, gesturing to the prepared table, all just for them. “Everyone helped out… I wanted it to be something… special…” Stelle pulled out Huohuo’s chair for her, going over the guides on romantic gestures in her head as they got settled at the table.

“That is really sweet of them, I’ll have to thank them later… This already feels special. Whether it is here, Aurum Alley, or j-just watching movies at my place… these nights are always the most special to me…” Huohuo looked away by the end, both of their courage being tested that night.

“A-Ah I’m new with all this… not good with words yet, but I did do something. Let me go grab us our dinner, I’ll be right back, okay?” Stelle said as she shakily stood up. It was the moment of truth and all.

“I-I’ll be here…” Huohuo gave a little wave as Stelle quickly walked out of the cabin.

Zooming back to the kitchen, Stelle loaded the plates onto the meal cart that was often used. “Glad this thing is gravity stabilized…” Stelle thought as she balanced the drinks as well. Taking her time to walk that cart back to the parlor, she took deep breaths to calm herself.

Rolling the cart inside, she gave a small wave to Huohuo who appeared to have amused herself with the view. “I made a little something of everything. Some familiar dishes from the Luofu I tried my hand at, and some that I like I wanted you to try.” Stelle said, placing those domed dishes down over the table. With the time dilation bubbles over the food, neither of them could see inside, but the fear was clear on Huohuo’s face.

“You made it?” It didn’t take being Herta to realize that Huohuo was remembering her attempt at just scrambling eggs in a class with a fork…

“I d-did…” Stelle said, removing the domes one by one. The domes kept everything at the exact same temperature, as if it was just removed from the pan or oven. Despite the initial fears…

“Wow… you made This?” Huohuo asked again after seeing the food, checking out each of the dishes. They didn’t look perfect, and still would have been torn apart by a food critic, but they smelled nice and looked completely non-purple. It may not have been made by a 5 star chef, but it was made with 10 star love.

“Yup! I had a little help in learning, but I hope it will taste good, I made sure to test it and no one died.” Stelle felt immensely proud as she saw Huohuo’s face light up at a few of the dishes. “I made plenty so you can try a little of everything.”

“How did you improve that much?” Huohuo quietly asked as she took a bite, her ears perking up immediately. “Just… how much effort did you put into this? I really should have brought something then…” Huohuo stopped that spiraling thought as Stelle reached out to hold her hand.

Stelle thought about that particular adventure…

“Pan number four is burning! Get used to tracking each dish in your mind!” Himeko shouted as they stood in a black void, except for the massive kitchen surrounding them.

“When I asked for help-” Stelle yelped as she dodged one dish popping grease at her, and narrowly avoided burning more food. It was an improvement, but it felt so dangerous as she looked at the giant robots that surrounded the kitchen, guns at the ready. “Isn’t this a bit much?! How the hell did Herta agree to let us use the simulated universe for this?!” Stelle asked, removing a pan before the smoke set off the detectors that were connected to the robots and their rather painful guns.

“When I brought up potentially forcing her to pay you for testing the simulated universe she became quite cooperative. Now cook like your life depends on it! Welcome to cooking boot-camp! This is called tough love~” Himeko laughed, sounding like an entirely different person as she rather strongly guided Stelle down the path of the Chef.

“You’re worth the effort.” Stelle said, unable to not smile at her. To see her enjoying the food she finally was able to make, even if it came at the price of 1/10 pain bullet holes before a restart. “Totally worth it, I would do it again…”

“Well, it certainly paid off, I think. Thank you Stelle… this is so romantic…” Huohuo said as she squeezed Stelle’s hand back. “Are you going to eat also?”

“Oh yeah, I just wanted to make sure you liked it first…” Stelle said as she dug in as well, both of them soon occupied by the surprisingly tasty fare, even if most of it was destined for to-go boxes with how much she had made.

Their voices stayed low, matching the ambiance of the cabin, their eyes locked on each other as Stelle poured them both some drinks. It was a comfortable atmosphere that let them just soak in each other’s presence as they liked, able to enjoy the liberation of finally having Their time together.

Soft conversation and jokes filled them as the food was set aside, the quiet music adding just enough noise to keep things cozy. Their cozy mood was nearly ruined when the first bright flash of light happened outside of the window.

“How in the…” It made complete sense why they didn’t hear the fireworks, the vacuum of space and all. “Did they really find fireworks that work out there? That is so…” Stelle felt her chest seize for a moment with emotion as she stood up. “It's really pretty…”

“It is…” Huohuo had stood up, following along behind her till they stood side by side, their hands naturally drifting together. “The fireworks are nice also~” Huohuo had a rare confident grin on her face as she leaned her head against Stelle’s shoulder.

The music, the ambiance, the fireworks, the love she felt in her chest that burned hotter than the Stellaron at that moment… She wrapped an arm around Huohuo, hugging her close. She didn’t have to lean down as far as she thought as the two gradually drew closer.

Nothing was there to interrupt them again as that urge Stelle felt over a week ago, when Huohuo first woke up again, returned. She resisted the urge to check the internet for answers when she was alone, and just trusted her instincts.

Huohuo’s heart pounded in her chest as she felt Stelle’s breath brushing against her lips… She didn’t know if it was her or Stelle that closed that last bit of distance, but it felt electric as their lips finally met.

Hugging closer, they let the passion swallow them, setting aside everything else except for each other. Even Stelle knew that kissing was a thing, even if she didn’t know a lot, and it was still above what she expected, and far softer. Her senses were entirely filled with Huohuo, and she loved it.

Huohuo held matching feelings, her world consisting at that moment of her and Stelle. Huohuo felt overwhelmingly safe right then, secure in the knowledge that Stelle loved her, and she loved Stelle in return, and that was enough for them both. 

The connection felt even deeper that night as the two’s gentle kiss continued until the last of the fireworks faded away like stardust against the backdrop of the universal tapestry. Like that, their love felt like another woven strand in the tapestry of their own lives, irreplaceable and surreal.

When they finally broke for air, they held their foreheads together. “I love you, Huohuo… I’m glad I got to meet you.” A quick brush of their noses together that made them both giggle.

“I love you, too, Stelle. I’m thankful that somehow… we ended up like this, that even I get to feel alive still. You brought color back to my life… when everything had been so… bleak, more than I had even realized.” Huohuo said, both of them moving towards the couch across the room.

Sitting down next to each other, they were quickly tangled up again as a second round began. Neither knew how much time passed as they exchanged those inexperienced kisses, growing together, moment by moment. Eventually though, neither of them could do so much longer. Separating with small gasps of air, Stelle hugged Huohuo to her chest.

It felt… strange to Stelle, in a nice way, how Huohuo straddled on her as they kissed, till they both just cuddled right there. “I… We… Love you…” Stelle barely stuttered out as she contented herself by playing with Huohuo’s hair, gently scratching her ears until she leaned into her touch.

“Love you, too… What time is it?” Huohuo asked, resting her head against Stelle, listening to the steady beating of her heart.

“Seems about… quarter to ten?” Stelle said as she checked her phone for a moment. “I probably will need to surrender our exclusive use of here for the night soon… I don’t think I can kiss more right now anyway. This was…”

“A magical night? I think so at least… I guess we both got each other’s first kiss?” Huohuo asked with a blushing grin as she carefully got back up, straightening up her Cheongsam

“Yup, though apparently Dan Heng nearly beat you to it, when I first woke up and all. That feels like so long ago to me…” Stelle said, reluctantly letting go. Standing up as well, she tried to smooth out the wrinkles on the suit, not that she cared much about that. Sending off a quick text to Himeko, Stelle waited a moment. “B-before you go, Himeko wanted to meet you, is that okay?” Stelle asked.

“Yup, I wanted to meet her anyway.” Huohuo said, grasping her hand again and still leaning on her until the hiss of one of the doors disrupted the ambiance of the room. Stelle smiled at Himeko as she came right over.

“Awww you both look so good together…” Himeko looked nearly ready to cry as she held out a hand. Giving Huohuo’s hand a quick shake, they both straightened up. “I’m Himeko, it's nice to finally meet you in person, we have heard a lot about you. It is hard to sum everything up very well but… thank you for helping Stelle so much. I got your last message.”

“Nice to meet you as well, I’m glad to finally meet Stelle’s Mom, you’re quite famous even on the Luofu.” Huohuo fidgeted at being thanked like that, shaking her head. “J-Just Stelle being Stelle, and being happier is enough for me… I didn’t exactly expect to fall in l-love after meeting her in Fyxestroll Gardens, but I think things turned out okay…” Huohuo took several deep breaths.

Her ears perked up as she processed what Himeko said. “You got it? You already read over it all? Did you happen to… print it out? I don’t have my copy on hand…” Huohuo admitted, creating visible confusion on Stelle’s face.

Stelle had already begun to dread the inevitable separation for the night. “H-Hey, Himeko, would it be possible to at least spend a few days over here with Huohuo each month? I don’t want to rack up too high a bill for the teleportation costs… but… eh?” Stelle stopped as Himeko held up her hand.

Pulling a small stack of papers from her back, she held it out to Huohuo who read over it for a moment, before holding it to Stelle. “Read this?”

Stelle took that stack, skimming over it for a moment before reading further. “Indefinite leave?”

“Indefinite leave, for the purpose of traveling with the Astral Express, and helping you all with my areas of expertise, and cultivating further skills in my field to one day return to my position as a Judge.” It was a lot for Stelle to absorb, but what she could understand filled her with joy too heavy to contain.

Lifting Huohuo up, she spun her around twice before kissing her yet again for a moment. “H-Huohuo I- you’re…” Stelle choked up as she set her back on her feet, holding Huohuo tightly still.

“I’m staying here, with you, and your family. Now we can have our own adventures… I want to see things like you do, as one of the Nameless.”

“And we’ll be happy to have you. I assume you two are happy to share a cabin?” Himeko asked as she seemed to just enjoy the happiness radiating off the couple.

“Yes! No more nightmares for us maybe, and cuddling~” Stelle said as she nuzzled between those fox ears, entirely unconcerned in restraining her affections at that moment.

“Yup! You and cuddling I swear… it's honestly really cute, but I love it…” Huohuo admitted as she felt so warm with both Stelle around her, and her own emotions roaring in her ears. “I love you…”

“Love you too…” Stelle said, finally letting go of Huohuo, right before turning to Himeko. “You two were planning this?” She asked curiously.

“We may have been~ You nice and surprised? It was hard to keep it a secret, you know how Pom-Pom is about even trying to mislead someone… No teleportation budget needed for- eep!” Himeko yelped as Stelle lifted her by the waist, hugging her also and spinning her around a few times before setting her down.

“Love you Mom! You’re really the best…” Himeko hugged her right back, wiping the few tears that escaped her eye. She turned to Huohuo, seeing her standing a bit awkwardly. She held open one arm. “You’re part of the Astral Express Family now, come on over here.” Himeko said, smiling at Huohuo until she joined them in that hug.

It was a magical night that neither of them wanted to end… but it would be on a far happier note now as Huohuo finally separated. “Okay… I need to head home. I have a lot of packing to do, and some more paperwork. I should be prepared for that departure in a day or two though! I might need help moving some stuff…” Huohuo admitted as she hovered near the Astral Anchor, resisting the urge to get one more kiss… She just knew it would turn into two or three, right in front of Himeko, and that was a bit much for her at the moment. “Thank you for the night Stelle… all of you, It may be hard to top that date ever… Love you Stelle, see you soon!”

“Love you, too! I can’t wait to have you here…” Stelle said, watching wistfully as Huohuo vanished. “Never going to get tired of being able to say that…”

“You two are way too adorable… Want to regale me with more stories and help me clean up?” Himeko asked as she moved over to start putting food into leftover boxes, but not before sneaking a few bits herself. “Those cooking classes really paid off, good job. I’m proud of you Stelle…” Himeko said as they got to work, pretending to not hear the hopefully happy sniffles coming from her daughter in all but name.

Several days before, Huohuo stared down at the papers in her hand as she sat at her desk in her home. Reading through it multiple times, signing and marking everything she must, she mentally prepared herself for the biggest decision of her life. Rolling those papers back into a scroll, she cradled it as she stood.

Hanya sat on her couch, offering her silent comfort. “Okay… It's ready.” Huohuo said, holding out the scroll.

“I honestly expected this years ago, I’m glad you are putting yourself first for once.” Hanya said, moving over to hug the girl who was her daughter in all the ways that mattered. “I’m proud of how far you’ve come, how far you will go.”

“G-Geez… Thanks Hanya, I feel like this will be for the best. I put up with the hand fate dealt me for decades, I want to move to the next chapter of my life…” Huohuo looked both stressed, and excited.

“I’m glad you took my advice though, it will help quite a bit in getting them to accept this. I’m sure you know how stubborn the Ten-Lords Commission is. It would be indefinite with the option to return more than likely, they wouldn’t want to burn a bridge with either you, or the Nameless, so they would leave that door open.” Hanya said, giving her one last hug before letting her go.

“That they are. For decades I was a-afraid that if they heard I wanted to leave, that they would have me killed or something…” Huohuo admitted while looking away. She didn’t like how quiet Hanya was on that and looked up. “That is silly, r-right?”

“I’m… unsure, I’ve never heard of them doing that for people who resign, only those that fled the Xianzhou. You are de facto under the protection of the Astral Express, they would not risk alienating heroes of the Xianzhou to keep a relatively new judge here. There is also the fact they wouldn’t want to crush you either, you represent too much potential for them. In one or two hundred years you may be writing the books on spiritual techniques that get taught to new Spirit Farers.” Hanya elaborated, soothing Huohuo’s reasonable worries.

“If you say so… I really don’t think I’m that good at it still. I’ve just never fit in at this job, it's too… scary, the entire Ten-Lords Commission.”

“And yet you’ve made it 38 years in it without a single heart attack. You’ve gotten braver every time you’ve faced a mission, even if it doesn’t feel like it. These past few months you’ve grown so much it is hard to recognize the little Foxian pup who I met so many decades ago.”

“Auuuu…” Huohuo covered her face as she looked away. “Things have just been a bit less scary lately…” She looked a bit more somber for a moment as she looked back at Hanya. “Are… you and Xueyi going to be alright? Think you two might be able to get better conditions? It's been centuries for you, you two deserve better than being… being treated like s-slaves. You deserve to be able to have lives…” Huohuo deflated a bit as Hanya’s hand rested on her head.

“Thank you for the concern. Sister and I… we’re both used to it by now. Perhaps it is something to bring up, leadership in the Ten-Lords has changed since those bygone days. I would of course enjoy more time with my sister, it is something to think about I suppose. I appreciate the concern, we’ll manage as we always have.” Hanya said, surprising Huohuo with a rare hug.

Huohuo hugged her back, trying her best to hold back her tears, or the sobs from the mixed emotions in her chest. She failed.

The previous night, she got to tell Stelle the good news, now it was time for one of the harder parts, packing and goodbyes. Setting several scrolls into sealed tubes, Huohuo tried to think about what all to bring.

She was distracted for a moment by her phone...

Huohuo had to snort at the usual Bailu shenanigans, before she turned back to the others and slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Xueyi, I know your wake span hours are precious for you and Hanya, you two don’t need to do this with me…” Huohuo said, stopping her packing as she felt a cold touch on her shoulder. The downside of Xueyi’s puppet body was just how cold it was…

“Just let my sister and I take care of you a little bit longer… We will of course miss you, but we want you to go find happiness, something I know is not going to be found in the Ten-Lords Commission. We do want to stay in contact with you, and we’re helping you with this.” There was no discussion to be had as Xueyi went back to cleaning.

“Thanks… Moms…” She didn’t need to look to see how the sisters froze up, and just kept packing for the moment. “Maybe fifty or sixty years with the Nameless will let me grow my skills.”

“That is what the Ten-Lords are thinking, I’m glad you didn’t completely cut ties, I’d rather the door remain open for you later. By the time you’re back to stay, I imagine you’ll be writing books on exorcisms and the like.” Hanya said as she pondered the kitchenware. “You wish to take any of these? I assume the Astral Express has their own.”

“Just a few cups I want to take, you can probably guess which ones.” Huohuo said as she struggled to wrestle things into boxes and bags. “Hard to guess just how much junk gets accumulated in a few decades…”

“You kept the dishes we got you way back then?” Hanya asked as she rejoined them, holding up a ceramic mug that had seen much use over decades, judging by the resealed cracks that littered its surface.

“Y-Yeah, of course I did… It was one of the first things you two got me. I can’t trust it to hold liquid anymore, but it's still special to me. Maybe I can try to seal it back up again so I can take it, but I don’t think I could get rid of it.” Huohuo admitted, unable to look at those two, wiping her eyes as subtly as she could.

It was quiet for a few minutes, emotions starting to run heavy for all three of them. That place held so many memories, some good, and some bad, but it had been home for so long for Huohuo, her retreat from a cold and unforgiving outside world.

Just like her physical home… “You t-two… you’ve been my home for so long… Are you sure it is okay for me to just… run off into the stars like this?” Huohuo asked, her eyes too blurred to pack at the moment.

She leaned into the embrace of the two as they helped her back to her feet. Even if both of them felt naturally more cold than a normal person, they were still part of the core of who she became. “I love you two, M-Moms…” Those arms only hugged her tighter.

Not even Tail had the heart to interrupt that moment.

“We love you, too. We just want you to find happiness, wherever you need to go to do it. If letting you go is what we have to do for that, then let us be your mothers for a little longer until that time…” Xueyi said, her expression barely able to change still, but the emotions in her voice were no less real.

“You’ll always have a place with my sister and I, but the Ten-Lords Commission is not the place where you will find your happiness. You deserve to live your life, not wander among the dead. It is more than okay to seek better opportunities, to seek your happiness, even if that takes you far away from here.” Hanya took a deep and shaky breath, her face far from its normal stoic mask, it was twisted in both the joy and the sorrow of a mother watching their child leave the nest, shedding tears that were rarely shed after well over a thousand years.

“Thank you… both of you…” Huohuo said, just letting the two women hug her, and hugging them in return. She let the memories of her first moth- No, she lost the right to be called that long ago, she let the memories of those painful younger years be painted over by these two kind souls that were so much more than they seemed, that helped raise her when she had nothing left.

To the Commission, all three of them may just be three Judges among dozens on the Luofu, but to them, they were a family sewn together by their broken strands of fate, and bound by love that did not care about blood.

It had taken them a few hours after to pack up most of her meager belongings that she cared to take. Most of what was left was ferrying it.

Huohuo still had plenty of emotions she had compartmentalized away, but she could at least pack again. Right as Xueyi was getting ready to leave for her next mission, a knock came from the door. Moving faster than she thought possible, Huohuo opened up the door, instantly pouncing on Stelle, nearly knocking the taller woman off her feet.

“Whoa easy there, I’m not going anywhere Huohuo…” Stelle said, all too happy to hug her right back. “Emotional time?” A nod. “Anything I can do to help?” Huohuo only hugged tighter while Stelle felt her shirt getting damp. She hugged right back, if that's what she could do for her, it was within her meager power.

“Hey Tail, could you fill me in?” Stelle asked as she moved their hug back into Huohuo’s home. Hanya and Xueyi both appeared ready to leave.

“Perfect timing. We unfortunately need to head out for the day. I have some tasks that cannot be put off… I’ll see you soon Huohuo.” Hanya said.

“And I’m skirting my own restrictions quite a bit by leaving for my mission far earlier than I was scheduled, so I must get started on that to avoid them looking very closely.” Xueyi said. The two sisters both gave Huohuo a hug again. “Take good care of her, alright? We’ll need her for tomorrow, we want one last full day with her, until you all depart.”

“Bye Moms… See you tomorrow then.” Huohuo let out a heavy sigh as the sisters left them to pack. They were alone once more, yet it still felt somber inside there. “I wish I had relied on them sooner… I kept them at arm's length for decades, but… I didn’t need to…”

“I’m sure they understand… Want to relax for a bit? You look exhausted…”

“Just a lot of emotions today, but this is a good change, this is something I want, something I got to choose for myself.” Huohuo said, leaning against her girlfriend for moral support. The soft kiss to her head Stelle liked to do always had a way of sparking her happier feelings, and that was appreciated that day more than anything. “Just… being here with you is already doing a lot… There is a good bit to bring to the Express, but I had more junk to sort through than expected.”

“My muscles are at your command my dear, should I just start carrying those boxes to the Anchor, and to our cabin?” Stelle asked, it was still easier for her to move than to process emotions, but she was improving by the day.

“Yes please, I’ll get the last few boxes packed, and then I’ll join you! I still can't believe I’m going to join the Astral Express… Six months ago this was not on my fortune telling…”

“Life is crazy that way it seems, but we have each other to get through whatever it throws at us. The Astral Express Family is now also your family. Keeping them all patient about meeting you has been a struggle, but we all have plenty of time.”

“Tomorrow… I leave with you all…” The next chapter of their lives would unfold together.

Most of the day was spent with Xueyi and Hanya, and even Sushang and Guinaifen stopped by to spend a little time with Huohuo. It all led up to the end of the day…

Stepping onto the Astral Express again in clothing she chose, instead of her uniform she had left behind, Huohuo met the eyes of all the other members as they gathered around. Behind her, Xueyi and Hanya stood, along with the rest of the Ghost Hunting Squad. “Thank you all for having me, hopefully I can help you all…” Huohuo stood her ground, even as she felt so many eyes upon her. They were all eyes she had to get used to.

“We’re happy to have you aboard. I’m Welt Yang, call me however you like.” Welt said as he rested his hands on his cane.

“I’m glad I got to meet you the other night, but I’m Himeko, the Navigator and engineer of the Express, we’re glad to have you.”

“Finally we get to meet you! Stelle has made us wait so long! I’m March 7th, but you can shorten it to March, you can think of me as Stelle’s older sister. I hope we can get to know each other.”

“I am Dan Heng, just another member of the Astral Express, I manage our database. If you wish to browse it, feel free to ask me for directions.” Dan Heng looked the most neutral, yet his words were plenty warm.

“Pom-Pom is Pom-Pom, the conductor of the Express. We’re all happy to welcome a new member, but there are some rules here to follow!” They cleared their throat and stepped forward.

“The engine room is strictly forbidden, breakfast is served at 9 each morning, don’t make unnecessary messes for Pom-Pom to clean up, keep noise to a minimum at night, and no fighting with other members.” Pom-Pom finished, staring right back at Huohuo as she resisted the urge to step back from the surprisingly intense rabbit creature.

“Don’t let their words fool you, they’re happy to have you here, and with how you are I bet you’ll end up their favorite.” Stelle said as she lifted Pom-Pom despite their wiggling. Setting them on her shoulder, Pom-Pom settled down, accepting the ride.

“I’m happy to be here, this is a big change for me, but I’ll try my best to help you all out. When it comes to spiritual matters and techniques, I’m… decent enough.” Huohuo said, ignoring Hanya’s hand on top of her head.

“What she means to say is that she is incredibly skilled at what she does, even if she has mountains of potential to grow. Please, take good care of her.” Hanya said, reluctantly letting go.

“Hey Huohuo, you’ll keep in contact with us, right? Hopefully one day we can have a Ghost Hunting Squad reunion. Until then, I had a blast these past few months with you. Even if it was terrifying, I’m glad we met you in the garden that night.” Guinaifen said, squeezing Sushang’s hand as all of them had to resist the emotions.

Huohuo turned back to her moms and her friends. “I had a lot of fun also, and this isn’t really goodbye, I’m sure we’ll meet again. Moms, sorry for leaving you to deal with so much still… Feel free to take as much of the money from the house sale as you want.”

“You sure you want to sell it? I do not mind, let us do these last few things for you. Oh yes, before I forget again, I packed what knowledge I have in regards to seals with your scrolls, including the one I used to seal Tail in your initially, use that knowledge how you wish. Tail, I’m… trusting you to look after her, you may have more freedom off of the Luofu I’m sure. From now on, your destinies are your own to decide.”

Xueyi and Hanya once again gave Huohuo another hug, reluctant to leave her, yet needing to all the same. “Please stay in contact, send us messages and pictures of your journey. Most of all, be safe.” Xueyi ruffled her hair, but cracked as best of a smile as she could.

Huohuo even let Sushang and Guinaifen hug her as well. “If you’re ever on the Luofu again, you’ll tell us all, right?” Sushang asked as she leaned into Guinaifen’s arms once Huohuo separated from the others.

“Of course… It isn’t a goodbye, just a farewell for now. Take care please, don’t let the Luofu burn down while I’m gone. Love you moms, message you later Sushang, Guinaifen.” With that, Huohuo was left with the Astral Express crew.

Turning around, she was swept up into Stelle’s arms and pulled around. Hugging her from behind and resting her chin on her head, Stelle was ecstatic that day. “It's hard to believe that you’re here to stay… I’m so glad…”

“I’m glad also… So, what is the first order of business?” Huohuo asked the others, still tucked under Stelle’s chin, nice and snug.

“Twenty questions? Trivia?” March suggested.

“I think first, we will get this train moving towards the Star Rail, if we delay the schedule-” Welt was interrupted by Pom-Pom flailing on the ground.

“If we delay again Pom-Pom is going to fucking explode!” The incredibly rare curse from Pom-Pom was enough to get people moving again, fast.

Sitting on a couch in the Parlor car, Huohuo rested her head against Stelle as Stelle’s arm stayed wrapped around her. It was nearly time to warp to their next destination, and it was unknown to either of them how things would end up, but they would get to face it together.

“How are you feeling?” Stelle asked. It had been a long day of being taken around the Express, shown where things were, and just getting to know everyone.

“Comfortable, it’s finally feeling real… No early morning Ten-Lords Commission tasks, no paperwork that never ends, no demons to subdue… What about you Mr Tail?” The fox shaped Heliobus flew over the two of them.

“It feels freeing. I… don’t feel like I’m constantly on trial.” Mr Tail felt more mellow that day. “It's nice to have some freedom. Bah… you all are making me sappy…”

“You may as well get used to it, you are also a member of the Astral Express now as well, and no longer bound by Xianzhou law. We won’t interfere in whatever Huohuo wants to do in regards to you, but we would much prefer working with you also. As long as you don’t cause trouble of course.” Welt said as he also waited for the warp.

“I… appreciate it. I’m not used to being treated like this, like a person. May as well get it out of the way… Hey brat, thanks for extending the range of the seal so much, it feels roomy being able to explore. I might not need those headphones after all if I can hang out here. I can’t possess anyone or anything like this, but I guess that is fine, I don’t need to.”

“You are still technically sealed to me, and I’d actually like to keep you like that for a while. Not because I don’t trust you, but that way you won’t need to possess anything for fuel if I have more than enough energy to keep us both going. Let's work together from now on Mr Tail. I suppose you’re more than a Tail now… you want an actual name? We don’t need to keep you a secret.” Huohuo said as Mr Tail settled down on the couch next to them.

“I’ll think about that. Sure, I’ve gotten used to being called that but… maybe you’re right, an actual name…” It threw him for a loop.

As he was thinking up a name, everyone got settled on a couch or chair to await the jump. All except March, who stood ready to try and stay standing during the warp as per usual. “I’m going to do it this time!”

“So you keep saying. Hey Dad, how many times has she tried that?” Stelle asked Welt across the room.

“This will be the 63rd time. Is the ‘Dad’ going to stick?” Welt asked, looking unsure still as he tapped his fingers on his cane.

“Yup, unless you don’t want me to?”

“I don’t mind, feel free.” Welt looked out towards the window, seeming to try and cover his emotions that they could see flash on his face.

“This is your Conductor, we will be commencing warp in 10… 9…”

As they heard Pom-Pom’s voice over the intercom, everyone held tight to their seats. Stelle and Huohuo though… Leaned into each other as they let their lips meet, their hearts swelling in joy right as that energy field wrapped around them, the warp beginning.

The path of the Trailblaze was never easy, but with friends and family it was far more bearable for them all. With each other by their sides, the two felt they could take on the universe, trailblazing one journey at a time…