Dancing Fox In XII: Dance If You Want To

[Halae]

"Not yet. Given they live in the Keep now, I can't go and see them without talking to Cessie, and that's a whole bundle of awkward. I'll do it eventually, but... you know." Harnetta sighs again.

[Morty]

"I can invite them to Vigil, if that helps." Wenomir pauses. "Well, maybe not the kids... it's not a kid-friendly place. But Adir and Sakura."

[Halae]

"No, no, I'll go and see them there. Cessie can't keep me away from my friends or my children, and she's not liable to even try, as long as I give her some forewarning." Harnetta smiles, and puts in an order for another cup of mead, "Have things changed much with the Frescots?"

[Morty]

"They've got seven kids by now, which is made harder by the fact that the demons burnt down their house," Wenomir says grimly. "They don't let it slow them down, though. Laela seems to have taken a shine to me, just like your kids."

[Halae]

"That's encouraging. I have no idea how they'd handle seven of them, though." Harnetta shakes her head, and orders another cup of mead.

[Morty]

"Well... some people in my home village had seven kids. But they were pretty hands-off with them," Wenomir says. "And raising them was sort of a communal effort. Sakura's a sorceress when it comes to child-rearing though, it seems."

[Halae]

"I don't know how she does it. when I was a kid, I was a hard one for my parents to keep a hold of." Harnetta smiles, remembering fondly.

[Recaiden]

A dingy-looking young man bursts inside. Throwing open the door, he trips over the threshold and goes tumbling head over heels into the inn. During the fall though, he takes care to curl around and protect the burlap sack he's got in his arms.

[Morty]

"I don't know how she does it. when I was a kid, I was a hard one for my parents to keep a hold of." Harnetta smiles, remembering fondly.

Wenomir frowns, good-humouredly.

"One of your parents was a dragon, so I can't imagine they'd have any trouble with that."

[Halae]

"You'd think so, and yet I was extremely difficult to reign in, apparently. Just because Mother was a dragon doesn't mean she was omniscient, and I got very good at running off when I was supposed to be doing something." Harnetta smiles. good memories.

[Morty]

"And turning into a dragon and breathing fire is a pretty bad method of child discipline." Wenomir assumes Harnetta's mother was one of those dragons who can change shape. Otherwise... he'd rather not think about it too much. "To be honest, I spent a lot of time as a child taking care of my siblings, rather than being taken care of. Such it is when you're the oldest."

[Deathkeeper]

A dingy-looking young man bursts inside. Throwing open the door, he trips over the threshold and goes tumbling head over heels into the inn. During the fall though, he takes care to curl around and protect the burlap sack he's got in his arms.

"Aw, poor dear. Do you need some help?" asks Mrs. Anders, trotting over to examine the young man.

[Halae]

"Maybe I'd have learned some real maturity if that was the case with me." the half-dragon says, "I was skilled but not exactly smart when I first came to the Nexus."

[Morty]

"Well, I wasn't going to say it, but..." Wenomir's tone is entirely innocuous. "You did kind of swallow that cultist's sob story hook, line and sinker."

[Halae]

Harnetta nods, "Ain't that the truth. Jezebel's not so bad now though; I'm actually staying with her."

[Morty]

Wenomir looks visibly surprised now.

"Really? That's unexpected. But I suppose your relations with her developed differently than mine. Did she extend the offer to you?"

[Halae]

"I went to her, actually. Despite everything, after the whole masks incident, she actually turned out to be a decent person, and she's working on being better. Besides, I'm not staying with her for free; I'm training her son." Harnetta smiles, "He's a quiet kid. Humble, but smart, and good at learning."

[Morty]

"Hrm. So does Cessie say, too. And she's not easily fooled." Wenomir doesn't sound convinced, despite his words. "I know she has children, but I've never met them. I think only Cessie has, in Vigil."

[Recaiden]

"Aw, poor dear. Do you need some help?" asks Mrs. Anders, trotting over to examine the young man.

"I think I'm okay. Is this the Dancing Fox Inn?"
The boy kips up and gently pats his parcel to make sure it's intact.

[Deathkeeper]

"Yeah, it is, hun. You lookin' for us in particular?" the doe asks sweetly.

[Recaiden]

"Yeah. This is supposed to be a safe place, right?"
The boy glances over his shoulder, over his other shoulder, and all around.
"You're a deer."
He just noticed, and is now surprised.

[Deathkeeper]

"Yessir, it is, and I am. What can we get for ya?" Mrs. Anders asks sweetly, quite used to the confusion at this point.

[Halae]

"Hrm. So does Cessie say, too. And she's not easily fooled." Wenomir doesn't sound convinced, despite his words. "I know she has children, but I've never met them. I think only Cessie has, in Vigil."

"You sound like you have your doubts, though," Harnetta points out, drinking a bit from her second mug of mead. There's no judgement in her voice, she's simply curious.

[Morty]

Wenomir tries to come up with an answer for a while, then drains his bottle and orders another.

"I do. I don't trust her. She renounced that... degenerate god of orgies and drugs, but then she became a goddess herself. Which is somehow worse. I accepted her cooperation with Vigil because we needed it, and because she made it clear she's doing it to protect her own people. But I expect it to blow up in our faces at some point."

[Halae]

"A balanced alliance has both optimism and pessimism," Harnetta points out, "Just because you think it'll work doesn't mean you can be wary for a betrayal. But that also goes the other way; distrust can easily break an alliance, particularly when you don't have any proof of misdoings." That's an invitation to share any if he has them...

[Morty]

"I don't, really, unless calling yourself a goddess counts," Wenomir admits. "It just... chafes. Doesn't feel right. She's someone I should be opposing, but I can't. Even if I wasn't forced to work with her."

[Halae]

"Ah, I see, I see," Harnetta nods sagely, "Sounds to me like your issue isn't with the situation. It's with her."

[Morty]

"It is and it isn't." Wenomir waves his hand. "I mean, yes, she ticks a lot of boxes on the list of things I hate, but that is a long list. I can't go around swinging my sword at everything. I was content to ignore her, until I had to work with her. Just a stark reminder of all I've had to put up with for a while."

[Halae]

"All you've had to put up with?" Harnetta prompts.

[Morty]

Wenomir drains his bottle again. He's been drinking more since this topic started.

"You sure you want to listen? It's a big list."