<div dir="ltr"><div>Misha finally picked a wedding date? Read on! </div><div> </div><div>--- </div><div> </div><div>June 5, 708 CR</div> This was the first time, Rita realized, that she had set foot in the Jolly Collie as a woman. In most ways, it looked the exact same as always. There was something different about it now, though. Perhaps because she lost an inch of height. Maybe it was the men who now eyed her in her poorly-fitting outfit, breasts straining against her upper tunic and fabric sagging above the waist. Maybe it was the fact that she was no longer surrounded by bigoted outsiders of dubious allegiance, and now among fellow Keepers and victims of the curse. She didn't have long to dwell on it before a few of the barflies cheered and lifted their mugs to Kasaima. Word had clearly spread out about "the eclipse battle", along with the oni who defended Metamor against the strange eastern mage, and the dragon Talo who defended the oni. Not a single patron seemed to realize that the short bunny boy was the very mage they shunned and feared. Misha stood up from a large table to greet them, accompanied by an otter woman. "My friends. It's good to see you all again, and in one piece." He smiled to Yueliang, who had turned his head away in shame. "Yes, including you. Yuejian told me how you were misled. I see now you are an honest soul, and Whisper trusts you as well. I don't bear you any ill will at all." The otter gave a polite cough, and Misha started. "Oh! Pardon my manners. This is my fiancee, Caroline. Caroline, these are friends of Metamor, who were all caught up in that mess in the woods. This is Kasaima. Trey. Yueliang. His sword Yuejian. Talo. Nyein. Aldwin. And Rita." Each one bowed to Caroline as he was introduced. Rita also bowed, even as she realized she ought to have curtsied instead. Caroline gave them a smile and curtsied back. "It is a pleasure to meet fellow warriors of Metamor. Misha tells me that many of you are new to Metamor, and even now are still adjusting the Keep's curse. I see you haven't finished changing yet," she nodded to Kasaima. Kasaima smiled back. "I consider it a gift to be touched by Metamor, which has shown me much kindness. Dragons in the east are known as bringers of luck and good fortune. They are also known to have great appetites," he grinned, "though not as great as an oni's." Misha laughed. "We'd better start ordering, then. I wouldn't want to keep a dragon-oni hungry!" They all shared a laugh and sat down. Kasaima took up two normal spaces, though that was balanced somewhat by Trey and Yueliang. Talo was about as big as a Northerner. The biggest problem was his tail. Talo opted to sit close to the wall so that his tail didn't pass any chairs or aisles. "I made sure to tell the kitchen we'd have two big carnivores coming today. Not including myself and Caroline. There's plenty of beef stew and roast beef coming." Caroline gave him a playful poke. "Did you just say I'm 'big'?" "Only in terms of appetite, dear. I've seen how much you mustelids can tuck away." He gave her a peck. "And still you look as beautiful as when I first saw you." "Tease," she said, returning the peck. Kasaima smiled and said, "You said she was your fiancee. Have you chosen a wedding date?" Caroline looked to Misha. "Well, dear?" Misha gave an impish grin. "How long has it been since I proposed?" "Over a year, you forgetful fox!" She poked him on the nose. "I'm starting to think you are putting it off on purpose!" "Actually, now is a good time to announce it. I've already informed the other Longs, as well as Caroline's family and mine." He smiled. "June 21st. The first day of the Summer Solstice festival." "Congratulations!" Trey said. And then his face fell with realization. "Oh, and we'll have to miss it." He looked to Kasaima, who was smiling regardless. "This will be the best day of your life, Misha-san. We may be leaving you soon, but we will keep your wedding with us, and on that day, we will all toast your love over some warm sake." "And I will toast with you." Glancing at Caroline, he cheekily added, "For politeness' sake, of course." She chuffed and kissed him again. Misha turned to Aldwin. "I barely recognized you, Aldwin. Last time I saw you, you were still completely human. How did your change go?" "Mine? Um... well, it got a bit complicated. It started about three days ago, when I woke up to find feathers on my chest..." Rita glanced aside to look for the server, and caught the glance of a woman in the back of the room, sitting alone. She nodded, and Rita suddenly remembered. "Excuse me just a moment," Rita stood up and walked over to the other woman. She felt as if the eyes of everyone in the inn were on the two of them. "Oh, you don't have to come over now," Kate said, wafting a hand towards Misha. "After dinner. You should enjoy your time with Misha." "I wanted to apologize," Rita said. "I've been so busy lately, I forgot. The last couple days have been a blur for me, with so much happening, all this stuff about Yueliang and Aldwin..." "Don't worry about it. A lot of us gendermorphs tend to get wrapped up in our jobs. Anything to distract us from our bodies." "I'm sorry?" "Listen, Rita. I too was once a man. I've seen my fair share of gendermorphs coming to terms with their bodies. We all handle it differently. If I were to guess, you're the kind to put off thinking about it, and channel that nervousness towards helping others. Is that right?" Rita shrugged, a bit ashamed to have been called out. "Well, it's... I was never too attached to being a man to begin with. There are other things to worry about than my identity." "Maybe there are, but not for long. Soon you'll be staying here or going back east with... Kasaima, was it? ... and you'll nothing but time to think about it. I want you to be ready when that happens. When you start thinking about how you look, how you dress, how you think about men." "What?" "It happens. Some of us feel entirely reborn as women. Others... it's always different. You're always welcome in the scouts, you know. I wish all of my junior recruits showed your courage and initiative out there. But I shouldn't keep you. Misha's one of the best scouts there is. And one of the most generous hosts you'll find." She stood up. "If you ever need a permanent place to stay, there's a place in the Keep where many of our soldiers stay. Just tell the castellan at the armory, DeMule, that you're a new recruit under Kate. He'll tell you the rest." "Thank you, ma'am," Rita said, quite aback. Kate bowed and headed to the counter. Rita returned the bow and returned to the group. Another less thing to worry about... and another gnawing uncertainty underneath.</div>