May I Enjoy My Life: Entry 31

August 3rd, 1100

Don’t tell her this, but Ingrid Venezia is one of my heroes. And, well, one of the few Made Men that I actually respect and like. It helps that she left that life years ago, or, well, more accurately, she tried. We unfortunately met after the Famiglia caught up with her. 

Lisa was one of the first patients I was assigned when I joined Rhodes Island four years ago. Vulpo and kitsune aren’t identical, but we’re close, and Lisa immediately looked up to me as “Sussurro-sensei.” Her mother met me soon after, and I could tell without being told that she had a history with the famiglia. We hit it off right away, both of us being rather passionate Siracusian women who shared a similar goal of keeping Lisa safe and healthy. 

A lot of my early research and breakthroughs were actually tests and trials I did on myself, then replicated on Lisa. No, it’s not the best medicine to do things that way, but oripathy research isn’t exactly a field with a wealth of literature on it. It’s been so taboo for so long that Rhodes Island has managed to pioneer dozens of treatments and patent even more medications, though we give away many of them for a song or nothing at all. 

The real bonding happened when I nearly got into a fist fight, that I would have lost badly, with Warfarin and Kal’tsit when they sent Lisa to Wolumonde to deal with Mudrock and her mercenaries.

Fortunately, Mudrock is a sweetie and things didn’t get too dicey, according to Lisa, but still! You do not deploy a child on a combat mission! I don’t care how powerful her arts are ! I immediately informed Ingrid, who arrived back after Lisa’s safe return due to how long it took to get a message to Higashi and back. If Lisa had still been away, I think Ingrid would have attempted to assassinate Kal’tsit. And Saints and Angels help me, I probably would have assisted her. 

Thankfully, Lisa was fine and had a wonderful time, and apparently didn’t think she was ever in any real danger. Ingrid was still furious, and would have pulled Lisa back to Higashi if it wasn’t for the fact that my treatments were working, and the rest of the world is decades behind Rhodes Island in therapies for the Infected. 

Since then, we’ve kept up a steady correspondence, and when Ingrid is here, I act as her physician as well. Considering all she’s been through, she’s in excellent health, though she has as many scars as any person I’ve ever met.

I was actually giving her an exam, and we were just finishing up. I’d sent her blood off to the lab for testing and taken her vitals, which I was happy to say were as good as always. 

“So, you’re taking Ceracline, Stratakine, and Velunara?” I asked, studying the bottles that Ingrid had brought to show me. 

“Yes, twice daily with the Ceraline, once a day with Stratakine, and I drink Velunara tea nightly,” Ingrid agreed. 

I nodded. They were an osteo health supplement, a muscle mass retention supplement, and a general herbal supplement. “I’m going to add Menacera. It’s a drug formulated here at Rhodes Island that promotes muscle and helps your body absorb that iron, specially formulated for post-menopausal women.”

“Thank you. I like to think I’m strong as I ever was, but when I dueled Celinia yesterday…” Ingrid winced and flexed her shoulder, and knee, where she had on braces and bandages I’d applied. She had some serious bruising there, and I shook my head. 

“You’re not as young as you used to be. Texas is both a lot younger than you and a Lupo to boot. If you try to keep up with her, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Yes, I was forced to confront that,” Ingrid said with a sigh. Then she grinned wickedly. “I still beat her three out of five matches. This old fox still has some tricks up her sleeve, yes?”

I grinned back like an idiot. Yes, I shouldn’t celebrate that two of my friends (and patients) were beating the fur off each other’s tails, but, well…it’s not very often a vulpo DOES beat a lupo. And when they do, historically, it’s been Ingrid who was doing the beating. 

“As personally fulfilling as I find that as your friend, as your physician, I still have to tell you to avoid fights. Especially with your allies. However…”

“However, we are going to Victoria,” Ingrid said, her eyes flashing with anticipation. “And there will be many who will be needing lessons as to why you do not underestimate a Siracusian Vulpo.”

“I think it’s more you than me,” I said with a sigh, then shrugged. “But, overall, you’re in excellent health. And approve you to join us for the Victorian Embassy.” 

“Excellent. I look forward to working with you in a more…professional capacity, shall we say?” Ingrid said, and gave me a hug. 

I blushed a little bit. She’s a little younger than my own mother, but not by much. More of an aunt, I suppose. If your Aunt were an ex-mafiosa. I’m not exactly starved for mother figures here on Rhodes Island, but Ingrid is both Siracusian and a fellow Vulpo. Plus…

“There was something I wanted to ask you, in a less professional capacity,” I told her as I set aside my clipboard and took off my stethoscope to signalthe end of the doctor’s appointment. 

“Oh? What exactly is that?” Ingrid said, her ears cocking slightly to one side and hands motioning for me to continue. 

“Well, I…that is, you know that James and I are involved,” I said, blushing slightly. 

Ingrid nodded, getting up from the patient table and taking a seat on one of the chairs. “Yes, that would have been obvious just from how you look at one another. Recent lovers still, I take it?” 

“We met on the 5th of June, which is a long story I will have to tell you sometime, and started dating three weeks later, so it’s been just over a month,” I admitted. 

“He is an alien from another world, yes? That is an interesting story. But not what you wish to ask me, I take it.”

“No, I…” Hesitating, I tried to find the right words, then I sighed, and spread my hands helplessly. “What is it like, to be with a man you know will outlive you? Well, assuming he doesn’t kill himself first, that is.”

“Ah.” Ingrid leaned back, and I saw unashamed tears in her eyes. She took a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed at her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was raw with emotion. “In some ways, it is so wonderful. Cuore mio, he stays the same as the day we met. It has been, what, sixteen years now? I was about your age when we met, only twenty-one, and on the run for my life. I actually threatened his life when we first met. I sought shelter at the shrine from some Higashian Yakuza. I had already killed a dozen, but they just kept coming, and- well, never mind. A story for later.”

Ingrid stared off into space for a bit, then turned to meet my eye. “I do not regret meeting my husband, not one bit. He has given me everything: his life, his heart, and of course, our beloved daughter. But…sometimes, it hurts. It hurts so much, knowing that I will not live to see my Lisa’s children. I will likely not be alive to see her married. I will grow old, and decrepit, they will stay young. Yes, I am in good health…for a woman of my advanced years.”

“You’re not that old yet,” I said gently, but we both knew I was only half telling the truth. 

“No, I have two decades, three if I am very fortunate,” Ingrid said, making a disgusted gesture with her hand and grimacing. “Unless, of course, I get sloppy and get myself killed. There have been many close calls over the years, and that was when I was younger. In that time, my husband, he will look as though he aged a bare handful of years since our wedding day. Lisa will barely be considered an adult when she reaches 30. By our standards, she will be 12, not even ready for marriage or children. It is…hard. So, I must treasure the time I have, yes?”

I nodded, feeling sick. I put a hand over my womb unconsciously. “James…doesn’t know if he’s ready for children yet. I…I want to, it’s just…he wants to take things slowly, and…”

“Ah.” Ingrid used her foot to slide my stool over and we hugged, both of us taking comfort in the other’s presence. “He does not understand. We Vulpo, we live fast, and love hard. Talk to him about this. Tell him, if he is serious, he must marry you before the year is done. I had to have the same conversation with cuore mio. To a kitsune, a decade-long courtship is normal. I do not have that much time. Tell me, his race, how long do they live?”

“Eighty years, though he specifically said it was 78.4,” I admitted. 

“Ah, that is not so bad! The same as a lupo then, or thereabouts,” Ingrid said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “His age?”

“Twenty six, so he is a couple of years older than I am,” I said with a small shrug. “But…if I am honest…I am more worried he will die first.”

“The oripathy? But, he can cure it, no? So why worry?” Ingrid asked, obviously confused. 

I explained the exact mechanism of James’ cure, though I kept it in layman’s terms. When I finished, Ingrid was obviously horrified. “Zanne e artigli! That, that is what they wish my Lisa to learn?! I will rip their guts out and use them for garters!” 

“No, no!” I said, hurriedly waving my hands. “Again, James specifically refuses to teach her! Additionally, she only learned the part of the mechanism that lets him metabolize originium. Slowly, to be sure, and under great strain, but for someone with as long a lifespan as her, this could be centuries of life.”

“Hmm,” Ingrid folded her arms over her chest, then sighed and shook her head, throwing her hands up in resignation. “Fine, fine! I just…I will only be around for so long to protect Lisa. While I am here…I will do all I can. Because when I am gone, who else shall be her guardian?”

“We will, Ingrid. Rhodes Island is Lisa’s home. Perhaps not me, personally, but we all love her here,” I promised. 

“When you are not sending her into active war zones,” Ingrid said with a snort, but she nodded. “So, you worry that you will lose your man, even though he should live longer than you, and thus, you get it from both ends, I think.”

I nodded miserably. “Yes, I just…I don’t know, Ingrid. Am I moving too fast? Am I jumping in with my heart and being foolish again?”

“Yes, of course,” Ingrid said, and my heart sank as fury overcame me. 

“How can you say that?! You married your husband and left your homeland, despite him being a high priest and you a hit woman!” 

“Oh, so you call me foolish now, little girl!? Well, let me tell you- you are absolutely right,” Ingrid said, which took the wind out of my sails as I flipped my ears back in confusion. She took my hands and squeezed them. “Just because something is foolish doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it sometimes, especially when it comes to the heart. We are Vulpo! We are Siracusian! We are women of passion! Let the flames of your heart and your blood burn, Lucia Sussurro. And if you get singed, well, you shake it off and kill that figlio di puttana and then you find another man! But I do not think you will. Your James, he reminds me of my own husband. A good man. Naive, yes, but honest and kind.”

“And tall,” I said with a giggle. Ingrid was tall for a Vulpo at 161cm, but her husband was 175cm. Not as tall as James, but still, not bad at all. 

“Mmm, yes, both standing up…and in the bed,” Ingrid said, and made a gesture with her hands that had both of us laughing. 

After that, I felt much better, even if I had been the doctor in the room. Ingrid left and I went to check on James, who was with Kal’tsit and Warfarin. 

“-no you son of a bitch, what I want is for you to explain, in detail the step by step process for how you cure oripathy! And yes, feelings fucking matter because this is ART and you can bet Lucia’s fluffy ears and tail that those matter when you are using arts!” Warfarin ranted. 

My ears instantly flicked back on my head and I felt a growl rising in my throat as I stalked forward, tail bristling. Kal’tsit was sitting impassively as Warfarin stuck her finger in James’ face and ranted at him, but he just looked mildly abashed. 

“Look, I’ll try again, but seriously, I just…pull on the originium. I can feel it. See it, actually, even with my eyes closed, but I told you all that,” James said, smiling at me and opening himself up a bit so I could step in next to him and glare daggers at Warfarin. 

“But what does it feel like when you do it?!” Warfarin demanded. 

“Well, it feels like…I dunno, using the Force?” James said, making a face. 

“WHAT FUCKING FORCE!?” Warfarin snarled, clawing at the air and baring her fangs. 

“...oh, right. Shit, was Star Wars on my phone? Because we should totally watch that. Just the originals and the prequels though,” James mused, and Warfarin hissed at him. 

“James, answer the evil vampire’s nice questions,” I sighed. “Not the weird alien knowledge.”

He shrugged and nodded. “Sorry, bad joke. Look, it doesn’t feel like anything. I’ve done it when I’m scared, when I’m angry, when I’m tired, when I feel nervous…I don’t know what emotions play into it?” 

“I do not believe this is a fruitful line of inquiry. We have tested and examined Dr. Bones abilities and methods, and there is little more to be gleaned here,” Kal’tsit said, taking a sip of her cup of coffee. 

“But we’ve had a breakthrough! If we can crack both halves of this, we will be LEGENDS. We will go down in history as the ones who cured oripathy!” Warfarin ranted. 

“Only for a vanishingly small segment of the population,” I pointed out. “Doesn’t do us Ancients or you Sarkaz any good.”

“If one can do it, more can. I’m fucking cracking this, mark my words,” Warfarin huffed, slumping back into her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. Was she pouting? Yes, I think she was. The little prima donna. 

“This is because James is leaving, isn’t it? Worried I’ll surpass you in research?” I asked, feeling rather smug about it. 

Warfarin dragged her black painted nails over her face and dragging down her eyelids. “Fuck you, yes. But! And this is the but: If you can cure it, fucking do it. Maybe history will remember me in a footnote. I don’t fucking care at this point. This is my life’s work! I was working on oripathy treatments when your grandmother was a gleam in the eyes of your great-grandfather! And to be so close, after all these centuries…” 

“While I empathise with your feelings on the matter, Warfarin, please do remember some of us have been tackling this particular problem for significantly longer than civilization has existed upon this world,” Kal’tsit said dryly. I actually snorted with laughter, and even Warfarin had to laugh. 

“Fine, fine. But I’m still mad you’re taking loverboy away from me,” Warfarin grumbled. 

“We are going, then?” I asked nervously. 

“Yes. In a few weeks time, we depart. First for Victoria, but that is not our ultimate destination,” Kal’tsit said, and traced a line down a map displayed on the conference table’s projector. “Laterano. I have spoken with His Holiness, and he has agreed to host a conference. This will be the ideal time to demonstrate arts not just to the Victorian Elders or the Queen of Tara, but also to the world at large. And who knows? Perhaps we shall succeed in giving each nation this new ability, and thus rendering the entire question of primacy moot.”

“Uh, that’s not going to cause any problems, is it?” James asked nervously. “You know, with Victoria already trying to kidnap me and stuff…”

“I will be accompanying you directly, along with the finest team of bodyguards. I have also sent Ascelon with a message for the Duke of Caster,” Kal’tsit said. 

Oh. I glanced at Warfarin, but she just grimaced and nodded. “Fucking bitch deserves it.”

“Wait, hold on, you’re assassinating the Duke of Caster?! Isn’t, she like, important?” James asked. 

“Was,” Warfarin chuckled, and Kal’tsit nodded.

“She was. This will send a clear message that Rhodes Island will not tolerate further attempts to abduct you and take this knowledge. In the meantime, Rhodes Island will head for Rim Billington for some needed refit and repairs, traversing the wilderness here. Warfarin and Closure will be in charge during this time.”

“Awful lot of people leaving the landship,” I said, frowning at the map. “Doktah and Amiya in Iberia, us going to Victoria and Laterano…that will be a skeleton crew left.”

“It will suffice, and the Doktah and Amiya will not be long on their mission if the reports they have sent back are any indication. James’s knowledge has, for once, been a general boon instead of a bane to his own well-being,” Kal’tist said, giving James a flat look to which he mumbled, “Sorry.”

“I can hold down the ship, and so can Closure. Rim Billington always has plenty of cases for us to treat, so we can experiment with a lot of new therapies there, too,” Warfarin said with a nod. “It’s a long trip, though. Further to Rim Billington. We’re all the way in fucking former Gaul at this point.”

“Then we must begin the journey as soon as possible. Preparations for the summit must be made, as well as things to take care of here, but I have already given instructions to change our heading to this course,” Kal’tsit stated. 

“Well, then, I guess all that’s left is for me to go on rounds and get as healthy as I can, because I bet they’re going to want me to do a bunch of demonstrations,” James said with a heavy sigh and that boyish grin of his. That did make my heart flutter a bit: here he was, talking about performing a miracle, and he was acting like he was just teaching some simple medical practice. 

“There is one other thing. You will be taking etiquette lessons,” Kal’tsit said firmly, and nodded to me as well. “The both of you. While I trust Dr. Sussurro to be able to be polite and reasonable in most circumstances, I do not believe you have had a thorough education on the proper way to comport oneself when in the presence of the most powerful men and women on Terra.”

My heart skipped a beat at that. “Me?” 

“Yes, you, Lucia.  You’re Mr. Miracle’s arm candy, right? Wouldn’t want some hussy to get her claws in him when he’s out of your sight, would you?” Warfarin snickered, and I felt my tail bristling. 

“He is not that kind of man,” I hissed, but I absolutely would. Look, I know James is about as loyal as they come, but, well, I am the jealous type and I’ve been wronged before. Plus, someone needed to look out for him in situations where a big strong lupo with her two swords and mild autism can’t handle the social jujitsu that the elites throw about. Nona’s fluffy tail, I don’t know that I can handle that right now!

“Well, I’d want you there. Plus, you look good in a dress,” James said with a somewhat more perverted grin, but I grabbed his ass to encourage that sort of behavior. 

“And who will be teaching us how to mind our manners. Not you, I assume?” I asked. 

Kal’tsit shook her head. “No. I have employed an expert.” 

With the press of a button, a door hissed open, and the cutest ball of fluff on the landship sprang forward, accompanied by her mother. 

“Hai! Lisa-sensei, etiquette and manners instructor, reporting for duty, Director-sama,” Suzuran said, bowing politely to Kal’tsit. She was dressed in a formal kimono with tall black wooden sandals. Ingrid was wearing her glasses, which I know she personally hates to do, preferring contacts, and was dressed in what I could only call her battle garb: a formal black suit with a red tie, long black coat, and a gold watch on a chain. She didn’t have her sword visible, but I was certain she was armed. 

“And her assistant. You may call me Signora Venezia,” Ingrid said with a more Siracusian bow of the head with one hand to the breast, the other extended. 

“Well, I guess I can say I look forward to learning from you, Lisa-sensei,” James said, returning the bow slightly awkwardly. 

“Hai! Classes begin immediately!” Lisa said, taking out a paper fan and flicking it open. “First, we will discuss how you sit and stand. You slouch!” Lisa snapped the fan shut, and rapped James on the wrist. “No slouching! Your back is tall, and straight, like the sword of a samurai!”

James immediately straightened up and rubbed his wrist, while Warfarin chortled in amusement.

Fan snapping back open, Lisa covered her face with it while her eyes regarded the Chief of Medicine. “Warfarin-sama, do you require lessons from my class as well? The pain of others is not amusing!” 

Oh my, she was so precious and adorable. And, well, I guess she could be as terrifying as her mother, one day. Right now, she was just too precious.

Languidly, Warfarin stood and gave an overly formal bow. “I am afraid, dear lady, that I am perfectly well versed in court etiquette,” Warfarin drawled in an odd dialect. Normally, she spoke perfect Colombian Victorian without the trace of an accent. “I, in my age and wisdom, simply choose to ignore all that tosh as I do not find it worthy of my time and effort. At least, in most circumstances. My lack of manners comes not from ill breeding, nor an incomplete education: It is simply due to my lack of moral fiber.”

“Hmm, if you need moral fiber, mamma-san is very capable of imparting it, even to one such as you,” Lisa said, fanning herself. Ingrid’s slasher smile and gleaming glasses were so intimidating that I reflexively hid behind James, and he put a hand on my to scoot me back there, even if he was trembling. However, that could have just been his normal tremors. 

“Fufufufu, oh, I am quite certain Signora Spaventata could teach even someone like me a lesson. But this old bat isn’t in the mood for new tricks. I bid you good afternoon, my hidden laboratory awaits me.”

With great dignity, Warfarin turned on her heel and strode off.

“Apply yourself to these lessons,” Kal’tsit told James and me. “I have chosen our foremost expert on manners and etiquette on the landship, and you would do well to listen to Suzuran, despite her tender age.”

“The other option is myself, and I am a less kind instructor than my Lisa,” Ingrid chuckled. 

“Hey, I won’t underestimate the Mighty Suzuran, who brought even the great Mudrock low,” James said.

Lisa puffed up at that, all nine of her tails wagging happily as she blushed and hid behind her fan. “I barely did anything at all, it was Folinic-senpai, Click-san, Ayerscape-san, and Greythroat-san who did most of the work. This humble one merely used her meager arts to assist.”

“That is not what the reports I have read said, but we shall let that matter pass, lest mamma-san lose her temper again,” Ingrid said, ruffling Lisa’s ears. “Now, let us adjourn to our classroom. We will be having an hour of lessons every day. During that time, you will be the students, yes, and Lisa your teacher. I am merely there to assist.”

The classroom turned out to be a conference room, and Lisa spent the text hour making James and I learn how to walk properly. James did slouch, it was true, though Lisa had only a few comments for me, mostly that I did not ‘step gracefully as the cloudbeast, quiet as the musbeast’ which apparently meant that my gait was not ladylike enough. 

By the end of the hour I was somewhat sore and regretting the platform shoes I normally wear. Still, we bowed respectfully to Lisa, and the lesson was over for the day.

“Tomorrow, we practice greetings, then a double lesson, where we practice eating dinner!” Lisa declared.

“Hai, sensei,” James and I said in unison as we bowed, and Lisa beamed at us with pride, which made it all worth it. 

Not that it was that bad. It was rather adorable to have Lisa strutting around and smacking us gently with a fan. I bruise relatively easily, but she wouldn’t leave much of a mark on me. Not because she couldn’t: even as a pre-pubescent girl Lisa was stronger than I am thanks to her kitsune blood. She’s just a gentle soul, and it was more of a way of getting attention. 

After that, James and I really did do a half rotation at the hospital. We do need to get his levels as low as possible, because both in Victoria and in Laterano, he would surely be called upon to cure multiple infected. 

After that was dinner time, and we went back to our private suite. Both of us were dragging by that time, and I really didn’t feel like making dinner. “Let’s just order down to the cafeteria,” I sighed. 

“Well, I could cook,” James told me. “If you don’t mind my own meager abilities.”

“Oh?” I was actually somewhat intrigued: I’d never seen James cook even once in our time together, aside from using the microwave.

“Yep, it’s time to treat you to a real American meal,” James said proudly. I lifted my ears in anticipation, and he declared: “Breakfast for dinner.”

“I…well, I will be interested to see what you make,” I said cautiously. I’d had breakfast foods at other meals, but I half suspected he was going to serve up cold cereal. Not that I’d complain too much, but I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t a hot meal. 

To my delight, that wasn’t his intention at all. He pulled out a box of something he said was “basically Bisquick” and was some sort of mix you just added water too to make a variety of quick breads, or even pizza dough if you were an absolute heretic. 

He then fried up an inordinately large amount of bacon, made scrambled eggs in the grease, fried even MORE bacon (which was good, because we’d eaten half of it as soon as it was cool enough to do so), and then fried the pancakes in the same pan. 

“So, how do you rate my culinary efforts?” James asked as we sat down with plates laden with bacon, eggs, and syrup-sodden pancakes. 

I took a bite. It was greasy, overly sweet (James insisted that the syrup getting all over the bacon and eggs was traditional), and absolutely wonderful. “Well, I didn’t have to cook, so I’ll give it five stars. Bravo!” And we toasted strips of bacon. 

We did the dishes together when we finished. I had offered to do them alone, but James insisted that it was “his job” and I didn’t argue about it too hard. 

“What did you think of our etiquette lessons? How different are they from the manners you learned as a child?” I asked as we worked, standing atop a stool so I was at least at shoulder height with James. 

“Mmm, I guess there might be some points that are different, like what the salad fork is and stuff, but it’s probably not all THAT different from fancy manners back on Earth?” James mused as he scrubbed down the greasy pan. “Being polite is probably the same everywhere, more or less. Besides, our teacher was pretty adorable.”

“She is, Lisa’s a wonderful child,” I agreed. I touched his arm with my wet fingers and smiled at him. “And, thanks to you, she’ll live a long life. You made a real difference to her, and to Ingrid.”

“Yeah, I guess,” James said, continuing to work, his brow furrowed. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Well, it’s just…I put her in a lot of danger, didn’t I?” James asked, pausing and giving me a helpless look. “I didn’t think things through again! But, I never thought she could actually LEARN how to, you know, use these weird arts. No one else had!”

“James, you can’t blame yourself for that!” I said, stabbing him in the sternum with a soapy finger. “And besides, if you hadn’t, we would never have realized others can learn to do what you do. Though I wish I knew how. It’s not fair, Elders get everything. Long lives, stronger bodies, and better arts.”

I tried not to sound bitter, but I was. Terra has always been defined by your race. I’d like to think we live in a more enlightened age where all are equal in the eyes of the law and such, but we were almost certainly not created equal. 

“Yeah. I…I forget you’ll only live to be sixty-five,” James said, and I saw tears in his eyes. 

“That is a ripe old age for a vulpo, so if I do live that long, I’ll have you to thank,” I told him, and kissed his cheek. Then, I bit my lip. “But, that does bring up something important.”

“Yeah?”

“James…I really won’t live all that long. Nor do I have that many childbearing years ahead of me, compared to some other races. I know you think we’re moving fast, and we are…but vulpo courtship moves very quickly. My mother and father wed when she was 18 and he was 20 after dating for seven months…and everyone thought they had moved very slowly. Too slowly, to hear nona tell it. She had wanted longer with me and my sister.”

“Oh. So, this is about having kids again,” James said, stepping back slightly, and I felt my irritation flash. 

And, well, as I am Siracusian, I let it out. “Yes, it is! Not today, even if I am scared to death something will happen to you in Victoria or Laterano! But, I do not know how long it is traditional for Earthlings to wait on such things. So I am telling you know, if you are serious about this, I expect a ring on my finger within six months, to be wed no more than six after that, and to be trying for a child at least by the time of the ceremony! And if you have a problem with that, then, then-!” 

I huffed and splashed him with water, which he stepped aside from, and planted my hands on my hips, tail bristling. 

“Look, I’m sorry you’re angry, I didn’t realize-”

“Don’t apologize!” I snapped, stomping my foot on the stool and making it wobble. “You didn’t do anything wrong! Just, tell me, how do you feel. About me, about kids, about marriage, about…all of this!” I waved broadly, still fuming. 

James approached me cautiously, stooping down so we were on eye level. It’s so annoying that even on a 20cm stepping stool, he’s still head and shoulders above me. 

Well, and sexy. Very, very sexy. My heart beat a little faster as he put his arms out and took me gently by the shoulders. I expected him to shake me. Which, well, that might be too far, unless he was playful about it, then it could be fun. 

Instead, he met my eyes and gently said, “I love you, Lucia Sussurro. I do want to get married, I think. Even have kids. And…you’re right. I need to consider your own culture and feelings. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this. I…I will talk to Texas. About how to properly court a Siracusian woman.”

“That is a good idea,” I said, and meant it. Texas might not be the most socially graceful of people, but she has an encyclopedic knowledge of how Siracusian culture is supposed to function. She just…doesn’t grasp the whys. But she is a good resource. I wanted to bring up Ingrid, but Texas was more of James’ friend than Ingrid was. Besides, he should figure out that an older Vulpo woman who was married to a man was a better resource than a lesbian Columbian Lupo who lived in Lungmen. 

“You’re not angry anymore?” James asked gently. 

“What? Why would you think I was angry?” I demanded hotly. 

“Well…you’re yelling, and frowning. And you did splash me,” he pointed out.

I huffed and splashed him again. “Well, then splash me back!”

I had to splash him twice more before he laughed and did splash me. We made quite a mess, and then we had to undress of course, which led to the bedroom. 

After, I lay in bed while James snored, and thought about things. He did seem receptive, which was good, it was just…I don’t know. Why was he so calm about this!? This was the rest of our lives! He should be more…more passionate? I wasn’t sure. I did feel happy, I just…I wasn’t sure if he really loved me when he rolled over so quickly. I expected to have to compromise more, have him tell me he needed a full year, and compromise on nine months or some such. 

Still, I did feel quite warm inside, and I was happy. I wasn’t going to let something so small come between us now. 

Though if I had to remind the slob to put his dirty socks in the laundry hamper one more time, I was going to scream.