The Second Archon War: Animula Choragi 21

Animula Choragi 21: Be Prepared

Disneyland was supposed to be the happiest place on Earth Bet. Fortuna sat atop a stool, plastic Mickey Mouse ears on her head, a nutella crepe in her hand. It was everything she should have wanted: more food than she could eat, endless wonders and rides that she could never have dreamed of back when she’d lived in Mycenaean Greece as a peasant. 

Instead, she felt utterly miserable. She could hardly feel the future, let alone see it. She listened to the chatter of passersby and felt utterly alone and helpless. She needed…something. A bit of dendro-infused hashish, some electrified mushrooms, a glass of wine made with hydro. 

She cocked her head to the side, where she could hear Dehya devouring a crepe of her own, rather messily by the sound of it. She wasn’t quite sure where Geoffrey was. Probably not more than a few feet away, but it was too noisy for Fortuna to get a good read on his location. Maybe if she waved her cane around and smacked him. But no, she was trying to prove she wasn’t childish. 

“Can I see your hand?” Fortuna asked Dehya. 

“Huh? Uh, sure, ma’am,” the mercenary said. There was a bit of slurping, and Fortuna imagined Dehya was trying to lick crepe off her fingers, which was proven when a slightly wet hand slipped into her own. 

Fortuna used her fingers to trace the lines on Deyha’s palm. She was fairly good at that, having practiced palm reading even as a girl. 

“You’ll get married and have two children,” Fortuna said absently, reading the life line. “Two boys, three years apart. You haven’t met their father yet.”

“Uh, I don’t exactly plan on having kids, ma’am. Wait, haven’t met their father? Shit, don’t let Geof hear that, he’s got a crush on me!” 

“The horror. My subordinate doesn’t want to sleep with me,” Geof’s voice said from Fortuna’s left, but she ignored it. 

“You’ll be grievously wounded in battle against…I can’t see it, but something horrible, but save many lives in the process,” Fortuna said, feeling frustrated at how vague her predictions were. If she had a little elemental energy, she could SEE for real!

“Eh, not the first time. If you rub my belly, you’ll see a neat scar where this fatui put his claws into me and nearly ripped my guts out! Thought I was dead for sure. Fortunately, there was this Anemo Vision Holder in Riga who saved my life.”

“Riga was a fucking nightmare. Never should have taken that job,” Geoffrey snorted. “Too much risk, not enough reward.”

“Was the right fucking thing to do, boss, and you know it,” Deyha said sternly, and Geof didn’t respond verbally.

Fortuna came to the end of the palm, and froze. “And today…today you will…”

“Huh? Ma’am? What’s wrong?” Deyha said, putting her other arm on Fortuna’s shoulder to steady her. 

Today, you will meet the Hydro Archon. 

Fortuna sat bolt upright, looking around desperately. She couldn’t see a thing, of course. Her eyes were as ruined as ever. She dropped her crepe and heard Deyha yelp.

“Got it! Whew, almost lost your treat, ma’am, I- Ma’am? Where are you going?”

One hand extended, the other tapping her cane about desperately, Fortuna staggered into the street. A few people swore at her for getting in their way, but Fortuna ignored them. Geoffrey and Deyha were at her side in a moment, Deyha gently but firmly taking Fortuna’s free hand. 

“Ma’am, where are you going? If you want to get on a ride, we can do that, easy. Fast pass lanes and everything. Boss or me will go with you, of course.”

“You, stay with me. Right at my side,” Fortuna pleaded, hand gripping Deyha’s tightly. 

The Hydro Archon. She was here! If only Fortuna could find her, then she could get a Vision, and regain her sight! Not her eyes, of course, she didn’t need those. But she could see the Future again! 

An hour later, Fortuna was hot, sweaty, and frustrated. She had found absolutely nothing, and had simply scampered about the crowded streets of Disneyland Paris, well, blindly. Deyha and Geoffrey thankfully weren’t complaining about her desperate wandering, but Fortuna was feeling increasingly claustrophobic despite being outdoors. It was so frightening, knowing that all these things and people were about her, but unable to see what was happening about her. She gripped Deyha’s hand tightly, letting the other woman guide her.

“Just a little further, then we can rest,” Fortuna panted. She wasn’t in very good shape, and the brisk walk and stress of not knowing where she was going, Deyha had needed to guide her away from walking into bushes, lakes, and walls more than once, was wearing her out completely.

For a brief moment, Fortuna missed her Path, missed being Contessa. Then she firmly shoved that away. No. She needed to see the true Future, to be able to save the world from doom. She couldn’t lose sight of that. Har har. 

“It’s a good day for a walk, ma’am, never you fret!” Dehya said cheerily. “We’ll just-woah!” 

“DIANE! GET BACK HERE!” a woman’s voice shrieked. 

A moment later, Geoffrey grunted, then swore as the sound of someone hitting the ground came, and Fortuna felt a sense of panic as Dehya let go of her hand. 

“Hey kid-c’mere before-shit!” Dehya gasped.

Blindly waving her hand and cane, Fortuna gasped as something grabbed her leg, then scrambled up her body. She writhed in panic as whatever it was used her like a ladder, tugging at her T-shirt and jeans to pull itself atop her head, knocking her mouse ears off. There was suddenly a loud squawk and the air was battered, as a bird fluttered about Fortuna and buffed her face with it’s wings.

“HONHONHON ! REGARDEZ ! JE SUIS LA PLUS PUISSANTE DES CHASSERESSES ! CAR J'AI CAPTURÉ CE RAT AVEC UNE AILE ET JE LE CUISINE POUR MON SOUPER!” *

“”DIANE!”” two women’s voice screamed, and a moment later someone steadied Fortuna as…was that giggling in the background? And the snap of a camera?

“I am so, so sorry! She just, Diane, get DOWN this instant, young lady!” a breathy and oddly familiar female voice said as the owner both tried to keep Fortuna upright, and grab whoever it was from atop her head

“Jeune fille, si tu ne lâches  pas ce sale oiseau tout de suite et ne descends pas, je rendrai personnellement justice à tes fesses!”** another very angry woman’s voice said.

“Mais Mutti, tu n'as pas vu mon habile démonstration de prouesses à la chasse ? Et n'est-ce pas un beau et gros rat ailé que j'ai capturé ?”*** a breathy girl’s voice said. Apparently, a child was atop Fortuna’s head. There was an audible crack, and the bird stopped fluttering as its neck was snapped by the girl, who then allowed the two women to haul her down. 

“Je vais vous demander à tous les trois de vous éloigner de Mademoiselle Fortuna,” Dehya’s cold voice said, and Fortuna heard the click of a weapon. “Lentement et calmement. Les mains là où je peux les voir. S'il vous plaît.”****

The air suddenly grew damp with Hydro, and Fortuna sensed the rush of elemental energy. Her mind whirled. French. They were all speaking French, but Fortuna had lost her Path, and thus, lost most of her French. Thank the gods she’d learned English properly instead of relying on that demon to give her words. 

“STOP!” she wailed, jumping to what she hoped was between Dehya and these three very strange women. “DON’T SHOOT!” 

She was roughly collared by a pair of hands that felt like Geoffrey’s and hauled behind him.“Tabernac, maintenant, nous sommes dans la merde.”***** Wait, was he Quebecois? Fortuna hadn’t realized. “Dehya, two more behind us. We’re trapped.”

Fortuna couldn’t SEE! This was so frustrating! But she could make some guesses. “Geoffrey, Dehya, she’s a child! She just…did she climb me to catch a pigeon?”

“She did indeed,” the hauntingly familiar woman’s voice said, her tone exasperated. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to cause you any trouble, but do put that gun away before Yennifer or Charlotte do something rash…”

“Oh, ich bin also der Unbesonnene, oder? Sie bedrohen meine Tochter und ich werde es tun

jemandem eine Lektion erteilen.” ******

Now German? Fortuna was confused, but desperate. She struggled vainly against Geoffrey’s hands, but it was hopeless. She was so close, she knew it!

Wait, that voice…

“You, you’re Furina de Fontaine, aren’t you?” Fortuna gasped.

“Um…yes? Yennifer, calm down! Diane is fine…if a very naughty girl.”

The girl pipped up then, and somehow Fortuna got the impression she was being held up by the scruff of her neck by an angry mother cat, which made no sense at all. “Je suis désolé de t'avoir sauté dessus, mais c'était le seul moyen d'attraper mon dîner ! Je le partagerai avec vous, si vous m'aidez à attraper un autre rat avec des ailes.”*******

“Gott en himmel!” The angry German woman said, then suddenly switched to French. Was this Yennifer? “Nous ne mangeons pas ce dégoûtant pigeon. Nous avons des réservations chez Walt. Si vous ne nous faites pas expulser du parc.”********

“I’m so sorry, our daughter-” Furina began. 

“Hold on, is that kid a cat?” Dehya asked, sounding startled. 

“Câlisse! Yes, she has the ears and tail of one,” Geoffrey said, just as obviously surprised. 

“Hem hem, Bonjour Bonjour!” Yet another new voice said, further muddying the waters for Fortuna. “Ai am, ah, Charlotte Lustria le, 'ow you sai eet? Le Crystal Truth, oui? Zis is…my seestair, Yénnifair, and mon futuair seestair een law, Furina, and mon niecé, Diane! Shé eez ze ah, cat girl. Diane, dis que tu es désolé auprès de la gentille dame et de ses gardes du corps.”@

“Mais je ne suis pas désolée !” Diane huffed. There was an audible smack of flesh on flesh. “Aïe ! Sniff.. Je suis désolée.”@@

“You see? She eez vairy sairry. You weehl 'ave to fairgive hair, shé 'as been a girl fair on-lee three dais! Befaire zat, she was but a lit-tell kitten. Non, non, do not turn bak, Diane. You promized befaire we came, oui?” Charlotte said in chipper tones. 

“She’s just a kid, boss. I think this was just a misunderstanding,” Deyha said, and there was another click. Fortuna prayed that meant the gun or whatever it had been was going away. 

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” Fortuna said desperately. She turned her head about desperately, but she couldn’t see, dammit! “How about I buy you all lunch to apologize!”

“There’s no need-” Furina began, but was immediately interrupted by Diane who shouted, “J'ai faim! Laisse-moi cuisiner le cochon pour notre déjeuner !”@@@

“A lit-tell lunch would be fun, oui? Come, come, zeré eez a stall right zere. Wé can 'ave zum lunch and talk. Reahlly, ai 'ave to know, why eez a blind woman wiv deux québecois bodyguards wandaireng around Disneyland Paris?”

“None of your business,” Geoffrey growled. 

“Oh, Miss Fortuna? She’s just an eccentric millionaire! Poor dear lost her eyesight in a water skiing accident, and her mom hired us to visit Disneyland Paris with her!” Dehya said brightly. 

“That’s not what happened,” Furina said, sounding suspicious. “I don’t know if…”

“Furina? You are thinking this is not a good idea?” Yennifer said, switching to English.

“No, no, sorry. Yes, we should have lunch! Please, Miss Fortuna? Come this way,” Furina urged. 

After Fortuna did a little pleading with Dehya and Geoffrey, and they were satisfied that four Vision Holders and their Enlightened Beast daughter really were just at Disneyland for the day as a holiday, the fourth being another girl named Barbara who introduced herself with perfect English, they all sat down in the shade of a small cafe and ordered lunch. 

Fortuna, however, ignored the food, which was unusual for her. All her will was concentrated on the women before her. She could feel it, just a little. The elemental Energy. Charlotte had a Cryo Vision, so she was out. But Barbara, Furina, and Yennifer all had Hydro Visions. But one was false. It had to be. This had to be it. 

Unless it was the little girl, who continued to complain that Yennifer had thrown away her pigeon, or at least, Fortuna assumed that from the whining and sulking in French. 

It probably wasn’t Furina. Fortuna knew who she was because she’d heard the woman sing on internet videos that Deyha had played for her to cheer her up while she was stewing in her room. She’d also heard that Furina had been arrested and imprisoned the week before, along with Barbara, actually. So that meant that Yennifer was surely the Hydro Archon. 

“So, you got horns and a vision? Are you an Enlightened Beast, too?” Deyha asked while they waited for their food. 

“No, I was a parahuman,” Yennifer said. Her accent was British, but it sounded more like a German speaking with a British accent than a French woman, which was odd. 

“Was? Didn’t know you could stop being one,” Geoffrey said, his tone mistrustful. 

“Lord Barbados exorcised my parasite. I just have the horns as a reminder. They don’t even come off or explode anymore,” Yennifer said.

Wait, horns, parahuman, Yennifer…that’s right! She had been a Knight of Favonius! But, wait. That made no sense. How could she be the Hydro Archon then?

“Well, I think they’re charming,” Furina said fondly. Yennifer almost ignored it, then she realized something. Furina had actually said, “Egó gár nomízo óti estín idýtatoi.”

Or…no. It was just…Fortuna understood her as if Furina was speaking her mother tongue. If she didn’t think about it, she perceived it as English, as that was both what she expected and the language Fortuna thought in most of the time. It was subtle, but…that effect…twice before, Fortuna had experienced it. When she’d met Nahida Saeed…and when she’d met the Tsaritsa. 

Licking her lips and swallowing, Fortuna asked in a small voice, “Ágion, ár' apokrýpteis tín parousían sou ap' imón?” 

Holy one, do you conceal your presence from us?

“Huh? Ma’am, what was that? Sounded like phlegm to me,” Deyha said. 

“I, I am sorry, I just- I need to go to the restroom!” Furina said in a panicked voice.

Fortuna tried to stand, but Dehya was on her right, preventing her from getting out. “I, I need to use the toilet too!” 

“Ok, ok, I’ll take you there, ma’am,” Dehya said, and guided Fortuna towards the bathroom. As she did, she leaned in, “Look, if you got a crush on her, I hate to disappoint but she’s attached. That Yennifer woman is scary. That sword she summoned…look, I don’t know much, but I would NOT want to get hit with that thing.”

“What? No, just, follow Furina!” Fortuna hissed. 

She had to know. Had to get her Vision. She had to see once more. 

Gasping for breath, Furina burst into the restroom and then sagged against a sink. Her heart was racing, and she felt an overwhelming sense of panic. Had she slipped up?

No, I don’t think you did. You’re much more in control of your powers than you used to be. I’m not sure what’s going on, but that one…I think I recognize her. 

Furina wracked her brain for a moment, then gasped. The Seer! The blind seer that had been the first one that Furina had seen receive a Vision! Only, this woman had no Vision. That was odd enough, but Furina was now familiar with seeing things that had not yet come to pass. 

Ah yes, her. No, that is yet on future shores.

“She hasn’t found her Justice,” Furina whispered to the mirror. Then she let out a squeak of fright and spun about as the door banged open and the woman Fortuna staggered in blindly, followed hotly by her female bodyguard, Dehya. Both women had dark hair, though Fortuna’s was curly while Dehya’s was straight and thick, with the tips dyed blonde. They both had the olive skin of someone from a Southern Mediterranean country, Greece by what Fortuna had said, and Dehya’s French had been oddly accented. Not like her companions, who had been Quebecois. 

Algerian, I think. Not her mother tongue, but one she knows well. 

Furina put her hand to her chest, “You startled me! Please, I just need a moment.”

“You can understand me, can’t you?” Fortuna asked, her milky white eyes looking desperately slightly to the right and above where Furina’s head was. It took Furina a bit of effort to know she was speaking Greek, and not the modern tongue. This sounded…old. In fact…Fortuna felt old. Ancient, even. Indeed, she felt older than Furina did. 

She has been unmoored from Time itself. Interesting. Not the first person I’ve met who experienced such a phenomenon, but oddly enough, until a few years ago, she was still aging. Time seems to have been governed differently before our brethren began to arrive upon this world, but it has properly been reasserted to function as it should. 

So she doesn’t age?

Oh no, she’s quite Cursed. Since she was cast out from her own Space and Time, the flows of time will ignore her. It makes her quite the seer, actually. Being without the temporal anchor that most mortals are bound to should give her a similar perspective to ours when it comes to time. 

“I do,” Furina said slowly, deliberately speaking the same archaic dialect that Fortuna was. “You can see me, can’t you, Seeress?” 

Sobbing, Fortuna actually sank to her knees, which alarmed Dehya greatly. The other woman tried to interpose herself between Furina and Fortuna. “Whoa, hold on now, what’s going on, Fortuna?!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Fortuna babbled in English. “Just, let me touch her, please.”

“It’s alright, she just…she’s happy to hear someone speak her own language,” Furina said, and gently knelt before Fortuna on the tiled bathroom floor. Dehya reluctantly stepped aside, but she kept her hand on that clockwork gun she had. Clockwork wasn’t quite the right name, but it was some sort of masterwork by an artificer, or what this world called a Tinker. Her companion had a suit of armor that had covered his body and two blades he could call up. Odd that they were allowed weapons in Disneyland, but when security came to investigate, one look at a badge had been enough to convince them to leave Dehya and Geoffrey alone. 

“Goddess, you are the Hydro Archon,” Fortuna said in Greek again, tears trickling down her cheeks as she took Furina’s hand, her own trembling. 

“Please, do not tell anyone. I must remain hidden. If the one known as Scion, the King of Demons, finds me…I will not be able to do what I must,” Furina said. What that was, she didn’t know yet. Not even Focalors seemed to fully have a plan just yet, but remaining hidden was her best asset at this point.

“There are many who look for you urgently,” Fortuna said, gripping Furina’s hand. “My…my companions. My mother. They seek to fight the King of Demons, but-”

Fortuna bit her lip, and Furina could sense the trepidation in her. “They’re no friends of mine, are they? And you, Fortuna?”

“I serve the gods. You have come back to us, to your children, in our time of need. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To break the Cycle, and save the world,” Fortuna whispered, still gripping Furina’s hand tightly as her eyes darted about, as if she could see the shapes of the future. She probably could, actually. It was clear to Furina this woman had a gift. 

“I don’t know why I’m here, exactly. I died back in Fontaine, and woke up here. At the very moment of my sacrifice, when my people were spared destruction by my and my mother’s death…I came here. I don’t know if I can save France, or this world. But I defied Heaven once. If this is the role I must play to give the people Justice, then it is one I gladly accept,” Furina said truthfully. 

Fortuna nodded desperately. “Can…can you give me back my sight?”

Hesitantly, Furina reached out and touched Fortuna’s eyes. She was no healer herself, but-

DEATH. 

With a hiss, Furina jerked back her hand as though she’d been burned. “What, what took your eyes?!”

“I cut out my demon with Theoktónos. The knife I used to kill the evil god that had fallen to Earth, the wife of Scion,” Fortuna admitted. 

“I am afraid that the power you wielded was greater than my own. I cannot give you back your eyesight,” Furina said, shaking her head and rubbing her tingling hand. 

“No! I, I need a Vision! To be able to see the Future! To guide my friends and people through what comes to safety!” Fortuna begged. 

Ah. “That’s not…I’m afraid I can’t just give you one,” Furina said, feeling a bit ashamed at the admission. 

Fortuna wilted, but then nodded. “I understand. I am not worthy.”

“You will be. You just need to find your Justice,” Furina assured the prophetess, then helped her to her feet. “Now, um, I actually do really need to go to the bathroom…so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Of course,” Fortuna agreed, then blushed. “I, er, Dehya…help me find a stall, please…”

After seeing to her business, Furina went back to the table with Fortuna and Deyha, where Charlotte was waiting to pounce. 

“Zo, Miss Fairtuna, I’ve been doéng zum diggeng online. Do you 'ave any commont on la group known as,” Charlotte paused for dramatic effect, her eyes gleaming as Barbara held up her camera to record the reaction, “CAULDRON!?”

“If you’ve been doing digging online, then you know that if I did, I could say nothing, and if I didn’t, I would still say nothing,” Fortuna said with a shrug, easily playing it off. 

Deyha and Geoffrey, however, had both gone stiff, their expressions becoming utterly blank, and Furina and Yennifer both sighed as Charlotte’s eyes gleamed. “A-ha! Zo, zen yo-”

“Will drop it, and enjoy this nice lunch while we are on holiday,” Yennifer growled. Charlotte shot her a scandalized look, and would have said more, but the waitress came over, all smiles just then. 

“How was everything, everyone? Did you leave room for dessert?” the waitress was dressed up like a meerkat from the movie The Lion King, which was yet another film that Furina had not had the opportunity to watch, but seemed quite charming. 

“Yes! I want to know the recipe for Chakalaka!” Diane said excitedly, her tail lashing back and forth. 

The waitress blinked. “Oh! Is…is that…? Never mind, um the recipe is-”

“Yes! It is real,” Diane bragged, preening at the attention. “I am indeed a little lioness! I only decided to become a human three days ago! See? I have real cat ears! If you promise to give me the recipe, I shall consent to let you pet them to show your devotion.”

The waitress cooed over Diane, but glanced at Furina and Yennifer first. “Um, is one of you her mother?”

“We’re her mothers, yes,” Yennifer affirmed. 

“Oh! Um, congratulations! She’s so adorable! The cooks really would get a kick out of seeing a real lioness at Cafe Hakuna Matata, and I’m sure they’d love to share the recipe with her…”

And so, Furina, Yennifer, and Diane got a private tour in the back, where the cooks did indeed exclaim over how adorable their daughter was, and Diane got to put on gloves and a hair net, along with a chef’s hat that was much too big for her along with an apron with Timone and Pumba on it. Charlotte and Barbara documented the whole thing, eagerly snapping pictures and interviewing the cooks, who universally were in love with Diane and her enthusiasm. 

 Then, several of the chefs eagerly instructed Diane on how to cook the chakalaka, which was a vegan dish of tomatoes, sweet peppers, white beans, and chickpeas. 

“She is a fine little chef!” one of the cooks laughed as Diane very seriously tossed the dish in the pan with both hands, as she’d been instructed. 

“She’s got quite the passion for it,” Furina agreed. “Not sure where she got it from: neither Yen nor I are more than indifferent cooks.”

“Do you not remember, Maman? When you rescued me from the stinky dark place, you took me to a wonderful warm place full of food, where Master Ling and Uncle Mao work!” Diane said, not taking her eyes off her cooking. 

“I’m surprised you remember that. You were just a kitten, not more than a couple of weeks old,” Furina said, smiling at Diane as she labored over the food. 

“She really was a cat?” one of the cooks asked curiously. 

“I AM a cat. I just also decided to be a human, because it’s very hard to cook without thumbs! Now pass me that seasoning, this needs more cha-cha! You know, the tasty powders!” 

In the end, Diane eagerly presented her dish to Fortuna and her bodyguards, bowing politely and having to hold her chef’s hat to her head, as she refused to take it off. “I am very sorry. I shouldn’t have used you like a tree to catch the pig-on. Even if it would have been very tasty.”

After Furina translated what Diane had said into English for Fortuna, the blind woman smiled and shook her head. “There is nothing to forgive. I am grateful you chose me as your tree, Diane. May you be as great a huntswoman as your namesake.”

Fortuna took a bite, then exclaimed over how tasty the dish was and shared it with Dehya and Geoffrey, who agreed it was quite good. Diane puffed up with pride, and strutted about, declaring, “Yes, yes, my chakalaka is the most tastiest in all the land!” 

After that, there were more pictures, the staff of Cafe Hakuna Matata reluctantly bid farewell to Diane, though they did let her keep the chef’s hat and apron to her delight. 

They were going to go on a few more rides, but a few steps from the cafe, and Diane began to flag. She walked over to Yennifer and mumbled, “Carry me,” stretching her hands up.

Yennifer scooped up Diane, who snuggled up on her shoulder, and in a few minutes, passed out. They’d been at the park since it had opened, and it was now midafternoon. Apparently, that was enough fun and excitement for now.

“Well, I don’t want to leave just yet, but we’ll need to find a quiet, shady place to let Diane nap,” Furina said. That was something children did, wasn’t it? 

She wasn’t surprised Fortuna insisted on coming along, even as Charlotte badgered her with more questions that increasingly had Dehya and Geoffrey uncomfortable. 

Yennifer leaned in to Furina, “That blind bimbo isn’t bothering you, is she?”

“She’s a very powerful seer and prophet,” Furina whispered back. “She knows who I am, but has promised not to say anything. Let her tag along. I have a feeling she’ll be very useful as an ally.”

Yennifer’s eyes went wide as she adjusted the now drooling Diane on her shoulder, but she nodded. They found a place in the shade of a few trees and settled down, settling Diane between them and letting the sleepy girl rest for a while.

They had been sitting for about fifteen minutes, Furina getting ready to take a nap herself, when she sensed something dangerous approaching, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She looked around, but saw only a couple of security guards walking by. Still, something didn’t feel right. She sensed the presence of a demon, and held Diane to her protectively. 

“Furina?” Yennifer whispered, suddenly alarmed. “What is-” she trailed off, then glared at the security guards, who were leering at them. 

“Having a pleasant afternoon, Mademoiselle Lustria?” one of the guards said. He was a misshapen man, with a crooked nose and a face that looked like he belonged in a circus freakshow. One leg was slightly taller than the other as well, and he was slapping his palm with his billy club. Odd, Furina hadn’t seen security guards with those at Disneyland before. Wait, his badge was malformed as well, and that other man.

“Schleich di, Iron Mask,” Yennifer growled. “And take your toady with you.”

The security guards twisted, and suddenly a USIP Captain and Iron Mask himself stood before them. Furina gasped and clutched the still snoring Diane to her, while Charlotte and Barbara lept to their feet, a book appearing in Charlotte’s hands, and a spear falling into Barbara’s. 

“Put those away, girls. We don’t fight this one with steel,” Yennifer said coldly.

“I could have you fined for that,” Iron Mask sneered at Charlotte and Barbara, behind whom Fortuna was looking about wildly, while Deyha and Geoffrey were trying to pull her away. Iron Mask turned his attention back to Yennifer. “I’m here out of courtesy to give you a warning. Keep that beast where it belongs. If it assaults another person, I’ll have to have DDPP haul her away as a public menace. And keep it on a leash.”

Fury roared through Furina’s veins, and she had to very firmly put the Hydro Authority out of her own grasp to prevent her from blasting this enfoiré from here to Normandy.

Oh, if you won’t, I will! How DARE he call my beloved granddaughter an it!

Gently, Yennifer handed Diane to Furina, then stood up, her face expressionless, and tone mild. “Are you threatening my daughter, sir?”

“Daughter? Don’t be absurd. That thing is an-” Iron Mask raised a hand to block Yennifer’s furious slap, and grinned at her. “-animal. Much like its owner.”

“She is my DAUGHTER. Accidental or not, that child is mine and Furina’s! And Diane is loved and treasured as any child should be!” Yennifer raged. 

Iron Mask tut-tutted and shook his head. “Legally, it’s nothing but a cat. And, as you should know perfectly well, animals are property, and treated as such.”

“As of 1976, France has recognized animal sentience! They have rights, and Diane is no animal!” 

“She has the right to be put in conditions according to her biological needs. Which, as a cat, does not include trips to Disneyland,” Iron Mask said coldly. 

“She just attempted to assault you, sir. Should I arrest her?” the USIP captain asked.

“No, no. She is but a woman, overwrought because of her delicate attachment to her pet. It would not be gentlemanly to press charges over such a thing,” Iron Mask chortled. Then he leaned in, his eyes flashing with deadly calm. “Miss Lustria. I have tolerated your shenanigans long enough. You will defy me no longer. I can still press charges against your lover and sister. I can have your pet taken away for public safety. For now, I will not do these things. But try my patience again, and I will not stay my hand. If I were you, I would take my little farce of a family and scurry back to Germany. Wouldn’t we both be happier, then?”

Yennifer seethed, but aside from balling her hands into fists, said and did nothing. 

“This is your only warning. As I said, consider this a courtesy. Keep that thing tamed, and out of the way. If she becomes a public nuisance…well. On your head be it.” With that, Iron Mask turned his back and strode away, taking on the guise of a Disneyland security guard, the USIP captain’s form shifting as well. 

Yennifer stood there, panting and trembling as Furina picked up Diane, who mumbled and stirred, and stood up next to Yennifer.

“Charlotte,” Furina said quietly. “We’re going to make another video.”

“You got it,” Charlotte said, stepping up next to Furina. “I can guess the subject.”

“You got it on video, didn’t you, Barbara?” Furina asked. 

Barbara nodded grimly. “Every word of it.” 

“Good. We’ll be posting it online,” Furina said, her mind already racing ahead and calculating. “Contact the newspapers. The television stations. Your mother. Everyone. We need a massive campaign to get the laws changed. Let everyone who’s coming to the Bastille Day Rally in two days know what’s at stake now.”

“I can help!” Fortuna said, hurrying forward, her cane clacking on the ground. “I didn’t understand what was being said, but it seemed serious!” 

Furina turned and smiled at her, though the other woman couldn’t see it. “Having a prophet on our side will be most useful. We’ll need to consult you as to our best course of action.”

“Of course!” Fortuna added eagerly. 

“We’re not supposed to get caught up in local politics. And Iron Mask is the ally of our employer,” Geoffrey said, sounding rather firm.

“Geof?” Dehya growled. 

“Yes?”

“Fuck off. We’re in,” Dehya said, her eyes flashing. “Fuck that guy. Your kid is adorable and precious, and anyone who fucks with cat girls fucks with the entire internet.”

“Dehya, Saint Security-”

“Is going to stand up for the rights of adorable cat girls anywhere, or I quit here and now!” Dehya vowed. 

Geoffrey groaned, but didn’t protest further. 

“Then let’s get to work. We have a lot to do before the show begins,” Furina said, and turned and hurried for the park exit. 

Arrest Furina herself? She could live with that. Taunt her lover and run roughshod over the people? Furina would work within the system to bring about Justice and change.

But threaten her daughter?

It was time for the God of Justice to lay down the law. 

Author’s Note: 

Ya’ll done goofed. Ya got the Cinamon Roll mad. Ya shouldnta did that. 

Translations:

*”MWHAHA! BEHOLD! FOR I AM THE GREATEST OF HUNTERS! I HAVE CAPTURED THE SKY RAT FOR MY DINNERS!” 

**”Young lady if you don’t drop that disgusting bird right now, I’m going to deliver justice to your behind!” 

***”But mother! Do you not see my skillful display of prowess as a huntress? And look at how fat and beautiful this flying rat is I caught!”

****”I’m gonna have to ask all three of you to step away from Miss Fortuna. Hands where I can see them, please.” 

*****Holy Tabernacle, now we’re in the shit. 

******“Oh, I’m the reckless one? They’re threatening my daughter and I’m going to kick their ass. 

*******”I’m sorry I jumped on top of you but it was the only way to catch dinner! I’ll share if you help me catch another rat with wings.” 

*********” (Oh my God, German), we’re not eating that disgusting pigeon! We have reservations at Walt’s! If you don’t get us kicked out of the park!”

@ “Diane, tell the nice lady and her bodyguards you’re sorry.” 

@@“But I’m not sorry! OW! I am sorry.”

@@@”I’m hungry! Let me cook this pig-on for lunch!”