Nyze was having an extremely weird day.

She’d never expected to see her ex-boyfriend Diarn ever again; last she’d heard, the scoundrel had been thrown out onto the streets by a capricious Church and was very near death. She certainly didn’t anticipate discovering the former hero alive and well in the Outer District, and wearing a dress to boot.

She needed answers, and she needed them NOW.

“What exactly is going on here, Diarn?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. She had a sneaking suspicion, but wanted to hear the answer spoken clearly before jumping to any conclusions.

Diane, for her part, was utterly mortified at seeing her jilted ex-lover again, and in demonic form to boot. “W-Well, it’s a long story…”

Metokai, trying to keep the balance, stepped between the two of them. “Serpent, ex-Hero, a moment. I’m certain the upcoming conversation will be highly entertaining, but may I suggest we hold it in a more private setting? I might remind you we are currently in a public alleyway with two unconscious men at our feet.”

“Good point,” Nyze conceded, nodding to Diane. “We need to move somewhere discreet.”

“H-How about Fangs’ place?” Diane quietly suggested.

“Excellent idea. Let’s go.” Nyze agreed. “You first, ex-Hero. Don’t even think about running. Even on illusory feet, I’m way faster than you.”

Diane quivered and shrank back, still tense and stammering. “I w-would never dream of it.”

Metokai peered up at the pair curiously. “Wait a moment, I missed something. Who exactly is Fangs?”

******

Young and idealistic fools often dived into the adventuring profession expecting to do good deeds and be lauded as heroes; such naïve perceptions vanished quickly. For all the bluster and propaganda maintained by the Adventurer’s Guild, the truth is their charges were little more than state-sanctioned mercenaries, skilled in the application of precision violence in exchange for coin. Indeed, adventurers often spent the bulk of their time in Goezia’s seediest places, seeking information or marks in the underworld. For that reason, it was entirely common for them to have professional relationships with organized crime.

The many generations of Heroes, for all their supposed moral fortitude, were no different. Back before Diane’s humiliating defeat at the hands of the Demon Lord, she had a deep web of underworld contacts running throughout Saimonica. Fangs was one such contact, and a trusted one at that.

“So how did they get the name ‘Fangs’ anyway?” Metokai asked as Nyze rapped her knuckles on a nondescript wooden door. They were in a seedy and seemingly abandoned cul-de-sac, exactly the sort of place you’d expect to find a crime lord.

“You’ll see,” Nyze replied with a knowing and slightly mischievous smile.

A previously-hidden Saimonican glyph on the door lit up with violet mana and began speaking in a deep, sultry voice. “Hello, my dear Nyze. I never expected to see you again. Hasn’t the Church declared you a traitor?”

Nyze shrugged. “Same for you, Fangs. As I recall, the city guard has an execute-on-sight order for you.”

The glyph responded with hearty laughter. “True enough, and Diane isn’t exactly in their good graces either. What about the third?”

All eyes snapped to the diminutive Metokai, who harrumphed in reply. Nyze quickly spoke up on her behalf. “This is Metokai, a good friend of mine. I’ll vouch for her,”

The glyph was apparently satisfied with that answer, as it promptly vanished. The door obligingly swung open with a creak.

“There we go,” Nyze said, peering questioningly at the ex-Hero. “‘Diane,’ huh?”

Diane’s eyes sank to the ground. “As I said, it’s a long story.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing it,” Nyze said with a smirk, before turning back to the doorway and crossing the threshold.

Beyond the dingy exterior of the building was an ornately decorated foyer, with violet curtains and gold detailing on the walls. Two sets of curving stairs flared up from either side of the room, meeting towards the rear to form a balcony that overlooked the whole lavish space. Standing atop that balcony was a sheer unstoppable force of a woman.

Fangs was over six feet tall and heavily built; her every sharp movement sent thick muscles rippling just under her skin. She was heavily tattooed from neck to toe, her ink displaying images of a bewilderingly complex underwater panorama. Every imaginable form of sea life, from fish to crab to giant squid, sprawled across her skin. Her face was bisected by a large scar running from her left eye to her right jaw, and her wildly frizzy black hair hung down near to her ankles, somewhat resembling an overgrown lion’s mane. She dressed in a lavish purple robe with gold embroidery that hung open at the chest, and clutched a long tobacco pipe in her left hand.

“Welcome, my fellow traitors!” Fangs said grandly; as she spoke, she exposed rows of glistening, sharp teeth. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“We need a private room to discuss sensitive matters,” Nyze explained, spreading her glamoured feet wide and folding her arms over her chest in a gesture of confidence. “Discreet, of course. No bugs.”

Fangs’ mouth twisted into a grin, which conveyed a sharkish air due to her pointed teeth. “You got gold?”

“Unmarked, yes, we have plenty.”

Fangs climbed up on the railing of the balcony and leapt off, somersaulting once in the air before landing a few feet in front of Nyze. The sound of her two hundred pounds of muscle hitting the floor made a loud THUD that caused Diane to wince involuntarily.

“Usually that proposal would be fine,” Fangs said, fixing her eyes on Nyze’s, “but your identity makes things more complicated. It’s not every day I get visits from demons, after all. Before we go any further, how about we drop the pretenses?”

Metokai looked at Nyze uncertainly. “Serpent?”

Nyze sighed as she dispelled her glamour. “Sorry, Metokai. I thought this might happen. Fangs is very good. Not only is her information network unparalleled, but she can easily sniff through any glamour. Regardless, she won’t turn us in… at least, so long as she sees an opportunity for profit.”

Metokai met Fangs’s gaze, her mouth sinking into a frown as she likewise dispelled her own glamour. “Well, that’s quite fortunate. Despite your impressive physicality, I assure you that you don’t want to make an enemy of me.”

Fangs’s threatening grin widened. “I don’t? Why not?”

“Because,” Metokai said, shaking out her newly-freed hooves, “you wouldn’t survive my wrath.”

“That so?” Fangs responded, not wavering. “You’re very small and I’m very large. You think you can take me?”

“Easily,” Metokai said. “Someone of your experience surely knows that size isn’t everything. Care to test me?”

There was a tense silence, then Fangs broke out into hearty laughter. “AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I see you’re still keeping good company, Nyze. I like this little baphomet warrior. There’s no pretension, merely unbridled bloodlust, great power and unflinching honesty.”

“You’ll find most demons are the same,” Nyze replied. “It’s one of the big reasons I switched sides.”

“And YOU!” Fangs marveled, circling around Nyze and studying her well-muscled arms and snake tail. “A lamia? I never would have figured. What a powerful-looking body! I’m legitimately jealous. Why, with that tail, you could squeeze the life out of anyone, and see the fear in their eyes as they-”

Nyze grimaced and interrupted. “Let’s stick to business, Fangs. Can we have the room?”

Fangs brought her pipe to her mouth and took a long drag, exhaling the smoke through her nose. “Sure. I have one condition, though.”

“And what might that be?” Nyze asked suspiciously.

“Whatever you three are planning, I want in,” Fangs replied. “Demons infiltrating Saimonica? This has to be good. I want a piece of the action.”

“Because you smell profit?” Metokai asked.

“Oh yeah, loads of it,” Fangs replied, utterly unashamed of her naked greed. “Demonic gold is just as good as human so far as I’m concerned. Besides, I’m no great friend of the Church. If you’re planning to undermine them—and I know you are—I want in.”

Metokai smiled thinly. “Your honesty is appreciated. How about this?” She whipped a bag out of hammerspace and tossed it over to Fangs, who caught it handily. “There’s two thousand gold in there, in the form of unmarked platinum coins. Consider that a down payment for our future cooperation. That said, I will need to discuss your proposal with my associates… in private.”

Fangs hefted the bag, feeling its weight, then sniffed it; a small bit of drool escaped the corner of her mouth as she confirmed the authenticity of the coin. “I didn’t hear any guarantees, demon, only a promise that you’d consider my offer. What if I refuse?”

Metokai vanished from sight for a nanosecond, then reappeared with the coin bag in her paws. “Then I take all this money and we go elsewhere.”

Fangs gasped and looked over to her now-empty hand. “When did you…”

Now it was Metokai’s turn to grin. “As I said previously, you don’t want to make me your enemy. I’d rip out your spine before you even perceived my attack.”

Fangs’ grin returned, all the wider. “Oh, I really like you. Point well taken. We have a deal.”

******

As Nyze shut the door of the small wooden conference room, Metokai began scrying for surveillance spells and Diane collapsed into a chair.

“I see why they call her ‘Fangs,’” Metokai said as she worked. “Surely those teeth aren’t natural… right, serpent?”

“Nope,” Nyze confirmed. “She had them changed via dental shaping magic to appear scarier. You didn’t seem to be particularly intimidated, though.”

“It’s not my first time dealing with a crime lord,” Metokai replied simply as she finished her scry.

Nyze raised an eyebrow. “There are crime lords in the Demon Realm?”

“Of course there are, serpent,” Metokai responded. “Why wouldn’t there be? Besides, Fangs reminds me a lot of Psytalla… just motivated by greed instead of justice. If her surveillance network is as expansive as you say, she may make a valuable ally to the Whispers.”

“Well, we can discuss that in detail later,” Nyze said dismissively, her gaze snapping to Diane. “So, Diane, care to explain a few things? Let’s start with the name.”

“I’m quite curious as well,” Metokai added.

Diane stared at the pair of curious demons and gulped. “W-Well… you see… i-it’s a very long story…”

“Start at the beginning, Diane,” Metokai said, softening her tone. “Take it slow if you have to.”

“R-Right.” Diane took a deep breath. “I-It all began when I was kicked out of the Church…”

******

Isochronously, in Velour’s office inside the Crimson Coterie, a much more pleasant conversation was taking place.

“RIXU!” Velour exclaimed, dashing forwards to catch the man in a big bear hug. “Good to see you again! Tess was worried, as usual. You must stop dashing off into danger, my friend!”

Rixu leaned into his hug and smiled. “Glad to see you too, Vel. Believe me, I’d love to retire peacefully and never put my life in peril again, but life has other ideas. Speaking of, may I introduce Valex?”

Valex stepped forwards, curtseying courteously. As she dipped, she briefly closed her eyes to hide a flash of teal light in her irises. No surveillance spells, she told Rixu telepathically. The room’s clean.

Rixu gave her the barest of nods in acknowledgement. Velour, none the wiser, returned Valex’ curtsey. “Pleased to meet you, Valex. Any friend of Rixu’s is welcome here.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Valex replied warmly.

“Speaking of, where is Tessaria?” Rixu asked, looking around the room. “She should be present for this conversation.”

“She just finished up with a client,” Vel answered. “She’s washing up and will be here s-“

“RIXUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!” came a voice from the door. Seconds later, a flying bundle of Tessaria collided with Rixu’s torso. The tackle-hug caused his knees to buckle a bit, but he quickly regained his footing and smoothly caught Tess in a princess carry.

Grinning, Rixu dove in for a quick smooch before setting Tessaria down gently. “Hello! Been well, Tess?”

Tessaria shrugged in reply. “I guess? We’ve had a very weird month. But first things first, how was your secret mission?”

“Well…” Rixu began, his smile dimming a bit, “do you remember what we talked about before we left? How I was concerned about my friend who was accompanying me on the trip?”

“Yeah,” Tess confirmed. “You thought they might be a woman trapped in a man’s body, much like I was.”

“Indeed.” Rixu paused for a moment and shot a questioning glance at Valex, who nodded in reply. “I was right, as it turns out. Tessaria, may I introduce the friend in question. Her name is Valex.”

Tessaria looked at Valex, then did a double take. “You?!”

“Yeah, me,” Valex replied sheepishly, twiddling her fingers. “Before we left for the Demon Realm, I was a big buff man named Bob. Now… well, let’s just say meeting the Demon Lord turned out to be far more transformational than I anticipated. Quite suddenly, I had a body that matched my true inner self.”

“The Demon Lord turned you into a woman?! INSTANTLY?!” Tess gasped.

“W-Well, it was one of her generals, but yes…” Valex replied uncertainly.

“Demons can do that?” Vel added, equally incredulous. “Using what? Advanced shaping magic? Super hormones?”

“N-Not exactly. There’s a caveat to my transformation,” Valex cautioned nervously as she began to shimmer with indigo light.

Rixu cleared his throat. “Remember, Valex is a good friend of mine. Please don’t panic.”

As Tess and Vel watched with shock-wide eyes, Valex dispelled her glamour and her silver hair, fox ears and fox tail all came into view.

“D-D-D-D-D-D-DEMON!” Tess yelped as she jumped backwards in a panic. She flicked her wrist and a knife appeared in her hand.

Rixu dashed forwards, placing his body between her and Valex. “WHOA! Settle down! As I said, she’s a friend. She’s not a danger to anyone.”

“How could she be a friend?!” Tess protested. “Demons are evil! They’re bloodthirsty monsters who kill for fun and eat the flesh of the dead!”

Rixu frowned. “According to who, Tess?”

“According to the Chu—” Tess stopped cold, realizing what she was saying. “Wait, you’re telling me the Church was lying about the demons too?”

“Why not?” Vel said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “They lie about everything else.”

Tess shot him a suspicious glare as she sheathed her knife. “You’re taking this all in stride, Vel. Why so calm?”

“I’ve seen a lot of weird shit during my life,” Vel responded matter-of-factly. “This doesn’t even make the top ten.”

“Vel’s point is correct, though,” Rixu said, steering the conversation back on course. “As it turns out, the demons are actually very friendly. They have an advanced culture that’s far more free and tolerant than Saimonica’s. For example, in the Demon Realm, there’s absolutely no prejudice against transgender people.”

“What is ‘transgender?’” Tess asked.

“It’s the demonic term for people like yourself and Valex,” Rixu replied. “Those whose bodies don’t match the gender they are on the inside.”

Valex’s fox ears flicked, but her tail remained stock-still. “You see, I was transgender but too dense to realize it on my own. When a mishap in the Demon Realm gave me this body, I was forced to reconcile with my identity and admit that this is my true self, fox ears and all. A-Aren’t they cute, by the way?” She scratched one of her ears nervously.

Feeling a sudden weariness, Tess stumbled towards a nearby chair and sank into it. “This is a lot to take in…”

“Solid 6/10 on the incredulity scale,” Vel added, smoothly ducking as Tess threw a wad of paper at him.

“I know it seems strange, but trust me when I say it’s all true,” Rixu said. “You have my word.”

Tess leaned forwards and took a deep breath. “Alright. Okay. I trust you more than anything, Rixu, and I like to think of myself as open-minded. Please, explain all this to me in detail.”

Tess’ begrudging acceptance brought a full smile back to Rixu’s face. “I’ll try, although I’m no bard. This all began when I met Valex, then going by Bob, in the Upper District, cloaked in a rather attractive female glamour…”

“Eep!” Valex yelped, her tail’s hairs puffing up like a startled cat’s fur. “D-Do we have to tell this part?”

“Oh no, please continue,” Tess said, eyeing Valex with budding glee. “I want to hear every detail.”

Valex gulped, her face flushing red. “F-Fine… keep going… it’s all so embarrassing though…”

Rixu raised an eyebrow. “I can try and gloss over the embarrassing parts.”

“Oh no,” Tess objected, grinning as she sensed a kindred soul in the blushing fox demon. “Don’t you dare.”

******

Nyze whistled, long and low. “Wow. That’s quite a story.”

“I can hardly believe it myself,” Diane said, wringing her hands nervously. Her eyes were glued to the floor, but every so often she stole a nervous glance at Nyze.

The lamia, meanwhile, grumpily turned to Metokai. “What do you make of this?”

The diminutive baphomet, sensing the tension in the room, trotted carefully. “Well, the details match up with what we already know. Rixu told us he encountered the ex-Hero at the Anti-Demon Wall, and that she was subsequently kicked out of the White Monolith onto the streets of the Outer District. Diane’s description of Tessaria also matches what Rixu told us. Still, it’s a rather unbelievable confluence of events, wouldn’t you say, serpent?”

“No kidding,” Nyze hissed. “I would have been happy if I’d never seen you again, Diane.”

“…I’m sorry…” Diane whispered, almost inaudibly. She’d been afraid this conversation would take a turn for the hostile, and it seemed she’d been right.

“Serpent,” Metokai said gently, patting Nyze on the thigh. “I know this must be hard for you.”

“That’s an understatement,” Nyze grumbled back.

“Uhm… C-Can I ask a question?” Diane peeped, her interruption earning withering stares from lamia and baphomet alike.

“I suppose,” Nyze replied coldly.

Diane inhaled sharply before continuing, steeling herself. “Nyze, I know that you h-hate me… and for good reason. I treated you horribly while we were…”

“We were never together,” Nyze spat.

“…I was going to say ‘pretending’” Diane clarified.

Nyze pressed her lips tight in a grimace. “That’s a good term for it.”

Diane averted her eyes from Nyze’s expression and continued. “Y-Yeah. Anyway, after how I treated you, I wouldn’t blame you for leaving me to those thugs. Yet you rescued me, and even now you’re… well…”

Metokai studied Diane closely. “She’s what?”

“Not… making fun of me. Of th-this.” Diane gestured to her dress. “As soon as you found out my new name, you never used my old one. And Metokai even referred to me as ‘she.’ Why are you being so gracious if you h-hate me so much?”

Nyze, already deep enough into the demonic mindset that her old human prejudices seemed a distant dream, found herself confused by the premise of the question. “What do you mean? Diane, I’m angry at you for your past chauvinism, misogyny and egotism. Even so, I would never invalidate your identity. That would make me every bit as bad as you used to be.”

“Used to…” Diane muttered, then spoke louder. “So you have no issue with me being… like this?”

“A girl?” Nyze asked, seeking clarification.

“Y-Yeah… I mean, this isn’t normal, right?”

Nyze shrugged nonchalantly and shooed away Diane’s concerns with a wave of her hand. “It’s every bit as normal as me being a lesbian, Diane. My dislike of you as a person doesn’t give me the right to deny your existence as a transgender woman.”

Diane tilted her head. “Trans… what?”

Metokai, sensing an opening for de-escalation, trotted forward and began to explain. “‘Transgender’ is a demonic term for a person whose gender identity doesn’t match their assigned gender at birth. This is fairly common in the Demon Realm, with approximately 20% of demons changing genders at some point in their lives… sometimes more than once. There’s no stigma attached to gay, lesbian or transgender identities among demons. Nyze is simply manifesting that perspective.”

Diane gasped, taken aback. “Nyze! Is that true?”

Nyze found herself astounded by Diane’s incredulity. “Uhm, yes? The demons have their shit figured out way better than humans.”

“No wonder you joined them so readily…” Diane mused, wonderment creeping into her voice.

Nyze felt a sharp poke in her thigh and glared down at an expectant Metokai before groaning and rolling her eyes. “Fine, shrimp, fine. I’ll play nice.” She glanced at Diane, who was staring at her with wide eyes. “Look, Diane, even though I find your presence uncomfortable because of all the bad memories it brings, I don’t hate you. Okay?”

“You… I… you’re too… uuuuu…” Diane sniffled a few times, and then began to sob. She prostrated herself on her hands and knees, bowing deeply to Nyze.

“I’m sorrrrrrryyyyyyyy!” she bawled. “F-For everything I did, all the h-h-hatred I subjected you t-t-t-to. I’m so, so sorry. Y-You deserved betterrrrrrrrrr…”

Nyze stared at Diane, unsure of what to say. “Um…”

Diane swallowed and sniffed, getting her sobs under control a bit. “I was so b-bad to you, and you were s-so good to me… it’s true, I never d-deserved you. I’m glad you f-f-f-f-found someone who takes c-care of you… s-someone who succeeded where I failed. I sincerely h-hope you and Psytalla are h-h-happy together.”

Cast adrift by this confusing development, Nyze looked to Metokai for help. “What do I do?” she whispered.

“That’s up to you and you alone,” Metokai answered, also whispering. “There is a whole range of possible reactions from accepting her apology to telling her to scram and never speak with you again. You were the one wronged so only you can decide, serpent. That said…”

“That said?” Nyze echoed, annoyed.

“Remember, Diane grew up under the same repressive regime that you did, serpent. Much of her past toxicity seems linked to the fact that she had to hide who she truly is. You know firsthand how that can deeply wound a person’s mental health.”

Nyze sighed and clawed her hand, digging her fingertips into her scalp. “Urgh… fine.” She slithered forwards, stopping a foot in front of the still-shaking ex-Hero.

“Diane, look…” she began. Diane obligingly lifted up her head, staring at Nyze with limpid eyes.

“Er, uh… well. I can’t exactly say this is easy for me. You’re the last person I ever expected to meet again, and never under these circumstances. That said… I have no intention of accepting your apology because, frankly, I still haven’t forgiven you.”

“I u-understand…” Diane whimpered.

“Remember what I said before though,” Nyze continued. “I don’t hate you either. I can see you’re making a genuine effort to be a better person, and I firmly believe everyone deserves that second chance. Well, almost everyone.”

Diane lifted her head, bleary eyes filled with hope. “D-Does that mean…”

Nyze leaned forwards, extending her hand down towards Diane. The latter took it, drawing in a sharp breath as Nyze lifted her to her feet.

“The onus is on you now, Diane,” Nyze said. “I’m willing to give you the opportunity to prove that you’ve changed. It won’t be easy, mind, given everything that came before. You’ll have to work hard.”

Diane nodded frantically. “I will! I will! Th-Thank you for givin—”

“Alright, that’s enough schmaltzy talk,” Nyze said, releasing Diane’s hand. “Let’s get back to business. Metokai, I believe we have an agreement to negotiate with Fangs.”

“Indeed we do,” Metokai responded, smiling slyly as Nyze turned and slithered towards the door.

“You come along too, Diane,” Nyze said without so much as a glance backwards. “We can’t very well leave a weak little thing like you alone in this part of town. You’ll be safer with us. Hop to.”

“R-Right!” Diane said. As Nyze left the room, she turned towards Metokai and spoke quietly. “This is going to be d-difficult, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. You have much to atone for, and Nyze is no innocent maiden offering you salvation. That said, the demons have a saying that I think applies: ‘The serpent’s scales are hard, but they must molt eventually.’”

“Uh…” Diane grasped. “I might be lacking some cultural context…”

Metokai chuckled dryly. “It means that hard work and persistence is often rewarded. Continue to follow the path you are now, and you’ll do fine.” With that, she trotted out of the room as well.

Diane stood there for a moment, a chaotic swirl of thoughts buffeting her brain, before gritting her teeth and stumbling along after the two demons.

******

Contemporaneously, Rixu polished off his tale to the delight of Vel and Tess.

“These demons sound simply wonderful!” Tess gushed. “Wow, I can’t believe I just said that.”

Vel, still caught up in the drama, clutched his chest and leaned into facetiousness. “Everything I’ve ever known is a lie!”

Valex, meanwhile, was mortified. She planted her face in her hands, ears plastered flat against her head and tail waving slowly. “Aaaaaaa. My dignity… my dignity…”

Tess bounded to her feet, strode over to Valex and patted her on the head gently. “Quite the contrary, fox girl. I think it was brave of you to reveal yourself so openly to us.”

Valex’s ears perked up and her tail began to wag. “R-Really?”

“Yeah. Not everyone has the courage to allow their inner selves to be exposed like that. And, in exchange…” Tess leaned forwards, whispering into one of Valex’s ears, “I’ll tell you the story of my own ‘transgender’ experience.”

Valex sat bolt-upright, her tail now wagging furiously. “REALLY?!”

Tess found herself easily swept up in the fox-girl’s enthusiasm and grinned. “Sure thing!” She turned to Rixu, a question on her lips. “Is she always this cute?”

“Always,” Rixu replied with a smirk.

“Aaaaaaaaaaa,” was all Valex could manage in reply.

“By the way, Tess, don’t you dare leave anything out,” Rixu cautioned. “If you skip any embarrassing details, I’ll fill them in myself. Valex bared her soul to you, so you’d better reciprocate fully.”

“I would never betray anyone so cute as her!” Tess declared, then launched into her story. “Besides, I have no shame to speak of. Okay, so. The scene: a lonely guard post thirty miles south-southwest of Arcryid. The time: three years ago, on a clear and cool summer night. I was getting shitfaced on a big ol’ bottle of Crystalclear, when…”

As Tess spun her story, Vel sidled over to Rixu. “Where are your other two friends, by the way? The snake and the… goat, right?”

“Please don’t call her a ‘goat’ to her face if you value your life,” Rixu cautioned, involuntarily cringing as he pictured Metokai’s wrath. “She’s a baphomet. Ba-pho-met.”

Vel, sensing Rixu’s intensity, decided not to point out that a baphomet was, in fact, a kind of goat-demon. “Right, right. Baphomet. Message received.”

“Good. Anyway, we’re scheduled to meet up again at morrow’s first bell,” Rixu continued. “Knowing them, they’re probably out on the town and getting into all sorts of trouble.”

As usual, Rixu was far more insightful than he realized.

pynkbites

And thus the long-awaited reunion occurs! Yet tension persists... it seems a lifetime of toxicity cannot be undone with a single apology. Even so, Diane seems to be heading in the right direction, no?

My dear readers, especially those who live in the United States, it's my sincerest hope that my writing can bring you some small bit of joy in these horrifying times. That said, if you have the means, please consider donating to support abortion access for the most vulnerable folk who will be impacted by this terrifying fascist assault on human rights.

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