After Steph had ended up being alone with Fey, the two engaged in a rather extensive conversation. The dog-girl really wanted to get closer because she was interested in her and, of course, for Chloe's sake, as she was her mother. During their chat, after Fey learned a little more about the girl that had started dating her daughter, the fox got a little interested in her, enough even to invite Steph out for dinner to continue their conversation there.

"We're back! Hmm? Where is everyone?" Chloe and Mira had returned to the mansion, and the pink fox seemed confused that Sophia was the only one in the living room.

“Welcome back~.” The tiger smiled at the duo. “Everyone went out, and I'm the only one left."

“Oh, I see!” She nodded a few times. “Wait, even Feyfey?”

“Especially Feyfey~.” The blonde’s smile got bigger. “She had an extensive conversation with your girlfriend and then even went as far as inviting her to dinner.”

“That’s nice! Eh…?” It took her a moment. “She did what now?”

“Surprising, huh? The two seemed to be bonding reasonably well, even. It was really interesting listening to them from the kitchen. Albeit slightly embarrassing, as well…" Sophia scratched her cheek. "Old world me also was a topic, after all…" She had obviously listened in on them while raiding the kitchen for food.

“Wow!” Chloe couldn’t believe it. “That’s sooo great!”

“I honestly wasn’t expecting that. Not so fast, at least.” Even Mira seemed surprised. “Knowing Fey, I thought it would take her much longer to stop being stubborn. How did your sister manage to do that?”

“Steph is way too good at this using the right words to talk thing…”

“That is VERY true!” The pink girl could relate to that. “What did she say to her?"

“Well, it was more the way she said things… She figured out that Fey likes confident people that know what they want. So, she was just that, confident, decisive, and authoritative enough to show how serious she is without being condescending or disrespectful.”

“Yup, that’s how you win over Fey-fey.” The voices of the two foxes overlapped.

“She’s good.” The overseer sounded impressed.

“I’m so very happy that Steph wants to get along with Feyfey~!” Chloe sounded really cheerful. “I hope mom feels the same once she gets to know her better!”

“I don’t think it’s possible to not get along with Steph.” Sophia was quite proud of her sister, after all. “Fey does have to be a little stubborn, though. That’s just how parenting works.”

“How do you know how parenting works?” Chloe tilted her head. “Is there something you forgot to mention about your life in the other world…?”

“I most certainly did not.” She waved her hand. “I can’t wait to have a chance to give my maternal instincts a go, though! They have always been quite strong in me, and ever since coming to this world, Canir having messed with me, and having found out I actually can live them out eventually, the excitement and anticipation are strong~."

“You having a child will change this world forever…” Mira's reply was accompanied by a big smile.

“I don’t even care if you’re trying to imply anything there!” Sophia smiled back at her. "This world, any world, matters less than my right now imaginative future child! Nothing and no one will have even the slightest bit of a hint of a chance to get between her and me!”

“We should’ve met 20 years earlier…” Mira’s expression quickly turned complicated.

“I doubt I would’ve been of much help and or use when I was two or three years old.” Toddler Sophia probably couldn’t have given her many tips. “Speaking of, uhh… How are you two doing now?” Her gaze wandered between the two foxes. “Fully having made up would be impossible at this stage, but has it gotten better?”

“Mhmm…” Chloe tilted her head while glancing at her mother. “I would say so, yes.” She showed her a small smile. “I’m still really upset and also quite sad over their decisions, but I understand it now. I don’t like it, but I understand it. It wasn’t easy for Mira, either. It’s clear that she didn’t do it because she didn’t want me, far from that, so I’m more than willing to give her a real chance. She is my mother, after all. I would love to have a relationship representing that in the future, too. We, mostly her, have to put in some more work and time for that, though. I’m looking forward to that day, though.”

“Me, too!” Mira’s answer was immediate. “I’ll try harder than I ever did on anything before to make you trust me again.”

“Aww~.” Sophia liked it. “I guess that is the best outcome here! I would think that a situation like this has to take some time to be resolved. I’m really happy for the two of you that you are trying to get closer!”

“Thank you very much!”

“Now we only have to hope that I still have a sister at the end of the day, and most of the awkwardness in our group will be done, huh?" The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek.

“H-Hey!” The pink fox didn’t like her wording. “Especially because that isn’t 100% impossible for something to happen because we’re speaking about Feyfey here!”

“There’s no way Fey would do anything to her.” Mira tried to reassure her daughter. “She knows how you’d react, after all.”

“Good…” Chloe sounded relieved. “Well, as good as that sort of reasoning can be…”

“Ahahah… Well, you can rest assured that there will be no permanent damage on Steph, so I’d say it’s a good thing.”

“H-HEY!” She didn’t like that wording, either.

“I can still sense both of them with my detection magic, soo…”

“Stop it already!”

“Hehe~.” Sophia let out a chuckle. “Speaking of that, I also detect that Maya and everyone else went to the castle. They’re probably dropping off the high-maintenance couple.”

“Anna and Ari really took some damage from Mira and you having some relations to Canir, huh?” Chloe reacted with a slight smile.

"Yeah, but I'd say that her father was worse off." Her mother’s smile was much more playful. “He got triple-hit, as well. It feels a little weird saying that about myself, but that’s pretty much a standard reaction when first meeting me. Once I’m around for a while, it usually calms down quite fast, though. If the princess and her partner will be with us when traveling, they will ignore me being who I am before they even notice.”

“That’s good to hear.”

"And for the king, he already was half over my appearance at the end of our meeting because Fey, and even more so you, completely broke him with the other revelations.”

"A-Ah…” The tiger wasn’t sure what to say.

----------------

The trio kept chatting for a bit longer, long enough for Maya to return from the shopping trip with the wolves after dropping off the loud couple in the castle.

“SOPHIA!” Flying into the living room, the cat-girl immediately jumped at her tiger.

“Yes, I’m Sophia.” She tilted her head in return. “What’s up?”

“What did you do?!”

“What did I do…?” The blonde looked confused. “I need more context before I admit to something you don’t know about yet and get in even more trouble.”

“What other things?!” Maya got louder.

“Other things?” Sophia tilted her head to the other side this time. "What are you talking about?"

“I hate you so much…”

“I love you, too~.” Her mood was great. “So, what did I do? I think I behaved pretty well lately, if I dare say so myself."

“Canir has complained about that part already, too.” Mira joined the blonde’s side. “He’d like for her to let loose more again.” She smiled at her. “In this world and without blowing it up, he also added.”

“See?!” Sophia looked a little smug. “I’ve been a good girl! Wow, even I thought that sounded way too suspicious…” She stopped for a moment. “I don’t like the sound of that, including various implications of it, either… Wait, where were we again?” She got sidetracked.

“The castle!” Maya got louder again. “It was like someone had set fire to an ant nest in there! Everyone was running around and being nervous and everything!”

“Why and how do you know what an ant nest on fire is like…?” Chloe got curious about that part.

“I-It’s just a metaphor!” Her eyes started swimming

“Mhmm…" The pink fox kept staring at the cat-girl, whose expression had become awkward.

“A-Anyway!” Maya returned to glaring at Sophia. “What did you do?!”

“Exactly what we talked about, and you decided you didn’t want to deal with that much of a pain? You have no right to complain when you send Chloe, Fey, and me to the castle without supervision!"

“B-But Fey! I-I thought she’s levelheaded…”

“She may be.” Sophia smiled at her. “She’s also utterly ruthless and went with us to tell the king about the part where she raided the human kingdom, got rid of their rulers, and put some of his people as aids to the new rulers I brainwashed beforehand.”

"A-Ah.”

“Mira also showed up in the middle of it.”

“W-Why?!” Maya now faced the overseer.

“Because I thought it would be the best time for it.”

“For what?! To create maximum chaos?!”

“Exactly~.” She gave her a thumbs up in return.

“I so hate this group…” Maya looked done.

“Afterward, I told them about my portals, as discussed before. I also made the offer to connect the whole kingdom during our travels. Though, it might’ve been a tad much all at once.”

“NO KIDDING!”

“Well, I couldn’t be bothered to meet with him multiple times.” The tiger didn’t feel guilty in the slightest.

“Haa…” She hung her head. “What are the chances that Fey can actually tame her once she’s settled down with us…?” The cat-girl glanced at Mira.

“Uhh…” The overseer scratched her cheek. “Our dear Fey’s stronger than everyone else combined when it comes to… educating someone.”

“And I’m stronger than everyone else combined when it comes to being an idiot!” Sophia took it as a competition.

“Not the word I would’ve used, but that’s what I mean… Taming will be hard, and I doubt Fey would even want to do that. She will teach Sophia the basics of thinking before acting, though.”

“She’s really good at that!” Chloe nodded a few times.

“That doesn’t sound very convincing coming from you, you pink disaster!” Maya just glared at her.

“Oh, I like that title!” The disaster in question started smiling. “I know how to think before acting. Feyfey thoroughly taught me that…” She shuddered for a brief moment. “That still doesn’t mean I don’t love to let loose, especially when she’s not there to stop me~.”

“Mmhh…” Maya looked conflicted.

"Hey, it would still be a step up for me~." The blonde was having a smug day.

“Well, that is true…”

Afterward, as the cat-girl needed a break, they chatted about some less pressing matters while waiting for Fey and Steph to return from their dinner.

 

 

---

---