**Negotiator**

Luri leaned back in her chair, taking another sip of her wine. It was looking to be a long night.

The room was cozy and warm, with a fire crackling in a fireplace nearby. She was seated at a round, wooden table, where a bottle of weak wine had been placed, along with some bread and cheese. The simple wooden walls and chairs gave the room a rustic feeling, even though the Guild was located in the city.

Three others sat at the table with Luri. Cerise sat to Luri's right, looking uncomfortable but doing a fine job of hiding it. Across from Cerise was a petite female rabbit, wearing a simple tunic over her mostly-black fur, not doing nearly as good a job of hiding her nervousness. And sitting directly across from Luri herself was the lioness: tall, broad-shouldered and imposing, with notches and scars on her face from previous battles. She had removed her armor, and was wearing a simple woolen shirt and slacks, but she insisted on keeping her large broadsword slung across her back.

The lioness pounded her fist on the table, causing it to shake. Luri almost expected to hear the splintering of wood, but the table held firm, at least for the moment.

"What do you mean you can't give me a discount!?"

Luri leaned forward, setting down her wineglass and resting her elbows on the table. She threaded her fingers together, keeping her voice cool and composed. "We don't have a policy of giving out discounts for religious reasons."

"But my mission is holy!" The lioness' lips curled back into a snarl, baring her razor-sharp fangs. "Listen, otter, if I don't retrieve the holy symbol, the..."

Luri held up a hand to stop her. "My name is Luri. I suggest you use it." A few wisps of black smoke dissipated in the air in front of her.

Taken aback, the lioness backed off, sitting back into her chair, which creaked under her weight.

Luri smirked. The lioness may have been twice her size, but it was amazing what a little confidence could do. "Listen... Pela, was it? I understand where you're coming from. I'm sure the consequences would be dire -- your god will be upset, your honor will be lost, balance will not be restored, or whatever the problem is. But you have to understand that the Adventurer's Guild is, first and foremost, a business. So long as it isn't directly harmful to the common good, we don't particularly care *what* it is you're trying to accomplish. I can just promise that we will be extremely professional in making sure that it happens."

Pela huffed. She gestured towards Luri's companion. "And you think this fox will be able to do that?"

Luri nodded. "You said that your goal is to break into the stronghold of the cultists who stole your symbol with a minimum amount of noise and fuss, correct?"

"Yes. That's why I came to you folks. I'm not good at stealth."

"Then trust me when I say that Cerise is your fox. If you *are* spotted, Cerise can handle any guards with very little noise and risk."

The small rabbit sitting next to Pela had been looking intently at Cerise for most of the conversation. Now she tilted her head to one side and spoke, for the first time since she had entered the room. "Why does she wear that mask?"

Luri glanced in Cerise's direction. The mask in question covered the entirety of the lower half of the arctic fox's face. It was long and black, and pointed at the end, like a bird's beak: the kind of mask plague doctors used.

After a moment of hesitation, Cerise answered, her voice muffled: "It's for safety."

"I promise you, we're not sick," Pela said.

"She has a special condition," Luri explained. "But trust me, she's perfect for the job. Now, back to the matter of the fee. I also don't want to give a discount because, honestly, the offered price is quite reasonable. You only need her for a few days, and there's a good chance her services won't be required at all. I believe the amount I suggested should be acceptable."

Pela crossed her arms and huffed. "Very well, I accept the terms. Shall we head out immediately?"

"It's a little late for you to leave tonight," Luri said. "May I recommend starting out first thing tomorrow morning? We can offer you and your squire accommodations for the night, free of charge."

"Very well." Pela stood up, then turned to the small rabbit. "Fennel! Get my things together!" She barked.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" The rabbit's voice was almost a whimper. She hopped to her feet and began gathering up the lioness' armor. She paused, then glanced back towards Cerise. "Do... do you think maybe later we could..."

"*Now*, Fennel!"

"S-sorry!"

Luri's eyes narrowed. She almost said something, but bit her tongue. Better to not get involved in her client's affairs -- even if she didn't like what she was seeing. "I'll... go find someone to show you to a room. Please wait here. Come, Cerise." She stood up, gently pushing her chair back into its place, and left the room, Cerise in tow.

--------

Back in her room, Luri sighed, pinching the bridge above her muzzle. She did *not* like that lioness. Part of her had wanted to refuse the contract outright -- it was clearly some religious crusade that didn't actually pose any sort of real threat. But a fee was a fee, and she couldn't go around turning down contracts just because she didn't feel good about them.

But something about that lioness just rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was the way she treated her squire -- that little rabbit had looked genuinely frightened of her. Or maybe it was the fact that she had demanded the contract for free at first. Religion was fine -- it was when people started getting the idea into their head that it made them better than everyone else that it became a problem.

Sighing, Luri removed her cloak and tossed it into a corner of the small room -- she didn't even bother putting it into a dresser. Then she flung herself onto her bed, stretching her long, sinuous body for a moment before she propped herself into a sitting position against the headboard.

"Prax," she said. "I need you."

She placed her hands in a cupping shape in front of her. She took a deep breath in through her nose, opened her mouth, and exhaled.

Black smoke came pouring out of her mouth. It bubbled up at the back of her throat before falling from between her lips like a waterfall, heavy and thick. It washed over her hands, falling to the bedspread where it sat for a moment before dissipating.

Luri felt something solid in the back of her throat. She let it come, and a black, viscous mass, the size and shape of a large egg, fell from her lips, landing with a soft thud in her outstretched hands.

The mass shivered for a moment, then began to take shape. A head, a body, and legs began to appear, followed by a large tail. The texture of the shape changed, turning into soft fur. A pair of pure-white eyes opened, and Luri was now holding a small, jet-black squirrel in her hands.

It looked up at her and chittered.

"Hello, Prax," Luri said.

Her familiar immediately ran up her arm and onto her shoulder, where it pressed its head lovingly against her cheek.

"Yes, I missed you, too," she said. She held her hand up to her shoulder so Prax could step back onto it. She brought him back in front of her face. "Now, as much as I like to see you, I have a task for you."

Prax sat up straight on his haunches, as though standing at attention.

"I am feeling a bit... uneasy, tonight. Will you have a look around and make sure everything is alright? Just to reassure me."

Prax chittered, then leaped from her hands to the bed. Within seconds, he had dashed to the headboard, scrambled up both it and the wall until he reached the ceiling, and disappeared into a small hole.

Luri allowed herself to sink down onto the bed. She closed her eyes and focused. After a moment, her viewpoint changed.

She was up in the ceiling now, watching as beams of wood flew by. The Adventurer's Guild building was an old barracks that had been re-purposed: made mostly of wood, many of the walls didn't even reach the ceiling, leaving plenty of gaps where a squirrel-sized creature could climb. Prax made his way around the building with ease -- this was his home, his playground, and he knew every nook and cranny of it.

Prax began his tour of the building, with Luri along for the ride. He went by the common room, a large space with hammocks slung on multiple levels. It was mostly empty tonight, with many of their guild members out on quests. A few of those who remained were awake, maintaining equipment or reading books by candlelight. One or two even noticed Prax as he passed, giving him a friendly wave. They knew him, and were used to these kinds of tours.

Everything was fine so far.

Prax left the common room and headed towards the individual rooms. These rooms were not used as often -- mostly if guests were present, like tonight. When Prax peeked into the room that the lioness and her squire had been given, Luri noticed the first signs that something was wrong. The lioness was asleep, sprawled out on a bed that she barely fit in. The room's second bed, however, was empty.

Where was the rabbit?

*Prax*, Luri urged. *Cerise. Go check on Cerise.*

Luri couldn't control Prax -- not directly. He was his own being, with his own mind and thoughts and desires. But his senses were her senses, and his thoughts, her thoughts. He was well-trained, and he didn't hesitate at the order. In fact, the thought that came back through their connection was pleased, if simple. It was along the lines of: *Oh, the fox! She gives me treats sometimes!*

Prax made his way along the ceiling passages until he came to Cerise's room.

At first, everything looked fine. There was Cerise, asleep on her bed, turned onto her side. Her mask was sitting on a bedside table. Had Luri been worried over nothing?

Then a knock came at Cerise's door, startling the fox awake. Uh-oh.

Yawning, rubbing her eyes, Cerise stumbled towards the door. "Fia, is that you?"

*Your mask, girl! Don't forget your mask!* Luri was practically screaming in her head, causing Prax to flinch.

But Cerise did forget her mask -- not that it would have mattered much, anyway. Cerise had been asleep for a little while, and the room was already a thick soup of pheromones. Luri could smell it through Prax's nose.

And just as Luri feared, Cerise opened the door to reveal Fennel, the lioness' squire.

"Oh!" Cerise's eyes widened in surprise. "Um, you can't..."

"Please, I'll just be a moment!" The rabbit pushed forward, sliding into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Luri's heart sank. The girl had just sealed her fate.

"No, you don't understand," Cerise insisted. "You have to leave. *Now.*"

"Please, I just... I wanted to see you without your mask. You're... you're very pretty." Fennel looked embarrassed. "I couldn't take my eyes off you the whole time we were in there."

Cerise had backed away from Fennel, towards her bed. "That's very flattering, but..."

"I just want to see more of you. Spend more time with you." Fennel let out giggle. She stumbled forward, her voice starting to slur. "Hehe, why am I saying this? Pela would *kill* me if she heard me saying this. But it's true! I could just... I could get lost in your eyes."

Cerise tried again to speak, but Fennel pounced on her, placing her hands on Cerise's shoulders to pull her down, standing on her tiptoes to press their muzzles together.

Well, that was it, then. Cerise didn't have the best impulse control at the best of times, and if the rabbit was already kissing her, she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation. She would have to order Prax to intervene, and hope that Cerise would--

Before she had the chance to give the order, though, Cerise gave Fennel a hard shove. The rabbit stumbled backwards, hitting the far wall of the small room.

The shock seemed to snap Fennel out of her trance. "Wh... what just happened!?"

Cerise moved quickly. She snatched up the mask from table, leaping forward and pushing it over Fennel's mouth, using her hand to keep it held in place.

"Pheromones!" Cerise gasped. "My body makes pheromones! I can't turn it off, especially when I'm sleeping."

Fennel's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh. That's what the mask is for?"

"Yes. If you don't leave, it'll make you want to... do things. To me. It's a hunting thing. It's to lure in prey."

"So I'm... prey?" Fennel asked. She sounded almost curious now.

"N-no! I mean... maybe part of me thinks you are. But you're definitely not."

"That's good." Fennel got back to her feet, putting her hand on the mask so she could hold it in place. She stared at the floor, reaching across her chest with her free hand to grip her other forearm. "Because honestly, if that's all the pheromones are doing, I'm not so sure that... 'doing things' to you sounds all that bad. If you were interested."

Cerise's eyes went wide. "That's the pheromones talking."

Fennel shook her head. "No, I don't think it is. I mean... okay, maybe it is at least a little. But I've got the mask on now. And, um... I was already... thinking about it, when we were talking earlier. The pheromones wouldn't have affected me then, right?"

"N-no, I was wearing the mask, then."

"That's what I thought." Fennel took a step towards Cerise, pushing both of them towards the bed. "I mean, I'll leave if you want me to, but... if it's alright... I'd like to stay."

Cerise swallowed hard. She sat down on side of the bed, which, given their height difference, meant their heads were at about the same height now. Her voice had the strained quality of one who was trying to toe a line without crossing it. "If... if that's really what you want... I'd like that, too. If you stay, I promise I won't eat you."

Fennel removed the mask from in front of her face, revealing a smile. "That should probably worry me more than it does. Must be the pheromones." Fennel pushed Cerise's legs apart, stepping between them and placing her hands on Cerise's shoulders. "It's okay. I trust you."

They kissed again, and this time Cerise didn't push her away.

As they fell back onto the bed and Fennel's tunic started to come off, a question came through the connection to Prax. *Mistress, should I intervene?*

Luri shook her head, even though she knew no one could see it. *No. If Cerise had tried to take advantage of the girl while she wasn't in her right mind, that would have been unacceptable. But one of our adventurers taking a willing participant into her bed? That's none of our business, quite frankly, and we should give them privacy. Finish your rounds, then return to me.*

Luri realized she was smiling to herself as Prax turned to leave. Cerise had come a long way.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud **bang** as the door to Cerise's room flung open, slamming into the wooden wall. Cerise and Fennel, the latter's tunic only half-on, sat up in surprise.

"*FENNEL!*" Pela roared. "What are you doing in here!?"

Oh dear. This was not going to end well.

--------

Cerise gasped for breath as she tried to stay on the defensive. But her muscles burned, and she didn't have much room to dodge in here. Plus, she was trying to defend someone else, and that made things even harder.

"Please!" Cerise begged. "Stop this!"

"You little witch!" Pela shouted. "Try to control *me!?* Whatever magic you have, it's not strong enough!" Pela swung at Cerise's head.

Cerise ducked, the fist grazing her fur. "It's not like that!" Cerise shouted, for what felt like the hundredth time.

Not that she thought explaining things would help. Pela had flown into a rage the moment she had seen Cerise and Fennel together. Now the lioness had her backed into a corner, forcing Cerise to try to keep herself between Pela and Fennel while avoiding Pela's attacks at the same time. And Pela seemed to be one of the rare few who were immune -- or at least resistant -- to her pheromones. She could probably duck past her and escape, but that would leave Fennel at her mercy. She was running out of options.

"Please!" Fennel shouted. "Stop! This isn't her fault!"

"Stay back!" Cerise held out a hand to motion for Fennel to stay in place. "She's not listen-- *urk!*"

The momentary distraction from Fennel had been too much. Pela swung again, but this time she feinted and caught Cerise with a right hook. The lioness' massive fist slammed into her gut.

Cerise's vision went blurry. She fell to her knees, clutching her gut. She coughed, and saw flecks of blood hitting the floor.

Before she could recover, Pela wrapped her fingers around Cerise's neck and lifted her into the air.

This was it, she realized. She had tried so hard, but it would all end here. The lioness would snap her neck like a twig, and it would all be over.

"That. Is. *ENOUGH!*"

Pela dropped Cerise, who crumpled to the floor. Fennel ran up to her, asking if she was all right, but Cerise barely noticed. Her vision was locked on the door.

There, framed in the doorway, was Luri.

Cerise had never seen the otter look so furious. She had been angry in the past, of course, often because of something that Cerise herself had done, but that had always been tempered by a sort of genuine desire for her to do better. Right now, though? Luri looked *livid*. Black smoke wafted from her mouth with each breath. She stared at Pela with eyes so sharp, Cerise was surprised the lioness wasn't cut in half by the very gaze.

Pela didn't seem to notice. She turned to face Luri. "Ah, the ringleader. What do you want?"

"Please, don't hurt her!" Fennel said.

Cerise couldn't help but think that Fennel was misjudging this situation.

Luri's voice was low, and sharp as daggers. With each word, more clouds of black smoke hovered in the air in front of her. "I welcome you into my home. Give you a place to sleep. Agree to let one of these children work for you. And how do you repay me? *By trying to kill one of them!?*"

Pela took a step back. "She attacked me! She bewitched my squire and tried to bewitch me!"

Luri took a step forward, and Pela took another step back. It was a bizarre sight, to see the massive lioness cower before the sleek, slender otter. Cerise tried to scramble out of the way, and Fennel came to her aid, helping her scramble to the side of the room where she could prop herself up against the wall and be out of their way.

"She did no such thing!" Luri said, her voice rising now. The smoke was increasing, pouring from her mouth now, forming a pool in front of her. Cerise saw Prax jump down from one of the walls, into the cloud of smoke. "I was watching the whole time! You attacked your own squire out of some bizarre sense of righteousness, and Cerise had the gall to try to defend her! Religion is a fine thing, but not when it drives you towards violence!"

Cerise had never seen anything like this. The smoke came out of Luri's mouth like a pitcher had been overturned, forming a great, amorphous ball on the floor in front of her. Her eyes were glowing white, just like Prax's usually did.

"And sometimes, with your type, the only solution is to answer in kind."

The smoke suddenly stopped -- not just stopped pouring out, but stopped roiling entirely. Something physical had appeared in the cloud -- something large. It shook itself, shaking off the smoke like a dog shakes off water.

It was Prax. He was no longer a tiny squirrel, but an enormous, pitch-black wolf, of the four-legged variety. His eyes were a brilliant, glowing white. Powerful muscles bunched and unbunched under his fur as he stepped forward.

Pela threw another punch, hitting Prax in the shoulder. He didn't even seem to feel it.

Pela took another step back, and she stumbled, losing her balance and falling to the floor with a loud thud. She pushed herself back against the wall as Prax advanced on her.

"Stop this!" Pela shouted. "I hired you! I'll pay you to stop him!"

"No amount of money is worth working with you. Consider our contract cancelled." Luri looked down her nose at Pela and spoke two words:

"Prax: *sic*."

With a loud bark, Prax leaped forward, jaws open, fangs flashing. Pela's scream became muffled as Prax's muzzle wrapped entirely around her head. With methodical gulps and bites, he began to swallow the large lioness whole, resisting her attempts to struggle free. Her feet and hands scrabbled at the wall and floor, at least until Prax's gullet pinned her arms to her sides. He backed up to pull her legs out in front of him, then began swallowing again. Soon, he was tilting his head back while he slurped up her legs and tail.

And, to Cerise's surprise, though Prax's throat bulged out with each gulp, his stomach stayed flat. Instead, it was Luri's stomach that began to bulge, growing out from under her cloak. It squirmed and writhed as its contents struggled, and Cerise could hear Pela's frightened, angry screaming coming from beneath the otter's fur. Luri's belly was growing so large, it didn't look like she would be able to walk.

Prax finished swallowing, and Luri let out a soft belch. The glow in her eyes faded, returning to their normal color.

Fennel stared at Luri, her eyes wide. "How... how did...? Is that...?"

Luri nodded. "Prax and I are connected... in many ways. This is just one facet of that."

Prax looked pleased with himself. He turned and gave Luri's belly a lick.

"More importantly, are you okay, Cerise?"

Cerise swallowed hard. "Y-yes, I'm fine. Luri, I'm so sorry, this is all my..."

Luri held up a hand to stop her. "This was *not* your fault, Cerise. In fact, I am quite pleased with how you handled that situation." Her voice softened a bit.

"And regarding you," Luri said, looking at Fennel.

"Y-yes, ma'am." Fennel sounded frightened. Cerise couldn't blame her.

"I have to apologize," Luri said. She patted her squirming belly. "I appear to have cost you an employer."

"Are you... are you going to...?"

"Digest her?" Luri finished the sentence for Fennel. "Yes, in this case, I think I will. If I let her out, she'll probably come after me for revenge -- again out of 'righteousness.' It would be more trouble than its worth. Would you prefer I do something different?" The question didn't sound rhetorical: Luri was genuinely asking if Fennel wanted her to reconsider.

Fennel thought for a moment, looking at Luri's belly. Occasionally, a large hand print or the outline of Pela's jaw would appear, though she was obviously having trouble piercing Luri's flesh with either claw or fang. Then Fennel looked at Cerise, who was still trying to recover from the blow.

"N... no. Do what you wish with her."

Luri nodded. "So, regarding your fate: if you have no other prospects for employment, how would you like to work here?"

"What... really?" Fennel's eyes were as large as dinner plates. "I'm no adventurer!"

"Not as an adventurer. I could use an assistant around here. You'd probably end up doing a lot of cleaning, but it would include room and board along with a modest salary."

"That... that doesn't sound so bad, actually," Fennel said.

"We can discuss it tomorrow. For tonight, my original offer still stands. The contract may be nullified, but you may still stay here, free of charge. I believe there's still an opening for you in Cerise's bed, if that's what you want.

Cerise felt her face flush, and Fennel looked away, embarrassed.

"That would be after Cerise gets herself checked out by our on-call medic, of course," Luri added.

Cerise knew an order when she heard one. "Yes, ma'am." She pulled herself to her feet, stumbling a little -- only for Fennel to help prop her up. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Fennel said.

"Could you grab my mask? Your adrenaline is overriding my pheromones for the moment, but now that things are calming down, I need it again."

"Of course."

As Cerise limped by her, Luri leaned over and whispered into Cerise's ear.

"I meant what I said: you handled that well. You didn't give in to your base desires until you knew your partner was willing, and don't think I didn't notice that when that lioness attacked, your first move was to protect Fennel. You're shaping up to be a fine adventurer. I'm proud of you."

Cerise felt a knot forming in her throat. "Thank you."

Luri nodded in approval. Raising her voice, she added, "Please let me know if the medic finds any problems. Meanwhile, I shall go to bed. This meal might take me a while to digest. Prax?"

Prax walked up to Luri, lowering his body and then pushing up against her belly, sliding under it to help her carry it.

Cerise and Fennel began making their way down the hallway, Fennel still helping Cerise to walk. "I'm... kind of struggling to take in everything that just happened," Fennel said.

"You get that a lot around here."

"Do you think I'd be up for working here?" Fennel asked.

Cerise smiled beneath her mask. "You know what? If I can fit in around here, then I think you can, too."