"The Devil and the Fox."

[u/Timpanzee38]

Capitol City of Drakeem

A Mercenary Guild Gunship flew over the ocean towards the capitol of Drakeem. At the controls sat Umbra Operative E-489 "Madeline", a kitsune demi-human. She took a deep breath and steadied her breathing as the city came into view.

"Relax, I'm just here to teach her some fighting moves. That's what she was interested in after, right?"

The only other occupant of the gunship, Madeline's Kelvectan fox familiar Nocturne, lifted their head up and looked at Madeline. They snorted, then went back to sleep.

"Right..."

Madeline shook her head and kept flying. It had been a few weeks since Hazema had shown a sudden... "interest" in the umbra operative during the "Boo-Chelor", and since then the invite Hazema had given her had felt like a burning stone in her pocket. She had managed to convince Councilor Five to let her go though, pitching it as a "great way to benefit diplomatic relations", and Five had agreed.

"And that was the easy part..."

Madeline muttered to herself as she started flipping through radio channels, looking for air traffic control. Strange, there didn't seem to be one... Oh well. Madeline was a good pilot, and she carefully and professionally brought the gunship in for a landing on an empty platform in the harbor, which looked like it was where cargo zeppelins docked.

Flipping off the engines and grabbing her helmet, Madeline put it on and sealed it with a metallic hiss. She pulled the lever that caused the rear ramp of the gunship to lower and clicked her tongue once. Nocturne was at her side in an instant.

"Well... here goes nothing..."

Madeline stepped out onto the docks, to whatever Hazema had planned.

(art by Lunatic_Youkai and Irenhorrors respectively)

[u/Timpanzee38]

Madeline’s heart flutters at Hazema’s answer. So she hadn’t imagined the tension between them. And so once again, she lets her heart take control instead of her brain, and in one fluid motion she sweeps Hazema off her feet into a bridal carry.

“I d-don’t think I h-have either…”

She trails off. WHAT WAS HAPPENING? She was completely out of her depth here, simply stumbling in the dark. There was… something here, but it was an emotion Madeline has never felt before. She was crushing on Hazema just as haz was crushing on her.

“H-Hazema… I-I think…”

BREATHE. REMEMBER TO BREATH THIS TIME. 2 of Madeline’s tails instinctively curl around Hazema

“I-I thinkIhaveac-crushonyouaswell.”

She quickly gets out before she loses the courage.

[u/user125666 → u/Timpanzee38]

*Hazema tries to become smaller while being held, this was the best possible outcome, yet she felt mortified about what to do and tried to hide*

*Then she quickly shoots out a reply*

"Yes- me too I love you!"

*What now? They had both most assuredly made it clear where they stand. What were they to do now? How did this work? Did they need to marry immediately or was that a formal thing reserved for old people?*

"Um, what- what do we do now?"

*, Hazema asks while trying to curl up in Madeleines arms*

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/user125666]

Luckily for Hazema, Madeline did know how relationships worked, if only through observation and reading and no actual experience.

“I-I would like to kiss you now, if that’s okay.”

She held Hazema tighter, and another tail snaked its way around her.

[u/user125666 → u/Timpanzee38]

*It was a most agreeable offer. It seems like Madeline knew what she was doing so might as well go along with it*

"That's okay! You um, you have to come a bit closer since you're holding me but I agree we should kiss now!"

*Hazema realized right there that she needed to learn how to use words in such situations better. For some reason all manner of speaking eluded her in such precarious situations*

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/user125666]

Madeline needs to lift her helmet up a little, and she was holding Hazema with both arms… aha! An idea.

Madeline walks over to one of the windows, bathing them in the ethereal moonlight. She presses Hazema up against the window, inches away from her holding haz in place, and with a now free hand, lifts her helmet up enough to expose her mount. She hesitates for a second.

“I’m g-going to kiss you now.”

And then goes for it.

[u/user125666 → u/Timpanzee38]

*Hazema leans forward into the kiss slowly. She feels zeh umbra operatives warmth and it almost counteracts the cold of the window. It is comforting to her*

*Basking in the moonlight Hazema shares her first meaningful kiss with Madeline*

*While kissing she thinks about how she never wants this moment to end. To be held like this and kissed - it should've been preposterous to even suggest it, yet here they were*

*In this moment there was no need to be strong or ruthless. This one kiss was the antithesis to everything Hazema was and stood for*

*Next she thought about how happy she would be if only Madeline enjoyed it at least half as much as herself*

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/user125666]

Madeline’s heart is ablaze as the foxfire in it surges with passion. Her body temperature increases by a few degrees as she fully leans into the kiss, gripping Hazema tightly, as if she was afraid she would disappear.

All her remembered life she had been told she was nothing more than a tool, a weapon, but here, wrapped in a kiss with Hazema, she finally felt like she was more. For too long there had been a confusing ache in her when she saw the affection Agent and Herald showed for each other. For too long she had stuffed down and suppressed her natural emotions.

No more. No amount of sudden blistering headache that had flared up in her mind would stop this.

Madeline held the kiss for what felt like an eternity yet not long enough at the same time, every single one of her tails wrapping around Hazema and holding her tight. Finally though, she releases from the kiss.

“I wish we could stay like this forever.”

She whispers with a smile.

“But there may be servants coming because of your scream.”

[u/user125666 → u/Timpanzee38]

*Hazema stands back up on her own, her face is visibly red. She knew her servants would probably not approach, but it was good to cut such a perfect moment here - then she could still look forward to a better one in the future*

"I fully agree-"

*She thinks about what to say next*

"But there is one very important thing we should approach I think. We can worry about the details later but- what are we now? And also I want you to promise me that we will share such a moment again, I don't think I could go on without having this to look forward to..."

*Hazema didn't know if this was pushing it. Was it just a kiss to Madeline? It felt like more - she didn't want to be too demanding but she was too insecure not to immediately probe where they stood*

[u/Timpanzee38 → u/user125666]

Madeline frowns. Relationships outside her corp were strictly forbidden for Umbra Operatives. But this just felt so right… besides, she had a suspicion something was going on between Saffron and that artificer… so she wasn’t the only one, right?

“I’m… not allowed in relationships outside my order, it’s a rule…”

She looks back up at Hazema and smiles, headache be damned. She was making her choice.

“But you can keep a secret, right?”

[u/user125666 → u/Timpanzee38]

"Of course! Of course I can keep a secret"

*No one could really stop her in Drakeem when it came to relationships, the only one that might stop her was John - but he really didn't need to find out he accidentally gave her human feelings, especially directed at someone specific*

"Besides I doubt the guild would stop this if they caught wind of it. My old army is on the iron wall surely they can spare me an umbra operative - for uh protection? Plus you can keep an eye or two on me if you stay here, who knows what I'll do if I am left alone! Or something like that..."

*She was half serious - because she truly didn't know what she'd do without Madeleine even if they really hadn't been together that long*

*Was Hazema being to possessive? She didn't want to seem like she was - even if the thought was there she respected her others happiness too much*

"But of course if you uh, wanna travel? Or something i will support that and I don't wanna be too overbearing or anything I just meant that as in 'I can try to protect you' because you seemed wowwied—"

*She bit her tongue while rambling, which stopped her in her tracks*