"Relax," Fox laughed, dragging Lynx along with Haru, Alice, and Nara in tow- their steps took them, now, through a street that looked quite unlike anything that they might have found in Ravenwood- where in her new hometown, red and yellow bricks have made up the shops decorated by wide open store fronts, here, doors were laid deeper into the buildings, such that entering anywhere would feel like a small adventure. The street was wide open, and a warm afternoon made the tips of her ears feel pleasantly hot.
"I just wanna know where we're going!?" Lynx angled her head, confused, yawning as they walked and slapping a hand over her mouth.
"Somewhere you and Nara both desperately need to visit," Haru answered with a conspiratorial wink, and Lynx sighed, letting herself be led without too much complaint, for now- cars passed idly, but nobody seemed to be in any sort of a hurry- the town was at peace. That's not to say, Lynx thought, that Ravenwood was not at peace, but there, you'd see pedestrians tucking their heads against the wind and hurrying onward.
"I wonder how the guy at the cafe is doing- in… Pinevale, right? Or was it Olmbridge?"
"Pinevale," Alice nodded. "I can't remember his name either, come to think of it- but we can always go back."
"He offered us his cafe's employee room as a place to meet if we needed to, and then we never needed it," Lynx explained when Haru raised her eyebrows curiously. "I hope he's doing well."
"That's a good thing though," Haru commented languidly, suddenly stopping her steps. "It means people trust you- or some do, at least. That's going to be important, if you want to be a leader- a real one."
"I do," Lynx affirmed, stopping as well. "Now, where are we?"
"A barbershop," Fox snickered as she walked up a few steps and pushed open the door of what, judging by this street, could have been a home, a coffee shop or a clinic. Indeed, though, the place was clearly meant to take care of hair, with a handful of comfortable swiveling chairs, sinks with massive basins, and more.
"Well well, I didn't expect to have celebrities in my shop," The kind-faced barber smiled. Brunette hair framed her face, and she stretched her arms as if inviting a hug. "It's just me today, unfortunately, but I'm fast- without sacrificing the quality. What do we need today?"
"The leader of Aegis Order is getting a haircut on us," Fox snarked, and Lynx gasped as she was suddenly shoved into a chair, blinking rapidly.
"What do you want?" The barber just laughed, preparing a number of small instruments in a strange blue solution. When Lynx hesitated, Haru spoke.
"Give her a wolf cut- looks like that's what she had before. Either way, it'll suit her- I'm never wrong," She added, badger's tail flicking.
"Why don't you need a haircut, Alice?" Lynx suddenly asked, looking up, and the homunculus snorted.
"Oh gee I wonder- dumbass."
"Right, dumb question," Lynx snorted in kind, shaking her head. "Alright, alright. You're right, I haven't had a haircut since I woke up in the hospital. That time, with Aerendyl- when I knew nothing."
"Then you got gaslit into joining a corrupt occupying military," Alice laughed quietly, nodding. "I hear Contracted Arms actually isn't really corrupt so badly outside of Ravenwood- it's because the Elevated have such a strong presence in Ravenwood."
"I've heard the same," Haru agreed as the barber set to work on Lynx's hair. "Deals kept getting struck so that people could ignore the real problems, and things went sideways. Contracted Arms isn't really hated in Mir- in fact, the general public have been polled, and they're largely in favor of Aegis Order. Calling you a precaution, another form of diplomacy, etcetera."
"Queenie said that if you get a foothold in Ravenwood, you'll likely be welcome to open offices in every nation," Fox nodded emphatically, and Lynx closed her eyes, flashing a weary thumbs up. For a while, she just relaxed there- Alice, Nara, Haru and Fox were chatting amongst themselves, but she just focused on her breathing, the pop music playing softly in the corner, and the sounds of the scissors working at her hair.
After what felt like no more than ten minutes, the barber yanked Lynx's drapes from her chest and smiled, turning her to face the mirror- the blonde blinked rapidly, surprised. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but…
"My hair was really out of control, huh…? I didn't realize- it's great, thanks. What do I owe you?"
"It's free," The barber laughed.
"No-" Lynx began, but the barber cut her off.
"Years ago, Lynx, my family was trapped in their home- these stupid plant monsters clawing at the door, and Haru, Fox- these two helped them. They didn't know my family, at the time- they were just killing monsters and trying to do what they could."
"I- but I'm not-"
"You're an ally of our nation's finest heroes, and I'll be personally offended if you try to pay. I make enough money, now come here, Nara," She added, and Lynx slowly stood, wincing.
"I…"
"Look, if you'll really feel guilty, my bathroom mirror is all funky from fingerprints," The barber grinned. "Glass cleaner is on the back of the toilet with some paper towels. Go take care of it for me," She added, and Lynx nodded, scuttling off.
-
"So what's the deal with the dragons?" Lynx asked offhandedly, some time later- together, they sat at an outdoor pavilion, working on ice cream cones. "Don't see any in Ravenwood. I mean there's the Bleeding Ice, but…"
"There are two in Ravenwood," Haru shrugged. "Least, that's what CA has on file. The other is supposedly in hibernation, location classified. Dragons are generally cold-blooded though, so they kind of exist… everywhere else in the world. Though, there's not many in Pempa, just because the islands have less space for them."
"Gotcha," Lynx answered thoughtfully. "Huh."
"Contracted Arms reports also say Haru here can turn into a dragon," Alice smirked, crossing her legs and raising her eyebrows. "That mean you can blow fire?"
"Oh? Someone did her homework," Haru laughed playfully, nodding. "Yeah, I can transform into other people and creatures that I've touched or seen- but it's not something I do all the time, more just as needed. Amazing for disguises."
"Wait- you can transform? Into anything? That's cool," Lynx thought aloud, biting into her cone and chewing, swallowing. "Can you do smaller scale, like just changing your hair color?"
"Yeah, or if I wanna have fun with Fox, I can give myself a-"
"Yo!" Fox snapped, laughing, face darkening to roughly the color of a ketchup bottle. "Shut up- they don't need to know that?!"
"They're friends with Aurelia?" Haru angled her head. "She can literally alter the bodies of others at will, she's probably given Lynx one to mess around with Alice or Nara here, what's the-"
"Aurelia and I are friends!" Lynx choked, and Nara, albeit with a blush deeper than Fox's, seemed almost interested. "Give me a- you mean what I think you mean??"
"Yeah- it's like a toy but you can both feel good, what's the issue?" Haru asked, as serious as ever, and Lynx sighed, shaking her head and finishing off the ice cream.
"Aurelia can just alter my body at will, got it."
"MY Aurelia," Haru said, almost warningly. "-has built her entire personality on refusing her nature. Don't bring it up- it's a sore subject for her. Your Aurelia though, I dunno, if you three ever want to, I'm sure she'd be happy to spice things-"
"Shut. Up." Lynx snapped, laughing, and at last, her face just about matched that of the others- save for Alice, who was just smiling at her lap with her eyes closed, quite enjoying the banter-not-banter.
"To be fair," Fox spoke with a smirk. "Lynx. You definitely seem like the type to-"
"SILENCE," Lynx shouted, but she was laughing, standing up and grinning so widely that her cheeks ached. "You guys- I'm killing you all. Give me the Alexei knife."
"Oh my gods," Haru laughed, rolling her eyes. "Get out of here, stupid cat. Come on, let's start headed back!"
-
"So," Lynx began thoughtfully as the helicopter sent for them sailed through the air. "Tell me something about yourself, you two? Something real- not about Mir, or Wolfpack, but you. Curious about the people who knew me as I was. About, you know- new friends."
"Hm…" For a moment, Haru and Fox both looked thoughtful.
"I used to wrestle with terrible insecurities," Fox began first, nodding. "I mean like jealous, obsessive- I communicated well enough but I desperately wanted to own, control, take, and tear through anything that touched what I saw as mine. That… included Haru. Nowadays, I'm real grateful to have people who don't mind reassuring me when things get bad."
"As for me," Haru smiled, rubbing Fox's head. "-I uh… you know, sometimes I almost feel a little guilty. I really did just leave my other world behind- I was summoned from another world, if nobody mentioned. Magic that's generally highly illegal, breaking the rules of interdimensional travel and all- anyway. I don't miss, wherever I came from- and what if I left behind a family? A wife, kids, parents- what if people are heartbroken thinking I abandoned them or died? It just… it doesn't bother me," Haru shrugged, swallowing, nodding, mouth twisting into a wistful frown. "What I do know, though, is that I've saved a lot of people. I guess- no one life matters, but even if I did hurt people, disappearing, I'll keep saving a thousand times more as long as I live here- and as long as I stick to my word, I'll die a good death, I think," She nodded again, looking back up at Lynx, face conflicted.
"You," Haru spoke finally. "-always reminded me of me- because sometimes I felt like the only answer that people would be okay with is murder, you thought something was wrong with that. You never could explain why, but you didn't seem happy as an assassin- that's why I liked you. You were discontent with the way the world works."
"Are you two gonna kiss? If so, I'm recording," Fox grinned, and Haru choked, shaking her head.
"Hey- we're being serious here!"
"Are you thinking with your, you know…?" Lynx asked, glancing pointedly down at Fox's waist, and all of them began to laugh as the helicopter approached Wolfpack Castle. As she laughed, Lynx smiled and closed her eyes- the air felt lighter in her lungs, for now.