Blood Lily

My face was littered with guilt. “Did I, um… forget to mention that?” 

“Yes,” she bluntly answered. “Yes, you did.”

“I’m sorry…” I said, looking down in shame. I just keep making things more difficult for her.

She sighed, massaging her temples and going quiet for a moment. “Under normal circumstances, I would simply cancel or reschedule this arrangement, however…”

“However…?” I motioned for her to continue.

“...The Louve family is one of several alpha werewolf families in our myth world. While the presence of these families are not as heavily felt as the royal vampire houses, their renown is not to be trifled with. Maximillian Louve himself is, worryingly enough, the next in line Louve alpha. And considering the precarious situation the Ab’Haimas have put us in…”

“...We have to make sure not to hurt our reputation at all? Not even with Millie’s family?”

“Correct,” she nodded. “The O’Sang and Louve families have been on good terms for centuries, which is all the more reason we absolutely cannot put our friendship at risk. Instead of having you meet with Veronica, I will reluctantly allow you not to potentially dampen our relationship with the Louve family. However, I will be sending Birch along to keep a close eye on you.”

“O-Okay,” I meekly agreed. It was weird to think that Millie and Max were in a family that important. I mean, I guess it explains why Max is so arrogant, but I really wouldn’t have guessed it with Millie.

“I will also change my own plans for today,” she said, eyeing me with a faint smile. “I think it may be about time I do as you suggested and seek out Cyrus B’Krov to deliver a proper apology to him.”

“Oh, okay!” I said a bit more enthusiastically. I really appreciated that she was going to try that! It’s kind of sad to leave friendships broken over a single mistake.

“Now then, “ she started, “breakfast is practically over, so I suggest you get back to your room and prepare yourself.”

I nodded and stood up, done with my morning meal and ready to go. I was left wondering about something, though. “Are you, um… not gonna say anything? I mean, like, it is a date, and while it’s not really something I wanted to do, I gave my word and I don’t know what to expect and…?”

I just looked at her, expecting some words of advice or… something.

She stared at me for a moment before realizing what I was asking. “Ah, right,” she said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “View this as a meeting, not a date. Set a strict boundary and do not let Maximillian cross it. I would say more, and I do have more to say, but I trust Amber to say all I could and more. I also fully trust Birch to keep you safe.”

“I… see. Okay,” I muttered a bit sadly. I’m glad she’s confident enough to put faith in others while she has to do other things, but I think I wanted her to talk to me.

I think she realized she had gotten a bit ahead of herself because she immediately pulled me in for another warm hug. “Ah, Lily… Please be careful, okay? I wish I had the time to walk each step along with you, but I am only one person. Even so, you will not be alone. I will not make that mistake again.”

“Mmm...” I hugged back, content to hear that. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

She gently pat me on the head, careful not to upset the lily nestled into my silver hair. “That’s my girl.”

A warm smile spread across my face. “Ehehe… I’ll, um, see you later tonight then, mother?”

“I’ll see you later tonight as well, Lily,” she responded, moving towards the door to open it for the two of us.

I followed her and we made our way upstairs. With a wave goodbye, she departed into the teleport room, presumably to arrange a meeting with Cyrus B’Krov. I, on the other hand, went back up to my room to prepare for a trip to the-

“Oh!” I said aloud, nearly forgetting to respond to Max’s text. It’s a good thing learning to read isn’t so bad when you already know the spoken language. Text to speech also helps if I need it. I concentrated intensely, carefully selecting each letter to send out a thoughtful and well-constructed response.

Me: [Yes.]

I sent the text and took a deep breath. Ahhhh, that was nerve-wracking to send! I hope I didn’t respond too late…

Well, a little bit of time passed, and while I didn’t get an acknowledgement response from Max, Amber did enter my room as the door made a resounding ker-chunk!

“Hey, Lil’!” she greeted.

“Hi, Amber! Where’s Millie?” I asked.

She plopped down on my bed, taking a seat beside me. “She took today off! Something about visiting her mom and dad.”

“Oh, okay!” I responded. “So-”

I froze mid-sentence when I noticed her expression. It had shifted from a friendly innocence to a grimly serious stare. Oh. Oh.

“Lily.”

“Y-Yes?” I worriedly answered.

“You are about to go on a date. With my ex. A date with my ex. We are having a talk. Now.”

“R-Right, of course!” I quickly agreed, starting to sweat bullets.

“Now, first of all… I’m going to assume you have zero dating experience, right?” she asked, relaxing a bit to lessen the tension for me.

“Right…” I answered.

“Ok, well lesson one: Do not fall for someone just because they flirt with you. Show some restraint! I know it feels really nice and affirming, especially when you’re trans, but you can’t judge a person based on how smooth they are with a few compliments. Okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded, thinking back a bit to the times I was flirted with. “So, like, if a guy calls you a pretty girl while brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, then you shouldn’t have liked it?”

“Not quite. It’s not that you shouldn’t enjoy something like that, but-” she stopped, staring at me. “That example was kind of specific? And you used past tense there…”

“U-Uhhh!” I squeaked. “It was just a hypothetical-”

“Did Max do that to you when I wasn’t in the room?!” she suddenly asked, her voice raising.

“What?? No!” I answered defensively. It was also the truth! “I-It was just a dream, and it was NOT him!! Just a nondescript dream boy!”

Ok, the second part was partially a lie. It did happen in a dream, but it also really happened in the garden, and it wasn’t nondescript.

“I… Yeah, okay. Sorry,” she said, “jumped to conclusions. I just don’t like Max, and the idea of him getting so touchy with my friends gets under my skin.”

“What, um, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened between you two…?” I hesitantly asked.

She sighed. “I’d really rather not talk about it, honestly. Max is, he’s… ugh, I know he’s a better person than he lets on, but he just has this ridiculous mindset and– I’m starting to rant. Sorry, Lil’.”

“Uhhh.” I wasn’t quite sure what to say. It seemed kind of complex.

“Moving on,” she started, “I couldn’t help but notice your dream scenario involved a guy.”

I blushed a bit remembering said scenario. “Y-Yeah?”

“Well, while it doesn’t necessarily prove you’re one sexuality or the other, I think it can definitely give you some things to think about when exploring your sexuality. And hey, no shame in dreaming about a romantic date!” she explained.

“My sexuality?” I innocently asked.

“Yeah, like the kind of people you’re attracted to. It’s not always something you can figure out right away, it was a bit of a roller coaster for me. At first I thought I only liked girls, but then I realized, no, actually I’m the girl and what I was feeling was gender envy. Then I realized I was attracted to guys, but then I realized it wasn’t always gender envy I felt towards other girls, I was actually just attracted to both guys and girls, so I realized I was bi, or bisexual. But then I actually realized I’m just pan, or pansexual, because I’ve met a few enbies, err, nonbinary people that don’t identify as either a guy or girl, and you know what anyone and everyone can be hot.”

I did my best to soak up all this information like a freshly purchased sponge. “Wow. That’s, um, a lot.”

She smiled. “It took years to figure it all out for myself, and I think the best advice I could offer you is to just be open-minded!”

“Understood!” I responded enthusiastically. “But I have a question!”

“Yes?” she asked.

“How do you know if you’re attracted to someone?”

“Well, you can be physically or romantically attracted to someone. Some people only feel a romantic attraction but not a physical attraction. The opposite can also be true!” she clarified.

“I see. But, hrmm,” I wondered. “What’s it feel like to be attracted to someone?”

She took a moment to consider it. “It’s a pretty powerful feeling for me. Kind of like I got happy punched in the gut by millions of butterflies and I get really warm and giddy when I’m around that person, though I guess that’s more like having a crush on someone… which, as I mentioned earlier, you don’t want to let yourself be overwhelmed by! Don’t let your feelings blind you.”

“H-Happy punched in the gut?? That sounds, oh…”

I kind of just realized that’s almost exactly what I had felt before. Huh…

“Lily?” she worriedly asked after noticing the look of realization on my face.

“O-Oh, nothing!” I tried to reassure her.

She didn’t seem to buy it, but let it slide. Kind of. “Just… seriously, don’t let yourself get caught up in any kind of emotion, good or bad. It’ll just cloud your judgment. You're my friend, Lil’, and I don’t want to see my friend get hurt.”

“Right…” I said, looking down for a moment. Even if it’s not about attraction, I can’t let myself get carried away by any emotion. I need to be responsible and not let what happened yesterday happen again. I clenched my fists and nodded, determined. “I’ll be careful, I promise! So you don’t have to worry about me, Amber!”

She gave me a warm smile. “I’m sure you will, Lil’. Now, I heard from Lady Magnolia that this date was happening at the mall at 1:00 PM, right?”

“At a pretzel place, yeah,” I answered.

“Alright, it’s about 12:00 PM now, so you should be getting ready. The pretzel place is nice, by the way. I recommend the Five-Cheese Bacon Dip with Blood Salt. It’s soooo savory. The pretzel itself is so fluffy, and the dip plus blood salt combo is just mmmmmm. Just ignore the calories and you won’t regret it,” she winked.

Aaaaa, my mouth started to water. “That sounds delicious! What else is at the mall?”

“Oh, tons of stuff! The Snetha Mall is, like, gargantuan. Plenty of clothing stores for all the various and diversely built myths, dozens upon dozens and dozens of food places that serve all kinds of food from all over the world since Snetha is pretty much a cultural hot pot. They have arcades, spas, cafes, and pretty much anything you can think of! Definitely the best place to hangout.”

I felt myself getting excited! I wanted to explore this place! Too bad I’ll be stuck with Max. Bleh. If only it was with my friends instead. “We should go together with Millie sometime!”

“I’m sure she’d love that as much as me!” she agreed. “Oh, but hey, Lil’?”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“So, we’ve talked about general romance, and I’ve warned you about Max plenty of times, but uh… because you are who you are, there’s another warning I need to give.”

I gently tilted my head. “What is it?”

“See, you’re an O’Sang, and it’s kind of obvious with the silver hair and scarlet eyes. Those features are super recognizable, so… people at the mall are definitely going to know that. I doubt any of them will have the audacity to approach you, but I can almost guarantee there will be a lot of eyes on you. See what I’m saying?” she kindly explained.

“Oh, so… I’m going to be getting a lot of… looks, aren’t I?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, yeah. A royal vampire making an appearance is like… well it’s kind of like royalty showing up. Which, well, you are. People are gonna be interested to see and learn your face, so I just wanted to give you a heads up for that, alright?”

“W-Well… that makes me nervous, honestly, but thank you for telling me,” I responded with appreciation. I figured it couldn’t be worse than the social experience of being a shackled outcast in a park, so I could probably handle it just fine. Though, I’ll have to take extra care since this is my first appearance in public

She gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You won’t see him, but Birch will be there with you the whole way. Well, I’ll be seeing you off. He’s already at the mall waiting for you, actually. If at any time you feel too pressured or anything like that, there’s no shame in calling it off and coming home. Just say ‘I want to go home’ and Birch will take you back, okay?”

“Okay!” I said, successfully feeling reassured. “Oh and uh, where is the pretzel place at, exactly? So I won't get lost.”

“Ah, there’s plenty of interactive maps spread throughout the mall, plus there’s also some employees you could always ask. There’s only one pretzel place, funny enough, so just look for the place with the big pretzel, just like…”

She went quiet, pulling out her phone and tapping and swiping until she found a certain picture of said pretzel place. “This! It has that unmistakable giant glowing pretzel sign.”

“Ohhh, okay!” I said. “I think I’m ready to go now! I should probably leave a bit early, right?”

“That’s a good idea, yeah,” she smiled. “To the teleport room so you can gate over?”

“Mhmm! To the teleport room!”

And so she escorted me to the teleport room! I allowed the fleeting realization that I’m just going to casually teleport to another place via magic pass, and after a quick confirmation with the maid behind the gate registration counter, the floor lit up with a runic circle!

“See you later, Amber!” I waved goodbye.

“Cya, Lil’!” she waved back!

And with that, I stepped inside the gate’s domain just as I had before with mother. My senses all went dark for the briefest of moments… and then light!

I checked my surroundings cautiously and excitedly. I could immediately tell this place was bustling, and-

…Wait. Is that tiny, appropriately-sized tuxedo wearing bat hiding behind a decorative ficus in the most unsuccessfully inconspicuous way Mr. Batler…?

It is.

That’s so adorable!!!

…

Several strangers turned to look at me, each of them wide eyed like they just witnessed a celebrity pop into existence and shout something embarrassing.

…

Oh. Why am I like this?