Omen of a Bluebell

“What do you mean it’s worse?” Bella asks.

After trying to explain my situation in a roundabout way, things... went to shit.

Cari groans, “Gods, Emi, just spit it out or I will. And I won’t be so delicate about it.”

I turn over in her lap and bury my face in her stomach with a whine.

“Alright, you asked for it—”

“Okay! Fine!” I say, scrabbling to cover her mouth before turning to Bella. “Uh… I guess, first, have you ever heard of the faefox race?”

She shakes her head.

“Well neither have we," I say, unable to hide my frustration. "I’m still a foxkin… sort of? But I’m more than that too, in ways I can't even begin to place my finger on."

Then I pause, only for Cari's pointed glare to urge me on. I remove my hands from her mouth to hide my face behind my tail instead.

"One of which is… uh… my estrus cycle,” I start.

Then I push through, trying to get everything over with as quickly as possible.

“It’s stronger than any foxkin’s—much, much stronger—and the side effects are crazy intense," i continue, quickly finding my stride.

"Like, apparently it’s normal for a foxkin going through a particularly potent estrus cycle to test their partners in some ways. Teasing, flirting, pranks, and… other things, too, I guess. At least, according to what Cari learned. But I’ve never had to deal with anything that bad."

I peek out from under my tail at her, and my heart flutters.

"Until now, anyways.”

Her eyes widen with shock.

“Wait, you mean—”

“I’m sorry! I don’t have control over it!” I shout her down, hiding my face again.

Cari sighs. “She really didn’t know what she was doing until just last night. And you saw how out of control she was only moments ago.”

I nod along behind my tail, trying to keep my nose stuffed into the fur so I can’t smell the room.

“So—”

“I have the medicine!” Nyria shouts from down the hall.

In moments, she’s rushing through the door with a pouch full of vials clinking dangerously against one another. She sprints right up to where I’m sitting and snatches one out before shoving a plain glass vial filled with sparkling silver liquid in my face.

“Drink this, quickly!” she commands.

I try to ask what it is, but she quickly pops the cork and shoves it into my mouth as soon as my lips part.

As indignant as I want to be over the treatment, I know she’s acting in my best interests. So I drink. Whatever the medicine is, it has a sweet taste, with a spicy tang at the end.

It makes my mouth feel both hot and cold at the same time as I down it, and in moments the glass is empty. I can actually feel it going down as it somehow cools and warms everything as it goes.

“Good. Now then…” Nyria says before pulling out another bottle.

That one is filled with a reddish liquid, and she quickly moves to tilt Krissy’s head up so she can drink it. When she does, Nyria sighs with relief before flopping onto the ground, her legs splayed out to her sides.

“Uh… Nyria, what did you just give me?” I ask hesitantly.

I know I can trust her, but still. I’m not exactly a fan of drinking random unknown liquids.

“Huh? Oh, birth control,” she says wearily.

I splutter. “W-what?! I’m not—I don’t—”

She waves me off lazily.

“Yes, yes, we know. No boys," she says teasingly. "It’s to prevent pregnancy, but also tame the side effects of beastkin estrus cycles.”

Then she glares at me. “You better be thankful the Alchemist was a high enough level for a rush order like this. When I told her what was going on, she had to make a special batch. Extra potent, just for you.”

I just gape at her. Then I notice Bella is still staring at me, a blush plainly visible across her cheeks, and hide my face again.

“Actually, what did you tell the Alchemist?” Cari asks. “Both you and Krissy had some kind of reaction when you got close to Emilia earlier. What was it that you saw? It seemed to have lit a fire under the both of you.”

Nyria chuckles. “She overloaded my empathy Skill the moment I got close enough for it to activate. I actually got a notice that the Skill deactivated for my own safety.”

“Oh no…” I moan. “Don't tell me-”

“That I felt what you felt?” She laughs. “Sorry Mistress, but that's how it works for a lot of us Entertainers.”

I bury my face again.

“Oh, don't worry. In the end, your desires and emotional turmoil was too much for my Skill to handle, so it cut off. First time that's ever happened, actually…” she trails off for a moment, then shakes off the distraction.

“Anyways, that’s why I had Krissy check too—but I think the same thing might have happened to her. Which is insane, by the way. Her empathy Skill is way stronger than mine.”

“I see…” Bella interjects, sending me a glance. For a moment, I swear I see the hint of a smile on her lips, but then it's gone before I can figure out whether or not I was imagining it.

At the moment, I'm inclined to distrust anything that makes me even remotely excited.

“Ooh, my head,” Krissy says, slowly stirring awake. She blinks rapidly as she sluggishly props herself up on her elbows before looking around the room in a daze.

“Oh, thank goodness you're awake. I was worried I’d have to handle this mess alone,” Nyria says, jumping to help her sit up fully before looping around her to keep her there.

“I might wish I wasn't,” she huffs. She looks at me then, as if only just remembering I’m there, and I catch a faint luminescence emanating from her pupils. “By the gods Emilia, how long have you been dealing with all that?”

“Uh…” I start, only to pause.

I hadn't really noticed things getting out of control until yesterday morning. Does that mean my cycle is already in heat?

Does my estrus even work that way anymore?

Normally, foxkin cycles last about a month. A slow build-up, two to three weeks of heat and chaos, then another to wind down. But I wasn’t anywhere near this bad two days ago, so maybe I’m in the middle weeks already?

Gods, I hope so. If it somehow gets worse than this, I’m fucked.

“One or two days. I think,” I finish.

Krissy narrows her eyes. “I don't think I need to tell you how lucky you are that we arrived early.”

I shake my head.

That's when the medicine finally kicks in, and all the heat that had been steadily building is suddenly doused by a bucket of ice. I shudder as my entire body cools, the world regaining life and color around me.

The scents that clawed at the back of my mind, tearing at the cracks in my self control, fade to whispers. The tingle on my skin eases into something more normal. The heat fades into a memory.

But it's all still there. Just… quieter.

I let out a long sigh that turns into a moan of relief as I slump over into Cari's lap again, of my own volition this time.

“Oh,” she starts, giggling.

She gently pats my head as I lay there and just breathe. Deep, calming breaths, filled with the scents of the world around me, but none so overwhelming that they erode my own willpower.

“I take it the medicine kicked in?” Nyria asks, hiding a smirk behind her hand.

I mumble a nonsensical confirmation and close my eyes.

I'm so, so tired. Cari's gentle caresses nearly tip me into sleep, but I manage to keep my wits.

Barely.

Who knew hormones were so gods-damned exhausting?

“Good. Good. I don't think I could have taken another dose of that,” Krissy sighs with relief.

I perk up slightly at that. “What even was that?”

She giggles, then winces and rubs her temples. “It's a skill called Eternal Embrace. It lets me drain someone's health, mana, and desire. Through a kiss, or…” She trails off, giving me a far too sensual wink my way, and no more needs to be said.

Siren of the Night indeed. Scary.

“R-right. Well, thank you for that,” I mumble, bringing my tail back up to my face and hugging it close.

“Don't expect me to do it again unless it's an emergency,” she chides gently. “You are too powerful, and with your emotions overflowing like that… just know the Skill can be overloaded. When that happens—well you saw what happened. I'd rather not turn myself into a drunken mess again, thank you.”

I nod, and her glare shifts into something softer.

“I'm glad the medicine helps.”

I glance at Bella. Even though the worst of it has washed away, my heartbeat still quickens. Her eyes meet mine for an instant, calm, composed, and something else tucked within. I look away first.

“Me too,” I say, so quietly that I doubt anyone but Cari could hear me.

Gods, even with the medicine, my mind is wandering too much.

I make a mental note to quadruple check every reaction I have until my estrus is over. Especially when Bella is involved.

Just when Krissy manages to stand on her own again, there's a gentle knock at the door.

The still open door.

We all turn to look, and find a butler standing in the doorway with a strained, but perfectly professional smile.

“Pardon my intrusion, my Ladies. I was asked to ensure the suite is prepared for its next occupants before the noon meal,” he says, bowing politely. His eyes flick toward Bella for only an instant, but it’s long enough for me to catch it.

“Next occupants?” Bella’s tone is so cold I swear it could freeze lava. “Are you implying—”

“I am merely following protocol, my Lady,” he interjects smoothly, expression unchanged. His voice drips with that carefully measured politeness I’ve only ever heard from Bella herself.

Suddenly, I understand what’s happening.

“I see,” Bella replies, each word clipped. “Your diligence is appreciated, but we were just leaving. You are excused.”

He bows again and, with mechanical grace, pivots to close the door behind him. The soft click seems to echo through the now silent room far longer than it should.

When I look back to Bella, her hands are balled into fists, trembling at her sides. Rage and humiliation burn just beneath the surface, leaking through her mask of calm.

She doesn’t look at any of us this time. Just stares at the door and exhales slowly through her nose.

“Gather your things,” she says. “We’re leaving.”

Did we just get kicked out?

***

Thankfully getting our things in order was easy. The difficult part was the escort of guards that were waiting for us at the stairs. Bella didn’t take it well, if the wide eyed ‘I will murder you’ look she gives them is anything to go by.

She doesn’t explode, though.

Walking through the lobby, I realize that a good half or more of the people relaxing and eating breakfast are staring at me as if I were shit on their shoe. While I haven’t received such looks in months, I’m still used to it.

The comments, though…

“Ah, so that’s her. I suppose some creatures simply cannot help their nature,” someone on our left murmurs.

“I heard she visited multiple rooms last night in naught but a slip of fabric. Scandalous,” another adds from a table not much farther off, and I instantly lose track of who’s speaking, too shocked by the fact that they know even this much.

“Oh, hush. It’s hardly her fault. Instincts will out, won’t they?”

“I should think a leash might do wonders for that kind of temperament.”

A few polite laughs follow, muffled behind teacups and folded fans all throughout the room.

I keep my head down. Each word lands sharp as a pinprick, but I’m too mortified to even muster a shred of anger. I know what this is. Speaking out would only make things worse.

Bella doesn't seem to care. She stops dead beside me.

Her jaw tightens, and when she looks toward the tables, I swear her expression could kill a Tier Three. The laughter dies instantly.

She doesn’t say a word, just takes my hand and keeps walking, chin high, every step radiating don’t you dare.

I want to sink into the floor and melt into a puddle, but she keeps me moving.

“Oh dear,” I hear Krissy whisper behind me.

“Yep, that’s that,” Cari sighs, much less subtly.

I glance back, confused, only for all but Nyria to avoid my eyes.

She just titters at me behind a hand. “You’re in trouble now, Mistress.”

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