Jurao and Braelin’s dancing lessons were after the midday meal - and they still struggled with the unfamiliar steps. After two hours or so, Forvi called for a break, which they were both grateful for.

  “At least I don’t feel so out of shape thanks to morning training,” Braelin sighed, taking a seat on the floor.

  “Oh? Ben has ya trainin’ again?”

  They both flinched in surprise at the unfamiliar voice - though, by Braelin’s smile, the voice was only unfamiliar to Jurao.

  “Soth,” Braelin said, getting to his feet with a groan, “What are you doing here?”

  Jurao watched the kinfolk assassin as they approached with a bow.

  “Your highness, I believe?” Soth said, with a distinct drawl in their voice as they rose. They stood a little under four feet tall, with thick, ruddy chestnut fur that covered their head like hair and trailed down their back under the colr of their pin tunic, covering the top of their arms and legs down to the tops of their hands and prehensile feet.

  Their whip-like tail swayed zily behind them, with a tuft of matching fur at the end - one down-turned bestial ear flicking as they studied Jurao in turn with their drooping amber eyes. Their brown skin was clear save a mole at the corner of their left eye.

  “I am,” Jurao agreed, tilting his head, “Forgive me - how did you get in here.”

  Soth chuckled, “Ran inta the twins in town. Reckon Aya’ll be sore I lost ‘em at the gate.”

  Braelin chuckled, “I imagine she will.”

  “As fer why I’m in the Demon Realm,” they continued, voice unhurried and warm as they took out a cob pipe and set about packing it, “I ‘eard a rumor when passin’ through Vede ‘bout the Jostian royal family bein’ here-ah.”

  “Soth!” Ayelma said, bursting into the hall, “Here you are!”

  Gaele, Meir’ril, and Kylse were behind her - the st bending over and panting as they came to a stop.

  Soth chuckled, “Sorry ta worry ya, ss.”

  “No, you aren’t,” the young woman replied, sticking out her tongue at them. Then she grinned and said, “But you were surprised, right?”

  “I was,” Braelin chuckled. He considered a moment and asked, “Aren’t you worried about the demon spy you’ve had run-ins with?”

  “Whell,” Soth replied, taking a few moments to get their pipe started, “I figure with a frien’ bein’ partnars with the King, things’ll work out fione.”

  “Why would you have run-ins with a demon spy?” Forvi asked, then added, “I’m Forvi, one of the King’s valets.”

  “I’m an assassin,” Soth replied, then grinned zily, “Whell, retired naow, ‘spose. Since I quit my guild ’n all.”

  “You have interesting friends, Braelin,” Imena snorted, “I’m Imena, another valet - my brother and I are also princelins.”

  “No kiddin’?” Soth grinned, “A King with princelins as valets - imagine tha’.”

  “Who did you have run-ins with?” Braelin asked, chuckling.

  “Don’ know the fel’s name,” Soth half-shrugged, “But he was,” they sucked in a breath through their teeth, “Some eight feet tall, dark gray skin with silver markin’s like that,” they gestured to Jurao, “‘N hair red as fire, cropped all short. One a them demons with four arms the same size and hooves, ya ken?”

  Braelin and Jurao shared a look.

  “Oh, so y’all know ‘im,” Soth grinned.

  “That would be Vajur,” Braelin sighed, “The spymaster.”

  “Oh dear,” Forvi sighed, “Would it be better to get Minaz or Hujur, maybe?”

  “Vajur can be… votile with unexpected situations,” Jurao said diplomatically.

  “I ‘ad noticed,” Soth chuckled, not appearing particurly worried. They underscored this by asking, “Twins said Yheor and Huo’a are here too?”

  “They are,” Braelin replied, “Yheor is the liaison between the Kitchens and the Gardening Department. Huo’a works as a botanist to improve our current pnts.”

  “Wouldn’ ‘ave room fer a poison-eata, would ya?” Soth asked, “Since I’m outta work ‘n all.”

  “You’re very carefree, for an assassin,” Forvi chuckled.

  Soth shrugged, grinning.

  “I’ll let Lord Hujur know about our new… guest,” Ae snorted, waving as he headed off.

  Braelin hummed and said, “We recently got a burrowing spider tree - the pits of their berries are highly toxic when consumed.”

  “Naow we’re talkin’!” Soth decred, waving for Braelin to lead the way.

  The human chuckled and looked to Forvi.

  “I don’t actually want to be nearby when Vajur reacts to this,” the prince chuckled, “Away with you.”

  “Did you want to join us?” Braelin asked, looking up at his partner.

  Considering how Vajur had reacted to the human, he thought it was prudent to be nearby for an assassin. He nodded, “Yes.”

  “Why,” Kylse straightened up, holding his side, “Why would… toxic…?”

  “Soth is a poison-eater,” Ayelma snorted, “They eat poisons.”

  “That’s… a very literal,” Kylse took a deep breath and let it go, “Title.”

  “We kinfolk lioke to keep things simple,” Soth replied, exaggerating their drawl in what appeared to be amusement.

  “Also,” Ayelma swatted her brother’s arm, “Kylse speaks Gresmean, Braelin!”

  “Oh,” Braelin chuckled, “I’ve been so used to Demonae sounding like slightly off Jostian, I didn’t notice the difference.”

  Meir’ril chuckled, “Maybe you should try to learn Demonae, since you’ll have more time.”

  “Maybe,” Braelin chuckled, “But right now, I promised Soth some poison.”

  They bid the young adults farewell - the twins and Gaele intending to return Kylse to his uncles as Jurao and Braelin went to the gardens with Soth. The pair caught up as they made their way through the castle, the King gd they did not encounter Vajur by chance along the way. Despite the new environment and vague threat of the spymaster, Soth appeared entirely at ease - petting the head of a brilliant red snake as it peeked out from under their colr.

  “Oh, Ember is a baby again,” Braelin remarked, reaching out carefully to scratch the reptile’s head as well.

  “Was reborn ‘bout a month ago,” Soth agreed, “Ah, she ‘members ya.”

  “Ember,” Jurao asked.

  “She’s an ash cobra,” Soth replied, “Got ‘er from a merchant tha’ tried ta kidnap me when I left ‘ome fer the first time. Elven breed - goes through rebirth cycles, so she’s been my deares’ frien’ these pas’ forty years.”

  The cobra’s forked tongue flicked out as she twisted to look up at Jurao for a few moments - then shyly curled back under her master’s colr. She had some loose feathers down her back, but nothing that indicated she was as feathered as demon birds with their reptilian heads.

  They reached the Mocking Garden soon after, the wooly moss trundling over to greet Braelin as usual.

  He patted one and said, “Oh - the moss is toxic also. My friend Soth enjoys eating poisons, would you mind if they had some of your moss?”

  The moss rocked back and forth a moment before shivering - dropping a clump of moss in Braelin’s hand. He held it out to Soth with some amusement.

  “Moss, eh?” Soth said, holding their pipe to the side as they accepted the clump and licked it before, indeed, taking a bite of it.

  Jurao was a bit fascinated as he watched - as far as he was aware, one bite of wooly moss was meant to be enough to put rge animals into a comatose state.

  Soth, however, chewed through the first bite before sighing and saying, “Aaah, tha’s the stuff, right there. Not much of a greens person, but the toxin is sweet ‘nough to curb the bitter moss,” they punctuated this by taking another bite of moss, patting the ball that had volunteered it, “Very potent, thankee kindly.”

  “Are you eating moss?” Minaz asked, approaching them.

  “Sure am,” Soth replied, finishing off the st of the clump with a third bite.

  “How are you still standing?” Minaz scoffed, lower hands on her hips and upper arms crossed as she looked them over.

  “Soth is a poison-eater,” Braelin chuckled, as his friend’s mouth was full of deadly moss, “They’re immune to most poisons and toxins.”

  Soth nodded, and turned their arm to show a serpent-styled mark on their wrist, “I was blessed by the Goddess Thova as a babe, so my immunity is higher than most other poison-eaters.”

  Minaz snorted, though her brows remained raised as she said, “I see. I’m Minaz, the King’s Right Hand. You’ve met one of my partners, Vajur.”

  “We nevah really introduced ourselves,” Soth chuckled, “But I’ve been told as such.”

  “Happened to run into Forvi,” Minaz added, “He expined the situation.”

  “You don’t seem worried,” Braelin remarked, leading the way to the burrowing spider tree. Most of the wooly moss retreated - pying their usual game of chase with Petal and Jurao’s hounds - but the one Soth had eaten a piece of followed after them. It stuck close to the kinfolk, and Jurao wondered what it intended.

  “Oh, no,” Minaz waved a hand, “I mean, you’re Pinprick, right?”

  “Tha’ is my handle, yeah,” Soth replied, bouncing lightly on their heels as Braelin softly asked the tree for berries.

  “Then there’s nothing to worry about, because Vajur’s had a crush on you for decades now,” Minaz shrugged.

  “I thought he might,” Soth grinned, “Demon sensibilities, ‘n all.”

  Jurao did think that made the former assassin’s casual behavior make more sense.

  “So you just came to see what happened?” Braelin asked, offering the berries to Soth. He added, “Your teeth might be sharp enough to pierce the skin, mine aren’t. The pits are the poisonous part.”

  Soth experimentally sunk one of the fangs sticking out from under their upper lip into the skin - a matching sharp canine on their lower jaw allowing them to break through the skin with a little force. They popped the berry into their mouth, chewing straight through - the pits crunching as they did. They nodded happily, eating two more berries before decring, “I knew the Demon Realm woul’ ‘ave the best poisons.”

  They patted the wooly moss behind them, then turned with a grin, “Did you get more poisonous, cheeky thing?”

  “They can do that,” Braelin replied mildly, “If Blondie did, the rest of us should avoid touching it for now.”

  The blonde moss ball bounced in pce, then shivered and dropped another clump into the kinfolk’s hand.

  “Fer lil ole me?” Soth chuckled, taking a bite. They shivered, the tips of their ears bouncing as their tail whipped behind them. They patted the moss ball again, decring, “You really know yer stuff, darlin’. Thank ya for the treat.”

  The moss ball - aptly named Blondie - bounced in pce again. Jurao realized it was a happy motion and found himself smiling at the odd antics.

  “I should find this weirder,” Minaz sighed, “I mean, it’s still weird, but not as weird as I think it would have been like six months ago.”

  Braelin considered, then chuckled, “Before you met me?”

  “Exactly,” Minaz grinned.

  “How very cheerful.”

  They all turned to look at the owner of the voice - Vajur, of course, standing at the entrance to the Mocking Gardens from the Labyrinth Hedge. Hujur stood next to his partner, giving Minaz a wryly amused look.

  “Whell, lookee here,” Soth said, tail swaying as they stepped forward and bowed, “‘Spose I best introduce myself proper-like. I’m Soth Thovaken, retired assassin - but then, ya knew that part.”

  Vajur growled - then stalked across the field. He sneered down at the kinfolk, “I am aware, yes.”

  Soth smiled brightly as they stood, holding out a hand, “Pleasure ta make yer acquaintance, Vajur.”

  Vajur scoffed - then reluctantly accepted the handshake.

  Jurao might have stepped in when his spymaster suddenly had a stiletto in his hand and went to stab the kinfolk assassin - if Vajur had not immediately swayed and would have colpsed if Minaz hadn’t caught him.

  “Oh, dear, how clumsy,” Soth chuckled, holding up their hand to theatrically lick their palm, “Seems that sticky sap was the toxic part. Whoops.”

  Vajur held his head up enough to gre at the kinfolk - but the effort appeared too much to maintain as he convulsed.

  “Antler Branch sap isn’t deadly,” Braelin said reassuringly, “But it does cause muscle spasms and pain. Kloy has an antidote on hand.”

  “I’ll take him to the Healing Wards,” Minaz sighed, hauling her partner over her shoulder and taking off at a jog.

  “Did you… know the sap wasn’t deadly?” Hujur asked, studying the kinfolk.

  “I did,” Soth replied, wiping their paw-like hand on their pants, “I can taste how deadly toxins are - can usually tell what effects they’ll have to boot. Just knew he’d go after me, so I replied in kind.”

  Hujur hummed, then rolled his eyes and said fondly, “Assassin courtship is odd to me, even as a demon.”

  Soth chuckled, “Think it might jus’ be me ‘n him, to be honest.”

  “That would not surprise me, either,” Hujur chuckled, “I’m Hujur, one of Vajur’s partners.”

  “Take it by your acceptin’ welcome,” Soth grinned, “You ‘n Minaz don’ mind Vajur and I havin’ a courtship?”

  “Not at all,” Hujur confirmed with a smile, “But thank you for checking.”

  Braelin snorted, “I suppose I should be gd if the pattern holds.”

  “The pattern?” Soth asked.

  “Of my friends and family courting people I find difficult to get along with and making them more amenable to me,” Braelin replied.

  Hujur ughed despite himself, “Yheor has the thanks of everyone for making Voga less irritable, so I can certainly see why you have such hopes.”

  Jurao hummed, “I’m not sure what a poison-eater could do for the Gardening Department.”

  “Does yer healin’ ward make its own medicines?” Soth asked, “Some poison-eaters back home specialize in helpin’ doctors figure out dosages of poisonous substances with medical value.”

  “Kloy does work with the Pharmacy Guild in developing new medicines,” Hujur said, pulling out a notebook, “There’s an academy in the city, but a small research team here in the castle. Kloy would need to confirm the appointment, but I can see the value of a… taste-tester.”

  Soth grinned, tail swaying as they said, “Figured as much.”

  Hujur agreed to make arrangements for the retired assassin in the meantime, though no one predicted Kloy turning them down. By the time all was settled, it was time to prepare for the evening meal.