Volume 17 - Like Family, Chapter 135 - Economy of Scale, part 2

Sya wrapped up her work for the day and hurried to the hot spring, where she'd been told Horo was waiting for her. Considering how much time had passed since Rem had delivered that message, it wasn't surprising that Horo had already moved on. Not discouraged, Sya simply started up the trail toward Horo's cabin.

Wearing her elaborate blue and white outfit with red and gold details, Sya stood out against the greens and browns of the natural hillside. All the deciduous trees had lost their leaves for the year, but that was for the best: the season's first heavy snowfall was sure to arrive in the next week or two.

Sya was actually looking forward to that. Ever since she was little, she loved to play in the snow. Her wide, furry paws were perfect for scampering over even the deepest snow, but the intense expectations of her parents meant she hadn't done much scampering in recent years.

Before she could dwell more on that, Sya arrived at Horo's cabin and knocked on the door. When it opened a moment later, she was a little surprised by what she saw.

Horo was there, looking magnificent in a totally different outfit than before. Instead of tight pants and a midriff-baring top, she wore a frilled mini-skirt, thigh-high stockings, and a plunging v-neck top that also bared her stomach. While the striking black and red outfit was certainly revealing, what caught Sya's attention was the sheer number of intricate details. From round red gemstones to royal purple tassels and golden embroidery, the clothes were far too fancy for day-to-day use. She looked like a pop-idol ready to perform for a crowd.

Sya bowed slightly and said, "I apologize for not contacting you sooner after I received Rem's message. I had urgent work at the front desk, but I am off the clock now."

"Don't worry about it," Horo said with a giggle. "For a noble, you sure apologize a lot. More importantly, did you get permission to stay?"

Sya smiled, her blue eyes sparkling. "Yes! My host Miss Amano said it was okay!" In her cheer, she dropped her stuffy and formal maid attitude and slipped into the casual way of speaking that she'd picked up from spending so much time around the other girls. "I shouldn't stay up too late, though, since I have work in the morning."

"Fine, fine. I wouldn't want to contribute to the delinquency of a minor," Horo joked.

Still beaming, Sya added, "But I have tomorrow afternoon off. Maybe we can visit town together? I know the area and I can show you around."

Horo smiled but raised an eyebrow at Sya's eagerness. "Getting a bit ahead of yourself, Sya."

"Hehe," Sya giggled. "I'm just so excited about having a sleepover." She found it strangely easy to relax around Horo, as if they'd known each other much longer than they had. She thought it could be because they came from similar controlling families, and they both wanted to cut loose.

"No sense standing in the doorway. Come on in," Horo said, beckoning Sya inside the cabin.

Sya quickly saw that the kitchen table was covered in souvenirs from all over Japan and the bed in the second bedroom was completely buried in clothes, all just as expensive-looking as Horo's current outfit. They looked brand new and some still had labels on them, highlighting their famous brands.

Horo said, "Pardon the mess. After my soak in the spring, I decided to take inventory of my purchases so I can mail some stuff home and free up more space in my luggage." Then Horo waved a hand over her body, drawing attention to her elaborate outfit. "And I wanted to try some of them on."

Sya nodded in appreciation and said, "You look great! It's very fantastical, but you make it work wonderfully. I especially like the contrast of the red and black." Sya knew her own clothes were fancy, but Horo's outfit was in another league entirely.

She also knew better than to ask how much all of Horo's new clothes had cost, but she could tell that it was beyond even what she'd been allowed to spend back while she'd been living at home. It was a bit humbling to realize that there were people out there with far more wealth than even her powerful family.

I wonder if this is what normal people feel like when interacting with my parents, she thought idly.

But unlike Sya's parents, Horo didn't try to lord her wealth over anyone. To Sya, she just seemed to genuinely enjoy the nice things that her money allowed. Over the next couple hours, Sya and Horo grew closer as they chatted about everything from their favorite foods to their current interests.

Sya and Horo were lounging on the one bed that wasn't covered in clothes, both lying on their bellies. A portable speaker was streaming music from Horo's phone: a diverse mix of pop music from all over the world. The volume was quiet enough to easily talk over.

Between bites of junk food, Horo asked, "So what's the deal with Old Moscow? I know I acted all familiar with it yesterday, but it's been a long time since I visited. I don't remember much, except that there were barely any humans and I was allowed to walk around with my tail and wings out."

Sya swallowed a bite of Kit-Kat, taking extra care not to get any chocolate in the bed since she and Rem would be the ones cleaning it later. Then she started into a surprisingly thorough explanation of Old Moscow. She had always been a good study, and her parents loved to stress the importance of history and legacies.

"Well, it's one of the oldest liminal-only cities in the world, founded in the late 1300's, when the rest of Russia was breaking free of Mongol control. A few hundred supernatural beings banded together to form their own town and hide it with magic, to distance themselves from humanity's troubles."

Sya grimaced as she continued, "It ended up being a very wise move, since the human Moscow went through numerous disasters over the next 400 years, burning to the ground several times and losing a majority of the population to famine. Things stabilized in the early 1700's, but Old Moscow was doing even better than that. In addition to magic, they had access to the best science and medicine in the world. That's when my ancestor Elena Nadezhda rose to power. My family's been part of the elite ruling class ever since."

She didn't mention the unsavory means that her ancestor had used to get that power, or the only-slightly-better methods her family continued to employ to keep hold of it. Sya also didn't mention that her middle name was Elena.

During the little history lesson, Horo stayed focused on Sya, listening intently. Then she rolled onto her back and said, "Wow, that's pretty cool that you know all that. All I know about my family history is that my dad met my mom in Egypt. We have a house there, but it doesn't get much use. I've been traveling with my dad most of my life, disguised as humans back before the all the Exchange Program stuff started."

She smiled as she continued, "He never settles down or takes a vacation, since he's always trying to make more money, like all Gold Dragons." She shrugged and added, "I must have gotten enough Red Dragon from my mom to dodge that curse."

Sya saw the way Horo's eyes lit up when she talked about her parents. She must really love them, Sya thought. Then she asked, "You said you travel with your father? What about your mother?"

Horo frowned and said, "She died when I was young." Then she changed the subject. "Do you know if it's women-only bathing right now? I was thinking we could hang out in the hot spring."

Sya looked at the time and recalled the bathing schedule. It was easy, since she had printed and laminated a new copy of it earlier that day. She shook her head and answered, "No, it's mixed bathing right now, and male-only after that."

Horo sighed and said, "Bummer. I'd rather not run into any men right now. They remind me of the suitors that keep coming around whenever I visit home."

Sya pawed and kneaded the bedcovers distractedly. On some level, she was glad that Horo didn't want to do mixed bathing. Sya didn't have the confidence to bathe naked around strangers, and that went double for men.

"Suitors, huh?" Sya asked. That wasn't something she'd ever dealt with before. The Nadezhda family was more about arranged marriages, which they used to strengthen existing business relationships. By enrolling in the Exchange Program, Sya had escaped all that, at least for a while.

Horo answered, "Yeah, they're so annoying. They just want my dad's money, and they'll say anything if they think it's what I want to hear. Too bad they have no idea what women actually want."

Sya leaned close and timidly asked, "And what is it that women actually want?" Despite her regal appearance and poise, Sya was just a seventeen year old girl, and a socially inexperienced one at that.

Horo smiled, rolling onto her side to make eye contact. "That depends on the woman, but a very observant person can deduce it. For example, I think that you want someone strong and respectable, but not the stuffy kind of 'respectable' that the upper class aspires to. You want them to have earned their respect through action."

Her subtle smile became a mischievous grin and she added, "And I bet you want someone to tell you you're beautiful for the things that make you you: the unique pattern of your fur, your sensitive and powerful paws, and the striking intelligence in your cool blue eyes."

Sya pulled back, blushed bright red, and stammered, "W-what? N-no, you're way off…" she lied. In reality, she was surprisingly affected by those compliments. Whether through luck or skill, Horo had hit the nail on the head.

Horo scooted right up next to Sya on the bed, then she lowered her voice and said, "The way you handle yourself, I can tell you're fit and strong under that frilly outfit."

Sya's eyes went wide and her rounded ears perked up. It was unmistakable now: Horo was hitting on her. Sya needed to act quick, before things got out of hand.

She steeled herself and said, "Before you say anything more, you should know that I'm not sure whether I'm into women." Growing up, Sya had always dreamed of a handsome prince, but after being around so many lesbian women, other possibilities had certainly been on her mind…

Horo giggled and put an arm over Sya's shoulders. "I'm not sure either. I went on this trip to try lots of things, to experiment while the stakes are low, before I'm an adult." She snuggled up against Sya's side and said, "No pressure, but would you like to experiment with me?"

Deep inside of Sya, there was a part that hungered for the warmth of physical contact, and not in a sexual way. It thirsted for a gentle touch, for closeness. That little part had been neglected for years, pushed deep down by Sya's strict upbringing, her emotionally distant parents, and by her own exacting standards that she held herself to.

She had friends, but she'd always kept them at arm's length. Not this time. She answered Horo's question by wrapping her arms around her. She held her friend close, and for the first time in years Sya savored the comforting warmth of another's body.

With her face buried in Horo's silky white hair, Sya said, "Let's just start with this."

Horo nodded in agreement. She was surprised at the direction things had gone, but she was happy to be there for a friend.

A few minutes later, it was Sya that took things a step further. With the most cautious, careful movements, she guided her lips toward Horo's, and Sya had her first kiss. It wasn't with some impossibly perfect prince, but it was much better; it was with someone she cared about. Whether she cared for Horo as a friend or something more didn't matter just then.

Their 'experimentation' never went much further than that. Over the next few hours, Sya and Horo talked, held hands, joked, kissed, and laughed. Once female-only bathing time rolled around again, Horo coaxed Sya out of her shyness and into the hot spring with a constant stream of pinpoint-accuracy compliments. It was hard for Sya to feel unsure about her body's unique features while being told how beautiful they were.

After Sya got in the spring, she sunk deeper into the soothing hot water until only her face was above the water. Then she said, "How do you know just what to say to me, Horo?"

A few feet to Sya's right, Horo was adjusting her hair, which was coiled up in a large bun to keep it out of the water. She smiled and said, "I might just be a teenager by dragon standards, but I've been around a while. All my traveling let me do a lot of people watching and 49 years was plenty of time to learn how people tick."

Then she shook her head and added, "But that's overselling myself. In reality, I just saw a lot of myself in you, so I've been saying what I'd want to hear. They just happened to be the same things you wanted."

Sya recalled what Horo had said earlier, then she flipped it around. "So, I guess that means you want a strong, respectable person, and you want to be told that you're beautiful for the things that are uniquely you, like your red scales that shine in the moonlight, your majestic wings and tail, your sense of style, and your unshakable confidence."

For the first time that night, it was Horo's turn to be flustered. She turned away to hide her embarrassment, but she was smiling. After a moment to compose herself, she joked, "Careful, Sya. If you keep saying exactly what I want to hear, you'll become my top suitor. And I don't think you want to get hitched just yet."

"That's exactly right," Sya replied. "As much as my parents want to marry me off, I'm not ready. I mean, I only just had my first kiss tonight."

"What!?" Horo blurted, turning to stare right at Sya. "That was really your first kiss?"

Sya nodded, not making eye contact.

Horo shook her head in disbelief. "Damn, if I knew that you were that inexperienced, I never would have suggested experimenting with me…"

A splash of water on Horo's face signalled Sya's displeasure. "Hey, don't start treating me like a kid!"

"Fine, fine," Horo said. Then she grinned and added, "Oh, isn't it almost your bedtime?"

Another wave of hot water came her way, but she was ready and easily blocked it with one wing. Giggling, Horo said, "Seriously though, you have work in the morning, right?"

Sya nodded and reluctantly started to rise from the water. "Yeah, I know. Shall we head back and start clearing off the second bed?"

"Nah, it's not a proper sleepover if we stay in different rooms, and the bed is roomy enough to fit both of us."

Sya's face turned red in a flash, and it wasn't from overheating. Her mind went directly to some racy subject matter. She retreated back under the water and mumbled, "I don't think I'm ready for that."

Horo stood up in the pool, her entire upper body naked and steaming in the cool night air. Her mischievous grin had returned. "We'd be wearing pajamas, Sya. Unless you'd rather we wear less…"

"Oh, right," Sya pouted, embarrassed at where her mind had gone. Then she glared up at Horo and said, "You can be a terrible tease, Horo."

"Oh, I know. It's one of my best features. So are you alright with sharing a bed?" Horo held out a hand, palm up.

Sya grabbed the offered hand, after shaking some of the water from her furry paw. As she stood up, she said, "Yes, that's fine, but let's try not to stay up talking too late."

Horo stepped out of the water and started for the changing room. "Sure thing, especially since we'll have tomorrow afternoon together. I'm looking forward to seeing all the sights Okayado has to offer."

On the final evening of Horo's stay, her dragonewt bodyguards arrived in their rented black SUV. They were beyond relieved to find her safe and sound, but they were a little annoyed to hear that Horo had added a new leg to their journey: they were headed to Old Moscow next.

"I think you two will love it," Horo said as she loaded her heavy suitcases into the back of the vehicle. "It's all liminals there, and I heard that they've really embraced the new liminal tourism industry. My new friend Anastasya even gave me some recommendations for places to stay and areas to avoid."

"Have you told your father about your change of plans?" the green-scaled guard asked. She was already resigned to the new travel itinerary and just wanted things to go as smoothly as possible.

"Yep! He even said he'll try to meet us there, though I think he mostly just wants to touch base with an old business contact."

The guard cast a glance at her partner, which seemed to say, 'Let's confirm that claim ourselves'. Then she climbed into the front seat, making sure to tuck her wings away and put on her seatbelt.

As the SUV started up, Horo said from the back seat, "Oh, don't head to the train station just yet. I want to ship some souvenirs home and stop for a drink at this cool liminal nightclub in town. I saw it yesterday, but my friend was too young to get in."

The two guards shared another glance. They weren't sure whether to mention that they'd already been to that club twice during their own little vacation in Okayado.

A few minutes after the SUV had disappeared down the long and winding driveway, a white-furred woman in bright red clothes came down the side path from the shrine area. She went in through the front door and approached the desk, walking kind of strange because of the heavy object she was holding with both paws.

"Yuisu, the park area is all closed up for the day," Hakuto said.

Yuisu glanced up briefly from her laptop. "Thanks, Hakuto. You're a wonderful help."

Then Hakuto asked, "What should I do with this odd offering that was at my shrine? I think that dragon girl left it." She strained to lift the offering up and set it on the desk, then she shook her paws to get their circulation going again.

Yuisu didn't need to be an expert to identify the object, even though she'd never seen anything like it in person. It was a thick trapezoid-shaped bar of gold-colored metal with several lines of letters and numbers stamped on the biggest side. The most relevant looking ones were '999.9 Fine Gold' and '12.5kg'.

"Oh wow, I guess it makes sense that such a ridiculously rich girl would leave an unusual offering. It looks like real gold, so it's probably worth a decent amount of money. I'll find out what it's worth real quick."

Yuisu typed the details into her laptop's browser and hit enter. After seeing the results, she double-checked the numbers on the gold bar and did it again. Once she was sure she was searching with the correct information, her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.

Speaking quietly, as if sharing a secret, she said, "Uh, apparently that much gold at that quality is worth over 500,000 US dollars, which is… almost 55 million yen."

Hakuto wiggled her nose and asked, "Is that a lot? I haven't really interacted with the human economy in a couple hundred years."

Yuisu nodded firmly. "Yes, it is a lot of money. That's probably about what this whole property is worth, cabins and all." Then she pushed the bar back toward Hakuto and said, "Go hide this in your bedroom for now and don't mention it to anyone. First thing in the morning, let's go down to town and get you set up with a bank account and safe deposit box for this. Someday, you could use this to build a house of your own."