Raveena stared.
She didn't speak. Nor blink, nor breathe.
She just… stared.
Right at the now very red, very wide-eyed Aya Ribbuns, whose face was currently burning hot enough to steam a kettle. The rabbit-folk girl lay frozen beneath her, both hands now slapped over her cheeks like she was trying to physically hold in her soul.
"U-um! I—I was just—!" Aya squeaked out. "I didn't mean to—I was just trying to find a—"
She waved her hands helplessly and just covered her face entirely again.
Slowly, and awkwardly, Raveena straightened herself up, careful not to jostle any limbs in the process. Afterwards, she tugged the rest of the blanket over Aya's body,
Then with one hand, she pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled.
"…Aya," she muttered, still trying to understand the chain of events that brought her here. "What happened to your clothes?"
Aya peeked from behind her hands. "…What?"
"Your clothes, Aya. What happened to them?"
Aya's face flared back into full blush mode as she mumbled, "It's… complicated."
Raveena scratched behind her ear, "…Right," she muttered. "Well. It is what it is."
She then stood and stretched her back with a sigh before she moved toward her suitcase in the room and clicked it open.
"Do you need something to wear?" she asked over her shoulder.
Aya nodded. "If it's not too much to ask for… yes, please. At least until I can get back to my clothes."
Raveena nodded wordlessly, digging through neatly folded sets of clothing, though, in truth, there weren't many options. She hadn't exactly packed casuals. Just the clean formal spares Professor Vask paid for in case she ruined a set.
Eventually, she pulled out a shirt, a waistcoat, and a pair of tailored trousers. She left the coat, because she didn't think Aya would need that much.
Turning back to the bed, she held the small bundle out to Aya.
"I only brought formalwear, so… this is the best I've got," she said. "Not sure if it'll fit. You're, uh… you've got more to work with than I do."
Aya blinked. "More to…?"
"I mean you're plumper and curvier. In the nice way. Definitely more hips. Might need to squeeze a bit."
"I-I can try," Aya stammered, clutching the bundle close. "Thank you… really."
"Don't mention it," Raveena nodded, already turning her back to give Aya some privacy.
After a few moments had passed, Aya finally spoke again after she finished changing. "Okay. I think I've got it."
Raveena turned and then gave her a once-over.
After a bit, she frowned, just slightly.
Yeah… it was exactly what she expected.
The shirt hugged a little too snugly around the chest, the waistcoat barely buttoned, and the trousers… well, they did their best. But with Raveena's lean panther-folk build, her tailoring didn't exactly account for rabbit curves, or hips shaped by a lifelong affection for pastries.
"How is it?" Raveena asked. "Not too suffocating?"
Aya gently tugged on some parts of the shirt, smoothing it over herself. "It's a bit tight," she admitted, "but… I've worn tighter."
Raveena let out a long sigh of relief and nodded. "Alright. That's good."
Her gaze dipped to Aya's bare feet, then paused as a few more unfortunate details came back to her.
"Uh… so, I don't exactly have spare shoes for you. Or uh… anything else."
"Anything… else?"
"Underwear."
"Oh." Aya's ears twitched. "Right…"
"So just don't move too much," Raveena added. "You know… to keep things from getting uncomfortable."
Aya smiled gently. "It's alright. Really. I'll head straight to where I left my clothes anyway. I won't be long."
Raveena gave a nod, folding her arms. "Maybe I'll just go with you."
"Really? I thought you'd be busy. I mean, you're here. At the Summit. I didn't even know you were part of it…"
Raveena chuckled. "Trust me. It's not that important."
"Are you sure?" Aya asked once more.
"Yes, don't worry about it."
Raveena moved toward the door and cracked it open, peeking into the hallway. There, she saw a few people passing by, dressed to the nines, delegates, organizers, staff. A few servers hurried by with trays. It was suddenly busy.
With another sigh, she shut the door again and turned back.
"Alright," she muttered, kicking off one shoe, then the other. "Forget that. You need to wear shoes."
Aya looked at her in surprise. "No, I can't! What about you?"
"I can walk in socks. I'll survive." Raveena knelt to slide the shoes toward her. "Rabbit-folk feet are sensitive, aren't they?"
"W-Well… yes. They are… but…"
"Exactly." Raveena waved her off. "So put them on."
Aya stared at the shoes for a moment before reaching for them. "I'm sorry. This must be… really a bother for you, and you're going out too."
Raveena snorted. "Please. I couldn't care less what people think if they see me walking around a formal event with just socks. Besides, I feel like you have a bit more dignity to uphold than me right now. I'm no one special, really."
Aya frowned, her ears drooping as she tugged the shoes toward herself. "Oh, please don't say it like that. You're just as special as everyone else here, Raveena."
Raveena paused, halfway through unfastening her waistcoat, then looked over her shoulder.
"...Thanks, I guess," she smiled slightly, before pointing at the shoes. "Still. Point stands. Wear the shoes."
Aya gave a small nod before she slipped her feet into Raveena's shoes. They were a bit big, of course they were, but snug enough to get by.
While she adjusted the laces, Raveena changed into her fresh set of formalwear in the corner.
By the time Aya stood up again, Raveena was already finished. "You good?" the panther-folk asked, grabbing the key to the room.
Aya nodded. "Yes. Thank you again."
With that, the two stepped out into the hallway. Raveena locked the door behind them, pocketed the key, and nodded at Aya.
"Alright. Lead the way, bun."
"...I left my clothes at the Hearthgarden Kitchen. I… I hope they're still there. I didn't exactly mean to leave them, so… maybe the others didn't touch anything."
"Only one way to find out," Raveena said, stepping beside her.
And with that, the two of them headed down the corridors, bound for the kitchen where Aya left her clothes.
Outside her third meeting room of the day, Professor Junna Vask stood with her arms crossed, weight shifted impatiently to one side, eyes looking down at the silver pocket watch in her palm.
"Tch. What's takin' that brat so long?" she thought, snapping it closed with a flick. "You'd think panther-folk would know how to move their tails a little faster."
She grumbled under her breath, adjusting the cuff of her coat just to vent a bit of frustration out.
"Oh, hey! Junna," suddenly came a voice from just beside her. "There you are."
She turned to her left and relaxed as soon as she saw the man approaching her. "Hey again, Leif."
"Good thing I saw you here, because I forgot to tell you earlier," he said as he came to a stop beside her, "your presentation during the first meeting? Really impressive, you sounded the same as you were during the old days."
Professor Vask gave a short and amused huff. "Thanks, old man. I'm amazed anyone could stay awake through my charts."
Leif chuckled. "You made it sound important. That's the trick, isn't it?"
She smirked before she nodded toward him. "And you? How'd your second one go?"
Leif lifted a hand and rolled it side to side. "About what you'd expect. Everyone nodding and clapping politely after hearing what they wanted to hear. But…"
"But?"
"That was only after the storm rolled in."
Professor Vask raised a brow. "The storm?"
He chuckled, almost embarrassed. "Let's just say… I got absolutely ground down in there."
"Wait, you? Ground down?"
"I know," he sighed, smiling. "I nearly forgot what pressure felt like. Ardyn was with me too. She folded right beside me."
"…Folded? Both of you?" she asked, completely baffled. "You two aren't exactly known for getting jittery."
Leif let out a quick laugh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well. Turns out there was a wild card in the room."
"Who? Someone we haven't heard of?"
Leif shook his head and sighed. "It's… Kir Wolfe."
"That Kir Wolfe?! The one who treats real estate like a sport and once bought a trade route just to reroute three other companies out of business?"
"Yes…"
Professor Vask's ear feathers bristled slightly. "...You're joking."
"I wish I was. But he was right there, took the seat at the head of the table. Asked exactly seven questions. And all of them dismantled the entire framework we built around sustainable business allocations."
"But his name wasn't in the manifests," she muttered. "Why's he here?"
"Probably didn't sign up early," Leif said, scratching behind his ear. "I mean, it's Kir. He does what he wants. Same thing with my sister, remember? No registration, but they let her in anyway 'cause she holds some sway over the educator board."
Professor Vask pressed her fingers to her temple. "Leif. 'Some sway' is when someone can get a free lunch. Kir Wolfe holds enough sway to tilt a building sideways if he doesn't like who owns it."
Leif nodded solemnly. "Hence the folding."
She let out a groan. "Stars help me, I might actually end up in a room with him."
Then her eyes widened slightly in dread as she realized something.
"…Oh no."
"What?"
"Raveena's not going to like this."