Nie sighed, closing the doors leading into the castle ballroom behind him. It was cold, but a fire had been lit on the patio that kept the worst of it away, even with his thinner finery on.

The human took a seat on one of the cushioned stone benches; as he had suspected, there were many nobles unhappy to see him at the debut ball. Now that the introductions and escort dance were over, Nie decided to excuse himself, mostly so Gahne wouldn’t actually get into a fight with anyone.

I shall talk with Vehra and Dahm later, he decided. They had also come to escort younger siblings at the ball and were fellow members of the Rabahni Miniature Aquatics Consortium. In addition to helping Gahne prepare for the ball, Nie had been busy finishing his latest pot pond, since it was his turn to host the monthly meeting. It would only be a week after the ball, so he had wanted to ensure he was ready early.

Nie flinched at a sudden thud, whirling in his seat to see what had caused it.

Grand Duke Abuin rose from a crouch, brushing a few stray leaves off his own, much more impressive finery as he did.

Nie blinked. He honestly had not even given the Grand Duke a serious thought in the past few weeks leading up to the ball and was having difficulty making sense of how the man had suddenly appeared. The human’s eyes trailed up to the gardens built on the tier about twenty or so feet above them. The gardens connected to the ballroom currently being used by the higher nobility for their debut ball, which was certainly an event a grand duke would be expected to attend.

He jumped? Nie realized in sheer disbelief, Why?

Abuin finished brushing himself down, then looked up, catching Nie in his intense amber-eyed gaze.

Belatedly, Nie got to his feet, putting a hand to his chest and bowing, “Good evening, Your Grace.”

The benign greeting felt entirely out of place, but Nie honestly did not know how else he could have responded.

“Mn,” Abuin replied, paw nails clicking on the stone patio as he approached.

Nie risked straightening up, since he was well accustomed to the Grand Duke failing to tell him to raise.

Abuin stopped about a foot away, but his gaze did not waver.

Nie shifted his weight uncomfortably; he was still reasonably certain Abuin had no idea he was a noble, so perhaps the duke had spotted him and come to investigate. With this in mind, the human gestured to the ballroom he’d left, “I am here to escort my sister at the debut ball.”

Abuin did not so much as grace the hall with a glance, “You are a noble?”

It was the first full sentence Nie had heard from the Grand Duke in over a year, and it made him flinch in surprise, though the tone was soft and neutral—not disbelieving nor mocking, which he supposed was well. Clearing his throat, Nie replied, “Yes, I was adopted into the Wahnera family at thirteen.”

“Mn,” Abuin acknowledged, then snorted, finally turning his head, “Here I was banging my head, but the solution is this easy…”

Nie felt off-balance—were they… having a conversation?

The Grand Duke turned his attention back to the human, “Do you have any marriage prospects?”

It took Nie a full minute to muster a reply—after all, that was a question one only asked if they intended to send a marriage request, and there was no reason why Abuin should be asking Nie that kind of question.

“No,” the human finally said, still confused.

“Mn,” Abuin nodded, “You said the Wahnera family, correct?”

“I did,” Nie said, and before he could properly ask what the Grand Duke’s intentions were, he was interrupted by his stomach letting out a loud growl.

Nie was finally able to tear his own gaze away in embarrassment.

“You have yet to eat?” Abuin questioned.

“The Wahnera family is only a barony, so we were announced close to the end,” Nie replied, “We did not have time to have anything before the escort dance, and I find my life is much easier when I do not impose myself on my peers, so…”

Abuin snorted, and, without a word, stepped closer—but only to push Nie back towards the ballroom with a hand against the human’s back, opening the doors so they could both walk inside.

Nie blinked at the sudden brightness, very aware of the large paw-hand against his back as Abuin continued gently pushing him along. While there had been an initial wave of sound, it slowly died as the occupants of the ballroom became aware of Abuin’s presence. It only took a few moments before even the music stopped as people stared.

It was hardly unheard of for a higher noble to come down to the lower noble debut ball, but it was usually the low-ranking higher nobles, like the bottom two marqual ranks. For a grand duke, the highest rank under the three royal ranks, to make a sudden appearance was as much a shock to the other nobles as it had been to Nie.

Abuin only stopped when they reached the food table—even Rabahni nobles usually served themselves at large events involving a good deal of dancing and social interaction. The Grand Duke gave Nie a slight push toward the table before taking his hand back, clasping all four behind his back and watching the human attentively.

Nie took a glance about the room. He could almost feel the questions the other nobles had. Where had the Grand Duke come from? Why was he here? Most confusingly, what was he doing with the human?

Abuin huffed, drawing Nie’s attention back. The Grand Duke gestured to the table with a tilt of his head.

Well, he is being a little assertive, Nie thought, obligingly picking up a plate to fill. But he is not attempting to feed me himself, so I probably misunderstood why he was asking about marriage prospects outside…

As the human picked out his plate, someone got the music to start again, softer and less lively than before, but it felt much better than complete silence.

Nie looked up as his sister rushed over. He could hardly blame her for needing time to collect herself.

Gahne stopped at an appropriate distance, eyes wide as she curtsied abruptly.“Your Grace!” she exclaimed.

“Mn,” Abuin growled a little, looking in her direction.

Nie stepped into his line of sight and cleared his throat, “My sister, Lady Gahne Wahnera.”

“Mn,” Abuin repeated, tension disappearing as he turned his gaze to Nie’s plate.

Gahne looked up hesitantly, catching her brother’s attention and giving him a significant look.

Nie shrugged helplessly. He did not know what was happening any more than she did. How could he hope to explain?

He was saved by the equally sudden appearance of Greater Marquis Shasol Imehn, Abuin’s valet, who somehow managed to walk across the room at the speed of a jog, “So you were here—Abby, what are…”

Shasol paused as his eyes fell on Nie, and he sighed in what sounded like both resignation and relief, “Oh. You found Nie.”

Gahne crept up to her brother’s side.“Why does the Greater Marquis know you?” she asked through her teeth.

Nie could well understand her panic and confusion, but was having a difficult time finding words that would help with either.

Meanwhile, Shasol and Abuin were glaring at each other. Nie could almost swear they were having some kind of mental conversation despite a lack of any change in facial expression.

Finally, Shasol sighed, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes for a moment. When he’d gathered himself, he turned and bowed, “Lady Gahne Wahnera, I presume?”

“Ah… yes! Your Grace,” Gahne said, returning the bow a moment too late.

Shasol rose with a strained smile, “Would you allow me to take the place of your brother as your escort?”

Nie blinked rapidly in surprise—now what was happening?

“Ah…” Gahne looked as off-balance as Nie felt. She looked at him for guidance.

He shrugged again. Having a Greater Marquis as an escort would definitely boost his sister’s social status, and he felt this had more to do with Abuin than anything else. Still, it was her decision to make, not his.

Gahne whined, glancing between Abuin, Nie, and Shasol before swallowing and curtsying again, “Of course, I would be honored, Your Grace.”

“Thank you,” Shasol smiled, then returned his glare to Abuin, “You heard that, yes? Now go back upstairs before you cause more problems.”

Abuin snorted, but rather than complain at his valet’s far too rude command, started to leave the ballroom. Dragging Nie along with him.

“Please just put up with this,” Shasol said quietly as they passed him.

Well, Nie took a look back, fairly certain by the gentle grip Abuin would let him break away if he desired. As long as someone is escorting Gahne and she is fine with them, I suppose…

Abuin really did take Nie with him to the upper ballroom, riding up the water-powered lift and startling castle staff along the way. While their entrance did cause quite a bit of head-turning and murmuring, it was nothing so dramatic as the lower ballroom's complete silence.

Nie didn’t particularly mind being dragged along, especially since he would have no idea what to do with himself otherwise. He was still awkwardly holding a plate of food from the lower ballroom, and a bit awestruck by the far grander upper ballroom.

Abuin deposited the human on a couch at a low table, pushing the plate at him before walking off without a word.

Nie’s stomach protested its emptiness again, so with a sigh, he took the hint and began eating, looking about the ballroom and feeling very out of place in every conceivable way.

“Excuse me,” a Rabahni noble Nie did not recognize—which would be most of them since he did not keep up with that sort of thing—slid into one of the other seats around the table, “But you are… the human some baron adopted, correct?”

Nie nodded, “Nie Wahnera.”

“Wahnera, yes,” the woman said, waving a hand, “Tell me—ah, Nie—how did you… do that?”

“Huh?” Nie asked.

“You know,” she went on, “Abuin. How did you do it?”

“I do not know what you mean… Your Grace,” Nie replied, more confused than ever.

“Asahn,” she waved a hand again, “I’ve never seen him so…”

Abuin reappeared, tail swishing as he sat beside Nie and set another full plate on the table. He huffed at Asahn, but then merely leaned back, draping his upper arms across the back of the couch. It made Nie feel… surprisingly more comfortable to be semi-absorbed into the Grand Duke’s space instead of occupying his own in this situation. It helped that Abuin put his lower hands in his lap, maintaining some space between them.

“I noticed,” she said, waving a hand yet again. Perhaps it was a common gesture among the upper nobility, “Well, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nie… Wahnera. I am sure we will meet again soon.”

Nie nodded, but he had no idea why she would think that. Though, after he finished his only half-full plate from downstairs, he started to glean an inkling from Abuin putting the second plate in his hands. The human had assumed it was for the man himself, but it appeared the Grand Duke was going to feed him after all.

Was he simply… trying to figure out what I like? Nie realized, finding the food Abuin had retrieved was similar to the choices the human had made previously. As he was still hungry, he did eat more. But he also thought, Does that not prove he hardly knows me well enough to even consider requesting my hand…?

Their brief encounter in the garden was the closest thing to a conversation they had ever held, and Nie was not sure he would even put it in that category.

“Last time,” Abuin said at length, “you had someone else’s smell on you.”

Nie had been nibbling and people watching, and flinched in surprise at the sudden address. He looked over at the Grand Duke, “Last time?” he asked, blinking. 

“Mn,” Abuin agreed.

“... last… last month?” Nie asked, having no idea what other time the man could be referring to.

“Mn,” the duke nodded.

Nie had not the slightest inkling what this man wanted from him. He knew, because he had been hired for it, that Abuin had particularly strong instincts and more enhanced senses than the average savbahn. While it could be advantageous in some settings, being a trait many past Rabahni warriors had, it tended to be more of a detriment in polite society. It caused him to be overstimulated at most social events, which largely contributed to his short temper and usual irritation.

But knowing that Abuin’s too-sharp senses could have cut through Nie’s usual scent-masking lotions did not assist him in remembering who precisely he had spoken to before a massage session that happened a month ago, nor why the Grand Duke was even making mention of it.

Abuin huffed, then sniffed the air, and after a few moments, pointed, “That one.”

Nie followed his hand and, after a moment, spotted a face he recognized, “Marquis Wesahn?”

“Mn,” Abuin said, letting his hand drop.

Nie still was not sure what Abuin wanted, “We are members of the same club. I suppose if I bumped into them on the way to the Nehma Estate, I might have said hello?” he said.

Abuin growled a little.

“It is the Rabahni Miniature Aquatics Consortium,” Nie added. Derha Wesahn was the highest-ranking member of their little group, which defaulted them into being the president.

Abuin just stared without saying anything.

Nie sighed, “We make little ponds in clay pots for small fish.”

The duke blinked, then looked away, frowning.

The human sighed again—that was the usual reaction, after all. Confusion as to why a group of nobles would be interested in, of all things, making fish ponds.

“That is all?” Abuin asked after some time.

Nie felt a headache coming on, “Your Grace, I do not understand.”

“That it all there is between you and the marquis?” the duke clarified.

The human truly did not comprehend what was going through Abuin’s head, but replied anyway, “Yes, that is all.”

“Mn,” Abuin grunted, “So, you do not have any lovers?” he asked.

 “Good evening, Your Grace,” Nie said, putting a hand on his chest and bowing from the waist as his client, Grand Duke Abuin Nehma, burst into the room. He stood beside the massage table he had only just finished preparing in the Grand Duke’s Northern Solarium, dressed in his plain, loose-fitted massagist robes.

Abuin grunted, as was his usual response. He was glaring at a stack of papers in his hand, his curly-furred tail twitching in irritation.

Nie rose, though by all accounts he should have waited for permission. However, the Grand Duke seemed annoyed when he did, so he simply waited patiently where he was.

 Abuin growled as he paced and continued to read, paw nails clicking on the stone mosaic floor tiles. He tossed the papers onto the handsome wooden desk in the room, a few fluttering to the floor. Without a word or glance in Nie’s direction, he stripped out of his clothing, tossing the finely embroidered jacket, ruffle-fronted blouse, and matching trousers onto a nearby chaise lounge. Naked save for his small clothes, the Grand Duke brushed past the human masseur to lie on the table on his stomach, closing his eyes immediately.

He was Nie’s favorite client for precisely this reason.

Nie had been the Grand Duke’s personal masseur for a little over a year now, a standing weekly appointment set up by Abuin’s valet through the Massagist Guild. Abuin had gone through several other massagists before settling on Nie. The human could not say what had made him stand out to the savbahn noble, as the man had never revealed the reason to him.

In the country of Rabahn, the population was primarily savbahn – a nine-foot-tall bipedal people with horns similar to the markhor, faces that were a blend of human and canid features with long canid ears, four arms ending in four-fingered paw-like hands, digitigrade feet, and furry tails. They had fur covering most of their bodies, including the entirety of their legs and backs, around the chest and shoulders, and on the back of their arms and hands, in addition to hair that grew upon their heads similarly to humans.

As a human, Nie tended to stand out. Among commoners, he was no more than a bit of novelty. Among the Rabahni nobility, however, he was considered something of an eyesore.

So that Grand Duke Abuin had chosen him—who had only been sent as a last, desperate attempt to please the man before he took his business elsewhere—over his older and more experienced savbahn colleagues was a mystery to everyone.

Abuin himself had curly, strawberry roan colored fur and hair, the latter of which was tied down in a loose bun in the typical fashion of Rabahni men. His eyes were golden amber in color, and his skin was a warm tan with pale spots that extended onto his fur.

Nie focused on his work, working out the knots and tension in the duke’s muscles under his fur with practiced ease. At the Guildhouse, musicians would be playing in a main room, clever piping projecting the sound into all the private massage rooms. In the solarium, the only sound was the natural spring running in the corner of the room. Nie preferred it this way, as it allowed him to better focus on Abuin’s breathing.

The Grand Duke was a quiet man on the table; slight changes in his breathing pattern and slight shifts in his muscles were the only signs Nie could use to ensure he was hitting the right blend of tension and pressure.

A few places needed to be avoided when massaging savbahn: the base of the tail and the horns being the most important, as those areas were reserved for spouses. Being trained by savbahn, Nie, of course, avoided these areas out of habit.

Which was a large part of why he was confused to find himself pinned to his own massage table, Abuin growling over him.

Nie took several moments to even realize the change in position. Abuin had been incredibly fast, and he had been too absorbed in his massaging to register the intent behind his client’s shifting movements. The human remained still—that was always best when a savbahn was overcome with some instinctual reaction, or ‘state’. He was sure it would only be a moment before Abuin mastered himself and withdrew.

After several tense moments, Nie ventured, “Your Grace? I—”

Abuin growled, grip on Nie’s shoulders and arms tensing.

Nie fell silent. He could only see the duke’s chest, which shuddered as the man tried to take deep, calming breaths.

I am certain I didn’t touch anywhere that caused him harm, the human man thought,keeping his own breathing calm. It had been too long that he had worked for the Grand Duke for him to have made a mistake careless enough to prompt a proper state such as this.

After several more minutes, Abuin pulled his hands away, resting them against the table next to the human’s body. After a few more deep breaths, he huffed, “Go.”

Nie moved slowly, careful not to touch the duke as he slid off the side of the table. It was always best to move slowly in these kinds of situations. He didn’t bother to gather his supplies; the table was stored in the duke’s estate, and he was sure the supplies he brought with him would be sent to the Guild or his estate later.

The human only paused to bow at the door leading outside, as for discretion he always entered and left through the back gardens.

Abuin huffed in response, eyes trained on the mosaic stone floor just in front of the table.

Nie closed the door to the solarium softly and judged it safe enough to jog to the North Gate.

“Early night?” the soldier at the gate frowned, breath forming clouds around his mouth.

“Mm,” Nie hummed in agreement, rubbing his arms as goose pimples sprung up under the thin fabric of his masseur robe, “I seem to have unintentionally caused offense.”

“Put His Grace in a state?” the soldier grumbled, then huffed, “First for you, isn’t it?”

“I suppose it was bound to happen eventually,” Nie replied.

The soldier huffed again. The Grand Duke had a bit of a reputation for losing his temper. After a moment of hesitation, the soldier shrugged off his cloak, “Here—not like you have fur for the weather.”

“Thank you,” Nie inclined his head, wrapping the warm fabric around himself in relief.

“Don’t worry about it,” the man replied, unlocking the small gate door to allow the human leave of the estate.

Nie nodded again, stepping out and onto the small footpath that would take him around the outside of the mountain estate. It was barely wide enough for one adult savbahn, which made it very reasonably comfortable for an adult human. Like most Rabahni, Nie went mostly without shoes, so the soles of his feet were tough enough for the path marked by small wooden logs. This did not do much against the snow that had been falling sedately all day, and Nie regretted that he had not stopped for his cloth footwraps.

With nothing else for it, Nie walked the path as quickly as he could without slipping and hurting himself. By the time he’d reached the base of the path, he was glad he only needed to return home for the night—and that the usual, unremarkable coach was waiting for him.

“What happened?” Shasol, Abuin’s valet, demanded as he opened the door to the coach. He had straight black hair and fur and wore the red and white of Abuin’s coat of arms. His eyes were a dark brown, and his long ears were back in irritation.

“I hardly know,” Nie replied, quickly stepping inside and blinking in surprise at the gear and outer clothing he’d left behind.

Shasol sighed, rubbing his temples, “And things were going so well… His Grace, Grand Duke Abuin sends his apologies and will no longer be needing your services. He is considering it a breach of contract on our end; I simply wished to know what caused him to come to such an extreme conclusion.”

Nie hummed and nodded, sighing as he pulled his thick cloth foot wrappings on. He was fairly certain he had avoided frostbite, but a warm soak at home would not be remiss. If the Grand Duke was considering it his breach of contract, that meant he wasn’t holding Nie responsible for what had happened. Whatever it was that had happened.

“The Guild or Wahnera Estate?” Shasol sighed again.

“The estate, please,” Nie replied, pulling on his overpants and coat. He folded the cloak, setting it on the seat next to him, “This was from the gate guard.”

Shasol waved vaguely, glaring at the curtained windows of the coach.

Nie was, in actuality, a Rabahni noble himself—the patriarch of the Wahnera family had adopted him as a child after the unfortunate deaths of his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. He was fairly certain that Grand Duke Abuin had no clue about his noble status, though. Abuin’s father had been an ambassador at the time, and Abuin stayed with him. As a result, they had never run into each other in the noble social circles Nie had long been excluded from. Especially considering Abuin was a high noble, and the Wahnera family was at the bottom of the lower nobility.

The pair sat in silence, which Nie preferred. Shasol was one of the few savbahn nobles who seemed pleased that Nie was another noble. He seemed to think it gave their arrangement a greater air of legitimacy.

Shasol had contacted the Guild because Abuin had more trouble controlling his instincts than most savbahn—he believed the duke needed the stress relief to help keep his bestial behavior under control. And by all accounts, it appeared to work—at least, Nie assumed it did, with how long he had been retained.

“I am going to try and talk him out of it,” Shasol said as the carriage came to a halt, “But I doubt he will listen to me, so you shall probably have a free space for a new regular.”

Nie hummed and nodded, gathering his supplies and exiting the coach without another word. It was inappropriate since Shasol was higher ranking—but if Nie didn’t treat him in accordance with their respective ranks, it drew less suspicion.

Which was why Shasol didn’t remark on it as he pulled the door closed behind the human, the coach leaving immediately.

“Back early, young master?” the guard at the entrance asked.

Nie nodded and headed inside without another word. The title had once been used only mockingly, but the Wahnera staff only used it in earnest these days. While inheritance of the family name would go to his adoptive younger sister, Gahne, Nie was still a fully-fledged member of their small house.

By the time Nie had gotten settled in his room, soaking his feet in a tub of warm water, Gahne burst through the door.

“What happened?” she gasped, rushing across the room. She was nineteen this year, ten years younger than Nie, but had been taller than him since she was twelve. She had russet wavy fur and long hair left free in the way most Rabahni women wore it, along with the new trend among all genders of Gahne’s age to dye the ends of their hair bright colors. Gahne had chosen the green of their house, and Nie helped her maintain the color as it grew out. She liked that it matched her eyes.

“Nothing,” Nie replied.

Gahne huffed, flopping onto the couch across from him, “Nie.”

“My client got into a state and asked me to leave early, that is all,” the human replied.

“I wish you would tell us who this mystery client is,” his sister huffed again, “It drives me to distraction knowing you are out in some mystery place with some… mystery person who makes you leave in the middle of winter!”

“‘Tis not as though they planned it,” Nie replied, shaking his head, “I promise, it is all above board; the client just has need of privacy.”

Gahne huffed again, “If you say so…”

“Besides,” Nie added, “they will not be needing my services anymore, so no more mystery client.”

“What!?” Gahne demanded, “They got in a state, so they fired you!?”

“Stop yelling, child!”

“Yes, Grandfather,” Gahne sighed, long canid ears flicking in irritation.

“Good evening, Grandfather,” Nie said, looking over as the man entered the room.

Bahr Wahnera grumbled as he walked into the room, leaning heavily on his cane, “What’s this about your mystery client dismissing you?”

Bahr, like his granddaughter, had wavy russet hair and fur, though his was heavily streaked with gray. His eyes, however, were dark brown, and his hair much shorter and braided.

There were only two times Rabahni cut their hair - when they went into battle, for practicality, or when they entered a traditional Rabahni mourning period. Bahr had cut his hair for the latter reason.

“They got into a state, so they decided to break their contract with the Guild,” Nie replied.

“See?” Bahr waved a hand out, “You were off getting offended before you even knew the truth of it. That means the client did not find Nie at fault. Probably did it for his safety, if they got in a state…”

“It still seems unfair,” Gahne sighed, “But! That means you have more time to help me prepare for the debut ball next month! You arestill accompanying me, yes?”

“If that is still what you wish,” Nie agreed.

“Of course ‘tis!” Gahne scoffed, “You are my older sibling. Who else would escort me?”

Nie sighed. It was traditional, and of course, he was happy to do so, yet…

“And if anyone speaks ill of you, I shall simply just break their teeth,” Gahne nodded, growling in satisfaction.

Bahr hit her upside the head, “Being an adult means you cannot get away with that kind of nonsense! Regardless of whether or not ‘tis deserved…”

Gahne whined, “Just one tooth, then…”

“No teeth!” Bahr growled, but without real bite behind it.

Nie snorted, smiling, “I appreciate the thought, but I am more worried about how it would affect you and your future prospects.”

Despite being nearly thirty, no one had made a single offer of marriage toward Nie, which hardly surprised anyone in the Wahnera household and didn’t particularly bother the human. In fact, his soft exclusion from noble society—he still received invitations to the large events, but everyone seemed to prefer he remain away—gave him more time to focus on his career in the Massagist Guild and work on his hobbies. Like fishkeeping.

Gahne growled, “I would not marry anyone that took issue with you being my brother in the first place. Better to know upfront, don’t you think?”

“Hear, hear,” Bahr huffed, tapping his cane on the ground for emphasis, “I wouldn’t accept any proposals from someone that did not respect you as my grandson, either.”

Nie chuckled, “I know. I just did not think it wise to stir the pot, is all.”

“Oh, but since you are here now,” Gahne sat up, “Listen to what happened when I went to the market with Fahn today!”

Nie continued to smile as he got properly warmed up, listening to the adolescent misadventure his sister recounted to him and their grandfather and forgetting the odd incident that had happened earlier that night.