Chapter 49: Chapter 40- Velvet’s Descent into the Abyss

[Luna POV]

“Luna.  Hey, Luna you need to wake up.”

 

I felt someone shaking me and heard them calling out to me.  I opened my eyes and saw Velvet standing over me.

 

“You awake now?”

 

I nodded my head and rubbed my eyes, “Sorry, I didn’t think I would fall asleep again.”

 

“It’s fine, I’ll show you to the bathroom so you can clean up and then we can eat something.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

{Sleepy Luna is so cute.}

 

“Tamamo is cuter, though I don’t even know if you sleep.”

 

{I can, but I haven’t in about 15 years.}

 

“Then one day I’ll get you to sleep, and I’ll stare at you the whole time.”

 

{Ufufufufufufu.}

 

“Luna, you know you’re talking out loud, right?”

 

“Eh.  Sorry, guess I’m not as awake as I thought.  I’m not really good with mornings sometimes.”

 

“It’s only been about 30 minutes since we got here.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Anyway, here is the bathroom.  I guess you have clothes in your inventory?”

 

“Yep.  I’ll see you in a bit, Velvet.”

 

“Just don’t fall asleep in there, I’ll have to be the one to get you out, and I don’t want the Goddess to hit me with divine punishment for peeking at you, even if it’s necessary.”

 

“I’ll do my best.”

 

I entered the bathroom and cleaned off all of the grime and dust from the battle.  I washed my hair and tails with the shampoo and conditioner me and Blake made a while back.

 

“I’m glad we remembered how to make this, though I was surprised no past heroes did it first.”

 

{Hey Luna, do me a favor and let Velvet brush your tails tonight.}

 

“…”

 

“Why?”

 

{I said I would reward her for helping you get your second tail so soon and she, though she hides it from you, wants to brush your tails at least once.}

 

“Will she be ok?  I have the Abyssal Fluff title remember; I don’t want Velvet to become broken(?).”

 

{Why is that last part a question?}

 

“I don’t feel like broken is the best way to put it, but I can’t think of any other word for it.”

 

{I see.  She’ll be fine.  She has enough willpower to resist, though if she willingly gives in is up to her.}

 

“I’m fine with it then, but only once, and only because you are the one asking.”

 

{OK then.}

 

I finished scrubbing my head and tails, then washed them off.  I soaked in the bath for a bit before getting out, drying off, and getting dressed.  When I left the bathroom Velvet was coming down the hallway.

 

“I thought you actually fell asleep again.”

 

“I didn’t.  I was talking to Tamamo and lost track of time.  By the way, she told me about what you two discussed, and I’ll let you brush my tails tonight, but only tonight.”

 

When I finished saying this, Velvet’s eyes started to sparkle.

 

“Truly!?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Thank you!”

 

“Calm down, before anything can we eat?”

 

“Oh right, follow me, mother is waiting for us.”

 

“Do I need to hide my second tail?”

 

“For a little bit, yeah.”

 

“Ok.”

 

I used my illusion magic to make it seem like I only had one tail.

 

“I’ll need to buy something I can wear to enchant it with illusion magic, it’ll be a pain to consciously keep a spell going like this.”

 

“I have a few plain accessories you can use, after we eat, I’ll let you choose one.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, it’s not like I ever wear them anyway.”

 

“Thanks then.”

 

“No problem.”

 

We came up to the dining room and entered.  I could see Velvet’s mother sitting at the head of the table and a few other people were moving about.  Most of them were dressed in cliché maid clothes and next to Velvet’s mother was an old man in butler like clothes.

 

“Oh hello, Steward.”

 

“Greetings Lady Velvet.  You must be Lady Luna, it’s a pleasure to meet you.  I am Steward, the steward of the Belmont clan and second in command of the organization in the Savanna Kingdom.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Mister Steward.  I am Luna Reed, daughter of Marquis Deacon Reed and Head Priestess of the Shrine of the Moon Amagi Reed, and adventurer.”

 

“There is no need to call me mister I am just a simple steward.”

 

“I feel it’s only polite to speak that way when meeting someone for the first time.”

 

“Very well.”

 

“That’s enough for introductions, sit down and we can eat, I’m sure you’re both starving.  Steward, please inform the guild master that Luna and Velvet will give their reports to him tomorrow.”

 

“Yes ma’am.”

 

Mister Steward left through the door Velvet and I came in through.  We sat down and a few of the maids placed plates in front of us with something I haven’t seen in a long time.

 

“Oh, I haven’t had fish in a long time.”

 

“It’s no surprise.  You lived in the shrine village, correct?  I’m more surprised that you’ve had saltwater fish before.”

 

“It was only a few times.  I know one of the heroes that chose to stay in this world.  He had to go to the port city a few times and he brought back some fish from there.  Since he’s good friends with my dad and married my mom’s personal assistant, he would share what he brought back with him.”

 

“Oh.  Which hero was this?  I know of two of them.”

 

“The blacksmith.”

 

“I see.  I’ll have to send someone there and commission a weapon then, I’m due for an upgrade and I wouldn’t mind having something made by a former hero.”

 

“If you want, I can give you an introduction letter.  I don’t know how effective it would be, but he might give you a discount.”

 

“I’ll take you up on that offer.”

 

“Speaking of heroes, you should tell everyone in your organization to avoid the alchemist at all costs.”

 

“Oh right, I remember you saying that he was obsessed with vampires.”

 

“Obsessed?”

 

“In the sense that it’s more a fetish.”

 

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“I see.  I’ll ask Steward to send out notice when he gets back.”

 

We continued our meal, which was delicious, and chatted.  Velvet’s mother asked a lot of questions about Tamamo, and I answered what the both of us were comfortable with.  We had some after dinner tea and then decided to turn in for the night.

 

I followed Velvet back to her room so she could show me the accessories she was offering me.  What she pulled out were a variety of different things ranging from rings to hair clips to necklaces.

 

“You have quite the selection here, Velvet.”

 

“They’re just things I picked up here and there, some of them were given to me by some annoying guy from other clans that tried to buy their way into my family.”

 

“None of them caught your eye?”

 

“I’m of the same persuasion as you, Luna.”

 

“I see, too bad for them then.”

 

‘Maybe I can set her and Soleil up with each other after Soleil gets older.’

 

“Will any of these work, Luna?”

 

I looked over the accessories again and a gold and silver necklace stood out to me.  I picked it up and asked about it.

 

“How about this one?”

 

“Hmm.  I think it’ll look good on you.  Any reason why you chose this one?”

 

“It reminds me of Tamamo’s eyes and hair.”

 

{You’re making me blush.}

 

‘If only I could see it.’ I turned to Velvet and said, “Now, I’ll keep my word and let you brush my tails.  I’ll lend you my brush, but do you want me to transform to fox form to make it easier?”

 

“Whatever is more comfortable for you, Luna.”

 

I decided to transform because I think it would be easier.  I hopped onto the couch and Velvet sat down next to me.

 

“Just remember not to lose yourself, Velvet.  I can’t heal someone’s mind with magic.”

 

“Got it.”

 

I gave her some pointers on proper brushing technique, and she started.  She was a bit hesitant and clumsy at first, but after a few minutes she got the hang of it.

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to enjoy soft things after this.”

 

“That’s the price you pay when you delve into the Abyss.”

 

“You don’t have to make it sound so ominous.”

 

“Wasn’t trying to, I was only stating the truth.  Don’t focus on only one spot unless it’s tangled, please.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

Velvet spent about an hour brushing one tail until she moved on to the second one.

 

“I started you out on the tail that I’ve always had, you’re moving to the new one now.  That one will probably have some tangled spots, just remember to be gentle at those places.”

 

“Do you spend this much time on this every day?”

 

“Usually, if I spend too little time on it, it gets messy and if I spend too long, hair starts coming off with the brush.  I have kept to this routine since I was five when I started brushing my tail on my own.  I learned about the optimal timing from my mother and her assistant, and Tamamo helped me develop the technique.  It even turned into a unique skill.”

 

“I’ve never heard of a person acquiring a unique skill that way.  I thought that they were things that lucky people get when they are born.”

 

“It surprised me too.”

 

Velvet continued brushing.  Over time she started to slow down the brush and I could feel her hands stopping every so often.  I turned my head to face her and looked into her eyes.  They started to lose their luster bit by bit.

 

“Velvet focus!  Don’t lose yourself!”

 

“Eh, sorry, what?”

 

She snapped out of it and her brushing went back to its normal pace.

 

“You were sinking, Velvet.  This is why I only let Tamamo do this, she has had the most exposure and hasn’t sunk too deep.”

 

{That’s not completely true, Luna.  The only reason I can still be normal is because of what I am.  That doesn’t mean I’m not affected, remember what Atmos told you last time you were here, that I always complained to myself about not comparing to your fluffiness.}

 

‘I remember, but to think that was the cause.  I feel like I could take over the world just through the power of fluff.  Hehehe.’

 

{Do you want to do that?}

 

‘Not really.  Too much work and responsibility.’

 

{You realize maintaining concepts through an Authority is much more work, right?}

 

‘I figured as much, but if I became the Empress of the World, I wouldn’t be able to join you.  I don’t care how much work I’ll have to do, if I can be beside you, then it’ll be fine.’

 

{You always know what to say to make me happy you know.}

 

‘I just say what I would like to hear.  At times like this I wish I could be next to you.”

 

{In due time, Luna.  Just enjoy your time there, we’ll have all eternity together, so don’t rush to stop being mortal just yet.}

 

‘I hear you.’

 

{Are you sleepy, Luna?}

 

‘A bit.  How could you tell?’

 

{You become less restrained with flirting when you get sleepy.}

 

‘Have I ever been restrained when it comes to that?’

 

{Not really, but this time you actually forgot Velvet was here.}

 

I turned my head to face Velvet again and saw her eyes were even dimmer than they were earlier.  I moved to the floor and transformed back.  I stood in front of Velvet and tried to snap her out of it.

 

“Velvet!  Hey, Velvet, can you hear me!?”

 

“Ugh.”

 

“Tamamo, what do I do?”

 

{Try knocking her out.}

 

“How will that help?”

 

{It’ll be like slapping her awake, but this is something she’ll need to sleep off, so why not do both things at the same time?}

 

“That makes sense, I think?  Might as well try.  Sorry about this, Velvet.”

 

I tried the classic neck chop on Velvet, and, to my surprise, it worked.  She slumped over onto the couch.  I picked her up and put her on her bed.  I then left the room when A thought occurred to me.

 

“I don’t know where I’m supposed to stay.”

 

{I had a feeling you forgot so I asked Sonia to lead you.  She should be almost here.}

 

“Hello Lady Luna, it seems like you don’t know where to go.”

 

“That is correct, I have no clue about where I’m supposed to go right now.”

 

“Hehehe, follow me.”

 

She led me to a room that was close to Velvet’s.  I opened the door and bade her a good night.  Once she was gone, I got into the bed.

 

“It’s been a long day.”

 

{That’s true, so take some more rest.}

 

“I will, good night Tamamo.”

 

{Good night, Luna, sleep well.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow.}

 

Author's Note:
Titles are hard to make up and I'm sleepy, so good night my friends.  Thanks for reading.

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