Fayluna Headcanon: as a baby, she was very fond of sleeping atop Besteel's head for some reason. At night, she'd sometimes come out of Cassiora's pouch and climb all the way to his head while her parents slept. When they awoke, they found little Fayluna curled up on Daddy's head. Cassiora, of course, didn't like it because she was afraid Fayluna might fall off and get hurt.
What would Huntoris think of Cassiora and Fayluna?
Surprisingly, I think he would've liked Cassiora. Huntoris would've admired how good a hunter she was despite her 'unusual' practices and enjoyed her fiery personality. He would see Cass as a good complement to Besteel in both personality and hunting style. Also, she wasn't a Burrowing Dorcean, so that was a bonus for him. Though I have a feeling Cass herself wouldn't be too fond of Huntoris
As for how he would be with Fay, I think he would be a bit softer to her than he was with his sons, but not by much. He would still act more like a hunter than a grandfather and would probably treat Fay like he treated his sons. But Besteel would make sure he doesn't do that, even though he's somewhat intimidated by Huntoris, if he even saw him try to punish Fay like he used to with him. He would not hesitate to throw hands if he needed to
A sizable crowd had gathered in the lobby of Cassiopeia’s largest design studio the following morning.
Photographers, journalists, reporters, a few film crews, and lots and lots of Stargazers — Tov’s fans.
Some held homemade posters. Others had stars painted on their faces.
The room was abuzz with anticipation and hushed excitement.
Cassio had kept the content of the press conference purposefully vague, knowing that the media would take the bait and speculation would run wild, drawing the public’s attention.
It worked flawlessly.
They checked their watch.
One minute till the hour.
Almost showtime.
Cassio squared their shoulders, head held high, and stepped out on stage.
They smiled magnanimously as dozens of camera lenses shuttered, flashing bright lights in their direction. Their years on the runaway had successfully desensitized them to the overwhelming sensation. They’d learned to embrace it.
“Good morning, everyone.” Cassio said once they reached the podium.
They took a moment to angle the mic upward to account for their full height.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering what became of my pet-human Tov after she collapsed during the final round of Alien Stage Season 39.”
Cassio smothered the bitterness of the term pet and pressed on, “I am happy to announce that — by the blessing of the Great Anakt — she is still alive and currently recovering in the medical center downtown.”
Cheers erupted from the back of the room, surging forward.
More cameras shuttered and flashed.
Cassio ignored the din of the crowd as gracefully as they could. They had a script in mind for this event, and they weren’t going to deviate from it.
“As for what took place during Round 30, Tov unfortunately suffered a heart attack.” They said, tone solemn. “We decided to keep this information private as the competition progressed, but this is her third cardiac event since the season began.”
A chorus of gasps ripped through the audience.
“After both the first and second scare, I asked Tov if she wanted to withdraw from the season altogether. But she was adamant about continuing.”
A boldface lie.
Contestants couldn’t withdraw, even if they wanted to.
The only exception was medical emergencies, and those had to happen during a round to count.
It was all buried in the contract every contestant and guardian had signed ages ago.
The public wasn’t supposed to know.
But Wren did.
She must’ve read the exceptions and worked within those bounds to disqualify Tov.
Clever girl.
Just like her sister.
“Her heart has always been weak, ever since she was a child, and it simply gave out at the end.” Cassio said. “While this is not the outcome we’d hoped for, our focus is on Tov’s recovery and her future now that Alien Stage has ended.”
They took a deep breath and braced themselves against the solid weight of the podium.
Now came the hardest part of any press conference: questions and answers.
“I will now open the floor for questions.”
They could barely get the words out before reporters armed with film crews and microphones rushed up to the front of the stage, shouting over one another.
“Guardian Cassio, how did you feel when you learned that Tov survived?”
“When will she be released from the hospital?”
“Is Tov going to model for your fashion house again, Guardian Cassio?”
“Will she ever return to the stage?”
“Has Tov spoken with Cirrus yet?”
Cassio waited a moment for the roar to die down before answering.
“I was relieved when I heard Tov would survive.” They said. “I didn’t want her to suffer in death. The Great Anakt does not ask for suffering. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I can continue to care for Tov as her guardian.”
“As for her release, it is still unclear. Her heart attack was rather severe, so she still has several hurdles to clear before she can return home.”
“My hope is that Tov can return to modeling as soon as she is able. At this time, she is still one of Cassiopeia’s brand ambassadors.”
“However, whether or not she returns to singing will be her own choice.” Cassio looked to the back of the room where Tov’s fans were huddled together. “But I know she cares a great deal for her Stargazers. I have no doubt they will ultimately influence her decision.”
“And for Cirrus, while Tov has not had the opportunity to speak with them, she wishes them a warm congratulations on their win.” They round off their words with a gentle smile, rich in sincerity.
This was wholly true.
Before Cassio left the hospital yesterday, Tov had asked about Cirrus; how they were doing, if they seemed happy.
They couldn’t tell her much.
Cirrus hadn’t been paraded around in public and in the media as often as previous winners were.
And the one picture of them Cassio had seen, they looked far from happy.
Cassio kept that part to themselves.
“Any other questions before we wrap up for today?” They asked.
A pink, slender segyein with three green eyes pushed their way to the front of the crowd and held out their microphone.
“How does Alien Stage production feel about Tov’s survival?” They asked.
They can feel however they like.
Cassio didn’t say that.
It wasn’t very diplomatic.
They still needed public sympathy if this campaign was going to work.
So instead, they swallowed their words, smoothed out their facial expression, and said:
“Our discussions with the production team have only recently begun.”
They paused to look directly into the nearest camera, an unspoken challenge, “Aside from that, I cannot comment any further on the matter at this time.”
———
After saying their goodbyes to the last straggling reporter, Cassio was eager to return to their office.
The press conference should be on a broadcast or two by now, hopefully being received well.
As they headed for the stairs, a familiar voice called out to them.
“Cassiopeia.”
Cassio would recognize that voice anywhere. In this lifetime and the next.
It was the only voice they didn’t mind calling them by their full name.
They turned around and saw Ra’eon standing near the front entrance. She was wearing a white dress embroidered with red flowers.
Clematis flowers.
Oh, my Clematis…
Hope bloomed through the abyss…
That had been one of Ra’eon’s favorite songs. It was also the first song the Anakt Garden children learned to sing.
When Cassio heard Tov sing those lyrics for the first time in her clear and light voice, no taller than the back of a sitting chair, they almost fell to their knees.
It was painfully bittersweet to hear the words again, sung in the innocent voice of such a young child.
Ra’eon smiled and came closer, drawing Cassio out of their thoughts.
They shifted their form to be closer to her in height.
“Hello again.” She greeted with a slight dip of her head.
Cassio cleared their throat, their answering smile a bit shaky, “Hello to you too. Did you come for the press conference?”
“Not initially, no. I planned to come by today to see if you had some free time, since I’d be in the area.” Ra’eon said. “I know we have lunch scheduled for next week, so I understand if you’re busy.”
“No, I’m not busy at all.” They said, a little too quickly. “I have some time before I’m expected at the hospital this afternoon. Perhaps we could go for a walk in the park? There’s one not far from here.”
The broadcasts could wait.
They would wait.
———
The walk to the park was quiet between the two. But it was a comfortable silence, a familiar one.
Even still, Cassio was on pins and needles.
Where do I even begin?
They’d spent so much time thinking, over thinking, and then thinking some more about everything they would tell Ra’eon if they ever got the chance to see her again.
But now that the chance was here — sitting in the palm of their hands — they didn’t know how to start.
Ra’eon, as if sensing their hesitation, broke the silence first, “How is Tov recovering?”
Good, a topic Cassio knew they could talk about without issue. “She’s healing well, though her heart is showing signs of permanent damage.” They said. “The doctors aren’t sure if it was caused by this heart attack or the previous one. Thankfully it’s only minor.”
“Ah, that’s good to hear. I’ll have Wren bring her some treats next time she visits. I believe she mentioned vanilla candies were Tov’s favorite?” Ra’eon glanced over at them.
“Y-Yes, they are. She’s loved them since she was a child.” They said, stumbling through their answer.
Cassio could handle a room of hungry reporters and overzealous fans, sleazy producers and nameless lackeys, and yet a floral dress and bright grey eyes had them tripping over themselves.
How embarrassing…
“Those are Wren’s favorite too.” She chuckled. “It’s interesting how similar they are despite growing up separately.”
“Did you raise Wren yourself?” Cassio asked.
It was the first thing that came to mind, though they’d been wondering about Wren’s background since they first met.
Well, since Wren came up to them in the lobby of the hospital after Round 24 and introduced herself as a “friend” of Tov’s.
They hadn’t had the chance to ask Tov about her either.
“Yes, from around the time she was eight years old. I was working for Anakt Garden then and they asked me if I would like to care for a human without a guardian.”
Cassio smiled, their heart warm at the thought. “So you finally got to become a guardian after all.”
Ra’eon had always wanted to adopt a pet-human. But back then, no segyein would sell to her.
They all deemed her appearance to be too “humanoid” to properly establish a master-pet relationship with a human child. It was devastating.
She left not long after that.
“Well, not quite.” Ra’eon said. “I’m technically Wren’s guardian, but I don’t have legal ownership of her. The Anakt Group became her legal guardian when she was enrolled in Anakt Garden. Then, after she graduated, her ownership was transferred to ZYNE Entertainment.”
ZYNE Entertainment? The pet-human talent agency?
I thought they only poached Anakt Garden graduates who didn’t qualify for Alien Stage.
“I see… That’s a rather interesting relationship.”
“On paper yes, but Wren refers to me as her guardian for simplicity’s sake. And I treat her just as I would any human I legally adopted.”
The pride in her voice was clear as day.
“I have no doubt about that. You’ve always been very maternal.” Cassio hesitated for a moment, before pressing on. “But if you’ve been caring for Wren since the girls were eight, that means you’ve been back for quite a while. Is there a reason why you didn’t reach out to me before now?”
Ra’eon’s smile faltered, and she looked away for a moment.
“After how we left things, I didn’t know if you would want to see me again.” She said quietly, “Especially because I couldn’t tell you why I was leaving or where I was going.”
Of course I’d want to see you. Cassio thought.
“You can tell me now. Only if you want to, of course.” They rushed to add.
“I do, and you deserve an explanation anyway.” Ra’eon slowed her pace near a park bench and sat down, patting the space next to her for Cassio to follow.
She turned to them once they were seated and took a deep breath. “You know my relationship with my mothers is very…”
“Complicated.” Cassio finished.
Dumpster fire would’ve sufficed as well.
Ra’eon gave them a thin, knowing smile, “Yes. Complicated.” She said. “When I was much younger, before I came here and went to school and met you, I enlisted in the armed forces on Thali to be independent of them. But there were stipulations.”
“What kinds of stipulations?” They asked, frowning.
“If the force was ever called upon, I would be required to return home for deployment.”
Cassio blinked, mouth slightly agape, “A-As a soldier?”
“No, no! As a medic. Not a soldier.” She said quickly. The shock and panic must’ve been clear on Cassio’s face.
“The deployment was classified. I couldn’t tell anyone what was going on without breaching protocol.” She continued. “I worked mostly with civilians in the hot zones, segyein and pet-humans. The younger humans took to me well because of my human-like appearance, so I ended up caring for them full time.”
“And that’s why you chose to work for Anakt Garden when you came back?”
Ra’eon nodded, “It was one of the only positions I considered.”
I’m sure it fit you well.
“I was worried for a long time, about how you were fairing.” She said. “But then I saw you on a television interview once, right after I got back. You looked so at ease, and I realized you were doing just fine without me.”
Ra’eon said those words without malice or sorrow or regret.
Only peace.
Only relief.
Cassio wanted to crumple in her arms.
I was a mess after you left. They wanted to say. I was absolutely miserable.
But that felt too personal, too intimate after so much time spent apart. Even if that time was nothing in comparison to both of their lifespans.
Maybe it felt like longer because of their humans.
Maybe Tov and Wren had grown and changed so much in such a relatively short period of time that it warped their sense of scale.
Maybe that was okay.
They have time now.
———
Tov was expecting Cassio to be at the hospital soon.
They’d spent longer than intended talking with Ra’eon at the park, skipped lunch, gotten pulled into an emergency meeting about next season’s photo spread, and now they were running late.
Cassio fished for the car keys in their bag as they quickly made their way through the parking lot.
“Guardian Cassiopeia!” A voice shouted over the traffic.
It sounded nothing like Ra’eon’s, but it was unfortunately familiar.
Cassio stopped mid stride, turning on their heel.
Their lofty mood curdled at the sight of Agent Pol behind them, arms folded, looking far too at ease for their liking.
Even behind the dark lenses of her sunglasses, Cassio could feel Pol’s gaze pierce their skin.
There was no sign of her partner.
A rabid dog off her leash. Oh joy.
“Agent Pol,” They nodded in lieu of a proper greeting, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I suppose a congratulations is in order.” She said, stepping closer.
“For what, exactly?”
“Your pet managed to survive the competition, even though she didn’t win. A heart attack right before she got her head blown off. Convenient, don’t you think?”
The smug curl of her lip aggravated Cassio’s temper.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a habit of running your mouth without getting to the point?”
“That’s awfully defensive for someone who I haven’t accused of anything.”
They rolled their eyes, “You’re implying quite a lot. Now out with it.”
Agent Pol was smirking now, “I’m looking into the… suspicious nature of Tov’s incident during Round 30. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I took a look in your car for anything out of place?”
They narrowed their eyes at her, “Do you have a warrant for the search?”
Agent Pol huffed a laugh, as if Cassio’s question was funny.
“There’s that defensiveness again. If you have nothing to hide, it shouldn’t be a problem.” She shrugged. “This only raises suspicions.”
“I simply know my rights, Agent Pol.” They said. “You need a valid reason to get a search warrant signed.”
“My valid reason is your sympathy for pet-humans. It’s clouded your vision; made you act irrationally.”
Irrationally?
Cassio forced a scoff, “Do you really think I would risk everything I’ve accomplished — everything I’ve built over the entirety of my adult life to save a pet?”
Another boldface lie.
No one needed to know that.
“You seem quite fond of her.”
“And you seem quite fond of your job.” They snapped, their patience worn thin and brittle. “If you continue to harass me or my human without the legal authority to do so, I’ll make sure you no longer have one. Have the day you deserve.”
Cassio flashed a fake, tightlipped smile and continued walking toward their car.
“It’s only going to get worse from here.” Pol called out to them after a few paces.
Okay.
That’s enough.
They stopped, turned around, and stalked back over to Agent Pol.
Now at their full height, they loomed over her, blocking the sun. Their shadow stretched long across her frame like bad omen.
They hoped there was fear in her eyes.
“Worse for who?” Cassio asked, low and foreboding, “Me? Or you?”
————————————————————
Super long log this time, but I had a lot to cover/set up for the future.
The AREPH isn’t done with Tov and Cassio yet, but Cassio isn’t going down without a fight.
Anyways, I love my big tall wife (gender neutral) and their ex-wife (not really) and whatever kind of segyein yuri they’ve got going on 😁
Shout out to @rockwgooglyeyes for coming up with “Cassiora” as a ship name for Cassio and Ra! So cute!!
What would Cassiora, Fayluna and Vamphyr think of Terradora if they ever met her?
Vamphyr would be... skeptical at first. In his case, not because of prejudices or such, but out of pragmatism. Intersubspecies relationships are complicated due to the different physiology and lifestyles, and there's the implications of hybrid children. However, just like with Marakeen, all that matters to him is that Redimus is happy.
Cassiora would like Terradora. I actually imagine them as being good friends. I mentioned before that Cassiora, having lost four of her cubs at birth, would relate to Terradora being overprotective of her cubs after the fright Trodimus gave them.
Fayluna would love her auntie Terradora, and especially her cousins.
Huntoris may have been a bad father to his sons, but there are lines where even he won't cross. The MOMENT he found out that Cassiora had basically been left to die as a cub by her own family. Besteel had to practically drag him back inside his hut to stop him from finding Cass's father and killing him on the spot
The reason he reacted this way was that not only did he actually like Cass to an extent and admired her as a hunter. But he was disgusted by the fact that someone would be so callous as to force their mate to abandon their own child and showed no remorse for it. Even after he lost Myra during his son's birth, he would've never abandoned them. While he didn't end up fighting Condrak, he did end up confronting him one night. He coldly called him a coward and a disgrace to all hunters for what he did
Huntoris was far from a good person, but even he wouldn't stoop to that low
Did Cassiora ever get into a physical fight with Irkana to protect Besteel -and possibly Redimus too- from her invasive attempts, even defend his honor as well?
Oh, yeah. After the incident with the wild moon berries, Cassiora was pissed. She went looking for Irkana and gave her the beating of a lifetime, in front of the entire Kai'vren tribe. No one intervened—not even Gormak, who figured it was time his spoiled sister finally faced actual consequences for her actions.
When their father arrived from hunting and tried breaking them up, Cassiora struck him in the face, telling him to keep his spoiled brat away from her man.
When Fayluna was a newborn cub, was she stubborn about not wanting to leave Cassiora's pouch, insisting on staying in it to the point that Besteel had to wrestle to pull her out, maybe including Cassiora's help?
Oh, she was as stubborn as Daddy! Whenever she suspected she was getting a bath, she wouldn’t even poke her head out no matter how much Besteel and Cassiora tried to coax her out. In the end, they had to pull her out (carefully), and even still she tried to cling inside however she could.
I don’t even wanna get started on the weaning process 😂
