“I need to take my party and head to Candy Shop. They don’t have the manpower to provide Erich an escort back,” Alexis announced the minute she strode into Seigmar’s office and had his attention.

Erich’s father fixed her with a familiar, considering look, one she often saw on Erich’s face whenever he suspected her of something and was debating whether or not to call her on it. He sat back in his seat and stroked his beard, murmuring “Is that so?” as he did.

“Sir.” Alexis took the final few steps to Seigmar’s desk and held out the letter that Benihime had brought with her.

Seigmar hummed and accepted it, reading the short message and then fixing her with a look that told her he knew there was more she wasn’t telling him. But before she could open her mouth to try and distract him from his suspicions — if Seigmar wanted to make their lives difficult he could — the look faded in favor of a warm, kind smile that froze her in place.

(That was Erich’s ‘I know what you’re doing and I approve’ smile.)

(That was… both concerning and reassuring.)

“I’m sure my son would love to see you again,” he said as he handed the letter back. “And do send my regards to that young Guildmaster of his. I appreciate all the man has done despite the… enmity between his original guild and ours.”

“I will.” Alexis tucked the letter back into a pocket, turning Seigmar’s words over in her mind in an attempt to figure out what he knew or suspected.

Seigmar nodded and ran a hand over his beard, gaze darting to the papers that covered his desk. “Stick to the roads while you travel,” he suggested. “Scouts say monster activity is still mostly predictable, so you should be safer if you do.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Travel safe,” Seigmar said with a small nod of dismissal, clearly expecting her to be on her way.

Alexis turned and strode out as confidently as she had entered, mind still darting through the possibilities. Whether or not Seigmar knew their exact plan, he now knew they had a plan.

(Hopefully he wouldn’t find a way to derail everything…)

(He seemed approving but… what if he changed his mind?)

(No, focus.)

(She needed to focus.)

A child ran past as she walked out the door, then skid to a halt when she whistled, short and sharp. “Yes?” he asked, peering up at her with narrowed blue eyes.

“Think you can gather my party for me?” Alexis asked, fishing a fifty gald coin from her purse and holding it up between two fingers. “I need them to meet me at the gate in half an hour, mounted and prepared for a three day trip.”

His lips pursed as he looked between the coin and her. “Well, I know Briar’s out by the pasture, and Ilsa’s at the range…”

Alexis laughed and fished out another coin. “That enough to convince you?” she asked as his eyes lit up.

“Yes!” he cheered as he caught the coins when she tossed them to him, flashing her a cheeky grin as he tucked them away. “I’ll see that they know.”

“Thanks!” she shouted after him as he bounded away, then shook her head and turned towards her own place. She needed to grab her pack and tell the stables to ready their horses, get supplies from the kitchens—

Someone draped across her back and her pack appeared in front of her face. “Need this?” Benihime asked coyly, mouth inches from Alexis’ ear.

“And what’s it going to cost me?” Alexis asked, not bothering to attempt to grab the pack. She’d seen how quickly Benihime could move even in her human-like form, and the way she was draped across her back gave her more of an advantage.

“Hmmmm~ How about a kiss for luck?”

“Who’s luck,” Alexis said in exasperation, understanding Erich’s utter dismay over Benihime more with each passing second she spent in the Entelexia’s presence. Still, if she could manage to do something surprising enough… hmm.

(That was a thought.)

“Why, both of ours of course!” Benihime chirped, leaning forward enough that their cheeks were almost touching. “Didn’t you know that Entelexia are lucky?”

Alexis snorted and gave Benihime a sidelong look. “That sounds like a child’s fable at best,” she said archly, waited just long enough for Benihime to open her mouth to continue wheedling, then turned her head to give Benihime a soft kiss on the cheek…

And followed it up with a nice, childish lick.

Benihime yelped and jerked back, face scrunching up in offense as she scrubbed at her cheek. “You licked me!”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Alexis asked with as much innocence as she could muster, widening her eyes and tipping her head down, trapping her laughter behind pursed lips. “You are a cat, after all.”

Benihime sputtered and shot her a narrow-eyed look, ears flattening and tails swishing like an offended cat. “That’s not a kiss and I’m not a cat right now,” she said with a huff.

She gave Benihime’s ears and tails a pointed look, then smirked and turned towards the stables, beckoning for Benihime to follow her. “Come on, help me get everything sorted out so we can head out.”

“Hey, wait, didn’t you want this?” Benihime said as she hurried after Alexis, pack still held in one hand.

“I did indeed,” Alexis agreed with a small smile and arch of an eyebrow. “You seem to be having fun holding onto it, though, so… would you carry it for me?”

Benihime’s nose wrinkled. “I know what you’re doing.”

Alexis just smiled wider and held out a hand, entirely unsurprised by the way Benihime sniffed and slung the pack over her shoulder instead of giving it back. She suspected she’d get it back when she needed it as long as she was polite to Benihime and didn’t tease her too much; Benihime was clearly intent on making the plan work out, which meant she didn’t want to offend or annoy Alexis too much.

This was… certainly not what she’d expected out of her marriage to Erich, but if it meant the two of them could escape the horrors she could sense coming, she’d learn to adapt. Even if she never felt anything for Kisuke Urahara beyond friendship, they could make it work; friendship was the important half of the battle, after all, and she trusted Erich’s judgment.

He wouldn’t stay at Kisuke Urahara’s side for so many years without there being something to the man that she hadn’t yet seen. And Benihime’s stories were… promising, even biased as they were.

(He was kind to children, Erich had told her once and Benihime had confirmed.)

(He’d adopted two orphans and raised them as best he could…)

(Maybe… maybe he wouldn’t mind taking in a few of the Quincy children when the Guild fell apart.)

(If she could convince him…)

She swallowed a sigh and looked forward, shaking off her meandering thoughts in favor of focusing on the now.

She had a party to assemble and a journey to prepare for.

The future could wait a few more days.