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"Blair! Letter for you!" Yuyu shouted as she closed the door behind her, carrying a bag of fruit in one hand and the letter in question sealed in her other hand. Resting the bag down on an entrance table, carefully adjusting it so the pile of oranges inside didn't suddenly spill out and roll all over the floor, she took the opportunity to finally look at the letter she had taken home, flipping it back and forth and looking at the wax seal curiously. Hardly one she recognized, but it's not like she bothered keeping track of that kind of thing when she was snooping through Blair's mail.
Blair quickly stepped downstairs, her robes flowing behind her as she came down. "That's odd, I thought the post didn't run today," Blair replied, before pulling Yuyu in for a quick kiss hello. Having now had direct evidence to compare, Yuyu knew this for a fact: Blair absolutely tasted like cherries.
"Some dork in town I didn't recognize gave it to me. 'Oh, this is a message for Lady Aercolyn of the utmost importance, please respond to it as soon as possible,' yada yada yada," Yuyu explained, trailing off. "Didn't tell me who it was from, either."
"... Yuyu," Blair asked, eyebrow raised. "Were you disguising yourself as me again?"
Yuyu took the bag of fruit once more, pulling out a cherry tomato and popping it into her mouth. "Ayup," she replied, mouth full.
"Were you using it to get discounts again?" Blair asked, pouting as she took the letter.
"Nah, just mooching free samples," Yuyu answered nonchalantly as she headed over to the kitchen to store the treats in the pantry, Blair following close behind with her letter opener. "So? Who's it from?"
As Blair scanned through the letter, Arin came into the kitchen as well, face brightening as she saw the two of them. "Welcome back home, dear," she greeted with a smile on her face as she leaned in for a kiss from Yuyu. "How was the market?"
"There was an orange surplus, so I got way too many," Yuyu answered, taking out one and handing it to Arin who began to peel it. "Aside from that, just picked up anything that looked good."
"Enjoy yourself, then?" Arin replied with a giggle before she took the first orange slice. "Oh wow, these are good."
"I know, right?" Yuyu took her own as well, getting to work. "And yeah, it was great. Really starting to like Aercolyn now - it's a nice town."
"Good people, truly," Arin said with a smile. The two turned to Blair, who was still reading the letter, an astonished expression coming over her face. "Now what's got you excited, Blair?"
"It- it's the Academy!" Blair answered with delight. "They want me to come in for a guest lecture next month for their Intro to Magic course!"
Arin's eyes went wide, before beaming with the same delight. "That's... that's quite the honor. Aren't most of the professors there mages with decades of experience?"
"At least! But they said that my practical experience in the war could be really useful for the students, and that the students are really excited to have me come give a lecture!" Blair explained, nearly jumping in place with excitement.
Yuyu quietly munched on her orange, taking whole bites out of it with juice occasionally squirting on her face. "So I'm getting the idea that you two know what this academy is and I don't."
Blair and Arin turned, and for a brief second Yuyu could swear she saw an apologetic expression on Blair's face. "It's where Arin and I went to school before adulthood. Arin had a triple major in spycraft, magic, and swordwork, but I focused on magic. It's - some of the people I respected the most in my life were teachers I met there, and the chance to work with them as peers, even for a day, is..." Blair trailed off, her face sparkling as she looked into the distance. It took little explanation to see how see was feeling.
Yuyu couldn't help but feel a tiny bit slighted. She knew Blair and Arin loved her - they exchanged rings, for crying out loud. She had no reason to be jealous whatsoever. And yet, every time she was reminded about the history between Blair and Arin, it stung her a little to remember that she was always going to have years fewer memories of their time together than the two of them would. No point in dwelling on it, though - past was the past, future was going to be okay, just had to be happy in the present. "Hell yeah," Yuyu replied, forcing the smile. "So you're going to do it, right?"
"I mean, of course! But, god, I have to prepare notes, figure out what I'm lecturing on, prepare the workset... oh, I have to go start getting ready now!" Blair exclaimed, running off towards the library.
Arin let out a chuckle. "Blair always was one to get too excited about school research projects. That hasn't changed at all."
An impulse took hold in Yuyu, and swallowing the last of her orange she grabbed Arin's sleeve, tugging her over. "Hey. Tell me about your time in school."
Arin, still startled from the sudden movement, blinked a few times. "I'm sorry?"
"You and Blair. You've got years of stories you haven't told me, and I need to catch up. I'm gonna fail the wife exam if I don't."
Arin's eyes narrowed. "Yuyu, you don't have to pass an exam to be Blair's wife."
Yuyu hesitated for a moment. "... or your wife?"
Arin giggled, leaning in for another kiss, soft and tender. Yuyu could taste the oranges intermingling on their lips, and let out a happy burble as they parted. "Nor my wife," Arin answered gently. "But if you want to hear them, I'll gladly share them."
Yuyu slowly grinned. "C'mon. Let's go sit by the fireplace and chat." And arm wrapped in arm, the two wandered off, Yuyu beaming with delight at how much she loved her wives.
A new log tossed into the fireplace and a quick Fire spell from Blair (Well. If Yuyu copied Blair, it was thanks to Blair in part), Arin and Yuyu cuddled up on the couch together, bag of oranges following them after offloading the more usual affair for the week's meals. "So," Arin asked as she settled in, patting next to her in invitation for Yuyu. "Where should I start?"
Yuyu ignored Arin's invitation, instead choosing to lie down, feet dangling over the armrest as she rested her head in Arin's lap. Arin thankfully obliged and began scratching Yuyu's head, eliciting more than a few giggles of delight in response. "I mean... I don't know, honestly. I don't even know enough about the place to even know what to ask."
Arin hummed in thought, eyes looking at Yuyu unfocused as she reflected. "Yuyu, have you ever had proper schooling, actually?"
Yuyu's expression saddened, lips quavering as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Not one day. The sinners at Jraeyen never let me see a single book, and no one would show kindness on a poor orphan girl. I only get by by transforming into people to be able to read, and every time as I turn back and watch the words on the page turn into meaningless shapes, I feel a bit more of myself die."
Arin's mouth hung open. "... Yuyu, you read a book yesterday. I was there with you."
Yuyu's expression froze, realizing she was caught. "... I was faking it so you wouldn't know?"
Arin sighed. "Yuyu, please..."
"Okay, okay," Yuyu said apologetically. "Nah, no formal schooling, but I stole one of those Opistian education primers early on. Those things are shockingly thorough, seriously. I'm probably still pretty dumb by your standards, but I know enough to get around. Basic maths, reading, writing."
"Uneducated isn't dumb, Yuyu," Arin countered, scritching behind Yuyu's ears. "You're plenty bright, I've seen it for myself."
Yuyu grinned, blushing and wriggling under Arin's affection.
"Where to start, then..." Arin trailed off, looking past Yuyu once more as she thought. "You've never even heard of the Academy, have you?"
Yuyu shook her head best as she could from her position in Arin's lap. "Nah. Mostly stayed away from Dalst while I was on the run. Mevion, Elba Cor, Opistia, and a few particularly stinky months in Yg'stra."
Arin's brow furrowed. "Oh, what was wrong with Yg'stra? Aside from... well, the war... it seemed like a fairly reasonable place."
"No, I mean literally stinky," Yuyu explained, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "I set up shop near a sulfur mine. Huge mistake, do not do that. I stayed there as long as I could handle since no one came around, but no security was worth that much torture."
Arin recoiled. "I've never had the misfortune to smell sulfur, and I don't think I'm particularly keen on learning."
"Do not recommend it." Yuyu shook her head, clearing out the memory. "But yeah, I never wanted to go swing by Dalst. Just kinda got bad vibes, y'know?"
"I mean, I can't argue against it, knowing what we know now, but..." Arin trailed off.
"It's like... so I knew it was mages doing magey shit on me, right?" Yuyu explained, gesturing as if that cleared things up. "And I knew that there were nobles involved, I saw the bastards coming to check on me. And Dalst is all noble-y and magic-y, I figured it was a safe bet steering clear of there."
Arin sighed resignedly. "I can't say you were wrong, unfortunately."
"Forget talking about that depressing stuff, though. I wanna hear about school!" Yuyu replied, reaching out and mock slapping at Arin's face.
"Fine, fine," Arin replied, fending off Yuyu's deadly assault with a laugh. "So it was a four year invitation only program for thirteen and fourteen year olds that were intended for Dalstian high society. Basically every noble attended, but a fair amount of non-nobles with talent were also admitted with the goals of becoming officers, researchers, government bureaucrats. The idea was to ensure a certain level of quality among the positions where education really made a difference."
"Awfully nice of them," Yuyu remarked, settling down. Part of her wondered idly about the political implications of the nobles extending the olive branch to commoners like that - 'oh, you're one of the good ones, you're allowed.' In the end, though, Yuyu tried to stay out of politics most of the time - her main opinion was that everyone in power should burn to death, except Blair, and that didn't tend to produce fruitful discussions.
"It's a truly beautiful system, honestly," Arin replied, smile on her face. "And I'm not just saying that because I got to meet Blair there."
Yuyu's eyes glimmered with excitement. "Tell me what that was like! Was it love at first sight? Longing for years, never being willing to make a move? Trying to get close to her, always being too shy to confess, hoping that your friendship would be enough to satisfy you, but it never being what you need?"
Arin hesitated. ".. it was more like third or fourth sight."
Yuyu paused, confused. "Wait, seriously? I was guessing based on romance novels - was it seriously that cliche?"
"... yeah," Arin admitted, cheeks flushed. "Try telling that to teenage me, though, convinced she was going through a unique kind of suffering that no one else could understand."
"That's so... adorable..." Yuyu squeaked, her lips curling in delight. "Oh my god, you were in love!"
"Sure was," Arin admitted with a sigh. "And no idea what to do with it."
"What was Blair like? Was she as gaga over you?" Yuyu asked, feet kicking.
"I wish. No, Blair was fairly similar to how she is now," Arin said, looking off into the fire as she remembered. "Happy, energetic, eager to please. A lot more naive, obviously, being so young, and... nowhere near as ready for love as I was," Arin reflected with a sigh.
Yuyu took another orange, slowly peeling it. "She just not interested in you or what?"
"No... from what she's told me, she had only started transitioning two years before, and the medicine was only really kicking in right around the time school started. Spent so much time worrying about loving herself that she didn't really have the headspace for other people." Arin paused, smiling. "It's a shame. She really didn't deserve to spend that much time worrying about passing. I don't know what it was like for her growing up, but it seemed like she was constantly on guard against someone jumping out and going 'ha! This proves you don't deserve to be a girl!' Always fretting about 'am I crossing my legs properly, is this a normal skirt, do girls normally eat this much?' She always gave me the biggest grins when I told her how cute she looked on the weekends when we were out in town, always asking me 'was I a good girl?' - hell, she came out to me when we were barely acquaintances, like she was obligated to let me know."
Yuyu paused. "If Blair asked me if she was a good girl, I would probably shove her to the wall and jump her on the spot."
Arin sighed. "Imagine how I felt. A certain kind of hell for me, honestly."
Yuyu popped an orange slice in her mouth. "Was Dalst, like, weirdly transphobic at the time?" she asked, mouth full. "I know I heard weird shit in Mevion when I was around that age."
Arin shook her head. "Definitely not at the academy. I'd say like ten, twenty students of our graduating class were trans? And that's just the ones that I saw had special exemptions during training or obviously changed over the school years. I didn't know most of them personally, but everyone treated them respectfully."
Yuyu slowly chewed. "Weird. Think we should ask her sometime?"
Arin frowned. "I mean... it was probably Sinclair."
Yuyu stopped chewing. "I'm going to stab him in the eye when I see him."
"And I'll take the other one," Arin replied wistfully, reaching over to take her second orange.
"Was she your first crush?" Yuyu asked, changing the topic.
"Mhm. Grabbed my heart and refused to let go. I was honestly convinced a year in that she was going to be the only love of my life," Arin said, shaking her head. "Obviously kid stuff in retrospect, but I really would have been happy just having her as a friend forever."
"And then you fell in love with me," Yuyu added teasingly, puckering her lips.
Arin giggled, obliging and bending over for the kiss. "And then I fell in love with you too. You have no idea how bad I felt when Blair confessed to me right after I started crushing on you. Like, Blair," Arin complained, obviously amused. "Could you have confessed like two months earlier? At least? At any point where this would have been the happiest moment of my life, and not one where my heart is going to be torn?"
Yuyu giggled right back, feet swinging once more. "Lucky for you I'm a natural charmer."
"You sure are." Arin paused, thinking. "I hope you don't mind me admitting I would have given up on you for Blair, but..."
Yuyu shook her head. "I don't think I could have respected you if you didn't. Anyone could see how much she meant to you, and if you left her for me, I'd just be like... hey, how much does that kind of trust mean to you, anyways?"
Arin nodded, a saddened smile on her face. "I hope that doesn't make you think you're the lesser in the relationship, though. I really do love you, and you're my wife too."
Yuyu reached up, gently booping Arin on the nose. "Stupid. You've already proven that a dozen times over. It's not our fault that Blair's smarter than the two of us put together and realized we could actually just all love each other."
"... Do you want to know a secret?" Arin whispered conspiratorily, leaning in.
Yuyu leaned up, eyes wide, listening closely.
"I know the romance novel she got the idea from. She tried to make me read it at the Academy. I'll show you it sometime."
Yuyu's eyes sparkled, mouth hanging open in amazement. "No. Of course I wanna read it!"
Arin held back her laughter. "I'd never heard of a three-person marriage before, but apparently they're not too uncommon in southern Dalst. One every five or ten years, or so. And I know she was obsessed with that novel - did she drop that line on you 'I want a happy ending for all of us'?"
Yuyu was shocked. "She did."
Arin smiled self-satisfied. "Knew it."
"... was she always reading gay romance, or was that like, some big moment of self realization, 'hey I wanna see girls smooching'?"
Arin closed her eyes for a moment, recollecting. "You know, I don't actually know. I didn't keep close track of what she was or wasn't reading, and most of her time was caught up in schoolwork. She's never really talked about when she realized she was gay, or if it was a realization at all."
Yuyu, having finished her orange, took a slice from Arin's, happily munching on it. "And you?"
Arin let out a deprecating laugh. "Before Blair, I don't think I had any room in my head for anything that wasn't a path to a self-sustaining career. She... she barged her way in, that's for sure. Less an 'oh, I'm gay', more an 'oh, I need Blair more than water' moment."
Yuyu grinned. "You are way too adorable."
"Oh? Well two can play at that game," Arin replied with a smirk. "When did you find out you were gay?"
"When I was ten and kissed another girl," Yuyu replied nonchalantly.
Arin slowly blinked. "Sorry?"
"Met her in the park, she said she wanted to try kissing a girl, I did, heart went badump badump and here we are," Yuyu calmly explained. "You don't exactly get stable chances for storybook romance when you're a kid on the run. I wasn't gonna turn down opportunities when they came knocking."
Arin slowly nodded. "I suppose that's fair enough. You always did seem a bit more... experienced on the physical side of things."
Yuyu's cheshire grin grew. "I have my ways."
Arin smiled, brushing Yuyu's hair aside as she came down for another kiss. "Ways I truly appreciate. You know, that reminds me-"
Before Yuyu could say another word, though, a loud crash came from upstairs, along with the distant sound of Blair swearing at the top of her lungs. "... We should go."
"Right." And Yuyu bolted upright, already transforming into the far more practically capable Arin, as the two Arins raced upstairs to save Blair from whatever disaster she had managed to cause while writing notes.