Page 164 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
As if he didn’t know. “A little.”
“Did you not recently entrust yourself to me?”
Her vow was fresh in her mind—heart and soul and a lifetime of loyalty. “I did.”
“Then you have nothing to fear.” Argent touched her cheek and offered a teasingtsk. “I will not pounce at the first opportunity.”
Foxes and their wily way with words. Her smile came more easily. “But youareplanning to pounce.”
“Not before the appropriate moment.”
“And when will that be?”
“Who can say?” Argent’s expression gentled. “We do have the luxury of time.”
Tsumiko allowed him to guide her into his sanctuary. The first word that came mind wasluminous, both for the abundance of pale winter sunlight and for the faint shimmer of a thousand sigils, suspended like delicate clockwork throughout the garden. An extravagance of metal and glass arched overhead, reminding Tsumiko of Parisian galleries from centuries past. She had to wonder which of Argent’s owners had spent a fortune on this addition, only to have it stolen out from under their noses.
“Let me put these in water.” Argent plucked the bouquet from Tsumiko’s hands and moved to a set of shelves holding vases in every conceivable shape and color. “Please feel free to explore.”
She hesitated, feeling a little like a trespasser. “Don’t you want to show me around?”
“A proper tour can come later.” Argent reached for a pale green glass vase. “Discovery is the first of life’s delights.”
So Tsumiko chose a pebbled path that circled toward the far wall and found a miniature meadow with grass as slender as needles and downy to the touch. Farther along, tiered shelves held a collection of bonsai, painstakingly trained into gracious displays. A connecting path stretched under a series of arches against which the canes of climbing roses twined. They must be beautiful in bloom. And were those grapevines?
Upon further investigation, Tsumiko found many other foodstuffs—citrus trees, potted herbs, and several shrubs with nameplates identifying them as ingredients for Sansa’s teas and salves.
Near the garden’s center, a profusion of fern fronds towered over her head, and in reaching up to touch one curling fiddlehead, she caught sight of a floating chunk of rosy crystal. On closer inspection, she realized the bit of stone was suspended on a nearly invisible filament. And there were more. Beads and bits of chipped crystal—blue, yellow, lavender, gray. “Anchors?”
“For my wards, yes.” Argent gestured for her to continue and trailed along after her. He didn’t speak up again until they came to a long potting bench. “Here are Gingko’s recent acquisitions. A gift from my mother.”
As Tsumiko touched each of the gingko seedlings, freshly potted, she asked for more particulars about Argent’s family. “Did they welcome you and Gingko?”
“Yes. Father and Mother especially, but the rest did rally by the end.” With a small shrug and a nod toward one side, he changed the subject. “Here are some who will welcome you. I have loosened my hold enough to pique their interest.”
Two glittering creatures came looping her way, looking rather like a cross between a dragonfly and a tiny snake. They had to be Ephemera. “This is what Uncle Stewie was talking about—your collection!”
Argent nodded. “These are midivar. I only have the two males, so they cannot properly establish themselves, but they have one another for company.”
More small creatures shed their shyness in favor of sampling the slim trickle of tending Argent allowed. One hour passed quietly into the next as he patiently answered her questions. But all at once he hooked a finger under her chin, lifting her face. “Are you truly fascinated by my menagerie, or are you hiding behind them?”
“Both. Neither.” She supposed she should have done more research into courting behavior. “I don’t really know what’s expected or where to begin. This is probably one of those times when it’s best if you’re in charge.”
“If you like. Let us begin with this.” Argent produced the cloth-wrapped bundle from Hisoka-sensei. “For you.”
Tsumiko slowly lifted aside slippery folds of a moth-made textile that flowed like water, revealing an ornamental comb. “How beautiful!” she gasped.
Agent hummed appreciatively and, with the tip of one silvered claw, traced the delicate pattern of gingko leaves figured into its curve. “For some clans, a comb such as this is a betrothal gift, used to initiate the last phase of courtship.”
“Like an engagement ring.”
“That would be the human equivalent.” Argent eased closer to her, his tails looping around her legs and waist. “That is why Twineshaft presented the comb tome, making it mine to give. None can fault that cat’s taste or discretion.”
Tsumiko stirred uncomfortably. “I don’t have a gift for you.”
“I am free. What else could I wish for?”
How many Amaranthine traditions were being ignored because she was human? There had been no courtship. There was no den. Did Argent feel slighted? His wording gave her an idea. “Would that work?” she offered meekly. “As my gift to you, I could grant three wishes.”
