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"Reynard... you've been coming in at five in the morning for the past two weeks."

"I'm aware, Mister Arstan," Reynard responded, sitting in a chair across the desk from his boss. Light was shining and it was hardly one o'clock in the afternoon. "I've been trying to do some sleep therapy lately, I have been taking medications, I've worked out until I'm tired and exhausted, I've been listening to music, but nothing works and I keep waking up at three in the morning."

The lion sighed and reclined in his chair. "Reynard... do understand I'm not angry with you. You come in, you work your time, you do all the work that I expect of you each and every day, sometimes with much more detail than some of your colleagues."

"Then... what do you expect me to do?"

The lion sighed again, a look of pity in his eyes. "I'm going to have you take a month's worth of extended leave. I'm... concerned about your health and question as to whether or not your strange and quite frankly sudden change in sleep cycle is going to affect you mentally later on. In a month, no matter what your cycle is, you are welcome to return. Oh, and I will be giving you pay for the time you're off; I don't expect you to leave the company, just take a short break and return to us... once circumstances have improved."

"It sounds like you're firing me."

"And get rid of one of my best employees? Never! At this rate, the only way I'd lose you is if you wanted to leave the company yourself and resigned."

Reynard still didn't like the concept of leaving for a month, but kept his mouth shut instead of giving in to his mouth trying to open and the dam to break; he might actually get fired - or simply not get paid - if he were to actually state his feelings.

Mister Arstan handed Reynard a check. "This is your most recent paycheck. It takes into account today's work and a little bit of overtime pay due to the fact that you've been opening up shop lately. There will be another one coming in another two weeks, like normal. Reynard, please get better soon."

Reynard took the check from Mister Arstan's paw. The lion winced at the uncommonly quick gesture, and Reynard was sure he heard him jump when he slammed the door to his office. Reynard went over and grabbed his coat and briefcase, wrapping the coat tightly around him despite it being a warm spring day, and went out into the Ikasaratan streets.

Reynard did not immediately head home. Instead, he took his check to the bank and deposited it, withdrawing some money before taking a bus to the Southwestern district and a large shopping mall. Reynard found a high-end store selling large brown coats and dusters and wide-brimmed hats that looked like those worn by ranchers throughout the plains and the Soron deserts. Here, it was advertised as a fashion trend for higher-class residents.

"Can I help you at all, sir?"

Reynard turned to see a large stallion Equine with brown fur and a white star on his head, boasting a remarkably wrinkle-free business suit and tie. The Equine motioned to one of the dusters. "This line has been inspired by the ranchers of the western plains and the riders of the Soron deserts. However, our store has decided to give it a few twists and made it more appropriate for formal wear."

"Do you think this and one of those hats over there will be allowed in the castle?"

"The Stetsons? I know the prince tends to be fond of them, but it isn't exactly what you'd call formal... Is there a particular style you tend to be looking for?"

"Yes. I'm looking for something that covers me up as much as possible."

"Well, in that case, I'd recommend this dark grey coat from a Bailovan maker. It's cheaper than some of the others we have in stock but highly wearable and does fit the standards of formal wear in most if not all of the high end establishments. There are two chest pockets and two waist pockets on the outside and two pockets on the inside around where the chest ones are located. The collar is stiff enough to either stay down or, should the weather or job require, you may prop it up and it will stay neat and straight enough."

"Alright... and how about a hat to go with it?"

"We have a darker grey hat similar to the Stetsons right here. Note the notch on one side; that marks the front of the hat. Despite the notch, this hat has a wide brim that will block the sun, and the grey color with the black stripe perfectly accents the coat I just showed you."

"I'll take the both of them. What's the price?"

Reynard winced at the Equine shopkeeper's response but ended up accepting it once the shopkeeper told him there ended up being a discount for buying the both of them. It still nearly emptied his wallet, leaving enough for a light lunch and a train ride home. The shopkeeper folded the coat and placed both the coat and the hat in a bag at Reynard's request, and the Vulpine soon left the store and the mall for the train station, where he got on the first train headed for Nogune.

---

When he reached Nogune, Reynard walked home and immediately hung his hat and coat in his closet, ate a quick lunch he picked up from a nearby deli, and changed into a white polo shirt and a pair of blue shorts that went down to just below his knees. In addition, Reynard put on a small pair of white sneakers, grabbed a bit of money from a safe in his apartment, and walked out into the main street and west - walking away from Lake Pretca and the ruins of the Oncera Manor, and made his way to a golf course that sat at the edge of town.

The golf course was one of three in Nogune. There was a miniature golf course towards the center of town in the park. A second, standard 18-hole golf course stood north of Nogune along the shores of Lake Pretca. The one Reynard had made his way to was a country-club and featured banquet halls, full-bar and restaurant, and was the site of numerous golf tournaments that took place in the area, with the only other major tournament-regulated courses in Bailova and Ai'sharra. Reynard walked up to a wolf standing outside the entrance to the country club, dressed in similar clothes and holding a very full bag of golf clubs, and shook hands with him.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," Lupino chortled.

"Oh, you should know by now any time after three thirty I'm usually able to arrive without fail," Reynard quipped. "Anyway, shall we hit the driving range first? It's been a while since I played. I'll need to rent some clubs before we start..."

Reynard ran over to the equipment store and rented some clubs for the day in addition for paying for two large buckets of golf balls. Reynard took the clubs and the baskets and walked over to Lupino, giving him one of the baskets. The two filled their balls and soon positioned themselves at two spots in the shaded driving range, placing the tees on the green and beginning to slowly knock down their baskets.

"I take it you're here for more than just a golf game," Lupino said as he raised his club up behind his head. "You seemed pretty eager to get over here when I invited you here." Lupino smoothly brought his club down, scooped up the ball without touching the tee, and watched as it flew beyond the two-hundred yard mark.

"You're right," Reynard said, bringing his own club up in the same manner. "Mister Arstan is putting me on extended leave for the month." Reynard's swing, unlike Lupino's, was halting and he barely managed to get the ball fifty yards.

"He's firing you?" Another swing, another ball beyond the two-hundred mark.

"Not exactly." Another swing, halting and coupled with a broken tee. "He's putting me off work for a month. Said he was afraid of mental problems down the line with how little sleep I get and how early I've been coming in. After a month, I can go ahead and come back."

"It sounds like he's firing you." The swing hit the tee, but barely knocked it off the green. Lupino grabbed the tee and replaced it a few inches away from its original spot before he set up his next ball.

"It feels like it. I'll go crazy without the work." Reynard's swing was much smoother and fluid than before, but the ball still only went seventy-five yards.

"What are you going to do about it?" Lupino asked.

"I'm going to make a change in attire and see if you were still going to offer that clerk job in the castle."

Swing... and a miss, silence, then a swing that hit the ball nearly three hundred yards. "You serious...? I thought you said you'd stay out of the castle to keep away the press."

"I'd go incognito," Reynard remarked with another swing.

Lupino's next shot would have gone farther if it didn't hit the banner for the two-hundred yard mark. "Like a coat and hat and sunglasses to completely mask your identity?"

"Except the sunglasses part... yes."

"Now that I think about it, you never were the type in school to sit around all summer vacation. I think I remember a year where you took almost all honors classes and were given a bunch of summer homework, more than most people have in an entire year. When I asked why you were getting your books on the last day of school, you told me you just needed something to do."

"That's precisely it."

"Did you ever go anywhere for vacation?"

"There's a little resort town east of Ai'sharra my family went to that summer. We visited a freshwater aquarium, took some hiking trails, visited the downtown antique stores, and took a few days for the museums and other attractions in Ai'sharra. We stayed for nearly two weeks. And there was the family reunion at my grandmother's estate out east in Toran Zonasi and the camping trip on the other side of Lake Pretca."

"And yet you still managed to complete all your homework."

"So... are you going to give me that job so I don't go crazy?"

"Hey, even we at the castle have the weekend off. You won't be coming in to work until about Monday. If you like it, we can always arrange a peaceful resignation at Arstan's company that won't hurt your record, since you'd be working for royalty."

Once the buckets were emptied, Lupino went over to the main office and got a pair of keys for one of the golf carts. Reynard and Lupino loaded up their clubs and shot off for the first hole. Reynard took the first shot, managing to make it across the one-hundred yard hole and onto the fairway.

"Hate to change the topic," Lupino said as he shot, "but have you actually managed to get any success with it?"

"I wasn't rudely awoken last night between ten and three. It's the first night Mister Himomura hasn't yelled at me in months."

Lupino's shot sailed cleanly over to the fairway, nearly missing the hole itself. "But you still woke up at three in the morning."

"And had apparently kicked all the blankets off the bed."

The two climbed into the cart and drove to the fairway, each taking place at their ball for the putt.

"What all did it take to finally get you to sleep for a meager five hours?"

"My prescribed sleeping pill, classical music playing, an hour's jog around the park, and a glass of hot chocolate fifteen minutes before I laid down at nine."

"...that doesn't sound like it was very successful. That or it was a lot of work for very little payout."

"I'm not doing it again."

"Probably advisable you don't."

The two took their putts (Reynard got an eagle, Lupino got a bogey) and proceeded onwards until the ninth hole, after which the sun had gone down enough for lights to come on around the course. Deciding that was enough for the afternoon, Lupino took Reynard's clubs and the cart back to the house before they went over to the restaurant in the country-club's boundaries. The two were seated on a patio outside the main room, where a mostly-human band (with one Felid) was playing soft jazz music. Reynard ordered grilled chicken with a side of rice while Lupino ordered a rare cut of steak with a baked potato.

"I should let you know I've had a talk with Valencia since our lunch meeting last week."

Lupino smiled. "Glad to see you finally getting out. Where did you go? What is she like?"

"Oh, we just met at the coffee shop for an hour. We each got a cappuccino and we talked about just... stuff."

"Like...?"

"The usual. Where she came from, what she's doing in Nogune, where I came from, what interests and hobbies I have, that sort of thing. She's really interested in history and becoming a teacher, mostly because of the Oncera Manor."

"Did you tell her anything about it?"

"Just the basics. Nothing about Belleza, though."

"Did you tell her they were your ancestors?"

"No. I told her my name, but she figured it was just another name."

"But it's not just another name, Reynard," Lupino almost protested. "The name of Oncera is pretty much limited to those descended from the original Oncera line. You and your family are pretty much it. Oncera is pretty much only given to royal blood. Besides, since father only has me and a daughter, if I die, you are technically the next heir."

"I don't like being singled out. And please don't talk that way. I don't want to go down in history books as the lost prince of Ikasarat as well. I'm not fit to rule."

"Don't worry. I'm not pushing the idea. Father agrees that your name and family are to be kept mostly secret. The fact that Belleza had a third sister in the family with Dame Vivian Oncera is a relatively well-guarded secret unless someone in your family decides to reveal it personally."

Reynard sighed in relief. "That's good at least. Have you found anything with the results of Belleza's ghost appearing?"

"Last she appeared was a month ago along the shores of Lake Pretca. She stayed there between three and four in the morning before simply fading away. Otherwise, there are some rumors along the coast that involve her being spotted in one of the windows along the top floor near where the master bedroom, sometimes even at the window where she fell out. Other times it's been the two towers on either side of the lake where she's been spotted, gazing in our direction."

"But with how big Lake Pretca is, surely these are simply rumors? I mean, anyone's eyes could deceive them from that length."

"Indeed. Magical activity notes Belleza has been in the towers, but more often on a repeat cycle of the night where she was killed."

Reynard nodded thoughtfully. "Has she appeared in any of the cities?"

"The farthest seems to be the beaches between Ikasarat and Nogune. She's never left the sand, though. It isn't much. Just general observations and most of them are similar to previous reports..."

"Even so, it's something. Like I said, I'll take anything you can give me."

Reynard paid the bill for the restaurant that evening.

"Were you ever big on classical music?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"There's a concert going on at the local concert hall here in Nogune. Since it's still early, do you want to head over there and see if we can get tickets?"

"What happened to the fiancée I've heard you talk about that's making you miss the bachelor life?"

"She's in Toran Zonasi with her family making preparations for the wedding."

"When's that?"

"Scheduled for four months from now. Given how she can act sometimes, it could be seven or eight months out."

"You have no idea how not jealous I am of you right now," Reynard quipped as they got into Lupino's car and drove off to the concert hall.

---

Much later, after the concert was over and the two had a couple of drinks, Lupino drove Reynard back to his apartment complex and dropped him off as close as he could to his apartment. Reynard, feeling slightly buzzed and tired from a much longer day than usual, had managed to simply say a quick good-bye to Lupino instead of a long and drawn out slurred mess like he usually was. Reynard had figured that, if the beer was making him tired perhaps he could at least fall into a dreamless sleep and not be awake until five the next morning instead of three. Lupino, due to a much larger size than the skinny Vulpine, was hardly feeling anything and figured he could drive himself home fine, so he wished Reynard good night and left quickly.

Reynard went to and entered his apartment building's main office and picked up some mail that had come for him while he was out, including a few bills and a letter from Valencia about going out for coffee again sometime the following week. Reynard smiled and decided to send Valencia a response within the next few days giving an okay once he had his new job straightened out. Among the letters was also a notice from Kirota Tontura, asking him about when he was going to come in for another session with her to see how his meds were faring. Reynard growled at that letter and put all his mail into one of the pockets of his shorts.

Crossing the grounds of his apartment complex, shaded from the usually bright moon by the trees and lit only by small lampposts that gave off small circles of light, Reynard's thoughts went back to what Lupino had told him about the rumors. Belleza was being sighted more often around Lake Pretca lately, which meant it was close to the anniversary of Belleza's murder. The others counted it as rumors, but those in the castle - among them Prince Lupino, King Garou V, and many of the court mages and priests - knew this had happened every year for the past one hundred and fifty years, perhaps two hundred if it had happened every year since Belleza's death, though no records were kept of such incidents during that time.

A chill surrounded the complex as Reynard shuddered at the thought and wished he had brought his coat with him. Reynard sighed with relief as he neared his apartment, seeing the light visible on the third-floor porch where his apartment lay. Reynard headed up the stairs to the first landing then proceeded across the landing to the base of his steps, noticing that he had remembered to turn the light on in the kitchen, then panned over to where his bedroom lay.

Even at first glance, Reynard could tell something was not right. While nothing was broken, the bottom part of the window had been raised as though someone had tried to break into the house by climbing through the window. The wind blew through the open window and gently swayed the lilac curtains that usually blocked it, now wide apart as though they had been quickly thrust open. Reynard couldn't see or hear anything else unusual, but pulled out his keys and began slowly walking up the stairs to his door, careful not to make any noise. Once he had reached the door, Reynard unlocked the door and pulled his keys in front of him, extending his long black claws in self-defense.

Aside from the open window, everything seemed to be just as Reynard had left it. The Vulpine quietly walked around the house, now fully aware and completely back to his senses as he checked to make sure everything was in place. His books were all in place, none of the glassware he inherited was broken, and his old pictures of his family and himself with Jack Lupino were all still in place. Everything seemed fine in the kitchen and the living room, and nothing even seemed to have moved from when Reynard had returned home from work earlier before he went golfing.

But Reynard didn't breathe a sigh of relief. He went over to his office and clicked the light on to find his notebooks and a big bulky tan computer with a keyboard as thick as a brick still in its, place, in addition to all his tax files and bank records still neatly filed away and all in place. Reynard then made his way to his own room, watching as the curtains swayed in the breeze, ignoring the chill that made its way through his light shirt as he scanned the room. Again nothing seemed out of place, so Reynard went over to check his closet. The safe remained closed, and opening it for a check of its contents revealed no one had managed to break into it. In the closet itself, all Reynard's close were in place, including the expensive coat and hat he had bought earlier that afternoon. Finally feeling satisfied with his check of the house, Reynard put the keys away and went to go shut his open window.

But there was something there in front of the window. From across the bed, Reynard noticed the faintest outline of something there, standing almost translucent in front of the window. Reynard backed into the wall and fumbled for the light switch as the figure became clearer and clearer. The figure was of a young snow leopard Felid in a black dress with deep blue eyes. Her tail flicked back and forth as she stared outside the window, then turned slowly as she heard Reynard's quick, panicked breaths. Even though she could now be seen clearly next to the window, Reynard could still see the ripples of the lilac curtains behind her, the open lock on the window sill. She was holding a picture of Reynard with Jack Lupino in one of her hands, her silvery paw blocking the normally bright picture and turning it monochrome such that Reynard's fur almost matched Lupino's. Without a word, she set the picture on the bed and smiled at Reynard, now frantically gesturing behind him for the switch.

Unable to find the switch, Reynard turned himself around and buried his head into the wall, but the chill didn't leave him. Reynard turned back around to see the Felid still standing at the window, but he couldn't stand the sight of her and turned back around and knocked his head against the wall. Reynard ignored hit, falling to his knees and starting to cry not in pain but in fear.

"What do you want from me!?" Reynard pleaded through his sobs. "Why can't you leave me alone? Have you come to take me to your hell? Go away! I haven't done anything wrong!"

Reynard couldn't see the figure or what she was doing, but the air around him slowly became colder and colder. Reynard scrambled to his knees and started stumbling through the dark towards his bedroom door, screaming as he tripping over a pair of shoes he had left out earlier. The air became like ice to the point where Reynard's breath turned to fog the moment it left his mouth. Turning around, Reynard noticed the figure slowly approaching him, extending a paw as though to touch him.

"You'll never take me with you!" Reynard gasped. With inches between the paw and his shoulder, Reynard lunged for the light switch.

The room flooded with light and warmth soon returned to Reynard's paws. Realizing that he was still in his bedroom, Reynard heaved a sigh of relief and turned around, sitting himself down on the floor next to the doorway and panting heavily as he examined his bedroom. The picture remained on the bed where the figure had left it. The lilac curtains remained open, though had settled down and soon became completely still. When he had caught his breath enough, Reynard picked himself up and shot for the window, staring out at the dark complex. The moon began peeking through a small amount of cloud cover and brightened the grounds. Upon seeing his tormentor had truly vanished, Reynard closed the window and walked over to his office, quickly dialing a number on his home phone.

A tired voice answered at the other end. "This is Kirota Tontura. May I ask who is calling at such a late hour?"

"I want to go through the mental investigative therapy."

For a moment, the other end of the line went silent. "...Reynard?"

"Yes, Miss Tontura. This is Reynard."

The line went silent again for a moment. "It's eleven o'clock. Have you even tried sleeping?"

"It's difficult to explain. I just know I want to go through that therapy."

"Alright, alright." Kirota's statement was interrupted by a yawn. "No need to rush. I can fit you in not this weekend but next weekend. We'll need a bit more time than I have that quickly. I'll make a note of it and make sure to add you in my books tomorrow. I'll call you back about a time."

"Thank you so much, Miss Tontura." And Reynard hung up the phone before Kirota could respond.