Apart from a few bumps, swimmingly

It takes you most of the time between lunch and dinner to organize a banquet. It reminds you of your wedding, with your time divided between sorting out the food, getting the catgirls ready, chatting idly with the important guests and seeing to the stabling and quartering of the various troops.

In each case you've got some help. Lessia and Doe do much of the work related to organizing the meal itself, only needing your help when some magic is the fastest or only way to get something ready in time. You watch with some amusement whenever you catch glimpses of Renee and Bethany as they manage a cleanup crew. Sandra, that devious woman, told them that maid uniforms were expected and that it would look bad to the guests if they wore something else.

Your other wives spend most of their time taking care of your children, but Helena, Sandra and Alice all help out in picking some suitable catgirls to sit at the banquet. No matter what you tell her, Yvonne spends most of her time close to you, as if she's your bodyguard.

Stabling and quartering the troops and their mounts is just a matter of finding enough space, that's all you would normally do as the landlord. Few people know of the upcoming civil war, but you do. There's every reason to give a good impression to soldiers. With luck word will spread. Their Sargent Major, a gray old man called Corvy, seems to grumble and disapprove of most things. His mood does improve when he sees that you're going the extra mile by arranging hot food and fresh beer for the men as well as quality fodder and some oats for the horses.

Chatting idly with the guests is actually the most difficult activity of all because you have to watch your tongue and even your thoughts. Four inquisitors plus some knights and a Baronet. All people who can sniff out deceit - and you're playing the game by pretending you don't have eight wives, a whole selection of heretical books, a small army of happy, yet unwillingly transformed catgirls plus some women and even a pair of noblewomen downstairs awaiting their transformation.

When the food is ready you all sit down to a nice, steaming hot meal. Just you, a high inquisitor, three 'regular' inquisitors, three knights (one of whom turned out to be a woman under all that armor), a Baronet, the Sargent Major, four lieutenants, a priest, a princess and thirteen catgirls. It took some real convincing to get your other wives to steer clear of the dinner, but when you told them the high inquisitor could read thoughts it dampened their mood a little. "One whiff of our Bastian marriage and all this is for naught," was the line that finally convinced them to keep away. Lessia has to go, of course, but as a princess she's been trained in keeping her thoughts close to her chest.

The thirteen catgirls you and your wives picked for this are all girls who know nothing of your 'special' relationship with Doe and the others. Which means most of them are fresh faces. Most of your early catgirls are in on the secret, many of them are even worshipers of Bast thanks to Leshak's teachings, which has really worked in your favor today. The only thing they love more than knowing a good secret is telling that secret to a fresh initiate.

You recall a conversation you overheard just last week, after Enarra was inducted into the worship of Bast.

Victoria lead her away from the ceremony and mentioned off-hand "Oh, by the way, did you know that John and Doe are married?"

"Oh, but princess Lessia!"

"Yes, they're married too. All three of them are married to each other."

"Wow... I thought for sure Doe and Yvonne were really close, but John and Doe makes so much sense. I kind of thought Doe and Sandra were, you know..."

"Yes, I can see why you'd think that. After all, they're married too."

"Yvonne and Sandra are married?!?"

"Yes..." Victoria answers, hiding a smile and probably wondering how long it will be before Enarra realizes that Yvonne and Sandra aren't married only to each other.

"Oh wow. They're going to have a lot of kids to take care of!"

...and so it went on, with you and Alice, who were both within earshot, having to cover your mouths to keep from laughing out loud. Alice showed her mischievous side that day - as soon as Enarra finally thought that she had everything in order, you walked past and Alice grabbed you and spun you around for a long, passion filled kiss. When it ended both of you did laugh yourselves silly. Poor Enarra was standing there with her jaw hanging open as Victoria patted her on the head.

But back to the meal. The chosen catgirls are all better behaved - except perhaps for some of Sandra's picks - and all of them have had at least the basics of formal dining explained. Most of them like clothes, though a few were so interested that they accepted the garments without complaint for the chance to eat with your guests. Other catgirls, some of them warned and wary Bast worshipers, are delivering the food both to your table and to the troops outside. The fare is rather different, but you know the common soldiers will not complain about the food they're getting, nor about the shapely catgirls providing the delivery service.

Most of the dinner conversation is the typical boring platitudes and politicking. The kind of stuff that reminds you why so many mages, yourself included, become recluses. But it's to be expected. The presence of a person who can read minds, even if it's only when she's concentrating, even if it might not be 100%, tends to cause everyone present to discuss things at the lowest level of mental effort.

The fun comes almost entirely from watching your catgirls doing cute or embarrassing things. Uma gets bored part way through dinner. She, of course, wolfed hers down. All this 'eat politely and slowly' stuff be damned. Then she spent a few minutes carefully balancing her cutlery in a little pyramid of silverware. It should have been an insult to your guests, except she did it so earnestly and with such concentration - like this was her whole world. Then Gloria, bless her mischievous heart, pinched Uma's bum and sent her leaping on top of her chair to great laughter.

Andrea decided to ask what the younger knight, Sir Galren, thought of her dress. Very polite, very nice. Sir Galren was impressed and complimented her on it. Andrea then picked at her blouse and said "I like the color, but it's really uncomfortable. I don't see why we have to wear anything but our fur." That last line was delivered while looking Sir Galren right in the eyes. Andrea isn't even a really slutty catgirl, she meant it totally honestly, but the poor knight looked like someone scooped his brains out.

Twelve year old Laila ran into the room just after dessert hit the table and scooped a bowl of raisins and pâté right out from under Flora's nose. The older catgirl, as well as Melissa, who was supposed to be watching Laila, went charging after her. Mewling and giggling followed when they caught her and hauled the little thief back to the room so she could apologize for interrupting dinner. It's hard to look contrite when your mouth and facial fur are smeared with pâté you weren't supposed to have.

Then there was Olivia, one of your smartest catgirls. She sat there, listening, paying attention to the older knight and priest as they chatted about various things. But she became bored and started tapping the silver saltshaker with her fingers. Then she watched, transfixed, as the shiny object skidded back and forth between her hands. Finally she played a game you've seen house cats play time and again, tapping it closer and closer to the edge of the table until it finally tipped off. Lessia tried to ask her what she was doing, but it was like no one was home. When it finally fell Lessia asked "Olivia, why?" in a defeated tone you're sure your children will dread. Olivia snapped out of it and her big green eyes looked down. "I... it was making such a neat noise. I just wanted to see how close I could get it."

After dinner Serranne went into a food coma. She leaned against the older knight, Sir Karnton, and said "Mmmm, you smell nice." He replied, "Miss, I am married." Serranne looked at him confused for a moment and then said "Oh, I'm sorry. No, I just meant... well you do," developing a deeper blush under her soft fur with every word spoken.

Dame Lorridan, the female knight, was everything you expected from a woman who wanted to be taken seriously. Heavily armed, strongly muscled. Short blonde hair and fiery blue eyes. In various conversation you had learned that she was married and her husband disapproved of her adventuring. She, in turn, disapproved of her husband. She and Yvonne sized each other up before dinner, each looking pretty impressed with the other. At dinner the dame spent much of her time talking to Lydia, one of the former mercenary archers, and Laurna, the former mercenary captain.

As for the Baronet, a man called Noviender, he had clearly gained his own title and with his skill and connections knew that short of treason or blasphemy he could get away with quite a bit. Much to the displeasure of one of the lesser inquisitors he made a habit of checking out catgirls as they passed by carrying food. He spent much of the evening talking to Inara or staring into Melody's amber eyes.

Late in the evening Laurna and Lydia got into a deep and detailed discussion about weaponry with Sir Karnton, Dame Lorridan, the Sargent Major and two of the lieutenants. Surprised and pleased to find some of those rare women who likes to talk shop they entertained them long after the food is gone.

You and Lessia waited until the guests retired, then you went up to your own bedroom. There, waiting eagerly, were all your other wives. "How did it go?" was the question on everyone's lips. You gave them all a smile, kissed Lessia and then each of them for all their hard work during the day. Finally you replied, "I think that first, the inquisition is quite satisfied with me. Second, I believe we're going to have a few new homes open up for catgirls. Unless I miss my guess, at least the Baronet and the younger Knight. Probably the Sargent Major and the Dame as well."

That gets some pleased purring and excited stretching. Sandra adds "I think we will have a few soldiers asking about us as well. Some of them were just rude and went too far, but quite a few of the archers, one of the shield bearers, three of the... you called them skirmishers and three of the lieutenants were very friendly. I think most of them will get visits tonight."

'No doubt', you think to yourself. Any catgirl who's even half interested in these guy's advances hasn't got any in as long as they can remember, literally!

"Aw, it's a shame they'll have to go," says Bethany.

"They don't have to go," says Alice, "but yeah, if they find someone to take care of them it's worth it."

"Maybe they just don't have to go far," says Yvonne. "It wouldn't hurt to have some experienced soldiers around to help train some of us."

"You're always thinking about fighting," says Doe, but you know it's a little jab and she's not against the idea.

"Well nothing is going to happen right away," says princess Lessia. "First they have to go and deal with that snake Velcorrin. But they did promise to stop in on the way back."