Faith in the Spirits Arc 1: To Align the Stars

[Billy12510]

Syndra woke up to… nothing. She was all alone in the room. Considering the awkwardness in the room between her, Nyxied and Aegean following the conversation from last night it was to be expected. Man, this sucks. I expected this and I’m still left feeling like this. Not letting it affect her now in the short term wasn’t possible, so all Syndra could do is hope the feeling would fade. Eventually. Getting dressed, she exited her room and headed off towards the breakfast area of the inn.

[TheRoon]

Renais finally woke up from a nice sleep, a well needed sleep at that. Once she did, she took a look around and found there was no mermaid in bed. It concerned Renais at first, but she realized it was probably because of breakfast. The inn was a much safer place than the battlefield, so Renais did her best to scale down her danger meter. After a long stretch she approached her own bag to change into her outfit. 'Well, got a few things to do before we leave. I hope I can do them in time...' Once she finished the pinkette approached the door to rejoin the others in the lobby.

Edited August 3, 2022 by TheRoon

[Bluemask 96]

Gean didn't even have time to respond as Sari dragged Cin away from the lobby. Gean just gave the sight a sigh and let it go. If it was truly something serious, the now more transparent Sari (as he claimed) might share that knowledge with those who truly needed to know. Whether Gean was a part of that group didn't matter for now

Gean decided to hang out front for just a bit longer. A couple of the other Tigers passed by, as well as their wolf-y guest from last night. She gave them all a small good morning as they made their way towards the breakfast area. The last ones she had to see at some point this morning was Tasha, Aly, and... we speak of the devil they say. Gean gave the approaching Renais a warm smile as she entered the lobby.

"Good morning. I take it you slept well last night?" Gean was almost ready to tease,  but held off on making any lofty comments about 'storms' or the like.

[Ursali]

Alriana yawned and stretched as she descended the stairs into the inn's lobby, the scent of food and the sight of the other Tigers drawing her into the breakfast hall. Nearly everyone was accounted for, save for the Evokers and the actual Iron Tiger herself, but at this point the lizard was becoming accustomed to arriving late; too many thoughts kept her up last night, nearly all of them related to this 'love' Versaris claimed to feel for her. Speaking of the not-elf, there he was in the corner with Cinaed, though she had no idea what he was saying to the dragon. Rather than stick her nose into it, she went and collected some meat and eggs for herself and sat down to enjoy the simple breakfast.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Favio found himself completely ignored as the lobby livened up even more. The dragon, and the elf seemed to have the message in mind, so he turned back to Persica. "Persica, may I borrow your list of civilians? Lord Sarasin asked me to confirm damages, and grievances, so when he relays the happenings hear to Lady Celine, he can request compensation on behalf of those affected." 

Persica smiled and nodded, handing the man a list that had already been prepared. "Did, uh, that last night when Xanth, and I went te check on people." 

Favio looked over the list and nodded. Names, and locations were neatly written; Persica's meticulous record keeping was always an incredible boon. They could never quite get her to accept working with Sarasin in such a role. She always said that she would rather be working alongside her brother, and preferred the duties of an innkeeper. It was a shame, but when Persica stepped up to assist, she was always invaluable. 

"Right, I will head off then; I'll leave the delivering of the message to Commander Natalya with all of you. I need to take stock, and then return to the manse to prepare." He bowed to the group again, waved to Persica, and vanished out the door. 

Persica hopped up from her chair as she did. She was focused on the conversations in front of her, but someone important had come down, and appeared to be off in the corner by herself. That wouldn't do. Persica wandered over to the lone archer, with a smile on her face, "Good morning, Nxyied. Are... ... ...ye doing okay? That, fight last night... you, uh, had te be up late." Conversation was still a bit stilted, but she was trying.

[Nanami Touko]

"All... All I can think of for burning a fire dragon would be light magic. It would produce a similar kind of burn, even if it's not real fire." He sighed. Visions again. They were too much trouble. "As for why you'd still be on a list, that's exactly why. People assuming that members are still alive and still willing to cause trouble. So I thank you for listening and agreeing not to mention it..." He straightened up and gave Cinaed a pat on the back, nodding. "And sorry. For everything. I'm glad we could talk." With a smile, he turned back towards the group--

"Alriana! Darling~ How was your sleep?" He'd need breakfast as well if they were going to be dealing with Sarasin at all.

Sixteen slowly began to wake up, yawning and stretching against Üllr's back, realizing where she was, gently moving to hug him. "Good morning~" She didn't at all seem bothered to held like this, still comfortable. "I smell something good... What is it?"

Siorel heard Gean addressing Renais, peaked around the corner, and set her eyes on Cinaed. "Target acquired~" She waited a moment for the elf to leave him before sliding over, staring up at him with a big smile. "Hhhhhey~ Morning."

[scorri]

"Of course, Versaris. I appreciate you telling me." Cinaed sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to think. "I hope my mother is ok... Ah, I do still want to talk to you later!" His request was called out after Sari's now retreating back as the man made a beeline for Aly. Cinaed grinned as he watched, shaking his head slightly. Something had changed in the man, and it was good to see. To see him seem to be truly genuinely happy was a delight, and if it brought about a more honest companion because of it, well, all the better. I really do owe him and Tio apologies though, huh? One ring at a time I suppose...

His internal musings were cut short by a voice calling out to him, one that instantly had his cheeks warm, as he turned to find Siorel smiling up at him. "H-hey there. Good morning to you as well. I hope you slept well." Now isn't the time to talk, certainly not in front of everyone, ugh, how do I... "Uhm, I'm going to need to talk to the Evokers tonight. About.... Everything from last night. I was. Hoping that maybe you would join me in that? I just, need to understand what's going on. With my magic. I need to know if it will happen again. But I'm... scared. And having you there would help." Until I know that I'm not putting her at risk just by being around me, I can't tell her about my talk with Gean and about how I feel... I just can't.

[Nanami Touko]

"Huh? Me, not Gean?" Siorel's smile slowly twisted wider, giggling quietly. "Sure~ I'm happy to assist, Cin. I'm sure the talk will go fine, so have some more confidence!" She didn't hesitate to latch herself onto his right arm, hugging it tightly against herself and squishing up against him. "If it happens again, we'll all be there to help you out of it. This power won't control you. Promise."

[scorri]

"I... A-ah." Cin stammered slightly as Siorel almost immediately caught on to the fact that he was asking her to come along instead of Gean. It seemed that no matter what he had planned, how he thought things should go, this lovely lizard was one step ahead of him with her own plans. As she squished up against him, he sighed, shaking his head. I. If she hasn't run by now, what could the Evokers say to make a difference? She already knows. I may as well just... "She had an answer for me this morning. One that would have made you delighted to overhear I suspect." He shook his head ruefully, before giving in to the already lost battle, and wrapping her into a hug with his free left arm. Tilting his head down slightly, he whispered into her ear, "She told me to go get that dancer. Though really, I'm pretty sure I'm the one being got in all of this. Not the other way around. I just hope you're right about my magic... I never want to run the risk of hurting you because I lost control like last night."

Edited August 5, 2022 by scorri

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx had the urge to groan at the fact that someone was coming near her when she clearly just wanted peace and quiet this morning, but stifled it when she realized it was Persica checking in on her. Even still, she dropped her head onto the table, resting its’ side on the wood. Mm, comfy.

”Well, m’gonna be honest wit ye, Persica. M’not doin’ too hot. Took a nasty shot during th’fight, an’ m’havin a lil’ bit o’trouble wit some things. Personal things, I mean.” Nyx did her best to not make it sound like she was annoyed - which, in fairness, she wasn’t. At least, not with Persica. She frowned when both Gean and Syn came into the breakfast nook like last night hadn’t happened, and felt herself sink more into her chair.

Maybe she should stay clear of the lord Sarasin, and see if she couldn’t slip out on her own for a bit. A little space while the other Tigers we’re dealing with business without, y’know, a local criminal accompanying them? Sounded ideal to her.

[Nanami Touko]

Siorel didn't waste another second, leaning up to kiss Cinaed as he moved to hug her, squeezing him tight. "I'm not afraid. That's what matters~" Siorel smiled, her wagging tail showing how excited she really was. "You can help me with my clothes so much more easily now! I don't have to be so conservative and leave the room to change~ And I get to show off all kinds of seasonal stuff to you, now... It's very hot, after all. A swimsuit to take a dip wouldn't be s terrible purchase... Eheheh~ Mmm, this is great~"

[scorri]

Cin almost flinched in surprise when Siorel stretched up to kiss him, but instead leaned into it, enjoying the moment of peace and happiness, her body pressed up against his making it easy to forget all of the concerns that he had about the future. His family, his powers, the enemies they would soon be facing, none of it seemed to matter in that moment, as he surrendered to her whims, letting her take control. She was quick to reassure him that she was not afraid, something that he could only hope would remain true. "I... I hope that you're right to not be afraid. I know I am... Ugh. There's more I need to tell you too, information I just learned about myself. Later." He glanced over at Versaris. The man had said not to go around giving his name away freely, but surely it couldn't hurt to tell Siorel. If she was going to be near him, that meant that his name was putting her at risk too. So she needed to know.

His gaze was quickly dragged back to Siorel though, as she began talking excitedly about all the things she could do now that the two of them were involved. He felt his cheeks burning as she listed all her plans, and he quickly disentangled himself from her as best he could, taking a few steps back. "W-wha... I. Uhm." The image of her in a bathing suit was too strong, his cheeks bright red as he stammered his way through several things that almost sounded like words before he finally slammed his mouth shut for a few seconds and then reached out and took her hand. "I. I would love to help. With your clothes. H-however I can. Though... ah, I'm afraid you're going to constantly outshine me. As far as that goes. I've pretty much just got the one outfit. Though, if I'm being realistic, you would outshine me no matter what I wear, so I guess I should just get used to it."

[Nanami Touko]

"Outshine?" Siorel wasn't letting him get away with it that easily, latching onto that arm again and smiling up at him with a face full of plans. "It's not a competition~ And if that's all you've got, we'll hafta get'chu some more clothes next time we hit a big city! We'll make it a date and make sure to find something resistant to fire. Simple~ Hope you're ready for me, Cinaed... I'm pretty relentless." She blew a kiss up at him and smiled wide, having way too much fun with how he was reacting.

[scorri]

"I. That sounds wonderful. I would love to go on a date with you, Siorel." I'll need to buy her something perfect when we do. And treat her to lunch... Yes, this will be good. Looking down at her, he couldn't help the smile on his face. There was something about her that just made it impossible to be worried or upset for too long. And knowing that she had chosen him of all people left him warm inside in a way that he had never felt before. "Hah... I think it's impossible to be really ready for you, Siorel. Like I said, I'm pretty sure I'm the one being gotten in all of this. I'm just going to follow you wherever you lead me and enjoy what I have. I hope that's alright." He smiled at her, gently running a finger down her cheek before poking her nose. "Now! We've been told to report to the mansion as soon as possible so that we can get thanked for our work last night as well as get more information on everything that went down. I was going to go tell everyone else about it, but you know, I think that Versaris and Gean probably have a handle on that. Instead, I'm thinking we should go make sure we're all packed up and ready to leave." He quickly bent down and scooped her up into his arms, careful to drape her tail over his arm before straightening back up. "What do you think? Any objections?"

[Nanami Touko]

"That sounds like a great plAN!?" Siorel squeaked as she was suddenly hoisted, clinging onto Cinsed with a heavy blush, pouting hard. "Geez... Meanie." She wasn't really upset, she just had no comeback to this. It was Cinaed's one way to get back at her-- that she knew of --and he was unafraid to use it...

"My stuff's already packed... But if you wanna take me back to the room, I won't complain~ Give everything a once over to make sure and all, of course."

[scorri]

"Mmm, you're cute when you pout like that." Cin leaned down and gave Siorel a quick kiss before straightening back up. "But it's true, I'm very mean. And selfish, so even though you don't need to go back up, I'm going to take you up there anyways. It shouldn't take too long for me to pack, but I want your company anyways. So you're stuck now." Grinning, he made his way up the stairs of the inn, not caring who saw him or what they thought of the situation. All he knew is that he was happy and had a wonderful woman in his arms. Right now, that made the rest of the world seem to matter just a little bit less.

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Persica's ears twitched, and she incanted her head slightly. Nyx was far from the lively confident archer this morning, resting her head on the table as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep. Persica assumed that they had a talented medic because, physically, Nyx didn't look worse for wear at all. So that made the mention of her knock from battle less of a pressing concern, and thus, the least of either of their worries. What was troubling was that Nyx's speech seemed stilted. Personal matters, and the fact that she'd situated herself away from the others... 

Persica pulled her arms behind her, "Do ye want te talk about it at all? Uhh, does it... have anything te do with Gean, err, Aegean? It's not good te deal with this stuff on your own."

[Billy12510]

After grabbing some waffles, Syndra went off to go sit down, and noticed that Nyx was being talked to by the innkeeper. She seemed... distant, upset. Not as if Syndra was in a much better mood. Well, you know what they say about misery and company. Syndra took her plate and sat down near the two of them. "Hello there. Morning." Syndra didn't say it with any real vigor, she was still unsure what to say or how to say it. Perhaps just being open was the right call. "I woke up and you weren't there Nyx, I hope I didn't do anything to upset you."

[TheRoon]

When the mermaid approached Renais, the pinkette rose her head a little to look her in the eye. "...I slept well, yes." Truth be told, she didn't really want to talk about sleeping in the same bed with Gean in front of the others, she knew they wouldn't let her live this down. "...thanks for last night. Let's keep that between us though..." She leaned in with a whisper. "But how did you sleep last night?"

[Bluemask 96]

Gean had to chuckle at Renais mention of keeping last night a secret. "As you wish madame. My lips are sealed." Gean followed the notion with a wink and a finger to her lips. "As for myself..." the merfolk responded back with a whisper of her own. "Waking up to such a lovely sight left me ready and eager for the day, though we'll see how well I last in the heat while we travel." Gean wanted to compliment her a bit more, but she let that desire halt there.

Gean stood back up proper and continued. "Oh I have some good news by the way. Just got word that the Lord of this place wants to meet us at his manor, so we're probably gonna run into Tio and Elisa there as well. Just gotta get Mama Tiger up and we'll be ready. I was thinking of heading to her room to check on her, if you're going to the dinning area can you save me something?"

 

 

[MRDRHAWK]

Nyx sighed as Persica saw right through her - yet again, someone who’s fully capable of doing so. “Well, sorta. Really, s’more than jus’ Gean. It’s…” Speaking of which, Nyx’s thoughts were cut off by Syn just parking herself at the table, like nothing was wrong. Except… she seemed at least cognizant that Nyx was upset, and with her, so. There’s that.

”A lil’ bit, actually. But hell, apparently ev’ryone is keepin’ shit from us, n’it’s makin’ me real annoyed.” Sure, maybe Nyx wasn’t entirely forthcoming either, but given where they were, it actually made sense. Plus, it wasn’t like anybody asked her what had happened years ago, and even if they did, she’d only be able to give them the short version, since her memories from that day were… muddled, at best.

[TheRoon]

Hearing Gean's compliment surprised Rene, she flared up again and looked aside in embarrassment. "...Gean, please..." She mumbled and shook her head a little after she brought up the manor. "Mm, is that so...then I'll get some food for you, me and the commander." Without another word, Renais rushed off to get some plates with a huff. 'Gean...don't say stuff like that, you're gonna make me think...agh.' 

[JakezuGD]

Sleepy. Tasha wasn't usually this sleepy, in fact, she tended to be up before most in the morning, getting things ready for whatever was to be going on that day. But it had been a long time since she'd personally been the center of intense combat like that, hell, the string of knights barreling against her was probably the most intense she'd had to weather. Like she'd thought last night, she was feeling it in her muscles. Last night... Hehe. She glanced over at the other side where Alvira had slept, putting on a small smile.

Rinsing Worries

Spoiler

Natalya had caught that Gean wanted to go take a bath, and with Alvira being out a bit later than many of the Tigers, she figured their schedules wouldn’t clash even if they went after the merfolk. Nyx had also been rather sleepy, so that line of discussion could wait for later… and the Evokers were taking care of the remaining Knights, so with things being relatively fine for the night, the tiger didn’t have much to do while waiting for her girlfriend to come back. Other than get her equipment off and air out her clothes a little, that is.

“Nat!” Alvira walked into the room with excess confidence, which disappeared completely as she realized the state of the Tiger’s undress. She nearly tripped as she came inside, catching herself on the door frame and then scrambling to close the door behind her. “I, uh, ss, s-sorry, wow…” With a hefty breath, Alvira, still blushing, turned her attention to the cat in her underwear… Eyes being very honest with how she was feeling. “I, uh, yeah, the-the cargo, the… It was dealt with. Everyone seems to be safe… Mm. Can… Can we, talk? You’re gonna have to put on a shirt, though. I can’t talk to you like this.”

Tasha quickly turned to the approaching dragon, though the initial response was pretty much expected. “No problem, I was just airing the clothes a little. Get them feeling less sticky since we don’t have many chances for laundry traveling like we are.” Alvira was very easy to tease like this, but for now, she’d respect the difficulty the dragon had in concentrating with a half-naked tiger in the room, grabbing her shirt off the bedside and onto herself. “Oh, and if you wanted to talk somewhere else, I checked with the innkeeper that we can use the baths overnight if we want to.”

“Baths…” Alvira swallowed hard. Natalya had her clothes back on at least… Mostly. Her legs were still out and they were nothing to scoff at. “You want to talk in the baths when I said I couldn’t handle talking to you in your underwear?” A dry laugh left her, taking a moment to collect what she could before joining Nat on the bed, sitting next to her. “If… If you want to, but I can’t promise, I… If we’re alone… I might do something inappropriate…” She flushed anew and flopped against the woman, grumbling a little. “Honestly, just wanted to cry in your arms for a while, but you’ve thrown all my emotions into a maelstrom… And you didn’t even do anything aside from being here. What am I gonna do with you…?”

“I dunno, get used to me?” Much as she wanted to poke further at that, Tasha felt it in poor taste after the other thing Alvira had said, putting an arm around her. “We can wait to get cleaned for a while too. Gean said she was going to bathe, so she might still be there. As for that other part…” Turning more toward the dragon, Natalya pulled her in some more, letting her rest on the softest of her parts just how she liked to do. “Did something happen during the fight?”

Alvira had a moment of panic as she was pulled in closer, but it went away when Nat made clear what it was she was asking about. Her blush faded after a moment, Alvira slowly hugging her tight and close. “I… I saw myself in one of the knights we were fighting. I managed to talk her down from throwing away her life… But not because she realized that this whole thing was so stupid. Because she didn’t want to die here. Because she didn’t want to die at my hands. She still hates us. Still reviles our kind and… And I…” Alvira shivered and sniffled, swallowing hard. 

“It was just… A mirror. A very… Very, sad mirror, on how I would think about humans. It didn’t matter who they were or what they did… They were human, and that was enough. Just like it was enough for them that we were Clouded and Monsters…!” She’d been trying to keep her voice stable, but it faltered at the end, a hiccup of a sob leaving her. “I’ve been so wretched… And for what?”

Honestly, Tasha was more surprised than anything that someone from that bunch of knights actually listened to stop fighting, without the kind of show of force the Evokers could put on. The actual worry was one she felt might have been coming at some point, ever since that argument they’d had on the pirate ship. For that short while, she’d felt Alvira could end up sheltering herself further inward, enough that even other Clouded wouldn’t be able to get through to her. That could’ve just been fear of alienation talking, but it had been real in the moment.

“People… learn a lot of stupid habits. Often it doesn’t even matter how you’d personally have wanted things to go. And once it gets deep enough, it’s really hard to recognize the stupidity of it. A lot of people in the Alliance hate us for reasons we didn’t have anything to do with.” She gave Alvira some gentle back rubs, letting her get as cozy in the hug as she wanted to. “You remember when we fought the pirates, right? I was trying to tell you that, but it was the wrong time and place, and I really thought that night you wouldn’t give me another chance.”

Alvira sniffled, trying to avoid full on crying. It was difficult, but she didn’t want to be such a crier whenever she felt sad. “Yeah… Yeah. I… I, heh, I gave Renais a hug and apologized to her… And I think I shocked her so much that she was okay with it.” It did warm her a bit to know that Renais hadn’t spurned her sudden positivity. “I’m gonna be better. A lot better. Better for the Tigers, better for you… And most of all, most importantly of all, better for myself. I just wish I’d learned in a more… I dunno. Appropriate manner. Really sucks to have such an important life revelation get handed to you by someone that refuses to see and accept that revelation…”

“Maybe so, but in the end, you know better now, yeah?” Tasha brushed the dragon’s hair a bit, avoiding a full on pet for the moment. “Not that I think you should be grateful to that knight or anything, you really shouldn’t, but… What matters is what you take away from it, right?” The fact she’d gone and apologized to Renais, the one person she wanted the least to do with in the Tigers ever since she joined, was proof positive she was trying really hard, even harder than she’d given credit for earlier that same day. “You might not have gotten any taller, yet you’ve grown so much over the past month. I said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m really proud of you, Alvira.”

Proud hit her ears and her tail slammed against the floor, digging into Natalya with the tightest hug she’d ever given the tiger. “I’m never gonna get any taller, stupid…!” This was far too much reinforcement for her. What was she supposed to do with this mix of emotions? Feeling pathetic that it took all this to realize her mistakes… Feeling content that things weren’t so far gone as to be burnt bridges… Feeling happy that Natalya was so proud of her. “I’m a mess,” she chuckled out, the laugh almost sad, but reverberating a gentle mirth. “We… We should go take that bath…”

The tiger had to pull herself forward a bit just to not be barreled over by the tight embrace. Alvira might not have been the strongest, but she was big enough to make her tip over without resistance… not that Tasha actually thought of that in the moment. The way she tried to rebut it was reminiscent of Gean in her teens, how it took a while to get her to accept the idea of being a play daughter, everything that came with that. She was that much more than just a play mom to the dragon, though. It certainly wasn’t the most ethically impervious choice she could’ve made, far from it, but now, it just felt right. “If you’re feeling like it. I’m ready to go whenever,” she replied softly, giving that pet she’d been holding back as she did.

“Mmnhn…” Alvira melted a little… Tasha felt both like a mom and like a lover. She was both in a sense, weird as it was, and Alvira wouldn’t have it any other way at this point. I just have to live up to everything I’ve been given. It can only get better from here… “Yeah. I’ll control myself… While we’re in the bath, at least.” With a whine, a rather pathetic one, the dragon let go of Tasha and stood up, waving her claws at her face to cool herself off a little. “Okay! Okay… I’m okay. Bath. Bath good…”

“Hehe… Let’s get going, then.” Tasha stood up after her, stretching a bit before getting her pants and boots on. “Towels and and such are at the baths, if I didn’t hear all wrong.”

With darkness having fallen for the most part, the townsfolk settling back into safety and the knights no longer present, the stars were all that accompanied the two on their walk. Well, that and Gean on the way back from their destination, but they didn’t exchange words on their way. Soon, they’d reach the baths, the now much cooler air making for, at least in the tiger’s opinion, great weather for a swim.

Tasha would quickly settle into the pool, sighing as she let herself relax. “Mmm… Hopefully I won’t be feeling too sore in the morning. Fighting metal on metal and getting slapped with magic isn’t good for the muscles, even if I get healed.”

"No, it's… It's really not." Alvira had found the stars ever so interesting all of a sudden. The cooler water of the night time bath made for an interesting experience, one still made pleasant by the fire that always gently burned inside of her. It was like an extra clean lukewarm pool… "You really do push yourself to the extreme, Tasha. It does worry me sometimes… I didn't get to see the other side of the battle until everything was over with, but you, Nyx and Alriana really ruined a lot of them… With just yourselves. You… Maybe want a massage for the shoulders, or something…?"

“If anything, I’ll end up feeling it because I haven’t been pushing myself all that hard for a while now. Going from taking a few shots when needed, to close combat with a whole gaggle of knights, that’s not the kinda escalation you want.” The idea sounded far too nice to give up, though the obvious problem came to mind with it. “I know you’ll be careful, but do you think you can do a proper massage with your claws? Maybe I could just lay on your lap for a change,” Tasha suggested back with a chuckle. That might be best left for bedtime…

Alvira was out of the water and sitting on the edge of the pool with her legs dangling into it and a space for Tasha to sit between before any words came out. “Thighs! Rest. Good. I can super do that for you… Even give you a tail to hug while you’re resting. Does that sound like a good deal?”

“Heh, sounds good to me.” She should’ve expected that, really, but Tasha wasn’t going to question an answer in the affirmative, shuffling over to rest her head on Alvira’s thighs, smiling up at her. “You’re really cute, and I should remember to say that more. Or is that too embarrassing?~”

“Mmm… It’s not too embarrassing. I can take it. It’s honestly really nice to hear… It’s getting easier to believe, but maybe I’m just not valuing myself enough. I am cute. I am cute! I’m super cute…” Alvira flustered herself with her silly exclamations, grumbling a little. “Mmm… Is there anything that you have on your mind, Tasha? I wanna listen if there is. Listen, then help if I can.’

Tasha laughed a little at how Alvira reinforced the compliment for herself, but it also hit very close to the next question. It was the same thing she’d thought for much of that day, at least while they weren’t busy fending off knights, and she might as well address it now. “Mm, well… There’s that silly thing that I’ve always thought about myself. That I’m not very interesting, or that I’m not doing enough in my relationships, even when those people tell me otherwise.” She lazily reached over to the dragon’s tail, no more than a small, gentle touch on it. “I guess it’s a lot to do with it being… difficult, to accept that just who I am already could be enough by itself.”

“Tasha…” Alvira leaned over her and stared down at her, a frustrated look on her face. “How could you possibly be uninteresting!?” It was a little frustrating to hear Tasha talk about herself like this! “You’re the most important person to so many people! Not just me. Aegean, Nyx, Alriana, Syndra, Renais, Laniva… M-Miria. Not just because you give us a place to work and a place to belong, but because you make us WANT to be here. You’re warm, you’re welcoming, you care so, so much… You’re always trying to keep our best interests in mind. All of our interests, and even with all of that on your plate, you still make extra time for me.”

She huffed, sitting up properly. “I think you’re super interesting. You’ve got all this mercenary work behind you, you know how to use a GUN, who knows how to use a gun all the way out in Glacies!? … Okay, a pretty good number of people, but it’s still super cool. You still swing the axe around too; you’re very strong! Very strong… Nice big muscles~ Heheh… Mm. Seriously, though. If you wanna sit me down and tell me about your favorite stories from before we met, tell me. I wanna know, so badly. Everything about you. I am drowning in curiosity over you and your life… And I don’t ask because I don’t want to put too much more on you, but uh uh! I’m coming for that info now if you’re gonna get all sad on me… Not when you’re as wonderful as you are.”

The tiger blinked a bit, not having expected Alvira to, uh, defend her from herself so adamantly. As she rattled off with all the things good about her, all the things that were interesting and cool about her, Tasha felt a little guilty for making herself feel like she wasn’t doing much at all, just on the excuse of it ‘being what she does’. And having someone dying to know more about her… “Haha, uh… I don’t really know what I’d say, though. I think you’re getting the idea… I’m really bad about talking about myself, because I think anything I say is just gonna be boring compared to anything you could say about yourself. Guess that’s what I’ll have to work on.”

Part of that also reminded of her earlier mishap with Nyx, and how much she felt it stick around in her head. If it was something about herself, Tasha wouldn’t mind taking any amount of punishment, but her dear friends getting hurt, especially because of her… Yeah, thinking about it like that made Alvira’s assertion ring more true. “It’s probably related to how I’d rather make sure everyone around me is feeling good, before I even think about myself. Maybe it sounds like bragging, but… I might just be too selfless for my own good.” She sighed, her tail lightly grabbing one of the dragon’s legs in the pool.

“You’re ridiculously selfless… You met me in the woods getting ready to skin a bear. What did you do? Immediately offered me a spot in your mercenary company and brought me back to it just to get me off the streets. You’d take in every sad soul you saw if you could afford it…” Alvira gently poked Nat’s nose, sighing a little. “What’s so interesting about me, anyway? I throw around ice cubes and am a dragon. I don’t think anything you could tell me would be less interesting than that, Tasha. Come on now, silly.” 

Alvira gently kicked her legs, making sure not to hit Nat, just wanting to get a little motion in. “Next time we’re in a big town, even if it makes you feel awkward, we’re gonna go on a date and do whatever you want to do. Make you happy first. You’ve done so much for all of us, you deserve it. I’m sure anyone else would agree… Feel free to ask them if you don’t believe me~”

“That sounds like something I’d say…” Tasha looked off to the side, her lips curling into a smile. Talking with Alvira like this made quick work of how silly her hangups sounded, not that she wasn’t aware of it, but someone else just had to tell her that it was dumb of her. “Yeah, that sounds really nice. I wouldn’t mind having some time just going around town by each other, get some good food, maybe shop for some souvenirs… But since it’s your idea, you’re gonna have to tell Tio why I won’t be available for a few hours.” She grinned, knowing from earlier that the two of them were on pretty good terms with each other nowadays. “I’ve got a pretty big appetite, so I hope they’ve got some nice, filling cooking wherever we’re stopping next~”

“I’ll tell her without a second thought! She can stuff her obligations for a single day. We’re going above and beyond here, fighting knights and bandits and mercenaries… We deserve a few hours off at the very least. Make sure we get it, no matter what she says. I wanna spend some more selfish time with you… As much as it’s silly to admit that.” Alvira huffed, resting against Tasha’s head again. “You’re special to me in a lot of ways…”

“You too… And getting more special by the day.” The hand that had been on Alvira’s tail reached up, slowly stroking the dragon’s cheek. It was the best she could do with how they were positioned. “Hehe, we should probably try to clean ourselves well while we’re here. Probably just going to be hotter the further toward Islexia and Lufiria we get, unless the weather’s just being oddly warm this week.” Tasha added a quick wink, “Could wash each other’s backs too~”

“I’ll make sure to do my best keeping everyone cool~” This magic was turning out to be a boon in a group situation, so Alvira would make the most of it. “Honestly, I saw something pretty… Provocative earlier. I gave some of my ice to the Evokers and Elisa kinda…” Alvira conjured some ice just above Natalya’s cleavage and let it hang there, hoping she got the idea. “Just something to consider for… When we’re back in the room?”

She giggled a little, tossing the ice away and slowly uncoiling herself from the tiger. “Let’s actually get cleaned up, then. Properly.”

“Really now? I guess that’s one way to get the ice to cool you,” Tasha said with her own giggle, not really having taken the Evokers to be… like that. Elisa might have just saved it for when she was with her wife. “Properly. Doesn’t mean we can’t still relax in the pool after, you haven’t had much time in here.” She pulled herself up and rolled her shoulders a bit, stepping out of the bath. “So, who washes who first?~”

“I! Really wanna touch you right now… So I’d like to wash you first, if that’s okay. I’ll do my best to contain myself~” Alvira was already waiting at the side washing stations with a bucket in hand and wagging tail behind her, ready to clean this cat good.

She'd have to shake off some of that sleepiness before heading down, though. Being all yawny and stuff wouldn't be a good look, and with needing some maintenance for her body as well, comprehensive stretching was in order.

Not too much later, now with her clothes on and everything, the tiger went down for breakfast, seeing pretty much everyone else already present, and catching the end of what Gean was saying. Renais did manage to run off before she'd be able to stop her, but hey, that just meant she was getting her food delivered. "No need for that, I'm right here. Not much like me to wake up after all of you, huh?"

[Nanami Touko]

Alvira had been idly eating her bagel as Tasha came town the stairs, the dragon's tail immediately wagging gently, eyes following the tiger. She slooowly got up from her chair and stalked after her, the louder footsteps that her scaled feet made not exactly hiding her presence much. As she made her way to Gean, Alvira, slowly again, wrapped the tiger in a hug, peeking around her shoulder at Gean. "I ate. Good morning, Tasha... And Gean. We're movin' on from here today, right? More travel? I'll get the ice packs ready if we are..."

[Bluemask 96]

Gean turned around at the familiar voice. "And the maiden of honor arrives at last! Good morning madam!" Gean flung her hands in a very dramatic fashion as Tasha entered the scene. Vira wasted no time in wrapping her girlfriend up in a hug. It warmed Gean to see the two happy, well, warm Gean may not be the best thing when the heat was looming over the horizon. Not missing a beat though, the mermaid trudged on.

"Yeah I believe we're moving out today, but before that we have a stop to make. Apparently the big wig of the town wants to thank us in person at his manor, so we'll be meeting him up there along with the Evokers. They're supposed to be sending someone for us, so eat up while you can." Message delivered, check. "Oh and thanks again for the ice packs Vira. I'm gonna grab some food with Rene." With the that Gean was off to follow the trail of the healer.