Tales of Symphonia: The New Tree (Closed)

[Armphid]

Steam rose from the pool, the natural hot spring had been enlarged and added to long ago, so much so that the whole place gave off an air of rustic, natural beauty and rejuvenation. There were several small pools that were separated into more private bathing areas, usually for small groups of friends, occasionally for romantically or carnally inclined couples, but the one large hot spring dominated the grounds. A dozen could probably have lounged inside it comfortably, the outside ringed with rocks and the occasional bamboo mat, a few large rocks in the pool to provide further lounging space as needed.

"Ahhh! Now this is what I call a vacation!" The woman who spoke looked the same as anyone else. Perhaps her ears were a bit more sharply angled in their lobes than most, but only slightly so. Her figure was modest but pleasing, a pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose, and her dark purple hair was down from it's usual bun, damp in the wet air. "The Research Institute's owed us this. I can feel all my tension just...seeping away." This would have been impossible seven years ago. She wouldn't have been allowed out of the institute, much less out of Sybak. If her father found out...

Kate shivered, even in the heat. But those days were, well, they weren't quite gone, but it wasn't that bad anymore. Not since the World Regeneration.

"Are you all right? You didn't get too much steam, did you?" The woman who asked was blond, perhaps a bit bustier and younger than her companion. The two women were among eight others lounging about in the luxuriant water. Some chatted, some just lay back and relaxed.

"I'm okay, Relena. Just...remembering some things." The half-elf smiled, a bit sadly.

"We're here to get rid of thoughts like that, remember?" Relena stretched, a motion Kate followed with interest that surprised even herself. "Well, okay, we're here because we told the Director that we'd all quit if we didn't get a vacation, but still." The human looked over at her older friend, not that Kate looked even a day past Relena. "Leave your bad thoughts behind. Let the water take them away." Thoughts about Aster, and Richter. And that boy who'd shown up, who looked SO like Aster. Dear, poor, lost Aster...

Relena shook her head, craning her neck back over one of the small rocks that ringed the pool. "I should take my own advice." Then she blinked. "Huh?" Relena pulled her head back, sitting up and turning around to stand up out of the pool and peer out over the bamboo fencing "Is that...a house?" Only part of the structure could be seen; an edge of rooftop and a window, nestled among the forested hills away from the hot spring complex. "I thought the staff lived over there," she turned her eyes to a smaller house that stood abutting the fence.

"Oh, we do, ma'am." One of the female workers was walking around with a decanter of chilled wine and a tray of glasses. "Wine?"

"Yes, please." Kate took the offered glass and sipped it. "So, who lives there then?"

The woman paused, as if thinking of what to say. "Oh, no one special. Just a nice young couple who wanted to get away from it all. They do have a lot of visitors and house guests, but they're rarely...infrequently...they often don't create any bother. No, no one special at all up there."

~~~~~~~~~​

"Whoops!" There was a crash as the intricately carved wooden statuette tumbled to the floor, rolling over several times. The woman who had knocked it over flushed, looking around to see if anyone else in the house had noticed. She sighed, walking over to pick it up. It was the 12th thing she'd knocked over since she started cleaning.

Sheena Fujibayashi, Master Summoner, Leader of the Mizuho Clan, Perfect Ranked Master of Iggaguri Style, and companion to the Chosen of Regeneration smiled as she set the statue back on the small table. It was of oak, polished and stained a dark color, depicting some four legged creature that was neither a cat not a dog but looked similar to both, and almost looked like it was wearing a tuxedo coat with tails. Her hair was still an elegant mess of glossy jet black, held up in a bun like tail by a pale purple ribbon. Her kimono was partly pushed open by her large, high, deliciously round and inviting breasts, the ninja chief forced to wear an obi beneath it to preserve her modesty. Her snug black leggings fit and hugged her trim ass and long legs as good as they ever did. Her dark eyes were emotive and deep in a charming and seductive face. "Poor Tenebie. Well, it could have been worse."

"Sheena!" The ninja winced as the lady of the house poked her head in the room, her large blue eyes both amused and annoyed, "You didn't break something else, did you? Seriously, you're almost as bad as Colette sometimes."

"Hey!" Sheena spun around, the large bow on her back that her sash was tied into sending the wooden sculpture rocking. "Don't say that! I am a nimble ninja warrior, always aware of my surroundings."

"I know, I'm just teasing." She really could be a klutz, but she was also sensitive about it. And it wouldn't do to upset her ally in what was coming. Matra Lualdi, Beloved of Ratatosk, daughter of the leader of the rebel group Vanguard that had almost torn the world apart, and one of the only humans ever capable of magic bounced into the room. She was a bit shorter than Sheena, and her figure was delightful and enticing, but she lacked the summoner's bounteous curves. She was slender and willowy, with an angelic, sweet face and long, glorious light auburn hair that fell to mid-calf, parted into two long tails. A large pale flower was woven into her tresses on either side of her head.

"Ugh, I'm so tired of cleaning! It was nice of everyone to pay for this house for Emil and me, but sometimes I wish it wasn't so big!" She knew why and in truth, she didn't regret it. It was just big enough that everyone, with a few guests, could come and stay all at once without driving each other crazy. Well...crazier than usual. Well...anyway. "But I think we've got it ready, don't you?"

"Yeah!" Sheena beamed. "And once our special guests arrive, the plan goes into motion. They won't have a chance!"

"Not one!" Marta sighed, putting her hands together in front of her, "I'm sure all we have to do is put them together and let their hearts speak to each other. Just like me and Emil." She sighed again, and then shrugged, "But if they're too dense to get there, we'll swoop into action."

Sheena nodded. "Hey, speaking of swooping into action, is dinner started yet? They should be here soon, and I don't smell anything cooking." Emil's cooking wasn't the best Sheena had ever had, but it was in the top ten. The smells that permeated the house when he was at work made her mouth water!

"I'm sure it is. Let's go see what he's making!" Marta whirled around and set off at a brisk walk that was almost a run. Sheena just followed, shaking her head. 21 years old and she still had as much energy as she had as a teenage.

Minutes later, the two women entered the empty kitchen. Ingredients lay on one of the long counters as if readied for preparation but then abandoned, save for the meat that was still in the icebox. A few pots and pans were on the stove top and the counter, similarly in various stages of preparation. Marta gaped at the sight. "What...where is he? He knows how important this is! Oh, Emil!"

Sheena sighed, "I don't think this is entirely his fault."

Marta blinked, "Oh, yeah. We didn't give him anything to do, did we?"

"Nope."

~~~~~~~~~​

"Um, I really should get back to the house. I have a lot of cooking to do, and...well, this means a lot to Marta, so..."

"We've got plenty of time! Besides, we've only been out here a few minutes, tops!"

The two speakers could not be more different. One was tall, his form both graceful and strong, his bare chest and arms bulging with well defined muscle, yet not dramatically so. His hair was a rich brown, spiked up and forwards of it's own accord, and his eyes were a bold and caring brown. An easy grin lit up handsome, noble features. He wore a pair of gray pants with striking red leather boots, his shirt thrown over the fence of the small field the two were in. He held a long, slightly curved wooden sword in each hand. His real swords were by the fence as well. Lloyd Irving, the Great Hero, Protector of the Chosen, rebuilder of Luin, savior of two worlds, friend to all peoples, and worst student ever to graduate (by force) from the Iselia school system, took up a fighting stance. "Come on, just one more, then we can go."

"That's what you said the last two times..." His sparring partner was shorter and more slender than Lloyd. His frame was gracile and agile, with wiry compact muscle yet looking almost fragile. His eyes were the creamy green of jade, large, nervous, and sweet. His face was delicate and finely featured, pretty more than handsome, and his sunny blond hair fell loosely down past his ears, save for one stubborn forelock that stuck up on the right. Baggy black trousers with a simple geometric design in yellow were on his legs, tall sneaker like shoes on his feet. He was shirtless as well, his pale skin glistening with sweat. Emil Castagneir, Ratatosk Reborn, Guardian of the Door to the Demon World, Conscience of the Lord of Monsters, and the nicest and strongest wimp in the world sighed. "Okay then," he said, his voice more confident and bolder. "One more!" The truth was, he liked this too, but it seemed so different than his nature.

"That's the spirit!" Lloyd and Emil circled one another, eyes intent. Lloyd's seemed to shine with friendly joy, while Emil's were serious and focused. The two suddenly moved, both at once, wooden practice blades thrumming through the air-

"EMIL!"

"Lloyd Irving, what are you doing?"

The two men halted in mid-attack, freezing in place. They looked at each other, abashed, then slowly turned their heads towards the house. Marta and Sheena stood at the edge of the field, both glaring balefully. Sheena walked forward, "Honestly, Lloyd! Did you forget what tonight was?"

Lloyd blinked. "Of course not!" He smiled pleasantly, "Genis and Presea are arriving tonight. How could I forget that my friends are coming?"

Sheena poked him in the chest with a finger, "And yet instead of letting Emil do the cooking he's supposed to be doing, you haul him out here to play?"

"But we weren't playing, Sheena, we were practicing." The swordsman nodded seriously, "Even with the world at peace, it's not like we can afford to take it easy and let our skills slip. I mean, you never know when something might happen."

"Argh! That's not what I mean!" The chesty ninja sighed, "Marta, you go ahead, I think I'll need to explain the problem to Lloyd in private." There was only silence to her statement. "...Marta?"

"I know, I know!" Marta was by Emil, staring at the blushing young man adoringly. "I just...I can't stay mad at him when he's all shirtless and sweaty like that!"

"Oh, God," Emil muttered.

Marta's eyes became hard, "What did you say?"

"Uh, oh, good?"

She smiled sweetly, "That's what I thought." She sighed, "It's okay, Emil. Don't worry about it." Marta nodded, her hands on her hips, "As the woman of the house, it's my duty to be hostess anyway, so I'll take care of the cooking."

The other three stared at each other for a moment, their faces shocked. Then as one, they looked over at the beaming Marta. Emil handed his practice sword to Lloyd, "No, I can't let you to that, it wouldn't be right," he said as he sprinted past the love of his life, desperate to reach the kitchen before her well meaning efforts killed them all, "I'll do it, you just stay out of the kitchen! Entirely."

Marta turned to watch Emil racing away, then looked back to see the relief on Sheena and Lloyd's faces. "...Oooh! You're all jerks! You better run, Emil!"

 

[HookerBoots]

A small smile played around the tall half-elf's lips as he strode past the House of Guidance that housed the changing room of the Hot Springs. It seemed like ages ago that they'd all come here to relax during their quest. Genis Sage, Mana Master, former child prodigy, and current research assistant, paused at the start of the path leading to the house Emil and Marta shared. This was the first time in a month or so that Raine had let him take a break, and he was sure that if she hadn't had three or four relics that she wanted to spend time doing close investigation on, she wouldn't have let him.

He took a deep breath and started down the path, the trees on either side shading him from the heat of the late afternoon sun. He had changed since the days when they had all adventured together - though at the time, it had hardly felt like an adventure. It had felt like being scared to death while trying to keep from getting killed. Knowing what he knew now, however, Genis knew that wasadventure. And he sort of missed it. Of course, other things had changed, too. He was taller - taller than Lloyd by about an inch, now - and more muscular. Not as muscley as Lloyd or Regal, or even Emil, but more than the average elf would be. His silver hair was longer, held back from his face in a loose tail but still spiked up over his forehead, an unconscious imitation of Regal Bryant's hairstyle. His face was still smooth, his jaw perhaps a little more defined, his eyes a little sharper. He was dressing differently now, his shorts and tunic replaced by a pair of heavy, dark blue cloth pants, sturdy leather boots, and a sleeveless blue tunic over a long-sleeved white cotton shirt. At his side, replacing his childhood kendama, was a coiled leather whip that slapped lightly against his thigh as he strode up the steps to the door.

"Hello?" He knocked on the door, then tried the knob. It opened easily, and he poked his head in. "Emil? Marta? Anyone home?" Genis stepped inside, closing it behind himself. Was this the right day? He'd thought that Lloyd had said . . . .

A smiling face appeared around a corner, followed by two long tails of reddish-brown hair. "Genis! Hi, I'm sorry no one was here to greet you!" Marta stepped around the corner, running to hug him. "Emil's cooking dinner - he and Lloyd were spending so much time playing outside that I was getting ready to start it myself." She frowned a little. "I don't know when dinner will be, even now. Maybe I'll give him a hand."

Genis hid his surprise well. "No, Marta, don't trouble yourself!" He patted her shoulder and headed for the kitchen. "You know I love helping in the kitchen." As he turned the corner, relief crossed his face, heaving a silent sigh of relief.

~ ~ ~ ~​

Another figure made its way up the path to the house, humming softly. The beauty of nature always soothed any conflict inside of her, and Presea Combatir, the most mature kid anyone had ever met, had already felt fairly calm before she started this journey. She hadn't spent a lot of time anywhere that wasn't Ozette or Altamira lately, and it was pleasant to have a little vacation. Even if she did know what Sheena and Marta were up to with this little get-together. They always forgot she was older than they were, even if she didn't look it.

What she looked like was a petite nineteen-year-old with a huge axe strapped to her back. She was, as some of her co-workers at the Lezareno Company said, stacked - generous curves both front and back. Her pink hair was still in twin tails on either side of her head out of personal preference, but she now wore a long halter-style tunic dress that was just long enough to cover her round, firm ass and still accentuate her generous breasts. It wasn't very practical, but it looked . . . well, Regal had looked at it and scowled for a whole day. She'd put a short jacket over it against the weather - and the eyes of some of the men she'd ridden on the tram from the company's headquarters to the main resort of Altamira.

Presea rapped sharply on the closed door and waited patiently for the minute it took Marta to tug the door open. "Great timing!" Marta grabbed her hand and tugged the pink-haired girl into the house. "The guys are cooking, and Sheena and I have been watching them do it - I'm trying to pick up some ideas."

Presea grinned. "That's probably not a bad idea." Before Marta could get offended, she added, "Emil and Genis are great cooks - they've probably got some great techniques we can learn."

 

[Armphid]

"Thanks for the help, but, you know you don't have to." Emil smiled good naturedly at Genis. The two young men were on either side of the floating island cutting board. Small chunks of vegetation, herbs, and aromatics twirled in the air between them as the flashing blades of the two cut them expertly. "I mean, you're our guest here, and I know you've been working hard for Raine. It feels like we're taking advantage of your kindness."

"It's okay." The half-elf genius shrugged at his friend. Even though he hadn't known Emil as long as some of the others, Genis sometimes felt closer to he and Marta than the rest of the group. Perhaps because they were so much closer to his age. "I spend most of my time alone, and it's no fun to cook just for yourself. It's nice to actually know that I'm making food for more than just sustenance, but also for my friends to enjoy." It was good to be with them too. Most of the time now, he was all alone in ruins that had been abandoned for centuries, even millenniums in some cases. It was good for research and thinking, but it got lonely. He looked around for a moment, seeing only Sheena watching them from the doorway, "Besides, Marta was going to come help if I didn't..."

Emil winced and nodded. He'd only ever met one person who was a worse cook than Marta, and that was Genis' sister Raine. The two worked in silence for a few minutes, Emil going to work on the fruit while Genis started peeling the potatos. Genis looked over at his friend a bit furtively, glancing back over his shoulder. Sheena was now gone as well. "So, Emil...do you know if Presea will be by anytime soon?"

An apple that was being carved into a rose squirted out of one of Emil's hands, the blond hastily retrieving it. "Uh...why do you ask?" Marta, unable to control herself, had confided in Emil what she and Sheena were up to with this whole vacation week. She'd also threatened to cut him off for at least two if he spilled the beans to Genis.

Genis blushed a little, "Well, I found something on the last site I was at that, well, uh, I thought she might like. So, I figured, I'd leave it here since I don't know when I'll see her again," he finished a bit sadly. He was so busy assisting Raine and Presea was busy too at Lezerano. With Regal.

"You don't have to!" Lloyd's cheerful baritone sounded from the dining room, where the exuberant swordsman had been given the task to set the table himself as a mild form of punishment. "Hi, Presea!"

"Hello, Lloyd." That voice, oh, her voice! Genis dropped the potato in his hands with a thump, the youth having frozen up as still as a statue. "Hello, Emil, thank you for having me." Presea was standing in one of the doorways to the kitchen, her mysterious blue eyes turning to the stunned mage. She waited for him to turn his head slowly, his own blue eyes nervous and hopelessly adoring before he blinked, managing to slightly conceal his emotions. She smiled at him, having noted the devastating effect it had on him in the past. "Hello, Genis." There was just a hint more warmth in that greeting than in any of the other ones, only a hint, but it was there.

"P-presea, h-hi, y-you, uh, y-you look, uh..."

"Thank you," she replied with another slight, sweet smile. "You look very good too."

Genis blushed, "Th-than, uh, thanks." Damn it, damn it, damn it! He wasn't a kid anymore! Why couldn't he just pull it together? "I, I d-didn't know you'd, um, that, what your plans-"

"I was invited to come and stay for a while and a vacation sounded pleasant," she answered. "Marta said that some of the others would be here as well. I'm glad that you're one of them."

The most powerful mage alive looked as though he could have been knocked over with a feather. "Me? I mean, you are?" Marta and Sheena appeared behind Presea, one of them on either side of her.

"Yes." The enigmatic lumberjack and charm maker nodded her head slowly. "It's been a long time and we have catching up to do, don't we?"

"Genis," Marta leaned forward a bit, "did I hear you say you had a present for Presea? She's here now, maybe you could give it to her."

The young man's jaw worked for a few moments without sound, the hand holding the pairing knife a bit shaky. Sheena took an appraising look, "Mmmaybe after dinner." She put a hand on Presea's shoulder, "You boys keep going, we're going to have some girl talk before dinner." And with that, she steered the pink haired beauty away to a sitting room with Marta stalking behind them.

"Sheena! Why did you do that?" Marta was almost pouting as they reached the sitting room.

Sheena shook her head, "Because Genis was about five seconds away from accidentally maiming himself." She shrugged and smiled. "Don't worry, there's plenty of time for presents later." The ninja chief looked over at Presea. "You look great, by the way. I bet Regal had kittens when he saw you wearing that the first time."

 

[HookerBoots]

Presea smiled slightly. "He was rather red in the face," she said, sitting down carefully. It only took once to learn that you had to be careful when your skirt was short, and she'd learned that lesson a long time ago. Her smile got a little wider. "Almost as red as Genis was."

Sheena and Marta laughed, and Marta twirled the end of one of her hair tails around her fingers. "I wonder what Genis got you. He said he found it at a dig site." Her eyes got really big, and her face took on an expression that both of the other girls recognized from when she and Emil had been travelling together. "It must be some incredibly valuable piece of jewelry, probably crusted with gems and gold!"

Presea and Sheena glanced at each other. "I'm not sure I can accept it," Presea said softly. "If he took it from a dig, he'll be in a lot of trouble with Raine if she finds out. I wouldn't want him to get into trouble over something like that."

Sheena shook her head. "That's why you should take it." She leaned back on the couch. "If he risked that much to get it for you, Raine will only be more upset if he brings it back." The ninja-chief crossed her legs. "Take the present, Presea. It's sweet that he wanted to get you something."

"I . . . suppose so." The pink-haired girl sighed. "I hope he doesn't get into trouble, that's all."

Lloyd walked in, flipping a fork into the air and catching it again. "Did Sheena tell you about the time I decided to get her a flower that only grows on the very top of Hakonesia Peak?" He grinned. "Now, that was trouble. Whatever the Professor does to him, Genis can handle."

Sheena chuckled a little. "He can't duck as well as you can, Lloyd."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but he's been living with her since he was a baby. He knows when to duck when the Professor's the one swinging." Lloyd flipped the fork at Sheena, who caught it in mid-air. "Take the gift, Presea. Don't hurt his feelings."

She was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I wouldn't want to do that."

Sheena looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then flipped the fork back and Lloyd, who ducked. The fork embedded itself in the wall, where it quivered for a few seconds. "I take it this means you're almost done setting the table."

He looked at the fork and grinned. "Almost. I just need another fork, now." Lloyd grabbed the handle of the fork and pulled it from the wall with effort. The ends of the tines were slightly bent, and he shook his head. "We'll have to get Genis to heat this up so I can straighten it again."

Marta stood up and went over to the wall. "And someone," she said, peering at the holes, "is going to patch my wall before you leave."

~ ~ ~ ~​

Emil had taken the knife away from Genis and pushed a glass of wine into his hand. "Here, drink this." He went back to work on his apple rose without even looking, watching Genis. "I'd have told you, but Marta . . . well, you know Marta."

Genis nodded, taking a deep drink of the wine. "I'm not upset, but it . . . it was a shock, that's all." And her in that dress . . . he was lucky all that he'd done was drop a potato. And the way she'd spoken to him, that she was glad that he'd be here! Another drink of the wine, and he took a shaking breath. "Well." He set down the half-full glass. "Let's get going before the girls decide to come assist."

Emil smiled slightly, tossing the rose into the pile with the other carved fruits and vegetables he'd made. "Right." He slid the paring knife over to Genis and grabbed a wooden spoon, stirring the carrots that were cooking in a pan.

The half-elf mage resumed his peeling, a little slower than before. "So, uh, what's the plan this weekend?"

"I don't know, I'm sorry." Emil flipped the carrots, then added some of the onions that were sitting on the cutting board. "Marta and Sheena planned it - Lloyd and I are in charge of food and . . . well, I don't know what Lloyd's in charge of."

"Grilling!" Lloyd said from the doorway. He flashed a grin and strode into the kitchen, setting the fork on the counter. Emil noticed and grinned before he could hide it. "Sheena and I were playing," Lloyd said, shrugging. "Genis, when you're done with those, come outside and light the grill for me?"

Genis dropped the peeled potato into the strainer with the others and set the knife down. "Still haven't learned how to use a flint, huh?" he asked, drying his hands on a towel.

"Nah, I know how to. I just don't want you to get rusty."

 

[Armphid]

Genis made a face at his best friend's back as he followed him outside. Rusty? Lloyd wasn't the one who was going down into fallen cities and ruined temples that were just teeming with monsters every week, was he? He'd hate to admit it out loud, but it was probably good even if it was dangerous. He got to use his magic plenty, and his trusty whip just as much. "You just think it's cool to light a grill this way."

Lloyd stepped to the side of the large brick grill, looking at Genis as though he was an idiot. Which wasn't a look Lloyd got to give others that often. "Well...yeah. I mean, don't you think so?"

The mage grimaced. "...Yeah, but that's not the point!" Lloyd started to laugh, Genis blushing. "Hey, I don't laugh at your fighting or ask you to use your swords to open cans or anything."

"That'd be pretty lame," Lloyd agreed. "My swords are way too good for that kind of thing." He nodded sagely and tapped his forehead with one finger, "Besides, you could just use a can opener."

For a moment, the tall spell caster just gaped at his friend. "Your swords are...but my magic is...fine!" Genis huffed, "You want the grill lit?" The half-elf summoned his power, a glow starting under him as a magic circle inscribed with runes flickered into life under his feet.

"Uh, Genis, you're kind of looking like Professor Sage when I turned in my GED work..." She'd given it to him just before he'd left to hunt down all of the worlds' Exspheres. He'd turned in, of his own will even. Yeah, it was three years later, but he did get it in. He even passed! Barely. "Genis?"

"Crimson Fury, Burn! Eruption!"

~~~~~​

There was a muffled detonation from outside, red light thrusting in through the windows for a moment, the house shaking slightly. Marta groaned, "Oh, no...Emil?"

"It's okay!" Emil's voice called back from the kitchen. "The, uh, the grill's lit, so...dinner will be soon!" He wouldn't mention that the yard was on fire. He was pretty sure Genis and Lloyd could contain it. Scrubbing the scorch marks off of the grill would be a pain, but assuming Marta didn't kill Genis, his water magic could speed that along.

Sheena rolled her eyes, "Those two. Whenever they get together it's like they're both kids again." Her tone was exasperated, but she was smiling despite herself.

"They have a natural joy," Presea commented, her pretty face sad and a bit longing. "Even though they both have had hardships, it comes out easily around one another." She crossed her legs at the ankles. "I'm jealous of them for that."

Marta shook her head, "Don't be Presea! You'll get the same thing! You just have to get with the right person." And she knew exactly who she and Sheena had decided was the right person. "Even if I've had a hard day, when I'm with Emil, well it doesn't always just make it all better, but it helps. That natural joy of love just bubbles to the surface!"

Sheena smiled. "She's right. It's like that with me and Lloyd. When he's not being a total dope, anyway." Even then, not that she'd admit it.

"There is...a person that does that for me too." Sheena and Marta both stared at Presea as the pink haired girl made the soft voiced admission. "But he doesn't know it. I've been okay with that until recently." The other two women leaned in slightly, faces curious, excepting a confession. A name, a hint, anything! "...I don't think Lloyd ever got that other fork. Excuse me." Without another word, Presea rose and headed to the kitchen. A few moments later the sound of her soft voice and Emil's answering one could be heard.

Marta looked over at Sheena with a flat expression. "She's good, all right."

"Yeah." The summoner leaned back with a smug look, "But we'll get her yet."

"Hey, Sheena," Lloyd walked into the sitting room. His clothes were singed and sooty, as was his hair, and the end of one of his hair spikes was smoldering visibly. He was, however, grinning like a bandit. "It shouldn't be long now. Did you put our stuff away or are the clothes still in the bags? I may need to change before dinner."

~~~~~​

"Well, everyone, please help yourselves." Emil sat at the head of the table, smiling benignly. "And welcome to our home, we hope you enjoy it."

"We sure will!" Lloyd had changed into a fresh outfit and was greedily eying the foodstuffs that burdened the heavily laden table they were seated around. "It's so great coming here, the food's awesome! And Genis helped too, I haven't eaten his cooking in way too long!"

Sheena nodded, "Yeah, it's a real treat. You know, you two and Regal should open up a restaurant or something." She took a roll from a basket and passed it to Lloyd. "You'd dominate the business in no time!"

Emil shrugged, "I mentioned it to Regal once. He said something about Dark Chefs and just kind of brushed it off..."

The spread was quite magnificent. There were several fresh grilled steaks, as well as a medley of grilled vegetables, and a few tuna steaks as well. A chicken and a pork curry filled the room with their spicy, enticing aroma, each also carrying potato, hard boiled egg, cashews, celery, carrots and more in their rich sauce. There was a mammoth bowl of steamed rice and a slightly smaller one of fried rice; a plate with well breaded and cooked pork cutlets, a fresh and bright fruit salad, and a bowl on punch in which floated apples and pears that had been carved into floral shapes. The rolls had been baked only a few hours ago and kept warm in the oven.

"We'd have to deal with the Wonder Chef too," Genis commented, "You know he'd show up at some point."

"Yeah." Marta shook her head. "That guy's so weird. And I mean, coming from us, that's saying something!"

Presea scooped herself out a large helping of the chicken curry, taking a deep breath of the smell. "This is my favorite."

Emil nodded, "Yeah, Genis told me that. But I wasn't sure what meat you liked in your curry, so we made two kinds."

The pink haired powerhouse looked over at the shy looking mage. "You know my favorite food?" She tilted her head a bit, giving another slight fragile smile. "Thank you, Genis. It's very good."

His mumbled reply was drowned out by Lloyd, "Yemmf! Iff really taffty," he agreed, chowing down on another roll as he spoke.

 

[HookerBoots]

Genis rolled his eyes, and Sheena thwacked Lloyd on the back of the head. "Swallow, then talk, Lloyd! How many times have we covered the right order?"

"Mmmfimes moo . . ." he swallowed, taking a breath. "Sometimes, you have to say something and you don't have time to swallow!" The swordsman stabbed a potato, lifting it to his mouth. "Besides, we're all friends here, it's not like anyone cares!"

Genis and Marta coughed, lowering their heads to their plates and studying their food intently for a few moments. Emil grinned and took a drink of his punch. "So anyway, Presea, what have you been up to at work? I talked to Regal the other day, and he seemed really excited about what you've been doing."

The pink-haired girl blinked and looked up from her contemplation of the chicken curry. "Yes. Regal is really excited, I've designed a new line of charms that are modeled after the Centurions and Summon Spirits."

Everyone around the table looked up at her, a little surprised. Sheena opened her mouth, then closed it again before saying quietly, "Really? I'm a little surprised that people would be interested."

"Most people," Genis said, pushing a piece of egg around on his plate, "don't believe in them. They think that creatures like that are fairy tales." Finally cornering the piece, he impaled it on his fork. "It's a rather brilliant idea, actually. People like that kind of thing." He put the egg in his mouth and chewed, then set the fork down and reached into his pocket. "I don't know if this'll help, but," he pulled out a small, fabric-wrapped package, "I thought it would be something you'd like, P-presea." He held it out to her, and everyone could see that he was bright red.

She smiled at him, taking the item from him. "Thank you, Genis." Her clever fingers quickly unwrapped it, revealing an age-worn amulet. It was intricately carved, about two inches long and oval, with an opening almost the exact size and shape of a Cruxis crystal in it, surrounded by a delicate design that was strangely compelling.

Marta and Sheena both gasped and leaned in, looking at it. Presea held it up, a small smile playing around her lips. "It's lovely, Genis. Thank you."

He nodded. "That d-design is supposed to represent the power of the, um, of all the Summon Spirits together. Th-the unity of the elements."

Sheena reached for it, then stopped herself. "That's amazing, Genis!"

Presea nodded, her fingers curling protectively around the amulet. "It is wonderful, Genis. Thank you so much."

 

[Armphid]

Lloyd looked across the table as the girls briefly gathered around Presea to ogle her new adornment; he flashed a quick thumbs up and mouthed the words "Nice one."

Genis shook his head, looking down at his plate. He felt so mixed up and tangled inside. He was happy, deliriously so, that she had liked the gift but the reaction to it was so, not bad, just, he felt foolish somehow. He felt eyes on him and a silent entreaty, not strong or demanding but steady and patient. Slowly he lifted his head. Sheena and Marta were inspecting the amulet that Presea was holding aloft to them in one hand. Presea's eyes were on him alone, as enigmatic and alluring as ever, and seeming to ask some unknown question gently. He tried to look away but those shining blue orbs held him fast.

Lloyd looked back and forth from Genis to Presea for several moments. His expression was confused. The red clad swordsman leaned over to Emil, "What are they looking at?"

The blond looked back at him. "Zelos wasn't kidding, was he?"

"What does that mean?"

Emil shook his head, "Nothing, never mind. Sorry." He thought a moment, "uh, remember when we went to Flainor right before we headed to the Otherwordly Gate, and you and Sheena went out on the overlook and-"

Comprehension followed by a sly smile blossomed on Lloyd's face. "Ohhh, right. But they're not talking." He shrugged, seizing the opportunity to re-load his plate while everyone else was distracted. "I guess they're not there yet." It had taken him a while, and he didn't have Genis or Presea's self worth issues.

Emil blinked. "Now it seems like you do get it. So, do you or don't you?"

"Who can say?" The warrior leaned back in his chair, "I'm a mystery wrapped in an enigma." He looked down at his chest. "Wrapped in a shirt."

"That's pretty good, Genis." Sheena sat back down next to Lloyd. It was so sweet! And he just looked so shy and cute right now, and Presea had just gushed over the gift. Well, for her. She could just hug them both to death. "I didn't think you had that kind of game," she teased.

"What?" Genis looked as though he hadn't really heard what she said. Presea smiled a little, breaking eye contact as she resumed eating. The silver haired mage shook himself as though he'd just had a spell on him broken. "Wait, what?" He flushed, "It's not like that, I mean, I'm not like...like Zelos or something!"

"Yeah, if you were you'd have handed off some lame line with it too," Marta commented as she returned to her own seat. "Something like "I risked life and limb to get this just for you, I hope you'll find if it your heart to reward me nicely, hunny", she said, having assumed a charming and slightly condescending smile and winking at Presea.

The pink haired juggernaut tilted her head to one side. "He also would have asked to put it on me, and probably touched in an inappropriate way."

"Yeah!" Genis grinned, "And it'd be a race to see who hit him first, Raine or Sheena."

Lloyd nodded, "And then Colette would ask what happened, and Regal would say something smooth and hilarious at Zelos' expense."

"Yeah." Emil smiled as he lifted a forkful of curry. "I miss everyone too."

 

[HookerBoots]

At the center of the world, a stirring. In the growing twilight, two figures sat outside of a small cottage, reclining on the blanket of soft grass that had sprung up around the seedling World Tree. Suddenly, the smaller of the two sat straight up, her long blonde braid dangling over her shoulder as she peered into the dusk towards the Tree.

The second figure also sat up, his eyes going back and forth between his companion and the Tree. "What is it, Martel?"

Martel's eyes narrowed, and she rose as far as her knees. "The Tree . . . something is changing. Something is coming." After a moment, she sighed and turned back to Yuan with a small smile. "That's not very much help, is it?"

He smiled back and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "Not really, no." The former Seraphim and leader of the Renegades laughed lightly. "But I assume you'd tell me if it were something dangerous." It was amazing what a difference having her back had made for him. Not that she were really back, of course. This wasn't his Martel; it was the spirit of the World Tree inside of an artifical construct made by a dwarf. But Martel was the spirit, and Tabetha looked enough like Martel that the differences were negligible.

She nodded emphatically, then turned her head to press against his hand for a moment. "I would, yes." A slight frown creased her brow, and she peered into the shadows again. "But the Tree . . . he's acting on his own, to do something. It's very odd. That's all."

Yuan nodded, cupping her cheek for a moment. "All right. We'll keep an eye out for strange tree-things." His face twisted into a grin for a moment, and then he sighed. "If you're sure, love, we won't worry too much." His own gaze travelled into the shadows where the World Tree was slowly growing. "I do wonder what's happening, though."

~ ~ ~ ~​

After dinner, the little group of friends had travelled outside to sit around the fire, talking and sharing stories of what they had been up to. Presea kept one hand in the pocket of her jacket, her unseen fingers cradling the amulet that Genis had given her. The warm reddish glow of the fire made all of their faces look warm where the shadows weren't hiding their features.

After a long, involved story about Mizuho and the most recent festival disaster, Sheena and Lloyd decided to head up to bed. After a few more moments, Marta elbowed Emil in the side and all but dragged him off as well, leaving Genis and Presea on opposite sides of the fire.

His eyes were focused on the embers, but would occasionally travel up to her face, flickering over her features before travelling away again, as though her face might burn his eyes. For her part, the pink-haired axe-handler smiled whenever she felt his eyes on her face, but kept mostly quiet. This was always their problem. He was too tongue-tied to think of something to talk about, and silence had become second nature for her.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "So, Presea, h-how is Regal doing? I haven't talked to him in a while." The reason he hadn't talked to the man in so long was that it got harder and harder every time to not feel despair when he heard the president talk warmly about Presea and how great she was doing. At least . . . at least Regal was something to talk about, to let him hear her voice.

"He's doing well," she said softly, her eyes seeming to glow in the firelight as she looked at Genis. "Busy, of course, but he's doing well. The company is taking up a great deal of his time right now, but we'll be seeing each other soon for the lauch of the new charms."

 

[Armphid]

"Yeah, the new charms." Genis could have just died on the spot. The one thing he could think of to talk about was the man who was his competition. Competition he had no hope whatsoever of even coming close to matching. He felt even worse thinking about it that way, Regal was his friend. Someone who had been kind to him and Raine, even though they were half elves. He helped fund Raine's research and been one of the teachers who taught Genis how to fight. "That's pretty cool, you know, that you're doing that kind of work. I see people with your charms everywhere on my travels." He managed a nervous smile, "Even a few who have those big iron maidens."

Presea considered that. "It's good to know they're a success. The iron maiden is one of the most important ones. I designed it after researching magical construction with Altessa."

Genis blinked. "Whoa. That's...so they actually...wow! That's impressive. So, what's the enchantment on them?"

The lumberjack looked at him silently a few moments. Would he remember? "If you put a lock of hair from the person you like in them and keep it there for a year and a day, then you'll end up together and in love."

"I could use...uh, I mean..." Genis scrambled, trying to make himself look skeptical, "Does that really work? I know magic and I've never heard of a reliable "love potion" or anything."

She nodded. "It works. I'll prove it to you. I have one myself." She smiled a bit at the memory, "When I first met Emil and Marta, I was taking it to have Altessa double check the design."

"Really?" He leaned forward, his curiosity enough to overcome his nervousness for the moment, "So, how can you prove it works though?"

"Because I had someone's hair in it then, and it's been there since." Her eyes were enigmatic as she gazed back at the mage. "When he finally admits it and we are together, it will be proven."

Genis sighed. He didn't need to ask to know whose hair was in there. "...Regal's been very good to you, hasn't he?"

She cocked her head to one side, the question obviously unexpected. "Yes, he has. Since the world regeneration, he's been the most important man in my life." She looked down at the embers of the fire and the few remaining flickering tongues of flame. "Even with your help, we couldn't have rebuilt Ozette without Lezareno. And he's given me something to work on and do that uses my talents. He's taken me to balls and special functions to help me become part of society again. I'm very grateful to him."

"Right, yeah." Genis had turned around on the bench he'd been sitting on. There was something in his voice, a tone that sounded stricken and forlorn that brought Presea's head back up to consider his profile in the dim light. "He's a really great guy, and I'm glad that he's done so much for you." A Duke, president of the world's biggest corporation, handsome, big and muscular, so smooth and suave, generous and humble, and he fought brilliantly with his feet, but had even more power he chose not to use. What wasn't there to...to love? "Sometimes, I envy him."

She shook her head, "I don't know if you should. I don't think Regal will ever forgive himself for the past or get away from it." That was the problem with him and Raine, she knew. Well, part of it.

"Can any of us?" Genis rose. "I had a pretty early start. I think I'll go to bed." He didn't look back at her, and his carriage was the stiff and hard one of a person who was trying to restrain some deep emotion. "Good night, Presea."

"...Good night." She watched him go. That hadn't worked out well. She sighed, prodding one of the logs with a foot. He had forgotten...

"Ouch!" A much younger Genis rubbed his head, turning to look back, his face angry. "What did you d-P-presea?"

Presea, looking about Genis' age stood behind him, in one tiny but powerful hand was a chunk of hair she'd just pulled from his head. She smiled her small, sad smile and walked away.

Genis watched her, still rubbing at the offended spot. "What...what was that about?"

"I don't know, brat," Zelos shrugged, "Maybe you should reconsider your policy of giving girls rocks as presents."

"It was a sharpening stone!" Genis glared at the red-haired Chosen. "Gah, everyone in Tethe'Alla is crazy!"

Presea smiled at the memory. The hair was still there. And it had worked, she was sure of it. But even the magic of the iron maiden couldn't necessarily overcome the barriers between people.

~~~~~~~​

"Ooooh, those two! That's all wrong!" Marta grumped. She was in stealth mode, kneeling down by the bedroom window, her eyes and the top of her head over the sill, peering down at the fire area. "And now he's leaving..."

Behind her, Emil shifted on the bed, watching her. He didn't really like it when she did things like this. "They have to work it out themselves, we really shouldn't try and meddle." He sighed, then suddenly took in a breath. He felt...almost like something touched him.

"Oh, shush! You just don't understand these things," Marta rebuked him. Her butt was wiggling back and forth as she considered and revised the dreadful stratagems she and Sheena had come up with. "You're a boy."

"I am." Emil was behind her and she felt something poking her in the back.

"Hey!" She looked up at him with a fierce expression. "Don't poke me with..." His hands came down on hers, stroking them gently. Marta's mouth opened in an "o" of surprise as she realized what that was. "Emil..."

"I'm glad you noticed. That I was a boy, I mean," he said with a faint blush on his cheeks. His hands took hold of hers and gentle pulled her up to her feet. he pressed against her, his lips caressing one ear lobe of the stunned woman before he whispered, "But if you're still not sure, I think I can convince you. Come to bed, Marta."

~~~~~~~​

The Mana Tree sapling's branches waved in the wind. In the dark, there almost seemed to be a faint glow to it.

 

[HookerBoots]

Sheena paused on her way back from the bathroom, hearing a low, feminine laugh from inside Marta and Emil's room. She grinned, and then her grin faded a little. The ninja moved quietly down the hall - a feat that would have shocked many of those who knew the clumsy Sheena - and pressed her ear to the door. Sure enough, there were quiet moans and gasps now, and she scowled.

Marta was supposed to be watching Genis and Presea to see if their plan was working. And instead she was . . . well, sometimes, you have to do things yourself, she thought heading towards the room she shared with Lloyd. Opening the door, she stepped in and shut it behind herself, making a bee-line for the window. Lloyd looked up from the bed where he was polishing his swords, watching her with interest and amusement. "What's up?"

"Marta's slacking," Sheena said as she peered cautiously around the window sill. "Damn! Presea's there alone - Genis must have gone to bed." She folded her arms across her chest. "This isn't working."

Lloyd sighed and put his swords away, leaning them carefully against the wall, so that they were in easy reach if he needed them in the night. "I agree with Emil, you know. You should leave them alone. Genis is grown up now, he can make a move on his own, if he wants to."

Even though she could tell from his voice that Lloyd was on the other side of the room, Sheena felt almost as though a hand had snaked under her kimono and stroked her back. How strange. And even stranger, she felt . . . very aroused. Turning around to face Lloyd, the dark-haired summoner pulled the cord to shut the curtains. "Mmmm. Just like you made yours?"

"Well, that's not - I mean, it's totally . . . hold on, I recognize that tone of voice." The stuttering indignation gave way to an expression of eager anticipation.

She nodded slowly, stepping towards the bed as one hand untied the ribbon holding her bun in place while the other untied the sash holding her kimono closed. "I wonder if I've got anything else you recognize," she teased, licking her lips as she walked around the bed.

~ ~ ~ ~​

Genis sighed as he shut the door to his room. That had gone very badly, really. He should have asked about something else, offered to take a walk with her or something. It might have even gone better if he'd channelled his inner Zelos and tried to kiss her. The very thought made his blood run cold. But he should have done something differently!

It wouldn't do any good, in any case. Maybe if he didn't act like such a bumbling, stuttering idiot around her, he'd have had a shot before they'd met Regal. But . . . what was done was done. Instead, he needed to get to sleep, prepare himself for another day of feeling that ache in his chest grow and grow until he thought he might die.

As he removed his clothes, folding each piece carefully before placing it on a chair, he looked out the window. The rooms on this side of the house faced out into the forest, the trees dark and silent against the lighter backdrop of the night sky. The mage stepped closer to the window, bracing one forearm against the wall near it. The dim moonlight defined the muscles in his slender arms and chest, and he looked up, as he usually did, trying to spot the ever-smaller speck of light that was Derris-Kharlan. As his sharp eyes found it, a strange sensation - the feel of magic, and something more - tingled along his nerves.

Suddenly, he felt a response below the waist, and looked down to see a bulge in his underwear that ached to be touched, stroked, buried deep inside . . . Genis groaned, his hand sliding down as he forced himself to be reasonable instead of following the biological imperetive to find a female to be with. Though reasonable was the last thing he wanted right now.

 

[Armphid]

Presea sat in the dark of her room, her fingers running over the amulet Genis had given her. He'd risked a lot to give her this. There was his sister's wroth, but that was partly a joke danger. The truth of it was, he had found this trinket in some dark, secret place that had been left alone for decades, even centuries. He had braved traps, probably had to risk his life against monsters, spending the nights alone in terrible places. And in all that, he'd seen this and thought of her.

But then, what about their conversation at the fire? What had happened? Something had been said that had made him feel hurt or want to be away. But he always seemed to like being near her. Had things changed?

She pulled a leather string through the attachment ring of the amulet before she ducked her head to put the thong around her neck and tie a firm know in it. Her distant eyes looked into her mirror. The amulet hung just above her Cruxis crystal, the gem-like object gleaming through the open space in the ancient treasure. She nodded, maybe if he saw her wearing it, that would help.

Her hands came up again, this time to undo the clasp that held on her dress. A few moments later, the fabric fell to the floor. Her large breasts jiggled as the restraining fabric fell away, the young looking woman taking a deep breath. Tomorrow, they'd get closer.

She folded her dress neatly, pulling off her other articles of clothing until she wore only her Cruxis crystal, her panties, and Genis' amulet. She laid back on one side of the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her right hand reached over and came down on the other side of the bed. "...I want him there..."

~~~~~~~​

"There! Yes, right...there, ohhHH!" Marta's legs kicked against the bed, her face flushed, her blue eyes half lidded and dimmed with lusty pleasure. She was sitting up, her back against the headboard of the bed she shared with Emil. She was nude, her body pale and lovely, her chest heaving from the sensations coursing through her. Her legs were spread wide, her hands tangled in Emil's hair, pressing his eager and talented mouth to her pussy. "Ahh, I'm so...so close, Emil," she whimpered feverishly.

The blond said nothing, his tongue dancing over her clit. Faster, faster, he licked and rasped over it, the tip making contact again and again and again and again. Two pale fingers worked below his mouth, making a faint squelch as they buried themselves over and over and over again in her dripping cunt.

Marta's hands flew from Emil's hair to cover her mouth, her eyes bulging wide before slamming tightly shut. A rising, high cry was muffled into a frentic whimper as her body shook, her modest tits jiggling, white-hot waves of pleasure roaring out of her core and through the rest of her body. Emil pulled back, closing his eyes as she same, her ecstasy firing out of her and all over his face.

As she fell back against the headboard limply, panting, he sat up with a smile. Her ejaculate flowed slowly down his face, dripping off his chin. She'd been so embarrassed to admit that she squirted that first night, and it had been a shock, but he had come to love it. Just love it. There was a lot tonight. "More than ever. Did I do okay?"

She looked up at him, "Yes," she agreed breathlessly. "Yes, any better, and you might have to use a Life Bottle on me." She smiled at him, "You do such amazing things to me."

He smiled in response. "It felt good?"

"It felt great." She then licked her lips, "But you know how I feel right now?" She nibbled her lower lip, giving him her "good innocent girl" look. "I feel...dirty."

It was something of a code word. He blinked. "Really?" She nodded and he grinned. "Well, dirty girls...things happen to them, you know." He leaned to one side of the bed, pulling open a nightstand drawer and pulling out a bottle. Zelos bought them their first one as a housewarming present, but that ran out a while ago. Still, they owed him for introducing them to this. "If you're dirty, then..." A hand slid down from her pussy, trailing her wetness with it, two fingers swirling over her asshole.

~~~~~~~​

In a dark room far away, a woman shifted in her sleep. The covers had been pushed back off of her, revealing a slender feminine form with small, pert breasts. Her hair was long and blond, falling past her ass. Her face was sweet and innocent, even in slumber.

But it was also flushed, and in her sleep, she gasped, moaning. Below her waist, a dark spot was forming on her frilly white panties. "...uhh, mmm...oh...Oh...L...Lloyd..."

~~~~~~~​

A muscular man sat back in near total darkness, "Professor, aren't you going to punish me?"

A graceful and elegant woman, silver hair framing a face hidden in darkness lay back, her long, shapely legs spread. "Later! I need this now, don't make me say it again."

~~~~~~~​

Genis moaned low, one hand running over his pale chest. The other was stroking his engorged cock, long and proud, jutting out into the air. This was so wrong! So...bad. He just, he shouldn't be doing this..."Presea..."

Don't! Don't think about her that way. Think about something else. The image of Sheena bending over to ruffle his hair when he was younger, giving him a perfect view into her valley of paradise came to his mind and he groaned. No, no! Not...not her either!

An image of blond hair, a slender girl in a maid's outfit filled his mind. She bent over to pick something up...argh! Not that!

Marta tumbled on top of him, her ass rubbing back against his crotch. No!

He just couldn't stop! Touching himself or thinking about her, them. All of them! "I shouldn't...ahh...shouldn't...ohh..."

 

[HookerBoots]

Years of training and sheer will kept him standing against the assault that was weakening his knees. Lloyd moaned as he looked down at Sheena, kneeling on the floor in front of him, her kimono off, her bra pulled down to expose the generous swells of her breasts as her head bobbed back and forth on his cock. "Fuck! Sheena, your mouth . . . so hot and wet!"

She laughed around his shaft, and he groaned again as the vibration stimulated his shaft further. The busty ninja pulled her mouth off for a moment, stroking vigorously with one hand as she looked up at him, smiling impishly. "So you've said." Sheena licked her lips, her free hand sliding down to the space between her legs. "I'm glad you like it as much as I do." And then, before he could speak, her mouth was back around his shaft, sucking powerfully.

"Ahhh! Fuck, don't stop!"

~ ~ ~ ~​

Without realizing it, the pretty blonde had put one hand between her legs, rubbing at the wet spot on her panties with two fingers. "Ohhhh, Lloyd . . . Zelos . . . mmm, please . . . ."

~ ~ ~ ~​

There had been a small gathering at one of the finer clubs in Meltokio, only 50 guests or so, to celebrate Princess Hilda's birthday. As her knight, of course, Zelos Wilder, former Chosen of Mana, notorious ladies' man, man's man, and man about town, was there, drinking and mingling with the princess's friends and suitors. Naturally, the girls gathered around him - most of them drawn to his status almost more than his appearance or charm.

At the end of the party, he left with a girl on each arm, both of them lovely and only slightly intoxicated. As they left the club, a short walk from his mansion, he leaned over to kiss the brunette deeply. And suddenly, he felt a flood of heat through his body. The red-haired man pulled back, a startled look on his face. "What the hell?"

The blonde on his other side peered around him toward the other girl. "What did you do to Zelos?" she asked in a high, accusatory tone.

"I didn't do anything!" The brunette glared over his shoulder. "You probably did something to him from behind, and . . . ."

Zelos waved one hand dismissively. "It wasn't either of you, be quiet." His eyes were distant, not really seeing the two girls that were looking at each other in confusion.

Despite his frivlous exterior, the former Chosen of Tethe'alla was farily savy, at least where magic was concerned. Taking a quick assessment of his body, he was a little surprised at what he found. There were the usual things - the self-loathing that he hid well, the desire to prove himself, the feelings of inadequacy. And something else that wasn't him. He wanted sex, badly. And while he was usually pretty horny, this was more than usual. And it had a different flavor than the hotness he usually felt when there were two pretty hunnies on either side of him.

That left one explanation. Something else was causing this, something without much subtlety.

Shaking his head, Zelos smiled his trademark grin and wrapped an arm around each shapely waist. "I thought something was wrong, hunnies, but we're good to go." Maybe if he was lucky, this feeling would let him surpass even his usual stellar performance.

 

[Armphid]

Her legs wrapped around him, pulling him tightly to her. Her mind shrieked at her not to do this. This wasn't the arrangement between them. This could endanger her research and his position. Yet her hands, more used to caressing ancient relics than living men, ran up his strong, muscular shoulders to twine in his hair. Her fine breasts rocked back and forth, the force of his thrusts shaking her body. She was on his lap now, hugging herself against him as he pounded up into her, her hips pushing down to meet him. "Martel," she swore under her breath, "Need this, need you, so much," she gasped, "More, more, please, don't stop."

"I won't," he promised, in a voice that was low and gentle, even now, thick with want and pleasure. "Not until we've had our fill, our joy, together." His powerful hands lifted her and brought her down again, cradling the perfect ass her usual long coat kept hidden. Hands that he had sworn would only ever give life. It was there, under the lust, the feeling that could not be. Not for this woman, as wonderful and surpassing as she was. "Not until then," he promised, guilt tinging his pleasure as he fucked her glorious form.

~~~~~~~​

"Huhh!" The blond was slicked with sweat, her fingers under her panties, rubbing at her cunt eagerly. "Uhh, wha...Genis, you too?" She writhed, the sheets twining around her legs, "Ahhmm, oh, Regal...ah-hh! And Emil, all of you...ohh, all of them, ah, ohhh, please, touch me....touch me with them, all of you, ahhh..."

~~~~~~~​

Presea hugged the pillow to her, turning over on her side in the dark. Her head rested on it's mate as she nuzzled her head against it, sighing. "If you were him," she whispered.

She hugged the pillow tight to her chest.

~~~~~~~​

"Oh, you...dirty...naughty...slutty little girl," Emil gasped. He paused, breathing heavy, gathering his breath. Unbelievable. So good! He could feel her body all around him, feel her pulse thrumming through him. The green eyes young man pushed his hips forward once more, listening to her groan, "Taking...taking all of this hard cock in your tight, tight, hot little ass!"

Marta had turned around and was on her knees, her hands gripping the headboard. She smiled, proud of herself and so turned on by Emil's dirty talk. It had taken forever to get him to do it! But it was so hot! And he was so on tonight! "I am a bad, wicked slut of a girl," she whimpered, "I love cock, love feeling it in my ass." She looked back at him, "Please."

"Please, uhh, what, you whore?"

"Please, fuck me."

 

[HookerBoots]

Genis had managed to stumble back onto the bed before his legs gave out, his hand still moving on his stiff, red cock. "Mmmm, yess . . . ." Almost as soon as his knees gave way, so did his will to try and stop himself. The flashes of women in his mind, memories of inadvertant, illicit glimpses, and fantasies of what they might do when they were alone together flooded in. He hadn't felt this much urgency in pleasuring himself since he was barely a teenager, and the flood of desire was intense.

If he hadn't been too occupied imagining himself at the center of an orgy the likes of which he'd never even dreamed of before, he might have done something rash and regrettable. But this . . . he was getting closer and closer to a climax. And unless his hazed mind was totally wrong, it would be huge. He hadn't had a chance to do this for over a week, sharing a tent with Raine every night.

And with that thought, his older sister, the closest thing he'd ever known to a mother, entered his fantasy, looking the way she had the one time he'd entered the bathroom without knocking, pale and nude and lush. ". . . Martel! So . . . wrong, feels so good . . . so close!"

~ ~ ~ ~​

The swordsman grunted, jerking his hips back and pulling his cock out of his girlfriend's mouth with a pop. Sheena leaned forward, trying to recapture Lloyd's dick between her lips, but he pulled farther back, waggling a finger at her. "Nuh-uh, ninja-girl." He leaned over and grabbed her hands, pulling her up to her feet. She stepped into him, kissing him deeply and then stepping back.

"How do you want me?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes glazed with hunger. It had been a long time since she'd wanted him this badly, and it seemed like he was toying with her. It was possible he was.

The idea was confirmed when he grinned at her and ran a hand up her side. "Get on the bed, on your hands and knees." Lloyd grabbed her chin and pulled her face to his again, kissing her fiercely. "I want to take you from behind."

~ ~ ~ ~​

The door to Zelos's mansion opened before the trio reached the door. Sebastian, Zelos's butler, stepped to one side as his employer and the two ladies that were with him walked in, laughing brightly. The butler grabbed wraps that were dropped before they hit the floor, catching handbags that were flung towards decorative tables, and took Zelos's jacket without any reaction beside a solemn wink as his master turned his head on the way up the stairs and waved.

Zelos guided the girls up the stairs - hopefully, he'd remember their names - and into his bedroom, which Sebastian had already turned out. And lit a plethora of scented candles, since the Chosen never came home alone from a party. The two girls stopped just inside the door and cooed in delight, eyes taking in the sight of a room that they'd been hoping to see for months. "Oooh, Zelos!" the blonde said, turning and wrapping her arms around his neck, "is this all for us?"

He didn't have the heart to tell her it would have been there even if he'd come home alone, so he smiled. "Of course it is, beauty." He kissed her cheek, then turned to the brunette, kissing hers as well. "Now, let's all switch into something a little less clothed, hmm?" he asked, one hand squeezing each firm ass.

 

[Armphid]

Her arms tightened around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. Her silver hair was damp with sweat and seemed to shine in the thin bit of Meltokio light let in from the drawn curtains. Her elegant body rose and fell, riding her brawny's partner's hardness for all she was worth. "Yes, just like that! Need this, need you so much, please, give it to me," she all but begged.

Inside she felt despair. She shouldn't show this side of herself, not even to him. She couldn't trust him, anyone. Getting this close, admitting to herself and to him that she felt the way she did was unacceptable. Only Genis could know, he was the only one she could trust. Her Genis. He got taller and more handsome every day. So bright and devoted, so beautiful, his body so ripe for the picking...

"I can't...unnhh!" The man beneath her, his powerful hips driving his cock deep again and again at a furious pace, groaned it out. "I'm going to release...any...moment! Shall I...?"

That blew the sinful thoughts of her brother from her mind. "No!" She pushed herself down on him, "Don't hold back, not now. Fuck me and fill me!" She kissed him. She had never done that before. It was fierce and passionate in all the ways he knew she was beneath her cool exterior. "Let yourself go, this once," she whispered against his lips.

~~~~~~~​

"Ahh, hhhuhh, all...on me...in me...ahh, oh, no, ohh, nooo," the long haired blond writhed in the darkness, the hand in her panties madly fingering her pussy; the other mauling her petite breasts and her puffy, engorged nipples. "Yes, do it, all of you, cover me, fill me...ahhmmm! Mmm!"

"KyaahHHhhh!" Her back arched, flying off the bed, her sodden panties flooded freshly with a gush of her juices. Her large, innocent, sweet blue eyes flew open as her mouth remained open in an orgasmic, silent cry.

She fell back on the bed, breathing heavily. She lifted the hand that had been pleasuring herself, the faintly trembling digits held up in front of her face. "What was...I...I couldn't have..."

There was a sharp rap on the door. "Chosen One, we heard a noise. Is everything all right?"

Colette blushed to her roots. Oh no! "Yes, everything's fine. I'm sorry for worrying you. It was just," she glanced at her hand, glistening with a fine coating of her own fluids, "a dream. Just a dream."

There was a response from beyond the door, but she didn't really hear it. She sat up, gazing down her body at the mess in her panties and on the sheets. She leaned against the wall nearby, her face peering up through the crack in the shutters at the night sky outside. She hugged her knees to her chest, ashamed, confused, and alone.

~~~~~~~​

"Ahh, fuck!" Marta gasped, her head falling forward. Her eyes flitted open to look down her body, past her rocking tits, seeing his sack swinging back and forward as he moved in her. "So big, stretching me open," she whimpered.

"D-damn right," Emil managed. This was still awkward for him, this rough, dirty talk. But it was arousing and she loved it so much. It was coming easier tonight too, for some reason. Maybe practice really did help. "Going to leave you open and ready for more cock, just like you want to be, don't you slut?"

"Yes!"

"After I'm done," he grunted, his hips steadily drilling his hard, hot length into her well lubed and carefully prepared sweet ass, "I'll...I'll take you down the hall, see if Lloyd needs a place to dump his cum. And you'd bend over and give this nasty ass to him in a heartbeat, wouldn't you?"

She moaned, he was so good tonight! He knew just what to say. "Yes, yes, I would! I'd let him fuck my stretched out hole until he blew his load, while you made Sheena suck your cock clean!"

He shuddered with arousal at her acknowledgment. That should offend him or hurt his feelings, but it was just so hot! "Then, my perfect slut hostess, we'd find the others. Have you lick Presea's pretty cunt while Genis plowed you from behind." She squealed and he increased his pace slightly, "You'd love that, wouldn't you? A wet, hot pussy in your face and a hard cock pounding your dirty fuckhole?"

"Ah-huhh! Fuck, yes!" She threw her head back, panting, "You'd make Presea suck your cock too, have her gobble your dick while she mashed my face into her cunt!"

He grinned, "Or Genis."

"You dirty, ahh, dirty fucker," Marta moaned.

"A dirty fucker who's about to cum in your ass," he agreed. He couldn't stop himself; his pace picking up even more, their bodies slapping together.

"Please!" She looked back at him, "I want your jizz in me, please cum in me! Use me to hold you spunk, just fill my ass up with your gravy! Do it, please!"

He managed a few more thrusts, rhythm disintegrating, plunging himself in as far as he could. "Uhhhnn! Uhh! Ahhh, damn it! S-so much! You're so fucking..hot! Ahhh!" He came and came and came; his member twitching and pumping in her, coating her insides with his thick, heavy cream.

 

[HookerBoots]

Sheena bit her lip to stifle her cries as Lloyd pushed into her over and over again. This was one of her favorite positions, he always felt so big when she was bent over like this. Of course, he was big, but this was just amazing. Even more so than usual, tonight. "Yess," she moaned, feeling him push into her again, "like that! Fuck me, Lloyd!"

He grinned down at her back, his hands gripping her hips as he thrust firmly into her tight, wet hole. She always sounded so hot when she begged him to fuck her. "Like being fucked, you naughty little whore?"

She nodded enthusiastically, her hair falling in sheets over her shoulders. "Yes! I love it!" She looked over her shoulder at him, with hot eyes. "Please, more!"

Lloyd pulled back, all the way out of her, and she groaned. He laughed softly, his hands keeping her from pushing back onto his shaft or standing up again. "You thought you'd seduce me, didn't you?" he teased, leaning forward and sliding his cock between the soft round globes of her ass. "Thought you'd make Lloyd the Great beg you to let him fuck you?" His hands slid forward, cupping her breasts as he slid his cock between her ass cheeks. Sheena whimpered, arching her back to push her tits more firmly into his hands, and her ass more firmly against his shaft. "Now look at you," he whispered, his tongue flicking out to slide along her ear, "begging me to do you harder."

The summoner thrust her hips toward him again. "Please, Lloyd . . . I need it, want it!" She lifted her hips, trying to get his cock lined up with her entrance again. "I just . . . please, I want your cock, I need to be fucked like a slut!" He grinned, shifting and pressing into her pussy again and pulling her up so that while their hips were grinding together, her back was pressed against his chest, held there by his hands mauling her soft tits. "Ohhhh, Lloyd! Fuck, fil my cunt! I'm gonna . . . I'm so close!"

His fingers tweaked her nipples playfully, even as his face showed a struggle to hold on. "Do it," he hissed, pushing up into her again. "Come on my cock, Sheena, show me what a good little whore you are."

An inarticulate cry came from her as her entire body stiffened, the sweet passage around his cock throbbing and pulsing as she came. Both of their eyes were closed, hers in ectasy, his in concentration, trying to hold on and prolong their pleasure a little while more.

~ ~ ~ ~​

"Ohh, Raine . . . Sheena . . . suck on it!" Genis's face was screwed up in concentration and pleasure, feeling imaginary breasts pressing against his chest, feeling hands and mouths on him that, even though he knew they weren't there, felt like more heaven than he deserved. In his mind, Raine and Sheena were on their knees, lips and tongues battling over his shaft, while Marta and Colette and Chocolat writhed against him, kissing each other and his chest. And all the while, Presea, his beautiful, quiet Presea, knelt over his face and let his tongue please her. When he imagined her hand reaching down, gripping his hair and pressing him more firmly against her sweet and tangy wetness, the dam broke.

"Ahhhh! Fuck, yes!" he cried, feeling the hot jets of sperm erupt from his cock, splattering on his hand, his legs, and his stomach. "Yes, yes, goddess, yes!" His back arched as his hips thrust up, wishing he was pushing into any of the women he had fantasized about, filling her up with his cream.

And then it was over, and he lay there, panting for a moment before shame flooded into his mind. "What the hell . . . what did I just . . . ." Looking down, what he had just done became evident, but what he had thought about was something else all together. His sister, and his two best friends' girls, and Colette . . . that wasn't usually what he thought about when he did that. But now, he was so tired. So very tired. He'd sleep now, and worry about it tomorrow.

~ ~ ~ ~​

"Oh, Zelos!" the blonde giggled, sitting on the bed in her pale pink silk panties and nothing else. "You're so handsome."

He poured her another glass of wine, and then did the same for the brunette, grinning. "Thank you, hunny." He took off his jacket, throwing it over a chair and going to sit between them. "Now, my beautiful flowers, I think we should get down to business."

The brunette nodded, downing half of her wine in one gulp and setting the glass on the bedside table. "I agree, Chosen." One hand reached around to stroke the bulge in his lap through the pants he was still wearing. "I can't wait." Her lips found the side of his neck, sucking and licking, whle the blond turned his head toward her and captured his lips in a kiss.

 

[Armphid]

She lay on the bed now, her breath mostly returned to her. Her eyes sought out his tall, well muscled form as he moved in the darkness. She could feel his load inside of her, heavy and thick in her tunnel. Dangerous, but it felt so good. Once was all it took, she knew. But she had taken precautions.

They weren't 100% though...but he was leaving and that was more important now.

He was pulling on his trousers now and she felt a rising panic. Before she was able to stop herself, she spoke, "Don't go."

He stopped. His shadowed form rose to it's full height. She could feel those sorrowful, patient eyes on her. "That is not...our arrangement." It wasn't said coldly and it was not a refusal, she could sense it. It was questioning. He was uncertain of this. "We both agreed that it was best this way."

"I know." She sat up, feeling his seed trickle out of her pussy, which sent a shiver through her. "And I know that it is best. It is." She said it firmly. Who was she trying to convince? "But right now, tonight...just this one time. Stay with me. Hold me." She lowered her gaze to the floor. This was unlike her. She was so strong, so in control. "Please."

He was there, his strong arms wrapping around her as he sat on the bed. "I can't deny that I want this as well," he said in his gentle, mournful voice. His lips kissed the base of the back of her neck before he laid back, pulling her with him. "...One night then."

"Yes," she agreed. It felt so...perfect like this. She felt safe. She never felt safe. Her eyes closed and part of her wished that this night wouldn't end. "Just this one night."

~~~~~~~​

Marta sighed, wiggling close to Emil. The young man lay on his back in the middle of the bed, his expression one of utter satisfaction and contentment. Her nuzzled his shoulder before kissing it, "You were amazing."

He blushed a little. Even after years of this, he still...well, his nature was his nature. He shook his head, "We're amazing together. It wouldn't be the same without you."

She giggled, "I don't know. I bet when you pimp me out to Lloyd and Genis, it'll still be pretty hot. Same for when I let Sheena get to be on the receiving end of that great cock of yours."

He blushed even brighter now. "Marta..."

"My sensitive Emil," she cooed. It was so sweet! "We've talked about it before. And I know you like the idea."

"Yeah, but...how do you even get into that topic?" He spread his arms wide, shaking his head. "I mean...I just don't know how we'd ever even ask them. And...what if it changed everything?"

She sighed. "I know. But...we both want it, don't we?"

"...Yeah."

She smiled. "Then we'll start thinking of how to handle it." She rested her head on his shoulder, curling up against his side as his arm slid around her shoulders. "Tomorrow."

"Okay." He looked over at her, watching her breathe for a few moments. He kissed her forehead before laying his head back and closing his eyes.

 

[HookerBoots]

With a heavy groan, Lloyd nipped Sheena's ear gently. "Are you ready for it, whore?" he hissed, his thrusts becoming more and more erratic. "Ready to get filled up with my hot, sticky seed?"

She whimpered, pushing back against him. "I want it! Please, Lloyd!" Her breath was coming in heavy pants, her skin slick and shiny with sweat. Her voice was pitched low, but so full of arousal and want that Lloyd almost came right then. "I need to feel your cum flooding my whore cunt, please, give it to me!"

Lloyd pushed himself into her, hard, and let out a moaning cry as his balls gathered themselves and then released rope after rope of creamy cum into her body, the throbbing of his shaft matched by the pulsing grip of her pussy, milking his cock until every drop was inside of her.

~ ~ ~ ~​

All three of them were spent. Zelos lay in the middle of the two sleeping women, a tangle of arms, legs, and sweaty sheets in the center of the bed. This outside force that was acting on him was a bitch. Normally, two girls like these would have worn him out. He was tired, no question, but he also wanted them both again.

It might be bad form to wake them up when they were sleeping so peacefully. It would certainly be ungentlemanly, and he refused to take care of the problem himself while there were two girls in bed with him. Besides, it would probably wake them up, and there he was again.

The magic swordsman sighed softly and flicked his hand, a gust of air blowing out the candles. It wasn't as if he hadn't slept wanting before - every night on his journey with Lloyd and the others, for example. It wasn't comfortable, but it was possible. Besides, tomorrow, he could take care of it himself. And then go investigating, see if he could find out what it was.

 

[Armphid]

It was after dawn when Genis woke. The silver haired youth's eyes creeped open a bit, surveying the room. It was fairly bright, brilliant sunlight beaming in through the shutters and around the curtains to provide a dusk-like illumination. He usually didn't get to sleep in this late. Raine usually had him up and cooking already...

The events of last night came back to him in a rush and the young mage blushed. Raine...he'd really thought about her...that way. And not just her. It was true he'd fantasized about the other girls in the past. It wasn't easy on a teenage boy's hormones when you traveled with girls like Sheena, Marta, and Colette. But last night...it had been something else. It was so overpowering, that need. And the way he's just seized on the thoughts of Raine, his own sister, it was...but she was so sexy.

He groaned, "Oh, man. I've lost Presea AND I'm some sort of sick pervert." But he couldn't...the thoughts weren't exactly going away. Thinking about Presea though, was enough to push them to the back of his mind. For now. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Last night had pretty much sealed it. He knew before then, but he'd held out hope. Desperate hope.

He loved her. He had, ever since those first days of traveling together. He'd had crushes, yeah, and felt attracted to other girls, lusted after them even, but Presea...it was love. And she was gone. She was in love with Regal. He couldn't blame her. Who would choose him over the older man? A poor, orphaned half-elf with no home, no prospects, skinny, weak, a geek...compared to a duke, a corporate titan, a wealthy philanthropist, brawny, smart, strong, a great chef...yeah. There was no comparison.

He considered just staying in his room all day. But they wouldn't let him. He sat up and swung his feet around onto the floor. He sniffed, what was that smell? Oh. He blushed. Better wash up first.

Perhaps fifteen minutes later, a fully dressed Genis left his room. He pulled the door shut, then sighed. What would he say when he saw her again?

"Hey, Genis!" Lloyd grinned at his younger friend as he sauntered down the hall towards him; his hands resting on the scabbards of his swords. "How'd you sleep? Nice to have a bed again, isn't it?"

He nodded, a faint smile on his face. It was hard to feel sullen around Lloyd. "Pretty good. It was, uh, hard to fall asleep but once I did, it was pretty nice." The two friends set off down the hall. "So...what are we doing today?"

"I don't know." The swordsman tipped his head back as they made their way down the stairs. "Sheena had some kind of trip planned, I think. I don't think it's anything big. Maybe the hot springs?"

Genis considered that. "That would be nice. I could use a good soak." Maybe he could wash away his loss.

"Hey, is everything all right?" Genis stopped in mid-step. He'd forgotten how emotionally aware his best friend could be sometimes. "Seriously, you look sad."

"It's nothing."

Lloyd didn't buy it. He was moping about Presea. "Hey, do you remember when we went after Mithos that last time? And you used your magic to break me out of that force field trap, but you got left behind?"

"Yeah." Genis blinked. That was a rapid conversation shift. "If Zelos hadn't gotten me out, I'd have been in big trouble."

"I remember you told me that...you admired that I went after what I thought was right, what I wanted, right?"

"Well, yeah." The mage shrugged, "I still do. I envy you too, I mean...I couldn't be like that."

"Maybe not then," Lloyd allowed, "but you can now. I know I goof around with you a lot, but I know you're not a kid anymore. So maybe you should make up your mind and go after what you think is right, what you want, too."

"Lloyd...I..."

"Good morning!" Emil stood at the bottom of the steps. He paused, "Uh, did I interrupt?"

The two best friends exchanged a look. "No, it's all right."

"Oh, uh, okay then." The blond fighter approached them. "By the way, Genis, those eggs smell great. And bacon too. I'm sorry to make you cook your own breakfast, you being a guest and all."

Genis blinked. "That's not me. I just got up."

Lloyd suddenly gasped, "Emil! Where's Marta?"

"She was gone when I woke up." Emil gasped as well, "You don't think-"

"I pray to the Goddess, I'm wrong." The three men looked at one another grimly, then nodded. As one they turned and headed to the kitchen, each keeping a brave face while the fear of what they would find gnawed at thier hearts and their empty stomachs.

"Hey, you guys!" Sheena smiled at them, looking back over her shoulder as she flipped an omelet in one of the sizzling skillets on the stove. "About time you got up!"

Presea looked at them from around the corner of the dining room. "Good morning, Lloyd, Emil." She looked past them to the tall mage, "Good morning, Genis." She reached into her cleavage and drew out the amulet he'd given her last night. "...See?"

Genis flushed, nodding. "I, uh, I'm g-glad you like it. It's, um, you're really pretty, I mean, uh, I mean it's really pretty on you."

"Later, Genis," Lloyd said. His tone was serious and no-nonsense. "Sheena...what about Marta?"

The ninja chief rolled her eyes. He could be such a dramatist sometimes! Well, when it involved his meal, anyway. "Relax! She didn't touch anything. Presea thought of a way to distract her, she's a genius."

Just then the back door opened and a slightly tousled looked Marta entered, "Okay, I split all the wood and I'm about halfway through the oranges, but do we really need that much juice?" She shook her head, "I mean, we've got three gallons already and..." Her voice trailed off as she surveyed the kitchen. Sheena grinned, somehow completely failing not to look guilty. "...you jerks! Fine! You can clean it all up then too!"

 

[HookerBoots]

Emil hid his grin and walked over to Marta, wrapping an arm around her. "I'm sure they wanted to make breakfast for us, and didn't want to worry you about it." He stroked her shoulder. "Don't be upset, Marta."

She still looked a little rebellious and sulky, but nodded. "I guess I'll go out and bring in the juice." Marta kissed his cheek and headed back for the door. Sheena managed to wait until the door had closed behind the other girl, and then started giggling madly.

"That was a very good cover story," Presea said with a small smile. "I never knew you were such an accomplished liar."

He flushed brightly and looked at the floor. "I . . . ."

"She's teasing you," Sheena said, sliding the omelette she'd been cooking out of the pan and onto a plate. "We all know you're not a big liar, Emil."

Presea nodded, heading over to one of the cabinets that hung over the counter. "I am sorry if it sounded harsh, Emil." She opened the cabinet and looked up, then glanced over at the boys. "Genis, could you come here and get these pitchers down for me? I can't reach them."

He turned red as he headed over to where she stood. "Of course, P-presea." He reached easily up and grabbed two of the pitchers, handing them to her and grabbing the other two. "Should we . . . just put them on the counter and wait until Marta brings in the juice?" He elbowed the cabinet closed and turned to look at her.

The pink-haired girl nodded, setting the two pitchers in her hands down on the counter. "That way, we can just pour it in when we're ready to."

~ ~ ~ ~​

The breakfast the girls had prepared was massive, an omelette a piece, a stack of pancakes with butter and syrup, a plate full of bacon and sausage, a pile of toast, the pitchers of juice, and a pot of coffee. Even Lloyd seemed daunted by the amount of food, but that didn't stop any of them from digging in with a vengeance.

They ate quickly, but without hurrying - it was delicious, and they wanted as much as they could get. Even Marta, who had still been sulking when she'd hauled in the gallons of juice, was eating hungrily and complimented the other girls on the breakfast.

They sat around the table, stomachs full, no one willing to leave the table yet. Finally, Lloyd stabbed the last piece of his pancakes. "So, ladies, what's the plan for today?"

Sheena grinned at him as he chewed. "We thought we'd head to the hot springs, and see if we could talk the priests into letting us mingle in the water for once."

 

[Armphid]

There was a choking, gagging cough from Genis' chair. The silver haired youth seemed to have badly swallowed one of the last bits of his sausage in shock at Sheena's pronouncement. His face was red, though from the choking or embarrassment it was hard to say. He fell forward onto the table, rough sounds coming from him as he choked.

Emil however had also turned bright red; his plate and trachea empty. The man who was a summon spirit seemed unable to speak. His mouth opened, then shut. He tried to gather himself, marshal his thoughts, but again his mouth opened without any sound emerging but a faint rush of air. He was unable to meet anyone's eyes, ending up just looking at his plate with his face burning.

Lloyd had merely stopped chewing, staring at Sheena. He slowly set his knife and fork down, chewing again with determined purpose. The swordsman thwacked Genis on the back, the magician coughing and gasping more clearly as his clogged airpipe cleared. He then swallowed that last bit of pancake. "Uh, Sheena, did you just say that we would all go to the hot springs?"

"Yes." She was smiling winningly.

"And that we'd try to go in all at once? All of us."

"Yes."

Lloyd nodded, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks as well. "I know people usually say this to me, but have you thought this through?"

Genis raised his head from the table, clearing his throat, adding in a weak voice, "I can't...we, I j-just couldn't! I-if we were..."

"Together in the hot springs," Presea supplied.

"Th-then,then..."

"We'd see each other," Marta giggled.

Genis' only reply was a strangled noise.

"...In our swimsuits," the young woman finished.

Lloyd and Emil both looked up at once and spoke together, "Swimsuits?"

"Of course," Presea nodded.

"Yeah, what did you think we had in mind?" Sheena smiled at them with a teasing expression, "Perverts."

"Yeah! You'd just love that wouldn't you, boys?" Marta sniffed, "I think you've all been hanging around Zelos too much." But despite the critical words, her lips kept quirking up at the corners as she tried not to giggle. "Of course, I should expect that from a pair of peeping toms like Lloyd and Emil, but you too, Genis?"

Lloyd grimaced, "I told you-"

"Yeah, me too," Emil chimed in.

Sheena got up suddenly, the two of them looking at her apprehensively as Genis remained half-sprawled on the table, apparently dazed, a faint bit of red starting to seep from his nose. "Well. Why don't you boys clean up the dishes and pack us a lunch and we'll go and get ready?"

Emil sighed, "Man, Tenebrae would be proud of you two..."

 

[HookerBoots]

Marta, Sheena, and Presea dashed up the stairs, talking and laughing. They were all excited about this outing, and the reactions of the boys had been as hilarious as they'd hoped it would be. They split up, each girl going to her own room to put on their swimsuits under their normal clothes, to head down to the springs.

Presea's swimsuit was a dark blue string bikini that barely covered her curves. She'd managed to get it without having to endure Regal's questions - and he would have questioned why she'd buy such a skimpy suit. But hopefully, it would do what she wanted it to - that is, get some attention.

Downstairs, the boys were collecting plates and sticking the few leftovers in an assortment of containers for storage until later. Emil and Genis washed the dishes while Lloyd was placed in charge of getting sandwich fixings together and putting them into the basket that Emil had found buried in a closet. Lloyd kidnapped the remainder of the bacon and slipped it in the basket as well as some sliced ham that had been in the ice box, and a large number of vegetables. "Emil, don't you guys eat any meat?" he asked, tossing a head of lettuce into their basket.

"Well, of course we do, but we don't buy a lot when we don't need it." The quiet swordsman looked earnestly at Lloyd. "If you want, I guess I could go out to Meltokio real fast and see if I could . . . ."

"Emil, don't worry about him." Genis had gotten over his shock from earlier and was smirking at Lloyd. "He thinks if a meal isn't 90% meat, it isn't really a meal. He'll survive." The mage tossed a towel at Lloyd's head and picked up a stack of clean plates.

Lloyd grabbed the towel off his head and stuck his tongue out at Genis. "If you can call that surviving. Don't worry about it, Emil, there's plenty here for us to eat." He wrapped up a few of the rolls left from the previous night's dinner in the towel and dropped the whole thing into the basket. "I think we're set, except for a few bottles of juice and water. So I'm going to go get ready while you two do that."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Genis would have thrown another towel if he'd had one. "We cleaned up all the dishes, and all you did was . . . hey, did you hear that?"

Lloyd nodded and turned towards the front door, hands on his sword hilts. "I heard it."

The door opened, and all three of the boys were on guard, their bodies tense with anticipation. And then a hesitant, sunny voice called out, "Hello? Marta? Emil?"

Everyone in the room relaxed, and Emil sighed. "We're in the kitchen, Colette!"

"Oh, goodie!" There was the sound of running, and the blonde skidded around the corner, barely missing knocking over a table on the way. She stopped in the doorway, smiling brightly as she spotted Emil. Then she saw Genis and Lloyd and flushed, then smiled even more broadly. "Oh, I didn't know you guys were here too! It's almost like old times, isn't it?"

 

[Armphid]

Genis recovered first, "Yeah, except that I'm not looking up at everyone anymore."

Colette paused, "Well, maybe you should. I mean, everyone has positive traits to admire." She smiled prettily. "I think we all should keep looking up to one another to make the best of those strengths!"

The three men stared at her a moment. "Uh, I don't think he meant it that way," Emil finally said.

"Oh." Colette seemed embarrassed for a moment, but then shrugged it off. "So, what's going on?"

Lloyd hefted the basket, "We're all heading down to the hot springs for the rest of the day. The girls are upstairs getting ready."

"Oh, I could use a nice, long soak!" She bounced up and down on her heels. "I had the wierdest, longest, dream last night and it left me all kinds of tense. Well, in some ways." The blond Chosen blushed suddenly and looked away.

"Last night..." Genis blushed a little too, looking down at the ground.

"Uh, anyway," Emil said, "You should come too, Colette."

"Thank you!" Then she looked at him suspiciously, "But of course, you'd say that. Do you think you and Lloyd can control yourselves this time? You know I don't approve of your peeping," she nodded fervently, looking fierce. Well, fierce for Colette.

Before Emil could put up another defense that would be ignored, Lloyd shook his head, "Don't worry. We'll all be wearing bathing suits, so it'll be fine. We're going to all be in there together, I think."

"Oh, good idea!" Colette beamed, then her smile fell. "But I didn't bring a suit. Or anything, really. I...kind of came here in a rush."

"I thought I heard your voice." Sheena had approached so quietly none of them had heard her. "I'm sure Marta has an extra one you can borrow, Colette. You two are pretty close to the same size."

Colette hesitated a moment. After the dream...if it meant she was some kind of...could she trust herself to behave? "I don't know..."

"You should come." Presea's soft voice came from near the front door.

"Presea! You're here too?" The angelic woman considered, "Um, well. Okay!"

Emil nodded, "Come on, I'll take you up, Colette. I need to grab a suit for Genis to borrow too."

"Oh." She cocked her head to one side as she followed him. "But he and Marta aren't the same size at all."

The others were silent as Emil led her away. Once they were out of earshot, a furiously blushing Genis rounded on the others. "Not. One. Word."

~~~~~~~​

The small group headed into the main bathing area, save for Colette and Lloyd who were still talking to the priest who ran the place. The poor man looked a bit flustered. "Just this once, though," he said, still sounding a bit unsure.

"Thank you, sir," Colette said smiling. "You're being so very kind to us. I'm grateful."

"Yeah," Lloyd added, "Thanks."

The priest sighed, "Well...if it weren't the Chosen and Lloyd the Great. Well. No matter." He shook his head. This was unheard of! But he couldn't say no to both of them. "The attendants will be by to see to your needs occasionally, please let them know if you need anything. Will you be requiring a meal?"

Lloyd shook his head, "We packed lunch, but if we stick around for dinner, we'll let you know."

"Very good."

"This'll be great!" Marta breathed in deep of the warm, damp air. "I feel more relaxed already!"

"Yeah..." Genis agreed blandly. He didn't feel relaxed. Not a little. He was even more nervous. Seeing all of them in bathing suits...especially Presea...being so close...what if he...reacted? Physically.

Sheena nodded. "Go ahead and set things up, boys. We ladies are going to change behind that screen there." It had been decided that, even though they were wearing their suits under their clothes, it would short circuit Genis and Emil and probably Lloyd too if the girls just stripped down in front of them. "And NO peeking!"

 

[HookerBoots]

None of the boys had any inclination to peek - Lloyd had gotten burned even standing near the dividers before, and he wasn't about to have it happen a third time, and the other two would rather die than have the girls think they were being indiscreet. Instead, they all stripped down themselves, baring their chests to the open air, and heading towards the largest pool.

Suddenly, the girls stepped out from behind the wooden wall, and every male jaw dropped. Marta wore a rainbow-colored one-piece with cut-outs to expose the smooth skin on her sides, her hair pinned up in a loose bun. Sheena wore the same dark bronze, deep-cut one-piece she'd worn the first time she and the others had gone to Altamira, leaving most of her body exposed while the critical parts were covered. Colette had taken one of the tamer spare suits that Marta owned, a deep blue bikini with boyshorts on the bottom and a relatively modest halter on the top. But more eyes were on Presea than the other three. Her barely-there two-piece had amused and surprised the other girls, but the boys were all staring as though they'd never seen her before.

Until Genis's legs almost gave out, and he sat down in the water with a splash. And it was a good thing, too, because just seeing all of them in their suits, especially Presea, had given him an erection that rivaled the one he'd had last night. "You girls look . . ." he managed in a choked voice.

Lloyd shook his head slowly, as though clearing it. "Great. They look great." He took a few more steps into the water and sat down. "Let's get in the water, that's what we're here for!"

Emil nodded, clearing his throat. "Ladies, please," he said, gesturing for them to enter the pool ahead of him.

After a few moments, everyone was arranged in the hot water. Colette stretched her arms over her head and looked around brightly at the others. "Thanks for letting me join in," she said, smiling. "And doesn't Presea look amazing? It's been forever since we've been here, she's grown up so much!"

Sheena nodded. "Her and Genis both," she said, floating over to where Lloyd was reclining. "It's amazing how much we've changed since we first met, isn't it?" One hand trailed through the water as she leaned her back against Lloyd.

 

[Armphid]

Lloyd's arms slid around Sheena's waist, holding her loosely as she lay back against him. This really was a great idea. "I guess we have. Though I don't really feel like I've changed that much." He looked down at Sheena, which had the effect of giving him a wonderful view down her suit given her position. "...Maybe some."

Colette shook her head, "You're lots different, Lloyd. You never used to be to do that with a girl without going all red faced and stumbly, like Genis around Presea." She smiled, "And you've gotten a lot wiser too."

"Are you sure you really want to use a word like that to describe Lloyd?" Genis' tone was a bit nettled, but also vacant. The youth could simply not stop looking at Presea. His eyes feasted on the sight of her lush form, barely concealed by the flimsy swim suit, water gleaming on the slopes of her breasts as she sat across from him in the pool. "I don't know that I changed that much either, really. I'm still just a smart kid in over his head."

Marta piped up, "That's not true at all. I mean, just look at how you've changed physically. You're taller than anyone but Regal now, and you turned from a cute kid into a teenage hottie." The mage blushed, but she seemed not to notice as she cuddled up behind Emil.

"Yeah," Sheena chimed in, "you grew up nice, Genis." She looked up and winked at Lloyd, "Almost as much as Presea."

"I don't think I even come close to her," Genis mumbled.

Presea felt a deep seated satisfaction. Her suit had worked out ideally. The appreciation of the other men was pleasing, but the way it had leveled Genis was just perfect. "It depends on who is looking," she commented.

Genis looked up sharply at that, his face becoming wary, curious, and faintly hopeful. What did she mean? Could she...well. Even if she did, it didn't really matter. But it was nice. He smiled slowly, not sure what to say.

Colette, thankfully, shifted the topic. "That reminds me. Genis, do you know if Professor Sage is going to come here anytime soon?"

"Raine?" Genis managed, with visible effort, to turn his head from his contemplation of Presea's form. "I don't know. She wasn't sure if she could break off from her research to visit. I think she wanted to, but she's also really excited about some of the things we found in the Dynasty Ruins." He paused a moment, "I think she was going to meet with Regal about her findings too. He might be able to talk her into it."

"Oh, okay." The blond fidgeted a bit and looked crestfallen.

"What is it, Colette?" Marta was now sitting on Emil's lap.

"It's...nothing. Really." She shook her head, making herself smile. "I just...had an experience I wanted to talk to her about."

A number of significant looks passed among the others soaking in the pool. Colette had a lousy poker face; whatever had happened was clearly weighing on her mind.