"Wake up! Up! As in not asleep, not lying in bed! Are you listening to me?" The Mistress of the Mystic Sword rolled over and covered her head with a pillow. "Goway" she mumbled, and then gasped in shock as the blankets over her were whisked off. It was a very chilly morning. "No, not 'goway'. Up. You've had an extra ten minutes." "But-" "No buts. Up" She rolled off her bed and stood, stretching. "You could've been a little nicer y'know Joan." "I've been nicer for the past ten minutes. I was tired of you saying 'five more minutes', so I had to do something." Saint Joan responded. The Mistress of the Mystic Sword (Mystic or Mistress) yawned. "What's up for today?" " You know as much as I do. I'd ask Gaia. He'll probably know." Saint Joan was talking to an empty space. Mystic has retreated to the connecting bathroom and is already showering. "Ugh. Why do I even bother?" she grumbled, and left.
10 minutes later "Hey, Joan. Did you answer my question?" Mystic emerged from the shower, vigorously rubbing her foot-longer-than-waist-length black hair dry with a towel. She scanned the room that she and Saint Joan shared. The other warrior was nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Where'd she go?" Scanning the room again, she spotted a note on her bed, which had been made neatly. She sighed; Saint Joan was very much the neat-freak. Picking up the note, she flopped onto her bed. It read: 'Mystic. I had an early shift at the dining hall. You should go see Gaia. He should be in the forest on the edges of the Dragon Lands. Have a good day and please try to stay out of trouble.' She sighed. That was Joan, always assuming that she, the Mistress of the Mystic Sword, would get into any and all trouble. Of course, this was true. She was a teenager, after all. "Dragon Lands, here I come." She murmured, dressed, and headed out the door, grabbing an early peach from a bowl on her way. She ran down the hallway, neatly dodging the other Duel Monsters that were in the hall. Once outside, she slowed her pace, enjoying her peach and the pristine early-summer morning. When she had finished the fruit, Mystic put two fingers to her lips and blew three shrill notes, then one low, followed by two more high and another low. A howl answered the call, closely followed by SilverFang, an over-sized wolf, who came bounding up to the girl. "Hey Fang! Are 'ya up to givin' me a ride to the edge of the Dragon Lands?" "Of course I am!" he replied, licking her face and bouncing around like an energetic puppy. "Why do you need to go there?" "I've got to find Gaia. Joan said he has something for me to do." "Gaia isn't going to be there." SilverFang said smugly. "Well, if you're so clever, where is he going to be?" "He's gonna be at the Crystal Pond in an hour or so. Why don't I take you there instead?" "Sure. I could use a swim. Let's go!" Mystic hopped onto the wolf's back, and buried her hands in his fur. Not a moment to soon either. SilverFang shot back into the forest.
Fifteen windswept minutes later, SilverFang stopped quickly, and Mystic nearly shot over his head and into the pool beyond. "D'ya think you could've stopped any more abruptly?" "Probably." "You're annoying." " I try. I don't suppose you thought to bring a swimsuit, did you?" "No." "You do know he's gonna see, right?" "He's not going to see anything. If he looks I'll get him, and he knows that. I know Gaia better than most." "That's only because you two share blood." "Yeah, whatever. It's because I'm the only female who can put him in his place. My attack and defense are both higher than his." "Okay. See you later. If you need me, whistle." SilverFang turned and bounded back into the trees.
Mystic stretched and surveyed her surroundings. Although she frequently came here to swim, the beauty of the place always astounded her. The actual pool was a good twenty feet across, thirty feet long, and, at the deepest point, over twelve feet deep. At one end, a cascade of water poured over a twenty-five-foot cliff, foamed into a deep pool, then poured over a series of small pools, no more than eight feet deep and twelve feet across, before ending up in the actual pool. True to the name, the water was crystal clear, enabling you to see the bottom, a medley of soft sand and smooth gravel. Large boulders, some rough, some smooth, lay scattered around the perimeter of the pool, ranging in size from just over seven feet tall to the size of a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "I love it here!" Mystic cried to no one. Without further ado, she stripped off her clothing and dove into the pool.
For nearly an hour Mystic splashed and played in the water. All of a sudden, she felt the presence of another monster. A familiar monster. A soft whistle came from some nearby rocks when she stood in the shallows, trying to pinpoint the entity. Sudden realization struck her, followed by a wave of anger. "Pervert!" she screeched, hurling a rock at the noise. There was a dull thud and a yelp of "OW!" before Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight tumbled from the position halfway up a large rock. Mystic sighed, picking up the towel she'd left in the bushes last time she was here. Once she was sufficiently covered, she sauntered over to the monster sitting in the grass, rubbing his head. "You're aim is still as good as ever." He muttered ruefully "I was hoping it wasn't." "What did you expect? I've told you dozens of times that I won't tolerate you admiring my body." "But you're the best looking female in this deck!" Gaia protested. He tried to get up in order to look Mystic in the eye, but fell over. "Hmmmm. Maybe I should tell Dark Magician Girl that. She's quite vain when it comes to her looks." "No! Don't do that!" "Okay, just don't peek while I get dressed." "I won't." "On oath?" "Oh, c'mon! Don't make me take oath!" "Don't argue with me." Gaia sighed and held out his right hand. Mystic grasped it in her own, pulling him to his feet. Together, they spoke these words: "Friend and friend together act. Here's my hand and here's my pact." A soft blue glow shone around the joined hands for a moment, then faded. Smiling contentedly, Mystic collected her clothing and retreated behind some thick bushes. "What are the consequences today?" Gaia wanted to know. "Pink skin and flippers for a week." "Pink skin and flippers!? Do you want me to look like the Cure Mermaid!?" "Only if you don't keep your word. Hang on, I'm almost done." Once she was dressed, Mystic came back out into the open and sat down next to the male monster, who was still rubbing the back of his head. "Here, let me fix that." Gaia turned so that Mystic could reach the back of his head. She carefully placed a hand on the bruise she'd given Gaia, and a light purple light blossomed around her hand. When the light was gone, she removed the hand. "Better?" "Yeah. Thanks." "No problem. So, what's my latest assignment? Joan said you had a job for me." "Uh-huh. One of the monsters got beat half-to-death and apparently got sick to boot. I need you to tend to him until he's okay again." "Okay, is it a powerful monster or a stubborn one? You never give me easy ones." "Both. Can you guess who?" "Just tell me already." "Okay. Dark Magician." "Oh gods no!" "Oh yes. You're the best healer and most stubborn person I know. You can handle him. Noone else can." Gaia put on his best pleading face. It worked. Mystic sighed. "Okay, you win. I'll do it."