.

Tainted
iReii | Spirify

BGM Farewell of Spring "GoodBye" - Flaming Heart | LON Music Official

XI.

"Here we are, at last!" The Sakra Devanam exclaimed as she leaned herself against a board that stated, Lanox Village.

While walking, she had gained a few minor burns from the lava which had spurted randomly from the ground. It wasn't as if she didn't expect it, however it was so sudden her reaction time slowed down. The lava didn't touch her skin but it was close enough to slightly burn it, giving it a light red hue. At this point, all she wanted to do was to find an inn and rest so she could tend to her injuries. She glimpsed over to the scientist who was glancing around the village.

"There's an inn nearby that we can stay at," Add stated coolly, brushing a hand through his hair.

Nodding, the female stood back up, pulling her hair back to cool her neck. The heat and humid from the lava was overwhelming and she could feel sweat trickling down her back. As the Mastermind started walking, Ara quickly followed after, closing the gap between herself and him. Soon enough, the two reached a place with a sign that stated, Silent Night Shelter. As they entered, the sounds of the bells chimed loudly. Add walked up to the counter, leaning his arms against the desk as he spoke with the woman at the front.

"I-I'm sorry, all the rooms are full and the only room open has only one room with one bathroom. Is.. is that okay with your lover?" The woman behind the desk carefully asked Add, yet the question was clearly heard by Ara.

She took a quick glance towards the scientist, who slightly looked away from the counter as he ran his fingers along the side of his hair. He took a glimpse over his shoulders, matching his eyes towards Ara's as he gave her a questioning look. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks, as she answered back,

"I-I'm fine with one room. I- I mean we do need a place to stay for the night, so…." She trailed off as she came to the end of her sentence. Add sighed silently under his breath as he nodded his head towards the woman behind the counter.

The lady quickly gave the scientist the key to their room as he handed her ED. After swinging the keys around his fingers, he tucked them into his pocket before turning his attention towards the stairs. He ushered the Devanam over before climbing up. Ara's face was still a bright red and she desperately hoped that she could play it off that it was because of the heat. As they walked up the stairs and down a hall, soon enough, they were standing in front of a door that stated 303. Add took out the keys from his pocket as he unlocked the door. A creaking sound welcomed the two as they walked in. The room was rather small and cozy, the walls a beautiful hazel color. The floor was wooden and in the middle towards the right was a queen-sized bed with pristine white sheets. On the left side of the bed was a closet and on the right side a small desk with a chair and a lamp placed on top. There was a door opposite the bed, probably leading to the bathroom.

The male made his way over to the chair, pulling it out and plopping down. He let out a sigh and leaned back against it, closing his eyes. Ara quietly followed suite, placing her spear and bag against the wall. Despite the walls being wooden, it was rather cool within the room due to the wind runes placed in a fashionable pattern. It didn't seem like Add had the energy to shower yet, so she would go first.

She swiftly stripped her clothes off after gently locking the wooden door behind her. Turning the faucet on, she climbed in the tub carefully.

"Hot!" She exclaimed as steaming water suddenly came pouring out, stepping back as she reached for the other knob.

Turning it slightly, the water eventually turned warmed and comfortable. Patiently, she waited for the water to fill to the brim before turning it off and submerging herself in it. She leaned against the walls of the tub as she lifted her head and let out a huge sigh. Indeed, it was one of the most relaxing bath she ever took. After a long journey of travelling from Western Hamel, all the way to the Lanox. The Devanam and the Mastermind faced various demons that delayed their journey, however, it is definitely a journey she would never forget.

A couple of minutes passed by as Ara reminiscenced her time with Add. She realized the situation, that she's taking too long inside the tub and sudden guilt rushed to Ara's mind that Add probably wants to take a bath after a long day as well. She lifted up the plug and let the water drain itself into the tiny hole as she stepped out the tub. She quickly patted her hair and wrapped herself around with a towel and walked out―without another thought.

As soon as she opened the door, she came to a halt. Add was standing in front of her, his hand raised up with his fingers curled up― as if he was about to knock on the door.

"I was… wondering if you were sleeping inside the.. Um." He drifted off as he glanced down at Ara, only to see her wrapped in nothing but a giant towel.

Ara felt the heat suddenly rising up to her cheeks as she realized the situation, yet quite surprised to see Add having the same expression as her as he turned his face away from the Devanam. His wrist was covering his mouth as his ears were bright red.

"I…! S- sorry!" She apologized to Add with a nervous voice as she slammed the door. She leaned herself against the wall as she slumped down to the floor.

'Oh my god, what I have done…. How do I face him now?!' She thought to herself as she clasped her hands on top of her face, trying to cover up her redness. Before she started to panic, she realized she's going to have to face him within couple minutes.

She clenched her first tightly as she came up with a plan within couple seconds. She gripped onto the knob as she quickly twisted it― only to be surprised by the fact that Add wasn't standing in front of her, yet he was laying down on top of the bed. His back was facing her, and with a low voice that startled Ara, he said, "I'm not looking so hurry up and change."

Quite embarrassed yet touched by his generous actions, she quickly grabbed her clothes as she ran back inside the bathroom to change. She swiftly walked outside, patting her hair with the towel as he nervously glanced around the room.

"I- I'm done, if you want to take a bath." She said with a shaky voice due to nervousness. She glanced up, only to see Add grabbing his clothes and towels. He passed by her as he walked towards the bathroom, and with a gentle voice he said underneath his breath, "It's fine, I didn't see anything."

A/N

Chapter 11 is here at last, it's a very chilled chapter.. maybe TOO CHILLED. NOTHING HAPPENS /FLIPS TABLE
We apologize if this chapter is boring, it's boring to us LMAO. But starting Chapter 12 is where the action starts!
There is total of 15 chapters, so Tainted is almost coming to an end!
And their inn, Silent Night Shelter is the name of the resting area in Lanox! (Sorry, we're not creative with inn names lol)
As always, thank you guys for reading and please follow/favorite/review!

REPLIES

Replies to reviews are shared between iReii and Spirify!

SpiritedLun: We love Add x Ara, too! Thank you for reading :)

TheWindWhispers: ADRA FOREVER!

Ayako: Thank you for always reviewing, we really appreciate your kind words! Don't worry, MOAR CHAPTERS ARE ON YOUR WAY!

HARU: Thank you so much! XD

Katana: Thank you for your kind words!