I have to say, I haven't had this much fun writing a story in a while. I don't think I can keep up this breakneck pace, but I'm going to plow through as long as I have the momentum.
As always, thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. Does anyone know of any fan artists that might be willing to do a custom cover for this? I'd take a stab at it myself, but my art is super rusty and I wouldn't be satisfied with it...
Cana sighed as she stared in the mirror, still unsatisfied with her appearance even with the help of Lucy and Levy. She'd enlisted their aide for dinner that night, even though she hadn't told them the real reason she wanted to dress up so much. It certainly wasn't in her character to fuss too much about her appearance, preferring to let her natural beauty shine through, but there was a tiny part of her mind that kept screaming at her that she was going to be hanging out with royalty and she should damn well try to look as respectable as possible.
So she found herself wearing a stunning amethyst gown that they'd all bought together at a boutique Erza recommended that afternoon, with Lucy's Cancer giving her a feminine up-do with wispy curls trailing over her shoulders, and Levy carefully applying small touches of makeup to her face to accentuate her features. Her silver earrings and necklace finished the ensemble. Her one concession to practicality was her comfortable chunk-heeled sandals; there was no way in hell she'd be walking around both Magnolia and Dogwood in stilettos.
"You look divine-ebi," Cancer said in his sultry voice, twirling one last curl around the hot iron he held.
"If I wasn't dating Gajeel," Levy said, sticking her hands on her hips and admiring her handiwork, "I'd think about taking you home to meet my own parents."
Cana and Lucy laughed along with Levy.
"I just feel like I'm faking it," Cana said, poking at the bodice of the gown that lifted her ample bosom into full fledged cleavage. "I'm so used to putting comfort over fashion..."
"You look fabulous anyway," Lucy insisted. "Just... don't punch out his dad, or else you might be short a boyfriend." She giggled again.
"Now, the hardest part is going to be getting to the train station in Dogwood without getting messed up," Levy said thoughtfully. "Do you want us to escort you?"
Cana shook her head, touched by her friend's excitement for her. "No, I think I can handle that much on my own." She smoothed out her gown one last time. The colors brought out the purple tones in her eyes, and complemented her hair and her dusky skin. The dress was a mottled lavender and cornflower and white, that faded down to the deeper purple colors with black marbling near the ends. The bodice was also trimmed with that marbling effect. It had cost her a lot of money, nearly fifty thousand jewels, but she'd probably re-use it for the next dozen weddings she attended.
"I feel so frilly!" She scowled. "Cancer, I changed my mind. I want my hair down."
"Understood-ebi." In a whirl of a brush, scissors, and a streak of magic, Cana's up-do fell down into a cascade of curls.
"Ah, that's better," she said. The curls were a lot more polished than her normal tangle, but it just felt more like her.
It felt more wild.
She grinned, finally pleased with the way she looked.
"Thanks again guys," she said, with a hug to Levy and Lucy. "I'll do the same for you if the opportunity arises..."
Lucy and Levy glanced at each other, and Cana realized the stupidity of what she just said. Levy's boyfriend was a dragon slayer with a missing dragon parent, and Lucy's men-in-potentia were all similarly orphaned (or not even human.)
"Oh, you know what I mean," Cana said, rolling her eyes, and then Lucy and Levy laughed again. Of course they did.
Bacchus met her at the station, and gave her a wolf whistle of appreciate when he saw the new dress.
"Wild Thing, who told you you were allowed to be so sexy?" he teased, and greeted her with a hug despite their public location.
She touched her nose to his, her eyes sparkling in challenge. "You did. It's all your fault I'm this drop dead gorgeous." She tossed her hair over one shoulder haughtily, and he laughed, as she knew he would.
"At this rate, I may feel the need to detour over to my place before dinner," he said, sliding his arm down to take hers in what was now a familiar gentlemanly gesture.
"If you mess up the hair and makeup my friends spent two hours on, I may need to mess up your face," she threatened, and bumped her hips against his as they started walking.
"You can mess up any part of me you want," he said agreeably. "I'll leave you nice and un-mussed for now, though. I can't do anything girly like hair or makeup. That's chick stuff."
Cana agreed with him, although she didn't admit that she was pretty bad with "chick stuff" too.
She was surprised when they started climbing the hill toward the vineyard again.
"I thought we were going to your parent's house for dinner?" she asked, very glad she'd opted for the comfy chunk heels as they began the hike.
"We are," he said, and then blinked. "Oh, I guess I never told you. This is my family's estate. The vineyard, winery, and restaurant are all owned by my parents."
Cana stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening.
"You said you arrived in Fiore with little more than the clothes on your back!" she said, staring at the massive estate building on the hill.
"I also said that my father's family supported us," he said with a chuckle. "They're the largest producers of rice wines in the world. After we moved here, the Du Estates of Quon decided to expand from jiu and sake to Fioran grape wine... and so my parents bought Dogwood Estates."
Something nagged her from her memory.
"So when you said you wanted to retire on vineyard some day and grow sake, you meant this place?" She gestured her arm wide, taking in the whole hill with its rows of grape vines.
"Maybe. Or one like it further south, where rice can actually grow." He shrugged. "Come along." He tugged her gently, and she unfroze and followed after him, still a bit floored by this turn of events. She'd known Bacchus was personally well off, but she'd never realized his family was rich.
The main living house was on the other side of the winery building, hiding snugly behind the hill. Several other buildings surrounded it, probably to serve various purposes for the tending of the grapes and the processing of them into wine. The grounds were neatly kept, with a lovely garden visible, attached to an outdoor patio. Cana suspected a few plant mages must be in the family, given the wildly oversized appearance of some of the fruits and flowers.
She'd been at a several mansions before, over the years. The moderately wealthy made a great show of their money, with expensive toys everywhere and lots and lots of stuff.
This place was on another level entirely. The house was large, but not obscenely so. And yet, every material that went into it was richly detailed and amazingly colorful. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at the peculiarly arching roof, covered with clay tiles that had been painted green, in stark contrast to the vermillion wood panel walls. They entered through ornate double doors that were opened silently by a butler who must have seen them approaching the house.
The floor of the foyer was plain marble, and Cana knew she was gawking but the architecture was out of this world. And yet, there was little furniture. She saw a single table near a staircase, holding a vase with fresh flowers, but the space was cavernous and empty. Their displays of wealth were simply built into the very walls.
She heard a low rumbling in the distance, and it quickly resolved itself into the sound of many feet pounding down the stairs. She watched, open-mouthed, as the feet appeared, attached to little girls. Lots of them.
"Nii-san!" they cried, and started throwing themselves at Bacchus, with cries of "Fight me! Fight me, Nii-san!"
Bacchus, for his part, was laughing as he picked up the girls and hurtled them away. They giggled, recovered, and re-attacked him. Cana had trouble counting because there were so many of them and they were bouncing all over the place, but she finally distinguished six of them, ranging in age from seven or so to fifteen or sixteen, although it was hard to tell because they were all so petite.
After several minutes of the giggle girl onslaught, Bacchus stood victorious, his little sisters gasping for breath from laughing so hard around him. By now Cana had had to join in laughing, because it was just so funny to see them attacking so ineffectively. Diane did not appear to be among their number, either. These must include the group who proclaimed Quattro Cerberus too stinky to join.
From above, another female voice called out "Fight me!" and Cana looked up to see another older girl swooping in, her feet and arms charged with magic. This time, however, when Bacchus attempted to block, he was swiftly knocked down by the sheer force of her magic. Cana's eyebrows shot up. This one was strong.
The girl - no, woman, Cana realized - crowed to herself as she set a slippered foot on Bacchus's chest, pinning him to the ground with that single limb.
"Hah! I win again, son!" she said, looking pleased with herself.
Cana had to stare at what could only be Bacchus's mother. She was petite too, and wore a more elaborate version of the simple pajama-like outfits the pile of daughters around her were sporting, with touches of gold brocade and jeweled embellishments. She had the pebbly tattoos under her eyes that marked her as an exile, although none of the little ones bore that mark. This was the maternal line granddaughter of the emperor of Quon, a woman so confident and sure she had defied the man himself in order to protect her family.
As she stood there, crowing her effortless victory over her own son, Cana couldn't say she looked very princess-like.
"Mother, please let me up so I may introduce you to my companion," Bacchus grumbled. His mother immediately canceled her magic and lifted her foot, and looked toward Cana, like a child distracted by a shiny new toy.
"Oooh!" she said, and Cana swore the woman was bouncing on the soles of her feet. She approached Cana, peering at her intently, and Cana stared right back, taking in the exotic woman's appearance. Her jet black hair was shot through with gray, and her pale skin held a few wrinkles around her almond shaped eyes, but her lithe build and immense magical aura lent her an air of youthfulness as well. She realized now that it was his mother that had taught him how to fight.
And then suddenly she dropped into the most graceful curtsy Cana had ever seen, like a dancer.
"Pleased to meet you," she said. "My name is Lin Hua, but you may call me Juno."
Feeling slightly off-put, Cana found herself holding her hand out for a good handshake instead. "I am Cana Alberona, the card mage of Fairy Tail."
Juno stared at the hand for a few moments, before grinning and grabbing it enthusiastically. "Of course! One of the lost mages of Fairy Tail. I saw you during the games. Do you think you could hit me with that spell you used to break the MPF? I want to see if I can withstand it!"
"I really can't cast it that frequently," Cana said truthfully. "It's one of the three Great Spells of my guild, and I shouldn't use it unless it's serious."
"Oh, of course," Juno agreed, waving away her hand to dismiss it. "I understand. Come, girls," she said, turning to the curious array of stair-step children behind her. "Your older brother Bacchus has finally brought a betrothed home! You must come meet her!" She clapped her hands, and before Cana could correct her on the whole "betrothed" thing - Bacchus had been right, dammit - Juno started naming off the girls one by one. They curtsied as their names were called. "Vesta, Ceres, Minerva, Luna, Larunda, and finally little Fides." Juno nodded in satisfaction after listing off her brood. "Diana is at the guild, and Venus is still preparing for dinner."
Eight little sisters. Eight! No wonder Bacchus was so arrogant and spoiled. He was the only son in an enormous family. And yet, he'd picked her. Cana, the first women he'd apparently ever thought enough of to bring home to meet his parents. He stood behind her, and she could just feel his confident smirk as he set one hand on her shoulder possessively,
And his mother already thought they were getting married. Cana tried not to frown.
What Cana had told Gildarts was right - Bacchus was dead serious about finding a wife and settling down.
"She's so tall, Bacchus! I'm sad you didn't find a cute one like your mother," Juno said, pouting as she looked up at Cana. The petite mother of nine came up to about the level of Cana's chest. "But she's very pretty. And so slender!" The girls behind her pointed and giggled, whispering among themselves about the strong beauty their brother had brought home.
Cana would have been more inclined to accept the compliment if she didn't feel like a cow being presented to a meat inspector.
"Let's go to the dining room; your father is already there. Come, girls." Juno clapped her hands and let the entourage of daughters along behind her, like a mother duck. Cana couldn't help but smile as the youngest of them, Fides, kept turning back around to stare at her.
"They're so adorable," Cana said to Bacchus in a quiet voice as they also started walking across the opulent foyer toward a far archway. "I kind of want one now." Cana, for whom up until this point the idea of becoming a mother was anathema, wanted an adorable little girl who would fight men five times her size with all her power, braids and card magic flying.
"I'll gladly given you a dozen," Bacchus murmured back.
Cana tried to snort disdainfully, but failed as she ended up laughing instead.
"How on earth could you have bet Elfman a night with his two sisters when you've got eight little ones of your own?"
Bacchus grinned, and Cana could swear his teeth gleamed even as his eyes glittered menacingly. "I wanted to ensure he'd fight for his all. He claims to be a manly man. No real man would ever let a lecher like me near his sisters."
Cana's eyebrows shot up at that new insight into Bacchus's twisted but still mostly honorable character.
"Indeed," she agreed.
They walked into a large dining room, with a single table dominating the room. An older man at the far end stood up, and Cana knew instantly that he was Bacchus's father. He was tall and rather frail looking; he was no martial artist unlike his royal wife. But he processed slowly across the room with a strong purpose, and Cana felt more intimidated by him than she had Juno.
He stopped just short of Cana, and grabbed her chin gently but firmly, staring into her eyes and briefly examining her.
"Lovely," he said after a few moments. "So she is the one."
"Yes," Bacchus said, and Cana felt a shiver at the note of finality in his voice. The one what? The one who would become this man's daughter in law? It was still way too early in their relationship to be talking about marriage, even if having a kid with Bacchus would be the easiest way to clone herself a cute little daughter like his sisters. She had to have one. They out-cuted Wendy tenfold.
"My name is Jove," he said, leaving off his given name. Like his son and his wife, he had the tattoos under his eyes, and he also wore earrings similar to Bacchus. He sported an impressive graying beard, and it was this that gave him the appearance of an age greater than what it was - he was only five years older than Juno, who was only 45, if Cana's math was correct. "And your name, my dear?" He finally dropped her chin, leaving Cana free to talk.
"Cana Alberona," she said, once again feeling as though she were an object to be inspected and judged by these people. At least they liked what they saw so far.
"Do you like sake or jiu, my dear?" the man said, turning toward the table.
"Of course," Cana said, finally relaxing. Alcohol was a subject that always made her more comfortable.
"To be expected. I didn't think Bacchus would choose someone who was a teetotaler. Come, sit by me and try my latest batch." Cana found herself sitting in between Bacchus and his father, while Juno got the girls settled into the seats at the table. Jove poured her a small cup of hot sake from a decanter, then poured one for himself and his son.
She inhaled deeply of the fragrant steam, enjoying the aroma of the rare treat. "You brewed this?" she asked, before she let a small slip of the liquid flow over her tongue. The flavor was spicy and pickly and had very subtle notes of jasmine. Oh, it was good.
"Yes," Jove said. "I have to have the rice imported from Quon, but my family are brewers by tradition, and I see no reason for that to change even if we live in Fiore."
They drank the precious stuff down, but no food was on the table yet. Another girl entered the room from the archway, and Cana turned to see her.
Cana's eyes widened again.
This could be none other than Venus.
Unlike her little sisters, she wore a long black and gold dress that hugged her figure. She was much taller than her mother, and would probably come up to Cana's nose. Her hair was pulled into two large hoops that draped from the sides of her head to her shoulder. Gold ornaments were woven into her hair. She was also painfully beautiful; her hair was not quite black, but a dark gray, and her features were so perfect and even that Cana could have easily mistaken her for her namesake. Hell, forget Venus - this was the face that launched a thousand ships and caused wars between nation states of old. Every inch of her screamed that she was a future empress.
But she too had not escaped the branding of exile, although the perfectly spaced dots encircling her eyes were gold, not black, and they were studded with rubies, giving the appearance of an intentional decoration.
The rest of her family waited until she had been seated at the table before they resumed conversations. Cana felt a bit sorry for her; she was here, but yet not here. She was different and treated differently. She was the whole reason that this family was in Fiore to begin with, and yet they did not seem to welcome her that openly to the table.
Feeling brazen, Cana reached her hand across the table, proffering it for a shake. The little sisters all let out collective gasps, and Venus looked at the hand as if it was an alien thing for a few moments.
"I'm Cana," she said, wondering if she had just made a terrible miscalculation.
But after another moment of hesitation, Venus took her hand and shook it firmly. "Venus Du Ming," she said. "It is my great honor to meet you." She smiled, and it was the same smile that Bacchus had, as if her whole face was lighting up in joy. She was easily the most beautiful woman Cana had ever seen.
Cana let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and the dinner conversation resumed as if nothing had happened. Venus was not so much ignored as she was treated with some sort of reverent awe by everyone around her. They were, Cana realized, intimidated by her. Probably not because she was a princess in exile, but because she was so goddamn pretty you just didn't know how to act around her.
Now that all twelve people were seated at the large table, servants began to filter in carrying platters of food. Cana had never been to a dinner quite like this - family dinners to her meant her mother making her favorite meal when she was very young, or even better, taking her to her grandmother's house to eat with her cousins. These days, it meant trying to cobble up something palatable with Gildarts, who wasn't much better of a cook than she was. She'd never eaten in someone's home where the home owners were not the ones doing the cooking, but that was definitely the case here.
Jove poured them all another round of sake, and Cana savored the taste. The food came in short bursts of small courses, and was passed along the table, where each person took only a small serving from the bowl or basket. Still, it was a lot of food, and by the time the third basket was passed around, Cana and Venus alike started passing over the dishes.
"Someone's a picky eater like me," Venus said in a low voice, and Cana rewarded her with a tight smirk.
"Gotta maintain our girlish figures, right?"
Venus smiled back, covering her blinding white teeth politely with her hand.
The rest of the dinner progressed quickly, and before long the family had split up, Juno herding the army of younger daughters back upstairs while Venus, Bacchus, and Jove retired to a small parlor.
"Give us a song, Venus," Jove said, as he poured glasses of wine from another decanted bottle for Cana and Bacchus.
Without saying a world, Venus seated herself at a harp in the corner and began playing. Her father leaned back in his chair, his glass of port in hand, eyes closed, listening to the gossamer sounds. Cana felt herself transported elsewhere on the music, and even Bacchus looked calm and peaceful.
After the song ended and she rose from the harp, Cana told her, "That was beautiful. Do you sing as well?"
Venus shook her head. "I've got the voice of a crow when I sing," the princess said, and seated herself gracefully on the chair across from her father. "I learned at an early age not to even try."
"Yeah, all the wolves in the distance would start howling in pain," Bacchus agreed, earning him a pillow thrown from Venus. Cana was beginning to like the girl more and more.
"So, your magic is card magic?" Jove said, not opening his eyes. "Are you a fighting mage as well?"
"I am," Cana said, glancing at Bacchus. "Although I don't think I am as strong as your wife by any stretch."
"Hah! No one is as strong as mother," Bacchus said, sounding pleased. "I'd love to see her duke it out with your father, for that matter."
"Juno is an exceptional fighter," Jove agreed. "But there is more to magic than just fighting." He picked up the bottle of port and stroked it lovingly. "I have an agrarian sort of magic; the magic of the vine."
Bacchus handed her a smaller bottle labeled with the Quon character for alcohol; a bottle of sake. "Father makes us a special battle sake that he infuses with magic. Both my mother and I use it. Go on, try it."
Curious, Cana opened the bottle and gave it a sniff. The fragrance was overpowering, and she almost sneezed. She heard Venus laughing lightly at Cana's reaction.
Undaunted, Cana poured herself a small amount of the alcohol, and knocked it back with the expertise of a professional lush. The immediate explosion of magic within her was like nothing she'd ever had before from any drink.
"What.." she began, shocked at the spike of power.
"That is the secret of the Drunk Falcon," Bacchus said, poking her with an elbow. "Don't let it get out."
Cana was still trying to deal with the clarity of the magic coursing through her blood. "This is amazing," she said. This felt like the "second origin" that Lucy had described to her, that Crime Sorciere had unlocked for her and the others, or like the time she first received Fairy Glitter from Mavis. It was... almost indescribable.
"Well, it's amazing if you're a battle mage," Venus said softly. "I'm just good at growing things, so I don't drink the stuff." The princess twirled her glass of port, content with the sweet dessert wine.
Cana thought of Droy, who probably used a similar magic to Venus. "You can still be a battle mage if you use plant magic," she said. She wanted to pour herself another glass of that amazing sake, but she had a feeling it could quickly lead to an addiction if she wasn't careful. She returned to her own glass of port instead. "How long do the effects of this last?"
"A few hours," Jove said. "You'll want to avoid repeated use, though. Once a battle is usually enough, according to Bacchus."
"Well," he said, "usually by the time I need to take a sip, I've worn my opponent down enough that they don't expect me to have such a potent second wind."
Cana grinned. "Yeah, you almost took out Elfman that way as well. If he hadn't thought of the lizard form, you'd have clobbered him pretty effectively." She sipped her port, and turned to the princess again. "So, have you ever tried to use your magic for battle? You'd be surprised what a plant mage can do in a pinch. Fairy Tail's Team Shadow Gear has Droy, and his magic lends an interesting support role to their group."
"I've never tried to fight with anyone besides my sisters," Venus said, and looked down. There was that sadness in her eyes again. "I've never been allowed to leave the estate."
Cana ended up drinking far too much of Jove's amazing port wines, and she was grateful to accept his invitation to stay overnight. (Although she had been pointedly shown to a different room from Bacchus by Venus, probably to avoid giving the gaggle of younger girls any ideas about their big brother's lecherousness.)
As she said good night to what was probably the most beautiful woman on the planet, Cana gave in to an urge and gave the older girl a big hug. Venus probably didn't get enough of them.
The princess returned the hug gratefully. "When you marry Bacchus, we will be sisters," she said, and gave Cana a kiss on the cheek.
"You have enough of them already, it seems," Cana answered drily.
"They are my mother's daughters," Venus corrected. "As am I. But they don't think of me as their older sister... I am the wife of Sheng Li, and by all rights I should be with the Ming family right now."
"Bacchus told me," Cana said, squeezing her arms sympathetically. "We're not getting married, though. Bacchus and I. We've only been dating for a few weeks yet. I wanted to meet you because my own father demanded that he meet Bacchus, and it seemed like the best next step for us."
"Oh?" Venus looked surprised. "But he said you were the one."
"The one what? That's what your father called me."
Now it was Venus's turn to look sad. "The girl he was to marry in Quon died just before we left for Fiore, and he begged our parents to let him choose his own wife. So Bacchus was permitted to roam free and join a mage's guild, with the caveat that he marry by his thirtieth birthday. He is running out of time. So you are the one he has chosen."
Cana hissed slightly. "He never quite mentioned that detail to me," she said with a scowl. So that explained his aggressive pursuit and wooing. "Although he did warn that you would think we were engaged if he brought me home."
"But you chose to come here, no?"
"I did." Cana sighed. She ran her hand through her hair, pulling it away from her face in an agitated gesture. "We've only been dating for a short time. It's too soon. I'm too young to get married!"
Venus smiled, and it was her turn to pat Cana sympathetically on the arm. "I was married at the age of one," she said. "But I've never even met my husband."
The family rift was too deep. It was causing pain to everyone. Cana could see it in Venus's eyes, and a linger vein of the magic boost from Jove's battle sake allowed her to mentally arrange a card reading and draw conclusions from the order the cards appeared in her mind, in a flash. It was if she was able to tap directly into the magic that her cards touched upon in her unconscious.
"You want to leave Fiore, to travel to Quon," Cana said softly.
Venus looked startled, and she glanced around furtively before nodding many times. "Yes. Yes, yes. I am the only one that can solve the family feud. I belong in Quon. I want to meet my husband. Oh, there are so many things I want to do!" She grasped Cana's hands, grateful to have a kindred soul for the first time in her life. "Will you help me? Will Fairy Tail help me? I'll pay you anything, and Sheng Li will pay you more. We've been in secret correspondence all this time... Oh, I was afraid to ask." She was shaking with emotion, and Cana could tell how long she'd kept these desires bottled up inside. "Mother will never let me go."
Cana gave her another hug as the beautiful creature began bawling on her shoulder. She sighed and stared at the lacquered wall on the other side of the hallway.
"I can't make any promises," she said, "but I'll put in a formal job request for you at Fairy Tail. Maybe someone there will be interested in smuggling a princess to Quon."
"Thank you," Venus said, unable to stop her tears. "Oh, thank you."
Cana found herself lying awake on a huge bed a while later, freshly bathed, all alone, staring at the draped curtains that festooned the posts above her head.
And she had thought her family was screwed up. She kept thinking about Venus – she must feel so trapped here, but if her tiger mother was determined to keep her locked up, then what could she do? Frankly, it seemed to Cana that Juno had already gotten her wish – her eldest daughter had grown up by her side – and if she really wanted to end the feud, she could claim victory but still apologize to her grandfather and everything would be okay. Only her pride seemed to be holding her back.
As she mused about how Fairy Tail could pull of the Great Princess Heist, she heard the door to the bedroom open, and she sat up in the bed, not surprised to see the hulking figure of Bacchus creeping in.
He sidled across the room in silence, and greeted her with a hot, open-mouthed kiss that left her no doubt what he had on his mind.
"I guess it's time to be mussed up now, huh?" she whispered.
He answered with a wild grin, and climbed into the bed with her.
Much later, Cana found her thoughts returning to her cards. Maybe they would guide the way to helping out Venus.
Another jolt of the battle magic sake hit her again, surprising her. She'd thought it had worn off already.
Sun. Moon. Stars.
And with a sudden start, she realized she'd finally figured out how to combine them to form Fairy Glitter. It was so simple. The combined spell was incredibly complex, but if she broke down each component associated with its light source, she could probably store it in her cards just like Mavis had stored it in her arm – as a symbol. She could pre-charge it, and keep it around for emergencies. And that would let her cast it much faster than trying to gather all the components at the same time she chanted the full spell.
Well, that wasn't going to help Venus, but if she could solve a hundred year old magical riddle, surely she could think of a way to help the princess in due time.
"Damn, that stuff is amazing," she muttered into Bacchus's shoulder, as the last burst of the battle magic enhancer faded away. "I've got to ask Jove for a bottle of it..."
Jiu is Chinese rice wine.
