SEASON OF THE WITCH

The sun is blinding and brutally hot. The air smells of salt and the burning flesh of hundreds of human bodies roasting under the noonday sun. The putrid odor disgusts him. Why someone would intentionally choose to venture here is beyond him. This place that Katrina so hopelessly refered to as the "beach" is more like a barren wasteland surrounded by a great big moat. Not at all like the beautiful oasis she had made it out to be. Klarion can't help but sneer in disgust as he follows in her footsteps through the sand.

"Kitty... It's hot..." Klarion whines as they snake their way along the beach, staking out a spot.

"So conjure up some ice or something."

"Ughh... I do not care for this. Why can't we just go back home?"

Arms full and patience short, Kitrina sighs.

"It's called a heat wave, Blue. That's what happens during a heat wave. It gets hot. And when it gets hot, people like to swarm to the beach to cool off." She replies. "Just gotta love the messed up weather here in Gotham. Probably has something to do with some weather villain or something... And besides... My AC is shot. So would you rather roast outside or inside? Your choice. Now quit complaining and help me with this."

Kitrina finally stops and drops their gear on the hot sand, claiming their little square of territory on the beach. Handing Klarion a blanket, they each take a corner and lay it down on the ground. Teekl impatiently stands by and watches as they begin to set up camp.

Within moments, a large umbrella goes up, creating a nice bit of shade. The orange tabby hurriedly scurries underneath and shakes off the sand from his fur.

With a huff, Klarion plops down on the big blanket and begins scanning the beach full of scantily clad lifeforms. The shameless display of nearly naked flesh is both grotesque and overwhelming. How anyone would degrade themselves to such low standards...

Shaking his head, he watches as the males strut around at the water's edge, chests puffed out like proud peacocks trying to attract a mate. Showing off their plumage for all to see.

The rest of the males tackle one another and wrestle around in the sand, acting out their Neanderthal games of strength. Trying to root out an alpha.

As for the women, they're just as bad, if not worse. The tiny outfits they wear leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. It's shameful. Harlots and charlatans, the lot of them.

Klarion stares down at the 'board shorts' Kitrina had insisted he wear. Jet black and resting just above his knees. They remind him of the short pants he would wear as a child, though a bit scratchy and much more loose-fitting. The material feels strange against his skin.

He looks at his twig-like legs and grimaces. It's far more skin than he is accustomed to showing.

Anxiously, he buries his bare feet. Not even fifteen minutes here and already he feels uncomfortable. Twiddling his blue toes in the sand, he watches as the little grains shift and move.

"Alright, Blue... Take off your shirt." Kitrina says bluntly as she plops down on the blanket beside him.

"W-What? Why?" Klarion stammers, eyes wide.

The cat girl holds up a bright red bottle containing an unknown substance. Placing a small dollop of the white cream on her finger, she smears it across the tip of his nose and giggles.

"It's sunscreen. Don't wanna get burned, do ya?." Kitrina replies as she begins to rub the lotion on her face and neck. "Come on. Don't be such a prude. It's not like it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Uneasily, Klarion stares down at his white button-up shirt and grimaces. However modest he may be, the thought of his flesh burning sends shivers down his spine. Suddenly, an image of him being strapped to a burning pyre flashes across his mind. It's just enough to make him pull his shirt up and over his head.

"Woah..." Kitrina gapes.

"What? What's wrong?" Klarion asks worriedly, looking himself over.

"Nothing. Nothing. Don't really know what I was expecting. It's just... Wow. You really ARE blue all over, aren't ya? Just look at your black nipples!" Kitrina squeals in delight as she pinches his skin. Grabbing at the waistband to his shorts, she slyly pretends as if she's going to sneak a peek inside. "Just what ELSE of you is blue?"

Slapping her hands away, Klarion glares at her in anger and embarrassment. His cheeks grow hot and purplish-red.

"Oh sheesh... No need to be all self-conscious, Mister Grumpypants!"

Klarion huffs.

"I am NOT being self-conscious. I just... am not used to being touched... in such a manner."

"Well... Then you're REALLY gonna love this." Kitrina purrs. "Turn around."

Without any warning, Kitrina spins Klarion around and begins rubbing her hands all over his back.

Instantly, every muscle in his body tightens, making him rigid and board-stiff. His eyes bulge from his skull.

She slaps his back and tells him to loosen up, but it doesn't help. Every movement from her sweeping fingertips sends shivers down his spine as she methodically applies the lotion to his skin. His heart rate climbs. Suddenly, he feels funny. Soft, fuzzy, and warm inside. It's something he can't describe. Something he'd never felt before meeting her. And it seems to be happening more and more often, much to his ever growing annoyance and aggregation. These stirring feelings have become a nuisance. Fodder for Teekl's persistent teasing.

His eyes roll into the back of his skull as her hands find their way to his shoulders and up the back of his neck. Her nimble fingers graze his earlobes and his stomach ties up into knots. He feels like putty in her hands as she kneads at his tired muscles.

Just a few feet away, he can hear Teekl purring. Surely he is laughing at him, but he pays the cat no mind. A goofy grin stretches across his pale blue face as he finally begins to surrender his inhibitions to her wonderful magic fingers.

"You're done." Kitrina nearly shouts, snapping Klarion back into reality from his dreamlike daze. "My turn."

Trading positions with him, she scoots in close to his lap, taking a seat between his legs. Klarion gulps down hard.

She hands him the sunscreen bottle and promptly begins to remove her sundress. Again he feels uneasy as he watches her disrobe.

Nonchalantly, she tosses her dress underneath the umbrella, to which Teekl happily snuggles up to. Anxiously, Klarion clutches the bottle to his chest.

"C-Can't you do it?"

"Reach my own back?" Kitrina asks with a sly grin. "Come on, Klari... You're not afraid are you?"

"Of course not! How absurd."

"You've never touched a girl before, huh?" Kitrina teases as she glances over her shoulder to cast him a wicked look. "Is that it?"

"WHAT!? Of course I have. Hundreds of girls. Thousands of girls. I've..."

"Sure... Uh-huh. Stop talking and just do my back. Oh and make sure to rub it in good. If you do a crappy, half-assed job and I end up getting burnt... I'm going to punch you."

Klarion sits there for a moment, staring blankly at her bare back, unsure what to do. Kitrina pulls her hair back and holds it atop her head as she waits for Klarion to begin.

Images of her naked form replay against the backdrop of his mind. He can't help but think back to just the other night. That God-forsaken crystal ball... Looking at her dressed this way, sitting in his lap in her tiny pink bikini, he's reminded of all the naughty bits that lay hidden just beneath what little fabric she's currently wearing. Those perky breasts. So bouncy and bountiful. The exact shape and color to her delightful areolas...

A certain need begins to swell.

He screws his eyes shut.

Think unsexy thoughts... Think unsexy thoughts...

The mantra runs through his head.

He forces his mind to shift towards images of the Batman in a leotard. His sister. Sugarless gum. Christmas...

Hands shaking, Klarion nervously squirts a huge glob of sunscreen in the palm of his hand and begins rubbing it into her back. Teekl watches on curiously as the witch boy attempts to apply the sticky, white concoction to her skin.

"I gotta thank you again, Blue, for that magic lotion stuff you gave me." Kitrina says sweetly. "That stuff really worked. See? My bruise is all gone!"

He looks down at the spot where that horrible looking flesh wound had once been. His mind had been so occupied elsewhere that he hadn't even noticed it's now completely healed. She turns her head for a moment to meet her eyes with his and smiles.

"I knew there was a reason why I keep ya around."

Klarion smiles in return and she turns her head back around.

What a strange spell she's cast upon him. His usually lithe and nimble fingers have become clumsy and cumbersome. His brain appears to have to shut off completely, rendering his motor skills useless. A deep blush washes over his skin as his hands make their way down to the small of her back.

"Make sure you get underneath the ties."

Her skin seems to mesmerize him. Soft and pink and warm. Pressing his palms against her back, he notices the vast difference between their skin tones. Notices every little freckle. Every beauty mark as significant as the stars in the sky. Her skin's like a vast landscape full of wonderous delights. Curves and valleys, his hands conquer them all, mapping the uncharted territory in his mind. His fingers make new trails. Ever the explorer, how easy it is for him to become lost in her rose-colored world.

"Klari..."

"Huh?"

Kitrina giggles as she drops down her hair and spins around to face him.

"I think I'm good. You're done now."

"Oh... Oh right."

Grabbing the bottle from him, she squirts a good amount in her hands before returning it to the dazed witch boy. She gets up from her seat.

"Here. I think you can handle the rest from here on out. Don't forget to get your face and those cute little pointed ears of yours, 'kay?."

Klarion squeezes a glob of sunscreen into his hands and begins work on his legs, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't take his eyes off Kitrina. Up and down, back and forth, her hands vigorously rubs the lotion into her rosy skin. Across her tight stomach. Along her strong thighs. In between her large and voluptuous breasts. Dumbstruck, he ogles her. Klarion can hear Teekl speaking in his head, but can't quite make out what he is saying.

"I'm going to go down to the water now. You coming with?"

"W-Wha... Huh?

Kitrina giggles and messes his hair.

"I think you got enough sunscreen on your leg there, Blue."

Klarion looks down at his left leg covered in lotion. He had become so transfixed in watching her, that he didn't notice he hadn't moved on from there. Quickly, he begins work on the rest of his exposed skin as Kitrina laughs and walks away.

Klarion glares daggers at his familiar as Teekl sits and snickers in his head.

"What are you laughing about?" He hisses at his cat.

"Nothing, brother Klarion. It is just that the expression on your face was absolutely... hilarious." Teekl purrs in delight, licking his whiskers. "You enjoyed that didn't you? Her hands on your body. Was it pleasant? Exhilarating? Did it make you want to do bad things to her? Naughty things? I bet you-"

"SHUT IT, YOU STUPID CAT!" Klarion shouts, silencing Teekl's voice inside his head.

Throwing the sunscreen bottle to the ground in a huff, Klarion gets up from the blanket and makes his way towards the ocean.

He can't help but sneer. The nerve of his meddling cat. How dare he accuse him of harboring such disgraceful feelings for that talentless mortal girl. He is a great and powerful sorcerer. An explorer of worlds. To let his mind wander and indulge in such carnal and lewd acts would be belittling of his character. There are still so many things he wants to be and a boyfriend hardly makes the list.

Perhaps one day he shall choose to settle down and sow his seed, but when that day comes, his woman shall be nothing less than equal to him in power as well as the dark arts. Not some silly pink girl who masquerades as a cat. With a hard kick, he sends a seashell flying across the sand.

Sulking as he treks along the beach, his mood only begins to lift as Kitrina comes into view.

Standing waist deep in the blue waters, she stares out at the horizon where the ocean meets the sky. A gentle wave rolls in and crashes against her side, creating a spray of water glistening in the sunlight.

She looks so happy and peaceful, simply beautiful against the oceanic backdrop. Klarion smirks as a devious thought comes to mind.

Oh, how did she once put it...

She appears to have that faraway look that just BEGS to me MESSED with.

In the blink of an eye, Klarion disappears from his spot on the sand and re-appears nearly directly above Kitrina, hovering in the air. Tucking his legs into his stomach, he forms a cannon ball and drops into the water, creating a decent sized splash. Shrieking in surprise, Kitrina throws her hands up and ducks backwards to shield herself from the spray of water.

Klarion's maniacal laughter rings out as he pops his head back up and out of the water.

"You look like a drowned rat!" Klarion laughs, pointing a finger at the drenched Kitrina.

With a pout, she brushes the wet and tangled hair from her face and glares at the amused witch boy.

"You think that's funny, don'cha?" Kitrina replies with a mischievous smirk of her own.

Swinging her hand back, she launches forward and slaps water in Klarion's face.

Wiping the salty water from his sunglasses, he grins dark and wide.

This means war.

How quickly such a simple splash can escalate into an all-out brawl. Before long, they've become a mess of limbs and spraying water, pulling hair and dunking. A lifeguard tries to intervene but ultimately becomes caught in the crossfire. Turned to stone, he's little more than a resting post for seagulls.

With flashes of light and burning water, the whole lot of beachgoers run away seeking shelter. A bright red eldritch bolt crashes into the lifeguard tower, making it explode on impact. Splinters of wood erupt into the air.

Teekl stands at the water's edge, head cocked ever so as he watches these two battle.

Kitrina laughs as she grabs Klarion in a headlock, twisting his arm behind his back and pulling him down into the water.

"Learned THAT one from Killer Croc!" She declares as she triumphantly emerges from the water.

Whipping his raven-black hair back as he pops out of the water, Klarion pants heavily through gritted teeth. A droplet of water runs down his face, coming to a rest at the tip of his nose.

"A crocodile, you say?" Klarion taunts wickedly.

His black lips twist up into an evil and toothy grin, revealing a serrated set of magically altered razor-sharp teeth, making him look much like a shark.

Kitrina squeals as Klarion leaps for her. Wrapping his arms around her torso, he lifts her up into a great big hug before slamming both their bodies back down into the water.

Around and around they twirl, creating a vortex in the water as Klarion spins them into an alligator roll. Kitrina nearly loses consciousness until an elbow to the gut makes him release his hold on her and they both come floating back to the surface.

Clutching his stomach, Klarion struggles for air as Kitrina points and laughs. Her mockery only ends when a tangle of seaweed climbs up her legs and wraps around her body.

She trashes about, trying to free herself, but it's no use. The more she struggles, the tighter her restraints get. With every passing second, the seaweed traps her further, climbing up her body and wrapping itself tighter.

Klarion appears beside her with a high and mighty grin.

"Say 'uncle'." Klarion hums with an air of superiority.

With one last thrash, Kitrina finally surrenders to her bonds and swallows her pride.

"Uncle." She pouts at the elated young man.

"Wonderful!" Klarion exclaims, clapping his hands in delight. "Now tell me I'm the most glorious, powerful and handsome sorcerer in the whole entire world."

The slimy, green seaweed continues to creep further, slithering up her neck and along her cheek. The sensation makes her cringe.

"ENOUGH ALREADY! YOU WIN, ALRIGHT!" Kitrina shouts. "NOW JUST LET ME GO ALREADY!"

With his arms crossed over his chest, Klarion huffs.

"Spoilsport…" He mutters.

With the snap of his fingers, the seaweed unravels itself from her body and sinks back into the ocean. Kitrina shudders in disgust.

"Blech… I HATE seaweed." She groans as she frees a piece of the green slime from her hair and flings it at Klarion's chest.

He glares back at her, eyes narrowed. The corner of her mouth ticks into a smirk.

All at once, both Klarion and Kitrina begin to laugh. Clutching their sides, they lean on one another and laugh jovially until neither of them can breathe.

Arm in arm, they snicker as they make their way back towards the beach and crash down on its shore.

Exhausted, Klarion lies on his back and lets the bright sun warm his pale-blue skin. A gentle breeze blows past. His chest heaves as he gulps in the salty summer air. Nothing can possibly wash away the smile plastered to his face.

He won. He actually beat the Catgirl at her game.

He glances over at Kitrina, the salt and sand kissing her skin as she rests upon the beach. Her body gleams under the sun's rays, giving her the appearance of a goddess. Water drips from her like diamonds. He smiles and picks the seaweed from her hair.

Such rosy skin. Such shinning hair and bright eyes, touched by the sun and the light. Touched by the heavens above. Never touched by the likes of the Sheeda, the darkness and shame. Never touched by sin, like him.

How does she do this to him? Make him feel this way. So warm and light. The magic she possesses in just one look, one smile. It's enough to drive him mad.

Eyes still closed, she smiles back at him and reaches for his hand. Without any hesitation, he accepts. Interlocking his fingers with hers, they lay side by side on the ocean's shore, listening to the waves crash on the breeze.