I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of the characters.

New Friends

Fenris yawned as he swoke, not bothering to stretch since the girls were all pinning him down anyway. It had become a habit for them to all sleep together, so he was going to have to break them of it. But later. For now, he wanted to enjoy being able to have them all there with him, and have the four that had been there longer behave themselves since Hana was still young.

"It's really a shame we have to let your morning wood go to waste," Sofia whispered into his ear.

Fenris smiled, not having realized anyone else was awake.

"If you would all stop treating me like I'm not going to be doing the exact same thing inside of a week, you wouldn't have to," Hana said, not bothering to lift her head or sit up."

"Exactly," Fenris said. "In a week."

Hana sighed heavily. "We should get going. We have to pick up your new armor from Erhard and meet up with Naofumi before he leaves for Cal Mira."

"True," Fenris said. "Alright. Everyone up."

All four of the older girls "aw"ed, then climbed off with Hana. Fenris stood, stretching for a moment before getting cleaned up and dressed, the other girls all doing the same. After they were done, they all left, dropping by Erhard's shop just as he was setting Fenris's upgraded armor on the counter. Fenris walked over and inspected it. The armor was pretty much exactly the same, except that now, there was a Hellhound Heart embedded in the chest, in place of the onyx that had been there before. He liked the look.

"The armor's got all the same prpoerties, but now it'll heal you, and you'll be completely immune to Fire and Darkness type attacks," Erhard said.

"Called it," Shadow said, currently perched on Fenris's shoulder.

"Hush you," Fenris said, glancing at him. "Thanks for the upgrade. And the other two?"

"I actually can't take credit for those," Erhard said. "Naofumi did it for me, since he's better, and he did some good work. Here."

He held out a pair of necklaces, thin chains with a small rhombus-shaped crystal pendant, the crystals both black around the outside, then glowing orange inside, the light pulsating with the crystal's heartbeat. Fenris accepted the two pendants and handed them to Sofia and Hana.

"Where's the rest of the Hellhound Hearts?" Fenris asked. "Don't tell me that's all that's left."

"Actually, no," Erhard said. "He said those two were free, as a way of saying thanks for your advice, and to tell you that you were right on all accounts."

Fenris's brow furrowed for a moment before understnsding flooded him and he nearly cheered, instead laughing. "That slow mother fucker! It's about time!"

The girls all realized what he meant and begsn to cheer. Erhard shook his head.

"Anyway, he said these three were five gold each," Erhard said.

Fenris grumbled. "Are the effects weakened at all?"

He checked Sofia's stats as she pulled her necklace on and his jaw dropped. Not only did it give her the same boosts Fenris's armor gave him, but it nearly doubled her base stats. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Typical," Fenris sighed. "Alright. Five each."

He handed Erhard the money and passed out the necklaces. Then, as he was turning to leave, Erhard caught his arm.

"He also said you'd pay me back for all the shields he copied last night," Erhard said. "Twenty five gold for that."

"This mother fucker's going to burn," Fenris growled, handing Erhard the money.

"He's taking advantage of you," Sofia said.

"No, he's cashing in the favors he knows I owe him," Fenris said. "In this case, saving Hana when we fist found her."

"That better be all it is," Naomi said. "Twenty five gold would buy us a lot of alcohol."

Fenris shook his head before turning back to the counter. "Almost forgot. Hana needs a set of armor for now, and a set for once she's levelled up in two days."

"I figured you might ask," Erhard nodded. "Here you go."

He handed Hana two outfits. One was a pink dress that reached about to her knees when she held it up to herself, short, puffy sleeves that barely reached the top of her biceps, and a pair of red shoes. The other outfit, for when she was older, was a bit more of a surprise. It consisted of a black, armored, one-piece top with the abdomen open, a strip up the center of the chest abridged, and the pieces that would cover her breasts ending just above the nipples leaving everything from halfway down her breasts to the choker-like collar open. The opening in the abdomen reached down to low on her waist where it turned into a pair of armored panties that only barely covered the front and were even thinner in back. Just above them on the sides, the armor had a wavy, frilled piece, like a skirt but made of metal. There were a set of black sleeves on the shoulders that were connectwd to the armor and the choker, and that reached to mid-bicep, a pair of black, metal, form-fitting gauntlets that ended just below the thumbs, a pair of black shoes, black shin guards, and thigh protectors with plating wrapping around the outside of her thighs and in front but held on with thin laces, leaving her inner thighs basically unprotected.

Fenris stared at the armor for a long moment before turning to Erhard. "I'm a bit concerned about your choice of armor."

"Oh please, we both know what her being in your party means," Erhard said. "I'm just skipping ahead to where we both know it's going to end up."

"Oh, I have no problem with that," Fenris said. "The armor's great. My problem is that she's currently ten years old physically, and yet you're thinking about her that way."

"You're thinking about her that way," Erhard countered.

"So?" Fenris quirked an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be the moral one."

"Just shut up and pay me already," Erhard said. "You have places to be, and giving me a hard time is not one of them."

"Aweb come on Erhard," Fenris smirked, handing him a bag of money. "You know you enjoy my company. There's some extra in there for a pair of dagggers for her."

"Sure," Erhard nodded. "You can change in the back if you want."

Hana nodded and took the dress into the back while Erhard walked through a different door, coming back with a pair of black daggers with a ring guard around the grip, the guard sharpened along the entire outside and with a large curved blade extending from one end of the grips. Just as he set them down, Hana came back out in her dress, arms crossed and scowling.

"I feel stupid," Hana said. "I hate dresses."

"You look adorable," Fenris smirked. "It's only for about three days. Then we'll have you dressed like a whore, just like the rest of the harem."

Hana rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, just what every girl dreams of. You're lucky I like you."

"And you're being especially snippy today," Fenris said. "If you're not xareful, I might throw you in time out."

"Oh that is it!" Hana laughed, grabbing her daggers and charging at him, Fenris laughing and stepping forward, catching her in a hug.

"Alright, alright," Fenris said. "I'm sorry. I'll stop picking on you."

"Good," Hana said. "Please hurry up and make me an adult."

"I wil," Fenris said. "And I'm glad you're starting to open up again. I missed this you."

"I'm sorry," Hana said, on the verge of tears. "I just..."

"I know," Fenris said. "Trust me, you have nothing to apologize for. You never will. And I will never force you to talk about, or even ask you about, whst that bastard did to you."

Hana nodded, sniffing. "We should go. Naofumi's probably wating for us."

Fenris nodded. "You're right. Thanks Erhard."

Erhard nodded and Fenris took Hana's other set of armor before leaving with the others. They headed to the castle where Naofumi, Filo, and Raphtalia were saying their goodbyes to Mirellia and Melty.

"Oh, there you guys are," Naofumi smiled.

"Hey asshole, what's the idea making me pay for all your shields?" Fenris asked.

"You're rich," Naofumi shrugged. "You could afford it easily."

"Not the point!" Fenris snapped. "Forget it. I owed you anyway. So, how was your night?"

Naofumi's cheeks darkened instantly and Raphtalia's face turned scarlet. "Uneventful, can we go now?"

Fenris grinned. "Sure. But I'm not dropping this subject."

"I'll fight you," Naofumi warned.

Fenris snorted. "Bring it. I have four girls each stronger than Raphtalia or Filo, and all just as loyal to me as Raphtalia and Filo are to you, plus I'm stronger than you. And I have Hana who needs fighting experience anyway."

Naofumi sighed, rolling his eyes. "Let's just go."

Fenris grinned and they all left the city to Filo's wagon, Fenris's group climbing onto Shadow in his Nue form instead. They travelled quickly, Filo and Shadow getting into a friendly race. However, after a bit, Naofumi had Filo take a detour, and a couple hours later they were at Raphtalia's home town. Raphtalia left, finding another demi-human, a young wolf boy, and together they went to a grave to pay their respects. As they didn, Fenris and Hana stared at the ruins, both seeing their own home, burning and being destroyed during the Wave, but not by monsters, by humans, who later blamed the monsters of the Wave. The ones who killed his family. The ones who took his friends. Who took Hana. Fenris himself had been the only one to escape. At least, for a while. Until that bitch had broken him.

Hana's hand slipped into his as he began to grow angry. "We can make a new home. You're not alone anymore. You have Sofia, and me, and Naomi, and the others. None of us are leaving you."

Fenris smiled. "Yeah. Thank you."

Hana smiled as Sofia stepped up beside Fenris, taking his free hand.

"It's time to go," Sofia said gently.

Fenris nodded, giving her a quick kiss before they headed back to where the others were waiting, all of the other girls sitting on Shadow's back already and Naofumi's party waiting with the wagon. They continued on in silence, stopping for the night once the sun had set, then continuing just before sunrise. Just after the sun had fully separated from the horizon, they reached the port town, seeing the enormous three-mast clipper ship waiting at the dock, the rear of the ship bearing the crest of the royal family.

"Nice ship," Fenris smirked. "Can't wait to keep everyone awake the whole way there."

"You mean it!?" Naomi gasped excitedly.

"Nope," Fenris smirked. "Gotcha goin, though."

"Hey!" Naomi whined, the other girls laughing. "That's mean!"

"You'll survive," Fenris said. "I wonder if we'll find any sexy chicks on Cal Mira."

"Looking to expand?" Sofia asked.

"Not really," Fenris said. "But one night wouldn't hurt, right?"

"That's true," Sofia agreed. "Of course, we might find a keeper."

Fenris laughed. "If you find one you want to keep, you're welcome to it."

Sofia smiled, hugging him a little tighter from her place behind him. "You're so sweet."

"I suppose," Fenris shrugged. "As long as she doesn't try to steal you. We all know how amazing you are."

"What do you mean?" Hana asked, twisting around in front of Fenris to look up at him.

"Oh Sofia will be the best sex you ever have," Riley said. "No matter how you feel about Fenris, Sofia's the better fuck."

"I doubt that," Hana said.

"No she's right," Fenris said. "Sofia's better, hands down."

Hana shook her head. "So, I've been meaning to ask. Is Andrea a part of the harem? It seems odd that we be allowed to live in the inn for free like we do if not."

"She's my mom," Riley said. "And while she and I did fuck Fenris the first time together, she's not part of the harem. Not since my dad died."

"I'm sorry," Hana said. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"It's alright," Riley said. "I've accepted it."

Hana nodded and turned back to the front as they slowed to a stop at the top of the dock. They all saw the thrthree heroes waiting at the end of the dock, but ignored them, instead inspecting the line of adventurers waiting to get on the ship. None really caught Fenris's attention as being potential one-night-stands, or harem members, although, there was one who caught his attention in general. A girl with forest green hair in a pair of ponytails, off-white pants under a blue dress with white sleeves, brown gloves, steel vambraces, a steel cuirass, and a pair of blue ribbons to hold her braids. The reason she caught his attention was that she looked absolutely exhausted, and he remembered seeing her before, exhausted then, too. Beside her stood the same soldier that had started a fight with Raphtalia.

"I've seen that girl with the green hair before," Fenris said.

"Yeah, she was at the party," Eileen said. "She was trying to get everyone to stop fighting."

Fenris smiled. "She's level-headed, then."

"You want to give her a try?" Sofia asked.

"Not really," Fenris said. "She just looks familiar is all."

Sofia nodded. "Come on. We should get on before it leaves us behind."

"Good idea," Fenris nodded. "Shadow, if you would."

Shadow made his way down the hill before jumping onto the ship and laying down, startling the crew. Fenris apologized and slid off of Shadow with the girls before Shadow switched to a bird and Fenris introduced himself to the captain.

"Nice pet," the captain said, eyeing Shadow.

"Tell him I'm not a pet, boss," Shadow said.

Fenris ignored him. "Thanks. He's got his uses. You need any help getting the ship ready? I've worked on a couple before."

"Nah, we got it covered," the captain said. "Go on and head inside. We got orders from the queen to prepare the five o' you heroes rooms, so you don't have to worry 'bout anyone stealin' it."

"Thanks," Fenris smiled, heading inside with the girls.

They found their room easily and found that it had a tiny mattress. on the floor and a small chest for their belongings. He sighed, eolling his eyes before placing his spare clothes in the chest, along with the others', then locked it. They stepped back out just as Naofumi and his group arrived. Fenris opened his mouth to greet them just as a voice behind him spoke instead.

"Hey there Kiddo," the voice said.

Everyone turned and Fenris raised an eyebrow as he looked over the pair in front of him. The guy had black pants and a thick leather harness around his waist, which held some kind of folded up weapon on the back of his waist. On his upper body he had a sleeveless red shirt with black along the borders and up the middle, a pauldron on his right shoulder with a metal plate surrounded by hardened leather, with a harness to hold it on across his chest. He wore a pair of black elbow-length gloves with leather vambraces, an elbow guard on his left elbow similar in design to his pauldron, but without a full harness, and had an odd tattoo, like a series of crescent shapes forming a scythe, on his left shoulder. He had a muscular build, a face that would probably win him jujuat about any single woman he wanted, and probably a few non-single ones, and messy red hair.

The girl at his side was beautiful. She had light blue hair in a thick braid over her lect shoulder, similar to Sofia's, dark blue pants, a white blouse with her shoulder uncovered and a filly top, a leather top over the blouse with a strip running up between her breasts but not covering them, then with a pair of rounded thigh-protectors hanging down beside her legs, a silver ring in the leather top, just below her collar bones, holding the leather pieces together, and in the center of the ring, she had a yellow gemstone seeming to be either a clasp in the front of the shirt, or a part of her, Fenris couldn't tell which. She had a pair of bangles on her arms, the left having a violet gemstone, and the right a bright greenish-yellow one, and she wore a crown-like headpeace which dipped into a "V" to cover her forehead and had her bangs hanging over it.

"Oh, it's you again," Naofumi said. "I met them at Raphtalia's home."

Fenris ignored Naofumi, for the most part, staring at the girl. There was something off about her. Her bright blue eyes were a little too vivid. And her hair seemed a little too shiny.

"The name's L'Arc Berg," the guy introduced himself, "but you can call me L'Arc."

"And I'm Therese Alexanderite," the girl introduced herself.

"So, is your friend from a different land, or something?" Raphtalia asked. "I couldn't understand a word she said.

"We forgot," L'Arc said, turning away from Therese.

She reached down to a red gemstone in his weapon, near where the blade was, and pressed her finggers against it, then pulled them away, a glowing red sphere coming with them. She pressed the sphere to her throat and it sank into her skin.

"Better?" Therese asked.

"Yes, much!" Raphtalia smiled.

"Let's try that again," Therese smiled. "I'm Therese Alexanderite. It's so njcd to meet you."

"I'm Raphtalia!" Raphtalia smiled.

"I'm Filo!" Filo smiled.

"Riley," Riley said, curtsying.

"Eileen," Eileen nodded

"Hana," Hana smiled.

"Sofia," Sofia smiled, offering Therese her hand, Therese shaking it. "Your skin's very smooth."

"Oh, thank you," Therese smiled.

"I'm Naomi," Naomi said, eyes not leaving Therese. "And you can keep your smooth hands off of my man, Therese." She wrapped her arms around Fenris, only for him to brush them off.

"Uh...I wasn't-"

"Don't mind her," Fenris said. "She gets jealous around pretty girls that she thinks are a threat. I'm Fenris, and these girls, excluding Raphtalia and Filo, are my harem."

"Harem?" L'Arc askedb glaring at him. "Including a child?"

"She's a demi-human," Fenris said. "When she levels up, ber body will grow into an adult in a handful of levels, at which point she'll be able to actually be a part of my harem."

"I see," L'Arc said, staring at him a moment before smirking. "Well, I suppose to each their own, then."

Fenris nodded, eyes flicking to L'Arc's weapon. "Yeah, to each their own."

"So, we didn't get your name yet, Kiddo," L'Arc said.

"I'm Naofumi," Naofumi said. "Naofumi Iwatani."

"Naofumi, huh?" L'arc grinned, before he and Therese began to laugh. "Listen kid, if you're going to use an alias, I wouldn't suggest the Shield Hero's name."

"It's not an alias, I really am the Shield Hero," Naofumi grumbled.

"You?" L'Arc laughed. "You're the Shield Hero huh?"

"It's really not that funny, L'Arc," Therese said. "Bht I do agree with him. Your alias is a little too conspicuous."

"Huh?" Raphtalia asked. "But it's..."

"The Shield Hero's got a reputation," L'Arc said seriously. "He's one evil scumbag. Scams. Blackmail. Kidnapping. And he's got powerful friends who'll execute anyone he doesn't like. A devil in human clothing."

"Actually, that's not too far off the mark," Naofumi admitted.

"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia said.

"I guess you haven't heard, but the Shield Hero was cleared of all of the crimes he was accused of," Fenris said.

"Really?" L'Arc asked. "How'd he pull that one off?"

"The queen put a slave crest on her daughter, who accused the Shield Hero of all of them, in order to keep her from lying, then asked her about it," Fenris said. "Every time the princess said the crimes were true, the crest zapped her and proved they were false charges. The only thing the Shield Hero's guilty of is being probably the biggest cheapsckate and con-man I've ever met."

"You've actually met the Shield Hero?" L'Arc asked.

Fenris pointed at Naofumi and L'Arc laughed again.

"I see," L'Arc laughed. "Well, if that's the story you chose, we'll roll with it."

Fenris sighed. Either this guy was stupid, or he just didn't listen. But regardless of whether or not he believed they were telling a joke, that weapon certainly wasn't one.

"Nice to meet you Mister Shield Kiddo," L'Arc said, shaking NaoNaofumi's hand.

"Are you all headed to Cal Mira to level up as we are?" Therese asked.

"Yup, you got it!" Filo smiled.

"Well, you wanna team up while we're there?" L'Arc asked. "Your party's pretty big already, but I'm sure a couple more wouldn't hurt."

"Team up with you?" Naofumi asked.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Riley opened it and Fenris raised an eyebrow as a young sailor greeted them.

"If it's alright with the two of you, the captain would like ths five of you to greet the crew together," the sailor said.

"Fuck it," Fenris shrugged. "Why not."

He and Naofumi left the room, their parties following, and headed up to the ship. The other three heroes were all so seasick they couldn't stand, lying against the side of the ship.

"Hey wait, why are you two still walking around?" Itsuki asked.

"It must be that overpowered shield of Naofumi's, and Fenris's claws," Ren said.

"Actually, we're just not bitches about ships," Fenris said, smirking until he saw Whore off to the side with Motoyasu, other party member. "Ah Christ, what the fuck is Whore doing here?"

"I'm in Sir Motoyasu's party still!" Whore snapped. "What are you doing here, you damn demi-human freak!?"

"Well, unlike you, Bitch, I'm important," Fenris said. "Oh, and, this is for insulting Hana and Raphtalia, again. Nightfall."

Darkness flashed off of his sword, or, more like whatever the opposite of a flash was, and when it passed, Whore staggered to the side, arms out and panic on her face.

"What did you do to me!?" Whore demanded. "Why can't I see!?"

"Because that ability takes away my target's sight for an hour," Fenris smirked. "And this one takes their equilibrium. Counter Balance."

A second darkness flash went off from his sword and Whore gagged once before vomit sprayed out of her mouth, splattering over Motoyasu three feet away and setting all three of the other heroes off, all three vomiting over the side as well. Motoyasu's other party member quickly helped Whore to the side of the ship before glaring at Fenris.

"Fix her!" she said.

"That one will wear off in about ten minutes," Fenris said, waving a hand. "Plus I can't under abilities. Oh, and since we're on a ship, she'll most likely be sea sick until we hit land and her body has the chance to settle."

Whore tried to yell at him but begsin to vomit again, less violently now. Fenris smirked just as Filo sent a pair of gigantic fish crashing onto the deck of the ship.

"Hey Master!" she greeted Naofumi from the water, waving with one wing. "We're having grilled fish for dinner tonight!"

"Wait, Filo can swim?" Naofumi asked.

"Really?" Itsumi asked. "That's the first thing you have to say about this?"

"Those fish stink almost as bad as Motoyasu," Ren groaned, gagging.

"Hey, Shield Kiddo," L'Arc greeted them as he and Therese reached the deck of the ship. "Huh? What's going on with them?"

Whore vomitted agsin, followed by Motoyasu, then Ren.

"They're all wimps," Fenris shrugged.

"You need something?" Naofumi asked.

"Actually, Therese has a request," L'Arc said.

"Raphtalia was telling me about how exceptionally skilled you are at jewel crafting, so I was wongering if you'd be willing to craft something for me," Therese said.

"I guess so, but you'll have to give me the materials," Naofumi said.

"Of course," Therese said. "You can use any of the materials in this bag." She handed him a large sack of metals and a massive ruby. "And obviously I'll pay you for your trouble."

Naofumi inspected the ruby. "It'll take me a while, since I canct craft it while grinding levels. If that's okay, I'd be happy to make you something."

"That would be perfect!" Therese smiled.

"You got what you wanted, Therese," L'Arc smiled.

"Uh huh," Therese nodded.

"Hey L'Arc, can I talk to you for a minute?" Fenris asked.

"Sure," L'Arc nodded.

They walked to the prow of the ship and Fenris leaned on the railing, L'Arc leaning beside him.

"You strike me as a good judge of character, so I want you honest opinion," Fenris said. "What do you think of me?"

"Well, you come off as arrogant, and your morals are...questionable," L'Arc said. "Under normal circumstances, I'd say that anyone who has a harem is a sick, womanizing bastard. But they way you look at them, and the way you talk to them, I can tell you honestly love all of them. You're not just with them for the sex, although that's what you want the world to believe. I'm not sure why you do, but you do. Truthfully, I think you're a good person."

Fenris smirked. "Your powers of observation are terrifying. Alright. Well, if you're being that honest, I suppose I will too. I'm not just some adventurer." He drew his sword, shifting it between several forms, and several types of weapons. "I'm a Vassel Hero, and so are you, aren't you?"

"How did you..." L'Arc trailed off. "The translating."

"Yup," Fenris nodded. "You're the first one I've met besides the guy who gave me this weapon at the cost of his own life. So tell me, what exactly is a Vassel Hero? Are we just copies of Cardinal Heroes, meant to help them fight the waves? Or are we meant to do something more than that?"

"You really don't know anything?" L'Arc asked.

"Only how to weild my weapon," Fenris said. "I choose to help the four heroes fight the waves, because this is my home, and I'm not going to let it be destroyed by monsters. I won't let my girls be hurt again. If beating all of the waves means that they're safe, I'll fight anything I need."

"You don't know what the waves are, then," L'Arc said.

"Honestly, I've got a theory," Fenris said. "A bit crazy. When Ifirst revealed the true nature of my weapon, someone said it wasn't one of the Vassel Weapons, that it couldn't exist. And yet, it does. I think it's from a different world. I think that maybe the guy I got it from came through a portal. I think that's what the Waves are. A portal between our world and another, and the monsters are spilling over from their world into ours. And I have a hunch that you might be from another world as well."

L'Arc was silent for a long moment. "You're even smarter thsn I thought," L'Arc said. "Yeah, I'm from the world on the other side of the Waves. But they're not our monsters. The Waves are destroying our home too. But my being here is a secret, you can't tell anyone. Especially the Cardinal Heroes."

"What are you doing in our world?" Fenris asked.

"We're trying to find a way to save our world from the Waves," L'Arc said.

"Alright," Fenris nodded. "I can respect that."

L'Arc smiled. "You're an honorable man, Fenris. More or less."

Feneis smirked. "So...about Therese."

"Touch her and you die," L'Arc said flatly.

"I was going to ask if you've told her you're in love with her," Fenris smirked.

L'Arc's eyes widened before he sighed. "How'd you know?"

"I could see it in the way you look at her," Fenris said. "The same way you could see how I feel about my girls. So I take it you haven't told her?"

"Of course not," L'Arc said. "She wouldn't feel the same."

"I think you might be pleasantly surprised on that one," Fenris said. "What do you have to lose?"

"Her," L'Arc said.

"Touché," Fenris nodded. "Alright. Let me put it this way. You might regret telling her if she doesn't feel the same. You might regret telling her if she does, but it doesn't work out. But either way, you won't lose her. And there's a good chance that she will feel the same and that it will work out well. But if you don't tell her, regardless of how it turns out, you will always regret not telling her how you feel."

"How did you decide to tell Sofia?" L'Arc asked.

"She workeworked hard for weeks to get me to admit I love her," Fenris said. "I was terrified if losing her if I said it, but in the end, if I hadn't said it, I definitely would have lost her. I couldn't bear the thought of her leaving because I never told her the truth, so I said it. And she felt the same. And not long after, I found out we were having a child together. There had never really been a chance that I would have lost her if I had told her. I just made myself believe there was one out of self doubt, because in reality, I didn't believe I was worthy of her. I still don't, but she is constantly trying to show me that I am."

L'Arc was silent for a long moment. "I...can't ask her. I can't risk losing her."

"Even if she doesn't feel that way, she won't leave you," Fenris said. "But if you don't you will lose her. She'll know you're hiding something from her, and she'll stop trusting you."

"I can't," L'Arc said.

"Alright," Fenris nodded. "Do you want me to have Sofia talk to her first? Girls tell each other everything."

L'Arc hesitated.

"Therese will never know it was you," Fenris said.

"Alright," L'Arc sighed.

"Alright," Fenris nodded. "By the way, Therese isn't human, is she?"

"How did you know?" L'Arc asked.

"There's juat something about her that seems...different," Fenris said. "Is she a type of Familiar?"

L'Arc snorted. "Familiars aren't real."

Fenris summoned Shadow.

"Holy shit, you have Familiar Magic?" L'Arc asked. "I thought that was a myth!"

"Nope," Fenris said. "Just really rare."

L'Arc nodded. "Anyway, Therese is what's known as a Jewel in my world. It's a race born with a gemstone for a core."

"The yellow one on her chest," Fenris guessed.

"That's right," L'Arc nodded.

"Are all Jewel as beautiful as her?" Fenris asked. "If they are, I might have to come to your world and get myself one."

L'Arc's eye twitched but he smirked. "Now you're being a womanizer. But to answer your question, they're as diverse as any other race."

"Fair enough," Fenris nodded, just as the wind picked up. "There's going to be a storm."

"That's what the crew's saying," L'Arc nodded.

"Good," Fenris nodded. "That's going to be hell for Whore."

"Who?" L'Arc asked.

"Whore," Fenris grinned. "Also known as Bitch. She's the redhead ouking her guts out right now. She was the princess who accused the Shield Hero of all of his crimes, but once the truth came out, she was stripped of her nobility, any right to the throne, and was renamed Bitch. Her adventurer alter ego was renamed Whore."

L'Arc actually laughed. "That's one hell of a punishment. Man, that must be terrible. Anyway, I'm going to go get some of my things ready for Cal Mira. See you around."

"I'll let you know when Sofia's done talking with Therese," Fenris said.

L'Arc nodded and walked away, Sofia walking over beside Fenris.

"Therese is beautiful," Sofia said. "Are we going to try and give her a go?"

"No," Fenris said. "L'Arc's in love with her. Can you see if you can find out how she feels about him?"

"Absolutely," Sofia smiled.

She gave him a quick kiss before walking away to talk to Therese.

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