A/n- Moving right along with this next part. I think it would be cool if Heroes went more in depth about the logistics about heroes and the worlds they come from, having them worry about making friends/lovers in Askr but perhaps not being from the same version of their world as each other. This story goes into that kind of. Enjoy!
The Commission Files- File #740 Luck and Thunder Part 2
Characters: Joshua, Selena, Gerik, Duessel
Based on: A commission by HakkWolf on Twitter
Joshua and Gerik were getting in some training in the Training Towers with a few other heroes. It wasn't very strenuous training so they were able to talk to each other while they were fighting.
"You know, it amazes me how advanced the technology here is in Askr." Joshua commented. "Like take all these simulated fighters they have for us to train against, I would have never thought summoning magic could be used so effectively."
"Have to agree with you there Joshua." Gerik said cutting down another foe. "It's also nice that they don't bleed or show emotions, so it doesn't feel like we're killing real people for no reason. But what really gets me is how the environment changes every now and then. You could have a room like this in a castle or something and just be anywhere you want. Like you could have a nice picnic if it was raining or you could find a nice, warm, and cozy location covered in snow. I'm surprised Anna hasn't found some way to make money off this place."
"You could even go to the beach if you wanted to." Joshua added.
"Oh yeah, speaking of that, how was your vacation? I haven't gotten the time to ask you about it and I heard their were some spicy details to share." Gerik teased Joshua.
"Spicy details? Where did you hear that from?" Joshua wondered, genuinely surprised.
"I have my sources." Gerik said coyly. "So are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to win a bet with you to get you to spill the details?"
"Nothing much to tell really." Joshua answered calmly. "I got to know someone a bit better and we decided to see if it was going to go anywhere at a later date, nothing spicy about that now is there?"
"I guess not, though that does sound a bit mature for you Joshua." Gerik teased him again. "So, who is the lucky lady?"
"Now that one you're going to have to bet with me about." Joshua replied with a smirk. Right after he responded the scenery changed to a clearing with a long winding lake all about it. Then out of nowhere a simulated version of Selena came out and started attacking the two of them.
"Gods, I hate when they pit us up against real people, I thought I told them to stop doing that to me." Gerik said with a sigh. But Joshua was just frozen there for a bit, be it from shock of seeing Selena's face or from not really wanting to have to fight her, for real or a simulation. But he shook it off and helped Gerik take the illusion down before starting to walk towards the exit.
"I think I'm done for the day." He told Gerik. "Thank you for training with me, I'll see you later." Gerik could tell that Joshua was a bit shaken up for some reason though, so he followed him to make sure he was okay.
"Hey, come on, I could tell something was up with you in that last fight." He stated plainly. "What's going on?"
"My heart just wasn't in that fight you know? I think I'm just getting hungry or tired or something, no big deal." Joshua said with a fake smile, trying to brush it off. Gerik just gave him a look that told Joshua he wasn't buying it. "Well, you wanted to know who the lucky lady was, we just had a run in with her."
"Wait a second?! You and General Selena? Really?" Gerik asked with a hearty laugh. "What lines did you have to feed her to get that to happen?"
"Uh, the truth." Joshua replied flatly. "Look, she might seem like she's really uptight and serious all the time, but she knows how to relax and have a fun time as well as I learn on our vacation. I really think something is there and I want to see where it leads."
"Even if you'll have to fight her in the future?" Gerik asked more seriously.
"What do you mean?" Joshua asked slightly confused.
"Come on Josh, you aren't dumb. It might not be spelled out to us because it might affect our futures when we go back, but something is up in Grado." Gerik stated. "And Selena is a high ranking general in the Grado army while people like you and me are mercs with morals, one way or another we're gonna have to fight her for real eventually. Or at least that's how I see it."
"You bring up valid points." Joshua noted. "But like you said, we don't know exactly what's going to happen in our futures. Hell, we all might be from three different versions of Magvel for all we know."
"That's another thing, when this war is finally over, what then? You really just gonna leave her hanging like that if you get serious?" Gerik asked.
"I figured that bridge would get burned when we got to it." Joshua answered truthfully. "Besides, I've got a friend from my version of Elibe that knows how to travel realms, so I've got a backup plan."
"Sounds like you've got this all figured out Joshua. I just hope Lady Luck is on your side like she usually is." Gerik replied, genuinely caring for Joshua's feelings.
"Just to let you in on a secret my friend, Lady Luck is rarely on my side, I have to make my own luck most of the time, and I plan to do that here as well." Joshua told him. "But thanks for looking out for me, you're a good friend." Gerik nodded and the two left the Training Towers and went their separate ways. Joshua was walking back to his room when he just happened to pass by Selena who wanted to speak with him. She saw the shell bracelet around his wrist and knew he was the right one.
"Hello again Joshua." She said politely with a smile.
"Selena, I was just thinking about you actually." Joshua replied with a chuckle. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm doing good, thank you for asking." Selena told him. "Though I have been looking for you so I can ask you a question."
"Oh, you have? Well, fire away, I'm not busy at the moment." Joshua told her.
"Good. So, I was wondering if you'd be willing to have dinner with me tonight in my room. It's been a couple days since our moment on the beach and I was hoping we could spend some time together." Selena offered.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" Joshua answered happily. "And my schedule is clear for tonight as well, so I don't see any problem with that."
"Wonderful, it's a date then." Selena replied, a bit relieved that everything was going so smoothly. "So, what kind of food do you like?"
"Honestly, living as a mercenary, I'll eat anything as long as it's prepared correctly." Joshua said truthfully. "So whatever you want to eat is good with me. In fact, why don't you surprise me and have us eat your favorite food, that sounds like it could be interesting."
"Hmmm, alright, I think I can do that. When should I expect you? Around the same time as the mess hall dinner?" Selena wondered.
"Maybe just a tad bit later than that, I have some organizing and cleaning I need to do in my room this afternoon." Joshua told her. "Oh, and should I dress for the occasion?" That was a bit of a tease as shown by his smirk.
"Your normal attire is fine, just make sure it's clean." Selena teased back. "Alright, I think that's everything I need to know. Thank you for being so easy to talk to as usual Joshua, I really appreciate that."
"Hey, not a problem." Joshua replied with a smile. "See you later tonight." And with that he moved in and kissed Selena on the cheek before moving on towards his room. Selena blushed a bit from his boldness and she was glad that there wasn't really anyone around to see what happened. But she was happy that Joshua had accepted and that he wasn't pulling her leg about wanting to see where they were going with this relationship.
"Well, I guess I need to prepare to make the food, I wonder if I still have that recipe page somewhere in my room." Selena said to herself before going to her own room to look and prepare. She did end up finding the recipe she was looking for and a few hours later she was in the mess hall kitchen preparing everything when her fellow Grado general Duessell came in wearing an apron over his casual clothes.
"General Selena! I wasn't expecting to see you here this evening." He said with a bit of happiness in his tone. "Are you my partner for preparing everyone's food today?"
"Not exactly General, I'm here making food for me and someone I invited to my room for dinner. I think that it's actually Prince Ephraim's turn to work in the kitchen with you." Selena answered him truthfully.
"You invited someone to dinner? In your own room?" Duessel asked a bit shocked. "I didn't know our Majesty the Emperor had finally been summoned to Askr! I'll have to get the chance to speak with him later."
"No, no, you misunderstand." Selena noted. "Emperor Vigarde isn't here with us yet, I invited someone else. A friend I made while I was on that beach trip."
"Well, they must be a pretty good friend then to be getting this type of attention from you Selena." Duessel noted. "Anyone I would know?"
"Probably, he is from Magvel." Selena told him. "Do you know Joshua, the mercenary who always wears his hat everywhere and loves to gamble? It's him." Duessel couldn't help but chuckle and almost fully laugh when he heard that. "What? I'm telling the truth!"
"Sorry General Selena, I just can't imagine you getting wooed by some flirty and aloof mercenary like him." He admitted. "I would more likely think you lost a bet with him and this was the punishment. Not that your cooking is bad or anything, just that sounds like something he would want from you."
"I don't blame you, if I was in your position I would think the same thing." Selena admitted. "But Joshua is a lot more than what he lets everyone see. He's a very caring and intelligent man, thoughtful as well." She said the last part as she put her hand on her own shell bracelet for a moment. "And yes, it doesn't hurt that he is quite handsome as well, but that's not the important part."
"I see." Duessel said pondering her words for a few moments. "Well, far be it from me to stop you from enjoying yourself General Selena, if what you say is true then I'm happy for you to find someone to share time and a meal with. Just be careful, the heart can cut deeper than any weapon made of steel or silver. If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out to me."
"Of course General Duessel, and I appreciate that, truly. As always you are the wisest of all of Grado's generals." Selena told him. She had great respect for the man, his ability in battle was bar none but his wisdom was just on par. And he too had helped her get her footing when she was named a general, so they had a good working relationship. A bit later Ephraim came into the kitchen and the three of them got to cooking up dinner. Selena did end up helping the two other chefs a bit, Ephraim was a bit lacking in his culinary skill, but it didn't take much longer than expected. When it was done they notified the servers before starting to clean the kitchen up.
"General Selena, leave the cleaning for us, go have some fun with your dinner." Duessel said after a bit.
"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you two hanging." Selena noted.
"Not to worry General Selena, I have experience cleaning up my own messes, so it should be just fine." Ephraim replied. "And if you have a date I would hate to keep you from it."
"Thank you, both of you." Selena said with a bow before getting all the food she made and placing it on a cart to wheel to her room.
Joshua was just putting the final touches on his room when he looked out at the sun starting to set and heard people making their way to the dining hall. He walked over to his mirror and gave his face and clothes a look over to make sure he was still clean and looking good, and seeing that he was he walked to his door, opened it, and started walking to Selena's room. It was in the opposite direction of the dining hall so he was walking against the flow of everyone else, though he was doing his best to stay out of the way.
"Joshua, you forget which way dinner is?" Gerik said as they were about to pass each other.
"Nope, I've got a date." Joshua stated as they passed since they didn't have time to stop and talk to each other longer. Eventually he made it through the crowd and to Selena's room. He straightened his outfit out and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. "Selena! It's me Joshua, are you ready for me?"
"Yes! Come on in, the door is unlocked!" Selena called back as she was finishing the last touches on the table settings. So Joshua opened the door and slowly walked into Selena's room, giving it a good look over as he closed the door behind him.
"I kind of figured your room would be neat and clean." He commented as Selena walked over to him. "But it looks nice, I like all the simple decorations and such you've put around the room."
"Thank you, I tried my best to make it a little more like home." Selena noted before taking Joshua's hand and leading him towards the table. "Speaking of home, I decided to make you my favorite meal from when I was younger." With that she lifted the lid off the trays keeping the food warm and let Joshua see what it was. "I hope you like beef and noodle stew."
"Yeah, I love stew, thank you Selena." Joshua replied with a genuine smile. "But before anything else, I must be a proper gentleman to you." He said that as kind of a joke, but he did pull Selena's chair out for her and let her sit down first before he did.
"Come on, I know you have good manners Joshua, you don't have anything to prove to me." Selena chuckled as she took her seat.
"Eh, maybe, but I like being considerate anyways." Joshua noted. He caught a whiff of the stew and it really hit the spot for him. "This really smells great. Do you have any pre-meal rituals I need to know about before we dig in?"
"No, not particularly." Selena replied. "But I would like you to taste it first to see how I did."
"Oh, sure." Joshua said taking a spoon and making sure to get a little bit of everything on it. He blew on it gently to cool it off before taking it into his mouth. It was still very warm, but the good kind of warm, not the kind that burned your mouth off or anything. The noodles were fully cooked and the meat was just the right consistency as well. Joshua's eyes lit up and he smiled as it went down into his stomach. "Mmmm, this is wonderful Selena, you should try it too."
So Selena did just that, maybe not savoring it as much as Joshua did, but she was really happy with how it came out. The next few moments were just filled with the two of them enjoying eating and the sounds around them, but of course they had to talk to each other eventually so Joshua decided to break the silence.
"You do know that I have to know the story about why this is your favorite food now right?" He teased Selena before continuing to eat more stew.
"Well, it's not a very complicated tale honestly." Selena started. "As I told you before my village really didn't have a lot going for it financially, so we really couldn't afford to eat a lot of meat. So whenever we did get the chance it was a big celebration. The whole village would gather round and everyone would get some, and even if it was just a small amount everyone was just a bit happier because of it. It just reminds me of a simpler time when I was happy and with my parents."
"Hey, I don't blame you there." Joshua noted. "But yeah, I can understand that fully. Speaking of your parents, are they still alive by chance?"
"Yes, and peacefully so I might add. It really helps that I send some of my pay as general back home to support them." Selena answered. "They've done so much for me, there is no way I wouldn't help them back as they get up in years."
"Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else out of a wonderful woman such as yourself." Joshua said genuinely, getting Selena to blush a bit.
"You're really good at making people feel good about themselves Joshua, I like that about you." Selena noted before going in with her own question. "So what about your parents, how are they?" Luckily Joshua knew what he was going to say for this question, so he was prepared.
"Well, it's just my mother these days, my father died of an illness a couple years ago." Joshua started. Of course 'a couple of years ago' was coming up on 20 soon enough, but Selena didn't need to know that right now. "I didn't want to bring it up at the beach since we were having such a nice time. But my mother is doing well, she's the head of a worker's guild and helps find people jobs who need them. And I sent her some extra money every now and then too, but she probably doesn't need it as much as your folks might."
"I'm sure she still appreciates the thought." Selena assured him. "And you probably write her and tell her all the stories you have of helping people right? I'm sure she's proud of you."
"Yeah, she's really cool like that. Sometimes I just wish I went and saw her more." Joshua admitted, kind of truthfully. "I know I'm kind of in control of that, but sometimes it just skips my mind. Like who knows when will be the last time I see her?"
"I feel that, truly." Selena said reaching over the table and putting her hand on Joshua's shoulder in a comforting motion. "But even if we do never see our parents again for some reason, as long as they know we love them and they love us, then I think we can all take comfort in that."
"Thank you Selena, I needed to hear that." Joshua said softly taking her hand in his and then gently kissing the back of it. It was quite the touching moment between the two of them, even if Joshua was lying his ass off about half of it. Either way, the two chatted about this or that as they continued to eat. Selena also made some salad to go with the stew and they both enjoyed that as well. When it was all done the both of them cleaned everything up and placed it on the cart Selena used to get it all to her room so they could take it to the kitchen later. After that they two of them were standing together in the middle of the room, wondering what to do next.
"That was a wonderful dinner Selena." Joshua commented softly. "I'll have to make it up to you and invite you to my room some time."
"I think I would like that." Selena replied in an equally soft tone. "But, I don't want to think about the future right now, we're not done here tonight."
"We aren't?" Joshua asked with a bit of a smirk.
"Of course we aren't." Selena said before moving over and planting a kiss on his lips. "Don't you remember how we were interrupted on the beach? We said we'd get to it later, and it's later now."
"Hmm, I might need some more reminding actually." Joshua teased before moving in himself and kissing Selena. This time it was a bit longer and lingering and he wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. "Oh, now I remember. I wanted to feel your chest up and you commented on what I've got down there. You sure you want to continue that?"
"I'm sure." Selena assured him. "Today is a safe day for me if I've counted correctly, and you don't have to worry about hurting me or anything, horse riding and some other incidents you know. Of course I'm sure I'm not the first woman you've been with either."
"It's less than you think." Joshua admitted. "Yes I may act like a flirt, but I truly only get this close to women I think I have a real shot with. For whatever that's worth."
"That's a surprise honestly, but getting to know you better it is in character." Selena teased him.
"I just have one thing I need to talk to you about." Joshua noted. "And if it brings the mood down I'll take the blame for it, but I feel it needs to be said. When this war in Askr is over and we get sent home to Magvel, you know we might not end up in the same one right?"
"It's something I gave some thought yes." Selena replied. "But what if we do? What if we are from the same Magvel? And even if we aren't, maybe we can find a way to find each other again, we found each other here right?"
"Well, I just don't want you to be too heartbroken if somehow we don't see each other again when it's all done." Joshua told her. "I mean I have a friend back home that could help me find you, but even then it's not a guarantee. I just want to know you're okay sharing yourself and your love with me knowing that's a possibility."
"Joshua, I know very well how it feels to have an impossible love, it's happened to me before once." Selena admitted. "In fact in a small part I still have those feelings. But I'd rather spend the time I do have with someone rather than worrying about the consequences of possibly never seeing them again. I'd rather experience love for a short time than not at all, wouldn't you?"
"Selena, that's exactly how I feel too." Joshua assured her. "And you telling me how you feel makes me so happy, you don't even know. So yes, I would love to spend as much time as I can with you while we have it."
"Good." Selena said with confidence. "Now that we have that figured out, maybe we can get back to where we were interrupted."
"You want me to get my swim trunks then?" Joshua joked.
"How about the next best thing?" Selena teased him before moving over to her bed and starting to peel off her clothes until she was just in her underwear.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Joshua replied with a smirk, walking over and doing the same. "I hope you don't mind, but I prefer keeping my hat on."
"Ha! I had a feeling." Selena said with a laugh as Joshua got in bed with her. "Well, I figure this will work better if you sit on the edge of the bed and I sit on your lap, that way you don't have to strain your arms so much like on the beach."
"Sounds good to me." So Joshua sat on the edge of the bed and Selena sat on his lap facing him.
"And just so you know, my bra clasps in the front, whenever that may come up." Selena teased him.
"Good to know." Joshua smirked.
After that there wasn't a lot of talking going on. The two of them started making out like they had been on the beach and it just got hotter and hotter from there. Underwear thrown across the room and on the floor, hands and lips all over each other, Joshua even got to lick and suck on Selena's tits like he really wanted to. Eventually Selena got turned around so Joshua could get a better grip on her chest as he fucked her, and fuck her he did. It was good that Askr had some thick walls because if they didn't everyone would be hearing both Selena and Joshua's moans down each and every hallway. It was honestly the best sex either of them had ever had, even if that was a short list. Joshua's hat even stayed on the whole time. But eventually like all good things it had to end, but even the ending was great, both of them cumming at the same time and Selena getting that nice warm feeling of Joshua's seed filling her womb. When they were down Joshua fell back on the bed and Selena turned around and fell onto his chest with a big smile on her face.
"If it's gonna be this good every time, we might have to move our rooms next to each other." She commented through her breath and messed up hair.
"Agreed." Joshua replied, also out of breath. "For someone with not a lot of experience, you really rocked my world Selena."
"I was just doing what felt good and what made you make all those cute sounding moans." Selena teased him.
"Well, whatever it was, I enjoyed it." After that they stopped talking to catch their breath a bit before sitting up and starting to clean themselves off. "I am so glad no one can hear us in other rooms though, that would be embarrassing."
"What? You don't think it would be good for your flirty reputation?" Selena joked.
"I mean it would be, but what good is a flirty reputation when you're going steady with someone?" Joshua asked genuinely. "And I don't want anyone to get jealous of either of us, I have a feeling we're pretty high on most people's 'would be willing to have a one night stand with' list."
"Well, they can stay jealous, because we're off the market for now." Selena said before pulling Joshua back down on the bed so they could cuddle.
"So, just asking, do you sleep naked, or is this just a special thing?" Joshua wondered, but was also kind of joking.
"I could make it a regular thing if you joined me every night." Selena tempted him.
"That's a very tempting proposition Selena, I might have to consider that." Joshua teased her. "But being serious for a moment, thank you for tonight. It was really everything I could hope it to be and I really like where we're going together. It nice to have some stability since we're so far away from home and everything."
"I agree, we have our own little piece of Magvel here together, and I really love that feeling." Selena replied. "And I have to thank you as well Joshua, if you didn't take the chance on getting to know me better we wouldn't be here right now either."
"Hey, I know an interesting woman when I see one, and you Selena are very interesting, and intelligent, and inviting, and a bunch of other 'I' words that make you special." Joshua said snuggling up to her even more.
"Such a way with words you have." Selena said getting closer as well before yawning. "Gods, the one thing about beef stew, it makes you tired after a while. And I guess the hot, steamy sex had something to do with it as well."
"Sure enough." Joshua noted with his own sigh. "Would you like me to spend the night with you then Selena?"
"Do you even need to ask?"
