WHO COULD HAVE GUESSED IT?! ANOTHER CHAPTER TO THE STORY!
Dear readers, you'll all be happy to hear that after successfully , I have managed to put together another awesome chapter for the story.
Thanks for the solid feedback and reviews from all you guys out there.
Lawrence H. Bain- Is there going to be romance in this?
My Response- I honestly couldn't even tell ya, bro. This was supposed to be a one-shot. I don't even know how I've made it this far with this story. XD
Warning: The Dark Side of the FanService is a pathway to many abilities some would consider unnatural. Supreme Gamer is not responsible for those who are lost in traveling such a treacherous and lewd path. You have been warned.
"Wait-wait-wait, this isn't what it looks like!" Kaylen screamed as he tried his best to run to the opposite end of the massive bath.
"YOU WRETCH!" Velka said with clear outrage and a furrowed brow, as her body radiated a light blue hue and chains comprised of pure sorcery extended from her person and into the bath's waters. "You dare intrude upon Princess Gwynevere?!"
Within seconds, they'd wrapped themselves tightly around Kaylen's ankles, before summarily tripping him up and the lifting him upside down high above the comforts of the warm waters.
"WAAGH! Wait! I'm the victim here! The innocent, the blameless, the stooge, the-"
"Be quite! There is nothing you can say to justify your pathetic and deviant attempts at peeping in on the princess!" Velka said as she willed forth a multitude of swords to hover within the air.
"Oh, come on! You know I'm not that stupid!"
"Do I?!"
"You're still mad about the smell thing, aren't you? I thought we got over this whole "I hate Kaylen" thing last night."
"Got over-. Why the hell would you think that?! I specifically said "You are not forgiven, and we are not friends!". And that's obviously not even why I'm angry right now!" Velka exclaimed at the idiocy that had reached her ears just as Ciaran approached at her side.
"Wow~….Not a bad package you're working with there, Kaylen. I'd give it a solid seven out of ten." Ciaran commented with a nod of her head as she got a good look at the naked man before her.
"Okay, can you not be so comfortable with eyeing me like that?!" Kaylen said with clear embarrassment as he used his hands to cover himself as best he could while hanging upside down.
"Heh, no need to be shy. I've had to deal with my share of naked men in my line of work. Much easier to get in close when they think they have a shot at getting lucky." Ciaran laughed in a friendly manner, not put off in the slightest by the sight before her. "Besides, it's a compliment. You're going to make some woman very lucky one day."
"Oh, well…Thanks, I guess. Uh, you both look nice today too. Wasn't expecting the abs though." Kaylen said, trying his best to relax and carry the same casual bearing being shown to him. "
"Oh, thank you for the compliment. We work very hard to keep our forms. Morning stretches, a few friendly rounds of sparing, those sorts of things."
"Well, it's definitely paid off for your figures. And what's up with those outfits? Don't you two usually were dresses and masks and stuff?"
"Oh, do you like them? Their specially made clothing meant for workout sessions." Ciaran said as she turned and presented herself in a flattering angle to show off her shape a bit. "From what I hear, the tight fabric is meant to lift pressure away from muscles, as well as aiding in blood circulation to boost performance. Though I'm reasonably certain it's simply parts a jesters uniform that been cut into-"
"Ciaran! Is now really the time for that?! He's naked with Princess Gwynevere!" Velka exclaimed, interrupting the tangent the two somehow started off into.
"I think you're really over reactin-IIIING." Kaylen cried as the chains around his ankles slow began to spread his legs apart into a split.
"You, of all people, don't get to say I'm overreacting! Your actions this day will not stand." Velka said with a glare.
"Yes, I suppose this is a bit of a problem that needs handling." Ciaran said as she calmly placed a hand on her hip and turned her attention towards the other female occupant of the room. "So what exactly did you do, Gwynevere? Why is he here?"
"Nothing at all has been done. Not that it any of thy business, Ciaran. We've just been talking as friends and enjoying each other's company." The Princess responded with a small hint of annoyance being heard behind her the softness of her gaze. "I believe a better question is why is it the two of thee feel the need to barge in and unjustly assault mine companion here."
"Yeah! I haven't done anything to warrant-OOOG! Okay-Okay, I'll shut up!" Kaylen screamed as his legs were stretched that much further.
"Your majesty, do I truly need to explain why someone of your position being alone in the bath with a human is a bad thing? I should think not" Ciaran said with a shake of her head to the red hair Princess, before turning her attention back to the man dangling before her. "But fine. Luckily, you're not the only one who can give me details on what's going on. Velka, would you please drop him?"
"You worded it like that on purp-"
SPLASH
Kaylen didn't even get to finish his sentence before Velka summarily dispelled her magic and did as requested, promptly allowing the human to fall from the air and into the water. Even giving his body a small swing so that he didn't fall headfirst…
…Unfortunately, that also meant that he would have to suffer the pain of his body belly flopping directly into the bath. Which stung just as much as one might imagine it would.
"Really?" Ciaran said to her friend with a raised eyebrow at such an uncalled-for action.
"What? He's fine." Velka said, just as the pain rebounded across Kaylen's body and he stood himself up from the water.
SLOSH
"OOWCH!" the human screamed as he pulled his mind away from the stinging sensation that radiated all across the front of his form.
"Truly, Kaylen, that was not my intention. Just a poor choice of words." Ciaran apologized aloud to the human.
"Uggh, I don't believe that for a single second." Kaylen decreed aloud, clearly miffed at being dropped so needlessly.
"Oh, stop crying like a woman and walk off. You're lucky to receive only such mild pain for being here. I knew you were a moron, but even I thought you had enough brains to know not to harass the progeny of Lord Gwyn himself."
"It might have helped if you gave me two seconds to explain that the Princess-"
"Kaylen!" Gwynevere exclaimed, cutting off the young human off before he could explain further in a tone that said she demanded his attention. "I believe that's enough talking."
"What?" the human said in clear confusion.
"What goes on between the two of us is none of their concern. We've done nothing wrong here and thou still has a job to do."
Kaylen looks to Velka and Ciaran for a moment, before looking back to the Princess.
"You can't be serious. Do you not see these two standing there? We can't just- "
"Goodness. And here I was believing thou had learned thy place enough to heed my commands once given. I suppose I'll have to punish thee later for thy disobedience." Gwynevere said with a bit more ice in her tone, causing Kaylen to pause as goosebumps crawled along his back at the word "Punish" leaving her lips. "Now get back over here and finish giving me my massage. If I hear thee speak again without my permission, Ciaran and Velka will be the least of thy concerns."
At this, though he probably should have realized it sooner, Kaylen suddenly became painfully aware that the assassin and the war goddess probably couldn't hold a candle to what the Princess of Anor Londo could have done to him.
And in his ignorance of the bigger threat between them, he'd unwittingly garnered her irritation.
It was enough to leave him completely frozen in place for a few moments, prompting Gwynevere to impatiently beckon him over with a finger. Though this time there was little playfulness in the act.
Not willing to piss her off any further, Kaylen gave a sigh of resignation, before moving through the water until he was in front of the Princess once again. Bowing down before her and allowing her to comfortably prop her foot atop his extended knee.
He then returned to massaging her foot as was expected of him. Though, even with his realization of the danger the princess presented, he could not help but frown a bit at being cowed and forced to submit in such a manner.
"Aw~, there's no need to make such a face." Gwynevere said gently as the look of vexation she held slipped away from her, as if it were nothing but a mask, and was once more replaced by a look of genuine tender concern. At hearing her words, almost as if some force was compelling him to relinquish his displeasure, the Kaylen felt his thoughts begin to be soothed and relaxed. "I'm not angry with thee, Kaylen. Perish such a thought. But I need thee to understand that what I say doth take priority. And to teach you that, I cannot hesitate to discipline thee when thy steps out of line. All in the name of maintaining our companionship, of course."
As the softness of her tone reached his ears, Kaylen instinctively felt that something was wrong. Or rather, that what she was saying felt far too right. There was something too soothing about the sound of her voice…why was he calming down so easily? She just threatened him with some form of punishment for acting reasonably. He obviously wasn't happy about that, so why did he feel himself relaxing and settling down? And why did her feet feel so appealing to his touch all of a sudden? He didn't have a foot fetish, so this definitely shouldn't feel so right!
As these questions arose in Kaylen's mind and he grew more interested in his task, the Princess turns her attention back towards the two newcomers.
"Now, regarding the two of thee. Once more I'd like to ask why thou felt the need to come barging in and spoiling the mood?"
"Ugh, is this what you do in your spare time now? Make some perverted game out of toying with a human in the bath?" Velka said, plainly pointing out the reality of the situation.
"What does it matter to thee what I do in my spare time or with him? Doth the "Fearsome and terrifying Velka" not have more important matters to concern herself with?" Gwynevere retorted nonchalantly, as she used her thumb to move a bit of her flawless red hair behind her ear. "Or is it thy past history with him that prompts such concern for him?"
"I could care less about this pathetic man or what he does. But when it comes to a member of the royal family, it is my job to ensure the dignity of the kingdom and crown is not sullied." Velka said with a shake of her head, finding the very idea of finding the human "concerning" to be an insult to her very person.
"She's right, Gwynevere. He needs to leave. Nothing has been done that cannot be ignored, so let us end things now before that fact changes." Ciaran added, knowing that such a scene would greatly impact the image of the royal family. Prompting Kaylen to grow a bit hopeful such a proclamation.
Could it really be ended as easily as that?
"He needs to leave, does he? A pity. He was just telling me how easy it was to spot the two Lord's Blades that were following him." Gwynevere said with a smirk. Causing Ciaran to perk up in clear confusion, before her eye's grew a sense of seriousness to them.
"…What did you just say?" the assassin said with a slight tilt of her head, as if to say she was certain she must have misheard.
"Oh, yes. It didn't even take him long to do so. Said that though he could not see them, their footsteps were so noticeable to his senses that they might as well not have hidden at all." Gwynevere said with clear exaggeration, prompting Kaylen to freeze mid-massage before turning towards Ciaran and seeing that she was throwing a particularly intense look his way.
"Is that true, Kaylen?"
Hearing this, the young human cursed internally at the situation suddenly taking such a turn. However, remembering that he had been ordered not to speak, he could only put on the most apologetic smile he could manage, before shrugging his shoulders and nervously turning his focus back towards his task.
"Heh, not a single word. It seems he can indeed be taught to follow directions. Good job, Kaylen." Gwynevere complimented pleasantly, as she flexed her immaculate toes in his hands as a reward.
"Huh…I change my mind. Perhaps having a chat with our mutual friend here wouldn't be such a bad thing." Ciaran said calmly, never once taking her eyes off the human who was currently trying to make himself as small as possible.
"You can't be serious." Velka said with clear annoyance in her voice.
"Deadly serious, I'm afraid. I was planning to have a conversation with him over a few things later anyway, so this works out perfectly."
"Certainly. It's quite the treat to hear you've changed your mind, Ciaran." Gwynevere said with an impish look in her eye as Kaylen looked to her and began shaking his head and mouthing the word "No." repeatedly. "Please, do join us. The waters just perfect."
At this invitation, without showing even a single seconds hesitating, Ciaran proceeded to remove her form fitting pants, top and undergarments, before making her way to the baths edge. Once he caught sight of a flawlessly feminine form breaking the water's surface, Kaylen once again cursed internally as he doubled his efforts on focusing on the task of massaging Gwynevere.
Even going to far as to pull her foot closer to his person and begin kneading her calf in a desperate attempt to distract himself from looking anywhere near Ciaran's exposed form.
"Oh~, now that's the sort of motivation I like to see." Gwynevere said with clear approval at the human's sudden enthusiasm, completely taking the sensation of his fingers riding a little higher up on her leg in stride. "Will you be joining us as well, Velka? Or will you wait for us to finish instead?"
The Goddess of Sin crossed her arms with a sneer as she thought things over for a moment. The sweat on her body currently made her feel far to unclean for comfort and she didn't even want to think about just how far behind schedule she was with all of these holdups.
Give the paperwork just a small window and, just like Lord Gwyn, she'd have piles upon piles of it waiting for her. Stubbornly holding out for them to finish talking and bathing would do nothing but negatively affect her task for the day.
She sneered once more before speaking directly to the source of her ire.
"Just try and catch a glimpse of me, Kaylen. I promise it won't be a sight you'll be able to enjoy for long."
With her threat given, Velka too removed her morning attire from her body and bared her form openly, before rolling her shoulders a bit and placing herself into the warm waters alongside Ciaran.
With that, the bath had filled itself with three goddesses, each one bearing enough beauty to send men into a frenzy, and a lone human man, who was doing his upmost to deny his biological urges to look up and stare at the visage of their naked, godly forms.
He beckons Gwynevere to switch legs so that he could take care of the other, hoping that he could satisfy her wants quickly and get away from this terrible situation without making things worse for himself.
However, Ciaran had other ideas on the matter.
"So they were "So noticeable they might as well not have hid at all", eh? That's quite the boast when speaking of a Lord's Blade, young Kaylen. You must be quite proud of your senses." Ciaran said, the coldness of her tone sending shivers up Kaylen's spine. "However, I feel I must inform you that in our line of work, to be noticed so easily, especially by a human senses, is a very shameful thing. So despite Gwynevere's nonchalant attitude on the matter, know that I do not take such a thing lightly."
At this, Kaylen got a clear idea of why it was that Ciaran seemed so upset. It seemed that she'd taken a bit of an offense to a human being able to find those of her order with such ease. Though, of course, Gwynevere's exaggeration of things didn't exactly help.
But either way, Kaylen was ordered not so say a word, so he kept his mouth shut and eyes towards Gwynevere as she alternated her foot, one from the other.
"It's fine if you cannot not speak right now. I understand completely. However…" the water was only just barely disturbed as the assassin made her way directly beside his person in a manner that said their current nudity didn't mean anything to her. "I must insist that you keep such an occurrence to yourself. We have a reputation to maintain, you see. A reputation that comes with enemies that would be overjoyed to know that we can't even handle monitoring a single human. So please, don't make me take steps to ensure that rumors of incompetence do not begin to spread."
Hearing the severity of Ciaran's words and the oddity of her action, Gwynevere quickly found herself interest in a such a topic and her little human's reaction to such a threat. As long as things weren't focused on poking their noses in her affairs, she considered this little more than entertainment to be enjoyed.
"Kaylen, thou has my permission to respond. But bear in mind that this was a privilege that can easily be taken away."
Hearing her practically throw him under the bus by granting him his voice, Kaylen quickly advised himself that, above all else, his goal should be damage control. Which mainly meant; Try to settle things quickly without making things worse.
"Yes, Princess." He responded respectfully before addressing the assassin at his side. "And I understand you completely, Ciaran. It wasn't my intention to step on anyone's toes or anything like that. Next time, I'll just pretend not to notice them when their around."
"Wrong answer." Velka said offhandedly, much to Kaylen's confusion.
"What do you mean pretend not to notice them?" Ciaran questioned plainly.
"Uh, I just meant that I'd…try not to be so on edge so they can do their job. It'll be a lot easier for them then if I don't make a fuss about them, right?"
"Still wrong." Velka said plainly once again as she rinsed down her shoulders with the warm water surrounding her.
"So you think you have to give a handicap for a Lord's Blade to monitor you? Unless I am mistaken, that must mean you believe your abilities to be that much superior to our own." Ciaran said with not so much anger, but more along the lines of one warrior challenging the skills of another.
"What? No, no, no, I'm not suggesting that I'm anyone's equal or anything. It's just…well…I've had a lot of time hunting and being hunted by beast of all kinds in the forest and mountains, so I'm really good at keeping an eye out for myself. That's all, Ciaran."
"Hm, warmer, but not quite where you wanna be." Velka commented once more.
"Okay, if you know the right thing I should say, why not just tell me?" Kaylen said with clear annoyance towards the peanut gallery, though making sure not to turn anywhere in her direction.
"Because then you won't learn." The goddess responded with a shake of her head, finally draining the last of the human's patience regarding the goddesses around him.
"Fine. I'm dropping the pleasantries. Ciaran, this conversation is idiotic and pointless. What the hell would I have to gain by suggesting in any regard that I'm better than a Lord's Blade or whatever it is their called? The answer, as I'm sure you can guess, is nothing. So why pretend otherwise?" Kaylen said as his aggravation peaked. "If anything, you should be talking to your assassin's about "maintaining your reputation" instead of wasting your breath threatening the person they failed to stay hidden from. And you know what? If they try to follow me so halfheartedly like they did today, it would be hard for me not to notice them….respectfully speaking, of course."
Despite his last words, Kaylen's tone was anything but polite. Not that he cared much at the moment. He was only human and patience for being treated like a doormat did have it limits.
At his blatantly irreverent wording, each of the three goddesses all paused for a moment at the declaration. Velka found herself stunned at the sheer audacity of him to proclaim such a thing about the Lord's Blade's directly to the face of their commander, wondering if it was bravery or ignorance that granted such a level of gall.
Gwynevere too could not help but stare with deep interest at the humans' words and attitude toward Ciaran. To her, his words might as well have been an open admission of "I don't have time to play this game. Either tell them to do better or don't bother."
Though he did not realize it, this little show had only further solidified the princess's investment in him.
As for Ciaran…oddly enough her expression didn't give much of anything away of how she felt. For a scarce few moments, she merely turned her nose up at the human and examined him in silence.
Then, completely contrary to what Gwynevere or Velka expected, the Lord's Blade shrugged her shoulders in a laid-back manner and said…
"Hm…Can't argue with that, I suppose."
""What?"" Velka and Gwynevere said in tandem with clear disbelief.
"Well, he's got a point. It wouldn't exactly be reasonable to blame the target for spotting those sent to watch over him. Of course, I'll have to reprimand my fellow Blades for their blunder, but as long as he has no intention to let what happen spread, we're square." Ciaran said as she relaxed at the side of Princess Gwynevere at the baths edge. Unable to help himself, Kaylen glanced up at the assassin's naked form for a fraction of a second. Just enough time to see the eerily calm look in her eyes and relaxed state of her body. He immediately recognized it as the look of a calm predator gazing upon its prey, so assured that it had already captured it's meal.
Once the mere breath of a moment passed him by, Kaylen was quick to shift his gaze away once more. Though he knew for a fact that she noticed, he tried his best to play it off not acknowledging it.
"Sounds good to me. I'm glad we're still on good terms then, Ciaran. I hope that="
"Oh, silly me. It seems I've misstepped in my wording for the second time today. I just remembered the other topic I wished to discuss with you." The assassin said in a pleasant tone that sent shivers down the human's spine. "For you see, I have been working myself ragged covering for you of late and ensuring your stay here is one of betterment and learning. And I've been doing it all out of the kindness of my heart. But I'm afraid that my good will has run its course."
"Good will? You're the one who's keeping here in the first place!" the young man exclaimed with clear disapproval.
"Heh, heh, we've already been over this, Kaylen. I merely provided the option for you to remain here and taking it was completely your choice." Ciaran chuckled coyly. "But back to my main point; Which would be telling you that your freebies have run out. If you wish for me to continue looking out for you, well… you'd have to owe me something of a favor. To be called upon it whenever I feel the need arises."
"What are you, a loan shark? Hell no. I don't want to owe you of all people any favors."
"You sure about that? I'd reconsider if I were you." Ciaran said coyly, with a smirk and a tilt of her head. "I've already diverted multiple dire threats away from you, including Velka. Who, by the way, was on her way to tear you apart before I stepped in and convinced her not to."
"I'm not apologizing. He had it coming." Velka admitted freely.
"And there you have it. The fact is, whether you like it or not, without me you likely wouldn't last very long here. And without your word that you'll would repay my kindness, I'm afraid that I'd have little incentive to watch your back or keep any of your secrets." Ciaran explained with a smile and a shrug. "That includes this fun little encounter with Princess Gwynevere. Oh, and I suppose that such a report would have to include the details of you breaking into Velka's room as well. An~d how you're now engaging in a bath with Velka and myself, two highly respected officers of Anor Londo. Are you getting a clear picture of just how much I'm keeping hidden for your benefit yet?"
At this, Kaylen grimaced for a moment as his eye's bored into the baths water. What she was saying may have sounded like she was a friend watching out for him and was simply not willing to do it out of kindness any further, but he wasn't under any sort of illusion about what was happening.
This was all a means to get him in her back pocket. Owing her a favor was the same as signing a clearly unfavorable contract, the kind riddled with a sinister amount of fine print.
Attempting to find an alternate path away from making such accord, Kaylen looked to Gwynevere for support. But she merely smiled and waited for him to answer.
In essence, she completely left him out to dry. That meant he was on his own here and, once again, Ciaran held every possible advantage to twist him into agreeing.
It was then that a thought occurred to him to what she'd said before all of this.
"…You…planned to do something like this all along, didn't you?"
"Oh? Is that right?"
Kaylen didn't need to look at her to know that she was smiling as she said these words. He mulled things over for a bit, putting together a few of the pieces that made sense.
"I'm already stuck here…You just needed a bit more to use against me. Force me into a position where I couldn't say no." Kaylen said with a small glare of annoyance.
"Heh, you make me sound so devious. It's a little flattering, actually." The assassin said in a pleasant manner. Not denying Kaylen's words, but providing just the right amount of playfulness that he knew he was dead on the money.
"Velka telling you what I did last night is a given. I can understand how you know that. But you couldn't have known about Gwynevere and everything else, at least not so soon. So how?"
"Well, I'm afraid I can't take all the credit. That and everything else you've done are all quite the unexpected surprises. Fortunately, I'm quite adept at making lemonade when handed a few lemons."
"What the-? Then couldn't you have waited till this bath business was over to talk to me alone? You seriously got naked, got in a bath and put on a whole show for nothing."
"Not true. We were a bit tight on time and Velka would never be made to wait. It was all quite necessary, I assure you. Besides, our little talk have given me quite the insight to your character." Ciaran chuckled with a wave of her hand, causing Velka to roll her eyes at what she was hearing. "There's really no need to look at me as some dreaded foe to be wary of, you know. Just think of this as your very well-connected friend asking you to make it worth her while to continue her efforts. We both benefit in this and all I ask is but a single favor."
"And what exactly does this very vague and nonspecific favor entail?"
"Hm…I don't know yet. I'm certain I'll come up with something in time. But for now, your word that you will comply when I eventually come calling is more than sufficient payment in my eyes. So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
At this incredibly shady answer, Kaylen could only sigh and slump his shoulders. He hated how she made it sound as if he actually had a real choice here. Saying no to her offer would likely lead to very unfortunate, if not downright immediate, consequences.
He didn't have a choice here.
"Tch, fine. One favor in exchange for "protection" and your word you won't tell Gwyn about any of this bath stuff. And…I want better clothes too. The one's I have are no better than rags compared to everyone else in this place. In fact, I want one of those fancy workout uniforms you two have on top of getting the extra clothes."
He threw in that last part purely out of spite at being blackmailed for the second time by the same conniving woman. Sure, such a demand was petty and ultimately probably wouldn't really help in the slightest, but dammit, he deserved something today.
"Heh, you certainly drive a hard bargain, Kaylen. But your terms are acceptable. Give me a bit of time and I'll see if I can pull a few strings. I'll even throw in a few shoes for you as a gift." Ciaran said with clear satisfaction, more than accepting of what was asked of her. "Once more, you've made an excellent decision this day. Your secrets are safe with us. Isn't that right, Velka?"
At this, Velka could only shake her head in clear disapproval.
"So you choose to keep raising the bet, instead of just cutting your losses? You do realize that this can only end with things blowing up in your face, right?" the goddess said plainly.
"Wow. And here I was thinking you didn't care." Kaylen said dryly, trying to add at least a modicum of positivity to his situation.
"Trust your first instinct and accept that I don't. If Ciaran wants to keep this hidden, that's her decision. I'm not involving myself in any such scheme or bargain. When it all inevitably goes bad, it'll be on her head." The Goddess explained with an upturned nose. "But even I have my limits on how much stupidity I can watch transpire without saying anything. So here's right the answer, human; Stop digging yourself deeper. Accept that you made a mistake and confront the consequences of what you've done."
"It's ironic that you'd say, since doing that exact thing is what got me here in the first place. Even more so, considering I bet that you'd have been too pissed off to actually hear me out and be fair. But yeah, I'm sure Gwyn will be real forgiving if he finds out I've been massaging his naked daughter. Oh, and that I did it while being naked myself." Kaylen said, laying out just how ridiculous coming clean sounded at this point. "Not that I'm happy about it, but rolling the dice with Ciaran has a higher chance of me not pissing off the guy they call the King of the Gods. But thanks anyway for the tip, oh "mighty and intelligent" Velka."
Her brow furrowed a bit at this. Not that she didn't see his reasons as understandable, but that last part was definitely a jab at her.
"And what's that "Mighty and intelligent" speak supposed to mean?" Velka said, not willing to let the remark slide.
"Isn't that how you guys like to be talked too? Always constantly needing to be reminded just how amazing you are?" Kaylen said with a roll of his eye's, a part of him being so annoyed by this point that he somewhat forgot who he was talking too.
"Uh, Kaylen, maybe you shouldn't-" Ciaran started.
"And when did I ever say I needed to always be reminded of my talents or how amazing I am? I'll have you know I perform my duties and services without any expectation of recognition or gratitude. Any manner of inferiority to be felt is simply your own ego." Velka exclaimed with a glare at the notion that she was so conceited.
"Right. It's just my ego and there's no difference in power between us. I'll be sure to keep that in mind, miss perfect "Goddess of Sin"." Kaylen said with a bit of a smirk, causing Velka's frown to deepen that much further.
"And there it is again. That snide little tone of judgment. Exactly when did I make the claim that I'm perfect? Am I to be faulted for working hard and earning my status? Or because I take care of my body and maintain my figure?" Velka questioned in clear offense.
"Oh? So you're not perfect then?" the young man said with a small smirk.
"Of course I'm not. I have doubts and can fail just as anyone else can. I have plenty of faults I work to better every day."
"What? You? Have faults? Ridiculous." Kaylen said with mock skepticism. By this point, only Ciaran was beginning to catch on to what was happening here. Of which, she found personally to be an amusing sight.
"I have plenty. Do you know how embarrassing it is to fit these wings through doors sometimes? And I can't even tell you the fortune I have to spend on shampoo to clean them twice a week."
"Hm, but your wings are clearly amazing. That doesn't really seem like a fault to me." Kaylen complimented with a shrug.
"Ugh, you just don't know half of the trouble it is to maintain these things or the headache they are. And I know for a fact people stare when my back is turned as if I'm some freakish circus attraction." Velka said with a scoff.
"I think you're just being self-conscious. Your wings complete the whole image you have. Honestly, I'd think it's the confidence you have about yourself that make people look twice. If anything, forget the wings, I'd say it's the yellow eye's that are more eye catching. I've never really seen anything like them before. "
"Heh, well, thank you. I've never had the color of my eye's complimented before. And as I've earned my position and status, I don't see why I wouldn't carry myself with the upmost confi-."
It was then Velka suddenly remembered who she was talking too and wondered just what the hell was she doing?
"Wait a minute, this is not some social gathering! I don't need your pathetic compliments and I've warned you before that we're not on friendly terms!" Velka exclaimed aloud, trying to discard any embarrassment she felt a being so sidetracked like an airheaded bimbo.
"Do you have to be friends with someone to have a conversation?" Kaylen said casually with a shrug, seemingly none too put off by her sudden shift in disposition.
"Yes!...I mean, no…Shut up!" Velka said, the immaturity of such a response not lost on her. ""Your intentions are painfully obvious and nothing new to someone like me, human."
"My intentions? I think you've got the wrong idea about me. Sure, you may be gorgeous, and a powerful goddess, and way out of my league, but…what was my point again?"
At this, despite her attempts to refrain from doing so and much to Ciaran and Gwynevere's keen interest, a smile of genuine amusement and stifled laughter made its way onto Velka's lips. Of which Kaylen could not see, for obvious reasons of avoiding looking at her.
Though the smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared, the implications were already set in stone in both of the two other women's eyes.
"Hmph. Your attempts at gaining favor are pitiful, much like yourself. The only humorous thing to my eye's is that you can't even see how you dig your own grave." Velka insulted, though it lacked that certain aggression needed to have it truly come off as offensive. "In fact, I've wasted enough of my breath even talking with you."
With that, the goddess gets up and makes her way out of the water. Drying herself off with a bit of folded towels and getting dressed in the dress she brought along with her, she began to make her way to the door out of the bath.
"Wow~. Upping the bet, indeed." Ciaran said with clear approval, making mental note of the conversation that had just transpired between her friend and the young human.
"Oh my goodness, tis far more entertaining than I thought it would be. Heh, heh, heh, we've got a friendly human, a rugged bargain and now flirting from Velka? How positively riveting." Gwynevere laughed, causing the winged goddess to stop in her tracks with a look of annoyance on her face. "Although, as a tip, thou really shouldn't play so hard to get. Thou will never find companionship if your only method of conversation is insults and being a grump. If thou wishes it, I can provide a few notes on-"
"Flirting is the furthest thing I'd describe as doing with him. But since you like to talk so much, perhaps I could provide a more interesting topic." Velka said as he turned a sideways look towards the group. "Kaylen, do you ever wonder why Gwynevere uses words "Thou" and "Thy" in her sentences instead of speaking normally like the rest of us? It's because she's insecure and thinks it makes her sound smarter."
"Wha-? That's not true!" Gwynevere cried.
"Oh, of course it's not. Truly thou art simply of the most well-spoken and sophisticated of maidens. Please excuse me whilst I abscond myself verily." Velka said mockingly with a smile as she walked out of the bath at last, content in the knowledge that she'd gotten the last word.
"That doesn't even make sense! Thou art an uneducated cur!" Gwynevere exclaimed as her cheeks took on very deep shade of pink. Even more so as she turned towards Kaylen, who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow and clear questioning. "W-Why doth thou look at me like that? I'm don't speak this way because I'm-…She's lying, I tell thee!"
His expression didn't change, promoting Gwynevere's face to redden that much further and her embarrassment to shift into outrage.
"Guard!" the princess called out, prompting the baths door to immediately be opened with haste by the very large and well armored knight. "I've seen enough of him today. If the human has not left this room in twenty seconds, throw him out."
"Wait-wait-wait, what are you mad at me for?"
"Nineteen...eighteen…seventeen…"
"Dammit." Kaylen cried as he hastily made his way out bath and collected his clothes without drying off. Trying his best to quickly make himself decent.
"I'll be in touch, Kaylen. Good talk today. Oh, and you're doing great with Velka. Letting her do the talking is a sound move to getting on her good side. Just don't do anything cheesy like bringing her flowers, she hates that."
"After everything you've done, are you seriously giving me advice on-"
"Times up!" Gwynevere exclaimed, prompting her guard to grab the now clothed Kaylen by the collar of his shirt and with a quick "Sorry about this", sent him flying through the open doorway and falling into the hall.
"The minute thy duties for the day are finished, I'd better see thee ready and waiting outside my chambers! Keep me waiting at thy peril!" Gwynevere commanded with a huff just as her guardsman stepped back outside the door, shutting it behind him and silently resuming his post.
Sitting on his back and giving a sigh at the unnecessary rough treatment he'd just received; Kaylen took a the briefest of moments to give one last final thought on the matter.
"You know what…all things considered; this is probably best-case scenario. I'll call it a win."
With that, he stood up, dusted himself off and began to make his way towards the dining hall for the breakfast of gods.
Ignoring with all his mental might that this was still only the beginning of his second day of training.
NOW HOLD IT! HOOOOLD EVERYTHING! I GOT A FEW THINGS TO SAY!
Now, this time around I'll keep things short and say I originally didn't intend this chapter to remain in the bath, but things just kinda went on their own path and I decided to just say "Screw it, I am bound by no rules here!". So yeah, I just threw caution to the wind and went with the flow.
Sure, they were all naked here, but I find it somewhat of a lazy angle to have the whole chapter being all "Oh no! Y-You're naked!". So I thought it would be a bit more fun to simply touch just a bit on the nudity, but not make it a main focus. Instead, making it more about the characters themselves rather than their the female gods (Insanely) well shaped bodies.
(Not that I'm not gonna do that plenty enough already, it's just that the bath scene almost made it too easy for me to write.)
But anyway, that's all I got to say this time around. I hope this chapter has been a fun little read for you guys.
As always, feel free to leave a review and tell me what you guys thought about this chapter of the story. Was Ciaran forcing Kaylen into another bargain a bit too much or was it a best case scenario? Was Gwynevere sufficiently protective of her new friend/hostage? Was Velka a little too nice towards Kaylen, considering what he's done to her, that it came off as a bit forced?
Honest opinions are always appreciated as I'm always looking to improve my style of writing to make this story a bit more interesting for you guys. so don't be shy in telling me your thoughts about how things are going so far. Outside opinions will have a huge effect on how this story will play out.
This is Supreme Gamer, Signing out.
P.S. Hmmmmm. Gwynevere being insecure about her intelligence and so speaks in old english to feel smart...I'm on the fence if I should use that as a throwaway line or if I should use it for character growth. It's definitely not a bad approach, to be sure.
P.P.S. Double hmmmmmm. Is it weird I somehow find Ciaran the most attractive when I'm not even writing her in that light? -_-