"I can feel it, yes. The flow of Malevolence changed."

Three beaming girls stood in front of them, cheerful as they rightfully deserved to be. Velvet's senses were by far not as good as her brother's, but she could tell that much, too. There were wisps of darkness left, but most of it had been cleared; they could see the entirety of Hexen Isle now, even look out onto the sea from its center. Unnaturally warped stone formations were no more, the curtain of Malevolence gone.

"We secured the entire island just as you asked of us," Margaret took over after a moment. Her eyes were twinkling and she gave the siblings a mocking bow. "As such, we report to have concluded the mission successfully, against your expectations."

Velvet could not help but huff at the cheeky brat, but let her have this. "Congratulations, you three."

"And did you keep count?" Laphi got back to business immediately, though with a bit of a grin. The obvious prospect of money made all three women pause for a moment, though Alisha appeared the most conflicted. Margaret cast an uncertain glance to Symonne.

"Was it sixty-three or sixty-four?"

"Sixty-four."

"Actually, I believe the dragon counts. So sixty-five."

Both looked to Alisha, who had picked up a spine left over and fed it into her tail to abominable crunching noises. She did not meet their eyes, but human and seraph nodded not long after and turned back to the siblings. "Sixty-five," Margaret told them.

So with the bounties Velvet and Laphicet agreed upon, ten thousand per kill, those three earned themselves over half a million Gald in a week. A fortune and not a small one, though the Bloodwings did have that kind of money at this point; the Scattered Bones paid well and so did their other clients.

Going by Laphi's grin however, he had another idea to tease the girls. He made a show of stroking an imaginary beard, eyes on Alisha's tail. "Though I feel a bonus is in order for that dragon. Sixty thousand sound appropriate for slaying such a beast, do you not agree, Velvet?"

Which would make a round seven hundred thousand Gald. She almost chuckled, but nodded to her brother. "And don't forget the bonus for actually completing the mission on time."

Alisha sputtered and Margaret quickly raised her hands at them in shock. "N-No, no, there is no need. I'll give you the dragon, but you don't need to give us more just for pulling it off." Symonne kept quiet, though her eyes had widened a little.

Velvet ignored them both and addressed her brother, now wearing a grin to match his. "I think another hundred thousand sound appropriate." To think that she used to deal in ones and tens when they were still human. Now she could willy-nilly throw a hundred thousand around and it barely hurt their budget... though part of this was Velvet trying to stay responsible about it.

Laphi chuckled and nodded, then eyed the stone pillars surrounding the island. "Well, there is still the inside of the Caelix to consider. I expect more hellions there, so, well." He nodded to Alisha, who noticed; the former princess hesitated for a moment, but then she shrugged. It was the first time either of them saw her do so. "I, ah, do not believe that is necessary for my benefit. I already dominated battles for the last few days, so even devouring more of these hellions will yield little tangible benefits."

She got a nod from Velvet, who then tapped her brother's shoulder for attention. "That aside, we can't keep them away from the continent for too long. Things are happening."

"Aha."

All eyes turned to Margaret, who was in turn looking at Velvet with an understanding smile. "So we are to play agents. Or will it be enforcers?"

"Neither."

"Huh?"

Thrown off her game and confused, the girl tilted her head at Velvet, who chuckled. "You'll be neither. But we need you out there doing whatever you want anyway. The shepherd is just one man, so we want more people helping out around the place." Admittedly, they would report back to the Bloodwings in one way or another, but it was true; Velvet had no intention to make those three do her dirty work.

Alisha appeared rather more thoughtful than she expected her to, though. The older blonde looked between everyone and spoke up: "I take it you have plans of your own to attend to? Is there anything you would be willing to share with me?"

The siblings exchanged glances, as did Margaret and Symonne. Laphicet was the one to speak, though. "The Bloodwing Butterflies are a shadow guild specialised in information gathering. But for us personally, it's simple: we are working to kill the current Lord of Calamity. Not for the greater good, but for personal reasons."

Symonne had stiffened, but only the two of them noticed; Margaret and Alisha were both not looking at their friend. The therion seemed surprisingly relaxed despite the revelation, she simply nodded. "Ah, I already assumed something was afoot." She paused for a moment and her lips curled up. "In that case, may we request access to the Bloodwings' services? Would a hundred thousand Gald be enough to remain appraised of the current situation in both realms, and of shepherd Sorey's situation?"

Velvet blinked. So did Laphicet. Then Margaret started to giggle, her laughter setting off Symonne. The siblings needed a while to get themselves back together, so they let them have their fun until then. Once they were done laughing however, Velvet huffed and shook her head. "Well played. Are you two alright with this?" Human and seraph nodded, so she shrugged and tried for a lighter tone. "Very well then, pleasure doing business with you!"

Now Laphi snorted, which set off the two girls again after they just managed to calm down. Velvet took the moment to talk to Alisha, curious. "You're surprisingly fine with this."

Again, the younger woman shrugged. "I already assumed you were having some kind of scheme, admittedly. A hellion and a seraph working together like this, with as much power as you wield? It occurred to me over the last few days; you could be a Lord of Calamity yourself and I would not even guess."

The other girls had fallen quiet while their friend spoke, though that last part made Velvet snort. It became more of a strangled sound when Alisha continued: "In truth, I think you may have been a Lord of Calamity in the past; I put together that you are much older than you appear, though I can not fathom how old exactly. It matters not." She smiled there and met Velvet's gaze with a genuine smile. "I like to believe in my own judgement of people, so I do not think your intentions are bad at heart. Should I learn I am wrong about this in the future, I will hunt you. But only then."

Velvet huffed then, everyone else silent to watch the exchange. She held out her hand to the therion, who took it. "You're a smart girl, Alisha." They shook, both smiling. "But you're wrong about one thing: we aren't all that different in age."

"Pardon? From how some of the others spoke, I presumed you had lived a long time."

"I was born over a thousand years ago, that's true. But Laphi and I have been sealed and asleep for about a thousand years. I was twenty at the time, so technically, I'm close to twenty-two now."

The younger one's eyes widened at the number, and widened further when Velvet mentioned the seal. She squeezed Alisha's hand softly. "Don't ask. Maybe I'll tell you in a month or two, when I'm absolutely sure I can trust you with this. Secrecy is one of our most important weapons."

"At the same time," Margaret chimed in there, putting her hand on top of theirs, eyes on Velvet, "she would be the only one of us unaware. I do not intend to push her away, so perhaps now is a good time. If anything, Alisha as a faithful woman may be more inclined to assist."

The only human in their little gathering glanced to the two seraphim, but stopped on Laphi when he answered her: "There is much darkness in the past. Are you sure we should reveal it?"

Margaret sought Alisha's eyes and both stared at each other for a long moment; Velvet could not tell what either of them thought, but she knew the younger blonde's choice the moment her gaze shifted. "I trusted Alisha with my life these last few days. I, too, trust her with this."

Symonne frowned at Margaret's back, unseen by everyone but Velvet, who paid it no mind. She nodded and finally let go of Alisha's hand; the emotional therion snapped out of her momentary funk and turned back to Velvet as well. Shadows grew longer on all of their faces and she sighed. "Alright, but not today, it's getting late. Let's get back and show her around, then. Symonne, too."

"To where?"

"To Bloodwing headquarters." Laphi's grin was bigger than it probably should be, but she could understand why he was looking forward to that.

Curiously though, Margaret chimed in again: "Ah, perhaps we could delay this for a few hours?" She scratched the back of her head and explained: "We were talking a few days ago, it would be kind of nice to take some time off and swim here. It's an entire beach free of any prying eyes, with an entire ocean to play in."

"You want to spend another night on the beach?"

She raised an eyebrow at her former student, who hesitated a little and looked at the fading sunlight. "Well, I guess you have a point there. Perhaps we should return at a later time."

"Or perhaps," Laphi noted with finger pointed at the sky, "you should not delay. I think we can do that much for you three." He smiled at them and began to shine in golden light; Symonne flinched and instinctually took a step back, Margaret shielded her eyes... and Alisha stood mesmerised, wide eyes drinking in the divine light. An arte circle formed above Laphi's fingertip, at first little bigger but soon expanding to become half the island's size. He smiled and made a fist, then the entire surface area of the circle began to emit a pleasant, white light. Dusk became day once more and the disc rose higher up, casting Hexen Isle into its shine.

"There we go." He bowed mockingly and spread his arms wide, then turned around. "I will leave you in peace, then; I would not want to intrude."

Velvet's snort gave him pause and he learned the reason a moment later; Symonne's hand closed around his arm, the seraph girl having started to walk before he even finished speaking. "Now where would you be going? I doubt anyone feels intruded on with you around. Or Velvet, for that matter. So how about you stay and play with me a bit, hmm?"

She licked her lips and sized Laphi up, but it was his squirming that made Velvet laugh. Margaret shook her head at them while Alisha simply closed her eyes at the sight. All in all, Velvet decided they might as well. "It's fine with me. Just let me bring a few things we will need. It's morning in Lastonbell right now."

At the same time, her draconic self began to rise from the earthpulses beneath Glenwood; she did not know the way for certain, but at this point Minkkubi was fast. So she raced along even while Velvet vanished through the teleportation gate.

. .

. .

Laphicet was decidedly embarassed by Symonne leaning on him as they waited, but she did not mind right now. This arte lighting up the night gave her the creeps, but somehow being near him let her feel a little calmer; the longer it shone down on them, the less it bothered her. After a while, Symonne sighed and closed her eyes. "Those last few days were exhausting," she admitted to her friend, voice subdued. The others might have heard her anyway, but she paid it little mind. "I'm glad we can take a break."

"You worked hard, didn't you?"

Symonne just hummed in agreement. Then she felt the flow of mana beneath the island change, felt something full of Malevolence pass by; the mere sensation made her jolt upright, eyes wide. "What in the world?!"

"What's happening? Symonne?"

Margaret and Alisha could not tell; she paled as the feeling continued to grow deeper, telling her there was a truly enormous mass of Malevolence nearby. Just beneath the earthpulse. Then Laphicet giggled and she understood, even before he explained: "That's the Empyrean of darkness, girls. Symonne felt her approach."

Velvet returned moments later, a basket and blanket in hand. She took one look at the disturbed girls, then huffed; Symonne gave her a mock glare and went to snatch the blanket, which earned her a pat on the head. "You girls set everything up while the two of us go and shut down the Caelix," Velvet commanded.

The horrifying presence remained nearby, but Symonne forced herself calm. Velvet and Laphicet wandered off, leaving her with her friends; Margaret appeared fully aware of what was going on, but Alisha seemed rather curious. "Empyrean?" the former princess inquired, "I believe I heard the term before, but I can not recall in which circumstance that was."

"It is, well, an archaic term for the Great Lords. And one of the things we will soon speak about. We are backed by the Empyreans Innominat and Minkkubi, the former of which has fallen from memory and the latter being recently ascended to divinity."

"...oh."

Margaret's explanation received no further response than that. Alisha simply stared for a moment and, to Symonne's understanding, shut down her thoughts. She simply began to set up. "If you do not mind, we should not speak of this matter any further; I would rather have a mental breakdown in private." Her dry tone made human and seraph snort, but Symonne could tell she meant it too. Thus they quietly shared the work and set up a blanket as well as a meal, which the group tore into soon after. Margaret was ravenous after a day spent on her feet, but Alisha had worked up an appetite again as well. Symonne simply enjoyed the food.

Over their meal, she slowly felt the titanic presence beneath slip away again. With it went basically all the Malevolence which had still been near Hexen Isle; the flow of mana changed, the very air lost a charge she did not realise it had. The arte had been shut down at last.

Then the siblings returned; a cold sea breeze ran over the beach and sent Velvet's hair flying, making a cascade of black follow her; Laphi had a much shorter curtain of golden blond flowing after him. Symonne waved, which alerted the other two. Margaret swallowed her food and shuddered, gaze going out to the sea. "I might regret this soon," she muttered. "It's cold even in Summer, with this being the sea and all."

"And it's technically night."

"Not helping, Symonne."

She grinned and left it at that, but agreed. Hellions and seraphim were unaffected by cold and heat, but Margaret was human. "It should be fine, though. You're in good health and bonded with me, so your body is more resistant to disease."

Her partner sighed, but nodded. "It will still take some getting used to. Not to mention that I can't swim."

Everyone halted with what they were doing to stare at Margaret, who stared back almost indignantly. "What? Did none of you consider that? Lastonbell is far away from any lakes and I never even really left the city until six weeks ago or so!"

Symonne kept staring; the very idea of someone not being able to swim was alien to her. Her nature had been connected to water ever since she first formed. Alisha seemed almost as stumped. Velvet put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "Of course. I forgot that. I also forgot," she added with a sideway glance to her brother, "that Laphi can't swim, either. So I will take some time to teach you two."

"...Velvet? I can fly."

"That's an excuse and you know it. You will learn to swim properly."

The siblings stared at each other for a long moment and Symonne did, too. She was tempted to speak up and tell Laphi to do it, or maybe even suggest for herself to teach him, but he ultimately caved and crossed his arms. "Fine."

"That's a good boy." And Velvet was back to her cheerful tone, which drew a smirk from Symonne; she decided to spare Laphi the commentary this once, though.

Alisha changed the subject right after, apologetic: "Forgive me, I never even considered this may be a problem. Being raised in Ladylake means that everyone knows and learns how to swim; it is a necessity. I would have offered to teach you myself, had Velvet not already taken charge of the matter." The therion inclined her head toward the older woman, who nodded back.

Symonne shrugged and stood. "I'll take a look around while you get to that. The food was great, Velvet." This earned her a smile; she smiled back and had her clothes disperse, then started toward the shoreline. Once she realised Laphi's gaze was following her, Symonne cheekily started to sashay before flowing into the sea. She rushed through the waves a moment later, leaving the light behind.

It was dark in the depths, darker than Symonne had ever seen. Even the Malevolence did not compare, for her senses were not tingling. Yet Symonne felt her surroundings, the fishes she passed by. A few spare hellions here and there, but human darkness had left the depths of the ocean undisturbed. After a time, she sped upward, realised it was down and turned, then broke through the surface. Halfway reformed, Symonne's head turned this way and that until she saw the light. Far distant, almost at the horizon's edge.

"...oops?"

Symonne blinked and lost coherence, flowing back to Hexen Isle right beneath the surface. She came in as a small wave and rolled over a naked Alisha, who had just begun to relax within the salty water; the therion gasped and inhaled some of Symonne, who reformed behind her with a laugh.

It took a moment for her newest friend to stop coughing, though her glare did not have much heat to it. Symonne paddled a lazy circle around her because she could and then stood upright again. "Being a seraph has some nice perks, as does being a hellion, hm? If you were human, you'd be frozen stiff. Poor Margaret."

Alisha nodded to her and ducked until but her head and the tip of her tail poked out of the water. "Quite, though I treat it more like a nice extra instead of a proper perk."

They remained silent for a moment, both wading a little further out; Alisha quickly lost her footing and began to swim in quick breaststrokes, with Symonne sliding along by her side.

"Your form is solid, but there is no elegance to it."

"Thank you for the criticism. I will gladly never consider it."

"Not a fan of swimming?"

"Oh, I do like to swim. I am just not a performer who needs to look good doing it."

Symonne chuckled at that point and leaned backward, then pushed herself up; she went into the sea with her arms first and legs last. Swimming a perfect circle underwater, she reemerged on Alisha's other side; the blonde stopped moving and was floating in place, hair glistening under the bright light from above. She had turned back to their friend and benefactors. Laphi and Margaret were both practicing the motions on land, under observation by Velvet. None of them had remained dressed for the exercise, their clothes put into more or less orderly piles. Yet the seraph could tell that Alisha was not thinking of their, or her, nudity. She frowned more deeply than that.

"So... Great Lords?"

"Didn't you want to break down in private?"

The therion sighed. "I can only keep myself from thinking about it for so long, but I am surprisingly fine otherwise." She hesitated, turning a thoughtful look to Symonne. "Maybe I am still in shock."

She took a closer look at Alisha in response, but found none of the usual signs and shook her head. "Not really. I'd guess you got used to odd things happening recently." She brought up a hand and started counting on her fingers. "You were made squire a bit over a month ago, learned about Malevolence, met seraphim, were almost executed, lost your humanity, er..." She trailed off, staring at her raised fingers for a moment. Then she kept counting on the other hand. "Became a therion, and then, uh, this last week. Let's only count that as one. So what are Empyreans after all of that? Just another step up."

"I believe I see your point." Alisha's gaze focussed more directly on Symonne, the hellion girl curious. "I am afraid I forgot their names again; how is it that a Great Lord could be sealed away?"

She shrugged at that, trying for nonchalant as best as she could. "I can't tell you about the how, I don't know. What I know is that Innominat, which is Laphi over there." The boy waved a hand at them, though Alisha only blinked. Symonne continued then: "Was sealed away by Velvet. And when they got out, she made the step to divinity herself. Now she is Minkkubi, the first Empyrean of darkness." The woman in question, too, turned her gaze to them when she heard her name. She said nothing and made no indicator of being bothered by their conversation, then turned back to instruct Margaret and Laphicet.

Symonne chuckled as she realised something. "Heh. So in a way, Velvet is your patron goddess." Alisha made an understanding noise and little else, obviously lost in thought. Her eyes were roaming the two gods, which gave Symonne pause; she did not really like how intently Alisha studied Laphi in particular.

To distract them both from this, she made to splash the princess; only that Alisha spoke up before the plan was put into motion: "I have to admit, I am both a little envious about Velvet's prominent bust, and glad I do not compare."

Symonne's attention left her fellow seraph at that point and turned to Velvet as well, who threw them but a passing glance. Alisha had a point; though Velvet's bust did not appear much bigger than that of the younger therion, that was a bit of an illusion. She stood a head taller than Alisha, so it took a larger size to appear the same.

The seraph girl tapped her chin in thought, but ended up shrugging. "I can't really say I'm envious, but sometimes I do think it would be funny. But yes, a big rack is good if you want to look pretty and stuff, but for anything physical it's a hindrance." Then she huffed and waved for Alisha. "Not that a hellion needs to worry. And you even get to stay shapely forever."

"...a nice extra indeed."

Just as Symonne snorted, Laphi's voice carried over to them, exasperated: "Stop whining over there!" Looking to him, they found a glower directed their way. "I had to listen to Velvet complain every day ever since she started growing!" His commentary earned him a light whack on the head, which soon happened to Margaret as well when she giggled. Symonne giggled as well, though rather about their combined misery. Both of them were still lying on the blanket, but neither seemed to be practicing much.

That was when she remembered something and snapped her fingers, which failed to produce any sound due to their wetness. "Oh right, I heard bigger breasts make haggling easier if you use them right." She paused and beheld Velvet again; there was no hiding that smug smile. "And by that look on her face, it's true and she knows."

There was no verbal response from the older therion, only that smile. Alisha hesitated a long moment, but then shrugged. "Oh well, I believe this can be called a natural advantage. Though I do not think I could ever willingly abuse such a matter myself."

"To each their own, no?"

"Yes, you are quite right."

They returned to swimming, Alisha deciding to try going further out and Symonne diving beneath the surface. She made a sport out of ominously following her new friend as a small wave, never quite flowing over her; Alisha noticed and whenever her mouth dipped beneath the surface, Symonne could feel her smile.

A third of a lap around the island, Alisha's head turned. This prompted Symonne to rise from the water and look as well, finding Margaret and Laphicet getting in at last. The therion threw a playfully blank look to the seraph. "Be a dear and bother someone else for a while, would you?"

She had half a mind to be contrarian, but Alisha did deserve some peace and quiet. So Symonne wordlessly melted back into the ocean and floated away. It only took a moment to return, which she announced with a poke into Margaret's lower back. The girl squeaked, which drew attention from both Crowes; their worry faded instantly when they heard Symonne laugh, though.

"Gods damn it, Symonne! Do you have to do that?!"

"...I'd ask you not to use us for cursing people, but I know that could just as well have been me." Laphi paddled in place, which made his deadpan rather less effective. Symonne just grinned, knowing that he knew that she knew he was right.

What she noticed as well, after a moment, was how he averted his gaze. Then it snapped back, but stayed on Symonne's face, resolute; his expression was so clear to read, determined not to keep being embarassed about things she took so easily. Then again, knowing that he looked at her made the seraph girl avert her gaze. Only to be seized under her armpits and lifted up, a surprised gasp on her lips. Margaret lifted her out of the water and threw her twenty paces; Symonne squealed and hit the surface like a stone, then sunk. Only a moment after did she remember what she was; a water seraph. She felt silly and dispersed into liquid, then reformed in front of her giggling friend, pouting at her openly. It only made the laughter louder.

Velvet wandered over to them with a fond smile, Laphicet following closely behind. "It's good that you two get along like that," the other woman noted softly, eyes wandering between them. "I was worried the first few weeks, but everything seems to have worked out between you two."

"Mhm, yes. We're friends now." Margaret beamed up at Velvet, then drew Symonne into a cheerful hug. Only to freeze up when she remembered they were both naked and let go, much to the others' amusement. Once she did, Symonne, threw her arms around her in turn and nuzzled her cheek cheekily.

"Yep, the best of friends." She sing-songed for effect and ran a finger over Margaret's neck, but let go when she shuddered. Then however, the seraph girl leaned toward the Crowe's with a conspiratory whisper: "The things we have done with each other, you would be appalled! You see, we became one dozens of times! And just in the last few days! Margaret pushed me until I was entirely exhausted and then made me her again!"

Her reward for the wordplay was a furious full-body blush that turned her partner red. Symonne considered this a job well done; the hearty laughter from Velvet and Laphi's chuckling were a nice bonus, though.

Margaret sunk deeper into the water, so deep that Symonne wondered if she wanted to drown herself. Then her eyes fell on Laphi and she rose again, taking deep breaths to calm down. A grin played around her lips, giving the seraph girl pause. "But speaking of our Armatus," she began calmly, taking Velvet's arm, "there was something I wanted to ask you about. Could you come over here real quick?"

"Sure."

The older Crowe let herself be led away; Margaret turned halfway as she passed Symonne and gave her a heavy shove toward Laphicet. "And you, I think you still had something to talk about with him, didn't you? You know, that thing from a few days ago. I told you to do it properly."

Symonne's entire being shuddered at being reminded. Her legs dissolved, not in fright but out of anxiety. She was nervous all of a sudden, left alone with a just-as-nervous Laphi, the memory of a kiss, and not a shred of clothes on either of them. She did not blush, but she rarely did. Yet Symonne was embarassed by the situation, though it helped that he was, too.

Moments passed and turned to seconds, then half a minute. Margaret and Velvet were talking at the side, leaving the two of them to their own devices; Alisha had yet to round the island, leaving her no actual escape beyond running away. Which she considered for one long moment. Thankfully, Laphi pulled himself together first. He let out a soft sigh and sought Symonne's eyes. "It's odd," the boy murmured, be it tired or actually sensual, she could not tell. His amber orbs were mesmerising.

"What is?"

"It should be easy to do such things, you know?" He made a vague motion toward her, then continued just as softly. Maybe so no one overheard him. "Just, do I like you that way, or don't I? But I don't know, I can't tell, and it bothers me. This might be the first time I don't understand myself."

Even now he was earnest, which Symonne found endearing. She huffed out a soft laugh and slid a little closer, almost bumping her hip against his. "You know, you don't need to love someone to like kissing them." He perked up and she tapped his shoulder. "People just look at you weirdly if you don't. Maybe call you names if it is too well known, or treat you as being easy to get." She paused and absently ran her index finger over his arm; her next words came out sly, teasing. "But I don't think you care much what people think."

"I care what you think." Soft yet resolute. Their eyes met and Symonne was taken aback by how casually he could say that, in this situation even. She calmed herself, understanding that it was also a question. He wanted to know her thoughts on the matter, unsure if what he took from her previous words was what she meant. Always so considerate. She smiled.

"I think," Symonne began slowly, her hand grasping for his arm. "That I would like to try a proper kiss with you. If you want to?" She knew which answer she wanted, but she waited. Laphi took a long moment to consider, his cheeks darkening a little as he did. It was an answer already, yet Symonne waited for his nod.

However, Alisha picked that moment to round the island and appear in her sight.

Symonne eyed the therion's distant form, glanced to Velvet and Margaret still talking, and rolled her eyes. "Alright. But not here." She pulled on Laphi's arm, who let himself be dragged underwater; they sunk beneath the surface, the ocean parting where they were. Symonne's power created a small ball where there was no water, just the two of them. They went further down, to where the light barely still reached, when Laphi pulled back a little.

"No further, I can't sustain my arte otherwise."

She stopped and looked around; it was completely dark aside from his and her glowing eyes. She could see nothing, not even feel more than his feet on the water beneath. It was good enough for her, she did not need to see for this. Her voice grew more husky, a sensual whisper: "Hold still, I'm going to kiss you now."

But instead of doing so, he reached out and tapped a finger against her chest. Symonne stiffened, but the hand wandered up, over her collarbone and to her face. Then the other hand followed, her own having let go. She did not need to see his face to know he was grinning. "Not if I kiss you first," he chirped.

Laphi proceeded by pressing his lips to hers, first gently and then with more strength as Symonne met him. Their teeth clacked together and the two separated, breathing softly.

Instead of saying anything, Symonne went back and sought his lips, her hands tugging into his hair to pull him closer.

It may have been the most enjoyable experience in her life so far. No, not 'may'. She knew it was. The feeling of Laphicet's body against hers, hands of each roaming the other but staying within the limits they set. Just kissing and petting, no more. She adored every moment nonetheless.

Even when they resurfaced and everyone could tell within moments, Symonne was perfectly happy. No one said anything, but she could read their thoughts out of their expressions; Velvet and Margaret were amused, Alisha rather more concerned and maybe a little scandalised, though she said nothing.

They continued to swim and enjoy themselves until ultimately, it was time to head home. Symonne sprayed the salt off of everyone with her own water, Laphi dried the lot with some fire artes, and they left behind a clear beach.

It was midday in Lastonbell and she was tired; so were Margaret and Alisha. But they held out for the rest of the day, the other two entering through the front gate to have 'officially' returned; they went through greeting Margaret's friends and various people, talking to others... and then it was already time for bed.

Symonne's rush from those few enjoyable minutes only really faded after she fell asleep.