8 months since their last fight with the underground cult, giving everyone peace and quiet. Rita and Estelle were enjoying their break from the world, forgetting about politics, reconstruction, and Blastia manufacturing. They had held a small wedding ceremony in nearly rebuilt city of Aspio, away from the restless imperial capital, Zaphias.
Wearing nothing but a bathrobe and her ring, Rita walked across Halure's secluded hotel room. She felt the soft, clean floor against her toes, and the cold water from her shower dripping off of her hair, which she had grown out.
"I should really cut my hair," Rita grabbed a towel and attempted to wrap it around her hair properly, but failed.
Estelle appeared behind her, clothed in fancy flannel pajamas. "I think it looks good on you," she helped Rita with her towel.
"How much longer do you think we should be like this?" Rita gazed out the one way glass window at the blossoms of Halure.
"As long as we want it to," Estelle wrapped her arms around her mage, "The Mayor says this room is specifically for us and anyone we say can use it."
"Maybe another week, then?" Rita smiled at her, "Or just stay forever?"
Estelle giggled, "I know you're joking, but I could spend an eternity here with you."
Rita released the hug and dropped her robe, casually dressing herself in her fancy pajamas that matched Estelle's.
Estelle tapped her on the shoulder, a malicious smile on her face. Estelle flipped off the light and tackled Rita onto the bed.
"Estelle, what are you-" Rita asked, but was interrupted with a passionate kiss from her wife. The dim light of the nearly full moon was the only light they had, and the only light they needed for the rest of the night.
•••
Estelle awoke first the next morning to the bright sun and the birds singing, her wife's arms wrapped around her. Estelle carefully moved Rita's arms, she stirred slightly so Estelle froze for a moment until Rita rolled over.
"Mmmm peaches..." Rita mumbled.
Estelle laughed silently, "I guess I know what I'll be getting us for breakfast," she whispered to herself and began getting dressed in her casual outfit.
She had adapted a less fancy style for their honeymoon, a simple combination of jeans and a T-shirt. She combed her hair, which had gotten all messy from sleeping and things they had done beforehand.
She looked at herself and smiled, attaching her Blastia to her wrist, which had become a fashion accessory. Even if it wasn't needed because of the Blastia embedded in her ring, she still enjoyed wearing it.
She silently opened the door to their fancy VIP room, stepped out, and then shut it as silently as possible as to not disturb her. She walked down the stairs and waved to the front desk attendant, she then proceeded out of the hotel and toward the market.
She walked across the wooden bridge, waving to people and smiling, most of them knew her as the selfless healer lady who ended up being a princess. She was quite famous, especially here, as she had healed their tree and restored their barrier.
A group of small children approached her, "Hey! It's the nice lady who healed my leg!"
Estelle smiled at them, "Well hello there!"
"Hi miss lady!" A little boy said, "Thank you for fixing my leg..."
"You're very welcome, I was happy to help," Estelle patted him on the head, she was a celebrity in this little town.
"How come you're in Halure?" A little girl asked her, "Aren't princesses supposed to live in a castle?"
Estelle leaned down, "Well I'm here on a special vacation with my wife, Rita."
"That magic lady who throws fire at things?" The boy asked her.
Estelle laughed, "Yes, that's the one."
"What are you gonna do now?" Another girl asked her.
"I'm going to buy peaches from the market to fix Rita a special breakfast," Estelle replied.
"Oh..." the boy looked at a brown bag that he was carrying, "Theyre all out of peaches... I took these last ones..."
"Oh I see..." Estelle sighed, disappointed, "I guess I'll have to get something else, then."
"Wait!" The boy shouted at her, getting her to pause for a moment, "Why don't you take the peaches?" He held the bag out.
"Are you sure?" Estelle asked him.
"Of course!" He smiled, "You deserve them after you healed our tree and my leg."
"Well, I guess I can't say no to that," she politely accepted the boy's gift.
Estelle reached into her pocket and pulled out some gald, handing it over to him, "Thats about 80 gald, that should more than cover the cost of the peaches and be enough to buy some more food."
Estelle smiled at him, "Thank you very much, what's your name?"
"It's Oliver, ma'am!" He told her, visibly proud of himself for giving something back to her and earning money.
"Well, Oliver," She clutched her bag of peaches, "Thank you very much." Estelle walked back toward the hotel.
"Thank you, nice lady!" The little girl shouted at her.
Estelle smiled as she walked back into the hotel, hoping she had the right ingredients to bake something. She had been practicing cooking a lot to prepare nice meals for Rita.
She slowly opened the door to their room once again, careful not to wake Rita. As she entered, she saw Rita sprawled across the bed, holding Estelle's pillow as if it were Estelle herself, in addition to snoring and drooling slightly. She silently closed the door but let it go too early and it slammed slightly, Rita rolled over but didn't wake up. She had become a deep sleeper.
Estelle walked to the kitchen and set the peaches on the table. She grabbed a big bowl and remembered how much Rita loved Sorbet when Yuri made it for the group. She stuck the peaches in the freezer and began mixing some milk and a tad bit of sugar into the bowl. Once she was sure she had it right, she placed the bowl in the fridge while the peaches chilled in the freezer for a while.
She went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, making sure she looked perfect for her little mage.
Finally, the time had come. She mixed the sorbet together and put in two spoons, she gave it a quick taste, "Perfect."
She walked over to the bed and sat down next to her newlywed, her crazy hair sprawled all across the bed just as she was.
"Rita," Estelle whispered softly, but got no response.
"Rita," she said, slightly louder, Rita moaned and turned over.
"Rita," she said, firmly, the mage was now stirring awake.
"Estelle?" Rita yawned, "You're up early?"
"It's noon, silly," she replied, smiling.
Rita sat up and combed through her hair with her fingers, "I guess I overslept... I was really tired and calm and yeah..."
"Maybe long hair isn't for you," Estelle chuckled, "I'll cut it this afternoon if you'd like."
Rita hugged her, "Thank you so much. I hate it."
Estelle broke the hug and walked to the kitchen, "I have a surprise for you, my love."
Rita watched Estelle walk over to the bed carrying a bowl and two spoons, "No way..."
Estelle sat down and smiled, showing her the bowl.
"Peach Sorbet?" She asked, smiling.
"I remembered how much you liked Yuri making it in the desert, so I made it for you!" Estelle beamed, taking a spoonful and holding it to her mouth, "Try it!"
Rita put the spoon in her mouth, the flavor was simple, yet delicious, "Wow Estelle... this is very good! Way better then Yuri's!"
"Where did you learn to make this?" Rita shoveled another spoonful into her mouth.
Estelle ate much more civilized than Rita did, "I've been practicing for an occasion like this."
"Estelle... that's incredibly sweet," Rita bit into a juicy slice of peach and it squirted on her chin, "Whoops..."
Estelle took a napkin and wiped Rita's chin for her, "I'm glad you're enjoying it."
When they finished up, Rita yawned and stretched, rolling across the bed toward Estelle, who had just finished taking the bowl to the kitchen.
"I better shower so I can deal with this hair..." Rita stood up, feeling relaxed and well rested. She was happier than she had ever been.
Rita walked into the bathroom and started the water, but her princess walked in behind her.
"I should probably shower too," Estelle smirked at her.
"But you're already dressed," Rita pointed out.
Estelle rolled her eyes, "No I meant-"
Rita shushed her and laughed, "I know, I'm just messing with you."
The two locked in a passionate kiss, undressing each other as their water slowly warmed behind them, steaming up the room and fogging the mirror.
•••
Miles from Halure, a fully bearded Yuri Lowell gazes off into the distance. Flying high through the sky, his hair dancing in the wind.
"You know you should come inside and rest," his traveling companion, Judith, stepped out onto the ship beside him. "I heard you up late again last night."
Yuri sighed, "I guess I'm not used to everything being so quiet for this long."
Judith placed her hand on Yuri's back to comfort him, "Do your thoughts dwell on the future?"
"Yes," Yuri responded to her, bluntly. "I don't know what I want for my future. I'm twenty two and all I've ever known is lounging around in the lower quarter and fighting."
"You're having a pretty early mid life crisis, aren't you?" Judith asked him, playfully.
Yuri rolled his eyes and chuckled, sitting down on the deck of the ship, "I'm just wondering if I should be doing more with my life."
Judith sat next to him, closely. "Is this because of Rita and Estelle?"
"No!" Yuri said, being incredibly defensive.
"I can tell when you're lying, Yuri," Judith told him, "Not everyone's life is the same, there are still plenty of years for you to find out what you want to do with your life."
"I wonder what Flynn is doing?" Yuri avoided their current topic.
Judith sighed, "If you're going to deflect... you'll need to do a better job than that." She played with his long hair and placed her head on his shoulder, "I'm sure Flynn is fine."
"At least I don't have it as bad as him, I suppose," Yuri shrugged, "I can't imagine the amount of stress he's under constantly."
"Well he's doing what he's passionate about," Judith told him, "You'll eventually find something you're passionate about, too."
"What are you passionate about, Judith?" When he got serious, he always dropped the nicknames.
Judith was slightly flustered by the question, "I have no idea what I'm passionate about, all I knew was how to destroy Blastia. After that I fought with you all and now I'm riding around the world looking for random projects with you."
Yuri chuckled half heartedly, "I guess we're kindred spirits."
Judith looked into Yuri's eyes, "I guess we are..."
Judith leaned in slowly and kissed him, scruffing his beard against her face. For three seconds, Yuri kissed her back, but then broke the kiss and gently pushed her back.
"Sorry," he apologized to her, "Maybe later..."
Judith felt disappointed and foolish, "I'm sorry. I guess I should've asked first."
"It's fine," Yuri told her, "I just need to find a different path first."
•••
Flynn sat in his office, signing paperwork, he was preparing for the first democratically elected ruler of the Empire. Lots of security was required, as a great many people were unhappy with the recent change in government.
Hisca and Chastel walked into Flynn's office, "Commandant..."
Flynn pushes the paperwork aside and motioned for them to sit down, "Just call me Flynn, we're friends."
"Flynn..." Hisca addressed him, "It seems the riots have calmed down, but there's still a great many protesters carrying signs and shouting."
Flynn sighed, "Make sure there are knights there to prevent it from getting out of hand, and try to get them to keep the noise down in residential areas. But don't use unnecessary force, we don't want to seem tyrannical."
The twins nodded and walked out of the door, Flynn went back to signing papers.
"Ack!" Flynn gripped his wrist and drilled his pen, it seemed he was writing so much that he had injured his hand.
He attempted to heal it, the green rings penetrated his hand but did nothing.
"Ugh," he groaned, "I never thought I'd be wishing for a battle so much right now."
Flynn stood up and walked out of his office, heading to the castle infirmary to get his wrist looked at.
•••
"That was a lovely meal," Rita told Estelle, they had just finished eating dinner at Halure's new restaurant that specializes in noodle based foods.
"I thought it was ok," Estelle said, "Are you ready for a haircut?"
Rita felt her hair for a moment, "Sure," she replied, "Can you cut it how it was when we met?"
Estelle frowned, "Didn't you used to just cut your own hair wildly with some old scissors?"
Rita acted offended, "No!"
Estelle opened the door to their hotel room, "You liar, I saw you wander off from the campsite to cut it every once in a while."
Rita's face showed slight embarrassment, "Well... As long as it stays out of your face while fighting and researching then it should be ok!"
Estelle shut the door behind them, "I can make it stay out of your eyes but also be cute."
"What, I wasn't cute before?" Rita teased.
"That's not what I meant..." Estelle felt bad.
"I know," Rita said, smiling, "I was just teasing."
"Meanie..." Estelle told her, "Now go sit in the chair in the bathroom."
Rita stripped down and wrapped a towel around herself, Estelle entered with fancy scissors and a comb.
"I'll make it look great, I promise," Estelle began clipping, "Close your eyes."
•••
"All done!" Estelle proclaimed, "You can open your eyes!"
Estelle has cut her hair identical to how it was before, exactly the same.
"But it..." Rita stuttered.
"I liked your old hair, and I wanted to prove it to you," Estelle blew on her ear to remove some excess particles.
"Thank you..." Rita blushed, completely struck by Estelle's bold display of romance.
"Now lets get you showered and your hair thoroughly shampooed so you don't get itchy tonight," Estelle turned on the water.
"Another shower?" Rita inhaled sharply, "I'm not sure if I can handle another one after this morning..."
"Oh nonsense," Estelle told her, "I used to shower twice a day back at the castle and I was fine."
"That's not what I meant..." Rita blushed.
"I know, I'm just teasing," Estelle did her best impersonation of Rita.
"Meanie..." Rita impersonated Estelle right back.
The two giggled as they hopped in the shower together.
