"Yes, the pudding cake," Alvin said in to the phone. "How many tiers do you think you can make it?"

"This is making my head hurt," I mumbled, rubbing my temples.

Alvin smirked and squeezed my shoulder. "The wedding is on the 20th of the 8th month in Nia Khera," A few nods. Silence. Another few nods and then finally a smile. "The name of the wedding planner is Keri Hopert and it's for Mr. and Mrs. Svent."

Mrs. Svent. Oh my darkness. I'm going to be Mrs. Svent in few months. I was actually getting married to a human in a few months. Holy shit. Was I even ready? I didn't even think about getting married the past year and now, I was. Holy shit. I mean, I was going to go through with it. I had to. I loved Alvin and I wouldn't want to back out now. It would be heart breaking and I couldn't hurt him like that.

"Hey! Hey! What's the matter?" Alvin was kneeling in front of me with a bit of anxiety painted on his face.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You're shaking," He told me, taking my hands in his.

"Oh," I looked down at my shaking hands. Even my legs were shaking. I started to laugh. "I guess I am."

Alvin grimaced. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm just...," I sighed. "I'm nervous."

Alvin thought for a moment then patted my knees, getting up off the floor. "Let's just have a quiet day."

"A what?" I asked, watching as he got his jacket and scarf on.

"A quiet day," Alvin repeated. "Ya' know. A day to relax and not worry about the wedding or anything else."

"So, what do you have in mind for our 'quiet day'?" I asked, getting up off the couch. "I mean, it's already about three o'clock."

"Well," He stuck his hand out for me to take. "Let's just walk around the city for now."

"Alright," I took his hand and he led me to the streets of Trigleph.

"Maybe we'll see some friends," He tried to make light chit chat. "That'll take the edge off the wedding."

"Hope so," I gulped.

I haven't seen any of my friends for days. The last time I saw them, was at the Temple in Kanbalar. I hated the way I felt then. Like I didn't want to help them. I did want to. I wanted to do the job that Origin had given me all those years ago. Why did I feel like this though? Was it because of my brother? I hadn't seen him in years and now, I have to fight him? Why the fuck did he have to be this way?

"Hey!" Alvin's shout intervened with my thoughts. He was waving to Jude, Gaius, and Ludger who were just standing around on the pier of Trigleph.

"Hey Alvin, Achlys," Jude nodded. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Been busy," Is all I managed to say.

"I bet," Gaius grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your wedding is coming up quite fast."

"Yeah, we just ordered the cake and flowers today," Alvin told him. "We're just taking a break from thinking about the wedding."

"Nervous?" Ludger asked, cocking a hip and resting his hand on it.

"Not me, but...," Alvin trailed off and side eyed me.

I frowned. "I'm more than just a little nervous and I'm stressed beyond belief."

Jude laughed, holding his stomach as he did. "All brides are like that. At least, that's what I've been told."

I waved my hand at him. "So, what are you doing here on the pier?"

"We just got back from a fractured dimension," Gaius said. "You actually just missed Milla and Elle."

"Oh! Was that your first fractured dimension, Gaius?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, but it's still very... unnerving."

"It'll always feel like that," I addressed.

Jude suddenly bumped into me. Attached to the boy was a seductive looking Muzét. She was clinging on to his arm like I do to Alvin when I'm nervous. She gave a little pout and then a giggle.

"Oh, Jude! You've matured so much since last year," The spirit teased.

"Muzét, you're kind of close," Jude murmured, bumping into me again.

Muzét pouted again. "Oh boo, we used to be tether friends."

"Oh tether friends!" Alvin winked, getting all types of cocky. "Oh Jude! Hold me tight and let's tether all night long!"

"It wasn't like that!" Jude exclaimed. "Muzét was just in a weakened state and I gave her some of my mana. It's no big deal."

"Oh, I beg to differ," I laughed. "When I told you what direct-tethering was, you rushed out of Balan's apartment."

"Yeah! Tethering is a big deal," Muzét giggled. "To a spirit, tethering is a very powerful and intimate experience!"

"Well, this is all news to me," Gaius huffed. "Why didn't you tell me Muzét?"

"Oh my!" I slapped a hand over my mouth. "You get around Muzét."

Muzét winked at me. "Gaius was so strong and when we tethered, I was just so overwhelmed!"

"To think I had taken on such a great responsibility, even if unknowingly," Gaius mumbled, turning his head a bit away from us.

"You must know what I'm talking about, Achlys," Muzét blushed as she turned away from Gaius.

"I haven't needed to direct-tether in over 500 years," I shrugged. "I don't really remember how it felt."

"Well, just so you know," Muzét bumped my elbow. "Jude's more of the giving tetherer and Gaius is more the commanding type," She glanced Ludger's way and smirked. "I wonder what it would be like to tether with you, Ludger?"

"How'd you like to be tethered, Muzét?"

"Oh my!" Muzét and I gasped, both of our eyes widening and mouths dropping open.

"To ask such a question to a spirit...," Muzét began to look a little flustered, making sure to turn her head away from Ludger. "Have you no decorum at all?"

Muzét flew away quickly, leaving just the five of us again. I continued to stare at Ludger with my mouth gapping open. What a question to ask indeed! I was especially surprised to see that Ludger was the one that said it. I would have thought that Alvin said it. But nope. Alvin kept quiet. I mean, I don't think I would have been mad at him for teasing. I just wouldn't find it surprising.

"Whoa! You scared her off!" Jude gasped.

"I'm impressed!" Alvin said. "You even have the Great Spirit of Darkness wide eyed with her mouth open like a fish!"

"I just...," I stuttered, fumbling with my coat. "That's... quite the question."

"How?" Ludger cocked his eyebrow.

I took a step backwards. "Well now, that's quite the question also."

"Hey hey!" Alvin put his hand on my back and pushed me back into the group. "You're not getting away!"

"Well, can we at least stop talking about tethering?" I hid my cheeks with my hands, making sure to stay looking down.

"Yes, let's talk about...," Gaius grumbled, trying to find something else to talk about. He pointed down to the ground in front of me. "Your heels!"

"My heels?" I questioned, picking up my foot. "Why? What about them?"

"Well," Gaius said lowly. "Why do you wear them?"

"Why... do I wear... heels?" I snickered, while the others tried to keep their chuckles at a minimum. I shrugged and kicked my heel up to his throat and kept it there. "To gash out a monsters throat if I need to. Why else?"

"Or it's because you're shorter than Leia without them," Alvin quipped.

I put my foot down and turned to glare at Alvin. "I told you not to tell anyone!"

"You're shorter than Leia?" Jude couldn't help but burst out with laughter.

I rolled my eyes, and put my hands up in surrender. "I'm done with all of you."

"Come now," Gaius smacked my back gently, still chuckling. "I'll buy you all drinks. It's only fair that I at least buy you a drink, Achlys."

"Since I'm the... what do you say? I'm the butt of the joke?" I scoffed but returned the gentle smack. "I'll take you up on that offer."

"Oh-ho! Drinking with His Highness! I could go for that too!" Alvin cheered, slipping an arm around Ludger's shoulder. "Whadya say, Streak?"

"Alright. I'll join," Ludger replied, imitating the gesture and putting an arm around Alvin's shoulder.

"I have to head to Helioborg, unfortunately," Jude mumbled, backing away from us. "You guys have fun though!"

"Shall we go to the Trigleph bar right here?" Ludger nodded at the inn.

Gaius shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

The boys rushed inside the inn while I trailed behind. Well, it wasn't that they rushed exactly. They just had really big strides. Meanwhile, I had really short strides. I walked into the bar after them and they were already seated at the bar, leaving a seat open between Alvin and Gaius for me. I hopped up on the stool and a drink was immediately put in front me.

"What's this?" I asked, eyeing the smallish glass that held a yellowish liquid.

"Whiskey sour," Gaius answered.

I shrugged and took a sip, sucking on my teeth after. "Wow, that's quite strong, but I do like it."

"Want to try mine?" Alvin asked, pushing his glass towards me. "It's a moscow mule."

"Eh, why not?" I shrugged and took a sip of his, immediately handing it back to him with a frown. "No, no. You didn't tell me it was spicy."

"There's barely any spice!" Alvin laughed, rustling my hair.

"So," Gaius gulped down his drink and slammed the empty glass on the table. "How's the business going, Alvin?"

"It's... getting there. Harder than I anticipated," Alvin grimaced and took another sip of his drink.

"I bet Achlys could give you some tips," Ludger raised his glass at me and then took a gulp.

I waved my hand dismissively. "We're just a bunch of mercenaries that do crazy shit to each other who just happen to work with farms and shippers."

"Didn't seem like it when we came with you that time," Ludger said.

I took a gulp of my drink and shook my head at the sourness. "Well, that was the business part. However, my business is different from Al's."

"Al?" Gaius cocked his head. "I've only known one other person to call him that."

"That name is reserved for special people," Alvin winked and threw an arm around me. "Just like I don't really like people, besides Balan, calling me Alfred. Just preference."

I finished my drink and set my glass on the table. "Whew, that did a lot more than I expected."

"Another over here!" Gaius pointed at me.

"Whoa! Are you trying to get me drunk?" I perplexed.

"That's exactly what we're trying to do," Alvin laughed, finishing his own drink and ordering another. "After we all have a second drink, we're gonna start taking shots."

"Gaius wants to challenge you to see if you can down seven shots faster than him," Ludger smirked, ordering another of his drinks. "Alvin informed us that you can hold your liquor pretty well."

"Oh, he did, did he?" I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling at my fiancé. "Well, he's not wrong."

"A year ago, I never thought we'd be... hanging out like this," Gaius proclaimed, ordering another drink. "I quite enjoy it."

"You're going to enjoy it even more when she's drunk," Alvin bleated. "She's the fun kind of drunk. All she does is giggle."

"When's the last time you've seen me drunk, Mr. Svent?" I asked with a cocky smile.

He thought for a second. "A few months ago when we decided to get away for a while."

"I don't quite remember," I chugged the rest of my drink.

"Well," Alvin began. "We went to Drellin and we camped out near the old ruins-"

I slapped a hand over his mouth and nodded. "Yes, I remember. Don't you dare say more."

"Oh! Got something juicy Alvin?" Ludger joked.

"Oh I do and I did," Alvin winked at the young man.

"Oh darkness," I sighed, playing around with my empty cup.

Gaius slammed his empty cup on the table. "I think it's time for shots, Achlys."

"Alright, you're on," I poked at his hard bicep.

"Waiter!" Alvin called. "Seven shots each for these two!"

"You got it!" The waiter nodded and got our shots ready.

"You two are up next," I grinned at Alvin and Ludger.

"How 'bout it, Ludger?" Alvin beamed, again wrapping an arm around Ludger's shoulders.

"Well, al-alright," Ludger stuttered. "But, I can't do seven. Make it five."

"That's fine with me! To be honest, I can't do seven either," Alvin said.

"Here ya' go! Seven shots for each!" The waiter put the plate down with the seven shots on each side. "Ready?"

Gaius and I put our hand around the first shot glass, glaring playfully into each others eyes and we both nodded.

"Shoot!"

Ugh! I didn't realize it would be "Moonlight"! You don't normally shoot that. It's usually a sipping drinking. I guess that why it's called a challenge.

Two down.

I could hear Alvin and Ludger cheering for Gaius instead of me. Oh please! I don't want to be rude to His Highness, but he doesn't stand a chance.

Six down.

I wasn't even paying attention to Gaius as I drank the last and put the glass on the table. He was just picking up his last one. Alvin and Ludger booed playfully behind me. Gaius shook his head, putting the last of his seven glasses on the plate. I did a little dance of victory for myself. No one can beat me at the seven shot challenge.

"It looks like I have been bested," Gaius put out a hand for me to shake.

Instead, I jumped out of my seat and gave him a hug. "Oh, don't look so ashamed! Not everyone can be on my level!" With one arm still wrapped around Gaius' neck, I turned back to the other two and pointed. "Now these guys!"


Ugh, my head. It felt like a bowling ball was being thrown at my head. I groaned and flipped to my side. Hot breath warmed my face and I gave a small sigh of contentment. I scooted closer towards the hot breath and nuzzled my way into the hard, muscular chest. An arm went around my waist, resting a hand on my back and gently pulled me in. Huh? This hand was bigger than Alvin's. I put my hand on the chest and the muscles were slightly bigger than his too. My hand crawled up to the face. No beard. My eyes shot open and I glanced up at the face.

"G-Gaius?" I blurted, pushing away from him, accidentally bumping into someone else.

"Uh," I glanced back and Ludger was rubbing his head. "Hey."

"What the fuck!" I shouted, sitting up on my elbows. My eyes widened as I noticed we were all naked. "What the fuck is going on! Where's Alvin!"

"Shh, keep it down," Alvin moaned and his head popped up from the floor. "Some of us have a headache."

"Why the hell are you on the floor?" I asked, gathering up some blanket to pull over my breasts.

"You were all so comfy," Alvin grinned. "I didn't want to make the bed cramped."

"Oh my darkness," I breathed, laying back down on the bed. "What the fuck happened last night?"

"Well, you're the one who should remember the most," Gaius grumbled. "You were the most sober out of all of us last night."

"I was?" I asked, rubbing my temples. "It doesn't feel like it."

"You weren't when we initially came back," Alvin replied. "But, you just kept on making food and the food must have sobered you up."

"Oh! Yes, I remember that," I nodded. "I'm surprised we ate it all."

"You wouldn't let Alvin help with anything," Gaius chuckled, sitting up in the bed and leaning against the wall. "You're a very good cook by the way."

"Thank you, thank you," I exasperated. "I'm scared to ask what happened after that."

"Well...," Ludger gave a weak ass laugh.

"You can probably tell what happened after that," Alvin gave a hearty chuckle.

"Tell no one about this," I growled and glared at Gaius. "Especially Rowen."

"You have my word with that," Gaius shook his head with disappointment.

My GHS went off somewhere in the room. Alvin rummaged through the pile of clothes on the floor and tossed me my GHS. I flipped over on to my stomach and answered it. "Hello?"

"Boss!" Derrick's screech made me shrink back with pain.

I pressed the speaker button and put the GHS on the pillow. "You're on speaker, Derrick."

"I'm gonna go make coffee," Alvin's voice spoke quietly, putting on his boxers and tiptoeing out of the room.

"You missed the meeting!" Derrick shouted.

"What meeting?" I asked, rubbing my face with the back of my hand.

"The meeting with the Fennmont shipper!"

"Shit! That was today?" I shrieked, getting a little panicky.

"Yeah! We couldn't cover for you either!" Derrick cried, but I could have sworn I heard snickering in the background.

I glared at the GHS. "Derrick."

"Yes boss?"

"There was no meeting today. Was there?" Derrick and the other voice burst out laughing. "Derrick, you piece of shit!"

"Sorry boss! It was Jess' idea!" Derrick exploded. "She saw you with Alvin and two others last night. You were so hammered!"

"Hammered?"

"Ya' know. Drunk," Derrick explained. "You sang karaoke and apparently, you're a really amazing singer."

"Oh Lord Maxwell," I grimaced, ruffling my hair.

"I'll let you go," Derrick was still snickering. "You don't sound too good."

"Right," I hung up and threw my GHS on the pile of clothes. "I'm surprised I don't feel like puking my guts out."

"Alright," Alvin came in with mugs of coffee in each hand. He handed me my own mug and handed Gaius another. "I don't know how you like your coffee so I left it black."

"Black is fine," Gaius waved a hand at him and took a sip of the boiling hot coffee.

"Ludger, do you want coffee?" Alvin asked the kid, but no answer. "Ludger?"

"I think he fell back asleep," I giggled, blowing a bit on my coffee before taking a sip.

"Eh, let him sleep," Alvin muttered, rubbing his neck. "Hey King, could ya' make room?"

Gaius scooted closer to me and Alvin laid down next to him. We sat in a really comfortable silence, just sipping at our coffee. Memories from last night were coming back piece by piece. Honestly, I wasn't as ashamed like I was when I couldn't remember. I remembered having fun. Should I be ashamed for having fun? Well, I don't know. Alvin seemed to not really give a shit. He was in the fun and if he didn't like it, he would have told us. Er, maybe I should ask him later.

Gaius picked up his GHS and opened it. "How do I get to my messages again?"

"Just hit the menu button and then hit the enter button," I instructed the king, downing the last of my coffee.

"Thank you," Gaius mumbled and did as he was told. "Looks like I have to meet up with Rowen."

"Better take a shower first," I told him.

"Yeah, the old geezer could probably smell the booze and-"

"I know what you're getting at," Gaius cut off a laughing Alvin.

"There are extra towels in the bathroom closet," My voice squeaked.

"Thank you," Gaius nodded and quickly bounded into the bathroom fully naked.

Ludger started to lightly snore, which was quite adorable. I sighed and reached over Alvin to put my mug on the night table. "Alvin-"

"Last night was fun," Alvin grinned from ear to ear. "You enjoyed it quite a bit."

I frowned and tugged at my hair. "About that. Are you... mad?"

"Mad?" His face twisted as he asked. "Why would I be mad?"

"I mean, we're engaged and I had... sex with two other men. Aren't you mad about that?" I repeated my question.

He shook his head. "No, it was fun. I had fun. You had fun. Gaius and Ludger had fun. You shouldn't feel guilty at all. I allowed it to happen. I was apart of the action. We all used condoms and we had fun," Alvin's cheeks got red. "And it was... kind of a fantasy of mine."

"To watch me have sex with Gaius and Ludger?" I snorted.

"Not exactly them, but having a threesome or foursome," Alvin's voice whispered the last few words. "Uh, a threesome and foursome are sex between three or four people. If ya' haven't figured it out already."

"I figured as much," I placed my head on to his chest, wrapped my left arm around him, and sighed. "So, who did I cuddle with last night if you were on the floor?"

"You and Gaius were the first ones to fall asleep, so you were cuddling him. Although, Ludger squeezed in later on," Alvin gulped the last of his coffee. "I didn't mind. I have you all to myself all the time. And Gaius was holding on to you like he was trying to protect you from a tortoise monster. So, I thought if I tried to even touch you, he would kill me."

"Mmm," I hummed and nuzzled my head into his chest. "You're still the most comfortable."

"Would you... do it again?"

I thought for a minute, but then nodded. "Yes, but of course, you have to be in it."

"Of course... maybe just a threesome though," Alvin started to stroke my hair and hum a small tune. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

"I think that's a good idea."


I just... I have no clue how it came to be like that. I didn't even plan this. It just... happened.