((Sorry about the delay everyone. But the new chapter is up and running and it'll totally be worth it! Lot's of goodness I this one. Hope you enjoy!))

Chapter 12

Oasis

The group ate, paid for their food, and then prepared to depart. They all wanted to leave as early as possible to beat the heat. But just before taking off, they went and grabbed an updated map from one of the merchants. They'd already heard about the oasis along the way and all of them wanted to visit it before heading to Horsa. That, and everyone agreed they'd probably need to cool down halfway there. And of course, during this discussion it was Edna who stepped up beside Mikleo and mumbled just loud enough for him to hear, "Melty Mikleo. Melteo."

He quickly stiffened. And with a frown and a 'hmph' later, he was lifting his nose into the air and storming forward to travel at the head of the group away from her. Edna snickered at his back.

They all headed out into the desert then. And Mikleo, like before, was being cautious. He'd unzipped his jacket again to ward off heat exhaustion, that on top of his usual water and ice pop breaks, the team held up fairly well, even though there seemed to be a growing number of hellion encounters along the way.

"Does it seem like there's more of these annoyances to you?" Edna asked after their most recent battle. And several team members nodded.

"Yes," Lailah replied. "And I'm feeling a gradual build-up of malevolence as we near the village. I suspect the hellions are gathering due to that."

"Doesn't matter," Zaveid said. "We're kicking their asses. Our teams never jived this well before."

And for some reason, this caused Mikleo to gain a slight, pinkish color to his cheeks. Walking up front with Sorey, the others couldn't see, and he made sure to keep his head turned in case one of them glanced his way.

They were kicking ass. And they were all jiving well. And Mikleo had never felt so connected to all his friends before. And he, of course, never felt as close to Sorey as he did now. It had affected his fighting, and he didn't know he could be this good or this focused. And knowing the source of his sudden power increase had made the color come to his face.

Sorey caught him blushing, but didn't know why. It hardly mattered: Mikleo was awfully cute when he was blushing. Sorey decided he liked that look on the water seraph.

"We are doing seriously well. Even with the extra hellions we've met along the way," he observed. "I guess we're just on a roll!" And he flashed everyone a bright smile, happy that his team - especially Mikleo - was doing okay despite the desert heat, and despite having to fight the hoards of hellions that kept popping out of nowhere. Maybe they'd hit some sort of a stride, and had gotten stronger over the past couple of days in the desert.

Or...maybe Mikleo was just kicking more butt than usual, with his newfound powers and strength. Maybe that was it.

Sorey wanted to think that. He already thought the world of the seraph; why not secretly give him a lot of the credit for how great the team was holding up?

He made a mental note to say something about it when they were alone, in private.

"Well we are in a desert," Zaveid said. "Bathed in the heat that the glorious fiery sun above us creates. And with Lailah, our very own fire seraph with us, who could be surprised? She took out half those hellions herself back there. She's in her own element, and here in the fiery sands, she's working it!" Zaveid turned to her, smiling her way. "And she's working those legs too!"

"I appreciate your flattery Zaveid," she admitted. "And your choice of words was almost poetic, but all the same, I'm afraid that last battle was truly a team effort."

"Poetic you say? Do you like poetry? Because as I said before, I'm a love master. And any good love master is good at poetry. Here, try this one on." The wind seraph quickly cleared his throat, his orange eyes becoming suddenly stoic and serious,

"Fire burns with power and light

Churning, sparking, a beautiful sight

None can resist her loveliness

Charm and wit, warmth and bliss.

When wind blows in uninvited

Fire at first may feel quite slighted

But wind has a gift fire doesn't know

Wind feeds, strengthens and powers a soul.

Kissing her hands and stoking her flame

Wind puts power behind his claim.

Until at last when mixed together

Fire and wind are for the better."

It was a damned good poem. And it was hard to deny as such. Even Lailah seemed all aflutter as she lifted her hands to her face, a blush coming to her cheeks.

"Oh my!" But she wasn't the only one swooning. Mikleo sported his second blush for the day too, although he was far more collected about it than Lailah. Keeping his chin level with the ground, he kept his demeanor about him.

Even Edna wasn't immune to it. Though Edna didn't get any color like the others, she had enough sense to be embarrassed about it as she crossed her arms and looked to the side.

"Even your poems are perverted…" she muttered.

It was an impressive poem. The naughty implications of it were lost on Sorey, though. He did notice how flustered Lailah got. And also how Mikleo blushed and even Edna looked embarrassed after the wind seraph had finished reciting his poetry. Sorey supposed it was because Zaveid was obviously flirting with Lailah, and the fire seraph must've liked it.

Sorey wasn't the best at poetry. He'd tried to write some a few times to describe the beauty of different areas, and he'd failed terribly at it. It was that sense of lacking that made him appreciate the wind seraph's ability to capture such turns-of-phrases so quickly and proficiently.

Even if his mind wasn't in the gutter, he could still appreciate how good the poem was.

"That...was actually a really good poem," Sorey complimented. "Sometimes I think you're all talk, but then you go and surprise me. I have to say, Zaveid, you really know your stuff." And the shepherd did seem impressed, and not at all embarrassed, like the others.

Quickly, Zaveid moved to the shepherd's side, an eager grin on his face.

"Do you want to learn?" he asked. "Poetry's a quick way to a lady's heart, or in your case, a man's. Mikleo certainly seemed effected by it." And then, unabashed, he turned and called over to the water seraph, "Weren't you Mikky?"

Already flustered and embarrassed, Mikleo waved the wind seraph away.

"Ugh! Shut up will you?"

Zaveid laughed.

"He was! He likes a little bit of a naughty poem. He tries to hide it, but you can tell by his face. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've seen him reading a few poetry books during our journey."

"It's called culture and romance, you perverted pig!"

"Romance, lust, it's all the same thing."

"It is not!"

"Look, Sorey, all I know is that you can do a lot with poetry. Sweep your boyfriend off his feet. Come to me and I'll give you lessons."

"Any lessons you give would be about how much smut to fit into a few otherwise good words." Turning to Sorey, Mikleo said, "Sorey, don't take poetry lessons from a creep. He'll just try to corrupt you. If you wanted to write me poems, just make them your own."

But when Mikleo said that, Zaveid's grin only grew all the bigger.

"Ah-HA! So you do want Sorey to write you poetry!"

Mikleo's blush had never completely faded, and now it came roaring back. Even more flustered than he was a second ago, he looked away in embarrassment.

"I never said…he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to!"

Sorey knew what that meant: Mikleo really did want him to write poetry. Sorey's eyebrows shot up dramatically, and then he suddenly grinned.

"I can do that! I can write you poetry," Sorey stated, placing his hands on his hips in a confident pose. "I may not be as eloquent as Zaveid, but with a little bit of practice and studying, I'm sure I can come up with something good."

He had plans. Oh, did he have plans. Sorey was going to come up with something good as soon as possible, whenever they had a spare moment.

The question was: should he take Zaveid's advice? And what was Mikleo talking about making the poems perverted? He hadn't noticed anything perverted about the wind seraph's poem to Lailah. Had he...missed something?

In any case, it didn't matter. If he could write something pretty and sweep his love off of his feet, and make him blush, then that's what Sorey wanted to do.

Mikleo wasn't sure how to react. If this had been before his confession, he would have acted as if he didn't want Sorey to write him poems, mostly to keep Zaveid off the scent. But this was afterward, and Mikleo had already made a promise to himself not to hide how he felt about Sorey any longer. And so, still fighting embarrassment, he looked to Sorey,

"Y-you can write me something…if you wanted," he said. And it was impossible to hide how suddenly shy he felt. Lailah, in watching the entire thing let off a small, barely stifled, girlish squee. Edna of coarse let off a scoff, then promptly rolled her eyes.

"A-anyway, we should move on. We're not making very good time talking about all this while we try to travel. And everyone's hot, so it'd be nice to reach the oasis," Mikleo said. "And we should be more vigilant too! What if a hellion took this moment to attack us?"

Quickly, and moving quite stiffly, he marched forward, swinging his arms and keeping his chin up as he always did when trying to maintain his dignity.

Lailah, seemingly almost beside herself with delight, leaned over to Edna to whisper,

"They're so cute!" Edna only let off another scoff followed by another eye roll.

Despite all of his protests, Sorey knew good and well enough that Mikleo actually did want him to write something special. He just didn't know how to express it. That's how he was: he protested, sometimes vehemently, anything that might be both true and somehow embarrassing. And that trait was extra endearing that blistering afternoon.

"I may need to talk to Zaveid about rhyming, and how to get the timing right," he said quietly to himself. But I'll try coming up with something all on my own first. He's not getting anything altered or watered down by anyone else. It's going to come straight from the heart. And so, with a smile plastered all over his face, Sorey trotted after Mikleo, not complaining even once as they made their way through the scorching hot desert towards their destination. The oasis wasn't so far off, and he had plenty of things to think about. Even though they faced dozens of hellions on the way, Sorey's spirits were very bolstered for the rest of the journey.

The hellions were indeed getting more numerous and more powerful as they went, but they still were no match for the shepherd and his party. And as the sun passed the highest point in the sky and just started to descend, everyone was truly feeling the heat. The white sands sweltered in the sun, and just as it was on their way in, everyone was yet again asking Mikleo for water. He obliged. And although he was doing much better with an open jacket, it was clear that he was starting to wilt as he had the first time around.

His ivory skin, now a little pink, glistened as sweat beaded on the surface, and his shoulders were starting to sag. His purple eyes started to lose some of their zeal as his energy appeared to drain away from him.

Damn it… he thought to himself. I can't be a burden to the group again. I have to figure out a way to maintain my strength until we get to the oasis.

But that was hard when he felt like a marshmallow that'd been set on fire. Despite his sweat, he felt bone dry, like his skin was shriveling up and turning into leather. The desert was so arid that he just couldn't maintain his usual cool and damp conditions. Lifting a hand, he wiped at his brow, and tried not to appear as miserable as he was starting to feel.

Then, suddenly, something passed over him, blocking out the sun's harsh rays and leaving him in blessed shade. Blinking, the harsh light out of his eyes for the first time in hours, Mikleo turned to his side to find Edna holding her umbrella up and over him. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't look so shocked," Edna said monotonously. "I can do something nice every once in a while. And besides, you're the weakest out of everyone here, so you need this more than I do."

Mikleo was about to say 'thank you' and he was about to feel grateful…until Edna said that last part. Quickly, a frown overtook his features.

"I'm not the weakest," he said firmly. "Didn't you hear what Lailah said our first time through about opposite elements?"

"I did. And it means you being in a desert makes you the weakest. If we were in a blizzard, Lailah would be the weakest. It's not personal Meebo, it's just the truth."

But Mikleo was still looking pretty unhappy as he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, looking off and to the horizon. Edna frowned. Then, holding her umbrella out to him a second time, she nudged him in his shoulder roughly with the handle.

"Don't be proud Meebo, just take the umbrella."

Mikleo looked back to face Edna, and carefully he studied her face. Maybe…maybe she was trying to be nice for once and her blunt and gravely nature was just her way. Maybe she just didn't know how else to offer. And Mikleo was aware of the fact that her umbrella was her most precious possession. Hadn't her brother given it to her before he'd become a dragon?

When he thought about that, his face softened, and slowly, he nodded.

"Ok," he said. "Thank you Edna."

He took up the cute, frilly, yellow and white umbrella into his hands. Then, standing up with it, he found he did feel a lot better with shade over his head. But as soon as he started to walk forward with it, handle over his shoulder in the same fashion Edna always carried it, Edna immediately let off a snicker and a snort. Then, leaning over to Zaveid who was nearby, she said,

"He's so pretty!"

Mikleo's shoulder's stiffened. Immediately his anger returned. Then, turning to face Edna once more, he folded up her umbrella and thrust it back into her hands.

"No thank you!" He said snippily. Then he turned on his heel and started to march away in a huff.

"Aww, lady Meebo! Don't be like that! You need this for your delicate skin!"

Mikleo didn't give Edna the satisfaction of an answer and instead continued to march angrily forward and toward the front of the group where Lailah and Sorey had been talking. Passing them both, Sorey of course looked up from the page in the Celestial Record he'd been showing Lailah.

"Mikleo? What's the matter?" And Mikleo was on a tirade as he marched up the sandy hill before them. Mumbling to himself he muttered,

"Never get any respect around here. Always the butt of some joke! I work hard and I'm responsible. But does anyone treat me right?"

And he would have kept muttering, but that was when he came to the crest of the hill, and when he did, he looked out, and against the horrid glare of the sun he saw a glimmer on the horizon. At first he thought it was a trick of the heat, for the waves often times made it look like there was water off in the distance against the hot sand but…there were palm trees on either side of it and green plants around it's edges. His face immediately lightened.

"The oasis," he said breathlessly to himself. And then, all his anger an indignation forgotten, he called over his shoulder to all the others. "Everyone, we made it to the oasis!"

And in simply seeing the water was enough to fill him with energy, but because he was a water seraph, he could also feel its presence. And he simply couldn't wait to plunge his body into its cool waters and wash his skin of all the blistering heat and sweat. With a cry of excitement, he took off running down the sandy hill.

He didn't wait for anyone else in the party. Mikleo simply flew forward, kicking up sand as he went. And as he started to near the edge of the pool, the water only enticed him to run faster. He could smell it now, he could feel the relieving humidity it gave off, and the sight of it grew better and better as the distance closed. The water was beautiful and crystal clear, and there were far more plants around it than he originally thought. The oasis was also looking much larger than he first considered too. There were even enough trees for shade, and bursts of color from flowers around its edge. It truly was an oasis in every sense of the word.

Laughing with delight, Mikleo shrugged off his blue coat as he ran. Then, reaching down, he hopped on one foot at a time as he ripped off his black shoes. Then, following the shoes was his black undershirt. And then after that, his white pants.

A trail of clothes behind him and leaving nothing on with exception of his white under shorts, Mikleo then leapt forward and over the edge, landing with a splash into the crystal clear pool. The cold water enveloped him, flowing over his skin and through his hair and in only a second flat he was rejuvenated in his element: his sweat washed clean from him, the heat banished and the dryness replenished with cool, crisp, clean water. Swimming back up, he broke the surface, throwing his head back with delight and sending water spraying off of the blue tips of his hair. Laughing in the sunlight, the pink already gone from his porcelain white skin thanks to his healing artes, he lifted a hand and wiped his wet bangs to the side, revealing his circlet which he'd forgotten to remove in his eagerness. Then, turning to face the other's as they approached, he swam effortlessly to the edge of the pool where he laid his smiling eyes on a certain Shepherd.

"Sorey," he beckoned. "Come into the water, it's so refreshing!"

But Sorey couldn't do a lot at the moment. He found himself temporarily paralyzed, frozen in place only a yard away from the oasis.

There was Mikleo. Wearing only his under shorts. Glistening wet. Water droplets everywhere. Calling to him.

The shepherd got a very dopey expression on his face, and didn't bother to hide his open stare. And Zaveid, standing beside him let off a low, rolling chuckle as he elbowed Sorey knowingly in his side.

There'd been a time when they'd gone to the sauna. It had been difficult to not stare at the water seraph the whole time he and Zaveid had been in the hot room. He had appearances to keep up with, back then. He and Mikleo hadn't been together when that had happened.

But...they were now.

And so, with a flash of his pearly whites, his green eyes shining, Sorey took off towards the water, his hesitation completely banished when he thought about joining his love in the cool, refreshing waters of the pool.

He stripped, more carefully than Mikleo, and then eagerly ran into the water, laughing as he went. This was a great opportunity to relax for a moment, and Sorey happened to love swimming.

He jumped into the crystal clear waters with a splash and a laugh, relief flooding upon him like a wave. All the sweat and sandy dust left his skin, and he felt a thousand times better than he had just mere moments before.

Then, with a smile, he thrust his arms forward into the water and propelled himself towards Mikleo, green eyes bright.

"Yup. You're definitely right. This is fantastic," and he flashed the other youth a huge grin. Then, he turned towards Zaveid and the others.

"You guys get in too! The water's perfect!"

Zaveid didn't need to be told twice. Already mostly naked, he immediately began ripping off his shoes. Then, in one fluid motion that no one could quite understand, his pants were off. In only a pair of green boxers, he swaggered and swayed his way over to Lailah's side. Reaching out, he took her hand and lifted it delicately in his own.

"Whaddoya say m'lady? Shall we plunge into the deep?"

"Oh! I…I'm afraid I don't know how to swim…"

But this hardly deterred poor, determined Zaveid. He only flashed his eyes all the more the fire seraph's way.

"No need to fear m'dear. I'll teach you. We can wade slowly but pleasurably through the shallow end."

"O-oh my!"

While Zaveid attempted to woo Lailah, Edna calmly and quietly left her umbrella and boots on shore, then simply walked into the water fully clothed. She wasn't as crazy about swimming around as Mikleo, and she certainly didn't care about naked bodies like everyone else seemed to be, but she did want to cool off a little.

Meanwhile, seemingly caught in their own little world, Sorey and Mikleo swam around freely in the deeper part of the oasis. And Mikleo seemed completely liberated and joyous in his element. As soon as Sorey swam over to him, he didn't hold anything back. Hitting a hand forward and into the water, he splashed his boyfriend the old fashioned way, not using any artes. And as soon as Sorey's brunet hair was flattened like a pancake, he burst out laughing.

But before the shepherd could retaliate, Mikleo plunged his head down into the waters, leaving Sorey to watch his white feet disappear beneath the surface. Then, as gracefully as a mermaid, he swam down and underneath Sorey, passing playfully between his legs. He grabbed at his ankles briefly, giving a teasing yank as he passed by, just to prove that he could, then resurfaced behind him, still laughing as he did so.

"Gotchya!" Reaching forward, he shoved Sorey in his shoulders, then purposefully seemed to float in place just to see what Sorey would do.

They'd played this type of game dozens of times before, but now it was somehow different. Sorey was allowed to look at things, number one, and number two, it was now okay to do things like let his touch linger for longer than perhaps was necessary. He knew enough to know Mikleo wouldn't mind. Their childhood game had turned into a wonderful opportunity for some flirting, and Sorey intended to take full advantage of that.

With a mischievous smile, Sorey lurched forwards, and placed his hands directly on the water seraph's more slender shoulders, and pushed down, trying to dunk his boyfriend under the water. In a water game contest, Sorey was sure to lose...but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun trying to one-up his boyfriend anyway.

Mikleo, caught unawares, found himself being shoved beneath the surface. But as soon as he realized what Sorey was doing, he knew how to counter easily enough. Being in the deeper part of the pool, he didn't fight, but rather, went further down, swimming away from Sorey's grabbing hands. And then, as he'd just done a second ago, he swam underneath the brunet. But this time, instead of just passing by, he grabbed hold of one of Sorey's legs, wrapping both arms around his calf, and using perhaps just a little bit of an arte to make sure he had an edge, he yanked downward, pulling Sorey down with him.

Once Sorey was fully submerged, Mikleo let go. He knew after all that Sorey couldn't hold his breath as long as he could, and so he never kept him under for very long. He swam back up to the surface, and once he emerged, he couldn't help the laughter that continued to spill from him. He was never as happy as he was in the water, and he was never as happy as he was with Sorey. Adding the two together made him feel as if he were in heaven.

Eagerly, he waited for Sorey to resurface so they could continue their flirtatious water games.

The chance was way too good to pass up. Now that he was submerged, he wasn't about to let Mikleo go away without some playful retaliation.

He opened his eyes underwater, and swam directly underneath the seraph, then spun around so his love's back was to him. Then, he resurfaced, and after taking a big breath of air, Sorey wrapped his arms tight around Mikleo, pulling him right up against his chest. Then, with a little chuckle, pulled them both underwater, never letting Mikleo go from his grasp as they sank.

Grabbed from behind, Mikleo found himself pulled beneath the surface all over again. And although initially he had struggled, because that's how they'd always played in the past, as soon as the pair of them were submerged, Mikleo stopped fighting, for once he was under, he felt a wave of calm and peacefulness wash over him.

There above him was the surface of the oasis, and it shimmered and flowed, letting the sunlight through to make the same wavy patterns that he was so used to seeing. And there beneath him, was Sorey, his arms wrapped around him tightly, securely. And he felt so at home that he wondered briefly if he wouldn't be able to breathe under water had he tried. He of course knew better, but all the same, the feeling remained.

For a long moment, he just floated, taking it all in and enjoying it all. At least…that was until Sorey started choking.

Blinking, he glanced behind himself and found Sorey starting to lose his breath. But because Mikleo was laying on top of him, he couldn't surface.

Oh, whoops!

Sorey let Mikleo go and quickly the water seraph turned around and grabbed Sorey's hands. Taking them in his own, he swam him back up, kicking his strong legs for propulsion. Then, once the two broke the surface, air filling their lungs, poor Sorey was of course coughing and wheezing. And Mikleo, still in too good of a mood to outright apologize, simply let off another chuckle.

"Too much for you?" he teased. "Do you need a break? Let's head to where we can stand."

Mikleo didn't wait for a response as Sorey continued to sputter. Instead, he swam smoothly around to his front, and then straight on up to him. Then, completely unabashed, he reached out a hand. Hooking his fingers in the waistband of Sorey's boxers, he casually started to pull, and in this fashion, he started to literally tow his boyfriend toward the shore.

Hacking and coughing, Sorey let himself be tugged forward. He was aware of how forward Mikleo was being, and much to his surprise, Sorey found he didn't mind all that much. Mikleo was in his natural element, after all, and Sorey figured he probably felt extra-confident surrounded by water.

Well, that and...it was sort of nice having his hand close to certain places. And it was nice being sort of...tugged along, and bossed around. Actually, that was sort of hot. Maybe he liked some sass.

Still sputtering, he let the seraph tug him along towards an area where he could stand, and as soon as he could, Sorey planted his feet into the sand, covering his mouth as he coughed.

Although he was feeling some physical discomfort, his own spirits were nearly as high as Mikleo's. Once he could respond with words, he did.

"I guess I did get in over my head," he said, unaware of the bad pun he'd just made, even though somewhere on the other side of the oasis, Lailah squealed. "And you certainly...like pulling me around. Can't say I mind." There was a definite tease hidden in the depths of his green eyes, and Sorey smiled mischievously at his boyfriend again, taking in another sweet, deep breath as he enjoyed looking at the incredibly attractive water seraph that was oh-so close.

Sorey was right in thinking Mikleo felt the most confident in the water. When he was in the water, most all of the walls he put up around himself while out on land were taken down. He wasn't nearly as cautious, or tactful, or worrisome when in the water. And as Zaveid had been saying to him all along: he wasn't buttoned up in the water either. He just let himself be what he was. And so, when Sorey said that to him, he didn't resist the temptation he had to take that last step forward to close the distance between them. Lifting his amethyst eyes, he let his sight linger on Sorey's face.

"Your eyes look so much greener today than usual," he said. "Maybe it's all that yellow sand in the background. Or maybe it's…just me."

"Maybe it's just because I'm happy" he said, wrapping an arm around Mikleo's waist and pulling him close again. "Stopping at the oasis was definitely a good idea," Sorey said, grinning, enjoying the opportunity to be this close to the person he loved. He stared into Mikleo's amethyst eyes for just a moment longer, before tilting his head and kissing the seraph very soundly before pulling away with a laugh, grabbing Mikleo by the hands and pulling him back into the slightly deeper water.

He had his breath back, and it was clear Sorey still wanted to play, and he had no intentions of letting go of Mikleo just yet.

Mikleo had closed his eyes and he'd enjoyed that kiss. He inhaled deeply Sorey's scent, and he loved Sorey's strong arm as it wrapped around his waist. Their chests were bare, and as Sorey held him against him, Mikleo was suddenly filled with an electric spark as their skin met. He'd never had a sensation like that with Sorey before, and it filled him with a warmth that he didn't want to let go of. And when Sorey pulled back, ending their kiss, Mikleo gazed up at him with a pair of soft eyes, clearly assuming they were about to have a moment such as the one they'd had in the ruins just yesterday but…that was when,

"Hahaha!" An obnoxious laugh came out of his boyfriend's mouth breaking the moment. And suddenly, Sorey pulled away from him, grabbed his hands and started to pull him back into the deep end of the oasis. His usual, playful, puppy dog expression on, Mikleo saw clear as day that Sorey still wanted to play. And that of course, was the last thing Mikleo now wanted to do.

"Hey!" Mikleo cried, offense immediately taking over his features. "Stop it! What's the matter with you? Can't you read the moment?"

Struggling in his boyfriend's grasp, Mikleo tried to pull his wrists free, but Sorey had always been stronger than him.

But Sorey just chuckled, and pulled Mikleo closer to him again until they were flushed up against each other. They were a little deeper in the water now, and that let them float some, which made it easy for more than just their chests to be close together this time around. Buoyancy was a wonderful thing, and without as much gravity on their lower halves, Sorey could snake a leg around Mikleo's leg, too, and not worry about falling over.

Sorey's strong arms were around Mikleo's waist again and the shepherd found himself enjoying the way the other youth fit perfectly up against him, bare chest against bare chest. Again, just as before in the ruins, Sorey was amazed by how soft Mikleo's skin was. And there was a lot more of it exposed than before. That excited him.

"You want more kisses? I can give you more kisses," he said teasingly.

Mikleo broke out into a blush. He almost couldn't even believe how much he loved being close to Sorey. And when he held him like this, he couldn't stop his heart from pounding.

"Idiot…" he muttered, still clearly a little unhappy about being played with. "Don't tease me too much…" But it was really a double-edged sword, because Mikleo couldn't deny a part of him that almost liked being yanked around. But he was way too prideful to admit that out loud.

Sorey knew two things: he'd messed up when he'd dragged Mikleo back towards the deeper waters and hadn't continued kissing him in the shallows, and also: Mikleo did want more kisses. He was just too prideful to admit it.

Quietly, and softly, Sorey comforted his love. "No more teasing." Then, he leaned in and planted a kiss on Mikleo's lips, letting it linger before gently pulling back, and not letting any distance come between them.

Mikleo felt his heart melt all over again. The gentle way Sorey held him, and the way he softly kissed him made him want to swoon. And the tender way he promised not to tease him anymore made his ears burn. His heart picked up pace all over again, and Mikleo couldn't help but to wonder how it was possible to feel so full of affection for just one person. He felt so full he was overflowing.

Unable to help himself, Mikleo lifted his arms, wrapping them around the shepherd. Sliding his hands upward to his shoulders, he embraced him. Wanting to feel him close, he buried his nose in his neck.

"Do you want to know a secret?" he whispered quietly so the others wouldn't hear, his breath just near Sorey's ear. "I really do want to stay at an inn with walls and a door."

Now Sorey's heart started to pound, for he knew what Mikleo's words meant. And he just knew the crazy thudding of his heart would be audible to Mikleo. He cinched his arms just a little tighter around his love, and his own voice soft, he replied in like:

"Me too," he said, his breath tickling the seraph's ears. "I want that too."

He wanted it right then and there, and didn't particularly want to wait until they could find somewhere, either.

He would not tell Zaveid that he was right. The wind seraph would get way too big of an ego boost out of that.

Mikleo did feel Sorey's heart pick up pace, and he felt how powerfully it suddenly started to pound from within his chest. He felt Sorey's grip on him increase, and he heard how low and husky his voice had become in his reply. And because Mikleo was a water seraph, he could practically feel the blood thudding in Sorey's veins.

Sorey's body's reaction was an incredible turn on, and as Mikleo felt the heat in Sorey's skin start to grow warmer, it was all almost too much to bear. His own body started to react, and knowing this was not the good thing it felt like it was, since they were in public with their friends, he let out an almost tortured sounding moan.

"We need to…we need to go cool off…" he said. "I'll meet you back on shore in a few minutes." Then, lifting his chin, he gave Sorey a quick, sweet kiss on his cheek. Then he unwrapped himself from Sorey, turned, and effortlessly dove back into the water, making himself disappear from sight, and leaving poor Sorey standing alone, holding onto nothing but air.

Sorey knew he was right. That didn't mean he liked it. The second Mikleo swam off, the shepherd felt a heavy sort of longing, already wishing that the water seraph was back in his arms.

But...he had to get control of himself.

Sorey sighed, floating on his back in the cool waters, looking up at the bright blue desert sky above him. It was good, really, that Mikleo had sense enough to put a temporary halt to their affections. The others were nearby, and just like it had been in the ruins, the oasis pool was no place for their first time together.

But...he'd wanted it.

He'd wanted it bad.

If the others hadn't been there, Sorey was sure he would've taken the seraph over to the shore and just...

Blood rushed to the tips of his ears, and he covered his mouth, feeling flustered. Then, wordlessly, he dunked himself back under the water.

No more thoughts like that. He couldn't keep thinking like that if he wanted to be able to get out of the pool any time soon.

Sorey slowly let himself drift back upwards to the surface of the water, and just let himself relax. If he focused on something else, then he could cool himself down, truly.

The poor shepherd appeared quite forlorn as the water seraph disappeared back under the surface, and the entire scene hadn't escaped certain party members who'd been watching from a distance.

"Damn, we gotta get those kids a room and pronto! If we don't they're gunna start groping each other right in the middle of a battle!" Zaveid said. And Lailah, who'd finally broken down and joined Zaveid in the shallows of the oasis, unfortunately had to agree. She loved Sorey and Mikleo's relationship and she thought they were just precious, but she was also worried it might become a distraction from their very serious quest. Even so, the way she answered wouldn't reflect any of that.

"They're both too responsible for something like that Zaveid," she said in their defense, despite some of her worries. "Let's have faith in them."

Zaveid, his eyes still focused out and on the forlorn shepherd, nodded.

"Yeah," he said simply.

A few moments later, most of the party members started to emerge from the pool of water. Edna, standing on shore, started to ring out the water from the bottom portions of her dress. Zaveid moseying over to her, grinned.

"You need help airing out your clothes? I could blast you with some air."

"No thanks. I wore them into the water on purpose. We're in a desert. They'll keep me cool for maybe five minutes before they're dry again."

Zaveid shrugged, "Suit yourself."

Lailah who'd also kept her dress on, simply for modesty's sake since Zaveid kept trying to get her to take it off, actually did take Zaveid up on his offer. Happy to go over to her, he held out a hand and acted as a sort of blow dryer. Carefully, and somehow with respect and restraint, he started to help Lailah dry off.

But as everyone started to get out of the water, Mikleo of course remained. He'd spent a lot of time swimming around on his own on the opposite side of the oasis. He dove down to the bottom a few times to check out shiny objects he saw glinting in the light. But most of them turned out to be pebbles or other such things that he decided not to keep. Even so, it'd kept his mind off of his longing for Sorey.

The rest of the time he spent working on his artes. With water all around, it was always easiest to practice in such environments. Deciding to focus on spells that required a ton of concentration over anything easy or powerful, he'd chosen more creative aspects. Lifting his hands, and swirling his fingers through the air, he muttered a few words under his breath, then lifted the water up into the air in a swooping motion that imitated the movement of his fingers. As he drew it up, he froze it in place, capturing it in time. In only a few seconds or so, he had entire ice sculptures, all of which appeared intricately detailed and beautiful in the desert sun. It was easy to see that he was forcing his mind to focus on its work and nothing else.

"Mikleo, it's time to go!" Lailah called out to him.

Turning to see the other's getting ready on the opposite shore, he called back,

"Be right there." With his usual grace and ease, he dove back into the waters. Effortlessly and within seconds he reached the opposite bank. Climbing out of his refuge, he already felt the heat of the sun on his pale skin. He sighed, knowing he'd be uncomfortable again in only a few minutes after he was dressed.

For just a few minutes, he let himself air dry: no one wanted wet underwear after all. And like Edna claimed, the hot desert sun dried the garment in no time, even with him still wearing it. And so, looking a bit hesitant to leave the oasis and continue their journey, he started to get dressed. He pulled on his pants and his undershirt. But once clothed, he didn't put his jacket back on right away. Instead, he picked it up and walked it over to the oasis. Then bending down, he submerged it in the water.

"What're you doing?" Edna asked.

"Preparing for the rest of the journey."

Lifting his blue jacket back out, he then shrugged it back up and onto his shoulders. And once it was on, he waved a hand over it and the jacket froze into ice.

"Ahh…" he breathed a sigh of relief. "I should have thought of this earlier. All I'll have to do is refreeze it when it starts to melt."

"That's really…cool!" Lailah said, immediately giggling afterward. "You see what I did there? I said it was cool! Like the temperature!"

"We get it Lailah…" Edna groaned.

Mikleo smiled, "Anyone else want their clothes frozen?"

"No thank you," Zaveid said quickly. "All I got are m'pants. And you can understand why I wouldn't want you to freeze those."

Mikleo let out a chuckle of amusement, "I guess not. Edna? You?"

"Nope. I wouldn't be able to move in a frozen dress. And really, I'm wondering how you're going to move. We need you for battle you know."

"Edna, please, I can thaw it in a second flat when we run into the next hellion. What do you take me for?"

"An idiot."

"Hey!"

Edna stuck her tongue out at him. Mikleo, rolling his eyes, would have crossed his arms over his chest had he not frozen the jacket sleeves. And realizing how annoying it would be to be unable to move his arms, he at the very least unthawed those for better movement. Then, turning, he finally dared to look for Sorey. He was certainly cooled off by that point, and with his mind focused on the journey, it was safe to be near the person he loved once more.

"Sorey, are you ready? Do you want a frozen cloak?" Mikleo smiled a bit teasingly.

"No thanks," Sorey responded, pulling on one of his boots. The only thing left for him to put on after that was his cloak, and he really didn't want that holding him back. Unlike Mikleo, he couldn't just thaw it and refreeze it any time he wanted. "And besides, you know I like the way it moves in the wind." He'd told the seraph that a few times before, stating it made him feel cool and somehow impressive.

Within just a couple of more seconds, the shepherd was ready to go, feeling refreshed and much more at ease than he had been earlier on. With a grin, he surveyed the rest of the group. Everyone looked ready to go.

"Well, alright," he stated, his hands on his hips. "I guess we should continue onward, then..." And he cast a forlorn glance back at the oasis. He was already starting to feel the desert heat now that he was fully clothed. While he didn't want anything frozen, he also wasn't relishing the idea of going back out into the heat.

But he had done a lot of thinking about poems for Mikleo, and while he wasn't really ready to say them out loud, he felt like maybe he could start to jot something down on paper whenever they stopped to rest again. Floating in the deep had given him a lot of time to figure out what he wanted to say, and well...he certainly was no wordsmith like Zaveid, Sorey still felt like he'd do a good job with his poem. Surely Mikleo would like it.

With a secret little smile on his face, the shepherd then took out his map, and surveyed the landscape. "Okay. So...I think we need to go that way," he said, studying it for a second longer to get their bearings, and then he turned back to face everyone else.

"You guys ready?" he asked, more as a courtesy than anything. He knew they'd follow him just about anywhere, but Sorey never wanted to feel like they had to do as he said just because he was the shepherd. He didn't view any of his team members like that. They were all important friends, and if someone needed some extra time at the oasis to wrap things up or finishing drying off, then that was fine too.

"Oh uh…two seconds," Mikleo said when asked. Realizing that he'd also frozen the two tails that came off the back of his cloak, he quickly thawed those and allowed them to dry so they'd flow like usual. That way at least, he didn't look too ridiculous while moving. "Ok ready." The other's said they were ready too, and so the group headed off once more.