My face must have turned crimson red, because the gentle cheeks lifted up in a serene laugh. She did a quarter turn, and sat on the bench, happily announcing:

'Do not worry, my Lord! I can handle the situation on my own.'

I immediately looked away as she turned her back on me. Undoing button after button, untying lace after lace, she sounded very peaceful. I heard a corset metallic hook torn off, and her relatively massive body come back to cover all the bench.

'I'm ready!' she exclaimed, her legs swinging like a puppy.

Gods, what a trunk!

That body was definitely massive, and massively… beautiful. I could never have imagined a female Hume body built this way. Most women in the army have a short and thin stature to be efficient in dodging and camouflage, especially in my division. That one was almost as tall as I was. Big hands, big feet, big rhomboids, big trapezius, big latissimi… Everything in this woman was big, including her laugh. I took a deep breath and began spreading the liquid over the soft skin covered with tiny hair, insisting on the same parts I would for myself. Doing it to another person was much easier, and much more pleasant. Her skin was sliding like snow. The life I'd had so far did not make me likely to experience this at all. Each cell's touch was filling me with intense feelings I wasn't ready for. At some point, I tapped twice between her shoulders:

'It is not going to work if you don't unwind your muscles.'

I was terribly tempted to add 'beautiful muscles', but my so-called legendary composure didn't fail me.

'Sorry! Sorry, my Lord, I… I didn't do it on purpose!'

I sighed and gently caressed a line.

'No need for such titles. My name is… Gabranth.'

Once again, I was so close to failure!

'Oh, alright. And I'm… I'm Vicky.'

That 'Vicky' sounded carrying at least as much as my 'Gabranth'. For a while, there was no other sound than my fingers softly crossing and pinching parts of her back. I decided to continue my quest of making her feel completely comfortable and asked:

'Are you a student at an Imperial Akademy, Vicky? I assume you're on your sixth or seventh year; perhaps you're already preparing the final contest.'

'No, my… uh, no, Gabranth. I am indeed a student, but this is my first year. Akademy of Law.'

I was about to drop her aside. First year? Not only was she far from 25 but… 15? 15, out of all ages? How could so much fat, so much muscle, so much joy and so much mystery belong to a teenager?

'Is there anything wrong, Gabranth?' she asked, my face fortunately out of her sight. 'What about you?'

'I… turned 27 last month.'

Far from being worried, her long generous legs were dancing even more merrily.

'Oh, you are a few years older… no wonder, since you are already working.'

"A few years"?

'Tell me, Gabranth, what kind of job do you have?'

'I… I work in the Imperial Army. As a Judge.'

'A Judge?'

I swore that… girl was happier with every sentence.

'That's wonderful! Congratulations!' Vicky exclaimed. 'I am so jealous… if you reached that position, it means you have extensive law knowledge, for the Judge examination is no easy matter. How was it, when you undertook it?'

For sure, I was not going to tell her I was the "100% Judge".

'Nothing complicated. I have heard it shares a significant part with the Akademy's regular final contest. You just have to learn all the main articles, get a good idea of the others, and be ready for all test cases. There are books about this at the Akademy's library. You can also ask the professors, or the Dean, for the most reliable source of knowledge.'

'You… You know so much, Gabranth!', and I could feel the stars in her eyes without needing to see them. 'I am so jealous!' she repeated. 'As a Judge, you also have to be skilled in fighting. Unfortunately, while that one is easy to me, the academic path I have chosen only involves law, and I have utmost difficulty in understanding it.'

'Come to the army, then', I suggested. 'But not now – please be an adult. If you're a strong person and work hard enough on law – like a friend of mine – you can make it to judgehood. No need to be an expert in both. I am myself… not really keen on fighting.'

'I…' Vicky said, suddenly not enthusiastic anymore. 'I cannot join the army. My… my parents will forbid it.'

'Another Akademy, then. There is one for every topic, these days. If you register now and talk to the Dean, you may find your place somewhere you like better.'

'I don't want to switch, Vicky said. 'I want to pursue a career in law, just like my Lady Sister. It is precisely because it is difficult… that I want to cling to it. I don't want to give up. That's in my family's values!'

Now these were the words of a 15-years-old. My hands were shivering on her skin, that was not getting any less enjoyable to touch, as Vicky asked:

'May I ask which imperial division of the army do you work in? I have heard stories about all of them.'

'Sixth, Judge Drace.'

'You work with Judge Drace…!?'

And, while I just had moved in front of her head to reach the neck, she decided to stand on her knees, raising at my face the softest, the roundest, the biggest pair of bosoms that probably ever existed. It took me way much longer than I should have to hide my eyes behind my palms.

Please let me disappear – I wanted to disappear, I had to disappear, but I couldn't. That teen was biologically modified; it just could not be real. Just like putting myself in this situation, out of all men, could not be real.

'Oh, sorry; sorry, Gabranth!' she finally said. 'I did not do it on purpose! It is just that I look up to Judge Drace so much… she surely is a valorous knightly lady. I truly apologize. I shall come back to how I was. Look! It's over.'

I didn't dare to believe her – although she didn't feel like a liar. My whole body was crossed by some thunderstorm that was neither detectable nor unpleasant, and my chest pressured with some vibrant emotion warmer than the weather.

Vicky was as bold as to remove my hands herself, before putting her head down with a smile.

'I… I was almost done anyway', I announced.

'Oh, so soon?' she regretted. 'Please go on a little. It really helps me feel better; you were right, Gabranth. Look at how I raised myself up!'

I saw, Vicky; I saw.

'As you wish', I said. 'I will finish with the neck sides. These can be the most hurting, especially if you spend hours studying the Penal Code in the same position. However, please let me leave after that; for people can react badly to such situations here in Archadia.'

'Oh, you're not from Archadia?'

'I'm from Landis.'

The words had escaped before I could even recover from the vision she had shown me. The words had escaped and it was too late now. Sorry, Mother.

What was I supposed to say now? "Sorry, I lied just now; I am actually a fully Archadian citizen and regard everyone else as filthy"? For a few seconds, there was only silence. Vicky looked saddened – terribly saddened. Thousands of ideas could be filling her head at that moment, but none of them looked good for me. I caressed a last line on her neck with my thumb, and said, in a much deeper voice than I wanted to:

'You should be good to go.'

'Very well', said Vicky. 'I shall put my clothes back on.'

I turned my head away anew, as she got dressed for a time that felt like eternity. She discernably had much less joy in this operation than the opposite one. And something told me the reason had something to do with Landis.

'I am done', she coldly said.

I turned to her, and her face got back to the grim drained one I initially saw.

She sat on the bench and, with a quick smile, invited me to sit on her side. I sat at respectable distance from her sturdy thighs, now covered like the rest of her body under her folklore-knight-styled layers of clothes. From that point onwards, we could not see each other's face, only the tall bushes in front of us.

'Thank you, Gabranth. They are indeed like night and day. I can move my back freely now.'

'Do not push it too hard in the beginning. Stop carrying all these books in your bag. You may not get along with your fellow students, but Akademy Deans are approachable and will tell you what to bring. Please surround all your physical trainings with long stretching sessions – it is an essential part of the body strengthening process. If you need more of the unguent, you can visit the pharmacy on the other side of this street. Tell them you're Gabranth's friend.'

At that word, I felt her behavior changed, and got back to her warm – and certainly natural – self.

'F… friend?' she shyly said. 'That's a big honor to be the friend of Judge Gabranth.'

'I guess it is not shared by many people. I am rather lonely.'

'Since you escaped the war in Landis.'

For some reason, she sounded as if she knew much more about the event than she should have.

'Yes', I said. 'I had many friends there. Sometimes, I wonder if it was really me, there, surrounded by so many gentle souls.'

'Archadian gentle souls are too scarce, huh?'

I strategically chose to avoid replying. Lying to a friend – albeit new – was no option, and neither was spitting the bitter truth about the country that I owe my safety to. Especially if that truth was not to be told to someone so young. She deserved a life free of blood, sacrifice and heavy decisions. She deserved to reach adulthood in the peaceful manner I never had.

'I am sorry', she suddenly let out.

I couldn't help turning to her.

'You must have suffered so much', she added, without looking at me. 'Especially if you are from Waldgott area. If there was a way to turn back time and cancel all that happened, I would do it instantly. So you suffer less. At least… not this. You would not have to live with the pain, the immense burden that everybody died and you lived.'

That was becoming too suspicious:

'How are you aware?' I asked.

'My sister… My Lady Sister, Dolores. She was in love with a boy from Waldgott. I forgot his name, for these events happened when I was very little. She never recovered from his death, and dropped from the weekly Law Akademy's workshop ever since. He was the most chivalrous young man we had ever met, and his sister was the epitome of love. However, my Lord Brother never approved of her choice, so he is cross with her all of the time. I live with an enraged brother and a depressed sister. My parents are never available. Therefore… Thank you, Gabranth, for allowing me to make your acquaintance and talk to you freely.'

And she stood up.

'Of… Of course.'

'Gabranth, I know you are slightly older but I am still impressed with your personality and kindness. Additionally, you seem to have incredible aptitude for law. So… So…'

She kneeled down, next to her huge backpack, laid on the grass. It was harder to spot on dark skins, but she was definitely blushing.

'Can you… Do you agree… We will not be able to meet for a while. I am very sorry about this. But in a few years, I will get stronger – much stronger. In the meantime, I want to succeed at the Akademy, and I… well, I am sure your advice could help. Do you agree in sending me hints – only hints – on the exercises I don't understand? Do you agree in… exchanging letters?'

Letters?

'Yes, I can do that for sure. Give me your address and I will write back when I have time.'

'Oh, for real?'

She was shining, alluring, enchanting. Her laugh was like medicine for my ears.

'Gabranth, I am so glad!'

She took a piece of paper and wrote a few lines, then handed another one to me. Which address would I give her? Certainly not Mother's – I had betrayed her enough as it was. I wrote the Military Akademy one, which was technically my professional address.

'Judge Gabranth, is it?' she read.

'What about you?' I asked. 'You only wrote "Vicky" as the recipient.'

Her whole body trembled. The address itself was in the southwest suburbs of upper Archades – in an area where nobody wandered. I asked mostly because every proper Archadian citizen had to specify their name, middle name and surname in similar situations.

'That is enough' she said. 'Everyone knows Vicky there.'

Which kind of post office worked with nicknames…? I decided to calm her down once again, for she had no reason to lure me:

'I trust you. You will always be Vicky for me.'

Her knees were falling, her fears were melting, as her eyes were filling up with all the sweetness on Ivalice. However, instead of saying words matching the situation, she returned to the bag and pulled out of it… the sword.

'Please take it.'